Businessmirror november 12, 2016

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Experts

say Cavite more viable than Bulacan as new main gateway

Sy seen topping Ang in airport battle

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By Lorenz S. Marasigan

he country will be better off if the government chooses to accept the unsolicited proposal to build a new international gateway in an area in Sangley Point, Cavite, as it is more feasible and economically viable than constructing an airport in Bulacan, according to aviation expert Avelino L. Zapanta.

In plain sight, Zapanta said the proposal of Solar Group-led All-Asia Resources & Reclamation Corp. to build a $20-billion airport in Sangley is better than San Miguel Corp.’s (SMC) $10-billion airport offer in Bulacan.

“My quick view is the Sangley site is better than Bulacan. In distance, Bulacan would be twice farther than Manila. In demography, there will be bigger builtup and populated communities going to Bulacan. A causeway from Manila to Sangley would avoid disturbing such places,” he told the BusinessMirror.

Likewise, an airport in Bulacan might just result in issues on competition, operations and safety, as it is geographically closer to Clark International Airport.

“Bulacan is much closer to Clark.

There is likely to be airways-safety concern, i.e., air-traffic congestion, collision. If I recall it correctly, there should be no overlapping aircraft maneuvers within the 40-kilometer radius. The distance between Malolos and Clark would be roughly that,” Zapanta said.

All-Asia, controlled by the Tieng family, has partnered with Belle Corp., part of Henry Sy’s SM Group and China Communications Construction Co., to invest in a $20-billion airport that will replace the aging Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia) in Manila.

Its plan involves the reclamation of 2,500 hectares of land near a naval and air base at Sangley Point. The project includes a new airport for up to 90 million passengers per year. The existing Naia airport will be replaced by new urban development.

Zapanta: “My quick view is the Sangley site is better than Bulacan.”

According to a study conducted by Danish consulting engineering company Ramboll Group, the new airport, when built, will have two parallel runways to secure future capacity, three terminal spaces, a reserved space for cargoes and maintenance facilities.

Naval Station Sangley Point, surrounded by Manila Bay and occupying the northern portion of the Cavite City peninsula, was a former communication and hospital facility of the United States Navy. The naval station has a runway that was built after World War II, and was used extensively

by US Navy patrol planes as late as the Vietnam War. The station was eventually turned over to the Philippine government in 1971, and is currently being used by both the Philippine Navy and Air Force.

The area will also be developed for commercial structures to support the growth of the airport. A seaport will also be constructed near the location.

The $10-billion proposal of SMC’s top honcho Ramon S. Ang, on the other hand, involves the Continued on A2

THIS August 6, 2006, file photo shows the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.

Last year saw the airport’s four terminals reaching past their maximum rated capacity for the first time—as more and more international and domestic flights were launched throughout the year despite the lack of capacitybuilding projects for the air hub. Butch Fernandez

Power-sector players still await clear-cut policy on energy mix

By Lenie Lectura

M

ore than a hundred days since the assumption of the new administration, industry players in the power sector are still waiting for the government to issue a policy on energy mix to guide investors craft long-term investment plans.

“One hundred days, I think, are not enough to initially make an assessment on how things are shaping up. There are many key issues in this industry,” AC Energy Corp. President John Eric T. Francia said.

Still, he noted that most of the major power players await a clearcut government policy on energy

Francia: “The policy has to spell out how do we get there.

Specifics are as much as important as the numbers in the mix.”

mix. “I know the energy mix seems like an old issue, but that’s important,” Francia said. “We need that.”

The way to go about it is for the government to “start with an aspiration where energy mix is headed five to 10 years.”

PESO exchange rates n US 48.6660

“Clarify your goal, but more important, know how to get to that goal,” Francia added. “The policy has to spell out how do we get there. Specifics are as much as important as the numbers in the mix.”

AC Energy is prepared to double its commitment in the power sector to nearly P80 billion through expansion of existing assets, acquisitions or partnerships, and greenfield projects to achieve its goal of building a capacity of 2,000 megawatts (MW) by 2020.

The Department of Energy (DOE) was previously working on a 30-30-30 mix, which would come from coal, natural gas and renewable-energy sources. The remaining 10 percent could come from

diesel- or oil-fired power plants.

It also preferred to have this legislated.

Still in the works

But with a new administration, the proposed energy mix is yet to take off.

Instead, the DOE, under its new secretary, opted to tap the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to assist the agency in crafting an ideal energy-mix policy.

Energy Secretary Alfonso G. Cusi has recently met with members of the USAID’s Building Low Emission Alternatives to Develop Economic Resilience and Sustainability. Among those discussed Continued on A2

Developments in low-carbon technologies As the coverage of low-carbon policy continues to widen, deployment of low-carbon technologies has increased at the global level. Globally installed solar and wind capacity has increased more than 130% since 2010, from 239 gigawatts to 553 gigawatts in 2014

600 Gigawatts

553 gigawatts

500

Solar 400

Wind

300 200

A gigawatt is equal to one billion watts or 1 gigawatt = 1000 megawatts

100 0

’00 ’01 ’02 ’03 ’04 ’05 ’06 ’07 ’08 ’09 ’10 ’11 ’12 ’13 ’14

Source: Committee on Climate Change Graphic: Staff, Tribune News Service

n japan 0.4553 n UK 61.0661 n HK 6.2741 n CHINA 7.1473 n singapore 34.4782 n australia 36.9716 n EU 52.9875 n SAUDI arabia 12.9765 Source: BSP (11 November 2016)

News

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Power-sector players still await clear-cut policy on energy mix Continued from a1

include the formulation of an optimal energy mix and the country’s local reserve requirements.

The study will focus on the energy requirements for economicgrowth trends; load-consumption profiles for energy consumers; emerging-energy technologies and local industry readiness; transmission configurations; and network development.

The team will also look into the availability of indigenous energy for ensuring stable pricing to lessen dependence on energy that is dependent on international market prices.

“Our main concern now is to increase the availability of quality, reliable, secure and affordable supply.

We are also looking at establishing an ‘army of reserves’ so that when there is lack of supply, we have something to rely on,” Cusi said.

The DOE, he added, would want to be certain on the decisions that will be made in order to entice more investments.

Options

The Manila Electric Co. (Meralco), the country’s largest distribution firm, has tapped a third party to conduct a study related to the proposed energy mix.

“We’re doing our own study.

We have engaged a foreign consultant so that at least we can have

a view. Once the policy is issued then, hopefully we are also ready with our views. We hope the power sector would be consulted by the government,” Meralco Chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan said.

Meralco, through Meralco Power Generation, is involved in power-generation business.

When asked of his initial assessment on the new administration’s first 100 days, Pangilinan noted that private-sector interest to build more power plants is “very keen”.

“So, I think, it’s a question of getting it moving,” he said. “Currently, there’s a surplus, so there is market pressure on prices to go down. Then you create a more vibrant WESM [Wholesale Electricity Spot Market].

Market exists because there’s surpluses. If there’s no surplus, there’s really no market.”

Pangilinan added he remains “absolutely positive” in the current administration.

He previously said an energy mix would be the private sector’s takeoff point in relation to future power projects. “We need to know that mix, so we will know where to move. Should we turn to coal plants… should we turn to gas plants?”

Anxious

First Gen Corp. of the Lopez group, meanwhile, said it would continue to draw up investment plans amid

the absence of an energy-mix policy from the government.

First Gen Corp. President Francis Giles Puno, however, could not stress enough the importance of this policy to both the private sector and the government.

“We would like a pronouncement on the development of a fuel mix. Having said that, this does not stop us from planning our investment, particularly in gas, even if the energy mix is not out yet,” Puno said.

First Gen, the largest Philippine operator of gas-fired power plants in the country, owns and operates 19 power plants with 2,959-MW capacity, accounting for 23 percent of the country’s gross power generation.

The Lopez-led firm is also firming up a plan to build a $1-billion liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) terminal in Batangas.

Clear mix

Puno said the company awaits a more detailed discussion with the government in connection with plans to jump-start the LNG sector in the country.

The government recognizes the need to consult with power-industry players over a clear energymix policy, according to Finance Secretary Carlos C. Dominguez III.

“There has to be an energy-mix

policy, but at the moment we will proceed with what we have already in the pipeline so we will not stop everything,” he said.

Senate Energy Committee Chairman Sherwin T. Gatchalian, meanwhile, stressed the need to strengthen the energy sector.

“Starting with the planning stage, we should also institutionalize the system, make sure we have a valid and reliable long-term forecasting,” he said.

Latest data from the DOE showed that the Philippines’s total installed generating capacity grew by 4.6 percent from 17,944 MW in 2014 to 18,765 MW in 2015, equivalent to an 821-MW increase.

Coal-fired power plants constitute the largest share in the installed and dependable capacity last year at 32 percent and 34 percent, respectively.

Among renewable energy, hydro sources’ share remained the highest at 19 percent, the majority of which comes from the Mindanao grid.

With the feed-in tariff incentives and continued support of the DOE and energy agencies and stakeholders, variable renewable energy, such as wind and solar, grew by 50.9 percent, or a 144-MW increase, and 616.0 percent (142MW increase), respectively, in 2014 and 2015.

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Sy seen topping Ang in airport battle Continued from a1

construction of a 1,600-hectare international gateway somewhere in the north of Metro Manila. The airport, which would have doubled the capacity of the Naia, would have included the construction of a low-cost carrier terminal, a train system and a dedicated tollway.

The Japan International Cooperation Agency (Jica) is also proposing the closure of the Naia, listing the possible locations of the new airport.

A Jica study pinpointed two Cavite-based locations, called Sangley 1A and 1B.

Sangley 1A is located in the same site as the naval station in Cavite. The other one is located near the Central Manila Bay, between the military base and a reclaimed area.

The first option will cost both the government and a privatesector partner less than the second choice. The first one only costs $10 billion, while the other one is pegged at around $13 billion.

The future airport will boast of four runways, which can handle 700,000 aircraft movements per year. It will have a rated capacity of 130 million passengers annually.

The deal is expected to be implemented under the government’s key infrastructure program, mixed with funding from official development assistance.

Congestion problems have been plaguing the Naia for years

Aerial view (c. 1964) of the Cavite peninsula. In the foreground is the former US Naval Base Sangley Point, with Cavite City adjacent in the back. Cdr. T. L. Bigley

now. Last year saw Naia’s four terminals reaching past their maximum rated capacity for the first time—as more and more international and domestic flights were launched throughout the year despite the lack of capacity-building projects for the air hub.

Data collected by the Manila International Airport Authority showed that the airport handled 36.68 million passengers last year, 7 percent higher than the 34.09 million passengers the year prior.

Broken down, the airport handled 19.51 million domestic passengers last year—around 2 million higher than the 17.17 million it served in 2014. International passenger count was almost flat.

Transportation officials were sought for further details, but none replied to the BusinessMirror’s queries as of this writing.

News

BusinessMirror

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Saturday, November 12, 2016

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Duterte: PHL shift toward China will continue after Trump victory

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resident Duterte declared on Friday he would continue to shift the Philippines toward China, despite Donald Trump’s victory in the US presidential election.

At an early-morning briefing in Davao, Duterte said that, wh i le t he US wou ld re m a i n a friend and ally, the Philippines’s foreign policy was now geared toward China and the Asean. “I will pursue what I’ve started,” Duterte said following his return from a state visit to Malaysia. “My partnership with China and the rest of Asean will remain. I am not in the habit of reneging on my word.”

Duterte called himself “ just a small molecule in the planet” compared with Trump. “He is now president of the most powerful country in the world,” Duterte said. “What we share in common is the passion to serve.”

In a state visit to China last month, Duterte announced a formal “separation” from the US and said he wanted to pivot to China and Russia—widening a split with his nation’s biggest security ally.

I will pursue what I’ve started. I am not in the habit of reneging on my word.”—Duterte

Since being sworn in as president in June, Duterte has vowed to end joint military exercises with the US, called for American soldiers to leave the southern island of Mindanao, and told President Barack Obama to “go to hell.”

Maintain cooperation

Even so, with the two countries still bound by several agreements, including a mutual defense treaty, Duterte said the Philippines would “maintain our cooperation” with the US. “It is still part of trying to play off the United States against China,” said Segundo Romero, a professorial lecturer in development studies at the Ateneo de Manila University.

“His anti-US stance is a mix of sentiments against country and against its leadership.”

In a news statement on Wednesday, Duterte said he looked forward to enhancing Philippines-US relations under a future Trump administration, adding that they were “anchored on mutual respect, mutual benefit and shared commitment to democratic ideals and the rule of law.” Bloomberg News

Duterte AP

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The World BusinessMirror

Saturday, November 12, 2016

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How Trump could walk away from decades of climate deals

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t took more than two decades for nations around the world to forge an agreement to save the planet from global warming. Within one year, Donald Trump could leave it in tatters.

Trump, who has said climate change is a hoax perpetrated by the Chinese, has vowed to “cancel” the Paris agreement brought into force this year by more than 190 other countries. While he can’t rip up the entire accord, the real-estate tycoon and reality-television star-turned president elect has several options for pulling the US out.

A withdrawal could have significant consequences. As the richest nation on Earth and the second-largest polluter, the US’s role in the Paris accord is critical, helping to secure participation from China, India and others. A withdrawal by Trump would hobble the agreement’s effort to cut fossil-fuel emissions and could leave the US facing grave diplomatic repercussions.

“There would be huge implications for how other countries view the United States,” said Jake Schmidt, director of the international program at the Natural Resources Defense Council (NEDC), a nonprofit tracking the climate talks.

“The world is united behind this agreement.”

A protesters unhappy with the presidential election blocks traffic on JFK boulevard as they march between cars on Thursday in Philadelphia. The Philadelphia Inquirer via AP

Fear of recession gives way to hope for short-term economic boost in US

By Don Lee | Tribune Washington Bureau

W

ASHINGTON—The populist promises that catapulted Donald Trump into the White House also stoked fears that his policy proposals could severely damage the economy.

Most mainstream economists saw his repeated threats to seal borders and slap massive tariffs on Mexican and Chinese goods as sure-fire prescriptions for trade wars and recession. Despite such pessimistic pre-election assessments, the early post-election sentiment among businesses and investors appears to be more of hope than fear. Business leaders are betting that Congress and political realities will temper Trump’s more extreme ideas, and the policies that survive may actually give needed fuel to an economy that many forecasters predicted would face a slowdown over the next four years, regardless of who won the White House.

The question now: How long will that optimism last if the president-elect’s rosy view proves wrong and he’s unable to double the nation’s economic growth as promised? The US economy is already sluggish and fragile, even as it enjoys one of the longest-ever periods of growth.

The economies of almost all the other developed nations aren’t much better and are usually worse.

To many, a Trump upset on Election Day was exactly the kind of jolt that they feared would send US and global growth reeling into decline. “A volatile candidate is likely to be a volatile president,” said Paul Ashworth, chief US economist for Capital Economics.

One reason for a less pessimistic view now is that Trump—in his conciliatory and measured victory speech early Wednesday—vowed

to launch a major overhaul of US infrastructure by pouring billions of government dollars into highway and other construction projects. Such a program would amount to a massive economic stimulus effort as government dollars went first to construction companies, then to thousands of workers and finally ripple out through the whole economy, as those workers spent the new dollars on cars, houses, groceries and other consumer goods.

with the world. Short of unilaterally withdrawing from North American Free Trade Agreement and other trade agreements, which the president does not have the power to do without consulting Congress, even the most hard-nosed negotiations would take time. Many remain skeptical, believing that Trump’s deep-seated beliefs—he has been complaining about unfair trade since the 1980s—and the mandate from his base to blow up the way Washington does business will inevitably lead to clashes with members of his own party and generate policy uncertainty.

Fisca l-minded Republicans in particular are likely to press against Trump proposals that would add to the deficit or national debt. Prolonged uncertainty could wobble financial markets and harm the American economy as businesses put off investments and hiring. As analysts at the banking firm Nomura noted, Trump’s economic policy proposals fall into three broad areas—large tax cuts,

A volatile candidate is likely to be a volatile president.”—Ashworth Conservative Republicans in Congress rejected similar overt ures f rom President Barac k Obama. But Trump’s surprise victory may give him greater leverage with Congress, particularly since his party controls both House and Senate. And most Republican lawmakers already support Trump’s call for lower corporate taxes and less government regulation, both of which could provide more economic stimulus, at least in the immediate future. In matters that might dampen the economy, the betting is that Trump will not be able to move as quickly.

On the divisive issue of trade, Trump on Wednesday did not renew his repeated campaign threats to tear up trade deals. Rather, he said he would be a president for all Americans and seek partnerships

protectionist trade measures and restricted immigration.

“Although these proposals at face value could affect the US economy significantly, exactly how and to what degree they are implemented is an open question,” they write. Trump’s fiscal plan, for example, includes tax cuts of roughly $6 trillion and infrastructure spending of $1 trillion over 10 years. His policy advisers have argued that the lost tax revenue would be offset by growth generated from the stimulus of lower taxes and other policy changes involving trade, energy and government regulations.

Skeptics say conser vatives have long predicted that so-called supply-side economic policies would offset higher spending but that those larger revenues have

failed to appear and deficits have gotten bigger, not smaller. Fitch Ratings on Wednesday cast doubt on whether corporations “would boost investment in response to a tax cut as investment growth has been slow despite strong profitability and a recent boom in corporate borrowing.”

US corporations are sitting on billions of dollars in cash now; so far, they have been more willing to spend it on boosting dividends and buying back company stock rather than expanding operations. Whatever the outcome, w ith a Republican-controlled government, Trump has a good chance of enacting a long-elusive comprehensive ta x reform of some kind. Congressional leaders like Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, RepublicanKentucky, pledged to take action, though on both taxes and infrastructure spending, no one foresees anything nearly as large as what Trump has proposed.

But even if Trump can get half of his proposal for spending on roads, bridges, airports and schools, that would give some much-needed juice to an economy that in recent years has depended almost solely on stimulus from the Federal Reserve. Trump’s plan to slash the corporate tax rate to 15 percent from 35 percent—and offer a 10-percent tax on repatriated cash now kept abroad—also would provide a relatively quick shot in the arm to businesses. The Tax Policy Center has estimated that Trump’s tax cuts, if fully implemented, would boost the economy by 1.7 percent in 2017, essentially doubling growth. The gross domestic product is currently expected to expand about 2 percent a year for the foreseeable future.

Longer term, however, the increased national debt would take its toll on the economy, with higher interest expenses and rising interest rates crimping private investment. The Tax Policy Center projected that the Trump tax plan would lead to a 4-percent shrinkage in the GDP after two decades.

Anyone’s guess

While Trump has made it clear he plans to walk away from Paris, his precise exit strategy remains unclear. “I don’t think that’s been decided,” Myron Ebell, the head of Trump’s Environmental Protection Agency transition team, said in an interview. “Your guess is as good as mine.”

Trump has at least four options. First is to exit the Paris deal, which was signed in December. Yet, the exit clause of the agreement means the US would still be bound by it until 2020. Trump must now wait three years to formally submit his intention to withdraw and then another year before the US can exit.

There is a quicker way.

Schmidt of the NRDC referred to it as “the nuclear option,” which would allow the US to leave by early 2018.

That would entail withdrawing from the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, a treaty that established the entire process.

That deal was unanimously adopted by the US Senate and signed in 1992 by President George H.W. Bush. Trump could pull the US out with one year’s notice, Dan Bodansky, an Arizona State University law professor who studies international environmental agreements, said in an interview.

While faster, that option would raise the diplomatic stakes. “It will negatively impact his ability to get the cooperation of other world leaders on issues he cares about, such as trade and terrorism,” said Alden Meyer, director of strategy

at the Union of Concerned Scientists, an advocacy group in Washington. “Climate change has become a geopolitical issue of the top order.”

Marrakech talks

Trump’s election comes as environment and energy ministries from around the globe gather in Marrakech, Morocco, for two weeks of talks on how to implement the Paris deal.

Their meeting is organized by the United Nations and established by the 1992 framework convention that Bush signed.

The Paris deal calls for 197 countries to limit global warming to below 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) and work toward net zero greenhouse-gas emissions.

While Trump’s victory sent shockwaves through the corridors of the conference center, Salaheddine Mezouar, a Moroccan minister of foreign affairs who is presiding over the meeting in Marrakech, said he was hopeful that the US wouldn’t pull out of the accord.

“The climate change question transcends politics and concerns the preservation of our livelihood, dignity and the only planet on which we all live.

We are convinced that all parties will respect their commitments and stay the course in this collective effort,” Mezouar said in a statement.

Senate option

Trump could dispose of the accord by sending it to the Senate, where it would be dead on arrival in the hands of Republican lawmakers, said Myron Ebell, a director at the Washingtonbased Competitive Enterprise Institute. W hen President Barack Obama’s administration negotiated the Paris deal, his envoys avoided structuring it as a traditional treaty, bypassing the need for approval from two-thirds of the US Senate.

“There has been a tradition of shared power in the Constitution,” said Ebell, who has also pushed for the US to stop funding UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.

“President Obama has broken that precedent. So it seems to me the Senate can also break the precedent and simply take it up now.”

Finally, Trump could simply ignore the US’s climate goal under the Paris agreement. He could kill Obama’s Clean Power Plan. And he could refuse to take any steps to reduce emissions. There is nothing in the agreement that would penalize the US for flouting its commitments.

Yet that, too, could hurt the US diplomatically. Countries are required to report their progress annually to the international community. If the US isn’t making good on its promises, other nations will know.

There’s also the issue of momentum and the growing global acceptance of a need to act, even among countries that still promote the burning of coal. Bloomberg News

The climate change question transcends politics and concerns the preservation of our livelihood, dignity and the only planet on which we all live.

We are convinced that all parties will respect their commitments and stay the course in this collective effort.”—Mezouar

Sports NO SWEEP, BusinessMirror

mirror_sports@yahoo.com.ph

NO PROBLEM

By Joel Orellana

D

E LA SALLE Head Coach Aldin Ayo made it clear that he went to the Green Archers camp to bring the title back to Taft.

And after archrival Ateneo de Manila denied them a sweep and an easy route to the best-of-three championship series of Season 79 University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) men’s basketball, Ayo just downplayed their 71-83 loss to the Blue Eagles on November 5 and it’s juts a minor setback they need to hurdle.

“Gusto rin sana sweep pero hindi namin iniisip ‘yun. Ako, ang pinunta ko rito para sa championship, hindi kung anu-anong achievements,” said Ayo, who left Letran after leading the Knights to a title in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) two seasons ago.

The loss to Ateneo was the Taft-based team’s first after starting the season with 12 straight wins that guaranteed the Green Archers a top spot and the twice-to-beat advantage in the Final Four round.

Ayo took responsibility of their defeat but saw a silver lining in that loss as it will make La Salle more motivated to play better as the next phase approaches.

“We’re still a team a I think. Mas makakatulong nga sa amin ito [loss] in terms of motivation. Mas mamo-motivate kami. Lahat ng members ng team from the boss to the utility, for sure motivated kami,” Ayo added.

And that will be known when La Salle clashes with defending champion Far Eastern University (FEU) on Saturday in the main game at 4 p.m. at the Mall of Asia Arena.

Two weeks ago the Green ArchersTamaraws duel could be labeled as a finals preview but with Ateneo and Adamson University on a roll, the odds are now against FEU, which dropped its last two games.

For Ayo, they will treat the match versus

the Tamaraws as like an ordinary game that they need to win though the game has no bearing for them.

“They have almost the same game plan [as Ateneo]. Parehas na parehas.

Siguro, patitigasin muna namin ‘yung palagi naming ginagawa. Maglilinis muna kami ng bakuran,” Ayo said.

Leading Most Valuable Player Ben Mbala had his usual double-double against the Blue Eagles with 17 points and 15 rebounds but had seven of the team’s 20 turnovers in a foul-plagued stint on the floor.

“Well, tao lang din naman ‘yun,” said Ayo of his prized Cameroonian center. “Pero kung makikita mo, nandoon pa rin ang effort. One of those days [for Mbala], but you cannot question his effort,” he added.

Mbala is expected to come back strong for the Green Archers and ditto the Tamaraws, who are now tied for No. 2 spot with the Blue Eagles with identical 8-4 win-loss slates.

The Nash Racela-mentored FEU has dropped its last matches, including an ugly 59-74 defeat to Ateneo last Wednesday.

The Blue Eagles could go solo second with a win against the skidding University of Santo Tomas in the first game at 2 p.m. The Growling Tigers of rookie coach Boy Sablan are already eliminated with a 3-10 slate. UST finished runner-up to FEU last season.

La Salle Head Coach Aldin Ayo says the loss to Ateneo makes them more motivated to win the crown. STEPHANIE TUMAMPOS

Tagum City hosts Batang Pinoy

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AGUM City will be home to 11,332 delegates for about a week when it hosts this year’s national finals of the Batang Pinoy.

The November 27 to December 2 meet features 600 events in 26 sports discipline among athletes 17 years old and below, and marks the first national multisports tournament to be held under the leadership of President Duterte.

Philippine Sports Commissioner Celia Kiram disclosed during the weekly Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) Forum at Shakey’s Malate on Tuesday that the Chief Executive has been invited to be the guest of honor for the opening ceremony of the annual event being held at a total cost of P50 million.

“May possibility na dumating siya.

Hopefully, the event will be graced by the President,” Kiram said.

No qualifying legs were held this year, as had been the practice in the past since the new Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) leadership, under Chairman William Ramirez

only assumed office in June.

“Since bago lang kami, one national tournament muna this year and then pagaaralan further kung will be holding different legs in Luzon, the Visayas and Mindanao next year,” added the only lady commissioner in the PSC board.

Batang Pinoy Program Director Larry Domingo said the number of delegates increased this year, following the government sports agency’s decision to increase the age bracket from the previous limit of 15 years old and below.

“Medyo marami ngayon because of that, at nagdagdag tayo ng events based on age, bracketing, and weight categories,” added Domingo, who joined Kiram and Mark Velasco of the Philippine Sports Institute (PSI) in the forum presented by San Miguel Beer, Accel, Shakey’s, and the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp.

This year’s Batang Pinoy edition will also have the PSI identifying and monitoring all medal winners.

“We’ll have data in terms of athletes, follow-up studies on them, and closely monitoring ’yung progress nila,” stressed Velasco. “At the same time, we’ll be giving training support sa mga coaches nila.”

Kiram said medal winners in the meet, hopefully, can be trained and tapped to represent the country in international events such as Children of Asia International Sports Games and the Youth Olympic Games (YOG).

“Mayroon tayong pupuntahan at paglalagyan ng mga atleta natin,” she said.

“And hopefully, magkakaroon na naman tayo ng gold medalist sa YOG,” added Kiram, obviously referring to archer Gabriel Moreno, who won for the country its first gold medal in the YOG in Nanjing, China, two years ago.

Santiago is overall champ in Anvaya Cove triathlon

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FTER a long wait of two years, Mervin Rencel Santiago relied on a strong performance to overcome his rivals in an exciting battle to claim the top honor during the Anvaya Cove Invitational Triathlon at the Anvaya Cove Beach & Nature Club (ACBNC) in Bataan.

Santiago emerged as the overall male champion—his first since 2014—in the Standard Distance 1.5-kilometer swim–40-km bike–10-km run event with a time of two hours, 33 minutes and 19 seconds followed

by Rene Tayag with 2:43:4 and Benjie Zapanta with 2:46:29. Early on in the race, Santiago found himself challenged by Tayag and Jet Ramos, who suffered a broken spike on his tire during the cycling leg which slowed him down and allowed Zapanta to win the bronze.

On the distaff side of the event, Danielle Infantado’s strong swim and run helped her win the crown in 3:15:04. She was followed far behind by Ines Santiago with 3:21:07 and Nylah Bautista who clocked 3:43:36.

Nica Deldio, who graduated from the SuperTriKids (STK) class, made her debut on the Sprint Distance (750-meter swim-20-km bike–5-km run) memorable finishing first place in 1:32:36, followed by Andrea Villanueva with 1:39:58 and Miki Terada with 1:59:11. The Sprint Distance male crown was won by Carlos Selubo followed by Austine Morfe and Paolo Vispo.

On the Girls 13-15 Mini-Sprint (500-meter swim—9-km bike—2.5-km run) contest, Lauren Plaza led all the way from start to finish, beating longtime rival Nicole Eijansantos, who is just recovering from injury. The bronze went to Sophia Almendral. Regarding the boys’ 13-15 race, Juan Baniqued surged in the run leg to break away from Josh Ramos whom he raced very closely before finally getting the gold. At third place was Russel Villaraza.

ACTIVE REVOLUTION Jay Teodoro, Ayala Land senior division manager and Vermosa Estate head, invites everyone to join the sports and lifestyle expo at the Vermosa Active Revolution in Daang Hari Road in Cavite on December 3 and 4. Cycling clinics and bike rentals will be available for the participants, while The Ninja Academy will mount a parkour obstacle course for the festival-goers. STEPHANIE TUMAMPOS Other champions in the race were Laarni Pichay and Jerard Taloy (Adult Mini-Sprint); Albarda-Escopete-Sandoval (Team Relay), team Pangilinan (Family Relay), Nadia Manalo (SD Female 18-29), Diana Samson (SD Female 30-39), Kara David (SD Female 40-above), Bryan Mendiola (SD 25-29), Guz Dela Rosa (SD 30-34), Jet Ramos (SD 35-39), Jessie Magat (SD 40-44), J.A. Caniza (SD 45-49) and Jamie Leather (SD 50-54).

Saturday, November 12, 2016 A5

GUMABAO, VALDEZ FAN

OLD RIVALRY IN V-LEAGUE

T

HE old rivals meet again, but this time in a different league.

Alyssa Valdez and Michele Gumabao, the faces of Ateneo de Manila and De La Salle volleyball, respectively, for so many years, rekindle their rivalry as they lead their respective teams in Shakey’s V-League Season 13 Reinforced Conference finals on Saturday at the PhilSports Arena in Pasig City.

Valdez’s Bureau of Customs and Gumabao’s Pocari Sweat begin their title showdown at 6 p.m. The last time they met in the finals was in Season 75 of University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP), with Gumabao’s Lady Archers prevailing to complete a three-peat.

Valdez will lead the Transformers, who are in the finals in their maiden conference, and is expected support from Thai imports Kanjana Kuthaisong and Natthanicha Jaisaen and locals Rose Marie Vargas, Lilet Mabbayad and Pau Soriano.

“It’s gonna be a long finals series so we really have to go hard and train hard para naman maganda ‘yung mabigay naming laban sa Pocari,” said Valdez, the three-time UAAP and V-League Most Valuable Player (MVP).

Gumabao, the skipper of the Lady Warriors, said they are now two wins away from reaching their goal but she expects a tough series against Customs.

Aside from Gumabao, Pocari Sweat will also be leaning on Myla Pablo, Melissa Gohing, Desiree Dadang, Filipino-American setter Iris Tolenada and Elaine Kasilag. “‘Yung pinaghihirapan namin sa training, ‘yung pinaghandaan namin, ang goal namin malapit na, ito na nasa Finals na kami,” said Valdez, who was 2-0 against Valdez in the UAAP finals.

“Syempre hindi lang naman goal ang makarating sa finals, ang goal talaga namin

this season is to go back-to-back, ‘yun ang pinunta namin dito.”

The Lady Warriors will also bank on imports Breanna Mackie, who recently registered the second best season’s performance with 35 points in Game Two semifinals win over University of Santo Tomas, and Andrea Kacsits.

Pocari Sweat walloped Customs in straight sets, 25-22, 25-22, 26-24, in their eliminationround duel.

The Lady Warriors got ample rest entering Game One, as the Transformers needed three games to beat BaliPure in their semifinal series.

“Advantage for us kasi kailangan namin mag-jell as a team pa hanggang ngayon, kailangan pa namin maglaro nang maglaro para masanay kami,” Valdez said. “‘Yung disadvantage namin is we really don’t have enough rest, but as an athlete you really have to adjust sa ganoong circumstances. Sana it will work sa favor namin pero kailangan pa rin namin magdouble time at paghirapan bawat puntos para mabigyan namin ng maayos na laro ’yung kalaban,” Valdez added.

Meanwhile, BaliPure and UST start their best-of-three battle for bronze at 4 p.m.

In Spikers’ Turf, Air Force eyes a double title season as it guns for a sweep against Cignal in Game Two of their best-of-three finals at 12:30 p.m. Lance Agcaoili

Pocari Sweat’s Michele Gumabao is unbeaten against Custom’s Alyssa Valdez in their head-to-head finals duel in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines. STEPHANIE TUMAMPOS

BusinessMi

A6 Saturday, November 12, 2016

Germany tops world rankings

W

ITH two International Cycling Union (UCI) World Champions and three silver medalists, Germany finished the 2016 UCI Road World Championships in Doha, Qatar, as the best ranked nation.

The UCI Road World Championships’ Ranking by Nations rewards countries that demonstrate consistency and depth of talent, with points distributed among the top 25 riders in each individual event—time trial and road race, Men and Women from Junior up to Elite.

Introduced at last year’s UCI Road World Championships in Richmond, US, it encourages a team spirit, with athletes who do not make the podium still earning points for their country.

While Germany’s time trial UCI World Champions Tony Martin (Men Elite) and Marco Mathis (Men U23) earned their nation considerable points, the fact that Germany also had three silver medalists and a total of 16 riders achieving top-25 results across the 10 events contributed to the country’s win.

In total, Germany amassed 970 points during the eight days of racing in Doha. The winners were strongly challenged by the US, which finished second with 674 points.

Last year’s best nation, the Netherlands, was third in Doha, with 642 points. UCI News

7-ELEVEN CONTINENTAL CYCLING TEAM

MISSION: TOKYO 2020

World championship slots at stake in Nuvali

I

T will be one hell of a race for mountain-bike riders, as elite athletes and enthusiasts alike plunge into action in the 2016 Nuvali Dirt Weekend on Saturday in Santa Rosa, Laguna.

For the second year in a row, Filipino riders will get a chance to land a spot for next year’s Cross Country Marathon World Championship, as the country hosts the Asian qualifying leg that includes participants from Japan, Indonesia and Thailand.

“We would like to take this step further and serve as a venue for world-class competitions in order to recognize local talents, as well as give our athletes a chance to compete globally,” Nuvali General Manager John Estacio said.

The top 20 men and women finishers will earn slots to the world championship in Germany. The winners will also accumulate points for the international mountainbike marathon series ranking.

Riders who are 19 years old or older are eligible for the 90-kilometer marathon race, which will be spiced by a 35-kilometer Dirt Weekend Cross Country Fun Race.

It will be the second time the country will host the qualifiers. Last year foreign riders from Honduras and Portugal ruled the men’s and women’s elite categories of the cross-country race, which is sanctioned by the International Cycling Union (UCI).

“This year we take the competition up a notch with new and longer routes,” UCI technical delegate Geoff Kronenburg said.

Cash prizes of P50,000, P20,000 and P10,000 will also go to the top 3 finishers.

“We are honored to host such a prestigious event.

Aside from the fun and excitement it will bring to the participants, we also advocate clean energy through biking. We promote healthier lifestyle and be a platform for Filipino athletes to be exposed to a big tournament at the same time,” Estacio added.

Milton Ramos of Honduras and Ilda Pereira of Portugal won the men’s and women’s cross-country marathon (XCM) elite races last year.

Ramos of Team Honduras Intense Bikes-Go Pro beat Tawatchai Jerravatchatam of Thailand-Singha Infinite with an impressive time of two hours, 18 minutes and 32 seconds in the 65-km XCM. Filipino Alvin Benosa of BMC Philippines was third.

In the women’s elite, Pereira of Team Mozinho easily breezed through the challenging field, clocking 3:01:15. Indonesian Yazid Kuzmawati of Team Jabar Polygon was second, with 3:06:42, followed by Filipina Melissa Jane Jaroda of Team Ground Zero, with 3:14:45.

Nuvali is hosting the event for the eighth year.

THE 7-Eleven Continental Cycling Team is bringing Philippine pride overseas with former Le Tour de Filipinas champion Marc Galedo at the forefront.

I

T is fitting that a country that hosts a race calendared by the International Cycling Union (UCI), the world-governing body for cycling, maintains a UCI continental team.

For four years now, 7-Eleven-Sava Road Bike Philippines has been doing the rounds of the UCI road circuit, representing not only the conveniencestore brand, but more important, the brand of Philippine cycling.

Grizzled veterans are what Filipino cyclists are known for, a quality that was molded from the fabled Philippine Tour—a tradition born with the Manila-Vigan Race in 1954 and transformed into the Tour of Luzon, Marlboro Tour, Tour Pilipinas, Padyak Pinoy, Ronda Pilipinas and, now, the Le Tour de Filipinas, a UCI race calendared in the Asia Tour.

So that’s where7-Eleven-Sava Road Bike Philippines fits in to a T. The 12-member continental team, an offshoot of what was then called trade team by the UCI, Pagcor Trade Team in the early 2000s, 7-Eleven-Sava Road Bike Philippines has made a name for itself in the continent, bringing the Filipino brand of cycling to foreign soil to the amazement of foreign riders from all corners of the world.

And with a full four years of grinding against the best in Asia and the world, the team has set its sights on contributing one or more Filipino cyclists to the Olympic Games, now a rare achievement, since the UCI implemented qualifying standards in Seoul 1988.

“We want the Olympics. We will work hard for this. It will be tough, but we are determined to make everything possible,” 7-Eleven-Sava Road Bike Philippines Team Manager Ric Rodriguez said.

But to do that, the continental team riders must compete in as many UCI races as possible,

Key figure in Britain’s Olympic success guilty of sexism

M

ANCHESTER, England—An investigation has found that one of the key figures behind Britain’s successful Olympic cycling team used “inappropriate and discriminatory language” toward a female rider.

Shane Sutton resigned as British Cycling’s technical director in April over allegations of sexism made by Jess Varnish, who said the Australian coach told her to “move on and have a baby,” after she failed to qualify for this year’s Olympics and also made derogatory comments about her body shape.

British Cycling launched an investigation into the comments and reported its findings to the board on Friday, saying it upheld Varnish’s allegation.

“The board wishes to put on record its sincere regret that this happened,” British Cycling said in a statement.

Sutton had rejected the allegations made by Varnish, as well as claims by paracyclist Darren Kenny, that he heard Sutton refer to members of the disability team in derogatory terms.

The 25-year-old Varnish said she was “relieved” at British Cycling’s findings.

“I’ve always believed in standing up for yourself, especially when you know things are wrong,” Varnish said. “I spoke out because I wanted to shine a light on the culture at British Cycling, a culture that in my mind was incorrect.

“It wasn’t easy for me to talk about this experience and I could’ve quite easily said and done nothing, but that isn’t me. I’ve always given 100 percent to my sport, and am still in love with cycling, so I hope that British Cycling can use this investigation as a way to

improve and create a better environment for the Great Britain team.”

Sutton is a respected coach who has been with the Britain squad since 2002. He was made an officer of the Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II on her honors list in 2010.

Under Sutton, Britain topped the cycling medal standings at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, after winning 14 medals. Britain then won 12 medals in cycling at the London Olympics in 2012.

An independent review into the culture of British Cycling, commissioned by the national governing body and elite sport-funding body UK Sport, is ongoing. The internal investigation into Sutton’s comments will be shared with the independent review. AP

accumulating points that would qualify them not only for the Olympics but other major international events, as well, like the World Championships.

“Cycling has become a phenomenal sport in the world.

We should cope with the trends. That’s why I am always in talks with the [cycling] federation. We should be working this out for the benefit of our athletes,” Rodriguez said.

Rodriguez is also a director of the PhilCycling, the national federation of the sport headed by Rep. Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino of Tagaytay City. Together with the PhilCycling, the slogan is “Road to 2020,” which means qualifying a Filipino or two to the Tokyo Olympics.

No Filipino has ever participated in Olympic cycling since Los Angeles 1984, until 2012 in London, where Filipino-American Daniel Caluag qualified for BMX’s debut in the Games. Caluag didn’t make the podium in England, but won the country’s lone gold medal, also in BMX, at the Incheon 2014 Asian Games.

One of the most convenient ways to qualify for the Olympics is for a rider to compete in UCI races to earn ranking points. But to do that, he or she must be a member of a continental team.

A continental team is a professional squad registered with the UCI and composed of cyclists, the majority of whom are nationals of the country to which the squad is registered.

PUMPED UP IN CHENGDU A

FTER a nail-biting season, which saw the overall lead change several times, Logan Martin won the final round in Chengdu, China, to clinch the overall International Cycling Union (UCI) BMX Freestyle Park World Cup title early this month.

It was a great comeback for the young Australian who had a shaky start to the UCI World Cup competition with a disappointing sixth place in the opening round in Montpellier (France) at the beginning of May. After bouncing back with a win in Osijek (Croatia) in July, Martin crashed a couple of times in the finals of the Denver (USA) round on September 5 and had to make do with another sixth place. But he was back in winning form two weeks later in Edmonton (Canada), taking first place and the overall lead. He confirmed in China last weekend to become the winner of the inaugural UCI BMX Freestyle Park World Cup. “I’m so pumped on pulling both my runs and I’m still on such a high since winning...,” he declared on social media after his victory in Chengdu.

It was not all plain sailing however as the Australian had to contend with the consistency and flair of Venezuela’s Daniel Dhers, who with three second places in the first three rounds, was still in the overall lead going into the penultimate round.

But after finishing only seventh in Edmonton, the Venezuelan star lost his lead to Martin and, despite an inspirational demonstration of tricks in Chengdu, fell short of victory.

Third place in China went to young American Colton Walker, who, at 18 years of age, will no doubt continue to leave his mark on the international scene. UCI News

As for 7-Eleven-Sava Road Bike Philippines, no less than 70 percent of its riders are Filipinos, led by 2014 Le Tour de Filipinas and 2012 Ronda Pilipinas champion Mark Galedo, also the individual time-trial winner in the 2013 Southeast Asian Games in Myanmar.

In the recent 2016 Jelajah Malaysia, four 7-ElevenSava Road Bike Philippines riders finished in the top 10—Galedo was fifth, Spanish recruit Edgar Nohales Nieto sixth, Marcelo Felipe eighth and Rustom Lim, a former Asian juniors bronze medalist, ninth.

Cycling, like all other sports, needs long-term planning for its athletes to improve to world-class standards. And to achieve an ambitious goal, Rodriguez said it is only sound for Filipinos to compete in as many races as possible.

“We are eyeing our riders to make the team to the Southeast Asian Games, Asian Championships and the qualifiers for the World Championships for them to improve rungs higher,” Rodriguez said. “We must join all available contest because through that, our cyclists acquire points, and if we pile them all up, it would be easier for us to aim for Tokyo.”

With 7-Eleven-Sava Road Bike Philippines doing its trade overseas, the country has floated from No. 11 to No. 15 in the Asia rankings, a sign that Tokyo 2020 is one achievable goal. Ramon Rafael Bonilla

irror CYCLING

Saturday, November 12, 2016 A7

Dropping a promising future in bowling—and a career as a dentist—in favor of cycling resulted in an astounding performance for Marella Vania Salamat, who pulled off one of the most stunning victories in the Singapore 28th Southeast Asian Games, her first international race.

CYCLING QUEEN

MALAYSIAN Commissaire Omar Ibrahim (left) flags off Marella Vania Salamat, who pedals her way to the women’s individual time-trial gold medal in the Singapore 28th Southeast Asian Games in June last year.

By Ramon Rafael Bonilla

M

ARELLA VANIA SALAMAT had a competitive bowling career in the making in 2013, having been recruited to the national youth pool.

But she was overweight—and for Salamat to advance in the sport, she was obliged by her bowling coaches to shed those extra pounds.

The gym was automatic for burning the fats, but Salamat had other things in mind to shape up quick. And a road bike she took.

While sweating it out with her bowling coaches Edward Coo and Orlyn Batistin at the Mall of Asia grounds one morning three

IT was a great comeback for the young Logan Martin as he rules the International Cycling Union BMX Freestyle Park World Cup. UCI PHOTO

years ago, Salamat was spotted by National Coach Cesar Lobramonte, who wasted no time luring the young lady to shift sports.

She was immediately convinced, and the rest, as they say, is history.

“Before I entered college, I really gained weight. As a woman and a teenager, of course, I wanted to be fit,” Salamat said. “I took up several sports, but never did becoming a fulltime cyclist entered my mind. Never.”

Never say never, as Salamat was molded into one of the most competitive Filipina riders since the versatile Marites Bitbit.

The national federation for cycling, PhilCycling, engaged Salamat in a secret training of sorts. The former dentistry student at the University of the East was never on the radar. She was honed and harnessed in such a way that scouts from other countries, especially in the Southeast Asian region, wouldn’t notice her at all, more so consider her a medal potential.

Then came the Singapore Sea Games in June last year.

So reclusive was her training and preparation for the Singapore Games that not even the local sports media counted her as a gold prospect. It was a case of “Marella who?”

The first road cycling event in Singapore was the women’s individual time trial. And because she didn’t have significant numbers across her name to make her a favorite, she was flagged off early in the event—meaning she was nowhere close to the top seeds. “...three, two, one. Go!” uttered Malaysian International Commissaire Omar Ibrahim, who was once appointed by the International Cycling Union to be president commissaire for the Le Tour de Filipinas, as he flagged off Salamat, unsuspecting that the rider was to become the Philippines’s newest golden girl of cycling.

Dropping a promising future in bowling in favor of cycling resulted in an astounding performance for Salamat, who pulled off one of the most stunning victories in Singapore, her first international race.

Salamat clocked 44 minutes and 46.38 seconds to rule the 30-kilometer time trial raced over a relatively flat course at the Marina Bay area. She surprised Thailand’s Chanpeng Nontasin, the 30-year-old time-trial

gold medal winner and massed-start silver medalist in the 2011 Indonesia Games, who finished second, 45.96 seconds behind.

Singapore’s Chan Siew Kheng, the gold winner in 2013 in Myamar, also fell victim to Salamat’s impeccable riding and finished a far third at 2:58.53.

“I felt then that all my hardships worked wonders for me,” said Salamat, the eldest of a brood of thee of engineer and competitive bowler Rodolfo and dentist Marivic Salamat.

Salamat’s gold was only the second in the Sea Games for the Philippines, after Bitbit topped the massed start in the 2007 Games in Nakhon Ratchasima.

“She’s a very strong rider and, if given the proper attention, she could go a long, long way,” 2013 national team Head Coach Chris Allison said of Salamat.

The Salamats trace their roots to Pangasinan, no wonder cycling is in Marella’s blood. Pangasinan has produced dozens of the finest cyclists in the country, a tradition unequaled to these days.

“I really want to try many sports. I want the adrenaline it brings to me. It feels good,” said Salamat, who, besides bowling and cycling, was once lured to boxing.

“But the moment I tried cycling, I enjoyed it. And now, cycling is in my system and won’t let go,” she said.

But cycling has its sacrifices—not to mention the suffering a rider endures in training and competition, racing not only against other cyclists, but also against the elements.

Salamat had to let go of her dream to become a dentist some day, as the demands of cycling include daily grinds that grab hours and hours from the classroom. She is now a Marketing sophomore at Southville Foreign University in Las Piñas, where her family resides.

“It was a difficult decision to drop Dentistry. But I wanted to train and compete, especially when the national team needs me,” Salamat said.

The risk is always hundred-percent present in cycling, and Salamat has to endure all of them.

While racing at the Tour of Clark in Pampanga ahead of the Singapore Sea

Games, Salamat was still the careless and inexperienced rider that almost cost her career. She almost slammed into a parked car at high speed.

Luckily, the signs of a cycling queen-tobe were all over the wall. She topped the time trial, clinched silver in the road race and bronze in the criterium—a collection of medals rarely seen from a neophyte.

Next on her program was the Tour of Subic, also in early 2015.

The miscalculations against were evident, and the result was worse.

Salamat again went full speed on a downhill and curved section of the course when she crashed into a canal. But that was not all. She fell faced first into a barbedwire fence and sustained a nasty cut in her right cheek.

Welcome to the club, Salamat. The scars of war makes you much stronger.

“That was really memorable for me. I lost control and headed straight into a barbed wire.

When my coach saw my bloody face, he asked me to stop. I didn’t,” Salamat said, with a smile.

She emerged general classification winner of that Subic race.

A few months after her successful stint in Singapore, Salamat plunged into another acid test—the World University Cycling Championships in March this year.

Salamat underscored her billing as the country’s top female rider by snatching a podium finish in the road race staged over Tagaytay City’s treacherous terrain, finishing behind Germany’s Romy Kasper and Poland’s Nikol Plofaj, riders schooled at the International Cycling Union headquarters in Aigle, Switzerland, and tipped to become world champions some day.

“It was a big achievement for me. Making it to the podium with two of the best riders in the world is another mission accomplished,” Salamat said.

And Salamat has all the time to dream.

Next stop is the Malaysia 2017 Sea Games, where she will definitely be a marked woman but a guaranteed force to reckon with, and the Asian Games in Jakarta in 2018.

Tokyo 2020 also beckons for the everimproving Salamat, who has her eyes focused on the Olympics.

OurTime

A8 Saturday, November 12, 2016 • Editor: Efleda P. Campos

BusinessMirror

news@businessmirror.com.ph

Elderly relatives caring for children orphaned by Yolanda

CLARITA CAINONG with her six grandchildren orphaned by Supertyphoon Yolanda.

Photo and story by Elmer V. Recuerdo | Correspondent

T

ACLOBAN CITY—In her twilight years, 77-year-old Consolacion Monteroso should already be living a relaxed life, but Supertyphoon Yolanda did not gave her this chance. Instead, she is now taking care of her 10-year-old grandchild who lost both parents and a sibling during the typhoon. She is taking care of granddaughter Cherry Ann on her own, without government support.

Cherry Ann Juani, her grandchild, is already in Grade 5 and doing well in school based on her grades in her latest report card.

A Cebu-based doctor affiliated with a Protestant church organization is helping her financially by sending P500 a month. The doctor also gives them P2,000 worth of school supplies and uniform during the start of classes.

Monteroso has a daughter in Manila working as a saleslady who sends them P1,000 a month to cover their family expenses. The money is used to buy stocks for her small store.

“There are days when we earn P20; sometimes, we earn nothing,” Cherry Ann said.

Their house is made of light materials: The roof is made of tar-

CHERRY ANN checks the lock of their makeshift house before leaving. Robbers attempted to enter their house twice already within a month.

paulin donated by an international non-governmental organization at the onset of relief operations, while the walls are made of scrap wood gathered after the storm. The materials are so easy to destroy that they had been an easy target to robbery.

This month alone, two robbery attempts were already made at night. The first time, the robber carted their mobile phone while the second attempt did not succeed when a neighbor woke up and shouted at the robber. Monteroso thinks the robber is after her television, the only source of entertainment they have in the house.

At their present state, Cherry Ann only has two dreams—that they get a new house and for her to be able to finish her studies.

Living on a high-risk area near the shore, Monteroso and her grandchild are eligible for resettlement under the government housing project for Yolanda-affected communities. But until now, Monteroso said nobody from the city government has come to tell them when and where they will be relocated.

Monteroso said raising her grandchild is a big challenge, especially at her age when she could no longer find a job. She is not eligible of the government pension for senior citizens because she doesn’t

know where to apply. Last year she tried to enlist Cherry Ann for the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program or Conditional Cash-Transfer Program of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), but she was not accepted.

“Maybe because I am not the mother of the child,” she said.

She worries about the future of Cherry Ann. “She is good in her class and is a hardworking girl.

She really wants to be a teacher someday. But how can she finish her studies?” she said.

The DSWD is the lead government agency in handling cases of orphaned children, but sadly, its regional office in Eastern Visayas has no records on the number of children orphaned by Yolanda.

In December 2013 the DSWD, in partnership with United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef), launched Rapid Family Tracing and Reunification (RFTR) program to locate displaced Yolanda orphans.

A month after it was launched, 109 children from Leyte were officially listed as orphans.

The program also included a training for interested foster parents for them to get a license from the DSWD. A foster parent is promised numerous benefits, including financial aid, goods and support services.

Ofelia Pagay, head of the protective services unit at the DSWD regional office, said they have no data on orphaned children because when the Unicef ended the RFTR program, it brought with them the data gathered.

“No data was left with us, but I am sure that no Yolanda orphan was adopted. They are staying with their relatives,” she said.

One person taking care of orphaned relatives is 70-year-old Clarita Cainong, who is taking care of her four grandchildren after her daughter Cecilia died when a storm surge brought by Yolanda flattened the village. Also killed were Cecilia’s husband and four of her children aged 8, 6 and 5 old and a 7-monthold infant.

Of the four siblings under the care of Cainong, one is already in high school, two are in the elementary grades and one is in preschool.

“This is an added responsibility shared by the whole family,” Cainong said. “I am lucky my other children are helping me financially to raise the children.”

Cainong said she is not receiving any assistance from the government for her orphaned grandchildren. She said somebody who introduced herself as a staff of the DSWD came to ask if she was going

to give up her four grandchildren for adoption.

“I got very angry for someone to even suggest that I give up these children for adoption,” she said.

“If the government is willing to give assistance to those who are going to adopt orphaned children, why can’t it help us? I have no work or a steady source of income. It would be good if the government will also help me, especially because I am already old,” Cainong said.

A religious organization is helping her send the children to school.

The Missionary Sisters Servants of the Holy Spirit Congregation provides the weekly allowance of the students: P435 for the high-school students and P290 each for the two elementary pupils.

The religious organization is also teaching the children how to save money by providing them with passbooks. “The children tend to compare among themselves how much money they have in the passbook. This encourages them to save more,” said Clarissa Cruzada, a community organizer.

Cruzada said the organization encourages children to participate in community activities. Some of them are already helping in facilitating disaster-risk reduction trainings in different communities.

New ‘Love Thy Neighbor’ program helps US elderly fix code violations

Search ongoing for outstanding Antique senior citizens, Osca

By Lynn Horsley | The Kansas City Star/TNS

J

S

AN JOSE DE BUENAVISTA, Antique—The Search for Outstanding Senior Citizens and Office of Senior Citizens Affairs (Osca) is now on, Antique Provincial Social Welfare and Development Officer Lazaro G. Petinglay said.

Petinglay, who met the officers of the Federation of Senior Citizens Associations in the Philippines (FSCAP) Antique Chapter on Tuesday, said the search was an annual recognition of the outstanding contribution of the senior citizens to their municipalities and the functionality of the Osca.

He said the municipal organizations of the senior citizens would take charge of choosing their outstanding member to be endorsed as awardee by their provincial federation and the provincial government of Antique through the Provincial Social Welfare and Development (PSWDO), while for the Osca, the PSWDO staff would conduct validation per municipality.

The awarding will be held during the Senior Citizens Congress on December 13 at the Binirayan Gymnasium in San Jose de Buenavista, where the elderlies will also gather for a program and fellowship.

There will also be lectures on centenary law and challenges in life as they are in their golden age. PNA

CONSOLACION MONTEROSO holds a neighbor’s baby. Despite her age, she is taking care of Cherry Ann who was orphaned by typhoon Yolanda.

FREE BLOOD-PRESSURE CHECKUP

A pharmacist in a drug store in the Baguio City Central Business District gives free blood-pressure checkup for the elderly every day. MAU VICTA

ESSIE HAYDEN was a little overwhelmed, but also profoundly thankful for the small army of volunteers who showed up one Saturday last month to help paint her house, fix rotting wood eaves and clear nuisance trees from the yard.

“I can’t put into words how much I appreciate it,” said Hayden, 83, who has struggled with code violations at her home on East 67th Street in Kansas City. “It had to be the good Lord that brought them here.”

Hayden, who has lived in her home since the 1970s, is the first beneficiary of a new initiative, dubbed “Love Thy Neighbor.” It teams city government and municipal court officials with churches, labor groups and other volunteers. It aims to help senior citizens who own their homes but don’t have the physical or financial wherewithal to address code violations that land them in court. They sometimes wind up with warrants that can even get them arrested.

“It’s a major concern. They just don’t have the means to be able to address it,” said Fifth District City Councilwoman Alissia Canady, who helped spearhead the initiative. Canady and Fifth District at-large City Councilman Lee Barnes have identified about $375,000 in city funds to start the program.

From 25 to 28 elderly urban core homeowners may soon be able to take advantage of the program. Canady hopes even more can eventually benefit through volunteer labor and as new funding sources are identified. Kansas City’s Municipal Housing Court already has a fund to assist low-income residents with code violations.

The City Council had doubled that fund from $150,000 to $300,000 this year. But Hayden didn’t qualify because she also owed back taxes on her house. And the need citywide far exceeds the mu-

nicipal court fund capacity. Canady said she was helping Hayden get the back taxes paid.

The Carpenters District Council of Kansas City and JE Dunn sent skilled workers to Hayden’s home during the week to get skilled prep woodwork done.

On that Saturday, several dozen members of two churches, Paseo Baptist Church and City of Truth Church, swarmed over Hayden’s porch and back yard, hoisting chainsaws and paint brushes and giving everything a facelift.

“The Bible teaches us to love thy neighbor,” said Rev. Greg Ealey of Paseo Baptist, adding he thanked Hayden for the chance to serve her. City crews and even Housing Judge Todd Wilcher also helped out. Wilcher, whose job it is to sentence people with code violations, was up on a ladder helping to caulk under the gutters.

“This program is wonderful. It fills a gap,” Wilcher said, adding he welcomed the chance to volunteer. He said this new city funding and volunteer work will assist seniors who for a variety of reasons don’t qualify for the municipal court fund. Many of the homes require thousands of dollars of work.

Hayden’s house still needs expensive concrete work to rebuild front steps and a leaning retaining wall. That project still needs to be bid and will be paid for by the Love Thy Neighbor Fund.

Another volunteer on Saturday was Shawn Kirkwood, the Housing Court diversion coordinator, who helps violators resolve their cases.

Neighborhood leader Marquita Henry gave Hayden a hug and said she was gratified to see all the help. Henry, president of the Foxtown West Neighborhood Association that includes Hayden’s block, said too many of her neighbors subsist on less than $12,000 a year and have to decide between buying food and medicine or fixing their homes.

The Millennials BusinessMirror

news.businessmirror@gmail.com

Saturday, November 12, 2016

Founding dean of DLSU College of Law seeks new young lawyers

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By Rizal Raoul Reyes

@brownindio

FTER developing a strong niche in business, engineering, science, technology, arts, agriculture and other major fields, the Brothers of the Christian Schools (FSC) of the De La Salle University (DLSU) decided to open a law school in 2010, because they believed Filipinos, particularly millennials, need to have a profound appreciation of the concepts of human rights, good governance, rule of law and transparency.

When he was offered to become the dean of the College of Law (COL), lawyer Jose Manuel Diokno, asked the FSC Brothers why they still want to put up a law school considering the country has over 130 law schools.

“When they told me that the COL will be oriented in human rights, I accepted their offer,” Diokno said in a recent interview with the BusinessMirror. “Given my background, I was willing to take the plunge.

It also helped a lot that the father of the COL founding dean is also a DLSU alumnus.

Indeed, the late Senator Jose W. Diokno is one of the distinguished alumni of De La Salle College. He was class high school valedictorian in 1937. He finished his commerce degree with a summa cum laude at the age of 17. The late nationalist and human-rights advocate had to get a special permit to take the Certified Public Accountant board examinations because he was a minor.

Although it is a new kid on the block, the COL has proven its mettle in the 2014 Bar Examinations by being at par with the older, more prominent law schools in the country.

The COL’s first batch of examinees garnered a passing rate of 56.52 percent against the 18-percent national passing rate. DLSU placed ahead of San Beda, performed al-

most the same as Ateneo de Manila University and ran closely with first-ranked University of the Philippines. DLSU ranks second overall, based on data on law schools that fielded 40 or more examinees.

Green building

THE COL also champions sustainable development. Diokno said the campus aims to get a five-star rating from the Philippine Green Building Council’s Building for Ecologically Responsible Design Excellence (Berde) Rating System. The 1,395-square-meter building has 18 classrooms, an auditorium, a moot court and a library.

The P350-million campus, in the University Parkway of the Bonifacio Global City (BGC), is also the home of other continuing education programs of the DLSU. It is part of the university’s mission to make Lasallian education more accessible to young professionals in the burgeoning financial district.

“The location is convenient and very accessible and it is very easy to get from one part to another in the area,” Diokno said. “We’re very happy with our location and we’re very happy here.”

The mission

DIOKNO said the COL’s mission is

Dean Jose Manuel Diokno. Photo courtesy of De La Salle University

to provide a well-rounded training to the students so that when they graduate and start working, they are not going to need additional training when they start working in law firms and government offices.

“We want to be sure they are already capable of writing well, arguing well and doing proper legal research,” he said.

Diokno noted that the COL’s moot court encourages students to develop their competitive skills for local and international competitions, such as in Hong Kong and Japan. To get different exposures, the COL also sends some of their students to several exchange programs to broaden their horizon as far as the different legal systems are concerned.

He said they encourage students in their junior year to take an internship program in private and government law offices to experience onthe-job training.

“In their senior year, the students will do legal aid.”

Bars, skills

DIOKNO also wants COL students not only to excel in the bar examinations but acquire the skills they can use when they practice law.

“In our view, in other law schools, those skills are not emphasized.”

Passing the bar is important but

so is excelling in the legal profession, he said. He hopes DLSU COL students would excel in both fields.

“We understand that, to become a lawyer, you have to pass the bar,” Diokno said. “But we think that that is the minimum that must be attained.”

He told the BusinessMirror he personally believes “it is not enough to have law graduates who pass the bar. What we need for the country are lawyers who are well-grounded not only in the law but also proper values”. “That’s why I think human rights is the best vehicle establishing the right ideals for lawyers.”

Diokno and the COL are quite aware that not all students will go into the fields of human rights lawyering, which the late Senator Diokno was known for.

But his son remains unfazed and said he is serious in emphasizing the values of human rights and the dignity of the individual while they are students.

“For us, the best time to ingrain these values [in students] is when they are in law school.”

Skills growth

IN terms of developing the skills of law students, Diokno said the COL will focus on legal writing, oral advocacy and legal research. He noted

many law graduates have very low legal writing skills, oral advocacy and legal research.

Oral advocacy, the ability to argue in court and speak publicly, also needs improvement, according to Diokno.

“They might know the law but they have to argue persuasively to win,” Diokno said. “If they fail to argue convincingly, chances are they are not going to win.”

In addition, the COL is also keen on developing the legal research skills of students. Diokno said the three skills are very basic to be a good lawyer.

Being the son of one of the brilliant minds in Philippine law, Dean Diokno learned how it is to be brilliant lawyer from Senator Diokno.

Diokno shared the skills of his father by publishing Diokno on Trial, a book of his father’s trial techniques and defense strategies. He said the book was quite well received in the legal profession. Furthermore, the Diokno family is in the process of also compiling the senator’s pleadings that he filed in the Supreme Court during the martial-law period, as well as other important court papers he has written.

“We find out that it is not only an inspiration but a model for young lawyers who need some guidance on proper pleadings,” he said.

Aside from its regular courses in the environment, the COL offer electives on the environment, as well as paralegal training and related activities. The COL has a competent faculty with the best environmental lawyers as professors such as Dean Antonio La Viña, barrister Antonio A. Opposa Jr.3 and other seasoned lawyers on environmental laws.

The COL also tries to recruit teachers who have a wide experience teaching in various schools. Moreover, it was not a problem for the COL, as there are only few lawyers who teach law in the country.

“Many professors were applying to teach here,” Diokno explained.

“Sadly, we have to turn away because of the number of students and, as much as possible, we look not only with the best credentials but with long experience in teaching law.”

Politics of the outsider: Duterte and Trump F. Victor G. Manangan

MILLENNIAL UNIVERSE

I

will simply start with the observation that this year’s Philippine and US presidential elections share some commonalities.

First, both elections have, as their winners, candidates who were as unlikely as they could get to become serious contenders for high public office, much more actually win them.

Rodrigo R. Duterte, while a longtime mayor of Davao City, has never been a part of the national political scene, the traditional breeding ground of presidents. Meanwhile, Donald Trump, while enjoying recognition as a property tycoon and fame as a celebrity host, has never run for public office. Thus, in political terms, both are outsiders. Of course, it is axiomatic that in politics, an outsider has an outsider chance to win, which means zero. Yet, they went on to be elected president.

Both found their candidacies to be sailing on perilous waters at the beginning.

President Duterte had no solid political machinery behind him. He

was also constantly put in trouble by his remarks that were considered way too candid, provocative and oftcolor by the mainstream media and the electorate.

These certainly mirror Trump’s handicaps: He, too, had the habit of spinning trouble through his microphone. And he had to contend with the contempt of the vast segment of the Republican Party even after he had secured its nomination.

But both. Duterte and Trump sailed on, their sails buffeted by the fervor and enthusiasm of the voters.

But how can two candidates, outwardly so politically incorrect and politically awkward at times, if I may say so, managed to do that?

The answer is another commonality and this lies in the economic, social and political atmospheres that have enveloped both countries.

In recent years, economic growth in both countries was not equally felt by their citizens. This has inflated social convulsions.

In the US this manifested itself in racial conflicts. In the Philippines, while somewhat less pronounced, the resentment felt by the lower classes is both pronounced and real. Then, there was a widespread perception on the part of Filipinos and Ameri-

cans that their governments do not work, as well as they should, even as they are headed by relatively popular presidents.

Government paralysis is seen in the still traffic of Edsa and the gridlock between the President and Congress in Washington, D.C. All these, and more, have contributed to a feeling of widespread discontent for the government, or in broader terms, the establishment—the traditional political elites of both countries.

With this anger directed to their governments, both the Filipino and the American people were hungry for fresh paces, for leaders that were not part of the establishment of their countries, leaders who could offer new beginnings and directions. This hunger was so intense that it made them overlook the unorthodox qualities of both. Duterte and Trump, qualities that, in other times and other conditions, would have made voters flinch.

The desire for change made Philippine voters overlook Duterte’s provocative policy proposals and American voters glossed over Trump’s racism and crude attitude toward women so that another try to “Make America Great Again” can be had.

Another commonality: Both leaders ran against candidates who admittedly had longer credentials and more experience than either of them. Duterte’s main rival was Manuel A. Roxas II, a scion of a wealthy family, a former senator, an incumbent Cabinet secretary, the anointed successor of a popular president. Trump’s biggest opponent was Hillary Clinton, former first lady, former senator, former secretary of State and the recognized heir of another popular president. Yet, for all the popularity of their mentors, Obama and Aquino, for all their credentials, for all their recognized abilities, they were soundly defeated. Why? Fairly or unfairly, the people’s anger over the establishment were directed at them for they, in their respective elections, were the faces of such establishment. And again, fairly or unfairly, the perceived shortcomings of the ruling governments where they came from were attributed to them. Of course, we have to acknowledge the manifestations of charisma that both Duterte and Trump have displayed.

But in my opinion, it is this anger on the part of the voters—their feeling of alienation for their govern-

ment—that were most responsible in sweeping them both to power.

Whether the two presidents shall be well-judged by history will depend on their performance in office. Whether they shall be viewed as transformational leaders or eventually turning into parts of a muchreviled establishment, we have yet to see.

But it is worthy to note that in 2008, Barack Obama was elected on the premise that he shall bring change to the Washington establishment.

In 2010 Benigno S. Aquino III won on the promise that he shall pry the government from the corruption of the traditional sitting leaders. From all this complex unfolding of politics, from all these uncertainties of the future, at least, something certain can be written: For better or for worse, the most prevailing electoral trend for now seems to be the politics of the outsider; the most reliable strategy is to run against the establishment.

F. Victor G. Manangan, 28, of Cabatuan, Isabela, is a law graduate fulfilling his dream of becoming a feature and political writer. The views expressed in this column do not necessarily reflect that of the BusinessMirror’s.

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3 years after Yolanda: Death by the numbers Angelo Kairos T. dela Cruz

MILLENNIAL UNIVERSE

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N an unprecedented and unfathomable manner, Supertyphoon Yolanda (international code name Haiyan) laid waste to a large part of the Philippines three years ago. Our country’s systems and resources proved insufficient to respond to the needs of its citizens affected by the supertyphoon, but the international community fortunately came to the rescue.

Yet, the fact remains that both the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and the Commission on Audit have reported irregularities in the use of Yolanda funds. Just two weeks ago, Social Welfare Secretary Judy M. Taguiwalo announced that around 200,000 Yolanda survivors have yet to receive emergency shelter assistance.

The discussion is slowly becoming a blame game between local implementers and the national government. The possibility remains that those who have provided aid might have double-counted and overreported their contributions.

We keep on trivializing the impoverished state of our fellow Filipinos without addressing one of the root causes of their plight—the lack of a solid and country-led accountability system. This has resulted to massive inconsistencies with our data references, automatically waiving our right to ask for more transparency with contributors and failing to complement our national budget with other sources of financing.

The problem is not the absence of data; it is the lack of sound systems that would allow us to consolidate and assess the multiple data sets that we have. If we compare the reports from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN-Ocha), Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development-Development Assistance Committee (Oecd-DAC), and the government’s own Foreign Aid Transparency Hub (FAiTH), the discrepancies in the figures and reporting entities can create an unnecessary contest of data and potential misinterpretation.

Look no further than their totals of Yolanda aid pledges: According to UN-Ocha, Oecd-DAC and FAiTH, they add up to $865,151,866; $845,686,949; and $1,643,038,278, respectively.

Reporting entities from foreign countries and multilateral entities also differ across the three data sources due to the design of each reporting system.

FAiTH differentiates between cash and noncash contributions, while UN-Ocha and the OECD-DAC do not. FAiTH, being a government-led source of data, tallied pledges that almost double that of the UN-Ocha and the OECD-DAC. Country reports also differ across these datasets, with differences as high as over a thousand percent.

So which is the most accurate source of Yolanda aid data?

How much has the government received directly, compared to what it received through intermediary foreign government agencies and humanitarian groups? How much of the aid was in cash and how much was given in kind? And how extensively do these reports reflect actual implementation and impact?

No one really knows, and it is futile to assert that one source is better over the other. But here are some steps we should consider seriously if we want to make every contribution—previous and future ones—count.

First, the Philippines needs to set up a countryled monitoring and reporting platform that consolidates and evaluates all these data sets to ensure consistency and uniformity of reference. The Climate Change Commission must uphold its mandate as the climate finance information hub of the country.

Second, whichever agency that would be tasked in maintaining the data must be empowered to ensure interagency cooperation. Using a single reference point would allow better planning and more responsive budgeting of national and international sources. Third, the legislative branch must do its part in upholding accountability. Oversight bodies in the Lower House and the Senate must have a clear and strong voice in establishing the shared responsibility between contributors and recipient governments.

Assuming that responsibility on the receiving end will allow the Philippines to validate reports and leverage better terms in the future.

Climate projections imply that Yolanda and even the more recent Typhoon Lawin will not be the last of their kind to wreak havoc on the Philippines. Preparing for the next extreme weather and climate event should, therefore, involve not only better planning for adaptation and resilience but also institutional strengthening of the government’s resource management and accountability practices.

Angelo Kairos T. de la Cruz is an associate for Climate Policy at the Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities, a policy group in the Philippines promoting low-carbon development initiatives, sustainable energy solutions and fair climate policy in vulnerable countries. The views he expressed in this column do not necessarily reflect the BusinessMirror’s.

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Business

Saturday, November 12, 2016

Blizzard to create ‘Overwatch’ league with city-specific video-game fans

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By Paresh Dave | Los Angeles Times/TNS

OS ANGELES–Blizzard Entertainment pioneered e-sports with its “Starcraft” franchise more than a decade ago.

Now, with “Overwatch,” the Los Angeles-area video-game maker wants to bring to e-sports the wealth and recognition that sports, such as soccer, football and basketball, generate. To do so, Blizzard Entertainment, a division of Activision Blizzard Inc., announced last week it will adopt hallmarks of traditional sports leagues to form an e-sports league more instantly relatable than others spawned in the last few years.

Blizzard envisions professional teams for the shooting game “Overwatch” based in a major cities worldwide. Players would be scouted and signed through free agency and receive guaranteed salaries and benefits. Feeder leagues would help train players up for the pros.

Potential team owners are expected to bid millions of dollars in the coming months to be one of the league’s founding members.

Their team’s slot in the league would be permanent. “The Overwatch League represents...a genuine career opportunity for the most skilled Overwatch players,” Blizzard Entertainment Chief Executive Mike Morhaime said in a statement. “We’re building a league that’s accessible to players and fans, sustainable, and exciting for everyone involved.”

Super interested

THE announcement that “Overwatch” League would debut next year came as part of BlizzCon, the annual convention the 25-year-old company holds for users.

Media moguls, NBA owners, venture capitalists and former players are circling to invest in teams, and Blizzard invited several to hear more details last week at the convention, according to sources familiar with the private discussions. Over the last two years, such investors have put millions of dollars into teams

for Riot Games’ “League of Legends” League Championship Series, which has gained tens of millions of fans in its seven years.

One financier, Sacramento Kings coowner Andy Miller, said he’s “super interested” in the new league. NRG, the e-sports club he coowns with former Lakers star Shaquille O’Neal and several others, signed a six-person “Overwatch” team in August. It features Brandon Larned, one of the nascent sport’s most popular players.

“It’s different,” Miller said of Blizzard’s plans. “But it’s definitely worth a try.”

Though only months old, “Overwatch” has attracted 20 million players. It has benefited from being within a familiar, long-established genre of games and being available to play on many devices. E-sports businesses say it’s already one of the most popular games among competitive players.

Incredibly polished

ON Plays.tv, an app for creating and sharing clips from video game matches, “Overwatch” is the thirdmost active community, closing in on “Counter-Strike: Global Offensive.”

On Battlefy, a tournament-organization service, “Overwatch” activity is growing faster than “Hearthstone”, another Blizzard title. “‘Overwatch’ has been quite an anomaly,” said Jason Xu, chief executive of gaming tournament software developer Battlefy. “It’s incredibly polished and simple from the very beginning, yet hard to master, which is perfect for e-sports.

They’ve grown tremendously fast.”

How that engagement translates to spectators, sponsors and broadcasting fees is what investors must evaluate as they weigh whether to back the proposed league. Details about how the league expects to

Visitors to BlizzCon dressed as characters from the video game from “Overwatch” pose for photographers during BlizzCon in Anaheim, California, on November 4. BlizzCon is the annual gaming convention for Blizzard Entertainment, based in Irvine. Jeff Gritchen/The Orange County Register/SCNG via AP

generate income weren’t publicly released. But some prospective bidders are pleased at least so far.

“It’s a breath of fresh air to see a game publisher get very involved in creating a league that makes sense from a business perspective,” said Mike Rufail, who owns Team EnVyUs. Many conventions are in Blizzard’s favor. Spectators tend to be players, and players are typically spectators, Xu said. That’s unlike traditional sports, where many fans aren’t active players themselves.

The relationship has been lucrative for game developers. Launching competitions with big cash prizes gets people to keep playing a game in hopes of climbing in the rankings. The competition gets players to spend more money on in-game purchases to personalize and improve their experience. And Blizzard is likely betting the additional revenue from fostering competition outweighs the expenses of operating a league, Xu said.

Geographic allegiance

THE league unveiling drew sur-

prise and awe from the thousands of attendees at BlizzCon, who applauded when Morhaime said players and teams would share in league finances.

Potential owners expect Blizzard Entertainment to be selective in whom it approves as buyers for the limited number of initial franchises.

Teams, at least at first, will compete in a single global division.

Online tournaments and leagues run by other companies would give players chances to distinguish themselves and gain the attention of pro teams. Blizzard Entertainment plans to hold a scouting combine for top players to show off their skills.

Teams would vie for players during a signing period. There would be a regular season and playoffs.

The city-based teams open two untapped business opportunities in e-sports: local advertisers and fans. Most of the revenue generated in e-sports comes from national or global companies sponsoring events. And though Los Angeles and a few other cities house numerous e-sports teams, many metropolises are skipped. Fans rarely hold

a geographic allegiance. Rufail has been hoping to change the dynamics by planting EnVyUs in Charlotte, North Carolina, and seeking government and community support.

“You drive to a match and drive home afterward,” Rufail said.

“There’s a market for that all around the world.”

Broad array

BLIZZARD Entertainment still faces some challenges for the league to work. Short-term, teams that have signed top “Overwatch” players to contracts running past this year want to know what happens if they aren’t invited into the league.

Over the longer term, the company must maintain players’ interest by adding new characters and features to the game. The broad array of character and strategy choices in “League of Legends” is what has made it a long-lasting esport, experts said. The company also hasn’t “cracked the code” on how to broadcast the game in a way that lets viewers follow team strategies and individual players’ skills, said Craig Barry, executive vice president

and chief content officer at Turner Sports. The issues stem from the traditional view in shooter games, which is that of the barrel of the gun.

“Between the teams, the characters, the maps, all the pieces are in place,” Barry said. “Now, it becomes refining everything.”

ELeague, a joint venture between Turner and WME-IMG, partnered with Blizzard Entertainment and Faceit on a small “Overwatch” tournament earlier this year. Barry described the result as a “viable product,” with the TBS broadcast attracting an estimated 280,000 viewers.

“It will continue to evolve and pick up momentum,” Barry said of Blizzard’s game. “I hope we get the opportunity to partner again in the future.”

Blizzard Entertainment also announced last week that Allen Adham, one of three UCLA engineering graduates who cofounded the company 25 years ago, had rejoined. Adham, the former lead designer on “World of Warcraft,” had retired in 2004. Cofounders Morhaime and Frank Pearce remain at the company.

Internet entrepreneur helps others build businesses, wealth M

INNEAPOLIS—Shortly after being laid off at an architecture firm in the 2008 recession, Pat Flynn wrote an e-book advising architects how to pass an exam certifying expertise in energy-saving design. Within days, sales took off and he created Green Exam Academy, an online business that built on the success of the e-book.

Others started asking him how to build Internet businesses and Flynn, who lives in San Diego, turned his living into helping them out. Called Smart Passive Income.com, his site and several others he built, along with podcasts, videos and books, now generate a huge income for Flynn.

He posts monthly financial statements for all to see. At software company Leadpages’ annual customer conference in Minneapolis last month, Flynn talked about the hurdles entrepreneurs face.

Some excerpts:

This all started after you lost your job and wrote an e-book aimed at a very specific audience. Many people would stop at that. Why did you create a new path in your career?

That’s when this whole idea of passive income came into play,

where you can set up these businesses in a way that’s automated, using the tools that are available to deliver content, to build trust, to provide value, to sell goods without having to be there in real time to do it.

I discovered this world of not trading your time for money but investing your time upfront and reaping those rewards later. That business ended up making over $200,000 in a year with one little e-book with just information that I knew about the exam. In my eyes, I wasn’t an expert. But in the eyes of my customers, I was the expert.

I worked for three or four years in architecture, for me at that age a long time. And I never got the recognition for the hard work I put in. And here I was helping people online with this exam and getting thank you notes.

How did you change from selling expertise in architecture to selling expertise in starting businesses and doing business online?

I always looked at what are people asking me for help. That is where they can get advice and value from me. Even if I wasn’t an expert at it, I was at least a few steps ahead of them and could

is the most important asset when you’re building any kind of business online or offline.

In the online world, it’s easy to see this law of reciprocity taking place, where if you give, people want to give back to you. It might be monetarily giving back. It might be giving you advice. It might be sharing you with a friend. That’s how it can be scaled.

How confident are you that your career in the Internet space will keep evolving?

Pat Flynn, creator of Smart Passive Income.com, is a strong believer in taking lessons from failures. It’s part of his new career helping others launch businesses. Elizabeth Flores/Minneapolis Star Tribune/TNS

have something to offer. A lot of people who want to start a business feel like they have to have all these degrees and credentials when really the best credential is experience.

How did you decide to go the extra step of sharing your financial results online?

Transparency and authenticity is really important to me. My next venture after greenexamacademy. com, which is still around today, was smartpassiveincome.com because people started asking me how did

you do that? That’s where Smart Passive Income came from.

I just started to document everything I was doing about that other site, all the lessons I learned, all the mistakes I was making, all the great information I was picking up and implanting from others. One thing I did in that first month when I created Smart Passive Income was I shared my numbers. That was the new thing to do back then.

Can that work for many people?

When you give away information, you’re building trust. Trust

The beautiful part about running your own business is you get to control your destiny. So if I fail, I know it’s because of me, not anything else that I’m letting anybody else control. That’s the motivational part. That’s what’s going to help me continue to look forward and be on the front lines.

When have you failed?

Do you have two or three hours?

That’s one thing I’ve learned. Failure is part of the process. Failing is good.... In 2010 a couple friends of mine were creating software for bloggers and I wanted to do the same thing. I immediately hired a developer, then I came up with the idea, which was the wrong way

to go about it. And I kept it secret, which was a huge mistake. Even though we always worry about other people stealing our ideas, you get a lot more from others poking holes in it to help you understand what’s wrong. If I had done that, I wouldn’t have wasted $15,000 and six months of my life.

Many people at this conference are running small businesses. What do they ask you?

Before the conference, I had a meetup at an area coffee shop. I just posted on Facebook that I would be there and about 35 people came.

About half were conference-goers, half were other people in the area.

I asked people to introduce themselves, share what they’re up to and what they’re struggling with.

At the end, I pointed out that every struggle that people mentioned was related to their mind-set. People talked about fighting procrastination and perfectionism.

Or finding time. The other big thing is the fear part of it. People are just too scared to fail. Perfection is just a form of procrastination. And fear is a sign. Whatever it is that I’m fearing is something that is worth doing. Evan Ramstad/Star

Tribune (Minneapolis)/TNS

sMirror

Saturday, November 12, 2016

How a billionaire’s right-hand man became a big fish in a big pond

Chris Hollod poses for a portrait in his home on September 22 in Los Angeles. Kirk McKoy/Los Angeles Times/TNS

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OS ANGELES—The gig: Chris Hollod, 33, is venture-capital partner at billionaire Ron Burkle’s Los Angeles-based private equity firm Yucaipa Cos. They’ve traveled together for the last five years, with Hollod as the frontman on evaluating thousands of start-up investment opportunities.

Hollod oversees Inev itable Ventures, backed by Burkle and musician D.A. Wallach. Inevitable’s portfolio includes Common, Thrive Market and 8i–which are seeking to reimagine industries such as hospitality, groceries and entertainment that brought Burkle his fortune. The magnate’s personal investments in start-ups such as meal-maker Munchery also run through Hollod.

They partnered with actor Ashton Kutcher and Madonna manager Guy Oseary on investment firm A-Grade. By backing Uber, Airbnb, Spotify, Nest and Chegg, A-Grade’s value has grown to $250 million, or about nine times the principal. n Risk-averse: A star in academics and soccer, Hollod considered Ivy League universities. But he opted for Vanderbilt, or what he calls the Harvard of the South. It was closer to his parents’ suburban Atlanta home and less feisty of a culture. “I wanted to be a big fish in a small pond,” he said. n Staying conservative: Studying finance and economics led Hollod to a two-year investment banking program at Wachovia in Charlotte, North Carolina. He considered higher-tier banks but wanted to avoid their reputation for a “sharp-elbows” lifestyle. n Coasting: In a rare feat for someone his age without a master’s degree, Hollod became an associate at Wachovia. He moved in with his girlfriend, with an eye toward marriage. He felt like a high roller in Charlotte, on his way to running Wachovia someday. n

A crushing wave of change:

His mother died at age 53 after a two-year battle with cancer in 2007. Wachovia laid off his entire group amid the financial meltdown. And Hollod and his girlfriend broke up.

Single, jobless and grieving, he reached what he calls his life’s most-defining moment. Some might have turned to drugs or seclusion, Hollod said. He drew inspiration from the strength of his mom, who maintained her lifeof-the-party charm until the end.

Going forward, people will only “know who my mom is through their interactions with me, and I’ll be damned if they think anything less of me or my mother,” he recalled telling himself. “I treat everyone with respect...and I’m honest and hardworking, so people know how I was raised and the mother that she was.”

He ventured to a lake house to hike, grill and wakeboard with his younger brother and their dad, an environmental engineer with a doctorate degree. There, Hollod decided to recalibrate by traveling to California for the first time since early childhood.

LinkedIn:

Hollod couchsurfed (and beach-surfed) with two friends in Southern California for a month, falling in love with the region’s comparatively casual vibe. An insight dawned on him.

“Why does this dichotomy of big fish, small fish exist?” he said. n

“What’s more admirable than the pursuit of a big fish in a big pond?

I said, ‘I’m going all in. I’m not moving to another small city.’”

He messaged about 100 peo ple on LinkedIn and Facebook for a lead on a finance job in Los A ngeles. A younger Vanderbilt classmate he hadn’t spoken to in years—and even then only br ief ly knew—was among the respondents.

A low-level employee at Yucaipa, she said she would forward his résumé. Hollod had an interview a month later, and within a week drove cross-country to start at Burkle’s firm in October 2009. n Entrepreneurial: Hollod became more proactive, constantly asking bosses for tasks and trying to get himself into every meeting.

The energy got rewarded. Executives pointed to him when an opportunity opened a year after he started for someone to be Burkle’s eyes and ears on the fund with Kutcher and Oseary.

Key trait: Hollod

describes his knowledge as vast in terms of subjects, but shallow on any given topic. He’s fine with that because the broad spectrum makes him fast on his feet with anyone. n

n Take heed: Hollod expects entrepreneurs to describe not only their biggest mistake, but also the lesson derived from it.

His own example is not investing in online mattress retailer Casper early on because Burkle and Kutcher questioned its prospects (A-Grade later invested in Casper and cashed out some shares, generating a more modest eightfold return). Now, Hollod is willing to place small bets with his own money regardless of others’ support. He aligns himself with Burkle by co-investing, including in restaurant chain Sweetgreen and aerospace start-up Planet. n Channeling mom: Hanging with the rich and famous can steer people toward clubs, drugs and potential vices. But Hollod said he avoids such traps by doing only what his mom—a People magazine— would be proud to read about. n Advice: Don’t send canned messages. Notes should have personality and confidence behind them, Hollod said. “When you’re writing an e-mail, the time of day, what you had to eat, it’s a different energy,” he said. “Be more sensitive to the situation; don’t make it sterile.” Treat celebrities like a new friend, meaning strike up a conversation and don’t just ask for a selfie. Get over any shyness or fear of them, and don’t make preconceived judgments. “I’ve seen [Kutcher] sit in a middle seat on a regular plane,” Hollod said. “Some of these people will surprise you.”

Personal balance:

Hollod, who arrived from New York City on Burkle’s jet at 4 a.m. on a recent weekday, went on a hike, rested and then worked poolside at home until sunset. He says post-travel “exiles”, including time spent playing chess on his smartphone and streaming hip-hop music, keeps him balanced.

Hollod is a connoisseur of Pinot noirs, favoring Babcock and Melville wineries. His family plans to launch a wine label named after his mother in the coming weeks and donate profits to charity. n

Paresh Dave/Los Angeles Times/TNS

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Ransomware threat grew more than double in Q3

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By Oliver Samson | Correspondent

ANSOMWARE attacks on Internet users worldwide grew by 2.6 times during the third quarter, Kaspersky Lab ZAO said.

From the month of July to September, encrypting ransomware threatened over 821,000 people across the globe from the month of July to September, the cybersecurity firm announced in a statement on November 8.

The rise in the number of people attacked was third in a row during the third quarter, Kaspersky Lab noted.

“Encr y pting ransomware— malware that encrypts a victim’s files and demands a ransom in exchange for file decryption—is still one of the most widespread types of activity that modern cybercriminals are involved in,” the cyber-security firm said.

Ransomware requires a small cost to develop but capable of generating big money if the attack becomes successful, Kaspersky Lab added.

“Crypto ransomware continues to be one of the most dangerous threats, both to private users and to businesses,” said Fedor Sinitsyn, who is Kaspersky Lab’s ransomware expert. “The recent jump in the number of attacked users may have been provoked by the fact that the number of modifications of ransomware we detected in Q3—more than 32,000 modifications—was 3.5 times more than in Q2.”

Sinitsyn suspected that the

rise in the number of threats in the third quarter could be “due to the fact that security companies nowadays invest a lot of resources into being able to detect new samples of ransomware as fast as possible.” This led cyber criminals to create more new modifications of malware to steer clear of detection, he said.

According to Isaac Sabas, who is CEO of the homegrown Pandora Security Labs, the majority of ransomware infection in the Philippines are communicated through malicious web sites.

“They are disguised as legitimate sites, but actually are exploiting your browser to install the malware,” he said.

Legitimate web sites have green lock on the URL bar with the company’s name, Sabas pointed out.

Internet users could distinguish legitimate web sites from the malicious through domain name, or check if the site is EV SSL (Extended Validation Secure Sockets Layer)-enabled, he noted.

“Besides increasing their number of victims, criminals are also

e x plor i ng new geog raph ies,” Kaspersky Lab said.

The countries with most number of encrypting ransomware attacks in the third quarter include Japan (4.83 percent), Croatia (3.71 percent), South Korea (3.36 percent), Tunisia (3.22 percent) and Bulgaria (3.2 percent).

According to Kaspersky Lab IT Threat Evolution in Q3 Report “the number of users attacked with banking malware grew by 5.8 percent and reached over 1,198,000.

“Browsers and A ndroid OS remain the most frequently attacked software when it comes to exploits,” Kaspersky Lab said.

“Forty-five percent of exploits detected by Kaspersky Lab were aimed at browsers, and 19 percent of these malicious programs were built to exploit weaknesses in the popular Android mobile operating system.”

Sabas scaled the vulnerability of Filipino Internet users 6-7, with 10 as worst.

He also sensed that ransomware threats in the Philippines would continue to grow.

Parents lack visibility, control over children’s online activity

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ANY parents lack visibility of the dangers their children are facing online, Kaspersky Lab ZAO said in its new research.

In a statement on November 11, the Russian cyber-security firm said only a quarter (26 percent) use parental-control software to help restrict their kids’ activity online.

“Worryingly, among those parents who haven’t installed parental control features, one in five [21 percent] believe that it is better for children to learn how to use the Internet safely themselves,” Kaspersky Lab said.

The firm said its “Consumer

Security Risks Survey 2016 uncovered what parents think about the online world and the challenges they face in protecting their family from threats.”

K aspersky Lab said its research showed that only a third (37 percent) of parents worry that their children could be exposed to inappropriate or explicit content online.

“Just 36 percent are wary of their kids communicating with dangerous strangers, and 34 percent worry about them becoming a victim of cyber bullying.”

The study also found that not enough parents are taking the required steps to protect their

children, with only a third (38 percent) regularly talking to their children about the dangers online and bringing the Internet into family conversation and a quarter (27 percent) regularly checking the Internet history on the browser.

According to Kaspersky Lab, one in five (21 percent) prefer to become a contact within their kids’ social networks.

Pa re nt s ne e d t o b e more aware of the dangers lurking on the Internet. According to the sur vey, 41 percent of kids were exposed to online threats in the 12-month period leading up to the research. These threats included being exposed

to inappropriate content, cyberbullying, dangerous strangers and more.

“Parents need to be more aware of the dangers their children face online. They need to help their kids become more cyber-savvy and put protection methods in place to keep them safe online, as they would in the physical world,” Kaspersky Lab Consumer Business Head Andrei Mochola was quoted in the statement as saying. “You wouldn’t let your children cross the road or talk to strangers on their own, so it’s surprising to see almost a quarter of parents leaving their kids to browse the Internet independently.” Oliver Samson

review

Google speaker is secretary, radio and work in progress

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EW YORK—Google’s new smart speaker is at once a secretary, a librarian and a radio. Ask about your day, and the Home speaker will give you the time, weather, estimated commute, the news and upcoming calendar appointments.

It will convert miles into feet, and dollars into euros. Want to hear Adele or Coldplay?

Home will fetch you some tunes.

If this sounds familiar, it’s because Amazon has already been at it for about two years. Its Echo speaker can do what Home does and more, thanks to Amazon’s head start in partnering with third-party services, such as Domino’s Pizza and Fitbit.

But Home is smarter in a few other ways, as it taps what it knows about you from Gmail, Maps and other Google services. Home is also $50 cheaper, at about $130 (though Amazon offers a mini “Echo Dot” version for just $50).

At your command

THINK of both Home and Echo as extensions of your iPhone or Android device. Sure, I can check weather on the phone, but why not just ask the speaker as I’m getting dressed? And no need to lift a finger to check the calendar.

With guests over, I can resolve trivia disputes using voice searches and avoid screens. This week, I was able to keep tabs on the Chicago Cubs’ quest to break a century-long World Series drought.

Both devices work as alarm clocks or timers—great in the kitchen. Both can control lights, thermostats and other internetconnected appliances, though you need capable devices first. Of course, I have to get used to speaking aloud with no one around.

Privacy is a concern, too, once I enable all the features. Anyone within hearing distance will

In this October 4 file photo, the new Google Pixel phone is displayed next to a Google Home smart speaker (left) following a product event in San Francisco. AP

know when I’m seeing the doctor or leaving my apartment empty for vacation. Home and Echo are continually listening for commands, though Google and Amazon say nothing gets passed back to them until the speakers hear a keyword—”OK, Google” for Home and “Alexa” for Echo. A light comes on to remind you that it’s listening. You can turn off the microphone temporarily, too.

technology, and companies still have to figure out the right balance. And while Home and Echo offer the basics, neither lets me dig deeper. Sure, I have an appointment at 11 a.m., but where is it and with whom?

And how can I get there? It’s back to the phone. Another limitation: Both speakers are tied to a single account, so families won’t get individual calendars and preferences.

Longing for more

In unity

NEITHER device is all that proactive. Android phones with the Google Now assistant will remind me when it’s time to leave for work or the airport, based on estimated travel times.

But I’m usually not checking the phone as I’m getting ready to leave. I could use a nudge from either speaker. On the other hand, I might find a stranger’s voice jarring when I think I’m alone. It’s a new

THE speakers are more powerful when they coordinate with your other devices. The best stab so far comes from Amazon. Ask Echo the weather, and the speaker will tell you current conditions and the day’s forecast.

But if you have an Amazon Fire tablet nearby, you automatically get a full-screen display with the week’s forecast. Ask Echo about the Cubs, and you’ll hear the score. The tablet

gives you inning-by-inning breakdowns.

Home can control Google’s Chromecast streaming TV devices, but the preview I’ve been testing has been painful to use. You can pause, resume or forward video; you’re also supposed to be able to rewind and start from the beginning, but Home gets fussy.

It currently works only with YouTube video (Netflix and Google Photos are coming soon). Even then, Home keeps thinking I’m requesting a song that doesn’t exist. There’s potential here, but controls on the phone are much easier. Watching TV shouldn’t take a lot of work.

Ideally, the technology will just know where and how to present information and entertainment. In such a scenario, you can set one alarm, and Google or Amazon will find you wherever you are—whether it’s on the speaker at home, or a phone if you’re away. Or if you ask the speaker about a nearby restaurant, directions go to your phone. For now, unification is limited to a shopping list you can add to and view (or hear) from any device.

Early smarts, early dumbs

HOME, with an early incarnation of a Google digital companion called Assistant, seems the smarter of the two out of the gate. It knows about my upcoming flight, based on reservations in Gmail. It offers commute times using transit, as Google already senses through my Android phone that I don’t drive to work. Home can also estimate driving time to just about any other destination. Echo sends me to work, even when I ask about Boston. And Home is alone in setting alarms more than 24 hours away.

Anick Jesdanun/Associated Press

BusinessMirror

A12 Saturday, November 12, 2016

Industry group banks on Aussie center for innovation momentum

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By Rizal Raoul Reyes

@brownindio

XPECT the Aussies to become closer mates with Juan de la Cruz, as the Chamber of Commerce and Industry Australia Philippines Inc. (CCIAP) recently announced the formation of the Asia Pacific Center for Excellence and Innovation Technologies (Apceit) in the second quarter of 2017.

“The Philippines will be the gateway for Australian innovation in the Asia Pacific region and looking to collaborate with the other members of Asean region,” CCIAP President Connie da Cunha said in an

interview with the BusinessMirror on November 3 in Makati City.

“The CCIAP lobbied for the country to be the main headquarters of the APCEIT. We know there are big opportunities in the country

because of the growing economy,” da Cunha added. “Furthermore, the center would provide the innovation infrastructure that will provide jobs and national pride.”

She said local inventors will have the opportunity to promote and showcase their work because there is now a bigger market for innovation.

The Apceit will focus on nanotechnology, artificial intelligence, genomics and robotics.

Other countries expected to join the Apceit are members of the Asean and those belonging to the Asia-Pacific region.

Da Cunha expects Apceit will play a major role for the Canberra government to have a bigger role in the political dynamics in the Asia-Pacific region highlighted by the flexing of muscles by Beijing.

The Apceit will focus on developing agricultural technology, environmental technology and innovation technology.

Da Cunha emphasized the CCIAP-led initiative is privatesector driven. She further said the group is involved in promoting trade and commerce between countries. This can lead to closer and stronger business partnerships between Philippine and Australian companies, Da Cunha pointed out.

“We want the organization to be apolitical to ensure smoothness in [its] operations.”

She explained that the Apceit will give more emphasis on collaboration among the companies, start dialogue and implement action plans. After the initial plans have been accomplished, business organizations of the member-countries

can now explore tie-ups and possible ventures with government.

She said start-ups will benefit from the establishment of Apceit because they would be given support. “[The Philippine and Australian] governments will provide regulatory support in both countries,” da Cunha said. “We’ve been talking to governments for worthwhile projects and initiatives.”

The CCIAP is the first local chamber of commerce and industry in Australia, whose charter is focused on bilateral trade relationship between Australia and the Philippines.

It adheres to the Australian multicultural principle of productive diversity, which asserts the significant cultural and economic dividends arising from the diversity of the population.

Altair partners with the University of the Philippines to nurture next generation of city builders

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ltair and The University of the Philippines have teamed to promote the development of next generation architects through the use of cutting-edge simulation technologies in teaching, training and design projects.

As part of this collaboration, Altair is providing free licences for its computeraided engineering and design solutions software HyperWorks and solidThinking, to the Architecture Faculty of the University of the Philippines to be used in the University’s

first-of-its-kind Design Lab. The Altair design and simulation software and applications will serve as the backbone of the faculty’s new Design Lab, which will serve as a platform for undergraduate and postgraduate students to leverage on technologies to study new

ideas that will improve the quality of lives in a highly urbanised environment especially in the design of disaster-resilient structures (houses, schools and evacuation centers) a common problem facing developing Asian cities, including the Philippines.

Altair Managing Director for Asean Srirangam Srirangarajan explained, “Today’s architects play a key role in designing sustainable living solutions to address 21stcentury issues, such as climate change and clean energy requirements.

Seabury Solutions expands 3rd-party MRO customer base

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EABURY Advisory Group Llc. subsidiary Seabury Solutions announced on November 1 it has welcomed a new start-up, Larnaca Airport-based Bird Aviation Ltd., to its client network of third-party maintenance, repair and operations (MRO) providers.

Seabury Solutions, which has an office in the Philippines, said Bird Aviation will use the firm’s Aircraft Management and Control System (AMCS) “to ensure maximum efficiency and optimize its MRO technical operations.”

“As a start-up MRO provider, we will bring a new offering to the airframe maintenance market in our region,” Bird Aviation COO Shai Gill was quoted in a statement as saying.

“We set out to ensure we put IT [information technology] at the center of the new operations and drive our process correctly from the outset.”

Gill added, “There were many options to examine during our research.” According to Gill, the aviation software development and consultancy firm Seabury Solutions “clearly demonstrated they understood the business.” “It will allow us set up our data and process to match a proven solution from the day we open the doors,” he said.

According to Seabury Solutions, its AMCS called “Alkym” will be hosted on a cloud server with the initial scoping project set to begin this month. Rizal Raoul Reyes