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93

Total number of elected government officials on PDEA’s list with alleged links to the illegal-drugs trade.

IN this April 19, 2018, file photo, President Duterte jokes with photographers as he holds an Israeli-made Galil rifle at Camp Crame in Quezon City. AP/BULLIT MARQUEZ

PDEA bides for more time to revalidate own narco list T

By Rene Acosta

HE Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) needs more time, even weeks, before it can issue a confirmation on whether all the names on the so-called second narcotics list of President Duterte are still actively involved in the illegal-drugs trade.

While the list has been drawn, and included the names of elected officials—from congressmen down to councilors—the government would still need to conduct a thorough revalidation, according to PDEA Director General Aaron Aquino.

Aquino disclosed during a news briefing on Tuesday that 93 officials, among them six congressmen and more than 60 city and municipal mayors, were in-

volved in the operations and proliferation of the illicit drug trade in the country.

In disclosing the list, which also contained the names of governors, vice governors and police and military officials, the PDEA has taken one notch higher the government’s campaign against the illegal-drugs trade.

Pending the results of the revalidation, Aquino did not reveal the names of the officials, a stance

that completely differed from the previous position of the agency when it named in April more than 200 barangay officials who were reportedly involved in the drugs trade.

The public revelation of the list drew flak, as some of those named have either been dead or were no longer in public office, suggesting that it did not go through the proper vetting.

In response, the Philippine

National Police said it would conduct its own case buildup and file charges against those who were indeed involved in drugs, if not subject them to “Oplan Tokhang”, or even the “Double Barrel”.

According to Aquino, it may take them at least two more weeks to finish the revalidation on Duterte’s second “narco list,” which began three or four months ago, by four government agencies.

See “PDEA,” A2

Birdmageddon: A journey to Ursula’s deepest secret

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By Roger Pe

AD Alfred Hitchcock seen this island, it could have been the location of his famous movie The Birds. The only difference is, the aves are not menacing crows and do not violently attack humans. Instead, they give you expressions of wonder and awe.

For those who do not know, Ursula is a one-of-a-kind bird sanctuary, the country’s best-kept secret for a lot of reasons. It is located in an island in Rio Tuba, Bataraza town, Palawan, far remote from civilization. It is actually an islet off the beaten track that looks like it had been spit out from Palawan mainland some 20 kilometers away.

The virgin landscape is carpeted with the purest and whitest sand you would have ever seen, and most likely, you’d pick your jaw on the beach floor once you step into its realm.

Ursula probably got its name from a British folktale about a vir-

gin martyr. It makes sense because British James Brooke, the self-declared white King of Sarawak and Borneo who traveled to southern Palawan in the 1860s, and one town, Brooke’s Point (where Bataraza used to belong), was named after him. The island’s martyrdom as a bird refuge best explains this theory.

Ursula is not your usual islet.

Its vegetation is made up of oldgrowth lowland forest with moderate undergrowth. In the middle of its far, far away kingdom, a forest with lush, verdant vegetation soars to the sky.

The fringes of Ursula thrive with wild pandan foliage, abun-

PESO EXCHANGE RATES n US 52.4590

FLOCKS of Imperial Pigeons, daily occurrence in Ursula before sunset. ROMMEL CRUZ

dant with pineapple-looking fruits that also resemble Japanese lamps scattered around the whole topography. When they are ripe, they explode with red-orange hues, and the way they display their iridescent presence validates the saying nature is the best art director.

In the past, it has been promoted as an ecotourism destina-

tion, but failed to get a sizable amount of visitors because of its inaccessibility, lack of safe mode of transportation, and the continuing debate: Should it remain a bird sanctuary or be opened to the public for tourism purposes?

Ursula Island is notable for a large concentration of Pied Imperial and Grey pigeons that roost for

the night in the island’s pristine territory. Along with that, flocks of White-Collared Kingfisher, Macklot’s Sunbird, Pygmy Flowerpecker, Chinese egrets, scops owls, megapodes (Tabon), eagles and the Nico Bar (Siete Colores) make the island their permanent address.

Only three people live on the island—the forest rangers from

the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) who alternately guard it from poachers of varying degrees. The rest of the inhabitants are birds, birds and more birds, including giant sea turtles.

A huge Palawan Eagle perches on top of a tree about 100 feet high by the island’s seafront entrance.

Depending on its mood, you may catch it swooping down on schools of fish, or just gallivanting in different directions, playfully wanting to catch your attention.

The weather in Ursula is so torridly hot that you’d feel you’re directly astride the planet’s equator. That being said, you may need to seek shelter underneath trees or wild bushes to escape the punishing heat.

There are no resorts in Ursula either. No fancy Caribbean-like amenities. Not even primitive cottages. You literally lie, sit and sleep on the beach, on a rock or on a piece of a tree trunk washed ashore if you’re lucky to spot one.

There are no maids to ask if you’ve had breakfast. You don’t see ambulant vendors selling whatnots to tide you over. No fruit shakes or bottled water you can buy to quench Continued on A2

n JAPAN 0.4783 n UK 70.4262 n HK 6.6861 n CHINA 8.2056 n SINGAPORE 39.3364 n AUSTRALIA 40.0000 n EU 61.9069 n SAUDI ARABIA 13.9895

Source: BSP (June 8, 2018 )

NewsSunday BusinessMirror

A2 Sunday, June 10, 2018

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Birdmageddon: A journey to Ursula’s deepest secret Continued from A1

your thirst. No ceramic bowls to sit on when nature calls. You had been forewarned that this is an expedition and live like castaway Robinson Crusoe you must.

To admire Ursula’s lonesome winsomeness, you have to shed off your urban lifestyle. At night, the sky is your rooftop, the balmy winds your blanket, and the stars your shimmering bright lampshade. The thought of being surrounded by thousands and thousands of birds competing with a symphony of crickets is your Spotify music.

The waters in Ursula gradate from emerald green to sparkling turquoise blue. While you wait for the “Grand Spectacle” everyone is looking forward to, what to do?

Swim, dive and snorkel to your heart’s content. Cavort with manta rays and countless varieties of fish species—all resplendent in vivid colors the way National Geographic would describe them. Explore the island and circle it by foot. In just about half an hour, you’ll be done.

Be astonished with an abundance of marine wonders along the way. Sit with seagulls on the rocks.

You may chance upon megapode (tabon) birds and turtles laying eggs (at nighttime) on a secluded shore. Go wild taking photos of the islet’s avian inhabitants. Penetrate the inner sanctum of the forest (ask permission and go with resident guides). Or just thank God you made it to the island.

A cloud of birds

WAIT, those are just appetizers.

The visual entrée or ultimate reveal, we are referring to is the sight of birds returning to the island just before sunset. When it is 30 minutes past 5, it is to your best interest not to blink. The main beach facing west is the best place to give you a ringside view of what is going to unfold.

All set? Now look up. Get ready for a sight you’ll probably never ever see again. Behold. From initial groups of tens and twelves, the birds will be in batches of twenties, thirties, and then fifties, and by the hundreds. As they come home from the mainland and neighboring islands, they will start to blacken the sky.

The interval will soon be in a faster, hair-raising succession.

Before the sun finally disappears, their number will grow by the thousands. Wheeling like some kind of a hypnotic cloud, they would become one of nature’s most mesmerizing sights, like starlings roosting for the night, cooing and making myriads of nocturnal sounds.

By five in the morning, you would witness “The Flight Redux”, a repeat of what happened last night, the same avalanche, the same sequence, only outward bound.

Starting with the same number of batches, the reverse would be replicated. This will be your breakfast.

The birds will now hie off to the mainland and hunt for food. The cycle of life goes on.

Our world is full of wonders.

Amazing places are discovered every day. Different geographical locations and natural wonders sometimes are hard to believe they actually exist. The BusinessMirror catches up with Rommel Cruz, passionate nature lover and organizer of this once-a-year trip to give you insights on a number of wild expeditions he has organized for Filipinos who love extreme adventure.

PDEA…

named in the list were from Region 4A, the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao and Northern Mindanao.

In the case of barangay officials, the PDEA and even the Department of the Interior and Local Government admitted that the release of the narco list was partly made in order to discourage voters from electing barangay leaders with ties to illegal drugs during the elections in May. Apparently, this was also the direction of the government in the

case of higher public officials, given that the next elections are coming up next year.

When he released the names of the barangay officials in April, Aquino said at the time they have 93 higher officials who were linked to the illegal-drugs trade.

“We have 93 from vice mayor up. Vice mayor, mayor, congressman, governor, vice governor. I have 93 on the narco list,” he said, stressing that the list was officially validated.

Boat to bird sanctuary

ROMMEL CRUZ, passionate wildlife protector, shown here protecting a native bird that would have been eaten by humans.

Wild expedition leader

“I LOVE outdoor life,” he opens with excitement. Raised in Palawan, Cruz wants people to explore nature in its rawest form just like the way he does.

He was already hunting birds when he was a kid. He sees expedition trips as a venue for people to experience wildlife, nature, local village life, and the feeling of isolation in an island. “For me, this is the real essence of an expedition.

By inviting people who are tired of resort life and wanting them to experience a new kind of adventure,” he says.

Before Cruz ventured into organizing wildlife trips, he worked for Katala Foundation for seven years. He was initially assigned assisting filmmakers and bird photographers in scouring the jungles of southern Palawan. Part of his job was to comply with a number of protocols in protecting the area.

Identifying birds was part of them.

He eventually went on his own and loosely put up Wild Expedition Palawan with one thing in mind: Wildlife and use the word expedition in his campaigns.

A small team helps Cruz put trips together. A camp manager, assistant tour leader and a cook. As in the Ursula episode, he required that a tour leader must be a birdwatcher. “We have a herpetologist for mountain trips, or an ornithologist for birdwatching tours.

Each trip being different from the other and weather-dependent, Cruz has met many challenges along the way. “We are not your typical resort trip vendors and we know that not everyone is interested in extreme tours,” he explained.

So enamored is he with the word expedition, that Cruz’s mantra is to explore and be pioneering in an unconquered territory. He doesn’t hide his elation that his group has built a different kind of traveler database—adventurers on a different level.

When we bid Ursula goodbye, Cruz and his team brought back bags and sacks of trash to the mainland.

He intimated that throughout our stay, his team used organic and biodegradable stuff—from detergents, food, coffee, etc. I gave my bulky jacket to one of the Forest Rangers in the island whose 7-year-old son Javier was my constant companion in roaming the island.

Cruz said outdoor tourism is growing. “It was hard to invite people before, even just for camping, trekking or climbing. Now, they voluntarily list up,” he said. Eighty percent of those who join Cruz’s expedition tours are foreigners, while wildlife photography trips lure 30 percent and the rest of the 70 percent are domestic enthusiasts.

Continued from A1

Still, even after the revalidation is done, Aquino said he could not release the names of the officials involved, unless Duterte would give the go-ahead.

Late last year the National Police Commission (Napolcom) released its list of local officials who were involved in the operations and proliferation of illegal drugs in the country, and moved

I HAVE found my fountain of youth in Ursula. But deeper questions had to be asked. Should it be opened to the public? We asked people from all walks of life. Here are their thoughts: “Bird and animal sanctuaries provide an area for wildlife to live their lives as nature intended to.

History has shown that man’s influence on their environment has been to modify and make the environment adapt to his needs. These needs are often, if not always, in conflict with nature’s needs. As such, sanctuaries should be protected, and tourists regulated.

When tourists come in droves, they surely start to make the environment adjust to their convenience.

We need tourism that is less invasive,” said Jackie Gamboa, sports entrepreneur.

“It is better that it be off-limits to tourists as it will disturb the island’s fragile ecosystem equilibrium,” said a UP marine expert the moment I posted photos of the island on social media. “It is a sanctuary, and therefore, must be closed to irresponsible tourists,” said a Palawan-based environmentalist who has been to many farflung islands in the country.

“A bird sanctuary that lacks protection will not serve its purpose. We are noted for nature and our wildlife.

If we can’t hold on to what makes us stand out on the global stage, so what’s new?” said Inigo Acuna, digital artist and stage actor.

Enrico Chee, a Malaysian millennial who has been to the Philippines as a youth sport ambassador, said: “Without this uniqueness, there won’t be any demand for tourism in the future.”

“Wildlife and their ecosystems are vital parts of our country’s cultural identity. We already suffer from lack of a clear identity. We should protect them, not destroy them,” said FilipinoBritish Adrian Williams, a digital entrepreneur.

Medy Beroy, a Filipina journalist based in the US, said: “As long as Ursula is protected, local and migratory birds can live in peace and multiply abundantly in a sustainable way. Tourists will only destroy it.”

People have noticed that the number of birds in Ursula have diminished in the last 10 years due to human encroachment on their habitat. Opening the place for tourism purposes will aggravate the matter, according to them.

Last, this is the best argument why Ursula Island should remain a bird sanctuary, excellently verbalized by Lauren Finnessey in her published scholarly article, actually her thesis that was submitted to Johnson and Wales University, Rhode Island, USA: “Tourism is one of the largest industries worldwide, and travelers commonly visit national parks and protected areas because of the peaceful scenery they offer. While tourists love to see these natural environments in their undisturbed states, they oftentimes add to the degradation of these parks.

“Tourists can harm the environment in many ways, and may be unaware of what they are doing. Many visitors are there to see the beauty in nature and are focusing on enjoying themselves and not what they are leaving behind. Actions such as trampling on vegetation add to the destruction of the land.

“The negative impact of tourism on national parks is a global problem. Parks in all countries and continents struggle with these issues and are looking for ways to minimize their effects. Other countries like England, Canada and some Asian countries are trying to reverse the impacts that tourists have on their natural preserved areas.

“State parks have also been threatened due to their cost for rangers and upkeep. In New York, many state parks were shut down for a period of time due to budget costs and understand that they should reduce the negative impacts that people have on the parks in order to keep them around for generations to come.

“Tourism in national parks is a growing trend due to the economic standing of the country and the increase in interest of ‘ecotourism’. Travelers want to spend time in natural and peaceful areas, but with growing numbers of tourists comes an increase in problems.

“An example of this would be a ‘soft ecotourist’. Soft ecotourists have anthropocentric tendencies, which means they view themselves as the most important beings in the world. Because of this, their dedication and knowledge of environmental issues is not as deep as their ‘hard ecotourist’ counterparts.”

the wet market and got a handful of videos.

to strip them of their control and supervision over the police in their areas.

The list named at least 18 city and municipal mayors, including Cebu Mayor Vicente Loot and one governor. All of the officials named, however, rebutted the Napolcom report, and even challenged the agency to file charges against them.

THE sight of birds coming home to Ursula before nightfall.

Looking back

WHEN I was small and Palawan was literally the country’s Last Frontier, a barrio just 5 kilometers away seemed so distant. How much more a village, more than 200 kilometers away?

I was born in Palawan and grew up in Puerto Princesa, but I have never ever been to Ursula, the island our teachers in grade school gloriously told us about. Not even after attending college and pursuing an advertising career for almost 40 years. Ursula remained to be just a fantasy, March 3, 2018. I came back and forth countless times to my hometown, but Ursula never crossed my mind. Ursula was beginning to slip away. Had I not logged on the Internet on this day, it would’ve escaped my mind for the umpteenth time.

April 5, 2018. It’s now or never.

After two weeks of indecision, I dropped everything and made arrangements for the trip. I got hold of the itinerary three days before I flew. Prone to backing out at the last minute, I was mentally prepared this time. At 6 in the morning, my plane was hovering above Puerto Princesa from Manila and I was set to land.

April 7, 2018. I was in a van packed with people whom I didn’t know from Adam. I only came to know about them almost halfway through our trip. Because we were not introduced to each other at the onset, I had little time to socialize and was more focused on how to craft my travelogue.

I would later learn that they were a Dutchman and his Filipina partner, a flawlessly Tagalog-speaking American and his girlfriend, both of them based in Davao, a resort owner in Coron and his son, and a local lawyer. In another van rode the expedition’s crew.

By 8 in the morning, we’re on a long and winding highway to Rio Tuba, 236 freaking kilometers away. “This must be fun,” I said.

The six-hour trip would take us to a place I have long been wanting to see, the oldest operating mining community in the province, with a name as exotic as Ursula’s.

We made a stopover in Narra town for lunch. After one hour, we pushed southward, passing through hectares and tiring hectares of palm-oil plantation in Española town. The road network was surprisingly well paved, far from the mud and sludge days of yore when I first traveled to this no man’s land almost 10 years ago.

Brooke’s Point, a quaint, lovely town soon beckoned. On the right side of the van, I could see Mount Maruyog’s strange summit formation with a peak that plunges 45-degrees vertically inching close to Mt. Mantalinggahan, Palawan’s highest mountain range.

You know you’ve reached Bataraza when the soil begins to turn orangey. “Presence of nickel,” I muttered. At the province’s southernmost town on the mainland, you begin to inhale the scent of nickel ore.

It rained hard as we approached Rio Tuba, a grand welcome, I reckoned. No swirling dusts to inhale for some of us who had no sleep at all the previous night. It then stopped abruptly as we rolled down the mining village. The first thing that I noticed: Practically all rooftops were covered with the color of nickel.

We were checked-in at Pring Pension House near the market.

Now getting closer to the eastern border of Sabah, we were virtually isolated. No signal for our phones and nothing to do, except stroll around the village (but within safe distance of each other). I strayed in

They claimed that their inclusion in the list and its release to the public has made them targets of the government’s bloody war against illegal drugs.

The Napolcom list was apparently drawn from the list of Duterte.

Months after he was sworn into office, the President had claimed he has a list of government officials allegedly involved in the illegal-drugs trade.

Duterte said he has also a separate list of other individuals who

were into drugs, like movie personalities and barangay officials.

Since then, the government has scored a consistent busting of village officials and individuals connected with the film and movie industry in its anti-illegal-drugs operations.

Aquino said the process of revalidation against those named in the second narco list is not that easy, the reason it is taking the government months to do and complete the task.

He said most of the officials

APRIL 8, 2018. We woke up at 5 in the morning all ready to take the Ursula plunge. When we got to the jump-off point, it looked like it was going to be a well-planned trip as the speedboat we were to take was already waiting for us. No waiting and it sped away in seconds as all passengers were accounted for.

Prior to this, DENR-Brooke’s Point, the local government of Bataraza through its Tourism Officer Jun Dawili, Mayor Abe Ibba and Police-Maritime Special Boat Unit Supt. Greg Togonon, SPO2 Rodriguez and Rey Togonon of the Coast Guard had made arrangements to assist us.

The Coast Guard men on our boat all looked glum, poker-faced and seldom talked, making my fertile mind percolate with some sordid news. Fearing that they would distract me from enjoying the trip, I immediately shut them off my mind.

I jumped into the boat and positioned myself at the rear end so that when I take photos, no one would photobomb what I was recording from behind. Bad decision. The tumultuous slamming of waves, aggravated by bad weather, drenched me all over.

It was also the worst spot for an unknowing senior citizen to choose. My companions who were safely seated near the boat’s steering wheel area were of no help either. Only my presence of mind, and a grip, tighter as hell, saved me from flipping over. If my previous Tawi-Tawi trip was a breeze, this was like facing a gale head-on.

We reached Ursula in less than one hour (the smaller boat carrying the expedition crew arrived a full hour later). When the island’s majestic view loomed right in front of us, there was another lull: We couldn’t get ashore.

We learned that the crewmen were extra careful in choosing a spot for us to land, so as not to crush the corals underneath. Had it lasted for a few more minutes I would have thrown up due to the boat’s nonstop swaying.

Should Ursula be opened to tourists?

The World BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

American oil fight to heat up as US keeps more for itself

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he United States is set to get a bit more possessive about its own oil, sparking a bidding war with eager buyers in the other side of the world.

Asian refiners from China to Taiwan and Thailand have boosted purchases of American crude in recent months because it was increasingly turning cheap relative to supplies from other parts of the globe. They’re now about to face stiffer competition as the US’s own demand rebounds, with domestic refineries restar ting after spring maintenance, according to industr y consultant Energy Aspects Ltd. “There will be a tug of war between US domestic demand and international markets,” said Virendra Chauhan, a S ingapore -based analyst at Energy Aspects. “That’ll determine how much American crude will flow to Asia in the coming months.”

While more than 1 million barrels a day of refining capacity in the US was offline during May, only less than 200,000 barrels a day will be affected over the following three months as plants pump out fuel to meet demand during the summer driving season, according to the consultant. Crude volumes going into American refineries have also risen in recent weeks, data compiled from the Department of Energy show.

Higher intake by domestic plants will contribute to limiting the availability of cargoes for export even as pipeline bottlenecks pose hurdles for transporting all of the oil pumped inland to US Gulf Coast terminals—an infrastruc ture

headache that Citigroup Inc. and Energy Aspects see lasting until at least mid2019.

That means, in the coming months, the likes of Taiwan’s CPC Corp. and China’s Unipec are unlikely to enjoy the price advantages that had spurred them to buy millions of barrels of US crude recently, according to Chauhan.

Buying spree

CPC joined Unipec—the trading unit of China’s state refining giant Sinopec—as one of Asia’s top buyers of US crude last month after it purchased as much as 7 million barrels of WTI Midland for loading in July. That’s the equivalent to 225,000 barrels per day, or almost half of the Taiwanese refiner’s total nameplate capacity at its domestic plants.

The company was said to have bought the crude at a premium of about $1 a barrel over London’s Dated Brent benchmark, including freight costs for shipping the supply from the US to Taiwan, a journey of more than 13,000 nautical miles lasting almost two months. That pricing level for the American oil is attractive relative to similar grades with lower sulfur levels, such as Abu Dhabi’s Murban and Arab Extra Light from Saudi Arabia, according to Chauhan.

In the most recently announced official prices, Saudi Arabia’s state-run oil producer, known as Aramco, set the differential for Extra Light sold to Asia at almost $3 a barrel higher than for the same period last year, as did Abu Dhabi National Oil Co. for Murban crude.

Bloomberg News

Sunday, June 10, 2018

A3

China’s ‘Belt and Road’ to boost global trade by 12 percent–ING

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By Eric Lam | Bloomberg News

hina’s “Belt and Road” initiative (BRI) could increase global trade by as much as 12 percent by halving trading costs for countries involved in the sprawling initiative, according to an economist at ING Group NV. The BRI will have a significant impact on transport and trade facilitation expenses, both of which are large factors in final trading costs, Joanna Konings, senior economist for international trade analysis with ING in Holland, said in a June 6 report.

“Trade between Asia and Europe, not including trade between EU countries, accounts for 28 percent of world trade, so making those trade flows easier has a large potential impact,” Konings said in the report. “The size of this impact

depends on the sensitivity of trade to changes in relative costs.”

In her analysis, Konings considered three scenarios, which vary the number of countries affected by the initiative, while assuming a 50-percent drop in costs. In the most conservative case, which includes only countries along the Eurasian economic corridor - China, Kazakhstan, Russia, Belarus and Poland—the plan will boost global trade by 4 percent.

More on the Belt and Road

In the most optimistic scenario involving both BRI countries and their partners, nations in central Asia and eastern Europe would see the biggest increases. Trade

Florian Reuter on June 6. Krisztian Bocsi/Bloomberg

for Russia, Kazakhstan, Poland, Nepal and Myanmar would rise by an estimated 35 percent to 45 percent, while China would see its trade jump by about 20 percent.

The most important variable, however, is how fast trading costs fall, and that is dependent on how long the BRI policy exists, according to Konings. Projects currently under construction are expected to be finished

in the next five years, with more likely to be announced. As a result, costs will likely take anywhere from five to 10 years to fall, Konings wrote.

“If trade costs are slow to fall, effects on world trade growth will be small in any given year,” she said. However “significant falls in trade costs, even over a long period, could lead to large impacts on international trade.”

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Sunday, June 10, 2018

The World BusinessMirror

Global investment flows down 23% in 2017 to three-year low

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lobal flows of foreign direct investment (FDI) plunged 23 percent in 2017 to a threeyear low, amid a decline in cross-border mergers and acquisitions, a trend the United Nations called “troubling” for the risk it poses to emerging economies.

The decline in FDI to $1.43 trillion from $1.87 trillion 2016— even as trade and economic growth picked up—also reflected lower investment in projects other than mergers, according to the annual World Investment Report on Wednesday from the UN Conference on Trade and Development.

Inward f lows to developed

economies dropped 37 percent to $712 billion as mergers and acquisitions fell 29 percent. Meanwhile, FDI flows to developing economies remained stable at $671 billion, with investment into Latin America rising for the first time in six years.

“This negative trend is a longterm concern for policy-makers

worldwide, especially for developing countries, where international investment is indispensable for sustainable industrial development,” UN Secretar yGeneral Antonio Guterres said in the report. “ This troubling global investment picture underscores the importance of a conduc ive globa l invest ment environment.”

This year

The UN projects FDI f lows will rise “marginally” this year, by about 5 percent to $1.5 trillion, while remaining below the average over the past decade, amid polic y uncertaint y and trade tensions. There’s also a rise in investment restrictions, as well as concerns about national security and foreign ownership of land and resources, along with heightened scrutiny of foreign

takeovers, the report said, even as many countries make efforts to attract FDI. The investment downturn in 2017 also partly reflected a decline in the global average rate of return on foreign investment, which fell to 6.7 percent from 7 percent. Developed nations, along with West Asia and South Asia’s developing economies, showed slowing returns.

T he US remained the biggest recipient of FDI, attracting $275 billion last year, followed

by China with record inflows of $136 billion, the UN data showed.

Outflows from China fell for the first time since 2003, down 36 percent to $125 billion as a result of policies clamping down on investment in response to “significant capital outflows” during 2015 and 2016, the report said.

Bloomberg News

Stormy Daniels says former lawyer colluded with Cohen

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tephanie Clifford, the adult movie star professionally known as Stormy Daniels, said her former lawyer colluded with Donald J. Trump’s long-term attorney Michael Cohen in a bid to make her lie about her alleged tryst with Trump.

Keith Davidson represented Clifford in 2016, when Cohen paid her $130,000 to keep quiet about a sexual encounter she says she had with Trump in 2006. Davidson and Cohen exchanged a series of messages in January to have Clifford appear on Sean Hannity’s Fox News show and have her refute a 2011 interview In Touch Weekly published that

month, describing her encounter with Trump, according to a complaint filed Wednesday in state court in Santa Monica, California.

Davidson also tipped off Cohen in February when he found out that Clifford was changing lawyers and was planning to publicly disclose her relationship with Trump and in March when he learned that she was about to sue Cohen and Trump, according to her lawsuit.

“The disclosure of any information to Mr. Cohen regarding Ms. Clifford’s contemplated action was a clear violation of Mr. Davidson’s duty of loyalty and obligation to maintain

Ms. Clifford’s client confidences,” according to the complaint, which was filed by Clifford’s current lawyer, Michael Avenatti.

Clifford accuses Davidson of breach of fiduciary duty and Cohen of aiding and abetting Davidson’s disloyalty to her. She seeks at least $100,000 in damages.

If it’s true that Davidson used Clifford’s confidences to harm her, that’s a professional betrayal that can lead to large damages and discipline, said Stephen Gillers, a legal ethics professor at New York University.

“The claim against Cohen for aiding Davidson will be a challenge to win,” Gillers

said in an e-mail. “Clifford will have to prove that Cohen knew that Davidson had no authority to do what is alleged.”

A spokesman for Davidson said in an e-mail that the lawyer was happy that Avenatti filed the case because it means he’s no longer bound by attorney-client confidentiality in connection with Clifford.

“The truth can now finally come out to rebut the false narrative about Attorney Davidson that Mr. Avenatti has been pushing in his more than 175 television appearances and countless other media interviews,” his spokesman said. Bloomberg News

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

Kim’s charm offensive may benefit his army if American sanctions ease

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OKYO—While raising hopes for denuclearization and a peace treaty to finally end the Korean War, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s newly found focus on diplomacy comes with an ironic flipside: It could be a godsend for his generals.

Kim’s thinking on how his military fits in to his plans to foster detente on the Korean Peninsula and negotiate security guarantees from Washington may become clearer when he sits down with President Donald J. Trump next week in Singapore.

But one thing is already clear. Kim cannot survive without his loyal troops. Whatever grand strategy he has in mind will strongly reflect their interests—and that includes the ability to make lots of money.

Along with the nuclear bombs and intercontinental ballistic missiles that have gotten the world’s attention, the Korean People’s Army is deeply involved in everything from raising mushrooms and apples to running its national airline and selling the country’s mineral resources abroad.

So they stand to benefit greatly if Kim succeeds in depleting support for sanctions by negotiating with Trump and the North’s affluent neighbors.

Rivaled only by the ruling party itself, with which it is carefully intertwined, the military is the biggest and most formidable organization in North Korea. It consumes roughly one-third of the country’s annual budget and employs 1 million-plus personnel, making its standing army one of the world’s largest despite the North’s small population of less than 25 million.

From the reign of Kim’s father, one of North Korea’s most important slogans has been “Military First.” And since he took power, Kim has set his sights on simultaneously developing the nation’s nuclear forces and its economy. His current diplomatic overtures to China, Seoul and Washington are based on his claim, laid out to party elites in April, to have already “completed” the development of his nuclear arsenal.

With the nuclear development mission accomplished, his argument goes, it’s time to adopt a “new strategic line” that emphasizes the economy and the strategic

use of diplomacy.

That should not be seen as a move against his military.

Just as shifts in the economy since Kim assumed power in late 2011 have created a growing income gap in the civilian sector, so have they contributed to growing disparity within the military ranks, suggests William Brown, an adjunct professor at Georgetown University and former analyst with the US State Department and CIA. “Some units and some soldiers are making good money doing construction work and others are making essentially nothing doing their foxhole duty. Same for the officers,” he said. “Some are coming out of their 10-year tour of duty with marketable skills, like driving and fixing taxis, and others with no skills at all.”

Brown said that, in the long run, diplomatic success could free Kim to cut costs by reducing the military’s bloated ranks. But he stressed that for now “keeping soldiers happy when others seem to be getting rich is of paramount importance.”

“I get the sense that Kim is getting ready for another massive state wage increase to make state workers, including the military, a little more happy,” he said.

The military’s involvement in such a wide variety of side-businesses also means it is in its interest to see an increase in trade well beyond sales of nuclear technology or missile parts that will likely remain the target of international nonproliferation watchdogs no matter how well Kim’s talks go.

“They own a large number of enterprises, and their share in the mining sector is probably one of the largest. So they’ve definitely lost out as sanctions have made North Korean coal and mineral exports plunge,” said Benjamin Katzeff Silberstein, an associate scholar with the non-profit Foreign Policy Research Institute.

Silberstein added that the most important role of the military in the economy is its ability to readily provide manpower where needed, doing construction and road repair work, helping out with the harvest and working in the mines. “That role is hard to quantify,” he said, “but it is likely massive.” AP

Faith

Sunday

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

Sunday, June 10, 2018

A5

Eid’l Fitr marks end of Ramadan fasting Story & Photos By Edd K. Usman

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Special to the BusinessMirror

amadan, Islam’s holy month of fasting, will end in mid-June.

It concludes with the celebration of Eid’l Fitr, which literally means “Festival of Breaking the Fast.”

On June 6 President Duterte signed Proclamation 514 declaring June 15, a Friday, a regular holiday to celebrate Eid’l Fitr, the Feast of Ramadan.

The National Commission on Muslim Filipinos (NCMF) recommended to the President the date of this year’s post-Ramadan observance based on Republic Act 9177 signed by then-President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in 2002, declaring the first day of Shawwal, the 10th Islamic month, a national holiday for Eid’l Fitr.

Muslims across the world, including Filipinos, begun their fast on May 17 (Ramadan 1, 1439, based on the Hijrah lunar calendar). It set off a monthlong total abstention from eating, drinking and smoking from dawn to dusk, or a period of 15 hours.

Eid ’ l Fitr is one of Islam’s two most important holidays. Eid’l Adha, or the Feast of Sacrifice, is celebrated at the climax of the annual Hajj, the pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia. Hajj occurs during the month of Dhul Hijjah, about three months after Ramadan.

Both are regular holidays with changing dates every year in the Philippines. Republic Act 9849 declared in 2009 Eid’l Adha a regular holiday.

Ramadan’s first day will always be the start of performing the fast, and the first day of Shawwal will always be Eid ’l Fitr. But since the Hijrah (meaning f light or migration) is short by 11 days vis-a-vis the Gregorian calendar, the dates of the two Eid celebrations will always change every year.

The two separate laws covering the two Eids allow for determining their dates based on the Islamic calendar or through astronomical calculations, “whichever is possible or convenient.”

Today, June 10, is the 25th day of the fast. The first and last day of every month of the Hijrah is determined with the appearance of the crescent moon.

Muslims are expected to sight the crescent moon to set the Ramadan’s last day and Shawwal’s first day.

On June 14 the National Moonsighting Committee (NMSC) of the NCMF will once again deploy its members—including religious leaders—in strategic places across the country to scan the horizon for the crescent.

In moon-sighting, the rule of thumb is that if the crescent is sighted on June 14, the early morning Eid’l Fitr prayers—the first stage of Eid celebrations—will be on June 15. If not sighted, Eid prayers will be on June 16.

So, it could happen that the June 15 national holiday will not coincide with the Eid’l Fitr congregational prayers, but still be within the three-day celebrations.

In the course of the month of fasting, it has been a tradition for embassies in the Philippines to offer iftar, the meal or dinner for breaking the fast, at sundown.

True to this tradition, Ambassador Abdullah N.A. Al-Bussairy hosted an iftar on May 28 at the Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia in Salcedo Village, Makati City, for Filipinos—Muslim and Christian—and Arabs, with the food

Saudi Ambassador Abdullah N.A. Al-Bussairy (in Arab outfit) at Saudi ambassador’s iftar. At left is former Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Bahnarim Guinomla.

of a combination of Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cuisine.

Then, on June 7 it was the turn of Australian Ambassador Amanda Gorely to host an iftar at her residence in North Forbes Park, Makati City.

Ramadan has another aspect that every adult Muslim must perform, the giving of Zakat alFitr before the Eid prayers. Zakat al-Fitr is described as a charity given to the poor.

Imam Ustadhz Muhammad Cana said it is preferable to give the Zakat al-Fitr a few days before the Eid so the recipients can use it during the month of fasting, or just before the Eid prayers so they can enjoy the Eid. In the Philippines, Muslims usually give a minimum of 2.5 kilograms of rice of the same kind they could eat for the Zakat al-Fitr, he said. If it’s in the form of money,

it should be equal to the price of the rice per kilogram.

It should come from ever y member of the household, including from servants with the breadw inner shou lder ing the cost, as well as for dependents even if they are not living in the same house.

From Islamicweb.net, here are some details about Eid’l Fitr, which are also true with Eid’l Adha. “[Eid] is the season of happiness and joy, during which the Muslims rejoice only at the bounty of their Lord, having won the blessing of completing their acts of worship and receiving the reward, given their complete confidence in His promises to forgive and reward them,” the online platform said.

Islamic religious leaders have given out rulings and etiquette concerning Eid.

Let us all practice all through the years the virtues of Ramadan, among them, God-consciousness, sabar [patience], forgiveness, sacrifice and expiation from Hell, and [receive] reward from paradise.”—Cana

Saint Ephrem, Deacon and Doctor of the Church

By Corazon Damo-Santiago

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ord, who can grasp all of the wealth of just one of Your words? W hat we understand is much less than we leave behind, like thirsty people who drink from a fountain.

For Your word, Lord, has many shades of meaning, just as those who study have many different points of view. “ The Lord has colored His word with many views so that each person who studies it can see in it what He loves. He has hidden many treasures on His word so that each of us is enriched as we meditate on it. The word of God is a tree of life that from all its parts offer you fruit that is blessed.”

T hese are a few words on the “prof undit y of the Holy Spir it” w r itten by Saint Ephrem, who w a s de c l a re d D o c tor of t he Church in 1920, 1,547 years a f te r h i s de at h — b y f a r t he longest inter va l for any of the doctors of the Church, John Fink commented. But the “exceptiona l ly humble man” that he i s , “ T h i s probably wou ld please him.”

Harp of the Holy Spirit

The Catholic Church, however, has always acknowledged Saint Ephrem a “great poet, orator, teacher, biblical exegete, theologian, composer of hymns and defender of faith.”

Considered as one of the most creative and prolific writer and composer in church history. He was called “Harp of the Holy Spirit” because most of his writings were in verse.

According to Sozomen, the 5th-centur y Byzantine historian, Saint Ephrem wrote more than a thousand works during his lifetime, emphasizing it’s a “total of 3 million lines.”

A s a n ascet ica l w r iter, he presents “spir itua l teachings found in Chr istian scr iptures to help the faithf u l “ live a life of per fection.”

In a commentary on Diatessaron, Ephrem said: “To prevent his disciples from asking the time of his coming, Christ said: ‘About that hour no one knows, neither the angels nor the Son.’ He has kept those things hidden so that we may keep watch, each of us thinking that He will come in our own day.”

A n e xeget ica l w r iter, he e xplained and inter preted tr uths about t he C at hol ic fa it h. In a ser mon about C hr ist ’s deat h, he sa id: “Deat h trampled upon ou r L ord u nder foot , but He in His t u r n t reated deat h as a h ighroad for His ow n feet...

Deat h slew Him by mea ns of t he body He had assumed, but t hat sa me body proved to be t he weapon w it h wh ic h he conquered deat h.”

A chronologist and dogmatic writer, he wrote the history of

patriarchs and kings from creation to the crucifixion of Christ.

A hy mnog rapher, he composed hymns and songs to praise God and spread the faith. Nil Guilemette, in Stars Forever, narrated how the saint adopted tunes, replaced lyrics with church doctrines to counteract “a famous heretic, Bardesanes,” who was “propagating false doctrines by means of popular songs set to attractive tunes.”

Syrian ‘malpana’

Ephrem was born in Nisibis, Mesopotamia, (Nusaybin, Iraq) in about 306. Hag iographers are divided in opinion if he belonged to a Christian or pagan family. He had a “quick temper, impulsive and a bit hast y in making decisions.”

Accused of stealing a sheep, he was imprisoned. In the dark cell, in prayer, he fathomed the significance of repentance and forgiveness. He was proven innocent of the crime and was released.

T h a n k i n g G o d p r o f u s e l y, he considered h is f reedom as a g if t of God. He met a morphosed to a contempl at ive ma n, na r rated L a r r y Peters in Saint Ephrem the Sy r ian, Har p of t he Holy Spir it.

He w a s b apt i z e d at 18 a nd grew under the inf luence o f S a i nt Ja c o b, a l s o c a l l e d Ja me s , t he B i s ho p of Ni s i b i s , w ho b e c a me h i s t e a c he r a nd s p i r it u a l d i re c t or.

The humble deacon that he was, he refused to be ordained as a priest.

Acknowledged as one of the founders of the School of Nisibis, the Center of Learning in Syrian Orthodox Church, Bishop Jacob appointed him as Syrian malpana (teacher), a respectable title among Christians in the church. Bishop Jacob took him to attend the First Ecumenical Council in Nicea in 325.

When Emperor Constantine, who legalized Christianity as a religion in Roman Empires died in 337, Shapur II of Persia began a series of attacks in Nisibus.

Rome started to lose its provinces and cities.

In 363 Nisibus was returned to Persia, and Christians were persecuted. The faithful fled to Edessa (Sanliurfa, Turkey), and Ephrem lived in caves and spent most of his time writing.

Dur ing the 372 famine in Edessa, Ephrem organized and coordinated the distribution of food in the city. When the famine ended, he returned to his cave.

After a month, he died, on June 9, 337.

Damo-Santiago is a for mer reg ional director of the Department of Education National Capital Reg ion.

She is currently a facult y member of Mater Redemptor is Colleg ium in Calauan, Lag una, and of Mater Redemptor is College in San Jose Cit y, Nueva Ecija.

Saudi Embassy translator Ustadhz Amer Noor and guests at Saudi Embassy iftar n Thank Allah (God in Arabic) and supplicate Him to accept your fasting and night prayers; n Show happiness; n Recite Takbeer (Allahu Akbar, God is Great); n Pay your Zakat al-Fitr as a purification for your fast from idle and obscene speech that might affect your fast, and feed the poor; n Perform ghusl (ritual bath), which is recommended for men, apply perfume and wear your best clothes; n Eat odd number of dates before going to the mosque or open fields for the Eid prayers; n It is recommended to go out to the Eid prayer venue early in the morning (prayers should start before 7 a.m.); n Proceed to the prayer venue on foot (obviously if it is a walking distance); and n Congratulate each other on Eid day is permissible by saying, “Taqabbal-Laahu minna wa minkum” (May Allay accept from us and you).

In relation with this, Cana, who works at the NCMF as translator and an Islamic scholar from a Saudi Arabia university, said Eid’l Fitr is also a time to forgive and reconcile with one’s enemy.

It is also a time for harvest of good things and thanksgiving to Allah for giving the faithful the opportunity to perform Ramadan

fasting, with a wish and a prayer for another fasting month.

“Let us all practice all through the years the virtues of Ramadan, among them, God-consciousness, sabar [patience], forgiveness, sacrifice and expiation from Hell, and [receive] reward from paradise,” Cana said.

He added that the lessons on the virtues of the holy month should be imbibed not only during the season of fasting but for years to come.

From “Strive for Paradise” blog, here are some things to learn about the two Eid festivals: n It’s a Sunnah (optional) to pray in the open air and not in mosques because the prophet of Islam, Muhammad bin Abdullah, used to do it; n The prophet used to take different routes going to the prayer venue and going home (it gives you the chance to spread the Eid greetings to different people); n Visiting friends, neighbors or relatives is a great part of Eid; and n One should prepare and give gifts to children, no matter how small.

The blog also has advice for ever yone: “We must continue these good deeds from Eid onward, other wise it will be harder to bring them into our daily lives. We should always tr y to better ourselves, so let’s start from Eid.”

10th Week in Ordinary Time: ‘Mark 3:20-35’

A house divided cannot stand

Msgr. Josefino S. Ramirez SUNDAY GOSPEL IN OUR LIFE

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he teachers of the law acknowledged that Jesus was casting out demons, but since they weren’t w illing to believe that Jesus was the son of God and, therefore, work ing in accordance w ith God ’s power, they had to draw another conclusion—it had to be Satan’s power.

They were seeking to discredit him with the people, convincing them that Jesus’ ability to do good works by the power of the Holy Spirit came from an allegiance with the devil. In so doing, they have clearly chosen their side for all eternity.

There are times in life when the offer of something new and better becomes hard to accept.

Not because we don’t see the good but because man can be creatures of habit, and change can be a difficult thing to do.

There are times in life when we need to choose sides. Some of us don’t like that. We would rather try to straddle the fence or ride down the middle of the road, but

there are certain times when we have to take a stand and choose our side.

Jesus unflinchingly stands before us as the image of unity, wholeness and integration. He is the stronger one. He does for us what we cannot do for ourselves.

He puts our lives and houses back in order. Jesus offers a different image of what life might look like. He does this by revealing the division in our lives, the houses that cannot stand, and families that fall apart.

In Christ, God creates a family that transcends beyond blood ties. We have unity in Christ because He has declared that we have. Now, that we are made His family, we trust in Him and do the will of His father. How? By believing in Christ and living in His love and divine mercy.

His love is eternally perfect even though we aren’t. United and together, we abide in His love as His family. Serving Him and serving others, until He comes again.

Science

BusinessMirror

A6 Sunday, June 10, 2018

Sunday

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

The promise of copra meal in a healthy food chain

Making healthy, cheap animal feeds

By Diana G. Mendoza | Special to the BusinessMirror

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opra meal is often considered a waste. But to Dr. Laura Pham, a chemist and food scientist, copra meal is a gem when it is processed and enriched with protein and mixed in animal feeds, making the livestock and fish healthy for human consumers.

The central link in this food chain is copra meal on animal feeds. Pham is the University Researcher IV in the Oils and Fats Laboratory and Feeds and Specialty Products Laboratory of the National Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology (Biotech) of the University of the Philippines Los Baños in Laguna, and in the UPLB-Animal and Dairy Science Cluster. She has been studying food for 15 years.

One of the groundbreaking products of her research is copra meal. With P8-million funding from the Department of Science and Technology-Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development, Pham’s research project was on how to enrich the protein content of copra meal so it could enhance the nutrients when mixed with animal feeds.

Valuable for feeds

Copra is the dried coconut meat that is used in the extraction of coconut oil.

Copra is used for a variety of purposes, but the residual material in processing copra—known as copra cake and meal—is a valuable concentrated feed for livestock.

The coconuts are opened, the water drained out, and the meat is left to dry. Sun and kiln drying are some of the methods used to dry the meat, which are then crushed to extract oil that is used for many purposes, while the byproduct is harnessed in supplying fodder for livestock.

“What we do in bioprocessing is to increase the protein content

Protein-enriched copra meals (PECM) feeding trial for broilers

and decrease the fiber content so that the copra meal becomes digestible when mixed in the diets or feed formula of livestock and fish,” she said.

She said copra meal has a highfiber content, which is not easily digestible by animals when mixed with the feeds. It has also contamination from aflatoxin, a harmful copra chemical, and nutritional contents that are not balanced and, therefore, need processing so that protein emerges.

Protein-enriched copra meals

Pham has done research and studied the benefits of proteinenriched copra meals (PECM) to animal feeds in livestock to boost the development of the country’s poultry and swine industries.

The current addition to her study is fish, specifically freshwater tilapia, bangus (milkfish) and shrimp that are the subjects of her ongoing field trial.

She explained that the bioconversion process is done by treating copra meal with microorganisms.

The copra meal is regrinded to make it powdery, then treated through steps of sterilization, inoculation, drying and solid-state fermentation within five to seven days. Drying alone will take two days at 70 degrees Celsius temperature. This is done in batches.

The inoculation of live microorganisms in the copra meal releases enzymes and other components that break down the copra mealfiber content and increases its protein content.

T he me a l h a s a o ne - y e a r shelf life with correct storage

PECM feeding trial for fishes

at room temperature and colder.

Other wise, it will grow and be rendered unusable.

Pham described PECM as similar to corn meal in texture.

Boost technology for livestock, aquaculture

“I really want to boost the technology for our livestock and aquaculture industries,” she said, stressing that, if this happens, it will be a chain reaction, not just in the animal-to-human consumer line, but in the use, production and sale of products.

“We can sell cheaper products with higher protein, and we can compete with other countries. This can be used by farmers all over the Philippines, so their products will become better too.”

In terms of growing chickens, she said the payback for spending and technology is bigger.

“If the animal product is cheaper, we can have more protein, and the intake is competitive with

other countries,” she said.

She added that Filipinos have low protein intake, and the use of copra meal completes the picture.

With PECM, she said, it is expected that the country can lessen its dependence on expensive imported soybean meal and fish meal just by using available materials to enhance the protein content of animal feed.

She said copra meal as a residue of the coconut-oil industry is abundant in the Philippines. It is also not difficult to improve the copra meal, and it can be an improved version of soybean meal because it is cheaper.

Simple technology

Besides working with big private livestock, aquaculture and agri-business companies, she said small farmers have been buying the copra meals from UPLB Biotech in small quantities, such as 1 kilogram or 2 kg.

For some small farmers and

backyard fishermen, they mix the copra meal with the feed. But for some, they have their own formula.

“They won’t divulge it, which means if they come back to buy again, the product is okay for their formula,” she said.

Pham said some of the private companies ask help from the university experts who either teach the companies’ staff when they make requests or just share the process of making PECM. “This is a simple technology that is efficient and uses low-energy, which is not expensive, so we can train people,” she said.

Better fish weight, long life

She said UPLB-Biotech has collaborated with UP Visayas for more than a year in doing trials of making cheaper fish feed. She noted that the performance of fish in weight and mortality became better. The trials also had a 100-percent substitution for soybean, which earned a better income for the university.

Prior to the bioconversion, Pham said copra meal had only 20-percent protein content. But the technology that they have developed increased the protein content to 44 percent that is almost similar to the protein in soybean meal.

She said the copra meal would also make it an easy and more practical substitute to soybean meal, which is expensive.

Soybean, unlike coconut, is not produced widely in the Philippines, which often results in

erratic pricing. It is now P26 per kg, and sometimes it can go as high as P40 per kg, especially when imported. It is expensive for farmers as a component. The copra meal, on the other hand, is only P18 per kg.

In the Philippines coconut products were the countr y’s top agricultural export commodity in 2015, with copra meal earning of $70.42 million, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).

The PSA said the Philippines remains as one of the world’s leading coconut producers and is now one of the top copra meal producers as it is a major producer of copra.

In the same year, as many as 878,000 tons of copra meal was produced as coconut oil by-product; more than 40 percent of copra meal was exported for use as animal feed.

“I want people to know about the copra-meal technology,” she said. “I want them to be able to have the cheaper and more practical alternatives of caring for their poultry or fish.”

Probiotics for chicken

What is next after the PECM? Pham said that, as the coprameal technology is further perfected, UPLB Biotech would look at the prospects of probiotics for chicken. The trend globally is disallowing the use of antibiotics, and countries now use probiotics in their feed and water meal.

“That’s our new project. We call it PPECM, or probiotics and protein-enriched copra meal.”

DOST-FPRDI develops competent rubber farmers, tappers and trainers Students with top sustainability research

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or the first time this June, a group of high-school students in Zamboanga Sibugay will be learning how to grow, plant and harvest the sap of rubber trees—the most important crop in their province.

The task of teaching the rubber-production course may seem daunting, but teacher Elsa Vendiola is confident she will be able to teach the subject well, thanks to a recent training she had.

Orga ni zed by t he Depa r tmemnt of Science and Technolog y-Forest Products Research a n d D e v e l o p m e nt I n s t it ut e (DOST-FPRDI), the training was designed to teach four competencies: establish a rubber budwood and seedlings nursery, plant rubber trees and seedlings, budding operation and harvest latex.

“From the course, I learned not only concepts but skills I could pass on not only to my students but even to my peers in school,” Vendiola explained .

For Esmeraldo Hanito of the University of Southern Mindanao, the training made him see that more efficient ways of rubber tapping are available.

“This new knowledge excites me, as I am about to retire from

Prof. Angelito Aballe (center) discusses the correct harvesting of rubber latex. Tappers make a cut in the trunk to collect the sap (called latex) and let the tree live on. Fors. Jeriel S. Payuan & Christian R. Amante

academe soon,” Hanito said.

Vend iola and Hanito were a mong t he 25 t r a i ne es who were assessed and awarded the National Certificate II (NC II) by the Technical Education and Sk ills Author it y. T his means that they “ demonstrated the necessar y skill and knowledge to perform the tasks carried out by a professional.”

Building on people’s innate capacity

For most areas in Kabasalan town, rubber production is part of community life. From 2 to 3 a.m., children as young as 11 wake up to tap rubber trees.

Their parents, meanwhile, collect the sap later in the day. The bark of the trees is said to give

out more sap when cut early in the morning.

“Most local farmers are already skilled tappers. We want to complement their skill with scientific knowledge to lessen the damage on rubber trees. Proper tapping will not only prolong tree life but will also improve latex yield that could increase farmers’ income,” explained Dr. Maria Cielito G. Siladan, project leader and chief of FPRDI’s Training and Manpower Development Section.

According to Siladan, rubber is one of the country’s most valued agricultural crops. Of the 140,000 metric tons of rubber produced in the last quarter of 2017, almost half came from Zamboanga Peninsula. Currently, the Philippines ranks 10th

among t he r ubber-producing countries in the world.

“DOST-FPRDI recognizes the government’s effort to push for a stronger rubber industry. This rubber-production training is one of the institute’s ways of contributing to that goal,” she added.

Geared toward increasing the number of competent r ubber farmer-tappers and improving the quality of harvested latex, the course has so far trained 386 persons, 49 of which are NC II holders. It is part of the project “Capability Building on Tapping and Use of Appropriate Coagulant for Improved Rubber Latex Yield” funded by the DOST’s Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development.

“We hope to replicate this initiative in other prov inces so that more people can benefit from the science of rubber tapping,” ends Siladan.

The training was held from April 9 to 21 and facilitated by Prof. Angelito Aballe of the JP Aballe Learning and Development Center, with the help of DOST-FPRDI’s Fors. Jeriel S. Payuan and Christian R. Amante.

S&T Media Service

projects win in 29th BPI-D.O.S.T. Science tilt

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en college students with pioneering sustainability research projects were awarded at the 29th BPI-DOST Science Awards, the joint initiative of BPI Foundation a n d t h e D e p a r t m e nt o f S c i e n ce a n d Technology (DOST).

The 10 awardees were Ma. Cathrene Lagare, Ateneo de Davao University; Aliena Mari Miranda, Ateneo de Manila University; Gabriela Ilona Janairo and Janne Pauline Ngo, De La Salle University; Nicole Rose Alberto and Peter Nicholas Onglao, University of the Philippines-Diliman; Arianne Justine Obeles and Josh Christian Protacio, UP-Manila; John Cristopher Danez, UP-Los Baños; and Mary Diane Pilapil, University of San Carlos, the BPI Foundation said in a news release. The Best in Innovations Awardees were Nicole Alberto and Peter Onglao from UP-Diliman.

Alberto’s study, “Identification of molecular biomarkers for the detection and management of fatal shrimp pathogen,” analyzed the molecular cause behind acute hepatopancreatic necrosis disease outbreaks in shrimps, a disease that significantly decreased local production of shrimp since 2011. It also won the category for Best Science Project of the Year.

Onglao’s research, titled “Chitosan-coated silica nanostructures from waste rice husk for carbon dioxide capture,” provided an alternative and more sustainable solution in mitigating CO2 in the atmosphere.

The awards emphasized the theme “Forming a sustainable country through science and

innovation.” Participating students devised research and technology that would help prepare the Philippines become future-proof or resilient to calamities, social vulnerability and economic crises.

The first day of the event featured a wholeday workshop, titled “Process of Innovation,” led by Prof. Matthew Escobido of the Master of Science in Innovation and Business program at the Asian Institute of Management.

The activity guided the young scientists on innovation and design thinking to help them turn their technological ideas into marketable products and services.

The presentation and awarding of the BPIDOST Science Awardees were held during the second day. The ceremony highlighted talks from Shawntel Nieto of BMB Solutions, Gia Santos of HeartSmart and Aarod David of E-Magsasaka.

They are innovators-turned-entrepreneurs who shared their journeys of transforming their researches into businesses to inspire the participating students.

“We invest in our young scientists because we see their potential in creating a resonating impact to our community,” said Executive Director of BPI Foundation Maricris San Diego in the news release.

“Through the BPI-DOST Science Awards, we hope to give them a head start in turning their researches into viable and replicable businesses, which, in the bigger picture, can ultimately contribute in our development as a sustainable country,” San Diego added.

Sports BusinessMirror

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

Alex Honnold (top) and Tommy Caldwell climb The Nose of El Capitan in Yosemite National Park. AP

Sunday, June 10, 2018

A7

CONQUERING EL CAP

By Brian Melley

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The Associated Press

OS ANGELES—Two of the world’s best rock climbers coped with frightening falls and the deaths of two fellow climbers on the same rock in a monthlong quest to shatter a mythical record in Yosemite National Park.

Tenacity paid off last Wednesday as Alex Honnold and Tommy Caldwell reached the top of El Capitan, the most celebrated slab of granite on Earth, in less than two hours, breaking a barrier compared to the four-minute mile.

The blistering time of one hour, 58 minutes and seven seconds capped weeks of practice and a few stumbles on the so-called Nose route that runs up the middle of the 3,000foot (915 meters) sheer monolith.

Honnold didn’t think they were on a record pace until he glanced at his phone timer as he ran for the tree that marks the finish line, he told The Associated Press by phone as he hiked down from the summit.

“Oh my God, we’re doing it,” he thought as he secured the rope to the tree and hoped Caldwell would hurry. “It was slightly emotional when we finished it. I had a wave of, ‘Oh wow.’ I’m pretty proud we saw it through.”

The duo broke the record three times in the past week, carving more than 20 minutes off a 2017 mark. Honnold said it would have been easy to stop after breaking records Monday and May 30, but they pressed toward the two-hour goal he considered the “human potential.”

Hans Florine, who has held the record on and off between 1990 and 2012—the last time with Honnold—said the mark is equivalent to the ongoing quest to break the two-hour

marathon or Roger Bannister’s 1954 achievement in the mile.

“We were pushing the five-hour barrier before and then the four-hour barrier and then the three-hour barrier. So which one of those is the four-minute mile?” Florine said before the mark was broken. “I think it is getting close.”

Climbing times on El Cap have fallen precipitously since Warren Harding and two others made the first ascent 60 years ago. That took 12 days in a final push following 48 days of advance work over 18 months as Harding pounded bolts into the rock to aid his climb.

“As I hammered in the last bolt and staggered over the rim, it was not at all clear to me who was the conqueror and who was the conquered,” Harding said afterward.

Yosemite is mecca for climbers because of its vast array of soaring granite walls and peaks. El Cap, though, looms largest and offers 58 distinct routes. The Nose is the best known and typically takes accomplished climbers four or five days.

Climbers jam hands and feet into finger- and fist-width cracks to inch their way up the vertical wall. Sometimes there is little more to grasp or perch on than a sliver the width of a few coins. Other cracks abruptly end in a smooth sea of granite, forcing climbers to swing left or right to find the next hand or foothold.

“It’s a very complicated route,” said Daniel Duane, author of El Capitan. “It meanders all over the place and it has pendulum swings and bolt ladders and there are little variations where you can go this way instead of that way, so there’s a ton of trickery involved in shaving off time.”

Speed can come at a devastating price. Climbers are roped together for safety, and they clip their lifeline into protective pieces placed in cracks along the way to catch them if they fall.

Russia falls to World Cup low

Z

URICH—Host nation Russia will kick off next week’s World Cup as the lowest-ranked of the 32 teams in the tournament.

Fifa’s monthly rankings has Russia dropping four

places to No. 70, below Saudi Arabia at 67.

The two lowest-ranked teams open the World Cup at Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow next Thursday.

Defending champion Germany will start No. 1, retaining

But the amount of gear in a race against the clock is pared to the bare minimum to save weight, and climbers sometimes move in tandem with neither anchored to the rock.

Two experts were speed climbing in that manner on El Cap’s Freeblast route on Saturday when one fell and pulled the other 1,000 feet (305 meters) to their deaths. Spectators in the valley below who had been hoping to see Honnold and Caldwell were horrified.

Honnold and Caldwell were not climbing that day and they canceled plans to go for the record on Sunday and instead did a training run.

“It’s really hard to go for it 100 percent after something like that happens,” said Honnold, who said the deaths of Jason Wells and Tim Klein weighed on them. “It’s a worstcase scenario, the stuff of nightmares really.”

Caldwell survived two big falls unscathed, including a 100 footer (30.5 meter) in practice runs.

“It was pretty scary because it was such a gargantuan fall,” said photographer Austin Siadak, who has been shooting video of the team for a documentary. “I saw him hurtling upside down through the air and then bouncing on the end of the rope.”

Once Caldwell came to a rest, he chalked up his hands, swung over to a crack and resumed his upward progress.

Honnold, 32, and Caldwell, 39, are arguably the biggest stars of rock climbing, but both suffered small injuries.

Caldwell’s knees and fingers were bloodied and Honnold got a nasty rope burn in a fall that tore a chunk from a finger.

Caldwell shared fame in 2015 with Kevin Jorgeson on a first ascent of El Cap’s Dawn Wall, one of the world’s hardest routes, using no assistance in a 19-day climb and only ropes and gear to protect against a fall.

its lead over Brazil, Belgium, Portugal and Argentina in an unchanged top five. No. 10 Spain dropped two places.

Chile, at No. 9, is ranked highest of teams not at the World Cup. Non-qualifiers the Netherlands, Wales and Italy are also in the top 20.

Mexico is the top Concacaf nation at No. 15, while Tunisia is Africa’s best at No. 21. No. 36 Australia is the best Asian confederation team. AP

A8

Sunday, June 10, 2018

BusinessMirror

Where A

By Yasleh Hani Wati binti Mat Yassin

H

ere’s a thought, what if God is dead?

T hat our creator has ceased to be, and there is no power overseeing the universe anymore. It sure would explain how life as we know it seems to be growing exponentially chaotic

The Sun Spoke

By Sarah Joan Mokhtar

In the garden Cradling tea Quiet morning When suddenly I saw, without warning: The Sun. As one often does when the day is begun.

Absorbed By this orb, unusually soft, aloft I was beholding deeply golden , gently glowing.

Silently,it spoke.

Compelling.

Commanding.

Demanding.

It called for my attention.

I held my gaze.

Despite. Perhaps even because of the haze.

“That which obstructs clarity,” the wind whispered in my ear, quickening, “do not fear”.

“Have faith in things yet to be revealed.

For obscurity in all matters, haze widespread to be lifted,unveiled.”

“Thy will be done.

Thou art Gold too, gold like the sun.”

“Believe the stories told of lead turned into gold.”

The sun quietly spoke.

Grew brighter And went its way.

As it does every day.

The black cat twisted contentedly on the concrete pavement.

Oblivious to my amazement.

Sarah Joan Mokhtar is a Kuala Lumpur-based cartoonist, writer and illustrator who has worked in comics publishing and the cultural sector since 1998. Mokhtar is the co-founder of Unnamed, a Southeast Asian Comic Artist Collective, and the regional advisor of the Malaysian chapter of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators.

www.businessmirror.com.ph

and volatile. Senseless things that have been happening, things that seemed to have no reasons for occurring; these entire events would make sense if there is no Light to guide us anymore. Mankind given unrestricted free will, with no higher power to oversee the course it will take, is a definite recipe for disaster and for sure life now could be summed up as an unmitigated catastrophe.

I did not come to this conclusion out of the blue. It started with a seed of doubt from unfortunate personal experiences, sprouting into something more concrete after observing my surroundings in my immediate community, and finally it grew firm in my mind that the universe must be going on without any supervision when the world seems to get crazier by the day.

I will be called a heretic by both of my faith and others of different faiths should who believe in God in whatever form He takes, should I share my views and why I am convinced that they are valid.

I’m not saying that God never existed. I just believe that after aeons of looking after the vast gala xies and endless universes, that God just expired from exhaustion and now we are left

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BusinessMirror

Sunday, June 10 , 2018

A9

re You, God? with no one to guide our lives anymore.

Truth is there is more to my conviction than mere observations. I’ve had f lashes of thoughts in my head of the time that the universe lost its overseer. There was stillness in that single moment in the entire space that is known to man and those beyond man’s knowledge when God disappeared.

This cataclysmic event did not happen in recent times. God has been gone for a long, long time and most people could not tell the difference between the time when God was there to rule us and the time God disappeared because such is God ’s power over the universe, that everything is managed well enough, so everything could go on without God ’s control without anyone being none the wiser.

Yes. Yes. I know. I sound schizophrenic. Visions of unimaginably fantastical things in my mind’s eye would definitely class me as certifiably crazy.

But I know the truth.

The clincher is self-serving, of course, and you would simply call me jaded because what truly convinced me that those visions of God disintegrating which in turn lead me to believe that God is no more is the simple fact that God would not have let me go through nine identical heartaches if He was still around.

Say what you must, but I stay true to my belief that we now live in a Godless world, ruled only by the residue of what was Godly before.

Yes, it is self-serving of me to think that God is dead when all the men I fell in love with, and my two children were taken from me viciously by a fate that would not see me live a happily ever after.

Once or twice is perhaps bad luck, but nine deaths? No. God would not suffer onto His subjects such pain. To have loved and lost once is hard enough. But nine times?

No. I’d rather think that there is no God than to think that God is cruel and purposely out to break my soul for no apparent reason.

For a span of 21 years, from age 17 right until today at the age of 38, I have fallen in love and lost my love to the Grim Reaper nine heart- breaking times. Seven loves to seven men, and two loves to my two children who all met with untimely deaths.

Love number one, my very first love whom I thought would last a lifetime died tragically when he was 19 and I was 18. He was walking beside a construction site and a brick fell and hit him on his head. He died on the spot. His name was Liam and he was on his way to the park near the construction site to meet me.

He was an aspiring writer with big dreams who wrote me into all his stories and poems. He loved the colour blue, mashed potatoes, chocolate milk, Manchester United and Wordsworth.

He was an only child to parents who had him in their late forties.

I thought I’d never love another after he passed away.

I was wrong. Love number two was Khairil, who was my course-mate in my second year in university. We just had that one class together, but we hit it off the moment we first met. His death was expected. When I first met him he was already suffering from stage four bone cancer.

I tried my hardest not to love him, but I fell hard and had no choice but to ride the pain, watching him suffer through his illness, and more pain still when he passed away.

He was a science major, loved Star Wars and Star Trek, and could talk for hours about Nicola Tesla, who was his idol. Khairil’s favourite Tesla quote, “One must be sane to think clearly, but one can think deeply and be quite insane,” seems to be quite apt to describe my thought process at the moment.

You would think I’d be wary of love after loving and losing two loves consecutively, yet love number three happened. Partly due to losing love number two.

Love number three was Khairul, Khairil’s identical twin brother. I know. It’s all kinds of wrong, but while sharing comfort with each other after Khairil’s passing, our friendship and caring turned into something more.

Identical in looks, they were poles apart in personality and behaviour. W hile Khairil was

the silent, introverted type, Khairul was the exact opposite with being boisterously extroverted.

Khairul was a consummate athlete and was making a name for himself in badminton—Malaysia’s number one sport.

He was making waves and some even hailed him as the next great big thing in the badminton circuit.

He was on his daily five kilometre run when he was hit by a car, just seven months after we laid Khairil to rest.

It took me five years before I let myself love again. I was 28 and a doctorate student in Yale when I fell in love with a young professor.

He received his doctorate degree in philosophy at age 17.

I wasn’t his student. Rather we met at a poetry reading. I could sense from the beginning that he had troubles haunting his mind. For the year and a half that we were together I tried to get him help as well as doing my very best to help him.

But his demons were unbeatable and one cold winter day, when life seemed to be at its bleakest point, “he took his life, like lovers often do, but I could have told you Vincent, this world was never meant for one as beautiful as you," (such as it was, his name was Vincent too, like in that song).

I don’t know why. Some would call me fickle, the way I kept falling in love, but I think it’s just that my heart is just too big to allow it to be empty for long.

Even after four deaths, my heart found love with number five.

Kiven.

I met him at his art show at a local gallery at age 32. He was 27.

He was of Caucasian and Chinese parentage. His mother was Chinese while

his father was Irish.

My relationship with Kiven was the shortest relationship I have ever been in, but till today he remains the one that had the strongest impact on me.

Maybe it was the intense nature of that relationship that made Kiven stand out the most.

He painted my world with incredible patterns and colours and left me that much more broken when a month after meeting him, he passed away from dengue haemorrhagic fever. It was so sudden. One minute he was fine, and the next he was warded in ICU and died two days after the fact.

After Kiven passed away, I sat down each night and tried to talk to God. Those were the moments when I found neither solace nor comfort in my conversation with God, whom I later postulated was not there anymore, and had not been there for centuries.

I told myself that God or no God, five times of having loved and lost should drive home the fact that love was just not meant for me.

I would have kept to myself forever too, had it not been for the two little angels, Ana and Ani, who lost their mother at birth and found their way into my heart. I met their widowed father at the laundromat. He had the twin girls in a twin stroller while doing the laundr y. I was doing my laundr y too and felt sorr y for him, struggling with the twins who were fussing because they were teething at that moment while still tr ying to load his laundr y in the machine.

I was 35. A year later we were married and I was the happiest wife and instant mother of two. I thought the curse must have been broken, or that

God finally decided to show up and make life right for me after having made it as wrong as it could have been previously; I was wrong.

Two months after we built our happily ever after, the dead God took my beautiful family away. Azam, Ana and Ani died instantaneously when they were hit by a lorry on their way home from a doctor’s appointment.

For the millionth time, how I wish I had been with them in that car when their lives ended.

36 and I had buried 5 boyfriends, one husband and two children.

It was the moment I received the news of their fatal accident that I decided that those visions of God expiring had been real projections instead of a troubled mind’s plaything.

If God had been around He wouldn’t have put me through what I went through.

So yes, God is dead.

And we haven’t even come to love number nine.

Love number nine happened exactly on my 37th birthday and ended exactly on my 38th birthday.

His name was Adam. And my name is Hawa (Eve).

It ’s i r o n i c t h at w e w e r e b ot h named after the first humans God created and I didn’t believe any more that God was stil l around. But for that one year that Adam was in my life, I a lmost took back my words and thought that perhaps I had been out of my mind think ing that God is dead, because for certain, even after a l l that pain that I went through, after a l l those deaths, to be able to have Adam in my life, who was such a gem and blessing of a person, there

must stil l be a God. Adam was the kind of person that dreams were made off and the kind of person that would make you believe that miracles could happen. And, yeah, for a while there I thought Adam was the reward for all the suffering I went through before him.

All those loves lost must have been to teach me to love better, to love stronger.

Yadda, yadda, yadda.

How easy it is to sway one’s convictions when lured with eternal love and unequivocal happiness.

What foolish thoughts.

Today I am 38 and I just buried my ninth and (by the God that is dead), my last love.

Adam was caught in crossfire at a bank robbery that went horribly wrong.

Adam was a police officer.

And now he is dead. Like Liam is dead.

Like Khairil. Like Khairul. Like Vincent.

Like Kiven. Like Azam, Ana and Ani. All dead.

As dead as the God everyone worships and prays to for strength and courage.

Dead like the God who is supposed to give you hope and comfort.

Dead like all those people starving from poverty.

Dead like all those casualties of all those endless and needless wars.

Dead like all those people who saw no light out of their darkness.

Dead.

Like I am inside.

Malaysian author Yasleh Hani Wati binti Mat Yassin considers writing as "the spark that kept me going. It is my solace, my place to run to when the world goes wrong and it is the very essence of who I am."

Tourism&Entertainment BusinessMirror

A10 Sunday, June 10, 2018

Editor: Carla Mortel-Baricaua

Walk through Taipei with TourMeAway

Travelers enjoy authentic Taiwanese street food in the Hunger Game Tour at Jingmei Night Market. TMA

THE Chill Out Tour ends at Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall. TMA

Longshan Temple Tour TMA

Story & Photos by Charmaine Cunanan

W

hen Taiwan allowed visafree entry for Filipinos, it suddenly became one of the travel destinations. The city is the perfect mix of traditional and modern with its several historical sites and notable skyscrapers.

For those who are planning to go but are not sure where to kick off or what to do, a worthy way to start is through walking tours, which TourMeAway (TMA), an organization that conducts entertaining and informative free walking tours, is conducting for first-timers in Taipei.

TMAyan tribe

Established in 2014, TMA is a group of bold Taiwanese backpackers that wants to showcase to every traveler visiting Taipei what their city can offer. Chester Yu and Yen-Lin Li first founded the group and were later joined by Arthur Chou and Jim Chang.

“We realized that lots of travelers missed out a lot due to the language barrier and culture difference. So, we started to provide the free walking tours in the city to show people the authentic Taiwanese culture and share our stories to them.” Chester says.

Running for four years, they have about 40 tour guides in rotation. There is no particular qualification for anyone who wants to be part of the group. As long as you are a passionate storyteller, you can be on the team.

“Every one of our guides was trained to deliver the stories in an informative yet entertaining way,” Chester adds.

TMA tours

Led by passionate Taiwanese, English-speaking travelers, each TMA walking tour is designed to cater to different types of travelers. They offer six distinctive themed tours, three of which are for free. Each tour is approximately four hours.

The number of people who’s going to show up doesn’t matter. Even if there’s just one person in attendance, the tour will go on as scheduled.

If you are a stranger to Taipei or simply into history, Chester recommends the Old Town Tour. In this free tour, you can learn the basic history of Taiwan and get to visit some must-see places in Taipei. The tour will walk you through the old town of Taipei, including 228 Peace Memorial Park, Presidential Office, Inner City Market, Zhongshan Hall, Ximending and Red House.

For those who want a chill stroll around the city, The Chill Out Tour suits you best. Locations include Flower Market, Daan Park, Heaven Road, Qingtian Neighbor-

South Korea’s leading business events’ trade show to kick off on June 14

T

he Korea MICE Expo (KME), the nation’s largest trade show for incentive planners and meeting professionals, will take place on June 14 and 15 in Songdo Convensia, Incheon.

The two-day event will provide a perfect venue for over 2,000 expected attending MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions) industry professionals to engage with 300 exhibiting local service providers, including convention bureaus, unique venues and travel agencies.

To foster a business-friendly event, this year’s KME will be in an unconventional format, ditching the usual sit-down gala dinner and forums.

“We want this expo to be bigger and meaningful to all the participants. We will make KME 2018 a platform where buyers and suppliers can truly acquire business potentials,” said Chulbeum Park, director of the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) Meetings and Incentives Team. A standing networking party will replace the usual sit-down gala dinner to let guests interact freely. Also, convention bureaus will showcase not only their MICE expertise but also their local food specialties during the reception.

For the first time, the Korea MICE Expo will have a theme “Hallyu meets MICE” offering participants new venues, activi-

One of the stops of Old Town Tour is 228 Taipei Peace Park where a memorial stands in honor of the victims of February 28 incident, a significant event Taiwanese history.

ties and discussions related to popular South Korean films, dramas and music.

A main highlight of the event includes the Opening Keynote by Soo-Wook Ahn, executive director of SM Entertainment, one of the leading entertainment groups in Korea. His speech will tackle ways on how to incorporate Hallyu (Korean Wave) in the MICE industry. Furthermore, the KTO Hallyu Tourism Team will also be joining the exhibition.

Celebrating its 19th year, the event will also introduce new programs such as Destination Presentations, Knowledge Cafe and Young MICE Professionals booth, cultural performance and tours—showcasing some of Korea’s finest destination for incentive travel and corporate meetings.

“Korea has become a favorable destination for incentive travel, especially for groups coming from Southeast Asia.

The increasing number of groups returning to South Korea is a testament that the country has an infinite selection of places and activities that are able to please varying preferences,” said Baeho Kim, acting executive director of Korea MICE Bureau.

According to data, the number of returning incentive visitors to Korea in 2017 grew by 24 percent from the previous year, with 240 groups carrying 36,720 delegates.

Found in Wanhua District, Longshan Temple is one of the famous temples in Taipei.

hood, Yong Kan Street, Antique Boutiques, and Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall. No fees required for this tour.

Another free tour, the Longshan Temple Tour, will take you back to the 18th-century Wanhua district where Taipei city was founded. You will get to visit the ancient neighborhood, and the guides will teach you how to worship in the Longshan temple in a real Buddhist way.

The tour will cap off with a dinner in the night market.

For a certain fee, you can explore the night market for savory food and exotic cuisines in the Hunger Game Tour. Especially designed for food enthusiasts, the guides will take you to a food adventure where you will get to eat 12 local dishes that you will never find elsewhere.

Party with the locals and experience the Taipei night life in Pub Crawl Tour. Expect different Taiwanese beverage, bar foods and crazy but fun drinking games.

TMA also has a Private Tour for those who still want to avail themselves of the tour but do not have the time to make it the prescheduled time. You can decide when and where to start and can ask as many questions as you want. In this session, you can have an exclusive option to do the Vintage walking tour. The guides will take you to Da Dao Cheng, a secret district known only among locals.

Here you will find the most colorful and well-preserved traditional neighborhoods in Taipei. Starting at the Museum of Contemporary Art, the tour takes you through

many vintage treasures such as Ri Xing Type Foundry, Yongle Market, Watson’s Pharmacy, Dihua Street and Xia Hai Temple.

TMA Experience

When asked about what is their favorite thing about doing the tours, Chester answers, “Meeting international travelers from all over the world and share our stories with them. And most importantly, have fun together!”

For them, every tour comes as a new experience, since they deal with diverse travelers every day.

“We have hosted a group of Filipino YouTubers, and we had a blast! We did the walking tours, Pub Crawl and Hunger Game. It was too fun to be true!” Chester shares.

Visiting a city is one thing, but

learning about its culture and history is another. Chester says the primary mission of TMA is to show the best of Taipei from the perspective of its locals. For foreigners, it’s interesting to hear a local’s point of view about politics and contemporary issues and firsthand recommendations about a certain spot or restaurant. It is one of the organization’s charms. It is one of the main reasons people come to them The organization is getting attention from travelers through good reviews from those who have already joined. Sometimes, they have more people show up than expected. It is overwhelming, but it in a good, gratifying way, as it means people have heard good things about them. Chester says it is all because of their fun tour guides.

“The people in our organization are all brave travelers traveling around the world. And when they come home, they want to share the stories about this beautiful island to the world. These people are the most passionate, adventurous, fun-loving Taiwanese people in Taipei. And they can’t wait to show you around!”

Reef launches ‘Beach Freely’ beach and surf footwear

R

eef recently launched its new brand that seeks to unite the world around the fun, freedom and spirit of the beach—“Beach Freely.”

Beach Freely encourages everyone who steps into the sand or into Reef products to experience the beach in their own way—whether that’s surfing, barbecuing, swimming and enjoying other water sports—and take that fun spirit of the beach with them wherever they go.

With its pristine white-sand beaches and surfing spots hailed around the globe as some of the world’s finest, the Philippines has vibrant beach-loving and surfing communities who were there to witness the launch of the campaign at Alabang Town Center.

Featuring games, music and all the other things that make beach parties memorable, Reef invited the crowd to get into the Beach Freely spirit.

The event also kicked off the launch of “Local’s Perspective”—the first Philippine surf book to be published. Created in collaboration with Reef’s long-time partner, My Life on Board, the book compiled the best surf images together with some of the finest wave chasers of our time, not

only in the Philippines but also across Asia - immortalizing those moments and telling the story of the history and culture of the locals who shaped the Asian surfing scene.

The book features images from the best surf photographers in Asia and Oceana like Giang Wardani from Batu Karas in West Java Indonesia, Bali-based National Geographic photographer Tommy Schultz, Mentawai Island-based surf photographer from Japan Hatsumi Ishibashi, World Long-

board Championship Chaplain and photographer Andrew Carruthers from Australia and Siagrao-based surf photographer Oliver Bayer.

It also highlights work from the Philippines’s own local surf photographers like Red Bull Ilume finalist and Sony World Photography National Award winner Gaps Sabuero, surf photographer from Samar Abdel Elecho, La Union-based surfer and photographer Jeferson Ganuelas, Baler-based surf photographer

JP Sarmiento and My Life on Board Founder Mike Eijan Santos.

Mike was inspired to create this book because, as he said, “Everything is digital already. So I want to create a book that immortalizes the beauty of the images.” Environmental and social impact has been a priority for Reef since the company’s founding in 1984 and has continued to grow throughout the years through the global Reef WeHeart program.

Reef Marketing Supervisor Marnelli Gaerlan said that Reef aims to”... promote responsible travel by always seeing to it that [we] Reef always have the planet in mind.” She also encourages everyone to always plan beach trips with a conscience by enjoying the beauty of the ocean without leaving a trace. Here in the Philippines, Reef continued to promote responsible travel and environmental conservation in “Free the Sea Movement 2,” a fun-filled three-day event and coastal cleanup in Baler done in partnership with World Wildlife Fund Philippines.

Reef pledges to support efforts to preserve and restore beaches so that everyone has the opportunity to Beach Freely.