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A CULTURAL VOYAGE IN THE AGE OF MISSILES A

By Roger Pe

20-KILOMETER sea trip amid crazy winds is bad enough, what about a distance 50 times longer, in varying degrees of weather condition and you’re on your own in a wooden boat 20 times smaller than an aircraft carrier?

This is the story of Filipino pride called the Balangay. It is an epic sea voyage that made Chinese immigration people shake their heads in disbelief.

On May 3 another milestone in Philippine history was achieved: as three 18-meter boats, each a replica of a Balangay—a type of vessel used in the region as far back as 320 A.D.—retraced the route made

by Filipino Sultan Paduka Batara in 1417 and successfully reached Xiamen (formerly Amoy), China, almost 600 years after. What made the voyage truly historic was that no sophisticated navigational

equipment aided them to traverse the treacherous South China Sea.

Long live

WE were supposed to meet the 33man crew of the expedition at the Xiamen port terminal, but a Chinese immigration glitch had prevented us from getting nearer.

After a 24-hour quarantine policy elapsed, we were able to give the proud Philippine team our most heartfelt joy and screams of “Mabuhay ang Pilipinas [Long live the Philippines]!”

The team was then ushered into a rousing welcome prepared

THE Filipino Balangay boats docked in Xiamen port after a five-day voyage from Manila.

PART of the 33-man crew that retraced the historic route.

by the Philippine and Xiamen Filipino-Chinese groups at the plush lobby of the Xiamen International Cruise Center. While the celebration was going on, the festive mood grabbed the attention of onlookers and the Xiamen city folk gamely joined in the momentous occasion.

Edsa People Power Commis-

sioner Pastor Saycon, Princess Jacel Kiram (daughter of the late Sultan Jamalul Kiram III), Abraham Idjirani and his wife Dayang Dayang Sitti Idjirani, Manila Councilor Bernie Ang, Gerry Sanchez (who represented Ambassador William Lima), businessman Paul Shi, Consul GenSee “Voyage,” A2

Chinese investors changing landscape of property market

MANILA skyline

PHOTOSOUNDS | DREAMSTIME.COM

T

By VG Cabuag

HERE’S a decent medium-rise hotel located near the Manila South Cemetery and abuts the Makati Central Business District (CBD).

The hotel has no lavish frontage. Residents from informal settlements nearby have put up a makeshift basketball court across the hotel entrance.

There was no competition around the area, but operating the hotel became tougher as there were less people renting a room, a person familiar with the matter said.

The owner recently sold the hotel to a Chinese who holds a license for Pogo, short for Philippine

Offshore Gaming Operator. The hotel will be repurposed as both a gaming facility and a dormitory for Chinese workers.

This business decision reveals how Pogo and the Chinese are changing the face of the property industry. In fact, Pogo may have even saved the country’s property sector last year.

“But I keep on asking people how long [is this] going to last?

And everybody is asking the same

PESO EXCHANGE RATES n US 51.8870

thing; nobody knows,” Isidro A. Consunji, chairman and president of DMCI Holdings Inc., said.

Cornering demand

MANY feared 2017 was the start of the cyclical downturn of the property industry, which has been growing since the 2007 to 2008 global financial crisis.

The fidgeting among the industry players was partly caused by the inability of the government to release Philippine Economic Zone Authority licenses to many buildings meant for the businessprocess outsourcing (BPO) sector.

Data from property broker Leechiu Property Consultants, however, showed that office takeup for Metro Manila still reached an all-time high of 775,000 square meters. Such amount is 23 percent higher than the previous year’s

takeup of 630,000 square meters.

The BPO industry took up less than half of the demand. The offshore or online gaming segment, to note, took up the slack and cornered some 30 percent of the demand.

Leechiu said this year’s office takeup will be close to a million square meters as the BPO industry will want more office space and Pogo will continue to grow. And while there will be some 1.2 million square meters to be added to Metro Manila this year, about a fifth of it will be likely delayed.

This is a sign that developers are deliberately slowing down construction.

Many questions

ACCORDING to Frederick Rara, manager of KMC-Savills, another property broker, the pipeline of construction is only for this year and announcements for construction activities beyond 2018

are getting few and far between.

“We’re only focusing on the vacancy [of buildings]. We have enough slack, so it is okay for them not to build right now. But what if the takeup and rental growth [becomes] faster [than they could build],” Rara said in an interview.

He added the broker is still awaiting for developments for this year.

“Are they going to push through with the construction or are we going to change the product line to residential or office leasing? These are the questions being asked right now especially if you are a developer, and you own a land but you don’t know what you will do [with such asset] next,” Rara said.

Over the past decade or so, the property market only showed pockets of development, mainly in mixeduse facilities such as the former mili-

tary camp in Taguig, the reclaimed lands of the Mall of Asia complex in Pasay, the neighboring Entertainment City in Parañaque and older CBDs of Ortigas and Makati.

Pogo explosion

DEVELOPERS such as Andrew Tan’s Megaworld Corp. were constructing buildings meant for a specific BPO company, a strategy it used over the last two decades. Such strategy ensures the facilities have takers.

However, here come buyers from mainland China. And with prices increasing, the equation suddenly went awry with Pogo occupiers.

The arrival of buyers and Pogo occupiers began late 2012 when Communist China cracked down on gambling. A slew of Pogo licenses targeting Chinese gamblers were released some time only in 2016, upon the assumpSee “Chinese,” A2

n JAPAN 0.4744 n UK 70.1408 n HK 6.6101 n CHINA 8.1764 n SINGAPORE 38.8027 n AUSTRALIA 39.0813 n EU 61.8337 n SAUDI ARABIA 13.8354

Source: BSP (May 11, 2018 )

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A2 Saturday, May 12, 2018

Voyage... eral Julius Flores, descendants An Lizhu and Wen Fang from Dezhou, Shendong, China, were among those who welcomed them.

Valdez expedition

THE leader of the heroic crew was Arturo T. Valdez, former undersecretary of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and of the Department of Transportation and Communications.

continued from A1

Valdez is a veteran mountaineer and former president of the Mountaineering Federation of the Philippines. In 2017 he successfully led two Filipino mountain climbing groups scale Mount Everest. “[Our vessel] is not an all-weather boat; it’s very vulnerable to weather [changes] and [the] stormy sea,” he said during a banquet given to him and his men. Though the three were duplicates of the ones used way back before the Span-

iards came, engines were installed on two of them to comply with Chinese maritime regulations as China prohibits wind-powered vessels from docking on its ports.

“My greatest fear was sailing at night, because you can be run over by big ships,” Valdez said.

Without advanced navigation equipment, the only way his team will spot oil tankers is with their eyes.

“We cannot even be seen on their radar because [our boats] are made of wood,” added Valdez, who also runs marathons.

In an emotional speech, Valdez said the voyage demonstrated how the people of Southeast Asia crossed the high seas in the past to maintain contact with their neighboring countries.

“These waters never divided us. They unified us,” he said. “And this boat, as a replica of an ancient boat, is a symbol of that relationship.”

Brave men

3X10

THE Balangay boats sailed from Manila to China on April 28 and arrived five days later in the port of Xiamen.

A gem of a boat similar to those constructed by Filipinos in the olden days, they had none of the trappings of a modern maritime vessel. No nails. No steel. No hinges.

No nuts and bolts.

They were solely made of Filipino ingenuity that braved foreign waters and reached unprecedented distances—1,000 kilometers to the eastern city of Xiamen on May 2.

“If there was no wind, we had to paddle our way. We had mobile phones, but there was no [signal],” Valdez said. “We did not stay too far from the coastline. We asked fishermen which was the best way to go.”

Princess Jacel Kiram, meanwhile, thanked Valdez and the people who conceptualized the trip, saying, “The bravery of the men is a continuing task.”

“If it can happen before, it can happen now,” she said. “We should value history for

5X27.5

it is only through it that we can become a strong nation.”

The princess also met up with her Chinese counterparts, Wen Fang and An Lizhu. They visited Xiamen University and bonded together during the entire welcome party for the crew.

Kiram, to note, is a direct descendant of Sultan Paduka Batara.

The Sultan sailed to China in 1417 to pay tribute to the Emperor of China and engaged in trade. He fell ill and died while in Shendong province.

His two children were left behind in China and eventually intermarried with the locals.

Firm boats

MADE from a Philippine hardwood, the planks of the Balangay boats were fastened together by the same hardwood pins measuring 19 centimeters long and were driven into holes on the edge of each plank.

The boat parts were sewn together, according to Valdez.

Its hull (about 15 meters long and 4 meters wide) was ordinarily semicircular in cross section and with no marked keel. Provided with huge outriggers, the boat was propelled either by a sail or paddles.

The Balangay was declared the National Boat of the Philippines in November 2015. It was chosen so that “future generations of Filipinos will recognize its invaluable contribution to the shaping of the country’s maritime tradition.”

Back in 2009, the “Kaya ng Pinoy” (Filipinos can) movement that conquered the summit of Mount Everest in 2006 announced plans to reconstruct the Balangay boat, with much help from Badjao and other tribal members. Its aim: trace the routes of our Filipino ancestors around Southeast Asia and the Pacific.

The team hired Badjao masterboat builders whose predecessors used traditional tools. They were constructed near the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) complex.

When finished, the Balangays, named Diwata ng Lahi (spirit of lineage), Masawa Hong Butuan (bright light of Butuan) and Sama Tawi Tawi (referring to the original inhabitants of Tawi-Tawi), navigated to the southern tip of Sulu. The small flotilla stopped over at numerous Philippine cities along the way to promote the project. The journey around the Philippines covered a distance of 2,108 nautical miles or 3,908 kilometers.

On its second voyage, the Balangay sailed throughout Southeast Asia in 2010, then to Micronesia and Madagascar the following year. The small flotilla ventured across the Pacific to the Atlantic and all the way around the world, returning to the Philippines in 2012 to 2013.

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Vessels of valor

FORMER President Fidel Ramos appointed Valdez as DOTC undersecretary in 1996, staying on until 2004. In 2007 he was deployed to the Middle East as a special envoy, staying there for a year.

He is currently still in government as DENR undersecretary for field operations. He is also a director at the Lopez-owned Energy Development Corp., the country’s pioneer in geothermal energy generation.

In 2008 Valdez participated in the 42-K Everest Marathon, finishing in 10 hours, 5 minutes and 46 seconds. During his voyage throughout Southeast Asia, Valdez and his men were held by naval authorities when they reached Malaysia, Cambodia and Indonesia.

“But all these difficulties were made up for by the beauty they encountered on their voyage,” recounted Anson Yu who chronicled most of Valdez’s extreme adventures. “Dolphins swam alongside the boats. Spirits were lifted by the welcome they received when they landed.”

“Hunger and fatigue would disappear when they saw the enthusiasm of school children wanting to learn more about the country’s maritime heritage,” Yu wrote in his website “Tulay” (http://tulay. ph/2017/08/01/art-valdez-dreameradventurer-explorer/).

When the voyage of the Balangay was about to end in December 2010, after three months of voyage in Southeast Asia, “Valdez invited all former and current presidents to join them on the final leg of the journey from Cavite to the CCP,” he added.

“The message he wanted to send was that despite our leaders’ differences, they must never at any point endanger the country itself, but rather learn to work together and safely guide the country to the right port at the destination,” Yu continued.

According to him, Ramos agreed to join the final leg of the journey.

“Then newly elected President Benigno Aquino III sent Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr. as his representative,” he wrote. “On December 13 the three vessels sailed into the breakwater behind the Manila Yacht Club and were greeted by a grand homecoming ceremony.”

A trip was supposed to coincide with President Duterte’s China visit in April but was tentatively postponed.

Valdez continues to spread his message, a call for national unity and to develop our maritime sovereignty. He and his crew were glad that politics had not gotten in the way.

“We don’t want to get involved in politics,” he said. “It is a cultural voyage. These waters in Southeast Asia unified all peoples. And I think, in a way, that’s the message of this entire voyage.”

Chinese... continued from A1

tion of Duterte as the most powerful man in the Philippines.

The licensing of Pogo exploded barely two years later and thus is redefining the property market in the country in the process.

DMCI’s Consunji said half of the company’s overseas sales are now coming from mainland China.

About half of total sales were from local buyers and the rest were from abroad, traditionally from overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).

OFWs, however, cannot afford their product anymore as prices climbed between P4 million and P4.5 million per unit of a condominium, Consunji said.

Such is evident on all of its projects that are scattered in Metro Manila, such as in Pasig, Quezon City, Mandaluyong and in the bay area.

Consunji said they are trying to control Chinese buyers.

“Our worry is that we may have too many absentee residents such as what you see in Shanghai and Beijing where you have totally sold buildings but nobody is living there. It’s kind of out of our objective. Our objective is to sell to [an] end-user, preferably to local end-users,” Consunji said. “It may not look nice if one segment of our development is empty.”

Still cheaper

DMCI is not alone in attempts to manage sales, especially to the Chinese.

Data from Ayala Land Inc. also showed buyers from mainland China also took up half of international sales last year, mainly in its mid-segment brands Alveo and Avida.

International sales comprised about a quarter of its total sales, which Consunji said is almost the same as DMCI Homes sales.

Property companies also follow the 60-40 rule, in which they can only sell 40 percent of their units to foreigners.

Consunji said such phenomenon has suddenly placed the Philippine property sector on the global investment map.

“Our prices here are much cheaper at, say, P90,000/square meters to P100,000/square meters.

Compare that to P600,000/square meters to P700,000/square meters in other neighboring countries. In Japan, they are selling it at P1 million per square meter,” Consunji said, adding that the Philippine property market has a long way to go.

Meanwhile, the former owner of the hotel near the Manila South Cemetery now owns a building in Cubao, Quezon City.

The person familiar with the hotel owner’s business said the property is being repurposed as a dormitory.

The owner believes dormitories are now fueling the demand side of the property sector, the person said.

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Chinese media welcomes AI

Z

By Recto Mercene

HEJIANG, China—Newspaper p u b l i c at i o n s a c ro s s C h i n a h a s started experimenting with artificial intelligence (AI) two years ago, employing robots to write brief stories on finance, sports and the weather.

The results were encouraging.

Nonetheless, Chen Minwei, deputy director, Chief Editor’s Office of the Zhejiang Daily Press Group (ZDPG), assured members of the media from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations region they will remain employed in the near future.

“You will not go extinct for the next 10 to 15 years,” Chen said. “Opinion [pieces], and those that require deep thinking or in-depth stories, will still require humans to write them. At the moment, AI robots have a complimentary role [with humans].”

She said AI is at the initial stages of application, churning out brief stories of about 200 to 300 words on the three categories of content, mainly opinion pieces.

Input, output

CHEN explained that a robot with AI relies on “Big Data” and the Internet to gather information and, with the proper algorithm, comes out with the required story.

“Although in its infancy, the AI robot is progressing very fast,” Chen said.

She added an AI robot is best when writing financial stories because it has access to previous data and economic stories “and with the changes in input and output, and by comparison, AI comes out with its own interpretation of the current financial situation.”

She said AI is a boost to financial reporters, being able to help them display the links and reports data they need to produce long, in-depth studies of financial developments or forecasts.

“AI robot can also collect similar materials for other media to help reporters,” Chen explained.

Public press

ONCE called the Zhejiang Daily when it started publication in 1949, the ZDPG today is a huge conglomerate and is listed at the Shanghai

Stock Exchange.

Newspaper publishing is still its core business, coming out with 450,000 copies daily. According to Lu Jianliang, director of the firm’s human resource allocation center, all their copies are paid by subscription.

“We are not available in newsstands,” Lu said.

He added that in China today, traditional media and the “new media” are undergoing transformation because of the change in readership and the easy application of new technology.

ZDPG is a provincial newspaper here, with 10,000 employees of which 1,500 are reporters, 1,000 technicians, 500 management and 160 for administration and logistics.

Communication channel

EIGHTEEN years ago the Zhejiang Daily became the conglomerate it is today, engaged in a host of businesses like banking, radio, WeChat, online business, food, magazine, and many more.

Lu said the firm has more than 30 media outlets and 30 million mobile users. He added the group belongs to the top 500 most valued brand and one of top Asian brands in China.

Lu said the company considers its 1,000 technicians as their most valued employees “because they support the development of new media.”

“With this integration, we found the Internet as a communication channel and our daily paper is an important part of communication,” Lu added.

All the media across China is undergoing restructuring, including the most widely circulated newspapers the People’s Daily and China News Agency.

According to Lu, the media in today’s China is being employed as a tool to promote the “Belt and Road” initiative of the government.

Lu said the Group visits Asean countries to exchange views on the decline of traditional media and the rise of the new media.

He noted he and other staff are scheduled to visit Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia “to talk with our counterparts and to discuss many things including media and the [BRI] of the government.”

Saturday, May 12, 2018

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Sereno takes ouster as CJ ‘victory’

By Joel R. San Juan & Bernadette Nicolas

M

ARIA Lourdes P.A. Sereno, a constitutional officer, deemed as victory the Supreme Court’s landmark decision on Friday to oust the Chief Justice from office through a petition for quo warranto.

Voting 8-6, the Court granted the quo warranto petition filed

by Solicitor General Jose Calida on March 5.

A fter the SC ’s officia l announcement of the ruling, Sereno immediately stepped out of the SC building and spoke to her supporters. The Court’s ruling, which was penned by Associate Justice Noel G. Tijam, preempted the impending impeachment trial of Sereno before the Senate.

“They took away the right of the Senate and destroyed the Judiciary,” she told her supporters in reference to the majority of the justices who voted to oust her.

Those who concurred w ith Tijam’s ponencia were Associate Justices Teresita J. Leonardo-de Castro, Lucas P. Bersamin, Francis H. Jardeleza, Samuel R. Martires, Andres B. Reyes Jr. and A le x a nder G. Gesmu ndo, SC Spokesman Theodore Te said in a news conference.

Those who dissented from the majority were Senior Associate Justice Antonio T. Carpio and Associate Justices Presbitero Jose Velasco Jr., Mariano C. del Castillo, Estela M. Perlas-Bernabe, Mario Victor F. Leonen and Alfredo Benjamin S. Caguioa.

“This day is not a day of defeat, but rather a victory,” Sereno told her supporters. “I was removed from my position, but the six votes that I should stay only means that what we’ve been fighting for is correct.”

Sereno has been insisting that, under the Constitution, she can only be ousted through impeachment proceedings.

She cited Article XI, Section 2 of the 1987 Constitution that states: “The President, the Vice President, the Members of the Supreme Court, the Members of the Constitutional Commissions, and the Ombudsman may be removed from office on impeachment for, and conviction of, culpable violation of the Constitution, treason, bribery, graft and corruption, other high crimes, or betrayal of public trust.”

T heodore Te clarified that while the vote was 8-6 granting the petition, the justices held a separate voting on the issue of whether or not quo warranto is the proper remedy applicable to Sereno’s case considering she is an impeachable official.

The result of the voting was 9-5, after Velasco voted with the majority.

Bigger battle

THE SC said in the dispositive portion of the ruling, which Te read to reporters, it found Sereno “disqualified from and is hereby adjudged guilty of unlawfully holding and exercising the Office of the Chief Justice. Accordingly, respondent Sereno is ousted and excluded therefrom.”

The Court, however, failed to release a copy of the decision as of this writing.

Te said the ruling is immediately executory “without need for further action from the Court.”

Likewise, the SC also declared the Chief Justice position vacant and ordered the Judicial and Bar Council to start the search for Sereno’s replacement.

Not contented from her ouster, the SC also issued a show cause order requiring her why she should not be penalized for supposedly violating Code of Professional Responsibility and Code of Judicial Conduct “for transgressing the subjudice rule and for casting aspersions and ill motives to the members of the Supreme Court.”

Nine of the justices also voted that Sereno violated the Constitution for failure to file her statements of assets, liabilities and net worth.

On this issue, Carpio joined the majority.

Nonetheless, Sereno showed a brave face and told her supporters: “The fight doesn’t end here, as it has just begun.”

“There is a bigger battle ahead and we are put in this place to fight again,” she said.

Palace reaction

M A L AC A ÑA NG, which has been publicly at odds with Sereno, only said the public should respect the SC decision.

“The Supreme Court is the final arbiter of the law,” Presidential Spokesman Harry L. Roque Jr. was quoted in a statement as saying.

“The Supreme Court, a co-equal branch of government, is dutybound to uphold the Constitution. The court ruling is, likewise, an assertion of the supremacy of the fundamental law of the land.”

Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Salvador S. Panelo was also quoted in the statement as saying the SC is only performing its constitutional duty of interpreting that the constitutional provisions and rendering a decision on cases properly brought before it.

“The assumption of jurisdiction is a triumph of the rule of law. Dura lex sed lex or ‘the law may be harsh, but it is the law’. Decisions [can neither] be based on emotions nor on biases,” Panelo added.

Con-com review

MEA NW HILE, Ateneo School of Government Dean Ronald U. Mendoza urged the constitutional committee (Con-com) reviewing the 1987 Constitution to speak up “now that [the] SC has basically violated the [Constitution].”

“How can they credibly propose amendments to a [Constitution] these justices just violated? How can we create a new one—we can’t even protect the old one?” Mendoza said in a Twitter post on Friday. In a statement, the Concom said the body “will consider the Sereno case in designing the Federal Judiciary.”

“It is the Con-com’s objective to clearly define in the new Constitution the allocation of powers among the three branches of government, and in the case of the judiciary, strengthen its internal and external independence,” the statement read.

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Saturday, May 12, 2018

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IMF’s help opposed by Argentines haunted by memories of 2001 crisis

B

UENOS AIRES, Argentina—It seemed like a collective moan could be heard across Argentina, as President Mauricio Macri uttered three words that many in this country associate with the worst of times: International Monetary Fund (IMF).

Macri surprised Argentina by announcing this week that he will seek a financing deal with the IMF following a sharp devaluation of its currency and a tough global outlook. The move has brought back bad memories for Argentines who blame the IMF for encouraging free-market policies that led to the country’s worst economic crisis in 2001.

“Historically, the image of the IMF has been something very traumatic for us Argentines,” Jorge Fidler, a 72-year-old accountant,

said of the economic crunch, which included government turmoil with five presidents in just two weeks. “This really is a bitter pill to swallow.”

The crisis 17 years ago resulted in one of every five Argentines being jobless, millions sliding into poverty and some reporting going hungry. The peso, which had been tied to the dollar, lost nearly 70 percent of its value.

Banks froze deposits and put up sheet metal barricades as thousands of protesters unsuccessfully tried to withdraw savings. At least 27 people died in protests and looting in December 2001 as South America’s second-largest economy unraveled.

Debt default

BLAME has been heaped since then on the IMF for its role in Argentina’s debt default of more than $100 billion. A survey by Argentine pollsters D’Alessio Irol/Berensztein said 75 percent of Argentines feel that seeking assistance from the IMF is a bad move. The survey of 1,077 people in early May had a margin of error of three percentage points.

“The IMF is the last instance lender. It’s a quasi-toxic word here,” Sergio Berensztein, a political analyst and coauthor of the poll, told The Associated Press. “It’s like when you go to the dentist. You might need it, but you don’t want to go.”

In a nationally televised address, Macri said he had begun talks with the IMF as a way to combat economic woes at home and a complex situation worldwide, including rising interest rates, higher oil prices and a depreciation of emerging market currencies. A week earlier, the Argentine peso hit an historic low against the US dollar and prices for Argentina’s bonds sank.

Still, the decision to reach out to the IMF for loans to shore up government reserves and dampen currency pressures caught many offguard. Just a year ago Argentina was still a darling among investors. The government sold out an issue of 100-year bonds taking advantage of a low interest rate.

More unsettled

People walk by a money exchange house in downtown Buenos Aires, Argentina, on May 4. Argentina authorities raised interest rates to 40 percent to stop the fall of the peso, a day after the dollar reached an all-time high against the peso. AP

MANY people spoke then of an economic miracle and said Macri was practically guaranteed reelection after his coalition scored a decisive victory in congressional elections. Now, the opposition has been emboldened and Macri’s political future seems more unsettled than ever.

What happened?

“There was a lot of optimism and financial markets were looking for any kind of yield anywhere. And any country which looked on the right path, and Argentina certainly did, was attracting a lot of attention and money,” said Monica de Bolle, senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics.

She said that after Macri took office in 2015, he was able to accomplish a lot quickly.

He resolved a long-standing legal dispute with creditors that returned Argentina to the global credit markets for the first time since its record default during the 2001 disaster. He removed currency controls and other economic distortions, and he ordered the government to publish credible statistics, which had been disputed by the IMF and local analysts under his predecessors.

“It helped to give the sense that Argentina is moving forward,” De Bolle said. “I don’t think markets were wrong—they might have been overly optimistic, but so was the government.”

Deeper changes

MACRI’S government said from the start that gradual austerity measures were needed to revive Argentina’s struggling economy. He cut red tape and tried to reduce the government’s budget deficit by ordering job cuts and

cutting utility subsidies, which sparked labor unrest.

When his Cambiemos (Let’s Change) coalition scored a triumph in the midterm elections, Macri said he would seek even deeper changes in tax and labor rules. But Argentines continued to lose purchasing power from high inf lation and many were frustrated with rises in fuel and transportation costs.

Argentina has long had one of the world’s highest inflation rates. Macri, a pro-business conservative, had promised to curb consumer prices, which rose up to 40 percent a year under his leftof-center predecessor, Cristina Fernandez.

Then in December, officials announced a rise in the inflation target, causing investors to begin doubting Macri’s commitment to taming price rises.

Meanwhile, the peso slumped against the dollar as rising US interest rates lured investors to pull money out of Argentina and put it in the US. That caused jitters among Argentines, who are used to stashing away dollars as a cushion since the 2001 crisis.

Macri’s government was forced to impose three interest-rate hikes and tighten the fiscal-def-

icit target.

IMF out

TALKS between Argentina and IMF officials opened on Thursday in Washington. Argentina’s treasury says it is seeking a stand-by deal, but the amount and terms have not been disclosed.

David Malpass, the US treasury undersecretary for international affairs, said on Thursday that he welcomed the talks to promote “growth and market reforms” in Argentina.

But for many Argentines, it spells the contrary. A local TV channel ran a banner this week reading: “Back to the future.” In Congress, opposition lawmakers protested by putting large signs on their desks proclaiming: “Out with the IMF!” The international lender has admitted that it had a made a string of mistakes that contributed to Argentina’s economic implosion. A 2004 repor t by the IMF’s internal audit unit concluded it failed to provide e nou g h o v e r s i g ht , o v e re s t i mated growth and the success of economic reforms, while it cont inued to lend A rgent ina money when its debt burden had turned unsustainable.

“The IMF did not press the authorities for a fundamental change in the policy regime and in December 2001 effectively cut off financial support to Argentina,” the report said.

Without further IMF support, the government was forced to declare the largest sovereign debt default in history.

Indirect colony

MANY Argentines still blame the IMF for permissive and heavy lending that led to devaluation of the peso and the debt default.

“It’s very sad,” said Soledad Patane, 29, a university student in Buenos Aires. “What they do is indebt a country until that country can no longer pay the debt and it becomes an indirect colony of those countries that continue to lend us money.”

De Bolle, who worked at the IMF in the early-2000s, finds such sentiments understandable, but she says the international lender has changed radica l ly since Argentina’s crisis. She said it has loosened policy prescriptions that forced austerity on borrowing nations and now puts more focus on inequality and social issues.

“It was nearly 20 years since the fund was involved with Argentina,” she said. “That’s a long time. It’s now a different institution.” AP

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

Cauley-Stein, Swoopes coming for Jr. NBA PHL

Saturday, May 12, 2018

A5

BOSTON’S Jaylen Brown (right) reacts after hitting a three-pointer against Philadelphia, while Golden State’s Draymond Green celebrates after sinking a basket. AP

T

HE National Basketball Association (NBA) announced recently that Willie Cauley-Stein of the Sacramento Kings and former Women’s NBA player and Hall of Famer Sheryl Swoopes will travel to Manila to help coach the finalists of the 2018 Jr. NBA Philippines presented by Alaska program.

The National Training Camp featuring the top 75 boys and girls aged 10 to 14 will be conducted at the Don Bosco Technical Institute on May 19 and at the SM Mall of Asia Music Hall on May 20.

Cauley-Stein and Swoopes will help identify the top eight boys and eight girls to be named as 2018 Jr. NBA Philippines All-Stars and serve as coaches at the Jr. NBA Alumni All-Star Game.

The 2018 All-Stars will travel to Shanghai in October to attend NBA China Games 2018 featuring the Philadelphia 76ers and the Dallas Mavericks.

“Filipinos are among the most passionate basketball fans in the world and I’m eager to work with these dedicated young players who have earned the right to be chosen as Jr. NBA All-Stars,” Cauley-Stein said. “I’m excited to share my basketball knowledge and help the kids become the best version of themselves on and off the court.”

“Participating in sports and having proper nutrition are both integral parts of a child’s holistic development, as it touches on physical, emotional and mental well-being,” Swoopes said. “ Cauley-Stein, selected sixth overall in the 2015 Draft, was named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team in 2016. He averaged 12.8 points, seven rebounds and 2.4 assists per game with the Kings this season.

Swoopes, signed by the Houston Comets during the 1997 season, is a four-time WNBA Champion, six-time WNBA All-Star, three-time WNBA MVP and an Olympic gold medalist. Named as part of the WNBA’s Top 15 Players of All Time, Swoopes spent 12 seasons in the WNBA with the Houston Comets, Seattle Storm and Tulsa Shock prior to being inducted into the Naismith Memorial and Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in 2016 and 2017, respectively.

The National Training Camp finalists were selected from Regional Selection Camps in Bacolod, Baguio, Butuan and Metro Manila, and from the Alaska Power Camps in Manila and Subic.

The search for the 2018 Coaches of the Year will also conclude at the National Training Camp, and the winning coaches will take part in the NBA experience trip alongside the Jr. NBA All-Stars.

AirAsia backs Suzuki Cup

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IRASIA has become an Official Supporter of the Asian Football Federation (AFF) Suzuki Cup 2018—aligning Asean’s leading low-cost airline with the region’s premier football competition.

This is the first time AirAsia, which flies to more than 130 destinations in Asia Pacific—including to all 10 Asean nations—has supported the popular biennial tournament, which was last played in 2016 with Thailand emerging victorious.

“I have always been a big believer in Asean football. I’ve watched every AFF since the inaugural in 1996 and I am thrilled to be able to work with them to support the biggest event in the region’s footballing calendar,” said Tony Fernandes, AirAsia Group chief executive officer and AirAsia X co-Group CEO. This year marks the 12th staging of the AFF Suzuki Cup, which was first staged in 1996.

AirAsia’s sponsorship comes at a time when the tournament will see some exciting new changes to its format aimed at providing more exposure for the players in their home country and driving greater fan engagement.

For the first time in the tournament’s history, each group will be composed of five teams, with each team playing two matches at home and two matches away. This means throughout the course of the tournament, there will be home matches held in every participating country, which will further enhance established rivalries.

His Royal Highness Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah, president of the Asean Football Federation, said, “We are proud to partner such a strong and established brand like AirAsia whose reputation as an innovative, value-driven and high-performing carrier dovetails with Southeast Asia’s crown jewel football tournament.”

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By Tim Reynolds The Associated Press

HE franchise with the most titles. The best player of this generation. The reigning champions. The probable Most Valuable Player (MVP).

The National Basketball Association (NBA) has its Final Four.

It certainly does not disappoint.

Boston’s win over Philadelphia on Wednesday night brought down the curtain on the postseason’s second round—one that wasn’t exactly loaded with drama, since it was the first time since 2002 that none of the NBA’s four conference semifinal series went past five games. Cleveland swept Toronto, while Houston, Golden State and the Celtics all prevailed by 4-1 counts.

Everyone gets to catch their collective breaths for a few days, with the league going dark until the weekend.

Cleveland and Boston don’t tip off the Eastern Conference finals until Sunday, and the Warriors and Rockets start their West title series on Monday. And yes, the Cavaliers and Warriors are four wins away from a fourth consecutive meeting in the NBA Finals.

A few things to know going into the conference finals:

LEBRON, OF COURSE

ANY list of anything this time of year basically has to start with LeBron James, still generally considered the

best player on the planet even at 33 years old and in his 15th NBA season.

Cleveland’s star is trying to reach the NBA Finals for the eighth consecutive season—something only four other players have done, and they were all Boston Celtics. Bill Russell went to 10 straight title series, Sam Jones and Tom Heinsohn went to nine, and Frank Ramsey went to eight.

James is already the NBA’s all-time playoff leader in points, steals and minutes played. He’s fifth in playoff wins with 152, behind only Derek Fisher (161), Tim Duncan (157), Robert Horry (155) and Kareem AbdulJabbar (154).

CAVS-CELTICS HISTORY

THIS is the eighth time Cleveland and Boston have met in the postseason. Boston has won four of the previous seven meetings, but Cleveland has won the last two— including the East finals last season.

WARRIORS-ROCKETS HISTORY

THIS is only the third Golden State-Houston playoff meeting, and all have come in the last four seasons.

The Warriors are 2-0 in the series, winning both times in five games—the 2015 West finals and a first-round matchup in 2016.

SEEKING 10

GOLDEN State is trying to reach the NBA Finals for the 10th time, a mark that two other franchises have reached. The Los Angeles Lakers have made The Finals on 31 occasions (winning 16 titles), and the Celtics have

NBA’S FINAL FOUR

gone 21 times (winning a league-high 17 titles).

If the Warriors successfully defend their NBA title and go back-to-back, it’ll be the franchise’s sixth time as the last team standing—and would tie Chicago for the thirdmost championships in league history, behind the Celtics and Lakers.

MVP WATCH

HOUSTON’S James Harden seems like the probable winner of the NBA’s MVP award this season, with the only other realistic candidate for top honors probably LeBron James.

They won’t know who won until June 25—after the season.

Regardless, they could wind up adding to a recent trend.

The league MVP has played in the NBA Finals in four of the last six seasons—James and the Miami Heat won titles in 2012 and 2013, Stephen Curry and the Warriors won in 2015 and lost to Cleveland in 2016.

MATTER OF TIME

RAY ALLEN is still the league’s all-time leader in playoff three-pointers made, with 385.

LeBron James and Stephen Curry are coming his way.

James is No. 2 on the all-time list with 346 playoff three-pointers. Curry is No. 3 with 329—in only 79 playoff games. Allen played in 171, and James has played in 228.

WELL DONE, SCHEDULE MAKERS

HERE’S how the NBA season began, back on October 17 last

year: Boston at Cleveland, and Houston at Golden State.

Almost seven months later, the conference finals begin with Cleveland at Boston, Golden State at Houston.

WIN GAME One

Winning Game One of any NBA playoff series is important; under this format that the league has been using since 1984, teams that take 1-0 series leads ultimately win those matchups about 80 percent of the time.

That’s even more pronounced in this round.

Of the 68 teams that have taken 1-0 series leads in the conference finals, 57 have gone on to make the NBA Finals. But four times in the last seven years, a team has dropped Game One in this round and made The Finals anyway.

MORE DAYS OFF?

THE NBA Finals start on May 31.

That means there could be a lot of days without basketball before then.

If both series end in sweeps—unlikely, of course, but possible—the Boston-Cleveland winner would have 10 days off before The Finals and the HoustonGolden State winner would have nine.

Starting on Thursday, there will be no games five times in a nine-day span. There’s no games until Sunday, and there’s no games in either series on May 17 and 18. Those needing a basketball fix on those last two days, fret not—there will be NBA Combine activities going on in Chicago on those two days.

RP JR BLU GIRLS SENDOFF

Jean Henri Lhuillier, Amateur Softball Association of the Philippines president and Cebuana Lhuillier president and CEO, sends off the Junior Blu Girls who will see action in the Seventh Asian Junior Women’s Softball Torunament set on May 13 to 18 at the Clark Freeport.

Letran, San Beda fives triumph

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ETRAN and San Beda University prevailed over their rivals in the 24th Fr. Martin Cup summer tournament played early this week at the Saint Placid Gym at the San Beda-Mendiola campus in Manila.

Jack Pambid struck with 18 points in leading the Knights to a 76-69 thumping of the Our Lady of Fatima University side in the tournament supported by Cocolife.

The Red Cubs also got 16 points from Kent Pelipel.

The Knights went on to hike their record to two wins and their losses in the senior division.

It was the Red Cubs’s third straight triumph after they earlier stopped Kidzhots and First City Providential School of Bulacan.

In the women’s division, Grace Irebu drilled in 17 points as University of Santo Tomas beat University of the Philippines, 65-43.

The Knights banked on a triple from Kurt Reyson in the last five minutes to score 14 unanswered points.

They moved ahead by 13 points, 72-59, at the end of the scoring run.

LADIES OF PVL READY FOR HOT TUGUEGARAO O

PENING-DAY winners PayMaya and Creamline try to shake off exhaustion from playing consecutive matches when the Premier Volleyball League (PVL) Season 2 Reinforced Conference goes on tour for the first time this weekend at the People’s Gym in Tuguegarao City, Cagayan.

PayMaya, composed of the Roger Gorayeb-coached BaliPure players who finished second in last year’s Reinforced Conference before winning the Open Conference, renews its rivalry with reigning champion Pocari Sweat-Air Force at 2 p.m.

Creamline, meanwhile, takes on Perlas-BanKo at 4 p.m.

But the challenge does not end today, as the four squads again play tomorrow with Pocari Sweat-Air Force and BanKo-Perlas colliding at 2 p.m., and Creamline and

PayMaya capping the out-of-town sortie at 4 p.m.

The High Flyers and Cool Smashers had impressive season debuts last week with PayMaya sweeping Tacloban, 25-8, 33-31, 25-20, and Creamline making short work of Petro Gazz, 25-18, 25-16, 25-13.

But playing two games in a row in scorching hot Cagayan pose as a bigger challenge for both teams.

“Playing two games in a row is my concern and the temperature is too hot in Tuguegarao as we all know. It’s not player friendly, but we’re here and we just have to follow the schedule and focus on our goal,” Gorayeb said.

Gorayeb will continue to lean on imports Tess Nicole Rountree and Shelby Sullivan and locals Grethcel Soltones, Jerrili Malabanan, Celine Domingo, Aiko Urdas, setter Jasmine Nabor and libero Lizlee Pantone.

Creamline superstar Alyssa Valdez, on the other hand, is up for the challenge, stressing that their coach Tai Bundit would make the most out of their deep roster.

Playing alongside Valdez are Michele Gumabao, Jia Morado, Pau Soriano, Risa Sato, Jema Galanza and Melissa Gohing and imports Kuttika Kaewpin and Nikolina Asceric.

“It’s a different schedule because we go out of town and, of course, there are external factors—but come to think of it, Coach Tai, for sure, will prepare us for all those external factors,” the league’s reigning Most Valuable Player Valdez said.

Eyes are also on defending champion Pocari Sweat, led by reigning Finals and Open Conference MVP Myla Pablo, imports Maddie Palmer and Arielle Love and

mainstays Elaine Kasilag, Jeanette Panaga and new recruit from San Beda University Cesca Racraquin.

Completing the team are Air Force stars Wendy Semana, Mary Ann Balmaceda, Mary Ann Pantino, Iari Yongco, Angel Antipuesto and Dell Palomata. They are coached by Jasper Jimenez.

BanKo-Perlas, on the other hand, will be handled by a new coach, Dong de la Cruz.

De la Cruz will call the shots for former Ateneo Lady Eagles Mae Tajima, Kara Acevedo, Ella de Jesus, Jem Ferrer and Gizelle Tan, ex-Adamson University star Amanda Villanueva, Nicole Tiamzon of University of the Philippines and University of the East stalwart Sue Roces. Lakia Bright and Jutarat Montripila are their reinforcements. Lance Agcaoili

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BusinessMi

Saturday, May 12, 2018 | Editor: Jun Lomibao

Sagan stands firm atop WorldTour rankings

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ETER SAGAN (Bora-Hansgrohe) remains the clear leader at the top of the WorldTour rankings after the Tour de Romandie and the Eschborn-Frankfurt oneday race, with Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) and Niki Terpstra (Quick-Step Floors) rounding out the top three.

Quick-Step Floors is still rooted to the top of the team standings, thanks to a dominant start to the 2018 season.

Below that there has been plenty of change with Primoz Roglic (LottoNL-Jumbo) surging 18 places to fourth in the WorldTour standings, thanks to his overall win at the Tour de Romandie. Roglic assumed control of the race on Stage 1 after a strong performance in the prologue.

Egan Bernal (Team Sky) closed the gap to six seconds after taking victory in the mountain time trial.

However, Roglic withstood a barrage of attacks from the Colombian on the queen stage to win the overall classification by eight seconds.

Bernal jumped 49 places to 25th, a position that could have been much higher had he not been caught in a crash on the final stage of the Volta a Catalunya in March. Richie Porte, who finished third place overall in Romandie, moved into 16th place, due to his haul of points. Thanks, in part, to the movement of these three, most riders in the top 100 have moved down at least one place in the standings.

In the team classification, all of the movement has

PETER SAGAN is on top of the world.

happened between fifth and 13th places in the rankings.

The top four of Quick-Step Floors, Mitchelton-Scott, BoraHansgrohe and Movistar remain the same with BMC Racing jumping ahead of Bahrain-Merida to round out the top five.

Astana and Team Sky have moved up one and two positions respectively to slot in behind those two. Roglic’s win has pushed LottoNL-Jumbo into 11th place, two places higher than they were at the end of the Ardennes Week.

At the bottom of the rankings, Team Katusha-Alpecin languish in last place more than 100 points behind Dimension Data in 17th place. Katusha has had just two WorldTour wins this season with both coming from Marcel Kittel in the sprints at Tirreno-Adriatico. Cyclingnews

THE team’s dream reaches far beyond getting Israeli riders into and to the finish of a Grand Tour.

Israel Cycling Academy in Giro to inspire next generation

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HE Israel Cycling Academy riders used the historic Giro d’Italia start in Israel not only as an opportunity to add to their own palmares and to boost their cycling team, but their hope is the spectacle of the Grande Partenza in Jerusalem will provide inspiration for a new generation of cyclists.

With two Israeli riders, Guy Niv and Guy Sagiv, making the first Grand Tour starts for any Israeli rider, the team is sharing their focus on achieving a stage win along with the goal of seeing Sagiv and Liv through to the finish.

“The concept was to use this beautiful platform, these great athletes, this amazing opportunity from the media, and this special edition of the Giro to inspire an entire generation of new cyclists,” team General Manager Ran Margaliot said in the prerace press conference on Tuesday evening, adding that the team will dedicate a lot of energy to making sure they are “guiding the young guys.”

The selection of both Sagiv, 23, and Niv, 24, for the Giro roster was a bit of a surprise after the team added considerably more experienced riders in the off-season.

But the team’s mission is to grow the sport in Israel while providing opportunities to riders from countries that are underrepresented in the peloton. Putting the two Israeli riders in their first Grand Tours and the first for any Israeli riders fulfills that mission on several points.

“It’s a great opportunity for me,” said Niv, who was a professional mountain biker before taking up road racing last season. “I’m really excited, but I’m here not only to ride well for my team but also to hopefully be an inspiration to young Israeli riders who will see us racing this weekend. We hope the Giro will change the culture of Israeli cycling over the next few years.”

Sagiv said the opportunity to start the Giro was “triple excitement.”

“For every kid who rides, the dream is first to become a pro cyclist, then the next dream is to take part in a Grand Tour, and that really excites me, especially when it’s here in Israel, so it’s triple excitement for me,” Sagiv said. “Growing up in Israel there was no specific team to dream of, but now for kids in Israel they have this team to aspire to.”

The team’s dream reaches far beyond getting Israeli riders into and to the finish of a Grand Tour, however, as team coowner Sylan Adams laid out the goals for the next three weeks.

“First, to be active in the races as we’ve done all season, especially of late,” Adams said at the press conference.

“Second, we’d like to win a stage or two. Let’s be optimistic.

We can be lucky but we have to make our own luck. I see a stage or two where, if we can have the right strategy and the right luck, we can win. Third, bringing Israelis to a Grand Tour was a goal and now that we’ve done that, we want to bring both our Israeli riders, Niv and Sagiv, to Rome to make it through the race.”

The team’s best chances for a stage win come from 2018 recruits Ben Hermans and Ruben Plaza. Both have Grand Tour experiences with 38-year-old Plaza claiming stage wins in both the Tour de France and Vuelta a España.

“When you are nearing the end of your career, you always try to enjoy the attention,” said Plaza, who recently won the final stage and the overall at Vuelta a Castilla y Leon. “I don’t know if this will be my last Grand Tour, so I just want to enjoy it. My main goal is to win a stage or certainly fight for it. The goal of the team is the same. We have ahead of us three hard weeks to try to do it.” Cyclingnews

Road trainees gear up for European summer UCI World Cycling Centre’s women athletes post with Coach Alejandro Gonzalez-Tablas

BOOSTED BY SC

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HRIS FROOME’S bid at the Giro d’Italia didn’t get off to the best start when he crashed during a recon of the opening time trial, but the battle to prove his innocence in his salbutamol case may have received a boost following the publication of a new scientific study.

A research paper published last week in the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, and highlighted in an article on The Times web site, has called the efficacy of the testing procedures for salbutamol into question.

The paper, titled the “Futility of current urine salbutamol doping control,” concluded that it was not feasible to determine a dosage level based on the results of a single “untimed” urine sample.

Froome returned a salbutamol level of 2,000ng/ml in an antidoping urine test conducted during the final week of last year’s Vuelta a España. The reading was twice the permitted level set out by the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada). Froome and his legal team are attempting to prove that, despite the reading, he did not exceed the permitted dosage. If he is found to be guilty, he could face a lengthy suspension and may have results struck from his palmarès—though which ones remains unclear. Froome has always maintained his innocence and has defended his decision to continue racing subjudice.

The new study used simulations to predict the concentration of salbutamol in urine, using a model of inhaled and orally administered salbutamol, with an input of 800mcg—Wada’s maximum allowed dosage.

Most of the parameters used came from literature on adult humans but the study also used parameters on absorption and distribution from literature on dogs.

According to the report, as many as 15.4 percent of the simulations resulted in the levels of salbutamol in the urine exceeding the 1,000ng/ml limit set out by Wada.

It states that “the current threshold inadvertently leads to incorrect assumptions of violation, whereas many violations will go unnoticed” and says that the testing should be reconsidered.

The study was performed by researchers at the Centre for Human Drug Research in Leiden, the Netherlands, and led by Jules Heuberger, who last year published a study on the effects of EPO, concluding that it did not improve performance.

Unlike other substances on Wada’s banned list, salbutamol is “specified”, meaning Froome does not automatically receive a provisional suspension, and can continue racing. However, the onus is on him to prove how such levels got into his urine sample. Froome’s legal team, led by lawyer Mike Morgan, has looked at a number of different defences. In January it was reported that they were looking into using kidney malfunction as defense, claiming that Froome’s kidneys retained salbutamol from previous days before releasing it all at once.

The effects of dehydration have also been examined and, under new Wada regulations that take this and urine concentration into account, Froome’s levels have been revised to 1,429ng/ml, according to The Times. Though much lower than the original 2,000ng/ml, this revised level would still constitute an adverse analytical finding (AAF).

The findings of this study could prove a major boost for Froome and his legal team, and The Times reports that they are likely to use it as part of their defense. However, Wada remains confident of their own scientific findings on the subject and do not believe that the threshold of 1,000ng/ml requires changing.

“I read the article you refer to, and no, no concern at all. Nothing new, as their model is based on three wellknown studies,” Wada science director Dr. Oliver Rabin told The Times.

“Wada has conducted several studies on salbutamol and continues to conduct studies on beta-2 agonists.

We believe the current threshold is solid considering the scientific literature published on salbutamol over the past 20 years. Based upon the published and unpublished information in our possession, we see no reason to change the salbutamol threshold.”

Almost eight months after he was notified of the test results, Froome’s case does not appear to be anywhere near its conclusion. There is no prescribed timeline for the case and it could drag on through the Tour de France in July and beyond. Cyclingnews

CHRIS FROOME has always maintained his innocence and has defended his decision to continue racing subjudice.

Tour de Yorkshire: More than an Elite

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HE county of Yorkshire in Northern England—host of the 2014 Tour de France Grand Départ, the annual Tour de Yorkshire and next year’s UCI Road World Championships— has, over the years, become synonymous with cycling.

However, as well as catering to the world’s Elite, the county’s authorities are constantly encouraging the local population to take to their bicycles. Their efforts were recognized last year when they were awarded the UCI Bike Region label.

There is no doubt that watching the world’s best is hugely inspiring, and to cash in on that, a series of events has been organized around the recent Tour de Yorkshire.

THE COUNTRY DRESSED TO THE NINES

IN its three years of existence, the Tour de Yorkshire (TDY) has

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T the beginning of the year, eight women and 10 men from 15 countries arrived into a bitterly cold Swiss winter. While the locals complained about the constant subzero temperatures, the UCI World Cycling Centre’s (WCC) trainee athletes—the majority from much warmer climes— got resolutely down to work.

When it was too cold or slippery to ride outside, the UCI WCC coaches found them indoor alternatives. The men’s group—which arrived earlier than the women—spent one month in Spain to get in some quality training on roads clear of snow and ice.

The trainees, aged between 18 and 25, have now proven themselves in the first races of the season and, together with their coaches, look forward to the season’s next major objectives.

WOMEN TRAINEES: MANY ON FAMILIAR TERRITORY

THE UCI WCC held no secrets for half of the women’s group,

become renowned for the welcome from and atmosphere in the host cities, towns and villages. Along the race route, there is no shortage of cycling-themed decorations, with bunting hanging above the streets and bicycles painted in the Tour’s yellow and blue colors. Even some of the region’s sheep have been seen to sport a yellow/blue makeover.

Building on the enthusiasm already demonstrated by local businesses and households, Welcome to Yorkshire—the region’s destination management organization—is this year running a Land Art competition and a Best Dressed competition.

The best piece of land art—for example a decorated building or installation in a field—along the course, will be rewarded with an official land art trophy.

The first year of the Best Dressed competition, organized in who were returning to the Swiss training center for the second—in a few cases third—consecutive year. And stronger than ever, according to UCI WCC Coach Alejandro Gonzalez-Tablas: “When they went back to their respective countries at the end of last year, they used the break to assimilate all they had learned.

“On arriving back in Switzerland at the beginning of this year, their skills such as descending and riding in a peloton were just as sharp—or even better—than when they left.”

Their increased confidence and constant progress means that this year they have targeted races of a higher level than last year.

One of the highlights so far has been the Princess Maha Chackri Sirindhorn’s Cup Women’s Tour of Thailand (April 8 to 10), a Class 2.1 event on the UCI international calendar. The team of five came away with three stage podiums, including third place in the team time trial and a win for sprinter Thi That Nguyen (Vietnam) in the second stage.

association with the Yorkshire Post newspaper, will honor TDYdecorated towns, cities and villages in four categories: Best Dressed Village, Best Dressed Town, Best Dressed Host Location and Spirit of Le Tour.

Since the start of the year, Welcome to Yorkshire has visited more than 60 towns and villages across the county with a TDY road show. These events give local residents, businesses and community groups information about the Tour and provide tips on ways to capitalise on the global focus on Yorkshire.

Last year 2.2 million spectators lined the race routes, and the local economy benefited from £64 million as a result of hosting the race.

LEGACY INCLUDES BIKE LIBRARIES

LONG recognized as an ideal cycling region with varied and In the overall classifications, the WCC riders claimed third in the teams classification, second in the points classification and third in the mountains classification with Nguyen, and the top two spots in the classification for best Southeast Asian rider with Nguyen and Thailand’s Phetdarin Somrat.

“There is a lot of cohesion in the group,” explains their coach. “Each of them has a specific role or goal going into a race and they work together very well.”

Events on the calendar include one-day races such as the Trofee Maarten Wynants (1.1) in Belgium and the Grand Prix de Plumelec.Morbihan Dames (1.1) in France.

MEN TRAINEES: LEARNING FROM EXPERIENCE

LIKE the women, the men’s group has also been targeting races of a higher level than in previous years. Their coach Jean-Jacques Henry points out that something is to be learned from every race.

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mirror_sports@yahoo.com.ph | Saturday, May 12, 2018 A7

CIENTIFIC STUDY Alexander Vinokourov takes a “groupie” with his Team Astana.

Vinokourov says Astana’s future secure until 2020

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STANA Team Manager Alexander Vinokourov was in Israel for the Grande Partenza of the Giro d’Italia and confirmed that he has secured the future of his team until at least 2020.

The WorldTour team was reportedly struggling to secure funding for daily operations at the start of the season after the Kazakh government failed to make any contract payments in the first part of 2018.

Vinokourov revealed the financial problems in an interview with the Kazakh publication Vesti.kz, published in late February, in an attempt to force the government’s arm.

His actions appeared to have worked, with the Astana riders also showing their worth with a series of victories in the first few months of the season.

Alexey Lutesnko won the Tour of Oman, Michael Valgren won Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and the Amstel Gold Race, while Astana won three out of five stages at the Tour de Alps, with Miguel Angel Lopez finishing third overall, thus confirming his potential for the Giro d’Italia.

“The problems have been resolved for at least the next two seasons,” Vinokourov told La Gazzetta dello Sport. According to the Italian sports newspaper, the Astana team will have a budget of around €17 million in 2019, with the hope of securing a further €2 million to €3 million to help sign a major team leader.

Vinokourov also said that he was hopeful that Lopez would perform well at the Giro d’Italia. Jakob Fuglsang will lead Astana at the Tour de France.

“He’s got to believe he can finish on the podium,” Vinokourov said of Lopez.

The Astana team manager added that he is now on good terms with Fabio Aru after Sardinian left Astana to join UAE Team Emirates this season. Vinokourov had threatened to take legal action after Astana was left without a big-name Grand Tour leader.

“Fabio and I still have a good relationship. We said hello here at the Giro d’Italia and I wished him all the best for a good Giro.” Cyclingnews

Colorado Mesa U cyclist chases college crown after sustaining back injury

te cycling race RIDERS go all out in the 2016 Asda Women’s Tour de Yorkshire.

beautiful roads, Yorkshire first became the center of the Elite international spotlight when it hosted the 2014 Tour de France Grand Départ. The following year saw the first edition of the now annual Tour de Yorkshire, which is part of the UCI Europe Tour. Alongside these Elite events, a whole raft of activities has been organized to encourage cycling among residents and promote the region as a cycling destination internationally and in the UK. The region has the ambition to get “more people cycling, more often” under the dedicated Cycle Yorkshire initiative, backed by a strategy endorsed by political leaders.

One region-wide effort that embodies this commitment is The Yorkshire Bank Bike Libraries project, launched as a legacy program following the 2014 Grand Départ. The mission of the project is to make a bike accessible to every child in Yorkshire,

with the program providing hire bicycles free of charge to families and children across the region.

The Bike Libraries project has been a clear success, and the 50th library is set to open in June. Over 60 donation stations across the county receive unwanted bikes that are then put to good use within the Bike Library network. The initiative has received international recognition, winning the Sport Simple Programme of the Year award at the Peace and Sport Awards in December 2017.

Next year, Yorkshire will host the 2019 UCI Road World Championships and the legacy promises to be long-lasting. Of the £24 million the UK government is investing in the event, £15 million will go toward the development of 27 cycle sport facilities in the UK. UCI News

“This is one of the first years we have tackled such highlevel races so early on and it is helping them progress.”

He cites the recent Liège-Bastogne-Liège U23 as an example. Despite some tactical errors from the team at the beginning of the race, the centre’s best-placed athlete, Barnabás Peák (HUN) was in line for a top-10 placing at 7 km from the end. However, a crash saw him lose time and finish 37th. Their coach says: “The higher the level, the more they pay for even the slightest error. We try to make them think during a race. We envisage a huge number of different situations at the race briefing, but it is up to them to recognize the situations and react.”

He adds: “We try to create a good understanding between everyone which isn’t easy with the language barrier. But it is beginning to gel now.”

The men have enjoyed success and podiums closer to “home” such as victory in Switzerland’s Grand Prix Mobiliar on

April 2nd with Panama’s Franklin Archibold.

The group has a busy schedule coming up with races such as the Tour de Bretagne in France, the Vuelta Bidasoa in Spain, A travers les hauts de France and Paris-Roubaix U23. The major goal before September’s UCI Road World Championships will be the Tour de l’Avenir (August 17 to 26), final event of the UCI Nations’ Cup U23.

UCI WCC Director Frédéric Magné explained that aim of the center’s training camps was to expose riders to highlevel racing.

“These athletes are among the best in their own countries, and our aim is to accompany them up to the next level,” he said. “Riding in a peloton of more experienced cyclists forces them to dig deep both physically and mentally. They learn to read a race, think intelligently, and save their strength and power for use in key moments of racing. It is fantastic to see how they progress.” UCI News

Mauro Rato rides between Fruita and Grand Junction in Colorado. AP

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HE steeper the climb the better for 23-year-old Spanish cyclist Mauro Rato.

That’s his forte.

The sharper of descent? Now that took some resolve for the Colorado Mesa University senior to conquer.

Understandable, considering that nearly four years ago he blew a tire during a race in Spain, crashed into a wall and fractured six vertebrae.

It’s been an arduous climb back—one that saw him morph from a sprinter into more of an endurance specialist,

change schools and land in Grand Junction, Colorado, where he rides for the varsity squad. He will be among the favorites as the USA Cycling collegiate road national championships roll into Rato’s high-elevation backyard this weekend.

“To be honest, I’m not nervous,” said Rato, who will compete in the road race, criterium competition and the team time trial as he tries to help the Mavericks unseat Division I varsity defending champion Marian University from Indianapolis. “I don’t have any pressure. I’m going to try to enjoy the race as much as I can. If I can win, I’ll be happy. If I can’t, I’ll be happy anyway.”

Growing up in Gijon, a coastal city in northern Spain, his dad bought him his first bike—it was green—and took him to a local park to learn to ride.

He was hooked at first pedal.

But this truly fueled his desire: The cycling stories over long lunches told to him by his grandpa, Jose Luis Rato, a rider in the 1950s. He regaled his grandson with tales of winning stages at big races.

“That,” Rato said, “is really when I decided to like cycling.”

As a teenager, he charged to wins with his sprinting ability. That led him to Mars Hill University in North Carolina, where he finished 47th in his first collegiate national road race in 2014.

Back in Spain about a month later, he was cruising along in a race when he headed into a downhill section.

What happened next remains a blur. He’s only pieced together the details of the accident by talking to teammates.

His front tire went flat. He lost control of his bike. He slid into a rock wall.

Rato was transported by ambulance to the hospital and then flown by helicopter to a bigger facility. He didn’t require surgery but had to stay for about a month as his back healed. Then, he was confined to his home for another two months. Given all the down time, he pondered his cycling career.

Nibali skips Giro for final shot at Tour de France

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ICENZO NIBALI is not riding the Giro d’Italia and so will miss the three stages in Sicily, but he has revealed he gave up a chance to race on his local roads to have what is probably a final chance to win a second Tour de France.

Nibali is likely to return to the Giro d’Italia in 2019 and is close to extending his contract with Bahrain Merida to include the 2020 and possibly even the 2021 seasons.

Nibali’s brother, Antonio is part of the Bahrain-Merida squad at the Giro d’Italia and his parents will travel down the coast from their hometown of Messina for Tuesday’s stage from Catania to Caltagirone.

Nibali has respected the unwritten rule of not attending races unless he is racing. He is currently training at his base in Switzerland before taking part in his Gran Fondo Squali sportif ride on Saturday on the Adriatic coast. He will then

head to Mount Teide for a pre-Tour de France training camp on May 14.

Nibali was the local hero when the 2017 Giro d’Italia visited Sicily and his hometown of Messina.

The three stages in Sicily made it hard for him to miss this year’s race but the Bahrain-Merida team was keen for him to focus 100 percent on the Tour de France.

“I’m really sorry not to be at the Giro. The Giro in Sicily has always been spectacular and will be this year too,” Nibali told La Gazette dello Sport.

Giro d’Italia Director Mauro Vegni revealed the details of Nibali’s difficult decision to miss his home Grand Tour after five podium places in recent years.

“Vincenzo explained his decision over dinner in February, saying: ‘I’m really sorry, Mauro, the Giro has a special place in my

“I was thinking of retiring and stop racing,” said Rato, who’s majoring in sports management with a minor in business administration. “For me, it didn’t make sense to crash again, or to be on the bike again, to be scared. But after being at home without doing anything, feeling sick, I realized that cycling was my life.”

The crash changed him.

Physically, he lost weight—about 22 pounds (10 kilograms)—which altered his racing style. He’s now known as much for his stamina as his sprinting.

Emotionally, he had hurdles to clear, too.

“Sometimes on a downhill, I still feel a little bit scared about crashing again,” Rato said. “But it’s cycling. I’m going to try to keep going and see where my limit is.”

At Mars Hill in 2015, Rato finished third in the road race and seventh in the criterium. Soon after, he decided to transfer to Colorado Mesa for a fresh opportunity.

His Coach Patric Rostel eagerly welcomed him into the program. Rostel, a competitive cyclist from Germany, knew Rato could be a vital cog to help build a high-powered program in the thin air of Grand Junction (elevation: roughly 4,600 feet).

“What makes him so good is he’s 100-percent dedicated,” said Rostel, who competed for Colorado Mesa and captured the collegiate national criterium title in 2012.

“He can go over his limits.”

Last season Rato finished fifth in the national road race and 10th in the criterium.

This season, he’s even more prepared. He knows every undulation along the four-loop course that’s 66 miles (106 kilometers) in total and features plenty of hills. He rides it at least once a week.

“Just to see if there are any holes in the road, and to know the hills,” Rato said.

Any advantage helps against a dynamic squad such as Marian University.

“If everything goes in our favor, we have a chance to compete for No. 1 on the podium,” Rostel said.

It’s Rato’s last go-round on this level and he’s planning to savor every moment. Down the road, he hopes to sign with a professional team and race all over.

“I want my granddad to watch me on TV one day,” Rato said. “Now that would be awesome.” AP heart but this year is perhaps the last chance I’ll have to try to win a second Tour. If I don’t try this year...’ At that point I stopped being the Giro director for a moment and told him I understood his decision,”Vegni told La Gazzetta dello Sport.

The Bahrain-Merida team was built round Nibali when it was created for the 2017 season. He finished third at the 2017 Giro d’Italia and second behind Chris Froome at the Vuelta a España before winning Il Lombardia for a second consecutive season. This year he surprised the sprinters with a solo attack to win Milan-San Remo.

Nibali will be 34 in November but seems keen to race on until at least the 2020 Olympic Games in Japan and perhaps even through to the end of 2021 when he will be 37.

According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, Prince Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa is ready to offer Nibali a contract extension beyond his current deal that expires at the end of 2019.

Nibali is keen that any deal includes his group of trusted staff including coach Paolo Slongo, soigneur Michele Pallini and team doctor Emilio Magni. Cyclingnews

OurTime BusinessMirror

A8 Saturday, May 12, 2018 • Editor: Efleda P. Campos

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Increase in human capital to help Asian seniors get jobs

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SIAN countries should invest on education and training programs that will enhance the employment prospects of retirees and other senior citizens who are still willing to work.

Increasing human capital will help address the challenge of aging societies in the region, panelists at an Asian Development Bank (ADB)sponsored seminar on “Tapping Technology To Maximize Longevity Demand in Asia” held on May 3.

Yumiko Murakami, head of Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development-Tokyo Center, said training programs for

elderly and low-skilled workers will help provide them sustainable living in a world that depends greatly on technological innovation.

“Companies are hesitant to hire elderly people for employment.

This is very counterproductive.

Instead, what companies and countries should do is they should help elderly people become more employable. For instance, European

countries such as Germany and Ireland have launched programs where subsidies are given to companies to promote training, specifically targeting seniors and lowerskilled workers, so that they can further develop their skills. Their programs have been every effective,” Murakami said.

Furthermore, governments should provide certifications to workers that will enable them to enhance their employability.

“What happens today is technology has been developing so fast.

Your degree in college by the time you are 35, might not be so useful. Governments should provide certifications to older workers so that they can go to potential companies and employers and show them what they have in terms of credentials which can be more

relevant and updated in today’s technology-dependent environment,” Murakami said.

Norma Mansor, director of Social Security Research Center of University of Malaya, urged governments and other sectors of society to increase their investments on telecommunications infrastructure in order to address the technological gap in various countries across Asia.

She, likewise, urged the implementation of active labor-market policies such as employment subsidies, programs that will address jobs-skills mismatch, among others, in order that vulnerable sectors of society will enable to have gainful employment.

“Countries should also ensure portability of benefits such as insurance, pensions and savings for

retirement. Governments should ensure that people will be able to retire with dignity,” Mansor said.

Meanwhile, Koichi Narasaki, group chief digital officer of Japanese-based insurance company Sompo Holdings, said artificial intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT) and voice-assistant technologies have the potential to address the problem of the aging population in the world.

“Technology has been beneficial to productivity and longer life expectancy,” Narasaki said.

He added their company has been utilizing robotics and AI technologies on their insurance business.

“These technologies can automate your typical routine work and you can be more creative.”

The seminar discussed how aging societies could explore and har-

ness the potential of new technology, national policy and regional collaboration options to reap the benefits of longevity.

A recent report of the ADB said that starting from 2020 to 2050, the senior population aged 65 and above in the Asia-Pacific region is expected to double from 9.2 percent to 18 percent.

Low mortality and fertility rates are major contributors to longer life expectancy and increases in the share of seniors in the populations of countries across the region.

The ADB urges countries in Asia to promote technological innovation and adoption through sufficient funding of research and development activities along with the development of human capital and resources in targeted sectors and industries. PNA

Bacolod City: A potential retirement destination

Celia Fuente: A portrait of faith and solitude

By Rick Jezriel Zamora

Special to the BusinessMirror

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CELIA FUENTE

C

ELY Fuert was born on October 22, 1948, a single woman living in the Philippines. She obtained a degree in Education and spent part of her life working in the United States.

When she was young, she was scared to be in a committed relationship, being married, being pregnant and giving birth. These fears prevented her from being romantically involved with anyone. She preferred to be alone, emotionally isolated.

“It was difficult for me to trust anyone, seeing my friends being married for 10 years and finding out the man they married were not who they pretended to be,” she said. “Despite years of being together, you cannot know the person fully. That is why as time goes by, their true colors will show.”

During her younger years, she was diagnosed with lumps on her breasts and she opted for their removal.

In 2013 she was diagnosed with cancer antigen on her left breast. She thought it was over.

But medications and chemotherapy made her conquer the malignancy. She had her left breast removed. But after four years, last year, she was again diagnosed with CA on her right breast. She opted for radical mastectomy. As she was recuperating, the thought of being alone scared her. She was getting more tired.

“Now, I see the need to have a husband, to take care of me and to give me assistance wherever I do my chemotherapy and to accompany me whenever I go, to get discounts for my medications. But so much time has gone and I’m alone,” she said. “To be frank with you, I’m hoping to meet somebody who could probably be my daughter to help me, so when that time comes when I am weak there will be someone I can lean on.”

She said if she couldn’t have a husband before she gets too weak, she continues to pray for a female companion whom she could treat as her child and who would take care of her.

Also, she added some establishments have been a blessing since there is nobody who can help her financially.

“I thank the Roach Foundation and Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office for greatly helping me in my financial needs and giving discounts I couldn’t even imagine paying,” she said.

All in all, she is well and empowered by her faith in God. She added, “You cannot lean on everybody, but you can lean on someone always and that is the Father in Heaven.”

IFUGAO TRIBESMAN Despite his elderly age, Romeo Binay-an, an Ifugao native wearing G-strings who resides at the famous Batad Rice Terraces in Banaue, Ifugao, makes spears out of bamboo rods. The 8th Wonder of the World believed to be more that 2,000 years old was also declared a Unesco World Heritage Site. Reportedly, the last parts of film “Avengers: Infinity War” were shot over Batad. LEONARDO PERANTE II

Validation of social pensioners in Antique ongoing

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AN JOSE DE BUENAVISTA, Antique—The validation of social pensioners in Antique province is still ongoing for individuals 65 years old and older who are not receiving any pension from other government agencies.

The validation is being made to enable them to receive the unconditional-cash transfer (UCT), which is P2,400 for 2018.

Diadem Pearl Tamara of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) 6 (Western Visayas) secretariat for the Regional Convergence Committee who visited Antique on May 4, said their social pension staff are visiting the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) and the Social Security System (SSS) branches in the province to validate the names of the senior citizens.

“The UCT will be given to cushion the impact of the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion [TRAIN] law,” Tamara said. “Our validation in the region started last March and we hope to finish it by May.” She added in Western Visayas, 300,000 social pensioners are receiving a regular social pension of P1,500 per quarter from the DSWD. “Part of these 300,000 social pensioners are from Antique,” Tamara said, although she could not give the actual number.

If they are found not to be receiving any pension from the GSIS and the SSS, and they are being adversely affected by the increased prices of commodities because of the TRAIN law, they would be given an additional amount of P2,400 per year. PNA

Criminals steal $37B a year from America’s elderly

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ARJORIE Jones trusted the man who called to tell her she’d won a sweepstakes prize, saying she could collect the winnings once she paid the taxes and fees. After she wired the first payment, he and other callers kept adding conditions to convince her to send more money.

As the scheme progressed, Jones, who was legally blind and lived alone in a two-story house in Moss Bluff, Louisiana, depleted her savings, took out a reverse mortgage and cashed in a life-insurance policy. She didn’t tell her family, not even the sister who lived next door. Scammers often push victims to keep promised winnings a secret, said an investigator who helped unravel this sinister effort to exploit an 82-year-old woman.

Her family didn’t realize something was wrong until she started asking to borrow money, a first for a woman they admired for her financial independence. But by then, it was too late, said Angela Stancik, one of Jones’s granddaughters. Jones had lost all of her life savings—hundreds of thousands of dollars.

About one week after calling Stancik at the family business in Ganado, Texas, to borrow $6,000, Jones committed suicide.

That was May 4, 2010. When family members went to her home, they found a caller ID filled with numbers they didn’t recognize and three bags of wire transfer receipts in her closet. Jones had $69 left in her bank account.

Some 5 million older Americans are financially exploited every year by scammers like the ones who targeted Jones. The elderly are also suffering at the hands of greedy, desperate or drug-addicted relatives and friends, among others. The total number of victims is increasing as baby boomers retire and their ability to manage trillions of dollars in personal assets diminishes. One financial-

services firm estimates seniors lose as much as $36.5 billion a year. But assessments like that are “grossly underestimated,” according to a 2016 study by New York State’s Office of Children and Family Services. For every case reported to authorities, as many as 44 are not. The study found losses in New York alone could be as high as $1.5 billion.

The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention drew attention to elder exploitation as a public-health problem in a 2016 report, citing groundbreaking research two decades earlier by Mark Lachs. Now cochief of the Division of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine and New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Lachs said elder-abuse victims—including those who suffer financial exploitation—die at a rate three times faster than those who haven’t been abused. It’s a “public health crisis,” he warned.

“I knew these crimes were killing people,” said Elizabeth Loewy, who directed the elderabuse unit at the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office. As her exploitation cases steadily rose to hundreds per year, she added, “so many family members told me, ‘I can’t prove it, but this killed him.’”

“How could you do that to older people who could not protect themselves?” she said.

Bente Kongsore, a retired accountant in Creswell, Oregon, said her parents’ mental and physical decline accelerated after an assistant manager at a local bank, Susan Paiz, befriended the octogenarians and subsequently stole $100,000 from them in 2014. To hide the theft, Paiz pretended Kongsore’s father, who had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s at age 85, gave her the money. The lie soured the last two years the couple had together, as Kongsore’s father questioned himself and his wife questioned him. Bloomberg News

HE Philippine Retirement Authority (PRA) sees Bacolod as a potential retirement destination with the city’s infrastructure in place, especially for foreigners.

“We are looking at Bacolod and other cities like Dumaguete and Iloilo to develop as retirement destinations outside the National Capital Region [NCR],” said Ketslynn Quiletorio, information officer III of the PRA’s Client Relations Division, who was in the city on May 3 for the Tourism Enterprise Zone Investment Roadshow.

She added Bacolod has an ideal landscape with its amenities, including entertainment venues, shopping malls and hospitals, near the sites with natural attractions.

Figures from the PRA showed Western Visayas hosts only 1 percent, or about 500, of the 53,000 foreign retiree-holders of Special Resident Retirement Visa (SRRV).

Majority of the retirees in Region 6 are Europeans, who prefer the region’s natural attractions, while Chinese and Koreans are mostly staying in the NCR. In Negros Occidental alone, retirees are living within the city, which is near the entertainment establishments and shopping areas.

Quiletorio said since these retirees, who are mostly in their 50s and 60s, came from developed countries, they want the supermarket, hospital, and other amenities more accessible to them.

“The local government should make the city a retirementfriendly place, which means the community should be ready to welcome and accept foreign retirees,” she added.

The PRA has only one accredited retirement facility in Negros Occidental—the Japanese-developed Sanko Mambukal Life Care Home in Murcia town.

The PRA positions the Philippines as a retirement destination through the SRRV, a special nonimmigrant lifetime visa given to foreign nationals planning to retire and rest in the country. PNA

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

BusinessMirror

Saturday, May 12, 2018 A9

Gates, Zuckerberg team up on new education initiative

Dating apps and what they’re about PRIMETIME

DINNA CHAN VASQUEZ @dinnachanvasquez luckydinna@gmail.com

L

AST year, my nephew asked me if I knew of any gay-dating apps aside from Grindr, and I asked him if he liked “bears.” In gay slang, a bear is a tall, muscular and hairy man. My nephew said yes, so I recommended that he download GROWLr, a gay social network.

Grindr, by the way, is easily the most popular social-networking app for gay, bi, trans and queer people to connect with.

For heterosexuals, the most popular is Tinder but I heard from single friends that there’s one that most millennials use and it’s like a combination of Tinder and LinkedIn (more on this later).

We gathered some of the most popular dating apps and here are some of the most interesting ones: ■ Scruff is also a bear equivalent to Grindr and many of my friends have met nice guys via the app.

Early this week, I was viewing the Instagram Stories

of a friend who lives abroad and he was with this guy, so I asked who the man was. My friend replied, “He’s someone I met through Scruff. We aren’t dating anymore but we’re still friends.”

■ Bumble, like Tinder, is a dating app that requires a Facebook login. That’s because information from the your Facebook account is used to build a profile with photos and basic information, including where you went to school and where you work. I like Bumble because it requires women to initiate the conversation of their matches or the matches disappear within 24 hours. In a same-sex match, either person can start the conversation.

Another unique feature of Bumble is that you can favorite conversations.

■ Surge has been called the gay Tinder. It used to be known as Lavendr. It’s probably the most uncomplicated dating app. It shows one profile picture for you, the people around you, and allows you to input basic information about who you are and what you are looking for. But unlike most dating apps, it is not location-based. Surge is actually said to be more useful for hook-ups than dating.

■ OkCupid is a dating app that’s unique in that it allows you to rate other people’s profiles. The profiles on the app are on public but you can change this.

You are also informed whenever someone views you OkCupid profile. According to an article I read, OkCupid is for people looking for casual flings and more serious relationships.

■ Coffee Meets Bagel is a dating and socialnetworking web site. What makes it unique is the number of profiles users can interact with each day. Coffee Meets Bagel looks at the user’s Facebook account to help identify potential matches. The user is exposed to at least one match per day, but can only contact their matches if they “Like” them and their matches “Like” them back.

“Each day at noon, guys will receive up to 21 quality matches—known as ‘bagels.’ They are given the option to either LIKE or PASS. Then, Coffee Meets Bagel will curate the best potential matches for women among the men who expressed interest,” the Coffee Meets Bagel web site explained. It is then the woman who decides which man to talk to among those who have “liked” her. Women will choose who gets to talk to them among the “quality” men who already liked them. That’s right. No more guessing games. #LadiesChoice How effective are dating apps? A couple of my friends have found good matches on Tinder. One is dating the first guy she meet through the app, and their relationship seems solid.

I’ve never used any of these apps as I’m already married but if there is one piece of advice I can give beyond “be cautious,” it is to manage your expectations. Don’t go on Tinder looking for the love of your life. Virtual dating is a lot like real life in that love is not easy to find. But if it happens, then good for you. ■

Girl power: All-female teams compete at robotics event DETROIT—Half a dozen teenage girls from Canada know exactly how to narrow the skills gap.

Or at least how to get the process started.

The Ontario-based Build a Dream Amazon Warriors were among the thousands of young people from nearly four-dozen countries competing recently for the biggest prize at the FIRST Championship in Detroit. The team members bill themselves as Canada’s only all-female high school robotics team mentored and advised by women.

“You know, nerds are the future. And here, nerds rule,” said Yvonne Pilon, president and CEO of WEtech Alliance, which helped spearhead the growth of FIRST robotics in Windsor, the Canadian city near Detroit.

High school teams competed this year in a game called “Power Up,” in which they were tasked with building wheeled robots capable of maneuvering in an enclosed playing arena and picking up and transporting yellow power cubes.

Participation has swelled since FIRST’s inception

nearly three decades ago, but founder Dean Kamen is still looking for more of those nerds—especially female ones.

“I will be totally satisfied when the day comes that the number of girls on teams and the number of boys on teams is randomly, statistically identical,” said Kamen, an inventor who created FIRST— For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology—in 1989.

Factories will have a need over the next decade for workers capable of operating and troubleshooting computer-directed machinery, including robots.

Many of those future workers are in high school today and, if Kamen has his way, they will join—or start—a robotics team. “This is the only sport you’ll ever play where every kid on every team can turn pro,” he said.

Valerie Alexander is one of those kids. The 14-year-old is a member of the Amazon Warriors, who qualified for the FIRST Championship in their rookie year. “I would definitely like to see more girls

interested in this kind of thing,” Alexander said. “I think a big part of it is just to get the word out and to show people what it’s like.”

Canada hasn’t cornered the market on girl power; several US teams that competed in Detroit also featured all-female lineups.

One of those, the Fe Maidens (pronounced “Iron Maidens,” playing off the chemical symbol for iron), traveled to Detroit from New York City.

“When you walk around the pits, you see a lot of the teams, although they’re co-ed, they’re dominated by boys. And to have a team that’s all girls is something that we’re all very proud of,” said Colin Morrell, the team’s coach and a physics teacher at its school, the Bronx High School of Science.

Team captain Natasha Stamler, who will head to MIT after a four-year career with the Maidens, has this advice for newcomers: “Try to build things. It can be wood. It can be metal. It doesn’t matter.... You’re really learning real-world skills.” AP

SEATTLE—Tech moguls Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg said on Tuesday they will team up to help develop new methods for kids with trouble learning—an effort that will include dabbling into child brain science.

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative intend to explore a number of potential pilot projects.

They’ll focus on math, writing and brain functions—key areas of classroom learning that they note are crucial for academic success.

The effort is now seeking information and ideas from across sectors, from education and academia to business, technology and medicine. Future investments based on that information are expected, but no dollar amount has been set.

The idea that disadvantaged children struggle to learn because of poor executive brain function involving memory, thinking flexibility, and behavioral issues related to autism and other attention disorders has long been lamented by social workers and health advocates.

The joint project by Gates and Zuckerberg details possible ways to mitigate those shortcomings.

Among the ideas is using games and technology simulations to support teachers and family, and tracking progress in certain vulnerable student populations such as kids with disabilities or those who are learning English as a second language.

Zuckerberg idolizes Gates as an inspiration in professional and philanthropic work. But their representatives rejected any notion that their effort on learning is connected to their respective business roles as Facebook CEO and Microsoft founder.

Microsoft announced a $25 million initiative on Monday to use artificial intelligence to build better technology for people with disabilities. AP

GLOBE SETS SIGHTS ON CREATING NEW STAGE FOR FASHION IN PHL

AFTER its major announcement of entering the esports and gaming business, Globe Telecom, together with Saga Events Inc., is now set to create a new platform for the local fashion industry by introducing “stylefestph.”

Joe Caliro, Globe senior advisor for Creative Marketing and Multimedia Business, said that fashion is the next frontier for the company. “Globe has always believed in the talent of the Filipino people with our programs in music, content, gaming, arts, theater, food and recreation. We hope to generate business opportunities for designers and allow them to showcase their creative and entrepreneurial project to both the local and international markets, and let their passions grow in the digital space,” Caliro revealed.

One of the highlights of stylefestph is the Designer Mentorship Program, where eight aspiring designers will be mentored by some of the country’s notable names in fashion and beauty, or also known as, the “stylecouncil.”

The stylecouncil is composed of fashion designer Inno Sotto, fashion stylist Pam Quiñones, Zalora Philippines cofounder and CEO Paulo Campos, professional makeup artist Jigs Mayuga, fashion and lifestyle editor Sarah Santiago, Globe Lifestyle head Leah de Guzman and Fashion Exchange International Cofounder Carmina Sanchez-Jacob.

Robby Carmona, CEO of Saga Events, said that it has always been a privilege to work with Filipino designers and brands as a fashion director and show producer. “We at Saga Events take pride in supporting Filipino talents, and this is very much apparent in our many endeavors to propel the Philippine fashion scene forward,” Carmona added.

The stylefestph’s Designer Mentorship Program will culminate in a three-day event from September 7 to 9, featuring the capsule collection of the five winners named “Emerging Designers” and the three winners dubbed as the “Future of Design.” The winners will have their collections sold at Zalora Philippines and 0917 Lifestyle, respectively, and will also receive a cash prize.

For information, visit www.stylefest.ph.

A10 Saturday, May 12, 2018

BusinessMirror

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CANNING FOK (left), group comanaging director of CK Hutchison Holdings Ltd., and Xiang Wang (right), senior vice president of Xiaomi, pose for photographers during a ceremony to form the Global Strategic Alliance in Hong Kong. AP

How artificial intelligence can detect—and create—fake news

BY ANJANA SUSARLA, MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY The Associated Press

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HEN Mark Zuckerberg told the United States Congress that Facebook would use artificial intelligence (AI) to detect fake news posted on the social-media site, he wasn’t particularly specific about what that meant. Given my own work using image and video analytics, I suggest the company should be careful.

Despite some basic potential flaws, AI can be a useful tool for spotting online propaganda—but it can also be startlingly good at creating misleading material.

Researchers already know that online fake news spreads much more quickly and more widely than real news. My research has similarly found that online posts with fake medical information get more views, comments and likes than those with accurate medical content. In an online world where viewers have limited attention and are saturated with content choices, it often appears as though fake information is more appealing or engaging to viewers.

The problem is getting worse: By 2022 people in developed economies could be encountering more fake news than real information. This could bring about a phenomenon researchers have dubbed “reality vertigo”—in which computers can generate such convincing content that regular people may have a hard time figuring out what’s true anymore.

Machine learning algorithms, one type of AI, have been successful for decades fighting spam e-mail, by analyzing messages’ text and determining how likely it is that a particular message is a real communication from an actual person—or a mass-distributed solicitation for pharmaceuticals or claim of a long-lost fortune. Building on this type of text analysis in spamfighting, AI systems can evaluate how well a post’s text, or a headline, compares with the actual content of an article someone is sharing online. Another method could examine similar articles to see whether

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other news media have differing facts. Similar systems can identify specific accounts and source web sites that spread fake news.

However, those methods assume the people who spread fake news don’t change their approaches. They often shift tactics, manipulating the content of fake posts in efforts to make them look more authentic.

Using AI to evaluate information can also expose—and amplify—certain biases in society.

This can relate to gender, racial background or neighborhood stereotypes. It can even have political consequences, potentially restricting expression of particular viewpoints. For example, YouTube has cut off advertising from certain types of video channels, costing their creators money.

Context is also key. Words’ meanings can change over time. And the same word can mean different things on liberal sites and conservative ones. For example, a post with the terms “WikiLeaks” and “DNC” on a more liberal site could be more likely to be news, while on a conservative site it could refer to a particular set of conspiracy theories.

The biggest challenge, however, of using AI to detect fake news is that it puts technology in an arms race with itself. Machine learning systems are already proving spookily capable at creating what are being called “deepfakes”—photos and videos that realistically replace one person’s face with another, to make it appear that, for example, a celebrity was photographed in a revealing pose or a public figure is saying things he’d never actually say. Even smartphone apps are capable of this sort of substitution—which makes this technology available to just about anyone, even without Hollywood-level video editing skills.

Researchers are already preparing to use AI to identify these AI-created fakes. For example, techniques for video magnification can detect changes in human pulse that would establish whether a person in a video is real or computer-generated. But both fakers and fake-detectors will get better. Some fakes

could become so sophisticated that they become very hard to rebut or dismiss—unlike earlier generations of fakes, which used simple language and made easily refuted claims. The best way to combat the spread of fake news may be to depend on people. The societal consequences of fake news—greater political polarization, increased partisanship, and eroded trust in mainstream media and then government— are significant. If more people knew the stakes were that high, they might be more wary of information, particularly if it is more emotionally based, because that’s an effective way to get people’s attention.

When someone sees an enraging post, that person would do better to investigate the information, rather than sharing it immediately. The act of sharing also lends credibility to a post: When other people see it, they register that it was shared by someone they know and presumably trust at least a bit, and are less likely to notice whether the original source is questionable.

Social-media sites like YouTube and Facebook could voluntarily decide to label their content, showing clearly whether an item purporting to be news is verified by a reputable source. Zuckerberg told Congress he wants to mobilize the “community” of Facebook users to direct his company’s algorithms.

Facebook could crowd-source verification efforts.

Wikipedia also offers a model, of dedicated volunteers who track and verify information.

Facebook could use its partnerships with news organizations and volunteers to train AI, continually tweaking the system to respond to propagandists’ changes in topics and tactics. This won’t catch every piece of news posted online, but it would make it easier for large numbers of people to tell fact from fake. That could reduce the chances that fictional and misleading stories would become popular online.

Reassuringly, people who have some exposure to accurate news are better at distinguishing between real and fake information. The key is to make sure that at least some of what people see online is, in fact, true. ■

Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi files for Hong Kong IPO

BY KELVIN CHAN The Associated Press HONG KONG—Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi filed documents last Thursday with Hong Kong’s stock exchange operator for an initial public offering (IPO) that could be the world’s biggest share sale in years.

Beijing-based Xiaomi is the world’s fourth-biggest smartphone maker by shipment volume, according to International Data Corp.

The listing documents provided no financial details about the share sale or the company’s valuation. A date for the listing was not disclosed.

The newspaper South China Morning Post cited unnamed banking sources saying Xiaomi plans to raise up to $10 billion in a deal that would value the company at $100 billion.

That would make it the biggest IPO since Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba’s $21.8 billion IPO in 2014 on the New York Stock Exchange.

Xiaomi, founded in 2010, has grown quickly on the strength of smartphone handsets priced as low as $115 and Internet-based marketing and distribution.

The listing documents offered a glimpse of Xiaomi’s finances, with the company reporting that revenue rose by two-thirds last year to 114.6 billion yuan ($18 billion), including 80 billion yuan from its smartphone division. Xiaomi’s business also includes also partnering with “Internet of Things” companies to develop hundreds of connected lifestyle devices like rice cookers, robot vacuum cleaners and coffee makers.

Operating profit tripled to 12.2 billion yuan ($1.9 billion) but the company still lost nearly 44 billion yuan ($6.9 billion) in 2017, mainly due to the cost of converting preferred shares held by investors.

Xiaomi’s decision to go public in Hong Kong comes days after the southern Chinese financial center’s stock exchange loosened listing rules, an apparent vindication of its efforts to better compete with rival bourses in the race for blockbuster offerings.

Xiaomi is applying for a Hong Kong stock listing with dual share classes that give certain shareholders much more power, which the new rules allow. The exchange modified its regulations to accommodate such companies after losing Alibaba’s dual-class listing to New York because rules at the time only allowed a single share class.

Cool down summer and enjoy the season more SUMMER is here. While hitting the beach or traveling to cooler climes is fun, staying in is an easy and convenient way to chill out. But it’s hard to keep kids entertained, and the heat might make everyone’s attention spans shorter. It just takes a little creativity to make an enjoyable haven during these sweltering months. Here are a few tips, with a little help from the Samsung Wind-Free Air Conditioner, which keeps your home comfortably cool without the direct blast of unpleasant cold air.

■ GET YOUR BODIES MOVING AND GROOVING. It’s fun to learn a new dance or workout routine with more people.

Have your children wear their dance shoes and move to the beat of Beyonce or Bruno Mars. This is a great way to get some cardio and muscle toning. Don’t worry about sweating too much; you can stay cool without the unpleasant feeling of direct air blow.

■ JUMP-START THEIR CULINARY JOURNEY. Instead of buying an ice pop or fruit snack for your kids, let them make their own. Find fun recipes that your kids can help you out with. Designate manageable tasks and teach them proper

cooking and cleaning. Kitchen time becomes more delightful when parents and children work together, especially within a pleasant environment.

■ CREATE AND EXPLORE IMAGINARY WORLDS. Let

your kids’ creativity soar. Transform their bedroom into a huge castle by building blanket and pillow forts and let them become the valiant king or queen tasked to protect the throne.

Or, create “secret hideouts” and make them play the role of

the world-class spy on a top-secret mission. With cold air distributed evenly in the room, you can stay comfortable as you play in your imaginary worlds all day.

■ UNLEASH YOUR CHILD’S INNER PICASSO. Create artsy rooms by making “stained glass” windows using cut-out illustration boards and cellophane. Breathe new life to a plain white tee by painting cool designs on it or dipping it in dye.

Within a cool and comfortable environment, children can explore colorful possibilities. And even when you make a mess, clean-up can still be fun.

It’s easy to pull off any of these activities with the Samsung Wind-Free Air Conditioner. This innovative air conditioner cools fast and comfortably with its 21,000 micro-holes that evenly distribute cold air and maintains your preferred temperature in any room without directly blasting cold air or creating unpleasant cold spots.

Your kids will feel cool and refreshed wherever they decide to play indoors. Moreover, its Digital 8-pole Inverter Technology allows you to save up on energy consumption by up to 72 percent. No need to sweat the fun stuff, right?

BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

SONY Bravia OLED TV A8F series

SONY LAUNCHES 2018 OLED AND LED 4K HDR TV SERIES

THE mastery on TV innovation brings Sony Bravia to yet another breakthrough in designs, feature and user experience.

Launched are the new Sony Bravia OLED TV A8F series and Sony Bravia LED televisions, as the latest selections to enjoy 4K HDR picture quality, exceptionally designed for enhanced contrast, color and clarity.

“Our consumers expect the best entertainment experience at home in the forms of larger screens, excellent picture and immersive sound quality. There are more expectations inside their homes because that is where shared watching experiences take place. The new Sony Bravia lineup makes this happen with the latest premium offering that is the Sony Bravia OLED A8F plus and Sony Bravia LED televisions, all showcasing exceptional advancement in TV features,” said Nobuyoshi Otake, Sony Philippines managing director.

As an OLED TV, the Sony Bravia OLED A8F series produces an incredibly detailed picture with deep blacks, rich and realistic colors, and an exceptionally wide viewing angle.

Sony’s more than half a century worth of picture processing expertise lends to precise control of the 8 million OLED pixels for a stunning realization of an unparalleled 4K HDR picture via its X1 Extreme processor, while Acoustic Surface technology allows the sound to come from the screen, creating an entertainment experience with a beautiful picture.

Alongside the astounding picture quality and innovative Acoustic Surface technology that is equipped on the Bravia OLED A8F Series, it has an enhanced user experience giving off an unparalleled viewing experience.

The new series opens up a whole new world of content and entertainment by the television’s Internet capabilities and streaming application services. You can command your TV to navigate TV shows and movies, download your favorite apps, play games or just simply get answers to your questions, all with the power of your voice.

Meanwhile, the demand for a wider variety of large LED screen in premium 4K HDR televisions continues and the global consumer electronics giant continues to deliver the best selections for the market. Launching this year together with the A8F series are the X9000F series, X8500F series, X8300F series, X7500F series and X7007F series. These are equipped with the latest technologies that Sony has to offer, with the X1 Extreme processor able to deliver maximum picture quality, and X-Motion Clarity that resolves the issues of motion blur in larger screen TVs, keeping fast-moving images clear and smooth.

The large 4K HDR LED screen televisions are also Sony Android TVs, enabling a wide array of content to choose from. Video-streaming applications, such as Netflix and other sources for added content is made easier for everyone to enjoy.

BUFFETT’S FIRM BUYS 75 MILLION MORE APPLE SHARES IN 1Q

OMAHA, Nebraska—Warren Buffett’s company bought 75 million more Apple shares in the first quarter, giving it more than 240 million shares of the iPhone maker.

Buffett told CNBC about the latest Apple stock purchases last Friday as tens of thousands of shareholders begin to arrive at Berkshire Hathaway’s annual meeting this weekend.

Berkshire has continued buying Apple shares even with the price rising 25 percent over the past 12 months. Shares hit an all-time high last Friday.

At the end of 2017, Buffett’s company held 165.3 million Apple shares.

Buffett has said he looks at Apple like a consumer products company with a strong competitive position, rather than as a tech company.

Besides investments, Berkshire owns more than 90 subsidiaries in a variety of industries, including insurance, utilities, railroads and manufacturing. AP

Saturday, May 12, 2018 A11

New Google features tap digital smarts M

OUNTAIN VIEW, California—Google showcased its plans for the next several months as it kicked off its annual developers’ conference on Tuesday.

Many of the new features center on the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to help save time.

Here are the highlights: ■ MAPS: Google will use augmented reality to help guide you to your destination. When you pull up direction on Google Maps, you can look through the camera and get turn-by-turn directions while viewing the actual street. The app will also orient you and verify your position using local landmarks, such as buildings and shops, viewed through the camera. Google calls the technology VPS, or visual positioning system. The feature is expected this summer.

■ GOOGLE DUPLEX: Google’s digital assistant will call actual people at businesses to make restaurant reservations and hair appointments and check holiday hours. In two demonstrations, a realistic-sounding automated voice used pauses and “ums” and “mmm-hmms” to sound more human during interactions with people. Google says the technology is rolling out as “an experiment” in coming weeks. Google says it’s still figuring out how to be upfront and let businesses know that they are talking to a computer.

■ GMAIL: An autocomplete feature called “smart compose” uses artificial intelligence to suggest ways to finish sentences you start typing. For example, “I haven’t seen you” might be autocompleted to “I haven’t seen you in a while and I hope you’re doing well.” The feature will start rolling out this month.

■ PHOTOS: When Google recognizes a photo of someone who is one of your contacts, it can suggest sending the photo to that person. It can also convert photos to PDFs and automatically add color to black-and-white photos or make part of a color photo black and white. The changes are coming in the next few months.

■ GOOGLE ASSISTANT: Google’s digital assistant will get six new voices, including one based on that of singer John Legend, later this year. The voices aim to sound more natural and will include pauses that

convey meaning. Google is also unveiling ways to let you issue multiple commands without having to say “Hey Google” each time. And it will reward kids who say “please,” similar to a feature Amazon is bringing to its Alexa voice assistant.

■ LENS: Google’s visual assistant will be built into the camera. Just point the camera at a building or sign to get more information. Or copy text from images of menus, documents and other sources into another app on your phone. Samsung phones aren’t on the list of phones getting the feature starting next week.

Samsung has its own version, Bixby Vision.

■ NEWS: Google is redesigning the News feature to present five stories you need to know, plus others that it thinks will be most relevant to you.

For outlets with subscriptions, Google will allow you to subscribe directly through your Google account, without needing new passwords or credit-

card information. The feature should be available to everyone by next week.

■ ANDROID P: The version of Google’s Android phone software will infuse basic functions with AI smarts. The battery will adapt to how you use apps in order to conserve energy. “Adaptive brightness” will learn how bright you like your screen based on manual adjustments, instead of automatically adjusting based on the how bright it is. Apple’s latest system, iOS 11, has a similar feature. Owners of some Android phones—none from Samsung—can get an early test version now.

■ WELL-BEING: Android P also includes features to combat overuse. A “shush” mode automatically turns on the “Do Not Disturb” mode when you turn your phone face down on a table. And “Wind Down Mode” will fade the screen to grayscale at a designated bed time to help you disconnect before bed. AP

Headphones: A solo story CONTINUED FROM A12 ■ PLAY TIME: Up to 8 hours ■ BATTERY TYPE: Li-Polymer (2 x 60mAh) ■ OPERATING RANGE: Up to 10m / 33ft ■ WEIGHT: 13g / 0.46oz First thing you need to know is that while Aukey is a fairly new brand in the Philippines, it’s already a popular and trusted brand of tech accessories/ powerbanks in the US, Australia and several other countries. It’s a top-ranked global Amazon seller with distribution partners in over 20 countries throughout the Middle East, South East Asia, North and Eastern Europe, and Latin America. In the Philippines it is distributed by ISR Security Products Inc. I first came across this brand after trying out their five-port USB Charging Station with Quick Charge, which I always bring with me whenever I travel. I’ve also tried their 30000mAH powerbank and discovered why they are No. 1 in fast charging. I’ll

have a review in the next few weeks.

So, when they asked me to try their earphones, I was pretty confident that it was going to be a great product, as well. And after using it for the past month, I was right.

The Aukey EP-B40 is encased in a simple white box but with a flip window to give you a peek of the headphones. Inside the box is a charging cable, some spare ear pads, a manual and an earphone pouch, which is always a plus for me. I keep my other headphones in small tin cans but this pouch is easier to bring along.

The EP-B40 comes in black and while the design isn’t flashy, the black buds will easily blend in no matter what you wear.

So while it may have seemed just like any generic pair of earbuds, the surprise began after pairing it with my device. To pair it, all you have to do is press and hold the middle button until you hear an ascending tone and the led blinks blue.

It does sound really good both for music and when

taking calls, compared to other wireless earbuds in its price range. You don’t even have to tinker with the EQ unless you just want to do some more fine tuning. The sound is clear with just enough beat to keep the you pumped during exercises, and it’s lightweight enough to use for long periods of time.

I’m not much of a runner so I just used the EP-B40 during my walks, and it fits comfortably enough and doesn’t fall off even when I turn or shake my head.

The battery is also outstanding and lasted the advertised eight hours of playtime. And when you’re not using them, the built-in magnets are quite strong to keep buds locked in place.

TECHNIVORE RATING: 4 OUT OF 5. If you are looking for good wireless Bluetooth earphones that are priced under P3,000, the Aukey EP-B40 is a noteworthy option. I just wish they’d name it better to easily remember the model, as I’m sure a lot of people are also bad with number letter combinations.

You can get the Aukey EP B40 for just P2,299 from their online store at www.aukey.com.ph. ■

Top local ICT distributor launches online selling platform

BY RIZAL RAOUL S. REYES TO make information and communications technology (ICT) products more accessible to the broader segment of the market, top computer and software distributor Word Systems Inc (WSI) recently launched WeSellIT.ph (www.WeSellIT. ph), offering unique IT technical support, online software delivery and a wide product lineup.

In an interview with BUSINESSMIRROR, Oliver Co, WeSellIT.ph project manager, pointed out that it is not just another e-commerce site, but is designed to provide a growing number of small and midsize businesses (SMBs) a more convenient and engaged

marketplace for IT products.

“What’s special about this is that it is an e-commerce site specifically for IT products and the sellers themselves are certified IT professionals, that’s why they really have the expertise,” Co said.

He said WeSellIT.ph will also feature IT support and consultation for products purchased from the brands. Moreover, Co stressed that WeSellIT. ph will also offer electronic software delivery, or ESD, where software and product keys are directly delivered to consumers and small businesses via e-mail. “Nowadays, when customers buy their laptops on an e-commerce site, they still have to buy CD-ROM to install Microsoft Office and such—it’s a

hassle. WeSellIT.ph will have an ESD by Microsoft.

When you buy a laptop or personal computer online, the web site will send you an e-mail with the product key for Microsoft Office, AutoCad or Microsoft Cloud. You don’t have to go to the store personally. You simply click and buy,” Co said.

He added WeSellIT.ph will enable customers to experience ease in purchasing online. Customers can create an account, log in with a password, select the products to purchase, enter the desired quantity and click “add to Cart” and review the items in the shopping cart. Click another button to agree with the terms of service and customers can go on and checkout Co said it took the company almost a year

to develop the site.

To ensure they’re selling quality products, Co said that only accredited resellers of WSI will be accepted as sellers.

For payments, WeSellIT.ph’s shipping fee will range from P150 to P350 depending on the delivery address if it falls within standard dimensions of their shipping partners. For odd-sizes items, the shipping fee will be estimated accordingly.

Customers can pay through Visa, Mastercard, DragonPay, Bancnet or through payments made in convenience stores like 7-Eleven.

WeSellIT.ph will initially carry 14 brands from around the world.

/

GOOGLE CEO Sundar Pichai speaks about Gmail features at the Google I/O conference in Mountain View, California, on May 8. AP

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

BusinessMirror

Saturday, May 12, 2018 A12

Headphones: A solo story THE TECHNIVORE ED UY

whereiseduy@gmail.com

I

F you are reading this on a computer, chances are you are also wearing or have within arm’s reach a pair of headphones or earbuds. And if you are at the office, look beyond your cubicle and you’ll probably see a lot of your officemates “plugged-in” listening to their music, or secretly watching some video.

In an article I read some time ago, it said that “music with words scrambles our brains’ verbal processing skills,” but somehow a lot of my younger officemates are listening to music on their headphones while working. A lot of people I’ve asked say listening to music actually makes them happier, better at concentrating and more productive—so I guess it differs from one person to another.

I personally can’t write and have difficulty focusing whenever I’m listening to music, because I just end up “singing” to every song (sometimes even typing the lyrics). But I do like to wear headphones, especially when I’m working at a café or some public space, because they create a sort of oasis of privacy—and sends a subtle “leave me alone, I don’t want to talk” vibe.

There is, however, evidence that music relaxes our muscles, improves our mood, and can even moderately reduce blood pressure, heart rate, and anxiety. So what music steals in concentration, it returns to us in the form of good vibes and some sort of privacy.

Sharing similar music preferences has become sort of a social glue, making concerts and music festivals such a big hit, but headphones allow music to be enjoyed “friendlessly”—as a way to savor our privacy.

In today’s crowded world, where real estate is the ultimate scarce resource, our headphones (or earbuds) create a small invisible fence around our minds, giving us a bit of space, creating separation, helping us listen to ourselves.

It was in the summer of 1981, when Cliff Richard first made the headphones cool—strapping a Sony

Walkman to his belt, he wore a pair of lightweight headphones on his head as he roller-skated alongside legwarmer-clad dancers for the video of the song “Wired for Sound.”

Portable music had arrived, and headphones were the medium. Yet, for the next three decades, headphones would remain as merely functional items.

In 2011 a GQ piece seemed to set the stage: “The newest fashion accessory isn’t a fashion accessory at all. It’s head-swaddling, high-style headphones that make as much of a statement as anything else you’re wearing.”

Then in 2014 almost without warning, headphones became big business. Dr Dre’s company Beats was sold to Apple for $3 billion, by which time our whole attitude toward headphones had changed. Suddenly, people were critical of the material texture of earpads, the thickness of the cables, and their color styles had to match the user’s personality— and people were willing to pay a lot of money for premium these “cans.” Remember when I featured Sennheiser’s P3 million marble encased headphones a few weeks ago?

Now everyone needs headphones, and there are headphones for everyone. My collection is nearing almost a hundred I think—that is, if I can just find all the ones I took out from their boxes.

The headphone evolution could not have happened without the mobile revolution—from the CDs and discman, to digital music and portable MP3 players, the iPod, and now the ballooning smartphone market.

As Apple and a few other smartphone manufacturers are ditching the 3.5 headphone jack, headphones are again changing with more wireless/Bluetooth models now becoming available.

FUTURE OF AUDIO LAST month German audio specialist Sennheiser launched The Sennheiser Sound Forum, a series of sustained educational events that offer insights founded on the brand’s decades of expertise in audio.

Five focus topics of consumer and prosumer audio are covered: 1) selecting the right headphones for your lifestyle, 2) gaming trends in the Philippines, 3) selecting mics for audio-for-video applications, 4) caring for headphones and microphones, as well as 5) a peek into 3D audio from the Sennheiser AMBEO program, in context of the growing demand for exceptional sound experiences.

The event also featured testimonies from the Sennheiser Sound Heroes, who were the first to experience many of these technologies in a related

project. Martin Low, managing director of Sennheiser Asia, says the Sound Forum is the brands’ own initiative thats making the rounds in Indonesia and Thailand. The inaugural edition in Manila is a reflection and culmination of extensive product development and market research, staying true to Sennheiser’s vision of pioneering the future of audio.

The four-month Sennheiser Sound Heroes campaign in the Philippines, meanwhile, followed local creative personalities on their journey to discover new audio experiences with Sennheiser products, culminating with a trip to Sennheiser’s headquarters and flagship stores in Germany.

These 12 personalities included singers/actors Khalil Ramos and Jay Gonzaga; radio DJs Dannie Farmer and Jazmin Reyes; lifestyle purveyors Cha Ocampo, Rhea Bue, Issa Pressman, Deegee Razon and Ira Denise Oyco; vlogger Maqui Castelo; MC Marga Bermudez; and concert photographer Magic Liwanag.

So how do you choose the right headphones for you? All you need to do is follow these simple steps, according to Sennheiser: 1. DETERMINE THE TYPE OF MUSIC YOU LISTEN TO. Different genres of music ó jazz, acoustic, rock, electronic ó have characteristics that focus on different sound frequencies (enhanced low, mid or high notes).

2. NEXT IS MAKE A LIST OF THE TIMES YOU USUALLY USE YOUR HEADPHONES. Are you going to use it mostly at home, or do you listen more when you are on the move? Some headphones are made for stationary use, while others are optimized for increased portability.

That explains why some have really long wires.

3. WHAT KIND OF DESIGN ARE YOU LOOKING FOR? Do you like an in-ear, on-ear or around ear design? I prefer those big ones that cover your entire ear as they are more comfortable to use for longer periods of time, but they can be quite bulky. Around ear headphones have better noise isolation and fit larger transducers which means more power and sound, and a good listening experience for most types of media. Not everyone are fans of earbuds, but they are actually the most suited for running/exercising as they are lightweight and very portable.

4. WIRED OR WIRELESS? Most people still prefer the wired ones because they can use it on all their devices and are less prone to interference or music drop outs.

But as I mentioned above, Apple, Huawei and some other brands are abandoning the 3.5 mm jack (though both brands still provide the lighting or USB C to 3.5 mm adaptor). If you hate messy cables, going for wireless headphones may be better. You still have to

charge them though.

5. PROBABLY THE MOST IMPORTANT QUESTION OF ALL IS WHAT PLAYBACK DEVICE WILL YOU BE USING? Are you an Android or Apple user? Do you listen to music on your laptop or on a Hi-Fi device? Different devices have different impedance ratings and impedance matching is crucial to get the best performance out of your headphones. Most portable electronic devices bear an impedance of 16 to 32 ohms.

Now that you know how to choose which kind of headphones/earphones are best, make sure to try them out first. Getting premium headphones can be pricey, so you might as well give them a try first and get a feel of what you are purchasing.

Sennheiserís wired and wireless headphones are available at authorized Sennheiser Official Stores on Lazada, Powermac Center, Egghead Audiohub, The Listening Room, RC Goldline, The A Shop, Techwarez, SM Appliance, Gadgets in Style, Classic Hi-Fi Audio, Digistore, Soundroom, Ambassador Appliances, Western Marketing, PC Express, E-Phone, E-Tab, E-Phone Plus, Samsung Gateway, Samsung Bridgeway, Odyssey Next, The White Box and Gizmo Central.

WIRELESS EARBUDS FOR LESS WHETHER we like it or not, it seems wireless is the way to go when it comes to headphones and earphones.

When I first got my iPhone 7 Plus, I hated it because it didn’t have the 3.5 mm jack. But after using several wireless earphones, I began to appreciate and came to accept that the headphone jack may really be on the way out—especially for the high-end phones.

After all, if you can afford a pricey smartphone, you could probably buy a more expensive pair of earphones, as well.

If you are on the lookout for quality wireless earphones that aren’t too expensive, you might want to check out the Aukey EP-B40.

THE BAUKEY EP-B40 QUICK SPECS: ■ TECHNOLOGY: BT 4.1, A2DP, AVRCP, HSP, HFP, aptX ■ MICROPHONE NOISE REDUCTION: 6th generation dual-mic cVc ■ MICROPHONE SENSITIVITY: -42dB ±3dB ■ FREQUENCY RANGE: 20Hz-20KHz ■ INPUT: DC 5V ■ CHARGING TIME: 1.5 hours

CONTINUED ON A11