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CLARK CATCHES MICE ‘FEVER’ www.businessmirror.com.ph

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Sunday, November 17, 2019 Vol. 15 No. 38

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

BCDA, DOT bare plans to develop biggest convention center in PHL

SIGNAGE at the Clark International Airport, an international gateway to the Philippines within Clark Freeport Zone, in Pampanga. NAMHWI KIM | DREAMSTIME.COM

By Ma. Stella F. Arnaldo

T

Special to the BusinessMirror

HE Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) is working with the Department of Tourism (DOT) to develop the Clark Freeport in Pampanga as a major MICE (meetings, incentive tours, conventions, exhibitions) destination.

“The idea for Clark is to become a major MICE player in the region, since we have our own airport. Everything is 5-10 minutes away from the airport,” said BCDA president and Chief Executive Officer Vivencio “Vince” B. Dizon in an interview with the BusinessMirror.

Dizon added he is closely working with Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat to design a master plan that will revolve around the construction of a major convention center. “That will be

a major driver of MICE in Clark.

Once we build that convention center, we’re [also] going to attract more hotels,” he said.

The biggest in PHL

ALREADY in the design process, the convention center will span 5 hectares or 50,000 square meters, and will be close to the Clark International Airport, said Dizon.

He declined to say how much the convention center will cost pending the completion of the

design. But he said, “We want to complete it before the term of the President ends. We’re starting the designing process already now, so I think we can build it in two years.”

While BCDA will construct it, the operations and maintenance of the center will likely be bidded out to the private sector, said Dizon.

There are no major convention sites in Clark, but the SM Hotels and Conventions Corp. is currently building one beside its Park Inn by Radisson Clark hotel. Estimated to

cost P835 million, the new SMX convention center will have 4,000 sqm of leasable space and is targeted to open by the second quarter of 2020.

Using SMX’s estimates, BCDA’s new convention center would cost at least P10.4 billion for a 50,000sqm space.

New project in NCC

THE BCDA chief also gave an update on the developments in New Clark City (NCC), a major metropoContinued on A2

Why Asia’s longest-serving leader is warning about a coup

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By Philip J. Heijmans | Bloomberg News

“There could easily be a popular uprising,” said Ou Virak, director of Phnom Penh-based thinktank Future Forum and former chairman of the Cambodian Center for Human Rights.

N his path to becoming Asia’s longest-serving leader, Hun Sen has mastered the art of fighting for power.

When he first took charge of Cambodia as a 33-year-old in 1985, he battled remnants of the Khmer Rouge for control of the Southeast Asian nation. After losing the first election following a United Nations-brokered peace in 1993, he threatened to secede unless he was made co-prime minister. Four years later, a de facto coup put him solely in charge, a position he’s kept to this day.

Now 67, Hun Sen is suddenly worried that a group of exiled dissidents might overthrow him by force—a claim that looks hysterical on its face given many of his main political opponents have been locked up or abroad since he

won all of the country’s parliamentary seats during a boycotted election last year.

But he has lots of reason to worry.

Discontent is building among the country’s 16 million people— most of whom have never been alive under another leader—over skyrocketing household debt, resentment at an influx of Chinese investment and a lack of jobs. The European Union is threatening to pull preferential tariffs that could upend the garment sector, the economy’s most important industry. And questions over succession are spurring rumors of internal rifts in his ruling Cambodian People’s Party.

PESO EXCHANGE RATES n US 50.8260

‘Peaceful uprising’

HUN SEN, Cambodia’s prime minister, speaks at the Future of Asia conference in Tokyo, Japan, on May 30, 2019. AKIO KON/BLOOMBERG

HUN SEN’S opponents see an opportunity to pounce. Long-time opposition leader Sam Rainsy, who has spent the past four years in Paris, has vowed to return to Cambodia to fight for democracy along with others who fled abroad. Hun Sen’s government said the efforts amounted to a coup attempt, and he moved the military to the border while warning he’d use “weapons of all kinds” to stop them.

After arriving in Malaysia, Sam Rainsy told reporters this week he and his colleagues would head to Cambodia “when there is a material, physical possibility to do so.” He said the whole word wanted democracy in Cambodia except for China, and called for a “peaceful uprising” among the masses.

Continued on A2

n JAPAN 0.4688 n UK 65.4690 n HK 6.4937 n CHINA 7.2402 n SINGAPORE 37.3254 n AUSTRALIA 34.4905 n EU 56.0153 n SAUDI ARABIA 13.5533

Source: BSP (November 15, 2019 )

NewsSunday BusinessMirror

A2 Sunday, November 17, 2019

www.businessmirror.com.ph

MANUEL A. ROXAS Highway cuts through Clark Freeport in Pampanga. To its left is the Clark Veterans Cemetery. SM City Clark can be seen in the background, with Mount Arayat peeking through the clouds. GABRIEL MURAD | DREAMSTIME.COM Continued from A1

lis development in Tarlac City spanning 9,450 ha. He said the agency just signed a contract with the Hann Development Corp., a unit of the Widus Group of South Korea, for a “P12-billion to P15-billion” resort development in NCC.

“This will be for a luxury mountain resort [to be managed by] Banyan Tree. This will be the first Banyan Tree resort in the country, which is slated to open in two-anda-half years,” said Dizon. The development will also include the Accor

Group’s Angsana hotel brand, and “the boutique luxury chain of Marriot.” The luxury brands of Marriot include St. Regis, The Luxury Collection, W Hotels, The Ritz-Carlton, Ritz-Carlton Reserve, Bulgari Hotels & Resorts, Edition and the JW Marriott brands.

Widus is the owner of the Marriot Hotel in Clark and the Widus Hotel and Casino.

“The first phase [of the development] is when they open the Angsana Hotel. But Banyan Tree is building villas for long-term lease.

This is all part of the first phase un-

til 2022. This, [including the industrial park of Filinvest Development Corp.], will build the critical mass to attract more locators and visitors to NCC,” he stressed.

The industrial park broke ground in May and will open its first factory in 2020. The park will have factories focused on light industry, semiconductors information technology, and light manufacturing. “No heavy industries are allowed,” said Dizon.

Filinvest has said it would be investing P20 billion in its NCC projects in the next five years.

GABRIEL MURAD | DREAMSTIME.COM

CLARK CATCHES MICE ‘FEVER’

‘I

t’s roughly 5 times [the size of] the SMX Convention Center in Manila. It will be the biggest convention center in the country. What we’re gonna build is something that will compete with Suntec of Singapore, or the Shanghai Convention Center, or the convention center in Hong Kong… [and is designed] for international and regional events.”

—BCDA president and CEO Vivencio “Vince” B. Dizon

Why Asia’s longest-serving leader is warning about a coup Continued from A1

“I have called on the Cambodian army not to shoot at the people, not to shoot at the civilians, not to shoot at innocent people,” Sam Rainsy said. “And Mr. Hun Sen is very afraid because he is not sure of the loyalty of the army. The army will stand with the people. The army will not stand with dictators.”

Phay Siphan, a Cambodian government spokesman, dismissed talk of an uprising, a mutiny in the army or any internal dissent within the ruling party.

“Everything is under control,” he said by phone, while also ruling out talks with the opposition. “The government will in no shape or form negotiate with Sam Rainsy.”

On Wednesday evening, the government issued a statement appealing to opposition supporters to “stop listening to Sam Rainsy” adding it had fully restored public order after defeating the exiled leader’s attempted coup, the AP reported. Sam Rainsy on Tuesday said he could still return to the country “at any time.”

Still, Hun Sen has taken at least one step to ease tensions.

On Sunday, the government released Kem Sokha, the founder and co-leader of the main opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), after for more than two years. Another 85 political prisoners are still in custody, according to the UN. One reason for Kem Sokha’s release may be the EU’s looming decision on whether to pull Cambodia’s access to a preferential trading scheme due to its deteriorating human rights record. Such a move could decimate its $5-billion garment industry and threaten the jobs of about 750,000 Cambodians, some of whom stood with Sam Rainsy during mass rallies in 2013 calling for the prime minister’s resignation.

We “expect the Cambodian authorities to reinstate the political rights of all opposition members banned from political life and to fully release all opposition members, supporters and activists recently put under detention,” the EU wrote in a news statement on Monday.

“I

have called on the Cambodian army not to shoot at the people, not to shoot at the civilians, not to shoot at innocent people. And Mr. Hun Sen is very afraid because he is not sure of the loyalty of the army. The army will stand with the people. The army will not stand with dictators.”—Sam Rainsy China factor

HUN SEN’S move to curtail political and media freedoms over the years has coincided with closer ties with China. As President Xi Jinping’s biggest ally in Southeast Asia, the Cambodian government has garnered $7.9 billion in Chinese investment from 2016 to August 2019, representing more than a third of all foreign investment, according to the official Xinhua News Agency.

The slew of Chinese property projects and tourists has led to a growing backlash both in the capital Phnom Penh and the once sleepy coastal resort town of Sihanoukville, where more than a dozen new casinos have driven up crime and prostitution. China’s stake in an investment zone encompassing 20 percent of Cambodia’s coastline also raised fears in the US that it would become a Chinese naval base, something the government denied.

“Cambodians do not feel good about the Chinese influx and it created insecurity inside the country,” said Noan Sereiboth, an influential political blogger and frequent contributor to the youth-centered media group Politikoffee.

Another headache for Hun Sen is growing discontent over mounting public and personal debt. With a median of $3,370 per loan, Cambodia now has the highest average for small loans in the world, according to a report published in August by local rights groups.

Mostly owed to just nine lenders, the total outstanding amount is equal to roughly a third of the country’s entire GDP for 2018, while seven largest microfinance institutions (MFI) made more than $130 million in profit in 2017.

During last year’s election, Hun

Sen disavowed connections to microfinance lenders.

Question of succession

CONFOUNDING the problem is the question of succession as various factions jostle for power.

Hun Sen’s three sons are seen as competing for the top spot, with his eldest Hun Manet the odds-on favorite. Educated at West Point and commander of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces, Hun Manet was elevated last year to the ruling Cambodian People’s Party’s Standing Committee, a key decision-making body.

Without specifically addressing the opposition’s calls for an uprising, Hun Manet took to Facebook on Tuesday to implore citizens to enjoy annual water festival this week.

“What the people do not want is chaos, insecurity, instability and the loss of peace,” he wrote. “We must work together to fully protect the peace we have today.”

For all the noise, Sam Rainsy’s move is “desperate” and has little chance of success, according to Lee Morgenbesser, author of the book Beyond the Façade: Elections Under Authoritarianism in Southeast Asia.

“A failure to try to re-enter Cambodia would raise significant questions about whether those exiled are the right leaders for Cambodia’s pro-democracy movement,” Morgenbesser said.

Still, those outside the country see this as one of their final chances to act. Vanna Hay, a 33-year-old CNRP supporter living in Tokyo, plans to join other activists in returning to Cambodia.

“No matter whether Sam Rainsy was on Cambodian soil on November 9 or later, the people will rise and people power will bring Hun Sen down,” Vanna Hay said. “They will collapse soon by their own sin they made.”

The World

www.businessmirror.com.ph · Editor: Angel R. Calso

BusinessMirror

Sunday, November 17, 2019

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Alibaba launches mega share sale with $12-billion retail tag

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libaba Group Holding Ltd. priced the retail portion of its Hong Kong share sale Friday, issuing an appeal to individual investors in a city in the throes of recession after months of violent prodemocracy protests.

The largest Chinese e-commerce company capped the 12.5 million shares available to individual investors at HK $188 apiece—an auspicious number in Chinese culture—making it the most expensive first-time share sale in Hong Kong. Alibaba said it may price the remainder of its 500 million share offering above that ceiling, signaling that it aims to raise at least $12 billion in what would be one of the world’s largest sales of stock this year. The company will price the rest of its international offering

by November 20.

Asia’s largest corporation is proceeding with what could be Hong Kong’s biggest share sale since 2010.

Slated for late November, it’ll be the

Chinese e-commerce juggernaut’s official Asian coming-out party—half a decade after snubbing the financial hub for a record Wall Street debut. Alibaba’s return hands a much-needed victory to a city wracked by protests since the summer, and will please Chinese officials who’ve watched many of the country’s largest private corporations flock overseas for capital.

If the deal goes through, Alibaba will challenge Tencent Holdings Ltd. for the title of the largest Hong Konglisted corporation.

“The listing in Hong Kong will allow more of the company’s users and stakeholders in the Alibaba digital economy across Asia to invest and participate in Alibaba’s growth,” the company said. “During this time of

ongoing change, we continue to believe that the future of Hong Kong remains bright,” Daniel Zhang, chief executive officer of Alibaba, said in a letter to investors.

Listing closer to home has been a longtime dream of billionaire Alibaba cofounder Jack Ma’s. A successful Hong Kong share sale could help finance a costly war of subsidies with Meituan Dianping in food delivery and travel, and divert investor cash from rivals like Meituan and WeChat operator Tencent.

It will also be a feather in the cap for Zhang, who took over as chairman from Ma in September. The former accountant is now spearheading the company’s expansion beyond Asia but also into adjacent markets from cloud computing to entertainment, logistics and physical retail.

What Bloomberg intelligence says Alibaba’s secondary listing in Hong Kong could lead to a shake up of the Hang Seng Index, the city’s main stock benchmark. The 50-member index is heavy on financial stocks, when comparing weights to other leading equity indexes in the world. Meanwhile,

I T, i ndu st r i a l s a nd consu mer discretionary stocks are severely underrepresented.

—Steven Lam, analyst A marquee name like Alibaba’s could draw investors and boost trading liquidity for Hong Kong Exchanges & Clearing Ltd., which just incurred its biggest profit slump in more than three years. For Hong Kong, it’s bit of welcome news following half a year of often violent

protests that have at times paralyzed the city and its service industry. Efforts to court Alibaba emanated from the very top, with Chief Executive Carrie Lam herself exhorting Ma to consider a listing in the city.

Alibaba has considered a Hong Kong listing for a long time, Michael Yao, head of corporate finance at Alibaba, said on a call with investors this week. The deal size hasn’t changed as a result of the protests, he added. Bloomberg News

U.S. farm finances worsen despite Trump trade war compensation

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a r m finances deteriorated across a swath of agricultural states during the summer and early fall despite the Trump administration’s second round of trade aid payments and slightly higher prices, the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City reported Thursday.

The repor t underscores the mounting economic pressure on a key Donald J. Trump constituenc y as he confronts a reelec tion campaign and impeachment struggle while under taking negotiations with Beijing on a par tial trade deal that could provide relief from retaliator y tariffs hitting American farmers. The trade talks have bogged down as Trump seeks assurances that Beijing will deliver on commitments on agricultural purchases.

Farm income fell in the third quarter from a year ago in each of the seven rural states covered by the Kansas City Fed, according to its survey of agricultural credit conditions. The report cited the trade war, volatile crop prices and disruptions at a major beef processing facility.

Bankers contacted by the Fed said the drop in farm income was sharper than they expected going into the summer. Respondents expect income to decline fur ther and credit conditions to worsen in the coming months despite trade aid payments. The US Department of Agriculture started issuing payments from its 2019 trade aid program in August.

“Extreme weather conditions and commodity prices continue to adversely effect

the financial condition of our producers,” said one banker quoted in the report, identified only as located in Central Nebraska. “These conditions are potentially setting up a difficult renewal season this fall” for loans.

Farmers have responded by cutting back on spending and equipment purchases to preserve cash. Even so, their working capital deteriorated “at a modest pace,” according to the Fed. The Federal Reser ve Bank of Chicago, which covers five Midwestern states, also reported Thursday that farm credit conditions “slid yet again” in the third quarter. Bankers participating in the Chicago Fed regional survey also said they expected crop net cash earnings to drop in the fall and winter from levels a year earlier. Bloomberg News

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Sunday, November 17, 2019

The World BusinessMirror

Bolivian factions fight for control as Evo Morales snipes from afar

By Matthew Bristow & John Quigley

B

Bloomberg News

olivia’s interim president, Jeanine Anez, is struggling to consolidate control as lawmakers and former ministers loyal to ousted socialist leader Evo Morales try to reclaim the levers of power.

net and military high command since she staked her claim to office Tuesday. But Morales’s MAS party has a majority in both houses of congress, and members are doing everything they can to undermine Anez, who they say has no legal authority to govern.

Anez said Thursday that her presidency is “strictly provisional,” and has two main objectives: the repeal of a court ruling that allowed Morales to seek a fourth term and the organization of new elections as soon as possible.

Power vacuum

Former Bolivian President Evo Morales speaks during an interview with The Associated Press in Mexico City, Thursday, November 14. Mexico granted asylum to Morales, who resigned on November 10, under mounting pressure from the military and the public after his reelection victory triggered weeks of fraud allegations and deadly protests. AP/Eduardo Verdugo

Three days after Morales fled for Mexican exile after accusations of fraud as he sought a fourth term, his opponents and supporters continue to agitate on his behalf. Support from the army, the constitutional court and some foreign governments, including the US, means that Anez has the

upper hand for now.

“There are two groups of people claiming to be the government,” said Kathryn Ledebur, director of the Andean Information Network, a Bolivia-based think tank. “The armed forces are backing one. I don’t know if that’s definitive.”

Anez has appointed a new Cabi-

Mor ales quit Sunday along with his vice president and the heads of congress. He f led to Mexico and says he’s the victim of a “right-wing coup.”

Anez, who was an opposition senator and second vice president of the body, told congress Tuesday that she would assume the leadership, and that the constitution, therefore, made her interim head of state after Morales left the country.

Since t hen, Mora les’s a l l ies have cast about for a rg u ments about why she isn’t, a nd for possible repl acements.

Pro -Mora les Senate leader Adriana Salvatierra announced her resignation Sunday, but there are questions over whether this was valid, because it wasn’t submitted in writing and approved by the upper house.

Morales’s party also elected a new leader of the lower house

Thursday who, under the constitution, would be third in line to the presidency after the vice president and the Senate leader.

Morales’s foreign affairs minister, Diego Pary, vowed in a Twitter post that he would continue his ministerial duties. Bolivia’s ambassador to the UN rejected the demand by Anez’s government that he step down, saying he was appointed by the nation’s constitutional head of state in a decision that was ratified by the Senate.

Mora les himself continues to make statements on politics from outside the countr y. Carlos Mesa, who was runner-up in the October 20 presidential election, called on Mexico’s government to stop Morales from abusing his asylum status to stir up trouble.

Mexico has denounced Morales’s ouster as a coup, as have Cuba and Venezuela, while the US and Brazil have recognized Anez as legitimate. Russia, which had been an ally of Morales, said it would view Anez as leader until new elections are held.

Last month’s presidential election set off three weeks of violent protests. The crisis reached a head Sunday, when monitors from the Organization of American States said it was unlikely that Morales had really secured enough votes to avoid a second round.

Morales initially offered to hold a new election, then resigned after the army publicly withdrew its support.

Italy declares state of emergency in Venice after high tides

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OME—Italy’s government declared a state of emergency Thursday in floodravaged Venice, seeking to release funds to repair the historic lagoon city after it was damaged by the highest tide in 50 years.

A Cabinet meeting approved a special decree that included €20 million ($21.7 million) in immediate financial aid aimed at helping the city recover.

P r i me M i n i s t e r G iu s e p p e Conte described the f looding as “a blow to the heart of our countr y,” after spending Wednesday night in Venice, where worldfamous monuments, homes and businesses were hit hard by the exceptional f looding.

Venice’s mayor said the damage is estimated at “ hundreds of mil lions of euros.” Mayor Luigi Brugnaro blamed climate change for the “ dramatic situation” in the historical city and called for the speedy completion of the city’s long-delayed Moses f lood defense project.

The water levels reached 1.87 meters (over 6 feet, 1 inch) above sea level Tuesday, the second-highest level ever recorded in the city and just 7 centimeters (2 1/2 inches) lower than the historic 1966 flood.

Another wave of exceptionally high water followed Wednesday.

The exceptional flooding was caused by southerly winds that pushed a high tide, exacerbated by a full moon, into the city.

Although the waters have fallen from the peak reached late Tuesday, Saint Mark’s Square remained partially flooded on Thursday and a new peak water level is expected for Friday morning.

In Venice, the crypt beneath Saint Mark’s Basilica was inundated for only the second time in its history. Damage was also reported at the Ca’ Pesaro modern art gallery, where a short circuit

A woman jumps over a puddle during cleaning following a flooding in Venice, Italy, on Thursday. The worst flooding in Venice in more than 50 years has prompted calls to better protect the historic city from rising sea levels as officials calculated hundreds of millions of euros in damage. The water reached 1.87 meters above sea level Tuesday, the secondhighest level ever recorded in the city. Andrea Merola/ANSA via AP

set off a fire, and at the La Fenice theater, where authorities turned off the electricity as a precaution after the control room was flooded.

Venice Archbishop Francesco Moraglia said Saint Mark’s Basilica had suffered “irreparable damage,” with salty water posing risks to its mosaics, columns and pavements.

Venice for years has been struggling with unwieldly amounts of tourists, the constant deterioration of its fragile lagoon environment and a dwindling population.

Tuesday’s devastating floods have reignited a yearslong debate

Moses, a multibillion-euro flood defenses project that has been under construction since 2003.

The project has not yet been activated, after being delayed a number of times due to corruption scandals, costs overruns and environmentalists’ opposition over its effects on Venice’s lagoon ecosystem.

Italian Transport and Infrastructure Minister Paola de Micheli pledged Thursday that the Moses project will be completed by 2021, but part of it could start work even earlier.

Rising sea levels because of

climate change coupled with Venice’s well-documented sinking make the northeastern Italian city built amid a system of canals particularly vulnerable to the elements. The sea level in Venice is 10 centimeters (4 inches) higher than it was 50 years ago, according to the city’s tide office.

The damages this week included five ferries that serve as water buses, a critical means of transportation in the city. Photos on social media showed taxi boats and gondolas grounded on walkways flanking city canals. AP

Editor: Angel R. Calso · www.businessmirror.com.ph

Venezuela’s Juan Guaidó urges nation to go back into the streets

Juan GuaidÓ, Venezuelan opposition leader, and selfproclaimed interim president of Venezuela, adjusts the helmet on a motorcycle driver as he is driven from the Central University of Venezuela after a meeting with students, in Caracas, Venezuela, Thursday. AP/Ariana Cubillos

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ARACAS, Venezuela—Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has seen an ally forced from office and protests rattle leaders across Latin America in recent weeks, while he has enjoyed a period of relatively smooth sailing, expounding his socialist dream in nightly television addresses and attending international conferences.

But opposition leader Juan Guaidó is determined to disturb Maduro’s comfort, and has called on Venezuelans across the crisistorn nation to flood the streets Saturday for protests nearly a year after he launched his campaign to push Maduro from power.

“We don’t have a choice,” Guaidó told a rally this week, saying the circumstances are dire. “The alternative for this situation today is death. We want to live.”

Guaidó’s renewed call will test his ability to draw out masses, despite shrinking crowds rallying around him in recent months in a sign of disillusionment.

Geoff Ramsey, a Venezuela researcher at the Washington Office on Latin America think tank, said a lot of people will be watching closely to gauge Guaidó’s ability to inspire, especially at home in Venezuela.

“Guaidó is under increasing pressure from within his coalition to present a realistic path forward,” Ramsey said. “There’s a lot riding on this.”

Guaidó’s call for renewed protests in Venezuela comes as political turmoil embroils governments across the region, from Chile to Ecuador to Bolivia, forcing presidents into concessions and even contributing to one’s departure.

Bolivia’s President Evo Morales abruptly resigned and fled into exile in Mexico.

While all this happened, Maduro traveled to Azerbaijan for an international conference and even enjoyed a small bump in crude production after years of crashing levels and bad news for the oil-rich nation.

Guaidó, 36, leaped to the center of Venezuela’s political fray when the opposition-led National Assembly appointed him as its leader.

On January 23, 2019, he declared that he was assuming presidential powers. He vowed to remove Maduro and hold new elections.

The United States was first among a steadily growing list of more than 50 nations and international bodies to endorse Guaidó. They say Maduro clings to power following a sham election in 2018. They accuse him of human-rights violations and failed economic policies that have bankrupted Venezuela.

The nation sits atop the world’s largest oil reserves, but production has crashed for the last two decades. Production made a rare uptick in October, according to Opec

figures, showing the first increase in six months. Still, oil pumping is at the same level Venezuela last produced in 1944.

Most Venezuelans earn minimum wage equals less than $15 a month, and inflation this year is estimated to hit 200,000 percent.

Millions live with unreliable water and constant power outages, and drivers wait in mile-long lines to gas up their cars.

Guaidó has held numerous events in recent days, reminding residents that these conditions aren’t normal. He’s visited neighborhoods and talked with university students, urging their return to the street. The opposition published “Wakeup Venezuela!” videos on social media promoting the march.

On Tuesday, Guaidó boarded the Caracas subway with regular commuters headed to lead the National Assembly.

Guaidó rejected claims that d isi l lusionment w i l l prevent Venezuelans from heeding his call come Saturday, saying he’s defied doubters before.

“Nobody believed in Venezuela on the 23rd of January,” Guaidó told The Associated Press. “Today, Venezuela is even clearer about its future.”

Bolivia’s crisis is likely serving as a case study for both Maduro and Guaidó, analysts say. Morales, a longtime socialist ally of Maduro, fled to exile in Mexico when a general “suggested” he step down, after irregularities in the election that he claimed gave him a fourth term.

However, Maduro has diligently cultivated Venezuela’s generals, who have remained loyal, even as Guaidó early in the campaign pushed to flip the soldiers against Maduro and later mounting a failed military uprising.

The government plans to counter Saturday’s opposition demonstration. The socialist party has called its own rival rally. Maduro beefed up security, ordering civilian militias to patrol the streets.

Police clashed with students at a Caracas university following a speech by Guaidó. Dozens of students offered the police white roses and urged them to abandon Maduro. The students then tried to charge the police line and threw rocks, drawing pepper spray and tear gas in return.

E x it ing a C a racas subway, shop ow ner Jose Bu it rago, 53, sa id he’s fed up watc h ing rel atives leave Venezuela. He complained of liv ing w ith a painful her nia, but t he broken hea lt hca re system depr ives h im of a simple operat ion.

“The time has come that for us to go out to fight because this can’t stand anymore,” said Buitrago, who plans to protest on Saturday.

He hopes other Venezuelans will join him. AP

Journey

»life on the go

BusinessMirror

Editor: Tet Andolong

Sunday, November 17, 2019

A5

War, adventure and remembrance

F

Story & Photos by Bernard supetran

OR history buffs, 2019 is a year of remembrance for monumental events in 1944 related to the Second World War— most notably the so-called D-Day Allied Landings in Normandy, France, to liberate Europe from Nazi Germany. Dubbed as the biggestever amphibious troop landings, it is immortalized in movie classics such as The Longest Day and Saving Private Ryan.

A guerilla veteran at the MacArthur Memorial Park

Asian-themed and fire dances at The Oriental Leyte

In the Philippines, several areas were abuzz with the 75th anniversary of crucial events in the Pacific war theater—Romblon’s Battle of Sibuyan Sea, Leyte Gulf Landings, and the Battle of Surigao Strait, to name a few.

But to many travel industry professionals, these commemorations aren’t simply nostalgic trips down memory lane but huge opportunities for tourism and have thus coined the phrase “war, adventure and remembrance” to journey to the historic spots and beyond.

Bataan, the country’s ground zero of World War II, is synonymous to the heroic stand of Filipino and American troops to the Japanese memorialized at the iconic towering cross of the Dambana ng Kagitingan (Shrine of Valor) atop Mount Samat.

This peninsular province also offers a plethora of nature and adventure sites to complement the war-related attractions. At Mount Samat’s bosom is the 540-meter long, 43-meter high zipline, Dunsulan Falls, and the six-stage Tree Hopping Adventure where you can sidetrip after the Dambana.

The Oriental Leyte

A must-see is the City of Balanga Wetlands and Nature Park, a 34-hectare mangrove forest and foreshore, a bird-watching site and habitat to 9,500 endemic and migratory avians.

Further south is the seaside town of Mariveles, the Kilometer 0 of the infamous Bataan Death March, which can be reached through a scenic and steep zigzag. Its new social-media sensation is so-called Five Fingers because of its finger-shaped coves and its fine sands, crystalline water, and rock cliffs. Sisiman pebble beach, Mount San Miguel and Mariveles View Park are some of the raw and inexpensive getaways in the area, away from the madding crowd.

For staycations, The Oriental Bataan is the hands-down choice with its Old World and garden charm, modern amenities, Asian cuisine dishes, and cliff view restaurant known for its live band, buffet grill, dancing staff and fire dancers during dinners.

Formerly the Bataan Hilltop Hotel designed by the late National Artist Leandro Locsin, it boasts of an adjunct team-

Death March Km 0 in Mariveles

building adventure camp, a convention center, and a luxe dorm for executives and long-staying guests of the Freeport Area of Bataan.

For beach bumming in style, day tours to the upscale Camaya Coast can also be arranged through Oriental.

Down in the Visayas, Leyte Gulf arguably is the country’s counterpart to the Normandy landings with the monumental troops and warships who took part. This body of water is ac-

claimed for the biggest naval battle in history, which spanned the stretch of the archipelago’s Pacific seaboard from San Bernardino Strait to Surigao Strait.

Best remembered for the fulfillment of Gen. Douglas MacArthur’s quotable “I Shall Return,” the landing site in Palo is like a pilgrimage site for tourists and locals who stroll by the largerthan-life bronze monument underwent a facelift in for the commemorations.

On its fringes are the Cathe-

The Oriental Bataan Adventure Park

dral of the Lord’s Transfiguration in Palo, Signal Site in Tolosa, Hill 120 in Dulag, and the Provincial Capitol, Price Mansion and Hotel Alejandro in Tacloban City, which figured in the liberation.

Beyond these hallowed grounds are the “Infinite Escapes” of Eastern Visayas as identified by the Department of Tourism—Sohoton Cave and Natural Bridge in Basey, Langun-Gobingob Caves and Lulugayan Falls in Calbiga, Ulot River Torpedo Boat Ride in Paranas, Kalanggaman Sandbar in Palompon,

Higatangan and Sambawan Islands in Biliran, and the San Juanico Strait Cruise, among others.

Adjacent to MacArthur’s shrine is the equally iconic The Oriental Leyte, a regional favorite with its resort ambiance, gardens and open spaces, stately seaview suites, Asian themed interiors and cuisine, local delicacies which include the tasty moron and binagol. Dinners are spiced up by a barrio fiesta highlighted by the signature fire dance show.

Formerly the government’s McArthur Park Beach Resort, it was destroyed by Supertyphoon Yolanda, and thus has a checkered story to tell. It reopened in 2016 with added Oriental flair of Vietnamese, Thai, Filipino and Chinese cultures and cuisine, as well as enhanced amenities like videoke rooms for unwinding after business functions.

The luxe resort hotel offers Second World War Sentimental Journey, customized tours for special guests, and butler service on demand to the various destinations in region. It is also the home of diplomats, veterans, and VIPs taking part in the annual Leyte Gulf Landings rites every October, and the venue of postevent fellowships.

War remembrances isn’t exactly opening old wounds, but also a healing experience as we value the uncommon valor of those who made the ultimate sacrifice.

Journ Okada Manila

Business

A6 Sunday, November 17, 2019

builds two-story gingerbread house

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KADA Manila presented the two-story gingerbread house to the public on November 8, which is located at the Fountain Foyer Entrance of the hotel.

Since 2017, Okada Manila has celebrated Christmas by building a gingerbread house. It is one of the property’s main attractions for the

Yuletide season and it is a favorite among families and travelers.

This year, Okada Manila’s gingerbread will be adorned with

Christmas treats and candies. The gingerbread house was created

by Okada Manila’s pastry chefs, led by Executive Pastry Chef Joseph Teuschler. A total of 20 chefs and artisans from Paete, Laguna, were also an integral part of the team.

Size

n The two-story gingerbread house dimensions: 3.2m x 4.2m x 7m n Materials: Mixed media, lighting fixtures n Select ingredients: Authentic

Palawan honey, sugar, cinnamon, flour, ginger, eggs n Mascot: Gingerbread man (5 to 5 feet tall) n Awards: Okada Manila won overall champion at the recently culminated Philippine Culinary Cup 2

Chef Teuschler

Born in Austria, Joseph Teuschler discovered his passion for baking at the age of 13 by helping at the local bakery. Upon the successful completion of this apprenticeship, he was hired by the Hotel Central, then the Almhof

Schneider Hotel, in Lech, Austria.

In 1990 he was hired as a pastry chef by the Fairmont Hotel in Lake Louise, Alberta, Canada. Two years later, he returned to his home in Austria for a few months, before joining the Four Seasons Hotel group in Toronto in 1993.

In 1997, the Great Chefs television team caught up with him at the Four Seasons Resort on the island of Nevis, where he was just appointed executive pastry chef, taping him for their Great Chefs of the Caribbean series on the Dis-

covery Channel.

A year later, following a major hurricane, Four Seasons moved him to Atlanta, Santa Barbara and Barbados. In 2004, he joined the Ritz-Carlton in Dola, Qatar; Jumeirah Hotel and Emirates Palace in Dubai (2007 to 2012); and then joined the Solaire Resort and Casino Group, first in Manila, Philippines, and in 2015 back to Dubai.

In August of 2016, Teuschler became executive pastry chef at the Okada Manila in the Philippines.

Antipolo bags national tourism awards

Antipolo Tourism Officer Marino Bacani (center), ATOP officers led by its national president Minda Vargas-Regis (fifth from left), and Department of Tourism regional directors led by host Martin Valera of Ilocos region (ninth from left) during the Pearl Awards night held at the Saint Augustine Church in Paoay, a Unesco World Heritage Site.

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HE City of Antipolo bagged major awards in the recent Association of Tourism Officers of the Philippines (ATOP) annual national

convention held in Laoag City, Ilocos Norte. The city was adjudged as the grand winner in the Best Tourism Week/Month Celebration (City Category) and first

runner-up in the Best Tourism Promotional Materials (Collaterals) with its interactive brochure in the prestigious Pearl Awards.

Meanwhile, the Association of

Tourism Officers of Rizal was voted Most Outstanding Tourism Organization.

One of the country’s earliest resort towns, Antipolo had 7,194.182 same-day arrivals in 2018, which is 10th among domestic destinations.

The capital of Rizal province, the mountain city is known for the iconic Hinulugang Taktak and the Shrine of our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage, home to a centuries-old May-time religious pilgrimage, and is immortalized in the folk song “Tayo na sa Antipolo.” Today, the city is known for its farm and garden lodging, inland pool resorts, homegrown gourmet restaurants, hotels with an overlooking view of Metro Manila and Laguna Lake, wellness spas, art galleries, and special interest attractions.

Marco Polo kicks off ‘Sparkling’ holiday season

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O formally welcome the Holiday season, Marco Polo Ortigas Manila recently held its ceremonial tree-lighting event in thanksgiving for a truly spectacular year. Themed “Sparkling Holidays,” the Hotel’s décor and promotional offers were inspired by its fifth anniversary celebrations, which began in July this year.

In attendance were the Honorable Bernadette Romulo Puyat, tourism secretary, as well as Pasig City Vice Mayor Christian Bernardo and City Administrator Atty. Jeron Manzanero. Some of the hotel’s guests, clients and partners were also in attendance for the joyous event.

“We come together this season not just as part of one

community, but also as a city, and as a country. On behalf of the entire Marco Polo Ortigas Manila, we enjoin everyone to find more meaning this holiday season in even the simplest acts of kindness,” said Frank Reichenbach, the hotel’s general manager.

This year, Marco Polo Ortigas Manila has received numerous accolades, making 2019 indeed a year to remember. It remains the only Philippine nongaming hotel to have received the esteemed Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star Award for three consecutive years. It was also recently named the World Travel Awards’s leading Philippine hotel for the second straight year, and it remains the No.1 ranked

hotel in Pasig City.

During the program, the hotel also duly acknowledged this year’s community partners for their contributions in bringing value to people’s lives. Riversprings School in Pasig was the beneficiary of proceeds from last July’s charity dinner at Cucina, while the Ezer School of Naujan will be working closely with the Marco Polo Ortigas Manila for their sustainable livelihood program in Mindoro.

Please log on to www.marcopolohotels.com for more details on the hotel’s ongoing promotions for the holiday season.

Subscribe for updates via social media through the hotel’s official social-media accounts:

facebook.com/MarcoPoloOrtigasManila, and @MarcoPoloManila on Twitter and Instagram.

8990 Leisure to develop 20-hectare luxury resort in Siquijor

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HE 8990, through its subsidiary 8990 Leisure and Resorts, recently announced the start of development of its first super luxury resort—Adama Resort Siquijor. Located in a 20-hectare property, this resort boasts of its own private white-sand cove and 250 luxury accommodations.

The new development is the company’s first foray in luxury resort category.

Heading 8990 Leisure and Resorts is its President Lowell Yu, the man behind high-end membership shopping chain Landers Superstore, Popeyes Chicken, Kuya J, Isla Sugbu Seafood City and the iconic Grand Convention Center of Cebu.

Explaining the company’s pioneering initiative to develop Siquijor into a tourism destination, Yu pointed out the island’s pristine reefs, white-sand beaches and its unique appeal as a mystical island that captures the imagination of tourists who have visited the province.

A small island situated in the Central Visayas region, Siquijor’s virgin whitesand coastline, clear turquoise waters, pristine reefs, enchanting waterfalls and caves offer a more exclusive and exciting version of a getaway. Previously called Isla del Fuego by the Spanish due to the warm glow from the fireflies in the molave trees of the island, Siquijor creates a warm and mystic feeling that captures the imagination of many tourists that visits this island.

The super luxury resort will have topnotch amenities that highlight the natural beauty and topography of Siquijor. The master plan includes a central foyer that highlights the island’s natural scenery, rooms that are expertly designed to take advantage of natural light enhanced by the use of relaxing Earth tone colors and luxury cabanas beside Siquijor beach’s crystal-clear waters. These masterfully designed amenities will be complemented by an exclusive butler service.

A first glimpse of the resort is expected by 2020.

8990 Leisure and Resorts is the newest subsidiary of 8990 Holdings Inc., the largest mass housing in the country listed in the Philippine Stock Exchange as HOUSE. Adama Resort Siquijor is the first of the 10 new hotels and resorts of HOUSE. All of which are expected to be completed before 2023 and contribute around P3 billion of additional recurring revenue to HOUSE. HOUSE generated record revenue of P7.01 billion and net income of P2.82 billion in just the first six months of 2019.

Adama Resort is set to open in the second half of 2020, setting up the stage for its other luxury hotel Kura, and its urban hotel Argo. Together with Adama, these hotel and resorts are set to support the growing key tourist destinations of Palawan, Cebu, Boracay, Davao, Iloilo, Siargao, Baguio and Metro Manila.

ney

»life on the go

sMirror

Editor: Tet Andolong

A7

Discover the hidden gems of Edsa-Chino Roces

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O carve your place in the world, you need the right space where you can maximize opportunities to build your dreams. Yes, living and working in the city may become a bit challenging at times, but that’s also the reason we look for the best possible things that we can enjoy to make every moment count—from our goals and loved ones to living spaces that suit our lifestyles and invigorate us to no end.

That’s the promise that the emerging urban lifestyle district in Edsa-Chino Roces Avenue offers today’s discerning urban individuals. With a host of creative, dining, and leisure hot spots now gaining attention within the area, it’s no surprise that it is now being considered as the next most coveted address in the Metro. Understanding of the need of young families, professionals, and next-generation achievers to be in a space where accessibility, convenience, and inspiration all converge, property giant Megaworld has unveiled its latest residential condominium development in the area in the form of the 57-story Vion Tower.

one-of-a-kind architectural piece that will dot the Makati skyline.

Offering studio units (up to 31 square meters), one bedroom (up to 51 sq m), and two-bedroom units (up to 71 sq m), there certainly are more than enough options to choose the living space that you want depending on your needs. At the end of a long day, you can also take in the glorious view of the cityscape as some of the units will also feature their own balconies.

The property also features generous amenities exclusive to its residents, which include a 25-meter lap pool and wading pool, function hall, fitness center, outdoor fitness area, children’s playground, day-care center, relaxation lounge and a library. Highlighted by futureready facilities, such as a Smart Parcel Delivery System, which allows an automated receiving, claiming and storage of parcels, Vion Tower elevates the standards of condo living.

Accessibility is also one thing future residents can enjoy at Vion Tower as it is less than 10 minutes away to and from Ninoy Aquino International Airport via Skyway, less than 15 minutes away from the Entertainment City and Manila Bay area, and only 20 minutes away from Quezon City via MRT at the Magallanes station that sits right beside the property. The tower will also offer retail shops in two levels, as well as a multilevel podium parking for both residents and guests.

With all of these draws going your way, defining your success the way Vion Tower is redefining the Makati City skyline is certainly a doable feat.

Touted as Edsa-Makati’s tallest residential tower to date, Vion Tower is strategically located along Edsa corner Chino Roces Avenue, making it an ideal address for those working in Taguig, Pasay, the Makati Central Business District, and other thriving hubs within Metro Manila.

Set to rise just a stone’s throw away from the future Magallanes Transport Hub, Vion Tower offers residents a chance to enjoy every moment in the city, fulfill their passions, and achieve the things they lined up for themselves all at the same time. With an illuminated tower crown that stands out and can be seen from kilometers away, Vion Tower is undoubtedly designed to be a

Level up your holiday flights with Delta

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T’S been quite a long 2019, filled with challenges overcome, goals met, promises fulfilled, and a whole lot of blood, sweat, and tears. It’s finally time to think of yourself. And there is no better reward for a productive year than a relaxing trip.

Delta knows how much you are looking forward to that long holiday vacation. That’s why it’s making sure that each moment you spend with them is a comfortable and happy experience.

Get a wholly reinvented international main cabin service

Award-winning private island opens for corporate leasing T HE booming online and offshore business sector will find a new home as award-winning private isle Arena Island announced it is opening its shores for short- to long-term lease to businesses. Named Best Luxury Private Island Resort in 2017 and 2018 by the World Luxury Hotel Awards, Arena Island offers modern luxury amid a rustic environment conducive for peace and solitude required of certain professions.

Nestled in Narra, a coastal municipality of Palawan, Arena Island sits on a thriving coral reef, home to a diverse marine life and resources. It is a turtle sanctuary that protects natural-born hatchlings from predators and human traders. Arena Island is surrounded by white-sand beach and pristine waters best for re-

laxation or mindful work.

“The idea of a modern workplace is quickly changing and there’s a demand for better work environments responsive to current needs. By design, Arena Island is ideal for activities that require a clear headspace or induce it, whichever you need. That’s why we think it will be a perfect off-site digital corporate center, creative island for app development and programming, as well as a digital marketing and gaming hub,” said Luis Morales, managing partner at Arena Island Turtle Sanctuary Resort.

Arena Island offers various packages depending on a company’s requirements. The most costefficient is a 20-year contract for total management business operation. Short-term lessees may also rent the island to themselves

on exclusive weekday and weekend rates.

The packages include complimentary use of cabanas and amenities, such as the floating deck, private boat, and fishing boat with operator, as well as complimentary activities like snorkeling, swimming, kayaking, board diving, beach volleyball, stargazing, turtle hatchlings interaction, and fishing after a long day’s work. Island dwellers will also enjoy the personalized experience courtesy of their own butler and chef.

Getting to the island requires flights to Puerto Princesa City, Palawan, followed by private van transfers to Narra town, and a private boat ride about 45 minutes long. For more information about Arena Island, visit the web site https://www.arenaisland.com/.

Starting November 5, the airline debuts its industry-leading Main Cabin experience. Passengers get free “Welcome Aboard” cocktails featuring Bellini, hot towel service, and mix-andmatch options for premium appetizers and larger entrées.

These enhancements were borne out of rigorous reviews of the service through nearly 14,000 hours of flight time from over 1,800 customer surveys and crew feedback. A design team made up of 24 flight attendants also gave their input to perfect the innovative service of Delta’s international flights.

Apart from these, Delta has provided specialized training to its team of more than 3,000 Pursers, who are the lead flight attendants on international flights.

Responsible for the customer experience from nose to tail, the Purser has been elevated to include pre-flight introductions in the gate house and personal greetings at the boarding door.

This shows just how important connections between crew and customers are important to the airline.

In addition to the recently upgraded amenity kits, more international onboard enhancements are coming soon including refreshed earbuds and headsets.

This is in line with Delta’s commitment to creating a best-in-

class experience all customers can look forward to.

Simplify your travel with the upgraded Fly Delta app

With its many convenient features, customers can worry less about checking in, securing luggage, or even satisfying cravings while onboard.

Later this year, Delta will expand its auto-check-in feature, which is already popular with its domestic customers, to include international flights.

Confirmed Delta passengers will be checked in automatically 24 hours prior to their scheduled departure. Customers will receive an alert via e-mail or push notification, open the app, input or confirm passport information, and their boarding pass will be there along with everything they need for their flight.

Once inside the app, customers can access the “Today” mode to easily add checked bags, change seats and purchase upgrades.

Popular pre-select meal program

By browsing through the Fly Delta app, Delta One customers will be able to select their preferred meal 21 days prior to their trip.

Customers will also be able to select meals for others traveling under the same reservation.

As the trip gets closer, Delta One passengers who haven’t yet made a meal selection will receive an e-mail, reminding them to select an entrée. From there, they’ll be driven to the “Trip Overview” screen in the Fly Delta app to browse their entrée options and pick their favorite plate. You can make changes to your selection up to 24 hours prior to your trip.

Secure your luggage with Delta’s RFID bag tag technology

First deployed in 2016, Delta’s Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) baggage tracking technology provides customers with improved real-time tracking of luggage throughout the travel experience. This is a first for US carriers.

With RFID, customers will get to track their bags on and off the aircraft during their journey via push notifications to the Fly Delta mobile app.

The holidays shouldn’t be a time for stress and frustration.

With all these enhancements, Delta is giving you the means to have the best holiday experience possible.

Journey BusinessMirror

»life on the go

A8 |Sunday, November 17, 2019 • Editor: Tet Andolong

Boats at the beachfront of Amorita Ramon Tulfo

Amorita, a dearly loved resort

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By Ramon Tulfo

friendly image of the resort.

The management staff was kind enough to accommodate us during dinner, in which they served a whole set of dishes, such as crackling pork sinigang, sisig quesadillas and beef salpicao.

F you are planning to spend your vacation in Bohol, the Amorita Resort is definitely the best place to stay in. This grandiose resort is located on top of a limestone cliff beside the Alona beach, which encapsulates what the resort has to offer; bliss and tranquility.

‘Thalassophilia’ and fun

INFINITY pool Ramon Tulfo

Junior Suite

The resort has very hospitable staff that is more than happy to accommodate the needs of their visitors and guests. In addition, the resort was recognized as one of the 10 Asean Green Hotel Awardees, which is an excellent indicator of how Amorita values the environment.

Lodging

The junior suite was the room we checked into, as we settled in this cozy and spacious room, there were cookies placed on the dining table which served as a welcome treat. Furthermore, the room had a minimalist design while, at the same time, it was fully furnished—complete with a large comfy sofa bed, king size bed, two flat-screen televisions,

fast network Wi-fi, minibar and fragrant bathroom. Lastly, our room had a nice view of the resort’s garden and restaurant.

Unique cuisine

Another excellent feature of the Amorita resort is its Saffron restaurant, which serves a unique plethora of Filipino and Western dishes, such as the crackling pork sinigang, white marlin and sisig quesadillas.

Since, we visited the resort on the late of October, there was a Halloween-themed buffet filled with meals that were appealing to the appetite of the children, such as chocolate eyeballs, sausage fingers, among many other dishes. This Halloween-themed buffet contributes to the family

Thalassophilia means love for the seas and oceans, and from where I was standing in the resort, I had a clear view of the Alona beach and the rustling waves from the cool breeze were simply amazing.

The Amorita resort is a host to many activities, which a lover of the sea would appreciate such as scuba diving, snorkeling and kayaking. There is also a scuba center available for those who wish to learn how to scuba dive.

The Alona beach was beyond words, as I swam underneath the clear and clean sea which was filled with starfish, corals and small fish. Although, I should have woken up earlier, because the resort offers a boat trip for guests, who want to get a glimpse of the dolphins swimming in the sea along with the best spot for snorkeling and diving, the tour also takes the visitors to the best sights in Panglao Island.

The beach had fine powdery white sand, which was good for walking on if one wants to take a stroll to witness the beautiful sunset.

The resort also has two large infinity pools for the adults and kids. There is also a playground near the Saffron restaurant wherein the children can have fun. While there are also bicycles that can be rented in the reception area, since the garden of Amorita has enough space for guests to ride bicycles.

Going back

Saffron Restaurant

Amorita resort is a place worth coming back for, because my stay in this place was awesome, and if I had to describe it, I could say that it was a serene experience, especially since every person needs to unwind from work or school occasionally.

Staying at the Amorita resort was a great reminder of how the Philippines is filled with beautiful natural resources, which should be appreciated every once in a while.

Faith www.businessmirror.com.ph • Editor: Lyn Resurreccion

Sunday

Sunday, November 17, 2019 A9

33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time: ‘Luke 21:5-19’

What is the secret of perseverance?

Msgr. Josefino S. Ramirez SUNDAY GOSPEL IN OUR LIFE

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fter warning His followers of the possible difficulties that they can expect, Jesus Christ ends the gospel reading of today by exhorting them to perseverance. “Your endurance will win your lives.”

Faced with difficulties, we have to continue along our way to God. And we should not be surprised if perseverance in the good path can prove to be arduous.

Perseverance is a human virtue that forms part of the cardinal virtue of fortitude. If someone were not constant and firm, even if he had many praiseworthy desires, he would not be able to carry them out.

But there is also a supernatural virtue of perseverance. This refers to the desirable goal of persisting in the friendship of God, and reaching the end of our life in that state.

History is replete with examples of persons who started well, but ended up estranged from God. In the Old Testament, we can think of the famous King Solomon. He was the greatest king of Israel and was known for his wisdom. God favored him with political success.

But toward his years of maturity, it seems that he did not persevere in his good works. He fell into idolatry, prodded on by his many pagan wives.

In the New Testament, we can think of the apostle Judas. He was

among the 12 who drank directly from the words of Jesus Christ.

Yet, he ended up betraying his Great benefactor.

We can actually see treason and betrayal all around us. Those persons whom God would like to count on sometimes fail Him, perhaps, giving more importance to public opinion, or simply because they did not have the needed strength to withstand pressure.

If such worthy men were not able to persevere, how can we, weak as we are, be assured of our own perseverance?

Here, we see why perseverance is actually a gift of God. No one can be sure in this life of his own perseverance.

Saint Paul said we have to work out our salvation “in fear and trembling.” But we can ask God for the grace of final perseverance.

This means that we cannot become self-complacent and take our perseverance for granted. There is a need for constant struggle and renewal. Yet, we have the assurance of victory if we rely on the goodness and mercy of God. To rely on God means to pray, to implore God’s help.

T herefore, t he ke y to f i n a l perse vera nce i s prayer. P ray h u m b l y a n d s i n c e r e l y, a n d G od w i l l g ra nt you t he g race to endu re a nd perse vere.

Stop praying and rely on your own talents, and you will surely fall headlong into infidelity.

Bishop to youth: Don’t let poverty destroy your dreams

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eing poor should not be a barrier to fulfill one’s dreams and be of service to others, a Catholic bishop said.

Speaking to the delegates of the Second International YouCat Congress in Iloilo City last week, Bishop Leopoldo Jaucian of Bangued shared his personal vocation story.

Coming from a poor family in Urdaneta, Pangasinan, he admitted experiencing hardship and the fear of not being able to enter college, clinging only to God for hope.

In 1976, he went to work as a full-time sacristan at the Society of the Divine Word’s Christ the King Seminary in Quezon City, hoping to pursue college studies.

But while working at the seminary, the prelate said he was invited to join the SVD community, with the help of a benefactor.

The following year, he entered first year philosophy as a working student and, eventually, became a priest.

After 30 years, he went back to the very altar he used to clean and was ordained a bishop.

“I was telling myself poverty is not a hindrance to fulfill one’s dreams and to be of service,” Jaucian said in a tearful voice.

The bishop, who chairs the Episcopal Commission on Youth, lamented that many young Filipinos lack the opportunity of education and reaching their dreams because of poverty.

But instead of losing hope, he said that poverty should rather encourage young people to strive hard to attain success.

He then called on church institutions and religious communities “to be more sensitive and listen to the yearnings of the young where we can help them.”

“May we always be a Jesus to them, giving all opportunities to each one equally and making them realize giving them opportunities where they can once more see Christ through us,” he said. CBCP News

Cebu archbishop appointed to Vatican council for culture

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ope Francis has appointed Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma as one of the members of the Pontifical Council for Culture.

According to an article posted on the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) News web site, the 69-year-old Catholic prelate was among the eight new member-appointees to the office, most of whom are cardinals.

Palma is the only Asian among the appointees, who are mostly Europeans.

While attending to his pastoral work in Cebu, Palma will also now work with the dicastery, a department of the Roman Curia, the administration of the Holy See through which the pope directs the Roman Catholic Church, which is led by biblical scholar and Italian Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi.

The council was established in 1982 by Pope John Paul II with the aim of establishing a dialogue between the Church and the cultures of modern times. It has its roots in the Second Vatican Council’s vision to address the challenges of unbelief and religious indifference in modern society.

Likewise, the council touches on other important areas of society: science, arts, economy, and the value and care of the artistic and historic patrimony of the Church.

Meanwhile, Msgr. Joseph Tan, spokesman of the Cebu archdiocese, expressed gratitude to the Vatican for choosing their head to be a member of the Pontifical Council for Culture.

“As the archdiocese, is preparing to spearhead the celebration of the 500th anniversary of the first baptism in the country [which also allowed Christianity access into the mainstream Filipino culture]—all these come together coinciding with the archbishop’s [Palma] appointment as a reminder for all of us in the country not just to remember the honor conferred by history on our nation but also to highlight the responsibility entrusted upon all of us that we have been gifted in order to give,” the Catholic priest added.

Palma, a bishop for 21 years, has been serving Cebu, the country’s largest archdiocese, since 2011. Ferdinand Patinio-PNA

Pope Francis with the members of the Council for Inclusive Capitalism on November 11. Vatican Media

Pope: Inclusive capitalism leaves no one behind

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ATICAN—Pope Francis last week called for the renewal and purification of existing economic models to be fair, trustworthy and capable of extending opportunities to all, not only a few.

“An inclusive capitalism that leaves no one behind, that discards none of our brothers or sisters, is a noble aspiration,” Pope Francis said in the Vatican’s Apostolic Palace.

“A glance at recent history, in particular the financial crisis of 2008, shows us that a healthy economic system cannot be based on short-term profit at the expense of long-term productive, sustainable and socially responsible development and investment,” he said.

T he pope met w ith members of t he Cou nc i l for Inc lu sive C apit a l ism, whose v ision he

said involves “overcoming an economy of exclusion and reducing the gap separating the major it y of people f rom t he prosperit y enjoyed by the few.”

“You have set before yourselves the goal of extending the opportunities and benefits of our economic system to all people,” he said. “An economic system that is fair, trustworthy and capable of addressing the most profound challenges facing humanity and our planet is urgently needed.”

Pope Francis said that those who engage in business a nd economic life have “a noble vo-

cation” to ser ve the common good by creating jobs, increasing prosperity and working to make the goods of this world more accessible to all.

“When we recognize the moral dimension of economic life, which is one of the many aspects of Catholic social doctrine that must be integrally respected, we are able to act with fraternal charity, desiring, seeking and protecting the good of others and their integral development,” he explained.

The pope warned that “an economic system detached from ethical concerns” leads to a “throw away” culture of consumption and waste.

Pope Francis recalled his meeting in 2016 with participants in the Fortune-Time Global Forum in which he called for “more inclusive and equitable economic models that would permit each person to share in the resources of this world and have opportunities to realize his or her potential.”

The pope said that the Council for Inclusive Capitalism was born

CBCP unveils ‘Year of Ecumenism’ logo

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he Catholic Church last week unveiled a new logo and theme for the celebration of the Year of Ecumenism, Inter rel ig iou s Di a log ue and Indigenous Peoples.

According to the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), the logo features three shapes, two in blue colors and one in red, creating a blank space in the form of heart. It represents a harmonious dynamism and movement in a circle.

At the center of the heart is the theme for the year 2020: “Dialogue Towards Harmony.”

“Even though the shapes are different, they follow the same direction. The logo is formed by two blocks distinguished by the two colors,” the CBCP said in a statement.

It added that the colors of the logo are the same as those of the Philippine flag.

“The blue color represents the color of the Pacific Ocean and the color of the Filipino islands,” it added, noting that the red color represents the textile art of the indigenous peoples.

The celebration is part of the nine-year “spiritual journey,” which started in 2013, to pre-

out of that forum.

“Rising levels of poverty on a global scale bear witness to the prevalence of inequality rather than a harmonious integration of persons and nations…I encourage you to persevere along the path of generous solidarity and to work for the return of economics and finance to an ethical approach which favors human beings,” the pope said.

“A s my pre de ces sor Sa i nt Pau l V I reminded us, authentic development cannot be restr icted to economic g row t h a lone, but must foster t he grow th of each person and of t he whole p e rson ,” he s a id . “ This means more than balancing budgets, improv ing infrastr uctures or offer ing a w ider var iet y of consumer goods.”

“What is needed is a fundamental renewal of hearts and minds so that the human person may always be placed at the center of social, cultural and economic life,” Pope Francis said.

Courtney Mares/CNA/CBCP News

Bishop offers to help govt in drug rehab

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The CBCP unveils the logo and theme for the celebration of the Year of Ecumenism, Interreligious Dialogue and Indigenous Peoples on November 13. The logo represents a harmonious dynamism and movement in a circle. CBCP News

pare for the 500th anniversary of the arrival of Christianity in the Philippines in 2021.

The Year of Ecumenism, Interreligious Dialogue and Indigenous Peoples will replace the Year of the Youth, which will officially end on November 24, the feast of Christ the King.

The remaining year of the preparation will be dedicated to

missio ad gentes (mission to the nations) in 2021 and is aimed at celebrating “the human fraternity by promoting the culture of dialogue as a path to peace.”

Likewise, it aims “to work for unity and harmony while respecting diversity and to recognize indigenous peoples’ identities, spiritualities and ancestral domain.”

Ferdinand Patinio/PNA

Catholic bishop said the government’s plan to hire more health workers to address the drug addiction problem is “long overdue” but offered help for the rehabilitation of drug users.

Bishop Pablo Virgilio David of Caloocan, a vocal critic of the Duterte administration’s bloody drug war, said his diocese is willing to work with the government if only to help deal with the drug problem. “[It is] long overdue but never too late if they can admit what we have been insisting on all along—that drug addiction is basically a health issue,” David said.

In 2016, the Caloocan diocese has opened its parishes as venues for a community-based drug rehabilitation program.

Dubbed as “Kaagapay Ministry,” the program has three main components: care each for patient, family and community.

“We can even help the government cut down the cost if only the anti-drug abuse councils of local government units are willing to partner with our parishes and tap our volunteer mental health workers,” David said.

Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said they are seeking more funds to hire more psychologists and psychiatrists for rehabilitation centers across the country.

The government, he said, plans to build at least one treatment and rehabilitation center for every region.

David earlier challenged the Department of Health to be more active in confronting substance abuse in the country. CBCP News

Science

A10 Sunday, November 17, 2019

BusinessMirror

Sunday

www.businessmirror.com.ph • Editor: Lyn Resurreccion

DOST-SEI scholarships help Filipino families give their kids good education

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Story & photo by Lyn Resurreccion

’m very happy that my son qualified in the [Department of Science and Technology-Science Education Institute (DOST-SEI)] scholarship program. It helped him have college education because I have no money to send him to school. I am just a farmworker in corn farms, and my husband has died,” Gina Diwangan told the BusinessMirror in the local dialect.

Diwangan’s only son, Jession, graduated cum laude in BS Electrical Engineering from the University of Science and Technology of Southern Philippines in Cagayan de Oro City. He is currently employed at a company in Cavite.

For her part, Margie Maribao, a mother of six, is very thankful because besides giving her daughter, Sharmarie Love, the chance to st udy i n col lege t h rou g h the DOST-SEI scholarship, her daughter is already helping her family financially.

“She has been giving me part of her school allowance,” Margie, in tears, told the BusinessMirror in Filipino.

With six children and a sick husband, Margie said that she could not afford to send her children to college with her meager income of P1,000 a month as a Barangay health worker and P3,000 monthly as a barangay janitor.

A DOST-SEI scholar receives a stipend of P7,000 a month, plus tuition and other school fees, book and transportation allowances, and other privileges.

“I am very proud of my daughter because she is trying her best to improve her life so she would not end up like me,” she said.

Sharmarie will graduate with

BS in Secondary Education Major in General Science in 2020.

The children of Diwangan and Maribao were among the DOSTSEI scholars and their parents from Region 10 who participated in the “In Touch with Excellence cum Scholars’ Exit Conference” at a hotel in Valencia City in Bukidnon on November 11.

In school year 2018 -2019, 566 DOST-SEI scholars from Region 10 graduated in science and technolog y courses.

The scholars and their parents received the “Academic Excellence in Science and Technology Award” from Science Secretary Fortunato de la Peña and DOST-SEI Director Dr. Josette T. Biyo.

Of the scholars, 31 graduated with Latin honors—four with magna cum laude and 27 with cum laude honors.

DOST Reg ion 10 a l so a nnounced that 41 DOST-SEI scholars at Central Mindanao University and Bukidnon State University will graduate in 2020.

They are beneficiaries of the DOST-SEI undergraduate science and technology scholarships under Republic Act 7687, or Science and Technology Scholarship Act of 1994, and RA 10612, or Junior Level Science Scholarship.

The DOST-SEI scholars from Region 10 and their parents attended the “In Touch with Excellence cum Scholars’ Exit Conference” at a hotel in Valencia City in Bukidnon on November 11. With them are Science Secretary Fortunato de la Peña (third from left, seated), DOST-SEI Director Dr. Josette T. Biyo (second from left, seated) and DOST-Region 10 Director Dr. Alfonso Alamban (fourth from left, seated). They also greeted de la Peña, who celebrated his 70th birthday on November 12.

The other scholarship provided by DOST-SEI is the Merit Scholarship program. Besides scholarships for undergraduates, they also provide scholarships to graduate levels.

14,000 target scholars for 2020

In her presentation during the conference, Biyo said they are targeting a total of 14,000 undergraduate scholarships for 2020.

However, this “will depend on the available budget.”

This target is a big leap from the 3,500 scholars in 2015; 8,000 in 2018; and 10,000 in 2019.

She explained that the increase in target is also based on the high scores of the examinees.

Biyo told Manila-based reporters in an interview that the increase in interest among the youth to have scholarships in science, technology, engineering and mathematics courses is due to several factors— especially the inclusion of the STEM tract in senior high school in the K to 12 curriculum.

“We would like to believe that the two additional years [of senior high school in the K to 12

curriculum] was a big help for the children to understand the STEM tract,” she said.

She added that the scores of the examinees increased because of the STEM tract, which made the students familiar with STEM subjects, although she has no exact data on hand.

She said that from 72 percent of municipalities with DOST-SEI scholars in 2011, this increased to 98 percent in 2019, or an increase of 36 percent.

They also supported 133 scholars for their foreign scholarships.

In the DOST-SEI Career Incentive Program, it has deployed 127 researchers in 33 research and development institutions nationwide.

At the same time, under the DOST Graduate Scholars Career Incentive program, those who graduate in master in science receive more than P54,000 in salary, while those with PhD receive more than P84,000.

‘What do you want to be 20 years from now?’

For his part, de la Peña did not

g ive a speech, instead he asked t he sc hol a rs some quest ions to deter mine what made them ta ke the scholarship, their immediate and f uture plans and how they measure success.

He explained that he wanted the ideas to come from the students themselves and not just give them a lecture.

De la Peña asked following questions: n “What do you plan to do now?”

Answers: Pursue their respective underg raduate, mastera l and PhD courses. n “What do you want to be 20 years from now?” Answers: To be the regional director of DOSTSEI; to be at the Professor 6 level at CMU; to be the head of a research unit in the national and international levels; and to have his own company and give employment to Filipinos. n “What is your wish for the Philippines and for your provi nc e? ” A n s w e r s: B e t t e r a nd progressive Philippines; ever y child could go to school; alleviate the condition of families and address poverty.

n “How do you measure success? ” A n s w e r s : B y h a v i n g a c h ie v e me nt s a nd t he go o d feeling of hav ing support f rom people n “What do you want the Philippines to achieve in S&T?” Answers: Have solutions in agriculture problems; have agricultural machineries and infrastructure; good transportation system n “W hat was your biggest challenge in college?” Answer: The practice teaching where we applied theories and prove our competency to make the students love the subject. n “What inspired you to take STEM scholarship?” Answers: It could be applied in many things; parents’ decision n “W hat is the best part of t he DOST sc hol a rsh ip? ” A nswer: Gain support for financial needs, training, and recognition n “Will you pursue higher studies?” Answer: Yes, to suit needs for my future students and gain competencies. n “How can you help your country?” Answer: By doing the right thing.

DOH leads National Biotechnology Week celebration

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he Department of Health (DOH) led gover nment agencies and nongovernment agencies in the recent opening of the celebration of the National Biotechnolog y Week (NBW) through the launching of the technology poster exhibit.

The 15th NBW will be celebrated from November 25 to 29. This annual national event focused on increasing awareness on the use of biotechnology to improve the lives of the Filipino people.

“The use of biotechnology contributes immensely in saving the lives of our people and ushers innovative improvement to our healthcare,” Health Undersecretary Enrique Domingo said during the NBW soft launch and opening of exhibits.

“The DOH wants to emphasize, promote and advance the use of biotechnology in health and in saving lives,” Domingo added.

Joining Domingo in the event were National Kidney and Transplant Institute (NKTI) Executive Director Rose Marie Rosete-Liquete, Dr. Flerida A. Cariño, Rep. Ron P. Salo and former Agham Party-list Rep. Angelo Palmones and the Department of Agriculture (DA)-Biotech Program Office.

This year’s NBW, through the chairmanship of the DOH, the role of biotechnology in Universal

Health Undersecretary Enrique Domingo (from left) leads the ribbon cutting of the 2019 National Biotechnology Week poster exhibit with Dr. Faith Alberto, OICdirector of the DOH-Health Promotion and Communication Service, Rep. Ron Salo, Dr. Flerida Cariño of DOST, journalist and former Agham Party-list Rep. Angelo Palmones and NKTI Director Dr. Rose Marie Rosete-Liquete.

Health Care is highlighted with the theme: “Biotek: Makabagong Solusyon sa Kalusugan.”

The theme recognizes the growing health needs of the Filipino people and the potential of biotechnology to address these needs.

Biotechnolog y is the ter m

given to technologies which involve the application of biological organisms or their components, systems or processes to manufacture, modify and/or improve products or processes. “ T he Fi l ipinos’ r ight to hea lt h ca l ls for t he r ight to

cor rec t i n for m at ion. Hence, t h is yea r’s act iv it ies for t he NBW w i l l foc us on d issem inat ion of qu a l if ied a nd cor rect i n f o r m at i o n r e g a r d i n g v a c c ines a nd new biotec hnolog y products, a nd ensu r ing t hat t he message gets across to t he Filipino public,” Domingo said.

He also cited NKTI as a specialized center of the DOH and a pioneer government hospital that uses biotechnolog y from d iag nosis, ma nagement, a nd rehabilitation of patients.

The NBW poster exhibit at the Atrium of NKTI until November 22, is a joint endeavor of the DOH (Food and Drug Administration, Research Institute for Tropical Medicine and NKTI), DA, Departments of Science and Technology; Education; Environment and Natural Resources; Trade and Industry and of the Interior and Local Government; and the Commission on Higher Education.

Other participants are the DAPhilippine Rice Research Institute, and three partner organizations, namely, the GreenHeart PH; International Rice Research Institute; and Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Association of the Philippines.

T he best poster entr y w il l be chosen by Sa lo, Pa lmones and DOST Ba lik Scientist Dr. A nnabel le Vil la lobos.

Photo shows a student-volunteer (right) from the University of the Philippines in Los Baños, while helping schoolchildren from Ricardo P. Cruz Sr. Elementary School conduct an experiment at the Kids’ Lab 2019. PBSP

Discovering the world of chemistry

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ver 70 underprivileged students schoolchildren from Ricardo P. Cruz Sr. Elementary School in Lower Bicutan, who are beneficiaries of Philippines Business for Social Progress (PBSP) were recently treated to an interactive, educational tour through the BASF Kids’ Lab 2019 at The Mind Museum in Taguig.

T he schoolchildren are benef ic i a r ies of PB SP. The students were among the 400 children from public schools in Taguig, Pateros and Pasig; Gawad K alinga; Pasay City Pups; Pangarap Foundation; and the children of BASF employees who were invited to the Kids’ Lab organized by BASF

in the Philippines.

Kids’ Lab is a free and interactive education program designed to help the kids discover the world of chemistry in daily life through fun and hands-on experiments.

It supports the UN Sustainable Development Goal 4 on Quality Education.

Since 2002, over 300,000 kids have discovered an appreciation for chemistry through Kids’ Lab in Asia-Pacific.

T he children a lso ex per ienced the Clever Foodies experiment that highlights the impor tance of v itamins and good nutrition. Clever Foodies was designed to celebrate Kids’ Lab 20th anniversary.

Tourism&Entertainment BusinessMirror

Editor: Carla Mortel-Baricaua

Sunday, November 17, 2019 A11

One fine autumn day in Nikkō, Japan

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Story & photos by Marky Ramone Go

s I stare at the carved maxim of the three wise monkeys pinned on an overhead panel at Tōshōgū, the proverbial mantra was made apparent to me almost immediately; “See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil.” Recognizing where I stood at that very moment, surrounded by temples concealed under a canopy of autumn leaves, I couldn’t fathom how any of my senses can conjure a negative energy.

As the yellow glare of the sun seeps through the gap of intertwining tree branches, I felt the cool wind of the fall season penetrating through my thin sweater.

Proceeding forward, I gingerly slid my strides while taking my sweet time admiring the centuries-old structures around me.

With each step, I can hear a faint crackling sound of fallen shrubberies—with hues of dark red and gold—spread out on the ground like the tail end of a dotted brush stroke.

Arrival at Nikkō Town

After a couple of hours watching the fast-moving slide show of Japanese countryside from my train’s window seat, I alighted at the Tobu Nikkō Railway station instantly feeling the city’s fleeting wind. Following the few days of walking and trainsporting around Tokyo, I’ve gotten used to hearing the symphony of clackety-clack from the walking hordes of Japanese commuters. In this station, though, the sounds of footsteps were a little muffled and the movements of the crowd were more relaxed.

A quaint town vibe greeted me outside. There was a tourist bus heading to the temples, waiting for travelers to board. I opted to proceed on foot for more sightseeing opportunities. Circling my first destination on my tattered old-school map; the Shinkyo Bridge, I casually started my

exploration.

Lining up both sides of the immaculate road are small establishments; cafés and sushi joints emitting a scrumptious aroma tempting my starving self. I stopped a couple of times to check the menu prices—each time retreating to the road—after realizing its not within reach of my food budget.

After 15 minutes, I reached a curve where I turned left, and immediately, I caught sight of a red lacquered arch stunningly across the Daiya River. There it was—the sacred bridge erected in 1636 at the entrance of Nikkō’s Futarasan Shrine. Raved to be as one of three most beautiful bridges in Japan, Shinkyo Bridge, which is now off limits to people, is such a Zen sighting blending beautifully against the green forests background while clear waters streams underneath.

Autumn leaves leave a warm backdrop to a temple.

Shinkyo, the sacred bridge that serves as entrance to Nikko sanctuary.

Futarasan jinja is a Shinto shrine located in Nikkō, Tochigi Prefecture.

Shrines and temples of Nikkō

Buoyed by excitement, I advanced with hurried steps into the Futarasan Shrine where the foliage-covered grounds mirror a Jackson Pollock unfinished canvas. Inside the complex, the crowd seems to thicken as a Mounted Archery competition is being held.

I stood among the spectators as I watched a few archers wearing colorful traditional Samurai armor and Kamakura-era clothing, fired three arrows at the stationary target while riding their respective horses at full gallop.

Mounted archers compete at the Futarasan Shrine.

Fol low ing a foot pat h t hat passes through a small forest, I started marveling at the small temples and shrines that seems to increase in size as I go further.

The 400-year-old Shinto shrine— flanked on both sides by equally old giant trees—met my gaze and dropped jaw as I could only mouth the word “wow.”

As the three wise monkeys, Mizaru, Mikazaru and Mazaru,

Huge Torii greets visitors as they enter the Shinto shrine.

attract a crowd of onlookers all marveling at its 17th-century carved form by Hidari Jingoro that to depict man’s life cycle, I moved on to the other temples and shrines of all sizes.

I passed by the 1619 Honden, considered as the most sacred building in every Shinto shrine. It is here where the three Futarasan deities are enshrined. Nearby are the Haiden worship hall, and the

giant Torii leading to more worship halls and hondens.

The shrines and temples of Nikkō cover 103 structures built inside two Shinto complexes, Futarasan Shrine and Tōshōgū, as well as the lone Buddhist Temple, the Rinno-ji. These three complexes are all located beside each other and can be explored in a day. Inscribed collectively as a Unesco World Heritage Site in

1999, these sacred buildings are also classified as National Treasures of Japan and Important Cultural Properties.

As my mind reeled from a morning filled with newfound learnings about feudal Japanese history, I started feeling hunger pangs. Taking a break from my educational exploration, I walked toward a long line of people standing near a white tent. I saw them ordering food I initially thought was an ordinary Japanese dish.

It turned out to be Soba Noodles (buckwheat), which is one of the local dishes Nikkō is known for.

As I sat to chow down my food, I let out a sigh of relief as I finally rested my weary feet. Looking at the reddened tree leaves and the blue sky above me, I nodded at the invisible Gods—whom the many shrines and temples in Nikkō were built for—and delivered a short message “Arigato for letting the universe bring me here.”

Duty Free PHL eyes growing market of Filipino outbound travelers

D The Bellevue Hotels and Resorts undergoes expansion in Panglao, Bohol

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n October 26, Filipino-owned corporation The Bellevue Hotels and Resorts breaks ground in Tawala, Panglao, where the 4-hectare commercial and residential property Bellemar will soon rise. The groundbreaking ceremony was attended by The Bellevue Hotels and Resorts Chairman Johnny Chan; B Hotels Managing Director Ryan Chan; The Bellevue Manila Managing Director Patrick Chan; The Bellevue Resort Managing Director Dustin Chan; The Bellevue Hotels and Resorts Board Director Arthur Lopez; The Bellevue Resort General Manager Rommel Gonzales; Bohol Provincial Administrator Atty. Kathyrin Fe Pioquinto; Bohol District Board Member Hon. Aldner Damalerio; Panglao Mayor

Hon. Leonila Montero; Principal Arch.

Jonathan Gan; JERCC owner and Project Consultant Bim Sebastian; Finmat owner Reynaldo de Jesus; suppliers, local partners and friends from the media.

The development is 800 meters from the Alona beach shoreline and 600 meters from the commercial center of Alona. It will boast of architectural aesthetics inspired by the Philippines’s Spanish heritage.

The idea behind this is to mirror the local heritage of Bohol.

The first phase of the project will feature nine commercial pavilions housing a variety of local and international businesses, including food and beverage, supermarket, technology, amusement, services, lifestyle and

specialty, wellness and government satellite offices.

The development will be the first to have a full mall establishment in the vicinity wherein the supermarket alone will have an area of 2,000 square meter. It envisions to bridge the commercial gap by providing the market with activities throughout the day.

The second phase will pave the way for the hotel group to expand the reach of its signature world-class service and genuine Filipino hospitality with the opening of its fifth property in the country.

Locals and tourists alike can look forward to a new and exciting Bellevue experience as Bellemar is set to open by the third quarter of 2020.

ut y Free Philippines has inked partnership with about 50 travel agencies that cater to Filipino International Travellers (FITs) to attract more customers to shop at DFP by offering “value for money” shopping deals.

According to Chief Operating Officer Vicente Pelagio A. Angala, the marketing campaign will give a 5-percent discount to outbound tour groups who will shop at DFP’S flagship store, the Fiestamall in Parañaque City, within 48 hours upon arrival.

Discount vouchers will be provided by DFP’s partner travel agencies to FITs prior their arrival in the Philippines.

“We target to increase brand awareness and to encourage FITs to shop their pasalubong at DFP instead of buying them abroad by highlighting our price advantage and striking a chord with customers’ sense of nationalism—that for every item bought at Duty Free, they help in the development of the Philippines tourism industry—as we are an attached agency of the Department of Tourism [DOT],” said Angala.

“This campaign is expected to build traffic in our flagship store to generate new sales leads and getting more revenue from our existing clientele,” Angala added.

Based on Mastercard’s Future of Outbound Travel in Asia-Pacific

2016 to 2021 report, the Philippines ranked eighth in the top 10 list of fastest-growing Asia-Pacific markets by international outbound trips from 2016 to 2021, with outbound travels that are expected to reach 4.3 million trips by the year 2021.

To keep with the trends in the travel retail industry, DFP has embarked on the renovation of the Fiestamall which is expected to complete on November 30.

The renovation includes improvements in the food court, building façade, area “Go Lokal!” and Philippines’s finest boutique, and customer relations registration lobby and tourist lounge.

“This is just the phase 1 of this project. The second phase will start by the first quarter of next year which will include improvements in the atrium, building exits, and installation of LED screens,” said Angala.

“The confectionery section is also being renovated to become a chocolate haven for families especially for the little ones,” added Angala.

The Fiestamall contributes about 35 percent of the total sales in 2018, and has a selling area of around 4,000 square meters.

DFP is also expanding the list of exclusive brands that it carries which now includes Gucci Beauty.

Gucci has opened its first-ever high fashion cosmetics and fra-

grances collection in the Philippines through its partnership with DFP. The boutique, which is located at the Duty Free Luxe in Pasay City, features the new lipstick collection under the direction of Alessandro Michele. Currently, there are 50 lipstick shades in three finishes: satin finish, sheer finish and translucent lip balm.

The creative director drew inspiration from iconic Hollywood movies and characters from the Gilded Era featuring unique formulations.

“We take pride that these giant brands choose to enter the Philippine market through our stores because of the trust and confidence built by the Duty Free Philippines brand over the years,” said Angala.

Sports BusinessMirror

A12 Sunday, November 17, 2019

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

DOOR OPENS FOR U.S.

MILITARY ATHLETES

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By lolita c. Baldor The Associated Press

ASHINGTON—Defense Secretary Mark Esper has opened the door for athletes at the nation’s military academies to play professional sports after they graduate, and delay their active-duty service.

Esper signed a memo last Friday laying out the new guidelines, which says the athletes must get approval from the defense secretary, and it requirea them to eventually fulfill their military obligation or repay the costs of their education.

The memo, obtained by The Associated Press, came at the insistence of President Donald Trump, who directed the Pentagon in June to come up with a way to allow athletes to play

professional sports immediately upon graduation. Trump gave the Pentagon four months to develop the new policy.

Allowing athletes to delay service has been a hotly debated issue. The Obama administration put a policy in place allowing some athletes to go to the pros and defer their military service.

That policy allowed Navy quarterback Keenan Reynolds to be drafted by the Baltimore

Ravens in the sixth round of the 2016 draft after completing a four-year run with the Midshipmen. But the year after he went pro, the Defense Department rescinded the policy.

Then-Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, in an April 2017 memo, said that the service academies “exist to develop future officers,” and that graduates would serve as “full-fledged military officers carrying out the normal work and career expectations” of someone who received an education at the taxpayers’ expense.

Earlier this year, however, Trump said he was considering allowing athletes to get a waiver so they could play pro sports. He made the announcement during a Rose Garden ceremony in May when he presented the Commander in Chief ’s Trophy to the football team of the US Military Academy at West Point. The Army Black Knights completed an 11-2 season and earned the trophy for the second consecutive year.

He issued the order in June, saying that athletes graduating

D

from the academies and Reserve Officers’ Training Corps should be able to defer their military service obligations due to the “short window of time” they have to “take advantage of their athletic talents during which playing professional sports is realistically possible.”

In the new memo, Esper says that military service secretaries can nominate an athlete for a waiver after determining there

NAVY quarterback Keenan Reynolds is drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in the sixth round in 2016 after completing a four-year run with the Midshipmen. AP

“is a strong expectation that a Military Service Academy cadet or midshipman’s future professional sports employment will provide the DoD with significant favorable media exposure likely to enhance national level recruiting or public affairs missions.”

If approved by the defense secretar y, the athlete must agree to return to the militar y and ser ve their enlistment time, which is usually five years.

W hile in the pro sports job, the athlete’s waiver would be rev iewed ever y year.

If the athletes can’t pass required medical standards when it is time to rejoin the military, then they are “encouraged ” to

Tension-charged draw in Gulf

serve in a civilian post within the department for no less than five years, according to Esper’s memo.

If they choose not to do that they would be subject to repayment of their school expenses.

It wasn’t clear Thursday what impact Esper’s new policy will have on the fate of Noah Song, a pitcher from the US Naval Academy. Song, 22, was the fourth-round draft pick this year of the Boston Red Sox, so he is not covered by the new memo.

The right-hander was going to pitch for the minor league team in Lowell during the summer before reporting for duty to train as a flight officer.

Song is seeking a waiver but there has been no decision yet.

The Navy declined to provide any other details.

Several Navy football players have gone on to have success in the National Football League (NFL), most notably 1963 Heisman Trophy winner Roger Staubach, a quarterback for the Midshipmen

OHA, Qatar—With soccer helping to ease regional tensions, host Qatar will play the United Arab Emirates in the Arabian Gulf Cup and an assistant referee from Egypt was picked by Fifa for Club World Cup duty in Doha.

Qatari organizers made the eightnation draw for the Gulf Cup on Thursday, after Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain reversed decisions to skip the tournament.

The three Qatari neighbors and Egypt have operated a diplomatic and transport boycott of the emirate since June 2017.

Qatar was pooled with the UAE, Yemen and Iraq for the November 26 to December 8 tournament.

In January, Qatar beat the host UAE 4-0 in the Asian Cup semifinals in Abu Dhabi before winning the title.

Saudi Arabia and Bahrain are in a Gulf Cup group with Kuwait and defending champion Oman.

Three days later, the December 11 to 21 Club World Cup kicks off in Doha testing two stadiums being used at the 2022 World Cup. Fifa says the African match officials nominated to work in Qatar include Mahmoud Ahmed Abou elRegal of Egypt. AP from 1962-64. After serving a tour of duty in Vietnam, he joined the Dallas Cowboys in 1969 and guided the team to a pair of Super Bowl victories.

Another Heisman Trophy winner, Glenn Davis of Army in 1946, was a first-round draft pick of the Detroit Lions but had to serve three years in the Army before making his NFL debut with Detroit in 1950.

In addition, receiver Phil McConkey played for Nav y from 1975-78, then served for five years before the New York Giants made him a 27-year-old rookie in 1984. He caught a touchdown pass in the Super Bowl for New York and remained in the NFL through 1989.

Hamilton hopes to sort out new B F1 contract soon

Protesters in Iraq celebrate soccer victory against Iran

Lewis Hamilton said he doesn’t see a reason to stop racing anytime soon. AP

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ÃO PAULO—Six-time Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton said Thursday he hopes to sort out his next contract soon, but he’s not in any rush.

The 34-year-old British driver’s deal with Mercedes is valid until the end of 2020.

Speaking before the Brazilian Grand Prix, Hamilton said he doesn’t see a reason to stop racing anytime soon.

“It’s nice to be wanted. So hopefully soon we’ll get that sorted,” the driver said about future contract negotiations.

“I have obviously considered the next couple of years and naturally I know that I want to continue racing,” Hamilton added.

“But in terms of the ‘future’ I have not planned absolutely everything.”

The British driver said he and Mercedes are “tied to the hip,” which doesn’t mean he has concrete decisions

for his future on the grid. “[But] there’s no real stress, our word is our bond and has been all these years,” Hamilton said about his relationship with Mercedes, his partner since age 13. “All that detail can take its time.”

The F1 champion also said he hopes to keep working with Mercedes’ team principal Toto Wolff, who reportedly is considering leaving the team.

“That is important for me, so I’m waiting also to see where he is, where his head is at,” the driver said. “I don’t particularly want him to leave if I’m staying in the sport. But ultimately that is going to be his choice.”

Wolff is not in Brazil for the race at Interlagos, a first miss for him since he and Hamilton joined the Mercedes in 2013. AP

AGHDAD—Thousands of antigovernment protesters in Iraq’s capital city celebrated with fireworks a 2-1 win over Iran in a muchanticipated World Cup qualifying match, hoping it would return momentum to their movement that has been hit by a deadly security crackdown.

Crowds watched the game Thursday on a large screen in Baghdad’s main Tahrir Square, the epicenter of demonstrations that have called for the overturning of Iraq’s sectarian system and Iranian political influence. Some carried Iraqi flags and chanted “Iran, out!”

Iraq had been due to play two home games in the southern city of Basra against Iran and Bahrain in November, but the oil-rich city has been caught up in the anti-government protests that have gripped Baghdad and the mainly Shiite southern provinces since October 1.

But the international soccer federation, which had recently lifted a three-decade ban on Iraq to host international matches, requested an alternative venue for security reasons amid the unrest. The Iraqi football association chose Amman.

Fireworks streamed into the sky when Iraq’s national team scored its first goal 11 minutes into Thursday’s game.

Jubilant protesters danced, beat drums and chanted after another goal, scored just minutes before the end of the match, gave Iraq the win.

“This victory will give us more motivation to implement our demands,” said Ammar Hassan, carrying an Iraqi flag.

Several protesters told The Associated Press they hoped the win over Iran would inspire higher turnout after a recent security crackdown caused demonstrator numbers to dwindle. AP

There’s no such thing as millennials or boomers

There’s no such thing as millennials or boomers

By Faye Flam Bloomberg Opinion

Editor’s Note: A generational warfare broke out a couple of weeks ago when the two words that began circulating on social media this year were spoken in parliament. The 25-yearold New Zealand lawmaker Chlöe Swarbrick was delivering an impassioned speech about climate change when a heckler cut her short.

Without missing a beat, Swarbrick responded, “Ok, boomer,” a phrase used by millennials and Gen Zers to dismiss baby boomers “who just don’t seem to get it.” What ensued was a backand-forth bickering between the young and the old on social media.

M

ost of the stereotypes tied to so-called generations are ugly and insulting—whether it’s the greed and materialism associated with “boomers,” the narcissism and entitlement associated with “millennials,” or the aimlessness associated with “Gen X.” Such unpleasantness is not only meanspirited but also scientifically wrongheaded. The closer researchers look, the more arbitrary they find the boundaries between so-called generations. There’s no evidence

that any sorts of personality traits or character flaws go along with so-called boomers, Gen X-ers, millennials or members of Gen Z. You’d think from the seriousness with which people take these things that, rather than continuously producing babies, humans collectively spawn just once every 20 years. Generational labels cropped up just a few days ago in a medical report claiming that millennials are in worse health than were so-called Gen X people at the same age.

Around the same time, New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd generated chatter by writing about her own self-perceived boomer status, using the recent exit of Rep. Katie Hill to preach to so-called millennials about the hazards of letting people take nude photos of you. It’s good advice, but it didn’t have to be about generations at all. It could instead be about experience, and hard-won lessons about the ways love sometimes goes rotten.

But it’s so much more exciting to invoke generational warfare. People love generation labels in the way they love astrological sign categories—maybe Ms. Hill would still be in office if she’d known not to trust a Scorpio. Some people get deep meaning out of astrology despite a total lack of evidence. Both kinds of labels are social constructs—they affect us only because so many people believe in them.

“When you dig into research into differences in discrete generations, there’s no evidence they exist,” says Cort Rudolph, a psychologist at Saint Louis University who has studied age and work-related behavior. “All this generation stuff is total nonsense.”

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There are two real things that are going on, however. One is that as people age, they go through different stages in life—not quite in lock step, since people reach various maturity levels and adulthood milestones at different times (or not at all). But there’s a progression.

And there are events (wars, recessions) and new technologies which may affect those in college or seeking their first jobs differently from those who are older and more established.

But those things don’t create generational boundaries. Different studies use different boundaries between the major generations, says Rudolph, making the whole notion of generations into a moving target and, therefore, not conducive to scientific probing. People roughly classify boomers as those between their late 50s and early 70s, Gen X as those in their late 30s to early 50s, and millennials as those in their 20s to late 30s, but this is always shifting, leaving many of us unsure what generation we’re supposed to be in.

A few years ago, the US Army funded research into generations to learn how to convince young people to stay in the military. George Washington University psychologist David Costanza, who was involved in that effort, says there was a theory floating around that historical events— such as wars and economic shifts—shaped whole cohorts of people, giving them distinct traits.

It’s not that wars, depressions and disease outbreaks such as AIDS don’t shape people—they do. But not, it would seem, in any uniform or predictable way across artificially drawn generational categories. There’s a stereotype that so-called November 17, 2019

millennials are narcissistic job-hoppers because they have helicopter parents, he says, and that something about the Vietnam War made baby boomers materialistic.

His research suggests that’s all wrong.

Millennials are no more narcissistic than anyone else, he says, and not unusually fickle about jobs. A bad economy may force young people to take undesirable first jobs—from which many will hop to something more rewarding when the economy improves. The big misconception, he says, is that merely being in a particular “generation” will endow you with certain traits.

Last month, psychologists at UC Santa Barbara published a paper in Science Advances called “Kids These Days: Why Youth of Today Seem Lacking.” They found there’s nothing wrong with kids these days, even though many older people wrongly think younger people have less respect for elders and less love for reading than they themselves had when young.

The authors looked into ways to cure these bad assumptions. What they found was that, in the case of reading, if they wrongly told good readers they scored poorly in a test of literary achievement, then suddenly those people got over themselves and they cut younger people more slack.

Perhaps younger people, too, might not be so quick to judge so-called boomers if they were not so confident in their own technological proficiency and small carbon footprints. The good news is that with the rise of Gen Z, those who make up these trendy labels will very soon run out of letters. If we’re lucky, that will help put an end to them.

BusinessMirror

YOUR MUSIC OUR BUSINESS ARASHI | Photo by SOZO

ARASHI MANIA IN ASIA

POPULAR J-POP BAND INTERACTS WITH ASIAN FANS IN RECENT PROMO TOUR

O

By Edwin P. Sallan

ne of the biggest selling boy bands in Asia recently took four major cities by storm.

And no, it’s not BTS or any other K-Pop group. It’s Arashi, the very popular vocal group from Japan that as of September of this year has reportedly sold over 54 million copies of albums, singles and videos since the release of their debut single, “Arashi” in 1999.

Formed in Honolulu, Hawaii that same year by the formidable talent agency Johnny & Associates of Japan, the J-Pop sensations whose group name is Japanese for “storm” have recorded 16 studio albums and 56 singles including monster hits like “Love So Sweet,” “One Love,” “Beautiful Days,” “Calling,” and most recently, “Brave” that were either certified as gold or platinum in their native Japan alone. In addition,

they have also released 73 music videos and 22 concert videos that were equally well-received.

Throughout their career, Arashi’s original lineup of Satoshi Ohno, Sho Sakurai, Masaki Aiba, Kazunari Ninomiya and Jun Matsumoto has remained intact and developed a solid following outside of Japan.

But just one year after celebrating their 20th anniversary with a concert tour of Japan that would become the largest tour in Japanese history, the group shocked fans when early this year, they announced their intention to go on hiatus and cease all group activities by December 2020.

Even with that announcement that immediately trended on

Twitter, Arashi is not showing signs of slowing down, at least until probably December 2020 when the boys can either make good on their desire to take some time off or change their mind altogether much to the delight of their fans.

So far, 2019 has been a busy and history-making year for Arashi. They have released two new songs, “Brave,” the theme song for NipponTV’s coverage of the 2019 Rugby World Cup, and “Turning Up,” the first digital single of their career.

The biggest news about Arashi, however, has been their long overdue and finally welcome presence on social media. Last August, Arashi opened their official Instagram, Twitter and YouTube accounts.

“We wanted to get closer to our fans across the world. Come along with us!!!!!,” went their first post on both social networks that earned over a million combined likes. To date, the group has earned over 2.9 million followers on Instagram,

2.1 million on Twitter, 2.3 million on YouTube and another 209,000 followers on their Facebook page that they recently created just this month. Arashi also has a strong presence on Chinese social media apps Tik Tok and Weibo.

As part of their desire to get closer to their fans outside Japan, Arashi recently embarked on a two-day promotional tour of Southeast Asian cities, namely Jakarta, Singapore, Bangkok and Taipei.

Dubbed as “Jet Storm,” the Singapore leg of the tour which Business Mirror covered for SoundStrip took place at Jewel, the nature-themed entertainment and retail complex at Changi Airport.

With no less than Jewel’s vaunted Rain Vortex serving as backdrop, lucky fans found themselves in the eye of the perfect storm as they get to see Arashi up close and personal during the rather intimate affair.

Speaking through an interpreter, the group has Continued on page 6

Sound BusinessMirror

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YOUR MUS

SB19 GOES BEYOND K-POP

I

By Stephanie Joy Ching

N recent years, Korean pop or simply K-Pop, a genre of pop music that originated from South Korea, has developed quite a huge gloal following that includes the Philippines. No surprise there since K-Pop acts have devoted months, even years of training to capture audiences’ imagination with breathtaking, tour de force song-and-dance performances.

By taking the K-pop formula and making it entirely their own, one Filipino boy band recently found its own niche. With their own subgenre called P-Pop, Justin, Sejun, Ken, Josh and Stell, collectively known as SB19, has become a big hit with music fans not only from the Philippines but even those based in, yes, South Korea.

At first glance, SB19 looks like any other K-pop group. Their aesthetics and musical style pretty

much screams K-pop except that their songs are sung mostly in Tagalog and English.

When asked about this, the boys firmly state that they are not copying K-pop groups, they were simply just trained in the Korean way.

“Maybe makikita sa pananamit namin o sa itsura namin na medyo may influence ng K-pop”, said leader Sejun, “Pero yung company namin mismo trinain at inenhance yung skills namin para ma-promote

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YOUR MUSIC OUR BUSINESS

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SB19

namin yung sarili naming musika, sariling musika ng Pilipino.”

The boys underwent three years of training with ShowBT, a Korean entertainment company that recently opened a Philippine arm in 2015. Training to be an idol is demanding in Korea, as it also prepares them to compose their own songs and choreography.

Lead rapper Josh stated that their training mainly consisted of daily vocal and dance training that lasts for nine hours six times a week.

As rigorous as it sounds, the boys said they have embraced this strict work ethic, stating that it made them “better persons.”

Following their training, SB19 debuted their first single in 2018, a smooth, soulful ballad about heartbreak called “Tilaluha” which sounds Korean but is actually two Tagalog words, “tila luha” which means “seems tears.”

Accompanied by a music video shot in Seoul, the song, to date has, reached 401,064 plays on Spotify and 1,024,217 views on Youtube.

While “Tilaluha” is a testament to SB19’s vocal prowess, it was the group’s 2019 single “Go Up” that took them to even greater heights.

“Go Up” features an infectious dance track composed by wellknown Korean music producer Lee Oh Won and lyrics written in Tagalog by the boys themselves.

The music video premiered last July 2019 and currently has garnered over 3.9 million views and is on track to crack the 4 million mark.

The song’s music video also showcased both the clean vocals and sharp synchronized dances of the group that drew praises from many netizens.

A tweet from last September 2 that showed the boys practicing their dance routine reached over 81.7 thousand retweets. One tweet even went as far as saying they and fellow local group MNL48, “will save the PH music industry.”

Television appearances followed, the most notable of which was when the boys partook in the speed dance challenge in Gandang Gabi, Vice!.

With their training in Korea, their K-Pop influenced aesthetics and the inclusion of their profile on at least one website devoted to K-Pop and even an article on The South China Morning Post that compared them to the wildly sensational BTS, it seems that SB19 cannot distance themselves from the popular genre.

The group, howeve, insists that they are here to elevate their own P-pop sound to a global audience.

“Ang mga Pilipino sobrang talented po niyan sa lahat ng larangan,” said Sejun, ““Gusto lang din namin maiparating na hindi dapat natatakot ang Pilipino to evolve in the sing and dance department. Yun po ‘yung maipapakita namin sa ibang bansa.”

With their stellar musical impact so far, it’s likely that we’ll hear more of SB19 in the days to come.

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soundstrip.businessmirror@gmail.com | NOVEMBER 17 , 2019

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SIC OUR BUSINESS

INDIE CORNER

by Rick Olivarez

DIY SPIRIT LIVES ON WITH HOT NEW RELEASES

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HE local indie music scene gets a big boast this month with these exciting new recordings.

Red-I and King Spade release Kings Music EP Last November 9-10 saw the release of Kings Music from local dub artists Red-I and King Spade.

The Quezon City-based dub master Red-I and Cebu’s King Space collaborated on the fourtrack Kings Music (released under Japanese independent label Oto Records).

After Red-I independently released the full-length album "Jahdgement Day" in April of 2012, it helped re-start the local vinyl release craze. That 15-track record had this progressive feel to dub music that is an off-shoot of reggae music.

It did take Red-I six years before he followed up "Jahdgement Day" with 2018’s the "Natty Dread I Beat", a seven-inch extended play record. However, the Quezon City-based dub artist has been rather prolific this 2019.

In March of 2019, he put out the Mystic Revelation EP. After Kings Music, he has this double album scheduled for late this November or early December.

In between, Red-I also found time to perform in the One Love Festival from late August to early September in England.

The two top tracks from Kings Music are “Soundsystem” and “Jah Light”.

“The local dub scene is getting bigger and is attracting more attention,” said Red-I before his trip to England. “We recently saw British dub musician Vibronics perform here among many others.

And now, our local productions are getting noticed overseas.”

For his part, Kings Spade hopes that this release will give Cebu-based reggae and dub artists some attention. Most of the known reggae bands are based in

Manila. There are some who are based in the provinces who have gained a measure of popularity such as Cebu’s Junior Kilat that first came into a national consciousness when they were included in the 2004 compilation album, "Island Riddims." Since then, Junior Kilat has released three albums. Olongapo has its share of reggae artists in the late Blackdyak and Herb Culture.

Kings Music is a limited edition pressing with only 300 copies (priced at P1,200) made available to fans. It is available on Red-I’s Facebook page, his bandcamp site, and at Treskul Records in Mandaluyong City.

Still Ill releases new Veils and Pilipinas Hardcore EPs Sunday, November 10 saw hardworking underground hardcore label Still Ill release two new offerings. Fated that evening at Mow’s in Teacher’s Village, Quezon City was hardcore band Veils who launched their second extended play single, Wellwisher’s Tongue.

Bands like Sandy Good, Hex, Value Lasts, Killratio, No One Wins, Surrogate Prey, Repetition, and Collect opened the party for Veils.

Also available was the seveninch test pressing of Pilipinas Hardcore II. Wellwisher’s Tongue, the 33rd offering from Still Ill, follows Veils’ late 2016 self-titled debut, and renews their brutal assault of metallic hardcore against the ills of Philippine society. The new EP features six tracks with the lead off songs, “Havl,” “Swarm,” and “Embrace” of which fans were given a sneak preview in a cassette release last April.

Also included in the new EP is a cover of American punk band

Circle jerks’ “Beat Me Senseless.”

Veils’ debut EP prophesied the national turmoil today.

Wellwisher’s Tongue isn’t simply a “I told you so,” but more of like an angry diatribe into where we are today.

Although a test press – with its regular release a few months away - the much-awaited Pilipinas Hardcore II follows the successful Pilipinas Hardcore compilation from March of 2018. The sequel features bands like Realidad, Repetition,

Collect, Alas, and Indifference.

The first Pilipinas Hardcore compilation featured bands such as Veils, Barred, Badmouth, and XFortressX. Barred’s first fulllength record, "Bloodstained Existence" is also on the way and should be on sale for local fans in a month or so.

Check out Still Ill’s Facebook and Bandcamp pages for information on how to get physical and digital copies of their brand of pummeling hardcore.

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NOVEMBER 17 , 2019 | soundstrip.businessmirror@gmail.com

Sound trip BusinessMirror

YOUR MUSIC OUR BUSINESS

RHYTHM & RHYME

by Kaye Villagomez-Losorata

New Music Sunday

L

OSE You To Love Me by Selena Gomez. That thing about riding on extremely public digital speeds to exact revenge on your ex-lover couldn’t be more real when it comes to pop artists releasing singles about a previous relationship. Just ask Taylor Swift or Miley Cyrus or Justin Bieber. Speaking of the Biebs, Selena Gomez served Lose You To Love Me, a close-to-spoken word, monotonous vocal exercise about letting go. In the song, Gomez sings the obvious Bieber reference in the verse, “In two months, you replaced us / Like it was easy” and recall that Bieber proposed to now-wife Hailey Baldwin three months after his split with Gomez.

Gomez starts this “hugot” single with, “You promised the world and I fell for it / I put you first and you adored it / Set fires to my forest / And you let it burn,” before moving to pre-chorus without much acceleration, “We’d always go into it blindly / I needed to lose you to find me / This dancing was killing me softly / I needed to hate you to love me, yeah.”

Melody-wise, “Snooze,” err, “Lose You To Love Me” paces your listening experience like those calming, sleeping apps but it’s probably meant that way so you can savor Gomez’s more mature vocals alongside the harsh but definitely real lyrics.

It’s not like the usual empowering pop moving-on anthems of Britney Spears

Arashi...

from page 3

expressed their awareness on their solid international fan base. Satoshi Ohno revealed that they have seen messages from Singapore fans that travelled all the way to Japan just to see them.

“We’re very grateful to meet our fans here as well,” Ohno quipped.

Echoing Ohno, Jun Matsumoto is thrilled that “fans have responded favorably to [everything] we put out there.”

With the release of “Turning Up” which to date has earned over 9.4 million views on YouTube since it was uploaded last November 3, Matsumoto announced that Arashi’s music will now be available on streaming services like Spotify

(“Stronger”), Kelly Clarkson (“Since U Been Gone”), Gotye (“Somebody I Used To Know”) or even Regine Velasquez (“You’ve Made Me Stronger”). “Lose You To Love Me” is that state of figuring it all out and realizing that you are at that point where it’s time to let go and you’re about to make sense of the breakup. This song will be in the earlier part of your getting-over-you playlist.

The strength of this track is grounded on Gomez’s transparency and that happens to mirror the plight of anyone who’s had to live through the devastation of getting burned over broken promises. Gomez herself described the song under its official video to be, “inspired by many things that have happened in my life since releasing my

and Apple Music so that fans can continue to enjoy their music whenever they want to, even after the group goes on hiatus.

Fortunately, Arashi is not ready to hang up their hats yet. During the same event, Ohno revealed that Arashi will hold concerts next year in Tokyo on May 15 and 16 and again Beijing around springtime there.

It’s a little unfortunate that Arashi did not include Manila in its Jet Storm tour as the band does enjoy quite a sizeable following here as well. Considering that "Matsujun Philippines-Arashi sa Pilipinas," a Facebook fan page created in 2010 now has over 28,000 followers, Arashi should be a major hit here if they do decide to get closer to more Asian fans.

last album; I want people to feel hope and to know you will come out the other side stronger and a better version of yourself.”

"Into The Summer" by Incubus. Thank you, Incubus.

And we can almost hear the band reply, “You’re welcome, you suckers for ’80s music!” “Into The Summer” reminds you of an old guilty pleasure, only it’s a late 2019 gift from Inclubus.

The song captures that golden music era you could almost smell hairspray on your teased hair. The moment "Into The Summer" opens with a flock of birds sound before moving forward with that riff followed by heavy drum beat that sets it all up for a killer bassline and then you hear Brandon Boyd impeccably sing, “Shouldn’t have let you go / Into the summer

alone / Pretty and built to spill / A cup ready to overflow,” you’ll find yourself pressing your back against the chair and crossing your foot one on top of the other.

As you reach the chorus: “I remember the way that it was / It’s been calling out to me forever,” you’re transported to an actual memory, whether or not you’re familiar with ’80s music.

It’s also that kind of song that you can play in the background to keep that mood on the upswing.

And if you haven’t seen the official music video of “Into The Summer,” stream away. It’s a whole new guilty pleasure in itself.

The author is a former entertainment reporter and editor before shifting to corporate PR. Follow @kayevillagomez on Instagram and Twitter for more updates.

ARASHI Fans in Singapore (Photo by SOZO)

From kitchen tools to books, gifts for young chefs size, and have your recipe engraved into a fully functional work board.

By Katie Workman The Associated Press

KID-FRIENDLY KNIVES

D

o you have a kid in your life who loves a good baking session? Who really wants to use your chef’s knife? Who is addicted to the TV show MasterChef Junior, and who uses words like “umami” in regular conversation?

There are many terrific gifts to encourage the fledgling cooks in our lives.

COOKING KITS An all-inclusive cooking kit (besides the ingredients) is often a great catalyst for getting kids into the kitchen.

Handstand Kitchen makes a slew of them, including a Rainbows and Unicorns Ultimate Baking set, with cookies cutters, unicorn-shaped cupcake tray, spatula, frosting bag with three tips, and a recipe leaflet and sticker sheet. Other offerings here include the Out of This World spacethemed baking kit; a 17-piece Intro to Baking kit; and several matching adult and child apron sets.

Curious Chef’s kits include a 17-piece prep set with bowls, measuring cups and spoons, and a timer. Made for Me has kits for particular foods, such as a Beginner’s Pasta and Pizza Making Set for Kids, as well as a macaron set, sushi set and pancake party set.

SUBSCRIPTIONS Here’s a gift that leaves something to look forward to after the holidays are over. Options include: Raddish (think Rad Dish) Each month, a new kit arrives at your door

This November 2019 photo shows a plethora of great gift choices for young chefs on a table in New York.

From cooking kits to ice-cream makers to books to flights of honey, there are lots of way to fuel a budding cook’s interest. AP filled with recipes, tools and activities that incorporate science, math, geography, language arts, nutrition and more.

Comida Argentina and Family Date Night are two sample themes. The kits are designed by teachers and chefs for kids ages four to 14, and each includes three illustrated recipe guides, a cooking tool (such as a garlic mincer or kitchen timer), and other materials.

Young Chef’s Club From the folks at America’s Test Kitchen, these monthly kits are also thematic. Kids ages five and up receive a box filled with family-friendly recipes, hands-on activities, and extras ranging from board games to tortilla warmers to special sprinkles.

Culinary Adventure Society For kids who already know their way around a kitchen and are craving new ingredients and flavors to play with. Up to four times a year, Zingerman’s specialty food store in Ann Arbor, Michigan, will send a big box of eight to 10 interesting and on-trend food surprises. A box might contain maffe, a peanut simmer sauce from West Africa; Lisbon lemon marmalade; or a tamarind date sauce inspired by Somali cuisine, for example. A collection of writing on the foods’ history and culture is included.

EQUIPMENT A new smart kitchen tool is exciting, even

empowering. Examples: Immersion blender For a slightly older kid, it can be used to blend things like soups and sauces right in the pot. That saves you from having to transfer hot liquids into a regular blender or food processor, so it can be a safer way to puree things. Breville makes an All in One Immersion Blender that also transforms into a food processor, so kids can take on different levels of chopping as they get more skilled.

Ice-cream maker Just plain fun. Cuisinart makes one in a variety of colors, with a 1 1/2-quart capacity and the ability to get to a frozen treat in less than half an hour.

Get creative on flavors. Maybe enhance this gift with some sprinkles/jimmies.

Indoor garden Kits include the Smart Garden, which allows you to grow herbs, tomatoes and salad greens. AeroGarden makes indoor gardens as well, as does Back to the Roots , including a mushroom-growing kit.

Cutting boards Giving kids their own cutting board makes them feel as though they’ve arrived. You can support Unicef.com by ordering one of many hand-carved boards, such as the teakwood Daily Grain from Guatemala, or the Beautiful Meal board from Thailand. Or memorialize a family recipe for a child on a cutting board: Carver’s Ridge lets you send in a recipe, choose a font and board

One of the coolest things you can get a budding chef is a knife that’s safe for little fingers and that they can call their own. My son had one during the under-10 years that made him feel like a pro.

Curious Chef makes nylon, serrated knifes with ergonomic handles for small hands and a very blunt tip. Kuhn Rikon’s Kinderkitchen Essential Set contains two knives, one serrated, one not, and a pair of scissors for cutting herbs and vegetables.

Everything is child-friendly, designed in cute animal shapes, and made of stainless steel. Made for Me makes a beginner’s knife designed like a traditional chef’s knife, with hollow edge depressions and a sheath for storage.

BOOKS Lots of kid-friendly cookbooks and food books out there, for all ages. A few to check out this holiday season: From America’s Test Kitchen, The Complete Cookbook for Young Chefs and The Complete Baking Book for Young Chefs.

All recipes are kid-tested. The little chef hat symbols let you know how much experience is needed for each recipe.

Notes from a Young Black Chef (Knopf, 2019): Award-winning, 29-year-old executive chef Kwame Onwuachi was raised in New York City, Nigeria and Louisiana. He started cooking at a young age under his mother’s direction, and tells an intense story of moving up through kitchens both gritty and elite. This memoir centers on the experience of being a minority in the culinary world, and finding a place in the sphere of fine dining.

The Best American Food Writing 2019 (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2019): For more advanced readers, a collection of work from 25 writers, edited by cook, teacher and author Samin Nosrat (“Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat”). Topics range from the queer history of tapas, a day in the life of a restaurant inspector, and a deep dive into beans.

A serving of equal opportunity

C

asual dining brands Teriyaki Boy and Sizzlin’ Steak strengthened its advocacy to empower deaf Filipinos with employment opportunities by partnering with organizations that help the often-neglected subgroup.

After launching the program in 2018, the two brands under Max’s Group Inc. recently announced their tie-up with the CSB-SDEAS (College of Saint Benilde-School of Deaf Education and Advanced Studies) and LCDPFI (Leonard Cheshire Disability Philippines Foundation Inc.).

“In the Philippines, it’s really a problem for any person with disability [PWD] to be self-sustainable,” said Teri-

yaki Boy and Sizzlin’ Steak Chief Operating Officer John S. Amante. “What we’re trying to do is to provide them jobs for a living, fulfillment and confidence.”

The deaf employees are stationed in the sushi and salad station, and have inspired guests and staff alike with their passionate work, according to Amante. The positive response from all fronts led the Max’s Group to expand the advocacy with CSB-SDEAS and the LCDPFI, which will help them find more differently abled people seeking employment.

The CSB-SDEAS offers academic and formation pro-

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grams in brokering meaningful partnerships between the local hearing and deaf communities. Students are offered a holistic academic experience that revolves around personal development, faith formation, volunteerism, and self-expression, along with continued support postgraduation for advocacy, employment, and social entrepreneurship through personal and professional development programs. Meanwhile, the LCDPFI aims to protect and promote the rights and dignity of PWDs, as well as their access to equal opportunities to education, employment, and inclusion in society. LCDPFI is a part of a global alliance

November 17, 2019

of more than 250 partners from 54 countries providing services and programs for PWD’s.

Teriyaki Boy and Sizzlin’ Steak Marketing Lead Cherry Hernandez said the plan is to hire one deaf employee per store, starting with the company-owned branches before a wider rollout to the franchise outlets.

“Moving forward,” Amante said, “it is our goal to continue bannering inclusivity and diversity in our work force, in our stores and ensure that Teriyaki Boy and Sizzlin’ Steak stores are safe spaces for the deaf and other persons with disabilities.”

Asia’s heirs hit wealth boot camp ahead of record inheritance

By David Ramli

A

Bloomberg

t the bank-run summer schools for heirs of some of Asia’s wealthiest families, visits to factories and shipyards are out; crash-courses in startups and impact investing are in.

In July, the Bank of Singapore, one of Asia’s largest private banks, hosted the children of some of its top clients at its GenINFINITY Program. Over five days at the Four Seasons Hotel they were taught the fundamentals of staying rich—from the ABC’s of private equity to the rudiments of hedge fund investing. Evenings were spent networking at Michelin-starred restaurants and the city’s most exclusive bars.

But while expensive camps for ultrarich kids are a time-honored client perk, the new age demands of millennial heirs are forcing institutions to change and personalize the programs. Rather than focus entirely on the old-economy industries behind most Asian family fortunes, much of Generation Next is interested in carving their own path and making a difference at the same time.

“Going out to fellow entrepreneurs who are also trying to get something started and change the world a little bit, networking with them was great,” said Byron Lim, 26, who participated in GenINFINITY and now helps run a socially aware start-up called Quarter Life Coffee—a far cry from the insurance broking that made his father wealthy. “We want to do something we love and get paid for it.”

For Bank of Singapore, and others like UBS Group AG and HSBC Holdings Plc., adapting the courses are vital for locking in their next generation of clients at a critical time. Asian wealth is relatively young, and the first generation of tycoons is only just starting to relinquish control to their successors. This will result in the biggest wealth transfer event in over a century, according to UBS. “If you look at millennials and Gen Z, the way they think, the way they operate and the way they’ve grown up is very different to, say, the way I grew up,” said Bank of Singapore Global Chief Operating Officer Sonjoy Phukan, who has worked in private wealth for almost 20 years.

‘Shark Tank’ Many are interested in topics that were far less important even a decade ago; from artificial intelligence to personal brands.

“There’s been a move away from pure fi-

People gather at Door XXV, a private club inside Golden Equator’s office in Singapore. Bloomberg

Rather than focus entirely on the old-economy industries behind most Asian family fortunes, much of Generation Next is interested in carving their own path and making a difference at the same time. nance and investment into leadership, communications, culture and other topics, and based on the feedback we’ll adapt next year’s program as well,” he said.

At GenINFINITY, the wealthy heirs did a mix of old-school studies and activities their parents would have balked at. For 2 1/2-hours they worked with a consultant in the hotel’s penthouse on building their personal brand. Then they visited Block71—a start-up incubator near Alphabet Inc.’s regional headquarters—and attended an expert discussion on how AI will affect traditional industries.

The last two days were given over to a Shark Tank-style competition where participants were split into three groups to create and present start-up ideas before a panel of judges. The challenge was heightened by the tender headaches some sported after a raucous night of networking.

As one team brainstormed potential businesses, they repeatedly hit roadblocks; a dozen ideas were born and culled on discarded sheets of butcher’s paper. For a while the half-joking fallback idea was an app that involved escorts, but it too was dumped for one glaring problem: prostitution is illegal in much of the world.

ESG Focus Investments with a positive environmental, social or governance impact are another hot topic. HSBC Private Banking’s Global Head of Marketing Jennifer Ting has experienced this first-hand, recently guiding a Nextgen group through the rainforests of Borneo.

For the past three years, the HSBC Private Banking Sustainability Leadership Program has taken 10 participants to eastern Malaysia to learn about sustainability and how to influence their families

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to become more environmentally friendly, all beneath the curious gaze of endangered orangutans and macaques.

Flights to Kota Kinabulu aren’t covered by the bank, but everything else is. Much of the time is spent hiking through the undergrowth to learn about the area and plant trees; despite the scorching heat, the popular course is fully booked every trip.

“I picked a leech off one of our participants earlier,” Ting said as rain clouds gathered in the skies above. “But there’s a misconception of our audience.

Just because you’re wealthy and born to privilege doesn’t mean that you need to be treated with kid gloves.”

For some heirs there are even more immersive experiences available.

Goh Shi Hui’s family was wealthy enough that UBS, DBS Group Holdings Ltd. and BNP Paribas SA all enrolled her into their courses. She mingled with the wellto-do, consuming cocktails and business know-how from Singapore to California.

The DBS entourage partied so hard that many risked missing class, but as everyone was staying at the W Hotel, truants were quickly rounded up by marketing staff.

Even so, the networking has proven useful, with all three groups staying in touch via social media.

But none can compare to the almost three years she spent working at Golden Equator Wealth, a Singapore-based multifamily office with $600 million in assets under management that looked after part of her family’s property fortune. There, she undertook key projects from evaluating deals and writing industry reports to streamlining her own family’s finances, including culling private bank accounts started by her father that were deemed to deliver poor returns.

November 17, 2019

“Unlike a lot of the banks’ courses that last for four to five days, this program is tailored and customized depending on your learning curve,” Goh said. “The banks can’t afford to be teachers.”

Golden Equator Chief Executive Officer Shirley Crystal Chua personally caught up with Goh every six months during her time at the firm to offer guidance and mentoring.

Participants rotate through asset classes from stocks and bonds to foreign exchange, hedge funds and private deals.

For Chua, it’s a response to demand for programs that move away from “perks” and help prepare young charges for a rapidly changing world—a simplified three-month leadership course is also being planned.

Because of the intensive nature of the course, Golden Equator takes on just six people at a time. And to make sure graduates are ready for the lifestyle of the crazy rich, they get lessons on art, philanthropy and networking.

Another perk: access to Door XXV—a hidden, private whiskey bar for next-gen heirs to host events and mingle with founders and investors away from prying eyes.

But with the number of heirs growing exponentially, it’s impossible for banks to replicate Golden Equator’s model. And the adaptation of short-courses like the Bank of Singapore’s means invitations remain as coveted as ever.

Back at GenINFINITY, the same team that briefly pondered the escort app pulls off a pivot worthy of Silicon Valley and wins by pitching an augmented reality app to help shoppers find the right sized clothes and see what they’d look like in different outfits—an idea made more realistic because one of the group is a computer science student and some others are self-confessed shopaholics.