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Saturday, November 3, 2018 Vol. 14 No. 23

P25.00 nationwide | 2 sections 20 pages | 7 DAYS A WEEK

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Hobbled by two rounds of executive suspensions that left it with a backlog of crucial paperwork for power supply agreements and projects in an energy-starved country, things are normalizing at the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC), and its chief is confident the reforms are starting to be felt.

By Lenie Lectura

OWER industry stakeholders with pending applications filed before the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) can now find relief after two suspended commissioners returned to work and two more were appointed as replacements for those who have retired.

With a full set of four commissioners and a chairperson, the agency can now fully resume work. The ERC is the regulatory body performing the combined quasi-judicial, quasi-legislative and administrative functions in the electric industry. “We welcome the new appointees. It will be good for the industry now that commissioners are all in,” commented Ramon Ang, president of San Miguel Corp. (SMC), which has a business interest in the power sector. Aboitiz Power Corp. Chief

Operating Officer Emmanuel Rubio, in a recent interview, said he is looking forward to the resolution of pending cases before the ERC. “It is always a welcome relief for industry stakeholders to know that there is a quorum. This is good news for the industry.” Amid earlier threats to abolish the ERC in 2016 by no less than President Duterte after getting reports of rampant corruption inside the agency, Malacañang recently appointed renewable-energy advocate Catherine Maceda and Davaobased lawyer Alexis Lumbatan to

the commission. They replaced Alfredo Non and Gloria Victoria Yap-Taruc, who have reached retirement age. Their appointment as new ERC commissioners is until 2025. ERC Commissioners Josefina Patricia Magpale-Asirit and Geronimo Sta. Ana, meanwhile, returned to work last month. Taruc, Non, Asirit and Sta. Ana were twice suspended by the Office of the Ombudsman within a sevenmonth period. They were administratively held liable for allegedly failing to fulfill their duty to protect the

interests of the consumers. Even before the two suspension orders were released, the commissioners had drawn the ire of the President, who earlier called for a comprehensive review of all legal remedies to overhaul and effect fundamental changes in the agency, including its officials. Duterte even said then that he would ask Congress to withhold the budget of the ERC. A lawmaker expressed concern that a budget cut would severely hamper the ERC’s ability to fulfill Continued on A2

AFP readies shift to external defense role

By Rene Acosta

HE Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) has served notice it is on track in meeting its objectives under its ongoing internal security operations (ISO), as it gears up to shift its full focus on the country’s territorial defense by way of its ongoing modernization program. The military puts its level of progress thus: in the stage of “clearing operations” in the war against local threat groups, par-

ticularly local terrorist groups and the New People’s Army (NPA). The neutralization of the Mindanao-based terrorists and fore-

PESO EXCHANGE RATES n US 53.6060

most, the NPA, whom the military listed as the primary threat group, are the only remaining hindrances to the military’s shift to external defense. No less than Defense Secretary Delfin N. Lorenzana said that all threat groups have been on the retreat in past months, as shown by the consistent arrest and surrender of their members and followers. The number of attacks has also declined, thus prompting even the Commander in Chief to declare that the communist-led insurgency being waged by the NPA may be over by June next year.

On the run

LORENZANA said the focused operations conducted by soldiers against the Abu Sayyaf Group, Continued on A2

ARMED Forces of the Philippines Chief Gen. Carlito Galvez Jr. (left) and Adm. John Richardson, chief of Naval Operations of the US Navy, chat prior to a news conference following their meeting on October 29, 2018 at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City. The US Navy will continue patrolling the disputed South China Sea even after a Chinese destroyer came dangerously close to one of its ships during a “freedom of navigation” sail-by near a contested reef. AP/BULLIT MARQUEZ

n JAPAN 0.4740 n UK 68.1279 n HK 6.8346 n CHINA 7.6937 n SINGAPORE 38.7131 n AUSTRALIA 38.0871 n EU 60.8160 n SAUDI ARABIA 14.2919

Source: BSP (October 31, 2018 )

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A2 Saturday, November 3, 2018

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Reunited, and it feels so good

its functions. “The ERC plays an indispensable role in the energy sector as its foremost regulatory institution. I fear that this budget cut will send a bad signal to energy investors and breed uncertainty in terms of electricity supply and power rates,” said Sherwin T. Gatchalian, chairman of the Senate Energy Committee. Duterte’s pronouncement followed the death of an ERC director, Francisco “Jun” Villa Jr., whose family claimed he killed himself due to corruption inside the ERC. “I have received word the members of the body have refused to step down. I demanded that they all resign,” Duterte said in November 2016. Back then, the commissioners were firm in saying that they won’t step down from their position, invoking the law and public interest. “We are one in the decision to stay in the post. Resignation would not be to the best interest of the ERC,” the four commissioners said.

Backlog

WITH the regulatory body’s membership back at normal levels, ERC Chairman Agnes Devanadera said the commission is eager to work on eliminating its backlog of 480 cases, including pending power supply agreements (PSAs). “We are ready. We have lined up all the work that needs to be done, all the cases that are urgent. The PSAs are, of course, among the priorities, since some of them are expiring,” Devanadera said in a recent interview. When asked how soon can the commission decide on pending cases considering that two of the commissioners are new to the industry, Devanadera said, “They are on the learning curve. [Lumbatan] is eager to study everything. The important thing is that we have a quorum.” If there is one industry stake-

holder that eagerly awaits a quorum at the ERC, it’s the Manila Electric Co. (Meralco). The utility firm and its powergeneration arm, Meralco PowerGen (MGen), await the long-delayed approval by the ERC of seven PSAs filed two-and-half years ago and which have already undergone all the necessary ERC processes and public hearings. These seven PSAs also await resolution at the Supreme Court, where a consumer group has sought to block ERC approval of the 20-year PSAs between Meralco and a number of power-generation companies covering 3,551 megawatts (MW). “The seven PSAs are not just pending before the Supreme Court but the division endorsed these to the en banc. This means that the entire Supreme Court will hear the case instead of a division,” Devanadera had said. “Since these are being heard at the en banc, we might as well wait for it.” She pointed out that if there had been no case filed at the High Tribunal, then the ERC would have long issued a resolution on Meralco’s PSA applications. “Out of deference, both to Congress and to the Supreme Court, we have not acted on Meralco’s PSAs,” said the ERC chief. The SC case stemmed from allegations that ERC officials gave due preference to Meralco by extending the deadline for compliance of the competitive selective process (CSP). The ERC had reset the CSP’s effectivity date from November 6, 2015 to April 30, 2016, exempting the PSAs from undergoing transparent and public bidding ordained in the CSP. It was alleged that the ERC moved the deadline allegedly to accommodate Meralco.

Adverse effects

THE prolonged delay of PSA approval has had major effects on the

project costs of these plants. More important, it exposes customers to higher power rates as the peso continues to depreciate and interest rates rise, while global prices of fuel continue to move upward. For instance, the shovel-ready 1,200-MW Atimonan One Energy ultra-supercritical plant has incurred a 3-percent adjustment in interest rate due to a delay in the financial closing of the project. A mandate letter for up to P107.5 billion from eight banks has been signed for the loan component of the Atimonan project. The PSA approval is necessary before the project proponent can financially close the project and can commence construction. This is because lenders require projects to present an approved PSA before extending loans to energy developers. MGen President Rogelio Singson said that delays in project construction would raise the interest cost of the financing for the project. “There’s a P3-billion interest per year. Since the time we negotiated until today, there is a 3-percent increase every year,” said Singson in an interview. Meralco President Oscar Reyes also cited adjustments in exchange rate, another major factor in determining the project cost. “Project cost has significantly increased because of exchange rate. At the time we filed, the rate was between P46 and P48. Now, it’s P53-P54 to a dollar,” said Reyes in an interview. Moreover, delays would give the engineering, procurement, construction (EPC) contractor the opportunity to review its pricing and to ask for a higher price at the end of the validity period. This is the case with RP Energy—a consortium composed of MGen, AboitizPower and Taiwan Cogeneration International Corp.—whose EPC contract with Korean firm Doosan Heavy Indus-

tries & Construction Co. Ltd. expired at end-December 2017. “They are now asking for a higher price if the contract is to be extended. It’s definitely much higher now,” added Reyes. Meralco said the PSAs are intended to address the system requirements based on the demandsupply outlook of the Department of Energy (DOE) through 2030. Energy Secretary Alfonso G. Cusi said the execution of the Power Development Plan covering the medium and long term up to 2040 must continue unhindered. “The DOE has been pushing for reserve capacities for possible contingencies. This will ensure an uninterrupted supply at all times for power security and reliability. Thus, we are certain that we can overcome this recent challenge to the energy sector,” he said, referring to the suspension of the ERC commissioners.

parent in its decision-making processes,” he said. Senate Bill 1490 bill, also known as the Energy Regulatory Commission Governance Act of 2017, seeks to enhance accountability and transparency within the regulatory body by instituting structural reforms and liberalizing access to information concerning the ERC’s deliberations and output. “Right now, the chairman is the chief executive officer. We will now balance the power of the chairman with the commissioners,” Gatchalian said. The bill proposes to remove the executive functions from the chairman and transfer it to all the commissioners. It also enumerates administrative offenses and penalties for refusal to comply with transparency and accountability clauses. Under the proposed reform, the chairman would have to consult with the commissioners regarding meeting schedules and agenda; secure that the commission avoid acts which unduly influence, impede or hamper the executive director or any employee; and establish good corporate governance practices and procedures. Meanwhile, the members of the commission will have the responsibility to appoint an executive director and conduct review and approval of the appointment of key ERC personnel and ERC budget. Another feature of the bill gives the ERC the mandate to conduct open meetings when undertaking deliberations on ratemaking to improve transparency

Reforms

TO prevent another setback, Gatchalian proposed sweeping reforms meant to restore the institutional integrity of the ERC and, in the process, rebuild public confidence in the commission that has been virtually eliminated by the never-ending list of recent scandals. “As chairman of the Senate Committee on Energy, I will fast-track the passage of the ERC Governance Act—a pivotal piece of energy legislation which seeks to accomplish the needed reforms by de-concentrating power within the ERC and by compelling the body to be more open and trans-

within the commission. “In the Senate, we are open to the public when we cast our votes on major decisions. We are allowed to explain our vote, which are shown to the public. Why can’t we do the same with ERC? In the end, we are the ones paying for the electricity rates. We have to understand their arguments for approving or not,” Gatchalian said. Devanadera, for her part, noted that one way to harness the expertise of the commissioners is to assign each of them to a specific task. For instance, one commissioner will handle applications for capital expenditures while another will handle rate adjustments. After a while, the task assigned to a commissioner can be designated to another commissioner. “These are all being explored. We all need to work together in order to live up to our mandate,” said the ERC chief. There is also a proposal to increase to seven or nine the number of ERC commissioners from five. This is what House Committee on Energy Chairman Lord Allan Velasco proposed. Gatchalian urged his congressional peers to consider adopting more constructive means of addressing the issues of corruption and inefficiency that have plagued the ERC as of late. “I agree with my peers in the House when they say that the ERC really needs to shape up, and I believe that legislating long-term institutional reforms is the most constructive way of making this happen,” Gatchalian said.

AFP readies shift to external defense role

‘W

AP/MANUEL BALCE CENETA

Continued from a1

the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters and the Dawlah Islamiyah, all in Mindanao, have degraded these groups’ capabilities to stage attacks on a bigger scale as what they have been used to undertake. “As of the period, 591 were neutralized, out of which 232 surrendered and 474 firearms were recovered,” the DND chief said at the 79th anniversary of the Department of National Defense on Wednesday. “[The] enemy-initiated violent incidents were reduced to 114, owing to the conduct of 880 ground operations,” he added. Lorenzana said the statistics covered a oneyear period. Lorenzana said the martial law being implemented in Mindanao is helping the government deal with the terrorists, and this is why the military and defense establishments would support it—if, when and until—when President Duterte wishes to prolong it. He said the measure is also needed in order to ensure the success of the plebiscite for the Bangsamoro Organic Law and the scheduled midterm elections next year in Mindanao. “With the able guidance and leadership of our senior leaders, we have so far, been successful in

ith the able guidance and leadership of our senior leaders, we have so far, been successful in the sense that it [enforcement of martial rule in Mindanao] goes smoothly. With the professionalism of our troops, we have not received any single complaint from the citizens. At least, none that I know of.” —Defense Secretary Delfin N. Lorenzana the sense that it goes smoothly. With the professionalism of our troops, we have not received any single complaint from the citizens. At least, none that I know of,” the defense chief said.

Operational successes

LORENZANA said that at the current stage and success of the operations against the NPA by the military, no less than President Duterte has declared that the insurgency will be over by mid-2019. He added the country-wide security operations against the NPA have led to the neutralization of 1,162 rebels in less than a year, 907 of whom yielded to the government. The operations also resulted in the recovery and surrender of 1,238 firearms, 560 of which are high-powered weapons. Since last year, the soldiers have cleared 210 formerly NPAinfluenced barangays and have dismantled three of its guerrilla fronts. “2,890 AFP ground operations were conducted, which led to lesser NPA-initiated violent incidents. Moreover, 16 high-value targets from their central committee, national organization and territorial commission such as Northern Luzon, Southern Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao Commissions, fell into

the hands of the authorities,” Lorenzana said.

Steady stream of surrender

THE defense chief said the steady stream of surrender from the rebels prompted the administration to create the “Inter-Agency Task Force Balik-Loob” in order to process communist surrenderers. The task force centralizes the government’s reintegration efforts and oversees the “Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program,” or E-CLIP, for former rebels. As of September this year, at least 3,443 rebels have reportedly surrendered to the government. “E-CLIP provides former rebels with benefits and services. These are not rewards for surrendering, but are intended to give them a foothold in restarting their lives,” Lorenzana said. The success of the operations against rebels, as the defense chief put it, was apparently among the reasons the government has also permanently abandoned its peace talks with the rebels on a national level. A localized version of the peace negotiations with local rebel leaders is, however, being pushed. Its mechanics are still being drafted by the Department of the Interior and Local Government.

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Man smiles, says ‘Let’s rock’ before dying in electric chair

A S H V I L L E , Te n n e s see — A Ten nessee i nmate grimaced and waved goodbye before say ing “ let ’s roc k,” moments before he became the first man to be executed in the electric chair in that state since 2007 on Thursday for shooting t wo men and slitting their throats dur ing a dr ug dea l decades ago. Edmund Zagorski, 63, was pronounced dead at 7:26 p.m. on Thursday at a Nashville maximumsecurity prison, officials said. Asked by the prison warden if he had any last words in the death chamber, Zagorski said, “Let’s rock,” shortly before the execution was carried out. A reporter who witnessed the scene said at a post-execution news briefing that Zagorski could be seen smiling while strapped down. A large sea sponge that had been doused in salt water was soon placed on his head. While guards wiped his face clear of water dripping down his face, Zagorski quietly said there was still water under his nose and asked for it to be removed before his face was shrouded with a large black cloth. The witnesses said the inmate’s fists then clenched when the electricity was applied and his body tensed and appeared to rise during the two times the current went through him. He did not move afterward. Five media w itnesses watched Zagorski ’s execution along with Zagorski’s attorney, the prison’s chaplain and a representative from the attorney general’s office. Another reporter said Zagorski’s attorney Kelly Henry was nodding, smiling and tapping her heart just before the execution got under way. When asked about her actions, Henry said afterward: “I told him when I put my hand over my heart, that was me holding him in my heart.” She said Zagorski told her the last thing he wanted to see was her smiling face, and so she made an effort to smile at him before the shroud was put over his face. After

THIS undated file photo released by the Tennessee Department of Corrections shows death row inmate Edmund Zagorski in Tennessee. If Tennessee electrocutes Zagorski, it will be in an electric chair built by a self-taught execution expert who is no longer welcome in the prison system. TENNESSEE DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS VIA AP

Saturday, November 3, 2018

Trump says China’s Xi wants a deal to end escalating trade war

ONALD J. TRUMP and Xi Jinping expressed optimism ahead of meeting later this month in Argentina, with the US leader saying his Chinese counterpart wants to make a deal to end an escalating trade war.

XI JINPING and Donald J. Trump on November 9, 2017. QILAI SHEN/BLOOMBERG

it was done, Henry quietly wiped away tears. Later, Henry said it appeared that Zagorski’s pinkies had become dislocated. She said that can be common when the body undergoes such extreme blunt force trauma. A phone hung on the wall in the witness room, allowing Henry to have access to a telephone shou ld any t hing have gone wrong. A federal judge had earlier this week ordered the state to have a phone accessible. In opting for the electric chair over a lethal injection as Tennessee allowed him, Zagorski had argued it would be a quicker and less painful way to die. He became only the second person to die in the electric chair in Tennessee since 1960. Nationwide, only 14 other people have been put to death in the electric chair since 2000, including a Virginia inmate in 2013. The execution was carried out minutes after the US Supreme Court on Thursday evening denied the inmate’s request for a stay. Zagorski’s attorneys had argued it was unconstitutional to force him to choose between the electric chair and lethal injection. The state came close to administering an injection to Zagorski three weeks ago, a plan halted by Tennessee’s governor when Zagorski exercised his right to request the electric chair. AP

The leaders of the world’s two largest economies made the remarks after their first publicly disclosed telephone conversation in almost six months. Both sides reported constructive discussions on North Korea and the trade, with Chinese state media saying that Trump supported “ frequent, direct communication” between the presidents and “ joint efforts to prepare for” the planned meeting on the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit. “Those discussions are moving along nicely,” Trump wrote on Twitter on Thursday. At a campaign rally in Columbia, Missouri, he later said “they want to make a deal.” “He wants to do it,” Trump said of Xi. “They all want to do it.” Meanwhile, White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow said at an event in Washington that Trump and Xi might be able to break the logjam on issues during the November 30 to December 1 summit. But Kudlow cautioned that Trump would “aggressively” pursue his agenda against China, if no deals were reached on intellectual property (IP) theft, cybersecurity and tariffs on commodities, among other issues. Trump’s posture toward China has been closely watched by investors, who are looking for the possibility of tensions cooling in

their market-shaking trade war. Trump points to stock prices as a barometer for his administration’s economic success—blaming the Federal Reserve and Democrats for declines. News signaling improvements in US-China ties, in turn buoying the markets, would provide the president a chance to vie for support in midterm elections on Tuesday that will decide whether the Republicans keep control of Congress. Asian stocks built on the best weekly rally since September on Friday, with South Korean and Japanese stocks leading the advance. China’s official Xinhua News Agency said that Xi accepted the call at Trump’s invitation. “Xi said both he and Trump have good visions for a healthy, stable development of the China-US relations, as well as expanding economic and trade cooperation, and they should make efforts to realize the wishes,” Xinhua said. Chinese state media said Trump also expressed support for a conference in Shanghai next week that Xi is using to promote the country

as an import destination. A US Embassy spokesman said on Thursday in Beijing that the Trump administration had no plans to send a high-level representative to the expo, adding that China needed to make the necessary reforms to end what the US says are unfair trade practices.

More tariffs

BOTH the US and China have sought to portray the personal relations between the two leaders as a source of stability in the relationship, and they have refrained from direct criticism of each other. After their last publicly reported phone call in May, Trump rekindled trade talks by easing sanctions on Chinese telecom equipment maker ZTE Corp., only for negotiations to break down days later. The US is preparing to announce by early December tariffs on all remaining Chinese imports if talks between Trump and Xi fail to ease the trade war, three people familiar with the matter said. An early-December announcement of a new product

Those discussions are moving along nicely. They want to make a deal.”—Trump

list could make the effective d ate — a f ter a 6 0 - d ay publ ic comment period—coincide with China’s Lunar New Year holiday in early Februar y. The US this year has already imposed tariffs on $250 billion in trade with China. Ten percent tariffs on $200 billion in imports that took effect in September are due to increase to 25 percent on January 1. Trump has also threatened to impose tariffs on all remaining goods imports from China, which last year were worth $505 billion.

IP theft

A KEY point of contention for the US has been its allegations that China has engaged in widespread intellectual property theft. Attor ney General Jeff Sessions will announce a new initiative in response, according to a Justice Department official. That will be led by the agency’s National Security Division head, John Demers, and will increase the use of Justice Department tools to counter China’s activities, the official said. “Xi noted in the conversation that China has repeatedly made clear its stance on bilateral ties, and hopes that both countries will promote a healthy, stable development of bilateral ties,” Xinhua said of the call. Bloomberg News

U.S. PRESIDENT’S ORDER TO SOLDIERS: FIRE ON MIGRANTS WHO THROW ROCKS

RESIDENT Donald Trump said US soldiers on the border with Mexico may fire on migrants who commit violence and that people who cross into the country illegally would be detained in “massive” tent cities, as he sought to rev up his base ahead of elections next week. In a speech at the White House on Thursday, Trump ratcheted up his attacks on the migrants, insisting without evidence that the impoverished families walking toward the US are violent invaders

who will endanger Americans’ safety if they’re allowed into the country. “They’ve overrun the Mexican police and they’ve overrun and hurt, badly, Mexican soldiers,” Trump said of so-called migrant caravans from Central America. “They want to throw rocks at our military? Our military fights back. I told them, ’Consider it a rifle.”’ While Trump tried to por tray the caravans as a “crisis,” the closest group is still hundreds of miles from the US border.

The speech is the latest effort by the president to stoke voters’ fears of immigration in hopes of boosting Republican turnout on Tuesday. In the past week, he’s also ordered thousands of troops to the US-Mexico border to stop the migrant caravans and proposed ending by executive order the Constitution’s guarantee of citizenship to anyone born in the US. He promised to make it much more difficult for unauthorized immigrants to claim asylum, and urged the groups of

migrants headed toward the border from Central America to turn back.

Tent cities

THE Department of Homeland Security referred questions about the tent cities to the Department of Defense. Trump said people apprehended entering the US illegally would be held in tent cities on the Mexican border that he said are under construction by the military. “We’re going to hold them right

there,” he said. “We’re not letting them into our country.” Trump didn’t directly answer a question about whether the children of migrants would again be separated from their parents if they cross the border, and he suggested that if migrants commit violence, such as throwing rocks at American troops deployed to the border, they could be met with gunfire. Trump was criticized by lawmakers in both parties earlier this year after his administration separated about

3,000 children from caregivers after they crossed the Mexican border. “We’re working on a system where they’ll stay together,” Trump said of families caught after crossing the border. Asked if the military would fire on the migrants, he said: “I hope there won’t be that.” He said some of the migrants in the caravans threw stones at Mexican police and soldiers. “We will consider that a firearm. Because there’s not much difference,” Trump said. Bloomberg News

ExportUnlimited

A4 Saturday, November 3, 2018 • Editor: Efleda P. Campos

BusinessMirror

DTI gets ready for 2018 National Exporters’ Week

HE Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), through its Export Marketing Bureau (EMB), and in collaboration with the Philippine Exporters Confederation Inc. (Philexport) and the Export Development Council (EDC), is organizing various activities for the observance of the annual National Exporters’ Week (NEW) from December 1 to 7. This year’s theme is “SPICE (Stimulate. Permeate. Innovate. Connect. Expand!) Up to Scale Up! Expand Exports for Inclusive Prosperity.” “We are lining up exciting events for our stakeholders, especially during the conduct of the National Export Congress [NEC], the highlight of the weeklong observance of the NEW,” DTI-EMB Director Senen M. Perlada said. With some 700 delegates, in-

cluding exporters, business-support organizations, government agencies, private sector, and the academe, the NEC will be held on December 7, 2018, at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) in Pasay City.For the first time in NEC’s history, representatives from both public and private sectors can set up businessmatching meetings and network at the congress’s Business Match-

ing Hub. Here, delegates can have fruitful discussions about business growth and create collaborations to help strengthen the Philippine export industry. In addition to the Business Matching Hub is the conduct of the 1st Logistics Services Philippines Exhibition, where exporters can gain access to the full range of logistics services from across the country and engage with LSPH providers that best fit their business. Still another activity to watch out for is the conduct of the Export Enabler Exhibit, where exporters can get a chance to connect with various government agencies and business organizations to expand their current network and get the latest industry updates on regulations and market opportunities. Every first week of December is declared as Exporters’ Week per Presidential Proclamation 931, Series of 1996 and House Resolution 33. This is the commitment of the government and the private sector in continuously working together to sustain export promotion and development. Over the years, the annual celebration has progressed and turned

into a significant national event of the country. Regional offices of the DTI, Philexport and the academe also celebrate the event with different activities in line with the year’s theme. “This year the congress seeks to provide Philippine exporters a venue where they could discuss emerging trends, market opportunities, innovative ideas and technologies,” Perlada said. The NEC itself will feature different topics: seizing market prospects, ease of doing business and innovative approaches for business sustainability, among others. There will be a 2018 NEC Mobile App where participants can get the latest event updates. The NEC Mobile App will be available via App Store and Google Play soon. Other activities for the NEW in Manila are the Usapang Exports 2018 Seminars with the following topics: Start-ups for Exporters (December 3, 2018); Export Opportunities: Learning from the Trade Attaches (December 4, 2018); and International Certification and Standards for Greater Market Access for GDH and Wearables Sectors (December 5, 2018).

Asia Pacific among regions seen to lead licensed toy growth

HE Asia Pacific, along with North America and Western Europe, is expected to lead the vigorously growing market of licensed toys over the next three years, underpinned by media and technology. A report by a market research firm, Euromonitor, said sales are predicted to grow by 14 percent, which will reach $26 billion until 2020. In Asia Pacific, local licenses such as Anpanman of Japan, Turning Mecard of South Korea, and Chota Bheem of India—have been powerful in piloting the growth of licensed toys. “As it adds new opportunities in sales and growth, just like Pokemon and Beyblade, under right conditions, eventually local licenses can draw attention to the global market,” said the Euromonitor Digest released by the Department of Trade and Industry-Export Marketing Bureau (DTI-EMB). In North America and Western Europe, rapid growth of smartphones and the popularity of multigenerational licenses are expected to steer the growth of licensed toys. It said aged multigenerational licenses like the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Transformers drove the surge in purchases, as parents allow their children to share the same favorites and by childless adults who drive them to collect the expensive figurines and playsets. “These childless adults kick in the market of the traditional toys,” the report noted. The Euromonitor Digest further said smartphones expand access to these licenses. It said an 80-percent possession rate of smartphones in North America and Western Europe, and 56 percent in Asia Pacific by 2020, are anticipated. “With the help of technology and the media in improving sales performance by the effective communication and market to these toys, future demands and purchases for multigenerational licenses and local licenses through this will sustain the toy industry,” it added. PhilExport News and Features

PHL JOINS WORLD INVESTMENT FORUM 2018 As part of her engagements during the weeklong World Investment Forum

2018 organized by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, Department of Trade and Industry Undersecretary for Trade and Investments Group Nora Terrado represents the Philippines at the “Investment and the Digital Economy” panel discussion held on October 23, 2018 at the Palais des Nation in Geneva, Switzerland. PHOTO COURTESY OF UNCTAD

DTI to launch first logistics services conference, exhibition

HE Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) will showcase the services of 50 logistics companies during the first Logistics Services Philippines (LSPH) Conference and Exhibition on December 6 and 7, at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) in Pasay City. Organized by the DTI’s Competitiveness Bureau (CB) and supported by the Board of Investments (BOI), with the Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions as events management team, the first-time event will be held back-to-back with the DTI-EMB’s National Export Congress (NEC) on December 7 also at PICC. Anchored on the theme “Trabaho at Negosyo: Creating Jobs in the Logistics Services Sector,” the LSPH will include topics on logistics services sector and opportunities for job creation; logistics services in the inclusive innovation and industrial strategy; and increasing global com-

petitiveness ranking on logistics performance index. Also lined up are topics on private-public sector dialogue on increasing global competitiveness ranking in logistics performance index; setting a regulatory reform to ease doing business in the logistics industry; investment opportunities and value propositions in the country’s present logistics system; and creating jobs and addressing human resource gaps on the logistics service sector. Officials from the Departments of Transportation, Public Works and Highways, Information and Communications Technology, DTI, the Interior and Local Government, Labor and Employ ment, Education, Commission on Higher Education, Bureau of Customs, Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, Professional Regulatory Commission, Land Transportation Office, Philippine Ports Authority, and the

Mar itime Industr y Author it y (Marina) are among the invited panelists. The event is a major component of the National Exporters’ Week (NEW), an annual event led by the DTI, in coordination with the Export Development Council and the Philippine Exporters Confederation Inc. (Philexport). The NEW is being held every first week of December per Presidential Proclamation 931, series of 1996 and House Resolution 33. The NEW features weeklong activities with the NEC as the main event that gathers the country’s exporters of goods and services. The event is intended to showcase the service offerings of the logistics service providers to potential clients; connect logistics exhibitors and exporters/manufacturers in one location, and negotiate with other logistics service providers, business owners, and meet government agencies concerned with the logistics industry.

PHL organizes session in 2018 WTO Public Forum By Magnolia Uy

Philippine Trade and Investment Center-Geneva

ENEVA, Switzerland—The Philippines, through the Philippine Trade and Investment Center-Geneva (PTIC-Geneva), together with the Permanent Mission of El Salvador, coorganized a working session in the 2018 World Trade Organization (WTO) Public Forum, entitled "Enabling Global MSMEs: How technical assistance and capacity building initiatives could take into account the trade needs and challenges of MSMEs?" on October 3. The working session contributed to a better understanding of the needs and challenges of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in participating in international trade, and how technical assistance and capacity-building (TACB) initiatives play a vital role in enabling global MSMEs. Ambassador Luis Cancela of Uruguay, coordinator of the Informal Working Group of MSMEs, delivered the opening remarks while Ambassador Manuel AJ Teehankee of the Philippines moderated the session. “It is a universal fact that micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises represent over 90 percent of business registrations globally. They are among the world’s leading job creators, drivers of productivity, and agents of growth. Thus, by promoting their integration in international trade, they can play a crucially important part in our efforts toward achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development,” Teehankee emphasized. Enhancing the participation of MSMEs in international trade through adequate technical assistance and capacity building are therefore critical in order to exponentially increase their impact and contribution in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. Promoting the fuller integration of these enterprises in international trade will thus contribute to the goal of achieving a more inclusive trading system. The following were some of the key takeaways from the presentations of the panelists and from the discussions during the open forum that the members can build on as WTO continues the dialogue on technical assistance and capacity building (TACB) for MSMEs: In the presentation of the Comisión Nacional de la Micro y Pequeña Empresa de El Salvador (CONAMYPE), we learned how national governments can initiate programs that can help promote MSMEs growth. CONAMYPE President Ileana Rogel presented the various SME programs of the government of El Salvador, which include the One Village One Product, and other programs focused on Entrepreneurship/Female Entrepreneurship, Artisan Development, Supplier Development and Business Growth.

Sidley and Fairtrade International illustrated the advantages of technical cooperation between MSMEs and private and nonprofit organizations, as well as how it empowers their development as global MSMEs. Sidley’s Emerging Enterprises Pro Bono Program Manager Karolina Anda Berney talked about the free legal support Sidley provides to eligible small and mid-sized enterprises in developing countries across Africa, Asia, Central and South America, and the Caribbean. While working with hundreds of small enterprises, she cited the seeming pattern of MSMEs’ psychological barriers (e.g., distrust, suspicion toward the TACB proponent) when accessing TACB opportunities. Thus, there is a need for MSMEs to consciously break from this impediment in order to harness the benefits of TACB initiatives. Videos of Sidley’s beneficiaries from South Africa and Nicaragua were also shown to highlight how TACB helped them grow and expand their businesses internationally. Fairtrade International’s former CEO, Harriet Lamb, shared some of the common MSME challenges and limitation, which their organization tries to address, such as market competition, poor business administration skills, lack of access to buyers and inability to access finance. Lamb also argued that given the varying levels of development of various countries, special and differential treatment is necessary to level the playing field for MSMEs to be able to participate in international trade. Finally, as a beneficiary of TACB programs, Sagana Association’s Cattleya Romero-Faude talked about how technical assistance and capacity-building activities addressed some of the challenges and gaps confronting MSMEs to be able to integrate in international trade. A very interactive discussion followed the presentations between participants and panelists on issues, such as access to information on technical regulations in host countries, the certification process and price fluctuations of commodities, access to finance, the different needs of MSMEs between countries considering the different levels of development, and breaking from psychological barriers to fully benefit from TACB initiatives. Therefore, in order to promote and enable more global MSMEs, technical assistance and capacity building in these three major areas are important: Access to information, access to finance and access to markets. The Public Forum is the WTO’s largest annual outreach event, which provides a platform for participants to discuss the latest developments in world trade and to propose ways of enhancing the multilateral trading system. The three-day event attracts over 4,000 participants from civil society, academia, business, the media, governments, parliamentarians and intergovernmental organizations.

PHL, 3 other SE Asian economies seen to boost developing Asia’s trade growth

HE Philippines and three other Southeast Asian countries, and newly industrialized economies, are expected to provide a boost to developing Asia’s trade growth this year, a new report from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) said. “Imports to these economies will be buoyed by robust domestic demand, while exports will benefit from growing intraregional demand,” the Asian Economic Integration Report 2018 (AEIR) noted. The ADB report said the People’s Republic of China (PRC) will remain the key driver of developing Asia’s trade growth, while economies of Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand as well as Hong Kong, China; the Re-

public of Korea; Singapore; and Taipei, China can also step up growth. This happened as developing Asia’s trade is expected to grow albeit at a slower pace. The report identified the escalating trade friction between the United States and the PRC as the key risk to the trade volume projection. World trade growth is also expected to slow moderately from 4.7 percent in 2017 to 4.5 percent in 2018 as growth eases in some advanced economies, likely to affect exports of emerging and developing economies, as well. Meanwhile, the report underscored the importance of regional integration in Asia as development strategy. PhilExport News and Features

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

By Jim Vertuno The Associated Press

EXICO CITY—Sergio Perez climbed into his Force India car last Sunday at the Mexican Grand Prix and raced in front of an adoring home crowd. For weeks, his face beamed on billboards across this teeming metropolis of 21 million as part of a campaign by local organizers to maximize Mexico’s favorite son in a global racing series. Yet in some ways, he is all alone. Perez is the only Latin American driver on the Formula One (F1) grid and it could be that way a couple more years. The emerging 2019 lineup is full of European veterans and rookies with only a couple of slots still open. Which begs the question: What is the future for Latin American drivers in F1? Perez doesn’t know. He can only hope someone will join him. To do that, they will have to overcome financial barriers and the distance of oceans. “To reach Formula One, and maintain in Formula One, it’s just hard,” Perez said. Latin America’s history of great drivers is long but long past its prime. Britain’s Lewis Hamilton has the chance to equal the late Juan Manuel Fangio of Argentina with five career championships, second-most in F1 history. Brazil produced champions Ayrton Senna, Emerson Fittipaldi and Nelson Piquet, a lineup that would rival any country in the world. But no Latin American driver has won an F1 championship since Senna in 1991. There is currently only a handful in the top pipelines to F1. Brazil’s Sergio Sette Camara is the only Latin American driver in Formula 2, where he finished sixth in 2018. Mexico’s Diego Menchaca and Brazil’s Pedro Piquet just completed their rookie seasons in GP3. Colombia’s Tatiana Calderon also competes in GP3. F1 needs Latin American talent and the drivers need money to thrive in a ridiculously expensive sport, said Stefan Johansson of Sweden, a former F1 driver who raced against Nelson Piquet in the 1980s. “They have a flair, a high-emotion kind of element around them in racing,” Johansson said. “I don’t think the flow of funding from that region is as good as it has been, all the way down into the junior levels.... In the old days, someone with a personal interest in a driver could help financially with a little bit here, a little bit there, but now that little bit is so big.” American Tavo Hellmund, who tried to make it to Formula One as a racer 30 years ago and later created the current US and Mexican grand prix, estimates a driver needs upward of $15 million in personal or corporate sponsorships to support several years through karting and the junior leagues. “There are 60 world champions out there who never got their shot because they didn’t have the money behind them,” Hellmund said. Perez had financial backing as a youngster from Mexico’s Carlos Slim, one of the richest men in the world. So did

HITTING SPREE STAKES CROWN

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Saturday, November 3, 2018

LONG ROAD TO F1 thrive in North and South America, Tost said. “It has nothing to do with the financial package. It’s only a question of performance. As it looks currently, I don’t see it.” Perez has been on average teams whose cars can’t compete for the top spot. But it also has been years since he has shown the brilliance many remember from his earlier career. Perez was never hotter than he was in 2012, when he finished on the podium three times with Sauber. Back then, he was expected to maybe get a shot at joining Ferrari, where he had been part of the team’s driver academy. That call never came. Stops at McLaren and Force India did instead. Perez has had just one podium in each of the past two seasons. His biggest move this year has been to force his struggling team into administration so that a new ownership group could take over. “For 2019 we are going to be a surprise,” Perez said. “We will be closer to victory.” At least he kept his F1 seat. Gutierrez spent two seasons with Sauber before being released. He was a reserve driver with Ferrari in 2015, watching from the sidelines as fans cheered for Perez when the Mexico City Grand Prix

resumed after 23 years. Haas F1 signed him for its debut season in 2016. He finished 11th five times and was cut. If he had earned just one point, Haas F1 would have brought him back in 2017. “He was actually a very talented driver. He qualified well,” Haas F1 owner Gene Haas said. “At the end of the season, he wasn’t even able to score one point.... We just thought his inability to go from 11th to 10th was indicative.” The only other Latin American driver since 2012 was Pastor Maldonado, who raced with Williams and Lotus. He was the first Venezuelan to win a grand prix, with his only career victory in Spain in 2012. He was also frequently penalized for track incidents criticized by fellow drivers as dangerous and has been out of F1 since 2015. “There are some [drivers] coming up,” Perez said. “We’ll see if they reach it or not.”

FORCE India driver Sergio Perez of Mexico walks in the pit lane during the third training session before the Mexico Grand Prix recently. AP

countryman Esteban Gutierrez, who drove in F1 for three years before losing his seat after the 2016 season. Slim and his family pumped millions into Escuderia Telmex, a racing team designed to support Mexican drivers. It counts Perez, Gutierrez and Nascar Xfinity Series 2016 champion Daniel Suarez among its stable of drivers. Beyond the money, young drivers must join the junior circuits near the Europe-based teams. Perez and Gutierrez left Mexico when they were 15. “We are the ones that have to go to Europe at a very young age, sacrifice a lot more than the European drivers,” Perez said. Gutierrez remembers being a scared kid who left Mexico to chase a dream half a world away. “The heart of Formula One lies in Europe,” he said. “To leave all your country behind, to pursue a racing career in Europe, it’s quite a challenge. I was young, far from friends,

far from family, to chase a dream. The chances to achieve your dream are

very slim.” Most important is talent, said Franz Tost, team principal at Toro Rosso. Toro Rosso has 13 drivers in the last 12 years. His team has not yet finalized its driver lineup for 2019. Tost doesn’t see much coming from Latin America right now. “We need these drivers,” for F1 to

TORRE

EFENDING champion Hitting Spree puts her crown on the line in the 2018 Ambassador Eduardo M. Cojuangco Jr. Cup on Sunday at the Saddle and Clubs Leisure Park Racetrack in Naic, Cavite. The SC Stockfarm-owned Hitting Spree, which led from start to finish in ruling last year’s edition of the Cojuangco Cup, will be ridden again by jockey Kelvin Abobo in the the prestigious 2,000-meter race offering a total purse of P2 million and held in honor of the San Miguel Corp. chairman, a stalwart in the horse-racing industry. Seven other thoroughbreds, led by Hitting Spree’s stablemate Brilliance (jockey JB Hernandez) and last year’s third-placer She’s Incredible (jockey OP Cortez) of owner Joseph Dyhengco, will be crowding the reigning titlist for the top purse of P1.2 million in the rich racing weekend put up by the Philippine Racing Commission (Philracom), Metropolitan Association of Race Horse Owners and the Philippine Racing Club. Others standing in their way are Pangalusian Island (jockey JP Guce, owner Wilbert Tan), Sky Dancer (AP Asuncion, Cool Summer Farm), Tin Drum (RG Fernandez, Cool Summer Farm), Truly Ponti (JA Guce, Narciso Morales) and UND Kantar (RO Niu Jr., Melanie Habla). Brilliance and Tin Drum are the youngest in the field at four years, with the rest veterans at five years old. A fitting supporting stakes race to the Cojuangco Cup is the 2018 Philracom 3YO Open Challenge Series, featuring the country’s best three-year-old horses. Entered in the 3YO Open offering a guaranteed total prize of P1.5 million are Brown Sister (Jockey RD Raquel Jr., owner Joy Raymundo), Bingson Tecson’s coupled entries Certain to Win (JP Guce) and Garantisado (MM Gonzales), Dragon Butterfly (OP Cortez, Narciso Morales), Helushka (JB Hernandez, Juanito Tionloc), Pride of Laguna (JD Juco, Emmanuel Santos) and Viva Morena (Dan Camanero, Bienvenido Pierre M. Niles III).

INTENSE MATCH Diogo Barbosa of

Brazil’s Palmeiras (right) and Sebastian Villa of Argentina’s Boca Juniors vie for the ball during a Copa Libertadores second leg semifinal match in São Paulo, Brazil, recently. AP

Torre favored to repeat in Asian seniors chessfest T OP-SEEDED Grandmaster (GM) Eugene Torre shoots for back-to-back titles in the Ninth Asian Seniors Chess Championship at the Tagaytay International Convention Center in Tagaytay City this weekend. Torre, who captured the title with a rare sweep of the nine-round tournament in Auckland, New Zealand, last year, sets out as the top favorite in the event hosted by the Tagaytay City government through Rep. Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino and Mayor Agnes Tolentino. Torre, who will turn 67 on Sunday, is the top seed with an ELO of 2449 in the nine-round competition which offers P150,000 in cash prizes in the over-50 and over-65 categories. “It will be another big challenge for me, but I am ready to defend the title. I’ll do my best as always,” said Torre, who finished 2.5 points ahead of Ewen Green of New Zealand and compatriot Edmundo Legaspi in Auckland last year. Several foreign players, including four from Kazakhstan and three from Indonesia, and a handful of Filipino standouts will provide the challenge. Leading the foreign challenge are Oleg Rinas, Kuanishbek Jumadullayev, Aitkazy Baimurzin and Timur Kazzymuv, all of Kazakhstan; and Muhammad Novian Siregar, Syarif Mahmud and Hendry Jamal of Indonesia. International Master Chito Garma, Cesar Caturla, Rosendo Bandal, Casto “Toti” Abundo, Efren Bagamasbad, Adrian Pacis, Stewart

Manaog and Rolzon Roullo will also carry the Filipinos’ campaign. Three-time champion Helen Milligan of New Zealand will also gun for her fourth straight women’s title. Milligan, however, is expected to find a strong challenge from Mila Emperado. The champion in the tournament organized by the Tagaytay Chess Club in behalf of the National Chess Federation of the Philippines and the Asian Chess Federation will receive an International Master title and a Grandmaster norm. Runners-up receive FIDE Master titles. Tournament director Michael Lapitan said a rapid chess championship is scheduled on the first day on Saturday, followed by the nine-round Swiss System tournament and a blitz championship on the last day. Players should reach their 50th or 65th birthday in 2018. Participants must have been born in or before 1968 for seniors over 50 and for women over 50, and born in or before 1953 for seniors over 65. Time control for standard chess is 90 minutes each for the whole game, with 30 seconds increment per move from the first move. Default time is 30 minutes after starting time. Time control for rapid chess is 15 minutes each plus 10 seconds increment per move. Time control for Blitz chess is three minutes each plus two seconds increment per move.

Son of late Leicester owner vows to carry on dad’s legacy

EICESTER, England—The son of the Leicester owner killed in a helicopter crash promised on Wednesday to honor his father by continuing his “big vision and dreams” at the Premier League club. “From him, I have received a very big mission and legacy to pass on and I intend to do just that,” Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha said in a tribute to his father, Vichai, who died with four other people when his helicopter spiraled out of control as it left the stadium following a Premier League game on Saturday. Vichai, a Thai billionaire owner of retail company King Power, led the consortium that bought Leicester in August 2010 and has forged a close bond not only with the soccer team but with the local community. Aiyawatt is the vice chairman. In a message that appeared to underline their commitment to Leicester, Aiyawatt said his father had turned the club into a family. “And nothing,” he added, “would make him

prouder than to see how the Leicester City family that he built is supporting each other through a time of such sadness.” Leicester’s grieving players will take to the field for the first time since the crash when they visit Cardiff for a Premier League game on Saturday. The Foxes will travel to Wales by road on Friday after making the decision that flying would be insensitive given the circumstances of Vichai’s death, Britain’s Press Association reported. Fans’ groups were meeting on Wednesday to discuss a tribute to the club’s late owner at Leicester’s next home game, against Burnley on November 10. They are planning to march from Leicester’s city center to the team’s King Power Stadium before the game, with 5,000 supporters taking part—in reference to the preseason title odds of 5,000-1 given to Leicester the year it won the Premier League in 2015-2016. Leicester and Cardiff players said the match will go ahead as planned in the Welsh capital, with a minute’s silence before kickoff and players wearing black armbands as a mark of respect for Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha and four other people who were killed in the tragedy. Leicester’s players have been visibly

affected by the incident and have spent Monday and Tuesday attending commemorative events to pay tribute to Vichai, the club’s popular Thai owner whose helicopter spiraled out of control as it left the King Power Stadium following a Premier League game against West Ham on Saturday. “We will be offering our support to Leicester City in any way necessary in respect of this weekend’s fixture,” Cardiff chief executive Ken Choo said. Leicester’s English League Cup match against Southampton, scheduled for Tuesday, had been canceled, while games involving the club’s women’s team were also called off in wake of the crash. Leicester opened a book of condolence inside a specially erected marquee in memory of Vichai on Tuesday, as more supporters and people from the wider community arrived at the stadium to pay their respects. Leicester striker Jamie Vardy and his wife, Rebekah, wept as they placed a wreath among an ever-growing shrine to Vichai that includes flowers, scarves and soccer jerseys. Leicester goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel, who was present at the scene of the crash on Saturday, was in tears as floral tributes were laid inside and outside the King Power Stadium on Monday. AP

A6 Saturday, November 3, 2018 | Editor: Mike Besa

Bhullar tabbed by Lahiri to fill Team India following Sharma withdraw

Nine-time Asian Tour winner Bhullar set to team up with Lahiri for second time in World Cup

ELBOURNE, Victoria, AUS—India’s Anirban Lahiri selected nine-time Asian Tour winner Gaganjeet Bhullar to complete Team India at the ISPS HANDA Melbourne World Cup of Golf following Shubhankar Sharma’s announcement of his withdraw from the event. The 2018 ISPS HANDA Melbourne World Cup of Golf will be contested at The Metropolitan Golf Club in Melbourne from November 21 to 25. The 59th staging of the event will see the 56-player field vie for the largest prize-money purse in Australian golf, with $S7 million on offer. Bhullar, 30, has enjoyed another stellar season on the Asian Tour, collecting four top5 finishes, including a win at the Fiji International presented by Fiji Airways, where the Kapurthala, India, native closed with a final-round 66 to edge Australia’s Anthony Quayle by one stroke and 2019 Presidents Cup International Team Captain Ernie Els by two. Bhullar qualified for last week’s World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions by virtue of being inside the top 5 of the Asian Tour Order of Merit, where he finished T46. It will be Bhullar’s second time teeing it up in the World Cup of Golf, having last played in the team event in 2013 at The Royal Melbourne Golf Club, where he also partnered with Lahiri, who is also a two-time International team member of the Presidents Cup. “It’s a great privilege for me,” Bhullar said. “We play all of these individual events, and we hardly get to represent our country, so I’m very honored and feel my hard work has definitely paid off this year.

“This will be my second event in the World Cup with my previous one being with Anirban, so we really gel on the golf course. We’ve played a lot of junior and amateur golf together and understand each other’s game plan really well, so I’m looking forward to the World Cup.” Following Sharma’s withdraw from the event, Lahiri, who is now established on the PGA Tour, was given the option to select a partner to join him in Melbourne. “Gagan has been playing very consistently this year and had an amazing win in Fiji,” Lahiri said. “He’s got a really solid allaround game and practically no weaknesses. “We go back a long way and this won’t be our first time for Team India. We have good chemistry on the course and understand each other’s game well. I think we will combine for a strong Team India.” Lahiri and Bhullar were part of the Indian national team to win the team silver medal in the 2006 Asian Games when they were amateurs. Tickets are now on sale and ticket options range from Wednesday practice round tickets starting at $22.00, singleday competitive round tickets starting at $31.00 and tickets to the upgraded MacKenzie Club (Thursday to Sunday) starting at $84.00. Weekly tickets are also available for $122, with a MacKenzie Club option priced at $295. Ticket buyers are reminded that youth 16 and under are admitted to the event free of charge when accompanied by a ticketed adult. To purchase tickets or find more information on ticket options, fans can log on to www. WorldCupofGolf.com.

IS ZOYSIA THE FUT OF SUSTAINABLE G IN THE PHILIPPINE S

Story & photos by Mike Besa

USTAINABILITY has become a buzzword of the golf industry these days. There’s no way around the fact that golf needs a lot of resources. Golf courses use a lot of land and golf holes need to be maintained to a certain standard to remain faithful to the shot values envisioned by the course designer. To maintain an environment using imported turf grass species requires all manner of artificial means to protect the club’s precious investment—fertilizers, herbicides and other additives, as well as aggressive manual weeding in certain instances. Since most of the imported turf grasses used by modern golf courses are Bermudas of one variation or another, it is, therefore,

surprising that so little attention has been paid to our indigenous Bermuda variety—zoysia matrella, also known as Philippine Bermuda or Manila grass. It has not been totally ignored by the local golf industry, but its use has been limited to green surfaces in the past. Wack Wack East, Canlubang, Calatagan, all the military golf courses and most of the older golf courses use zoysia exclusively on the greens. It wasn’t until the Ayala Corp. built both Anvaya Cove Golf and Sports Club and Southlinks Golf Club that zoysia has seen use as a fairway grass. Zoysia matrella, or Manila grass, is considered by many to be the ultimate turf grass. It has an excellent dark green color, very fine leaves, a low mowing requirement, good wearing ability, selective herbicide tolerance and tolerance for low-light situations. Multiple

trials have demonstrated its suitability for a wide range of environments including saltaffected and acid soils. Zoysia matrella grows slowly and always looks inviting. It can be mowed short to achieve a bowling green appearance, between 20 millimeters and 30 mm or left un-mown as a feature grass. It has a soft feel, is thick under foot and has small inconspicuous seed heads. It is one of the most ascetically appealing of all turf grasses and suits presentation areas with low light or full-sun. It is suitable for sites affected by shade, salt or acid soils. Due to its high silica levels it can tolerate high traffic areas. In golf course applications, zoysia exhibits slightly different playing characteristics that its imported turf rivals. On putting greens, zoysia doesn’t get much love because of the aggressiveness of its grain. It makes putting

ZOYSIA has proven its durability on the fairways of Southlinks Golf Club.

difficult and requires local knowledge on how much the grain will affect the direction the ball rolls. So much easier to putt on micro-Bermudas since none of these varieties exhibit much grain. Around the greens is where one needs to pay attention. If you’re chipping into the grain on zoysia, you need to make perfect contact, or the grain will grab the clubhead and inhibit its path through the hitting area. Using the bounce of the wedge usually works but you need to make a determined strike at the ball. On iron shots, zoysia exhibits a bit more resistance than say, Tifton 419. Zoysia’s roots run parallel to the ground and thus inhibit the clubhead’s path through the turf. A shallower angle of attack works well as does a determined strike through the hitting zone. There are many golf courses in central Thailand that have now transitioned to zoysia

ANVAYA Cove was the first golf course to purposely plant zoysia on its fairways.

10 ways to improve your course strategy W

By David MacKenzie

HENEVER I give a playing lesson with a new student and I ask them about their targets and shot selection, it often becomes clear that they are losing several shots each round due to poor course strategy for golf. The good news about this, is that it becomes a very easy way to shave shots off their score almost immediately. I’ve played with Tour players before, who on the face of it don’t look all that impressive until you see a 66 on their scorecard at the end. They’ve successfully plotted their way around the course to maximize scoring opportunities while limiting mistakes. Tour players miss their targets more than you think, but their misses are usually “good” and their shot selection and targets they pick gives them the best chance of getting up and down and ruling out the big numbers. An improved course strategy for golf is about getting more from what you already have, which is essentially what a better mental game is all about. In this article we’ll take a look at 10 ways you can improve your course strategy for golf, and lower your scoring average. 10 WAYS TO IMPROVE YOUR COURSE STRATEGY FOR GOLF 1. KNOW YOUR DISTANCES THIS one sounds obvious, but it’s surprising how few golfers (even single figure golfers and better) know how far on average they hit the ball. Here’s a typical conversation about course strategy for golf with a new student: Me: “How far do you hit a 7 iron?” New student: “175.” Me: “Is that when it’s well-struck or on average?” New student: [Pause] “Actually, when it’s well struck”. Me: “So how far do the other 50 percent of your 7 irons go?” With launch monitors becoming more accessible (your local pro will typically have a Trackman or Flightscope) and inexpensive (you can get something fairly accurate for less than $500 now), there’s no

excuse for not knowing how far on average you hit each club. It’s well worth the investment of time to hit 25 balls with each club (with balls that you use on the course) and see what your average carry and roll is. 2. KNOW YOUR SHOT DISPERSION IF you were to hit 25 balls with a 5 iron, do you know what the grouping of the balls would look like? Knowing how narrow or wide your shot dispersion is (left and right, long and short), will really help you make better misses. Using a Trackman or Flightscope can tell you this. E.g., If you are faced with a shot from 190 yards with water to the right and the pin is on the right of the green (like in the photo above) and your shot dispersion (left-right) from that distance is 40 yards (20 yards left or

right of the target), then clearly aiming at that pin is going to bring the water into play. However, if you were to aim 20 yards to the left of the pin, you can safely assume that you will not be in the water or short-sided right. You’ve immediately taken a step to eliminate a big number. Tour players adopt a similar strategy. Despite what you might think from watching the TV coverage, they rarely aim at pins, especially if the pin is close to one side of the green. When you see those shots go close on TV, it’s usually because they’ve hit it to the very edge of their shot dispersion. Their actual target was probably the safe side of the green to avoid being short-sided or bringing a big number into play. This is a key concept of the Decade course strategy system, a now popular course strategy system by Scott Fawcett.

PLOTTING out your strategy for the golf course is crucial to recording a good score.

www.pinoygolfer.com | Saturday, November 3, 2018 A7

TURE GOLF ES? matrella after being planted, originally, and not so many years ago, to Bermuda grass. The conversion process happened naturally, producing the type of zoysia surfaces now found at Phoenix Golf and Country Club in Pattaya. Again, as at Thana City, the zoysia was not planted, but it overtook and overwhelmed the bermuda grass that was planted when this course, a Denis Griffiths design, was built. One can also find almost complete conversion that happened naturally, or was encouraged by the course’s management, at Bangkok’s Summit Windmill Golf Club (designed by Nick Faldo) and Green Valley Country Club (Robert Trent Jones Jr. design). And at Thai Country Club (Denis Griffiths design), which was planted to seashore paspalum (Paspalum vaginatum) in the 1990s, the extensive rough is now almost entirely zoysia. Tagaytay Highlands is the first golf course in the country to have fully converted to zoysia

TAGAYTAY Highlands is the first all-zoysia golf course in the country.

matrella. Originally planted with Tifton 419 on the fairways and tifdwarf on the greens, the imported turf grasses were no match for zoysia in the hyper environment of the golf course. The conversion did not seem to affect the course’s playability in the slightest. The fairways are perfect, and the greens roll true but exhibit the grain that is zoysia’s trademark. Still, this isn’t a bad thing. The course is beautiful and in the pink of health. GOLF Magazine’s Top 100 Courses in the World lists three courses in Asia that have warm-season grass on tees and fairways. All three of these courses, Hirono Golf Club, Tokyo Golf Club and Kawana Hotel Fuji Course, use zoysia (called korai shiba in Japanese) for tees 3. KNOW THE GOOD AND BAD MISSES THE players I work with make good use of yardage books and Google Earth imagery as part of their prep for a round. Knowing where you can’t go on a hole is not negative thinking, it’s a key part of a good course strategy for golf. Obviously, you rarely know where the pins will be located until the tournament day, but during your prep, imagine three possible pin locations and formulate a strategy based on those possibilities. Some of my students like a “Red, Amber, Green” approach where Red is a more conservative target and playing away from the pin and Green is a more direct shot at the pin. Put these notes in your yardage book to remind you when you’re on the course. 4. GET THE BALL INTO THE ‘SCORING ZONE’ ONE strategy system that’s helped a number of my students is Will Robin’s “Scoring Method.” This system helps golfers better understand their game and formulate a strategy to limit mistakes and maximize scoring potential. It also helps each player figure out exactly what they need to work on during practice. One of the key concepts is figuring out what you need to do to guarantee that you can get into the “Scoring Zone” in regulation (the size of the scoring zone varies for different levels of player). 5. KNOW HOW LIE AFFECTS DISTANCE ARE you aware of how different lies affect the carry of each club? It’s these details that the world’s best players are factoring into their decision-making for every shot. From the fairway or tee box is where you’re going to get maximum compression of the ball with your irons (the ball gets squeezed between the club and the ground). From the sand or rough there is obviously less compression and therefore the ball is not going to travel as far. 6. KNOW YOUR FAVORITE WEDGE YARDAGE ANOTHER mistake I see players make, especially on short par 4’s or when hitting approaches into par 5’s, is trying to hit the ball

and fairways, and in the case of Kawana, this grass is used on the greens, as well. There is a reason that zoysia matrella is used on so many of the best courses. It is the grass that doesn’t die in these conditions. That means it can be maintained in any way the greenkeeper and club wish to present the playing surfaces, without incurring excessively high maintenance costs. Bermuda grass has long been noted as not performing well in East and Southeast Asia because of the cloudy conditions so common in this part of the world. The numerous courses planted to Bermuda grass in the 1990s that have seen the playing surfaces convert naturally to zoysia are ample proof of that.

as far down the hole as possible. When I see a player reach for a 3 wood for an approach into a par 5 and I ask them what yardage they expect for their next shot, the response I often get “I’m just trying to get it as close to the green as possible.” But If you feel less comfortable hitting a shot from 50 yards, than you do 100 yards, then why would you want to have the shorter shot in? Not to mention, a 3 wood has a higher dispersion than say a 5 iron and you’re more likely to be out of position. Work your way back from the green and think about how to get to your favorite yardage and what angle you’d like to play the next shot from.

9. IMPROVE YOUR GOLF IQ YOUR Bryson DeChambeau’s and Phil Mickelson’s of the world know exactly how a degree of air temperature change will affect the distance the ball will carry and roll. They are also great at being able to judge wind speed and they know exactly how much each miles per hour of wind speed will affect the distance. Bryson Dechambeau was seen recently spraying his balls with water on the range to simulate wet conditions and measuring the distance change using a launch monitor. I’m not suggesting you go to this extent, but at least understanding how different conditions affect distance and carry is an important factor of a good course strategy for golf.

7. KNOW THE HOLES WHERE A BOGEY IS AN ACCEPTABLE SCORE WHEN you look at the scorecard before a round, take note of the lower stroke index holes. If you know that the average score on a particular hole is likely to be over par, then take a more conservative strategy on those holes. Lowering your expectations will take some pressure off you on those harder holes. You might be better off taking a shorter club off the tee to guarantee you keep the ball in play and in position and still give yourself a chance of making par (and bogey being your worst possible score), and at the same time, ruling out the big number.

10. SCORE YOUR ROUNDS BY FACTORS SUCH AS YOUR COURSE STRATEGY FOR GOLF ALL of my students use what I call a “Mental Game Scorecard.” When you are on the first tee, your technical skills are what they are. What will bring out the best in your game and help you access your best skills on that day is the mental game, and that’s what my students score themselves by. Course strategy is one of these factors and scoring yourself by it at the end of every round will make you more aware of it during your rounds.

8. KNOW WHEN TO TAKE YOUR MEDICINE TOO many golfers take on too much risk when they are out of position. On those days that you have your B or C game (which happens to every player from time to time), it doesn’t mean that you have to score badly. Those rounds where you aren’t as in control of the golf ball are not the time to be taking on risky shots. When you’re out of position, select shots that are going to get you back in play with a chance to score. Avoid shots that you don’t feel comfortable hitting—the additional pressure to execute them and any lack of commitment will more than likely result in a poor swing and more mistakes.

n David MacKenzie is a mental performance coach and the founder of Golf State of Mind. Throughout David’s playing career, he learned quickly how attitude, self-belief and mental toughness affect performance in golf. He knew that the mental game was the difference between his average and great rounds. But the question was: “How does one improve these skills to get better at the mental aspects of the game?” While studying at the University of Saint Andrews in Scotland, David began in-depth research into Sports Psychology and how elite performers apply their minds to practice and play. He turned this research into his “Ultimate Mental Game Training System” which has been used by over 100k golfers worldwide. David currently works individually with all levels of golfer, from Junior and College golfers to Tour winners.

The fact that zoysia replaces Bermuda grass and seashore paspalum in Asia gives some indication that the grass is well-adapted to this environment. That is no surprise; the ubiquity of zoysia in East and Southeast Asia is what one expects, for the grass is native to this region. The climate in this part of the world, as it influences the growth of warmseason grasses, is distinguished by relatively low amounts of photosynthetically active radiation. Because zoysia is native to these conditions and thrives in such a climate, it can be maintained as a links-style surface with a low mowing height at a slow growth rate throughout the year. For Bermuda grass and seashore paspalum,

because of their relatively poor performance during periods of low light, their growth must be stimulated at an artificially high rate during times of adequate light. How does zoysia work in practical terms? We visited Southlinks GC to find out. The fairways and primary rough at Southlinks is all zoysia. The fairways showed just a hint of brown as the wet season was almost nonexistent this year. But it didn’t hinder playability at all. The ball sits up nicely on the fairways of Southlinks offering a variety of options for the golfer. It is a bit firm going through the turf, but it isn’t something most golfers will notice. The fairways were firm and yielded good amounts of roll. Our guests from

the United States were very impressed and loved their time at Southlinks. All of which begs the question; why aren’t more of our golf courses covered in zoysia? The conditions at Tagaytay Highlands prove beyond a doubt that the playing experience on zoysia is on a par with the best imported turf grasses. It is easy to care for and requires little inputs from the club. It is appropriate ground cover from tee to green and its hardiness means that the superintendent can focus on presenting the desired conditions. It is a sturdy, hardy grass that is perfectly suited for duty on the golf course. Ubiquitous as it is, it seems just a matter of time before it dominates the golf scene in Asia and the Philippines.

THE 20 MOST IMPORTANT CHANGES TO THE RULES OF GOLF IN 2019 THE rules of golf change significantly in 2019. Have you gotten up to speed? You can download an app from the USGA for your mobile phone, but to start you off, here are the 20 most important changes we’ll see in 2019. 1. Search time—Reduced from five minutes to three minutes. 2. Ball moved during search—Replace with no penalty. 3. Embedded ball—Free relief anywhere through the green. 4. Measuring a drop—Use longest club (except putter). 5. Dropping—Drop from knee height rather than from shoulder height. 6. Taking stance on the wrong green is no longer allowed. 7. Ball unintentionally hits player or equipment—No penalty. 8. Double hit—No penalty; now counts as only one shot. 9. Touching sand in bunker incidentally is permitted. 10. Loose impediments can be removed anywhere including hazards. 11. Dropping a ball outside of a bunker—two penalty strokes. 12. Water hazards—Now called “Penalty Areas.” 13. Touching ground in penalty area—No penalty. 14. Ball moves on green after being marked—Replace without penalty. 15. Ball accidentally moved on putting green—Replace without penalty. 16. All damage to green can now be repaired. 17. Positioning a club for alignment is not permitted. 18. Caddie assisting with alignment is now not permitted. 19. Putting with flag stick in the hole is now permitted. 20. Ball wedged against the flag stick and the side of the hole is deemed as holed. The changes were made to make the game easier to understand and play so everyone should benefit. Download the app for your phone and familiarize yourself with the new rules. Always play it right!

OurTime

A8 Saturday, November 3, 2018 • Editor: Efleda P. Campos

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Creation of hospital for elderly pushed at NIB-organized event T

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QC urged to pass ordinances for senior citizens, PWDs

HE long-delayed passage of a bill institutionalizing the National Center for Geriatric Health (NCGH) has been pushed anew in an event for the elderly, organized by the News and Information Bureau (NIB). In his remark, NCGH Chairman Melhammid Tomawis appealed for the inclusion of the proposed measure converting the NCGH into a fullfledged hospital for senior citizens on Malacañang’s list of priority bills. “We appeal for inclusion of this proposed bill on the list of top 10 priority measures of government,” Tomawis said during the health and wellness services program held at NCGH in San Miguel,

Manila, on Monday. “Because our beloved President Duterte is also a senior citizen, I’m sure he will support this bill,” he added. He also appealed to lawmakers in both the Senate and the House of Representatives to support the passage of the bill. Tomawis said the country needs a general hospital that will cater to all the medical needs of the country’s

nearly 10 million senior citizens. “So I hope that under the term of President Duterte, this bill will finally become a law, and then, hopefully, we will able to eventually build similar hospitals in the Visayas and Mindanao,” he said. He sa id inst it ut iona l i zing NCGH can serve as “a tangible and permanent” legacy of the Duterte administration. Established in 2010 through an executive order signed by former President and now House Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, the NCGH is just one of the attached hospitals of the Jose Reyes Memorial Medical Center (JRMMC). Since NCGH has to rely on a limited budget from JRMMC, Tomawis said the NCGH has no intensive care unit and equipment needed to operate on an emergency section. “As of now, we can do nothing. That’s why we appeal to the government to address it. This is the theme

of our occasion today,” Tomawis said, referring to NIB’s event theme, “Handog KKK Para Kina Lola at Lolo.” Almost 150 senior citizens have availed themselves of the health and wellness services offered by the NIB in coordination with NCGH as part of the Filipino Elderly Week celebration. Among the services offered include acupuncture, acupressure therapy, massage therapy, use of lifelight, Carmen bees synchrotherapy, cell mineral drops demo, gadget for massage, quantum magnetic resonance analyzer and pranic/reiki healing. “We are happy to remind and make the people aware that we have a Filipino Elderly Week celebration. This is our humble way of making you happy in your celebration,” NIB Director Virginia Arcilla-Agtay said. The NIB, an attached agency of the Presidential Communications Operations Office, provided similar services in May during the NCGH’s eighth founding anniversary. PNA

Antique grants addl benefit for the elderly

AN JOSE DE BUENAVISTA, Antique—Around 7,000 senior citizens of the province of Antique stand to benefit from a provincial ordinance that ensures their general welfare and development. Provincial Ordinance 2018-144 provides the Death Assistance Fund to seniors aside from incorporating provisions of Republic Act 9257, or An Act Granting Additional Benefits and Privileges to Senior Citizens, and the recent RA 9994, or the Expanded Senior Citizens Act of 2010. Cirilo Baldestamon, a senior citizen who helped in the refinement of the ordinance, said in an interview on Monday that among the benefits

included in the local legislation is the establishment of this subsidy for senior citizens. “The provincial government shall establish the Death Assistance Fund annually, equivalent to at least 5 percent of the total number of senior citizens of the previous year multiplied by P2,000,” he said. He added that, through the Death Assistance Fund, the closest kin of a senior citizen who will die will be given P2,000 by the Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office (PSWDO) that will initially manage the fund to help in the burial expenses. “There are several seniors who, when they die, are really penni-

BEFORE ROSITA MADE LANDFALL Marilyn Alipio, 64, of Sinamar Norte, San Mateo,

Isabela, rushes cutting the Malaysian mums from her garden just before devastating Typhoon Rosita hit the province early this week. SUZANNE JUNE G. PRANTE

less, and their family members do not know where to get the money to be spent for their burial,” Baldestamon said. Board Member Fernando C. Corvera Sr., one of the sponsors of the ordinance, said the passage of the ordinance is a manifestation that the provincial government fully supports them. “You now have more reasons to be happy about as you gather for your Senior Citizens Congress,” Corvera told the elderly who gathered for their annual Congress at the Binirayan Gymnasium, on Tuesday. The provincial government has an existing program, “Kabalaka sa Lolo kag Lola kang Probinsya,” or Concern

of the Provincial Government to the Grandparents. It provides economic assistance to satisfy their daily subsistence and medical needs in the amount of P2,000 to 85 to 89 years old, P3,000 to those 90 to 94 years old, P5,000 to 95 to 99 years old and P30,000 to 100 years old and older. The same assistance has been added into the ordinance to ensure its continuity. The PSWDO will formulate a simplified guideline to expedite the release of the Aid to Individuals in Crisis Situation to the elderly. Baldestamon said the ordinance, approved on July 26 but still undergoing fine-tuning, will be published soon. PNA

A DAY before Typhoon Rosita was expected to make landfall, Rodrigo Agpaoa, 65, of Sinamar Norte, San Mateo, Isabela, cut his flowers and sold then in front of his hut to visitors and motorists before All Saints’ Day. CEASAR M. PERANTE

US Social Security checks will grow in 2019 as inflation rises

ASHINGTON— Tens of millions of Social Security recipients and other retirees will get a 2.8-percent boost in benefits next year as inflation edges higher. It’s the biggest increase most retired baby boomers have gotten. Following a stretch of low inflation, the cost-of-living adjustment, or Cola, for 2019 is the highest in seven years. It amounts to $39 a month for the average retired worker, according to estimates released Thursday by the Social Security Administration. The Cola affects household budgets for about 1 in 5 Americans, including Social Security beneficiaries, disabled veterans and federal retirees. That’s about 70 million people, enough to send ripples through the economy. Unlike most private pensions, So-

cial Security has featured inflation protection since 1975. Beneficiaries also gain from compounding since Colas become part of their underlying benefit, the base for future costof-living increases. Many retirees and their advocates say the annual adjustment is too meager and doesn’t reflect higher health-care costs for older people. Federal budget hawks take the opposite view, arguing that increases should be smaller to reflect consumers’ penny-pinching responses when costs go up. With the Cola, the estimated average monthly Social Security payment for a retired worker will be $1,461 a month next year. “For more recent retirees, the 2019 Cola will be the largest increase they have gotten to date,” said policy analyst Mary Johnson, of the nonpartisan Senior Citizens League.

But retiree Danette Deakin, of Bolivar, Missouri, said she feels as though her Cola is already earmarked for rising expenses. Her Medigap insurance for costs not covered by Medicare is going up, and so is her prescription drug plan. She expects her Medicare Part B premium for outpatient care will also up. “It isn’t enough of an increase that it takes care of all of the increases from health care, plus rent — our rent gets increased every year,” said Deakin, 70, who worked in the finance department at a boat dealership. Health-care costs eat up about one-third of her income, she estimated. “I appreciate the Cola adjustment, and in no way am I complaining,” Deakin added. “It’s just that every single thing you can talk about goes up. It doesn’t go down.” By law, the Cola is based on a broad

index of consumer prices. Advocates for seniors claim the general index doesn’t accurately capture the rising prices they face, especially for health care and housing. They want the government to switch to an index that reflects the spending patterns of older people. “What the Cola should be based on is still a very real issue,” said William Arnone, CEO of the National Academy of Social Insurance, a research organization not involved in lobbying. “Older people spend their money in categories that are going up at a higher rate than overall inflation.” The Cola is now based on the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers, or CPI-W, which measures price changes for food, housing, clothing, transportation, energy, medical care, recreation and education.

WO groups on Wednesday called on the Quezon City government to pass three proposed ordinances that would benefit the city’s senior citizens and persons with disability (PWDs). Records of the Quezon City Council showed that 16 percent, or 485,414, of the city’s 2,970,562 population are senior citizens. In a legislative forum, the participants, led by Rosita Lacson, president of the Quezon City Alliance of Health Advocates; Alex Mendoza, president of the PWD Federation Quezon City; and Asuncion de la Cruz, senior citizen focal person of Barangay Tatalon, urged the Quezon City Council to prioritize the passage of ordinances that would benefit their sectors. The three proposed ordinances are those on the establishment of a Senior Citizen Outpatient Department and Diagnostic Medical Center; the profiling and registration of PWDs; and the appointment of Medical Health Officers in every barangay in Quezon City. Mendoza noted that in Australia, senior citizens are only charged a fare of A$1 for their trip to a distance similar to the distance from Quezon City to Baguio City or Batangas. He wished the city’s senior citizens would be accorded the same privilege. Lacson said it is time for the city to profile its senior citizens and

PWDs so that their respective concerns could be addressed by the city government. Meanwhile, de la Cruz said only 35 doctors are attending to the health needs of residents of the city’s 142 barangays. She added it is about time more doctors are sent to the barangays so that senior citizens and PWDs who need medical attention would be attended to properly. Lawyer Jojo Conejero, legislative staff of Vice Mayor Joy Belmonte, told the participants there are 130 vacant positions for doctors in the city, but only 54 are plantilla positions. An ordinance also mandates the barangays to allocate 1 percent of their budget for senior citizens and PWDs, he said, adding that noncompliance would lead to the nonapproval of the barangay’s budget. During the forum, the participants were informed the city has a P21.5-billion proposed budget, 1 percent or P215 million of which would benefit senior citizens and PWDs. Of the P215 million, P82 million will be for senior citizens’ welfare services, P26 million for personnel and miscellaneous and other operating expenses of the Office of Senior Citizens Affairs, P16 million for the Persons with Disability Affairs Office, and the rest for various services and departments of the city government. PNA

Age should not hinder productivity, DOH exec tells elderly in Laguna

UMBAN, Laguna—An official of the Department of Health (DOH) called on senior citizens of this town to make the most of the extended lives afforded by modern medicine and to pursue their interests as they remain viable and productive members of society. DOH Calabarzon Regional Director, Dr. Eduardo C. Janairo, issued this challenge on October 14 during the daylong medical and dental mission spearheaded by his office. “Through this activity, we want to express gratitude to our seniors for your lifelong dedication and commitment in serving the society. The fact that you now live longer today than ever is already considered a big success, because this means you are in good health and can still serve as an important part of the community,” Janairo said. He also advised participants that their age should not hinder them from remaining productive and active members of society. “We can always find something meaningful to do, something passionate that you want to do like tutor children, volunteer, work for the community,” he added. He also encouraged the seniors

to stay active, keep fit and continue doing the things they enjoy to maintain their strength, balance and flexibility, and promote cardiovascular health. “We need physical activity to help us stay healthy to prevent illness. Eat well, sleep more, reduce stress and, best of all, look and feel better,” he added. Around 700 senior citizens received free health services at the town’s auditorium. Elderly beneficiaries, aged 60 to over 85 years old, received free health-care services, such pneumococcal immunization, preventive dentistry, blood testing (glucose, uric acid, cholesterol), general health-care assessment and provision of vitamin supplements and maintenance medicines. The DOH Calabarzon, in partnership with the Association of Health Oriented Neighbors, introduced various traditional complementary and alternative modalities to monitor and assess the senior citizens’ overall health like the use of Live Blood Analysis, Disease Prevention Analyzer, Hypotential Therapy and Electric Acupuncture machines. PNA

Manila Water shares environmental movement with San Juan City seniors

AST Zone water and usedwater concessionaire Manila Water has partnered with the City Government of San Juan through its City Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO) to raise awareness at the barangay level on the provisions of the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000 or Republic Act 9003 and The Philippine Clean Water Act or RA 9275. About 200 senior citizens and homeowners of Barangay Corazon De Jesus participated and pledged their commitments to help protect the environment through proper waste segregation as well as have their septic tanks desludged. During the event, Manila Water also shared the importance of East Zone’s advocacy program called “Toka Toka,” the first and

only movement in the Philippines on used water management. Manila Water also communicated the four ownable acts or tokas following four simple acts that include proper disposal of garbage, availment of desludging services, connecting to Manila Water’s sewer network, and supporting Manila Water’s community-based sanitation projects. In a rel ated development, MMDA Project Officer Sammy Brown also discussed the role of the agency in solid-waste management while CENRO of San Juan discussed their city ordinances pertaining to the two laws mentioned above. Manila Water is the service provider of water and used-water services to more than 6.5 million residents in the eastern portion of Metro Manila and Rizal province.

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Saturday, November 3, 2018 A9

HP launches industry’s first print security bug bounty program HP Inc. announced the industry’s first print security bug bounty program, underscoring its commitment to deliver the world’s most secure printers. The tech giant selected Bugcrowd, a global leader in crowdsourced offensive security, to manage vulnerability reporting, further enhancing HP’s business printer portfolio (www.hp.com/go/ printersthatprotect). With the company’s extensive history of device security innovation and driving new industry security standards, this print-focused bug bounty program is yet another way HP is leading the way when it comes to providing the highest-level security for its customers and partners. “As we navigate an increasingly complex world of cyber threats, it’s paramount that industry leaders leverage every resource possible to deliver trusted, resilient security from the firmware up,” said Pallasena V Viswanath, HP Philippines managing director. “HP is committed to engineering the most secure printers in the world.” HP is the first company to invest in a dedicated bug bounty program for printing devices, offering customers protection from attacks that are targeting both businesses and employees. According to Bugcrowd’s recent report, the top emerging attackers are focused on endpoint devices, and the total print vulnerabilities across the industry have increased 21 percent during the past year. “CISOs are rarely involved in printing purchase decisions yet play a critical role in the overall health and security of their organization,” said Justine Bone, CEO, MedSec and Security Advisory Board member for HP. “For decades, HP has made cybersecurity a priority rather than an afterthought by engineering business printers with powerful layers of protection. And in doing so, HP is helping to support the valuable role CISOs play in organizations of every size.” The Bug Bounty program includes: vulnerabilities found by researchers in the private program are required to be reported to Bugcrowd; reporting a vulnerability previously discovered by HP will be assessed, and a reward may be offered to researchers as a good faith payment; and Bugcrowd will verify bugs and reward researchers based on the severity of the flaw and awards up to $10,000.

PHOTOS BY GIANNA MANIEGO

EXO comes to Manila a week before comeback PRIMETIME

DINNA CHAN VASQUEZ @dinnachanvasquez luckydinna@gmail.com

N the past few weeks, fans of EXO, known as EXO-Ls, had been waiting for updates on the SM Entertainment boy group’s comeback on social media. When EXO’s official Twitter account (@weareoneEXO) released the teaser for the comeback in early October, the hashtag #EXOComingSoon immediately landed on the worldwide trends list. At press time, EXO, with all nine members, was set to release their fifth studio album, titled Don’t Mess Up My Tempo, on November 2. Last weekend, fans of EXO in the Philippines got lucky as the group performed at the MBC Music’s TV program Show Champion in Manila with five other acts at the Mall of Asia Arena. Aside from EXO, K-pop fans got to see The Boyz, Weki Meki, MXM, Xeno-T and Hyeongseop x Euiwoong performing their hits. Show Champion airs every Wednesday in South Korea with Kim Shin-young as the emcee. In the afternoon before the show, the artists took

part in a press conference and walked the red carpet. It was my first time to attend a K-pop event where the artists had to walk the red carpet and one of my colleagues warned me to take pictures quickly as it was going to be fast. I missed the red carpet in the afternoon with the five groups and only stayed for EXO in the early evening. From the time the group members descended the Hyundai vans (everybody was hoping they would be on Angkas bikes as it was an event sponsor), it took the boys a minute to pose for pictures and disappear from view. I didn’t time it but it really seemed like a minute. You’ve got to appreciate how fast they move without sacrificing the time they’ve allotted for their fans. I’m glad I listened to my colleague. For most of the groups, it was their first time in the Philippines. “It is our first time in Manila and this will be a very memorable experience for us,” said Xeno-T, formerly known as Topp Dogg. The group, which opened the show, is composed of Sangdo, Xero, Sangwon, B-Joo and Hojoon. They performed “Perfume,” “Oasis” and “Forever.” Hyeongseop x Euiwoong, former contestants on the survival audition TV show Produce 101, were also first-time visitors. One of the two duos in the show performed “It Will Be Good” and “Spring Rain.” “I really wanted to come to the Philippines before and I really feel so happy to meet you. I’m thankful I was able to join Show Champion in Manila,” said Hyeongseop. The second duo was MXM composed of Youngmin and Donghyun, also former contestants on

Produce 101. They released their first studio album More Than Ever in August. During the show, they performed “Diamond Girl,” “Gone Cold,” “Checkmate” and “Ya Ya Ya.” “We are happy to be here in the Philippines for the first time,” said Youngmin. The Boyz, a 12-member idol group composed of Sangyeon, Jacob, Ju Haknyeon, Hwall, Younghoon, Hyunjae, Juyeon, Eric, Kevin, New, Q and Sunwoo, were also in Manila for the first time. The group debuted only in December 2017. “When we first found out we were performing on Show Champion in Manila, first we were excited and nervous, and for most of our members, it’s their first time in the Philippines. We are very excited to meet our fans and to show our performance, and we hope we can come back,” said Eric. The Boyz performed “Boy,” “Giddy Up,” “KeePer” and “Right Here.” Girl group Weki Meki is composed of Doyeon, Yoojung, Sei, Suyeon, Elly, Lua, Lucy and Rina. “It’s our first time in the Philippines and we are very excited,” said Doyeon. They performed their latest song “Crush” along with “La La La,” “I Don’t Like Your Girlfriend” and “True Valentine.” “I would like to thank Show Champion for bringing us here before our comeback. I think we’ll receive a lot of energy from you guys for our comeback,” said Kai. Show Champion in Manila was presented by MBC Plus together with Lumos E&M and All Access Productions. ■

Globe Telecom, Wattpad team up for cyber-wellness campaign LEADING Philippine telecommunication company Globe Telecom and Wattpad, the global multiplatform entertainment company for original stories, have joined hands to promote proper online behavior and responsible Internet usage among the youth to keep them safe from numerous threats present in the Internet—from viruses and other malicious software, to cyberbullying and sexual exploitation, to name a few. Wattpad now reaches more than 7 million people in the Philippines, with millennial and GenZ users making up more than 80 percent of its audience. As home to the right demographic for its #makeITsafePH cyber-wellness campaign, Globe saw Wattpad as a promising platform to reach out to the sector that is most susceptible to negative aspects of the Internet. Wattpad has built a community and technology that taps into the people’s shared desire for stories and has seen continued growth in the Philippines, its second-largest market. Filipinos spend some 400 million minutes reading Wattpad stories each month while Filipino writers have shared more than 24 million story uploads on Wattpad. “As we promote the benefits of digitalization, we also want to instill awareness among our customers, especially the youth, about new issues to understand and address. These include unethical

data mining, fake news, weaponizing social media, and unethical online behavior, among others,” said Yoly Crisanto, Globe senior vice president for Corporate Communications. “For millions of people in the Philippines and around the world, Wattpad is a home away from home, where they can express their true selves in a safe, supportive environment. From antibullying to body-positivity, we see Wattpadders come together every day to promote and share positive, inspiring messages. We’re thrilled to be part of the #makeITsafePH campaign and work with Globe Telecom to help support the safety of young people online,” said Chris Stefanyk, Head of Brand Partnerships, Wattpad. The #makeITsafePH campaign takes off from earlier Globe efforts to promote online vigilance among the public and protect them from becoming victims of online hacking, identity theft and other cyber crimes. Various studies show that a significant number of Filipino youth have fallen victim to online abuse or crime which caused emotional, mental, or physical harm. For instance, the public-private-civic-academic coalition DQ Institute said last year that 73 percent of young Filipinos were exposed to at least one cyber risk, specifically cyber bullying, online sexual behavior and meeting with cyber friends,

ONE of the promoted posts about cyber safety and security.

among others. This corroborates a report from the Department of Justice that many teenagers and younger children are exploited by the growing cybersex trafficking trade, with at least 3,000 reports being received by the Philippines per month from other countries. Likewise, a 2015 survey by child-care nonprofit organization Stairway Foundation Inc. said that 80 percent of teenagers aged 13 to 16 in the country have experienced social-media cyberbullying, such as photo editing, humiliation, threats, exposure of secret conversations and impersonation, among other things. Other cybercrimes that have to be addressed, according to the Philippine National Police report in 2016, are online scams, online libel, identity theft and violations of the anti-photo and video voyeurism act. Cybersecurity company Kaspersky Lab also ranked the Philippines ninth in the world in terms of volume of online attacks during the second quarter of the year with 10.6 million malware infections to take control of computers and capture private information. Over 34.6 percent of these attacks were targeted against home users. To read more about how to keep safe in cyber space, check out these Wattpad writers: Areyaysii, Aishiteruhachi, iamLoid, timmyme, iamQVEEN, greatfairy, cgthreena, heartlessnostalgia, PrincessThirteen00, PrincessCreamyCake. ■

A10 Saturday, November 3, 2018

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With mobile pay, you can go without a wallet at checkout

BY MARGARETTE BURNETTE NerdWallet

HEN you’re at the checkout line this holiday season, you could juggle your bags and dig into your purse or billfold for your credit or debit card. Or you could use that phone you’re already clutching, or that new smartwatch strapped to your wrist. Many stores now accept mobile wallets, a technology that lets customers make payments via smartphone or watch. Mobile wallets come in different digital forms. There are device specific platforms, such as Apple Pay and Samsung Pay, which are compatible with Apple and Samsung devices, respectively. Google Pay works

with multiple platforms, including Android devices. There are also merchant apps, such as those from Starbucks and Wal-\mart, that have mobile wallet capabilities but can be used only at specific stores. About one-third of smartphone owners who access mobile wallets use those downloaded from specific retailers, says Karen Augustine, a manager of primary data services at Mercator Advisory Group, a payments and consulting research firm. Still, many consumers are sticking with their cards due to concerns about safety or the familiarity of good old plastic. But if you’re ready to give mobile wallets a try, here’s what you need to know to get started. ■ WHERE MOBILE WALLETS WORK BEST. Shoppers who don’t want to carry physical wallets and cards—

or who are scared of losing a card—may find mobile wallets helpful. Many early adopters have been young adults who wear smartwatches or carry phones nearly everywhere and are willing to try new forms of payment, Augustine says. Those who want an easier way to track store rewards might also benefit from mobile wallets. A mobile wallet can keep track of rewards program information, making it easier to get credit for qualifying purchases. Merchants and credit-card issuers might also offer promotional bonus rewards for mobile wallet transactions. ■ HOW MOBILE WALLETS WORK. To start, you’ll need to load your bank information onto your preferred mobile wallet device. That generally means entering a credit-card or debit-card number and security code, and accepting the terms and conditions in the mobile app. When it’s time to make a payment, show your device at the checkout line. You typically complete the transaction by placing the device near the terminal and scanning a barcode or using a biometric reader that may, for example, scan your fingerprint to sign off on the purchase. ■ MOBILE WALLET ADOPTION HAS STALLED. Despite the ease of using mobile wallets, less than half of all smartphone owners use the technology, and adoption has not grown over the past three years, according to Augustine. One problem may be that some don’t consider it to be much more convenient than using a regular credit or debit card, she says. Concerns about safeguards are another issue. Many consumers are more worried about the security of mobile wallet payments than traditional card payments, says Ryan Grogman, senior vice president and practice lead at Boston Retail Partners, a retail consulting company. But mobile wallets do have some security advantages over regular credit and debit cards. ■ HOW BANK INFORMATION IS KEPT SECURE. Mobile wallets rely on near-field communication, or NFC, which uses a chip in the mobile device to wirelessly communicate with the merchant’s payment terminal. The devices communicate using special short-term codes to verify customers’ identities and don’t reveal actual credit card numbers. Along with NFC technology, smartphones typically add their own layer of security. You probably need to use a fingerprint reader or enter a code to unlock a screen, for example, to access the device and its digital wallet. If a consumer loses a smartphone or watch, they know their information likely lives behind a locked screen, and its sensitive contents can be erased remotely. With a physical card, a criminal could steal it and start making fraudulent purchases before a consumer even knows the card is gone. Most people have a host of payment choices, and they don’t mind juggling and digging for their plastic at checkout. But that hardware in their hand or on their wrist can double as another way to pay for their holiday shopping. ■

SOUPED-UP NOKIA PHONE TOUTS ELEVATED, EDGE-TO-EDGE GAMING EXPERIENCE

HMD Global, the home of Nokia phones, has announced the availability of the Nokia 5.1 Plus in the country. With its impressive processing power, the Nokia 5.1 Plus delivers great gaming performance and AI imaging in an accessible, stylish package. Combining contemporary design and quality build, the Nokia 5.1 Plus is sure to offer a unique and accessible experience to all Filipino Nokia mobile fans. Every purchase comes with a free game pad. This early holiday treat allows users to enjoy an immersive gaming experience even before the holiday season starts. To further its positioning as a powerful smartphone for optimized casual gaming experience, the Nokia 5.1 Plus is also the official mobile device partner of Synergy 88, the producer of the all-Pinoy mobile game, “Barangay 143.” This partnership also includes on-ground activations in malls and schools, as well as participation in the recently concluded ESGS. Shannon Mead, HMD Global country manager, said: “Our vision was to deliver reliable performance, AI imaging and contemporary design in an accessible device. With the Nokia 5.1 Plus, we aim to bring exciting gaming and entertainment experiences closer to a wider group of Filipino fans. Through this, more people can play mobile games, binge-watch their favorite series and capture great content. The Nokia 5.1 Plus is for our tech-savvy fans who love finding the best priceperformance combination.” The Nokia 5.1 Plus is one of the most-affordable smartphones powered by the most-advanced MediaTek chipset to date, the MediaTek Helio P60. The engine has been designed to deliver precise power to handle gaming, video or multitasking applications with ease. The advanced AI built into Nokia 5.1 Plus’s chipset enables deep-learning face recognition and real-time photo enhancement. Equipped with all the essential sensors, you can experience the latest games and apps to the fullest. The phone’s advanced imaging allows users to capture studio-style shots with depth-sensing imaging and selectable “bokeh” blur and portrait lighting. The dual 13MP/5MP rear cameras with electronic video stabilization help ensure steady filming, sharp videos and perfectly captured special moments with friends. Phase Detection Auto Focus helps in taking clear and focused photos. The stunning 5.8-inch edge-to-edge notched display gives fans maximum content with a minimal footprint. The Nokia 5.1 Plus features a pure design with 2.5D curved front and rear glass, complemented by curved edges and a high-gloss finish. At about 8mm thin, the ergonomic design with continuous curvature makes for the ultimate premium feel in the hand. The Nokia 5.1 Plus has a sturdy metal structure, qualitytested in extreme temperatures and drop-tested to ensure that it meets the exacting quality standards of a Nokia phone. Shipping with Android Oreo out of the box, Nokia fans can enjoy the latest features. This includes Google Lens, picturein-picture for multitasking, Google Play Instant to discover and run apps with minimal friction, and battery-saving features such as limiting background app use. It is also ready for Android Pie.

Protecting people from bullying and harassment BY ANTIGONE DAVIS Facebook Global Head of Safety Editor’s note: With a global community increasingly living online, the risks of cyber crimes, including bullying and harassment, have increased at an alarming rate. Here, the author talks about how Facebook, the world’s most popular social platform, is proactively addressing this unfortunate reality. EVERYONE deserves to feel safe on Facebook, and it’s important that we help people who encounter bullying and harassment online. Today, we’re introducing new tools and programs so people can better control unwanted, offensive or hurtful experiences on Facebook. NEW COMMENT MODERATION, REPORTING, AND APPEAL TOOLS WE are giving you more control over how people interact with your posts on Facebook because comments can sometimes be used to bully or harass people. We’re introducing a way for people to hide or delete multiple comments at once from the options menu of their post. This feature is rolling out on

desktop and Android, and will be available on iOS in the coming months. We are also testing ways to more easily search for and block offensive words from appearing in comments. Being the target of unwanted attention can be stressful and some people may not feel comfortable reporting a bully or harasser. In other cases, bullying or harassment happens out of sight from victims. If you see a friend or family member being bullied or harassed, now you can report someone on their behalf via the menu above the post that you are concerned about. Once reported, our Community Operations team will review the post, keep your report anonymous, and determine whether it violates our Community Standards. People will also be able to appeal decisions on cases involving bullying and harassment. Earlier this year we announced a process that allows people to request another review of their photo, video or post that has been taken down for violating our Community Standards for nudity, sexual activity, hate speech or graphic violence. We have now extended these reviews to bullying and harassment violations— this means that if your content has been taken down for bullying or harassment, you will have the

opportunity to request another review. And if you’ve reported a piece of content for bullying or harassment, and we don’t take it down after our initial review, you’ll soon be able to ask for a second review if you think we made a mistake. BETTER PROTECTIONS FOR PUBLIC FIGURES OUR bullying and harassment policies protect private individuals, but we permit open and critical discussion of people who are featured in the news or have a large public audience based on their profession or chosen activities. We’ve talked to people who use Facebook, as well as safety experts, to find ways we can better protect these public figures from harassment. Earlier this year, we expanded our policies to guard against the harassment of young public figures on Facebook. In the coming weeks, we will further expand our policies to better protect public figures against harassment regardless of age. For example, severe attacks that directly engage a public figure will not be allowed under the new policy. If anyone experiences unwanted behavior on Facebook, they can report the person who is bullying or harassing them, anonymously ignore unwanted messages, and

block someone without them being notified. PARTNERSHIPS AND EDUCATION PEOPLE around the world participate in Facebook’s online safety and anti-bullying programs, built in partnership with experts and community organizations. We recently introduced a new partnership with the National Parent Teachers Association in the US to facilitate 200 community events in cities in every state to address tech-related challenges faced by families, including bullying prevention. Working with partners, we also offer a peer-to-peer online safety and anti-bullying program to every secondary school in the UK. And we support a program in India that has educated tens of thousands of young people about online safety, thoughtful sharing, and privacy and security. We hope the additional steps we’re taking will help people who face bullying and harassment on Facebook. We know our job is never done when it comes to keeping people safe, and we’ll continue listening to feedback on how we can build better tools and improve our policies. Visit our Bullying Prevention Hub (www.facebook. com/safety/bullying) to learn more.

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GOOGLE TO GIVE AWAY $25 MILLION TO FUND HUMANE AI PROJECTS

SUNNYVALE, California—Google will give away $25 million to projects that propose ways to use the artificial intelligence (AI) of computers to help create a more humane society. The grant program announced on Monday is part of a broader Google initiative called “AI for Social Good” that aims to ease concerns that advances in AI will eliminate jobs and perhaps even be autonomously deployed by militaries to kill people. Other technology companies have taken similar steps to address ethical issues in AI. For instance, Microsoft has committed $115 million to an “AI for Good” initiative that provides grants to organizations harnessing AI for humanitarian, accessibility and environmental projects. During a presentation in Sunnyvale, California, Google demonstrated how its AI technology is already being used to diagnose diseases, help people with disabilities, predict areas likely to flood and protect endangered species. Despite commitments like those being made by Google and Microsoft, the specter of AI going horribly awry lingers. Even as it pledges to do good things with AI, Microsoft is pursuing a massive US military contract that prompted an open letter earlier this month from a purported group of Microsoft employees worried the company might be betraying its own artificial-intelligence principles. Microsoft reaffirmed its resolve to win the military contract in its own blog post last week, promising to address any ethical concerns that may arise if it ends up working on the project. Google decided not to bid for the same military contract that Microsoft wants after some its own employees protested. The company concluded the contract, potentially worth $10 billion, didn’t comply with its AI principles, which preclude the technology from being used to “cause or directly facilitate injury to people.” The company’s AI For Social Good program was already in the works before Google employees raised objections about the military contract, said Jeff Dean, a senior fellow overseeing AI. Google’s nonprofit arm will announce the winners of its AI grants next spring at an annual company conference. AP

CATCH THE ONLINE SHOPPING BUG AND GET REWARDED

ONLINE shopping is easy and fun, and that’s why its popularity is growing among Filipino shoppers—and so is the use of debit cards when purchasing from online merchants. The convenience of getting what you want and need at a click, having it delivered right to your doorstep, and not worrying about having cash on hand makes Debit Mastercard and online shopping a great combination that helps us multitask in this age of hectic schedules and limited time. You can think of your Debit Mastercard like the key to your car—it’s central to unlocking convenient and fast access to your bank account. If you’re ready to pay for something in cash, use your debit card (it’s essentially “plastic” cash), which draws money directly from your account but saves you the trip to the ATM. You are more aware of how and where you’ve spent your money, so you can manage your budget better. It’s more exciting, convenient and secure to shop online especially with your Debit Mastercard. Here are some of the top practical, safe and rewarding reasons: ■ NO CROWDS, NO QUEUES. Two of the top reasons to shop online are avoiding the crowds and waiting at the long check-out lines. With online shopping, browsing is a breeze on your mobile phone or laptop with enough options to filter and sort items according to kind, price or brand. And buying is done in a few simple clicks. ■ SAFETY, SECURITY AND CONTROL. Don’t just buy; make sure to check where you’re purchasing from. Major shopping sites like Zalora work hard to provide a secure connection for customers’ information to be kept private. Using your debit card, which is equipped with an EMV chip, provides an extra layer of security. Plus, since it’s all traceable, you can keep better track of your spending. ■ AWESOME OFFERS. Online shopping sites usually run a gamut of great deals, and with Debit Mastercard’s exclusive offers with some of the biggest online retailers, you’ll have a more rewarding experience (bit.ly/2OiuP0d). ■ CONVENIENCE IS KEY. With the Zalora promotion with Debit Mastercard running until November 30, you have more time to check your budget and even look at new styles and items before deciding. And since you can do away with travel or parking expenses, you also save more. ■ SAY BYE TO BUYER’S REMORSE. It’s good to review your items first before committing to buying them and spending your money to avoid having a sense of regret after making a purchase. If you do change your mind or if you aren’t satisfied with your online purchase, you can opt to return it since it’s usually not too difficult to get a refund.

Saturday, November 3, 2018 A11

iPads, Macs get new screens as Apple pushes creativity BY ANICK JESDANUN & MAE ANDERSON The Associated Press

EW YORK—Apple’s new iPads will more closely resemble its latest iPhones as they ditch a home button and fingerprint sensor to make more room for the screen. As with the latest iPhone models—the XR and XS—the new iPad Pro will use facial-recognition technology to unlock the device and to authorize app and Apple Pay purchases. Apple also unveiled new Mac computers, including an overdue refresh of the MacBook Air laptop, now with a high-resolution screen. Better screens come with price increases for both iPads and Macs. Tuesday’s announcements took place at an opera house in New York, where the company emphasized its products’ ability to create music, video and sketches. Neither the Mac nor the iPad generates as much revenue for Apple as iPhones. Tablet sales have been declining overall, though Apple saw a 3-percent increase in iPad sales last year to nearly 44 million, commanding a 27-percent market share, according to research firm IDC. Apple has been promoting its high-end iPad Pro as ideal for artists, photographers and other creators. D.A. Davidson Co. analyst Tom Forte said Apple did “a nice job of rolling out next-generation devices with features customers want to sustain momentum” in iPad sales growth. The smaller of the two new Pros will have a wider display than before when held horizontally. Its screen is 11 inches rather than 10.5 inches, measured diagonally. It starts at about $800, or $150 more than the 10.5-inch version. For the larger, 12.9-inch model, Apple is fitting the same-size display into a smaller device—about the size of a standard sheet of paper. That starts at about $1,000, a price hike of $200. The new iPads will have an LCD screen similar to the iPhone XR rather than the more vibrant one found in the top-of-the-line iPhone XS models. The displays on the new iPads don’t run to the edges as much as they do on iPhones. An updated pencil, still at $99, will attach magnetically to the iPad for storage and charging. Apple is bringing a high-resolution display to its low-end MacBook Air, something until now limited to

pricier models such as the MacBook Pro products. But the starting price goes up $200 to about $1,200. The Air also joins higher-end Pros in sporting a fingerprint sensor, something the iPad just lost. Apple also announced an updated desktop computer, the Mac Mini, starting at about $800. The company said both Macs will use aluminum left over from producing iPads and other products. The new MacBook Air and iPad Pros will now use a standard, oval-shaped connector called USB-C. That means accessories using the iPad’s old Lightning port will need adapters, sold separately. The change will allow people to charge their iPhones through the iPad. The Air also loses the slot for camera memory cards. An adapter costs $39.

Patrick Moorhead, founder of Moor Insights & Strategy, said the refreshed products are likely to please Apple fans and users. “The company hadn’t updated the Mac Mini for years, and the MacBook Air for a while, so these are very welcome changes,” he said. But he said the new Mac features aren’t significant enough to draw many people away from Windows computers. “Overall some nice improvements, but I don’t think these are game changers,” he said. All the new products come out on November 7. Apple is also releasing a free software update for iPhones and iPads on Tuesday with previously announced features such as group video chats on FaceTime. ■

Cheat sheet to loading up prepaid WiFi ALL it takes are a few simple steps to enjoy a seamless online experience at home. Teen stars and phenomenal love team Maymay Entrata and Edward Barber—or MayWard as their adoring fans call them—know this all too well as they constantly connect with fans, friends and family on social media. Leading telecommunications company PLDT’s first-ever prepaid broadband service, the PLDT Home Prepaid WiFi, is available at all PLDT Stores and retailers nationwide for a one-time payment of only P1,995 and comes with free 10GB valid for seven days. Because it’s prepaid, there is no lock-in period, monthly bill payment, or bill shock from uncontrolled data usage because the consumer simply loads it when necessary. As the face of PLDT Home Prepaid WiFi, MayWard now also takes on a new exciting role of sharing their own experience to fans and customers so they can make the most of their PLDT Home Prepaid WiFi experience. In their first of a series of PLDT Home Prepaid WiFi Techie Hacks videos, MayWard tackles a seemingly simple question but is in fact an important one: What exactly should you do when you run out of prepaid WiFi load but need to go back online to work on your assignment, keep up with friends online, stream your favorite series, or simply update your social-media feed? Here’s MayWard’s cheat sheet so you’d know the easy ways to load your PLDT Home Prepaid WiFi— and get back online right away: ■ Save your PLDT Home Prepaid WiFi number at the back of your device. This is the number you’ll use to reload so always keep it handy. ■ Go to any PLDT and Smart load retailer— including the neighborhood store or the nearest 24/7 convenience store. ■ Load up for as low as P50 to avail yourselves of Home Boost 50, which comes with 1.3GB (1GB +

300mb for Vimeo, Spinnr, Youtube) for three days. Keep in mind these other Home Boost promos when you choose your load amount: Home Boost 100 (3GB for one day), Home Boost 349 (10GB for 10 days), or Home Boost 599 (15GB for 30 days). ■ Connect to PLDT Home Prepaid WiFi and go to www.pldthome.com/homewi�iload to check your load balance. Once your load has been credited to your account, you can now select a Home Boost promo. Important Tip: While you’re registered to Home Boost 50 and above and you still have balance, you can top it up with Home Boost 15 which gives you

1GB for one day for only P15—PLDT Home’s most affordable Internet offer. You can also transfer regular load from any Smart and TNT number using the format PASALOAD<space>PLDT Home Prepaid WiFi number<space>amount and then send to 808. Designed especially for indoor use with its 700MHz frequency, the PLDT Home WiFi lets you connect up to five devices, such as phones, laptops and devices. As such, you’ll find it easy to surf, stream, browse, play games or watch more MayWard videos, anywhere at home.

APPLE CEO Tim Cook speaks during an event to announce new products on Tuesday in the Brooklyn borough of New York. AP

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

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Saturday, November 3, 2018 A12

Can a holographic screen help a new phone break out?

BY ANICK JESDANUN The Associated Press

EW YORK—Most leading phones offer the same basics: Big screens, decent battery life and good cameras. So when a newcomer brings something innovative to the party, why is it difficult to break through a phone market dominated by Apple and Samsung? One such smartphone comes out this week from Red, a company with roots in digital cameras for movie productions. The new Hydrogen One has a holographic screen that produces 3D visuals without needing special glasses. It is launching with two major movies converted to this format and allows users to create and share their own videos shot with the phone. Red’s goals are modest—about 16 million units a year, based on Red’s stated target of 0.5 percent of Samsung’s sales. But Red will need customers beyond the tech elite and camera buffs; it’ll need their friends and friends of their friends. It doesn’t help that the Hydrogen One carries a hefty $1,295 price tag. “The Red Hydrogen One stands little chance of upsetting the smartphone status quo,” said Geoff Blaber, a research analyst at CCS Insight. Chipping away at Apple’s and Samsung’s dominance is much harder than it used to be because phone innovation isn’t so much about hardware any more, Creative Strategies analyst Carolina Milanesi said. What matters more, she said, is the software and artificial intelligence (AI) behind it. Consider Apple’s new iPhones. Sure, the new XR and XS models all have decent screens, battery life and cameras. But Apple has also been emphasizing such software-based features as augmented reality, AI and automation using the Siri digital assistant. Or take Samsung’s Galaxy Note 9. Signature features include the use of AI to automatically fine-tune images. While the Hydrogen One’s screen is different, Milanesi said, it’s not necessarily something the mass market will gravitate to. Red founder Jim Jannard said his phone is about making waves in a sea of smartphone sameness. “We don’t buy the same make, model or color of car that our next-door neighbor has,” he said. “It’s important to keep this industry pushing along...and give people some new choices. What we’ve done is pretty nuts.” The phone starts selling on Friday in North America. Red calls the screen technology 4V, for four view, which is another way of saying it’s doubling what twin-lens 3D cameras produce by adding depth data to each image. There’s a special material under the screen that lets 4V photos and video appear to the viewer in 3D. Images that aren’t shot or converted to this format will look the same as they do on any other screen. Attempts to photograph a 4V screen will also produce images that don’t look any different. Yet the 3D wizardry indeed works, though it’s more pronounced in some scenes than others. Images of a soccer goalie blocking a shot feels realistic, but a

Dell unveils thinnest and smallest XPS 15 Portfolio

THE camera on the back of the Red Hydrogen One smartphone. It has a holographic screen that produces 3D visuals without needing special glasses. It is launching with two major movies converted to this format and allows users to create and share their own videos shot with the phone. AP

waterfall at Yosemite National Park looks like video taken with a regular camera (though leaves in the foreground looked 3D). The Red phone might remind you of holographic stickers in which the view shifts slightly as you tilt them. The Warner Bros. studio is giving customers of parent company AT&T two free 4V movies: the first Harry Potter prequel, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, and Steven Spielberg’s Ready Player One, which is set in a virtual world. The studio plans to convert about a half-dozen other movies initially. Red will have tools for producers to convert existing 3D video into the 4V format. The Hydrogen One also has twin lenses in the back to capture 4V photos and video. Trouble is, people you share them with will get a normal image unless they also have a Hydrogen One. The phone also has a handful of 4V games. Red’s 4V could run into the same problems that virtual reality has faced. People haven’t been rushing out for headsets, while video creators haven’t been

rushing out to make VR experiences. There’s a chicken-and-egg problem at play. Beyond the fancy screen, the phone is thick at a time Apple and Samsung make thinner phones. That’s done to fit in a bigger battery, with 12 percent more capacity than the super-charged Note 9. The sides have ridges to improve the grip. The phone has pins for expansion modules, such as an adapter for any standard SLR lens. (Incidentally, a major manufacturer that tried this modularization approach, LG, backed away from it after a year.) Jannard has a history of disrupting other industries, too. He previously founded Oakley, which became a force in sunglasses using many of the wordof-mouth techniques he is hoping to replicate with the new phone. “We’re not trying to win over the whole world,” he said. “We’re trying to provide a phone that we hope enough people like. Otherwise, I’m going to own the single most expensive cell phone in the world, and I’m happy with that.” ■

DELL Philippines has unveiled the refreshed XPS 15 laptop for those looking for a device that offers a blend of style, luxury and power. This XPS device maintains the XPS tradition of expert craftsmanship to deliver the best computing experience on the planet. “At Dell, we are passionate about creating technologies that go beyond the boundaries of what’s possible,” says Jay Ranola, consumer head, Dell Philippines (www.facebook.com/O��icialDellPhilippines). “The XPS 15 continues to flawlessly combine sophisticated exterior only found in XPS brand with the latest innovations that offer amazing computing performance experience for power users, such as content creators, as well as for everyday users.” Powered by the latest 6-core 8th Gen Intel Core processors, the new XPS 15 delivers up to 50 percent more performance and up to 20 percent more graphic performance than the previous generation processors, enabling users to enjoy maximum performance for what comes next in gaming and creation. Powered by up to NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050Ti graphics, memory up to 16 GB and storage up to 512 GB PCIe SSD, the new XPS 15 allows users to get the content they need quicker without being slowed down by memory-intensive applications. The new XPS 15 features a stunning 4K UltraSharp 4K Ultra HD (3840 x 2160) InfinityEdge optional touch display with 100 percent Adobe RGB color. Dell Cinema completes users’ entertainment experience with Dell Cinema that brings state-of-the-art sound, color and streaming. With weight starting from just 4 pounds, this laptop can last up to 11 hours and 30 minutes with UHD1, making it a perfect choice for creative professional on-the-go. All Dell XPS PCs come with Dell Premium Support Service and Accidental Damage support. The Dell Premium Support service packs the most features in one support plan. It is enhanced with features that include virus removal, repairs for accidents and automated PC health-optimizing scans to keep PC running at its best. Premium Support comes with SupportAssist, Dell’s exclusive technology that helps make managing PC easier. Users can unlock its maximum performance when they select it. Users will also have expert help from a team that is ready to deliver personalized, one-on-one support for nearly any hardware or software issue. Whether it is setting up parental controls, backing up data, or optimizing your hard drive and software settings to get that like-new performance from the PC, Dell experts are ready to tackle the challenges users might face.

GCOX bullish on market demand for PAC tokens BY RODERICK L. ABAD Contributor SINGAPOREAN start-up Global Crypto Offering Exchange (GCOX) is expecting a favorable response from both the local and international markets to the soon-to-launch exclusive cryptocurrency of Sen. Manny Pacquiao, called the “PAC Token.” “We are in Q4 [fourth quarter]. So probably, by the end of the year, we should be able to have our blockchain up and running, and then, we’ll be able to actually have the tokens ready for purchase, as well,” GCOX Chief Communications Officer Evan Ngow told reporters on a sideline during the Blockchain Fair Asia 2018 held recently at the SMX Convention Center Aura, Taguig City. According to him, they will first conduct a market analysis before they can decide on the initial offering’s

value. He said that having a celebrity token like that of the world-renowned boxing icon enhances their “influence to reach out to a lot more” potential buyers or investors. “Manny has a huge following not just here in [the] Philippines. He’s got a huge following in Singapore, in this region [of] Asia, and the United States, as well,” Ngow noted. “So I think there is really a good opportunity for us to not just be able to create an environment, whether it’s mass adoption, but there will be people who know where we go from here, what we do and how we can influence for the better good.” The PAC Token is the result of a collaboration between Pacquiao and GCOX, in which the eightdivision world champion has been an investor since December 2017. Earlier this year, the boxer-turnedlawmaker announced that he would be launching a virtual currency to connect with his fans. He is set

to be the first celebrity to release a blockchain-based token dedicated to him. The PAC token will be used on GCOX’s digital asset exchange—the first of its kind—to purchase exclusive merchandise and services from Team Manny. It will, likewise, facilitate interactions with his fans via meetand-greet events, as well as live streaming through a feature known as Celeb-Connect. Other core business platforms on GCOX will include Celeb-Charity, Celebreneur and Celeb-Listing. “We are proud to have Manny Pacquiao as the first international celebrity on our exchange. Manny and other celebrities will also have the opportunity for increased engagement with their fans, further extending their reach and expanding their popularity” said Sir Jeffrey Lin, CEO of GCOX. The crypto token runs on proprietary Acclaim blockchain of the Singapore-based firm. Using

traditional currencies, ACM must be purchased first in order to buy the PAC tokens. Ngow revealed that they have been discussing for the past few months with major global blockchain players as partner channels. Apart from Pacquiao, former England striker Michael Owen and R&B singer Jason Derulo are also onboard to launch their respective celebrity tokens. “We will be signing one more [this] week—a tennis superstar,” the top executive bared, though he declined to reveal the name. The GCOX is the world’s first global celebrity cryptocurrency exchange, wherein famous personalities get the opportunity to tokenize their popularity by creating, listing and trading their own tokens. Through its involvement with A-list celebrities, the company plans to increase the acceptance and adoption of blockchain technology, as well as cryptocurrencies.

Saturday Edition

NOVEMBER 3, 2018

WHAT’S INSIDE:

TAAL VISTA HOTEL AND TAZA FRESH TABLE

Guests have very distinct memories of Taal Vista Hotel because it’s such a stalwart of the place that it’s practically synonymous with Tagaytay.

MAI WEI FANG CUISINE: INTRODUCING NORTHERN CHINESE FOOD TO THE FILIPINOS Just when we think that we’ve already tasted all kinds of Chinese food that could ever be served to us, a casual restaurant in Robinsons Place Manila is introducing us northern China’s well-kept dining secrets.

BAKED AND BREWED PAIRINGS AT RICHMONDE HOTEL ILOILO

If the popular quote that says behind every successful person is a substantial amount of coffee, then pairing your favorite brew with a delectable pastry would bring even greater triumphs.

S I H T EW R O F T N S O O Y W S PIC

TEWS are synonymous with comfort food. When you think of cool, rainy days, there’s nothing better than a warm, hearty stew. Locally, a few of our stews are Spanish or Mexican-inspired, being mostly tomato-based. Kaldereta, mechado, pochero and afritada are all examples of everyday stews that trace their origins to our conquistadors. Aside from being tomato-based, these stews have something else in common—the addition of a sweet/sweetish component. I am not talking about sweet as in sugary or fruity, it’s more of a mildly sweet component to counter the sour tomato and the spice. It may be in the form of corn, sweet potato, a variety of banana like saba, or even carrots. These mildly sweet additions may not be the “in your face” kind, but they definitely play an important role in balancing the flavors of the dish.

COOK CONNECTING FOODIES

PUBLISHER T. ANTHONY C. CABANGON BUSINESSMIRROR EDITOR IN CHIEF LOURDES M. FERNANDEZ COOK MAGAZINE EDITOR IN CHIEF DINO H. DATU MANAGING EDITOR MAGNOLIA S. SILVESTRE GROUP CREATIVE DIRECTOR EDUARDO A. DAVAD GRAPHIC ARTIST SHAIRA MAE B. BARNUEVO ONLINE EDITOR RUBEN M. CRUZ JR. PRESIDENT BENJAMIN V. RAMOS VP FINANCE ADEBELO D. GASMIN VP ADVERTISING SALES MARVIN N. ESTIGOY ADVERTISING SALES MANAGER MARLON A. ALDENESE ACCOUNT MANAGERS MARIBEL C. AVELIS LEAH CALING-BONOTAN MICHAEL N. PITUC EVENTS & MARKETING OFFICER CARLO M. ABALOS CIRCULATION MANAGER ROLANDO MANANGAN PRODUCTION MANAGER JOMAR ESCALICAS

This recipe is an example of how to use subtly sweet ingredients like corn, sweet potato and squash to tame down a mildly spiced dish. Earthy, rich and just a little spicy, I hope this dish makes it to your regular repertoire of go-to stews.

PRE-PRESS SUPERVISOR RODANTE B. INGLES Contact us: Editorial: Tel. no. 814-0134 to 37 local 108; Website: www.cookmagazine.ph; e-mail us at editor@cookmagazine.ph. Advertising: Tel. No. 814-0134 local 152, 0915.769.0022 or e-mail advertising@cookmagazine.ph

Spiced beef and sweet potato stew BY CHEF DAY SALONGA

INGREDIENTS: 500 g chuck roast, trimmed and cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes 2 tbsp all-purpose flour 1 tsp salt 1 tsp freshly ground pepper 2 tbsp olive oil 500g sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed 1 pc onion, quartered 1 cup butternut squash, peeled and cubed 1 can whole kernel corn, drained 1 stalk celery, sliced 2 cloves garlic cloves, minced 1 tsp ancho chile powder 1/8 tsp Cinammon 1 tsp smoked paprika 1/2 tsp dried thyme 1/4 cup tomato paste 3 cup beef broth

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PROCEDURE: 1. In a heavy bottomed pot, heat some oil. 2. Season beef pieces with salt and pepper, and sear a few pieces at a time until well browned. 3. Place all the beef back in the pot and add the onion, garlic and celery. 4. Sprinkle flour in and mix. Add tomato paste, ancho chile powder, paprika and thyme, mix a little then add beef broth. 5. Simmer on very low heat, covered, for two to three hours or until the beef is fork-tender. 6. Once the beef is tender, add the squash, sweet potato and corn. Continue cooking on low heat, uncovered, until the sweet potato and squash are tender, about 15 minutes. 7. Serve hot.

Circulation: for subscription; purchase back issues; and inquire about bulk orders; please call 893-1662 or e-mail circulation@cookmagazine.ph Copyright 2004 By Philippine Graphic Publications Inc. No reproduction without permission of Philippine Graphic Publications Inc. All Rights Reserved. Entered as second class mail at the Makati Central Post Office under permit no. 722-00 - NCR dated August 21, 2000. Subscription Rates: P1,800.00 for 2 years (Metro Manila); P3,000.00 (Provincial); P960.00 for 1 year (Metro Manila); P1,560.00 (Provincial). Cook Magazine - Connecting Foodies (ISSN:0119-9900) is a monthly publication of Philippine Graphic Publishing Inc. with editorial office at Dominga Bldg. III, 2113 Pasong Tamo cor. dela Rosa St., Makati City. Telefax No. 814-0134

PICED and sweetened is something that I love to do when Iâ€™m playing with flavor profiles. But most of the time, when something is supposed to be spicy, I make it sweet and vice versa. A lot of times when I plan to make recipes, I try to think about how flavors react to each other. Something as rich as a beef cheek, I will add something sweet to cut through the fattiness. And my cooking technique will be low and slow to break all the connective tissues and grizzle in the cheeks. But when you do it right, it becomes a meat candy. I will pair it with a spiced sweet potato which has all the comfort of a sweet potato mash but Iâ€™m going to spice it up to give it a kick. So guys let me know how you enjoyed this recipe or made it your own, hit me up on Facebook (Chef Bruce Lim) and Instagram (@chef_bruce_lim) for your thoughts about my dish.

Sweet braised beef cheeks with spiced sweet potato mash and roasted vegetables BY CHEF BRUCE LIM BEEF INGREDIENTS: 1 kg beef cheeks, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces salt and pepper to taste 200 g onions, finely sliced 80 ml olive oil 50 g unsalted butter 1 sprig thyme 60 g honey 150 ml red wine 2 L beef stock 3 g coriander seeds 1 stick cinnamon 1 pc bay leaf PROCEDURE: 1. Season beef with salt and pepper, let sit for five minutes. 2. Pat dry with paper towels, then lightly season again. 3. In a hot pan, add oil and sear beef on all sides. When beef is browned, remove from pan and set aside. 4. Add more oil and butter to pan and add in the onions.

5. Turn the heat down to medium flame and slowly caramelize the onions. Stir frequently to avoid burning. 6. When the onions are golden brown, add honey and thyme. Stir for two minutes. 7. Turn the heat to high, deglaze the pan with red wine and reduce until the wine is absorbed into the onions and the pot looks dry. 8. Add beef and all the juices left on the plate. 9. Add all the rest of the ingredients. Bring pot to a boil. Once boiling, turn down to a simmer. Keep simmering for two hours or until the beef is soft. 10. When beef is cooked, remove meat from pot. Set aside in a warm area. 11. With the liquid still inside the pot, bring pot back to a boil and let it boil until it reduces by 3/4, or until it achieves sauce consistency. 12. Strain sauce, season before serving with salt, pepper and honey if needed.

SWEET POTATO MASH INGREDIENTS: 600 g orange sweet potato, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces 3 L water 10 g salt CREAM MIXTURE 100 g cream 50 g unsalted butter salt to taste 2 pinches nutmeg 1 pinch all-spice 2 pinches cayenne pepper 1 pinch white pepper PROCEDURE: 1. Boil sweet potatoes until forktender. Drain for 30 seconds and place back into the pot. 2. In another pot, place cream mixture ingredients and heat until the butter melts. 3. Pour cream mixture over the sweet potatoes and mash with

a masher until all cream has been absorbed and the mixture is smooth. Season with salt and pepper if needed. ROASTED VEGETABLES INGREDIENTS: 200 g carrots (large cuts) 200 g zucchini (large cuts) 200 g green beans 200 g asparagus 40 g olive oil salt and pepper to taste PROCEDURE: 1. Roll all vegetables in oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill over medium heat. BUILD (PER PLATE) 200 g beef cheeks 100 g sweet sauce glaze 150 g spiced sweet potato mash 200 g mixed vegetables

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Mekeni Classic Tocino Tacos

Cupboard Corn Elotes BY CHEF DINO H. DATU

INGREDIENTS: 4 pcs sweet corn on the cob 4 tbsp softened butter 4 tbsp mayonnaise 3 tbsp parmesan cheese 1 tbsp lime juice 2 tbsp finely minced garlic 1/2 tsp chili powder salt to taste

INGREDIENTS: 200 g Mekeni Classic Tocino 8 pcs crispy corn taco shells 2 cups shredded lettuce leaves 6 pcs red tomatoes, seeded and diced 2 pcs red onions, diced juice of 1 lime 2 tbsp olive oil 2 tbsp hot sauce 1 bunch coriander, finely chopped salt to taste

FOR SPRINKLING 3 tbsp parmesan cheese 1 tsp paprika 1 tbsp chopped coriander

PROCEDURE: 1. Fry Mekeni Classic Tocino in some oil. Once cooked, slice tocino into small cubes. 2. In a bowl, mix diced tomatoes, onions, lime, hot sauce and coriander. Add olive oil and season lightly with salt. Toss well. 3. Place shredded lettuce in the taco shells. Place some Mekeni Classic Tocino over the lettuce and then spoon some salsa on top. 4. Serve with lime wedges and some hot sauce on the side.

PROCEDURE: 1. Boil corn for 15 minutes. 2. After boiling, grill corn on high heat for 15 minutes or until some of the kernels blacken. 3. In a bowl, combine butter, mayo, cheese, lime juice, garlic and chili powder. Add a pinch of salt. 4. Brush mixture all over grilled corn. 5. Before serving, sprinkle some more cheese, paprika and chopped coriander over the corn.

Mekeni Picnic Hotdog Easy Korean Army Stew INGREDIENTS: 4 pcs Mekeni Picnic Hotdog, sliced into segments 2 large packs spicy Korean instant noodles 1 can luncheon meat, sliced 1 pack Enoki mushrooms 1 pack Shimeji mushrooms 2 tbsp Korean chili paste (Gochujang) 1 cup kimchi 1 stalk leeks, sliced

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PROCEDURE: 1. In a saucepot, boil four cups water. 2. Open instant Korean noodle packs and take seasoning packets out and add to the water. 3. Place Mekeni Picnic Hotdog segments and luncheon meat slices into the seasoned boiling water. 4. Add noodles to the pot and add Enoki and Shimeji mushrooms. 5. Once the noodles are just tender, remove and place in a bowl. 6. Arrange cooked Mekeni Picnic Hotdog segments, luncheon meat and mushrooms on top of the noodles. 7. Ladle some soup over the noodles and top with kimchi and sliced leeks.

TAZA AND VERANDA: CERTIFIED FRESH (BREAKER)

SAFFRON Fettucine

MUSHROOM and Spinach Matagliati

HIBISCUS ice cream

TAAL Vista Hotel's Ridge Room

PAN-SEARED Sea Bass

AVOCADO and Roasted Tomato Salad

Taal Vista Hotel and Taza Fresh Table

BY MAGNOLIA SILVESTRE

HAVE very distinct memories of Taal Vista Hotel because it’s such a stalwart of the place that it’s practically synonymous with Tagaytay. If you lived in Manila, and in my case—the South—you would inevitably find yourself there several times a year at certain points in your life. One of my most memorable is also the silliest. It was back in the late ’90s, when my friends and I found ourselves daring to each other to roll down the long and empty carpeted hallway leading to the rooms. I believe the three of us literally laid down on the carpet and rolled all the way down. These memories literally came rushing back when I saw that hallway again recently. I very nearly didn’t because that area in the Mountain Wing is being renovated, but as we left our rooms, bags in tow, one of the staff politely called our attention and showed us a shorter route to the main hotel...and it was the hallway of my youth. You know how certain memories make you go, “Well, it was a good idea at the time?” This one made me think that but also, well, it will always be a good idea. Another one that also comes to mind while roaming the gardens was when on another one of our visits, this time with family, beauty-queen-turned singer Maritoni Daya was shooting the MTV for her song, “Kung Alam Ko Lang,” which went on to become a pretty big hit it must be said. In the subsequent and frequent airings of the video of that song, I would remember with a fond prosaicness that I was there on the sidelines when they shot that. There are countless other visits—relatives from abroad in tow, spur of the moment drives, a birthday, a wedding. The history and heritage of Taal Vista Hotel are literally written on its walls. Its long and storied history is available for anyone’s perusal. Even with the succession of developers and operators (now SMDC), the vision for the hotel’s future and expansion always came with the provision that its heritage—symbolized perhaps by the Tudor-inspired architecture and the lush sloping and multilevel gardens overlooking

Taal—will always be preserved. Even with other establishments popping up as the developments in Tagaytay in recent years have been at a rapid pace, Taal Vista Hotel’s location offers the most gorgeous and most expansive views of Taal Volcano and Lake, bar none. In that sense, Taal Vista remains singular. I have stayed at rooms located at both the Lake Wing and the Mountain Wing and while they both offer unparalleled views, as well as private balconies wherein it could be enjoyed, I prefer the recently renovated Ridge Room a bit more. There is a cave-like intimacy to the room, (is that even a thing) because of the architecture of this particular part of the hotel. Even from inside the room, the buttress frames Taal like a postcard. You feel ensconced. It’s as if it’s just you, the forest and the mountains. The ridge rooms have been renovated recently (other room renovations are still under way), and I like the minimalist depictions of the local flora in the room mural. It could use a bit more gussying up, perhaps a finishing touch or two in terms of accessories, but nothing beats the view. As COOK magazine Advertising Manager Marlon Aldenese threw the remnants of several durian seeds he brought in from a recent trip in Davao (don’t worry, Taal Vista, it was just the flesh in a sealed plastic container, not the fruit!) into the lush sloping forest, we like to think a durian tree will eventually grow there.

TAZA Fresh Table, the fine-dining restaurant of Taal Vista which has been under the auspices of Chef Jayme Natividad, remains superb. On our (COOK magazine team) first visit, around two years ago, we were blown away by the food. On our return, sampling a combination of both the seasonal and the regular menu we’re still blown away. The Avocado and Roasted Tomato Salad which feature oven-roasted tomatoes, avocado, local mozzarella, basil and reduced balsamic vinegar is definitely a refreshing opener. Salads are quite beefy these days, which I definitely prefer, and you can definitely dig into the thick slices of tomatoes and avocado which are lined up like an accordion. The Broccoli Soup, a roasted broccoli confit, cheddar and mozzarella, crème fraiche, is lovely that even the croutons deserved a savory mention. We literally all looked up from sipping and went, “ang sarap nu’ng croutons!” The tender Tomahawk Porkchop looms large and can feed a horde. We are not a horde, but we eat like one. The steaks, an Australian Grass-fed Angus prepared sous vide with potatoes and thyme and a local wagyu ribeye from Bukidnon are cooked perfectly (*kisses fingers*). Taza always had some of the best homemade fresh pasta anywhere, and with the duck and mushroom lasagna still fresh in our minds even from two years ago, the velvety fettuccine with saffron cream and prawns from the seasonal menu did not disappoint. The Mushroom and Spinach Matagliati, a trio of fresh mushrooms (oyster, shiitake and button, all locally sourced) creme fraiche and truffle oil, is both rich and earthy and this flavor profile is always right up my alley. The Braised Australian Beef Short Ribs with roasted carrots, haricot verts, roasted squash, gremolata, is so tender and weather-perfect, and also made me realize that we ate all the meat in the world. Good thing there was the Pan Seared Sea Bass with smoked tomatoes, haricot verts, marble potatoes and anchovy cream, which tastes as good as it sounds. The subtle flavors of an exceedingly pretty milky fuschia hued hibiscus ice cream topped with a candied but slightly tangy hibiscus flower is the perfect end note to this wonderful culinary panoply. The next day at breakfast, as if we haven’t gorged on the buffet enough, we were also treated to a classic combination of the tomato soup and grilled cheese combination from the Taza kitchen with their usual stamp of freshness and utter deliciousness. Just before leaving, we had a little merienda cena at Veranda, and I shouldn’t have said a little because it’s a lot. The ginataang bilo bilo is an explosion of flavors, the glutinous balls combined with a rich gata and ube. I can honestly say it’s the only ginataan I’ve had that I liked as much as my mother’s. The lomi is overflowing with ingredients, and the broth is clearer than is traditional which is eggy, but still homey and worth noisy slurps. The Maruya is so light and airy and served still piping hot, akin more to a beignet and tasted like a fried puffy cloud. Nothing is more comforting on a rainy afternoon, and it was the day of Typhoon Ompong (international code name Mangkhut), but Tagaytay was only experiencing slightly more than a light rainfall, which is common in these parts. It is not an exaggeration to say that we didn’t eat anything those two days that wasn’t exceedingly delicious. The combination of Chef Jayme’s skills and the quality of produce available in this province always makes for a superb dining experience. Being here on a weekday during the last breather before the Christmas season is quite nice. It’s still quiet and relaxing, and the air is beginning to be cooler. Because Tagaytay is so near and people in Manila are there so often that we all tend to take the view of Taal Volcano for granted. But seen from other people’s eyes— in this case through an American friend who liked a photograph of it on IG, and lemme tell ’ya, she’s a rare “liker,” and I thought, yeah, that view’s pretty LIT. BusinessMirror Cook November 3, 2018 5

Mai Wei Fang cuisine: Introducing northern Chinese food to the Filipinos BY JOHN AARON MARK MACARAEG

SHENG Jian Bao

SHAO Bing Sandwich

UST when we think that we’ve already tasted all kinds of Chinese food that could ever be served to us, a casual restaurant in Robinsons Place Manila is introducing us northern China’s well-kept dining secrets. Mai Wei Fang is currently serving authentic northern Chinese style of cooking that focuses on using wheat flour ingredients. Mr. David Lim, co-owner of the new restaurant in the Metro, was proud to tell the BusinessM irror that Mai Wei Fang restaurant is the only one of its kind that serves the sumptuous flavors and unique cooking styles of the northern Chinese cuisine. The restaurant’s most famed dish is Sheng Jian Bao, a combination of pan-fried and steamed cooking of dumplings filled with a mass of meat. It is also accompanied by a mouth-watering, über-tasty soup, by the way. Along with this offering are other wheat flour dishes that Mr. Lim meticulously chose after combing through most restaurants throughout northern China. He made sure that the dishes they have chosen are northern Chinese delicacies and dishes that will surely get Filipinos hooked. Mr. Lim shared, “I know I am the first one to bring the northern Chinese cooking here in the Philippines. I searched the whole market first here in the Philippines. Everyone that has the siopao style [referring to the Sheng Jian Bao]—that’s the Taiwanese version. We want to go back to the roots of this unique Chinese region and bring their delicious recipes here.” CLOSE TO HEART NORTHERN China is known for its cold climate, which is why planting rice never became its farming potential. Its people focused on growing wheat instead. Mr. Lim’s vision of making wheat the main raw ingredient of his restaurant is inspired by his mother’s birthplace. His mother came from the northern part of China, Shandong province. He wanted to share the dishes he has always loved since his childhood. His mother’s cooking had grown

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MAI WEI FANG store front

on him so much that he wanted to bring his “home” to the Philippines. “My mom’s in the north, so we eat a lot of bread products. Steamed, fried, a lot of noodles, flour noodles and a lot of paos,” he added. The Chinese food options that have been in the country for hundreds of years are mostly from the southern cooking of China, such as canton noodles and stir-fried rice, to name a few. “Most people here understand Chinese food that is southern cooking, that they are from Cantonese right? Dimsum, any types of stir-fry, rice and egg noodles—that’s all Cantonese cooking. So what we wanted to do is research thoroughly. Every dish we have here, we researched it. And we went around to figure out what we wanted. So for example, this Sheng Jian Bao, our fried soup dumpling, is from a very famous restaurant in Shanghai,” Mr. Lim said. “There’s always Chinese influence in Filipinos’ food preference. I mean, our pan-fried soup dumpling is crunchy, porky, soupy and they go well with the Filipino palate. I believe Filipinos will easily love the northern flavors of Chinese cuisine, too,” Mr. Lim proudly said. Indeed, the Filipinos’ love affair with Chinese cuisine is here to stay. And with these unique sumptuous new discoveries from the north that make Chinese cuisine even more irresistible, we are sure to love Chinese food even more. Mr. Lim is just happy to share a part of his home in China to the Philippines through their unique Chinese palate offerings. And that legacy, introducing the northern Chinese cuisine to the Filipinos, is something more irreplaceable than just building a random dining business. Situated on the first-floor level of the Adriatico Wing at Robinsons Place Ermita, Mai Wei Fang is open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. from Sundays through Thursdays and 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. Like them on Facebook and follow them on Instagram @maiweifangph for daily updates on their catering promos and services.

A SPARKLING ‘TING HUN’ CELEBRATION AT DIAMOND HOTEL

HE wedding celebration leads to the exciting path of new beginnings and happily ever after. But for Chinese couples, the journey starts from a symbolic union of the two families and announcement of their engagement. With Diamond Hotel Philippines’s Chinese Engagement “Ting Hun” Package, create a sparkling and truly memorable engagement ceremony and discover the finer things the hotel has to offer from ideal event venues, authentic Chinese dishes, excellent service and more. For a grand fête, the Diamond Ballroom with its impressive design, new golden chandeliers and resounding space, grants the perfect avenue to commence the merriment. The pre-function area, with a refreshing view of the poolside during the day and a romantic setting by night, provides an area for registration and cocktails. When an intimate celebration requires an elegant but smaller venue, the Constellation function room provides a cozy spot at the 27th floor. Adding to the ambiance of the place is the breathtaking view of the Manila cityscape and the sunset that guests may enjoy. When it comes to food, a selection of exquisite Chinese Lauriat menu packages are available. Authentic Chinese culinary masterpieces, meticulously prepared by Chinese Sous Chef Yang Yong, are sure to impress the guests’ refined taste. Celebrate in abundance and indulge in some of Chef Yong’s specialties such as Triple Cooked Crab with Beehon, Steamed Garupa in Hong Kong Style Sauce, and Braised Sliced Abalone with Sea Cucumber and Broccoli in Abalone Sauce. The Chinese Engagement Ting Hun Package entails a choice from three Chinese Lauriat menus with an array of special inclusions. Symbolizing love and marriage, the couple may share the double happiness cake with their family and friends. As part of the special tradition, misua, sweet soup and sweet tea are included for the engagement rights. Tick off some items from your to-do list and musthaves like looking for flower suppliers because floral arrangement for all tables, including the cake and registration table, will be provided. Couples may also choose from a backdrop design or photobooth with three hours of unlimited snapshots. To complete the package is a complimentary overnight stay in a Deluxe Room with buffet breakfast for two. A Chinese account manager whose expertise is handling Chinese corporate and social events is also part of the dedicated Events Team. In addition, the hotel also offers a wide range of engagement and bridal services.

TRIPLE Cooked Crab with Beehon

THE FEED

MAX’S KABISERA OPENS IN BONIFACIO HIGH STREET

AX’S Kabisera opens its doors as the newest neighborhood stop in BGC for delicious Filipino food paired with that famous Pinoy hospitality. Along Bonifacio High Street, the restaurant presents itself as a dining and social destination for people looking to have a good time over a satisfying meal, and perhaps even a drink or two with family and friends. Max’s Kabisera was born from the idea of combining two Max’s Group brands that celebrate Filipino food, culture and hospitality. With Kabisera’s curated approach to product and service, and Max’s Restaurant’s well-loved recipes and over seven decades of operational expertise, customers in BGC and neighboring communities can expect a familiar yet redefined dining experience in every visit. The restaurant boasts of a look and feel unique amongst establishments in the area. “We wanted to provide those in BGC with a place that would give them that familiar warmth of Max’s but set in a way that caters more to their lifestyle and taste as we combine it with elements of Kabisera’s elevated and thoughtful aesthetic. It’s another execution of how we are able to present Max’s as a brand that is relevant to the community it is in,” says Paolo S. Serrano, National Business Unit head of Max’s Restaurant. Coincidentally, the store marks the 196th location of Max’s Restaurant. Guests can enjoy traditional and long-time Pinoy favorites like the Max’s Fried Chicken,

Crispy Pata and Kare-Kare, side by side with popular local dishes served with a twist like the Adobo Ribs, Sizzling Bulalo Steak and Pugon Lechon Belly. It also houses a bar with an impressive selection of local and international beers and wine, complemented by a list of appetizing bar chows that call for great casual conversations.

“We’re delighted to be able to present to our customers a dining experience that is rooted in Max’s Restaurant’s heritage and punctuated with Kabisera’s more modern approach. We look forward to welcoming guests with an experience that will allow them to once again truly appreciate Filipino food, culture and hospitality,” ends Serrano.

MAX’S Kabisera brings together the best of Max’s Restaurant and Kabisera under one roof

BAKED AND BREWED PAIRINGS AT RICHMONDE HOTEL ILOILO

CHOCO moist cake and cappuccino

F the popular quote that says behind every successful person is a substantial amount of coffee, then pairing your favorite brew with a delectable pastry would bring even greater triumphs. So get ready for the success that will come your way with Richmonde Hotel Iloilo’s latest offering, the Coffee Pairings. Consisting of four all-time favorite coffee concoctions matched with Richmonde’s signature baked treats, these duos will be your go-to pick-me-up anytime you need a caffeine fix and sugar rush, day or night. The first pair is a timeless classic—a cup of hot, freshly brewed coffee and the hotel’s famously soft, cheese and buttery ensaymada priced at only P250 net. For some chocolately and foamy goodness, there’s the cappuccino and choco moist cake set at P270 net. The café latte and carrot cake duo brings creamy and sweet flavors to perk you up for just P270 net. And last, there’s the affogato, a coffee-dessert espresso with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, combined with a chewy oatmeal cookie at P230 net only. The Coffee Pairings are available daily at The Granary from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., at Bizbar from 4 p.m. to 12 midnight except Monday, and at Zabana Bar from 12 to 9 p.m. except during inclement weather conditions.

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