Businessmirror January 19, 2019

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A broader look at today’s business

Saturday, January 19, 2019 Vol. 14 No. 101

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BANGSAMORO VOICE: n

PEACE, FINALLY?

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By Manuel T. Cayon & Rene Acosta

ARRING no last-minute hitches, Mindanao is all set to hold its plebiscite for the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL), with defense, military and police officials expecting that the political exercise would go smoothly, if not peacefully, given the elaborate security preparations they have laid out.

Ensuring that the plebiscite will take place the way the government has planned, Armed Forces Chief of Staff Gen. Benjamin Madrigal and other top military officials flew to Mindanao as early as Thursday to personally check whether the mapped out security, in coordination with local law-enforcement agencies, has been put in place.

Madrigal and the other officials will remain in the region for two days doing the rounds in the cities and provinces that will be taking part in the plebiscite.

Acting Commission on Elections Chairman Sheriff Abas, who met last week with Madrigal and Philippine National Police chief Director General Oscar Albayalde, said that regardless of the out-

come, they have to ensure that the voting will take place.

However, days before the voting, some local officials in the areas that were proposed to be covered by the organic law are still against the “expanded autonomy” in Mindanao, prompting government officials to do last-minute pitching.

Scope of exercise

THE plebiscite will be conducted in two phases. The first one is on Monday, January 21, for the current areas under the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM); and the second phase on February 6 for the areas in North Cotabato and Lanao del Norte, which are not under the ARMM Continued on A2

UNVEILED during the celebration of the 100th year of Philippine Independence on June 12, 1998, the Commemorative Monument of Peace and Unity

by Davaoeño sculptor Kublai Milan symbolizes the harmonious coexistence between the indigenous inhabitants and migrant people of multicultural Mindanao. HUGO MAES | DREAMSTIME.COM

SUPPORTERS of the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL) take a selfie while waiting outside the venue where a bicameral conference is taking place in Manila on July 10, 2018. The BOL is a proposed law between the Philippine government and Muslim rebels that would set up an autonomous region in the southern Philippines. AP/AARON FAVILA

CEOs GONE ROGUE?

‘The American Trap’: An executive’s view from a US prison cell

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By Tara Patel | Bloomberg News

RENCHMAN Frederic Pierucci’s nightmare began shortly after his airplane touched down in New York on a brisk April night in 2013.

Like the recently jailed car titan Carlos Ghosn, the former Alstom SA executive Pierucci was whisked away from his airplane, accused of financial misdeeds and thrown in jail.

The events surrounding his arrest open Pierucci’s book, Le Piege Americain, or The American Trap, which goes on sale in France on Wednesday—a few months after his five-year-long wrangle with the

PESO EXCHANGE RATES n US 52.2880

US Department of Justice ended.

Over 386 pages, Pierucci describes life with hardened criminals in Pennsylvania and Rhode Island prisons, behind-the-scenes machinations with US lawyers and prosecutors seeking a plea bargain and backroom tussles between chief executive officers and French politicians over a $10-billion transatlantic takeover.

The Pierucci and Ghosn cases

are unrelated and have little in common. Pierucci landed in New York on a Cathay Pacific flight, while Ghosn was grabbed from his private plane at Tokyo’s Haneda airport in November. Japanese prosecutors indicted Ghosn for alleged improprieties related to personal trading losses and the former Nissan Motor Co. chairman’s income at the carmaker, charges he denies. Pierucci, who ended up pleading guilty, was nabbed for his role in a worldwide bribery scandal that engulfed Alstom for nearly a decade.

Corporate intrigue

STILL, the two cases have a common thread: Whiffs of corporate intrigue and politically sensitive dealmaking.

Continued on A2

FREDERIC PIERUCCI

BLOOMBERG

n JAPAN 0.4787 n UK 67.9169 n HK 6.6670 n CHINA 7.7132 n SINGAPORE 38.5975 n AUSTRALIA 37.6264 n EU 59.5717 n SAUDI ARABIA 13.9409

Source: BSP (January 18, 2019 )

News

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A2 Saturday, January 19, 2019

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Bangsamoro voice: Peace, finally?

Continued from a1

but with a predominantly Moro population.

The proponents—the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) now joined and with the full support and backing of the former mainstream Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), Malacañang and the ARMM administration—have harped on the same message, i.e., that this would correct the historical injustice and neglect of the Bangsamoro, or what they refer to as the Moro nation.

The Bangsamoro is composed of several tribes, mostly professing the Islamic faith, from the Jama Mapun, Yakans, Samas and Tausugs of the southwestern island provinces of Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi, to the Maguindanaos and Iranuns of Maguindanao and Central Mindanao, and Maranaos of the two Lanao provinces.

Some other tribes are scattered elsewhere, such as the Dibabawons and Kalagans of Davao del Norte, the Sangils of Sarangani and South Cotabato, and the Molbogs and Palawani of Palawan. It also includes the non-Muslim seafaring Badjao tribe.

The opposition also includes some local government officials, one of whom is Sulu Gov. Abdusakor Tan II, who filed a petition before the Supreme Court to stop the implementation of Republic Act 11054, the Organic Law for the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).

The BARMM would replace the current ARMM and the plebiscite would determine how much bigger a territory than the ARMM would belong to the BARRM.

How the people would respond is now a serious guessing game.

While many outside Mindanao see Mindanao as insignificant—and sometimes a “sore” point in the national reputation for its longtime, undeserved association with conflict—the nation’s leaders, past and

present, will attest that any unsettling, often hostile, event in this southern Philippine island is a big throbbing pain in the entire body politic.

Cost of war

A GOVERNMENT leader, who was the with the peace process, warned that an episode of war in Mindanao would cost the government some P70 billion, roughly about a tenth of the nation’s budget back then. It covered mainly for the cost of the war materiel.

It did not include yet the financial and social cost of maintaining evacuation camps and taking care of several thousands of evacuees, whose number at one point in 2005 reached almost a million and placed the Philippines in the uneasy top spot in the world ranking of countries with the most number of evacuees, displacing Darfur, Sudan, then the most-troubled spot in the world.

Back home, the many series of negotiations going back to the late 1970s and early 1980s with the MNLF, then the mainstream Moro revolutionary organization, has not lightly pacified the Moro population beyond the establishment of a regional government for them, the creation of the Southern Philippines Development Authority and the “pampering” of the traditional Moro politicians.

By then, the group of the late Salamat Hashim broke away from the MNLF in 1981 and formed the now MILF, along a more religious line, and soon became the main revolutionary group after the MNLF entered into a peace pact with the government in September 1996. Earlier, the Abu Sayyaf emerged in the southern backdoor, whose members were believed to be the younger generation of fighters, many of them the sons and daughters of MNLF fighters and leaders who opted for a more extreme position after being dismayed by the more conciliatory position of their

elders when they agreed to peace negotiations.

The same indignant attitude could be later seen among the young generation in one MILF general assembly a decade ago in Maguindanao, where a group of youngsters shouted for continuing the war against the government.

It is against this backdrop that BOL proponents, including President Duterte, have appealed for wider support for the acceptance of the BOL, rather than precipitating the situation in Mindanao, into an extremist line, citing the case of the five-month battle to retake Marawi City in 2017. Aside from that bloody siege by Islamic Stateinspired homegrown terrorists, there was also the reported declaration of allegiance to the Middle East terror group by the Abu Sayyaf, the breakaway MILF faction, the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) and some smaller armed groups.

Abuse, optimism

HOWEVER, another local government official, Cotabato City Mayor Cynthia Guiani, complained that it was this “cryptic position” among government proponents that turned the campaign into a pressure tactic on local governments.

She has been quoted several times as saying that some government campaigners have committed abuses in pressuring them into conceding in favor of the BOL. Saying that Cotabato City could continue its operation even without the supposed bigger budget for the BARMM, Guiani has openly expressed her opposition to the inclusion of her city in the BARMM. Cotabato City, along with Isabela City of Basilan, is not part of the ARMM but these two cities are included in the areas of plebiscite on Monday.

The Philippine Constitutional Association (Philconsa) has also filed a petition separate from that of Tan, asking the High Tri-

PEOPLE display placards during a rally at the Philippine Senate to mark the UN Declaration of International Human Rights Day on December 10, 2018, in Pasay City. The protesters accused the military of human-rights violations in Mindanao and urged the Senate not to extend martial law as recommended by President Duterte and the armed forces. AP/BULLIT MARQUEZ

bunal to stop its implementation over some conflict with constitutional provisions.

Mujiv Hataman, who will exit as the last governor of the ARMM, has argued that the organic law has passed scrutiny of several august bodies, including Congress. The Senate and the House of Representatives were named respondents in the petition of Tan and the Philconsa.

The Supreme Court has allowed the holding of the January 21 plebiscite and would likely hold in February the hearings on the petitioners’ plea to issue a restraining order.

Story in the numbers

MEANWHILE, private and civic organizations that have worked during the decades of the peace process told the BusinessMirror of the numbers indicating a widespread support for the BOL. In the home province of Tan, for example, the informant said that their actual visit had elicited a promise of support and vote for the BOL from at least the other five but bigger and old-time political

families. The clan of the mayor of Isabela City, who continued to oppose inclusion to the ARMM and the BARMM, has already agreed to vote yes, and, it is said, the mayor may concede her position.

The source said MNLF Chairman Nur Misuari has kept his silence, although his council of leaders had vouched for the MNLF support. The source said Misuari would wait for the outcome of President Duterte’s promise to him. The source added that the President had sent a message to Misuari that they would talk again after the plebiscite. But the source said, “We don’t know the details of what the two leaders have talked [about] before.”

Incumbent government officials and political leaders in Tawi-Tawi have also promised proponents that they would vote favorably, as with the leaders in Lanao del Sur. “Nary a whimper or an inkling of a ‘no’ can you ever hear in Lanao del Sur,” the source added.

While ground zero for the showdown would be Cotabato City, the source said that both the rival scions among the Mangudadatu

clan have agreed to support the BOL, and the incumbent leaders among the Ampatuan clan have said they have favorably campaigned and would vote yes to it.

The Mangudadatus and the Ampatuans lord it over Maguindanao province.

Meanwhile, the provincial leaders in North Cotabato have publicly called on the towns of North Cotabato with dominant Moro population to vote yes to the BOL. This week, MILF Chairman Murad Ebrahim and the new chief of the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process visited them as they attended a general assembly for the areas where the plebiscite would also be held.

Duterte was also scheduled for a visit and campaign in Cotabato before the homestretch to the Monday’s plebiscite. Malacañang has said the President would be a “great influencer” in the turnout of the plebiscite.

But it would be the Bangsa­ moro voice, however, which would ultimately lend credence to the claim.

‘The American Trap’…

In Ghosn’s case, his daughters have accused Nissan of concocting the charges to block a possible plan to merge the Japanese automaker and France’s Renault SA. For Pierucci, his drawn-out legal quagmire only cleared after General Electric Co. had successfully secured a deal to swallow French rival Alstom’s energy business.

Bitter and broken, Pierucci says former Alstom CEO Patrick Kron was spared in order to facilitate the 2015 agreement.

The American Trap, which was co-written with French journalist Matthieu Aron, is a cautionary tale for globe-trotting executives at multinational companies increasingly facing the threat of litigation when they are allegedly on the wrong side of US law. The latest example of that is the arrest of Chinese company Huawei’s finance chief Meng Wanzhou. Meng—the eldest daughter of the company’s billionaire founder—is in Canada facing extradition to the US on allegations of helping defraud banks to avoid sanctions on Iran.

Bribery case

FOR his part, Pierucci was snared under the US Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. The extra-territorial law has allowed the Department of Justice to carry out anti-corruption probes around the world against non-US companies and net billions in fines. While it has served to dissuade companies from paying bribes, it’s also drawn resentment against the US for acting like a global enforcer and targeting

foreign business rivals.

In 2014, Alstom pleaded guilty and agreed to pay $772 million in fines, at the time the largest criminal penalty ever handed down under the US anti-bribery law. Prosecutors said the company paid tens of millions of dollars to secure $4 billion in contracts for projects for state-owned companies in the Bahamas, Egypt, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia and Taiwan.

GE deal

THE accusations against Pierucci, 51, centered around a $118-million Indonesian power plant contract signed in 2005. As part of his work to win the order for Alstom, which was struggling at the time, he helped hire outside “consultants” used to garner support among local officials. In his book, Pierucci described the practice as well-oiled, with a clearly defined procedure for approval by the company’s hierarchy.

The executive was among more than a dozen targeted in the probes. Kron’s name was never cited and the former CEO was awarded a controversial €6.6 million ($7.5 million) payout after the GE deal. Shareholders including the French government rejected the cash-and-shares package, but it was retained by Alstom’s board.

Kron was “undoubtedly” under pressure from the US justice system when he negotiated the GE deal behind the French government’s back, according to former Economy Minister Arnaud Montebourg, speaking to a parliamen-

Continued from A1

tary commission in 2017. Pierucci contends that his legal process and incarceration were dragged out to put pressure on Kron to remain at the helm of Alstom and push the GE deal through. The DOJ didn’t immediately respond to queries on Pierucci’s claims.

Protection advice

“I WAS never subject to any blackmail, I never had any pressure of any kind, either from the Americans or any other jurisdiction,” Kron told the parliamentary commission. “I never benefited from any protection, the insinuations are unfounded and insulting.” A spokesman for Kron said the executive has nothing to add to those comments.

GE said it won’t comment on legal proceedings initiated against Alstom well before its acquisition of the French company’s energy assets. It also said it had nothing to say on Pierucci’s book and its allegations.

Shortly after the jailed Pierucci pleaded guilty in the US, he was fired from Alstom and the company stopped paying his legal fees. In all, he spent just over two years behind bars and about three more years on bail. He’s now back in France advising companies and employees on the US anti-corruption law and how best to protect themselves.

“France needs to beef up its own laws against corruption so it can face the US on equal terms,” Pierucci said in a phone interview on Tuesday. “This is underground economic warfare.”

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The World BusinessMirror

Saturday, January 19, 2019

Airports, customs, trade: Europe preps for a chaotic Brexit P ARIS—One by one, European Union nations are spending millions, hiring thousands of workers and issuing emergency decrees to cope with the increasingly likely possibility that Britain will leave the bloc on March 29 without a plan.

A no-deal Brexit could shake up the rest of the continent in ways that many Europeans haven’t yet fathomed, from snarled air traffic to paralyzed ports and millions of workers in legal limbo.

France is spending €50 million, or $57 million, to beef up security at airports and the Eurotunnel, and hiring hundreds of extra customs officers.

Portugal is opening special airport lanes for British travelers, the nation’s main source of tourists.

The Netherlands is scouring for qualified veterinarians to carry out new checks on live imports. Germany is fast-tracking a debate on solving bureaucratic problems if there is no Brexit deal.

Governments from Europe’s Atlantic Coast to the Black Sea are preparing rules for British citizens to live and work in their countries once they no longer enjoy EU residency rights—and hoping that Britain is doing the same for their citizens.

Britain, which would face by far the biggest disruption, has devoted thousands of civil servants and several billion pounds (dollars) on measures to mitigate the worst effect—although officials can only speculate about what will actually happen on March 30 if Brexit happens without a deal.

After the British parliament overwhelmingly rejected British Prime Minister Theresa May’s Brexit divorce deal this week, other governments are bracing for chaos, too.

“We strongly believe” Britain will leave with no exit deal, French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe announced on Thursday, unveiling a raft of emergency measures to cope with that prospect. “Under these conditions, our responsibility...is to ensure that our country is ready, that the interests of our citizens are preserved and defended.”

The French government will build new infrastructure and hire new staff at airports and ports—and the tunnel beneath the English Channel. The company that operates the Eurotunnel says a quarter of all UK-EU trade passes through the tunnel, which could be a major chokepoint in a no-deal Brexit.

France’s emergency decrees will temporarily let British companies transport goods in France, and allow

certain British insurance and other financial activities to continue in France despite Britain’s loss of access to the EU financial market. The exceptional transfer of military equipment between the two countries will also be allowed.

In Berlin, German lawmakers debated a bill on Thursday that aims to solve bureaucratic issues arising from Brexit.

“We want to keep the damage— and there will certainly be damage from Britain’s departure—as small as possible,” German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Wednesday. “That’s why we will of course do everything to find an orderly solution, but we are also prepared if there is no orderly solution.”

Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa said on Thursday that 80 percent of British tourists arrive at airports in Faro, the Algarve and Funchal in the Madeira Islands, where dedicated lines for them will help prevent delays.

Dutch authorities say they are hoping for the best and preparing for the worst.

The customs service is hiring some 900 new staff. The food and animal welfare authority is scouring southern and eastern Europe for qualified vets to carry out checks on live imports.

The government has set up an online Brexit counter and checklist for Dutch companies doing business with Britain—some 35,000 of which have no experience of dealing with countries outside the EU single market.

Romanian leaders have sought to reassure the estimated half a million Romanians living in Britain that they won’t be left in the lurch—but haven’t provided specifics. Romania currently holds the EU’s rotating presidency.

The Czech Republic and Slovakia are working on legislation to deal with the short-term rights of British citizens in a no-deal Brexit, while the Dutch will let British citizens living in the country remain for 15 months and offer them the chance to apply for residency permits.

In Britain, the government announced on Thursday it’s putting military reservists on standby for permanent service in the event the country leaves without a divorce deal.

It’s also recruiting hundreds of extra customs officers and border staff and has passed laws to help cross-border trade continue to flow, such as permits for long-distance truckers. Many businesses are taking things into their own hands, and stockpiling goods.

Britain says EU citizens will be able to stay temporarily despite a no-deal Brexit. AP

TRUMP PULLS U.S. DELEGATION OUT OF DAVOS FORUM, CITING SHUTDOWN

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RESIDENT Donald J. Trump canceled the US delegation’s trip to the global economic summit in Davos hours after he denied House Speaker Nancy Pelosi a plane to visit US troops in Afghanistan.

“Out of consideration for the 800,000 great American workers not receiving pay and to ensure his team can assist as needed, President Trump has canceled his delegation’s trip to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland,” White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said on Thursday in a statement.

Trump personally made the decision to cancel the Davos trip on Thursday afternoon, two White House officials said. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin was to lead the delegation, which was also to include Secretary of State Michael Pompeo and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross.

Trump had planned to attend but previously canceled his own travel to the event because of the shutdown. Federal money typically already would have been spent on advance preparations for the cabinet secretaries’ trip.

Trump informed Pelosi earlier Thursday that she couldn’t use a military plane to visit Afghanistan barely an hour before she was to depart, saying she should stay in Washington to negotiate.

Trump’s abrupt cancellation of the speaker’s trip escalated an increasingly personal clash between the White House and congressional Democrats. Pelosi on Wednesday suggested Trump consider postponing his State of the Union address to Congress until after the shutdown is resolved or deliver it in writing.

Several Democratic members of Congress swiftly criticized Mnuchin for proceeding with plans to go to the Swiss ski resort to meet with the financial elite and heads of state while Trump was preventing the speaker from visiting US troops in a war zone.

Pelosi hadn’t announced her trip, which likely wouldn’t have been made public in

advance for her security. She had planned to depart Thursday afternoon, according to a person with knowledge of her itinerary.

House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal summoned Mnuchin on Thursday for a hearing on the economic impact of the shutdown on January 24, when he was scheduled to depart Davos.

The absence of a US delegation at Davos is a sharp contrast to last year when Trump was the first US president to visit the conference in 18 years, and the White House sent a large group of cabinet secretaries and top White House aides. Trump was embraced warmly by CEOs and business leaders at the event after signing into law a major reduction in US corporate income tax rates.

Trump’s cancellation of Pelosi’s trip to Afghanistan outraged Democrats, who questioned whether he had the authority to control congressional travel.

“We believe this is completely inappropriate by the president,” said House Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff, who intended to accompany Pelosi. “As far as we can tell this hasn’t happened in the annals of congressional history.” Bloomberg News

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ExportUnlimited BusinessMirror

A4 Saturday, January 19, 2019 • Editor: Efleda P. Campos

Global halal cosmetics market to top $54B by 2025

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EMAND for halal cosmetics is expected to soar in the following years, and cosmetic manufacturers wishing to take advantage of this growing market must first understand what constitutes halal cosmetics and what it takes to produce them.

Verification, testing and certification company SGS said global demand for halal cosmetics is surging, and the market is expected to exceed $53.81 billion by 2025 from an estimated $16.32 billion in 2015.

The Asia-Pacific region dominates the market, representing roughly three-four ths of the market’s overall revenue in 2015.

The Middle East and Africa region follows with 17 percent of total revenue.

While these particular markets are predicted to grow significantly in the next few years, all markets are expected to grow, with online sales estimated to grow by 18.2 percent by 2022, SGS said.

And while Muslims make up an estimated 23 percent of the world population, it is not only Muslims who buy halal cosmetics, but an increasing number of non-Muslims, as well.

“With a growing interest in eco-ethical conscious products

affecting markets all around the world, terms such as ‘vegan’ and ‘organic’ are increasingly adding a premium price to a product,” SGS said. “‘Halal ’ is seen by many as a comparable term because it offers an assurance that the product is safe to consume and use and has been manufactured to high and specific quality standards.”

Part of the attraction of halal cosmetics is the rigorous regulations for their production, many of which mirror non-Muslim regulations and consumer demand.

For example, in addition to the obligations under Sharia law, halal cosmetics must also refrain from using ingredients listed in the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.

They should also not have GMO and substances with GMO that contain human genes or genes from prohibited animals; agro ingredients that don’t con-

FINANCING FOR MARANAO TRADERS

The Small Business Corp. on January 9 participated during the Muslim Traders’ Entrepreneurship Forum 2019 at the Filoil Flying V Arena in San Juan City in support to the Department of Trade and Industry advocacy of helping Maranao traders throughout the country. Speaking before Maranao entrepreneurs, SB Corp. Financing Sector Group Head Lourdes Rosario Baula discussed the Pondo sa Pagbabago at Pag-asenso Program, the administration’s landmark loan financing program intended to give microenterprises better access to finance, providing them an alternative to the informal or 5-6 scheme of lending. Under the P3 Program, a microenterprise can borrow between P5,000 and P200,000 depending on its business need and repayment capacity with no collateral requirement. Interest rate and service fees, all in, do not exceed 2.5 percent monthly. The Muslim Traders’ Entrepreneurship Forum 2019 was initiated by the DTI in partnership with the local government of San Juan, Small Business Corp., Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda) Philippine Trade Training Center (PTTC), nongovernment organization ASA Philippines, Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI), Go Negosyo and Coca-Cola Philippines.

form to halal rules; and microorganisms, such as bacter ia, fungi and yeast, that are toxic to health and are produced in non-halal environments or in-

clude non-halal ingredients.

For a cosmetic or personalcare product to be termed halal, it must comply with the general requirements included in clause

2.2 of UAE.S 2055 -1:2015 General Requirements for Halal Food on what defines halal and what is haram (forbidden).

In brief, halal products must

not contain human parts; animals forbidden for Muslims to consume (e.g., pork and boar); a n i m a l s not sl aughtered according to Sharia law; Najiis or filth (e.g., fluids and objects discharged from human or animal bodies, such as urine, blood, vomit); harmful foods; and alcoholic drinks and intoxicants.

To be classified as halal, a product must be free from these items and be prepared, processed, manufactured and stored in conformity to Sharia law. This includes the maintenance and use of production equipment, including products used to clean and lubricate the equipment that must also comply with halal rules. In addition, there must be complete segregation between halal and non-halal production, and the facility must comply with Good Manufacturing Practices, as per ISO 22716:2009.

Manufacturers have found that accreditation as a producer of “vegan,” “organic” and “crueltyfree” cosmetic products makes halal certification comparatively easy to achieve due to the overlap in requirements.

SGS said certification as a halal producer of cosmetics involves a document review followed by an on-site audit, administered by technical and Islamic experts.

The results are then reviewed by an impartiality committee, which decides whether the halal certificate can be issued.

Philexport News and Features

Implementation of proposed registration system for PHL exporters to EU postponed Demand for healthy food

By Roderick L. Abad Contributor

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ONTRARY to recent reports that the Philippines has begun to register Filipino traders to the European Union (EU) beginning on January 1, the country still has not implemented the registered exporter (REX) system that excludes their eligible goods from taxation under the EU’s Generalized Scheme of Preferences Plus (GSP+).

The Bureau of Customs (BOC), being the competent authority, is yet to submit to this scheme. It continues to issue Certificate of Origin Form A or the GSP Form A to domestic exporters of high-value products amounting to over €6,000 until the end of 2019.

Those with consignments of €6,000 and below to any of the 28 membernations of the EU can issue an Invoice Declaration.

BOC Customs Operations Officer Gina German, in a latest report from Philexport, said local exporters make a statement of origin declaration to be sent to the buyer so as to avail them-

selves of preferential rates.

“So this is also called a self-certification system wherein, as an exporter, you have the ability to know the origin of your goods,” she said. “And you have to sign it. Just leave the registration exporter number blank.”

She said exporters from the Philippines need to apply for evaluation for manufactured products.

“Then, we submit the list of materials, production process, cost structure.

[These are the] requirements for your product to be evaluated. After that, the BOC conducts the pre-export verification,” German said.

“After all those applications for the evaluation, we release an evaluation report for your product. This is only for the manufactured one,” she added.

While the country is in the process of completing the two prerequisites for the application of the REX system, Filipino exporters are advised to inform their EU importers about the global transition period.

The scheme will only become effective here once the BOC communicates official-

ly to the EU all the necessary information.

Upon implementation, the selfcertification on “statements on origin” by the local exporters themselves will progressively, for a maximum of one-and-a-half years, replace the certificates of origin Form A issued by the Customs agency and invoice declarations made out by economic operators of low-value GSP exports.

Also, it will completely phase out the use of old origin certification by June 30, 2020, at the latest.

Following its application and acceptance in 2014 to this special incentive trade arrangement, the Philippines has become among the beneficiary countries of the EU GSP+ Scheme that grants zero tariffs to 6,274 product lines.

Duty-free items include coconut and marine products, processed fruit, prepared food, animal and vegetable fats and oils, textiles, garments, headwear, footwear, furniture, umbrellas and chemicals.

Filipino exporters, manufacturers or traders of originating goods, established in the Philippines, can

avail themselves of this privilege, provided that they apply at BOC to become registered.

They just need to hold, at any time, appropriate evidence of the origin of the products they intend to export to the EU, for the purpose of checks carried out by the customs authorities.

For now, local exporters under the EU GSP Scheme can preregister with BOC using the preapplication form at https:// customs.ec.europa.eu/rex-pa-ui/#/createpreapplication/ or the paper form.

To enlist, they should fill in an application form and return it back to BOC. The latter will submit the complete and correct application forms in the REX system. Once registered, exporters will receive from BOC their registration number (the REX number), consisting of a string of 35 alphanumerical characters, including a reference to the country of issue.

To get more updates and additional information regarding the application, contact the Export Division (Port Area) or Export Coordination Division of BOC.

rises in Australian market

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HE demand for healthy food, particularly fresh fruit, is growing in Australia as more consumers are becoming increasingly health conscious.

“The rising demand for healthy food that can be consumed on the go is among the major contemporary trends in the Australian food industry. Fruit is particularly well suited to this demand trend and many types of fruit are portable, easy to eat and very nutritious,” the Euromonitor Digest said.

The report, released by the Department of Trade and Industry-Export Marketing Bureau, said apples are becoming increasingly popular as snacks and new varieties are regularly launched in the category, including the small Rockit variety, which is particularly suited to snacking.

Bananas are also popular snacks, as well as the base for smoothies, while blueberries are becoming more popular as the supply increases and prices become more affordable, it said.

The report noted that encouraging consumers to increase their fruit intake will be the key to driving sales growth.

“Nevertheless, increasing health consciousness is set to boost demand for certain fruits due to their inherent health benefits,” it said, citing the rising demand particularly of blueberries and other berries due to their perceived antioxidant properties. Philexport News and Features

Sports BusinessMirror

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

Saturday, January 19, 2019

NATIONAL Basketball Association coaches— Luke Walton, Steve Kerr and Steve Clifford, among others—are tending to their health to cope with the grind. AP

TURKISH prosecutors accuse Enes Kanter of being a member of a terror organization. AP

ELITE mixed martial artists over 30 are supposed to get bigger, but not TJ Dillashaw. AP

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A6 Saturday, January 19, 2019 | Editor: Mike Besa

CONTROVERSY AT CLARK SUN VALLEY

CHRISTMAS T

Story by Mike Besa

HE New Year is more like Christmas for golfers because it’s at this time of the year that golf equipment companies start rolling out their new products for the new golf season, just in time for their world introduction at the PGA show in Orlando, Florida.

Golfers have complained about the rapid pace at which the golf manufacturers roll out equipment, but this phenomenon is not unique to golf. In other tech industries, the pace is even more rapid; take mobile phones or other electronic devices, for example. The rate of new product announcements is even more rapid there, but you don’t hear complaints from the tech geeks. It’s time we embraced these new products; one of them might hold the key to better golf.

Last year, some incredible products made it to market. Some, like the Titleist TS2/TS3 drivers, broke new ground for Titleist, others like the Rogue drivers, built on the successes of their predecessors and introduced improvements of their own. Irons are now being made with processes refined in the manufacture of drivers and metal woods. So just what does 2019 hold for us, the consumers?

Let’s break it down.

A

Story by Mike Besa

FEW days ago, a series of videos showing two unconscious caddies being carried off to seek medical attention and scuffles in the caddie locker room after one caddie was allegedly physically abused by the Korean supervisor at Clark Sun Valley were shared on the Pinoygolfer Facebook group.

The outrage the videos sparked was intense. BusinessMirror Golf reached out to the caddie that took and posted the videos to find out exactly what happened.

Riri Lyn (the caddie’s Facebook account name) painted a bleak picture of how caddies at the 36-hole golf resort were being maltreated. Caddies were penalized for missing a day of work, whether with or without having filed for a leave of absence, with a week of fixing divots on the golf course. If they missed one day for whatever reason, another five straight days fixing divots was added to the penalty.

In the middle of tourist season, caddies are put back into rotation after coming back from assisting a player without a break to rest and get something to eat. They are allegedly being penalized if their players’ slow play by more time cleaning up the golf course.

Although they are considered independent contractors, an agency withholds a percentage of their caddie fees and the club confiscates their tips since it feels they are being overpaid. Since peak season arrived, they don’t have days off and are verbally abused when addressed by their Korean superiors. When they complain, they are told that they have no right to complain since they aren’t technically employees of the club.

The caddie master allegedly took a pair of scissors and summarily cut the hair of a caddie that didn’t have her hair on a braid as required by the club. If a player is upset by a caddie’s performance, the club instantly berates the caddie without bothering to investigate to determine the actual circumstances of the incident.

The unconscious caddie in the video collapsed from fatigue and hunger because she wasn’t allowed to eat in between her two rounds on the course. The scuffle in the caddies’ locker room allegedly happened after 10 of the caddies filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Commission (NLRC) and presented their superior with the summons. The Korean caddie master allegedly pulled the caddie’s hair and slammed her head into the metal locker.

Now, on the club’s behalf, having the caddies fix divots on the golf course is standard practice at most, if not all, golf courses in the country. Most golf courses pay a minimal fee for the work, but we understand that Clark Sun Valley does not. We made some cursory inquiries about the goings on at Clark Sun Valley and were told that the caddies that posted the videos were “the rebellious ones” and that they might even be working for labor unions trying to infiltrate the golf club.

We sent messages to Clark Sun Valley’s Facebook account but those went unanswered. We have continued to reach out to the club but have been ignored. In the meanwhile, the 10 caddies that filed the complaint have been dismissed by the club. The caddies have retained a lawyer and filed another complaint of illegal dismissal with the NLRC. The hearing is set for the 23rd of this month and despite the sympathy that they’ve gained on social media, many of them are fearful of their safety.

Although things look bad for Clark Sun Valley, BusinessMirror Golf will continue to follow the events to see this matter to its conclusion.

to 10 iterations of a clubface, before settling on the one they intend to produce.

The inside of the titanium face features dozes of what look like flowing ripples across the entire surface. It looks like the effects of a pebble dropped in a pond, but the structures work to increase the COR at the center of the clubface, which translates into longer drives.

It’s the most unique driver face in golf. It’s not something that’s intuitive either, comparing it to Callaway’s previous face technologies, X-Face and VFT, it is glaringly different. The wave configuration isn’t symmetrical, nor does the pattern seem logical. Yet, the ripples work together in a complex manner to maximize ball speed.

Of course, there’s also an accompanying suite of fairway metals to compliment the new drivers.

COBRA GOLF

CALLAWAY GOLF

CALLAWAY has the most to reveal this year, having revamped their lineup, pretty much from top to bottom in 2019; two new drivers, a new set of irons, a new hybrid, fairway metals, wedges and a new golf ball are all set to conquer the market this year.

Callaway’s headliners for 2019 are the Epic Flash and Epic Flash Subzero drivers. Callaway has the best narrative for 2019 for our money and the Epic Flash and Epic Flash Subzero drivers are poised to be the dominant drivers on the market today.

The Epic Flash twins are Callaway’s technology leaders; they’re crammed with every distance enhancing technology that Callaway has in their arsenal and then some. Jailbreak, the TC2 Triaxial Carbon Crown and the adjustable weight track from the original Epic driver are all present in the Epic Flash drivers. New here is that the weight track is also found on the Epic Flash Subzero, but the defining technology is Callaway’s new Flash Face, which they’re calling the fastest face in golf.

Flash Face was designed on Callaway’s new super computer, using artificial intelligence. The parameters were to design the fastest clubface in golf. The super computer went through 15,000 virtual prototypes before settling on Flash Face. For comparison, engineers usually do eight

ball, the ERC, named after compa new products from Callaway.

The Apex has been one of Callaway’s most popular irons in recent years. The Apex and Apex Pro fit a huge demographic of golfers and have been at the forefront of the new genre of player’s distance irons. While other players in this market have gone the route of using fairway metal manufacturing techniques, Callaway has stuck with its original formula for the Apex, using a 1025 forged carbon steel frame and a highstrength, high-speed carpenter steel face. For the 2019, the Apex gets urethane microspheres in the cavity as well as a metal injection molded (MIM) tungsten weight to precisely locate the center of gravity and to tune out unwanted harshness at impact.

Callaway’s putter brand, Odyssey, has unveiled its new range of putters, the Odyssey Stroke Lab and Odyssey EXO with Stroke Lab. Previously restricted to the Japanese domestic market, the newest line of Odyssey Stroke Lab putters is set to hit shops soon, as will the new Odyssey EXO with Stroke Lab. At the heart of the new line of Stroke Lab putters is a method of weight distribution designed to improve the physical dynamics of the stroke. This weight distribution is achieved through Odyssey’s Stroke Lab shaft, which is a full 40 grams lighter compared to a standard steel Odyssey putter shaft.

The new Odyssey shaft design combines a graphite body with a steel tip, which in total weighs just 75 grams, with most of the weight concentrated in the tip. According to Odyssey, the addition of their new shaft and weight distribution results in better tempo and more consistency in face angle and the putting stroke. Putter shafts will never be the same again.

A new PM Grind wedge, designed by Phil Mickelson and Roger Cleveland, with modifications made to the previous iteration of the wedge suggested by Mickelson himself and a new soft feeling distance

COBRA Golf throws their new Kin wars. Cobra has thrown the kitch technological trick in their arsena the early releases, Cobra enginee today’s driver designs: to get opti sacrifice other parts of the design is a revolutionary breakthrough in combine a streamlined, aerodyna Paired with the only CNC milled d deliver substantial improvements without sacrificing forgiveness.

Three different models (9.0, 1 lofts and a front to back adjustab abilities (Tour to 25 handicaps) to configuration for their game.

Early test results have been v sleeper driver of the year. The fac the drivers from Callaway, TaylorM make its way into many golfers’ b Of course, matching fairway m same time as the driver.

Mizuno ST190 and ST19

MIZUNO isn’t exactly a household that belies the amount of work th best drivers they’ve ever built. To the most technologically advance For the ST190 drivers, Mizuno their tour staff. Distance and low they had achieved that, they wor more playable by the vast majori The ST190 drivers feature a fac is much stronger than the 6-4 titan They feature a carbon composite c increases ball speeds across the clu deformation and rebound at impa sound with what they’re calling Ha

GET READY FOR THE BIG SHOW B

UCKLE up and hold on to your seats as the PGA Tour is poised to deliver a spectacular extravaganza in 2019 with golf’s newest and rising stars colliding with the legends of the game, headlined by none other than Tiger Woods and Phil “The Thrill” Mickelson.

A revamped PGA Tour Schedule, which now features a blockbuster tournament each month from March to August, plus more cash than ever before following a hike in the FedExCup bonus payout and the introduction of the Wyndham Rewards scheme will all but guarantee the New Year heralds plenty of thrills, spills and drama for both players, fans and TV viewers alike.

Inside the ropes, the growing strength in depth of the Tour’s talent pool—there were 10 wins by players 25 years or younger last season—has commentators brimming with anticipation as the new generation of global golf stars, such as Brooks Koepka, Justin Thomas, Dustin Johnson, Jon Ram, Jason Day, Rory McIlroy, Rickie Fowler, Xander Schauffele, Francesco Molinari and 2018 FedExCup champion Justin Rose, continue to captivate with world-class performances.

The exciting emergence of Bryson “The Scientist” DeChambeau, who won the first two FedExCup Playoff events last season, and long-hitting sensation Cameron Champ will further add to the growing anticipation, while much is expected from Jordan Spieth in the New Year following a frustrating winless

campaign last season.

The old boys, including Mickelson and Woods, have spiced things up by showing the young guns they are still very capable of winning the ones that matter.

Mickelson, 48, claimed a thrilling victory at the World Golf Championships-Mexico Championship by beating Thomas, the 2017 FedExCup winner, in a playoff.

Ultimately, all eyes will very much be on Woods, who produced a fairytale comeback by claiming an 80th PGA Tour title at the Tour Championship in August—a year after he told the world’s media he wasn’t sure if he would be competing again after undergoing a fourth back injury.

Winner of the inaugural FedExCup and holder of 14 major titles, the 43-year-old Woods delivered one of the most extraordinary storylines witnessed in sport.

He finished T2 in his only fourth start of his comeback before contending at The Open Championship and PGA Championship, finishing T6 and runner-up, respectively.

With each passing week, the roars grew louder and his remarkable victory at Eastlake, his first in five years, sparked wild scenes that ended with Woods holding back tears on the 18th green.

NBC reported its TV ratings spiked by 206 percent compared to the 2017 Tour Championship, prompting observers to say Woods doesn’t just move the needle, he is, in fact, the needle.

In the New Year, a fit-again Woods will be motivated

to resume his chase toward Sam Snead’s all-time 82 wins record on the PGA Tour and also Jack Nicklaus’s 18 major titles. He is also keen to lock horns with his younger contemporaries, who are relishing the opportunity to duel with their idol. “The younger guys were on their way in when I was on my way out. You know, they had never really played against me when I was playing well. Whether it’s J.T. [Thomas], Jordan, now Bryson, Brooksy, it was just getting out here, getting started. I think that when my game is there, I feel like I’ve always been a tough person to beat,” said Woods.

“They have jokingly been saying that, ‘We want to go against you.’ All right...here you go.”

Asia’s charge in 2019 will very much be led by its highest-ranked player in the world, Japanese star Hideki Matsuyama, who at 26 years of age is a five-time PGA Tour champion. The focus will also be on new kid on the block Kiradech Aphibarnrat, who is the first golfer from Thailand to earn a PGA Tour card. “I’m looking forward to playing my best golf on the PGA Tour. It is a dream come true and I hope I can make my country proud,” said the 29-year-old, who posted three top-fives in the World Golf Championships events last year.

Korea’s Si-woo Kim, the youngest winner at the The Players Championship in 2017, Byeonghun An, India’s Anirban Lahiri and C.T. Pan of Chinese Taipei are among those touted as potential winners on the

PHIL MICK

PGA Tour. The the Internati Presidents Cu from Decemb PGA Tour changes to th Tour’s flagshi into a March April, PGA Ch Championshi culminates w August, will p associated wi “These ch the option fo

www.pinoygolfer.com | Saturday, January 19, 2019 A7

IN JANUARY

any founder Ely Callaway, round out the

ng F9 driver into the thick of the driver hen sink at the King F9, using every al at the new driver. According to ers identified a common problem in imal aerodynamic properties, you must n. Cobra claims Speedback Technology n driver engineering and is the first to amic shape with a low center of gravity. driver face, the King F9 driver should s in club speed, ball speed and distance

10.5 and 12.0) feature eight adjustable ble CG system, allowing golfers of all o find the perfect launch and spin

very impressive. This is our pick as the ct that it sell for significantly less than Made and Titleist could see the King F9 bags this year. metals should get to market at the

90G drivers

d name when it comes to drivers, but he company’s put into producing the o put it succinctly, the ST190 drivers are ed drivers in Mizuno’s storied history. o started designing the drivers with spin were the design goals and once rked backwards to build a club that was ity of golfers. ce made of forged SP700 titanium which nium used by most other manufacturers. crown and an Amplified Wave Sole that ubface by controlling the clubhead’s act. Mizuno also fine-tuned the drivers’ armonic Impact Technology, which adds

internal ribs to the structure to improve sound and feel.

The ST190 is designed for low to mid spin and will be the driver of choice for most golfers. The ST190G is the low spin offering, which features the company’s Fast Track Technology; two adjustable 7-gram weights to tune ball flight.

Unlike previous Mizuno drivers, the ST190 has already found its way into the bags of members of Mizuno’s tour staff. Could this be the driver that finally gets Mizuno some respect for its metalwoods?

PXG 0811 X and XF Gen 2 drivers

BEFORE we delve into the technology behind the new PXG 0811 Gen 2 drivers, the really big story in most golfers’ minds is the price. PXG was well known to have some of the most expensive drivers in the game, certainly the priciest of the American brands.

The Gen 1 drivers sold for $850 a pop, their irons $400 a piece and the forged wedges an astronomical $650, so price is always going to be a hot topic when discussing any new products from PXG. So, here’s the big news—The Gen 2 drivers will set you back $575 each. And no, that’s not a typo; I didn’t leave a “1” off the price. $575 is it.

The company line is that most of the start-up costs have been amortized and PXG has decided, much to our delight, to pass the savings on to us. However, PXG is quick to point out that the Gen 2 drivers are still the most expensive in golf (barring the upscale, almost unobtainable Japanese luxury brands). With retail costs much more in line with the mainstream wing of the equipment industry, PXG has positioned itself to compete with Callaway, TaylorMade, and PING. 0811 Gen2 drivers feature what PXG calls Hot Rod Technology, which manifests visually as a raised, multilevel, variable thickness crown. The design itself was inspired by the performance and styling of American muscle cars. The rib structures help to stiffen the crown and reduce energy loss due to deformation at impact which, in turn, provides more consistent ball speed. An unintended consequence of the design is that the raised portion of the crown also serves as an alignment aid, which can help to frame the ball at address.

Fans of PXG are familiar with the weight screws on the sole. Many will notice that the number of weights has been reduced on the Gen 2 drivers. The X model features nine weights, while the XF features only five. The weights themselves are heavier than they were in past models.

The heavier tungsten weights are 4.1 grams each, while the black titanium weights are just under .8 grams each.

The X is the “player’s” model. Although it’s 460cc or thereabouts, it’s got a taller face and is shorter from front to back than the XF. The CG is adjustable; moving the heavy screws to the face side of the sole lowers ball flight and keeping them back improves launch, much like the older Callaway Subzero drivers.

The XF is the high MOI offering and should be as easy to use as any driver on the market to date. The head is right at the limit of how big the USGA allows driver heads to be and the MOI numbers are right up to the limits set by the governing bodies.

Ball speeds are up too. Versus the previous 0811 X product, PXG says its tests show 1-2 mph higher ball speeds, a 300-400 rpm reduction in spin, 7-10 yards more distance, and 26 percent tighter dispersion. The XF is 1 mph faster than its predecessor and PXG claims dispersion is 34 percent tighter, to boot.

The performance upgrades and the lower price should bring PXG within reach of many more golfers than in years past.

TaylorMade M5 and M6

IT wouldn’t be a new year without new club introductions from TaylorMade. It might seem odd that the most popular drivers of 2018 can’t stay on the market for more than one season, but such is the pace of development these days.

In a market where distance dominates the conversation, TaylorMade has always been at or very near the top year in and year out. This year, TaylorMade has made what they’re calling the most aggressive technological changes since the SLDR. The marquee technology this year is Injected Twist Face. For those of you that have been under a rock last year, Twist Face was TaylorMade’s enhancement on a driver face’s bulge and roll.

TaylorMade basically added a degree of loft of the clubface in the high toe and took away a degree from the heel for more gear effect that aggressively corrects the ball’s trajectory in the two areas that most golfers mishit the golf ball.

To improve on this, TaylorMade says the new M-twins start life with faces that are hotter than the COR limits set by the USGA and R&A then work backward to bring them back within the legal limits by injecting a resin into a cavity behind the clubface through two screws set low in the toe and heel. This allows the clubface to be closer to the COR limit than any driver in TM’s history.

Ball speed is increased in the M5 and M6 drivers through the interplay between a reengineered, more-flexible Hammerhead 2.0 slot, an ultra-thin titanium face with redesigned Inverted Cone Technology (ICT), internal support foam with variable amounts of injected resin, and a proprietary algorithm to tune each head.

The M5 moves away from the M3’s Y-Track and to an Inverted T-Track that allows for 1,770 unique CG configurations via the two 10-gram weights, as well as a range of MOI options. One degree of launch angle and 600 rpm of spin change adjustability, in addition to 25 yards of left-to-right adjustability. As with previous M Series drivers, the 2-degree loft sleeve allows for the adjustment of the loft, lie angle and face angle of the driver.

TaylorMade’s fourth generation of carbon composite technology furthers the aim of efficient mass distribution and an optimized center of gravity. In addition to the 460cc M5, TaylorMade is launching an M5 Tour model, which features a 435cc head.

The M6 features the same six-layer carbon composite crown and a full carbon fiber sole that is 54 percent lighter than the preceding M4. This allowed TM’s engineers to free up yet more discretionary weight to move low and to the rear of the clubhead for the most possible forgiveness and a lower center of gravity. For 2019, TM is introducing a draw-biased version, the M6 D, to help golfers fight a slice.

In 2019, Twist Face makes its way to the M5/M6 fairway metals and hybrids. New M5/M6 irons will also come to market, complementing the new metalwoods with what TM is calling Speed Bridge Technology, which is basically a high-strength, massefficient structural beam spanning across the cavity back of the club to connect the top line with the back bar of the iron.

Speed Bridge works in concert with a thru-slot Speed Pocket, which changes how the iron face performs during impact by shifting the point of maximum deflection lower on the face. According to TaylorMade, this activates the Speed Pocket more efficiently, delivering extra flexibility over a large area of the face and delivering faster ball speeds than their previous irons.

Both irons also feature a new HYBRAR Compression Damper, which aims to control and minimize vibration for a soft and solid feel and an ultra-thin face design with TaylorMade’s patented Inverted Cone Technology.

FTER an enthralling 2018, which saw India’s Shubhankar Sharma become the fifth and youngest Indian to be crowned the Asian Tour Order of Merit champion, we look ahead at the players who are likely to sparkle this year.

Shubhankar Sharma

IT may seem that Shubhankar Sharma has achieved everything, with two titles on the Asian Tour and the coveted Asian Tour Order of Merit title in 2018.

However, for this young 22-year-old talent, it is just the tip of the iceberg.

Last year he showed the world a glimpse of his immense talent by seizing a 54-hole lead at the WGC-Mexico Championship and eventually battling to a tied-ninth finish. He also notched another top-10 finish at the CIMB Classic against a truly elite field.

Playing in all four Major tournaments was another feather in his cap.

His experience playing on the international stage, as well as the exciting opportunity to rub shoulders with high-caliber players on a regular basis will bode well for Sharma in 2019. Most definitely, he’ll be among the headlines this year.

Justin Harding

WHEN Justin Harding is on form, he is quite simply scintillating. The South African took the Asian Tour by storm at the Bank BRI Indonesia Open. He received an invitation by virtue of his good form on the Sunshine Tour, and he went on to win the tournament. A fortnight later, he won the Queen’s Cup in Pattaya and became the first golfer in Tour history to win twice in his first two starts. Harding was certainly no flash in the pants. He also made three consecutive top-10s in late September and was eventually placed third on the Asian Tour Habitat for Humanity Standings. Not too bad for a rookie season. From a virtual unknown in the region, Harding has become a household name for those who follow the Asian Tour.

Now that he has a solid year of experience playing in Asia, you can be sure that Harding will be focused and raring for an even better showing in 2019.

Viraj Madappa

WHAT a journey it has been for Viraj Madappa! The young Indian turned professional in 2017 and was enjoying a fruitful season on the Professional Golf Tour of India, finishing in the top 10 six times in 13 starts. Buoyed by his success on his local circuit, he earned a Tour card by finishing in tied-29th place at Qualifying School.

Things got even better later in the year, as he won his maiden Tour title in his rookie year at the 2018 TAKE Solutions Masters and with that, a one-year exemption on the region’s premier golf Tour.

The world has literally opened up for the young Indian.

Madappa finished 2018 on a high, evident from his tied-ninth finish at the BNI Indonesian Masters and he’ll be looking to bring his momentum over to 2019.

Sanghyun Park

PARK was thrust into the proverbial limelight after putting together a winning performance at the 37th GS Caltex Maekyung Open Golf Championship. He displayed his tenacity by overcoming a four-way playoff with compatriots Yikeun Chang, Junggon Hwang and India’s Gaganjeet Bhullar. This was his second GS Caltex Maekyung Open Golf Championship title, and his first win on the Asian Tour.

The Korean reiterated his dominance on home soil by finishing second at the Kolon Korea Open Golf Championship and winning the Shinhan Donghae Open.

Park brought his good form to the Asia-Pacific Open Golf Championship Diamond Cup and the Mercuries Taiwan Masters, where he finished credibly in tied-fourth and tiedninth, respectively. His performance in Japan and Chinese Taipei proved that he is also no slouch on foreign soil.

Poom Saksansin

POOM SAKSANSIN ended 2018 the way he started the year—in the headlines. Most recently, he played his way to victory at the seasonending Bank BNI Indonesian Masters by besting a field that consisted of Major tournament winner Henrik Stenson.

In fact, it was the second time he defeated the Swede.

Poom, along with Sunghoon Kang, defeated Stenson and his partner, Alexander Levy, in convincing fashion 5&4 at the 2018 EurAsia Cup. In between these events, Poom secured four top 10s, which helped him finish 13th on the Asian Tour Habitat for Humanity standings. Most definitely, Poom is a man for the big occasion and there’ll be plenty of chances to showcase his immense talent in 2019.

KELSON and Tiger Woods

ey also share a common goal of trying to make ional Team to face the United States in the up at The Royal Melbourne Golf Club, Australia, ber 9 to 15, 2019. r Commissioner Jay Monahan believes recent he Tour Schedule, which effectively sees the ip event, The Players Championship moving slot, proceeded by The Masters Tournament in hampionship in May, US Open in June, The Open ip in July and the FedExCup Playoffs, which with the season-finale Tour Championship in provide the drama and excitement so often ith the world’s leading professional golf tour. hanges allow for more volatility and drama and or the Tour to put forth additional enhancements

6 PLAYERS TO LOOK OUT FOR IN 2019 ON THE ASIAN TOUR A

to make the season incredibly compelling, again, from start to finish,” said Monahan.

The new FedExCup champion in 2019 will earn a whopping $15 million in bonus after FedEx increased its bonus pool from $35 million to $60 million. “You’ll see comprehensive player earnings jump to over $500 million in 2019, a jump of 12 percent, something that we’re proud of. They’ve got to go out and they’ve got to earn it. The No. 1 player in the FedExCup [in 2019] will earn roughly $27 million. Lots on the line; every single shot in the FedExCup season every week.”

Chuah Choo Chiang is senior director, communications of the PGA Tour and is based in TPC Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Scott Vincent

KIRADECH APHIBARNRAT

SCOTT VINCENT has the unfortunate tag of being the best player in 2018 not to win a title. Out of 20 tournaments that he started on the Asian Tour last year, Vincent was placed in the top 10 nine times, including three runner-up finishes.

Vincent was also the highest-ranked golfer on the Asian Tour Habitat for Humanity standings, in fifth place, without a win. Regardless, Vincent is one of the most consistent performers on Tour. He has missed the cut only thrice throughout 2018 and topped the total birdies category at 306.

Judging by his form, his spate of near-misses will probably end in 2019.

OurTime BusinessMirror

A8 Saturday, January 19, 2019 • Editor: Efleda P. Campos

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Ima at 95: Hurdling her weakening in old age with love Story Lizzie Radam Lazo | Special to the BusinessMirror

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N January 21, my family is celebrating the 95th birthday of Ima, my beautiful mother.

We have gotten this far from November 2017 when she had her first severe attack of dementia. We brought her to St. Luke’s Medical Center then. She is now better because of the medications the doctors gave for her brain and nerves.

Those were awful times when the attacks first came on. She had a bad fall in May 2017, but the test showed no bad damage, although there was a lot of bleeding. In November of that year, the dementia attacks came. We had to bring her to St. Luke’s again; the attacks were severe.

The attacks started at home. She would be in bed and then would start complaining of young boys and girls crawling all over the walls of her room, breaking the glasses of her aparador (cabinet).

To humor her, I would shout at the unseen little boys and girls: “Get out, don’t bother my Ima.” That would calm her somehow.

But then she started getting weak.

She would not eat, claimed she ate already, and the hallucinations would happen again. When she still could get up from bed, she would insist she had to leave the house, look for her eldest daughter—me—take a ship at the pier to where we did not know.

I would say, “Ima, I’m Lizzie—Olly —your first-born. I am here.” She would look at me uncomprehending, insisting she needed to get out

of the house to look for her daughter to wherever her confused mind directed her.

We had some very bad times at the hospital where we had to call the nurses for help. She would scream that her bed was on fire, we had to help her get out of bed. All the time she would physically struggle to get out of bed even when she had a dextrose bottle attached to her arm.

There was a bad-looking man about to lunge at her from over her bed.

We had to call the nurses for help.

She’s much better now. She does not hallucinate that often and severely. The fact is, she’s good when we talk about the old days, the old people from the past, her siblings now all gone. She’s the last woman standing. She would recall the kind and loving things they did for her, being the youngest of nine children.

Her favorite was Tatang Titong, Philippine Military Academy Cadet Class of 1941, who died in his baptism of fire as a new graduate in the country’s premier military academy during World War II. We would play her favorite music from the 1930s, popular singers of classical songs Jeanette McDonald, Nelson Eddy, Deanna Durbin and Mario Lanza. Being musically gifted herself, she would sing along with the music, and we were all happy.

Dementia is a cruel sickness of the

TATAY (left) and Ima before they got married.

elderly. The thing she has, the doctor said, is vascular dementia, the third-most common form of dementia among the aged. It was caused by several mini-strokes that happened because her blood was too thick and would sometimes collect in the ridges of her brain. Among her meds is one for thinning the blood.

We thank the Lord there are fewer episodes, almost no more hallucinations. She retains a clear mind in our talks, especially about her recollections of the golden days of her youth.

We are trying to care for her now the best way we can. It’s sad that we cannot always be with her.

That is why we have to give wholehearted thanks to the caregivers who take our place. We are lucky we found Yaya Tess and Yaya Jen whom she calls Agnes, taking her for a favorite niece. They are very

kind. They take good care of her, feeding her, cleaning her up, consoling her when she is feeling inarte and emotional.

It’s not just for the money that they care for her so well and lovingly; they are good people, maybe because they are from Negros Occidental.

Aren’t Negrenses known for being cariñosa and cariñoso?

We are thankful that Ima is still with us on her 95th birthday. We feared for a while over the past year that we had to give up. What fighters we have been—Ima and us sisters and one brother. Praying and finding ways to stave off the inevitable.

I told her on her 93rd birthday, “Ima, hang in there. Only seven years to go, then we will collect P100,000 from the government for her living up to 100.”

I am sure we will make it. With the

IMA (seated, right) today and her three daughters

help of meds and the doctors, Ima has overcome the dimness of dementia. She has such a strong fighting spirit, Socorro Valencia Radam of Tondo and Sampaloc, Manila. I can only say thank you for giving this feistiness to me and my siblings.

We children must take care of our parents when they cannot deal with themselves anymore, a payback to the days when we depended on

My old beat-up car and I DSWD resumes UCT payout for elderly in Antique

S

By Nick Tayag

MY SIXTY-ZEN’S WORTH

T

HE car I drive is more than 30 years old. It’s a Sentra JX model 1993. I got it sometime in 1998 for a bargain price because the previous owner was immigrating to the US. I’ve stayed with it since then.

If it were a human being, this car would be me, now at my age, in the mid-60s. Looking at this car, I get to see myself.

Like me, this car has survived three deadly floods. Through the years, it has gone to the repair shop as many times while I have gone to the hospital for a bloody, agonizing nose job after an accident, a thyroid lumpectomy and several biopsies.

I get it checked every now and then, in the same way I go to the clinic for ECG and blood-chemistry tests every now and then.

Like me, it shows its age. Its paint has worn off and you can see its initial coating, beneath the overlay.

Similarly, my hair has been getting whiter and thinner; you can now almost glimpse my scalp.

Its pistons are not performing at maximum efficiency. It leaks oil.

The shocks don’t work anymore; the wheels are wobbly. If you examine its body, you can spot bumps, scrapes and scratches here and there.

Well, my physical condition is similar. I am past my prime. I have a minor heart problem as well as a prostrate condition. My circulatory system is faulty. I experience pain in my knees, as well as my lower back frequently.

I guess like me, it has seen its best years. Yes, its parts badly need to be replaced. It begs for a new paint job. Maybe I can save a little to give it a new life.

Not me. I am beyond physical re-

pair and reconditioning. There are no available parts to replace my tired heart, liver, lungs, eyes and the rest of the physical me.

In traditional Japanese aesthetics, there is a concept called wabi-sabi, which is centered on the acceptance of transience and imperfection. The aesthetic is sometimes described as one of beauty that is “imperfect, impermanent and incomplete.” It is a view of life that acknowledges three simple realities: nothing lasts, nothing is finished and nothing is perfect.” It is beauty or serenity that comes with age when the life of the object and its impermanence are evidenced in its patina and wear, or in any visible repairs.

It’s appreciating the beauty of imperfection, which can include being old, wizened, and wrinkled and wobbly.

Yes, changes have happened to the physical me, and they look like wear and tear, at best—but what can’t be helped is that, in some sense, I can do something about the internal me, the nonphysical, non-visible me. I can reinvent me. I can change my attitude, my mindset, my feelings toward others. I can go in another direction. I can have a new me.

The person I used to know is still alive somewhere in there. I can still detect that playfulness, that spark.

The world out there may not realize it, but in some sense, while I never ceased to be what I was, I have now decided to become anew.

Just like my old beat-up car, I am not yet ready to give up the ghost.

I take inspiration from a spiel in one of the Terminator movies: “I may be old, but I am not obsolete.”

AN JOSE DE BUENAVISTA, Antique—The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has resumed its payout for the Unconditional Cash Transfer (UCT) intended for senior citizen-beneficiaries, who have yet to receive their P2,400 one-time financial assistance in 2018.

Melrose Amaran of DSWD-Antique said in an interview on Friday that the payout targets 24,998 elderly beneficiaries last year.

It continued this month due to the limited time allotted for the release of the financial assistance last year.

Some names of senior citizenbeneficiaries also went missing from the DSWD central office payroll, Amaran said.

FRESH GARDEN LETTUCE

The towns where the payout had resumed included San Jose de Buenavista on January 8 and Tobias Fornier on January 10.

Other towns scheduled for the payout were San Remigio on January 12, Anini-y on January 15, Hamtic on January 16, Bugasong on January 22, Belison and Patnongon on January 23, Valderrama and Lauaan on January 29, and Sibalom on January 30.

“In Anini-y, there were some missing names of the senior beneficiaries, so we had to make a followup with DSWD,” she said. Seniors with missing names in Anini-y, however, were set to receive their financial assistance on January 15.

Amaran, though, was not able to

give the number of seniors unable to receive their cash assistance in 2018.

She said the UCT, in the amount of P2,400 or P200 per month, is a national government assistance given to indigents in the province aged 64 years and older who had been identified through the National Household Targeting System.

“The UCT is a financial assistance given to indigent elderly so they could be helped out due to the economic impact of the Tax Reform Acceleration and Inclusion [TRAIN] law,” she said.

She added that for this year, there has been a proposal to increase the financial assistance to P3,600.

“For 2019, we have almost similar number of target beneficiaries, which is 24,998,” Amaran said. PNA

Lola Amelita, 68, smiles while waiting for buyers at her family’s vegetable stall in the Baguio City public market. She sells mountain vegetables like lettuce and potatoes. MAU VICTA

them for guidance and for our very lives, when they loved and nurtured us their children in their best years.

In particular, we have to say thank you, Ima, for the strength of character, the honesty, your insistence that we make the best of ourselves no matter what or where we end up. That was your way. We are thankful that it has also been our way because of you.

Cavite exempts seniors, PWDs from paying parking fees

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R ECE M A RTIR ES CIT Y, Cavite­— All senior citizens (SCs) and persons w ith disabilities (PWDs) are now exempted from paying parking fees normally charged by business establishments within the province, as called for by a new ordinance, which takes effect this year.

Prov incia l Ord inance 235, otherwise known as “Free Parking Ordinance for Senior Citizens and Persons with Disability of the Province of Cavite” was introduced and sponsored by Provincial Board Member Valeriano S. Encabo.

The provincial legislation exempts senior citizens and PWDs from paying parking fees in malls, business establ ishments and private hospitals within Cavite province.

Availing parties, who must either be the driver or a passenger of the private vehicle, are advised to present SC/PWD cards upon entry in the area/space/lot of the mentioned establishments.

However, the “free parking” privilege does not apply to overnight parking but only to all privately owned vehicles and excludes public-utility vehicles such as public-utility jeepneys, tricycles buses, taxis or similar vehicles.

The cashier or booth attendant violating this ordinance shall be fined P500, while a P2,000 fine shall be imposed against the operator, manager and/or owner of the said parking space.

Provincial Board Secretar y Michelle F. Alcid added that the ordinance, which was approved

by Provincial Governor Jesus Crispin Remulla on December 11 last year, is now up for implementation. PNA

BusinessMirror

Editor: Gerard S. Ramos • lifestylebusinessmirror@gmail.com

/

Saturday, January 19, 2019 A9

THE HP LaserJet MFP M72630dn

TAKE CHARGE OF YOUR BUSINESS PRINTING NEEDS IN any business, it always pays to invest on reliability, whether through employing highly skilled and experienced manpower or acquiring hardworking office machines, as both can help ensure continuously smooth operations while maintaining quality outputs.

The HP LaserJet MFP M72630dn is a multifunction printer and copier solution which enterprises can rely on for their business printing needs as it boasts of legendary HP performance and dependability, as seen in its multifunctionality and robust paper handling options.

The multifunction printer, or MFP, can help minimize a company’s operating costs and lessen budget by consistently printing quality documents with sharp text and crisp graphics at a low cost, using original HP toner cartridges and drums.

To meet the demands of high-volume printing, the HP LaserJet MFP M72630dn can print up to 30 pages per minute (ppm) on A4 and letter-size paper.

The HP LaserJet MFP is equipped with two paper trays that can support a total of 1,040 sheets of standard, A4, or A3 paper sizes. It can also load up to 100 sheets of up to A3-sized paper into the auto document feeder as conveniently as its output bin can accommodate 500 sheets.

The MFP can also be relied on for heavy-duty copy and scan functions which makes sure scanned copies are directly and securely sent to e-mail addresses, fax recipients or network computers. Its auto document feeder can also be used to continuously scan and copy up to 100 A3-sized pages.

The MFP’s reliability also extends to its security capabilities as it protects data from unauthorized access with encryption, overwriting and industrystandard security. The printer use can also be regulated to limit costs by assigning which users can have authorized permissions.

With its paper handling capability and multifunctionality, the LaserJet MFP M72630dn is a reliable hard-working machine that every company would benefit from.

Is Twitter dead?

PRIMETIME

DINNA CHAN VASQUEZ @dinnachanvasquez luckydinna@gmail.com

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WITTER’S golden age was around 2009, when Ashton Kutcher became the first user of the microblogging site to net 1 million followers.

All my friends had Twitter and spent sleepless nights sharing their thoughts with followers. I was mostly a lurker. After a few years, I became an active user and had my first encounter with cyberbullying.

I shut down that account and made a new anonymous one where I am still mostly a lurker.

The Twitter-famous people I used to follow are not very active anymore. The local celebrities, except for a few, basically use Twitter to promote projects and endorsements. The Kardashians and Jenners, with gazillions of followers between them, are still active but really mostly for promotions and updates. There are times when they clap back at bashers, something I

find is quite necessary.

For the most part, Twitter is more quiet than it was nearly a decade ago when everyone and anyone kind of migrated from Facebook. These days, everyone is still on Facebook. They are also on Instagram.

Of course, Twitter fights, mostly related to politics and show business, still take place once in a while. So many of the original Twitter users I know have been saying that Twitter is dead. But is it really?

As of October 2018, Omnicore Agency said Monthly Active Users (MAU) reached 326 million.

That’s a lot, right? That, however, is a slight drop from the 330 million for the same period last year and the 335 million in the previous quarter. Around 80 percent of these users are on mobile.

Almost 80 percent of Twitter users are outside the United States. Of the total number of users, 46 percent are on Twitter daily. By user count, the top 3 countries outside the United States are Brazil (27.7 million users), Japan (25.9 million), and Mexico (23.5 million). So why are people on Twitter if some say it is dead or dying?

As of October 2018, 46 percent said they were on Twitter daily for news.

I realized that although a lot of people I know and used to follow are not that active anymore, there are still many users and I’ve categorized them in the following: 1. LURKERS. These are users who are on Twitter to get news updates and maybe even pick up some

gossip. They follow news and entertainment sites.

They never tweet but only retweet and like other tweets. Lurkers may be quiet on Twitter but they’re very updated.

2. THE OPINIONATED. They’re not really trolls but people who have something to say about everyone and everything. They have a need to take on every issue.

For the most part though, they’re harmless.

3. THE WOKE. They’re the ones who are almost always politically correct. I follow many of these woke Twitter people basically to educate myself about things that matter.

4. THE TROLLS. Some accounts have been created simply to troll targeted people/issues or to defend celebrities and other public figures. I look at trolls as people with a mission. That way, I don’t get annoyed.

5. THE FANS. They’re on Twitter to support their idols and any hashtags related to their favorites’ projects. Fans can also attack anyone who they see as a threat to their idols but, again, that’s okay. That’s the nature of being a fan.

6. THE FAME SEARCHER. Of all Twitter users, the fame searcher is, in my opinion, the most annoying. They plagiarize the tweets of others and repost pictures without giving proper credit to their rightful owners.

Annoying users notwithstanding, Twitter is an ecosystem and like any such community, we need to be respectful of each other’s beliefs and opinions. ■

Robots walk, talk, pour beer and take over CES tech show

BY MATT O’BRIEN & JOSEPH PISANI The Associated Press LAS VEGAS—Robots that walk, talk, pour beer and play pingpong took over the CES gadget show in Las Vegas again. Just don’t expect to find one in your home any time soon.

Most home robot ventures have failed, in part because they’re so difficult and expensive to design to a level of intelligence that consumers will find useful, says Bilal Zuberi, a robotics-oriented venture capitalist at Lux Capital. But that doesn’t keep companies from trying.

“Roboticists, I guess, will never give up their dream to build Rosie,” says Zuberi, referring to the humanoid maid from The Jetsons.

But there’s some hope for others. Frank Gillett, a tech analyst at Forrester, says robots with more focused missions such as mowing the lawn or delivering cheeseburgers stand a better shot at finding a useful niche.

ROBOTS THAT DELIVER THERE were so many delivery robots at CES that it’s easy to imagine that we’ll all be stumbling over them on the sidewalk—or in the elevator—before long.

Zuberi says it’s among the new robot trends with the

most promise because the field is drawing on some of the same advances that power self-driving cars.

But it’s hard to tell which—if any—will still be around in a few years.

Segway Robotics, part of the same company that makes electric rental scooters for Lime, Jump and Bird, is the latest to get into the delivery game with a new machine it calls Loomo Delivery. The wheeled office robot can avoid obstacles, board elevators and deliver documents to another floor.

A similar office courier called the Holabot was unveiled by Chinese start-up Shenzhen Pudu Technology. CEO Felix Zhang says his company already has a track record selling robots in China, where its Pudubot robot—which looks like shelves on wheels—navigates busy restaurants as a kind of robotic waiter.

Nearly all of these robots use a technology called visual SLAM, short for simultaneous localization and mapping. Most are wheeled, though there are outliers—such as one from German automotive company Continental, which wants to deploy walking robotic dogs to carry packages from self-driving delivery vans to residential front doors.

A delivery robot will need both sophisticated autonomy and a focused mission to stand out from the pack, says Saumil Nanavati, head of business

development for Robby Technology. His company’s namesake robot travels down sidewalks as a “store on wheels.” The company recently partnered with PepsiCo to deliver snacks around a California university campus.

ROBOTS FOR DOGS DOES man’s best friend need a robotic pal of its own?

Some start-ups think so.

“There’s a big problem with separation anxiety, obesity and depression in pets,” says Bee-oh Kim, a marketing manager for robotics firm Varram.

The company’s $99 robot is essentially a moving treat dispenser that motivates pets to chase it around.

A herd of the small, dumbbell-shaped robots zoomed around a pen at the show—though there were no canine or feline conference attendees to show how the machines really work. Varram’s robot takes two hours to charge and can run for 10 hours—just enough time to allow a pet’s guilt-ridden human companion to get home from work.

ROBOTS ON GRANDPARENT WATCH SAMSUNG is coming out with a robot that can keep its eye on grandparents. The rolling robot can talk and has two digital eyes on a black screen. It’s designed to track the medicines seniors take, measure blood

pressure and call 911 if it detects a fall.

Samsung didn’t say when Samsung Bot Care would be available, but some start-ups are putting similar ideas in action.

Israeli company Intuition Robotics used CES to announce the upcoming commercial launch of ElliQ, a robotic voice assistant that can sit on end tables and help older adults communicate with family members without having to fiddle with a computer.

ROBOT FRIENDS LOVOT is a simple robot with just one aim—to make its owner happy.

It can’t carry on long conversations, but it’s still social—approaching people so they can interact, moving around a space to create a digital map, responding to being embraced.

Lovot’s horn-shaped antenna—featuring a 360-degree camera—recognizes its surroundings and detects the direction of sound and voices.

Lovot is the brainchild of Groove X CEO Kaname Hayashi, who previously worked on SoftBank’s Pepper, a humanoid robot that briefly appeared in a few US shopping malls two years ago. Hayashi wanted to create a real connection between people and robots.

“This is just supporting your heart, our motivation,” he says.

A10 Saturday, January 19, 2019

BusinessMirror

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Chinese tech firms take low profile at CES 2019 amid trade tensions /

THE Huawei Mate 10 Pro phone is displayed at the Huawei booth during CES International in Las Vegas. The recently concluded CES 2019 gadget show showcased the expanding influence and sway of China’s rapidly growing technology sector. AP

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BY MATT O’BRIEN The Associated Press

AS VEGAS—The CES 2019 gadget show, which ran from January 7 to 10, showcased the expanding influence and sway of China’s rapidly growing technology sector. But some of its firms stepped back from the spotlight amid rising US national-security concerns over Chinese tech and a trans-Pacific trade war launched by President Donald J. Trump.

Last year a top executive of the Chinese telecom firm Huawei delivered a CES keynote address critical of AT&T’s abrupt cancellation of plans to sell a Huawei phone following espionage concerns raised by the US government. This year, Huawei’s chief financial officer was arrested in Canada at the behest of the US; Meng Wanzhou, daughter of Huawei’s founder, now awaits US extradition. No Chinese technology executives delivered CES keynotes in Las Vegas.

There were fewer Chinese entrepreneurs buying up booth space to show off their latest technology— more than 20 percent fewer exhibitors than last year, according to registration numbers tracked by the South China Morning Post. Chinese firms still accounted for more than a quarter of the conference’s 4,500 exhibitors, second only to the US in sheer numbers. But some of the biggest names took a more subdued approach.

Internet company Baidu last year hosted a flashy event touting its self-driving software, but this year it stuck to a more conventional booth.

E-commerce giant Alibaba eschewed the big outdoor tent it helped erect last year in favor of quieter meetings marketing its voice assistant to business partners. The phone maker Xiaomi simply skipped this year’s event altogether.

None of them cited US-China tensions as a reason, but it is hard to ignore the geopolitical backdrop— even with a 90-day “cease-fire” on tariffs set to expire in March. Trump struck a more conciliatory tone on Sunday as American trade negotiators prepared to meet with their counterparts in Beijing.

The US and China have imposed import taxes on hundreds of billions of dollars of each other’s goods—and Trump has threatened more to come, including tariffs that could make devices like iPhones more expensive. The US is also exploring new export restrictions that would target industries where China is hoping to get ahead, such as artificial intelligence

and robotics. And the Justice Department brought charges last month against two Chinese citizens it accused of stealing American trade secrets and other sensitive information on behalf of Beijing’s main intelligence agency.

Of course, plenty of Chinese entrepreneurs are still eager to show off their innovations. Hosts of the 52-year-old trade event sought to downplay the tensions, noting that they’ve weathered previous trade tensions, such as those that roiled US-Japan relations in the 1980s.

“The Japanese presence used to be very big and it was similar in that the US was in a panic about it,” said Gary Shapiro, CEO of the Consumer Technology

Association, which organizes CES. That ended when the Japanese “bubble” economy burst in 1991 and its tech industry began a long, slow decline.

“Japanese innovation from those companies shrunk and those companies consolidated,” Shapiro said. “These things are impermanent. So I don’t lose that much sleep over it.”

Shapiro said the trade dispute with China and the Meng arrest in Canada did not impact attendance.

A day before the show’s opening, CES organizers refused confirm numbers showing a sharp drop in Chinese exhibitors, but said a decline in small Chinese companies on the show floor was made up by expanded booth presence from bigger firms.

Chinese tech firms are increasingly joining their American, South Korean and Japanese counterparts in using CES to build enthusiasm for up-and-coming electronics products, while also connecting with potential new international partners and suppliers.

That’s especially true for electronics firms like Hisense and TCL, which have increasingly sought to sell their TVs in North America, and Lenovo, which is already a big player in the US laptop market but is pushing to sell other Internet-connected devices.

Hisense made a splashier presentation this year as it invested in boosting its US brand awareness, said Jim Ninesling, head of marketing for Hisense USA. Previously, the company, which has a large market share in China, mostly kept on the US sidelines, branding some of its products under the name of the better-known Japanese firm Sharp.

Chinese electric carmaker Byton, a start-up backed

by Internet giant Tencent, unveiled a day before CES opened what it called the “world’s most intuitive automotive interface” involving a touchscreen mounted on the steering wheel. AI firm iFlytek— sometimes described as China’s Siri or Alexa— showcased its latest advances in voice recognition and real-time translation services. And a start-up expo cohosted by the Chinese government featured a bevy of gee-whiz innovations, from indoor delivery robots and portable karaoke headsets to “smart” suitcases aided by computer vision.

In an ideal world, the tech industries in the two countries would be seen as complementary, said venture capitalist Kai-Fu Lee, who led Google’s subsidiary in China before the company withdrew over censorship and other concerns.

“The US strength is deep technologists, universities, academics, people with superior experience,” he said. “China’s superiority is a larger market, more data, and very tenacious and hardworking entrepreneurs.”

Lee said his optimism for a more collaborative approach is now “merely a dream” because of the worsening trade dispute. But he said there could still be partnerships between US firms and Chinese companies that, for now, mostly cater to Chinese consumers.

“Google feels much, much more threat from Amazon than any Chinese company,” he said.

“That makes Tencent and Alibaba potential allies, especially when customer needs cross international boundaries.” ■

iAcademy rolls out mobile app development program for SY 2018-2019

BY RIZAL RAOUL S. REYES IACADEMY recently introduced for school year 20182019 a mobile app development program in response to the growing developments based on the platform.

Mitch Andaya, dean emeritus of iAcademy, said the current learning environment calls for teaching practical applications of information technology (IT) or computer science courses to enable students be more adapted to the real demands of the industry.

“We train our students in logic, design and programming—our focus is on developing a strong foundation in the fundamentals such that it is easy for them to adapt to any kind of technology, platform or programming language,” he said in a press statement. iAcademy’s mobile app development strand incorporates early training in the most needed skills in IT: Computer Programming (C++), Object-Oriented Programming and Data Structures in Java, Mobile Computing and Database Management Programming in Android, Android UX and UI Design, iOS App Development in Swift, and iOS Networking and Security, among others. According to iAcademy, they are the only school that offers this type of program at the senior high-school level.

Andaya said developing a successful mobile app requires a well-rounded team that has complementing skills. “Mobile app development requires more than just a programmer, especially nowadays when apps need to be more responsive to the needs of the market,” Andaya said.

Nevertheless, Andaya said iAcademy believes many young Filipinos can make a name for themselves in the IT industry. On their part, he said the school steps up by offering a responsive education

LOGISTICS PROVIDER FOR ONLINE SELLERS AND SHOPPERS

system for IT courses that ensures students would have the necessary knowledge and skills that match the demands of the industry.

Meanwhile, the Philippine Software Industry Association expressed concern over the low skills of Filipino IT graduates. In its 2017 report, PSIA said 52 percent of IT graduates find it challenging to land a job because of two major reasons: first, IT students were taught with outdated technology; and,

second, teachers exerted more effort on teaching programming languages than programming.

PSIA said rapid developments in the IT industry demands not only professionals with highly specialized skills, but also those who are well-versed with the latest tech trends. Strong fundamentals in IT is a must for IT graduates, but they should also be exposed to new software and tools currently used in the industry.

LOGISTIKUS Express (www.facebook.com/logistikusexpress) is the newest logistics provider launched in the market recently. The company was established initially to explore opportunities in the e-commerce market to ensure safe deliveries of items sold and bought online and reach their ultimate consignees. This made its delivery service an end to end support solution for online sellers and shoppers.

Logistikus Express now operates in major cities in the country, such as Davao, Cagayan de Oro, Pampanga, Naga, Cavite, Laguna, Cebu and Manila offering interregional and intracity logistics support, backed-up by a fleet of companyowned and partner-engaged trucks and over 300 motorcycles in fulfillment of commitments down to the last mile. The company’s vision is to become the Filipinos’ best logistics support option, creating opportunities for mutual business growth—making Logistikus Express as the most trusted partner in the market, touted Joanne Ramos, assistant vice president for commercial business of Logistikus Express.

The company offers reliable and quick delivery service like shipping parcels, documents, gifts bought online from point of origin to final destination. Logistikus Express also does special package handling requirements including next-day deliveries and cash-on-delivery options.

BusinessMirror

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Saturday, January 19, 2019 A11

‘Resident Evil 2’: Are you ready to return to Racoon City?

THE TECHNIVORE ED UY

whereiseduy@gmail.com

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EFORE I became The Technivore, I used to be Leon Croft.

If you are a gamer, I am sure you immediately get the reference.

That was a long, long time ago, back when gaming, believe or not, was still a small subculture, and I was one of the few local writers who wrote about games.

Remember “GamesMaster,” “Loading,” “GameOver,” and “GameX” (“GameTime”)?

It was a tribute to two of my favorite characters and their games, which would eventually help shape the industry.

Lara Croft and the original Tomb Raider (1996) is considered as one of the greatest video games ever made, serving as a template for many 3D actionadventure games that would follow. Meanwhile, Leon Kennedy and “Resident Evil” introduced gamers to what would be known as the survival horror genre, inspiring countless spinoffs from games, books, comics, toys, movies, TV shows, etc.

Unlike the Tomb Raider franchise which was last given a reboot in 2013, the Resident Evil (RE) universe continues to evolve with the developers trying different approaches with the later titles.

The RE games defined the survival horror genre we have today, with its creepy atmosphere, jump scares and heart-pounding suspense as you take on the hordes of the undead (or infected) and try to survive, while managing your limited inventory of items (such as, health, ammo, weapons and other key items).

But no other Resident Evil game has gotten so much hype and anticipation than the upcoming “reimagination” of “Resident Evil 2.”

Resident Evil 2 first hit the original PlayStation in 1998 and has already been rereleased or ported six times, with additional features like the Extreme Battle Mode, support for analogue controllers and slight graphical enhancements.

But this is the very first reimagination of the game. Yes, it’s the “familiar” Resident Evil 2 game you probably played when you were a kid, but it would be wrong to say that it’s just a graphic upgrade or a remastered version of the original.

A few weeks ago, our friends from Datablitz

invited us over to their office to meet with the Capcom reps and chat with Resident Evil 2 producer Tsuyoshi Kanda, who showed us several gameplay videos and shared some interesting updates as the game nears its release date this January.

Before our interview, Mr. Kanda started with a demo of both Leon and Claire’s campaigns to highlight different gameplay mechanics.

First was how you can dismember zombies by targeting a specific body part. Instead of just firing a shot, you can aim for the leg to immobilize a zombie or knock it down with a well-timed shotgun blast to the chest. This opens up new ways on how to take on the zombies and plan your strategy to conserve precious ammo. RE is known for its limited resources and your decision to engage or escape can could mean life or a painfully messy death.

Shooting at zombies sounds quite exciting, but Kanda pointed out that RE2 remains true to the original, relying more on exploration and heavy on the puzzle elements. Oh, and don’t bother trying to remember the locations of the keys and some items because they’ve been changed it quite a bit.

You start off by choosing between two difficulty levels. The standard difficulty has no restrictions to how many times you can save; on hard difficulty, however, you need to find an ink-ribbon first before you could save your progress on the typewriters. And, yes, the “save” music returns as well to let you know that you can breathe a quick little sigh of relief (even if its for just a few seconds).

Another cool gameplay mechanic Kanda showed us is how players can use items such as wooden boards to board up windows and prevent more zombies from getting inside the precinct. Leon and Claire will also be able to use sub-weapons such as knives and grenades; in this game, grenades are among the most powerful weapons, though they’re in very limited quantities. You can use knives to get out of sticky situations, but know that each knife has a limited amount of uses before breaking.

In the Claire demos, Kanda showed us the encounter with Sherry, the William Birkin fight, as well as the Licker gameplay. Lickers are among the toughest enemies in the game—they’re fast, deal lots of damage and it takes a lot of bullets to put them down. But Kanda showed us that they do have a weakness of sort: Lickers are blind. This means you can sneak past them by walking very slowly.

This makes for some really intense moments as one wrong move will alert them of your presence. In his demo, Kanda did get past the Lickers, but not without suffering some crucial hits that forced him to use his herbs to heal Claire.

REIMAGINING A CLASSIC RE fans might have had their constant fill of T-Virus

induced action the last few years with RE5 and RE6, but there are still those who have been clamoring for a trip back to the place where it all began—Raccoon City.

For Capcom, it seemed like the perfect time to finally grant their wishes and revisit the genredefining classic. Resident Evil 2 was developed from scratch utilizing Capcom’s proprietary RE Engine.

The RE Engine, first introduced in “Resident Evil 7,” features photorealistic textures for character models (Leon, Claire and company look different but better) and detailed environments making Raccoon City even more terrifying. Again you’ll see familiar landmarks, locations, and the precinct looks eerily familiar giving those who played the original a sense of déjà vu.

As mentioned, there are a lot of significant changes in the gameplay, and thankfully the clunky tank controls are gone, replaced by the over-the-shoulder third person view of “Resident Evil 4.” This change modernizes the combat and exploration mechanics of the game. No more turning in circles and spinning in place. Oh, and it’s also worth mentioning that the voice acting now is also superb compared to the original RE2.

Kanda stressed that this is more of a reimagination than just a remake of RE2. He said they rearranged events from the original game’s plotline and added new story elements. Expect fully animated cutscenes with new lines of dialogue for various moments in the game’s story. The zombie encounters and jump scares have also been redone to keep the game unpredictable even for those who have memorized the original.

But more than the graphics, the accuracy of the locations, and the gameplay, Kanda said the biggest challenge for them was how to make longtime RE fans happy—to create a game with the classic “feel” that would bring back fond memories of when they first played the game, while incorporating new elements and making it “fun” to welcome more new players.

That is why they are bringing back alternate costumes and the extra modes including the Hunk and Tofu scenarios. I received a lot of questions about Tofu and a few days ago I saw screenshots of the Tofu character and just like everything else, he has been impressively remade to be more photorealistically tofu-like and looks more like a block of real bean curd than ever before. It also appears that he’s now a full-fledged member of the team as he is wearing a STARS-issued hat.

Tofu appeared in the original “Resident Evil 2” in a scenario, named “The Tofu Survivor,” and was the most challenging mode of all—as if being a walking block of bean curd wasn’t a dead giveaway, you only have a knife and a few herbs to try and survive the zombie plague. The Tofu scenario is very tough to unlock so hopefully he gets a much better ending

this time.

“Resident Evil 2” will be released for the PS4, Xbox One, and PC, and will be available at all Datablitz branches on January 25.

KINGDOM HEARTS III PS4 PRO SONY has a big treat for fans of “Kingdom Hearts,” as the limited-edition Kingdom Hearts III PlayStation 4 Pro will be available in the Philippines on January 29.

The limited-edition console will include an especially designed PS4Pro with a 1TB HDD, wireless controller and the Blu-ray Disc version of the game. The console features a black lace design set on the top cover that is decorated with familiar Kingdom Hearts iconography, such as the heart shape, crown and the Keyblade weapon, and embellished with silver foil and a custom drawn emblem pattern. The Dualshock4 wireless controller that comes with the bundle has a shining black background, while the touchpad design matches the console’s seamlessly. The regal details and the contrasting materials of the console and the controller exude elegance, making the custom designed edition a uniquely styled commodity that accentuates the Kingdom Hearts theme.

Set in a vast array of Disney worlds, the Kingdom Hearts series expands its universe in Kingdom Hearts III by introducing Disney-Pixar worlds and new Disney worlds.

SMART SUBS GET A CHANCE TO WIN P25M IN celebration of 25 years in the business, Smart announced its Amazing 25 promo (www.smart.com. ph/amazing25) to share this milestone with its loyal subscribers.

The wireless communications provider is giving away P25-million cash tax-free as well as smartphones, MVP Rewards credits worth P2,500, and 25GB worth of free mobile data so you can enjoy your favorite apps, videos, games and music.

To join, Smart, TNT, and Sun subscribers need to first complete the one-time registration: dial *121#, choose AMAZING 25 on the menu and follow the steps to confirm your sign up. Once registered, you can start earning and accumulating raffle entries for a shot at winning amazing prizes.

All prepaid subscribers can earn raffle entries with every registration to select prepaid promos via retailers or text registration. As a bonus, subscribers using *121# to register to prepaid promos can earn more entries.

For postpaid subscribers, you need to have active accounts that do not have outstanding balances to earn raffle entries. Just make sure you pay your bills in full and on time. Every P1,000 worth of payment is equivalent to 100 entries. Postpaid customers who purchase select add-ons from Smart and Sun can also earn additional raffle entries. ■

Editor: Gerard S. Ramos • lifestylebusinessmirror@gmail.com

BusinessMirror

Saturday, January 19, 2019 A12

Huawei MediaPad M5 Lite: Value price, premium features

BY GERARD S. RAMOS Lifestyle & Entertainment Editor

‘O

LD paint on a canvas, as it ages, sometimes becomes transparent. When that happens, it is possible in some pictures to see the original lines: a tree will show through a woman’s dress, a child makes way for a dog, a large boat is no longer on an open sea. That is called pentimento, because the painter ‘repented,’ changed his mind.”

So begins Lillian Hellman in Pentimento: A Book of Portraits, the legendary playwright’s acclaimed—and later on controversial—1973 follow-up to her National Book Award-winning first volume of memoirs, An Un�inished Woman.

The quote also opens Julia, director Fred Zinnemann’s Academy Award-winning 1977 film based on the contentious chapter of the same name in Pentimento. The film starred Jane Fonda as the young Lillian Hellman and Vanessa Redgrave as the title character, an anti-Nazi activist in pre-World War II Vienna. It scored a leading 11 nominations at the 50th Academy Awards, including Best Picture, ultimately collecting three Oscars: Best Supporting Actress (for Redgrave), Best Supporting Actor (for Jason Robards as Dashiell Hammett, another legendary writer) and Best Adapted Screenplay.

It may seem odd to be opening a review about the MediaPad M5 Lite, Huawei’s new tablet offering, with that preceding bit of rumination on Julia, but it could not be helped. That period film—with its exquisite costumes, moody cinematography, meditative pacing and bravura performances—provided fuel to fervid literary dreams. Who could forget, or resist, the birthing pains of that tour de force of theater The Children’s Hour as portrayed in the film, with

Fonda’s Hellmann struggling through crippling self-doubt, withering critiques from Hammett, and a temperamental typewriter that, in one magnificent scene she throws out of a window with a supremely satisfying shriek of frustration.

The MediaPad M5 Lite will no doubt make for a far more dependable writer’s tool, especially if paired with a Bluetooth keyboard, and given the solid hardware Huawei has shoehorned into its compact frame: generous screen real estate, more than decent processing power to handle a variety of tasks simultaneously, plus Wi-Fi connectivity that allows for spurts of research as the need arises.

Huawei’s latest entry in the tablet landscape comes amid media reports of a market that has stagnated, whether you are a tech company bearing the name of a fruit or among the plethora of players leveraging Google’s dominant Android operating system. According to a report filed by Felix Richter in Statista last November, “As smartphones grew larger and tablet innovation faded away, the market’s growth came to a screeching halt by the end of 2014, and worldwide tablet sales have been shrinking ever since.”

Will Huawei be able to reverse the trend with the MediaPad M5 Lite? It certainly makes for a compelling case. Just hitting the local stores, the MediaPad M5 Lite is the more affordable version of the trifecta of tablets Huawei launched at last year’s annual Mobile World Congress, but do not mistake this for a budget iteration. Nobody will anyway: with dimensions measuring 9.58 x 6.39 x 0.30 inches, the tablet, running on Android 8.0 (Oreo), is wrapped in a full-metal body with a matte finish that gives it a very premium look and feel. The corners have been gently rounded, and the sides are discreetly softened besides getting chamfered at the top and bottom to highlight one of

the outstanding features of the M5 Lite—quad stereo speakers that bear the imprimatur of sound specialist Harman Kardon, providing a solid audio experience that is punchy with bass, and with minimal distortion even with the volume set high.

And, yes, it does have a 3.5mm jack for those premium wired headphones you bought not so long ago, allowing you to enjoy your Spotify playlist without annoying everybody else around you.

Elsewhere, the left side plays host to the USB Type-C 1.0 reversible connector and the microSD slot that can take as much as a 256GB card, while on the right are the volume controls and the power button.

The back of the MediaPad M5 Lite has been pretty much left unencumbered by unnecessary flourishes, with little else but the Huawei and Harman Kardon branding, plus the 8MP camera that is raised only ever so slightly. At the top center of the tablet’s front is the selfie camera that is also an 8MP affair, and across it, just below the screen, is the fingerprint scanner—a feature you won’t typically find in a tablet at this price range (P18,990 with a free Bluetooth speaker thrown in for good measure), certainly not on a branded tablet. Yes, both shooters are not something anybody will write home about, but the pictures they yield are more than decent enough, the snaps will surely fit in nicely with the rest in your Instagram feed.

And then there is the MediaPad M5 Lite’s screen, framed by bezels that Huawei has slimmed down considerably. As with other tablets, you can peruse the M5 Lite in either portrait or horizontal orientation, but the central placement of the front-facing camera and the fingerprint scanner more than implies the horizontal orientation to be the most optimal. And with good reason.

Measuring 10.1 inches diagonally, with 1920 x 1200 resolution and a 224 PPI density, the MediaPad M5

Lite’s IPS screen may not jam as many pixels per inch as premium-priced tablets, but it is a full HD display that will serve well all sorts of media consumption and those intermittent bursts of productivity. The blacks are deep and the color reproduction is vibrant, making the tablet an excellent platform for those increasingly frequent Netflix binges and YouTube obsessions. Pair it with a Bluetooth keyboard and the M5 Lite—with its screen real estate, processing power, and that 7500 mAh battery that provides juice for 12 hours—is the perfect option to carry around on days when you do not want to be weighed down by a laptop.

Of course, instead of typing away, one could simply scribble down notes and even draw, as the MediaPad M5 Lite comes with the battery-powered Huawei M-Pen Lite stylus. We must confess, however, that given our hideous penmanship, this is something we will never warm up to.

Reportedly, there will be an upgrade path to Android 9 (Pie) for the Oreo-packing M5 Lite, but nobody hold their breath over such a report. Besides, Oreo is a solid version of the operating system which, on top of the efficient HiSilicon Kirin 659 octa-core processor, the Mali T830 MP2 GPU and the 4GB RAM, makes the tablet run so efficiently and smoothly that it could very well become our favorite tool to churn out the stories that need to be written and the copies that need to be edited in Google Docs (Microsoft Word is preinstalled). We may even get to finally write that long-gestating novel on this.

Then again, maybe not. It would be quite costly if, in a moment of literary frustration, we channel our inner Jane Fonda doing Lillian Hellman, let out a shriek and....

■ More information on the speci�ications of the Huawei MediaPad M5 Lite is available at bit.ly/2CpWrfQ.

Globe launches the country’s first self-install broadband postpaid service GLOBE Telecom beefs up its home Internet portfolio by introducing yet another breakthrough. Globe At Home Air is the latest in wireless Internet technology that is capable of higher speeds and higher data allocations. With speeds of up to 20 Mbps, data capacity of up to 600GB and free access to content, Globe At Home Air offers great value for money.

The new addition to the Globe At Home Postpaid portfolio introduces a fully doit-yourself end-to-end experience for its customers. To apply for a Globe At Home Air subscription, you only need to drop by at the nearest participating Globe store with one valid ID. You can then start filling out all required forms via the online digital form. Once the application is approved and necessary fees are paid, you can already get

your Globe At Home Air modem for easy self-setup at home on the same day. No appointments, no waiting for an installer.

Setting up the modem at home is a breeze—just plug in and connect. Plug in your modem and wait for the blue light to turn on. Once the blue light is on, you can connect to the Wi-Fi by logging in with the designated Wi-Fi Key. In just two easy steps, you can download videos faster, play more games and stream all you want, whenever you want. Check out the video on how to set up your modem in a snap at bit.ly/2HkurzR. “Globe At Home Air aims to elevate customer experience to a level that no one has ever seen before in home broadband services,” says Martha Sazon, SVP and head of Broadband Business at Globe

Telecom. “Built with faster speed, higher data allocations and a unique self-install process, this new technology makes Internet at home as reliable, accessible and user-friendly as it can get.”

Globe At Home Air is available in select areas in Cavite and Bulacan.

Plans are as low as P1,299 for up to 5 Mbps and 400GB; P1,599 for up to 10 Mbps, 500GB; and P1,699 for up to 20 Mbps and 600GB with six months free subscription to DisneyLife, FOX+ and HOOQ. To avail yourself of a plan, you may visit participating stores at SM City Dasmariñas, SM City Rosario, SM City Bacoor in Cavite, and SM City Baliuag and SM City Marilao in Bulacan. This new service from Globe At Home will be available in more areas soon.