BusinessMirror February 27, 2022

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Sunday, February 27, 2022 Vol. 17 No. 142

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BACK IN THE BLACK Foresight, flexibility and fortitude help Subic Bay Freeport weather the Covid storm

SUBIC Bay continues to attract visitors, posting 7.3 million same-day visitors in 2021, as the local tourism industry made a turnaround.

OPEN-AIR snack bar “Sexy Legs” pioneered the use of mobile food carts in Subic, an innovation introduced during the Covid-19 pandemic.

CUSTOMERS relax at the Magic Lagoon Resto-bar, a go-to al fresco dining place in Subic that gained safety-conscious customers during the Covid-19 pandemic.

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By Henry Empeño

UBIC BAY FREEPORT—The al fresco cafés and open-air restaurants that happily thrive here are symbolic of how the Subic Bay Freeport coped with the economic challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic. Sidelined for a while when the entire Luzon was placed on lockdown in three instances in March to May 2020, these businesses soon rebounded to gain customers in the most difficult of times, and, in the months to come, become the most telling signs that Subic was successfully winning the war against the virus.

“It’s a struggle, just trying to keep the business alive during the quarantine. Kung maigsi ang pisi mo, talagang bibigay ka [If you have limited resources, you’d easily buckle under],” recalled restaurateur Romy Tagle, who operates Magic

Lagoon Resto-bar, an open-air bistro tucked behind a man-made pond along Subic’s main avenue, the Rizal Highway.

Tagle said that even when Subic eased to less restrictive quarantine levels, restaurant operators still

PESO EXCHANGE RATES n US 51.2710

had to abide by IATF guidelines on physical distancing and maximum capacity; install wash and disinfection areas, buy temperature scanners, use contact tracing forms, and observe curfew hours—requirements that took their toll on the business’s bottom line.

But as the pandemic continued its onslaught, crippling most tourism establishments located in closed spaces, owners of open-air diners found the new opportunity of serving clients who shifted preference to places that put premium on their safety.

“We had to improvise—to make customers feel safe. We created an online menu to minimize contact between customers and food servers; we built more huts, so that guests can have their own outdoor places to dine in; and I had all the restaurant staff vaccinated—at a time when the government vaccine rollout was not yet available in Subic,” Tagle said.

Flexibility

THE time of ferment was also a time to be flexible. Rubelh Peralta, chef-operator of Rali’s, another open-air diner here that has become popular for its view of the

SBMA Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma: “Surviving the pandemic depended on foresight.”

Subic sunset, recalled that the months-long lockdown last year almost crippled their business even when they were allowed to offer takeouts.

“That was a very difficult time for us since our restaurant’s selling point is the total dining experience—not just good food, but nice ambiance and great service as well,” Peralta said. But on the positive side, she said the business downturn allowed them to develop new products and gave them room to ease into changes in their operations.

“We saw an opportunity to slow down and rethink our business, reflect on where we are now and where we want to be when the pandemic is over,” Peralta revealed. “We revised our operating hours, changed our menu, and slowly did repairs. All of these paid off when borders opened up and we were finally able to receive guests.”

“For us, flexibility was key in order to survive,” Peralta concluded.

The flexibility formula became hugely popular in the Freeport, with indoor eateries bringing out tables and chairs into the open, and other businesses diversifying into other product lines and services.

In Subic, the Covid years of 2020 and 2021 saw the Korean firm MSK Group Work Inc., which specializes in construction and warehouse operation, dabble in the production of surgical masks.

These years also marked the time when two Taiwanese property developers established the country’s first 7-Eleven drive-through convenience store, and when a park operator set up “Sexy Legs,” the first food-truck business in the Subic Bay Freeport.

Foresight

THE adaptations made by Subic Freeport business locators became strategic pivots, solid examples of stakeholders stepping up to the trials of the times, said lawyer Wilma T. Eisma, who, as chairman and administrator of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA), shouldered the difficult role of guiding the direction of the Subic Bay Freeport during the Covid years.

But for the most part, surviving the pandemic in Subic depended so much on foresight. Eisma said that as early as January 22, 2020, the SBMA Task Force against Covid-19 was created to help protect the community from the virus.

And the plans were cascaded down to various stakeholders.

“Like our people during the Pinatubo eruption and when the US Navy pulled out of Subic in 1992, we have to be resilient. So, the first thing we did was to make an educated guess of how this pandemic would play out—and how it would affect Subic stakeholders.”

“We enforced minimum health standards early—when it was not yet in fashion. We consulted experts on policies because there Continued on A2

n JAPAN 0.4460 n UK 69.4517 n HK 6.5691 n CHINA 8.1199 n SINGAPORE 38.0829 n AUSTRALIA 37.0843 n EU 58.0029 n SAUDI ARABIA 13.6661

Source: BSP (February 24, 2022)

NewsSunday BusinessMirror

A2 Sunday, February 27, 2022

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BACK IN THE BLACK Continued from A1

was no blueprint as yet on how to manage this health crisis. We prepared services and facilities that might be needed. We established protocols, and made sure they were strictly implemented.”

Part of Subic’s roadmap to survival was a series of innovations introduced by the Subic agency in the early days of the pandemic. These included teleconferencing for business meetings, which SBMA first resorted to in February 2020; disinfection protocols that began in March, and mass testing of Freeport workers that started in April of the same year when the SBMA, in partnership with the Philippine Red Cross, began setting up its own swabbing facility.

The livestreaming of Masses also began in April 2020 at the SBMA Chapel in face of restrictions on mass gathering. Next came online forms for every transaction imaginable for business locators and other SBMA customers, webinars, as well as online biddings for products and services to be procured by the agency.

All the while, Eisma sought out donors of hospital beds and other medical equipment to establish the Freeport’s own Covid-19 isolation facilities—anticipating the need for such emergency accommodations, as Covid cases spiraled in nearby communities.

In September 2020, the SBMA also staged the first virtual job fair in the Subic Bay Freeport—a

THE Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority main office

three-day event that saw 16 Subic locators, as well as 18 other companies, and two government agencies rolling out a total of 695 jobs.

The following month, the SBMA Public Health and Safety Group developed the SBMA Click-nika, an online medical and dental consultation platform to provide teleconsultation during the pandemic.

The SBMA Tourism Department, meanwhile, would develop programs to take in sports championship games and company conferences and meetings under a “bubble” concept to boost tourism-related business operations in Subic.

Fortitude

IN the months to come, the SBMA would display its corporate grit by granting extensions for permits and other requirements, and initiate other relief measures for businesses in the course of the quarantine period, including waiving payments on rentals for certain periods of time.

Since March 2020, when the Covid pandemic started, Eisma and other members of the SBMA board of directors would pass 14 resolutions addressing the emergency health crisis and mitigating its effect on Subic businesses.

These included the suspension of penalties for late payment of SBMA billings, and the extension of the period of validity of registrations and permits, both of which were approved in July 2020; amended protocols for Subic hotels to be used as quarantine facilities passed in August 2020; and the extension of the Economic Relief Assistance Payment Scheme (ERAPS) in February 2021.

Such fortitude would be complemented by continuous groundwork, as the SBMA Business and Investment Group went about participating in various online business fora and conferences to drum up investment in Subic.

SBMA Senior Deputy Administrator for Business Renato W. Lee III said these conferences included the 2021 Taiwan-Philippines Industrial Collaboration Summit on November 3 to explore new opportunities and models for industrial cooperation; the 27th PhilippineTaiwan Joint Economic Conference on November 15 and 16, 2021, to discuss trade, investment and economic cooperation initiatives consistent with the implementa-

tion of the One China Policy; and the Philippines Business Forum on December 15, 2021, wherein the SBMA presented projects in cruise terminal and shore enhancement, and the development of Subic’s Redondo Peninsula, among others.

Lee also said the SBMA “continued negotiations for the takeover of the Hanjin Shipyard, which is projected to create muchneeded employment for residents of contiguous communities and stimulate business opportunities in the area.”

Back in the black

EVEN when the Covid pandemic caused the closure of some businesses in the Subic Bay Freeport, it did not completely erode the solid business foundation, said Chairman Eisma in her State of the Freeport Address last year.

“Our sound policies gave us toughness to weather the storm, while proactive measures to fight Covid-19 gave us the resilience to be able to bounce back after some beatings,” Eisma said.

She added that in the first year of the pandemic, the SBMA made P3.2 billion in revenue; posted P1.3 billion in new committed investments that created 682 new jobs; and shepherded Subic to generate $1.12 billion in imports and $1.03 billion in exports.

“Without any playbook to tell us what to do, we have managed the Covid-19 pandemic in the Subic Bay Freeport quite well, and we are better prepared now because of these experiences,” Eisma added in her 2021 report to Subic stakeholders.

In the second year under the Covid health crisis, Eisma had even more glowing achievements to tell. In her 2021 annual report to President Duterte, the SBMA chief said the Subic agency registered a revenue of P3.47 billion last year, capping 2021 with an 8-percent growth in income and other major accomplishments in key performance areas.

“While a few indicators remain impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic, the general trend is upward where the SBMA was able to accelerate growth and surpass its performance in the previous year,” Eisma said.

The revenue surge came from leases and port operations, with land and building leases growing by 2 percent and contributing P1.38 billion, and seaport opera-

tions growing by 14 percent and generating P1.37 billion. Meanwhile, the agency’s regulatory income increased by 11 percent and provided P408 million in revenue, while airport operations grew by 26 percent and contributed P79 million.

The SBMA chief likewise provided positive reports in investment and employment generation, tourism, imports and exports.

She said the SBMA recorded a total of 142,177 Subic Bay Freeport workers as of December 31, showing an employment increase of 2.31 percent from 138,966 workers in 2020. SBFZ business locators, on the other hand, numbered 1,737 SBFZ as of yearend, “continuing a slight upward trend since 2019,” Eisma said.

Meanwhile, new investments, including expansions, totaled P17.29 billion, higher than the 2020 record by P15.74 billion, or 1,011 percent. The 2021 record even topped the pre-pandemic 2019 level by P8.05 billion, or 87 percent, with the bulk comprised by a P15-billion commitment from a business locator, which proposed to develop the SBFZ marshalling yard.

Eisma also said that the pandemic-hit tourism industry in Subic “is recovering and has recorded a total of 7.3 million sameday visitors in 2021.” This was also higher than the 2020 record by 2.18 million or 42 percent, but still lower than the 2019 record by 2.2 million or 23 percent.

In terms of trade, Eisma said the Subic Bay Freeport “defied the negative impact of the pandemic by recording a total of $1.58 billion import value in 2021, which was 49.53 percent higher than the 2020 import value of $1.12 billion.”

On the other hand, Subic’s export value reached a total of $1.37 billion, which was 32.42 percent higher than the 2020 export value of $1.03 billion. Both import and export values respectively exceeded the 2019 pre-pandemic records by 8.12 percent and 6.73 percent, Eisma added.

Eisma assured the President that the SBMA “is doing its best to be more competitive and maintain a business-friendly environment in the Freeport, as we continue to support all the programs of the government to ensure the wellbeing and safety of everyone in the Subic Bay Freeport.”

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Asean journos pitch for collaboration on climate reporting, documentation

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By Jonathan L. Mayuga

ore and more journalists are taking interest in climate reporting, and are using new tools to report about climate change and its impact. However, journalists have limitations that can be addressed by collaboration.

This was highlighted by environmental journalists from Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines during the Journalism and the Climate Crisis e-Summit.

Pitching the call for more collaborative work on climate and science reporting, Harry Surjadi, Environmental Journalist Indonesia, Imelda Abano, Senior Coordinator Philippines and Pacific Region of the Internews Earth Journalism Network and Ian Yee of The Fourth Media, Malaysia discussed their organizations’ ongoing initiatives to enhance reporting on climate change.

In his presentation entitled “Monitoring Climate Change: Media Community and Activists,” Surjadi said collaboration is something not new.

He said two years ago, more journalists collaborate with each other or even with other journalists from nearby countries.

Citing for instance SEA Rainforest Journalism Fund of the Pulitzeer Center, which supported collaboration reporting proposals on rainforest and climate change issues related to forests.

Such was done in the Climate Tracker Southeast Asia Forest Recovery Collaborative Journalism project wherein four countries in Southeast Asia, namely, Indonesia, Cambodia, Philippines, and Vietnam, and six media from Jakarta Post, Suara Merdeka, Southeast Asia Globe, Philstar. com, Saigoneer, and Mongabay.com, he said. In that collaborative work, the journalists produced at least six local stories and one cross-country collaborative story in the text-based with multimedia elements such as videos or data visualization.

Journalists’ limitations Journalists, he said, are faced with limitations. According to Surjadi, there are a limited number of reporters, especially those who understand climate change issues or other issues related to climate change, and most media organizations are faced with a lack of funding support to send their reporters to the field for several days.

Another challenge, he said, is the lack of interest in climate change issues, citing for instance that most reports being produced are mostly “events driven.”

He noted that to get the climate change indicators, journalists have to stay longer in the field.

He said climate change information is mostly coming from scientists who also only do their research in a short period of time.

Lastly, he noted the lack of social issues related to climate change.

To better cover climate change, he said the idea is to combine the citizen journalism model and the citizen science, model.

For instance, he cited the initiative under TempoWitness, which is a model of citizen journalism that is used by environmental organizations and community members.

“RECOFTC and Greenpeace Indonesia have used TempoWitness to monitor land and forest fires in Jambi, Indonesia. We trained community members on basic journalism, at least 45 community members throughout Indonesia to monitor and report forest issues in Indonesia,” he shared.

Another initiative, he said, “The University of Indonesia has helped paddy rice farmers in Indramayu, Indonesia to monitor the climate—it’s a citizen science model.” Biodiversity warriors, a youth program of Indonesia Biodiversity Foundation is also a model of citizen science, he mentioned.

Citizen Journalism and Citizen Science Under the initiative, a total of 582 citizen journalists who have joined basic journalism training who are community members, mostly live near forests or villages near forests.

Tempo Witness CJs or Citizen Journalists have used smartphone applications to send reports, including short videos, photos, audios, and text—and over 2,400 reports were produced.

“To monitor climate change indicators, TempoWitness will collaborate with climate change and forest scientists or climate change activists to upgrade Citizen Journalists to be citizen scientists,” he said.

According to Surjadi, climate change scientists can use citizen journalists’ reports for their research and activists can use CJs reports to advocate the case.

Collaborative investigation In his talk, Yee said without collaboration, inadequate funding and resources are a big challenge.

There are very few media organizations that could really do investigative journalism work, especially if they are cross-country concerns.

Without collaboration, he said there will be gaps in reporting.

Lastly, he said lack of collaborative investigation results in low impact as stories by international media doesn’t have quite the same impact as local media.

On the contrary, with the collaborative investigation, partnering newsrooms only have to cover their own cost for the most part; and all content is made available to everyone. “No more gaps in reporting and you have a wealth of material to adopt,” Yee said.

Collaborative investigation, he said, will have a high impact as stories are truly localized, given the partnering newsrooms and journalists’ longstanding connections.

For her part, Abano discussed how can journalists help understand the urgency and the complexity of the situation and how we can best collaborate to infuse climate coverage in all aspects of news reporting.

“The good news is that we are seeing more and more journalists are eager to strengthen their skills in writing climate-related stories and adding innovative tools like mobile reporting and the use of drones and mapping infographic and simulation in their reporting. To add, to impact the audience and tackle issues as complex as climate change, newsrooms need to switch their mindset to leave traditional boundaries behind and collaborate,” she said.

According to Abano, collaboration does not have to be a burden to the newsroom.

“We’ve seen a lot of collaborative reporting on climate change and they remained authentic to their own voice and audience. It is really about time that collaboration goes beyond the limits of the newsroom,” she said.

For instance, she said the EJN supported the Asian Center for Journalism in the Philippines where local journalists from six media organizations worked with science experts and nongovernment organizations as well to tackle issues on climate change amid Covid for 10 months under the project collaboration and they proved that it can be done even in the midst of the pandemic.

Sunday, February 27, 2022

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Russia’s invasion of Ukraine reshapes Biden’s presidency

By Chris Megerian

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The Associated Press

ASHINGTON—Russia’s expanding invasion of Ukraine has opened a new and perilous chapter in Joe Biden’s presidency, testing his aspirations to defend democracy on a global level and thrusting him into a long-term struggle to restore European security.

It’s a far different trajectory than he imagined when his administration began last year with the goals of countering China’s growing influence in the world and reinvesting at home as the United States tried to turn the page on a deadly pandemic.

Biden talked about forging a “stable and predictable” relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin, a description that implied America’s focus could then be directed toward other, more pressing challenges.

Now he is confronted with the outbreak of the worst fighting in Europe since World War II. Although US forces are not directly involved, the conflict is testing the limits of American power and Biden’s campaign assurances that he was well positioned to lead the country on the international stage.

“We stand up to bullies,” Biden said Thursday at the White House. “We stand up for freedom. This is who we are.”

His efforts to prevent the invasion— by threatening sanctions and exposing Russian subterfuge—were not successful. US officials believe Moscow plans to topple Ukraine’s democratically elected government and install a puppet regime in its place.

The grim scenario has forced Biden to shift toward complex plans to economically punish Russia and demonstrate the danger of an authoritarian government overturning a neighboring democracy.

“This is a fight that could take years,” said Timothy Naftali, a historian at New York University who has studied the US presidency and the Soviet Union.

“The future of Europe depends on the Kremlin paying a price for war crimes.

If Putin gets away with this, what coun-

try is next?”

B id e n a n nou nc e d a d d it ion a l sanctions Thursday, targeting Russian banks by freezing assets held in Western nations and limiting Moscow’s ability to import crucial technology such as semiconductors.

“We have purposely designed these sanctions to maximize a long-term impact on Russia and to minimize the impact on the United States and our allies,” Biden said.

What about the impact on him and his party?

The struggle will test American patience for playing a major role in foreign conf licts, even if US troops are not themselves fighting. Biden already faces sagging approval ratings, and his domestic agenda, including education initiatives and climate programs, has stalled. Now the economic ripple effects from sanctions could contribute to inf lation and higher gas prices at a time when the Democrats already are seen as likely to lose control of Congress in November’s midterm elections.

“I want to limit the pain the American people are feeling at the gas pump,” he said. “This is critical to me.”

Maintaining a united front with allies could also prove challenging. Although the White House has emphasized international solidarity, European nations usually have varying appetites for challenging Moscow and cutting themselves off from the financial largesse of its oligarchs. There’s dissension over whether to cut off Russia’s access to SWIFT, an international network that enables global bank transfers.

Biden predicted that Putin is “going to test the resolve of the West to see if

we’ll stay together. And we will.”

Naftali said Biden, a politician with deep foreign policy experience who has embraced the traditional American role of anchoring the trans-Atlantic alliance, is “almost uniquely qualified to provide that leadership.”

“It recasts his presidency,” he said.

“And this gives him an opportunity to demonstrate the arguments that you need a president who understands alliances and realizes you can’t go it alone.”

Strengthening international relationships was part of Biden’s pitch to voters when he was running against President Donald Trump, who scorned longstanding alliances in Europe.

And while Trump displayed coziness with Putin, Biden cast the Russian leader as an adversary in a global struggle between autocracy and democracy.

“Vladimir Putin wants to tell himself and anyone he can dupe into believing him that the liberal idea is obsolete— because he’s afraid of its power,” Biden said in a foreign policy speech during his presidential campaign.

On Thursday, he described Putin as someone with a “sinister vision for the future of our world,” a place where “nations take what they want by force.”

The conflict in Ukraine is only the most violent slice in a worldwide tugof-war over democracy’s future. China has also held itself out as an alternative to Western liberalism, meaning Biden faces encroaching authoritarian powers on two fronts.

“The US will have to manage both an aggressive and dangerous Russian dictator, on the one hand, and a more subtle but equally challenging Chinese regime,” said Eliot A. Cohen, a former State Department counselor who is now at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

A reminder of the challenges on the other side of the globe came Thursday when Taiwan said Chinese aircraft entered the island’s air defense zone.

Although such maneuvers have become routine in recent months, the latest was viewed warily as analysts wonder what lessons Chinese President Xi Jinping will take from the Ukraine crisis. China considers Taiwan, a self-governing island off the mainland ’s coast, to be part of its territory.

There is also the potential for the war in Ukraine to snowball into an even greater crisis.

Fighting took place around Chernobyl, where the worst nuclear disaster in

history took place in 1986. Disruptions at the site, which is now controlled by the Russians, could allow radioactive dust to escape and float over the area—or even neighboring countries.

“This is a declaration of war against the whole of Europe,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy tweeted of the Chernobyl attack.

Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., suggested it “would certainly trigger Article 5,” the mutual defense commitment of Nato.

Already some Nato members in the region have invoked Article 4, which requires consultation when countries fear their territories are under threat. Ukraine itself is not a member of the alliance.

The Pentagon is deploying another 7,000 troops to Europe and shifting further east some assets that are already there, including attack helicopters and advanced fighter jets. Biden pledged the US “will defend every inch of Nato territory with the full force of American power.”

Douglas Brinkley, a presidential historian at Rice University, said Biden “has to be ardent and tough but not let the situation unravel into World War III.” “You don’t want Russian expansionism to metastasize,” he said. “This has to be quickly contained.”

The problem for Biden, he said, is “this can ring people’s Jimmy Carter bell,” referring to the former president’s struggle to respond to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979.

“Biden has to look at the politics of the situation,” he said. “The Republicans are going to paint him as the president who caused this.”

Trump himself, who remains influential in the Republican Party, has praised Putin as “pretty smart” for his handling of Ukraine.

Biden is already suffering from low support. Overall, 44 percent of Americans approve of his job as president, while 55 percent disapprove, according to a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.

An earlier AP-NORC poll conducted in January found that just 25 percent of Americans thought that “strong leader” was a phrase that described Biden extremely or very well.

Now Biden has both the challenge and the opportunity to prove his doubters wrong.

AP’s Hannah Fingerhut contributed to this report.

BBM the choice of 9 out of 10 Filipinos abroad–Kalye Survey

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artido Federal ng Pilipinas (PFP) standard-bearer Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. is the preferred presidential bet of nine out of 10 Filipinos abroad, according to Kalye Surveys conducted in different parts of the globe.

Based on the data in Pulso ng Pilipino, a summation of the different real-time, real man-on-the street surveys conducted from October 2021 to January 31, 2022, Marcos is the unanimous choice of Filipinos all over the world, with a preference rate of 84.77 percent.

The Kalye Surveys showed that of the 4,343 respondents from the three continents of Asia, North America, and Europe, Marcos was preferred by 3,812 respondents or 87.77 percent.

Vice President Leni Robredo was a far second with 176 or 4.05 percent.

The third was Manila Mayor Isko Moreno, with 160 or 3.68 percent.

Senators Manny Pacquiao and Panfilo Lacson placed fourth and fifth with 43 or .99 percent and 12 or .28 percent, respectively.

The undecided was at 3.22 percent.

SPLAT Communications noted that

the results of the Kalye Surveys worldwide bear an extremely high multiplier effect since most Filipinos abroad are the breadwinners of their respective families in the Philippines.

“They exert a huge influence on who their families here are going to vote for. So, underestimating the power of this huge voting bloc is a gross mistake for any candidate,” said the information and statistical data provider that works jointly with consulting firm Simplified Strategic Solutions (SSS) to produce the Kalye Survey summations.

Meanwhile, netizens commended Kalye Surveys for making it difficult to manipulate statistics amid recent criticisms questioning their credibility.

“Thank you, Splat Comm. Because of your surveys, other platforms are having a hard time manipulating the real numbers, unlike in the past!!!!!,” a comment read.

SPLAT also pointed out that the summations they present are noncommissioned and based on fully documented and uncut video from end to end of face-to-face random interviews conducted by different vloggers.

Davao del Norte city’s search for 10 outstanding women

By Manuel T. Cayon

D

AVAO C IT Y—T he Davao del Norte city government of Panabo wrapped up on Thursday its call for public nomination of its outstanding women in time for the commemoration of International Women’s Day. The nomination would hinge on the question on what impact did their work has in the community, the difference it made on people’s lives, and the

legacy it provided for the city.

The Search for Ten Women of the Year Award of Panabo City, some 32 kilometers north of here, “recognizes emerging leaders, mid-career leaders and lifetime achievement leaders who have made significant contributions to improve the quality of life for women and inspire women’s leadership and success in the city of Panabo.”

Its search for “Celebrating the Exceptional Contribution of Women in the City of Panabo” would look for

outstanding leaders and prime movers from all barangays, academe, government agencies and nongovernment organizations, people’s organization, solo parent organizations and persons with disability organizations of the city.

The candidates or nominees would be assessed on their leadership and professional excellence or achievement in their field, innovation, integrity and advocacy.

The city has offered 10 types

of awards: Lifetime Legacy Award; Health and Wellness Award; Change Catalyst Award; Promising Woman Award (for women under 30 years old); Cultural Ambassador Award; Kabiyaan Award; Exceptional Woman with Disability Award; Volunteer Service Award; Exemplary Solo Parent Woman Award; and Entrepreneur Award.

The city’s search was being coordinated with its Gender and Development Office and Panabo Council of Women.

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Sunday, February 27, 2022

The World BusinessMirror

Putin waves nuclear sword in confrontation with West

By John Daniszewski

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The Associated Press

ARSAW, Poland—It has been a long time since the threat of using nuclear weapons has been brandished so openly by a world leader, but Vladimir Putin has just done it, warning in a speech that he has the weapons available if anyone dares to use military means to try to stop Russia’s takeover of Ukraine.

The threat may have been empty, a mere baring of fangs by the Russian president, but it was noticed. It kindled visions of a nightmarish outcome in which Putin’s ambitions in Ukraine could lead to a nuclear war through accident or miscalculation.

“As for military affairs, even after the dissolution of the USSR and losing a considerable part of its capabilities, today’s Russia remains one of the most powerful nuclear states,” Putin said, in his pre-invasion address early Thursday.

“Moreover, it has a certain advantage in several cutting-edge weapons. In this context, there should be no doubt for anyone that any potential aggressor will face defeat and ominous consequences should it directly attack our country.”

By merely suggesting a nuclear response, Putin put into play the disturbing possibility that the current fighting in Ukraine might eventually veer into an atomic confrontation between Russia and the United States.

T h at apoc a ly pt ic scen a r io is familiar to those who grew up during the Cold War, an era when American school children were told to duck and cover under their desks in case of nuclear sirens. But that danger gradually receded from the public imagination after the fall of the Berlin Wall and the dissolution of the Soviet Union, when the two powers seemed to be on a glide path to disarmament, democracy and prosperity.

Before that, even young people understood the terrifying idea

behind the strategy of mutual assured destruction—MAD for short—a balance in nuclear capabilities that was meant to keep hands on each side off of the atomic trigger, knowing that any use of the doomsday weapons could end in the annihilation of both sides in a conflict.

And amazingly, no country has used nuclear weapons since 1945, when President Harry Truman dropped bombs on Japan in the belief that it was the surest way to end World War II quickly. It did, but at a loss of about 200,000 mostly civilian lives in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Around the world, even today, many regard that as a crime against humanity and question if it was worth it.

For a brief time after the war, the United States had a nuclear monopoly. But a few years after, the Soviet Union announced its own nuclear bomb and the two sides of the Cold War engaged in an arms race to build and develop increasingly more powerful weapons over the next few decades.

With the end of the Soviet Union in 1991, and its transformation to a hoped-for democracy under Boris Yeltsin, the United States and Russia agreed to limits on their armaments. Other postSoviet countries like Ukraine, Kazakhstan and Belarus voluntarily gave up the nukes on their territory after the Soviet Union dissolved.

In recent years, if nuclear weapons were spoken of at all, it was usually in the context of stopping their proliferation to countries like North Korea and Iran. (Iran denies that it wants to possess

In this image made from video released by the Russian Presidential Press Service, Russian President Vladimir Putin addressees the nation in Moscow, Russia on February 24. Russian troops launched their anticipated attack on Ukraine on Thursday, as Putin cast aside international condemnation and sanctions and warned other countries that any attempt to interfere would lead to “consequences you have never seen.” Russian Presidential Press Service via AP

them and North Korea has been steadily but slowly building both its nuclear weapons and its delivery mechanisms.) President Joe Biden has been aware of the danger of nuclear war between Russia and Nato since the emergence of the crisis with Ukraine. From the start, he has said Nato would not be sending troops into Ukraine because it could trigger direct fighting between the US and Russia, leading to nuclear escalation and possibly World War III. It was a tacit admission that the United States would not take on the Russians militarily over Ukraine, and instead rely on extraordinary sanctions to gradually strangle the Russian economy.

But the admission also included another truth. When it came to fighting off a Russian invasion, Ukraine remained on its own because it is a non-treaty member and does not qualify for protection under Nato’s nuclear umbrella.

If Putin tried to attack one of America’s Nato partners, however, that would be a different situation, because the pact is fully committed to mutual defense, Biden has said.

Knowing that Biden had already taken a military response off the table, why did Putin even bother to raise it in his speech?

In part, he may have wanted to keep the West off balance, to prevent it from taking aggressive action to defend Ukraine against Putin’s blitzkrieg drive to take over the country.

But the deeper context seemed to be his great desire to show the world that Russia is a powerful nation, not to be ignored. Putin talks

repeatedly about the humiliation of Russia after the Soviet collapse.

By waving his nuclear sword, he echoed the bluster with which the Soviet Union had stared down the United States and earned, in his mind, respect.

After Putin’s speech, Pentagon officials offered only a muted response to his implied threat to use nuclear weapons against any country that tried to intervene in Ukraine.

A senior defense official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations, said Thursday that US officials “don’t see an increased threat in that regard,” but he would not say more.

Putin’s language touches a raw nerve in the Pentagon because it highlights a longstanding concern that he might be willing to use nuclear weapons in Europe preemptively in a crisis.

This is one reason Washington has tried for years, without success, to persuade Moscow to negotiate limits on so-called tactical nuclear weapons—those of shorter range that could be used in a regional war. Russia has a large numerical advantage in that weaponry, and some officials say the gap is growing.

Coincidentally, the Biden administration was wrapping up a Nuclear Posture Review—a study of possible changes to US nuclear forces and the policies that govern their use—when Russia’s troop buildup near Ukraine reached a crisis stage this month.

It’s unclear whether that study’s results will be reworked in light of the Russian invasion.

Putin loses allies in eastern Europe by invading Ukraine

By KAREL JANICEK The Associated Press

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R A G U E — R u s s i a ’s i n v a s i o n o f Ukraine has shocked the former Soviet satellite states of Central and Eastern Europe, drawing strong condemnation even from the region’s most pro-Kremlin politicians.

For some of the countries that fled the Soviet bloc following a series of anticommunist revolutions more than 30 years ago, footage of tanks and troops rolling in to punish a nation trying to pursue its own independent course looks painfully familiar.

Two until now major pro-Russian voices in the European Union, Czech President Milos Zeman and Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban, didn’t mince their words in criticizing Moscow’s most aggressive action since the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979.

Their countries experienced comparable brutality—the Czech Republic, as part of Czechoslovakia, in 1968 and Hungary in 1956.

Zeman called Thursday’s invasion “an unprovoked act of aggression.”

“Russia has committed a crime against peace,” he said in an address to the nation.

Zeman had previously made news by calling Russia’s 2014 annexation of

the Ukrainian Crimean Peninsula “a fait accompli.”

Many in the Czech Republic reviled Zeman as a “servant of Kremlin” after he sided with Russia and cast doubt on the findings of his own security and intelligence services on the alleged participation of Russian spies in a huge 2014 ammunition explosion.

Until just days ago, Zeman was insisting that the Russians wouldn’t attack Ukraine because “they aren’t lunatics to launch an operation that would be more damaging for them than beneficial.”

“I admit I was wrong,” he said Thursday.

Zeman has called for harsh sanctions against Russia, including cutting it out of the SWIFT financial system, which shuffles money from bank to bank around the globe.

“It’s necessary to isolate a lunatic and not just to defend ourselves by words but also by deeds,” he said.

Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala also voiced full support for the strongest possible sanctions for what he called “an absolutely unjustified act of aggression against a sovereign state.”

Prague ordered the closure of two Russian consulates in the Czech Republic and stopped accepting visa requests from Russian citizens.

Pavel Rychetsky, the chief judge at the Constitutional court, the country’s

highest legal authority, suggested that a European arrest warrant should be issued against Russian President Vladimir Putin. He said Putin should be tried at the International Criminal Court for “an unprecedented unleashing of war on the European continent for the first time since World War II.” In Hungary, high-ranking officials had for weeks avoided condemning Russia’s actions directly. Under Orban, the country has pursued close ties with Putin, a point of concern for many of Hungary’s western partners.

Hungar y has historically deeply distrusted Moscow, which ordered the brutal repression of an anti-Soviet uprising in 1956. But Orban in recent years has pursued a diplomatic and economic strategy he calls “Eastern Opening,” which favors closer ties with countries to the east, and in his frequent battles with the EU has called the 27-nation bloc an oppressive imperial power similar to Hungary’s former Soviet occupiers.

But on Thursday, Orban was clear in his condemnation of the Kremlin.

“Russia attacked Ukraine this morning with military force,” Orban said in a video on Facebook. “Together with our European Union and Nato allies, we condemn Russia’s military action.”

“Hungary’s position is clear: we stand

by Ukraine, we stand by Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty,” his Foreign Minister Peter Szijijarto said.

Bulgaria, Moscow’s closest ally during the Cold War, followed suit.

“Having strategic bombers and missiles flying in Europe in the 21st century, assaults by air and sea against a sovereign state, is absolutely inadmissible,” President Rumen Radev said.

Romania also stood staunchly with its western partners.

“Through today’s cynical invasion, the Russian Federation is the architect of the worst security crisis since World War II,” the ruling coalition leaders said.

Neighboring Moldova, a former Soviet republic and one of the few former communist Eastern European countries not to have joined Nato so far, echoed these views.

Moldovan President Maia Sandu stressed that Russia’s attacks were launched “in violation of international norms,” adding that the international community “unanimously condemns these military actions.”

Justin Spike in Budapest, Hungary, Veselin Toskov in Sofia, Bulgaria and Stephen McGrath in Bucharest, Romania, contributed.

Editor: Angel R. Calso • www.businessmirror.com.ph

Propaganda, fake videos of Ukraine invasion bombard social media users

By Amanda Seitz & David Klepper The Associated Press

W

ASHINGTON—The messages, videos and photos f lying across Twitter, Facebook and Telegram far outnumber the airstrikes raining down on Ukraine.

They claim to show Russian fighter jets being shot down or Ukrainians dodging for cover in their own homes.

Some are real, horrifying images of this war. Others had been lurking on the Internet for years before Russia launched the largest attack on a European country since World War II. The invasion of Ukraine is shaping up to be Europe’s first major armed conflict of the social media age, when the small screen of the smartphone is the dominant tool of communication, carrying with it the peril of an instantaneous spread of dangerous, even deadly, disinformation.

TikTok videos, propagandized headlines and tweets pinging out across screens around the world are confusing millions about the reality of how this battle is unfolding on the ground.

Across Telegram and Twitter, Russia’s attack on Ukraine was both “unprovoked” and “necessary,” depending on the sender of the message.

“The prayers of the world are with the people of Ukraine tonight as they suffer an unprovoked and unjustified attack by Russian military forces,” President Joe Biden tweeted Wednesday night to his 40 million followers.

Russian state media, however, echoed Russian President Vladimir Putin’s comments across its platforms, with RT News blasting to hundreds of thousands of followers on Telegram that the action was “necessary.”

Over the last few days, Putin and Russian media have ramped up false accusations that Ukrainians are committing genocide, and mischaracterizing the majority of the country’s population as Nazis, said Bret Schafer, who heads the information manipulation team at the Alliance for Securing Democracy, a nonpartisan think tank in Washington.

Last week, for example, RT’s news director claimed on live television, without evidence, that Ukrainians might start gassing their own people.

“You’ve really seen this escalation of the narrative that Russia needs to protect from this Nazi mob of genocidal Ukrainians,” Schafer said.

As Thursday wore on, the truth became even more difficult for the rest of the world to disentangle from a string of hundreds of misleading tweets, deceptively edited videos and out-of-context photos that emerged after the first shots of war rang out.

One clip, taken from a video game, amassed millions of views as users falsely claimed it depicted real attacks. A video captured

by The Associated Press in Libya more than a decade ago was revived across Facebook and Twitter Thursday, with users saying it showed a Russian fighter jet plummeting through gray skies to the ground after being shot down by Ukrainian forces. And some TikTok users wrongly believed they were watching a video of soldiers parachuting into Ukraine after a Russian account posted years-old footage while Russia’s invasion was underway—that didn’t stop the clip from racking up more than 22 million views before the day’s end.

People who see these videos, photos and claims online are likely to watch them, share them and move on with their day, said John Silva, a senior director of the News Literacy Project, a nonprofit that works to fight misinformation through education.

“We see a paratrooper, he’s speaking Russian, and so we don’t take the time to question it,” said Silva. “If we see a piece of information that’s new to us, we have this compulsion to share it with others.”

And while some users are unintentionally spreading rumors in hopes of shaping perception of the invasion, others are betting on the idea that they can dupe unwitting social media users into sharing the falsehoods.

“We know disinformation is going to come out of the Russian government,” Silva said. “Then you also have trolls—people who just put things out there to see if they can fool people.”

People are consuming these misleading claims because they are desperate for information, Schafer of the Alliance for Securing Democracy said.

“You have a huge surge of demand, low supply of credible information, and a lot of sketchy information that fills the void,” he added.

That void became larger Thursday as Internet outages rolled through several parts of Ukraine, making it even harder for people there to contact relatives or follow the news.

As a surge of people tried to access Telegram, a social media and messaging platform popular in Eastern Europe, the app experienced service interruptions, according to a post from Pavel Durov, one of Telegram’s founders.

Key Russian websites, including the main sites of the Kremlin and military, were also unreachable or slow to load following what appeared to be a retaliatory attack. And US officials blamed Russia for disabling major government websites in Ukraine.

Widespread outages in Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second largest city, and the strategic port of Mariupol were experienced Thursday, said Alp Toker, the founder of NetBlocks, a London-based company that monitors web outages and internet accessibility throughout the world.

While some outages could be caused by shells or airstrikes, others are part of an intentional effort by Russian forces to disrupt communications and cause panic, he said.

“Blow by blow, the human impact of being disconnected at a time like this is a terrifying experience,” he said. “It makes sense from a tactical view. We know that this is a strategy.”

Klepper reported from Providence, Rhode Island. Associated Press writers Ali Swenson in New York, Abril Mulato in Mexico City and Sophia Tulp in Atlanta contributed to this report.

Science Sunday BusinessMirror

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

Sunday, February 27, 2022

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Research for combined aspirin-cilostazol tablet for stroke gets DOST-Cradle support

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By Lyn Resurreccion

Another project for the commu n it y is t he Custom Made Crafts Center Inc. and DOSTPhilippine Textile Research Institute partnership that is aiming to develop a community-based functionalized Philippine handwoven textile solution for nonmedical face masks The project aims to develop water-repellent textile materials using local handwoven indigenous fabrics; develop a World Health Organization-compliant cloth masks for non-medical face masks; and establish an initial market assessment of the developed nonmedical face masks.

ood news for patients who have been taking aspirin and cilostazol to manage their stroke: you may soon take these medicines combined in one tablet, no longer in separately, and at cheaper price.

This is being made possible through the partnership between Adamson University and Compact Pharmaceutical Corp. that seeks to determine the formulation, quality control and immediate-release tablets of fixed-dose combinations of aspirin and cilostazol.

Cilostazol and aspirin are used for the management of stroke, thrombo-embolic disorders and ischemic heart disease but are available as separate dosage units in the market.

The project aims to develop a cheaper alternative with minimized adverse drug reactions and enhanced dosage compliance.

There is currently no fixeddose combination of aspirin and cilostazol in the Philippine drug market, so this would be the first such tablet, the proponents said during the symposium.

Jose Valerio Calleja of Compact Pharmaceuticals said during the symposium that he has consulted with doctors who said that the combination drug may be used as maintenance medicine for hypertension. However, he added it still has to undergo clinical trials for safety and acceptability.

He said that doctors want to have a combination of the two medicines because it would be more convenient for patients.

Having no need to buy separate

medicines, it would ensure that the patients will be able to take both medicines.

He added that the research and production of the combination medicine is “complicated,” which necessitates a partnership with a very “good research” university.

Incidentally, Adamson University’s current executive director is Dr. Nuna Almanzor, the retired director of Industrial Technology Development Institute of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST).

Romalyn Joson of Adamson University said one of the challenges they encountered in the research for the project is the sources of the chemicals and machinery because aspirin and cilostazol have different properties.

Cradle Program The project is being made possible through the assistance of the Collaborative Research and Development to Leverage Philippine Economy (Cradle) of the DOST. A wellness project, the aspirin-cilostazol combination project was featured in the second symposium of Cradle in 2022 titled, “Science in Bloom: Innovative breakthroughs for wellness, communit y and the env ironment,” that was streamed online on February 25.

The event featured research

23 SUCs get Searca training in research design

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wenty-three members of the State Universities and Colleges-Association of Colleges of Agriculture in the Philippines Inc. (SUC-ACAP) are recipients of a 10-week Online Training on Research Designs and Methods for Higher Education Institutions in the Philippines (Research4HEIs).

Implemented by the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (Searca), the training will run until March 11.

The training is being conducted under the auspices of a SearcaCommission on Higher Education (CHED) project called “Leveling-Up Philippine Higher Education Institutions in Agriculture, Fisheries, and Natural Resources (LevelUPHEI Afar).”

Searca Director Dr. Glenn B. Gregorio said the Searca-CHED partnership is in step with center’s push for the government to tap the intellectual capital of higher education institutions to boost food security and economic recovery by fostering a “knowledge economy” amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

He pointed out that research must not be done just for academic exercise. It should reach out to the needs of society—that is, to produce food, solve hunger and malnutrition and help transform farmers into profitable entrepreneurs.

The Research4HEIs training is designed to enhance the partici-

pants’ capacity to develop a research framework focused on their objectives and hypotheses with a keen knowledge of the conditions during their research.

Searca has tapped the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) faculty members to design and facilitate the training course.

It is being coordinated by Prof.

Maria Ana T. Quimbo at the UPLB Institute of Governance and Rural Development, and co-facilitated by 13 faculty members and experts in quantitative and qualitative research methods from the UPLB Institute of Statistics and Department of Social Sciences.

A major output of the Research4HEIs training is a Re-entry Action Plan that includes developing a research proposal.

The action plan will enable the participants to apply the learnings and skills gained from the training to address specific and practical problems related to their field of interest, for which they will receive constructive and academic feedback.

The Research4HEIs training is one of two Searca online learning events for SUC-ACAP members under the Searca-CHED project.

The Strategic Communication Planning Workshop: Enhancing Communication Skills for Higher Education Institutions in the Philippines is also ongoing and will close on March 14.

Empowers Filipino companies An image showing the benefit of combining aspirin and cilostazol in one tablet. Screenshot from Zoom

collaborations and technologies developed for wellness, community and environment sector.

Through the Cradle Program, Filipino companies, including small-to-medium enter prises, find value through innovation by partnering with universities or research and development institutes to solve their problems.

Under the program, it is the industry partner which defines the problem to be solved, while the academic institutions or R&D Institute undertakes the research.

The Cradle funding mechanism provides P5 million, over a period of one to three years, to the academic institution or R&D institute.

The industry partner contributes 20 percent to the project, in cash or in kind; and promises to adopt the research output.

Projects on environment, community and arts

Besides the aspirin-cilostazol combination project, the Cradle symposium also showcased R&D projects that exhibit value in the

areas of environmental sustainability, the community and the arts.

The partnership of Sarnimian Small Scale Mining Corp. and Caraga State University in Agusan del Norte to develop alternative solutions to the waste of gold processing plant, or mill tailings.

The research seeks to find alternative use for gold mill tailings and conduct comprehensive analysis on how the developed technology can contribute toward socioeconomic and environmental sustainability.

The Driver Air ni Juan-Aluminosilicate Technology for Compact Air Purification.

It is a partnership between Manly Plastics Inc., MC Home Depot, Global One Shuttle Service Inc. and University of the Philippines Diliman (UPD).

The project is expected to develop a powerful and portable air purifier for automotive air filtration systems which works as a particulate filter, harmful gas remover and anti-microbial filter.

A lthough there are already many automotive air filtration systems in the market, the proponents said the project will be developed using a naturally occurring aluminosilicate minerals in the Philippines through facile modification processes to mitigate the health-related risks of using taxis as mode of transportation.

Through this procedure, the product will use local sources and manpower, thus, it will provide local jobs and will be cheaper for the consumers.

With this new technology and product proposed, the essential products can be provided to the transportation sector without relying on the importation of raw materials.

The partnership between Agricultural Sustainability Initiatives for Nature Inc. and UPD aims to help the coastal communities in Macalelon, Quezon, and the local economy by using a science-based approach to increase the supply of oysters and ensure sustainability.

Science Secretary Fortunato T. de la Peña said, “Cradle empowers our local Filipino companies to shift and adapt to the needs of their clientele.”

“The partnership between industry and academe allows sharing of knowledge and insight.

Cradle improves the capabilities of our local companies and at the same time, broadens the understanding of our scientists and researchers on the needs of industry,” he added.

For her part, DOST Undersecretary for R&D Rowena Cristina L. Guevara said the Science for Change Program of the DOST, is committed to promoting and accelerating research and development (R&D) in the country and improving industrial competitiveness in the regions.

“The R&D developed through the Cradle program drives econom ic g ro w t h for ou r lo c a l companies and provides an avenue for them to find new processes or new product lines,” she added.

“Cradle also contributes to localization as it allows companies to have tailored solutions that maximizes the use of our local resources,” Guevara pointed out.

Fulbright, PhilSA sign MOU for space science scholarships

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he PhilippineAmerican Educational Foundation (PAEF, or Fulbright Philippines), signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) recently to promote collaboration between both organizations in establishing scholarship and training programs for space science.

The MOU was signed

by Acting Honorary Chairman of the PAEF Board of Directors Heather Variava, also the US Embassy in the Philippines Chargés d’affaires, and the Philippine Space Agency Director General Joel Joseph S. Marciano Jr. The signing was held at the PAEF office in Mandaluyong City, a PhilSA news release said.

The MOU shall establish scholarship and training programs for space science, technology, engineering and mathematics, and related fields, such as space law and policy, business, economics, international relations and diplomacy, and communications.

It will also explore a partnership between PAEF and PhilSA through workshops and educational exchanges to further promote and pursue space education

Acting Honorary Chairman of PAEF Board of Directors Heather Variava (left), also the US Embassy in the Philippines Chargés d’affaires, and Philippine Space Agency Director General Joel Joseph S. Marciano Jr. exchange documents after they signed an MOU recently to promote collaboration in establishing scholarship and training programs for space science for Filipinos. PhilSA photo

towards future participants.

Upon the signing of the MOU, PhilSA and PAEF will implement scholarships, training programs and other educational exchanges through degree and nondegree studies, research for Filipinos in universities and the United States.

The programs will cater to Filipinos interested in learning or developing their mastery in the field of space

science and technology applications. The programs to be introduced would also bring in experts from the United States to conduct professional lecturing and research.

PhilSA said implementing the trainings and scholarships as an act of cooperation would contribute to the mutual understanding between the space agency and the foundation.

It would also help in

strengthening cordial relations between the two institutions, and maximizing the continuing cooperation between the Philippines and the United States.

The MOU was built on the agreement that the Philippines and the United States would identify space technology as a target area for cooperation under the US-Philippine Science and Technology Agreement signed in 2019.

“The United States is proud to support the Philippines’ commitment to the peaceful use of space.

Through the US-Philippines Science and Technology Agreement, we look forward to deepening cooperation with PhilSA to explore the scientific, commercial, and national security benefits of space technology.” Variava said in a brief message before the signing.

Marciano said: “It is my fervent hope that the PhilSAPAEF partnership will inspire the Filipino people and elevate the status of space science and technology in the Philippines toward a robust space ecosystem that adds and creates value in space from Filipinos, for Filipinos, and for the world,” the PhilSA news release said.

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Faith

Sunday, February 27, 2022

Sunday

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

Tagle says evangelization is ‘a conversation about Jesus’ V

ATICAN—Cardinal Luis A ntonio Tagle has encouraged people not to be intimidated by the concept of “evangelization,” but to remember that it can be a simple human interaction or conversation among friends, family, coworkers, or social-media followers.

“Sometimes we make things very complicated—‘evangelization.‘ It is a conversation. It is a conversation about Jesus,” Tagle said in his recent closing remarks for the Vatican’s priesthood conference.

“Simple human interaction or conversation centered on the Word of Life that fosters unity, I think needs to be encouraged in our time, especially in families, schools, workplaces, recreation centers, hospitals, social media, during coffee break, and simple gatherings of friends,” he said.

Tagle, the prefect of the Vatican Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, was asked to give the closing speech on February 19 for a three-day Vatican conference on the theology of the priesthood.

Pope Francis opened the conference with a reflection on his more than 52 years of priesthood.

In a very animated speech, Tagle said that “mission forms community, which, in turn, becomes the flame that fires up other missionaries.”

T he c a rd i n a l s h a re d t h at one of the youth delegates at the 2018 Synod of Bishops on young people had told him that her friends’ experience of the Church was of priests who were

Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, Prefect of the Vatican’s Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples ERIC PAUL GUANLAO/MANILA CATHEDRAL

“angry, impatient, unapproachable” and who “criticize persons during homilies and talk always about rules.”

Tagle added that hearing testimonies like this prompted him to reflect on the joy in the lives of the baptized. “ There are many reasons why we feel tired, empty and joyless.

But I asked myself: Is it possible that one reason for the loss of joy in a baptized person or a minister of the church is the lack or weakening of the sense of mission? ” he said.

“Without a commitment to mission, the priesthood of the baptized or consecrated life and the ministerial priesthood are deprived of joy. Why? Because the priesthood of Christ is intrinsically linked to his mission.”

Tagle’s speech marked the end

of the live-streamed summit “For a Fundamental Theology of the Priesthood,” which took place from February 17 to 19 in the Vatican’s Paul VI Hall. The symposium was first announced in April 2021.

Cardinal Marc Ouellet, prefect of the Vatican Congregation for Bishops, organized the meeting together with the France-based Research and Anthropology Center for Vocations.

The third and final day of the conference was dedicated to “Celibacy, charisms and spirituality.”

“The priesthood of Jesus is completely missionary and continues to be so for He intercedes eternally for His brothers and sisters before the Father in the heavenly sanctuary,” Tagle said.

“Jesus’ priesthood is a wholly missionary life. Remove mission, there will be no joy, no joy, in those

who share in the priesthood of Christ in baptism, in other states of life, and in the ministerial priesthood.”

Tagle reflected on Jesus’ words in the Gospel of John: “As the Father has sent Me, so I send you.”

“The ones Jesus loves are the ones He sends,” Tagle noted. “Dangerous love. The more He loves you, the more He sends you.”

The 64-year-old cardinal from the Philippines said that being called to “ belong to Jesus and share in his mission” is not a matter of “creating or promoting one’s own project, but of participating in God’s salvific plan in the missions of Jesus and the Holy Spirit.”

“It is the joy, not of inventing one’s message, but of proclaiming what one has heard, seen, looked upon and touched of the word of life. It is the joy, not of boasting of one’s knowledge of the Lord, but of humbly being led by the Holy Spirit’s testimony to Jesus,” he said.

“It is the joy, not of being obsessed with achievements, degrees—‘Oh, I have a doctorate, you only a master’s degree. I deserve the cathedral. You deserve a village parish.’—That’s not joy.

It’s obsession with achievements,” Tagle pointed out.

“It is the joy of gratitude to Him who makes weak and sinful disciples strong by His grace. We wish every baptized Christian would experience the joy of being a disciple missionary,” he said. Courtney Mares/Catholic News Agency via CBCP News

Reasons why Muslim women wear headscarves while engaging in sports

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he French Senate recently voted in favor of a bill to ban headscarves in sports competitions. The advocates of the legislation claim that headscarves, or hijab, symbolize Islamic radicalism, patriarchy and lack of women’s empowerment.

Muslim women athletes and women’s rights activists have condemned the proposed law, with one commentator calling it “gendered Islamophobia.”

Others have pointed out how such laws have the potential to limit Muslim women’s inclusion in sports.

As researchers who study diversity and inclusion in sports, we conducted several studies focusing on sports participation among Muslim women over a period of three years.

Our recent study, published in 2021, shows that many Muslim women want to wear a hijab while participating in sports, and they list many reasons for doing so.

Muslim women and sports

Muslim women’s participation in sports has historically remained lower than in many other marginalized groups, such as Indigenous groups and other racial minorities.

This is especially evident in socially conservative countries, such as Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, where only a few women have ever participated in the Summer Olympics.

In recent years, however, more Muslim women have started to participate in sports, especially in Western countries. In general, there has been a boom in the sale of modest Islamic fashion wear and hijab as fashion accessories.

In 2018, the global Muslim fashion wear market was estimated to be $283 billion, with Turkey, United Arab Emirates and Indonesia be-

The medalists at the Women’s 57 kg Taekwondo at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. They are (from left) the athletes from Spain, Britain, Iran and Egypt. Take note that the women athletes from Iran and Egypt are wearing headscarves. Tasnim News Agency/Wikimedia CC by 4.0

ing the biggest ones. This market is expected to grow to $402 billion by 2024.

Various sports brands have introduced hijab for sports to tap into this market. For instance, Nike introduced a “Pro Hijab” in 2017.

Several other companies, such as Ahida, LiaWear and Asiya Sport, were producing hijab for sports before Nike.

We wanted to explore what Muslim women were saying about wearing a hijab during their participation in sports.

What research shows

We employed a three-study approach to collect data. This meant that we collected data through open-ended questions from 23 Muslim women liv ing in the United States in the first study.

Based on these results, we developed an online survey questionnaire and conducted a preliminary test with 282 women from 11 countries. We further revised our materials and conducted the final study with a

sample of 347 Muslim women from 34 countries.

Women in our study were wear ing hijab a lready, so we asked them why they wanted to wear the hijab during sports.

Among reasons they listed were that the hijab allows them to adhere to their religious beliefs, is comfortable and makes them feel empowered.

One of the participants stated: “The idea of a hijab is tied with the concept of freedom and human rights. To me, a hijab is a personal belief and ideology, and everyone has the right to follow it or not.”

The influence of other people in their lives was also a big factor.

For instance, several participants reported that men or women in their families could inf luence their choice of wearing a hijab.

We also found that the views of other Muslim women were often influential in their decisions.

For example, women were enthusiastic about purchasing the sportswear when their friends

had also done so.

However, some Muslim women expressed the fear of being harassed in Western countries when they wore a hijab in sports.

For example, one participant reported: “Sometimes other community members do not accept a pro-sport hijab and treat the woman with a hijab differently.

That can bring some negative feelings to that woman, like fear of being judged and mistreated in society.”

We argue that this fear of harassment as a result of wearing a hijab in sports within Western countries could be a major barrier in enhancing Muslim women’s sports participation.

Other scholars have previously found that for Muslim women, wearing a hijab during sporting activities can be empowering.

Researchers have also argued that Muslim women consider the hijab to be part of their unique identity in various Western contexts. It should be noted that not all Muslim women wear the hijab.

Scholars have previously also reported that Muslim women’s modest sportswear purchasing behavior is dependent upon social norms and cultural values.

For instance, the hijab has historically not been worn in the Indian subcontinent. Therefore, many Muslim women from Pakistan and India participate in sports without wearing hijab.

Advocates for banning or opposing hijab in France should listen to the views of Muslim women who want to wear a hijab in sports. If the voices of the hijabi are not heard, then it will further exclude Muslim women from sports participation. Umer

Hussain and George B. Cunningham,Texas A&M University/The Conversation (CC)

Pope Francis blesses participants of the International Symposium on the Priesthood at the Vatican’s Paul VI Hall on February 17. VATICAN MEDIA

Pope on 52 years of his priesthood: Strong prayer life, relationship with God are important

V

ATICAN—Pope Francis recently offered a long reflection on his more than 52 years of priesthood, giving advice to other clerics in what he said might be the “swan song” of his priestly life.

As he gave the opening remarks at a three-day Vatican conference on the theology of the priesthood on February 17, the 85-year-old pope said that there is “no theory here, I’m speaking about what I lived.”

“It may be that these reflections are the ‘swan song’ of my own priestly life, but I can assure you that they are the fruit of my own experience,” he said.

In the frank speech, Francis said that he had seen positive witnesses of the priesthood and walked with men whose “ministry had become barren, repetitive and meaningless.”

He added that he too had faced times of difficulty and desolation in his vocation, saying that there were moments of darkness in his life when closeness to God was indispensable to sustain him.

The pope’s speech marked the start of the live-streamed summit “For a Fundamental Theology of the Priesthood,” from February 17 to 19 in the Vatican’s Paul VI Hall.

Cardinal Marc Ouellet, prefect of the Vatican Congregation for Bishops, organized the meeting together with the France-based Research and Anthropology Center for Vocations.

Pope Francis’s message was organized around four forms of “closeness” that he said were “decisive” in the life of a priest: closeness to God, closeness to the bishop, closeness to other priests and closeness to people.

He emphasized the importance of a strong prayer life and relationship with God for both priests and bishops, as well as the universal call to holiness rooted in baptism.

“The life of a priest is above all the salvation history of one baptized person,” he said.

“We should never forget that each particular vocation, including that of Holy Orders, is a completion of baptism,” he added.

Francis noted that there is a temptation to live the priesthood without remembering that the primary vocation is to holiness.

“To be holy means to conform ourselves to Jesus,” he said. “Only when we strive to love others as Jesus does, do we make God visible and fulfill our vocation to holiness.”

He cited St. John Paul II, who wrote in his 1992 apostolic exhortation Pastores dabo vobis that “the priest, like every other member of the Church, ought to grow in the awareness that he himself is continually in need of being evangelized.”

There are some priests and bishops who do not understand this, Pope Francis reflected, calling it a “tragedy of today.”

The pope said that the Church was living through a time of “epochal change,” but people must not seek comfort in either the past or the future.

“I prefer instead the response born of a trusting acceptance of reality, anchored in the wise and living Tradition of the Church, which enables us to put out into the deep without fear,” he said.

Pope Francis warned his listeners that many crises in the priesthood resulted from a poor prayer life and a lack of intimacy with God, which reduces the spiritual life “to mere religious practice.”

“The intimacy born of prayer, the spiritual life, concrete closeness to God through listening to his word, the celebration of the Eucharist, the silence of adoration, entrustment to Mary, the wise accompaniment of a guide and the Sacrament of Reconciliation…Without these ‘forms of closeness,’ a priest is merely a weary hireling who has none of the benefits of the Lord’s friends,” he said.

Prayer is also a bishop’s “first task,” he said, adding: “He must increase, I must decrease, says St. John the Baptist.”

To have a good relationship with God, finding moments of silence throughout the day, is key, he noted.

This silence, he said, is often avoided because it can be uncomfortable. Instead of feeling peace, we feel emptiness, “and in order to keep from feeling that, we are unwilling to slow down.”

Work can become “a distraction to not fall into desolation,” the Jesuit pope said, referring to a central concept in Ignatian spirituality.

He encouraged priests and bishops to push through the uncomfortable feelings of desolation and persevere in prayer.

He also advised them to seek fraternity with other priests, which “means choosing deliberately to pursue holiness together with others, and not by oneself.”

“As an African proverb says: ‘If you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go with others.’ Sometimes it seems that the Church is slow, and that is true. Yet I like to think of it as the slowness of those who have chosen to walk in fraternity,” he said.

Priestly fraternity and friendship also helps priests live a life of celibacy with more serenity, Francis said.

“Celibacy is a gift that the Latin Church preserves, yet it is a gift that, to be lived as a means of sanctification, calls for healthy relationships, relationships of true esteem and true goodness that are deeply rooted in Christ,” he observed.

“Without friends and without prayer,” he said, “celibacy can become an unbearable burden and a counter-witness to the very beauty of the priesthood.”

Pope Francis also urged priests to be close to people, saying that he is “convinced that, for a renewed understanding of the identity of the priesthood, it is important nowadays to be closely involved in people’s real lives, to live alongside them, without escape routes.”

He emphasized that people were looking for “shepherds in the style of Jesus,” not “clerical functionaries” or “professionals of the sacred.”

People need them to be “men of courage, ready to draw near to those in pain and lend a helping hand,” he said. “Contemplative men, whose closeness to people enables them to proclaim before the wounds of our world the power of the Resurrection even now at work.”

Addressing the crisis of priestly vocations, Pope Francis reflected on the need for life and fervor and a desire to bring Christ to others.

He said that even in communities where the priests were not particularly engaged or joyful, the community of the baptized can inspire vocations through its prayers and active and fraternal life.

“This is especially the case if that community prays insistently for vocations and has the courage to propose to its young people a path of special consecration,” he said.

“In looking at his own humanity, his own history, his own personality,” he continued, “each of us should ask not if responding to a vocation is agreeable or not, but whether, in conscience, that vocation brings to light within us the potential for Love that we received on the day of our baptism.” Hannah Brockhaus/Catholic News Agency via CBCP News

Biodiversity Sunday BusinessMirror

Asean Champions of Biodiversity Media Category 2014

Sunday, February 27, 2022

Editor: Lyn Resurreccion

A7

Reclamation projects in Manila Bay: Environmental impacts vs econ benefits

By Jonathan L. Mayuga

T

he 260-hectare Pasay City Reclamation Project is one of several development projects in Manila Bay, currently the subject of an ambitious rehabilitation program by the Duterte administration.

On January 27, an online public scoping was conducted in the area, with the proponents of the project hoping to convince various stakeholders to support the project.

Like the controversial “Dolomite Beach” along Roxas Boulevard in Manila, which gave the Bay Walk area the Boracay-like white-sand beach appeal, the reclamation projects in Pasay, and other similar development projects proposed in Manila Bay, are expected to face stiff opposition.

connect the Pasay-260 reclamation project to the mainland, the Pasay Harbor Phase 1 Island A (210 ha) and B (55 ha).

Other adjacent reclamation projects are also in Parañaque (286 ha) and Cavite (1,331 ha including the Sangley Airport).

“If all these reclamation projects push through, the physical characteristics of Manila Bay, such as the circulation of seawater might possibly be altered, which can potentially affect the Las Piñas-Parañaque Wetland Park, a wetland of international importance that is recognized by the Ramsar Convention,” Baure said.

Seabed quarrying

The group, Advocates of Science and Technology for the People (Agham), opposes the 260-hectare Pasay Reclamation Project and other similar dumpand-fill activities in coastal areas despite their promised economic benefit.

Land reclamation is an urban expansion strategy for coastal areas like Manila Bay, a region that stretches from Cavite to Bataan provinces.

Land reclamation expands territories for residential, commercial, and industrial purposes, thus, promises the creation of economic opportunities through massive capital investment, the much-touted needed jobs and livelihood opportunities. “ W h i l e p ro p o ne nt s o f t he s e reclamation projects promise economic development, we see that env ironmental impacts outweigh econom ic development,” A gh a m told the BusinessMirror.

The group said Manila Bay reclamation will adversely affect the environment through mangrove cutting, seabed dredging and dumping of soil on the coast, Agham said via e-mail through its Public Information Officer Jerwin Baure.

According to Agham, other environmental impacts of the project will involve seabed quarrying, or massive dredging of sand beneath the sea in Manila Bay, including those in Bataan and Pampanga, for the filling materials.

“The environmental impacts of reclamation are not only in the proposed site but also [in areas] where the filling materials will be sourced just like in the case in the ‘dolomite beach’ in Manila wherein the filling materials came from a mountainous area in Cebu,” the group told the BusinessMirror.

Agham pointed out that several geological hazards—such as rapid subsidence, storm surges, and seismically induced liquefactions—are present in coastal areas around Manila Bay, particularly in Metro Manila.

“Furthermore, much of the concrete components used in many of the infrastructures in Metro Manila are made of Pinatubo lahar sand and other volcanic aggregates. These materials are porous and prone to ‘concrete-cancer/\’ which can lead to a sudden collapse of buildings, as explained by Dr. Kelvin Rodolfo,” the group explained.

Agham warned that the site of the Pasay-260 reclamation project is susceptible to these hazards, which puts people’s lives in harm’s way if large infrastructures are built on the area.

‘Just one of many’

Still teeming with marine life

The 260 ha project is only one of the reclamation projects in and around Pasay area along Manila Bay. Two other reclamation projects

According to the group, the proponents of the project presented “flawed” arguments.

It cited the initial presentation during

Environmental impact vs economic benefit

3 PHL cities join WWF, Futurefold intl program

By Rizal Raoul Reyes

T

he cities of Makati, Baguio and San Fernando (La Union) recently tapped digital technology by joining an international program led by World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and climate technology software company, Futureproofed, in order to help enhance the development and implementation of the cities’ plans.

Imee Bellen, project manager of One Planet Cities (OPC) of WWF-Philippines, told the B usiness M irror in an e-mail interview that the three Philippine cities have joined an international partnership with 47 other cities from 17 countries to use new digital tools, accessible data and quantified feedback for their transition toward the target of net-zero carbon emissions.

Through the partnership, Bellen said the three cities’ local governments will be able to develop more impactful climate action plans while collaborating with their own departments, residents and other cities across countries.

She said the participation of Baguio,

framework for environmental protection and response to the climate crisis.

“Our laws require ecosystem-based management from ridge to reef. Despite this, its fragile natural ecosystems continue to suffer from natural resource overexploitation and unsustainable development practices as the implementation of our laws are weak,” Ramos, the vice president of Oceana Philippines, an international ocean advocacy nongovernment organization, told the BusinessMirror via e-mail on February 22.

She said the state of the country’s ocean is no different, as destructive activities—such as dump-and-fill (reclamation) projects, pollution, illegal fishing practices, among others—remain unabated, resulting in a serious and alarming decline of coral reefs, mangroves and fisheries resources.

Makati and San Fernando is part of their engagement in the OPC project and is part of the “Year of Climate Action” partnership between WWF and Futureproofed that runs for the entire 2022.

“We are delighted to see our Philippine cities take a step further in their journey toward 1.5-degrees Celsius alignment while also strengthening both external and internal collaborations, Bellen said.

She added that the digital platform provided by WWF and Futureproofed will surely help in complementing the cities’ One Planet City Challenge (OPCC) feedback results for their assessment and the effective climate action plan for their city.

To jumpstart their participation, more than 30 city government officials and staff from Baguio, Makati and San Fernando have joined the Local City Team Launch sessions with other cities from Indonesia, Sweden, Turkey and the United Kingdom on February 15 and 17.

The first session was led by Futureproofed City Climate Coach Annabel Vanhoven, who presented the role of cities in climate change and an overview on the

Urgent action

This DENR graphic illustration shows the various land-reclamation and seabed quarrying projects in Manila Bay. Contributed illustration the public scoping, where the proponents claimed that there is no significant marine life present in the proposed site due to the absence of marine fish, coral reefs, seagrass beds and mangrove forests.

The proponents failed to mention, according to Agham, the plankton communities in Manila Bay, citing a study by the National Fisheries Research and Development Institute.

The study showed that there is high biomass of fish eggs and larvae found in the eastern portions of Manila Bay, which include Metro Manila and Cavite areas.

“We fear that dumping of soil in the coastal waters of Manila Bay will affect the turbidity of the water, which can affect the primary production and survival of larval fish,” the group said.

It further asked: “Do you have an estimated number of fishermen who will be impacted by the project? Initially, how do you see this project affecting the livelihood of fishermen living near the area?”

One big ecosystem Moreover, while the proponents claim that there was no fishing activity

OPCC and Futureproofed cities.

In a br e a kou t s e s sion, t h e p a r ticip a n t s w e r e divid e d in to group s p e r cit y to dis c us s t h e s t a t us, ch alle ng e s a nd poin t s of c olla b or a tion for t h eir clim a t e a c tion pla n w it h t h e v a rious cit y d e p a r t m e n t s pr e s e n t .

The results from OPCC will be announced by March 2022, with other local OPC activities in the pipeline for the 16 participating cities for the rest of the year.

Bellen said relevant feedback will be offered to the participating cities, which measures and policies will lead to the most significant emissions reductions and which actions are cost-effective in achieving their part toward the 1.5-degrees C trajectory of the 2015 Paris Agreement.

“No matter how good our data is, climate transition today is less of an information and technology issue, and more about implementation and cooperation,” said a January 27 open letter that was signed and published by select participating cities, including WWF and Futureproofed, for the launching of the “Year of Climate Action.”

“Sharing knowledge, in real time, across countries, contexts and continents, about what works and what doesn’t; aligning experts within cities and across departments behind an overarching political plan and motivating everyone to take ownership, will lead to success,” said the open letter.

in the area, Agham insisted that Manila Bay is one big ecosystem.

“The productivity of Manila Bay is dependent on coastal marine ecosystems, such as mangrove forests and adjacent estuarine ecosystems. Any adverse impacts on these ecosystems will affect the fisheries production of the entire bay and the livelihood of the fisherfolk that depend on its bounty,” Agham pointed out.

While the project proponents keep on insisting that there will be no adverse effect on the direct impact area, Agham said the proponents also failed to recognize that the project still has indirect impacts to other areas.

“It is necessary that projects involving major alteration in the natural environment must take into consideration both direct and indirect effects of the projects proposed,” the group said.

“As mentioned, the connectivity of natural habitats, especially the project’s proximity to the known fishing sites of other cities, indicates looming effects of the projects on the fisherfolk of Manila Bay, in general,” it added.

The group has earlier released statements on Manila Bay reclamation.

Public accountability Fisherfolks under the Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya) said the project will make it accountable for the potential long-term environmental impacts of the project in Manila Bay. “Although the target area to be reclaimed is no longer a fishing community, the project will still inflict damage to the marine resources and biodiversity of Manila Bay, which is the primary source of livelihood of many fisherfolks from neighboring towns,” Pamalakaya National Spokesman Ronnel Arambulo, told the Businessmirror via e-mail on February 17.

“Pamalakaya remains steadfast in our stand against any form of reclamation in Manila Bay because this will bring irreversible damage and destruction to our fisheries and marine resources, and massive displacement of fisherfolks and coastal residents,” he said.

Environmental protection laws Sought for comment, environmental lawyer Gloria Estenzo Ramos said the Philippines is notable for its strong legal

“Thus, urgent action for environmental protection, preservation, and restoration should be at the forefront of the agenda of all our Filipino leaders, including those who are seeking national and local offices in the May 2022 elections,” Ramos pointed out.

Along with the staggering impacts of climate change, the country has to respond immediately and mainstream the health and resilience of its natural ecosystems and people by ensuring science-based management through just, inclusive, transparent, and accountable governance of the natural world, she added.

It is high time that decision-makers and citizens alike take a proactive stance when it comes to environmental protection, instead of the usual knee-jerk and short-term solutions. Preparing for natural disasters as devastating as Typhoon Odette means taking climate change and other pressing environmental problems seriously now—more than ever, Ramos explained.

“Our government leaders and elective candidates must ensure the protection of every Filipinos’ right to a balanced and healthful ecology as guaranteed in the 1987 Constitution and collaborate with the various sectors. They should also remain committed to protecting the nation’s marine wealth, including the preferential rights of subsistence fisherfolks of municipal fishing grounds within our territorial waters,” she pointed out.

Rescued eagle ‘Bangsa Bae‘ to honor Bangsamoro women

By Manuel T. Cayon

D

AVAO CITY—The essence of the Bangsamoro woman now flies high in a recently rescued female Philippine eagle (Pithecophaga Jefferyi) in Lanao del Sur. The injured eagle was named “Bangsa Bae” by the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) government after a resident turned it over to its environment office in Lanao del Sur. The Philippine eagle was rescued on February 9 by a concerned citizen in the province’s interior town of Marogong.

“It was the first time that we found and rescued an injured Philippine Eagle which signifies the Bangsamoro region’s vast environment and natural resources,” said Environment Officer Benjamin Alangca of the Community Environment, Natural Resources, and Energy Office (Cenreo) in Lanao del Sur’s Second District.

The Environment officer said Hadji Solaiman Olama found the injured eagle and informed environmental authorities of BARMM. He added it was a female Philippine Eagle. It was named Bangsa Bae “to honor the Bangsamoro women for their momentous efforts and sacrifice as a wife, mother and sister of the mujahideens [freedom

Rescued Philippine eagle ‘Bangsa Bae’ Photo from BARMM Menre

fighters] who fought for the victory of Bangsamoro region.”

Upon the successful rescue, Bangsa Bae underwent an immediate surgical operation on its injured right wing since the bacterial infection was already fast spreading beyond its injured body parts.

Dr. Anita Chua, a veterinarian specialist of the Regional Wildlife Rescue Center of

Zamboanga del Sur province, operated on the eagle, applying the first aid treatment and immediate medical assistance.

The Cenreo conservation and development section and DENR IX’s technical personnel assisted Chua.

Bangsa Bae has a wingspan of 51 centimeters and its injured right wing weighs 5 kilograms.

Bangsa Bae was turned over to the Philippine Eagle Foundation office in Davao City on February 12 to perform additional medical procedures on it.

Meanwhile, Director Mohamad Ali R. Dimaren of Biodiversity, Ecosystems, Research and Development Services said “this proves that there is presence of the Philippine Eagle in the Bangsamoro region, which we are committed to protecting and conserving endangered species.”

He reminded residents to turn over any wildlife animals to government and not to harm them. He said wildflife protection and conservation, as well as penalty for harming animals, is covered under Republic Act 9147, or the Wildlife Resources Conservation and Protection Act. “The collection, trading, hunting, and care without a proper permit is strictly prohibited, especially for critically endangered wildlife such as the Philippine Eagle,” Dimaren explained.

Sports BusinessMirror

A8 | S

unday, February 27, 2022 mirror_sports@yahoo.com.ph Editor: Jun Lomibao

FORMULA One champion Max Verstappen speaks positively of changes in cars. AP

F1 DRIVERS THUMB UP NEW GENERATION CAR I

N a sign Formula One may have gotten it right with its regulation changes to improve racing, drivers gave mostly positive reviews of the series’ new generation of cars after the first few days of preseason testing.

F1 implemented major changes to try to allow cars to run closer to each other and increase the numbers of overtakes on the track.

“I have been following a few cars, it seems a little bit easier to stay behind,” defending world champion Max Verstappen said. “At least you don’t have these weird corners where you suddenly have understeer or a mass of oversteer.

I don’t expect it to be fully gone where you can follow [right behind] the rear diffuser—at least not at the speeds we are still doing in F1—but it all seems a bit more under control.”

The new cars have revamped rear and front wings, as well as new floors, designed to improve the handling when drivers are close to each other. The older cars used to lose downforce—and their ability to go through turns faster—the closer they got to the cars ahead. Drivers had to be much faster than those ahead of them to be able to make clean passes.

They often tried to test the effects of the changes during the first days of testing in Barcelona by

following other cars closely at the Barcelona-Catalunya Circuit.

“We did that on purpose, obviously,” Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz said. “I can tell you I already felt some differences. It’s pretty obvious already, and I’m relatively positive about it. I’m optimistic that it’s going in the right direction.”

The new cars have shown great handling on high-speed corners compared to the old ones, despite being considerably heavier.

Drivers did notice a side effect of the new changes as the new floors designed to increase downforce made the cars bouncier on straightaways.

“They bounce around a bit, and they are a little bit stiff, so it is a bit more vicious inside of it,” Williams driver Alex Albon said. “You are moving around, you are feeling everything. But at the end of the day, they’re quick and everyone’s done a great job.”

In 2017, F1 had already introduced design changes that made cars wider and faster to try to make the series more exciting. The regulation changes this season, which also include bigger tires and a new type of fuel, are the most drastic in the sport since the turbo-hybrid era began in 2014.

Friday is the final day of testing in Barcelona. Three more days are scheduled for March 10-12 in Bahrain

ahead of the F1 season opener on March 20 at the same location.

VERSTAPPEN DEFENDS EX-RACE DIRECTOR

FORMULA One champion Max Verstappen defended Michael Masi on Thursday, saying the muchcriticized former race director was “thrown under the bus” after last season’s dramatic finale.

Masi was replaced last week following the controversy at the titledeciding Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in December.

Verstappen won his first world title there by overtaking defending champion Lewis Hamilton on the last lap after Masi ordered a restart.

“It was very unfair what happened to Michael because he’s really been thrown under the bus,” Verstappen said on Thursday at preseason testing in Barcelona. “I sent him a text as well. To immediately sack him is not the right decision. I wish him all the best with whatever comes next, and I just hope it’s better than being an F1 race director.”

Masi’s decision turned a gripping F1 title race on its head as Hamilton was coasting to a record eighth world title. What followed was confusion and scathing vitriol toward Masi from some quarters.

Hamilton led the race comfortably until a crash by Nicholas Latifi brought out the safety car with five laps remaining. Verstappen stopped under yellow flags for a fresh set of tires, and Masi flipped his decision and let the drivers separating Verstappen from Hamilton pass the safety car. Verstappen then zoomed past Hamilton on fresh tires. “[That] the people who did sack him allowed that [rule to happen] in the first place is unacceptable,” Verstappen said. “I found that really incredible, so I feel really sorry for Michael. I think he was a very capable and good race director.”

Verstappen feels Masi was placed in a hugely difficult position, with Hamilton’s Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff and his own Red Bull boss Christian Horner heatedly talking to Masi live on air in a pressure-cooker atmosphere.

“Can you imagine a referee in whatever sport has the coach screaming in his ear all the time? That’s a yellow card, red card, no decision, no foul,” Verstappen posed while drawing a comparison with a soccer referee.

“It’s impossible to make a decision. That F1 already allowed that team members could talk to him while making decisions is very wrong. Because it needed to

Tennis pro Kyrgios talks about ‘suicidal thoughts,’ depression

T

ENNIS pro Nick Kyrgios says he had “suicidal thoughts” and dealt with depression and abuse of drugs and alcohol in the past, the latest in a series of high-profile athletes to speak publicly and frankly about their mental health.

The 26-year-old Australian, who has been ranked as high as No. 13 in singles and recently won the Australian Open men’s doubles title, wrote in a message posted Thursday on his verified Instagram account that he now is “proud to say I’ve completely turned myself around and have a completely different outlook on everything.”

Kyrgios included a photograph of himself sitting at a tennis court that he said was taken three years ago at the Australian Open.

He called that time “one of my darkest periods” and pointed out that his right arm in that photo displays what he called evidence of “self harm.”

“I was having suicidal thoughts and was literally struggling to get out of bed, let alone play in front of millions. I was lonely, depressed, negative, abusing alcohol, drugs, pushed away family and friends,” Kyrgios wrote. “I felt as if I couldn’t talk or trust anyone. This was a result of not opening up and refusing to lean on my loved ones and simply just push myself little by little to be positive.”

Kyrgios, currently ranked 137th, is one of the most entertaining,

NICK KYRGIOS is the latest in a series of high-profile athletes to speak publicly and frankly about their mental health. AP

enigmatic and polarizing athletes in his sport, simultaneously supremely talented and unconventional on the court and someone who never

has been shy about expressing his opinions off it.

This was his most self-revelatory discussion of his mindset, struggles

and new perspective.

And he offered to try to help others.

“I know that day to day life can seem extremely exhausting, impossible

be Michael making the decisions on his own, without having people screaming in his ear.”

Two-time F1 champion Fernando Alonso also expressed sympathy for Masi.

“Michael was trying to protect us all the time, which is what we ask [from] a race director,” Alonso said.

“He was protecting us. I remember Spa, we didn’t race because conditions were not [suitable] for racing. Baku, where we had the red flag, even if it was one [or] two laps to the end, because it was not safe.”

Governing body FIA has a new race-day structure in place, at times. I understand that you feel if you open up it may make you feel weak, or scared. I’m telling you right now, it’s OK, you are not alone. I’ve been through those times when it seemed as if those positive energetic vibes were never ever going to be reality,” Kyrgios wrote. “Please, don’t feel as if you are alone, if you feel as if you can’t talk to anyone, I’m here, reach out.”

He closed with: “This life is beautiful.”

At Melbourne Park in January, Kyrgios and longtime friend Thanasi Kokkinakis became the first pair of Australians to win the men’s doubles title at the Australian Open since 1997.

This was just the fourth appearance as a pair in the main draw of a major tournament for Kyrgios and Kokkinakis.

In singles at the Australian Open, Kyrgios lost in the second round to eventual runner-up Daniil Medvedev.

Kyrgios is known for both booming serves and attempting to catch opponents by surprise with underarm serves. He’s as likely to try a between-the-legs shot as he is to smack a 100 mph forehand. He relishes playing to, and interacting with, a crowd, even chatting with spectators between points to ask where he should hit the ball. He also has been accused of not always giving his best effort.

When he’s on top of his game, Kyrgios can beat anyone. He is one of only two players, along with Lleyton Hewitt, to win each of his initial matchups against Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic. AP

including a soccer-style Virtual Race Control Room. “[What] we talked about last year was the topic of inconsistency,” Wolff said on Wednesday. “There shouldn’t be room to interpret the rules.” AP

FIFA: NO GOVT INTERVENTION

H

ARARE, Zimbabwe—Fifa suspended Zimbabwe and Kenya from international competitions on Thursday for government interference in the running of their national soccer bodies.

Zimbabwe was banned after its government-run Sports and Recreation Commission refused to relinquish control of the Zimbabwe Football Association and reinstate the federation’s leadership.

ZIFA officials were removed from office in November on allegations of corruption.

Kenya was banned after its sports ministry also removed the soccer federation’s leaders and accused them of corruption. Kenyan soccer president Nick Mwendwa is facing criminal charges.

Fifa president Gianni Infantino announced the bans.

It means Zimbabwe and Kenya national teams and clubs can’t play in any international competitions.

Funds from Fifa are also cut off.

Kenya’s women’s national team was already thrown out the qualifying competition for the African Cup of Nations because of the crisis at the federation.

The world soccer body ordered Zimbabwe to reinstate its soccer officials by January 3 but delayed any action, allowing Zimbabwe to compete at the men’s African Cup of Nations in Cameroon in January and February.

The bans on the two African nations will be lifted if their governments allow the federations to operate normally again.

Fifa said it will cooperate with investigations into alleged corruption and sexual harassment by Zimbabwe soccer officials. AP

Covid-19 toll more than physical for hard-hit basketball teams

C

HARMIN SMITH and her players figured they had gone through the worst of the pandemic in 2020-21.

Covid-19 precautions had forced the Cal’s women’s team to hold the first month of practices outdoors on a tennis court with portable baskets. Each player was required to have her own ball and was not allowed to pass it.

Nine games were postponed because of Covid outbreaks, on their team or the opponent, and they fell five games short of playing the regularly scheduled 18 Pac-12 games.

They finished 1-16 overall.

“We were really hopeful things would be back to quote-unquote normal and we would be able to experience a season without disruption and get people back healthy,” Smith said. “It hasn’t been the case.”

It hasn’t been the case for a lot of teams. As of midweek in Division I, 420 men’s games and 476 women’s games had been postponed or canceled because of coronavirus outbreaks, according to Associated Press research, and Covid-19 has been ever-present even as the sport rolls toward tournament season.

The Cal women are among the hardest hit, having had seven Pac12 games drop off their schedule because there wasn’t enough time left to reschedule them. The Illinois women are playing their final eight regular-season games over 21 days due to rescheduling and will still fall four short of the standard 18 Big Ten games.

The Cal State Bakersfield women will be shorted six of their 18 Big West games. On the men’s side, IUPUI

will play only 17 of its 22 Horizon League games and Little Rock will play 14 of its 18 Sun Belt Conference games. Those three conferences declare missed games no-contests and don’t make them up.

The stops and starts have created a cauldron of emotions for players amid greater concern over the mental health of athletes in general.

There is the disappointment of not being able to play. There’s anger when players see other teams around the country able to play when they can’t.

There’s anxiety from the uncertainty of not knowing when or if they’ll play again. There’s greater pressure to win because the margin for error increases as the number of conference games decreases. There’s frustration for players coming out of a Covid layoff because they’ve lost their

conditioning. There’s added stress academically when rescheduled games come in rapid succession and there’s more missed class time.

Coaches said they made themselves available to talk with players who were struggling with the disruptions, and players formed stronger bonds while leaning on each other.

“If you said there were no emotions to this, I would say it’s really an emotional drain, as it would be for any human being,” Illinois Coach Nancy Fahey said.

Cal played its first 12 games as scheduled and won nine. Then came the first of three Covid pauses, two caused by positive tests among Cal personnel.

The Bears (12-10, 2-8 Pac-12) played just two games in January,

CAL State women’s Team Coach Charmin Smith admits difficulty in coping during the pandemic. AP had to cancel several practices and were short-handed for others. They’ve played seven straight games since coming out of their latest pause but

will end up having played only 11 of its 18 Pac-12 games. The record will show 12 conference games, but one was a forfeit win. AP

BusinessMirror

Video game addiction, now a globally recognized illness, seeks a treatment

February 27, 2022

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YOUR MUSI

LOVE IN ALL FORMS Michael Buble aims higher with new album

L

By Stephanie Joy Ching

OVE can be a scary thing, and for multiGrammy winning superstar Michael Bublé, love can also be “expensive”, as he states during a promotion of his 11th studio album Higher.

Publisher

: T. Anthony C. Cabangon

Editor-In-Chief

: Lourdes M. Fernandez

Concept

: Aldwin M. Tolosa

Y2Z Editor

: Jt Nisay

SoundStrip Editor

: Edwin P. Sallan

Group Creative Director : Eduardo A. Davad Graphic Designers Contributing Writers

Columnists

: Niggel Figueroa Anabelle O. Flores : Tony M. Maghirang, Rick Olivares, Darwin Fernandez, Leony Garcia, Stephanie Joy Ching

As his first album in more than three years, this project marks one of the first times the Canadian singer was “able to let go.”

“Before I made the record, my musical director said; ‘wouldn’t it be interesting to not hold it so close and to let these people help you make a fresh sound for the audience?’ and it hurt my feelings a little bit, but I let myself go and I put it in the hands of the greatest musicians in the universe. And honestly, it was the best thing I could ever do,” he said.

Featuring a duet with Willie Nelson called “Crazy” and a heartfelt Sir Paul McCartney penned and produced song named “My Valentine”, Bublé

Pauline Joy M. Gutierrez : Kaye VillagomezLosorata Annie S. Alejo

Photographers

: Bernard P. Testa Nonie Reyes

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MICHAEL Buble

promises audiences an “unexpected ride” and “hopeful music” especially after a long two years of strife. However, it is the first single of the album, “I’ll never not love you” that is currently captivating audiences.

“I’ll Never Not Love You” finds the crooner making promises to be “vulnerable”, set to a “a sort of cold, wintery” sonic atmosphere.

He regards the song as a sequel to “Haven’t met you yet”, stating that the song “chose him.”

“When I put my last record, “Love” out, I wasn’t sure if I was ready to come back yet. I was still hurting, but now I feel so good in my heart and satisfied that I just felt so open and happy to make

hopeful and beautiful music. I felt that I needed it, and the world needed it,” With the music video referencing cinema’s most romantic moments, Bublé was able to show love in its purest, yet most grand form.

“It’s scary to fall in love. Love is expensive. Love has a great cost especially when you really love someone, you are putting yourself at risk. The song is saying, ‘Risk that for me and I’ll love you forever,’” he said.

In addition to exploring romance in a more vulnerable light, Bublé was also able to explore alternative ways of creating music during the lockdown. In fact, “Higher” was revealed to have come from his eightyear-old son trying his hand at songwriting.

“That song came when my eight year-old came into the shower and said: ‘Papi I wrote a song’, and months later when I went to record and thirty minutes later we had a song. So the pandemic, and my kids and my wife had a big impact,” Higher will be available for streaming on March 25th courtesy of Warner records.

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soundstrip.businessmirror@gmail.com | FEBRUARY 27, 2022

BUSINESS

SoundSampler

by Tony M. Maghirang

6x6: A clutch of recent singles

BASICALLY SATURDAY NIGHT Feat. Nicole Asensio “The One”

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VERYBODY is looking for “The One”, but really, what is “The One”? Maybe it’s not a person?

Maybe it’s a feeling, an experience, or total freedom?

Basically Saturday Night and Nicole Asensio may have found the one by setting their musical souls free in a collaboration which brings the old soul flavor in to present times.

A combination of Basically Saturday Night’s signature rhythm and velvety vocals mixed with Nicole’s powerful tone and prowess over the jazz genre, the new song “The One” expresses the feeling of two people who have shed their uncertainties and have given themselves up entirely to their one true love. It intends for people to reminisce, seek, and value their own interpretation of “The One”.

CHAN MILLANES “After You”

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HE 18-year-old singer and songwriter Chan Millanes

who hails from the Davao City has undoubtedly a great mind for storytelling. He says, “My singles are written by two’s.

“After You” is the second chapter closer following “Tuldok” about a falling out of friendship, “Binata” with a coming-of-age theme and his third single, “Magical” about defining an enchanted experience during very delicate and uncertain times.

His latest single talks about a lover who “loves so good that you wouldn’t know who or how to love after them.” Chan added, “I observe and see deeply, so every time I have a new song to release, I want to make sure it takes the previous song to the next level and “After You” feels like a slow dance with your soulmate.”

LOLA AMOUR X AL JAMES “Madali”

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OLA Amour is a hobby gone wild. Made up of 8 people who met in high school, the band has grown into one of the more established artists in the country’s indie music scene, having headlined some of the country’s biggest shows and headlining Coke Studio PH Season 3 on national television.

Their latest single works on the theme, “Kailangan bang magmadali?” As the whole world seems to have slowed down these days and developed a painfully mundane daily routine, “Madali” is about taking your time. It reminds everyone to take a breath, enjoy the ride, and to not let the pressure of

your goals get to you. Yes, remember, it’s really not a race.

Not even a contest. “Agad-agad ka rin naman makakarating.”

SELENA MARIE “Hindi Lang Ikaw”

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ELENA Marie’s Sweet and soulful new track titled “Hindi Lang Ikaw” is a song about unrequited love. It brings heartbreak at the center of the story that can bring anyone back to a time where she has experienced love as a one-way street.

“It was written from the perspective of a girl in love with a guy who is in love with another woman,” said Selena. “This girl is willing to go to any lengths for love, even if it means enduring all the pain in order to be with a guy she likes,” Selena Marie remains excited as she works on new tunes to share to her supporters. She shared, “One of my dream projects is to have my music used on the official soundtrack of a television series or film. It would be supergreat if that ever happened to one of my published tracks.”

DEUCES “Lovin’ Tonight”

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FTER their first quarantine song “Kinabukasan”, Edu Fernandez and Andoy Yupangco, the dynamic duo of Deuces have released their latest single, “Lovin’ Tonight” about finding someone to go around the city with and escaping reality at least for a night. In the new track, fans and listeners will experience a fusion of contemporary pop and disco dance tunes.

Andoy said, “We were heavily influenced by Japan’s famous genre called ‘city pop’ and the whole concept of the song is really just about driving around a city like Tokyo. There’s nothing like a car ride with someone you love hence lovin’ tonight.”

ALOURA “Dream”

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LOURA’S first release in 2022 is an electronic, synth-pop track about meeting someone so perfect which makes the encounter so unreal. “Dream” talks about falling in love with your ideal person that it feels like you’re in a dream.

In the song, the dream is both a fantasy you get when you sleep and as a cherished ideal person. It expands Aloura’s on creative and figurative lyricism buoyed by a nostalgic new sound the artist been exploring recently.

Almost connected to her previous release, ‘Through the Screen’, this song also uses vibrant synths, pads and a lot of vocal layers.

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Video game addiction, now a globally recognized illness, seeks a treatment

By Sarah McBride

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Bloomberg

rcadia Kim devoted her career to video games, until one hit her in the face.

The incident happened several years ago when Kim, a former studio operating chief at Electronic Arts Inc., was trying to peel away her then 10-year-old son from a game of Minecraft. He threw the iPad at her in frustration.

Kim, 48, said the experience inspired her to start a business in 2019 advising parents on forming healthy relationships between their kids and their screens. The work took on greater urgency this year when the World Health Organization (WHO) began formally recognizing video game addiction as an illness for the first time.

Among gamers and parents and even within the medical community, there’s disagreement about whether gaming addiction is real. Either way, the WHO’s designation could provide a boon to Kim and other businesses like hers. Dozens of consultants operate in the US alone, as well as an assortment of apps, camps, self-help books and treatment centers.

A diagnosis of addiction is based on a series of symptoms, according to the WHO. They include a lack of control over the impulse to play video games, a tendency to prioritize it at the expense of other interests or obligations and continued or escalated involvement despite experiencing negative consequences.

Studies offer varying conclusions, in part due to disagreements over how to define addiction, but they typically show the illness in 2 percent to 3 percent of people who play games. A similar condition called

Arcadia Kim, a former executive at a video game company, advises parents through her consultancy Infinite Screentime. Bloomberg gaming disorder is more prevalent in the population than compulsive gambling but less than compulsive shopping, estimated Matthew Stevens of the University of Adelaide in Australia.

Achieving recognition was a years-long process. WHO member-states voted in 2018 to add it to the organization’s disease classification list, which helps standardize health reporting and tracking worldwide.

The change didn’t go into effect until last month, a lag designed to give the healthcare industry time to prepare.

Yet, the debate rages on among behavioral scientists. Some therapists argue the American Psychiatric Association should follow the WHO and acknowledge gaming addiction. The effort would require proposals and academic papers. The last time the association classified a new addiction was in 2013, when it added gambling, said Paul Appelbaum, chair of the APA committee in charge of making such designations.

Changes come slowly and “really need to be backed up by data if they’re going to be

widely accepted,” he said.

A broad recognition of the disorder would have legal ramifications. “It would make it more difficult for courts to exclude experts who testify on video gaming addiction,” said Matt Bergman, an Oregon lawyer who has filed lawsuits against socialmedia companies on behalf of teenagers.

In Kim’s line of work, she often deals with people who overindulge in games, but she’s reluctant to use the word addiction. “It has a very specific meaning,” said Kim, who advises parents through her consultancy Infinite Screentime. “Let’s not turn it into something it’s not.”

Before her son hit her in the face with an iPad, Kim spent almost a decade at Electronic Arts, the publisher of Apex Legends, FIFA and Madden. She was COO of the Los Angeles studio, where she helped publish a Lord of the Rings game, oversaw development of the war games Medal of Honor Airborne and Command and Conquer 3 and worked on the Sims 2. She’s proud of her time there.

But there are aspects of Kim’s work that she still contemplates to this day. She compares part of her job to a novelist crafting a suspenseful plot or a television writer creating a cliffhanger for the end of an episode. The goal was to ensure the games were hard to put down. “The more I was able to hook people, bring them into the world, bring something people could escape to— the better I was at that, the more successful I was at my job,” she said.

EA said it offers various parental control options to facilitate healthy habits for kids and ran an ad campaign in the UK to raise awareness of these tools. “Game play must be balanced with responsible play, and we take seriously our role in ensuring parents are empowered and aware of all the resources available to help them make the right decisions for their families,” Chris Bruzzo, the company’s chief experience officer, said in an e-mailed statement.

Kim left Los Angeles in 2006 for South Korea and consulted for an EA studio there for two years. She now lives in Hong Kong.

The iPad incident took place on a trip back to LA in 2017.

Kim concluded that her limits were unreasonably tight, borne out of a sense of guilt about her prior professional work on games and fear over their power. She was unintentionally creating an association of shame with her son’s interest in the medium. Now Kim tries to embrace her children’s hobby.

“My son gets so excited when he talks about his Minecraft world,” she said.

For clients of Infinite Screentime, Kim advises parents to play video games with their children and encourages kids to decide how long a game session should last before it starts and plan for intermissions.

Kim also tells clients about the compulsion loop and how to recognize the hooks.

People dislike being manipulated, she said, and simple awareness of the strategy helps control the impulse to overdo it.

Prioritizing one’s health leads to a brighter future

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fter facing much uncertainty amid the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, Filipinos who are eager to secure their health and ensure a brighter future will find an ally in Sun Life, as it launches a campaign dubbed “Partner in Health.”

Featuring Charo Santos-Concio, Matteo Guidicelli, and Piolo Pascual, the campaign consists of digital videos where they will talk about lessons from past experiences which paved the way towards their brighter future. One of these is investing in their health. The videos will be shared on Sun Life’s Facebook page (www. facebook.com/SunLifePH) and YouTube channel (www.youtube.com/SunLifePH).

“As we continuously endeavor to bring our lives back to normal, let us not forget the lessons we have learned from the past two years,” says Sun Life President Alex Narciso. “Our health is an important factor in securing a brighter future, and so keeping ourselves healthy is truly worth it. It would be Sun Life’s honor to walk this journey with them. With this campaign, we are reemphasizing our commitment to be the Filipino’s partner in health.”

Complementing the videos is “Safe Space,” a series of webinars focusing on mental health to be conducted in collaboration with the Philippine Mental Health Association Inc. (PMHA). The pilot stream,

4 BusinessMirror

titled “Love ‘em, Hate ‘em, Stress ‘em: Mental Wellness for the Family,” will be held on April 9. It will be followed by “Imperfect Balance: How Mental Wellness Bridges Work and Life” on May 14. The series will close on June 18 with “You are Worth It: Illuminating a Path towards Holistic Health.”

To make the learning series more fun and interactive, Sun Life will also engage followers of its Facebook page through bite-sized content called “Mind Your Health,” which promotes holistic wellness and mental health.

Sun Life is also collaborating with education technology platform Edukasyon.ph to spread its health advocacy to the younger generation. This will be February 27, 2022

done through a nationwide awareness campaign featuring articles, quizzes, and informative social posts promoting holistic health. Learning Quests, a gamified online learning module, may also be utilized by those who wish to learn more about the topic.

Meanwhile, for those ready to own a health protection product, they may choose from Sun Life’s diverse offerings such as SUN First Aid Plus, SUN Fit & Well Advantage, and Sun ICU Protect.

Those who wish to know more about these products may avail of a free consultation with a preferred Sun Life advisor or they may connect with one through www.bit. ly/advisormatch.

sunday, February 27, 2022

“Tugboat” Naning Estrella Watercolor 10 ½” x 14”

Cover story

Naning’s eyes on hometown Navotas page 5

page 9

page 11

Representation, Inclusion, FilipinX, and our Evolving Filipino Consciousness

Turning Thread and Fabric into an Art Form

Dive into Lore Erotica in Deeper

“Moored Fishing Boat II” Naning Estrella Watercolor 17 ¼” x 12 ½”

“Moored Fishing Boat in a River Bank” Naning Estrella Watercolor 10 ½” x 14 ¼”

“Small Boat in a River” Naning Estrella Watercolor 9 ¼” x 14 ¼”

“Two White Sailboats” Naning Estrella Watercolor 25 ¾” x 14 ¾”

“Moored Two Sloops” Naning Estrella Watercolor

“Two White Sailboats” Naning Estrella Watercolor 17 ¼” x 12 ½”

“Seaside Dwellings” Naning Estrella Watercolor 10 ½” x 14”

BusinessMirror

Sunday, February 27, 2022 3

Naning’s eyes on hometown Navotas

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By Carla Mortel Baricaua Images by Ananias Estrella

fter retiring from his post at Manila City Hall, visual artist and 81-year old Ananias “Naning” Estrella vows to pursue his passion in life. A native of Navotas, his collection of nautical scenes flows with images in watercolor, a fitting homage to his hometown.

A native of Navotas, Estrella fondly remembers a small town where life was simple and residents lived as fishermen, patis makers, jeepney drivers, and even as “kristo” in the cockfight arena. “In fact, Navotas was a fishing village with boatyards and stainless jeepney builders.”

As a young kid, Estrella usually tagged along with his father while fishing in t he Navot a s R iver. A f ter World War II, he also recalls “American soldiers in militar y trucks, triumphantly giving away Baby Ruth chocolate bars and Chesterfield cigarettes.”

He grew up at a time when oldies were captive to Spanish influence and customs, while his generation was introduced to the American way of life. The seniors enjoyed their siesta time, while youngsters played baseball. Grandmothers promenaded wearing the baro’t saya while young women were fitted with American-style dresses. Back then, the kalesa was slowly giving way to the jeepney, the converted military jeep; the earlier version of which carried four passengers at the back.

“I was inspired by the sceneries along the seashores and rivers of my childhood and adulthood days in Navotas,” shares Estrella and they boldly appear on his art pieces. His nautical scenes, seascapes, and riverscapes immortalize the town that nurtured him as a child and steered his life in creative pursuits.

In 1957-58, he attended the College of Fine Arts in UP

Diliman but completed only his first year due to a job offer that came, a rare opportunity he didn’t want to miss.

“I was formerly a graphic artist in the art department of ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corp.

(Channel 2) for 13 years.” And from 1958-1970, he was given the chance by TV directors to write skits for their shows that launched his career as a TV sitcom and drama scriptwriter, a self-taught one.

After his stint with ABSCBN, he tried his luck in the States as a business sign designer in 1971. Unfortunately, he had to return home six months later because of problems with his legal documents.

Back home he worked as a contract employee at KBS Channel 9 as writer/director of its station breaks called “Live Promo” with skits. That stint ended abruptly in 1972 when martial law was declared

by President Ferdinand Marcos and all television stations and radio stations were shut down. However, due to his experience, offers for scripting jobs for TV and movies came abundantly when projects for artists were rare to find at the time. “Those (opportunities) helped my wife and I put up a small business in Navotas, a sari-sari store, which allowed us to make both ends meet,” shares Estrella.

In 1974, he wrote scripts for the popular Kuwentong Kutsero, a satirical sitcom, and eventually wore the director’s hat after Narciso Pimentel, the brother of comedian Pepe Pimentel, suddenly died of a heart attack. “The sitcom, however, did not last

“Baradero” Naning Estrella Watercolor 10 ½” x 14 ” P6,000.00

“Red Sailboats” Naning Estrella Watercolor 11 ¼” x 11 ¼” P8,000.00

long since it was martial law days and the authorities put a clamp on the show’s creativity,” reveals Estrella.

After that, he shifted to radio scriptwriting, where he had to produce scripts for at least two programs a week with a 6-day episode, no matter how small the pay. “Radio Veritas contracted our production staff to do two daily radio programs for them, including ‘Kuwentong Kutsero’ on a once a week basis, but that did not last long too due to censorship.”

Luckily, in 1986, immediately after the People Power Revolution, his services as a scriptwriter/ director were contracted by an independent producer and produced a sequel to Kutsero entitled Barrio Balimbing with a different set of actors. It also became popular, but the show lasted only over a year because of production problems.

In 1989, Estrella also wrote movie screenplays for the Metro Manila Film Festival and Irosin was judged as one

of the best movies at the time.

He also pursued writing and directing audio-video presentations and video documentaries. His video documentary Rebuilding from the Ashes, the one made after Mt. Pinatubo eruption earned the 2 nd Best Award in the Gawad CCP Para sa Alternatibong Pelikula at Video in 1991.

In 2007, he was hired by a former colleague in showbiz, who was elected 6 th District Manila councilor, to be part of his team at the Manila City Hall and that lasted until 2013. He then served another councilor from 2015 to 2020.

While working at city hall, he worked on legal documents and drafted local ordinances and resolutions, and painted in his spare time.

He became a member of the prestigious art group, the Saturday Group of Artists (SGA), in 1999 that was led then by fine arts painter, Malang Santos. “I was convinced by my former colleagues at UP Diliman to join the group. SGA was formerly headed

by National Artists Nanding Ocampo, Cesar Legaspi, and other prominent visual artists as members.” For several years, he regularly participated in its yearly anniversary group exhibit at the SM Art Center in SM Megamall. He also joined other art groups such as the Art Association of the Philippines and the Agos Kulay ng Maynila, a group of watercolor painters.

While attending the Saturday Group’s weekly sketching session, he participated in several exhibits such as the 2-man show at the Manila City Hall and at the Philippine Normal University, SGA group exhibits at Subic Bay Arts Center, Shangri-La Edsa Plaza, UP Vargas Museum, Saturday Group Art Gallery in Ali Mall, Gateway Mall, and in AAP‘s Kanulangan ng Sining, Agos Kulay ng Maynila exhibits at Ayala Museum, Manila City Hall and Fort Santiago.

Estrella won twice in Saturday Group’s Art Competition and garnered second place in the Manila Bay Sunset Art Competition of the City of Manila.

Some of his artworks are presently part of the collections of the UST Museum of Arts and Sciences, Museo ng Maynila, and Ayala Museum.

He also participated in the 50 th anniversary art exhibit of the Saturday Group at the Cultural Center of the Philippines.

In 2002, he held a 3-man show with Ben Infante and Jose Dinglasan at the UST Museum of Arts and Sciences titled Agos ng Kulay. In 2019, he joined Ernie Patricio in a 2-man exhibit in the Saturday Group Gallery at Edsa Shangri-la titled Ref lections, where his Navotas nautical scenes were presented to the public. Actually, most of his exhibited works were marine paintings.

With more time on his hands, he now embarks to pa i nt l a rge r a r t work s i n acrylic medium either representationa l or abstract.

Estrella recently participated in the Para sa Ina exhibit to help raise funds for the repair and restoration of the San Sebastian Church in Quiapo, Manila.

BusinessMirror

Sunday, February 27, 2022 5

Representation, inclusion, FilipinX, & our evolving Filipino consciousness

Valorant’s Pinoy Agent Neon, introduced as FilipinX, garners mixed views from netizens. Image from VALORANTph Facebook page.

By Korinna Pia A. Saavedra

W

h at is Fi l ipin X ?

I h ad f i rst come across the term FilipinX (phonetically /fil-uh-peeneks/ or /‐pingks/, IPA: fɪl əˈpi nɛks, /ˈpɪŋks) mid-2020 and quite by accident on Twitterverse. As a response to the escalating debate that using Filipino both to describe race and identify gender was binary and non-inclusive.

A derivative of LatinX and even ChicanX to denote gender neutrality, FilipinX has sprouted heated discussion over inclusion and national identity and the neutrality of preference.

That debate had since quieted down until agent Neon, birthed by a gaming franchise Valorant, debuted in January.

Classified as being from Manila and a duelist who can sprint, slide, and create twin barriers to block her enemies, the Filipino-voiced Neon (created by Filipino game designer Ryan Cousart) was labeled FilipinX in a post, reigniting the debate between the East and West.

Now, if one were to argue over semantics, one might as well deep dive into the culture and the ever-developing Philippine diaspora.

Historically, Philippine culture has given argument to egalitarianism as our way of life long before colonization at least five hundred years ago.

Proof?

T he my t h of Ma l a k a s a nd Maganda, branched from the Panay tale of Sikalak and Silakbay, tells of the birth of man and woman in full form when a giant bamboo cracked open.

In a televised online interview, Dr. Marby Aubrey Villaceran said that culturally speaking, our women were not born second but are equal to men. Their depiction was of powerful goddesses whose abilities are elemental, and not a tangible object, stolen from anyone else.

In his research, historian Teodoro Agoncillo’s notes support this. Precolonial women could own and inherit property, engage in trade and industry, and succeed as chief should there be no male heir in the royal line.

Their children could also carry their names.

The stories were a mirror of the times when women are know n to hold positions of power in the role of community leadership.

A nt h ropolog ist Dr. Zeu s

Salazar pointed out that the babaylan were experts in the fields of culture, religion, medicine, and all kinds of theoretical knowledge about nature and its phenomenon. Research showed that women held equal power as the datu and the panday.

Other lore has them identified as powerful goddesses or beings that could shift genders.

However, the role of respected babaylan was not limited to women, and this acceptance survived the precolonial era.

In a featured discussion in another daily, American anthropologist Stuart A. Schlegel encountered mentefuwaley in the mid-1960s. He spent time with the Maguindanaoan ethnic group, the Teduray, and found that mentefuwaley meant one who becomes something or another. One having unfolded into their being. They are transformed as the genderless “one”— a mantefuwaley libun (one-whobecame-woman) or lagey (onewho-became-man). Accepted in society, equal and appreciated, and even before the concept found its own name. Replacing the gender one- with man- or woman- was simply wrong.

And then there was the deity Lakapati—a hermaphrodite

symbol of fertility and agriculture—who also symbolized the balance of everything.

Today, the dualism about national identity and the conflict over inclusion has never been more pronounced. The babaylan were demonized as witches or evil beings. Women are portrayed as weak, dependent, and inferior in the new patriarchal model. Everyone else with a divergent choice was unnatural.

It was logical for our language to see the same cultural shifting.

In the light of FilipinX, political correctness demanded the change of unaccommodating terminology in favor of more fluid ones.

The suffixes -o and -a for the nouns people had opined assumed to be binary, non-inclusive, and therefore harmful.

The assumption could not be more wrong.

People have argued that this is a Filipino-American phenomenon, westernized and even descent-determined, but not as widely accepted as they surmise.

One definition succinctly refers to it as sometimes offensive, another loosely as a pejorative, no matter that one dictionary website has added it to its list.

Contrary observations highlight that its relevance is not lost

to Filipinos scattered all over the world where racial labels are a point of contention.

Thus, our Filipino pronouns have not escaped scrutiny, and yet they speak for themselves.

Our he/him/his and she/her/ hers are equal to our genderneutral siya/niya/kanya.

Tagalog, before it evolved to Pilipino or Filipino had always been gender-less, favoring specific terminology for roles but not gender. The same is true of Cebuano and our other languages.

Here, morphology gives an argument anew to the neutrality of our vernacular and identity.

In VICE, Nanette Caspillo, a former UP professor of European languages, said that FilipinX is an unnatural term because the suffix -x does not exist in the Philippine linguistic system. She explained that if a linguistic phenomenon does not ref lect reality, then it will die a natural death.

Coarse? Hardly. Its use will be a factor in its survival.

That said, game designer Ryan Cousart, alongside gamers who are pleased about Neon and representation, is right to be proud.

In the meantime, the collective Filipino consciousness needs to reexamine its priorities.

Carla Mortel Baricaua Ed Davad Job Jonald C. Ruzgal Dennis Cruz Guevarra Charmine Rose Arquibel

Editor

A GED Merino exhibit at the Drawing Room

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Aze Ong and Ged at Art Fair Philippines 2017

BusinessMirror

Sunday, February 27, 2022 9

Turning thread and fabric into an art form

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Story by Benjamin Locsin Layug Photos courtesy of Gerardo Merino

eet Queens, New York-based Gerardo “Ged” U. Merino, a FilAmerican painter, printmaker, and mixed media artist who works with repurposed textiles, who never thought of becoming an artist, does not join art competitions, and yet has become a celebrated cross-cultural artist.

Born and raised in the Philippines, Merino’s inclination towards the arts was developed at an early age, thanks to his late parents. His creative mother Virgie repurposed, recycled, and repaired things that were just part of her daily life. She used various techniques to give old cotton pig feed sacks (from his father Johnny’s farm) new life, embroidering, dyeing, and sewing them to make pajamas. Ged loved to draw, so Johnny bought him art materials while Virgie took him to art classes.

In 1987, Ged finished his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree at the Philippine Women’s University. He found his calling as an apprentice to his teacher Manuel “Boy” Rodriguez Jr., the son of Manuel Rodriguez Sr., the “Father of Philippine Printmaking” and a multi-awarded artist who worked with textiles, and started to experiment with “collagraphs,” silkscreens, etching, and other techniques. In the same year, Ged was among the Top Five in the ASEAN On the Spot Painting Competition and he joined the delegation to the ASEAN Youth Painting Conference in Singapore.

The next year, he was awarded the Jackson Pollock Memorial Scholarship to study at the Arts Student League of New York.

While studying, he apprenticed with Marcelino Rodriguez, Manuels’s brother, who worked on monoprints. After taking a printmaking class, Ged started experimenting, painting, and working with printmaking and textiles. He planned to stay in New York for a year but decided to stay when gallerists in Chicago and Soho decided to represent him.

After living in New York City for nearly half of his lifetime, Ged has

accumulated things and objects reminiscent of home.

Spending several years in Manila and working on projects triggered an immediate reconnection with his roots and culture, most strikingly the contrast of poverty versus waste. Eventually, materials discarded, forgotten, or left behind, incidentally or intentionally, by people became his focus and his subject matter— repurposing them into his artistic process, giving them a new life by wrapping them in recycled fabric and string, thereby changing their form or function. He has rubbed, hammered, and scratched textures from flattened soda cans, soda bottle caps, old canvas, leather, manhole covers, sacks, and other quotidian materials that can give life to his art, using these as part of the plates, or silkscreen them and stitch them onto the fabrics.

Always attracted to color, textures, and decorative details of fabrics, Ged has described working with textiles as an adventure. His process is spontaneous, intuitive, and improvisational. Though more of an abstractionist, he also likes working with different materials. He basically started off as a printmaker then started to paint when he was in New York. Ged is currently working on textile-based works augmented by painting, printmaking, and sculpture, a medium that is not much explored yet. His work has been shown throughout New York, Chicago, and the Philippines.

On September 21, 2011, he, with his Colombian wife Carolina Morales (from Bogota), launched the Filipino-centric and cross-cultural Bliss on Bliss Art Projects, an alternative art space in Sunnyside, New York, where emerg-

ANOTHER photograph-based work by Fil-Am artist Gerardo “Ged” U. Merino.

Ged, with his pet Basset hound Barnaby, at his studio ing, mid-career, and established contemporary artists can create and exhibit their works and interact freely with guests in an intimate space. Lately, he divides his time between Manila, Bogota, and New York City.

Ged collaborated with Aze Ong, a Manila-based visual and performance artist who creates and performs with her artworks t h at combi ne c roc het w it h metal, wood, fibers, and semiprecious stones for the GedAze Project, a year-long collaboration exploring the medium of textile in expressing their art.

They exhibited in a group show at The Drawing Room Contemporary Art (Manila) called “Common Threads.” In October 2016, they launched “The GedAze Project”

with a show at Bliss on Bliss Art. In 2017, they had five collaborative shows, four in Manila and, last September 16-October 28, at Topaz Arts New York entitled “Open Threads.” On February 17, 2019, he was back in Manila for his “Kuwentong Kutsero” exhibit at the Museo de San Ignacio in Intramuros.

In 2021, Ged, together with curator Virlana Tkacz, founding director of Yara Arts Group, and poet Olena Jennings, founder of Poets of Queens, organized “ T h read s,” a t ra n sn at ion a l traveling exhibit of textile artists and poets from Bogota, New York, Russia (Nadenka Art Group), Ukraine and the Philippines. A dialogue between image and poetry was exhibited in Bogota

Kuwentong Kutsero at Museo de San Ignacio in Intramuros with curator Alejandra Fonseca, New York, and Manila with curator Carlos Quijon, Jr. His latest exhibit “Algun Dia Todo Esto Tendra Sentido” (Some Day This Will All Make Sense), a photograph-based work on synthetic textile with yarns, machine stitch, and repurposed textiles, started in Bogota last November 20, 2020, before traveling to Manila (September 11-October 2, 2021) and New York City then back to Bogota (November 27, 2021-January 29, 2022).

Binondo

A GATEWAY TO MANILA’S SIGHTS: PART II

F

by Jami Ledesma

or nearly 100 years, the country’s premier horse racing events were held at what used to be the San Lazaro Hippodrome in Old Manila.

After a successful streak galloping through the most part of the 20th century, the historic racetrack sadly closed its gates forever just a few years into the new millennium.

However, the apparent end of an era came with a delayed but pleasant twist, 14 years later. In 2017, Hippodrome San Lazaro experienced a rebirth when a new kind of excitement opened its doors on the exact same spot that was once home to the fabled track. The reincarnation came in the form of a world-class luxury 22-story lifestyle and tourism destination.

Winford Manila Resort & Casino (WMRC) stands in what is now known as San Lazaro Tourism and Business Park, a 40-acre ground that is also home to thriving businesses, residential communities, and office spaces. As a result of its rapid gentrification, the area was proclaimed a tourism economic zone with information technology component in 2009.

But more than a luxury ho-

tel brand with spacious suites and facilities at par with 5-star hotels in the country, perhaps one of WMRC’s most endearing features is the very locale wherein it is situated. Rising high above the many residential and commercial structures that populate much of Santa Cruz, Manila, WMRC is just a heartbeat away from some of the most popular sights of the nation’s capital.

Situated in the heart of the Sta. Cruz district where WMRC is located, Bambang is famous for its wide selection of medical supplies and equipment. It is the go-to place of hospitals, retailers, and the general public in-the-know who can avail of virtually every medical product and supply under the sun at wholesale rates. Bambang can be reached by taking the Manila LRT (LRT-I) via Bambang

Lucky Chinatown Mall

Quiapo Church station on Rizal Avenue, with Bambang Street right beside it.

Also a short drive away from WMRC is the ever-bustling Binondo district, considered by many to be the world’s oldest Chinatown. It is a haven for foodies in search of an authentic Chinese culinary experience beyond the many fast food restaurants scattered across the metro. A mecca for food-tripping, sightseeing, and

shopping for traditional delicacies and merchandise, Binondo happens to be a pedestrianfriendly district, rich with cultural and historic points of interest that make it the perfect destination for tourists and locals alike.

For pious travelers and casual admirers of architecture, Quiapo Church is a must-see.

Completed in 1984, the edifice is also known as the “Minor Ba-

silica of the Black Nazarene” and is highly prominent in the City of Manila. It is famous for being the home of the Nuestro Senor Jesus Nazareno (a dark figure of Christ carved by a Mexican artist from black wood) whose image is reputedly miraculous and was brought to the Philippines in the 17th century on a Spanish galleon. Quiapo Church in downtown Plaza Miranda is considered a pilgrimage site of the masses who wish visit the Black Nazarene.

Last but not least, what locale is complete without offering a dose of retail therapy?

WMRC is literally across the road from malls like SM City San Lazaro, where hotel guests may shop, dine, and pamper themselves in the myriad of outlets offering all kinds of wares and services. SM Manila and Lucky Chinatown Mall are also nearby, making WMRC’s location not only truly convenient, but also home to the only luxury tourism hub in San Lazaro.

All these points of interest can easily be reached from WMRC with the assistance of the hotel’s concierge. Visit www. winfordmanila.com for more information or call the Winford Manila Resort & Casino reservations hotline at +63 (2) 8528-3600 for inquiries. Follow Winford Manila on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for the latest updates on special events and promotions.

BusinessMirror

Sunday, February 27, 2022 11

Dive into ‘Lore Erotica’ in Deeper I

From How to Tame Your Tikbalang Without Even Trying fame, Alma AnonasCarpio invites readers to her lore erotica in Deeper.

by Kathleen A. Llemit

t is easy for some to dismiss erotica as a titillating read that instantly satiates carnal desires, where flesh meeting flesh scenarios abound and inhibitions are let go. For some, it does not even deserve a place in the annals of literature. Alma Anonas-Carpio, however, has a different take on the controversial and still taboo genre.

The Palanca awardee writes her prose with deft hands, and she has extended that skill to erotica. In 2014, she let go of her “kyeme” or misconceptions and uploaded her would-be hit erotica series “How To Tame Your Tikbalang” on the popular erotica site, Literotica.com.

A year later, she self-published it with its original and intended title “How To Tame Your Tikbalang Without Even Trying” with the help of her childhood best friend, Dulce Sanchez, who is now an editor for a national broadsheet.

It was not a deliberate decision, though, but was a way to divert herself from personal and professional challenges.

Letting go of ‘kyeme’

A nonas-C a r pio descr ibes herself as someone who wears many hats. She has decades-long experience as a journalist writing for national broadsheets, magazines, and wire agencies.

She is also an editor and a poet.

“In a sense, it was the work I was doing on ‘How to Tame your Tikbalang Without Even Trying’ that anchored me and enabled me to focus on something completely different from what (and who) demanded my time at work and at home,” she said.

She did both desk and fieldwork while also taking care of her husband who had suffered a stroke and was bedridden until his passing in 2014.

“I desperately needed a vacation, and writing erotica was that vacation taken in doses of an hour here and two hours there,” she added.

Her exposure to the genre was much earlier. Her mother was a fan of Barbara Cartland and sent her to an errand to pick a box of the renowned romantic author’s novels in a secondhand bookstore in Guadalupe, Makati. The 18-yearold Alma, who had been sent to Catholic schools from kindergarten to college, had her first taste of erotica. It was a batch led by

Award-winning writer Alma AnonasCarpio. Photo by Sabrina Anonas formidable names in world literature: DH Lawrence’s “Lady Chatterley’s Lover,” Gustave Flaubert (“Madame Bovary”), Anais Nin (“Story of O”), Donatien Marquis de Sade (“120 Days of Sodom”), and Leopold Sacher Von-Masoch (“Venus in Furs”).

“The books I found and bought in Guadalupe’s little secondhand bookshop were fascinating, especially because they didn’t hide the sexual, social, or psychological elements of the story--rather those elements were front and center, and they explored areas many other books did not,” she noted.

She explained that she may have not found the said books to be emotionally and sexually appealing at that time, but they showed her that sex and other taboo topics can be written with both suggestive language and intellect.

‘Lore erotica’

Anonas-Carpio’s first published book is a cookbook titled “Kitchen Diary” in 2008, where food is richly described that beckons readers to envision its texture and taste through her words. She believes that like sex, food is another appetite that humans need to address.

It is in erotica, however, that she has found more than a space to explore her many interests. To be specific, she found writing lore erotica as a way to address her openness to the sexual act and her desire to reintroduce Philippine myth and lore.

If the West has its angels and demons, werewolves and vampires, the Philippines has its own treasure trove of mythical creatures in the form of tikbalangs (a creature with the head and hindquarters that resembles a horse while its torso looks like a human male’s upper anatomy), sigbins (the demon that takes the form of an animal) and many more.

The Philippines had also revered the Babaylans or Baylans, animist priestesses/healers who are believed to have supernatural powers before the Spanish colonization bastardized their good standing in society.

“My erotic stories are a way of demystifying these creatures, I guess. I am befriending them with those stories, getting to know them. I also seek to reconstruct, if only with my imagination and words, what kind of people our pre-colonial ancestors were based on accounts by Spanish authorities of the people they encountered during the process of colonization,” Anonas-Carpio explained.

Thus, the love story of Tala Bienvenido and Buhawi Batumbakal served as the anchor for her “How To Tame Your Tikbalang Without Even Trying” series that tells the love story of the babaylan Tala

and the tikbalang Buhawi amid the powerplay in the supernatural world that also features the long-forgotten Philippine gods and goddesses.

More receptive

“How To Tame Your Tikbalang Without Even Trying” is generally liked on both Literotica.com and Amazon based on the glowing reviews and growing fan base that has been following the Tikbalang series.

“The Filipino readers who have given me feedback enjoy the genre, actually, and the feedback I’ve gotten is that they are happy to read about our malignos in my work.

There’s a lot of erotica written about vampires and werewolves, angels and demons, the gods and goddesses, but very little that show Filipinos who they are, what they think about, how they approach the matter of sexual attraction, and the fulfillment or denial of that attraction,” Anonas-Carpio noted.

Patronage of erotica in the Philippines, she shared, could have been as early as the 1960s when the magazines “Ginoo” and “Tiktik” featured erotica stories. As a collector of magazines, she came across these titles and learned that some of her favorite writers of “traditional” Filipino fiction contributed erotica to these publications under pseudonyms.

She also cited her father’s collection of men’s magazines that featured erotica short stories.

“Based on those things, I’d say more Filipinos than we would like

to think are receptive to erotica,” she said.

‘Deeper’

Her desire to write erotica that goes beyond the sexual has led her to meet like-minded individuals from across the globe.

Dr. Ioanna Arka also grew up in a country that still sees sex as a taboo topic.

Dr. Arka is an astrophysicist with a doctorate in Philosophy and dabbles in writing. She describes herself as an erotic drama writer.

They virtually met in 2020 when Anonas-Carpio submitted to editor Dr. Arka an entry to her planned erotic anthology titled “Deeper”.

“We want to break the misconception that erotica is just porn, trash, with little or no literary merit. In ‘Deeper’, the reader will find stories that will make them gasp with the quality of the prose and the depth of feelings and meanings. This is my personal mission: literature where sex is explored freely, as the important and everpresent part of life and component of human mental health that it is.

We as a society must finally start giving sexual expression all the seriousness it deserves. And that includes exploring it also in highquality literature,” Dr. Arka said.

“Deeper” was released on Valentine’s Day in paperback and Kindle.

Dr. Arka has read Anonas-Carpio’s “How To Tame Your Tikbalang Without Even Trying” and thinks it is fresh and completely different from what Europeans like herself were used to.

Anonas-Carpio, meanwhile, plans to write a pentad of the “Tikbalang” series. Buhawi’s siblings, Kidlat, Habagat, and Amihan and their parents, Bulan and Ulap, will have their own stories. Kidlat’s story, in which a tikbalang, a diwata, and a bayot walk into a bar in Malate, is now in the final stages of production. For the fans of Tala and Buhawi, they should be delighted to know that the pair will still be seen in the succeeding books in the series. There is no guarantee that she will write their follow-up novel.

“I am eager to get around to telling the stories of my diwatas in a separate series of erotica, you see.

But, who knows? I may revisit Boo (Buhawi) and Tala yet, but that’s not on the horizon at this point,” Anonas-Carpio shared.

Hope in the midst of Covid ‘R

ufino” (name was changed upon the request of the patient) is no stranger to life’s adversities, having survived three strokes, is on diabetes maintenance therapy, and battling stage 4 lung cancer in his 70s. After several starts and stops, his oncologist, Dr. Katherine Hernandez says Rufino’s cancer is now “stable.”

Dr. Hernandez offered him another treatment option after his cancer progressed while undergoing chemotherapy.

She adds that “the results of his immunotherapy treatment are very encouraging because the pulmonary lesions have decreased in size. Already, Rufino’s quality of life has improved and so have his chances of living longer.”

Prior to the Covid pandemic, he was responding well to his cancer treatment.

Then 2020 came, and Rufino, was among the many cancer pa-

tients whose lives were affected.

“Madaming challenges, unanguna ‘di ka makalabas. Kahit na pasyal, takot akong bumaba,” Rufino recounts. “We had to enforce strict protocols at home, like we do not allow visitors, and everyone in the household wears a mask. Even in our business, we really made sure to follow safety protocols.”

Rufino, guided by his oncologist, pushed through with his treatments amidst the pandemic.

“The threat of Covid-19 is real, but what I’ve learned is that us, cancer patients have to balance this with continued cancer care and not delaying treatment,” Rufino says.

Dr. Hernandez explains why this is so important: “Any delay or termination of treatment could mean ‘the end of the road’, so to speak. In medical language, no treatment would mean progression of cancer which could eventually lead to early death.”

Since the hospital where he was receiving treatment before the pandemic was overrun with Covid-19 cases, Dr. Hernandez decided to look for a different hospital to enable them to carry on with the therapy. She adds, “I continued to communicate with him and check his condition via teleconsult. He resumed his infusions in a secondary private hospital. He underwent RT-PCR

prior to each treatment and received treatment in the outpatient department chemo unit.”

“Constant communication between the medical oncologist and the cancer patient is a very important mechanism to monitor the progress of treatment.

And this can be achieved via telemedicine to lessen the hospital visits and hospital exposure,” Dr. Hernandez reiterates.

A crucial lesson in navigating one’s cancer journey is to keep moving forward. “Talagang lumalaban ako. Kasama na diyan yung patuloy na pagpapagamot dahil gusto ko pa mabuhay.”

“Iniisip ko, kung mawala [ako], ano nang mangyayari sa mga tauhan [ko] na may mga pamilya ring nakadepende sa akin,” he shares.

“My attitude is to live in the present and look forward to tomorrow. When is my next schedule for infusion? ‘Yun ang priority ko. Lagi din ako nakikinig sa mga doktor.”

Dr. Hernandez describes the case of Rufino as a very encouraging story. “Mang Rufino is the perfect example of a cancer survivor who is full smiles and hope despite being challenged by Covid-19 pandemic.”

For more information, visit MSD’s http://www.hopefromwithin.org/ or follow https://www. facebook.com/Hopefromwithinph/.

Innovating for Cancer Patients R

oche (Philippines) Inc. (hereafter “Roche”) joi n s co - advoc ates across the health sector this February 2022 in celebrating World Cancer Day and the anniversary of the signing of the National Integrated Cancer Control Act. With a goal of having two times the number of patients in low to low-middle income countries with access to innovative medicines by end of 2026, Roche transformed its engagement model to be able to work with partners across different areas affecting access to cancer care. In the Philippines, Roche is happy to share the following initiatives:

1

Advocating for Increased Access to Innovative Cancer treatments for all types of patients including those with metastasis or advanced stage of disease. Sharing the story of Atty Benji, a patient w ith advanced-stage liver cancer who initially thought he had only 6 months to live post the diagnosis but is currently still thriving in his 2nd year of treatment, this advocacy aims to educate patients, families and other stakeholders that being diagnosed with

Mayor Dante Torres of Guaga, Pampanga at the Project ECHO Virtual Graduation, February 12, 2022. advanced stage cancer today is not a death sentence. There is hope especially with options of innovative cancer treatments that have shown to be able to provide patients with a longer, better quality of life than earlier available treatments. To know his story, please see https://f b.watch/ bcdwWyzpH8/;

2

Improving Cancer Screening and Referral System in local governments. This February 16, 2022, marks the graduation of barangay health workers in Guagua, Pampanga who were fully trained via digital means with the help of the Philippine Society of Medical Oncology to be able to help

screen women for breast cancer and if found with a possibility of breast cancer, help them to find the right services to get an early intervention. Titled Project ECHO (Extension of Community Health Outcomes), this global project was done with full support of Mayor Dante Torres of Guagua, Pampanga who even provided jobs as patient navigators to exemplary graduates of the program.

3

Roche Access Program (R AP). Striving to put healthcare within reach for all, Roche continues to provide innovative patient solutions to Filipino patients prescribed with Roche medicines under the patient support program

ROCHE employees joining the Close The CareGap advocay.

Roche Access Program (RAP) Plus. This program with the aim to patients sustain access to innovative treatments is coursed through physicians. It is accessible through a digital platform and contact support that enables patients to overcome access hurdles including affordability and adherence.

4

In order to know more about different financial assistance mechanisms available for cancer patients, Roche is also supporting digitalizing information with gofundcancer.com where people may

check out different funding mechanisms and requirements that can help support them in their cancer journey.

5

Importantly, ever yday, Roche employees engage stakeholders to listen, exchange ideas and work tirelessly and diligently, knowing that all they do contribute to helping more Filipinos get access to innovative cancer solutions. They joined us in pictures during the World Cancer Day celebration calling for equity to healthcare access, to Close The Care Gap.