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PHL goes on a ‘bittersweet’ ride to control people’s thirst for SSBs

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By Cai U. Ordinario

HANGING the hearts and minds—and yes, the taste—of Filipinos when it comes to sugarsweetened beverages (SSBs) could be “bittersweet” for the economy. With a penchant for all things sweet, Filipinos would have to face the reality that consuming these products, especially SSBs on a

regular basis, could not only place their health at risk, but could also be a drain to their pockets as well. The recent increase in taxes

for SSBs—courtesy of the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) Law—has already affected their consumption. And now, with President Duterte leading the way, these SSBs will soon carry health warnings that could further erode consumption. “It will likely affect the whole chain down to one million sari-sari stores,” University of Asia and the Pacific Center for Food and Agri Business Executive Director Rolando Dy told the BusinessMirror.

Consumption

NATIONAL Economic and Devel-

opment Authority (Neda) Undersecretary for Planning and Policy Rosemarie G. Edillon said regulating sugar consumption can be effectively done through taxes. This has been observed in other countries such as Mexico when it slapped a 10-percent excise tax on sugary drinks: Consumption dropped by 7.6 percent. Edillon said the impact in the country would be significant, given that the country’s consumption of SSBs is high. She said that in 2005, Filipinos’ Coca-Cola consumption reached 151 servings per capita per year. This is more than twice the global

average of 77 servings per capita. This is supported by local data. Based on several Family Income and Expenditure Survey (FIES) results, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) said families have seen a steady increase in spending for nonalcoholic beverages from 2003 to 2012. In 2003 Filipino households spent P29.5 billion on nonalcoholic beverages. Of this amount, around P16.1 billion was spent on carbonated drinks, while P8.24 billion of the amount was spent on fruit juices and noncarbonated drinks. The spending on nonalcoholic

beverages in 2006 almost doubled to P34.18 billion. However, there was a slight decline in spending for soft drinks at P16.06 billion, but an increase in the expenditure for fruit juices at P10.15 billion. The increase continued in 2009, with households spending as much as P44.09 billion on nonalcoholic beverages. There was a marked increase in the spending for soft drinks at P17.32 billion and in the consumption of fruit juices at P14.63 billion. In the latest FIES in 2012, families spent P62.61 billion Continued on A2

Trade war threat gets real as Trump slaps tariffs on $34-B Chinese imports By Andrew Mayeda & Jennifer Jacobs | Bloomberg

as it enters a new and dangerous phase by imposing direct costs on companies and consumers globally. China has vowed to hit back in kind on goods ranging from American soybeans to pork, which may in turn prompt Trump to raise trade barriers even higher.

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.S. President Donald Trump is firing the biggest shot yet in the global trade war by imposing tariffs on $34 billion of Chinese imports, delivering on a promise to his political supporters that risks provoking retaliation and harming the world economy. The duties on Chinese goods will go forward just after midnight, Trump told reporters on Air Force One on his way to Montana on Thursday. Another $16 billion of goods could follow in two weeks, Trump said, before suggesting the final total could eventually reach $550 billion, a figure that exceeds all of China’s annual goods exports to the US. As of 12:01 a.m. on Friday in Washington, US Customs officials

are set to begin collecting additional 25-percent tariffs on Chinese imports of goods ranging from farming plows to semiconductors and airplane parts. It’s the first time the US has imposed tariffs directly aimed at Chinese goods following months in which Trump accused Beijing of stealing American intellectual property and unfairly swelling America’s trade deficit. The riskiest economic gamble of Trump’s presidency could spread

PESO EXCHANGE RATES n US 53.4100

Real conflict

IN this June, 19, 2018, file photo, ship-to-shore cranes stack shipping containers onboard the container ship Maersk Semarang at the Port of Savannah in Savannah, Georgia. AP/STEPHEN B. MORTON

“ONCE these tariffs start going into effect, it’s pretty clear the conflict is real,” said Robert Holleyman, former deputy US trade representative under President Barack Obama and now a partner at law firm Crowell and Moring Llp. “If we don’t find an exit ramp, this will accelerate like a snowball going down a hill.” Recent US tariffs on steel and aluminum antagonized fellow rich nations and drew return fire from the European Union and Canada. Chinese state media have run numerous commentary pieces on the dispute over the past few days criticizing the American position. As the world’s most developed nation and the rule-maker of the Continued on A2

n JAPAN 0.4829 n UK 70.6561 n HK 6.8065 n CHINA 8.0472 n SINGAPORE 39.1425 n AUSTRALIA 39.4486 n EU 62.4523 n SAUDI ARABIA 14.2415

Source: BSP (July 6, 2018 )

News

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Trade war threat gets real as Trump slaps tariffs on $34-B Chinese imports Continued from a1

current global governing system, there is “astounding absurdity” in the US complaining that it’s been bullied in trade, the People’s Daily, the flagship newspaper of the Communist Party of China, said in a Chinese-language commentary on Friday.

Chinese state media

Some other media were more circumspect, with the English-language China Daily on Thursday calling on China to be confident but not arrogant. The Global Times, an English tabloid under the People’s Daily, warned that China should be prepared for the US to try to contain China’s rise. “Washington’s shifted Beijing strategy is not a temporary decision,” the editorial said, adding that “the country will encounter more barriers in future development, to which we should learn to adapt.” “Sino-US trade spats in the past few months remind us that twists and turns are unavoidable in China’s rise,” but China should remain cool-headed and retain composure, according to the editorial from late on Wednesday. However, “given its scale and organizational skills, Chinese society has an unparalleled capability of diffusing and alleviating exterior impacts.” Iconic American companies such as Harley-Davidson Inc. are among those set to suffer. The motorcycle maker said this month it may move production out of the US to avoid EU tariffs on its bikes. American businesses from Apple Inc. and Walmart Inc. to

General Motors Co. all operate in China and are keen to expand. That hands Chinese President Xi Jinping room to impose penalties such as Customs delays, tax audits and increased regulatory scrutiny if Trump delivers on his threat of bigger duties on Chinese trade.

Stocks down

Chinese stocks have taken a beating in recent weeks, entering a bear market, as concerns about the trade war have mingled with worries about China’s ability to control its debt and maintain growth. US stocks are up slightly more than 2 percent this year as investors have weighed the threat of trade frictions against the strong performance of the US economy. Trump is doubling down on his promise to put “America First” in the nation’s foreign and economic policies. He blames China for a bilateral trade deficit of $336 billion and for costing US manufacturing jobs. Politically, the get-tough-onChina campaign is aimed at helping score points with the voters who propelled Trump to the White House even though some members of his Republican party—particularly those in farming states that could be hit by retaliation—urged a retreat. Failure that brings economic pain could cost Republican seats in November’s midterm elections.

What our economists say

As a candidate in 2016, Donald Trump won support with a promise to redress an unbalanced trade relationship with the rest of the world. In the White House in 2018, he has started to make good on

U.S. tariffs take effect, China warns of ‘counterattack’ WASHINGTON—The United States hiked tariffs on Chinese imports Friday and Beijing said it would be forced to counterattack in a dispute between the world’s two biggest economies that President Donald Trump says he is prepared to escalate. Washington increased tariffs at 12:01 a.m. Eastern time on $34 billion worth of Chinese imports, a first step in what could become an accelerating series of tariffs. China’s Commerce Ministry said it would be “forced to make a necessary counterattack.” It gave no immediate details but Beijing earlier released a target list of American goods for retaliation including soybeans, electric cars and whiskey. Financial markets seemed to take the latest developments in stride. Japan’s Nikkei 225 index gained 1.4 percent while the Shanghai Composite index jumped 0.7 percent and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng surged 0.8 percent. Trump discussed the trade war on Thursday with journalists who flew with him to Montana for a campaign rally. The president said US tariffs on an additional $16 billion in Chinese goods are set to take effect in two weeks. After that, the hostilities could intensify: Trump said the US is ready to target an additional $200 billion in Chinese imports—and then $300 billion more—if Beijing does not yield to US demands and continues to retaliate. That would bring the total of targeted Chinese goods to potentially $550 billion—more than the $506 billion in goods that China shipped to the United States last year. The Trump administration contends China has deployed predatory tactics in a push to overtake US technological dominance. These tactics include cyber-theft and requiring American companies to hand over technology in exchange for access to China’s market. AP

that pledge. Bloomberg Economics’ base case remains more trade skirmish than trade war, but the risks are increasing. The tariffs could jeopardize an upswing that extended to nine years on his watch and pushed the jobless rate to the lowest in nearly half a century. US and Chinese companies will now find it costlier to trade with each other, meaning less demand and higher prices. The International Monetary Fund

warns an extended spat could undermine the strongest global expansion since 2011.

Risk to growth

The extent of the economic damage will depend on how far both sides go. If the US and China cool off after a first round of tariffs, the impact on their economies will be modest, according to Bloomberg Economics. Under a full-blown trade war in which the US slaps

10-percent tariffs on all other countries and they respond, the economists reckon US growth would slow by 0.8 percentage point by 2020. The impact of the first round of tariffs on $34 billion in Chinese goods will be “quite small,” said Ethan Harris, head of global economic research at Bank of America Merrill Lynch. But he doesn’t “see the war ending until there are casualties.” “This plays out over the next few months, until both sides start to feel a little pain and realize this isn’t a bloodless march to victory,” said Harris. JPMorgan Chase & Co. economists warn the biggest risk may come from the indirect impact of tightening credit conditions and business confidence, reducing scope for investment and hiring while undermining financial markets.

Auto investigation

Vehicles could be the next battleground. The Trump administration is reviewing whether to introduce duties on imported cars and trucks in a bid it says to protect US national security. The threat deepened tensions with the EU, which warns that car tariffs would inflict pain across its 28 member states. Trump argues that his approach will force other countries to trade more fairly, reducing America’s $552-billion trade deficit and prompting employers to return to America. But recent US tax cuts and spending increases will probably buoy the dollar and the nation’s current-account deficit anyway,

the IMF said this week. America’s hawkish trade agenda may therefore not deliver the results the president is seeking. That could set the stage for a prolonged conflict with Beijing, which has shown little interest in making fundamental changes to its economic model. Xi has balked at US demands to stop subsidizing Chinese firms under his plan to make the nation a leader in key technologies by 2025. Negotiations between the two countries petered out with the Chinese accusing the US of blackmail. The US imports much more from China than the other way around, giving the US an advantage in a tariff dispute. That means Beijing could focus on introducing bigger regulatory or tax burdens on American companies who operate in China or want to tap its growing market. It could even take the drastic steps of devaluing the yuan or reducing its $1.2-trillion holdings of US Treasuries, measures that would hurt it as well as the US. In the past, the US used its economic clout to win trade skirmishes with developing countries, said James Boughton, a senior fellow at the Center for International Governance Innovation in Waterloo, Ontario. China, whose economy has grown tenfold since it joined the World Trade Organization in 2001, poses a much more formidable adversary. “The dynamic is different from anything we’ve seen,” said Boughton. “China has an ability to ride out this kind of pressure, to weather the storm, that a lot of countries didn’t have in the past.”

PHL goes on a ‘bittersweet’ ride to control people’s thirst for SSBs Continued from a1

on nonalcoholic beverages, now termed mineral water, soft drinks, fruit and vegetables juices.

While mineral water took the lion’s share at P23 billion, spending for soft drinks and fruit juices reached P18.63 billion and P11.54

billion, respectively. It’s no wonder that the Philippines has the second highest points of sales for Coco-Cola FEMSA. Based

on its 2017 annual report, Coca-Cola FEMSA reported that its highest number of points of sale was in Mexico at 835,430, but the second is in the Philippines, 818,502. The country is also the location of 19 of the 64 Coca-Cola FEMSA plants.

Consumption down with recent tax

In recent months, however, since the imposition of higher taxes for SSBs as TRAIN took effect on January 1, there was a contraction in the sale of sugary drinks, according to the Nielsen Retail Index (NRI). The NRI showed that the average contraction in sales of these products in sari-sari stores was 8.7 percent in February 2018, as average prices in sari-sari stores increase by 20.6 percent. Data showed that sales volumes of powdered tea and juices in sari-sari stores posted double-digit contractions of 18.1 percent and 15.4 percent, respectively. The prices of powdered tea and juices sold in sari-sari stores increased 6.2 percent and 8.6 percent in February 2018. As of February this year, sari-sari store sales of carbonated soft drinks declined 7 percent; energy drinks, 7.9 percent; and canned and noncanned juices, 7.2 percent. “Watch the sales of sari-sari stores when labeling takes effect. It is already down with higher taxes,” Dy said.

Health warnings

While it was clear that sugary drinks lead to obesity, there’s insufficient data to support their direct link to diseases such as diabetes, according to Action for Economic Reform (AER) Senior Economist Jo-Ann Diosana. Diosana said, however, that AER supported the move to increase taxes on SSBs because sugary drinks are

a contributing factor to health risks such as diabetes. Unlike tobacco use where there is no argument when it comes to its negative side effects, getting diabetes cannot solely be pinned on a person’s consumption of SSBs. Diosana said some people could already be predisposed to diabetes due to genetics or that they already have Type 1 Diabetes, the cause of which is biological. Type 1 Diabetes is a condition wherein the pancreas of a person does not produce sufficient amounts of insulin. This means placing labels can be tricky, Diosana added. If the government places a health warning that is not supported by studies or some form of evidence, this could spread wrong or fake information. While using false information to back up the warnings will not have a negative impact on the health of Filipinos, it will adversely affect the health of the SSB industry. “As long as there are studies that can support the warnings, I’m all for it. If you don’t drink sugar-sweetened beverages, nothing bad will happen to you. The danger is false information. This is the reason why there should be solid evidence to support the warnings,” Diosana said. While the imposition of health warnings for SSBs may have come as a surprise to some sectors, Diosana said this may have been a side effect of the government’s efforts on tobacco control. When Republic Act 9211, or the Tobacco Regulation Act, was passed in 2003, the industry was mandated to place health warnings such as “GOVERNMENT WARNING: Cigarettes are Addictive”; “GOVERNMENT WARNING: Tobacco Can Harm your Children”; or “GOVERNMENT WARNING: Smoking Kills.” However, it took 10 years before the government was able to amend the law to include graphic warnings on all cigarette packs. Diosana said this was fast-tracked by the passage of the Sin Tax Law in 2012, which imposed higher tobacco taxes, among others. The graphic warnings, nonetheless, were not as effective as the price increase when it came to curbing tobacco use among Filipinos—validating the conventional wisdom that people react more promptly when their bottom line is hurting. Diosana said smokers do not really pay attention to

the graphic warnings, and some would even claim these warnings to be untrue. The major impact of the health warnings were really on nonsmokers. Diosana said these warnings were enough to deter them from starting the habit because of the “shock factor” of the images. Further, unlike cigarettes, all Filipinos consume sugar. This will make consumption regulation difficult. But, Diosana said, it certainly sends a strong message about consumer welfare. “I think that will be the start of consumer empowerment. In the country, consumer empowerment is weak. We’re fed by information through marketing and not all of us try to be critical by the things that are given to us in the form of advertisement. So it’s also a good way to start empowering our consumers,” she said.

Multipronged approach

Diosana said many countries are now more conscious about placing correct labels, and the government’s recent policy actions track the same direction. She said, however, more needs to be done to continue these kinds of reforms, especially since they aim to shape people’s behavior. Countries around the world employ a multipronged approach that addresses various aspects of an issue. In the case of tobacco control, apart from the tax, ensuring there are smoke-free spaces, measures to help in how to stop smoking, placing health warnings, and banning advertisements have been effective in cutting consumption. This means, Diosana said, regulating the consumption of SSBs also means capacitating agencies and promoting greater coordination and cooperation between the Department of Health, the Department of Trade and Industry, the Food and Drugs Administration, and even the Department of Science and Technology. These are crucial in changing the behavior of people and even the culture, especially when it comes to Filipinos’ sugar consumption habit. “If you want to change behavior, it has to be a multipronged approach,” Diosana said. “Not everything about culture is right and good for people so more concerted effort is needed if you want to change the culture.”

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Saturday, July 7, 2018 A3

MALAYAN COLLEGES MINDANAO TO HOLD INAUGURATION CEREMONY

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ALAYAN Colleges Mindanao, A Mapúa School, will hold its inauguration ceremony on July 7, 2018, 5:30 pm at the MCM School Campus in General Douglas MacArthur Highway, Matina, Davao City.

This ceremony will be graced by the cordial presence of the honorable President of the Philippines, Rodrigo Roa Duterte; Davao City Mayor, Inday Sara Duterte; YGC Chairperson, Mrs. Helen Yuchengco-Dee; Mapúa President, Dr. Reynaldo B. Vea; MCM EVP-COO, Engr. Dodjie Maestrecampo. Along with the students, special guests are also expected to attend the ceremony which includes: government offi-

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MS. HELEN YUCHENGCO DEE

AS been the Chairperson of Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation ("RCBC") since June 27, 2005. Ms. Dee serves as Chairperson of House of Investments, Inc. She is also the President and/or Chief Executive Officer of Hydee Management and Resource Corp., Moira Management, Inc., Tameena Resources, Inc., YGC Corporate Services, Inc., GPL Holdings, Inc. and Mijo Holdings, Inc. She also holds Chairmanship positions in various companies, including Malayan Insurance Company, Inc., Petro Energy Resources Corporation, La Funeraria Paz Sucat, RCBC Leasing and Finance Corporation, Landev Corporation, HI-Eisai Pharmaceutical Inc., PetroGreen Energy Corporation, Mapua Information Technology Center, Inc., Manila Memorial Park Cemetery, Inc., Pan Malayan Realty Corporation, RCBC Savings Bank, Xamdu Motors, Inc., Petrowind Energy, Inc., Malayan High School of Science, Inc. and Maibarara Geothermal, Inc. She served as the Chairman of National Reinsurance Corporation of the Philippines from January 201 0 to January 1, 2018. She is the Vice Chairperson of Pan Malayan Management & Investment Corporation and West Spring Dev. Corp. She has been a Director of PLOT since June 18, 1986. She likewise holds directorship positions in AY Holdings, Inc, ET Yuchengco, Inc., Dee Yu Corporation, GPL Holdings, Inc., Hi-Eisai Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Honda Cars, Kaloocan, Honda Cars Philippines, Inc, Hydee Management & Resource Corp. , lsuzu Philippines, Inc. , La Funeraria Paz Sucat , Landev Corp. , Luis Miguel Foods , Luisita Industrial Park Corporation, Malayan Colleges, Inc. , Malayan Colleges Mindanao (A. Mapua School) Inc. , Malayan Insurance Company , Malayan Insurance Co. (HK) Ltd , Malayan High School of Science, Inc , Manila Memorial Park Cemetery, Inc. , Mapua Information Technology Center, Inc. , MICO Equities, Inc. , Mijo Holdings, Inc. , Moira Management, Inc. , Pan Malayan Express , Pan Malayan Management and Investment Corporation , Pan Malayan Realty Corp., Petrowind Energy, Inc. , Philippine Integrated Advertising Agency, Inc, Promotions Personalized Inc, RCBC Forex Brokers Corp, RCBC Leasing & Finance Corp, RCBC Realty Corporation, RCBC Savings Bank, Shayamala Corporation, Silver Falcon Insurance Agency, Inc. , Tameena Resources, Inc. , Xamdu Motors, Inc. , YGC Corporate Services, Inc. andY Realty, Inc. She serves as Director at Great Life Financial Assurance Corporation. She served as a Director of I People, Inc., since 2006 to January 1, 2018. She has been Director Sun life Grepa Financial, Inc. since May 2009 and has been its Chairman since 2015. She graduated from Assumption College with a Bachelor of Science degree in Commerce and completed her Master's in Business Administration at De La Salle University.

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DR. REYNALDO B. VEA

S the President, and Chief Executive Officer of the Mapua University of Technology, the Philippines' premier engineering school. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of the Philippines; a graduate degree in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology; and a doctorate degree in Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley in the United States. He also serves as President and CEO of Malayan Colleges Laguna, Malayan High School of Science, and the new Mapua school in Davao City, the Malayan Colleges Mindanao in Matina Davao City. He is the non-executive Director of iPeople, Inc., a Member at Fulbright Commission in the Philippines, Chairman of the Philippine Science High School System, and a Member at UNESCO National Commission of The Philippines, Member of the Board of Directors of iPeople, Inc., House of Investments, Inc., Seafront Resources Corp., Philippine Association of Colleges & Universities, FiiSwedish Maritime Foundation, Inc., Industrial Research Foundation, Inc., Maibarara Geothermal, Inc., National Research Council of The Philippines, PetroGreen Energy Corp., PetroWind Energy, Inc., Philippine American Educational Foundation, Philippine Fulbright Scholar Association, AY Foundation, Inc. and the Yuchengco Center.

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S currently the Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Malayan Colleges Mindanao; and a member of the Board of Trustees of the Mapua Institute of Technology, the country's premier engineering school. He was the former Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs; and the Dean of the School of Chemical Engineering and Chemistry of the same institution. He is also a member of the EIA Review Committee of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR). In the past, he was Technical Consultant of CROSCO Corporation and Product and Process Development Manager of Colgate-Palmolive, Philippines. Engr. Maestrecampo ranked 5th in the 1986 Ucensure Examination for Chemical Engineering. He is a holder of Master of Science in Chemistry from the De La Salle University; Master of Engineering in Chemical Engineering from the Mapua Institute of Technology. At present, he is a candidate for the Doctor of Philosophy in Educational Leadership and Management at the De La Salle University in Taft Avenue, Manila.

ENGR. DODJIE S. MAESTRECAMPO

cials, private sector officials, YGC executives, MCM officials and many other distinguished guests.

About MCM:

MALAYAN Colleges Mindanao (MCM), a Mapúa school, is a new subsidiary of Malayan Colleges Inc. (MCI) under a Yuchengco-led holding company for the group’s business in the education and technology sector, iPeople, Inc. (IPO).

Malayan Colleges Mindanao has come to Davao City with the core vision of transforming students to become globally competitive professionals highly preferred by industries here and abroad. MCM distinguishes itself from rest of the colleges and universities in Davao and in Mindanao through: nLearner-Centered OutcomesnBased Education nBlended on-line and face-to-

face learning sessions nIndustry Partnerships nMindanao-centric Learning nAdvanced Learning Facilities With great anticipation, the school opened its doors on July 2, 2018 to the alpha batch comprising of 1,233 students. MCM offers high-quality education in the field of Engineering and Architecture, Arts and Sciences, Business, Computer Studies, and Senior High School.

ExportUnlimited BusinessMirror

A4 Saturday, July 7, 2018 • Editor: Efleda P. Campos

PHL, Japan hold industrial-cooperation dialogue

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HE Philippines and Japan conducted the third round of their Industrial Cooperation Dialogue on June 22 as part of the continued cooperation between the two countries to focus on strategic areas of partnership.

“These industry cooperation initiatives focus more on collaboration than negotiation. Being the country’s second-largest trading partner, we value Japan as among our partners in nation-building as the Philippines continues to modernize and expand its economy anchored on the ‘Build, Build, Build’ program of the government. This dialogue will hopefully serve as the template for our bilateral negotiations with other countries in terms of partnership and cooperation,” said Trade Undersecretary and Board of Investments (BOI) Managing Head Ceferino Rodolfo at the start of the dialogue at the Board of Investments Building in Makati City. “This discussion will allow Japan to contribute and help the Philippines take advantage of its competitiveness and position itself as a manufacturing hub in the Asean region. The experiences of Japanese firms in specific industries like the automotive, electronics and other selected industries will hopefully spark the country to undertake the necessary reforms and action plans to push

further ahead,” Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry official Satoshi Miura said in his capacity as the head of the Japanese delegation. During the dialogue, Trade Assistant Secretary for Industry Development and Trade Policy Group Rafaelita Aldaba presented the updates of the implementation of the industrial development vision through the Inclusive Innovation Industrial Strategy, otherwise known as the i3S. “The Department of Trade and Industry and the BOI are further doubling their efforts in creating and sustaining the right policy framework that encourages the further development of the private sector along the lines of the country’s comparative advantage,” Aldaba said. The i 3S prioritizes the growth and development of 12 major industries which include manufacturing (of which automotive is part of), electronics, aerospace, shipbuilding, chemicals, informationtechnology-business process management particularly knowledgeprocess outsourcing, agribusiness, infrastructure and logistics. The

THE Philippines and Japan conducted the third round of Industrial Cooperation Dialogue on June 22 as part of the continued cooperation between the two countries to focus on strategic areas of partnership. Leading the Philippine side are Trade Assistant Secretary for Industry Development and Trade Policy Group Rafaelita Aldaba (left) and Trade Undersecretary and Board of Investments Managing Head Ceferino Rodolfo. BOI INFOCOMMS

i 3S will usher in the upgrading of local industries which will allow them to better participate in global value chains, and generate more, better, and higher value jobs for the Filipinos. The third round of dialogue between the Philippines and Japan is expected to deepen the coop-

eration and further boost trade and investment ties between the two countries. Extensive discussions were held on strategic areas, such as the state of the automotive industry in the country and the direction of the automotive policy, effect of Kaizen activities

for elaboration of industrial promotion plans using value-chain analysis, creation of large-scale employment through the establishment of domestic industrial base, creation of high value-added employment through innovation, prospects of fintech startups and regional development.

DTI leads business mission to Vietnam

By Kristina Noelle Andaya

Trade-Industry Development Specialist DTI-EMB

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HE Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) spearheaded an Outbound Business Mission (OBM) to Vietnam on June 19-21, 2018 that booked sales of $265,000 to its Philippine participants.

Ceferino Rodolfo, Undersecretary of the DTI Industry Development and Trade Policy Group; and DTI Export Marketing Bureau Director Senen Perlada had a bilateral meeting with Vietnam’s Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) Deputy Minister Tran Quoc Khanh. They were assisted by DTI-EMB Assistant Director Agnes Perpetua Legaspi.

The business mission was the result of Rodolfo’s and Tran’s meeting on April 24, 2017 when Tran invited Rodolfo to organize a Philippine mission to Vietnam to beef up the bilateral trade of the two countries. Last year, the country’s trade deficit with Vietnam amounted to about $1.6 billion. In particular, the Philippines will

offer products Vietnam normally imports from Thailand. In this OBM to Vietnam, 18 companies with 32 representatives participated. Six were exporters of processed food, five were in personal care, one in garments, another in franchising, one in motorcycle, one in food machinery and three in other sectors. During the Vietnam-Philippines Business Opportunity Forum, the Philippine companies introduced their products to potential buyers and importers. Part of the business matching was the market-scanning activity involving visits to Aeon Mall, a specialist shopping mall in Vietnam. Some companies were able to visit the mall and helped to gain distributors. They also checked the supermarket’s Asian section where Philippine products were not that visible except for Universal Robina Corp.Vietnam (URC-VN) products. The business delegation was invited by URC-VN and Vietnam-Singapore Industrial Park (VSIP) for a briefing and plant and beverage tour. Binh Duong province in Vietnam is home to the first VSIP established back in 1996. VSIP is a self-contained industrial park with modern facilities such as ready-built factories, and full infrastructure facilities including electricity, treated water, sewerage treatment, and telecommunications for investors to set up their manufacturing plants. The Philippine companies operating in VSIP are URC- VN, Oishi, Unilab, Rebisco, and Green Cross. The delegates also learned from URC-VN as the company shared what they learned in sustaining their company’s operation in Vietnam.

Toyota Motor Philippines Corp. and Mitsubishi Motor Philippines Corp. disclosed they have already invested a total of P10.7 billion so far in the Comprehensive Automotive Resurgence (CARS) Program, one of the flagship programs of the DTIBOI’s Manufacturing Resurgence Program. According to a Jica study, domestic auto sales are projected to hit 1.2 million units by 2027. Both Toyota and Mitsubishi said, while the industry continues to face challenges, they express optimism in complying with the requirements of the CARS program and hope that government authorities and the industry will find a “workable balance” to support the program and at the same time generate much-needed revenues, in the wake of the second phase of the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) law to fund the infrastructure program and create a sustainable and inclusive growth for the country. The dialogue was attended by officials and representatives from state-run agencies such as the DTI, BOI, Philippine Economic Zone Authority, National Economic and Development Authority and other related offices. Also present were officers and representatives of Japan International Cooperation Agency, Japanese Embassy, Japan External Trade Organization, Japan Chamber of Commerce in the Philippines, Toyota Motor Philippines Co., Mitsubishi Motors Philippines, Denso Corp. and other representatives of the Japanese delegation.

Entrepreneurs urged to launch cross-border e-commerce business

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UDDING entrepreneurs have been urged to start a cross-border e-commerce business, as billions of people now shop online. “In 2020 the cross-border e-commerce is expected to account for about $900-billion GMV [gross merchandise value], translating into a roughly 22-percent share of the global e-commerce market,” e-commerce Business Consultant Michael Jan Menzon said. Menzon said more consumers opt for crossborder e-commerce shopping mainly due to better product availability, especially in mature e-commerce markets such as Japan, Germany and the United Kingdom. “Having an attractive offering [including price] stands out as key to convincing international consumers to act,” he said during the Philippine Export Competitiveness Program information session. To start a cross-border e-commerce business, Menzon said entrepreneurs should identify their cross-border business opportunity, have understanding of local tastes and rules, and provide shipping options. He also underscored the need for global local site showing tailored assortment, and informing of worldwide shipping and multiple easy locally preferred payment options. Menzon added finding the right partner is also imperative in order to facilitate easy market entry. Cross-border e-commerce generally defines international online trade when consumers buy online from merchants located in other countries and jurisdictions. It can refer to online trade between a business (retailer or brand) and a consumer (B2C), between two businesses, often brands or wholesalers (B2B), or between two private persons (C2C), including through marketplace platforms, such as Amazon, eBay and Lazada.

Exporters seek clarification on controlled-chemicals IRR E XPORTERS are seeking clarification from the Philippine National Police (PNP) on unresolved issues on the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) on controlled chemicals, noting these have adversely affected the competitiveness of the industry. In a letter to Police Director General Chief Oscar D. Albayalde of the PNP, Philippine Exporters Confed-

eration Inc. (PhilExport) President Sergio Ortiz-Luis Jr. said these issues have remained pending since the approval of the IRR in June 2016. The PNP is implementing the IRR on Controlled Chemicals pursuant to Section 4C and 4F of Presidential Decree 1866 on illegal possession of firearms and explosives, as amended by Republic Act (RA) 9516 approved on June 9, 2016.

“While we appreciate the objective of the IRR toward promoting and preserving national security, there are issues that have yet to be resolved which have adversely affected the competitiveness of the industry, particularly stakeholders in the housewares sector that use these regulated chemicals in their production,” Ortiz-Luis said. The Export Development Coun-

cil Networking Committee on Trade Policies and Procedures Simplification (NCTPPS), which is chaired by PhilExport, underscored the need for the PNP to determine threshold quantity on controlled chemicals for micro and small enterprises (MSEs) and provide guidelines on its implementation. The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has issued Depart-

ment Administrative Order 18-01 in January with subject guidelines on certifying MSEs engaged in the business of purchasing PNP-controlled chemicals. “However, this is still cannot be implemented since the PNP is yet to determine threshold quantity for MSEs,” NCTPPS said. It also urged the Department of the Interior and Local Government/PNP

to review and amend Executive Order 256 to rationalize fees for the application for controlled chemicals and the removal of fee for permit to unload, subject for consultation with relevant stakeholders. Stakeholders have been recommending the removal of the requirement of permit to unload. Unloading is said to be an integral part of the importation process. PhilExport News and Features

Sports BusinessMirror

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

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ONDON—Garbine Muguruza insisted she wasn’t thinking about attempting to collect a second consecutive Wimbledon championship. She was adamant that she was not focusing on defending her title. “It doesn’t really matter,” she would say, “what happened in 2017.” Well, it seems safe to say she’ll really want to forget what happened at the All England Club in 2018. Muguruza was stunned in the second round, 5-7, 6-2, 6-1 by 47th-ranked Alison van Uytvanck of Belgium on Thursday, the latest upset in a

series of them at the grass-court major tournament. “It’s a little bit sad,” Muguruza said. “But today didn’t go my way.” That’s become a familiar refrain for prominent women at this topsy-turvy Wimbledon. Only two of the top eight seeded women are still in the field after four days of action. Van Uytvanck, meanwhile, began this week with a 1-4 record at Wimbledon and only one Grand Slam quarterfinal appearance to her name. Muguruza, meanwhile, owns two major titles, including the 2016 French Open, and was the runner-up at the All England Club in 2015. But that didn’t matter on this day. Van Uytvanck was aggressive from the baseline, compiling a 29-18 advantage in winners, and broke in seven of Muguruza’s 13 service games. Still, it was not easy finishing off the most significant victory of her career. “Inside,” the 24-year-old Belgian said, “I was, like, dying.” The No. 3-seeded Muguruza joined No. 2

Caroline Wozniacki, No. 4 Sloane Stephens, No. 5 Elina Svitolina, No. 6 Caroline Garcia and No. 8 Petra Kvitova on the way out so far, along with five-time major champion Maria Sharapova. Those departures leave No. 1 Simona Halep, the French Open champion who won in straight sets Thursday, and No. 7 Karolina Pliskova in the field, along with seven-time Wimbledon

champion Serena Williams, who is seeded 25th, and five-time champ Venus Williams, who is No. 9. “I mean, anyone, on a good day, can beat anyone,” Van Uytvanck said. “That’s what I think. I still think the top players, their average level is higher than, let’s say, sub-top players. But anyone on a good day can beat anyone, for sure.” Sure seems that way, particularly this week. Among the men, too. Résumés and past performances do not matter. At all. Marin Cilic, for example, entered his second-round match with all sorts of advantages in experience and success over his opponent, including a runner-up finish at the All England Club a year ago and a US Open title in 2014. So when Cilic took a two-sets-to-none lead against a guy who began the week with records of 0-2 at Wimbledon and 6-15 at all majors, it appeared the No. 3 seed was on his way to a straightforward victory and a step closer to a potential semifinal rematch against defending champion Roger Federer. Hold that thought. The outcome that seemed obvious vanished, and Cilic is gone, giving away a big edge in a 3-6, 1-6, 6-4, 7-6 (3), 7-5 loss to 82nd-ranked Guido Pella of Argentina in a match completed Thursday after being suspended midway through the third set because of rain the evening before. AP

RED LIONS KICK OFF TITLE BID VS. ALTAS S

AN BEDA University begins its bid to extend its reign when the Red Lions clash with host University of Perpetual Help Altas, while last year’s runner-up Lyceum of the Philippines University tackles San Sebastian College at the start today of the 94th National Collegiate Athletic Association senior basketball tournament at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City. The Red Lions are the consensus favorites after keeping the core of the team that won back-to-back championships headed by Robert Bolick, Javee Mocon and last year’s Finals Most Valuable Player Donald Tankoua of Cameroon while acquiring blue-chip rookie recruit Even Nelle from its San Beda-Taytay high-school team to further boost an already loaded roster. Gone are Davon Potts and Cameroon’s Arnaud Germain Noah, who was replaced by the taller Toba Eugene of Nigeria.

Clint Doliguez, Franz Abuda, Jose Mari Presbitero, AC Soberano, Ranbill Tongco, Jerimer Cabanag and Calvin Oftana are among the players who made the roster this season for San Beda, which has made the finals for 12 straight seasons, winning 10 of them. San Beda Coach Boyet Fernandez, however, stressed the league is balanced and anyone can beat anyone. “Yes, we have experience and we’re almost intact. But I still think it will be tough this season because teams have beefed up,” Fernandez said. San Beda will tackle at 2 p.m. a Perpetual Help team that tapped Coach Frankie Lim, who steered the Red Lions to four championships more than a decade ago, while Lyceum tangles with San Sebastian at 4 p.m. A 12 noon opening ceremony will precede the games, which will be shown at ABS-CBN Sports and Action live. NCAA President Anthony Tamayo of season host Perpetual Help bared the schedule of the “NCAA on Tour” set on July 12 at the Jose Rizal University Gym, July 19 at the Arellano University Gym, July 26 at the Emilio Aguinaldo College Gym, August 2 at the Letran-Calamba Gym and August 9 at Perpetual Help Gym.

Garbine Muguruza is in the second round, on Thursday, the latest upset in a series of them at the grass-court major tournament. AP

Saturday, July 7, 2018

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MUGURUZA GETS DOOR

A6 Saturday, July 7, 2018 | Editor: Mike Besa

Callaway Rogue Drivers

A preview of what could be the best driver of 2018 C

allaway’s next big thing, the Rogue family of golf clubs, have been on the world market now for almost six months but have just started to make their way to the country’s proshops. Shame really. TaylorMade has gotten a big jump on Callaway’s finest since their Philippine launch several months back. They’ve made big strides in the market since the M3 and M4 have proven themselves superior to their predecessors. Has Callaway’s late entry into our market shortchanged golfers that opted to put the new M3 and M4 in their bags? Would they have been better served if they’d waited for the Rogue drivers? A friend that works in the golf industry in the United States, sent me a message on Facebook Messenger just after the PGA Show in Orlando, Florida, in February and said in no uncertain terms that the Callaway Rogue would be the best and hottest driver of 2018 and that I should make it my gamer for 2018. TaylorMade beat Callaway to the punch in the Philippine market and the new M-series drivers made quite an impression in the interim. Can Callaway, although unfashionably late, throw a wet blanket on the TaylorMade party and steal their thunder for the rest of 2018? It might be far-fetched to think so, but if there’s one thing that Callaway has proven through the years, it’s that they can make a driver that hits the ball further than any other. I’ve had a few drivers from the company that Ely built. The FT series were certified beasts. I gamed an FT5 Pro for a couple of years. Shafted with an Aldila Voodoo, this thing was the longest club of its generation. It was a bit larger and more forgiving than its smaller brother, the FT5 Tour, and held the top slot in my bag until the Razr Hawk hit the market. That was another weapon. It was longer and, more important, lighter than my beloved FT3 Pro and held sway in the No. 1 spot until I was finally seduced by the TaylorMade R1. The Callaway drivers have always been one of longest, if not the longest, drivers of their respective generations. Some of them weren’t the easiest things to hit, but when you managed to find the sweet spot they sent the ball into the next area code with a modicum of fuss. The Callaway Epic again led the distance charts last year, but I felt it lost out to the same generation products from TaylorMade when it came to ease of use and fairways found. It was longer on its best hits, but it just wasn’t as user friendly.

The design brief for the Rogue addresses this issue specifically. After finally getting my hands on the Rogue series of drivers at the special preview for the Pinoygolfer group on Facebook at the Transview store at the Podium, I am sufficiently intrigued. I spent about half an hour before the event started, familiarizing myself with the Rogue Sub Zero. At first blush, it seems much easier to hit than its Epic forebearer without any loss of the explosiveness that drivers that possess Callaway’s vaunted Jailbreak Technology. Unfortunately, I didn’t have enough time on Transview Philippines’s Foresight GC Quad launch monitor to determine definitively which member of the Rogue family will be the best fit for myself since the event was starting but the interim results were in the ballpark with the stock shafts. That’s piqued my interest sufficiently that I’ve booked a fitting for the coming week. The three Rogue variants are all currently available at Transview Philippines stores and should make their way to other retailers shortly. The standard Rogue is huge. Its size and huge moment of inertia promise ease of use beyond that of the Epic. The included aero package assures the golfer that in spite of its size, it will be easy to swing quickly. The lighter crown and new X-Face with variable thickness have created weight savings that allowed Callaway engineers to gift the Rogue series with higher levels of moments of inertia than anything previously in Callaway’s product line without a loss of performance. A third variant, a draw biased model, joins the festivities this year. It offers a simpler, more elegant solution for golfers looking to eliminate the right side of the golf course. The Rogue family of drivers comes with a variety of shafts with weights ranging from just over 40 to 75-grams so there is literally something for everyone here. If you can’t wait for the extended review of the Rogue drivers, make your way down to the Transview Philippines store at the Podium and bring your current driver with you for a proper comparison on the Foresight GC Quad. The results might surprise you. Mike Besa

Cangolf’s North

An Icon of Phil

After finding the green, take a minute to admire your handiwork.

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Story & photos by Mike Besa he Philippines stands at the dawn of a new age with the sport of golf. The government has embraced golf tourism, recently hosting the Asian Golf Tourism Convention. The country’s potential as a golf tourism destination cannot be

underestimated. That the convention saw a record number of delegates speaks much of the interest the rest of the world holds for golf in the Philippines. Are our golf courses ready for the rest of the world? A valid question. The golf industry is coming off a prolonged slump, which saw financial difficulties afflict a number of golf clubs. This resulted in many of them suffer in terms of the condition of their golf courses. Also,

how will the traditionally built (carabao grass, surface drainage, zoysia greens) golf courses be received? Tourists demand ideal conditions for their hard-earned money. It would be just as easy, perhaps easier, to go elsewhere where the golf courses better fit their preferences. I’ll wager that once they see a traditional golf course like the North course at Canlubang Golf and Country Club, they’ll make their way to our shores with

The fourth is the most beautiful of the par 3s.

HSBC COMMIT TO HSBC WOMEN’S WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP THROUGH 2020

Michelle Wie confirms she will defend her title in H SBC announced today that it has extended sponsorship of its flagship LPGA event through 2020 as the HSBC Women’s World Championship returns to the New Tanjong Course at Sentosa Golf Club in Singapore next March. For its 11th edition, which took place earlier this year, the tournament was renamed the HSBC Women’s World Championship after 10 years as the HSBC Women’s Champions. American star, Michelle Wie, sealed victory over a world-class field with a spectacular final putt on the 18th green for her first win on Tour since the 2014 US Women’s Open. Reigning Champion, Wie, commented: “This event is a very special one to everyone on the tour. Working together, HSBC and the LPGA have built something unique. I know that

everyone will be excited to hear that HSBC has extended their commitment to this fantastic tournament.” Tony Cripps, HSBC chief executive officer, Singapore, commented: “Our flagship event in women’s golf has evolved at a rapid pace over the past decade and the name change reflects its hard-earned reputation of ‘Asia’s Major’. We have enjoyed fantastic support from the players and we have always attracted the best of the best; just look at our previous winners, legends of the game from all corners of the globe—Mexico’s Lorena Ochoa, Karrie Webb from Australia, Ai Miyazato from Japan, US star Paula Creamer and Angela Stanford, South Korean legend Inbee Park and the ever popular and always charming Wie. We are especially thankful to the Singapore Tourism Board for

all of their support and for sharing our commitment to continue to grow this great event.” Jean Ng, director, Sports, Singapore Tourism board added: “We’re pleased to see the HSBC Women’s World Championship remain in Singapore, and look forward to further growing the ancillary programming around the tournament to engage more fans and visitors alike. The continued presence of a world-class sports event like this on our calendar also adds vibrancy to and boosts Singapore’s appeal as a sports and entertainment hub.” LPGA Commissioner Mike Whan said: “The HSBC Women’s World Championship holds a special place on the LPGA Tour, and we feel that this new name properly reflects the stature of this event. Competing in this

www.pinoygolfer.com | Saturday, July 7, 2018 A7

Course

lippine Golf Justin Thomas with caddie Jimmy Johnson. PHOTOS BY Getty Images

Justin Thomas—Shooting Star By Chuah Choo Chiang

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golf clubs in hand. The Canlubang’s North course is an icon among Philippine golf courses. It was Robert Trent Jones Jr.’s first major project as an architect and was constructed on a scale that will never be seen in Philippine golf ever again. Set in a former coconut and sugar plantation just below the Tagaytay ridge and in the shadow of what is now the Tagaytay People’s Park, Canlubang is a natural beauty. You won’t find neatly manicured gardens or cute, manufactured waterfalls here. The golf course is carved out of the landscape with most of the natural features and beauty of the land left intact for all to appreciate. Canlubang is a bastion of golf; a place to go to play and revel in the game we all love. The scale on which the course is built is unmatched. Everything here is extra-large; supersized. Take the size of the practice green as a clear indication of what the golf course is like. It is gigantic. You could fit an entire barangay on an area of the same size. The fairways are equally generous. If you can’t find one here, you most likely can’t find one anywhere else. Canlubang Golf and Country Club was built in the 1960s. This meant Bermuda fairways as he and his father used at Luisita Golf and Country Club but zoysia matrella on the greens. There has been some infiltration of carabao grass on parts of the golf course (most of it on the periphery of the fairways), but it hasn’t affected the golf course’s playability much, if at all. It is a special occasion to tee it up at Canlubang Golf and Country Club. The drive to the course takes you through the vast property of the old Yulo Estate to the foot of the Tagaytay

n Singapore world-class tournament is an honor that all of our players—the best female golfers in the world— hope to earn every year, and we are delighted that HSBC’s generous support will continue to make those dreams happen.” Grant Slack SVP and Managing Director, Golf Events, IMG, the tournament’s promoter, concluded: “We are very happy to have the chance to continue to work with HSBC and STB on this fantastic event. HSBC’s commitment to men’s and women’s professional golf, as well as to their grassroots activities, is unmatched within golf and we are very proud to play a part in delivering a part of their global golf sponsorship programme.”

Ridge. It takes you back to the time of the sugar barons. This property extended as far as the eye could see and beyond. The clubhouse was designed and built by national artist for architecture Leandro Locsin. Its sweeping veranda gives its guests a magnificent view of the property. It’s a great venue for a cold one after a good game of golf. The North course is the championship layout at Cangolf. A lack of length will be penalized on the inward nine as this is where the longest of the par 4s are located. The par 3s are severe. If the wind is up, you could need as much as 190 yards off the tee requiring a forced carry. In fact, there are a number of forced carries on either course but that is part of the charm at Cangolf. Being an older design, there are only three sets of tees, limiting the options of those less endowed off the tee. I’ll concede that the North course isn’t for everyone, but if you have the game, it is a spectacular venue. The closing holes on either side are the most memorable in the country. They share a large, severely sloped double green and will provide great drama. The outward nine builds you up with a number of short but tricky par 4s. Place the ball in the right spots and you’ll have your share of looks at a good score. Fail to do so... and well, you know the drill. It’s the par 3s you’ll need to tread softly on. Both require

substantial and spectacular forced carries; number four over a yawning ravine and six over a large pond. There is no room to bail out on four, and while six offers you one, it still requires a decent carry over a corner of the water hazard. The inward nine starts quite benignly, but bares its teeth from 12 on in. Thirteen is the beast; a 464-yard par 4 that plays into the teeth of the stiff Laguna breeze. The par-5 14th is only slightly longer and represents your best chance for an eagle. The last two holes are severe tests; 17 is a monster of a par 5 with a watery ditch bisecting the fairway that complicates placement of the second shot. The green is one of the smaller ones on the course and an elusive target for the long hitters trying to find it in two. The dominant features on both courses at Canlubang are the deep, lushly vegetated ravines formed by the Balibay River. The Yulos (who commissioned Jones Jr. to build the golf course) told Jones to take as much land as he needed, and he did. It isn’t perfect nor is it in the best of shape but as a venue for golf, it compares to the best that Asia has to offer. It is a trip back in time to our past to savor the game as it was played then. The North course at Canlubang Golf and Country Club is one of my favorite layouts in the country and is truly an icon of Philippine golf.

Michelle Wie wins the HSBC Women’s World Championship 2018.

ven though his stint atop the Official World Golf Ranking lasted only a month, Justin Thomas has proven himself to be truly a worthy No. 1 in every sense of the way. At 25, Thomas is the reigning FedExCup champion, an eight-time PGA Tour winner, holder of one major title and counting, he’s shot the magical 59 once, plus he is a firm fan favorite—in May, he helped make a fan’s wedding proposal become a Twitter sensation and headline news on CNN world sports. Sporting and entertainment celebrities, including Michael Jordan, Steph Curry, Tiger Woods, Kid Rock, Tom Brady and Justin Timberland, are among some of Thomas’s buddies, he hangs out with Jordan Spieth, Rickie Fowler and Smylie Kaufman during their now-famous spring breaks and he has also played golf with American President Donald J. Trump. Despite his rise to fame and accumulation of wealth—Thomas has earned over $22 million in prize winnings in a little over three years—he has kept both his feet firmly on the ground, which ironically is in sharp contrast to his dynamic golf swing, which sees him almost tip-toeing on his right foot at the point of impact. The power he generates propels the ball to incredible distances for a guy who stands at merely 1.77 meters and is a lightweight 65 kg. The son of a PGA teaching professional, Thomas became the fourth youngest world

No. 1 after Woods, Rory McIlroy and Spieth in mid-May, thanks to an 11th-place finish at The Players Championship, the PGA Tour’s flagship Tournament. Such was the thrill of seeing his name above everyone else that he stayed up late into the evening, waiting eagerly for the world ranking’s official web site to refresh. “I saw it and it was pretty cool. Seeing every other golfer in the world behind my name was a pretty fun thing,” said Thomas, who screenshot the page for safekeeping. “It means a lot, but it’s something I want to have for a long time, it’s not something I just want to have once. To have it for a week and then be done with—like D.J. (Dustin Johnson) has and like Tiger did and other guys who have had it for a long time, that’s more of a goal of mine as opposed to just having it. I would much rather play well for another eight to 10 years and see how long I can have it.” Power-hitter Johnson swiftly regained his top ranking with an 18th PGA Tour victory at the FedEx St. Jude Classic in June but it is certain that Thomas will be fired up to challenge for the mantle throughout the remainder of the 20172018 season and beyond. Asian golf fans, in particular those in Malaysia, have been fortunate to witness Thomas announce his arrival on the big stage. He claimed his breakthrough PGA Tour title at the CIMB Classic at TPC Kuala Lumpur in 2015 and returned 12 months later to repeat successfully as champion. His second title in Malaysia also Justin Thomas with his first CIMB Classic title.

provided the launch pad to a stunning 2016-17 PGA Tour campaign which saw him winning four other Tournaments including a first major at the PGA Championship and culminating with the season-long and prestigious FedExCup crown and the Player of the Year award. “To win two in a row [in Malaysia] ranks right up there with my accomplishments,” said Thomas last year. From initially displaying raw talent and tenacity—he’d bounced back from a double bogey with three straight birdies on the back nine to win by one from Adam Scott in Malaysia in 2015—to soaking up advice from golf great Jack Nicklaus, who told him it pays to play conservatively when he does not have his “A” game on given weeks, Thomas has become a near complete golfer in his drive to become the best on the planet. His triumph at the inaugural CJ CUP @ Nine Bridges in South Korea last October was another huge rubberstamp to his growing credentials and showed his lightweight frame is reinforced with an abundance of steel and character. Battling fatigue following a long season, he dug deep into his reserves, ran on gas fumes and produce just enough of magic to pip Marc Leishman in a playoff. Thomas’s scorecard this season’s makes impressive reading too with a victory at the Honda Classic in February, four top-10s, four other top-20s and not a single missed cut from 13 starts at the time of writing. He is also intent on chasing a small slice of history as no FedExCup champion has repeated, not even Woods during his dominant years. “It’s something I would like to do,” Thomas said. Woods, a 14-time major winner, had spent a record 683 weeks atop the world ranking before being dethroned in 2014, with Johnson’s reign lasting 64 weeks. As it turned out, Thomas’s first reign was shortlived but the world ranking is so bunched up right now that it can change quickly. Thomas’s father, Mike, certainly believes his son has the fire in the belly to stay in the dogfight. Mike told the Sports Illustrated in June his son was always determined to win even as a child. “He wasn’t afraid to succeed. A lot of people are. They like it back in fourth or fifth place. It’s comfortable. Justin, he was pissed when he was second. That’s stuff you just can’t teach,” he said. UItimately, it is certain that Thomas is destined to become one of the greats in the game. Despite his celebrity status, he remains as the guy next door—humble, approachable, helpful and respectful. Otherwise, why would he even respond to a fan’s request via Instagram to help in a marriage proposal? “It all worked out great,” said Thomas, who helped Sean Powell pop the question to Andrea Cota in an elaborate scheme during the Wells Fargo Championship. Whether Thomas becomes Cota’s best man at the wedding set for next summer, he has surely proven he is No. 1 no matter which way you look at him. Note: Chuah Choo Chiang is senior director, communications of the PGA Tour and is based in TPC Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

A8 Saturday, July 7, 2018 • Editor: Efleda P. Campos

OurTime BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Rehabilitated health station to benefit 160K Davao City villagers

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AVAO CITY—A newly refurbished health station in Davao City’s most populated village is seen to provide better health services to more or less 160,000 residents, including the elderly.

“What is good in this renovation of the Rural Health Station designed by SM Foundation is the Senior Citizens Center and Kids Center,” Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio said during the turnover on Friday. Mayor Sara expressed gratitude

to SM Foundation Inc. (SMFI) and Rotary Club Pag-asa, which helped fund the rehabilitation of the facility in Talomo North District which now features a garden to help the patients relax. The SIR-1 Rural Health Station

located in this city’s biggest village, in terms of area and population, is a primary health center with seven subcenters catering to over 160,000 individuals in seven barangays. With the upgrade, the center now has a Felicidad Sy Wellness Center for children and the elderly, reception and waiting area, pharmacy (medical storage area), expanded laboratory, dental room, family- planning room, breastfeeding and vaccination area, doctors’ consultation room, supply room, nurses’ room, TB-Dots section, birthing facility and improved comfort rooms. The facility even qualifies for three PhilHealth accreditation such as Primary Health Care Pack-

age, Maternity Care Benefit Package, TB-Dots. Its laboratory was also expanded and upgraded to meet Department of Health standards for Level-1 accreditation. A GeneXpert testing area was added for TB diagnosis and resistance. GeneXpert is a molecular test for TB which diagnoses TB by detecting the presence of TB bacteria, as well as testing for resistance to the drug Rifampicin. The birthing center was restored and equipped to make it fully operational and pass PhilHealth accreditation. Duterte-Carpio said the assistance on the repair of the facility is a big help for the people in the

city, especially the residents of Barangay 76-A and the whole Talomo North District. She urged the residents to use the Family Planning Section of the health station in guiding them on how to plan their family’s future. SMFI Executive Director for Health and Medical Records Connie Angeles said the Davao facility is the 142nd health station in the country that the foundation has assisted. “This is one of our projects, to improve, refurbish and renovate health centers that need assistance for them to be PhilHealth accredited,” Angeles said. She said there is no need for the residents to go to the hospi-

DSWD pilots cash program for social pensioners

Kidapawan breaks another Guinness world dance record

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UERTO PRINCESA CITY, Palawan­—The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) in Mimaropa piloted on June 30 the unconditionalcash transfer (UCT) program for 933 social pensioners in Brooke’s Point, Southern Palawan. The distribution of the government cash grant is in accordance with Section 82 of Republic Act 10963, or the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) law, meant to offset the effect of rising prices of commodities on social pensioners. In a statement sent to the Philippine News Agency, DSWD Mimaropa Regional Director Wilma Naviamos said the P2.4-million cash aid was distributed to 277 social pensioners in Poblacion 1, 211 in Poblacion 2 and 505 in Barangay Pangobilian, Brooke’s Point. “The UCT cash grant we are providing is filled with love and compassion. We will visit you even if you live in the farthest and the most isolated barangay to provide you the services of the government,” she said. Naviamos said an estimated 10 million households or individuals will receive UCT cash grants. Of these, 3 million are indigent senior citizens who are also beneficiaries of the DSWD’s Social Pension Program with the help of local government units and social development offices. Included in the figure are 4.4 million beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program or 4Ps, while the remaining 5.6 million will be selected from the Listahanan or National Household Targeting System, which will go through validation. PNA

GRANDMA’S JUICY FRUITS

tals since most services are already available in the health station. “We are helping to decongest the hospitals,” she said, adding the aid will not end in the renovation because the foundation will be assisting in the maintenance of the health station to ensure the project will last. Angeles said the rural health unit was the fourth health facility that SMFI has renovated in the Davao Region. Barangay Captain Rolando Trajera said the health center will help them strengthen their health education campaign, especially on dengue cases and the importance of sanitation. PNA

GRANDMA’S EGG MERCHANDISE

Rosa Bagunu, 63, sorts out her various duck-egg merchandise at a flea market in Santiago City, Isabela. The duck-egg processing industry in the city has become productive in recent years. SUZANNE JUNE G. PERANTE

OTABATO CITY—The Kidapawan City government said last week it has broken another Guinness world record by having the biggest number of participants simultaneously dancing to samba music in one event. The record-breaking feat, performed by 15,230 participants composed of students, local government employees, senior citizens and private individuals, swayed to the samba tune of Luiz Fonzi’s ‘Despacito’ along the 3-kilometer stretch of the Daang Maharlika highway. Held on February 12 this year as part of the city’s 20th foundation anniversary, the massdancing activity surpassed the record set by Thailand’s 500-man simultaneous dance that Guinness earlier recognized. Kidapawan Mayor Joseph Evangelista noted the largest samba dance recognition was the second world record the city had made in three years. On August 30, 2016, the city also broke the “World’s Largest Cha-Cha Dance” in a single event with 14,275 participants. Evangelista spearheaded both world-record events in partnership with the Kidapawan City Dance Sport Association, the Department of Education and other stakeholders. Evangelista said adjudicators from Guinness did not only appreciate the huge number of dancers, but also praised the well-coordinated and choreographed samba dance steps of all participants during the recordbreaking event. PNA

Russians rally against raising Mexico’s López Obrador sets $7.5B for youth, elderly pension ages for men, women

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OSCOW—Opponents of the Russian government’s proposal to raise the eligibility ages for state pensions are demonstrating throughout the country. Several hundred people held an unsanctioned rally in the Pacific port city of Vladivostok. Other authorized rallies took place on July 1 in the Far East and Siberia and more were expected in western Russia later in the day. The Cabinet last month sent

parliament a proposal to gradually raise the pension age to 65 for Russian men—up from the current 60— and from 55 to 63 for women. The average Russian pension is 14,000 rubles ($230) a month. The issue spans from an unusually wide swath of Russian politics, with pension rallies organized by the Communist Party, the liberal Yabloko party and the organization of Alexei Navalny, President Vladimir Putin’s most vehement foe. AP

At a flea market in Santiago City, Isabela, 67-year-old Ruth Macaranas peels off fresh pineapples before her customers’ eyes. She has been in the juicy fruits retail enterprise since the early-1980s. SUZANNE JUNE G. PERANTE

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EXICO CITY—Presidentelect Andres Manuel López Obrador promised $7.5 billion for youth job training and aid to the elderly on Wednesday, keystone programs that could make Mexico’s business sector one of the biggest beneficiaries of his first year in office. López Obrador pledged the government would pay the salaries of apprentices employed by Mexican companies as part of a $5-billion package of scholarships and job training. The once-fiery leftist met with Mexican businessmen on Wednesday in a surprisingly chummy encounter, where he sealed the jobtraining deal in a handshake with business chamber leader Juan Pablo Castañon. The programs for the elderly and youths will be the cornerstones of López Obrador’s first year in office, which starts when he takes office on December 1. “We will have to come up with this funding...even if we are left without a shirt on our backs,” López Obrador vowed. The president-elect—whose victory must still be certified by electoral authorities and the courts—implied that most of his other campaign promises will be left to later years in office. López Obrador was elected in a landslide on Sunday. López Obrador pledged $2 billion to extend and increase old-age supplementary payments to the elderly so that every Mexican over 68 will receive at least the equivalent of $2.25 per day. The elderly payments initially started in Mexico City when López Obrador was mayor in the early2000s, but he has now pledged to

fund them at the same level as in the capital—currently about $60 per month—nationwide. But the youth program appeared to be a big gift to the business sector: companies will get much of the $5 billion to pay salaries to youths; the remainder will apparently go to technical colleges and universities or to scholarships. The firms will give their apprentices certificates of competence, but apparently won’t be required to hire them after their apprenticeships. The program is aimed at reducing the number of unemployed youths recruited by drug cartels, or as López Obrador put it in a campaign slogan, “Students on scholarships, not cartel hitmen.” Juan Pardinas, director of the Mexican Institute for Competitiveness, said plans for apprenticeship programs already exist in the private sector, but it is important that the government is getting onboard. The opportunity of a paid apprenticeship could keep many young people from beginning to work in the informal economy as they do now and, hopefully, set them on a path for better earnings. López Obrador’s third day as president-elect was marked by healing wounds left with business and other groups that emerged during the bruising presidential campaign, in which some businessmen wrote letters to their employees urging them in veiled terms not to vote for López Obrador. On Wednesday one of the businessmen who wrote such a letter—German Larrea of the mining and rail conglomerate Grupo Mexico—sought to make up with

López Obrador. Larrea signed a full-page ad in Mexican newspapers saying, “We wish you the greatest success as president.” Banco Base analysts noted on Wednesday the peso hit its strongest value of the day after López Obrador’s meeting with the business group. “The communication efforts of Andres Manuel López Obrador and his team in the days since July 1 illustrate their objective of generating confidence in financial markets and the business sector by being emphatic about the importance of maintaining an orthodox fiscal policy and functional monetary policy,” the bank said. Even former President Vicente Fox, who called López Obrador “Lopito” and “crazy” during the campaign, issued a video statement on Wednesday, saying, “All of Mexico won, by voting for a change...congratulations, Andrés.” Given the venom with which they had attacked López Obrador over the years—Fox, for example, promoted a court case seeking to prevent the leftist from running in 2006—López Obrador was conciliatory, but not cutting his long-time opponents any slack. López Obrador thanked Mexico’s former presidents for their congratulatory messages, but said he was still determined to eliminate the luxurious pensions that expresidents enjoy in Mexico. Union groups allied with the old ruling party, the PRI, also got into the act. The oil workers union published full-page ads on Wednesday, saying, “Our institutional respect for the president will be, as always, limitless.” AP

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

Saturday, July 7, 2018 A9

I.T., WORK FORCE AND SECURITY TRANSFORMATION NECESSARY TO PREPARE FOR FUTURE OF WORK

Maximizing your phone memory by deleting images and not downloading apps PRIMETIME

DINNA CHAN VASQUEZ @dinnachanvasquez luckydinna@gmail.com

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OT everyone owns a phone with a huge built-in memory. In fact, a lot of smartphone users have devices with storage of less than 64GB. Thankfully, Apple has stopped making iPhones with a paltry 16GB of user memory, which was a big joke if you ask me. How far can 16GB take you? Not very far, if you like taking photos. So how do you maximize your phone’s memory? You can go to Settings on your phone and find the tab for Storage and this will tell you what is consuming your phone memory. Usually, it’s photographs and videos. I liked keeping these images until I realized they were just there; I never even looked at them. So I upgraded my Cloud storage (very cheap). I also deleted a lot of message threads, which included pictures and videos. Also deleted were a lot of apps that I didn’t use, or those that consumed a lot of memory. Thankfully, HOOQ’s new mobile Web experience

powered by Google Progressive Web App (PWA) technology allows users to watch HOOQ’s premium content without app downloads. Progressive Web App—a technology championed by Google—allows HOOQ to deliver an app-like experience on the Web and displays seamlessly and identically on all devices, including desktop, mobile and tablet. “HOOQ’s deployment of PWA came on the back of findings that four in five consumers access the Internet daily on their smartphones and the usage between apps and web sites were about the same. At the same time, we ‘ve also learned that more than half of those who came to the app store interested in HOOQ chose not to download the app largely due to data constraints or the storage limits on their devices. This means that having a mobile app will only serve 50 percent of those mobile users, and serving up a pure Web experience allows HOOQ to potentially double its reach to mobile users consuming content regardless of their choice of viewing over the Web or on the app,” said Michael Fleshman, chief technology officer at HOOQ. “The intent of introducing PWA is to deliver a smooth and engaging experience where customers with lower-end devices or low data caps can still enjoy the full HOOQ experience without the need to compromise. We are able to combine the ease of access and reach of the Web together with the immersive experience of a native app for customers to engage with HOOQ, browse the complete catalogue and play content without having to download the app,” he added.

HOOQ users can now experience faster load times and smoother interactions even in uncertain network conditions. With the help of pre-caching, HOOQ’s PWA stays up-to-date, serving the user with the newest premium content upon launch and users can also save HOOQ’s PWA to their home screen; making HOOQ accessible, without the hassle of downloading it from app stores. Smartphone penetration in emerging Asia has been on the rise. In 2017 over 230 million smartphones were sold, according to research and analytics firm GFK. While a 44 percent year-on-year growth in smartphone penetration provides HOOQ with a good opportunity in Southeast Asia, over 60 percent of these handsets are in the low to mid range. This growing base of smartphone users realize that the storage space on their phones is limited and are less likely to download an app. More users can now access HOOQ directly from a URL and are able to share it on social media, e-mail, text message, etc., and skip the hassle of app downloads from an app store, resulting in a much larger potential user base. HOOQ Philippines Country Manager Sheila Paul said this development would also be beneficial for seniors who don’t know how to work a smartphone but want to watch HOOQ content, including old Filipino movies and ongoing TV shows. PWA is now live in all HOOQ markets, including the Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia, India and Singapore. Users can enjoy the best of local and Hollywood movies and TV series by simply going to www.hooq.tv. ■

AP explains: How computers ‘see’ faces and other objects BY MATT O’BRIEN The Associated Press COMPUTERS started to be able to recognize human faces in images decades ago, but now artificial-intelligence systems are rivaling people’s ability to classify objects in photos and videos. That’s sparking increased interest from government agencies and businesses, which are eager to bestow vision skills on all sorts of machines. Among them: self-driving cars, drones, personal robots, in-store cameras and medical scanners that can search for skin cancer. There are also our own phones, some of which can now be unlocked with a glance. HOW DOES IT WORK? ALGORITHMS designed to detect facial features and recognize individual faces have grown more sophisticated since early efforts decades ago. A common method has involved measuring facial dimensions, such as the distance between the nose and ear

or from one corner of the eye to another. That information can then be broken down into numbers and matched to similar data extracted from other images. The closer they are, the better they match. Such analysis is now aided by greater computing power and huge troves of digital imagery that can be easily stored and shared. FROM FACES TO OBJECTS (AND PETS) “FACE recognition is an old topic. It’s always been pretty good. What really got everyone’s attention is object recognition,” says Michael Brown, a computer science professor at Toronto’s York University who helps organize the annual Conference on Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition. Research over the past decade has focused on the development of brain-like neural networks that can automatically “learn” to recognize what’s in an image by looking for patterns in big data sets. But humans continue to help make machines smarter by labeling photos, as happens when Facebook users tag a friend. An annual image-recognition

competition that lasted from 2010 to 2017 drew top researchers from companies like Google and Microsoft. Among the revelations: computers can do better than humans at distinguishing between various Welsh corgi breeds, in part because they’re better able to quickly absorb the knowledge it takes to make those distinctions. But computers have been confused by more abstract forms, such as statues. THE ‘CODED GAZE’ THE growing use of face recognition by law enforcement has highlighted long-standing concerns about racial and gender bias. A study led by MIT computer scientist Joy Buolamwini found that face recognition systems built by companies, including IBM and Microsoft, were much more likely to misidentify darker-skinned people, especially women. (Buolamwini called this effect “the coded gaze.”) Both Microsoft and IBM recently announced efforts to make their systems less biased by using bigger and more diverse photo repositories to train their software.

DELL Technologies recently teamed up with Institute for the Future to project into the next decades, and predict how emerging technologies—such as artificial intelligence (AI) and Internet of Things—will reshape how we live and work by 2030. With those insights, Dell extended IFTF’s forecasts through a study, called Realizing 2030, in which 3,800 business leaders from around the world were polled to gauge their predictions and preparedness for the future. “On the cusp of a more technologically integrated era, businesses look for new ways to thrive”, said Ronnie Latinazo, country general manager of Dell EMC Philippines. “Businesses must act now to transform their IT [information technology], work force and security to stay ahead of the curve.” According to the findings of the survey, 82 percent of businesses surveyed expect humans and machines will work as integrated teams inside of five years. And 26 percent of businesses say their work force and machines are already working this way. “Stronger human-machine partnerships will result in stronger human-human relationships, as companies take a customer-first approach and lead with insights,” said Latinazo. “By applying machine learning and AI to customer data, companies will be able to predict and understand customer behavior like never before.” But business leaders are torn by what this means for their roles, their businesses and the world at large. Fifty percent think automated systems will free up their time; however, the other half do not. Meanwhile, 42 percent believe they’ll have more job satisfaction in the future by offloading the tasks they don’t want to do to machines, but, alarmingly, 58 percent do not. For the first time ever there will be four generations in the workplace, and all must be prepared to interact effectively with technology. Empowering and enabling people across a diverse work force is crucial to succeeding. To empower the work force and give them the skills and support they need, most business leaders agree that there are five key actions that will be crucial to digital transformation success. These include aligning compensation, training and KPIs to digital goals; tasking senior leaders with spearheading digital change; gaining employee buy-in; teaching all employees coding and software development; and partnering humans and machines as an integrated working team. Eighty-five percent of the jobs in 2030 don’t even exist yet, so it is hard to know which specific skills will be needed. However, we can focus on new methods of learning—the ability to learn new skills will be incredibly useful in an era of transformation. Knowing how to learn is proving to be more important than knowing one particular trade. “While there may be moments of uncertainty, it is imperative that we as leaders keep our work force engaged, excited and open to new possibilities,” Latinazo said. “Futurists have long envisioned a brighter tomorrow, full of AI helpers and automated environments that run on the sound of our voice. Now that we stand on the edge of that reality, it’s time to realize what it requires of us to make this new world work.”

TAP YOUR WAY TO ‘RUN WITH ME 2018’

REGISTRATION just became easier for Run With Me 2018 Resorts World Manila (RWM) annual celebrity charity run through the RWM Mobile Companion. The race will be held on August 26 at the SM Mall of Asia Event Grounds. As an added incentive, runners who register through the RWM Mobile Companion are entitled to a 20-percent discount on joining fees for all race categories (5K, 10K, 21K and 32K) until August 17. The RWM Mobile Companion can be downloaded for free through the App Store and Google Play. Regular registration rates will apply for registrations coursed through www.runwithme.ph or select Olympic Village branches in Metro Manila until August 17. Race kits will be available for pickup from August 23 to 25 at The Plaza in Newport Mall, RWM. Run With Me began in 2016 as an employee fun run for RWM and its partners. It has since been expanded to include members of the public and now has six partner charities: YesPinoy Foundation, HERO Foundation, Empowering Brilliant Minds Foundation, EPCALM Adult Leukemia Foundation of the Philippines, RightStart Foundation and Buddhist Compassion Relief Tzu Chi Philippines. Visit www.runwithme.ph for complete race details and updates.

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A COLLEGE student plays a computer game at an Internet café in Seoul, South Korea. The World Health Organization said recently that compulsively playing video games now qualifies as a mentalhealth condition. AP

Science says: What makes something truly addictive C

HICAGO—Now that the world’s leading public health group says too much Minecraft can be an addiction, could overindulging in chocolate, exercise and even sex, be next? The short answer is probably not. The new “gaming disorder” classification from the World Health Organization (WHO) revives a debate in the medical community about whether behaviors can cause the same kind of addictive illness as drugs. The strictest definition of addiction refers to a disease resulting from changes in brain chemistry caused by compulsive use of drugs or alcohol. The definition includes excessive use that damages health, relationships, jobs and other parts of normal life. Brain research supports that definition, and some imaging studies have suggested that excessive gaming might affect the brain in similar ways. Under a looser definition, addiction is considered “a disease of extreme behavior. Any behavior carried to extreme that consumes you and keeps you from doing what you should be doing becomes an addiction as far as life is concerned,” said Dr. Walter Ling, a UCLA psychiatrist. In its widely used manual for diagnosing mental illness, the American Psychiatric Association calls excessive video gaming a “condition” but not a formal diagnosis or disease, and says more research is needed to determine if it qualifies as an addiction. DRUGS AND THE BRAIN CERTAIN drugs, including opioids and alcohol, can over-activate the brain’s reward circuit. That’s the system that under normal circumstances is activated when people engage in “behaviors conducive to survival,” including eating and drinking water when thirsty, explained Dr. Andrew Saxon, chairman of the association’s addiction psychiatry council. The brain chemical dopamine regulates these behaviors, but narcotic drugs can flood the brain with dopamine, encouraging repeated use and making drug use more rewarding than healthy behaviors, Saxon said. Eventually, increasing amounts are needed to get the same effect, and brain changes lead to an inability to control use. WHAT ABOUT OTHER SUBSTANCES? CAFFEINE is a stimulant and also activates the brain’s reward system, but to a much lesser degree than addictive drugs. The “reward” can make people feel more alert, and frequent users can develop mild withdrawal symptoms when they stop, including headaches and tiredness. Caffeine-containing chocolate may produce similar effects. Neither substance causes the kinds of life problems found in drug addiction, although some coffee drinkers

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THROUGH the Time Please portal, Globe employees volunteer in a recent medical and dental mission at Sitio Dampay, Salaza, a remote community in Palauig, Zambales.

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develop a tolerance to caffeine and need to drink more to get the same “buzz” or sense of alertness. The WHO recognizes caffeine “dependence” as a disorder; the American Psychiatric Association does not and says more research is needed. “The term ‘addiction’ is tossed around pretty commonly, like ‘chocoholic’ or saying you’re addicted to reality TV,” said Dr. Ellen Selkie, a University of Michigan physician who studies teens’ use of digital technology. But addiction means an inability to control use “to the point where you’re failing at life,” she said. WHAT ABOUT BEHAVIOR? THE only behavior classified as an addiction in the American Psychiatric Association’s diagnostic manual is compulsive gambling. To be diagnosed, gamblers must have several symptoms, including repeatedly gambling increasing amounts of money, lying to hide gambling activity, feeling irritable or restless when trying to stop, and losing jobs or relationships because of gambling. Research suggests excessive gambling can affect the brain in ways similar to addictive drugs. Since the diagnostic manual was last updated, in 2013, studies have bolstered evidence that excessive video

gaming may do the same thing, and some experts speculate that it may be added to the next update. The manual doesn’t include sex addiction because there’s little evidence that compulsive sexual behavior has similar effects on the brain. Many excessive gamblers, gamers and sex “addicts” have other psychiatric conditions, including anxiety, attention deficit disorder and depression, and some mental-health specialists believe their compulsive behaviors are merely symptoms of those diseases rather than separate addictions. DOES THE TERM MATTER? THE WHO’s decision to classify excessive video gaming as an addiction means “gaming disorder” will be added to this year’s update to the organization’s International Classification of Diseases. Doctors worldwide use that document to diagnose physical and mental illnesses. Insurers, including Medicaid and Medicare, use billing codes listed there to make coverage decisions. The American Psychiatric Association’s manual is widely used for defining and diagnosing mental disorders. If conditions aren’t listed in these documents, insurance coverage for treatment is unlikely. AP

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CONSENSYS UNVEILS UNIONBANK PARTNERSHIP TO BUILD BLOCKCHAINBASED INTER-RURAL BANKING PLATFORM IN a bid to speed the pace of enterprise adoption in the Philippines, global blockchain brand ConsenSys announced recently its partnership with Union Bank of the Philippines (UnionBank) at the 2018 Rural Bankers Association of the Philippines Annual National Convention in Davao City. The partnership with one of the largest banks in the country establishes the Philippines’s first financial technology product based on Ethereum to execute and settle domestic remittances to and from rural banks in the Philippines. Project i2i, an Ethereum-based payment network between rural banks in the Philippines, allows for the execution of domestic payments and remittances. Project i2i stands for “island-to-island,” “institution-to-institution” and “individualto-individual,” reflecting UnionBank’s vision and ambition to drive financial inclusion in the country by building a platform that integrates rural banks into the domestic financial system for the first time. In early-2018 ConsenSys trained UnionBank’s tech team on how to develop blockchain solutions for issues particular to domestic remittances, which also involved user research and business analysis conducted in Cantilan, a rural village in the Surigao province. ConsenSys’s new Blockchain Business Cloud solution, Kaleido, has been quietly piloted by UnionBank, the first major financial institution both domestically and globally to adopt this Ethereum-based solution. Since then, UnionBank and ConsenSys delivery teams have joined forces to develop the MVP for Project i2i, piloting and testing with five rural banks in the Philippines. UnionBank is planning to onboard more rural banks and continue piloting the solution throughout the end of the year. ConsenSys was selected as the technology partner for the project due to its expertise in developing the core components, applications and enterprise solutions for the Ethereum ecosystem’s proprietary products and services, which were directly relevant to the development of Project i2i, and its previous experience advising on the development of similar payment projects around the world such as with the Monetary Authority of Singapore and the South African Reserve Bank. When looking at the larger picture, Project i2i also presents significant benefits from the point of view of financial inclusion. Enabling domestic transaction flows in rural areas can uplift business activities and improve the livelihood of entire communities. The project can also be considered a stepping stone for the introduction of more sophisticated financial services in rural areas. For UnionBank and the wider financial system in the Philippines, the introduction of Project i2i provides an opportunity to connect and integrate the rural banks into the digital transaction flows of the market, enabling a capillary network for “last mile” service delivery in rural areas, which could have a significant business impact. Justo Aboitiz Ortiz, chairman of the board for UnionBank, said, “Our team was inspired to harness blockchain in order to reach farther into our rural communities in the Philippines. Many people are still financially excluded and we’re looking to change that. In partnership with ConsenSys and powered by Kaleido, we successfully accelerated Project i2i into active pilot without the complexity and cost of starting from scratch.”

Globe, Disney’s Time Please gains support from customers, celebrities and orgs TIME Please, the nationwide volunteering program of Globe Telecom and The Walt Disney Co. Philippines, is gaining strong support across the country, as more celebrities, influencers and organizations participate and promote its cause. Over a month after Globe and Disney launched the program on May 25, the number of groups of volunteers registering at the Time Please portal continues to catch on. This has been supported by the increasing number of volunteer programs being offered through Time Please, as more organizations partner with Globe. Through the volunteer matching portal developed together with iVolunteer Philippines, Time Please matches Filipinos to various civil-society organizations with available volunteering opportunities. Among the celebrities and influencers who have participated or promoted Time Please are John Arcilla, Janella Salvador, Yayo Martinez, Team Kramer, YouTube vlogger Janina Vela, Chuckie Dreyfus, Tracy Abad, DJ Cha Cha and daughter Saab, Rodel Flordeliz, Quark Henares, DJ Jhai Ho, Marlann Ponciano Flores, Joj Agpangan and Jai Agpangan. “We’re truly grateful of the support we have been receiving for Time Please. The number of volunteer hours clocked in since the launch is encouraging. We hope more people will share their time to help communities that are in need of assistance,” said Yoly Crisanto, chief

sustainability officer and senior vice president for corporate communications of Globe. Since its launch, Globe, through Time Please, has been partnering with organizations mainly focused on education, health, environmental sustainability and poverty alleviation. Organizations that have partnered with Globe are Gawad Kalinga, iVolunteer Philippines, Department of Education

for Brigada Eskwela, Kris Library, Edicute Inc., Tulong sa Kapwa Kapatid, Kythe Foundation Inc., Oikos Helping Hand, Philippine Toy Library, Special Olympics, Generation Hope, Yellow Warriors Society Philippines, Karinderia ni Mang Urot, Humanist Alliance Philippines International, Mano Amiga Philippines, All Together in Dignity Fourth World, Pusod Inc., Aral Pinoy, Citizens Disaster Response Center,

Project Pearls, Visions of Hope, Progressive Assistance Canada, Dream Big Pilipinas, Haribon Foundation, Fostering Education & Environment for Development, as well as Make A Wish Philippines. Pink Women on Fire, Save The Children, Virlanie Foundation Inc., Capable Foundation, Vessels of Humanity, Kidlikasan. Kabataan. Kalikasan., Bahay Tuluyan, The Storytelling Project, He Cares Foundation, Yellow Boat of Hope Foundation, MovEd, and Nature Awareness and Conservation Club Inc. have also joined Time Please to attract more participants in their volunteering program. “Being a strong advocate of volunteerism has become cemented in the Globe culture. The company is committed to make a difference by utilizing its reach to boost volunteerism nationwide. The approach of Globe in helping address social issues is consistent with who it is and what it does as a business,” Crisanto said. Committed to corporate social responsibility, Globe is giving its employees a paid day off to do volunteer work. By showing Time Please videos in some of its next-generation stores across the country, Globe is also encouraging its customers to register at Time Please and volunteer in existing activities. Interested parties who want to enroll their organization for volunteering opportunities may go to www.facebook.com/ GlobeBridgeCom.

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THE family and friends of an OFW in Hong Kong, together with Mynt President and CEO Anthony Thomas (left), Ant Financial Director for Southeast Asia Steve Shen (second from right) and Standard Chartered Bank Executive Director and Head for International Corporates Joseph Z. de Lara (right).

Saturday, July 7, 2018 A11

AT the launch of stylefestph are Zalora cofounder and CEO Paulo Campos (from left), style council head mentor designer Inno Sotto, Saga Events CEO Robby Carmona, Globe CEO Ernest Cu, Grand Hyatt Manila General Manager Gottfried Bogensperger, Globe Senior Advisor for Creative Marketing and Multimedia Business Joe Caliro, Globe SVP for Content Business Nikko Acosta. Also present at the launch were Wonder.ph’s Sarah Santiago, Fashion Exchange International cofounder Carmina Sanchez-Jacob, Globe Lifestyle Head Leah de Guzman, stylist Pam Quiňones and makeup artist Jigs Mayuga.

Fashion, fintech and musicals THE TECHNIVORE ED UY

whereiseduy@gmail.com

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HE month of June has been a very busy one for Globe Telecom with briefings and events happening almost twice (even thrice) a week to announce a new service, new partnerships, or some big new campaign as they continue strive to bring a truly “Wonderful World” to their subscribers. I wrote about how they plan to make the first 5G Globe At Home service commercially available by the second quarter of 2019, and that they have already been preparing their network with their existing vendor partners such as Huawei Technologies. I thought that was already their big announcement of the month, but as it turns out that was just the beginning. BLOCKCHAIN-POWERED REMITTANCE SERVICE A FEW months ago, Globe fintech arm Globe Fintech Innovations Inc., or Mynt, launched an initiative to allow payments on its GCash digital wallet to be seamlessly compatible with the world’s largest mobile payment platform, Alipay. Using QR Codes, this allows local merchants to accept payment from both local users using GCash and Chinese visitors using Alipay via one single connection, which is necessary to take advantage of the increased footfall and revenue stream brought by the increasing number of Chinese tourists coming into the country. That partnership continues and this time it will allow hundreds of thousands of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in Hong Kong to do realtime remittance via GCash and AlipayHK e-wallet platforms. Before, OFWs had to physically go to a remittance center, fill up forms and queue in lin-up for sometimes hours to send money home. Now all they need is their mobile phones and the entire process takes just a few seconds. This platform is powered by cutting-edge blockchain technology developed by Alipay, the online payment platform operated by Ant Financial Services Group (“Ant Financial,” “Ant”). This is the first blockchain-based cross-border digital wallet remittance service globally, offering a fast, secure, convenient, transparent and low-cost way to transfer money directly between individuals in Hong Kong and the Philippines. Alipay has applied blockchain technology to streamline the remittance process, radically improving the speed of delivery, enhancing transparency of the process and drastically reducing costs while ensuring better security measures when sending money across borders. This service between GCash and AlipayHK will provide round-the-clock, real-time money

transfer between Hong Kong and the Philippines at a competitive exchange rate with much lower transaction fees, which will be further waived during an initial three-month trial period. With a few taps through AlipayHK’s mobile phone application, money will be transferred within seconds to a GCash user. Blockchain technology allows us to change and radically improve the speed and efficiencies for remittance services. Based on the smart contract, once a user submits a remittance application, all network participants including AlipayHK, GCash and Standard Chartered Bank, the first and core partner bank supporting this initiative, are notified. The segmented procedures of the remittance process can consequently take place in parallel, enabling the verification and execution of the transaction to occur simultaneously. Through the blockchain platform, the sender and receiver are also able to track their money every step of the way—from when the remittance application was made, until when the receiver successfully obtains the money. All information stored, shared or uploaded through the blockchain remittance platform is further encrypted with the most advanced protocols to protect the user’s privacy. Anthony Thomas, president and CEO of Mynt, the operator of GCash, said, “GCash is building a cashless ecosystem to make financial services affordable and accessible to every Filipino as we aim to provide the Philippines’s underserved market with convenient options for load top-up, remittance, and cashless payments for goods and services, among others. This time, in partnership with AlipayHK and Ant Financial, GCash is able to achieve another breakthrough to make sending money to the Philippines easier, more convenient and more secure for Filipinos abroad. We believe that for overseas Filipinos, sending money home to their family’s GCash mobile wallet will soon be the norm.” Standard Chartered has been an integral partner in the development of the solution and will provide the underlying banking infrastructure to support this pivotal initiative. Eric Jing, executive chairman and CEO of Ant Financial, said that they’ve been exploring the cutting-edge blockchain technology since 2015: “Blockchain is revolutionizing the remittance industry, and we look forward to further innovating and expanding the application of the technology in global remittances, together with local wallet partners and other ecosystem partners.” Since the launch of Alipay in 2004 and the establishment of Ant Financial in 2014, the company has built an integrated technology platform and ecosystem of partners to bring more secure, transparent, cost-effective and inclusive financial services to individuals and SMEs globally. The company will continue to invest in developing its blockchain, artificial intelligence, security, Internet of Things and computing capabilities to upgrade its global technology platform for the next generation. FASHION FORWARD WHO would have thought that Globe’s iconic 0917 prefix would eventually become a fashion brand? Globe 0917 Lifestyle began toward the end of 2016 as a project intended for Globe employees, but its designs soon caught the eye of customers who

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THE cast of Eto Na! Musikal nAPO! singing the classic APO tune

admired the apparel’s design and quality. The brand has since launched collections inspired by streetwear, outer space and pop art. They have also launched apparel in partnership with Netflix’s Stranger Things, Mickey & Minnie, Star Wars and Avengers: In�inity War. Taking the brand further, Globe has partnered with Saga events for stylefestph, happening from September 7 to 9. Stylefestph brings together fashion, beauty and business in one platform, allowing local designers and design students, local brands, and young content creators to showcase their talents and merchandise to a local and international audience. This fashion and beauty festival will have three major activities, all of which are indispensable for seasoned stylistas and casual followers of fashion alike. Stylespotting is the search for the next big trend in Philippine fashion and beauty at the home of stylefestph, the Grand Hyatt Manila, as the country’s most influential designers and brands take their latest creations to the runway. Stylespace, on the other hand, brings together both local and international fashion and beauty retailers, manufacturers and suppliers in a threeday exposition at Globe Iconic (Bonifacio High Street Amphitheater). It’s designed and curated to seamlessly connect digital and physical retailers. Finally, there’s styletalks, where participants can learn from some of the most innovative thinkers from fashion and beauty brands, digital retailers and influencers who will discuss and share their thoughts on the hottest industry topics during exclusive talks at the Grand Hyatt Manila. The Designer Mentorship Program will give eight emerging designers the opportunity of a lifetime and be mentored by the style council, an esteemed group of fashion experts and mentors. The style council is comprised of head mentor and renowned designer Inno Sotto, celebrity fashion stylist Pam Quiñones, cofounder and chief executive officer of online fashion retail portal Zalora Philippines Paulo Campos, Wonder.ph’s Sarah Santiago, Globe Lifestyle head Leah de Guzman, Fashion Exchange International cofounder Carmina Sanchez-Jacob, and professional makeup artist Jigs Mayuga. The winners will have their very own collections released in both www.zalora.com.ph and 0917 Lifestyle,

sold at Globe stores and at shop.globe.com.ph. For information, visit www.stylefest.ph. TRIPPY MUSICAL FOR THE ‘TITO’S AND ‘TITA’S BEFORE there was Apple Music, we Pinoys had Apo Music, a collection of love songs, barkada anthems and feel-good music from the most iconic trio of OPM, Jim Paredes, Danny Javier and Buboy Garovillo—The Apo Hiking Society. And while the odds of them reuniting are almost the same as my chances to get six pack abs, titos and titas will get to relive some of their most popular hits such as “Batang Bata Ka Pa,” “Awit ng Barkada,” “Mahirap Magmahal ng Syota ng Iba,” “Bawat Bata,” “When I Met You,” “Doo Bidoo Bidoo” and more via the upcoming stage production Eto Na! Musikal nAPO! Continuing its exceptional streak in the performing arts after successful productions, such as Disney’s Newsies, A Christmas Carol and Green Day’s American Idiot, Globe Live is back for another musical that will keep the audience entertained and glued to their seats. In partnership with 9Works Theatrical, Eto Na! Musikal nAPO! is the first OPM musical production by Globe Live, which will run from August 3 to 26 at the Globe Auditorium, Maybank Performing Arts Theater, in Bonifacio Global City. Eto Na! Musikal nAPO! the musical will be top billed by singer-actor Mark Bautista and also stars Jep Philippe Go, Jobim Javier, Al Fritz Blanche, Jef Flores, Jon Abella, Vyen Villanueva, Rita Daniela, Sab Jose, Marika Sasaki, Raul Montesa, Neomi Gonzales, Anton Posadas, Jourdan Bartolome, Gian Gloria, Shalee Vicencio, Peachy Guevara and Derrick Gozos. “It’s always been a dream of mine to take an original and look at what we can do to help support Filipino theater,” shares Senior Advisor for Creative Marketing and Multimedia Businesses and Executive Producer of Globe Live Joe Caliro. “With the success of Newsies, I think we’ve accomplished our first mission: establishing that the Globe Live-9Works combination can do Broadway. We want to bring that same creative thought-process, that same production partnership to a local production, to Eto Na! Musikal nAPO!” For tickets, visit www.ticketworld.com.ph. Eto na! Musikal nAPO! is copresented by FrontRow and FOXLife, with CNNPhilippines as media partner. ■

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

BusinessMirror

Saturday, July 7, 2018 A12

More than messaging

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Soon, you can book hotels, purchase items and talk to 1 billion people on Viber

W

ITH the pace of social media and mobile app evolution moving so fast, there’s always an anticipation for the next big thing coming out

of the screen. Leading one of the world’s top messaging apps, Viber CEO Djamel Agaoua shares how the communications app is working to become an “allin-one app” that offers more than just messaging, but also chat communities, mobile payment services and so much more. Since its launch, Viber has made the communications experience much richer through the app’s unique and useful features. Aside from sending photos and videos, Viber users can share GIFs, YouTube videos, and Spotify tracks without having to leave their chats through the Chat Extensions, and even reserve hotels via Booking.com or send their locations securely to friends and family. Agaoua emphasizes that users are given the privacy and security that they deserve because they have full control over their data—they can delete messages and share disappearing messages, and trust that no one else will see their information because of the app’s end-to-end message encryption. “2018 is looking like an exciting and promising year for messaging apps,” says Agaoua. Since consumers worldwide are spending more time on messaging apps and less time in other apps (including social apps), Viber is gearing up to allow people to do even more on the app. Over the past few years, they have even been testing new features in different markets that will propel them to become the only app of choice, and it will only be a matter of time before the Philippines can use them, as well. Their newly launched Communities feature, for example, enables users to connect in a group chat of up to 1 billion users. Users with shared interests, hobbies or passions can now engage wherever they are in the world. Through this, Viber also wants to encourage people, celebrities, and even brands to use the platform in promoting causes and building businesses. Shopping within the app will soon be available as Viber has been working on their Instant Shopping platform, which enables users to shop with friends and browse and share products directly into your chats. After the success of its launch in the US last year, the feature will be rolling out in certain countries in Europe this year. The Philippines, along with the rest of Southeast Asia, can expect to start shopping within Viber in 2019. Viber is also working on expanding its services the Bills Payment feature. Agaoua mentions they want to make users settle their bills, or directly send money, using Viber. “There are multiple experimentations in Russia and Japan. In Japan you can pay with your Rakuten Bank wallet or send money to another Viber user. In Russia, where Rakuten doesn’t have a banking license, you can use WalletOne, an electronic wallet that users can credit or link to a bank account,” Agaoua furthers. It’s 2018 and the future is in your smartphone. ■

Yes, we’d like a serving of the new LG G7 ThinQ, please

VIBER CEO Djamel Agaoua

ASIDE from sending photos and videos, Viber users can share GIFs, YouTube videos and Spotify tracks without having to leave their chats through the Chat Extensions.

SMART ONLINE STORE NOW ACCEPTS PAYPAL FOR SAFER AND EASIER ONLINE SHOPPING WHETHER you’re getting a new Smart Postpaid Plan or simply buying Smart Prepaid load, you can now enjoy a safer and easier online shopping experience on the Smart Online Store at store.smart.com.ph, which now accepts PayPal as a payment option. The official digital shop of PLDT’s wireless arm, the Smart Online Store is a web platform that gives you the convenience of buying Smart products and services anytime and anywhere—on your desktop, smartphone or tablet. Through the Smart Online Store, you can sign up for the latest devices bundled with a Smart Postpaid Plan that suits your needs,

renew or upgrade your existing plan, top-up with Smart Prepaid load, or buy phone accessories and addons, among others. The Smart Online Store also offers exclusive deals, discounts, and freebies. With PayPal, your transaction on the Smart Online Store is safe and secure with 24/7 transaction monitoring and anti-fraud technologies. PayPal also makes your online shopping quick and hassle-free because once you’re logged in, you won’t need to enter all your credit card details every time you pay. To use PayPal on the Smart Online Store, just click the PayPal button as payment option and log

into your PayPal account. Then, simply choose your preferred linked debit or credit card to complete the payment process. Not yet a PayPal user? Sign up for free now at www. paypal.com/ph/home and shop at over 10 million online stores across more than 200 markets worldwide. Aside from PayPal, the Smart Online Store also accepts other payment options to make your online shopping experience easier and safer. The Smart Online Store accepts Mastercard, Visa, ECPay, and Bancnet, as well as allows payments via LBC, SM, Cebuana Lhuillier, and Cash on Delivery.

LG ELECTRONICS Philippines finally unveiled the LG G7 ThinQ, its new flagship premium smartphone, at an exclusive launch recently event held at trendy bar and lounge Yes, Please. Combining exciting innovations, a sleek design, and stunning display and sound with LG’s intuitive ThinQ AI technology, the G7 ThinQ takes the smartphone experience to unprecedented heights. The G7 ThinQ comes with a Super Bright 6.1-inch display that, at 1000nit, is brighter than any other mobile phone screen. This, along with the phone’s AI-powered operational and creative features, a Quad DAC feature that provides distortion-free sound, and a hardworking camera, offers consumers a better user experience all around. LG has always striven to provide products that makes the daily grind easier for its consumers. In the LG G7 ThinQ, this principle is reflected in the Hotkey, a button on the side of the phone that activates Google Assistant with one tap. Holding down the button will allow for instant conversations with Google Assistant, and will allow the user to search the Internet, open applications and remotely use the phone on voice command (LG has worked with Google to come up 32 new Google Assistant commands). The G7 ThinQ also sports Super Far Field Voice Recognition, which allows it to hear commands for Google Assistant up to 5 meters away. During the launch, LG invited gadget site Yugatech founder Abe Olandres to explain how the G7 ThinQ’s AI-powered features can provide beneficial advantages to everyday life. As Abe explained, the phone’s AI camera helps deliver an unprecedented smartphone photography experience by recognizing an object and automatically adjusting settings according to what it sees. The phone also has 19 different color and contrast filters to help enhance results. All these features combined makes capturing professional-quality images a truly effortless experience for everyone. To fully display how the G7 ThinQ delivers the ultimate camera experience in a smartphone, LG commissioned a short video from up and coming Director Mikhail Red, whose latest film Birdshot won the Asian Future Best Film Award at the Tokyo International Film Festival, and was the first Filipino full-feature film to be included in Netflix’s inventory. The video not only demonstrates Mikhael’s skill and dexterity as a director and photographer, but showcases how the LG G7 ThinQ’s camera delivers a higher range of details, more vivid colors and striking luminance when capturing both moving and still subjects. Mikhail’s video also demonstrated how the LG G7 ThinQ enables the Super Bright Camera feature in a low-light setting, resulting in clearer, more focused images; or how the camera supports depth-offield Bokeh effects with a Super Wide Angle feature. Superior sound is also another G7 ThinQ boast. The flagship smartphone has a Boombox Speaker that, as demonstrated during the launch, increases the base sound level by more than 6dB with twice the amount of bass. Translated in layman terms, the LG G7 ThinQ packs more than 10 times the loudness than that of a typical smartphone. “LG is pleased to introduce you to a smartphone that will take you beyond the limits of your imagination, and bring you closer to the things that matter in your life,” remarked Paul Jeon, LG Philippines vice president for mobile communications. “The LG G7 ThinQ reflects a new era in smartphone design, the beginning of new AI-powered services and the gateway to a new way of thinking.”

LG G7 ThinQ