What the forest remembered: 15 years later, Leonard Co’s fieldwork speaks again, a gentle but stark reminder that the first defense against devastating floods are the native trees that the People’s Botanist studied so well and championed until his untimely death.
By Bless Aubrey Ogerio
“If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?”
THIS old riddle, according to Ronald Achacoso, head of the Philippine Native Plants Conservation Society, has become a fitting frame for a loss that still reverberates through Philippine science.
drive was still recoverable. “We said that since those were Sir Leonard’s files, we were certain they had value,” IB professor Lilian Rodriguez told BusinessMirror in Filipino. When biologist Migs de las Llagas, who curates the collection, first opened the drive, its contents were in disarray. “Disorganized in the sense that sometimes I’d find large folders with big file sizes, but when I opened them, everything inside was corrupted,” he told
By Subhadip Sircar and Saikat Das Bloomberg
GLOBAL banks are flocking to India’s newest finance hub to take advantage of the nation’s surging demand for US-dollar denominated debt, taking a key business away from Asia’s more established centers such as Hong Kong and Singapore.
Banks in the Gujarat International Finance Tec-City disbursed nearly $20 billion in dollar loans to Indian corporates in the fiscal year ended March, more than a third of the total issued for local companies globally. That’s up from two years ago, when banks at the hub disbursed only 16%, according to data from the International Financial Services Centers Authority, or IFSCA, the hub’s regulator.
Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Inc., which set up operations in GIFT City in 2022, now issues most of its debt to Indian companies from the hub, where the lender’s book accounts for twothirds of its $20 billion India balance sheet, according to people familiar with the matter. An MUFG spokesperson declined to comment on the growth of the bank’s GIFT City loan book.
Another top lender, HSBC Holdings Plc, is building its international trade finance portfolio from the hub and expanding into areas including wealth and crossborder markets products, accord-
ing to the bank’s India chief executive Hitendra Dave.
Their growth marks an early win for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s pro-business pet project in western India nearly two decades in the making. The hub seeks to facilitate more Indian trading and lending - capturing market share from more established financial centers like Singapore, Hong Kong or Dubai. The lure is a slew of tax incentives, including a 10-year tax holiday on business income. For loans, the absence of any so-called withholding tax — the levy charged on a loan or bond’s interest income — is a major draw. That allows bankers in GIFT City to offer cheaper financing than those in more established hubs, where the withholding tax ranges from 10% to 15%, according to lenders such as Standard Chartered Plc and MUFG.
“GIFT City is taking a larger share of the offshore borrowing market for Indian companies,” said Vivek Ramji Iyer, a partner at
Grant Thornton Bharat LLP. That growth is “a warning call for more established centers like Hong Kong and Singapore.”
It’s clear why India is so keen to capture a piece of the lending business. Robust economic growth and more accommodative government policies are ushering Indian companies into a new phase of investment following a bad loan cycle that peaked with the collapse of shadow bank Infrastructure Leasing & Financial Services Ltd. in 2018.
S&P Global Ratings expects top businesses in India to boost spending and capital expenditure over the next five years. They expect capex of about $800 billion between fiscal 2026 and 2030, and a further $1 trillion by fiscal 2035. Lenders ranging from banks to private credit firms are rushing
products and trade financing to Indian corporates. The lender sees future growth coming from offering its global treasury products.
Businesses other than lending are growing too. Banks in GIFT City manage $94 billion as of June, nearly triple the amount three years prior. HSBC holds about $10 billion there.
The British bank offers nearly 50 international products at GIFT City and is also planning to provide insurance products for resident and non-resident clients.
ness in GIFT City, with annual equity derivatives turnover on the NSE International Exchange crossing $1 trillion in the fiscal year ended March, up from $255 billion in fiscal 2023.
Rajaraman points to the nearly 200 fund entities that have set up in the hub, mainly bringing in non-resident Indian funds, as well as an increase in aircraft leasing financing, a business traditionally dominated by Dublin and Singapore.
to finance that growth, especially as a lingering property crisis in China is hurting growth prospects for the region’s dominant source of corporate debt. The pace of issuance may increase further after India’s central bank in October proposed regulatory changes that would make it easier for firms to access foreign funds.
“Borrowers are increasingly preferring to borrow from GIFT City than global centers such as London, Singapore, Mauritius and Hong Kong,” said Sachin Shah, managing director and head of strategy at Standard Chartered in India. The all-inclusive borrowing cost is around 50 to 70 basis points lower depending on the company’s international ratings and nature of the loan, he said.
Banks are rolling out new products there, too. Shashank Joshi, deputy chief executive at MUFG Bank India, said the bank’s GIFT unit offers products including foreign currency loans, structured
Already, some domestic banks have scaled back business in foreign hubs. Axis Bank Ltd., one of the nation’s largest private lenders, consolidated its foreign business to GIFT City during fiscal 2020 by shutting branches in Hong Kong, Shanghai, Colombo and London, according to Vivek Srivastava, chief executive for the GIFT City branch. It also shifted its own debt fundraising operations to GIFT City from Dubai.
As chairman of the IFSCA, K. Rajaraman walks a line between regulating the financial hub and singing its praises to prospective tenants. In the office, there’s a framed excerpt from Modi’s speech at the hub in 2017, where he made a goal of setting prices for some of the largest traded instruments in the world – commodities, currencies or equities –within the next decade.
“If you ask me the big picture, it is to provide Indian corporates global capital at the most competitive rates,” said Rajaraman.
The way he sees it, the shift of the earlier SGX Nifty contract, the main equity derivative contract for Indian stocks, was a success. Previously traded in Singapore, the shift in July 2023 helped boost the derivatives busi -
Early stages STILL , a lot of this is in early stages. The push for Indian corporates to raise foreign equity capital from the hub is off to a modest start, with no immediate plans for large Mumbai-listed companies to tap the market.
The central bank’s attempt to lure back some of the rupee trading by starting a non-deliverable forward market has been met with a lukewarm response by banks, who still prefer hubs like Singapore where there’s more liquidity. The Indian government’s push to spur green bond trading in the hub has been a non-starter.
Companies have struggled to attract talent to the hub, which still can’t compete with more established cities in the way of perks, infrastructure and socializing. A survey of senior executives found 63% were unwilling to move due to limited professional and personal networks, according to a report by PricewaterhouseCoopers.
“Despite its progress, GIFT City has considerable ground to cover before it can outpace established global hubs and emerge as a leading international financial center,” wrote Gayathri Parthasarathy and Amitabh Mukherjee, who authored the report.
Continued from A1
Yet, from there, they retrieved about 1,300 plant photos, at least half in usable condition.
“So far, it’s been easy to organize them and extract the metadata,” he said. “Even those we cannot visually see because they’re corrupted, we have data on when they were taken and what the file names were. We have evidence that these photos existed.”
The recovered files will be organized under the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group (APG-4) system, a taxonomy framework based on evolutionary relationships.
They will serve as the core of a digital repository to be made publicly accessible, which is a gesture consistent with the late botanist’s lifelong belief in open science. Beyond the flora
THE botanist’s journey in the forest also revealed traces of life beyond scientific documentation.
As expected, most files were work photos, close-ups of plants he recorded in the field, per de las Llagas. “But there’s also a sizable portion of the drive that contains his personal pictures,” he added.
Those personal photos showed quiet glimpses of his days outdoors. Included are snapshots of spiders, fungi and sunsets, images taken for no reason other than curiosity.
“He was an all-around lover of the forest,” the young researcher said. “Wherever he went, he always had a subfolder for non-flora.”
A scientist’s worth: Nemenzo steps in WHO would have thought, though, that despite being regarded as the country’s foremost plant taxonomist, Leonard nearly went through life without a degree?
Eventually, the state university conferred him a Bachelor of Science in Biology in 2008, more than three decades after he first enrolled.
It was an extraordinary case, one that Fidel Nemenzo, then head
“ WHAT’S the point of our degrees if someone like Leonard doesn’t have one?” former UP Diliman Chancellor Fidel Nemenzo asked, standing in front of the
as
defending the long-overdue conferment of Leonard
emphasized that rigid rules should never eclipse genuine scholarship.
of the Science and Society Program of the UP College of Science and later UP Diliman chancellor, personally defended before the institution, together with the late Perry Ong, then IB director.
“A lot of scholars who had fancy degrees, doctorates, both local and foreign, saw Leonard as one of the foremost authorities on Philippine plants,” Nemenzo told BusinessMirror
He added in Filipino, “What we were arguing was, what’s the point of our degrees if someone like Leonard doesn’t have one?”
In an email he wrote to the College of Science Executive Board, Nemenzo argued: “Rules are important, of course, but they are not the end-all and be-all. I think there is enough ambiguity in Leonard’s case to allow the creative sidestepping of certain technicalities.”
“I think we lose sight of the real mission of UP if we do not see beyond rules,” he added. “Too much bureaucratization in the university will kill scholarship.”
Leonard received his diploma that year, officially joining the ranks of graduates he had long outpaced in expertise.
The living archive AND through the data he left behind, Co continues to expand the boundaries of Philippine botany.
Several plants and animals have been named in his honor: Rafflesia leonardi Medinilla daliana Diplycosia coi Nepenthes leonardoi Pinanga leonardcoi, and even Soricomys leonardcoi, a species of forest rat.
“We want to ensure our past is usable,” Red Constantino of the Constantino Foundation said in an exclusive Viber message. “That members of the scientific community belong to the pantheon of heroes in our nation.”
Meanwhile, for Achacoso, who is also Leonard’s close friend and colleague, there is a plan to improve his memorial marker in UP. “I want this place to be a source of contemplation,” he told this newspaper. “To recharge, to orient yourself—to ask, what would Leonard do?” November 15 this year marked the 15th anniversary of Leonard’s death, commemorated at the Dita Tree, also known as the Scholar’s Tree, in UP Diliman, where a third of his ashes were scattered.
Editor: Angel R. Calso
Sunday, November 16, 2025
By Ben Finley, Regina Garcia Cano & Konstantin Toropin The Associated Press
WASHINGTON—The most advanced US aircraft carrier is expected to reach the waters off Venezuela in days, a flex of American military power not seen in Latin America for generations.
Experts disagree on the possibility that American warplanes will catapult off the USS Gerald R. Ford to bomb targets inside Venezuela and further pressure authoritarian President Nicolás Maduro to step down. Still, whether it may serve that purpose or only patrols the Caribbean as the US blows up boats it accuses of trafficking drugs, the presence of the 100,000-ton warship alone is sending a message.
“This is the anchor of what it means to have US military power once again in Latin America,” said Elizabeth Dickinson, the International Crisis Group’s senior analyst for the Andes region. “And it has raised a lot of anxieties in Venezuela but also throughout the region. I think everyone is watching this with sort of bated breath to see just how willing the US is to really use military force.”
The Ford’s impending arrival is a major moment in the Trump administration’s campaign in South America, which it describes as a counterdrug operation. It escalates the already massive buildup of military firepower in the region, with added pressure from bomber training runs near the Venezuelan coast, CIA operations that have been publicly authorized inside the country and boat strikes in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific Ocean that have killed
over 75 people.
The US has long used aircraft carriers as tools of deterrence to pressure and influence other nations, often without employing any force at all. They carry thousands of sailors and dozens of warplanes that can strike targets deep inside another country.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Thursday formally named the mission Operation Southern Spear, emphasizing the growing significance and permanence of the military’s presence in the region. Once the Ford arrives, the mission will encompass nearly a dozen Navy ships as well 12,000 sailors and Marines.
Trump administration says it’s focused on fighting drug trafficking
SECRETARY of State Marco Rubio insists that President Donald Trump is focused on stopping drugs from entering the US by combatting “organized criminal narcoterrorists.”
“That’s what he’s authorized. That’s what the military’s doing. That’s why our assets are there,” he told reporters Wednesday after meeting his counterparts from the Group of Seven democracies in Canada.
But Rubio also says the US doesn’t recognize Maduro, who was widely accused of stealing last year’s election, as the leader of Venezuela
and called the government a “transshipment organization” that openly cooperates with those trafficking drugs toward the US.
Some experts say deploying the Ford appears to be geared more toward a government change in Venezuela than drug trafficking.
“There’s nothing that an aircraft carrier brings that is useful for combating the drug trade,” Dickinson said. “I think it’s clearly a message that is much more geared toward pressuring Caracas.”
Bryan Clark, a former Navy submariner and defense analyst at the Hudson Institute, a conservative think tank, said the Trump administration would not have deployed the Ford “if they didn’t intend to use it.”
“I think this administration is very open to using military force to accomplish particular objectives,” Clark said. “I think they’re going to want to actually do some military operations unless Maduro steps down in the next month or so.”
After Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth briefed lawmakers last week, Rep. Jim Himes, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said they gave no indication that the strikes would be stopping but also indicated that they were targeting cocaine traffickers and not overtly intending to overthrow Maduro.
Mark Cancian, a retired Marine colonel and a senior adviser with the Center for Strategic and International Studies, expects US warships to launch missiles from other ships before launching any American warplanes. He said Venezuela has relatively sophisticated missile defense systems from Russia that could put American pilots at risk.
“Because they have so many systems, some are relatively new, and all are mobile, we probably wouldn’t get them all,” Cancian said. “So, there’s some risk that
we could lose some aircraft.”
Venezuela mobilizes for possible attack
VENEZUELA’S government this week touted a “massive” mobilization of troops and civilians to defend against possible US attacks. Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López said in a statement that “land, air, naval, riverine, and missile assets” would be part of a two-day readiness effort “to confront imperialist threats.”
State television showed members of the military, police and militias standing in formations across the country. Padrino also delivered remarks, broadcast on state television, standing by a surface-to-air missile system in a military base in the capital, Caracas.
Maduro, who faces charges of narcoterrorism in the US, has insisted the Trump administration’s intentions are to force him from power.
Venezuela’s US-backed political opposition has renewed its promise of an imminent government change.
David Smilde, a Tulane University professor who has studied Venezuela for more than 30 years, said the US military does not have enough manpower in the region, even with the aircraft carrier, for an invasion.
“It’s consistent with this desire to demonstrate credible force, which they had already,” Smilde said of the carrier. “It doesn’t change the equation. I don’t think that the fact that it is there means that they necessarily have to strike. It just means that Trump and Hegseth have not forgotten about this, and they are still onboard in trying to generate a regime change through a show of force.”
Smilde said Venezuela’s political opposition has long told US officials that “just a credible threat of force” would cause Maduro’s government to crumble. For Trump, he said, that would be the best outcome of this operation.
Pushback on intelligence
THE US actions have faced pushback in the region, in Congress and among rights organizations. However, Senate Republicans voted last week to reject legislation that would have put a check on Trump’s ability to launch an attack against Venezuela.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro, who was recently hit with US sanctions over allegations of aiding the drug trade, on Tuesday announced he was cutting off intelligence sharing with the longtime North American ally until the strikes stop. But he softened his stance
the following day, saying the sharing would continue as long as agencies guarantee it won’t be used in actions that jeopardize human rights.
Rubio pushed back on reports that the United Kingdom has halted some intelligence sharing in the region over concerns about the strikes, saying US assets in the region provide such information.
The US is not “asking anyone to help us with what we’re doing—in any realm. And that includes the military,” he said. Mexico, however, is stepping up its cooperation with the US in targeting drug trafficking.
President Claudia Sheinbaum said Thursday that her administration made an agreement with the US for Mexico’s navy to intercept boats in international waters near Mexico that the US alleges are carrying drugs to avoid any more strikes off its coast.
‘A use-it-or-lose-it kind of situation’
THE Ford, originally deployed to the Mediterranean Sea, was within the US Southern Command region but not yet in the Caribbean. The carrier was in the mid-Atlantic on Thursday, a defense official who wasn’t authorized to discuss the matter said on condition of anonymity.
Clark said sending the Ford to South America would have a minimal impact on costs and readiness in the short term because it still has a month or two left on its regularly scheduled deployment.
Cancian, of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said the US can’t afford to have the Ford “dawdling around the Caribbean” for long. It’s such a powerful military asset that it may be needed elsewhere, such as the Middle East.
“It’s a use-it-or-lose-it kind of situation,” he said.
Garcia Cano reported from Caracas, Venezuela.
CBy Marcia Dunn AP Aerospace Writer
APE CANAVERAL, Fla.—
Blue Origin launched its huge New Glenn rocket Thursday with a pair of NASA spacecraft destined for Mars. It was only the second flight of the rocket that Jeff Bezos’ company and NASA are counting on to get people and supplies to the moon—and it was a complete success. The 321-foot (98-meter) New Glenn blasted into the afternoon sky from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, sending NASA’s twin Mars orbiters on a drawnout journey to the red planet. Liftoff was stalled four days by lousy local weather as well as solar storms strong enough to paint the skies with auroras as far south as Florida.
In a remarkable first, Blue Origin recovered the booster following its separation from the upper stage and the Mars orbiters, an essential step to recycle and slash costs similar to SpaceX. Company employees cheered wildly as the booster landed upright on a barge 375 miles (600 kilometers) offshore.
An ecstatic Bezos watched the action from Launch Control.
“Next stop, moon!” employees chanted following the booster’s bull’s-eye landing. Twenty
minutes later, the rocket’s upper stage deployed the two Mars orbiters in space, the mission’s main objective. Congratulations poured in from NASA officials as well as SpaceX’s Elon Musk, whose booster landings are now routine.
New Glenn’s inaugural test flight in January delivered a prototype satellite to orbit, but failed to land the booster on its floating platform in the Atlantic.
The identical Mars orbiters, named Escapade, will spend a year hanging out near Earth, stationing themselves 1 million miles (1.5 million kilometers) away. Once Earth and Mars are properly aligned next fall, the duo will get a gravity assist from Earth to head to the red planet, arriving in 2027.
Once around Mars, the spacecraft will map the planet’s upper atmosphere and scattered magnetic fields, studying how these realms interact with the solar wind. The observations should shed light on the processes behind the escaping Martian atmosphere, helping to explain how the planet went from wet and warm to dry and dusty. Scientists will also learn how best to protect astronauts against Mars’ harsh radiation environment.
“We really, really want to
understand the interaction of the solar wind with Mars better than we do now,” Escapade’s lead scientist, Rob Lillis of the University of California, Berkeley, said ahead of the launch.
“Escapade is going to bring an unprecedented stereo viewpoint because we’re going to have two spacecraft at the
same time.”
It’s a relatively low-budget mission, coming in under $80 million, that’s managed and operated by UC Berkeley. NASA saved money by signing up for one of New Glenn’s early flights. The Mars orbiters should have blasted off last fall, but NASA passed up that ideal launch
window—Earth and Mars line up for a quick transit just every two years—because of feared delays with Blue Origin’s brandnew rocket.
Named after John Glenn, the first American to orbit the world, New Glenn is five times bigger than the New Shepard rockets sending wealthy clients to the edge of space from West Texas. Blue Origin plans to launch a prototype Blue Moon lunar lander on a demo mission in the coming months aboard New Glenn.
Created in 2000 by Bezos, Amazon’s founder, Blue Origin already holds a NASA contract for the third moon landing by astronauts under the Artemis program. Musk’s SpaceX beat out Blue Origin for the first and second crew landings, using Starships, nearly 100 feet (30 meters) taller than Bezos’ New Glenn.
But last month NASA Acting Administrator Sean Duffy reopened the contract for the first crewed moon landing, citing concern over the pace of Starship’s progress in flight tests from Texas. Blue Origin as well as SpaceX have presented accelerated landing plans. NASA is on track to send astronauts around the moon early next year using its own Space Launch System, or SLS, rocket. The next Artemis crew would attempt to land; the space agency is pressing to get astronauts back on the lunar surface by decade’s end in order to beat China.
Twelve astronauts walked on the moon more than a halfcentury ago during NASA’s Apollo program.
By Michael Casey The Associated Press
BOSTON—After years of living on the street and crashing on friends’ couches, Quantavia Smith was given the keys to a studio apartment in Los Angeles that came with an important perk—easy access to public transit.
The 38-year-old feels like she went from a life where “no one cares” to one where she has a safe place to begin rebuilding her life. And the metro station the apartment complex was literally built upon is a lifeline as she searches for work without a car.
“It is more a sense of relief, a sense of independence,” said Smith, who moved in July. She receives some government assistance and pays 30% of her income for rent—just $19 a month for an efficiency with a full-market value of $2,000.
“Having your own space, you feel like you can do anything.”
Metro areas from Los Angeles to Boston have taken the lead in tying new housing developments to their proximity to public transit, often teaming up with developers to streamline the permitting process and passing policies that promote developments that include a greater number of units.
City officials argue building housing near public transit helps energize neglected neighborhoods and provide affordable housing, while ensuring a steady stream of riders for transit systems and cutting greenhouse gas emissions by reducing the number of cars on the road.
“Transit-oriented development should be one of,
if not the biggest solution that we’re looking at for housing development,” said Yonah Freemark, research director at the Urban Institute’s Land Use Lab, who has written extensively on the topic.
“It takes advantage of all of this money we’ve spent on transportation infrastructure. If you build the projects and don’t build anything around the areas near them, then it’s kind of like money thrown down the drain,” Freemark said.
Transit housing projects from DC to LA THE Santa Monica and Vermont Apartments where Smith lives is part of an ambitious plan by the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority to build 10,000 housing units near transit sites by 2031—offering developers land discounts in exchange for affordable housing development and other community benefits. In Washington D.C., the transit authority has completed eight projects since 2022 that provided nearly 1,500 apartments and a million square feet of office space. About half were in partnership with Amazon, which committed $3.6 billion in low-cost loans and grants for affordable housing
projects in Washington, as well as Nashville, Tennessee, and the Puget Sound area in Washington state. Almost all are within a half-mile of public transit.
“Big cities face the greatest challenges when it comes to traffic congestion and high housing costs,” Freemark said. “Building new homes near transit helps address both problems by encouraging people to take transit while increasing housing supply.”
Among projects Boston has built, the Pok Oi Residents in Chinatown is a 10-minute walk to the subway and a halfdozen bus stops. That’s a draw for Bernie Hernandez, who moved his family there from a Connecticut suburb after his daughter got into a Boston university.
“The big difference is commuting. You don’t need a car,” said Hernandez, who said he can walk to the grocery store and pharmacy. His 17-year-old daughter takes the subway to school. Now, his car mostly sits idle, saving him money on gas and time spent in traffic.
“You get to go to different places very quickly. Everything is convenient,” Hernandez said.
States take aim at zoning regulations
STATES from Massachusetts to California are passing laws targeting restrictive zoning regulations that for decades prohibited building multifamily developments and contributed to housing shortages.
Last month, California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a state law allowing taller apartment buildings on land owned by transit agencies and near bus, train and subway lines.
“Building more homes in our most sustainable locations is the key to tackling the affordability crisis and locking in California’s success for many years to come,” said State Sen. Scott Wiener, a
Democrat who authored the bill.
California joins Colorado, which requires cities to allow an average of 40 housing units per acre within a quarter-mile of transit, and Utah, which mandates about 50 units per acre. In Washington, the governor signed a bill this year allowing taller housing developments in mixed-use commercial zones near transit.
“We want to ensure that there are mixed-income, walkable, vibrant homes all around those transit investments and that people have the option of using cars less to improve the environmental health of our communities,” said Democratic Rep. Julia Reed, who authored the Washington bill.
“It’s about giving people the opportunity to drive less and live more.
Housing takes center stage in Massachusetts
MASSACHUSETTS Democratic Gov. Maura Healey has made housing a priority.
Among her most potent tools is a 2021 law that requires 177 towns or communities nearby to create zoning districts allowing multi-family housing. The state provided nearly $8 million to
more than 150 communities to help create these zones, while threatening to cut funding for those that don’t. More than 6,000 housing units are in development as a result.
“You put housing nearby public transit” Healey said. “It’s great for people. They can literally get up, leave their home, walk to a commuter rail and get to work.”
Among the first to comply was Lexington, which has approved 10 projects, including a $115 million complex with 187 housing units and retail space.
Walking past earth-moving equipment and dump trucks at the construction site earlier this year, project manager Quinlan Locke said: “This is a landscape yard. It’s commercial. It’s meant for trucking.”
But, he added, in “two years from now, it’s going to be meant for people who live here, work here and play here. This is going to become someone’s home.”
Opposition to zoning changes
SOME advocates argue the lofty goals of transit housing are falling short due to fierce local resistance and lack of funding and support at the federal and
state levels.
Higher mortgage interest rates, more government red tape, rising construction costs and lack of investment at transit stations also have contributed to a troubling trend—nine times more housing units built far from public transit versus near it in the past two decades, according to a 2023 Urban Institute study.
In Massachusetts, 19 communities still haven’t created new zones. Some unsuccessfully sued the state to halt the law, while residents rejected new zones in others. Lexington eventually shrank its zone from 227 acres to 90 acres after residents complained.
“If we allow the state to come in and dictate how we zone, what else are they going to come in and dictate?” said Anthony Renzoni, a selectman from the town of Holden, which sued the state and is drawing up a new zoning map after residents rejected the first one.
New housing, a new life IN Los Angeles, the six-story complex where Smith lives in East Hollywood is home to 300 new residents since opening in February. It’s revitalizing the area around the metro site, with a Filipino grocery, medical clinic and farmers market opening early next year.
Half the 187 units are reserved for formerly homeless residents like Smith, who had been living in a rundown motel paid for with a voucher and before that on the street. She’s been assigned a case worker and is getting help with basic life skills, budgeting and finding work.
Equally important: Smith, who can’t afford a car, doesn’t need one.
“I’m very very fortunate to be somewhere where the transit takes me where I want to go,” she said. “Where I want to go is not that far.”
After brutal torture and 2.5 years of captivity, Israeli-Russian researcher grateful to survive
By Melanie Lidman Associated Press
TEL AVIV, Israel—Ta’aliq—“to hang” in Arabic—is Iraqi slang for a torture technique that hoists victims into the air, their hands handcuffed above their heads. The akrab, or “scorpion,” is the more painful version, in which the victims’ hands are handcuffed together behind their back before they’re hoisted. Elizabeth Tsurkov experienced both, and other excruciating torture, during 2 1/2 years held captive in Iraq by an Iranian-backed militia.
The 38-year-old Israeli-Russian doctoral student at Princeton, who speaks fluent Arabic and has researched the Middle East for over a decade, was studying social political movements in Iraq in March 2023 when she was forced into an SUV, blindfolded, sexually assaulted and beaten, then taken to a torture facility on the outskirts of Baghdad.
Her release in September was
announced by President Donald Trump. Now she is recovering in Israel as Iraqis head to the polls Tuesday for a parliamentary election that includes candidates linked to the militia Tsurkov says kidnapped her, Kataib Hezbollah.
A $600 million ransom demanded ISRAELIS are prohibited by law from traveling to Iraq, which Israel classifies as an “enemy country.”
In an interview with The Associated Press, Tsurkov said she knew the risks but thought she took sufficient precautions, entering on her Russian passport and avoiding contact with militias. She hadn’t counted on Kataib Hezbollah’s deep penetration of activist circles in Baghdad. She said her captors didn’t know she was Israeli at first and believes they kidnapped her to try to get a large ransom for a foreigner. While Kataib Hezbollah has never publicly claimed her kidnapping, it has released social media
statements that include fake information she gave during torture, a sign of its involvement.
The group, an ally of Hezbollah in Lebanon, is part of a coalition of Iranianbacked militias that are officially part of Iraq’s armed forces but often act on their own. The US has listed Kataib Hezbollah as a terrorist organization since 2009.
A month into Tsurkov’s captivity, her captors found Hebrew messages and other evidence she was Israeli on her phone. That’s when the torture began, she said, as they accused her of being a spy. Their starting ransom demand was $600 million, she was told by Israeli officials.
“The torture was incredibly brutal,” said Tsurkov, now recovering at a friend’s home near Tel Aviv.
“They electrocuted me. They constantly touched me inappropriately. They forced me into positions that were very painful to me because of my herniated” discs, she said, adding she had back surgery just eight days before the kidnapping.
The AP generally does not identify victims of sexual abuse except in cases where they publicly identify themselves or share their stories openly.
Tsurkov’s captors used a plastic whip, especially on her feet, because feet heal slowly. They threatened to kill her with a gun stamped property of the Iraqi security services. She would pray to pass out to end the torture sessions.
She said she made up false
confessions to appease the torturers, careful to avoid implicating Iraqi acquaintances.
After 4 1/2 months, Tsurkov was moved to what she believes is a Kataib Hezbollah base on the border with Iran, where the torture stopped. She was allowed sufficient food and water, and eventually a TV, while kept in solitary confinement in a windowless cell.
Hopes for release plummeted after the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on southern Israel, when Tsurkov became just one of over 250 hostages of concern to Israel.
Shedding
THE torture has left Tsurkov with likely permanent nerve damage. Between doctor’s appointments and physical therapy, she mostly reclines on a couch, shifting positions to try to find relief.
The details of the torture facility are impossible to forget, she said: Splashes of blood on the walls, desperate scrawls of people held in the cell before her. It’s uncomfortable to share them publicly.
“Any human being doesn’t want the details about their worst experiences in their life to be known,” Tsurkov said. Still, she knows that as a Westerner she is in a unique position to shed light on Iraqi militias. Few people survive Iraq’s torture facilities, and the Iraqis who do are terrified speaking out could endanger them or their families.
Iraqi militias are not as familiar
globally because they are mostly active inside Iraq. Iraqi militias targeted US forces in the region after the Oct. 7 attack because of Washington’s support for Israel, but that largely stopped after a US retaliatory attack killed a high-ranking Kataib Hezbollah commander.
“Their focus is overwhelmingly just oppressing their own people,” Tsurkov said. She knew the militia was wellfunded, she said, because of the plush leather and new-car smell of the luxury vehicles that transported her blindfolded.
Suffering a third-generation incarceration
TSURKOV, who was born in Russia, moved to Israel around age 4. Before that her parents were imprisoned in Russia for opposing the communist government.
Her mother was incarcerated for three years, her father for seven, plus two years of hard labor in Siberia. For a few months, Tsurkov’s father was held in a cell with former Soviet dissident Natan Sharansky, who later became an Israeli cabinet minister. Her grandfather was imprisoned under Stalin.
Tsurkov’s family fought for her release, launching a campaign focused mostly on the US. Her sister, Emma Tsurkov, is married to a US citizen.
Israel also invested “great efforts and many resources” to help secure Tsurkov’s release, said an Israeli official who was not authorized to speak to the media and spoke on condition of anonymity. The Russian Foreign Ministry didn’t
respond to an AP request for comment.
US exerts pressure AS far as she knows, Tsurkov was not exchanged for any prisoners. Her release followed significant pressure from Adam Boehler, the Trump administration’s special envoy for hostage affairs who held multiple meetings and regularly took to social media to demand Tsurkov’s freedom. White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said that with Tsurkov’s Princeton enrollment and other ties to the US, Trump “was willing to leverage our country’s strength and his negotiating skills to intervene.”
Tsurkov also credits the involvement of an Iraqi-American businessman and Trump donor Mark Savaya. As she was recuperating in Israel, Tsurkov said Savaya told her he had warned Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani during a meeting to release her or the Trump administration would attack Kataib Hezbollah. Savaya was later named the US special envoy for Iraq. Tsurkov’s release came after Israel decimated many of Iran’s proxies and hit Iran hard during a devastating 12-day war, a campaign so intense that Tsurkov said she felt the building shake where she was held over the border in Iraq.
and Seung
and Qassim
in Baghdad contributed.
By Joy M. Lazcano
TURNING cities and communities into smart and sustainable ones is an uphill battle and a herculean endeavor that requires a robust, capital-intensive ecosystem that enables this concept to flourish.
But in recent developments, as the country is overrun by disasters, effects of climate change, and health crises, local policymakers are steadily pivoting to futureproofing the country against the severe impacts of these modernday challenges to boost countryside resilience and conserve the finite resources for the enjoyment of future generations.
As the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) urges local government units (LGUs) to cooperate and participate in building smart and sustainable communities, the initiative comes at a crucial time, as scientists and researchers are working to develop local technologies and innovations that will address future challenges.
Thus, a smart and sustainable future can be created if everybody acts now.
As the Philippine Institute for Development Studies defines it, smart and sustainable communities is a “technology and innovation-powered system that senses, monitors, processes, translates, and communicates industry and innovation; build infrastructure, quality environment, safety and security, health and well-being, and civic and social data, information, and knowledge by, from, or for people and institutions for sustainable environment, competitive economy, and high quality of life.”
Characterized by investing in new technologies and innovative solutions to support both local and
national government implementation, the smart and sustainable communities are now gaining traction as local executives see their impacts and benefits in improving the lives of their constituents and reaping the value for their economy.
Thus, the DOST in the past years has initiated the Smart and Sustainable Communities program that is empowering LGUs to become technologically equipped and sustainable innovation for their communities.
The program initially targets to produce 1 million jobs in science and technology (S&T) by year 2028 and enable the rapid growth of small to medium enterprises.
According to DOST Secretary Renato U. Solidum Jr., the program encourages LGUs to use information and communications tech -
nologies to address concerns and improve the quality of life.
Banking on the interest of the LGUs to adapt to the changing technological landscape, the DOST headlines this year’s National Science, Technology, and Innovation Week’s (NSTW) theme as “Building Smart and Sustainable Communities” to highlight the technologies that support this initiative.
NSTW is the major annual gathering of the local scientific communities that brings together scientists, technology experts, researchers, students, science communicators, and other stakeholders.
It serves as a platform for exchanging information about the latest discoveries and developments within both local and international scientific communities.
BALIK Scientist Dr. Kristine Joyce L. Porto, an Adult Neurologist and expert in Molecular Medicine and Neurogenetics translate advanced genetic research into direct patient care, targeting the alarming rise of early-onset stroke among Filipinos.
Porto is working on a pioneering neurogenetics program at Quezon Memorial Medical Center (QMMC).
At the 11th Balik Scientist Program Convention, the neurologist shared her story, a powerful testament to personal commitment and national service.
“This isn’t just a study. It is a personal commitment,” she said. “This is the beginning of a pathway for Filipino patients to access genomics here at home.”
The initiative was born from a clinical encounter early in Porto’s career, involving a young father who suffered a fatal stroke that might have been prevented with existing genetic information.
The experience ignited her lifelong mission to harness genetics not just to explain disease, but to prevent tragedy.
Bringing best science home
UPON her return to QMMC as a Balik Scientist, Porto analyzed patients’ data and
discovered a disturbing trend—Filipinos are experiencing strokes increasingly at younger age.
This finding urged QMMC to propose a research grant.
QMMC proposed its first-ever Department of Science and Technology (DOST)-funded research project, the EarlyOnset Stroke Study.
It has since received approval, paving the way for establishing the first Neurogenetics Laboratory within a DOH hospital—ensuring that research findings directly benefit Filipino patients, bringing advanced, personalized medicine closer to home. The Balik Scientist is a program of the DOST.
A call for commitment PORTO concluded her address at the convention with a passionate call to action, framing her journey as a commitment not just to return, but to stay. She called on fellow scientists to remain in the Philippines and on leaders to create an environment where they can thrive.
She invoked the motto of her lab in Japan: “Non sibi, sed omnibus—not for oneself, but for all.”
“I dream of a country where research does not end in papers, but in patients’ lives...where access to personalized and advanced medicine is possible even for the
poorest of the poor,” she said.
DOST Secretary Renato U. Solidum Jr. emphasized that the Balik Scientist Program embodies the Department’s advocacy of “Agham na ramdam”—science that is felt by the people.
“The Philippines ranked 50th among 139 economies in the 2025 Global Innovation Index, and this progress is driven by Filipino scientists and researchers who bring their global expertise home,” he said.
The DOST honored returning Filipino experts in October during the 11th Annual Balik Scientist Program Convention held at a hotel in Pasay City, with the theme, “Balik Scientists in Action: Real-World Impact, Powered by Filipino Minds.”
The convention gathered Balik Scientists, host institutions, government partners, and industry stakeholders to celebrate the achievements of returning Filipino scientists, who continue to advance national development in health, agriculture, aquatic, natural resources, industry, energy, and emerging technologies.
Established in 1975 and institutionalized through Republic Act 11035, the program encourages Filipino experts abroad to return and share their expertise for national development.
THE Philippines will host the 31st Session of the Asia-Pacific Regional Space Agency Forum (APRSAF-31) from November 18 to 21 in Cebu, bringing together leading experts, policymakers, and stakeholders in space science and technology to drive spaceenabled solutions, and stronger regional cooperation.
Organized by the Philippine Space Agency (PhilSA) in collaboration with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency and Japan’s Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, the event is recognized as the largest space-related conference that seeks to strengthen space capabilities in the Asia-Pacific region.
This is the second time the Philippines hosted APRSAF. The first time it hosted it was in 2016. With over 30-years of history, the APRSAF has served as a vital platform for governments, space agencies, international organizations, academia, and industry to share knowledge, establish
regional partnerships, and pursue joint space activities that deliver benefits to communities across the region.
This year’s theme, “Empowering the Region through Space Ecosystems in Action,” reflects the shared goals of the Asia-Pacific community to harness space capabilities in addressing pressing global challenges such as disaster preparedness and climate change, while also driving economic growth, innovation, and scientific advancement.
PhilSA OIC Dr. Gay Jane P. Perez affirmed the importance of regional cooperation and shared growth, highlighting the country’s active role of hosting regional space forums.
“PhilSA’s hosting of APRSAF-31 will showcase the Philippines evolving space ecosystem—our Yamang Kalawakan [Space Resources]—recognizing the country’s leadership role in the Asia-Pacific region. We also look forward to deepening our cooperation with regional space actors as we continue to advance our capabilities in space science and technology and boost
the growth of our domestic space industry,” Perez said.
The forum will feature plenary sessions where space agencies across the region will discuss priorities on capability enhancement, space exploration, industry growth, education, policy development, and applications of space technology for societal benefit.
APRSAF-31 will convene its five working groups, where participating countries will exchange experiences and projects that demonstrate how space science is utilized in development.
These working groups will focus on Satellite Applications, Enhancement of Space Capability, Space Education, Space Frontier, Space Policy and Law, highlighting the diverse and collaborative efforts driving space development across the Asia-Pacific region.
Complementing the discussions, simultaneous activities include an exhibit where space technologies will be explored; the Space Industry Connect, which serves
Established through Proclamation 2214 in 1982, Presidential Proclamation 169 in 1993 moved the observance of NSTW to the third week of July. Finally, in August 2019, Presidential Proclamation 780 changed the celebration of NSTW to the fourth week of November.
This year, Laoag City, as one of the adopters of the smart and sustainable communities program, will host the NSTW from November 18 to 21.
Among the technologies and forums that will be featured in this four-day scientific gathering are smart agriculture for sustainable development; revolutionizing micro, small and medium enterprises toward Industry 4.0; building smart human resources; smart governance; pushing startups for sustainable growth, and many more.
In addition, there will be several discussions on various topics, namely: Robotics R&D and Commercialization: Sustainability and Economic Growth in Industry 4.0 Era, From Hazards to Resilience: Translating Hazard Knowledge into Risk-Informed Action, and The Future of Communities: Learning from Neighbors in Asia.
Apart from the forums is the launch of the Regional Yarn Production and Innovation Center in Ilocos Norte, a yarn-spinning facility equipped with the latest
technologies to process natural textile fibers such as banana, abaca, pineapple, cotton, and bamboo. Moreover, e-Games development and competition invite participants to create educational games that are socially relevant and culturally inspired. These games will showcase the use of science, technology, engineering and mathematics concepts, programming skills, and creative storytelling.
Another is the RoboTECH CUP, where participants will design, build, and program robots to complete specific tasks that simulate real-world problems. There are other engaging events and activities that visitors to NSTW can participate in, as all the exhibits and most of the events are free and open to the public.
The NSTW is one of the many initiatives of the DOST aimed at providing science-based, innovative, and inclusive solutions across four strategic pillars: human wellbeing, wealth creation, wealth protection, and sustainability. These pillars embody the mantra OneDOST4U: Solutions and Opportunities for All. For more information, visit www.dost.gov.ph For more information, visit the https://nstw.dost.gov.ph web and/ or the NSTW official Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/ nstwdost . DOST/STII
By Allan Mauro V. Marfal
THE Department of Science and Technology (DOST) will collaborate with B usiness M irror to promote the activities and locally developed technologies that will be featured during the 2025 National Science, Technology, and Innovation Week (NSTW), from November 18 to 21 in Laoag City, Ilocos Norte.
as a platform for partnership between the private and public sectors; and the voting for the APRSAF-31 Poster Making Contest, featuring creative perspectives from youth across the region.
Side events will also be conducted including: Southeast Asian Leaders’ Forum hosted by PhilSA; 11th Asia-Pacific Space Generation Workshop of the Space Generation Advisory Council; “Earth Observation partnerships in action: Europe and Southeast Asia expand geospatial services together” spearheaded by the Digital for Development Hub, together with other organizing units; and the “Seven years of NovaSAR-1 S-band radar imaging services—Applications, use cases, and lessons learned” of the Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd.
The Philippines will showcase its local space capabilities through technical and educational tours in Cebu.
To learn more about APRSAF-31 you may check: https://www.aprsaf.org/ annual_meetings/aprsaf31/meeting_ details.php
The DOST, through its information and marketing arm, the Science and Technology Information Institute (STII), signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with B usiness M irror at a ceremony November 4 in Makati City. Under the MoU, DOST-STII, which also leads the publicity and promotion of the 2025 NSTW celebration, will provide materials, necessary information, and assistance to B usiness M irror in developing content that will encourage the public—particularly the local residents of Ilocos Norte and nearby provinces—to participate in the four-day S&T celebration.
The collaboration also aims to give the public greater access to knowledge and information on research and development (R&D) in various scientific fields—such as disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation, health and nutrition, environmental conservation, and enterprise technology, among others. Meanwhile, B usiness M irror , the twodecade-old media company known for its print publication and digital platforms, will allocate space for DOST to promote NSTW-related content through its broadsheet, online news sites, and social media channels.
“ B usiness M irror has been a reliable
partner of DOST for two decades. They have consistently provided us with their network and resources to reach a wider audience, helping the public appreciate and understand how science-based research and innovative solutions developed by our local scientists and engineers improve the lives of every Filipino by enabling different sectors to generate more jobs and livelihood opportunities,” said Rodolfo P. de Guzman, chief of DOSTSTII’s Communication Resources and Production Division.
“Partnering with the Department of Science and Technology, especially for a significant event like the National Science, Technology, and Innovation Week, is truly an honor for BusinessMirror. In these times, it is vital to help every Filipino gain access to timely and relevant science-based information and knowledge that can guide them in making informed decisions and ensuring the safety and well-being of their families and communities,” said Business Mirror Editor-in-Chief Lourdes “Chuchay” M. Fernandez. This year’s 2025 NSTW celebration will feature activities, forums, and interactive exhibits anchored on the subtheme “Building Smart and Sustainable Communities” which aims to showcase several R&D-based and scientific services that would offer long-term solutions to different communities’ pressing challenges and existing limitations. The 2025 NSTW is open to the public. For the complete list of activities and schedule, follow the NSTW Facebook page at https ://www.facebook.com/
A6 Sunday, November 16, 2025 Editor: Lyn Resurreccion • www.businessmirror.com.ph
Story
by Reine Juvierre S. Alberto
GAPYEONG, South Korea—In a world where differences in faith can cause a wide divide among people, peace is the one that brings harmony and understanding.
Chairman Lee Man-hee, 94, founded the religious group Shincheonji Church of Jesus, the Temple of the Tabernacle of the Testimony.
Shincheonji, which means “new heaven and earth” in Korean, is a new Christian religious movement founded in 1984.
Lee, a veteran of the Korean War, has spent most of his life promoting peace as a means to end conflict and unite people across nations and religions.
His commitment to peace is deeply personal, having witnessed firsthand the devastation that conflict brings.
“I thought about it deeply and realized
this: the reason I was able to live was because Heaven needed me, Heaven helped me, and that’s why I survived,” Lee told Filipino reporters during an interview at the Global Peace Training Center. That moment marked the beginning of his faith life and rooted his beliefs entirely in the Bible.
“I made it my goal to understand everything in the Scriptures, leaving nothing unknown—engraving the Word into my very being,” he said. “And that is how I have lived out my faith.”
Lee founded Heavenly Culture, World Peace, Restoration of Light, an organization promoting unity. Through HWPL, Lee initiated the Declaration of Peace and Cessation of War, a proposed international framework that calls for a legally binding end to war and greater interfaith cooperation.
Lee has also travelled extensively and met with 32 world leaders, including presidents and prime ministers, who signed
agreements with Shincheonji to spread peace and faith.
Peace work in the Philippines
IN the Philippines, where Lee has been 12 times, he mediated a peace agreement between the Catholic and Muslim communities in Mindanao, which were then represented by the late Archbishop Fernando Capalla and congressional Rep. Esmael Mangudadatu.
“When I went to the Philippines, the two sides—though of the same people—had been fighting each other for 40 years. I gathered both groups together, inviting people from each side,” he said.
Lee said he asked them questions: Why are you fighting against your own people? Why are you killing one another? What is the purpose of your conflict? Is killing people your mission now?
This resulted in representatives from both sides pledging to stop fighting and
unite with Shincheonji, Lee said.
The chairman regards the Philippines as a symbolic place of peace and restoration, noting that the country was “liberated” from long division.
“As for me, I must belong to God and continue to do God’s work,” Lee said.
From Korea to the world
LEE’S vision, however, is not limited to the Philippines alone, but a global mission to bring peace and understanding among religions and nations.
However, Shincheonji has often been described as a doomsday cult for its teachings. News reports have cited Shincheonji for having deceptive recruitment practices and “coercive” tactics.
“Many people around the world call us heretics,” Lee spoke candidly. “They also called Jesus a heretic, yet he conquered the world with his truth. It’s the same for us.”
Despite the accusations, Lee said there
THE pilgrim relic of St. Carlo Acutis will be brought to at least 29 churches and one school across the Luzon region during its visit to the Philippines later this month.
The visit features the saint’s pericardium, the membrane surrounding and protecting the heart, arriving a month after Acutis’ canonization by Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican.
The first-class relic, measuring 6-centimeters long and 2-cm high, is kept in a reliquary 33-cm tall and 17cm wide by the Diocese of Assisi, the custodian of Acutis’ relics.
It is scheduled to arrive in Manila on November 27 before beginning a pilgrimage that includes minor basilicas, cathedrals, parish churches, and shrines in Metro Manila and other parts of Luzon.
Msgr. Anthony Figueiredo, director of international affairs and custodian of the pericardium relic for the Diocese of Assisi, will bring the relic from Italy to the Philippines.
Fr. Jerome Ponce, OFM, national spiritual director of Friends of St. Carlo Acutis-Philippines (FSCAPh), which organized the pilgrimage, invites the faithful to welcome the relic.
He described the visit as a grace-filled occasion meant to inspire the faithful, especially the youth, to deepen their devotion to the Holy Eucharist, which Acutis dearly loved and referred to as his “highway to heaven.”
“This grace-filled visit is a powerful reminder of God’s call to holiness in our modern world,” Ponce said. “His life continues to inspire countless young people and families to rediscover the beauty of faith, prayer, and the sacraments, most especially the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist.”
The priest urged the faithful, particularly young people, to take part in activities during the relic’s visit— including Masses, veneration, and other events honoring the young saint.
“May this historic visit strengthen us in our faith, especially among our young people, and draw us closer to Jesus in the Eucharist,” Ponce added.
Bishop Dennis Villarojo of Malolos, who serves as the episcopal promoter of the Friends of St. Carlo AcutisPhilippines, will lead the reception of
are very few countries where Shincheonji does not exist. “We have continued to lead and grow throughout the world.”
As such, Shincheonji offers the “Special Lecture on Revelation Open to All Nations,” an international exchange program that seeks interreligious dialogue and peace centered on the prophecies and fulfillment recorded in the New Testament Book of Revelation.
More than 1,000 participants attended this year’s program, including 521 religious leaders from 61 countries.
Over the four-day program, religious leaders study and discuss the true meaning and realities of Revelation, the core and culmination of the Christian scriptures, in search of answers to world peace.
Through these discussions, participants will gain insights into how God’s will is being fulfilled and broaden interfaith understanding.
Shincheonji also offers free and structured
the relic together with members of the FSCAPh.
Here’s the full itinerary for the first Philippine visit of St. Carlo Acutis’ pericardium relic:
Friday, November 28
8 a.m. – Minor Basilica of the Immaculate Conception (Malolos City)
3 p.m. – San Roque Cathedral (Caloocan City)
Saturday, November 29
8 a.m. – Minor Basilica of San Sebastian (Quiapo, Manila)
2 p.m. – Kristong Hari Parish-Shrine of the Youth (Commonwealth Ave. Quezon City)
Sunday, November 30
8 a.m. – San Sebastián Cathedral (Tarlac City)
2 p.m. – Our Mother of Perpetual Help Parish (Moncada, Tarlac)
Monday, December 1
8 a.m. – Cathedral of St. Paul the First Hermit (San Pablo City, Laguna)
2 p.m. – Diocese of Imus (Location to be announced later)
Tuesday, December 2
8 a.m. – Cathedral Parish of the Immaculate (Pasig City)
2 p.m. – National Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima (Valenzuela City) Wednesday, December 3
9 a.m. – Our Lady of Lourdes Parish (Balatong, Laoag City)
2 p.m. – Diocesan Shrine and Parish of St. Nicolas de Tolentino
Bible education through the Zion Christian Mission Center, which now operates in more than 790 branches in 122 countries.
Students are taught the entire Bible— from Genesis to Revelation—and complete three levels of study and a final exam before being formally welcomed into the church. They attend a graduation ceremony that includes symbolic rites, such as the tassel-turning from left (Alpha) to the right (Omega), signifying rebirth through God’s Word.
A total of 59,192 students graduated from the 116th class of the Zion Christian Mission Center, which held its graduation ceremony on November 2 at the Shincheonji Cheongju Church. Graduates then join one of the 12 Tribes of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus, beginning their life as believers. To date, the center has produced over 700,000 graduates, including thousands of pastors.
(San Nicolas, Ilocos Norte)
Thursday, December 4 9 a.m. – Saint William’s Cathedral (Laoag City)
Friday, December 5 8 a.m. –
Sunday, December 7
2:00 p.m. – Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish (Diliman, Quezon City) The National Pilgrim Relic will substitute the pericardium relic in the afternoon during the Grand Marian Procession and will be available for veneration at a roadside altar.
Monday, December 8 8 a.m. – National Shrine and Parish of St. John Paul II (Brgy. Culis, Hermosa, Bataan)
2 p.m. – St. Augustine Cathedral Parish (Iba, Zambales) Tuesday, December 9 8 a.m. – Saint Joseph the Patriarch Cathedral Parish (Alaminos, Pangasinan)
2 p.m. – Metropolitan Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist (Dagupan City) Wednesday, December 10 8 a.m. – Dr. Yanga’s Colleges, Inc. (Bocaue,
Editor: Lyn Resurreccion
By Jonathan L. Mayuga
ENVIRONMENTAL group
Greenpeace
urged world leaders taking part in the ongoing United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP30) in Brazil to take a strong stance in making fossil fuel companies pay for climate damages.
The call was made as the Philippines is reeling from two devastating typhoons this month—“Tino” (international code name Kalmaegi) and “Uwan” (Fung-Wong).
Both successive natural hazards have left a path of deaths and destructions, rendering thousands homeless, destroying millions worth of crops, and causing damage to fisheries and livestock.
“COP30 is a chance for Filipinos to obtain justice, and the window is closing fast. It must give Filipinos a fighting chance to survive the climate crisis with dignity and peace of mind. We deserve a future where safety and security is a way of life—not one where a wave of casualties and destruction is just another Monday morning,” said Greenpeace Philippines Campaigner Virginia Benosa-Llorin.
Incidentally, the Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage (FRLD) has launched its first call for funding requests for the Barbados Implementation Modalities.
This marks the Fund’s transition to active operationalization, enabling it to initiate its first interventions to respond to climate-induced loss and damage for developing countries.
The BIM has been allocated an initial $250 million to support response efforts in developing countries facing economic and non-economic loss and damage from slowonset and extreme climate-induced events.
Greenpeace and other environmental groups have been calling for climate justice and has been demanding that polluters pay for the damage brought about by climate change-triggered extreme events to vulnerable countries, including the Philippines.
The launch of the call establishes the process through which countries can access funding from the FRLD. In addition to offering a platform for stakeholders to engage in support of the FRLD, the launch event raised awareness about the BIM and clarified the call for funding requests’ procedures, timelines and criteria. The call will be opened for a period of six months from December 15.
“If these global negotiations don’t deliver on making climate polluters pay, we can expect more Uwans and Tinos to pummel those who are still trying to recover from past extreme weather events. The science is clear: fossil fuel companies are raking in billions while supercharging storms that dig Filipinos into their graves,” Benosa-Llorin said.
Super Typhoon Uwan is the Philippines’ 21st storm in 2025, with more than a million have been evacuated. Typhoon-strength winds were already battering parts of the country before the storm arrived.
A week before Uwan, Typhoon Tino left a heavy toll in the Visayas and parts of Luzon—at least 224 dead and over 300,000 people evacuated, according to official tallies.
Uwan triggered the country’s highest
wind signals and severe coastal warnings within days of Tino’s floods. Transport and power disruptions were widespread as authorities raced to move people out of danger.
“These back-to-back events show how
AS communities across the country recover from Typhoons Tino and Uwan, more Filipinos are now aware of the role of forests in protecting us from climate disasters.
This is what the Haribon Foundation has advocated through five decades of sciencebased, community-centered conservation work that has strengthened the natural systems protecting Filipinos from storms and floods.
With only 24 percent forest cover remaining, the Philippines is losing its most critical natural defense against climate disasters. Healthy forests absorb rainfall, stabilize slopes, and regulate water flow—functions vital for flood control and carbon storage.
Founded in November 1972 by nature lovers inspired by the Critically Endangered Philippine eagle, Haribon evolved from a birdwatching society into a conservation leader. The group now works across forests and marine ecosystems—guided by the principle that protecting nature means empowering the people who depend on it.
“As Typhoons Tino and Uwan remind us, forests are not just about biodiversity—they’re about survival,” said Haribon COO Arlie Jo B. Endonila. “This first line of defense can be sustained when communities take the lead, science informs action, and partnerships span decades.”
DURING the 1980s, Haribon’s Philippine Eagle Conservation Program conducted pioneering field observations in Mindanao that documented nesting behaviors and habitat requirements. The Haribon logo then featured the Philippine eagle, designed by the late Dr. Robert Kennedy.
As awareness grew, President Fidel V. Ramos eventually proclaimed the Philippine eagle the National Bird in 1995, calling it “the best biological indicator of the quality of our forest ecosystems.”
By 1983, under Dr. Celso Roque, Haribon became the Haribon Foundation for the Conservation of Natural Resources, symbolized by a tree with nine leaves representing the country’s nine ecosystems. From focusing on birds, Haribon began protecting the entire web of life.
In 1987, Haribon led the “Boto para sa Inang Bayan” campaign against commercial logging in Palawan, gathering 1 million
signatures and raising environmental awareness.
In the early 1990s, a Haribon-Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) task force evaluated protected areas nationwide, laying groundwork for the National Integrated Protected Areas System (Nipas) Act of 1992, now the backbone of protected area management.
In 1994, Haribon joined BirdLife International, linking Philippine conservation to a global network. Five years later, it published Threatened Birds of the Philippines, identifying 117 Important Biodiversity Areas. “These milestones contribute to the protection of forests from Palawan to the Sierra Madre,” Haribon shared. “Nature-based solutions we need now more than ever.”
Global participation and preventing extinction
IN September, the Philippines established its International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) National Committee, the 11th in Asia, chaired by Haribon COO Arlie Endonila. The committee, with nine environmental organizations, brings Philippine conservation priorities to the global stage. Meanwhile, the “dulungan,” or rufousheaded hornbill, was downlisted from Critically Endangered to Endangered on the IUCN Red List—the first status improvement in over 30 years.
Despite this, Haribon cautioned that threats to dulungan’s remaining habitats in Panay persist.
David Quimpo, head of Haribon’s Conservation Research Department, noted that “careful considerations” must accompany downlisting one of the world’s most threatened hornbills.
Philippine Eagle conservation
PHILIPPINE eagle conservation remains central to Haribon’s work. Following the 2014 rediscovery of eagles in Nueva Ecija—the first sighting in 30 years— Haribon facilitated the establishment of a 10,791-hectare Critical Habitat in the Central Sierra Madre.
A 2025 survey with the DENR, Daluhay Foundation and the Philippine Eagle Foundation confirmed eagle presence in nearby areas.
Through the Scaling Up Conservation in Central Sierra Madre Project, Haribon continues to empower Indigenous Peoples and local communities to lead forest governance in Luzon’s longest mountain range.
Both the Philippine eagle and the dulungan hornbill are among Haribon’s 23 priority species, many endemic to the Philippines. They inhabit two of Haribon’s 15 priority sites—Mt. Dingalan and Central Panay Mountains—critical areas shared by both wildlife and people.
20 years of growing forests
IN the 1990s, monocropping and exotic tree planting persisted as natural forests declined. Dr. Paciencia P. Milan of Visayas State University (VSU) introduced Rainforestation Technology, which uses native species to restore ecosystems.
In 2002, Haribon adopted this approach with VSU. By 2005, the ROAD to 2020 movement was born—now the Forests for Life Movement, which has planted over 1 million native trees in 10 Key Biodiversity Areas, restoring 738 hectares with help from 30 municipalities and nearly 19,000 volunteers.
Of Haribon’s 23 priority species, eight are native trees, such as white lauan (Shorea
contorta) and tangile (Shorea polysperma), both endemic and crucial nesting trees for Philippine Eagles.
Looking forward
HARIBON remains committed to celebrating people as stewards of nature. Priorities include securing Protected Area designation for the Central Sierra Madre and Central Panay Mountains—watersheds vital for flood control and clean water.
Recent typhoons have shown the limits of infrastructure-only flood control, while community-protected forests continue to provide natural flood regulation and slope stability at little to no cost.
The 700 plus hectares of restored forest through Forests for Life, the 10,000-hectare Critical Habitat in Sierra Madre, and womenmanaged watersheds in Quezon are proven nature-based solutions.
New threats to natural defenses
POORLY planned renewable energy projects now threaten forests that protect communities from climate disasters.
Haribon cited ongoing and proposed wind projects in Rizal and Aklan, overlapping with critical watersheds and protected areas, such as the Upper Marikina River Basin, Kaliwa Watershed, and Northwest Panay Peninsula Natural Park.
While supporting the transition to clean energy, Haribon warned that siting projects in forest watersheds may “release more carbon and increase climate vulnerability.”
Alternatives include developing degraded lands, grasslands, industrial zones, offshore sites, and exploring distributed solar, microgrids, and agroforestry-integrated systems.
Protecting the environment is protecting ourselves IN the wake of recent typhoons and growing concern over floods, Haribon calls on all sectors to strengthen inclusive governance of natural resources.
“Everybody has a stake in the ecosystem benefits of our forests and seas,” Endonila said. “No one should be left behind.”
With continued support from volunteers, donors, organizations, and communities, Haribon aims to expand protection and restoration efforts for the next 50 years—working toward a future where forests buffer typhoons, conservation uplifts lives, and a healthy environment safeguards every Filipino.
quickly compounding risks escalate for already-hit communities. They result in lost lives and are driving up socioeconomic losses,” Benosa-Llorin pointed out.
“Agriculture and fisheries suffer destroyed harvests and reduced catch,
tourism revenues decline, and local livelihoods were disrupted. These growing economic costs fall on communities, a burden that they should not be shouldering. Robust climate finance mechanisms must be set in motion to capacitate survivors to recover and live with dignity,” she added.
With the ongoing COP30, Greenpeace reiterated urgent demands for rich nations to fill the Loss and Damage Fund with grantbased finance that reaches communities fast.
“We also urge Parties to seek other sources of loss-and-damage funding, such as from the world’s carbon majors— companies that continue to pollute despite decades of knowledge about their climate harms,” she said.
“Nationally, the government must prioritize the Clima Bill to make the biggest polluters pay, protect and audit all climate and flood-control funds to prevent plunder, prosecute the corrupt, and fast-track community-led resilience—from mangrove and reef protection to early-warning and safe evacuation—while stopping any new fossil fuel expansion,” she pointed out. Clima bill, or the proposed Climate Accountability Act (House Bill 9609), is a proposed law that seeks to hold corporations accountable for their role in the climate crisis
“We call on our government and on governments from around the world, especially the global north: Choose people over profit. Make polluters pay,” BenosaLlorin said.
DRILLING for minerals deep in the ocean could have immense consequences for the tiny animals at the core of the vast marine food web—and ultimately affect fisheries and the food we find on our plates, according to a new study.
Deep-sea mining means drilling the seafloor for “polymetallic nodules” loaded with critical minerals including copper, iron, zinc and more.
While not yet commercialized, nations are pursuing deep-sea operations amid rising demand for these minerals in electric vehicles and other parts of the energy transition, as well as for technology and military use.
The researchers examined water and waste gathered from a deep-sea mining trial in 2022.
What the study discovered
UNIVERSITY of Hawaii researchers studied an area of the Pacific Ocean called the “twilight zone,” about 650 feet to 5,000 feet (200 meters to 1,500 meters) below sea level.
Their peer-reviewed findings, published Thursday in the Nature Communications scientific journal, say mining waste could affect anything from tiny shrimp smaller than 0.08 inches (2 millimeters) long to fish 2 inches (5 centimeters) long.
That’s because, after mining companies bring the mineral-rich nodules up to the surface, they have to release excess sea water, ocean floor dirt and sediment back into the ocean.
That creates a murky plume of particles about the same size as the naturally occurring food particles normally eaten by the zooplankton that swim at that depth.
That’s a little more than half of the zooplankton in the ocean. If those organisms eat the waste particles—what senior study author Brian Popp called “junk food”—then that affects 60 percent of micronekton that eat the zooplankton.
And that undernourishment is a problem because these tiny organisms are the food source up the chain—ultimately affecting commercially important fish such as mahi mahi or tuna.
“Surface fish can dive down deep into the water, they feed on organisms down at depth,” said Michael Dowd, study lead author and oceanography graduate student.
Impact on the water and alternative sources
WHILE other research has highlighted the negative environmental impacts from deepsea mining of nodules, the focus is often the seafloor. This study looks at mid-water. The researchers said more work needs to be done to assess the appropriate quality and depth at which dirty water and sediment from sea mining could be returned to the ocean.
But they said returning the excess directly to the ocean floor or at other depths could be just as environmentally disruptive as in the “twilight zone,” only in different ways. Popp said digging up the deep sea might not be necessary, and instead noted alternative sources of metals, including recycling batteries and electronics, or sifting through mining waste and tailings.
“If only a single company is mining in one single spot, it’s not going to affect a huge fishery. It’s not going to affect a huge amount of water. But if many companies are mining for many years and outputting a lot of material, this is going to spread across the region,” Dowd said. “And the more mining occurs, the more a problem it could be.”
Where deep-sea mining stands
It might not be viable to simply halt ocean mining. The International Seabed Authority that governs mineral activity beyond national jurisdiction has already granted several contracts for exploration. In the US, President Donald Trump has expressed interest in deep-sea mining operations amid tense trade negotiations with China that have limited US access to China’s wide swath of critical minerals. In April, Trump signed an executive order directing the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to expedite the permitting process for companies to mine the ocean floor. In May, the administration said it would consider selling leases to extract minerals off the South Pacific island of American Samoa. Last month, NOAA sent a draft rule to the White House to streamline operations. Alexa St. John/Associated Press
“If these organisms down at depth are no longer present because their food web has collapsed, then that can impact higher food webs and more commercial interests,” Dowd said.
NOVEMBER 16, 2025 | soundstrip.businessmirror@gmail.com
Story and photos by Bless Aubrey Ogerio
SOME heartbreak doesn’t sting anymore. It just lingers quietly like a song you thought you’d outgrown but still hum in the shower.
That’s exactly where ‘the vowels they orbit’ (tvto) want you: somewhere between nostalgia and recovery, floating in that bittersweet orbit of remembering. The Filipino indie pop band returned with ‘gusto ko lang maalala,’ a gentle but piercing third extended play (EP) that swims through love, loss and the ache of remembering.
“Before, we were just so excited to put everything in,” vocalist Nikka Melchor told SoundStrip. “Now, we’re more intentional. Every bassline, every swell of the guitar… it’s all there for a reason.”
And if their 2022 sophomore EP ‘tuloy tuloy tuloy!’ chronicled motion and survival through the pandemic haze, this one hits
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pause, reflecting on what’s been left behind.
A quiet ache
THE EP opens with ‘miss na kita,’ a song that aches in quiet corners. “I wrote it one morning because I suddenly missed my younger self,” Nikka shared. “But it’s not limited to that. It could mean missing anyone, anything—a part of you that’s gone.”
For Gene Santiago, the band’s lead guitarist, the longing expands. “It’s about wanting to stop time, just to breathe for a while. Or maybe turn it back, just to experience it again.”
That nostalgia spills into every arrangement. Their dreamy guitars, layered harmonies, and restrained percussion evoke a love letter to fleeting moments. Each instrument listens to the lyrics, reacting rather than competing with them.
“We wanted to remind ourselves that it’s okay to slow down,” Nikka explained. “To take a look at the good memories. To hold on to them for a bit.”
Earlier this year, the band said goodbye to drummer Jeremy Sayas, who left for personal reasons. But instead of losing momentum, the lineup shift became part of the emotional recalibration.
“It just happened that this was the right time to release the record,” Nikka said. “It was
the right time for us, emotionally.”
A rare meeting of eras PRODUCED by Darwin Hernandez of Soupstar Music, the EP also bears the touch of Filipino rock royalty.
Raymund Marasigan and Buddy Zabala of Eraserheads handled arrangements, while Eunice Jorge of Gracenot added production support. Recording took place at Velvet Playground Studio in Marikina.
For the band, working with their childhood heroes was equal parts terrifying and surreal.
“I was literally shaking days before preprod,” bassist Patch Javier recalled. “You hear their music growing up, and suddenly they’re helping arrange your song. But they were so kind and collaborative. They made us feel like equals.”
Hannah Dela Cruz, keyboardist, remembers the energy in the studio: “They think so quickly. It only took one hour, and it was done. It was
amazing to see how their minds worked.”
to stay true
TWO years after their last release, ‘the vowels they orbit’ seems more grounded than ever. They weathered lineup changes and creative pauses, yet instead of forcing a reinvention, they leaned into what feels authentic. “We don’t think we have anything to prove,” Nikka told this newspaper. “We just want people to recognize our sound— that this is us. That this is ‘the vowels they orbit.’”
And that clarity shows. ‘gusto ko lang maalala’ doesn’t beg to be understood; it simply exists in its own wistful world. And maybe that’s what makes it their most affecting work yet. In an industry obsessed with virality and volume, ‘the vowels they orbit’ chose reflection over noise. The result is a three-track confession that doesn’t try to outshine the past. Because sometimes, remembering is enough.
Story by Justine Xyrah Garcia
For a while, IV of Spades felt like a dream band — all retro outfits, disco lights, and that intoxicating mix of funk and mystery that made Mundo and Hey Barbara echo through the late 2010s.
They were young, cool, and almost too good to be real.
Then the dream cracked. Unique Salonga left in 2018, and the band—at the peak of its fame—was suddenly three.
The remaining three—Zild Benitez, Blaster Silonga, and Badjao de Castro—released CLAPCLAPCLAP! a year later before they announced an indefinite hiatus in 2020.
Five years later, the four are back together with Andalucia, their first full-length release as a complete band. The title comes from Zild’s apartment, where they reconnected and started writing again — a fitting name for a record that sounds like rediscovery.
In a press statement, the group shared that they “needed to prioritize ourselves and our relationship first before working on a new project while we weren’t okay.”
They admitted, “It would’ve felt meaningless if we hadn’t fixed our bond before returning to making music.”
That honesty shows. Andalucia isn’t about recreating what they once were. It’s about learning to make space for who they’ve each become.
Unlike before, when everything seemed to move under one slick, unified mold, this album lets their differences breathe—and surprisingly, it still works.
Across 12 tracks, the album feels looser but more lived-in.
Tara opens with warmth and ease, the kind of song that feels like a soft welcome back. “Karma” and “Konsensya” lean on catchy, street-smart lines that feel grounded in everyday life, proof that the band still knows how to speak to a wide audience.
Then there’s Monster—a groove-heavy standout that brings back their distinct funk, sharp and swaggering, almost like what the Eraserheads might have sounded like in 2025.
It’s a comparison that doesn’t feel lost on anyone.
After all, Ely Buendia once called IV of Spades
“the Beatles of the Philippines.”
For the Eraserheads’ frontman to say that feels like a quiet passing of the torch—a nod from one generation’s icons to the next.
IV of Spades describes Andalucia as an album about “flaws, people, and topics that often aren’t discussed openly.”
It’s also, as they put it, “more fun now because we have more songs. The direction is clearer, and the process is more collaborative.”
You can hear that balance of freedom and trust in how the songs move—each one distinct but still connected.
Even behind the music, they seem to have
rediscovered the small things that hold them together.
“What truly matters are the small things. Eating together. Whoever’s late buys the coffee. Sometimes we’d turn off the aircon, so we’d all be sweating while recording,” they said.
Andalucia arrives ahead of their two-night concert at the Mall of Asia Arena on December 12 and 13, their first major show since reuniting. For longtime fans, this new album and upcoming concert feel like catching up with old friends—the band they grew up with, now back together and sounding more themselves than ever.
By Orville Tan
FOR Filipino K-pop fans, the
upcoming Mnet Asian Music Awards
2025 (MAMA 2025) is a full-blown fiesta of fandom.
When November 28-29 rolls around, living rooms all over the Philippines will transform into vibrant concert arenas as fans rally behind their idols in Hong Kong. The buzz is almost electric: group watch parties are in the works, Twitter feeds are alive, and “MAMA night” is marked on calendars. Fans see their values reflected in these artists, so when a beloved group takes home a big win, it feels incredibly personal.
MAMA 2025 is shaping up to be one of the most star-studded editions yet, and Filipino fans are riding the wave of announcements with unmatched enthusiasm.
Nominations were unveiled in midOctober, with K-pop powerhouses like BLACKPINK leading the charge. In fact, the group has emerged as the most-nominated act this year, racking up an impressive 23 nods. Hashtags like #BlackpinkMAMA2025 have been trending as fans rallied their voting teams.
From PH EXO-Ls to BABYMONSTER’s growing fanbase, everyone is buzzing to see their idols get recognition. The nominees represent a wide range of K-pop genera-
tions, and Filipinos have favorites in every category, whether it’s Seventeen and TXT for Best Male Group or aespa and TWICE for Best Female Group. Each nomination feels like a victory for the fandom.
In 2021, the Philippines was recognized as the second-highest country for K-pop Twitter activity globally. Fandom names have become part of everyday conversation: ARMYs, BLINKs, NCTzens, ONCEs, and more. That incredible fan energy is now focused on MAMA, every tweet, vote, and cheer contributing to the chorus of support.
THE countdown to MAMA 2025 turned into an election season for K-pop fans. Fan voting is a vital part of MAMA, especially for the Worldwide Fans’ Choice awards. Voting began in October on Mnet’s global app and through Twitter/X hashtags, and Filipino fan communities sprang into action. They’ve organized daily voting re-
minders, tutorial threads, and even voteswap systems. Voting ended November 10, 10:59 PM Philippine time.
To keep the energy up, fanbases engage in friendly competitions. On a local fan platform called FanFlare, the August idol rankings saw TXT, TWICE’s Chaeyoung, and NMIXX snag the top spots, thanks to enthusiastic support from Filipino fans. Fans joke about becoming nocturnal during voting season, adjusting their schedules to Korean Standard Time and checking server clocks on navyism, a server time checking portal.
Fandom Without Borders
THE success of UNIS, the first K-pop group made up of Filipinas to win at last year’s MAMA, sparked joy across the nation. “Finally, after 25 years, Filipino K-Pop idols have won a MAMA award!” This milestone inspires more young talents and encourages fans to support Asian artists across the board. The Philippines has had a long-
standing connection with MAMA, from Sarah Geronimo’s Best Asian Artist (Philippines) in 2012 to SB19 shining on the global stage, and Sandara “Dara” Park cherished as an adopted Filipina star. These ties make Filipino fans feel personally invested. With Hong Kong a short flight away, some die-hard fans are pooling resources to attend. For those at home, streaming platforms ensure no one misses a moment. The Filipino fandom experience is interactive and communal, with trending topics, fan art, live updates, and multilingual congratulations whenever a beloved artist wins.
AMID global excitement, fan culture in the Philippines is becoming localized. A major player is FanFlare, a homegrown fan platform revolutionizing how projects are organized. While MAMA focuses on global recognition, FanFlare makes local impact. FanFlare encourages shining the spotlight at home. It’s now easier to rent an LED billboard along EDSA or host a themed café event. NMIXX’s Philippine fanbase used FanFlare to aim for a billboard in Cubao. TXT fans in the Philippines used it to snag an ad in Seoul’s famous Hongdae district. HORI7ON’s Anchors use it to promote their boys on radio, as well as run ads in Hongdae for months at a time. With MAMA 2025 just around the corner, its influence on Filipino fan culture is deep and varied. It’s the swell of pride when Asian artists shine. When the lights at Hong Kong’s Kai Tak Stadium illuminate the night on November 28 and 29, a million lights in the Philippines will shine right along with them.
By Jessica Damiano
The Associated Press
THERE are gifts, and then there are gifts, the ones inventive enough to surprise and delight the recipient. Some are fun; others, practical, and they all aim to improve how we do or enjoy things.
Consider adding these innovative gifts to your shopping list. There’s something here for every budget.
Elevated luggage
INVENTED by a mom of four who sought to cut down on hotel-room chaos, Props carry-on suitcases have luggage racks built right in. Like a folding table, each suitcase has legs that unfold easily to elevate it off the floor. You could even use it as a snack table or laptop stand at the airport.
Other features include an interior compression packing system, an integrated TSA-approved combination lock, a telescoping handle, two 360-degree spinning wheels at each corner and carry handles on three sides. Available in five colors; 21.5” x 14” x 9.5” (width expandable to 11.5”).
n $399
Secure shade
IF there’s a beach lover on your list, the AnchorOne Classic Beach Umbrella System will keep them comfortable and safe from the inconvenience—and danger—posed by wind-borne umbrellas.
Setting up the umbrella takes about five minutes, and an anchor filled with sand keeps it from blowing away in winds up to 25 mph (40.2 kph). An adjustable tray
keeps snacks, drinks and cellphones off the sand, and the umbrella’s 7-foot (2.1-meter) canopy has an Ultraviolet Protection Factor of 50+. Available in five colors. Carry bags are included for both the umbrella and anchor.
n $119.99
Cuddly calm
TALKING dolls and stuffed animals have
been around for decades; some even “read” books and tell stories. But Pause with Panda uses interactivity for more than entertainment, providing kids with exercises designed to help them regulate their emotions and practice mindfulness.
The cuddly panda’s programming guides children through audible, ageappropriate “pauses,” including ones aimed at reducing anxiety, improving attention, building emotional awareness, developing compassion, and supporting daily routines and transitions, like bedtime. Caregivers can monitor on the accompanying mobile app.
Topics can be customized for anxiety, sleep and ADHD, and adults can even record their own “pauses” for children to hear. Suitable for ages 3 and up.
n $99, including a storybook and stickers
Sparkle anywhere
SPARKLING water and seltzer lovers know they can either pay for the bottled stuff or use a kitchen-counter model to carbonate liter-size bottles at home. Now, Aerflo, a portable soda-maker system, lets them make fizzy drinks on the go.