Manila Standard - 2017 July 02 - Sunday

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VOL. XXXI • NO. 138 • 5 SECTIONS 20 PAGES • P18 • SUNDAY, JULY 2, 2017 • www.manilastandard.net • editorial@thestandard.com.ph

SPORTS/ C4

PACQUIAO IS LOOKING FOR KNOCKOUT WIN —ROACH

SHOWBIZ/ E4

NADINE LUSTRE SEXIEST WOMAN ALIVE

FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS. Tacloban City Mayor Cristina Gonzales-Romualdez (top, right) with her daughter Sofia waves to the crowd after leading a motorcade along the city’s main streets in celebration of the 128th Sangyaw Festival of Lights in honor of the Senor Sto. Niño. The festival which features light-emitting diodes (LED) worn by street dancers has for its theme this year 'Unity for Progress,' said the mayor. Former first lady Imelda Romualdez-Marcos started the Sangyaw Festival in the 1970s. Sonny Espiritu

RODY REMINDS REDS ON CEASEFIRE VOW P

By John Paolo Bencito and Florante S. Solmerin

forces.

RESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte on Saturday appealed to communist rebels to make good their vow for a ceasefire and stop their tactical offensives against government

“Can you just stop fighting for a while because your leaders in Europe said that there will be a ceasefire,” the President said in a speech at Tagum City.

Duterte said that state forces are still fighting extremist forces in Mindanao, reiterating that there

will never be any “political, social, economic space for you communists if it is terrorism that prevails.”

On Friday, the Communist Party of the Philippines called on its armed wing, the New People’s Army, to “continue to seize the initiative and carry out more and

more tactical offensives nationwide in order to derail and blunt” the “Duterte regime’s all-out war.”

Describing Duterte’s first year as being marked by “worsening crisis, death and destruction,” the CPP said that this only gave the rebels “no other choice but to intensify tactical offensives nationwide.”

In the same speech, the President told the communists not to give him “a double face.”

“We used to talk, we were friends but that was the time when I was mayor. I was not then burdened with the responsibility of running the country,” he said.

“But now, the situation has al-

ready changed. [Kapag] kinalaban mo ang pulis ko, kinalaban mo ang sundalo magkalaban talaga tayo.

Magbarilan tayo,” [If you attack my policemen and my soldiers then we’re enemies. Let’s fight each other],'' he added.

In a related development, an intelligence report obtained by the Manila Standard had indicated that the legal communist fronts have stepped up their campaigns on social issues to arouse and organize farmers and stakeholders of development projects perceived to be anti-people in several identified areas in the country.

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'JIHADISTS' NEXT TARGET: ASEAN' TERRORISM is entrenched in Southeast Asia and will only worsen as Islamic State’s fortunes fade and foreign fighters skilled in bomb making and hijacking return from the Middle East, Singapore’s defense minister said.

“When we talk about endemic threats we usually refer to threats

like dengue or tuberculosis, which means that it’s here to stay, that despite years of effort you can’t eradicate it,” Ng Eng Hen told reporters ahead of the country’s armed forces day on July 1.

“The problem will now come to Asean,” Ng said, referring to the 10 states that make up the Asso-

ciation of Southeast Asian Nations.

“Singapore is a target.”

Ng cited the siege of Marawi, a city in the southern Philippines, where soldiers have been battling Islamic State-linked militants for more than a month. Terrorist camps discovered in Marawi turned up large amounts of mon-

ey, weapons caches and fighters recruited from outside the Philippines, he said.

Southeast Asian governments have for years highlighted the risk from returning fighters alongside those radicalized at home via the Internet. Those warnings have Turn to A2

HALFWAY HOME FOR MARAWI EVACUEES IN THE WORKS—DILG

By John Paolo Bencito TEMPORARY shelters and evacuation centers will be erected for the evacuees as soon as they can return to Marawi City after the city is cleared of Maute terrorists, the Interior department said Saturday.

DILG Officer-in-Charge Catalino Cuy said that a huge number of evacuees staying in Iligan City will find out that they are homeless once they go back to Marawi City at the end of the armed conflict.

“We really hope that we can start the rehabilitation efforts very soon so that Marawi residents will be able to pick up the broken pieces of their lives, stand

back on their toes again, and rebuild their lives,” Cuy said.

Cuy said that the national government is looking into the process of identifying internally displaced persons (IDPs) who actually lost their homes due to the ongoing siege to be the recipients of the temporary shelters and evacuation centers.

“Temporary shelters will be available doon sa mga nasiraan ng bahay talaga [for those with damaged houses],” he said.

He added that there had been reports that the number of evacuees in Iligan City swelled to a massive extent so it is imperative to prioritize the recipients of the temporary shelters and evacuation centers.

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TRAIN FARE HIKE. Commuters board a PNR coach at the Tutuban station. Effective Saturday, July 1, 2017, the Philippine National Railways will increase its fare from a minimum P10 to P15 for the first 14 kilometers and additional P5 after every seven kilometers per zone. Lino Santos

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IBON: SRP ABOLITION TO TELL ON CONSUMERS

By John Paolo Bencito A PRIVATE think tank on Saturday warned against the Trade department’s plans to remove the suggested retail rice (SRP) of basic commodities, a move that it said would give traders a free rein in determining prices to the disadvantage of consumers particularly the poor.

“Instead of encouraging competition, however, price deregulation is wont to push prices upward,” said Ibon Foundation in a statement. `“This is a form of deregulation whereby the government reneges on its responsibility to regulate the price of basic goods and protect consumers,” the group added.

On Thursday, Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez said his department would discontinue the retail price setting scheme in an attempt “to allow market forces to determine the appropriate cost of consumer products including food” and supposedly encourage competition so that firms are compelled to lower their rates to the advantage of consumers.

Ibon warned that if the same form of deregulation happens to basic goods, the DTI directive “will be detrimental to many poor Filipinos, of whom, based on official data, 21.9 million in extreme poverty live on or below P61 per day and 65 million live on only P125 or less per day.”

The group cited as an example deregulated industries such as electricity and power, wherein few players in power generation, production and distribution are able to dictate the rates.

“Competition presumes a large number of producers—and not just a handful, or a monopoly—competing in terms of price and quality to provide consumers’ needs.”

The economic think tank likewise raised concerns over the intention of the DTI directive, as the profit-seeking nature of the private sector contradicts the State’s duty Turn to A2

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RODY...

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The report said these fronts and the NPA will capitalize on issues of alleged military abuses under martial law in Mindanao and landlessness and development aggression against farmers, indigenous peoples and urban dwellers.

Issues on political prisoners and human rights violations are other forms of tactics used by legal fronts to rally public support, the military said.

The warning against plans of tactical offensives of the NPA was divulged Friday in Davao City by Malacanang through Presidential Spokesman Ernesto Abella.

Abella did not give details about the NPA’s plans but nevertheless urged government forces and the public for vigilance following the CCP statement.

Abella said such posturing was just another challenge for the government how it handles the sincerity of the rebel movement to talk peace.

In the report, the intelligence sector identified areas of concerns based on their threat assessments as Davao region, Caraga region and Palawan.

Particularly in Palawan, the NPA will allegedly conduct “tactical offensives” through arson and raids against economic establishments “to threaten targets to comply with their extortion demands.”

The report said legal fronts are using land issues to attract and recruit from the peasant sector to become Red fighters.

“Considering the abundant natural resources in the province, [these fronts] will persist to oppose developmental projects to continuously deny the people from the government/private institution’s social services which are the root causes of insurgency,” it said.

The report said the NPA is yet to launch a major attack in the province.

In Davao region, the military was closely monitoring movements of the NPA especially in the hinterlands of Davao City and Compostela Valley.

Based on a threat assessment, the Southern Mindanao Regional Committee has ordered all its fighters to launch tactical offensives against government forces and government and private business installations particularly in Davao City’s Marilog, Calinan and Paquibato districts.

In Compostela Valley, the areas of immediate concerns are Mabini, Pantukan, Maragusan, Maco, and Laak.

The military said the NPA will employ guerrilla tactics such as ambushes, improvised explosive device attacks, and sparrow-like attack against individual targets.

It said the rebels have in their plan of arson and raids economic targets such as Sumifru, Banana Highland Corp., Coca-Cola, and Cowboy Trucking Service, all in Davao City. In Compostela Valley, the targets are Dole Philippines, Apex Mining Corp., ANFLO/TADECO, and Sumufru.

In Caraga region, the military said the NPA’s primary targets are military and police detachments in Agusan del Sur especially in San Lusi, Talacogon and Lapaz; in Agusan del Norte are Butuan City, Nasipit, Carmen, and Kitcharao; and in Surigao del Norte are Alegria and Gigaquit.

The targets are agri-plantations, construction companies, mining firms, businessmen, and moneyed individuals.

Also included in the plan was the abduction of military and police personnel, and government officials.

Malacañang called on the public to be alert and on the lookout against the reported planned attacks.

“We wish to forewarn the public of reported planned attacks of the NPA on people-oriented programs and infrastructure projects and request the citizenry of Mindanao and everyone else in the country to be on the alert and on the lookout,” Abella said.

“We also appeal to everyone to share information with authorities on suspicious persons and activities in their communities. Sabi nga po nila, if we can work together, we can prevent these extortion-related activities,” he said.

Abella, meanwhile, provided the updates on the government’s operations in Marawi, saying that civilians killed are at 39 or lower than what was previously reported.

“According to Scene of the Crime— SOCO report’s correction, ‘yung ni-report po na, for the previous 17 cadavers recovered 17 days ago is actually po, actually 12 lang po pala upon full examination. So ‘yung verified are only 12 cadavers,” he said.

Meanwhile, Abella said civilians rescued are at 1,713. Terrorists killed, meanwhile, are at 317 while government casualties are at 82.

In the same radio briefing, the Palace official dispelled allegations made

by Senator Risa Hontiveros that President Rodrigo Duterte’s first year in office is allegedly a year of misogyny.

With PNA

GMA CALLS DUTERTE’S 12 MONTHS AS ‘AWESOME’

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ORMER President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, now representing her home district in Pampanga, has lauded the first year of President Rodrigo Duterte’s leadership, describing it as “awesome.”

“Yesterday he celebrated his first year as president. He has shown awesome leadership in many programs he has set out to do during his presidency,” Arroyo, a known ally of Duterte, said in her speech during the 52nd Inner Wheel Clubs of the Philippines meeting in Makati City.

“He instituted bold reforms against illegal drugs and corruption,” the former President and now 2nd District of Pampanga representative said, citing the President’s P8.4-trillion massive infrastructure spending initiative dubbed as “Build, Build, Build” throughout his presidency.

“And speaking as an economist, I’d like to add his ‘Build, Build, Build’ initiative is commendable and is a step in [the] right direction towards sustaining our robust economic growth,” she said, adding “Our economic growth today is one of the best in the world.”

The former president underscored that Duterte accomplished “uniting” Filipinos toward the goal of achieving “real change.”

“Beyond his accomplishments in the technical work as a president, one thing that the president has done is to inspire and unite the Filipino people towards his goal of effecting real change in the country, pagbabago,” she said.

“So let’s all wish him the best as he begins his second year and the best of health for the rest of his term as he fulfills his mandate for the nation and for the people,” she added.

Arroyo waved her appraisal as former senator and vice presidential candidate Ferdinand Marcos Jr. himself lauded Duterte’s first of six years as President, citing his good leadership by changing the country’s foreign and national policy.

Marcos said in his assessment of Duterte’s first year in office, not all presidents could manage to

change both the foreign and domestic policy in one year.

“President Duterte has shown the one thing, the one singular quality that is very clear, and the reason why he’s very popular, and that is leadership,” Marcos said.

Marcos said the status of the Philippines in the international community was changed by Duterte.

When President Duterte assumed the office in June last year, he decided to pursue an independent foreign policy by veering away from the Philippines’ long-time ally, the US, and made a pivot in relations with China and Russia.

Diplomatic observers noted that the Philippines established diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China in 1975, a year before Manila and Moscow established formal links as then President Ferdinand Marcos opened the country’s diplomatic doors to the communikst and socialist countries.

For the first six months in office, Duterte had been vocal against the US and the outgoing US President Barack Obama.

The President had also been cursing left and right countries while the Foreign Affairs department tried hard to explain Duterte’s series

of rhetorics.

In June, Duterte told the United Nation to “shut up” as it “can’t even solve the Middle East carnage”.

In August, Duterte in his speech called former U.S. ambassador to the Philippines Philip Goldberg a “homosexual son of a bitch.”

Shortly after his rhetoric, the United States said the $32-million assistance to promote human rights and security was subject to “rigorous vetting,” calling on the Philippines to observe the rule of law and due process in its campaign against drugs.

Also in August, the two UN Special Rapporteurs on Summary Executions Agnes Callamard and the Right on Health Danius Puras urged Duterte to put an end to the current wave of extrajudicial executions and killings of the alleged drug users and pushers.

Duterte slammed the call of the two rapporteurs and theatened that the Philippines would pull out from the UN, but later he said it was only a joke.

In September, Duterte also said the upcoming war games between the Philippines and the US would be the last, because China did not want it resumed. Sara Susanne Fabunan

'MINDANAO TO GET EQUAL SHARE OF PH’S WEALTH’

By John Paolo Bencito

GRIEVING FATHER. Public Attorney’s Office chief Percida Rueda Acosta (center) offers her condolences to Dexter Carlos, whose family was massacred by a drug addict earlier this week, at the wake of his five family members at his home in Barangay Sto. Cristo, San Jose Del Monte, Bulacan. Manny Palmero

IBON: ...

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to protect consumers in terms of ensuring the affordability of basic goods.

The group likewise called on the government to uphold its regulatory function and ensure people’s access to basic goods in accordance with the Price Act, which states that “it is the policy of the State to ensure the availability of basic necessities and prime commodities at reasonable prices at all times” and to protect consumers from various sales malpractices, such as price manipulation.

Removing SRPs will also run contrary to the 1987 Constitution and Republic Act 7394 or the Consumer Act of the Philippines which guarantee related consumer rights stating that “The State shall protect consumers from trade malpractices...” and that the State shall ”protect the interests of the consumer, promote his general welfare and likewise establish fair standards of conduct for business and industry,” respectively.

PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte on Saturday vowed to give an equal share of the country’s wealth to Mindanao, as long as they remain committed to his war on drugs, corruption, criminality and terrorism.

“Rest assured that the government will do everything to give an equal share of resources to Mindanao, including Davao del Norte. Use the money to uplift the people and realize your great potential,” Duterte said in a speech in Tagum City.

The President, who campaigned on a promise to transform the country into a federal government, insisted this was the key to bringing peace in conflict-ridden Mindanao.

“All I ask in return is that you remain committed to the war on drugs, corruption, criminality and terrorism. You must be steadfast and united against these ills that threaten our existence and our way of life,” he added.

In the same speech, Duterte said fighting in Marawi City would not stop despite the rising number of soldiers killed in the ongoing conflict.

“I cannot stop the fighting because I will never, never compromise with the terrorists,” Duterte said, adding that it would continue “until the last terrorist is executed.”

“If there is one person in this republic and this country who is really traveling with a heavy heart it’s me, because I ordered the Armed Forces and the police to go there and fight and perhaps to die,” he said.

“My only consoling issue there is I have to do it because it is my constitutional duty to preserve and defend the Filipino people.”

As of June 29, the death toll in the ongoing Marawi City siege has risen to 429. Of the total number of fatalities, 303 were members of the Maute group.

'JIHADISTS' ...

From A1 increased as Islamic State continues to lose ground in the Middle East, raising concerns it will metastasize and grow more potent in other places.

“Whatever the reasons, there is now if you like the terrorist core that is a magnet in our region that will pull terrorists to this region and say we want to establish an ISIS-like caliphate,” Ng said. “Tens, if not hundreds, if not thousands of foreign fighters will have the skills to make improvised explosives, to have the skills for hijacking, to have the skills for kidnapping.”

“They are just using religion as a false front, but they are basically criminals.”

Speaking on June 28 in Brisbane, US Pacific Command chief Harry Harris also warned the weakening of Islamic State in the Middle East and North Africa would lead some fighters to return to Asia.

“These terrorists are using combat tactics that we’ve seen in the Middle East to kill in the city of Marawi in Mindanao—the first time ISIS-inspired forces have banded together

HALFWAY...

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to fight on this kind of scale in this region,” Admiral Harris said. He described Marawi as a “wake-up call for every nation in the Indo-Asia-Pacific.”

Philippine military chief of staff Eduardo Año said last week there were around 40 foreign fighters in Marawi, including some from Indonesia and Malaysia.

Ng said even if the Philippine military could contain the Marawi attack—and he said he had faith it would—the danger from extremists won’t dissipate.

“The threat of terrorism, the skills of terrorists, the networks, have gone from wholesale to retail and that is why we are seeing more lone wolf attacks and small cells.”

More training Southeast Asia is home to about 15 percent of the world’s 1.57 billion Muslims. As well as the Marawi violence in the southern Philippines— where President Rodrigo Duterte has declared martial law—the Indonesian capital of Jakarta was also struck recently by twin suicide bombings that killed three police officers.

Bloomberg

Local officials raised the concern on the management of the dead and the missing casualties and other concerns that beset the city amid the armed conflict.

Despite the ongoing conflict, Cuy cited the downward trend of criminality in the entire Northern Mindanao area.

He said that if this positive development will continue, it would be beneficial to the tourism industry in the region, which is one of the adversely affected sectors in the Mindanao crisis.

PNP and AFP forces in the entire Mindanao island have also been beefed up as part of the enhanced security measures.

Meanwhile, the cramped condition in evacuation centers gave rise to a number of diseases, including diarrhea.

A television report said eight children, who were among the thousands of people displaced by the conflict, have already died from diarrhea.

Aside from diseases, the displaced residents, who number 2,500, are also suffering from trauma due to the ongoing conflict.

On Saturday, the Department of Social Welfare and Development said that as of 12 noon, a total of 2,666 families or 11,774 displaced city residents are staying in 40 evacuation centers.

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DU30 URGED TO STOP TARIFF INCREASE

By Maricel V. Cruz

JUSTICE DELAYED. Relatives of the Special Action Force 44 victims gather Saturday at the weekly News Forum in Quezon City and raised a call for the resignation of Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales due to their perceived slow investigation on the case of the 44. Manny Palmero

LAWMAKER SETS PROBE INTO NAT’L RICE SUPPLY

By Maricel V. Cruz

A

HOUSE leader on Saturday sought a congressional probe into the “true state” of the country’s rice inventory amid the scheduled arrival of the first tranche of imports of the grain this July and the lower rice inventory ahead of the traditional post-summer lean months.

In filing House Resolution 994, CamSur Rep. LRay Villafuerte said an inquiry in aid of legislation was imperative following the latest report by the Philippine Statistics Authority that the country’s rice stocks as of May 1 dropped by 13 percent to 3.21 million metric tons from 3.69 million MT a year ago.

“We should ensure that we have sufficient rice stocks in the coming weeks and months as the lean season kicks in, which is why I am calling for a congressional probe to find out the actual volume of stocks in store in our commercial warehouses, the NFA [National Food Authority] and our households,” Villafuerte, House committee on appropriations vice chairperson, said.

The first batch of some 250,000 MT of imported rice is expected to arrive by endJuly to augment existing stocks, according to the NFA. Villafuerte said the PSA has reported that, as of May 1, the rice volume is enough to meet the rice requirements of Filipinos for 95 days.

The PSA said 46.38 percent of the volume comprised household stocks, 45.21 percent stored in commercial warehouses, and 8.41 percent in NFA depositories, he added.

Almost 75 percent of NFA stocks consisted

ATONEMENT FOR VICTIMS MONITORED BY PAGCOR

THE Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. has been closely monitoring Resorts World Manila’s efforts of atonement for the victims in the June 2 tragedy.

Of late, Pagcor said RWM had settled the hospital bills of all wounded victims and had given P500,000 cash assistance to each of them.

Pagcor also ensured that the families of those who perished in the tragedy would receive settlements tailored-fit to each family’s demands.

Included in RWM’s settlements were full scholarship grants for children from grade school to college and the assurance of a job at RWM once these scholars graduate.

With regard to safety and security concerns, RWM has complied with all the standards and requirements set by Pagcor.

“We now wish to focus our efforts on other equally important concerns—such as the 6,000 RWM gaming employees who fear losing their source of livelihood in the event that the company closes shop,” Pagcor said in a statement.

“If this happens, thousands of families may not be able to put food on the table or pay for amortizations and other basic needs like shelter, water, among others,” it said.

Apart from RWM’s 6,000 employees, thousands of employees of suppliers of goods and services may also be affected.

“The tragedy has happened. We cannot reverse the past so let us learn from this experience. Let us pray for the eternal rest of the departed victims and do our best to help their families,” Pagcor said.

TURF WAR.

SBMA Administrator Wilma Eisma talks Saturday on the turf war in the free port zone on how she plans to resolve the issue while United Filipino Consumers and Commuters president RJ Javellana (left) listens during the weekly News Forum at Anabels Restaurant in Quezon City.

Manny Palmero

of imported rice.

Citing the PSA report, Villafuerte said stocks in NFA depositories fell by 17.4 percent compared to last year but household stocks grew by 0.96 percent and commercial stocks by almost 40 percent.

Villafuerte, in his resolution, said the appropriate committee of the House of Representatives must assess the true state of rice inventory in the Philippines to ensure adequate and affordable rice supply during the traditional lean months.”

“An adequate rice supply is necessary for our food security, especially during times of calamities and emergencies,” added Villafuerte.

Through a public inquiry, Villafuerte said the House could “come up with policy proposals for Government to ensure ample and affordable supply of this staple, in light of fears that the country’s current buffer stock might not be enough to last us through the traditional lean months after this summer harvest season.”

AN UMBRELLA group of consumer stakeholders on Saturday urged President Rodrigo Duterte to stop the 24-percent increase in the cargo handling tariff the Philippine Ports Authority has approved for the Manila North Harbor Port Inc., warning the increase might encourage smuggling.

Rodolfo Javellana Jr., president of the United Filipino Consumers and Commuters, said the tariff hike was against the President’s 10-point economic agenda which is to increase business competitiveness, attract investments, and protect the Filipino people from “economic shocks.”

“Consumers will ultimately bear the brunt of this tariff increase because traders will just pass on the added costs to the public,” Javellano told a news forum.

“The public will always be at the losing end. MNHPI says it wants to upgrade its facilities to justify the tariff increase, but they want consumers to pay for their upgrade. It is as if MNHPI wants to be the only one to benefit from this set-up and the technical working group sided with them,” Javellana added.

Javellana also said his group wrote a letter to PPA general manager Jay Daniel Santiago asking his office to review the decision of the PPA technical working group to approve the tariff hike despite the objection of Manila North Harbor clients opposing the increase.

The group asked Santiago to suspend the approval of the tariff hike and order an audit on MNHPI instead.

“While we acknowledge that the PPA board has already adopted the recommendation of the TWG, it is also within your power to rectify this error, which will have serious adverse implications on our business climate in general, and on ordinary consumers in particular,” the UFCC letter to Santiago stated.

“All stakeholders of Manila North Harbor, which is operated by MNHPI, have rejected the proposed upward adjustment in tariff, but the TWG assigned to this case has conveniently disregarded the concerns raised,” the group added.

DRIVE ON VS ILLEGALLY PARKED WHEELS

By Joel E. Zurbano THE Metro Manila Development Authority has intensified its campaign against illegally parked vehicles and other obstructions on major and secondary roads amid complaints from mororists concerning the worsening traffic situation in the metropolis.

Members of MMDA’s Anti-Illegal Parking and Sidewalk Clearing Operations Group continuously clear the areas of all illegally parked vehicles, tricycles and motorcycles along Kamias Road, Kamuning Road, and Tomas Morato Avenue; Cubao Area along J.P. Rizal, P. Tuazon, and 20th Avenue, and in Barangay Veterans Village, all in Quezon City.

During the illegal parking operations in Veterans Village, the MMDA personnel also discovered that most of the apprehended tricycles had no proper documentation while drivers had no valid licenses.

The MMDA men led by traffic supervising officer for operations Edison Nebrija also conducted anti-illegal terminal operations along Lacson Avenue in Quezon City where they caught two buses owned and operated by Victory Liner.

While on their way back to Timog Avenue office base, the team also chanced upon a JAM Transit bus illegally parked along Sgt. Esguerra Street in the Scout Area.

In Manila, the MMDA personnel cleared Andalucia Street and Bacood area of all illegal parking and illegal vendors.

Sidewalk clearing operations were also conducted along National Irrigation Administration Road, Luzon Avenue, Congressional Avenue Extension, Agham Road, Times Street, West Triangle, all in Quezon City.

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PROBE ON PASSENGERS’ BILL OF RIGHTS COMPLIANCE SET

By Joel E. Zurbano

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AWMAKERS are set to investigate if the Air Passenger Bill of Rights is being properly implemented following reports that airlines are still collecting fees for flight rebooking, rerouting and cancellations and employ unclear policies that often lead to confusion among air travelers.

Senator Paolo Benigno Aquino IV filed Senate Resolution No. 414 calling for a probe which will focus on service-related issues and the airline carriers' policies on fares, fees and other charges.

In 2012, then Department of Transportation and Communications and the Department of Trade and Industry released Joint Administrative Order No. 01 or the Air Passengers Bill of Rights, with the goal of promoting balance, fairness, and reasonableness between the passengers and the airline carriers.

"But air passengers still complain about excessive fees for rebooking and confusing services

policies," said Aquino.

The senator cited the recommendation of the Department of Justice-Office for Competition, contained in its report dated Sept. 23, 2015, to air carriers operating in the Philippines to adopt international best practices and clarify their policies for rebooking and foregoing flights for various reasons.

While deregulation of the airline industry resulted in lower airfares, the DOJ-OFC Report indicated that it has given airline carriers much independence in determining their policies regarding fares, fees and other costs.

"It reached the point where customers have no choice but to accept

their rules," Aquino said.

In addition, the senator said, airlines still charge customers substantial amount for rebooking, rerouting or cancellation of flights.

Aquino's move came few days after a budget carrier was placed under investigation by the Civil Aeronautics Board following a video, showing passengers in panic and deplaned due to hot temperature inside the plane bound for Cebu, went viral on social media.

Under the Air Passenger Bill of Rights, consumers have the right to be informed of the complete terms and conditions of the contract of carriage, among others. In case of online bookings, the consumer must be informed, at least twice, of such terms and conditions prior to final submission of his or her purchase order. In addition, passengers must be apprised verbally of such terms and conditions in a language easily understood by them.

In order to prevent travelers from being misled by apparently “cheap” air fares which, in actuality, cost considerably higher than the publicized amount, it requires

air carriers to disclose all other mandatory fees and charges, including government taxes and fuel surcharges, in their fare advertisements.

The said Bill of Rights takes cognizance of the practice of air carriers to overbook flights. While the same is not outrightly prohibited, air carriers are required to bear any expense or injury to the passengers who will be affected by such overbooking. As a remedial measure, the air carrier is mandated to seek volunteers who would be willing to give up their seats for reasonable compensation.

In case of cancellation of a passenger’s flight, the air carrier is obligated to provide sufficient refreshments, hotel accommodation, transportation from airport to the hotel, free phone calls, texts or emails and first aid, if necessary.

Furthermore, the passenger must be reimbursed of the value of the fare, including taxes and surcharges, or endorsed to another air carrier or rebooked to the next flight available without additional charge.

20 ILLEGAL OFWS IN RUSSIA SENT HOME

By Sara Susanne D. Fabunan THE Philippine Embassy in Moscow has recorded the highest repatriation efforts of Filipinos of 20 in June, its ambassador said on Saturday.

In a statement, Philippine ambassador to Russia Carlos Sorreta said that the increase in the number of repatriates is due to the inability of overseas Filipino workers to obtain visas.

"Thus forcing them to return to the Philippines rather than stay in Russia without the required documents where they may be at risk of facing heavy penalties," Sorreta said.

Out of the 20 OFWs, Sorreta said two were apprehended by the authorities while the remaining individuals have sought the embassy's assistance.

“We understand that no OFW wants to go home abruptly, especially through deportation. The fact that our nationals came to the Embassy for assistance in this regard means that they were really left with no choice,” the envoy said.

“We thank them for their trust in the Embassy and their willingness to comply with proper procedure," he added.

The embassy's assistance includes helping Filipino workers undergo deportation proceedings in order to obtain expulsion orders which will serve as their exit visas.

They are also accommodated at the Embassy's Assistance-to-Nationals Shelter, where they were provided with food and supplies, while the process was ongoing.

Sorreta said that there is currently "no work visa" category for household service workers in Russia.

He said majority of these Filipinos were able to obtain their visas for large fees from so-called "visa-agencies" that misrepresent them as highly-qualified professionals in management positions.

This makes OFWs vulnerable to arrest, detention, and fines.

Lately, many Russia-based Filipinos were not able to obtain work visas.

“We observed that the recruitment of Filipinos by unauthorized entities—especially from Hong Kong and other third countries—led to a situation where the number of work visas available for Filipinos, even the ones that misrepresent their actual work and employers, is no longer enough,” Vice Consul Jeffrey Valdez said.

BALUTAN HITS ANG’S ‘BABBLING’ DEVOTION. More than 100 boats full of devotees join the Fluvial Procession of the Miraculous image of the Sto. Niño de Tacloban going to Basey, Samar and San Juanico Strait and back to Tacloban City port. Ver Noveno

‘ARMS FROM CHINA MAY BE USED IN MARAWI’ THE weapons and ammunition donated by China may be used in the ongoing efforts to clear Marawi City of the remaining Maute group terrorists, Armed Forces of the Philippines spokesperson, Brig. Gen. Restituto Padilla, said on Saturday.

"Our troops will have no difficulty in using these weapons as their op-

eration is really very simple," Padilla said, adding that the assault and sniper rifles donated by the Chinese government are similar to the ones being used by the military.

He said the weapons and ammunition are being inventoried before they are distributed to the field.

"We need to record them. These are thousands but they come by lot

numbers and there are records, so it’s not going to be long before we are able to ship them out [to Marawi City]," Padilla said.

The arms and ammunition arrived at the Harrison Landing Zone in Clark Freeport, on board an Ilyushin IL-76 military plane Wednesday.

They consist of 3,000 rifles with 5 million ammunition, and 90 long-range

sniper rifles with 800,000 rounds.

The weapons were formally turned over by Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Zhao Jianhua to President Rodrigo Duterte on June 28.

Duterte earlier said the firearms donation was one of the defense cooperation matters he discussed with Chinese President Xi Jin Ping during his visit to China last October. PNA

PRRC TO STOP SPREAD OF WATER HYACINTHS

BLEAK SIGHT. A resident looks for reusable materials from their charred home after a fire gutted a residential area in Barangay 598, Zone 59, Old Sta. Mesa in Manila, on July 1, 2017. Around 250 families were left homeless in the fire as the Bureau of Fire investigate the origin of the blaze. Norman Cruz

PASIG River Rehabilitation Commission executive director Jose Antonio “Ka Pep” Goitia established Task Force Water Hyacinth to stop the spread of water hyacinths along the Pasig River that have traveled as far as from the Laguna de Bay and also tasked it to collect water hyacinths for livelihood projects of communities living near Pasig River.

“The spread of water hyacinths is a natural phenomenon brought about by the rainy season. Technically speaking, the water hyacinths continue to grow due to the high level of nutrients in the water com-

ing from aquaculture farming areas as well as from the creeks or esteros draining domestic waste to the Pasig River,” said Goitia, who is also the president of PDP-Laban San Juan City Council.

He said that the PRRC has always been at the frontline in implementing waste and water quality rehabilitation and management programs that aim to improve the Pasig River System with the help of partner agencies in the national government, local government, non-government organizations, and the private sector to solve this problem.

“We understand the inconvenience these water hyacinths are causing in river transport.

Rest assured that we, your public servants from the PRRC, are exercising due diligence to intensify our clean-up operations along the Pasig River and its tributaries in coordination with our partner agencies,” Goitia said.

“In order to address the uncontrollable proliferation of water hyacinths along the Pasig River in the past days, we established Task Force Water Hyacinth which aims to abate the further spread and flow of the said aquatic plant.”

THERE is no reason for the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office to underdeclare its revenues under the expanded Small Town Lottery program, which generated P5.018 billion from January to May this year, up from the P2.066billion earnings in the same period last year, PCSO general manager Alexander Balutan said on Friday.

Balutan slammed claims by gambling operator Charlie “Atong” Ang, who suggested that the agency is “sugarcoating the actual sales of STL.” “There is no way that the government can underdeclare its revenues under the expanded STL. Our Authorized Agent Corporations [AACs] are meeting their set PMRR [Presumptive Monthly Retail Receipts] monthly and all of these are being remitted to the PCSO and audited by the Commission on Audit,” Balutan said.

“There is no sugar coating that the PCSO is already gaining ground in its fight against illegal gambling. We’ve gained P5.018 billion from January to May and that is a 173.38 percent increase from the past year. That is a fact,” Balutan added.

Balutan, a member of the Philippine Military Academy Class of ’83, likewise reminded Ang of his unpaid tax liabilities, currently being looked upon by the Bureau of Internal Revenue.

“Maybe you could use your P2.37 billion monthly income from jueteng and the virtual two-numbers game to settle your P25-billion unpaid taxes to the government,” he said.

In a June 30 report published in the Philippine Daily Inquirer, Ang claimed that the PCSO only earned P600 million, or roughly 12 percent of its sales from the expanded STL from January to May. In a separate statement, Ang said that the PCSO merely got the charity share’s at 7 percent or only P350 million and that STL has a potential gross revenue of P5 billion a month or P60 billion a year.

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SUNDAY, JULY 2, 2017 Adelle Chua, Editor

Opinion

Joyce Pangco Pañares, Issue Editor

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

A PLANET IS FOUND

EDITORIAL

By Stephen L. Carter JUST in time for summer movie season comes news that something huge is lurking out there at the edge of the solar system. It’s really big. It’s never before been detected. It’s warping gravity fields. No, it’s not the latest Michael Bay disaster-fest or the mothership from “Independence Day.” It’s not the hypothesized Planet 9 that everyone was talking about a little over a year ago. Probably it’s another planet. Or maybe that mothership.

Back in 2016, the internet was all atwitter with the news that astronomers believed they had located another planet at the edge of the solar system. Planet 9, as they called it, was discovered through a study of disturbances in the orbits of Sedna and other less-than-planet-size objects out there in the vicinity of Pluto (which was a planet when most of us were kids and now isn’t). This area is known as the Kuiper Belt. Astronomers, who don’t like to waste mental energy deciding what to call things they study, have a name for objects in the Kuiper Belt: Kuiper Belt Objects. It is through modeling the movement of these KBOs (see what I mean?) that the search for Planet 9 has proceeded. Nobody has seen Planet 9 yet, even with the most powerful telescopes, although with the help of millions of citizen astronomers, researchers have narrowed the field of possible suspects.

Anyway, it turns out that Planet 9 is not the only massive object out there warping the orbits of the KBOs. According to soon-to-be-published research by Kat Volk and Renu Malhotra of the University of Arizona, there’s another one. It’s called ... well, it doesn’t have a name yet, but we can make a good guess.

Malhotra has such a nice way with an explanation that she could play the scientist in the movie version: Imagine you have lots and lots of fast-spinning tops, and you give each one a slight nudge. ... If you then take a snapshot of them, you will find that their spin axes will be at different orientations, but on average, they will be pointing to the local gravitational field of Earth.

She continues: We expect each of the KBOs’ orbital tilt angle to be at a different orientation, but on average, they will be pointing perpendicular to the plane determined by the sun and the big planets.

Only the angles are wrong. They’re warped in a slightly different direction, as they would be if the gravity of another planet were affecting them. But Planet 9, wherever it is, would be too far away to have the effects they have found. So there is almost certainly another mass out there. (The researchers estimate only a 1 percent to 2 percent possibility that the measurements represent a statistical fluke.)

You don’t have to be a science nerd to be fascinated. You can be a gardenvariety sci-fi fan. Or you could just happen to like disaster movies. The researchers tell us that these unseen planets are rogues. At some point they wandered into the solar system, and were captured by the gravity of Sol, our puny little sun.

Now they’re stuck in orbit, messing with our calculations.

Maybe. But maybe not. Let’s sit back and don our 3-D glasses and grab a handful of popcorn (or perhaps don our foil hats) as we take a moment to consider a more sobering possibility. Here’s the thing to remember about rogue planets: They’re not just wanderers; they can be destroyers, too.

Simulations tell us that some 60 percent of rogue planets that enter the solar system would bounce out again. But in 10 percent of cases, the rogue will take another planet along as it departs.

Just like that, Neptune is gone. Or Mars.

Or, you know, us.

Tell me that’s not a weapon of interstellar war. (Okay, fine, the capture of another planet would take hundreds of centuries. So it’s a weapon of war for a very patient species. Or one that perceives time differently. But how do we know it’s not already happening? Anyway, never mess with the narrative!)

Turn to B2

MESSENGERS

O

NE of the more unfortunate things that stood out during the first year of the Duterte administration was the series of blunders committed by its communications team.

This is the group that is supposed to make the President’s message clearer and more palatable to the people. But no—it only succeeded in confounding a presidential image that is already difficult to begin with.

The pressures, we imagine, are immense. Imagine having to speak for a president whose colorful language matches no other, and whose speech is winding and emphatic more than it is sober and organized. The communication team itself gauged that just two of every five statements Mr. Duterte makes must be true—all the others are hyperbole. They also told the public to apply creative imagination in determining what the President really means. Hardly encouraging, and even more hardly productive given all the things that need our direct attention.

And now this communications team counts, as one of its high officials, a social media “influencer” with millions of followers who claims her job is to fight fake news.

Unfortunately, “fake news” is as yet loosely defined. And her boss, instead of telling her it is unacceptable for their office to spread inaccurate information or yield to symbolism, just came up with the brilliant idea of hiring editors to manage her personal blog.

This same communications team also supervises a news agency that has passed off a false story, and a misleading picture, as part of the news.

Finally, it has elevated text messaging as an acceptable form of official communication, as what happened when an employee of the government television network learned about her dismissal through SMS, curiously punctuated with a “God bless.”

God bless this nation, indeed, if we have to endure five more years with communicators who bungle the job and do the opposite of what they were hired to do.

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MUSINGS ON SKETCHBOOKS

POP GOES THE WORLD JENNY ORTUOSTE I’VE written before about the importance of keeping a sketchbook, and why everyone ought to have one. If they’re not into drawing, they should at least

seriously consider taking it up.

We usually associate sketchbooks with artists and art students, something they need to keep for school or for their work.

It would be helpful to the person who is neither a student nor professional artist to think of sketchbooks as a visual diary, a document or record executed in pictures.

We might think it is easier to start a journal with words, and for many that is often a New Year’s resolution. We start out grandly with paragraphs on facts and thoughts and feelings, but that later that peters out into a terse declaration of events: “Department meeting 9 a.m.

Birthday lunch with family.” and so on,

until, gradually, it is abandoned.

But think of how valuable those brief jottings could be to future you or your loved ones, if only for nostalgic reasons.

Sometimes the value is in the activity recorded; a note about a visit to the doctor might be a piece of information that sets your medical record right.

It is boring to keep a diary, some say.

That’s because the written word is not in everyone’s comfort zone. But for a great many, before writing comes drawing.

As children, we drew in kindergarten.

The motions made with crayons and chalk help develop motors skills. It is in Turn to B2

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A PLANET...

LISTENING TO THE RUMBLINGS OF THE UNIVERSE

From B1

And there’s something else for the scifi paranoiac to chew on along with the popcorn. The sequence. In early 2016, astronomers find a disturbance in the Kuiper Belt Objects and think “planet.” Fine, natural phenomenon. Then this year, they find another disturbance and think “another planet.”Fine, natural phenomenon. Then how is it that we never noticed before? Maybe the disturbances are ... recent. So if by chance we’re soon told of a third disturbance, then by the James Bond theory of conspiracy, it’s enemy action.

Cue heavy overdone music. Cue our most powerful weapons having no effect.

Cue a broken family trying to reunite. Cue Roland Emmerich. I mean, somebody’s got to make this movie, right? I’ll be there on opening day. Bloomberg

MUSINGS...

From B1

elementary and high school that the passion for drawing surfaces; some draw anime characters and superheroes, and thereby hone their techniques. Others drop visual art in favor of other pursuits more to their inclinations. The challenge is in taking it up again as adults.

The popularity of sketching has exploded in recent years, aided by social media. Platforms such as Instagram have made it easy for artists all over the world to share their work, and thus provide instruction and inspiration for others.

Good quality materials—paints, colored pencils, markers, drawing pencils, pens of varying nib sizes, sketchbooks—are now more readily available than before.

The chain bookstore of our youth used to carry only Guitar, Prang, and other student-grade watercolors. Now there are many different brands on the market.

Savvy and passionate entrepreneurs are also importing materials from overseas.

With the availability as well of raw materials that can be purchased online, some artists are now creating their own handmade watercolors from dry pigments and gum arabic. One artist— Kat Gosengfiao (IG: @pinta.ph) has gone a step further and is creating paints from Philippine rocks, soils, and charcoal. Her Bataan Brown, Sta. Rosa Ochre, Abra Red, and Uling colors are rich and earthy, perfect for illustrating a local landscape.

Haven’t drawn since childhood? Start your journey by keeping a visual diary, also known as a sketchbook journal. This format combines text with sketches. You needn’t have a sketchbook and paints; you can draw in your existing planner or even in a simple composition notebook with a ballpoint pen or a pencil. For technical guidance, buy books, get coaching from someone you know, take a class, or scour that greatest of information resources, the internet.

Now, what to draw? Anything you see.

Waiting for your flight at the airport?

Draw the passengers and porters, the luggage, the planes, anything that catches your eye. At home? Set yourself a challenge to draw what is in front of you right this moment.

There are always subjects for drawing.

What you need to do is translate what you see into marks on paper, marks that convey your impression, your idea.

Drawing forces you to take deeper notice of things. Months or years later you will flip through your sketchbook and remember those objects and moments with great clarity.

In learning or relearning how to draw and paint, you master a skill and tap into your inner creativity and artistry.

It gives you something worthwhile to do during idle moments. And because it is soothing, it can also be a form of psychological therapy.

Don’t let yourself be paralyzed by selfdoubt—“I’m not good enough.” Your drawing doesn’t have to be perfect— nothing is. It only has to be yours. And practice will make you better. I promise.

Dr. Ortuoste is a California-based writer. Follow her on Facebook: Jenny Ortuoste, Twitter: @jennyortuoste, Instagram: @jensdecember, @artuoste

By Megan McArdle

By Pecier Decierdo AFTER centuries of looking at the universe, we are finally listening to its rumblings.

Sound does not travel in outer space. It needs molecules and atoms to move around, and outer space does not have a lot of that stuff. In fact, outer space has so little of that stuff it is very nearly empty. We call it the vacuum of space.

But space, at least in Einstein’s view of it, seems to be a “thing.” That is, space is not just this passive background where things happen. Rather, space is a dynamic thing. It can expand, stretch, get compressed, and twist. It can even ripple. And it is these ripples in the very fabric of space and time that we have now been “listening” to.

We call the ripples in space and time gravitational waves. Our newfound ability to detect gravitational waves can transformed space from this void of incomparable silence to an arena violent explosions.

We’ve been seeing those explosions for centuries now. That’s because humans have been peering into the depths for as long as there were humans. But the depths peered back at us in silence. That’s because light is an electromagnetic wave whereas sound is a mechanical wave.

What that means is that sound needs stuff, such as air, to move around. When someone talks to you, that person is making ripples in the air around her vocal cords. As ripples tend to do, the sound waves that person is making radiates out of her and finally reaches your ears, makes your eardrums vibrate, and gets sent to the brain as

electrical signals.

Light, as I have written in last week’s column, is a ripple in the electric and magnetic field, which is why it’s called an electromagnetic wave. The electric and magnetic field are force fields—they’re not stuff. That is, they are not made of matter. They can exist in a vacuum. They’re everywhere.

That’s why light can travel through outer space. The light of distant stars can travel for unimaginable distances before they reach us hear on Earth to be collected by our eyes (although more often than not they just fall off blind matter).

In some nights, you can look up in the direction of the constellation Andromeda and look at light from the Andromeda Galaxy. That light, which flies at the speed of more than 1 billion kilometers per hour, took more than 2.5 million years to reach us.

In our curiosity, we wanted to know more. We wanted to see more. So we invented telescopes augment our eyes. Now we can see farther.

Today, our most powerful telescopes allow us to see as far as the metaphorical eye could see—into the very beginning of time. Or at least as close to the beginning as light would allow us. After all, when the universe was young it was not transparent. When we peer into the depths of space and time we hit a wall beyond which any kind of eye, even ones that can see in the microwave, cannot see through.

But like actual walls here on Earth, we can “listen” through that wall. Gravitational waves pass through that wall easy. If we could hear those sounds that pass through that wall, we could listen to the very birth cries of the universe.

We are not there yet. We have only begun “listening” to the universe. We started less than a couple of years ago, when the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) detected space-time ripples for the first time.

Ever since then, we’ve “heard” three rumblings from deep in space, all coming from pairs of black holes spiraling into each other, violently shaking the fabric of space and time as they perform their gravitational synchronized ballet.

Many times the mass of the Sun, these black holes have enough mass to cause some spacetime noise that we can pick up with LIGO, which serves as our hearing aid.

But we want to hear more of the universe. That’s why we’re building better hearing aids. The next one, the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA), will be so big it has to be in space. It will be composed of several spacecraft moving in precise formation. Their precise formation is what will allow us to detect the very slight changes in space-time, thereby allowing us to listen to the rest of the universe.

In the meantime, we also want to be better at using the hearing aid we have. Scientists at LIGO are expecting to detect more gravitational waves from different sources soon. Right now, much of the cacophony of the cosmos is falling on deaf matter. Soon we won’t be deaf matter. Soon, we will begin to hear the sounds of space in all their glorious violence.

Pecier Decierdo is resident physicist and astronomer of The Mind Museum.

MERKEL’S GAY-MARRIAGE PIVOT MAKES HER HARDER TO BEAT

By Leonid Bershidsky A CONTENTIOUS issue that wasn’t part of the German election campaign has now taken center stage: gay marriage. Chancellor Angela Merkel, whose Christian Democratic Union party has always opposed it on religious grounds, has acted deftly to defuse the crisis.

At the risk of angering some of her conservative voter base, she’s letting same-sex marriage get through parliament as soon as this week.

The CDU enjoys a big poll lead over all other parties. Given a booming economy and a widespread perception that Merkel has successfully managed the refugee crisis, few lines of attack are available to her rivals. As large pride parades rolled through German cities in late June, they pounced.

All three potential members of the CDU’s ruling coalition after the September election—the Greens, the pro-business Free Democrats and the Social Democrats (SPD)— have announced that they wouldn’t rule with Merkel’s party unless it agreed to allow “marriage for all,” as the policy is known in Germany.

Gay couples have gained the right to marry in 11 European Union countries; two more countries, Estonia and Malta, recognize the unions if they are sealed elsewhere. Germany, however,

is among the 10 EU nations that only recognize “partnerships” between people of the same sex. The legal consequences of a “life partnership” are almost the same as for marriage, but not quite: For example, a samesex couple is not allowed to adopt children; there are also dozens of less significant differences. Polls have long shown that an overwhelming majority of Germans support full equality. But CDU politicians have still hesitated. As recently as 2012, with polls already in favor of gay marriage, Merkel wasn’t even in favor of giving same-sex partnerships the same tax status as married couples, because the German constitution—while not directly defining marriage as a union between a man and a woman, as in seven East European EU members—links the notion of marriage and family.

But in 2017, as soon as rivals found a promising campaign topic, Merkel deftly wrong-footed them.

She carefully discussed the matter with Horst Seehofer, the conservative leader of the Christian Social Union, the CDU’s Bavarian sister party, which has to win elections in a predominantly Catholic part of the country. Then she talked it over with a close circle of party colleagues. Finally, she went public with a measured response to the other parties’ demands. At an event organized by the women’s magazine

Brigitte on Monday night, she recalled meeting a lesbian couple in her constituency that was taking good care of eight foster children.

She said she realized she could no longer argue against gay marriage on the grounds of children’s health and well-being. But she avoided directly endorsing “marriage for all,” saying it was a personal matter, a matter of conscience.

This cautious formula was fine with Seehofer, and it allowed Merkel to declare that CDU legislators were free to vote their conscience on the subject. Resistance continues, with Guenter Krings, a senior CDU member, arguing that a constitutional amendment would be necessary to change the definition of marriage and that the life partnership status did not discriminate against gay couples. But in practical terms, Merkel’s refusal to enforce party discipline means that the marriage equality bill, promptly put on the parliament’s agenda for Friday by leftist parties, will likely pass.

Merkel has spent most of the campaign playing to her conservative base, trying to keep it from defecting to the populist Alternative for Germany party. Unlike in the runup to the previous election, she has brought the national flag into the campaign and stressed patriotism as a key value. She’s also toughened her

stance on immigration and backed a ban on Muslim full-face covering for women. The tactics have worked, depressing AfD performance in the polls. But at heart, Merkel is more of a progressive than a compassionate conservative. At key moments, she has made decisions her base has never fully accepted, vowing to phase out nuclear energy, ending conscription and letting in more than a million refugees. On the gay marriage issue, she has clearly made up her mind, too, skillfully picking a moment for the controversial move when it could be dressed up in the robes of political expediency.

As he criticized Merkel during a recent party event, Martin Schulz, the SPD candidate for the chancellorship, called the CDU “a party devoid of content.” He was wrong: The CDU’s conservative, Christian, mildly nationalistic credentials are real.

Merkel, however, has played a somewhat subversive role in her 17 years of party leadership. A proven winner, she has subtly persuaded the conservative membership to come along on major issues with the privileges of government as a carrot.

This will be her lasting legacy, and if the Friday vote goes as expected, the recognition of gay marriage in Germany will be part of it: The opposition parties’ role will soon be forgotten. Bloomberg

THE PARABLE OF THE PURPLE RASPBERRY PIE

I DON’T like to brag, but I haven’t had a slice of purple raspberry pie today.

Normally, this is not a brag, but a tragic summation of life’s bittersweet realities. On the one hand, this past week the universe provided us with purple raspberries, which, when baked between two pastry crusts, become the most perfect foodstuff known to man. Firmer and less sweet than the red raspberry, less aggressively tangy than its cousins in the blackberry family, it has a subtle perfection that no other berry pie can match. I cannot claim to know much about heaven, but I can be sure of one thing: if there is such a place, purple raspberry pie will be on the menu every day.

On the other hand, while the universe has provided, it has not provided adequately. The purple raspberry is unsuited to commercial cultivation, because it is not a good traveler.

You eat purple raspberries close to where they are grown, or you do not eat them at all. Thus, this sublime creation is available only a few weeks out of the year, and only if you—lucky creature!—happen to know someone with a purple raspberry bush.

I was lucky enough to know such a person in my childhood: My grandfather, who having spent the first half of his life fighting his way off of the dirt farm on which he was raised, decided at the age of 50 to go into gardening on an Olympic scale. In July every year, my family drove to upstate New York to visit my grandparents, and we picked fruit, and preserved it, and had purple raspberry pie every night.

To this fact, I attribute my basically sunny disposition.

But herein lies the tragedy: Having known purple raspberries, I knew what I lost when I could no longer have them. My grandfather’s garden is no longer, and I live in Washington

DC, even farther from upstate New York than the city where I grew up. I haven’t had purple raspberry pie in close on a decade, and yet it remains, most decidedly, my favorite food in the world. So when I discovered two pints of purple raspberries at our local farmer’s market on Sunday—well, I believe I mentioned heaven? Yes, I see I did. There we are. Heaven.

My mother made them into a pie yesterday, and I ate a big slice, and then I ate a little slice, and then someone—I am naming no names—may have licked the plate to ensure that none of our precious purple raspberries were wasted on the dishwasher. My mother earned a shining place of honor in the annals of motherhood by leaving the rest of the pie with me. Which I have saved for after dinner like a sensible adult, and not devoured in its entirety, even though it is haunting me, calling to me from the kitchen.

Yet already I am contemplating its

end. There are three quarters of a pie left, which can, at most, be stretched for six more days. After that … perhaps there will be more purple raspberries at the farmer’s market this weekend.

But even so, that will last just a few short weeks, and who knows if they will have them next year?

But then, perhaps this is part of what makes purple raspberry pie such sweet perfection. When I moved to Washington from New York City, I missed a lot of foods—bagels, pizza, decent Chinese food. I yearned for those things, too. On any jaunt to New York, I gorged myself on them even when I wasn’t particularly hungry, because who knew when I’d be able to get them again?

Over the years, the local market started to supply those favorites; we got a credible New York-style pizza place, Washington’s first acceptable bagels, and better Szechuan food than I’d been able to enjoy back home. Now

that I can enjoy all those things at will, procuring them no longer seems so urgent; I can let months pass between visits to one of these eateries, and when I do visit, I eat reasonable amounts.

Social science research tells us that much of the pleasure in a vacation isn’t in the going but in the anticipation.

And isn’t something similar true of food? Hunger may be the best sauce, but it is closely followed by specialness—hence the mania for the elusive cronut, the rare spirit, the hardto-get reservation for which you pore over the menu for a month before you actually sit down and take fork in hand.

I think I want purple raspberries to be available everywhere and all the time.

But on further reflection, if they were, maybe those everyday pies wouldn’t be quite as tasty as the almost-never ones.

On even further reflection, however: Universe? If you’re listening, I’m willing to take that chance. Bloomberg

World REVELRY AT RECAPTURED MOSQUE CUT SHORT MOSUL, Iraq—Iraqi soldiers snapped victorious “selfies” and posed with a captured Islamic State group flag at the Mosul mosque where jihadist chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi once spoke.

“Where is Baghdadi?” they say, taunting the absent jihadist leader at the site of his triumphal 2014 appearance, the only time he is known to have appeared in public as the head of IS’s now-crumbling cross-border “caliphate.”

They hold the jihadists’ flag upsidedown because “this is the flag of the defeated” IS, and declare that the special forces will remain—a play on one of the group’s slogans.

The euphoria, however, is short-lived, with incoming fire putting an end to the celebrations.

There is a burst from a Kalashnikov assault rifle, followed by a shot from a sniper that strikes the entrance of the mosque, then another shot, and another burst.

The members of Iraq’s elite CounterTerrorism Service (CTS) return to the safety of their armored vehicles and soon leave the area, where one of their own was killed and three more wounded by an IS sniper the evening before.

After seizing Mosul in June 2014, a black-robed Baghdadi appeared at Friday prayers at the Grand Mosque of alNuri and called on Muslims to obey him, making the site a potent symbol of the jihadists’ rule. AFP

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CHINA’S XI DRAWS ‘RED LINE’ IN HK

H

ONG KONG—China’s President Xi Jinping said Saturday Hong Kong was freer than ever before but laid down an uncrossable “red line” for any challenge to Beijing’s authority as the city marked 20 years since it was handed back by Britain.

Xi spoke in a televised address after swearing in new Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam as pro and antiBeijing protesters clashed close to the ceremony.

Lam was selected by a pro-China committee, as were her predecessors, and is already being cast by critics as a China stooge in a city where many are angry at Beijing’s tightening grip on the freedoms of its nearly eight million people.

A huge security operation shut down large parts of Hong Kong for

Xi’s three-day visit, reflecting Beijing’s concern that there should be no embarrassment ahead of a key Communist Party congress later this year, which is expected to cement his position as the most powerful Chinese leader in a generation.

The trip was his first since becoming president in 2013 and comes three years after mass pro-democracy rallies crippled parts of the city for months.

Xi said Saturday that any threat to China’s sovereignty and security or to the power of the central gov-

ernment “crosses the red line and is absolutely impermissible”.

He also warned against anyone endangering Hong Kong’s constitution or using the city “to carry out infiltration and sabotage activities against the mainland.”

The message comes as young activists have emerged calling for self-determination or even full independence for Hong Kong, which has infuriated Beijing.

Xi insisted that Hong Kong had “more extensive democratic rights and freedoms than at any other time in its history” and pledged to uphold its semi-autonomous status.

But Beijing’s foreign ministry declared Friday that the document signed by Britain and China which initiated the handover “is no longer relevant.”.

The Sino-British Joint Declaration gave Hong Kong rights unseen on the mainland through a “one coun-

try, two systems” agreement, lasting 50 years.

There are growing fears that freedoms guaranteed by the handover deal are now under threat, with Chinese authorities accused of abductions and interfering in a range of areas, from politics to media and education.

Xi cautioned that political conflict would “severely hinder” Hong Kong’s economic and social development and called upon Hong Kong to enhance education to promote China’s culture and history.

A proposal to include patriotic education in Hong Kong schools met with huge protests in 2012 and has since been shelved.

Pro-China protesters targeted a small peaceful march by activists in memory of the victims of Beijing’s 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown Saturday morning as officials gathered for the swearing in. AFP

DEATH TOLL IN OIL TANKER FIRE RISES TO 190 ISLAMABAD, Pakistan—The death toll from an oil tanker explosion in central Pakistan has risen to 190, hospital and government officials said Friday as 16 more people succumbed to their injuries.

The tanker overturned early Sunday on a main highway from Karachi to Lahore while carrying some 40,000 liters of fuel.

It exploded minutes later as crowds from a nearby village gathered to scavenge for fuel, despite warnings by the driver as well as motorway police to stay away.

“The death toll from the tanker fire incident is now 190 after expiry of more injured people,” Tahira Parveen, medical superintendent of Bahawalpur Victoria hospital, told AFP. A senior local administration official confirmed the toll.

Motorway police spokesman Imran Shah has said that a government inquiry into the incident had found at least five police officials guilty of hiding information. AFP

NIGERIA MENINGITIS OUTBREAK ENDS AT 1,166 DEATHS ABUJA, Nigeria—Nigeria’s health minister has declared that the outbreak of meningitis in the country is over, but only after it killed 1,166 people, most of them children.

“We have formally declared the meningitis outbreak over,” Isaac Adewole told reporters in the capital of Abuja on Wednesday.

Earlier in the week the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control said that emergency operations responding to the epidemic had been wound down following a decline in new cases.

“A total of 14,518 suspected cases of meningitis were reported from 25 states, with 1,166 deaths,” said the centre in a statement.

Vaccination campaigns were carried out in Zamfara, Sokoto, Yobe and Katsina states, the worst affected by the outbreak.

A new strain of meningitis C was first reported in Zamfara last November and spread to 22 other states in northern Nigeria.

Meningitis is caused by different types of bacteria, six of which can cause epidemics. It is transmitted between people through coughs and sneezes, close contact and cramped living conditions.

The illness causes acute inflammation of the outer layers of the brain and spinal cord, with the most common symptoms being fever, headache and neck stiffness. AFP

LEADER TO LEADER. China’s President Xi Jinping (right) meets with Hong Kong’s new Chief Executive Carrie Lam (left) in Hong Kong on Saturday. AFP

CHINA CENSORS ‘ABNORMAL’ ONLINE VIDEOS

BEER WEATHER. A man holds a can of beer as he walks in the rain in Tokyo on Saturday. The Japanese capital goes to the polls on July 2 in a local election that could have national consequences as Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s popularity slumps. AFP

BEIJING—China issued new regulations on Friday around online video content, directing streaming platforms to eliminate a range of programs in yet another tightening of controls on the Chinese Internet.

Among the films, dramas and cartoons targeted by the China Netcasting Services Assocation’s (CNSA) rules are those “demonstrating ‘abnormal’ sexual relations or acts, such as... homosexuality.”

Online video platforms must hire at least three “professional censors” to watch every program from beginning to end and remove those that do not adhere to “correct political and aesthetic standards,” the regulations said.

Providers are called upon to produce programs that “center on the people and promote socialist values and Chinese culture.”

The new rules come just one week after China ordered a halt to video streaming on three major websites.

According to China’s media oversight body, the platforms – including the massively popular Sina Weibo microblogging platform, iFeng. com and ACFUN – did not possess the permits required for providing their audio-visual streams.

Authorities were directed to shut down offending audio-visual

services “so as to create a cleaner cyberspace,” China’s State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television said in a statement last Thursday.

Earlier this month, authorities also closed dozens of celebrity gossip blogs which were described as “catering to the public’s vulgar taste.”

Freedom House, a US-based nonprofit that advocates human rights and democracy, deemed China the world’s “worst abuser of internet freedom” in 2016, pointing to the steady diminishment of online freedom of expression under President Xi Jinping’s “information security” policies.

The country’s heavy web censorship—which blocks sites such as Facebook, YouTube and Twitter—is notoriously known as the “Great Firewall.”

The regulations introduced Friday order the cutting or removal of videos that “damage national image, derogate revolutionary leaders, propagate military conquests of ancient emperors or spread religious extremism.”

Violent and pornographic content, as well as those depicting extramarital affairs, prostitution, drug addiction or superstitious behavior such as “conjuring spirits,” are also banned. AFP

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SUNDAY, JULY 2, 2017 Cesar Barrioquinto, Editor / Jimbo Gulle, Issue Editor

World

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

GUNMAN KILLS DOC, THEN SHOOTS SELF IN NY HOSPITAL

FOR HERR KOHL. The German flag flies at half-mast at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, eastern France, on Saturday before a ceremony in tribute to former German chancellor Helmut Kohl. Kohl, who oversaw German reunification and was a driving force in Europe’s integration, died on June 16 at age of 87. AFP

GERMANY JOINS EURO GAY MARRIAGE TREND

P

ARIS, France—Germany legalized gay marriage on Friday, which now is authorized in about 20 nations around the world, the majority of which are in Europe.

In April 2001 the Netherlands became the first country in the world to allow gay and lesbian couples to marry in a civil ceremony.

Twelve European countries followed: Belgium, Britain (except Northern Ireland), Denmark, Finland, France, Iceland, Ireland, Luxembourg, Norway, Portugal, Spain and Sweden.

In Germany, the upper house had already approved the bill, and the measure is now expected to enter into force before the end of the year.

Some European countries only

allow same-sex couples to enter into civil partnerships, including Austria, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Malta and Switzerland.

In October 2014, Estonia became the first former Soviet republic to authorize this type of civil union.

Many eastern European countries – including Bulgaria, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania and Slovakia – deny homosexuals the right to marry or enter into unions.

In December 2015, Slovenians voted in a referendum against ef-

forts by their national parliament to legalize gay marriage.

About 15 western European countries allow same-sex couples to adopt children, whether within marriage or civil partnerships.

They include Belgium, Britain, Denmark, France, the Netherlands, Spain, and Sweden. Other countries, including Finland, Germany and Slovenia, let gay people adopt the children of their partners.

Canada led the way in North America, authorizing same-sex marriage and adoptions in June 2005.

In the United States, a Supreme Court decision in June 2015 legalized gay marriage nationwide.

Mexico’s federal capital led the way in Latin America, authorizing civil unions in 2007 and full marriages in 2009.

Same-sex marriages are also legal in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia and Uruguay.

Chile’s civil union law recognizes same-sex couples, and Costa Rica allows them to share health and pension benefits.

On the African continent, where around 30 countries ban homosexuality, only in South Africa can gays legally marry and adopt children.

In the Middle East, Israel leads in terms of respect for homosexual rights, recognizing gay marriages performed elsewhere even though such marriages are not performed in Israel itself. Gay couples can jointly adopt children.

In the Asia-Pacific region, the only country that allows gays to marry is New Zealand, which passed a law in April 2013. AFP

TRUMP: ‘PATIENCE IS OVER’ WITH NORTH KOREA WASHINGTON—President Donald Trump declared that the United States had run out of patience with North Korea over its nuclear drive Friday as he welcomed South Korea’s new leader Moon Jae-In to talks at the White House.

While Moon has been arguing for greater engagement with Pyongyang as the best way to put the brakes on its nuclear and ballistic missile programs, Trump made clear that he was in no mood to pursue diplomacy with a regime he accused of having no respect for human life.

And while Moon announced that Trump had accepted an offer to visit Seoul later this year, the leaders failed to map out any kind of joint strategy on how best to deal with the threat posed by the North Korean leadership.

“Together, we are facing the threat of the reckless and brutal regime in North Korea. The nuclear and ballistic missile programs of that regime require a determined response,” said Trump.

“The North Korean dictatorship has no regard for the safety and security of its people, for its neighbors and has no respect for human life.”

The Trump administration has been growing increasingly exasperated with North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un’s re-

gime which has staged a barrage of missile tests in recent months.

There was also deep anger in the United States after Otto Warmbier, an American student who was detained in North Korea on a tourist trip around 18 months ago, was returned home in a coma earlier this month. He died several days later.

Trump had been pinning his hopes on China – North Korea’s main diplomatic ally – to bring pressure to bear on Pyongyang but declared last week that their efforts had failed.

“The era of strategic patience with the North Korean regime has failed, many years it has failed. Frankly, that patience is over,” Trump said at a press briefing in the Rose Garden.

And while he avoided criticizing his guest’s approach, Trump made clear he was in no mood to enter dialogue with North Korea but rather saw sanctions as the best way to proceed.

“The United States calls on other regional powers and all responsible nations to join us in implementing sanctions and demanding that the North Korean regime choose a better path and do it quickly and a different future for its long suffering people,” he said.

AFP

NEW YORK—A man opened fire in a busy New York hospital on Friday afternoon, killing a female doctor and wounding six other people before turning his weapon on himself, according to officials.

The shooter was himself a doctor and former employee of the hospital, according to Mayor Bill de Blasio and police chief James O’Neill, who ruled out a connection to terrorism.

He entered the building in a white coat with an automatic weapon concealed under his shirt, officials said.

The incident occurred at the 1000-bed Bronx-Lebanon hospital just before 3 pm (1900 GMT) as many patients were receiving consultations.

Police quickly cordoned off the area and encircled the hospital, placing officers on rooftops as they conducted a floor-byfloor search for the assailant.

The shooter, whose identity has not been officially disclosed, was eventually found dead in a pool of blood on the 17th floor of the building after apparently killing himself, according to O’Neill. AFP

UN OKAYS $600M BUDGET CUT TO PEACEKEEPING NEW YORK—The United Nations on Friday approved a nearly $600 million cut to its peacekeeping budget following pressure from the United States to reduce funding to the world body.

The General Assembly approved by consensus the annual budget expected to total $7.3 billion, down from the current $7.87 billion spent on peace missions worldwide.

UN member-states agreed to $6.8 billion to finance 14 missions, but an additional $500 million earmarked for peacekeeping in Haiti and in Sudan’s Darfur region will get final approval in December.

The United States, the biggest financial contributor to peacekeeping, had sought a nearly $1 billion cut to the bill and the European Union had also pushed for savings to bring costs down to $7.3 billion.

The budget, however, fell short of what UN SecretaryGeneral Antonio Guterres had sought from member-states.

UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said the financing is “meaningfully smaller than what we had last year” but that the world body will “make every effort to ensure that the mandates are implemented.” AFP

US RETURNS LOOTED ROYAL SEALS TO SOUTH KOREA

PERFORMER. Singer-songwriter John Legend performs onstage at the 2017 Essence Festival at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on Friday in New Orleans, Louisiana. AFP

SEOUL—South Korean President Moon Jae-In is returning from an official visit to Washington with two ancient royal seals looted during the Korean War, reports said Saturday.

The repatriation of the Chosun dynasty antiques, dating from the 16th and 17th centuries, comes after years of campaigning by the South Korean government, which said they were stolen during the turbulent 1950-53 war.

Moon received the seals during a ceremony in Washington during a visit to the US Friday and was due to arrive in South Korea with them on Sunday, Yonhap news agency said.

The Chosun dynasty, who cultivated a ruling philosophy drawn from Confucianism, governed from 1392 to 1910, when Japan colonized the country.

One of the seals was made in 1547 to honor Queen Munjeong (1501-1565), the third wife of Chosun Dynasty’s 11th king, Jungjong. AFP

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SUNDAY, JULY 2, 2017

Business

Ray S. Eñano, Editor / Roderick dela Cruz, Issue Editor business@manilastandard.net

INSURANCE CEO WANTS TO HIRE MORE MILLENNIALS Hitachi Asia Ltd. Philippine branch general manager Mitsuhiko Shimizu

HITACHI OFFERS TO MODERNIZE PH CITIES

By Kristin Mae Cortez and Aletha Jasmine Dela Cruz

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INSURERS

From left: AIA Group Limited regional chief executive Jacky Chan, AIA president and chief executive Ng Keng Hooi and Philam Life chief executive Ariel Cantos

By Roderick T. dela Cruz

A

RIEL Cantos, the chief executive of Philippine American Life and General Insurance Company, wants to hire more millennials to inform the younger generation about the importance of life insurance.

“Our industry needs a lot of people in that age bracket [millennials, 16 to 36], because people tend to listen to those in their age group,” says Cantos.

Cantos, who holds 20 insurance policies for himself and his family, hopes to reach out to the younger generation to sustain the growth of the country’s largest life insurance company.

Of the company’s 8,000 agents or financial advisors, less than 1,000 represent the millennials, he says. “It’s a minority, but it is a growing minority,” he says.

Philam Life’s products and services are now geared toward serving the needs of the millennials. “We’re hoping that under health and wellness, we will be able to attract the younger generation,” says Cantos, who is also the president of the Philippine Life Insurance Association Inc. Philam Life has refurbished its centers of excellence to appeal to the millennials. A stateof-the-art facility in Makati City called Genesis

by Philam Life serves as a training center for the company’s financial advisors.

“It’s not a traditional training center. It is like the headquarters of Google meant to attract the younger generation,” says Cantos.

Philam Life has three main sections designed

to “empower new financial advisors to become highly productive, collaborative, dynamic, techsavvy” and to have a good understanding of their clients’ needs, he says.

Cantos says aside from the training center, Philam Life has also redesigned its offices to reflect a more vibrant vibe. “Knowing millennials, they go into digital and the like. Last year, we actually transformed close to 100 of our offices nationwide to look and feel very vibrant and very colorful.

There’s WiFi facility and digital tools in most of these offices,” he says.

Cantos says Philam Life is using digital technology for its presentation and transactions.

“We provide a lot of options to our policy orders. If they want to transact with us from the comfort of their homes, then they can do that through digital.

If they want a face-to-face transaction, they can also do that in our offices. As far as the customers are concerned, we’re also strengthening our distribution,” he says.

“We are the only company in the industry that provides our advisers with digital tools so that when they make a presentation to clients, they use their iPads which makes it so engaging for the clients in terms of presentation,” says Cantos.

“It is helping our advisers to have more meaningful plans. Our employees are very important to us. I’m very personal with my employees. At least once every week, I meet with a group of employees randomly chosen just to have a dialog with me,” says Cantos.

He says Philam Life is strengthening its customer service to maintain its lead in the industry. “We focus on the customer, providing products that make it easy for them to be with us,” he says.

“With our employees, we create an inspiring workplace for them so that they will be eager to wake up in the morning and go to the office.

I always remind them at the end of the day, the measure of our success is whether we make the customer happy about our service,” he says.

Philam Life marks its 70th year, with a dramatic shift in overall strategy. It launched “Live Better” campaign to make healthy living more accessible to Filipinos.

According to the 2016 Healthy Living Index, health is the primary concern of Filipinos.

However, this does not translate into action, creating a gap between their concern and what they do. Philam Life believes this gap is an opportunity and is placing focus on capturing the wellness sphere.

“As we look forward to the next 70 years, we will leverage on our financial strength, constantly creating and innovating new relevant propositions to meet our customers’ needs,” says Ariel Cantos.

Philam Life had P245.9 billion in total assets as of Dec. 31, 2016. It has served more than 700,000 individual policyholders and over 2.5 million insured group members. Its subsidiaries include BPI Philam Life Assurance Company and Philam Asset Management Inc. It is a member of AIA Group Limited, the largest independent publicly listed pan-Asian life insurance group. AIA is present in 18 markets in Asia-Pacific. It is listed in Hong Kong.

“Life insurance is very important to a family.

In my particular case, I have over 20 policies, not because I have 20 children, but because life insurance is something that you purchase as you proceed to your life stages,” says Cantos. With Kristin Cortez and Aletha dela Cruz

JAPANESE conglomerate Hitachi Ltd. offers assistance in the Philippines to modernize its cities.

“What kind of society do you want to live in?” Hitachi Asia Ltd. Philippine Branch general manager Mitsuhiko Shimizu asked during the third Hitachi Social Innovation Forum at Fairmont Hotel in Makati City.

Shimizu said the company was seeking to overcome challenges in Manila such as traffic, pollution and disasters over the next 20 to 30 years.

Through the forum, Hitachi aimed to increase awareness of the company’s social innovation business in the Philippines, which combines information technology, operational technology and products/systems to its customers, business partners and major stakeholders.

The third forum focused on Hitachi’s commitment to develop smart and sustainable cities for the country’s inclusive growth and development through areas such as energy management and more.

Hitachi is expanding its presence in Asia to increase the share of its overseas sales to 55 percent by 2018.

Shimizu said the Philippines would play an instrumental role in helping Hitachi achieve the target by focusing on energy management, railway and urban development solutions in addition to its high functional materials and ICT businesses.

Shimizu said the company decided two years ago to focus on the Philippine market, helping transform former military bases into a smart city using innovations. “ Through the Hitachi Social Innovation Forum and the company’s social innovation business, we aim to contribute to the Philippines’ growth trajectory in an inclusive and sustainable manner,” said Shimizu.

“With our unique competencies in IT and OT, as well as our proven experience in the global market, we are confident that we can leverage our expertise and be an innovative partner for both the public and private sectors working in areas such as railway systems, energy management, security solutions, IoT solutions among others,” he said.

Following the first Hitachi Social Innovation Forum in February 2016, the second forum in February 2017, and the third in June 2017, the company plans to hold the next Hitachi Social Innovation Forum in September 2017.

LADY EXECUTIVE FORESEES TRANSFORMATION OF ASIAN LOGISTICS KAREN Reddington foresees the next evolution of the manufacturing and logistics sectors, with the advent of digital solutions and electronic commerce. She calls it the fourth industrial revolution, or ‘Industry 4.0.’

“Industry 4.0 is shorthand for applying new, digitally-driven capabilities to manufacturing and at each subsequent stage in the value chain. At its simplest, it can mean applying technology to a single stage in the chain,” says Reddington,

who serves as the president of the Asia Pacific division of FedEx Express, the world’s largest express transportation company.

“Once viewed purely in terms of its potential to yield cost efficiencies, supply chain management has evolved. Thanks to big data analytics and changing customer expectations, demand forecasting is more sophisticated. This means that modern supply chains now have a vital additional role in ensuring

customer satisfaction and retention,” she says.

As head of FedEx in the Asia Pacific since January 2015, Reddington w o r k s f r o m t h e c o m p a n y ’s headquarters in Hong Kong to lead the FedEx business across the region, including overall planning and implementation of corporate strategies and operations across 30 countries and territories with more than 17,500 employees.

Reddington says the rise of

e-commerce has created a new and large market of shippers with different needs for bulk shipments.

She says e-tailers need to handle large numbers of smaller shipments to their customers and they need different shipping solutions to cater to their customers’ needs.

“To respond to their needs, we’ve transformed our core international express business into a portfolio of solutions. These include flexible Turn to C2

FedEx president in Asia Pacific Karen Reddington

Business

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COFFEE LOVER HELPS FARMERS

LADY...

From C1

options for the speed of delivery, electronic tools to automate documents for customs clearance, and shipping solutions that simplify the product return process,” she says.

Reddington, who holds a PhD in operations research from The London School of Economics and Political Science from University of London, also knows the Philippines, which she says has a crucial role in the regional operations of FedEx. “The work we do here in the Philippines is critical to the success of our business across a much wider area,” she says. “ Th e Phi li ppi nes p lays an important role supporting our Asia Pacific network. FedEx recently opened the Philippines IT Center in Taguig to support software development in the region. Our Asia Pacific Trade Facilitation Center in Clark assists in clearance and documentation work for Japan, Singapore and Taiwan,” says Reddington.

She says FedEx is also in the position to help Philippine large and small businesses become more successful. “To make international shipping more convenient, we continue to open new FASCs [FedEx Authorized Ship Centers] throughout the Philippines via local logistics provider 2Go. Currently we have over 400 outlets nationwide.

By providing local businesses with the right logistics support that they

ART FAIR CELEBRATES SKILLS OF FILIPINOS C R E AT I V E a n d e v e n t s a g e n c y ArtisteSpace is holding ‘Hue and Me: Embracing Art In Life’—an art fair that celebrates art in all its forms on July 8 to 9, 2017 at SM Aura Premier, Taguig.

Hue and Me upholds the philosophy of incorporating art in everyday life for entertainment, aesthetics, personal development, business, or even to effect social change.

The fair aims to provide opportunities for learning new art skills and crafts, appreciation for art, and discovering its therapeutic benefits that improve quality of life, as well as empowering the youth with applicable knowledge and entrepreneurial artistry.

Artists and entrepreneurs exhibit their unique creations while engaging visitors to interesting and profitable workshops like how to make dream catchers, nail art, terrariums, charm bracelets, and potter y ; cupcake designing; face painting; tattooing; food carving; make-up application; T-shirt printing; slippers painting; and rags/fabric weaving.

Visitors also get to participate in informative talks like make-up application, photography, art therapy, ar t entrepreneurship, doodling, calligraphy, nude sketching session, painting, latter art and digital art in character development.

By Katrina Delos Santos and Jamie Andrea Turalba

H

ENRY & Sons president Michael Harris Conlin is on a mission to grow the Philippine coffee industry and provide sustainable livelihood to Filipino farmers.

“The legacy I would like to leave is for our Filipino farmers to get there and be able to get a living in farming because our farmers are getting ‘extinct’. I want them to thrive and make money,” says Conlin.

Henry & Sons is a coffee solutions company that offers premium roasted coffee beans, top-of-the-line espresso machines under the Ricmas brand and training to coffee shops and companies.

Conlin’s father, Henry, started as a passionate abaca rope maker in 1975 and became one of largest abaca rope manufacturers in the world with three factories in the Philippines.

Henry & Sons ventured into the coffee business, driven by love for Arabica variety which grows in the highlands of Luzon.

Conlin, however, learned that coffee farmers in La Trinidad, Benguet could only harvest and produce 50 kilograms of coffee, which was too small to supply the needs of coffee shops in the country.

Conlin then organized a team of millennials to investigate the condition of farmers and discovered the five basic needs the farmers were not able to meet—need for water, good health, education, livelihood and market. That was when they decided to put up the Foundation for Sustainable Coffee Excellence and from there, The Giving Cafe, a social enterprise.

“We want to create change. We want to put together a platform where we can help coffee farmers meet those five basic needs and we want it to be sustainable. We want it to be [adopted] by other companies and we want it to be able to be sustainable in that it generates income for the people who adopt The Giving Cafe,” Conlin says.

Conlin then decided to incorporate his father’s business—abaca rope which is now apparent in TGC’S interior design.

“The concept basically reminds us of [our] past; the rope, the banig on the ceiling. The funny thing is usually the banig is on the floor but now we use it as a roof. We also use ‘tubo’ right in the middle [of the ceiling] that [are] cut. We stitched it together and we put it up,” he says.

Co n l i n s ays TG C i s a p l at fo r m t h at entrepreneurs and enterprises can easily adopt.

His team plans to help those who would like to be social entrepreneurs and establish their own coffee shops by providing them the tools and the platforms needed to be successful in the industry.

“The coffee shop industry has been growing and improving. A lot of people start to drink specialty coffee. They are starting to learn about the types of Arabica, the origin. So it’s really an exciting time for coffee.”

The FSCE has two more platforms besides TGC in helping the coffee industry and the farmers of Benguet; The Giving Caravan and The Giving Cart.

The Giving Caravan started at the Bonifacio Global City and was there for at least two months giving out free coffee and “promote love,

Henry & Sons president Michael Harris Conlin

friendship and thanksgiving.” Conlin says the caravan is not just about giving free coffee but is also about creating awareness for the programs their foundation has in La Trinidad. “[The farmers are] not having enough harvest, not having enough coffee, and having a hard time elevating their quality [and] if we’re giving away coffee, we’re giving away also 200 cups of coffee a day. It’s not going to be sustainable if there’s no income,” he says.

Conlin and his foundation aim to drive social change and help provide livelihood to people. “I think we have to make it more sustainable. Not just giving away free coffee but what we do is we can sell Giving Coffee, we can sell comfort food, and give up small proceeds from the foundation and that way, we’ll be sustainable and we’ll work for the long run in the next 10 years,” he says.

Meanwhile, The Giving Cart mobile stations hope to “encourage people to help while enjoying their coffee at bazaars, markets and, if sustainable, at malls.”

Conlin says another plan is to feature the Bloom Coffee line, the newest addition to TGC’S goal in helping the farmers and the people of La Trinidad, Benguet through its five programs— Cup to Seed, The Giving Well, Beans for the Little Ones, The Coffee for Great Minds and Beans Within Reach— and make people see that there

is future in coffee farming.

“The five programs that we have take care of the farmers, not just our coffee farmers but it’s applicable to [other] farmers,” says Conlin.

TGC also teamed up with Vikings, a famous buffet restaurant in the Philippines, to provide 180 flu vaccines for the children of the coffee farmers through the Beans to the Little One’s program. For every kilo of coffee purchased by the restaurant from the company, P30 goes to the vaccinations.

In terms of education, TGC helps through the Coffee for Great Minds, an educational scholarship program. The Beans Within Reach program is an annual activity of TGC which features the coffee of the farmers through the Bloom competition.

The five programs conceptualized by FSCE are supported by some local government officials in Benguet.

“We have our advocacy. TGC offers a list of motives and experience that highlights Henry & Sons’ expertise. That’s the dream we have. The more of these we have, the more farmers we can help and the more impact we have in society,” Conlin says.

TGC is set to officially open on July 14 from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. at Highway Hills, Mandaluyong City.

HOW LARGE RETAILERS HANDLE LARGE VOLUME OF MERCHANDISE

By Othel V. Campos LARGE shopping malls and grocery stores use software and digital solutions to monitor and handle the large volume of merchandise coming in and out of their stores, according to JDA Software Group Inc. JDA Software, a leader in retail management, logistics and warehousing solutions, serves eight of the 10 largest companies in the Philippines.

“We have been focused in the Philippines for the last 15 years specifically on retail supply chain.

From retail planning we are now expanding our business to serve logistics companies operating in the Philippines,” says JDA vice president for Asia Pacific Amit Bagga.

Bagga, who has a 20-year experience helping medium and large enterprises

drive technological transformations, says logistics software is a new unit of JDA in the Philippines.

“We are expanding our business from local retailers to local logistics companies. Normally retail is about 80 percent. But I’m expecting logistics will become 30 percent in the next two years,” he says.

Bagga explains why “retailers need to partner with a logistics company and why a logistics company need to stop the thinking that they bring boxes only.”

“You see these are two very expensive components for a manufacturer and retailer—the inventory that is sitting there and the cost of moving it. Put them together and look at how you can optimize transportation and storage warehousing to load that inventory.

That’s the real strategy,” Bagga says.

He says JDA provides cloud-based

retail planning solution that combines the world’s leading forecasting, planning and space management tools to equip retailers with the responsiveness and insight to develop localized assortments and category plans that consistently attract, capture and retain market share.

Bagga says JDA has already calculated the risks of traffic in the Philippine. “No traffic solution is complete without taking the into consideration the route.

As you start working with this, you build scenarios. What we are looking for are customers like logistics providers who want the JD solution to do this in a more digital way,” he says.

He says one major client of JDA in the Philippines is Robinsons Supermarket, a subsidiary of Robinsons Retail Holdings Inc. Robinsons Supermarket procured

the JDA MMS solutions in 2001 to support its own outlets and the 1,912 stores of the Generics Pharmacy. The company then upgraded to MMS 7.7 to address the changing needs on price and promotions management, analytics, data base management, back-end processing and record management.

JDS MMS is the core transactional and operational system of Robinsons Supermarket handling PO management, price and cost management, rebate and adjustments, and warehouse management.

“The idea for us is how to connect s e a m l e s s f ro m t h e re t a i l e r s to consumers. Being able to seamlessly fulfill the logistics even to the point that the manufacturers determines what to manufacture when and for how much.

Thats the end vision,” Bagga says.

JDA Sofware Group Inc. vice president for Asia Pacific Amit Bagga.

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SUNDAY, JULY 2, 2017 reuelvidal@yahoo.com

AUNG LA FULFILLS NATION’S DREAM

By Reuel Vidal

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UNG La N Sang relied on an explosive start and then survived every subsequent challenge by Vitaly Bigdash to fulfill the hopes and dreams of his nation by winning the ONE Championship World Middleweight championship.

Myanmar national icon “The Burmese Python” Aung La N Sang brought the crowd up to their feet with a spectacular victory over Russia’s Bigdash.

In the first round, Aung La staggered Bigdash with a blistering combination that had him reeling against the cage fence.

Bigdash, in a display of incredible toughness and warrior mindset, survived the round to the best of his ability. The rest of the bout saw both competitors each have their moments in what was a very close contest.

In the end, all three judges scored in favor of Aung La who took home a hard-earned unanimous decision victory.

“AGD Bank is proud of our national hero Aung La N Sang for his tremendous achievement tonight.

He has united the nation and serves as an inspiration to all of us. We are also very proud of the Myanmar athletes who have fought tonight.

I hope this is the start of a golden era of Myanmar Lethwei martial arts athletes excelling on the international stage,” said Htoo Htet Tay Za, Managing Director of AGD Bank.

The result torpedoed a projected super fight between Bigdash and ONE Championship Welterweight World Champion Ben Askren.

“Last time, I was preparing for one opponent, but got Aung La N Sang instead. This time, I am ready for him. I will finish him first, and then I would like to fight (ONE Welterweight World Champion) Ben Askren. He has been very vocal about me recently,” said Bigdash in an interview shortly before the fight.

In the Yangon Flyweight Tournament Final, Saw Min Min captured the championship trophy, earning the respect of his hometown crowd with a spirited performance against compatriot Shwe Kyaung Thar. Saw Min Min finished his opponent via guillotine choke just under two minutes into the first round to be crowned Tournament Champion. It was a delightful showcase of local talent, one that promises a bright future for Myanmar’s budding martial arts ecosystem.

The bout electrified crowd at

Alex Cabagnot

Aung La N Sang (left) mounts his opponent Vitaly Bigdash and tries to hammer him into submission during their ONE Championship World Middleweight championship in Yangon, Myanmar last Friday.

Aung La prevailed by unanimous decision to claim the crown. ONE Championship

Aung La N Sang

the Thuwunna Indoor Stadium as the beautiful city of Yangon played host to ONE: Light of a Nation which showcased the absolute best in local and international martial arts talent.

Meanwhile, in a back-and-forth battle between two former ONE world title challengers, Japan’s Mei “V.V” Yamaguchi and Chinese Taipei’s Jenny Huang brought the crowd up to their feet with a spectacular performance.

It was a battle of two well-rounded competitors who each had their moments in a tough bout. After a first round which saw Yamaguchi take Huang down to the canvas with her wrestling, the Japanese martial artist opened up the second round looking to put on the finishing touches. Using her experience, Yamaguchi took Huang’s back and sunk in a rear naked choke to force the tap.

Former Brazilian jiu-jitsu No Gi world champion Bruno Pucci scored the first technical knockout victory of his career, stopping Filipino featherweight Jimmy “The Silencer” Yabo with a volley

of strikes from full mount. As soon as the bout began, Pucci wasted no time in hunting for the takedown which he got on the first attempt. On the mat, Pucci easily passed guard, earning the finish shortly after.

In a stunning battle between two former Lethwei practitioners, local bantamweight Tha Pyay Nyo made very quick work of opponent Htet Aung Oo to win by shocking knockout. As soon as the bell rang, the two warriors collided at the center of the cage looking to throw haymakers.

Tha Pyay Nyo then connected on a picture-perfect right straight to send Htet Aung Oo crashing to the canvas, ending the bout just 16-seconds into the very first round.

South Korean prospect Kevin “Oldboy” Chung made his ONE Championship debut opposite Chinese warrior Zhong Qing Ya in an action-packed affair. In the first round, Chung used his speed and power to connect on a hand-

ful of thudding strikes on Zhong who defended well against takedown attempts. In the second round, Chung finally took Zhong down with a doubleleg and went straight to work on the ground-and-pound, landing a series of sharp elbows. Referee Yuji Shimada called a halt to the contest in round two after Chung connected cleanly on two knees from side control.

In two tough contests, the Yangon Flyweight Tournament kicked off all the action at ONE: LIGHT OF A NATION with explosive semifinal matchups. Saw Min Min won the first bout, knocking out opponent Kyar Ba Hein, while Ye Thway Ne battled Pat Kyaw Lin Naing in the second bout to win by unanimous decision after two rounds.

For more updates on ONE Championship, please visit www.onefc. com, follow on Twitter and Instagram @ONEChampionship, and like on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ONEChampionship.

Aung La N Sang (right) connects with his left leg as he kicks opponent Vitaly Bigdash during their ONE Championship World Middleweight championship in Yangon, Myanmar last Friday. Aung La prevailed by unanimous decision to claim the crown. ONE Championship

BEERMEN GUNNING FOR PBA CROWN AFTER guard Alex Cabagnot led them to a scrambling, 111-102, victory over the TNT KaTropa, to move within a win of back-to-back titles, the Beermen go for the championship of the 2017 Philippine Basketball Association Commissioner’s Cup 6:30 p.m. at the Smart Araneta Coliseum tonight.

San Miguel had to scramble to continue to avoid losing back-to-back games in the conference. They also had to come out of a 15-point hole at halftime to post the comefrom-behind victory over the Tropang Texters last Frday.

Cabagnot led San Miguel in point production as he exploded for 28 points.

Arwind Santos was close behind with 27 markers of his own.

The Beermen are within a victory of ending a 16-year title drought in this midseason conference.

San Miguel Beer coach Leo Austria said at the post-game interview that he thought the game was lost after TNT posted that huge halftime lead. He added that his wards showed their true character by refusing to give up and coming back to overcome adversity.

Ranidel de Ocampo, Jayson Castro, Kris Rosales, RR Garcia and Ryan Reyes shot the net to shred from outside as they combined for eight three-pointers in the second quarter to lead the Texters to a 61-46 halftime lead.

TNT import Joshua Smith converted four-of-four field goal attempts early on.

The Beermen countered by double teaming the big man but paid the price as the TNT gunners went wild from the outside.

The Texters led by just a point, 41-40, when De Ocampo, Rosales and Castro drained consecutive three-pointers to post the 15-point advantage over San Miguel.

The Texters converted 11-of-24 threepoint attempts in the first half alone compared to the Beermen who had only three triples.

De Ocampo scored 19 markers, from three three-pointers, in the first half of play.

Santos led the Beermen explosion in the third. He had plenty of help from Marcio Lassiter, Alex Cabagnot and Charles Rhodes as the Beermen completed their scrambling win to post a 3-2 lead in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup best-of-seven championship.

The Beermen thus bounced back from their 97-102 loss in Game Four despite falling behind 46-61 at the half.

FORMER CONTENDER BACK IN ONE TITLE CONVERSATION GRAPPLING was supposed to be Jenny Huang’s strong suit but someone forgot to tell that Mei Yamaguchi who once battled Angela Lee for the inaugural ONE Championship World Atomweight championship.

Yamaguchi fought fire with fire and beat Huang at her own grappling game to wheel back into the championship conversation with a decisive victory last Friday in Yangon, Myanmar.

The Yamaguchi-Huang battle was only one of many bouts which electrified the Thuwunna Indoor Stadium during the ONE: Light of a Nation card at the Thuwunna Indoor Stadium.

Yamaguchi beat Huang by submission through rear naked choke early in the second round.

Yamaguchi thus bounced back from a two-fight losing skein which found her dropping both her matches last year. She was calculating and patient as she relied on her grappling game which produced a secondround submission victory.

Yamaguchi’s (16-10-1) was in no rush

against Huang (5-2). She took control of the game early on but didn’t rush to force a victory.

She capitalized on superior position to clamp her arm around Huang’s neck and forced her opponent to tap out or be choked out.

Yamaguchi, 34, relied on her experience to beat her younger foe who had fought in far fewer bouts. Huang was impatient committing several careless mistakes which allowed Yamaguchi to lock her arm around her neck to force the tap out.

In other fights that evening Bruno Pucci defeated Jimmy Yabo by TKO (Strikes) at 2:12 minutes of round 1 in a Featherweight bout.

Yabo (5-5) was no match for Pucci (5-2).

Pucci brought the Filipino down to the mat then proceeded to pound him into submission to post the one-sided TKO victory in their featherweight fight.

Pucci pushed Yabo on his back seconds after the fight began. He then mounted him and then unleashed a relentless stream of punches at Yabo who was in complete survival mode.

The referee prevented any further damage by

waving off the contest after two minutes into Round 2.

Bantamweight Tha Pyay Nyo defeated Htet Aung Oo by Knockout after just 16 seconds in the first round.

In easily the most exciting bout of the evening Tha Pyay Nyo (4-0) remained undefeated in MMA competition with his most impressive victory ever as he flattened the game but inexperienced Htet Aung Oo (0-1).

Nyo set up his thunderbolt right with a jab.

Aung Oo countered but Nyo came over the top with a heavy right hand to the chin of Aung Oo who crumpled to the canvas. Nyo then pounced on his fallen opponent to add an extra shot before the referee stepped in to stop the bout.

In a catchweight bout (68.0kg): Kevin Chung defeated Zhong Qing Ya by TKO (Strikes) after 3:37 minutes of round 2.

For more updates on ONE Championship, please visit www.onefc.com, follow on Twitter and Instagram @ONEChampionship, and like on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ ONEChampionship.

Mei Yamaguchi, right, batters opponent Jenny Huang with a series heavy blows to the head and face. Huang turned around and gave Yamaguchi her back which led to the submission victory later in the fight. ONE Championship

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Sports

SUNDAY, JULY 2, 2017 Riera U. Mallari, Editor / Reuel Vidal, Issue Editor / Randy Caluag, Issue Editor

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RACING CHAMPS ARE MADE, NOT BORN

Fight is on as defending champ Manny Pacquiao of the Philippines and Australian challenger Jeff Horn make weight for their WBO welterweight title fight. AFP

ROACH SAYS PACQUIAO IS LOOKING FOR KNOCKOUT WIN

Media production executive Arbie Jacinto playfully embraces his car’s exhaust pipe.

At right, Arbie during his winning run in Race 7 of the Vios Cup.

Text and photos by Ramon D. Boado

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EDIA production executive Arbie Jacinto is a living proof that many racing champions are made, not born.

Look. Not one in his family is into racing. And the most “racing” he has done for a better part of his life was simply enjoying the Batangas Racing Circuit or the Clark International Speedway during many lazy weekends.

But right in his first official race (Round 7) at last year’s Vios Cup in November, Arbie crushed the 21-car competition in the Promotional Class.

Was it just a case of good luck for first-timers?

Hardly.

He placed fifth in Race 8, before pulling through with back-to-back podium finishes at the start of this year’s Vios Cup—not bad considering many of his rivals were veterans of the onemake race, with some already boasting of valuable experience racing in slalom, karting and circuit events.

“The most memorable was last year’s Vios Cup because I became the champion of race 7. I was on cloud nine, considering I came out of nowhere. I felt like a victorious underdog,” said Arbie.

“My previous races were informal; I just went to BRC or CIS and enjoyed the track. The story behind Vios Cup: in September 2016 I had one of my cars fixed at Bridgestone Alabang and I met Edward Dela Rosa and he joked that

with the money I spend on my car, I might as well race. He asked me to join Team Biskeg and drive for the Vios Cup so Edward ended up training me. The decision to join them didn’t take long. I finished some commitments in the US for a month and returned in October to begin my two-week training. So I could say the Vios Cup was the first discipline I joined.”

After November’s Vios Cup, Arbie decided to stop due to time constraints at work, but opportunity presented itself when Pauland Dumlao, a known driver of Toyota San Fernando, invited him to join them as a driver under the promotional class.

“We’re five in the team: two of us are in the promotional class, two in the sporting class and one in the super sporting class. Couldn’t say no to that,”he said. “Unlike other races where you just amp up your car’s power, participating in the Vios Cup taught me to be patient.

It’s a one-make race and it’s tightly regulated—we drive cars with the same horsepower, same suspension.

Everything is the same except for the car decals. There’s no room for error so we rely on our skills because we all drive the same car. During the race you have to keep your patience, mind your

brakes, control breathing, and execute precise turns along the track. You could lose your position in the race, when you commit the smallest mistake.

Of course, like many racers worth his salt would say, Arbie wants to improve his driving skills and better his time on the track.

“I’m with a new set of mentors since joining Toyota San Fernando. My first mentor was Edward with Team Biskeg.

With TSF, I’m now trained by Tetsuya, a retired Japanese racecar driver, and Jeff de Leon of ForcedSpeed, a motorsport garage. They are the team’s training coaches and they’re responsible for teaching me new racing techniques,” said Arbie, whose family is now embracing his new calling.

“I have a wife and an eight-year-old son who loves cars, which should be a good thing. He got it from me because I’m a car enthusiast—I’m an active member of various car clubs of the Philippines including the Manila GTR Owners’ Club. Motorsports is close to my heart so I’m glad my son likes it. I’m the first racer in the family. When I was young, I’d always ask my dad whenever we’re in his car if he thinks he would win if he could race. Turns out I’m now the one who’s into racing,” he said.

If you’d ask Arbie when he was younger, what would be his plans in the future, he would probably laugh if you’d suggest he’d be racing competitively.

He had his own business to tend to, and when we has in high school, he was even involved in gang fights. He even took dentistry in college.

“I’m 35 and I’ve run my own business —a media agency—since 2009. I had my fair share of notoriety during my younger years. Grade school was great, I was a good student but secondary school was a different story. I had my high school education at St. James College in Paranaque where I took part in gang fights a lot. Then I went to college and took dentistry at Centro Escolar University. Who would have thought? I tried things my generation went through —BPO’s and sales agencies. Then my child was born in 2008 and I decided to set my life straight,” Arbie said.

Racing in the Vios Cup would turn out to be a huge help in setting his life straight.

“I previously thought racing was just about power and ego. When I started training, it proved me wrong. I learned to be patient and I believe I’ve become a better person because of it. In the racetrack, it’s a game of precision. I learned to be organized, to have control and to react quickly to the situation. We race at midday—it’s hot and the AC’s off, windows up, race suit on—and you should take control despite the harsh conditions. Racing is like chess: know your moves but don’t overthink them.

To aspiring drivers, find a mentor and train properly. Your mentor will teach you how to stay safe on the racetrack.

Since we’re dealing with cars and maintenance, it will get costly. But you’ll know the sport is for you when you start practicing. In a way, racing has the best of both worlds—you get the strategic aspects of chess and the adrenaline rush of basketball,” said Arbie.

BRISBANE--Australian challenger Jeff Horn weighed in slightly heavier than Filipino great Manny Pacquiao today (July 2 in Manila) ahead of their World Boxing Organization welterweight title fight in Brisbane.

Pacquiao tipped the scales at 66.1 kg (146 pounds) and Horn came in at 66.3 kg (146 pounds) at the official weigh-in.

The Pacquiao camp throughout this week has said it is anticipating a “short and sweet” win over Horn, a 2012 Australian Olympian, before an expected 50,000 crowd at Suncorp Stadium on Sunday.

The Pacquiao team has spoken of setting up another showdown with the unbeaten Floyd Mayweather, who outpointed ‘Pac-Man’ in the “Fight of the Century” two years ago.

“We’re chasing a rematch with Floyd Mayweather and we know he has to score a spectacular knockout win over Jeff Horn if that’s going to happen,” Pacquiao’s trainer Freddie Roach said.

“I’m looking for a big win in Brisbane so we can go on to bigger and better things.

“I’ve been looking for a big knockout from him for a long time now and I think you’re going to see it in this fight.”

Unbeaten Horn, a former schoolteacher, said he was ready for the biggest moment of his boxing life.

“Game face is on. School’s out,” Horn told reporters.

“I’m nice and relaxed. I’ll probably still maintain my relaxed state until fight day but I’m really looking forward to getting out there tomorrow and getting the job done.”

Pacquiao, 38, an eight-weight world champion and one of the greatest fighters of his generation, did not make any comments and quickly left the weigh-in ceremony.

“It’s never easy to lose that much weight,” Horn said.

“It’s never easy to lose that much weight,” Horn said.

“I’m going to feel a lot better very soon. I’ve got to go eat as soon as I finish with the media, keep drinking, keep up with the fluids all day, all night.”

Trainer Glenn Rushton said Horn looked superb in his final training session late Friday.

“He was brilliant, he was just like I want him to be. he was just electric,” Rushton said.

“I know when he’s hitting the pads there’s just extra pop there in his punches. I just felt the hunger.

That’s what I look for.”

The Pacquiao camp throughout this week has said it is anticipating a “short and sweet” win over Horn, a 2012 Australian Olympian, before an expected 50,000 crowd at Suncorp Stadium on Sunday. AFP

URCC-SMC XXX TO INVADE MAINLAND CHINA BUOYED by the success of the initial international mixed martial arts event in San Francisco, California last January, the Universal Reality Combat Championship (URCC) is set to conquer new ground next month in Beijing,China.

URCC top brass Prof. Alvin Aguilar said eight of their world class fighters will represent the country in the URCC XXX Philippines vs China Bakbakan Na on July 8 at the Beijing Sports University Stadium.

Team Philippines will be headed by two-division

URCC middleweight and light heavyweight champion Chris Valdez Hoffman of DEFTAC and women’s world flyweight champion Geli Bulaong of SubSports Philippines.

They will be joined by former lightweight contender Raiaj ‘The Messiah Ordiz of BOSS MMA, rising star bantamweight Rodian ‘The Redeemer Menchavez of Catalan Fighting System, Rex ‘Knockout King de Lara of MUMMA Fight Factory, knockout artist Jojo ‘El Matador Orao of Elorde Tandang Sora, new prospect

Paolo Castillo of Abao Combat Club and newly-signed bantamweight champion Ralf Francisco.

“This is our chance to shine and there’s no stopping URCC and it’s world class fighters in showing the world what we can do”, said Aguilar who is also the president of the Wrestling Association of the Philippines.

Aguilar said no less than President Rodrigo Roa Duterte has approved the URCC-SMC XXX in China through the China-Philippines Martial Arts

Development and the Cross Straight Sports Development Bureau.

“After 13 years in the fight business,the future shine even better as URCC and the China-Philippines Martial Arts Development is now supported by President Duterte and officially endorsed to the Philippine Sports Commission and the POC Martial Arts Council.

The Philippines vs. China MMA Fight is presented by Red Horse Beer of the San Miguel Corp.

URCC-SMC XXX top Filipino bets pose with URCC president Prof.Alvin Aguilar (4th from left) and Games and Amusement Board chairman Baham Mitra during the event presentation at Winford Hotel recently.

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SUNDAY, JULY 2, 2017

Jimbo Gulle, Editor

Roger Garcia, Issue Editor

LGUs

mslocalgov@gmail.com

CAGAYAN CELEBRATES 434TH ANNIVERSARY

By Jessica M. Bacud

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UGUEGARAO, Cagayan—The province of Cagayan winds up its weeklong celebration of its 434th founding anniversary during its Aggao Nac Cagayan celebration that ends today.

The 434th Aggao Nac Cagayan 2017 celebration started with a tree-planting activity conducted at the sub-capitol grounds led by Gov. Manuel N. Mamba, provincial capitol department heads, consultants, and employees to instill awareness on protecting the environment.

Archbishop Sergio L. Utleg, who led the thanksgiving Mass, also led the cycling enthusiasts in Cagayan from the towns of Sanchez Mira, Gonzaga, Gattaran, Tuguegarao City and Tabuk City in the province during the Grand Pedal Viaje that opened the weeklong activities.

The weeklong celebration ends today at the Basilica Minore of Piat in honor of Our Lady of Piat, one of the most venerated Marian images of Mary in the Philippines and is referred to as the “Miraculous Mother of Cagayan.”

This year’s theme is “Paddarafunan, Pabaruen ti Cagayan.” “Pabaruen” is an Ilocano term that

means “to renew” while “Paddarafunan” is an Ibanag term meaning “gathering.”

“We want to show the natural charm of local culture, focusing on the development, marketing and promotion of the province history and heritage as well as its various indigenous products, lifestyle as pride of the place,” Mamba said.

Improved economy is the need to nurture culture and tradition, to bind the communities together and draw visitors to experience the province way of life, he added.

The governor said before his term ends, he visualizes a better Cagayan by implementing more projects in the province and to make Cagayan great again through collective efforts among the leaders and the populace.

“Let us vision for a better Cagayan for the future of the children and the next generations,” Mamba said.

Meanwhile, lawyer Mabel Villarica-Mamba, the better half of the governor and chairperson of the awards committee, said the firstever Dangal ng Lahing Cagayano heightened the festivity by giving awards to outstanding Cagayanos who have excelled in their field of expertise.

Awardees were picked from the fields of government service, entrepreneurship, agriculture and fisheries, medicine, law, community development women empowerment science, technology and engineering, education, sports,

music, arts and culture, broadcast journalism economics, peace and order.

Dangal ng Lahing Cagayano is the search for the outstanding Cagayanos who have contributed to nation-building and have served their community in an outstanding capacity, have helped contribute to the development of the province and were an inspiration to their fellow men especially to his fellow Cagayanos, Mamba stressed.

Among other Gintong Medalya awardees, Dr. Ronal Guzman was awarded for his expertise in Education and Public Service, Armed Forces 5th Infantry Division Commander Paul Atal for Peace and Order while Miguel Decena Jr. for Business and Entrepreneurship.

During the festival, 27 out of the 29 towns joined in this year’s trade fair. Each booth has displaced an agri-fishery products and modern technologies booth to promote their products that are mostly hand-crafted by the locals at the “Product and Technology Trade Fair” at the capitol grounds.

Mamba said the trade fair gives opportunities to the local government units to market their products as well as help local entrepreneurs earn for their daily needs.

The governor said there are many local products that the province could be proud of but local producers need assistance to infiltrate the market for their products to be sold.

HIGHLIGHTS. Dancers

wave their lights to form patterns in the dark as they dance through the main streets of Tacloban City in celebration of the 128th Sangyaw Festival of Lights on Friday. The festival features LED lights worn by street dancers as they party to move past the horrors of Super Typhoon ‘Yolanda’ and in honor of the Señor Sto. Niño. The festival’s theme this year is ‘Unity for Progress’. Former first lady Imelda Romualdez-Marcos started the Sangyaw Festival in the 1970s before the end of June.

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FLALOK CONGRESS BRIDGES CULTURAL GAP

POLOMOLOK, South Cotabato— Members of different indigenous people’s groups from South Cotabato and nearby Sarangani Province gathered recently at the Polomolok Gymnasium in Barangay Poblacion in South Cotabato for the 1st Flalok Congress.

With funding from the USAID, CLAFI embarked on project to revive the Blaan art of storytelling to improve literacy and develop a community of readers in South Central Mindanao by adopting the Department of Education’s mother tongue-based multilingual education (MTB-MLE) approach in improving literacy outcomes particularly among young learners.

Flalok is the traditional art form of oral storytelling of the Blaan tribe.

Over the years, the art of Flalok has been gradually fading away due to

the dearth of written records about the Blaan tradition and the stories that have been passed orally from generation to generation.

The Flalok congress also served as an opportunity to drum up support in reviving the Blaan story telling tradition.

Organized by the Conrado & Ladislawa Alcantara Foundation Inc. and the United States Agency for International Development, the event gathered representatives from various Blaan communities in Region 12, local government executives from South Cotabato, Sarangani, General Santos City and Koronadal; officials from the Department of Education; and non-government organizations to celebrate the success of the Flalok project of CLAFI, the corporate social responsibility arm of the Alsons Power Group.

Local Gov’t Units

Indigenous people groups discuss how to preserve their culture in modern times in the Flalok Congress in South Cotabato.

200 MANILA KIDS FINISH ANTI-DRUG TRAINING

By Sandy Araneta MORE than 200 street children who were rescued from the streets of Manila have completed the anti-drug education program Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) being implemented

by Manila Mayor Joseph “Erap” Estrada.

The 200 street children, aged eight to 14, are the first batch of homeless children at the Manila Boystown Complex in Marikina City—a halfway house for orphans, juvenile delinquents, and former drug dependents being run by the city government of Manila—to undergo DARE lessons.

In simple recognition ceremonies at the facility, Estrada called on the young DARE graduates, some of whom were the so-called “rugby boys” or substance abusers, to shun drugs and other vices and instead go to school to start a new life.

“You’re probably thinking that no one cares for you and that you no longer have any chance at all,” Estrada told the street children in Filipino.

“It’s too early for you to give up life. You still have a bright future ahead of you,” Estrada said.

“But you can’t have a future if you continue using drugs. Stop it, it won’t do you any good,” Estrada added.

For those wanting to go to school, he said public schools in Manila are tuition-free, including school supplies and uniforms.

The city-run Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila (PLM) and Universidad de Manila (UDM) also offer college degrees, free of charge, to poor but deserving students, Estrada added.

To inspire the street children, Estrada reminded them that many former orphans at Boystown have become successful in their chosen fields such as actor Enrico Torralba, businessman Herbert Yu, and Romnic Toledo, a youth rights advocate.

“But I must remind you: Manila loves you. And as father of Manila, I love you,” Estrada told the street children.

Originally from the United States, DARE is a classroom instruction program that taps active duty police officers to teach Grades 5 and 6 students good decision-making skills to keep them away from drugs and other vices.

The Manila Police District has so far 32 highly-trained personnel dedicated to teaching DARE lessons, according to MPD director Chief Supt. Joel Coronel.

Since 1993 when Estrada introduced the program in the country when he was vice president and head of the Presidential AntiCrime Commission (PACC), more than 1.5 million students have underwent DARE instructions.

Estrada now serves as chairman of DARE Philippines Inc., a private non-profit organization that implements DARE not only in Manila but also in the entire country.

According to Donna Gasgonia, the organization’s executive vice president, the 202 street children from Boystown were given special DARE lessons by Manilabased DARE officers.

ABOITIZPOWER UNIT SUPPORTS NAVOTAS PUPILS NAVOTAS Schools Division Superintendent, Dr. Romulo B. Rocena, once struggled to financially support his education.

Through perseverance and a big help from scholarships, he finished school and became what he is now.

That was why it was extra special for the top education official to be personally handing educational assistance certificates to 25 deserving high school students, as part of the community projects of AboitizPower, its Navotas-based subsidiary Therma Mobile (TMO), and the Aboitiz Foundation.

Rocena recalled that without scholarships, he would have not finished school and become what he is now.

“While I was awarding the scholarship certificates, I was reminded of my high

school days. I know how it feels to struggle financially to study, that’s why I am really grateful to AboitizPower, TMO, and Aboitiz Foundation for this initiative, because I myself would have not finished my studies without scholarships,” Rocena said.

TMO’s High School Financial Assistance, which is now on its second year, is a sustained program aimed at helping finance deserving students’ education. The project underscores the commitment of AboitizPower and all its business units across the country to creating a better future for all.

The beneficiaries, composed of 18 Grade 9 students and seven Grade 8 students, together with their parents and guardians, were awarded their scholarship certificates on June 10 at Bagumbayan Elementary

School.

“Congratulations to all of you. I hope this scholarship serves as an inspiration for you to continue pursuing your dreams and creating brighter tomorrows,” Rocena said.

In March this year, TMO also turned over two carpentry and welding laboratories, complete with tools and equipment, to San Rafael Technological School, also in Navotas. In addition, TMO extended the classrooms to accommodate more worktables, as well as upgraded the audio-visual room with a projector and screen, AC units, and a sound system.

Danel Aboitiz, president and COO of AboitizPower Oil Business Unit, reiterated AboitizPower’s commitment to its neighbors in Navotas.

FISH FEEDING AT ENCHANTED RIVER. The staff of the Enchanted River does the regular noontime feeding of the fishes, which is the highlight and a public spectacle in the popular river resort park in Hinatuan, Surigao del Sur. Lualhati Perez

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‘TRUCK BAN TO KILL VEGGIE INDUSTRY’

By Dexter A. See

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AGUIO—A truck ban in Benguet, one of the major drivers of the local economy in the northern Philippines, will virtually kill the province’s lucrative vegetable industry, a provincial official told the members of the City Council here.

Provincial Board Member cials respect the decision of the Nestor Fongwan Jr. said while local legislative body to reguprovincial and municipal offi- late the use of the city’s streets This is to inform the public that the following employees are no longer connected with Cirrus Global, Inc. effective June 30, 2017.

1. Sheva Mae Bautista Amto 16. Ma. Eliza Janda 2. Kristela Mariz Bautista 17. Sharon Lumbab 3. Patrick Jinno Bautista 18. Emerson Manaog 4. Shaira Jamine Bravo 19. Aram Jayson Marcelo 5. Mespha Caseres 20. Marion Marra 6. Mark Gexter Clapis 21. Paulene Ortiz 7. Joanna Marie Danting 22. Charles Kevin Pascual 8. Reena Daswani 23. Elmer Pedrezuela 9. Jay Paul DelaCruz 24. Sarah Jane Perez 10. Jerome Diamat 25. Wilson Regalario 11. Rhea Dimaculangan 26. Gina Santillan 12. Melea Dunglao 27. Jan Ray Santos 13. Renelyn Holgado Enriquez 28. Claribelle Suico 14. Rowena Garcia 29. France Cole Tengco 15. Vanessa Infante 30. Nykkie Zamora All transactions entered into by the above mentioned persons for and behalf of the said Company after the said date shall no longer be honored by the Company.

by trucks, the implementation should also allow exemptions for the trucks loaded with perishable goods.

Fongwan said the new ordinance is actually closing the various roads of the city for the transport of perishable goods that must be immediately delivered to the different Metro Manila and lowland markets and even up to the Visayas and Mindanao.

Fongwan reminded his counterparts that Baguio City is actually benefitting from Benguet’s vegetable and cutflower industry, thus, local officials must also be considerate with exemption.

He added city officials should not be too harsh in dealing with vegetable truckers because the death of the province’s vegeta-

ble industry would also affect the city’s economic growth.

Gil Ganados, president of the Benguet Truckers Association, pointed out the implementation of the truck ban in the city, especially from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. will definitely affect the delivery of agricultural crops around the Philippines. The delay in the delivery of the products will not only affect them but also the vegetable farmers.

Ganados explained truckers delivering vegetables to the night market in Pasig City around 11 p.m. daily must be in the place several hours before the said schedule, while those providing the vegetable supply of traders in the Visayas and Mindanao regions must be at the port to load their crops

to the vessels before midnight daily.

Some of them will have to traverse the city roads during the implementation of the truck ban, thus, the need for the local government to adopt the total exemption.

Representatives of truckers agreed with the proposal for them to pay an exemption fee provided that the fee should not be excessive, oppressive and confiscatory because the farmers will suffer the consequences of the fees that will be passed on to them.

Benguet officials and truckers called on city officials to heed their plight in the spirit of good working relationship among neighbors for the realization of overall growth and develop-

ment.

Meanwhile, the 37th Annual General Membership Assembly with the member-consumerowners of the Benguet Electric Cooperative or Beneco held in Atok, Sablan and Baguio City this month.

Section 32-A of Republic Act 10531 or the revised NEA law and Section 5 of Energy Department Circular No. DC2013-070015 stated the loan balance plus interest and penalties of its P100 million from NEA in 2006 amounting to P78.4 million be included in the 2018 budget.

The resolution argued Beneco loan from NEA which was contracted ahead of the government’s SEP had the same purpose with that of the rural electrification program.

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

(MS-JULY 2, 2017)

Manila

Standard Republic of the Philippines TODAY

ENERGY REGULATORY COMMISSION San Miguel Avenue, Pasig City IN THE MATTER OF THE APPLICATION FOR APPROVAL OF THE FEED-IN TARIFF ALLOWANCE FOR CALENDAR YEAR 2017 PURSUANT TO THE GUIDELINES FOR THE COLLECTION OF THE FEED-IN TARIFF ALLOWANCE AND DISBURSEMENT OF THE FEED-IN TARIFF ALLOWANCE FUND, WITH PRAYER FOR PROVISIONAL AUTHORITY, ERC CASE No. 2016- 192 RC NATIONAL TRANSMISSION CORPORATION (TRANSCO), Applicant. x - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -x

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING TO ALL INTERESTED PARTIES: Notice is hereby given that on 1 December 2016, the National Transmission Corporation (TRANSCO) filed an application dated 28 November 2016 seeking the Commission’s approval of the Feed - In Tariff Allowance for Calendar Year 2017 pursuant to the Guidelines for the Collection of the Feed-In Tariff Allowance and Disbursement of the Feed-In Tariff Allowance Fund, with prayer for provisional authority.

On 26 April 2016, the Commission issued an Order setting the Application for determination of compliance with the jurisdictional requirements, expository presentation, Pre-trial Conference, and presentation of evidence on the following dates and venues: DATE

TIME

VENUE

PURPOSE

15 May 2017 (Monday)

9:00 A.M.

ERC Hearing Room, 15th Floor, Pacific Center Building, San Miguel Avenue, Pasig City

Jurisdictional Hearing and Expository Presentation

19 May 2017 (Friday)

9:00 A.M.

ERC Visayas Field Office, St. Mary’s Drive Banilad, Cebu City

Expository Presentation

2 June 2017 (Friday)

9:00 A.M.

ERC Mindanao Field Office, Mintrade Bldg., Monteverde Ave, cor.

Sales St., 8000 Davao City

Expository Presentation

9 June 2017 (Friday)

9:00 A.M.

ERC Hearing Room, 15th Floor, Pacific Center Building, San Miguel Avenue, Pasig City

Pre-trial Conference and Evidentiary Hearing

On 29 May 2017, the Commission issued an Order cancelling the Expository Presentation scheduled on 2 June 2017 in Davao City and the Pretrial Conference and Evidentiary Hearing scheduled on 9 June 2017 in ERC Head Office, Pasig City.

The Commission has reset the cancelled expository presentation for Mindanao consumers, Pre-trial Conference, and presentation of evidence on the following dates and venues: DATE

TIME

VENUE

PURPOSE

12 July 2017 (Wednesday)

9:00 A.M.

ERC Mindanao Field Office, Mintrade Bldg., Monteverde Ave, cor. Sales St., 8000 Davao City

Expository Presentation

19 July 2017 (Wednesday)

9:00 A.M.

ERC Hearing Room, 15th Floor, Pacific Center Building, San Miguel Avenue, Pasig City

Pre-trial Conference and Evidentiary Hearing

All persons who have an interest in the subject matter of the instant case may become a party by filing with the Commission a verified Petition to Intervene at least five (5) days prior to hearing and subject to the requirements under Rule 9 of the 2006 Rules of Practice and Procedure, indicating therein the docket number and title of the case and stating the following: 1) 2) 3)

The petitioner’s name and address; The nature of petitioner’s interest in the subject matter of the proceeding and the way and manner in which such interest is affected by the issues involved in the proceeding; and A statement of the relief desired.

All other persons who may want their views known to the Commission with respect to the subject matter of the case may file their Opposition or Comment thereon at any stage of the proceeding before Applicant rests its case, subject to the requirements under Rule 9 of the 2006 Rules of Practice and Procedure.

No particular form of Opposition or Comment is required, but the document, letter, or writing should contain the following: 1) The name and address of such person; 2)

A concise statement of the Opposition or Comment; and

3)

The grounds relied upon.

All such persons who wish to have a copy of the Application may request from Applicant that they be furnished with the same, prior to the date of the initial hearing. Applicant is hereby directed to furnish all those making such request with copies of the Application and its attachments, subject to the reimbursement of reasonable photocopying costs. Any such person may likewise examine the Application and other pertinent records filed with the Commission during the standard office hours.

WITNESS, the Honorable Officer-in-Charge of ERC ALFREDO J. NON and the Honorable Commissioners GLORIA VICTORIA C. YAP-TARUC and GERONIMO D. STA. ANA, Energy Regulatory Commission, this 16th day of June 2017 in Pasig City.

FOR AND BY THE AUTHORITY OF THE COMMISSION:

JOSEFINA PATRICIA A. MAGPALE-ASIRIT Oversight Commissioner for Legal (MS-JUNE 25 & JUL. 2, 2017)

SUPPORT THE SOLDIERS. Grade school students of University of Perpetual Help System-Las Piñas Campus wave their respective flags during the launching of ‘Letter Writing for Marawi Soldiers’ project of JCI-Manila on Tuesday.

SATELLITE COMMUNITIES’ EXPANSION PUSHED

By Kariza Aycocho A LEADING property consulting and marketing firm recently urged established developers in the country to pursue the development of mixed–use real estate developments in urban centers outside of Metro Manila to fast-track economic activities as this would result in growth centers being established nationwide.

Colliers International said the growth potentials of urban centers outside of mega-Manila could be tapped and expedited with the development of satellite communities in their respective

localities.

A mixed-use type of development that would offer a combination of work and leisure such as those developments in the Central Business Districts of Makati, Ortigas and Fort Bonifacio’s Global City can be duplicated, though in a smaller scale, in cities and provinces, particularly in the fringe areas of Metro Manila.

Colliers also added that aside from creating business and employment opportunities, the development of satellite communities will help decongest Metro Manila as there would be no need for the people in the provinces to flock to the big city

Notice of Dissolution of HYDRO CHINA SUBIC LTD. CORPORATION Notice is hereby given of the dissolution of HYDRO CHINA SUBIC LTD. CORPORATION as of December 31,2016. Any party who has any interest in this regard may be give notice thereof at Sapalo Velez Bundang and Bulilan Law Offices, 11th Floor Security Bank Centre, 6776 Ayala Avenue, Makati City (MS-JULY 2,9 & 16, 2017)

NOTICE The State of Hawaii to Lawrence Antonio Lago, you are hereby notified that a petition for adoption of the child born to Marie Venensi Widmann has been filed in the Family Court, First Circuit, State of Hawaii.

The petition alleges that your consent to the adoption of the above-named child by the petitioner above-named is not required and may be dispensed with pursuant to Hawaii Revised Statutes Section 578-2(c) as amended.

A hearing on the petition will be held on Sep 5, 2017 at 1:30 pm at the Family Court located at the Kapolei Court Complex, 4675 Kapolei Parkway, Third Floor, Kapolei, Hawaii.

If you fail to appear at the hearing on date and time and at the place noted above or if you fail to file a written response to the allegations reflected in the Petition for Adoption, further action may be taken including the granting of the adoption without further notice to you. Your written response should be addressed to the Presiding Judge, Family Court, First Circuit, Kapolei Court Complex, 4675 Kapolei Parkway, Kapolei, Hawaii 96707-3272.

Failure to obey this notice may result in an entry of a default and default judgment against you. You are further notified that the child, the adoptive parent and the natural parent have rights under H.R.S. Section 578-15 regarding confidentiality of adoption records after the child reaches age 18.

(MS-JULY 2,9,16 & 23, 2017

just to be able to experience such world-class leisure and shopping amenities amidst their places of work.

The work and play setting should also be present in the urban centers of provinces.

Development of master-planned communities includes building offices, residential communities and even condominiums, shopping centers, schools and hospitals within one area can also be integrated to create a complete community setting.

Colliers cited the successes of once-upon-a-time idle areas in Metro Manila that turned into a bustling business and leisure haven such as Eastwood City,

a former site of a textile mills; Century City is the former site of International School; Manila and Capitol Commons is a redevelopment of the former capitol of Rizal Province and the Circuit in Makati, which used to play host to horse-racing enthusiast, being a former horse race track venue.

Colliers believed the current administration’s thrust to spread economic opportunities outside Metro Manila and intensify infrastructure development should provide impetus for developers to be more aggressive in pursuing mixed-use projects outside of the country’s capital.

NETHERLANDS, MALABON SIGN PACT FOR SETTLERS

By Sara Susanne D. Fabunan THE Netherlands Embassy to the Philippines recently signed a memorandum of agreement with the Malabon City Government to improve the lives of Filipinos living in informal settlements.

Under the MoA signed this week, the Dutch embassy and the local government will work together to identify and develop innovative urbanization programs, including access to electricity; land and housing tenure; access to clean drinking water; and adequate drainage.

The program is through Dutch-privatepublic partner, Human Cities Coalition, which aimed to contribute to truly inclusive urban development that protects and serves the socio-economic interests of the urban poor living in informal settlements across the wider Manila Bay area.

“Together with HCC, Malabon City signals its readiness to work towards addressing issues identified by the community,” the HCC stated, which was released by the Netherland embassy.

Malabon City is one of the cities that comprises greater Metro Manila. It has a total land area of 1,571.4 hectares, about 2.5 percent of the total land area of Metro Manila.

Malabon City has a generally flat topography and is a city rich with rivers and waterways. Three of these major rivers, the Malabon, Tinajeros and Tullahan Rivers, are reported by the DENR-EMB to be among the

most polluted river systems in the country.

These winding rivers are at the downstream portion and the quality of water naturally decreases as it traverses to other Metro Manila cities such as Valenzuela, Caloocan and Quezon City before it finally drains to Manila Bay. The Dutch embassy noted that Malabon City is currently in the middle of implementing a city development plan that aimed to sustain community development by focusing on: poverty reduction; social, economic and environmental development; infrastructure development; and disaster risk reduction and management.

“This overall ambition, along with this MoA, are also supported by the Netherlands Embassy in the Philippines,” HCC said.

With the signing of this MoA, HCC continues to strengthen its coalition and grow in a unique way by aligning community needs, private sector interests, and government engagement.

This way of working leads to tangible improvements for urban poor communities while building upon governmental policy frameworks and private sector agendas.

HCC recently completed a needs assessment to better gauge community needs and wishes in Malabon City.

Conducted by coalition partners Slum Dwellers International and the Shared Value Foundation, this bottom-up, participatory assessment was undertaken in the informal settlements of Barangays Catmon and Tonsuya.

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

Gadgets & Games

TRUE 360 SOUND, DEEPER, AND ASTONISHINGLY LOUD

B

OSE’S best Bluetooth speakers ever—the new SoundLink Revolve™ and SoundLink Revolve+™—are now in the Philippines.

With true omni-directional performance, and an entirely new acoustic design, Revolve speakers spread deep, jaw-dropping sound in every direction—from a seamless aluminum design.

Bose engineers started from a clean-sheet to redefine the relationship between size, sound, and battery-power. An entirely new acoustic package was developed first, then matched with the cylindrical shape it required, and a singlepiece aluminum enclosure. There’s no “front” or “back,” because Revolve speakers don’t have to be pointed to favor one location over another.

They combine dual-opposing passive-radiators with a powerful, ultra-efficient transducer—positioned face-down—and a new patented acoustic deflector.

With an added “pressure trap” to eliminate distortion, the result is dramatic. Sound radiates uniformly in every direction, with deep, rich bass —and without the sweet spots and frequency drop-offs of conventional 360-degree speakers.

Set in the middle of the room, a corner, or anywhere in between, Revolve speakers deliver the same experience for everyone. Music is spacious, clear, and when you want—remarkably loud.

Both new Revolve models are just at home outside. They feature an IPX4-rating to withstand spills, rain, and pool splashes; and rugged durability to survive dings, drops, and bumps.

A quarter-twenty thread on the bottom of each makes for easy mounting on a tri-pod for listening in the yard or an outdoor party.

Revolve is 6” high x 3 ¼” deep, weighs a mere 1.5 pounds, and provides up to 12-hours of battery life. Revolve+ is slightly bigger for more performance at 7 ¼” high x 4” deep, 2 pounds, and up to 16-hours of playtime. Both can pair through NFC, feature plain-language voice-prompts for fool-proof set-up, and integrate microphones to use as a speakerphone, or with Siri and Google Assistant.

The free Bose Connect app now syncs two SoundLinks—any combination, for any models starting with the SoundLink Color II. New Stereo Mode enables left-right pairing,

Soundlink revolve bluetooth speakers

and new Party Mode lets you play the same design and colors, and has just been updated with music on both simultaneously. the Color II. Today, Revolve and Revolve+ usher in the next generation of SoundLink, made possible The Soundlink Obsession by the same obsession that started it all—to make Bose SoundLink speakers are globally recognized the smallest, best sounding wireless speaker ever. as the standard for mobile audio. The original SoundLink Mobile speaker redefined the Bluetooth Pricing, Availability And Colors speaker category with revolutionary performance The SoundLink Revolve and SoundLink from a portable design. The SoundLink Mini and Revolve+ Bluetooth speakers are available for Mini II took the market by storm with an entirely P13,000.00 and P19,000.00, respectively, and new level of sound quality from an even smaller come in two colors—Triple Black and Lux Gray. design. The SoundLink III pushed the boundaries SoundLink Revolve and SoundLink Revolve+ are further with an even more powerful experience. sold at Bose stores and authorized Bose dealers.

And the original Color became a hit with its rugged Visit www.eleksis.com for more information.

HP INTRODUCES ITS SMALLEST PRINTER YET A BRAND known for producing some of the best devices in the market, HP Inc. is now introducing its newest, smallest, and hippest lifestyle printer yet: the Sprocket.

The Sprocket is a portable and pocket-sized printer that users can bring wherever, whenever. No matter what the occasion is, anyone can instantly snap and print by simply connecting the Sprocket to any smartphone via Bluetooth and its accompanying app.

At only 0.17 kg and 4.53 x 2.95 inches, the Sprocket is as compact as a typical smartphone, and is one of HP’s most lightweight devices. It goes hand-in-hand with other tech essentials such as powerbanks and portable flash drives.

The Sprocket’s paper tray can carry 10 pieces of photo paper at one go and

is rechargeable through a micro-USB that requires 90 minutes to fill up its battery.

Charge and status light indicators are also visible at the

The Sprocket

left side portion of the device, alongside the reset and power button.

Aside from printing photos, this device also lets the users tweak pho-

tos through the HP Sprocket app.

It is compatible with both Android (v4.4 and later) and iOS (iOS v8.0 and later) smartphones, and is downloadable through the Google and App stores.

It also supports a variety of formats including BMP, GIF, and JPEG, as well as TIFF for iOS devices which means any photo can be printed out with ease, whether grabbed online or taken straight from a phone camera.

In just 40 seconds, users can print quality colorful photos with the use of the HP ZINK® technology 2 x 3” photo

papers that are smudge-proof and water and tear-resistant1. The ZINK® Technology feature uses zero ink and has crystals stored on each paper which can produce colors once heated. The photo papers also come with a peel-and-stick back, perfect for crafting personalized items, gifts, or souvenirs.

“We at HP aim to encourage our users to reinvent the way they capture their experiences. Millennials today belong to a snap happy generation, where they can document their entire lives in just a click of a button. Through the Sprocket, we want them to hold onto those memories in the most convenient, mobile, and personal way,”says Pallasena Viswanath, HP Inc. Philippines Managing Director.

The Sprocket, which comes in black and white, is now available in the Philippines through Lazada and may be purchased directly at www.lazada. com.ph/hp-sprocket-official-store.

COULD APPLE'S NEXT BIG THING BE A CAR?

SAN FRANCISCO—Is an Apple Car about to hit the road?

The California technology colossus behind the iPhone has confirmed its interest in self-driving cars, but experts are trying to deduce the secretive company’s plans for traction in a market where others have been speeding along.

Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, who died in 2011, contemplated putting the company’s hardware and software smarts to work in a car nearly a decade ago, according to reports in trade press.

Speculation about an Apple Car became the stuff of myth, with much talk and little evidence until recently.

In mid-June, Apple chief executive Tim Cook revealed that the company is focusing on software that powers selfdriving vehicles, referring to it as “by far the most important project in artificial intelligence.”

Cook depicted electric vehicles, self-driving cars, and ride-sharing as major forces shaping the future of the automobile.

Analysts said that driverless cars that can be summoned on demand to whisk people where they wish when they want represent a gigantic potential market opportunity.

Even before Cook’s public remarks on the topic, clues were coming to light.

Apple recently obtained a permit from the California Department of Motor Vehicles to test self-driving cars.

Pictures of a Lexus sport utility vehicle rigged with sensors leaving the Apple campus have ricochetted about the internet, along with reports that the company has amassed a team of automotive engineers.

After a billion-dollar investment by Apple in Chinese ride-sharing colossus Didi, Cook referred to unspecified strategic moves the companies could make together over time.

Not riding alone

If Apple is indeed intent to merge into the self-driving car market, it remains to be seen how it will navigate that course.

Morgan Stanley said in an analysts note that Apple options include partnering with ride-share firms, car rental companies, or even auto makers.

“Core self-driving software is likely the first step in its autonomous pursuits, and we believe Apple will eventually move beyond just software into designing a full car and/or launching a platform for third party services and content over time,” Morgan Stanley said in the note.

The effort would take time and money, and the competition will be fierce, Morgan Stanley reasoned.

Unconfirmed reports surfaced this week that department of motor vehicle documents show Apple is renting a small number of Lexus sport-utility vehicles from US car rental service Hertz to test self-driving software and sensors.

Despite having some $250 billion in its coffers, Apple is unlikely to buy a car maker because of concerns about finding footing on terrain so far from their area of expertise, according to Creative Strategies analyst Carolina Milanesi. AFP

Three men look at an iPhone on display at the Taipei 101 building.

Apple opened its first store in Taiwan, drawing hundreds of excited fans to the shop located in the landmark skyscraper Taipei 101.

Apple may soon venture into cars. AFP

D3

SUNDAY, JULY 2, 2017 rumallari@thestandard.com.ph

ePLDT: IT OUTSOURCING GAINS GROUND AMID DIGITAL WAVE BUSINESS technology is rapidly evolving and companies are compelled to undergo a “digital transformation” to keep up with competition. It is such a boardroom priority today that according to the latest Worldwide Digital Transformation Spending Guide from the International Data Corporation (IDC), global spending on digital transformation technologies and solutions will reach $2.0 trillion in 2020. ePLDT, the industry-leading enabler of digital business solutions for enterprises in the country, believes that due to the increasing focus on going digital, many companies will find that outsourcing their IT infrastructure & operations is a sound and strategic decision.

IT outsourcing is an option where an external services provider—in this case, experts in Information Technology— manages a company’s IT infrastructure for the purpose of business development. One important IT task that is commonly outsourced is operational maintenance, where the external service provider takes care of managing software, physical infrastructure, data security, and the like.

“Undergoing digital transformation requires a company’s in-house IT department to work with emerging and constantly evolving technologies.

This can put a strain on their resources.

Outsourcing IT takes their hands off the more mechanical tasks enabling them to focus on the strategic part of their responsibilities,“ said ePLDT Group Chief Operating Officer Nerisse Ramos.

Companies that offer Managed IT services are called Managed Service Providers (MSPs). They bring world-class knowledge and experience to an organization on an ongoing basis. With an MSP to lean on, companies can have access to new technologies and know-how that include tried-and-true policies. And despite applying the latest technologies, companies can save up on money through outsourcing since most MSPs operate through a subscription-based model which minimizes capital expenditures and mitigates the risk of obsolescence.

“Digital transformation requires very specific skills to stay up-to-date with emerging trends. Due to this, it can be a difficult task especially for companies whose core business is not IT. In cases like these, outsourcing can significantly help manage the risks as well as resources since the implementation is handled by IT experts, while the in-house IT department can devote their undivided attention to achieving business goals,” Ramos added.

By outsourcing IT, the benefits translate not only to cost savings, but also to overall business productivity. A recent Deloitte survey revealed that 59 percent of survey respondents said outsourcing reduces costs, 45 percent believed it’s useful in finding unique ways to address capacity issues, and 29 percent thought it boosts a company’s chances to scale globally.

“A qualified MSP can achieve all of these by streamlining processes and making them more efficient and productive. This enables a company to take advantage of opportunities more quickly,” Ramos said.

DEMOCRATIZING...

From D4 remote of regions, making it indispensable in the quest to make technology truly inclusive.

Different Ways of Giving

Apart from Cloud for Public Good, Microsoft Philanthropies contributes in several other important ways, including internal employee fundraising, robust educational initiatives, and timely humanitarian aid. Many of these have already had a positive impact in the Philippines, a country that, according to Microsoft Philippines Corporate External and Legal Affairs (CELA) Director Raul Cortez, “has a huge appetite for innovation and that is a wellspring of energy and fresh ideas.”

As part of these humanitarian efforts, over P200 thousand has been raised locally to help Gawad Kalinga build and rebuild impoverished communities. On digital skills training, grants are being managed in partnership with Adaptive Technology for Rehabilitation, Integration and Empowerment of the Visually Impaired; Gawad Kalinga, and Passerelles Numeriques to provide 4,500 underserved youth from Manila, Iloilo, Davao, Compostela Valley, and Cebu with the necessary skills to thrive in an increasingly digital world.

“We at Microsoft believe in four key pillars—empowering employees, engaging customers, optimizing operations, and transforming with new products, services or business models. These can be applied towards helping people all over the world learn, and work, and interact with one another in positive, rewarding, constructive ways. Data and the cloud are key enablers of this,” said Cortez.

D4

Gadgets & Games

SUNDAY, JULY 2, 2017 Riera U. Mallari, Editor rumallari@thestandard.com.ph

PROFESSIONAL AUDIO SYSTEM IN A SMALL PACKAGE

By Peter Paul Duran

W

ANT the vibe of a concert without the need to bring in the whole professional crew?

The all-new EON ONE may just be the quick fix as the linear-array P.A. system brings legendary JBL Professional audio to your next gig, performance, conference and even meetings.

Just don’t mix those up though.

The JBL EON ONE and JBL Professional line were officially unveiled on June 24 at A. Refinery UP Town Center and was graced by HARMAN & Beyond Innovations Inc. Executives and the Media.

With the introduction of JBL EON ONE and JBL Professional Series at A. Refinery, it aims to amplify a fruitful movement of auditory experience for its consumers.

The portable P.A. system is a true all-in-one design that you can carry with one hand and can be effortlessly set up. With the legendary JBL sound, it offers an unobstructed 10” woofer Extended Bass for accurate low-frequency response that can be heard 150 feet away.

The EON ONE is also Bluetooth capable and has a built-in 6-channel mixer enabling anyone to stream their favorite songs without the hassle of dangling wires.

Two artists performed to showcase just that.

Maxine Javelino played her original songs with the use of the All-inONE PA system. Her acoustic set was superbly delivered; clear and crisp.

EON ONE has a built-in 6-channel mixer enabling the streaming of songs without the hassle of dangling wires. Inset shows HARMAN Professional Solutions Vice President and General Manager for Asia Pacific Ramesh Jayamaran and Maxine Javelino.

JBL EON ONE aims to be the perfect companion for traveling performers like Maxine, with an easy set-up and one-hand carry system, one can perform and play music anywhere.

On the other hand, JV Custodio used the JBL Professional 3 Series

Speakers and AKG Pro Headphones in dropping beats and mixes with great depth and ambience.

“We are committed to bring in more products. You saw the EON ONE that we showcased today, we will be bringing in more of these,”

said HARMAN Professional Solutions Vice President and General Manager for Asia Pacific Ramesh Jayamaran during the event.

“Our intent is to study the behavior of budding musicians, of the prosumers,” he added.

LG OLED NAMED KING OF TV

SIMPLICITY and perfection— these two seemingly opposite characteristics are brought together by the newest iteration of LG Electronics’ flagship television line, the LG OLED TV. Powered by the only organic light-emitting diode (OLED) technology in the world, the LG OLED TV is designed to elevate home entertainment to premium cinematic levels. From delivering unrivalled audio-visual experiences right at home to a sleek, ultra-thin minimalist design perfect for any decor, the LG OLED TV is definitely on a league of its own.

‘King of TV’

All eyes are indeed drawn to this stunning screen, including the discerning gaze of the global tech community. The OLED TV was hailed as the “best of the best” in this year’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES), one of the world’s biggest tech events that gather journalists, experts, and the latest technological innovations in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The LG OLED TV received

The LG OLED TV is designed to elevate home entertainment to premium cinematic levels.

28 other awards, including the highest accolades given by leading industry publications such as CNN Money, TechRadar, CNET, Advertising Age and UberGizmo and the coveted 2017 Engadget CES Best of the Best Award.

“We at LG Electronics are thankful for the global recognition for the OLED TV,” said LG Philippines Vice President for Home Entertainment Tony An. “Our efforts to create gamechanging technology have

definitely paid off. The OLED TV is named by experts all over the world as the ‘King of TV’ because of its supreme picture and sound quality, unrivalled features and impressive design.”

A display like no other

The LG OLED TV is powered by a unique, revolutionary technology: self-lighting pixels that render perfect blacks, infinite contrast ratio and a billion possible colors to deliver the most realistic images ever displayed

on a television screen. The latest OLED TV line-up is also powered

by LG’s ULTRA Luminance technology to deliver greater brightness wherever needed.

These features perfectly complement the most advanced high dynamic range (HDR) cinematic technology used today, Dolby Vision. LG’s 2017 OLED TVs are the first to harness this technology to allow users to enjoy cinematic experiences right at home, with greater brightness, contrast and color range.

Unlike other backlit LEDbased products in the market, black is completely black without any additional light in OLED TVs. There is no motion blur, too—thanks to the self-lighting pixels that can instantly change states for clear, clean images in every frame that can be enjoyed from all viewing angles.

A complete experience

For next-level home entertainment experiences, the newest LG OLED TVs also feature advanced sound technology with Dolby Atmos. Users will feel like they are right in on

the action with rich, multi-layer and realistic sound that fills the entire room.

Users can also quickly jump into the action of their favorite movies and TV shows with LG’s intuitive webOS smart TV platform. Accessing Dolby Vision and HDR10 content from LG partners like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Vudu is fast and easy.

With its minimalist good looks, the LG OLED TV is definitely a sight to behold in itself. OLED allows for razor-thin profiles because it does not require additional backlighting panels, unlike usual LED TVs that need bulky panels to deliver passable images.

“LG OLED TVs allow users to see the world as if they were just looking out a window,” added An. “It truly is a unique viewing experience, unlike anything they’ve ever seen before.”

For more details on the award-winning LG OLED TVs, visit lg.com/ph, like LG TV Philppines on Facebook and follow @LGPhilippines on Twitter and Instagram.

DEMOCRATIZING DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY

MUCH like other measures of progress such as economic growth and human development, technological innovation has largely been exclusive rather than inclusive—the reserve of a tiny fraction of the world population. And while the opportunities afforded people by digital technology are undeniable, it is becoming clearer than ever that these benefits must be shared more widely and with greater diversity.

This need has been receiving increasing attention from various organizations such as the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, both of which have spoken a “digital divide” arising between large and small-medium firms, and

between high- and low-income communities in general. With access to information and communications technology skewed heavily towards the richer sub-set and away from disfavored groups like the poor, women, the aged, and ethnic minorities, it will be very difficult to implement policies meant to promote inclusive, resilient societies.

This digital gap is precisely what Microsoft Philanthropies seeks to do— to advance a future for everyone. As it celebrates its anniversary in 2016, the program has made great strides forward in achieving that goal.

Helping out in a global project

Since its formation, Microsoft Philanthropies has endowed over 71,000 nonprofit

organizations with $465 million in Microsoft Azure cloud services, allowing these groups to benefit from the agility, security, and operational efficiencies offered by the cloud.

This represents nearly half of Microsoft’s announced commitment to donate $1 billion in Azure services to nonprofits.

Microsoft views these donations as their contribution to a shared global project of inclusive human development.“Ours is a time of tremendous promise, but also of great unmet need,” says Mary Snapp Corporate Vice President of Microsoft Philanthropies.

“Fortunately, there are so many organizations who are doing amazing work to make the world a better, fairer, and more inclusive place. Our work is to give these organizations the technology they need to make

this dream a reality.”

This inclusiveness becomes even more important because new technology is often perceived as a threat to entry-level jobs, or as an unattainable asset for poor communities and emerging nations. According to Snapp, helping these communities fully leverage available technology is extremely important, “especially where people are at risk of being left behind in this era of digital transformation.”

The Microsoft Azure platform is front and center in this regard. An integrated cloud service that provides a reliable, secure, and convenient suite of database and analytics platforms, Microsoft Azure affords organizations global reach even from the most

Turn to D3

CYBER CRIMINALS TARGETING MAC USERS FORTINET, a global leader in highperformance cyber security solutions, cautions that Apple devices have recently become attractive targets for cyber attackers due to their fast growing popularity and user demographics. In many organizations today, C-suite executives and marketing teams are more likely to use Macs. These individuals not only share valuable information, they are also very often less technically savvy and therefore, less likely to back up their devices, encrypt stored data, or abide by security best practices.

New attack opportunities and threat vectors are also making the targeting of Mac devices easier and more attractive. For instance, Fortinet’s FortiGuard Labs threat research team is starting to see the development of hacking tools that target cross-compatible software.

In addition, it has become easier for cybercriminals to scale up their operations against Macs. Due to the rise of cybercrime-as-a-service, cybercriminals have started building malware“franchises”.Insteadoftargeting Macs one at a time like in the past, criminals can now leverage pre-built technology to attack vast numbers of potential victims in exchange for sharing profits on the back end.

While ransoming one device may not be of much financial value to professional cybercriminals, owning hundreds of franchisees targeting thousands of devices every day most certainly is. At the same time, such an opportunity appeals to many small-time players, such as lone-wolf hackers working out of their parents’ homes.

“When it comes to security, the only constant is change, whether it is the way networks are evolving or how these changes are creating new opportunities for criminals,” said Aamir Lakhani, Fortinet Senior Security Strategist. “It is imperative that companies approach security from a holistic perspective. This includes making sure that every device is protected across all threat vectors, including Mac devices that were thought to be secure.”

In response to this new wave of brazen ransomware attacks, Fortinet recommends Mac users to take the following preventive measures: 1. Apply patches and updates.

Apple regularly provides security updates. Users must make sure they take the time to apply them.

2. Backup your device. Apple’s Time Machine service will automatically create full system backups, which means that should a system get ransomed, one could simply wipe the device and perform a full system restore from backup. Regularly scan backups for vulnerabilities and store these backups offline. Offline storage is vital because Time Machine backup systems are often persistently connected to the device being backed up, and risk being compromised during an attack.

3. Encrypt data stored on device.

While this may not be effective against many ransomware variants, it is still a good practice as it can protect an organization should any device become infected with malware that is designed to steal files and data.

4. Install an endpoint security client.

Look for endpoint solutions that will not only protect your device, but tie that security back into your network security strategy, allowing you to leverage and share threat intelligence to better protect your device and its assets.

5. Deploy security that covers other threat vectors. As email is still the number one source for malware and infection, ensure that a robust email security solution is deployed.

The same is true for web security tools, wired and wireless access controls, cloud-based security, and network segmentation strategies that help detect, isolate, and respond to threats found anywhere across a distributed environment.

E1

SUNDAY, JULY 2, 2017 Isah V. Red, Editor

/

Young Life

Bernadette Lunas, Issue Editor isahred@gmail.com.ph

MAUREEN WROBLEWITZ

ON DEALING WITH BULLIES AND GAINING CONFIDENCE

By Bernadette Lunas

“E

HAPPY FEET

TASSEL TALK IT SEEMS like brighter and bolder is the way to go to this season.

One trend, in particular, is gaining its fair share of popularity—the quirky tassels.

Keds a n d

XPECT the unexpected,” indeed, as the shortest, youngest, and most inexperienced contestant in Asia’s Next Top Model Cycle 5 was named winner of the reality modeling competition.

Filipino-German Maureen Wroblewitz never thought she’d come as far as being in the Top 3 of the competition. Standing at 5’6” (1.68 meters), she was one of the two shortest among finalists (the other one was another PH representative, Jennica Sanchez). At 18 years old, during the competition, she was the youngest. To top it all off, she was considered the most inexperienced contestant, having no background prior to joining the Asian franchise of Tyra Banks’ show.

She was hardly a strong contender at the beginning of the show, and was immediately discounted and underestimated by her competitors. “At first, people were already doubting me,” said Wroblewitz.

The representative from the Philippines had been in the bottom two twice Even Wroblewitz had a hard time finding herself and gaining the confidence needed to win.

“All the time I was told to believe in myself, to trust my instincts, and to feel confident, but then I would always feel confused,” admitted the 19-year-old model. “I was doubting myself, I never knew what I’m doing in front of the camera.”

She shared she became conscious and shy to show poses because she knew the other girls who have more experience were watching and judging her. But she eventually learned to be more confident as the show progressed.

“I said to myself , ‘just forget about them, do your thing. You’re doing it for yourself, not for them or anyone else’. I learned more and started getting better and better and felt more confident. I really learned to love myself and learn more about myself,” related Wroblewitz.

The inexperienced contestant became a “sponge,” and absorbed everything being told to her. The PH representative eventually landed on the top spot twice—becoming a threat to other finalists.

She was called a “pretty face with no skills,” words that pushed Wroblewitz to further do her best.

“I got bullied—they will come at me and try to bring me down. Maybe they felt threatened by me,” she confessed.

But in the end, the youngest, shortest, and most inexperienced contestant proved her critics wrong. On June 28, Wroblewitz was named the Asia’s Next Top Model, a first win for the Philippines since we started sending representatives in 2012.

“Always expect the unexpected—with her quiet determination, Maureen put all that she had learned to good use to make her country, family, friends, and the judges exceptionally proud. She deserved to be crowned the winner of Asia’s Next Top Model Season 5,” said series host Cindy Bishop.

Along with Bishop in the panel were AsNTM creative director and photographer Yu Tsai, Nylon Singapore editor in chief Adele Chan, Storm Model Management’s Ruby Adler, and Miss Universe 2015 Pia Wurtzbach.

“Winning Asia’s Next Top Model is a dream that I never want to wake up from,” said the elated Wroblewitz. “I’m really happy that I can prove them (critics) wrong.

I’m not just a pretty face, I’m more than that.”

kate spade n e w york has launched its latest collaboration of shoes for those who want to put a punch to their outfit.

Make a statement with colorful sneakers accented with tassels and pompoms.

Included in the quirky collection are Champion Silky Multi Lace Tassel, Triple Decker Tassel, Champion Rosa Silky Tassel, and Champion Red Chili Peppers.

Each pair is available at P3,995.

These limited edition sneakers are now available at Keds stores and online at keds. com.ph.

Turn to E2

NOT JUST A PRETTY FACE. Maureen Wroblewitz proved her critics who told her she's just a 'pretty face with no skills' wrong after winning Asia's Next Top Model Cycle 5.

Photos from asntm.com

IN THE SERVICE OF THE COMMUNITY

Over 4,600 Citi volunteers from the Philippines joined in Citi's 12th Global Community Day

MORE than 4,600 Citi volunteers in the Philippines participated in service activities in celebration of Citi’s 12th Global Community Day in the Philippines on June 10.

Global Community Day offers Citi volunteers a wide range of opportunities to work alongside community and non-profit partners to help improve neighborhoods and cities.

Citi chief executive officer Michael Corbat said the event “provides an opportunity to deepen our relationships with communities we serve, which is absolutely vital to our business success.”

In the days leading up to and on the Global Community Day, Citi volunteers participated in more than 1,500 service projects, ranging from urban revitalization, mentorship and jobs skills training, literacy and education, to environmental conservation and disaster relief.

Citi Philippines chief himself, Aftab Ahmed, volunteered on back-to-back weekends of servicing the community. On June 3, Ahmed joined hundreds who helped Upper Bicutan National High School get ready for opening of classes by cleaning classrooms, painting chairs, and covering textbooks with plastic. And on June 10, the CEO led 300 volunteers in supporting persons with disabilities at the Freedom Walk in Quezon City.

Participants from the Philippines were part of the nearly 100,000 Citi employees, with their family and friends, in 500 cities around the world who joined in the event.

Visit citizenship.citigroup.com to learn more about Citi’s citizenship efforts across Scan this icon to the globe. view the PDF

Young Life

E2

SUNDAY, JULY 2, 2017 isahred@gmail.com

HAPPY FEET...

From E1

Nike’s all-white sneakers collection White sneakers lovers, rejoice!

HOW DO YOU SPEND YOUR WEEKEND

NBX Powerful Cortez Classic

Athletic footwear and apparel brand Nike has dropped its Nike Beautiful x Powerful Collection of crisp white, perforated leather sneakers inspired by Olympian Elaine Thompson.

TIRED EVERY MONDAY? Experts say those who spend their weekend engaging in casual leisure activities, such as binge watching and partying, tend to be more tired and unfulfilled than those who use their off-days doing things that refine their skills or further their project or advocacy.

By Marjelle Sy

W

EEKEND is what makes most of us work hard during the week. It’s like the finish line students and employees are eager to reach after an arduous weekday run.

NBX Powerful Air Max Thea

Thompson is the first female sprinter since 1988 to finish 100- and 200-meter sprints during the 2016 Rio Olympics. Each shoe is embellished with her mantra “one life, one chance,” and her winning times of 21:78 for 200 meters and 10:71 for 100 meters.

NBX Powerful Blazer Low

The Nike Beautiful X Powerful Collection is available at select Nike stores and leading retailers, prices range from P4,795 to P6,295.

NBX Powerful Air Max Jewell

When Friday finally comes and ends, you know the next 48 hours will be dedicated to yourself and/or to your loved ones. You shift from working mode to resting mode and turn off your alarm. You indulge in your favorite hobbies, binge watch your favorite K-drama at the moment, browse through your social media accounts, or party with friends—because you know you totally deserve it. *pats self on the back* But after spending your off-days on just about anything you wanted to do, you still feel exhausted and unfulfilled. And, in most days, you dread Monday as if it’s the most unpleasant thing that could happen.

Here’s the thing: if you don’t feel even just a little bit restored for another week of work or school, then you must be spending your weekend wrong.

According to studies by Positive psychologists, the feeling of fulfillment may come from the experience of leisure. Happiness is the key to attain the best weekend goal.

Sociologist Robert Stebbins of the University of Calgary divided leisure into two categories: casual and serious.

Casual leisure or easygoing relaxation escapades are brief and instantly satisfying. They are activities like drinking, binge-watching, and fast food night-ins. All these pastimes provide hedonic pleasure as they cause the brain to release dopamine—the hormone that makes you feel comfort almost instantly.

For instance, Carmela Valencia, 20, spends her weekend on movie marathons, TV series binge watching, and massage. While Janine Ibarrola enjoys having quiet moments with a good book to help her clear her mind and restart it for another stressful workload.

Like Ibarrola, self-proclaimed workaholic, 20-year-old Keyle Sta. Agata does what she is not given the chance to do during work days: sleep. She restores her energy by sleeping through the morning, and spends the rest of the day with her family.

Serious leisure, however, provides a self-healing fulfillment, mostly for the “soul searching” individuals. They make a person feel complete or give a sense of “self-actualization” which, Humanist psychologist Abraham Maslow describes as “the desire to become more and more what one is, to become everything that one is capable of becoming.”

If you want to spend your weekend right, experts suggest opting for “eudaimonic” happiness, a kind of happiness that gives you a sense of humanity and comfort, which in turn makes you grow as a person. You can get this from serious leisure activities that improve your skills or further your project or personal advocacy.

A good weekend does not always rely on if you had a good week

before that, or if you had planned a perfect weekend ahead for months. But it is on how you spend your precious free time.

For culinary student Kevin Villanueva, weekend is for discovering new cuisines to maximize his knowledge on food.

“I cook almost every day during the week, so it’s a good change [of pace] that I get to eat different dishes on weekends that will inspire me to create my own versions of it,” shares Villanueva.

But in some cases, it all depends on whatever activity makes you feel re-energized. Mary Anne Sy, 20, spends her days off working out and going on family road trips because she believes these activities make her feel ready for the next week.

Some people prefer to spend their weekend reading

Many weekday warriors opt to spend their weekends sleeping

PET OWNERS, BEWARE PET TALES

Sunny, who was rescued by Save ALL, is a leptospirosis survivor

BY DESIREE CARLOS THE sudden change in weather causes the immune system to weaken, making your pet vulnerable to many illnesses.

This is why I have been urging you to: 1. Give nutritious food to your pet; 2. Provide the multivitamins recommended by your vet; and 3. Keep your place clean.

A possibly fatal or debilitating illness that we do our best to avoid is leptospirosis. It spreads fast among dogs during the rainy season.

Worse, it can also be passed on to humans. Thus, it is important to prevent any infection at your home.

The best preventive is VACCINATION, says Dr. Anthony Prado Basa of Sha Sha Veterinary Clinic.

Dr. Basa gives rescued dogs of animal welfare group Save Animals of Love and Light (Save ALL) a series of 5-in-1 vaccine for dogs and a series of 4-in-1 vaccine for cats during the first year. Every year thereafter, a pet will only need a booster or one shot.

Leptospirosis in dogs

PetMD says leptospires enter through the skin and spread throughout the body via the bloodstream.

“Leptospires spread throughout the entire body, reproducing in the liver, kidneys, central nervous system, eyes, and reproductive system. Soon after initial infection, fever and bacterial infection of the blood develop, but these symptoms soon resolve with the reactive increase of antibodies, which clear the spirochetes from most of the system. The extent to which this bacteria affects the organs will depend on your dog’s immune system and its ability to eradicate the infection fully. Even then, Leptospira spirochetes can remain in the kidneys, reproducing there and infecting the

urine. Infection of the liver or kidneys can be fatal for animals if the infection progresses, causing severe damage to these organs.” It adds.

Pups with less developed immune systems are more at risk for severe complications.

The symptoms are: 1. Sudden fever 2. Sore muscles 3. Reluctance to move 4. Stiffness in muscles and legs 5. Shivering 6. Weakness 7. Depression 8. Lack of appetite 9. Increased thirst and urination. This may indicate chronic renal (kidney) failure, progressing to inability to urinate 10. Rapid dehydration 11. Vomiting, possibly with blood 12. Diarrhea – with or without blood in stool 13. Bloody vaginal discharge 14. Dark red speckled gums Continued on E3

Showbiz

SUNDAY, JULY 2, 2017

E3

RISING ACTS ON

INDIE MUSIC SCENE

By Sundy Locus

W

HOEVER said that OPM is dead was definitely listening to the wrong artists.

While the culture of TV stars turned singers is still a fad in the country, a new light sheds over the Original Pilipino Music scene as independent music continuously earns recognition from fans, especially from the younger generation.

Singer-songwriter and independent electronic pop artist BP Valenzuela

Millennial Darna Liza Soberano is busier than ever

The seven-member pop band Ang Bandang Shirley

Social media may have played a major role in attracting listeners but the wide variation in genre is the main reason for the sudden stardom. Unlike the usual surmount of ballads and revived love songs, indie bands and soloists fearlessly explore their craft which resulted in gems that now dominate the local airwaves.

Here are some of Manila’s rising acts that captured the millennial playlist: BP Valenzuela The synth-pop musician known for her hit track “Steady” is one of the indie acts music consumers are excited about.

“Steady” has been used as an original sound track (OST) for numerous indie films including Baka Bukas and Sleepless. The 19-year-old singer-songwriter first showcased her passion in creating electric melodies in her debut EP be/ep in 2014 and later released a full-length album entitled The Neon Hour in 2015. Valenzuela continues to win the hearts of the younger generation with her LGBTQ-themed singles “Bbgirl” and “Cards,” which were released earlier this year. These tracks together with her other songs will be included in h e r sophomore album Crydancer scheduled to be released this month on her birthday.

Ang Bandang Shirley Whether it is heartbreak or kilig, the Filipino post-pop rock band perfectly translates the raw emotions of love into anthemic ditties that paved its name to fame to become one of the millenials’ sentimental favorite acts. With its most recent album Favorite, Ang Bandang Shirley diverts listeners back to the memories they want to either remember or forget. Tracks like “Maginhawa” paints the sweetness of a blossoming romance while singing about the patches of memories that happened in Maginhawa St., title track “Favorite” is about taking the risk of falling in love despite the fear of hurting, while “Siberia” is about choosing one’s happiness.

Benny Bunny Band Known for its so-called “Kuneho Rock,” the band that performs in scene-stealing costumes has become a favorite among millennial listeners. Performing its brand of music with its comic suits like Harry Potter and Power rangers, the band together with its vocalist, Benny, can effortlessly make the audience jive as the group serenades the crowd with their contagious energy. Playful lyrics may have been usual when it comes to music writing but BBB puts this kind of creativity into a different level. Who else would sing a song about Chickenjoy aside from them? No one.

Ukulele Alternative Pop band Benny Bunny Band

PET TALES...

From E2

15. Yellow skin and/or whites of eyes – anemic symptoms 16. Spontaneous cough 17. Difficulty in breathing, fast breathing, irregular pulse 18. Runny nose 19. Swelling of the mucous membrane 20. Mild swelling of the lymph nodes The disease is transmitted through: 1. Infected urine or any liquid discharge from a pet 2. Bite wounds (if an infected tissue is ingested) 3. Contaminated water in shelters or kennels The disease can spread faster in a place with many dogs, of course. Clean the food and water bowls well and wash the beddings with anti-bacterial detergent powder or liquid.

LIZA SOBERANO

Watch out for stagnant water and a place where water moves slowly.

This is a breeding ground for Leptospira. Thus, there are more cases of leptospirosis during flooding and after, when the rodents go around the area. In dry areas, infections commonly occur around places with water When one or two of the symptoms are present, please bring your pet to the vet immediately.

I will assume your vet knows the medical history of your pet.

If not, the vet will ask for this.

A chemical blood profile (a complete blood count) and urinalysis will be done to confirm if your pet is infected with leptospirosis.

Here are some of the precautions suggested by vets: 1. Use protective latex gloves when handling your pet. Please make sure not to touch directly any liquid discharge from the body like urine.

2. Clean all water or food

bowls and beddings well. Use anti-bacterial liquid or powder.

Please ask your vet for a specific anti-bacterial cleansing agent.

3. Activity should be restricted to cage rest while your dog recovers from the physical trauma of this infection, PetMD says.

4. Rats are carriers, so are cockroaches. Be sure to keep your place clean.

5. Remove all bowls after every meal, specially at night.

6. Clean the cage or the area where food may have fallen.

7. It is best to keep the affected dog isolated. Keep children and other pets away from the infected dog.

Treatment Allow me to reiterate: Please see a vet immediately. Dogs with acute (severe) leptospirosis should be confined.

The usual treatment plan (based on readings and our experience) includes: 1. Fluid therapy is the primary

treatment to reverse any effects of dehydration.

2. If your dog has been vomiting, the vet might give an antivomiting drug.

3.Your dog will be put on IV (dextrose) if he cannot eat or keeps vomiting.

4. A blood transfusion may also be recommended if your dog is severely hemorrhaging.

5. Antibiotics will be prescribed by your vet for at least four weeks. The type of antibiotic depends on the stage of infection. This is why you must consult a vet, instead of deciding on oral medicine for your pets.

6. Some antibiotics can have side effects. Please read all the warnings that come with the prescription. Do talk to your vet about what to watch out for.

Prognosis is generally positive if there is no severe organ damage.

7. A liver and organ protec-

SAYS NO TO

HOLLYWOOD EVERYBODY wants to go to Hollywood but not Liza Soberano, at least for now.

The teen Kapamilya star was offered to be a lead star in a Hollywood film as revealed by her manager Ogie Diaz. However, they had to decline the offer due to Liza’s hectic schedule.

“Bida siya kaya lang hindi nila ma-swak sa schedule. Isang movie ang offer na siya ang bida. Hollywood movie. Hindi lang nila alam kung sino ang makakasama nito. Maganda ang kuwento at gusto ni Liza, ang problema nga lang saan naman namin isisingit,” Diaz relayed in an interview published on Push.com.

Also, the host and talent manager shared that Liza was invited by Netflix to attend an event in Singapore. But just like the Hollywood offer, they couldn’t give any date that the teen star would be available.

He added, “Yung sa Netflix, hindi yun para maging star sa isang series. Gusto lang siyang makilala, makita, at gusto nilang mag-grace si Liza sa okasyon nila sa Singapore.”

Since Star Cinema announced that Liza has been chosen to play Darna in the movie adaptation produced by ABS-CBN film outfit, she immediately started her physical training allotting a portion of her weekends to running, as well as taking dance lessons. In between, Liza is busy attending to numerous showbiz engagements and product endorsements, too.

Sunny is a leptospirosis survivor

tant must be given to your dog to prevent damage to said organs.

8. An immune system booster will also be given to your pet at this time.

Please remember that lep-

tospires may be in the urine of the dog for several weeks after treatment. It is best to continue implementing precautionary measures during this period.

May all your pets be well always. Namaste!

E4

Showbiz

SUNDAY, JULY 2, 2017 Isah V. Red, Editor / Nickie Wang, Issue Editor isahred@gmail.com

NADINE LUSTRE SEXIEST

WOMAN ALIVE Nadine Lustre's latest photo by Andre Suleik

By Nickie Wang

“C

JUSTIN BIEBER

MANILA CONCERT

ONFIDENCE, it is so simple.. it’s just confidence.”

This was the answer of Nadine Lustre when asked what she thought made people think she deserves to be called this year’s sexiest woman.

On Thursday, FHM Philippines officially announced that Nadine topped the sexiest woman in the world poll. The Kapamilya actress got nearly half-a-million votes or 9.85 percent of the total votes cast to be hailed as the world’s sexiest woman for the first time.

“Nadine Lustre’s ascension to the Throne of Sexy comes as no surprise – not only does she have the most loyal fans, she also has the glowing assets to show for it,” FHM Philippines said in a post on its Facebook page. “Give her a warm welcome!”

Following the announcement, the FHM team surprised the 23-year-old Viva artist with a plaque at the ABS-CBN compound.

“I am really surprised but I’m super thankful kasi siyempre kahit papano ni-recognize pa rin ng FHM and also for the JaDines and also for the nonJaDine fans who voted for me. Maraming salamat po sa lahat ng bumoto,” she said in an interview with the media after receiving her award.

Now that she has been hailed as the Sexiest Woman by the magazine, fans are itching to ask whether she would appear on the magazine cover or will still keep her sweet yet sexy image exclusively for fashion magazines.

“Everything depends on Viva. We’ll see. Whatever Viva tells me to do, I trust them naman eh,” she said.

Nadine relayed that she is gearing up for a new project this year. She said that she will be doing a daring role.

“It’s a story pero secret po muna ‘yun, hindi ko muna ikwe-kwento,” she enthused.

FHM’s 100 Sexiest Women in the World is the ultimate guide to the sexiest and most beautiful women in the land. This year’s poll drew more than 3 million votes for the top 10 alone. Pantasya ng Bayan Kim Domingo who got 450,192 or 9.03 percent of votes was in close second followed

by Kapuso star Rhian Ramos (359,405 or 7.21 percent), and last year’s winner, Jessy Mendiola, who settled in fourth place with 350,182 or 7.03 percent of votes.

Ellen Adarna (320,391 or 6.43 percent) ranked fifth followed by former sexiest titleholders Jennylyn Mercado (318,273 or 6.39%) and Angel Locsin (248,192 or 4.98 percent).

Millennial Darna Liza Soberano (201,925 or 4.05 percent), AlDub’s Maine Mendoza (200,182 or 4.02 percent), and Kapuso star Solenn Heussaff (180,294 votes or 3.62 percent), complete the top 10 ranking 8th, 9th, and 10th, respectively.

WHAT TO EXPECT AT

CANADIAN pop superstar Justin Bieber is coming back to Manila six years after his first visit to stage a concert for Philippine “Beliebers.”

On Wednesday, concert promoter MMI Live announced that the singer has added Manila in his Purpose World Tour, which is in support of his fourth studio album Purpose (2015).

As Beliebers, the moniker for his legion of fans, anticipate this musical extravaganza, we are listing down four things to expect in the concert happening on Sept. 30.

Grand finale The tour started on March 9 last year and will end on Sept. 30. Yes, people, the Philippines is the last pitsop of the concert tour that has already earned USD 200 million since it kicked off in Seattle. The concert will be stage at the 55,000-seater Philippine Arena in Bulacan. Hence, expect for a grand show fit to punctuate the superstar’s world tour.

Fresh hits Purpose World Tour will feature songs from the latest album Purpose.

The set list, just like the in previous legs of the concert tour, will include just a few of his older hits, including “Baby” and “Boyfriend.” Songs such as “What Do You Mean,” “Get Used to It,” “Company,” and “No Pressure” will be the highlights of the show.

Bieber’s hit singles “Cold Water” and the anthemic “Love Yourself” are also on the list.

Live vocals and some lip sync Bieber never likes to disappoint his fans and that’s why he lip syncs his songs generally in his concert.

Very few of you might be aware of this fact but in order to avoid any kind of hindrance in his show or any health issues he lip syncs his songs.

Horrible traffic This is already given on NLEX. But the traffic situation during Bieber's concert will be a nightmare. Just to give you on an idea, when we watched Katy Perry’s concert at the Philippine Arena, it took us more than two hours before we could get out of the Arena complex (some said it took them nearly three hours). So, brace yourself and save up some patience.

REDEFINING SEXY. Nadine Lustre is this year's FHM's Sexiest Woman voted by almost half-a-million fans and readers of the popular Men's magazine

PACQUAIO-HORN’S ‘BATTLE OF BRISBANE’ ON GMA TODAY PINOY boxing fans can catch the much awaited Battle of Brisbane, headlined

by Manny “PacMan” Pacquiao and Australian Jeff “The Hornet” Horn, exclusively on free TV via GMA 7 today at 10 a.m..

GMA, in partnership with boxing promoter ALV Events International, will also air real-time blow-by-blow account of the WBO Welterweight title fight on its flagship AM radio station DZBB 594 and RGMA Super Radyo stations nationwide beginning 9 a.m..

The eight-division world champion Pacquiao, who holds a 59-6 record including 38 knockouts and 2 draws, is determined to put on another thrilling performance after successfully defending his WBO welterweight world title against Jessie

Manny Pacquiao and Jeff Horn battle for WBO World Welterweight title

Vargas last November.

The “Pambansang Kamao” is facing the 29-year-old Brisbane native Horn, WBO’s No. 1 ranked contender at 147 pounds with a record of 16-0 including 11 knockouts and 1 draw.

The showdown at the SunCorp Stadium in Brisbane is set to become Australia’s biggest fight in history, which will also include two Filipino fighters in the undercard. Jonel Dapidran, Pacquiao’s cousin, will face Australian Brent Dames in the Junior Welterweight bout while another Filipino pride, Jerwin Ancajas, will defend his IBF World Junior Bantamweight title against Japanese Teiru Kinoshita.

The replay of the Battle of Brisbane: Pacquiao versus Horn will also air on GMA tonight at 11 p.m..

Canadian pop superstar Justin Bieber during his concert in Europe