BusinessMirror September 15, 2018

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CEMENT-FILLED drums (above left) are used to anchor small private planes ahead of Ompong, to ensure no planes “take off” without pilots when Ompong deals its worst. Commercial planes of PAL (left) and other airlines are parked in precautionary fashion at the Naia. Above, the literal battening down: steel cables ensure the gates of private hangars don’t get ripped open by the typhoon. RECTO MERCENE

BATTEN DOWN Traumatized by Yolanda and Ondoy, the PHL prepares better and smarter for 2018’s strongest typhoon, Ompong

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OUNDED by the bitter lessons and sad memories of Supertyphoon Yolanda (international code name Haiyan) and how it dealt the past administration one of its most serious public-relations crises, the Duterte administration led the nation on a three-day exercise to prepare everyone for the strongest typhoon to hit the country this year, Ompong (international code name Mangkhut).

DPWH teams (left) prepare for deployment with their equipment, while bancas (right) in coastal areas in southern Metro Manila are preventively fastened. DPWH PHOTO/NONIE REYES

The great battening down was punctuated by a nationally televised command conference in Camp Aguinaldo late Thursday presided by President Duterte, with key Cabinet members and

heads of relevant agencies in attendance.

His marching orders, among others: members of his Cabinet who come from the Northern Luzon areas expected to be hardest-

hit by Ompong must go to their home provinces to personally supervise preparations and poststorm action.

At least 4.3 million people live in areas directly threatened by

Ompong.

On Friday, 24 hours before Ompong was expected to hit land in Cagayan Valley, the battening down went into full gear, following a checklist of sorts that the Na-

tional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) had drilled into everyone, taking a leaf from past experience. Especially, it was obvious, from the bitter lessons of 2013’s Yolanda

(death toll 6,000 plus) and 2009’s Ondoy, where the casualty count was lower at 300-plus but where images of massive, prolonged flooding stunned the world.

Continued on A2

NO DERAILMENT

Hope springs eternal for finance chief amid protests, concern over TRAIN 2

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By Rea Cu

HE Department of Finance (DOF) has expressed confidence that the second package of its Comprehensive Tax Reform Program (CTRP) will still be passed within this year, despite senators earlier expressing concerns that the hoped-for timeline of the administration—passage of the bill

by Christmas—may not be met.

“I am still confident of passage this year [of the Trabaho bill],” Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez III said on Thursday, when sought for comment on a BusinessMirror banner story about a bipartisan consensus emerging in the Senate for a more careful deliberation of the Tax Reform for At-

tracting Better and High-Quality Opportunities, as it is called in the House of Representatives.

The House voted 187-14 on Monday to approve the Trabaho bill on third and final reading, with three members abstaining.

On Tuesday President Duterte, in a televised “tête-á-tête” with

PESO EXCHANGE RATES n US 54.0040

PRESIDENT Duterte listens to a question from Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Salvador Panelo during a state TV talk show at Malacañang on September 11, 2018. Duterte expressed hope the Trabaho bill can be approved before Congress’s Christmas break.

ROBINSON NINAL JR./ MALACANANG PRESIDENTIAL PHOTOGRAPHERS DIVISION VIA AP

Presidential Legal Counsel Salvador Panelo, expressed hope the bill can be approved before Congress’s Christmas break.

However, separately interviewed on Thursday, senators said they will give it (passage by Christmas) their best shot but added that it may be difficult to pass the tax bill before the Christmas break.

Several senators both from the majority and the minority told the BusinessMirror that rushing the next-round reforms, which would cut corporate income taxes and “rationalize” fiscal incentives to business, is made difficult by three factors. The first is time constraint, since the lawmakers first have to work on the 2019 General Appropriations Act, amid debates on the shift to cash-based from obligation-based budgeting, as well as the political distractions from the October deadline for filing certificates of candidacy, with several senators as reelectionists.

Continued on A2

n JAPAN 0.4825 n UK 70.7938 n HK 6.8814 n CHINA 7.8996 n SINGAPORE 39.4190 n AUSTRALIA 38.8397 n EU 63.1415 n SAUDI ARABIA 14.3988

Source: BSP (September 14, 2018 )

A2 Saturday, September 15, 2018

News

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BATTEN DOWN Search, rescue

Continued from a1

Authorities kept close watch of dams, airports and seaports, bridges, roads and highways, especially in those at risk from landslides and mudslides.

They prepositioned equipment for road clearing and repairs, for rescue and cargo lifting; as well as millions worth of relief goods needed for at least the first 72 hours.

Power plants and telecommunications facilities, as well as other structures vital to the first few hours—and during—the typhoon were checked for stability, safety and efficiency.

The battening down was across all levels of government, national to local down to the barangays, and across all sectors.

The national checklist: land, sea, air

ACTUALLY, days before Ompong entered the Philippine area of responsibility (PAR), among the first to swing into action was the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).

All regional and district engineering offices of the DPWH were undertaking preparatory activities to mitigate possible damage from Ompong on vital roads and bridges, and public infrastructure.

As early as Tuesday, September 11, 2018, Public Works Secretary Mark A. Villar issued a memorandum directing the mobilization of DPWH Regional and District Disaster Response Teams nationwide for preparatory activities to ensure structural integrity of vital roads, bridges and high-rise public buildings.

In coordination with the weather bureau Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa),

THE Armed Forces of the Philippines Northern Luzon Command (Nolcom) alerted all of its units to ready for search and rescue operations for the typhoon.

Nolcom commander Lt. Gen. Emmanuel Salamat said all ground forces were already deployed for humanitarian assistance and disaster-response operations.

Air and sea assets from the Air Force and the Navy were also readied for the operations.

Metro Manila IPO Dam (upper left) was one of those under close watch ahead of Ompong. Upper right, a farmer in Bulacan resorts to early harvest. Above, giant billboards along the Nlex were preemptively tucked away to prevent flying debris from damaging property or hitting persons. NONIE REYES

the Office of Civil Defense, Philippine Army, Philippine National Police (PNP), local government units (LGUs), the DPWH Disaster Response Teams—with heavy equipment and necessary logistical needs—were deployed along strategic locations to monitor and submit reports on national roads and bridges every six hours and provide prompt assistance during the onset of typhoon.

Equipment with operators were prepositioned along vital road sections and close to landslide-prone areas to promptly clear debris and restorate, or provide alternatives to, collapsed bridges and cut roads and ensure mobility of disaster-response activities.

Besides ensuring the safety of land travelers, authorities had their hands full watching all travel by water. On Friday morning, the Marina, or maritime industry regulator, announced the cancellation of all passenger vessel trips at the Port of Ormoc City in Leyte, as precaution against the typhoon.

Similar precautions were taken at the Matnog terminal in Sorsogon, where ferries going to Allen, Samar, begin to sail.

In Cagayan Valley officials declared a “no sail and no fishing zone.”

While Northern and Central Luzon were earlier listed as the ones at risk from Ompong, the enlargement of the typhoon’s diameter prompted precautionary measures further down south, especially Bicol region and Eastern Visayas, the ground zero for Yolanda.

Officials at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia), still reeling from the fallout from the August 16 accident involving a Xiamen Airways plane that veered from runway 24 during heavy rain, were apparently not taking chances. They announced it will be closed to operations when Ompong strikes.

Airport General Manager Ed Monreal, meeting with members of the Airline Operators Council, told the AOC to forward their advisories regarding planned cancellations or

delays in flight schedules, “so we can disseminate the information to all passengers and employees who will be affected by the typhoon.”

NDRRMC: P1.7-B food packs

THE NDRRMC prepositioned and also put on standby some P1.7 billion worth of food packs and other relief assistance in preparation for Ompong the day it entered the PAR. Ompong, the NDRRMC noted, directly threatens extreme Northern Luzon, which is still reeling from the effects of the previous typhoon and the southwest monsoon.

NDRRMC Spokesman Edgar Posadas said the standby aid would complement the prepositioned food packs for residents in the provinces of Cagayan, Abra, Isabela, Batanes, Kalinga and Apayao, and the Ilocos provinces.

“The DSWD has ensured the availability of P1.7 billion worth of standby funds and stockpiles, and the prepositioning of food and nonfood items for possible response and relief efforts,” he said.

THOUGH not in the direct path of the typhoon, Metro Manila—notorious for its flash floods—was braced for the worst.

The Metro Manila Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (MMDRRMC) urged Metro LGUs and member-agencies to aim for zero casualty.

“All 17 LGUs in Metro Manila, concerned agencies are all prepared. Manpower and equipment are already prepositioned ahead of the typhoon, which is likely to be felt on Friday,” said Director Romulo Cabantac Jr., MMDRMC senior vice chairman.

The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority’s Metrobase Command Center, host of the 24-hour Crisis Monitoring and Management Center that serves as primary headquarters during calamity, emergency and other crisis situations in Metro Manila, has been readied.

One of the LGUs most cited for disaster preparedness, Makati City, also announced measures it had taken to prepare for Ompong.

Mayor Abby Binay led officials at the Meteorological Assessment Prediction briefing on Thursday afternoon.

Like most LGUs expected to

experience Ompong, Binay ordered the suspension of classes at all levels for both public and private schools in Makati on Friday, September 14, until Saturday, September 15.

The Makati Command Control and Communication Center was closely monitoring Pagasa weather bulletins, while the city’s frontline agencies for disaster response were on high alert and ready for, among others, the evacuation of residents from flood-prone areas, if needed.

NGOs helping communities in at-risk places also went into high gear. “We haven’t seen a typhoon this powerful hit the Philippines in some time. We’re particularly concerned about those living in coastal and low-lying communities, which are set to face ferocious winds, heavy rainfall and flooding, as well as the risk of storm surge,” Save the Children Philippines CEO Alberto Muyot said.

Save the Children deployed a five-member emergency team to Santiago, Luzon, ahead of the storm’s arrival, and prepositioned relief items positioned across the country, including thousands of household, hygiene and back-toschool kits. “We are hoping for the best but preparing for the worst.

Once the storm passes, our team will work with local authorities and other aid agencies to assess the scale of devastation caused by the typhoon, and determine what the needs are of those affected,” Muyot said.

The Global Disaster Alert and Coordination System issued a “red alert” for the storm on Wednesday, warning that more than 42 million people could be affected across the Philippines and southern China.

Hope springs eternal for finance chief amid protests, concern over TRAIN 2 Continued from a1

Controversial provisions

THE second hurdle to meeting a December deadline for Trabaho bill’s passage in the Senate is the need to vet controversial provisions, especially the projected loss of tax perks for locators in economic zones.

Export industry leaders and the Joint Foreign Chambers of Commerce in the Philippines had warned that two of the biggest export revenue drawers, the electronics and semiconductors group and the business-process outsourcing (BPO), could take a hit as many of them are based in economic zones.

Finally, a third factor is credibility, as raised by Sens. Francis Escudero and Joel Villanueva. The two said the fallout from TRAIN

1, which took effect on January 1, 2018, continues to be felt as the nation reels from a 6.4 percent higher-than-expected inflation in August, partly blamed on the excise taxes imposed by that law.

Escudero told the BusinessMirror earlier that the “mistaken and inaccurate assumptions of the same economic managers [who] proposed TRAIN 1 that resulted or at the very least triggered, to a large extent, the extraordinarily high inflation we are suffering from now” give these people “a notso-high credibility with respect to whatever guarantees or projections they may give in connection with the proposed TRAIN 2.”

Passage of TRAIN 2 “might take its toll on reelectionists [re: their schedule and the fact that its a tax measure] which might, at the

very least, affect their time and enthusiasm to support the proposed measure,” he added.

On Thursday Senate President Vicente C. Sotto III indicated to the BusinessMirror that passage of TRAIN 2 can be facilitated, “if it is the version that we will propose.”

Sources have said there are major points where the Senate and House versions diverge, as the latter underwent at least 80 changes before Monday’s third-reading vote.

Package 2 of the CTRP, which aims to reduce corporate income tax rates from 30 percent to 25 percent while rationalizing the country’s fiscal incentives regime, was submitted by the DOF to Congress in January this year. The measure is under House Bill 7458 at the House of Representatives.

Sen. Juan Edgardo Angara,

chairman of the Senate Ways and Means Committee tasked to conduct hearings on tax measures, would not predict the fate of the administration’s latest major tax bill submitted for Congress approval. “I honestly don’t know, it’s not something I control,” Angara said.

On the sidelines of Wednesday’s Arangkada Forum, Angara said his Ways and Means panel intends to ensure that provisions of TRAIN 2 will not be inflationary.

The chairman of the Economic Affairs panel, Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian, said for his part—also at the Arangkada Forum—that his committee will work to safeguard the incentives of the electronics and semiconductors sector, as well as BPO, considering their hefty contributions to the economy.

GIE incentive may be kept

GATCHALIAN said he is open to retaining the 5-percent gross income earned (GIE) tax incentive under TRAIN 2.

The Senate is considering keeping the 5-percent GIE tax incentive for certain industries depending on their cost-structure, but he said the government should not grant such tax perks for an indefinite period. “I do admit that we need to rationalize the concept of giving perpetual incentives.”

The 5-percent GIE incentive is given to locators registered with the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (Peza).

The DOF’s version of this taxreform package wants to eliminate the 5-percent GIE tax incentives extended by Peza to its registered investors. The companies continue

to enjoy the perk so long as they are operating inside a Peza zone.

“The Trabaho bill that the House [of Representatives] approved is a much, I think, different version from the DOF version, in the sense that they made a lot of adjustments so that jobs will not be lost,” said Gatchalian.

“And that’s also the view of the Senate, we will make sure that we will not lose the jobs and make sure that the country will not have a negative image because we’re neglecting our contracts. We want to make sure that this bill, as intended, will make the Philippines competitive with its peers by lowering down corporate income tax to 20 percent eventually,” he added.

Angara told reporters the Senate will tackle the proposed bill on September 25. With a PNA report

The World BusinessMirror

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Saturday, September 15, 2018

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Florence’s wrath hits Carolina coast, with worst still to come

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urricane Florence is swirling closer to the US East Coast, battering the Carolinas with water and wind and threatening to unleash widespread destruction.

Life-t hreatening stor m surge and heavy rain were occurring along the North Carolina coast at around 2 a.m. local time. The Category 1 hurricane was moving with maximum sustained winds of 145 kilometers an hour, and is about 50 kilometers east of Wilmington. Weeks after forming off the African coast, Florence is forecast to finally make landfall later on Friday.

Hur r icane-force w inds lashed waterfront towns, including Wilmington and New Bern, ahead of what’s expected to be a deadly 11-foot surge.

Florence is also forecast to drench parts of the Carolinas with as much as 40 inches of rain, producing catastrophic f lash f looding, according to an advisory from the National

Hurricane Center (NHC).

About 27,000 Duke Energy Corp. customers have already lost power—as many as 3 million may eventually be in the dark for days or even weeks.

What the hurricane “has now lost in terms of maximum wind speeds near its center, it has now gained in terms of sheer expansiveness,” said Peter Mullinax, a meteorologist at Planalytics.

“This will be one of the worst storm surge events likely in North Carolina’s history.”

The total bill for damage from Florence could eventually reach $10 billion to $20 billion, said Chuck Watson, a disaster researcher at Enki Research in Savannah, Georgia. Hundreds of thousands of people have evacuated the coast, more than 1,500 US flights have been can-

celed, factories were shut and farmers rushed to save crops, poultry and pigs in anticipation of the storm.

Tens of thousands of structures are expected to be flooded by storm surge alone, North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper said at a news conference on Thursday.

“Our greatest concern about this storm remains the same—storm surge and massive flooding,” he said.

Florence is menacing the US coast just as Supertyphoon Mangkhut is threatening to spur chaos in parts of Asia. The Philippines placed the main Luzon island under storm alert and said as many as 824,000 Filipinos may have to be evacuated before the storm hits land in the northern province of Cagayan overnight.

Little change in strength is expected before Florence moves inland, according to the NHC. On the forecast track, the center of the storm is expected to move inland across extreme southeastern North Carolina and extreme easter n South Carolina on Friday and Saturday. It will then go northward across the western Carolinas and the central Appalachian

Gunman kills ex-wife, 4 others and himself in California

This photo from video from a deputy’s body camera, provided by the Kern County, California Sheriff’s Office, shows officers and others treating Javier Casarez, 54, moments after he fatally shot himself, during a confrontation in Bakersfield, California, last Wednesday. Kern County Sheriff Donny Youngblood on Thursday identified Casarez as the gunman who fatally shot his ex-wife and a man at a trucking company before chasing after another man, killing him, and then driving to a home where he shot dead a father and daughter in a nearly 40-minute rampage on Wednesday. AP

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OS ANGELES—A gunman in Southern California fatally shot his ex-wife and a man at a trucking company before chasing after another man, killing him, and then driving to a home where he killed a father and daughter during a nearly 40-minute rampage, authorities said on Thursday.

Kern County Sheriff Donny Youngblood identified the gunman as Javier Casarez during a news conference about the shootings that claimed five victims in Bakersfield, about 145 kilometers north of Los Angeles.

Casarez, 54, fatally shot himself as a deputy closed in on him shortly after the shooting.

Court records show a divorce between Casarez and his wife Petra Maribel Bolanos de Casarez was finalized in April. Bolanos recently filed for a change involving child support and custody over the couple’s two teenage children, and the pair had a hearing set for October 11, court records show.

Youngblood said it appears that Casarez targeted every victim, starting with a worker at T&T Trucking, and that domestic violence appears to have played a large part.

“It appears to be there’s more than just husband and wife having a fight because other people were targeted,” he said. “There’s a reason for that and we need to find that reason.”

Casarez likely took his ex-wife to the trucking company against her will and then fatally shot 50-yearold Manuel Contreras with a .50-caliber handgun, authorities said. He shot his ex-wife and then turned the gun on a second man, 50-year-old Antonio Valadez, the sheriff ’s department said.

Casarez fired at Valadez as he ran away, but then tracked him down in his car and killed him, the sheriff said. Casarez then drove to the house of 57-year-old Eliseo Garcia Cazares, who Youngblood identified as a friend. Casarez fatally shot Garcia and his daughter, 31-year-old Laura Garcia.

“She may have tried to intervene to keep the suspect from approaching her father, and he shot and killed both of them,” Youngblood said.

After the shooting at the Garcia home, Casarez carjacked a woman driving with her child. The woman and child escaped, and Casarez drove to a highway where a sheriff ’s deputy saw him, Youngblood said.

As the deputy closed in, yelling at Casarez to drop his gun, Casarez fatally shot himself in the stomach, according to graphic body camera footage released by police on Facebook.

The video shows deputies and paramedics working to save Casarez.

Deputies look over Casarez’s gun and talk about how he would have had to reload it during the rampage.

David Bunting, who said he’s a friend of Eliseo Garcia Cazares and lives two doors down from him, said he has no idea why his neighbor would have been targeted. He said Garcia was a self-employed truck driver who always was with his grandkids when not working, often driving them around on his golf cart.

“He’s a really nice guy. I can’t say enough good things about him,” Bunting said. “It’s kind of a shock because of the kind of a person he was.”

He said his daughter Laura was a mother of four and that most of the Garcias’ large family was home at the time of the shooting. He said they’re devastated and in shock.

He said Eliseo Garcia Cazares and his wife had four grown children, including a daughter who was killed in a car accident a few years ago.

T&T Trucking, where the initial shooting happened, said in a statement that the company “is in a state of mourning.” AP

Mountains early next week.

Once the center moves inland, the intensity of the hurricane is forecast to decrease, according to a forecast discussion posted on the NHC’s web site. Florence should weaken to a tropical storm after 24 hours and then below tropical storm strength after 48 hours.

“We’re still going to get catastrophic inland flooding from heavy rains and multibillion-dollar stormsurge damage along the coast where it hits,’’ said Jeff Masters, cofounder

of Weather Underground Inc. in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Keith Beavers, a farmer in Duplin County, North Carolina, was rushing on Thursday to harvest as much corn as he could ahead of the storm.

He still has peanuts, soybeans and sweet potatoes in the ground. And while he’s managed to pull tobacco leaves from the field, he’s concerned because they require curing in a barn with power.

“If this thing comes inland and stops in eastern North Carolina

like they forecast it, and we get two days of continuous rain, the rain will be our biggest damage,” he said.

“It’s discouraging to see a crop you worked with all year long, nurture it, plant it and see it destroyed.”

North Carolina is the largest tobacco grower and ranks second among US states in hog inventory and producing broiler chickens. CoBank ACB, an agricultural lender, estimates damage to North Carolina farming could hit $1 billion before the storm slows. Bloomberg News

ExportUnlimited

A4 Saturday, September 15, 2018 • Editor: Efleda P. Campos

BusinessMirror

70 PHL firms eye export expansion across China, Southeast Asia at Caexpo 2018

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EVENTY local firms have joined the Philippine delegation in the 15th China-Asean Expo (Caexpo) in the country’s Commodity Pavilion located at Hall D15 of the Nanning International Convention and Exhibition Center in Guangxi, China, from September 12 to 15.

Led by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), through the Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions (Citem), members of the national delegation are currently exhibiting the country’s premier export brands and products in the four various sectors: home and fashion, food, services, and health and wellness.

“The Philippine export drive in China and Southeast Asia is now in full swing as we bring the highest number of local firms yet in the country’s 13 years of participation in Caexpo,” said DTICitem Executive Director Paulina Suaco-Juan, also the delegation’s vice secretary- general.

“This bigger and bolder participation signifies the government’s commitment to scale up local play-

ers in the international market and strengthen the country’s position as a global trade and investment hub,” she noted.

Caexpo is the second-biggest trade event in China, with a total exhibition space of more than 100,000 square meters, accommodating around 4,600 exhibition booths and 57,000 participants all over the world.

It is the only international trade fair in the region dedicated to promoting the building of China-Asean Free Trade Area (Cafta) and celebrating regional economic and trade cooperation.

For 2018 the DTI-Citem targets for the delegation to generate $26 million worth of export deals from trade buyers.

In 2017 the Philippine delegation

had 42 exhibiting companies with a target of $8 million in export sales.

Companies that year were able to bring in $37.94-million export deals from 4,076 buyers, increasing its sales by more than sixfold compared to the $6.747 million in 2016.

The best sellers in 2017 are banana chips, native bags made of pandan and healthy drinks made from tropical fruits like mangosteen and guyabano.

“For this year, we increased the number of companies that sell natural and organic food products since there is a huge demand from the increasingly health-conscious Chinese market as observed from last year’s participation,” Suaco-Juan said.

“We look to leverage on these trade opportunities as more demand comes with China’s continuous economic expansion with its ‘Belt and Road’ initiative,” she added.

Innovation is a highlight of the 15th Caexpo since it will showcase the trends in the manufacturing sector in China and Asean countries by popularizing advanced information and smart technologies, strengthening the bilateral cooperation in industrial capacity and equipment manufacturing.

“Aside from selling, our local companies can get new product inspirations from the innovative exhibits and business-matching activities as

they seek to better integrate themselves in the global value chain,” she said.

As part of the delegation, seven investment promotion agencies (IPAs) are set to present the Philippine Investment Promotion Plan (PIPP) through an exhibit in the National Pavilion and a conference to highlight the country’s agritourism services and investment packages.

The investment opportunities are discussed at the “Philippine Investment Promotion Conference” from 2 to 5 p.m. at Seminar Room D105 along the Hibiscus Hall during the second day of Caexpo on September 15.

Participating IPAs include the Board of Investments, Clark Development Corp., Cagayan Economic Zone Authority, Mount Samat Flagship Tourism Enterprise Zone, Philippine Retirement Authority, Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority and Tourism Infrastructure and Economic Zone Authority.

Other partner agencies forming the Philippine delegation include the Provincial Government of Tarlac, Philippine Trade and Investment Center in Guangzhou, DTI-Export Marketing Bureau, DTI Region 11, the Department of Agriculture-Agribusiness and Marketing Assistance Service, Tourism Promotions Board and Bank of China.

BOI partners with garments, textile, leather-goods manufacturers to further strengthen local industry

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HE Board of Investments (BOI), the country’s lead industry development and primary investment promotion agency, has teamed up with the Philippine Exhibitions and Trade Corp. (Petco) and CP Exhibition Ltd. Hong Kong to promote the country’s garments, textile and leather-goods sector through the Philippine Garment and Leather Goods Industries and Fabric Expo held from August 23 to 26 at the SMX Convention Center, Mall of Asia Complex in Pasay City.

Being the first-ever trade event in the Philippines to focus on promoting the wearables, textile and leather sectors, the expo served as a venue where 11 local and 70 international companies showcased export-quality products, and connect with investors to discuss business opportunities. The expo also arranged a series of factory visits for investors, business matching and forums which were open to the public.

One of the highlights of the expo was the Philippine Pavilion, which showcased products from promising local enterprises.

In his message during the opening ceremony of the expo, Trade Secretary and BOI Chairman Ramon M. Lopez mentioned the many reforms being done by the administration to ensure sustainable economic growth in the Philippines that will support the growth of many industries, including wearables and textile. He also underscored the Department of Trade and Industry’s commitment to assist stakeholders from the garments, textile and leather-goods sector, through the Manufacturing Resurgence Strategy and other initiatives underway.

TOP photo shows Trade Secretary Ramon M. Lopez (second from right) with CP Exhibition Ltd. Managing Director Andrew Kay (third from right) and Marketing Manager Jason Chow (right) talking to exhibitors from DKY Machinery Co. Ltd. Bottom photo shows Lopez (second from right) examining a large leather shoe display at the booth of Applied DB Industrial Co. Ltd., one of the exhibitors that participated in the event. Joining them are BOI Industry Development Services Executive Director Ma. Corazon Halili-Dichosa (right), Garment Manufacturers’ Association of the Philippines Member Nestor Tan (left) and Reynaldo B. Medina of Marikina Shoe Industry Development Office.

DTI holds cocreation of value forum with Japanese biz leaders

UNDERSECRETARY Rowel S. Barba (center) of the Competitiveness and Ease of Doing Business Group (CEODBG) delivers the Department of Trade and Industry’s (DTI) welcome message to the delegates of the Japan Management Association, dubbed as future leaders of the Japanese corporate world, on September 11 at the Board of Investments (BOI) Building, Makati City. Also in photo are (from left): DTI Resource Generation and Management Service Director Lydia R. Guevarra, BOI Division Chief Lanie Dormiendo, Commercial Counselor of the Philippine Embassy in Japan Ma. Bernardita A. Mathay and Keio University Professor of International Business at the Faculty of Business and Commerce Dr. Chie Iguchi.

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HE Office of the Commercial Counselor of the Philippine Embassy in Japan, in cooperation with the Office of the Undersecretary for the Industry Development and Trade Policy Group (IDTPG) and the Export Marketing Bureau (EMB) of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI Philippines), organized the “Asean-Japan Co-Creation of Value Leaders Forum 2018” on September 11 at the Board of Investments (BOI) Industry and Investments Building, Makati City.

Undersecretary Rowel S. Barba of the DTI-Competitiveness and Ease of Doing Business Group (CEODBG) welcomed the delegates of the Japan Management Association, as well as Filipino trailblazer companies representing various industry sectors like logistics, retail, e-commerce, energy, mining, information and com mu n ic at ions tec h nolog y, property technology and tech start-ups. The representatives who joined the Japanese delegation were called the future leaders of the Japanese corporate world.

Director Lydia R. Guevarra of the DTI-Resource Generation and Management Service (RGMS) and Lanie Dormiendo, division chief of the BOI, presented the DTI Programs and Policies and Philippine Economic Performance and Constraints on Sustainable Developments, respectively.

In 2017 Japan was the Philippines’s top source of foreign investments and, on the first half of 2018, they placed second. With this performance, the forum aims to link the mutual interest of business leaders to develop innovative ideas that would produce new projects, products and services.

T he Japanese gover nment launched in 2016 the Co-Creation Value Program which targets to enhance the efficiency of human, financial and intellectual capital, among others.

The forum is a program of the Japan Management Association as they lead a regional study to increase the cocreation value in cooperation with the Asean community.

Cocreation focuses on the stakeholders who would be brought directly to the innovation process.

This is part of the next-generation approach as organizations are bringing in investors to help create new products and services and deliver

value in a different and fresh approach. Part of the collaboration will be social entrepreneurs, academe, the government or public sector and start-up companies.

Eight companies were part of the Japanese delegation, including Fujita Corp. Management Reform Promotion Deputy General Manager Kenichi Kawamura, Fuji Electric Co. Ltd. IT Strategy Office Corporate Management Planning HQ Senior Manager Gen Murai, Tokyu Corp. Urban Development Division International Business Headquarters Manager Yojiro Tsuchiya, Nippon Express Co. Ltd. Marine Transport Business Branch Sales Division II Manager Manabu Nishishige, Ryohin Keikaku Co. Ltd. Global Logistics Division Manager Takayuki Gosawa, Tokyo Metro Co. Ltd International Relations Department Corporate Planning Headquarters Toshiyuki Tanaka, JS Corp. General Affairs Department Public Relations Division Head Tetsuo Nakahara and NH Foods Ltd. Overseas Division Manager Takeshi Okamoto.

The inputs in the constructive dialogue will be part of their final presentation of the Co-Creation project in November 2018.

Part of the Philippine delegation were Alcorn Philippines Former VP and General Manager Ponciano Mathay Jr., Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry ICT and Innovation Chairman Bettina Quimson, Revolution Precrafted Ltd. Business Development Manager Zishan Shaffi, Make A Difference (MAD) Travel Founder Tom Graham, XVC Logistics Inc. President and CEO Corazon Curay, Philippine Franchise Association (PFA) Senior Project Manager Jake Santos, E-Magsasaka Cofounder Jose Gabriel Dimalanta, Magpie.IM Pte. Ltd. CEO and Cofounder Josephine Romero, Xend Business Solutions Inc. VP for Partnerships and Special Projects JT Solis and One Meralco Foundation (OMF) President Jeffrey O. Tarayao.

Graham of MAD Travel and Shaffi of Revolution Precrafted Ltd. made a presentation of their companies to the Japanese delegation.

MAD Travel is one of the nominees representing the Philippines for the coveted Good Design Award Product and Service design from Southeast Asia, while Revolution Precrafted is Southeast Asia’s fastest-growing prop-tech unicorn.

Filipino exporters advised: Demand for ‘better for you’ packaged food in China on the rise

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HE demand for healthy packaged food is increasing in China amid obesityconcernsbroughtaboutby the consistent growth of income levels, creatingopportunitiesforentrepreneurs.

The Euromonitor Digest, the online publication of the Export Management Bureau of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), said obesity exposed

the unhealthy diets of most Chinese consumers, particularly the young generation who generally prefer fast food to match their rapid pace of life, leading them to gradually recognize the importance of a healthy diet.

“Demand for ‘better for you’ packaged food benefited from these concerns, with consumers looking to

better control their weight and blood glucose by consuming better for you packaged food with lower salt, sugar and fat contents,” it said.

The report noted one of the major new product trends in “better for you” packaged food was the introduction of reducedsugarproducts,asconsumersmore strictly control their intake of sugar in

case of overweight issues, among others.

The senior generation in China also seeks reduced sugar products due to the high incidence of diabetes, it said.

“Accordingly, by launching sugarfree or reduced-sugar series, manufacturers are better able to serve these senior consumers and therefore help them maintain a healthier diet,” it added.

The report particularly cited reduced fat dairy-based yoghurt that registered the most dynamic retail value growth in “better for you” packaged food in 2017.

The entire yoghurt category also witnessed rapid development last year, largely thanks to its image of health and wellness in the mind of

Chinese consumers.

“Considering the increasing consumer desire to keep fit, reduced-fat yoghurt was even more popular as an aid to both digestive health and weight management,” it added. “These trends are set to continue over the forecast period, maintaining the strong growth of the category.” Phil Export News and Features

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

Sports

BusinessMirror

Saturday, September 15, 2018

A5

WAKE-UP CALL FOR TOKYO T

OKYO—An International Olympic Committee (IOC) inspector working on the 2020 Tokyo Olympics said Wednesday that a powerful typhoon and a deadly earthquake that hit Japan in the last 10 days have been a wakeup call for organizers.

The most powerful typhoon in 25 years left 11 dead in the Osaka area of western Japan when it struck on September 4. A few days later, a deadly earthquake hit the northern island of Hokkaido and killed about 40.

John Coates, an Australian who heads the inspection team, said what happened “has hit home to me.”

Coates helped organize the 2000 Sydney Olympics. He said organizers there simulated disasters.

“You don’t have to dream anything up in this country,” he added. “It’s very sad to say.”

He said disaster preparation “is being factored” into the planning.

The other uncontrollable problem could be Tokyo’s searing heat, which set records this summer with temperatures soaring regularly over 38 degrees C (100 degrees F).

Coates, an International Olympic Committee member, said that body favored going onto daylight saving time.

“It does seem a very good solution to us,” Coates said.

Yoshiro Mori, a former Japanese prime minister and head of the local organizing committee, has asked the Japanese government to consider moving the clocks forward.

Japan does not change its clocks as many countries do.

Mori has turned down suggestions of switching the games to October when temperatures are cooler. The 1964 Tokyo Olympics were held in October.

Organizers also confirmed what was long known: the swim finals will be held in the morning, as they were in Beijing in 2008.

This is primarily to accommodate the American broadcaster NBC, which will telecast the finals live during evening viewing hours in North America.

There is some local resentment of scheduling events to accommodate foreign broadcasters.

Finals are scheduled from 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. local time. Preliminary heats will be from 7-9 p.m. local time. The first final will be the men’s 400-meter individual medley on July 26.

“It’s in the morning, but it’s 10:30 or 11. That’s not abnormal hours,” said Koji Murofushi, a former Olympic gold- and silver-medalist in the hammer throw, who is the games sports director.

Organizers also announced plans to start recruiting 80,000 unpaid volunteers. A Japanese reporter told Coates there was some criticism in Japan about using volunteers.

“They are hinting that it is similar to forced labor,” she said.

An Associated Press study several years ago showed that using unpaid volunteers saved the IOC at least $100 million, maybe more.

“Volunteers are volunteers,” Coates replied. “And they don’t have to apply if they don’t want to.”

The IOC generates almost $6 billion in income over a four-year Olympic cycle. Coates explained 90 percent of the money goes back to national Olympic bodies, sports federations and local organizers.

“The economics of it necessitates having to have volunteers,” Coates said. “They get trained, they get their uniforms. They are part of something very exciting.”

He added: “I think it’s a fine model...and I don’t think there’s a case for paying volunteers.”

IOC members receive per diems of between $450 and $900 when they are on Olympic business, and other generous perks like paid lodging at top hotels.

In other business, organizers announced the Olympic torch will be kindled on March, 12, 2020, in Greece. The handover ceremony to Japanese organizers is set for March 19 with the torch arriving in Japan on March 20.

The flame will be displayed in three northern prefectures hit by the 2011 earthquake and tsunami until March 26 when the relay begins from the Fukushima region and runs across Japan’s 47 prefectures.

Calgary, meanwhile, is considering a bid for the 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, with the cost of the games estimated at $5.23 billion.

Calgary voters will decide on November 13 whether they want to host the games.

Calgary 2026 bid corporation chief executive officer Mary Moran told the Calgary council the $5.23 billion figure was calculated in 2018 dollars. She says the total could be $5.99 billion by 2026. AP

JOHN COATES (left), chairman of the International Olympic Committee Coordination Commission for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics, and Tokyo Olympic Organizing Committee President Yoshiro Mori attend the IOC and Tokyo 2020 joint press conference on Wednesday. AP

Gretzky: Good for NHL, Olympics

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EIJING—Wayne Gretzky says the National Hockey League (NHL) should again allow its players to compete in the Winter Olympics because sending the world’s top ice hockey players is “always much better for everyone.”

Speaking to The Associated Press on Thursday, the National Hockey League’s all-time leading scorer said he hopes the league and players’ association can “somehow figure this out” during upcoming talks.

Unwilling to break up the season, the NHL barred its players from playing in this year’s Winter Games at Pyeongchang, South Korea.

It’s not clear whether the league will change its stance for the 2022 Games to be hosted by Beijing.

“I really think it’s a real special stage. There’s something really unique and special about playing for your country and there’s nothing bigger than playing for your country in the Olympic Games,” Gretzky said.

“So, you know with the Winter Olympics being here in China, it would be so wonderful for our sport worldwide and for the people of China to see the best players in the world on center stage.”

Olympic ice hockey would still be exciting without the NHL, giving fans a chance to see the best younger players

in the world, he said, but added: “There’s a different level. If we can send the best players in the game it’s always much better for everyone.”

He was in Beijing in his role as global ambassador for Beijing’s two-year-old Kunlun Red Star of the Russia-based Kontinental Hockey League.

Though he said it may take years to truly establish ice hockey in China, he likened a local Winter Olympics to the catalyzing effect of the sport taking off in the US following the underdog American team’s famous win over the Soviet Union at the 1980 Games at Lake Placid.

“So I think the Red Star Kunlun team and what they’re doing, along with the Winter Olympics in 2022, that hopefully will jump-start this sport of ours,” he said.

“And 30-40 years from now, we’ll look back and say, ‘You know what? That’s where we started and that’s where we were and that’s where we are today.’” AP

A6 Saturday, September 15, 2018 | Editor: Mike Besa

GOLF COURSE OF THE YEAR 2 WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YO THE clubhouse at Anvaya Cove Golf and Sports Club

CLEVELAND RTX 4 WEDGES

For the better player T YUKA SASO, Bianca Pagdanganan and Lois Kaye Go win the gold for Women’s Golf. NONIE REYES

A joint statement from Philippine Women’s Golf team members Yuka Saso, Bianca Pagdanganan and Lois Kaye Go

W

E would like to thank each and every Filipino who supported us during the recently concluded 2018 Asian Games. The greatest honor for any athlete is to represent his or her country in international competition, and we hope that we were able to display the Filipino’s inherent talent and determination through our efforts. Indeed, this was our source of inspiration throughout the tournament.

President Duterte, Philippine Sports Commission, Philippine Olympic Committee, Siklab Atleta Pilipinas Sports Foundation and Ambassador Wee have all generously offered us monetary incentives for our victories. We believe that this is borne out of a sincere and honest desire to help Filipino athletes, and to rightfully reward them for bringing distinction to the country.

Accordingly, we would like to extend our heartfelt gratitude to the kind officials who made these incentives possible.

Due to immutable circumstances, however, we are unable to accept any and all forms of financial reward.

At present, two of us are actively playing in the National

Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, with the third, soon to follow. We will automatically lose our amateur status the moment we keep these incentives, as well as the opportunity to continue representing the Philippines in the future.

We unanimously agreed that if it were possible to donate this money to support the national golf program— and, thus, help other aspiring golfers reach their goals— this would be the best scenario for us. After consulting the world golf governing body, The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of Saint Andrews, we were advised that this was a viable option. We are thus confident that the National Golf Association of the Philippines (NGAP) will allocate these resources in a prudent, equitable and ideal manner, consistent with our intentions.

Once again, we thank you for all your support.

Mabuhay ang manlalarong Pilipino, at mabuhay ang Pilipinas!

NEW WORLD HOTELS & RESORTS HOLDS THIRD ANNUAL CHARITY GOLF CUP

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T will be another exciting day on the greens as New World Hotels & Resorts holds its third annual “New World Hotels & Resorts Cup: Golf For a Cause” at The Manila Southwoods Golf & Country Club in Carmona, Cavite, on September 28.

The Golf Cup is New World Hotels & Resorts’s second sports-centered fund-raising program, next to the successful Run and Raise charity fun runs held from 2015 to 2018. Through these initiatives, New World Hotels & Resorts is able to support and give back to local and global communities through a number of ways, including offering financial support to victims of natural disasters and educational opportunities to children, to committing to recycling and conservation efforts and providing career-enhancing training for all associates.

The tournament aims to raise funds for the young scholars of Springboard Foundation through their secondary

education, 20 of which are already completing senior high school this academic year.

“We partnered again with Springboard Foundation as our beneficiary this year to continue providing its scholars with sustainable and quality education. As a strong advocate of this initiative, New World Hotels & Resorts is grateful to work with an organization that has an effective system and is passionate in what they believe in,” said Farid Schoucair, general manager of New World Makati Hotel.

The event is in collaboration with Fortunegate Holdings Philippines Inc., Jeeves of Belgravia Manila, media partner Solar Sports and airline partner Philippine Airlines.

Interested players may avail themselves of the tournament fee of P4,500 inclusive of green fee, caddy, golf cart (sharing) and lunch. For reservations, call Frances Peria at +63 2 811 6888 ext. 3289 or at +63 917 554 3217.

HE story of Cleveland Golf goes back to 1979 when Roger Cleveland founded the company (then called Cleveland Classics). The company made a full set of clubs but was universally acknowledged for its wedges. Its most popular model was the 588 (introduced in 1988). It was so popular that the 588 is still one of the best-selling golf clubs of all time.

Cleveland Classics was sold to French ski manufacturer, Rossignol, in 1990. The company produced some unusual golf clubs in this era, the quirkiest of which was their VAS line of clubs.

They might have been ridiculed for their looks, but it was hard to argue against their effectivity.

They were in Corey Pavin’s bag when he won the 1995 US Open at Shinnecock Hills. His four-wood into the 18th green from 228-yards out was the stuff of legend.

The company changed hands again in 2008 when Dunlop Sports Co. Ltd., a subsidiary of Sumitomo Rubber Industries Ltd., purchased Cleveland Golf and continues to own and operate it today.

Through the years, true to their heritage, Cleveland has continued to make innovative wedges as the company’s founder, Roger Cleveland, would have wanted.

For 2018 Cleveland has introduced the RTX 4 wedges, a product for the better player. The RTX 4 wedges have four different sole designs, all designed to provide the more accomplished golfer with the tools he needs to play the shots he sees around and into the greens.

RTX 4 represents the fourth generation of Cleveland’s unique Rotex face milling pattern, and Schielke says this iteration has the sharpest Tour Zip Grooves of any Cleveland wedge to date, largely due to a deepening understanding of tool wear during the cutting and milling processes.

Cleveland takes a unique—and proprietary—step to protect wedge grooves during manufacturing. After milling, Cleveland fills the grooves right up over the edge with a protective goop.

This is particularly important during sandblasting, which can dull the edge and affect performance.

When manufacturing is complete, it melts the goop out, leaving a shiny, pristine groove.

The care with which Cleveland manufactures their grooves is key when playing out of any kind of trouble. You’ll want as much purchase from the grooves as you can manage out of thick or wet lies to play the shot you see in your head. The RTX 4 should perform as well as any wedge on the market today.

But it is ultimately the sole grinds that determine a wedge’s effectivity and Cleveland has

A Rose in full bloom PHIL MICKELSON

H

By Chuah Choo Chiang

EADLINE writers all over the world have enjoyed a field day since Justin Rose sensationally holed out from the rough on the 72nd hole as a 17-yearold amateur to finish a fairy-tale fourth at The Open Championship in 1998.

From that grand-stand high finish to his 21 successive missed cuts immediately after turning professional, Rose has indeed blossomed—forgive the pun—into one of England’s golden sons that Asian fans are awaiting in earnest for his title defense at the World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions come October.

In the age where a new generation of twenty-somethings such as Justin Thomas, Jon Rahm, Bryson DeChambeaui and Jordan Spieth are threatening to dominate the game, Rose, who is now a ripe 37 years of age, has proven time and again that he has the will and skill to thrill fans.

Currently ranked No. 4 on planet golf, Rose is the reigning Olympic Games Gold Medal winner, a major champion, holder of 11 victories on the European Tour and nine on the PGA Tour, which includes two World Golf Championships.

Not only is Rose a fine gentleman and ferocious golfer, he is generous at heart, too, where, along with his wife Kate, their foundation—the Kate and Justin Rose Foundation—focuses on improving children’s lives by providing nutritional support, funding education and providing “first exposure” positive

life experiences to kids.

With the PGA Tour’s 2017-2018 Season entering its climax with the FedExCup Playoffs concluding in September, Rose must be feeling the good vibes again as it was exactly a year ago that the Englishman’s stock rose dramatically.

In 26 starts around the world, he has won four times in China, Turkey, Indonesia and America, finished top 10 in 15 other tournaments and check this out...he has missed just one cut during that red-hot spell which began last September.

His triumph at last year’s WGC-HSBC Champions at Sheshan International Golf Club was majestic. Starting the final round eight back of World No. 1 Dustin Johnson and with a simple goal of trying to finish in second place, Rose produced one of the rounds of his life to win the showpiece event by two shots following a closing five-under-par 67 under blustery conditions. “...WGCs, whenever you beat the top players in the world, that gives a tournament victory so much more meaning, and obviously with a leaderboard like we had today with Dustin, Brooks [Koepka] and [Henrik] Stenson, I take a lot of pride in winning this tournament,” said Rose.

“And winning in China, to travel and to take your game internationally, I think is something that’s very important to do. Obviously, China is a very important golf nation, and a growing golf nation, so it’s very important to win in front of these fans.

“The confidence I gained from coming from eight shots back in such a big tournament against such a worldclass field really helped me finish off last year on a high and I have kept the momentum going ever since. I will feel very proud to stand on the first tee at Sheshan and be announced as the defending champion.”

Rose’s glorious victory certainly added shine onto the tournament’s roll of honor as past WGC-HSBC Champions include major winners Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, Sergio Garcia, Bubba Watson, Y.E. Yang, Martin Kaymer and Francesco Molinari.

Another stellar field of champions are tipped to head full speed to the Far East once again and feature in Asia’s richest

www.pinoygolfer.com | Saturday, September 15, 2018 A7

2018 OU! T

Story & photo

by Mike Besa

HE “ber” months are here again.

This signifies the start of the longest Christmas season in the world. Like clockwork, the malls have begun playing Christmas carols and the music of Jose Mari Chan is upon us once again.

This is also the time of the year when we at the BusinessMirror begin our evaluations for our Golf Course of the Year awards. It’s a relatively simple concept; we tour the top golf courses in the country and rank them according to the quality of golf on offer. Note that we only rate the club on the quality of the golf experience. We disregard all other factors for this ranking; the quality of food, service or other amenities don’t figure in these rankings.

All that matters is the golf.

Our criteria is as follows: n Shot values—How well does the course pose a variety of challenges that equally test length, accuracy and finesse? n Design variety—How varied are the holes in differing lengths, configurations, hazard placements, green shapes and contours? n Memorability—How well do the holes stand out individually and yet provide a cohesive experience for the golfer? n Aesthetics—How do the scenic values add to the pleasure of the round?

n Conditioning—Were the fairways firm and fast? Did the greens hold your approach shots? Does the ball roll true on the greens? n Ambience—How does the feel and atmosphere of the club add to the experience?

WE WANT YOUR FEEDBACK! THIS year, we’re adding a “People’s Choice” award to go with the Best Modern, Best Traditional and Best Public golf courses and to do that, we require your assistance. We’ve put up a poll in our Pinoygolfer Facebook Group. All you have to do, is surf on over and vote in the poll. To make it worth your while, your vote counts as an entry in a raffle. We’re giving away golf equipment and green fee coupons so let your voice be heard!

That said, let’s revisit the best golf courses of 2017.

Best Modern Golf Course 2017—Anvaya Cove Golf and Sports Club THE 7030-yard course designed by Golfplan partner Kevin Ramsey is an absolute stunner.

Perched on the hills of Morong, Bataan, just outside Subic Bay, the layout meanders in and around the hills about the West Philippine Sea, through verdant rain forests and the surf below.

Few layouts in the country can compare to the raw natural beauty of Anvaya Cove.

When asked to describe the golf course at Anvaya Cove, Ramsey told us, “Truly great golf courses can exist in a single environment, but I prefer those that play through a diversity of environments. The terrain here—the elevation change, the vegetation and Ayala Land Premier’s overall land-planning acumen—allowed us to create an uninterrupted string of really strong golf holes that play through five distinct environments, never repeat themselves, and never fail to elicit a strong emotional response.”

A strong response, indeed. Well done, sir.

Best Traditional Golf Course 2017—Luisita Golf and Country Club LUISITA Golf and Country Club is one of our great heritage courses. Finished in the late-1960s, Luisita was one of the pioneers of the modern park land design. It is the only work of the legendary golf Arch.

Robert Trent Jones Sr. in Asia and with his passing

served up four distinct grinds for the RTX 4. They have continued with the full, mid and low bounce grinds as they did with the RTX 3 but have added and XLow bounce option in the RTX 4.

The full sole is basically the same sole grind as the 588 wedge; not much grind, a good amount of camber and it plays like a mid-bounce on full shots.

But when you start to open it up, since there’s no grind, the leading-edge comes up off the ground, so it’s the best choice for fluffy bunkers, soft turf conditions or deep rough.

The mid bounce has a slightly modified V-Sole, with a bit less bounce in the leading edge for full shots and some trailing edge relief for the golfer who likes to open the face a little bit around the green. It’s very similar to Vokey’s S grind and should display the same versatility.

The low bounce option is a traditional C grind, with trailing edge and heel/toe relief for players who really like to

JUSTIN ROSE

will remain thus for eternity.

Luista was the first Philippine golf course to make use of modern turf grasses. The fairways are Tifton and the greens original tifdwarf. What is most remarkable is that these greens survive to this day in their original state.

Jones’s design is timeless. The way the holes turn in both directions requiring the accomplished golfer to be able to draw and fade the hole depending on the situation. The way the greens are presented to you from the fairway.

The way that water is in play on every one of the par 3s. That mature trees line the fairway adds urgency to finding the fairway off the tee. The magnificent clubhouse takes you back to the time of the grand hacienda. The overall feel and history of the place is inexplicable and wonderful all at once. It is a marvelous golfing experience.

Best Public Golf Course—Ayala Southlinks Golf Club SOUTHLINKS Golf Club excels on so many levels. The golf course was designed to use as little land as possible and all the choices that the developers made were done so with the intent of making the golf course sustainable in the long term.

Southlinks sits on just 19 hectares of land; remarkable when the typical golf course requires from 27-35 hectares. The bunkers have been designed like funnels with wide openings but narrow centers. The smaller footprint and native turf grassed fairways mean the course will require precious few inputs to maintain playing quality. The bunker design means using less of that expensive bunker sand adding to the savings from using local turf grass. The greens are grassed with a micro-Bermuda called Mini Verde to provide the best playing experience possible.

Beyond the nods to sustainability and eco-responsibilty, Southlinks is a very good golf course. So much hinges on the tee shot but getting that right is just part of the puzzle. Good strategy and execution are required to post a good score here.

That’s a recap of the best golf courses of the year past. We’re looking forward to hearing your opinion on which golf courses you believe deserve this recognition in 2018.

open it up for shots around the green. It’s meant for tight lies and firm turf conditions, and is popular with Cleveland’s Tour pros.

The XLow has the lowest amount of bounce that Cleveland has ever put on a wedge. It’s only available in 58 and 60 degrees of loft and it’s for the player who has the confidence to really open up the face around the green as much as he wants and who hits high, soft, spinning shots.

The RTX 4 is more compact and features less offset than its predecessor, the RTX 3. This is in line with the preferences of Cleveland’s Tour staff. The lower lofted wedges feature a considerably more compact head and a straighter leading edge, while the higher lofts will have a rounder leading edge with progressively larger heads, although still more compact than RTX 3.

Feel Balancing Technology moves the CG closer to the center by shortening the hosel and milling a microcavity in the hosel. That weight can now be redistributed to move the CG closer to the center, which is kind of a trend in wedges: Callaway, Vokey and others have also taken steps over the years to shift CG toward the middle.

The Cleveland RTX 4 is cast from soft 8620 carbon steel. It’s soft enough to bend to suit the golfer’s playing style but its construction might disappoint those that prefer a forging. However, 8620 is a very soft steel and most golfers will not be able to tell if they’re playing a forging or not, making this a nonissue.

The Cleveland RTX 4 wedges are available in 2-degree increments from 46 degrees to 64 degrees, guaranteeing that they have a wedge for any need that the golfer might have.

The Cleveland RTX 4 wedges will retail for P8,950 and will be in stores in October. Mike Besa golf tournament, which will offer a record $10 million from October 25 to 28.

Since its debut in 2005, the Who’s Who of world golf have teed up at Sheshan and all have spoken highly of the WGC-HSBC Champions.

Mickelson, who won the tournament in 2007 and 2009, said: “The fans in China are like nowhere else in the world in terms of their energy and enthusiasm.” The left-handed superstar has also referred the tournament as “Asia’s Major.”

Rose is determined to become the first player to successfully defend in Shanghai, especially when he has stated his ambition of becoming world No. 1 at some point in his illustrious career.

“I want to get to world No. 1 by winning golf tournaments. There could be opportunities in the next six months. I could get there by finishing seventh somewhere because there’s always permutations. I want to get to world No. 1 by winning, and that keeps my goal simple,” he said.

“I’ve got maybe three, four, five more years to really make the most of my career, to really put a nice little cherry on top of my career. And the standard is improving out here. It’s very competitive, it’s very hard to forge your way into the top 5 in the world right now with how many wins these young players are racking up. Obviously, we saw periods of time where Tiger would win five, six, seven, eight a year, but you’re now getting to four or five guys having multiple win seasons. That’s the type of level you have to play at.”

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is exactly the type of golfer Justin Rose has become since emerging onto the scene as a skinny and freckledface teenager.

n Note: Chuah Choo Chiang is senior director

of communications for the PGA Tour and is based at TPC Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

OurTime

A8 Saturday, September 15, 2018 • Editor: Efleda P. Campos

BusinessMirror

Ms. Grandma Malabon 2018: Celebrating age and grace

THE Grandma Malabon 2018 finalists were Princess Salome Soriano (center) crowned title holder, flanked by first runner-up Zenaida Andaya (second from left), second runner-up Norma Bustamante (second from right), third runner-up Margarita Bautista (right) of Barangay Potrero and Judetha Reyes of Barangay Panghulo.

T

IMELESS. That is probably the best word to describe the winners of the 2018 Grandma Malabon, a special pageant that pitted the most vivacious, charming and smart grandmothers who represented the various barangays of the city.

The top 5 contenders were the perfect embodiment of the belief that old age is far more than just having white hair and wrinkles, or that it’s too late to do anything new.

Age doesn’t seem to matter to the bubbly bunch who face each day the way they did when they were young ­—with grace and enthusiasm.

It’s hard not to admire their energy. Most are well into their 60s, but they remain sprightly and sharp, proving that age is really but a number. The grandmas, winners of the recently concluded monthlong Tambobong Festival, which celebrated the 419th anniversary of the city of Malabon, now take on an important role in the community: To uphold Filipino family values.

“We give honor to these grandmothers because they play an important role in upholding the family

values of Malabonians. Today, most parents work for their families, leaving the kids without any guidance.

We see grandmothers to fill this gap in the structure, to serve as the guide while the parents are away so the youth will grow up with the right character and values needed to succeed in life,” Malabon City Mayor Lenlen Oreta said.

The pageant, however, proved to be more than just finding a role model to step into the responsibility of helping to uphold the values of the community. The participants saw this as a chance to once more showcase their talents and wisdom, and to prove that getting older does not mean the end of the road for most of them.

“I really admire Mayor Oreta for organizing this pageant because it helped us grandmothers overcome

our fear of getting old. He showed us that there’s still more in life to enjoy,” said Margarita Bautista, 61 years old, fourth runner-up in the Grandma Malabon 2018.

Bautista has dedicated her life in serving the church as member of the Mother Butler of Saints Peter and John after her husband died, but now, because of the pageant, she realized she could take on more roles to serve her community, as well.

The pageant was also an avenue to discover rare gems among grandmothers in the community. Judith de la Cruz-Reyes (third runnerup), for example, a housewife and stay-at-home businesswoman, showcased her flair during the talent competition. She wowed the audience with her enthralling performance of combining aerobics, zumba, folk dancing and ballroom dancing into one lively ensemble.

“I’ve stayed home most of my life, raising my family while my husband worked abroad. So it was nice to be recognized by my barangay as a fitting representative of the Grandma Malabon competition,” she said.

Zenaida Andaya, first runner-up, turned out to be actress Fe Galvez, who once became leading lady to actors like Dolphy, Jun Aristorenas and Fernando Poe Jr. “I’ve had a colorful past, but what

I enjoyed most about the pageant was how the community showed genuine care to us grandmothers. During the event, I was feeling very sick because I just had my leg operated, but the people from the City Hall made sure I was well taken cared of, to the point that they would feed me just to be sure that I was eating right. It feels nice. It’s a beautiful feeling to be surrounded by people who support you,” she said.

The grandmas also showed wisdom during the competition­ characteristics that Mayor Oreta expected for the barangays where they belong.

Second runner-up Norma Bustamante from Barangay Tugatog, for example, showed that no matter how much hardship you experience, you should never give up.

“I’ve lived a fulfilling life, but I also faced many hardships like losing my husband at an early age, getting scammed in my business, and even losing all my property to a huge fire.

But I choose to see life as half full. I’m still here, I’m still alive, and I want to show everyone that no matter what happens to you, what’s important is that you remain strong for the people you love. You should invest in yourself, and continue to improve physically, mentally, and spiritually.”

Miss Grandma Malabon 2018 Grand Winner, Princess Salome Soriano of Barangay Tanong, proved she was the ultimate grandmother, not only for what she has shown during the competition, but also for the example she sets for her community.

At 75 years old, she is head of the Ministry of the True Church of Christ Jesus, where almost every day, she visits depressed areas to preach and spread the Word of God. “God has blessed me so much, and being crowned the grand winner is for me, another way to fulfill my role. It is another way to reach out more people and spread the teachings of the Church. And I am very thankful,” she said.

Soriano said she used her cash price to support her small community of scholars who have just started the school year. “I gave all my prize to them and hope that it could somehow ease the burden of the new semester. I also gave a small amount to the senior citizens of my barangay, and threw them a small party which they also enjoyed.”

Overlooked no more: Melitta Bentz, coffee filter inventor

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ELITTA BENTZ would start out her mornings in Dresden in a manner as mundane as the person in the apartment next door, and the one next door to that: with a cup of freshly brewed coffee.

But rather than feel refreshed and focused, Bentz found herself growing more annoyed with each sip.

“My mother, who had an excellent taste in coffee, was often irritated by the coffee grounds in her

cup,” Horst Bentz, one of her sons, recalled decades later in an interview in a 1949 issue of Der Aufstieg, a German publication.

And then there was the chore of cleaning the copper pot and getting rid of the grounds that stuck to the sides.

Every morning, from her kitchen in Dresden, Germany, she fantasized about better ways to brew.

She tried and failed multiple times,

until one day she ripped a piece of blotting paper from her son’s school notebook and stuck it into an old tin pot in which she had punched some holes. What she did next will sound familiar to many: She added ground coffee and poured hot water over it.

The beverage dripped through the paper, straight into the cup.

Cleaning up was easier and more hygienic; the used paper filter went straight into the trash, with no more

handling of messy grounds.

She called this “perfect coffee enjoyment.” She tested her new invention on her acquaintances, the stories go, hosting “coffee afternoons.”

In June 1908 the Imperial Patent Office in Berlin granted Bentz the patent for the paper filter, and she and her husband were soon in business. Their headquarters was the family’s five-room Dresden apartment. New York Times

www.businessmirror.com.ph

Daughter reveals lifestyle of centenarian mother

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AGUIO CITY—One of those recognized by the Baguio City government on its 109th Charter Day celebrations on September 1 was Agnes Balong, a 100-yearold housewife, who has lived in Barangay Bakakeng Norte, Baguio City, since birth.

Balong’s youngest daughter, Eleanor Arevallo, told the Philippine News Agency how her mother has lived in the past 100 years and even beyond.

In a nutshell, Arevallo said eating healthy food, combined with regular physical activity, can make a person live a century.

She said her mother is an advocate of healthy lifestyle, which she has passed on to her children and grandchildren.

“She always eats a lot of fruits and vegetables, especially root crops, from our backyard,” she said. “Even our ancestors had the same lifestyle.”

Arevallo noted her mother never had any vice during her younger years, something that has added to her long life.

“As her daughter, I also encourage her to drink milk, of course, to have strong bones, and vitamins, aside from her medication,” she said.

Agnes Balong was born on June 18, 1918, and had always lived in Barangay Bakakeng Norte in the city, where she was raised by her farmer parents.

Her grandparents were into farming as well, which made fruits and vegetables readily available at the dinner table, encouraging her to adopt a healthy lifestyle.

Arevallo said her mother has devoted her life caring for all six children and husband Leonardo Apic, who was a World War II veteran. She said that despite her mom’s advanced age, she still has a good memor y.

“As a matter of fact, my mom can still recall her memorable experiences when she was young, having her own backyard with vegetables,”

the daughter said.

As of 2011 there were already 26 centenarians in Baguio, including this year’s three awardees—Balong, 100; Francisca Mendoza, 101; and Prisca Noay, 102.

Francisca Mendoza, a resident of Barangay City Camp Central was born in Poblacion, San Carlos City, Pangasinan. She is married and has nine children.

In her younger years, Mendoza used to be an ambulant vendor selling her ware on the city’s streets to earn a living for her family. Like Balong, she has observed an active and healthy lifestyle, keeping a healthy diet.

Mendoza, however, was unable to receive her award from the city government during the September 1 Foundation Day of the city, as she is already bedridden.

Naoy, meanwhile, was born in Besao, Mountain Province. She is the fourth child in her family.

Naoy completed Grade 3 but was unable to pursue her studies even after the end of Second World War. She married Paulino Nacy who is a miner and they were blessed with two children. Like Mendoza, she was also unable to receive the award for being immobile.

The city government of Baguio values the contributions of the elderly in nation-building and the city’s development for longevity by awarding and rewarding citizens who reach 100 years.

The local government passed Ordinance 45 series of 2013 on August 30, 2013, declaring that awardees will receive a plaque and a congratulatory resolution from the city government, a cash award of P10,000, regular monthly visit by government health personnel for check-ups, and other benefits.

In 2016 the city council amended the ordinance, raising the cash incentive to P20,000 and adding a P5,000 birthday gift. PNA

First batch of Davao seniors enrolled in ‘Pagkalinga’ program

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AVAO CITY—Special Assistant to the President (SAP) Christopher Lawrence “Bong” T. Go enrolled the first batch of senior citizens to the “Pagkalinga sa Bayan” program in celebration of the National Grandparents’ Day on Sunday, September 9.

Go celebrated Grandparents’ Day by treating the presidents of the Senior Citizens Associations to a dinner and distributed Malasakit Health Cards to 63 senior citizens.

Gabriel Carreon, 67, a resident of this city’s Poblacion district, took time to fill out the back of the health card with basic information. He currently gets a supply of vitamins from the city’s health center, but he still needs to shell out funds from his own pocket for his other medicines.

Carreon has hypertension, and was recently diagnosed with a Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH) which involves the enlargement of the prostate gland.

“I really thank Secretary Bong Go and the President because they never neglected us. This is a big help to us senior parents, especially for me who rely only on my SSS [Social Security System] pension. It’s not enough,” he said.

The senior citizens who were issued with the health cards can avail themselves od P5,000 worth of medicines under the Pagkalinga program at any Malasakit Center, a one-stop shop that would assist them in their health concerns and medical expenses.

In Davao City the Malasakit Center is located at the Southern Philippines Medical Center.

Go, President Duterte and Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio initiated the Pagkalinga sa Bayan program to help less-fortunate Filipinos, especially the senior citizens, cope with their maintenance medicines and other medical needs.

Lilian C Mellejor/PNA

Elderly women to bear the brunt of spending cuts, belt-tightening in Japan

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S Japanese society ages and the government cuts social welfare spending, older women are bracing for the impact.

“The only people who can enjoy living until 100 are those who have enough money and family,” said Setsuko Betsui, a 78-yearold woman living in Saitama, who gets by on ¥120,000 ($1,077) a month in benefits. ”I’d rather die in two years.”

Burdened by a public debt that amounts to 236 percent of gross do-

mestic product, Japan’s government is trimming spending on its everexpanding elderly population. The Ministry of Finance is lobbying to push the age when pension benefits start at 68, up from 65. Until 2000 the age was 60. Elderly care and medical care contributions already have been cut.

At the same time, an increasingly large portion of the population is elderly and living longer. Those 65 and older now comprise 27 percent of society, up from 9 percent in

1980—making Japan’s population the world’s oldest.

“The current social welfare system doesn’t assume people living until 100 years old,” said Yukiko Miyaki, chief researcher for The Dai-ichi Life Research Institute.

Elderly women, in particular, are under financial strain because they are less likely to have jobs to supplement their benefits. While 55 percent of men in their late 60s currently work, only 35 percent of women in that age group have jobs, according

to the Cabinet Office. It gets tougher to find work as aging progresses.

Women comprise 88 percent of the nation’s centenarians, a group that expanded to 68,000 in 2017 from 8,500 in 1997.

In the past, the government counted on other sources of support for aging women. Wives benefited from their husbands’ retirement bonuses and life insurance plans, and often they lived with their children after their husbands died.

These days, one-time payouts from

retirement don’t cover the needs of lengthening lifespans, and family units are shrinking.

The relative poverty rate for elderly people, at 19.4 percent, exceeds the OECD average of 12.6 percent.

Among these people, 52 percent of single women are living in relative poverty, compared with 38 percent of single men.

“When the rapid-growth period was over, and Japan’s traditional life long employment system ended, the government failed to gain con-

sensus from taxpayers to shift the burden of this safety network from families to society,” said Takanori Fujita, author of a popular book Elders Descending into Poverty.

Even now Japan’s social safety net largely revolves around the family unit, with housewives depending on their husbands after marriage, and then on their grown children. This system worked well 30 years ago, when half of families with someone 65 or older lived in a three-generation household. Bloomberg News

BusinessMirror

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

Saturday, September 15, 2018 A9

Korean star to hold first fan meeting in Manila AMPLIFY WORK AND PLAY

BUILT for people who lead work-hard-play-hard lifestyles, the new Samsung Galaxy Tab S4 (www.samsung.com/ph), now available in the Philippines, is a powerful multitasking assistant. It is equipped with upgraded features that promote productivity on-the-go and deliver exciting entertainment.

The tablet’s Desktop Experience (DeX) mode enables users to accomplish work anytime, anywhere. The taskbar, multiwindow capability, and gestures like drag-and-drop provide an accessible and familiar work interface. Sporting intuitive design, the dedicated POGO keyboard seamlessly connects with the tablet and provides a comfortable typing experience. With enhanced speed and larger memory, the Galaxy Tab S4 takes on challenging tasks with ease.

Carrying 64GB internal storage and supporting expandable memory of up to 400GB via the microSD card slot, the tablet accommodates many files, from important documents to large and high-definition videos.

The tablet’s improved S Pen, revamped drawing tools, and translate functions help unleash its user’s fun and creative side. The added Air Command applications also ensure an optimal user experience.

Jot down new ideas that come to mind before it’s forgotten, or use Live Message to create animated handwritten notes in conversations, all with the S Pen. With speakers tuned by AKG and powered by Dolby Atmos, the Galaxy Tab S4 delivers superb surround-sound.

The device showcases stunning visuals with its slim bezels and an immersive 10.5” Super AMOLED Display.

Combined, these features make for engaging and immersive viewing experiences.

GOOGLE CASE SET TO EXAMINE IF EU DATA RULES EXTEND GLOBALLY

LONDON—Google is going to Europe’s top court in its legal fight against an order requiring it to extend “right to be forgotten” rules to its search engines globally. The technology giant is set for a showdown at the European Union Court of Justice (ECJ) in Luxembourg on Tuesday with France’s data-privacy regulator over an order to remove search results worldwide upon request.

The dispute pits data-privacy concerns against the public’s right to know, while also raising thorny questions about how to enforce differing legal jurisdictions when it comes to the borderless Internet.

The two sides will be seeking clarification on a 2015 decision by the French regulator requiring Google to remove results for all its search engines on request, and not just on European country sites like google.fr.

Google declined to comment ahead of the hearing. Its general counsel, Kent Walker, said in a blog post in November that complying with the order “would encourage other countries, including less democratic regimes, to try to impose their values on citizens in the rest of the world.”

“These cases represent a serious assault on the public’s right to access lawful information,” he added.

In an unusual move, the court has allowed a collection of press freedom, free speech and civil rights groups to submit their opinions on the case. These groups agree with Google that forcing internet companies to remove website links threatens access to information and could pave the way for censorship by more authoritarian regimes such as China, Russia and Saudi Arabia.

The court’s ruling is expected within months. It will be preceded by an opinion from the court’s advocate general.

The case stems from a landmark 2014 Court of Justice ruling that people have the right to control what appears when their name is searched online. That decision forced Google to delete links to outdated or embarrassing personal information that popped up in searches of their names.

Authorities are now starting to worry about the risk that Internet users can easily turn to proxy servers and virtual private networks to spoof their location, allowing them to dig up the blocked search results. Google said in its most recent transparency report that it has received requests to delete about 2.74 million web links since the ruling, and has deleted about 44 percent of them.

Not all requests are waved through. In a related case that will also be heard on Tuesday, the EU court will be asked to weigh in on a request by four people in France who want their search results to be purged of any information about their political beliefs and criminal records, without taking into account public interest. Google had rejected their request, which was ultimately referred to the ECJ. AP

PHOTO: IMAGES REPRINTED FROM JUNG JOON-YOUNG’S INSTAGRAM ACCOUNT (@SUN4FINGER)

news and updates about “Fiancée: Jung Joon-young Fan Meeting in Manila 2018”.

If you have the Viu app, you are likely to be a fan of Korean TV shows and movies. Viu is an OTT (Overthe-Top) video service. OTT is a term used for the delivery of film and TV content via the Internet.

You can download Viu from the App Store or Google Play. There is a free version or Premium membership for P129 a month. Here’s why I like Viu: All the shows and movies are subtitled, which is something you might not get if you stream from, ahem, “unofficial” sites.

I’m watching so many shows on different platforms like HOOQ, Netflix and Viu. I’m subscribed to all three because each one has a different specialization. Viu is quite strong in Korean content. I wish I had two days free to watch everything I want to watch, something that isn’t possible right now.

I just finished watching Sweet Stranger and Me, the story of a flight attendant whose mother died recently.

The flight attendant, whose fiancé cheated on her with a younger colleague, learned that her mother had married a man younger than her, and that the man now owned the family’s property and dumpling business.

I’m watching two other shows—Thirty but Seventeen and My ID is Gangnam Beauty—on Viu right now. These two dramas have yet to reach their respective endings so it’s really quite a test on one’s EQ to wait for episodes every week.

Thirty but Seventeen tells the story of a 17-year-old who slips into a coma after an accident, and the boy who always loved her. The girl wakes up when she is already 30 years old. Somehow, she finds her way into the home and life of the boy, who feels guilty about what happened to her.

On the other hand, My ID is Gangnam Beauty is something we can all relate to. It’s the story of a girl who wasn’t born beautiful. She has lived her life being laughed at by schoolmates and even strangers. Before the girl goes to college, her mother brings her to a plastic surgeon so that she can live what is deemed a normal life. At the university, she meets a former schoolmate who falls in love with her.

I have so many shows and movies lined up for viewing on Viu and other OTT services like HOOQ and Netflix, and I know people who are on these platforms, as well. This brings me to ask: Do people still watch TV these days? ■

turn on when daylight starts to fade, making driving safer. Navigate easily through the busy street and unpredictable road conditions at night with this smart feature.

■ SMART KEYLESS ENTRY. Fumbling for your car keys? With the new EcoSport, the Smart Keyless Entry feature allows you to get into your car without having the keys in your hand. As long as the key fob is inside the driver’s bag or pocket, the system senses when it’s within the range of the car. Just pull on the

front door handles and the car will easily unlock.

■ ECOBOOST. The new EcoSport is a smart and fuel-efficient vehicle that comes with the 1.0L EcoBoost engine that produces more power while consuming less fuel. It comes with the Auto Start/ Stop Technology that switches off your engine when you stop at traffic lights or idling in a queue. EcoBoost is Ford’s most technologically advanced engine that makes vehicles more fuel-efficient without compromising power and performance.

PRIMETIME

DINNA CHAN VASQUEZ @dinnachanvasquez luckydinna@gmail.com

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F you are a fan of the Korean variety show 2 Days & 1 Night, then you probably know Jung Joon-young, the 29-year-old singer-songwriter who was born in Indonesia and lived in the Philippines for two years.

Jung is the vocalist and guitarist of Korean rock band Drug Restaurant, which recently released their new track and music video “403” last month. He had his solo comeback last March 29 with his single “Fiancée”. He also starred in the television series The Lover, which is also available on the Viu platform just like 2 Days & 1 Night.

Jung was recently in the Philippines with Yook Sung-jae of the Korean idol group BTOB for the launch of Viu’s original reality show Hello K-Idol.

During the event, Jung announced that he will be back in Manila for his first-ever fan meeting in the country and Southeast Asia. He will be meeting his fans, who are known collectively as the Jungbrahimovics, on September 22, at the ABS-CBN Vertis Tent. The event is called “Fiancée: Jung Joonyoung Fan Meeting in Manila 2018”.

“We are very glad to have Jung Joon-young back with us here in Manila. As this is his first fan meeting in the Philippines and Southeast Asia, we’re excited to bring his fans together in a night of beautiful performances and exciting activities,” said Arianne Kader-Cu, country manager of Viu Philippines.

Ticket prices to Jung’s fan meeting are SVIP: P7,600; VIP: P5,100; GA: P2,900. These tickets are all inclusive of a hi-touch with Joon-young himself.

Buy your tickets at any TicketWorld outlet or online at bit.ly/jjy-�iancee-mnl.

While waiting for September 22, watch Jung’s greeting for his Jungbrahimovics. (bit.ly/jjy-greeting) Follow Viu Philippines on Facebook to get the latest

Tech meets comfort TECHNOLOGY has definitely changed the way we live today—all the way to driving our cars. Much like how cell phones are now capable of doing more than sending messages or making calls, cars have become large smart devices with advanced technologies that make it easier and more convenient for customers to get from point A to point B. One such car is the new Ford EcoSport (bit. ly/2MnVCHp) packed with smart features perfect for the tech-savvy driver. Here’s a lowdown of the features of the new and refreshed model designed to help you do more, move freely and make the most of our fast-paced lifestyle.

■ SYNC 3. The new EcoSport is powered by SYNC 3 that allows drivers to keep their eyes on the road and hands on the wheel while staying connected through their smartphone. SYNC 3 features voice control for the entertainment system, and for the driver’s calls and text messages. The AppLink 3.0 feature on SYNC 3 allows passengers to use their favorite apps via the car’s touchscreen.

■ REAR-VIEW CAMERA WITH REAR PARKING ASSIST. Reverse parking is made easier with the new EcoSport’s Rear-View Camera with Rear Parking Assist. This feature alerts the driver by sounding off a noticeable alarm when it detects unseen objects and even people within a few meters.

■ RAIN SENSING WIPERS. The Rain Sensing Wipers is another feature of the new Ford offering that is most useful and relevant during the rainy weather.

When it rains or when a passing car splashes water onto your windscreen, the Rain Sensing Wipers automatically turn on. No need to manually turn it on as the car does it for you.

■ AUTOMATIC HEADLIGHTS. It is difficult driving when there is poor visibility or when it gets dark outside. The new EcoSport headlamps automatically

A10 Saturday, September 15, 2018

BusinessMirror

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ADB promotes digital transformation for development; stresses ICT’s role in reaching SDGs /

ASIAN Development Bank President Takehiko Nakao delivers the opening address during the Digital Development Forum 2018 at ADB headquarters. ADB

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NOW GEARHEADS CAN SAY IT WITH TOYOTA FOR FREE

BY JT NISAY

HE Asian Development Bank (ADB) is “proactively seeking ways” to help countries leverage digital technologies for development while emphasizing the role of information and communications technology (ICT) in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) laid out by the United Nations Development Programme.

ADB President Takehiko Nakao said that similar to the first steam locomotive and the first computer, the world is again in a time of immense change brought about by the 4th Industrial Revolution. And with appropriate policies, he added, the developing countries of Asia and the Pacific stand to benefit tremendously in this new era.

“Digital technology is rapidly developing in diverse fields—including mobile communications, robotics, artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things and 3D printing. We are now entering the 4th Industrial Revolution, and we are already experiencing the profound change that new technologies bring to the way we live, work, interact and do business,” Nakao said during his opening speech at the recent Digital Development Forum 2018 at ADB headquarters.

To assist developing countries not only adapt but capitalize on the digital shift, the Manila-based multilateral development bank has created the Digital Technology for Development Unit in March. The ADB’s Office of Information Systems and Technology is also moving forward with new digital reforms that puts premium on innovation and supports dramatic modernization of business processes.

This includes the ADB’s continuous integration of digital technologies with its operations. In education, computer-based adaptive learning and remote technologies will enhance learning outcomes in schools. In health services, there’s Telemedicine, AI and the use of big data. Fintech will help the poor to access financial services.

Meanwhile, in Central West Asia, as a part of ADB’s operations to enhance women’s business and entrepreneurship, ICT is expected to reduce barriers such as time and mobility constraints and promote access to market, financial services, and skills training. An ADB-supported social protection program in Pakistan is successfully using biometric information to verify legitimate beneficiaries for cash transfers to rural poor families.

All these form part of around 450 ICT-related projects across sectors that the ADB has approved in the past eight years.

“We believe that ICT can play a key role in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals,” Nakao said, referring to the 17-point universal call to action made by the United Nations Development Programme to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity. “Moving forward, the ADB will deliver integrated solutions in the areas of ‘smart cities,’ ‘e-government’ and ‘e-commerce.’”

The ADB is also helping build an “enabling environment” for countries to maximize digital technologies through three main facets: reliable ICT infrastructure, skilled human resources, and enabling policies and regulatory environments.

Nakao noted that ICT infrastructure is the foundation of digital economies and, as such, the ADB is helping the public and private sectors invest in telecommunications infrastructure and Internet connectivity, especially in disserved and under-

LET your thoughts resonate with flair through these clever and colorful Say It with Toyota Viber stickers.

In celebration of its 30 years of bringing always better cars and better lives, Toyota Motor Philippines Corp. once again breaks ground by being the first-ever local automotive brand to imprint its models on the widely used digital messaging app.

The sticker pack, which highlights Toyota’s current lineup, allows you to choose from your favorite Toyota vehicles recreated in full, vibrant colors. Each sticker comes with a unique caption, perfect for that quick one-line reply or eye-catching conversation starter. The limited offer is available for free only until September 20.

For Android and iOS users, be sure to get the creativity flowing by downloading Say It with Toyota at vb.me/sayitwithtoyotastickers.

served areas in the Asia and Pacific region.

For example, the ADB is financing a submarine cable system between Palau and Guam to provide affordable broadband Internet to broader populations in Palau. Moreover, ADB’s private-sector operations are supporting the construction of 5,000 telecom towers in Myanmar, formerly one of the most underdeveloped telecommunication markets in Asia.

As important as having dependable infrastructure is building human resources with the right skills, which Nakao described as “a key driving force for digital transformation.”

He said digital literacy is essential for people to take full advantage of new job opportunities and benefit from services that will become available on the digital platform. “A recent ADB study on the impact of the 4th Industrial Revolution projected that while new technology will make machines take over certain jobs from humans, it can also create new jobs that did not exist in the past.”

In line with this, the ADB has increased financial support for technical and vocational education and training, or TVET, in many countries. In Sri Lanka, for example, the regional development bank supported the country’s technical and vocational training system to provide better employment opportunities for graduates with high ICT skills.

Rounding out the ADB’s three-point guide to help a country build an environment to better use digital technologies is to develop enabling policies and regulatory environments. An example is Kyrgyz Republic, where ADB’s new country partnership

strategy will support the national initiative on digital transformation.

Nakao also called on countries to avoid the negative impacts of digital transformation by putting up appropriate regulatory environments. He said such measures will: one, promote data sharing with sufficient protections of personal data and privacy; two, protect consumers against cybercrimes and fraud; three, prevent illegal activities, such as money laundering and terrorist financing; and four, enhance cybersecurity to prevent cyber attacks and hacking.

Nakao said that as the ADB promotes the use of digital technology in its developing member-countries (DMCs), the 51-year-old institution should also actively harness the use of digital technology in the organization. He then presented the ADB’s own digital reforms poised to bolster the institution’s operations, financial services, administration and knowledge services in line with its new long-term “Strategy 2030,” wherein the ADB will expand its mission beyond eradicating poverty to help its DMCs achieve greater prosperity, inclusiveness and resilience.

The ADB’s Digital Development Forum started in 2014 as the Digital Strategies for Development Summit. The event hosts discussions on ICT and Development in Asia and the Pacific, where country and sectoral/thematic development strategies toward Digital Economy in the region come to fore.

This year’s iteration garnered more than 300 delegates from the Asia and the Pacific, and more than 60 international ICT and sectoral thought leaders and speakers. ■

SMART BOOSTS COMMUNICATION, PREPAREDNESS EFFORTS IN LEGAZPI CITY RESIDENTS of Legazpi City, Albay, can now benefit from Smart Infocast, a text message broadcast solution developed by PLDT wireless unit Smart Communications.

Smart Infocast is a Web-based platform that can send out several short message service (SMS) to a specific group of people as defined by an organization.

In the case of the governing body of Legaspi City, the facility can readily send out news broadcasts, weather bulletins and other critical information to residents via text message, making it an effective emergency communications solution for the LGU. Smart Infocast also allows registered subscribers to send reports or feedback to the system administrator.

Gracing the launch of Smart Infocast are representatives of Smart and the city and provincial governments, led by Mayor Noel Rosal, Gov. Al Francis Bichara and PLDT-Smart Chief Technology and Information Advisor Joachim Horn and Consumer Business for Customer Development Regional Head John Palanca.

“Smart Infocast will enable the Legazpi local government unit to communicate with constituents in times of calamities and help in information dissemination, using our cell phones. It will make connecting with all the 70 barangays here in Legazpi so much easier,” said Rosal.

Teens say social media makes them feel better NEW YORK—Today’s teens are always on their smartphones, many check social media “constantly” and prefer texting over face-to-face communication.

But a new poll finds that these same teens also say that social media has a positive effect on their lives, helping them feel more confident, less lonely and less depressed.

The poll was released on Monday by Common Sense Media, a San Francisco-based nonprofit group focused on kids’ use of media and technology. It found that 89 percent of teenagers have their own smartphone. That’s up from 41 percent in 2012, the last time the survey was conducted.

But while 2012’s teens were all over Facebook, the age group’s presence on the social network has plummeted in the past six years. Only 15 percent of teens now say Facebook is their main social network.

In 2012 68 percent did.

Today, 44 percent of teens say their primary social

network is Snapchat, making it the most popular social-media app, followed by Instagram (which is owned by Facebook) at 22 percent.

Among the survey’s other findings: ■ The majority of teens—59 percent—said social media makes no difference in how depressed they feel. Twenty-nine percent, meanwhile, said it makes them feel less depressed and 11 percent said it makes them more depressed. Thirty-nine percent said it makes them feel less lonely and 13 percent, more lonely.

■ Thirty-five percent of teens said texting is their favorite way to communicate with friends, compared with 33 percent in 2012. Only 32 percent said talking in person is their preferred method of communication, down from 49 percent among 2012 teens.

■ Almost three-quarters of teens said they believe that tech companies manipulate people into

spending more time on their devices and more than half said using social media often distracts them from homework.

■ Sixty-four percent of teen social-media users said they come across racist, sexist or homophobic or other hateful content either sometimes or often.

■ Sixteen percent of teens use social media “almost constantly,” while 19 percent never do.

■ Thirteen percent of teenagers said they have been cyberbullied. Nearly a quarter, meanwhile, has tried to help a person who has been cyberbullied by talking to them or reporting it to an adult.

■ More than half said parents worry too much about social media—on the other hand, 46 percent think parents would be a lot more worried if they knew what “actually happens” online.

The survey was conducted in March and April among 1,141 13- to 17-year-olds nationwide. The margin of error is 3.4 percentage points. AP

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BusinessMirror

YouTube NextUp a push for Filipino creators to level-up their content

BY PAULINE JOY M. GUTIERREZ

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OUTUBE NextUp returns to Manila to help Bronze-level creators boost their channel’s engagement through a weeklong production development program and competition.

Launched globally in 2011, the program’s framework instructs participating YouTube creators to have a channel that has between 10,000 and 100,000 subscribers in order to enter. Creators must also have their monetization enabled; have a good account standing, with no Terms of Use or Copyright strikes; and have at least three videos uploaded in their channels in the last 90 days at time of entry.

From 200 program applicants in the Philippines, the final 12 creators are: singers Carlyn Ocampo, Janine Teñoso and Alicia Litonjua (Lesha); rock band Kithara; actor and comedian Stephen Flores (InReelLife); spoken word artist Beverly Cumla; vloggers Jam Raquion (Jam-packed) and Benedict Cua; makeup enthusiast Amy Talaboc; celebrity mom Melissa Ricks; interior designer Elle Uy (Elle Uy Décor); and figure skater Joel Minas.

“We really started investing in the Philippines at around 2014 to 2015 when we’ve organized fan fests, Pop-Up spaces and much larger events. It’s one of our main markets. We just wanted to make sure that we’re there with the right program at the right time so that we can maintain that growth,” said Chris Klapwijk, YouTube manager and artist development lead for Southeast Asia, at the launch of the program at the BGC Arts Center in Taguig.

YouTube has 1.9 billion monthly active users and 85 percent of Filipinos use YouTube for watching video content.

“On average we have about three creators per week who go through the 100,000-subscribers mark,” added Klapwijk. He said that the main reason for this upsurge is accessibility, and not just in the consumer segment of the online platform. “Five years ago, you have to invest on an expensive camera in order to produce a good quality video but now you have the average smartphone that can also do that.”

Though the program, YouTube helps creators

Protect against cyber predators; you’ll never see them coming KASPERSKY Lab announced recently another partnership with 20th Century Fox for the launch of a promotional campaign for the movie The Predator. Exciting prizes for the much-awaited sci-fi movie of 2018 are up for grabs in Kaspersky Lab’s “The Predator Promo” in Asia Pacific.

The global cybersecurity company opens the promo for 11 countries in the Apac region, including Australia, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam.

Seven winners from the participating countries will get an experience of a lifetime to go on a Hollywood Fox Tour worth more than $8,000, while 1,000 other winners will receive Limited Edition Predator Gift sets worth $25 each.

“Being cybersecurity experts, we want to make sure that the cyberworld is safe for everyone from all kinds of threats.

Our job is pretty much parallel to the role of the good guys in The Predator movie, as we are hunting the hunters to make the world a little safer from cybercriminals,” says Siang Tiong Yeo, general manager at Kaspersky Lab Southeast Asia.

Helmed by American actor-writer Shane Black, who also directed Lethal Weapon series and Iron Man 3, The Predator features an action-packed conflict between the lethal alien hunters—the predators—returning to Earth, against a disgruntled science teacher, a crew of retired soldiers and a boy who has an extraordinary ability to learn languages.

Kaspersky Lab first teamed up with 20th Century Fox for the ultimate Fantastic Four Sweepstakes in 2015, where one lucky winner was jetted off to Reykjavik, Iceland, for an experience of a lifetime.

For more information on how to join the promo, visit www.apac-promo-kaspersky.com

YOUTUBE Manager and Artist Development Lead for Southeast Asia Chris Klapwijk

scale their production operations and assist them in achieving longer audience engagement.

This year’s winners will receive a week of production classes and filming opportunities at the YouTube NextUp creator camp, $2,000 worth of production gear, three-month ongoing support from the YouTube Content Partnerships team, and mentorship from NextUp alumni and seasoned content creators. According to Klapwijk, more than teaching creators to create compelling and quality content, NextUp is primarily aimed at helping people see that “anyone can ‘make it’ on YouTube.”

Having more subscribers and viewership entails more earnings for creators, and aspiring creators, through the YouTube Partner Program. To qualify, a creator must have 10,000 channel views on his/her channel, 1,000 subscribers, and 4,000 hours

watch-time.

“There are a lot of ways in which creators can monetize their content: there’s the YouTube advertisement model, and then there’s brand collaborations and YouTubers selling merchandise on their channels,” said Klapwijk. “Of course they have to turn on their AdSense first; setting up a channel doesn’t mean that you can monetize your views already.”

“We’re doing that to protect the ecosystem. We see monetization as a privilege, wherein we also have to protect our advertisers in putting their investment in quality videos as well,” he explained.

Klapwijk concluded that NextUp is just one of the few programs of YouTube that will enable digital entrepreneurs to build their online presence and their careers. ■

Twitter’s Alex Jones ban: Blip in sea of abuse?

NEW YORK—Twitter’s decision to permanently ban conspiracy-slinger Alex Jones shows it’s serious about enforcing its policy against abuse. But it has a long way to go.

Along with Facebook and other tech companies, Twitter sees promise in using artificial intelligence to rid its service of objectionable posts, photos and videos.

To this end, CEO Jack Dorsey said repeatedly during congressional hearings on Wednesday that he does not want to place the burden of reporting abuse on the victims. Instead, he said Twitter is committed to developing automated tools that could delete abusive posts even without an actual person making a complaint, which is the only way Twitter takes down such posts now.

But as the Alex Jones ban shows, even the human moderators that social-media companies employ have trouble drawing clear lines around what counts as harassment and abuse rather than humor or healthy debate. How could artificial intelligence do better, when it is still well behind humans in understanding the nuances of language?

Twitter said on Thursday it has permanently banned Jones and his Infowars show for “abusive behavior,” referencing videos posted on Wednesday that showed him berating CNN journalist Oliver Darcy for some 10 minutes between two congressional hearings on social media.

Facebook, meanwhile, has yet to remove similar videos from Jones’s personal page, even though it has banned Infowars and other pages owned by Jones last month and suspended Jones himself for 30 days, a time-out that has just ended. Facebook said it will continue to review complaints and take action in line with its community standards, but the company

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didn’t say why Jones is still allowed on the service.

On Twitter and elsewhere, Jones has behaved badly before—calling survivors of a shooting in Parkland, Florida, “crisis actors” and saying the mass killing at Sandy Hook Elementary in 2012 was fake. Videos of the latest exchange show Jones calling Darcy “a possum that climbed out of the rear end of a dead cow,” referencing his “skinny jeans” and repeatedly saying, “just look at this guy’s eyes” and “look at that smile.”

Twitter had previously suspended Jones for a week, but had resisted muzzling him further until now.

One of Twitter’s executives once called the service the “free speech wing of the free speech party.” Other tech companies, including YouTube, Apple and Spotify, have limited Jones by suspending him for longer periods and by taking down his pages and podcasts.

But this time, Twitter went a step further, saying it will continue to monitor reports about other accounts potentially associated with Jones or Infowars and will “take action” if it finds any attempts to circumvent the ban. Jones had about 900,000 followers on Twitter.

Infowars had about 430,000.

In a voicemail left with The Associated Press, Jones expressed disbelief that the incident with Darcy could have led to his ban. “He says horrible lies about me and edits things I’ve said,” Jones said. “He’s the one that’s been abusing me.”

Darcy referred questions to a CNN spokesman, who offered no comment.

Democratic US Rep. Frank Pallone of New Jersey praised Twitter’s action in a tweet. “Glad Twitter is taking steps to put an end to the abusive behavior from Alex Jones & Infowars,” the tweet stated. “Tweets designed to threaten, belittle, demean and silence individuals have no place on this platform.”

Critics said there was still a lack of transparency about how large services carry out their policies.

Media Matters for America, a nonprofit dedicated to criticizing conservative media outlets, said the move was “about time” but also noted the behavior was “par for the course” for Jones.

David Greene, civil liberties director for the Electronic Frontier Foundation, said Jones’s ban is almost a distraction to a real debate he believes people should have about how posts should be moderated on services controlled by just a few giant companies.

“Whether the stuff he posted yesterday really crossed the line, as opposed to other stuff, I don’t know,” Greene said.

The EFF believes that social-media companies should disclose the number of enforcement actions and offer clear explanations to people on when and why their posts are removed. The group also believes there should be an appeal process.

Critics on Twitter itself drew attention to the timing of the move.

“Alex Jones was allowed to harass Sandy Hook parents for six years with no repercussions,” tweeted Nick Jack Pappas, a comedy writer in New York. “He harassed Jack Dorsey for one day and was banned from Twitter.”

Jones heckled Darcy in a Capitol Hill hallway where reporters were waiting to enter the House hearing room at which Dorsey was to appear. Earlier that day, Jones apparently attempted to chase Dorsey out of the building.

On his Facebook page, Jones has posted a video that included some of the exchange with Darcy on Thursday afternoon. Posts later in the afternoon acknowledged his ban on Twitter and urged his followers to find him elsewhere online. AP

FREE INTERNET FOR VIDEOS AND GAMES FROM GLOBE

GLOBE At Home revolutionized the home Internet space last year by being the first in the Philippines to launch Prepaid Home WiFi and introducing the “pinakasulit na WiFi sa bahay” from Globe with the HomeSurf15 promo, giving consumers 1GB of data for only P15. Now, Globe At Home is giving its consumers more bang for their buck by adding even more perks to its HomeSurf promos.

Fuel your passion for all things K-drama and eSports with free all-day Internet from Globe At Home. HomeSurf promos will level zup to deliver more data through free all-day Internet to access top Korean video streaming on Viu and gaming apps like “Arena of Valor” and “League of Legends”—all this for as low as only P15.

With this new promo from Globe At Home, there’s something for the whole family. They can now #PlayItRight and binge-watch Koreanovelas like Goblin and What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim? on Viu without having to worry about consuming their data allocation. They can also get their game on by stepping into the exciting worlds of “Arena of Valor” and “League of Legends” for as long as they want. Get the best entertainment for the best family bonding moments.

“In line with our thrust to deliver fast, reliable and affordable home Internet to more Filipinos, Globe At Home has partnered with some of the most in-demand apps.

We’re proud to offer free all-day Internet access for videos [Viu] and games [“Arena of Valor” and “League of Legends”] through our partners so our customers can go home and enjoy their favorite shows and games right in the comfort of their own homes. Now all they have to do is plug, load and surf,” said Martha Sazon, senior vice president for Broadband Business of Globe.

By giving customers free access to videos on Viu, Globe further strengthens its #PlayItRight advocacy and reminds the public that content is best watched using legitimate sources and recognized streaming platforms only.

Get a Globe At Home Prepaid WiFi today for only P1,999 from Globe Stores, 7-Eleven, Ministop and Abenson stores.

You can then enjoy Internet access at home that is 2x faster, has 2x wider coverage and 2x stronger signal versus MyFi. To top it all off, use it easily by loading via the Globe At Home app, via *143#, at loading stations, and, soon, via GCash.

This promo is also available for Homesurf15, Homesurf349 and HomeSurf599. For information, visit broadband.globe.com.ph/prepaid-wifi.

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

BusinessMirror

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From nature-inspired to the colors of the cosmos create a very futuristic looking hue.

THE TECHNIVORE ED UY

whereiseduy@gmail.com

I

T all started with the stunning Twilight color of the Huawei P20 Pro, followed shortly by the Iris Purple of the Nova 3 series—and faster than you hide the notch, other brands came up with their own versions of gradient color finishes.

It’s clear that the smartphone industry has shifted from the usual black color to something more exciting.

Driven by the desire to express themselves through their mobile phones, people began to explore and incorporate gradient colors into their everyday lives.

The gradient color is based on this principle of structural color. Structural coloration is used to create brilliant and rich structural colors that otherwise cannot be reproduced with simple pigments. When light hits the glass back of the device, it goes through five layers of nano coating. When light passes through these layers, it goes through diffraction, refraction, reflection and interference and has its red, orange, yellow and green wavelengths absorbed. As a result, our eyes can only see the rich and illusionary bluepurple gradient color.

The gradient colors on the Huawei Nova 3 series is created utilizing the nonconductive vacuum metalizing (NCVM) coating process. It is the most cutting-edge technology for generating gradient color.

The technology has extremely strict requirements for the processing environment. The entire process of coating takes four times as long as the industrial standard, and with only 30-percent to 40-percent yield—this means one in three pieces of glass is discarded for failing to meet the quality standards.

It took Huawei more than a year to develop the gradient color, during which Huawei has used tens of thousands of glass panes for testing purposes and almost half a year to come up with the color scheme. The inspiration behind the Iris Purple color is UltraViolet—the Pantone color of 2018. Exuding strong techno vibes, the Iris Purple gradient color is perfectly realized on the textured film underneath the curved glass. Purple and blue blend harmoniously with the neon-like contrasts, melding together to

COSMIC-INSPIRED ON Tuesday Vivo unveiled its own take on the gradient finish with the V11. The V11 will be available in two colors—Starry Night and Nebula, which reflects the beauty of the cosmos.

The V11 also brings its In-Display Fingerprint Scanning Technology to a more affordable price point than the previously released X21.

Priced at P19,999, the Vivo V11 boasts of a 6.41” FHD+ Super AMOLED FullView Display, a “Halo” notch and a curved 3D body. The Vivo V11 is powered by a Snapdragon 660AIE processor with 6GB RAM + 64GB ROM, a 12MP + 5MP dual rear camera setup and a 25MP front camera. The cameras are further enhanced with the Vivo’s AI photography that introduces AI Backlight HDR, AI Low Light Mode, AI Face Shaping and AI Portrait.

The Vivo V11 is now available for preorder in stores and online until September 20, and will come with a gift set that includes a Bluetooth speaker, Bluetooth ear piece, and selfie stick plus an additional six-month warranty. For online preorders, each will get a 10,000 mAh Game Powerbank; a gift set of Bluetooth speaker, Bluetooth ear piece and selfie stick; and additional six months warranty for Lazada, Shopee, Argomall and Akulaku shops.

Besides the V11, Vivo also announced the Vivo V11i which has a slightly smaller 6.3-inch FHD+ Halo FullView display, a Helio P60 processor, 16MP + 5MP dual rear cameras, 25MP front camera, rear-mounted fingerprint scanner and 3,315mAh battery. It has a 4GB RAM, but with a higher 128GB internal storage.

We will have a more in-depth review of the Vivo V11 in the coming weeks.

STARRY PURPLE NIGHTS WHEN the F9 was launched a few weeks ago, many were impressed by the smartphone’s gradient Sunrise Red and Twilight Blue finish as well, but the variant that got the most attention was the Starry Purple.

Now, the Starry Purple F9 will finally be available starting today September 15 at the grand opening of the Oppo flagship concept store at Glorietta 2 in Makati City.

Inspired by nature, the new Oppo F9 Starry Purple is an inspiration of colors representing today’s generation of their magical memories. From the bright starry sky, and even magical fantasies of childhood, the Oppo F9 Starry Purple’s unique starlight finish is sure to bring dazzle to anyone who sees the unique color.

Using two unique spraying techniques which are bead powder and optical coating, the F9 Starry Purple is an industry first to produce such a delicate finish on a smartphone. This is Oppo’s testimony in showing resilience to innovation and understanding the customer’s need of a phone that can represent their personality.

Aside from being beautiful on the outside, the F9 Starry Purple is a top choice because of its VOOC flash charging technology that can charge the device 4x faster than regular chargers. Its camera optics are upgraded to a 16MP + 2MP dual rear camera for enhanced AI portrait photography and 25MP AI Front camera for the famous selfies of Oppo is known for.

FREE YOUTUBE EVERYDAY FROM TNT FOR real- and reel-life couple Joshua Garcia and Julia Barretto, or “JoshLia,” break time is YouTube time as two squeeze in “YouTube breaks” to perk themselves up, unwind just a little, or—when a major scene calls for it—get in character.

“In between takes, I usually play the music videos of my favorite artists on YouTube. It’s amazing how a song can totally change your mood in a snap— and with video, it’s just so much more intense and heartfelt,” said 21-year-old Julia, who once got caught on cam shedding tears while watching Moira de la Torre’s music video for “Tagpuan.”

“Aside from music videos, I also check YouTube for other stuff—from makeup tutorials, travel vlogs and, of course, funny viral clips.”

“Break time is easily YouTube time for us,” declared 20-year-old Joshua. “YouTube has a lot of great content for everyone, but like Julia, I find myself playing music videos, and streaming guitar lessons because I play the instrument. I’m also into games, so there are moments when I check gaming clips and walkthroughs. There are also the usual trending videos and viral clips that keep us abreast with what people are talking about online.”

JoshLia’s passion for mobile content is one of many reasons this young couple is thrilled to be part of the TNT family as its new endorsers, headlining the mobile brand’s groundbreaking Free YouTube Every Day promo.

Even better, TNT has now made free YouTube even more accessible by expanding its list of prepaid promos that instantly come with one hour of Free YouTube Every Day, such as Supercombo 20, GigaSurf 50, Panalo Data 30 and Panalo Combo 30. With Free YouTube Every Day, TNT customers can make the most of their break time by streaming their favorite videos in one sitting or in several sessions throughout

the day. They can watch funny vlogs, stream music videos, catch eye-opening documentaries, and learn from instructional clips, and so much more.

TNT’s Free YouTube Every Day promo is valid until October 31. TNT customers can enjoy Free YouTube Every Day on the back of Smart’s LTE network, the country’s fastest LTE network as recognized by industry experts Ookla and OpenSignal.

SKY DISCOUNTED FIBER BROADBAND SKY slashes off half the price of its One Sky fiberpowered broadband plans in key areas around the country to allow more Filipinos to experience high-speed Internet home connection. The first to experience Sky’s offer are residents in Metro Manila, Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Baguio, Cebu, Bacolod, Dumaguete, Iloilo, Davao, General Santos and Zamboanga. Until December 31, interested customers can avail themselves of a 50-percent discount on its first three monthly fees plus a low one-time cash-out upon installation.

Those availing the One Sky Premium or Lite plans will get the additional perk of a 15-day free access to Skycable’s full channel lineup, while customers who are interested to sign up for One Sky Broadband Streaming plans can enjoy a two-month online access to ABS-CBN free-to-air channels and seven select cable channels (CNN, ANC, Cartoon Network, Warner, History, Blue Ant Entertainment and Nickelodeon) via Sky On Demand, an online streaming platform exclusive to Sky subscribers.

The available One Sky Fiber plans are One Sky Premium (bundled unlimited fiber-powered broadband and HD cable TV), One Sky Lite (bundled fiber-powered broadband with usage allowance and HD cable TV), and One Sky Broadband Streaming Plans (unlimited fiber-powered broadband with free online access to Sky On Demand’s local channels including ABS-CBN). One Sky Fiber offers fiberpowered broadband with speeds ranging from 5Mbps to 100Mbps. Launched in June 2018, its new unlimited One Sky Broadband Streaming Plan 5Mbps priced at P999/month is one of the most affordable in the market today.

In a recent report by global Internet testing analysis firm Ookla for the first half of 2018, Sky achieved a speed score of 10.89, one of the fastest among major providers in the Philippines. The fixed network award was based on 29,076,090 userinitiated Speedtest Award report nationwide for the same period.

Visit mysky.com.ph/switch or drop by any Skyzone business center in select malls for more details. ■

SEPTEMBER 15, 2018

WHAT’S INSIDE:

Saturday Edition

COOK CONNECTING FOODIES

PUBLISHER T. ANTHONY C. CABANGON BUSINESSMIRROR EDITOR IN CHIEF LOURDES M. FERNANDEZ COOK MAGAZINE EDITOR IN CHIEF DINO H. DATU MANAGING EDITOR MAGNOLIA S. SILVESTRE GROUP CREATIVE DIRECTOR EDUARDO A. DAVAD GRAPHIC ARTIST SHAIRA MAE B. BARNUEVO ONLINE EDITOR RUBEN M. CRUZ JR. PRESIDENT BENJAMIN V. RAMOS VP FINANCE ADEBELO D. GASMIN VP ADVERTISING SALES MARVIN N. ESTIGOY ADVERTISING SALES MANAGER MARLON A. ALDENESE ACCOUNT MANAGERS MARIBEL C. AVELIS LEAH CALING-BONOTAN MICHAEL N. PITUC EVENTS & MARKETING OFFICER CARLO M. ABALOS CIRCULATION MANAGER ROLANDO MANANGAN PRODUCTION MANAGER JOMAR ESCALICAS PRE-PRESS SUPERVISOR RODANTE B. INGLES Contact us: Editorial: Tel. no. 814-0134 to 37 local 108; Website: www.cookmagazine.ph; e-mail us at editor@cookmagazine.ph.

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TORTELLINI Royale

AUSTRALIAN Lamb Shank

CHEFS Vic Barangan (from left), Rich Bautista, Kim Calma and Rouel Mahilum

EASTWOOD Cafe + Bar interior

ABRA Organic Chicken

COMPRESSED Watermelon Salad

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THE FEED

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