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Govt insists Clark remains ideal biz, investment location after recent magnitude 6.1 earthquake

THE Clark Freeport and Special Economic Zone in Angeles City, Pampanga, June 16, 2016. GABRIEL MURAD | DREAMSTIME.COM

By Lorenz S. Marasigan

HE government has given fresh assurances that Clark remains a safe haven for investors and locators, allaying fears from existing businesses in the wake of the 6.1-magnitude earthquake that damaged the international airport in the north.

Bases Conversion and Development Authority President Vivencio B. Dizon explained to the BusinessMirror that despite the damage sustained by the Clark International Airport last month, the city is a “naturally disaster-resilient” place for businesses. “Clark was a former American military base in the Philippines, strategically located, and naturally resilient playing a key role in the country’s defense before the termination of the Military Bases Agreement in 1991,” he said. Dizon added that contributing

to its reliability in defense are its geological conditions, which make it less vulnerable to earthquakes as certified by the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology. “The area too has neighboring mountain ranges, the Zambales Mountain Range and Sierra Madre Mountain Range, which serve as natural barriers against typhoons and thus can reduce the impact of strong winds to the Central Luzon area,” he said.

Elevation factor

TO date, Clark has four key dis-

tricts—the main zone where Yokohama and Texas Instruments are located, the Clark International Airport, a new business center called Clark Global City, and the country’s first smart and green metropolis, New Clark City. “This new metropolis we’re building is safe from flooding with an average elevation of 65 meters above sea level. This is 63 meters higher than Manila City. Metro Manila, for example, has the highest elevation at 40 meters above sea level and this is at Bonifacio Global City in Taguig,” he explained.

Dizon added that the structures inside the National Government Administrative Center (NGAC) in New Clark City were designed based on the 2015 National Structural Code of the Philippines which requires buildings to withstand a minimum of magnitude 7 earthquake and a maximum magnitude 8.4 earthquake. Essential structures such as government buildings are required to withstand a magnitude 8.4 earthquake, as these should be more stable than office buildings Continued on A2

Chinese researchers try brain implants to treat drug addicts

By Erika Kinetz The Associated Press

HANGHAI —Patient Number One is a thin man, with a scabby face and bouncy knees. His head, shaved in preparation for surgery, is wrapped in a clean, white cloth. Years of drug use cost him his wife, his money and his selfrespect, before landing him in this drab yellow room at a Shanghai hospital, facing the surgeon who in 72 hours will drill two small holes in his skull and feed electrodes deep into his brain. The hope is that technology will extinguish his addiction, quite literally, with the flip of a switch. The treatment—deep brain

stimulation or DBS—has long been used for movement disorders like Parkinson’s. Now, the first clinical trial of DBS for methamphetamine addiction is being conducted at Shanghai’s Ruijin Hospital, along with parallel trials for opioid addicts. And this troubled man is the very first patient. The surgery involves implanting a device that acts as a kind of pacemaker for the brain, electri-

PESO EXCHANGE RATES n US 52.2480

This October 29, 2018, file photo shows a brain scan of a methamphetamine addict with the path of electrodes that doctors at Ruijin Hospital in Shanghai, China, implanted to stimulate an area of the brain associated with addiction. AP

cally stimulating targeted areas. While Western attempts to push forward with human trials of DBS for addiction have foundered, China is emerging as a hub for this research. Scientists in Europe have struggled to recruit patients for their DBS addiction studies, and complex ethical, social and scientific questions have made it hard to push forward with this kind of work in the United States, where the devices can cost $100,000 to implant. China has a long, if troubled, history of brain surgery on drug addicts. Even today, China’s punitive anti-drug laws can force addicts into years of compulsory treatment, including “rehabilitation” through labor. It has a large patient population, government funding and ambitious medical device companies ready to pay for DBS research. Continued on A2

n JAPAN 0.4761 n UK 68.0164 n HK 6.6573 n CHINA 7.6548 n SINGAPORE 38.2966 n AUSTRALIA 36.5109 n EU 58.6484 n SAUDI ARABIA 13.9320

Source: BSP (May 10, 2019 )

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Still the best AN airport ground crew member is seen at the Clark International Airport in Pampanga. DREAMSTIME.COM Continued from a1

and condominiums. The government buildings in NGAC, including an Integrated Operations and Disaster Risk and Recovery Center, can withstand even more—up to magnitude 8.9, he added. “This makes New Clark City an ideal location for back-up facilities to ensure continuous government operations in case of disasters and calamities in Metro Manila,” Dizon added. He added that MTD Philippines, which is currently building the future city, has already reached 7 million safe man-hours. “It also purchased an earthquake monitoring device to inform building occupants whether or not

to evacuate the buildings during an earthquake,” he said.

Post-quake fears

THE Clark Investors and Locators Association earlier raised issues on the integrity of Clark for businesses, citing the effects of the 6.1-magnitude quake to the airport last month. Parts of the old terminal collapsed due to the quake, causing a temporary closure of the airport from all commercial operations. Dizon highlighted that only the old building was damaged by the quake, and the government response to the incident was “fast,” as in less than 48 hours the airport resumed its day-to-day operations. “The existing Clark terminal is admittedly an old facility, that is why the Department of Transportation

and BCDA are building a new and more resilient one,” he said. The new terminal is over 60 percent complete and will open by mid next year.

Setting the standard

DIZON also noted that the recent earthquake did not cause any damage to the new terminal, as well as to the venues for the 2019 South East Asian Games inside the NGAC in New Clark City. Construction work immediately continued the day after the April 22 quake. “In case a strong typhoon hits the area, the roof of the new terminal can withstand up to a Category 5 hurricane given that the Philippines is in a geohazard location,” Dizon explained. “It is made up of

aluminum roofing and glued laminated timber or glulam imported from Vienna, Austria.” He added: “No casualties and no major incidents were reported in both project sites, which shows the viability and effectiveness of the projects being implemented under the Build Build Build Infrastructure Program.” Dizon further said the New Clark City “is a well masterplanned metropolis that is built with the people in mind.” “It sets the standard of quality living in Philippine cities,” he said. The government has also partnered with Japanese and Singaporean groups to ensure the integrity of the structures and craft “design standards and guidelines that will guide locators and en-

sure sustainability.” “Through these partnerships we in government are making sure that these are built to provide safe, reliable and vibrant living conditions for people,“ Dizon said.

Rigorous preconstruction study

FOR her part, Transportation Assistant Secretary Goddes Hope O. Libiran noted that transport projects in Clark such as the Philippine National Railways (PNR) North and the Subic-Clark Railway all underwent rigorous feasibility studies to ensure their safety from natural disasters. “Projects underwent study and evaluation prior [to] approval. In conducting a study, ensuring the alignment is at a location that

is safe and far from the fault line is crucial,” she said in a text message. She added that all projects are compliant with the National Structure Code of the Philippines (NSCP), and will be employing Japanese standards for civil structures. “As far as DOTr is concerned, we would like to assure the public that transport infrastructure projects that are currently being implemented are safe, and are compliant with the NSCP,” Libiran said. Given this, Dizon said Clark continues to be a haven for businesses. “Clark remains an ideal location where businesses and investors can thrive. Thus the message to the global community, let the Philippines work for you,” he said.

Chinese researchers try brain implants to treat drug addicts Continued from a1

There are eight registered DBS clinical trials for drug addiction being conducted in the world, according to a US National Institutes of Health database. Six are in China. But the suffering wrought by the opioid epidemic may be changing the risk-reward calculus for doctors and regulators in the United States. Now, the experimental surgery Patient Number One is about to undergo is coming to America. In February, the US Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) greenlighted a clinical trial in West Virginia of DBS for opioid addicts.

Human experiments

PATIENT Number One insisted that only his surname, Yan, be published; he fears losing his job if he is identified. He said doctors told him the surgery wasn’t risky. “But I still get nervous,” he said. “It’s my first time to go on the operating table.” Three of Yan’s friends introduced him to meth in a hotel room shortly after the birth of his son in 2011. They told him: Just do it once, you’ve had your kid, you won’t have problems. Smoking made Yan feel faint and slightly unhinged. Later, he found meth brought crystalline focus to his mind, which he directed at one thing: Cards. Every time Yan smoked, he gambled. And every time he gambled, he lost—all told, around $150,000 since he started using drugs, he estimated. His wife divorced him. He rarely saw his son. Yan checked into a hospital for detox, moved to another town to get away from bad influences, took Chinese traditional medicine. But he relapsed every time. “My will power is weak,” he said. Last year his father, who had a friend who had undergone DBS surgery at Ruijin, gave him an ulti-

matum: Back to rehab or brain surgery. “Of course, I chose surgery,” Yan said. “With surgery, I definitely have the chance to get my life back.” Before there were brain implants in China there was brain lesioning. Desperate families of heroin addicts paid thousands of dollars for unproven and risky surgeries in which doctors destroyed small clumps of brain tissue. Brain lesioning quickly became a profit center at some hospitals, but it also left a trail of patients with mood disorders, lost memories and altered sex drives. In 2004, China’s Ministry of Health ordered a halt to brain lesioning for addiction at most hospitals. Nine years later, doctors at a military hospital in Xi’an reported that roughly half of the 1,167 addicts who had their brains lesioned stayed off drugs for at least five years. DBS builds on that history. But unlike lesioning, which irreversibly kills brain cells, the devices allow brain interventions that are—in theory—reversible. The technology has opened a fresh field of human experimentation globally. “As doctors we always need to think about the patients,” said Dr. Sun Bomin, director of Ruijin Hospital’s functional neurosurgery department. “They are human beings. You cannot say, ‘Oh, we do not have any help, any treatment for you guys.’” Sun said he has served as a consultant for two Chinese companies that make deep brain stimulators—SceneRay Corp. and Beijing PINS Medical Co. He has tried to turn Ruijin into a center of DBS research, not just for addiction, but also Tourette syndrome, depression and anorexia. In China, DBS devices can cost less than $25,000. Many patients pay cash.

“You can rest assured for the safety of this operation,” Yan’s surgeon, Dr. Li Dianyou, told him. “It is no problem. When it comes to effectiveness, you are not the first one, nor the last one. You can take it easy because we have done this a lot.” In fact, there are risks. There is a small chance Yan could die of a brain hemorrhage. He could emerge with changes to his personality, seizures, or an infection. And in the end, he may go right back on drugs.

A buzzing drill

SOME critics believe this surgery should not be allowed. They argue that such human experiments are premature, and will not address the complex biological, social and psychological factors that drive addiction. Scientists don’t fully understand how DBS works and there is still debate about where electrodes should be placed to treat addiction. There is also skepticism in the global scientific community about the general quality and ethical rigor—particularly around issues like informed consent—of clinical trials done in China. “It would be fantastic if there were something where we could flip a switch, but it’s probably fanciful at this stage,” said Adrian Carter, who heads the neuroscience and society group at Monash University in Melbourne. “There’s a lot of risks that go with promoting that idea.” The failure of two large-scale, US clinical trials on DBS for depression around five years ago prompted soul-searching about what threshold of scientific understanding must be met in order to design effective, ethical experiments. “We’ve had a reset in the field,” said Dr. Nader Pouratian, a neuro-

surgeon at UCLA who is investigating the use of DBS for chronic pain. He said it’s “a perfectly appropriate time” to research DBS for drug addiction, but only “if we can move forward in ethical, well-informed, well-designed studies.” In China, meanwhile, scientists are charging ahead. At 9 a.m. on a gray October Friday in Shanghai, Dr. Li drilled through Yan’s skull and threaded two electrodes down to his nucleus accumbens, a small structure near the base of the forebrain that has been implicated in addiction. Yan was awake during the surgery. The buzzing of the drill made him tremble. At 4 p.m. the same day, Yan went under general anesthesia for a second surgery to implant a battery pack in his chest to power the electrodes in his skull. Three hours later, Yan still hadn’t woken from the anesthesia. His father began weeping. His doctors wondered if drug abuse had somehow altered his sensitivity to anesthesia. Finally, after 10 hours, Yan opened his eyes.

Body count

ACCORDING to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 500,000 Americans died of drug overdoses in the decade ending in 2017—increasingly, from synthetic opioids that come mainly from China, US officials say. That’s more than the number of US soldiers who died in World War II and Vietnam combined. The body count has added urgency to efforts to find new, more effective treatments for addiction. While doctors in the US are interested in using DBS for addiction, work funded by the US National Institutes of Health is still focused on experiments in animals, not people.

At least two US laboratories dropped clinical trials of DBS for treating alcoholism over concerns about study design and preliminary results that didn’t seem to justify the risks, investigators who led the studies told The Associated Press. “The lack of scientific clarity, the important but strict regulatory regime, along with the high cost and risk of surgery make clinical trials of DBS for addiction in the US difficult at the present time,” said Dr. Emad Eskandar, the chairman of neurological surgery at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York. China’s studies have offered mixed results. Sun and his colleagues have published one case study, describing a heroin addict who fatally overdosed three months after getting DBS. But a separate pilot study published in January by doctors at a military hospital in Xi’an showed that five of eight heroin addicts stayed off drugs for two years after DBS surgery. Based on those results, SceneRay is seeking Chinese regulatory approval of its DBS device for addiction, and funding a multisite clinical trial targeting 60 heroin addicts. SceneRay chairman Ning Yihua said his application for a clinical trial in the US was blocked by the USFDA. But in February, the USFDA greenlighted a separate, pilot trial of DBS for four opioid addicts, said Dr. Ali Rezai, who is leading the study at the West Virginia University Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute. They hope to launch the trial in June, with funding from the National Institute on Drug Abuse. The FDA declined comment. “People are dying,” Rezai said. “Their lives are devastated. It’s a brain issue. We need to explore all options.”

‘You came too late’

TWO unsteady days after Yan’s surgery, doctors switched on his DBS device. As the electrodes activated, he felt a surge of excitement. The current running through his body kept him awake; he said he spent the whole night thinking about drugs. The next day, he sat across from Dr. Li, who used a tablet computer to remotely adjust the machine thrumming inside Yan’s head. “Cheerful?” Li asked as the touched the controls on the tablet. “Yes,” Yan answered. Li changed the settings. “Now?” “Agitated,” Yan said. He felt heat in his chest, then a beating sensation, numbness and fatigue. Yan began to sweat. Li made a few more modifications. “Any feelings now?” “Pretty happy now,” Yan said. He was in high spirits. “This machine is pretty magical. He adjusts it to make you happy and you’re happy, to make you nervous and you’re nervous,” Yan said. “It controls your happiness, anger, grief and joy.” Yan left the hospital the next morning. More than six months later, he said he’s still off drugs. With sobriety, his skin cleared and he put on 20 pounds. When his friends got back in touch, he refused their drugs. He tried to rekindle his relationship with his ex-wife, but she was pregnant with her new husband’s child. “The only shame is that you came too late,” she told him. Sometimes, in his new life, he touches the hard cable in his neck that leads from the battery pack to the electrodes in his brain. And he wonders: What is the machine doing inside his head?

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Polls bring new winners, losers for economy

he Philippines’s midterm election brings with it a set of unexpected winners and losers for the economy. Voters in the Southeast Asian nation will go to the polls on Monday (May 13) to elect new lawmakers and local government officials. Elections usually provide a lift to the economy as candidates ramp up spending to lure voters. This time around though, delays in approving the budget have led to a slowdown in public expenditure, hurting growth and offsetting the consumption boost. Data on Thursday showed the economy expanded 5.6 percent in the first quarter, the slowest pace in four years. The Central Bank followed with an interestrate cut on the same day. Here’s a look at the possible effect of elections on the economy:

Consumption

A recovery in consumer spending was already expected given the sharp slowdown in inflation from nine-year highs in 2018. Political campaigning will likely lift that further. While midterm elections are

usually smaller in scale than the presidential race, candidates still spend heavily on meals, transport services and publicity materials for their sorties, said Michael Ricafort, an economist at Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. “Some candidates also dole out various giveaways for voters and other local officials in an effort to win more votes—another boost for consumer spending,” he said.

Consumer stocks

Consumer firms are already feeling the lift, with some even performing better than the main Philippine stock-exchange index ahead of the vote. Snack-food maker Universal

Robina Corp. reported a 7-percent sales increase in the first quarter, while liquor company Ginebra San Miguel Inc. posted a 141-percent jump in profit. “The election season usually brings us good results,” San Miguel Corp. President Ramon Ang said on Thursday, expecting a boost in consumption also as inflation cools. The Philippines’s largest company reported an 18-percent drop in profit in the first quarter on the back of higher taxes.

ment showing the sharpest decline to 5 percent from 10.8 percent. Historically though, companies aim to get most of their major outlays done “before any game-changing results from the vote,” said Nicholas Mapa, senior economist at ING Groep N.V. Government construction also ramps up as incumbents look to cement their reelection bid through their projects and rush to complete them ahead of the election-related ban on spending, he said.

Investment

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The delay in approving the 2019 budget halted funding for new projects and curbed investment at the same time that borrowers are facing higher interest rates. The boost from government spending that typically comes during an election year isn’t evident this time. Investment growth slowed to 6.8 percent in the first quarter from 10.3 percent the year earlier, with the construction seg-

Some candidates also dole out various giveaways for voters and other local officials in an effort to win more votes—another boost for consumer spending.”—Ricafort

US hikes tariffs amid trade talks; China vows to retaliate

he US hiked tariffs on more than $200 billion in goods from China on Friday in the most dramatic step yet of President Donald J. Trump’s push to extract trade concessions, deepening a conflict that has roiled financial markets and cast a shadow over the global economy. China immediately said in a news statement it is forced to retaliate, though hadn’t specified how as of 12:20 p.m. in Beijing. The move came after discussions between President Xi Jinping’s top trade envoy and his US counterparts in Washington made little progress on Thursday, with the mood around them downbeat, according to people familiar with the talks. The negotiations were due to resume on Friday morning Washington time. Asian shares pared gains and US equity futures slipped. The yuan rallied for the first time in seven sessions on Friday. Ahead of the talks on Thursday, Trump also said the US would go ahead with preparations to impose 25-percent tariffs on a further $325 billion in goods from China, raising the prospect of all of China’s goods exports to the US—which were worth about $540 billion last year—being subject to new import duties. Such a move would take weeks to deploy. But it would have significant repercussions for the US, Chinese and global economies. Economists at Moody’s Analytics said in a report this week that an all-out trade conflagration between the world’s two largest economies risked tipping the US economy into recession by the end of 2020 just as voters go to the polls in the US. The move “exacerbates the uncertainty in the global trading environment, further raises tensions between the US and China, negatively affects global sentiment and adds to risk aversion globally,” said Michael Taylor, managing director for credit strategy and standards at Moody’s Investors Service in

Hong Kong. The new tariffs that took effect at 12:01 a.m. Washington time on Friday raise from 10 percent to 25 percent the duties on more than 5,700 different product categories from China— ranging from cooked vegetables to Christmas lights and high chairs for babies. US officials have said the new duties—introduced on just five days’ notice—will not apply to goods already on boats headed for American shores. A 25-percent tariff is already in place on a further $50 billion in imports from China. Chinese Vice Premier Liu He huddled with US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Treasury Secretary Steven

Mnuchin in Washington on Thursday for about 90 minutes of talks before breaking and reconvening later for a working dinner that broke up around 8:40 p.m. Washington time. Though talks are set to resume on Friday, some close observers said they were not hopeful for any meaningful breakthroughs. One person familiar with the discussions said that US officials were unsure whether Liu had the authority to make any meaningful commitments. It was also unclear whether China had resolved the internal debates that had led to last week’s rescinding of prior commitments to enshrine reforms agreed in Chinese law. Bloomberg News

The nation’s two largest broadcasters, which traditionally benefit from candidates’ television and radio commercials, could miss out on part of this revenue stream this year. Wit h Fi l ipinos a mong t he world’s heaviest Internet users, politicians are shifting more of their budgets to campaign across multiple social-media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube, according to Jonathan Ong, an associate professor at the University of Massachusetts. “Rather than expensive primetime TV or radio advertising, politicians are finding they can capture voters through more specific metrics and engagement on social media,” Ong said. Bloomberg News

ExportUnlimited BusinessMirror

A4 Saturday, May 11, 2019 • Editor: Efleda P. Campos

DTI to launch P3.7-B project to boost PHL export commodities

O help strengthen the country’s major export commodities, Ifex Philippines will launch on its first day the Rural Agro-Enterprise Partnership for Inclusive Development and Growth (RAPID Growth) project, which is led by the DTI-Resource Generation and Management Service (RGMS) and funded by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (Ifad).

An upscaling of the successful Rural Microenterprise Promotion Program (RuMEPP), RAPID Growth is a P3.7-billion project that aims to propel agriculture-based processing enterprises and entrepreneurial communities to become innovative, productive and competitive so that they will be capacitated to meet the challenges of the global market. Trade Secretary Ramon M. Lopez said RAPID Growth will primarily target four agricultural value chains, namely, cocoa, coffee, processed fruits and nuts, and coconut. “These four commodities have lucrative markets, social features

and have the potential to provide sustained economic benefits to small farmers and enterprises,” Lopez said. The project is set to target small farmers and micro-entrepreneurs engaged within the selected commodity chains, further targeting unemployed and underemployed rural women and men. Special focus will be on women, youth and indigenous people. It is set to be initially implemented in six regions, which are Regions 8 to 13 with 20 target provinces. “In order to serve as models, four pilot provinces were chosen for each of the priority sectors from among

the 20. These provinces are Leyte for its coco coir, Bukidnon for coffee, Davao del Norte for cacao and Agusan del Sur for calamansi,” Lopez said. The RAPID Growth Project was proposed to directly address policy commitments of the Philippine government aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that are of high relevance in eliminating poverty and reducing inequality. Anchored in the government’s “Pagbabago” pillar, this project seeks to address the Philippine Development Plan 2017-2022 target outcomes, which are expanding economic opportunities and

increasing access to economic opportunities, including smallholder farmers and fisherfolks. Likewise, through this project, the DTI is set to prioritize the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) as a key pillar of its economic program. “Various products that are harvested or manufactured by local MSMEs have a huge potential in the export market. The launch of this project in Ifex Philippines shall help shed a light on these products as it elevates the emerging local entrepreneurs and farmer groups,” Lopez added.

Top food exports take center stage at Ifex 2019 2019 SoKor Import Goods Fair

GRAND showcase of the innovations and culinary techniques behind the country’s top agricultural export products will be a major highlight of Ifex Philippines from May 24 to 26, 2019, at the World Trade Center Metro Manila. Presenting “NXTFOOD Asia,” Ifex Philippines is gearing up to showcase the innovative use and culinary applications of the country’s “Premium 7,” namely, coffee, cacao, coconut, mango, pineapple, banana and tuna. Ifex Philippines is the country’s biggest and most respected business-to-business (B2B) event for Asian food and ingredients organized by the Philippines’s Department of Trade and Industry through the Center for International Trade Expositions and

Missions (DTI-Citem). “There will be a gustatory fête of the country’s Premium 7 commodities which have been leading Philippine food exports for the longest time,” DTI-Citem Executive Director Pauline Suaco-Juan said. “We are showcasing only the best in Ifex Philippines and buyers can expect to see the finest agricultural products the Philippines has to offer.” “Through this showcase of what’s next in Asian food, we want the global buyers to experience the Filipino food innovations that are being done with these commodities and see how they can use these products in the dishes in their respective countries,” she added. The three-day event will also spotlight the roster of the Philippines’s “Rising Food Stars,”

which include heirloom rice, calamansi, ube, pili nut, turmeric, moringa or malunggay, muscovado sugar, tamarind, dalandan and a selection of Philippine wines and spirits. The country’s sauces and condiments will also be featured in the event. These include coco aminos, sarsa, fish sauce or patis, chili sauces, crab fat or aligue, shrimp paste or bagoong, sukang maasim, sukang tuba, sukang pinakurat, sukang iloko and balsamic vinegar, among other products. “To further highlight the Premium 7 and the Rising Food Stars, Ifex Philippines is gearing up for a delectable and sumptuous culinary showcase of the promising export products in the country as it sets the stage for the future of food in Asia,” Suaco-Juan said.

DTI, DA gear up for World Food Moscow 2019 By John Benedict Santos

Trade-Industry Development Specialist, DTI-EMB

HE Department of Trade and Industry’s Export Marketing Bureau (DTIEMB) and the Philippine Trade and Investment Center-Moscow (PTIC-Moscow), with the Department of Agriculture’s Agribusiness Marketing and Assistance Service (Amas), are gearing up Philippine participation to the World Food Moscow 2019 with their first organizational meeting held at the Audio Visual Room, DTI International Building on April 30. The meeting—attended by exporters of banana chips, snack food, marine products and coconut products —was led by EMB Assistant Director Anthony B. Rivera and Department of Foreign Affairs Director Adrian Elmer S. Cruz from the Philippines side; and Commercial Counselor Vladislav S. Mongush and Second Secretary Maxim A. Sikora from the Embassy of the Russian Federation. EMB Division Chief Rafaelita C. Castro discussed “Trade Opportunities with the Russian Federation” and provided data on the latest food exports of the Philippines to Russia. Mongush followed with a presentation on trade opportunities to Russia including tips on how to penetrate the market. Meanwhile, Sikora discussed visa requirements for the

PRESENT during the organizational meeting were Second Secretary Maksim Sikora, Commercial Counselor Vladislav Mongush, Export Marketing Bureau Assistant Director Anthony B. Rivera and Department of Foreign Affairs Director Adrian Elmer S. Cruz as they discuss the Philippines’s participation to the World Food Moscow 2019.

benefit of the exporters joining the expo. Ronaldo C. Caddarao discussed the DA’s requirements for participation in World Food Moscow 2019. The fair will be held at the Crocus Expo Centre Fairgrounds from September 24 to 27, 2019. It is an international food and drink exhibition that could serve as an entry

point for international manufacturers looking to enter the vibrant Russian market. The event connects thousands of businesses from around the world with Russia’s key food and drink buyers, including retail representatives from Russia’s leading supermarket chains, wholesalers, hotel-restaurant-café sector, and food manufacturers.

NUMBER of Philippine exporters will exhibit their products for the first time at the 17th Impor t Goods Fair (IGF) organized from June 27 to 29, 2019, by the Korea Importers Association (Koima) at the Hall B, Coex, Seoul, South Korea. This year’s event is jointly implemented by the Department of Trade and Industry’s Export Marketing Bureau (DTI-EMB) and the Philippine Trade and Investment Center in Seoul, South Korea. The IGF has been successfully designed and hosted with the support and participation of South Korea’s Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, and the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (Kotra), as well as many foreign embassies in Korea. The “Import Goods Fair” is one and only B2B exhibition in Korea, which displays foreign consumer goods, food and beverages, handicrafts, cosmetics, and household items including kitchen appliances and home decoration. The IGF is intended to help foreign manufacturers and suppliers by providing opportunities to introduce and advertise their famous brands and quality products to Korean importers and consumers. In the 2018 show, 200 companies from 59 countries participated. There were 16,271 visitors, 70 percent of whom were importers and 23 percent interested in Southeast Asian products. This year, participants will meet Korean importers, distributors of department stores and retailers including e-markets. Koima has organized the IGF annually since 2003. It is Korea’s only private organization exclusively dedicated to facilitating imports to Korea, with more than

By Georgina A. Verdeflor Trade-Industry Development Specialist, DTI-EMB

export ready! 8,500 members that handle 70 percent of Korea’s total imports, which reached over $436.5 billion in 2015 from merely $1 billion in 1968. In the past, Chairman Shinn of Koima led a delegation composed of 103 delegates, and 15 Koima officials to the Philippines. Koima organizes purchasing missions mainly to countries that have trade deficit with Korea with the purpose of eventually creating balanced trade between their partner economies. In 2018 the Republic of Korea was the fourth major trading partner of the Philippines (out of the Philippines’s 221 trading partners), eighth biggest export market (out of 211 markets) and second import supplier (out of 198 suppliers). Total bilateral trade was valued at $13.7 billion, with Philippine exports to South Korea at $2.5 billion and Philippine imports from South Korea at $11.2 billion. The Philippines has a regional freetrade agreement with Korea through the Asean-Korea free-trade agreement, which has facilitated the free trade of goods between the two countries. For more information about IGF, please visit http://www.igf.co.kr/en/exhibition/ greeting/. For inquiries please contact (Mmes) Mary Fatima N. Barrameda or Georgina A. Verdeflor of the Market Innovation Division at (02) 465-3300 locals 216; 208 or via e-mail, maryfatimabarrameda@dti. gov.ph; georginaverdeflor@dti.gov.ph.

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

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Saturday, May 11, 2019

ATENEO-U.S.T. DUEL ON U

NIVERSITY of Santo Tomas (UST) looks to pull off another Cinderella run while Ateneo de Manila attempts to regain its throne in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines women’s volleyball action that holds Game One of the Finals on Saturday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. Throngs of fans from España and Katipunan are expected to troop to the Big Dome for the series opener set at 4 p.m. The Golden Tigresses were the first to advance to the Finals after eliminating the three-time champion De La Salle University Lady Archers. Armed with a twice-to-beat advantage, the Tigresses made quick work of the Lady Archers with a 25-19, 25-19, 20-25, 23-25, 15-10 victory on May 5. The talent of rookie Eya Laure was in full display when she unloaded 25 points built on 21 attacks with none bigger than her matchsealing spike that broke the hearts of the fourpeat seeking De La Salle side. Veteran Sisi Rondina scored 17 points, while Kecelyn Galdones and Caitlin Viray added 11 and 10 points, respectively, for UST. Head Coach Kungfu Reyes is confident that his

wards would perform well against the Lady Eagles, who are making their seventh Finals appearance in eight seasons. “The pressure is there. But I know how these players worked for this moment. They are very dedicated on the things that they do,” Reyes said. “We will continue what we have started and hopefully make another run in the Finals.” UST swept De La Salle in Season 82 to claim the title. The school had its chance to repeat the glory the following year, but the Lady Archers would start a dynasty with two stretches of three-peat wins. For Ateneo, the top seed in the eliminations this season, had to endure a tough challenge from Far Eastern University to finally earn a berth in the Finals following its 25-20, 21-25, 25-23, 25-14 triumph in Game Two of their semifinals on Wednesday. Champions in Season 76 and 77, the Lady Eagles are out to impose their might that was evident after losing their season opener to the Lady Spikers. Coach Oliver Almadro believes UST carries an edge because they had the luxury to recover from the pressure of the Final Four. “They are well-rested. It’s their advantage,” he said. In their two eliminations duels, Ateneo blanked UST, 25-21, 25-18, 15-25, 25-22, on February 20, and 19-25, 22-25, 27-25, 25-22, 15-11 on March 20. Almadro will be banking on the vaunted offense of Kat Toletino, Maddie Madayag and Bea de Leon to match the tandem of Laure and Rondina. Ramon Rafael Bonilla

Prince to defend one-on-one title

By Rick Olivares

OLLEGE of Saint Benilde’s youthful Prince Carlos will return to defend the Hanes One-On-One King of the Hardcourt when it tips off in the second week of play in the ongoing Filoil Flying V Preseason Cup. Carlos defeated Letran’s Mark Taladua, 1514, in the finals of the inaugural one-on-one tournament last season. This year, players looking to knock Carlos—whose alternate is rookie Sidney Mosqueda—off his throne include Arellano University’s Justin Arana and Alfren Gayosa, Centro Escolar University’s John Earl Lisbo,

THE veteran smarts of Ateneo’s Bea de Leon (right) will be tested by the sensational University of Santo Tomas Rookie Eya Laure.

Miranda charges to victory in rain-drenched Zhuhai race

ANIEL MIRANDA has now truly earned his place among the top drivers in the TCR Asia Series. Coming off a successful debut in Malaysia last month, the Filipino driver repeated his

breakthrough performance with yet another victory last week in tricky weather conditions at the Zhuhai International Circuit. Unfortunately, the 22-year-old Miranda was unable to convert his third row start into a podium

DANIEL MIRANDA poses with his trophies after conquering the Zhuhai Circuit.

in Race 1. He rocketed off the starting line and managed to pick up several places in the first sequence of corners. Clutch issues ended his race after just one lap and put his hunt for the championship on hold. Backed by Cebuana Lhuillier, Miranda would get another shot at a strong result in Race 2 on Saturday. He took a more cautious start this time as not to damage the clutch on his i30 N TCR and fought his way through the field from the back. Light rain then began to fall on the circuit which caught out several more experienced drivers in the tricky conditions and Miranda capitalized on the opportunity to move up several positions as he skillfully drove on slicks in the wet before the Safety Car was called out. After the restart, the Eurasia Motorsport driver carried one last attempt to get onto the podium

and successfully took third place overall and first among the Asian drivers. “This is quite a feat for Daniel, Cebuana Lhuillier is very proud of what he has accomplished and we are also honored to witness such exceptional talent in his field. His podium finish is indicative of his talent and grit to represent the Philippines in the international scene. We look forward to his succeeding races.” Jean Henri Lhuillier, president and CEO of Cebuana Lhuillier, said. With Miranda’s successive podiums, he is now fourth in the Overall Drivers’ Championship just six points behind the nearest European driver. He also leads the Asian Drivers’ standings by 22 points. There’s now a short break until the TCR Asia Series resumes on June 1 and 2 at the Shanghai International Circuit.

POLITICS, RACE ACCOMPANY RED SOX TO WHITE HOUSE

ASHINGTON—For decades, championship teams have visited the White House in a moment of ritual and tradition. Athletic excellence is celebrated, lame jokes are told and the president is given yet another jersey bearing his name. Under President Donald J. Trump, though, the visits often have become politicized, featuring athlete protests and, in the case of the Boston Red Sox, raising questions about a racial divide. The Red Sox, who steamrolled to a World Series crown last October, are poised to visit the White House on Thursday. Team Manager Alex Cora announced last week he would not attend, citing his frustration with the administration’s efforts to help his native Puerto Rico recover from a devastating hurricane. Nearly a dozen players, including American League MVP Mookie Betts, have said they will also skip the ceremony. All those bypassing the White House are players of color. Every white player on the team—as well as JD Martinez, who is of Cuban descent—was expected to attend. The Red Sox have stressed that the clubhouse has not been divided on the issue; no player or coach was pressured to go, and players who have chosen not to attend have

stressed there is no ill will toward those who will shake Trump’s hand. Pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez, a Venezuelan native, offered his perspective before the team’s game on Wednesday in Baltimore: “For me, it’s not a big deal. It’s your decision. Make a choice. I’ll respect it. I don’t think that’s a big deal. If you want to go or you don’t want to go, that’s your decision.” A championship team’s coach rarely, if ever, misses the White House visit, a tradition that began in earnest in 1924 when Calvin Coolidge invited the Washington senators. Cora had considered attending Thursday’s White House event to call attention to the plight of those in Puerto Rico, where it is estimated that Hurricane Maria caused nearly 3,000 deaths. But in the end, he opted not to go. “Unfortunately, we are still struggling, still fighting,” Cora said in a statement. “Some people still lack basic necessities, others remain without electricity, and many homes and schools are in pretty bad shape almost a year and a half after Hurricane Maria struck. I’ve used my voice on many occasions so that Puerto Ricans are not forgotten, and my absence is no different. As such, at this moment, I don’t feel comfortable celebrating in the White House.”

The racial disparity between the players who are attending and staying away received attention after a tweet from pitcher David Price, an African American who said he would not attend. Price retweeted longtime Boston sports columnist Steve Buckley, who had noted, “Basically, it’s the white Sox who’ll be going.” Price, who has nearly 1.8 million followers on Twitter, added, “I just feel like more than 38k should see this tweet,” a reference to Buckley’s Twitter following of roughly 38,000. But while the retweet set off speculation that Price was angry about the players attending, the pitcher later said he was calling out Buckley’s observation, telling the Boston Globe that the columnist’s post “was an insensitive tweet that needs to be seen by more people.” Those around the Red Sox locker room stressed that a player’s decision to attend was a personal choice and not, in many cases, political. “Politically, it didn’t matter who was in the White House. If I have an opportunity to go to the White House and meet the president, I’m going to go,” relief pitcher Heath Hembree said

UNDER President Donald J. Trump, White House visits often have become politicized. AP

on Wednesday. “Nobody tried to persuade me. They have their reasons why not to go.” For some players, it may be their only chance for a White House invite. It also reflects a larger trend across baseball: A number of players hail from Trump-friendly states like Texas and Florida, while the sport has also seen a surge in Latino players and a decline in African Americans. AP

PRINCE CARLOS is everyone’s target this season.

Letran’s King Policarpio, De La Salle’s Francis Escandor and Jan Carl Luciano, Far Eastern University’s Cade Flores and Mike Casino, Jose Rizal University’s Jarvy Ramos, Lyceum’s Rancy Remulla—who competed last year—and Casper Pericas, Mapua’s Denniel Aguirre and Arvin Gamboa, National University’s John Galinato and Robert Minerva, San Beda’s Sean Lenard Garcia and Miguel Ratuiste, San Sebastian’s Rommel Calahat and Mario Emmanuel Bonleon, University of the Philippines’s Joe Gomez De Liaño and CJ Catapusan and University of Santo Tomas’s (UST) Zach Huang and Sherwin Concepcion. “Competing in last year’s event really improved my game,” Carlos bared. “In high school at De La Salle Zobel, I was known more as a shooter. But in one-on-one, you cannot shoot all the time. You also have to attack that basket and rebound or else you will not get chances. That helped boost my confidence come the NCAA [National Collegiate Athletic Association]. So, I am looking forward to defend the title.” Back in the 1980s, the one-on-one competition was introduced in collegiate play by the University Athletic Association of the Philippines with UST’s Bennett Palad winning the inaugural tilt in the seniors division and Ateneo’s JV Gayoso taking home the trophy in the juniors bracket. Palad, who works as tournament director for the Hanes competition in the Preseason Cup, agreed with Carlos’s observations. “It is a good experience because it is just two players with a lot of people watching. The approach and attitude toward the oneon-one game helps you in your approach in the five-on-five game. It adds to your confidence,” Palad said. Carlos declined to say if he has any new tricks up his sleeve. “We’ll just see what we can do,” he said. “Last year, winning the Hanes competition gave me more confidence shooting the triple. This year, all I can say is I will do our best.” The winner of the Hanes One-On-One King of the Hardcourt will receive a cash prize of P20,000.

IAAF ‘strongly disagrees’ with medical associations criticism of regulations

HE International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) hit back at the World Medical Association (WMA) after the organization called on its members not to administer drugs which lower the level of testosterone in female athletes with differences in sexual development (DSD). In a letter sent to the WMA, the IAAF said it “strongly disagrees” with the group’s concerns about the validity of the regulations, which came into effect today following last week’s Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ruling in its case against Caster Semenya. The rules mean Semenya, a two-time Olympic and triple world champion over 800 meters, and other affected athletes will have to take medication to reduce their testosterone if they want to continue running on the world stage at events between 400m and a mile.

DSD athletes with naturally high levels of testosterone who wish to participate in events between the two distances must medically limit that level to under 5 nmol/L, double the normal female range of below 2 nmol/L. In its verdict, which followed months of deliberation in a highly contentious case, the CAS admitted the rules were “discriminatory” but also said the policy was “necessary, reasonable and proportionate” to protect the fairness of women’s sport. The WMA called for the “immediate withdrawal” of the regulations after claiming they were based on “weak evidence from a single study, which is being widely debated by the scientific community.” The body, which claims to represent physicians from 114 member-countries, had previously expressed its opposition to medically prescribing treatment to lower testosterone if the condition was not recognized as pathological. In the letter, the IAAF claimed the rules had been formulated based on “many scientific publications and observations from the field during the past 15 years.” The IAAF wrote that, in 46XY DSD individuals such as Semenya, reducing serum testosterone to female levels by using a contraceptive pill, or other means, is the “recognized standard of care for 46XY DSD athletes with a female gender identity.” “These medications are gender-affirming,” the worldwide governing body added in its letter. The IAAF also stressed how it was up to the athlete to decide whether to undergo treatment, such as taking medication or even having surgery. The regulations effectively ban athletes such as Semenya from competing in races from 400m to a mile if they choose not to take the drugs. Insidethegames

BusinessMi

Saturday, May 11, 2019 | Editor: Jun Lomibao

Unfinished business for Yates at Giro d’Italia

SIMON YATES is motivated to give the Giro d’Italia another go.

IMON YATES is looking to make up for the disastrous end to his 2018 Giro d’Italia and claim the overall victory in this year’s edition in Verona on June 2. The young Briton will lead a Mitchelton-Scott team packed with

strong climbers, including Esteban Chaves and Mikel Nieve. Last year, Yates took the overall lead on the sixth stage and held on to it for 13 stages, winning three stages along the way. He faded as the race hit the high mountains in the final week, losing 38 minutes on a dramatic Stage 19 over the Colle delle Finestre and ending the race more than an hour down on the overall winner Chris Froome in 21st place. “In a way I have unfinished business at the Giro, but I would just like to have another go. We were so close last year so I’m motivated to give it another go, and I’m trying to arrive in the best shape possible to try and do that,” Yates said in the team’s press release. “I like to race aggressively but you can’t always do that unfortunately and that’s what I really learnt from last season. I will apply those lessons and hopefully come off with the win.” “I wanted to go back to the Giro, that’s what’s driving me at the moment, and that’s why I have the passion to get out of bed for every morning. I’m approaching the Giro the same way I would do any other race. I am, more or less, always in a leadership role within the team and I really like to try to win every race I start, so for me it’s just business as usual.” Yates will be supported in the opening flat stages by Jack Bauer, Luke Durbridge and Chris Juul-Jensen. Then he will have a “formidable force in the mountains” with Brent Bookwalter, Lucas Hamilton, Nieve and Chaves. “You’re only as good as your last win, and our last Grand Tour was a win so naturally we’re going into the Giro as one of the favorites,” said Head Sport Director Matt White. “We’re heading to Italy with the aim of finishing off the job this year. That may mean we don’t win as many stages, but we’re looking at the bigger prize. We’re 12 months on from the last edition, we’ve learnt a lot in those 12 months, and our job is to put that to good use across the three weeks of racing.” Cyclingnews

Van der Poel Tour of Flanders ‘moral winner’

UCH has been said and written about Mathieu van der Poel as he romped through his first Classics campaign and even his grandfather, former rider, Raymond Poulidor has been impressed. The eight-time Tour de France podium finisher says that Van der Poel is even better than himself and his father Adrie. “He has the genes of his father and his grandfather. He is better than we are when you see his palmares,” Poulidor told NOS.nl. After dominating the cyclo-cross circuit this past season, and winning his second elite World Championship title, the 24-year-old Dutchman went on to be one of the top spring riders. He has won six times on the road so far this season, including Dwars door Vlaanderen, Brabantse Pijl and the Amstel Gold Race. He was fourth in his Tour of Flanders debut, after coming back from a crash that seemed to rule him out. He may not have won, but Poulidor, 83, believed that his grandson would have come out on top if he hadn’t come down. “If he hadn’t had any problems along the way, he would be the best. He was the moral winner of that day,” he said. With Van der Poel showing that he is adept at almost anything he puts his mind to, Poulidor was asked if he thought he could win the Tour de France. Poulidor could not answer that but said that his grandson would have to ride the race in the future.

“He is already doing special things at his age. And he adapts to every cycling discipline,” said Poulidor. “If one day he thinks he wants to ride the Tour, who knows. By the way, I think he will have to do it in the future.” Though Van der Poel is turning to the road more these days, Poulidor says that the Dutchman is unlikely to put cyclo-cross behind him. “In any case, there is no question that he will give up cyclo-cross. He won’t, cyclo-cross is sacred to him.” Father Adrie van der Poel, 59, who also had a successful cycling career, says his son takes after him

“in character. Those stubborn traits. He knows well what he wants, and knows well what he can’t do.” The younger Van der Poel “maps out his own career,” according to Poulidor. “He doesn’t listen to anyone. He won’t lose, even if he just plays a game with his brother. If his brother wins, he leaves the table.” The secret to it all is Van der Poel’s attitude, Poulidor concludes. “He has an exceptional character, he cycles with pleasure and takes nothing seriously. And that is perhaps his strongest point. He is always relaxed.” Cyclingnews

RAYMOND POULIDOR is proud of his grandson Mathieu van der Poel.

BIKE COMMU THE PROS AN W ANT a good start to the day? Get on your bike! Commuters are increasingly abandoning the stress of city traffic, motorway tailbacks and parking headaches in favor of cycling to and from work. Be it lycra-clad cyclists with their work clothes in a back pack, or commuters choosing to combine public transport and cycling, the percentage of people including a bicycle in their daily traveling routine is on the rise. This trend is thanks in large part to dedicated campaigns encouraging populations

to think beyond their cars when it comes to finding commuting solutions. As the European summer approaches, numerous countries have started the annual Bike2Work challenge, while the Netherlands— among other countries—goes a step further and pays people to bike to work. Meanwhile a study from the University of Minnesota reveals that cycling is the happiest mode of transport.

BIKE2WORK THROUGHOUT EUROPE

EACH year, the European Cyclists’ Federation leads a Europe-wide Bike2Work campaign to encourage

a shift from motorized commuting to cycling. Employers are encouraged to meet the needs of cyclists with a bicycle-friendly policy that motivates staff to give bike commuting a try. The ECF has even produced a guide on how to run a successful bike2work campaign. Successful and growing campaigns are held annually in numerous European countries including Switzerland, where Pro Velo Suisse has been organizing a two-month campaign since 2005. During the months of May and June each year, workers form teams of four and undertake to commute by bike as often as possible. Those

RATCLIFFE: INEOS WILL LEAVE CYCLING IF TEAM J IM RATCLIFFE told the BBC that Ineos will pull its backing of Dave Braislford’s squad if they are ever caught cheating or doping. Ratcliffe, who acquired the team from Sky and unveiled the new kit on Wednesday in Yorkshire, stated that he and Ineos had done their due diligence before investing in cycling’s biggest and most successful team in recent years. We did our due diligence. I have absolutely no interest in cheating or drugs,” Ratcliffe told BBC Sport. “The day that any of that enters our world, we’ll be exiting that world.” Ratcliffe has invested heavily in sport in recent months, first moving into sailing and now cycling. There are reports he has looked at buying English Premier League club Chelsea, while there has also been speculation of a possible takeover of Nice football club. On Wednesday, Ratcliffe was asked by the media whether he was concerned with some of the controversy Team Sky had courted in recent years. Their incredible success in Grand Tours has also come at a time in which Ukad launched a 14-month investigation into a suspect package delivered to Team Sky during the 2011 Critérium du Dauphiné. There was an accusation that that the package contained the corticosteroid triamcinolone—banned in-competition without a Therapeutic Use Exemption—a claim that the team denied. The Ukad investigation was closed without any anti-doping charges issued but a UK Parliamentary Select Committee later declared that “the credibility of Team Sky and British Cycling is in tatters—they are in a terrible position.” In 2017, an anti-doping case was brought against Chris Froome after his Vuelta a España win, though he was later cleared of any wrongdoing by the UCI and Wada. The General Medical Council in the UK are still investigating Dr. Richard Freeman, who previously worked as a doctor at Team Sky and British Cycling, and allegedly ordered the banned substance testosterone to administer to a rider for performance enhancement. “Clearly we were not ignorant of that—we did think about it,” Ratcliffe told the media on Wednesday. “We did look at the processes in Team Sky that prevent bad behavior. I think they’re as good as they get.

“I have no interest in using methods to enhance performance that you shouldn’t use. I have no problem with marginal gains—better chainrings or better aerodynamics, that’s fine, that’s all Formula 1 stuff—but I’ve got absolutely no interest in cheating. That’s not my game. Team Ineos announce Giro d’Italia squad after Bernal’s injury Dunbar and Sosa added to the roster as Moscon misses out Team Ineos, meanwhile, announced its Giro d’Italia team after it was confirmed that Egan Bernal would not race due to a broken collarbone sustained in training. The team have decided not to derail the Tour de France preparations of either Geraint Thomas or Chris Froome and, as Cyclingnews reported on Monday, have awarded Eddie Dunbar with his Grand Tour debut. The Irishman impressed at the recent Tour de Yorkshire and will add an attacking element to the team as they hunt stage wins and develop their next crop of stage racing talent. Pavel Sivakov and Tao Geoghegan Hart, who both recently tasted success at the Tour of the Alps, have both been announced as part of the eight-man Giro d’Italia team. Sebastian Henao, Christian Knees, Salvatore Puccio, Jhonathan Narvarez and Ivan Sosa have also been named within the squad. Gianni Moscon, who was originally down to ride the race, has been moved to the Tour of California, with the team concerned with the Italian’s form ahead of a Grand Tour. Sivakov and Geoghegan Hart, who both made their Grand Tour debuts at last year’s Vuelta a España, will lead the Team Ineos challenge for the maglia rosa, according to the team. Sivakov failed to finish the Vuelta in 2018, while Geoghegan Hart finished 62nd overall in Madrid. “Over the last two seasons we have been bringing together a carefully selected group of young riders who we believe to be the future of our team,” Dave Brailsford said in a press release issued on Tuesday. “While very much in the learning and development phase of their careers, we have nevertheless already seen them taking great strides forwards this year with Egan, Pavel and Chris Lawless all winning stage races and Tao, Ivan, Jhonatan, Sebastian and Eddie all riding exceptionally well. With this developmental goal in mind, we have chosen to

field our youngest-ever team for a Grand Tour and it’s fitting it should be our first one as Team Ineos. Egan’s injury is a real shame as he was to lead the team in a Grand Tour for the first time. However, I’m sure he will be fighting fit come July.” Knees’ experience from 19 Grand Tours will prove vital for such a young team, but Henao, who finished 17th in the 2017 edition of the Giro, will also be relied upon. The Colombian failed to make a Grand Tour team in 2018 but has been a dependable mountain domestique since joining the team. Puccio has also been a mainstay for the squad in the Giro for several years, only missing the race once since 2013. Without a genuine top-level sprinter within their ranks, and with little time to prepare after Bernal’s late injury, Brailsford admitted that the team’s approach would not alter too much. “We will not dramatically change our approach to the race as we will still look to give each rider the greatest developmental opportunities, and to learn and gain as much experience as possible,” the Team Ineos boss added.

Cyclingnews

Nibali aims to becom

ILAN—After last year’s start in Israel and British cyclist Chris Froome’s victory in Rome, this year’s Giro d’Italia is likely to be a far more Italian affair. And, with only two previous champions competing, one of the most open races in recent history. Froome has decided to focus on winning a fifth Tour de France title rather than defend his Giro crown. Vincenzo Nibali is back, though, after the 2013 and 2016 winner decided to skip his home Grand Tour last year. Dutch cyclist Tom Dumoulin, who won the race in 2017 and finished runner-up last year, is also looking for another victory. The 102nd edition of the race runs from May

irror CYCLING

mirror_sports@yahoo.com.ph | Saturday, May 11, 2019

THREE-TIME world champion Peter Sagan hopes to regain winning form in California.

Sagan: Results don’t tell you everything

MUTING: AND THE...PROS

AS the European summer approaches, numerous countries have started the annual Bike2Work challenge, while the Netherlands—among other countries—goes a step further and pays people to bike to work.

who manage to make 50 percent or more of their commutes by bike go into a draw for numerous prizes. The pilot project in 2005 attracted 1,600 participants from 20 companies in Switzerland. Last year, more than 64,000 people from 2,114 companies covered 16 million kilometers to get to and from work during May and June. The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) based in the Swiss town of Aigle participates every year in the Bike to Work initiative and this year has several teams entered with staff members riding in from different cantons and over the French border.

IT PAYS TO CYCLE IN THE NETHERLANDS

IN the Netherlands, cyclists can claim €0.19 from their employer for every kilometer they pedal to get to work. That means someone cycling 10 km a day, five days a week, can earn around $500 a year from the tax-free benefit. Any worker using private transport to get to work can claim the benefit, but as bike commuters did not necessarily realize it also applied to them, the Dutch government is now actively promoting it across the country. Similar incentives in different European

countries have also seen the light of day in recent years. And while some might argue that commuting to work by bike is easier said than done, US advocacy group PeopleforBikes has tried to come up with solutions to hurdles potential bike commuters might face. It encourages the formation of “Bike to Work ambassadors” to deal with matters such as changing rooms, bike storage, safe route mapping, incentives and recognition. A report from the same advocacy group traces the trends in bike commuting in the

US over the last nine years. Despite a few dips of late, the trend is one of increasing use of bikes to get to work: “In the cities that have invested in better bike infrastructure, without fail, bike commuting has vastly increased, and will continue to increase,” states the report. For those who are still not convinced...a study from the University of Minnesota reveals that cycling is the “happiest” mode of transport among a population which spends a significant part of each day on daily trips.

UCI News

ETER SAGAN will start his 10th consecutive Amgen Tour of California next week hoping to breathe new life into a season that has so far netted the three-time world champion just one win. The 29-year-old Slovakian pulled the plug on his Classics campaign early after failing to land a podium, and he traveled to the US earlier this month to prepare for the seven-day WorldTour race he won in 2015 and holds the race record of 16 stage wins. Despite Sagan’s relative lack of success this season, the former winner of Gent-Wevelgem, Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix said he views his early season effort positively. “The results don’t tell you everything,” Sagan said in an interview published on HNonline.sk. “After being sick in the spring, I was rather weak, and when I was better I immediately returned to racing, which didn’t do me any good. But it is cycling, no one will wait for you. I lost a few weeks of training and it was what it was. On the other hand, I was still fighting for victory in Milan-San Remo, Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix, or was at least at the front. That’s why I rate it positively.” This year won’t be the first time Sagan arrives in California looking to turn things around after a disappointing spring. In 2015, during his first year with the Tinkoff-Saxo team owned by mercurial Russian Oleg Tinkov, Sagan arrived in California with just one win on the season and a fourth place in GentWevelgem standing as his best Classics result. Tinkov publicly chastised his high-priced new toy, and Sagan responded with three consecutive second-place stage finishes before finally winning in Avila Beach. He took the race lead during the weather-shortened time trial two days later, then lost it to QuickStep’s Julian Alaphilippe on the climb to Mount Baldy. But Sagan’s effort on the mountain, finishing sixth and losing just 47 seconds to Alaphilippe, kept him within striking distance to take the overall victory by three seconds after earning a time bonus with third place on the final day.

Although another overall win may not be in the cards on a 2019 route with more than 20,000 meters of climbing, the Slovakian champion will no doubt be looking for a similar turn of fortunes in California this year. In an interview published on the race web site, Sagan says he’s returning to California this year with plenty of motivation. “I come to give my best and achieve the best result possible,” he said. “To extend my record of stage wins will be an additional motivation.” Sagan, who rode his first Tour of California in 2010 with Liquigas-Doimo, has won at least one stage of the race in every participation except last year, when 24-year-old Colombian Fernando Gaviria won all three sprint stages. Sagan reflected on nearly a decade of racing. “It really went fast,” he said. “I don’t know how. I’m getting old now. Young racers come, and I start to look like a veteran among them. If you measure it from when I started cycling at age 9, it’s 20 years. “The motivation is the same, other things have changed,” he said. “I used to be more predatory. I had enormous expectations and thought it was all very simple. Now I know what I am going to do. I have more experience, and I know that sometimes it is better to do things one way and other times another way. I try to think more about how to go as best as possible while still not getting tired. “Last year at the Tour de France, I equaled Eric Zabel’s six green jerseys in the points competition,” he said. “I’d like to try for another, that’s a great motivation for me.” Although Sagan’s motivation appears to remain high, he said fans shouldn’t expect to see him in the peloton 10 years from now, racing at age 39 like reigning world champion Alejandro Valverde (Movistar). “I hope not,” he said when asked if he’d like to race until Valverde’s age. “I admire him that he is still racing well at such an age, but I may not want to be when I am 10 years older.” Cyclingnews

SUPERCROSS WORLD CUP Great Britain’s Quillan Isidore loses his bike on a jump

and crashes out of the first round of the International Cycling Union BMX Supercross World Cup at the HSBC UK National Cycling Center in Manchester, England, recently. AP

M CAUGHT DOPING JIM RATCLIFFE: I’ve no problem with marginal gains but I’ve no interest in cheating.

me oldest Giro winner in an open race 11-June 2 and consists of 21 days of racing, totaling 3,518.5 kilometers (2,186.4 miles) between the start in Bologna and the finish in Verona. Here are some key things to know about the race:

MAIN CONTENDERS

VINCENZO NIBALI is looking to become the oldest Giro winner as he will be 34 years, 200 days when the race concludes in Verona. The current oldest winner is Fiorenzo Magni, who was 34 years, 180 days when he won the 1955 Giro. Nibali, who has also won the Tour and

the Spanish Vuelta, has finished on the podium each of the previous five times he has competed in the Giro and Bahrain-Merida General Manager Brent Copeland has warned rivals he is in great form. “We have worked hard to get to the start of this Giro with the best possible team,” Copeland said. “Vincenzo has worked tremendously hard to the buildup of this race and his physical condition is at one of the best I have seen in years before a Grand Tour.” Nibali’s main rivals include Dumoulin, Colombian climber Miguel Angel Lopez, Mikel Landa of Spain, the in-form Slovenian Primoz Roglic and Britain’s reigning Vuelta

champion Simon Yates, who led the race for 13 days last year. Another prerace favorite, Colombian cyclist Egan Bernal, had to pull out after breaking his collarbone in a training accident last week. World champion Alejandro Valverde and Fabio Aru are also out with injury.

MOUNTAIN DRAMA

THE Giro features three individual time trials and seven mountain finishes in a testing route which features the toughest climbs during the second half to the race. In total the riders will have to climb 46,500 meters of elevation, in what organizers have called

“one of the hardest courses in recent years.” There is just one stage suitable for sprinters in the final week and three high difficulty stages. The final week starts with a bang as Stage 16 is a long, testing Alpine leg of 226 kilometers with 5,700 meters of climbing. The riders will face the Presolana Pass, the Croce di Salven Pass, the Gavia Pass—the highest point of this edition—and the Mortirolo Pass from the hardest side of Mazzo di Valtellina. That is one of the toughest days of this year’s race along with the 14th stage, which is a short but intense leg, with 4,000 meters of climbing packed into 131 kilometers from Saint Vincent to Courmayeur.

There are four steep climbs in quick succession before the final ascent up to the foot of the Monte Bianco Skyway. That comes before the race’s longest leg: 237 kilometers from Ivrea to Como.

ITALIAN STYLE

THIS year’s Giro will stay almost entirely in Italy. The race will cross into another country just once—and briefly at that—as it visits the republic of San Marino for the uphill finish of the ninth-stage time trial. The 34.8-kilometer leg could mark the start of the real battle for overall victory and every second lost will be tough to pull back as

the race heads into the mountains. That day is also the race’s “wine stage” as it celebrates the red Sangiovese wines of the area. A number of important social and cultural references will be made over the course. Stage 7 finishes in L’Aquila, where the Giro will commemorate 10 years since the earthquake that devastated the city and its surroundings in 2009. The Giro will also remember people that have impacted Italy’s history. The third stage will start from the birthplace of Leonardo da Vinci, 500 years after his death. Stage 8 finishes in Pesaro, the birthplace of the composer Gioacchino Rossini. AP

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A8 Saturday, May 11, 2019 • Editor: Efleda P. Campos

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‘Joyride Ta’ tourism awareness program targets drivers

LOILO CITY—The City Tourism and Development Office (CTDO) wants to reach out to drivers in this highly urbanized city as the next recipients of its “Joyride Ta” after the midterm elections.

The Joyride Ta is a tourism awareness program developed by the CTDO to deepen the un-

derstanding of front-liners about this city and what it can offer to its visitors.

“We would like to reach out to our drivers because they are in direct contact with our guests,” CTDO Head Junel Ann Divinagracia, said in an interview Wednesday. Divinagracia said in other parts of the country, even tricycle drivers know how to sell their places. In March, the awareness program catered to female senior citizens in celebration of Women’s Month. “We will have this sustained because most of them are interested

to become site guides,” she added. Since the program began last December, about 300 tourism front-liners have already benefitted from it. “That is still not enough because we have thousands of front-liners,” she said, adding they also would like to tap the receptionists of various agencies who are in direct contact with guests. The CTDO has prepared packages of destinations where the recipients of the program are being toured for free.

During the tour, they are updated of the developments in the city, a little of the city’s history, and the stories of the destinations. “This is a continuous program to instill the culture of tourism, especially to our front-liners,” she said. The program is also part of the city government’s preparations as the city expects a 15-percent increase, or 1.3 million tourist arrivals this year. In 2018, Iloilo City registered

1,242,087 arrivals. Of the number, 1,154,550 were domestic guests; 70,787 were foreign guests; and 16,750 were overseas Filipino workers (OFWs). Divinagracia cited as a reason for the increase the closure of Boracay when most of the visitors were diverted to Iloilo. “They saw how beautiful Iloilo is. So, word of mouth—we expect these people, through word of mouth, they will bring in more guests, more conventions, more visitors for us,” she added. PNA

Israel preserves Holocaust survivors’ memorabilia for future generations

AMAT GAN, Israel—Under a fluorescent light, an archivist from Israel’s Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial snaps photos and scans into her mobile database the last remnant that a pair of elderly siblings have of their long-lost father—a 1943 postcard Samuel Akerman tossed in desperation out of the deportation train hurtling him toward his demise in the Majdanek death camp. “It’s what we have left from him,” said Rachel Zeiger, his now 91-year-old daughter. “But this is not for the family. It is for the next generations.” With the world’s community of aging Holocaust survivors rapidly shrinking, and their live testimonies soon to be a thing of the past, efforts such as these have become the forefront of preparing for a world without them. Through its “Gathering the Fragments” program, Yad Vashem has collected 250,000 items from survivors and their families in recent years to be stored for posterity and displayed online in hopes of preserving the mem-

ory of the 6 million Jews killed by the Nazis, even after the last of the survivors has passed away. Copious video testimonies have been filmed and even holograms have been produced to try to recreate the powerful impact of a survivor’s recollection, which has been the staple of Holocaust commemoration for decades. This year, an Instagram was created based on the real-life journal of a teenage Jewish victim to make her story more accessible to a younger generation. With the passing of time, any physical links to the Holocaust and its victims have become valuable means of remembrance and evidence against the growing tide of denial and minimization of the genocide around the world. As Israel starts marking its annual Holocaust Remembrance Day at sundown on April 24, Yad Vashem will be laying the cornerstone of its new campus for the Shoah Heritage Collections Center—the future permanent home for its 210 million documents, 500,000

photographs, 131,000 survivor testimonies, 32,400 artifacts and 11,500 works of art related to the Holocaust. On Thursday, it will offer the public a rare behind-the-scenes look of its preservation work, with tours of its collection, archive and digitizing labs. “The German Nazis were determined not only to annihilate the Jewish people, but also to obliterate their identity, memory, culture and heritage,” said Yad Vashem Chairman Avner Shalev. “By preserving these precious items...and revealing them to the public they will act as the voice of the victims and the survivors and serve as an everlasting memory.” Samuel Akerman’s jarring letter to his family will soon join the collected assortment. “My heart is bitter. I unfortunately have to inform you that I, together with 950 other people, am headed toward an unknown destination,” he scribbled in shaky handwriting to his two children on February 27, 1943, from inside the packed transport. “I may not be able to write [to] you

again...pray to God that we will joyfully see each other again. Don’t give up hope and I am sure God will help us.” Akerman, a diamond merchant who dreamed of moving to pre-state Israel, was never heard from again. A bystander likely found the discarded postcard on the ground and mailed it to Zeiger and her younger brother, Moshe, in occupied France, where they had fled from their home in Belgium after the Nazis invaded. After the father was deported, the rest— mother, grandmother and the two children—survived by assuming false Christian identities. Zeiger recalls several close encounters when their cover was nearly lost. Once, the Gestapo arrived in the early morning hours to seize a Jewish family hiding in the ground floor of their building. When the Nazis knocked on their third-floor door, a teenage Zeiger presented their fake papers in her fluent French to convince them they had nothing to look for there. “I’ve never felt that way in my life,” she recalled from her quaint house

GRANDPA’S PET

in Ramat Gan, just outside Tel Aviv. “I had to vomit after they left. My whole body clenched.” After the war, they returned to Antwerp to find their home ravaged. They waited there several years, in the faint hope that their father would somehow return, before giving up and moving to Israel. The postcard remained stashed away as a vestige of their painful past for more than 75 years, until Moshe Akerman heard of the Yad Vashem campaign seeking personal effects of aging survivors. “My kids are glad I did it so that this testimony will exist, because otherwise, you don’t talk about it,” said Akerman, 84. “It’s a small testimony to what happened, another drop in this sea of testimony. It doesn’t uncover anything new. The facts are known. What happened happened, and this is another small proof of it.” Besides rounding up Jews and shipping them to death camps, the Nazis and their collaborators confiscated their possessions and stole

their valuables, leaving little behind. Those who survived often had just a small item or two they managed to keep. Many have clung to the sentimental objects ever since. But with the next generation often showing little interest in maintaining the items, and their means of properly preserving them limited, Yad Vashem launched “Gathering the Fragments” in 2011 to collect as many artifacts as possible before the survivors—and their stories—were gone forever. Rather than exhibit them in its flagship museum, Yad Vashem stores most of the items in a specialized facility and uploads replicas online for a far wider global reach. “These items complement other material we have and help us complete the puzzle of the victims’ stories,” explained Orit Noiman, head of Yad Vashem’s collection and registration center. “The personal item becomes part of the collective national memory. With the clock ticking and the survivors leaving us, this is what we can make accessible to the public.” AP

Lolo Venancio joins a younger generation of dog enthusiasts in a recent dog show in Santiago City. With his walking cane, his dog serves as his personal protector. SUZANNE JUNE G. PERANTE

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

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SHARON CUNETA stars in Kuwaresma, the latest excursion into feature films by Globe.

A personalized Spotify playlist for mom would make a great Mother’s Day gi�t PRIMETIME

DINNA CHAN VASQUEZ @dinnachanvasquez luckydinna@gmail.com

T’S not surprising that Spotify’s global list of most-streamed moms is led by rapper Cardi B. Beyonce, a mom of three, is in second followed by Adele, Pink and Shakira. Don’t fight me about this list, OK? This came from Spotify. I didn’t just pluck it out of the air. But don’t you think a personalized playlist just for mom would be great? Spotify noticed Happy Mother’s Day playlists have grown in the last few years, with their streams increasing 19 percent from 2016 to 2018. Overall, users have created more than 7.8 million mom-themed playlists. “A Song for Mama” by Boyz II Men is the mostadded song to Happy Mother’s Day playlists created by listeners, followed by Meghan Trainor’s track “Mom” which features vocals from her IRL mom, Kelli Trainor. ABBA’s “Dancing Queen” and Bruno Mars’s “Just the Way You Are” are also popular picks. And while chosen tracks make each playlist special and unique to each mom, some Spotify users upload a photo of their mom as the playlist cover. To do that, just follow these steps:

■ You’ll need to use the desktop app; ■ Click the playlist image; ■ Click CHOOSE IMAGE to upload a new cover image that you own, or REPLACE IMAGE to replace an existing image (your new image will need to be a .jpeg file no bigger than 4MB); and ■ Click SAVE.

SMART TRANSFORMS ROMBLON INTO AN LTE PROVINCE WHAT is a good mobile data experience? For me, it is when I can properly communicate with people I work for and with using messaging apps without delays. A good mobile data experience is when I can quickly download attachments from e-mails and so on and so forth. You know the drill. Having mobile data is important, especially for people who work offsite like me. Thus, learning about telcos’ efforts to improve the mobile data experience for other people is nice to hear and read about. For example, PLDT wireless arm Smart Communications Inc. (Smart) in Romblon has transformed it into an LTE province. Smart has fired up Long Term Evolution (LTE) sites across the province’s three major islands: Tablas, Romblon and Sibuyan. In the towns of Odiongan, Romblon and Cajidiocan, for example, customers with LTE-capable handsets can experience speeds between 20 to 60 Mbps, which they can use to stream videos on YouTube, play online games like Mobile Legends, post photos on Facebook or Instagram, or access other online services like mobile banking and e-commerce. LTE has also been fired up to serve travelers passing through Romblon’s ports like the San Agustin

port, which serves as the gateway to Sibuyan and Romblon via ro-ro vessels, as well as the Azagra port in San Fernando. “These network upgrades are part of our nationwide efforts to improve customer experience and provide world-class connectivity to remote islands like Romblon,” said Mario Tamayo, PLDTSmart senior vice president for Network Planning and Engineering. Romblon residents like Joan Balgoma, who lives in Cajidiocan, are more than pleased with the improved connectivity in their province—and they took to social media to air it. “We already have Smart LTE in our area, and it is much easier to connect now than before. We hope the signal inside our house will be this strong forever,” Balgoma, a salon worker, said in a comment on Facebook. To fully enjoy the improved LTE network in Romblon, customers are encouraged to upgrade to an LTE-capable smartphone and an LTE SIM. All Smart, TNT and Sun subscribers can check if their SIMs are LTE-ready by texting SIMCHECK to 5832 for free. They can also check if their location is LTE-ready by accessing www.smart.com.ph/LTE. As of end 2018, Smart has increased the number of LTE base stations nationwide by over 86 percent yearon-year, while the number of 3G base stations also increased by 17 percent. This massive deployment has enabled Smart to provide mobile broadband in at least 90 percent of the country’s cities and municipalities. PLDT’s expansive fiber network, now at over 244,000 kilometers, also supports Smart’s mobile network by providing high-capacity links to cellular base stations. ■

Globe Studios presents movie event of the year GLOBE Studios’ latest project with Reality Entertainment brings to the big screen a Mother’s Day horror flick that is sure to bring chills down the spine of moviegoers. The scare flick Kuwaresma, set to open in theaters this coming May 15, features award-winning actors Sharon Cuneta and John Arcilla under the direction of critically acclaimed filmmaker Erik Matti. The film revolves around the family of husband and wife Arturo (Arcilla) and Rebecca Fajardo (Cuneta). Their son Luis, portrayed by newcomer Kent Gonzales, returns to their old house with a dark past to unravel the true reason behind the death of his twin Manuela (played by Kent’s real-life sister Pam), who mysteriously died on the second week of Lent. The cast also includes former child actress Guila Alvarez who plays Salve, the medium who warns Luis about him returning to their old house. “It is really an honor to work with Sharon and she was the one that Erik and I had in mind to play the role of Rebecca,” said Reality Entertainment CEO Dondon Monteverde. “It was also fun that we were able to combine these very exceptional artists in one film.” Even though she professed an enduring love for horror movies, Kuwaresma is Sharon Cuneta’s first horror stint in all her 41 years in the entertainment business. “This is a dream come true. I can honestly say that doing this project has been a physically, mentally and emotionally draining experience. However, I enjoyed working with the whole cast and Direk Erik. I am confident to say that we really delivered a great movie that is worth the watch for all horror and Filipino movie fans,” Sharon said. The film is also her first project with Erik Matti, whose works include Tiktik: The Aswang Chronicles and its sequel Kubot: The Aswang Chronicles 2, Pa-Siyam, Seklusyon, On the Job and Buy Bust. “We at Globe Studios are horror enthusiasts and are also fans of Sharon, John and Direk Erik. Upon learning about the project, we immediately said yes and we’re very honored to be part of it,” said Globe Studios Head of Creative Department Kren Yap. The whole cast and crew of Kuwaresma also lauded the advocacy of Globe (www.globe.com.ph) in its #PlayItRight campaign by encouraging everyone to support the movie and the local entertainment industry to access and watch local films only from legitimate sources. Matti added that Kuwaresma will only be shown in film theaters and will not be available in streaming platforms once it starts regular showing. He shared that they held back in showing the film in other platforms immediately in order to encourage horror fans and moviegoers to really go to movie houses with their friends and family.

Amazon to open first Go store that accepts cash BY JOSEPH PISANI The Associated Press NEW YORK—Amazon launched its high-tech Go convenience store a year ago, where shoppers can pull items off the shelf and walk out. Now it’s adding a decidedly low-tech feature: accepting cash. Its new store opening in New York City on Tuesday will be the first Amazon Go store to do so. At its other shops, customers can only enter with an app that links to a credit card or an Amazon account.

The company, facing backlash from critics who say cashless stores discriminate against the poor, confirmed last month that it was working on a way to accept paper bill and coins. In the new store, employee will swipe those who want to pay by cash through the turnstile entrance. After shoppers grab what they want off the shelves, an employee will scan each item with a mobile device and check them out. There still won’t be cash registers in the store. Cameron Janes, who oversees Amazon’s physical stores, says the way it accepts cash could change in

the future, but declined to give details. “This is how we’re starting,” he says. “We’re going to learn from customers on what works and what doesn’t work, and then iterate and improve it over time.” In recent years, a small but growing number of stores around the country have gone cash-free. But some activists and politicians say that discriminates against people who don’t have a bank account. Philadelphia became the first city to ban cashless stores earlier this year. New Jersey passed a statewide ban soon after, and similar laws are being

considered in New York City and San Francisco. It’s not clear how many shoppers will skip the app and want to pay by cash at Amazon Go. The New York store, the first in the city, is in Brookfield Place, a high-end shopping mall and office complex that houses a Gucci store and office workers from banks and credit-card companies. Amazon expects many of its customers to be workers looking to pick up a lunchtime salad or sandwich, people who live in the area or tourists visiting the nearby World Trade Center. Amazon didn’t say when its 11 other Go stores will start accepting cash.

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A GOOGLE Home Hub is displayed in New York. Google Assistant has made for a name for itself in a voice technology market once dominated by Amazon and Apple. AP

Angkas promotes fintech to grassroots BY RODERICK L. ABAD Contributor

Google’s AI Assistant aims to transcend the smart speaker

BY RACHEL LERMAN The Associated Press

AN FRANCISCO—When Google launched its now distinctive digital assistant in 2016, it was already in danger of being an also-ran. At the time, Amazon had been selling its Echo smart speaker, powered by its Alexa voice assistant, for more than a year. Apple’s Siri was already five years old and familiar to most iPhone users. Google’s main entry in the field up to that point was Google Now, a phone-bound app that took voice commands but didn’t answer back. Now the Google Assistant—known primarily as the voice of the Google Home smart speaker—is increasingly central to Google’s new products. And even though it remains commercially overshadowed by Alexa, it keeps pushing the boundaries of what artificial intelligence (AI) can accomplish in everyday settings. For instance, Google last year announced an Assistant service called Duplex, which it said can actually call up restaurants and make reservations for you. Duplex isn’t widely available yet outside of Google’s own Pixel phones in the US. Alexa and Siri so far offer nothing similar. Google is expected to announce updates and expansions to its AI Assistant at its annual developer conference on Tuesday. Although voice assistants have spread across smartphones, and into cars and offices, they’re currently most commonly found in the home, where people tend to use them with smart speakers for simple activities, such as playing music, setting timers and checking the weather. Amazon’s Echo devices

maintain a strong lead in the market, according to eMarketer; the firm estimates that 63 percent of all US smart speaker users will talk to an Amazon device this year, compared to 31 percent that will use Google. Apple’s HomePod is a mere afterthought, lumped in the “other” category which has a combined 12 percent. More broadly, though, the competition is much more difficult to assess. Google claims the Assistant is now available across more than a billion devices, although many of those are smartphones whose owners may never have uttered the Assistant’s wakeup phrase, “OK Google.” Google Assistant doesn’t record users commands by default—differing from Alexa—but recording must be turned on to access some of Assistant’s features, including a popular one that allows it to recognize different users by voice. Amazon and Google may one-up each other on different metrics, but the real measurement is how well they’ve achieved those own goal, said Gartner analyst Werner Goertz. Amazon’s deep ties in shopping make Alexa the go-to assistant for adding items to your grocery list or putting in a quick reorder of dish soap. Google’s decades of deep search technology make it the leader in looking up or answering questions you might have and personalizing its responses based on what else Google knows about you from your previous searches, your movements or your Web browsing. All that, of course, reinforces Google’s key advertising business, which is based on showing you ads targeted to your interests. At first, the Assistant on Home mostly just acted as a vocal search engine; it could also carry out a few

additional tasks like starting your Spotify playlists. Over time, however, it has added dozens of languages, partnered with more than 1,500 smart home companies to control lights, locks and TVs, and learned to identify members of any given household by voice. It’s also expanded the number of apps and other companies it works with and moved into Google Maps as a way to send text messages while driving. Both Google and Amazon plan further expansions. Last year, Amazon unveiled a number of home gadgets with Alexa built in, including a “smart” microwave. At the CES gadget show this year, it showed off a phone-connected device that brings Alexa to cars. Google countered with updates to its expanding Android Auto system, which got Assistant capability last year. As Assistant and Alexa get smarter, faster and more personalized, analysts expect their reach to become broader and more ubiquitous. The speakers, said eMarketer analyst Victoria Petrock, are “getting people used to talking to their devices.” Eventually, she says, if you can speak to your microwave and TV and lights directly, you won’t need the speakers— except maybe to play music. In these emerging areas Google is hoping to outflank rivals with its strong inroads with Android smartphones and cars. But it faces competition in many of these areas not just from Amazon, but also Apple and Microsoft. Google I/O kicks off at 10 am on Tuesday in Mountain View, California. The company is expected to announce a less expensive Pixel phone and updates to its smart home devices. ■

Signs that you are a cool techie mom ALL moms are special but some are techie-cool. This special breed of moms need not put any effort in keeping up with the tech-savvy millennials because they are on the game. Are you one of them? Here are some signs that you might be a member of this team: ■ THEY KNOW THE SECRET TO A GREAT SELFIE. Kids these days sure know how to pose for their best angles but you know how to take it for them. You’re the best cameraperson your child could ever ask for her Instagram updates. Your secret? Knowing your equipment. Having a good smartphone is one but understanding how to maximize its features like its multi-camera set-up, the lossless zoom, low-light mode, etc., puts you on a different level. ■ THEY KNOW WHICH GAMES TO PLAY WITH

THE RIGHT SPECS. Who said games are only for kids? Not for you. You have the latest gaming smartphone available and you team up with your kids in Mobile Legends or maybe beat them in Fortnite. Which is it? They are usually both. ■ YOU HAVE YOUR SMART OOTD. Fashion is not only your territory but you put your own twist to it—your favorite wearables. You will always find a way to keep your tech close to you without sacrificing your sense of fashion whether it’s your wireless earbuds, your reliable smartwatch or even your color gradient phones. ■ YOU DON’T WORRY ABOUT LOSING POWER. This isn’t just about who has complete control of every situation. For the super techie mom who’s always on the go, this is also about making sure that you have extra charge for the day’s battles with

a powerbank. Whether it’s for remotely answering e-mails or for staying in touch with your family, you are ready. ■ YOU KNOW HOW TO SPOT A LEGIT TECH. You will never be fooled. As how every mom makes sure that they get the best bang for their hard-earned buck, you make sure that you get your family’s gadget needs and yours from a trustworthy online shop like argomall.com. Established by its innovative founders in November 2015, the shop was born out of a creative dream by Filipino-owned conglomerate Transnational Diversified Group to deliver trustworthy and efficient solutions to the discerning Filipino tech shopper. Moms come in all shape and “techieness.” Regardless of that, their love brings about their own unique swag.

RIDE-HAILING application Angkas is pushing digitization to small entrepreneurs to scale up their businesses and become part of the formal economy. This is by way of financial technology, often shortened to fintech, aimed at improving and automating the delivery and use of financial services. Fintech and e-commerce are highly interdependent because the former provides online payment channels that enable the latter to thrive, Angkas Head of Regulatory and Public Affairs George Royeca said during the April edition of Fintech Philippines Association’s (FPh) monthly forum held recently at The Ark in Makati City. Without it and payment innovations, global e-commerce will not grow as much as it did in recent years, according to him. As advisor to the board of trustees of FPh, he bared that Angkas will promote the teching up of small e-commerce players in the country as a priority endeavor in the near future. Royeca cited, for instance, how technology and the fintech aspects of their business affect the lives of their 27,000 bikerpartners. “These guys didn’t even know how to use a phone. Now they’re transacting their incentives through GCash, their Happy Wallets, [etc.]. Everything is around smartphone. I think this is the beauty of technology. We should stop looking at it as something that just a few can understand and use, but think of how we can make technology grassroots,” he said. From a fintech standpoint, the top executive pointed out that their full time drivers, who could earn about P1,500 a day or P45,000 a month, could use such financial services to manage their hard-earned money wisely. “Technology is for everyone. That’s what technology is for, and that’s one thing that the government couldn’t stop from happening. We get a lot of support because it really solves the problem. It’s something that we should push to the mass market,” Royeca said. The head of regulatory and public affairs of Angkas seeks to gather all the platform providers together to push to everyone that they can be an entrepreneur and do something with technology. “Eventually, as you’re able to grow and scale, then you graduate from that informal community and be part of the formal economy,” he said, referring to mom-and-pop business owners, illegal vendors and other entrepreneurs in the grassroot level. As a support system, he challenged the private sector to come together and unify to take charge of them “who are not part of the formal economy, and will not ever ever part of the formal economy, but could be part of the formal economy if we do something about it.” Angkas is a ride-sharing platform that envisions a more financially inclusive country where smaller entrepreneurs can use their app to level up their businesses. FPh is the largest and most inclusive association in the country that promotes digital entrepreneurship, among other things. It strives to promote all e-commerce players, and recognize all contributions to global and micro e-commerce players by creating access to the constant development and improvement of online payment systems. What’s more, it endeavors the democratization and provision of access to technologies by allowing online merchants and service providers to also target as many people as possible through safe and secure means.

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Saturday, May 11, 2019 A11

The new digital divide is between people who opt out of algorithms and people who don’t

THE SECRET SAUCE BEHIND ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

BY ANJANA SUSARLA Michigan State University

VERY aspect of life can be guided by artificial-intelligence algorithms—from choosing what route to take for your morning commute, to deciding whom to take on a date, to complex legal and judicial matters such as predictive policing. Big tech companies like Google and Facebook use AI to obtain insights on their gargantuan trove of detailed customer data. This allows them to monetize users’ collective preferences through practices such as micro-targeting, a strategy used by advertisers to narrowly target specific sets of users. In parallel, many people now trust platforms and algorithms more than their own governments and civic society. An October 2018 study suggested that people demonstrate “algorithm appreciation,” to the extent that they would rely on advice more when they think it is from an algorithm than from a human. In the past, technology experts have worried about a “digital divide” between those who could access computers and the Internet and those who could not. Households with less access to digital technologies are at a disadvantage in their ability to earn money and accumulate skills. But, as digital devices proliferate, the divide is no longer just about access. How do people deal with information overload and the plethora of algorithmic decisions that permeate every aspect of their lives? The savvier users are navigating away from devices and becoming aware about how algorithms affect their lives. Meanwhile, consumers who have less information are relying even more on algorithms to guide their decisions.

THE main reason for the new digital divide, in my opinion as someone who studies information systems, is that so few people understand how algorithms work. For a majority of users, algorithms are seen as a black box. AI algorithms take in data, fit them to a mathematical model and put out a prediction, ranging from what songs you might enjoy to how many years someone should spend in jail. These models are developed and tweaked based on past data and the success of previous models. Most people—even sometimes the algorithm designers themselves—do not really know what goes inside the model. Researchers have long been concerned about algorithmic fairness. For instance, Amazon’s AIbased recruiting tool turned out to dismiss female candidates. Amazon’s system was selectively extracting implicitly gendered words—words that men are more likely to use in everyday speech, such as “executed” and “captured.” Other studies have shown that judicial algorithms are racially biased, sentencing poor black defendants for longer than others. As part of the recently approved General Data Protection Regulation in the European Union, people have “a right to explanation” of the criteria that algorithms use in their decisions. This legislation treats the process of algorithmic decision-making like a recipe book. The thinking goes that if you understand the recipe, you can understand how the algorithm affects your life. Meanwhile, some AI researchers have pushed for algorithms that are fair, accountable and transparent, as well as interpretable, meaning that they should

arrive at their decisions through processes that humans can understand and trust. What effect will transparency have? In one study, students were graded by an algorithm and offered different levels of explanation about how their peers’ scores were adjusted to get to a final grade. The students with more transparent explanations actually trusted the algorithm less. This, again, suggests a digital divide: Algorithmic awareness does not lead to more confidence in the system. But transparency is not a panacea. Even when an algorithm’s overall process is sketched out, the details may still be too complex for users to comprehend. Transparency will help only users who are sophisticated enough to grasp the intricacies of algorithms. For example, in 2014, Ben Bernanke, the former chairman of the Federal Reserve, was initially denied a mortgage refinance by an automated system. Most individuals who are applying for such a mortgage refinance would not understand how algorithms might determine their creditworthiness.

OPTING OUT OF THE NEW INFORMATION ECOSYSTEM WHILE algorithms influence so much of people’s lives, only a tiny fraction of participants are sophisticated enough to fully engage in how algorithms affect their life. There are not many statistics about the number of people who are algorithm-aware. Studies have found evidence of algorithmic anxiety, leading to a deep imbalance of power between platforms that deploy algorithms and the users who depend on them. A study of Facebook usage found that when participants were made aware of Facebook’s algorithm for curating news feeds, about 83 percent

of participants modified their behavior to try to take advantage of the algorithm, while around 10 percent decreased their usage of Facebook. A November 2018 report from the Pew Research Center found that a broad majority of the public had significant concerns about the use of algorithms for particular uses. It found that 66 percent thought it would not be fair for algorithms to calculate personal finance scores, while 57 percent said the same about automated resume screening. A small fraction of individuals exercise some control over how algorithms use their personal data. For example, the Hu-Manity platform allows users an option to control how much of their data is collected. Online encyclopedia Everipedia offers users the ability to be a stakeholder in the process of curation, which means that users can also control how information is aggregated and presented to them. However, a vast majority of platforms do not provide either such flexibility to their end users or the right to choose how the algorithm uses their preferences in curating their news feed or in recommending them content. If there are options, users may not know about them. About 74 percent of Facebook’s users said in a survey that they were not aware of how the platform characterizes their personal interests. In my view, the new digital literacy is not using a computer or being on the Internet, but understanding and evaluating the consequences of an alwaysplugged-in lifestyle. Opting out from algorithmic curation is a luxury— and could one day be a symbol of affluence available to only a select few. The question is then what the measurable harms will be for those on the wrong side of the digital divide. ■

Facebook rolls out Digital Tayo program BY RIZAL RAOUL S. REYES FACEBOOK recently launched the Digital Tayo program that aims to teach 1 million Filipinos to be responsible digital citizens emphasizing positivity and promoting a safer culture online. The social-media platform tapped the Department of Education (DepEd), Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), and civilsociety partners to cover a broad sector of Philippine society for the huge program. Based on Facebook’s “We Think Digital” global digital literacy campaign, Digital Tayo aims to help Filipinos think critically and share thoughtfully online. Moreover, the program’s learning resources are designed to help people whether they’re new to the Internet or a digital native who wants to learn more or improve their digital skills. Facebook and its partners from the government, civil-society groups, and communities aim to conduct online and in-person training sessions for a million Filipino netizens by the end of 2020. “Digital literacy has traditionally focused on helping people learn to use computers, get jobs, or access information from the Internet. But there is a greater need to consider how we are plugging into a global community and connecting with people, not just information. Digital Tayo is more than about digital literacy. It’s about ‘digital citizenship.’ It is designed to help Filipinos with vital skills such as critical thinking, empathy, and being adept at using tools for online safety and well-being,” said Clair Deevy, Facebook director of Community Affairs for

CLAIR DEEVY, Facebook director of Community Affairs

the Apac region in her opening remarks. “We are glad to be one of Facebook’s partners in launching Digital Tayo for Filipinos, and to help answer the critical question: ‘What does it mean to be a digital citizen?’ We look forward to working with our partners as we equip our learners, teachers and personnel with the much-needed skills for creating a responsible and safe community online,” Education Secretary Leonor M. Briones in her remarks read by Undersecretary Alain del Pascua. “We would also like to put a human face in Facebook and social media. ICT should be integrated with good manners and right conduct. It is a tall order for the community and the stakeholders such as the nongovernment organizations, teachers, students, administrators, software developers and local government units,” she added. Sam Jacoba, founding president of the National Association of Data Protection Officers of the Philippines, said the organization will help the stakeholders on the data protection and secrecy aspects of the program. The program comes at a crucial time in the Philippines as Filipinos were reported to be spending the most time online worldwide at 10 hours and two minutes everyday. Internet users from the Philippines are also the heaviest users of social media, spending an average of four hours and 12 minutes, compared to the worldwide average of two hours and 16 minutes. Topics that will be covered include privacy, safety, security and digital discourse, and knowing your digital footprint, organized in four modules: “What is the Internet?,” “Your Digital Footprint,” “Be a Critical Thinker” and “You as a Digital Citizen.”

US regulators under scrutiny as they look to punish Facebook WASHINGTON—Federal privacy regulators are under scrutiny in Congress as they negotiate a record fine with Facebook to punish the company for alleged user-privacy violations. Eyes are on the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) as it also considers a rare action holding CEO Mark Zuckerberg personally accountable for Facebook’s failure to honor a 2011 agreement over privacy lapses. The agency also may limit how the giant social

network targets advertising to its massive user base. Beyond a fine, which is expected to run as much as $5 billion, comprehensive action by the FTC could mark a watershed in government action against the tech industry to protect consumer privacy. FTC Chairman Joseph Simons and his four fellow commission members will appear before a House committee at a hearing on Wednesday. AP

GLOBE LAUNCHES NBA PLAYOFFS 2019 PROMO GLOBE At Home continues to give its customers access to world-class entertainment and the biggest live sporting events. The broadband service of Globe Telecom (www. globe.com.ph/broadband.html) will award one lucky winner to an all-expense paid trip to the US to watch the NBA Playoffs live and catch a glimpse of some of the world’s biggest hoops superstars in person. To join the raffle, simply apply for a Globe At Home Postpaid plan or upgrade an existing Globe At Home Postpaid plan to any plan higher until May 15, 2019. To earn a raffle entry, register online via www.globe.com.ph/NBA�lyaway. One account is equal to one raffle entry. Travel schedule is from May 20 to 25. Stream NBA games on FOX+ app, and other much-anticipated sports events, such as the French Open, Formula One, Bundesliga, UFC and WWE Raw, and get fast, unlimited Internet of up to 100 Mbps with Globe At Home. Enjoy world-class entertainment with no data cap starting at just P1,699 per month. You also get six months access from Globe to top streaming apps, such as FOX+, DisneyLife, HOOQ, Amazon Prime Video and iflix.

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

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The P30 predicament THE TECHNIVORE ED UY

whereiseduy@gmail.com

F you want a smartphone with the best set of cameras according to the DXO photography experts, getting a Huawei P30 should be a no brainer. The only question is should you opt for the vanilla version or go all-in with the Pro? The Huawei P series has always offered three variations of its flagship device—the affordable lite version, the standard edition and the Pro model that is packed will all sorts of crazy features. Last year, however, the duo of P20s were actually very, very different, clearly establishing the P20 Pro as the superior model, which, in my opinion was a shame, especially for those who just like a smaller device. Thankfully, this year is a bit different, and while the Pro version still has the most features like quad cam, water resistance, reverse charging and super zoom, the P30 pretty much has you covered with everything you’d actually need in a smartphone. It also helps that the P30 sells for P36,990, P14,000 less than the P30 Pro, around P13,000 less than the Galaxy S10, and nearly half the price of the most basic iPhone XS. Let’s just say that if this was the Avengers, Captain Marvel would be P30 Pro while the P30 would be Iron Man. Captain Marvel may be “faster, further, higher” and the most powerful Avenger (according to her) but when it comes to the Endgame (spoiler!), Iron Man has always been enough to save the day (sniff, sniff). And by the way, I only discovered that the “P” actually meant several things during Huawei’s block screening of Avengers: Endgame. I knew it stood for photography, but did you know it also stood for proud, premium, platinum, and professional, and no it doesn’t mean Pia Wurtzbach.

PROUD LEGACY

THE P30 series furthers Huawei’s commitment to provide the best flagship experience, building on the Huawei P Series DNA in design and photography. Innovation is core to Huawei’s DNA and the latest in the P series are packed with industry-leading features that also set them apart in power, performance and efficiency. The P30 comes in the now trademark white box of the P Series (the Mate comes in a black box)—elegant, clean and with just the P30 branding in front. Other contents in the box include a clear protective case, a sim card ejector tool, the Huawei SuperCharge 22W Wall Charger, USB-C cable and the standard 3.5 mm headphones. Yes! The headphone jack makes a comeback in the P30! It’s one of the rare flagship spec’d smartphones to feature a headphone jack, which should be an instant boon for fans of wired audio.

PREMIUM DESIGN

THE first time you hold it in your hand, it’s hard not to fall in love with the P30. It is actually much more comfortable to hold than the Pro version if you have small hands, and has that certain heft that lets you know that you are proudly holding a premium device. Examining the phone, up top, there’s the microphone (but no IR blaster this time) while on the opposite end is the single speaker grille, USB C- Port and, as I mentioned, the returning 3.5mm headphone jack which was removed in the P20 series and still absent in the P30 Pro. It may seem like such a small detail but when you are listening to music or watching a movie and you need to charge your phone, that’s the time you’ll appreciate having a headphone jack—and it’s still faster than bluetooth pairing. Turn it to the right and you’ll see the clicky volume rocker and the red accented power button which is easily reachable, and on the left you’ll find the dual SIM hybrid slot. On its back is the triple camera, flash and Huawei + Leica branding. There is a slight camera bump though, which means it’ll wobble a bit when placed on a table so it’s better to use the plastic case to even it out. Finally, on the front is the 6.1-inch flat display and a tiny dewdrop notch which houses the front camera and earpiece speaker.

PLATINUM, THE COLOR STORY

THIS year’s gradient finishes are inspired by the salt flats, the Northern Lights and the Big Dipper, and have been engineered and created with a 9-layer nano-optical finish. The P30 comes in four beautifully blended colorways: Aurora, Classic Black, Breathing Crystal and hopefully we also get the Amber Sunrise soon. I have the Breathing Crystal color, which is the “Twilight” of 2019, and I must say it’s the most stunning color finish

ever in a Huawei phone. Case in point, my sister bought herself a P30 just because of the Breathing Crystal color—no other questions asked—and my sister is one of the most meticulous person I know who scrutinizes every little detail.

PROFESSIONAL SPECS

THE Huawei P30 features a 6.1-inch 2.5D curved OLED screen with FHD+ 2340 x 1080 resolution at 422 ppi. It measures 149.1 x 71.36 x 7.57 mm and only weighs 165 grams. It runs Huawei’s fastest Kirin 980 octa-core processor, same as the Mate 20 series. It has 8GB RAM and 128GB storage. Comparing the P30 and the P30 Pro side by side, the most obvious differences is the size (P30 Pro is bigger) and its rear camera setup is also a bit different. The P30, as mentioned, has three cameras while the Pro version has a quad camera setup. Another difference between the two is that the P30 Pro has a curved edge front screen; while the P30 has the conventional flat screen—BUT I’ve realized while using the Mate 20 Pro (which also has a curved screen) that I actually prefer a flat display especially when playing games like NBA 2K19. My thumbs actually tend to slide down the curve when trying to control my player, so I prefer the flat display of the P30. The P30 also has a tiny (and hideable) Dewdrop Display notch, providing maximum display area. The near bezel-less front glass houses an In-Screen Fingerprint sensor for quick and secure identity authentication. The P30 has a humble IP53 rating that makes it “splashresistant” so I don’t suggest you take it out in the water or attempt to take an underwater photo.

PHOTOGRAPHY: NO 50X ZOOM, NO PROBLEM HUAWEI has been the king of smartphone photography, according to DXOMark ratings, and the company continues its reign with the P30 Pro. Take note the “P30 PRO” as there was actually no mention of the P30! If you recall last year, both the vanilla siblings of P20 Pro and Mate 20 Pro had separate DXO scores. So what’s the real score? I personally think Huawei didn’t want the P30 to steal the thunder from its more expensive “Pro” model because if the score is just as high, it might drive more people to get the P30 instead and influence the P30 Pro’s sales. In terms of specs, the P30’s main camera has a 40MP sensor and an f/1.8 lens. The same sensor is combined with an f/1.6 lens, as well as OIS on the P30 Pro. The second, 3x zoom camera on the P30 sports an 8MP resolution and an f/2.4 aperture, compared to the 5x zoom, f/3.4 telephoto camera on the P30 Pro. Finally, there’s a 16MP, 17mm, f/2.2 ultrawide camera on the P30, versus the P30 Pro’s ultrawide being a touch wider at 16mm and a higher resolution sensor at 20MP. The P30 also lacks the TOF (Time of Flight) camera that helps the Pro garner more accurate depth information. In real world use, however, I’d say the P30 has an excellent camera—comparable to the Mate 20 Pro and loads better than the P20. Huawei’s camera app is probably the most feature rich among Android phones, with all sorts of modes that you can just swipe to choose from, among them Aperture, Night, Portrait, Photo, Video and Pro modes. Tap More and you’ll find Slow Mo, Panorama, Monochrome, AR Lens, Light Painting, HDR, Time Lapse, Moving Picture, Filter, Stickers, Documents and SuperMacro, as well as a few more hidden ones in the “More” option.

Except for a split second difference in processing, I’d say the P30 and the P30 Pro phones are very comparable except of course when it comes to zoom and in low light shots. In good lighting, photos taken by the P30 are absolutely remarkable—there’s plenty of detail and the dynamic range is solid. I usually turn on the AI mode because I love how it enhances the sharpness and color, but if you know how to fiddle with the pro controls, you can snap even more jawdroppingly good snaps. Just as how Huawei made “bokeh” famous, even if they weren’t the first to introduce it, it is responsible for all other brands highlighting the wide angle feature. If you are traveling and want to capture those scenic landscapes, wide angle is godsend. Experiment with angles and you’ll get the best shot of those mountains and cityscapes in no time. Oh, and using wide angle can even make you look slim, if done right! With 3x zoom and 5x “lossless” zoom on the other hand, you can capture things even from far away. Yes, you can zoom in up to 30x but it’s difficult to get a clear shot and you have to hold the phone real steady to allow it time to focus. But the star of the photography modes has to be Night mode. The P30 has a mind-bendingly good low light performance. The Mate 20 Pro was good but Huawei takes it up another notch. Some call it an incredibly neat party trick, but it’s actually very useful even when capturing daytime shots or when taking photos of people with a bright LED screen behind them. You just have to tell them to stay still for four to six seconds. Moving onto selfies, the P30 has a 32MP sensor coupled with an f/2.0 lens—identical to that found on the P30 Pro. Again, it is a big improvement over the P20 and the AI beauty has been turned down for more realistic and natural-looking selfies.

SOFTWARE AND PERFORMANCE: ANDROID + EMUI 9

THE P30 series ships with the latest runs Android 9 OS with Huawei’s interface, EMUI 9.1, on top of it. EMUI experience varies, and although I have learned to like it, there’s still lots they could improve on, like better icons, improved layout and a bit of fine tuning. Gesture controls are further introduced in the P30 and you can either choose the standard onscreen navigation bar, go for a “Home” button “a la” iOS, or remove all those and use gestures instead. If you have other Huawei devices, there’s Huawei Share, the company’s own version of AirDrop, which lets you send photos, videos, etc., to another Huawei phone in seconds.

BATTERY IS LIFE

THE P30 has a 3650 mAh battery compared to the P30 Pro’s 4200 mAh. But don’t worry the P30 can easily last you a full day with regular use. And if you do need to add juice, it also supports fast-charging and will be fully charged in a little over an hour. What it doesn’t support though is wireless (or reverse) charging unlike the Pro version. Honestly though, it’s really not a deal breaker. I know wireless is more convenient but if you need to use your phone while charging, like texting or browsing, a wire attached to a powerbank is a more secure and stable option. Stable meaning that it won’t easily slip or fall off. So unless you have charging pads scattered in your house and office, you wouldn’t miss wireless charging.

WILL YOU BE HAPPY WITH THE P30?

I’VE been using the P30 for almost a month now and I can honestly say I’m very content with the Huawei P30. It fits great in the hand, costs less than its Apple and Samsung counterparts, yet delivers an excellent flagship experience. Not to mention that it glistens like a unicorn (if you get the Breathing Crystal version) that will certainly garner a lot of envious looks. If you don’t need the x50 zoom (which you don’t), curved display, the waterproof rating, or the lack of of wireless charging, know that the P30 is one of the best if not the best smartphone for its price range. The P30 is more than just an understudy, and is a great phone in its own right. It’s the P for most people and the smart choice for those who want a better balance of features and value. ■

SINGAPORE REPORTEDLY CRIMINALIZES PUBLICATION OF FAKE NEWS SINGAPORE—Singapore reportedly has passed a law criminalizing publication of fake news, and allowing the government to block and order the removal of such content. The Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Bill passed on Wednesday night by a vote of 72-9, a lawmaker with the opposition Worker’s Party, Daniel Goh, said on Twitter. The law bans falsehoods that are prejudicial to Singapore or likely to influence elections and requires service providers to remove such content or allows the government to block it. Offenders could face a jail term of up to 10 years and hefty fines. Opponents in Parliament said it gave government ministers too much power to determine what was false and broadly defined public interest. The Strait Times newspaper reported Law Minister K. Shanmugam said the orders to correct or remove false content would mostly be directed at technology companies, rather than individuals who ran afoul of the law without intent. Human Rights Watch sharply criticized the law. It is a “disaster for online expression by ordinary Singaporeans” and a “hammerblow” against the independence of online news portals, said Phil Robertson, the group’s deputy Asia director. Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong last month defended the proposed law, saying many countries had them and that Singapore had debated the issue for two years. He rejected criticism the law could further stifle free speech in Singapore, which already has stern laws on public protests and dissent. “They criticized many things about Singapore’s media management, but what we have done have worked for Singapore. And it is our objective to continue to do things that will work for Singapore. And I think [the new law] will be a significant step forward in this regard,” he said on a visit to Malaysia. Speaking at the same news conference, Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad warned such laws were a double-edged sword that could be abused by governments to stay in power. Malaysia’s own fake news ban was rushed into law by the government Mahathir’s coalition ousted in a shock election result in 2018. Mahathir has promised to try to repeal the law, though a first attempt to do so failed. AP

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In the ad material of Notice of filing of Application for Alien Employment Permits published on April 04, 2019, the Company Names and Address of Mr. Li, Haifeng should have been read as 24/7 BUSINESS PROCESSING INC. located at 5th - 7th Floor, 81 Newport Boulevard, Andrews Ave., Newport City, Brgy. 183, Pasay , Metro Manila and not as published. While in application published on April 12, 2019 the Company Names and Address of Mr. Xun, Lijiang should have been read as FUWEALTH SERVICES INC. located at 18/F Techzone Bldg., 213 Sen. Gil Puyat Ave., Makati, Metro Manila and not as published. If you have any information / objection to the above mentioned application/s, please communicate with the Regional Director thru Employment Promotion and Workers Welfare (EPWW) Division with Telephone No. 400-6011.

ATTY. ANA C. DIONE, CPA REGIONAL DIRECTOR

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PBCOM: FOCUSED STRATEGY DELIVERS DOUBLE-DIGIT EARNING GROWTH

HILIPPINE Bank of Communications (PBCOM) continued to show significant momentum in terms of growth, as its net income grew to P626.2 million in 2018, showing a 58.0-percent increase from the previous year. This allowed the Lucio Co-led bank to post a return of equity of 6.2 percent and a return on asset of 0.6 percent for the period. PBCOM continued to deepen relationships with existing customers, as well as undertook various programs to generate new-to-bank customers, enabling it to grow its total assets to P103.7 billion, from P95.0 billion in 2017. This increase is anchored on a 12.6-percent increase in loan portfolio that was supported by double-digit growth in deposits and deposit substitutes that now stand at P91.7 billion. This focused strategy helped deliver a net-interest income of P3.1 billion, a 7.3-percent improvement from the previous year. Low-cost funding grew at a steady pace with current and savings account (Casa) comprising 38 percent of the bank’s total deposits. Net-interest margins were kept above 4 percent in spite of the higher interest-rate environment, as the bank was able to effectively manage its various funding sources. PBCOM achieved a milestone last October

when it raised over P2.9 billion from its maiden offering of 5.5-year long-term negotiable certificates of deposit. This was a testament to the bank’s strong customer base and a sign of confidence in its long term growth aspects. President and CEO Patricia May Siy was quoted says, “[The year] 2018 was not an easy year, but the bank put its effort on building the blocks for its sustainable growth, focusing on customer deepening and acquisition, particularly within the identified ecosystem, product development, personnel training, and engagement and capacity building. We are proud of our numbers as they speak of the success of these efforts.” A key emphasis for PBCOM’s long-term growth is to capitalize on potential synergies with other Lucio Co-led companies, including Puregold and S&R, among others. To date the bank has achieved the establishment of relationships with key suppliers and service providers through its auto-credit arrangement and payment-management solutions, and is poised to provide other banking needs for this segment. The bank is also gearing up to target the ecosystem’s customers soon with financial and nonfinancial products aligned to their varying profiles.

ASCOTT’S SOMERSET BRINGS FIRST PUPPY HOUR IN PHL

HE Ascott Ltd.’s Somerset Olympia Makati celebrated its first Puppy Hour on April 30. In line with the international celebration of pet month, Somerset Olympia Makati celebrated the value of pet ownership that brought together dog owners, bloggers and a nonprofit organization in raising awareness for a good cause. The participants had a chance to tour around the facilities of the service residence together with their dogs, as Somerset Olympia Makati is the first pet-friendly property of The Ascott Ltd. in the Philippines. Said Susan Salcedo, The Ascott Ltd. Philippines city manager, “Because there are only few pet-friendly properties in the hospitality industry in our country, Somerset Olympia

Makati offers a home for your pets.” “Moreover, we are not just your mere service residence, because our service is perfect for those travelers or families who would not want to leave their pets in the corners of their homes” Salcedo added. The said event also discussed the current state of military-working dogs and contract-working dogs in the Philippines, through invited guest speakers and founders of Hound Haven Philippines Chief Executive Officer Maxin Arcebal and Chief Operating Officer Chelsea Pecson. The success of the Puppy Hour was made possible by its partners, namely, Fur Magic, Sleeky, Saint Roche, Nutram, Bow House, Pet Express, Vitality and Whole Pet Kitchen.

BPI BAGGED PRESTIGIOUS ACCOLADE FOR CAPITAL-MARKET EXCELLENCE

HE Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) recently bagged three major awards from the prestigious PDS Group and The Asset for the outstanding performance of its global-market segment, which contributed to a strong domestic and international capital market. BPI Global Markets received multiple accolades from PDS at the annual awards night recently held in Makati City, taking home the awards for Top 5 Corporate Securities Market Maker 2018 and Top 5 PDDTSPvP Participants. The PDDTS-PvP stands for Philippine domestic dollar transfer service system-payment versus payment. The PDDTS/PvP recognition puts BPI among the banks that have generated the highest volume for the year as measured by the total number of transactions made. With the Corporate Securities Market Maker award, BPI has been recognized as one of the active dealing participants that have been committed liquidity providers for listed corporate fixed-income securities for the year, as measured by the number of corporate security marketmaking activities. BPI also bagged the Best New Bond award with its $600-million bond, conferred at The Asset Asian Awards 2018 recently held in Hong Kong. The award recognizes BPI’s bond as the largest-ever debut issuance for a Philippine bank, enabling to diversify

liquidity sources, lengthen its maturity profile and manage the growth of its balance sheet. The Asset Awards is Asia’s pre-eminent recognition for those who have excelled in their respective industries. With close to 20 years of experience conducting award programs, The Asset has gone from strength to strength in distinguishing best-in-class organizations and individuals. For its part the PDS Group, since 2006, has been acknowledging members of its community and market stakeholders who exhibit outstanding performance, leadership, innovation and continued pursuit of a robust domestic-capital market. In photo are (from left) Antonio V. Paner, BPI treasurer and global markets segment head; and Dino R. Gasmen, head of BPI Global Markets asset and liability management division.

BIBLE JOURNALING AT SUNSHINE PLACE

ET inspired with the Word of God and put your creative talents to use! Learn Bible journaling at the Sunshine Place. The workshop, scheduled on May 18 from 1 to 6 p.m., will be conducted by Michelle Lagare (in photo, left) of The Mitch Craft. Participants to the workshop will learn ways on how to begin bible journaling by using different media. The workshop includes easy ways to paint on your journal space; and make use of stickers, stencils, stamps

and other curated materials to provide a creative outlet for those who are not so artistic. Lagare aims to teach others to learn how to combine their love for the Word and art, and still put focus on the scriptures. Lagare is a mother of two, a Christian journalist and a watercolor enthusiast. She started Bible journaling in 2017, though she’s been into journaling back to her elementary days. She has a collection of Bibles for her personal consumption and thought of selling others when it got big. She is passionate of sharing the Word of God and ministering others so they can also share it to others. The Mitch Craft shares daily Bible verses, sells bible journals, journaling accessories like stickers, traceable, handmade paperclips and stickers, tip-ins and other journaling materials, and conducts Bible Journaling Workshops in faith that this will remind us of how wonderful and powerful is the Word of God. For inquiries, e-mail at mitchcraft.official@gmail.com.

DIVINALAW NAMED EMPLOYER OF CHOICE

HILIPPINE l aw f ir m DivinaLaw was named Employer of Choice for 2019 by the Asian Legal Business (ALB). This is the second year in a row that the firm, which is headed by University of Santo Tomas Law dean Nilo Divina, received the accolade from the Thomson Reuters publication. Accord ing to A LB, the Employer of Choice rankings were compiled, taking into account responses from more than 2,500 private practice lawyers (ranging from managing partners to paralegals) across Asia, as well as its own market research. The law firms were ranked on the basis of job satisfaction, remuneration, work-l i fe ba l a nce, c a reer prospects, mentorship, job security and other aspects. The survey was conducted randomly, across different ranks of employees, with respondents’ identities kept anonymous.

In the results published in ALB’s April 2019 issue, it quoted a survey respondent from DivinaLaw as having pra ised t he f ir m’s “nea rperfect work environment”. Other noteworthy comments included observations about DivinaLaw’s strong sense of collaboration and teamwork, solidarity, mutual respect and shared vision. Ultimately, the firm’s employment atmosphere was summed up as “worklife balance, combined with generous pay and a great boss.” Divina, who founded the firm 13 years ago, was humbled by the accolade. “Although the firm has received numerous awards before, being named [the]Employer of Choice is, perhaps, the most meaningful, because it signifies that we have succeeded in nurturing and ensuring the well-being of the firm’s greatest asset, namely, its people,” he enthused.

SPANISH CHAMBER MARKS 120TH YEAR

HIS gala dinner commemorates the 120th anniversary of the Chamber of Commerce of Spain in the Philippines; and honors the relationship between the Philippines and Spain and the great relation these two nations have built. All guests came into their Filipinianas and Barong Tagalog to commemorate the beautiful tradition of this country. T he program started w ith an exclusive exhibit in the La Casa Azul, Instituto Cervantes in Intramuros. In the exhibit, objects related to the Spanish Chamber and to the Ph i l ippi nes, suc h a s old m aps, photos, newsletters, minute books, typewriters, from 1899 onward were presented. The venue was decorated with Filipino delicate fabrics, as well as some clothes from the old Manila style, with the help of the amazing designer Patis Tesoros. The exhibit ended with a toast of Valformosa Bruit Cava. Afterward everyone was transferred by Kalesas to the Jardin Padre Blanco Garden, inside San Agustin Museum. Cocktail and dinner was served by the famous Spanish Chef Nicolás DiazJogeix of Barcino. Ambassador Jorge Moragas gave opening remarks, as well as Eduardo Barrachina, president of association

of all Spanish chambers around the world. This was then followed by a short speech of newly elected La Camara President Peter Hager and the reading of the congratulatory letter sent by King Felipe VI of Spain. At the dinner recognitions and awards were given to former presidents of the Spanish Chamber and companies that have had an outstanding performance in the Philippines this year. Past presidents of the chamber who were given certificates are the following: Pedro Picornell, 1988-1991 (received by his son Pedro Picornell); Enrique Zóbel, 1932-1937(received by Alejandro Padilla Zobel); Ramón Balaguer, 1992-1994; Pablo GarcíaMorera, 1995-1996; Jav ier E sc at Jiménez-A lfaro, 1998-2002; José RomeroS a l a s , 20 0 3 -20 0 8 (received by his brother Miguel Romero-Salas); Alfredo Roca, 2009-2011 (received by Jose Fons); Miguel RomeroSalas, 2011-2012; José Manuel

Izquierdo, 2015- 2016; and Tomás Ibáñez, 2018- 2019 Awards were given to the following companies: Indra, Best Use of Technology; Fund ac ion Sa nt iago, Most Creative Corporate Social Responsibility Program; Cemex, Most Innovative Marketing and Advertising Communications; Espa-Fil Import and Export, Business Excellence Award; and Acciona Infraestracturas SA, Biggest Project Award Pablo Garcia-Morera was given with the Entrepreneur Award for his role in bridging Philippine-Spanish bilaterial ties for more than 35 years.

MORE WORK NEEDS TO BE DONE TO ACHIEVE FULL REPRODUCTIVE-HEALTH CARE—REPORT

ESPITEremarkableachievements in the past five decades, much more must be done to break barriers that prevent women, men and couples from fully exercising their reproductive rights and choices, says in a new the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) report. At the turnover of the State of World Population 2019 report, titled “Unfinished Business: the pursuit of rights and choices for all” were (from left) Salvacion A. Collao, Popcom finance chief; Lourdes Nacionales, Popcom administrations chief; Susan Codotco, Popcom information management and communications division chief; Lolito R. Tacardon, Popcom deputy executive

director; Dr. Juan Antonio A. Perez III, Popcom undersecretary; Iori Kato, UNFPA Philippines representative; Vicente Jurlano, UNFPA Philippines national program officer for population and development; and Pamela Aine, UNFPA Philippines international operations manager. The year is unique as it marks two important milestones in the field of sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights: 50 years since the UNFPA began operations globally, with Filipino national Rafael Salas as its first Executive Director; and 25 years since the landmark of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) in Cairo, where 179 governments called

for access to comprehensive reproductive health care, including voluntary family planning, and safe pregnancy and childbirth services. Much has been achieved in the Philippines since 1969. The average number of births per woman was 6.0 in 1973. Today it is 2.7, even though the country has the highest total fertility rate in the Asean region. In order to reach the national target of 2.1 average number of births per woman under the Philippine Development Plan, the Philippines needs to step up its efforts. According to the 2017 Philippines National Demographic and Health Survey, about 17 percent of currently married women aged between 15 and 49 have expressed intention to space or limit their children but are not using any method of family planning. Such proportion of unmet need for familyplanning services is highest among adolescents at 28 percent. To finish the unfinished business of the ICPD, governments, activists and stakeholders will rally at the Nairobi Summit on ICPD25 to be held from November 12 to 14 to sustain the gains made, so far, and fulfill the promise of the ICPD agenda.