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HAVING ONE’S DAY IN COURT

Judiciary holds first videoconference trial in Davao; looks to expanding trailblazing, tech-driven practice to other courtrooms to speed up proceedings and enhance the justice system.

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prived of liberty (PDLs) and witnesses can testify remotely.

“The Court is utilizing videoconferencing technology for inmates to eliminate the safety, security and health risks posed by the personal appearance of PDLs who are considered to be high-risk or afflicted with highly contagious diseases,” the chief magistrate said.

Bersamin said if the pilot-testing of the method in Davao City encounters no technical or legal problems, this can be implemented in criminal proceedings in various parts of the country.

Qualifications

By Joel R. San Juan & Manuel T. Cayon

The tele-hearing, or videoconferencing system, has long been adopted during court trials in technologically advanced countries such as the United States to address delays in court proceedings.

THELIGHTWRITER | DREAMSTIME.COM

TAKEHOLDERS in the judiciary are now witnessing a major technological transformation in the landscape of court proceedings as the Supreme Court rolled out its ambitious project that allows detained persons to testify and be crossexamined on their criminal cases inside their detention cells through the so-called “tele-hearing,” or videoconferencing technology.

THOSE who are covered by videoconferencing trial are PDLs accused of violations of the Human Security Act, or any law penalizing terrorism or terrorism-related offenses; PDLs accused of violations of the Philippine Act on Crimes Against International Humanitarian Law, Genocide, and other Crimes Against Humanity; and PDLs considered as “high-value targets” because of the considerable threat they pose to the security of the jail facilities, the court, or the community, which include, but not limited to, suspected members of terrorist groups, both local and foreign, and other organized crime syndicates.

PDLs who are seriously ill, or diagnosed with a serious or grave medical condition or a highly contagious disease, shall likewise remotely appear in court through videoconferencing.

PDLs who wish to appear in court through videoconferencing,

The method, according to Chief Justice Lucas Bersamin, is expected to cut cost not only for the government and the judiciary but also for the parties in criminal proceedings since persons de-

Continued on A2

Trade-war damage piles weight of global economy on consumers

By Fergal O’Brien, Michelle Jamrisko & Reade Pickert

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Bloomberg News

HERE’S a lot of weight on the shoulders of shoppers around the world, and the strain is starting to show.

As threats to demand ranging from US-China trade tensions to Brexit hit business confidence and investment, consumers are proving the main drivers of global growth. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reckons global retail sales volumes charged ahead at a rate of 4.8 percent in the last quarter, buoyed by still-tight labor markets.

But there are signs that could soon change, as weakness in man-

ufacturing seeps into hiring, and financial markets tighten amid the trade war. Both forces could lead households to retrench, fanning fears that the world economy is heading to recession.

Morgan Stanley economists are already warning that American consumers are all that stand in the way of a US contraction.

Their counterparts at JPMorgan see global employment growth re-

PESO EXCHANGE RATES n US 51.8830

maining around the 1 percent of the last quarter, a slowdown from the previous pace.

“It would be misguided to believe that manufacturing weakness is not going to filter through to the rest of the economy,” even though

factories are a relatively small share of US output, said Gregory Daco, chief US economist at Oxford Economics.

A big warning came last week, when concerns about tariffs and inflation helped push down the

University of Michigan US sentiment index by the most in almost seven years.

If that’s the start of a new fault line in the global economy centered on consumers, that spells deeper trouble ahead for world growth.

A key risk is an unraveling of the solid labor-market story across advanced economies.

Surveys show employment at factories is falling around the world. Germany, at risk of recession, has seen initial signs of weakness in its labor market, UK sentiment is being battered

by Brexit uncertainty, and Asian economies such as Korea and Indonesia have recorded declines in consumer sentiment.

In the US, the Institute for Supply Management’s (ISM) factory index indicates manufacturers are cutting jobs. Monthly US jobs

figures from the Labor Department are due Friday.

What Bloomberg’s economists say

“CONSUMER spending will be the main driver of growth in the second half, so barometers of household demand, such as sentiment, savings patterns and income growth, will be major focal points in the medium term. For this reason, the cooling in the ISM employment sub-index bears watching.”—Carl Riccadonna, chief US economist

For central bankers, the question is whether other parts of the economy can keep riding out the storm that’s been largely isolated in manufacturing, or is an infection inevitable. How they gauge that spillover threat could be central to Continued on A2

n JAPAN 0.4853 n UK 63.9873 n HK 6.6194 n CHINA 7.2565 n SINGAPORE 37.4985 n AUSTRALIA 35.3479 n EU 57.2633 n SAUDI ARABIA 13.8318

Source: BSP (September 6, 2019 )

A2 Saturday, September 7, 2019

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HAVING ONE’S DAY IN COURT regardless of the crime they are charged with, may likewise avail themselves of the videoconferencing technology.

Finally, PDLs who are serving sentences in national penitentiaries would have to likewise appear in court through videoconferencing as they cannot be brought out of the state penitentiaries.

First-ever case

ON September 2, the first-ever court proceedings through videoconferencing took place in Davao City involving a multiple attempted murder case against a suspected member of the communist New People’s Army (NPA) and a frustrated murder case where the accused volunteered to be tried through the system.

Both cases are filed at the sala of Davao Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 16 Presiding Judge Emmanuel Carpio.

Leonilo Gonzales, a suspected NPA guerrilla accused of multiple attempted murder along with three unidentified persons for the ambush of Army soldiers on patrol in 2014, was arraigned while inside the hearing room at the Davao City District Jail where he is currently detained.

On the other hand, Romar Mandi Uy agreed to have the pretrial of the frustrated murder case filed against him conducted through videoconferencing, also at the hearing room in Davao City District Jail.

Uy is facing a frustrated murder case for attempting to kill Bryan Villanil on July 27, 2013, by stabbing him with the use of a knife in different parts of his body.

Both the courtroom and the hearing room inside the jail have been equipped with television monitors, speakers and high-definition cameras, and linked by radio frequency through the towers put up in the Hall of Justice and the City Jail.

Inside the hearing room

JOCELYN M. ALIBANG-SALUD, the branch’s clerk of court, described what took place during the proceedings.

“The suspects appeared remotely in the screen monitor inside the videoconference room where the gadgets were earlier installed this year. The video operator would occasionally pan the camera to show the room, and then took close-up footage of the suspect,” Salud said.

She added that two widescreen LCD television sets were installed in the courtroom, one showing the accused and the other one, the courtroom. Salud said microphones were also placed near the judge, the defense counsel, the prosecution and the accused.

The court official noted that a revolving camera and two closedcircuit television cameras were installed inside the room.

A telephone unit was provided each for the defense counsel

GEORGE TSARTSIANIDIS | DREAMSTIME.COM

Continued from a1

and the accused as their means to speak privately.

The suspects replied to Judge Carpio’s, or the prosecutor’s, questioning in real time.

“The persons at the other end of the videoconference appeared in clear detail because of the highdefinition camera used. It shows the suspects even much closer than in actual court presence,” she added.

The usually media-shy Carpio described the 15-minute proceed-

ings via videoconferencing as “a very momentous day for the courts because this is an initial project of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) which found the need to conduct this video teleconferencing trial without getting the suspected criminals out of jail.”

He also said the use of video technology “not only focuses on the security concerns for the accused but also of the judges and lawyers.”

Benefits

SALUD said the savings in terms of valuable government resources would be one of the visible benefits of the technology.

“Before, government had to send advance security teams to survey the transportation route and the courtroom,” she said.

“They would use sniffing dogs, tap members of the SWAT [Special Weapons and Tactics], sometimes reroute traffic and surround the court with uniformed personnel,” Salud added.

“While this ensures and assures security for everyone in and around the court, this also sends anxiety and concern inside the court,” she added.

Salud said this would happen “not only every year, but some-

times every month, even five times a month, depending on the situation of the place and of how many they have made arrests [or capture of state enemies]”.

The Supreme Court resolution that approved the use of videoconferencing in trials would also reduce the likelihood of postponement of cases or “missed opportunity [for the accused] to be present and confront the witnesses against them” due to instances of inability to travel from the jail to courtroom.

In approving this technology, the Supreme Court said this has been already “widely accepted for the remote appearance or testimony of the parties in court proceedings.”

For instance, Philippine courts were already adapting the “livelink television testimony” in criminal cases where the witness or the victim was a child.

Nationwide implementation

SALUD said Monday’s video conference in Davao set the motion for the national adoption of videoconferencing for high-risk inmates.

This month, one RTC branch requested another videoconferencing of another case but she said it would be finalized yet with the BJMP.

“The BJMP would determine the risk level of the inmate,” she said.

Before the end of the year, videoconferencing trials are expected to involve more courtrooms as the program on Governance and Justice with the European Union would allow more resources to acquire the gadgets.

By October, RTC Branch 10 in Davao will be ready, along with one municipal trial court.

Elsewhere, courtrooms will be linked remotely with their respective jails, she said.

Salud noted that it may not be far-fetched for the litigation of cases to proceed locally while the highrisk inmates have to be transferred to secured locations elsewhere.

She added that convicts in national penitentiaries may still be tried for other cases in local courts without them being transported back to the courts.

Indeed, thanks to technology, the phrase “having one’s day in court” may finally, if all goes well, become a more realistic expectation for those who need to obtain justice but are often daunted by the agonizingly slow, tedious means of mounting trials the traditional way.

Trade-war damage…

Continued from a1

how much stimulus they need to pump into their economies.

Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco President Mary Daly noted the contrast in the economy last week, saying that uncertainty has hurt business investment, but domestic demand looks “really solid.”

US consumer spending rose 0.6 percent in July, beating estimates, according to a report on Friday, following the best quarter in more than four years. In the euro area, retail sales are rising at about a 2-percent year-on-year pace, slightly faster than the average in 2018.

But the situation could shift as the punches to the global economy keep coming with President Donald Trump’s escalation of the USChina trade war, weaker corporate earnings, a manufacturing recession and Brexit.

In the US, the University of Michigan gauge showed how the trade war may have a psychological effect, with tariffs spontane-

ously mentioned by one-in-three consumers.

Consumer uncertainty

PRESSURED by a trade spat of its own with Japan, and ongoing labor-market weakness, Korea’s sentiment gauge fell in August to its worst level since the start of 2017.

Unemployment at a 45-year high is seriously crimping consumption in India, where car sales plunged the most in almost two decades in July.

At its last policy meeting, the European Central Bank noted weakening hiring intentions and “the question was raised as to how long the job market would still be posting positive surprises.”

US electronics retailer Best Buy Co. last week trimmed its guidance because

of “general uncertainty related to overall customer buying behavior in the back half of the year.”

On the other hand, Lowe’s Cos. Chief Executive Officer Marvin Ellison said Wednesday that “from a macro perspective, we feel good” about indicators that support home improvement, such as home-price appreciation. Chief Financial Officer Dave Denton said the company isn’t seeing shoppers trade down to cheaper items, but actually increasing demand for pricier options.

“You’re starting from a scenario of strong jobs growth,” said Andrew Hollenhorst, chief US economist at Citigroup. “So you have this very strong bedrock part of the economy—that’s the American consumer—and then you have all kinds of downside risks around that.”

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ExportUnlimited BusinessMirror

DTI seeks halal cooperation with Indonesia

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AKARTA—In a bid to further strengthen bilateral economic relations between the Philippine and Indonesia, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) is set to explore possible cooperation on the halal industry with Jakarta.

During the Seventh Meeting of Philippines-Indonesia Joint Working Group (JWG) of Senior Officials for the implementation of the memorandum of understanding (MOU) on trade, investments, handicrafts and shipping of the two economies, held on August 25 and 26, 2019, the Philippines’s DTI signified its interest to enter a Mutual Recognition Arrangement (MRA) on halal certification and accreditation.

Export Marketing Bureau Director Senen M. Perlada, who represented the Trade Promotions Group of DTI in the JWG meeting, believes that the trade imbalance between the two markets may be mitigated to a large extent by exploring possible cooperation in halal.

Philippine imports from Indonesia are mainly vehicles and motor parts, some chemicals and various animal or vegetable oils. While most of Philippines’s exports to Indonesia are electronics and tobacco and barely on food. The Philippines is hopeful to strengthen the food sector as

one strategy to address this concern.

“With the new halal law in the Philippines, we are in a better position to explore cooperation in halal with Indonesia and we are optimistic that we will be able to cater to the need of the market as the Philippines’s halal industry is set to make the country a respectable player in the global halal ecosystem,” Perlada added.

Promulgated in 2016, RA 10817, otherwise known as the Philippine Halal Export Development and Promotion Act of 2016, provides a comprehensive set of objectives, targets, strategies and activities for the growth of halal industries producing or providing products, processes and services and resulting to increased exports of halal products.

To realize the objectives of the law, the DTI, National Commission on Muslim Filipinos, Departments of Agriculture, Health, Science and Technology, Foreign Affairs, Tourism, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, and the Mindanao Development

POSTERITY photo of the delegations of the Philippines headed by Trade Undersecretary Ceferino S. Rodolfo (gray suit at the center) and Indonesia headed by Ministry of Trade Director General Iman Pambagyo (batik polo at the center) after the successful conduct of the Seventh Meeting of Philippines-Indonesia Joint Working Group (JWG) of Senior Officials for the implementation of the memorandum of understanding (MOU) on trade, investments, handicrafts and shipping held on August 26 and 27, 2019, in Jakarta, Indonesia. PHOTO COURTESY OF PTIC-JAKARTA

Authority, collectively known as the Philippine Halal Export Development and Promotion Board, are working very closely in the development and promotions of the Philippine halal exports.

With this law, the Philippines intends to play a significant role in the global halal ecosystem by expanding its coverage to include not only the food sector but also halal services, such as tourism, logistics and Islamic finance and increase market access starting from the neighbor Muslim-majority economies.

Meanwhile, Indonesia is known

to have been conservative in terms of accepting foreign halal-certified products. The Majelis Ulama Indonesia (MUI) has since been the sole agency responsible for halal in the country and recognizes only one Philippine Halal Certification Body (HCB) with limited in scope to cover only for raw materials. This implies that only few portions of Philippine halal-certified products are allowed to enter Indonesia.

“Being able to hurdle this requirement on halal would be a great deal for the Philippines in furthering our economic ties with Indonesia,” said

Jeremiah Reyes, Philippine commercial attaché in Indonesia.

With the new halal law of Indonesia, MUI will not be the only agency which will handle halal certification which may entail more challenges for the Philippine products.

Under this new policy, all products exported, distributed and traded in Indonesia must be halal-certified.

These include goods and/or services relating to food and beverages, medicines, cosmetics, chemical products, biological products, genetically engineered products, and any other products which are applied, used or

utilized by Muslims.

This law will be implemented gradually starting October 17, 2019, and will be handled by the Halal Product Guarantee Agency (or Badan Penyelenggara Jaminan Produk Halal or BPJPH) under the Ministry of Religious Affairs. Any halal certificates which have been issued by MUI before this law takes effect are declared to be still effective until their period of validity expires. By October 17, 2019, the application for new halal certificate or the renewal of halal certificate will be handled by BPJPH. The Indonesian government informed the Philippines that there are two ways to undertake the MRA. One way is through government-togovernment mechanisms whereby the relevant agencies from respective countries will enter into an arrangement on such cooperation. The other way is for the private sector, in this case the local Philippine HCBs, to seek recognition directly with Indonesia. DTI prefers the former for a more comprehensive approach, while the latter is more tedious and expensive on the part of the HCBs. With Indonesia’s openness to welcome MRA with the Philippines, it is hoped that by the end of this year, an initial draft of MRA would concretize such cooperation. A small technical group between the two countries is expected to meet in December this year to further discuss action points agreed in the seventh JWG. Halal is an Arabic term which refers to all and any permitted, allowed or legal ways or lifestyles among Muslims.

European Union implements new registration system for PHL exporters

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HE Philippines is one of the beneficiary countries of the European Union’s Generalized Scheme of Preferences Plus or GSP+ that grants zero tariffs to 6,274 product lines. These products include particular items of fish, dairy, fruits, vegetables, coconut oils, coffee, cocoa, tobacco, chemicals, fertilizers, essential oils, soaps, articles of plastics and rubber, articles of wood and leather, apparels, footwear and headgears, ceramic products, glass and glassware, pearls, fine and costume jewelry, furniture, auto and aero parts, ships and boats, electronics and semiconductors, watches and other manufactured articles.

Philippine exporters who wish to avail themselves of EU GSP+ zero tariff benefits must preregister now with the EU Registered Exporters (REX) System until December 31, 2019.

Exporters may now fill up the application form available online at https:// customs.ec.europa.eu/rex-pa-ui/and the printed copy submitted to Gina German of the Export Coordinating Division of the Philippine Bureau of Customs (BOC) with e-mail address gina.german@customs. gov.ph and telephone number 527-4580.

DEPARTMENT of Trade and Industry-Trade Promotions Group (TPG) Undersecretary Abdulgani M. Macatoman welcomes the participants of the Exporters’ Briefing Session on the European Union Registered Exporters (EU REX) System on August 20, 2019, in Makati City.

Exporters in the regions can also contact BOC regional officers for assistance.

If the application is approved, the BOC will register and assign a REX number to the exporter with the registration and validity date. Once registered, the exporter will now be able to issue their own statement on origin on their commercial documents. The registration is a one-time operation that will replace the old system of issuance of Certificate of Origin Form A. The EU REX System is expected to make exporting to the EU faster and easier.

In an effort to inform Philippine exporters of the EU REX System, EMB held an information session on August 20, 2019, at the Rosemary Ballroom of the City Garden Grand Hotel in Makati City with Christophe Fontaine of EU’s directorate general taxud as the main resource speaker. He was joined by Anne-Marie Michels and Francois Becquart, also from the EU customs office, and Maria Teresa Borja of the Philippine Trade and Investment Office in Brussels, Belgium, as resource persons on EU’s rules of origin.

Undersecretary Abdulgani M. Macato-

man of the Trade Promotions Group of the Department of Trade and Industry delivered the welcome remarks. He encouraged Philippine exporters to learn the rudiments of the EU REX System and continue to take advantage of the EU GSP+ trade preference.

In 2018, EU was the Philippines’s fifth trading partner, export market and import source. Total bilateral trade was valued at $17.49 billion, with exports at $ 8.91 billion and imports at $8.59 billion. Total PH-EU trade from 2014 to 2018, grew at an average 5.10 percent; exports by 7.32 percent and imports by 3.02 percent.

The top Philippine exports to the EU on the industrial side were semiconductor and electronic products, vessels for transport and aero parts. On the other hand, top Philippine food exports to the EU were tunas, desiccated coconuts, prepared pineapples and pineapple juice, biscuits and pastries and sardines.

For more information, contact Ms. Maria Jaena Go-Aco of the Export Marketing Bureau (EMB) at e-mail address MariaJaenaGoAco@dti.gov.ph and telephone number 4653300 local 228.

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Manila-McDonald’s tie-up makes elderly, PWDs productive members of society G

DSWD-12 releases ₧229 million social pension for seniors

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By Roderick l. abad Contributor

O give equal employment opportunities to Manila residents regardless of age and physical condition, the city government of Manila recently partnered with Golden Arches Development Corp. (McDonald’s Philippines), which guaranteed to employ more than a hundred eligible senior citizens and persons with disabilities (PWDs) in at least 40 of its stores in the country’s capital.

The tie-up specifies that the fast-food giant will soon be hiring at least 120 alternative workers—80 senior citizens and 40 PWDs—in its Manila stores.

Manila Mayor Isko Moreno said they are on the right track to provide employment opportunities to Manileños across the board, especially the elderly and PWDs, in an effort to make them productive and functioning members of society that can help drive the country’s economic growth.

“We have to start somewhere, and today is an auspicious start of a new opportunity for our PWDs and for our senior citizens,” he said during the ceremonial signing of the memorandum of agreement (MOA) held at the Bulwagang Villegas in Manila City Hall.

“Now you belong to a productive society. You are an important part of the community.”

The local chief executive lauded this initiative of McDonald’s Philippines, being one of the food businesses in the country that

heeded his recent call to employ alternative work force, particularly the aging and differently abled people.

“McDonald ’s Philippines has been a responsible employer since we opened our first store in Manila in 1981. We usher our 38th founding anniversary in September by signing this partnership with the City of Manila, as we commit to provide more employment opportunities that aim to integrate senior citizens and hearing-impaired Manileños into the work force,” said Kenneth Yang, president and CEO of McDonald ’s Philippines.

Based on the deal, senior citizens and PWDs will be given the opportunity to earn and, at the same time, to learn and develop new skills as they experience the same world-class training that the company has been giving to its directly hired employees.

Qualified applicants will undergo a training program approved by the Public Employment Service

MCDONALD’S President and CEO Kenneth Yang (left) joins Manila Mayor Isko Moreno and Atty. Erwin Narag Aquino, assistant regional director of the Department of Labor and Employment-NCR during the MOA signing between the Local Government of Manila and Golden Arches Development Corp. for the employment of senior citizens and PWDs in McDonald’s stores in Manila. The signing was held at Manila City Hall’s Bulwagang Bayan. PHOTO BY ROY DOMINGO

Office (Peso) of Manila, and the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE). Hired senior citizens and PWDs will be assigned to perform tasks complementing those of existing crew members, which include being an order presenter, drink drawer, table manager and overall guest relations staff.

As agreed upon by both parties, senior citizens will be assigned to work for not more than four hours per day for five days a week, with shifts set at 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 1 to 5 p.m. Meanwhile, PWDs will perform work in shifts also applied to regular

crewmembers, but not more than eight hours a day.

“I hope other corporations or companies will follow what McDonald’s did for the City of Manila,” the mayor said, expecting that this initiative will have a ripple effect in the business community.

For its part, McDonald’s Philippines plans to roll out more initiatives like this within and outside the City of Manila.

Proof of this engagement is the opening of five more outlets in Manila by next year, which, according to McDonald’s Philippines Managing Director Margot Torres, will also hire elderly and PWDs.

“We will work closely with the Peso and the local government unit in other cities that want to do the same program,” she told reporters in an interview after the MOA signing.

M c D o n a l d ’s P h i l i p p i n e s first opened its store in Morayt a, Ma ni l a, in 1981 by master f ra nc h ise holder Dr. George T. Ya ng. T he compa ny has g row n to a net work of more t ha n 6 40 stores, and has c lose to 60,000 reg u lar employees. Pr ior to its pa r t nersh ip w it h Ma ni l a C it y, t he f ir m has a l ready h ired 31 elderly a nd PW Ds in va r ious out lets nat ionw ide.

Elderly tennis players steadfast amid eviction rumors

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AGUIO CITY—Elderly members of the Baguio Tennis Club (BTC) on Friday remained positive amid calls that they vacate the four tennis courts under their care and management, which the city turned over to them in 1976.

Despite negative remarks against their club as alleged during a dialogue held on the first week of August by City Administrator Bonifacio de la Peña, the good they do and are still doing in the past 43 years for the sport and its athletes may outweigh the “perceived negative reaction.”

“We have done so many good things for the athletes and the sport per se,” former BTC President Tony Domes-ag told the Philippine News Agency (PNA), which was seconded by other old-time members, including retired Baguio General Hospital and Medical Center (BGHMC) Director Jesus del Prado.

“We do not disallow athletes from any school to use the club courts,” insisted the 66-year-old former mayor of Peñarrubia, Abra, who took upon himself to speak on behalf of the group after negative reports in local papers, which said they are restricting studentathletes from using the facility.

Domes-ag said that court 4 has always been open to student-athletes, adding that they can use all courts if the other three courts are free.

“The players, mostly senior citizens, start playing at 6 a.m. until 10 a.m. only, but after that, all the courts will be free for use by the kids,” said Armando Marasigan, an engineer who had been playing tennis for decades.

“They can only use court 4, that is theirs, then they get the whole facility afterward. Many of our regular players

MEMBERS and past officers of the Baguio Tennis Club in the Baguio athletic bowl complex at Burnham Park have high hopes that they can continue playing tennis, the only physical activity they enjoy doing and can afford as retired persons. The BTC was founded in 1976 after the city, through an ordinance, gave the administration of the facility at the behest of prominent Baguio residents, including retired Baguio General Hospital Director Dr. Jesus del Prado (2nd from right, sitting), 88 years old. Also in photo at the court facility on a rainy Friday are (from left, sitting) Jess Castillo, 73; Claro Ramollete, 86; Alex Rodriguez, 73; (from left, standing) Rolando de Guzman, 69, an unidentified hanger-on, and Tony Domes-ag, 66.

PNA PHOTO BY PIGEON LOBIEN

are senior citizens,” said the 51-year old engineer, one of the younger regulars at the tennis club.

Aside from the student-athletes’ use of the facility, Domes-ag said the BTC members are also generous to them during competition time in other places. “We will always open our wallets for them to help them defray expenses when they compete in other places,” he said.

The BTC is practically the lone venue in the city where student-athletes improve their games and where proper training can be given by its “resident coaches.”

It is the only public tennis court that even retirees can afford to pay, not having income aside from their pension; it is also the only “rest and recreation” facility that the elderly can go to for their physical fitness and socialization.

As proof that the court is not exclusive to senior citizens, one of the regular campaigners in the Philippine tennis series, Jimmy Tangalin, grew up in the clay/shell tennis courts.

The current Philippines’s number 23 (highest seeding was 16th), who started as a “pulot boy” (ball picker), could yet be the most successful product of the BTC. “It is because he is family, his father, and namesake, has also worked in the club,” Marasigan said.

Another second-generation player, Monica Cortez, was able to finish college at the University of the Philippines (UP) as a varsity player for tennis.

Monica’s father, Jun, works as a coach at the BTC and is one of the coaches of 14-year-old Angelyn Trisha Mae Toliver Atos, one of the country’s top young players who recently went on

a two-week tennis training program/ scholarship at the Rafa Nadal Academy in Mallorca, Spain.

Rafael “Rafa” Nadal is one of the greatest tennis players with 18 Grand Slam titles, including 12 French Open crowns.

Trisha Mae is a fourth-generation BTC player. His great grandfather, Dr. Gregorio Atos, is one of the founding members of the group in 1976 with 24 others, including the late fiscal Jose Basco and Dr. del Prado, who, at 88, is the remaining member of the original BTC. “We worked hard for this. We put our efforts to have the three courts that were given [to] us that became four courts,” said the retired doctor, who, could still make a vicious drop shot to the consternation of his younger comember.

The city government does not provide for the operation of the tennis court, but the members’ fees sustain the needs to continue the operation of the facility.

Former city councilor and retired Judge Edilberto Claravall was the principal author of Resolution 106 signed on October 12, 1976, which effected the care and management of the tennis courts to the BTC. Claravall, in a conversation on Facebook’s messenger said: “The BTC on its own initiative took care of the upkeep of the place and later on, Fiscal Jose Basco, as president of BTC, and I saw each other and he then told me that they could put in their resources, improve the facilities of the tennis courts should the area be placed under their administration.”

“So, as chairman of the Parks in the City Council, I submitted the proposed ordinance considering that the city did have a budget for the upkeep

of the tennis courts and its premises,” he added.

Retired Bank Executive Rolando de Guzman, 69, expressed sadness over the possible takeover of the facility, saying it will derail improvement of young tennis players.

“The project, if it takes off, will take years to complete, what will happen to our players,” said de Guzman, one of the stalwarts of the Bishop Golf Cup and Bishop Cenzon Foundation, that was able to put churches in far-flung communities in Benguet.

“That is my fear because the court will be placed atop the building,” he said. “I have three other friends that I invited to play with me here. They all stopped and all are dead now,” said retired Pilot Jose Castro, 73.

P300-M sports facility THE tennis court, as well as the Philippine Army Reserve Command 14th Regional Community Defense Group and the RnR Comfort (or) are expected to be removed when the plan to put up a multilevel sports complex in the said area is pursued.

Originally, the plan was to put up the facility at the open space between the track and the swimming pool, but it was recently paved for open courts for basketball, volleyball and other ball games.

Instead, the city is now eyeing the area occupied by the three entities for the sports facility that will house indoor and allied sports.

As early as 2015, the city government has already allocated P60 million for the construction of multilevel indoor sports facility but the project never took off.

The facility eyed may cost around P300 million. PNA

ENERAL SANTOS CITY— The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has released P229.8 million in social pension as of August to indigent senior citizens in Region 12 (Soccsksargen).

Cezario Joel Espejo, DSWD12 director, said the funds were received by a total of 76,609 senior citizens who were included in the “clean list” or validated beneficiaries in the region.

Espejo added that the released stipend, which is set at P500 a month, is for the first two quarters of the year or from January to June 2019, totaling P3,000 each.

The agency already released some P45.7 million to 15,251 beneficiaries in Sultan Kudarat, P25.5 million to 8,506 beneficiaries in Sarangani, P69.5 million to 23,173 beneficiaries in South Cotabato, and P89.03 million to 29,679 beneficiaries in North Cotabato.

As of August 27, Espejo said they already validated a total of 139,413 eligible beneficiaries based on the 264,358 who received the social pension as of the end of 2018.

Espejo added that they delisted some 124,945 beneficiaries in Region 12 and in Cotabato City, which is now part of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, due to eligibility and other related problems. He said their validation showed that there are beneficiaries in the region who have duplicate or double entries in their database.

Some were found ineligible as they are already receiving pension from other social security agencies, he said.

The official said the release of the social pension is ongoing for the remaining 62,804 beneficiaries.

“We’re also continually cleaning up the list of eligible clients to make sure that the program will benefit those who are really qualified,” he said in a report.

DSWD handles the implementation of Republic Act (RA) 9994 or the Expanded Senior Citizens Act of 2010.

RA 9994 defines indigent senior citizens as “any elderly who is frail, sickly or with a disability, and without pension or permanent source of income, compensation or financial assistance from his/her relatives to support his/ her basic needs, as determined by the DSWD.” PNA

Poe bats for protection vs elderly abuse

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EN. Grace Poe wants to institutionalize an assistance program to victims of elder abuse, and the training of health and government professionals to assist such victims.

In a statement, Poe cited the particularly alarming development in the incidence of elder abuse, as she filed Senate Bill 946, which aims to protect senior citizens from abuse, neglect and exploitation.

“As elders become frailer, they are less able to stand up to bullying or to fight back if attacked. They may not see or hear as well or think as clearly as they used to, leaving openings for unscrupulous people to take advantage of them,” Poe said. The bill proposes to establish an Elder Victim Assistance Program, which is an interagency task force led by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).

The said program shall provide services, to all victims of elder abuse, including: immediate emergency services, such as shelter, care, food, clothing, and other life services; counseling and assistance in accessing health care, educational, pension, or other benefits; mental health screenings; emergency legal advocacy; job placement assistance and information; bereavement counseling for families of victims; and education to avoid being victimized, abused or exploited. PNA

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Saturday, September 7, 2019 | Editor: Mike Besa

BRYSON DECHAMBEAU

WHAT TO DO ABOUT SLOW PLAY? JB HOLMES

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By Mike Besa

LOW play is hardly a new topic in golf. In 1950 at the US Open in Merion, Ohio, the USGA put a notice up in the locker room decrying how in the previous year at the US Open in Medina, they were playing threesomes in three hours and 37 minutes, and how it was unacceptable and how it was going to ruin the game.

In recent months slow play has crept back into the general consciousness of golf worldwide with a couple of very well documented cases on the PGA Tour.

JB Holmes is well known on the PGA Tour as one of the slowest players on Tour. At the Open Championships, he earned the ire of Brooks Koepka, his playing partner at the time. Koepka said after the game that, “They need to actually penalize someone.... It’ll never be a big deal until someone gets penalized and loses a tournament by one and it’s a big thing.”

Prior to this, at the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines, Holmes took over four minutes over his second shot on a par five before laying up. This angered many of his fellow pros who felt bad for Holmes’s playing partner Alex Noren, who was in contention to win. Noren was clearly affected by Holmes’s antics and missed his chances for the win.

Then there was Bryson Dechambeau at the Northern Trust Open. Dechambeau has already made a name for himself with his unorthodox approach to golf. His consideration of humidity on the distance he hits his irons and how much wind affects his putting are fast becoming urban legend. But no one was prepared to watch him pace off an 80-yard pitch shot or take over three minutes over an 8-foot putt.

Seemingly more deplorable than the delays were the responses of both golfers to the criticism leveled against them. Holmes was unrepentant in saying that, “You’re playing for $1 million. If somebody thinks I’m slow, or taking long, I don’t care. Personally, I don’t want to take that long. I’m working on that. I would rather be slow and win than rush something, hit a bad shot and not win.”

Dechambeau responded in similar fashion taking to social media to decry the criticism citing that he does his best to play at a reasonable pace by walking quickly to his ball in between shots and several other factors. His contention was basically that he was out there to entertain and that he only took as much time as he needed.

I’m not sure if I’m more upset by their slow play or their attitudes.

In the big picture, one of two slowpokes don’t affect the PGA Tour schedule all that much. The tournaments still finished on time even with both players in the field.

What is worrying is the example that the two of them are setting for the juniors and amateurs that were watching their idols, hanging on to every move they made.

I can see 12-year-olds in junior tournaments walking around their putts and plumb bobbing from both sides of the cup because that’s what they saw their heroes doing on tour. How much slower is golf going to get?

While slow play and its effects on the world’s professional tours might be debatable, its effects are very real on the amateur level. We’ve all suffered behind what seems to be the slowest golfers on the planet. It’s all you can do not to commit homicide on the 19th tee.

Slow play can easily be avoided if, and that’s a mighty big if, everyone does their part. It isn’t hard to do, and it shouldn’t take any more effort than you already exert in the course of your round. All it takes is a tiny bit of consideration.

That’s it. Sounds so simple on the surface but what does that really mean on the golf course?

For a start, walk quickly to your golf ball. That way, you can start your pre-shot routine early and take as much time as you need over the shot. If you’re sharing a cart with a friend, drop whoever is closer off with the clubs he needs then proceed to your ball so you can start your pre-shot routine. If need be, go back and pick up your cart buddy when you’re done with your shot. If all goes to plan, you should be ready to hit your shot within seconds when it’s your turn.

To put this in perspective, here’s a quote from the opening chapter of the rules of golf which is titled, “The Spirit of the Game,” and in it is written: Unlike many sports, golf is played, for the most part, without the supervision of a referee or umpire. Indeed, the game relies almost solely on the integrity of the individual to show consideration for other players, to respect the course and to abide by the game’s rules. Sportsmanship and etiquette are integral parts of the game.

There now, that’s not hard at all is it? One part consideration, one part etiquette and one part knowledge of the rules fixes everything. Anyone who is incapable of some measure of empathy and consideration, or worse,

patently unconcerned about anyone but himself, has no place on the golf course.

An argument could be made at how the problems we experience on the fairways of the country are a microcosm of our society at large. But this isn’t life or death, it’s just golf. It’s a game that we all feel passionately about but there is no excuse to be impolite to or inconvenience others. We wouldn’t do so under other circumstances, so why do it on the golf course?

Let’s all do our part and Play It Right!

Introducing the

New TS2 and TS3 model

www.pinoygolfer.com | Saturday, September 7, 2019

PAGDANGANAN WINS FIRST LPGA QUALIFIER P

By Bobbet Bruce

HILIPPINE national team member Bianca Pagdanganan kicked off her quest for a Ladies Professional Golf Association tour spot by winning low medalist honors in Stage 1 of the 2019 LPGA Q-School from August 23 to 25, 2019, at the Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage, California, and the Shadow Ridge Golf Club in Palm Desert, California.

She finished the four-day qualifier at 13 under par 275 (70-67-70-68) and

four strokes ahead of Australian Hira Naveed who came in with a 278 (7070-69-69) to book her spot for Stage 2 scheduled from October 14 to 17, 2019, at the Plantation Bay Golf and Country Club in Venice, Florida.

She tows the top 95 placers from Stage 1 to compete for a spot on the Q-Series, the final qualifying round for the 2020 LPGA and Symetra Tours. Seeded to Stage 2 include the top 150 Symetra tour players, LPGA members outside the top 150, the top 5 college players based on the Sagarin/Golfweek rankings, the top 5 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking, and the top 400 in the Rolex Women’s Golf rankings not seeded, otherwise to the Q-Series which includes national team

mainstay Yuka Saso who is ranked at 258.

Pagdanganan started the tournament at Shadow Ridge quietly with a two under par 70 to sit at a tie for 20th after a few bad breaks prevented her from getting a better score and first day finish. She moved to a tie for second on day two as she matched the round’s best score with a five under par 67 at Mission Hills Dinah Shore Tournament Course, site of the ANA Inspiration, one of the LPGA’s five majors, with an eagle on the par 5 hole 18 to sit just 1 stroke off the overall leader.

Bianca jumped to a tie for first after the third day as she recoded five birdies at

the Mission Hills Arnold Palmer Championship Course on her way to a two under par 70 to start the last day back at Dinah Shore tied for first with fellow amateur Min A Yoon of South Korea and former University of Oklahoma alum Ana Ruiz Laphond of Mexico.

The 2017 Philippine Ladies Open champion charged out of the gates smoking as she went on a three-hole birdie binge from hole 2 to stretch her lead on the two by at least three

Q-Series, the last stage in the LPGA/ Symetra Tour qualifier, is a twoweek, two stage, eight round total competition to be held from October 23 to 26 and from October 30 to November 2 this year at Pinehurst, North Carolina, will finish almost a month before the start of the games on

BIANCA PAGDANGANAN

Titleist updates the MB and CB

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ITLEIST’S core customers have always been the elite golfers. It is their dedication to this market that has let to the innovations that have trickled down to the rest of the product line and indirectly benefited the rest of us.

When you consider forged muscle back blades and forged cavity back irons, the simplicity of their designs misleads you into thinking that there isn’t much involved in either iron’s design. There’s nothing further from the truth.

The center of gravity of each iron head in the set need to be precisely placed to yield the launch angle and ball flight that flow progressively through the set. Then both these irons sit in specific spots in Titleist’s line of irons which can be mixed and matched through the set at the sole discretion of the golfer and his fitter. Irons need to flow progressively not just from club to club, but from set to set to encourage blending of different heads to maximize performance through the bag.

The Titleist MB is always a challenge to improve upon. Titleist focused on optimizing

strokes from which she never looked back. Bianca’s strong iron play and impeccable putting carried her almost without effort though out the round as she finished the front 9 at 33 despite a double bogey on hole 6 which she negated with two birdies in the last. She continued her steady play in the back with two more birdies against a lone bogey to finish at 35 to stave-off the rally of Naveed.

“This week was pretty good; my ball striking was solid and that helped a lot. Also made some putts, especially a decent number of birdies and just happy with how I concluded this event” said the University of Arizona student who still has to go back to school to take one last class to get her degree in Sports and Society.

Bianca is also competing as an amateur that leaves the door open for her to represent the country at the 2019 Southeast Asian Games scheduled this November in Manila even if she goes deep into Q-School.

The

the MB’s playability and aesthetic qualities.

The MB is designed to get in and out of the turf easily and quickly. Titleist “pre-wears” the leading edge to aid entry into the turf. Then to help the club exit the hitting zone, Titleist cambers the trailing edge to allow the club to exit the turf.

The blade lengths are progressively sized from long to short irons; exactly what the better player wants to see. The MB is forged in one piece from soft 1025 carbon steel. They are gorgeous to behold with nothing but the Titleist script and the club number stamped into the head. There is little offset and toplines are as thin as they come. They are intimidating to look at but if you have the game, the 620 MB is designed to do your bidding.

Titleist has seen many MB players gravitate toward mixed sets particularly because that combination of performance and workability in the CB 3 and 4 irons is so compelling. At the same time, with mixed sets becoming so common, Titleist matched the profiles and blade lengths of 620 CB and MB so that players can start blending at any point in the set without making any sacrifices.

The 620 CB surprises with technology where you don’t expect it. The same care has been taken to bestow the CB with similar optics to the MB since many golfers specify a combination of the two clubs for their sets.

The CB also shares the refinements to the sole made to the MB, further enhancing the compatibility of the two irons.

The CB’s secret is that Titleist co-forges the 3 and 4 irons with high density tungsten.

Tungsten has become a very popular material in golf circles. It’s extreme density and heavy weight allow club designers to manipulate the center of gravity and increase moment of inertia in clubs that require it.

The ability to use co-forged highdensity tungsten in such a compact blade size like 620 CB is extremely powerful, especially at the long end of the set where players need the most help with

launch and forgiveness.

If the buzz that these two irons are making in golfing circles is any indication, Titleist has hit it out of the park with the 620 forged

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November 30.

If she qualifies to the Q-Series, there will be no conflict with SEA Games schedule as long as she doesn’t turn professional. She already earned Symetra Tour status by getting through Stage 1 and can only improve her status depending on how well she plays in Stage 2 and the Q- Series if she qualifies. If she gets into the Q-Series and finishes in the top 45, she will have LPGA membership status already. If she only gets Symetra Tour status, she can play as an amateur throughout the Symetra Tour and can turn pro at any time during the season.

If she gets LPGA Tour status, she is not required to turn professional immediately and will have until July 1 of 2020 to turn professional if she so chooses. The LPGA and Symetra Tour doesn’t start until early next year giving Pagdanganan the opportunity to represent the country again if she is available.

Three other Filipinas tried their luck in Stage 1 with former Ladies Philippine Golf Tour Order of Merit winner Pau del Rosario with a three-day 230 total (76-77-77) and Alabama State University alum and newly minted pro Chanelle Avaricio with a 229 (75-79-75) missing the first cut that saw the top 150 advance to the last round.

Former Callaway Junior World Champion and Cal State-Fullerton grad Daniella Uy made it to the last round at a tie for 32nd and one under par score 215 (70-74-71) but a disastrous 80 on last day ballooned her score to seven over 295 to drop her to a tie for 107th and stop her to advance to the next round.

irons. They are beautiful in both form and function and cement Titleist’s reputation as the brand of choice for the elite golfer.

The Titleist 620 MB and CB are available at all Empire proshops. Call for a fitting to make the most of your experience. Mike Besa TITLEIST 620 MB and CB

e new Titleist TS Hybrids—scoring clubs with Titleist speed

ls deliver faster ball speed with high launch, lower spin and increased MOI for more playable distance TITLEIST TS Hybrids

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ORN from the Titleist Speed Project, the new Titleist TS hybrids represent a new standard in hybrid performance— combining the explosive speed and distance of TS metal woods with the advanced technology that has made Titleist the most played hybrids on the PGA Tour.

In Titleist’s view hybrids are scoring clubs, not clubs designed just to get you out of trouble. The new TS2 and TS3 hybrids, benefiting from the innovations of the Titleist Speed Chassis, allow players to replace their long irons with even more speed, launch and precision: n The TS2 hybrids dramatically forgiving thereby maximize performance for players who have a sweeping delivery to the ball— delivering high launch and easy distance.

The larger profile is designed for players who prefer the look of a fairway metal. n The fast-launching TS3 hybrids produce outstanding distance and control for players who hit down on the ball—offering mid launch, precise distance and iron-like control.

The compact, square toe shape is designed for players who want more of an iron look.

“Pretty much every golfer we’ve had test a TS hybrid has had the same reaction—these things just go,” said Josh Talge, vice president, Titleist Golf Club Marketing. “When it comes to the world of golf clubs, hybrids don’t always generate the type of excitement you see with other categories. But with TS hybrids, our R&D team has developed a hybrid that players will start thinking about as their go-to club. A club they just can’t wait to hit.

TS HYBRID PERFORMANCE & TECHNOLOGY

THE improved performance of TS hybrids is driven by the innovative Titleist Speed Chassis, featuring technologies originally developed for TS drivers and fairways and now optimized for each hybrid shape: n Thinner, faster face. The fastest hybrid face Titleist has ever made (16 percent thinner than prior generation 818 hybrids)—delivers faster ball speeds and increased forgiveness.

n Optimized Weight Distribution.

Refined crown and face thicknesses create a lower CG for higher launch and lower spin. The resulting MOI is up to 10 percent higher on average than 818, a powerful combination of speed and stability.

“Titleist hybrids were already by far the industry leader for hybrid performance, speed and distance—and now we’ve taken that to another level with these TS models,” said Stephanie Luttrell, director, Metalwoods Development, Titleist Golf Club R&D. “By taking everything, we learned in developing TS drivers and fairways and implementing those technologies into our hybrid platform, we’ve been able to improve our speed and distance performance, while maintaining the incredible playability that makes these hybrids scoring clubs—that easy, consistent distance that launches high and lands soft, closer to the hole.”

TWO WAYS TO SPEED

LIKE their driver and fairway counterparts,

TS hybrids bring more speed to golfers through two distinct designs. The new TS2 is a scoring club built for distance with maximum forgiveness across the face, while TS3 offers outstanding distance with shotshape customization through the adjustable Magnetic SureFit CG. Both models feature Titleist’s patented SureFit hosel with 16 independent loft and lie settings to create a more consistent and optimized ball flight through precision fitting.

PREMIUM STOCK SHAFTS

THE TS stock shaft lineup extends to TS hybrids with three aftermarket models—Kuro Kage Dual Core Black 60 (high launch and moderate spin), TENSEI AV Series Blue 70 (mid launch and spin) and HZRDUS Smoke Black 80 (low/ mid launch and spin)—developed by the game’s top shaft manufacturers using insights from Titleist’s industry-best motion capture and consumer testing. In addition, Titleist offers an industry-leading number of custom shaft choices.

TS HYBRIDS ON TOUR

TS hybrids made their PGA Tour debut at the Memorial Tournament, where Charley Hoffman (TS3 17º) and Robert Streb (TS3 21º) were among those who put TS hybrids immediately in play. Ian Poulter and Charles Howell III put new TS2 21º models in their bags for the US Open, while Patton Kizzire added a TS3 19º, as players around the world continue to switch into the new TS2 and TS3 models.

Titleist has been the most played hybrid on the PGA Tour since 2014 and continues to be the field favorite week in and week out.

Titleist TS hybrids are available in golf shops worldwide beginning on August 30.

Sports BusinessMirror

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SERENA WILLIAMS set to face 19-year-old Bianca Andreescu of Canada in the US Open final. AP

Serena Williams turned in an increasingly impressive performance for a 6-3, 6-1 victory over No. 5-seeded Elina Svitolina of Ukraine at Arthur Ashe Stadium on Thursday night, reaching her fourth final in the past six major tournaments.

PHILIPPE GILBERT now has 10 stage wins in Grand Tour races. AP

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

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

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SUSPECTED nation-state hackers used malware-laden web sites to infect iPhones with spyware in what security researchers are calling the worst general security failure, yet affecting the Apple devices. AP

BusinessMirror

Saturday, September 7, 2019 A9

Operation indiscriminately infects iPhones with spyware

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BY FRANK BAJAK The Associated Press

software, and thus, they have had no time to develop patches to fix it.

The discovery, involving 14 such vulnerabilities, was made by Google researchers at Project Zero, which hunts the security flaws in software and microprocessor firmware, independent of their manufacturer, that criminals, state-sponsored hackers and intelligence agencies use.

“This should serve as a wake-up call to folks,” said Will Strafach, a mobile security expert with Sudo Security. “Anyone on any platform could potentially get infected with malware.”

Beer said his team estimated that the infected web sites used in the “indiscriminate watering hole attacks” receive thousands of visitors per week. He said the team collected five separate chains of exploits covering Apple’s iOS system as far back as version 10, released in 2016.

Apple did not respond to requests for comment on why it did not detect the vulnerabilities on its own and if it can assure users that such a general attack could not happen again. Privacy assurance is central to the Apple brand.

Neither Google nor Beer responded to questions about the attackers or the targets, though Beer provided a hint in his blog post: “To be targeted might mean simply being born in a certain geographic region or being part of a certain ethnic group.”

Security manager Matt Lourens at Check Point Software Technologies called the development an alarming game-changer. He said that while iPhone owners previously compromised by zero days were high-value targets, a more widespread seeding of spyware at a lower cost per infection has now been shown possible. “This should absolutely reshape the way corporations view the use of mobile devices for corporate applications, and the security risk it introduces to the individual and/or organization,” Lourens said in an e-mail.

In his blog post, the Google researcher Beer warned that absolute digital security can’t be guaranteed. Smartphone users must ultimately “be conscious of the fact that mass exploitation still exists and behave accordingly,” he wrote, “treating their mobile devices as both integral to their modern lives, yet also as devices which when compromised, can upload their every action into a database to potentially be used against them.” ■

ESEARCHERS say suspected nation-state hackers infected Apple iPhones with spyware over two years in what security experts on Friday called an alarming security failure for a company whose calling card is privacy. A mere visit to one of a small number of tainted web sites could infect an iPhone with an implant capable of sending the smartphone owner’s text messages, e-mail, photos and real-time location data to the cyber spies behind the operation.

“This is definitely the most serious iPhone hacking incident that’s ever been brought to public attention, both because of the indiscriminate targeting and the amount of data compromised by the implant,” said former United States government hacker Jake Williams, the president of Rendition Security.

Announced late Thursday by Google researchers, the last of the vulnerabilities were quietly fixed by Apple by February but only after thousands of iPhone users were believed exposed over more than two years. The researchers did not identify the web sites used to seed the spyware or their location. They also did not say who was behind the cyber espionage or what population was targeted, but experts said the operation had the hallmarks of a nation-state effort.

Williams said the spyware implant wasn’t written to transmit stolen data securely, indicating the hackers were not concerned about getting caught.

That suggests an authoritarian state was behind it. He speculated that it was likely used to target political dissidents. Sensitive data accessed by the spyware included WhatsApp, iMessage and Telegram text messages, Gmail, photos, contacts and real-time location—essentially all the databases on the victim’s phone. While the messaging applications may encrypt data in transit, it is readable at rest on iPhones.

Google researcher Ian Beer said in a blog posted late Thursday that the discovery should dispel any notion that it costs a million dollars to successfully hack an iPhone. That’s a reference to the case of a United Arab Emirates dissident whose iPhone was infected in 2016 with so-called zero-day exploits, which have been known to fetch such high prices.

“Zero day” refers to the fact that such exploits are unknown to the developers of the affected

Zoho launches new omni-channel platform for businesses

BY RODERICK L. ABAD Contributor

POCKET-FRIENDLY SONY ALPHA 9 VERSION TO HIT MARKET THE promising “world’s fastest AF performance” among fixed lens cameras with 1-inch sensor is now available for preorder in the Philippines. The newest addition to Sony’s flagship RX100 series carries the speed of the Alpha 9 mirrorless camera in a pocket-friendly, more compact size.

The RX100 M7 offers the same 24-200mm lens as its predecessor, 20.1MP 1-inch stacked BSI CMOS sensor and 4K video recording, but what’s most promising about the RX100 M7? This compact camera uses the latest BIONZ X image processing engine, a commonly known feature of the Alpha 9, Alpha A7R 3 and A7R 4, and is designed to give Alpha 9’s real-time tracking and real-time Eye AF performance.

Sony offers until September 20 preorder promotions for the RX100 M7, details of which can be found at bit.ly/2lvlw4i.

OPERATING system provider Zoho recently announced its new and comprehensive platform: Commerce Plus.

Built on top of Zoho One, the OS for business, Commerce Plus is a fully integrated, end-to-end channel for the commerce vertical. From sales to fulfillment to customer loyalty, it takes advantage of Zoho’s customer experience, finance, analytics, and intelligence software to provide businesses an interconnected, firstof-its-kind commerce experience platform.

“Businesses today are forced to navigate the technology jungle to figure out the right applications needed to run their operations—this is no different and can be even more challenging in commerce,” said Gibu Mathew, vice president and general manager, Asia Pacific, Zoho Corp.

“With Commerce Plus, we offer one platform to run an entire commerce business, allowing businesses to focus on what is important for success. Built on Zoho One, Commerce Plus is the operating system for commerce,” he added.

For IDC Digital Commerce and Enterprise Applications Research Manager Jordan Jewell, digital commerce is very competitive that innovation and high-quality customer experience are needed for organizations looking to successfully sell online.

“Zoho’s new Commerce Plus product offers a unique approach to commerce as it offers native integrations with both front- and back-office applications, better equipping customers to achieve omnichannel commerce operations,” he said.

“The company’s international customer base also bodes well for Zoho Commerce Plus, since emerging markets will become the largest sources of growth over the next five years,” he added.

Commerce Plus offers fast and easy ways to build an online presence. Through built-in templates, it allows users to rapidly digitize their commerce business with less effort. The portal enables users to sell across channels. Businesses can sell online through their own e-commerce store, third-party marketplaces, brick-and-mortar storefronts, or other channels.

It helps businesses keep a single inventory of items sold across multiple channels. Integrated with Zoho’s Customer Experience platform, it allows businesses to offer a personalized experience to every visitor by combining information across customer touch points.

Omni-channel customer communication—available as part of the customer experience platform—is inherited

by Commerce Plus, enabling context-aware dialogue with prospects and customers.

With customer data seamlessly flowing across multiple communication channels— e-mail, chat, phone and more—marketing, sales and support representatives have a unified view and context of each customer and can deliver a consistent, cohesive experience.

Order management, fulfillment tools, shipping, labels, notifications, inventory management, warehouse management and more are included with the platform. It is integrated with over 40 global shipping providers, enabling businesses to create shipping labels directly from the software.

All sales orders, purchases, expenses and other transactions, including deposits to business bank accounts, are integrated with Zoho’s world-class accounting system.

Zoho Analytics offers several pre-built dashboards and reports for Commerce Plus.

Several reports offer visibility into visitor behavior on any e-commerce store, and provide insights into conversions for every product sold on the e-commerce store.

Data from any third-party system can be imported into Zoho Analytics and analyzed alongside data from Commerce Plus, providing blended insights.

Artificial-intelligence capabilities come from Zoho One. Intelligence from sales, marketing, support and other Zohos apps is combined with commerce data, offering intelligent insights to the user. Zia, Ask Zia, Zia Voice and Zia Search are all available

throughout the platform. AI is a major factor in Commerce Plus’ fraud detection. Through Zoho Flow, the company’s integration platform, Commerce Plus enables seamless integration with third-party systems with over 200 applications.

Zoho will be launching Concierge, a jump-start service, for businesses to set up and configure a commerce business for a flat fee of $1,000. Also, it is launching its own store on the Commerce Plus platform, where customers can purchase Zoho merchandise.

Commerce Plus can be licensed either as an entire platform or specifically for creating an online store. Price starts at $20 per month to get started with e-commerce. To license the entire Commerce Plus platform, it is $100 per month plus $30 for each employee or $75 per user.

BusinessMirror

A10 Saturday, September 7, 2019

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Computer glitch in France delays hundreds of �lights beyond

BY NADINE ACHOUI-LESAGE The Associated Press

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ARIS—A computer breakdown briefly disrupted all air traffic in France and caused a cascade of delayed flights in multiple countries on Sunday, the last day of European summer holidays.

Hundreds of flights were delayed at airports from Britain to Morocco and beyond. Hours after the problem with a French automatic flight plan system was fixed, schedules still lagged elsewhere.

A spokesman for French civil aviation authority DGAC said the cause of the morning breakdown was being investigated.

The problem had “no impact on flight security” and was fixed before midday, allowing traffic to resume, the spokesman said. He wasn’t authorized to be publicly named under the authority’s rules.

But DGAC temporarily halted all air traffic under French control, which included planes flying over France. The directive covered planes going in and out of Paris from Charles de Gaulle, one of Europe’s busiest airports.

Passengers traveling from neighboring countries such as Britain were particularly hard-hit as air-traffic authorities struggled to redirect flights through Europe’s crowded air space. British Airways said in a statement: “We do expect disruption to some of our flights to France and Spain, as well as services flying over those countries.”

It offered free ticket exchanges to anyone traveling to France, Spain, Italy or Portugal. As he waited to take off for Paris from the Moroccan city of Casablanca, a Royal Air Maroc pilot described the breakdown as “exceptional.” After a confusing delay, his flight was then rerouted to Milan. ■

Adulting is hard, but keeping friendships shouldn’t be WE’VE pretty much all been there: Forgetting to respond to friends’ messages, ignoring online posts about their beloved pet, flaking out on their Saturday night invite.

And, yes, these might make you feel like a terrible friend, but it’s pretty common to get caught up with family matters, work or other commitments. Adulting is hard— there’s no way you’re going to be available all the time—but you can also find ways to maintain those meaningful relationships, and even send a little treat (the faster to get you back into their good books).

National Friendship Month may have just passed, but there will always be a not-to-be-missed opportunity to get back on track with some of the people you’ve “seen-zoned.” Here are three great ways you can use leading communications app Viber to make it up to them, and do better.

1. “I JUST CALLED TO SAY.” Hit the gang up via Viber Group Calls to loop everyone in on breaking news, earthshattering revelations, or just your life or lack thereof.

This feature lets you do crystal clear audio

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BREAK the Fake first-place winners Carlos Nazareno, Dominic Ligot, Nikko Torcita with the judges, event organizers and sponsors

calls (very important when spilling the proverbial tea) with up to five people when you’re in a group chat, or already on a call with one of your friends—saving you time and ensuring no one’s left behind.

2. “ALEXA, PLAY ‘FRIENDS’ BY THE CARTERS.” The Internet has made a new kind of inside joke: memes. And thousands of them are easily accessible via the GIFs you can find in Viber’s Chat Extensions. The app even has TuneMojis or GIFs with sounds to make your replies or clapbacks snappier.

Aside from exchanging memes, Chat Extensions also allow you to send Spotify music or YouTube videos to friends. You can even plan your trips with Booking.com—all within the comfort of your group chat.

3. BE EXTRA (NICE). Surprise the squad with Share Treats, Viber’s latest Chat Extensions feature that allows users to send gifts hassle-free. Celebrate a friend’s special day or cheer a sis or bro up when their day is turning out far from amazing.

Whether it’s getting them a muchneeded caffeine fix, satisfying that chicken

craving, or treating them to a GrabCar ride, among others, your gesture is sure to be appreciated and places you at the top of the “best friends ever” list.

Friends, unlike family (you’re born into

them), are the people you’ve chosen to be part of your life. As cheesy as it may sound, these are the ones who make this crazy world a little bit more bearable, and they deserve your care and attention.

EXCLUSIVE, CURATED SHOPPING DEALS AWAIT WITH SSI LOYALTY APP SHOPPING at SSI (Stores Specialists Inc., www.ssilife. com.ph) is now a level higher with the latest innovation to up the luxe experience for consumers.

With the introduction of a smartphone app designed to make one’s shopping experience more rewarding, shoppers of brands under SSI—Alexander McQueen, Armani Exchange, Bally, Banana Republic, Beauty Bar, L’Occitane, Pottery Barn, Salvatore Ferragamo, among others—can now get exclusive rewards tailor-made to their buying preferences.

The app My SSI Life curates customers’ shopping journey while offering loyalty rewards for every purchase. By using the app, customers earn points that can be redeemed as rebates each time they shop at participating SSI stores. Depending on the brand purchased, they receive one point for every P200 or P300 spend. The points are valid for redemption until March 31 of the following year. A registered purchase of at least P130,000 within a year upgrades the customer to Elite Status, which offers even more exciting benefits such as a 10 percent discount on regular priced products at participating stored during their birth month plus exclusive in-app offers.

In addition, subscribers to My SSI Life can enjoy exclusive offers via e-vouchers from participating brands. This curated shopping experience features suggestions on the latest trends based on the brands they love, along with notifications on upcoming events to stay updated on the season’s latest styles and promotions.

The SSI Life App can be downloaded through Google Play and the Apple App Store.

TEAM COMPOSED OF ADMU, DLSU AND U.P. ALUMNI WIN ‘BREAK THE FAKE’ HACKATHON WITH SOLUTION TO TRACK RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN FAKE NEWS SITES

BY RIZAL RAOUL S. REYES A TEAM composed of graduates from Ateneo de Manila University, De La Salle University and University of the Philippines-Diliman recently bagged first place in the recently concluded “Break the Fake Hackathon,” a three-city event that challenges programmers and developers to create systems that will help institutions battle disinformation.

Team Troglodyte composed of Carlos Nazareno (ADMU), Dominic Ligot (DLSU) and Nikko Torcita (University of the Philippines-Diliman) topped the competition when they created a network graph to track purveyors of disinformation out the relationships of fake news web sites with each other.

The team also brought their prototype that they showed the judges during their pitch.

“The network graph proposed by Team Troglodyte is truly innovative. By mapping out the Web of fake news sites— which have figurative and literal links to one another—we can also begin to separate these sources from legitimate outlets and publications. Separating the two will undoubtedly lift the quality of public discourse,” said Sofia Galve, one of the partners for Break the Fake.

Jakarta, capital of Indonesia, was the inaugural stop of the event and then moved to Kuala Lumpur for the second outing in July, The Manila leg was the last stop of the event.

Participants were encouraged to develop a multitude of possible solutions to fight fake news, including everything from an online database of fake news sites and an anti-fake

news content portal to more niche solutions, like an app that identifies whether an applicant’s credentials are true, or a mapping tool that maps traffic sources of a social sentiment in an online platform.

The other winners, Team Git Stash and Team GigaMike, won second and third place, respectively. Team Git Stash created a Web browser extension that bridged the gap between users and fact-checking organizations, while Team GigaMike created an app that gives bloggers a badge that detects fake news. Each team only had five minutes to pitch their creation, and had three minutes to answer the judges’ questions. Devcon, an organization dedicated to

professionalizing Filipino IT professionals, partnered with Break the Fake for the hackathon.

“Many people associate innovation with just web sites and apps, but technology is so much more than that. Just as the previous generation of innovators has worked to keep our data, privacy and identify safe from cyber criminals, the next will be tasked with ensuring the integrity of our news and information. We’re proud to encourage solutions in this endeavor,” said Devcon Founder and President Winston Damarillo, who is a serial entrepreneur and CEO of Amihan Global Strategies, in a press statement.

The winning teams from each of the three cities will then

compete in the Grand Hackathon that will be held on the second week of September in Manila, Philippines, where they will have the chance to win P100,000 worth of prizes.

The winners will also be given opportunities to pitch their programs to potential investors, visit the country offices of some of the region’s biggest companies, get mentorship from local entrepreneurs and professionals, and consultancy from marketing and events management company Ambidextr.

The hackathon was made possible through the generous grant awarded by the Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative Seeds for the Future program of the US government, in cooperation with Cultural Vistas. Launched in 2013, YSEALI is the signature program of the US to strengthen youth leadership in the region.

The Break the Fake Hackathon was among the 21 winners of the small grants competition, where they received grants ranging from $4,000 to $15,000. The winners emerged as most deserving from the 400 applications the organization received in Southeast Asia.

Gabriel Billones Jr. the lead organizer of Break the Fake Movement, said the organization aims to engage the public, especially the youth, through technology-driven media literacy events to combat fake news.

“Fake news is one of the most pressing issues facing the world today. It will take the ingenuity of our youth, combined with the power of technology, to put an end to this trend. We wanted to give them a forum to realize their solutions and mobilize them into action,” said Billones.

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HOMIDO GRAB Virtual Reality Headset

Big discounts on favorite brands with Macpower sale THE “ber” months are upon us and we’re almost hitting 2019 Christmas Day. As an early treat, Macpower gives consumers access to splurge or stock-up on holiday gifts by scoring up to 75 percent off on their favorite gadget brands.

The over P3,000 Homido Grab Virtual Reality Headset, which is nearly compatible with every smartphone brand’s latest models, will be on sale for only P500! It can save consumers as much as 86 percent off.

Get your iPhone XS, XR and XS Max’s screen protected with Maxboost screen protector for only P800. Stream your favorite music up to 10 hours with MB Quart’s QUBThree portable speaker.

From P7,550, it will be on sale for only P1,200.

In case you’re still using your iPhone 6 or 6 Plus, you can score a Rhinoshield protective case with a choice of the following color variants: black, blue, pink, green, purple, red, silver, white, yellow and gray. Buy it at P1,680 and score a free screen protector or power bank.

For those carrying their iPhone XS Max, Rhinoshield’s Solidsuit Carbon Fiber now retails for P2,490. Consumers may choose between dark blue or white colors. It also comes with a free screen protector or power bank.

Runtastic’s Moments Elite fitness watch, which originally sells for P13,940, is now priced at P9,000.

Even better, you can score one more fitness watch for free for every purchase of Moments Elite.

These are just some of the products of Macpower’s partner brands that will go on sale this September. The sale will be held at the Titanium Function Room, F1 Hotel Manila, 32nd Street, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig, from September 11 to 14, from 10 am to 8 pm.

Admission is free, so you don’t have to worry about spending to start your gadget hoarding.

More information is available at www. macgadgets.ph and www.macpowermarketing.com.ph.

Smells like ‘T’ spirit TECHNIVORE ED UY

whereiseduy@gmail.com

I

T used to be that a slight change in temperature and the cooler breeze in the mornings signal the start of the four-month long Christmas season here in the Philippines. Now it’s the Jose Mari Chan memes, the online sale announcements from Lazada and Shopee, and the release of devices competing for your holiday bonus that flood your social-media feeds on the very first day of September.

We’re barely finished with the first week and already two new smartphones have launched with a third one coming in the next few days. Well, technically the Huawei Nova 5T was announced on August 29, but just like Xiaomi’s Mi 9T Pro, both devices hit preorders this weekend.

Preorder dates aren’t the only thing the two devices have in common. They are both midrange devices powered by flagship processors, target a similar age group, and have the same price tags—and, oh, in case you haven’t noticed, they both have “T” in their names.

But which one is better? Well, we are still currently testing both devices and we’ll have a more detailed comparison in the coming weeks. But if you are looking for a new smartphone that could give more expensive flagships a run for their money, the Mi 9T Pro and Nova 5T are at the top of most tech reviewers recommendations.

FASTEST SMARTPHONE IN ITS CLASS

QUBTHREE portable speaker

BUT for this week, let’s start with the Mi 9T Pro. I know a lot of Mi fans are still disappointed about the “floating” status of the Pocophone F2; well, the Mi 9T Pro may be the good news they have been waiting for.

Equipped with a the fastest Qualcomm Snapdragon processor and pop-up camera, Mi 9T Pro boasts a sustained peak performance and an immersive full-screen experience.

Featuring an eight-layer graphite cooling system and a modish design to boot, the Mi 9T Pro is a no-brainer for gamers, casual creators, and young professionals alike.

The Mi 9T Pro sports the flagship Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 platform, which consists of an octa-core CPU with a 2.84GHz maximum clock speed and the new Qualcomm Adreno 640 GPU, for a CPU and GPU performance increase of 45 percent and 20 percent, respectively, over its predecessor Snapdragon 845. It also boasts of an eightlayer graphite-stack and bidirectional cooling system that dissipates heat generated during long-term use for maximum comfort.

Gaming enthusiasts will enjoy Game Turbo 2.0, which optimizes Mi 9T Pro’s touch response, display, sound quality, network and in-game calls. The feature elevates the device’s touch response rate to 180Hz while reducing click and touch response times to approximately 70 milliseconds to enable the ultimate gaming experience.

Mi 9T Pro touts the ultimate triple camera setup, boasting an AI 48MP primary camera, a 13MP ultrawide portrait camera, and an 8MP telephoto camera.

The steady handheld night photography and motion tracking features let users capture high-quality photos in any setting. Video quality is also buttery smooth with updated UHD 4K software that captures moments at 60fps.

Pop-up cameras have become a standout feature this year and the Mi 9T Pro has a 20MP pop-up selfie camera and the only one with an LED light.

This allows the Mi 9T Pro to achieve a truly bezelless design with a stunning 6.39” AMOLED FHD+ display and a 91.9-percent screen-to-body ratio. Its DC brightness control setting automatically adjusts brightness to eliminate irritating flickers in low-light conditions, while Sunlight display 2.0 enables easy viewing in harsh lighting conditions.

Moreover, Mi 9T Pro is equipped with 7thgeneration in-screen fingerprint technology with

FOR those planning to travel abroad, you might want to drop by the Klook Travel Fest happening this weekend at the World Trade Center, not only for great travel deals but also amazing discounts on your data roaming for as low as P150.

With its award-winning app, Klook makes it so easy to book over 100,000 attractions and activities in 300+ destinations around the world, making it a seamless experience to do all that you’ve always dreamt of at this year’s Klook Travel Fest.

Other things waiting for you at the Klook Travel Fest are exciting raffle prizes and chances to win Klook vouchers for out-of-this-world discounts; exclusive deals on top tourist attractions around the world; talks and tips from travel icons; good food, and a lot more. Smart subscribers can also get an exclusive voucher from Klook at the event.

Make the most of your travels with Smart’s fastest LTE network, which lets you share your precious moments on Instagram and Facebook instantly, keep in touch with family and friends in real-time, and enjoy all your favorite apps seamlessly in the Philippines and beyond. ■

Rescue 161, Marikina City’s Quick Response Team, also recognizes the importance of utilizing technology in making the community disasterresilient. “We spread vital information, such as the water level of the Marikina River, and class suspensions through our Facebook page,” said training officer Shiella Marie Cuyugan.

Oftentimes, children and grandchildren are impatient when it comes to teaching their elders about technology. Alyssa Lyka Largo, a youth volunteer from Aklat-GenSan, said the session also had an impact on her. “We should also be part of efforts like this to reach out to our senior citizens and teach them

about the use of technology during times of disaster because we are the most knowledgeable about these matters,” she said. “It is our responsibility to pass on our knowledge to our elders, so they would not feel left behind.” The Smart Millenniors program aims to teach senior citizens about technology, particularly about smartphones, mobile data and social media, with the help of youth volunteers from their respective communities.

Smart’s Safe PH disaster preparedness advocacy, on the other hand, aims to help build more resilient communities through technology and on-ground activities. ■

an increased sensor size, thus improving the unlock success rate and fingerprint recognition speed.

Flaunting a narrow frame with Gorilla Glass 5 on the front and back, the device sports a comfortable form factor that shapes to fit the hand perfectly.

Leveraging nano-holographic technology, Mi 9T Pro’s four-sided curved glass back showcases a unique flamed texture for its Flame Red and Glacier Blue color variants. But there’s also a Carbon Black variant for those who prefer a more classic look.

Keeping the Mi 9T Pro going is a 4000mAh high-capacity battery and since it also supports 27W fast charger, you’ll never run out of juice as it can charge the device to 58 percent in just 30 minutes and full charge in 73 minutes. Oh, and you’ll be glad to know that it still retains the 3.5mm headphone jack.

The Mi 9T Pro will come in two variants; the 6GB+64GB will retail for P18,990 and the 6GB+128GB fetches for P20,490.

DATA DEALS AT THE KLOOK TRAVEL FEST

The Internet isn’t just for young people CONTINUED FROM A12 Citizens Association in General Santos.

Amparo Catina, 65-year-old from Marikina, said the lessons of the day really resonated with her, particularly the 4Ps of emergency preparedness: pray, plan, prepare and practice. “If I have time to talk to anyone who needs information, I am also very much willing to share what I learned. I am thankful that I was here today to learn about these things. To us senior citizens, these are important and useful information,” Catina said.

Louie Domingo, director of EMC who shared his

knowledge in the Marikina session, said disasterpreparedness is also important for seniors because it brings a higher chance of survival. “If you’re always prepared for disaster, your quickly recover.

There’s also less chance for you to get hurt because you know what to do with your skills and gear,” he said, adding that technology is also a valuable tool in preparing for disasters. “Technology enables us to learn from other countries’ best practices in making communities more resilient to calamities, and localize these knowledge for Filipinos. Because of technology, information gets to people faster at the appropriate time,” said Domingo.

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

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The Internet isn’t just for young people PRIMETIME

DINNA CHAN VASQUEZ @dinnachanvasquez luckydinna@gmail.com

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EENS and millennials aren’t the only ones who are on Facebook and Instagram all the time. Senior citizens also need informationtechnology know-how so they can communicate with relatives and friends, and access ride sharing apps like Grab.

Retired and lonely, I think seniors need to be online if they have Internet access because it helps them socially and even intellectually. Communication and knowledge aren’t just for the young.

For seniors, technology also has other and more

urgent purposes. In the event of natural disasters, technology can help them a lot.

On World Senior Citizens Day, PLDT wireless subsidiary Smart Communications Inc. (Smart) hosted a gathering of senior citizens from Luzon,

Visayas and Mindanao to teach them the basics of disaster-preparedness in the first Safe PH for Smart Millenniors campaign. Senior citizens from barangays Fortune in Marikina City, Colawin in Argao, Cebu, and General Santos City were at

simultaneous sessions held in their respective areas. The subjects included community hazards, local disaster response protocols, emergency kit preparation, and use of mobile phones and their features for disaster preparedness.

Representatives from the local disaster risk reduction management offices of Marikina, Argao and General Santos, the Emergency Management Center (EMC) and Smart shared tips on what seniors should include in their respective Go Bags, how they can involve their families in preparing for disasters, where they can follow their respective Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office offices on social media, and how to activate Emergency Cell Broadcast in their phones, among other lessons.

“It is important for senior citizens to know how to prepare for disasters and emergencies, so that they would be of help not only to themselves and their families, but also to other people, like their neighbors and their community,” said participant Ruthy Amoguis, 66, president of the Federation of Senior

CONTINUED ON A11

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BARANGAY Fortune, Marikina City, seniors participated in the Safe PH for Smart Millenniors, where they also learned about activating the Emergency Cell Broadcast feature of their phones.

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In the ad material of Notice of filing of Application for Alien Employment Permits published on September 5, 2019, the Nationality of Mr. Tazawa, Manabu under NNR GLOBAL LOGISCTICS (PHILIPPINES), INC. should have been read as Japanese and not as published.

If you have any information / objection to the above mentioned application/s, please communicate with the Regional Director thru Employment Promotion and Workers Welfare (EPWW) Division with Telephone No. 400-6011.

ATTY. SARAH BUENA S. MIRASOL REGIONAL DIRECTOR

A18 Saturday, September 7, 2019

Wilcon awards Win Your Dream Ride promo winner

Setting the PACE at the 10th Philippine Culinary Cup

P

ACE is truly grateful and humbled by the awards the school has received at the 10th Philippine Culinary Cup. For the first time in 10 years, a provincial-based school has won the Overall Champion title. PACE proudly hails from Rizal, founded and managed by Rizalenos.

The Philippine Culinary Cup, the only culinary competition in the Philippines sanctioned by the World Association of Chef Societies (WACS) has showcased the best of the best in the industry. On its 10th year of staging, PCC has attracted a variety of competing teams and individuals all across Asia. The panel of distinguished judges from different countries has raised the bar of standards for this year’s competition. Nothing was easy and every competitor had to earn their medal. In the last 10 years, only 4 schools have held the title of overall champion and now PACE belongs to the illustrious list of winners.

Success is no accident. It takes hard work, perseverance and humility to learn. And most of all, to love what you do spells the difference in achieving success. In the case of PACE, it took 5 years of learning while in competition, 62 Bronzes, 37 Silvers and 5 Gold podium finishes for PACE

to achieve where it is right now. Through the mentorship of its Culinary Captains, Chef Lowell Cauilan, himself a gold medallist and Chef Menoy Gimenez, a culinary education pioneer together with the collaborative effort between the instructors, its students and supporters, they have brought PACE at the top of the competition.

The feat of being an overall champion in the non-professional category will serve as an inspiration for us to be better and take risks moving forward for the benefit of our students and alumni. Indeed, success is where opportunity and preparation meet.

PACE had the opportunity to transform from good to great and our years of preparation enabled us to be on TOP.

W

ILCON Depot, the Philippines' leading home improvement and construction supplies retailer, successfully concluded its three-month promo, Wilcon Win your Dream Ride Promo and awarded the brand-new Toyota Fortuner car to one of the six lucky Wilcon shoppers.

The lucky winner from Metro Manila, Nelson Utrillo, received the ceremonial key along with her wife, Abrenica Utrillo, at the Wilcon Depot Libis branch.

The Win Your Dream Ride Promo is Wilcon's way of giving back to its valued customers for the loyalty and patronage they have been showing the brand for over four decades in the retail industry now.

A loyal customer of Wilcon, Utrillo couldn't believe that he was named as the lucky winner from Metro Manila. "It was a blessing, and we're so blessed,” he said during the awarding ceremony. “I am always thankful to all Wilcon

sales personnel who are very friendly and accommodating. My wife loves how Wilcon designed our three bathrooms through their Design Hub with the help of their in-house designer," he said.

“Thank you sa Wilcon. I didn't expect na mananalo kami. Sa lahat ng mga shoppers na nagpapagawa ng bahay or buildings, dito kayo pumunta sa Wilcon Depot kasi the prices are fair compared to others, and the people are friendly and accommodating," Utrillo's wife said.

The couple is thankful for the company's effort of not just helping them build their dream home but also rewarding them with a great shopping experience and the mostexciting promo.

For promo updates, visit www.wilcon.com. ph and follow their official social media accounts on Facebook and Instagram at @wilcondepot. ph. Shop online by visiting www.shop.wilcon. com.ph.

OPMC, Sta. Lucia's exclusive marketing arm, opens new office in Bacolod

Hyundai Motor to Showcase New EV Concept 45 at Frankfurt Motor Show

H

YUNDAI Motor to Showcase New EV Concept at Frankfurt Motor Show. Hyundai Motor will display the company’s focus toward the future direction of car design at the forthcoming IAA Frankfurt Motor Show (Sept. 10-22, 2019). Inspired by looking back at the brand’s first model in the 1970s, the fully-electric concept car will act as a symbolic milestone for Hyundai’s future EV design. The new concept accentuates the forwarddriven design direction while exploring the evolution of Hyundai’s ‘Sensuous Sportiness’ design language. ‘Sensuous’ stands for enhanced emotional values that customers can experience through design, and ‘Sportiness’ is determined to implement those values through innovative mobility solutions.

The design philosophy strips away complexity celebrating the clean lines and minimalistic structure of the original Hyundai Pony.

The REX 2019 Symphony of Learning Solutions: Designed for the Whole Child

T

RUSTED Sta. Lucia Land Inc. collaborator Orchard Property Marketing Corporation (OPMC), has once again added another office to their expansive lists of branches around the country.

Opening its doors to the local Bacolod people, the new OPMC office is located at the Ground Floor of the Unit G Sunlife Building along 19th to 20th Lacson Street.

A ribbon cutting event and a blessing ceremony led by Rev. Joemar Solano was held last Aug 8th to celebrate the opening of the new office.

OPMC Executives who were present in the venue includes VP for Finance and Administration Ms. Teresa Severo, National Sales Director for Broker Network Mr. Anthony Tirona, National Sales Director for In House Network Mr. William Santos and National Marketing Manager Ms. Anne Javier.

Local business partners, associates and

BPI Big Blowout generates P500-million worth of loans, deals

B G

REAT design always leaves an impression, and at a time when digital technologies transform our daily lives in so many ways, impressions always last.

In the state of the education industry today, supplements to the learning journey have been developed to accommodate the needs of the young learner in relation to the impact of Industry 4.0. Digitalization has become a foremost need, and decisionmakers in the industry are continuously

transforming how they address this new set of needs.

REX's symphony of learning solutions is designed with three working principles: an integrative approach that facilitates intricacies with easily understandable workflows, a cohesive and intuitive philosophy toward user experience that enables young learners to easily comprehend and manage information, and a cogently designed and developed suite of outcomes-based solutions that

incorporate the Whole Child Approach's methodology.

REX ensures that every young learner's experience is not merely confined to the digital and virtual, but is rooted and blended with real factors, factual data that they can learn from instinctively.

Learn more about REX 2019 Symphony of Learning Solutions, read their work at http://www.rexpublishing. com.ph/solutions/

broker partners were also in attendance to show their support for the event.

The marketing firm also took the opportunity to open a one-day sales booking discount during the opening for prospect clients who are interested in purchasing properties.

To date, OPMC has 10 offices across the country. 6 offices are based in Luzon including its main office in Pasig City and 3 in the Visayas region. Its office in Davao is currently OPMC's only office in Mindanao.

With the operation of the new office, it is expected that OPMC will gain a wider reach of service delivery and marketing efforts in Visayas.

OPMC is one of the exclusive marketing arm of Sta. Lucia Land Inc. The company is considered to be one of the leading real estate marketing firm with over 25 years in the industry and 55 developed projects nationwide.

ANK of the Philippine Islands (BPI), which is celebrating its 168th anniversary this year, booked over P500 million worth of loan applications and other deals during the second BPI Big Blowout, held on August 16-18.

Thousands of clients and walk-in guests flocked to the one-stop-shop event at Glorietta 2 Activity Center in Makati City to avail themselves of deals on car loans, housing loans, travel destinations, staycation packages, and many more.

“Through this program, we offered exceptionally affordable financial options that enabled many individuals and young families to finally achieve their aspirations. Like we always say, BPI is at your service. We have been, and always will be, coming up with products that will prepare you financially to be Ready Today. Ready Tomorrow,” BPI Southern Metro Manila Branches Division Head Olga Ang said.

The highlights of BPI’s special anniversary offer included one-year free motor insurance

and free chattel mortgage for auto loans, a 6.88% fixed interest rate for five years and waived fees of up to P50,000.00 for housing loans, and a 0.98% interest rate for loans worth P100,000.00 for 36 months, as well as discounts on travel packages. BPI Mitsui Sumimoto (BPI/MS) Insurance also offered income protection for as low as P5,000.00.

Participating merchants and partners include car dealers from AC Automotive (Honda Cars Makati, Isuzu Automotive Dealers, Kia, KTM, Maxus, and Volkswagen), Ayala Land, and Ayala lifestyle partners Seda Hotels, Fairmont Makati, and El Nido Resorts.

Special participation from Ark Travel Express provided clients with exciting travel deals, too.

BPI also highlighted the “transfer via QR code” feature of its mobile banking app.

Customers were able to purchase beverages from a popular milk tea brand for only Php50 just by using BPI’s “transfer via QR code”.

For promos and updates, like BPI on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bpi/