Manila Standard - 2017 July 30 - Sunday

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VOL. XXXI • NO. 166 • 5 SECTIONS 20 PAGES • P18 • SUNDAY, JULY 30, 2017 • www.manilastandard.net • editorial@thestandard.com.ph

BATTLE ZONE REDUCED TO 2 BARANGAYS

By John Paolo Bencito, Sara Susanne Fabunan, and Macon Ramos-Araneta

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HE military and Islamic State-inspired extremists are battling it out for the last two barangays in the already threemonth Marawi siege, military officials said Saturday, as displaced residents affected by the infighting may already return to their homes from evacuation centers.

“I am happy to inform the body that our operations in Marawi continue to date and positively progressive. The area of operation is confined to about two barangays or, to be exact, about two and a half barangays and confined to about less than one square kilometer of the most problematic areas,” Armed Forces spokesperson Brig.

Gen. Restituto Padilla said.

Some areas near Marawi City and around Lake Lanao have been declared as “safe zones,” Padilla said, allowing some residents from those areas to leave the evacuation centers and return to their communities.

But Padilla clarified the areas now classified as “safe areas” were

far from the battle zone in Marawi City.

But those who want to return home would still need to secure a safe conduct pass after a screening process, to confirm their identities, adding returning residents would be escorted to ensure their safety.

The military spokesperson also gave assurances they were doing their best to immediately finish off the siege as the battle moves to its 68th day.

In related developments: • The U.S. embassy in Manila said Saturday it had delivered 1,040 rocket motors with sizes of 2.75” and 992 2.75” rockets to the Philippine Air Force through America and Filipino Mutual Logistics Support Agreement and the Turn to A2

RODY PROPOSES NEW SECURITY LAW IN WAKE OF ATTACKS

By John Paolo Bencito

IN WAR ZONE. This handout from the Western Mindanao Command, taken and released Saturday, shows boxer Manny Pacquiao (center, a reservist in uniform with the rank of lieutenant colonel) talking to members of media during a visit to a military camp in Marawi City. AFP

THE Philippines plans to pass a National Security Act, similar to what other neighboring countries like Malaysia and Singapore have, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said Saturday.

This emerged after President Rodrigo Duterte asked Congress to pass a national security code amid continued attacks by communist rebels.

“Maybe he meant [a] National Security Act similar to what the Malaysians or Singaporeans have,” Lorenzana said in a text message, replying to questions to clarify the President’s pronouncements last Thursday.

But he admitted he had yet to hear what the President said during his visit to killed-in-action soldiers at Guihulngan City, Negros Oriental.

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CHR CHIEF UNFAZED BY ABOLITION CALL, PRESSES FOR PROBE OF ABUSES HUMAN rights is being violated at an unprecedented pace and scale, the Commission on Human Rights said Saturday as it refused to budge on President Rodrigo Duterte’s threat to abolish the agency amid its investigations on the government’s anti-illegal drug war.

In a statement, the CHR called on all persons of goodwill to “speak out to call for compliance both in spirit and in practice of the due process guaranteed of the Constitution.”

“This we must do even more fervently in circumstances such as we observe today, where fundamental human rights of the people are being violated at an unprecedented pace and scale,” the human rights agency said in a statement “We have and will always abide by the fundamental precepts enshrined in the

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YASSI PRESSMAN RISES

OMBUDSMAN TOLD: DU30 STILL IN COMMAND INVESTIGATION against the police and the military on the government’s bloody drug war should be addressed first to President Rodrigo Duterte, Malacañang insisted Saturday even after Ombudsman Conchita CarpioMorales shot down calls to first seek presidential clearance before investigating his men.

While the Palace still respects the power of the Office of the Ombudsman to investigate police and military personnel, they maintained that Duterte still “assumes command responsibility for the actions of his men as Commander-in-Chief or Chief Executive.”

“The Executive recognizes the constitutional mandate of the Ombudsman to investigate public officials,” said Abella in a statement. “[But] the President requests that

Constitution. We shall, at all times, adhere to the rule of law even as we ask all other public officers to also do the same, particularly by respecting the systems of checks and balances and separation of powers, as well as established constitutional reform processes,” it added.

The CHR is constitutionally tasked to investigate alleged human rights violations perpetrated by state actors or the government.

The agency likewise stressed that it will continue to promote the culture of human rights, but asked the administration to conduct its investigations with “free and unfettered ability” including any and all alleged perpetrators whether be state or non-state actors.

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investigations of members of the Philippine National Police and the Armed Forces of the Philippines related to the performance of their duties in the government’s anti-drug campaign or while Mindanao is under martial law be addressed to him,” he added.

The Commission on Human Rights and the Office of the Ombudsman both gained the ire of Duterte for criticizing his brutal war in drugs and for “goading people to kill.”

Carpio-Morales, who chided Duterte’s call for police and military officials to seek his approval first before submitting themselves to any investigation, said there was no law which requires security officials to report first to their commander-in-chief about any investigation.

“Anong pakialam niya? [What’s his business?] Under the law we have

subpoena powers. We have orders for particular officials, including police and soldiers, to show up or to file pleadings,” Morales said in an interview with reporters.

“There is no law that requires a soldier or a policeman or any respondent for that matter to seek clearance from anybody,” Morales said, adding it was up to the government law enforcers if they would follow Duterte or not.

She also vowed to continue the prosecution of cases involving police and military personnel if they found probable cause against them.

The Ombudsman has been handling several cases involving law enforcers, including the criminal charges filed by the families of alleged drug suspects killed in the PNP’s campaign against illegal drugs dubbed as Oplan Tokhang. John Paolo Bencito

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RODY...

DU30 CALLS REDS 'EXTORTIONISTS'

From A1

In a media interview, Duterte said he would ask Congress to pass a “national security code” and warned in the same breath communist rebels to stop their extortion activities.

“I am going to ask Congress to pass a national security code. The only ones frightened by this are the enemies of the state,” the President said, referring to the leftists.

Malaysia’s National Security Act, which came into force in 2006, allows search and arrests without warrants, property seizures and bans on demonstrations.

The legislation allows a National Security Council headed by Prime Minister Najib Razak to essentially suspend civil liberties in designated “security areas,” giving security forces sweeping powers of search, seizure and arrest.

Meanwhile, Singapore’s Internal Security Act enacted in 1960 grants the executive power to enforce preventive detention, prevent subversion, suppress organized violence against persons and property, and do other things incidental to Singapore’s internal security.

The ISA also empowers the authorities to prohibit political and quasimilitary organizations, ban subversive documents and publications, shut down entertainments and exhibitions that are or are likely to be detrimental to the national interest, and to suppress organized violence by declaring parts of Singapore to be security areas.

The Palace has yet to respond to calls for clarifications on the President’s pronouncements.

While the Philippines has enacted Republic Act No. 9372, or the Human Security Act of 2007, which is the primary anti-terrorism law that aims at tackling militants in southern Philippines—it does not directly address threats posed by communist rebels.

Another law, Republic Act No. 7636, repealed another law, Republic Act 1700 or the Anti-Subversion Act.

CHR...

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given by the Administration’s Spokesperson that they were uttered in frustration, but we must stress that the CHR shall continue to perform its constitutional mandate to protect and promote the human rights of all people as a ‘watchdog’ institution that should be able to perform its functions independently without any fear or favor,” it said.

“We shall continue to ask and secure the cooperation and assistance of government bodies and other authorities as it is a collective obligation of the entire State as principal duty-bearer to respect and fulfill all human rights. To this end, we shall continue to be unafraid in speaking truth to power and in demanding an end to impunity by steadfastly asking for justice and accountability,” it added.

On Friday, CHR chairman Jose Luis Martin Gascon shrugged off calls for his resignation and dismissed accusations that he was biased after Malacañang suggested that he be replaced.

Gascon, who was appointed by President Benigno Aquino III to head the CHR in 2015, has a fixed term which ends in 2022. John Paolo Bencito

BATTLE...

From A1 security assistance program,” the embassy said in a statement.

The equipment delivery was made despite President Rodrigo Duterte’s failure to mention in his State of the Nation Address on Monday the help of his American allies in the current firefight between the government forces and the Maute rebel groups in Marawi City for two months now.

• Malacañang also thanked the United States after it donated two brand new Cessna—208 B Grand Caravan aircraft— expected to boost the fight against terrorism in Mindanao.

In a statement, Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella said the move reaffirmed the “strong” military alliance between the two countries, even as the relationship got strained because of President Duterte’s inflammatory remarks against the Western power.

“These aircraft would bolster the capability and readiness of our Air Force to help address terrorism and support our intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance operations,” Abella, currently in the United States, said.

• From another front, Senator Emmanuel Pacquiao visited government troops in Camp Ranao Saturday, three days before he sent five of his Senate staff to dis-

By John Paolo Bencito

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HE communist New People's Army has deteriorated from mere “ideologues” to “extortionists,” Malacañang said on Saturday as it hits back against Communist Party of the Philippines founding chairman Jose Ma. Sison, who the Palace said seemed to be out of touch with his people on the ground.

“Mr. Sison’s remarks only highlight his apparent disconnect with their men and women on the ground who seem to have deteriorated from ideologues to plain criminals and extortionists,” Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella said.

The Palace official noted that many of the communist cadres were left to die in the mountains while Sison was living a “soft life” in Europe.

“It is unfortunate he needs to be coaxed to return to his homeland, while his wounded comrades in the mountains in the Philippines are left dying only for our soldiers to rescue and accord medical care,” said Abella.

“Mr. Sison apparently took to the soft life in Europe leaving his comrades to fend for themselves.

No wonder they are only too eager now to demand their unearned

portions,” he added.

Sison, who had gone on selfexile to The Netherlands after the 1986 People Power uprising, reiterated that the “taxes collected by the revolutionary movement remains in the Philippines for the benefit of the Filipino people and revolutionary forces.”

“The worst that the reactionary government does with its tax collection is to feed the corruption of the government officials, to finance the military, police and paramilitary for controlling and suppressing the people, to enter into lopsided agreements and contracts with foreign countries and corporations at the expense of the Filipino people and to pay for the most fraudulent and onerous foreign loans,” he said.

On Friday, the word war between him and President Rodrigo Duterte continued as they trade barbs against each other on Friday, with the President daring the Nether-

lands-based rebel leader to return to the country and fight his war.

Sison, however, lashed back at Duterte, saying that if the revolutionary movement “deems [his return] necessary,” he will do so “to fight the Duterte puppet regime of US imperialism.”

Irked by the continued collection of revolutionary tax by the New People’s Army, the President last Thursday night said he is directing the Armed Forces and the police not to use the word “revolutionary tax,” saying that it is clearly extortion.

“That is not a proper word for us to adopt. Kasi ang gobyerno na ito, may taxation. So, huwag ninyong tapatan ng revolutionary tax,” Duterte said.

“Use the word “extortion,” “holdupper,” or “kidnapper,” the President added, warning that he will file cases against them based on the Revised Penal Code.

PH OPEN TO WAR GAMES WITH CHINESE PEOPLE'S ARMY

By Sara Susanne D. Fabunan DEFENSE Secretary Delfin Lorenzana admitted on Saturday that the country’s Armed Forces can learn a lot from the Chinese’s People’s Liberation Army.

Lorenzana made the statement after Chinese Ambassador Zhao Jianhua said in an interview that China want to hold military exer-

cises through a military treaty like what the Philippines have with the United States for the last 50 years.

“For military exercises, we are working on it but it might come later because you have legal limits,” Zhao said.

“Without agreement in this regard, we cannot conduct military exercises in the Philippines but if the Philippines would like to send troops to conduct training exercises

COUNTER-TERRORISM. National Defense Adviser Hermogenes Esperon (left) shakes hands Friday with Indonesian Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Wiranto (right) before the one-day meeting on counter-terrorism in Manado, Sulawesi among Malaysia, Philippines, Brunei, New Zealand, Indonesia and Australiua. AFP

tribute more than 3,000 packs of relief items to government troops there.

“I salute you for your bravery. I came here to express the support of the legislature for your campaign,” said Pacquiao, an Army reservist.

Pacquiao claimed he was not scared amidst gunbursts from the distance, saying “I grew up in a conflict area in Sarangani.”

As of July 27, 471 terrorists got killed while firearms recovered had been 576.

The number of civilians killed is 45 while those rescued is 1,723.

Padilla said all troops were in “a very high state of morale” and were all leaning forward to finish this operation soonest.

“Despite the number of casualties and wounded...this does not deter the troops and our ground commanders from pursuing the mission and accomplishing the much-needed liberation of Marawi,” he said.

In his Sona, Duterte devot6ed time to praise his new ally, the Chinese government, for granting the Philippines billions of loans to support the country’s infrastructure, agriculture, fishery, among others, with minimal interest of payment.

Through the MLSA, the AFP is able to receive select munitions and equipment from US military stock in an accelerated process reserved for allies and close partners of the United States.

“The munitions and weapons deliveries will enhance the AFP’s counterterrorism capabilities, and directly support AFP members actively engaged in counter-terrorism operations in the southern Philippines, including Marawi,” the embassy stated.

The US government is also set to deliver another weapons, which includes 250 rocket-propelled grenade launchers and 1,000 M203 grenade launchers.

The US government will deliver those weapons to the Philippine Army through the security assistance program.

“The United States is a proud and steadfast ally of the Philippines and will continue to provide support to the AFP’s long-term modernization goals and counterterrorism needs,” the embassy said.

When Duterte assumed office, he declared his independent foreign policy, shifting Manila’s alliance from Washington, the country’s 70-year-old ally, to Beijing and Moscow.

But as soon as Donald Trump was seen as taking political power in the November 2016 elections, Duterte appeared to have toned down his scorn against Washington.

US Ambassador Sung Kim admitted that last year’s was a tough period for both countries but relationship had improved “dramatically” under his watch, or for the last six or seven months.

In June, the Philippine government requested the American forces to help

in China they are most welcome,” the Chinese envoy added.

The Filipino have a 50-year mutual defense agreement with Americans where either one country will come to the other’s assistance if attacked.

Lorenzana agreed with the idea and said that the AFP should learn from China’s PLA, which started from nothing until they have improved their defense capabilities.

“I just watched the video carefully, I’ve noticed that from 1924 up to now the Development of PLA has been going steadily, going up, and maybe from a poorly equipped army in 1924 when they were just guérillas, now they are very modern army so we admire their progress to what it is now,” Lorenzana said.

He also expressed admiration on how China was able to modernize their defense capabilities.

“They just make do with what they have and then pile up the achievement and now they have modern equipment, and that we are going to do also is to start from the basic and maybe we can pile up,” he added.

Lorenzana said he plans to ask China and other countries to help upgrade the country’s defense capabilities.

“We can also bring up our defense industry into a level that can protect us,” he said.

When asked if a treaty with China violates the standing agreement with the US, Lorenzana said no.

“Hindi naman [Not really]. Remember that US and China also have a RIMPAC [Rim of the Pacific] exercise,” the Defense chief said.

He said that it is possible that both countries may enter into an agreement, because there is a “milto-mil (military-to-military) agreement on exchanges with military students.

“Malaki kasi meron na tayong milto-mil agreement on exchanges ng mga students muna, wala pang malalaking pwersa, but later on as we go along we can also develop the mechanism that we can exercise there (in China) at pwede rin sila dito, but that would be in the future,” he said.

Lorenzana is also eyeing to acquire more bigger military hardware such as “planes, drones or shop, or drastic boats,” to protect the country.

Zhao, for his part, reiterated China’s support to the Philippines’ fight against terrorism.

“China supports Philippines' efforts in fight against terrorism and we’ve delivered some equipment and of course terrorism is the common enemy both China and the Philippines are facing, and we would like to have intelligence sharing and joint training,” he said.

the AFP to crush the Maute group and Abu Sayaff Group by deploying American special operation forces, and donating weapons for the country’s effort of counter-terrorism.

On Friday, the US embassy, through Sung, turned over P1.67 billion worth of two new Cessna 208B aircraft.

The P1.6 billion worth two aircraft will enhance the PAF’s counter-terrorism capabilities, and help protect AFP members actively engaged in counter-terrorism operations in the Southern Philippines, particularly in Marawi City.

Equipped with advanced sensors, cameras and communications equipment, these aircraft will significantly enhance the ability of the AFP to locate terrorist groups operating in Mindanao and the Sulu Archipelago, the US said.

The PAF’s 300th Air Intelligence and Security Group, based out of Edwin Andrews Air Base in Zamboanga, will operate the two new C-208B aircraft.

300 AISG is the leading unit for air intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance operations for the AFP. The deliveries had been the latest donation from the United States government, which over the last five years had allocated more than P15 billion of grant funding to provide the AFP with up-todate equipment and training.

The equipment transfers, training, and continued bilateral exercises demonstrate the commitment of the United

States to work with the Philippines in building capabilities towards eradicating global terror networks, military analysts said.

The United States, as a steadfast ally of the Philippines, continues to provide support to the AFP through both grant assistance and expedited sales of arms and munitions to support both longterm AFP modernization goals and urgent counterterrorism requirements.

For his part, Senator JV Ejercito sought the creation of an ad hoc committee tasked to oversee the rehabilitation of the Marawi City and other areas affected by the fighting.

“Considering the gravity of the destruction brought about by the Marawi crisis, there is a need for the creation of an ad hoc committee which shall exercise jurisdiction over all matters directly and principally relating to the construction and rehabilitation of Marawi City and other affected areas,” Ejercito said in his Senate Resolution No. 428.

He said the crisis had forced some 389,300 residents to flee their homes and sought temporary shelters in evacuation centers in nearby provinces.

“The continued crisis has left the city with ravaged and shattered buildings, houses, public infrastructures and utilities,” he said.

Senator Loren Legarda herself wants the Senate to inquire into the rehabilitation of war-torn Marawi City.

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ALVAREZ DENIES CUSTOMS LOBBY

RIVER DRIVE. Senator Cynthia Villar, DENR Secretary Roy Cimatu and DPWH Secretary Mark Villar lead the weekend inauguration of Phase 3 of the Zapote River Drive that officials say will help ease traffic congestion and reduce flood incidents in the area.

21,000 BARANGAYS DRUG-TAINTED—PDEA

By Rio N. Araja

O

UT of the 42,036 barangays nationwide, almost half are still drug-affected, according to the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency.

PDEA Director General Isidro Lapeña said the percentage represents a total of 20,872 barangays plagued by the drug menace.

The consolidated data was gathered from operational reports of PDEA’s operating units and other law enforcement agencies, he said.

“Out of these barangays, 66.7 percent or 13,920 are classified as slightly affected, 32.3 percent or 6,744 barangays are moderately affected, while the remaining one percent or 208 barangays are seriously affected,” he pointed out.

A barangay is considered drug-affected when there is a reported presence of drug user, pusher, manufacturer, marijuana cultivator or other drug personality, drug den, marijuana plantation, clandestine drug laboratory and facilities related to production of illegal drugs.

There are three classifications in determining barangay drug-affectation—slightly affected, moderately affected and seriously affected.

Metro Manila has the highest rate of barangay drug-affectation with 96.48 percent, followed

by Region XIII at 86.58 percent and Region IX at 86.29 percent.

PDEA said the region least affected by the drug problem is the Cordillera Administrative Region at 3.49 percent.

At least 4,801 barangays were declared cleared from illegal drugs from July 1, 2016 to June 2017.

Last June 2, Batanes earned the distinction of being the country’s first province proclaimed as drug-free.

“The Inter-Agency Committee on AntiIllegal Drugs (ICAD) composed of 39 memberagencies aims to clear 5,272 barangays before the year ends. If we can sustain the pace, ridding the country’s drug problem in the next four years is very much doable,” the PDEA chief said.

PDEA, meanwhile, has dismissed from the service a former regional director and an agent for grave misconduct.

In a 20-page July 19 decision of the agency’s Internal Affairs Service, former regional director at the National Capital Region Erwin Ogario and intelligence Officer IV Sherwin Manuel were meted the penalty of dismissal and oneyear suspension, without pay, respectively.

“Based on the substantial evidence presented against the erring personnel, they acted in violation of the Revised Rules on Administrative Cases in the Civil Service, Code of Ethical Standards for Public Officials and

Employees and the PDEA Code of Conduct,” director general Isidro Lapeña said.

Ogario and Manuel were held liable for obstruction of justice for facilitating the release of an arrested drug importer after claiming a parcel containing 1,358 ecstasy tablets at the Philippine Postal Corp. office in Pasay City on June 29, 2015 without filing any criminal charge against the suspect.

“Both personnel were also found guilty for corrupt practices as they attempted to influence their subordinates to perform an act contrary to law and existing rules and regulation in connection with the official duties of the latter,” Lapeña said.

Ogario and Manuel displayed clear intent to violate the protocol of arresting suspects, he added.

Due to the accountability and nature of Ogario’s position as leader of the operating unit, the applicable penalty was dismissal, while Manuel, being only the subordinate of Ogario, acted on the illegal order given to him and other malicious participation surrounding the circumstances, a penalty of suspension of one-year without pay was appropriate, the PDEA chief said.

“Ogario and Manuel used their position to benefit themselves. They disregarded the values of morality, uprightness and honesty and the Agency’s core values which are expected of them,” he said.

CJ SERENO FACES IMPEACHMENT RAPS THE head of a federalism movement allied with the Duterte administration has revealed that two congressmen have agreed to endorse an impeachment complaint prepared against Supreme Court Chief Justice Ma. Lourdes Sereno.

Lawyer Larry Gadon, president of the PDU30 Constitutional Reform to Federalism and a senatorial candidate in the 2016 national elections, said the impeachment complaint, one of the many allegedly being readied against Sereno, will cite the same impeachable ground that caused the removal of then SC Chief Justice Renato Corona.

In a news forum in Quezon City, Gadon, who also acted as one of the legal advisers to former president and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, revealed the impeachment complaint would be filed within two weeks.

“All grounds for her impeachment are based on documents, many of them

taken from her office,” Gadon said.

He said the ground for impeachment is betrayal of public trust.

One of the issues raised against Sereno is her alleged failure to include in her Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth the huge income she received in connection with the multibillion peso Piatco case.

“This is the same accusation that Chief Justice Corona was found guilty of by the Senate impeachment court,” said Gadon.

Gadon also cited alleged irregularities in the High Court’s purchase of a 2017 Toyota Land Cruiser SUV last February at a cost of P5,110,500.00.

According to him, the Toyota website placed the cost of such vehicle somewhere from P4.4 million to P4.8 million.

Gadon claimed two members of the House of Representatives have agreed to endorse the complaint.

Rio Araja

LIFE IN THE STORM. Abandoned culverts in Manila’s waterfront district of Tondo help make children, off from their suspended classes, gear up their lives during the weekend, a day before Typhoon ‘Gorio’ has completely left the Philippines with its rains and winds. Norman Cruz

HOUSE Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez has admitted asking the Bureau of Customs to promote employee Sandy Sacluti.

A letter showed Alvarez asked Customs Commissioner Nicanor Faeldon to consider the promotion of Sacluti from acting customs operations officer 5 to customs operations 5.

But Alvarez denied he lobbied for Sacluti’s promotion, saying such endorsement was just part of his many routine recommendations.

He dismissed the allegations of Faeldon’s chief of staff, Mandy Anderson, that he gave her a tall order to “bring hell to me and the commissioner.”

Meanwhile, Ilocos Norte Rep. Rodolfo Fariñas said Anderson leaked “imbecile” post to divert the attention of the public from smuggling issues of the entry of P6.4 billion worth shabu without BoC knowing it.

In a statement on Saturday, Fariñas said the apology of Anderson to Congress during an inquiry last week did not mean she was already off the hook, saying she still had to apologize to Alvarez for calling him “imbecile” in her Facebook account.

“During the hearing, [Anderson] in gleeful mood claimed her post was private and although she apologized to me and the other members of the House, she did not apologize to the Speaker,” he said.

“Who could have leaked her private post if not she herself and her cohorts in order to divert the public from the House investigation of the successful smuggling of more than P5 billion pesos worth of shabu through the [Bureau of Customs] Express Lane?”

The lawmaker from Ilocos Norte noted how Anderson still managed to grant an interview on “mainstream broadcast media” to divulge her supposed “tiff ” with Alvarez.

Fariñas during a joint inquiry over the shabu recovered in warehouses in Valenzuela City last May scolded Anderson for her scathing post against Alvarez.

Anderson earlier alleged that Alvarez, through an assistant, threatened her when she refused to promote an “unqualified” employee of the BoC. Rio N. Araja

PALACE BATS FOR DISASTER AGENCY

By John Paolo Bencito THE creation of a department on disaster risk and reduction management will help ensure that relief efforts trickle down to the grassroots level, a Palace official said on Saturday.

“There really is a proposal to amend Republic Act No. 10121 to strengthen the Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act of 2010. [Because] the structure really is insufficient, the role and responsibilities of the stakeholders are unclear and their budget is too little,” Communications Secretary Martin Andanar said in a radio dzMM interview.

“We really need a department for us to adapt to the changes that we have here in our country,” he added.

President Rodrigo Duterte in his second State of the Nation Address said that he wanted big changes to the Republic Act No 10121 or the Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act of 2010 to create a new agency with stronger powers, not merely coordinative powers.

The new agency shall be called “The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority,” or NDRRMA, which will be responsible for protecting the population from man-made and natural calamities with both policy and implementing powers.

Andanar said that under the proposed bill, local government units are required to create Disaster Coordinating Offices in the municipalities to better prepare for natural and manmade disasters.

“So these are the things that we have to adopt in order to have a very fast coordinating team when a calamity strikes. We cannot avoid it because of the more than 21 typhoons that strike the country yearly,” he said.

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SENATE TO PASS A MORE ‘REALISTIC’ 2018 BUDGET

By Macon Ramos-Araneta

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ENATE President Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III has made an assurance that the Senate will pass a more “realistic” budget for 2018 to eliminate underspending and avoid increasing taxes and foreign borrowing.

“We will be strict this year. We will have to come up with a realistic budget; a realistic budget so that we are not quarelling like this that we need to collect [taxes] that much from our people," said Pimentel, also the president of the ruling PDP-Laban.

Once the budget is already there, Pimentel said the amount would be more than enough for government spending.

"Just tell us what could not be

implemented and why do you carry it over to the budget, tanggalin na natin yan. Let’s accept reality na hindi ninyo kaya,” he said.

The House Appropriations committee, chaired by Davao City Congressman Karlo Nograles, on Monday received the proposed P3.767-trillion national budget for 2018.

Education will continue to receive the biggest slice at P691

billion in the proposed P3.767 trillion national budget for 2018.

Pimentel said the education budget represents a 12.4 percent increase or P41.7 billion more than the 2017 budget.

Pimentel also said the approval of a “realistic” budget would also ease the pressure on the legislative body to pass the comprehensive tax reform proposal in full.

He admitted that the proposed budget is pressuring the government to collect and borrow money.

Earlier, the President appealed to the Senate to pass the tax reform proposal as is.

However, several senators, including allies of the President, categorically said that they cannot give in to the President's request.

They have described some provisions of the proposed new tax package as "anti-poor."

Senator Panfilo Lacson has argued that the government should first fix underspending under the Duterte administration. He said unused appropriations from 2016 amounted to more than half a trillion pesos or P589,293,569,000.

Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto said he also intends to question government agencies during the budget hearings if they are on track in spending their current year allocations.

Recto said the agencies’ “fund absorptive capacity” would also impact on the Senate debates on the administration’s proposed tax cuts and increases.

“We will be looking at both ledgers. Income and spending. Bakit ka hihingi ng ganito kalaking bagong revenues kung hindi mo naman nagagasta?" Recto said.

LUISITA FARMERS FORGE ‘UNITY’

By Francisco Tuyay

SAN MIGUEL, Tarlac—Thousands of residents and tillers of Hacienda Luisita on Saturday forged a united stand for peace and prosperity amid attempts by external forces to muddle the issue on the distribution of contested portions of land to landless farmers inside the estate.

Residents in the 11 villages along with their respective local government leaders staged a peace caravan inside Hacienda Luisita and signed a “Manifesto of Peace” for solidarity and cooperation for safe and productive life after small groups of nonHacienda residents illegally occupied a portion of the 358 hectares of land owned by Tarlac Development Corp. up for distribution by the government to landless farmers.

Hacienda Luisita covers 10 barangays in the three municipalities in Tarlac: Barangays Cut-Cut, Bantog, Balete, Asturias, Lourdes and Mapalacsiao in Tarlac City; Parang, Pando and Mabilog in the town of Concepcion; and Barangay Motrico in La Paz town.

“These people were harassing legitimate residents to portray that Hacienda Luisita has no peace and order.

We just want a peaceful resolution to this problem,” said barangay chairman Rafael Gatus of Mapalacsiao village.

Gatus declined to identiy the affiliation of the group which started “invading” areas of the disputed property after Agrarian Reform Secretary Rafael Mariano announced that the agency will distribute them to landless farmers.

Residents, however, hinted that the illegal residents belong to an unidentified urban poor sector.

The said property was sold by the Cojuangco family to Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. in 1996 and form part of the 4,915 hectares covered by the stock distribution option, one of the options farmers could benefit under the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program.

Gatus said the acts demonstrated by the non-Hacienda Luisita residents is driving away prospective investors in the vast sugar plantation owned by the Cojuangco clan.

MMDA SETS CRACKDOWN ON ILLEGAL PARKING

By Joel E. Zurbano

GORIO’S WRATH. A man

looks at a pile of trash that covered a portion of the Manila Bay washed ashore after Typhoon ‘Gorio’ hit the country. Below, members of the Department of Public Order and Safety and NDRRMO workers in Quezon City pool their efforts to remove branches of the trees along Agham Road in Quezon City which fell after they were hit by strong winds by the typhoon.

Manny Palmero and AFP

P2.9-B READY FREE ‘HOTSPOTS’ IN 5,038 SITES THE Department of Information and Communications Technology is investing P2.9 billion to provide Filipinos free Wi-Fi Internet access in more locations, and to support the broadband connectivity of municipal halls, schools and health centers, Makati City Rep. Luis Campos Jr. said over the weekend.

“The DICT is expected to spend P1.7 billion next year to put up 5,038 ‘hotspots’ or physical locations around the country where Filipinos may freely gain access to the Inter-

net,” Campos said.

In his State of the Nation Address on July 24, President Rodrigo Duterte said government has so far established 400 public ‘hotspots’ nationwide.

Campos said the DICT is also expected to spend another P1.2 billion next year to provide high-speed Internet access to 30 percent of municipal halls, 30 percent of public schools and 30 percent of rural health units, in line with the National Broadband Plan.

“The new appropriations form part of the DICT’s allocation in the proposed

2018 national budget,” Campos said.

Campos has been pushing for greater public access to the web and for superior Internet services.

He earlier filed a bill that seeks to classify Internet service as a basic telecommunications service.

Once the measure is enacted, the National Telecommunications Commission would be fully empowered to compel service providers to deliver rising average Internet connection speeds within prescribed deadlines under pain of harsh regulatory fines.

The Philippines’ 5.5 Mbps average Internet connection speed is the slowest in Asia Pacific, according to Akamai Technologies Inc.’s State of the Internet Report as of the first quarter of 2017.

Mbps is short for megabits per second—a measure of network transmission or data transfer speed. A megabit is equal to one million bits.

The Philippines ranks No. 100 worldwide in average connection speed.

South Korea is No. 1 at 28.6 Mbps. Paraguay is No. 148 at 1.4 Mbps.

THE Metro Manila Development Authority is giving irresponsible motorists and barangay officials a heads up on the renewed metro-wide crackdown on illegal parking and road obstruction set to begin next week.

MMDA chairman Danilo Lim said his agency is working with the Department of the Interior and Local Government and members of the Metro Manila Council, which is composed of the 17 mayors in the National Capital Region, to clamp down on activities that obstruct traffic flow and endanger road users.

He added stricter law enforcement action against undisciplined drivers and irresponsible barangay officials will be imposed.

The move came after President Rodrigo Duterte, during his second State of the Nation Address, said that he wants all road in the country's biggest cities cleared of all illegally parked vehicles to ensure a smooth flow of traffic in the metropolis.

The government's road and bridge projects will mean nothing if they will remain filled by illegally parked vehicles and other obstructions, the President had said.

Duterte said he directed the MMDA and the local government units to immediately clear the roads and major thoroughfares of all unnecessary obstruction including vehicles parked on the street. He added he is planning to have a golden age of infrastructure under his term with big-ticket projects such as roads, airports, and bridges.

"Just like what President Duterte said during his Sona, the MMDA and the LGUs will work together to clear all obstructions. Our objective is to reduce traffic congestion and ensure pedestrian safety," said Lim. Authorities said they would target critical areas during busy periods, including bus stops and no-stopping zones, which are notorious for illegal parking and illegal picking up and dropping of passengers and goods.

B1

SUNDAY, JULY 30, 2017 Adelle Chua, Editor

Opinion

Joyce Pangco Pañares, Issue Editor

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

IS FACEBOOK BEATING TWITTER? ASK THE BOTS

EDITORIAL

By Leonid Bershidsky JUDGING from reported growth in user numbers, one could conclude that Facebook is beating Twitter in the battle of social networks. Problem is, it’s hard to know how real all those users are.

Twitter reported this week that it had 328 million monthly active users at the end of June, the same as at the end of March. Facebook reported 2.01 billion monthly active users, up from 1.94 billion in March. Another measure that the companies now like to stress—the average number of users per day—also showed Facebook ahead. Twitter said its daily active users were up 12 percent in the second quarter from a year earlier, without naming an absolute number (Re/Code calculates it’s some 157 million). Facebook said it was up 17 percent to 1.32 billion.

On the face of it, Twitter—the purveyor of news about what’s going on in the world right now—appears to have lost out to Facebook’s concept of community-building. Forcing people to be concise and letting them see posts in chronological order proved less attractive than Facebook’s embrace of all kinds of content and insistence on using a non-transparent algorithm to form the news feed.

This could prompt me—as someone who has quit Facebook and stuck with Twitter—to complain that people don’t want control over their information consumption, to mock them for being apathetic in the face of the intrusively irrelevant self-launching videos that have made Facebook such an uncomfortable place for me, to ask how they tolerate the proliferation of ads, mindless clickbait and fakes.

But I’m not going to do that. Why? Because I don’t trust either company’s numbers. And unlike in the old days of newspapers, when circulations were audited, there’s no way for an outsider to verify them. To understand my skepticism, consider a new report from the Atlantic Council’s Digital Forensic Research Lab on the Twitter commentary surrounding a New York Times column headlined “Trump Is His Own Worst Enemy.” It features news bots, pro-Trump bots, anti-Trump bots, a commercial botnet and an online service that allowed users to automate their posts with an “if...then” routine—for example, retweeting posts that contain a certain word or phrase. If any real people were involved in the discussion, they appear to have been heavily out-tweeted.

A lot of the discussion on Twitter is exactly as described in the Digital Forensic Lab’s report. It’s close to impossible to determine with any accuracy how much traffic comes from fake accounts. One recent study, using a behavior-based model, estimated that nine percent to 15 percent of active accounts were bots (a lot more than Twitter has reported). That’s still a big range: Based on the company’s latest estimate of monthly active users, it adds up to anywhere between 29.5 million and 49.2 million bots.

I assume good faith on Twitter’s part; it just can’t know what’s really going on. Botnet owners are smart. They’re constantly perfecting their techniques for imitating human behavior, staying a step ahead of efforts to detect them. So if, say, Twitter is seeing more growth in average daily users than in end-of month users, it could simply mean that the bots are being used more intensively and efficiently. The trend doesn’t necessarily reflect any change in human usage.

The same is true of Facebook. For all the academic interest in catching fake activity, for all the company’s own efforts to remove fake accounts, comprehensive policing is extremely difficult. “Our results indicate that many fake users are classified as real suggesting clearly that fake accounts are mimicking real user behavior

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STOP TALKING ALREADY

W

HEN President Rodrigo Duterte assumed office more than a year ago, one of his first acts was to reach out to the Left in the hopes of ending decades of insurgency.

He appointed known communist figures to his Cabinet and said he would resume talking to the Left, saying that he held its leader, Jose Maria Sison, in high esteem especially since the latter was his teacher at university.

In fact, the government freed at least 11 political prisoners before the 2016 peace talks—amid the communists’ demand for the release of some 400 —to show it was going into the peace talks in earnest.

For the first time, there was real hope that the communist insurgency would be quelled and lasting peace with the Reds would ensue.

The hope was short-lived.

Soon the New People’s Army began

attacks in various places in the country, violating the ceasefire that would have otherwise indicated good faith. The negotiations were halted, there was an exchange of bitter words from both sides, compromising the backchannel talks earlier scheduled to save what was left of the peace process.

It soon surfaced that the Europebased leaders talking with the government did not have much of an ascendancy over their younger, more combative members on the ground.

Mr. Duterte should have paid more attention to this red flag.

The last straw was the attack on President Duterte’s security detail in North Cotabato this month. Five soldiers were wounded, and while the President was not there, he took offense at the gall of the rebels to attack the Presidential Security Group.

He called off the informal talks right away.

He was so incensed that in his State of the Nation Address on Monday, he revealed Sison was suffering from colon cancer and advised him to commit suicide to save money for the Norwegian government.

In response, the communist leader said: “I pity him and I am tempted just

to let him go because what he says against me is patently baseless and comes obviously from a sick mind.”

“But I still have to answer him to prevent him from misleading the public and rousing them the wrong way. At any rate, he has to look after his mental health and consult with a professional psychiatrist.”

Duterte then dared Sison to leave his comfortable life in exile in The Netherlands, return to the Philippines and fight his war here. “What kind of leader is he?” he said, to which Sison said he did not have to prove himself to anybody.

These are men we expect to be steeped in ideology, however different these might be. Unfortunately, the only thing they have been able to prove is that nobody is beyond vulnerability to petty and childish tirades. This does not buy them any more credibility.

The decision to stop the peace talks is a good one at this point. There has been too much animosity and bad faith. Now, if the leaders of both parties can just stop talking, perhaps there could be a way to pause and think exactly why none of the confidencebuilding measures all these years have so far worked.

Turn to B2

POOLING AROUND LONG STORY SHORT ADELLE CHUA

LIKE most Metro Manila commuters, I happily discovered the wonders of app-based ride-hailing around two years ago. I felt I had no more energy to subject myself daily to the indignities of commuting via train or bus from Quezon City to Makati every day. I also felt I

had had enough of the greedy, choosy, boorish taxi drivers who do their better behaved colleagues a disservice by acting the way they do.

Whatever extra money I could earn, I figured, should go to traveling decently.

I worked hard. I at least deserved it. I do

not mind scrimping on other things, like food. It is infinitely better to get to the workplace and back home with your sanity intact. If you’re lucky, you would have had enough rest to have quality time with loved ones or do more work when you do get to your destination.

I am sure many others made the same decision based on the above justification. This is why there is widespread anger: How dare the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board threaten to disallow the operation of Transport Network Turn to B2

Rolando G. Estabillo Publisher ManilaStandard

Published Monday to Sunday by Philippine Manila Standard Publishing Inc. at 6/F Universal Re Building, 106 Paseo de Roxas, corner Perea St., Legaspi Village, Makati City. Telephone numbers 832-5554, 832-5556, 832-5558 (connecting all departments), (Editorial) 832-5554, (Advertising) 832-5550. P.O. Box 2933, Manila Central Post Office, Manila. Website: www.thestandard. com.ph; e-mail: contact@thestandard.com.ph

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can be accessed at: manilstandard.net

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Chairman Emeritus, Editorial Board

Opinion

B2

SUNDAY, JULY 30, 2017 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

POOLING...

From B1

Vehicles when urban dwellers are evidently benefitting from the services.

Sure, the surges can be unbearable—on rainy days or nights, on payday Fridays, toward Christmas. You wonder what the factors are in the algorithm. Sometimes you are desperate to get home or go meet a friend that you book anyway, notwithstanding the high price.

But sometimes you decide to stay an extra hour or two at the office to wait for the prices to go down.

Sometimes you have a friend heading in the same direction and you split the fare so it does not hurt as much.

Sometimes there’s a promo code you need to key in.

The important thing is that as a consumer, you have the choice. You get to decide which arrangements are negotiable and non-negotiable for you.

If the LTFRB is wondering why people are angry, it is this: Now that we have found ourselves able to make a choice—an ability that was in no way aided by the government—they threaten to take that choice away. This will again consign us to the despicable options the government has for us. *** But here’s another choice, we can make, in the meantime that our officials try to come up with a brilliant solution to this debacle: Pooling.

Uberpool or Grabshare is a cross between taking public transportation like the abominable MRT and being cocooned in a nice, comfortable vehicle you hire to take you to your destination.

The compromise goes beyond comfort; it’s about price, too. The difference between a standard ride and a pooled one, in my experience, does not go below P80.

It works the same way as a regular ride, but the system matches you up with another rider with pretty much along the same route.

Again, it’s a question of what you can and cannot live with.

Certainly I can live with a lower price. I can live with staying inside a vehicle for a few more minutes, picking up and dropping off others first, so long as I am not rushing to a meeting or dinner with a friend. I can tolerate another person, or two, inside the vehicle so long as they observe the basic standards of decency and hygiene. If it gets too much I can always have my earphones ready for my playlist or a movie or show saved in my computer. If I feel up to it I can get some reading or writing done. Or catch up on sleep.

I can shed paranoia and not mind having the other passengers know where I ride and get off—there is an even chance, after all, that I would get to see where they ride and get off— and usually I would not care.

If I am really lucky, sometimes the system does not assign anybody else to the ride, and I get to my destination just as comfortably and as exclusively for a much lower price.

A bonus: I don’t have to feel guilty about contributing to the traffic or emitting carbon and other pollutants into the air.

Of course, if I am in a hurry, or need to be at a certain place at a certain time, or if I anticipate that I would need my privacy, I can always choose to leave my house earlier than usual take the standard ride.

And again that is the greatest thing about this entire set-up—options.

And again this is why I join the chorus of angry voices—a minority, the LTFRB says dismissively. We are incredulous at its inefficiency (did we hear they lost some papers?) and callousness (doing nothing about taxi drivers’ uncouth behavior).

Perhaps because our government officials drive their own cars, or better yet get driven around in official vehicles maintained by taxpayers’ money, they really could not care less. So woe to us who do not own a vehicle, we who must eke out a living anyway, and desire just a glimpse of comfort while keeping our sanity intact. adellechua@gmail.com.

IS FACEBOOK...

From B1

to evade detection mechanisms,” Aditi Gupta and Rishabh Kaushal wrote in a recent report. One medium-sized botnet would be enough to account for all the 70,000 monthly active users that the company added in the last quarter.

Nonetheless, advertisers and investors remain obsessed with user data.

Facebook’s shares jumped and Twitter’s tanked after the companies announced their numbers. Billions of dollars in market value were gained and lost.

It’s time to establish mechanisms for verifying social networks’ user data. As with TV ratings or circulation audit systems, external researchers should be able to check the companies’ claims and have a crack at working out the number of fake and duplicate accounts. They may never be perfect, but with a consistent and transparent methodology they could at least be comparable. Although investors and advertisers could be in for some surprises, they’d get a better sense of what’s really going on. Bloomberg

WHAT IS LIFE?

By Pecier Decierdo WHAT is life? The question sounds simple and clear. It seems that we all understand what the question means. It also seems that we should know what the answer should be.

A second glance at the question reveals that it is a tricky question.

For example, one natural follow-up question is: “What do you mean by life?” You can now start to see why we’re in trouble. The two questions, the original and the follow-up, seem to circle back on each other.

For many scientists, one approach that has served useful is to come up with this follow-up question: What set of observable properties should we use to distinguish life from nonlife?

After looking at the many properties of living things that make them special, scientists have come up with a few that seem to be unique to living things.

First, all living things seem to be made of one or more cells. That is, life seems to come in tiny bundles or packages. We haven’t yet found any living thing that is a hazy cloud or a soupy mixture. Even the ones that look like goop eventually reveal themselves to be made up of cellular bundles with clear distinction be-

tween ‘inside’ and ‘outside.’

Second, all living things seem to use energy for their maintenance and growth. Plants, for example, use the sun’s energy to make their food, while herbivores eat plants to gain the plants’ stored energy.

This property can run into a few problems. After all, many non-living things use energy. For example, our gadgets use energy to operate. They also require energy to maintain. What about growth? Well, crystals can grow.

For example, the ice crystals in many of our freezers grow over time.

These questions are answered by pointing out that the use of energy for maintenance and growth is a necessary condition for life, but it is not a sufficient one. In other words, a living thing must use energy, but not all things that use energy are alive.

The same can be said of growth.

The third property of all living things, one that is perhaps the most common sensensical, is the property of responding to stimuli. In other words, living things react to stimuli such as changes in temperature or the absence or presence of light. For example, plant roots dig into the soil, responding to both the pull of gravity and the presence of water, while fungi produce chemical defenses that can kill bacterial invaders.

The fourth property relates to the third. Living things respond to their external environment in a way that allows them to have an internal environment, one that is very different from their surroundings. This circles back to the first characteristic, reminding us that cells aren’t just any old packets of things. They are packets that close off an ‘inside’ that has its own environment different from the ‘outside.’ Scientists call this property homeostasis.

Fifth, living things reproduce. They can do this sexually, where the genes from a male and a female mix to form the genes of the offspring, or asexually, where all the genes come from the same individual.

Speaking of genes, the sixth property of living things is heredity. This means that information is passed, through genes, from parent (or parents) to offspring. In all living things that we’ve found here on Earth, genetic information is always encoded in the same molecule: DNA. The genetic information in DNA is then translated, using a related molecule called RNA, to the traits of a living thing.

The astounding fact that the genetic information in a narra tree, E. coli bacterium, earthworm, maya bird, button mushroom, or a human

being are all encoded in the same molecule, is almost a dead giveaway pointing to the fact that all life on Earth are related.

The amazing variety of life on Earth, which seem to come from the same source, points to the final two properties of life.

Sixth, life adapts and evolves. And seventh, life is organized into various levels. Aside from being organized into individuals, populations, and communities, living things are also organized into species, genera (plural for genus), orders, and so on.

These seven properties, taken together, are what can be seen as common and unique to all life on Earth.

But the question now arises: will it hold for life in general? That is, how about life in other worlds, like Mars or one of the moons of Jupiter, or planets circling other stars? What about life that we make in the laboratory? In computer simulations?

The word life will certainly be pushed to the limits by further discoveries and adventures in science.

And so, even with the seven properties laid out here, the question will persist: What is life?

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

A SWEET JOURNEY

EVERYMAN

By Clement Dionglay IT’S ONE of those mornings again. The house was quiet and still and the sun has just come up.

Half asleep, I went to the bathroom sink and silently counted to 30 while I washed my hands.

On the dining table, I took the glucometer from its case, got a test strip from the tube, pricked the side of my left hand’s middle finger, massaged it lightly to draw blood, inserted the strip in the glucometer, and dropped the tiny bit of blood on the strip. Easy peasy. Five seconds later, the glucometer flashed 95. Oh, great. I gave myself a pat on the back.

At 43, I am one of the world’s 422 million adults living with diabetes, and the scene that I described is a common practice for people like me— it has become a part of our day-to-day existence.

On some days it feels alright to do it, but there are days when I feel like crying when I have to prick a finger.

I received a full diagnosis of Type 2 diabetes mellitus in 2012 when I was only 38 years old.

While I am genetically predisposed to the condition, I fell apart when my physician broke the news to me. I felt as if life was being taken away from me, and I was very, very scared. What am I going to do? How am I going to cope? It didn’t take long for the answers to come. At the time of diagnosis, I was attending law school classes, and despite medication, the stress and lack of sleep took their toll on me. My blood glucose shot up, I lost weight tremendously, and my blood pressure got erratic. I was depressed and irritable. Working became too difficult. It was a tough decision to make, but I chose to continue living. Weak, stressed, and broken-hearted, I left my first love behind.

Life with diabetes became a huge struggle. It’s a constant struggle to achieve balance, to avoid the bad things, and to do the good things. I have been a witness all my life to the struggles of many people living with diabetes, including friends, rel-

atives, and most of all, my parents and my grandparents. Yes, I have known diabetes all my life, yet I feel that I’m still new to it. I met the biggest struggle for balance in two of diabetes’ major risk factors: food and physical activity. I have a sweet tooth, and I love white rice, sweet breads, and beer, but my sedentary lifestyle meant that I never came close to burning the calories from all the food that I eat. Inactivity and my efforts in carefully choosing food seemed futile, so I gave up.

Diabetes, I realized, is a cunning thief who attacks its victims stealthily.

Looking back, it seemed that I was destined to develop diabetes in my adult life. I was born into a big family whose love for one another translates into cooking and food. Small and big family events are always planned ahead with plenty of food enough to feed all of us for three days: the day before the event, day of the event, and the day after. Growing up, I remember that something was always cooking on the wood-burning stove in my father’s kitchen. We did not experience fast food then—my father is an excellent cook who never runs out of unique recipes to delight us. His braised pork ribs are legendary, and the leche flan he prepares is simply to die for. When I moved to a place of my own, weekend visits to my parents are always filled with stories, food, and even more food.

I’m not sure if it was a stroke of luck, but the sudden change in my life came in April when I got admitted to a three-month diabetes program. When I got in, I was full of questions, but stoked nonetheless that I will be joining an activity with many people like myself. As if awakened by a strong jolt, I decided to do a couple of tweaks in my lifestyle while I was in the program. I took out sugar-laden food items off my diet: white bread, biscuits and crackers, chips, yogurt, bottled fruit juices, iced tea, and candies. I cleaned out the fridge and got rid of everything that must go. With a cold turkey approach, I stopped eating white rice during dinner and feasted on fresh vegetables and lean

protein. It felt strange at first, but with the strong goal in mind to get fit, I carried on. To complement that, I took out my still-new-but-gatheringdust walking/running shoes out of the box and challenged myself into walking 10,000 steps 4-5 times in a week. During the first two weeks, I had a number of hard starts, but I held on to my goal and followed the program’s recommendations. No pain, no gain, right? Right. Three months later, my blood glucose levels are near the normal values, my blood pressure has gone down, and I went from 66.8kgs to 60.5kgs!

The program, together with my own personal goals, allowed me to understand myself and my condition better. I realized in the previous three months that there is so much to discover about diabetes, and its management needs constant education—each day is a new opportunity to learn something. Managing diabetes is not about going hungry, but is anchored on proper food types and the correct serving size. Regular blood glucose monitoring helped me greatly in listening to my body’s response to food, medication, and physical activity. The greatest lesson here is that diabetes is a highly manageable condition. It’s not like the flu that can be treated with antibiotics and a couple of days’ rest, but it’s definitely unlike cancer that has no known cure. Diabetes is highly manageable, and its management needs frequent, continuous, and dedicated effort not only from the person with the condition, but also from the people around him/her.

Above all these, it is important to keep in mind that there is no single treatment plan that works for all people living with diabetes. Each one of us is unique, each person’s diabetes is different, and only our doctors can create the best treatment plan that will work for each one of us.

Clement Dionglay writes science articles and designs publications most days of the week. He has been diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in 2012.

ANCIENT ‘HUDUD’ WORSE THAN WAR-TIME MARTIAL LAW

By Nash B. Maulana PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte sought the extension of martial law from Congress to five more months to quell the rebellion (if not outright conquest) by the Daesh- or Islamic State-inspired Maute and Abu Sayyaf groups in Marawi City.

But the ancient “hudud” of the Arabic Jahiliya (Desert Dark Age), which these groups are trying to restore in a contemporary kilafa (caliphate), could be several times more threatening to human security and civil liberty than the modern-day martial law declarations of Presidents Ferdinand Marcos and Duterte combined. It promotes mass killings without trial in times they unilaterally declare a state of war. Indeed, the IS in one post has claimed to have reimposed crucifixion as punishment for apostasy.

It takes factual basis of rebellion or invasion to declare martial law, subject to scrutiny for either extension or rejection by Congress. But for the kilafa to revive the Dark Age hudud, it only takes a state of war to justify attacks in “jihad al-qital” (armed jihad or struggle).

For mere presumption, a Muslim adjudged as “munafiq” (hypocrite) could be meted the “death penalty” without trial in periods the Daesh may deem a “state of war.” Or a Christian believed to be the nth generation descendant of Muslim ancestors could be executed

for “apostasy.. in times of war.”

Professor Julkipli Wadi of the University of the Philippines Institute of Islamic Studies says the beginnings of extremism took stand on the Muslims’ view of “One Ummah” (i.e. worldwide community of followers), “as opposed to the western concept of nationstates,” separating the believers of Islam by borders of national territories and tribal identities.

To Wadi, such contention on the Muslim ummah would lead to “movements against the status quo” of established Muslim governments bound by the Pan-Arabism of the 1950s through the 1960s.

In those decades, Egyptian poet Sayid Qut’b, a political activist and staunch critic of the status quo of Muslim governments, founded the Iquanun Muslimun (Muslim Brotherhood fraternity in Al-Azhar University in Cairo). Qut’b wrote radical materials in Arabic, including his famous books, “The Milestone,” and he even attempted to annotate the Qur’an in his book “In the Shadow of the Qur’an.” But Qut’b himself admitted that “The Shadow of the Qur’an” was not the exact meaning of the Muslim Holy Book, and thus, the use of the word “shadow” in it.

Qut’b, as a literary giant, tried both to de-contextualize and re-contextualize the meaning of the Book in view of the political realities obtaining in his time. In fact, Qut’b, whose books abound in Arabic version in many local

madaris, is considered as the “father of modern-day jihad.”

Incidentally, one of Qutb’s Arab students would later become a close adviser or even a political mentor of Osama Bin Laden in the Afghanistan wars.

Interestingly, too, the late Ustaz Salamat Hashim, chairman emeritus of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), and former President Abdurrahman Wahid of Indonesia, were classmates and both became moderate members of the Muslim Brotherhood in Al-Azhar University in the 1950’s.

In 1966, President Gamal Abdelnasser ordered Qut’b hanged to death. The Egyptian high tribunal had sentenced to death Qut’b and a number of his companions. One of them, the blind Sheikh Omar Abdulraman, was able to escape Egypt—but would much later be sentenced to life term for plotting the first World Trade Center Bombing in 1993.

Two years ago, more than 200 Islamic muftis from different parts of the world wrote IS leader Abu Bakr alBaghdadi, protesting a number of fatwa (opinions) that he had issued. They said those fatwa revived the ancient Arab tradition of slavery and even promoted sex off-wedlock with women he considered “slaves” (Islam prohibits illicit sex). They said fatwa is not ordinarily issued without proper and appropriate learning and understanding of the Qur’an and the Hadith (written deeds and rulings of the Prophet).

Baghdadi’s fatwa, Muslim scholars noted, apparently twists the verse by applying it to present-day Christians, even if it was not intended for Christians, as there were, in fact, no Christians residing in Makkah ever since, unlike in Madina.

Young learners would have no other way of checking interpretations that were either twisted to suit a modernday situation, or are lacking of their original contexts.

Two weeks before the Marawi Siege, hundreds of Ulama gathered at a scholarly Summit in Cotabato City in which they drew a common position on the advent of “Violent Extremism.”

The local Muslim scholars have since ruled in one voice that acts of senseless killings of innocent people, such as bombings and beheading, which local extremist groups have virtually admitted on social media posts, violated the teachings of Islam, and thus, must be condemned by all sectors of the Muslim society.

The local muftis have also ruled that extremism should be fought both in terms of military power even on the part of the MILF, as well as through continuing education program (Pagtatarbiyya) for the young generation of Muslims on the part of the government, according to summaries of the rulings released recently by the Dharul Ifta (House of Opinion) of the Bangsamoro, and the Dharul Ifta of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

World CHINA BLASTS NORTH KOREA MISSILE LAUNCH BEIJING—China Saturday condemned North Korea’s launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile and urged restraint by all sides after the US and South Korea held a military exercise in response to the test.

“China opposes North Korea’s violations of UN Security Council resolutions and (its actions) contrary to the general aspirations of the international community,” foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said.

Beijing “urged North Korea to abide

by UN resolutions and stop taking actions that could worsen the situation,” Geng said in a brief statement on the ministry’s website.

“At the same time, (China) hopes that all parties concerned will exercise caution and avoid aggravating tensions and act together to preserve peace and stability on the peninsula,” he said.

Washington, Tokyo, Seoul and the European Union all swiftly condemned Friday’s missile test, which North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un said brought the whole of the US mainland within striking range.

US President Donald Trump vowed to take “all necessary steps to ensure the security of the American homeland and protect our allies in the region.” AFP

STAFF OF TURK NEWSPAPER WALK FREE ISTANBUL, Turkey—Seven staff from the Turkish opposition newspaper Cumhuriyet walked free from jail early Saturday after over eight months behind bars, expressing hope four colleagues still in prison would be released soon.

An Istanbul court had Friday ordered the release of the seven people in the trial -- seen as a test for press freedom under the rule of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan -- but kept the most prominent journalists in jail.

The staff from the newspaper, one of the few voices in the media in Turkey to oppose Erdogan, had been charged with aiding terror groups in accusations denounced as absurd by supporters.

Those freed have been released under judicial control, meaning they will have to report regularly to the authorities and remain charged.

The seven, including the paper’s respected cartoonist Musa Kart, were freed from Silviri jail on the outskirts of Istanbul in the early hours of Saturday following the court decision.

“We were taken away from the people we love, our relatives, our work,” said Kart after his release.

But he added: “Believe me, during this period in jail we have felt no hatred, no rancor, we could not live with such thoughts.” AFP

RUSSIA ORDERS US TO SLASH DIPLOMAT CORPS MOSCOW—Moscow on Friday ordered the United States to slash its number of diplomats in Russia and froze two embassy compounds in a pre-emptive strike against tough new sanctions being readied in Washington.

On Thursday, the US Senate passed new bipartisan sanctions on Russia, Iran and North Korea, sending the package to President Donald Trump.

White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Trump will sign the bill into law, ending speculation over whether he would veto the measure.

But the president only did so after negotiating “critical elements” of the bill, the spokeswoman added, without specifying what those elements were.

“He has now reviewed the final version and, based on its responsiveness to his negotiations, approves the bill and intends to sign it.”

The move was a further blow to hopes in Moscow that Trump’s election might help improve ties that slumped to their lowest point since the Cold War over the Kremlin’s meddling in Ukraine and alleged interference in the US election.

It has also upset some European nations fearful that it could hit their businesses. Germany warned it would not accept sanctions that targeted companies involved with Russia’s energy sector. AFP

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SUNDAY, JULY 30, 2017 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

WEST HARDENS TONE ON IRAN OVER TESTS W

ASHINGTON—The United States and European allies sharpened their tone on Iran on Friday, demanding that it immediately halt ballistic missile tests, a day after it tested a rocket carrying a satellite.

With relations with Iran already tense, the US Treasury imposed fresh sanctions, singling out six companies owned or controlled by Shahid Hemmat Industrial Group (SHIG), which it said was central to the Islamic republic’s missile program, freezing their US assets and barring US citizens from dealing with them.

Foreign financial institutions could face punitive measures if they deal with the blacklisted firms, it added.

SHIG was already under United Nations, US and European Union sanctions.

The White House also indicated that President Donald Trump would sign into law a bill passed by both

houses of Congress endorsing sanctions on Iran’s Revolutionary Guards.

In a joint statement, Britain, France, Germany and the US condemned Tehran’s “provocative” and “destabilizing” action, saying the test was in violation of UN Security Council Resolution 2231.

“We call on Iran not to conduct any further ballistic missile launches and related activities,” they added.

Resolution 2231 was passed two years ago to endorse a landmark 2015 nuclear deal between Iran, Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the United States.

It lifted economic sanctions in exchange for curbs on Iran’s nuclear program.

The resolution called on Iran not to test ballistic missiles capable of carrying a nuclear warhead and an arms embargo remained in place.

All four Western governments have written to UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres about their “concerns”, according to the joint statement.

It said the British, French and German governments are discussing the issues in talks with Iran.

The United States has had no diplomatic ties with the Islamic republic since 1980, and Trump has halted the direct contacts with Tehran initiated by his predecessor Barack Obama.

Iran denied all accusations against it and said it has “proven its compliance with the nuclear deal” as repeatedly confirmed by the International Atomic Energy Agency.

“Iran does not recognize any limits to its scientific and technological progress and will not wait for the approval or permission of any country regarding the activities of its scientists and experts,” for-

eign ministry spokesman Bahram Ghasemi said.

“Tests regarding the launch of satellite-carrier rockets are Iran’s definitive right and in full compliance with our country’s international commitments.”

At UN headquarters in New York, US envoy Nikki Haley expressed mistrust of Iran.

“Iran’s widespread support for terrorists tells us we can’t trust them. Iran’s breaking its obligation on missile testing tells us we can’t trust them. Yesterday’s launch proves that yet again,” she said.

Despite his electoral promise to tear apart what he once called “the worst deal ever,” Trump has so far respected the nuclear agreement, a diplomatic success for his predecessor that advanced multilateralism and non-proliferation.

It is unclear whether his administration will continue to certify every three months that Iran is respecting the deal, or keep off economic sanctions linked to Iran’s nuclear program. AFP

MOSQUE RALLY. Palestinian Hamas movement supporters, including a young boy carrying a replica rifle, march in the city of Hebron in the Israelioccupied West Bank on Friday, as protests erupt in support of the Al-Aqsa mosque compound after Israeli police barred men under 50 from Friday prayers in the Old City of Jerusalem. Despite fears of violent clashes around the Haram al-Sharif compound, known to Jews as the Temple Mount, the area was largely calm following Friday’s midday prayers. AFP

DOES SHARIF’S OUSTER MEAN CHAOS FOR PAKISTAN?

MISSILE WATCH. People watch as coverage of an intercontinental ballistic missile test is displayed on a screen in a public square in Pyongyang on Saturday. Kim Jong-Un boasted of North Korea’s ability to strike any target in the United States after a second ICBM test that weapons experts said could even bring New York into range – in a potent challenge to President Donald Trump. AFP

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan—The ousting of Pakistan’s Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has left a power vacuum at the top of the nuclear-armed country, yet experts say that in the long run it is unlikely to be destabilizing.

Sharif’s disqualification Friday by the Supreme Court over corruption allegations denies him the chance of becoming the country’s first prime minister to complete a full five-year term.

Yet despite the country’s history of military rule, power will likely remain within the hands of a civilian government -- and probably that of Sharif’s eponymous Pakistan Muslim LeagueNawaz Party, analysts say.

“In a country as volatile as Pakistan, there’s good reason to be concerned whenever a prime minister is dismissed,” said Michael Kugelman of the DC-based Wilson Centre.

“But my sense is that everything will eventually fall into place -- a successor will be chosen and the current government will serve out its term.”

Pakistan has been roiled by military coups and instability for much of its 70-year history.

But recently there has been a surge of optimism in the militancy-plagued developing country, which has seen a dramatic improvement in security and positive economic growth in recent years.

While the 2013 election that brought Sharif to power for a third time was also a powerful symbol of stability, representing Pakistan’s first democratic transition from one elected government to another.

Sharif was disqualified from the prime minister’s office but remains the head of the PMLN party which holds a majority in parliament, meaning the next prime minister will likely emerge from its ranks.

Political analyst Hasan Askari said that Pakistan’s parliamentary system of government remains unshaken despite the Supreme Court’s ousting of a democratically-elected premier.

“Sharif will bring forward some person from the party.

Obviously, his personality will not carry as much weight (as Sharif) ... But at the moment we can say, the first impact of the judgement has not proved to be destabilizing,” he said. AFP

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SUNDAY, JULY 30, 2017 Cesar Barrioquinto, Editor / Jimbo Gulle, Issue Editor

World

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

UK PAPERS PAY TRIBUTE TO BABY GARD

A poster set up by supporters of the family of British baby Charlie Gard is displayed outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London ahead of a hearing in the case brought by Charlie’s parents, Chris Gard and Connie Yates (inset), who asked to take their son from hospital to the US for a possible treatment.

Charlie Gard, the terminally-ill baby whose plight drew sympathy from Pope Francis and US President Donald Trump, died on Friday a week short of his first birthday, a family spokeswoman said.

AFP

EMBATTLED TRUMP FIRES CHIEF OF STAFF

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ASHINGTON—US President Donald Trump ousted his beleaguered chief of staff Reince Priebus on Friday, replacing him with Homeland Security Secretary and former general John Kelly after vicious White House infighting spilled into the open.

US Secretary of Homeland Security John Kelly (left) will replace Reince Priebus (right) as US President Donald Trump’s White House Chief of Staff. AFP

Only hours after a humiliating defeat on health care reform had underlined his tenuous control over his party in Congress, Trump announced a second shakeup of his inner circle in barely a week.

Since entering the White House six months ago, Trump has parted company with his national security advisor, deputy national security advisor, FBI director, press secretary, communications director, acting attorney general, deputy chief of staff and now chief of staff, a turnover of top officials that is unparalleled in US political history.

Priebus has been under fire for months, seeing one White House ally after another resign or leave, culminating in the departure of press secretary Sean Spicer a week ago.

His exit appeared inevitable when Trump did not intervene as his new communications director Anthony Scaramucci publicly described Priebus as a “paranoid schizophrenic” in a foul-mouthed tirade that also saw him savage another top Trump aide.

Trump announced the switch on Twitter as he landed in Wash-

ington after a day trip, on which he was accompanied by both Priebus and Scaramucci.

“I am pleased to inform you that I have just named General/Secretary John F Kelly as White House Chief of Staff,” Trump tweeted.

“He is a Great American... and a Great Leader. John has also done a spectacular job at Homeland Security. He has been a true star of my Administration.”

As the tweet began to reverberate around Washington, Priebus exited Air Force One into the pouring rain and loaded into a black suburban with senior White House aides Steven Miller and Dan Scavino.

Moments later, Miller and Scavino got out and entered another van. Priebus’s vehicle then left the presidential motorcade.

White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said discussions about Priebus’s departure had been taking place for weeks.

Priebus later said he resigned on Thursday, but referring to his departure admitted that he and Trump “talked all the time about this subject.” AFP

TESLA BEGINS TO DELIVER ‘MODEL 3’ FOR THE MASSES FREMONT, California—Tesla began delivering on a dream to make an electric car for the masses, rolling out the first of its keenly-awaited “Model 3” cars, aiming to disrupt a world accustomed to automobiles powered by pollutionspewing fossil fuel.

An initial batch of the ‘Model 3’ cars that rolled out of the Tesla plant in Fremont, California late Friday were given to customers, most of whom were employees of the company.

Tesla founder and chief Elon Musk proclaimed it a great day for the company, saying the goal was to make a terrific electric car “that everyone can buy.” Musk starred in a ceremony at the plant delivering the first batch to their owners.

“It’s the best car for its cost, either electric or gasoline,” he said.

Production of the electric car aimed at the broader market—with a starting price of $35,000—will ramp up quickly, according to Musk, with 100 in August and 1,500 or more in September.

Tesla aims to produce 5,000 units of the Model 3 a week this year, and 10,000 units a week in 2018.

Tesla already sells “S” and “X” model electric cars, but with a starting price of $80,000 they

have been seen as wheels for the wealthy.

The Model 3 silhouette resembles that of the Model S, but the new electric ride is smaller with a simpler design.

The vehicle’s battery was designed to keep it going for “at least 215 miles” (345 kilometers) before needing to be recharged, according to Tesla. A battery with a longer range is available for more money.

Musk has mentioned in Tesla earnings calls that while early models were packed with innovative engineering, they caused vexation on the assembly line.

The Model 3, he said, was designed from the outset with mass production in mind to push down cost and crank cars out quickly.

More than a half-million customers have placed deposits to get on the waiting list for the Model 3, and anyone wanting one will have to wait at least until 2018.

“Demand is not a challenge there,” Musk said, noting that most of the orders have been in the US. A big question for Tesla is whether it can ramp up production to meet demand and whether rivals will cut into the electric vehicle market. AFP

ETHNIC OPERA. An ethnic Malaysian-Chinese Cantonese opera actress (left) from the ‘Sound of Tai Hei’ group prepares backstage before an opera performance in Kuala Lumpur.

Cantonese opera—where actors wear elaborate costumes and make-up, and must be adept at elaborately choreographed martial arts as well as singing -- was recognized as ‘intangible cultural heritage’ by the UN cultural agency UNESCO in 2009. AFP

LONDON—Photographs of baby Charlie Gard dominated the front-pages of Britain’s Saturday newspapers, which paid tribute to a “beautiful little boy” who had raised tough ethical questions for Western societies.

The Daily Mail ran with the headline “Rest in Peace Charlie”, with the center-right publication saying the 11-month-old baby had “captured hearts around the world”.

Gard died of a rare genetic condition on Friday after parents Chris Gard and Connie Yates failed in a lengthy legal battle to take him to the United States for therapy.

The case attracted the attention of Pope Francis and US President Donald Trump, who both offered to support the baby.

The Mail said the case has “raised so many questions about our age”, with campaigners angry that Gard’s parents did not have the final say over their child’s fate, while others argued that the baby should not be made to suffer unnecessarily. AFP

CLOONEY TO SUE MAG OVER PICS LOS ANGELES—Hollywood Alister George Clooney is fuming mad at Voici for publishing images of his twins and will sue the French entertainment magazine.

“Over the last week, photographers from Voici magazine scaled our fence, climbed our tree and illegally took pictures of our infants inside our home,” Clooney said in a statement.

“Make no mistake, the photographers, the agency and the magazine will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. The safety of our children demands it.”

Paparazzi photos of the babies on the cover of the latest Voici issue show one with each parent apparently at their home in Italy.

The twins, Ella and Alexander, were born in London in June.

The actor-director, 56, and wife Amal Clooney, a human rights attorney, 29, wed in 2014.

AFP

HAMBURG KNIFE ATTACK STOKES DEBATE HAMBURG, Germany—A volatile asylum debate looked set to reopen in Germany Saturday weeks ahead of parliamentary elections, after a failed asylum seeker killed one person and wounded five with a knife in the northern city of Hamburg.

Police are expected to offer further details about the incident at a midday press conference Saturday.

The 26-year-old born in the United Arab Emirates shouted “Allahu Akbar” (“God is Greatest”) as he fled the scene of the crime in a neighborhood supermarket before being overpowered by passers-by, witnesses recounted.

The attack had been motivated by “hate,” mayor Olaf Scholz said, although he stopped short of declaring it a terrorist incident.

“These criminals want to poison our free society with fear, but they will not succeed,” he added.

If confirmed as an Islamist attack, it would be the first in Germany since Tunisian Anis Amri drove a truck into crowds at a Berlin Christmas market on December 19, killing 12 and injuring 48.

But police were unable to immediately confirm the suspect’s nationality or identify the motive behind the violence. They have also been unable to confirm the accounts that the man shouted “Allahu Akhbar.” AFP. AFP

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

EXPERTS DISCUSS SONA OF DUTERTE

MINDANAO BANK GOES INTO THE CLOUD

WO former air force generals are bringing a Mindanao-based rural bank into the cloud, paving the way for the first bank in the Philippines that fully runs on a paperless, Internetbased core-banking platform.

Cantilan Bank Inc., one of the largest rural banks in southern Philippines with 42 branches and extension offices, is switching to Instafin, the corebanking software of Croatia-based financial technology company Oradian, with the help of a $150,000 grant from the Asian Development Bank.

“With this technology, you just need an Internet connection. You don’t have to maintain your data center. Everything will be in the cloud. All you have to do when you open a branch is bring a laptop, as long as you have a facility ready,” Cantilan Bank Inc. president Charles Hotchkiss, a retired brigadier general and commander of the 600th Air Base Wing of the Philippine Air Force, says in an interview in Makati City.

All financial records and transactions of Cantilan Bank will be in the cloud, or the Internet, stored in the European servers of Oradian. Every transaction will be transparent and an instant report can be generated anytime and anywhere through Instafin, says Julian Oerhlein, the chief operating officer of Oradian.

Charles’ elder brother, retired Lt. Gen. William Hotchkiss, a former commanding general of the Philippine Air Force and ex-director general of the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines, is the chairman of Cantilan Bank, while William’s daughter, Harvard-educated Tanya Hotchkiss is the bank’s executive vice president.

Cantilan Bank, which started in 1980 as one brick-and-mortar rural bank in the second-class town of Cantilan, Surigao del Sur where the Hotchkiss brothers were born, is now one of the largest in Mindanao. It now has 42 branches and offices with 24 automated teller machines located across Caraga Region, Misamis Oriental, Compostela Valley, Davao provinces, Davao City and Southern Leyte. It had total assets of P2.4 billion as of December 2016. It was the first rural bank in Surigao to offer an ATM service and provided mobile phone banking through GCash as early as 2006.

“The bank started in 1980 and our father was an incorporator. My brother [William], Tanya’s dad, retired from the Air Force in 1989. He went back to Cantilan and he was offered to join the bank as chairman and president. At that time, our bank had only three branches. My brother expanded the bank. When I retired [from the Air Force] in 2005, I also joined the bank. We continued with expansion. Now, we have 25 branches and 18 extension offices,” Charles Hotchkiss says.

“We have around 400 employees. We have branches that have seven to eight people, while there are branches with 20 people. An extension office has three or four,” he says.

He says at present, the rural bank spends nearly half a million pesos monthly for connectivity of the branches and extension offices, an amount that he hopes will be substantially reduced with the switch to the cloud.

The Asian Development Bank provided a $150,000 grant to launch the cloud-based core banking technology in the Philippines, with Catilan Bank as the pilot institution. Cantilan Bank will use Oradian’s subscription-based banking platform to demonstrate how digital services can unlock financial opportunities for the unbanked and underserved segments of the population.

“Right now we are reviewing our strategic plan, because of this technology. We are going to expand definitely in Leyte because the banks there are small,” says Hotchkiss. “We want to serve the unserved.”

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas’ 2014 Consumer Finance Survey shows that 86 percent of Filipino households were unbanked in that year. About 582 of the 1,634 cities and municipalities nationwide had no banks.

Charles Hotchkiss says with the cloud technology, opening a branch will be faster and less costly. “Where we are now, we have to deepen it.

We want to reach more people,” says Hotchkiss.

Oerhlein, a German national who co-founded Oradian in 2012, says Instafin—the flagship core-banking platform product—is an all-in-one software which enables microfinance institutions, cooperatives and rural banks to manage their day-to-day operations more effectively and serve their clients more efficiently.

Oerhlein says Instafin will replace Cantilan Bank’s existing system.

“Our system has everything integrated—loans, savings, accounting and business intelligence. On a click of a button, if someone enters a transaction in some branch, and you click the system to see a report, instantly you see what is going on. It really increases transparency and it allows them to be fully in control of what is happening,” he says.

“The integration depends on the customers requirements. We can integrate ATM cards, we can integrate bank transfers, we can integrate remittance, we can integrate directly with credit bureau.

It really goes just a week or two, so it is really fast,” says Oerhlein.

Tanya Hotckiss says the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas supports the project and waits for the result of Cantilan Bank’s migration to the cloud.

“They want to see how this affects operation efficiency, so that they can see the impact when it comes to scale. It is very helpful for us to be partners of organizations like ADB as they provide financial support. More importantly, they provide the monitoring and evaluation aspect,” she says.

“We are required by regulation to have a pilot that is running in parallel with our current system. So you can imagine the financial cost. This is why we looked for financial help [from ADB]. We knew that the impact of this project does not affect just Cantilan. It may affect the entire industry. So

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Cantilan Bank Inc. president Charles Hotchkiss (left) and executive vice president Tanya Hotchkiss

Oradian business development manager Kcaper Marcinowski (left) and chief operating officer Julian Oerhlein

TOP policy experts and members of civil society discussed President Rodrigo Duterte’s state of the nation address affecting the country’s economic development in a forum organized by an independent international think tank in Makati City.

“The promise of deep-seated change could not come at a more opportune time. It is obvious to all of us that the government needs to address urgent economic issues and promote a strong flow of investment,” said Dindo Manhit, president of Stratbase ADR Institute.

“It’s clear that the president needs to work with both the legislature and the judiciary to ensure that his projects see the light of day within his term,” he said.

Dr. Alvin Ang, director of the Ateneo Center for Economic Research and Development, discussed how President Duterte recognized the massive coordination failure he is facing.

“Despite political will and resources, he is facing the same problems that hampered the infrastructure projects of the Aquino Administration,” Ang said.

He cited as an example the Skyway 3 project that remained only 24-percent completed. “ The frustration comes out in that regard. There is need for coordination among equal branches of government,” said Ang. “We need jobs that are quality jobs and not short-term. We can call for patriotic business. Many of the businesses run in this country are not able to produce enough jobs for the rest of the population,” Ang said.

Ang linked government capacities to the challenge of federalism.

“The frustration of the president mirrors the ordinar y people’s frustration on gover nmental capacities. You cannot solve traffic or do this or do that because there are silos that rules them.

Until institutional alignments are understood in terms of capacities, I guess we’ll go back to the same issues regardless of the new structures in place,” said Ang. The West Philippine Sea and Duterte’s pivot to China was cited as critical and could not be put on the side for a long time.

“People already know that it is ours in the context of economic zones and the naming of the area.

With China as the biggest trading partner of the Philippines now and courting it for foreign direct investments, it is a high wire walk, how to attract investments of China and to give up the West Philippine Sea control or at least postpone it,” Ang said.

we wanted to ensure that a third party [ADB] is watching this. Basically, this is the first rural bank for them here in the Philippines,” says Tanya.

Tanya hopes that the full transition to the cloud will be accomplished in three to four months.

Oradian, a software-as-a-service provider founded in May 2012, has three servers in Europe. Established by experts in microfinance technology, it now has more than 40 clients in Nigeria, Ghana, Liberia, Malawi and the Turn to C2

TECH EXPERT PREDICTS THE FUTURE OF PH BANKING AN EXECUTIVE of global software company Amdocs believes that agent banking is the future of banking in the Philippines.

Amdocs vice president for mobile financial services Justin Ho defines agent banking as a network of banking agents s e r v i n g a s p hy s i c a l b a n k branches.

“With 60 percent of Philippines’ adult population still unbanked, especially in very remote unreachable rural areas, where banking services penetration is low due to lack

of physical infrastructure, agent banking can help fill this gap,” Ho says in an email interview.

Ho, who helped establish and served as co-chief executive of Utiba Pte Ltd., a pioneer in the field of mobile commerce, before he joined Amdocs, is a strong advocate of financial inclusion and branchless banking. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Melbourne University.

“Agent bank ing can aid traditional banking by adding another channel to it to make

banking services accessible to unbanked people at a cost point that matches the banks potential revenue and profit targets for these segments,” he says.

Ho says setting up a network of banking agents can serve as a physical backbone and help banks and mobile financial services providers extend their reach in a cost effective and agile manner. “ With increasing mobile connectivity and smartphone usage, and innovation in financial technologies, agent banking can be used to deliver full-fledged

banking services such as saving accounts loans, insurance products, personal finance management and others to this extended population,” he says.

“The ubiquity and agnostic nature of the mobile channel – is a perfect way to spread the benefit of agent banking to more Filipinos – anyone with a smartphone or even a simpler, USSD based phone can utilize the technology and also benefit from increased convenience and often lower fees. The lack of overhead [since a physical branch isn’t

required] and lower variable costs involved also means that banks often waive fees normally associated with transactions for an agent’s customers,” he says.

Ho says telcos have recently led the recent development of mobile money products with great success. “This is a great opportunity for banks to act on the prospect to increase the proportion of digital or mobile customers in the region,” he says.

In agent banking, agents can assist with new customer onboarding for the bank, thereby

Amdocs vice president for mobile financial services Justin Ho

extending and accelerating the bank’s reach, he says. As agent banking technology advances, banks will be able to offer more services such as loans, mortgages and savings accounts – without having to invest in ‘bricks and mortar’ bank branch infrastructure, Ho says. Roderick T. dela Cruz

Business

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MINDANAO...

From C1

Philippines who are using Instafin to serve 1 million microfinance clients.

It has 13 clients in the Philippines, including cooperatives and microinsurance companies. “We have 13 other clients up and running in the Philippines, which have been using it for several months. I am sure they will be happy to share their success stories of what it did for their business, just having access to real-time information, and without having the need to rely on their old, expensive hardware which was usually very unreliable,” says Oerhlein.

He says the core-banking platform was designed in such a way that new modules can be easily integrated into the system.

“Maybe in the next years, someone will have a big innovation in payments channels, we can instantly integrate that into this core banking system. It is really agnostic of channels. This is the beauty of it. They can just pick whatever works, and they can pilot it. And we don’t charge for this integration,” he says.

“It is subscription model, with no upfront cost. It is roughly based on the number of end clients, so when you grow, you pay a bit more. If you have less clients, you pay a bit less. It directly aligns our incentives with the incentives from our customers. Our customers grow and increase their reach and we help them to become more efficient,” he says.

“One part of this is the tool—the software. The other part is introducing best practices, allowing them to add other channels, new business model.

We help them grow, and they will help us grow,” says Oerhlein.

Oerhlein says Instafin software is easy to use. “We always say that in terms of user interface, if someone is able to use facebook, they should be able to use our system. And we have a whole team responsible for customers,” he says.

Lotte Schou-Zibell, a technical advisor for finance at ADB, says financial technology is revolutionizing finance.

“Recent innovations in digital and mobile phone technology have made it easier to expand access to financial services to peopleand small businesses in hard-to-reach areas,”says Schou-Zibell.

“These services have the potential to serve as a pathway for the poor and underserved to leap over traditional barriers to financial inclusion.”

Tanya Hotckiss agrees, saying with Oradian’s SaaS model, Cantilan Bank can spend less annually for a faster, real-time system with best in class data security.

“This will give Cantilan more capacity to focus on our core business and financial inclusion mission,” says Tanya.

The cloud-based core banking technology pilot project will be implemented in five stages including the full migration of Cantilan Bank’s data and information to the cloud infrastructure; mobility enhancement of loan officers in the field through mobile applications linked to the core system; integration with third parties including payments and remittance services; enabling clients to have direct digital access of their finances; and measuring impact on financial access.

Bangko Sentral Governor Nestor Espenilla Jr. says the introduction of cloud banking in the Philippines is a key moment in resolving the challenges of financial inclusion. “Cloud technology can upgrade the competitiveness of rural banks and enable them to provide affordable, high-quality financial services,” says Espenilla.

Oerhlein believes that all banks, including big commercial banks, will migrate to the cloud in the future. “I don’t think any financial institution will survive in the long run if they don’t move to the cloud. It might come in different flavors but many other industries have already shown that cloud is the way to go and I think the financial industry is in the middle of it,” he says.

“They will have to if they want to stay competitive. I don’t think they have another option,” says Oerhlein.

Roderick T. dela Cruz

PILMICO, MAX’S BACK MILLENNIAL BAKERS

From left: Max’s Corner Bakery chief operating officer Ariel Fermin, Pilmico brand and quality manager Pamela Liwag, 2016 Tinapay Natin Pinoy Bread Baking Competition national champions Greegy Cabarrubias and Roy Tabocolde, Pilmico Foods Corp. vice president and chief operating officer Tristan Aboitiz and other executives of Pilmico and Max’s Group.

By Marielle Franchesca Santiago

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WO companies have teamed up to promote baking among millennials, by holding the second Tinapay Natin Pinoy Bread Baking Competition.

The competition is an initiative of flour mining company Pilmico Foods Corp., together with Max’s Group Inc. In its second year, the competition was expanded to accommodate a more diverse pool of participants including all non-professional home bakers who want to share their bread stories.

“The passion and dedication that we saw to the different teams [last year] showcased their bread baking skills; and their local delicacies gave [the organizers] comfort that the future of [the] baking industry of this country is in good hands,” says Pilmico vice president and chief operating officer

Tristan Aboitiz.

Max’s Corner Bakery chief operating officer Ariel Fermin says the organizers hope that through the competition, young participants will be able to share the inspiration, struggle and the hard work involved in bread making.

Last year’s winners, Roy Tabocolde and Greegy Cabarrubias, who received full scholarship from their school St. Therese MTC College, say they did their best in honor of their school despite the pressure in competing at the national level.

“We were nervous when we reached the national finals. We were afraid that we would not be able to perfect the bread, as we did in the elimination round. We didn’t want to disappoint our school,” the champions say.

Tabocolde and Cabarrubias’ creations— cream cheese ensaymada, caramel sesame roll and Cagayan de oro pastel—were sold exclusively nationwide in all Max’s Corner Bakery starting July 23.

“We hope that with this competition, we are able to encourage the public to keep the bread-making tradition alive, promote creativity and innovation among Filipino bakers, and of course support the local bread industry just as we and Max’s Corner Bakery do,” Aboitiz says.

The competition invites bread enthusiasts ages 18 and above to create a regional bread recipe and a traditional bread recipe with a modern twist.

Out of those who will submit their online entries together with their bread stories, only 12 teams will be selected to join the live bake-offs that will happen on Sept. 30 in Davao City, Oct. 6 in Bacolod City and Oct. 14 in Baguio City.

The top two teams out of the regional bake-offs will then move on to the grand finals to be held in Manila on Nov. 16, 2017. The winners will receive cash prizes, trophies, medals and the honor of having their breads sold nationwide on Max’s Corner Bakery.

WORLD’S FIRST FULLY AUTOMATED INTERNATIONAL CONTAINER TERMINAL INTERNATIONAL Container Terminal Services Inc.’s Victoria International Container Terminal at the Por t of Melbourne in Australia is the first fully automated international container terminal in the world.

“VICT was designed, and is now fully equipped, to be fully automated, and the most advanced container terminal in the world,” says ICTSI chairman and president Enrique Razon Jr. “Most of the $450 million invested in VICT went to cutting-edge technology and equipment, and the highest standards of port safety. So we can rightly claim that VICT is the very first terminal in Australia that can accommodate the largest Neo-Panamax container ships.

For the time being, we can rightly claim that our Melbourne terminal is the most automated terminal in the world,” Razon says.

M e l b o u r n e’s n e we s t co nt a i n e r terminal, VICT, came about as part of the Port of Melbourne’s Port Capacity Project, a Victorian state government initiative to redevelop the Webb Dock East area, and meet increasing trade

volumes in Melbourne, Australia’s largest maritime hub for containerized cargo. A public-private partnership for a 26-year concession between ICTSI / VICT and the Port of Melbourne Corp. was signed in May 2014.

“VICT was completed below budget and four months ahead of schedule.

This has never been achieved in the por t industr y for 100-percent automated terminal. It is especially notewor thy when considering the unprecedented complexity of the civil works requirements, along with the level of pioneering automation built right into the design,” says Razon.

In delivering Australia’s first fully automated container facility, ICTSI tapped leading suppliers and service providers. It features cutting edge and top of the line port equipment and technology.

“VICT has selected leading technology from around the world for every step in its operations. For the first time anywhere in the world, a terminal has been created that seamlessly uses automated operations from ship to shore. Integration was key to this innovation—putting all these

technologies together. That’s why VICT is the most advanced contained terminal in the world,” says Christian Gonzalez, ICTSI senior vice president and head of Asia Pacific region.

“Everything about VICT, from its technology to its location and layout, has been designed to deliver unprecedented efficiency, safety, sustainability and

security,” Gonzales says.

As part of the PPP, VICT has committed to good corporate citizenship in the city of Melbourne, state of Victoria, and the nation of Australia; but more importantly, a strategic local partner of the Webb Dock community. Thus, technologies rolled out complement the sustainability of the terminal.

Further establishing ICTSI’s Melbourne terminal as the first of its kind, VICT, together with its contractor BMD Constructions, and terminal designer AECOM, was recognized by Infrastructure Partnerships Australia. In an awards gala held last April, VICT was awarded the Smart Infrastructure Project Award at the 2017 National Infrastructure Awards in Sydney.

Last year, VICT received a design rating of “leading” from the Infrastructure Sustainability Council of Australia.

The terminal is currently pursuing the permanent and ultimate rating of “as-built” from ISCA. Aside from full automation, VICT envisions to become the leading sustainable container terminal in Australia, and among the most sustainable ports in the world.

“These recognitions are proof that we are changing the game not only in Australia but in the world. VICT exists to serve the world’s leading shipping lines.

We operate with their customers in mind, with a terminal that’s designed to add value throughout the supply chain,” says Gonzalez.

Sports

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SUNDAY, JULY 30, 2017 reuelvidal@yahoo.com

INSPIRED PLAY MERITS AWARD

Adamson’s May Permentilla (8) dives on the floor as she and teammate Ann Caole try to keep the ball in play during their PVL Open Conference duel against BaliPure. Looking on is teammate libero Jellie Tempiatura.

PVL COMPETITION ENTERS HOMESTRETCH

T

HE unbeaten Creamline Cool Smashers (6 wins, 0 loss) and the Pocari Sweat Lady Warriors (5-1) are safely through to the semifinals of the Premier Volleyball League Open Conference.

Three teams: Hairy Fairy Air Force (4-2), Perlas-BanKo (3-3) and the BaliPure Water Defenders (3-3) are fighting to stay alive.

As of press time Saturday the Hair Fairy Air Force hope to bounce back from a straightset loss to the Lady Warriors when they take on AdamsonAkari. A victory sends Air Force safely through to the semifinals leading the Power Smashers and BaliPure to fight it out for the last berth.

Air Force hopes to rebound from its straight-set setback to Pocari Sweat in its last game as it shoots for the third semifinal berth against ousted Adamson-Akari.

Pocari sweat booked its own semifinal ticket after grounding Air Force, 25-19, 2520, 29-27, to take second place behind unbeaten Creamline.

BaliPure stayed in the running for seat in the playoffs after it snapped a two-game skid with a 25-18, 25-23, 19-25, 2520 romp over Adamson-Akari.

Save for a listless third set stint, the Water Defenders dominated the Lady Falcons, wresting control early and cruising in the first set, quelling off their rivals’ gritty stand in the next before pouncing on Adamson’s miscues in the fourth to fashion out the victory.

The Lady Falcons saved one match point at 19-24 on a BaliPure service error but Chiara Permentilla’s attack error and

Eli Soyud’s weak serve that slammed into the net enabled the Water Defenders to claim the set and the match.

“We need to win our last two games to have a chance of making the semis and I’m glad the girls responded to the challenge,” said BaliPure coach Roger Gorayeb.

It was only BaliPure’s third win against three losses but it proved enough to tie the Water Defenders with the idle Perlas-BanKo Spikers at fourth heading to their last elimi-

nation round assignments against the two of the league’s top teams.

Adamson, UP and the Power Smashers, with 1-5 slates, have been eliminated.

After a runner-up finish to Pocari Sweat in the past PVL conference the Water Defenders are struggling this conference.

The Water Defenders were off to a good 2-1 start this conference though. They then lost two consecutive matches which pushed them on the brink of elimination.

Fatigue seems to be the biggest factor against BaliPure. Star player Grethcel Soltones is not about to point any fingers but even she admitted they are not playing like the team which almost annexed the crown during

BaliPure’s Iris Oliveros (12) elevates as she squares herself to spike the ball past Adamson’s Ann Caole during their PVL Open Conference duel with Adamson.

Jocemer Tapic of Air Force tips the volleyball over the outstretched arms of the Power Smashers blocker Jovelyn Prado (18) during their PVL Open Conference matchup at the Filoil Center.

the PVL’s past conference.

The former three-time NCAA MVP is playing as well as anybody in the league but some of her teammates seem tired, a step slow and a split second late to react to game situations.

This is understandable because some of her teammates are still in college and have a twice-a-day practice. One with BaliPure and another with their school teams.

Jerrili Malabanan is still with Far Eastern University.

Risa Sato, Jorelle Singh, Aiko Urdas and Jasmine Nabor also

THE Philippine Basketball Association Press Corps took notice not just of the strong start by the NLEX Road Warriors but by the outstanding play of their young point guard Kevin Alas.

Serving as the catalyst in NLEX’s strong start, young guard Kevin Alas emerged as the first PBA Press Corps Player of the Week behind his inspired plays in the opening week of the Governors’ Cup. The six-foot guard kicked off NLEX’s campaign by banging in 20 points, hauling down eight rebounds and issuing four assists to lead the Road Warriors past Alaska, 112-104 in the opening game of the season-ending conference.

Alas then submitted another allaround stats line of 13 points, five rebounds, one assist and one block as NLEX stopped KIA, 100-93.

No doubt Alas is inspired in large part by his girlfriend Selina Dagdag, the lovely PBA courtside reporter who even got to interview him after he won player of the game honors.

The former Letran star easily beat Phoenix guard RJ Jazul, Meralco’s Chris Newsome, Rain or Shine’s Maverick Ahanmisi and Star veteran PJ Simon for the weekly citation.

The recognition seemed to fire up Alas who then played arguably his best game this conference as he led the Road Warriors past Rain or Shine, 122-114, in double overtime to remain unbeaten in the PBA Governors’ Cup at the SmartAraneta Coliseum.

Alas has emerged this conference and is taking on a leadership role with the Road Warriors. He is averaging 19 points on 57 percent shooting from the field, 7.7 rebounds and 3.3 assists after three games.

And while the love of his life no doubt brings an extra bounce to his step Alas also credited new teammate Larry Fonacier for making him aware of the need to step up and play a bigger role in his team.

Alas said the veteran Fonacier took him aside to stress the need to contribute more. Fonacier told Alas he needed to mature and take a leadership role in the team.

While the advice is well placed it was still up to Alas to respond positively to the challenge.

Alas admits, he and the rest of his teammates have a long way to go. They have a new coach. A new system. And many new players who need to adjust to a new situation.

Three consecutive victories is a good start for Alas and his teammates though.

attend practices with National University.

Despite this the Water Defenders bounced back with the needed victory and could advance to the semifinals depending on the results of the games today, Sunday.

Perlas will play unbeaten Creamline at 4 p.m. while BaliPure will take on defending champion Pocari Sweat at 6:30 p.m. If BaliPure and Perlas prevail, they will most likely dispute the last Final Four seat in the mid-season conference of the league organized by Sports Vision.

Kevin Alas

‘TATLUHAN’ GAINS SPOTLIGHT THROUGH NBA 3X PHILIPPINES

By Reuel Vidal

Managing Director for NBA Philippines Carlo Singson (right), NBA player Steven Adams and former Sacramento Kings coach Reggie Theus (center, back) and the Laker Girls join Boys U18 Division Champions, Escuela de Sophia, at NBA 3X Philippines 2017 presented by AXA.

BASKETBALL is undoubtedly the most popular spectator sport in the country. But “tatluhan” or three-on-three basketball is far and away the most played.

Everyone plays this game.

Gyms and private basketball courts are not even needed because “tatluhan” is played in street corners, vacant lots, driveways, backyards and every available space where you can put up a ring and a backboard for players to fling a basketball at.

Recognizing this AXA Philippines presented NBA 3X Philippines 2017. The competition reached an all-time high in popularity this year with

increased participation from Metro Manila and provincial teams joining the various age group categories of the seven-year old 3-on-3 basketball tournament.

Fifty-six out of 176 participating teams survived the qualifiers held at Don Bosco Makati.

The quarterfinals, semifinals and finals matches of the Boys Under-13, Under-16, and Under-18, Girls Under-18, Men’s Open and Women’s Open were staged at the SM Mall of Asia Music Hall last weekend.

Oklahoma City Thunder big man Steven Adams, former Sacramento Kings head coach Reggie Theus—now more popularly known as Kobe Paras’ coach at Cal State

Northridge in the US NCAA— and the Laker Girls added glitz and glamor to the event by awarding all winning individuals and teams their medals and trophies.

Participants came from a virtual cross section of society.

The Men’s Open division was won by Team Rocan from Valenzuela, Bulacan. The Women’s Open Division was won by National UniversityA over NU-B squad. Players of both teams play for the NU women’s basketball team which has dominated UAAP women’s basketball the past three seasons.

The Celebrity Division was won by Team Uy, Uy, Uy which had sports analyst Dominic Uy, PBA legend and coach

Vince Hizon and sports analyst Charles Tiu. Their finals opponents were Mongrel Mob which had ex-PBA player and now commercial talent Mark Andaya, TV host Bobby Yan and actor Neil Sese.

The NBA is a global sports and media business built around three professional sports leagues: the National Basketball Association, the Women’s National Basketball Association and the NBA G League.

The league has established a major international presence with games and programming in 215 countries and territories in 49 languages, and NBA merchandise for sale in more than 125,000 stores in 100 countries on six continents.

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Sports

SUNDAY, JULY 30, 2017 Riera U. Mallari, Editor / Reuel Vidal, Issue Editor / Randy Caluag, Issue Editor

sports_mstandard@yahoo.com

PH LADY SPIKERS BOW TO KOBE U The kids join their volunteer coaches after the football clinic

‘SPORTS IS MORE THAN JUST WINNING MEDALS’

By Randy Caluag

A

LIAH Dimaporo Cimafranca kept herself busy taking photos of Marawi children, who were playing football, volleyball and parlor games under the care of teachers-volunteers from Mindanao State University.

Later in the day, she joined in distributing gift packs for hundreds of kids, who are temporarily sheltered, along with their family, at a school in Iligan City.

“This is so very different. It’s a relief operation with activities,” said Aliah, trying to hold her tears.

Aliah, as consultant for development programs for the Philippines Sports Commission, flew in to Iligan to observe the Children’s Games held for children evacuees, who were displaced by the fighting between the Maute terrorists and the military.

“I was tasked to help develop development programs that are sustainable and objective centered.”

The Children’s Games is one of centerpiece programs under the Philippine Sports Institute (PSI) headed by Mark Velasco as director of training.

It’s becoming very clear that under the young administration of President Rodrigo Duterte, the PSC is veering away from its traditional role of providing more focus on elite sports and putting more its efforts and resources to community sports.

PSC chairman William Ramirez had made himself clear that the agency’s mandate is not just to help a few, particularly the National Sports Associations, which send athletes to international competitions, but “we are bound to promote and make sports accessible to every Filipino.”

Duterte made himself clear when he dropped the bomb by withdrawing the country’s hosting of the 2019 Southeast Asian Games.

The government is expected to spend at least a billion pesos for the construction and rehabilitation of facilities to stage the biennial games.

Traditionally, the host emerges as overall champions. The Philippines was overall king when it hosted the Games in 1991 and 2011.

PSC chairman Ramirez said the budget for the hosting will be re-routed to helping rehabilitate the war-devastated city of Marawi in Mindanao.

The PSC is also changing the game and putting more emphasis on going to the provinces for its community games through the Children’s Games.

“The mantra of the president is to make the sports ac-

Happiness is painted all over the faces of the children after playing games conducted by volunteers from the Mindanao State University

Aside from sports, kids also play in parlor games

cessible to the community.

Sports is all about human development, not (just) about winning medals.”

The Children’s Games has a lot of faces.

In northern provinces, the PSC brought the Children’s Games to promote Filipino indigenous games and street games like sack race relay, kadang-kadang—simple games that teach discipline and team spirit.

When the Children’s Games was held in Davao City in May, most of those who participated were street children. Then in the next stop in Benguet, local

players showcased their skills in tribal games like traditional wrestling.

Sergio Opena, PSC consultant in Davao City, said the Children’s Games are offered for adoption by the communities in Davao to promote peace among children.

There’s a plan to put children from different faiths and cultures like the Lumads, Christians and Muslims under one house where they can develop both their social and sports skills.

“WE can use sport as a universal tool, because whatever language they speak, sport

speak a universal language that can be understood by everyone. Children still have less biases so it’s better to start the program with them.”

The Games’ unique features of holding games while providing life-changing results to children, was noticed by the United Nations Educational and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and invited the PSC to share the program in its recent Ministerial Sports meeting in Kazan, Russia.

But for now, the children of Marawi are the PSC’s priority in Mindanao.

Henry Daut, a former pro-

fessor at MSU, has been tasked by Ramirez to conduct follow-up programs.

“The first Games held for them was successful and we’re actually making the project a full-blown rehabilitation scheme for the children,” said Daut, who was the chief facilitator of first Children’s Games with the help of his former students and colleagues from MSU, led by Nenita Samung, Dean of College of Sports, Physical Education and Recreation.

She was also from Marawi and has been staying in Iligan until the situation normalizes at MSU campus, which is situated atop a hill, three kilometers from the Marawi City proper.

She said the Children’s games provided a therapeutic psychological experience for the children affected by the conflict.

“The children need more than just material things. With this activity, we were able to develop friendship among them.”

Daut is also making a coffee-table book to raise more global awareness and attract private donors for the needs of the children still living far from their homes.

OSAKA, Japan—The national women`s volleyball team gained a neat lesson in toughness and composure as it absorbed a fiveset loss to Kobe Shinwa Women`s University, 25-19, 17-25, 25-18, 2325, 8-15, in another friendly match late Friday here.

The Nationals gamely challenged the home squad early on before head coach Francis Vicente expertly shuffled his players to identify the weak and strong rotations in the squad that is preparing for the 19th Asian Senior Women`s Championship and the 29th Southeast Asian Games next month.

Vicente said the friendly match ultimately served its purpose as he was able to experiment and apply the lessons they learned from noted Japanese mentor Akiyoshi Kawamoto and the elite Okayama City Seagulls in the first leg of this grueling 17-day training camp.

Jaja Santiago had another remarkable offensive effort as she delivered 16 kills and a block for 17 points while Alyssa Valdez chipped in 13 kills and two blocks for 15 markers for the Nationals, who showed traces of improvement in their blocking, floor defense and chemistry on the floor.

Veteran Jovelyn Gonzaga also played well, finishing with 12 kills while Kim Fajardo had five kills, an ace and 37 excellent sets.

“We may have lost the match, but I still like what I saw,” said Vicente, noting that his wards managed to keep the match close despite the solid performance of the Japanese and his decision to tinker with his rotation late in the game.”

“We know that Kobe Shinwa is a very tough team. It plays fast and aggressive. The mere fact that we were able to match their speed and discipline is already a positive development.”

Kobe Shinwa coach Kiyokazu Yamamoto said the Filipinos are already improving.

Yamamoto is no stranger to Philippine volleyball after his wards battled some top flight club in the Philippine Superliga (PSL) Invitational Conference last April.

Kobe Shinwa copped the crown after winning of all of its matches in the most prestigious women`s club league in the county.

“Your team played really well,” Yamamoto told Vicente during the dinner hosted by Japanese coaches. “You must have learned a lot from coach Kawamoto because I see improvement in your blocking and defense. There are only some minor lapses, but you can work it out as you go along with the program.”

The Nationals resumed training with Kobe Shinwa University Saturday morning before engaging in another friendly battle.

They are set to face a couple of university and club teams in the next few days before flying back to Manila on Wednesday next week.

CEBU CAGERS JOIN STEPHEN CURRY TOUR IN SEOUL With its mission to empower athletes and making athletes better, Under Armour gave two lucky ballers a chance of a lifetime when University of Cebu’s John BrylCuyos and Virlou Orquez traveled to Seoul to witness Stephen Curry in his Asia Tour.

Cuyos and Orquez gained a chance to see 2x MVP, Under Armour ambassador in person after winning Under Armour 3x3 Under-18 Philippines title recently. The two were members of the victorious UC squad that captured the Under Ar-

mour 3x3 Southeast Asia Cebu crown and the Under Armour 3x3 Southeast Asia Philippines title in Manila.

The two ballers from Cebu traveled to see Curry in the flesh at the event held at the Jungchang Gymnasium in Seoul Korea. They got a chance to interact with the NBA champion and learned new drills and tricks from the Golden State Warriors star during the all-expense paid trip by Under Armour Southeast Asia.

They also received limited edition gears from Under Armour.

The two cagers are now back in the country, bringing with them once-in-a-lifetime experiences.

Curry’s visit in Asia came following the launch of Curry3ZERO, the latest Under Armour shoe line for the NBA superstar.

The Curry3ZERO made its formal launch in the Philippines a few weeks ago with Alaska Aces point guard Chris Banchero, Barangay GinebrafowardJervy Cruz, San Beda standout Robert Bolick, actor JC De Verea, Letran star Rey Nambatac, Ms. Earth 2015 Angelica GabrenaOng,

coach Christian Luanzon, and UA’s newest ambassador Kali Huff attending the ceremony at The City Club Alphaland Makati Place.

Under Armour also treated the media with a unique basketball experience as they played 3x3 basketball, competed in a three-point shootout, and taught new drills to improve their basketball skills and physical condition.

Get a chance to win an authographed gear from the Steph Curry by checking out IG underarmouph page for more details.

University of Cebu’s John BrylCuyos and Virlou Orquez at Stephen Curry Asia Tour in Seoul, South Korea

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SUNDAY, JULY 30, 2017

Jimbo Gulle, Editor

Roger Garcia, Issue Editor

LGUs

mslocalgov@gmail.com

SEARCA HEAD GETS SEAMEO AWARD

QC RESCUERS PLACED ON YELLOW ALERT

By Rio N. Araja

A

NTICIPATING heavy rains due to tropical storm “Gorio,” the Quezon City government on Saturday placed its disaster action team on yellow alert to be ready to respond to areas that could be affected by floods.

Elmo San Diego, QC Department of Public Order and Safety chief, said there will be more rains in Metro Manila when “Gorio” gains strength and pulls wind and rain toward the metropolis.

A retired police general, San Diego is also the vice chairman of the city’s Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council.

“Expect problems due to incessant rains. The disaster action team is on standby and on-call alert status this weekend,” he said.

The team is composed of well-trained emergency responders, including paramedics,

that can perform search and rescue missions on urban, water, and wilderness terrain.

The city’s Engineering Department, Parks Development and Administration Department, and the Environment Protection and Waste Management Department—the key departments in maintaining waterways and related structures—are working double time to address clogged drainages and uprooted trees.

San Diego reminded all department heads to keep their phone lines open during the weekend and report immediately when needed.

“We don’t have to call and call you up.

Respond immediately. It is important your line of communication remains open,” he said.

San Diego said the emergency operations Center can be reached through 122, 922-3227 and 987-8887.

Meanwhile, elementary and high school students in Quezon City were told to be always ready and aware on how to prepare for disasters.

The students were among those who attend the Disaster Risk Reduction Management Youth Forum and Expo at the Philippine Information Agency Auditorium on Wednesday. The event was organized by the Office of the Civil DefenseNational Capital Region.

The activity is in line with the National Disaster Resilience Month with the theme: “4Ks: Kamalayan sa Kahandaan, Katumbas ay Kaligtasan.”

During the forum, OCD-NCR Regional Director Romulo Cabantac highlighted the concept of “disaster resiliency” to the school children.

“It’s important to have activities like this for the children so when disaster comes, they won’t panic, and they’ll be observant and flexible,” Cabantac said.

Aside from earthquakes, flood and typhoon preparedness, the students also learned basic life support and knot-tying techniques taught by the members of the Disaster Risk Reduction Management Offices of Quezon City and Pasig.

Lesa Ocenar, grade school teacher of San Juan Elementary School, said: “These forums are important for the kids, so at least they know what to do during emergencies. Instead of being a liability, they can even save lives if they have the knowledge like they have today, like CPR.” The Quezon City, Pasig City and Valenzuela City DRRMOs, together with the Lord’s Hand Integrated School and the Office of the Civil Defense, also viewed the exhibit of disaster reduction equipment at the lobby of the PIA office.

By Brenda Jocson LOS BAÑOS, Laguna—Director Gil C. Saguiguit Jr. of the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture based here is among the recipients of this year’s Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization Service Awards, having meritoriously served the Center for four decades.

The SEAMEO Service Award bestows the accolade on outstanding staff of the SEAMEO regional centers, network and secretariat who exemplify excellence and commitment for the success of their respective organizations.

The award was presented at the 49th SEAMEO Council Conference (SEAMEC) from July 24 to 26 in Jakarta, Indonesia, which came on the eve of the completion of Saguiguit’s unprecedented third term as SEARCA director.

This biennial meeting gathers the Ministers of Education of the 11 SEAMEO member countries in Southeast Asia.

The SEAMEO Service Award adds to Saguiguit’s numerous distinctions received from national and international or foreign institutions for his exemplary development work in the agricultural sector.

These include the Chevalier de l’Ordre du Mérite Agricole (Knight of the Order of Agricultural Merit) given by the French government for his efforts to strengthen cooperation between France and the Philippines and Southeast Asia in the areas of agricultural research, education, and culture.

TECH HELPS STRETCH PHILHEALTH’S COVERAGE

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FLOOD SCENES. Heavy monsoon rains caused by Typhoon ‘Gorio’ before the weekend created these scenes, all in Caloocan City. As boys make impromptu skim boards out of pieces of plywood to surf on the flooded streets, girls wade and frolic in the waters, and a bus braves a real deep stretch at the corner of Rizal Avenue Extension and R. Papa Street, as seen from a city traffic monitor. Jun David

PINOYS TOLD: PRIORITIZE PROTECTION, RESILIENCY DISASTER resiliency has become a national concern. From being a mere talk point in meetings, the need to be prepared and protected against the uncertainties of calamities have become so paramount even President Rodrigo Duterte urged the public to treat it as an urgent concern in his recent State of the Nation Address.

“While the law is [being] crafted with extreme urgency, we need to undertake immediate action to ensure disaster resiliency and effective response in the greater [Metro] Manila area, which is our country’s seat of governance, center of business, commerce, and the academe,” the President said.

“Disaster resiliency of Metro Manila

Local Gov’t Units

and the surrounding provinces is a matter of urgent [national] concern,” he added.

Compared to its other Southeast Asian neighbors, our country experiences a wider range of disasters being in the Pacific Ring of Fire and the Pacific Typhoon Belt.

From floods to landslides, and typhoons to earthquakes—the most recent of which just happened in Leyte with a magnitude of 6.5—the Philippines continues to endure and survive.

The reality of these disasters often permeates long after they strike with total losses amounting to millions, even billions of pesos.

At present, the earthquake in Leyte

has left an estimated total of P177 million worth of damage to property in eastern Visayas and damage assessment is still ongoing.

The number is overwhelming but pales in comparison to one of the destructive, if not the most destructive typhoons in our history, typhoon "Yolanda," which left a colossal P571.1 billion in total damages, P424.3 billion of which is damage to property.

Though the government has currently been prioritizing preparations for and anticipation of these times of emergency through awareness efforts and disaster response drills, self-mitigation is still an area that we can further improve on.

CLIMATE CHANGE BODY TO TRAIN ‘SUC’ TRAINERS

THE Climate Change Commission is set to train faculties of state universities and colleges and national government agencies to mentor local chief executives and development planners as they prepare and update their Local Climate Change Action Plans or LCCAPs. As required by Republic Act No. 9729 or the Climate Change Act of 2009, the LCCAPs will help LGUs to effectively prepare and respond to the adverse effects of climate change in their communities.

The first round of trainings, dubbed “Coaches’ Training on the Enhanced LCCAP Guidebook,” was held July 25 to 28 in Quezon City. This undertaking was in partnership with the Department of the Interior and Local Government–Local Government Academy.

Climate Change Secretary Emmanuel de Guzman expects these trainings to expedite the completion of the LCCAPs of all local government units.

“Equipping our faculties in state universities and colleges with a set of standard teaching modules on basic analytical and planning tools, called Communities for Resilience (CORE) Modules, will help ensure the efficiency and effectiveness of teaching local officials on risk-and-science-based local development planning,” De Guzman said.

“Having an LCCAP also gives the LGU an edge in accessing climate finance as it provides context and justification of any funding request from sources, such as the People’s Survival Fund,” he explained.

Surendra Menon, CEO of the country’s premier bancassurance company, BPI-Philam, learned from the resiliency of Filipinos and their experience in times of crisis, believing this has given them an edge against the unpredictability of nature.

“Most Asian countries don’t have typhoons; most of them are prepared for floods, fires, and some earthquakes. But here you have the full range—you have typhoons, you have earthquakes, tsunamis, even volcanoes. Most things about disaster preparedness Filipinos have learned because you’ve gone through it all,” he said.

Despite this vast experience of Turn to D2

WATERLILY QUEEN.

Ajer Ashraf, a Filipino lass of mixed ancestry from Barangay Talon 2, Las Piñas City was crowned Miss Waterlily Festival 2017 on Friday.

The annual July festival, which aims to promote waterlily-based handicraft, coincides with the birthday of Senator Cynthia Villar, the annual event’s sponsor.

Abe Almirol

“BAWAT Filipino, Miyembro, Bawat Miyembro, Protektado, Kalusugan Ng Lahat, Segurado” (Every Filipino is a member. Every member is protected. Everyone’s health is ensured.)

The Philippine Health Insurance Corp. was established in 1995 with this vision and has then existed with a mandate to ensure that all Filipinos have comprehensive social health insurance coverage should they need medical attention. To date, the PhilHealth covers about 92 percent of the Filipino population—just a little more and it has accomplished its vision of universal health coverage.

While people only think of health insurance when they’re sick, PhilHealth’s vision—which includes ‘Kalusugan Ng Lahat, Segurado” [Everyone’s health is ensured]—also includes plans to sustain a nation of healthy citizens and protect the poor, marginalized and vulnerable Filipinos, as well. A hale and hearty people can focus more on productive pursuits and contribute significantly to a growing economy.

Two years ago, PhilHealth’s success run stumbled upon a roadblock. The increase in membership resulted to a rise in claims, and the health insurance agency found out that their existing system could not adequately meet the demands of the mounting scale of available data. They needed a new way of organizing the influx of data and interpreting its strategic and operational implications to have a single version of truth that will allow management to create better programs and make a more informed decision on how these programs can run.

To turn their wealth of data into a strategic asset, PhilHealth turned to implement Microsoft’s Power BI. Before the advent of Microsoft Power BI at PhilHealth, data was embedded in the functional reports.

One of the advantages of Power BI is shifting the mindset from hindsight to foresight, such as improving PhilHealth’s delivery network of primary care service providers, whose main mission is to minimize patient care through preventive measures in rural health. Sick patients may Turn to D2

LGUs

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK Manila

Republic of the Philippines Standard

D2

TODAY GOVERNMENT SERVICE INSURANCE SYSTEM

SUNDAY, JULY 30, 2017 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

GSIS Building, Financial Center, Roxas Boulevard, Pasay City 1308 GSIS ACQUIRED ASSETS FOR DISPOSITION

PROVINCE District

/Subdivision

City /Municipality

Property Location

TCT/CCT No.

Lot Area (sqm)

Minimum Acceptable Offer / CMV ( ₱ )

Property Occupancy Bidding Date Place of Bidding Classification Status

1

Bulacan

FRANCISCO HOMES I, Brgy. Mulawin

San Jose Del Monte City

B001 L005 Ph C1

T-149924 (M)

200

1,000,000.00

House & Lot

Unoccupied

12-Sep-17

Level 8, Narra Room, GSIS Building,

2

Bulacan

STALLION HOMES, Brgy. Guijo

San Jose Del Monte City

B002 L005 Ph A2

T-347435(M)

150

832,000.00

House & Lot

Occupied

12-Sep-17

Financial Center, Roxas Boulevard, Pasay City

3

Bulacan

STALLION HOMES, Brgy. Guijo

San Jose Del Monte City

B003 L003 Ph A3

T-347456(M)

150

818,333.33

House & Lot

Occupied

12-Sep-17

4

Bulacan

STALLION HOMES, Brgy. Mulawin

San Jose Del Monte City

B001 L008 Ph E1A

T-343112(M)

88

450,800.00

House & Lot

Occupied

12-Sep-17

5

Bulacan

STALLION HOMES, Brgy. Mulawin

San Jose Del Monte City

B002 L004 Ph E3A

T-324193(M)

67.5

549,950.00

House & Lot

Occupied

12-Sep-17

6

Bulacan

STALLION HOMES, Brgy. Mulawin

San Jose Del Monte City

B002A L001 Ph C1

T-297458(M)

108

699,600.00

House & Lot

Occupied

12-Sep-17

7

Bulacan

STALLION HOMES, Brgy. Mulawin

San Jose Del Monte City

B002C L004 Ph C1

T-297460(M)

120

656,000.00

House & Lot

Occupied

12-Sep-17

8

Bulacan

STALLION HOMES, Brgy. Mulawin

San Jose Del Monte City

B002C L006 Ph C1

T-297461(M)

120

702,666.67

House & Lot

Occupied

12-Sep-17

9

Bulacan

STALLION HOMES, Brgy. Mulawin

San Jose Del Monte City

B002C L007 Ph C1

T-309377(M)

156

1,198,800.00

House & Lot

Occupied

12-Sep-17

10

Bulacan

STALLION HOMES, Brgy. Mulawin

San Jose Del Monte City

B004 L004 Ph E3

T-323645(M)

45

361,500.00

House & Lot

Occupied

12-Sep-17

11

Bulacan

STALLION HOMES, Brgy. Mulawin

San Jose Del Monte City

B005 L001 Ph E3

T-309419(M)

52

420,666.67

House & Lot

Occupied

12-Sep-17

12

Bulacan

STALLION HOMES, Brgy. Mulawin

San Jose Del Monte City

B006 L011 Ph MDA

T-284892(M)

75

610,500.00

House & Lot

Occupied

12-Sep-17

13

Bulacan

STALLION HOMES, Brgy. Mulawin

San Jose Del Monte City

B006 L019 Ph MDA

T-284878(M)

70

476,000.00

House & Lot

Occupied

12-Sep-17

14

Bulacan

STALLION HOMES, Brgy. Mulawin

San Jose Del Monte City

B006 L021 Ph MDA

T-284826(M)

70

511,000.00

House & Lot

Occupied

12-Sep-17

15

Bulacan

STALLION HOMES, Brgy. Mulawin

San Jose Del Monte City

B006 L032 Ph MDA

T-284846(M)

70

385,000.00

House & Lot

Occupied

12-Sep-17

16

Bulacan

STALLION HOMES, Brgy. Mulawin

San Jose Del Monte City

B006 L039 Ph MDA

T-284903(M)

109

763,500.00

House & Lot

Occupied

12-Sep-17

17

Bulacan

STALLION HOMES, Brgy. Mulawin

San Jose Del Monte City

B007 L004 Ph MDA

T-284862(M)

102

669,000.00

House & Lot

Occupied

12-Sep-17

18

Bulacan

STALLION HOMES, Brgy. Mulawin

San Jose Del Monte City

B007 L010 Ph MDA

T-284824(M)

70

385,000.00

House & Lot

Occupied

12-Sep-17

19

Bulacan

STALLION HOMES, Brgy. Mulawin

San Jose Del Monte City

B007 L020 Ph MDA

T-284848(M)

77

415,100.00

House & Lot

Occupied

12-Sep-17

20

Bulacan

STALLION HOMES, Brgy. Mulawin

San Jose Del Monte City

B007 L031 Ph MDA

T-284884(M)

77

665,000.00

House & Lot

Occupied

12-Sep-17

21

Bulacan

STALLION HOMES, Brgy. Mulawin

San Jose Del Monte City

B009 L011 Ph E

T-289358(M)

75

595,500.00

House & Lot

Occupied

12-Sep-17

Financial Center, Roxas Boulevard,

22

Bulacan

STALLION HOMES, Brgy. Mulawin

San Jose Del Monte City

B009 L013 Ph E

T-289355(M)

75

511,500.00

House & Lot

Occupied

12-Sep-17

Pasay City

23

Bulacan

STALLION HOMES, Brgy. Mulawin

San Jose Del Monte City

B010 L016 Ph E

T-309396(M)

99

670,700.00

House & Lot

Occupied

12-Sep-17

24

Bulacan

STALLION HOMES, Brgy. Mulawin

San Jose Del Monte City

B010 L020 Ph E

T-297454(M)

80

633,000.00

House & Lot

Occupied

12-Sep-17

25

Bulacan

STALLION HOMES, Brgy. Mulawin

San Jose Del Monte City

B010 L036 Ph E

T-297486(M)

94

719,200.00

House & Lot

Occupied

12-Sep-17

26

Bulacan

STALLION HOMES, Brgy. Mulawin

San Jose Del Monte City

B016 L002 Ph E1B

T-333357(M)

94

505,400.00

House & Lot

Occupied

12-Sep-17

27

Bulacan

STALLION HOMES, Brgy. Mulawin

San Jose Del Monte City

B016 L003 Ph E1B

T-333351(M)

56

318,133.33

House & Lot

Occupied

12-Sep-17

28

Bulacan

STALLION HOMES, Brgy. Mulawin

San Jose Del Monte City

B016 L007 Ph E1A

T-333354(M)

58

548,650.00

House & Lot

Occupied

12-Sep-17

29

Bulacan

STALLION HOMES, Brgy. Mulawin

San Jose Del Monte City

B021 L002 Ph E1

T-297426(M)

90

597,000.00

House & Lot

Occupied

12-Sep-17

30

Bulacan

STALLION HOMES, Brgy. Mulawin

San Jose Del Monte City

B021 L018 Ph E1

T-309392(M)

54

316,200.00

House & Lot

Occupied

12-Sep-17

31

Bulacan

STALLION HOMES, Brgy. Mulawin

San Jose Del Monte City

B021 L022 Ph E1

T-289370(M)

54

333,000.00

House & Lot

Occupied

12-Sep-17

32

Bulacan

STALLION HOMES, Brgy. Mulawin

San Jose Del Monte City

B021 L045 Ph E1

T-289375(M)

61

430,300.00

House & Lot

Occupied

12-Sep-17

33

Bulacan

STALLION HOMES, Brgy. Yakal

San Jose Del Monte City

B001 L006 Ph K2

T-326681(M)

66

642,900.00

House & Lot

Occupied

12-Sep-17

34

Bulacan

STALLION HOMES, Brgy. Yakal

San Jose Del Monte City

B001 L010 Ph K1

T-324528(M)

71

464,900.00

House & Lot

Occupied

12-Sep-17

35

Bulacan

STALLION HOMES, Brgy. Yakal

San Jose Del Monte City

B001 L011 Ph K1

T-331729(M)

83

1,196,900.00

House & Lot

Occupied

12-Sep-17

Level 8, Narra Room, GSIS Building,

36

Bulacan

STALLION HOMES, Brgy. Yakal

San Jose Del Monte City

B001 L023 Ph K1

T-326673(M)

46

398,000.00

House & Lot

Occupied

12-Sep-17

Bulacan

STALLION HOMES, Brgy. Yakal

San Jose Del Monte City

B001 L024 Ph K1

T-324538(M)

57

408,900.00

House & Lot

Occupied

12-Sep-17

38

Bulacan

STALLION HOMES, Brgy. Yakal

San Jose Del Monte City

B001 L029 Ph K1

T-324233(M)

48

346,400.00

House & Lot

Occupied

12-Sep-17

39

Metro Manila

FAIRVIEW PARK HOMES

Quezon City

B001 L023 (Bldg003

119487

60

1,022,000.00

House & Lot

Occupied

12-Sep-17

Level 8, Narra Room, GSIS Building,

123732

40

888,000.00

House & Lot

Occupied

12-Sep-17

Pasay City

119505

59.57

1,016,410.00

House & Lot

Occupied

12-Sep-17

40

Metro Manila

FAIRVIEW PARK HOMES

41

Metro Manila

FAIRVIEW PARK HOMES

Unit008) Orchid St Quezon City

(CPMI), Fairview

Metro Manila

FAIRVIEW PARK HOMES

Financial Center, Roxas Boulevard,

Unit005) Cedar St Quezon City

(CPMI), Fairview 42

B001 L048 (Bldg001 B002 L011 (Bldg001 Unit011) Orchid St

Quezon City

B002 L015 Dahlia (I) St

N-173784

52

1,565,333.33

House & Lot

Occupied

12-Sep-17

(CPMI), Fairview 43

Rizal

BAGONG NAYON, Bagong Nayon

Antipolo City

B010 L003 Cluster O

R-33101

128

517,333.33

House & Lot

Occupied

12-Sep-17

44

Rizal

BAGONG NAYON, Bagong Nayon

Antipolo City

B026 L015 Cluster B

R-33690

269

1,438,900.00

House & Lot

Occupied

12-Sep-17

45

Rizal

BAGONG NAYON, Bagong Nayon

Antipolo City

B034 L004 Cluster K

R-33750

183

850,500.00

House & Lot

Occupied

12-Sep-17

46

Rizal

BAGONG NAYON, Bagong Nayon

Antipolo City

B041 L007 Cluster L

R-33789

173

682,800.00

House & Lot

Occupied

12-Sep-17

47

Rizal

BAGONG NAYON, Bagong Nayon

Antipolo City

B060 L014 Cluster D

R-34166

382

1,435,000.00

House & Lot

Occupied

12-Sep-17

48

Rizal

BAGONG NAYON, Bagong Nayon

Antipolo City

B060 L018 Cluster D

R-34170

197

823,900.00

House & Lot

Occupied

12-Sep-17

49

Rizal

BAGONG NAYON, Bagong Nayon

Antipolo City

B077 L001 Cluster G

R-36569

139

854,000.00

House & Lot

Occupied

12-Sep-17

50

Rizal

BAGONG NAYON, Bagong Nayon

Antipolo City

B080 L001 Cluster F

R-36586

135

775,833.33

House & Lot

Occupied

12-Sep-17

51

Rizal

BAGONG NAYON, Bagong Nayon

Antipolo City

B080 L009 Cluster F

R-36594

133

701,300.00

House & Lot

Occupied

12-Sep-17

52

Rizal

COGEO VILLAGE, Bagong Nayon

Antipolo City

B001A9 L006 Ph 5 Road 10

N-59615

177

1,261,800.00

House & Lot

Occupied

12-Sep-17

53

Rizal

COGEO VILLAGE, Bagong Nayon

Antipolo City

B001A9 L011 Ph 5 Road Lot 11

N-59620

216

1,488,000.00

House & Lot

Occupied

12-Sep-17

54

Rizal

COGEO VILLAGE, Bagong Nayon

Antipolo City

B012A L034 Ph 2

N-59849

200

1,160,000.00

Lot Only

Occupied

12-Sep-17

55

Rizal

COGEO VILLAGE, Bagong Nayon

Antipolo City

B012A L035 Ph 2

N-59850

200

1,160,000.00

Lot Only

Occupied

12-Sep-17

56

Rizal

COGEO VILLAGE, Bagong Nayon

Antipolo City

B068 L017 Ph 3

399850

384

2,227,200.00

Lot Only

Unoccupied

12-Sep-17

NCCA EYES LGU-BASED CULTURE COUNCILS

By Dexter A. See

37

(CPMI), Fairview

GENERAL GUIDELINES: 1.

Disposal of GSIS Investment Properties – Retail Units (IP-RUs) is through a competitive public bidding process. Acceptance of Purchase Offer shall start on the scheduled bidding date and time.

2.

Dropping of bid envelopes inside the designated bid box will be on the date of auction from 8:30 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. Opening of Bids will immediately follow.

3.

Disposal of GSIS IP-RUs is on “As-Is Where-Is” basis. Interested bidders are enjoined to personally inspect the GSIS IP-RUs for sale. “As-Is Where-Is” is defined as the present physical condition of the retail unit that GSIS is selling and the buyer is buying, “with all attendant faults, if any,” whether or not immediately apparent and without any express or implied warranty. The buyer takes this condition at his or her own risk, without recourse against the GSIS as to their condition. This includes knowledge by the buyer of the presence of occupants in the retail-unit being purchased.

4.

Strictly, “One bidder, One specific property” only, which means that a bidder cannot submit two (2) or more bids for one property. A bidder may submit one bid each to as many properties as he wants to buy, as long as, he posts a bidder’s deposit for each property in an amount provided below. The bidder must present valid government IDs upon registration on the date of public bidding.

5.

Purchase offer may either be in Cash or through External Financing Institution.

6.

A downloadable bid form shall be properly accomplished with the following data: a. Name and complete address of the bidder b. Exact address of property you are interested to bid c. Transfer Certificate of Title No. d. Amount of bid (in numbers and in words) e. 10 % Bidder’s Deposit equivalent to 10% of the total amount of bid offer f.

Signature of the bidder/representative

L

A TRINIDAD, Benguet—The National Commission on Culture and the Arts wants local government units around the country to create their local councils for culture and arts to help in preserving and protecting the rich culture and heritage of the people in various parts of the archipelago.

Speaking before the huge crowd that gathered at the Wangal Sports Complex during the celebration of the 30th founding anniversary of the Cordillera Administrative Region, NCCA Executive Director Rico Pableo Jr. said the creation of local councils for culture and arts will be included as one of the criteria for judging local governments for their compliance to the coveted Seal of Good Local Governance this year.

He said the NCCA and the Department of the Interior and Local Government will be issuing a joint memorandum circular in the coming weeks outlining the details on how local governments can create their own councils of culture and arts for the aggressive promotion of culture and arts that should be inculcated into the minds of today’s youth for them to appreciate their own rich culture and heritage.

Further, the NCCA official claimed the local councils for culture and arts will help the national government complete the local registry of cultural properties to help decision-makers in deciding what to preserve and protect by either marking the same as historical landmarks, historical sites or national treasure.

He explained the region’s renewed quest for autonomy is one of the possible remedies to help the region preserve its rich culture and heritage, especially as elders can transfer to the youth such important practices that should be passed on through generations.

Pableo admitted achieving the region’s aspirations of self-governance, local leaders and the people must have the commitment to pursue a common direction, adopt to the prevailing situation and for them to have the ability to rationalize things for the benefit of the present and future generations.

He disclosed the Cordillera is a prime example of a region with a unique culture and heritage that must be preserved and protected and the only way to sustain the same is to be able to transfer the culture to the younger ones for them to observe and practice.

Pableo said the present administration is one with the Cordillera in trying to achieve autonomy in its third attempt to establish an autonomous region as it is viewed as the ultimate solution in speeding up infrastructure development and moving the people out from the shackles of poverty.

‘GENTRI’ CLASSROOMS. Cavite 6th District Rep. Luis ‘Jon

7.

Bid proposal shall be written in words and in figures and shall not be lower than the Minimum Bid Price of the property published in the newspaper or posted in the GSIS website. Should there be a difference in the amount in words and in figures, the amount in words shall prevail.

8.

Bidders’ deposit equivalent to at least 10% of the Bid Offer shall be in the form of MANAGER’S CHECK payable to the Government Service Insurance System

9.

The following shall be inserted on the sealed bid envelope: a. the properly accomplished downloadable bid form b. Manager’s Check payable to Government Service Insurance System representing deposit equivalent to at least 10% of the Bid Offer c. the Special Power of Attorney (SPA), if the bidder is an authorized representative d. pre-conditional approval from PBCOM, if applicable e. proofs of occupancy (see No. 12.c.1 and c.2)

10. The following information shall be clearly written outside the sealed bid envelope (mailing envelope) Address of Property you want to bid) Block No. ______ Lot. No. ______ Phase No.____ Name of Subdivision Address of Subdivision TCT NO. _______ Mode: __________ Cash __________ thru External Financing Institution

(

Name of Bidder: Mailing Address: 11. Interested bidders planning to purchase the GSIS property through External Financing Institution (EFI) shall first secure certification from accredited banks stating that he/she is qualified to avail of a loan from External Financing Institution and insert inside the bid envelope.

12. The existing tenant or occupant or his duly authorized representative through a valid Special Power of Attorney (SPA) has the right to match the offer of the declared highest bidder, provided: a. he/she is present during the bidding b. participated in actual bidding c. presently occupying the property subject of bidding supported by the following proofs of occupancy: c.1 Barangay certificate that he/she is occupying or residing in the subject property c.2. Any valid government identification document with his/her address similar to the address of the property he/.she is bidding.

13. If the occupant will exercise his/her right to match the offer of the declared highest bidder, he/she need not secure another bank pre-qualification corresponding to the matched offer. Instead, he/she shall pay the equity in cash as stated in Notice of Approval of Sale (NOAS). The equity shall be computed as the difference between the Letter of Guarantee from the bank and the offered bid amount.

14. The declared highest/winning bidder shall submit within the day of the actual bidding, the following documents: (a) duly accomplished Personal Profile/Company Profile/Corporate Profile, whichever is applicable (downloadable); (b) photocopies of two valid IDs (one should be a government-issued ID); (c) Articles of Incorporation/Partnership, By-Laws and current General Information Sheet, for corporation/partnership, if applicable; (d) Registration Certificate from SEC for corporation/partnership, DTI for sole proprietorship and CDA for cooperatives, or any proof of such registration, if applicable; (e) current Mayor’s permit issued by the city or municipality where the principal place of business of the winning bidder is located, if applicable.

15. A Notice of Approval of Sale (NOAS) shall be issued to the highest/winning bidder on the day of bidding.

16. In case the bid is in CASH, the 90% balance of the bid amount shall be paid either in cash or manager’s check within thirty (30) calendar days from receipt of NOAS, without privilege of extension.

17. In case the bid is thru EFI, the equity shall be paid in cash within thirty (30) calendar days from receipt of Letter of Guarantee (LOG) by the GSIS. The equity is the amount corresponding to the difference between the LOG and the Offered Bid Amount.

18. Upon issuance of the NOAS to the highest/winning bidder, the Bidder’s Deposit of the other non-winning bidder/s shall be returned immediately.

19. Non-compliance with the terms and conditions stated in the NOAS shall result in the forfeiture of the bidder’s deposit.

20. In case the highest/winning bidder fails to comply with the requirements within the specified time, the GSIS shall write the second highest bidder to confirm if he/she is still interested to acquire the property. If still interested, GSIS will require him/her to pay the non-refundable deposit equivalent to ten percent (10%) of his/her previously submitted bid amount and will be issued NOAS. 21. GSIS reserves the right to waive any formality or to reject any or all bids received. The list of properties available for sale may be updated without prior notice.

22. For inquiries, you may call Real Property Accounts Management Department at telephone nos. 479-3536 or 976-4619.

(MS-JULY 29/30/31, 2017)

Jon’ Ferrer IV (in black shirt) and General Trias City Mayor Antonio ‘Ony’ Ferrer (beside the door) leads the unveiling of a marker for a two-story, four-classroom building erected in Santiago National High School on Wednesday. Also in photo are Vice Mayor Morit Sison (third from left), Santiago National High School Principal Corazon Novelo (second from right) and GenTri city councilors.

TECH...

From D1 then be referred to hospitals under PhillHealth and the Department of Health’s new strategy of providing primary care.

By making sense of historical data, the solution allowed PhilHealth to make primary care more accessible to members.

In effect, Power BI brought in a bigger group of providers to deliver primary care in the 15 regions of the country and expanded the health service delivery network, one of the guarantees of the government’s Philippine health agenda for 2016 to 2022.

Jovita Aragona, chief information officer and senior vice president at PhilHealth, says:

PINOYS...

From D1 the nation, Menon encourages practicing resourcefulness by taking notes from disaster responsiveness of other countries in the region. Having worked and lived in Indonesia, he recalls the massive 1989 earthquake that hit its West Papua region, where countless people died and survivors ran out of supplies in a few months’ time, remaining displaced years after the incident.

He believes Indonesians and Filipinos are somewhat similar given their experiences, but Filipinos can up their preparedness by starting with themselves.

“Disaster has a long-term impact, but only short-term assistance will come so it’s up to you to bridge the gap between short-term assistance and long-

“Microsoft’s Power BI helps us understand a lot about our members, and with this information, we were able to make strategies and approaches to improve PhilHealth’s service, which would then get us closer to our mandate of making healthcare accessible to every Filipino.”

Arturo Alcantara, PhilHealth head of Task Force Informatics, says: “We encourage PhilHealth beneficiaries to go to RHUs and smaller facilities and from there, they will be given referrals to hospitals as necessary. It’s the new concept of primary care where there are linkages in addressing preventive and primary health care. PhilHealth beneficiaries can be considered at the primary care level and those who are really sick get referred for admission in hospitals.” term necessities,” he stressed.

Menon, who served as a lieutenant captain for Singapore’s Civil Defense Forces, shared some practical tips that could help anybody self-mitigate in times of disaster.

“On a physical basis, make sure you have two weeks’ worth of water in your house. The first and foremost necessity for survival is water,” Menon said. “You will need food – dry food like biscuits that can last for two weeks as well for you and your family should be enough to go around when a disaster strikes and until help comes.”

Apart from physical needs, he also reminded Filipinos to have available cash at hand for emergency purchases and backup funds in the bank. “Maintaining an insurance plan would help, too,” he said. “Prioritize protection from accidents first, then your health and life [insurance].”

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

Gadgets & Games

WORLD-CLASS BRANDS AT SYSTEMS INTEGRATION PH

Some of the innovative printing and design solutions presented at the show. At right, Director Oli Laperal Jr. of RSVP Film Studios will give a talk about practical applications of drones in filmmaking and in business.

I

NTERNATIONALLY, 2017 has been a big year for the tech industry. Brands from all over the world have launched more products and solutions than ever before to remain competitive by creating game-changing innovations for consumers and businesses. One event that brings them all together under one roof is Systems Integration Philippines— he country’s sourcing show for new and emerging business technologies.

Now on its 15th year, the event will be held on Aug. 17 to 19, at the World Trade Center Metro Manila, Pasay City.

“SIP is an all-in-one show for business solutions. Each tech industry is given the spotlight through focused and targeted event segmentation under its 7 categories,” said Patrick Lawrence Tan, CEO of Global-Link MP Events International, Inc., organizer of the event. “We have a section for events, film, and entertainment technology; consumer electronics; advertising and media tech; IT and telecoms; unified communications; and office & corporate solutions. The

event will feature over 300 brands and companies including international participants from China, Singapore, Germany, Korea, the Czech Republic, United Kingdom, and many more.”

Aside from checking out what’s hot and what’s new in the tech world, industry professionals can take part in seminars and workshops to be held alongside the expo, including: Basic Audio and Lighting Seminar by Technical Group for Events and Entertainment in the Philippines and Audio and Acoustics Fusion by Audio Engineering Society; Manufacturing Innovation

Competition; Augmented Reality and Drone Zone by RSVP Films; and Demo & Flight Experience Zone.

SIP 2017 will be open from 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. To get a free day pass in the show, you can pre-register online via www.globallinkmp.com/SIP/.

For more information, contact the organizers at (02) 893 7973 or follow the show’s Facebook page of the same name.

Some of the participating companies visitors can look forward to seeing are AAUXX Inc., Akinto Marketing, Altima Ads, Audiophile, Audiowav Media, Inc., Avesco Marketing, Basshead Marketing, Bayview Park Hotel Manila, Big Pix Graphic Systems Inc., Brother International Philippines Corp., Cioccolato Sublime, Inc., Citibank, Colent Marketing Philippines Inc., Corsini Glassworks Industries, Cosmetigroup International Corp., Crown Regency, Crystal Image Papers, Dragon Fireworks, Dycorp Import Export Company Inc., Elisha Telecom, E.S. Print Media Inc., Happyhead Inc., H & L Healthcare Corporation, IGlobe Technology Marketing Corp., I-Learn Professional Solutions, Imatech Cor-

poration, Immrsv Asia Inc., Inewvation Philippines Corp., Innoveight Photography, Josiah’s Catering, Inc., Kensonic Inc., Kinmo PW Corporation, Marksign Corporation, Mediacast Digital Group, Multistiq, Inc., Nexus R Asia Inc., Nyxsys Philippines, Onetool Solutions Inc., Outrich Pte Ltd (Skubbs Philippines), Panvin International Corporation, Perfectsource Ent. Inc., Philippine Alusign Distribution, Philippines Tagkast, Polylite Industrial Corp., Powersteel Specialists, Primeline Products Philippines (Case Logic), Rhyno Apps, Rich Graphix Brand, Inc., Rivan It Training Systems Corp., Roneena Incorporated / All Recognition Gifts, S2mit Corporation, RSVP Film Studios, SFN Marketing / JJP Enterprises, Sharp, Sodexo Benefits and Rewards, Sofitec HD Printng, Sun Cellular (Digitel Philippines), Taiwan Trade Center Manila, Tech1 Corporation, Tekno Circle Merchandising / Jaycee Co., The Brain Audiovisual Corp., Tumbzap Printhouse, V.G.M. Computer, Versatech International, Vistrom Inc., Wacoal Philippines, Walter Sounds & Stage Lighting, Walvis Corporation, and many more.

HASSLE-FREE WI-FI EXTENSION

DAP-1325

D-LINK, one of the world’s biggest suppliers of home networking products, recently launched DAP-1325, an N300 Wi-Fi Range Extender.

DAP-1325 is a portable plug-in repeater that lets you extend an existing wireless network.

Simply place it anywhere in your home to extend the range of your wireless network. Supporting Wireless N, this tiny yet powerful N300 Wi-Fi Range Extender gives you connection speeds of up to 300 Mbps, while still being backwards compatible with your existing wireless devices.

Extend Your Wireless Network Increase the coverage of your home wireless network with the sleek and easy-to-use DAP-1325, an N300 Wi-Fi Range Extender. N300 technology helps to extend wireless range in your home or office and provides backward compatibility with older wireless devices in your network, allowing you to enjoy a fast, reliable wireless connection. Alternatively, use the built-in Fast Ethernet port and your home’s existing wired Ethernet cabling to extend wireless coverage without worrying about signal strength.

Easy to Set Up, Easy to Use Setting up the N300 Wi-Fi Range Extender is simple. Just use the one-touch configuration function by pushing the WPS push-button on the DAP-1325 and on the router or AP you want to extend, and the DAP-1325 will automatically configure itself for you. Alternatively, you can use the sup-

ported QRS Mobile app on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, or Android mobile device to set up the DAP-1325 easily without needing a computer. The N300 Wi-Fi Range Extender even includes a built-in setup wizard that lets you configure it both wired and wirelessly with a PC or mobile device.

Compact, Convenient Design The DAP-1325’s compact design and intuitive setup makes it perfect for use at home or in a small office. Simply plug it in and use the bright signal indicator LED to find the best location to extend your network. Its diminutive wall-plug design saves you the hassle of dealing with a power cord and its sleek, unobtrusive appearance blends easily into the decor of any home or office.

Price and Availability The DAP-1325 N300 Wi-Fi Range Extender will be available in August 2017 at authorized retailers, resellers and distribution partners at a recommended retail price of P1,885.

D-Link is a worldwide leader and award-winning designer, developer, and manufacturer of networking, wireless, broadband, digital electronics, and voice and data communications products. These products provide the ideal solution for Small Office/Home Office (SOHO), Small to Medium Business (SMB), and Workgroup to Enterprise environments. D-Link International’s headquarters is located at No. 1 International Business Park, #03-12, The Synergy Singapore 609917.

HP HELPS CONSUMERS DETERMINE ORIG HP INKS, TONERS IN MOST offices, printers have become an essential tool in providing high-quality and professional-looking outputs such as reports and presentations, portfolios, graphs and charts. In homes, households have come to rely on printers to make the kids’ everyday assignments, monthly projects and even school activities more appealing with colourful and vibrant illustrations and cut-outs.

But with the proliferation of counterfeit products and supplies, including ink cartridges, consumers have no definite way of determining if what they are buying is a fake or an original, or if their printers would still work efficiently since using substandard cartridges would only stall printing jobs, damage the printer

and incur additional costs.

HP Philippines understands this concern and has come up with Stop the Fakes—simple and reliable ways on how consumers can protect themselves from counterfeit products by knowing original HP Inks and Toners.

The four-step procedure on recognizing HP supplies includes mobile authentication, tamper-evident label check, security seal check, and online validation.

Mobile authentication involves scanning the QR code on the HP product with a smartphone to validate authentic HP Supplies.

Using the tamper-evident label, consumers can look for signs that the cartridge may have been tampered with: the lines in

the pattern do not match, the label is coloured rather than transparent, or the text changes on the label to show ‘seal is void’.

To check the security seal, tilt the box front to back to show “OK” and “√” moving in opposite directions while tilting the box left to right will show “OK” and “√” moving in the same direction. The security seal also comes with an anti-counterfeit (ACF) number for validation.

To validate online, visit hp.com/go/ ok and enter the ACF number from the security label.

With this simple four-step procedure on how to recognize counterfeit products, consumers can Stop the Fakes and be sure to use only genuine and high quality HP products on their printers.

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SUNDAY, JULY 30, 2017 rumallari@thestandard.com.ph

XPRESS MONEY LAUNCHES ‘WIN YOUR DREAMS’ XPRESS Money, one of the world’s most dependable money transfer brands, has launched ‘Win your dreams’, an exclusive campaign for its customers based in the Philippines, in association with M Lhuillier.

The companies are giving five of their lucky customers a chance to win a Pangkabuhayan Showcase, a small business worth P150,000 each. These customers will get the opportunity to start their own business and thereby contribute to the earnings of their families. This will also ease out the responsibilities of their loved ones abroad to an extent, who are striving overseas to give their families a better life back home in the Philippines.

The campaign began on July 1 and will be on until Aug. 11.

During this time, all customers who receive money through Xpress Money at any M Lhuillier location will be enrolled for the lucky draw for a chance to win big. In addition to the five lucky winners who will win a small business worth P150,000 each at the end of the campaign, there will also be weekly winners announced, who will win P10,000 each. In total, 42 customers will stand a chance to win P10,000 each through the campaign.

Xpress Money believes in giving back to society through different sustainable initiatives, is offering Filipino customers a chance to improve their lives with an initial backing that will help them build and sustain their livelihood.

“The Philippines is a very important market for Xpress Money, and we’re constantly looking at ways to create value in the lives of our customers. Through this initiative, we aim to empower our customers by providing them with a unique business opportunity, through which they can support the monetary needs of their families and enhance their lifestyle. We encourage all our customers in the Philippines to make the most of this opportunity by using Xpress Money’s services, so that they can avail the offer and stand a chance of winning the grand prize,” said Ashwin Gedam, Vice President, Global Marketing, Xpress Money.

“Tulay ng PaMLyang Pilipino is a promise of service we make to the millions of loyal M Lhuillier customers who depend on us.

Our partnership with Xpress Money aims to deliver on that promise, as we provide OFW’s an added facility to send remittances to their loved ones here in the country. We are happy to be part of the success of each Filipino family in their journey, as they stand to win a pangakabuhayan showcase. This is a valuable prize that will help sustain their lives,” said Malou Rocha, marketing manager of M Lhuillier Financial Services.

HOW LENOVO...

From D4 your habits. CAVA can also understand the meaning of a message and based on that make recommendations to your calendar.

For example, it can suggest when to leave for an appointment by analyzing weather and traffic data. daystAR is an optical display with an independent vision processing unit and freeformed surface lenses with a 40-degree field of view. Using the Lenovo AR Platform developers can use daystAR to create applications across a variety of industries. With services like Cloud Object Recognition, Remote Assistance, Multiplayer Interaction, and 3D Content Manager, you can scan, upload, and edit 3D content through the platform.

SmartVest promises to make managing your cardio health easier. The 12-lead medical grade smart clothing garment uses 10 textile sensors built into the ECG clothing to monitor cardiac activity. It records ECG signals in real time 24-hours a day and identifies abnormalities, such as tachycardia or atrial fibrillation. Athletes can use it to get accurate real-time heart rate and heart rate variability analysis. The garment sends an alert when your cardiac activity becomes unsafe.

Our latest AI business innovation for customer service is the Xiaole platform.

The platform constantly learns from conversations with customers and adjusts accordingly to provide a personalized and customized user experience 24 hours a day. Xiaole helps solve technical issues customers may experience with a device.

Today, many smart speakers only give you voice services. We developed SmartCast+, an intelligent, interactive speaker, to do more—it recognizes sounds, objects and delivers AR experiences. It makes learning fun and immersive like with the fairy tale module where children can learn Chinese, project their illustrations and Chinese subtitles while listening to the lesson.

I hope these concepts show you that the future of AI is limitless, and that you can now better envision how the power of big data and AI can build a smarter, more connected world.

Be sure to visit our event page here to check out some more of the concept products and solutions we introduced at Lenovo Tech World.

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Gadgets & Games

SUNDAY, JULY 30, 2017 Riera U. Mallari, Editor rumallari@thestandard.com.ph

RICOH: EMPOWERING DIGITAL WORKPLACES

R

ICOH Philippines, a global leader in office productivity solutions, recognizes that the workplace has been constantly evolving. In order to enhance collaboration and to effectively drive productivity, businesses must adapt the right toolsets and smart equipment not only to empower the employees but to also optimize business processes.

Ricoh recently showcased their latest technology and product offerings that are set to further empower the new era of digital workplaces.

“Ricoh’s total solutions and services, including the new digital multifunction colored printers, the revolutionary interactive whiteboard, and our ultra short throw projector, ultimately allow us to achieve our goal of empowering digital workplaces by helping businesses and their employees work better and smarter,” said Eric Sulit, Ricoh Philippines, Inc. President and Chief Executive Officer.

Revolutionary Digital Multifunction Colored Printers Ricoh highlighted on Thursday two of their newest multifunction colored printers—the MPC4504exSP and the MPC2004EXSP—that are equipped with the revolutionary Ricoh Smart Operation Panel.

The Smart Operation Panel allows users to integrate multiple processes and customize shortcuts to bypass many of the repetitive manual tasks associated with printing. Ricoh’s new interface delivers improved usability to end users by incorporating familiar gestures, such as swipe, pinch and flick commonly used on smartphones and tablets, to enable the completion of everyday workflows easily and quickly.

These gestures make accessing the

Ricoh recently showcased its latest technology and product offerings, like the Ricoh PJ-WX4152N Ultra Short Throw Projector (above).

latest and existing applications more efficient and streamlined, helping to further enhance collaboration and embrace emerging workstyles. Using cloud connectivity, users can also view documents remotely and share information effectively with their devices that are connected to these MFPs. Furthermore, when it comes to print and image quality, Ricoh MFPs achieves vibrant results with the precision of 1200 x 1200 dots per inch and print speeds from 30 to 60 pages per minute.

Real time collaboration through interactive whiteboards The Ricoh Interactive Whiteboard IWB-D6510 empowers users to save time and expenses by creating real-time collaborative digital meetings. It allows up to 20 users to view a whiteboard presentation on web-connected devices from multiple locations.

With Ricoh’s IWB, users can make changes using the whiteboard tools to write, draw, edit, resize, move, and

save information easily. The connected interactive whiteboards are also common space - what’s added to one board will appear on all networked boards.

Users also have the power to choose the participants and decide how their information will be displayed.

Widescreen clear projection and collaboration from short distances The Ricoh PJ-WX4152N Ultra Short Throw Projector empowers office workers to get closer with their audience while projecting with clarity. Even when placed as close as 4.6 inches from the projection surface, the PJWX4152N can display crisp, compelling images, movies, presentation and other media from a wide range of audio-visual equipment with 1280 x 800 WXGA wide format resolution.

The PJ-WX4152N also allows users to bring important information together from up to four different devices onto a single screen. It can also be equipped with the Ricoh Smart Presenter app to be

able to invite iPad users to view the presentation remotely. Moreover, users can pair it with Ricoh’s Business Projection System to share the same presentation in up to four different locations.

It also features impressive contrast ratios up to 13,000:1 and 3,500 lumens to project color-rich images even in the most sunlit meeting rooms. The projector can also detect and automatically balance keystone distortions for worry-free presentations.

Ricoh Service Advantage “Ricoh Philippines constantly strives to meet or exceed customer expectations,” Sulit explained. “Being a service-oriented company, we constantly innovate and strive to improve our products and services.”

Ricoh Philippines leads the service charge by being one of the first companies in its industry to use iPads with Field Service Automation software to manage service assignments and requests.

DO MORE WITH LATEST PSBANK MOBILE APP

PSBank recently announced the release of its redesigned PSBank Mobile App for Apple and Android users that is simpler, intuitive, and more powerful.

PHILIPPINE Savings Bank, the thrift bank arm of the Metrobank Group, has been at the forefront of digital innovations, improving its products and services to provide an exceptional banking experience for its clients.

The Bank recently announced the release of its redesigned PSBank Mobile App for Apple and Android users that is simpler, intuitive, and more powerful. Aside from its fresh look, it is packed with new functionalities with some being a first of its kind in the local banking industry.

The new PSBank Mobile App allows its users to do the following at a touch of a finger: PayMe- a first in the local banking industry that will allow PSBank Mobile clients to request for money from other users in a snap!

Getting or collecting payments

will now be as quick and easy with this unique feature of the app.

Touch ID- PSBank Mobile clients can now access their account using fingerprint recognition. It is a convenient, secure, and quick way to access their account that will no longer require users to log in the Mobile App using their username and password.

In-App One Time PasswordInstead of waiting for a one-time password to be sent via SMS and going out of the app to access the code, the new PSBank Mobile app will generate the code and populate the OTP field automatically. A hassle-free banking experience for PSBank Mobile clients.

PSBank Mobile app also enables clients to save their username, visit their accounts with the Quick View feature, and quickly access their Favorite transactions. Checking account

clients can also easily monitor the status of their issued checks as they can view the image of their claimed checks in the app.

“In this increasingly fast-paced environment, people are always on-the-go and want an immediate access to information, making the mobile phone an indispensable gadget in their lifestyle. In PSBank, we continue to innovate our products and services to allow our clients to conduct their banking transactions wherever they are.

We always aim to simplify their life through our innovative and reliable banking products and services,” said SVP and Marketing Group Head Emmanuel A. Tuazon.

To get started and experience our latest PSBank Mobile App, simply download the PSBank Mobile App now from Apple Store or Google Play.

BENEFITTING FROM ONLINE, CLASSROOM LEARNING EDUCATIONAL institutions have learned to ride the wave of the fastpaced digital age by developing online learning programs to complement classroom style learning. Students benefit from this method of learning because it allows them to learn in their own space and pace.

While students are armed with flexibility and a practical option, it can still be a challenge when it comes to time management and ensuring all tools available are maximized. It all starts with having the right attitude to effectively and efficiently learn from an online type of set-up.

AMA Education System has been offering Blended Learning courses since 2004 and recently, full online degrees and short courses. Based on their experiences, AMAES’ academic heads give tips on how to best maximize an online set-up.

Go through all available resources.

One of the advantages of online learning is the accessibility of resources offered in each online module. “Apart from the lessons and discussions, students should take advantage and click through the various resources that can be found in the system’s online library,” said Dr. Emelin M. Magada, Chief Academic Officer of AMAES, adding that online modules are particularly designed by education experts so that students can learn topics on their own through pop quizzes, summaries, and keyword reviews.

Do extra research. There’s always room for improvement so take the initiative and try going beyond the virtual classroom by checking out other valuable and valid resources that are readily available in the internet. “As long as the source is verified, you can gain more knowledge from different mediums and tools that can be found online such as online books and instructional videos,” said Dr. Magada.

Treat online study as an appointment. Time management is a common problem among those who spend time studying online. It’s important that even if it is convenient, you’re able to allocate set times to cover everything you need to in time for classroom sessions. “You really have to manage your time to ensure you don’t miss valuable study time.

If you don’t, it’s your learning that will be delayed,” warns Dr. Magada.

Use classroom time well. After learning as much as you can from online resources, there will be times to validate and apply it in the classroom. The idea is to have a collaborative dialogue with other students and mentors to test whatever you’ve learned online. “This is where students can put what they’ve learned into action. Make the discussion more meaningful by raising questions, seeking clarification, and sharing ideas that were picked up from the extra research,” said Dr. Lilibeth F. Taa, Deputy Head of Academic Affairs Department, AMAES. Find what works for you. Try out different study methods to discover what suits you best. “You will discover that online learning is enjoyable because you can personalize the way you study. Once you reach the classroom, you’ll be equipped to discuss topics at length. At AMAES, we pride ourselves for providing these kinds of options for our students,” says Dr. Amable R. Aguiluz V, considered the father of IT education in the Philippines and the Founder and Chairman of AMAES. Learn more about AMAES and their Blended Learning Program by logging on to www.amaes.edu.ph.

HOW LENOVO SEES A WORLD POWERED BY ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE ASK 10 people what does AI do, and you’ll likely get 10 different answers. And many of them would be correct. That’s the beauty of AI; it’s capable of so many things.

AI will change how we live and work and how our societies operate. It’s the next revolution of intelligence, answering questions like: How can AI make our everyday interactions better?

How can we work smarter, not harder?

How can AI help at a system level, like in cities and neighborhoods?

We believe an intelligent future makes people’s lives better, and that starts with smart devices. Cloud

enabled devices—such as PCs, tablets, smartphones, smart speakers, smart TV and AR/VR—bring you content, services and experiences in a new way.

To do this, as a company and industry we have to get the ABCs— algorithm, big data, and computing power—of AI right. These factors together allow AI to make life better. Here’s an analogy; Algorithm is the engine of your car, big data is the steering wheel of the car and computing power drives the car forward.

From a business point of view, we’re investing heavily in this intelligent future. We’re investing in

people so we have the right level of expertise across every aspect of our company. We’re investing in the right structures – in March, Lenovo Research officially launched its Artificial Intelligence Lab which includes more than 100 researchers across the globe. These researchers are looking at every element of what AI is today and what it will be in the future. And we’re investing in some of the most exciting burgeoning technologies and partnerships that will drive this intelligent future.

Today at our third annual Lenovo Tech World innovation summit, we’re sharing our vision for the future of AI and showing how concept

devices enabled for AI can make life better. Concept products continue to be an important part of our R&D process because they let us explore and push boundaries. We need this kind of fresh thinking and consumer feedback to create the next generation of technology, design and engineering.

Here are some of the concept products we’re most proud of: CAVA is a new kind of virtual assistant. It uses deep learningbased face recognition systems and natural language understanding technologies to manage calendar events and remind you based on Turn to D3

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SUNDAY, JULY 30, 2017 Isah V. Red, Editor

/

Young Life

Bernadette Lunas, Issue Editor isahred@gmail.com.ph

TROYE SIVAN

WEARS SMYTH

Scan this icon to view the PDF

YOUTH FIGURE. Singer/actor/YouTube star Troye Sivan is the face of SM Youth's newest line SMYTH which caters to the style needs of young trendsetters.

W

ITH his electronic dance-pop hits and relatable video blogs, Troye Sivan is one of the many youth figures of today’s YouTube-subscribed millennial demographic.

Thousands of young fans relate to the 22-year-old South African/Australian’s breakthrough single Youth, which talks about the liberating experiences of being young: running away, breaking free, and letting go. Real and relatable.

Sivan discreetly visited the Philippines to shoot the campaign for SM Youth’s latest brand SMYTH, wherein he wears pieces that carry the brand’s distinct, of-the-moment, young, and easy aesthetic.

“His extensive Philippine following, not to mention his list of achievements at such a young age, has caught the attention of SM Youth,” said the brand in a statement. The partnership is not surprising, though, as SM Youth is known for rallying behind influential creatives in the country.

The first drops of the SMYTH line live out the California dreams in anyone with its tropical print shirts, and colored denim jeans and jackets. There’s also a wide selection of outfits that will allow the young set to channel their fashion idols, bloggers, and social media influencers.

Joining Troye Sivan as SMYTH’s brand ambassador are Tommy Esguerra, Kaila Estrada, Kyle Perry, Macauly Lofgren, Erika Kristensen, Richard Juan, and Janna Tee. SMYTH is now available at the SM Youth section of all branches of The SM Store. —Marjelle Sy

Kristen Stewart strolls around in her Bullet sneakers

HAPPY FEET

KRISTEN STEWART’S Fun prints abound in the first drops of the SMYTH line

FOOTWEAR,

ECO-FRIENDLY SNEAKERS

Summer is forever with this tropical printed shirt

Jeans come in various shades and styles

HOW would you like to wear a pair of shoes also worn by a Hollywood actress? Or, are you interested in sporting sneakers that are environmentallyfriendly?

Sneakers brand Saucony introduces Bullet, inspired by the original 1985 track shoe of the same name which has spikes and all. Kristen Stewart was seen wearing the low-profile sneakers, which she paired with black shirt and jeans.

Bullet is made of nylon/suede and sits on a familiar rubber outsole. The latest update maintains the original silhouette of the street-popular sneakers.

Turn to E2

Tom Rodriguez shows how to live the good 'light' with a pair of photochromic lenses

SEEING THE WORLD IN A GOOD LIGHT A PHOTOCHROMIC lens maker wants the youth to see the world in a good light, a better light.

Crizal Transitions Adaptive Lenses, a unit of global eyecare manufacturer Essilor, launches its new advertising campaign “Live the Good Light” which is focused on reaching out to style-conscious and tech-savvy millennial consumers.

The new campaign aims to broaden, while still engaging, the company’s primary market of people over 45.

To change the perception of the young single-vision wearers, a new commercial showcases dif-

ferent people and lifestyles in familiar social and professional settings, all comfortably enjoying the light with Crizal Transitions lenses.

In the demonstration, a diverse group of wearers can be seen enjoying the benefits of the lenses and their experiences with them. From intimate interactions to grand events, either indoor or outdoor, wearers get to enjoy every moment with the seamless protection of Crizal Transitions lenses.

The said commercial educates consumers on adaptive lens technology featuring modern on-screen slider that moves as the lenses adapt. It also focuses on how Crizal Transitions lenses reduce exposure to harmful blue light and UV rays.

Visit www.essilor.com.ph to learn more.

Bullet is made of nylon/suede and rubber outsole

Young Life

E2

SUNDAY, JULY 30, 2017 isahred@gmail.com

HAPPY FEET...

From E1

WHY YOU SHOULD TAKE

A LEAVE FROM WORK

By Bernadette Lunas

G9 Shadow 6000 Veg Tan

The footwear brand also rolls out the latest under its G9 Shadow 6000 which is made of vegetable tanned leather or Veg-Tan. Veg-Tan leather is created by vegetable tanning process using leaves, fruit, and tree bark. The traditional craft process uses natural tannins, available in liquid or powder form, thus making each shoe unique—it’s not the same and changes during its entire life.

“With each wear, the Veg Tan becomes unique to the wearer, no one will patina the same. This leaves you with a unique and premium pair of kicks, original to you,” Saucony says in a statement.

Bullet is available for P3,295 while the G9 Shadow 6000 Veg Tan retails at P5,995. Saucony stores are at Glorietta 3, UP Town Center, and TriNoMa.

The Veg Tan shoes change during its entire life and become unique to the wearer

O

UR dynamic workplaces, which usually reward the most productive, have discouraged many employees to break away from work. Taking a leave is even considered selfish and counterproductive—more days in equals more work done, right? Thus many of us, even while on holiday, are still accessible should any work-related issue arises.

We’re still on while we’re off. And we—employers and employees—have let that culture breed.

But if you’re one of those employees who thinks accruing annual work leaves is heroic or an employer who considers work break thwarting the growth of the company, you might want to rethink your priorities.

American Institute for Cognitive Therapy director Robert Leahy Ph.D. said in an article published on Forbes.com that added stressors at work—such as tight schedule, deadlines, and toxic work environment, among others—might be contributing to depression.

Taking a leave, even only a day, from work helps recharge our brain.

Madalyn Parker, a web developer who suffers from chronic depression, took a sick a leave for her mental health, and her CEO commended and thanked her for it.

Company CEO Ben Congleton replied to Parker’s email that said she’d be off for two days to focus on her mental health.

“I just wanted to personally thank you for sending emails like this... I use it as a reminder of the importance of using sick days for mental health,” Congleton said in response to Parker’s email.

Parker posted their exchange on Twitter; many applauded her decision to use sick time for her wellbeing, and her CEO’s openness to such matter. It shed light on the stigma attached with mental health, especially the one that’s associated with work.

In the Philippines, employees have different types of paid leaves. Sick Leave (SL) for those who can’t report to work due to sickness or disability, Vacation Leave (VL) which can be availed for whatever purpose, Service Incentive Leave (SIL) which is an alternative to SL or VL, Maternity Leave for mothers recovering from giving birth/miscarriage, and Paternity Leave for fathers whose wife has given birth/suffered from miscarriage.

There’s also Bereavement Leave, Calamity or Special Emergency Leave, Solo Parent Leave, and Special Leave Benefits for Women.

But this advertising agency is taking paid leaves a notch higher. Ideas X Machina (IXM) provides its employees one week

WORKHORSE.

If you're feeling exhausted, sluggish, and uninspired, you might want to consider taking a break from work.

Don't worry, your company will carry on even if you're out for a day or two.

Breakup Leave, which they can claim twice a year, to help staff recover from broken heart without resorting to lying in their SL request or going to work while feeling down.

In a report on GMA’s 24 Oras, the agency’s art director shared he once took a Breakup Leave, which allowed him to stay at home, “[I] bought myself a few beers... I think that helped a lot,” he said.

While there are those who feel guilty taking vacation time and sick time, especially those with crucial responsibility at work or those part of an under-staffed department, consultants reiterate the importance of allowing our working body and mind rest and recover.

Resume writing consultant Judi Roo listed seven reasons why you should take a leave from work in her article on linkedin.com: (1) Recharge your “batteries”, (2) be more creative, (3) improve your sleep, (4) keep your family together, (5) rekindle your passion and enthusiasm (6) live longer, and (7) business will carry on without you.

So go and take a break. After all, they say, no man on his deathbed ever wished he had spent more time working.

HEALTHY FOOD FOR OUR DOGS PET TALES

BY DESIREE CARLOS YOU are what you eat, says human doctors. What you put in your body creates wellness or illness. Thus, we are told to choose our food well.

The same goes for our dogs. Vets have told us many times that it is important that we study what kind of food we will give or are giving to our dogs.

The Natural Diets for Dogs’ (NDD) newsletter enumerated the benefits of a natural diet: 1. It is the key to optimal health. It keeps the dog healthy and happy.

2. It helps address allergies, prevent kidney and liver problems, or lower the toxicity levels in dogs who already have kidney and liver problems.

3. It addresses digestive problems such as chronic diarrhea, gas, and constipation.

4. It makes the dog’s coat shiny and his/ pounds work synergistically to bring her skin itch- or problem-free. about health-enhancing effects to the body. More significantly, it is not a single WHAT TO FEED DOGS component but rather the interaction of Fresh food contains natural enzymes, pro- complex mixtures of natural chemicals biotics, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals found in whole food that help prevent in their most natural state which is why they diseases in people.” are easier to digest and assimilate.

There are two existing studies on the It is important then to keep in mind that effects of whole foods on pets, NDD says: nutrients are preserved more in food that The first study showed eating any type went through less heat or less cooking, of vegetable three (3) times a week rethe NDD says. duced by 70 to 90 percent the growth of “Cooking at high heat (and pressure) re- cancer cells (transitional cell carcinoma) in duces the potency of nutrients, including Scottish terriers.

L-carnitine, and completely destroys othThe second study showed that older dogs ers such as thiamine, folic acid, vitamins A developed better cognitive functions when and C, niacin, and so on,” it adds. a mixture of fruits and vegetables and additional vitamins E and C, L-carnitine, and DLSTUDIES ON EFFECTS OF WHOLE alpha-lipoic acid were ADDED to processed FOOD FOR PETS food formulated for senior dogs.

NDD notes that there are 8,000 phytoDue to these studies, many veterinarchemicals in whole food. ians have been recommending feeding It says: “Human studies have proved raw food to our dogs.

Senior dog Richie, pulled out from a pound by Save ALL due to many illnesses, eats that the complex mixture of these comContinued on E3 a lot of vegetables and is now one healthy, happy dog.

Showbiz

SUNDAY, JULY 30, 2017

E3

‘EAT

BULAGA!’

LAUNCHES SEARCH FOR MILLENNIAL AMBASSADOR Justine Bieber is yet to give the real reason for quitting his tour early, he only said that he’s fine and looking forward to "just resting and getting some relaxation."

BIEBER PULLING THE PLUG ON

‘PURPOSE TOUR’ DRAWS MIXED REACTIONS

The Purpose World Tour was the third worldwide tour by the Canadian singer and had sold over USD 200 million worth of concert tickets.

By Sundy Locus

I

T WAS a sad day for Beliebers when Canadian superstar Justin Bieber announced the cancellation of the remaining 14 dates for his Purpose World Tour, which includes its supposed final stop at the Philippine Arena on Sept. 30.

After the official announcement, fans took to social media and aired their dismay. But some were glad that their idol, who’s been vocal about physically exhaustion, will finally take a much needed break.

The tour, which began in Seattle, ran over for 18 months and staged 150 shows on six continents before its final show in London, England on July 2. It has made USD 93.2 million in the first half of 2017 with an average of almost 40,000 ticket sales per date.

Purpose World Tour is Bieber’s third worldwide tour as a support for his fourth studio album Purpose (2015).

His show started on March 9 last year, and was first

announced on The Ellen DeGeneres Show on Nov. 11, 2015. Fifty-eight dates for the tour were released on the same day including venues for United States and Canada.

Throughout its run, the concert tour was received warmly by fans that resulted to additional shows in several venues including the Philippines and some key cities in Southeast Asia.

The two-hour concert is packed with energy and music as Justin Bieber performs his classic hits “Boyfriend”, “Cold Water” and “Baby” together with his Purpose album songs “Sorry”, “What Do You Mean?” and “Love Yourself”.

Praises poured over his show as critics commend his stellar performance. Billboard praised his smooth vocals and acoustic set. It also highlighted Bieber’s performance of “Company” by calling it as “one of the show’s most thrilling (though slightly puzzling) moments.” Entertainment, on the other hand, described it as a concert that validated Bieber is definitely back. Meanwhile, less favorable reviews highlighted the poor choreography, prerecorded vocals and the singer’s lack of enthusiasm.

The singer‘s management explained that the abrupt cancellation is due to “exhaustion” and that he needed a break.

The Grammy Award winner rose to fame through his YouTube videos and hit tracks “Baby,”“One Time,” and “One Less Lonely Girl.” Most recently, he was featured in Luis Fonsi’s Spanish global hit, “Despacito.”

PET TALES..

From E2

I personally give a combination of processed food and NATURAL food to my dogs. In the morning, we give processed dog food specifically formulated for senior dogs. In the late afternoon, we give a combination of slightly cooked and fresh vegetables.

Why? Because I do not have the time to prepare home-made food every day. And that is okay. Do not feel guilty about this.

We can do a combination based on the freshness scale provided by NDD. The Freshness Scale: 1. Home-prepared diet (preferably raw) 2. Frozen raw food diets 3. Freeze-dried and dehydrated foods 4. Canned foods 5. Dry kibble A combination of these food is still good for our dogs.

I suggest you add the following to dry dog food or kibble: 1. Grated carrots (or slice the carrots into thin sticks which dogs love to hold between their paws like a treat) 2. Do the same with singkamas or Mexican turnip.

3. A leaf of cooked pechay or bok choy (once a week only) 4. A leaf of Romaine lettuce which is a good liver and kidney cleanser. (Tear it and put in the kibble or just give it to your dog.

Krauss, rescued from being PTS (put to sleep) due to alleged aggression by Save ALL, is so happy whenever vegetables are donated to Dogs Mountain sanctuary in La Union

LONGEST running noontime variety program Eat Bulaga! marks another milestone in July as it celebrates its 38th year in the entertainment business, and what better way to highlight its anniversary than launching a new segment.

Called Miss Millennial Philippines, the beauty pageant will feature candidates showcasing the tourist spots in their provinces, and take the Eat Bulaga audience on a visual tour of scenic spots in their home town.

On Eat Bulaga’s Facebook page last week, a message was posted with the Miss Millennial Philippines teaser: “Makikita natin ang iba’t ibang ganda ng bawat probinsya sa Pilipinas! Ipapasyal tayo ng mga Miss Millennial Philippines! Mahigit tatlumpung probinsya sa Pilipinas, nagpadala ng kanilang ‘Millennial Ambassadors’ ng kanilang lugar na makikilala natin next week!”

Meanwhile, on Eat Bulaga’s endeavor to keep up with the ever changing local TV landscape, one of the hosts said, “We are evolving. Even our seniors, we keep up with the times. We learn the millennial language that is so different from what we are used to. It updates you and it keeps you young. That’s the reason we have the younger ones who are being trained to get the hang of things. We try to pass it to them.”

The Dabarkads of “Eat Bulaga” try to be relevant by introducing segments with millennial appeal

They love the crunchiness.)

5. Other vegetables that are good for dogs. (I enumerated the others in my earlier column.)

6. Raw meat if you can get it fresh from the market. (But please check your dog’s levels thru a blood test. Some dogs can not be given additional meat if the protein content of the kibble is already high. Too much protein can lead to liver and kidney problems. It is best to ask your vet based on the test results.)

7. Cooked meat if your dog has a healthy liver and kidney, and is still young.

8. Canned dog food (I suggest you also look at the protein content of the kibble and the canned dog food.)

Instead of adding the raw meat, cooked meat, or canned dog food to the processed dog food or kibble, you can instead skip giving dry dog food for one day, and give these “NEW” food on that day.

Like humans who enjoy variety in their food, our pets also enjoy something new every now and then.

“A more diverse diet is far more likely to provide complete nutrition than a ‘formulated’ diet fed over and over again. Not only will our pets get tired of the food, but also, more importantly, eating the same food repeatedly over long periods of time can contribute to the development of food sensitivities and allergies,” notes Natural Diets.

So let’s be creative and resourceful when feeding our pet.

It is fun to come up with a diet that is not only good for them but something that you can actually see they are enjoying everyday.

Have a great week ahead, everyone. Namaste!

E4

Showbiz

SUNDAY, JULY 30, 2017 Isah V. Red, Editor / Nickie Wang, Issue Editor isahred@gmail.com

‘GAME OF THRONES’ Yassi in a new TVC for a beauty soap packed with enzymes for exfoliation and Vitamin E for moisturizing

YASSI PRESSMAN

RISES UP

By Nickie Wang

E

VERY given year, hundreds of fresh-faced hopefuls try their luck in local tinsel town dreaming of a break. Some of these faces will land coveted roles, and even go on to garner awards and nominations for their performances.

And there are those who remain “just barely there.”

Take Yassi Pressman for example.

SENSATIONAL CURVES. The free-spirited Yassi Pressman, who takes her father’s advice for any showbiz projects, believes his father wouldn’t mind if she goes a little daring.

The 22-year-old Viva artist started in show business 10 years ago, and yet her biggest break came only now, at least based on how people react whenever they hear her name.

Yassi is now a household name, thanks to the primetime series that seems to have opened a lot of doors to the young star. She’s busy with projects and product endorsements more than ever.

In one of her showbiz engagements, when she was launched as the new face of Silka, we had the chance to sit down with Yassi and ask her about her revitalized career. She said she couldn’t be any happier and she would like to give credit to the unparalleled support of the people surrounding her.

“There were so many challenges in showbiz, even up to now. But you have to trust the people around you, and you also have to trust yourself.

I’m just happy with the support system that I have at the moment especially with my Dad who’s my biggest influence,” Yassi told Manila Standard.

“I’m just so happy that I was given the opportunity to act alongside seasoned actors. I’ve learned so many things from them,” she furthered.

At the onset of our conversation, she said that she had little sleep prior to coming to the press launch due to long hours of taping. But she wasn’t complaining, she even jested, “ginusto ko ‘to.”

The multihypenate Kapamilya star seems to have come to prominence when she became part of the primetime series FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano. Prior to that, people only know Yassi as a VJ, a beautiful young actress who can also sing and dance. And probably the third wheel in JaDine love team.

“Well that’s how I really feel whenever I’m with JaDine,” she quipped.

Yassi used to be a support act for the powerhouse love team. She joined them in two block buster films namely Diary ng Panget and Talk Back and You’re Dead. Perhaps, her being the third wheel in JaDine prompted Viva to capitalize on it and turned it into a film.

“No it’s not like that,” she beamed, “In the movie I play the role of a girl named Trina who is a third wheel practically in every situation she’s in.

Hence, the title Ang Pambansang Third Wheel.”

She added that since the film is still unfinished she can only give so much about the plot and how the story will unfold.

The movie, which also stars Sam Milby and Sam Pinto, is just one of the projects that keeps her busy these days. She said although acting is her main focus at the moment, she still wants to give some attention to her recording career that had to take a backseat as she can only handle so much on her plate.

“Right now I am more focused on my acting but given a chance, I would like to give more time on my music career. Kasi ‘yun talaga ang una kong passion na dati pangarap ko lang sa shower,” she concluded.

BRUNO ON THE FLOOR

THE SINGER-SONGWRITER IS COMING TO MANILA

Grammy Award-winning pop star Bruno Mars is returning to Manila for the third time

FILIPINO-PUERTO Rican and “Vercase on the Floor” singer Bruno Mars is bringing his «24K Magic» Tour to Manila on May 3, 2018 at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City, concert promoter Music Management International (MMI Live) said Thursday.

Although ticket prices have not been release yet, the concert promoter divulged that tickets will go on sale on Sept. 7 via SM Tickets.

The 24K Magic World Tour is the third concert tour by the Grammy Award winning popstar, to support his album 24K Magic (2016). It began March 28, at the Sportpaleis in Antwerp,

and will conclude at Axiata Arena in Kuala Lumpur on May 9, 2018. Meanwhile, 24K Magic, the album, has been consistently on top of the charts, with songs like “24K Magic,” “Versace on The Floor,” and “That’s What I Like.”

This will be the 3rd time Bruno will perform in the country. He last performed in Manila in March 2014 for his “The Moonshine Jungle” world tour.

The 31-year old Filipino-Puerto Rican singer-songwriter rose to fame for his early hits “Just The Way You Are,” “Marry You,” “The Lazy Song,” and “Grenade.” His other hits include “Uptown Funk” and “Versace on the Floor.”

FEVER IS ON

Kit Harrington as Jon Snow

FANS waited for more than a year, now the long wait is over as the blockbuster fantasy drama series resumes with its newest season, blasting off with first episode watched by almost 13 million viewers in the US alone, its highest viewership since its premiere in April 2011.

The seven-episode Season 7 of Game of Thrones promises another crazy circle of power play and mystery with season 6 ending with Jon Snow becoming the King of the North; Cersei Lannister as the Queen of the Seven Kingdoms and Daenerys Targaryen, the exiled princess traveling to Westeross to reclaim her throne.

Teasers for season seven show a glimpse of what chaos is going to hit the characters: winter and the Great War. Fans can expect a lot of twists and turns once again with Dany and Jon Snow’s meeting; Arya’s reunion with her direwolf, Nymeria; and the three Houses- Tyrell, Dorne, Greyjoy’s aid to Dany as she journey in taking over the Seven Kingdoms.

Ed Sheeran also did a cameo in the pilot episode as a gift to her fan Maisie Williams, who is playing the character of Arya Stark. Adding to the roster of casts is Jim Broadbent, who will act as a maester of the Citadel at Oldtown, Archmaester Marwyn.

Executive producers David Benioff and Dan Weiss in an interview with Entertainment Weekly teased that the much anticipated war will finally happen in Westeross. New interactions and a bunch of reunions will also be formed in the penultimate season.

Powerhouse casts- the Starks, Jon Snow, Cersei and Jamie Lannister, Daenerys Targaryen are said to be bolder and fiercer for this season. Sophie Turner, playing Sansa Stark declared in an interview with Independent.co.uk that her character will be ‘unlikeable’.

She explained that Sansa will finally have power but is at loss onto what she’ll do with it.

The HBO original production premier episode aired July 16, with its ending episode reportedly to have the longest duration in the show’s entire history. Sundy Locus

A scene from “Game of Thrones” latest season