BusinessMirror January 1-3, 2021

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A broader look at today’s business

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Friday-Sunday, January 1-3, 2021 Vol. 16 No. 84

EJAP JOURNALISM AWARDS

BUSINESS NEWS SOURCE OF THE YEAR (2017, 2018)

DEPARTMENT OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

2018 BANTOG MEDIA AWARDS

PHILIPPINE STATISTICS AUTHORITY

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PAGADIAN ON MY MIND A belated push for promotions is casting much-deserved light on one of the South’s best hidden gems, a tiny city with a key role in the Philippines’s quincentennial history as a landing site for Western conquerors.

ISLANG Puting Balas PAGADIAN CITY TOURISM OFFICE

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By Manuel T. Cayon

HAT is known in history is that Ferdinand Magellan arrived in the Philippines in 1521 as part of his quest for spices in the East Indies, or even in the lands of Southeast Asia. He may have reached the Indies, but failed to return to Spain when he was felled by indigenous weapons of Filipino fighters in Cebu, a proud historical feat of Filipinos in defeating a Westerner in battle using bolos and spears pitted against the rifles and body armor suits of Western warriors.

His death in the Philippines notwithstanding, his fleet, the Armada de Molucca, was not prevented from achieving a great historical achievement—completing the circumnavigation of the voyage and proving that the world is round.

The return to Spain from the voyage around the world was con-

cluded in 1522 by Spanish navigator Juan Sebastian Elcano, along with 18 survivors of the expedition.

A historic dot in historic voyage

WHAT is less known to many was that a once-secluded port in the Zamboanga Peninsula, known today Continued on A2

PESO EXCHANGE RATES n US 48.0360

ALEGRIA Falls

PAGADIAN CITY TOURISM OFFICE

n JAPAN 0.4629 n UK 64.6228 n HK 6.1935 n CHINA 7.3469 n SINGAPORE 36.1200 n AUSTRALIA 36.3969 n EU 58.6904 n SAUDI ARABIA 12.8007

Source: BSP (December 29, 2020)

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A2 Friday-Sunday, January 1-3, 2021

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PAGADIAN ON MY MIND

BOULEVARD view

FACEBOOK.COM/DRAGONFLYPILIPINAS

Continued from A1

as Pagadian City, became a stopover of this expedition; thus, the city could lay claim to being one of the dots in the entire path of this first circumnavigation of the globe.

And Pagadian City would not let this go unnoticed. A historical landmark will soon be erected at the boundary of Barangay San Pedro and Barangay Kawit adjacent to Pagadian City Fish Port, to commemorate that historical inclusion a quincentennial ago.

Gerry San Pablo, city tourism officer, hopes that aside from being educational, the event would also boost Pagadian’s attraction as a major tourist destination in the peninsula, which the city would spend much effort to rev up the local economy.

The circumnavigation landmark would be one of two historical memorials.

The other memorial is the Tsunami Landmark, to be put up along Pajares Avenue corner Jamisola Street to commemorate the tidal wave of 1976, which took many people’s lives.

Glistening spots

WHILE the city has its share of other, though, less known historical events, its officialdom plans to compensate for the lag in getting the city earn well-deserved attention by promoting natural endowments to attract more number of visitors.

The most glistening one, locally named Puting Balas for what

it is in the local dialect—white sand—is a white sand bar only five minutes to the sea in the northeast of the city seaport.

“It is ideal for snorkeling and scuba diving sports activity. It is also called the diminishing island because it is partially submerged during high tide. It is also nice for destination, wedding photo shoot, engagement, pre-nups, or any other water sports activities,” said Mayor Sammy Co. There are also two islands with great potential, both named Dao Dao, one called Dao Dao Daku (larger) and Dao Dao Gamay (smaller), an online national travel site said. While these island getaways need to be fully developed, “the scenery around and the island itself is actually beautiful.”

One female traveler who placed a comment on these islands said, “[A] pleasure to be here once.

I really love the place as a nature lover and adventurer. The water is so clear and seems like so clean.”

It has numerous waterfalls, too, indicating the pristine condition of its watershed, although many of these have to be developed yet. Some of these are already listed in online travel sites and being promoted.

They include Pagadian Alegria Falls, which is located below a high peak area at Barangay Alegria.

Mayor Co said that according to local residents, the falls is estimated to be 200 feet high and has a striking resemblance to the famous Maria Cristina Falls.

There is also the Pulacan Falls, only 12 kilometers from downtown Pagadian City proper and nine kilometers from the Pagadian City Airport.

This waterfall may be clearly viewed from the bus that plies the Pagadian City-Ozamis CityIligan City route, an online travel site said. “It is a perfect treat of nature—lush greenery, cool waters, and amazing panorama. Through the years the scenic waterfalls has retained its natural beauty since it has been maintained the way it is.”

And despite the long dry spells that visit Mindanao, “the falls has kept its allure and splendor and continues to offer a cool and refreshing splash,” the travel site added.

ROTUNDA

FACEBOOK.COM/DRAGONFLYPILIPINAS

Also with great potential as destinations are the Manga Falls and the Ditoray Falls, the travel site added.

The Lourdes Hot Spring in Barangay Lourdes is already set as a destination, for its spring releases sulphur if the season is hot. Its water comes from Mount Susong Dalaga.

In Barangay Poloyagan is the Pagadian Beach Resort, with ongoing construction works. This resort offers a portion of white sand, “relaxing pristine waters and quiet atmosphere,” the mayor said.

The city offers also an adventure for spelunking, at the Pagadian Kendis Cave located in the northern part of the city in Sitio Kendis, Barangay Datagan.

Surrounded by diverse flora and fauna, the city describes Kendis Cave as “like a toy gun having a long barrel tube from the main cave system and with an extension

chamber round in shape. It has a small cave mouth with main cave entrance and has only one exit.”

Downtown scenery

VISITORS would relish the leisure and shopping pleasure at the heart of the city.

Its Plaza Luz, with a clamshell stage and a landscaped garden, is ideal for family and picnic gatherings on holidays, Sundays and after church obligations where children can do biking, playing and running around, Mayor Co said.

“And its main attraction is the digital dancing fountain with its lights and water formations synchronized to the beat of the music being played in its repertoire,” he added.

Nearby is the Rotonda, a circular park on top of Bulatoc hill at the apex and stretching across the F.S. Pajares Avenue and overlooking Il-

lana Bay. It is at the intersection of the North Diversion Road and F.S. Pajares Avenue, two of the three major road networks in the city (the third one being Rizal Avenue).

The park features a viewing deck, gardens, horseback-riding, and a refreshment store, which, considered as food hub center, offers food and grilled selections.

The most visited destinations inside the city are its malls, such as Gaisano Mall, C3 Mall, Best Emporium Department Store and Peoples Plaza Department Store.

Why tourism

“MORE than 10 years ago, due to the lack of tourism promotion, the City of Pagadian was not heard of, nor did it exude attraction to visitors from different places in the country and even a few foreign nationals who married our native Pagadianons.”

The only reason that Pagadian City had been known for are its mountainous terrain, earning it the moniker, the “Little Hong Kong of the South,” and the 45-degreeinclined tricycles.

“While we already have vast potential beautiful places for tourism, these simply need a visionary leader who could develop and promote Pagadian City. It was then that when I became the city mayor of Pagadian, I started plotting with the help of the city officials how to develop and promote Pagadian City,” he added.

Mayor Co said the city first became known when it subscribed and paid for a one-page business ad with Cebu Pacific’s Air Magazine.

“The City of Pagadian has become widely known because different attractions [were featured] in every issue of the magazine. And thus, it made the tag name ‘Little Hong Kong of the South’ much more a reality. Even then, our continued quest for development has always been a priority. More so now that we are the Regional Government Center of Western Mindanao.”

Although its tourism sites are still not yet fully developed, “some of the tourism attractions here are our city events. We have the Pasa­ lamat Festival in January which is the feast of Señor Santo Niño, Chinese New Year usually in February, the Araw ng Pagadian in June and the Paskuhan during December with the traditional lighting of the 88-foot-tall giant Christmas tree, dancing fountain show, and fireworks display,” the mayor said.

Amid the pandemic situation that we are facing, “we, in the City Government of Pagadian, are still trying our best to work anent to the mandate of the national government to further develop the tourism potential of the city for economic, social and cultural acceleration and balanced growth,” Mayor Co added.

He said the city government has identified potential tourist destinations and concluded its cultural mapping program in partnership with the National Commission on Culture and the Arts (NCCA) in order to consolidate the local culture profile of the city’s tangible and intangible cultural assets.

Tourism means job opportunities and it also contributes to the economy, Mayor Co said. “When the economy is strong, the buying power of people is also strong.

When business is doing good, revenue for the government is also good, in terms of tax collection.”

World Features BusinessMirror

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

Friday-Sunday, January 1-3, 2021

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From Zoom to Quibi: Tech winners and losers of 2020

By Barbara Ortutay & Mae Anderson

AP Technology Writers

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e streamed, we Zoomed, we ordered groceries and houseplants online, we created virtual villages while navigating laptop shortages to work and learn from home. In many ways,

2020’s pandemic-induced isolation threw our dependence on technology into overdrive, snipping away at our real-life connections while bringing digital relationships to the fore.

But for every life-changing Zoom, there was at least one soonforgotten Quibi. Here’s a look at the year’s tech winners and losers.

Losers:

Virtual reality As the world adjusted to a new stuck-at-home reality, the pandemic could have been virtual reality’s chance to offer an escape. With the use of special head set s a nd accouter ment s like gloves, the technolog y lets people interact w it h a 360 - de -

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g ree v iew of a t hree - d imensiona l env ironment, seemingly a good f it for people st uc k indoors.

But people turned to easier-touse software and games that they already had. Few rushed to spend hundreds of dollars on a clunky new headset or tried to learn the ropes of virtual reality meeting

software. And no VR games broke into the mainstream. So virtual reality, on the verge of success for decades, missed its moment, again.

Social-media election labels I t was t he yea r of l abels on Fa c e b o ok , Tw it t e r, YouTu b e a nd even Ti kTok. A head of t he November 3 US president i a l

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vote, t he compa nies prom ised to clamp dow n on election misinfor mat ion, inc lud ing base less charges of fraud and candid ates’ premat ure dec l a rat ions of v ictor y. A nd the most v isible pa r t of t h is was t he bev y of l abels appl ied to t weets, posts, photos a nd v ideos.

Continued on A4

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Friday-Sunday, January 1-3, 2021

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Wars, instability pose vaccine challenges in poor countries

By Kathy Gannon, Andrew Meldrum & Lee Keath

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The Associated Press

AR MANGI, Pakistan— Arifullah Khan had just administered another polio vaccine when the gunfire blasted from the nearby hills.

“It happened so suddenly. There was so much gunfire it felt like an explosion,” he said, recalling details of the attack five years ago in Pakistan’s Bajaur tribal region near the Afghan border.

A bullet shattered his thigh and he fell to the ground. His childhood friend and partner in the vaccination campaign, Ruhollah, lay bleeding on the ground in front of him.

“I couldn’t move,” Khan said. “I watched him lying right in front of me as he took his last breath.”

In Pakistan, delivering vaccines can be deadly. Militants and radical religious groups spread claims that the polio vaccine is a Western ploy to sterilize Muslim children or turn them away from religion. More than 100 health workers, vaccinators and security officials involved in polio vaccination have been killed since 2012.

The violence is an extreme example of the difficulties many poor and developing countries across Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Latin America face as they tackle the monumental task of vaccinating their populations against Covid-19.

It’s not just the problem of affording vaccines or being at the back of the line behind wealthy countries in receiving them.

Poor infrastructure often means roads are treacherous and electricity is sporadic for the refrigerators vital to preserving vaccines. Wars and insurgencies endanger vaccinators. Corruption can siphon away funds, and vaccination campaign planners must sometimes navigate through multiple armed factions.

“The most challenging areas... are conf lict settings, where outbreaks of v iolence hinder vaccinations,

and areas where misinformation is circulating, which discourages community participation,” said Unicef ’s deputy chief of global immunization, Benjamin Schreiber.

Many nations are relying on COVAX, an international system aimed at ensuring equitable access to vaccines, though it is already short on funding.

Unicef, which runs immunization programs worldwide, is gearing up to help procure and administer Covid-19 vaccines, Schreiber told The Associated Press. It has stockpiled half a billion syringes and aims to provide 70,000 refrigerators, mostly solar powered, he said.

The agency aims to transport 850 tons of Covid-19 vaccines a month next year, double its usual annual monthly rate for other vaccines, Unicef ’s Executive Director Henrietta Fore said in a statement.

The situation can vary widely from country to country.

Mexico is expected to start immunizations soon. The military will handle distribution, and the government has promised free vaccines for Mexico’s nearly 130 million inhabitants by the end of 2021.

Meanwhile, Haiti, the Western Hemisphere’s poorest country, has yet to announce any vaccination plans. Health experts worry that widespread rumors could set back vaccinations—including claims that hospitals will give fatal injections to inf late Covid-19 death figures and receive more foreign aid.

The African Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is leading a continent-wide effort to vaccinate Africa’s 1.3 billion people in 54 countries. The agency is coordinating efforts to obtain doses and seeking

World Bank help in funding—estimating it will take $10 billion to acquire, distribute and administer the vaccines.

The aim is to vaccinate 60percent of Africa’s population within two years—some 700 million people— more than the continent has done in the past, said John Nkengasong, director of the African CDC. “The time for action is now,” said Nkengasong. “The West cannot defeat Covid-19 alone. It must be defeated by all over the world, and that includes Africa.”

Congo underscores the obstacles the campaign faces.

The country has overcome Ebola outbreaks with vaccination campaigns. But it struggled in eastern Congo, where Allied Democratic Forces rebels stage frequent attacks and other armed groups vie for control of mineral riches.

Rough ter rain and insecur it y meant vaccinators had trouble getting to all areas. Some came under attack.

Rumors f lew about the Ebola vaccines, including the idea they were meant to kill people, said Dr. Maurice Kakule, an Ebola survivor who worked in vaccination campaigns.

E duc at io n p r o g r a m s o v e r c a m e much of the resistance, but similar suspicions are spreading about the Cov id-19 vaccine, he said.

In Beni, the area’s main city, Danny Momoti, a trader, said he would take the vaccine because of his work. “I need this Covid-19 vaccination card to be accepted in Dubai and elsewhere where I go to buy the goods for Beni,” he said.

Civil wars present perhaps the greatest obstacles.

In Yemen, the health system has collapsed under six years of war between Houthi rebels who control the north and government-allied factions in the south.

Yemen saw its first outbreak of polio in 15 years this summer, centered in the northern province of Saada.

Vaccinators haven’t been able to work there the past two years, in part because of security fears, Unicef said.

Agencies rushed to give new inoculations in parts of the north and south in November and December.

C holera a nd d ipht her i a h ave been rampant, and once again, Yemen faces a new surge in hunger. UN officials have warned of potential

famine in 2021.

No plans for Covid-19 vaccinations have been announced yet, whether by the Houthis, southern authorities or WHO and Unicef.

Only half of Yemen’s health facilities remain functional. Roads, power networks and other infrastructure have been devastated. The Houthis have hampered some programs, trying to wrest concessions from UN agencies, including blocking a shipment of cholera vaccines amid a 2017 outbreak.

“Even the mildest and normally preventable diseases can prove fatal due to a lack of health care access in a conflict setting,” said Wasim Bahja, the Yemen country director for International Medical Corps.

In Pakistan, public distrust was fueled when the CIA in 2011 used a scam vaccination program to identify the hideout of al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden, leading to the special forces raid that killed him.

Pakistan, Afghanistan and Nigeria are the only countries in the world where polio is still endemic. There have been 82 new polio cases this year alone, largely because vaccinations were suspended due to the pandemic, said Dr. Rana Safdar, who coordinates the polio vaccination campaigns.

The Bajaur region, where Khan was shot, remains one of the more dangerous areas, Safdar said.

Khan tried to explain the deep mistrust in his region. Deeply conservative tribal elders “believe the vaccine is the reason the young people who were given it as children are disrespectful and show little concern for Islamic traditions and values.”

“Everyone is scared” of Covid-19, he said. “But they are suspicious of Western things.”

Khan said he signed up to administer polio vaccines because he was paid the equivalent of $56 for just a few days’ work. “I needed to feed my family.”

He will likely sign up to deliver Covid-19 vaccines as well.

“But first I would check if there is any danger there,” he said.

Meldrum reported from Johannesburg, Keath from Cairo. Associated Press writers Samy Magdy in Cairo, Maria Verza in Mexico City, Sonia Pérez D. in Guatemala City, Evens Sanon in Port-au-Prince, Haiti and Al-Hadji Kudra Maliro in Beni, Congo contributed to this report.

Ambani sold a dream for $27 billion, now Asia’s richest man has to deliver

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By Anto Antony, P R Sanjai & Saritha Rai

ukesh Ambani spent much of 2020 convincing Facebook Inc., Google and a clutch of Wall Street heavyweights to buy into his vision for one of the world’s most ambitious corporate transformations.

Now flush with $27 billion in fresh capital, Asia’s richest man is under pressure to deliver.

The 63-year-old Indian tycoon is focused on a handful of priorities as he tries to turn Reliance Industries Ltd. from an old-economy conglomerate into a technology and e-commerce titan, according to recent public statements and people familiar with the company’s plans.

These include developing products for the anticipated roll-out next year of a local 5G network; incorporating Facebook’s WhatsApp payments ser vice into Reliance’s digital platform; and integrating the company’s e-commerce offerings with a network of physical mom-and-pop shops across the country. Ambani is also pushing forward with plans to sell a stake in Reliance’s oil and petrochemical units, a deal he had originally hoped would reduce debt and finance his high-tech pivot earlier this year.

Every move

Investors are watching Ambani’s every move as he overhauls his empire—with a market value of $179 billion—in the middle of a pandemic, wading into highly competitive industries and taking on rivals from Amazon.com Inc. to Walmart Inc. Reliance shares rose as much as 55 percent this year to an all-time high in September, but they’ve since pared gains as stakeholders look for more evidence that Ambani can execute.

“The jury is out,” said Nandan Nilekani, who co-founded Infosys Ltd. in 1981 and now serves as chairman of the Bangalore-based software services provider valued at about $72 billion. “There’s a lot of work to be done.”

A spokesman for Mumbai-based Reliance Industries declined to comment for this story.

While Ambani has publicly embraced his new partnerships with investors including Facebook (he and Mark Zuckerberg traded compliments during a livestreamed conversation on December 15), the Indian tycoon’s fund-raising spree was initially meant to be more of a Plan B. His original goal was to sell a 20-percent stake in Reliance’s oil and petrochemicals division to Saudi Arabian Oil Co., at an enterprise value of $75 billion, implying a $15-billion valuation for the stake.

The Aramco deal, first announced in August 2019, was supposed to help Ambani deliver on a pledge to get rid of his company’s $22 billion in net debt in 18 months. But as talks with the Saudis stalled, Reliance investors grew more anxious. The stock tumbled more than 40 percent in the three months through March 23.

Hit a wall

Ambani, who had begun exploring stake sales in his digital services and retail units months earlier, decided to accelerate those talks after the Aramco deal hit a wall, people familiar with the matter said.

The response from investors exceeded the company’s expectations, one of the people said, with big-name backers including KKR & Co., Silver Lake and Mubadala Investment Co. committing more than $20 billion to the digital business and $6.4 billion to retail. Reliance declared itself free of net debt in June, nine months before its selfimposed deadline and Reliance’s shares surged.

At Reliance’s annual shareholder meeting in July, Ambani and his eldest children Isha and Akash sketched out the broad thrust of their high-tech ambitions. Among the new services they touted was a 5G wireless network as early as next year and a video-streaming platform that will bring Netflix, Disney+ Hotstar, Amazon Prime Video and dozens of TV channels under one umbrella.

Reliance’s digital unit, Jio Platforms Ltd., will also develop a portfolio of technology solutions

and apps for India’s millions of micro, small and medium businesses, Ambani said, adding that he plans to eventually expand the platform overseas.

“The time has come for a truly global digital product and services company to emerge from India,” Ambani told shareholders.

The company’s biggest priority for 2021 is 5G, people familiar with the matter said. While regulators have yet to auction rights to India’s next-generation airwaves, Ambani said this month that his company “will pioneer the 5G revolution in India in the second half of 2021.”

$54 smartphone

Reliance is planning to showcase its lineup of 5G products at next year’s shareholder meeting, which typically takes place sometime between July and September, one of the people said.

The company is also working with Google on an Android-based $54 smartphone, part of the strategy to get more Indians to use mobile data for services including streaming video, online games and shopping.

Reliance views the integration with WhatsApp’s recently approved payments system as a crucial step in the development of its online shopping services, the people said. The companies are working together as Reliance’s e-commerce platforms look to tap hundreds of millions of Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram users. Ambani’s biggest challenge now is to earn a return on these investments, said James Crabtree, author of The Billionaire Raj: A Journey Through India’s New Gilded Age .

The industries Ambani is targeting are constantly evolving, much more so than the refining and petrochemicals businesses that still comprise the bulk of Reliance’s revenue. “He’s got to get it right over and over again,” Crabtree said.

‘Key man’ risk

There’s also the challenge of “key man” risk.

Ambani—the face of Reliance—isn’t getting any younger. While the company hasn’t publicly

disclosed a succession plan, India’s Mint newspaper reported in August that Ambani, whose net worth is about $77 billion, is setting up a family council and aims to complete succession planning by the end of next year.

“Any large, single-pillar edifice has major inherent risks,” said Kavil R amachandran, executive director of the Thomas Schmidheiny Centre for Family Enterprise at the Indian School of Business. Ambani supporters point to his recent track record of disruption. He famously upended India’s telecommunications industry four years ago by offering free calls and cheap data, pushing some rivals into bankruptcy. His wireless carrier, Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd., now has more than 400 million subscribers.

“Mukesh has been a big part of this wave of innovation,” said Sundar Pichai, chief executive officer of Alphabet Inc., which owns Google. “His vision and focus of a future where every Indian can benefit from the opportunities technology creates is really exciting to us and we are glad to be a partner in that work.”

Countering China

Ambani has also positioned his empire as a potential asset for an Indian government that’s keen for ways to counter the growing technological might of China, especially after deadly border clashes bet ween the long-time rivals this year. Ambani has repeatedly highlighted how Reliance’s goals align with those of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government, which has called for homegrown solutions to bridge the country’s yawning digital divide.

While Infosys’s Nilekani cautions that it’s too early to declare Reliance’s transformation a success, he’s optimistic that Ambani will pull it off.

“He has a terrific eye for execution,” Nilekani said. “He looks at the big picture while at the same time getting into every minor detail, much like Jeff Bezos. They are both unique. Neither man is known to give up.” Bloomberg News

This file photo shows visitors to the Pax East conference play the new Nintendo Switch video game Animal Crossing on February 27, 2020, in Boston. AP/Steven Senne

From Zoom to Quibi: Tech winners and losers of 2020 Continued from A3 “Some or all of the content shared in this Tweet is disputed and might be misleading about an election or other civic process,” read one typical label applied to a tweet by President Donald Trump.

But many experts said that while the labels made it appear that the companies were taking action, “at the end of the day it proved to be pretty ineffective,” as Jennifer Grygiel a professor at Syracuse University and social-media expert, put it.

Quibi Less than a year ago, Quibi launched a splashy Super Bowl ad that posed the question “What’s a Quibi?”

People may still be scratching their heads.

Quibi, short for “quick bites,” raised $1.75 billion from investors including major Hollywood players Disney, NBCUniversal and Viacom.

But the service struggled to reach viewers, as short videos abound on the Internet and the coronavirus pandemic kept many people at home. It announced it was shutting down in October, just months after its April launch.

Uber and Lyft Fresh off of their initial public offerings the year before and still struggling to show they can be profitable, the ride-hailing services were clobbered by the pandemic in 2020, as people stopped taking cars and huddled down at home.

In May, Uber laid off 3,700 people, or about 14 percent of its work force. Lyft also announced job cuts.

But there are some signs of hope. After significantly reducing costs by restructuring in the second quarter, Lyft said last month it expects to have its first profitable quarter at the end of 2021. And the companies scored a major victory in California, where voters passed Proposition 22, granting them and others an exception to a law that sought to classify their drivers as employees, an expense that analysts thought would have pummeled their business in the nation’s most populous state. n US TikTok ban While India outlawed the popular video sharing app, in the US TikTok appears close to riding out Donald Trump’s term without the president succeeding in his efforts to ban it.

Earlier this month, a federal judge blocked a potential ban. It was the latest legal defeat for the administration in its efforts to wrest the app from its Chinese owners. In October, another federal judge postponed a shutdown scheduled for November.

Meanwhile, a government deadline for TikTok’s parent, ByteDance to complete a deal that would have Oracle and Walmart invest in TikTok has also passed, with the status of the deal unclear.

While President-elect Joe Biden has said TikTok is a concern, it’s not clear what his administration will carry on the Trump administration’s attempts at a ban.

Winners:

Nintendo Switch Even in a year heralding splashy new consoles from Xbox and PlayStation, the Nintendo Switch was the console that could. Launched in 2017, the Switch became a fast seller. That was helped by the launch of the handled Switch Lite in September 2019.

In March, it became hard to find a Switch as people searched for ways to be entertained inside their homes. Boosting its popularity was the release of island-simulation game “Animal Crossing: New Horizons,” which debuted on March 20 and has now sold a cumulative 26 million units globally, according to Nintendo.

According to the NPD Group, during the first 11 months of 2020, Nintendo Switch sold 6.92 million units in the US. It has been the best-selling console in units sold for 24 consecutive months, a record.

Zoom All videoconferencing software from Microsoft Teams to WebEx thrived during the abrupt shift of tens of millions of people to remote working and schooling during pandemic. But only one became a verb.

Zoom Video Communications was a relatively unheralded company before the pandemic hit, but its ease of use let to wide adoption during the pandemic. There were some growing pains, including lax security that lead to “Zoom bombing” breaches early on. The company revamped its security and remains one of the popular platforms to host remote meetings and classes.

Ransomware purveyors The ransomware scourge—in which criminals hold data hostage by scrambling it until victims pay up— reached epic dimensions in 2020, dovetailing terribly with the Covid-19 plague. In Germany, a patient turned away from the emergency room of a hospital whose IT system was paralyzed by an attack died on the way to another hospital.

In the US, the number of attacks on health care facilities was on track to nearly double from 50 in 2019.

Attacks on state and local governments were up about 50 percent to more than 150. Even grammar schools have been hit—shutting down remote learning for students from Baltimore to Las Vegas.

Cyber-security firm Emsisoft estimates the cost of ransomware attacks in the US alone this year at more than $9 billion between ransoms paid and downtime/recovery. n PC makers After beginning the year grappling with exasperating delays in their supply chains, the personal computer industry found itself scrambling to keep up with surging demand for machines that became indispensable during a pandemic that kept millions of workers and students at home.

The outbreak initially stymied production because PC makers weren’t able to get the parts they needed from overseas factories that shut down during the early stages of the health crisis.

Those closures contributed to a steep decline in sales during the first three months of the year. But it has been boom times ever since.

The July-September period was particularly robust, with PC shipments in the US surging 11 percent from the same time in 2019—the industry’s biggest quarterly sales increase in a decade, according to the research firm Gartner.

E-commerce The biggest of the bunch, Amazon, is one of the few companies that has thrived during the coronavirus outbreak. People have turned to it to order groceries, supplies and other items online, helping the company bring in record revenue and profits between April and June. That came even though it had to spend $4 billion on cleaning supplies and to pay workers overtime and bonuses.

But it’s not just Amazon. The pandemic is accelerating the move to online shopping, a trend experts expect to stay even after vaccines allow the world to resume normal lives. And thanks in part to shoppers consciously supporting small businesses, Adobe Analytics says online sales at smaller US retailers were up 349 percent on Thanksgiving and Black Friday. At the more than 1 million businesses that use Shopify to build their web sites, sales rose 75 percent from a year ago to $2.4 billion on Black Friday, according to Shopify.

Jury’s out:

Big Tech Facebook, Amazon, Apple and Google did well financially, with each company’s stock price and profit up considerably since the start of the year. They gained users, rolled out new products and features and kept on hiring even as other companies and industries faced significant cuts.

But not all is well in the world of Big Tech. Regulators are breathing down each company’s neck and that’s unlikely to ease up in 2021. Google faces an antitrust lawsuit from the Department of Justice. And Facebook has been hit by one from the Federal Trade Commission along with nearly every US state that seeks to split it off from WhatsApp and Instagram.

More cases could follow. Congressional investigators spent months digging into the actions of Apple and Amazon in addition to Facebook and Google, and called the CEOs of all four companies to testify.

AP Technology Writers Frank Bajak and Michael Liedtke contributed to this story.

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Pasig City resumes cash card distribution to senior citizens

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By Lade Jean Kabagani

ANILA—It’s a Happy New Year for Pasig City’s senior citizens as their cash gifts from the local government have been credited to their respective LandBank automated teller machines (ATM) accounts.

Benef iciar ies on T hursd ay started claiming their cash gifts through the ATMs. In an advisory, the city government said it resumed the onsite dis-

tribution of the cash cards through its partner LandBank, on December 28 and 29.

Pasig apologized for the delay of the cash card processing since it has

been operating in a skeletal work force due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Hindi man aabot sa Araw ng Pasko ang cash gift para sa humigit-kumulang 40 percent ng mga senior citizens, sisiguraduhin po nating makakarating ito sa lalong madaling panahon. Ngunit sa pagpapatuloy ng pamamahagi nito ay humihingi po kami ng inyong tulong at kooperasyon [This may not have reached approximately 40 percent of the senior citizen beneficiaries on Christmas day, but we assure you that it will arrive as soon as possible. But we will continue the distribution and we are requesting for your help and cooperation],” the city government said.

The city government urged the

other beneficiaries to check the schedules of the distribution through the official Facebook of the Pasig Information Office (PIO), to avoid the crowding of people in the LandBank branches.

Meanwhile, the city government said the distribution of the Pamaskong Handog resumed on December 27.

The city’s “Libreng Sakay” operation would also be temporarily suspended from December 30 to January 1 and will resume on January 2, 2021.

The city government reminded residents to continue observing the minimum health standards during the holidays. PNA

Charo Santos-Concio unwraps ‘gift of wealth and gift of health’

By Rizal Raoul S. Reyes

F

ORMER ABS-CBN president Charo Santos-Concio (Maria Rosario Santos-Concio in real life) is one of the more accomplished Filipinas in this generation. The Saint Paul’s University alumna has distinguished herself as an actress, producer and television executive.

Santos-Concio, who grew up in Calapan, Oriental Mindoro told CNN Philippines’ “Leading Women” that she was really a movie fan of the great movie stars during her younger days. She loved watching double programs in the town’s cinema. “The fan in me would want to know the process in making a great TV show and filmmaking,” SantosConcio said.

The path to stardom started when Santos-Concio was named Baron Travel Girl in 1976. After the event, the late director Lino Brocka told her that director Mike de Leon was looking for a fresh face to star in his first film, Itim.

When her parents gave her the go signal to pursue a potential career in show business, she auditioned and bagged the lead role. SantosConcio showed she had acting chops when she won the best actress trophy in Mike de Leon’s Itim during the 1977 Asian Film Festival. “I was 20 years old then. I just wanted to try something different.

That started my path to acting,” she said.

In the 1980s, she produced highly acclaimed films such as Peque Gallaga’s Oro, Plata, Mata and Ishmael Bernal’s Himala under the Experimental Cinema of the Philippines.

As the host of the popular ABSCBN show Maalaala Mo Kaya, Santos-Concio has develop a strong bond and connection with overseas Filipino workers. In a webinar organized by Sun Life Philippines, Santos-Concio pointed out that working overseas has enabled mil-

CHARO SANTOS-CONCIO

lions of Filipinos to broaden their horizons.

On the other hand, Santos-Concio said OFWs have to hurdle the challenges they are facing while toiling overseas, such as homesickness and the fear of losing the bond between the parents and the children.

Right now, Concio is a brand ambassador of Sun Life Philippines’ Parent of the OFW Starter Pack to help Filipinos working overseas invest their earnings.

The pack also consists of Sun Senior Prosperity Money Market Mutual fund investment starting at P7,000 per month.

Santos-Concio said the checkered stories of the people who are called the country’s modern heroes have brought sympathy and understanding to their plight. “Hearing about their pain always resonates in my heart,” she said.

With her sweet and friendly personality, Santos-Concio was always approached by OFWs while waiting for their flights.

She said that their fear of losing connection with their children is a major challenge for OFWs, especially when the children grow into adolescents without their parents.

Indeed, it is a big dilemma as OFWs sacrifice a lot for the family to give their children a better future. At the same time, they could only wish to be with their children as they grow up, guiding them to become more responsible adults.

Santos-Concio said that constant communication is the most important part of the equation in the lives of OFWs. She urged the parents to check regularly on the emotional state of the children. “Don’t take for granted your relationship with your loved ones. Keep on communicating with them to ensure that they are on the loop,” she advised.

Santos-Concio said the children of OFWs should also play their part responsibly by giving value for every dollar that their parents send to them. She said it would be a good move to save a portion of their remittances for emergency situations. “Beneficiaries should also play a part in practicing fiscal and financial discipline,” she said.

Based on her parenting experience, Santos-Concio always involved her children when they were young in managing their financial resources. While they were growing up, she taught her two sons how to save their allowance.

She kept reminding them “this is as far as you go in spending your allowance.”

Santos-Concio said the best time to start teaching financial literacy and discipline to children is when they are young. It starts with teaching them how to manage their allowance. “Live within your budget and means. Always be prudent in spending money. Be smart in managing your budget,” she said.

Aside from teaching them how

to save, children must also learn to be prudent in spending their money, she said. Parents must teach their children the family priorities and, equally important, children must live the values that the parents taught them. Teaching values such as frugality is important because it will help them develop and become responsible in their lives,” she said.

She underscored the importance of teaching these values to the children of OFWs so they can pass these on when they have their own children. “It is important to teach them the right values because this will be their foundation in life. It will help them overcome the challenges in life,” she said.

“Parents should reinforce positive values to their children when they are growing up so they will grow as responsible individuals,” she added.

The multi-awarded actress said children should not be feeling entitled and pampered. Instead, she said children should appreciate the dedication and efforts of their OFW parents who always look after their welfare.

It is a fact that OFWs try to compensate for their absence by pampering their children. However, SantosConcio urged OFW parents to allot “me time” for themselves so they can have the opportunity to unwind and relax from the rigors of work and long-distance parenting.

“When they tell their stories about their loneliness, they don’t take anything for granted and always put their families first on their priority list. But I always tell them, don’t be hard on yourselves so you can come back to your loved ones in tiptop shape.”

Sun Life has been focusing on this segment of society for some time, in its desire to help OFWs develop a solid economic foundation for their future at home. “It is a gift of wealth and gift of health.”

General Trias City elderly celebrates 106th birthday

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LOLA Juana Amores Tagle, the oldest citizen of General Trias City, welcomes City Councilor Jowie Carampot during her 106th birthday celebration. PHOTO BY DENNIS ABRINA

ENER AL TRIAS CIT Y, Cavite—The Oldest living citizen of the locality celebrated her 106th birthday on December 27, 2020 with a city dad presenting the centenarian’s benefits in her residence in Barangay Tejero.

Ever y yea r, C it y Cou nc i lor Jow ie C a ra mpot, c ha ir ma n of comm it tee on senior c it i zens, joins t he oldest l iv ing c it i zen of t he c it y in celebrat ing her nat a l d ay.

C a ra mpot st a r ted doing t h is since he assu med t he c ha ir ma nsh ip of t he comm it tee on senior c it i zen a f fa irs f ive yea rs ago.

Lola Juana Amores Tagle, 106 years old, has one daughter, 8 grandchildren and 30 great grandchildren.

Lola Janing is the widow of Silvestre Vallecer Tagle. She received her centenarian benefit amounting to P50,000 from the General Trias LGU, P10,000 from the provincial government, and P100,000 from the national government.

She was born on December 27, 1914.

Councilor Carampot also visited three other living centenarians from San Juan 2, Bacao 2 and Barangay Prinza to give them their centenarian benefits.

Editor: Angel R. Calso • Friday-Sunday January 1-3, 2021 A5

Stay relevant: Let your age roam free

By Nick Tayag

MY SIXTY-ZEN’S WORTH

A

CT your age has been the traditional admonition. Today, seniors are told to do the same way in a subtle way. In many companies, they are given special titles but no functional responsibility. While waiting for the age of retirement, they are relegated to the background or margins.

Ian Mckellen the actor once had a problem of playing Romeo at the age of 36. He experienced anxiety.

He felt he was too old. But when he put his mind into it, he did a rousing performance as a young Romeo despite his age. Remember the expression “You are only as old as you feel.”

To me, the secret really to a productive life even in the late 60s or early 70s is to give your mind’s age a free roam. Feel and think 20, 30, or even a child. Play it like you are ageless. Don’t be defined or confined by chronological age.

This is why young people like to include me in their brainstorming sessions. I am about to become 70 and why are these millennials calling me to help them brainstorm and conceptualize? For crying out loud, they don’t start a creative session without me.

Not so before. Young guys were reluctant to let me join them during conceptualization meetings.

They assumed my ideas would be Jurassic, outdated or traditional. It took some time for them to realize that my ideas are not as time bound as they thought. Little did they know that even at my age, I make sure I am always au courant when it comes to trends. I surprise them with new words that are in vogue like “digital natives” and they are flabbergasted that I know about it.

Or sometimes I may even be too advanced for them. I throw ideas that they deem ahead of the times.

One time, a really trendish concept the team presented got the client’s enthusiastic approval.

When it was revealed I was behind the concept, he was surprised. He thought it was the idea of someone who was from Gen Z or younger.

My advantage is that I have with me years of experience while thinking young. I am a man traveling in time, jumping from today to the past in a jiffy. When younger members of the creative team are excited about a concept, they would turn to me. Scanning my memory bank, I can tell them if a concept has already been done. No comment can be more deflating than “been there, done that.”

Age does not matter if you don’t mind the age is another saying. I want to be in a group where nobody is intimidated by your age or your longevity in the business, and that’s very healthy.

In your mind, unbound your age from time and you become ageless.

When you are not conscious of your age, it’s liberating. When you have the ability to roam the age range without mental constrictions, like fingers scaling the piano keys, then it sets you free.

The trick is never allowing yourself to slide into obsolescence or be laos as we say in the colloquial lingo. In my case, I am a naturally voracious consumer of media and I like to soak in the trends, the activities of the young generation, the middle generation and the senior generation. I try to be current. When everybody is starting to migrate to the digital sphere, I too made the shift, albeit slowly but surely.

Take a lesson from the Bee Gees

on how they managed to stay alive for 3 long decades. The HBO documentary “The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart” attributes it to their mastery of a rare pop skill: adaptation. They were discovered, embraced, disbanded, reunited, reinvented, stayed alive through various cultural shifts.

From 1960s frills to 1980s cool, they did not mentally and musically retire. When their fortunes started to wane they stayed tenacious by reinventing themselves: “We had to adopt a new sound. We had to adopt a new attitude,” said Barry Gibb. Barry Gibb understands exactly what his brothers and his band accomplished. “We never really had a category. We just had periods and we managed to fit into different eras,” he reflects. “We didn’t always connect. But we stayed around.”

While we are into pop legends, let us look at Tony Bennet. The man is age defiant.

Future proof. His longevity is a story in itself. Year after year after year he triumphs over time.

Bennet never let himself be confined to one era or one decade.

This age-free thinking has enabled him to perform for the queen of England and sing duets with k.d. lang, Elvis Costello, and Lady Gaga, among others. Bennett was nearly 70 when he made the “MTV Unplugged” record. In an industry that placed a premium on youth, and an always regenerating pool of music, lyric and voice, Bennett became a rising artist again in the ’90s. There is simply no precedent for a pop performer who has managed to produce top-quality work and stay relevant in the marketplace for more than six decades.

It all comes down to one word: Attitude. As he told the press years ago, he still has a lot to learn and that he continues to study music and what makes a great song better. He still vocalizes every day, but never pushing too much or too hard, adjusting and adapting in subtle ways to the inevitable effects of aging.

What is the lesson here? To stay relevant, never feel too pleased with oneself. Many old folks who have been successful have this sense of entitlement. They live on their past accomplishments. They act as if they know everything and tend to dominate meetings. Young people snigger behind their backs and call them KIA (know it all). The sad thing about it is that they don’t know they’re no longer wanted.

Recently, I was talking to a young woman who has taken over her father’s business.

She liked my “young ideas” about a shampoo product she is marketing online. But I was embarrassed to learn that she did not want her dad to join our meeting because she feels he tends to hi-jack meetings, pushing or imposing his own ideas. She felt his thinking is outdated and he did not have a “feel” for the new market. When I pointed out to her that I was as old as her father, she laughed and said “but you think young, you seem to understand today’s market.” Even if it was mere flattery, I like to think that it was more because my agile freeroaming mind never made her feel my age.

So never say “I am too old.” May asim ka pa. Think like a Tony Bennett. As one of his songs puts it: “And let the music play as long as there’s a song to sing / And I will stay younger than spring.”

Faith A6 Friday-Sunday, January 1-3, 2021

Sunday

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

Pope proclaims year of families

R

OME—Pope Francis recently proclaimed an upcoming year dedicated to the family as he doubled down on one of his papal priorities and urged renewed attention to his controversial 2016 document on family life.

Francis announced the upcoming year on the family would begin on March 19, 2021, the fifth anniversary of his document Amoris laetitia (The Joy of Love.)

The newly proclaimed year would be known officially as the Year “Amoris Laetitia Family.”

Among other things, the document opened the door to letting divorced and civilly remarried couples receive Communion, sparking criticism and even claims of heresy from conservative Catholics.

Francis penned the document after summoning bishops from around the world to debate how the Catholic Church can better minister to families.

While the divorce-remarriage issue dominated headlines during the back-to-back synods, the discussion also touched on ministering to gay people and other “nontraditional” families.

Francis made the comments during his Sunday noon blessing,

delivered from inside his studio to prevent people from gathering in St. Peter’s Square below as part of the Vatican’s anti-virus precautions.

In making the announcement, Francis offered some friendly papal advice to bickering families, reminding them to say “pardon me, thank you and sorry” and never end the day without making peace.

“Because the Cold War the day after is dangerous,” he quipped.

Tagle to couples: Let God write your love story

Meanwhile, Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, who is also in Rome, recently offered some advice on relationships: “put on Christ.”

Speaking during Mass on the Feast of the Holy Family, he asked couples to put God first in their relationship from the start.

“I want to suggest that even in the courting period and the engagement period, hopefully, there

Pope Francis taps a boy’s head as he arrives to celebrate Mass on Christmas Eve at St. Peter’s basilica at the Vatican on December 24, 2020. Vincenzo Pinto/Pool Photo via AP

will be discernment,” Tagle said at the Pontificio Collegio Filippino in Rome.

The prefect of the Vatican’s Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples said that couples, along with their parents or guardians, must discern God’s direction in their relationship. “[I hope] our young people, young adults who are planning to get married are already guided in discerning the will of God,” Tagle said.

“And this is the real challenge: how can we bring in spirituality in discovering the will of God?” he added.

Reflecting on the day’s readings, the cardinal further said that while the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph is unique and can never be replicated, “they still present to us directions.”

A family is holy, according to him, because they allowed God to make them a family.

He then appealed to families to make God the center of their relationship “and allow God to form and reform us again and again as a family.”

“We shouldn’t let our own desires prevail over the will of God for us to be a family,” Tagle said.

AP and CBCP News

Pope Francis: Be a witness to Christ in your ordinary life

V

ATICAN—Be a witness to Jesus Christ in the way you conduct your ordinary, everyday life, and it will become a masterpiece for God, Pope Francis encouraged recently.

Speaking on the Feast of St. Stephen the Martyr, the pope said, “the Lord wants us to make our lives masterpieces through the ordinary things, the everyday things we do.”

“We are called to bear witness to Jesus right where we live, in our families, at work, everywhere, even just by giving the light of a smile, a light that is not our own—it comes from Jesus,” the pope said in his message before the Angelus prayer, which he gave via livestream from the library of the apostolic palace.

He encouraged everyone to avoid gossip and tattle-taling, and “when we see something that is wrong, instead of criticizing, badmouthing and complaining, let us pray for the one who made a mistake and for the difficult situation,” he advised.

“And when an argument starts at home, instead of trying to win it, let us try to diffuse it; and start over again each time, forgiving the one who offended,” Francis continued.

He added that these are “small things, but they change history, because they open the door, they open the window to Jesus’ light.”

In his message, Pope Francis reflected on the witness of St. Stephen, who, though “he was on the receiving end of the stones of hatred, reciprocated with words of forgiveness.”

By his actions, love and forgiveness, the martyr “changed history,” the pope said, recalling that at St. Stephen’s stoning, there was present “a young man named Saul,” who “was consenting to his death.”

Saul, by God’s grace, was later converted and became St. Paul.

“This is the proof that loving actions change history,” Francis said, “even the ones that are small, hidden, everyday. For God guides history through the humble courage of those who pray, love and forgive.”

According to the pope, there are many “hidden saints, saints who are next-door, hidden witnesses of life, who with little acts of love change history.”

The key to this witness, he explained, is shining not by your own light, but by reflecting the light of Jesus.

Francis also pointed out that the ancient fathers called the Church “the mystery of the moon” because she also reflects the light of Christ.

Despite being falsely accused and brutally stoned to death, St. Stephen “allowed the light of Jesus to shine” by praying for and forgiving his murderers, the pope stated.

“He is the first martyr, that is, the first witness, the first of a host of brothers and sisters who, even until today, continue to bring the light into the darkness—people who respond to evil with good, who do not succumb to violence and lies, but break the cycle of hatred with meekness and love,” he said.

“In the world’s nights, these witnesses bring God’s dawn,” he pointed out.

Catholic News Agency via CBCP News

Why celebrating Christmas, New Year is good for mental health

F

rom birthdays to weddings and graduations, this year has seen many personal celebrations cancelled, while communal festivities such as Bonfire Night, Eid and Diwali either haven’t been celebrated or have been more subdued.

So it might feel tempting to downplay Christmas and New Year, too, especially with concerns that people mixing more freely could lead to a third wave of Covid-19.

However, it will be more important this year than ever before to engage in the celebrations and rituals of Christmas and New Year.

There’s plenty of evidence to suggest that entering wholeheartedly into the spirit of the season—while keeping to 2020’s limitations—will be very good for our mental health.

After a tough year, this might be exactly what we need.

Christmas has important social, cultural and religious functions. For people of all faiths (and none), the Christmas holidays bring people and families together to reflect on the year gone by and look forward to the next.

The sociologist Émile Durkheim used the term “collective effervescence” to describe the positive mood we feel when we take part in social activities that bring collective joy and make us feel part of a bigger community.

Durkheim was writing about large religious gatherings, but researchers have argued more recently that this same feeling can be experienced in smaller units when family or friends get together.

We see this collective effer vescence at Christmas time.

Research has shown that this spirit of Christmas manifests as a multitude of positive feelings and behaviors that are experienced collectively, including greater altruism, goodwill and generosity.

This happens to such an extent that some have argued that Christmas cheer could be an emotion in its own right.

Positive power of ritual The popular adage that the best part of going out is getting ready—that the journey is more important than the destination—recognizes that rituals are important in their own right.

Routines and rituals offer structure and predictability in our lives and perform important psychological functions to manage anxiety.

With rates of anxiety soaring in lockdown, anything we can do to manage our mental health is to be welcomed.

Rituals have been described as individual units of action that form a sequence or pattern that is repeated in a particular way, and which are imbued with personal symbolism and meaning.

For Christmas, these individual units typically include religious observances, buying presents, parties, pantomimes, carol singing, ice skating, and Christmas markets, not to mention the food and drink that we love so much during this time of the year—mince pies, panettone, stollen, mulled wine.

This year many people put up Christmas decorations earlier than usual to try and lift the general mood.

There’s evidence that this will work, as research shows that Christmas rituals specifically can play a role in creating a sense of well-being and satisfaction.

They evoke memories of other times in our lives when we have gone through the same rituals. Every time we put up Christmas decorations, our brain fires up our stored up festive feelings.

This is why it’s important to maintain rituals associated with celebrations: even if we won’t be experiencing events in the same way, our brains will still respond positively.

Even Christmas smells can evoke memories of past times. Though we’re in completely different circumstances now, faced with these stimuli our brains will make us feel happy by triggering happy memories.

Rituals also play a key role in social cohesion, as those in the UK saw with the “clap for carers” in the summer.

When our traditional rituals are disrupted, this challenges the notion of who we are as a social group.

Following a year where we have had so much disruption in our routines and rituals already, and people have reported feeling increasingly isolated, Christmas rituals can offer us a sense of connection again.

Festivities also often highlight the things we have to be grateful for, and this gratitude can also increase our sense of well-being.

And even if we can’t be with loved ones, spending time catching up on the phone or online can help to boost our mood. Just reminiscing over past happy memories can make us feel happier in the present.

Celebrating wholeheartedly may feel difficult when the celebrations are constrained and many of us have experienced loss, but the rituals associated with Christmas traditions can help us to stay positive.

Celebrations can increase our appreciation for the positive elements in our lives, and will draw upon stores of positive emotion that we’ve built through memory.

So go ahead and put up that Christmas tree. Even if there won’t be as many people gathering around it this year, it should still make you feel better.

Nilufar Ahmed/The Conversation

Residents raise their milk rations, as they observe personal distancing, at the milk gift giving in Sitio Tala, Barangay Bueno, Capas, Tarlac. Dra. Isa Suntay, co-founder of THFI, stands at the center.

A person with disability, a pregnant women were among the first recipients of the milk ration along with senior citizens.

And so this is Christmas...

Story & photos

by Bernard Testa

So this is Christmas And what have you done Another year over A new one just begun.

And so this is Christmas I hope you have fun The near and the dear ones The old and the young.

A very merry Christmas And a happy New Year Let’s hope it’s a good one Without any fears.

T

he lyrics of the song, titled “So this is Christmas,” were written by John Lennon in 1971 as a protest song but it became an airwaves staple during Christmas season, besides the Jose Mari Chan standards.

While cruising on our way to Barangay Bueno in Capas, Tarlac, a beautiful sunrise appeared on the horizon of the North Luzon Expressway as this photographer accompanied a group of volunteers from

Tarlac Heritage Foundation Inc. (THFI) to distribute organic milk to the indigent children of Sitios Agos and Tala in the middle of the mountain ranges.

THFI partnered with the Third Mechanized Infantry Battalion to distribute at least 700 packs of three 134-gram packs of organic milk on December 22 and 23.

“It is our way of sharing and taking care of the children’s health and also for the senior citizens to enjoy the benefits of organic milk,” according to Dr. Isa Suntay, co-founder of the foundation.

According to Capt. Rizalino Espinelli, it was the best gift a mother and her children could get, especially when the community was hit by lockdown during the early period of the pandemic.

“It [the milk] is the best gift for the children because most of the children in these sitios are undernourished. It was one way for the Army to help in fighting malnutrition during pandemic,” one of the woman said in Filipino.

The woman present at the milk distribution said they were pervently praying that the pandemic will be over soon.

“The children are having difficulty because they could not play outside, they lack nutrition in their food

A girl gives her sweet smile as she proudly holds her new treasure of a bag of organic milk packs from Tarlac Heritage Foundation Inc. (THFI). and there is no face-to-face teaching. Our simple life has changed,” said Tisa Aburlin in Filipino.

Aburlin was accompanied by her grandchild to receive the organic milk.

She said whatever help they could get, they would not mind walking 5 kilometers, or for an hour, to the venue just to get the aid they urgently need.

The residents either walked or rode a motorbike during the gift-giving.

Another resident, who was very grateful for the assistance, said “it is only God” who could summon the people to receive their deliverance.

Most of the residents are Christians, including the Aeta community.

The gift-giving made the Christmas of the beneficiaries a happy one. However, they still continue to pray to God to end Covid-19 so their suffering would soon be over.

Malaysia Islamic authorities: Covid shots are permissible

M

Vials of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine at a University Health Network (UHN) vaccination clinic in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on Tuesday, December 15. UHN is one of the two sites responsible for piloting the vaccination rollout across Ontario. Cole Burston/Bloomberg

alaysia’s religious authorities have decided that the Covid-19 vaccine is allowed and is mandatory for some groups.

This view has been relayed to the Council of Rulers, Religious Affairs Minister Zulkifli Mohamad Al-Bakri said in a recent statement, amid concern among local Muslims that the shots could contain substances forbidden by Islam.

The use of vaccines to protect Muslims from fatal diseases was not unusual in Islamic law, the minister said.

He cited six instances between 1988 and 2013 when they were given to prevent infections from Hepatitis B to Meningitis Menveo.

The Special Muzakarah Committee of the

National Council for Malaysian Islamic Affairs, which met on December 3, is of the opinion that the Covid vaccine must be given to groups identified by the government, Zulkifli said.

“As such, I urge all Malaysians, especially Muslims, to abide by and give full trust to the government to manage the Covid-19 pandemic through the use of vaccines,” he said.

Malaysia is struggling to stem a fresh wave of cases that emerged in September.

Daily cases hit a record 2,234 on December 10, with the outbreak spreading to facilities of companies, including Top Glove Corp. and Karex Bhd., the world’s biggest maker of condoms.

Bloomberg News

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

Sports BusinessMirror

Friday-Sunday, January 1-3, 2021 A7

SHOW MUSTN’T ALWAYS GO ON

By Jim Litke

2

The Associated Press

020 reminded us that the show mustn’t always go on. Disrupted by the coronavirus, sports stopped cold three months in and then started up again in emptied-out stadiums, stumbling, skidding and finally staggering across the finish line—all the while shadowed by loss.

Celebrations were muted, crowd noise was piped-in and dozens of games were canceled at the last minute even as the sports industry hemorrhaged jobs. Facing increasingly long odds, some mega-events—the Olympics, March Madness, the Boston Marathon and Wimbledon—pushed the starting line into 2021. Those were hardly the only dislocations.

Kobe Bryant was killed in a helicopter crash in late January, and the toll of beloved figures we mourned kept mounting—Diego Maradona, Don Shula, John Thompson and Bob Gibson, among others—until Phil Niekro passed away two days after Christmas. But those moments of unity lasted only so long. Straining under the combined weight of a pandemic and a nationwide reckoning on race, the last few bricks in the wall between sports and politics crumbled and fans and athletes quickly chose sides—take Naomi Osaka, for one, who used her US Open-winning run to speak out on racial injustice.

Time will tell what was won or lost by playing on. Toronto Raptors Coach Nick Nurse experienced both, but wasn’t sure which memories would prove lasting. Easier to settle was what he missed most: everything that goes on around the games themselves.

“The ‘electricity’ in the streets on game day, the tremendous buzz in the city,” said Nurse, who won National Basketball Association (NBA) coach of the year honors, but saw his team’s chances to repeat as champions squashed by the Celtics in Game Six of the Eastern Conference semifinals. Technically that was a “home” game, but it was played in the nearly-empty NBA “bubble.”

“We certainly missed that [energy],” he added.

Stretched between public health concerns and a worsening economy, leagues and teams scrambled to innovate and return to play. With access to robust Covid-19 testing and deeper pockets than most businesses, some sports gathered players in isolated spots—like the NBA’s use of a sports complex at Walt Disney World in Florida—while others attempted to restore some semblance of home-and-away normalcy.

It worked for nearly all of them, but just barely. The Denver

THE Olympic rings for the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games are pulled on a barge by tugboats off the Odaiba Marine Park in Tokyo. AP

Broncos ran out of healthy quarterbacks at one point in the National Football League (NFL) season and the San Francisco 49ers called Arizona home as the coronavirus surged in California late in the season. Preparations to rush back college football and basketball games were so inconsistent from one program to the next, the schedules might as well have been written in invisible ink.

“We’re just plowing through this,” Duke Coach Mike Krzyzewski griped in early December.

“I know the NCAA is worried about the endgame,” he added, referring to plans for the lucrative 2021 NCAA tournament.

“They’re not as worried about the game we’re playing right now.”

Germany’s Bundesliga took advantage of their countrymen’s successful effort early in the pandemic and became the first big leaguers on either side of the Atlantic back on the pitch. Even less surprising, its perennial champion, Bayern Munich, beat PSG in the Champions League final, claiming the first major team sports title of the Covid-19 era.

“It was a difficult situation, playing without fans, without atmosphere in the stadium,” said Bayern scoring ace Robert Lewandowski.

“It wasn’t just the specific nature of football.

It was also in our private life. This was something new,” he added. “We didn’t want it, nobody did.”

Bayern players celebrated afterward like a team that won a rec league championship, not one of soccer’s grandest trophies. Whatever joy they felt—relief might be more accurate—was tempered knowing the 2020-21 season would kick off barely two weeks later.

Of course, not every champion or their fans celebrated that responsibly. After Liverpool ended a 30-year drought with an English Premier League title in June, some 2,000 fans gathered outside Anfield stadium and set off enough flares to turn the night sky red. Police made no attempt to disperse the crowd.

“It was mostly good-natured,” explained constable Rob Carden. He heaped even more praise on the “overwhelming majority of fans that recognized now is not the time to gather together to celebrate and chose to mark the event safely.”

Try telling that to Los Angeles Dodgers’ slugger Justin Turner. Pulled during the deciding game of the World Series because of a positive Covid-19 result, Turner ran back out on the field for the after-party, hugging teammates and posing for photos without a mask on.

He subsequently apologized, but defended his “mindset” in that moment: “Winning the World Series was my lifelong dream and the culmination of everything I worked for in my career.”

Now imagine just-as-hungry and evenyounger athletes winning one of the more

than 300 gold medals handed out, which is one reason why the Tokyo Olympic organizing committee took a pass on 2020. It marked the first time the Games, sports’ biggest global event, had been postponed or canceled for something other than war.

“It’s a bummer,” said teenage Swedish pole vault world record-holder Armand Duplantis. “But you have to understand the situation, understand that some things are a little bigger than sport.”

LeBron James said as much moments after he and the Los Angeles Lakers wrapped their hands around the NBA championship trophy.

James was one of the principals in a growing movement that saw athletes loudly and visibly pushing for social justice reforms like never before. He considered leaving the NBA bubble when the Milwaukee Bucks nearly shut down all of sports again in August by refusing to play a scheduled game after Jacob Blake, a 29-yearold Black man, was shot in the back by police in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

“We know we all want to see better days,” James said. “When we leave here, we got to continue to push that.... Continue to push [against] everything that’s the opposite of love.”

If only for a moment, the pandemic receded into the background.

“If we can continue to do that, all of us,” James concluded, “America would be a much better place.”

Bernal’s back injury starts to heal, thanks to rehab

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EGAN BERNAL: I’m feeling like a real cyclist again.

GAN BERNAL said he is now able to ride without pain three months after dropping out of the Tour de France because of a back injury.

The 2019 Tour champion riding for Ineos Grenadiers, interviewed during an event of the Ministry of Sports in Bolívar, however, said his 2021 calendar has not yet been decided.

Bernal had a strong start to the rescheduled 2020 road season after the Covid-19 cancellations, winning La Route d’Occitanie-La Dépêche du Midi and coming second in the Tour de l’Ain.

But his back problems hampered his participation in the Critérium du Dauphiné and then knocked him out of contention at the Tour de France. He abandoned the race after Stage 16.

“It is difficult to take stock of 2020, it has taught me and everyone in general a lot. I’m really looking forward to the start of 2021, trying to go step by step, little by little, with a super focused mind,” Bernal said.

Bernal said in October that it would take months of work in the gym to resolve his back pain which resulted from an imbalance in his legs and led to scoliosis in his spine.

Even with the departure of four-time Tour de France winner Chris Froome to Israel Start-Up Nation, the additions of Adam Yates, Richie Porte and Dani Martínez meant Bernal now has even more competition for Grand Tour leadership.

Pangalusian Island tops Presidential Gold Cup

P

ANGALUSIAN Island stole the thunder from the favorites—snuffing out Super Swerte in an exciting homestretch battle—to rule the 48th staging of the Philippine Racing Commission (Philracom) Presidential Gold Cup on Sunday at the San Lazaro Leisure Park (SLLP) in Carmona, Cavite.

A runner-up to Presidential Cup champion SuperSonic last year, Pangalusian Island waited to poured it all in the final stretch where the Wilbert Tan-owned four-year-old colt, ridden by jockey Mark A. Alvarez, overtook Super Swerte in the final 10 meters for the thrilling win.

Tan’s marching order was simple—don’t get ahead early and find a spot where Alvarez could maximize Pangalusian Island’s strength.

“This horse’s really for the sprint,” Tan said.

“We took it easy early on and as we reached the final quarter, we jumped out front.”

“It was full speed ahead when we got the opportunity to sneak in,” said Alvarez, who notched his second Presidential Gold Cup triumph after he steered Low Profile to victory way back in 2016.

Tan brought home P1.8 million and the handsome Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office-donated Presidential Gold Cup trophy, which newly appointed Philracom Chairman Reli de Leon described as the ultimate dream of every horseowner.

“This trophy is special, a unique Christmas gift,” he said.

Super Swerte, owned by Leonardo Javier, whose other horse defending champion SuperSonic placed fifth this time (P90,000), earned P675,000 as runner-up, while third placer Wonderland (PR Dilema) got P375,000 for owner Ken Logistics Forwarding.

Fourth-placer Boss Emong, ridden by jockey MM Gonzales, banked P150,000 for owner Edward Vincent Diokno.

Philracom bankrolled all of the prizes.

“I’m very thankful that there’s a big support from the racing public and, of course, from the racing community,” de Leon said. “We’re looking forward to bigger stakes races in the future or next year. Horse racing is still alive and I’m very thankful for that.”

Pangalusian Island, sired by Chancellor (USA) out of Dimples (AUS), clocked two minutes and 8.8 seconds with quarter times of 24, 24, 26, 26 and 28.

PHILIPPINE Racing Commission Chairman Reli de Leon (center) awards the Presidential Gold Cup trophy to Wilbert Tan (left), owner of Pangalusian Island. With them is Philracom Executive Director Andrew Rovie Buencamino.

His team still includes 2018 Tour de France winner Geraint Thomas, and 2020 and 2019 Giro d’Italia champions Tao Geoghegan Hart and Richard Carapaz.

Bernal said he hasn’t gotten a schedule for 2021 yet.

“I have nothing defined, everything will depend on the back injury,” he said. “The recovery is going well, but you have to keep your feet on the ground.”

“It depends on how it evolves. The inflammation has gone down and I can now pedal without pain, but everything will depend on how I go in the races, because they are totally different efforts. You have to be patient,” he added.

For now, Bernal said he is focused on recovery and “feeling like a real cyclist again.”

Cyclingnews

SEN. Manny Pacquiao wants to unite boxing and mixed martial arts fans all over the world.

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Fight gurus see nothing but fireworks in Pacquiao’s fight against McGregor

ETERAN Filipino martial artists Monsour del Rosario and Alvin Aguilar expect a thrilling and exciting super boxing bout between Sen. Manny Pacquiao and Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) superstar Conor McGregor next year in Dubai.

A taekwondo superstar since the mid 1980s, del Rosario believes the defending World Boxing Association welterweight champion Pacquiao would be facing a very durable McGregor, a two-weight division champion in mixed martial arts (MMA).

“Sen. Pacquiao always delivers an exciting fight every time he steps into the ring. McGregor is a UFC champion and is also a good striker. So I think it will be an exciting fight,” del Rosario added.

“I would love to see how McGregor will compare his experience with unbeaten Floyd Mayweather Jr. to Pacquiao,” he said. “I would like to hear from him ‘who’s the powerful puncher? Who’s the heavy-hitter and who’s the toughest opponent?’ So I think this will be an exciting bout.”

Aguilar, the Universal Reality Combat Championships (URCC) founder, said the 42-year-old Pacquiao would be fighting the Irish McGregor not only for himself but for his people.

“Sen. Pacquiao really loves to bring excitement to the Filipinos,” Aguilar, also the Wrestling Association of the Philippines president, said. “The senator has been proven to

be one of the most selfless and generous people in the world.”

“The more money he makes in an honest means, by the way ,which is a rarity nowadays, the better for a lot of people who he sincerely helps,” he said. “He is always blessed because he has a good heart and works harder than everyone else.”

“Senator MP [Manny Pacquiao] wants to unite all the boxing and MMA fans around the world in this upcoming fight,” said Jayke Joson, Pacquiao’s special assistant, assuring both the eight-division world champion and the notorious MMA fighter will come to fight and not run. “He [Pacquiao] is preparing for this fight a long time ago to satisfy all the fans.”

With both fighters possessing gifted worldclass striking power, their boxing bout looms as the most thrilling and most entertaining fight ever.

Pacquiao said he would donate a big portions of his purse from the McGregor fight to Filipinos affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Even Team Lakay’s coach and trainer Mark Sangiao believes Pacquiao is doing the right move by fighting McGregor.

“It is a good strategy for Pacquiao because everybody is craving to watch him fight again,” said Sangiao, who trains former One lightweight titleholder Eduard Folayang, strawweight champion Joshua Pacio and former bantamweight king Kevin Belingon.

‘MARCIAL HAS STRONG CHANCE’

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By Josef Ramos

OR boxing icon Manny Pacquiao, rising star Eumir Felix Marcial has a strong chance of winning for the country it’s first Olympic gold medal in the next year’s Tokyo Games.

“That kid is great and very talented. I know how his styles and the way he fights since from

the beginning,” the 42-year-old Pacquiao told BusinessMirror. “His chances are absolutely huge.

Yes, he has [a chance].”

Pacquiao said that the 25-year-old Zamboanga City pride is “durable, fast and a natural powerful puncher.”

Under Hall of Famer trainer Freddie Roach and strength and conditioning Coach Justin Fortune, Pacquiao said Marcial would absolutely blossom to an Olympic and professional champion.

Marcial showed his technical skills when he beat via unanimous decision American Andrew Whitfield in a non-title middleweight bout, the Filipino’s professional debut in Los Angeles, California just last December 16.

Pacquiao’s MP Promotions headed by its President Sean Gibbons signed Marcial to a six-year professional contract last July 16 with the intention of putting his Olympic campaign as priority.

Although the fighting senator didn’t say if he was impressed in Marcial’s pro debut, the eightdivision world champion just reminded the rising star to “keep on training hard and be smart.”

Bobby, Pacquiao’s younger brother and a former lightweight campaigner, agreed.

“He [Marcial] should keep training hard and he should always listen to his coach. He should also pray for his protection,” said the 40-year-old Pacquiao, now a party-list representative for OFW Family Club.

The younger Pacquiao (31-15-3 record with 16 knockouts) campaigned in the super bantamweight and lightweight divisions from 1997 to 2008.

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Friday-Sunday, January 1-3, 2021 • Editor: Gerard S. Ramos

BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Globe touts iPhone 12 offerings SIGNARAMA Philippines does not only make signages for stores like Healthy Options but also personalized face shields, as worn here by Jennylyn Mercado.

It’s all about signs T

HE largest sign and graphics company in the world, Signarama is represented in the Philippines by Wesley Que, whose father Willie Que bought the master franchise in the country.

Wesley worked as general manager in the family’s Signarama franchise when it started in 2014 and he took on the role of company president in 2018.

Wesley’s heart, from the start, has been for helping businesses grow through signs.

“In order to serve our customers better, be true to our vision of helping businesses grow, and reach more of those we haven’t reached before, we have decided to create sub-brands under the main one,” said Wesley.

Signarama Philippines now has three categories— Signarama Corporate, Signarama Home Business and Signarama Personalized. As the brand provides top-quality, worry-free and comprehensive sign solutions to customers, the target market’s range has grown to include interior designers.

The products have also diversified from building ID, graphics and displays. Signarama Philippines’s personalized face shields and pouches are worn by celebrities like Maine Mendoza, Alex Gonzaga, Jane de Leon, Moira dela Torre, Markki Stroem, Gretchen Ho, Jennylyn Mercado, and more.

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THE Motorola Razr 5G and Moto G 5G plus

As Signarama Philippines continues to thrive, it hopes to give back to others.

Wesley recently announced the launch of the company’s Quaranegosyo program in partnership with The Narrative. The program aims to help people who have been laid-off during the pandemic, those whose businesses have slowed down or stopped, and others who have started a business during this time.

Interested participants must have started their own business during the pandemic (validity begins April 2020) or experienced one of the following: retrenchment, job loss, reduced work schedule, or closing down of business.

To join, one must simply submit a testimonial video (maximum of three minutes) with the following elements to quaranegosyo@signarama.com: ■ Previous occupation/business ■ How it was affected by the pandemic ■ How it affected you and your family ■ Why you chose to start your business ■ How the business was conceptualized ■ Current state of business Deadline for submissions is January 31, 2021.

CONVERSATIONS ON TWITTER HERE is a list of what Twitter built this year to make it easier for Filipinos to spark, join, and follow conversations on the platform: SEND A FLEET. People go to Twitter to talk about what’s happening but speaking one’s mind can be intimidating when 280 characters feel very public and permanent. Twitter launched Fleets, which disappears after 24 hours, to help everyone feel more comfortable joining the public conversation. There are no Likes, Retweets, or Public Replies on Fleets, while replies only happen privately via Direct Message.

TWEET WITH YOUR VOICE. Over the years, photos, videos, GIFs, and extra characters have allowed

people to add their own flair and personality to conversations. But sometimes 280 characters are still not enough, and some conversational nuances are lost in translation. So, Twitter has been testing a new feature that will add a more human touch to the way we use Twitter: your very own voice.

CONTROL WHO CAN JOIN YOUR CONVERSATION. Your tweet equals your space, so Twitter launched new settings to give people more control over the conversations they start by choosing who can reply, so unwanted replies don’t get in the way of meaningful conversations. There are three options before you tweet: 1) everyone, which is standard Twitter and the default setting, 2) only people you follow, or 3) only people you mention.

FOLLOW OVER 5K TOPICS. Last year, Twitter launched Topics—so everyone can see the most relevant and interesting Tweets about what they care about and let the conversation come to them with a single tap. When you choose to follow a Topic, be it on sports, celebrities or even school subjects, tweets from a whole host of accounts that are experts, fans, or anyone who just talks about that thing a lot will appear on the timeline. Now, people can follow over 5,000 Topics with new Topics added every single week ranging from Astrology to Stocks.

SEE THE FULL CONVERSATION WITH QUOTE TWEETS. Tweets about a tweet also added to the conversation, so this feature was made even easier by showing all Quote Tweets in their own timeline in the tweet detail view. This is available on Twitter for iOS and Android as well as www.twitter.com globally.

READ BEFORE RETWEETING. This year, Twitter encouraged people to read an article before they tweet it. Hence, a prompt was made to help people do exactly that. With these reminders, people who retweet articles now open them 33 percent more often before sharing. ■

MUCH like any other new iPhone series, the arrival of the iPhone 12 has been hotly anticipated by fans worldwide including the Philippines. Now, the long wait is over and devotees can finally get their hands on the only phone they want, choosing from four new models: the iPhone 12, Mini, Pro, and Pro Max. While the revamped design, new color choices, and wireless charging system are all notable, the most exciting addition to the iPhone 12 is its 5G capability, which enables users to do more with their phones at the lightning-fast speeds that the cutting-edge technology affords.

With Globe’s continued expansion of its 5G services in Metro Manila, as well as key cities in Visayas and Mindanao, more users around the country can enjoy the countless enhanced experiences that the new iPhone offers in gaming, streaming, virtual reality, and more.

Get your hands on this much-awaited iPhone series by preordering it through Globe. Take your pick from among the iPhone 12, Mini, Pro, and Pro Max, and avail of special introductory pricing and your choice of payment options.

For a limited period, Globe will be offering the iPhone 12 series at lower cashouts. This means that you can get the iPhone 12 at just P900 per month with ThePLAN 1799 for 24 months lockup.

Customers also have the option to choose a longer lock-up with lower total cashouts and monthly payments. The iPhone 12 can be yours for as low as P450 per month if you are a new customer and P350 per month if you are a recontracting customer with ThePLAN 1799 through this lock-up option.

Available for both new and recontracting customers, you can also pay in fixed monthly installments for up to 36 months with zero percent interest using a BPI or HSBC credit card.

The telco is also offering special cash-out rates for customers who are ready to renew their postpaid plans, with discounts of up to P3,600 on the cashout if you’re on ThePLAN 1799 or higher, and if you choose the 36 months lock-up option. For example, with ThePLAN 1799, you can get your iPhone 12 64GB with a one-time cash out of P12,600, which you can spread throughout the 36-month contract period, charged to your bill.

Meanwhile, Globe Postpaid customers can avail of these plans from Globe Online Shop (glbe.co/iPhone12).

Globe Platinum customers, on the other hand, may preorder through their relationship managers.

Motorola makes a comeback

BY RIZAL RAOUL S. REYES BACKED by its parent company Lenovo, the Motorola brand returned to the Philippine mobile phone market in November with two new smartphone offerings—the Motorola Razr 5G and Moto G 5G plus.

Both devices come with many firsts as well as classic features that longtime Motorola fans know and love, including the iconic clamshell design of the early 2000s, now powered by the blazing-fast connection of 5G. “Lenovo and Motorola both recognize the need to constantly innovate in this industry. The iconic clamshell design of the original Razr was way ahead of its time and made Motorola not only one of the biggest tech brands globally but also a pop culture icon,” said Michael Ngan, Lenovo Philippines president and general manager in a press statement.

“With our vision of ‘Smarter Technology for All,’ we aim at delivering smarter devices through innovative designs that perfectly meet consumer needs. Combining Motorola’s rich history with Lenovo’s innovation, we can create a unique

smartphone experience that features only the latest technology that matters the most to our customers,” Ngan added.

Ngan said Motorola fans would be happy to know that the historic “flip” design of the Razr is back in the Motorola Razr 5G. He added the new hinge leaves no space in between when folded closed, making the phone as slim and compact as possible, providing more more protection against dust and debris. In addition, the hinge is designed again to flip open with just one hand and has enough sturdiness to stay firm while open.

Moreover, the hinge is also built to last. If the user flips the phone 100 times a day every day, it will take more than five years to reach 200,000 flips, which is just the baseline of the phone’s rigorous non-stop flip test.

While folded, Ngan said users can use the Razr 5G’s external 2.7-inch Quick View display that can now do more functions aside from just telling the time and notifying of incoming calls or messages.

With the phone’s Android 10 OS, users can swipe up to access the home screen, right to use the camera, or left to call contacts and run apps.

While holding the Razr 5G horizontally, films and videos come to life through the display’s CinemaVision technology which brings in 21:9 resolution quality, the same ultra-wide dimensions used in the film industry.

To cap it off, the Razr 5G comes with four antennas that allow a 5G connection that can download content in just a few seconds.

Powered by Qualcomm’s brand-new Snapdragon 765 processor, the Razr 5G provides powerful performance and incredible efficiency when it comes to browsing, streaming, or shopping online.

Meanwhile, the moto g 5G plus provide 5G for mid market. Priced at P16,990, the company said the device is the most affordable 5G-enabled smartphone in the Philippines, in line with Lenovo’s mission of providing smarter technology for all and delivering devices that provide access to better opportunities, greater connectivity, and the ability to overcome limitations.

Both the Motorola Razr 5G and Moto G 5G plus will be available in the Philippines in December 2020 in all major electronics stores and authorized Lenovo resellers.

BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Editor: Gerard S. Ramos

• Friday-Sunday, January 1-3, 2021

A9

Instagram’s redesign shi�ts toward shopping—here’s how that can be harmful

BY NAZANIN ANDALIBI | University of Michigan

R

ECENTLY, when I opened Instagram, I noticed that the usual spot for checking notifications is now a Shop tab. The Instagram blog post announcing the redesign said that the change will support small businesses and connect people with their favorite brands and creators.

This made me pause. As a researcher who studies social media, people and society, I’m concerned about the effects of surveillance capitalism. This includes social-media companies profiting from collecting user data, making algorithmic inferences about people’s preferences and using this information to target people with advertising.

Features like Instagram’s Shop tab facilitate surveillance capitalism, so it’s important to look at their consequences. Many people use Instagram to share their lives with other people, but the redesign is shifting the nature of the social-media platform toward online commerce. This shift opens people to highly targeted advertising and makes them vulnerable to advertising that exploits their emotional experiences.

SHIFT TO SHOPPING RESEARCH, including my own, shows that people use Instagram to record their big and mundane moments, find community, exchange social support, express identities and keep in touch with friends.

In 2017, colleagues and I showed how ad hoc communities form around the tag #depression on the platform, and how much of the discourse is to make sense of the experience of depression, record it, share it with others and exchange support with other people dealing with depression. I argued that it is important for the platform to recognize the value users find in these communities and support them, rather than ban or nudge them to go elsewhere, when they come to the platform to express themselves and build solidarity.

The notification button, represented as a heart icon, brings up a screen that indicates the interactions people have had with your Instagram presence—for example, who has liked your posts and comments.

It’s likely that the notification button was the most frequently clicked tab. When people interact with technology, they form habits. I am probably not the only one clicking the new Shop tab when I mean to click the notification button. It’s possible that the

POTENTIAL HARMS PEOPLE share all kinds of personal information on Instagram, such as mental health, physical health, traumatic events, pregnancy, loss, infertility, becoming new parents and getting married.

Social-media companies’ access to such sensitive information is a concern, for how the companies could exploit the information and the risk of third-party access to the data.

Instagram can use computational techniques to infer people’s affective states—their emotions and moods—based on many signals available to the platform. These include what content users view and

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post. There is substantial evidence that emotions and affective states play a key role in advertising.

While capitalizing on emotions and emotional personal experiences for profit is not unique to social media or algorithms, the data-driven, opaque and hyperpersonalized approaches boost the scale of potential harm.

Presumably, what people see in Instagram’s Shop is personalized based on what the platform’s recommendation algorithm determines they would like and be inclined to purchase. How does the inferred socioeconomic, gender, age, race and other attributes shape what the platform recommends to users in the Shop tab? What shops get to be recommended and visible? Instagram users can be as young as 13, the age required to open an account.

How does personalization work for children? How does this feature affect the experience of individuals with low socioeconomic status? What principles and values is the platform adhering to in designing these recommendation algorithms, Staff Picks and other means of presenting products?

A major consideration is when people get recommendations to purchase items during vulnerable moments. Sharing or seeking information about a difficult, personal experience on a socialmedia platform and then having the platform capitalize on an algorithmic understanding of the experience—which might or might not be accurate— is problematic.

What are the implications for impulsive buyers

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TV when it’s on, art when it’s off.

This Samsung 55” QLED 4K Flat Smart TV can hang like a real frame and display a beautiful artwork with its Art Mode feature to beautify your living space.

company did this simply to ensure that Instagram users encounter the new feature, but there are other ways to accomplish that.

By choosing to make the Shop tab central to its platform, Instagram is sending its users a message: This platform is a business, and interactions on this platform are going to be commodified.

Though some people may come to Instagram to find things to buy, many don’t. App designers can provide an unneeded feature and create a need for it over time. This is not without precedence in the context of social media and shopping. For example, when Facebook, which owns Instagram, relaunched Facebook Marketplace in 2016, the Marketplace product manager, Bowen Pan, said: “We show you the most relevant items for you, even if you don’t know what you want.”

THIS Harman JBL Partybox 310 is a perfect gift for music lovers. Features include bluetooth connectivity, 240 watts of powerful sound, and long battery life.

MAKE your laundry chores a breeze with this LG 10.5/7kg Frontload Inverter Fully Automatic Combi Washer Dryer with energy savings and LG ThinQ features.

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Gift of holiday cheer BRING gifts of holiday cheer, hope and inspiration to everyone with its latest and innovative products on offer at SM Appliance Center. With most of us spending more time at home, these make presents perfect for yourself or for your loved ones.

You’ll be amazed how TV becomes art with Samsung’s The Frame TV. It has an Art Mode with over 1,200 pieces of art with a customizable frame of your choice. It’s TV when it’s on, art when it’s off.

There are also rechargeable JBL Party Box speakers with fabulous sound and dazzling lights to enjoy all your favorite music wirelessly while at home.

Refresh and renew the air in your living spaces

while saving energy inverter window and split type air conditioners from Hitachi and Carrier.

Get your kitchen holiday-ready with energy saving LG Inverter Side by Side Refrigerators to keep your foods always fresh and crisp; as well as high performance La Germania Ovens that help make cooking your family’s favorite meals healthier, faster and more convenient.

SM Appliance Center also has LG all-in-one washer-and-dryer combo washing machines by which you can remotely operate your laundry and download additional cycyles with its LG ThinQ features.

When consumers shop at SM Appliance Center, they not get a great selection of brands, but also the chance to bring home appliances in its Libreng Appliances Araw Araw promotion.

Ongoing until January 15, 2021, every P1000 purchase at any SM Appliance Center branches or via its online channel (www.smappliance.com) entitles one to an electronic raffle entry (single receipt) and a chance to win exciting prizes during the raffle draws.

Prizes at stake are Samsung appliances grand prizes which include 75” 8k QLED TV, 1.5 hp Premium Inverter Wind Free Plus Aircon, 24.7 cu.ft. Side by Side Refrigerator, and 6.5 kg Frontload Washer.

who may turn to Instagram as a space for community and peer support to resist impulsive purchasing, but who are instead confronted with things to purchase and have no way of opting out? How about for someone who is on the platform to find support while coping with a substance use disorder, but instead encounters recommendations to purchase items related to drinking? What happens if a person posting about experiences with pregnancy loss begins seeing ads for baby clothes? This last scenario has happened.

In recent and upcoming studies, I observed that, to varying degrees, people find social-media platforms capitalizing on their personal, intimate experiences— especially those associated with negative emotions— manipulative and harmful. Social-media platform designers and decision-makers should consider ways to address potential harms preemptively rather than retroactively.

The Instagram blog post announcing the Shop feature states that there are marketers and influencers on the platform and young people who want to purchase the same products their favorite creators use. This might be a need for some Instagram users, but not all. If Instagram is determined to emphasize shopping, and if opting in is not possible, I believe the company should allow users to opt out of the Shop feature.

LOSING PERSONAL CONNECTIONS RECENT research has shown that people share less and less personal information on Facebook, which has had its Marketplace feature since 2016, and use platforms like Instagram to engage in more personal, intimate discourse. This is due in part to site features and whom people are connected to on each platform. By moving away from a focus on people and their connections, and by commodifying and potentially manipulating users to purchase items on the platform, Instagram could go down the road that Facebook did—fewer personal connections and less personal, meaningful content.

Instagram’s website states that it is “bringing you closer to the people and things you love.” But people and things are different phenomena, and the ways people feel closer to each other are different from the ways they are drawn to things, businesses and brands.

By wanting to do both, or perhaps by using the former to benefit the latter, the company may be missing the mark on how to bring people closer together.

THE CONVERSATION

FACEBOOK CRITICIZES APPLE PRIVACY POLICY IN NEWSPAPER ADS FACEBOOK is again pushing back on new Apple privacy rules for its mobile devices, this time saying in full page newspaper ads that the social-media giant is standing up for small businesses. In ads that ran in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal and other national newspapers on Wednesday, Facebook said Apple’s new rules “limit businesses’ ability to run personalized ads and reach their customers effectively.”

“While limiting how personalized ads can be used does impact larger companies like us, these changes will be devastating to small businesses adding to the many challenges they face right now,” the ad states.

Apple brushed aside Facebook’s attacks, saying that that it isn’t preventing people from being tracked if they so desire. The main change is that people will have to grant their permission before Facebook and other apps will be able to monitor their online activities.

“We believe that this is a simple matter of standing up for our users,” Apple said. “Users should know when their data is being collected and shared across other apps and web sites—and they should have the choice to allow that or not.” The ads come after Apple said earlier this week it would begun spelling out what kinds of personal information is being collected by the digital services displayed in its app stores for iPhones and other products made by the trendsetting company.

Apple also has plans to impose a new mandate that will require all iPhone apps to obtain permission before tracking a person’s activities on the device. That surveillance is currently done automatically by many apps, and would force people to go to the time and trouble to block the tracking in the settings of each app. Apple says it will oust apps from its stores if they try to bypass the new anti-tracking rule when it becomes effective next year.

In many instances, the data scooped up by apps is used to sell ads targeted at a particular person’s interest and location, especially if their services are being offered for free. Apple announced the changes were coming six months ago as part of an effort to help its customers gain a better understanding of how apps monitor their habits, tastes and whereabouts. At the time Facebook complained that the changes would hurt businesses’ ability to personalize ads. AP

A10 Friday-Sunday, January 1-3, 2021 • Editor: Angel R. Calso

Opinion BusinessMirror

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editorial

Lessons we learned from this pandemic

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he Covid-19 pandemic has demonstrated the vulnerability of the world’s most powerful countries after it decimated the notions of invincibility that once surrounded them. Countries that wield global influence by means of economic, military, or technological strength proved no match to the coronavirus nightmare. So, what is the most important lesson we can learn from the Covid-19 pandemic?

United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) posed the question on Young Reporters, and here’s how they shed light on the lessons they have learned during the Covid-19 pandemic: Eva Hadzipetrova, a 15-year-old Unicef Young Reporter, said there is no rainbow without rain. She said: “I’ve been thinking a lot—what is it that will come out of all this? Equality! This situation has shown us that we are all the same regardless of our religion, culture, customs, whether we are poor or rich. The virus simply does not choose. It connected us in a way; it showed us that we should all stick together. It reminded us who we are.

Maybe the world will finally change. We do not live without relationships and we should never forget that. Sharing is caring. Sometimes we need to remember how important kindness is. We need to remember that we have been given a gift called life and that we should appreciate it. Everything can end tomorrow. Focus on what is important to us. When all this is over, the Earth will continue to spin, and life will flow again. The question is whether by then we will have learned our lesson. Let us be mindful of our Earth and it will be kind to us. There is no rainbow without rain. Remember that.”

Maria Mitrikeska, also a 15-year-old Unicef Young Reporter, said: “There is an old saying ‘there is good in every evil’ that I will now use as a tiny consolation in this difficult, unexpected time. As a young teenager, I believe it is hard dealing with this situation, and to everyone who is reading this and feeling helpless, I just want to tell you that you are not alone, and it will be better! I am aware of everything that has been taken away from us due to this situation, of all the unrealized plans, be it birthdays, travels, weddings...and sadly, we cannot do anything about it. But we are not powerless! On the contrary, it is all of us together that can make the world a better place. If each of us respects the measures imposed by authorities, the situation will get better and it will pass much faster than expected.”

Branislav Maksimovski, another 15-year-old Unicef Young Reporter, said: “It’ll take just a little patience and support for us to master this crisis, but together can we do it. We only need to respect the recommendations and measures issued by the state, to protect ourselves, the people closest to us, and others who live in our community. We all know that it is not easy to stay at home but taking a break to stop and reflect has its own virtues. I know that is not easy for us, I know it’s not easy for those lying in the hospital, I know it’s not easy for those who lost someone. Life takes us in different directions. That’s why it’s important to live the moment, without thinking of the past or the future. I sit at home, do my school assignments, go out on the balcony, have tea or coffee, and listen to good music. I can’t count all the activities I do to stay positive. It matters to me that my brother, my parents and grandparents are safe and for them I do my best. This situation has taught me many things. It taught me to love, to listen, to care, to respect and to help.”

It’s wonderful to see how these Unicef Young Reporters can see positive things around them amid the pandemic. Like them, we should remain positive, appreciate what we have and enjoy life at home. We should remember that we learn the best lessons in life during hard times and when we make mistakes. The pandemic will end sooner than expected. That thought alone should cheer us up.

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by brown Susan V. Ople headsPrinted the Blas F. Ople madonna Press, Inc.–Sun Valley Drive KM-15, South Superhighway, Parañaque, Metro Manila y Center and Training Institute, a profit organization that deals withMEMBER OF r and migration issues. She also esents the OFW sector in the Interncy Council Against Trafficking.

A budget for recovery Sonny M. Angara

Better Days

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ll of Congress saw the urgency of approving the 2021 national budget on time. After all, too much was at stake. The economy needs to bounce back after its historic slump in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic and any delay in the budget’s passage would be akin to throwing a monkey wrench in the recovery process.

With this sense of urgency, the budget measure was transmitted to Malacañang on schedule, giving them enough time to go over the voluminous document. Thankfully, President Duterte and the hardworking people at the Department of Budget and Management and the Office of the President worked through the Christmas break to review the budget, prepare the final document, and have it signed before the year ended.

The 2021 spending plan amounts to P4.5 trillion. And it is historic, mainly because of the unprecedented humanitarian challenges to which it aims to respond.

Even after going through the giveand-take of the legislative mill, the original intent remained intact— to improve our Covid-19 pandemic response; assist those stricken not only by calamity, but also poverty, hunger, disease, and joblessness; and ultimately jumpstart the coun-

try’s recovery.

As the first Covid-19 vaccines are already being administered around the world, up to P72.5 billion will be available for a national immunization program. In fact, with the expected enactment of the extension of the appropriations under the Bayanihan to Recover As One Act (RA 11494), the Philippine government would be authorized to spend up to P82.5 billion to purchase, store, distribute, and administer Covid-19 vaccines in 2021.

We must remain vigilant though while waiting for the vaccines. This is why the 2021 budget includes up to P500 million under the Department of Interior and Local Government for contact tracing operations, which is essential to monitoring, managing, and preventing the spread of the virus. Significant funds were also appropriated for the Department of Health (DOH) to purchase more

Covid-19 test kits, reagents, supplies, and viral transport and preservation systems.

Steps shall also be taken to address the infirmities in our healthcare system. In fact, the entire health sector—which includes the DOH, PhilHealth, and different hospitals and public healthcare providers— will be appropriated up to P287.472 billion, representing the third highest sectoral outlay behind only infrastructure and education.

The 2021 national budget will also ensure that assistance is provided to any Filipino who may need it. For instance, a bigger appropriation for the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Fund was approved—from P16 billion in 2020 to P20 billion in 2021—to empower the government to respond and save more lives in the face of natural disasters.

If this amount is added to the quick response funds or QRFs of different government agencies (totaling roughly P6.37 billion) and portions of the assistance to local government units or ALGU (worth P4.5 billion), then a little more than P30 billion has been set aside in next year’s budget for disaster response, recovery, and rehabilitation—or in short, keeping our people safe.

Meanwhile, many of our kababayans are still recovering from the loss of livelihood due to the pandemic. Hence, under the Department of Labor and Employment, up to P19.036 billion will be allocated for its Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating

Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers, which targets the informal sector, and nearly P500 million for the adjustment measures program, which is for displaced formal employees.

Meanwhile, the Emergency Repatriation Fund, which the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration uses to assist retrenched overseas Filipino workers, shall amount to P6.192 billion next year.

Hinging on the hope that more of the economy will be opened up as 2021 unfolds, the national budget shall also provide much-needed stimulus to restart our economy. For instance, the Department of Public Works and Highways shall receive around P695 billion in a bid to refresh the administration’s push for infrastructure.

Then in a bid to further facilitate the digital transformation of the country, the National Broadband Program and the Free WiFi in Public Places program under the Department of Information and Communications Technology were appropriated P1.858 billion and P3.225 billion, respectively.

These are but some of the big ticket items in the national budget, which we believe charts a path for the country out of the tragedy of 2020.

Sen. Sonny Angara has been in public service for 16 years—nine years as Representative of the Lone District of Aurora, and seven as Senator. He has authored and sponsored more than 200 laws. He is currently serving his second term in the Senate.

E-mail: sensonnyangara@yahoo.com| Facebook, Twitter & Instagram: @sonnyangara

Covid has transformed the psychology of ambition

By Anjani Trivedi | Bloomberg Opinion

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British banker and mother of two who has lived in Hong Kong since 2008 recently told me that “push factors are adding up” and she’s “close to the point” of taking the risk of relocating to Europe for the sake of her eight-year-old daughter’s well-being after a year of schooling disruptions. Welcome to the Covid-19 reset.

This year has thrown into question, on a personal level, the longterm expatriate lifestyle made possible by being able to hop on and off a plane. With coronavirus risks, restrictions and quarantines, living abroad isn’t so easy anymore. Many global nomads are heading home—or at least, thinking about it, exchanging often glamorous lifestyles for getting back to basics. For the banker and her partner, the upheaval of 2020 has meant an end to frequent work trips around Asia, vacations home to see family, and quick long weekends to Bali and Singapore. Now, getting out involves an excursion in the hills and woods of Hong Kong’s New Territories—more of a mental journey than a physical one.

Making the full repatriation leap may mean trading high-rise living for suburban houses with yards. Even if

families stay abroad, the changes of being grounded—from racking up air miles to spending air-time with kids, shifting from Michelin-starred restaurants to quarantined home cooking—has led to reassessment of what’s important. Catchups by telephone, FaceTime and Zoom with loved ones became more meaningful. That glass of wine on the couch at the end of the day has been worth more than happy hours and fancy cocktails.

A key factor is rejigging the psychology of ambition. When given the right external conditions, people are willing to reach for all sorts of opportunities and experiences, and pay the price (not just monetary) to achieve them. For many expats, the seismic shift around the world this year has forced a reassessment: What’s all this globetrotting really worth, and to what end? What once felt like an

adventure now seems like alienation.

The benefits of normalcy seem far greater: frequently visiting grandparents, family Christmas lunches, and a weekend in the park. Much of that comes down to simply having more time and fewer options. Like everywhere, some former high-flyers have lost their jobs and face hard choices. In places like Hong Kong, seeing your kids head off to school each day has been replaced by a turmoil of classroom closures and homelearning. Families find themselves piled on top of each other in small apartments. The benefits of even a 50-square-foot garden and open playgrounds feel far more appealing.

Research shows that quality of life is partly a function of the emotional relationship between an individual and environment. This has changed drastically with social distancing rules, shuttered restaurants, and the inability to plan the looking-forwardto aspects of life. Think, Groundhog Day. Historian Frank M. Snowden, author of “Epidemics and Society: From the Black Death to the Present,” said in a New Yorker interview that epidemics “hold up the mirror to human beings as to who we really are”

and “reflect our relationships with the environment,” both built and natural.

Varying degrees of lockdown change environments and our appreciation of what’s around us. Conversations in bubbled existences seem slower and revolve around the little things in life. There’s more admiration for people doing the jobs that are suddenly far more risky—not just doctors and nurses, but trash collectors, security guards, and the checker at the grocery store. With gyms closed and no regular commute, time outdoors seems precious.

This experience isn’t limited to expats. Around 90 percent of Americans say the pandemic has been “a good time to reflect on what’s important to them,” according to a survey.

Eight of 10 expect to have changed for the better on the other side of Covid-19. More than 90 percent are turning to wellness, and such behaviors are likely to stick. People are getting in touch with their goals.

Of course, everywhere, the disruption has strained mental health with increased stress and anxiety. Loneliness is more widespread.

Covid-19 will likely accelerate See “Covid,” A11

Opinion BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Coming & going home: 2020/2021

Manuel A. Roxas–The great son of Capiz Manny F. Dooc

TELLTALES

Tito Genova Valiente

annotations

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y the last month of 2019, the forecast for the coming year, 2020, had already been released. The diviners whose marketing skills had become more elegant than their foretelling abilities had assured and reassured their clients that the year about to be with us would bring in fortune and good fate.

There were warnings. What is a forecast without the shadow of ill omen? And yet it was precisely on the doomday aspect of prediction that the soothsayers built their armors of defenses—metal gadgets that could dissuade and persuade the hidden forces around us to change course in our favor or to follow a course that would be good for us. For us poor worshippers at the shrine of fortune telling, there were the plastic versions of these devices—inferior simulacra—but “potent enough,” the soothsayer with a studied shiver, and in call-center English, whispered to the ears of the desperate and the merely curious.

But we know what happened some two months into 2020. The world was placed in a lockdown.

The divination was not divine enough. The geomancy or earth magic now available in malls and beauty parlors proved ineffectual before a virus. Something unseen was threatening the seen. How could we miss that?

With the big cities closed, residents who were migrants opted to go home to the province. This was an impulse that did not belong to the present dispensation. In songs, poems and memories, the province or countryside was the pristine place—the rivers clean, the trees and grasses greener, the food fresh and abundant. Forgetfulness preyed upon us because presently provinces had been the seat of poverty, where the employment was scarce and the opportunities limited.

But to home we did go.

Then came the truth: the provinces—the towns and villages—did not want us who travelled from the cities. When before we were bearers of gifts and tidings, we became carriers of infection. We had to be isolated, checked, and numbered.

Announcements online tracked people through mobile phone numbers divulged by either their friends or families. When “caught,” many were placed in quarantine areas situated outside cities and towns.

Those who did not manifest symptoms were allowed to go home and ordered to follow health protocols in distancing and avoidance. In some places, a rectangular tarp were hanged outside the gate of the home where a person or persons were quarantined.

At a certain point, I wanted to go home to my birthplace. This was the town of San Fernando, Ticao Island.

I wanted the seclusion. Called “isla” by those who lived on the mainland Masbate (also an island), Ticao had always been viewed as different and distant.

My brother, Manong Pempe, who was a young activist when martial law was declared in 1972 had to travel to San Fernando and there waited for a few days to see what would be happening in the country.

He recalled how he was welcomed warmly by everyone—from the mayor to the policemen. Kinship went above politics. But that was a long time ago.

Covid. . .

continued from A10

an ongoing change in the globalized work force. Cities hosting large expatriate populations like Hong Kong and Singapore rank among the world’s most expensive. If individu-

How would the New Year come upon me if I were on the island of my birth? Would the magic of another year dawning, itself an enchantment, be enough for me to see the past again, the home free of any virus that the world did not know would kill millions?

In April of 2020, the people of Ticao were guarding, it was told, the islands. There were no real boundaries unless you think of the wide expanse of the sea and the seashore. Every outsider was viewed with caution.

I gave up on my plan to be there, to stay for months, even to teach in any local school.

There was also something I could not just tell anyone about my wish to escape the lockdown by going to a small island: I wanted to explore the enchantment of the place once more.

I believe in enchantment in that I believe in the many unseen forces in our lives. I believe also that if I went back to the wellspring of all my memories, I could be free of the anxieties of any kind of affliction.

Memories being unseen are like all enchanting elements that are also unseen, but felt and could be summoned.

How would the New Year come upon me if I were on the island of my birth? Would the magic of another year dawning, itself an enchantment, be enough for me to see the past again, the home free of any virus that the world did not know would kill millions?

Death is, by the way, also an enchantment, as Life, the most regular, is.

Weeks before the end of this December, news from the island came online. It was about the killing of some five or seven men and women.

As with news like this, the tendency was to look for who to blame. The suspects had always something to do with the left, the right, the center.

The body killed or mutilated could be attributed to a point in ideological space.

We had to find the perpetrator or the world would not go on. That is the essence of loss.

It is several days before the New Year. I am at home in Naga, my place of isolation where each day I, like the rest of the Filipinos, wonder if the virus would catch me. Already, a good friend is in the government hospital.

His wife is there. Their home has been marked. A mutated version is troubling the world. Except for scientists and people looking through powerful instruments, we do not see this plague. It holds no form; it assumes no shape. We see it in survival, as well as in deaths.

Soon, a new year will be upon us. Soon, we will be enchanted once more by the idea that the world has aged another year, and we are still breathing.

E-mail: titovaliente@yahoo.com

als now feel that what they’re getting out of their overseas adventure is too pricey, the companies paying for it have been reassessing for some time. Low tax rates in some jurisdictions may not be enough. Corporate outposts often can’t be justified anymore in places like Hong Kong, where retail is cratering, or in parts

Friday-Sunday, January 1-3, 2021 A11

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he name Roxas no longer enjoys its luster, almost three quarters of a century after the patriarch of the political family occupied Malacañang in 1946. After the 2nd World War, Manuel Acuña Roxas was at the zenith of his political power. He founded and organized the Liberal Party (LP), the political vehicle that catapulted him to the presidency of our country.

In a convention held on January 19, 1946 in Santa Ana Cabaret, attended by more than 3,000 delegates, Roxas was unanimously proclaimed as the standard bearer of the party, with Senator Elpidio Quirino as the vice-presidential bet.

Roxas’ acceptance speech was an oratorical masterpiece, which sent his supporters into orbit. The LP steamrollered the ruling Nacionalista Party bannered by the Grand Old Man of Cebu, President Sergio Osmeña Sr. Osmeña’s running mate, Senator Eulogio Rodriguez, also lost.

The name Roxas spelled magic at the polls and he carried his partymates to victory around the country. The LP became the dominant political party staying in power for the next eight years. Roxas briefly served as the 3rd and last President of the Philippine Commonwealth, which ended with the promulgation of Philippine Independence on July 4, 1946. Then he served as the first President of the 3rd Philippine Republic after we gained our independence from the US. Before that, Roxas served as Speaker of the House of Representatives and Senate President. Despite his significant accomplishments, I doubt if anyone outside his family and his home province of Capiz still remembers Roxas on his 128h birthday anniversary.

Roxas was born on New Year’s

Day of 1892 in Capiz to Gerardo Roxas and Rosario Acuña. Roxas was married to Trinidad de Leon of Bulacan. He had a son, Gerardo, and a daughter, Ruby. Gerardo served as Representative of Capiz and later as a Senator of the Philippines. He was President Diosdado P. Macapagal’s running mate in the 1965 presidential election, but he narrowly lost to Fernando Lopez by a slim margin of 26,724 votes. Roxas’ two grandsons, Gerardo (Dinggoy) and Manuel (Mar) both entered politics. Dinggoy died while serving in Congress representing Capiz. Mar eventually succeeded him in office and later was elected Senator. He also served in the cabinets of Presidents Joseph Estrada, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and Noynoy Aquino.

Mar had an unsuccessful run for the presidency where he only came up second to President Duterte in 2016. Three successive generations of Roxas had played prominent roles in our government spanning over a century of public service. They all stood for clean and honest government, preserving their good name untarnished by personal corruption and political greed. In 1923, the progenitor of the political family, Speaker Roxas resigned from his powerful post as a member of the council of state to lead the protest against US Governor General Leon-

Roxas died on April 15, 1948 at the age of 56. He suffered a heart attack after delivering a fiery speech before the US 13th Air Force in Clark Field, Pampanga where he correctly sensed the winds of war blowing in China, in Korea and in Eastern Europe: “If war should come, I am certain of one thing...and it is this...the Americans and the Filipinos will be found on the same side and will again fight side by side in the same trenches or in the air in defense of justice, of freedom, and the other principles which we both love and cherish.”

ard Wood’s action in handling the so-called Conley case. Ray Conley was an American secret service detective who was accused of bribery and other charges but was cleared and reinstated into service by Wood.

Roxas was joined by the Filipinos in Wood’s Cabinet who resigned en masse thereby creating a “cabinet crisis” in the Philippine government at that time. When Wood accepted Roxas’ resignation, he was reported to have declared: “I was removed from my position but fell into the hands of our people.” Similarly, his grandson and namesake Mar left as the Secretary of Trade and Industry under President Erap Estrada in the wake of the jueteng scandal, which ultimately ended with the ouster of Erap from Malacañang. A fruit doesn’t fall far from the tree.

After liberation, many important decisions fell into the hands of General Douglas MacArthur, an imperious man dubbed the American Caesar.

He regarded Osmeña as too slow and deliberative. The main problems facing the country were rehabilitation, reconstruction and the issue of collaboration. What the nation needed was a younger, bold leader and a man

of action. In the eyes of many Filipinos, Roxas was that person. He was acclaimed as the man of the hour and the ideal person needed to lead the country’s recovery from the rubbles of the war. Roxas declared his candidacy for the presidency and with MacArthur, High Commissioner Paul McNutt and Quezon’s widow, Aurora Aragon Quezon, behind him, Roxas enjoyed a decisive advantage over Osmeña. When Roxas was elected president, he resolved the issue of collaboration by proclaiming amnesty to all political prisoners. It was a great move to heal our divided nation and to acknowledge the sacrifices of our leaders led by Jose P. Laurel who served under the Japanese puppet government to protect the interests of the Filipinos and lessen the impact of Japanese occupation. They were patriots who got their vindication directly from their countrymen who elected them overwhelmingly in public office in the elections following the war. He also declared a general amnesty of those guerillas who killed in pursuance of their objectives to defeat the enemy. In his proclamation, he announced that: “It is not only unjust but most ungrateful on the part of our Republic to allow these brave and patriotic men to be subjected to the indignity of a criminal prosecution for acts which they committed…to resist the enemy and to help in winning the war.”

Roxas died on April 15, 1948 at the age of 56. He suffered a heart attack after delivering a fiery speech before the US 13th Air Force in Clark Field, Pampanga where he correctly sensed the winds of war blowing in China, in Korea and in Eastern Europe: “If war should come, I am certain of one thing… and it is this...the Americans and the Filipinos will be found on the same side and will again fight side by side in the same trenches or in the air in defense of justice, of freedom, and the other principles which we both love and cherish.”

China shows Jack Ma what an activist can do

By Shuli Ren | Bloomberg Opinion

The other side of the coin is that billions of dollars in paper gains can be made and destroyed within days thanks to regulatory whims. Here, Jack Ma’s Ant Group Co. is a cautionary tale.

On Sunday, China’s central bank released a statement saying that Ant has “little legal awareness,” “despised” regulators’ compliance requirements and engaged in antitrust behavior. Ant needs to go back to its core payment business, the People’s Bank of China said.

In the first two trading days since then, Alibaba Group Holding Ltd., which owns roughly one-third of Ant, lost over 15 percent of its market value. Even before the PBOC’s interference into Ant’s business models on Sunday, Alibaba’s shares were whacked on Christmas Eve by a terse, one-sentence announcement from Beijing about probing the company’s anti-trust behavior on Christmas Eve. Alibaba’s Hong Kong-listed shares are entering the year-end just 1.4 percent away from being in the red.

That’s a further blow to Ma, whose blunt words, likening China’s finan-

cial system to pawnshops, cost him the world’s biggest initial public offering in early November. Ant had been on track to raise $35 billion, with a valuation of more than $300 billion, until regulators pulled it two days before its trading debut.

The company’s digital-payment business has become commoditized.

The newer, faster growing consumerlending operation, which the PBOC now seeks to limit, is Ant’s high-margin cash cow. So even if the company can somehow regain Beijing’s favor and look to go public again, its valuation will be questioned. Ant will no longer be China’s MasterCard, but merely its PayPal, which has a lower market value.

As a longtime observer of Ant, I have often marveled that it ventured to become a public company at all, because it operates in such treacherous regulatory waters. In July, my colleague Anjani Trivedi and I wrote that its IPO would run the risk of exposing how volatile and unsteady China’s financial regulations can be.

A blockbuster listing felt almost too good to be true.

This isn’t the first time Ant has

had a run-in with regulators. The PBOC noticed its flawed lending model as early as 2017. Back then, Ant was packaging consumer loans into asset-backed securities and selling them to institutional investors—often banks. The central bank, worried about the underlying quality of securitized products—which had collapsed Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc.—called a halt to that practice.

So Ant found another way to build its business.

Currently, Ant connects banks with consumers, and almost all of the loans it originates sit only on banks’ balance sheets. With China being one of the most indebted nations in the world—its debt-to-GDP ratio is edging close to 300 percent—the PBOC is justifiably worried about bad loans.

By asking Ant to put in a capital buffer itself, as Sunday’s statement implies, the central bank is essentially telling Ma not to get too clever.

But why is the PBOC making this public statement now? If only it had published a vaguely worded warning three months earlier, investors and bankers wouldn’t have whipped up such frenzy over Ant’s IPO and come out this disappointed.

The fact is, the PBOC does see problems, but often lacks the political capital to do anything about them.

Consider the backdrop. Ant first sought a dual listing in July, when China’s tech stocks were staging a bull run, even as the economy struggled to recover from the Covid-19 lockdown. Back then, Beijing was fast-tracking unicorn IPOs, hopeful that a tech infrastructure build-out

of Southeast Asia, where prospects for an uptick are dim. Nor is the world of finance still a sure thing. Hedge fund launches are down, while private equity fundraising fell. Banks are dealing with their own share of troubles, like Brexit. The tougher choices are for everybody.

Families dividing up in different

locations is becoming more common. For some, this means living in the suburban outskirts, or further, of their home countries with partners commuting each week into the city. For others, dependents have returned home while the breadwinner remains overseas, with visits severely limited. When and where

vaccines become available may ease these separations. The bankermom’s daughter had an end-of-year classroom Zoom celebration. The children lit a candle and were asked what they were most grateful for, in this most challenging year. Her daughter said being with friends in school and looking forward to being

T

he rare activist moment staged by China’s central bank was too late and too crude.

For years, when it came to innovative business ideas, Beijing’s stance has been to let them flourish—there would always be room to regulate and rein things in later. And thus gig economy superstars blossomed. China’s version of Uber Technologies Inc., DoorDash Inc. and PayPal Holdings Inc. are even more ubiquitous than their US counterparts at home.

could stimulate growth. Granted, the PBOC stepped back from openmarket operations as early as June, worried that earlier rounds of easing would spur speculative bubbles, but bureaucrats bit their tongues on Ant. President Xi Jinping didn’t want to hear about risk control then.

Fast forward to December. China’s economy has recovered, and curtailing debt once again tops Beijing’s economic agenda. The 67-yearold Xi, who is virtually president for life, always wanted to deleverage China, because he doesn’t want a Minsky Moment to blow up during his lifetime. He started that campaign in late 2017—around the time the PBOC halted Ant’s securitization of its microloans—but got derailed by Donald Trump’s trade war and Covid-19. Now that both hurdles are gone, the risk managers at the PBOC have found their voice.

Of course, it should come as no surprise that China’s central bank lacks independence. But that trait matters to global investors, who have piled into China this year because it’s the only major economy growing in the pandemic era. Ant is a good reminder that Beijing’s politics matter. A vaguely worded statement after years of inaction can wipe out billions of dollars in a blink. Ma’s fiasco has turned into a farce, just as ESG investing turned a corner and became a major trend this year. For all the big investment houses rushing to enter China, it’s perhaps time to step back and ask: is the country really ready for the global stage?

with her whole family at Christmas.

Her father had been in Europe for a while, unable to easily enter and exit Hong Kong due to quarantine restrictions. “The simple things in life are the ones that mean the most to kids,” the mother said. That’s true for most of us—whether we go back to our tinseled pre-virus lives or not.

Motoring Here comes Team Changan BusinessMirror

Editor: Tet Andolong

A12 Friday-Sunday, January 1-3, 2021

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Story & photos by Randy S. Peregrino

HANGAN Motor Philippines Inc. (CMPI), the official distributor of Changan vehicles in the Philippines, may have silently entered the local market in late 2020.

Meet team Changan—the Alsvin, CS35 Plus, CS75 Plus, and CS95 Plus

The CS75 Plus is one sporty-looking crossover

Still, the new player is determined to get a slice of the pie. Changan’s roster of models targets the industry’s myriad of sought-after vehicle segments. Interestingly, the price points are for that value-for-money everyone is looking for in a vehicle.

CMPI recently hosted a day tour event at The Farm in Batangas to present their models in the metal.

Aside from following strict health safety protocols, every member of the media has undergone Antigen Nasal Swab Test to ensure all guests entering the resort premise is COVID-free.

CS75 Plus

Since the event was a mini drive event, CMPI assigned a specific model per media to converge at the resort. We were fortunate enough

to have tested the sporty CS 75 Plus compact crossover. Tapped to compete with the likes of CR-V, RAV4, and Tucson, among others, this crossover is heavily-loaded with tech features to stir up the competition. Let alone the looks inside and out, exuding vibrance and sportiness.

Unmistakably, the aura is reminiscent of a Japanese luxury model in the same segment. Its pronounced front grille, keen-looking headlamps, along fog lamp dome outlines alone are already captivating. Looking at it entirely, one would agree that everything is on point. Inside is equally refreshing. Let alone its two-tone color motif giving that vibrant vibe.

Highlighted inside is the impressive and seemingly united high-tech instrument screen panel and 12-inch touchscreen display infotainment—

A new ‘variant’ plus the Yaris & Skyway 3

S

UDDENLY, the coronavirus, which has already inflicted so much havoc on the car industry the past 10 months or so, sales-wise that is, has also invaded, trespassed into, the motorworld’s lexicon.

Whereas before when we generally associate the word “variant” only to a model of a vehicle, not anymore.

Scientists now call a new strain of the Covid-19 as also a “variant.”

First found in early December in the United Kingdom, the virus variant has sped to faraway South Africa before it travelled back to Europe in the Netherlands, Belgium and France, among others.

It is now close to our borders in Hong Kong and Singapore. Whoa!

We could hardly grapple with the pandemic’s impact, but here we are again being assaulted by a virus variant. When will the suffering end?

Adding to our state of disarray is the report of vaccinations stealthily done reportedly on government factotums, raising concerns of favoritism and division on the corridors of power. Ah, but isn’t inoculating Palace guards one way of helping protect the health of the President?

And while we are it, it is a bit of a happy belated report that October recorded a two-percent increase in industry sales from the previous month’s level.

According to Campi president Rommel Gutierrez, the September sales of 24,523 units was breached in October, indicating signs of a mini rebound, bit by bit, as the country eases into the New Year.

“This is a positive progress for the industry,” said Gutierrez, adding, “this was the highest sales volume since the start of the pandemic (in March).”

As a result, the recalibrated yearend outlook is virtually holding and Gutierrez is optimistic the trend will never change its course.

“We are on track to achieve our revised 2020 sales forecast of 240,000 units—the baseline for our mediumterm recovery plan,” Gutierrez said.

Figures for the last two months have yet to be accounted for, however. But whiffs of recovery rent the air, sparked in large part by gracious grants of discounts and bank loans to would-be buyers.

So that as we approach 2021, the climate for a jumpstart into a new sales landscape appears reassuring despite the still volatile, if not shaky, situation.

Said Gutierrez earlier: “The industry is in a very vulnerable state still, but safeguard measures will enhance our ability to navigate the crisis.”

As always, every downturn can only produce an upswing, in keep-

no typical analog gauges but purely high-definition display.

Motivated by a 1.5-liter Turbocharged Gasoline Direct Injection (TGDi) motor dishing out 175 hp with 265 N-m of maximum torque and mated to a six-speed automatic gearbox, acceleration was smooth yet aggressive when summoned. The torque registration made us forgot that the engine, while turbocharged, has a relatively small displacement for the vehicle’s size.

Nevertheless, it didn’t disappoint at all. But more convincing was how it manifested smooth, comfy, and quiet drive throughout. Indeed, a perfect vehicle for daily urban and weekend out-of-town drives.

This sporty crossover has plenty of convenience and safety features.

Aside from six airbags, there is an anti-lock braking system, traction control, electronic stability control, hill-start assist, hill-descent control, and 360-degree view camera.

Moreover, the vehicle has cruise control, electronic parking brake, tire pressure monitoring system, and parking sensors, among oth-

ing with the saying: “A calamity is an opportunity to make progress.”

Welcome 2021.

New Toyota Yaris

THE arrival of the new Yaris wrapped up the super loaded year of Toyota Motor Philippines as the world’s No. 1 automaker took the year’s boldest steps in meeting head-on the pandemic.

“It’s been a jam-packed year for Toyota in 2020,” said Elijah Marcial, TMP’s vice president for marketing services. “But the Yaris is our last exciting model that for sure will be enjoyed by our car-loving countrymen.”

The two variants come at P1.114 million for the 1.5S CVT variant and P973,000 for the 1.3E CVT variant.

You can reserve one at any of TMP’s 70 dealerships nationwide starting January 13. For more details, log on to https://toyota.com. ph/yaris.

Skyway 3 opens

THE 18-km Skyway 3 had its soft opening on Dec. 29, with motorists free to use it for one month, according to San Miguel Corporation (SMC).

The county’s longest elevated expressway is yet another novelty project of Ramon S. Ang, the SMC president and chief operating officer, which links the SLEX and NLEX expressways.

But one of the biggest benefits out of this road wonder is, it will greatly ease the volume of vehicles traversing Edsa. For, with the Skyway 3, we can expect a decrease of from 30 to 40 percent of motorists utilizing Edsa between Monumento and Baclaran.

“We are glad to finally welcome

ers. The best part is the price of P1.229 million.

CS35 Plus

One of the models in the line-up presented was Changan’s entry to the popular subcompact crossover segment. Unlike its bigger sibling, the CS35 Plus has a more European vibe from that straightforward look with aligned headlamps and grille.

Even so, that grille design is unique.

Highlighted inside is the 10-inch touchscreen display infotainment equipped with connectivity functions.

Motivation comes from a 1.4-liter TGDi engine generating 156 hp and 235 N-m of maximum torque mated to a seven-speed DCT transmission. This crossover offers safety and convenience features such as six airbags, reverse camera, reverse sensors, blind-spot camera and monitor, hill-descent control, hill-hold control, brake assist, electronic stability control, an electronic parking brake.

Price starts at P999,000 for the standard model and P1.069 million for the premium one.

motorists, even on a limited capacity, starting December 29,” Ang said.

“We have only President Duterte to thank for as he paved the way for the continuous construction of Skyway 3 over the years. We believe it will be a major key to help in our economic recovery amid and after the pandemic.”

Ang also thanked Duterte’s economic team, led by Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III, Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade and Public Works and Highways Secretary Mark Villar, “for pursuing massive infrastructure development under the government’s “Build Build Build” program, and for helping accelerate the completion of Skyway 3.”

A ng singled out President Duterte’s initiative to facilitate clearances of right-of-way issues, leading to the speedy conclusion of the project.

Travel time now between Makati and NLEX will take only 20 minutes.

What a relief!

Happy New Year!

PEE STOP I mourn the passing of Domini Torrevillas-Suarez, my editor in the Eighties at Panorama, then the Sunday magazine of Bulletin Today. Domini was a kindly soul who was not your typical taskmaster that instilled fear on her subalterns. When she resigned in 1986, I was appointed Panorama’s editor in chief by the late Pat H. Gonzales, then the Bulletin Today editor. I lasted only for several months as I accepted the offer of Eggie Apostol to join the Inquirer middle of 1986. Rest now, my dear Domini. You left me with only happy memories…

CS95 Plus

Tapped as the brand’s flagship crossover, the three-row/seven-seater crossover exudes luxury in every way. The premium vibe is very much evident inside and out. Chromed large grille with slim headlamps, panoramic roof, and strong character profiles are all imposing. Inside, everything is nothing short of premium. Passengers will enjoy plush materials and trims.

Powered by a 2.0-liter turbocharged engine, rated output is at 229 hp and 360 N-m of maximum torque. It is mated to a six-speed automatic transmission. Safety and convenience features are front/side/ curtain airbags, brake assist, traction control, hill-hold assist, hill-descent control, 360-degree camera, and lane departure warning. Moreover, it has multi-terrain control and tire pressure monitoring system as well. The CS95 Plus retails at P2.178 million.

Alsvin

The most affordable among the group is Changan’s subcompact sedan—Alsvin. Exterior-wise, it is

highlighted by the ‘Butterfly Wing’ front grill design. Its practical interior layout still has a sunroof, leather seats, and a seven-inch touchscreen display head unit with connectivity functions (DCT Platinum variant).

Power-wise, it is fitted with a 1.4-liter gasoline engine providing 98 hp and 135 N-m of maximum torque for the five-speed manual variant. The other is a 1.5-liter motor producing 105 hp and 145 N-m of maximum torque for the five-speed DCT variants.

Safety-wise, the Alsvin comes with standard dual airbags and a reverse camera. The DCT, meantime, has hill-hold control and electronic stability control. Price points are P579,000 (1.4 MT), P639,000 (1.5 DCT), and P639,000 (1.5 DCT Platinum).

All Changan models come with a five-year or 150,000 mileage warranty (whichever comes first).

Customers may visit any nearest Changan dealership to know more about available colors and features.

Accessing CMPI’s website www. changanphil.com is another way to find out more.

MG ends 2020 strong with the opening of three new dealerships

T

HE Covenant Car Company, Inc. (TCCCI)—MG Philippines ends 2020 on a high note with the confirmed opening of three more MG dealerships, namely MG North EDSA, MG Otis, and MG Camarines Sur. This will bring the current total of MG Philippines dealerships up to 34 before the year ends.

MG Philippines’ expanded dealership network effectively provides greater access to MG’s signature sales and aftersales services to a larger number of clients all around the country.

“As we continue to expand or our national dealership network, we are committed at MG Philippines to upholding the high standards set by the global MG team, ensuring that the services made available to all our clients are of the same caliber as those in other international MG markets— such as the UK, Australia, the Middle East, South America, the Netherlands, and Shanghai—but tailor-fit to the needs of a very progressive Filipino market,” said Atty. Alberto B. Arcilla, President and CEO of MG Philippines.

“Our goal, as we strengthen our dealership network and increase the reach of the MG brand to more locales around the Philippines, is twofold: first, to provide reliable aftersales services for the growing number of MG vehicles on our roads; and second, to make MG more accessible in various locations around the country in an effort to address the growing interest for quality MG products among Filipinos. Likewise, our na-

tional dealership network expansion is closely tied to the positive response our esteemed dealer principals and the motoring public have extended towards the MG brand, it’s modern and attainable products, and its rich motoring heritage.”

MG Philippines’s dealership network currently includes, in Metro Manila: Alabang, Araneta-Cubao, BF Parañaque, Commonwealth, EDSA Centris, Marikina, Sucat, Makati, Pasay, Quezon Avenue, and Congressional; in Luzon: Batangas, Cabanatuan, Carmona, Dasmariñas, Lipa, Sta. Rosa, San Fernando, Pulilan, Taytay, Bacoor, and Calasiao; in the Visayas: Cebu-Mandaue, Iloilo, Tacloban, Bohol, and Bacolod; and in Mindanao: Davao, Cagayan de Oro, Zamboanga, and Valencia.

In 2021, MG Philippines’ dealership network is poised yet again to expand to more locales across the Philippines, to serve even more Filipinos nationwide. Visit https://www. mgmotor.com.ph/dealers for a list of MG Philippines’ dealership and their respective contact details, and browse through the site for more information about MG Philippines products and services.

Follow MG Philippines on social media: OfficialMGPhilippines (Facebook) @mg_philippines (Instagram and Twitter) for more updates and engaging content. You may also call the 24/7 MG Philippines hotline at (02) 5328 4664 for more inquiries, or send us a message directly to our website using the MG Live Chat Service.

Boost your mood in 2021: How to outsmart your Covid-19 fears

2

BusinessMirror JANUARY 1-3, 2021 | soundstrip.businessmirror@gmail.com

YOUR MUSI

BARBIE ALMALBIS-HONASAN PENS SONG FOR ASPINS

By Rick Olivares

S

INGER-SONGWRITER Barbie Almalbis-Honasan has just released a new single on all streaming platforms titled, “An Aspin’s Song.”

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

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

Columnists

: Kaye VillagomezLosorata Annie S. Alejo

Photographers

: Bernard P. Testa Nonie Reyes

Y2Z & SOUNDSTRIP are published and distributed free every Sunday by the Philippine Business Daily Mirror Publishing Inc. as a project of the

The Philippine Business Mirror Publishing, Inc., with offices on the 3rd Floor of Dominga Building III 2113 Chino Roces Avenue corner Dela Rosa Street, Makati City, Philippines.

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The song is both an homage to a late grand aunt and also a reflection on where AlmalbisHonasan is at this stage of her life.

There is an interesting story behind “An Aspin’s Song.”

“My Lolo Rene had nine or 10 siblings. All in Manila. Siya lang yung nasa Roxas City. I didn’t grow up with his siblings. He told me about his younger sister, Nita Hontiveros-Lichauco, or Tata for short, had at that time had about 30 cats and six dogs! And she cared for every one of them. Like who has that many pets? Hindi ko ma-imagine that my Aunt Tata had all that.

“When Aunt Tata learned I had become a professional musician, she would tell me to write about the plight Azkals or Aspins as they are called today,” related Barbie.

“My Tita Alya (Honasan, who is the aunt of Barbie’s husband, Martin Honasan) is an animal welfare advocate and fur-parent to three Aspins named Kiko, Kikay, and Frankie. She always has a

blanket and a cage inside her car and she would use these to rescue Aspins on the street.”

Eventually, Barbie took greater interest in the request as she felt it was something important to her relatives; more so when HontiverosLichauco passed away at the age of 93 this past October 2020. “I just started to have pets in my life (cats), but didn’t know much about dogs. I didn’t want to invent and write about something I didn’t understand so I asked Tita Alya to help write the lyrics,” further explained Almalbis-Honasan. “Writing this was like unfinished business.”

During her life, HontiverosLichauco was the President of the Philippine Animal Welfare Society, which she reorganized in 1986, after having been one of its youngest volunteers in the ’50s.

“When Aunt Tata passed away, it was touching to see this outpouring of love from family and friends and people whose lives she touched,” added Almalbis-Honasan.

Her Tita Alya eventually sent the lyrics to Barbie who took the challenge of working differently from her usual methods.

“I have never written a song with the lyrics completely done with a rhythm,” pointed out the singer-songwriter. “I did a draft on

BARBIE Almalbis-Honasan

it and asked Martin to check it.”

Recorded at home during this pandemic, “An Aspin’s Song” follows her single from 2019, “Tigre” that was written for her cat, Vernie, and is a heartfelt tribute to her grandaunt as well as the beloved indigenous mixedbreed dog in the Philippines.

The soaring, inspirational anthem was mixed and mastered

by Magic Montano, and was arranged, performed, and recorded by Barbie Almalbis herself on vocals and guitars, with her backing band, Jonard Bolor on drums, Karel Honasan on bass, Nikko Rivera on keyboards, and Stina Honasan and Midori Ulpindo on backing vocals.

“You might say that these songs about my cats and dogs are about where I am in my life right now. I didn’t grow up with pets, and it is something new in this season of my life. Pets have changed my perspective about animals and life.”

Having pets changes the atmosphere at home and they bring out an even more nurturing side of you. And truthfully, they make for a happier home.”

Barbie Almalbis’ “An Aspin’s Song” is now out on all digital platforms worldwide via 12 Stone Records and Sony Music Philippines.

IC

soundstrip.businessmirror@gmail.com | JANUARY 1-3, 2021

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BUSINESS

Arashi in Singapore in 2019 during their Jet Storm tour (Photo by Sozo)

THE PROPER SEND-OFF

Filipino fans toast Arashi as J-Pop sensations officially go on hiatus

F

Stephanie Joy Ching

OR over 20 years, the J-pop boy group Arashi (meaning ‘storm’) have dominated the airwaves not only in Japan, but around the world as well. Now entering a hiatus, fans send off this monstrously successful group with an equally extravagant hashtag party despite the pandemic.

Prior to entering their welldeserved hiatus, Pinoy fans of the Japanese pop group Arashi send their idols off with a bang with the Salamat Arashi Hashtag Party.

An online project and get together that is free for anyone to participate in, the event is a celebration of over 20 years with Arashi and was held last December 28. Fans tweeted about what they want to thank the band for using the hashtags #SalamatArashi, #ThankYouARASHI and #ありがと う嵐.

For fans who were around the Globe branch in SM MOA during the 27th, they were also able to share videos and photos

of Arashi’s ads from 6PM to 9PM through the Salamat Arashi or the band’s official twitter page @arashi5official. Through this, despite the year where social distancing is the norm, both the fans and the band were able to connect and bond through music.

Despite the fact that things are uncertain after their hiatus, fans are confident that “this isn’t goodbye, because we will see each other again.”

Represented by Johnny & Associates of Japan, the J-Pop sensations consist of Satoshi Ohno, Sho Sakurai, Masaki Aiba, Kazunari Ninomiya and Jun Matsumoto and was formed in

1999. Ever since then, they have recorded 16 studio albums and 56 singles that were either certified as gold or platinum, consistently making them one of the top boy groups in Japan.

Late last year, Arashi regaled Southeast Asian fans and embarked on their twoday Jet Storm tour highlighted by stops in Jakarta, Singapore, Bangkok and Taipei. Speaking through an interpreter, the group acknowledged their solid international fan base. Satoshi Ohno even revealed that they have seen messages from Singapore fans who traveled all the way to Japan just to see them.

Even during the still ongoing pandemic, the group kept busy with multiple projects, such as their first fully English single, “Whenever You

Call.” The single is a collaboration with Granny Winner Bruno Mars, which not only expanded their already wide reach, but also managed to keep the Arashi spirit that hardcore fans love so much.

“We have been releasing music only in Japanese. In that sense, foreign audiences who can understand Japanese could recognize us. But this time we sang the song in English. Bruno provided us the opportunity to reach out to a foreign audience,” said member Sho Sakurai.

As a last hurrah before their hiatus, the band will also be holding an online concert This is Arashi Live! on December 31. The event will feature dance and song covers from fans all over the world as a tribute to 20 years of music and memories.

MANILA-BASED Arashi fans pay tribute to the band with his video advertisement at the SM Mall of Asia Globe (Screenshot from video posted at the Salamat Arashi Project Facebook page)

Boost your mood in 2021: How to outsmart your Covid-19 fears

By Laurel Mellin

stress situations, they were less effective when dealing with the high stress of modern life.

Emotional brain training works with these high-stress emotions in an effort to tame them, releasing negative emotions as the first of two steps in preventing stress overload.

University of California, San Francisco

A

fter a year of toxic stress ignited by so much fear and uncertainty, now is a good time to reset, pay attention to your mental health and develop some healthy ways to manage the pressures going forward.

Brain science has led to some drugfree techniques that you can put to use right now. I am health psychologist who developed a method that harnesses our rip-roaring emotions to rapidly switch off stress and activate positive emotions instead. This technique from emotional brain training is not perfect for everyone, but it can help many people break free of stress when they get stuck on negative thoughts.

Why the stress response is so hard to turn off

n First, our genes make us worrywarts.

Our hunter-gatherer ancestors survived by assuming every rustle in the grasses was a lurking hungry lion, not harmless birds hunting for seeds. We’re essentially programmed to be hyperaware of

threats, and our brains rapidly launch stress chemicals and negative emotions in response. n Second, the chemical cascade of stress hormones in the brain associated with negative emotions impairs cognitive flexibility, goal-directed behavior and self-control. n Third, our tendency to avoid dealing with negative emotions puts people in a perpetual cycle of ignoring unpleasant feelings, which amplifies stress and the risk of emotional health problems.

Traditional approaches for coping with stress were based on cognitivebehavioral therapy, which focuses on modifying patterns of thinking and behavior. It was developed before our modern understanding of stress overload.

Researchers at New York University discovered a paradox: Although cognitive methods were effective in low-

Step 1: Release negative emotions The only negative emotion in the brain that supports taking action rather than avoidance and passivity is anger.

Studies have shown that the suppression of anger is associated with depression and that suppressing anger doesn’t reduce the emotion. Healthy release of anger instead has been found to reduce other stress-related health risks.

Our technique is to switch off stress overload by using a controlled burst of anger to help the brain exert better emotional control and allow emotions to flow rather than become chronic and toxic. After that first short burst, other feelings can flow, starting with sadness to grieve the loss of safety, then fear and regret, or what we would do differently next time.

You can talk yourself through the stages. To experiment with the process, use these simple phrases to express the negative feelings and release your stress: “I feel angry that…”; “I feel sad that…”; “I feel afraid that…”; and “I feel guilty that…”

Step 2. Express positive emotions After releasing negative emotions, positive emotions can naturally arise.

Express these feelings using the same approach: “I feel grateful that…”; “I feel happy that…”; “I feel secure that…”; and “I feel proud that…”

Your mindset can quickly change, a phenomenon that has many potential explanations. One is that in positive states, your brain’s neural circuits that store memories from when you were in the same positive state in the past can be spontaneously activated. Another reason is that the switch from negative to positive emotions quiets your sympathetic nervous system—which triggers the fight-or-flight response—and activates the parasympathetic system, which acts more like a brake on strong emotions.

Here’s what the whole stress relief process might look like for me right now: n I hate it that everything is so messed up! I HATE THAT!!! I feel sad that I am alone right now. I feel afraid that this will never end. n I feel guilty that I am complaining! I am lucky to be alive and have shelter and love in my life.

Then the positive: n I feel happy that my husband and I laughed together this morning. n I feel proud that I am doing the best I can to cope.

After a daunting year, and with more challenges ahead in 2021, upgrading your approach to emotions can be a drug-free mood booster. Our Covid-19 fears need not consume us.

We can outsmart the brain’s fear response and find moments that sparkle with promise. The Conversation

Supporting Filipino start-ups

I

f one can make it in New York, as Frank Sinatra once sang, that person can flourish anywhere. But for local startup companies, a millennial executive of a venture capital firm believes that their Big Apple is someplace else.

“If a local start-up can succeed in the Philippines, it can succeed anywhere,” Franco Varona, the 34-year-old managing partner of Foxmont Capital Partners, told Y2Z in an e-mail interview. “We believe that Philippine start-ups should simply focus their efforts and find success at home, and international recognition will soon follow.”

Foxmont Capital Partners is a multifocus venture capital fund dedicated to supporting entrepreneurs in the Philippines with “capital, expertise, network, and through the different stages of growth.”

Varona said that while breaking through in a market with almost 110 million people and more than 7,000 islands poses an incredible challenge, especially during this

time of a global pandemic, there is always an opportunity for growth. He pointed to the the Philippines’s diverse array of people, language and culture, as their group remains bullish on the local start-up environment.

“We have a very positive outlook,” Varona said. “Within our own portfolio companies, we are seeing lots of great new innovations for their businesses as driven by the pandemic. And we are seeing how quickly the industry as a whole is addressing the new challenges that we all face as we begin to settle into a new normal.”

According to Foxmont’s Venture Capital Report, start-up funding reached an estimated $183.8 million in the first half of 2020 alone, a whopping 384-percent increase from the 2019 year-round estimated value of $37.9 million. Meanwhile, the first half of 2020 raised record capital with just a little over half the number of deals as compared to the same period last year.

4 BusinessMirror

“I think this is a clear market indicator that as long as entrepreneurs show a strong business case to investors, there are many reasons to stay optimistic during the pandemic,” Varona said.

Foxmont is on the lookout for businesses and start-ups that have a solid revenue model and high potential to scale. Right now, those businesses are under the industries of fintech, e-commerce and health care.

As more people turn to online transactions including shopping and bills payment, the fintech sector accounted for over 80 percent of the total announced invested capital in start-ups. IT & Software and Transport and Logistics are also seen to grow drastically as compared to the previous years.

“However we do not limit ourselves,” Varona said. “We are open to look at businesses that are built to answer inherently Filipino problems.”

He added that to generate interest from any investor, Filipino entrepreneurs must January 1-3, 2021

Franco Varona, managing partner of Foxmont Capital Partners build an excellent team, strive for operational excellence, prove the revenue model and show scalability. Foxmont’s portfolio include Edukasyon.ph, Kumu, and Booky, among others.

Varona studied in the United States before moving back to the Philippines in 2008 to start his professional career.

“I realized while in college in the USA that the biggest difference that I could make would be in the Philippines, where the start-up industry was still nascent,” he said. “I wanted to take everything I learned from my years of travel abroad and put it into something useful that others could learn from.”Rizal Raoul S. Reyes