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BACK IN BUSINESS

SAIKO3P | DREAMSTIME.COM

Beyond the white sand, Boracay is, first of all, about people

BORACAY beach, August 14, 2014. RENE STEINER | DREAMSTIME.COM

By Ma. Stella F. Arnaldo | Special to the BusinessMirror

‘M

A’AM, buy some rambutan,” says Carolina, 45, in Ilonggo, as she sets down a plastic bag of the red, hairy fruits on the table where my friends and I were eating.

Carolina is one of the almost 30,000 workers on Boracay Island who have lost their regular jobs after President Duterte ordered it closed last April 26, which government agencies spin as a “beauty

rest.” Duterte called the whitesand paradise, once known as one of the best islands in the world, a “cesspool” after being shown Bolabog Beach’s ugly sewer and drainage mess.

With five children to feed and a husband working as a security guard in one of the resorts, Carolina says she’s had to go to the mainland to find products to sell back to the remaining residents and workers on the island. Her eyes light up, and her shy smile becomes a beam of sunshine as she expresses excitement over the reopening of the island. She was interviewed a few weeks before October 26, the government’s lifting of the lockdown. “Oh, yes, we’re all excited about it. I can work again!” she exclaims. Carolina says she used to be a massage therapist at a small hotel nearby, where she earned at least P2,000 a day on tips alone, but since the closure, her earnings are practically nil. “They

told me they are rushing their papers so they can reopen on October 26,” she said.

Helping hands

OUR friend who owns the bulalohan where we are having lunch buys all 2 kilos of her rambutan, forking over P200, and letting her keep the change. Carolina is most grateful for the kindness. This is how it has been on Boracay for the past six months since it was shut down, pushing all its business establishments out on a lurch, and overnight, creating thousands of jobless individuals. The more well-off residents on the island try to keep small businesses going just to keep their workers occupied while, at the same time,

helping those like Carolina survive the six-month nightmare by buying their products. Islanders and their friends, and private-sector groups were the ones who stepped up to the plate to help those critically hit by the island’s six-month closure. Former residents like Ana Treñas, for instance, set up a Facebook page “Jobs Beyond Boracay” to help alert the unemployed to vacancies in hotels and resorts in other destinations. (See, “Individuals, private groups step up to help Boracay jobless,” in the BusinessMirror, May 2, 2018.) “Personally, I don’t know how to feel about the reopening,” confides JC, 65, a longtime resident and business owner on the island. “It was like all of a sudden, we be-

came the enemy. The government was saying we made so much money already so just a few months’ closure won’t affect us.” The business owners were told by the Department of Labor and Employment that they couldn’t let go of their employees, so most put their staff on forced unpaid leaves after their regular leaves ran out. “Many of us moved to Boracay for the lifestyle,” JC avers, still a bit pained by all that has transpired these past six months. “To support this [beach] lifestyle, we put up businesses. And for 15 years, we didn’t make money; we just made enough to continue to live here. But our businesses helped attract the tourists! We helped grow Continued on A2

Paradise threatened: Fiji’s war against climate change

By Ken Belson | New York Times News Service

ETWEEN the international airport in Nadi, Fiji, and the capital city of Suva, the coastal road on the island of Viti Levu is lined with resorts and clogged with tour buses. It’s a route I took several times this spring when I visited friends in Suva, a bustling port city where cruise ships drop anchor year-round and deposit thousands of tourists. PESO EXCHANGE RATES n US 53.7370

The steady stream of hulking ships is emblematic of Fiji’s popularity, and a major source of income. But the country’s reliance on tourism, its vigorous development and the effects of global warming have conspired against Fiji’s fragile environment. The country faces major environmental challenges, including deforestation, unsustainable fishing practices and the introduction of invasive species, such as the crown-of-thorns starfish, that have led to the destruction of coral reefs. Rising sea levels have led to the erosion of Fiji’s coastal areas, and the intrusion of saltwater has destroyed farmland and forced residents to move to safer ground. Continued on A2

THE shoreline of Kadavu Island in Fiji, where rising sea levels have led to coastal erosion, October 9, 2018. A reliance on tourism, vigorous development and rising global temperatures have all left Fiji facing major environmental challenges, from deforestation and unsustainable fishing practices, to invasive species and the destruction of coral reefs. ASANKA BRENDON RATNAYAKE/THE NEW YORK TIMES

n JAPAN 0.4787 n UK 69.2240 n HK 6.8536 n CHINA 7.7407 n SINGAPORE 38.9229 n AUSTRALIA 37.9276 n EU 61.2226 n SAUDI ARABIA 14.3249

Source: BSP (October 25, 2018 )

News

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A2 Saturday, October 27, 2018

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BACK IN BUSINESS Continued from a1

the economy, and even more tourists came…they [the government] should give us some credit naman!”

Driving tourism growth

PRIOR to 1996, when there were just less than 200 hotels and resorts on Boracay, visitor arrivals on the island were recorded at an average of 100,000 per year. (See, “Implications of Sporadic Tourism Growth: Extrapolation from the case of Boracay Island, the Philippines,” December 2004.) By 1997, the arrivals doubled, most likely due to the weak peso that discouraged Filipinos from traveling abroad. By 2017, with about 430 resorts (some 15,000 rooms) and more in the pipeline, visitor arrivals hit a record-high 2 million, half of whom were foreigners, according to data from the Department of Tourism (DOT). The island also generated some P56 billion in tourist receipts last year. No doubt, the DOT also played a huge role in attracting all these tourists to Boracay. In every major travel fair abroad, the white-sand paradise was usually front and center of the agency’s promotions. And as late as 2017, promotional video materials and ads continued to play abroad, especially in the United States and Europe, teasing foreigners to travel across the globe to enjoy the powdery white creamy sands of Boracay.

Who’s really at fault?

AND yet, officials of the Boracay Inter-Agency Task Force (BIATF), chaired by the environment secretary, with the interior and tourism secretaries as vice chairmen, blamed local government officials and the local stakeholders for the environmental mess that had befallen the island. In typical fashion, not one government agency admitted they, too, played a part in stressing the island’s environment. As early as 1997, the DOT, in partnership with the Canadian government, already commissioned a carrying capacity study of Boracay. Even then, researchers had found the carrying capacity numbers exceeded, with 5,300 maximum tourist population on the main

White Beach. (See, “Carrying Capacity Considerations: The Need for Managing Change in a Unique Tourism Destination” by William Trousdale.) It called for better governance and recommended a moratorium on resort construction. This was unheeded until President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo issued a moratorium on resort construction in 2008 through Executive Order 706. Unfortunately, her administration was unable to implement this because the Local Government Code gave power to local government units to decide on business permits and other requirements needed for establishments to operate. (See, “Boracay Island: A tale of EOs, LOIs, presidential decrees,” in the BusinessMirror, October 17, 2018.) In June the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) filed charges against local government officials who they feel neglected the island even as humongous amounts of environmental fees had been collected by the LGU. A day before Boracay’s reopening, the Ombudsman suspended Malay Mayor Ceciron Cawaling, for “gross neglect of duty, conduct unbecoming of a public officer, and grave misconduct.”

Officials charged, but…

IN fact, the only DENR official charged so far, not even for environmental violations, but for graft and corruption, is Aklan provincial environment and natural resources officer Valentin Talabero, who was assigned to Region 6 only in February this year, or two months before the closure of the island. (See, “DILG files graft and other charges vs 17 Aklan execs for Boracay mess,” in the BusinessMirror, June 27, 2018.) Also, one of the Aklan local officials in the charge sheet is well-known environmental activist Nenette Aguirre-Graf, who has been consistently raising the issue of environmental degradation on the island, as far back anyone can remember. “For years, I had asked help from everyone, even from the Department of Tourism, so we could address what was happening in Bolabog Beach. I have all the letters

BORACAY beach sunset JULIE MAYFENG | DREAMSTIME.COM

as proof. They never listened until the House [Committee on Tourism] started investigating the matter [in late 2017].” It was those House hearings that eventually forced the DENR and DOT to finally pay attention to the burgeoning environmental issues on Boracay. By January 2018, they collected evidence through water samples and video to document the pollution on Bolabog Beach, and flooding of the main road. Graf, who is also president of the Boracay Foundation Inc., one of two pioneering stakeholders groups on the island, said: “We’ve always said we are in support of the Boracay rehabilitation. It was something we had pleaded for, for so long. And we’re all quite pleased at least most of the challenges had been overcome by the stakeholders. While there is clearly more work still to be done, perhaps in the next few months, there will be more open lines of communications between the government agencies and more stakeholders [instead of their chosen few], as well as simpler and clearer guidelines that aren’t revised every week. We are eager to help and get Boracay back on its feet.” Meanwhile, a new carrying capacity study, this time commissioned by the DENR, says only 6,045 tourists per day can enter the island, to ease the stress on its environment. Also, the study recommended keeping only 19,125 tourists on the island at any given time. Airlines have cooperated by reducing their number of daily flights, as they ponder a halt to their charter

flights from China, South Korea and Taiwan. (See, “Carriers mull over flight cuts to lessen tourists visit to Boracay,” in the BusinessMirror,” September 14, 2018.)

‘Manage your expectations’

AS Boracay Island welcomed its first real tourists to its powdery white-sand beaches and crystalclear waters, such was by no means the end of a painful process of rehabilitation. Tourism Secretary Bernadette Fatima Romulo Puyat has said the government’s rehabilitation work continues and, as such, October 26 is only the island’s soft opening. The next-phase reopening will be on April 26, 2019, and the last phase, in December 2019. “Manage your expectations,” the DOT chief has said time and again to the tourists who were able to book their stays, especially for the long Halloween/All Saints’ Day weekend. While the main White Beach is free and clear of any obstructions and its waters a delight to swim in, the road network of the island still has a long way to go. (See, “Government ready for Boracay Island’s reopening. But are we?” in the BusinessMirror, October 7, 2018.) Diony Salme, owner of the pioneering Jony’s Beach Resort, said the paved road will not likely reach his area on Station 1. “The road won’t be finished,” he says of the island’s reopening. “I guess, it’s like a school test; finished or not finished, pass your papers. Haha. I was told it would only reach until the Elizalde property. That’s okay.”

But he looks forward to welcoming guests to his resort, a consistent high-rater on TripAdvisor and a favorite of foreign tourists. It is among the resorts accredited to book guests starting October 26. “It’s good to be operating again, and to see our workers get back to work,” he added. Salme praised the idea of etrikes plying the roads of the island, as well as the hop-on, hopoff system of e-vehicles. “It’s a good idea,” he says in Ilonggo. “There will be stations where passengers will just wait for their ride.” As of October 25, there were 157 DOT-accredited resorts on the island, with 7,038 rooms, available for booking.

The next step for BIATF

WITH all systems go for the reopening, the BIATF has started moving toward the next phase of its rehabilitation work. In an interview, DENR Assistant Secretary Benny Antiporda said, “We now want to give more attention to the concerns of the Boracaynons. One of the things we need to address is, of course, marine biodiversity. We’re still assessing it. After that, we can address the concerns of the paraw operators, island hopping, the seaports—basically the livelihood of the people.” He said the BIATF also wants to address the case of the ambulant vendors. “They’ll be given proper places to do business in the barangays. Each barangay will come up with a place for them.” As for the massage therapists, he said they are

definitely banned from doing the massages on the beach, but are free to conduct their business inside the hotel rooms. “They need to coordinate with the hotels/stakeholders. If they want to do business, they can do it inside the hotels, but not outside on the beachfront.” Tourism Congress of the Philippines (TCP) President Jose Clemente III can only breathe a sigh, not of relief, but of frustration over the recent pronouncements of the BIATF and some of its members. The nationwide umbrella organization of private-sector tourism practitioners still has a long list of concerns that it wishes to bring up and discuss with the task force but, for now, has accepted the island’s fate. “We are very happy and relieved that Boracay will once again welcome tourists and visitors back to its shores,” Clemente said. “The path was definitely not easy and more remains to be done to restore the island as one of the Philippines’s main destinations. Hopefully, visitors and residents on the island will be reminded to maintain the island’s beauty. We look forward to the full reopening of Boracay.” As for Carolina, our rambutan-peddling massage therapist eager for the island’s reopening, a look through the list of DOTaccredited resorts failed to yield the name of the establishment she worked for. That only means one thing: As Boracay Island reopens its doors to old friends and families, the future remains uncertain for many of the island’s business owners and workers.

Paradise threatened: Fiji’s war against climate change Continued from a1

Before I arrived, I had read that Pacific Island nations were threatened by rising temperatures and sea levels, but it wasn’t until my fifth day there, when my friends and I flew 45 minutes on a small prop plane to the island of Kadavu, that the threat came into full view. Outside the shack that doubled as the terminal, we climbed into a pickup truck for the bumpy ride to a boat landing. There, we boarded a banana boat for a one-hour ride past shallow reefs and gumdrop specks of land until we reached a lagoon and Matava, a minimalist resort where we planned to stay two nights. Walking around the grounds, which were built on a steep hill, the damage from Tropical Cyclone Keni, which had swept through the islands in mid-April, three weeks before our arrival, was obvious. Boats in the lagoon were out of commission. A pool that was under construction was a mess. A tree had fallen on top of the dive shop and hit one of the compressors. A path to a nearby village had disappeared in a landslide. The storm had packed winds of more than 75 mph and dropped nearly a foot of rain on Viti Levu. Kadavu was more directly in the storm’s path, and more than 800 homes were damaged. The storm came just a week after another cy-

clone, Josie. Keni and Josie were not as strong as the fierce Winston cyclone, which hit Fiji in 2016. But what surprised islanders was that the storms arrived weeks after the cyclone season was supposed to have ended. Although there is still much scientific debate about the impact of climate change on tropical cyclones, to many islanders the timing of the storms are evidence that warming temperatures are leading to shifting weather patterns and leaving the island increasingly vulnerable. “We literally said, ‘Let’s build the pool because the cyclone season is over,’ and then we got hit,” Luke Kercheval, one of the owners of Matava, told me, adding that the storms had scared off visitors. “We got more rain in a week than some countries get in a year. That’s not normal.” “Donald Trump might not agree, but it’s 100 percent about climate change,” he added. “I don’t need to be a scientist to figure this out.” The topic of climate change was everywhere in Fiji, even at the airport in Nadi, where a billboard read, “Airports Addressing Climate Change.” Fiji’s prime minister, Frank Bainimarama, is the current president of COP23, the UN Climate Change conference. In November, he brought two Fijian children with him to a conference in Bonn to remind delegates that the future of Fiji depends on ac-

tion against the effects of climate change. Already, one-quarter of the country’s bird species and two-thirds of amphibians are threatened or endangered because of rising sea temperatures and overfishing. A billboard I spotted captured the mood well: “We are all in the same canoe rising up against climate change.” The ever-present discussion about Fiji’s fate gave me pause. Would Fiji’s stunning islands look the same in a decade or two? The soft breezes and gentle sunsets and crystal blue water at Matava made it hard to muster alarm. It also made me recall a conversation I had had a few days before with Dick Watling, the founder of Nature Fiji, an environmental conservation group. Watling arrived in Fiji about 35 years ago and was an astute observer of local politics and the issue of climate change. Over coffee at Cappuccino Republic in Suva, Watling said that Fiji’s leaders, like those elsewhere in the Pacific region, have become expert at extracting donations from wealthier nations. So he was not surprised that many of Fiji’s problems were being blamed on climate change because it might help attract foreign aid, while also letting lawmakers sidestep thornier issues like unbridled development and lax environmental regulations. “The government sees this as a

major opportunity,” Watling said. “COP23 is the best tourism marketing program we have ever produced by a country mile.” Signs of eco-tourism were certainly evident in Fiji. At Matava, solar panels generated most of the electricity, including that used to power the lights and fans in our huts. The fruit and vegetables we ate were grown locally, and the fish was caught nearby. The eggs came from the chickens at the resort. Bottles, cans and other recyclables were sent back to Viti Levu. Living off the land did little to protect against Cyclone Keni, though. One of the resort’s boats had flipped upside down, and its outboard motors were damaged. The chickens were swept away, and the vegetable gardens were destroyed. Several workers at the resort lost their homes. The damage to the reefs made finding fish harder. I chatted with Maika O’Conna, a boat captain who grew up on Kadavu who said traditional fishing grounds were under attack from poachers, too. Overfishing and the destruction of the reefs was something I heard discussed back on Viti Levu. One day, I took a trip with my friend Sharon to the Outrigger Fiji Beach Resort, about a twohour drive from Suva. There, the reef had been damaged by repeated storms and polluted runoff from a nearby stream. With the help of

a Japanese aid organization, the hotel built coral gardens that its guests help maintain. The gardens consist of large metal grates, or propagation racks, placed in the water about 100 feet from the shore. Jonacani Masi, one of the hotel workers, took us out to see them. He brought a dozen cones made of sand mixed with concrete that were the size of my hand. When we reached the grates, he dove underwater and returned with a healthy piece of brown spiky coral that looked like a deer antler. He broke it into smaller, finger-length pieces, and placed each one in a cone packed with quick-drying cement. Snorkels and masks on, we swam down to the grates and placed the cones in the openings. We saw dozens of other cones with healthy-looking coral stems already there. Together, they created a small reef where none had existed. Fish nipped at my legs, protective of their newly claimed territory. When the coral fingerlings were big enough, they were replanted in the natural reef elsewhere. The next day we set off for Beqa, an island 6 nautical miles offshore, to meet Sefano Katz. An Israeli by way of Australia, Katz is a marine biologist and an expert in coral ecosystems. He arrived in Fiji three years ago with the nonprofit group Pacific Blue Foundation to help the locals on Beqa preserve their reef, which is 10 miles wide and one of the largest in Fiji.

He lives in a village of about 200, where he teaches children about composting and restoring mangrove forests, which help protect the coastline from erosion caused by storm surge. He works with the elders to improve the sewage treatment so that polluted water doesn’t seep into the ocean. Villagers are also removing the crown-of-thorns starfish, which eat coral, from the reef. Katz said he focuses on steps the villagers can take on their own rather than broad concepts like fighting climate change. He pointed to a study that showed that 48 percent of the damage to the Great Barrier Reef in Australia was from tropical storms and cyclones, and another 42 percent from crownof-thorns starfish, whose population has exploded because of an increase in phosphorus runoff from sewage, and other issues. This, he said, was similar in Fiji. “People protect what they understand,” he said. “That’s the way to make change.” Katz took us to meet Filipe Kirikirikula, the 60-year-old head of the council of elders. We sat outside his home in the middle of the well-kept village by the beach. He supported Katz’s mission, which he said required changing age-old habits. “Most of the people just abuse the environment,” he said. “It’s quite difficult to teach them about conservation. People here have their own freedom.”

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The World BusinessMirror

Saudis come close to admitting Khashoggi murder was planned

AUDI authorities came close to acknowledging that the murder of insider-turnedcritic Jamal Khashoggi was premeditated, as pressure mounted on the kingdom to provide a credible explanation to the killing that roiled its ties with the West and spooked investors. The Saudi prosecution has received information from Turkish investigators suggesting that the suspects intended to kill the Washington Post columnist, and will continue its probe in light of those findings, the official Saudi Press Agency said on Thursday. CI A Di rector Gi na Ha spel briefed US President Donald J. Trump on Thursday following a quick trip to Turkey this week. The Washington Post reported that Haspel heard an audio tape allegedly made of Khashoggi’s interrogation and killing at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2. The CIA declined to comment when asked whether Haspel heard any such recording. A Turkish official said the Washington Post

report was accurate. The White House would only say Haspel “briefed the President on their findings and her discussions.” Saudi Arabia’s shifting narrative over what happened to Khashoggi has prompted an international outcry and left its main allies demanding answers. The Trump administration is facing rising pressure to act against its Arab ally and the president has appeared to be stepping back from giving Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman his full support. The US has long been Saudi Arabia’s most important partner and Trump has made the kingdom the centerpiece of his efforts to isolate Iran. After denying his death for nearly three weeks, the kingdom last week said the 59-year-old was accidentally killed after a discussion at the consulate turned into an altercation. Officials and the crown prince’s supporters said the suspects tried to cover up their crime and provided the leadership with misleading accounts of the murder.

Authorities, however, haven’t explained why his body is still missing or how a meeting in a diplomatic compound grew violent. Turkish police took a water sample from a well at Saudi Arabia’s consulate in Istanbul, Hurriyet newspaper reported. O ne of K h a shog g i ’s son s, Salah, who was pictured shaking hands with the Saudi king and crown prince this week, has left the kingdom, according to two people close to the family. They spoke on condition of anonymity and declined to disclose the destination. On Tuesday Trump called the evolving stories over Khashoggi ’s fate—the crown prince initially said the columnist left the consulate on his own—“one of the worst in the history of cover-ups.” Saudi Arabia has said that 18 people have been arrested in connection with the case. A senior intelligence official and an adviser to Prince Mohammed were also removed from their jobs. Bloomberg News

TRUMP SENDS TROOPS TO BORDER AS RESPONSE TO ‘CARAVAN’

A S H I N G TO N —T h e Tr u m p administration is planning to dispatch 800 or more active duty troops to the southern border at the direction of a president who has sought to transform fears about immigration into electoral gains in the midterms as a

caravan of thousands of migrants makes its way through Mexico. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis is expected to sign an order sending the troops to the border, bolstering National Guard forces already there. The action comes as President Donald Trump has spent recent days

calling attention to the caravan of Central Americans slowly making their way by foot into southern Mexico, but still more than 1,1609 kilometers from US soil. Trump has been eager to make it a top issue in the midterm elections, as he did in 2016. AP

Saturday, October 27, 2018

Trade chiefs: WTO no longer sustainable and needs reform

GROUP of trade ministers from around the world voiced their support for strengthening the World Trade Organization (WTO) at a time when the Trump administration has threatened to pull out of the body if it doesn’t treat the US more fairly. “The current situation at the WTO is no longer sustainable,” top trade officials from 12 nations and the European Union said in a communique after discussions in Ottawa over how to reform the global body. The US and China were absent from the meeting. Ministers identified three areas for “urgent consideration,” including negotiation, dispute settlement and the implementation of WTO agreements. “There was unambiguous recognition that the WTO faces serious challenges, which, if not solved, render it an ineffective organization,” New Zealand Trade Minister David Parker said in an interview. “Rather than standing back, arms folded and looking grumpy about it saying ‘the WTO isn’t working,’ we instead get on with saying ‘how do we make it work,

make it work better, make it fit for the future?’” said Australian Trade Minister Simon Birmingham. The ministers plan to evaluate the progress on their reform agenda in January during the WTO’s annual mini-ministerial meeting in Davos, Switzerland. The absence of representatives from the world’s largest economies, which are locked in a trade war, loomed large over the meeting and officials acknowledged that the US and China must at some point be involved. “There can be no meaningful reform of the WTO without the Americans and Chinese,” Canadian Trade Minister Jim Carr said during the news conference on Thursday. “It was our thinking that as a first step we would bring in a group of nations who are reflective of diversity internationally—

but who share the value and a belief that the rules-based international order is worth preserving and the best way to preserve it is to reform it.” President Donald Trump has threatened to withdraw from the WTO, repeatedly attacked the organization as being biased against US interests and is slowly strangling the appellate body, which mediates trade disputes that affect some of the world’s largest companies. “Not one member for one minute” blamed the US for sparking the current crisis at the WTO, Carr said. “This was a positive discussion about where we ought to go from here. There was no blaming, there was no shaming, it was all forward-looking to find points of consensus upon which we can build.” The meeting’s focus on revamping the global trade body met with a positive reception on Capitol Hill in Washington. “I am pleased that some of our key trading partners appear to be engaged in serious discussion of the concerns the United States has raised for many years about the need for reform, ” Rep. Kevin Brady, chairman of the House Ways and Mean Committee, said in a news statement. Bloomberg News

ExportUnlimited BusinessMirror

A4 Saturday, October 27, 2018 • Editor: Efleda P. Campos

Seipi to promote PHL electronics industry in biz mission to France

HE Semiconductor and Electronics Industries in the Philippines Foundation Inc. (Seipi), in partnership with the Philippine Embassy in France, the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), the Department of Trade and Industry Export Marketing Bureau (DTI-EMB) and Philippine Trade and Investment Center (PTIC), will spearhead the first Philippine electronics business mission to France from October 23 to 27, 2018. The mission aims to directly promote the capabilities of the Philippine electronics sector to its foreign partners through proactive business engagements and partnerships with French companies and organizations like the Angers French Tech (AFT) and the Alliance Electronique (ACSIEL).

As part of an ongoing collaboration between the government and the private sector, the mission is also aligned with the electronics industry’s road map called the “Product and Technology Holistic Strategy” or PATHS, which identifies niche products and technologies that the Philippines should be focusing on in

the next five years. Funded by the DTI, the PATHS study is administered by the DOST and implemented by Seipi. The first leg of the October mission serves as a response to Philippine Ambassador to France Ma. Theresa P. Lazaro’s invitation for Seipi to conduct an electronics industry mission in Paris. Through the mission, Seipi also aims to meet with the members of ACSIEL in order to facilitate technology exchange, business-to-business meetings and investment opportunities. The second leg of the mission is the sealing of a partnership between Seipi and AFT—the local government’s thematic entity of the national French Tech initiative. It is also a program for French start-ups, investors, entrepreneurs, developers, corporations, government agencies and research institutes, encompassing all industries while advocating the digital technology called La French Tech. The prelude to this partnership was the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between Seipi and the AFT in DTI International-

Manila in June. It will formalize their plans to set up a French Pavilion in the Philippine Semiconductor and Electronics Convention and Exhibition (PSECE) in 2019. On October 26 meanwhile, both Seipi and AFT will commit to a mutual promotion of events, such as an establishment of a virtual office of Seipi in France. The MOU is also one of the strategies of Seipi to capture a bigger share in the Internet of Things (IoT), since France is one of the Philippines’s fastest-growing exports market. The DTI said Philippine exports increased by 9.89 percent from $734.93 million in 2016 to $807.63 million in 2017. Dr. Dan Lachica, president of Seipi, noted their member-companies’ strong commitment to continuously facilitate technology exchange, business-to-business meetings, and bigger investment opportunities. “Seipi is in an aggressive mode to promote the Philippines as a reliable partner with inherent technical capabilities to take on the opportunities in global markets,” Lachica said. “We are part of the significant value chain and

the Philippines is a prime mover in the Internet of things.” With the current performance of the electronics industry, which serves as the headliner of Philippine exports, the DTI-Trade and Investments Promotion Group (TIPG) aims to improve the collaboration between the government and the private sector to help shape the trajectory for the Philippine electronics export. “Under the Philippine Export Development Plan, our focus is to provide substantial support for our export sectors, where the Philippines has a competitive advantage,” DTI-TIPG Undersecretary Nora K. Terrado said. “We expect a stronger collaboration between the Philippines and France through this undertaking. We also aspire to generate higher value for goods that are manufactured in the country. This will allow our people to be at the forefront of technology and innovation to create high-value jobs for our people,” she added. The mission is part of the Philippine Development Plan (PDP), which covers 2017 to 2022. It is also

Philippine universities join CIIE 2018 in Shanghai

DTI to hold entrepreneurship seminar, business meeting during China’s November expo

HE Department of Trade and Industry, in collaboration with the Commission on Higher Education, will organize on-site business-matching activities and university visits for Philippine universities joining the China International Import Expo (CIIE) in Shanghai, China. A total of 11 Philippine universities will be featured in the Philippine National Pavilion as part of the Philippine participation at the CIIE to be held at Shanghai from November 5 to 10. The universities include Baliuag University, Central Philippine University, Centro Escolar University, Far Eastern University, Holy Angel University, Isabela State University, Mariano Marcos State University, Panpacific University, Saint Paul University of the Philippines, Tarlac Agricultural University and University of Santo Tomas. Aside from the on-site business matching at the CIIE Philippine National Pavilion, the Philippine Trade and Investment Center in Shanghai will arrange visits to various universities for possible collaborations.

anchored with the strategies of the Philippine Export Development Plan (PEDP), covering 2018 to 2022. The electronics industry remains as the country’s top exporter. In 2017 the country’s electronics exports posted a double-digit growth of 11.16 percent at $36.54 billion—the highest in the industry’s history. From January to August 2018, electronics exports reached $23.6 billion. A 6-percent growth rate is also projected this year. France, meanwhile, ranked as the country’s 13th market in 2017 with a compound annual growth rate of 24 percent from 2013 to 2017, which was valued at $374.8 million. Through the five-day mission, the Philippines aims to be recognized as one of the best providers of electronic products and services in the global industry. The mission can also help foster business development or identification of new business leads. Most important, it will help Filipinos gather information on best practices for emerging trends and industry developments within the electronics sector of France.

NICKEL INDUSTRY HIGHLIGHTS BAMBOO INITIATIVE AT THE 2018 MANILA FAME The Philippine Nickel Industry Association (PNIA), in partnership with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and the Chamber of Mines of the Philippines (COMP), showcase their bamboo advocacy at the “Bamboo Extreme 2.0” event of the 2018 Manila FAME design and lifestyle fair. PNIA believes bamboo reforestation is the way to move forward to responsible and sustainable mining while helping local communities with economic opportunities. Present during the opening ceremony on Friday are (from left): Charmaine Olea-Capili (executive director, PNIA); Butch Alcantara (chairman, PNIA); Ramon M. Lopez (DTI secretary); Leo Dominguez (Olli Corp. CEO); Judith Angeles (regional director, DTI); Nora K. Terrado (undersecretary for Trade and Promotions, DTI); Pauline Juan (executive director, Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions); and Rhea Matute (executive director, Design Center of the Philippines).

HE Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) will conduct an entrepreneurship seminar and a business roundtable meeting on the sidelines of the first China International Import Expo (CIIE) happening in Shanghai from November 5 to 10 to help maximize the country’s presence and participation in the world’s largest trade expo. As the lead agency of the Philippine delegation to the CIIE, the DTI, under Secretary Ramon M. Lopez, moves to improve the country’s trade position and business relationship with China. To help ensure this, the department will hold the “Trabaho, Negosyo, Kabuhayan [TNK]” seminar on the first day of the CIIE. An initiative by Lopez, TNK aims to primarily encourage entrepreneurship among Shanghai-based Filipinos and provide overseas Filipino investors access to information, network of suppliers, and resources that will help them become successful entrepreneurs. There are more than 7,000 overseas Filipinos working in Shanghai and its neighboring provinces, the Philippine Trade and Investment Center (PTIC) Shanghai said. With this, the DTI sees the TNK as a platform to help them better understand, assess and appreciate income opportunities through a series of lectures on entrepreneurship, financial literacy and labor productivity. Meanwhile, through the Board of Investments, the DTI will lead a business roundtable meeting on November 6, where Lopez will present to Chinese executives the investment landscape of the Philippines and the advantages of doing business in the country. The TNK, the business roundtable meeting, and the business matching between Philippine exporters and Chinese buyers which was organized by the PTICs in Shanghai, Beijing and Guangzhou, are just among the networking opportunities that will take place during the CIIE.

DTI -PTTC strengthens PHL halal export

SHOWN from left are, PTTC Executive Director Nestor Palabyab, Resource Persons Dr. Rachid Qabed, Ustadz Luqman Bin Usman Imam and PTTC’s Gerald David.

HE Philippine Trade Training Center (PTTC) moderated t he sem i n a r on “Strengthening the Philippine Halal Export” system held from October 8 to 11, through the Philippine Congress Legislative Agenda at the House of Representatives in Quezon City. The seminar, a joint endeavor of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and the House of Representatives, is in answer to the call of President Duterte to step up efforts to promote the Philippine halal industry with its huge trade and investment stake in the $3.2-trillion global halal market. DTI Executives led by Undersecretary Abdulgani Macatoman, legislators from Muslim-dominated areas of Mindanao and agencies represented in the Philippine Halal Export Development and Promotion Board participated in the seminar highlighting the need for more venues to provide for opportunities to exchange information among various stakeholders.

44TH PHL BUSINESS CONFERENCE Senen M. Perlada, director for the Department of Trade and Industry’s Export Marketing

Bureau (DTI-EMB), served as a resource speaker for the 44th Philippine Business Conference with the theme “Infrastructure and Digital Economy: The Game Changers” on October 19 at the Manila Hotel. The event was hosted by the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI). The Director, and representatives from the Department of Agriculture and PCCI, presented their respective accomplishments and plans in line with the Agribusiness Support for Promotion and Investment in Regional Exposition or ASPIRE.

Sports BusinessMirror

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

Saturday, October 27, 2018

HE Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) executive board on Friday approved the endorsement of Youth Olympic Games chef de mission Jonne Go to reward kiteboarding silver medalist Cristian Tio. The board, chaired by Rep. Bambol Tolentino of cycling, unanimously approved the allocation of P500,000 as cash incentive for Tio’s second-place finish in the Buenos Aires Games. Tio was the lone Filipino athlete to win a medal in the tournament. The Filipino-Norwegian started the sport at the age of 7 under the tutelage of his parents, who are both professional kiteboarders. He won numerous tournaments in age-group events before his strong finish in Buenos Aires. “The board had no second thoughts about granting this incentive. The achievement of this young man gives inspiration to the many grassroots athletes who aspire to give glory to our country,” POC President Ricky Vargas said. “It also continues our initiative to reward outstanding performances by our athletes.”

By Ramon Rafael Bonilla

D JAMES RYAN LAM finally ends a long title quest with a big win in Tarlac.

TENEO-MOTOLITE hopes to come in full force as it tries to make it two-in-a-row over a skidding Pocari-Air Force side as action in the Premier Volleyball League Season 2 Open Conference shifts back to the Imus Sports Complex in Cavite on Saturday. Kat Tolentino, Maddie Madayag and Ponggay Gaston missed the Lady Eagles’ last outing against the streaking Creamline Cool Smashers due to academic commitments last Sunday but they are expected to suit up again in their 6 p.m. duel with the Lady Warriors and help the team get back at joint second with the idle BanKo-Perlas Spikers at 6-2. Pocari, meanwhile, is out to check its skid that saw the Lady Warriors drop three of their last four games, including two against the Tacloban side, to drop to joint fifth with the Fighting Warays at 4-4. Ateneo and Creamline square off at 6 p.m. after the 4 p.m. match between Tacloban and Iriga-Navy. Iriga-Navy and Adamson UniversityAkari, meanwhile, tangle for the second time in as many weeks with the Lady Oragons also hoping to duplicate their five-set escape over the injury-hit Lady Falcons at 4 p.m. Navy, meanwhile, tries to get back into the groove following a stinging defeat to Sta. Elena as it takes on Prima-Far Eastern University also on Saturday in the Spikers’ Turf Open Conference preliminariess at the Blue Eagle Gym in Quezon City. The Prima-FEU match is set at 12 noon. Cignal, meanwhile, also guns for its fourth win in five games as it mixes it up with Air Force at 10 a.m.

OS ANGELES—When Kobe Bryant took a courtside seat in the first quarter, Staples Center buzzed with excitement for the mere sight of the most popular athlete in this building’s history. The crowd even started a “Kobe! Kobe!” chant in the fourth quarter—and it was immediately drowned out by cheers when LeBron James hit a three-pointer. With the symbol of the Los Angeles Lakers’ past watching in approval, James and the Lakers’ young core proved that their present and future is pretty tantalizing, too. James had 28 points, 11 assists and 11 rebounds while leading a late rally for his first home victory with the Lakers, 128-111, over the previously unbeaten Denver Nuggets on Thursday night. LeBron and Kobe didn’t get a chance to talk, but the longtime friendly rivals likely both left happy with the Lakers’ new direction after James’s first triple-double for LA. “Of course, I noticed him sitting right on the baseline over there,” James said. “One of the all-time Laker greats. What he’s done for this franchise in his 20-plus years here speaks wonders for me. To be able to compete against him all those years, and for me to be able to share a jersey, the same jersey as him at this point, is pretty special.” With Bryant in attendance for the first time since LeBron’s arrival in LA, Kyle Kuzma scored 22 points and JaVale McGee added 21 to complement James’s 74th career triple-double.

But the result was even more impressive: The Lakers trailed by eight points with six minutes left in the fourth quarter before Lance Stephenson, who finished with 12 points, started a 15-2 rally with back-toback three-pointers. “The first couple of games, when we fell behind, we stayed LAKERS forward LeBron James passes over the Nuggets’ Paul Millsap. AP

behind,” James said. “Tonight when we fell behind, we learned from our mistakes, and that’s one of the most important things in life.” James got Staples Center rocking on a go-ahead dunk with 3:31 to play before Lonzo Ball made an artful stepback three-pointer. Kuzma added two huge dunks down the stretch of Los Angeles’s second win in two days after a 0-3 start. “LeBron is doing what he always does,” Denver Coach Michael Malone said. “And LeBron is bringing all those guys their confidence way up. You’re seeing Kyle Kuzma and LeBron, their chemistry growing.” Nikola Jokic scored 24 points for the Nuggets, who were off to their best start since the 2009-10 season. Jamal Murray scored 22 points and Monte Morris had 20, but Denver couldn’t answer the Lakers’ rally led by James, who posted his third career triple-double in Staples Center for his third different team. “We just came out on the short end today, but we’ve got a couple of days off to revamp ourselves,” said Morris, who added seven assists in just his eighth NBA game. One night after earning their first win of the LeBron era in Phoenix, the Lakers beat the Nuggets at Staples for the fourth straight time. AP

E LA SALLE goes for some cushion when it battles Far Eastern University (FEU) in Season 81 of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines men’s basketball tournament on Friday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. Currently in third place with a 5-4 wonlost record, the Green Archers try to widen its gap from the fourth-running Tamaraws and the University of the Philippine Fighting Maroons, both sporting 5-5 records, when they go for a win in the 4 p.m. game. Second-running Adamson University (7-2) turned down De La Salle, 57-50, last week. It was De La Salle’s lowest output this season and its 26.1 percent shooting was the worst by any team so far. The Green Archers only scored two points in the first quarter, while the Soaring Falcons clamped down on defense right from the get-go. Cat-quick guard Aljun Melecio was the lone bright spot for the team as he scored 18 points on an 8-of-23 shooting.

FEU is also coming off a loss to UP, 8295, last Wednesday. Brandey Bienes led the Tamaraws with 14 points and five rebounds, while Kevin Ebona and Wendell Comboy chipped in 13 and 12 points, respectively, in the game where they missed the services of injured big man Prince Orizu and suspended forward Arvin Tolentino. In the opening game at 2 p.m., Ateneo (8-2) tries to pull away from Adamson University at the top when the Blue Eagles play the National University (NU) Bulldogs. The defending champion Eagles needed only the first two quarters to put the game out of reach from the hapless University of the East Red Warriors for a 90-70 rout last Wednesday. Angelo Kouame of Ivory Coast bulldozed his way for a double-double effort of 18 points and 16 rebounds. Tyler Tio chipped in 16 points with three other Blue Eagles scoring in double figures. NU, on the other hand, relied on Dave Ildefonso at crunch time to beat University of Santo Tomas, 69-61, in their last game.

BusinessMi

Saturday, October 27, 2018 | Editor: Jun Lomibao

‘CYCLING CLEANER

BACK IN THE SADDLE

HEY say it is hard to keep a good man down and, less than three months after losing part of his right leg following a mountaineering accident, Adrien Costa is back on the bike and the climbing wall. Photos published on Instagram by his former Hagens Berman Axeon teammate Chris Blevins show the 21-year-old out training on his bike and using a climbing wall, all-thewhile showing off his new prosthetic leg. “I’ve always been impressed by this guy, but in the past couple months I’ve found a new level of admiration. @costadrien you’re a slayer,” Blevins captioned the two photos. Costa had to have his leg amputated in August after a boulder fell on his leg while he was out hiking. Hagens Berman Axeon set up a crowd-funding page for Costa in the wake of the accident in order to raise money to help in his rehabilitation and get a new prosthetic. The cycling community came out in force to support Costa, with several current and former professionals donating to the fund, and the original target was upped several times. Money has still been coming in of late and the current total stands at more than $128,000. Costa was taking a break from his cycling career at the time of the accident. Following the death of his friend and teammate Chad Young at the 2017 Tour of the Gila, Costa announced that he would take the remainder of the season off to evaluate his future. That initial sabbatical would become indefinite when he announced at the start of this season that he was still not ready to make his comeback and would sit out the entire 2018 campaign. Costa was a hugely promising talent when he chose to take some time out of cycling as a double silver medalist in the junior time trial at the World Championships and a podium finisher at the Tour de l’Avenir.

Cyclingnews

THE Avenida de Alicante—the main road running into Murcia from the northeast—will be renamed the Avenida Alejandro Valverde.

Street in Murcia to be named after world champ Valverde

LEJANDRO VALVERDE (Movistar) will have a street named after him in Murcia following his victory in the elite men’s road race at the UCI Road World Championships last month. It was announced recently that the Avenida de Alicante—the main road running into the city from the northeast—will be renamed the Avenida Alejandro Valverde. Whether by design or by chance, the newly named road will intersect with another piece of Spanish cycling history, the Avenida Miguel Indurain. While five-time Tour de France champion Indurain is not a Murcian native, Valverde is.

The 38-year-old won the world road race title in Innsbruck after 15 years of trying, beating Romain Bardet and Michael Woods to the win. It was the Spaniard’s seventh visit to the podium at the World Championships but the first time that he was able to stand on the top step. In winning, Valverde also became the first Spaniard since Oscar Freire in 2004 to win the road race title. He was given a rapturous welcome by fans upon his return to the city earlier this month. He rode through the streets in an open-top car, with hundreds of people riding on their bikes behind him, before greeting fans from a balcony at the town hall.

Bouchard-Hall leaves USA Cycling to head Assos

FTER announcing his upcoming departure from UA Cycling, Derek Bouchard-Hall will take on a new role as the CEO of Swiss-cycling brand Assos, effective January 1, 2019. Bouchard-Hall will see through his current position as president and CEO of the federation to the end of this year. “Deciding to leave USA Cycling was the hardest professional decision of my life, but after all we’ve achieved the past three years, I’m confident in the team’s continued success,” Bouchard-Hall said in a report on Cycling Industry News. “The opportunity to join Assos and lead

one of the greatest global brands in the sport of cycling at a time when it is poised for significant expansion is extremely compelling to me.” Bouchard-Hall is stepping down from his position at USA Cycling after nearly four years, having been hired as president and CEO in 2015, and taking over from former long-time CEO Steve Johnson. USA Cycling Board of Directors Chairman Bob Stapleton will serve as interim CEO until the federation finds a replacement for Bouchard-Hall. Bouchard-Hall is a former member of the US national cycling team and raced

for American-based teams Shaklee and Mercury Cycling Team. His career spanned the 1990s until he retired in 2002, and during that time competed in ParisRoubaix, Gent-Wevelgem and Criterium International, and represented the US in the team pursuit at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games. Bouchard-Hall is a graduate in Structural Engineering from Stanford, Architectural Engineering from Princeton and holds an MBA from Harvard Business School. He has worked for McKinsey and Company and the online retailer Wiggle before moving over to USA Cycling in 2015.

Valverde made his first appearances in the rainbow jersey at the start of October with the Tre Valli Varesine, Milano-Torino and Il Lombardia. He finished third at Milano-Torino and told the press afterward that he shouldn’t be asked about his involvement in Operacion Puerto, saying that he had proved his credibility since. Valverde was one of several riders who was linked to disgraced doctor Eufemianio Fuentes and was subsequently handed a two-year ban. Il Lombardia was Valverde’s final race of the season, which ended 14 wins and saw Valverde top the world ranking, more than 1,000 points ahead of secondplaced Simon Yates (Mitchelton-Scott).

Floyd Landis, who tested positive for testosterone at the 2006 Tour de France and was subsequently banned, said that he expected cheating to continue unless cycling’s management was overhauled and the World Anti-Doping Agency shut down.

Cyclingnews

At Assos, BouchardHall will be based at the company’s global headquarters in Stabio, Switzerland. He will take over from current CEO Phil Duff, who is stepping down but will continue as chairman of the board. “Our team has worked hard in building and reengineering Assos for continued growth and now needs deeper leadership to propel the business even further upward,” Duff said. “I will now be able to increase my focus on the strategic direction of Assos and am thrilled we have found a leader in Derek who truly shares our long-term vision for Assos.” Cyclingnews

Dirt-road summit finish at 2019 Tour revealed

ULL details of the 2019 Tour de France route was unveiled in Paris but photographs have emerged on social media of the new steeper, dirt-road finish on La Planche des Belles Filles, with the final kick up to the finish line at 24 percent. The climb in the Vosges is expected to be the first mountaintop finish of the 2019 Tour de France, coming on Stage 6 next July. The Tour de France has finished atop La Planche des Belles Filles three times. Chris Froome was the first winner on the steep climb in 2012, while Vincenzo Nibali won in 2014, and fellow Italian Fabio Aru was the latest in 2017. Race organizers ASO have indicated the Tour de France will include more gravel sections after riders were given a taster on the Plateau des Glières on Stage 10 this year and the dirt-road Cole delle Finestre proved decisive in the Giro d’Italia. ASO added dirt sections to this year’s Paris-Tours, and Tour de France Technical Director Thierry Gouvenou, who rides a gravel bike during his holidays, has promised more innovative race routes. ASO first hinted in the summer that an extra kilometer of dirt roads would be added to the finish at La Planche des Belles Filles. Stephane Boury, who is responsible for stage finishes, posted a picture on Twitter of his notebook and a distance-measuring device. The picture was accompanied by a caption reading, “Here will be considered a new finish for the TDF 2019...moving to 24 per cent.... At 100m from the line...there’s going to be some show.” French public radio France Bleu took on what they called a “treasure hunt” to seek out the spot where the Twitter picture was taken and so reveal the new finish climb. Shortly after the asphalted finish area used in 2017, a gravel track veers left and further up the mountain to the summit of La Planche des Belles Filles. The dirt road climbs through the trees before two further left turns lead to the foot of the 24 percent climb to the peak. In September the L’Est Republican newspaper published photos of the work being done to widen the track and now a cycling fan called Alie on Twitter has published photographs of the finished road. The climb through the trees is on a dirt road, while the final 24 percent kick up to what will be the finish of the Tour de France stage has been asphalted and covered with stone chippings. It seems it was impossible to have a gravel surface due to the steep gradient. Cyclingnews

PHILIPPE GILBERT is tipped to head cyclists’ union.

AVID MILLAR’S attempt on Gianni Bugno for the presidency of the Professional Cycling Association (CPA) rider’s association may have ended in defeat, but Philippe Gilbert (Quick-Step Floors) believes the furor over the voting process may have the collateral effect of leading to greater engagement between professional riders and their representative union. Bugno was elected president for a third consecutive term during the UCI Road World Championships in Innsbruck, amid vocal calls from the likes of Team Sky’s Geraint Thomas and Chris Froome for a reform of the current voting system in which some rider unions—those of France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Switzerland and North America—vote en bloc, while individual riders from other nations can only vote in person on the day of the election. The Belgian and Dutch riders’ associations withdrew from the CPA earlier this year. In the aftermath of the vote, Gilbert’s name was quietly mentioned as a possible future president of the CPA, whose next elections are scheduled for 2021 or if Bugno offers to step down. Speaking to Cyclingnews at the Tour of Guangxi in China, Gilbert neither confirmed nor denied his interest in running for the role of CPA president, but he stressed the importance of

LOYD LANDIS believes that cycling has not cleaned up its doping problems in the post-Lance Armstrong era. In a recent interview with CyclingWeekly, the former American cyclist who tested positive for testosterone at the 2006 Tour de France and was subsequently banned, said that he expected cheating to continue unless cycling’s management was overhauled and the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) shut down. “It’s not going to change until the management of cycling changes and until Wada is completely dissolved and a new organization is set up that isn’t beholden to the Olympic committee,” Landis told CyclingWeekly in a report on Tuesday. “That’s the heart of the matter.” Wada is currently under fire for voting to reinstate Russian Anti-Doping Agency (Rusada) in September. Other anti-doping bodies argued that Rusada had not fulfilled the terms of its “road map” to compliance set down by Wada in the first place, and that Wada lowered its compliance standards. Members of Wada’s executive committee, including president Craig Reedie, also hold positions in the International Olympic Committee (IOC). In 2010, Landis filed a “whistle-blower” lawsuit under the False Claims Act, which allows citizens to sue individuals for defrauding the government. He claimed that Lance Armstrong defrauded the government for doping activities that took place on his team when it was statesponsored by the US Postal Service, when he won six of his seven Tours de France titles. Armstrong was potentially liable for $100 million if the case had gone to trial but he settled for $5 million in April, a month before expected trial date. He was stripped of all seven Tour titles (won between 1999 and 2005) in 2012. “There were times in the last couple of years when frankly I would have just dropped the case [against Armstrong] if I had any power to do it, but the government took over the case. There were times I even felt bad for Lance,” Landis said of the case battled in courts for nearly eight years. Landis, who retired in 2011, confessed to his own drug use during his career in an e-mail to USA Cycling’s former CEO Steve Johnson that was dated in April 2010. The e-mail detailed some of his doping practices beginning in 2002 and implicated Americans Armstrong, George Hincapie and Levi Leipheimer. He also implicated Johan Bruyneel, who managed US Postal under the company Tailwind Sports between 1999 and 2004, and Jim Ochowicz, former president of USA Cycling’s board of directors until 2008 and now manages BMC Racing. “At this point, I’m not even sure the entire episode accomplished anything,” Landis said.

GILBERT: IF THE RID WE CAN MAKE THI professional riders forming a strong and united representative body. Gilbert has often defended rider interests, this week taking to social media. “I heard that also, that some people would like me to do this,” Gilbert told Cyclingnews. “It’s almost 10 years that I’ve been helping out, being the link between the riders and the CPA. And I was also back then on the [UCI] Athletes Commission. I did a lot. And the only thing you can say is that only now some riders are waking up and realizing that we have a voice. “It’s just too bad that they realised it so late, because if we get united we can be a powerful part of cycling. If the riders are united, we can make things change. It’s the only way.” Although Millar lost to Bugno by 379 votes to 96, Gilbert believes that the Briton’s candidacy has done the state of the CPA some service. “I think we can be thankful to Millar because he made a move and woke up the CPA and now it is more active since then,” Gilbert said. “It’s a good thing.” Gilbert is currently in China at the Tour of Guangxi, his final race of a 2018 season that risked ending prematurely when he sustained a fractured kneecap after crashing on the descent of Col de Portet d’Aspet at the Tour de France. Remarkably, the 36-year-old returned to action in

irror CYCLING

mirror_sports@yahoo.com.ph | Saturday, October 27, 2018

G NO R TODAY’ “Nobody from management in cycling ever paid. We gave all kinds of information on USA Cycling... everyone knew it and was in on it and Wada just refused to do anything about it. They just wanted athletes, which is disappointing, so I’m glad it’s over.” Bruyneel has been ordered to pay $1.2 million to the US government for his part in the doping program. Bruyneel is currently serving a 10-year ban from the sport. Asked if he had any communication with Armstrong since the lawsuit, Landis said, “No. I haven’t had any contact with him in many years, other than I’ve seen him at a couple of mediations that we were required to go to but we didn’t speak a word to each other. “I’m sure he resents me. I don’t have any hard feelings toward him. I understand why he views it the way he does. I hope he finds some peace and can move on. That kind of public humiliation kills some people. We’ve seen it happen in cycling time and time again, people end up dead. So the fact we’re both still alive I think is a win.” As the whistle-blower, Landis was entitled to up to 25 percent of the recovered money, and he walked away with $750,000, after paying off his legal fees, according to a report in The Wall Street Journal in early October. He plans to use the remaining funds, along with money from his company Floyd’s of Leadville—a shop that sells legal cannabis products in Colorado—to sponsor the Canadian-registered Continental Team Silber Pro Cycling. The team had been searching for a new title sponsor to help continue racing next year. When CyclingWeekly asked if he believed the sport was any cleaner today than it was when he raced, he said, “No, of course not. All the evidence is there that it’s not.” Cyclingnews

TONY MARTIN poses with the speed suit “vortex.”

Team Sky ‘vortex’ speed suit now illegal under new UCI regulations U PDATED International Cycling Union (UCI) equipment regulations for 2019 now render the Castelli Body Paint 4.0 speed suit noncompliant. The speed suit featured “vortex dimples” on the sleeves and was controversially used by Team Sky during the 2017 Tour de France opening stage. The updated rules also affect Endura’s Drag2Zero speed suit as used by Movistar Team, that also features a textured material on the sleeves to improve aerodynamics in time trials. Bioracer’s speed suits,

which recently dominated at the world championship time trials, feature ribbed sleeves aiming for the same aerodynamic effects as Castelli and Endura’s offerings. However, Bioracer say they were involved in the meetings with the UCI leading to the regulations and their ribbed material does not fall under the ruling as it is below 1mm. The full update to the UCI rule, in the chapter for Equipment—Section 3: riders’ clothing states: “Items of clothing may not modify the morphology of the rider and any non-essential element or device, of which the purpose is not exclusively that of clothing or protection, is forbidden. “Modifications to the surface roughness of clothing are authorized but may only be the result of threading, weaving or assembling of the fabric. Surface roughness modifications shall be limited to a profile difference of 1mm at most. “The measure of surface roughness

modification shall be made without pressure or traction on the clothing. “All clothing must maintain the original texture of the textile and may not be adapted in a manner to integrate form constraints. Therefore, when not worn, clothing may in no case contain any self-supporting element or rigid parts” In an e-mail to Cyclingnews, Castelli Brand Manager Steve Smith confirmed the vortex speed suit would now be noncompliant: “Both the Castelli 4.0 ‘pimple’ suit and the Endura [Drag2Zero] suit become illegal. And the grooves in all those suits with the grooved fabric should also be illegal since it’s more than 1mm,” he said. “We’ve been working on a number of new speed suits that comply fully with the new regulations and are, in fact, faster than the 4.0 pimples suit. So, we’re actually quite happy.” Cyclingnews

FLOYD LANDIS says it’s not going to change until the management of cycling changes.

WIGGINS: ARMSTRONG SINGLED OUT B

BRADLEY WIGGINS says Lance Armstrong has been singled out and “whether people like it or not, he’s iconic in some way.”

DERS ARE UNITED, HINGS CHANGE late September and claimed his first win of the season that same day, soloing to victory at the GP d’Isbergues. Winning at the first attempt might, however, create a false impression of the speed of Gilbert’s recovery. He explained that he is not entirely free of the lingering effects of the injury. “It’s still not really good because I still have some problems with my knee and my leg, but I think for next season it will be OK,” said Gilbert, who is in Guangxi largely with an eye to 2019. “For me, it was important to race again this season and get some form again.” Gilbert was prominent on the final climb to Nongla on Stage 4 of the Tour of Guangxi, but acknowledged that he was lacking the top-end speed to track the acceleration of stage winner Gianni Moscon (Team Sky). The Belgian later found himself stranded between the first two groups of chasers as the road flattened out, and he finish line 28 seconds down in 13th place on the stage. “There were some attacks at the bottom, but I didn’t know the climb because there were no images from last year,” Gilbert said. “I was really conservative on the first part and then I moved up. I was really dying at the end. I tried to follow the group who passed me, but it was a really hard final.”

RADLEY WIGGINS has said he sees the “human side” to Lance Armstrong, arguing that the American has been “singled out” for his transgressions. Speaking on British radio station TalkSport, the 2012 Tour de France champion insisted Armstrong is an iconic figure in cycling—if not an icon—who will always be his inspiration for taking up the sport. Armstrong won the Tour de France seven times between 1999 and 2005 but was stripped of his titles when he admitted to doping at the start of 2013, at which point Wiggins was the reigning Tour de France champion. At the time, Wiggins described Armstrong as a “lying bastard” when he denied he’d doped on his comeback in 2009 and 2010, having beaten Wiggins to the final spot of the 2009 Tour de France podium. Now, Wiggins has written a book, entitled Icons, and one of the chapters is devoted to Armstrong, some of whose old racing jerseys he still has at his home as part of a huge collection of cycling memorabilia. “When I was 13 and I was living on a council state in London, he won the world title in Oslo when he was 21 years of age, and I was enthralled by it. I went out on my bike the next day and I thought I was Lance Armstrong. I went as far as I could go before I realized I’d better turn round before it got dark. Nobody can ever take that away from me, that feeling of freedom and going out on the bike and being inspired by him,” Wiggins said on TalkSport. “I’m not saying he’s an icon. He’s iconic, for good and bad reasons now. Whether people like it or not, he’s iconic in some way—good or bad. For me, I can’t change the way it made me feel when I was 13. It changed my life.” Asked if Armstrong, who is serving a lifetime ban from sport, is still a hero to him, he said: “Hero is a bit strong, from the human side...I still speak to him, I know him as a person—post cycling, post what he’s been through.” Wiggins denied he and Armstrong were “big friends” but acknowledged a “mutual respect in terms of what we’ve been through, racing against each other.” Asked if Armstrong had apologized to him, he added: “He doesn’t need to apologize to me. I don’t expect an apology.”

Wiggins, who was the subject of a nowclosed UK Anti-Doping investigation and Parliamentary hearing over his use of the corticosteroid triamcinolone acetonide under Therapeutic Use Exemptions, has steadily increased his media appearances of late. As well as appearing on the likes of TalkSport, he has a show on Eurosport and says he feels freer to put across his true opinions. “I see people on television who just want to please and appease people asking them the questions, and you can get drawn into it. I got drawn into it, and you sit there and end up telling people what they want hear so you can get on with your life and get on with riding your bike,” he said. “I’m not in that position anymore, I say what I think now, I don’t have key messages, I don’t have an agenda-led cycling team to keep happy, I haven’t got a team of PR people around me going ‘ooh you don’t want to say that because it’s going to look bad’. I ain’t gotta come out of the bus at the next race and face a line of journalists saying ‘you know what you said last week about this—can we just pick up on that?’, two minutes before you’re about to start a race. So I don’t care anymore about that.” Remembering his reaction to Armstrong’s Oprah confession, he said he was a robot controlled by Team Sky’s PR team—”I couldn’t actually use my own brain”—but over the years his feelings toward Armstrong have changed. “I see it more from the human side now. It is what it is. So much goes on in the world anyway, and there are so many bad things with this, that or the other. Lance has paid the price heavily for what he’s done. Ok, the sport has suffered, but he wasn’t alone in that. I think he’s been singled out as well,” he said. “I have an opinion on it and not everyone is going to like it, but I’ve moved on now and I can see the world from a different perspective and it’s not just cycling. Yes, cycling has been damaged, but there are a lot of people to blame for that. There’s been a lot of corruption in the sport in the past, with the way it’s been run.” Cyclingnews

MIE SAABYE makes her presence felt in Buenos Aires.

KAZAKHS, DANES DOMINATE Y.O.G.

FTER five days of racing in the combined cycling event at the Youth Olympic Games (YOG) in Buenos Aires (Argentina), Kazakhstan proved the most consistent men’s team, while Denmark claimed gold in the women’s competition. For both the men’s and women’s competitions, teams of two athletes competed in five events on five consecutive days—three on the road

(team time trial, road race and criterium) and two for mountain bike (cross-country Eliminator and cross-country Short Circuit). From each event, the results of both team members were combined to calculate the winning nation across the five days. With the most combined points in the three road events, Kazakhstan’s Gleb Brussenskiy and Yevgeniy Fedorov took the overall honors in the men’s competition. The two athletes finished the five days of racing with a clear lead (418 points) over second-placed Luxembourg (276 points). Luxembourg (Nicolas Kess and Arthur Kluckers) claimed second in the team time trial and the road race to take the silver medal, while Great Britain (Harry Birchill and Sean Flynn) finished third overall: Birchill won both the cross-country Eliminator and the Criterium. In the women’s competition, Denmark’s Sofie Heby Pedersen and Mie Saabye scored the most points as a team in three of the five events (team time trial, cross-country Eliminator and cross-country Short Circuit) to take the gold medal. Despite a poor showing on the final day’s Criterium, they had done enough to stay in the lead, finishing with a total of 376 points. They were strongly challenged by Austria (mountain bike and road UCI Junior World Champion Laura Stigger and Hannah Streicher) who finished just 25 points behind

ARGENTINA’S Inaki Iriartes celebrates jubilantly during the medal ceremony after winning the gold medal in BMX Freestyle during the recent Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires. AP

the winners. A further 100 points back, Hungary’s Virag Buzsaki and Blanka Vas claimed bronze. The team format of the competitions got the thumbs-up from the athletes: “We won and lost together and were a true team,” said Laura Stigger, individual winner of the two women’s mountain bike events. “That is important. I think it is a great way of doing it, and it’s produced a very special competition,” she told the Olympic News Service. Great Britain’s Harry Birchill added that the five days of racing required not only physical ability but a certain amount of mental arithmetic: “At the end of each race, you’d be calculating where you need to finish the next day, what points you need, and talk tactics. But this event was positive, because it could change with each race.” The combined cycling event was the third cycling event on the YOG program in Buenos Aires after BMX Racing and BMX Freestyle. UCI News

OurTime

A8 Saturday, October 27, 2018 • Editor: Efleda P. Campos

BusinessMirror

P109-M cash gift set for 1,090 centenarians

HE national government has awarded P468.8 million in cash to 4,688 Filipinos who turned 100 years old since 2016. It has also set aside another P109 million to pay for the P100,000 cash gift of 1,090 Filipinos who will turn a century old next year, said Makati City Rep. Luis N. Campos Jr., House appropriations committee member.

“ The fresh funding is already in the budget of the Depar tment of Socia l Welfare and Development [DSW D] in the proposed Genera l Appropr iations Act for 2019 that we passed,” Campos said, as he applauded a l l centenar ians for “ lives wel l lived.” Under the law, every Filipino who reaches 100 years old, whether residing in the Philippines or abroad, is entitled to a P100,000 one-time cash gift, a letter from the President of the Philippines congratulating the centenarian for their longevity and a plaque of recognition. The entitlements are on top of

other rewards and benefits that centenarians may receive from their local governments. “In Makati, for instance, the city government has been paying tribute to every centenarian with a one-time P100,000 gift and a plaque of recognition since 2013—long before the passage of the Centenarians Act,” Campos said. T hu s , t he l aw m a k e r s a id M a k at i re s i d e nt s w ho t u r n 100 years old actually receive a one-time cash gift of at least P200,000— P100,000 from the national government through the DSWD plus P100,000 from the city.

Integrity vs despair: The question that my ‘Lolo’ Andy is By Jocel Joyce Miranda

Special to the BusinessMirror

MIRANDA

Study: Without Medicaid expansion, poor in US will forgo medical care

SYCHOLOGIST Erik Erikson said there’s this stage in late adulthood when people undergo critical conflict in their life called integrity versus despair. During this time, people reflect on their lives and get the feeling of either being satisfied or having a great sense of regret. My grandfather Alejandro Miranda, 74, is currently undergoing this stage. I am one of his eight grandchildren. I became aware of his condition when I was in second year in college while taking up a psychology class. It has been years since my lolo started changing. The change was gradual. First, he started acting up, making scenes to

ensure he had his family’s undivided attention. He also does a lot of self-pitying. He does things that make members of his family ask what was the matter and sometimes get a little irritated because he was not like that before. There was this instance when my grandfather went in my room and tried to have a conversation with me. Note that he never did that before. When we were talking, he started to question why I was reticent about sharing my day-today activities with him. I was surprised because he and I were not close; we rarely talked and he, of all people, rarely spoke with my aunts or me. I started living with them when my lola was still alive. Now, my aunts and I are all surprised at how he wants us to be sweet to him.

It is not only my grandfather undergoing this phase in his life. Young people also experience regret about not doing certain things or giving more attention to petty, unimportant things over things we should prioritize. The difference between young ones and older folks is overcoming this regret. Elderly people feel more pressured because their time is running out. We really cannot blame our grandfathers or grandmothers, or even our parents who are starting to age. Surely, they want more attention, they want to knit what’s tangled, to patch the holes, to add what was lacking before, to be better. We need to be more understanding and patient with the elderly. Someday we are all going to be in their shoes.

Manila Water engages San Juan City seniors

Senior citizens now enjoy reserved seats in buses By Leonardo C. Canta

ENIOR citizens all over the country are praising the law compelling public-utility vehicles to reserve seats for them as well as to persons with disability (PWDs) and pregnant women. Older people and PWDs said that, before, they had to fight for the seats reserved for them in public buses by law—today, these seats are theirs for the taking every time they ride the bus. When boarding buses, whether city or provincial in operation, conductors usher them to rows of seats near the driver. Thus, in buses, young and able-bodied passengers avoid occupying reserved seats. In some instances, when young passengers occupy the reserved seats, they offer the seats when they see senior citizens, PWDs or pregnant women boarding the bus. The Land Transportation Financing and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) is enforcing the law for the comfort and convenience for those concerned. In 2014, enforcement of the law was not observed. There were notices in the rows of seats reserved for the senior citizens and others, but they were occupied by young and able-bodied passengers. The conductors seemed unaware of the law that reserved seats were for senior citizens and other beneficiaries. I noticed this because almost everyday, I travel from Cavite to Metro Manila. Concerned for the senior citizens and being the Public Relations Officer of the senior citizens association in our subdivision in Bacoor City, I communicated with the LTFRB. The LTFRB acted and held a consultative meeting with bus operators and owners.

The meeting resulted in giving priority to the elderly, PWDs and pregnant women in bus terminals. The identified beneficiaries were allowed to ride the buses first. But once the buses were on travel, conductors allowed any passenger to occupy the reserved seats intended for the elderly, pregnant women and PWDs. Also, young and able-bodied passengers seemed unconcerned when young passengers offered their seats for those concerned. Also, young passengers ignored the sign reserving the seats for senior citizens and others. So I again communicated with the LTFRB informing the agency of the situation. For many months, the situation remained. Conductors ignored the law, and many young passengers still occupied reserved seats. I wrote again to the LTFRB, informing the agency of the reluctance of conductors to enforce the law. I commented that the conductors were hesitant to implement the law because they were either shy or afraid to approach young passengers occupying reserved seats. I suggested one solution to the LTFRB: To lock the rows of reserved seats. I also requested the LTFRB to conduct random inspection of buses to check on noncompliance. Conductors and passengers now seem more aware of the law. Conductors and even drivers tell boarding passengers not to occupy the reserved seats. Now senior citizens and other beneficiaries of the law are vocal about occupying the reserved seats. In many instances, young passengers now offer their seats to older people, pregnant women and PWDs, just like the good old days when gallantry in the Philippines were alive and well.

Marina reminds shipping firms of student, PWD, elderly fare discount

ASHINGTON—Low-income people in states that haven’t expanded Medicaid are much more likely to forgo needed medical care than the poor in other states, according to a government report due out Monday amid election debates from Georgia to Utah over coverage for the needy. The nonpartisan Government Accountability Office worked with the National Center for Health Statistics to analyze federal survey data from 2016. The research focused on low-income adults ages 19 to 64 in states that did not expand Medicaid under the Obamaera Affordable Care Act, compared to their peers in states that did. Medicaid expansion is an issue in several high-profile gubernatorial contests and in states where supporters have gotten referendum questions on the ballot. Under the law, states may expand Medicaid for low-income people making up to roughly $16,750 for an individual or $34,640 for a family of four. Seventeen states have not adopted the expansion, opposed by many—but not all—Republicans. Among the report’s findings: Nearly 20 percent of low-income people in states that did not expand Medicaid said they passed up needed medical care in the past 12 months because they couldn’t afford it. That compared to 9.4 percent in states that expanded the program. About 8 percent of those in states that did not expand Medicaid reported they either skipped medication doses to save money or took less medication than prescribed. That compared to about 5 percent in states that expanded. For people with chronic conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes and asthma, staying on a medication schedule is considered essential. About 22 percent of those in states not expanding Medicaid said they needed but could not afford dental care, as compared to 15 percent of similar low-income adults in expansion states. AP

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T SENIOR citizens from Barangay Corazon de Jesus in the city of San Juan in Metro Manila listen to speakers from Manila Water who conducted information sessions on the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000 (Republic Act 9003) and The Philippine Clean Water Act (RA 9275).

AST Zone water and used water concessionaire Manila Water has partnered with the City Government of San Juan through its City Environment and Natural Resources Office (Cenro) to raise awareness at the barangay level on the provisions of the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000 (Republic Act 9003) and The Philippine Clean Water Act (RA 9275). About 200 senior citizens and homeowners of Barangay Corazon de Jesus participated and pledged their commitments to help protect

the environment through proper waste segregation, as well as having their septic tanks desludged. During the event, Manila Water also shared the importance of East Zone’s advocacy program called “Toka Toka,” the first and only movement in the Philippines on used water management. Manila Water also communicated the four ownable acts, or tokas, following four simple acts that include proper disposal of garbage, availment of desludging services, connecting to Manila Water’s sewer network and sup-

porting Manila Water’s community-based sanitation projects. In a related development, Metropolitan Manila Development Authority Project Officer Sammy Brown also discussed the role of the agency in solid-waste management, while the Cenro of San Juan discussed their city ordinances pertaining to the two laws mentioned above. Manila Water is the service provider of water and used water services to more than 6.5 million residents in the eastern portion of Metro Manila and Rizal province.

HE Maritime Industry Authority (Marina) has reminded domestic shipping companies, owners or operators of passenger ships to grant a 20-percent fare discount to senior citizens, persons with disabilities (PWDs) and students so long as they present a valid proof of identification. In a statement, Marina said senior citizens, PWDs and students are entitled to a fare discount throughout the year, including weekends, school breaks and during legal or special holidays based on a memorandum circular it issued last year. “Senior citizens, PWDs and students are also entitled to other discounted privileges, such as food and drinks, medicines, as well as recreational activities, and other services available on board. However, they cannot avail themselves of these privileges if combined with other sea-transportation discount or promotions referred to as double discount,” Marina said. Domestic passenger operators, owners and/or companies refusing to grant fare discount to senior citizens, PWDs and students will face

the following penalties: For ships 500 gross tonnages and below, the first offense penalty ranges from P10,000 to P80,000 with warning; for second offense, fine ranges from P20,000 to P150,000 with suspension of operation of ship for a period not exceeding 30 days; and for succeeding offenses, the penalty rate is from P25,000 to P150,000 with suspension of ship operations. For ships with more than 500 GT, the first offense penalty ranges from P50,000 to P100,000 with warning; for second offense, fine ranges from P60,000 to P200,000 with suspension of operation of ship for a period not exceeding 30 days; and for succeeding offenses, the penalty rate is from P70,000 to P200,000 with suspension of ship operations. Meanwhile, the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board has issued a memorandum in October last year, which will allow students to be entitled to a fare discount on public-utility vehicles from Mondays to Sundays, including summer breaks, legal and special holidays. PNA

Costly rehabilitation of the dying in US nursing homes on the rise

URSING home residents in the United States on the verge of death are increasingly receiving intense levels of rehabilitation therapy in their final weeks and days, raising questions about whether such services are helpful or simply a lucrative source of revenue. That is the heart of a new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Directors Association, which found the practice was twice as prevalent at for-profit nursing homes as at nonprofit ones. More broadly, the study’s findings suggest that some dying residents

may not be steered to hospice care, where the focus is on their comfort. Although the research is based on a relatively small number of patients in one state, it echoes what federal regulators have found in recent years. It’s also a fresh reminder that families should keep a close watch on, and ask questions about, the kind of care their relatives are getting in nursing homes. “Some of these services are being provided in the last week and sometimes on the day of their death,” said Dr. Thomas Caprio, one of the study’s authors. Caprio, who specializes in

geriatric medicine, hospice and palliative care, is an associate professor at the University of Rochester Medical Center. Rehabilitation services— physical, occupational and speech therapy—are “a potential revenue source for these facilities,” he added. “And when the plan of care shifts to hospice care and palliative care, that revenue stream disappears.” The study examined the level of rehabilitation therapy provided to nearly 55,700 long-term residents at 647 skilled nursing homes in New York state in the 30 days before they died. The period analyzed was Octo-

ber 2012 through April 2016. Nearly 14 percent of those residents, or 7,600, got some rehabilitation in the month before they died. Of that group, 2,667 received therapy at high (at least 325 minutes a week) to ultrahigh (at least 12 hours) levels. Medicare often covers rehabilitation therapy for long-term patients. Nursing homes can bill Medicare at the highest rate for ultrahigh levels of treatment. Among nursing home residents who got therapy, those receiving ultrahigh levels jumped 65 percent from 2012 to 2016, to 7.3 percent of

those individuals—with most of the rehabilitation concentrated in the last seven days of their lives. Daniel Ciolek, associate vice president of therapy advocacy at the American Health Care Association, a nursing home trade group, said in a statement that its members had long supported redesigning payment models to be based on patients’ needs rather than the delivery of services. But he said the group also took issue with the research for trying to “draw broad generalizations from what are very narrowly based study parameters.” New York Times

BusinessMirror

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

Saturday, October 27, 2018 A9

Netflix to borrow another $2B to pay its programming bills SAN FRANCISCO—Netflix plans to borrow another $2 billion to help pay for the exclusive series and movies that its management credits for helping its video streaming service reel in millions of new subscribers during the past five years. The additional debt load announced on Monday isn’t a surprise. Netflix needs more cash because it has been spending more money than its business generates since its expansion into original programming with the 2013 release of House of Cards. Netflix expects to burn through $3 billion this year. The $2 billion that Netflix plans to raise in a bond offering will be lopped onto it existing debt of $11.8 billion. That includes another $1.9-billion debt offering that Netflix completed earlier this year. The borrowing binge appears to be paying off. Netflix has gained nearly 100 million subscribers since September 2013, including 7 million in the past quarter. The company recently predicted it will add another 9.4 million subscribers by the end of this year. The Los Gatos, California, company believes all its spending on award-winning programming will help it build an insurmountable lead in video streaming as other major entertainment companies, such as Walt Disney Co., join the fray with a current crop of competitors that include Amazon, Hulu and HBO. Investors have been betting heavily on Netflix to win. The company’s stock is worth seven times more than it was five years ago, to give Netflix a market value of about $146 billion. The shares slipped $3.13 to close on Monday at $329.54. AP

TWITTER REMOVES ACCOUNTS LINKED TO ALEX JONES, INFOWARS TWITTER says it has removed accounts linked to conspiracy-monger Alex Jones and Infowars. A Twitter spokesman confirmed on Tuesday that the accounts had been removed. There was no additional comment from the company. Twitter permanently suspended @realalexjones and @infowars from Twitter and Periscope in earlySeptember. It said it based that action in reports of tweets and videos that violated its policy against abusive behavior. The company said it would continue to evaluate reports regarding other accounts potentially associated with @realalexjones or @infowars and would take action if it finds content that violates its rules, or if other accounts are used to try to circumvent their ban. Other tech companies, including PayPal, YouTube, Apple and Spotify, have limited or banned Jones’s activities on their sites. AP

INSURANCE POLICY GOES ELECTRONIC ONE of the leading insurers in the country, AXA Philippines now makes it possible for clients to access a copy of their insurance policies anytime and anywhere with e-Policy (www. axa.com.ph/epolicy). “We are happy to introduce this newest feature to our customers as it allows them to view their AXA policies at virtually anytime they wish,” says AXA Philippines President and CEO Rahul Hora. “The e-Policy is considered legal and valid with the approval of the Insurance Commission.” This new service is currently available to clients with policies issued on July 23 onward. It is generated two days after the policy is issued—no need to wait for weeks to get a copy of the policy. A customer can save the e-Policy to his personal storage, print a hardcopy and even e-mail a copy to his beneficiaries. This way, there is no need to worry about lost files or bulky documents. AXA Philippines policyholders can get a copy of their AXA e-Policy simply by following these simple steps: Register an account on MyAXA portal, login to that account, and go to “My Policies” to view the contract and other documents. With Internet access, customers can have easy access to their policy contracts right away.

A shopping activity to help children PRIMETIME

DINNA CHAN VASQUEZ @dinnachanvasquez luckydinna@gmail.com

O here’s an interesting discovery: Many people I know buy their groceries online. A good friend, who is an Amazon loyalist, now gets her son’s favorite cereal from Lazada. The online retailer was also the first outlet for MAC Cosmetics’s collaboration with Maine Mendoza. Of course, there are other online shopping sites, which is certainly very strange considering that several years ago, our online shopping was confined to Multiply. Platforms such as Lazada, Shopee, Zalora and many others have professionalized online buying and selling in the country and elsewhere. “I buy my baby’s diapers online. It’s cheaper and more practical. I don’t need to go to the supermarket or drugstore. My orders are delivered within 24 hours,” said another friend, who is a mother of three. Traffic certainly made distances even seem farther than they actually are. For example, the nearest supermarket to my house used to be just 10 minutes away by tricycle. Now, thanks to a medical school in the area, that short trip could take around 20 to 30 minutes.

We could walk but it would be too much time and effort involved. Unilever and Lazada recently launched their joint “Shop2Give” promotion, an initiative which has been created to raise funds to support disadvantaged children through the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef). On October 17 all Unilever products available on the e-commerce platform were on sale for up to 80-percent off. Every time a person bought a product on that day, Unilever and Lazada matched the product’s discount and the value was given to Unicef. Among the participating Unilever brands were Knorr, Selecta, Ponds, Tresemme, Simple, CreamSilk, Dove, Simple and Domex. “Everyone is moving online so we thought it was time to [do a campaign] online. Shop2Give is a worthy initiative to raise funds for Unicef and get the public involved,” said Benjie Yap, chairman and CEO of Unilever Philippines. Unilever took over the Lazada web site, transforming the e-commerce giant’s design by replacing images of their products with cute handdrawn illustrations. For every promo code used, Unilever made a donation to Unicef. “We at Unilever stand with Unicef in their mission to save and improve children’s lives. Through the participation of all our leading brands, we aim to make a significant contribution in their programs that improve children’s health, provide access to clean and safe water, and enhance sanitation and hygiene,” said Yap. So here were out top picks during the October 17 Shop2Give sale: 1. DOVE DERMASERIES REPLENISHING BODY LOTION DRY

SKIN RELIEF. Dove has got to be my favorite Unilever personal-care brand. If it’s from Dove, it must be good, or, at least, that’s what I think. This lotion is for those who suffer from chronic skin conditions caused by dryness. 2. DOVE INTENSE REPAIR 1 MINUTE SERUM CONDITIONER. This conditioner, which was launched only recently, is for busybodies who have no time to waste in the shower. It leaves hair soft and silky, and has a pleasant smell. 3. E-VOUCHER FOR TWO 1.5L OF SELECTA ICE CREAM. A discount of 30 percent for two liters of ice cream is not bad at all. The flavors in this promo are Cookies and Cream and Double Dutch. 4. CLOSEUP TOOTHPASTE OXYRUSH. Lazada is the best place to get toothpaste because it’s cheaper. Again, allow me to reiterate the convenience of online shopping for groceries. No need to dress up and brave the traffic. 5. SIMPLE MICELLAR WIPES. I love Simple’s micellar water products. These wipes are great for use when you’re feeling yucky and oily in the middle of a humid day. 6. VASELINE LIP THERAPY COCOA BUTTER. Minis are adorable and this one is no exception. You can use this as a lip balm or an overall balm when you’re on the go. It moisturizes lips, cuticles, hands and, basically, the drier parts of your skin. 7. LIMITED EDITION SHOP2GIVE BUNDLES 1 AND 2. Each bundle consists of six products, a mix of personal and home care. I love how the products in each bundle are so useful and practical. The bundles would also make great gifts for Christmas. I don’t know about you but I would certainly appreciate something like this. ■

Popular messaging app rolls out new instant in-chat translation feature THE popular messaging app Viber allows you to chat with friends from pretty much anywhere in the world, and in almost any language. But how can you understand when they write in a different language to your own? The app’s in-chat translation feature is here to change that—the latest upgrade can instantly translate text conversations between people using different languages. Back in the day, when you received a message in a language you don’t understand, you would need to copy it, open a translation app or service, paste the message, read the translation and then go back to the chat to reply. It’s simply too many steps that take too long. Now, you can translate messages in almost any language in real time so that you can chat with friends from around the world or follow Communities from any country. Powered by Google Translate, the in-chat translation feature automatically interprets messages into the language your Viber app is set to. If you see a message

in another language, all you need to do is long tap on the message, choose Translate, and instantly the translation will appear right below the original message. If you want to see the message in another language, you can easily change it from the message. Long tap on the message, tap on Language, choose the language you are looking for and tap done. Change the translation language like this at any time, or change it in your settings to change the default translation language. With Viber’s new in-chat translation feature on board, users can now join any Community or follow any Public Chat across different languages. For instance, if you’re an FC Barcelona fan in the Philippines, you can join the FC Barcelona official chat or fan community and understand the conversation in Filipino or English. Build connections and make friends with people around the world without language barriers through Viber’s in-chat translation feature, available globally for users on Android running the latest Viber version in the Google Play Store. It’s coming soon to iPhone users.

BUILD connections and make friends with people around the world without language barriers through Viber’s in-chat translation feature.

BusinessMirror

A10 Saturday, October 27, 2018

www.businessmirror.com.ph

iPHONE XS AND iPHONE XS MAX ARRIVE AT GLOBE TELECOM

LEADING wireless communications purveyor Globe Telecom has announced that it will offer the most advanced iPhones ever—iPhone Xs and iPhone Xs Max. Not a few customers have been able to preorder iPhone Xs and iPhone Xs Max beginning on October 19 at the Globe web site, and the much-coveted devices are now available in Globe Stores. iPhone Xs and iPhone Xs Max are the most advanced iPhones ever, taking the vision for the future of the smartphone to a new level, featuring stunning 5.8-inch and 6.5-inch Super Retina displays that offer remarkable brightness and true blacks while showing 60 percent greater dynamic range in HDR photos. iPhone Xs and iPhone Xs Max offer an improved dual camera system that offers breakthrough photo and video features, A12 Bionic chip with next-generation Neural Engine, faster Face ID, wider stereo sound, longer battery life, splash and water resistance, the most durable glass ever in a smartphone, a beautiful new gold finish that joins silver and space gray, and introduce Gigabit-class LTE for even faster download speeds. iPhone Xs Max offers a more immersive experience with over 3 million pixels for videos, movies and games, offering the largest display ever in an iPhone. The new iPhone Xs series powered by Globe Postpaid ThePLAN work seamlessly together to empower you to create big, bold moves and move closer to your dreams. The iPhone Xs can be had for only P3,499 (ThePLAN 1799 + P1,700 monthly cashout) or iPhone Xs Max for only P3,799 (ThePLAN 1799 + P2,000 monthly cashout). Sharing your creations to the rest of the world just got much easier with the record-breaking 512GB memory capacity and new A12 Bionic chipset of iPhone Xs plus ThePLAN’s 11GB data. Unwind and enjoy premium entertainment on iPhone Xs Max’s 6.5-inch OLED display with free six-month subscriptions to Amazon Prime Video and DisneyLife. More details are available at globe.com.ph/iphonexs.

NOKIA SMARTPHONES SERVE FIRST SLICE OF ANDROID PIE

HMD Global, the home of Nokia phones, has announced that Android 9 is available for the Nokia 6.1 Plus via Nokia phones beta labs starting today. This follows the Nokia 7 Plus, which was the first smartphone running on Qualcomm Snapdragon 660, to globally roll out the Android 9 Pie in late-September. HMD Global Chief Product Marketing Officer Juho Sarvikas said: “To further solidify our leadership and commitment to Android One and fast platform updates for our fans, we are happy to announce that the Nokia 6.1 Plus is the first smartphone globally to offer Android Pie on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 Mobile Platform via our Nokia phones beta labs. “This is our first beta version of Android 9 for the Nokia 6.1 Plus early adopters. Over the coming weeks, we will be working together with our fast-growing community of beta testers to ensure uncompromised quality ahead of general release. We welcome all feedback from our fans and thank them for their enthusiasm and passion in testing early versions of the most up-to-date Android.” Meanwhile, HMD Global Country Manager for the Philippines Shannon Mead said: “We are truly proud to deliver this great news to all Filipino Nokia fans as we ensure a pure, secure and up-to-date Android experience through the new generation of the Nokia smartphones. In fact, Nokia mobile is at 50-percent Android uptake compared to the industry rate of 10-percent. We would like to share with our fans that all current models in the Android One family will get the Android Pie. This is also timely as we have just launched the Nokia 6.1 Plus locally last week.” Nokia phones beta labs is designed to give early adopters a chance to shape experiences on new platforms and offer direct feedback. HMD Global has more than 86,000 fans who have signed up to test and refine the latest software updates ahead of official release. The Nokia 6.1 Plus has enjoyed unprecedented success around the world since its launch at the end of August. In India alone, it sold out at record speed every time it went on sale. With its impressive all-screen design and full HD+ and 19:9 screen ratio, the Nokia 6.1 Plus gives users a bigger screen experience in a slim and compact package. Now, with early access to Android 9 on the Nokia 6.1 Plus in beta labs, fans can try out a whole new set of features, including App Actions, an exclusive feature to Android One devices and Google Pixel phones. The Nokia 6.1 Plus is beautifully crafted to the exacting standards expected of a Nokia phone. It is encased in glass on the front and back, with the glass taking up approximately 93 percent of the phone’s luxuriously curved surface for the ultimate feel in your hand. Besides its elegant look, the Nokia 6.1 Plus boasts the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 Mobile Platform under the hood. This platform is 40 percent faster than the previous iteration of the chipset, delivering first-class graphics and battery efficiency enhancements to ensure you can enjoy your audio and video longer.

Facebook beyond Facebook? Instagram, Messenger step up

BY BARBARA ORTUTAY The Associated Press

EW YORK—When Facebook bought Instagram for $1 billion in 2012, it seemed like a big gamble for an unproven little app. Six years later, that little app—along with Messenger and WhatsApp—are serving as Facebook’s safety net for a future that could find its flagship service on the sidelines. Sure, Facebook reigns in social media today, and this is not likely to change soon. Still, amid the company’s seemingly endless troubles over elections meddling, misinformation, privacy lapses, hacking and hate speech, the idea that Facebook may not always be on top has begun to take hold. “Facebook could collapse,” said David Kirkpatrick, who wrote a 2010 book on Facebook’s early history. In an interview, he said the elections manipulations issue “could get so terrifying that advertisers could start to back away. That’s nowhere near happening now, but it could happen.” That is, as Facebook stops being a virtual watercooler for friendly conversation, but a lair for trolls and misinformation, advertisers might find the service too dangerous to showcase laundry detergent and shoes. For now, Facebook is a social and advertising powerhouse. It has 2.23 billion users, a number that’s still growing at a healthy pace outside of the US. Wall Street analysts project Facebook’s 2018 revenue will top $55 billion. While the company doesn’t break out revenue among its apps, eMarketer estimates that Instagram will bring in 16 percent of Facebook’s

advertising revenue this year and 25 percent by 2020. (The research firm does not have estimates for Messenger ads, which are still new and nascent, and WhatsApp, which doesn’t have ads yet.) “It really speaks to the fact that advertisers love Instagram,” eMarketer analyst Debra Aho Williamson said. “It has the appeal of being a generally positive environment.” In fact, Instagram is becoming the top social-media service for many brands to interact with consumers, said Yuval Ben-Itzhak, CEO of the social-media marketing firm Socialbakers. So even though these companies are reaching a smaller audience than Facebook, these people are “engaging,” or interacting, a lot more with the advertisers, he said. Facebook is working hard to ensure that Messenger and later, WhatsApp, become viable businesses as well. On Tuesday, Facebook announced plans to make its Messenger app simpler and easier to use. But the redesign also makes it clear that messages from businesses—and ads—are becoming increasingly important. Such messages are now front and center alongside messages with friends and other individuals. The new Messenger features a “dark mode” that lets people switch to white text on a black background. It has fewer “tabs”—or words and icons to tap to get to different sections in the app. The previous version had nine, including “messages,” “active” to show ongoing conversations, “groups,” “games” and a “discover” icon to find bots to chat with for everything from the weather to horoscopes to shopping. The new version has just three: “chats,” “people” and “discover” to connect with businesses, follow the news or play games.

Stan Chudnovsky, head of product for messaging at Facebook, said the primary intent wasn’t to elevate messaging with businesses. But he said that “when people spend more and more time communicating with each other on a platform, inevitably that is where businesses need to be. It’s almost like print happened and then businesses needed to be on print.” Facebook, of course, is working hard to nudge people and businesses in this direction, convincing them that chatting on Messenger is more efficient than, say, e-mailing, calling—or tweeting at—an airline, a clothing store or even your bank. One thing Facebook has always understood is the importance of human connections and interaction. Chudnovsky considers one-on-one communications a “basic human need.” Considering that people use Messenger, and not the main Facebook service, for such interactions, does this mean Messenger is more important than Facebook? “We don’t take a position on what is more important,” Chudnovsky said. Still, considering that people no longer need a Facebook account to use Messenger, maybe some day it will be. After all, people (especially younger ones) are using Facebook less frequently, even as they flock to Instagram and its messaging services. A Pew Research Center study recently found that just over half of teens use Facebook, while 72 percent use Instagram. “The idea has always been not to replace Facebook, but to add to it,” said Nate Elliott, head of the market research firm Nineteen Insights. “But now that Facebook’s reputation has taken a beating, I’m sure that they see it as a very nice insurance policy.” ■

KASPERSKY FINDS THREE-QUARTERS OF MOBILE PHONE USERS ESCAPE HUMAN INTERACTION USING THEIR DEVICE BY RODERICK L. ABAD | Contributor OPEN communication is believed to have been closed with the emergence of digital technologies, such as mobile phones. This holds true when users find comfort in utilizing this simply as an excuse to not interact with others. Kaspersky Lab has validated this behavioral trend in its latest study that shows 75 percent of people conceding to turn to their device to pretend to be busy in times when they don’t like to talk to someone else. The research, likewise, found out that 72 percent of the respondents use their handheld units when they don’t know what to do in a social situation. Phones are also the “go-to” distraction tool for those even

when they aren’t trying to look busy or avoid someone’s eye. On the other hand, 46 percent of people admit to using a device just to kill time every day. Meanwhile 44 percent make use of it as a daily distraction. For 31 percent of the participants surveyed, it’s an effective way to complete essential tasks, such as ordering a taxi or finding directions to where they need to go through a web site or an app. Thirty-four percent of people worry they will not be able to entertain themselves if they fail to access a connected device. There are also concerns (12 percent) that they won’t be able to pretend to be busy if their device is out of action. According to Kaspersky Lab VP for Product Marketing Dmitry Aleshin, depending on connected devices has an impact in more ways than expected.

“There is no doubt that being connected gives us the freedom to make modern life easier, but devices are also vital to help people get through different and difficult social situations,” he said. “No matter what your ‘connection crutch’ is, it’s essential to make sure your device is online and available when you need it most,” he added. Kaspersky Lab is a global cybersecurity company that protects businesses, critical infrastructure, governments and consumers worldwide. Its security portfolio includes leading endpoint protection and a number of specialized security solutions and services to fight sophisticated and evolving digital threats. Over 400 million users and 270,000 corporate clients are protected by Kaspersky Lab technologies.

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Saturday, October 27, 2018 A11

APPLE Senior Vice President for Worldwide Marketing Philip W. Schiller, speaks about the new Apple iPhone XR at an Apple Inc. product launch event at the Steve Jobs Theater in Cupertino, California.

CyberInt among ‘20 Most Promising Enterprise Security Solution Providers’ ISRAELI cybersecurity company CyberInt was recently recognized by technology magazine CIOReview as one of 2018’s 20 Most Promising Enterprise Security Solution Providers. This recognition, reviewed by a distinguished panel of CEOs, CIOs, CISOs and CIOReview editors, is given to security solutions that have proven to be the best at helping protect organizations from the vast range of cyber threats perpetrated by ever-more sophisticated threat actors, including zero-day attacks, exploits and new forms of malware. “We are grateful for CIOReview’s recognition,” said Amir Ofek, CEO of CyberInt. “The cybersecurity market is becoming ever more crowded, and it’s great knowing that we stand out from the crowd.” The advent of cloud computing and mobile technology, along with the increase in capital flows and cyber linkages across the global digital platform, indicate a more complex cyber threat landscape and the escalation of cybersecurity challenges. As the frequency and sophistication of cyber attacks increase every day, it is crucial for organizations to focus on cybersecurity irrespective of their industry. CyberInt (www.cyberint.com) offers multilayered detection and responses for digital businesses—designed to mimic the hacker’s perspective—to help today’s security managers spot and identify those points of vulnerability that cause security breaches before they become actual incidents. As a hot spot for cybercrime, the Philippines is primed for the services of a cybersecurity expert like CyberInt, which entered the country in 2016 in partnership with their Philippine partner IPV Network. Since then, the affiliation has been providing robust security solutions, and managed detection and response services to leading financial institutions and other major industries. Employing their Argos Threat Intelligence Platform, CyberInt generates real-time incidents of targeted attacks, data leakage and stolen credentials, as well as providing safety beyond the perimeter via its flexible, highly automated, intelligence-driven system. “The recognition given to CyberInt is further proof that organizations need innovative cybersecurity partners with in-depth security solutions that can detect cyber threats while enabling real-time insights to protect its customers,” said IPV Network CEO Miguel Ramos.

iPhone XR makes the right trade-offs for a cheaper price BY ANICK JESDANUN The Associated Press

EW YORK—Apple offers you a simple trade-off with its new iPhone XR, the middlebrow cousin to the top-of-the-line iPhone XS. On one hand, the XR lacks the high-resolution screen and dual-lens camera found on the XS. On the other, you’d save at least $250 and still get most of the other cutting-edge features found on the more expensive model. Based on several days of testing, it looks like Apple made the right cost-cutting trade-offs with the XR, which starts selling for about $750. The standard XS starts at about $1,000; its supersized cousin, the XS Max, goes for $100 more. The XR falls between the XS and the Max in size. Its screen is about 7 percent larger than the XS and 12 percent smaller than the Max. But the XR is closer in width to larger iPhones such as the Max and older Plus models, so anyone upgrading from an iPhone 7 or 8 will have to get used to a new grip. As with the XS, the XR’s display extends close to the phone’s edges, translating to 45 percent more screen space than the iPhone 8 and 6 percent more than the 8 Plus. The XR and the XS both use facial recognition to unlock the phone, and both have a notch at the top for sensors, similar to shades on a car’s windshield. The notch will take getting used to.

Speaker quality on the XR and the XS were comparable, and the mics on all new models offer stereo recording for the first time. The phone displays, however, are different, and those disparities can make a difference. The screens on both XS models have better contrast and more vibrant colors than the standard LCD screen on the XR. Autumn leaves in the cartoon The Secret Lives of Pets stand out more, while greater hints of orange appeared in a space drama’s rocket exhaust flames. Whites are whiter, making the screen appear brighter even though it’s not. The XR screen also falls short of full high definition, unlike the XS displays, although it can display video at 720p quality. Apple says that with LCD screens, higher resolution drains the battery faster, a trade-off that’s minimal with the XS because its screen doesn’t need a backlight. That said, the differences are often hard to spot, even with the phones side by side. Where quality really matters, you’ll probably want a bigger screen such as a tablet or a TV anyway. Although the Max has the largest battery in an iPhone, the XR was typically on a par with or exceeded the Max in battery performance when viewing video, at least at lower or medium brightness. In any case, either phone should give you enough battery life for routine use. Cameras improve with each generation, and the new iPhones are no different. For many shots, the new iPhones blend four exposures

hardworking phone is equipped with the 5.85-inch HD+TrueView 19:9 Notch Display. This is great for those who want to enjoy better graphics on their phone, especially for playing games or watching movies while on the go. Finally, incredibly packed with features and at a price that’s highly competitive, you can’t ask for a better phone than the Flare S7 Plus (P11,999). Truly bringing out the “brilliance in you” with its incredible 6.2-inch FHD+IPS TrueView 19:9 Notch Display, the phone’s other key features include the 2.0GHz OctaCore Mediatek Helio P60 enables you to make use and enjoy different apps with ease. For those who like taking pictures, the Flare S7 Plus makes use of 16MP + 5MP Rear and 16MP + IR Front Cameras, which also makes use of IR technology. Affordably priced and incredibly impressive, Cherry Mobile’s latest S7 series, all powered by Android Oreo, will truly bring out the brilliance in you by being your perfect all-in-one gadget for your day-to-day needs. More information is available at www.cherrymobile.com.ph.

FLARE S7 Deluxe

rather than two, allowing for better lighting balance and more detail. In some shots taken in suboptimal conditions—against direct sunlight—the XR still showed trees in dimly lit areas, while last year’s iPhone X produced pitch back. The new cameras also have better focus and low-light capabilities. What’s missing in the XR is a second rear lens for double the magnification. Instead, the XR uses software zoom, which reduces quality. Of course, the standard iPhone 7 and 8 didn’t have a second lens either, although their Plus models did, as did the iPhone X. Both XS models also have two lenses. Despite lacking a second lens, the XR lets you blur backgrounds in some shots, a feature many phones are now getting. The XR does this with software, though it works only with people in the foreground, while the XS can do statues and monuments. Two more points of comparison. The XS has slightly better water resistance—good to a depth of 2 meters (2.2 yards), compared with just 1 meter on the XR. But the XR offers a budget storage-upgrade option: $50 for 128 gigabytes (up from 64 gigabytes in the base model). Both XS phones also start at 64 gigabytes, but their cheapest upgrade is $150 for 256 gigabytes. The only knock is the XR’s size. Though it’s fine for people with adequate pockets or bags, not everyone wants a phone that’s nearly as wide as the Max or the Plus. Perhaps Apple will one day design a smaller XR and revive a trend of offering both standard and larger versions for each major model. ■

Show off some ‘Flare’ SHOPPING for a new phone? Be spoiled for choice with Cherry Mobile’s Flare S7 series, which effectively puts together features and functions that address a wide variety of lifestyle needs and personalities. Whether you’re the type who is always on the phone for work, or to socialize or de-stress through games, music and movies, the Flare S7 series offers three new feature-packed phones that you will surely want to check out. Perfect for those who are always on the go, the Flare S7 is available in either 2GB (priced at P4,599) or 3GB (P4,999) memory, and is loaded with great features that enable users to stay connected minus the hassle. Its 5.5-inch HD+TrueView 18:9 Display makes it a standout among other phones in its category, a screen to showcase nothing but the best. Meanwhile, impressive security features such as the Fingerprint Sensor and Face Unlock ensures privacy while the USB Type-C features delivers faster charging. Sleek, stylish and packed with great features, the Flare S7 Deluxe (P5,999), meanwhile, is perfect for those who want great value for money. This

FLARE S7 Plus

FLARE S7

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

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Everything you need to know about the Huawei Mate 20 series THE TECHNIVORE ED UY

whereiseduy@gmail.com

S this the phone that will finally make you switch? Lightning struck twice this year in the smartphone industry but instead of Samsung or Apple—the lightning came from Huawei in the form of the P20 and now the Mate 20 series. It comes at a time when people were starting to wonder if the smartphone companies are running out of ideas and are questioning the need for yearly upgrades. Yes, we get a faster phone, more colors options, better cameras, better battery—but all these are merely iterative updates that only seem grander because of the flashy event launches, with the most shocking part usually coming from the big price reveal. And while I think Huawei should have left the trolling games to the two other brands, they did live up to their promise of “real upgrades” and got the attention they wanted for their new flagship device. The Mate 20 Series was launched in London earlier in the week and Huawei sent us a mystery box a day before the event. Although it didn’t include the Mate 20 yet, it did contain several clues to highlight some of the new features of their upcoming flagship—the magnifying glass (new camera setup) hourglass (faster charging), bottle of juice (bigger battery) and jar of nuts (new processor, or make other brands go nuts?).

MATE 20 x 5 THIS year, instead of getting four, we now get five versions of the Mate 20: Mate 20 Lite, Mate 20, Mate 20 Pro, the limited-edition Mate 20 RS, and the huge phone for gaming called the Mate 20 X. For this article, however, we’ll focus on the Mate 20 and Mate 20 Pro first and include a bit of the Mate 20 X. I’ve been a longtime Huawei user and I’ve always been envious of phones with curved screens so imagine my delight when I saw the new Mate 20 Pro. The Mate 20 Pro has a 6.39-inch curved OLED display, running a 3,120 x 1,440 resolution in a 19.5:9 aspect ratio. The Pro has a wider notch compared to the standard Mate, as it houses a more advanced 3D depth-sensing array built into the front of the phone. Meanwhile, the Mate 20 has a tiny dewdrop notch on top of its 6.53-inch HDR display, with a 2,244 x

1,080 resolution and an 18.7:9 aspect ratio. The Mate 20 X is the largest of them all with a huge 7.2-inch HDR display, and emulates the look of the Mate 20, complete with the tiny notch. On its back is an interesting camera setup, three lens and the flash arranged in a 2-by-2 box forming a distinctive square. This definitely makes the Mate 20 range unique and easily stand out from all the other phones. The glass back still sports Huawei’s magical color-changing gradient finish but now there’s some sort of a pattern to decrease the visual impact of greasy fingerprints and smudges, and also improve grip. The Mate 20 phones will be available in five colors—Black, Twilight, Midnight Blue, Emerald Green, Pink Gold—although we’re not sure if all variants will be available here in the Philippines. There’s a fingerprint sensor on the back of the Mate 20, but for the Pro version the fingerprint technology has been incorporated into the phone’s OLED display. Just like last year, the Mate 20 series are again the first Huawei phones to use their most advanced processor, the Kirin 980. Huawei claims this new processor boosts speed by 20 percent and power efficiency by 40 percent compared to the older Kirin 970. The eight-core processor is Huawei’s first built on the 7-nanometer process. Why eight? The 980 consists of four cores that handle low-intensity tasks, two middle cores for more demanding tasks, and two advanced cores to help it run smoothly through the most demanding of apps and games. The Kirin 980 has two neural processing units (NPUs) inside that outstrip the older NPU by 134 percent in performance, and 88 percent in power efficiency. This would help in real-time image processing, and object recognition and segmentation both for photos and video. A powerful smartphone requires huge batteries and the Mate 20 comes with a 4,000mAh battery, while the Mate 20 Pro goes one better with a 4,200mAh battery, the Mate 20 X has 5000 mAh. Huawei’s phones always had exceptional battery life, so I guess we can expect the same from these new devices. Huawei’s SuperCharge tech is also back and Huawei claims the 40W charger included with the Mate 20 Pro can charge up to 70 percent battery in just 30 minutes (one of the clues in our box). The Mate 20 and Mate 20 X will come with a lower-powered 22.5W charger. If you think that’s unfair, remember that the iPhone only ships as 5W charger and you have to buy a fast charger separately. Those who have been complaining about the lack of wireless charging will be happy to know that Mate 20 support 15W fast wireless charging—200-percent faster than wireless charging on an iPhone X, says Huawei. But perhaps the most impressive part of it all

is that you can even use the Mate 20 Pro to wirelessly charge your other wireless charging-enabled device. All you have to do is place it on the back of the Mate 20 Pro. As to being waterproof? You can now take the Pro model to the pool as it has an IP68-rated water resistance. The Mate 20 is rated at IP54 while the Mate 20 X is rated for IP53 and can only withstand splashes. The headphone jack is still present in the Mate 20 and Mate 20 X, but not on the Pro. Now, about those triple cams. The Huawei P20 Pro still sits on top of the DXOMark chart but it looks like the Mate 20 and Mate 20 Pro are going to be pretty strong contenders. I don’t know about you, but I’m not much of a fan of the monochrome lens so I’m quite happy that they finally ditched it in favor of an ultra-wide-angle lens. For the Mate 20, the triple-camera system is comprised of a 16-megapixel ultra wide-angle lens with an f/2.2 aperture, a 12-megapixel wide-angle lens with an f/1.8 aperture, and an 8-megapixel 2-times telephoto zoom lens with optical image stabilization (OIS), and an f/2.4 aperture. The Mate 20 Pro further beefs up those numbers with a 40-megapixel wide-angle lens with an f/1.8 aperture, a 20-megapixel ultra wide-angle lens with an f/2.2 aperture, and an 8-megapixel 3-times telephoto zoom lens with OIS and an f/2.2 aperture. Will the lack of monochrome lens have an effect on the color quality of the photos? That remains to be seen. AI, or artificial intelligence, again plays a crucial role in the camera of the Mate 20. More than just boosting color, the new “Thinking Lens,” AI can control more aspects of your camera such as switching to the ultra-wide-angle lens, improved scene recognition and even apply cinematic effects. As for the prices, the Huawei Mate 20 will sell for around $930; the Mate 20 Pro for $1,220 and the super-sized Mate 20 X will sell for roughly $1,050, based on euro-to-USD conversion. Huawei’s Facebook page has just launched a guess-the-price game and the numbers that have been appearing are P35,005, P45,500, P55,999 and P60,500. What do you think? I’ve been a Huawei user for the past several years and it seems they actually saw my wish list and included everything I wanted on the Mate 20 Pro. On paper, and as much as I’m tired of reading those template superlatives, the Huawei Mate 20 series does seem to be a spec beast and camera monster, but how will it do in real life use? We’ll have a review soon.

THE P100,000 APPLE QUESTION ON the other side of the smartphone universe, the local Apple store has revealed the pricing for the latest iPhone devices. Now, before you continue reading, I think it would

be best to take a sit first, just in case you get nauseous or your blood pressure starts to rise. Shortly after the iPhone XS and XS Max was launched last month, units began to surface online and it comes as no surprise that the Apple’s latest devices were being sold at insane prices—with the most expensive 512GB iPhone XS Max being sold for— hold your breath, P105,000. Apple’s official online store has since revealed its pricing and...its still quite expensive. The iPhone XS 64GB is priced at P67,990, the 256GB variant at P74,490 and the 512GB model at P90,490. Now for the iPhone XS Max, the 64GB model will set you back P74,990, the 256GB P84,490, and the top 512GB model P97,490. Even the more affordable alternative, the iPhone XR, doesn’t actually come cheap. The 64GB starts at P50,990, the 128GB at P53,990 and the 256GB variant at P60,490. But wait! Before you give up on your dream phone and lose hope, there is still a chance to get it at more pocket-friendly payment schemes courtesy of the country’s two wireless communications companies, Smart Communications and Globe Telecoms. More information on the offers can be found at the companies’ respective websites.

ACER DAY DIGITAL CONCERT ACER Philippines capped off its annual Acer Day celebrations with the Acer Day Digital Concert held recently at the Eton Centris Walk. The event reunited Moira dela Torre and IV of Spades who brought the house down with their show-stopping performances. Now on its second year, the brand’s annual event was launched as a way to celebrate and continually refresh Acer. Completing the roster of 20 countries across the Pan-Asia Pacific region that participated in the Acer Day festivities, Acer Philippines treated customers to nearly two months of various awesome promos and discounts. “It’s such a good feeling to be coming back with Acer Day for a second year,” shares Sue Ong-Lim, sales and marketing director of Acer Philippines. “As this year’s celebration comes to a sweet end, we feel that we are starting a tradition with our consumers that’s just going to get better with time.” Remaining faithful to this year’s Acer Day theme, “Play Music Together,” the leading tech and innovations company partnered with Wish FM 107.5 to reunite Moira de la Torre and IV of Spades, who had previously led the launch event of Acer Day in July. Upcoming band BRWN opened the show and kept the energy levels high as they performed their original songs. More information on the different Acer activities and promotions are available at www.acer-day.com/ph. ■