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Saturday, July 29, 2017 Vol. 12 No. 288

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House to widen list of industries that require legislative franchise

Congressional imprimatur T

By Jovee Marie N. Dela Cruz

Congress will remove the regulatory powers of the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp.

(Pagcor) over casinos.

“The regulatory framework is chaotic, full of overlaps, conflicts of interests and, at times, there is no clear central regulatory body.

Let’s start off with Pagcor. It does not make sense for it to regulate and operate. An entity that has this power runs the risk of dealing itself a favorable hand while undercutting others,” he added.

he House of Representatives is now finalizing bills requiring mining companies, gaming firms and public-transportation operators to secure legislative franchise from Congress prior to their operation.

House Committee on Legislative Franchises Secretary Portia Silang said the committee has already submitted several bills, as well as policy studies, on these measures to the office of Speaker Pantaleon D. Alvarez.

“Policy studies and draft bills of the committee pertaining to the comprehensive mining act, railways, gaming have already been submitted to the Office of the Speaker for [them to review and file],” Silang said in an interview with the BusinessMirror.

Besides mining, gaming and public transportation players, House Committee on Legislative Franchises Chairman Franz Alvarez of the First District of Palawan said his committee is also creating a checklist for the various industries to secure a franchise from Congress.

“Additional details are being

Stick to field of expertise

fleshed out. We have to translate that into policy, into a set of legislative rules, for clarity and easy compliance, because you have a different set of checklist for the various industries, which will have to secure a franchise. The lawyers are working on these and other legal matters,” the lawmaker from Palawan said in a text message.

Target industries

Last Monday Speaker Alvarez said the lower chamber will prioritize the passage of measures requiring gaming, public transportation and mining companies to secure a legislative franchise from Congress.

T he bi l l requ ir ing leg isl at ive f ra nc h i se for operat i ng railways is now included in the common leg islative agenda of the both houses of Congress.

congress plenary hall nonoy lacza

T he t a rget approv a l of t h i s measure is bet ween Januar y and March.

“Let us complete the reorganization by adding a safeguard mechanism that will make certain that the public’s interest will always be protected. This

w i l l ma ke cer tain that their appl ic at ion s a re sc r ut i n i z ed d e e p l y. O n l y t h e d e s e r v i n g will be allowed to operate,” the Speaker added.

On mining, Alvarez said, the bill requiring mining companies to secure legislative franchise

and subjecting mining companies to congressional oversight is included in the Lower House priority measures.

The Speaker said the bill will also require mined ores to be processed or semiprocessed within the Philippines. Alvarez also said

During his second State of the Nation Address, President Duterte warned mining companies that the government is preparing a new legislation on mining.

Meanwhile, the so-called Magnificent 7 of the lower chamber asked Congress to let environmental experts and professionals handle the issues on mining.

“The issue of mining permits and environment must be left to the able hands of experts in the field of mining and environment, professionals educated and well-experienced civil servants.

Congress dipping its hands on supposed to be technical and financial documents would be a big mess. What Congress must do is to study and amend the mining law,” Rep. Edgar R. Erice of the Second District of Caloocan said.

Continued on A2

Lorenzana admits failure to appreciate intelligence reports on Marawi City

By Rene P. Acosta

W

hen loc a l a nd foreig n ji h ad ists f rom the Maute Group and the Islamic State (IS) occupied Marawi City, they came ver y much prepared for a colossal bloody fight with government forces, a c h a l lenge t h at t he militar y may be hard-pressed to deal with until now.

According to Defense Secretary Delfin N. Lorenzana, soldiers involved in the operations have also been using nontraditional combat weapons, notably sledgehammers, just to be able to break through into the terrorists’ positions and clear them.

The President has warned us that the ISIS is coming. Our neighboring countries Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore had also warned us that fighters are infiltrating through the southern boarders going into the southern Philippines. But, for some reasons, for the longest time, I think the Armed Forces were in denial of this fact.”—Lorenzana

Continued on A2

PESO exchange rates n US 50.5460 n japan 0.4545

Philippine soldiers ride in miliary vehicles as they leave a military camp to reinforce troops fighting Muslim extremists in the city center in Marawi, on the southern island of Mindanao, on May 25. Philippine troops aboard helicopters and in armored tanks battled Islamist militants inside a southern city on May 25, as reports emerged of the gunmen murdering civilians. AFP/TED ALJIBE

n UK 66.0485 n HK 6.4725 n CHINA 7.4984 n singapore 37.1935 n australia 40.2498 n EU 59.0276 n SAUDI arabia 13.4797

Source: BSP (28 July 2017 )

A2

News

BusinessMirror

Saturday, July 29, 2017

House to widen list of industries that require legislative franchise

Congressional imprimatur Continued from A1

Erice, together with Rep. Teodoro B. Baguilat of the Lone District of Ifugao, urged the government to remove mining activities from the ambit of authority of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).

“We should separate mining with the DENR because their mandates are diametrically opposed to each other. Putting Congress in charge of the mining franchises will aggravate this troubled industry. If we dissect the problems on mining, most of them will end up at the doorstep of local politics,” Erice said.

For Bag u i l at, “t he reg u l ator y, protection and develop menta l are opposing mandates of the DENR .”

61 companies

Meanwhile, at least 61 companies/corporations have pending legislative franchise applications before the lower chamber.

The 17th Congress has already passed into law measures granting Smart Communications and GMA Network Inc. legislative franchises. D u r i n g t he 16t h Congress, the both houses have g ra nted 42 leg i sl at ive f ra nc h ises to d if ferent indust r ies.

Like tax measures, all legislative franchises must originate from the House of Representatives. Bills granting legislative

franchises currently on first reading are: House Bill 5813 for Air Philippines Corp.; HB 5814 for Asian Spirit Inc.; HB 5815 for Cebu Air Inc.; HB 5816 for Philippine Airlines Inc.; HB 5817 for Southeast Asian Airline Inc.; HB 4349 for ABS-CBN Corp.; HB 4820 for Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines; HB 2262 for Cadiz RTV Inc.; HB 3903 for TGM BCTG Network; HB 4513 for Radio Marine Network; HB 4555 for Lanao Electric Coop.; HB 4693 for EM Oroxco and Sons Inc.; HB 4877 for Good News Sorsogon; HB 4974 for Ultrasonic BCTG System Inc.; HB 5516 for North Cotabato Multi Media; HB 5602 for Vimcontu BCTG Corp.; HB 5684 for Iriga Electric Co. Inc.;

HB 5700 for Radio Sorsogon Network Inc.; HB 5702 for Tirad Pass Radio TV Broadcasting; HB 5030 for Audiovisual Communicators; HB 4906 for Delta BCTG System Inc.; HB 4118 for First Love BCTG Network Inc.; HB 3771 for Rinconada Broadcasting Corp.; HB 5054 for Century Communications; HB 5504 for Bohol Chronicle Radio Corp.; and HB 5265 for Penafrancia BCTG Corp.

Now pending before committee deliberations are HB 2630 and HB 632 seeking to amend Presidential Decree 1869 relative to the franchise powers of Pagcor; HB 4759 for Volunteer Lifecare Ministries; HB 5166 for Northeastern BCTG Services Inc.; HB 3118 for Streamtech Systems

The regulatory framework is chaotic, full of overlaps, conflicts of interests and, at times, there is no clear central regulatory body. Let’s start off with Pagcor.

It does not make sense for it to regulate and operate. An entity that has this power runs the risk of dealing itself a favorable hand while undercutting others.”—Alvarez

Tech. and HB 5303 for Magnum Air (Sky Jet) Inc. Meanwhile, legislative franchise measures that are ready for second-reading approval are HB 4145 Filipinas for BCTG Network; HB 4180 for DXRA-RMC; HB 4342 for Pacific BCTG System Inc.; HB 4343 for Philippine BCTG Corp.; HB 4600 for Deus Amor Est. BCTG Inc.; HB 4849 for Omninet Phils.

Inc.; and HB 5632 for University of Mindanao.

Pending for third reading are HB 5479 for Vanguard R adio Network Co. Inc.; HB 4302 for Cebu BCTG Co.; HB 3243 for PBN Broadcasting Inc; and HB 4136 for Manila BCTG Co. Also, pending for Senate action are HB 2617 for Innove Communications; HB 4290 for Norte Dame BCTG Corp.; HB 2045 for Cotelco-Palma; HB 1941 for Gulf Waves Com mu n ic at ion s; H B 4169 for Bicol Light and Power Corp.; HB 4380 for Malindang BCTG Network Corp.; HB 4515 for Ignite Telecommunications; HB 4 657 for Golden Nat ion Network Inc.; HB 3864 for Beta BCTG System Inc.; HB 4464 for Subic BCTG Corp.; HB 4879 for Gateway UHF Television BCTG; HB 4989 for World BCTG Corp.; HB 4658 for Ermita Electronics; HB 1422 for Now Telecom; HB 4668 for Sarraga Integrated; HB 4110 for Iloilo Baptist Church; and HB 5217 for Bright Star BCTG Network Corp.

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Lorenzana admits failure to appreciate intelligence reports on Marawi City Continued from A1

The dangerous and difficult building-to-building and houseto-house “sledgehammer” operation in the crosshairs of snipers’ guns from the other side, was one of the reasons the war has dragged on since it broke out on May 23.

The episode had already snuffed out the lives of more than 100 soldiers.

“They already have with them sledgeha mmers…t hey ca nnot also get inside the doors of the houses because these are rigged with bombs; the windows, as well.

So through the walls, [they] get inside, [and] clear room by room.

Every day that’s what they are doing,” Lorenzana said of the operating troops.

“So, the average clearing that they can do is only about maybe 40 to 50 houses a day, and there are still 600 more houses to do,” he added.

New era

The elaborate preparations made by the terrorists leading to their showdown with government forces, and even in the middle of the battle, helped carved out the new and difficult modern-day war for government forces.

The battle is being fought in the middle of a city, transforming the once progressive urban center into a battlefield. Such battle conditions could probably be a first for the soldiers to deal with.

The terrorists stockpiled powerful weapons and seemingly endless supply of food and ammunitions, built underground bunkers, rigged houses and buildings with improvised explosive devices and positioned snipers in key strategic points.

They have also taken civilians

as captives, while a high number of residents are still trapped inside the battle zones.

At the start of the battle, the terrorists even flew surveillance drones to scout and evade the soldiers.

The terrorists are not novice fighters, as shown by their occupation of sturdy houses in defending their positions, as they try to fend off the agonizing inch-by-inch advance of the military.

“For some reason, the Maranaos in Marawi City built their homes very sturdy, they are all concrete…they have basements and they cannot be breached….

Even launchers, the M-203 cannot breach those [walls]. [It had] to [be done] by hand,” Lorenzana said.

With the pace of the operation and at least 600 more houses to be cleared, the defense chief said it may take a little more time before the government can finally clear the city of joint Maute and IS fighters.

“It will take some time. I think 18 months will not be enough to recover or rehabilitate Marawi… so we are looking at the resolution of Marawi in a month or so.

Then, after that, we can again deal with some of the problems that’s happening in some other parts of Mindanao,” Lorenzana said.

Failures

The battle of Marawi and its dragging resolution were a product of intelligence failure, Lorenzana candidly admits.

“There are a lot of talks coming around that there was failure of intelligence, yeah, in a way it was,” he said. “I said when we were in Moscow, when this thing blew up and I was asked by one of the media people there, was it a failure of intelligence? I said no, it was a failure to appreciate intelligence.”

In admitting there was a failure of intelligence, the defense secretary said that, for the longest time, the defense and military establishment have been reading about the notice put up by the IS on its web site, where it was encouraging its fighters to go to Mindanao if they want to continue fighting.

The IS put up the notice following its decline in Iraq and Syria. “ The President has warned us that the ISIS is coming. Our neighboring countries Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore had also warned us that fighters are infiltrating through the southern boarders going into the southern Philippines,” Lorenzana said.

“But, for some reasons, for the longest time, I think the Armed Forces were in denial of this fact,” he added.

Misinformed

The defense chief hinted he may have been misinformed by the military leadership about the presence of the foreign terrorist group in the country, and he only learned this when they began attacking the Maute in Butig, Lanao del Sur. “When I assumed the position of secretary of defense, I was told there was no ISIS in the Philippines, so we were keeping that stand until in November, when we had this operation in Butig against the Maute Group. So then we would change our stance and said they are there, they are here,” Lorenzana said.

He added what happened in Marawi was a lesson.

“We failed to appreciate the looming problem because they were trying to infiltrate from the outside toward Marawi City. A lot of firearms, a lot of fighters—foreign and local. When this Marawi incident blew up on May 23, there were only about 200 to 250 fighters. It turned out there were more than 700 at the start of the conflict.

That is why up to today, fighting goes on,” Lorenzana said.

A4

News

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Saturday, July 29, 2017

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Duterte: Only empty tribal schools would be bombed

P

resident Duterte said his threat to launch air strikes against tribal schools, because they allegedly teach subversion, would apply only when the buildings are empty, a clarification that still raised concern he was advocating a war crime.

Duter te responded to a question in a news conference late Thursday that the bombings will be done at night and maintained that the schools were teaching students to become subversives and were operating without government permits.

St i l l, Carlos Conde of t he US-based Human Rights Watch said on Friday that bombing even unoccupied school buildings is still a violation of international humanitarian law and constitutes a war crime.

“I didn’t say that I’ll bomb those if there are people, so I asked them to go away from there, meaning I’ll destroy those because you are using a school without a license,” Duterte said.

“I didn’t say I’ll kill the children.

Far from it, actually. I’ll free the children from perdition because they’ll learn to be like you.”

“I have every reason to stop it because you are producing another generation of haters,” he said. “Don’t fool me. You teach nothing there but socialism and killings.”

In a news conference late Monday, after delivering his annual State of the Nation Address, Duterte condemned the insurgents for destroying bridges and torching schools in the countryside. But he said the rebels were sparing Lumad or indigenous schools, which he alleged were operating under guerrilla control without permits from the government’s education department.

“Get out of there, I’m telling the Lumads now. I’ll have those bombed, including your structures,” Duterte said then. “I will use the Armed Forces, the Philippine Air Force. I’ll really have those bombed...because you are operating illegally and you are teaching the children to rebel against the government.”

Activists have expressed concern that government troops may use Duterte’s threat as a pretext to attack Lumad schools and communities, which they say are also threatened by the security forces of big mining companies because of the Lumads’ resistance to mining.

In this July 24 photo, young indigenous people known as Lumads display a banner as they join a march of thousands of protesters to coincide with the State of the Nation Address of President Duterte in Quezon City.

Human-rights groups asked Duterte on Wednesday to retract a threat to order air strikes against tribal schools he accused of teaching students to become communist rebels, warning such an attack would constitute a war crime. United States-based Human Rights Watch said international humanitarian law “Prohibits attacks on schools and other civilian structures unless they are being used for military purposes,” adding that deliberate attacks on civilians, including students and teachers, “is also a war crime.” AP Photo/Bullit Marquez

T he non-gover nmenta l organization Save Our Schools Network has tallied at least 68 military attacks affecting 89 Lumad schools since July. Military spokesman Brig. Gen. Restituto

Padilla denied soldiers were behind the attacks and said troops have gone to tribal communities to secure them and allow government-recognized schools to be established.

T he Hu m a n R ights Watc h and Manila-based activists said that, by calling for an attack on schools, Duterte is directing the military to commit war crimes.

Conde urged Duterte to sign

the 2015 Safe Schools Declaration, which commits gover nments to supporting the protection of students, teachers and schools in times of armed conflict. AP

Scoot studying options C to boost PHL operations

Eternal Chapels inauguraterd in Cagayan de Oro City

S

By Lorenz S. Marasigan

INGAPORE—While Scoot, a budget carrier based here, believes in the huge potential of the Philippine market, regulatory and slot constraints hinder it from expanding its operations back home, its chief executive said.

During the launch of the merger of Tigerair Singapore and Scoot, chief executive Lee Lik Hsin said his group finds it hard to increase flight frequencies in the Philippines, citing limited slots at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia) as one of the causes.

“The Philippines is a big country, but truth be told, there are many constraints in expanding in the Philippines. There are very significant slot constraints in Manila and even in Cebu,” he said. “But we are finding ways to grow.”

Hsin’s group is now studying if it could upgauge its flights to Manila as an option for expansion.

“That might be an option,” he replied, when asked by the BusinessMirror whether the company plans to use bigger planes for its flights to the Philippine capital. From Singapore, Scoot flies to Manila, Kalibo, Clark and Cebu.

Slot constraints in Manila have limited both foreign and local carriers in expanding their operations out of the Philippine capital.

The Philippine government is trying to address

that by marketing Clark International Airport as an alternative, while it pursues the construction of a new airport in the next decade.

‘Merger made perfect sense’

Scoot completed its merger with Tigerair. While it will continue to operate under the air operator’s certificate of Tigerair, Scoot will be the brand to remain.

The merger started out late last year with the aim of combining the strengths of the two airlines, both of which are affiliates of Singapore Airlines under Budget Aviation Holdings. Tigerair operates shortand medium-haul flights, while Scoot focused on medium- and long-haul operations.

Tigerair had a stunted growth path over the course of two years, as it found it difficult to add new destinations to its portfolio. Scoot, on the other hand, enjoyed five years of growth, but hurdled difficulty in filling up seats.

“From that perspective, it made perfect sense for the two to come together, on the network perspective,” Hsin explained.

With the merger, Tigerair planes will be refurbished to sport Scoot’s livery. The airline has also changed its uniforms, concurrent with the conclusion of the merger. According to think tank Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation, the completion of the merger will “unlock new synergies, but yields are under pressure due to intensifying competition and overcapacity in several markets, potentially wiping out the revenue and cost gains from the merger.“ Scoot, it added, is also inheriting a Tigerair fleet with high lease costs, and an order book that “could prove to be overambitious.”

The merger ceremony earlier this week also saw Scoot launching five new destinations across Asia Pacific, foraying into the US market with its planned flights to Honolulu, Hawaii. The four other destinations are Harbin, China; Kuantan, Malaysia; Kuching, Malaysia; and Palembang, Indonesia.

Scoot is one of the few Asean budget carriers that operate long-haul flights, which analysts have tagged as “expensive and risky” proposition.

The airline plans to double its fleet of 37 aircraft, which currently consists of Airbus A319s, A320s and Boeing 787s.

Hsin said the new planes will be a combination of narrow-body and wide-body planes.

“It will be a mix, but fair enough to say that the proportion to the narrow body A320s,” he said.

Hsin noted that the new planes may be used to expand in the Philippines. “We have a high growth rate trajectory. Many new planes are coming in so we need to use those,” he said in reply to a Philippine media query.

agayan De Oro City Mayor Oscar S. Moreno is the guest of honor at Eternal Gardens Greenhills in Barangay Bulua, Cagayan De Oro City as it inaugurates the Eternal Chapels Mortuary and Chapel Services.

Opening the celebration will be a thanksgiving mass at the park at 8:30 am to be celebrated by Msgr. Eutiquiano M. Legitimas, PC, SSJV, parish priest of the Immaculate Conception Parish in Barangay Bulua. The blessing of four new viewing chapels and a mortuary facility, also to be officiated by Msgr. Legitimas, will follow right after the mass.

Aside from Mayor Moreno, also expected to attend the special event are members of the City Council and other local government unit, business, and civic leaders. They will be welcomed by Eternal Chapels executives, headed by chairman and chief executive officer D. Edgard A. Cabangon, and treasurer D. Antoinette C. Cabangon-Jacinto.

A member of the Eternal Group, which includes leading memorial park developer Eternal Gardens, Eternal Crematory Corporation, and preneed provider Eternal Plans, Inc.,

mayor moreno

the Eternal Chapels has been on soft opening since April 2017 and has already served quite a number of clients, proof of the positive reception of the residents of Cagayan De Oro City and its nearby towns.

“As we formally inaugurate the Eternal Chapels, we hope to reach out to more Kagay-anons who are in need of our services. This is in

line with the Eternal Group’s vision of becoming a provider of complete memorial care products and services in Cagayan De Oro City and its surrounding towns,” said Eternal Chapels president Numeriano B. Rodrin.

The Eternal Group is part of a bigger conglomerate, the ALC Group of Companies, founded by the late Ambassador Antonio L. Cabangon Chua.

Government coordination critical to sustaining growth–think tank A

post State of the Nation Address (Sona) analysis of President Duterte’s pronouncements affecting the country’s economic development were discussed by top policy experts and civil society in a forum organized by an independent international think tank on Friday in Makati City.

“The promise of deep-seated change could not come at a more opportune time.

It is obvious to all of us that the government needs to address urgent economic issues and promote a strong flow of investment,” said Dindo Manhit, president of Stratbase ADR Institute.

It’s clear that the President needs to work with both the Legislature and the Judiciary to ensure that his projects see the light of day within his term,” Manhit said.

Dr. Alvin Ang, director of the Ateneo Center for Economic Research and Develop-

ment, discussed how Duterte recognized the massive coordination failure he is facing.

“Despite political will and resources, he is facing the same problems that hampered the infrastructure projects of the Aquino administration,” Ang said.

He cited as an example the Skyway 3 project that as of today the infrastructure initiative is only 24-percent completed.

“The frustration comes out in that regard. There is need for coordination among equal branches of government,” Ang added.

“We need jobs that are quality jobs and not short term. We can call for patriotic business. Many of the businesses run in this country are not able to produce enough jobs for the rest of the population,” Ang said.

Ang linked government capacities to the challenge of federalism.

“The frustration of the President mir-

rors the ordinary people’s frustration on governmental capacities. You cannot solve traffic or do this or do that, because there are silos that rules them. Until institutional alignments are understood in terms of capacities, I guess we’ll go back to the same issues regardless of the new structures in place,” Ang added.

The West Philippine Sea and Duterte’s pivot China was cited as critical and could not be put on the side for a long time.

“People already know that it is ours in the context of economic zones and the naming of the area.

With China as the biggest trading partner of the Philippines now and courting it for foreign direct investments, it is a high wire walk, how to attract investments of China and to give up the West Philippine Sea control or at least postpone it,” Ang said.

A6 Saturday, July 29, 2017 | Editor: Mike Besa

Callaway Steelhead XR and XR Pro Irons

Blast from the past with the latest and greatest

T

he fact that Callaway has resurrected one of its most beloved iron brands is far from an accident. Introduced in 2000, the Callaway X14 Steelhead irons remain one of the best-selling irons of all time. It was one of those designs that just got everything right. The proportions were perfect making the X14 one of the most attractive gameimprovement irons of all time. The X14 performed too. They were easy to hit and the head shape appealed to golfers of all skill levels. Especially when they introduced the Pro model, which featured more svelte proportions and less offset. Callaway had produced an iron that appealed to all golfers.

The thesis of the Steelhead XR irons was to take the X14 was simple. Take the X14 reimagine it with the latest of Callaway’s groundbreaking technology and state of the art manufacturing techniques without changing the overall look and feel of the club thus imbuing the Steelhead XR irons with the best of both worlds; classic good lucks with groundbreaking performance and distance.

A tall order but one that Callaway’s R&D department dove into with relish. After all, it’s not every day that you get a job with a design brief like this.

With any new iron design, you want to keep the sweet spot exactly in the middle of the clubface for consistency. The bore-through hosel allowed them to take weight from the heel and place it where it centered the sweet spot on the clubhead.

Callaway is flighting the Callaway Golf (CG) throughout the set, which they say is unique for game improvement irons. The CG is very low and far back in the long irons to make them easier to get airborne and go farther. The mid irons have the CG very low and midback, again for easy launch but also more control,

and the short irons’ CG isn’t quite as low and in the middle of the iron for lower, higher spinning shots. Basically, as the irons get shorter, the CG gets higher and moves slightly forward.

A new material—steel-infused polyurethane was inserted in the cavity partly to push the center of gravity down but mostly to tune the sound and feel of the club at impact. Using the now common two-piece construction method allowed Callaway to use their high-strength steel 360 Cupface technology for the ultimate distance and forgiveness.

For the more accomplished golfers and those that share their aesthetic sensibilities, Callaway produced the Steelhead XR Pro irons. With this set, Callaway is offering the golfer big distance and playability in a smaller package.

The Steelhead XR Pro irons are slightly smaller from heel to toe with slimmer toplines and soles and less offset. But they retain the new 360 Cupface, hollow borethrough hosel and steel infused polyurethane insert

and subsequently retain all the high-performance gains they deliver. The Steelhead XR Pro irons come with a cool black PVD finish.

The Steelhead XR Pro irons come with slightly heavier shafts to better suit golfers in their demographic.

The Callaway Steelhead XR and XR Pro irons offer the dedicated Callaway fan irons that mimic the appearance of the legendary X14 irons but are built with the latest of CG’s industry leading technologies. They are the total package. Investing in the set is a wise one that will set you up with an iron on a par with the world’s best at a price you can live with. Callaway has a winner here.

You can find the Callaway Steelhead XR and XR Pro irons and the rest of the Callaway Golf line at all Transview Outlets in the metropolis.

Mike Besa

Let’s welcome the second half of the season

By Josh Burack | Asian Tour CEO

L

ike an enjoyable round of golf, we have now reached the turn and are readying for the back nine!

The first half of the year has been very positive featuring excellent collaboration with the European Tour at the start of our strategic alliance, our announcement of a new partnership with the China Golf Association, the formation of our new commercial team at our headquarters in Singapore and three new full-field tournaments added to our schedule with the Thailand Open, Yeangder Heritage and TAKE Solutions Masters.

The TAKE Solutions Masters is the second Asian Development Tour (ADT) event after the Yeangder Heritage to be upgraded to Asian Tour status. We are very proud to welcome this tournament on our Asian Tour Schedule from August 3 to 6.

The TAKE Solutions Masters will offer a prize purse of $300,000 and it will be played at the Karnataka Golf Association (KGA) Golf Course in Bengaluru.

The last time the Asian Tour staged an event in Bengaluru was in 2012 when Thaworn Wiratchant of Thailand won the Hero Indian Open before going on to claim the Order of Merit crown for the second time in his career.

After five years, our Asian Tour members are excited to return to Bengaluru to fight for honours at this new tournament.

Did you know that our 2015 Asian Tour No. 1 Anirban Lahiri hails from Bengaluru? In fact, his close friend Chikkarangappa S. won the TAKE Solutions Masters on the ADT in 2014 and 2015. Now that the tournament is of an Asian Tour status, he will certainly be hoping to win the treble!

Looking back at the first half of the 2017 season, we’ve welcomed four firsttime Asian Tour winners: Todd Sinnott of Australia, Jazz Janewattananond and Rattanon Wannasrichan of Thailand and Nicholas Fung of Malaysia. These players are still in their early 20s, so it shows the depth of talent that we have on the Asian Tour.

As we prepare for the busiest part of our season, it will be exciting to see if more young guns emerge as champions, or if the more experienced players take the trophies.

On the digital front, our #whereitsAT campaign has been met with resounding success. We are excited to launch phase two of the campaign on August 1 with a series of monologue videos. This time we will

Story & photos

by Mike Besa

O

ne of the most underrated golf courses in the country has to be Forest Hills Golf and Country Club’s Nicklaus Course in Cogeo, Rizal.

This is world-class golf at its finest.

It is one of the best ball strikers’ golf courses in the country. How did the song go? If you can play well here, you can play well anywhere.

Let’s not mince words here. The Nicklaus Course at Forest Hills is a tough track. The United States Golf Association course ratings of 74.7 and slope of 138 make the Nicklaus all most golfers can handle (the blues are not much easier at 72.8/134). Even so, this is just one heck of a golf course.

At just over 7100 from the tips (and just under 6700 from the blues), the Nicklaus is acceptably long by modern standards but the elevation changes and the accuracy demanded from the tee box make this a golf course best navigated by those that have good command of the tee shot. Length off the tee is almost a requirement but the knowledge of where to place the drive is the key to setting up the holes to score.

The hilly topography makes a cart almost essential. The holes themselves are walkable but some of those green to tee distances will tire you out. These same topographical features will place the most severe demands on your ball striking.

Even lies on some holes are nonexistent.

You will be forced to deal with uneven lies at many times during the round. You can avoid them a few holes by playing to flat spots in the fairway. Most times this will leave you further back in the fairway; far back enough to push you to the edge of your comfort zone but that’s a price you have to pay.

Distance control with your approach shots is key. The most difficult greens play uphill. Judging the elevation and the wind correctly will have a huge impact on your score to the good.

Once you get on, the greens are fabulous. They are almost devoid of grain.

You can confidently putt along the line of the visible break and know that your ball won’t finish too far away from the hole. The approaches are generally firm, allowing you several options of how to handle balls just off the putting surface.

The first hole offers you a beautiful vista off the tee. The hole plays downward almost all the way but uphill to the elevated green. The green is set at an angle to the fairway so you’ll need

look at the success of some of our golfers, including Angelo Que, Liang Wen-chong, Chan Shih-chang, Scott Hend, Carlos Pigem, Pavit Tangkalmoprasert, Gaganjeet Bhullar, Kiradech Aphibarnrat, Siddikur Rahman and Jeev Milkha Singh.

As we round the turn and welcome the second half of the season, thank you for continuing to support the Asian Tour. Our team will continue working hard to keep the good news coming!

Some o you’ll An aerial view of the 18th green and the clubhouse at Forest Hills

I

Fung

Forest Hills Go

to find the correct side of the fairway for the optimum angle for your approach shot into the two-tiered green.

The second hole is just plain tough. At 458 yards from the tips, it’s about all that most amateurs can handle. The fairway slopes from left to right, which helps get you into position, but the approach shot is complicated by a creek that bisects the fairway and continues up the left side of the green.

The fifth hole on the Nicklaus Course is one of the most difficult par fours in the country. You need a long, well-placed tee shot to get a good angle at the green. The fairway is narrow and made more so by a hazard and trees to the right. The green itself is very narrow and is bounded by a hazard on its entire right side. If you’re not in position A to go for the pin, playing it like a par 5 will save you a few strokes.

The inward nine is a test of driving. The second nine is 200 yards longer than the first and definitely feels it. There are many great driving holes here but none better than 11 and 12. Call them beauty and the beast.

Eleven is the beauty. The elevated tee frames the shot with the clubhouse, a water hazard and the forested landscape and takes some of the sting out of the hole’s 455-yard length. The fairway is wide and accommodating but stray too far to one side or another and you’ll have to take a penalty. The green complex slopes from right to left allowing for some creativity with the approach shot. A stunning golf hole.

Twelve is the beast. The view from the tee is the best on the golf course. It plays even more steeply downhill than 11 but it is over 20 yards longer. The fairway looks like a miniscule target; it takes courage to get the ball started on the ideal line. The green

King of the Intraclub Comp

ntraclub tournaments are all the rage these days and why not? They represent a break from golf’s individual competitive nature and allow golfers to play together as a team. They foster camaraderie between the members and allow them to get to know each other better. The match play format is a welcome break from the medal-based formats of most tournaments. If you don’t mind moving around between teams, intraclub tournaments present a

vehicle that allows you to get to know most of the people in your club in a way that no other can.

The king of the intraclub tournaments has to be the one at the Orchard Golf and Country Club in Dasmariñas, Cavite. It is by far the largest of them all. The 2017 edition had 13 teams with 338 golfers participating. It took six months to complete the single round robin format that allowed each team to play five matches in three different formats against each of the others.

As a member of just two years, this was my first chance to play in the Orchard Intraclub. I consider myself a pretty decent player but I was

taken aback at just how many good golfers play at the Orchard. I’m not just talking about single digit handicaps either; I’m talking about golfers with handicaps in the low single digits. Each team seemed to have six or seven of them to anchor their lineups.

It was also interesting to learn that they don’t all hit the golf ball 300 yards and swing the club like a touring professional. In fact, you’d be hard pressed to guess their handicaps if you just came up on some of them on the driving range. A lot look quite average but they keep the ball in play at all costs and have short games that will make you look foolish by

comparison. The diversity is enlightening and shows clearly that there is more than one way to get things done on course.

This edition of the Orchard Intraclub saw some notable performances by the teams. The format of two rounds of five matches each in the semis and the finals meant that only the teams with the deepest rosters had a shot at the win.

U-Freight/A-Plus Paints has been the dominant team the past two years. They are well funded and dedicated; their talent level makes them a perennial contender. They won last year and repeated in 2017. They did suffer losses along the way; the field is deep and the

www.pinoygolfer.com

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Saturday, July 29, 2017 A7

olf and Country Club’s Nicklaus Course

of the best golf l find anywhere

petitions tournament is long, but in the end, when it counted, they were the best.

Ecostrong set a record of sorts by finishing second overall for a third straight year. They have some of the club’s best golfers but have struggled to match U-Freight/A-Plus Paints depth. Ecostrong came from behind in their semifinals with third-placed team Teejots but just couldn’t match U-Frieght/A-Plus Paints in the finals.

It was a remarkable tournament for the Teejots. They started with four straight losses; two to teams that finished in the lower half of the field but turned things around with eight

respect the courses at Forest Hills. They are poised to take it to another level.

Second, the club finally bit the bullet and refreshed their maintenance equipment fleet.

This will enable Austria and the rest of the grounds crew to raise the standard of their work. It cost a good bit of money but this are funds well invested for the future of the twin golf courses at Forest Hills.

The club has recently received the approved changes to the Nicklaus course from Golden Bear; Nicklaus’s design group. Modifications to the golf course will be to turn the second hole into a par 5 by building a new green complex above and to the left of the location of the current green.

The most significant change will be to the 18th green. The green has become smaller over the years due to erosion and set up practices. They aren’t going to remove the bunker, so it will continue to plague golfers for years to come.

Today some 17 years on the facilities are still brilliant. The clubhouse is large and airy and affords a great view of the Ortigas Center on a clear day. The locker facilities are expansive. A trip to the sauna and a dip in the jacuzzi will do wonders to soothe the pain of a good walk spoiled.

Given all its strengths, it’s a wonder that Forest Hills isn’t a more popular golf destination.

The drive up the length of Marcos Highway might have something to do with that, but if you love your golf, there aren’t many golf courses that make that drive one worth taking. The Nicklaus Course at Forest Hills Golf and Country Club is just such a golf course.

straight wins before bowing to Ecostrong in the semifinals. The Teejots won the Orchard Intraclub in 2015 and may yet do so again.

So now the yearlong wait until the 2018 Orchard Intraclub begins. There will be movement among the teams and a chance to rebuild and reinforce the lineups for next year. It has become an event whose arrival is eagerly anticipated among the members.

It builds bonds, introduces the members to each other and provides some of the most exciting competition that some members see the whole year. It is a tournament not to be missed. Mike Besa

The 5th hole is one of the most difficult par 4s in the country.

PHOTO BY MIKE BESA

is a tough multitiered affair and elevated as it is, makes it a very tough target to hit.

Fourteen is also designed along the same lines, elevated tee shot to a downhill green then back up another hill to the green. But don’t let any of that take away from the severity of the hole. The 14th green is tiny compared to the one on 12 making it an even more elusive target.

But that sense of accomplishment of hitting this green in regulation is something.

The piece de resistance is the home hole, the 18th green, in particular. Forget everything else about this 429-yard beauty, just focus on what you’re going to do with your approach to the green. You see, there’s a bunker in the middle of the green. A pot bunker, no less. This makes it imperative that you weigh your options judiciously before even attempting to go for this green.

If you can get around in single digits then brother, you have game. It takes all the skills to do so. The course will expose any weaknesses quickly and without remorse. Big numbers lurk behind careless play at key points in the round.

Strategy and the capability to execute it are key.

The golf course is in very good shape and will get better still. The reason is twofold; first, there’s a new, dynamic young team at the helm in Forest Hills—General Manager Raymond Bunquin makes his way back to the Fil-Estate group of golf courses. He’s very ably assisted by Golf Director Jude Eustaquio and Golf Course Superintendent Nevin Austria. Austria and Bunquin both worked at Sherwood Hills Golf Club, so this is a reunion of sorts from them. All care deeply about golf and

The effect of the new equipment fleet is readily apparent in this picture of 11.

Sports BusinessMirror

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Saturday, July 29, 2017

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

WELCOME TO MIXED MEDLEY RELAY One of swimming’s newest—and certainly craziest— events was on display recently at the world championships, where the United States set a pair of world records while winning the 4x100 mixed-medley relay.

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By Paul Newberry The Associated Press

UDAPEST, Hungary—Matt Grevers wasn’t sure what was going on. He wasn’t alone.

One of swimming’s newest—and certainly craziest—events was on display recently at the world championships, where the United States set a pair of world records while winning the 4x100 mixed-medley relay.

Grevers led things off by swimming the backstroke, giving the Americans a slight lead, but breaststroker Lilly King—competing against seven men, including Britain’s world-record holder Adam Peaty—was only in fifth place when she passed off to teammate Caeleb Dressel.

“When Caeleb was in the water, I had no idea who’s winning the race,” Grevers said. “I don’t know if we’re ahead or behind. I don’t know how it’s all going to balance out, how much of a lead Simone [Manuel, swimming the freestyle anchor] is going to need. It’s just chaos.”

It worked out just fine for the Americans.

Dressel, swimming against only one other man, pushed the US to a commanding lead. Manuel cruised to victory, touching in a time of three minutes and 38.56 seconds.

That easily eclipsed the mark of 3:40.28 put up by an entirely different US foursome—Ryan Murphy, Kevin Cordes, Kelsi Worrell and Mallory Comerford—in the morning preliminaries.

“It’s really cool that we had two relays that would’ve won tonight,” Grevers said.

Australia took the silver, while Canada and China tied for the bronze.

Governing body Fina added two mixed relays to its program at the 2015 world championships in Kazan, Russia, also debuting the 4x100 mixedfreestyle relay.

While scorned by swimming traditionalists, the athletes seem to enjoy the uniqueness of men and women competing in the same events.

The International Olympic Committee

THE United States’s Matt Grevers (clockwise), Caeleb Dressel, Simone Manuel and Lilly King pose with their gold medals in the mixed medley relay. AP

clearly saw the appeal, approving the 4x100 mixedmedley relay for the 2020 Tokyo Games.

“It’s interesting to watch,” Grevers said. “You’re not sure who’s winning, even when one team is real far ahead. It’s uncharted territory, which is really fun, because as swimmers we usually know what’s going on.”

The mixed events have forced both athletes and coaches to address a whole new set of strategic challenges. For the athletes, especially the women, it’s the adjustment of swimming in very choppy water when the competitor in the next lane is far ahead. For the coaches, it’s deciding on the fastest combination of two men and two women in four different strokes.

Given the depth of its talent, the US will be an overwhelming favorite when the mixed medley relay makes its Olympic debut.

Grevers and his teammates already are eyeing the chance to claim another medal.

“It’s tough to get on this team. It’s tough to get on the relays,” he said. “It’s definitely a huge motivation.”

Tears, meanwhile, streamed down Chad le Clos’s cheeks as the South African anthem was played on

Wednesday with both his parents watching on.

The 25-year-old won the men’s 200-meter butterfly final at the world championships, and there was no checking the emotion following a year of personal misfortune and sporting disappointment.

“It was an emotional race—before the race, after the race, during the race—I knew it was going to be difficult,” le Clos said.

Weeks before the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro last year, the South African star confirmed that both his parents were fighting cancer. His mother Geraldine’s breast cancer had returned after her remission in 2010, and his father Bert had undergone an operation for prostate cancer.

Le Clos went to Rio as the defending champion in the 200 fly. Michael Phelps, the 2004 and 2008 champion, was seen as his greatest rival. The American took back the title and le Clos didn’t even make the podium, finishing behind Japan’s Masato Sakai and Hungary’s Tamas Kenderesi in what he later called the worst race of his life.

Le Clos then took silver in the 100 fly—in a threeway tie with Phelps and Hungary’s Laszlo Cseh—behind the new kid on the block, Joseph Schooling.

But the podium shutout in the 200 grated the most

MANILA VS DAVAO LAYSHIA CLARENDON: Individual accolades are never the main goal.

Clarendon loses triple-double to stat correction in WNBA

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EW YORK—For the third time in just over a year the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) took a triple-double off the record books.

Layshia Clarendon appeared to be the sixth player in league history to achieve the statistical feat recently when she had 15 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds in Atlanta’s overtime win over Phoenix. Two of her assists were later taken away in a league review when they were discovered to be stat errors.

The WNBA confirmed to The Associated Press that both the stat corrections were accurate. Temeka Johnson still has the last triple-double, garnering 13 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists for the Seattle Storm in 2014.

Last year Brittney Griner and Angel McCoughtry both had triple-doubles rescinded in July after stat errors were

found in their games. All three games occurred in Atlanta.

“Though we are disappointed to see Layshia lose her triple-double, we appreciate the hard work put in by the league office to make sure everything is correct,” Atlanta Dream Spokesman Dan Goldberger said. “We will continue to look at ways to equip our stat crew with the tools necessary to provide a clean box score at the end of the evening.”

Clarendon took the stat change in stride.

“For me, last night was always about the win,” she said. “To get one on a great team first game back from the All-Star break after being down in the first half showed a lot of team character. Individual accolades are never the main goal. I’m most excited about this playoff push we are making.”

The victory moved Atlanta a game under .500. AP

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ERALCO Manila tries to regain its winning ways when it faces Davao Aguilas for the third time in the Philippines Football League (PFL) at the Davao del Norte Sports Complex in Tagum City.

The match is set at 4 p.m.

Meralco tries to regain the lead after losing to Ceres Negros, 0-7, and drawing Global Cebu, 2-2. The Sparks have 24 points, two behind leader Kaya Makati.

Meralco beat Davao Aguilas, 2-0, on June 3 but drew, 2-2, on June 21 with the Aguilas, who have lost six matches and drew five.

Ceres Negros was supposed to take on the Visayas rival Global Cebu today at the Cebu City Sports Complex but the league decided to reschedule the Busmen’s next three matches to give way to their preparation for the Asian Football Confederation Cup 2017 Asean Zone Finals with Singapore’s Home United on August 2 and 9.

Lance Agcaoili

with le Clos racing this week for what happened in Rio, in a “very daunting stadium, with everyone cheering for the two Hungarians”.

Cseh finished 0.39 seconds behind le Clos, Japan’s Daiya Seto claimed the bronze, and Kenderesi finished fourth. Le Clos was embraced by Cseh afterward, and he reciprocated by lifting up the Hungarian’s arm in front of home fans at the Duna Arena in Budapest.

“I think if somebody beats me it is normal for me to chat,” Cseh said. “He is one of the best in the world and it is always great to race against him.”

Le Clos said he was “very humbled to come out on top and reclaim the medal that I lost last year”, but he kept the achievement in perspective considering the personal and sporting setbacks of 2016.

“Like I said last year, my family’s health is more important than gold medals. I make no excuses for what happened last year. I said it was the worst performance of my life in the 200 fly, and I vowed to come back stronger and trying to win the gold medal, so that’s what I did tonight,” le Clos said.

A rendezvous with Schooling awaits in the 100 butterfly, with the semifinals taking place on Friday before the final on Saturday.

Air Force eyes semis

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AIR FAIRY Air Force goes for the third semifinals berth when it takes on ousted Akari-Adamson today in the Premier Volleyball League (PVL) Open Conference at the Filoil Flying V Centre in San Juan City.

The Lady Jet Spikers, running third with a 4-2 winloss record, has to win their 6:30 p.m. game with the Lady Falcons to secure the No. 3 seed in the next round and avoid the complications of a playoff.

Air Force—led by veterans Judy Caballejo, Wendy Semana, Joy Cases, Jocemer Tapic, Iari Yongco and May Ann Pantino—are coming off a 19-25, 20-25, 27-29 loss to defending champion

Pocari Sweat, which sealed the second semifinals berth along with unbeaten leader Creamline on Wednesday.

Lady Jet Spikers Head Coach Jasper Jimenez said they could not underestimate their opponents, who won only one of their six matches so far.

Power Smashers and University of the Philippines, each toting -5 records, try to end their campaign with a win when they clash at 4 p.m.

Megabuilders (6-0), meanwhile, goes for a sweep of the eliminations against Air Force (4-2) in the men’s contest at 10 a.m. Army (3-3) clash with Gamboa Coffee (1-5) at 1 p.m. Lance Agcaoili

Soccer players’ union bats for protection in China

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OOFDDORP, Netherlands—The world players’ union is pushing for the creation of a footballers’ association in China, amid concerns about overdue payments in the burgeoning league.

“Media reports this week revealed several Chinese Super League clubs are falling behind on payments, and FIFPro wishes to ensure that affected players have somewhere to turn to for help,” FIFpro said in a statement.

The Asian Football Confederation has warned clubs across the continent to settle debts to players by August 31

or risk competition bans. The Chinese Football Association (CFA) reportedly followed up with letters to all but three of the country’s 16 top-flight clubs to raise concerns about outstanding debts on transfers, salaries or bonuses.

The bulk of the clubs denied being in arrears to players and said they were sending paperwork to the CFA. FIFpro said overdue payables to players was a global issue, with a survey of 14,000 players in 2016 showing that 41 percent had experienced unpaid wages or bonuses in the previous two seasons.

A separate study in Asia in 2015 involving 1,000 players

in nine countries showed that a quarter of players had experienced times when their pay was overdue.

“Players in China do not have the benefit of a local players’ association to protect their interests,” FIFpro said, noting that China had shown a strong commitment to developing the game. “In time, the establishment of an association, which protects the players and ensures their voices are represented in administering the sport, would be beneficial to further enhance China’s plan to become a global football powerhouse.” AP

news@businessmirror.com.ph A8 Saturday, July 29, 2017 • Editor: Efleda P. Campos

OurTime BusinessMirror

My grandfather and his journey with dreaded Alzheimer’s disease

heer enforcement law, laud Salceda

ordinance in 2011 to enforce the virtually ignored existing municipal and city ordinances against smoking. Salceda was By 2007 Charlotte Furigay | Special to the BusinessMirror governor from to 2016.

He is now the congressman of Albay’s second district.

Despite the provincial ordinance against smoking, Salceda found his campaign ignored by local executives lacking the political will to enforce the ordinances.

Making himself the best example, Salceda quit smoking two weeks before signing his antismoking provincial ordinance.

Three months after quitting, Salceda called on his former classmate that then-President Benigno S. Aquino III to quit smoking, saying Salceda’s health had improved after successfully quitting.

The former president was a known heavy smoker, seen even a cousin my age. It was fun. really can’t remember duringI his provincial sortieshow of and And then the exciting part. I when it startedtobecause became failing miserably control I his would see my grandfather preparing used to it after a number of years. addiction to smoking. two glasses for him and his younger At the start, the family members A few weeks after signing his brother, and I would carry two pieces living in the house with my grandantismoking ordinance, Salceda, of whatever I decided to buy, together father, Pedro B. of Furigay, would just together with a few his selected with the one 750-milliliter bottle laugh He early wouldinoften confuse staff, wentattoit. dine the eveof cola. I would reach for my pocket youngest sisterBlanca to herhere. youngest ningmy at the Hotel Casa and give him the change. Just like it was fine, just Stilldaughter. fighting We histhought smoking addicwhat I always did, I would pretend the commercial: That old age tion,like thein former governor grabbed to leave, and before I could go out his comes with memory loss. the clutch bag of his escort, took a door, he would say, “O, sa iyo na ito”, Most of the happy memories I cigar and lit it, thinking he could and he would give me the P20 bills had with in mythe grandfather happened freely smoke restaurant.

To and change I just returned to him. I during merienda.

I would sit in our his surprise, a waitress accosted would split it up with my cousin and room, pretend do my homehim,living telling him, “Sir, to smoking we would do “jack-and-poy” if there work, and here,” wait forpointing him to wake is prohibited to up was an extra peso. That completed from his siesta,the because I know he a sign indicating restaurant the afternoon every single day. come up to me to buy some was would a no-smoking area.

ApparDuring family gatherings for snacks.

Not just for him, but for his ently, the waitress never knew the past years, the game would be two sons’ families.

It usually ranges she had accosted the governor, my relatives asking him if he could from 10 peopleBoard to 12 people, dependthen-Provincial Member recall them. I knew he could recoging on whosaid. were not out for work or Herbert Borja nize their faces, but not their names. school.

Of course, I would have to Infor 2013 an antismoking advoWhen his youngest daughter visited what that oneadozen people catechoose from Manila held forum from the US, he couldn’t remember Big responsibility, maybe, withwould localeat. executives, the media her name either. He couldn’t even thenantismoking 13-year-old me.

Sometimes, and for local personutter a single word. He just nodded it would be hamburgers, turons or baalities at the Albay capitol. Durand smiled. nana cues at the corner.

Sometimes, ing the forum, one participant Another problem is he is almost hethe would give me of a P1,000 cited complaint a retir-bill to deaf, so you would always need to hotdog siopao at ing buy teacher in sandwiches Tabaco Cityorwho talk to him through hand gestures.

Our snacks were not comsaid7-Eleven. that while securing a police That makes it even harder. plete without drinks,Police so I would clearance at thethe Tabaco My lolo is turning 88 years old leaveathe fooddesk first on our table, Office, police officer on and this year, and he still lives in a house the sari-sari storehis next dutyrush wastofreely blowing ci-to our next to ours. He and my lola worked was usually accompanied by gar house. beforeI customers.

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EMEMBER that classic fast foodchain commercial that touched the hearts of many Filipinos?

The one where the granddaughter kept insisting to her lolo that she’s not Gina, but Karen? Then, her grandfather took out the hamburger, sliced it into half, and said, “Para sa paborito kong apo, si Karen.” A smile suddenly lit up her face.

PEDRO B. FURIGAY

before at the US Naval Academy when he was about 60 years old and petitioned most of his children, before returning to the Philippines for his retirement. He is a big fan of boxing and he also loves to watch cockfights.

He had a lot of roosters before in our backyard, and he would bathe them and feed them before the sun sets.

I barely see him now. Twice a week is the most I could to visit him. I could hear his occasional shouting when he has a heartburn or he’s having a hard time digesting his food. My mom would always check on him and bathe him. She would go inside his house to see if there is pee or dirt on the floor, if he put the spoon and fork or his trash inside the toilet bowl, or if he removed his diapers again. I could only hear stories from her.

One or two years ago, he disappeared. We were in a panic looking for him. He was nowhere in his house and we looked everywhere and asked the neighbors if they saw him. Fortunately, my older brother found him sitting inside the church which is no more than 50 meters away from our house. There were times he would dress up, thinking it was a Sunday, and he would go to church just like he always does. He

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even forced open the church gate so he could get inside.

I could not remember when it started. He was not diagnosed, but all the symptoms, said my brother who is a nurse, indicate Lolo has Alzheimer’s disease. It is “an irreversible, progressive brain disorder that slowly destroys memory and thinking skills, and eventually the ability to carry out the simplest tasks,” the National Institute on Aging in the US said.

I did notice the changes, big and small, and I could tell that it’s on its severe stage right now. He couldn’t do and remember all the things he used to do before. His behavior and thinking changed a lot that he is very dependent on other people now in almost everything. At the beginning, it was just names and dates he forgets, but now, he is not even aware of what he is doing to the point that he couldn’t do basic tasks aside from eating on his own. And I know is it will get worse as days, months and years go by.

For the past months, I hardly hear him speak and he’s already having difficulty walking and balancing himself. There are times when he would want to go out, but I had to lead him back to his house because he thinks differently now, almost like a child, and I’m afraid he might slip or fall.

The last happy memory I remember I had with him happened maybe two or three months ago. My mom was busy with the chores, and my dad told me to bring Lolo his snack for that day. He was sitting on the couch and I left his food on the table in front of him, pointing at it so he could see. To my surprise, he said “Thank you”. Not that he hasn’t said it before, but it’s been so long that I cannot even remember when he last talked to me.

Just like that girl in the commercial, a smile suddenly lit up my face.

If there’s one thing he would not forget, I think it’s being grateful to the ones who care for him and love him.

news@businessmirror.com.ph Efleda P. Campos A9 A8 Saturday, July 29, 2017 • Editor:

My grandfather a with dreaded Alz

Albay seniors cheer enforcement of antismoking law, laud Salceda

By Manly M. Ugalde

ordinance in 2011 to enforce the virtually ignored existing municipal and city ordinances against smoking. Salceda was EGAZPI CITY, Albay—Forgovernor 2007 to 2016. mer Albay Gov. Joey S. SalBy Charlotte Furigay | Special from to the BusinessMirror He is now the congressman of ceda has been vindicated by Albay’s second district.

President Duterte’s antismoking Despite the provincial ordiExecutive Order 26, senior citinance against smoking, Salceda zens in Albay said. found his campaign ignored by Enforcement of a nationwide local executives lacking the politiantismoking law started last cal will to enforce the ordinances.

Sunday, July 23, with AlbayaMaking himself the best exnos recalling an event in 2012 ample, Salceda quit smoking two when Salceda spearheaded what weeks before signing his antihe touted was the world’s “bigsmoking provincial ordinance. gest antismoking human logo” Three months after quitting, Salproject. Budgeted with millions ceda called on his former classof pesos, the project was held at mate that then-President Benigno the Bicol University here with S. Aquino III to quit smoking, say12,000 participants joining the ing Salceda’s health had improved whole-day celebration by formafter successfully quitting. ing an antismoking human logo.

The former president was a Albay senior citizens hailed known heavy smoker, seen even the former Albay governor in his his provincial of effort toI really educate public on my age. Itsorties was fun. can’tthe remember how andduringa cousin control his part. I the adverse of smoking And thentothe exciting when iteffect started because Itobecamefailing miserably to see smoking. health.

Histoeffort was even subwould my grandfather preparing used it after a number of years.addiction A few weeks signing hisyounger mitted to the Guinness Book of two glassesafter for him and his At the start, the family members antismoking ordinance, Salceda, Worldliving Records for recognition as brother, and I would carry two pieces in the house with my grandwith a few of his selected the world’s of whatever I decided to buy, together father, biggest Pedro B.antismoking Furigay, would justtogether dine early in the eve- bottle human logo. with to the one 750-milliliter laugh at it. He would often confusestaff, went Hotel Casa reach Blancafor here.

President Duterte’s cola.

I would my pocket my youngest sisterantismokto her youngestning atofthe smoking addicing executive clearlyitvindiand givehis him the change.

Just like daughter.order We thought was fine, justStill fighting former governor catedlike Salcedo’s campaign against what I always did, Igrabbed would pretend in the commercial: That old agetion, the the clutch bag of his escort, tookgo a out his smoking, said retired banker Marto leave, and before I could comes with memory loss. cigar and lit it, thinking he could cial Tuanqui, 71, former president door, he would say, “O, sa iyo na ito”, Most of the happy memories I the restaurant. of the Albay Chamber of Comand he in would give me theTo P20 bills had with my grandfather happenedfreely smoke a waitress accostedto him. I merceduring and Industry. and change I just returned merienda. I would sit in ourhis surprise, him,it up “Sir, smoking Other senior citizens gathwould split with my cousin and living room, pretendwho to do my home-him, telling pointing to if there er regularly in await foodfor house we wouldhere,” do “jack-and-poy” work, and himattothe wake upis prohibited indicating restaurant Pacific Mallhis here joined Tuanqui’s an extrathe peso.

That completed from siesta, because I know hea signwas no-smoking Appar-day. hailing of the former afternoon area. every single would come up togovernor’s me to buy somewas a the ently, the waitress never knew project, saying smoking is “an During family gatherings for snacks. Not just for him, but for his she had accosted the governor, antilife activity that every human the past years, the game would be two sons’ families. It usually ranges beingfrom should discard”. my relativesBoard askingMember him if he could 10 people to 12 people, depend-then-Provincial Borja said.I knew he could recogSalceda’s critics mil-work orHerbert recall them. ing on who weresaid not the out for an antismoking lionsfor ofschool. pesosOfspent thehave to In 2013 nize their faces, but notadvotheir names. course,for I would held adaughter forum visited human-logo project clearpeoplecate from WhenManila his youngest choose what thatwas one adozen the media wastage of public designedmaybe,with local fromexecutives, the US, he couldn’t remember would eat. Bigfunds responsibility, antismoking personto merely her name either. He couldn’t even for thenpropagate 13-year-oldSalceda’s me. Sometimes,and local at the Albay word. capitol. persona l politica l ambition. a single HeDurjust nodded it would be hamburgers, turons or ba-alitiesutter ing the forum, one participant Theynana claimed the best action and smiled. cues at the corner. Sometimes, complaint of aisretiragainst was fora local of- bill tocited theAnother problem he is almost he smoking would give me P1,000 Tabaco City whoneed to ficials tohotdog enforce the ordinance deaf, soinyou would always buy sandwiches or siopao ating teacher securing police against smoking. talkwhile to him throughahand gestures.

7-Eleven.

Our snacks were not com-said that the itTabaco Police A plete he avwithout y s mok e rdrinks, h i m sso e l If wouldclearance That at makes even harder. the police officer consuming packs of ciglolo desk is turning 88on years old leave thethree food first on our table, andOffice, aMy blowing his ciarettes Salcedastore signed this freely year, and he still lives in a house rushdaily, to the sari-sari next to ourduty was customers. his anti-smok prov incia l next to ours. He and my lola worked house. I wasing usually accompanied bygar before Correspondent

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EMEMBER that classic fast foodchain commercial that touched the hearts of many Filipinos?

The one where the granddaughter kept insisting to her lolo that she’s not Gina, but Karen? Then, her grandfather took out the hamburger, sliced it into half, and said, “Para sa paborito kong apo, si Karen.” A smile suddenly lit up her face.

Seniors, PWDs geton Japan’s roads Elderly drivers are wreaking havoc

oc onSeniors, Japan’sPWDs roadsget

. o n a u . e y

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SITTING-SEDAN CARVER

Wang Yong Tran at 86 years old has been carving wooden sitting sedans for Buddhist and Taoist temples in Taiwan for the past 65 years. Tour guide and interpreter Albert Jhoung said the wood carver is probably the last active owner of a sittingsedan factory in the whole of Taiwan. Wang said a worker can complete a sitting sedan in four months, while two carvers can finish a sitting sedan in two months. A sitting sedan currently costs NT$750,000. JT NISAY

count for proper verification at the check-in counter. Passengers who avail themselves of the discount must present necessary identification upon check-in.

The resolution was to take ef-

fect 15 days after publication of the discount after which airlines will be given two months from date of effectivity to develop and fully implement a virtual system that would apply the discount on online transactions. PNA

N the past several weeks alone, elderly Japanese drivers have been wreaking havoc across the country: Breaking through median barriers into oncoming traffic, plowing over pedestrians crossing the road, and smashing into other cars. In all these cases, somebody was killed.

And as Japan’s population continues to age—meaning more and more older drivers are behind the wheel—the problem is only getting worse: Drivers aged 75 and over were connected to 459 fatal accidents last year, 13 percent of Japan’s total, up from 7.4 percent a decade earlier, National Police Agency data showed.

Stopping the carnage on the roads is an “urgent problem”, the agency said in a statement.

“Preventing road accidents caused by changes in the physical condition of drivers is an urgent issue that needs to be dealt with,” Mineko Baba, of Keio University’s Center for Integrated Medical Research, wrote in a research report last year. “Laws and society haven’t caught up to the situation of the rapidly increasing number of dementia patients.”

Currently, one quarter of Japanese are 65 or older, and the proportion is forecast to reach 38 percent within five decades.

In one of the worst recent incidents, last October, an 87-year-old man crashed his light truck into a group of children walking to school in Yokohama, killing a 6-year-old boy and injuring two others.

In June a 74-year-old woman killed a man driving the other way in

20% discount on domestic flights booked online

percent from a year earlier. In the Fukuoka after jumping the median. first three months after the new law Just two weekends ago, two took effect, 1,271 old people a day on people in their 80s were killed when average returned their licenses, up their car collided head-on with a large truck ENIOR inside acitizens tunnel in Gifu and persons from 946 a day in 2016, the National prefecture, with local media reports said. may Police Agency said. disability (PWD) The truck driver uninjured.

The of a One of them is Katsutoshi Kamei, soon was avail themselves reports said one ofdiscount the vehicles likely 20-percent when booking a 79-year-old retiree from Tokorozawa, west of Tokyo, who gave up his crossed the center line.online. a domestic flight The issue a “major challenge” The is Department of Transpor- license in November, after hearing for authorities, said Aeronautics Hiroki Sasaki,Board about the increase in accidents. He tation’s Civil an accident investigator and on former (DOTr-CAB) approved July 13, a said he wanted to stop driving “bepoliceman based in the northern resolution requiring local airlines to fore something like that happened”. city ofgive Sendai. a 20-percent discount on tick- Some companies are offering inThe is stepping up web centives for senior citizens to hand etsgovernment purchased via the carrier’s efforts the most dangerous sitetoorget a mobile application.

Prior to over their driving papers. Elderly seniors offthe the discount road. Changes to the this, was only applied people who give up driving in Tokorozawa are offered a year of free law took effect in March, requiring to face-to-face transactions. drivers over 75 to take a cognitive Under the resolution, senior citi- transportation on a community-bus service that runs throughout the test when renewing their licenses zens, PWDs or their representatives or if they commit offenses, such as must input the passenger’s details, city, plus 20-percent off purchases running a red light into including dateor ofturning birth and identi- at Mister Donut, a unit of Duskin the wrong lane.

Those who fail are fication number indicated in the Co. Other perks include a 10-percent discount on a local home-help ordered to undergo aor medical exam. senior-citizen PWD card.

If they flunk they’re stripped CABthat, directed airlines toofestab- service, 10-percent off taxi fares and even discounts on funeral services. their lish licenses.

As many as 15,000 liin their web sites the necessary censessystem a year may be forcibly revoked, to able to process the Banks and insurance companies the National Police Agency 20-percent discountprojected. based on the are also getting in on the act. Bank of Despite the carnage wrought actual fare, including promotional Kyoto Ltd. gives a 1-percent discount loans for anyone CARVER living with a Yong Tran

by Japan’s seniors, sold Japan’s overall fares directly by the airlines. on carSITTING-SEDAN Wang citizen who given the temples in T deathThe toll on the roads has beenshall de- not seniorsitting discount, however, sedans forhas Buddhist andupTaoist Awa BankAlbert Ltd.,Jhoung on thesaid western clining for years, a 67-year cover lawfulreaching taxes and other fees keys. interpreter the wood carver is of Shikoku, an additional low ofand 3,904 deaths in 2016, charges imposed inpolice relation to islandsedan factory inoffers the whole of Taiwan. Wang said a 0.3 percentage point on time figures showed.air Astravel. a result, the perdomestic months, while two carvers candeposfinish a sitting sed its for elderly folks who stop centage involving elderly drivers has A breakdown and summary of the costs NT$750,000. JT NISAY driving. nearlyamount doubled. to be paid must be known MS&AD Insurance Group Holdings lastformonth developingat the Older drivers arecitizen also increasingly count properit’s verification to the senior or PWD before Inc. said an in-car box that soundsPassengers a warning who volunteering to handofover licheck-in counter. the completion thetheir transaction. vehicle goes outside a predecenses.

Under a program that’s been themselves of the discount The document confirming the pas- if theavail or drives the wrong in place for almost two decades, mustarea present necessary identifisenger’s seat reservation or booking termined alerts family members via a 345,000 relinquished their cation upon check-in. mustpeople likewise indicate the passen- way and driving 2016, up 21 dis- smartphone Bloomberg News gercredentials was grantedinthe 20-percent The app. resolution was to take ef-

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BusinessMirror

A10 Saturday, July 29, 2017

news.businessmirror@gmail.com

‘Convergent charging’ seen to boost digital experience

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By Oliver Samson

ELECOMMUNICATIONS companies can provide customers with digital experience and services outdating the traditional communications services with the convergentcharging system.

This was asserted by an Amdocs Ltd. executive in an e-mail inter view last week with the BusinessMirror.

The partnerships that service providers enter into today provide them the ability to bundle

their own offerings with their partners’ services and include them in their own plans, according to Amdocs Digital General Manager Ilan Sade. These partnerships are being created with over-the-top players.

An example is Globe Telecom Inc.’s partnership with HooQ and PLDT Inc.’s deal with Cignal TV, iflix, Netflix and others to deliver video-streaming content to their respective customers, Sade (pronounced shah-day) pointed out. “ T he v a lue of convergent charging lies in its ability for service providers to charge for these bundled services on a single platform,” the Tel Aviv, Israel-based Sade explained.

He pointed out the need for service providers to come up with a simple process to get partners engaged and to make available tools that service providers need to support fresh business models and settlement mechanisms.

An open convergent system capable of interacting in real time with other systems is required in

providing a digital customer experience, Sade added. By delivering transparency immediacy and control to consumers service providers can strengthen their position, Sade explained. This can attract and retain customers even competition for the market is tight.

Convergent charging never stops from supporting transparency and control as a digital customer experience, he noted.

“The digital transformation has changed the way service providers engage with their customers, and driven them to provide greater control of their mobile accounts via any channel,” Sade said. “Furthermore, all interactions are handled in real time and all changes are available immediately after the customer has confirmed them.”

As artists go digital, Wacom sees buyers T

HE high demand for digital Filipino artists will lead to the demand for more digital pens, a Japanese company that makes them said.

“We all know that the Philippines is the top source for talents of studios, such as Disney, Hannah Barbera and Pixar,” Antonius Malabanan, Philippines country manager of Wacom Co. Ltd., said in an interview. “Educa-

tion and animation are the growth drivers.”

According to Malabanan, the company sees the animation industry in the region will need 5,000 new artists to meet the requirements of studios in the next three years.

He said Wacom will target the creative and consumer markets to boost the sales of its products in the Philippines.

For the consumer segment, Malabanan cited an IoS-based pen for Apple users and a top-of-the-line product (“Bamboo”) for professional artists. The Kazo, Saitama, Japanheadquartered company also has a pen with a fine tip and ideal for sketching, drawing and painting on an iPad. “Our potential users here are the major studios and the gaming developers in the Philippines,” he said.

Since the Philippines is gradually veering away from the traditional voice-based services in the information-technology-businessprocess management industry, Malabanan said Wacom is expecting an upsurge in the demand for digital pens, as more people will be assigned to handle knowledge-based jobs in the transition to knowledge-process outsourcing. Rizal Raoul Reyes

This July 20 photo courtesy of Lenovo Corp. shows John Rojo, Lenovo Corp.’s Philippines country manager (right) and Lenovo Mobile Business Group and Motorola Mobility Philippines Marketing Manager Vince de la Cruz showing the new moto Z² Play during the device’s Philippines launch.

Lenovo launches new Moto Z2 Play

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ENOVO Corp. moved to strengthen the position of its Motorola brand in the Philippine market as the technology firm rolled out the all new Moto Z2 Play.

In a statement, the company said the new device enhances the Moto Mods, which can easily attach to the device.

The trademarked Moto Z family of smartphones with Moto Mods “has allowed people to do things that were never before possible with a phone,” Lenovo explained.

“From projecting up to a 70inch screen anywhere to adding 10x optical zoom, Moto Mods offer unprecedented mobile in-

novation,” the company said.

“With the next generation of devices, you can experience even more new ways to transform your smartphone.”

T he launch came after research firm GfK said it anticipates emerging Asia to post the strongest regional growth in smartphones for this year.

Smartphone demand in the region, which includes the Philippines, totaled 56.7 million units, up 13-percent year-on-year (YoY), GfK said.

GfK said it forecasts overall smartphone demand in the region will total 234 million units in 2017, an increase of 11-percent YoY. Rizal Raoul Reyes

Thanks to Venmo, we now all know how cheap our friends are

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A RGA R ET Pennoyer, an elementary-school teacher in Manhattan, had just returned from a bachelorette party in Napa Valley when she received an e-mail that had been sent to all the guests. The two organizers had itemized each woman’s individual expenses, which they had covered, and requested reimbursement through Venmo, an app that transfers money between users who have linked their bank accounts to their phones.

Pennoyer owed $31.98 to one woman and $20.62 to the other.

In a previous time, the organizers likely would have asked everyone to bring enough cash to repay them in person or to mail a check afterward, courteously rounding down to $30 and $20.

But the Venmo request, calculated to the penny, struck Pennoyer, 29, as emblematic of how the app, the most popular among her fellow millennials for everything from entertainment expenses to rent shares, “changes friendships and makes them more transactional,” she said. “It’s nickel-and-diming everything, literally.”

By rendering payments between friends nearly invisible— no cash changes hands, no checks are written—Venmo theoretically should make these relationships <em>less</em> obviously transactional. Yet, not only does it encourage pettiness, distilling the messiness of human experience down to a digitally precise data point, but by making it so easy to pay someone back for purchases as trifling as a coffee, the app arguably promotes the libertarian, every-user-for-himself ethos of Silicon Valley.

“It’s making people less generous and chivalrous,” Pennoyer said. “It used to be you’d go to a restaurant, and you’d put down your credit cards and split it 5050, even if one person had steak and one had chicken. But now people pay exactly to the cent.”

“When there are three cookies,”

aspect to the memos, especially since the default mode is that transactions (although not the dollar amount) and contact lists are publicly viewable. Moreover, the app can search one’s phone contacts or Facebook network for users, and its default setting is to add new ones as they sign up for the service. As such, it is like any other social network in that you can lose yourself for hours roaming through the financial transactions of others (or just seeing who someone’s Venmo “friends” are).

Within a minute I was able to see what a friend—whom I’m not even connected with on the app—pays for Internet access and electricity, since her roommate itemized the charges in the memo.

Suggestive leaf

Not only does Venmo distill the messiness of human experience down to a digitally precise data point, but by making it so easy to pay someone back for purchases as trifling as a coffee, the application arguably promotes the libertarian, every-user-for-himself ethos of Silicon Valley. Anna Godeassi/The New York Times

she added, “let someone have the extra cookie—you don’t have to split the third one.”

Additional awkwardness

SOME users have observed a decline in magnanimity, particularly for small purchases.

“I have a friend who’s against Venmo because he believes it harms the norm of social reciprocity,” said Zach Fuchs, 30, who works in private equity in San Francisco, where the app is much in fashion. Fuchs noted that a colleague might normally feel compelled to buy the next round of happy-hour drinks, for instance, but with Venmo he can pay back the buyer of his drink and be done.

Pennoyer agreed and recalled childhood taxi rides, when two adults would fight to treat the other. Now, thanks to a host

(or, perhaps, that’s the wrong word) of money-transfer and billsplitting apps—such as Divvy, which takes a photo of a restaurant receipt and assigns a bill to each diner—and a fare-splitting feature built into Uber and Lyft (for a 25-cent fee), “that doesn’t happen with my generation,” she said. “It’s the difference between saying ‘I’ll get it next time’ and ‘I’ll Venmo you.’”

Once two people have decided to repay a debt with Venmo, there is the additional awkwardness of asking for payment. The easiest way is turning the app into a verb, with the casually tossed off “Just Venmo me.” But if you’re at a bar and putting someone’s drinks on your tab, the instruction may well be forgotten amid a morning hangover. The app also allows users to request payment—in other words, to send an

acquaintance a formal invoice.

Memory of things

TO assist with record keeping, the app also requires users to write a short memo declaring what the money is for. The memos are sometimes bluntly functional—“ drinks,” “rent”—but, perhaps, to mitigate the businesslike feel, are often whimsically annotated.

“I’m paying you money, but it’s not this cold, hard-cash transaction,” James Auchincloss, 26, a law student at Fordham University, said of the mentality behind the less serious memos. “It’s a memory of this thing we did together. I can’t tell you how many people just send a beer emoji or an emoji of a sport from a game.”

Yet, as with anything emojispeckled or exclamation-pointriddled, there is a performative

IT is possible to make one’s ledger and contacts private, but many users overlook these options, don’t care or might even desire the visibility: both to document their own experiences as though in a photo album and to broadcast their curated lifestyles to others.

Venmo, meet FOMO. “A part of me wants people to see that I’m doing stuff,” Auchincloss admited. “I kind of like that people say, ‘Oh, James went out to a baseball game or got drinks with people.’”

Scrolling through her friends’ ledgers, Pennoyer saw that two of her cousins had socialized recently and hadn’t invited her.

“The same way you can see on Instagram that you were left out, you can tell on Venmo,” she said.

Although calling attention to in-demand tickets or a fancy meal may inspire envy among one’s peers, and philanthropic payments can signal one’s virtue, it is just as possible to run across less glamorous or upstanding transactions.

Pennoyer noticed that a friend’s mother had sent her a Venmo payment with the memo “allowance.” “ That’s just embarrassing,” she said.

The web site Vicemo displays a running list of transactions with memos whose keywords or emojis describe drug-, alcoholand sex-related payments. Some are clearly jokes—unless a lot of clean-cut youngsters really are buying “crack”—but it is nonetheless very easy for a boss to search an employee’s full name on Venmo and discover a payment represented by a suggestive leaf.

Subject to scrutiny

PUBLIC transactions also mean that intimate relations are often made legible and subject to scrutiny.

“You can tell who’s hooking up, if there’s enough of a pattern between two people that you thought were just friends but seem to be more than friends, because they leave a trail of clues via Uber payments or breakfast payments,” Auchincloss said.

One man used Venmo to write a lovelorn memo to his former girlfriend; a screenshot was quickly circulated among their mutual contacts and beyond.

More s up p or t ive ly, Noa m Waksman, a 24 year old who works in digital marketing in New York, said he has “been called out by friends before, for charging my girlfriend for a meal,” which they had spotted on Venmo.

Waksman has, in turn, peered at how other couples financially relate to each other and has seen people “sur prise-Venmo” their significant others “with memos like ‘Have fun at the movies with your friends, love you,’” he said.

But the strongest demonstration of intimacy might be abandoning the service altogether.

Fuchs and his fiancée used to use Venmo, but in preparation for their recent wedding, the t wo opened a joint check ing account and now pool their expenses there.

“We’ve stopped settling up,” he said. New York Times News Service

BusinessMirror

news.businessmirror@gmail.com

Saturday, July 29, 2017

A11

PHL banks, business on many

hackers’ crosshairs—Symantec

By Oliver Samson

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Correspondent

ANKS and businesses in the country could be trapped inside the crosshairs of many attackers as the landscape of financial attacks is expanding, a Symantec Corp. executive said.

The attackers are attempting to strike organizations in “less saturated regions” that could be less secure, Symantec Asia CTO Matthias Yeo told the BusinessMirror.

“We have seen a large increase in financial Trojan detection in Asia and last year,” Yeo said in an e-mail interview. “And [the] Philippines landed on the 6th spot.”

The American cybersecurity firm has found out several attempts by attackers to transfer millions of dollars in fraudulent banks transactions, Yeo added.

Retail businesses, hotels and point of sales terminals also faced financial threats in 2016.

“Even ATM [automated teller machine] threats are still active

and evolving, although they often require physical access to the machine,” Yeo said, adding the financial threats “outsizes” ransomware threats.

According to Yeo, the financialthreats space is 2.5 times bigger than ransomware with more than 1.2 million detections annually.

He added 38 percent of the financial threats that Symantec detected last year were found in large business locations.

Malicious e-mails—not targeted attac k s—tr ig gered the infections, Yeo added citing the Bangladesh central bank cyber heist last year as “one of the most audacious of its kind”.

The attackers made four successful requests to transfer $81 mi l lion to casino-related accounts in the Philippines, Yeo explained. Of the $81 million, $15 million were returned by a casino to the Bangladesh central

bank in November last year.

In a recent interview, Isaac Sabas, CEO of Pandora Security Labs, a homegrown and all-Filipino cybersecurity provider, said that aside from financial institutions, the e-commerce in the country was also facing cyber threats.

Most of the attacks were coming from China, Romania and Germany, according to Sabas.

“Financial institutions should have a multilayered protection to secure not only their organization but also its customers, as well against threats,” he told the BusinessMirror.

According to Yeo, users should also observe measures to reduce risk.

“It should be clear that financial threats are a global problem, and no one is safe from them, anyone could be a target no matter which country you are in,” Yeo said.

Half of Pinoy Internet users remain tepid on security

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ORE than half of Internet users in the Philippines have been hacked or infected with malware during the last six months of 2016, according to the Kaspersky Lab ZAO. Almost the same number of Filipino respondents admitted their lack of concern toward on l i ne d a ngers, t he Ru ssi a n cybersecurity firm said.

Kaspersky based its assessment on a twice-yearly online survey of thousands of Internet users around the world. The sample in each wave of research represents the adult online population according to age and gender in every country of the study.

During last year’s second half, the global cybersecurity company surveyed 17,337 Internet users from 28 countries around the world, including 491 netizens from the Philippines.

The index includes three main indicators that provide a multidimensional picture of the level of danger users are currently exposed to online. These include: “unconcerned ”, “unprotected ” and “affected”.

The study’s results revealed 50 percent of Filipino netizens remained unconcerned about cyberattacks, which is 24 percent lower compared to the global average of 74 percent. This means more Internet users in the Philippines already acknowledged their vulnerability online.

Filipinos also displayed better online-protection habit, as only 34 percent of the respondents are unprotected, as opposed to the 39-percent global score.

On the other hand, 52 percent of the respondents from

Speakers at the Data Privacy Asia conference explain why contact centers need to comply with dataprivacy laws to keep their competitive edge. Pictured are Malcolm Crompton (from left) of ICC, Jojo Uligan of CCAP and Privacy Commissioner Raymund Enriquez Liboro. National Privacy Commission

Obeying data-privacy rules seen giving PHL firms competitive edge

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N the information age, compliance to data-privacy and data-protection regulations are considered by organizations as a competitive advantage in their business operations. This was confirmed by contact-center managers and data-protection experts at the recent Data Privacy Asia conference organized by the Contact Center Association of the Philippines (CCAP).

According to CCAP President Jojo Uligan, contact-center clients look for more than just capacity and capability of the work force.

“They also look at the utilization of industry best practices in data and network security, as well as international compliance with data-protection and data-privacy regulations,” Uligan said. “Customer experience is crucial and, as service providers, this what we are focusing on. When customers are aware that their data is secure, this translates to more business for industry.”

Privacy Commissioner Raymund Enriquez Liboro said companies complying with the Data Privacy Act (DPA) of 2012 have a competitive edge when it comes to data protection and privacy.

The DPA promotes international best practices in data protection comparable to data privacy frameworks, such as the Euro-

pean General Data Protection Regulation and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Privacy Framework.

“With Asean integration coming up soon, companies in the Philippines need to implement their data-protection and dataprivacy obligations not only to keep their existing clients but also assure future growth,” Liboro added.

Malcolm Crompton, former privacy commissioner of Australia, explained that a privacy-management plan (PMP) is essential for organizations, like contact centers, to ensure the longevity and competitiveness of their business.

“With the successful implementation of PMPs, companies can expect increased business, enhanced reputation, more satisfied clients and improved adaptability to change,” Crompton said.

“The company’s greatest asset is data. Hence, organizations need to rethink the risks associated with data processing in order to manage them effectively.”

Liboro said organizations that process personal information as part of their operations are required to register their dataprocessing systems with the National Privacy Commission on or before the September 9 deadline specified in the DPA. Oliver Samson

Kaspersky detects NukeBot versions

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the Philippines confessed they were once affected by cybercrime incidents during the second half of 2016. This is alarmingly 23 percent higher than the recorded worldwide rate of only 29 percent.

“As compared to the global average, more Filipinos are aware of the dangers in the Internet, and more Internet users from the Philippines are also safeguarding their devices with security solutions,” said Sylvia Ng, general manager at Kaspersky Lab Southeast Asia. “This behavior is definitely commendable, yet, is clearly not enough.”

Ng added the high percentage of users in the Philippines who were hacked or infected with malware last year showed cyber-

security is more than acknowledging the risks present online and installing security solutions to combat them.

“Filipinos’s defenses against cyber attacks should go beyond awareness and security software, it is high time for netizens to develop a better cyberself-defense instinct that automatically turns on when they go online.”

I n te r m s of t he t y p e s of threats encountered by Filipinos, the index revealed virus or malware infection is still the top cybersecurity incident in the country, at 43 percent. This was followed by account hacking and data Intercepting while devices are in use, both at 10 percent.

T he sur vey a lso showed 9

percent of Internet users in the Philippines were tricked into sharing private or sensitive details online, and the same percent were victimized by ransomware. There were also some Filipino netizens whose devices were hacked (6 percent), whose data was leaked by a third party (6 percent), who experienced financial fraud (6 percent) and whose devices was used for a cyber attacks (6 percent).

“The prevalent attacks in the Philippines can be prevented and avoided with an effective security solution and a mindset [that] is highly concerned and always on guard on anything suspicious and too-good-to-be-true tricks that cybercriminals always use online,” Ng added. Oliver Samson

ASPERKSY Lab ZAO has announced in mid-July that it has detected new versions of a banking Trojan virus called NukeBot. While recent samples of this computer virus seemed to pose no danger, the firm’s experts have recently uncovered some that are capable of breach.

“There are already a number of compiled samples of this Trojan in the wild—shared on underground hacking forums,” Kaspersky Lab said on July 24. “Most of these are rough, barely operational malware drafts; however, the company’s experts have managed to identify some that pose real threat.”

The Russian cybersecurity firm claimed that around 5 percent of all the samples it found new “combat versions” of the NukeBot. These samples show upgraded codes and abilities for attack.

“Among other things, these versions contain injections—specific pieces of code, which mimic parts of user interface of real online banking services,” Kaspersky Lab explained.

The behavior of the NukeBot’s new versions, based on injections analysis, seems

to be targeting users of a number of French and US banks, the cybersecurity firm noted.

The NukeBot breaches the target by injecting a malicious code into the online banking service’s Web page and steals the user’s data.

“Although the appearance of a malware family in the wild is not unusual, the fact that criminals have a ready-to-attack version of the Trojan, means that, soon, they may initiate a wide-scale malicious campaign to infect multiple users,” Kaspersky Lab said.

The people behind the new versions of this Trojan do not distribute the NukeBot at this point in time, explained Sergey Yunakovsky, Kaspersky Lab security expert. However, the situation may change soon.

“We’ve already seen this before with some other malware families: After a short testing period of a ready-to-attack malware, criminals start distributing it widely through infected web sites, spam and phishing,” he said. “So far, we have seen NukeBot versions [that] are ready to attack the customers of at least six banks in France and the US.” These banks could only be just the beginning of more attacks, Yunakovsky noted. Oliver Samson

At hacker summit, new focus on preventing brazen attacks

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AS VEGAS—Against a backdrop of cyber attacks that amount to fullfledged sabotage, Facebook Chief Security Officer Alex Stamos brought a sobering message to the hackers and security experts assembled at the Black Hat conference in Las Vegas. In effect, he said, it’s time to grow up.

Too many security researchers, he suggested, are focused on “really sexy, difficult problems” that don’t address the common vulnerabilities that allow malware attacks to wreak havoc. And too many securityminded hackers seem intent on demonstrating newly discovered hacks, such as making an automated teller machine spit out cash or taking remote control of an Internet-

controlled car, rather than shoring up more mundane defenses.

While part of that reflects the healthy intellectual curiosity of hackers, it’s also driven by marketing and economic incentives, Stamos said. “I appreciate the showmanship, but we need a little more thoughtfulness, a little less showmanship in our field,” he told reporters after his speech.

Global attacks, serious damage

SINCE May the world has been rocked by two major international cyber attacks—the ransomware WannaCry and a likely state-sponsored attack called NotPetya that spread out of Ukraine. Those and other recent digital assaults have paralyzed hospitals, disrupted

commerce, caused blackouts and interfered with national elections.

Stamos himself was formerly the chief security officer at Yahoo, which, last year, disclosed breaches of more than a billion user accounts that dated back to 2013 and 2014.

Black Hat, now in its 20th year, has matured since what Stamos, a longtime attendee of the computer-security conference, described as its “edgy and transgressive” early days. It has grown more professional and corporate over time.

Stamos called for a culture change among hackers and more emphasis on defense—and basic digital hygiene—over the thrilling hunt for undiscovered vulnerabilities. And

he called for diversifying an industry that skews white and male, and generally showing more empathy for the people whom security professionals are tasked to protect.

“It’s unfair for us to say that users should be better,” said Stamos, challenging his profession to find better ways to help people solve the most common vulnerabilities, such as reuse of passwords , e-mail phishing attempts and not updating devices to patch bugs.

Building a wall, metaphorically

STAMOS announced that Facebook is investing $1 million to encourage defensive security research through an upcoming contest.

He also revealed that the company will

contribute $500,000 to a Harvard University-based bipartisan election-security project. That effort will be coled by former presidential campaign officials for Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican Mitt Romney. Facebook and its rival Google will help create an information-sharing and analysis hub that Stamos said could help local officials and campaigns prevent attacks.

Stamos isn’t the only one calling for a broader focus on defensive techniques.

“We should celebrate defense,” said conference attendee Amit Yoran, CEO of Columbia, Maryland-based security firm Tenable and a former cybersecurity official during the administration of President George W. Bush. “We focus on the threat

of the day, the attack of the day, instead of focusing on the foundational issues.”

But some attendees—Stamos among them—also point out that the bug-squashing hacker ethos still plays an important foundational role in helping to understand what needs to be fixed.

“Every single hacker is going to start by attacking and trying to hack things,” said Jaime Blasco, a chief scientist at San Mateo, California-based Alienvault, who has been trying to compromise systems since he was a 12-year-old growing up in Spain.

“I don’t think it’s bad. If you want to be a good defender, you have to understand hackers, and you have to have been one of them to know what you’re dealing with.” AP

BusinessMirror

A12 Saturday, July 29, 2017

news.businessmirror@gmail.com

Samsung poised to unseat Intel as king of microchips

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EOUL, South Korea—Intel’s more than two decadelong reign as the king of the siliconbased semiconductor is poised to end on Thursday when South Korea’s Samsung Electronics elbows the US manufacturer aside to become the leading maker of computer chips.

Samsung reported record-high quarterly profit and sales on Thursday. Analysts say it likely nudged aside Intel in the April-toJune quarter as the leading maker of semiconductors, the computer chips that are as much a staple of the 21st century wired world as crude oil was for the 20th century.

Samsung said its semiconductor business recorded 8 trillion ($7.2 billion) in operating income on revenue of 17.6 trillion won ($15.8 billion) during the Aprilto-June period. Intel is expected to report $14.4 billion in quarterly revenue.

On an annual basis, Samsung’s semiconductor division is widely expected to overtake Intel’s sales this year, analysts at brokerages and market research firms say.

Crude oil

MOBILE devices and data are the keys to understanding Samsung’s

ascent as the new industry leader, even as its de facto chief is jailed, battling corruption charges, and it recovers from a fiasco over Galaxy Note 7 smartphones that had to be axed last year because they were prone to catch fire.

Manufacturers are packing more and more memory-storage capacity into ever smaller mobile gadgets, as increased use of mobile applications, connected devices and cloud computing services drive up demand and consequently prices for memory chips, an area dominated by Samsung.

Just as Saudi Arabia dominates in oil output, Samsung le ad s i n m a nu f ac t u r i n g t he high-tech commodity of memory chips, which enable the world to store the data that fuels the digital economy.

“Data is the new crude oil,” said Marcello Ahn, a Seoul, South Korea-based fund manager at Quad

year, reaching $400 billion for the first time, according to market research firm Gartner.

Big data

In this July 26 photo, the corporate logo of Samsung Electronics Co. is seen at its shop in Seoul, South Korea. Samsung Electronics on July 27 said its second-quarter profit surged 85 percent to record high, thanks to memory chips. AP

Investment Management.

For over a decade, Samsung and Intel each ruled the market in its own category of semiconductor.

Intel, the dominant supplier of the processors that serve as brains for personal computers, has been the world’s largest semiconductor company by revenue since 1992 when it overtook Japan’s NEC.

Reaping rewards

SAMSUNG is reaping the rewards of dominating in the memory chip market, which is growing much faster than the market for computers that rely on processing units dominated by Intel, said Chung Chang Won, a senior analyst at

Nomura Securities.

“Greater use of smartphones and tablet PCs instead of computers is driving the rise of companies like Samsung,” Chung said.

Since 2002, Samsung Electronics has been the largest supplier of memory chips, called DRAMs and NANDs. But for years demand for memory chips was vulnerable to boom and bust cycles depending on output and on demand from the consumer electronics industry. At times, competition was brutal as supply gluts arose.

That changed in 2012 when Japan’s Elpida filed for bankruptcy and was sold to Micron Technology, leaving only three major sup-

pliers of DRAM, a type of memory chip used in servers, computers and handsets: Samsung Electronics, SK Hynix and Micron.

Tight supplies coupled with rock-solid demand have pushed prices of memory chips higher, with average selling prices of DRAMs and flash-memory chips doubling over the past year, bringing South Korea’s memory chip makers record wide profit margins. Both Samsung and SK Hynix are expected to report all-time high profits this year.

Amid this boom that analysts call a memory chip “super cycle”, global semiconductor revenue is forecast to jump 52 percent this

FOR the full year, Intel is expected to post $60 billion in annual sales, according to a market consensus polled by FactSet, a financial data provider. Samsung Electronics’ semiconductor business is expected to report 71.9 trillion won ($62.6 billion) in full-year revenues.

Looking ahead, Samsung and SK Hynix, which control more than three quarters of the global DRAM sales, are raising their spending on semiconductor capacity and development in anticipation of robust future demand. SK Hynix raised its capital spending to 9.6 trillion won ($8.6 billion) this year, up more than 50 percent from last year. Samsung has said it plans to spend $18 billion in the next four years to expand memory chip production capacity at its South Korean plants.

Not just tech companies but also transport, retail, tourism, food and other industries are seeking ways to better use or manage data, to gain insights on trends or customer preferences and otherwise make money from “big data”. The rising use of vehicle connectivity and the “internet of things” is expected to drive still further demand for the chips that have helped Samsung move ahead, at least for now. AP