Businessmirror february 25, 2018

media partner of the year

United nations

2015 environmental Media Award leadership award 2008

BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

A broader look at today’s business n

Sunday, February 25, 2018 Vol. 13 No. 137

2016 ejap journalism awards

business news source of the year

P25.00 nationwide | 2 sections 18 pages | 7 days a week

LAWMAKERS WANT POOR CHILDREN TO ENJOY DISCOUNTS, OTHER BENEFITS ACCORDED TO ELDERLY An eight-year-old boy uses a knife to clean shellfish, which earns him around P40 pesos per sack, at a market in Manila, March 4, 2009. Many Filipinos settle for low-paying jobs to cope with widespread poverty in the country. AP/Aaron Favila

Perks for ‘junior citizens’

T

By Jovee Marie N. Dela Cruz

he children and the youth, considered key factors in building a stronger nation, deserve sufficient protection and greater attention.

As provided in the 1987 Constitution, the state values the dignity of every human and guarantees full respect for human rights,

including children.

That’s why there are two bills in the lower chamber extending the privileges of senior citizens to

the so-called junior citizens aged 0 to 12.

Rep. Robert Ace S. Barbers of the Second District of Surigao del Norte and Rep. Luis Raymund F. Villafuerte Jr. of the Second District of Camarines Sur, authors of two measures seeking to grant benefits and privileges to junior citizens, said it is unfortunate that legislation and policies provide minimal consideration to the basic and fundamental needs of children.

The lawmakers said their proposal would play a crucial role in addressing the needs of the country’s underprivileged junior citizens.

Valuable asset

“Our children are our nation’s most valuable asset. They represent the bright future of our country and hold our hopes for a better nation. Every effort should be exerted by the state to promote their welfare and enhance their oppor-

tunities to a useful and happy life,” Barbers said.

While the government has sworn to protect, fulfill and respect our children’s fundamental rights, Barbers added many Filipino children still have limited access to basic services and are left behind, compared to other countries, in terms of obtaining their economic, social and health rights.

“Compared to other countries, Filipino children have limited access to basic services and are defi-

nitely left behind in terms of obtaining their economic, social and health rights. How we take care of our children is a reflection of our character as a nation,” he noted.

Barbers said his proposal aims to alleviate every parent’s financial woes by providing their children with benefits and privileges that they can enjoy, stressing that “if the government can give these privileges to our senior citizens, there is no reason we cannot also Continued on A2

Military beefs up forces in country’s northern frontier

Here come the Marines

T

By Rene Acosta

he military has deployed additional forces to the country’s northern frontier, as it moves to sustain the gains and operational tempo of both its internal security and territorial defense operations there, with battle-scarred Marines at the helm.

The deployment of the Marine Battalion Landing Team-8 (MBLT 8) in strategic coastal towns of Cagayan underscored the military’s decisiveness to end internal threats and its readiness to quickly

respond to any territorial eventualities.

A part of the battalion, which came from the country’s southernmost region and disembarked at Port Irene in Santa Ana, Cagay-

PESO exchange rates n US 52.1160

an, was also deployed in Mavulis, the farthest island of Itbayat in Batanes, which plays a crucial role in the country’s strategic defense.

“We have vast maritime areas in the northern frontier…not only in the Batanes Island group. In the northern part of the island, we have the Mavulis Island. With that, we can [push for] the promotion of safety at sea and also to manifest our strong claims in the farther islands of the northern frontier,” Armed Forces Northern Luzon Command (Nolcom) commander Lt. Gen. Emmanuel Salamat said.

Salamat added the deployment of Marines in the country’s northernmost coastal areas, including in Mavulis, where a shelter would be built that can be shared with civilContinued on A2

Philippine Marines from the Naval Special Operations Group storm the beach to simulate an extraction of a kidnap victim during an amphibious military exercise in Ternate, Cavite, September 24, 2015. AP/Bullit Marquez

n japan 0.4885 n UK 72.7018 n HK 6.6609 n CHINA 8.1988 n singapore 39.5148 n australia 40.8694 n EU 64.2486 n SAUDI arabia 13.8976

Source: BSP (February 23, 2018 )

NewsSunday BusinessMirror

A2 Sunday, February 25, 2018

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Here come the Marines Continued from A1

ians, would also boost the feeling of security of Filipino fishermen.

Strategic importance

Other than securing fishermen and the vast waters in the north, the military also wanted to keep the strategic importance of Mavulis.

The Nolcom launched its maritime domain-awareness operations on Mavulis Island in 2016, due to the regular presence of foreign poachers in its waters.

The jagged Mavulis, which measures about 4 square kilometers in land area, borders Taiwan and sits on the Bashi Channel, the strategic waterway that Chinese warships, including submarines, have to cross in the event that they attack Guam and Hawaii.

The channel connects the West Philippines Sea (South China Sea) and the Pacific Ocean

Because of its location, Mavulis is considered a key security figure, the last security defense against China, which has already secured the South China Sea through the presence of its massive military bases built on artificial islands.

A military official said earlier that Mavulis, if converted into a military facility, could check Chinese naval assets that will be launched into the Pacific Ocean through the Bashi Channel, re-

gardless where the ships and other vessels would come from, be it from Scarborough or from the other bases of China in the West Philippine Sea.

A first visit by the government to the island during that same year unearthed trash with Chinese markings that indicate Chinese poaching in the area.

“We are very thankful for this visit. We have been looking forward to this for decades and I hope that our presence out there [in Mavulis] will be sustained because we can only do so much in preserving our territorial integrity as well as our source of livelihood, which is fishing,” former Itbayat Mayor Ruelle Ibañes said then.

Ibañes complained about the regular presence of Taiwanese, Vietnamese and Chinese fishermen in their waters.

“Even fishermen from the capital town of Basco on small fishing boats go there to fish and usually encounter big fishing boats from Taiwan, Vietnam and those from mainland China out there,” he said.

Other maritime waters

Salamat said the arrival of the Marines should ensure the strategic presence of the military in the operational jurisdictions of the Nolcom, which covers both land and sea.

“The deployment of the Marines here is to complement the

In this December 26, 2013, file photo, Communist New People’s Army rebels hold weapons in formation in the hinterlands of Davao, Southern Philippines. AP

forces that have been deployed… the complementing forces will help ease some of our gaps that we have identified in Northern Luzon. So,

they will provide additional force to be able to accomplish our target goals in Northern Luzon,” he said.

The area command covers the geographic areas of Regions 1, 2 and 3 and the Cordillera Administrative Region, and the vast maritime waters of the country’s eastern and western seaboards that include Scarborough Shoal borders, the Batanes Island Group and the Philippine Rise.

Salamat added the presence of additional forces should complement the air and maritime patrols that his command is conducting in

its area of operations, including in the Philippine Rise.

“We are privileged to have additional platforms that include air and sea assets to be able to ensure our regular maritime patrol in the Philippine Rise. That is the marching order of the President to secure our [land] and maritime interests [and] the Philippine Rise, as well,” he said.

The Nolcom commander added they have been conducting regular maritime patrol, both in the Philippine Rise and in the Scarborough Shoal.

Internal threats The Nolcom listed the New People’s Army (NPA) as the primary threat group in its area of operations, although Salamat could not say the number of existing guerrilla fronts that his command is dealing with.

However, he added, the national directive against the NPA is very clear.

“We will exert our best effort to implement the orders of the President to degrade the communists’ capability here in Northern Luzon,” he said.

Perks for ‘junior citizens’ Continued from A1

grant these benefits to our underprivileged junior citizens.”

Juniors’ perks

Under Barbers’s House Bill (HB) 2881, a junior citizen whose annual family income does not exceed P250,000 shall be entitled to the grant of a 20-percent discount and exemption from the value-added tax (VAT).

It mandates a comprehensive program of benefits and privileges for children aged 0 to 12.

Barbers said his proposal seeks to alleviate the financial woes of families with meager income by giving benefits and discounts that children can enjoy.

As provided in his bill, junior citizens whose annual family income does not exceed P250,000 shall be entitled to a 20-percent discount and exemption from VAT on purchases of medical services, goods and other privileges. The said amount for the annual family income is the estimated poverty threshold for a family of four.

The proposed Junior Citizens Act also aims to make all junior citizens, regardless of income status, automatic Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) members, until they reach the age of 12.

“The ideal is that Filipino families should not be hounded by the amount they spend on their children’s basic food and nonnfood needs. Enrolling all junior citizens to PhilHealth must be automatic, not optional,” Barbers said.

The health secretary will be responsible for formulating the implementing rules and regulations to carry out the objectives of the act, including the creation of the Office of the Junior Citizens Af-

fairs, in consultation with other governing agencies.

Another proposal

Villafuerte, a vice chairman of the House Committee on Appropriations, filed his own version of a measure providing 20-percent discounts on select goods and services and VAT-free privileges for children up to 12 years old.

According to Villafuerte, the Philippines has made “great leaps” in fulfilling its commitment to the United Nations Millennium Development Goal of reducing child mortality and improving maternal health by establishing the National Coordinating Council for the Welfare of Children, and implementing pertinent laws, such as the Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) law in 2000 and the Barangay-Level Total Protection of Children Act in 1992, which require all local government units to establish day-care centers in all barangays.

Also, he said, the Department of Health has, in turn, been implementing programs, such as the Safe Motherhood Program, which provides maternal and newborn health services, and the Women’s Health and Safe Motherhood Project, which improves the delivery of health services to disadvantaged women.

However, Villafuerte added, these initiatives mostly focus only on the first 1,000 days of a child, or from the womb up to two years of age.

In his HB 6041, or the proposed Junior Citizens Act, Villafuerte said his proposal also provides for the mandatory PhilHealth coverage. “[This proposal will] to complement the personal income-tax exemptions under the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion Act,”

Villafuerte said.

The bill aims to ease the financial burden of the parents whose annual income is below P250,000.

“Government support for its young citizens is imperative, especially during their formative years, in order for them to grow up into fully equipped adult citizens,” he added.

According to Villafuerte, this is especially important for children from disadvantaged areas, where access to health-care services is low or limited to private institutions.

HB 6041 is the counterpart version of Sen. Grace Poe’s Junior Citizen bill in the Senate.

“All junior citizens shall be covered by the national health insurance program of PhilHealth and shall therefore be automatic PhilHealth members until they reach the age of 12, regardless of the family income,” Villafuerte said.

Under the measure, the benefits accorded to junior citizens extend to professional fees of physicians and dentists in private hospitals and health-care service providers, as well as funeral and burial services in case of death.

The bill said the 20-percent discount covers the purchase of medicines, vaccines and other essential medical supplies; milk supplements for children aged 4 to 12; and medical and dental services, such as xrays, diagnostics and laboratory fees.

Admission charges to leisure and amusement sites, such as movie houses and concert halls, are also taken into consideration in the bill.

The bill said qualified children are required to obtain a Junior Citizen ID and booklet to avail themselves of the privileges.

These two bills have already been consolidated and approved by the House Committee on the Welfare of Children.

www.businessmirror.com.ph

The World BusinessMirror

Oil falls toward $61 on concern US inventories expanded again

Toronto-based Trinidad Drilling Ltd. floorhand Miguel Lopez begins work on the first drilling of the Reveille 1H Chesapeake Energy Corp. natural gas rig in Fort Worth, Texas. Bloomberg

O

il fell on concer n US stockpiles ex panded again. Futures lost as much as 1.5 percent in New York. Inventories probably rose 2.9 million barrels last week, according to a Bloomberg survey before a government report later Thursday. Global equities and industrial metals also dropped after an upbeat US growth outlook fueled the possibility of interest-rate hikes.

Oil has gained almost 30 percent in the past six months on

expectations for robust demand and continued supply curbs by the Organization of Petroleum E x por t i ng Cou nt r ies (O pec).

Yet, price growth has slowed this year as US drillers put more rigs to work, pushing the country’s output to a record. A strengthening dollar this week has also d r a g g e d d o w n c o m mo d it i e s priced in the currency.

The dollar’s gain “has started to weigh on oil prices,” said Jens Naervig Pedersen, an analyst at Danske Bank A/S in Copenhagen.

“Sentiment in the oil market has been slightly bearish following the past weeks’ surge in the US rig count.”

We s t Te x a s I nt e r me d i at e (WTI) for April delivery fell 34 cents to $61.34 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange at 10:25 a.m. London time, after losing 11 cents on Wednesday. Total volume traded was about 26 percent below the 100-day average.

Brent for April settlement was down 24 cents at $65.18 a barrel on the London-based ICE Futures Europe exchange, after gaining 17 cents on Wednesday. The global benchmark crude traded at a $3.83 premium to WTI. US crude inventories rose by 1.84 million barrels in the week through February 9, data from the Energy Information Administration show. While analysts surveyed by Bloomberg expect a further increase in this week’s numbers, the American Petroleum Institute was said to report a decline of 907,000 barrels.

The Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index, a gauge of the currency against 10 major peers, rose for a fifth consecutive day on Thursday before dropping back to trade little changed.

Last year’s shrinkage in global oil inventories was “fairly unprecedented,” Chris Bake, a senior executive at Vitol Group, said in London. About 500 million barrels were drawn from storage in a “fairly short time,” with most major hubs affected, he said. Gasoline futures slipped 0.6 percent to $1.7469 a gallon, after adding 0.4 percent on Wednesday. Bloomberg News

Sunday, February 25, 2018

A3

China’s Lunar Year spend boosts movies, meals, robot cleaners

C

hina’s traditional Spring Festival splurge continued into the Year of the Dog, with hightech consumer goods playing a stronger role alongside festive favorites, such as movie-going and eating out.

Sales at restaurants and shopping malls jumped 10.2 percent to about 926 billion yuan, or $146 billion, during the Chinese New Year holiday from February 15 to 21, compared with last year’s Spring Festival week, according to the Ministry of Commerce. Consumer durables such as floor-sweeping robots were particularly popular shopping items.

At the box office, takings surged by 52 percent led by local comedy franchises Monster Hunt and Detective Chinatown 2. Revenue from domestic tourism rose 12.6 percent to 475 billion yuan, with

Southeast Asian nations the top outbound destination, the National Tourism Administration said.

Detective Chinatown 2 features impressive views of New York City, classic street fights and car-chase scenes. There was an added draw— a senior officer from the New York Police Department with bouffant hair and a fondness for building walls had more than a passing resemblance to US President Donald J. Trump.

Onshore Chinese consumer shares related to travel and film advanced on Thursday morning, the first work day following the

holiday, backed up by the strong tourism and box-office numbers.

Analysts from China International Capital Corp. wrote in a report that they expect box-office takings to increase by more than 25 percent in 2018.

During the lunar holiday, around 390 million passenger trips were estimated to have been made by rail, up 8.8 percent from the equivalent period in 2017, according to railway corporation data cited by the Xinhua news agency. China’s factories and offices shut down for the weeklong holiday, which unleashes the largest migration of humans on the planet.

The spending data underscores China’s long-term shift toward a consumption-led economy, and away from old-style investment and ex por t-dr iven g row th.

P u rc h a s i n g - m a n a ge r s u r v e y d at a for Febr u a r y due ne x t week will give further clues as to whether the world’s secondlargest economy is maintaining its pace from 2017, when it posted the first full-year acceleration since 2010. Bloomberg News

A4

The World BusinessMirror

Sunday, February 25, 2018

Venezuela opposition alliance rejects ‘fraudulent’ elections

V

enezuela’s opposition coalition announced it will boycott this year’s presidential ballot, saying that in its current form the vote will be neither free nor fair.

The April 22 vote amounts to “only a fraudulent and illegal simulation of a presidential election,” Angel Oropeza, the alliance’s political coordinator, told reporters in Caracas. “We want to compete in elections—we are democrats— but in clean elections.”

Without the participation of the Democratic Unity Roundtable, or MUD as it’s known by its Spanish acronym, President Nicolas Maduro is set to capture another six-year term, despite widespread criticism the snap vote will lack legitimacy.

Still, the ruling socialists have not been swayed by international outcry or even threats of additional sanctions, and are now considering bringing forward National Assembly elections, cutting the current congressional term short by two years.

‘Fortify’ democracy

On Wednesday Maduro doubleddown on previous calls form within his own party and proposed holding a “mega-election,” adding congressional elections, state legislators and municipal councils to the ballot, as well. “Let’s go to powerful elections for a democratic renovation of the country, clearing the road for the rest of 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022,” Maduro told reporters. “So we can dedicate ourselves entirely to the work of economic prosperity.”

While Maduro said he would formalize his plans next week, the proposal seemed destined for approval. Minutes after the president spoke, Delcy Rodriguez, head of National Constituent Assembly, said she had received the proposal and Maduro could count on her support to “fortify the country’s democracy!”

A dire economic crisis fueled a landslide opposition victory in congressional elections in 2015, which allowed them to retake control of the National Assembly for the first time since the late Hugo Chavez took power nearly two decades ago.

Contenders barred

Yet, the government has since whittled away congress’s powers through its control of the courts, and created a legislative super body, the National Constituent Assembly, to rubber-stamp its own initiatives.

Maduro Carlos Becerra/Bloomberg

The opposition has tried to negotiate more favorable terms with the government through a series of meetings in the Dominican Republic, part of an international effort to remedy the country’s bitter political crisis.

The MUD demanded the government set a date that provided ample time to appoint new electoral authorities and invite international observers. But as talks broke down, the ruling socialists did exactly the opposite, bringing election day forward without heeding the opposition’s key demands.

Oropeza said the opposition will only participate once the government obeys the accords

Let’s go to powerful elections for a democratic renovation of the country, clearing the road for the rest of 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022.”

—Maduro

reached in Santo Domingo. “Without that, don’t count on the opposition or the Venezuelan people to support a fraud.”

W hi le Venezuelans largely blame Maduro for quadruple-digit inflation, chronic food shortages and rampant crime, the opposition’s top contenders are currently barred from holding office.

Activist Leopoldo Lopez is under house arrest on charges of inciting violence, when he led a wave of protests in 2014. And Venezuela’s comptroller general banned two-time presidential contender Henrique Capriles from running for office last year, on charges of “administrative irregularities” found during his time as governor.

It remains unclear if any opposition figures will launch an independent run. Polls show most Venezuelans support the vote and are apathetic about the current field of opposition candidates, which is lead by former governor Henri Falcon. Over 62 percent of the respondents in a survey conducted last week by pollster Venebarometro said none of the names provided should be president. Bloomberg News

Editor: Lyn Ressureccion | www.businessmirror.com.ph

Trump Jr.: ‘Nonsense’ family is profiting from presidency

N

EW DELHI—Dona ld Trump Jr. said any talk of his family profiting from his father’s presidency is “nonsense” during a trip to India that has raised ethical concerns about using the name of the American president to promote international business ventures.

The eldest son of President Donald J. Trump said his family is actually missing out on business opportunities because his father pledged to conduct no new foreign business while he was in office. Trump Jr. told Indian television channel CNBC-TV18 on Tuesday that when critics talk about them “profiteering from the presidency and all this nonsense” they forget about “the opportunity cost of the deals that we were not able to do.”

“It’s sort of a shame. Because we put on all these impositions on ourselves and essent ia l ly got no credit for actually doing that...for doing the right thing,” he added.

Trump Jr., who along with his brother Eric, runs the Trump Organization, arrived in India on Tuesday to meet the promoters and buyers of luxury, Trumpbranded homes in four Indian cities and is scheduled to speak about Indo-Pacific relations at a business summit along with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

His visit prompted a United States senator to ask if the embassy in New Delhi had provided any aid or guidance. Sen. Robert Menendez, ranking Democratic on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, wrote that he expected the US State Department and embassy would treat Trump Jr. like any other American on private business and “will take every effort to avoid any perception of special treatment or a conflict of interest.”

In the letter to Ambassador Kenneth Juster, Menendez asked

if diplomats had briefed Trump Jr. during his visit or provided any support staff. Menendez also asked Juster whether any steps were taken “to make clear to the Indian government and citizens of the country that Mr. Trump in no way speaks on behalf of the United States government.”

T he US State Department, responding to questions from the Associated Press, said the embassy was suppor ting t he Secret Service team responsible for Trump Jr. but otherwise had no role in his visit. It said while the State Department assists with booking hotels and other travel arrangements, such costs are paid by the requesting agencies, such as the Secret Service.

The department also said that while some US Embassy employees may attend the business summit where Trump Jr. is speaking, the ambassador would not be attending nor would he be meeting with Trump Jr. Media access to his events in the country has been limited and only news organizations chosen by his team have had access to him.

With five projects under the Trump brand, India is its largest market outside the United States. The Trump Organization charges a licensing fee to its Indian partners who build the properties under the Trump name. A luxury complex is already open in the central city of Pune and the others are under construction in the coastal cities of Mumbai and Kolkata and two in the New Delhi suburb of Gurgaon.

All the projects were signed before president Trump took office, but promoting even existing business has raised ethics concerns.

Trump Jr. has made several visits to India over the years and has repeatedly talked of great business opportunities in the country. AP

Bombing blitz overwhelms hospitals in Damascus B

EIRUT—Doctors in Syria’s rebel-controlled suburbs of Damascus said on Wednesday they were unable to keep up with the staggering number of casualties, amid a ferocious bombing campaign by government forces that has targeted hospitals, apartment blocks and other civilian sites, killing and wounding hundreds of people in recent days.

The bombardment has forced many among the nearly 400,000 residents to sleep in basements and makeshift shelters, and has over whelmed rescue workers who have spent days digging out survivors from the wreckage of bombed out buildings.

United Nat ions Secretar yGeneral Antonio Guterres called for an immediate suspension of “all war activities” in the rebelheld Damascus suburbs known as eastern Ghouta, where he said 400,000 people are living “in hell on Earth.”

The UN chief said a suspension of fighting must allow for humanitarian aid to reach all in need and the evacuation of some 700 people needing urgent medical treatment.

Dr. Waleed Awata described a desperate, chaotic scene at the small hospital where he works as an anesthesiologist in the town of Zamalka, one of a cluster of settlements that make up eastern Ghouta. The facility, with just 17 beds, received 82 patients on Tuesday night alone, he said.

“We had to give them IVs and treat them on the f loor,” the 44-year-old physician told The Associated Press. He said the bodies of two women and two children killed in Wednesday’s shelling

were also brought to the hospital.

The hospital was struck on Tuesday by barrel bombs—crude, explosives-filled oil drums dropped from helicopters at high altitudes—as well as sporadic artillery fire, Awata said.

Like many hospitals in the area, patients had been moved into the basement to shield them from air strikes. No one was hurt, but the hospital’s generator, water tanks and several ambulances were damaged.

Another doctor said he, too, was as the hospital where he works in the town of Saqba when it came under attack on Tuesday, killing some of the patients and forcing others to be moved to nearby homes because the air strikes made it too dangerous to take them to other hospitals.

“By God, I am exhausted in every sense of the word,” said the physician, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he feared for the safety of relatives in government-controlled areas of Damascus.

T he inter nat iona l med ica l organization Doctors Without Borders said 13 hospita ls and clinics that it suppor ts have b e e n d a m a ge d or dest ro ye d over the past three days. T he International Committee of the Red Cross called for immediate access to tend to the wounded, say ing med ic a l personnel in the rebel-held areas were unable to cope amid shor tages of medicines and supplies.

Syrian government forces supported by Russian aircraft have shown no signs of letting up their aerial and artillery assault on eastern Ghouta since they stepped up

This photo released on Wednesday by the Syrian Civil Defense group, known as the White Helmets, shows a member of the Syrian Civil Defense group carrying a boy who was wounded during air strikes and shelling by Syrian government forces, in Ghouta, a suburb of Damascus, Syria. New air strikes and shelling on the besieged, rebel-held suburbs of the Syrian capital killed at least 10 people on Wednesday, a rescue organization and a monitoring group said. Syrian Civil Defense White Helmets via AP

strikes late Sunday as part of a new, determined push to recapture the territory that has been controlled by rebels since 2012.

The UN human-rights office said in a news statement issued on Wednesday that at least 346 people had been killed in eastern Ghouta since the Syrian government and its allies escalated their offensive on the region on February 4. At least 92 of those deaths occurred in just one 13-hour period on Monday, it said, adding that the toll was far from comprehensive, documented in the midst of chaos and destruction. Another 878 people have been wounded, mostly in airstrikes hitting residential areas.

The Britain-based Syrian Obser vator y for Human R ights, which closely monitors the fighting through activ ists on the ground, said at least 300 people have been killed since Sunday night alone. The dead included 10 people killed in a new wave of strikes on Wednesday in the town of Kafr Batna.

The opposition’s Syrian Civil Defense search-and-rescue group, also known as the White Helmets, reported similar numbers, saying government forces targeted the town with air strikes, artillery fire and barrel bombs.

Photos and videos posted by the Syrian Civil Defense and local ac-

tivist groups showed scenes resembling the aftermath of an earthquake in Kafr Batna and rescuers searching the rubble for survivors.

In one video, workers were seen carrying away a man, his hair and clothes covered in dust and debris, blood running down his face. Sirens wailed in the background and people screamed in panic. Photos showed children being treated for wounds at a hospital and bodies shrouded in white lined up alongside makeshift graves.

The doctor in Saqba said he had returned home on Tuesday to rest after two back-to-back days of treating the wounded when a barrage of rockets landed in his

neighborhood, shaking his apartment and breaking the windows.

Minutes later, the air strikes began. T he f irst one hit his house, the doctor said, adding that he couldn’t see anything through the dust as he called out to his pregnant wife and two young children, ages 2 and 1. Neighbors came to their rescue and helped them evacuate to the basement, where they spent the night. They suffered only superficial wounds.

“I’m one of the fortunate ones.

I know that not everyone in my place in Ghouta would have been so lucky,” he said.

T he UN’s reg iona l humanitar ian coordinator for Sy r ia, Panos Moumtzis, said he was “a l a r me d ” b y t he ve r y h i g h number of casua lties.

“Ghouta is a 10-mile drive from the hospitals in Damascus and it’s heartbreaking to think of children, women and elderly who are in need, unable to be evacuated, and in a situation of fear, hiding in basements and not being able to go out,” he said by phone from Amman, Jordan.

Paul Donohoe, the Beirut-based media officer for International Rescue Committee, said his group supports five medical facilities in eastern Ghouta that, because of the severity of the bombardment, were only able to treat the most urgent cases. He said more than 700 people, including some with chronic illnesses that need urgent medical evacuation, were trapped.

“People are terrified.... We need a cease-fire immediately because of the horrible, horrendous number of people who have died so far,” he said. AP

Science

BusinessMirror

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

Sunday

Sunday, February 25, 2018

A5

Science Secretary Fortunato de la Peña (fifth row, center) pose with Youth Excellence in Science awardees during the awarding ceremonies at the Philippine International Convention Center. SEI photo

PHL math, science medalists hit highest number since 2007

T

here’s no stopping our young math and science geniuses on their record-breaking trend.

When the Youth Excellence in Science (YES) Awards first started recognizing the victories of young students in international science and math competitions, there were only 70 awardees.

Last year, 10 years after, the number of awardees reached a record-breaking 1,195—an impressive 45.55-percent increase from the previous year’s already historic 821. It’s also the highest total since the event began in 2007, the Science Education Institute (SEI) said in a news release.

“If the number of YES medals awarded is any indication of our future in science, I’m happy to say that it looks more than promising,” said Dr. Josette Biyo, director of the Department of Science and Technology-SEI (DOST-SEI), which organizes the YES Awards.

Biyo welcomed the 548 awardees from the National Capital

Region and nearby regions in an awarding ceremony held on February 20 at the Philippine International Convention Center at the Cultural Center of the Philippines Complex in Pasay City.

The 647 student-medalists from other regions will be honored in separate events courtesy of DOST regional offices.

Also present in the ceremony are national organizers of science and math competitions, school officials, teachers and parents of the awardees and DOST officials.

No le s s t h a n t he S c ie nce Secretar y For tunato T. de la Peña, who lauded t he decade old Y E S Awa rd s for bei ng a crad le of pr ide for Fi lipinos, gave to t he young champions t heir Secretar y’s Med a l.

De la Peña assured the students that the DOST is always supportive of programs that will strengthen all the relevant sectors in Science and Technology (S&T) development.

He cited the scholarships provided by the SEI, as well as other programs of the department that stimulate innovation, facilitate promotion of local technologies and promote resiliency amid disasters that the country faces yearly, the SEI said.

Besides the student-medalists,

If the number of YES medals awarded is any indication of our future in science, I’m happy to say that it looks more than promising.”—Biyo

the top 3 schools in terms of medalists produced were recognized through the Gold Ribbon School Award—a new tradition that YES started this year and will be awarded every three years henceforth.

This year’s awardees are the Philippine Science High School Main Campus with 278 medals, followed by Saint Jude Catholic School and Grace Christian College with 265 and 175 medals, respectively, the SEI said.

The event also celebrated the momentous winning of math whiz Andres Rico Gonzales III and 2017 Breakthrough Junior Challenge champion, Hillary Diane Andales.

Andales spoke at last year’s awarding ceremony about not being afraid of failures and repeats after placing sixth in the same competition that she topped the following year.

DOST Undersecretary for S&T Services, Dr. Carol Yorobe, in her message, called for students to find purpose in their award and use their YES achievements to build fruitful collaborations and serve the country. S&T Media Service

Expert warns: Computer hackers becoming major threats to govts

A

global cybersecurity expert recently warned that computer hackers are becoming major threats to governments which could to lead instability in the long run.

“I think governments around the world will struggle on this more and more because people in power use everything available to fight their enemies and protect themselves from being removed from power,” Marc Goodman, said in the PilipinasCon 2018, a Forum on Cybersecurity and the Internet of Things held recently at the Enderun Colleges in Taguig City. Goodman is the founder of the Future Crimes Institute and chair for Policy, Law and Ethics at Singularity University, a Silicon Valley think tank.

He pointed out that governments around the world do not possess the necessary tools to tackle the powerful cybercriminals “because people in power use everything available to fight their enemies and protect themselves from being removed from power.”

“We are not ready to subscribe to this cynical view of people in power, but we acknowledge this knowledgeability on cybersecurity and we hope our own officials will see the merit of reviewing our present election system and put more safeguards in place,” he added.

It should be noted that US special counsel Robert Mueller has indicted last week 13 Russians of an elaborate plot to disrupt the 2016 presidential election. The Russians were charged with running a huge but hidden social-media trolling campaign aimed at helping Republican Donald J. Trump defeat Democrat Hillary Clinton. The

Russian government has denied meddling in the US election.

A few days after the Mueller indictment announcement, US intelligence chiefs said Russians are going to try it again in the 2018 midterm elections.

In the open forum on the cybersecuirty forum, Assistant Secretary Alan Cabanlong of the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) urged the telecommunications and banking industries to adopt stronger security measures because these two sectors are the most attractive to cybercriminals.

“The DICT is spearheading the changing of mind-set of the business leaders because they are currently thinking in a linear mode,” Cabanlong pointed out.

With a budget of P800 million, Cabanlong said the DICT has its hands full in familiarizing with new technologies, such as artificial intelligence, machine learning tools and other mission-critical applications.

He said the DICT is also investing in developing the cybersecurity capabilities of the country through the National Cyber Intelligence Platform. Furthermore, he said the system is also expected to provide proactive actionable intelligence and alerts to assist organizations implement the right measures to protect their financial assets, brands and customer reputations.

In an e-mail interview, network security provider Kaspersky Lab warned that the Philippines is vulnerable to cybercriminals and “should definitely place more defenses to protect its cyberspace.” Rizal Raoul Reyes

U.P. awards 5 science journalists T

By Stephanie Tumampos

he University of the Philippines (UP) recognized five journalists in its first UP Science Journalism Awards held in UP Diliman on February 17.

The winners, who bested 13 finalists, are Angelica Yang of GMA News Online for Best Science News Story, Nef Luczon of SunStar Cagayan De Oro for Best Science Commentary for Print and Online, Edmund Usman of Rappler for Best Science Feature Story for Print and Online, Michael Joe Delizo of ABS-CBN/DZMM for Best Science Story for Radio, and Mikael Angelo Francisco of GMA News Online for Best UP Science Story.

The awardees received a cash prize and a trophy designed by the late National Artist Napoleon Abueva.

The finalists are Stanley Gajete of Manila Times, Timothy James Dimacali of GMA News Online for Best Science News Stor y; Jesse Madriaga of Mindanao Times for Best Science Commentar y for Print and O nline; Her t y Lopez of Super Balita Cebu, Henrylito Tacio of Edge Davao, and this repor ter for Best Science Feature Story for Print and Online; Dr. Josephine Agapito and Dr. Custer Deocaris of Pinoy Scientist-Radyo Aguila, and TechSabado

of Radyo 5 for Best Science Radio Story; Erwin Nicavera of SunStar Bacolod, Melvin Calimag of Newsbytes Philippines and Nickolas Tubo of SunStar Philippines for Best UP Science Story.

They received certificates of recognition.

The winners and finalists where chosen from 60 nominations of mainstream and community media organizations nationwide. The judges were composed of journalists, academicians, scientists and an economist.

The Science Journalism Awards recognizes exemplary reporting in science and technology, as well as, the scientific researches and d e v e l o p m e n t s i n t h e c o u n t r y. I t a l s o aims to acknowledge the impor tance of communicating accurate science stories and the mainstreaming of science and technology into the public consciousness.

“Journalism about science, technology, engineering and all manners of innovation is not really just about the science,” said keynote speaker Prof. Clarissa David of the UP College of Mass Communication Graduate School.

She added: “The stories written are about tackling the country’s and our world’s most perplexing and urgent problems: environmental conservation, climate change, disasters, and public-health crises among others.”

However, David said that science journalism

in the country “needs improvement.” There is lack of demand from audiences for science-centered stories and most audiences have a wider landscape of choices when it comes to news reading.

David expressed hope that journalists could write about stories of the lesser-known areas of science. “We need science journalists and communicators not really to help the public understand the scientists, but to help the scientists reach out to and speak with the public.”

D r. El e n a Pe r n i a , p ro g ra m l e a d e r o f Communicating Science and Technology Research and Development at UP (CoST UP), said, “Very often science is perceived to be something that is not understandable, something that exists in laboratories. Our program aims to bring home the fact that everything we do and everything that we use benefited and continues to benefit from developments in science.”

Pernia added that the UP Science Journalism Awards is part of that communicating product “to bring the journalists together with the scientists to deliver the message to the ordinary man that science is something that is daily beneficial.”

The UP Science Journalism Awards is a project component of CoST UP, an Emerging Interdisciplinary Research Program, funded by the Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs of the UP System.

The University of the Philippine (UP) recognized last weekend five journalists in its first UP Science Journalism Awards.

Keynote speaker Prof. Clarissa C. David (left) of the Graduate Studies Department of UP College of Mass Communication (UPCMC) and UPCMC Dean Elena E. Pernia (right) join the awardees (from left): Nef Luczon of SunStar Cagayan de Oro for Best Science Commentary for Print and Online; Michael Joe Delizo of ABS-CBN/DZMM for Best Science Story for Radio; Mikael Angelo Francisco of GMA News Online for Best UP Science Story; Angelica Yang of GMA News Online for Best Science News Story; and Edmund Uzman of Rappler for Best Science Feature Story for Print and Online. NONOY LACZA

Faith A6 Sunday, February 25, 2018

Sunday

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

Virgen de la Rosa: Makati’s Queen, Mother and Patroness

By Roi Christoffer Peralta | Special to the BusinessMirror

B

efore Makati became known as the financial center of the Philippines, it had been a small provincial town outside the Walled City of Manila and its arrabal (Spanish for suburbs).

It started a small settlement on the bank of the Pasig River, then developed into an agricultural hacienda also known for its pottery and bricks.

In the heart of this hacienda, then called San Pedro de Macati, was the parish church built in 1620 on top of the hill called Buenavista.

The hacienda became a selfgoverning pueblo (town) in 1670 as the town grew over the years.

San Pedro de Macati held a great treasure in their hearts: the Virgen de la Rosa.

The beautiful image of the Mother of God arrived from Cadiz, Spain, through the ports of Acapulco onboard a galleon in 1718.

The image of Mary and the Christ-Child was unique—because of the beautiful head and hands carved out of ivory, and a cavity in her chest that holds a reliquary containing a strand of hair of Mary.

The most notable Jesuit historians attest to the authenticity of the relic and praise the beauty of Mary’s glorious reliquary.

The Church of Saints Peter and Paul, later nicknamed Sampiro—at which the main altar the image of the Virgen is enshrined—became a pilgrimage site for devotees of the Blessed Virgin, especially because it had been a stopover for pilgrims en route to the Virgen de la Paz y Buen Viaje in Antipolo.

The Virgen de la Rosa of Makati is the only Marian image under that title in the Philippines.

The rose is filled with symbolisms attributed to Mary. She is the Rosa Mystica, the most beautiful flower in the garden of the Lord.

It is the fragrance of the rose that alludes to Mary’s sweet holiness.

Even the thorns are reminders of the Passion of Jesus, that Mary shared through her most sorrowful heart.

Over the years the Virgen de la Rosa was a beacon of hope and devotion of the people of San Pedro de Macati. She was their patrona and abogada against disease, earthquakes and even war.

Sadly, her sacred image was desecrated during the height of the Filipino-American War of 1899.

The ivory pieces along with the reliquary were lost.

However, the faithful of Sampiro did not lose their love for their Mother. Immediately after the loss of the ivor y pieces, new wooden replacements were commissioned. Instead of growing cold in their devotion, people drew closer to their Queen and Mother.

The notable “Panatang Sayaw,” or “Baile de los Arcos,” a prayerful song and dance offering dedicated to the Virgen de la Rosa and the Patrons, the Apostles Saints Peter and Paul, is still performed to this day during the parish and city fiesta on June 29 and 30.

In previous years, devotion to the Virgen was shown in as simple as cleaning the church on Saturdays then offering a rosary in her honor.

Nowadays, Saturdays are dedicated to her, especially the second Saturday of each month with the 7 a.m. Mass sung for her. Programs like a monthly free clinic, a weekly soup kitchen and other outreach programs of the parish and its partners are fruits of these devotion to Our Lady.

The miraculous image of Our Lady has been celebrated due to countless graces and miracles experienced by her devotees. She had been known to give barren couples children and ensure a safe delivery even for problematic pregnancies.

In recent years, cancer patients have received miraculous and continuous recoveries and non-Catholics receive their call to conversion at her feet.

A

sh Wednesday is a ritual of truth. The priest makes the sign of the cross on the forehead of everyone on the queue.

He tells each one: “For you are dirt and to dirt you shall return” (Genesis 3:19). Simply said: Man is a corruptible being.

Ash Wednesday is the start of the Lenten Season. An ancient tradition of prayer, penance and reflection, it ends on Easter Sunday, when Jesus rose from the dead. It is a day of great hope, too—that man will rise with Him on the day of reckoning.

Among early Christians, those who had committed grave sins perform public penance. Sack clothes are worn by penitents, who parade themselves in public places rubbing their bodies with ashes.

The ashes are made from the palms fronds used in the previous year’s Palm Sunday. They burned into ashes and sprinkled with water. Sometimes scented incense is mixed. The ash signifies grief, penance and humility.

Holy Mother Church teaches that after death, each person stands before God, sans possessions, titles and honors, and only one’s good deeds will be honored.

And dust will reclaim man.

When rigor mortis begins

Image of the Virgen de la Rosa Robert Reyes

300

The number of years the image of Virgen de la Rosa has been in the country since it arrived in 1718, which is being celebrated this year

This year marks the 300th anniversary of the arrival of the Virgen de la Rosa in the country.

To celebrate this milestone, the parish, through the Archdiocese of Manila, petitioned Rome that Plenary Indulgence be granted to pilgrims and devotees of the Virgen de la Rosa, under the usual conditions set by the Holy See.

B

Bishop Pablo Virgilio David of Caloocan delivers his homily at a Mass during the Singles for Christ International Conference in Makati City on February 17. ROY LAGARDE

The Church, according to him, is not saying that the drug problem should not be fought. “But our question is how are you fighting this war?” David said.

“I know they have declared a war. But my question is war against whom? Before declaring a war, are we not supposed to identify first who our enemies and allies are? That’s all we are asking,” he pointed out.

As bishop of a diocese that has become a “killing field” in the war against drugs,

By Corazon Damo-Santiago

Dust will reclaim man

In line with this, the Parish Jubilee Door will be opened on February 25, the feast day of the Santo Niño de Pasion de Makati, at 8:30 a.m.

It will be followed by the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass to be lead by His Eminence Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle, Archbishop of Manila, at the parish church of Saints Peter and Paul on P. Burgos Street., near A. Venue Mall.

As the Virgen de la Rosa is continually honored in Saturday devotions, it is the prayer of her devotees that Mary, Queen, Mother and Patroness, shares the beauty and splendor of her virtues: obedience, humility and trust in the will of the Father to all that the faithful might reach heaven in Her shining example.

For those who need, and have received favors and blessings, big and small, through her intercession, may contact cofradiadelavirgendelarosa@gmail.com.

Bishop bucks claim drug users aren’t human i s h o p Pa b l o Vi rg i l i o D av i d o f Caloocan City lashed out at Catholics who agree that drug users and pushers are not part of humanity.

Speaking at a gathering of young people over the weekend, he lamented the seeming apathy and indifference of the general public in the face of drug-related killings. “I hope you understand why my heart bleeds when I hear about Catholics who agree that addicts are not human,” he said in his homily at a Mass during the Singles for Christ (SFC) International Conference in Makati City.

“My hear t bleeds when there are Catholics who agree that criminals cannot be reformed, that they deserved to die and be exterminated if we are to have a peaceful Philippine society,” David said.

The prelate told more than 7,000 young people at the event, which also marked the SFC’s 25th anniversary, about the need for a different approach that sees the drug problem as a public-health issue.

He emphasized that intimidation and killings will not stop the problem, as he again chided the government’s drug war that has led to the death of over 12,000 Filipinos, mostly urban poor.

The incorruptible saints

David said he could not remain silent on issues affecting his pastoral territory, which has the biggest population of informal settlers in Metro Manila.

Slum dwellers, he added, experience environmental and psychological adversity that increases their vulnerability to depression “that’s why they need to cope but I’m not justifying it.”

“It’s a spiritual and a psychological disease. In their struggles with fear, with insecurities, with depression and

isolation, many people resort to the negative way of coping and they become enslaved [by it],” David added.

If only to stop the drug trade, he said the government must go after the manufacturers or syndicates rather than merely prey on poor addicts and smalltime pushers.

“It is those who victimize the sick whom this government should run after,” he said.

The prelate also said that drug addicts need help, not scorn and hateful revenge from the public, as Christians are called to follow the way of the Lord, which “is not avoidance.”

“It’s not going to be easy. We took a stand and our advocacy is to stop the killing and start the healing, and now we are in bad company because we are trying to save the addicts, the people you are told to avoid,” David said.

“But please do not forget that the Eucharist is not bread only for the righteous. It’s precisely because we are sinners that we need the Eucharist. The Eucharist is bread broken for broken people like you and me,” he added.

Roy Lagarde/CBCPNews

Theologians say that death is simply the separation of the soul from the body. The heart may have stopped beating but the soul is still present. So persons declared clinically dead can sometimes be revived by artificial respiration. Thus, the Church allows priests to give conditional absolution and conditional anointing of the sick, two hours after apparent death.

W hen blood congea l s a nd r igor mor t is—t he st if fen ing of mu sc les — beg i n, t he sou l definitely has left the body, according to Leo J. Trese in T he Faith Ex plained.

Even while those near the bedside are “crossing the hands on the breast and gently closing the sightless eyes, the soul has been judged and knows its eternal fate”—its particular judgment.

Theologians speculate that “God illumines the soul, sees it as God sees it—sees what its fate is in accordance with the infinite justice of God.” Physical and forensic anthropologists attest that with rigor mortis, bacteria within the body takes the lead, maggots or flesh eaters emerge, which consume in a week 60 percent of the human body. If buried in a watery or damp place, putrefication or the process of decay is twice as fast. And, so the body—pampered with food and other wordly things—is helpless and decays.

Doctrinal divinity

Revelation asserts that “no man can be born pure and clean,... that whatever born of the flesh is carnal and corrupt.”

So corruption of the body— changed from its original state— will defy health, beauty and all medical pursuits to preserve life.

The tabernacle of the body called unique will in God’s time be carried to a grave. The corruption of nature is universal and encompassing. Man, in his entirety, “all powers and faculties of his soul” will decay.

T he Doct r ina l Div init y on t he cor r upt ion of hu ma n nature had been decreed by someone who a lways e x isted, w it h no beginning and limit, “whose ver y nat u re it is to e x ist,” a nd whose t houghts a nd decrees a re incomprehensible.

God, who is infinitely perfect, loving and merciful, has completed the public revelation of Himself to man. The reason, so every man can

fulfil his destiny—be with Him forever and ever in paradise.

A lt hough God g i f ted m a n with free will, the sights and sounds of a materialistic culture are so difficult to resist. Desires for pleasure is simply too much to disregard. Is it a wonder man is awash with sins?

But, as often as man repents, God forgives. And because He is a perfect spirit, He also is infinitely just.

“His mercy cannot defeat His justice if we refuse Him the love, which is the purpose of our being,” Trese underscores in The Faith Explained. Although Jesus came to save us, He could not save us without us.

Incorruptible

God, until death, does not give up to save man. So even in death, He made great witnesses to His love and mercy. He destined faithful ones to be incorruptible.

The word “saint” is derived f rom the Greek word hag ios, meaning holy. In Hebrew, the word qadowsh means sacred and set apart. In the Old Testament, a saint is one who is faithful and godly. So Paul called the Christians holy ones.

In the Catholic Church a saint is a person of preeminent holiness and officially recognized through canonization.

God honors saints by preserving their bodies from corruption.

The incorrupt bodies of saints are considered great relics, thus, they are honored by the faithful.

Not all saints, however, are incorrupt.

Catholic apologetics state that they are “simply living witnesses to the truth that the Roman Catholic religion is the one true faith from God.” The process of beatification often has been started before graves are opened for relics. While incorruptibility of the body of a candidate for sainthood is a plus point, the corruptible body is not a hindrance for sainthood.

The authenticity of incorrupt bodies has been extensively studied and has baffled scientists and medical experts. The bodies are incorrupt despite the types of burial, temperature, moisture of the graves, handling and transference of the corpse.

In addition to incorr uptibilit y of their bodies, God g ifted others w ith biolog ica l manifestations that are a k in only to the liv ing.

This includes the living blood that flowed from a wound of Saint John of the Cross, when his finger was amputated after his death, while Saint Nicholas Tolentino’s arms frequently bled over the last 400 years.

There is also the perfumed liquid that flows from the hands and feet of Saint Agnes of Montepulciano, while Saint Pio de Pietrelcina’s hair and beard grew.

The longest incorrupt body belongs to Saint Silvan of the fourth century. Not much information has been written about him. He must have been a priest judging from his garment with a big embroidered cross. He must have been martyred because of a large slice on his neck. His body is in Saint Blaise at Dubrovnik, Croatia.

The Catholic Church listed about 250 incorruptible bodies of holy people in the Roman Catholic Church.

A Catholic theologian commenting on the incorruptible bodies of saints, wrote: “If you don’t see God in these miracles, you got a lot of thinking to do.”

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

Sports BusinessMirror

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

Sunday, February 25, 2018

HE’S WRESTLING AGAINST GIRLS

TEXAS transgender wrestler Mack Beggs is back to defend his state title.

By Jim Vertuno The Associated Press

A

USTIN, Texas—Mack Beggs is back.

He’s still wrestling, still competing for a state championship and still undefeated.

And he’s still wrestling against the girls. It’s just been a lot quieter since last year, when his march to a state championship was dogged by a

San Antonio preparing to play without Leonard this season S

AN ANTONIO—The Spurs are preparing to play without star forward Kawhi Leonard this season, San Antonio Coach Gregg Popovich said.

Leonard has missed all but nine games this season, as he battles right-quadriceps tendinopathy.

“We only have X number of games left this season and he’s still not ready to go,” Popovich said on Wednesday. “And if by some chance he is, it’s going to be pretty late into the season and it’s going to be a tough decision. How late do you bring somebody back? That’s why I’m just trying to be honest and logical. I’ll be surprised if he gets back this year.”

Tendinopathy is a disease of the tendon that includes tenderness and pain, particularly during exercise.

Leonard began experiencing discomfort in his leg late in the offseason, which caused him to sit out the team’s training camp and preseason. Neither Leonard nor the team knew the severity of the injury, which forced the two-time National Basketball Association Defensive Player of the Year to miss the first 27 games of the season.

Leonard returned to play nine of the next 17 games, sitting out eight games as part of a scheduled “return from injury management.”

He averaged 16.2 points and 4.7 rebounds in nine games this season, including 19 points in 29 minutes against Denver on Jan. 13. The 6-foot-7 forward complained of soreness and pain the day after playing the Nuggets and has not played since.

“We’ve got to move on, the team has to realize that this is who we are, this is who we have and this is who’s going to play. Wishing and hoping doesn’t do anybody any good. We’ve got to do what we can to be

the best team possible.”

The Spurs are third in the Western Conference despite lengthy injuries to Leonard, Tony Parker and Rudy Gay along with minor ailments to Danny Green and Kyle Anderson. San Antonio (35-24) is only 3 1/2 games ahead of the ninth-place Los Angeles Clippers, however.

Popovich and the Spurs have a history of being cautious with the health of their players. San Antonio opted not to play Tim Duncan in the first round of the 2000 playoffs against Phoenix due to a knee injury, even though Duncan was cleared to play, leading to a five-game loss to the Suns. AP

last-minute lawsuit that tried to stop him and boos from the crowd when his hand was raised as the victor.

The senior from Euless Trinity High School near Dallas is transgender and in the process of transitioning from female to male. It was his steroid therapy treatments while wrestling girls that stirred a fierce debate about competitive fairness and transgender rights last season.

He’s still taking steroids, which his mother said are just strong enough to create a wisp of facial hair and stop the menstrual cycle but not build muscle.

The 18-year-old Beggs wrestles in the girls’ division because the rules for Texas public high schools require athletes to compete under the gender on their birth certificate. Starting Friday, he’ll defend his title in the girls’ Class 6A 110-pound division at the state tournament in Cypress, near Houston.

L

the regional finals last weekend.

“People don’t realize that what happened during state, that was really, honestly, nothing,” Beggs recently told the Dallas Morning News. “That didn’t stop me from competing. That didn’t stop me from being who I was.

“It sure as hell didn’t stop me from doing what I wanted to do in the past, and it won’t stop me from what I want to do in the future,” he said.

McNew would not make Beggs available for interviews this week ahead of the state meet. The solitude allows him to concentrate on the task ahead and, perhaps, shield him from attacks on social media and occasional insults from the stands—or even other wrestling mats—during meets.

“Somebody posted they should put Mack in a men’s prison and he should be raped,” McNew said. “It has really gotten to me sometimes. He’s still a teenager, a young adult trying to find his way.... Do people not have children of their own?”

Beggs’s road to the championship last season included two forfeits in the regional tournament by wrestlers who feared injury. Beggs faced only one forfeit this season.

The opposing coach and teammates had insisted the girl wrestle Beggs, but she refused, McNew said.

“Everyone told the girl, ‘You are a wrestler, get out there and wrestle,’” McNew said.

Beggs’ family has repeatedly said he wants to wrestle boys, but state competition rules won’t allow it. The birth

N

ATIONAL University (NU) targets win No.5, but University of Santo Tomas (UST) is out to stop the rampaging Lady Bulldogs in Season 80 of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) women’s volleyball action today at the Filoil Flying V Centre in San Juan City.

The Lady Bulldogs are eyeing their fifth straight win—their best start in recent memory—when they take on the Tigresses (2-2) at 4 p.m.

Ateneo de Manila, meanwhile, tries to go 4-0 after a 0-2 start when it takes on the struggling University of the Philippines (UP) at 2 p.m.

Fifa lifts ban on 2026 World Cup voters publicly backing bid on the bid rules of conduct.

“All public statements by football officials in support of one bidder are admissible provided that they meet the underlying principles of ethical behavior,” Samoura said in the letter. “They shall be limited to genuine support for the preferred bidder and contain no statements against the competitive bidder or requests for bloc voting.

“Officials shall consider whether, from a common sense perspective, the nature and form of a statement can be considered as ‘fair’ and ‘not unduly influencing the bidding process.’”

Samoura acknowledged that the previous rules were “questioned by members of the football community.” The

“He has so much respect for all the girls he wrestles,” said Beggs’s mother, Angela McNew. “People think Mack has been beating up on girls.... The girls he wrestles with, they are tough. It has more to do with skill and discipline than strength.”

Beggs went 56-0 on his way to the state championship last season, and he’s 32-0 this year after cruising through

certificate rule was approved in 2016 by the University Interscholastic League, the governing body for Texas high-school sports. It was done to help schools determine competition, said Jamie Harrison, the UIL’s deputy director.

“The UIL is not in the gender-determining business and schools don’t want to be either,” Harrison said.

Harrison said the UIL is willing to consider making exceptions to competition rules if asked. The UIL has not received a request from the Beggs family or his school to allow him to wrestle boys, Harrison said. And despite the national attention Beggs’s drew last year, the UIL wouldn’t initiate a move to let him wrestle boys unless asked, Harrison said.

“We don’t think it would be appropriate to initiate,” Harrison said. “We don’t make value judgments. That’s a matter for a person and their family to decide.”

McNew said the family didn’t ask because the birth certificate rule is clear that Beggs must wrestle as a girl.

A group of Texas state lawmakers attempted to intervene last year with a bill that would have barred Beggs from competing because of his steroid use. The proposal—which didn’t specifically name Beggs— passed the Senate but stalled in the House without a vote. The Legislature won’t reconvene until 2018 when Beggs’s high-school career is finished.

Texas law bans steroids use by high-school athletes, but the state stopped testing for it after 2015. Beggs can take testosterone and still compete because Texas allows a “safe harbor” exception for athletes taking performance-enhancers under a doctor’s guidance for medical purposes.

If Beggs wrestles in college, he’ll compete against men. Rules set by the NCAA, USA Wrestling and the US Anti-Doping Agency already classify him as male because of his testosterone treatments. Beggs’s family says he’s considering a small college scholarship but won’t say which school has offered.

Once his high-school wrestling career is finished, the family will consult with a doctor about “top surgery,” a procedure to remove breast tissue, giving Beggs a more masculine physique, his mother said.

“I know he’s really excited to go off to college,” McNew said. “He has put his life on hold as far as physically. I’m excited for him to be able to take a step forward and be where he wants to be.”

LADY BULLDOGS EYE FIFTH STRAIGHT WIN

Kawhi Leonard has missed all but nine games this season, as he battles right-quadriceps tendinopathy.

ONDON—A ban on voters publicly endorsing a 2026 World Cup bid has been lifted by Fifa in the face of criticism from soccer officials.

The governing body last month ordered officials not to openly discuss the merits of either the joint Northern American bid, featuring the United States, Canada and Mexico, or the rival Morocco contender.

It led to Confederation of African Football President Ahmad, who goes by just one name, expressing frustration at being restricted from backing his continent’s bid.

But Fifa Secretary-General Fatma Samoura informed members this week of an about-turn in a letter to member-associations offering new guidance

A7

entire Fifa Congress, which features 211 soccer nations, is due to vote on June 13 on the 2026 host.

Samoura told member-nations that they cannot invite a single bid to present to them at any meeting, including regional confederation congresses, ahead of the vote in Moscow to ensure the “principles of fairness and transparency are respected.”

“Please also accept the offer of a presentation by the competitive bidder, offering both bidders the same format and attendance,” Samoura wrote.

The World Cup will expand from 32 to 48 teams in 2026. It is Fifa’s first men’s World Cup vote since the widely discredited dual contest in 2010 for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups. AP

The Lady Eagles already found their groove, sweeping their last three games to climb to third place, while the Lady Maroons lost three since opening the season with a victory over University of the East.

The Lady Bulldogs will be riding the crest of their come-from-behind win over two-time defending champion De La Salle, 26-24, 19-25, 22-25, 25-17, 16-14, last week.

Babes Castillo, NU’s new head coach, is confident they won’t collapse at endgame.

“I know that we can sustain this one because the players are doing it for each other,” Castillo said. “They are working hard, they are very humble and they have no problems with their egos.”

“But we cannot fall into the trap of UST. [Cherry] Rondina is their core and heart and soul of their team,” he added.

Rondina, who stands at 5-foot-5, faces fellow Most Valuable Player front-runner Jaja Santiago (6-foot-5) in what could be a David and Goliath duel at the net.

For UST Head Coach Kungfu Reyes, Rondina is not only playing the role of David but the whole team— which lost open spiker Milena Alessandrini (shoulder) and libero Rica Rivera (knee) for the remainder of the first round.

“When it comes to height, they are taller, but we have a bigger heart,” Reyes said. “For now, we are the underdogs because NU is undefeated after four games. But when we face each other inside the court, we’re back to zero and all is equal.”

“They have Jaja, we have Sisi [Rondina]. They have a Bulldog connection between Jasmine Nabor and Jaja, while we have Tiger connections from all our players,” he added.

In men’s action, Ateneo (4-1) guns for its fifth straight victory against UP (1-3) at 8 a.m., before the 10 a.m. battle between NU and UST, both 3-1.

Lance Agcaoili

LADY Bulldogs Coach Babes Castillo is confident of their chances against the Tigresses.

BusinessMirror

nature A8

Sunday, February 25, 2018

www.businessmirror.com.ph

jimbo albano

I was afraid they will blow me away from her life forever. In another sense, this was why I also wished I was actually a wind. To prove to them that I have my own clout in life.

BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

A

By Manuel Ortega Abis

t first, her family thought I was the wind who came to take her away from them.

Especially when I accidentally slammed the door on her father’s face and almost broke the poor nose of the old man.

Her two big brothers stared through me as if they were trying to measure my own capacity to bring down their old bungalow with my bare knuckles.

They were wrong, of course. I was not the wind. Even though they made me feel like one. Even though, at that moment, how I wished I was actually one. Invisible, yet there—for her. And not somewhere else where I would be mercilessly throwing punches to the teasing moon.

For tunately, her mother— Mamá — a nd her l it t le si ster changed their airs and thought ot her w ise. Ma m á i nst r uc ted Papá and her two sons to stop throwing deadly stares at me, and instead to go outside and fetch my motorcycle so it could be parked close inside their yard.

For I had parked my motorcycle and had fastened it on a nearby camias. For I was also afraid of them. I was afraid they will blow me away from her life forever.

In another sense, this was why I also wished I was actually a wind. To prove to them that I have my own clout in life.

When her Papá and her two brothers left the house, her little sister also left to fetch her in her room. Mamá must have thought I was the cave. For she started to reverberate everything I was trying to tell her.

Your daughter, Emma…

Emma, Emma, Emma…

Mamá, I will take care of her…

Take care of her, take care of her, take care of her…

Then my heart sprang up from its shadow when I saw her little sister again. And right behind the little bud was my fully bloomed flower. Emma.

At first, Emma thought I was the drizzle. Especially when she k issed me on my lips. At that moment, I felt more than the d r izzle. Her sof t peta ls, her fresh leaves, her slender sta lk made me feel I was the rain.

At that moment, how I w ished I was actually one. Soot hing her, ever yone—for her. For a l l of us. R aining. For a l l our dr y spel ls in life.

It was time to leave a house of echoes to build a home of chimes.

When finally it was time to go and Emma climbed on board my motorcycle, that was then when I asked her, Where to?, and she quickly replied, To the sea. That was then when I realized that

Emma shall be my wind and my rain for life.

It was not easy to cross the sea w ith her. T here were mo ments on the overloaded ship when she swept the eyes of my ra mbu nc t iou s co - pa ssengers w ith her hy pnotic and mag ica l breeze. I rea l ly didn’t know why. W hen she was w ith them, they a l l felt light. Each one of them seemed to be just waiting for Emma to r ing that tiny bel l inside a hear t which had long forgot ten t he c r y st a l joy of its ow n chime, the melodious tinkle of an inexhaustible wellspr ing, the beautif u l rhy thm of its memor ies. Sometimes, while I lazed on my tejeras, I wou ld open my eyes just a bit to see if she was a lso wel l-rested on hers. But she wou ld not be on her tejeras. It seemed as though her energ y just refused to be tied dow n to one place.

It seemed as though she never knew the meaning of burden.

A nd for that, I loved her more.

Indeed, it was in her nature to have such a strong and persuasive persona lit y. A fter a l l, she was the w ind. One time, she persuaded the captain to tur n the sails of the ship and head off near the coast of a forbidden island which was v ir tua l ly off the gr id of most nautica l maps. W hy? Because, she said, the palm trees which lined the long, white shores of the island there performed a unique tropical dance with their long, f lexible trunks and everg reen leaves which any tourist, or even local, would want to capture on video, send back home with them, or post in one’s favorite social media account. A nd wou ld not that be a nice boost for their reg ion’s tourism industr y? And for their shipping lines as wel l?

Not a l l on t he ship, of cou rse, were just as eager to meet her. T here was a you ng

She was a swirling vortex of energy.

She was a point which oscillated from stern to bow, from north to south, from head to foot

It was time to leave a house of echoes to build a home of chimes. l ady f rom C hæy who a lways wore a g rey sk ir t long below her k nees a nd who const a ntly avoided her for my Emma wou ld a lw ay s “acc ide nt a l ly ” f l ip t he hem of her sk ir t to re vea l a v iew e ven I myse l f ne ver d a red u nderst a nd— or even st a nd u nder. A nd some of t he wa r vetera ns who had met a l bone t ra nspl a nts i n t heir joints desperately t r ied t o s t e e r c le a r of he r hy p e r act iv it ies by w rapping t hemselves w it h blankets l i ke f resh lumpia rol ls. No one d a red st ir t hem else t he lumpias u nrol l t hemselves a nd ma ke a sor r y mess worse t han World War II. All in all, the three-hour trip on the sea was not easy (it could have been two and a half if the captain did not accede to Emma’s caprice). She was a swirling vortex of energy. She was a point which oscillated from stern to bow, from north to south, from head to foot. At that moment for me, it would be pointless not to love her. She was the wind of my life. I knew that I must just let nature take the course of both our intertwined lives.

W hen we reached the port of Manila, that was the first time I heard her heart strangely howl.

I was a bit confused. I wondered if she was still the wind which was a noun that described the perceptible natural movement of air—which bore her family’s name; or if she had become the wind which was a verb whose past and past participle could either be winded or wound— which would bear a new family and a new name for us.

Was my wind winded from the trip? Did my wind sustain a wound?

No, she quickly replied. I just feel like something’s about to pour down on me.

When we reached my small apartment in Cubao, that was then when Emma started to rain.

But, somehow, that first day in the city, she managed to control the storm inside her. And that first night we spent together, she made sure she was all wind and rain in marvelous harmony.

That evening, she was the first shower of the month of May all over again.

After midnight, however, I felt her rise from our bed. Or I guess I dreamed that I felt her rise from our bed, walk over to an open window of the apartment, and stare at the horizon. Emma must have thought that the horizon was her family. For, inside her heart, she knew her family would all be so near, yet so far from her.

Like chasing the ripples I myself created with every stroke I made on the water, she said to herself.

It must have been a dream then, for she imagined herself a wind swimming in the rain. Swirling amongst the water drops; seemingly lost, yet apparently found.

It must have been really difficult for her to adjust. To leave a house of echoes. To build a home of chimes.

Life in the city was new for her. After the end of the second extension of my vacation leave, I finally told her that come Monday I have to return to work again.

After she gathered some of the

whirl of her talc and glitters from the floor and after she reflected her vapors inside a drinking glass, she finally told me that it was alright for me to return to work again. But, of course, on one condition: that I would take her along just to see the place. So on the Monday that I reported back to work in the city hall, she breezed along with me.

I told her I worked as an assistant payroll clerk in a cramped and musty corner of a small office where faces often exchanged places, the ventilation was artificially conditioned, and the lights hung terribly close like stalactites over our heads. At first, she thought I worked inside a cave in the mountains where neither gust nor mist ever dared to explore, for she swore that the depth and darkness of my office would surely drive such a carefree and flowing spirit like her crazy.

But this was just the beginning.

For the vortex of her mind rotated inside my office, then around the periphery, then amongst the other cubicles where my office mates whispered to her the instabilities and turbulence of my past relationships. Finally, she got wind of an old rumor about me and an office mate. And before I could even react, the dust devil spouted into a full tornado and blasted her way out of the depth and darkness of my cavern.

T h at Mond ay, I dut i f u l l y logged myself out of the office at 5 and stopped by SM Manila to buy Emma a Navy blue reversible, fleece-lined windbreaker which she always wanted, and found a set of secondhand bathroom tiles with random ripples realistically designed on them. A perfect replacement for the ordinary, white tiles which Emma said were a bit dull for her taste. I instructed the sales officer of the shop from where I bought the tiles to have them delivered to my place before Friday. But for the jacket, I had it beautifully wrapped as a gift.

T hat Mond ay night, a lthough the weather repor ter of Channel 7 declared that it would be a clear and cloud-free evening, I rea lized that a lowpressure area had quick ly intensified itself into a t y phoon and had now entered my area of responsibilit y. If I cou ld classif y Emma that night, she was stor m sig na l number ten.

No amount of ex planation cou ld satisf y her. She had become the w i nd — a s ome ho w strange and deadly union of the word as noun and verb. She had f u l l control of my apar tment’s atmosphere. She would deliberately stand under the f luorescent light or pose precar iously close to the lamp on the bedside table while she tor mented me w ith the sheer force of her ga les. I tr ied to be gent le w ith her, even though I knew that she was just being too emotiona l about something which happened a ver y long time ago.

That was then when she locked herself in the bathroom. I placed the gift-wrapped windbreaker on the bedside table and walked over to the locked door of the bathroom. I knocked and said her name in the most gentle way I knew, but there was no answer.

I tried everything. Outside the bathroom, I knelt, appealed to her, and even turned on some of my remaining charm. Suddenly, I heard the faucet turned on. In the silence of our room, the water from the faucet sounded so much like a gargantuan waterfall meeting the torrential flow of the helpless river below.

Sunday, February 25 , 2018

It must have been really difficult for her to adjust. To leave a house of echoes. To build a home of chimes.

With gentle firmit y, I placed my voice over the locked door to tel l her that she shou ld stop bei ng c h i ld i sh , t hen t u r ned a rou nd to pic k t he smashed fragments of things which were sw iped by the w ild cur ves of her earlier stor m.

She made her point. Or, should I say, she made her points, which were all over the apartment.

I should be the first to understand. To ask the question: how would one leave a house of echoes to build a home of chimes?

Finally she went out of the bathroom after I have finished clearing the room and as I was just about to prepare a simple, instant supper. We were both tired from the experience. I made her promise me not to throw such childish tantrums again.

She must have thought I was a cave, just like her mother before, because she echoed everything I said to her.

I promise…

I promise, I promise, I promise…

Never to throw…

Never to throw, never to throw, never to throw…

Any tantrum again…

Any tantrum again, any tantrum again, any tantrum again…

Especially…

Espec ially, espec ially, especially…

About the past…

This last part she never repeated, and instead looked at me with bewilderment. But the past, she said, would always be a part of our present moment. The past, the present, and the future are just parts of one indivisible wave of continuity and creation. In fact, it is the past which will propel the present over the horizon and into the future.

I could not understand what she meant by what she said. And I was not about to. I told myself maybe it was better not to.

L ate r t h at e ve n i ng , a f te r supper a nd a f ter she c lea ned t he d ishes, a f ter I presented t he g if t-w rapped w indbrea ker to her a nd told her about t he spec i a l t i les wh ic h wou ld be delivered by Fr iday, she rained m e w it h h e r s u p p l e k i s s e s .

W hen we were a l ready in bed, I told her t hat I was t h in k ing it m ight be good for her, for us, if I st a r ted sav ing up to buy st u f f, l i ke a m icrowave, a c heap wash ing mac h ine. To repa ir st u f f, too, l i ke t he T V a nd t he old l aptop.

She merely turned silent. But when I closed my eyes, I could feel her gentle breeze all over my face and hear the trickles which seemed to emanate directly from her own thoughts.

The next morning, I woke up to initially discover two things: that I was late for work, and that Emma was not in the apartment. I figured she must have gone down to the market. When I finished my morning rituals, I put on my office suit, and started to prepare a cup of coffee. That was then when I noticed a piece of folded

A9

paper on the table.

Initially, I froze. But then curiosity overcame me as I gathered myself enough courage to see if there was anything written on the piece of folded paper.

At that moment, how I prayed it was not to be a farewell note, or something like that.

It was not.

It was a poem. Untitled. I sat on the chair and started to read it. Emma’s poem.

It is the vessel That will sail to shore, But it is the voyage That will shore up the sails.

It is the catch That will thrill your day with gifts, But it is the chase That will give you thrills everyday.

It is the mind That will love its share of freedom, But it is the heart That will freely share its love.

It is reality That will choose to settle for keeps, But it is the dream That will keep you settled and chosen.

It is life That will receive what you will give, But it is love That will give what you will receive.

W hen I finished reading, I heard footsteps c lose to t he door of the apar tment. I listened as a key was tur ned inside the keyhole. A s the knob tur ned, the door opened, and t here she was. My Emma. A vor tex of pure joy w innow ing the cur rents of the air outside like color f u l butter f lies hover ing in a f lower garden’s new Sunday mor ning.

She of crystal joy.

She of melodious tinkle.

She of t he most beautif u l rhythm.

She immediately rushed forward and embraced me tight. I could feel her breathing over the proud collar of my office suit. Her deep, warm breath on the back of my neck. I quickly embraced her, too. Tighter.

Then, at the appeal of the moment, the words slowly trickled from her lips.

We are pregnant with our first baby…

At that moment, I thought of her as neither the wind nor the rain, and merely reverberated—no, correction, not merely reverberated like an echo from a cave wall; but liberated like a chime from a church bell—what she uttered.

At that moment, I knew, I had to let nature take its expectant and child-like course.

At that moment, I knew, I was standing before the ruins of a house of echoes and the new foundations of a home of chimes.

I love you, Emma…

At that moment, I knew, I had to let nature take its expectant and child-like course.

Tourism&Entertainment BusinessMirror

A10 Sunday, February 25, 2018

Editor: Carla Mortel-Baricaua

Architectural wonders on the streets of Mumbai

Mumbai's Gateway of India is often compared to Paris‘s Arc de Triomphe.

Stories & photos

by Marky Ramone Go

T

he streets of Mumbai cast a dizzying spell even to this third-world traveler who is used to seeing voluminous crowds and long queues of people rushing to and from various errands.

It reminded me of our first stop in India, the city of Kolkata, where all noises were like cannon blasting from all directions, the relentless honking of automobiles and the incessant yell from vendors among

dozens of other reverberations, all comprising a mix of all audible uproars.

After Kolkata, Aileen and I saw the same kind of overwhelming street scenes in Varanasi before tapering off by minuscule in New Delhi, and into the desert state of Rajasthan—where long stretches of desert and dry mountains serve as space fodder for its large population.

Here in Mumbai, as described to us by a Caucasian traveler we met at the Jaisalmer bus terminal, “you won’t see an empty space, almost each spot is occupied by someone.” That may be a bit of a stretch, but upon

Just one of the many fine buildings in Mumbai

Taj Mahal Palace Hotel

hearing the noise and almost getting lost in the sea of humanity on our way to Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus while trying to reserve a train ticket to Kochi, we got what he’s saying.

A Unesco World Heritage Site Sighting

Amid the multitude of humanity, an impressive set of buildings also crowd the streets of Mumbai—in an eye popping manner, especially for an architecture-junkie like me.

Leading the pack is the gothic victorian architecture design of Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, which is considered a Unesco World Heritage

Site, fortifying the centerpiece of Mumbai’s complex but effective railway system.

We’re looking for the booth that sells train tickets to Cochi so we pushed our way inside a large air-conditioned room filled with ticket outlets, unmindful of the thick crowd. Not for long, we finally located the right one cubicle that sells train passes to our next destination. With the dark air brought upon by the harrowing terrorist attack during the infamous Mumbai attack of 2008 all gone, the iconic train station now has a washed overtone, a must-see for travelers. The terminus operates as the main artery that ushers the boundless wave of commuters to other cities in India.

Art Deco buildings galore

Outside the terminus and a few steps away, one is quickly dazzled by an array of Art Deco buildings that earns the city of Mumbai the distinction of being the second city—next to Miami, to have the most numbers of surviving Art Deco buildings in the world. Your architectural visual feast doesn’t stop there as gothic, victorian, indo-saracenic, modern and contemporary architectural styles blend charmingly with the historical landmarks from the British colonial era that stands beautifully within the city.

The wave of optimism that flourished at the turn of the 20th century and after the First World War attracted many local businessmen to set up residency here and along came a rich fusion of traditional architectural styles and the Art Deco design emanating from the cities of Paris and London. Not long after, rows of lavish offices and glittering residential apartments started appearing and adorning the huge city blocks that earned

the city’s “Bombay Deco” reference. While many of these buildings are at the mercy of passing time with peeling paint, broken glass and an unkempt façade, the character emanating from these structures are hard to miss. I do hope that the Indian government would implement a citywide restoration program the soonest, or they risk repeating the same mistake we have committed here in Manila—of surrendering our city’s architectural heritage to modernity.

Other than the aforementioned Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, we passed by the standalone Art Deco regal cinema that was constructed during the “cinema boom” of the 1930s. It is one of the many cinemas from its era that still operates up to this day. The Taj Mahal Palace Hotel situated near the Gateway of India is another eye candy of an architectural marvel. Built in 1903, it has retained its visual elegance represented by the Florentine, Moorish and Oriental architectural styles, while still haunted by its dark past as the other site targeted in the 2008 Mumbai attacks.

India’s Arc de Triomphe

As the afternoon crowd started to thicken at the water’s edge of the Mumbai Harbor to take photographs of the Gateway of India, I lifted my head and gazed at the sheer size of its magnificent indo-saracenic architectural flair with Hindu and Muslim design influences.

Often compared to the Arc de Triomphe in the city of Paris, the Gateway of India was built to commemorate the visit of King George the fifth and Queen Mary in 1911. Encircled by the many architectural wonders facing the waterfront, I walked into an open spot and stood at the opposite direction

towards the sea and there I saw the countless docked yachts and small boats, swaying and dotting the blue waters of the Arabian Sea. I felt the cool breeze of the wind and inhaled the aroma of curry it carried. Suddenly, I craved for more Indian food. My friend Aileen and I then walked towards a street lined up with interesting hole-in-the-walls establishments that sandwiched a lone Starbucks branch and unto another street filled with bazaar stalls, until we got inside a café serving local and western baked goodies. For an hour, we sat by the window and observed the hectic pace of the locals darting in and out of my sight. With the heritage structures standing broodingly in the background, I sensed a throwback vibe to decades past—all thanks to the olden sentiment the classic architecture of Mumbai brings.

Staying true to the diversity of Mumbai’s populace, the aesthetics of the city’s stellar architecture presents a glimpse into the quixotic footprint that thrived once upon a time in a now frenzied and crowded environment. The city where much of the film “Slumdog Millionaire” was filmed showed me that there is more to it than endless shanty towns, all of which are visible at each edifice, that up to this day the city battles the rigid curse of decay and abandonment, all in an attempt to preserve the opulent heritage and storied past of Mumbai.

I wanted to walk more and see more of the city, but the hours seemed to roll by quickly and just before the remaining daylight was swallowed by the night’s darkness, we flagged down one of the iconic Premier Padmini cabs to cap off our metaphoric time travel through Mumbai’s architectural wonders.

Nüwa at City of Dreams Manila receives 2018 Forbes Five-Star award

N

ÜWA City of Dreams Manila attained the highest ranking of Five-Star in the 2018 Forbes Travel Guide Awards, considered as the annual “Oscars” of the hotel industry and deemed the ultimate honor in the hospitality industry due to its exacting and stringent standards. The prestigious list of award winners is comprised of the world’s best hotels and resorts.

“It is through the vision and leadership of Melco Resorts & Entertainment Chairman and CEO Lawrence Ho and the hard work and commitment of our management and staff that Nüwa City of Dreams Manila has achieved this recognition. We’re extremely proud of our colleagues for contributing to this high standard of service each and every day and we thank our guests for their trust and confidence,” said Kevin Benning, City of Dreams Manila senior vice president and COO. Three other Melco-owned properties in Macau—Nüwa City of Dreams Macau, Star Tower in Studio City and Altira—are also named 2018 Forbes Five-Star awardees.

“Nüwa represents Melco’s DNA of sophistication, quality and innovation. Being

one of the selected hotels in the world that’s awarded the Forbes Five-Star is a testament to our dedication to provide the highest level of luxury experience and personalized service,” adds Geoff Andres, until recently the property president of City of Dreams Manila prior to assuming the same position in Studio City Macau early this month.

Forbes Travel Guide (formerly Mobil Travel Guide) has been the gold standard in the hotel industry since 1958. Its rating system is based on more than 900 objective standards for hotels, restaurants and spas worldwide, making it the most comprehensive and rigorous in the industry. To achieve Forbes Travel Guide Four and Five-Star status, properties must meet or exceed the bar-setting service standards, which are determined through an unannounced and undercover service evaluation conducted

by Forbes Travel Guide’s expert inspectors.

Nüwa’s Forbes Five-Star award comes a month after the luxury brand was launched on January 16 this year, when Melco Resorts & Entertainment rebranded Crown Towers in Manila and Macauto Nüwa. Melco’s new

luxury brand Nüwa, inspired by the eponymous heroine in Chinese mythology, represents classic Asian refinement.

Nüwa, one of the three luxury hotels in City of Dreams Manila, features 254 lavishly-appointed contemporary rooms and spacious suites and villas with personalized and dedicated butler service. Facilities include a free-form swimming pool, fitness center with state-of-the-art Precore fitness equipment and the Nüwa spa, which provides a pampering experience in elegant therapy rooms and spa suites within the 654-square meter facility.

An elevated dining experience is also available at Nüwa with the tasting room, the newly reopened restaurant offeringa Michelin-star experience with contemporary French cuisine infused with Asian influences; Crystal Dragon, known for its premium Cantonese and regional Chinese fare in a modern Oriental setting; and Breezes, a poolside restaurant and bar.

The Sky Gaming Lounge, a well-appointed private space on the topmost floor is exclusively for Li Ying Hin VIPs.