BusinessMirror March 31, 2019

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Young workers at risk of injuries and deaths, says ILO study

IN CRISIS MODE:

BRACING FOR THE

POWER CRUNCH Y

By Estrella Torres

OUNG workers aged 15 to 24 dominate sectors of manufacturing, construction and services—the key drivers of the country’s 6.2 percent economic growth in 2018.

Six power plants go on scheduled maintenance shutdowns this year and, with demand tight while supply is steady, power firms counsel making energy efficiency a way of life.

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By Lenie Lectura

T least six power plants that supply electricity to the country’s largest distribution firm—the Manila Electric Co. (Meralco)—are expected to go on scheduled shutdowns this year. With the stoppages, some 1,135 megawatts (MW) of capacity will be shaved off from the Luzon grid during summer months just as when demand is at its peak.

PESO EXCHANGE RATES n US 52.7820

Based on the latest 2019 plant outages schedule provided by Meralco to the BusinessMirror, the Pagbilao 1 coal plant (350MW) will go offline from March 30 to April 28; Santa Rita gas plant module 20 (255.7MW) from April 18 to 21; Santa Rita module 40 (264MW) from June 22 to 26; and Santa Rita module 30 (265.5MW) from June 27 to July 1.

Meralco Head of Utility Economics Lawrence Fernandez said these are some of the plants with which the utility firm has contracts. He said Meralco has no information on forced outages since

these are unscheduled.

Peak power periods in Luzon are expected within the months of April and May, with the rising summer temperature prompting a spike in demand.

During summer months, a typical household’s electricity consumption goes up by 26 percent.

Fernandez said this is the average household consumption based on available data from 2010 to 2018.

“I will have to see what the bill impact may be. We will have to consider the effect of the socialized distribution charge rate, which Continued on A2

VLADSOGODEL | DREAMSTIME.COM

A YOUNG farmer, walking barefoot, waters young vegetables with watering cans on a yoke in La Trinidad, Benguet. SJORS737 | DREAMSTIME.COM

The Labor Force Survey of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) in 2013 indicated that the youth comprise 19.2 percent or 7.3 million of the total workforce.

However, the International Labor Organization (ILO) in Manila said young workers in the Philippines are the most vulnerable to unsafe and unhealthy working conditions.

In its baseline study titled SafeYouth@Work, the ILO said majority of the young workers work in unstable conditions without written contracts, social-security cover, or labor union representation.

Khalid Hassan, country director of ILO-Philippines, said young workers face up to 40 percent higher rate of nonfatal injuries than older workers due to lack of awareness of safety and health standards.

“The fact that these young workers are new to the workplace, they are susceptible to intimidation, harassment and violence in the workplace,” said Hassan at the recent launch of the SafeYouth@ Work report held at Dusit Hotel in Makati City.

He said young workers are not aware of their rights and are generally hesitant to speak up about the potential harm in their work for fear of losing jobs.

The ILO official also said young workers lack job experience and are less able to safely handle hazardous substances and job tasks.

The baseline study in coop-

eration with the US Department of Labor was conducted following the tragic lessons from the fire at Kentex slipper factory in Valenzuela City on May 13, 2015, which killed a total of 74 workers, most of them youth.

The tragic fire revealed the dismal state of manufacturing sector in the country, marked by a low rate of compliance in terms of occupational health and safety rules.

The investigation into the Kentex fire showed noncompliance with occupational health and safety since there are no fire escapes and no storage and labels for dangerous chemicals. Majority of workers in Kentex are paid based on “per piece” rate and work contracts are only given after 20 years of service.

The ILO study said there are enough laws on Occupational Health and Safety in the Philippines, but they are not properly implemented in workplaces due to lack of qualified labor inspectors.

At the same time, the study noted that majority of employers view training on Occupational Safety and Health measures as “time-consuming and a business expense rather than perceiving these actions as worthwhile investments.”

Katherine Brimon, ILO Project Coordinator for SafeYouth@Work, said the results of the study highlight the need to conduct a comprehensive social and behavior change Continued on A2

n JAPAN 0.4771 n UK 68.8541 n HK 6.7241 n CHINA 7.8314 n SINGAPORE 38.9190 n AUSTRALIA 37.3433 n EU 59.2425 n SAUDI ARABIA 14.0756

Source: BSP (March 29, 2019 )

NewsSunday BusinessMirror

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In crisis mode: Bracing for the power crunch Continued from A1

means that the distribution charge is higher for higher consumption levels. Conversely, the distribution charge is lower at smaller consumption levels,” said Fernandez when asked to provide an estimate on bill adjustment during the summer months.

The Department of Energy (DOE), meanwhile, expects only 600 MW to 700 MW of capacity that will not be available from March to June this year.

“We [expect] 600 MW to 700 MW will be reduced from the Luzon grid from March to June,” said DOE Assistant Secretary Redentor Delola. Without naming the power plants, Delola said a 382-MW coal plant will go offline until April and a 300-MW coal plant will not be operational until June.

But because of the new power facilities coming online, Delola assured the public, “there is nothing to worry about.”

New capacities

A TOTAL of 1,272.2 MW of new power capacity that should be available between March and July this year and rescheduling the maintenance shutdown of some power plants that are supposed to go offline during election period are likely to prevent power-interruption incidents in the country during the summer months.

Luzon is expected to produce

571.2 MW of new power generating capacity, the Visayas with 300 MW and Mindanao with 401 MW. Luzon is depending on the entry of the 150-MW coal fired power plant in Limay, Bataan; 5-MW biomass plant in Isabela; 300-MW coal-fired power plant in Masinloc, Zambales; 1.2-MW FQBG biomass plant; and 115 MW solar plant in Concepcion, Tarlac.

“There’s a directive to power plants that one week prior and after elections, there will be a moratorium on maintenance,” Delola said.

In the Visayas, two 150-MW units of Therma Visayas Inc.’s coal power plant are expected to start commercial operation by March and April.

Mindanao, on the other hand, will have additional capacity from unit 2 of the Sarangani Energy Corp. coal plant (150 MW) this month, unit 1 of GN Power Kauswagan coal plant (138 MW) in May, solar plant of Astroenergy Development Gensan Inc. (20 MW) in June and unit 2 of GN Power Kauswagan coal plant (138 MW) in July.

“From the supply side, we can see a sufficient supply from March, April, May and June,” added Delola.

All-time high

DEMAND for power is expected to hit an all-time high this year, the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) said.

“The demand for power has

CUSI: “Energy efficiency and the mindful consumption of electricity should be our way of life.”

been increasing year-on-year. With DOE’s forecast breaching 11,000 MW, NGCP’s system operations is working round-the-clock to ensure the sufficient supply of power during the critical summer months,” said the grid operator.

Demand in Luzon is expected to peak at 11,403 MW in May this year, up by 85 percent from a high of 10,876 MW recorded on May 28, 2018.

The Visayas and Mindanao both recorded new highs in peak demand last year at 2,053 MW on May 24 and 1,853 MW on December 13, respectively. This year, the DOE projects an 11.98-percent increase in the Visayas load growth with forecasted peak at 2,299 MW, while demand in Mindanao is estimated at 2,130 MW. The forecasted peak demand for both is expected to happen in the last quarter of 2019.

The NGCP gave assurances that it is continuously developing the power grid to accommodate additional loads from power generation and enable better transmis-

sion of power across the country.

“Constant coordination is also being done with power generating plants to make sure that maintenance shutdowns will not coincide with the peak periods within the summer,” said NGCP.

Moreover, the grid operator is expediting the completion of projects aimed to accommodate the increase in demand.

‘Weak El Niño’

EVEN before the water shortage occurred last month, energy officials assured the public that there is stable power supply in Luzon, the Visayas and Mindanao despite El Niño.

DOE Undersecretary Felix William Fuentebella said a “weak” El Niño is expected and this will have a minimal impact on the entire power grid because of additional capacities coming on in the power grid.

Based on DOE’s internal study, he said, El Niño is seen to have the greatest impact in Luzon due to the number of hydroelectric power plants (HEPPs) in the area. It said that power reserve level will be below the required dispatchable reserve level from April 5 to June 13.

The capacity of these HEPP is equivalent to 30 percent of the entire grid’s output. Still, officials assured the public that the Luzon grid will be in normal condition despite the assumed reduction of hydro capacity.

In the Visayas, power conditions will likewise be normal given the minimal number of HEPPs and the marginal HEPP contribution share of 0.6 percent of the dependable capacity in the region.

In Mindanao, even if the hydro plants comprise 27.5 percent of the grid’s total supply, power will remain stable due to large coal-fired power plants that will offset output from the hydro plants.

Mitigating measures

THE DOE reminded consumers to not let their guard down and keep on saving energy even during times when there are no service interruptions.

“While there will be sufficient power throughout this summer, we continue to call on our kaba-

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bayan to observe energy-efficient practices, such as setting our air conditioner thermostats to 24°C or 25°C, regardless of power-supply conditions. Energy efficiency and the mindful consumption of electricity should be our way of life,” said DOE Secretary Alfonso Cusi.

The agency has put in place mitigating measures to ensure the continuous and efficient electricity services in the midst of El Niño and the midterm elections in May.

These include the management of plant maintenance schedules, the optimization of existing HEPP, the preparation of available generator sets for unforeseen outages, participation of big establishments in the Interruptible Load Program (ILP), as well as the continued call for energy efficiency for all electricity end-users.

Meralco could activate its ILP—a voluntary, demand-side management program that allows customers to operate their generating sets and collectively reduce electricity drawn from the grid when power interruptions are imminent to ration limited power supply.

Under the Energy Regulatory Commission’s rules, ILP may only be triggered when the NGCP declares a red alert and there is impending need to drop loads.

“While the power supply situation these past two weeks has been normal and we have experienced ample supply, we are still encouraging our customers to practice energy efficiency and make it a way of life. Especially now that summer is fast approaching, it is important to practice energy efficiency initiatives which can somehow also lead to some savings on your electricity bills through lower power consumption,” said Meralco spokesman Joe Zaldarriaga.

Energy conservation

MEANWHILE, the Congressional Bicameral Conference Committee of the reconciled Senate and House versions recently approved the measure institutionalizing a framework to advance energy efficiency and conservation practices in the country is timely.

The reconciled version of Senate Bill 1531 and House Bill 8629

is more popularly known as the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Act.

“This bill is quite important in terms of growing our economy because we all know we need a lot of power supply in the next few years, but the power supply will not come in as a form of physical plants. That power supply can come in the form of savings,” said Senate Committee on Energy Chairman Sherwin T. Gatchalian, the principal sponsor of the measure in the Senate.

Senate Bill 1531 mandates the creation of a National Energy Efficiency and Conservation Plan that defines national targets, details feasible strategies, and imposes a regular monitoring and evaluation system.

Alongside this will be the development and maintenance of a National Energy Efficiency and Conservation Database, where relevant information about energy consumption as well as the application of energy efficient and renewable energy technologies shall be centrally stored.

The measure also institutionalizes these energy efficiency and conservation standards and strategies in local governance through the creation of a Local Energy Efficiency and Conservation Plan and the inclusion of Guidelines on Energy Conserving Design on Buildings in the issuance of building permits.

The EU Access to Sustainable Energy Programme estimates that a 10-percent improvement in efficiency will save the country P55.5 billion, which translates to a P140 monthly savings in the monthly electricity bill of the average household, or P1,680 per year. The World Bank also reports that government energy efficiency projects can save the government P3.4 billion per year.

Aside from electricity cost savings, Gatchalian said energy efficiency would also reduce dependency on foreign coal, avoiding as many as 290.2 million metric tons in imports over the 12-year period.

This means an average annual savings of $392 million to $1.3 billion between 2018 and 2030 at the 50-percent and 100-percent efficiency standard, respectively.

Young workers at risk of injuries and deaths, says ILO study Continued from A1

campaign in the Philippines to create a culture of Safety and Health protection in the workplace, particularly in hazardous jobs in construction and agriculture where majority of workers are young.

She said the results of the ILO study highlight not only the poor implementation of the OSH law, but the lack of understanding and appreciation of the importance of health and safety among young workers.

Brimon said the study showed that agricultural workers, who are mostly young, identify sharp objects and manual handling as primary risk to their safety and health, “but do not recognize pesticide use as workplace hazard.”

Among the key findings of the ILO report: • Young agricultural workers state that cuts and lacerations are the most common types of injuries that happen in their workplace, along with bruises or contusions.

Fractures, soreness and pain were also mentioned by a third of young workers.

• Six out of 10 construction workers believe that people in their line of work suffer from work-related health problems. Joint and back pain, as well as breathing problems, were commonly mentioned.

• On the other hand, only one-third of the employers interviewed acknowledged the existence of occupational illnesses in

their workplace.

Sonny Matula, president of the Federation of Free Workers (FFW), said the new OSH law signed by President Duterte mandates all employers to provide occupational safety and health orientation to their workers without exceptions.

“Employers should realize that company resources for safety and health programs must be considered an investment for the future and not part of their operational expenses,” said Matula at the launch of the ILO report. He added that, “keeping workers safe and healthy from their youth will also contribute to the longevity of workers.”

Brimon said the passage of the expanded OSH law—Republic Act 11058—also underscores the need for coordinative mechanisms for enforcing OSH standards in sectors where a lot of young workers are found, such as in agriculture.

Fear of losing jobs

DESPITE the hazards of their work, young workers admitted that they do not report such problems for fear of losing jobs.

The ILO study showed that young workers rely on their jobs to support their families while they also recognize the need to stay safe and healthy at work.

Government records on occupational fatalities from 2011 to 2016 showed that manufacturing, construction and agriculture have

the highest number of work related deaths.

At the same time, work-related injuries have steadily increased from 48,975 in 2011 to 49,118 in 2013. In 2015, the number further increased to 50,961.

The study results show that occupational injuries are highest in the manufacturing sector, as well as in agriculture and retail.

Hassan said the ILO has a long-standing commitment to the promotion of decent work and safe and healthy working conditions for all workers, throughout their working lives.

He said improving the safety and health of young workers also contributes to the achievement of United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 8 on decent work and economic growth, particularly in reaching Target 8.8 on safe and secure working environments for all workers by 2030, and Target 8.7 on ending all forms of child labor by 2025.

Valentine Offenloch, Technical Specialist, SafeYouth@Work Project, pushed for a tripartite action of the government, employers and workers to create a culture of prevention with focus on the safety and health of young workers.

He said the ILO is committed to sustain actions that can continue to overcome the barriers in realizing safe and healthy work and workplaces for young people in the Philippines.

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The World BusinessMirror

China, US trade negotiators resume talks in Beijing

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EIJING—Trade negotiators from China and the US resumed talks on Friday to try to resolve their tariff dispute over China’s ambitions to dominate emerging technologies.

The representatives posed for photos at a government guest house in western Beijing but did not comment about the state of negotiations in front of reporters.

President Donald J. Trump expressed optimism about the talks last week, saying, “we’re getting very close.” The chief American envoy, Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, said this week questions about details and enforcement remain to be answered.

Lighthizer and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin attended a working dinner on Thursday night with their Chinese counterpart, Vice Premier Liu He, who is to travel to Washington next week.

Talks are due to last the entire day on Friday.

The meetings are the latest in a rapid-fire series of exchanges seeking to end the conflict that is disrupting trade in goods from soybeans to medical equipment.

“Both teams are cur rent ly

sparing no effort” on the negotiations, Chinese commerce ministry spokesman Gao Feng said during a regularly scheduled briefing.

Despite the lack of announced agreements, trade analysts expect at least a preliminary accord in coming weeks or months.

Still, they say the negotiations are unlikely to resolve conflicts that have bedeviled US-Chinese relations for two decades. Major sore points include China’s massive trade surplus with the US and accusations it has stolen or coerced the transfer of foreign technology for its own uses.

The latest dispute erupted after Trump raised duties last year on Chinese imports in response to complaints over technology and is fueling fears the battle between the two biggest economies will chill global growth that already shows signs of slowing.

A stumbling block appears to be Washington’s insistence on

CHINA’S Vice Premier Liu He (center) poses for a photo with US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, right, and US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer at Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing on Friday. NICOLAS ASFOURI VIA AP, POOL

an enforcement mechanism with penalties if Beijing fails to follow through on commitments.

Trump also raised another potential obstacle last week, saying he wants to keep in place 25-percent taxes on $50 billion of Chinese goods imposed last year. The president said, “we need that.”

Washington in September followed up with 10-percent duties on an additional $200 billion.

All told, the US tariffs covered

roughly half of what the US buys from China.

However, Trump postponed another tariff hike on March 1, in a move that may have reduced US leverage in seeking Chinese concessions.

Beijing is not “in the biggest hurry” so long as Washington delays imposing additional tariffs, said Bryan Mercurio, a trade law specialist at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. AP

Sunday, March 31, 2019

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BRITISH GOVT REPORT BACKS WARNINGS OF HUAWEI RISKS

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ASHINGTON—A Br itish government report issued on Thursday detailing security risks posed by Chinese firm Huawei confirms US government warnings of security risks associated with the telecom giant, according to a US official.

The report from a cyber-security watchdog identified “significant technical issues” in Huawei’s engineering and warned there is “only limited assurance” the risk can be managed.

The US official said those findings support similar American assessments that concluded Huawei’s equipment cannot be “made safe from Chinese influence or disruption.” The official spoke on condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to brief the media publicly.

Huawei denies that its equipment could be used to facilitate spying and Chinese authorities have accused Washington of exaggerating security concerns to limit competition with Western vendors.

Washington is campaigning in Europe and beyond for allies to ban the use of Huawei technology as they develop plans to build new high speed fifth generation, or 5G, mobile networks.

The US has experienced significant pushback from allies concerned about remaining competitive in the global race to develop 5G technology. Germany recently announced Huawei would be able to bid on 5G contracts there and the US has issued warnings to Israel that Chinese investment could result in reduced intelligence sharing.

The United Kingdom has previously said it believes Huawei’s security risks

could be managed. Thursday’s report authored by British cybersecurity inspectors also said Huawei’s plans to address security flaws “could in principle be successful.”

The US argues Huawei could give the Chinese government backdoor access to snoop on internet users worldwide.

“Our intelligence community has made it abundantly clear Huawei and ZTE put the security of our communications at risk and it is concerning that allies like Germany are considering relying on their products,” said Republican Sen. Cory Gardner of Colorado in statement Thursday. “It is my hope all of our allies in Europe and around the globe hear us loud and clear.”

The US accused ZTE Corp., a major supplier of telecom networks and smartphones based in southern China, of misleading American regulators after it settled charges of violating sanctions against North Korea and Iran. The company was blocked in 2018 from importing American components for seven years.

Despite the security flaws identified in the report Thursday, British authorities said they do not believe the defects were a result of “Chinese state interference” and the report did not find that Huawei was giving the Chinese government backdoor access as the US is warning.

US officials didn’t expect to find dedicated backdoors, instead assessing its more likely the Chinese government would use what appear to be flaws in Huawei’s code to gain access, according to the official who spoke on condition of anonymity. The official added that that type of access can be just as damaging. AP

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Sunday, March 31, 2019

The World BusinessMirror

Afghanistan collapse likely if US troops pull out, watchdog warns

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S President Donald J. Trump tries to wind down America’s 18-year-old troop commitment in Afghanistan, a Pentagon watchdog is warning of the risks in leaving without significant financial pledges and protections for women under a government that would include the Taliban.

From integrating 60,000 Taliban fighters into the Afghan military to countering endemic corruption and the flourishing opium trade, a future government in K abu l may be overwhelmed even if there’s a peace deal backed by the US, Afghanistan and the Taliban, according to a report released on Thursday by the US Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction.

“Without financial support from international donors, the government of Afghanistan cannot survive,” the inspector general cautioned. And with or without a peace deal, Afghanistan is likely to “continue to grapple with multiple violent-extremist

organizations, who threaten Afghanistan and the international community.”

The report comes as Zalmay Khalilzad, Trump’s special representative for Afghanistan reconciliation, is at the start of a 16-day trip to Europe, the Middle East and South Asia to negotiate peace.

Khalilzad’s efforts already have frayed ties with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, whose government has been shut out of the US talks with the Taliban so far.

The Taliban, ousted when US troops arrived in Afghanistan after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, have refused to speak with Ghani’s government.

Khalilzad has said such direct

talks must happen eventually.

Negotiations between Khalilzad and the Taliban in Doha, Qatar, have centered on a withdrawal of foreign troops from Afghanistan in exchange for Taliban pledges not to allow terrorist groups, such as the Islamic State and al-Qaeda, to operate from the country.

Secretar y of State Michael Pompeo told the House Foreign Affairs Committee on Wednesday that he supports the talks with the Taliban “all the while bei ng m i nd f u l t h at we h ave significant counterterrorism” concerns at stake.

A withdrawal would help deliver on Trump’s campaign pledges

to extract the US from military entanglements. Yet after losing more than 2,300 US soldiers and spending more than $900 billion in Afghanistan since 2001, an American withdrawal would risk losing hard-won gains. The US has about 14,000 troops in Afghanistan.

Women’s rights

A PEACE deal with the Taliban wou ld ra ise quest ions about whether the rights of women, guaranteed in the Afghan constitution, would be upheld in light of the group’s histor y of repression of women when it ruled the countr y.

Without financial support from international donors, the government of Afghanistan cannot survive. And with or without a peace deal, Afghanistan is likely to continue to grapple with multiple violent-extremist organizations, who threaten Afghanistan and the international community.”

—US Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction “Some experts believe that a precipitous withdrawal of US forces could lead to the deterioration of political and economic freedoms currently enjoyed by Afghan women,” the report said. “Official Taliban statements involved in the peace negotiations confirm such risks.”

That, in turn, would make international donors less likely to keep funding the government in K abul.

Corruption also remains a top strategic threat. Failure to combat it, the report warned, would mean US reconstruction programs “at best, will continue to be subverted and, at worst, will fail.”

Without sufficient preparation, conditions on the ground and funding plans, the report concluded, “we may as well set the cash ablaze on the streets of Kabul for all the good it will do.” Bloomberg News

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As another man takes throne, Japan’s women hope it’s their era

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UMI FUJISAWA launched her finance career in Tokyo in 1989. It was a notable year: Emperor Akihito ascended the Chrysanthemum Throne, the Nikkei average reached its giddy peak and the latest Sony Walkman was a hot-selling gadget.

Yet it wasn’t an easy time to be an ambitious young woman in Japan. Despite the skyrocketing economy and implementation of an Equal Employment Opportunity Act three years before, big Japanese firms often didn’t consider recruiting female college graduates.

Those who made it through the door were expected to drop out soon to get married.

Thirty years later, as Akihito prepares to end the current imperial era by ceding the throne to his son, Naruhito, Japan’s asset bubble is a distant memory. High-tech manufacturing has largely gone elsewhere.

The percentage of women in the workforce has risen yet mainly as a result of a labor shortage caused by the rapidly aging population.

Fujisawa knew there was a tough road ahead because she was a woman, so she charted her own path, and unlike most of her women contemporaries, prevailed in her professional career.

“My parents had always told me that if I couldn’t find what I wanted, I should make it myself,” she said, recalling how that prompted her to try a range of endeavors including programming her own computer games and concocting desserts. “I decided that if there wasn’t a company where you could do a job with responsibility regardless of your age or gender, then I should start one.”

Fujisawa’s professional path ran its course during the current imperial era known as Heisei, which opened with Japan as a juggernaut economy and will close in few weeks with China clearly ahead. She was among several women Bloomberg News interviewed about their changing career prospects as Japan prepares to announce the name of the next era on Monday at about 11:30 a.m. Tokyo time, a month before the new emperor ascends the throne on May 1.

Still, one thing has remained—ambitious women facing barriers in a society that openly favors men. Women in Japan are often paid less than their male peers, denied access to career opportunities and have more trouble climbing the corporate ladder, especially if they have children.

Fujisawa, who graduated from a university in Osaka, set her sights on starting a business, using stints at Japanese, UK and US companies to gain the skills she needed. She says some of her male bosses and clients found her drive “unfeminine.”

Yet she succeeded, setting up a ratings agency, which she sold to Standard & Poor’s in 1999.

Boys’ club

WOMEN are still paid only three quarters as much as men on average, and Japanese boardrooms are among the biggest boys’

clubs in the developed world. Institutional gender bias remains. Last year, it emerged that some of Japan’s top medical schools for years had rejected female applicants in favor of less qualified men.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has pushed to promote women in the workplace, yet success has been spotty: Japan placed 110th of 149 countries in the World Economic Forum Global Gender Gap index last year. About one in five local Japanese assemblies has no female members. And women hold just 13 percent of local assembly seats, broadcaster NHK reported in March.

The entrenched bias extends to the imperial household. The new emperor’s only child—a girl—won’t be allowed to inherit the role under a law that prevents women from ascending the Chrysanthemum Throne.

In contrast, the UK now is gender neutral when it comes to the order of succession to the throne.

Ambition questioned

AT the other end of the imperial era is Marina Fukumoto, 22, a martial-arts enthusiast who this year graduated with a law degree from the elite Keio University in Tokyo. She is about to start her professional career and is facing gender bias—just as Fujisawa did three decades earlier.

Fukumoto said she overplayed her ambition in interviews and that may have dashed her chances to snare her dream job with a real-estate development company.

“I told them I would and could do anything.

I may have come over too strong,” she said.

“I felt strongly that they wanted us to stay a step behind the men, rather than brushing the men aside and thinking only about ourselves.”

Fukumoto eventually accepted an offer from a Japanese insurance company, albeit in a career track mostly occupied by women that brings lower pay. Her goals include financial independence and working after she has children. Those plans are met with skepticism, even by her own generation: a 2016 survey found almost 42 percent of those between ages 18 and 29 said they believed men should work, while women should take care of the household.

“I think they’re dreaming,”Fukumoto said.“If you want to be a housewife, you’ve got to find a rich man to marry. Even if you do, you might get divorced, or he might die before you.”

Another woman about to start her career decided to steer clear of an established Japanese company after hearing from others about their first few years on the job.

“I heard they had to do things they didn’t want to do for three years at least and then got a promotion and got to do what they wanted to,” said Sayaka Kedashiro, 22, a native of Okinawa who graduated in September from Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University. “For me, three years is a long time to be patient.”

Bloomberg News

Billionaire Reimann family confronts ancestors’ Nazi ties

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OME of Germany’s wealthiest families have long been tainted by Nazi ties: The Quandts (BMW), the Krupps (steel) and the Flicks (mining and machinery) have grappled with a legacy of cooperation with the Third Reich’s

economic machine.

Now, the dynasty behind Panera Bread and Krispy Kreme Doughnuts faces a similar reckoning.

The Reimann family—whose JAB Holding Co. owns the chains as well as a host of other brands—used Russian civilians and French prisoners of war as forced labor for their businesses and private villas in the Nazi era, according to a German newspaper report.

They donated to Nazi organizations as early as 1931, and Albert Reimann Jr., the primary source of his descendants’ multibillion-dollar fortune, once complained about the French prisoners’ work rate, Bild am Sonntag reported on Sunday.

The family commissioned a historian early this century to probe their ancestry following a 1978 article that mentioned its links to the Nazis, according to a family spokesman. That report will be completed and made available in 2020. After discovering the extent of their ancestors’ Nazi ties, the Reimanns pledged €10 million ($11 million) to a charity, though they didn’t say who would receive the money. The decision was “spontaneous, because the family was absolutely ashamed,” the spokesman said.

Some of Germany’s biggest fortunes trace back to the Nazi era. The $36-billion combined wealth of Susanne Klatten and Stefan Quandt, major

shareholders of Bayerische Motoren Werke AG, has ties to an industrial empire that built firearms and antiaircraft missiles for the Third Reich’s war machine. Likewise, Viktoria-Katharina Flick and twin brother Karl-Friedrich Flick are among the world’s youngest billionaires through a fortune that heralds from another Nazi weapons manufacturer.

It took decades for most German companies to publicly acknowledge their role in Nazi Germany and the Holocaust. But in 2000, 6,500 German companies created a foundation that along with the German state raised more than €5 billion for survivors of Nazi atrocities and slave labor.

The Reimann family’s charitable gift represents a fraction of its JAB fortune.

Five family members—Wolfgang Reimann, Renate Reimann-Haas, Stefan ReimannAndersen, Matthias Reimann-Andersen and Andrea Reimann-Ciardelli—are worth at least $10 billion combined, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.

The Reimann fortune had its beginnings in 1828, when Ludwig Reimann, a chemist, joined Johann Adam Benckiser at the chemical company he founded five years earlier in Pforzheim, Germany. In 1858, Reimann moved the operation to Ludwigshafen, Germany. Reimann Jr. joined the firm in 1923, at the age of 25, helping to run the company alongside his father and uncles. Bloomberg News

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Sunday

Sunday, March 31, 2019

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Steel self-sufficiency a concern in ‘BBB’ program Story & photos

by Stephanie Tumampos

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HE current administration’s “Build, Build, Build” (BBB) program envisions a Philippines with proper infrastructure to enhance economic capability. With billions of dollars poured in this program, the country is expected to consume an increased volume of iron and steel in the coming years.

At the First Quarter Mining Lecture Series held by the Department of Science and Technology’s Philippine Council for Industry, Energy and Emerging Technology Research and Development (DOST-PCIEERD) on March 27 in Manila, various government officials, stakeholders, researchers, scientists and engineers discussed how the country can produce iron and steel, and supply the demand by creating a road map that could empower and strengthen the sector.

According to the Board of Investments (BOI), the apparent steel consumption of the country in 2018 is about 10.55 million tons with an ASP forecast of 20 million tons in 2030. While the country’s program is very promising, the program can help local investors in iron and steel production if more iron and steel from local supply can be added instead of importing them mostly from China.

On another note, the Philippines’s s te e l d e m a n d i s co m p o s e d o f f i ve essential output products. Eighty-one percent of this demand is dedicated to construction, 9 percent for light and heavy fabrication, 5 percent for ship building, 4 percent for packaging, and 1 percent for other uses.

Vulnerability of steel importation

THE BOI’s mission for the Philippine Iron and Steel Roadmap is “to contribute to the country’s sustainable development by manufacturing world-class products for industry and society.” Its vision is that by 2030 “the Philippine iron and steel industry sees itself as a majority producer of quality steel products for domestic users.”

According to DOST-PCIEERD’s Director Eric Paringit, the Philippines is dependent on importation of iron and steel, and have a very high demand, hence, “the industry is very volatile or very unstable.”

Paringit told the B usiness M irror that whatever happens to the world market, “we are vulnerable to external forces or events that could happen, so we want to stabilize the market by making sure that we have a local industry that could support the development goals we have for the country.”

He said there is no doubt that we have more raw resources or materials than what we need, but “the basic, intermediate and end processing of the steel industry is absent in the country.”

He explained that compared to its neighbors, the Philippines is “the only country that has no direct iron and steel processing plant.”

Paringit said he wishes to establish a concrete plan to put up steel plant in the next five years. The government’s former steel producer, the National Steel Corp. was then privatized, but with today’s pool of human skills and resource, “it’s not a matter of ‘if,’ it’s a matter of when we are going to put this up because we really need to propel,” Paringit explained.

DR. Carlo Arcilla

DR. Eric Paringit

DR. Agustin Fudolig

Partial local steel production

does not eliminate the fact that we have to be self-sufficient, which supported Paringit’s statement.

“Partial self-sufficiency is important,” Fudolig told the BusinessMirror. “If we put up iron and steel manufacturing, we will have partial self sufficiency, which is important because if our source at present suddenly stops selling to us, we still have a local source.”

He added that the country does not necessarily need to produce 100 percent, but could potentially produce 30 percent to 50 percent of the requirements and then import the rest.

Considering the 1 million tons per year consumption as used in Fudolig’s study, with respect to the country’s raw material deposits of magnetite, which is about 2 billion tons, he said “your steel-production plant would last a hundred years.”

A plant would need 1.7 million tons of raw magnetite to produce 1 million tons of steel.

“In terms of sustainability, I am confident we can achieve this,” Fudolig added.

Power source

IN the research by Dr. Agustin Fudolig, deputy executive director of the Metals Industry Research and Development Center, and Engr. Juancho Pablo Calvez, chief metallurgist of Mines and Geosciences Bureau, titled, “Technical and Economic Feasibility Study to Determine the Most Suitable Ironmaking Technology for Value Adding of Philippine Magnetite Resources,” they saw a great potential in the country in terms of local steel production.

In an interview with the BusinessMirror, Fudolig explained that the only problem is economics.

“The problem is that some sectors are wary about the production volume in China because it is so huge that they are now exporting and we are buying from them,” Fudolig said. “It’s going to be a comparison between importing it or producing it.”

At the moment, Fudolig said importing steel is easier because the local industry could not compete anymore. However, he

THE demand for power will definitely grow. According to the BOI, the country’s ASP will be 20 million tons by 2030. But if the country aims to decrease steel importation and increase local production, the country must also have a stable and cheaper power source.

Paringit explained that “based on the premise that you need something like 10 percent or 20 percent of the requirements to put up a steel processing plant, you would really need a stable and cheap source of power.”

He added that one cannot melt steel if there is no enough power source. “What’s being argued is if we need another source of energy to also power the steel industry,” he said.

This is where nuclear energy comes in. The existing but unused Bataan Nuclear Power Plant (BNPP) has been a subject of debate over decades because of alleged impacts to the environment.

But Dr. Carlo Arcilla, director of the Philippine Nuclear Research Institute, a nuclear power plant like BNPP has zero carbon emission and that a solution to nuclear waste disposal can be put in Philippine islands in the West Philippine Sea. “The cost of nuclear power is at least half of the normal price, but it will depend on how much is in the mix of source of power,” Arcilla told the BusinessMirror. “With a nuclear power plant, we can have uninterrupted power for 18 months.”

Arcilla noted that nuclear power can be added to the normal power source in the country, such as coal. “So the whole average will be brought down, and that’s what’s definitely important.”

Fudolig in his study estimated a P5.50 per kilowatt hour price of electricity used for steel processing plants. Other studies also showed that it can be further reduced to P3.50 per kilowatt hour if electricity would come from Leyte’s geothermal plant. “Sensitivity in power cost would improve the return of investment of plants.”

If nuclear power will be added in the power pipeline, Fudolig told the BusinessMirror that “nuclear power can help in reducing the cost more from P3.50 to, say, P1.50 or P2 per kilowatt hour.”

Arcilla gave assurance that if BNPP is reopened it will be safe.

Of course, there are concerns on the issue of reopening BNPP. For Paringit, the country needs to rebuild competency and human resources to operate it.

“We are supporting the capacity building efforts and the R&D toward ensuring that we will be able to operate it safely, sustainably and reliably,” he said.

Faith A6 Sunday, March 31, 2019

Sunday

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

Mount Carmel natl shrine now a minor basilica

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By Lyn Resurreccion

HE devotees, parishioners and pilgrims to the recently declared Basilica of the National Shrine of Our Lady of Mount Carmel are now becoming familiar with the three new emblems in the basilica— the umbraculum, tintinnabulum and papal cross keys—that signify its new status.

AS one enters the recently elevated Basilica of the National Shrine of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, one would easily notice the three symbols of the basilica—the umbraculum (big umbrella or conopeaum) at the right side of the main altar, the tintinnabulum (little bell) on a pole on the left side of the altar and the papal cross keys placed above the altar of Our Lady of Mount Carmel at the side altar near the umbraculum. LYN RESURRECCION

that are received by those who go on a pilgrimage to Rome.”

“The special affinity of this church to the Basilica Santa Maria Majore [Saint Mary Major] in Rome brings, in a way, the eternal city to us,” he said.

“Not all of us can afford to go to Rome. Therefore, through this basilica, Rome comes to us. This is how close the Church, our mother, wishes to be with her children,” he added. “Literally, a minor basilica is the symbol of the closeness of the Church to the poor. The church is the church of the poor.

The kingdom of God belongs most especially to the poor.”

Ongtioco said the new basilica must show itself as mother to the poor by being attentive to their needs. “The basilica must be marked not only by the excellence of its liturgy and devotions. A basilica must also show excellence in its charity. Remember that plenary indulgences are bestowed in this place. This place is where remission of temporal punishments due to sins confessed is bestowed. This gives us all the more reason to excel in charity because the apostle Peter says: charity covers a multitude of sins,” he urged the faithful.

Ongtioco said that in the Mount Carmel basilica, “we not only pray to Mary, but we pray with Mary....

Let us imitate Mary. After visiting her, let us be of service to others and bring Christ to them. So the presence of the church, of the basilica, is a strong confirmation that we are never alone. God is with us.”

Bishops, priests

THE papal cross keys above the altar of our Lady of Mount Carmel. LYN RESURRECCION

Mount Carmel became the first parish church to become a minor basilica in the Diocese of Cubao, and the 15th in the country. It was declared during the concelebrated Mass held at the shrine on March 25.

As a minor basilica, Mount Carmel now has close links with the pope in the Vatican. The title and dignity of a minor basilica come with all the attached rights and liturgical concessions as mandated by a Vatican decree.

During the Mass, the Decree of Concession by the Vatican’s Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments for the Mount Carmel Shrine to become a minor basilica was read in Latin and English.

The petition to elevate the National Shrine of Our Lady of Mount Carmel to minor basilica status was submitted by Bishop Honesto Ongtioco of the Diocese of Cubao, on August 17, 2018. It was approved on November 30, 2018.

Reasons for bestowing the minor basi lica desig nation may be granted for architectural beauty, historical significance, liturgical renown or for any combination of these attributes, according to the web site of Basilica of Saint Mar y in Virginia.

Umbraculum, tintinnabulum and papal cross keys

AS one enters the minor basilica, one would easily notice the prominent image of the umbraculum (big umbrella or conopeaum) at the right side of the main altar.

The tintinnabulum (little bell) is mounted on a pole on the left side of the altar, while the papal cross keys are mounted above the altar of Our Lady of Mount Carmel at the side altar, or south transept, near the right side of the umbraculum.

The umbraculum is a symbol of the Roman Catholic Church and the authority of the pope. It is a historic part of the papal regalia, once used daily to provide shade for the pope, said the Diocese of Cubao in its Facebook account.

It is similar to the canopy held above the priest carrying the monstrance in which the sacred host is carried during Corpus Christi processions. It is found in basilicas throughout the world, placed prominently at the right of their main altars. Whenever the pope visits a basilica, the umbraculum is opened.

The tintinnabulum, like the umbraculum, indicates that the Basilica of the National Shrine of Our Lady of Mount Carmel has a special relation with the Holy

4TH SUNDAY IN LENT: ‘LUKE 15:1-3, 11-32’

Let’s imitate the prodigal son MSGR. JOSEFINO S. RAMIREZ SUNDAY GOSPEL IN OUR LIFE

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HE gospel reading of today is about the parable of the prodigal son. He was a young man who, after getting his inheritance in advance (he couldn’t even wait until his father died), squandered all his money in loose

living and ended up in the direst poverty. But at a point of time, he realized his mistake, humbled himself and went back contritely to the father he abandoned.

The father, on his part, never stopped waiting for the return of

THE umbraculum or big umbrella or conopeaum LYN RESURRECCION

THE titinnabulum or little bell LYN RESURRECCION

Father, the diocese explained. It has a bell mounted on a pole, and it signifies the basilica’s connection with the pope. In the Middle Ages, it was used to alert the people of the approach of the pope during the papal processions.

The papal cross keys, the symbol of the papacy, represent Christ’s promise to Peter. “I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven.

Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you lose on earth, shall be loosed in heaven.” (Matthew 16:19) It symbolizes the continuous relationship of the basilica with the Holy Father, the successor of Peter, in Rome.

The Mount Carmel parishioners witnessed when the umbraculum and the tintinnabulum were first paraded on the entrance procession during the Mass on March 25.

‘Basilica for the poor’

IN his homily, Ongtioco acknowledged the “historical moment” of declaring the shrine as a minor basilica, the diocese’s first.

He explained that the concept of basilica was inherited from Rome. In ancient times, a basilica was referred to as the tribunal chamber of the king where official and public functions were held.

Then as the roman empire adopted Christianity, the church assembly was moved to the basilica.

There are four major basilicas in Rome: the Basilica of Saint John Lateran, which is the cathedral of the bishop of Rome that is considered as the mother and head of all churches; Saint Peter’s Basilica, built on the tomb of Saint Peter; Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls, built on the tomb of Saint Paul; and Saint Mary Major, which was built in

A minor basilica is literally an edifice for the poor. Those who enter the basilica will receive the same benefits, the same graces that are received by those who go on a pilgrimage to Rome.”—Ongtioco his son. And when the son finally returned, the father was ready to forgive and overlook all those offenses, just to have his son back.

We are all familiar with similar situations. Parents are all too happy to forgive their children.

That is why Jesus used this parable to teach us about the mercy of God. The prodigal son is ourselves.

We are all sinners who have somehow offended God, who is our Father, because of all the allurements of this world.

Our Father, God, is ready to forgive us, but He respects our

freedom and He expects us to go back, humble and contrite. We must trust in the love and mercy of God, who is ready to forgive us, provided we are sorry for our sins and have the sincere desire to go back to Him. The fact that Jesus Christ instituted the sacrament of confession is a sign of God ’s mercy. In confession, as a Pope John Paul II said, man has “a more personal encounter with the crucified forgiving Christ, with Christ say ing, through the minister of the sacrament of Reconciliation: ‘Your sins are forgiven.’”

honor of the Virgin Mary.

Ongtioco noted the event was “momentous” because it was celebrated on the solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord.

“Today the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us. The son of God took flesh in the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary,” he said.

“Therefore, we, who enter this basilica should always see this place as the symbol of of the sacred humanity of Christ in which dwells the fullness of the divinity.”

He added: “When we enter this basilica, we encounter God and enter into communion with Him. When we enter this basilica, we are reminded of the fact that we enter into communion with God through our communion with Christ. More than simply being reminded of this mystery of communion, we experience for ourselves that salvific communion through the sacred mysteries celebrated here. Here the incarnation takes place in a real way. We encounter for ourselves what Saint John tells us in the gospel: And the word was made flesh and dwelt among us.”

Ongtioco said that the a minor basilica “is literally an edifice for the poor.”

He explained that those who enter the basilica “will receive the same benefits, the same graces

AMONG those who concelebrated the Mass with Ongtioco were Archbishop Rolando Tirona of Nueva Caceres; Bishop Antonio Tobias of the Diocese of Novaliches; Bishop Mylo Vergara of the Diocese of Pasig; Cubao Diocese Vicar General Fr. Steven Zabala; Fr. Mariano Agruda III, OCD, Definitor General for Eastern Asia-Oceania; Fr. Reynaldo Sotelo, OCD, Provincial of Carmelite Fathers; OCD Superior Fr. Alan Rieger; and Fr. Joey Maborang, OCD, rector and parish priest of the now Minor Basilica of the National Shrine of Our Lady of Mount Carmel.

The Mass was attended by parishioners, devotees and pilgrims, and priests, nuns and secular members of the Order of Discalced Carmelites, other religious orders, diocesan priests and lay religious members.

The Diocese of Cubao said in its Facebook account that the shrine was built in 1954 at the same time the Order of Discalced Carmelites was founded in the Archdiocese of Manila. It was elevated to a parish church in 1975 with Fr. Paul O’Sullivan as its first parish priest.

The parish was declared a national shrine in December 2015. It was granted the Apostolic Penitentiary “a spiritual bond of affinity” between the shrine and the Basilica of Saint Mary Major in Rome while in 2016. The privilege grants special indulgences to the pilgrims and visitors of the Shrine on solemnities and feasts of Our Lady.

The other popular minor basilicas in the country are the Minor Basilica of the Black Nazarene (Quiapo Church) and Minor Basilica of the Immaculate Conception (Manila Cathedral).

(Redemptor Hominis, 20).

Because of confession, we have a tangible and effective sign that God has forgiven us. Without it, as when people confess only “directly to God,” we can never really know if we are forgiven; we can never really know if we are truly sorry.

The prodigal son was ready to acknowledge his fault. If we are not ready to acknowledge our sin to a minister of God, who will keep it in the strictest confidence by virtue of the seal of confession, and who can give us the appropriate advice to help us avoid sin in the future, then

our contrition can be seriously put in doubt.

This Lenten season is a very good time to be reconciled with God, our Father, through a good confession. If we are afraid or confused because it has been a long time since we confessed and we don’t know what to do, be like the prodigal son.

In all simplicity, go to God’s representative and tell him our difficulty. They will surely help us to make a good confession, and we shall leave the confessional with the same joy and peace as the prodigal son.

DIOCESE of Cubao Bishop Honesto Ongtioco, the Mass presider, delivers the homily. CONFRATERNITY OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY OF MOUNT CARMEL

Tourism&Entertainment BusinessMirror

Editor: Carla Mortel-Baricaua

Sunday, March 31, 2019

A7

Of long walks and getting lost in Moscow

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Story & photos by Joshua Berida

SPENT a couple of weeks exploring far west China before my flight to Moscow.

When I arrived, I changed time zones. It was late in the evening but felt like early morning. I tried to sleep; it only lasted for a few hours until restlessness took over me. It was only around 6 a.m., but it felt like lunch time back in Asia, so I decided to get up and explore the city.

I breathed in the cold autumn air of the city. I passed by anonymous apartment blocks and offices on my way to a bakery to buy food. People came and went about their business, to work, to school or to wherever.

They smoked, stared at nothing, loitered or waited for a companion.

I wasn’t sure where I was going when I left the bakery, but I saw a beautiful church in the distance and decided to follow the road toward that direction.

ers, pedestrians crossing the street as they try to beat the red light—and I saw stunning church domes and Stalinist structures emerging from their concrete roots like weeds from a distance.

I eventually found myself along the Moskva River admiring a building that resembled a spaceship about to launch. On the other side of it were nondescript blocks of buildings that stood out because of their ordinariness.

I approached a local to ask him what those structures on the other side of the river were. “Those buildings? People just live there,” he said.

For a moment I thought they were special or centuries old. After the small talk of where I came from, were you from here, what’s my name, what’s your name and how are you, I was on my way again.

Along the Moskva River

To the Red Square

In between places

I WALKED part of Entuziastov Boulevard and cut through alleys and main roads. I passed by beautiful Orthodox churches, cafés, restaurants and grocery stores, weaving in and out of some, striking a conversation in broken English with a handful of locals; “how much is this?” “how much is that?” “hi,” “hello” and “thank you.”

I passed through traffic that felt strangely familiar—cars clogging the lanes, electrical wires sweeping overhead and obnoxious taxi driv-

THE crowd grew thicker, and Russian was no longer just the language I heard—there was a mix of English, Hindi, Thai and Chinese as I approached the popular attractions of Moscow, the Kremlin and the Red Square.

The square is where old and new converge. I found vestiges of history from ancient to modern epochs in its serpentine and interconnected pathways and museums. Amid the click and flash of cameras, selfie sticks and fast-food chains are echoes of

AS you explore the city, you will see the influence of Stalinist architecture in some of the buildings.

THE Cathedral Square is where you will find centuries-old churches, and inside these are beautiful religious icons.

the time when the imperial court ruled, tsars roamed the streets and slogans of Communism pierced the airwaves.

The flame-like and colorful onionshaped domes of Saint Basil’s Cathedral caught my eye. I took several pictures of this Russian icon like many

of the local and foreign tourists. I put down my camera every now and then to admire its architecture and capture it with a mental picture, something I could conjure from my imagination.

Maybe remake it in my image, fill it with details and fond memories.

Right next to the fetching ca-

TAKE a leisurely walk along the Moskva River to see the city at your own pace.

Sarangani retraces its roots S ARANGANI has the unique distinction of being one of the country’s youngest provinces and, at the same time, one of the oldest.

Youngest because it is just 26 years old since it was created as an independent province in 1992 from South Cotabato’s coastal municipalities.

Oldest because it is host of the more than 2,000-year-old anthropomorphic man and burial jars unearthed in the remote Pinol and Ayub Caves in Maitum town. Now on display at the National Museum, it is described as an “exceptional archaeological assemblage and unparalleled in Southeast Asia.”

BLAAN Nasif weaving

This old-world charm took center stage once more as the province recently marked its 26th founding day and the 16th MunaTo Festival to celebrate its rich cultural heritage and diversity.

Themed “Kulay Munato,” the festivity is derived from the indigenous Blaan phrase muna toh, or “first people,” which showcased the culture, nature and adventure attributes of the Sarangani, which serve as its tourist come-ons.

According to Sarangani Gov. Steve Chiongbian Solon, this year’s festival is special with the recent conferment of the Gawad Manlilikha ng Bayan (National Living Treasure) by the

SAINT Basil’s Cathedral is the most iconic and recognizable attraction in Moscow.

THE Red Square is a local and foreign tourist hot spot, where you can find many beautiful and magnificent buildings.

National Commission on Culture and the Arts to Blaan igem (mat) weaver Bai Estelita Bantilan.

He said the Gamaba award will boost the province’s cultural treasures and the tourist attractions of Malapatan, Bantilan’s hometown, which is also noted for the elegant Maguindanaon handwoven inaul fiber has been displayed in international fashion shows.

Adding color to the celebration is its award as the fifth Most Competitive Province in this year’s Cities and Municipalities Competitiveness Index (CMCI), which ranks local governments on the framework of productivity.

Senate Committee on Tourism Chairperson Nancy Binay was guest of honor and spoke on the congressional legislative efforts to preserve and promote the heritage of the indigenous peoples.

She noted that the festival is a showcase of the harmony and diversity of the lumad tribes, Moro peoples and Christian settlers who have the province their home.

The highlight of the four-day fest is the Municipal Village exhibit, which put to the fore the local products, cuisine, tourist attractions and cultural heritage of Sarangani’s seven mu-

thedral is the Kremlin, the fortress inside a city that is often used as a metonym for the Russian government. This centuries-old fortification grew in affluence, influence and size as time went by. Inside the fort is the Cathedral Square where coronations and funeral processions of tsars, dukes and patriarchs took place, and centuries-old churches still stand in various states of repair.

The GUM Department Store is just one of the many beautiful buildings facing the Red Square. The store is beautiful inside and out, its elaborate interior design made me stop and stare before going up and down the stairs. The shops, cafes and restaurants were abuzz with shoppers and diners.

A local called my attention, his name was Igor (if I remembered correctly). He wanted his picture taken with Saint Basil’s Cathedral as his

background. As I was framing and about to press the button, a group of young women passed by and decided to photo bomb him. For a while he was unaware of what was transpiring behind him, but he soon realized and stood up. I asked him if he knew them, he said no. I took one last photograph of him using his phone and bid farewell.

The sun was setting, the sky turned from a midnight-blue and then a faint red-orange. I thought about what the other guy I met told me, “Those buildings, people just live there.” Centuries ago, people just lived here in the Kremlin unaware that tourists from around the world would visit or even care about its monuments and significance.

Moscow may not have revealed all its secrets to me during my few days’ stay, but I saw enough. A glimpse of what it was, is and could be.

THE façade of the GUM Department Store is a thing of beauty, take time to just admire it before entering.

12 hottest destinations in the Philippines this 2019

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GAWAD Manlilikha ng Bayan Bai Estelita Bantilan

nicipalities. Another main event is the Craft Conference and Exhibition, which displayed the intricate hand-weaving tradition of the Blaan, Tagakaolo, T’boli lumad tribes and the Maguindanaon, Maranao and Taosug Moro communities.

Receiving special attention was demonstrations on the weaving of the exquisite Mabal Tabih abaca fabric of the Blaan tribe, regarded as the province’s crown jewel of cultural resources.

Fringe events included the Sbuno, the traditional tribal wrestling game in Southern Mindanao, sporting events, indigenous peoples’ day, musical concerts and the Pearl of Sarangani, which chose the province’s ambassadresses of goodwill and tourism.

ITH 7,641 islands, it’s definitely more fun in the Philippines when it comes to exploring famous tourist spots and hidden gems. There are numerous activities to do and places to explore for all types of travelers.

In fact, according to Traveloka, Southeast Asia’s leading online booking platform for hotels, flights, as well as activities and attractions, the Philippines is becoming such a tourist hub that there’s been a 74-percent increase in tourist arrivals from 2018 to 2019 in 12 local destinations.

Topping their list of the current hottest local destinations with a whopping 386-percent increase in tourist arrivals is the postcard-worthy island of Batanes, which, thanks to the availability of cheaper flights, has finally gotten the attention it deserves. It is likely that most of the destinations on the list such as General Santos and Laoag City, have gained popularity after the six-month rehabilitation of the more mainstream island of Boracay, but it has been a long time coming. Both feature stunning beaches and exciting activities such as paragliding and sand-

boarding, that surely put these provinces on the tourist radar.

Check out and make sure to add these hot local destinations right now to your 2019 bucket list!

Sports BusinessMirror

A8 Sunday, March 31, 2019

VLADIMIR PUTIN says efforts should be made “so that we don’t give any pretext to those who use sport for political ends, to act against Russia’s interests.” AP

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

PUTIN CALLS ON RUSSIANS TO PLAY BY DOPING RULES FOR OLYMPICS

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OSCOW—Vladimir Putin wants Russian athletes and officials to play by anti-doping rules ahead of next year’s Olympics.

In televised comments on Wednesday, the Russian president said efforts should be made “so that we don’t give any pretext to those who use sport for political ends, to act against Russia’s interests.”

Russia’s team was barred from last year’s Winter Olympics for repeated doping violations, but 168 competitors from the country were allowed to compete as “Olympic Athletes from Russia.”

Of those, two were later disqualified for doping, more than any other country.

The International Olympic Committee lifted its suspension of Russia immediately after the Pyeongchang Games. Putin said there should be

no similar “restrictions” on any member of the Russian team at next year’s Tokyo Olympics.

Putin didn’t specify what potential restrictions he had in mind, though the Russian track federation remains suspended.

If that sanction isn’t lifted by the IAAF, then only athletes who have been vetted and approved by a panel which examines their history of drug testing would be able to compete in Tokyo.

That’s currently keeping some top Russians like the former Olympic walk champion Elena Lashmanova and Olympic high jump champion Anna Chicherova restricted to national competitions only. Both have served doping bans.

Putin added that Russia had finished

restructuring its anti-doping systems after World Anti-Doping Agency investigations revealed widespread doping and alleged government complicity, something Putin denies.

“Russia has met all requirements in the area of perfecting the fight against doping,” Putin said. “Constructive cooperation with the relevant international structures is under way. We need to finally resolve the remaining issues.”

Wada reinstated the Russian anti-doping agency last year, but could reverse that ruling if the country stops cooperating with efforts to examine past offenses.

Russia has so far turned over data from the Moscow laboratory at the center of the allegations, and must provide stored samples for retesting by June 30. AP WASHINGTON Nationals pitcher Max Scherzer throws a bullpen session during spring training in West Palm Beach, Florida. AP

COMPLETE GAME COMPLETELY GONE? Go back to 1978, and there were more than 1,000 complete games in the majors. Move to 2003, and the total was about 200. In 2018, though, there were only 42—the lowest total in the sport’s history, according to Baseball-Reference. com—and just 19 of those were shutouts, the fewest since the 1870s.

By Howard Fendrich The Associated Press

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EST PALM BEACH, Florida—The complete game is nearly completely gone from baseball. Shutouts are vanishing, too.

The numbers are striking.

Go back to 1978, and there were more than 1,000 complete games in the majors. Move to 2003, and the total was about 200. In 2018, though, there were only 42—the lowest total in the sport’s history, according to Baseball-Reference.com—and just 19 of those were shutouts, the fewest since the 1870s.

Or to put it a different way: Roughly every other game featured a starter who went the distance 40 years ago, whereas about one in every 55 games did last season. Stars of the 1960s and ‘70s such as Bob Gibson, Steve Carlton or Jim Palmer would top 20 complete games in a year. In the ‘90s, Pedro Martinez, Greg Maddux and Randy Johnson would get to 10 or 12 or so.

Last year, no one threw more than two complete games. No one delivered more than one shutout.

“The special, elite guys are still able to achieve it and want to achieve it,”Washington Nationals General Manager Mike Rizzo said. “I don’t think we’ll ever see it disappear completely, but it’s definitely becoming a rarity.”

So what happened? Various factors contributed to the decline of dominant, nine-inning performances on the mound, from injury fears to an increased emphasis on accumulating bullpen arms, from the newfangled “opener” strategy of using a reliever to get things under way to protecting young pitchers in such a way that they never build up an ability to stay in until the end of games.

Still, the basic sense around the sport is that it’s not that pitchers are no longer born with shoulders or elbows capable of producing complete games, but that their teams simply won’t let them even try and generally don’t properly prepare them to do so.

“Everyone,” Atlanta Braves right-hander Kevin Gausman summed up, “is obsessed with pitch count now.”

It’s a trend that seemed to gain steam in the 2000s, not coincidentally as more and more pitchers were getting elbow injuries that required Tommy John surgery.

Don’t let most guys throw too hard for too long, the thinking goes.

“There’s a general pullback in the industry, because they couldn’t comprehend why so many people were getting hurt. The biggest mass effect you can have is workload,” Houston Astros righty Gerrit Cole said. “Just overall, clubs are kind of doing a risk analysis.... They are trying to be smarter about it and disburse the load a little bit to some other guys.”

Merely six starters averaged at least 100 pitches per outing last season, down from 43 in 2011, per TeamRankings.com.

Cole was a member of that group in 2018, which also included his teammate Justin Verlander, National League Cy Young Award winner Jacob deGrom of the

New York Mets, and three-time Cy Young recipient Max Scherzer of the Nationals.

“They’re really holding starters down to 100 pitches and not letting you go past that. If you do, maybe you get 110. But you rarely see guys get to 120 anymore,” Scherzer said. “If an inning takes 15 pitches, you get to 105 after seven and that’s about all you get. The data shows that once you get past 105, 110, that’s when you do start losing your effectiveness, no matter how good of a starter you are.”

In this age of hard-throwing relievers and lefty specialists, a team would rather have someone fresh pitch than a player laboring for hours.

“Everybody’s coming in throwing gas. Are you really that much better than those guys down there at that point in time?” Scherzer said. “That’s where you have to be honest with yourself and your manager and say, ‘I’ve given everything I’ve got over these 105, 110 pitches.’

The decision becomes pretty easy for the manager to say, ‘I’m going to go to one of my wipeout bullpen guys.’”

Scherzer has been known to lobby to remain in at key late-game moments. He’s as competitive as they come. Yet he says he grasped early in his career that all that truly matters is that his team wins—not how it happens.

His initial complete game arrived in his 179th big league start; he has 10 over the past five seasons.

“There were opportunities where I could have pitched one sooner. But it didn’t matter. I could have gone back out there, but we’re winning by 10 or 11 runs, so why go pitch the ninth? So I can say that I did it? No, then I’m hurting the team. It would be a selfish accomplishment,” Scherzer said. “There’s times where if you can get a rest, take it. You’re actually helping the team more by not doing it.”

He also pointed to another element: the score.

“The sweet spot to throw a complete game now is being up three or four runs,” Scherzer said. “That’s the only time where it makes sense to think, ‘We still need our best guy in there, and it’s not a save situation.’”

As with everything in professional sports these days, it’s all about what the numbers dictate. And there are calculations connected to saving up strength for the postseason, too; if National Basketball Association players sit out entire regular-season games for “load management,” why shouldn’t a pitcher head to the clubhouse a little early?

Bullpens are built to get the last six or nine outs, and it’s OK for a starter to become conditioned to go six or seven innings.

That starts happening in the minors, when pitchers are pulled as soon as they show signs of fatigue.

By the time they get to the majors, they’re not used to working through that.

“We have a way of trying to evolve as an industry that’s taken out a little bit of the ‘machismo’ that goes with the complete game,” Astros Manager AJ Hinch said. “I’m not sure if that’s good or bad, but it’s part of the evolution of analytics being applied at a higher rate across the board.”

THANAYU JONGWATTANASILKUL | DREAMSTIME.COM

DRONES TO RESURVEY PHL IS ENTREPRENEUR’S DREAM

By Oliver Samson

sponse, rehabilitation and preparedness programs.

They flew drones to assess the damage left by Yolanda, Glenda, Ondoy and other typhoons. Surveying is SkyEye Analytics’ primary business.

Cua, who holds a BS Management of Applied Chemistry degree from the Ateneo de Manila University, said company employees are very active in disaster preparedness, response and rehabilitation works.

“Right now I’m volunteering in order to showcase my experience in disaster and share it with other countries,” Cua had been in Colombia and other countries to participate in natural disaster response, rehabilitation and preparedness efforts, sharing his disaster experience in the Philippines.

“We have a strong DNA for volunteering, disaster response.”

R

ESURVEYING the entire country, one local government unit after another, may yield millions of new land titles. So believes Matthew Cua, founder and chief executive officer of SkyEye Analytics Inc.

Cua has been cited by Forbes Magazine as one of the top 30 young innovators and leaders in Asia for 2017 in the industry, manufacturing and energy category. He has also been saying that there are lands in the archipelago that do not have titles and about 24 million Filipino families currently live in it.

Most of the untitled lands are located in the provinces more likely occupied by families engaged in farming, he said. Some of the untitled lands are in cities.

By using drones equipped with cutting-edge surveying and mapping technology, resurveying the country may take 10 up to 15 years, depending on area conditions, Cua said.

The technology is at hand and his company is prepared to deploy its drones if the government commissions us to do the job, he added.

“My ultimate dream right now is to resurvey the entire country and provide land title to those without it,” he said.

In the past, getting the land titled was expensive, difficult and would take years, Cua explained.

“But because of drones it becomes a lot easier today,” he said. “Most Filipinos don’t build quality house because they don’t have a land title. That’s the reason why they don’t want to invest.”

Landowners could not even borrow from banks since they don’t hold a land title, forcing them to borrow from loan sharks to get the means for boosting production, like fertilizer, pesticides and other farming needs, Cua explained.

The government has been trying to properly resurvey properties, but because of the expense involved, timeline and other issues it has looked not reasonable to do, according to Cua. “That’s the reason why the developments are more concentrated in our cities, like Manila, Cebu and Davao, rather than rural areas.”

Tax revenues CUA’S group is extending a hand to local government units (LGUs) and non-government organizations (NGOs) in pushing for property rights.

“The DENR [Department of Environment and Natural Resources] is very forward-

MATTHEW CUA, SkyEye Analytics Inc. founder and CEO OLIVER SAMSON looking in using drones for land surveying,” he said. “Local government units are also looking forward to help their constituents in terms of property rights.”

The Foundation of Economic Freedom, Asia Foundation, and other organizations are using drones to provide properly rights, according to Cua. If funding is not an issue, the entire Philippines could be resurveyed, land titles given and the property-tax system updated in 10 to 15 years, he pointed out.

“These are local problems with national impact,” Cua said. “These are sewage and plumbing issues of the country.”

A small municipality would cost around P100 million to resurvey, upgrade propertytax system and generate return of investment in five years, he added.

LGUs could be able to collect more property tax revenues from their constituents, Cua said. The tax revenues from the local business sector would also grow.

Resurveying the country is a collaboration of parties, he noted.

Societal impact DRONES, which are made of hardware and software, are computers, Cua explained. Like every other computing device, drones are hackable.

“We take measures so that our drones cannot be hacked by third parties,” he said.

“So far, [we] have not yet been hacked. We are very strict on our protocols.”

But if a person would hack drones, it would be possible since the tools, know-how and skills for hacking and compromising them exist and are accessible.

Drones are currently a big part of the economy, Cua explained.

“In the past, conducting a survey was very expensive,” he said. “Today, it’s relatively less expensive, faster and better with the use of drones.”

Drones are now coming in in disaster re-

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Thesis beginnings sponse and resiliency,” he said. “We lose several percentage of GDP [gross domestic product] points when a disaster happens.”

By using drones, filmmakers nowadays have more creative and less costly freedom in taking aerial videos, Cua said. In the past, movie-makers had to get a crew onboard a helicopter and fly to do the job.

Drones are making an impact on the daily life of consumers, Cua said.

“People can also document important parts of their life, like weddings, vacations.

As the versatile usefulness and popularity of drones grow, these small and unmanned aircraft would deliver goods and services sooner or later,” he said.

“Drones are now supporting a lot of industrial applications in power, water and other basic necessities,” he added.

National security ACCORDING to Cua, however, the use of drones is both for the benefit of civilization and those against its flourishing. He cited that militant groups in Ukraine, Syria, Yemen, Iraq and other parts of the globe had used bomb-laden drones to attack their targets.

A drone carrying a grenade blew off a Ukrainian ammo dump in 2017, news reports said. Likewise, media agencies have reported that Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro was nearly killed when two drones set off explosions in Caracas in an assassination attempt in August 4 last year.

Militant groups in the Philippines may also exploit drones in advancing their agenda, feared Cua. “It’s a matter of time until somebody tries to do what they did in Venezuela,” he said.

Volunteer works BEFORE founding SkyEye Analytics in 2010, Cua and fellow volunteers had deployed drones to conduct aerial survey of areas left damaged by typhoons. The surveys provided stakeholders with basis for generating re-

MARCH 31, 2019

SKYEYE Analytics started as a thesis project on climate change.

“In order to understand climate change we had to do remote sensing,” Cua said.

Remote sensing scans the earth surface for information and is traditionally done by satellites and high-flying aircraft and is highly expensive.

“We have come up with the idea to do remote sensing using drones.”

While Cua and his colleagues were undertaking the research, typhoons hit parts of the country and they were tapped by LGUs and NGOs to survey areas damaged by typhoons.

Their outputs had provided stakeholders basis to assess the areas and generate disaster preparedness, response and rehabilitation programs.

SkyEye Analytics cooperates with the United Nations Office for Coordination of Human Affairs on natural disaster response, recovery and preparedness efforts.

Service company CUA and his team design their own drones.

They import the carbon fiber rods, batteries, autopilot and other parts.

“We build our drones according to our specific requirements,” he said. “We don’t sell our drones. We are a service company.”

Building a drone costs from P50,000 to P2.5 million.

Cua and his team regularly update their drones with new cameras, new designs, new aerodynamics, new software and other fresh technologies.

While other drone operators fly their drones to take videos and photos for military purposes, entertainment and special occasions, Cua’s SkyEye Analytics specializes in surveying and mapping land for property rights and disaster preparedness, response and rehabilitation.

“We would be the first in the world to do this massive scale survey using drones,” he said.

BusinessMirror

MUSIC

SUPER ROBOT retro records!

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MARCH 31, 2019 | soundstrip.businessmirror@gmail.com

MUS

MAZINGER Z, V

AMAZINGLY ON

by Rick Olivares

V

INYL records aren’t the only bit of nostalgia items enjoying a revival.

Also popular once more are those old Japanese animé soundtracks from the 1970s that feature theme songs from Voltes V, Mazinger Z, Daimos, Mekanda Robot, and other mech shows that captured the imagination of Filipino youth in the latter part of the said decade to the early 80s.

These records are desirable among local fans, but in a bit of a twist, the Philippine pressings are just, if not more desirable, than their Japanese counterparts. The reason

is that the local pressings contain English versions of these theme songs.

During those years, OctoArts, Vicor, and WEA Records all released different products from the Japanese versions to the English versions. Many came out as 7-inch record, and there were a few that were released as 12-inch full-length pressings.

According to music aficionado Wilson Lim, the Questor-released Super Robots that featured Voltes

V, Grendaizer, Daimos, Mekanda Robot, and Mazinger Z recording–if, and when available– will sell for as much as P10,000! Others fetch anywhere from P1,000 to P3,000.

These English versions have also been sought-after by Japanese collectors, because they were never available in their home country.

Like Wilson, I was a fan of those cartoons, with Mazinger Z my personal favorite. Through the years, I have been able to purchase original DVDs of the title as well as

d trip

soundstrip.businessmirror@gmail.com | MARCH 31, 2019

5

SIC ON PRINT

VOLTES V, ETC. VINTAGE VINYL the robot figurines.

Wilson related that as a kid, he asked his father if he could purchase the Questor record. But his dad declined. Getting the record became a Holy Grail for him—one that he was able to attain during

his adult years when he could afford to buy one. Since then, he has amassed around 30 records of those robot-mech cartoons. Â

Lucky me

AS a youngster, I was fortunate

to have purchased that Questor release which featured English versions of those cartoons.

Unfortunately, that record has been lost to time.

Unlike Wilson, I had forgotten the records and soundtracks. That

is, until a few years ago, I was able to chance upon a Japanese record that featured Voltes V and Astroboy.

Seeing it brought back so Continued on page 6

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MARCH 31, 2019 | soundstrip.businessmirror@gmail.com

Sound trip BusinessMirror

MUSIC ON PRINT

SoundSampler | by Tony M. Maghirang

Musical feast with Outerhope, Solange, Pastilan Dong, Meat Puppets, Methyl Ethel

PASTILAN DONG! Gadilaab

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LENTY of OPM fans believe that the music of their youth is the soundtrack of their lives. To those who pine for the pre-millennial Club Dredd, three-piece Pastilan Dong! offers a slice of the noise that defined the alternative scene in the ‘90s.

They’re not a veteran act, so the band must be filtering their aesthetics from records released during the era. Thankfully: What monkey remembers, monkey recreates—in a better image.

So Pastilan Dong! checks the requisite boxes.

For “Hiyang,” grungy thunder rides a hard-rock riff before they merge into an exquisite powerpop number. Shoegaze adds sticky edifying fuzz to the dancey vibe of “BnW.” In “Odd Uneven,” they resurrect Black Sabbath in between the alt-rock progression emulating an unhinged update of Teeth.

The singing conveys an absence of emotion in tune with the post-punk ethos of indifference and isolation. That’s what ‘90s angst was all about and in their rejuvenated alt-rock, Pastilan Dong! pays a grand tribute to the era.

MEAT PUPPETS Dusty Notes

‘8

0s desert punk icons, the Curt Kirkwood-led Meat Puppets, reunite

Vinyl...

from page 5

many memories. So, I snapped it up quickly. And I knew that I had to look for any other records that I could find.

Since then, I was able to get a compilation entitled Space Heroes on Parade featuring the theme songs of Captain Harlock, Daimos, Raideen, and Danguard Ace. Records of Daimos, Ultra Seven, Space Battleship Yamato and Voltes V followed suit in my collection.

Rare records

THE Philippine presses have been hard to find. There weren’t many of them made

for their 17th studio recording of original materials. Instead of repeating themselves, as the album title implies, they’ve punked their own punk-era myth, indulging this time in the sweeter waters of timeless country.

Those who have lost touch with the Puppets’ legacy will find the new album bewitching and invigorating in its otherworldly splendor.

Who would have thought the tormented Kirkwood brothers would find refuge in Appalachian down-home music? But there they go in the backwater country-fueled rock by way of polka in Warranty, and the warm waltz of Nine Pins. They should silence Eagles fans with the real heartland country swing of On. Have the Meat Puppets gone soft and cautious in their 50s? Not quite; but really, who’d care if they’re still producing music that stops even Grandfather Time on his tracks?

Heehaw and bollocks to naysayers then!

bleak landscape.

The music gr abs you r ight at the op ening r i f f s, and rep eate d lis tens w ill reveal hidden t reasure s in the ly r ic s as well as the tension that lur k s b ehind the over all music ali t y. They may as well b e this year ’s Sue de.

SOLANGE When I Get Home

S OUTERHOPE Vacation

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METHY ETHYL Triage

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HIS musical expor t from the Land Down Under says The Cure is a major inf luence yet on their third outing, the band comes closer to a “female-fronted” modif ication of Depeche Mode. In the f irst place, the guitars are muted, and the synth takes over in giving the songs a contemporar y dance-pop luster.

The beats and bright-synth colors are out front and vocalist Jake Webb’s androgynous singing earns its right ful space in the Donna Summer contender Trip The Mains, or in the alt-rock machinations of Ruiner. They supplement the album’s prevailing arc in search of good times in an increasingly

and what few there is, owners will not easily part with.

When they are placed on the racks such as the quarterly Kagatan vinyl sale and swap meet in Cubao, they don’t stay for long on display regardless of the price.

Fans know they are prized collectibles.

Voltes V and the other robot heroes have remained wildly popular in the Philippines decades after they were first televised locally. A new generation of Filipino fans has discovered them as well. Fan pages on Facebook have proliferated with the toys, comics and records, which are very much collectible and in demand.

summer ad vent ure s and e s c ap e s.

US T a minu te into the re cor d and the duo of sib lings Mic h ae l and M ic ae l a Be ne d ic to is alread y p e eling of f layer s of t r adi tional notions of going away on a holiday.

In a s er ie s of bre e z y s ome time s rever b -tinge d t r ac k s, O u ter hop e s ends ou t missi ve s on the thr ill of t r avelling to f oreign lands w hile e c hoing the s ad v ib e s of dep ar t ure lounge s.

It ’s the e thereal voice of Mic aela that evoke s the b lue s in leave -t ak ing b e s t demons t r ate d in O u t to Se a, w here the r ight amount of melanc holic ambience ke eps the music f rom f lo ating away entirely. The c as c ade s of ho ok y melo die s re s ound w i th tiny s e emingly tolling b ells. Even in more gr andios e pro duc tions like Ho l id ay, the c hamb erp op s w ir l ge t s grounde d by the happys ad ambi valence in her vo c als.

Mic hael s c ulpt s a bro ad sp e c t r um of music al accomp animent s. A bi t of Ps yc he delic Fur s show s up in Bridg e s Stre e t, shu f f ling new wave in The Se a m Be t we e n and s omb er tone s that break into a mass e d c hor us in the epic A lways. Vac ation may b e your f r iendly comp anion in this s eas on of

TEP into the ne x t i ter ation of heav y s oul w i th S olange’s late s t album.

B eyonce’s k id sis ter has opte d f or a k aleidos cop e of s ounds in br inging R&B to another level. It ’s di f f ic ult to s ay w he ther Whe n I Ge t Ho m e t ake s of f to new height s, bu t i t s bro ad s cop e cer t ainly inv i te s imme diate impre ssions there’s s ome b lo o d y r iot going on in i t s 19 t r ac k s.

S olange op ens the re cor d on a ‘ 70 s s oul t r ip in Th i ng s I Im ag i ne d, f ollowe d by an inter lude ab ou t k issing all b ehind.

B athe in sp ar s e ja z z-f unk w hile she e x p lore s thereaf ter w hat i t means to b e b lac k and f emale in to day ’s Amer ic a. She sings: “Brown skin, brown braids…/ Black faith still can’t be washed away…” in celebr ation of her unique c ult ure, then deals w i th p ercei ve d e xalt ation w i th: “D o you realize how magnif icent you are?/ We are walking embodiment s of God ’s consciousness.”

A lot of ly r ic al rep e ti tion happ ens on the album, e sp e c ially on D re a m s, w hic h in no way prevent s the core theme that women are unbreak ab le f rom ge t ting ac ross t hic k blo c k heads. If any t hing, t he rei ter ation is sub limate d in a s tead y f low of co ol lounge and s t re e t-smar t dr um and b ass. How ’s that f or a one -t wo punc h in f re eing the mind?

Home may b e w here the hear t is.

Wi th S olange, i t ’s w here she renew s s t reng th w i th her emp owere d homie s.

Google loses gay-rights endorsement in dispute over mobile app

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Alphabet Inc.’s Google, which had previously scored a perfect 100 on the annual Corporate Equality Index, will have its rating withheld until the app is removed from its Android phones, Human Rights Campaign said in a statement. It’s only the third time in the 17-year history of the index that a rating has been withheld.

BLOOMBERG NEWS

OOGLE lost an endorsement from the Human Rights Campaign, the largest US LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) group, over an app tied to the practice of so-called “conversion therapy” to change a gay person’s sexual orientation or gender identity.

“We have been urging Google to remove this app because it is life-threatening to LGBTQ youth and also clearly violates the company’s own standards,” the Human Rights Campaign said in a statement. The program has already been removed from app stores run by Apple Inc., Microsoft Corp. and Amazon.com Inc., the group said.

Conversion therapy has been denounced by medical organizations and lawmakers who have pushed to ban licensed therapists from working with minors on the program.

Google didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

A perfect score on the Corporate Equality Index is used by many companies to ap-

peal to future and current employees seeking a diverse and supportive workplace, particularly millennial workers moving into the majority of the labor pool. This year, a record 570 companies received the top 100-point rating, according to the report released Thursday.

The app in dispute was developed by Living Hope Ministries, a Christian group formed in 1989 in Texas which says it is an outlet for people struggling with a conflict between faith and sexuality. A January blog post that protested Apple’s decision to remove the app from its App Store disputed a connection to conversion therapy. Living Hope Ministries didn’t immediately return an email seeking comment.

Walmart Inc. retained a perfect score in this year’s Corporate Equality Index.

The largest retailer had its perfect score suspended last year after two federal complaints alleged the world’s largest retailer hadn’t protected transgender employees from discrimination. The only other time a rating was withheld was in 2015 when Saks Inc. was involved in a legal dispute with a transgender employee. Bloomberg

National Digital Arts Awards turns young Filipinos to be digital-savvy

By Leony R. Garcia

T

HE 2018 National Digital Arts Awards (NDAA) held recently at the Jose Rizal room of Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) gave an equivalent of around P7 million in scholarships, grants, training modules and cash.

The NDAA started in 2013 with only a few categories. Over the years, six categories were developed, namely: digital art in print, character design, animation, digital short movie, web site usage experience and drone movie experience. All these have fueled creativity and innovation in the corporate world of today—two areas counted by Globaltronics as being NDAA’s core.

Described as a game changer in the world of digital media, Globaltronics has been presenting this occasion as its way of paying it forward, having established itself as a current leader in digital signage and out-of-home advertising.

“I’m both humbled and very proud of what has been done this year as we have broken barriers again for this nationbuilding platform and connected for more talents in the country,” Globaltronics Inc. President William T. Guido said.

“NDAA serves as a rallying point to al-

leviate the appreciation of digital arts in the country.”

A total of 21 winners, mostly students and some professionals, were announced at the ceremony recognizing the deserving Filipino digital artists who showcase their exemplary creations and world-class talent.

A panel of highly acclaimed jurors included internationally recognized short-film director Arvin Belarmino and visionary en-

7 BusinessMirror

trepreneur Alvin Tan. “This should also be a call for the business community to lend more support to the digital medium and the talents propagating it,” Bellarmino said. “Talent-wise pwede na makipagsabayan globally ang Pilipino. We have more risk-takers than ever.”

“To the digital artists, you have to stay genuine and be you,” he added. “Stand out by raising your own voice.”

MARCH 31, 2019

Other judges were Ali Silao who in 2013 gave the country its first webby award for a short called Gift Of Life, Joel Santos, cofounder and president of Thames International that promotes potential workers in the creative arts, Jobert Monteras (certified instructor for Adobe and Blackmagic Design), and Vincent Aseo, an illustrator whose clients include Marvel, Fox and Disney.

TOYOTA-ADOPTED PUBLIC SCHOOL GOES DIGITAL

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ANTA ROSA CITY, LAGUNA–Toyota Motor Philippines Foundation (TMPF), the social and humanitarian arm of the leading automotive company in the country, transforms its adopted school, Pulong Santa Cruz Elementary School (PSCES) to a “digital school” with the completion of its computerization project.

This three-phase, school-wide project is part of TMPF’s initiatives under the Department of Education’s (DepEd) Adopt-a-School program, was transformed into a digital school by integrating Information Technology

(IT) into the classroom setup and the school’s teaching methodology. Through Toyota’s extensive support, PSCES students will have the opportunity to experience the benefits of digital technology that would help them acquire the necessary knowledge and skills.

Toyota has, so far, invested a total of P10.88 million for the computerization project. It will continue to assist the teachers through IT skills trainings in the future. Furthermore, Toyota’s advocacy in providing quality education will be sustained at PSCES through other existing academic and nonacademic programs under the Adopt-a-School Project. These include the Brigada Eskwela, annual educational tour and quiz bee, feeding activity, academic recognitions, as well as sponsored medical examinations for faculty and staff.

The PSCES is located in Toyota’s immediate community in Santa Rosa City, Laguna, and has been Toyota’s adopted school for almost two decades. As the city progresses, Toyota sees the student population to continuously grow. Currently, PSCES has over 3,000 students from Kinder to Grade 6. Rizal Raoul Reyes

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Phases of Toyota Motor Philippines’s computerization project Phase 1: Digital equipment provision.

Toyota initiated the computerization project in August 2016, providing each of the 53 classrooms with a 55-inch Smart TV and a laptop computer to assist teachers in everyday teaching. Eleven colored printers were also provided to support production of more enticing and interactive teaching materials.

Phase 2: Establishing school-wide Internet connection.

The second phase focused on Internet connectivity. IT infrastructure was set up in 2017 to connect the classrooms and offices to the Internet. Through Wi-Fi connection, each classroom gained access to useful and appropriate educational resources available online, such as step-by-step exercises and student engagement activities. Teachers were given exclusive Internet access so they can download multimedia content to enhance their teaching methodology.

MARCH 31, 2019