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SECOND ANNIVERSARY OF THE HAGUE RULING

What happens in the West PHL Sea concerns the world. Here’s why.

I

By Cai U. Ordinario

T’S been two years since the Philippines received a favorable ruling from the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in The Hague, but there is rising criticism about the country’s seeming failure to leverage this when it comes to the issues on the West Philippine Sea (WPS).

FIGHTER jets are seen on the deck of the US aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) as it anchors off Manila Bay for a goodwill visit on June 26, 2018. The US military has deployed the aircraft carrier to patrol the South China Sea “to deter conflict and coercion” in a disputed region where Washington has moved against China’s military buildup on manmade islands. AP/BULLIT MARQUEZ

IN this March 30, 2014, file photo, the dilapidated Philippine Navy ship LT 57 Sierra Madre is in the shallow waters of Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea. AP/BULLIT MARQUEZ

At a forum marking the second anniversary of the ruling that many other nations disputing China’s nine-dash-line claims over the South China Sea have also hailed, a number of experts expressed dismay over the Duterte administration’s soft stance on the WPS.

One concern was that the Philippines’s failure to use the PCA ruling to enjoin China from further expanding in the West Philippine Sea—how Manila calls the area it claims in the vast South China Sea—could embolden Beijing to use aggression in pushing deeper

not only to build on the WPS, but also to explore possibilities in the Western Pacific and Indian Ocean region “as if to underscore [that] nothing succeeds like aggression.”

“Make no mistake. What has happened in the South China Sea carries far greater long-term implications for the world, not just for this region, but for the world,” Chellaney said.

However, Chellaney said the Philippines’s current strategy in the WPS is “counterproductive” in that it cannot prevent China from expanding in the region, and un-

and wider in other waters in Asia.

Another concern was that a tepid response to the ruling dampens efforts by concerned parties in pushing for a rules-based order in the region’s strategic waters.

Rules-based order

BRAHMA CHELLANEY of the Center for Policy Research in New Delhi said the PCA ruling that favored the Philippines is helping create a rules-based order in the Indo-Pacific region.

He said that prior to the ruling, China was “emboldened”

dermines the country’s long-term strategic interests.

Makoto Seta, associate professor at Yokohama City University, agreed and said the current stance of the Duterte administration is “inconsistent” with the ruling.

Seta encouraged the Philippine government to push for the rule of law when it comes to the WPS. “I expect the Philippine government to emphasize the [importance of the] rule of law.”

Chellaney added that this means China should also receive sanctions for its aggression in the WPS.

He said, however, China was not meted out sanctions, contrary to when Russia annexed Crimea.

Chellaney said Russia was made to pay a “heavy price” in the form of Western sanctions.

Reports said the United States and European Union imposed economic sanctions on Russian companies and individuals to act as deterrent to any similar move.

“China has paid no international price for its aggression in the South China Sea. And it sends a very wrong message to the world,” Chellaney said.

Benefits from ruling

MEANWHILE, members of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) such as the United States, India, Australia, Japan and South Korea have already started to benefit because of the freedom of navigation that is included in the PCA ruling.

In fact, economist Bienvenido Oplas Jr. told the BusinessMirror, these are the same countries now benefitting from the ruling. The freedom of navigation allows their navy fleets to ply through the WPS without being barred from entry.

Continued on A2

Con-com draft on national territory could complicate bid to use ruling on WPS–expert

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By Bernadette D. Nicolas

WO years since the historic victory of the Philippines against China in a landmark international arbitral ruling over the West Philippine Sea/South China Sea dispute, the country seems to be facing another challenge.

The second anniversary of The Hague ruling comes after the public release of the proposed draft federal constitution made by the

22-member Consultative Committee (Con-com) tasked to review the 1987 Constitution in a bid to shift the country’s form of government

PESO EXCHANGE RATES n US 53.5240

PROTESTERS shout slogans while marching with a Philippine flag toward the Chinese Consulate to mark the second anniversary of the United Nations Permanent Court of Arbitration’s decision upholding the Philippines’s territorial rights in the disputed Spratlys group of islands in the South China Sea on July 12, 2018, in Manila. AP/BULLIT MARQUEZ

from unitary to federal.

Parts of the Articles on the National Territory and National Economy and Patrimony do not sit well with maritime law expert Jay Batongbacal.

The professor told the BusinessMirror on the sidelines of the forum on the anniversary of the South China Sea ruling that the proposed constitutional provision is “badly written” and that the provision on the National Territory in the 1987 Charter is “better” than the one proposed by Con-com.

“For me, it’s [the Con-com provision] not well written and it will only attract protests and there were errors there so it’s not good,” Batongbacal said in Filipino.

The proposed provision, he

said, will not strengthen the claim of the country over the disputed waters as opposed to what the Con-com earlier stated as their reason for revising the current provision on National Territory.

“The purpose that they are saying is actually faulty since it’s counterproductive,” he said. “By putting it there you’re not strengthening the claim, in fact you’re even highlighting that you still don’t know or [are] still not sure [about it],” he said.

He added that the domestic law does not contribute anything to international law as other countries are not bound by our domestic law.

“So how can you say that by enacting a law you will be able to strengthen your claim over that Continued on A2

n JAPAN 0.4756 n UK 70.6945 n HK 6.8198 n CHINA 8.0210 n SINGAPORE 39.2693 n AUSTRALIA 39.6399 n EU 62.4839 n SAUDI ARABIA 14.2719

Source: BSP (July 13, 2018 )

News

BusinessMirror

A2 Saturday, July 14, 2018

www.businessmirror.com.ph

What happens in the West PHL Sea concerns the world. Here’s why.

Continued from a1

Oplas said the US, Australia and even the United Kingdom have invoked the freedom of navigation ruling granted to the Philippines even if the country itself seems reluctant to use it for its own ends, at least with regard to preserving its natural resources and protecting the livelihood of its fishermen.

“The ones who actually implement the PCA ruling are the developed countries. All the Philippine government needs to do is say yes, we still invoke it,” Oplas said.

Oplas said invoking the ruling means investing in drones and strong jet fighters, among others.

These will allow the government to monitor and defend the Philippines’s coastlines.

As one of the countries in the world with the longest coastline, the burden falls on the Philippine Navy and Air Force.

He thinks some of the funds should be transferred to the Philippine National Police (PNP). Oplas said the Army is now performing functions

that could be done by the PNP, such as dealing with internal organized groups such as the New People’s Army (NPA) and the Abu Sayyaf.

“The entire AFP [Armed Forces of the Philippines] is for external defense. So the likes of the Abu Sayyaf, these are internal factors, NPA is actually [an] internal factor. This is the reason why the PNP is becoming corrupt because they do not fight true criminals. What they do is go after people riding motorcycles without helmets, pedestrian [issues], enforce anti-tambay. These are very mundane tasks,” Oplas explained.

To generate more public funds, Oplas recommended that the budget for the Philippine Army be reduced and transferred to the Navy and Air Force. He also recommended the abolition of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA).

Oplas estimated that the state forks out around P50 million to P75 million for each PMA student— an unnecessary expense, in his view, given that there are many countries who are not military lightweights

but have no military academies.

These countries, however, rely on mandatory military drafting.

“The most battle-tested army in the whole world is Israel [and] they don’t have a military academy,” Oplas said. “Even Germany does not have a military academy; even Japan doesn’t have a military academy.”

Oplas suggested that the government sell its military assets, particularly Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City. He said a modest headquarters will do for the military in Metro Manila.

He said this can be turned into a Bonifacio Global City (BGC)-like development which is first class and open to the public. Prior to its development, Oplas said Fort Bonifacio was ugly and closed to the public.

However, any development of Camp Aguinaldo, Oplan said, should be done carefully so as to avoid the ills of the development of BGC. Oplas said the privatization benefits of BGC were limited because of subsidies.

“The problem was they butchered the resource. By the time it was privatized, they created housing for the poor, [subsidized] education, so the total revenue from the Fort Bonifacio privatization became smaller,” he said.

Filipino poor deserve justice

MEANWHILE, in the same forum organized by Stratbase ADR Institute, Vice President Maria Leonor G. Robredo said the fishing grounds that could provide decent livelihood to small fishermen are being taken away by China either through brute force or unfair trade.

She told of the story of Renato Etac, a 40-year-old Filipino fisherman, who singlehandedly stared down Chinese Coast Guard rifles in Panatag Shoal in 2016, and of a fisherman named Danilo, who was left helpless as Chinese fishermen boarded his boat to get his best catch of the day.

“Former Philippine President Ramon Magsaysay once said, ‘That he who has less in life should have

more in law.’ Such is true among individuals who are marginalized and disenfranchised. Asserting what is lawfully and rightfully ours for people like Renato and Delfin,” Robredo said.

“Rule of law ensures that even on the global stage, there is equality and inclusivity, so that every member of the human family has a voice,” she added.

The effort to uphold the ruling at the PCA is of utmost importance because fishermen, particularly those affected by the conflict in Panatag Shoal, cannot afford to wait.

Robredo said these fishermen are in dire need of livelihood assistance, especially because their traditional fishing grounds are no longer safe. This plea, she said, has grown louder especially amid the rising cost of living.

Data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) showed the inflation experienced by the bottom 30 percent of the population increased to 5.3 percent in the first quarter of the year, the highest re-

corded in four years for the poorest Filipinos. In Metro Manila, inflation reached 5.9 percent and in areas outside NCR, 5.3 percent.

“We also want the Filipino people to know that this is not an entirely hopeless situation, because there are remedies that will not require that we go to war,” Robredo said.

Apart from the fishermen, Robredo said the entire Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) would benefit from the leadership of the Philippines in the WPS. Indeed, the road to attaining peace and justice in the WPS may be long and difficult. But experts agree that the Philippines must endure and fight for its rights.

It’s been two years since the PCA ruled in favor of the Philippines. Despite a soft stance adopted by the Duterte administration, the ruling stays and it will remain a victory not only for the country but for many other countries benefitting from the bounty of the West Philippine Sea.

Con-com draft on national territory could complicate bid to use ruling on WPS–expert Continued from a1

territory?,” he said.

Asked if he was consulted by Con-com on its proposed provision on National Territory, Batongbacal said he was asked to make a suggestion that is shorter and more compact but it was not used by the committee.

Section 1 of Article I National Territory of the proposed draft federal charter states: “The Philippines has sovereignty over its territory, consisting of the islands and waters encompassed by its archipelagic baselines, its territorial sea, the seabed, the subsoil, the continental shelf, and its airspace. It has sovereignty over islands and features outside its archipelagic baselines pursuant to the laws of the Federal Republic, the law of nations, and the judgments of competent international

courts or tribunals. It likewise has sovereignty over other territories belonging to the Philippines by historic right or legal title.”

Batongbacal explained that among the errors of the proposed provision is that where the Philippines claims sovereignty over the continental shelf. “That is not possible because according to international law, we only have sovereign rights over continental shelf,” he said, adding that the provision will also attract protests from Malaysia and China.

Although the 1987 provision on National Territory has “flaws”, he said the current provision is still “more flexible and encompassing” since it still has room to accommodate the possibility of some changes in the national territory of the country.

Section 2 of the same ar-

ticle of the proposed federal charter stated that: The Philippines has sovereign rights over that maritime expanse beyond its territorial sea to the extent reserved to it by international law, as well as over its extended continental shelf, including the Philippine Rise. Its citizens shall enjoy the right to all resources within these areas.”

“This proposed one…why highlight Philippine Rise? What if you get another continental shelf? That is why I am saying it is not good, coming from a technical standpoint from me, it is not well-written,” he said.

Batongbacal said the proposed constitution can also lead to Congress removing the economic restrictions, which he said is the remaining protection of the people.

In the article on National Economy and Patrimony, the Con-

com proposed that Congress may, by law, change the voting capital requirement under the sections on mass media, advertising and educational institutions, natural resources and public utilities.

Batongbacal also questioned Con-com’s move to maintain the minimum equity requirements but at the same time add a provision that Congress can completely change or remove these restrictions, saying it is “deceptive.”

“It’s like a way for them to do away with these ownership requirements even though the people may not want them to be done away with, so it is as if they may use the Congress to circumvent these kinds of restrictions,” he said.

“Now, what they did was double-sided or double-edged— i.e., that if the people ratified the constitution, they are going to say that ‘Okay, we favor these restrictions’ but at the same time they are asking the people to approve the provision which says that those protections can be removed when it is decided by the Congress,” he said.

“The whole point of the constitution and all of its provisions is to protect the people’s rights and access to their natural resources.

All the equity restrictions are supposed to protect the ability to control these businesses and ensure that they’re not used against these people,” he said.

Batongbacal noted that with the removal of these protections, people are left to fend for themselves when the government decides to go into all sorts of inequitable deals.

“Without those protections, well you don’t know, we don’t know where will they take that,” he said.

“It will make it easier for them to say goodbye to the ruling,” he said.

It was on July 12, 2016, that The Hague-based Permanent Court of Arbitration issued the landmark decision invalidating China’s massive claims to the disputed waters, noting that the Asian superpower has no legal basis to claim historic rights within the sea areas falling within their “nine-dash line.”

Up to this day, however, China does not recognize the arbitral ruling.

In the same forum marking the second anniversary of the ruling, Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice and Acting Chief Justice Antonio T. Carpio, who was

part of the legal team that brought the case to the arbitral tribunal, said that their plan before was to go to the UN General Assembly and sponsor a resolution that China should abide by the ruling.

Carpio said they estimated that the resolution will easily get the majority and they were also planning to sponsor the same resolution year after year.

“That was supposedly the plan but when the ruling came out 10 days or 12 days after the incumbent president took over, he did not do that. The entire policy changed. So what we are trying to do now is to preserve the ruling for the next administration,” he said.

Agreements with Vietnam, Malaysia

CARPIO also noted during the forum that the Philippines can enforce the ruling without China’s participation by entering into sea boundary agreements with Vietnam and Malaysia.

“The Philippines and Vietnam can enter into a sea boundary agreement of their overlapping extended continental shelves beyond the Spratlys,” he said.

“A sea boundary agreement can be entered into between the Philippines and Malaysia to delineate their adjoining exclusive economic zones between Borneo and Palawan,” Carpio added.

According to Carpio, these agreements adopt a ruling in the award by state practice even if China is not a party to this agreement.

He also said the Philippines can also file an extended continental shelf claim off the coast of Luzon facing the South China Sea before the United Nations Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf.

Although he was “heartened” that Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter S. Cayetano has drawn a “red line” on the Scarborough Shoal, he believes the Department of Foreign Affairs should campaign among Southeast Asian countries to also make Scarborough Shoal Asean’s red line—i.e., that China cannot build on Scarborough Shoal.

Aside from Asean (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) countries, DFA should also campaign, he said, for the US to make the Scarborough Shoal the official red line under the Philippine-US Mutual Defense Treaty.

“After all, it was President Obama who originally told President Xi Jinping in 2015 that Scarborough Shoal was a red line,” he said.

The Duterte administration has been criticized for taking a softer approach when it comes to dealing with China on the maritime dispute. Malacañang and Cayetano insisted, though, that the Philippines continues to assert its sovereignty and sovereign rights over the disputed waters and that it has already filed diplomatic protests against China.

China using force–Poling

HOWEVER, Gregory Poling, director of Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said in a video message during the forum that all of China’s actions, including its coercion, bullying, its construction activities, do not paint a picture of a country that is committed to find equitable, diplomatic solutions to disputes.

“Instead, it paints a picture of a country who is willing to use force or at least a threat of force to get its way and not one that has the intention to abide by the arbitral order in 2016 or any other diplomatic effort,” Poling said, noting that China has not stopped militarizing its artificial islands in the South China Sea and it has also not stopped building new bases.

“What we have seen from China is a country using diplomatic efforts” to match the Duterte government’s conciliatory stance, in order, said Poling, “to continue to make gains on the ground while paying virtually no price, no diplomatic price anyway.”

In the meantime, Poling added, China “is only using those diplomatic efforts as a delaying tactic until the day they decide to use force or at least a threat of force to convince the Philippines and other claimants to just accept…China’s dominance in the South China Sea.” Former Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario said in his speech that the government has allowed the country to be a “willing victim” to China; and the administration is an “abettor” to Beijing for allowing the latter to deprive the Filipinos of what is rightfully theirs and by continuing to shelve the tribunal outcome.

“Where do we go from here?

What should we do now as a willing victim and an abettor that has fully embraced our big northern neighbor who is clearly acting as a bully, a grand larcenist and an international outlaw?” he said.

“To close, we reiterate our position that coercive diplomacy has no place in a rules-based international order. Our common goal is peace and prosperity without sacrificing our sovereignty and our sovereign rights,” he added. “How we choose to assert our rights and our dignity as a nation today will be the legacy the next generation of our country will have to live with.”

Del Rosario also urged Filipinos to voice their sentiments to the government and to exercise their rights to raise indignation against China.

“And finally, we need all of our friends in the community of nations who believe in the rule of law to help us, but before we can hope for help, we must first demonstrate that we are worth helping,” he said.

The World

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Saturday, July 14, 2018

A3

Trump says May’s Brexit plan likely to kill off US trade deal

By Jessica Shankleman Bloomberg

P

resident Donald J. Trump dealt a double blow to United Kingdom Prime Minister Theresa May, saying her plans for a soft Brexit would likely end hopes of a trade deal with the US and that Boris Johnson, who quit her Cabinet this week, would be a “great” leader.

“If they do a deal like that, we would be dealing with the European Union instead of dealing with the UK, so it will probably kill the deal,” Trump said in an interview in the Sun newspaper to be published Friday.

His comments in the Sun, controlled

by Rupert Murdoch, a political ally of the president, appeared after May had hosted Trump at a black-tie dinner at Blenheim Palace, the birthplace of Winston Churchill.

On Friday he’ll have tea with Queen Elizabeth II at Windsor Castle, who he describes as “a tremendous woman.”

May wants to impress Trump and use his three-day visit to the UK to push for a trade deal with the US after the UK leaves the European Union next year, in a process known as Brexit. Relations with the US are a high priority for the prime minister’s trade policy.

But even before Trump arrived in the UK, he attacked May’s Brexit plan, said the country was in “somewhat turmoil,” and that meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin next week—her geopolitical enemy—would be easier than meeting her.

Trump previously seemed well disposed to the idea of a bilateral trade deal with the UK, tweeting a year ago that it could be “very big and exciting” for jobs.

Cheers for Boris

But in the Sun interview he criticized May for the way she handled negotiations, saying “she didn’t listen to me” and that the deal she is pursuing “is not what the people voted on” and will affect trade with the US “in a negative way.”

He saved special praise for Johnson, who resigned as May’s foreign secretary on Monday and who Trump said he would like to meet during his time in Britain.

In the interview, Trump said he was “very saddened” by Johnson’s resignation. “I think he’s got what it takes and

I think he has got the right attitude to be a great Prime Minister,” he said.

Johnson and David Davis, the cabinet secretary in charge of negotiating the separation from the EU, quit days after May announced a Brexit deal that was forged at Chequers, the prime minister’s country house.

The Chequers session was intended to heal bitter divisions within May’s Conservative government over how to leave the EU. But Johnson said the agreement was “suffocating” the Brexit dream.

The prime minister’s office did not respond to a request for comment early Friday morning.

White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said early Friday that “the president likes and respects Prime Minister May very much. As he said in his interview with the Sun, she is a very good person and he never said anything bad about her. He thought she was great on Nato today and is a really terrific person.”

No deal with the US can be signed until after next March 29, when the UK is to formally leave the EU. Freetrade agreements typically take years to conclude and any accord is likely to include hard negotiations over tariffs in industries, such as automotive and agriculture, including chlorinated chicken and genetically modified crops.

‘Dearest of friends’

At the Blenheim Palace dinner on Thursday night, May reiterated the special relationship between the two countries, saying they were “not just the closest of allies, but the dearest of friends,” and she touted Brexit as an opportunity to do a deal that would “tear down the bureaucratic barriers that frustrate business leaders on both sides of the Atlantic.”

Despite the pomp around Trump’s trip to the UK, it isn’t an official state visit and the president will largely avoid the London area where tens of thousands of Britons, joined by activists from across Europe, are planning a “carnival of resistance” against Trump and his policies.

Leo Murray, an activist, raised money to pay for “Trump Baby,” a 20-foot-high helium-filled caricature of the president, which he intends to fly over London.

ExportUnlimited BusinessMirror

A4 Saturday, July 14, 2018 • Editor: Efleda P. Campos

DTI chief pushes for pragmatic direction in RCEP deal

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OKYO—Trade Secretary Ramon M. Lopez urged his fellow ministers to be more realistic to conclude the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership or RCEP. Lopez represented the Philippines during the fifth RCEP Intercessional Meeting in Tokyo on June 30 to July 2 where he joined Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Asean Secretary-General Dato Lim JockHoi, and trade ministers from the 16 RCEP Participating Countries (RPC), namely the Asean 10 and Asean freetrade partners: Australia, China, India, Japan, South Korea and New Zealand. The group targets to finish

negotiations this year to finalize the agreement by next year.

“It is about time we shift gears and lean toward being more realistic than idealistic. While we attend to our own interests, we should also remember that a mutually beneficial agreement requires trade-offs,” Lopez said.

“We should also keep in mind this mega-regional trade pact should be inclusive and progressive and should cater not only to today’s generation

TRADE Secretary Ramon M. Lopez (right) and Assistant Secretary Ann Robeniol during the fifth RCEP Intercessional Meeting in Tokyo, Japan.

but also of the future,” he added.

The free-trade agreement that began negotiations in 2013 covers trade in goods, trade in services,

investment, economic and technical cooperation, intellectual property, competition, dispute settlement and other issues. On trade in goods,

some countries’ submissions were still below the targeted 92 percent for tariff elimination. RPCs committed to submit improved offers

by the middle of July.

Meanwhile, Lopez commended the progress on e-commerce for closing several articles in the RCEP Key Elements Paper. He said e-commerce significantly lowers the barriers to entry and operating costs for businesses, particularly micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), which comprise 99.6 percent of all registered businesses in the Philippines.

The RPCs will meet again in Singapore this August to assess the outcome of the 23rd round of negotiations in Bangkok, Thailand.

Once concluded, RCEP will be one of the biggest free-trade agreements with the 16 participating countries accounting for almost half of the world’s population, 31.6 percent of global output, 28.5 percent of global trade and a fifth of the global foreign direct investment inflows as of 2016.

BOI meets Taytay garments, textile d.t.i. taps intl expos to manufacturers and stakeholders penetrate chinese market

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HE Philippine Board of Investments (BOI), the country’s lead industry-development arm and primary investments-promotion agency, met recently with Taytay-based garments and textile manufacturers and stakeholders for a roundtable discussion to gather insights on how the agency can assist in scaling up the garments industry in the area and make them more competitive.

Trade Undersecretary for Industry Development and Trade Policy Group and BOI Managing Ceferino S. Rodolfo led the discussion with the officers and members of the Baclaran Garment Producers Inc. (Bagpi) and I Love Taytay Garments Producers Inc. (Igpai)—the two major garments manufacturer groups in Taytay, Rizal. Officials and representatives from the Philippine Chamber of Commerce–Taytay Chapter, the Taytay municipal government, the Department of Trade and Industry(DTI)Rizal Provincial Office, and the Department of Tourism-Rizal Provincial Office were also present in the meeting.

“Our garments industry used to be one of the top performing sectors both locally and internationally. But with the challenges brought by the end of the Multi-Fiber Agreement [MFA], which grants preferential tariffs to Philippine exports of garments and textiles, we saw a decline in the sector’s general performance,” Rodolfo said. “We, however, observed that while this is the overall state of the sector, the garments industry here in Taytay is thriving despite challenges, and we hope to replicate this successful model to other parts of the country.”

In the roundtable discussion, the garment-manufacturer groups informed BOI of the scarcity of laborers, particularly sewers.

“Dress-making is no longer part of the schools’ curriculum. Thus, we are having difficulties in serving market demand,”

Bagpi President Manuel Cruz said.

As most garment manufacturers in Taytay are still small scale and likely family-owned businesses passed on through generations, the group also explained that branding has not been fully explored, as this entails additional costs.

“Most of the garment manufacturers here sell their items in bulk to retailers and online resellers. These retailers and resellers are often the ones putting the brand names to these items,” an Igpai representative said.

Garments manufacturing is one of the silong industries in Taytay with about 190 registered garment manufacturers, 52 remnant-cloth sellers, 29 registered ready-to-wear retailers and 4,000 surveyed flea-market sellers, a report by the Taytay Business License Processing Office said.

The garments and textile industry in Taytay can be traced back from the 1950s to the 1960s when remnant textiles (aged textiles) from New York were imported through the efforts of the then municipal mayor who had easy access to suppliers and knowledge on customs procedure.

Sewers were mostly located on the ground floor of their houses to lessen overhead costs, as well as permits and licensing requirements.

With increasing labor costs in the country, most of the garments manufacturers have moved to other Association of Southeast Asian Nations countries.

The local industry continues to struggle in competing with secondhand clothes from developed countries (ukay-ukay) and Chinese-made garments and textiles. Factories in Taytay and in nearby areas like ITM, Gentex, UTEX and Knit Joy ceased operations. Garment manufacturers in Taytay are now relying heavily on imported remnants from China.

Rodolfo said the DTI and the BOI can

help in the possible sourcing of textiles from nontraditional sources, such as Vietnam, Pakistan and Turkey, upgrading their capabilities and expanding their markets.

After the meeting, Rodolfo and the BOI team made rounds at the ongoing Taytay Tiangge Night Market to witness the actual operations of industry players in the area. Flocked by thousands of buyers and resellers, about nine associations of garments producers and traders operate in the Taytay tiangge namely Bagpi (400 to 1,000 stalls), municipal tiangge (800 stalls), Octagon (150), Igpai (300 to 400), Maswerte (250), My Seoul (100 to 200), Freedom (200), Club Manila East (600 to 700) and Eugene (30).

“The information gathered from the roundtable discussion is very important to us. As we go around the country and conduct similar focused-group discussions with garments and textile industry players and stakeholders, these collected information will serve as substantive inputs to the Garments and Textile Industry Roadmap that we envision for the industry,” Rodolfo said.

The BOI, through the Manufacturing Resurgence Program—Industry Roadmapping Project, is currently formulating the Garments and Textile Industry Roadmap. The roadmapping exercise involves defining the industry’s objectives, assessing its state and economic performance, identifying the binding constraints to its growth, and recommending strategies to achieve industry growth and competitiveness. The project involves the conduct of focused group discussions with stakeholders from the industry, government, and other relevant sectors and already, five discussions were conducted from December 2017 with various garments and textile stakeholders in some parts of the country. The discussion with Taytay garment stakeholders is sixth among these meetings.

T

HE Department of Trade and ticipating Philippine compaIndustry (DTI) sees a huge nies, the Innovative Packaging potential of penetrating Industry Corp. which offers the Chinese market through counhealthy fruit snacks was rectry participation in international ognized and awarded as among trade expositions and facilitation the best in food innovation for of business-to-business linkages. its flavor offerings and packag “Business-to-business activiing of fruit-crisp products. ties are increasing and we see a lot “International trade exposiof Philippine enterprises eager to tion participation is among the penetrate the huge Chinese marmany means to introduce new ket. China’s recent move to open products and services. It is a up more through lowering of its good opportunity to talk to poimport tariffs and easing market tential buyers and distributors TERRADO access also present a wide range that may carry the products of of benefits for Philippine businesses. This can help Philippine micro, small and medium enterprises us in our efforts to expand our exports to China,” in key markets such as China. We urge them to DTI Trade and Investments Promotion Group Untap government initiatives and support services dersecretary Nora K. Terrado said. including country participations and exhibi The DTI recently led the country’s participation tions,” Terrado said. at Salon International de L’alimentation, or SIAL Dubbed as the largest food fair in Asia, SIAL China, held in Shanghai, China, from May 16 to China was participated in by 67 countries across 18. The country was represented by 16 Philippine the globe. This year’s Philippine participation food enterprises that showcased top-notch Philipwas facilitated by DTI’s Export Marketing Bureau pine food products including fresh and processed (EMB); the Department of Agriculture and the fruits, coconut products and condiments.

Consulate General of the Philippines in Shanghai.

With its private-sector partners, the country is “We are committed to expanding our exalso expected to join and mount in September the ports in the coming periods that will lead to bigger country participation at the China-Asean more investments and job opportunities in Expo in Nanning, China. the country. With our focus on helping Phil The DTI is also gearing up for the country’s ippine companies access markets abroad, we participation in November at the first China are optimistic that with China’s opening up International Import Expo (CIIE) where counto its trading partners, we will be able to lead tries are expected to mount country pavilions more companies and achieve balance in trade highlighting developments in trade in goods and between our countries,” Terrado said. services and various investment opportunities Based on published data, historical trends; in different industries and sectors. showed that from 2015 to 2017, Philippine mer Meanwhile, DTI’s Philippine Trade and chandise exports to China reflected a compound Investment Center (PTIC) Shanghai led parannual growth rate of 13.95 percent. In 2017 ticipating Philippine companies in meeting China also emerged as the top trading partner with potential distributors and various proof the Philippines with total bilateral trade valcurement entities in Shanghai, including one ued at $23.82 billion. With the blooming trade of China’s leading supermarket chains, City relations between the two countries, the DTI Shop Supermarket. intends to intensify its efforts in assisting busi During the SIAL China fair, one of the parnesses aiming to capture the Chinese market.

Mainstreaming Jollibee in Canada, opening one restaurant at a time

By Maria Roseni M. Alvero

Senior Trade Commissioner, PTIC-Toronto

J

OLLIBEE Foods Corp.’s aggressive international expansion includes a focus on Canada, where Filipino food is seeing a rise in visibility with several Filipino restaurants opening in recent years, as well as major grocery stores carrying more Filipino products and brands on their aisles.

Canada’s large and growing Filipino population coupled with many Canadians’ eagerness to sample international cuisine makes the country a prime choice for Filipino foodservice businesses. Jollibee opened its first Canadian spot in Winnipeg in 2016, quickly followed by another branch in the province.

Jollibee Scarborough, the fastfood company’s long-awaited first store in Toronto, opened its doors to

customers on April 1 as the company celebrated its 40th year. The store is also the 40th joint in North America.

In attendance during the opening were Jollibee Food Corp. President Jose Minana; Scarborough Member of Parliament Salma Zahid; Senior Trade Commissioner Maria Roseni Alvero of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), the US and Canada Management Team of Jollibee; and representatives of First Gulf, which owns Jollibee’s location; and Kennedy Commons and Sysco, the North American food-service conglomerate.

Two heated tents protected thousands of Jollibee fans—some who waited for as long as 10 hours—from the wind, rain and temperature that dipped below zero. The restaurant saw Jollibee devotees camping overnight on the eve of the store’s grand opening, with the promise of a one-

OFFICIALS of Jollibee lead the traditional coin throw during the opening of the Jollibee Scarborough store in Canada, joined by representatives from Gulf Co. and Sysco.

year supply of Crispy Jolly Chicken going to the first 40 customers to make a minimum purchase of $30.

The festivities continued throughout the opening day, with the Jollibee

mascot greeting the crowds inside the tents for photo opportunities.

The last customer of the work day was served just after 2:30 a.m.

Jollibee Scarborough’s menu in-

cluded all of the fast-food chain’s well-loved favorites, such as Jolly Crispy Chicken, Jolly Spaghetti, Yumburger, Burger Steak, Palabok Fiesta and Peach Mango Pie. A few days after the store’s opening, Ontario’s Premier Kathleen Wynne paid a visit, greeted by the Consul General Rosalita Prospero, Alvero, Jollibee North officials and Filipino community leaders. The visit was a way for Wynn to connect with her constituents, with over 330,000 Filipinos residing in Ontario, making the community the third-largest minority group in the province.

“The chicken was delicious; it was really tender. And there’s a sweet theme. That batter was a little bit sweeter, there’s sweet on the spaghetti and it’s delicious. I can see why everybody is lining up!” Wynn remarked.

Jollibee’s first Toronto location

continues to draw big crowds, with non-Filipinos venturing to the store to see for themselves what the hype is all about. To manage the crowds, Jollibee started issuing a ticketing system that indicates the time you can line up. People are still reporting lines of up to two hours of waiting time, even three months after the store first opened its doors.

Jollibee Scarborough is the first of three Toronto locations the company plans to open this year. Jollibee Mississauga is set to open this month.

Jollibee CEO Ernesto Tanmantiong said “Jollibee will open 100 stores in Canada in the next five years” through franchising arrangements of at least 1 million per store. This can be considered a very aggressive stance on the part of a Filipino company in making a mark in the mainstream market outside of the Philippines.

Sports BusinessMirror

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

Saturday, July 14, 2018

A5

JHONNEL ABABA cards a bogey-free 67 in tough condition.

EVEN after more than a year away from the game, even in only the fourth tournament of her comeback, Serena Williams shows she’s still capable of dominance. AP

PERLAS PILIPINAS SCORES The Discovery Perlas Pilipinas, the former national women’s

basketball team, retains the Memorial Day Tournament title recently at the Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, Japan. The team is managed by Cynthia Tiu, a member of the family behind the Discovery group of hotels and resorts. The team is composed of Ish Tiu, Ella Rodriguez, Joylyn Pangilinan, Karla Manuel, Carolina Sanggalang, Sai Larosa, Joy Galicia, Ford Grajales, Lhen Flormata, Rica Francisco, Angeli Gloriani and Banjo Soriano. Rodriguez is named the Most Valuable Player and Pangilinan makes it to the Mythical Five. Haydee Ong is the head coach and Sen Dysangco is the assistant coach.

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BusinessMi

Saturday, July 14, 2018 | Editor: Jun Lomibao

‘DAVES NEED

Kittel: If you give up, you can go home M

ARCEL KITTEL half-threw, half-placed his bike against the Katusha-Alpecin bus when he arrived back after Stage 4 of the Tour de France, as if he wanted to unleash his fury but suddenly thought better of it. The German had placed fifth, and while the frustration was clear to see, there wasn’t quite enough to warrant damaging an €8,000 piece of equipment.

Kittel dominated the sprints at last year’s Tour, collecting no fewer than five victories, but he has found life a little less straightforward this time around.

After placing third on the opening stage and puncturing late the following day, he could only manage fifth in Sarzeau. The arrow-straight final couple of kilometres were said to suit him better than the chaotic sprints seen on the opening two days, but in the end, the final few hundred metres were just as disorderly.

“I don’t think it’s super, super bad, at least I’m up there,” Kittel told reporters in Sarzeau.

“It’s just messy, like last year. I wanted to get out, I took full risks again, and went through the peloton. I saw [Nairo] Quintana 600 metres in front of me and other guys that blocked the road.

That’s why I couldn’t find a way. That wasn’t only my problem but also others were glued in there.

That’s just the Tour.”

Kittel was perfectly delivered to his five stage wins last year by a dominant Quick-Step Floors outfit, and while the sprints so far at this Tour have been more unruly, it’s his former teammates who have shown themselves to be the strongest.

Fernando Gaviria, the rider who pushed Kittel down the pecking order and effectively forced him out of the team, has won two stages already.

“Quick-Step are really strong, and they’re the big team to beat,” Kittel acknowledged, though he refused to lose heart.

“If you give up trying, then you can go home.

The Tour is three weeks long. Other riders—for example last year Groenewegen—have won after three weeks on the Champs Elysées. It’s a long way.

There are some chances on the way to Paris, and I want to use them.” Cyclingnews

T

EN years ago, Walter Pérez earned Olympic gold for Argentina when he rode to victory in Beijing with his Madison partner Juan Curuchet.

That same year the pair, which had been crowned International Cycling Union (UCI) World Champions four years earlier, was awarded the Gold Olimpia Award as best Argentinian athletes of the year.

Now retired from competition, Pérez has turned to coaching and is currently based at the UCI World Cycling Centre (WCC) in Aigle, Switzerland, where a group of young track athletes are preparing for the UCI Junior Track World Championships in Aigle, and others for the Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires.

Failing to qualify for his sixth Olympic Games (Rio 2016) was a catalyst for Walter Pérez’s decision to retire from competition after a career, which—on top of his Olympic and World titles—included World podiums in the Omnium and Scratch Race, as well as a host of Continental titles and podiums.

The Argentinian withdrew from toplevel competition in October 2015, having just claimed the team pursuit silver medal

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FORMER International Cycling Union Presidents Pat McQuaid (clockwise) and Brian Cookson tell Team Sky’s Dave Brailsford and UCI President David Lappartient to cool it down.

Lappartient: The last one who called me a Breton mayor didn’t have any luck

I

NTERNATIONAL Cycling Union (UCI) President David Lappartient has hit back at comments from Team Sky principal Dave Brailsford, saying that the last person to characterize him as a Breton mayor did not enjoy much luck afterwards.

Lappartient added that, by insulting him as as a local mayor, Brailsford was also insulting the 35,000 French mayors.

The comments come just over a week after Chris Froome was cleared by the UCI of any wrongdoing in his salbutamol case. During the nine-month investigation, Lappartient was quite vocal in the press saying that the Team Sky rider should sit out of racing until the case was closed.

On Sunday, speaking outside the Team Sky bus, Brailsford criticized Lappartient for what he deemed a nationalistic bias and said that the Frenchman needed to learn his responsibilities before saying he has a “local French mayor mentality.”

“I do not really want to answer him, but I will say that the last one who called me a ‘Breton mayor’ was not brought any luck. It was Brian Cookson,” Lappartient told Le Parisien, referring to his victory over Cookson at last year’s UCI

elections. “And then, by insulting me as mayor, he insults the 35,000 French mayors and the French in general. I do not know what he’s looking for with that.

“Because he does not realize that it takes mayors taking stages of the Tour de France for such great events to take place. He does not understand much about cycling. When you are arrogant, one day or another, there is always something that brings you back to humility.”

As well as running the UCI, Lappartient has maintained his role as the mayor of Sarzeau, where Stage 4 of this year’s Tour de France finishes. He was present at the start of the stage in La Baule and will also make an appearance at the finish, where his two worlds will meet.

“To be honest, it’s not always easy. I am, on average, over 85 hours a week,” Lappartient said of balancing his two jobs. “Physically, it’s a little hard, but I’m not complaining because I wanted it. But this Tuesday it looks a little unusual. For some, I will be the mayor, for others the president of the UCI. There’ll be a few handshakes,” he said.

Cyclingnews

Olympic champ keeps passion on velodrome at the Pan American Games in Toronto, Canada.

But it wasn’t long before he was back on the track in the role of coach.

“For the first year after my retirement I didn’t want anything to do with the track,” explained the Olympian.

“But in my last year of competition I had seen that some of the younger riders did not have the motivation to train that I had. I realized I had a lot of things to teach them.”

In 2016 he completed a UCI coaching course organised in Mar del Plata, in the Argentinian province of Buenos Aires, and received the UCI Diploma.

And now, for several months, he is based

Walter Pérez: I realized I have a lot of things to teach [the young riders].

WO former International Cycling Union (UCI) presidents have commented on the latest war of words between current president David Lappartient and Team Sky’s Dave Brailsford, with former UCI head Pat McQuaid calling for Chris Froome’s boss to be “a little more humble.”

Brian Cookson, who took over from McQuaid and ran the UCI until last September, has called for all parties to “calm down” with fears that the provocative language could lead to incidents on the road against riders.

Brailsford stepped off the Team Sky bus over

the weekend to launch a scathing attack on Lappartient and the way in which he and the UCI handled the Froome salbutamol case.

“I think he’s still got the local French mayor kind of mentality maybe,” Brailsford told reporters.

McQuaid, who made no secret of his support for Lappartient during the Frenchman’s election campaign last year, came to the defense of the Frenchman and reminded Brailsford that he should perhaps look at his own house before giving advice to others. Brailsford has faced difficult questions in the past over his own credibility after it was exposed

that he and his staff failed to keep sufficient medical records for their star rider Bradley Wiggins. The hackers Fancy Bears also revealed that the athlete was given controversial medical TUEs in the buildup to Grand Tours. In the past, Brailsford has also faced criticism for hiring doctor Geert Leinders, who was later banned for life for doping riders in the 2000s.

In March of this year MPs from the DCMS Select Committee stated that: “Contrary to the testimony of David Brailsford in front of the Committee, we believe that drugs were being used by Team Sky, within the World Anti-Doping Agency [Wada] rules, to enhance the performance of riders, and not just

TWO podium hostesses react as they watch cyclists crash on a TV screen in the fourth stage.

POLAND’S Tomasz M in the last kilomet

THE FIRST W OF THE TO PETER SAGAN, wearing the overall leader’s yellow jersey, celebrates on the podium after the second stage.

THE pack passes a

at the UCI WCC, working alongside another Olympian and former UCI World Champion Craig Maclean, of Scotland. UCI News

Matthews forced out of Tour due to illness

M

ICHAEL MATTHEWS has abandoned the Tour de France due to illness.

The Sunweb rider was a nonstarter on Stage 5 from Lorient to Quimper after waking with a fever early on Wednesday morning.

Matthews and his Sunweb team delayed a final decision on his participation until shortly before the start of stage 5, but the 2017 points classification winner ultimately withdrew from the race on the advice of the team doctors.

“Early this morning, the doctor had an early call from [Matthews] to say that he had to throw up. He had difficulty getting back to sleep and couldn’t eat his breakfast, and the fever is developing more and more,” Sunweb directeur sportif Luke Roberts said in Lorient on Wednesday.

“We’ve had a doctor with him all morning, just monitoring his progress. He was isolated from the rest of the team, just in case something could spread. The doctors monitored him and saw his condition was going downhill. He has a fever that is continuing to rise, so he’s not in a condition to start a bike race. The doctors made the decision not to start him.”

Matthews is one of two nonstarters on Wednesday as Tiesj Benoot (Lotto Soudal) withdrew from the Tour due to the injuries he sustained in a heavy crash in the closing kilometers of Stage 4.

Although Sunweb’s team on this Tour is built around Tom Dumoulin’s bid for final MICHAEL MATTHEWS withdraws from the race on the advice of the team doctors.

overall victory, Matthews had a certain degree of freedom to chase stage victories, and Wednesday and Thursday’s stages to Quimper and Mûr de Bretagne seemed well-suited to his characteristics.

“We waited until the last moment. For any bike rider, they don’t want to stop the Tour de France

early, and Michael would have contributed a lot to the team. He wouldn’t want to stop himself, but the doctors made the decision that he’s not in a state to start,” Roberts said.

“It’s extremely disappointing for him.

These two stages would have been a highlight for him. We’ll miss him, but the Tour goes on.

We still have seven guys here, and it’s a long road to Paris.”

Dumoulin noted that Matthews’ abandon was “a big blow—first of all for himself, and of course for the entire team.”

World champion Peter Sagan (BoraHansgrohe) had won the points classification five years in a row before the sequence ended last year. The Slovakian is currently wearing the green jersey, and he expressed regret on being informed of Matthews’ abandon ahead of stage 5.

“I am very sorry for him, but I don’t think he was going for green jersey this year from what he explained before [the race],” Sagan said. “It’s not nice to abandon Tour de France because you’re sick. That’s bad. I’m sorry for him.” Cyclingnews

DREAM COME TRUE FOR ST F ERNANDO GAVIRIA admitted to feeling the butterflies ahead of his Tour de France debut, but he could hardly have looked more assured as he sprinted clear to win the opening stage of the race.

The prize, as if he needed reminding, was the yellow jersey.

“I can’t describe how I feel because it’s something you can’t put into words,” said the Colombian after his first trip to a Tour de France podium in Fontenay-le-Comte.

The maillot jaune, he noted, is “something every rider dreams about”, but it holds special significance given his nationality. Before today, despite the exploits of Lucho Herrera and Fabio Parra in the 1980s, and more recently the socalled golden generation of Nairo Quintana and others, only one Colombian had worn it: Victor Hugo Peña back in 2003.

“This jersey means much more to a country

like Colombia, where we have fought so much for it,” Gaviria said. “Many Colombians have tried to get it, and only one had managed it, but now we have it again.

“I know Peña, I’ve spoken to him before, but I don’t have a relationship where we’re speaking on a regular basis. He’s a great person—at the moment he’s running a team in Colombia. The most important thing is that, finally, after 15 years, we’ve managed to put another Colombian in the yellow jersey.”

Too add to the history-making, Gaviria pointed out his status as a sprinter in a country that has been put on the map almost exclusively by climbers.

“It’s the first time the yellow jersey been obtained in a sprint, which is a step forward for the country,” Gaviria added.

Before the race Gaviria had suffered a considerable setback in losing Iljo Keisse, a key part of his lead-out train, through illness. The Belgian,

irror CYCLING

mirror_sports@yahoo.com.ph | Saturday, July 14, 2018

D TO CALM DOWN’ to treat medical need.”

McQuaid governed the UCI until 2013 and told Cyclingnews on Tuesday from his home in France that Brailsford’s comments toward Lappartient were “disrespectful.”

“David Lappartient was the president of the European Cycling Federation for a number of years before he was president. He’s now the president of the UCI. Yes, he has been the mayor of a small town in France, but he’s been around a long time on the international stage.

He has a broad international outlook. He’s French, and when a person from a big nation

like France, Italy or Spain becomes president, it’s only natural for them to be clouded by their own nationalistic thinking on the sport and its history, but I don’t think anything he’s said so far has shown French bias.”

Asked what he would do if he were Lappartient, and McQuaid responded: “I would talk directly to Brailsford and ask what he’s on about. I think Brailsford should be a little more humble these days after what he’s been through instead of going on the attack after Chris has been cleared. I don’t think that’s a good strategy. I don’t really know why he did

it, I think he just feels that he has to attack someone and that he’s in a position of strength, but he’s forgetting all about the Jiffy bag, the MPs and their comments. His credibility isn’t as high as he might think it is.”

Back in the United Kingdom now and busy setting up new projects, Cookson called for calm from all sides involved.

“Both sides here need to calm things down. It doesn’t help criticising each other, whether it’s double sided or tripartite with ASO. Sometimes, it’s best to say nothing than something that can be interpreted in a

A7

Lawson Craddock’s Tour de France fight continues to benefit Houston velodrome.

provocative way,” he told Cyclingnews.

“What I really worry about is the issues over safety and security. We’re a heartbeat away from something bad happening, and anything that makes that more likely is a really foolish thing to do. We should calm down and think about the safety of the riders on the roads. The beauty of our sport is the accessibility, but it’s a dangerous and fragile situation. We should all be careful about what we say that could lead to foolish people doing foolish things. All parties should be careful not to use provocative language.” Cyclingnews

‘FIGHT TO FINISH’ FUND-RAISER

BY SCARRED, ACHING CRADDOCK

W

Marczynski (left) grimaces in pain after crashing in the pack ters of Stage Four.

WEEK OUR

A SPONSOR vehicle passes a woman who shields herself from the sun as she waits for the team to pass during to the third stage.

THE grandest of the grand tours—Le Tour de France—resumes its fabled race on Saturday and in the first four days alone, the race has been marked by all sorts of drama—on the road and outside of the race itself by its avid and passionate fans. And to celebrate the race that has chiseled champions, and crumpled one of them, the Businessmirror Cycling presents the race in pictures courtesy of the Associated Press.

A WOMAN waits for an autograph of Chris Froome before the third stage.

a field with sunflowers during the first stage.

HEN Lawson Craddock crashed on the opening stage of the Tour de France, soldiered to the finish alone and then found out he had a fractured scapula in addition to his cut up eyebrow, he could have dropped out.

Instead, the EF Education First-Drapac rider hatched a plan to add to his effort to raise money for his home velodrome in Houston.

The Alkek velodrome, where Craddock got his start in bike racing, was badly damaged in 2017’s hurricane Harvey, and even before the Tour, he announced he would auction off a pair of customs shoes with the idea of raising a few hundred dollars to help repair the venue.

His well-publicized, painful fight to finish each stage came with a promise—he would donate $100 for each stage he finished to the Greater Houston Cycling Foundation that runs the velodrome. He also started an online fund-raiser so that perhaps a few friends or fans might donate some more.

Instead, after five stages, the total was more than $40,000—a sum that had Craddock floored.

Benoot abandons after Stage 4 crash

T

IESJ BENOOT (Lotto Soudal) was forced to abandon the Tour de France following a crash in the final kilometers of Stage 4.

Benoot suffered a second-degree dislocation to his shoulder, as well as further cuts and bruises to his face, ribs and back.

The Belgian was able to complete the stage but had blood streaming down his face and went straight to the on-site medical truck where he received a number of stitches to his face.

Speaking in a video published on Lotto Soudal’s

TIESJ BENOOT suffers a second-degree dislocation to his shoulder, as well as further cuts and bruises to his face, ribs and back.

STAGE 1 WINNER GAVIRIA, COLOMBIA he said, was an expert in guiding him through the final couple of kilometers before Max Richeze unfurled the final lead-out, but Gaviria seemed to cope just fine without him as his Quick-Step Floors team dominated the closing kilometres.

The team’s GC rider Bob Jungels even played a role as the Belgian team led from the front in a messy finale and delivered Gaviria perfectly to the final couple of hundred meters, whereupon he kept Peter Sagan and Marcel Kittel at bay in convincing fashion.

“The work of the team was fundamental to this victory,” Gaviria said. “They did a stupendous job. We were working from the start of the stage with Tim Declercq, and the whole of the rest of the team was strong and put me in the best possible position for the sprint.

“To beat Sagan is always important—he’s one of the strongest riders in the peloton, a phenomenal rider and a great companion

who I really admire. It’s an incredible day. It’s something I dreamed about—winning at the Tour de France and getting this jersey. It’s now time to enjoy it.”

As well as at the finish line, Gaviria caught the eye at the intermediate sprint, where he didn’t hold back in his efforts to be the first from the peloton to cross the line. He did so, edging out André Greipel, Arnaud Démare, Mark Cavendish, and Sagan.

“I did the sprint because the team wanted to do it, and I wanted to do it to wake up the legs and see how I was feeling. I was taken aback by how crazy the intermediate sprints are here at the Tour de France. It goes as if it’s the finish line.”

As well as waking up the legs, the intermediate sprints also carry the rather more obvious attraction of points in the green jersey classification. With 13 points at the intermediate and 50 at the finish, Gaviria now

leads the points classification from Sagan—a five-time winner—by 26 points.

As such, Gaviria also technically holds the green jersey, as well as yellow, though in practice it should be worn “on loan” by the world champion on Stage 2, which should see them go head-to-head once again.

Gaviria won the points classification along with his four stages at last year’s Giro d’Italia, and the green jersey is something that’s clearly on his mind, though he insisted it won’t define his debut Tour “If we look at it, Peter is the favourite.

He has won it five times, so he has to be the favourite,” Gaviria said.

“I’ll take the green jersey day by day, and first of all try to enjoy the race. If I have it in Paris, that’s great. If not, no worries. I’ll still have enjoyed the Tour, and at the least I’ll have won one stage.”

Indeed, Gaviria said before the Tour that he’d received some advice, urging him to make reaching

Paris his only goal, and to just enjoy the ride— the highs and the lows—over the three weeks.

Gaviria’s teammate Philippe Gilbert, however, suggested that, once he gets off the mark at this Tour de France, it will be difficult to stop him, and he could end up with a big haul of stage wins.

The 23-year-old has been described by his team manager as one of the hungriest riders he’s ever seen, and he has been widely tipped to build a palmares that will make him one of the greats of the sport.

After winning a full four stages on his Grand Tour debut at the 2017 Giro, Gaviria once again, therefore, has to balance those instincts and expectations with the humility his inexperience demands.

If he reaches Paris with this his only stage win, he can’t be too disheartened but, as he said: “Every time I pin a number on, I want to win.”

Cyclingnews

“This morning I think it was close to 500 separate donations,” Craddock said before getting the updated tally. “I think we’re closing in on $40,000, which is absolutely mindblowing. I see that before the stage, and it helps me to keep fighting for sure.”

Craddock went deep on Stage 3 in the team time trial, pulling through until the final few kilometers. He paid for that effort, saying that he suffered on Tuesday’s stage to Sarzeau.

“Yesterday I was actually quite worried, my body was not having a good day,” he said. “We did a lot of work on it—Matt Rabin, he’s dug so deep in my shoulder— which has really helped. I’m happy to make it to the finish for another day and it means another $100 for the Alkek velodrome.”

He shrugged off any suggestion that what he was doing on the road was in any way heroic.

“I’m not a hero, no no no,” he insisted. “The guys who are working on me and the people that are donating to the good cause for the velodrome, they’re the heroes, not me. I just get inspiration from them.” Cyclingnews

FERNANDO GAVIRIA: I can’t describe how I feel because it’s something you can’t put into words.

Facebook page, Benoot said that it wouldn’t be safe for him to continue to race.

“I think it would be irresponsible to continue the Tour,” said Benoot. “Of course, the Tour is a race where you want to continue as long as possible, but I don’t think I could hold my handlebars in a safe way. It is even difficult to put on my shirt, so it would be hard to race more than 200 kilometers today on the highest level in the Tour.

“I will undergo further examinations at home in Belgium in order to exclude other fractures. Then we need to evaluate daily with the doctor and see when I will be able to train again.”

The crash came in the final 5 kilometers of the race as the bunch was chasing down the day’s break. A rider came down close to the front of the bunch, and it sparked a chain reaction as more riders hit the tarmac.

General classification riders Rigoberto Uran (EF Education First-Drapac) and Ilnur Zakarin (Katusha-Alpecin) were caught up in the incident, while AG2R La Mondiale’s Axel Domont came down heavily and fractured his collarbone.

“I haven’t seen the footage myself, but a rider from Movistar, most likely Quintana, had to pull his breaks in front of me, and I wasn’t able to avoid him. I think that I was the first rider to crash,” he explained.

“First, there was a big impact on my head.

I also have some stitches at the back of my head. After that, when I tried to sit up straight, I couldn’t lean on my shoulder.”

Benoot had been playing the team game in the opening days as he looked to set up teammate Andre Greipel in the sprint stages.

However, the race was moving onto his more favoured terrain over the coming days, with Wednesday’s stage to Quimper and Thursday’s effort to the Mur de Bretagne.

“Of course, the Tour still needed to start for me,” said Benoot. “I also saw that Andre is coming closer to a stage victory. Things were going in the right direction, and today was, together with tomorrow’s stage, the first stage I personally had targeted. After the spring Classics, everything I did was for the Tour. So, it’s very regrettable that it will end here.

“The most important thing is to recover quickly, and then we will see where I will start racing again.” Cyclingnews

OurTime BusinessMirror

A8 Saturday, July 14, 2018 • Editor: Efleda P. Campos

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Solon wants hike in social-pension budget to cover more seniors

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PARTY-LIST lawmaker representing senior citizens has urged the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) to increase the coverage of its social-pension program to save impoverished elderly from the effects of the 5.2-percent inflation rate.

Senior Citizen Rep. Milagros Aquino-Magsaysay said the original coverage of 3.8 million social pension indigent recipients and the corre-

sponding budget of P23.4 billion for 2018 would not be enough to cover indigent senior citizens grappling with the rising inflation.

“I ask the DSWD to revisit its social pension coverage in their draft budget for 2019. Given the current economic shifts, I strongly believe the DSWD must consider new and realistic numbers since the current numbers of indigent elderly may have been underestimated,” Magsaysay said.

The lawmaker also said the DSWD should ensure the implementation of the social-pension payout is more expedient and efficient.

“Given the urgency of the economic situation, the social pension, despite its small amount, could be the only form of income security our indigent elderlies have to weather the impacts of consumer

inflation,” she said.

Bohol Rep. Arthur C. Yap said cash transfers to vulnerable sectors must be increased.

Yap noted if releases are to be made conditional, they must be conditioned on skills training for beneficiaries in the manufacturing and construction sectors.

He also called on Congress to expedite the passage of the Rice Tariffication Act allowing the National Food Authority (NFA) to monopolize rice importation.

“Our people need the breathing spell to contend with the high prices of rice brought about by the lack of NFA buffer stocks and the weak peso. The NFA needs the assis-

tance of the private sector through private importations to stabilize rice prices,” Yap said.

He said the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas should act decisively to increase rates to stabilize the situation.

“The increase in rates will mop up the market’s excess liquidity that may possibly rein in runaway prices and stave off further weakening of the peso,” Yap said.

The actual inflation rate in June exceeded the government’s outlook as it stood at 5.2 percent, a record high in more than five years.

Data released by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) on July 5 showed that price pressures accelerated faster than May 2018’s

rate of 4.6 percent.

“It was primarily brought about by higher annual rate posted in the heavily weighted food and nonalcoholic beverages index at 6.1 percent,” the PSA said.

The food items index went up to 5.8 percent in June, mainly contributed by higher prices of corn with an inflation rate of 14.1 percent; vegetables, 8.6 percent; meat, 5 percent; and rice, 4.7 percent.

Other contributors to higher inflation last month were alcoholic beverages and tobacco, which rose 20.8 percent; transport, up 7.1 percent; and housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels, up 4.6 percent. PNA

A superwoman’s story: A tale of a fish vendor

Meds for diabetes, other ailments common to elderly cheaper soon

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A TRINIDAD, Benguet— Medicines for diabetes and other ailments common to the elderly will soon be exempted from the value-added tax (VAT), thus will be cheaper, a Department of Finance (DOF) official assured locals of this upland region on July 7.

“By January 2019 medicine for diabetes, high cholesterol and hypertension will be VAT-free,” DOF Assistant Secretary Antonio Joselito Lambino II told hundreds of Cordillerans witnessing the launch of the “Biyaya ng Pagbabago” program of the Office of Participatory Government under the Office of the Cabinet Secretary at the Benguet State University.

Lambino said the cheaper medicine would be brought about by the new Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) law, which allows the government to collect more taxes from other products and services and finance more programs for health, education and social assistance for indigent citizens. “ T he e xempt ion on med icines, generally consumed and needed by senior citizens, will be aided with the TR AIN collection,” Lambino said.

The finance official further explained the new TRAIN law that rolled out at the start of 2018 would enable the government to pursue its “Build, Build, Build” program, a massive infrastructure-investment strategy.

He said the “Build, Build, Build ” program would create over 93,000 jobs in the country, finance the college education of students in state universities and colleges, subsidize legitimate public-utility vehicle owners and assist hundreds of thousands of poor Filipinos. PNA

GREEN LIFE

LOIDA Milano (left) holds her 1-year-old granddaughter

WOOD-CARVING GRANDMA An elderly Ifugao woman from Hingyon town uses a sandpaper to make the finishing touches to a carved wooden figurine. Many Ifugao natives are known for their wood-carving skills. CEASAR M. PERANTE

By Jannah Lei B. Junatas

Legazpi City grandma, 102, receives P100K cash gift

TORYBOOKS and fairytales taught us about life and love and that everybody deserves a happy ending.

Stories we learned as children made us believe the end will always be “happily ever after.” But a woman I once knew learned about these things the hard way.

My grandmother Loida Milano was born and raised in Iba, Zambales. Being the oldest of three siblings and coming from a broken family, she was exposed to the harsh realities of life, assumed responsibility, and learned to become independent at a very young age. During her elementary days, she sold sweets, candies and pastries to her classmates on weekdays and vegetables at the local market on weekends to support her and her siblings’ studies.

However, it was not enough to keep them in school.

After graduating from primary school, she and her sister Elena moved out of Iba hoping to find greener pastures in the city of Olongapo. They worked as kasambahay [househelps] and hoped to save enough money to continue their studies.

But Loida found something else.

In Olongapo, she found love.

Ricardo Bautista, the son of Loida’s employer, was her first love. At the age of 17, she married the love of her life and hoped for a bright and a better future with him.

But fate had a different agenda for her.

By the time Loida conceived their daughter, Jane, Ricardo was knee-deep in drugs, alcohol and mistresses.

“My name should have been Mary Jane because it is another term for marijuana,” Jane recalled. “My grandmother was very angry with him [Ricardo] because he wanted my name to be changed after his addiction.”

Ricardo and Loida moved to San Juan in Metro Manila just in time for their daughter’s birth. But because

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EGAZPI CITY—The Department of Social and Welfare Development (DSWD) has awarded a P100,000 cash gift to a centenarian here who will celebrate her 102nd birthday this month.

Myla Cruz, DSWD social welfare assistant, together with Wilfredo Intia, president of the Office of Senior Citizens Affairs, handed over the cash gift and a plaque of recognition to Magdalena Barcela Serrano at the Osca office inside the City Hall compound here on July 5.

“Serrano was born on July 28, 1916, in Barangay Bonga at the northern portion of this city. She has normal blood pressure, normal blood sugar and not yet taking any maintenance medicine or vitamins.

She can even walk on her own with the aid of a wooden stick,” Isabela Barcela, 67, daughter of Magdalena,

SERRANO

said in an interview.

Isabela said she and her sister Senecia have remained single and are taking care of their mother. Magdalena has six grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.

The secrets of her mother’s longevity, Isabela said, include eating fruits, such as bananas and oranges, drinking Ensure milk, regular exercise and not dwelling on problems.

“She always prays and says good morning to the Lord Jesus Christ,” she added.

Isabela said that, on February, her mother also received P50,000 from the provincial government of Albay and P30,000 from the city government of Legazpi.

She said all the money that her mother received, amounting to P180,000, will be deposited in a bank, to be used for her health care. PNA

Leandro Mendoza, a 64-year-old farmer from Tarlac province, smiles as he shows off his harvest of tobacco leaves. Mang Leandro said he has spent more than 30 years of his life as a tobacco farmer. LAILA AUSTRIA

Special to the BusinessMirror

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of Ricardo’s vices, Loida left, went back to Zambales and raised Jane on her own.

Back in their hometown, she started selling fish at the local public market to support her daughter.

“I remember back then, we had no electricity because we were not able to pay the monthly fee. I had to use a lamp to be able to study. One time, I fell asleep while studying, and I knocked out the lamp I was using. My notebooks were burned.

It was our examination period that time, and our teacher was checking our notebooks. I had to explain to our teacher why my notebooks were burned,” Jane said.

“Mama worked hard to support my studies and had me graduate from a private school,” she said.

Loida’s business was doing great, and she was branching out, selling fish not only in Santo Rosario but also in the neighboring towns.

But then, Mount Pinatubo erupted on June 15, 1991. Zambales was covered in lahar, ashes and debris. The eruption greatly affected local businesses. People who owed money for Loida’s merchandise could not pay their debts and went into hiding, causing her to become bankrupt. By that time, Jane was in college.

It was a very dark time for Loida.

However, she strived harder and persevered to sustain herself and her daughter.

Years passed. Jane graduated with a degree in accountancy at the University of the East in Caloocan.

Loida was given a second chance at life. She continued selling fish at local markets and met Larry Misola, her second chance at love.

She lived her life to the fullest and helped everyone in need. Truly, she had a great heart.

In 2011 she passed away because of liver cirrhosis.

But just like every good soul in books and movies, she did not die in vain. Her family and the people of Zambales still remember her, her story and the goodness of her heart.

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

BusinessMirror

Saturday, July 14, 2018 A9

THE Honor 7A is packed with impressive technology at a price that won’t break the bank.

PREMIER BUDGET PHONES ON THE RISE

Form or function?

This portable battery’s got both PRIMETIME

DINNA CHAN VASQUEZ @dinnachanvasquez luckydinna@gmail.com

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HAT do you look for in a portable phone battery or a power bank? For me, more than looks, it should be capability or how much power the portable battery has. How it looks is only secondary.

What if we could have both—a powerful battery with a design that’s beyond good that it won an award?

Moshi’s IonBank 3K portable battery and IonBank 5K portable battery were recently recognized in Germany’s most-renowned design tilt, the 2018 Red Dot Design Competition. The two portable batteries won the Product Design awards. Each battery in the IonBank Series features integrated Lightning and USB connectors; no extra cables are needed.

SmartSense circuitry charges the phone first and then powers up the portable battery.

IonBank 3K (P3,990) is a 3,200 mAh mobile battery which has a magnetic vegan leather cover that opens to reveal the battery’s Lightning and USB connectors.

It is modeled after the key fob of a luxury car and provides an extra recharge for an iPhone.

IonBank 5K (P4,990) is a 5,150 mAh mobile battery that’s crafted from aircraft-grade aluminum with a stylish vegan leather door to keep the connectors hidden when not in use.

It also includes an extra USB port to help share power with someone who needs a boost.

Moshi has over 100 utility and design patents covering 450 different types of products. A hardware development partner with Apple and Microsoft, and the first electronics company to be certified for the Made for Google program, Moshi products are available at over 20,000 points of sale in 90 countries around the world. Moshi is available in Urbanize Uptown BGC, Urbanize Shangri-La, Urbanize UP Town Center, Urbanize SM Seaside City Cebu, Elecom SM City Marikina and Elecom SM City North Edsa’s The Annex.

PopSockets, those round things you see on the back of people’s phones, is another great invention.

These things have saved my hands while watching videos on my phone.

In 2010 Philosophy professor David Barnett glued a button at the back of his phone because his earphones kept getting tangled while he listened to music. The simple button was the seed for the creation of PopSockets.

PopSockets Grip gives you secure grip while texting or snapping that perfect selfie, and even props your phone up for catching the latest video.

Double PopSockets Grips are perfect for mobile

gamers who need to use two thumbs while playing.

These PopSockets can also store untangled earphones by simply winding them over the knobs. With the PopSockets Mount, you can hang your phone just about anywhere. Your PopSockets Grip slides easily into the Mount for hands-free function while driving, video chatting and more.

PopSockets may look silly and silly but the design is actually ingenious. It’s attached to a platform with an accordion, which turns a full 360 degrees and has two different telescopic levels to adjust the tilt of your screen. The company sold over 35 million PopSockets Grips and Mounts in 2017, and is on track to double that number to 70 million this year.

Its expansion into the Philippine market is one of the reasons for its bullishness.

PopSockets Grips have over 100 various original designs priced at P499. It’s also available in designs made with premium materials, such as vegan leather, metal and real wood for P749. Licensed designs from well-known franchises such as Harry Potter and Marvel, which will be available in the coming months, are also priced at P749.

PopSockets also offers combo packs of one black PopSockets Grip and one mount for only P749. You can also purchase PopSockets Mounts on its own for P499.

PopSockets is now available at leading local retail stores Urbanize, Elecom, Bratpack and Rustan’s Department Stores.

■ For more information, follow them on Facebook and Instagram @PopSockets.PH.

LEADING smartphone brand Honor officially announced the debut of the Honor 7A and the Honor 7S: the impressive no-frills budget smartphones with technologically advanced flagship features.

The Honor 7A is available on Shopee with a retail price of P6,990, and will be on flash sale for P5,990 on July 14 and 30.

The Honor 7S, on the other hand, is also available on Shopee and Lazada for only P5,490 and in select stores.

Impressive at its entry-level price tag, the Honor 7A offers a wide variety of innovative and high-tech features rarely seen at this price level, including a bezel-less display, facial-recognition technology, real-time headset monitoring, a “Party mode,” dual Bluetooth connection, three card slots and an innovative high-volume function for the ultimate music experience.

The Honor 7S, on the other hand, features a full-view display, powerful receiver, LED flash on both front and back cameras, smart battery management and dual SIM and micro-SD slots, making this new smartphone outperform every other phone in its class.

With the Honor 7S, even buyers on a budget can enjoy the premium smartphone experience.

“Globally, Honor continues to set itself apart by making the latest technologies and superior user experiences available to all consumers, and especially to those that are poised to continue shaping the industry and the world: the youth. We are driven by our goals to foster creativity and empower the young, and in a country like the Philippines, where a majority of the population is composed of the millennial generation, we are especially excited to launch our premier budget smartphones,” says Honor Philippines Country Director Wang Yang.

Headlining the new lines of Honor phones is the Honor 7A—the perfect device to capture life’s most enjoyable moments. The Honor 7A supports a variety of shooting modes, including Beauty, Capture Smiles, Ultra Snapshot, Food, Watermark and AR lens, giving you more options and better ways to take professional-quality photos, no matter the situation or the conditions. Moreover, the 7A has a built-in Selfie Toning Light, which selfie lovers will enjoy. It also has a beauty mode which makes natural corrections on the face to make selfies look even better.

Music lovers will also swear by the phone’s “Party Mode” that allows nine smartphones to connect together via Wi-Fi and play the same music simultaneously. The 7A’s next-gen high-volume technology uses a smart amplifier chip and highsensitivity speaker components to raise the volume to as high as 88 dB while ensuring sound quality. The 7A also features real-time headset monitoring, which works like the in-ear monitors used by musicians during live performance that lends to an amazing auditory experience.

Keeping kids safe online

BY RENEE TARUN Fortinet VP of Information Security AS the VP of Information Security, I work to ensure Fortinet operates securely and to protect our systems and data from harm. My other full-time job (and the job I love the most!) is being “Mom” to my two kids. As a parent, I work to keep my kids safe wherever they venture, including online.

The Internet can be a truly valuable resource for kids, as it can provide educational material, fun games and ways to connect with their friends. However, it can also be a playground for cyber bullying, malicious content, and criminals and predators who seek to prey on kids and their families for things, such as identify theft, crime and much worse. Below are some things that you can consider doing to help keep your kids safe online: TALK TO YOUR KIDS ABOUT YOUR EXPECTATIONS FOR THEM ONLINE. Consider setting boundaries that may include rules about how long they are allowed to be on the computer, what sites they are allowed to visit, what software programs can be used and what tasks or activities they are allowed to do based on age appropriateness, knowledge and maturity.

TEACH THEM THE IMPORTANCE OF KEEPING INFORMATION PRIVATE. Posting personal information and photos on the Internet can be dangerous, as it can be leveraged by those who want to do harm. In addition, once

information is posted, it can have haunting effects later, as it can be hard to remove once it’s in the public domain. Be sure to also check their privacy settings on social-media sites to prevent strangers from accessing personal information.

These settings may not always be set up properly by default.

Ensure that your kids understand: ■ Never give their name, phone number, e-mail address, password, address, school name or picture without your permission.

■ Don’t respond to malicious or hurtful posts.

■ Don’t open e-mails or attachments from people they don’t know.

■ Don’t get together with anyone they “meet” online.

LET THEM KNOW THAT IF THEY SEE SOMETHING, SAY SOMETHING. You should also talk to children about the dangers of the Internet so that they recognize suspicious behavior or activity. Let your kids know that if they see something on a web site, in an e-mail or a chat room that doesn’t seem right or makes them uncomfortable, they can come to you with their questions and concerns.

BE AWARE OF THEIR COMPUTER ACTIVITIES. Know what your child is doing on the computer, including which web sites they’re visiting. If they are using e-mail, instant messaging or chat rooms, make sure you have a sense of who they are communicating with and that your child actually knows the people they are talking to.

KEEP COMPUTERS IN A COMMON AREA. If your computer is in a common area, you will be able to easily monitor computer activity. This can help prevent kids from doing things they shouldn’t do, and it also gives you the opportunity to intervene if you notice a behavior that could have negative consequences.

LEVERAGE YOUR INTERNET SERVICE PROVIDER (ISP).

Some ISPs offer services (sometimes free) specifically designed to protect children online by restricting access to web sites and communications features, such as e-mail, chat and instant messaging, by age, content, time and other categories. Contact your ISP to see if any of these services are available.

CONSIDER IMPLEMENTING PARENTAL CONTROLS. You may be able to set some parental controls within your Web browser. Some browsers enable you to restrict or allow only certain web sites to be viewed on your computer, a process known as whitelisting and you can protect these settings with a password. While no technology is fool-proof, there are also commercial software applications available that you can install to add an additional layer of protection by monitoring, filtering, and restricting access to dangerous content.

Since every family situation is different, you need to do what is best for your family. Do your own research, and even consider consulting with an advisor to make the best choices based upon your unique situation.

BusinessMirror

A10 Saturday, July 14, 2018

www.businessmirror.com.ph

YouTube aims to crack down on fake news, support journalism

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BY BARBARA ORTUTAY The Associated Press

EW YORK—Google’s YouTube says it is taking several steps to ensure the veracity of news on its service by cracking down on misinformation and supporting news organizations. The company said on Monday it will make “authoritative” news sources more prominent, especially in the wake of breaking news events when misinformation can spread quickly.

At such times, YouTube will begin showing users short text previews of news stories in video search results, as well as warnings that the stories can change. The goal is to counter the fake videos that can proliferate immediately after shootings, natural disasters and other major happenings. For example, YouTube search results prominently showed videos purporting to “prove” that mass shootings like the one that killed at least 59 in Las Vegas were fake, acted out by “crisis actors.”

In these urgent cases, traditional video won’t do, since it takes time for news outlets to produce and verify high-quality clips. So YouTube aims to shortcircuit the misinformation loop with text stories that can quickly provide more accurate information.

Company executives announced the effort at YouTube’s New York offices.

Those officials, however, offered only vague descriptions of which sources YouTube will consider authoritative. Chief Product Officer Neal Mohan said the company isn’t just compiling a simple list

of trusted news outlets, noted that the definition of authoritative is “fluid” and then added the caveat that it won’t simply boil down to sources that are popular on YouTube. He added that 10,000 human reviewers at Google—so-called search quality raters who

monitor search results around the world—are helping determine what will count as authoritative sources and news stories.

Alexios Mantzarlis, a Poynter Institute faculty member who helped Facebook team up with fact-

checkers (including The Associated Press), said the text story snippet at the top of search results was “cautiously a good step forward.”

But he worried what would happen to fake news videos that were simply recommended by YouTube’s recommendation engine and would appear in feeds without being searched.

He said it would be preferable if Google used people instead of algorithms to vet fake news.

“Facebook was reluctant to go down that path two and half years ago and then they did,” he said.

YouTube also said it will commit $25 million over the next several years to improving news on YouTube and tackling “emerging challenges” such as misinformation. That sum includes funding to help news organizations around the world build “sustainable video operations,” such as by training staff and improving production facilities. The money would not fund video creation.

The company is also testing ways to counter conspiracy videos with generally trusted sources, such as Wikipedia and Encyclopedia Britannica.

For common conspiracy subjects—what YouTube delicately calls “well-established historical and scientific topics that have often been subject to misinformation,” such as the moon landing and the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing—Google will add information from such third parties for users who search on these topics.

■ The Associated Press Technology Writer Ryan Nakashima contributed to this story from San Francisco.

Digital banking just got better

CITI Philippines CEO Aftab Ahmed (left) and Consumer Business Head Manoj Varma

A BETTER, easier and more personalized digital banking experience awaits Citi credit-card holders with the new and improved Citi Mobile App. The next-generation mobile app features groundbreaking capabilities and innovative functionalities that allow users to do more.

Manoj Varma, Citi Philippines consumer business head, said, “We at Citi are highly committed to expanding and enhancing our digital capabilities for the ease and convenience of our customers. We are passionate about meeting and exceeding our customers’ expectations.”

Citi’s next-generation mobile app provides a comprehensive suite of features, such as credit-card locking and unlocking, a personalized dashboard, easy conversion of retail transactions to installments, and viewing and downloading of recent statements and utility bills with just a few taps.

The Citi Mobile App is aligned with the financial institution’s commitment to digital transformation with a goal of making banking as easy and convenient as possible. It continuously enhances its capabilities to make customers’ digital journey more seamless, whether on

desktop, mobile app or phone browser.

More than 60 percent of Citi Philippines (www. citibank.com.ph) customers are already enrolled in digital channels, with even more customers subscribing to electronic statements. Today the biggest growth in digital enrollment has been in mobile banking, which has grown 64 percent in the last 12 months.

The mobile app is just one of several innovations the bank has introduced in the country. In recent years, it launched new services including live chat, instant global fund transfers and a pioneering voice biometrics technology that allows customers to be identified through their unique voice prints.

For its contributions to the growth of mobile banking in the country, Citi has received several prestigious awards including Best Retail Mobile Experience— Philippines at the Asset Triple A Digital Awards 2017, Best Internet Banking Initiative at the Asian Banker Philippine Country Awards 2017 and Best Consumer Digital Bank—Philippines at the Global Finance Best Digital Bank Awards 2017.

Taking restaurant experience to the next level AS digital technologies continue to disrupt the food-service landscape, Genie Technologies Inc. (GenieTech), a leading provider of end-to-end, comprehensive and fully integrated business solutions, says that restaurants will see big changes in the way they operate this year.

Among the big topics in today’s restaurant business is innovation brought about by the increased adoption of restaurant technologies.

Offering delicious food as well as high-quality services is what best describes a great restaurant experience. In the digital shift, however, the agenda now is more about how this experience is conveyed to customers, especially that they are becoming more interconnected through the Internet.

In the recent years, point-of-sale (POS) systems have become a widely utilized technology in the hospitality and restaurant industry. It allows businesses to centralize and manage all their transactions, including credit-card processing, and even the post-transaction operations that lead to customer fulfillment.

It can also be utilized to combine features, such as online ordering, inventory and reporting, in one simple system, allowing for smoother business operations.

Today upgrading POS system can greatly affect the quality of services offered to consumers. To maximize its capabilities, it’s important to know the latest trends and features that will be most useful to thrive in the digital economy, especially for businesses that are new to this technology. Among the latest features that can only be of great value for restaurants are the POS system’s reporting and analytics. As this feature now becomes more

sophisticated, it will be easier and faster for restaurateurs to get insights from their available data, such the sales from the previous month, employee’s shifting schedules, as well as the unexpected busy times.

And, since the data can be updated in real time, it allows to make smarter decisions on reordering and menu profitability POS system is also shifting into customizable software platforms. Every restaurant has different needs based on their type thus, a tailor-fitted system can give long-term benefits as it eliminates paying add-ons and allows to fully

maximize their POS system.

For restaurants that plan to integrate POS systems, GenieTech (www.gti.com.ph) offers NCR, a global leader in hospitality technology solutions, serving businesses in the restaurant, events-based venues and entertainment industries. GenieTech helps its clients transform their operations and interactions with their guests and staff.

From increasing speed of service to attracting, retaining and engaging customers, its solutions help clients build better and more connected businesses.

Google says Google Documents is secure despite Russian issue MOSCOW—Google said on Thursday that its document writing tool Google Documents was secure even as Russian Internet users discovered scores of files that appeared to be intended for private use.

The Russian Internet company Yandex said in a statement that some users contacted the company on Wednesday to say that its public search engine was yielding what looked like personal Google Documents files, suggesting there may have been a data breach.

On Wednesday night Russian social-media users started posting scores of such documents, including an internal memo from a Russian bank, press summaries and company business plans.

The veracity of those documents could not be independently confirmed.

Google said in a statement that search engines can only turn up Google documents that had either been deliberately made public by its authors or when a user publishes a link to a document and makes it available for public access and search.

“Saving and protecting users’ personal data is our main priority,” the company said. “Google Documents is a highly protected tool for joint work and it is working correctly.”

It did not elaborate.

Ilya Grabovsky, a spokesman for Yandex, said its search only yields files that don’t require logins or passwords. He added that the files were also turning up in other search engines. AP

BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

PASSENGER EXPERIENCE ENHANCED AT NEWLY OPENED MACTAN-CEBU AIRPORT

THE world’s leading OLED TV manufacturer, LG Electronics Philippines (www.lg.com/ph) has on display its ultra-slim, 55-inch C8 OLED TVs at the newly launched Mactan-Cebu International Airport Terminal 2. Twenty-four units are strategically placed at the apron areas, departure check-in and departure gates, where dwells or waiting are high and engagement can take on optimal possibilities.

Every day, the new 65,500-square-meter terminal hosts thousands of passengers from various points of origin, from families on holiday to high-powered business executives.

Travelers about to embark on an overseas adventure or those waiting for connecting flights are able to experience for themselves the strong features of LG’s OLED TV. These best-selling OLED TVs employ the latest technology, guaranteeing the clearest, most realistic images in an unbelievably thin 4mm display. By setting intense colors against perfect blacks, it realizes a vibrant, true-to-life display while providing wider faster response speed. The OLED TV’s bold, razor-slim design also lends itself perfectly to an airport environment, with its wide viewing angle ensuring a first-rate picture from almost any viewing position. This is the first time OLED TVs are displayed in a Philippine airport.

“It’s an honor to see our displays up and running at the Mactan-Cebu International Airport Terminal 2. We are excited about the opportunity to introduce travelers from across the region to the beauty of the LG OLED TV,” says Inkwun Heo, managing director of LG Philippines. “These OLED displays perfectly complement the stunning features of the new addition to Cebu’s international airport.”

The Mactan-Cebu International Airport, styled as the country’s first resort airport, features soaring wooden arches fortified by steel ramparts and a wave-like roof that give the airport a tropical feel. Interior designer Budji Layug and worldfamous Cebuano furniture maker Kenneth Cobonpue helped conceptualize the terminal.

Terminal 2 started commercial operations on July 1.

FROM left: Jay Ranola, consumer head, Dell Philippines; Michelle Rocha-Umali, brand manager for consumer, Dell Philippines; Delicia Koo, director in client solutions, Dell; Ronnie Latinazo, country general manager, Dell EMC Philippines; Charlz Adano, head of marketing, Dell Philippines.

DELL INTRODUCES NEW G-SERIES GAMING LAPTOPS FOR MAINSTREAM MARKET

TECH giant Dell has introduced the new G series gaming laptop in the Philippines and its collaboration with Marvel Studios’s Ant-Man and The Wasp. The new Dell G gaming laptops are designed and engineered for the gamer who prioritizes performance and excellent gameplay.

“We are ambassadors to the PC gaming world,” says Jay Ranola, consumer head of Dell Philippines. “From pushing the boundaries of innovation and creating systems for all gamers, we are enabling gamers of all levels to game at their best with these new affordable G Series lineup.”

Building upon a fierce commitment to deliver gaming solutions for players of all levels and budgets, Dell is launching an expansive new suite of Windows 10 gaming PCs. Both feature gaming-forward design and snappy performance at affordable prices. These new game-ready laptops are equipped with powerful NVIDIA GeForce GTX 10-Series GPUs, 8th Gen Intel Core processors, thermal management solutions, intelligent content prioritization software, MaxxAudio Pro speakers, full HD anti-glare IPS panels and other complementary features intended to get gamers fully immersed into their games.

The thinnest gaming laptop to date from the company, the Dell G3 15 features dual fans and up to two hard drives, 2x2 Wi-Fi antenna design to provide great wireless performance, plus a silky matte exterior finish.

Meanwhile, the Dell G7 15 comes in a sleek 25mm thin 15-inch chassis, with GPU options up to NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 GPUs with powerful Max-Q design technology, and is designed to push heat and noise away from the user with front air intake and rear exhaust vent to keep players cool, and able to game longer.

All Dell consumer client solutions are equipped with Premium Support Service, a service that packs the most features in one support plan. It’s enhanced with features that include virus removal, repairs for accidents and automated PC health-optimizing scans to keep PC running at its best.

Premium Support comes with SupportAssist, Dell’s exclusive technology that helps make managing PC easier.

This support service is accessible nationwide.

For information, visit www.dell.com/premiumsupport.

Saturday, July 14, 2018 A11

TWITTER TO REMOVE SUSPICIOUS ACCOUNTS FROM FOLLOWER COUNTS NEW YORK—Twitter says it will begin removing suspicious accounts it has locked from its counts of users’ followers.

Twitter users are likely to see a reduction in their follower counts in the coming days. For many, this will amount to a reduction of four followers or less.

But large accounts of celebrities and public figures could see bigger drops.

An account that’s been locked can’t tweet, like or retweet posts and it won’t be shown ads.

The company said on Wednesday that the move will not affect its number of monthly or daily active user figures. In the first three months of the year, it had 336 million active users.

Twitter has been working to remove fake accounts, bots and abusive posts from its service. AP

Facebook faces UK fine over its privacy scandal L

ONDON—Facebook is facing its first financial penalty for allowing the datamining firm Cambridge Analytica to forage through the personal data of millions of unknowing Facebook users.

A UK government office that investigated the Cambridge Analytica scandal announced its intention to fine Facebook £500,000 ($663,000) for failing to safeguard that user information. The amount is the maximum that the agency, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), can levy for violation of Britain’s data-privacy laws.

The penalty is a pittance for Facebook, which generates that sum roughly every seven minutes, based on its first-quarter revenue of $11.97 billion.

But it would represent the first tangible punishment for the company’s privacy scandal, which tarnished its reputation, temporarily pushed down its shares and forced CEO Mark Zuckerberg to testify before Congress, but otherwise led to few lasting repercussions.

Cambridge Analytica, a London firm financed by wealthy Republican donors, worked for the 2016 Trump campaign and for a while employed Steve Bannon, the Trump campaign CEO and later a White House adviser.

Facebook said the company illicitly gained access to personal information of up to 87 million users via an academic intermediary, although the firm said the number was much smaller than that. According to former Cambridge Analytica data scientist Christopher Wylie, a whistleblower, the firm aimed to construct psychographic profiles it could use to sway the votes of susceptible individuals. Cambridge Analytica shut down its business in May. The ICO investigation found that Facebook “contravened the law by failing to safeguard people’s information” and didn’t inform its users “about how their information was harvested by others.” The office’s decision isn’t yet final. Facebook will have an opportunity to respond to the findings, after which

the office will render a final judgment. Damian Collins, the chairman of the UK Parliament’s media committee, said on Wednesday that the company “should now make the results of their internal investigations known to the ICO, our committee and other relevant investigatory authorities.”

Facebook’s chief privacy officer, Erin Egan, said in a statement that the company is reviewing the ICO report and will respond soon. She added: “As

we have said before, we should have done more to investigate claims about Cambridge Analytica and take action in 2015.”

Facebook faces several other investigations, including others in Europe, a probe by the United States Federal Trade Commission and, reportedly, several others at federal agencies, such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Securities and Exchange Commission. AP

From kites to ferris wheel—how rural Wiefang became a smart city CONTINUED FROM A12 one-third of deaths worldwide. By bringing together Microsoft’s AI expertise and Apollo Hospitals’ experience and knowledge in the field of cardiology, this partnership aims to develop new machine learning models to predict patient risk for heart diseases and assists doctors with treatment plans.

SMART ONLINE STORE PROMO SMART, in partnership with Huawei, gives customers a chance to win a photo printer with every purchase of any Huawei smartphone with a postpaid plan via the Smart Online Store.

This time, Smart Online Store customers who sign up for a Huawei smartphone bundled with an All-In Plan or a GigaX Plan on or before August 15 instantly earn raffle entries. The higher the plan, the more raffle entries earned. Huawei handsets available on the Smart Online Store and valid for the raffle are the Nova 2i, Nova 2 Lite, Y6, Mate 10, Mate 10 Pro, and its latest flagship devices, the P20 Series, which includes the P20 Lite, P20 and P20 Pro. To make a purchase, simply go to store.smart. com.ph, select your desired smartphone and Smart Postpaid Plan from the menu and fill out the required information before checking out.

Once your application is approved, you will receive a link for payment via e-mail. Raffle entries will be credited to you after you settle your payment through

its easy and secure payment options via MasterCard, Visa, ECPay, PayPal, Bancnet, LBC, SM, Cebuana Lhuillier or Cash on Delivery.

Aside from letting you buy the latest devices with a Smart Postpaid Plan, the Smart Online Store also enables you to track your orders, pay bills, renew or upgrade your existing plan, top-up with Smart Prepaid load, buy phone accessories and add-ons, among others.

STEEL SECRETS LAST week I got a text from the very active National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council about an earthquake that was recorded in Batangas.

I know a lot of people have become quite scared (me included) since the Phivolcs warned about the possibility of the “Big One”: a 7.2-magnitude earthquake that could hit Metro Manila and its nearby provinces under the west valley faults in the next three to four years. Emergency drills have been in place to get the people ready, but are we also doing enough to check the integrity of our buildings and other structures?

In a forum presided by Trade Secretary Ramon M. Lopez a couple of months ago, Engr. Emilio Morales presented his study, titled “A Clear And Present Danger 2—The Use Of QT Or TMT In Seismic Zone 4.” The eight-year-old study that has been presented in various structural engineers fora warning the public of the use of QT/TMT for

high rise buildings, as these bars have a brittle outer layer and a weaker inner core after welding, threading, bending and galvanizing. These bars are also shown to have easily failed in cyclic loading tests. Former Sen. Nikki Coseteng also asked critical questions that were not answered at all by the steel industry representatives as has been their predisposition for over 10 years.

Despite the long and detailed technical presentation on how quenched steel bars are being manufactured, the steel manufacturers failed to prove that quenched steel bars in high rises can withstand cyclic loading in the event of a severe earthquake Seismic Zone 4 country such as the Philippines. No tests were presented to prove otherwise.

Furthermore, the QT/TMT rebars, according to the Metals Industry Research and Development Center, cannot be heated over 500 degrees centigrade and cannot be butt-welded.

Coseteng, who was present in the forum and who represented herself as a concerned consumer, reiterated her need for a clear and categorical answer from the steel manufacturers that QT/TMT rebars are safe to use in high rises in Seismic Zone 4. She also wants the steel manufacturers to submit proof of tests done to substantiate such claim.

Coseteng added that, while further tests are being done, the use of this rebar in high rises continue unabated to the detriment of public safety and is just like playing Russian Roulette. ■

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

BusinessMirror

Saturday, July 14, 2018 A12

From kites to ferris wheel—how rural Wiefang became a smart city THE TECHNIVORE ED UY

whereiseduy@gmail.com

I

LOVE going to amusement parks—but I’m terrified of the rides.

Oh, yes, I’ve tried a lot of them. I even did Space Mountain at Hong Kong Disneyland and that Transformers ride at Universal Studios, but I had to spend the next hour sitting down sniffing through an entire White Flower bottle just to get back on my feet. Ferris wheels are different; they get me sooo excited. That’s why I decided to do my P20 unboxing at the Mall of Asia Eye. I’ve also tried the London Eye and have made a list of other places to visit just because of these awesome giant wheels.

The Bohai Eye is built on top of a bridge, and the structure is 10 meters (32 feet) taller than the London Eye. The futuristic structure comes with 36 carts, each of which is able to carry eight to 10 passengers and equipped with Wi-Fi, air-conditioning and a TV set and offers an unparalleled view of the Bailang River.

I was doing research about Weifang City—one of the Smart Cities mentioned during the recent Huawei Innovation Day held in Thailand, when I came across the Bohai Eye—the world’s largest spokeless ferris wheel—which is, you guessed it, located in Weifang.

Weifang ranks fourth in city size in Shandong with 9 million people, but its a surprising new landmark for a city known for its kite-making industry and a largely rural population.

Yes. Kites. The drone equivalent of my generation.

Located in the center of the Shandong Peninsula, Weifang is famed as the birthplace of the kite over 2,400 years ago—legend has it that the philosopher Mozi created kites to send messages.

It was in 2014 when Weifang established a smart city department to promote smart city construction, with the aim of improving urban management, benefiting residents’ livelihoods, executing the strategy of informatization and building a new type of future-ready smart city.

As of October 2017 Huawei had completed

construction of an NB-IoT network covering the whole city. The construction strategy was one network, one platform and multiple applications. Some 1,574 NB-IoT base stations were built across the city, providing 94-percent network coverage. At the same time, Huawei started to deploy a city-level IoT public service platform, the first of its kind. A total of 12 IoT city applications were launched on the platform, including smart parking, smart eGovernment, the Internet of Vehicles, smart building and smart lighting.

In the pioneering spirit of the philosopher Mozi, Weifang became the first city in China to build an urban smart lighting control system using Huawei’s NB-IoT technology. With smart lighting, the city can monitor the status of street lamps, automatically adjust brightness and light up only if there are passing vehicles and detect faults, with the system designed to save 80 percent of traditional electricity usage and 90 percent of previous maintenance costs.

The underlying connectivity in these smart cities will be critical to unlock the potential of the digital economy. Huawei is focused on improving connectivity capabilities within cities, and is creating the nervous system of better-connected cities through an IoT platform, achieving better awareness (and) connectivity among smart devices.

Huawei and the Government of Weifang City have also established the Huawei-Weifang IoT Innovation R&D Center and the Huawei-Weifang Smart City IoT Industry Alliance.

The PC-based Internet provided information symmetry; mobile-Internet provided efficient connectivity; and now, IoT will deliver a fully connected world. It is what will make a smart city truly smart. Specifically, the thinking behind it is that constructing a smart city with IoT that connects everything will create a nervous system for the city that’s controlled by a management center that serves as its brain.

NO CARDS, NO I.D., NO CASH AFTER Shenzhen and Hangzhou, Weifang is also the third city in China to enable mobile payments for medical cards and the first to implement e-ID cards.

As a result, the city started a three-pronged campaign: No Cards, No ID, No Cash.

Taking advantage of the growing popularity of mobile payments in the shape of WeChat and Alipay, Weifang took things to the next level with its online financial services platform Cloud Pay, which is available via the “V App.” Residents can use it to

pay for local health care, education, public utilities, government services and other nontax revenue services. Cloud Pay also lets partner banks provide quick loans for residents and financial services for local e-commerce retailers.

Using their mobile phones to access the platform, users complete a comprehensive verification process to receive an electronic ID in the form of a dynamic QR code. With the e-ID, residents no longer have to carry a physical ID card when they go out. Using the Zhiji platform, Cloud Pay was upgraded into V Pass, a first-of-its-kind smart city pass for Weifang. The pass combines the user’s ID, driver’s license, healthinsurance card, bank cards, bus pass, bicycle card, access control cards, library cards, travel card and other types of ID cards into a mobile app. Using just one app, residents can handle day-to-day affairs, travel around the city, and complete mobile payments for various public services, making life much more convenient.

Weifang’s V App represents the starting point of smart city construction in Weifang. It bypasses PC-based Internet, instead capitalizing on the rise of mobile Internet. If we define the smart city in the PCbased Internet era as smart city 1.0 and the mobilebased Internet era as smart city 2.0, then Weifang can proudly claim to have taken the first step toward smart city 3.0.

While we are currently enjoying the convenience of cashless payments thanks to GCash and Paymaya, having our own Smart City requires more than just investments in infrastructure but, more important, a strong political will for the government to initiate a concrete plan of action.

HOW A.I. IS BUILDING A BETTER FUTURE WITH the advent of 5G comes all the talk about artificial intelligence and it has become a hotly debated topic among business leaders, policy-makers, academics and industry experts.

Understandably, some take a cautious view when it comes to AI development, sometimes painting a grim, dystopic future. However, these concerns should not overshadow the enormous potential that AI offers society. Here are some key areas where AI has created remarkable developments and improvements in Asia.

■ ACCESSIBILITY: Asia Pacific is currently home to 690 million people with disabilities. AI can help people with vision, hearing, cognitive, learning, and mobility disabilities perform daily tasks more independently, lead a richer, more productive life

and participate more fully in society. For example, seeing AI is a free app that leverages AI capabilities to identify a broad range of visual cues, including faces, emotions and handwriting. That data is then converted into audio descriptions for the visually impaired. This enables the 285 million people in the world with low vision to better navigate their day, making the visual world more accessible.

■ AGRICULTURE: Asia is the world’s most populous region with more than 4.5 billion inhabitants, approximately 60 percent of the global population, and this number is forecasted to grow to over 5 billion by 2030. In India Microsoft has partnered with a nonprofit organization, International Crop Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics, to develop an AI Sowing App that sends advisories to farmers on the optimal date to sow their crops, based on weather conditions, soil and other indicators.

■ CLIMATE CHANGE: Microsoft is embracing the responsibility to operate sustainably and reduce the environmental impact of its business. One of the ways it does this is by enlisting AI’s help to manage the operations and infrastructure of our data centers. As a result, less electricity is needed to fuel data centers’ computing and cooling requirements. In fact, cloud services are 93 percent more energy efficient and up to 98 percent more carbon efficient than traditional enterprise data centers.

■ EDUCATION: Education is one of the building blocks for creating a better future, and AI is being leveraged to enhance the education experience for students and improve outcomes in schools. In Andhra Pradesh, a state in southern India, Microsoft is partnering with the government to launch a new app that predicts which students are most likely to drop out of school. Powered by machine learning, AI capabilities and the cloud, this solution enables administrators and educators to intervene early and target the most at-risk students with programs and counseling to prevent dropouts.

■ HEALTH CARE: LAST, AI technology has the potential to assist health-care providers in their quest to tackle some of the most prevalent diseases we face today, as well as improve the quality of life for Asia’s growing population. In India Microsoft is collaborating with one of the largest health organizations in the country, Apollo Hospitals, to develop an AI-focused network aimed at tackling cardiovascular disease, which contributes to nearly

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