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RIDING INTO THE FUTURE WITH ‘STEM’ KOTENKO | DREAMSTIME.COM

The country still faces a serious dearth of scientists, seen crucial to development. The DOST hopes to lure top-caliber future scientists by first taking them on an amazing ride: its “nuLab” bus, a mobile science learning facility. By Ruby Roan-Cristobal, PhD

Estimates on the number of S&T workers in the country vary. According to the Research and Development (R&D) Survey conducted by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), there were 36,517 R&D personnel in 2013, the bulk of which (73 percent) work as researchers in government, higher education institutions and private nonprofit organizations. In the same year, however, there were 26,916 Filipinos in the S&T fields who were working temporarily abroad as overseas Filipino workers (OFWs). More than 28 percent and 58 percent of them were engineers and nurses, respectively.

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E don’t have enough scientists and engineers in the Philippines. That’s a fact. A nation of 104 million people needs at least 39,520 science and technology (S&T)-educated individuals working in sectors that keep the economy up and running at a level that would benefit the society, fund education, propel the industry and promote the well-being of its citizens.

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THE “nuLab” mobile science learning bus DOST-SEI

Feeding 10 billion people will require genetically modified food

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By Deena Shanker Bloomberg News

If we want to feed 10 billion people by 2050, in a world beset by rising temperatures and scarcer water supplies, we will need to dramatically change the way we produce food. Increased public investment in technologies like genetic engineering is a vital piece of that, according to a report published Wednesday by the World Resources Institute (WRI). Not only must crops be more productive, but the agricultural

challenges of climate change—including disease, pests and periods of both drought and flooding— mean they must be more resilient as well. “We have to increase yields dramatically, at an even higher rate than we’ve done historically,” said Tim Searchinger, lead author of the report. “It’s got to be done by growing smarter.” The Green Revolution of the 20th century boosted food pro-

PESO EXCHANGE RATES n US 51.0290

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IKE it or not, genetic modification is going to be an important tool to feed the planet’s growing population.

duction using many tools, some of which are no longer available to most of today’s farmers. Fertilizer use has largely been maxed out, Searchinger said, and available water is running dry. Now, researchers need to find new ways to “grow smarter,” including through the use of genetic modification. While public debate has centered on its two primary uses—in soybeans and corn for resistance to the pesticide glyphosate and production of a natural insecticide, Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), in corn and cotton—the WRI implores us to look further. “We do not believe that debate over these particular GM traits should dictate policy about the entire technology of genetic engineering,” the report says. Instead, the report points out that genetic modification saved the Continued on A2

n JAPAN 0.4756 n UK 64.0363 n HK 6.5289 n CHINA 7.4165 n SINGAPORE 37.6181 n AUSTRALIA 36.1030 n EU 57.5556 n SAUDI ARABIA 13.6070

Source: BSP (July 19, 2019 )

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A2 Saturday, July 20, 2019

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Riding into the future with ‘STEM’ Continued from a1

In 2010, there were 31,360,956 Filipinos 15 years old and above who were working in different sectors, with only 5.63 percent of the number working in the S&T field. Latest studies conducted by the DOST-Science Education Institute (DOST-SEI) revealed that while there may seem to be a significant number of Filipinos who were S&T-educated and working in the various sectors of the economy, many were inclined to seek greener pastures in countries like the United States, Canada and the Middle East. Nurses and engineers top the list of emigrants, professionals who play crucial roles in maintaining public health and industrial development, respectively. Unless higher education is able to continuously replenish the human resource requirements of the industry and the S&T infrastucture, and unless government, academe and the private sector are able to absorb and offer adequate opportunities for the S&T work force, the country will keep on losing many of its highly trained scientists, engineers, nurses and other health professionals, science and mathematics teachers, mathematicians and technicians to other countries. As such, universities should also be assured of a fresh supply of senior high-school graduates to pursue higher learning in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). However, it is not just about getting as many kids in high school

to consider taking up STEM courses in college. It is also about letting them discover their own potentials and interests in specific fields. More than anything, it is about getting them exposed in the various combinations of disciplines that characterize the industries of the future. But the situation is not that simple, considering that apart from the attraction to oversubscribed courses in tertiary education institutions, students are often not guided by trained career guidance counselors in many public high schools, thus, leaving career decisions mostly to parents, and perhaps to the students themselves. This is what the new project of the DOST-SEI envisions to achieve. It aims to provide opportunities for senior high-school students to discover their own potentials in the various multidisciplinary areas in S&T so they can make better decisions about their future. The “nuLab” is a mobile science learning facility that enables exploration and discovery through experiential learning driven by inspiration from high-caliber young scientists. It is a brand, a promise, a platform, a vehicle, a yellow bus that is different from ordinary school buses in many ways. The estimated cost of the nuLab is P15 million, including the equipment inside the bus. It has a large interactive computer screen, laboratory countertops and stools, screen monitors, ports and outlets to plug in devices, Internet connectivity, bundled applications and software, instru-

ments and tools. The nuLab runs customized learning modules to spark and sustain the interests of children, students and adults to learn about science and engage in the various activities and games prepared by high-caliber scientists composed of space scientists, oceanographers and marine scientists, entomologists, geologists, mathematicians, engineers and materials scientists, spiced with the wit and creativity of film makers, science journalists, educators and communication specialists. The nuLab project of DOST-SEI takes a different stance as it targets senior high-school students not just for them to hone their skills but to better understand themselves as they prepare to become future scientists and engineers, to develop their leadership potentials and build a value system that considers risks and failures as part of the scientific process. It is anchored not just in the K to 12 curriculum but in the desired thinking process of people who will run, drive and thrive in the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. It is the second mobile S&T learning facility in the Philippines designed to provide an opportunity for students to discover their potentials in the various disciplines in science and technology. In other countries like the United States, this approach is not exactly new. To mention a few, there’s the “STEM Bus Mobile Lab” managed by a nonprofit organization, which carries fun, hands-on experiments for K to 12 students. In Atlanta, the “STE(A)M

INTERIOR of the “nuLab” bus. DOST-SEI

Truck” goes around schools and inspires students and teachers using the maker-space platform so they can experience real-world science and engineering. The “Bio-Bus Program” of Georgia State University brings hands-on activities and demonstrations to students to generate a sense of fulfillment about science. Another organization called STEM Scouts runs “Vortex,” a STEM mobile lab equipped with multiple smart televisions, computers, microscopes and a host of laboratory instruments to implement student-centered experiments and activities based on specific curriculum programs for elementary, middle and high school leading to formal courses in a regular STEM laboratory facility. Another similar facility in Georgia is the “iTech Maker Bus” of the Bagwell College of Education, a mobile-maker space that carries a laser cutter, 3D printer, a drone, circuit kits and Wi-Fi connection. More than 10 years ago, the first science bus called the “Science Explorer” was launched by DOSTSEI to spark the interests of elementary pupils and high-school students in science. Young scientists, DOST scholars and technical staff of DOST-SEI facilitated the sessions each participated in by at most 32 students in the same grade level. The modules run for two and a half hours, with hands-on activities and games, especially designed to make science fun and exciting

and yet enabling kids to acquire critical thinking skills. The project has so far reached more than 35,000 students in farflung areas in Davao, Panay Island, Samar, Leyte, Mountain Province, Benguet, Ilocos Norte, Masbate, Cagayan Valley, Rizal, Bicol, Cebu, and disadvantaged schools in urban areas such as Metro Manila. The second bus unit of this kind, the “NuLab,” takes on a more specific role in the lives of future S&T leaders as it is envisioned to enable Grade 11 and 12 students to realize their true potentials as future scientists, engineers, mathematicians, innovators, technopreneurs, science educators, and even as advocates for the environment and sustainable technology development. It aims to guide the students in their decision on which specific S&T field would match their interests and abilities, and provide the opportunity for them to meet and talk to scientists, engineers, researchers and experts, and take inspiration from them in an engaging manner. The nuLab made its debut as a fitting attraction to students and scholars during this year’s celebration of the National Science and Technology Week, which opened on July 17 and runs till the 21st at the World Trade Center in Pasay City. The initial five-day run will feature a total of nine modules designed by scientists, engineers and science communication experts.

Each module to be implemented will last up to three hours with at most 24 students as participants. The modules tackle nanotechnology and new materials, aerospace, robotics engineering, the lives of insects, earth and water resources, oceanography, earthquake risk analysis and science communication. More than 200 students from select senior high schools in Metro Manila will have the chance to experience a short, and yet what could be a life-changing encounter with real science. In the years to come, the project is envisioned to adopt new and innovative ways of instilling among students a deeper level of appreciation and understanding of STEM as a field and as a career path, provide them opportunities to discover and explore their own line of interests in the various emerging STEM disciplines, and make informed decisions which the government can support through the DOST-SEI S&T Scholarship Programs. This strategy will hopefully track students to the critical S&T fields as fresh infuse into the country’s dwindling cadre of scientists and engineers, and hopefully enable the economy to thrive in the fourth wave of industrial transformation. Ruby R. Cristobal, PhD, is a Chief Science Research Specialist at the Science Education Institute at the Department of Science and Technology.

Feeding 10 billion people will require genetically modified food Continued from a1

Hawaiian papaya population from a deadly virus, and says it may be able to do the same for potatoes in Uganda, soybeans in Brazil and tomatoes in Florida. “Everyone exaggerates the benefits and costs of these two traits of GMOs,” Searchinger said. “There are so many other things we can do, it’s hard to imagine why we’d be against it.” The report also emphasizes the need for better breeding, laying out a four-pronged approach for increasing yields, each of which will require more public funding. First, breeding cycles need to be sped up, focusing not just on major improvements but also smaller, incremental ones. Second, crop breeders should increasingly utilize marker-assisted breeding, a technology that allows them to map crop DNA and cut down the number of breeding cycles. Third, research must move beyond crops like corn, soy and wheat, and focus on

“orphan crops” such as sorghum, millet, peas and barley, especially because regions in sub-Saharan Africa depend on them for their food security. Finally, researchers should use genetic engineering, including Crispr, to develop more crop resiliency. The 500-plus page report lays out a 22-item “menu for a sustainable food future,” that explores ways to reduce demand, increase production, restore forests and wetlands, increase the fish supply and reduce greenhouse-gas emissions from agriculture. Action items range from reducing meat consumption by as much as 40 percent in the US to improving African women’s access to health care and education. But genetic modification, according to critics, has serious limits and research funds would be better spent elsewhere. The report is “too optimistic” about the potential of the technology, said Bill Freese, science policy analyst at the Center for Food Safety. As evidence

that it’s both unnecessary and too costly, he points to a 2014 report in science journal Nature that found conventional breeding was faster than genetic engineering in developing drought-resistant corn and a 2011 report that put a $136-million price tag on a genetically modified crop trait. “It’s easy to say let’s throw the kitchen sink at the problem, but the reality is that you have to take account of successes or failures,” he said. “There are very limited publicsector funds. At a certain point, we’ve got to say, ‘Should we really keep pursuing this?’” Advocates for the all-inclusive approach say the answer is yes. “We have to use all the tools that we have at our disposal,” said Sarah Davidson Evanega, director of the Cornell Alliance for Science, which works to enhance global food security. “Genetic engineering isn’t going to be the only tool, but it’s a good one. To not use it is like asking a plant breeder to use an abacus instead of a calculator.”

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US, China trade negotiators talk for 2nd time since truce

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NITED STATES and Chinese senior officials spoke by phone on Thursday in Washington, the second call since the late June summit at which the two sides agreed to a truce in their ongoing trade conflict. US Trade Representative (USTR) Robert Lighthizer and US Treasury Steven Mnuchin spoke to the Chinese side earlier, a USTR spokesman confirmed. There were no details released on what was discussed, and the Chinese Ministry of Commerce didn’t respond to a faxed request for more information. Talks between the two sides collapsed in May and there’s been little public progress since Presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping agreed to a truce when they met in Japan last month. There are still deep differences between the two nations, with Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross cautioning the negotiations would be a “long, involved process.” Trump this week reiterated that he could impose additional

tariffs on Chinese imports if he wants, and complained again that China wasn’t buying the large volumes of US agricultural goods that he claims Xi promised to purchase. Another major sticking point for any resumed negotiations will be how exactly the US will ease trade restrictions on Chinese technology giant Huawei Technologies Co. The US government is under pressure from Congress not to make concessions on Huawei, with a bipartisan group of US. Senate and House lawmakers unveiling legislation this week that that would stop the removal of Huawei from the “technology blacklist” without an act of Congress. US Sen. Rick Scott said on Thursday in a Bloomberg Television interview that Huawei is not a trade issue, but a national security one and is nonnegotiable. Mnuchin said earlier this week that if discussions with Chinese officials by phone were productive that he and Lighthizer would travel to Beijing for more meetings. Bloomberg News

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American warship downs Iran drone near Strait of Hormuz P

RESIDENT Donald J. Trump said the US “immediately destroyed” an Iranian drone that approached the USS Boxer near the Strait of Hormuz, the latest sign of escalating military tensions around the critical oil chokepoint. The drone was a threat to the ship and its crew, Trump said at the White House on Thursday. The president said he’s calling “on other nations to protect their ships as they go through the Strait.” The Boxer is an amphibious assault ship. “The Boxer took defensive action against an Iranian drone which had closed into a very, very near distance­— approximately 1,000 yards, ignoring multiple calls to stand down and was threatening the safety of the ship and the ship’s crew,” Trump said. Oil futures in New York snapped a four-day drop to rise 1.7 percent to $56.23 a barrel as of 11:47 a.m. in Singapore. Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Hoffman said in a statement that the Boxer “was in international waters conducting a planned inbound transit of the Strait of Hormuz” when a drone “closed

within a threatening range” and “the ship took defensive action.” The confrontation comes as tensions between Washington and Tehran remain high over a spate of attacks on cargo ships, the downing of an American drone and the British seizure of a tanker carrying Iranian oil. Earlier in the day, the US condemned Iranian naval activity in the Persian Gulf and demanded that the Islamic Republic release a small tanker and its crew that its forces seized this week. A State Department official who asked not to be identified discussing the issue cited the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ “continued harassment” of vessels in and around the Strait. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said in an interview with Bloomberg News on Wednesday that said his country is capable of shutting the Strait of Hormuz, but doesn’t want to do so. “We certainly have the ability to do it, but we certainly don’t want to do it because the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf are our lifeline,” Zarif said in New York. “It has

to be secured. We play a big role in securing it, but it has to be secure for everybody.” About one-third of the world’s seaborne crude and fuels passed through the Strait of Hormuz last year, highlighting its key role in global oil markets. In May and June, six tankers were attacked in the region. While Iran has been blamed for attacks on merchant shipping, it has denied responsibility. “It’s dangerous because it is very crowded,” Zarif said, adding that the last time the area was this crowded, the US shot down an Iranian commercial airliner with 290 passengers in 1988. “We feel the danger and that is why we want to avoid a dangerous escalation, but we cannot give up defending our country.” Iran and the US have been at loggerheads since last year, when Trump withdrew the US from the 2015 nuclear agreement he called the “worst deal ever.” In May, the administration refused to extend waivers to eight governments for Iranian oil purchases, ratcheting up the pressure on the country’s already battered economy.

‘Serious gesture’

SPEAKING to reporters in New York on Thursday, Zarif said he had made a “substantial” offer to break the impasse with the US. While Trump administration officials have said they are willing to meet Iranian leaders without preconditions, Secretary of State Michael Pompeo has laid out a series of demands—including ending support for proxy militias in other countries—he says Iran must adhere to before sanctions are lifted. Iran wants some easing of sanctions first. In the meantime, Iran has proceeded with efforts to enrich uranium beyond limits proscribed by the 2015 accord. A Trump administration official, asking not to be identified, said a “serious gesture” on Iran’s part would involve ending uranium enrichment immediately and move toward ending ballistic missile development. Za r i f a nd ot her of f ic i a l s h ave sa id t hey won’t ba rga i n away t he r ight to h ave missi les for defensive pur poses. Bloomberg News

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A4 Saturday, July 20, 2019 • Editor: Efleda P. Campos

Trade dept pushes proposed EO slashing shipping costs

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HE Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) will ask President Duterte to issue an executive order (EO) that will significantly reduce logistics costs for local companies over the next few months. Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez said he has instructed Undersecretary Rowel Barba to reconvene the technical working group composed of

the Department of Transportation, DTI, and Department of Finance to reconstitute the joint administrative order (JAO) resolving high shipping

costs and port congestion into an EO. Lopez told reporters at the sidelines of the 2nd Logistics Services Philippines Conference and Exhibition on Monday that the proposed EO is expected to bring down the average cost of logistics as a percentage of sales of local firms from about 27 percent to below 20 percent by yearend or “a few months after that” with streamlining of the process and costs of transporting goods. Citing World Bank’s Dr. Ruth Banomyong, the DTI chief said the average logistics cost of firms consist

DTI chief to SoKor importers: Expand your shopping list for PHL products

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RADE Secretary Ramon M. Lopez urged a 108-delegation from the Korea Importers Association (Koima) to explore Philippine products that would complement the needs of the South Korean market. Lopez pushed for organic, natural food and health care, as well as design-driven products, including furnitures, fixtures and garments. Likewise, he emphasized the growing opportunities in electronic parts and components, and software and game development. “We encourage you to discover other products from the Philippines that you can bring back to South Korea. The Philippine government is committed to assist your buying mission in the country. We are optimistic that this deepening relationship and trade cooperation would help our countries in addressing trade imbalance,” Lopez told the delegation. The Koima delegation is currently in the Philippines for a buying mission to source raw materials and other products from the country. The delegation represents over 50 South Korean companies. The Philippines is the biggest supplier of fresh bananas and pineapples in South Korea. Fresh mango, calamansi or Philippine lemon, coconut water, virgin coconut oil and banana chips are also noted to be popular in the South Korean market. During the PHL-Korea Business Forum organized by DTI on July 11, 2019, officials from the DTI’s Export Marketing Bureau (EMB), Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions (Citem) and Board of Investments (BOI) presented various trade and investment opportunities in the

country to the delegates. A business matching activity was also organized that would link the delegation with over 100 Filipino companies. The said activity has facilitated over 200 business meetings. Lopez emphasized the growing opportunities once the negotiation over the PHL-Korea free-trade agreement (FTA) has concluded. He added that Koima and Philippine exporters will greatly benefit from the agreement. The trade chief likewise offered the assistance of the DTI to Koima in facilitating trade in the country. “President Rodrigo Duterte’s administration is committed in making doing business in the country easy. So we assure you that DTI will be your partner in the Philippines as we work on streamlining more government processes and promote e-government,” Lopez assured. Meanwhile, Koima Chairman Kwang-hee Hong expressed optimism in the stronger business relationship between Philippines and South Korea. He also shared that Korean importers are greatly interested in Philippine products. Present during the forum were South Korean Ambassador to the Philippines Dongman Han, Trade Undersecretary Rowel Barba, Board of Investments Governor Angelica Cayas, Citem Executive Director Pauline Suaco-Juan, DTI-EMB Director Senen Perlada, Philippine Trade and Investment Center-South Korea Commercial Counsellor Jose Ma. Dinsay, and Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Alegria Limjoco.

of only 11.11 percent of the total sales in Thailand, Vietnam at 16.3 percent, and Indonesia at 21.40 percent. Lopez said they are keen on coming up with clear guidelines on shipping fees, which are currently set freely by the international shipping lines. “Normally, ayaw nating makiaalam sa mga [we do not want to intervene in] setting rates but we have to set perhaps certain parameters by which they can move so that we avoid overcharging, unnecessary charges or fees being imposed on

the importers,” he said. Lopez also urged importers to negotiate with different suppliers who can provide the best rates. He said the proposed EO will specify the agency that will be accountable for the setting or at least having better control on shipping rates; while the Bureau of Customs (BOC) addresses port congestion. “[Under] JAO basically right now, [it is] interagency cooperation. But the agency responsible for that will just have to be clarified and strengthened. But of course, we have the coop-

Special economic zones help lure investments, boost exports

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S countries attract foreign direct investment (FDI) to special economic zones (SEZs), active support to promote clusters and linkages is key to maximizing development impact, according to a United Nations report. United Nations Conference on Trade and Development’s (Unctad) World Investment Repor t 2019 pointed out that firms operating in zones have greater scope to collaborate, pool resources and share facilities especially in specialized zones. “...But multi-activity zones can extract some of the benefits of colocation. Proactive identification of opportunities, matching efforts and training programs, with firms within and outside the zone, significantly boosts the impact,” the report said. The report identified the Philippines as among the countries with the highest numbers of SEZs, along with India, the United States, the Russian Federation, Turkey, Thailand, the Dominican Republic, Kenya and Nicaragua. China alone hosts over half of all SEZs in the world in Asia. SEZs are credited with more than 60 percent of the Philippines’s exports. This, as zone programs in many countries account for a major share of exports, particularly manufactured exports. The report also cited early research on the Philippines indicating that the share of FDI flows going to SEZs increased from 30 percent in 1997 to over 81 percent in 2000.

“SEZs can make important contributions to growth and development. They can help attract investment, create jobs and boost exports—both directly and indirectly where they succeed in building linkages with the broader economy,” it said. Likewise, zones can also support global value chain participation, industrial upgrading and diversification. “However, none of these benefits are automatic,” it added. The report underscored the importance of strategic design of the SEZ policy framework and development program. “Zone policies shou ld not be formulated in isolation from their broader policy context, including investment, trade and tax policies. The types of zones and their specialization should build on existing competitive advantages and capabilities. And long-term zone development plans should be guided by the SEZ development ladder,” it said. The report said zone development programs should take a frugal approach. Unctad’s SEZ Sustainable Development Profit and Loss emphasizes the need for financial and fiscal sustainability of zones, as their broader economic growth impact can be uncertain and take time to materialize.“High upfront costs due to overspecification, subsidies for zone occupants and transfers to zone regimes of alreadyoperating firms pose the greatest risks to fiscal viability,” it added.

eration of the international shipping lines here,” he added. Lopez further said the three departments will likely endorse the draft EO to the President. “Wala tayong control sa EO [We have no control when the EO will be issued] but on the draft, the technical working group will be reconvened. Give us maybe in a month’s time, we will have a draft on this one,” he said. “For now, our immediate response will be the JAO and then to be followed by the EO. The EO will set the tone from then on,” he added. PNA

Furniture makers remain bullish on export growth

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OCAL furniture manufacturers are working to bring down the rising costs of major raw materials and components as they aim to boost exports growth even amid strong domestic market. Myrna Bituin, Philippine Exporters Confederation Inc. (Philexport) trustee for the furniture sector, said they would like to meet with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) officials so they could provide them the legal source of lumber. “We don’t want to use illegal [sources],” she said, noting furniture makers then wanted to connect with these legitimate suppliers of plantation species. Bituin pointed out that prices of raw materials now comprise a huge portion of their production costs. She noted it is “not easy” to increase prices, thus, exporters have to absorb rising costs to protect customers from those adjustments. She added the group also intends to buy in bulk raw materials otherwise, it is cheaper to import these. Bituin remains hopeful of achieving exports growth in 2019 after posting flat growth in the first half of the year. “On the high-end market, we are still okay,” she added. “But the local market is good. It is the local market that is really earning.”

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Aging population to cut East Europe deeper than West, IMF says

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UROPE’S eastern wing is suffering from aging and shrinking populations more than the West, and those countries are less prepared to deal with the issue, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said. For years, demographic studies have suggested Europe’s economy will slide into crisis as its work force shrinks and the elderly demand more expensive services including health care. Under that scenario, outnumbered younger generations will struggle to pay for it all. The situation is worst in the 20 countries stretching from the Baltic Sea to the Balkans, which will see their populations decline by 12 percent by 2050, said Tao Zhang, deputy managing director of the IMF. The size of their work forces will drop by a quarter, meaning the number of retirees per employee will double, he told a forum in Dubrovnik, Croatia. “In this region, the population is aging before getting rich enough, making the situation worse than in western Europe,” Zhang said on Monday. “The demographic challenges could signifi-

cantly slow economic growth. A shrinking labor supply and lower productivity of older workers, together with greater pressure on public finances, could cost countries about 1 percent of gross domestic product per year.” The problem should be tackled by raising the retirement age, extending incentives for people to get jobs, including retirees, as well as by importing workers, Zhang said at the meeting of finance ministers and central bankers in the Adriatic Sea resort. That may be difficult for voters in a region inundated by populism and hostility to immigrants from outside of Europe. In countries like Croatia, there’s also resistance to raising the retirement age, on the grounds that people have a shorter life expectancy than in the West. “These are social and political decisions that every country has to

make for itself,” Poul Thomsen, the director of the IMF’s European department, said in an interview. “But the shortage of labor is a major issue, not some abstract long-term issue.”

Undercutting growth THE emigration of workers from the European Union‘s eastern members to western Europe had probably shaved of seven percentage points of output per capita from those countries’ efforts to catch up with their richer counterparts, Thomsen said, citing an IMF study. Higher wages and better services such as health care and education can also help keep people at home or lure them back. Croatian central bank Governor Boris Vujcic urged caution, however, about paying workers more, as it could undercut productivity that’s still lower than in more developed countries. “Raising wages will not solve the problem entirely,” he said. In the region’s biggest economies, including Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic, companies have complained they are losing money because they can’t find enough workers, even after years of double-digit wage increases. For its part, Croatia has for years felt the pinch of a labor shortage in tourism, its main industry. Bloomberg News

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A6 Saturday, July 20, 2019| Editor: Mike Besa

SUBIC IMMERSION GOLF AND THE RAIN FOREST

THERE is beauty everywhere you look

THE thousand year old rain forest juxtaposed with the extremely modern golf course.

PRESIDENTS CUP By Tiger Woods US Team Captain

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LOT has happened since I last wrote one of these blogs. After a trip to Thailand to show Sam and Charlie where their grandma is from, I wanted to share a few of my thoughts on the past couple of months and how our team is shaping up for the Presidents Cup. It’s hard to believe that in a little over a month the top 8 for each team will be locked in. Firstly, I want to congratulate Nate Lashley—what an inspiring story. No one should ever have to suffer such an incredible loss, but for him to overcome all that is truly heroic. And, he won that tournament (Rocket Mortgage Classic) wire-to-wire. Winning is hard enough, but to lead from start to finish is always impressive. I’m also very happy for Chez Reavie. It was 11 years between victories, and he got it done at the Travelers. He’s put himself right in the mix for a Presidents Cup spot. At No. 13, he can easily become one of

the top 8 by mid-August if he continues to play well. During my time off I’ve had moments to reflect on the US Open, which is always an exciting week, especially when it’s played at Pebble Beach. I’ve made so many great memories on that course, and while I wasn’t as sharp as I would have liked, Pebble continues to prove itself as a worthy venue to host the biggest tournaments in the world. And with its traditional Sunday finish on Father’s Day, my dad was on my mind as I completed my final round. To be honest, there’s not a day that I don’t think about Pop. I couldn’t be happier for Gary Woodland and his family. He and his wife Gabby have endured a lot over the last couple of years, so I’m sure this one was pretty sweet. It’s been a long time coming for Gary. We both work with Excel, so he and I have gotten close over the years. He’s always had the game to win major championships, and I was glad to see him put it all together and perform under Sunday pressure.

Gary is trying to make one of the teams representing the United States for the first time, so now that he’s up to 8th in the standings I’m interested to see how he continues to play before the top 8 become official in August. Plus, who wouldn’t want to see him hit those stingers at Royal Melbourne? What else is there to say about Brooks Koepka? Winning the PGA Championship the way he did to almost making it three in a row at the US Open is really impressive. He’s doing all the little things well. If you watch his rounds, he misses the balls in the correct spots, leaving himself the easier ups-and-downs. If he misses a tee shot, it’s always on the correct side. He’s

found what works for him and it’s adding up over 72 holes. He’s now the leader of our standings, so it’ll be nice to have him on the team in December. The stretch of golf we have coming up is going to be huge for those guys who are trying to make the team, myself included. It will really ramp up starting at the Open Championship and then in Memphis for the World Golf Championships before we start the FedExCup Playoffs. I think it’s never been more difficult to qualify for a US Team. You look at the names who are currently outside the top 8 and it’s amazing to think of the depth this team will have in December. It shows the incredible combination of veteran talent

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Story & photos by Mike Besa

HE forests of the world are home to the highest biodiversity. They are the cradle of life on our islands. Much to our shame, little of our native forestland remains. Much has been cut down to make way for agriculture and urban sprawl. The number of species that we have driven to extinction is unparalleled at any time in history after the extinction of the dinosaurs.

THE neighbors will drop by on occasion

The remaining old growth rain forests are living treasures that must be protected at all costs. Thanks to the Americans, the rain forest that constitutes the great majority of the Subic Freeport Zone survives untouched to this day. More so than the airport, deep water harbor and other facilities

and infrastructure inherited from the Americans, Subic Bay’s greatest asset is the rain forest.

Beyond the Pamulaklakin trail

THE forest experience run by the region’s indigenous people, the Aetas, the best way to experience this treasure is to rent a house in the Binictican housing area above the Subic International Golf Club. There are several available on Airbnb; the one we found was on Lauan Circle. It’s a charming little 2-bedroom bungalow with lots of living space right on the edge of the rain forest. Fortuitously, it

was located just 3 kilometers from the golf club, which meant that we didn’t have to leave the area at all unless we wanted to. We took the opportunity to bask in the quiet calm afforded us by the ever-present jungle. The golf course meanders in and around the forest’s edge. The calm you feel as you meander its fairways brings a serenity hardly ever intruded upon by the din of the development in Subic. It’s what defines this golf course. The dichotomy of Subic International Golf Club is that of the most modern golf club in the country coexisting right next to a thousand-year-old rain forest whose very existence is now protected by the very thing that once threatened it—­Subic’s progress. SIGC recognizes this asset and has worked diligently to coexist here without harming the ecosystem. The club’s use of paspalum from tee to green was of most importance. It is a seashore grass that not only tolerates brackish water, it thrives on it. Not having to worry about keeping its turf healthy means that the club can focus on providing the best possible conditions for the golfer. On this, as on our other visits, the property is immaculate. Everything is as it should be, everything works. There is little that is superfluous; it is the Japanese aesthetic. The clubhouse is worthy of a five-star hotel. The panoramic glass window showcases the golf course juxtaposed with the rain forest. It is, for lack of a more appropriate adjective, spectacular. It is such a pity that so few experience it for themselves. The golf course continues to mature. It hasn’t been that long since our last visit, but the improvements are noticeable. The trees in the middle of the golf course are years away from truly adding to the ambiance but the jungle adds an aesthetic that no other golf course since Puerto Azul can match. Although not quite a championship layout, SIGC is a very good round of golf. The demands it makes on the golfer don’t favor one shot shape. The holes turn in both directions so on many of the shorter holes, you find yourself playing away from the hole often

with less than a driver to find the best vantage point from which to approach the green. The greens are still quite young, which means that the club can’t really shorten the cutting heights all that much yet. Just as well, as they’re still fairly hard and don’t receive the ball as well as they will once the roots systems deepen. Expect green speeds of 7.5-8.5 when you make the trip up the SCTEx. They are also huge. A poor approach might still find the green but will most likely leave you a very lengthy putt. On a particularly poor strike, a flight mate faced a putt of almost 40 paces. It was all he could do not to four-putt. This makes it a difficult course to play until the driving range finally opens. When playing Subic International, do take the opportunity to walk as much as you can; your caddy will happily drive the cart to your golf ball. There is a real solitude for those that are attuned to it. The quiet is shattered only by bird calls and the occasional simian sighting. You are alone with your thoughts and your golf game. The service of the club is solicitous to a fault. The staff is as friendly and as helpful as any that you’ll find on these seven thousand islands. The caddies are still a bit green but continue to improve. The club continues to focus its marketing efforts around the caddies, and for better or worse continues to rub many the wrong way. Hopefully, this is just an intermediate stage in the club’s existence. They can’t move on soon enough for some. After the round, head over to Meat Plus or Urban Deli to pick up some ribs, steaks and a few good bottles of wine. Celebrate a great day on the golf course in the quiet company of friends. Listen to your neighbors in the jungle as they wake and start their nocturnal lives. Life here is good. Simple. Soothing for the soul. The next day might bring the sorrow of goodbye, but the quiet at sunrise is just the best time of day. Make a coffee, say a prayer and bask in the rays of the morning sun while steeling yourself for the drive back to reality. It won’t have been time to leave before you start planning your way back. It was the best golf trip to Subic yet.

Saturday, July 20, 2019 A7

The best tip you’ll ever get

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OLF is a complex game that requires a range of skills—you need to hit the ball long off the tee, you need to control distance with your irons and you need to find a way to get the ball into the hole when on or around the green. Then to complicate the task further, you’re really only hitting the golf ball for five minutes the entire time you’re on the golf course. In between shots you have to deal with the chatter from your buddies as well as the wind and other curve balls Mother Nature throws at you. It’s hard enough to execute the shot without the distractions.

What’s a golfer to do?

THIS isn’t a swing tip. It doesn’t deal with mechanics in the least. It’s the secret of every good golfer you’ll meet. It’s your pre-shot routine. Or, more appropriately, your lack of one. Learning a strong mental pre-shot routine is the single most important thing you can do to improve your mental game, and your golf. But not just any pre-shot routine. An effective pre-shot routine must complement the way you learn, it must help you narrow your focus and free you to hit the creative, athletic shots that you visualized. This pre-shot routine will simplify your thoughts, makes the game easier and allows you to think the same over every shot—the key to consistent golf. The first part is easy—the analysis of the shot at hand. Stand behind the ball and evaluate what you have before you. What club? What flight? What’s the desired result? Where is the best miss? If you’re putting, consider break, speed and grain. This is your thinking brain working. Let it work, then commit to the club, shot and desired result you choose. Now that you’ve made your decision and committed to it, pick up your golf club. That’s your trigger that it’s time to turn the thinking brain off and switch to your creative brain. This is the time to narrow your focus even more. If

you cannot commit to the club or the shot, do not move on to the next step. Fully commit to your chosen path before you do. Now visualize the shot you’re going to hit. Feel the shot in your practice swing. It’s important to make the exact swing with which you intend to strike the ball. See the desired result materialize in your mind. If you’re putting visualize the ball taking your intended line at the correct speed and finding its way into the cup. Be sure to use the same stroke. Rehearse it. See your success. At this point you’re ready to hit the golf ball. Release all conscious thought. Now, everything is about the target. Focus everything on the target. Breathe, take one last look and let it go. Use the same routine before every shot. All of them, no exception. It is crucial to separate the first step—the analysis and commitment to the shot before you pick up your golf club. Once the club’s in your hand, focus shifts to feel and visualization. Make the necessary adjustments to best suit your game and temperament, but make no mistake, consistency is the key. It critical to stick to your pre-shot routine, no matter the circumstance. There will be two instances when it will be most difficult to do so. The first is when you’re playing poorly and resort to thinking mechanically about your swing or have become anxious about your poor play. Ironically, the same thing is prone to happening when you’re playing very well, when thoughts of excitement or the pressure of being in contention or being out of your depth. In both instances, the correct method of reigning in your mind is sticking to your pre-shot routine. It will be difficult at first but stick with it. Use it in your practice games. Be aware of your thought process as you practice and progress. Learn to release analytical thought to allow free reign of your creative brain. Then hit and repeat. The pre-shot routine is the key to getting the most out of your golf game and is the best tip you’ll ever get. Mike Besa

Aidric Chan wins IMG Academy Junior World Championship By Bobbet Bruce

A TAKE time to meditate and appreciate the life in the rain forest around you

with young players who are ready to play on the biggest stages. Two of those younger guys are Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele. I’ve played a lot rounds at Jack Nicklaus’s place (Muirfield Village) and enjoyed some success, but Patrick’s 64 on Sunday at the Memorial Tournament was seriously impressive. He was also right there on Sunday at Augusta National. For a guy who has only been out here a short time, Patrick is just scratching the surface of what he can accomplish. And Xander is in a similar boat. He already has two wins this season and quietly went about his business to finish top 5 at the US Open. He has proven he can handle the spotlight, which is exactly what we need when we get to Royal Melbourne. It’s going to be an electric atmosphere down there in December. The fans in Australia are some of the most passionate in the world and really understand golf. Ernie Els (International Team Captain) will have the Internationals ready to compete, so we are going to have to play extremely well if we expect to leave with the Cup. There’s really nothing like being at a Presidents Cup. I look forward to seeing everyone in Melbourne. Tickets are still available at presidentscup.com. Till next time.

IDRIC CHAN carried the hopes of an entire nation on his shoulders to finally raise the Boys 15-18 Division crown after a 33-year wait at the 2019 IMG Academy Junior World Golf Championships in San Diego, California. Playing at the Torrey Pines Golf Corse (North), the 18-year- old Ateneo High School graduate submitted a four-day score of 11-under-par 277 to edge New Zealand’s Jimmy Zheng by one stroke. Chan started the first round with an even-par 72 to sit at 26th place and behind the 6-under-par 66 of local boy Andi Xu. He moved up to joint 7th on the second day with a three-under 69 anchored on five birdies against two bogeys to trail by just three. Chan made his biggest move on the third day as he banged in six birdies versus a lone bogey for a 5-under-par 67 card to jump to joint third (-8) and just a stroke behind Zheng (-9) to set up a last day duel with the Kiwi and 4th day leader Walker Franklin (-10) from Colorado USA who was ahead by two strokes. Chan went to work early as he banged in three birdies against two bogeys in the first five holes. Zheng though replied in kind with his own back-to-back birdies on holes 3 and 4 to add one stroke on his lead over the Filipino and tie the American for the lead. Chan would score all pars to close out the front nine while Zheng gave up his early gains by finishing with

AIDRIC CHAN is victorious at the IMG Academy Junior World Championship.

two bogeys and a birdie to match Chan’s 1 under on the front 9 and to tie Franklin for the lead. Despite not gaining any headway after nine holes, Aidric remained steadfast. “I just played the next nine how I know it. I played as relax as I can,” said Chan. All three would birdie hole 10 and par hole 11 and with seven holes to go. Chan’s parents, Deo and Ycar Chan felt that their boy would never catch up. “We thought that he would run out of holes. But we just tried not to lose hope and kept on praying,” said Deo.

Their prayers and that of the small Philippine gallery following the championship flight were finally answered when Chan’s birdie on hole 12 got him his first taste of the lead in four days. He would then take the outright lead, finally break through on the par 3 hole 13 as both the Kiwi and the American carded bogeys. Chan would, however, lose the lead as quickly as he took it with his bogey on the next hole. Franklin fell one back with his second consecutive bogey. Still standing all square with Sheng after hole

15 and with just three holes to go, Chan then put on a final run for the crown in the last corner. On the par 4 hole 16, he nailed his approach shot from 112 feet to just 8 feet for a birdie opportunity that he converted to wrest back the solo lead from the Kiwi and with the American slipping away out of contention with another bogey to fall three back. Chan would hold ground on the penultimate hole as he stepped on the hole 18 tee mound for a final stand to defend his one stroke against the expected Kiwi’s charge.

Aidric went on the attack and bombed his drive to the center of the fairway. Left with a little over 175 yards to the pin, he pulled out an 8 iron and hit his approach shot to the green some 30 odd feet to the hole and give his opponent a small window to catch up as the Kiwi had a shorter birdie opportunity. But Chan would not succumb to the pressure as he brought his first putt to within 4 feet of the hole. As Zheng missed his birdie chance, Chan had set himself up with a date with history and destiny on his next putt. The 2019 Mania SEA Gamesbound junior golfer calmly lined his ball to the pin, gave it a good solid tap and then watched it find the bottom of the cup to finally claim the most prestigious title of these championships which the Philippines last won in 1986. “I felt so happy after I made the putt as it was the most nervewracking two holes of my golf career,” said the ecstatic Chan, who is a 9-year veteran of the junior world championships with a 3rd runner-up finish in 2013 as his best performance prior to this year’s winning run. It was a round for the ages and a fitting end to the country’s return to the top of the best age group junior world championship summer level event in the US It also capped the end of Chan’s junior golf career as he plays college golf for the University of Arizona Wildcats in the fall.

A8 Saturday, July 20, 2019

BusinessMirror

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

TAIWANESE AMATEUR PREVAILS IN PLAYOFF

Sta. Elena rules Southwoods leg

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TA. ELENA pulled off a pair of victories in varying fashions and finished third in the other in a dominating show at Manila Southwoods that shoved the team past erstwhile joint leaders Tagaytay Highlands and Villamor halfway through the 2019 Champion Women’s Golf Association of the Philippines (WGAP) Circuit in Carmona, Cavite, recently. Behind Carmela Lee and Rio Co’s identical 43 Stableford points, Therese Dabao and Carina Ricamonte’s 42 and 39 points, respectively, the Santa Rosa, Laguna-based squad assembled a 167 to beat Alabang (165) and Fernando Air Base (162) for Class A honors. Santa Elena’s Class C team followed up its triumph in the third leg at Tagaytay last month with an eight-point romp over Alabang as Surlianti Walker sizzled with 46 points, Calene Ong and Maria Ymir Oliquino carded identical 43 points and Nancy Co added 41 points for a 173. Alabang made a 165 while Forest Hills placed third with a 164. With its Class B side finishing third behind winner Fernando Air Base (176) and Manila Southwoods (169), Sta. Elena racked up a tournament-best seven-point output, matching its haul in the first three stops to jump from third to first in the overall tally with 14 points after four legs of the eight-stage circuit organized and conducted by the Women’s Golf Association of the Philippines. Sharing the individual honors at Southwoods were Alabang’s UI Mendoza (47 points–Class A), Canlubang’s Theresa Enriquez (46 points–Class B) and Maria Catherine Yulo of Villamor (47 points– Class C). After being shut out in Tagaytay, Alabang produced four points with two runner-up finishes, grabbing solo second overall with 10 points while Fernando Air Base also scored four points on a win and third place effort to tie Tagaytay and Villamor, which both struggled at the bunker-laden Legends layout and failed to land a podium finish, at third overall with eight points. Forest Hills toted seven points, while Canlubang and Wack Wack had six and five points, respectively, heading to the last four legs of the circuit sponsored Champion at Valley Golf (July 29), Alabang (August 19), Forest Hills (September 9) and Santa Elena (October 7). Scorers for Fernando Air Base in its sevenpoint win over Southwoods in Class B were Andrea Abad, Lina Galang, Pamela Bermejo and Joena Castillo, who shot 51 44, 41 and 40 points, respectively. The hosts, led by Lia Gabrielle Rosca’s 44 points, placed fourth in Class A with a 160, nipping Forest Hills in the countback, followed by Villamor (155), Tagaytay (154), Camp Aguinaldo (154), Canlubang (147), while Villamor ended up fourth in Class B with a 167 followed by Alabang (160), Tagaytay (160), Canlubang (155) Forest Hills (155), Orchard (152), Camp Aguinaldo (149) and Wack Wack (145). Villamor wound up fourth in Class C with a 160 ahead of Camp Aguinaldo (152), Tagaytay (145), Canlubang (139), Wack Wack (125) and Eagle Ridge (123).

Sports

YU CHIANG HOU is hugged by his coplayers and supporters. NONOY LACZA

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MATEUR Yu Chiang Hou of Taiwan came out a clear winner in the International Container Terminal Services Inc. (ICTSI) Pradera Ladies Classic that needed two extra holes to finish, beating Thai Wanchana Poruangrong with a tap-in birdie in a fitting ending to an event that faced uncertainties due to erratic weather at the Pradera Golf and Country Club in Lubao, Pampanga, on Friday. Hou outhit Poruangrong on their second shot on

their third trip on the par-5 ninth in another day of changing fortunes then hacking out a solid wedge shot from 60 yards to within inches off the cup, the ball nearly hitting the target after Poruangrong approached to within 8 feet. With the pressure and all, Poruangrong flubbed her birdie try and failed to extend the match as the 18-year-old Hou tapped it in for the victory that capped her three days of gutsy play against some of the leading players on the Ladies Professional Golf Association of Taiwan (TLPGA) and the country’s top shotmakers. “I feel excited but there was no pressure,” said Hou before she was hauled to the awards rites to receive the champion’s trophy in the $80,000 event put up by ICTSI and which served as the ninth stop of the 2019 TLPGA Tour. She actually took home two trophies, including the amateur. But it was Poruangrong who banked the top purse of $14,000 although she fell short of joining the growing list of Thai winners on the LPGT, including Thanutra Boonraksasat and Arpichaya Yubol, who won the Manila Southwoods and

Manila Golf Classic legs last March and April, respectively. She also failed to keep the crown for Thailand after veteran Yupaporn Kawinpakorn won here last December. Still unsure actually was the winner after the 54-hole regulation in windy, wet and hot conditions as Hou hit a clutch birdie on No. 15 in regulation to spike a closing 69, catching Poruangrong at five-under 211 after the Thai ended up with a 70. Both parred the first playoff hole with Poruangrong muffing a pin-length birdie putt on the undulating surface of the all-weather layout that withstood the nature’s wrath in the first two days and brought out the best from the surviving field in the final round. The victory was actually the second pro win for the incoming

QUITE AN OPEN SHOW AT PORTRUSH P ORTRUSH, Northern Ireland —An emotional opening shot by Darren Clarke. A shocking one by Rory McIlroy. Tiger Woods had his worst score to start a British Open. Brooks Koepka quickly got into contention again. Emiliano Grillo made a 1. David Duval made a 14. The Open returned to Royal Portrush after a 68-year absence and made up for lost time with an unusual amount of theater Thursday. When more than 15 hours of golf before a robust, sellout crowd finally ended, JB Holmes was atop the leaderboard at a major for the first time in 11 years. Even that might have been fitting. The big hitter from a small town in Kentucky had his first taste of links golf at Royal Portrush during a college trip, and he recalled how the caddies kept giving him the wrong lines off the tee because they had never seen anyone hit it that far. Holmes drove the downwind 374-yard fifth hole to 12 feet for a two-putt birdie, and he ended with a 5-iron into the wind to 15 feet for a final birdie and a five-under 66. “You just have to accept the conditions over here and not get too greedy,” Holmes said. He had a one-shot lead over Shane Lowry of Ireland, who didn’t have the level of expectations or the connection to Royal Portrush like McIlroy, Clarke or native son Graeme McDowell, all of whom grew up in Northern Ireland and never imagined golf’s oldest championship returning to their tiny country.

“I feel like for me I can come here a little more under the radar than the other guys,” Lowry said. That wasn’t the case for McIlroy. He was the betting favorite who as a 16-year-old stunned Irish golf with a 61 to set the course record at Royal Portrush in the North of Ireland Amateur. The throaty cheers went silent when his tee shot went left and out of bounds. He went into a bush and had to take a penalty to take it out, and he walked off the first green with a quadruple-bogey 8. McIlroy finished with a triple bogey for a 79. “I’m going to go back and see my family, see my friends, and hopefully they don’t think any less of me after a performance like that today,” McIlroy said. “And I’ll dust myself off and come back out tomorrow and try to do better.” Woods didn’t seem quite as optimistic. That magical Masters victory in April is quickly turning into a memory as Woods struggles to find the balance between playing and making sure his back holds up. He has played only 10 rounds since Augusta National, and this was one to forget. Woods three-putted for bogey on No. 5, bladed a chip on No. 6 for a double bogey and stretched his arms in mock triumph when he finally made a birdie—his only birdie—on No. 15. He ended with another bogey for a 78, matching his third-worst score in a major. “Playing at this elite level is a completely different deal,” Woods said. “You’ve got to be spot on. These guys are too good. There are too many guys that are playing well and I’m just not one of them.” AP

TIGER WOODS has his worst score to start a British Open. AP

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Dennis’s withdrawal was even more surprising as it came a day before Friday’s short time trial in Pau, where he would have been an obvious favorite alongside defending Tour champion Geraint Thomas given his pedigree in the race against the clock. Stangelj said he was not aware of any complaint from Dennis in regards with his time trial equipment and also dismissed suppositions that Dennis could have been frustrated with his role in the team. Bahrain-Merida’s main goal at the Tour this year was to fulfill former Tour champion Vincenzo Nibali’s ambition to fight for a podium finish. “I never asked him to bring the water bottles in the race,” Stangelj said. “Actually, I even told him yesterday and today that he should save energy for the time trial.” When asked if Dennis had been difficult to work with before, Stangelj said “it’s difficult to answer this question.” “But I never have hard discussions with him,” he insisted. “We always found a solution when it was needed.” AP

Patrombon targets netfest title repeat

M SIMON YATES bags his first stage win in the Tour de France. AP

ULTITITLED national team mainstay Jeson Patrombon sets out for a title-retention drive in the centerpiece Open class while the country’s leading and rising junior campaigners slug it out for top honors in their side of the duel in the Palawan PawnshopPalawan Express Pera Padala (PPS-PEPP) Fr. Fernando Suarez Open Championships that got under way on Friday at the Brent Tennis Center in Biñan, Laguna. The two-weekend tournament kicking off the second half of the Palawan Pawnshop-Palawan Express Pera Padala

RAMIREZ: NO CORRUPTION IN PHISGOC

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HILIPPINE Sports Commission (PSC) Chairman William Ramirez quashed allegations that the Philippine Southeast Asian Games Organizing Committee (Phiscog) is riddled with corruption. Ramirez also stressed the PSC, Phisgoc and the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) are united in organizing the Games set from November 30 to December 11 in several areas in Luzon with the New Clark City serving as the flagship venue. “The PSC, Phisgoc and POC are united in one leadership of the President of the Republic, to host and participate in the 30th Southeast Asian Games,” Ramirez said in a statement. “There is no truth to the allegation of corruption.” Ramirez said he met with Phisgoc chairman Rep. Alan Peter Cayetano, Sen. Bong Go and Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea “to sort out issues being reported by news outfits in the past days.” “We assure the athletes and the general public that all decisions and transactions will be done with utmost transparency. The PSC, through the guidance of the Department of Budget and Management and assistance of the Procurement Service shall work together to ensure that public funds are protected and that all disbursements or expenses follow existing government rules and laws,” Ramirez said. “We shall be gathering presidents and athletes of all POC and PSC-accredited NSAs to personally update them on developments and be witnesses to the pledge of unity of major stakeholders of Philippine sports,” he added. “We enjoin the country to be united in supporting government efforts and lend support toward the victory of our beloved athletes. All for our dear country’s pride and glory,” the PSC head concluded in the statement.

Dennis quits in bizarre way, Yates triumphs in Pyrenees AGNERES-DE-BIGORRE, France—In 116 years of racing at the Tour de France, riders have done all sorts of bizarre things, from jumping on trains to fighting with fans at mountain stops. Rarely have they just vanished in the middle of a stage like Rohan Dennis did on Thursday during the first Pyrenean stage. For a couple of hours on an otherwise uneventful day in the mountains, nobody was able to say where the time trial world champion had gone. His Bahrain-Merida team even sent an alarming message out on social networks, saying all it cared about was “the welfare” of Dennis after Tour organizers announced he had pulled out of the race. The Australian ultimately resurfaced at the finish line in Bagneres-de-Bigorre, where British rider Simon Yates, the reigning Spanish Vuelta champion, posted his first stage win after a long breakaway that did not shuffle the overall standings. Dennis was spotted near the Bahrain-Merida team bus after the stage, but did not make any comment about his decision to pull out. “We are also confused,” Bahrain-Merida team director Gorazd Stangelj said. “It was his decision today to stop at the feed zone. We tried to speak with him, he said ‘I just don’t want to talk,’ and abandoned the race.” Dennis quit with about 80 kilometers left before the two big climbs in Stage 12, prompting Bahrain-Merida to open an investigation. According to the French TV station broadcasting the race, Dennis had an argument with officials in the team car. Stangelj said Dennis’s condition was good enough to perform, adding he was not aware of any kind of argument that could have triggered the rider’s decision.

University of Arizona student, one of those whom Yuka Saso beat for the gold medal in last year’s Asian Games in Jakarta. She bested the TLPGA top campaigners to win the TLPGA Open in Nan Pao last May. Hou started playing golf at age eight and has been making remarkable progress in the last three years, winning the Victorian Juniors in Australia in 2016 and emerging on top of Taiwan’s nationwide high-school championships in 2016-17. Daniella Uy, just two strokes off two-day leader Mayuna Furukawa and one behind Poruangrong at the start of the final round, sparked hopes of a breakthrough for the former Junior World titlist as she caught up with Poruangrong at four-under overall with a 34 start. But as the pressure mounted at the back, the lone Filipina contender stumbled on Pradera’s tough surface, three-putting Nos. 11 and 15 and failing to go upand-down on No. 14 to bow out of contention.

tennis season also features the Legends division featuring the men’s doubles in the 40s and 50s age categories. Patrombon smothered fellow Davis Cupper Johnny Arcilla to rule the inaugural staging of the event held in honor of healing priest Fr. Suarez, who is also a tennis buff, in Bulacan last year. Fr. Suarez will also see action in the pro-am competition with Leander Lazaro. Though Arcilla won’t be around to honor a previous commitment, the depth of the competing field remains as talent-laden as ever with the likes of Vicente Anasta, Fritz Verdad, Mark Alcoseba, Noel Damian Jr., Rodolfo Barquin, Eric Jed Olivarez and Lazaro ready and eager to

stop Patrombon. Meanwhile, to accommodate the big number of entries wishing to play in the Open, a qualifying will be held also on Friday for the four remaining berths in the main 32-player draw of the event sanctioned by the Unified Tennis Philippines made up of PPS-PEPP, Cebuana Lhuillier, Wilson, Toby’s, Dunlop, Slazenger and B-MEG. Palawan Pawnshop President/CEO Bobby Castro also praised Fr. Suarez’s all-out support to the sport, adding it further inspires them to put up more and more tournaments for the youth, as well as members of the national pool and team, to help prepare them for various international competitions.

BusinessMirror

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

MEET THE NEXT ENTRY-LEVEL SUPERSTAR

SOUGHT-AFTER technology is coming your way with the new Honor 8s having just been launched in the Philippines. At only P5,490 and with a 5.71-inch FullView display, the Honor 8s goes minimalist with its trendy dew drop notch to deliver that 84.6 percent screen-to-body ratio, making it perfect for bingewatching your favorite series or playing mobile games. The phone is powered with the Helio A22 chipset and functions smoothly with the preinstalled Android 9.0 OS. Get more with Honor 8s 2GB RAM + 32GB ROM that can be expandable to up to 512GB with a third slot dedicated for a microSD card. Feel free to capture moments and take as many photos as you can using Honor 8s 13MP with Wide Aperture rear camera paired with 5MP front camera. For an entry-level smartphone, the Honor 8s easily appeals to those with a sense of aesthetics with a dualtexture body design given a multilayered smooth finish. Coming in black and Honor’s signature blue colorways, the Honor 8s is always up on style that you can bring anywhere. More information on Honor phones and promos is available at www.hihonor.com.

D-LINK COVR-2202 SHINES IN HWM+HARDWAREZONE.COM TECH AWARDS 2019

D-LINK International Pte. Ltd., leading global provider of networking products, bagged the Editor’s Choice award at the 10th HWM + HardwareZone.com Tech Awards 2019. The company’s D-Link Covr-2202 was named Best Mesh Networking System at the tech industry’s annual premier event held recently in Singapore, where the best brands and revolutionary tech products and services are recognized. “This is a testament to our competency as a global leader in network connectivity and advanced security. Receiving such recognition from our media partners motivates us and our distributors to continue providing high-performance and feature-rich solutions to our end-users. Our customers can expect that we will remain steadfast in our commitment to build networks for people with our products that are certified innovative, reliable and superb,” shared D-Link International President Jacky Chang. D-Link’s Covr-2202, which supports a true mesh networking topology and a triband Wi-Fi system, topped the Best Mesh Networking System category with its great performance, ease of use and decent features. The D-Link Covr-2202 performed well in all of HWM’s tests, both as a single unit and in a mesh network. Its speeds were higher and more consistent across all tested ranges compared to its rivals. Its ease of setup was also highlighted as the units pair seamlessly right out of the box. Despite the lack of a few features available in some of its rivals, the Covr-2202 has all of the basics such as guest networking and parental controls, making it the must-have mesh networking system in the market today. Equipped with high-power amplifiers, the D-Link Covr2202 can cover up to 6,000 square feet with ultra high-speed Wi-Fi. It permanently eliminates Wi-Fi dead zones in the home with its six powerful antennas and MU-MIMO technology. D-Link Covr-2202’s smart backhaul feature also automatically optimizes the signal between the Covr points to make the whole home network perform better overall. With its ultra-high-speed AC2200 Tri-Band Wi-Fi and 11ac Wave 2 with MU-MIMO, users can get more power for faster downloads, lag-free 4K streaming and truly seamless networking, a system that is perfect for bandwidthhungry homes.

Saturday, July 20, 2019 A9

A week filled with cookies PRIMETIME

DINNA CHAN VASQUEZ @dinnachanvasquez luckydinna@gmail.com

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HE past week has been all about Ben’s Cookies on my Instagram timeline. Everybody, or at least a lot of my friends and people I follow, had been sent a box or boxes of those cookies on the days leading to the opening of the first store in the Philippines at The Podium in Ortigas Center. Ryan Serrano and his partners, who hold the master franchise in the Philippines, didn’t pay for placements on huge billboards along Edsa or hire big celebrity endorsers. They did send a lot of cookies to Kris Aquino, who posted a video on her Instagram, but that wasn’t a paid endorsement. Serrano and his business partners simply had a good product that already had some recall with Filipinos, and they sent products to influencers and celebrities hoping for the best. In this context, the best would be these prominent personalities posting the red boxes on their Instagram—and they did. @benscookiesph didn’t break the Internet but it sparked a lot of interest, resulting in long lines on opening day. The brand Ben’s Cookies was created by chocolate cookbook author Helge Rubinstein, who named it after her son Ben. It started as a small shop at the Oxford Covered Market 36 years ago. Aside from its home in England, Ben’s Cookies has stores in New York, Japan, Dubai, Bangkok, Korea and Singapore. Ben’s Cookies are soft and chunky cookies that are always baked fresh the exact same way on the day, everyday. The brand is known for using chocolate chunks (not chips) in its cookies.

Ben’s Cookies isn’t the first brand, food or otherwise, to make use of influencer marketing via Instagram and/or Facebook for its opening day. I remember Avon doing this some years back for its Infinite Effects cream. They did it in such a way that it seemed like there was a long waiting list (around 30,000 people) for the product. To this day, it remains unclear to me if the waiting list was real or not but it worked—for a while. Internet marketing is just like word of mouth, except it spreads faster. But how many of us have been “victimized” by hype? I have been countless times but I never learn.

There was this chafing ointment that beauty gurus said would make a good makeup primer so I bought it. I’m not sure about this but I bought a liquid medication for stomach ache and used it as a primer, too. I mean, how crazy is that? It’s really so easy to get carried away by hype. Even if I work in media and I know that seeing 10 posts of people eating the same bag of chips and all proclaiming it delicious is a PR stunt, I will probably still buy it. If it tastes bad, then I’d never buy it again, of course. In the end, I believe the product itself will decide whether something will continue to be hyped. ■

With Big Tech’s dominance under scrutiny, EU probes Amazon BY CARLO PIOVANO & RAF CASERT The Associated Press BRUSSELS—While the US Congress talks about reining in big tech companies, Europe is taking action. The European Union (EU) said on Wednesday it is investigating whether Amazon uses data from independent retailers to gain an unfair advantage, a decision that could lead to changes in how the Internet’s biggest marketplace works. The move echoes similar antitrust actions against Google and Microsoft that have led to billions in fines. It also contrasts with US lawmakers’ slower approach to the issue, as they start discussing how to keep in check the growing power of the tech industry’s titans. The EU’s antitrust chief, Margrethe Vestager, said she’s taking a “very close look at Amazon’s business practices and its dual role as marketplace and retailer.” In addition to selling its own products, Amazon allows third-party retailers to sell their goods through its site. Last year more than half of the items sold on Amazon worldwide were from third-party sellers. In doing so, Amazon collects data about activity on its platform that, the EU says, it might be able to use to favor its own products for sale. In particular, the EU will look at how Amazon determines which trader is selected as the default seller of an item that a customer wants to buy. The EU opened a preliminary probe into the issue last year, and Vestager said it has shown that “Amazon appears to use competitively sensitive information—about marketplace sellers, their products and transactions on the marketplace.” The investigation could lead to fines and eventually cause Amazon to change the way

it works. Previous EU antitrust cases have resulted in such change, though it is unclear how big their ultimate impact has been in addressing the EU’s concerns. For example, Google had to tweak the display of search results, which the EU had said favored Google goods and services. Amazon said it “will cooperate fully with the European Commission and continue working hard to support businesses of all sizes and help them grow.” In a parallel but separate case, Germany’s competition regulator said on Wednesday that Amazon was changing some of its business conditions for traders on its online marketplace worldwide after the regulator raised concerns about some terms. The case is not like the EU’s probe about data on traders, but about contractual terms such as a one-sided exemption from liability to Amazon’s benefit as well as the place of jurisdiction for disputes. Other EU countries like Austria,

Luxembourg and Italy are also independently investigating Amazon but EU Spokeman Lucia Caudet said the national probes did not overlap with the EU investigation. The EU’s investigations into major companies like Amazon have led the way in a global push to more tightly regulate tech giants, as many governments wonder if they are becoming too big for the good of the wider economy. Among the key questions are not only whether the tech giants abuse their market dominance to choke off competition, potentially stifling choice for consumers and innovation, but also whether they are adequately protecting users’ data and paying their fair share of taxes in countries where they operate. US authorities have started to follow Europe’s lead in taking a closer look at the big tech companies, particularly after the scandal in which Facebook was found to

have allowed data on millions of people to be used by other companies, including to try to influence the 2016 election that made Donald J. Trump the new US president. According to published reports, US regulators are poised to fine Facebook $5 billion for that scandal, but the wider debate of reining in tech companies’ powers has only just begun. The House Judiciary Committee in the US is investigating the market power of Facebook, Google, Amazon and Apple. Congress is this week holding a two-day hearing on Facebook’s plan to create a digital currency, Libra, which governments in the US and Europe have been skeptical about. In Europe, one of the big questions is how to tax these companies, which do huge business across the continent but pay taxes only in the EU nation where their local headquarters are based, often a low-tax haven like Luxembourg or the Netherlands. The result is they pay a far lower tax rate than traditional businesses. France has tried to address the problem by unilaterally proposing a 3-percent tax on big tech companies’ revenue in the country. The US government is not happy about that and finance ministers from the Group of Seven wealthy countries are discussing the issue this week in Paris. Ursula von der Leyen, the newly appointed EU commission president who should take up her role in November, has said the issue will be a priority for her. The tax issue has brought Amazon into the EU’s crosshairs before. Two years ago, officials ordered it to pay $295 million in back taxes to Luxembourg after finding that the company profited from a tax avoidance deal with the tiny European country. ■ Piovano reported from London. Geir Moulson in Berlin contributed to this report.

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JUDGE RECOMMENDS $14-M AWARD TO NEO-NAZI TROLLING VICTIM BY MATT VOLZ The Associated Press HELENA, Montana—The publisher of a neo-Nazi web site should have to pay the victim of an Internet trolling campaign over $14 million and remove all posts that encouraged his readers to contact the Montana real-estate agent, a magistrate judge recommended on Monday. US Magistrate Judge Jeremiah Lynch called The Daily Stormer publisher Andrew Anglin’s behavior reprehensible and atrocious in telling his Internet followers to unleash a “troll storm” on Tanya Gersh, her husband and her 12-yearold son in 2016. The magistrate judge doesn’t have the final word in the case. His findings and recommendations must be approved by US District Judge Dana Christensen to take effect. Gersh, whom Anglin accused of trying to run white nationalist Richard Spencer’s mother out of the mountain resort community of Whitefish, said her family received hundreds of threatening, harassing and anti-Semitic messages. She sued Anglin, who argued unsuccessfully through his attorneys that his writings were protected by the First Amendment. Anglin, who lives outside the US, was found in default when he didn’t show up for a deposition scheduled in April. His attorneys withdrew from the case when he failed to appear. Lynch said that Gersh deserves $10 million in punitive damages, the maximum amount in punitive damages allowed under Montana law, because of the “particularly egregious and reprehensible nature of Anglin’s conduct.” He also said she should be awarded $4 million more for lost earnings, and pain and suffering. Plus, the court should issue a permanent injunction ordering Anglin to remove the posts and photos because “the atrocious conduct directed at Gersh and her family has not entirely abated,” Lynch wrote. Even if Christensen approves Lynch’s recommendations, it’s questionable whether Gersh will see a dime if Anglin remains outside the reach of US authorities. But that’s not the point, said her attorney, David Dinielli of the Southern Poverty Law Center. “The significance is not in whether we will collect the money,” Dinielli said in an e-mailed statement to The Associated Press. “The significance is that Tanya Gersh, a real-estate agent from a small town in Montana, stood up to fight the most notorious neo-Nazi on the Web, and she won.” Gersh said in a statement that Lynch’s recommendation is a clear message to extremists that nobody should be terrorized for simply being who they are. “This lawsuit has always been about stopping others from enduring the terror I continue to live through at the hands of a neo-Nazi and his followers, and I wanted to make sure that this never happens to anyone else,” she said. Anglin did not immediately return an e-mail seeking comment. He faces default judgments in at least three other federal cases, including lawsuits filed by two other alleged targets of his online trolling campaigns. In one, a federal judge in Ohio last month awarded Muslim-American radio host Dean Obeidallah $4.1 million after Anglin falsely accused him of terrorism. AP

Huawei calls on US to li�t export restrictions

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BY DAKE KANG The Associated Press

HENZHEN, China—The chairman of Huawei said on Friday the Chinese tech giant has yet to see any benefit from US President Donald J. Trump’s promise to allow US companies to sell some components to the company and called on Washington to remove it from a security blacklist. The “unjust and unfair” decision to add Huawei Technologies Ltd., the biggest maker of network equipment for phone companies, to a list that restricts exports is hurting its US suppliers and global customers, Liang Hua told a news conference. American officials accuse Huawei of facilitating Chinese spying, a charge the company denies, and see it as a growing competitor to US technology industries. Its founder, Ren Zhengfei, said in June the company has cut sales forecasts by $30 billion over the next two years due to curbs on access to US chips and other components. Trump promised last month to allow some sales to Huawei but said it will stay on the “entity list” until talks over Washington’s tariff war

with Beijing are concluded. “So far we haven’t seen any tangible change,” Liang said. “We’re not saying that just because things have relaxed a little, we’re fine with being on the blacklist,” he said. “Actually, we believe our listing on the blacklist should be lifted completely.” Despite the US export restrictions, Huawei revenue grew in the first half of this year, Liang said. He declined to give details ahead of the release of financial results later this month. Trump’s export curbs are a blow to US suppliers of chips and other technology for which Huawei is one of the biggest buyers. Huawei reported earlier that its sales rose 19.5 percent last year over 2017 to 721.2 billion ($105.2 billion). The company’s founder, Ren Zhengfei, had said he expected sales to rise 30 percent this year, but those plans were derailed by Trump’s export curbs. Liang said Huawei is deciding how to respond to possible loss of access to Google’s Android operating system for its mobile phones under Trump’s curbs. Huawei, the No. 2 global smartphone brand after Samsung, has developed its own operating system,

Hongmeng, but has said so far it has no plans to use it on phones. “The open Android operating system and ecosystem is still our first choice,” Liang said. “Of course, if America doesn’t let us use it, then might we in the future develop our own Hongmeng as our cell phone operating system? We still haven’t decided, yet.” Huawei also is developing its own chips and other technology, which would reduce the amount it spends on US components and help insulate the company against possible supply disruptions. Huawei announced plans in January for a next-generation smartphone based on its own chips. Washington will allow Huawei to license “commodity chip sets” and widely available software and tools so long as they don’t pose a risk to US national security or foreign policy interests, the top American diplomat for cyber security, Robert Strayer, told reporters on Thursday. Strayer said Washington wants to avoid hurting US suppliers of materials that are available from other vendors. “Our companies should not be at a disadvantage to others that are already selling to Huawei,” he said. ■

Carousell acquires OLX, adopts AI-powered Classifieds 4.0 BY PAULINE JOY M. GUTIERREZ ONLINE classified marketplace Carousell has acquired OLX Philippines via a $56-million investment deal with tech investor Naspers, giving the OLX Group, its classifieds business arm, an approximate 10-percent stake in the Singapore firm. The merger, which was launched on July 15, Monday, now forms a single platform under carousell.ph. Pushing artificial intelligence as the new frontier for the classifieds sector, Carousell also moves to introduce Classifieds 4.0, an AI-first concept that will simplify the selling/ buying process on the platform to “reduce the time taken for users to sell a product— from 30 to only three seconds.” Classifieds 1.0 utilized the print media, Classifieds 2.0 used the desktop Web while Classifieds 3.0 was mobile-first. With 4.0, AI will improve the personalized feed on the app based on a user’s past buying behavior and that of similar users, along with conversational commerce that features Siri-like search, chatbots and smart replies. Further, AI will auto-fill the sellers’ listing fields such as category, title and

even suggest a price based on other similar listings. “Our founders were 2.0 users at first. They got frustrated and wanted something that was mobile-first, which was 3.0 that actually allowed users to snap a photo, add in a description and price in order to start selling their goods using their mobile phones. But now we’re thinking, ‘What’s next?’” said Raffy Montemayor, general manager of OLX Philippines who leads the transition of its customers to the new platform. “We wanted to reimagine what classifieds should be. So we started investing in technologies that could make this happen,” he added. He said the Philippines is the fastestgrowing market for Carousell, specifically in very concentrated areas where people can easily meet for transactions. As far as concerns over the application transition, Montemayor was quick to explain: “OLX users who didn’t consent to share their data openly under the Carousell platform no longer had access to their listings from July 15 onward because all traffic is now being redirected to Carousell.” There will also be dedicated teams in

place to understand patterns of fraud for the protection of users, complementing third-party Trust and Safety firm in checking what’s happening with other platforms to help create a safer environment. Globally, the marketplace has quadrupled in volume since inception, with more than 196 million listings and 71 million items sold among 6 million monthly unique users as of 2019. In growing its footprint in the property business arm in the Philippine market, Carousell, likewise, acquired Property24, a property search portal that is a subsidiary of Naspers, through the OLX merger. “What really is the best benefit of all of these three brands coming together is we’re looking at combining the old uses of all of these three platform,” said Tina Bautista, head of the General Classifieds, Real Estate and Data and Analytics teams at Carousell Philippines and Property24. She noted that the OLX audience has a very strong brand recall. With the addition of Carousell users to the e-commerce landscape, she projects a more diverse pool of listings and property offerings for the platform’s buyers and sellers.

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CONVERGE ICT and Beneco executives: VJ Baraan (from left), Converge Sales area head; JP Aguilar, Converge sales regional head; Orange Ramirez, Converge marketing director, Engr. Rocky Aliping, Beneco president; Gerardo Versoza, Beneco chairman and Mike Maquiran, Converge national sales head.

3 myths to bust about breaking up ‘big tech’

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BY BHASKAR CHAKRAVORTI Tu�ts University

S the public and government regulators around the world discuss whether and how to manage the power of technology companies, one idea that keeps coming up is breaking up these large conglomerate corporations into smaller pieces. Public distrust for tech companies has shifted to talk of antitrust action against them. Facebook, for instance, might then have to compete with Instagram for photo-sharing and WhatsApp for messaging—rather than owning both. The idea has managed to garner support from both Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a Democrat, and Republican US President Donald J. Trump. However, advocates and opponents of breaking up big technology firms are falling prey to some serious misconceptions. I study the effects of digital technologies on lives and livelihoods across 85 countries and lead Tufts Fletcher School’s Digital Planet initiative studying technological innovation around the world. In my opinion, there are three myths worth busting before considering taking on big tech.

MYTH 1: COMPARING STANDARD OIL AND GOOGLE ARGUMENTS for and against antitrust action against tech firms rely heavily on the experiences of earlier cases. The massive 19th-century monopoly Standard Oil has, in fact, been referred to as the “Google of its day.” There are also people who are recalling the 1990s antitrust case against Microsoft’s dominant position in the era of personal computers. Those cases from the past may seem similar to today’s situation, but this era is different in one crucial way: the global technology marketplace. Currently, there are two parallel “big tech” clusters. One is in the US, dominated by Google, Amazon, Facebook and Apple. The other is based in China, dominated by Baidu, Alibaba, Tencent and Huawei. This global market is subject to different political and policy pressures than regulators faced when dealing with Standard Oil and Microsoft. Both clusters are attempting to add users to accumulate reservoirs of data, which will fuel the next stage of competitiveness in a future run by artificial intelligence. The Chinese government has blocked most of the US companies from entering the Chinese market, protecting its “AI national team.” The US

government has done likewise, blacklisting some Chinese outfits for a period while discouraging others. If the US technology giants are broken up, the result would be a vastly uneven global playing field, pitting fragmented US companies against consolidated state-protected Chinese firms. Geopolitical factors aren’t limited to the US-China rivalry. The European Union, Russia and India are also heavy users of Silicon Valley technologies, and each is exploring its own options for legislation and regulation, too. US companies’ size and data accumulation capabilities give the country economic and political influence around the globe. Their power would change if they were broken up—and, in my view, that should be a key consideration in regulators’ decisions.

MYTH 2: PRICE IS RIGHT THERE are two main views of antitrust action in these discussions. One focuses on consumer welfare, which has been the prevailing approach federal lawyers have taken since the 1960s. The other view suggests that regulators should look at the underlying structure of the market and potential for powerful players to exploit their positions. Those two sides seem to agree that price plays a key role. People who argue against breaking up the tech giants point out that Facebook and Google provide services that are free to the consumer, and that Amazon’s marketplace power drives its products’ costs down. On the other side, though, are those who say that having low or no prices is evidence that these companies are artificially lowering consumer costs to draw users into company-controlled systems that are hard to leave. Both sides are missing the fact that the monetary price is less relevant as measure of what users pay in the technology industry than it is in other types of business. Users pay for digital products with their data, rather than just money. Regulators shouldn’t focus only on the monetary costs to the users. Rather, they should ask whether users are being asked for more data than is strictly necessary, whether information is being collected in intrusive or abusive ways, and whether customers are getting good value in exchange for their data.

MYTH 3: TRUST-BUSTING IS ALL OR NOTHING THERE aren’t just two ways for this debate to end, with either a breakup of one or more technology giants or simply leaving things as they are for the

market to develop further. My own idea of the best outcome would take a page from the history of antitrust litigation: The company that is sued is not broken up, and yet the very fact that there was a lawsuit leads to progress. That has happened in the past, in the cases against the Bell System, IBM and Microsoft. In the 1956 federal consent decree against the Bell System, which settled a seven-year legal proceeding against the company, the company wasn’t split up, but Bell was required to license all its patents royaltyfree to other firms. This meant that some of the most profound technological innovations in history— including the transistor, the solar cell and the laser— became widely available, yielding computers, solar power and other technologies that are crucial to the modern world. When the Bell System was eventually broken up in 1982, it did not do nearly as much to spread innovation and competition as the agreement that kept the Bells together a quarter-century earlier. The antitrust action against IBM lasted 13 years and didn’t break up the firm. However, as part of its tactics to avoid appearing to be a monopoly, IBM agreed to separate pricing for its hardware and software products, previously sold as an indivisible bundle. This created an opportunity for entrepreneurs Bill Gates and Paul Allen to create a new software-only company, called Microsoft. The surge of software innovations that have followed can clearly trace their origins to the IBM settlement. Two decades later, Microsoft was itself the target of an antitrust action. In the resulting settlement, Microsoft agreed to ensure its products were compatible with competitors’ software. That made room in the emerging Internet marketplace for web browsers, the predecessors of Apple’s Safari, Mozilla’s Firefox and Google Chrome. Even Margrethe Vestager, the European Union’s top antitrust official and frequent tech-giant nemesis, has said that “antitrust prosecutions are part of how technology grows.” But that doesn’t mean they all have to achieve their most extreme ends, of breaking up the companies. Antitrust rules are complicated enough, and plenty of experts will be called on to give their views on what to do with “big tech.” Technology pervades every aspect of modern lives, giving each person a responsibility to weigh in on this issue without misconceptions clouding their judgments. Technology has become a political issue. In a politically overheated climate, public sentiments may matter even more than the opinions of experts. AP

Converge ICT extends expansion in Baguio CONVERGE ICT Solutions (Converge ICT), a major provider of telecommunication and cable television services in the Philippines, had expanded its reach in the urban landscape Baguio. Its partnership with Benguet Electric Cooperative Inc. (Beneco) allows Converge ICT to meet its objective of providing a faster and more reliable connection in the northern part of Luzon. Beneco is an electric cooperative which provides electricity to the city of Baguio and Benguet province. It is the first electric cooperative to enter into a partnership with a company such as Converge in order to provide Internet to its member-consumers. Plans for Baguio expansion had been in place since 2017. Converge ICT has been operating in Baguio since 2018 and further expansion is in the works since the first half of 2019. “Customers in Baguio have long been waiting for an alternative Internet provider that can give them a better service,” said Chief Operating Officer Jesus Romero. “Converge ICT’s partnership with Beneco is equitable as well because Beneco’s electric poles are infrastructure-ready for use, which means that we can easily fast-track the expansion.” Beneco also benefits from the use of Converge ICT’s fiber-optic infrastructure. This allows them to comply with the directive from the National Electrification Administration and the Department of Information and Communications Technology to tap electric cooperatives to bring Internet to clients assisting the government in achieving its goals with the National Broadband Plan. Baguio may be a challenging location for laying down fiber-optics because of its terrain, but the combined expertise of Converge ICT’s technical team and Beneco’s familiarity with the terrain has the work more manageable. The plans and packages Converge ICT is offering to Baguio residents and establishments include the Converge fiber plans FiberX 1500, 2500, 3500, and Fiber Xtreme 4500 and 7000. Converge ICT also offers reasonable plans specially geared toward the small and medium enterprise segment. These include the iBiz 10Mbps at Plan 4,000, iBiz 20Mbps at Plan 6,000, iBiz 30Mbps at Plan 9,000, iBiz 40Mbps at Plan 12,000, and iBiz 50mbps at Plan 15,000. The enterprise segment will get dedicated Internet access with business broadband and wholesale IP transit. For value-added services, enterprises will have data center services at two colocations in Luzon. More information on the partnership and other issues is available www.convergeict.com.

First-of-its-kind road-safety app launched ANY one who ventures out into the streets can be a target. Many pedestrians have figured in accidents that have resulted in terrible disabilities, unimaginable injuries and countless loss of lives. Every day, over 34 Filipinos die due to road accidents. In Metro Manila alone, there are more than 200 incidents daily. With such grim statistics, everybody hopes for the day when pedestrians are no longer threatened. Road safety can be better guaranteed, for anyone and everyone who traverse our streets. Finally, help has arrived to make this dream a reality with an app designed to

help pedestrians and motorists be more mindful of their own safety on the streets. Introducing Croxtec (pronounced cross-tek), an app invented by Filipino balikbayan Debbie Anne G. MacariolaSaint John. After 40 years in the Bay Area and 24 years of work experience in the US automotive industry, Debbie came home and specifically chose the Philippines, her country of birth, as the pilot market of Croxtec. This pedestrian safety app is the flagship product of her up-and-coming technology ventures company, Djanco Information Technology Solutions, and given the reception from media and the

public to Croxtec, the app is destined to be a game changer. Available on Google Play as a free download for Android phones, Croxtec (www.croxtec.com.ph) is envisioned to help stem and stop the rising number of road fatalities by providing an alert system to its users. It is meant to help us become more mindful of the vehicles and pedestrians in our immediate environs. Once you sign in as a user, Croxtec immediately identifies you as either a motorist or pedestrian and sends you alerts on whether you are in the Croxtec

Safezone, Caution Zone or Unsafe Zone. With its pilot launch in the Philippines, which covers some of the busiest streets, thoroughfares and highways in Asia, Croxtec confidently drives into a future where the country can join the ranks of smart countries on the global front, with safer roads for its pedestrians and motorists who traverse them every day. With Debbie at the helm, Djanco has taken on the role of creating digital products and applications to enhance smart city living while promoting a more organized and safe urban environment.

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

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Saturday, July 20, 2019 A12

Apple, Google continue inclusive push with new emoji

Can a ‘pop-up’ message deter cyberbullying? TECHNIVORE ED UY

whereiseduy@gmail.com

FUJITSU SCANNERS AMONG TOP DOCUMENT IMAGING VENDORS IN PHL

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CAME from an all-boys school (Pax et Bonum!) and being one of the fat nerdy kids, I had my share of being teased and bullied by my classmates. I was called a lot of names, but “Bob” had to be the most amusing and irritating of them all (Bob + Uy = get it?). But this was way back in the 1990s, a time before everyone was on the Internet and social media. And though there were the usual fist fights, it never became too serious that our parents needed to get involved. We were just boys being boys and even the bullies had their limits. Bullies are the human equivalent of cockroaches— unwanted, pesky and very difficult to eliminate. Sadly, they also seem to have evolved with technology, because now they don’t just make your life miserable every single day in school, they can do it 24/7 thanks to social media. If celebrities like Justin Bieber, the Kardashians, Selena Gomez, Taylor Swift can become victims of cyberbullying— it can happen to anybody, including your children. And Instagram ranks as the No. 1 social networking site for cyberbullying. Have you heard of the word “finsta”? A finsta is a mash-up of “fake Instagram.” It’s often used by teens and young adults as a secret account to post content that’s different from their real Instagram account to document more real, candid posts they only share with close friends. However, finstas can also be used by cyberbullies to harass and torment their victims, by creating an account using the victim’s name and their pictures to make it seem like it is their real Instagram page. They then use this account to say things or upload content in an attempt to intentionally harm their target’s reputation. You can report fake accounts to Instagram and they will remove the account after verification. But even without making a finsta, cyberbullies can still do a lot of damage—from posting malicious or humiliating photos, insult tagging, hashtag bullying, posting screenshots, or even as simple as posting a hurtful comment. Comment bullying or posting a negative, snide or sarcastic comment on a victim’s post is the most familiar form of cyberbullying. It’s a good thing that it is also the easiest to detect and report. That’s where Instagram’s new anti-bullying AI comes in. The new tool being rolled out is a “pop-up” warning that asks the user: “Are you sure you want to post this?” This warning is generated by artificial intelligence to notify users that their comment may be considered offensive

APPLE and Google are rolling out dozens of new emoji that include cute critters, of course, but also expand the number of images of human diversity. Apple Inc. is releasing new variants of its holding hands emoji that allow people to pick any combination of skin tone and gender, 75 possible combinations in all. There are also wheelchairs, prosthetic arms and legs, as well as a new guide dog and an ear with a hearing aid. And then there’s the sloth, the flamingo, the skunk, the orangutan, as well as a new yawning emoji. Google, meanwhile, will offer 71 versions of couples with different skin tones once the additions are completed. Google is also adding an emoji for the Diya lamp so that Diwali can be celebrated alongside Christmas and Thanksgiving. New emoji routinely pop-up every year. Earlier this year, the Unicode Consortium approved 71 new variations of emoji for couples of color. Apple and Google unveiled their designs Wednesday to coincide with World Emoji Day. Anyone can propose an emoji. But for it to make it to phones and computers, it has to be approved by Unicode Consortium. The nonprofit group, mostly made up of people from large tech companies like Apple, Google and Facebook, translates emoji into one standard, so that a person in France, for example, can send an emoji or a text message to a person in the US and it will look the same, no matter what brand of phone or operating system they use. It’s this group that ultimately weighs in on whether we get a sad pile of poop to complement the smiling one, or whether sliced bagel deserves an emoji alongside bread and croissant. Apple’s new emoji will be available in a few months with a free software update for the iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple Watch. Google said its emoji will be released with Android Q later this year. AP

before it is posted. And you thought pop-ups were just a smartphone trend. “This intervention gives people a chance to reflect and undo their comment, and prevents the recipient from receiving the harmful comment notification,” says Adam Mosseri, who heads Instagram. Mosseri said early tests of this feature have encouraged some people to undo their comment and share something less hurtful once they have had a chance to reflect. Another tool being developed is aimed at limiting the spread of abusive comments on a user’s feed. The new feature called “restrict” will make posts from an offending person visible only to that person. You can choose to make a restricted person’s comments visible to others by approving their comments and restricted people won’t be able to see when you’re active on Instagram or when you’ve read their direct messages. Curious, I tested the feature and commented “You are ugly” on my partner’s Instagram account. Unfortunately, I forgot my app hadn’t been updated yet and it posted without the popup warning. I’ve been sleeping on the couch for the past two days. It still doesn’t work as of this writing but hopefully, it will be included in the next Instagram update.

CABLE GUIDE

■ CHOETECH USB C-TO HDMI CABLE: When buying accessories for our gadgets, cables are probably the last thing we thoroughly think about. As long as it works, it’s fine with us. But getting a good cable can actually save you a lot of money, especially if it is compatible with a lot of devices. That’s what I discovered with the Choetech XCH-M180GY cable. This cable allows you to directly connect a USB-C

device to any HDMI display without the need for cumbersome protocols and connector adapters, or the hassle of having to download an app or a buy a separate streaming device. The Choetech USB-C to HDMI cable adapter is plug-and-play and cross-platform compatible with a range of USB-C devices, including USB-C phones like the Samsung Galaxy S8 / S9/ Note 8, HTC U11, etc., iMacs, as well as USB-C laptops and tablets such as the iPad Pro 2018, Surface Book 2 and Chromebook. As long as your device supports audio/video output over the USB-C port, the Choetech USB-C to HDMI cable adapter will work. Another unique feature of the Choetech XCH-M180GY is its built-in USB-C Power Delivery port that can deliver up to 60 watts of power, which is enough power to charge the latest 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Pro. Head over to ichoetech. com and use the code M180EY to get 50-percent off. ■ USB-C TO LIGHTNING CABLE: Next is Choetech’s USB-C to Lightning Cable, which is a great buy considering that it is an Apple MFi Certified product. It is both a charging and syncing cable that is made for iPhone XR/XS/XS Max, with an authorization chip issued by Apple to ensure 100-percent compatibility. With this cable, you can directly connect your iPhone with Lightning connector to your USB-C or Thunderbolt 3 enabled computers and Mac for syncing and charging, plug-and-play, without the need for an adapter. It supports USB Power Delivery, up to 3A so you can fast charge your compatible devices. It allows for a 480Mbps transfer speed when connected to laptops, and can be paired with Quick Charge adapters. It is made of high-quality PVC coat and premium materials making it durable and last for years. Use the code CT36CBEY to get 35-percent off. The Choetech USB-C to Lightning Cable is also expected to work with the upcoming 2019 devices. ■

FUJITSU Scanners developed and manufactured by PFU Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd., a homegrown Fujitsu Company, continues to gain market traction and achieve leadership in key segments, driven by its focus on bringing valuable and innovative document imaging tech that drives growth for its business customers. A recent IDC report revealed that Fujitsu is the top document imaging scanner vendor in the Philippines in 2018 based on unit shipments. Fujitsu Scanners are being used in key industries, such as the financial, public/government and healthcare sectors. Fujitsu has been the top image scanner vendor globally since 2009, marking a decade as the global leader in the industry. According to its data, Fujitsu dominates 51 percent of North America, 64 percent of Japan and 36 percent of Europe’s market share among document imaging scanners. Fujitsu Scanners have been in the global market for over the last 36 years. In July 2017, it achieved its 10-million mark for global unit shipment, offering comprehensive models that cater to the SME, commercial, and enterprise segments. In September 2018, Fujitsu’s ScanSnap Series also attained its 5-million shipment mark globally. “We are grateful to the unending support of our customers, partners and employees, who continue helping us achieve greater heights. We believe that their support is a testament of how trusted and reliable our scanners are,” said Raul “Cricket” Santiago, president and CEO of Fujitsu Philippines Inc. (www.fujitsu.com/ph). “We are excited to continue offering scanning devices to help organizations adapt to digital transformation, as well as to help them tackle their archiving tasks.” Fujitsu’s vast expertise sets its scanners apart from its competitors, enabling the company to innovate solutions that can help in tackling the unique needs of customers. The company utilizes safe and reliable manufacturing and integrates craftsmanship and IT development into its creative processes. From developmental stages to the final products that reach customers, each product passes strict quality standards, ensuring reliability and satisfaction.

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In the ad material of Notice of filing of Application for Alien Employment Permits published on July 2, 2019, the Position of Mr. Cai, Yasi under WISHLAND SOFTWARE TECHNOLOGY INC. should have been read as Soft Developer and not as published. If you have any information / objection to the above mentioned application/s, please communicate with the Regional Director thru Employment Promotion and Workers Welfare (EPWW) Division with Telephone No. 400-6011.

ATTY. SARAH BUENA S. MIRASOL REGIONAL DIRECTOR