Businessmirror november 26, 2017

media partner of the year

United nations

2015 environmental Media Award leadership award 2008

BusinessMirror n

Sunday, November 26, 2017 Vol. 13 No. 46

business news source of the year

P25.00 nationwide | 2 sections 14 pages | 7 days a week

Alphababy | Dreamstime.com

www.businessmirror.com.ph

A broader look at today’s business

2016 ejap journalism awards

Plenary debates on medical cannabis rage in House of Representatives

Marijuana: Harmful drug or medicine?

I

By Jovee Marie N. Dela Cruz

s marijuana a harmful drug or a beneficial medicine? This question has been a hot topic in the House of Representatives after a proposal to legalize compassionate and right access to medical cannabis was submitted for plenary consideration.

Rep. Rodolfo T. Albano III said his House Bill (HB) 6517, or the proposed Philippine Compassionate Medical Cannabis Act, is calling for the legalization of medical cannabis for hundreds of thousands of patients suffering from serious and debilitating diseases.

“In the Philippines, thousands of patients suffering from serious and debilitating diseases would benefit from legalizing the medical

use of cannabis,” he said.

Albano stressed that his proposal should not be deemed in any manner as advocating, authorizing, promoting or legally or socially accepting the use of cannabis or marijuana for any nonmedical use.

The measure will amend Republic Act (RA) 9165, or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002, which classifies marijuana or

cannabis as a dangerous drug.

For palliative cure

Recent studies, Albano said, show that cannabis has established effects on control of epileptic seizures, pain management in multiple sclerosis and arthritis, treatment of symptoms associated with HIV-AIDS and palliative care in end-stage cancer treatment.

“Potential medical effects

based on clinical trials include prevention of cancer from spreading, management of anxiety, slowing progression of Alzheimer’s disease and controlling muscle spasms and tremors. Cannabis use in children with epilepsy and seizure disorders have been shown to be effective without the deleterious side effects of anti-epileptic medications,” Albano said.

Continued on A2

Duterte, Alvarez start filling admin’s senatorial slate for midterm polls

I

By Elijah Felice Rosales

t seems like President Duterte and House Speaker Pantaleon D. Alvarez have different names in mind in filling up the administration ticket for the 2019 midterm elections. All the while Alvarez’s preliminary list has included allied lawmakers from the lower chamber, while the President’s picks have logged two agriculture officials.

Duterte’s reason? He said he wants to fill the Senate with men of honor, good intention and “best ideas.”

“Sino ’yung taong makakatulong

sa Pilipino na bababa ’yung presyo ng pagkain [dahil] mayroon tayong suplay na marami. Sino ’yung Pilipino [na] makakatulong sa kapwa niya tao Continued on A2

PESO exchange rates n US 50.6140

President Duterte attends a news conference with Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III (left) and House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez in Malacañang on March 13, 2017. AP Photo/Aaron Favila

n japan 0.4551 n UK 67.3723 n HK 6.4798 n CHINA 7.6862 n singapore 37.6256 n australia 38.5932 n EU 59.9978 n SAUDI arabia 13.4963

Source: BSP (24 November 2017 )

NewsSunday BusinessMirror

A2 Sunday, November 26, 2017

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Marijuana: Harmful drug or medicine?

Continued from A1

month to a registered qualified pa-

deter and prevent the theft of can-

search and medical studies.

Dr. Tony Leachon of the Manila Doctors Hospital, who is currently the president of the Philippine College of Physicians Foundation, all strongly oppose the bill.

“They have stated that extensive research and clinical studies must first be conducted before they can even consider endorsing this kind of treatment,” Atienza said.

to warn the US Congress against

According to Albano, his bill does not decriminalize the use of marijuana, except for medicinal purposes for qualified patients certified by doctors with S2 license who have assessed their medical history and current medical conditions.

“Neither does it allow smoking of cannabis; and its recreational use continues to be prohibited by law. It can be dispensed only by hospital-based Medical Cannabis Compassionate Centers through licensed S3 pharmacists. Research and safety of medical cannabis will be ensured through licensed Medical Cannabis Research and Safety Compliance Centers licensed by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA),” he said.

Support vs opposition

The bill mandates the secretary of the Department of Health (DOH) to lead the formulation of regulations to implement the act. The secretary shall also issue registered ID cards to qualified patients after a careful review of their required documents.

It also provides for the establishment of the Medical Cannabis Compassionate Center (MCCC), which refers to any entity registered with the DOH and licensed to acquire, possess, cultivate, manufacture, deliver, transfer, transport, sell, supply and dispense cannabis, devices or related supplies and educational materials to registered qualifying patients.

The MCCC shall guarantee the appropriate dispensation of cannabis and shall not release more than the prescribed dosage for one

Capturednuance | Dreamstime.com

Patient tagging

tient or designated caregiver. It shall maintain internal confidential record of each entry, which includes information on the date and time the cannabis was dispensed, the amount of cannabis being dispensed and on whether it was dispensed directly to the patient or to the designated caregiver.

A registered MCCC or Medical Cannabis Safety Compliance Facility (MCSCF) shall implement appropriate security measures to

nabis and unauthorized entrance into areas containing cannabis.

Persons who discriminate against qualified patients and violate confidentiality shall be punished accordingly.

Solid proof

But Senior Deputy Minority Leader Lito Atienza of Buhay Party-list questioned Albano for pushing for the passage of the bill without presenting any solid and thorough re-

“The proponents must show definitive proof to back up their claims that marijuana is a medicine. Failure to do so would render this bill inutile and defective. We are all for finding ways to help alleviate the plight of Filipinos suffering from debilitating diseases.

But we cannot do so by passing a law that would allow access to a prohibited drug such as marijuana without any extensive medical research to show that this is indeed safe for our patients,” Atienza said.

“Congressman Albano could not show any documents, study or conclusion from any reputable organization and even from the local and US FDA [Food and Drug Administration]—which they have been liberally citing as examples that marijuana is indeed a medicine,” he added.

On the contrary, Atienza argued that the US FDA continues

passing any similar bill since there is no proof whatsoever that marijuana is a medicine.

It even endangers the health and mental faculties of young children and pregnant women who use it, the lawmaker said, citing the US FDA. “All Congressman Albano presented were mere testimonials. But we cannot, in conscience, pass a law that will affect the lives of Filipinos on the basis of mere personal testimonials. They need to present solid proof to back up their claims. All they have done is to cite existing laws in Canada and the United States allowing this,” he stressed.

Atienza said the country’s own medical practitioners, such as those belonging to the Philippine Medical Association led by its President Dr. Ma. Minerva Calimag; the Philippine Psychological Association; and

For his part, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III, in news reports, backed the proposal legalizing the medical use of marijuana.

According to Duque, there are people who qualify to enjoy the benefit of medical marijuana, noting, however, “there must be very narrow applicability and must be strictly regulated.”

He said the health department is continuously conducting consultations to ensure that the proposal is acceptable to all.

Dr. Philip S. Chua, a heart surgeon and chairman of the Filipino United Network (FUN)-USA, expressed opposition on the proposed legislation seeking to authorize the prescription of medical marijuana for a variety of ailments, warning against the high risk of abuse owing to the addictive effects of the illegal drug.

“We currently have enough drug-addiction problems in the Philippines and certainly do not want to add more,” Chua said.

FUN-USA is a humanitarian foundation composed of FilipinoAmerican associations and medical graduates of the Philippines now practicing in the US.

“While as a heart surgeon, I am personally in favor of therapeutic marijuana for those medical cases that do not respond to standard medical care, I feel as you do that this will be abused in our country and turn the Philippines into a zombie nation as you stated. This is already happening in America,” Chua said in a statement of support e-mailed to the office of Atienza.

Filipino lawmakers should vote against the passage of HB 6517, which is “a potentially disastrous bill,” he added.

Duterte, Alvarez start filling admin’s senatorial slate for midterm polls Continued from A1

and who has the best of the ideas, baka ’yun ang mga tao na kukunin ko or I might also nominate them [Whoever can help the Filipinos in bringing down the prices of food because we have plentiful supply.

Whoever Filipino can aid his fellowmen and who has the best of ideas, maybe those are the people I will get or I might also nominate them],” the President said.

In describing his ideal senatorial candidate, Duterte has named Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel F. Piñol and Undersecretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat. The two agriculture officials were not on Alvarez’s initial list of senatorial candidates to be fielded by the ruling PDP-Laban for the 2019 polls.

Alvarez has included four lawmakers and two presidential appointees on his preliminary list of senatorial candidates.

These were Rep. Karlo Alexei B. Nograles of Davao; Rep. Alfredo B. Benitez of Negros Occidental; Rep. Geraldine B. Roman of Bataan; Presidential Spokesman and Rep. Harry L. Roque Jr. of Kabayan; Political Adviser Francis N. Tolentino; and Presidential Communications Assistant Secretary Margaux J. Uson.

In spite of differing choices

with his fellow party leader, it was Duterte who expressed willingness to meet halfway with the House Speaker, saying it should be decided as a whole by the PDP-Laban.

“It’s a party decision, so maybe just a give and take there,” the President said.

As for Roque and Uson, who are both part of Duterte’s communications team, the two have denied they have plans on competing for a seat in the Senate. Roque said he has no strong financial backing that will provide the backbone to his would-be campaign.

“I am very thankful for the confidence shown by Speaker Bebot Alvarez. I cherish the encouragement and humbled by the endorsement,” Roque said in a statement.

“I have also without means to pursue a Senate bid. So while I am thankful, I reiterate that my priority is to be the best spokesman that I can be for the President,” the Palace official added.

Roque said he’d rather focus on his duty as the Chief Executive’s official mouthpiece, a task he has just earned in October. “I am, however, focused on my new job as the President’s spokesperson and my priority right now is to do my absolute best in communicating

the message of the President to our people,” Roque said.

On the other hand, Uson, who has earned a backlash on social media for being named a possible senatorial candidate, has received “so-so” backing from the President.

She said only Duterte can make her pursue a seat in the Senate.

“Let the people decide. It’s not a one-man story or critique,” the President said, referring to Uson’s possible senatorial bid.

“[If the people wanted her,] then that’s it. It will be honored by all, including the military and the police,” Duterte added.

“If the Filipino people chooses her, you might not like her; her ways might not suit your values. But if that guy or woman is elected by the people, then you have to honor that choice,” the President said.

It might be too early to call, but with 2018 fast approaching, the ruling PDP-Laban is expected to finalize its list of senatorial candidates for the 2018 midterm elections. After all, the Duterte administration still has a long way to go in enacting into law its proposed measures, and continuing to hold the Senate by the neck will assure it of getting legislative work done with ease.

The World BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Sunday, November 26, 2017

A3

Q&A: US-China trade ties to get tougher before they get better U nited States President Donald J. Trump’s first state visit to Beijing featured pageantry and smiles, but some are predicting it belied an economic relationship that’s about to get much more antagonistic.

Scott Kennedy, deput y d irector of the Freeman Chair in China Studies and director of the Project on Chinese Business and Political Economy at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, is one them. Tariffs and possibly new investment curbs are among steps against China being discussed by US officials, said Kennedy, who is also author of “ The Fat Tech Dragon: Benchmarking China’s Innovation Drive.

The following is an edited excerpt from an interview conducted earlier this month in Beijing at the same time as Trump was meeting with President Xi Jinping and other officials in the Chinese capital.

We’ve heard tough talk on China from the Trump administration but have seen little action. Why is that?

There has been a big gap between the administration’s rhetoric and their actual behavior.

That is partly a result of the fact that the administration came out so early, after the election and before Trump took office, laying down markers, including on Taiwan. So they spent the first several months walking that back.

And they gave up a lot of initial leverage, which was my scary uncle who doesn’t care about the potential dangers, who might be willing to do just about anything, because he is so mad, and willing to take on risks. But they walked that all back.

The second problem was personnel, and it is still a problem.

They didn’t have (US Trade Representative) Robert Lighthizer confir med, for example. A nd across t he economic bureaucracy, they have been missing people. And if you are going to do some of these things (or take trade actions), there is actual information that must be gathered, processed and assembled, as part of the strategy. So all of that has slowed them down.

What actions might we see from the Trump administration?

The first thing that is probably going to come down is the Cornyn bill—on CFIUS (the Committee on Foreign Investment in the US) reform. That will get stuck on some type of legislation like tax reform. But it doesn’t have to be there. They could stick it on postage stamp reform. That could (further) constrain Chinese investment in the US. Or (the Tr ump administration) cou ld block the Chinese f rom t he A me r ic a n go ve r n ment procurement market. Or it cou ld raise tar iffs across the board, or in cer tain sectors. It

Thailand may repeat 4% growth on welfare, finance official says

A shopper walks through a market in the Chinatown area of Bangkok, Thailand, on October 21. Brent Lewin/Bloomberg

T

hailand’s economic growth could once again exceed 4 percent this quarter with a subsidy for the poor boosting consumption, a senior finance official said.

“They spent almost 100 percent” of the money, said Suwit Rojanavanich, director general for the Finance Ministry’s fiscal policy office, referring to 10 million low-income earners who started receiving as much as 300 baht ($9) a month in October.

The program is very successful and along with state spending and investment will boost growth to more than 4 percent in the last quarter of the year, he said in an interview in Bangkok on November 21.

After years of economic malaise, Thailand is catching up with the boom in Southeast Asia as the government steps up measures to boost domestic demand, including a $46-billion infrastructure plan and tax breaks for year-end shopping. The end of a yearlong mourning period for King Bhumibol Adulyadej also strengthens the outlook for consumer spending.

The economy expanded 4.3 percent last quarter from a year ago, the fastest pace since 2013, supported by traditional pillars of growth like exports and tourism. The state planning agency forecast growth of 3.9 percent for calendar year 2017 and as much as 4.6 percent next year.

Fiscal space

The government has fiscal space if needed to boost the economy as public debt and the budget

deficit remain low, Suwit said. The state is increasing spending to a record in fiscal year 2018, which started in October, while targeting a budget deficit of 450 billion baht, about 2.6 percent of GDP. The shortfall was a record 542 billion baht in the previous fiscal year.

“We are very strict as we are the ministry that provides the budget to the country,” he said. But “if we need to, we still have several bullets on the fiscal side.”

Fiscal guidelines: n Public debt ratio not exceeding 60 percent of GDP n Fiscal deficit not exceeding 3 percent of GDP n Debt service ratio not exceeding 15 percent of the budget investment spending of 25 percent of total n Expenditure under the law, the budget deficit cannot exceed 20 percent of the budget The economy will withstand the risk of capital outflows as the US proceeds with rate increases, Suwit said. Bank of Thailand, which has kept its benchmark interest rate near a record low since 2015, faces speculation from some economists that it will tighten next year.

“Now we are like a safe haven for some fund managers because we offer a little bit higher rate than the US,” Suwit added. “That’s why we have a lot of flows. If the US increases interest rates, the funds will flow out. But we won’t have any strong effect as nonresident investment in the bond market is only around 16 percent. We won’t have any difficulty if they move out.” Bloomberg News

could file a World Trade Organization ( W TO) case or mu ltiple cases. T here is a whole, w ide range of pena lties or actions that cou ld be ta ken.

There is a big debate within the United States about how creative the president can be. Should he be allowed to use back alley methods, gang-style or Chinese-style actions to fight the Chinese?

Could he just send in the fire marshal to close down (Chinese businesses)? Could he call up his friends who run Internet companies and have them turn off Internet access for Chinese companies that operate in the United States?

Could he ask the IRS to audit a company? Could he just simply raise tariffs to 200 percent or whatever number he decides he likes? Those things are probably called WTO noncompliant. And (to date) we have not gone gangster on China. But there are some people suggesting that.

What are some of the challenges the administration faces?

The first is the establishment really is anxious. There are lots of folks who believe that China has been playing unfair, but that

they still have got a piece of the action, and China is growing, and they still can benefit from a China operating on turbo steroids. They understand that if China played fair then potentially there would be more opportunities for them, but they also know they run the risk of a trade war, which would then lead to retaliation and suck up their business, especially in the short term. And since they are chief executive officers (CEO) they are all about quarterly earnings. So which CEO wants a trade war?

T he second obst ac le is t hey a re going at t h is a l l by t hemselves. T hey a re not st a nd ing shou lder to shou lder w ith anybody—not t he Japa nese, not t he Korea ns, not t he Eu rope a ns. Ever yone who faces t he exact same obstacles should be col l aborat ing w it h t he US. But t hey a re not because t he US is going to bat t le w it h ever yone at t he sa me t ime. T hat ra ises the possibilit y that the US w il l be isol ated in a t rade conf l ict a nd not wel l-suppor ted when it has a ver y good a rg u ment t hat C h ina’s indust r i a l pol ic y is a d a nger to ever ybody.

How valuable is a strong relationship at the top if things get dicey?

If Trump and Xi can speak to each other genuinely, frankly and share their domestic challenges that limit their ability to cooperate, sort of put themselves in the other’s shoes, then I think that is helpful. But I think their level of mutual affection and communication is really superficial.

Probably General Secretary Xi has a much better understanding of Trump than vice versa. There are lots of rich, maverick business people in China who leverage themselves up and use political connections and branding to make a fortune and seek the limelight. So Xi has seen other Trumplike figures here all the time. But I don’t think that Trump has really much understanding of what it’s like to have come up through the Communist Party system over a 45-year career. And what it means to be part of that Leninist system.

He may understand what it’s like to be relatively privileged. Xi is privileged in some ways. But that doesn’t even come close to really getting what it’s like to be in this system, even for princelings.

Bloomberg News

A4

Sunday, November 26, 2017

The World BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Big tech becomes Theresa May’s ‘scapegoat’ in anti-terror drive

B

ritish Prime Minister Theresa May emerged from 10 Downing Street and stepped somberly to a podium. The previous night, June 3, three terrorists had driven a van into pedestrians on London Bridge and attacked people in nearby Borough Market, using 12-inch knives. Eight victims were dead and 48 injured.

After expressing condolences to their families, May identified two forces behind the previous night’s carnage.

They were Islamic extremist views—and American social media.

“We cannot allow this ideology the safe space it needs to breed, yet that is precisely what the Internet and the big companies that prov ide Inter net ser v ices prov ide,” she said.

W h i le ot her Eu ropea n pol it ic a l leaders, i nc lud i ng Fra nce’s Emma nuel Macron a nd Ger m a n y ’s A n g e l a M e r k e l , h a v e a lso cr it ici zed socia l med ia for not kee pi ng e x t rem i st s of f t hei r pl at for ms, May h a s gone f u r t her. Her gove r n me nt h a s

m ade ba sh i ng Facebook , Tw itter a nd YouTube a reg u l a r rhe tor ic a l t rope fol low i ng a st r i ng of ter ror i st at t ac k s i n t he pa st 12 mont hs.

May’s rhetor ic coincides w it h

a plunge in tech companies’ rep utat ions on bot h sides of t he At lantic, f ueled by revelations a b o u t R u s s i a’s u s e o f s o c i a l med i a to i nter fere i n t he US presidentia l election, antitr ust concer ns and anger at t he companies’ use of comple x of fshore str uctures to avoid ta x.

But turning Big Tech into Public Enemy No. 1 risks alienating the ver y f ir ms whose suppor t Br itish police and intel ligence agencies need to thwart terrorist threats, said the government’s independent terrorism watchdog, trial law yer Max Hill.

“I struggle to see how it would help if our parliament were to criminalize tech company bosses who ‘don’t do enough,’” he told a conference in July. Technology companies, he said, “need to be brought firmly onside, they do not need to be forced offside.”

Alan West, a member of the House of Lords who previously served as an adviser to then-Prime Minister Gordon Brown, is among

It is not morally acceptable for tech giants to wash their hands of all liability when it comes to discussions on safety and security.”—Ford

politicians and security experts saying May’s government is beating up on socialmedia companies because its own counterterrorism strategy hasn’t worked.

T he UK’s signature program to fight radicalization, called Prevent, aims to identify individuals with extremist views and connect them w it h inter vent ion to keep them from committing terrorist acts. Yet, suicide bomber Salman Abedi, who killed 22 people at a pop concert in Manchester in May, was repeatedly f lagged to authorities—and wasn’t known to Prevent, according to police.

Of 7,631 referrals made to Prevent in 2015 and 2016, action was taken in only one in 20 cases, according to a Home Office report released in early November.

M a y ’s g o v e r n m e nt a n d her Conservative Party have pressured big tech—despite the absence of evidence that those who car r ied out the spate of UK attacks were radicalized on one of the large social networking platforms.

(The attacker who targeted the Westminster Bridge in March, K halid Masood, used the encrypted messaging app W hatsApp, which is owned

by Facebook, as well as Telegram, a smaller messaging service. The London Bridge and Borough Market attackers are suspected of having used Telegram.)

“It is not morally acceptable for tech giants to wash their hands of all liability when it comes to discussions on safety and security,” Vicky Ford, a Conservative lawmaker and cochairman of the cross-party parliamentary technology forum, said in an interview.

May has proposed a twohour time frame for removing terrorist content, with substantial fines should the companies not comply. If adopted into law, it would be the most stringent such rule in the world.

Sinead McSweeney, Twitter Inc.’s vice president of public policy and communications in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, said, “Terrorism is a societal problem and therefore requires a societal response.” She added: “For our part, we’ve dramatically reduced the presence of terrorist groups on Twitter.”

Twitter said in September it has increased its use of artificial intelligence to screen for terrorist content. Worldwide, it now suspends 95 percent of accounts that post extremist content within hours and finds and removes 99 percent of offending posts without having to rely on complaints from users. It blocks threequarters of suspect accounts b e fore t he y p ost a si ng le tweet, it said in a report.

Lena Pietsch, a Facebook Inc. spokesman, said the company removes terrorists’ accounts and posts that support terrorism whenever it becomes aware of them, and informs authorities if needed. Facebook announced in May plans to hire thousands of additional contractors to screen for content that violates its service terms.

A spokesman for Google’s YouTube said violent extremism is a comple x problem and the company is committed to being part of the solution. YouTube’s algorithms,

as of November, helped spot about 83 percent of the terrorist-related content it removes, a company spokesman said. And in three-quarters of removals, these automated systems spot the problematic content before anyone sees it.

These efforts have helped to c h a s e te r ror i st g roups such as Islamic State off of the best-known social-media platforms, such as Twitter, and onto smaller group chat apps like Telegram and Signal, according to Peter Neumann, who runs the International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation and Political Violence at K ing’s College, L ondon. R ob Wa i nw r ig ht , the head of Europol, said that Telegram is “a major problem” and that Facebook, Twitter and “some others” were proving more cooperative.

Telegram has said in messages posted to all its users that it bans ISIS content and shuts down terrorist content “within hours.” The company opposes allowing security agencies to penetrate the end-to-end encryption of its messages.

The big tech companies say their relationship with British law enforcement has never been better.

“When I have been in the room with industry leaders and government people, there has always been a quite constructive dialogue,” said Antony Walker, deputy chief executive officer of techUK, a trade association representing technology companies. A lawmaker, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the issue’s sensitivity, also said the government has good private communication with the industry, a sense backed up by a European security source.

British Home Secretary Amber Rudd has conducted a series of closed-door meetings with tech executives, including in March after a terrorist attack targeted Westminster Bridge and the British Parliament. In late July, Rudd traveled to California and met with Facebook, Google, Microsoft and Twitter executives both separately and as a group.

These exchanges have done little to temper Rudd’s public stance. At the October Conservative Party Conference, she again faulted social-media companies for not doing enough and said she was tired of being “sneered at” and “patronized” by technologists.

The companies say complying with May’s proposed twohour requirement would be difficult.

“We are making significant prog ress but remov ing a l l of this content within a few hours—or indeed stopping it from appearing on the internet in the first place—poses an enormous technological and scientific challenge,” Kent Walker, Google’s general counsel, said at the September meeting with May. Newscasts, terrorism experts and anti-radicalization activists all might have legitimate cause to use snippets of terrorist videos or other extremist content. Today’s artificial intelligence is not sophisticated enough to decipher context, Walker said.

“Machines are simply not at the stage where they can replace human judgment,” he said. Bloomberg News

Venezuela’s state oil producer tells staff to cut costs by 50%

A

lready in default and struggling with sinking oil production, Venezuela’s state-run energy firm told its employees to cut costs and expenses by 50 percent in an austerity drive to reflect the broader economic crisis hitting the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries nation of 30 million people.

PDVSA, as the oil producer is known, called on different business units, subsidiaries, joint ventures and staff to adhere to a long list of costcutting reforms, amid the “national economic emergency” without affecting daily crude output, according to a memo sent to employees on Thursday that was seen by Bloomberg.

PDVSA and the country’s oil ministry confirmed the contents of the memo.

Joint-venture partners must submit financing plans, projects with no financing will be halted, training outside of Venezuela will only be conducted when strictly necessary and international transportation, including the use of PDVSA aircraft, should be reduced to a minimum, the memo said. Credit-card use must be in line with company policy and the use of video conferences will be promoted to cut costs of bringing employees face-to-face.

The call to tighten belts at the country’s biggest company adds to other attempts by President Nicolas Maduro’s government to head off a crisis sparked by low oil prices, a refusal to enact economic measures to correct imbalances and a political impasse that has further split society. Last week the Foreign Ministry sent an e-mail to diplomats worldwide to renegotiate rents of embassies and consulates or look for cheaper locations. With international reserves near a 15-year low, the socialist nation has been plagued with shortages of everything from antibiotics and food.

In its latest financial report for full-year 2016 that was released in August, profit at Petroleos de Venezuela sank almost 90 percent year-onyear, while contributions to key social programs dried up.

The Caracas-based company’s refineries are operating at significantly reduced rates with some “completely paralyzed,” according to Ivan Freites, the head of an oil workers union.

Output is expected to slump to 1.84 million barrels a day next year, the lowest compared with official government data since 1989, according to a survey with four analysts compiled by Bloomberg.

Other policy changes unveiled in the memo include rules around assigning company vehicles, the practice of booking hotel rooms on a continuous basis and improving the screening of employees based on merits and education.

PDVSA called on reductions in the use of electricity, water, mobile telephones, aircards for Internet, computing gear and expenses for publicity and propaganda.

Even after paying billions of dollars in the past month to make debt payments, PDVSA is behind on other bond-interest payments, prompting creditrating companies to cut the firm’s credit to selective default.

The price on its bonds due 2022 stands at 30 cents on the dollar from as high as 67 cents in March. Bloomberg News

Sports BusinessMirror

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

Sunday, November 26, 2017

A5

THE ‘FIERCE’ ADVOCATE T

By Will Graves

The Associated Press

HE people come forward to Aly Raisman almost daily now.

Random strangers. Men and women of various ages, races and backgrounds. They see the sixtime Olympic medal winning gymnast out in public and approach with a hug to give and a story to tell.

It was jarring at first, if Raisman is being honest. When she pitched her autobiography Fierce to publishers last summer shortly after the 2016 Olympics, she intended to focus on her journey from tenacious prodigy to champion. And while all of that is in there, the part of her experience that’s resonated the most since the book’s release earlier this month is the one she wasn’t sure she’d be able to share.

It’s Chapter 22, titled “The Survivors.” In it, Raisman outlines how she was abused by former national team doctor Larry Nassar, how he “groomed” her by presenting himself as a friendly ear and how she feels he was empowered to continue over the course of years by those in charge at USA Gymnastics.

Raisman spent weeks working on the section, revisiting it again and again, trying to get it just right. Or at least as close to right as she can get.

“I put in a ton of thought whether how I wanted to come forward about this,” Raisman told The Associated Press. “What I realized at the end of the day is that I want change, and I want people to understand what exactly abuse is. It’s very complicated.

It’s very confusing. I didn’t know that I was being abused because I was manipulated so horribly.”

In the process, Raisman discovered the

abuse Nassar committed against other female athletes—including allegations from Olympic teammates McKayla Maroney and Gabby Douglas—is a very small part of a much larger problem that extends far beyond the actions of just one man. It’s why she took those painful memories and put them on paper, to share with the world that, as she says over and over again, “It’s not OK. It’s never OK.” The 23-year-old’s new calling makes thinking about a return to competition in time for the 2020 Olympics seem trivial.

“This is the focus,” Raisman said.

A focus that has turned her into an unexpected symbol of strength for others who share their experiences.

“Unfortunately, sexual abuse is far too common,” Raisman said. “I’ve realized how many people are affected by it, and it’s disgusting. That’s why I want change.”

Raisman has become an increasingly outspoken critic of USA Gymnastics, blaming the governing body for a lack of oversight on

Nassar’s conduct. The 54-year-old spent nearly 20 years as the team doctor for the US women’s elite program, often working with athletes one-on-one. Raisman declined to get into specifics about the abuse she was subjected to, but her experience falls in line with what many other have claimed against Nassar: that he touched them inappropriately while describing it as proper treatment.

Nassar pleaded guilty to multiple charges of sexual assault in Michigan on Wednesday and will face at least 25 years in prison. He still faces additional criminal

charges, and has been named in more than 125 civil lawsuits filed by former athletes.

Nassar’s downfall began following reporting by the Indianapolis Star in 2016 that highlighted chronic mishandling of abuse allegations against coaches and staff at some of USA Gymnastics’s more than 3,500 clubs across the country.

Raisman has not taken any legal action yet against Nassar, though she’s not ruling it out. Her larger concern is educating young athletes and their parents on the warning signs while also loudly clamoring for change. She has seen a familiar pattern repeat itself over the last 18 months: another gymnast comes out claiming abuse by Nassar,

and USA Gymnastics follows with a press release attributed to no specific individual that praises them for their courage.

One of the most decorated Olympic athletes of her generation doesn’t just want words. She wants action.

USA Gymnastics has taken several steps in recent months. President and CEO Steve Penny resigned under pressure in March and was replaced by Kerry Perry, who takes over on December 1.

Kubica closer to an F1 return as Williams ponders decision

A

BU DHABI, United Arab Emirates—After nearly losing his right hand, Robert Kubica could be steering a Formula One (F1) car with it next year.

If he returns, it will complete a remarkable comeback for the 32-year-old Polish driver, rated as one of the quickest in F1 before a gruesome rally accident left him needing seven hours of surgery on a partially severed right hand, and numerous subsequent operations.

Kubica did F1 testing for Renault earlier this season and recently with the Williams team, and is consideration for an F1 seat in 2018.

No announcement is planned during this weekend’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (GP), Williams says. But in what appears to be a boost for his ambitions, Williams announced on Wednesday that Kubica will take part in Pirelli tire testing after the race.

Those tests are aimed at evaluating tires, but it gives driver further time behind the wheel before Williams decides.

It was his love of all racing that pushed Kubica into trying rallying six years ago, and it

The organization hired Toby Stark, a childwelfare advocate, as its director of SafeSport over the summer. Part of Stark’s mandate is educating members on rules, educational programs and reporting. The federation also adopted over 70 recommendations by Deborah Daniels, a former federal prosecutor who oversaw an extensive independent review.

It’s not enough for Raisman. She points out Penny wasn’t fired but, instead, forced out. Though Nassar’s relationship with USA Gymnastics officially ended in 2015 after an athlete came forward about potential abuse, he was still allowed to continue working at Michigan State University while also volunteering at a USA Gymnastics-affiliated club.

“That is just unacceptable to me,” Raisman said. “[That gym] is a part of USA Gymnastics. USA Gymnastics is responsible for kids at that gym. Instead of doing their job, they let Larry keep working there.”

Raisman would like to see more extensive change in leadership at USA Gymnastics. She never imagined being an agent for change as she dreamed of the Olympics while growing up in Needham, Massachusetts, but she’s embracing the role as she comes to grips with her own victimhood.

Chapter 22 wasn’t the end, only the beginning.

“I’m still, as you see, processing it,” she said. “I’m still at a loss for words. I’m

having so many people come up to me, telling me they had similar experience, that they filed a complaint and it was ignored. I will do everything I can to make sure those people are heard.”

Aly Raisman spent weeks working on the sensitive section of the book, revisiting it again and again, trying to get it just right. AP

TIBETANS PROTEST VS. CHINA

Several spectators raise a Tibetian flag in protest of China’s politics regarding Tibet at a friendly soccer match between TSV Schott Mainz and China’s U20 team at the regional sports facility in Mainz, Germany. The German soccer federation is hoping China’s under-20 team is more relaxed about any further protests it may face while playing friendly matches in the country after walking off mid-game last weekend. AP

STUDY LOOKS AT SOCCER’S HEALTH RISKS

L

ONDON—A major study into whether soccer players are at risk of degenerative brain disease has been commissioned amid concerns that the sport’s authorities in England haven’t done enough to tackle the issue.

The Football Association (FA) and Professional Footballers’ Association have appointed a research team, based in Scotland, to undertake a study, entitled “Football’s Influence on Lifelong Health and Dementia Risk,” from January 2018.

HIGH-PROFILE RUGBY PLAYER BANNED

L

Robert Kubica has done F1 testing for Renault earlier this season and recently with the Williams team, and is consideration for an F1 seat in 2018. AP

FA Chief Executive Martin Glenn said it will be “one of the most comprehensive studies ever commissioned into the longterm health of former footballers” because “we feel compelled...to fully understand if there are any potential risks associated with playing the game.”

Researchers will address the question: “Is the incidence of degenerative neurocognitive disease more common in exprofessional footballers than in the normal population?” AP

almost ended his career. After crashing at a little-known Italian rally in February, 2011, he was trapped in the wreckage of his battered Skoda for more than an hour and also sustained arm and leg fractures.

“The accident turned my life upside down, but I’m aware that a few centimeters more and I wouldn’t be here talking about it,” Kubica said.

“The biggest job I had to do was in my own head.

There were some terrible times when I no longer felt up to it. It was worse than a physical pain.”

Initially, he cut all ties with F1.

“I never wanted to visit a Grand Prix paddock or attend a test, despite being invited,” Kubica said.

Stark realization was setting in.

“Life had given me so much and then, in an instant, it [almost] took it all away,” Kubica recently told the official magazine of the FIA, the governing body for auto racing. “They say that time is a healer, but that wasn’t the case for

me—it made me suffer more.”

That was until he accepted his situation.

“The brain can develop the ability to compensate, at least partly, for one’s physical limits,” he said. “It’s difficult to explain something like this—only those who have experienced it can really understand.”

A popular driver in F1 from 2006-2010, Kubica earned 12 F1 podium finishes and was considered among the brightest talents.

“Not a lot of great, great drivers come through,” four-time F1 champion Lewis Hamilton said. “Then you have real special drivers like him.”

Kubica won the Canadian GP driving for BMW Sauber in 2008, after placing second at the Monaco GP. He was reportedly close to joining Ferrari in a move that would have offered him a better title shot.

Even if he never races in F1 again, his comeback from that crash is already impressive.

Two years later, he won the WRC2 title—rally’s second-tier championship.

This year he has edged closer to F1.

When he tested for Renault on Valencia’s Ricardo Tormo circuit in June, albeit in an older and lighter F1 car, he was overwhelmed.

“I don’t get emotional easily but, that day, I really did,” he said. “I realized that driving a Formula One car was the thing that made me happy, and I finally felt at peace.”

When he tested in the 2017 car at the Hungaroring for Renault late-July, just outside of Budapest, he was fourth quickest and completed 142 laps. It proved his fitness was OK, and that he retained some speed from his F1 days.

It wasn’t quite enough to convince Renault, which has since signed promising Spanish driver Carlos Sainz Jr. But Williams needs a replacement for 36-year-old Brazilian driver Felipe Massa, who is retiring after Sunday’s season-ending race. AP

ONDON—A high-profile rugby league player has been banned from the sport for two years after testing positive for cocaine.

UK Anti-Doping (Ukad) says Rangi Chase, a halfback who has represented New Zealand Maori and England, “has tarnished his career with this sanction.”

Ukad says benzoylecgonine—a

metabolite of cocaine—was found in a sample provided by Chase in an incompetition test on July 14.

The 31-year-old Chase has been suspended by his club, Widnes. He was voted Player of the Year in the Europe’s Super League in 2011 when playing for Castleford.

His ban ends at midnight on July 13, 2019. AP

3 YOUNG PLAYERS CHARGED WITH RAPE

W

EST YORK, Pennsylvania—Three high-school football players have been charged with raping a 14-year-old girl at gunpoint after she left a Pennsylvania town fair.

The York Daily Record reports the 16-yearold boys from the Central York High School football team are charged as adults.

The girl says she was with friends at the York Fair on September 16, and the boys followed them. She added that, when she left

the fair, she was “taken to unknown locations” and was “forced” to have sex with the boys.

West York police say two of the boys were picked up without incident on Tuesday, and the third arranged to surrender. The boys’ relatives have declined to comment.

The school district says what happened was “a nonschool related issue,” and it has no comment on the police investigation.

A preliminary hearing is scheduled for January 11. AP

Faith A6 Sunday, November 26, 2017

Sunday

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

Church exec calls for end to dole-outs for the poor

A

s the Catholic Church in the Philippines joined the rest of the universal Church in the recent celebration of the First World Day of the Poor, as marked by Pope Francis, a Church official called for an end to the “dole-out mentality.”

“The poor cannot be treated as beggars of our assistance. They should be regarded with dignity, with the same importance we give ourselves. And we can only do so by improving our service delivery, by doing away with the dole-out mentality and by engaging the most vulnerable during decision and policy-making,” said Fr. Edwin A. Gariguez, Caritas Philippines executive secretary.

According to the priest, the National Secretariat for Social Action (Nassa)/Caritas Philippines strives to strengthen its advocacy for the integration of humanitarian responses and development programming, just like in the organization’s work in Marawi. “We cannot continue to be blinded [to] this injustice.”

Not ‘business as usual’

“It cannot be business as usual

when dealing with our poor brothers and sisters. The government and the church must combine its resources to truly improve their plight. We can start by establishing better coordination lines during disaster response, and by being more accountable to our people,” Gariguez added.

Meanwhile, in a statement, Archbishop Rolando J. Tria Tirona, Nassa/Caritas Philippines’s national director, recognized that “with over half of the world’s population [over 3 billion people] living in extreme poverty, the pope’s initiative to honor the poor is both a challenge and a celebration.”

“The initiative is a challenge for us Christians to be mindful of our actions toward the less fortunate, the underprivileged, the vulnerable and marginalized. Let us examine how our words and inactions affect those without

Fr. Edwin A. Gariguez, Caritas Philippines executive secretary CBCPNews

voice and power,” the prelate said.

#AlayKapwa

On another note, the Archbishop of Caceres also said that “the World Day of the Poor is essentially a time for #AlayKapwa—a celebration where we are called to offer and empty ourselves for the sake of our neighbor.”

In the Philippines farmers, fishermen and children, with a population of 21.9 million, are consistently found to be the poorest sectors, according to the 2017 poverty report of the Philippine Statistics Authority. Nassa/ Caritas Philippines is currently i mplement i ng a P14 - m i l l ion

hu m a n it a r i a n res pon se pro gram in Marawi for over 3,000 a f fec ted fa m i l ies, wh ic h i ncludes relief distribution, capacity building, livelihood suppor t, com mu n it y orga n i zi ng and psychosocial inter vention.

Caritas Philippines is also one of the convenors of the Philippine FBO (faith-based organizations) Forum, a platform for greater coordination among FBOs in the country, especially those doing humanitarian response in Marawi.

Nassa/Caritas Philippines is the humanitarian development and advocacy arm of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines. CBCPNews

Bible museum opens in Washington W A SHINGTON— Carol Haun has waited years for a museum dedicated to the Bible. On November 17 her prayers were answered.

Haun, a Bible study teacher from Charlotte, North Carolina, was among the first visitors to the Museum of the Bible, which opened to the public last weekend. It houses more than 500 biblical artifacts and texts and the world’s largest private collection of retired Torah scrolls.

Critics say the museum, a nearly $500-million endeavor located a few blocks from the National Mall, represents only a JudeoChristian perspective, and omits other religions like Islam that draw from the Bible.

It is largely funded by Steve Green, the evangelical billionaire and owner of Hobby Lobby, the corporate name that has become shorthand for the 2014 Supreme Court ruling that corporations with religious owners cannot be required to pay for insurance coverage of some contraception.

“This will come under attack, and people’s agendas will clash,” Haun said. “But let this place speak for itself.”

“Really, I’m all about the Word, and for this museum to be here for people to see the beauty, it’s wonderful,” she said.

The museum showcases a variety of Christian and Hebrew biblical artifacts, including fragments of the Dead Sea Scrolls and a Bible brought on the Mayflower. It also features exhibits on the Bible’s influence on society, including media, fashion and events in the United States and world history.

Tony Zeiss, the museum’s executive director, said concerns about favoring certain interpretations of the text had not daunted the museum’s aim to educate people about the Bible and to show the history and inf luence of what he called the world ’s most inf luential text.

Jesus Christ: King of the universe

By Corazon Damo-Santiago

C

hrist is a Greek word, which means Messiah in the Jewish language. The Jews believe He is the Annointed One, the King who would deliver Israel from the Romans.

When Pontius Pilate, governor of Israel, asked Jesus if He is, indeed, King of the Jews, His answer was: “No, My kingdom does not belong here.”

“Are you a king then?” Jesus replied, “You say that I am King” (John 18:33-37).

Crucified on a cross between two thieves, the soldiers nailed Jesus’ identification above his head: “Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews” (John 19:19).

C o n s u b s t a nt i a l w it h G o d t he Fat her, Jesus has ever ything common w ith His Father, absolute a nd supreme power in heaven a nd Ea r t h u nt i l t he end of t he world. T he Creator, t he Good Shepherd, t he Sav ior of ma n k ind, “He is t he f irst bor n f rom t he dead ” so t hat “pr imac y maybe His in ever yt h ing” (Colossians 1:16:18).

State of the world

Pope Leo XIII (1878-1903) has said that “evils have now settled upon the world.” A wall has been erected “between church and civil society...the authority of sacred law utterly disregarded.”

He lamented the exclusion of religion in the public life and affairs, and said that “insolent pride” has, indeed, eroded the “foundations of public welfare.”

Not only is the “removal of Christian faith from our midst is possible,” the pope said, too.

It is also “the banishment of God Himself from the Earth.”

This is the state of the world described by Pope Leo XIII when he issued his Encyclical Annum Sacrum (Holy Year) on May 25, 1899, hopeful that with the Consecration to the Sacred Heart, God will reign in the hearts of man.

Four years after, Pope Pius X (1903-1914) issued E. Supremi, his first encyclical. He noted the disastrous “efforts to destroy utterly the memory and knowledge about God.” Terrified of what he considered as a challenge and a glorious task, the pope issued his October 4, 1903, letter to all bishops, titled “Restoration of all Things in Christ.”

pope reigned in an era when dictatorship and secularism were on the rise in Europe. Christians doubted “the authority of the church,” worst, the pope said, “the existence of Christ.”

With the waning respect for the church, its leaders and God, the pope was “hopeful that the church has the right to freedom and immunity,” and leaders of nations would realize they “are bound to respect Christ.”

The pope was, likewise, optimistic that Christians, through the celebration of the feast, are reminded that Christ must reign in man’s “body, heart, mind and will.”

The encyclical cited that the chief cause of the difficulties of mankind were the “manifold evils in the world, the majority of men had thrust Jesus Christ and His holy law out of their lives that these had no place either in their private affairs and politics.”

The feast was originally celebrated on the last Sunday of October. When the church calendar was reformed in 1969, the feast was moved on the last Sunday of Ordinary Time of the Liturgical Calendar, which is the Sunday before the Season of Advent. In 2017 this falls on November 26.

Santiago is a former regional director of the Department of Education National Capital Region. She is currently a faculty member of Mater Redemptoris Collegium in Calauan, Laguna, and of Mater Redemptoris College in San Jose City, Nueva Ecija.

‘Quas Primas’

Pope Pius X I instituted t he Feast of Christ the king on December 11, 1925, in his encyclical Quas Primas (In the First). The

Bishop: ML extension OK only in parts of Mindanao

A door opens to the “Exodus” section at the end of the Passover presentation inside the Museum of the Bible on October 30 in Washington. The project is largely funded by the conservative Christian owners of the Hobby Lobby crafts chain. AP/Jacquelyn Martin

“Things are divisive, but we will not get into any of the cultural or social debates if possible,” Zeiss said. “We just want to present the Bible as it is, and let people make up their own minds.”

He said more than 100 biblical scholars helped advise the museum to steer clear of favoring any religion or appearing partisan.

But some biblical scholars have said the museum’s exhibits focus too narrowly on American Protestantism, and have omitted parts of the Bible’s history.

“There are a number of prominent omissions that make it clear that it’s not a museum of the Bible as one might imagine it from a secular perspective,” said Joel S. Baden, a professor of the Hebrew Bible at Yale University and author of Bible Nation, a book about Hobby Lobby and its investment in Christian projects.

“They don’t do a good job of talking about whether parts of the Bible are historically accurate,”

Baden said. He has researched the museum but has not yet visited, and he questioned the lack of representation of other religions and sects, including Mormonism and Islam.

Museum officials estimate that it would take more than a week of daily eight-hour visits to fully absorb all the exhibits. It is the largest privately funded museum in the nation’s capital.

Outside the museum, a group of Chinese tourists held banners with Mandarin writing, showing solidarity for Christians they said were being persecuted in China, a country notoriously harsh in regulating worship and activism.

“We pray with you,” one woman told museum donors as they entered. Green and his wife, Jackie, began formally pursuing their vision of a museum focused on the Bible seven years ago. It was complicated by additional scrutiny, conducted by an outside company, to ensure that none of the exhibits

Christ the King, a detail from the Ghent Altarpiece by Jan van Eyck. Saint Bavo’s Cathedral, Ghent, Belgium. Wikimedia Commons

were part of an estimated 5,500 artifacts that were smuggled out of Iraq and acquired by Hobby Lobby.

The arts and craft supplier agreed to forfeit the artifacts earlier this year following a federal investigation. Secu lar groups have also opposed the museum out of fear that its main mission is politically motivated.

A dedication gala hosted by the museum last week at Trump International Hotel in Washington was attended by the president’s son, Eric Trump and his wife, Lara, as well as Betsy DeVos, the education secretary. At the opening, a statement was read from the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, who applauded the museum for showcasing “shared values” between the US and Israel.

“None of us have this book figured out,” Green said at the dedication ceremony last Friday. “We will never fully delve into the depths into this book, and that’s an amazing thing.” New York Times News Service

M

arawi Bishop Edwin de la Peña is in favor of extending martial law in Mindanao—but only in areas where tensions are reported.

“For me, it is unwise to put the whole of Mindanao under martial law, but specifically in areas where there is tension,” the Catholic prelate said in an inter v iew aired over Churchrun Radio Veritas last Thursday.

De la Peña said since the wartorn city is undergoing rehabilitation, “some kind of control has to be put in place.”

“Perhaps, not for the whole of Mindanao. Probably we can understand if it is extended in specific areas. Marawi perhaps …. I don’t want to speak for the whole of Marawi, but I feel that, in the process of rehabilitation of Marawi, some kind of control has to be also put in place,” he said in a separate interview.

“C ot a b at o, p e r h ap s . T h at is where the attack is being launched,” he said when asked

what other areas in Mindanao need an extension of martial law.

The Marawi prelate added that the rest of Mindanao is safe. “ The National Youth Day was held in Zamboanga. Perhaps, some dioceses did not send delegations because of what happened in Mind a nao, spec if ically from Luzon. They feel like if something happened to one part of Mindanao, they think the whole of Mindanao is at war.

That is not true. Zamboanga is ver y peaceful…Davao is safe, Cagayan de Oro [City] is safe, Gensan [General Santos City] is safe,” he said.

President Duterte declared martial law in Mindanao when war between government forces and terrorists linked to the Maute Group broke out on May 23.

On October 23 the President declared Marawi City free from the hands of the Maute Group, following the death of terrorist leaders Omar Maute and Isnilon Hapilon. PNA

Science

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

Submarine cable landing stations to speed up Internet connectivity in PHL

T

he slow Internet connection in the countr y may soon be a thing of the past. This was according to the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) as it welcomed the initiative of the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), the Bases Conversion Development Authority (BCDA) and EDGE (a.k.a. Facebook).

This government initiative is called the Luzon Bypass Infrastructure (LBI) project, the first of its kind for the Philippine government to implement by building and operating its own submarine cable-landing stations.

Under the project, the social-media giant Facebook will be the first party to use the said infrastructure, thereby benefiting millions of Internet users with faster connectivity.

“The signing of the landing party agreement between the DICT, BCDA and EDGE for the Philippine government’s first cable-landing stations under the Luzon Bypass Infrastructure project is a major milestone in the history of ICT [information and communications technology] development in our country,” Science Secretary Fortunato T. de la Peña said during the recent unveiling in Taguig City.

The project will pave the way to building an ultra high-speed Internet backbone for the entire country by the end of 2019 where Internet speed can go up to 100 megabits per second.

The BCDA will build the LBI made up of two cable-landing stations that are connected by a 250-kilometer-long cable-network corridor. S&T Media Service

Sunday Sunday, November 26, 2017

A7

6 new ‘Faces of Biotechnology’ honored

T

he Department of Agriculture (DA) Biotech Program Office honored six champions of biotechnology during the holding of its Second Filipino Faces of Biotechnology Appreciation Night.

The event held on November 23 at a hotel in Quezon City recognized the champions of biotechnology in the Philippines to celebrate their exceptional contributions on biotech research and advocacy as scientists, policymakers and communicators.

T hose honored were Nationa l Academy of Science and Technolog y President Dr. Wil liam Padolina for leading

i n s t it ut ion s a nd f u r t he r i n g more meaningful development agenda for biotechnolog y; former senator Edgardo J. A ngara for championing science, technolog y and innovation for agr icu ltura l development in the Senate; Agr icu lture Undersecretar y Seg fredo K . Ser rano for steering biotechnolog y policies and program in agr icu lture; Academician Dr. Evelyn Mae

Mendoza for pioneering genetically modified organism research and advancing biotechnology education; Acting Executive Director Dr. Reynaldo Ebora of Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development of Department of Science and Technology for leading institutions for biotechnology research and development; and former legislator and current journalist Angelo Palmones for advocating science and communicating biotechnology for food security and industry development.

The recognition was part of the 13th annual National Biotechnology Week (NBW) with the theme “Bioteknolohiya para sa Kalikasan, Kalusugan, Kagandahan, Kabuhayan, at Kaunlaran: Lamang ang Masa at Magsasaka sa Limang ‘K’ ng Bioteknolohiya”. The NBW highlighted the beneficial applications of biotechnology in food and agriculture, health, environment and industry. Lyn Resurreccion Honored as champions of biotechnology in the Second Faces of Biotechnology recognition by the Department of Agriculture Biotech Program Office are (from left) Agriculture Undersecretary Segfredo R. Serrano, journalist Angelo Palmones, Academician Dr. William Padolina, former senator Edgardo J. Angara, Academician Dr. Evelyn Mae Mendoza and the Department of Science and Technology-Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development Acting Executive Director Dr. Reynaldo Ebora. Nonoy Lacza

BusinessMirror

AFTERLIGHT A8

Sunday, November 26, 2017

W

www.businessmirror.com.ph

By Maria Amparo N. Warren

HEN you find you’re awake and you’re up on your feet, the first thing you notice is that your watch is partly broken— the hands unmoving; the crown, for some reason, a bit stiff, the crystal face smashed in like the shell of an egg. A small part of your pride is stricken for your beloved keepsake, the first real purchase from your meagercollege savings, as you acknowledge the little normalcy it affords you in this circumstance—now, in the wider scheme of things, you have found yourself somewhere very strange, far from your last place of origin.

You’re wearing a pair of beatenup, dirty slip-ons from high school that you hoarded in your closet for years, and only threw out months ago at the behest of your mother, along with jeans and a thick cotton jacket. This is fitting, you realize, for the current climate, like that of the city in October with its light, humid fog. You breathe in and rub your arms, and fix the strap of a conveniently granted, weightless shoulder bag. You’re standing on a sidewalk corner next to a streetlight, in a grayscale-rendered world like the city.

Indeed, where you are, it’s the city, now unraveling as a familiar maze of worn-out concrete houses in pastel shades; sari-sari stores, little wares peeking out behind brown steel bars; high-rise buildings against a cloudless sky that is, nonetheless, a matte cloudlike color—all these, but some oddities: no people walking, as far as you can see; no cars beeping, or whirring, as far as you can hear. Only, from your peripheral vision: along the axis of an intersection lined by these structures are shades— could you call them phases—of floating, foreboding white.

A first emotion—slight unease—you quell by fixating on the most familiar. You pick at the crown of your watch with your nails and set the time to six o’clock, perhaps it could be six. And it is as if the white pockets fade, and the colors of the city infuse with a dawn wind.

The awe washes over you, your mind’s grasp of the power. Then instinct tells you that there’s a way around, that you were dropped at a point from which it was possible to navigate. You toss the flap of the bag over, dig into the bottom corners and find, almost to your expectation, something to aid you—a tattered hundred-peso bill.

In what seems to be minutes, an empty jeepney with a faded blue roof passes and stops at your corner, and you climb on. You pass the bill to the driver, a bearded man in a hat and shirt the same color as the roof. A long scar runs diagonally across his face, permanently

sealing one eye, but his expression as he receives you is warm.

“Isa lang po,” is all you say. You count what you receive as ninetytwo pesos in change.

The jeepney plies a steady route through both main streets and alleyways, all seemingly abandoned.

Though unopposed by other vehicles, the scarred driver follows stoplights, adjusts his mirrors, and looks discreetly for passengers every so often. At one stop, he calls at a weathered old woman sleepily leaning against a station pillar. She passes a bundle of several rubber-bound parcels—quail eggs, shrimp crackers, freshly roasted peanuts—into the back before you take her arm and help her alight.

As you glance at your watch to keep track of its movement, nonsensical as the notion seems, her sandaled feet follow the thrum of the engine. She catches your eye and, like the driver, casts you a smile.

Upon looking more closely, you see that buried under the other snacks are meringues, piped in delicate kiss shapes—the toffeecolored tint of the edges somehow captured in this ethereal light.

And you remember, suddenly, the bus rides to Los Baños from your childhood and each time that, after incessant begging, your mother caved in to appease your recurrent sweet tooth, and enjoyed your silence for the rest of the ascent up the shrouded mountain.

You think of the way the woman carries her wares and wonder if, in this life, she is also a mother, try to guess how many rides it will be till she finds her way home.

From the pesos left over, you set aside a twenty bill and look to her, look past the curtain of quail eggs, but somehow she reads you and swiftly tears off a pack with her fingers. “Ah, iho, ‘wag na,” she says, when you insist against it.

“Sa ‘yo, libre.”

Cradling the packet, you now search through the rungs of the vehicle’s window, for any and all evidence of purpose—if the watch means anything as the colors of the world changed when you turned the crown, and the pockets of

JIMBO ALBANO

white disappeared. But at a closer distance they appear again, at the rotundas and on sidewalks, as shapes that do not seem distinct.

Rather, in the canopy of the city, they are like very white holes or gaps with fluid edges, possessing a chilling blankness. Little by little, the world is populated by these blanks.

The woman has seen you seize up and shiver, and calls, “Iho, kumain ka na.”

She repeats, “Kain na muna,” as you glance at your watch. “May kaunting oras pa.”

Forcing yourself to look away, you open the packet and pull out a meringue kiss. It crumbles against your teeth and melts by the grain into your tongue. You take comfort in a second, then a third, before wrapping the rest with a rubber band and stowing the packet and your change away into the shoulder bag. The woman closes her eyes and peacefully nods off.

You step off near an empty train station and a row of bleak-looking condominiums. Curiously, you find another person rooted at the stop—a young man your age in a crumpled suit, tie undone, mashing his fingers furiously against a smartphone. A few feet from where you part, you watch the driver park near the man, waiting, even as several moments pass without him lifting his eyes from the screen.

Eventually the man gives up and tosses the phone with all of his strength against the sidewalk, breaking it with a loud crunch. There is a heaviness in his step as he climbs in and takes your seat on the jeepney. But to him, the old woman affords the

same cheerfulness, offering four quail eggs.

YOU TAKE THE road to the left of the train station, brisk-walking to outpace a group of corporeal Blanks.

“Blanks” you decide to call them, as blanks they are to you, amoebic forms that have since assumed roundness and centers like vacuums in addition to their stark white quality. Their presence has started to set you on edge. Suppose they existed, above all, to distract you, to obstruct any attempt at reconciling this already strange actuality?

But you are driven, then, to the scene of an industrial complex, the atmosphere a muted sepia hue. The Blanks disperse here and become a collated mist. You step in front of an odd structure among the corrugated tin sheets, stacked househigh, and stray beams from roofless wood factories—a makeshift Catholic chapel with cement walls, a battered stone cross at its façade.

What draws you toward it is the sound of shuffling pages, punctured by the occasional heavy cough. Inside is a half-bald priest at the pulpit, distinguishable not for any robes or a shawl, only the loosely rolled Roman collar of a shirt worn with jeans as plain as yours. Though he looks upon you with some surprise, he beckons you closer.

“You’ve come a long way, child,” he says. “Inside, now.”

“The Blanks—they can’t come in here?”

“Don’t wor r y. T his is holy ground.”

“Well, sure. We’re in a church now. But can you tell me exactly where we are?”

“I only have an elementary

Though unopposed by other vehicles, the scarred driver follows stoplights, adjusts his mirrors, and looks discreetly for passengers every so often. At one stop, he calls at a weathered old woman sleepily leaning against a station pillar

sense,” the priest says, “that this is what I have ‘made’ of things. I have a notion of memory, and that there are precious few memories that I retain. And these are my ‘ boundaries’—meaning, I have not left my sanctuary for so long, and do not know when I can leave it, or how much time has passed.”

“Time,” you echo, reaching instinctively for your watch.

“Yes, time. I have only this: when I was a young priest, my life was blindly dedicated to time. Matins, vespers, the poetry from these very pages, but words I now cannot remember. The song of the bells… and each long moment that passes before I can hear even a trace of them.” His nostalgic gaze shifts in your direction. “You are the first soul I have seen cross over from all the ones I know are outside.”

“I have no choice—I was boxed in,” you reply with a wry smile, tapping at an empty pew. “Wouldn’t be my first option to go back and swallow the same crap I used to every Sunday, when I was a kid.

To be in such a lonely, irrelevant place…”

“Well, what I’ve figured out is that at least it isn’t Hell,” the priest says, idly turning his pages. “Tell me, child… what have you seen outside?”

“There are the Blanks.”

“And what more?”

“There are…what could you call them?” You scratch your head.

“Well, I can’t explain. But I didn’t come here all on foot. I took a jeepney. There was an old woman who sold snacks riding with me.

Sweets I enjoyed in my childhood.”

“A river runs through it, after all,” the priest chuckles.

“Padre…” You pause. “I’m sorry I forgot to call you that. Padre. Sorry I was rude. It’s just that, I’m not the religious type anymore. I haven’t been for a long time. I stopped seeing the point, you know? So even if I’m here, wouldn’t it be dishonest if I stayed very long and I just sat here, and no matter how long you preached to me about repentance or salvation, I wasn’t likely to listen?”

“Pity, pity. These pages, they’re

empty. Save for Job 3:20–22. A little scripture to have gotten us by.

But if you like, we can talk about more ordinary things.”

“If we have time?” you ask him, and he notices you glance at your watch.

“I see…so that is why you can— well, we do have a little time.” The priest steps down from the pulpit and you sit beside each other on a pew. You see from the way his old body bends that he’s spent an eternity standing.

“There’s no point in saying why I’m here, if I can’t even remember the specifics. Those things might be best left in the confessional. All I want to say is that I wish I gave better homilies. I promised myself after I was ordained that I’d make Sundays relevant. Not just read and read the boring stuff, but— hear God like I did in the bells.

And I couldn’t do that.”

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s all right,” he says, hunching over. “Now in my sanctuary, and with all the time in the world, I can practice.”

Silence passes in the length of prayers. The priest reaches into his pocket and pulls out a tiny drawstring pouch.

“Take this with you,” he says, and adds as you weigh it against your palm, “Holy salt. Sprinkle some on the road as you go. Even a little will go a long way.”

“May you do right,” he adds, signing a blessing as you stand up, turn your back, and wind your watch again, to twelve.

LEAVING THE CHAPEL and throwing salt on the streets without any expectation, you begin to feel the fabric of the city unfurl into things oddly more intimate.

Beyond the industrial complex, one street leads into another with—what looks like that barbed wire fence, that silver gate, and as you close your eyes and give a little more, just a little more concentration—that blue telephone pole, that mailbox near your first office, your college, your old dorm.

Alley cats appear near trash cans and tree stumps; you’d been wont to rescue even the sickest of

BusinessMirror

www.businessmirror.com.ph strays, and the ones who grew healthy, you remember, nursed you through a number of your own dark days. You are tailed by an exceptionally pretty calico in a red belted collar, who meows softly till you smile, bend, and scratch her ears, rub her belly when she flips to her underside.

The happiness is short-lived, however, when the cat awakens to a presence that you both sense.

On all fours, she accidentally scratches you and hisses violently. Stabs from invisible appendages fly in your arm’s direction, but mostly miss you and hit the body of the cat. They first draw blood, then pull whole patches of fur from her stomach and back, and eventually choke her and prick at her spine. The cat refuses to leave your side, and tries its best to curl protectively against you. The nerves of panic fuse into a hollow that forms in your chest, and the fear turns to anger as you sob and fumble to diffuse pressure being applied at the cat’s neck.

“Please, why don’t you run?” you beg her. “You know that it’s me they’re after. Why do you have to hold on?”

The cat mewls weakly when you manage to pull off her collar; the Blank forces retreat when a clowder of seven cats, tabbies and solids and tortoiseshells, appear from the curbside to rescue her. They crowd her body and purr-whisper until she rises, limps on three paws while raising one. You take, and pocket, the red belted collar. Eight jeweled sets of eyes linger on you before disappearing yet again into the shadows.

WHEN DARKNESS FALLS, you trace the glow of a neon light to the sign of a mini-mart. You’ve since been out of breath since winding from three to twelve o’clock and avoiding unwanted presences—with some surprise, you also note you’ve gone this far without smoking.

You wipe your shoes on the doormat and push back the glass door. Wind chimes signal your arrival, but the lady at the counter, the lone presence in the store, has her back turned to you, is busy placing empty glass bottles into a crate and singing the occasional line to “Forevermore” on the radio.

Needing only a few cigarettes and a lighter, you paw through the bag for the rest of your change and sort the bills, waiting for her to finish: “You were just a dream that I once knew…I never thought I would be right for you…”

“Ate, Marlboro Reds. Yung maliit lang po. Saka isang lighter. Ay…teka lang…”

Your eyes have fallen, next to the row of friction lighters and chocolates, upon a stack in a curiously stocked magazine shelf—several newsprint Top Hits chord books with colorful, boldly printed covers. Against gaudy illustrations of boys playing guitars and girls in sunglasses, holding Coke bottles, retro orange and pink font letters spell out titles like Living the ‘80s, Slow Jams, 20 Years of the Best Original Philippine Music, and The Most Timeless Love Songs. On the cover of the latter is a drawing of a car parked next to a tree on a hill; hovering under the text is the comic image of a crescent moon.

Puzzled at what constitutes “timeless,” you pick up the magazine and thumb through it. You find yourself squinting hard at the chords on those gaps above the song lyrics, imagining the

guitar frets with some difficulty, rusty as you are from years of not playing.

The fifty-page collection does not follow a particular order, but you perceive a good mix of the old and new, mainstream and eclectic music you grew up and grew on with, from your dad’s favorite Beatles songs to the Spandau Ballet and Fra Lippo Lippi that seem to be on loop in every single taxi you’ve taken to anywhere.

Somewhere in the middle pages, you spot Tito’s favorite drunken aria, AfterImage’s “Next in Line.” You can almost hear your neighbors, transcending whole universes, belting “Born for You” and “Take Me to Your Heart” on karaoke Thursdays.

A strong current of nostalgia washes over you when you reach “Ligaya,” “Magasin,” and “With a Smile,” the songs in particular that you and your girlfriend agreed showed the best of the Eraserheads. You’d given her the first Anthology soon after you’d gotten together, and the CDs were permanently jammed into her car stereo when she first started driving.

It hadn’t ended so badly, but you could have done so much more. After the fact, you hadn’t spoken in forever. You wonder now, of all times, how she’s doing. You place Timeless Love Songs on the counter.

“Ate, magkano ‘to?”

“Bente lang po.”

“Sige, pati ‘to.”

The lady sorts the box of tens, a lighter, and The Most Timeless Love Songs into a paper bag, which you slip in turn into your own.

“Ganda naman ng stock ninyo dito, Ate,” you remark, motioning toward the magazines.

“Ah, yung mga Top Hits po, Sir?” she says. “Madalas nagbabago po yung mga iyon. Pero, mukhang kayo lang ang mahilig sa mga lumang kanta. Sana maalala ‘to ng iba...”

She nods her head and returns to her radio, but struck by something, you loiter inside the mini-mart to search through the magazines. They are a whole assortment of dailies with most of the front pages crumpled; tabloids with yellowing stray sheets of indeterminate age; dog-eared Sudoku and crossword booklets, the solutions already scratched onto the covers in smudged ink; and fashion glossies of men in striped suits, girls in chokers and peasant shirts. Untouched magazines, you rea lize. Unread, unremembered…

You st ay by t he w indow of the mini-mart, within its boundary, to finish three cigarettes. You watch the way the lady shuff les boxes, counts t he lighters, and sor ts t he magazines again one by one.

She wears light makeup and a neatly buttoned-up dress. The way she follows a new song playing from that invisible set of overhead speakers, without any hesitation, you cannot tell, exactly, how she feels about running the store solo.

BY NOW, YOUR watch is a mess, but its crow n is looser and light. Your resolve tightens as you w ind—for the last time—to three o’clock, the w itching hour, and ta ke one, t hen anot her step, outside the boundar y.

A fter barely a kilometer, the dark contrasts the light.

The city’s structures blur and the most visible figures are the ones you waited for, the Blanks somehow not blank,

less shapeless and now unspeakably corporeal. More of them surround you in the form of furless mammals and reptiles without scale, in various mockeries of the human body, with incomplete faces and grotesque, f laccid breasts.

You have come with what they thirst for, from which to empty you—indeed, more than pained, you would feel hollowed of you, of world; for all that you ever gained, you would lose and tire, and everything from the sweetness to the sacred would fall into the white gaps that had waited for you— St i l l…st i l l…where the glass may fall or soil give way, as long as there are voices for a song, as long as there is a world— “Whatever you want,” you scream at them, “take it! Just take it! And cease to be.”

STRANGELY, THE WORLD does not stop.

In a second state of wakefulness only a moment different—one second, a fold across the same side of paper—the Blanks have gone, and the only whiteness is that of a white silk sheet on the very soft bed that cushions your body. You awaken and rise quickly in a room full of mobile figurines: beads, Christmas lights, origami boats and cranes. An old man with gray hair, in a frayed silk barong, strings capiz shell lanterns to hang from the ceiling.

Your eyes meet briefly, and you stare in disbelief for several seconds before you reach toward him with a soft cry. His cracked lips break into a smile as he nudges you to relax.

“Here I was, thinking you were a goner,” he chuckles.

“That’s what I’d thought of you all these years!” you exclaim.

“How could you still be alive?”

“Well, in this world I am.

You’d be surprised. Since you rescued me, I’ve lived a fairly long time.”

“Oh, I got so upset that day, when Kuya threatened to kill you with the broom. Lolo taught me never to kill spiders.”

“And because of you, and your lolo, I’ve lived to be a lolo, a thousand times over,” he grins.

“I still haven’t found the answer,” you say, “only clues here and there. Where exactly am I—are we?”

“Even that you sense me is a wonder. The clues are what matter. Can you keep them in some form?”

“Yes! Yes, I do. I am sorry to ask, but… when you saved me, did you find—” “Of course,” the man says, opening a chest of drawers and reaching for the shoulder bag.

“Here, everything.”

“Thank you for saving me.”

“An eye for an eye, and a life for a life.”

“How did you even find me?”

“That, I shall leave a mystery, the way a part of your own gift and presence remain to be. But there are ancient ties that bind me to this world, and another and another, through my web.

It will take thousands of years outside of my boundary to truly understand this connection. But I am glad… I am so glad… for this point in time, to have found your soul once again.”

He then digs a hand into his pocket. What he slips out and examines is a thin cord bracelet; woven into the ends are small wooden beads. You recall, by accident, spilling a box of that particular kind in your room one Christmas, in a clumsy rush to open the rest of your presents.

“This is a gift I wasn’t sure I’d get to give you. I hope it fits.”

“I promise I’ll try it on later,” you tell him. You remember your watch and find it fixed at an odd hour.

“May I ask if, from here on, there’s a direction I can take? A different one, this time?”

“Surely, there is. When you leave here, I think the path clears straight and to the right.”

“Will the Blanks be there?”

“You’ve learned from this point onward that the landscape will never stay still. When you next encounter disturbances in any form, you alone can determine when and how you will be ready.” “ Thank you again,” you say, standing and grasping his hands.

“I can’t thank you enough.”

YOUR FEET BECOME more restless as you sense a change in the scenery. A few intersections past the spider’s capiz house is a carless highway, and beyond that, replacing the urban streets you first walked, are flattened lots of dusty earth and patches of muted green grass. You pass the occasional calachuchi tree and santan bush, each blooming weak white flowers. The makeshift wooden benches of what used to be fruit stalls are falling apart. You break into a run, a hard run, ready for a Blank, but hoping for another face.

Slowly the landscape fades into

Sunday, November 26, 2017 nothing but the road and the sky, and what you perceive is that the atmosphere alternates from thick to light blue, lusher blues. The wind occasionally blows against your hair.

You run until your lungs are tearing, your shoes are poking hard at your soles, your bag is slapping hard against at your hip—until it feels, somehow, like real life felt.

The highway ends at the limits of your senses, where your sight of the road becomes that of a curiously open, blue, wavering space. At the edge of it is a clean-shaven man in a white polo shirt, gray slacks, and loafers. He shares with you a hairstyle and complexion, but is a little more heavyset and with a wider jaw.

In contrast to your shoulder bag, he holds a neat leather satchel at the handle. His eyes are curious and full of good humor.

“Doesn’t it feel like it’s been forever?” he asks you.

“It does—now that you mention, it does.” Truly exhausted, you take off your cotton jacket and tie it around your waist. Then you notice on his wrist—a beautiful stainless steel watch with a crystal face, with carved gold hands and a gold crown.

That looks exactly like the one you saw in the jeweler’s six months ago, the very proper one you thought you’d save up for with your next paycheck at a better time, at a much

A9

better time… come to think of it, it looks pretty smart.

“Do you want this?” he asks, lifting it toward you. “I know yours is a bit out of shape.”

“Huh? Are you willing to give it to me for free?”

“At a small cost.” He grins and motions toward your bag. “Anything you don’t need anymore. Anything you can pass on.”

You rummage through the bag, drawing out its contents—you hand over the rest of the money, the torn open parcel of meringues, the pouch of salt, the seven cigarettes, and the friction lighter. Among the items, you keep the magazine, the cat’s collar, and the bracelet. The rest are tucked safely into the leather satchel.

Lastly, you pass him the broken watch, and he unclasps the steel one and plucks at the crown.

“You do the honor. You remember. You remember where things leave off.”

You press the cold metal against your wrist and think, for a few moments, before you rewind the hands to six o’clock and press the crown.

You intuit what comes after—all the wind that carries your last body from one plane to another, all the layers that peel and peel in the spell of the light.

Then somewhere, beyond that, you’ve opened your eyes.

Tourism&Entertainment A10

BusinessMirror

Sunday, November 26, 2017

Editor: Carla Mortel-Baricaua

The Wonders of Lombok

The short hike up a part of the hill provides visitors with a bird’s eye view of Mawun’s beautiful beachscape.

B

The blue waters of the crater below are fetching and picture perfect, a rewarding view of a tiring hike.

Story & photos by Joshua Berida

ali is often synonymous with Indonesia, when one mentions the former, the latter quickly comes to mind.

The island’s white-sand beaches with clubs, hotels and restaurants lining its shores in some areas, and distinctly Hindu relics, practices and structures make it a premier destination. However, further east is Lombok, an island that has similar characteristics with its nextdoor neighbor, but not as tainted with commercialism. For those looking to stir their sense of adventure, this might be the trip for you.

Beach Hopping

Indonesia, just like the Philippines, is famous for its long shores and beaches. Beyond the party scene of Bali, there lie pristine beaches that have yet to reach the pinnacle of commercialization.

You’d see floppy haired Australians on scooters or motorbikes, carrying surfboards from one beach to another, along with small trucks of produce zig-zagging on partially paved roads.

The towering and sprawling resorts and fusion restaurants are few and far in between. In their stead are warungs, the equivalent of carinderias, serving local cuisine and family-owned homestays.

A couple of hours away from the center of Kuta, you’ll get to see what you came for; the beautiful beaches with fine, white sand and cerulean waters.

Tanjung Aan has a long stretch of fine, bone white sand as far as the eyes could see, and turquoisetinged, cool waters. Spend an entire afternoon lazing on the beach, having a picnic or simply relaxing and unwinding. Mawun Beach may have rougher waters, but its beachscape is just as fetching as that of Tanjung. Its cream-colored sand and cerulean waters create a beautiful beachscape.

Selong Belanak has a mix of rough and calm waters, making it a surfing destination for beginners

and those who want to improve their skills. It’s powdery, white sand and spectacular beachscape makes for a beautiful backdrop as you sip a cool drink or read your favorite book.

The thread that binds all three beaches together is their idyllic charm. You can see spots of commercial establishments, but move further away from the hustle and bustle of tourists, and you may find a place you can call your own.

Chasing waterfalls

The island isn’t just about beaches. Deep in its mountainous terrain are waterfalls that are worth the adventure. I traveled with two Germans, whom I met in the hostel, and mustered enough courage to ask if I can join them when they rented a car. It took a couple of hours’ drive through the countryside, where the landscape transformed; rice paddy fields mixed with verdant, rolling hills turned into serpentine roads up the mountain, before we eventually reached our destination.

Tiu Kelep and Sendang Gile are two of the most popular waterfalls for locals and tourists alike. It comes as no surprise as bursts of water flow down a wall of vegetation. Its cool waters reinvigorate tired bodies that may have been hiking in the mountains for hours or even a couple of days.

Tectonic movements carved and shaped Lombok, its mountains, rolling hills and landscape. Out of this chaos stands Mount Rinjani, the island’s most imposing figure.

I had a few days to spare before I left Indonesia so I decided to go up Mount Rinjani. It was the most difficult hike I did to date, but it was also one of the most beautiful. It started flat, then a gradual incline and then an assault up to the crater lake. Even if you don’t make it to the summit, Segara Anak (translated into Child of the Sea) provides a magnificent view, with the caldera surrounding the cerulean waters. The sunrise on your journey up is just as spectacular—watch the dark skies turn into a faint red, then a fiery orange turning the green landscape below and the volcanic rocks at your feet into hints of yellowishreds momentarily, until they regain their true colors.

The soft sand of Tanjung Aan fills the spaces between your toes as you listen to the gentle lapping of the waves on the shore. Its cool waters run down your skin as you let Sendang Gile, or Tiu Kelep drench you with its waterfalls, while your aching muscles remind you of the majestic sunrise atop Mount Rinjani. There’s more to Lombok than words can tell, you would just have to experience it yourself.

AirAsia’s CreateCamp Search reveals first storyteller grand winner

Lombok isn’t just famous for beaches and Mount Rinjani, its waterfalls are just as beautiful.

Even if you don’t make it to the summit, the views of the crater lake are nothing short of spectacular.

Take a refreshing dip in the pool below the waterfalls to douse the heat of the afternoon.

Mawun’s picturesque beachscape makes for an ideal tropical getaway.

PHL tourism shines at WTM

T

A

irAsia revealed the grand winner of its first-ever social-media reality contest called, AirAsiaCreateCamp: The Search for the Next AirAsia Storyteller. Paolo Garrido from Mapua Institute of Technology bested four other finalists from Baguio, Cebu and Iloilo, and has been officially named a member of AirAsia’s community of storytellers. #AirAsiaCreateCamp is AirAsia’s socialmedia reality search for young, aspiring and creative individuals with photography and videography skills. The competition aims to develop and empower young Filipino talents by providing mentorship programs and technical know-how. After an initial judging period from over 500 entries, participants were narrowed down to 50 with a select panel of judges declaring top 5 finalists in August based on creativity, originality and quality of storytelling.

AirAsia Philippines CEO Captain Dexter Comendador said, “Aside from the quality of work, admirable level of skills and creativity, we would like to emphasize the value of hard work, attitude and passion among the youth.

Paulo represents these values during the rigorous camp that took them from highlands to islands for one-month period.”

Paolo Garrido from Mapua Institute of Technology, Raymond Baguilat from University of Baguio, Angela Cara Durano from De La Salle

Climbing new heights

CreateCamp Finalists: Jaip Saluba of SPU Iloilo (Third Runner-Up), Cara Durano of De La Salle (First Runner-Up), Paolo Garrido of Mapua (Grand Winner) and Ray Baguilat of Baguio University (Second Runner-Up)

University in Cebu and John Paul Saluba from University of Iloilo were among the top 4 contenders. They traveled to Bohol, Palawan, Tacloban and the Cordilleras under the mentorship of AirAsia storytellers Patrick Martin, Kyrke Jaleco, Neila Lomotan, Ayen dela Torre, Rachel Halili, Javi Cang, Enzo Cruz, Benj Ramos and Paolo Cuarteron. Their final entries documenting their journey were shared in AirAsia’s social-media platforms for public voting.

“AirAsia’s success story is about the power of a dream, a strong mind-set, and an exciting history fueled by passion, creativity

and adventure. There are so many stories out there for everyone to discover, through #AirAsiaCreateCamp we are providing the platform for these young aspiring talents to shine,” Comendador added.

The grand winner received over 1 million pesos worth of prizes composed of AirAsia Philippines flights to domestic and international destinations, an Apple Macbook Pro 13, a Nikon D5600 camera, a fully sponsored 3D/2N stay at Amorita Resorts in Bohol, and is now an official member of the AirAsia Storytellers community.

he Philippine delegation recently wrapped up another successful participation in the World Travel Market (WTM) held in London.

Assistant Secretary Frederick M. Alegre, spokesman of the Department of Tourism, headed the Philippine contingent at one of the biggest international travel-trade fairs said the country has obviously earned the confidence of travelbusiness clients.

“The message that we are trying to send should be clear. Philippine tourism, which has posted doubledigit growth that is three times more than the global average, is experiencing a breakthrough phase,” Alegre said.

He said a big media briefing was held at the Ph Booth which was attended by over 20 British media and travel-trade representatives.

“The Philippines’s hosting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit in Manila is definitely a market-confidence booster!”

Alegre added.

The private-sector delegates,

tourism Asst. Sec. Frederick M. Alegre, head of the Philippine delegation to the World Travel Mart, with representatives of the Tourism Promotions Board and private sector

including Philippine travel and tour operators and airline representatives, met their counterparts from the United Kingdom/ Europe for the business-to-business meetings.

“Siargao is one of the destinations in Mindanao covered by the travel advisory from the British Foreign Commonwealth Office. But the Brits remain the top source of

visitor arrivals in this new destination,” Alegre said.

Since August there has been 6.36-percent growth out of the UK despite the continuing Brexit challenges. Consistent growth rates of tourist arrivals in the Philippines from other key markets in Europe include: Spain (+17.60 percent), Italy (+25.16 percent) Nordic Region (+8 percent) and Ireland (+16.47 percent).