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Amid high rate of cleft deformities in PHL, Operation Smile keeps working to give affected kids

PNP’s next impossible mission: A CHANCE OF A LIFETIME Recover 1 million+ loose guns

A CHILD who has received cleft lip surgery from Operation Smile in Bacolod shows his old photo. OPERATIONSMILE.ORG

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HE Philippines has one of the highest rates of cleft deformities with approximately two children for every thousand live births born with cleft, Operation Smile reported.

“Most of the world’s average is around anywhere from 0.7 to 1.3,” Frederick John Brindopke, project lead for research, said.

Cleft lip and cleft palate are birth deformities that occur when a baby’s lip or mouth features do not fully form during the third to eighth week of pregnancy.

According to the organization, 3,000 children are born with cleft in the country every year and

there are approximately 6,000 surgeries needed to be carried out with every batch of incoming cleft patients.

“Operation Smile is currently conducting medical research to determine causes and find cures for cleft deformities. This project, the International Family Study [IFS], is a global research study aimed at discovering the risk factors of cleft lip and palate through

genetic analysis and maternal and paternal questionnaires on environmental exposures and lifestyle habits,” the organization said.

Causes of cleft

DR. William (Bill) P. Magee, Operation Smile CEO ALYSA SALEN

FREDERICK JOHN BRINDOPKE, Operation Smile project lead for research ALYSA SALEN

THE research team identified consanguinity or blood relation between parents as a common trend among families with clefts in the country.

“We ask the parents if they are related and we see the highest rate of that in the Philippines,” Brindopke said. “Genetically, the [more closely] related you are, the more likely there are to be certain birth defects because you’re passing a lot of the similar genes and there’s not much variation.”

Brindopke added that the Continued on A2

The Philippines wants more Bourdain-like tourists NTHONY BOURDAIN inspired a generation of travelers to look beyond sanitized attractions and experience a country’s culture, food and people. The Philippines wants to make sure those tourists keep coming even as it shut down one of Asia’s top beaches.

PESO EXCHANGE RATES n US 53.5200

The Southeast Asian nation credits the late gourmand for shining a light on local dishes, such as lechon (roasted pork) and sisig (minced pork ears and liver), Tourism Secretary Bernadette Fatima Romulo Puyat said, and it plans to target adventurers like Bourdain.

“The Philippines is not just about the beaches,” said Romulo Puyat, who was appointed weeks after President Duterte closed Bo-

racay’s famous white-sand coast for a six-month visitors detox.

“Long time ago, people would think the Philippines is all about exotic food, but because of the late Anthony Bourdain, our food is getting attention.”

The government is betting that the move to put the spotlight on its local cuisine will help compensate the loss in tourism

JL JAVIER/CNNPHILIPPINES

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By Cecilia Yap & Andreo Calonzo | Bloomberg

Continued on A2

n JAPAN 0.4760 n UK 69.6616 n HK 6.8186 n CHINA 7.8943 n SINGAPORE 39.0515 n AUSTRALIA 39.3800 n EU 62.3240 n SAUDI ARABIA 14.2716

Source: BSP (July 20, 2018 )

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A2 Sunday, July 22, 2018

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Amid high rate of cleft deformities in PHL, Operation Smile keeps working to give affected kids a chance of a lifetime Continued from A1

geographic location of islands is a factor to consider for consanguinity. Small islands may have been inhabited by the same people over the years who are likely to have similar lineage, he said.

There are currently 82 genes known to be associated with cleft.

Family history of cleft deformities increases the chances of offsprings to have cleft lip, cleft palate, or both.

History of cleft on the father’s side of the family has twice the risk and impact on the offspring compared to history of cleft on the mother’s side, the organization reported.

Considering the environmental aspect, Operation Smile said that smoking is universally scientifically accepted to be a risk factor associated with clefting. Pregnant women who smoke during their pregnancy increase the chances that their child will have cleft deformities by 3 percent to 7 percent.

Additionally, binge drinking alcohol during pregnancy is known to cause fetal alcohol syndrome which has effects similar to cleft lip and palate.

Operation Smile has a collection of over 6,500 families saliva samples from eight countries, totaling almost 14,500 individual saliva samples. Their data indicate the following significant risk factors for clefts:

n Advanced maternal age n Pregestational hypertension n Gestational seizures n Paternal tobacco smoking n Paternal lower education n Maternal rural residency n Maternal indoor tobacco exposure n Maternal cooking with wood n Maternal use of river/lake or well-water n Maternal agricultural and industrial

chemicals exposure

Brindopke clarified that phenytoin, an anti-seizure medication,

poses the risk for cleft deformities and not the gestational seizures themselves.

“When mothers took this during pregnancy, they were at 10 times higher risk of having a child with a cleft because of how this medication affects human development,” he said.

The medical study was led by IFS partners University of Southern California and Children’s Hospital Los Angeles as part of an Operation Smile initiative to address causation of cleft deformities and contribute to the global prevention of clefts.

“As long as we continue to treat rather than prevent, we allow hundreds of thousands of children to continue being born with clefts each year,” the organization said.

Throughout 36 years, Operation Smile continued to grow with volunteers and their medical reach throughout the globe spread to six different continents. Over 350,000 patients have been treated around the world, and 10 percent, or 35,000, of them are patients from the Philippines.

Creating more smiles

THE move to help people, especially children, with cleft lips and cleft palates began here in the Philippines when Dr. William (Bill) P. Magee and his wife Kathleen came with a group of medical volunteers.

Due to lack of resources, the team was only able to treat 40 children out of the 300 families in Naga City that came to be treated, on November 1982.

A mother came with a bunch of bananas as a gift to Bill for helping her child. This was what Bill felt as the start of a responsibility to children.

Bill and his team returned the following year with the new banner named Operation Smile. They were able to gather 18 volunteers comprised of doctors, nurses and technicians for their mission that treated over 100 patients.

Throughout 36 years, Operation Smile continued to grow with volunteers and their medical reach throughout the globe spread to six different continents.

Over 350,000 patients have been treated around the world, and

A MOTHER sits with her child in the post-anesthesia care unit as he awakes from anesthesia following cleft lip surgery by Operation Smile in Bacolod. AESON BALDEVIA/ OPERATIONSMILE.ORG

10 percent or 35,000 of them are patients from the Philippines.

A total of 12,000 to 13,000 volunteers worldwide are currently working along with them, including pediatricians, dentists, surgeons and researchers.

“We have people wanting to volunteer in their spare time. We go through a credentialing process to make sure they got the skill sets that we need. We make business

with hospitals to make sure that the setup is ideal,” Bill said.

He also said skill sets needed from a volunteer include understanding of medicine, psychology, and speech pathology.

At the start of the operations, the majority of the volunteers who do surgery here in the Philippines came from different countries around the world. Now, 80 percent of those surgeries are

done by the locals.

“It’s not just about one process.

It is a process about educating people,” Bill said.

Helping these kids and giving them a brighter future is what drives Bill. He said the moment a person shows their talent, time, treasures and resources to help another person, is an act of showing love and in return receives love and becomes happy.

“I say that reason leads to conclusion but it’s emotion that leads to action. I think all of us have a need to love and be loved. We don’t talk about it much, we sing about it in songs, write in poetry.

But in our everyday lives, it’s uncomfortable when we say ‘I need love, I need to give love’ but it’s the truth,” he added.

Jenn Kiana Louise N. Cardeño & Marc Wyxzel C. Dela Paz

The Philippines wants more Bourdain-like tourists Imposing caps on beachgoers means the Philippines has to lure tourists with food and culture to meet its target of doubling foreign visitors to 12 million before Duterte’s term ends in 2022.

Continued from A1

revenue as it limits the number of travelers to its beaches. The Philippines joins neighbors, such as Thailand—which attracts five times more travelers—to ease congestion at popular beach destinations. Imposing caps on beachgoers means the Philippines has to lure tourists with food and culture to meet its target of doubling foreign visitors to 12 million before Duterte’s term ends in 2022, according to Romulo Puyat.

The economics professor, who was an agriculture official under several administrations before assuming the top tourism post, said in a July 16 interview that enticing

millennials through Facebook and Instagram would help boost tourism’s contribution to the economy from 12.2 percent last year. While domestic tourism remains the main driver of growth, foreign visitors and Filipinos from overseas spent P448.6 billion ($8.4 billion) in 2017.

“The one thing we see from millennial travelers a lot around the world is people have a real desire to go to a hotel where it really feels like it’s a green hotel,” John Brown, chief executive officer of Agoda Services Co., said at the Bloomberg Asean Business Summit in Bangkok last week. “You’ll be surprised how many people we have on site asking if is this an en-

vironmentally friendly hotel.”

Chinese nationals are also visiting at a record pace, as relations between Manila and Beijing warm under Duterte. Philippine Airlines Inc. plans to begin flights this year to secondary cities in China where tourists rent planes to go to the island resorts of Boracay, Palawan and Cebu, President Jaime Bautista said in an interview this week.

The Philippines aims to get between 1.2 million and 1.5 million Chinese arrivals this year, up from 968,447 in 2017. Chinese visitors jumped 44 percent last year, dislodging the US as the nation’s top source of visitors after South Korea.

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

The World BusinessMirror

Sunday, July 22, 2018

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Warning signs rise for stock market’s record-setting run The charging bull sculpture by Arturo Di Modica in New York’s Financial District. Many along Wall Street expect the bull market rally that began in March 2009 to eclipse the 1990 to 2000 run that ended with the dot-com crash. But more voices are questioning whether the stock market’s run will make it beyond 2019 or 2020. AP

By Stan Choe

The Associated Press

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EW YORK—The current bull market in stocks is a month or so away from becoming the longest in history.

If it happens, then what?

M a ny a long Wa l l St re et expect the rally that began in March 2009 to eclipse the 1990 to 2000 run that ended with the dot-com crash. But a growing number of experts are questioning whether the stock market’s run will keep going through 2019 and beyond.

The big threat now is the potential for a punishing trade war, as the United States squabbles with allies and rivals alike on tariffs. That could squeeze earnings and economic growth around the world.

Beyond that, several firmer warning signals for the market are flashing yellow.

Here’s a look at some of them:

The yield curve

This is a somewhat inscrutable signal, hidden in the recesses of

the bond market, but it’s been an accurate one.

When yields for long-term bonds drop lower than yields for short-term bonds, it’s what economists call an “inverted yield curve.” It indicates that investors are forecasting a weaker economy and inflation in coming years. An inverted yield curve has also preceded each recession of the last 60 years, though sometimes by more than a year.

The yield curve isn’t inverted now, but it’s the closest it’s gotten since before the Great Recession.

Inflation

Prices are picking up across the economy, particularly for businesses, after years of ultralow inflation. Prices for businesses rose 3.4 percent last month from a year earlier, the biggest jump since 2011.

For companies, higher inflation erodes profits unless they’re able to raise prices. For consumers, it saps their buying power.

The Federal Reserve has already indicated it may raise

interest rates two more times this year, and an acceleration of inflation would push it to pick up the pace.

Higher interest rates have historically hurt stocks and other risky investments. Record-low interest rates helped prop up stock markets for most of the past decade.

Debt

Compa n ies a re f a mou sly hoarding great piles of cash, but they’re also sitting on evergrowing piles of debt.

Total debt among nonfinancial US companies is at a record high, relative to the size of the US economy. As the Great Recession demonstrated, high debt levels can leave companies, families and anyone else particularly vulnerable when an economic shock arrives.

If interest rates do continue to climb, so, too do, borrowing costs for companies.

Growth outperformance

Investors are pouring money into stocks of companies that are growing quickly, such as big technology companies. These growth stocks are trouncing what are called “value stocks,” which are companies that look cheap or have big dividends.

Investors have switched allegiance back and forth between growth and value stocks, and each time, the outperformance has peaked just before or after a market top for the S&P 500, such as in 2000 and 2007.

M&Aand ipos

Companies around the world

SoKor’s Moon approval rating drops amid wage-hike uproar

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upport for South Korean President Moon Jae-in fell by the most since he took power last year, after a minimum-wage increase that drew criticism from employers and workers alike.

Moon’s approval rating fell 6 percentage points over the past week to 61.7 percent, according to a Realmeter poll of 1,504 adults released on Thursday. That’s the biggest drop recorded by the firm since Moon assumed the presidency in May last year and the lowest level since January, when 60.8 percent approved of his performance.

The decline comes amid an uproar over the local minimum wage board ’s decision to raise hourly base pay by 10.9 percent next year to 8,350 won ($7.37). W hile business owners complain the added costs could force some to close, the rate means Moon will probably fall short of his push to raise the rate 33 percent by 2020.

Some 42 percent described the planned minimum-wage increase as too steep, according to a smaller group of 500 respondents su r veyed. A nother 40 percent said the rate was adequate.

The poll is the latest sign that South Korea’s slow ing economy is becoming a bigger concern for Moon after his dramatic rapprochement with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un drove his approval ratings to stratospheric levels. The left-leaning Moon was carried into office on a surge of discontent that had led to the impeachment of his conservative predecessor, Park Geun-hye.

Moon’s apology

Support for Moon’s Democratic Party fell 3.8 percentage points to 41.8 percent, the fifth straight week of declines, the sur vey found. The opposition Liberty Korea Party rose 2.5 percentage points to 19.5 percent.

During a meeting with top aides on Monday, Moon apologized for failing to raise wages at the pace he promised as part of his “income-driven” economic policy. “The government will do its best to accomplish the 10,000 per hour goal at the earliest date,” Moon said, adding that the decision was based on an assessment of the country’s economic strength.

All nine employer representatives on the 27-seat minimum wage commission boycotted the Saturday vote to approve the increase. Four members from the workers’ side also withheld their votes.

South Korea on Wednesday trimmed its economic growth forecasts for this year, citing rising global trade tensions and a slump in facilities investment. Asia’s fourth-largest economy is expected to grow 2.9 percent in 2018, versus an earlier forecast of 3 percent, the finance ministry said.

Bloomberg News

are buying each other as they hunt for growth, and this year is on pace to be the highest for mergers and acquisitions (M& A) since 2007.

Companies are also going public in hopes of cashing in on the hot stock market, and this past quarter was the busiest for initial public offerings (IPO) in three years, according to Renaissance Capital.

Act iv it y for bot h buyouts a nd I POs tend s to pea k a rou nd m a rket tops.

But for now.

Of course, this bu l l market has r un through a l l k inds of war ning sig ns and proven its skeptics w rong time and aga in. R ising from the ashes of the financia l cr isis, it’s famously been one of the most unloved bu l l markets in histor y.

Surging corporate earnings due to lower tax rates and a strengthening economy should give the market more fuel this year. Plus,

one important ingredient for a market top is still missing—the wave of buy ing that comes as investors succumb to the fear of missing out, sa id Matt hew Miskin, market strategist with John Hancock Investments.

“The yield curve is not inverted yet, and earnings are still good,” Miskin said. “It’s not there yet, but you want to have a plan of attack for when all these dominos do fall.”

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Sunday, July 22, 2018

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Amid growth slowdown, Beijing flirts with easier monetary policy

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hina’s banks are being offered cash and given instructions to boost lending, adding to evidence of a shift toward greater official support for the economy.

The banking and insurance regulator has asked financial institutions to “earnestly implement” plans to help reduce financing costs for small firms, saying big lenders should “take the lead,” according to a news statement posted on its website. Meanwhile, the People’s Bank of China (PBOC) plans to use its Medium-term Lending Facility (MLF) to encourage bank loans and investment in lowerrated corporate debt, according to China Business News.

New credit as a percentage of gross domestic product declined close to a three-year low in June, a Bloomberg Economics gauge shows, as a government-driven campaign to reduce financial risk coincides with weaker output. And with the still-unknowable impact of a trade war with the US looming,

policy-makers are engaged in multiple efforts to keep credit flowing without declaring, yet, a full-scale change in the policy stance.

“We have seen strong indications that Beijing could be shifting from mere policy-easing measures to a new round of stimulus to avert a credit squeeze and economic growth slowdown,” Lu Ting, chief China economist at Nomura International Ltd. in Hong Kong, wrote in a report.

The PBOC will provide commercial banks with the same amount of MLF funds for the portion of their lending exceeding the monthly loan quota and for investment in corporate bonds rated AA+ and above, according to the report. It said banks will receive double the amount of MLF loans for investment in corporate bonds rated below AA+.

“ The latest policies are indicating an easing bias, bringing additional pressure to the yuan,” said Zhou Hao, senior emerging market economist at Commerzbank AG in Singapore. “It also helps to confirm that the Chinese economy is facing a slowdown. If the PBOC doesn’t intervene heavily, there will be further downside.”

The offshore yuan was the weakest Asian currency versus the dollar in Thursday trading, falling as much as 0.6 percent to 6.7867, the lowest in a year.

The cost of one-year interestrate swaps, a gauge of expected funding costs, declined five basis points to 2.79 percent, the lowest since November 2016.

What our economists say...

“The bigger picture is that monetary policy tightened considerably early this year,” wrote Bloomberg’s China economist Fielding Chen.

“With the downside risks to the economy now starting to crystallize, some of that past tightening looks overdone, and the PBOC is working to unwind it.”

China this month recorded one of its biggest corporate-debt

defaults yet, with the downfall of a coal miner that had ridden the country’s wave of credit until policy-makers launched their deleveraging campaign.

Officials in the finance ministry and central bank are debating who should take the lead on increasing support as growth slows, stocks fall and the currency weakens. Any shift in the PBOC’s “prudent and neutral” stance would require a sign-off from higher up in the government.

While some investors have been looking to the Communist Party’s top ruling body to offer guidance on the policy shift, a report from Goldman Sachs Group Inc. said new policy measures could come before the politburo’s midyear economic gathering. That meeting will probably take place around the end of July.

“The government was likely surprised by the timing of the $200-billion tariff announcement by the US and it’s taking time to come up with a concrete response,” Goldman Sachs economists Song Yu and MK Tang wrote in a report.

They said off-balance-sheet lending has become a “bigger drag” in aggregate financing, offsetting

some of the effects of last month’s loosening measures.

China has seen the biggest net monthly drop on record in its shadow banking sector in June, according to Bloomberg calculations based on the central bank ’s data, weighing on the supply of new credit to the real economy.

New data on Monday showed second-quarter growth slowed and factory activity cooled more than expected.

“Chinese policy-makers are increasingly turning toward an easing bias and refraining from deleveraging,” said Tommy Xie, economist at Oversea-Chinese Ba n k ing Cor p. in Singapore. “ The PBOC wants to support credit growth to make sure the economy doesn’t see a sudden drop in the second half, given the slowdown of total social financing, if it continues, is due to have an impact on growth.”

The PBOC’s financial research institute Director Sun Guofeng has indicated room to ease credit policy in an earlier interview. The central bank didn’t respond to a fax sent on Thursday seeking comment on the reports.

Bloomberg News

Carrier punished by regulator after blooper by smoking pilot

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ir China Ltd., the nation’s flag carrier, is facing heat from regulators for a July 10 incident when an aircraft descended rapidly after a pilot accidentally turned off the air-conditioner mid-air.

The Civil Aviation Administration of China has ordered the airline to cut its narrow-body jet flight capacity by 10 percent, state television CCTV reported on its WeChat account on Wednesday, adding that would amount to a reduction of 5,400 flight hours a month. CAAC also imposed a fine of 50,000 yuan ($7,462) on the carrier and scrapped the licenses of the pilots involved, the channel said.

One of the pilots, smoking an electronic cigarette, tried to turn off a circulation fan to prevent smoke from reaching the cabin, but instead ended up making the error, according to an initial probe by the CAAC. Oxygen masks dropped in the Boeing Co. 737 aircraft flying from Hong Kong to Dalian as it lost altitude, but eventually it landed at its destination safely.

The measures by the regulator are likely to hurt the Beijing-based company, which is already bracing for higher expenses from a weakening yuan and rising fuel costs. The penalty could result in about a 3 percentage point drop in Air China’s monthly available seat kilometers, a measure of airline capacity, according to an estimate by Tianfeng Securities Co. CAAC had earlier imposed limits on the number of flights airports can add to ensure punctuality and safety, slowing down capacity expansion among mainland carriers.

Bloomberg News

Science

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

BusinessMirror

Sunday

Sunday, July 22, 2018 A5

for noncommercialization of Bt eggplant

Filipino farmers losing ₧33.85 billion

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By Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas

ilipino farmers are losing as much as P33.85 billion annually due to noncommercialization of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) eggplant as the genetically modified (GM) crop could double their net income, according to an economist.

Cesar Quicoy, associate professor at University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) College of Economics and Management, studied the cost of delaying the commercialization of Bt eggplant in the country in three different adoption rate scenarios.

The first, pegging the adoption rate of Bt eggplant at 15 percent of the total production; the second, at 30 percent; and the last, at 50 percent.

At 15-percent adoption rate, Quicoy estimated that farmers are missing out P10.155 billion in potential earnings in the first year of commercialization and would cumulatively increase to P112.466 billion by the 10th year.

At a 30-percent adoption rate,

eg g plant far mers cou ld have earned at least P20.311 billion annually. After 10 years, they could have already earned a total P224.933 billion.

At a 50 - percent adopt ion rate, eg g plant producers cou ld have earned at least P33.852 in potentia l revenue at the first year of Bt eggplant commercialization. The figure would steadily increase and cumulatively total to about P374.889 billion by the 10th year of market approval.

At net percent value, the eggplant farmers should have already earned between P86.072 billion to P286.907 billion if the Bt eggplant was commercialized a decade ago.

“It’s been 10 years since Bt eggplant was started and introduced

in the country. Just imagine that lost in money, that’s more than P300 billion,” Quicoy told reporters in a recent interview.

“If we assume a 60 -percent a d o p t io n r at e [i m a g i n e t h e impact]. And if we double the cropping, which some provinces do, then can you imagine the impact. That’s a lot of money,” Quicoy added.

He said the additional reve nue t h at e g g pl a nt f a r me r s would get from using Bt eggplant would offset additional costs they would incur. Furthermore, Bt eggplant seeds would drastically cut the farmers’ spending for pesticides as the GM crop is 100-percent resistant to fruit and shoot borer (FSB).

Quicoy estimated that the farmers’ total cost of production per hectare would reduce by at least P2,480.18 through Bt eggplant.

Farmers would drastically reduce

their expenditure for fertilizers by nearly P7,000.

However, farmers would have to spend an additional P1,244.81 for using Bt eggplant, as the GM crop cost nearly double than the current price of seeds sold in the market.

Despite this, Quicoy said the overall added return would offset the total added costs incurred by farmers in using Bt eggplant as the GM crop produces more yield compared to traditional seeds due to the elimination of FSB. A farmer who would use Bt eggplant in a hectare of land would be able to nearly double his net income to P71,060.33 from the current P35,746.06 with an additional yield 2.12 metric tons per hectare.

Quicoy pegged the costs and return estimates at P14.38 per kilogram farm-gate price.

“This is small relative to other sectors, but considering the status of

It’s been 10 years since Bt eggplant was started and introduced in the country. Just imagine that lost in money, that’s more than P300 billion.”—Quicoy

eggplant farmers, especially those with less than a hectare of farm, the additional P35,000 would be a big amount for them,” he said. “ T he i r ad d it ion a l i ncome would come from lesser cost of production, and lesser damage in crops resulting in more marketable produce,” he added.

Local studies found out that eg g plant farmers spray their crops 60 to 80 times over a fourmonth period to eradicate FSB, which damages at least 20 percent to as much as 80 percent of their total crops.

Bt eggplant, which contains Cry1Ac BT protein, has been observed to have the ability to stamp out FSB by up to 100 percent, according to field-trial reports conducted by the Institute of Plant Breeding (IPB) in UPLB. Cry1Ac effectively functions as the insecticide that kills the moth FSB when it is ingested by the pest. “ These results demonstrate that Bt eggplant lines containing Cry1Ac event EE-1 provide outstanding control of FSB and can dramatically reduce the need for conventional insecticides,” said the IPB scientists, led by Dr. Desiree M. Hautea.

“Bt eggplant lines demonstrated high levels of control of FSB shoot damage [98.6 percent to 100 percent] and fruit damage

[98.1 percent to 99.7 percent] and reduced FSB larval infestation [95.8 percent to 99.3 percent] under the most severe pest pressure during Trial 2,” they added in a news release.

In contrast, the non-Bt eggplant suffered 41.58-percent FSBdamaged shoots, 93.08-percent damaged fruits and 16.15 larvae per plot per harvest.

The Bt eggplant project in the Philippines is being conducted by the IPB-UPLB, a public-sector research institution with the mandate of developing quality plant varieties for Filipino farmers.

Researchers have been conducting field trials for Bt eggplant when groups petitioned the Supreme Court (SC) to stop efforts to commercialize the GM crop in 2012.

The SC has reversed in 2016 its 2015 decision stopping field testing of GM crops. However, the commercial propagation of Bt eggplant remains stalled at the regulatory level.

The resulting crafting of Joint Department Circular has put in place new requirements for GM organisms, including Bt eg gplant—step-by-step approva l from the regulatory agencies from laboratory tests to contained and confined use, to field testing and commercial propagation.

Faith A6 Sunday, July 22, 2018

Sunday

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

PNP chaplains told: Elevate spirituality of police force

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Catholic bishop called on police chaplains to “elevate” the spirituality of the country’s law enforcers amid the spate of controversies hounding the lawenforcement agency.

Cebu Auxiliary Bishop Oscar Florencio, Apostolic Administrator of the Military Ordinariate of the Philippines, said that as chaplains their mission is to attend to the pastoral care of the men and women in uniform.

“How to balance would depend on them but I keep reminding them that before they are there as chaplains, they are priests,” Florencio said.

The prelate made the statement at the sidelines of the Philippine Conference on New Evangelization (PCNE) at the UST Quadricentennial Pavilion in Manila last Wednesday.

He was accompanied by several chaplains assigned in different police regional offices.

There are currently 130 active police and military chaplains in the country.

The police institution has been hounded by a series of controversies amid the increasing number of drug-related killings in the country.

The bishop admitted there are situations when the chaplains are “caught in the middle” of the problem but said he consistently cautioned and advised them to do what is right.

“They [chaplains] have to insist on this: what is right is right,

what is wrong is wrong,” Florencio said. “Their conscience would guide them.”

Phi l ippine Nationa l Pol ice chief Director General Oscar D. Albayalde earlier asked the assistance of the Church for the rehabilitation of arrested drug

suspects and spiritual help for the “internal cleansing” of the police force.

The theme of this year’s PCNE is “Moved with Compassion: Feed the Multitude,” which coincides with the Year of the Clergy and Consecrated Persons as declared by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines.

The event also aims to tackle the primary tasks of the clergy and consecrated persons “ in

br ing ing a l l t heir creativ it y, imagination and enthusiasm for the Gospel to the ministry.” “ More or le s s t h i s wou ld help t hem w it h t he t heme about the renewa l of the clerg y for t he new e va nge l i z at ion,” F lorenc io added.

PCNE was introduced by Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle in 2013 as a local response to the call for the new evangelization.

Roy Lagarde/CBCPNews

They [chaplains] have to insist on this: what is right is right, what is wrong is wrong.”—Florencio

Come away to a deserted place and rest awhile Msgr. Josefino S. Ramirez SUNDAY GOSPEL IN OUR LIFE

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oday’s Gospel shares with us the great importance of rest—what it is and what it really is.

The disciples returned and gathered around Jesus to report about their preaching and teaching. As enthusiastic as they were in doing so, they were also weary and hungry from being surrounded by many people in their ministry.

Jesus told them: “Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.”

How timely are those words for us to hear today! As you hear them, seek to further understand the command to slow down, to rest.

Many of us can personally relate to how many times we have heard ourselves say the word “busy.”

I wish there was more remorse when we utter them but it seems that we like the pressure of hearing our phone’s ring, attending to matters left and right, or simply basking in our “busy-ness.”

Think about the times someone asked you how you’re doing. What is our frequent response? Well, you

know the answer albeit refusing to say that you spent the day resting.

Our worth does not come from the hours we slave at work all week (including weekends). Being busy does not equate to being worthy in the eyes of the people around you.

More than anything else, that frantic pace you are used to is a sign of an imbalanced life. Can you truly say that your hectic schedule allows you to always deal with the things that matter the most?

Jesus invites us to come away with Him. It’s not just going away for a trip and still bringing along your precious gadgets.

Let’s accept His gentle command to come away so we may prevent the burnout we experience in our daily living.

Try to spend time alone, time away from social media and technology and choose to recharge your spirits with God. He wants us to rest for a while. Taking the needed rest allows us to take care of others.

So, slow it down and allow the Shepherd to take care of you.

Saint Bridget: Patroness of Sweden

By Corazon Damo-Santiago

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Cebu Auxiliary Bishop Oscar Florencio (third from right), Apostolic Administrator of the Military Ordinariate of the Philippines, attends the fifth Philippine Congress on New Evangelization at the UST Quadricentennial Pavilion in Manila on July 18. Martina Summer Dagal/CBCPNews

Close to 6,000 Filipino pilgrims to perform 2018 Hajj in Mecca

By Edd K. Usman

Special to the BusinessMirror

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lose to 6,000 Filipinos have registered with the National Commission of Muslim Filipinos (NCMF) for the 2018 Hajj, the pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia.

The BusinessMirror learned about this from the NCMF, now headed by Secretary/CEO Saidamen B. Pangarungan, a lawyer who is a former Lanao del Sur governor, among his past government posts.

The pilgrims will be onboard two Saudi Arabian Airlines (Saudia) flights from the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA).

Officials of the NCMF, through the Bureau of Pilgrimage and Endowment (NCMF-BPE), headed by Director Mito-on Ibra requested the Saudi Ministry of Hajj for 5,800 pilgrims’ visas. So far 5,710 already paid their hajj mutawiff (for accommodation, food and transportation) in the course of the five- to six-day pilgrimage rites.

He said the two flights on July 22 will consist of 333 pilgrims and another 335 later in the day.

Saudi Arabia has started receiving pilgrims from Pakistan, Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Malaysia as early as July 14 at the two gateways in Jeddah and Medina, the King Abdul Aziz International Airport and Prince Mohammed bin Abdul Aziz International Airport, respectively.

Although the hajj proper will start on August 19 yet and end on August 23, pilgrims usually fly ahead of schedule to Saudi to better prepare themselves for the arduous religious rites, perform pre-hajj worship and go to religious sites they do not normally visit.

The NCMF said the last hajj flight from Manila to Jeddah or Medina was set on August 6.

This year’s cost of hajj mutawiff for Filipinos is around $1,893 (around P100,000) for food, hotel in Mecca and Medina, and transportation inside Saudi Arabia. The ticket to and from Saudi Arabia is not yet included.

In 2017 pilgrims numbered around 2.35

Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time: ‘Mark 6:30-34’

NCMF Secretary Saidamen B. Pangarungan (third from right, seated) with the Philippine Hajj Supervisory Group during his recent inspection of the pilgrims’ accommodation in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. NCMF photo

million from across the world, each one performed the yearly intense worship and repentance.

Pilgrims seek to have their past sins forgiven by Allah (God in Arabic).

The hajj, which is obligatory to adult Muslims with financial, physical and emotional capacity, is one of the five pillars of Islam.

Besides the hajj, the four other obligatory duties and responsibilities are Shahaddah (profession of faith, reciting that there is only one God and Muhammad is His messenger; Salat (five-daily prayers), Sawm (fasting in Ramadan) and Zakat (obligatory charity).

Ibra said the paramount rite of the hajj called“Uqof,”or“Standing in Arafat,”is expected to occur on August 20, and the celebration of Eid’l Adha (the Feast of Sacrifice), on the following day, Tuesday, in Mina.

Hajj major rites are conducted in Mekkah, Arafat and Mina. Pilgrims from around the world numbering a million or two are expected to march to the Tent City in Mina on July 19 to start the rites with an overnight stay, then on to the Valley of Arafat, where Jabal Al-Rahma (Mount of Mercy) is located, for the high point of Islam’s biggest religious assembly. Other pilgrims are expected to go direct to Arafat.

Religious leaders say that a pilgrim must spend part of the day and a part of the night in Arafat for their pilgrimage to be valid.

Just after his assumption as NCMF’s new

head, Pangarungan flew to Saudi Arabia to personally inspect the Filipino pilgrims’ hotel accommodation in Mecca and Medina (the Prophet Muhammad’s city).

In Arafat and Mina, all pilgrims will be staying in thousands of tents, and in between take a quick sleep in Muzdalifah, then pick up pebbles, before proceeding to Mina for the rites of “Stoning of the Devil.”

Assuming the leadership of the NCMF in the latter part of the preparations for the pilgrimage, Pangarungan, nevertheless wanted to ensure as much as possible the Filipino pilgrims will have a safe pilgrimage and convenient accommodation.

Director Dr. Jun Alonto Datu Ramos of NCMF-Bureau of External Relations said the new secretary flew to Saudi Arabia on July 15 and conducted an ocular inspection on hotels where Filipinos are going to stay.

He said Pangarungan also briefed and provided moral support to the NCMF’s advance Supervisory Group and medical team.

Pangarungan’s priority is the safety and comfort of every pilgrim, which he enunciated when he spoke before the agency’s officials and employees during his assumption of office.

He instructed the medical team in Mecca, headed by Dr. Esmael Abdul, to arrange the clinics in Mecca and Medina and the purchase of equipment and medicines.

Included in the priority reform agenda

of Pangarungan is the conduct of the hajj operation, which in the past had been attended with many problems and allegations of corruption.

He cited the reports of malpractices in getting hotel accommodation, where, for example, a room for four persons is filled with eight more pilgrims. He promised that he would not spare any effort in achieving his goals for the pilgrims and the overall well-being of the NCMF. “I am known for reform-oriented policy in my career history. I will apply it in the NCMF management of the pilgrimage by all means,” he was quoted as saying.

Islamic religious authorities said there are three ways of performing the pilgrimage to Mecca, such as Hajj Tamattu, Hajj Ifradd and Hajj Qiraan. Muslims ought to perform the hajj once in a lifetime.

From Islamweb.net, Hajj Tamattu involves doing the Umrah (minor pilgrimage) and Hajj (major pilgrimage). Here, the pilgrim will enter the state of ihram (purity, symbolized by an unsewn white clothing called ihram) and internalizing the intention to perform the Umrah during the hajj in the months of Shawwal, Dhul Qadah and Dhul Hijjah.

On the other hand, for Ifraad, it means assuming ihram with the intention of performing only the Hajj; Qiraan is combining two things, with the pilgrims entering ihram with the intention of doing the Umrah and hajj together.

In the Islamic calendar called Hijrah (Flight or Migration), the pilgrimage occurs from on Dhul Hijjah 8 to 12, with the dates changing every year in the solar calendar because the lunar-based Muslim calendar is short by about 11 days.

Usman is a freelance journalist who is on science, information technology, current events, etc. He won the “Best Science Feature Story” in the first University of the Philippines Science Journalism Award 2018 on February 17, and the DOST-PCIEERD “Kabalikat Award” for Print Media on June 27, 2014.

rigitta Birgersdotter was 10 years old when she heard a homily on the passion of Christ that left a deep impression in her mind.

The following night, in a vision, she saw Christ hanging on a cross. She asked, “Who has treated you thus? The answer, “They who despise Me, and spurn My love for them.”

The vision made a remarkable imprint in her and the Passion of Christ became the core of her spiritual life (Butler 4:53).

Mystic with varied concerns

Bridget or Brigitta was born on June 14, 1303, to a devout Christian couple. Her father, Birgen Persson, was governor of the province of Uppland and her mother, Ingeborg, was his second wife. She grew up with her aunt when her parents died.

She was 13 when she married Ulf Gudmarsson, who became gover nor of t he prov i nce of Nericia. The couple, who lived happily for 28 years, had eight children. One of them came to be known as Saint Catherine of Sweden.

She was appointed by Magnus II, the King of Sweden, to be the principal lady in waiting of Blanch of Namur, his bride.

While she continued receiving private revelations from God, Bridget tried to inf luence the royal couple to a life of holiness but “with little success.”

In 1344 Bridget and Ulf made a pi lg r i m age to Sa nt i ago de Compostela. On their return, they decided to live on a monaster y, but Ulf died. She then lived near the Cistercian monaster y of A lvastra.

Visions and revelations became more frequent. She shared them to the prior of the monastery, Peter Olafsson, who compiled them. She did not see the publication of the book, which was approved by the Church and first published in 1492.

Other revelations included the political and social implications prevailing during her lifetime.

A courageous woman, she criticized the king and urged ecclesiastical reforms among princes, priests and bishops.

Bridget prophesied the friendly

Saint Bridget of Sweden on an altarpiece in Salem Church, Södermanland, Sweden.

Wikimedia Commons

meeting of Emperor Charles IV and Pope Urban V (1362-1370).

She strongly advocated for the return of the papacy in Rome, which set its office in Avignon in 1309 during Pope Clement V.

Bridgettines

One of the revelations, which was realized, was her founding of the Order of the Most Holy Trinity of Bridgettines in 1346 at Vadstena, to reform monastic life. An order for both men and women, it shares a common church but with different enclosures. It was approved by Pope Urban V three years before she died. However, only the congregation of nuns, know n as Bridgettines, exists today.

In “Imitation of Christ’s 72 disciples, there were 13 priests [12 apostles and Saint Paul] four deacons, eight lay brothers and in the nearby convent, 60 nuns, who by their prayers, were to sustain the preaching apostolate of the priests,” according to AJM Mausolfe and JK Mausolfe in Saint Companions for Each Day. She made a pilgrimage to Holy Land in 1373 in obedience to a vision. Two years after her return to Rome, she died on July 23, 1373.

Her body was brought to Valdstena, Sweden, for burial. She was canonized by Pope Benedict IX on October 7, 1391.

Damo-Santiago is a former regional director of the Department of Education National Capital Region. She is currently a faculty member of Mater Redemptoris Collegium in Calauan, Laguna, and of Mater Redemptoris College in San Jose City, Nueva Ecija.

Tourism&Entertainment BusinessMirror

A7 Sunday, July 22, 2018

Editor: Carla Mortel-Baricaua

Experiencing the Olden Vibe of the Ancient City of Sukhothai

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Story & photos by Marky Ramone Go

even hours after leaving the city of Bangkok and at the stroke of midnight, I found myself on the main highway of old Sukhothai, under the drizzling sky.

One of the many temple hall ruins

Statues of Buddha in different poses can be found here

Just one of the many grand ruins that is captivating and beautiful

The author admiring the ruins in Sukhothai Historical Park

The impressive ruins of Wat Mahathat

With a throbbing head, all brought on by the intermittent sleep, I located my hostel, which to my surprise is housed in a boutique resort property.

“Our Dorm of Happiness, as we call it, is on the second floor.

Come, follow me,” the receptionist told me. My bunk bed is in one of the rooms of an old, white wooden house with a terrace facing a picturesque courtyard.

I quickly lay down on my bed feeling the soft and comfy satin sheets and entertained the idea of having a long nap to make up for lost sleep. However, the lure of the olden city of Sukhothai summons. Instead of surrendering into dreamland, I hurriedly went down and rented a bicycle.

Allure of ancient ruins

The ancient city of Sukhothai was the first capital of the Siam Kingdom founded by King Ramkhamhaeng during the 13th century.

Much smaller than Ayutthaya, Sukhothai is one of the succeeding Siam capitals established in the 14th century. Its set of tem-

ples and monuments in ruins is inside the Unesco World Heritage Site of Sukhothai Historical Park.

The old city walls cover approximately 70 square kilometers, where an impressive list of ancient structure ruins numbering to 193 can be found. Easily toured by foot or by riding a bicycle, I’d spent a total of five days just cycling and walking around this historic park teeming with beautiful reminders of the bygone years of the Siam Kingdom.

Dawn of happiness

The Siam Kingdom that thrived during the foundation of Sukhothai coincided with what many historians call as the Golden Age of Thai Civilization, thus adding to the historical significance of this ancient city.

Sukhothai literally translates to Dawn of Happiness, and it couldn’t have been more fitting in describing a place that conveys a laid-back vibe among the abundance of trees, rolling hills and meandering lakes and ponds.

I find the setting mirroring the

many charms of the countrysides I’ve been to before-only swarming with remarkable ancient relics.

The historical park can be adequately toured in a day or two, but since I decided to extend my stay for five days, I was able to fully enjoy every bit of my exploration.

I spent my first sunset just seated on the steps of the imposing ruins of Wat Mahathat—one of the most impressive temples in Sukhothai. I caught the glimmer brought by the golden hour, kissing every piece of the towering columns as it led my eyes to its lotus bud-shaped main stupa. I remembered feeling a tinge of spiritual awareness and peace of mind the moment the fiery red sky slowly turned to darkness. As my first night in Sukhothai comes to

fold, I took delight at the thought of waking up to a few more dawns in the coming mornings.

A reflective journey

There is always about traveling to ancient cities that forces me to a reflective state. Sukhothai provided me with this same experience, the moment I stepped over its storied grounds.

After spending the morning at Wat si Chum, a 14th century pillared outdoor hall called Mandapa, where a seated 15 meter statue of a Buddha is enclosed inside a hall ruin, I made another round to visit the other temples and palace ruins.

One by one, I stared at the seemingly endless line of Wats (Wat Saphan Hin, Wat Pa Mamuang,

Wat Chana Songkhram, Wat Asokaram, Wat Phra Phai Luang) with complete awe and gratitude.

I was simply overjoyed at having the opportunity of laying eyes on structures that has witnessed the birth of the Siam culture and the flourishing of the Buddhist faith.

Whether I was lost in wonderment, appreciating all these surviving vestiges of the glorious Siam Kingdom era, or blissfully lost in quiet contemplation staring at the silver lake near the Wat Traphang Ngoen monastery, I would always find a spot where I enjoyed those silent moments while relishing on my Zen state of mind.

“Old age is no cause for regret, regret that one is old, having lived in vain,” reads one of the signs at

one of the temples in Sukhothai.

I recited these words as I went on a few more cycle laps around the historic park. In the midst of feeling the wind, smelling the trees, and viewing the sky’s reflection on the glass like pond, I finally concluded my meditative journey.

I know I am living my life, not in vain; I know I won’t regret any moment once I reach my twilight years, because there is way of reaching one’s old age beautifully. One just needs to safeguard all things important and scrap all we can live without. Much like how these spectacular ruins of Sukhothai managed to remain standing and be bearers of historical knowledge and spiritual enlightenment after many centuries. There’s beauty there and nothing else.

Cinema Centenario makes a mark in Maginhawa M

aginhawa Street in Quezon City, popular for its diverse dining scene and creative environment, adds a micro cinema to its list of must-visit spots.

Formally opened in December 2017, Cinema Centenario was built by 10 individuals with different backgrounds. Freelance filmmaker Hector Barreto Calma is the brain behind Centenario, whose inspiration stems from his experience at the 10th Taiwan International Documentary Festival in 2016 where his film, Ang Mga Bulong sa Bituka ng Sta. Mesa, was invited to be a part of.

One of the screening venues, Spot Huashan, an alternative creative space and movie theater converted from an old winery, gave Calma the realization that independent films need not be screened in commercial complexes. Since local independent filmmakers face challenges in the distribution and run of their films, Calma sought to create a version for the country.

“Philippine Cinema is very much alive. There are many films being made every year, we are just not aware because we don’t get to watch them,” said Calma.

According to Calma, there are more or less eight local film festivals in a year, all of which produce quality films. Some of these films compete internationally and bring home critical acclaim, but screening schedules and venues for these local films are unfortunately limited.

“Hindi lahat nakakanood doon sa festival runs. Hinahanap [ng audience] [Not everybody has the chance to watch during the festival runs.

The audience looks for these films].” He added, “As a filmmaker, I know the feeling of hav-

Cinema Centenario holds film masterclasses under the tutelage of Director Raymond Red. Nikki Vicente Cinema Centenario welcomes visitors to a new cinematic experience. Sophia Labayen

This microcinema can accommodate an audience up to 65. Sophia Labayen

ing a movie that cannot be watched, that isn’t screened. So I said, ‘Let’s make a movie house where we can show our films, as well as the films that our audiences are looking for but are not shown anywhere. Let’s build a home where it can be watched.’ That’s why we established Centenario.”

“We named it Centenario, so that, in celebration of the 100 years of Philippine cinema, there’s one micro cinema that was built,” explained founder and co-owner Calma.

rums with directors or artists, as well as monthly master classes with featured filmmakers.

Centenario regularly screens qualitymade Filipino films ranging from independently produced or mainstream, restored classics, short films or documentaries. The micro cinema has a minimum of 20 films in its monthly programming.

“Centenario does not just show one perspective of the Philippines. It isn’t just romcom, we also show different truths about the state of the Philippines today. We show poverty films, show socially relevant films because these really happen. We make it a point to balance our programming, not just all art house films. There should also be different perspectives,” added Calma.

What to see

Cinema Centenario has an audience capacity of 65. Guests are seated on leather-upholstered wooden chairs inspired by a retro-classic theme.

The lobby area has a vintage-inspired ticket

booth, memorabilia from featured films, and posters signed by its actors and filmmakers.

More than just film screenings, Calma and his co-owners intend Cinema Centenario to be that space that encourages, promotes and preserves the culture of the Philippines.

“We believe that films are artefacts of history, that in order for us to learn our history, we need to study it and experience them through visuals, through intellectual understanding, and that’s the space created by the film education and lectures that we organize,” Calma said.

As part of their advocacy on the advancement of Philippine Cinema, Centenario strives to bridge the gap between filmmakers and their audience by holding discussions and Q&A fo-

Micro cinemas vs streaming services

Calma admits that technology and the emergence of video on-demand platforms have helped local productions reach a wider audience. Mikhail Red’s Birdshot, for example, can now be found on Netflix. However, Calma insists that Centenario, as an intimate venue, offers viewing values that can only be found in micro cinemas.

“You can have the comfort, you can have the access, pero ‘yung cinematic experience, wala sa [streaming platforms] [You can have the comfort, you can have the access, but you won’t have the cinematic experience, it’s just not there on the streaming platforms],” added Calma. “That’s where the competition

is. It’s really in the experience...it’s different when you watch a film collectively with strangers, that you all react at the same time.

It isn’t something you could easily replicate at home.”

Aside from the cinematic experience, Calma noted that film directors created their movies with the intention of showing them in larger screens. “It’s the way the directors intended their films to be shown [and that] is how we want to show them, as well.” Calma and his co-owners are not just inviting their guests to watch in their alternate movie house. They are also selling the entire experience of Maginhawa.

“It’s perfect for Maginhawa to have a cinema, so that it won’t just be a place for dining.

It won’t just be your mind that you’ll feed but also your soul and your consciousness as an individual,” concluded Calma.

Sports BusinessMirror

A8 Sunday, July 22, 2018

AUSSIE SOCCER BODY COOL ON BOLT’S BID S

IOC includes seven medal events to Beijing Winter Games program

YDNEY—Football Federation Australia (FFA) has responded cautiously to reports Usain Bolt hopes to play for the Central Coast Mariners in the A-League.

Reports before the weekend said the 31-year-old Bolt, an eight-time Olympic sprint gold medalist, has agreed to trial with the Mariners next month and may receive a one-season A-League contract if he impresses.

However, in order to make a deal possible the FFA would have to top up any salary offered to Bolt from its $3-million fund to attract “marquee” players. The Mariners owner reportedly has offered to meet 70 percent of Bolt’s salary but the FFA’s contribution might still be around $900,000.

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AUSANNE, Switzerland—Planning for its next three Olympic Games on Wednesday, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) added seven medal events to the 2022 Beijing Winter Games, published a 2020 Tokyo Olympics schedule with no agreement on when to race swimming finals, and set a timetable to add new sports to the 2024 Paris Olympics.

The next Winter Olympics will now include: women’s monobob, Big Air freestyle skiing for men and women, plus mixed team events in short track speed skating, ski jumping, ski aerials and snowboardcross.

The addition of gold medals to a 109-event program was combined with a reduction in how many athletes will compete.

In an attempt to cut organizing costs, amid recent failures of potential bidders in Europe for the 2026 Winter Games, there should be no additional venues required and 41 fewer athletes in Beijing than the 2,933 competitors at the Pyeongchang Olympics in February.

IOC Sports Director Kit McConnell said changes for Beijing were “really sending a strong message about controlling the size of the Olympic Winter Games.”

Sports losing athletes from their Olympic quota include 41 in skiing disciplines, 26 from skating and 20 fewer in biathlon.

Women’s ice hockey will grow by two teams to become a 10-nation lineup instead, adding 46 athletes.

McConnell said an improved gender balance will see 45.4 percent female athletes in Beijing, rising from 41.1 percent in Pyeongchang.

A women’s Nordic combined event—mixing crosscountry skiing and ski jumping—will not join the Olympic program because the overall quality of competition and variety of countries taking part was not “at a level appropriate to being included,” the IOC official said.

Two years and one week before the Tokyo Olympics open, the IOC published a detailed schedule on Wednesday of when competitions will take place.

It lacked any breakdown of events at the Olympic Aquatics Centre, which hosts swimming, diving, and synchronized swimming.

At the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, in a time zone one hour different to Tokyo, swimming finals and semifinals were raced in morning sessions so they could be broadcast live in the United States late evening. US broadcaster NBC is the single biggest contributor to Olympic revenues.

However, swimming is also a core attraction for the host nation’s viewers with Japan winning seven medals, including two gold, at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics.

McConnell said a swimming sessions schedule should be finalized inside two months, with the IOC, Tokyo organizers and swimming governing body Fina seeking a balance to ensure “each of the key time zones have some of their key sports live.” AP

THE Football Federation Australia says that “while Usain Bolt is one of the most famous athletes on the planet, he’s not a professional footballer.

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By Raul Dominguez The Associated Press

AN ANTONIO—The most tumultuous off-season in Gregg Popovich’s two decades with the Spurs ended with the trade of star Kawhi Leonard to Toronto.

And Popovich says he is fine with that.

The Spurs traded Leonard and Danny Green to the Toronto Raptors for DeMar DeRozan, Jakob Poeltl and a conditional 2019 first-round pick on Wednesday. It was clear that Leonard was ready to go despite years of success with Popovich and the Spurs.

“At his point, my main interest is definitely not to look back,” Popovich said. “It doesn’t do us any good whatsoever.

I’m thrilled to have DeMar and Jakob join us. From that point on, that’s where my focus will be.”

Popovich was jovial and heartfelt in speaking to the media for the first time since his wife, Erin, died on April 18.

Popovich did not coach the Spurs in the final three games of their first-round playoff loss to Golden State.

Popovich said this off-season has been “difficult” for him, but it has not dampened the 69-year-old’s desire to continue coaching.

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OGYAKARTA, Indonesia—The Asian Games torch is headed out on an 18,000-kilometer journey around Indonesia after ceremonies at an ancient temple where its flame was combined with a sacred Javanese fire.

Jakarta and the Sumatran city of Palembang are hosting the games from August 18 to September 2. About 9,000 athletes and several thousand officials and journalists are expected to take part.

In a ceremony on Wednesday at the 1,000-year-old Prambanan temple, the torch was touched with the Mrapen eternal flame that comes from a natural gas fire in a Javanese village.

Local lore says the flame, used in

In a statement late Tuesday, the FFA said, “While Usain Bolt is one of the most famous athletes on the planet, he’s not a professional footballer.

“If the trial goes ahead and Central Coast Mariners decided it stacks up and they want to offer him a contract, then we will have a discussion with them around that and what might be possible.”

Bolt, who quit the track last year, has already trialed unsuccessfully with Germany’s Borussia Dortmund and South Africa’s Mamelodi Sundowns.

Many regard reports he might trial with the Mariners as a public relations stunt. His previous trials were with clubs which shared his major sponsor.

Mariners Chief Executive Shaun Mielekamp said he hoped to have details of any trial finalized by lateAugust.

“It is crucial to note that all discussions between the Central Coast Mariners and Bolt require an initial

six-week trial period and no contract is guaranteed,” a club statement said.

Bolt’s longtime agent, Ricky Sims, confirmed the Jamaican athlete is considering the Mariners’ offer of a trial.

“Usain has made it quite clear that he’s interested in playing professional football,” Simms told the Australian Associated Press. “We’re looking at a number of options and this is one of them.”

Australian player agent Tony Rallis, who first revealed Bolt’s interest in playing in the A-League, said Bolt was genuine in his desire to play for the Mariners.

“If he meets the benchmarks set by the coaches, he’ll be given a contract,” Rallis said. “He’ll be treated like another one of the players and he doesn’t want to be treated like a different player.

“He’s got a point to prove and he’s determined to prove he’s worth a contract.” AP

GREGG POPOVICH says he is fine now that his most tumultuous offseason in two decades with the Spurs ends with the trade of star Kawhi Leonard to Toronto. AP

NEW LOOK FOR SPURS

“When I can’t do it anymore or don’t want to do it or people don’t want to do it with me, then I’ll stop doing it, but I’m fine,” he said.

Popovich will be coaching a crop of young talent unseen in San Antonio since the early days of the Big Three of Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili—a roster the result of some big changes.

In addition to losing Leonard and Green, San Antonio also lost Parker and Kyle Anderson to free agency. It was especially tough losing Parker, who Popovich formed a patriarchal bond with since the Spurs drafted the then 19-year-old from France.

Parker signed a two-year deal with Charlotte after Popovich and Spurs General Manager RC Buford informed the 36-year-old point guard that his minutes would be limited in favor of younger players like Dejounte Murray, Derek White, Bryn Forbes and first-round pick Lonnie Walker out of Miami.

“This was really good for Tony,” Popovich said. “He’ll

Asian Games torch relay on

International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach unbuttons his jacket before the opening of the IOC executive board meeting in Lausanne. AP

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

annual Buddhist ceremonies, has burned since the 15th century.

The organizing committee of the games said the monthlong torch relay will take it through 54 cities before arriving at the renovated Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta for the opening ceremony.

Committee Chairman Erick Thohir said the torch relay, which begins after further ceremonies in the sultanate of Yogyakarta on Thursday, aims to “spread the spirit” of the games to all corners of Indonesia.

The torch was lit in New Delhi, the host of the first-ever Asian Games in 1951, on Sunday and arrived in Indonesia on Tuesday. The flame was kept alive in a special lantern during the flight. AP

get more playing time, it’ll kind of rejuvenate him a little bit.

I think he’s really excited to be in Charlotte and we’ve got some young kids that we need to develop in Dejounte and Derek White and Bryn and so forth.”

Led by LaMarcus Aldridge’s resurgent season, the Spurs won 47 games last season and reached the playoffs for a 21st consecutive year. They did so despite playing without Leonard for all but nine games due to a right quadriceps injury the All-Star forward suffered last year.

Popovich said he believes this year’s team will be more talented despite the off-season losses.

“I think we’ve sustained a pretty good level of excellence for a very long time, more than most,” Popovich said. “Hopefully that will continue and I’m confident it will with someone like DeMar and a young player like Jakob that can develop.”

The Spurs were able to resign Rudy Gay and added former Spurs guard Marco Belinelli. Trading for DeRozan and Poeltl kept with the team’s mantra of short- and long-term planning.

DeRozan is signed for three more seasons and Poeltl was selected ninth by Toronto in the 2016 draft.

“I thought our staff did an unbelievably great job bringing back quality players, quality people and in

DeMar, a proven All-Star. I have to be thrilled with that, and I am,” Popovich said.

The Spurs are hoping the addition of DeRozan and Walker along with the continued development of Murray, White, Forbes and Davis Bertans along with a healthier Gay will help them in the loaded Western Conference.

“You’ve got to shoot the basketball and DeMar does that well,” Popovich said. “But the rest of the makeup of the team having Derek White develop, having Bryn come back, having Rudy come back, all people who can shoot it. Adding Marco Belinelli is important so those things round out and helps LaMarcus do his thing down there.

That shooting will help us a great deal.”

One unknown factor is Ginobili. The veteran guard from Argentina has a year remaining on his contract but has not decided if he will return. Popovich said Ginobili “is chasing bears in the Northwest” while vacationing with his three young sons. Hoping to entice the 40-yearold to return, Popovich sent a picture of Ginobili in his early years, dunking on an opponent.

“He sent me back a picture of me like in my first year here as an assistant,” Popovich said. “I’m not sure what that meant. Like, “You’re crazy, you’re old, too.’”

Azarenka misses direct entry for US Open

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EW YORK—Two-time US Open runner-up Victoria Azarenka is ranked just below the cutoff for direct entry into the year’s last Grand Slam tournament.

Azarenka, a former No. 1 and twice the champion at the Australian Open, is No. 108 this week, seven spots outside of an automatic spot in the main draw.

The US Tennis Association announced on Wednesday that defending champion and top-ranked Rafael Nadal is one of six past male singles champions in the US Open field, along with Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray, Juan Martin del Potro and Marin Cilic. Another past title winner at Flushing Meadows, Stan Wawrinka, is ranked 199th this week.

The women’s winners with direct entry based on this week’s rankings are six-time champion Serena Williams, two-time champ Venus Williams, defending champ Sloane Stephens, Maria Sharapova and Samantha Stosur.

The US Open women’s and men’s singles champions, meanwhile, will each get $3.8 million and the Grand Slam tennis tournament’s total prize money will rise to $53 million.

The US Tennis Association said that other increases include $700,000 for the winning teams in men’s and

women’s doubles, and a total of more than $3 million in prize money for qualifying.

Last year’s singles champions won $3.7 million apiece, and the tournament’s full payout for all events was a thenrecord $50.4 million.

The USTA says US Open prize money has increased 57 percent since 2013.

Main-draw matches at the year’s last major championship begin on August 27. AP

Azarenka