Manila Standard - 2017 November 26 - Sunday

SERENO'S LAST RECOURSE: ASK HIGH TRIBUNAL VOL. XXXI • NO. 282 • 3 SECTIONS 16 PAGES • P18 • SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2017 • www.manilastandard.net • editorial@manilastandard.net

COUNSEL for Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno said they were “strongly considering” seeking redress from the Supreme Court over her impeachment case after the House justice committee barred them from cross-examining witnesses against the top magistrate.

“That is still something we are seriously considering ... we will not close the door, we will not rule out that kind of route or avenue given by law,” said Sereno lawyerspokesperson Aldwin Salumbides at a news briefing in Quezon City on Saturday.

But such a move would be the camp’s “last recourse” after the lawyers had exhausted all possible administrative actions, said lawyerspokesperson Joshua Santiago.

If their plans for the elevation of the case to the High Court would come to fruition, the lawyers said they would raise alleged violations against Sereno’s “fundamental” and elementary” rights to counsel and for her lawyers to cross-examine witnesses.

“Why does there seem to be a radical departure from what is fundamental, from what is supposedly elementary and understood by all?” Salumbides said.

The Chief Justice would recuse herself from any such case that would be elevated to the Supreme Court, said Santiago.

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17 LGUS TOLD: COMPLY WITH SMOKING BAN

By Joel E. Zurbano ROMBLON’S TREAT. Dubbed the “Marble Capital of the Philippines,” the island province, which hosts this year the 3rd Mimaropa festival, is being unraveled

as a world-class tourist destination like its neighboring provinces, with tourists flocking to the area to see, among others, its lush mountainous greenery, hidden valleys, waterfalls, pristine waters, white sand beaches, diving sites, Spanish-era relics—all part of the wealth and culture of Romblon. Teddy Pelaez

ARREST JOMA IF HE COMES HOME—RODY P

By John Paolo Bencito

RESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte threatened to have his former professor, exiled Communist Party of the Philippines founder Jose Maria Sison, arrested should the latter decide to return home in the country.

This, after the communist leader, who was Duterte’s professor at the then Lyceum of the Philippines, accused the latter of “sabotaging” the peace talks between the government and the rebels, after he called him as the Philippines’“No. 1 terrorist.”

“If Joma Sison comes here, I will arrest him. Or if I were him,

he should not return anymore,” Duterte told fellow graduates of the San Beda College of Law during its annual homecoming celebration.

“Better still, I will not allow him to enter his native land and that is a very painful experience specially if you’re dying and you think you should be buried in your own cem-

etery, in your own town,” he added.

Duterte reiterated that a ”coalition government” proposed by the communists were among the reasons he officially terminated the peace negotiations.

“I am looking at everything. It sums up like this: it looks like a coalition government. That’s what I said in a statement to the press: I cannot give you what I do not have,” Duterte said, adding it was a portion of a sovereignty which nobody can own except the Filipino people.

In the same speech, Duterte also admitted he had sensed the grumblings of the military following his decision to temporarily release the communist consultants, including the leaders Benito and Wilma

Tiamzon.

He said he “conceded too much, too soon” when he allowed their release.

“I released them to show good faith and the confidence building period which is really very necessary in talking to them and to the enemies of the state… Now, how I would deal with them is something like this. I will treat them as terrorists. And I will charge them for the crimes that they actually committed,” Duterte said.

On Thursday, Duterte signed Proclamation No. 360 terminating the peace talks with the rebels, represented by the National Democratic Front of the Philippines.

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THE Metro Manila Development Authority on Saturday urged the 17 local government units in the National Capital Region to comply with the World Health Organization-Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO-FCTC).

WHO reveals that smoking kills more than seven million people a year worldwide.

In a forum at the MMDA Auditorium in Makati City, Dr. Loida Alzona, MMDA head for Health, Public Safety and Environmental Protection, said five LGUs in Metro Manila were already compliant with the FCTC. These are the cities of Caloocan, San Juan, Muntinlupa and Mandaluyong, and the municipality of Pateros.

The FCTC is developed in response to the globalization of tobacco epidemic and is an evidence-based treaty that reaffirms the right of all people to the highest standard of health.

According to Alzona, the goal is to have the entire Metro Manila compliant with the FCTC to promote better health and to lessen the cases of smoking-related diseases.

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TERROR HITS SINAI: NO PH CASUALTY

By Sara Susanne D. Fabunan

NPA INFLICTS P2-B LOSSES ON E. MINDANAO, SAYS AFP NEW People’s Army’s atrocities have caused damage to property and equipment worth P2.17 billion in Eastern Mindanao in 2017, a scourge tantamount to “economic sabotage,” the Armed Forces of the Philippines said Saturday.

AFP spokesperson Maj. Gen. Restituto Padilla Jr. in an interview on Super Radyo dzBB said the over P2-billion figure represented an accumulated damage from NPA attacks in “more than 50” incidents of burning and destroying business implements from January to November 2017.

“This was based on field reports submitted and duly validated” on the ground,” Padilla said in a message to GMA News Online.

In the radio interview, he also said there was a 2,000-percent increase in

the rate of destruction from the 2016 accumulated figure estimated at “more than P100 million” in 36 hostile incidents.

And this is on top of the AFP’s “modest estimate” of P2.2 billion in “extorted money” from mining companies among other businesses that the rebel group has collected in the Mindanao area, he pointed out.

He told GMA News Online the estimate was based on a study by the Eastern Mindanao Command.

Meanwhile, a policeman was killed and 10 others wounded when they were ambushed by communist rebels in the town of Maasin, Iloilo on Friday evening.

Maasin is the same town where, in June, New People’s Army guerrillas took control of the municipal police station Turn to A2

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DOLOROUS DENUNCIATION. Activists wear white masks with red tears on their facial facade to denounce the government’s anti-drug campaign during a human rights summit in Manila Friday. There, President Rodrigo Duterte recalled the Philippine National Police to take the lead in his unrelenting anti-drug campaign, having twice demoted them in response to criticisms on the unprecedented crackdown. AFP

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NO Filipino casualties from the deadliest terrorist attack at a mosque in the Northern Sinai—at least 200 people and wounded— have thus far been reported, the Philippine Embassy in Cairo said Saturday.

At the same time, Philippine ambassador Leslie Baja called on all 5,183 registered Filipinos to exercise extra caution and avoid going to the Northern Sinai Region due to high risk of terrorist attacks.

“The Philippine Embassy in Cairo is monitoring the incident and that initial reports indicate that there are no Filipinos among the casualties in the attack,” Baja said.

Foreign Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano, who had condemned the attack, himself suggested the incident in Sinai must reinforce the resolve not only of the various governments but also the major faiths around the world to “work together and fight these forces of terror.”

Cayetano also extended condolences to people whose loved ones Turn to A2 were killed.

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SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2017 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

MWSS CITES MANILA WATER CSR PROJECTS THE Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System has taken cognizance of Manila Water’s sustainability programs that impact on water provision, water education and environmental protection.

“We believe that the overall efforts of Manila Water, our reliable partner over the last 20 years under our successful Private Public Partnership [PPP] along with Maynilad, must be commended notably their overall performance in basic and efficient delivery of basic water services in Metro Manila’s east zone but also in their various Corporate Social Responsibility [CSR] projects,” says MWSS Administrator Reynaldo V. Velasco. “We want that this continuing effort will be part of the program that will ensure clean and sufficient water for all.”

Among Manila Water noble flagship CSR program is the Tubig Para Sa Barangay or Water for the Community that aims to provide affordable water and deliver 24/7 potable water to low-income communities. Since its inception in 1998 more than 700 projects completed that benefitted over 1.8 million people. `“We have added more than three million customers with the past 20 years and more than half of that, about 1.8 million came from the marginalized sector,” says Manila Water president Ferdinand M. dela Cruz.

“This is one more area where we are proud of what we have done in the East Zone.” `Complementing TPSB is the Lingap program which involves installing drinking fountains and wash areas, repairing after-the-meter pipelines, and providing sanitation facilities in public schools, hospitals, orphanages, markets, city jails, and churches. More than 380 institutions and over 1.5 million beneficiaries have been given 24/7 access to clean water. `Another notable Manila Water CSR project is Lakbayan or Water Trail and the Greening the Supply Chain programs that showcase the entire water cycle—starting from raw water source, to the treatment process, distribution until the used water treatment process. Its objective is to bring awareness to the importance of water, the necessity of using water wisely and the proper management of used water. Greening the supply chain involves encouraging the company’s business partners to adopt sustainability in their respective company policies.

The program also involves provision for training and technical assistance on cleaner production, energy efficiency, solid waste management, hazardous waste management, environmental laws and other environmental topics.

Not to be outdone is the Toka Toka Program, a joint project being undertaken in collaboration with ADB and ABS-CBN Foundation that encourages proper management of wastewater in every household in order to revive rivers and waterways. By involving the households, they are given the opportunity to help combat pollution in the rivers and waterways. As stakeholders, households are encouraged to practice solid waste management and segregation; to desludge household septic tanks every five years; and to connect to proper sewer lines. The community is also being educated on proper wastewater management and the environment.

To date, over 25 institutions and companies have signed up as Toka Toka partners since its launch in 2012.

SERENO'S ...

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Last Wednesday’s hearing saw members of the House Committee on Justice vote to deny Sereno’s lawyers what they claim to be their right to cross-examine witnesses who would testify against her.

Also during the hearing, committee members grilled lawyer-complainant Lorenzo “Larry” Gadon on the basis and strength of his allegations against Sereno.

Sereno is being accused of culpable violation of the Constitution, corruption, other high crimes and betrayal of public trust.

The impeachment complaint against her has been determined sufficient in form, substance and grounds and is now being heard for the determination of probable cause.

The next hearing will take place on Monday.

TERROR...

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“We join the people and government of Egypt and the rest of the world in mourning the loss of many innocent lives in the tragedy,” Cayetano said.

“The Philippines strongly condemns this cowardly act perpetrated against our Muslim brothers and sisters in Egypt,” Cayetano said.

The embassy there reported the attack took place at the Al-Rawdah mosque in Bir Al-Abed Province, about 300 kilometers northeast of Cairo.

Baja said the attack involved at least one suicide bomber and several gunmen who targeted Sufi Muslim worshippers attending Friday afternoon prayers.

ANTI-GRAFT BODY ASSURED OF HAZARD ALLOWANCE

By Maricel V. Cruz

T

HE House of Representatives has approved on third and final reading House Bill 6578 which provides retirement benefits and hazard allowance to officials and employees of the Office of the Ombudsman.

HB 6578, principally authored

by Rep. Ann Hoffer of Zamboanga Sibugay, provides that the Ombudsman shall enjoy the same retirement and other benefits as those of the Presiding Justice of the Court of Appeals, while the Deputies and the Special Prosecutor shall enjoy the same retirement and other benefits as those of the Associate Justice of the Court of Appeals.

Hofer said the benefits and allowances of the employees and officials

of the OMB are still not comparable to those of their counterparts in other government agencies and in other anti-graft and corruption bodies in the Pacific Region.

Hofer said the Ombudsman suffers from a high turnover of personnel, who eventually join other government agencies or the private sector that offer better compensation and retirement benefits.

She said the workforce of the OMB has been receiving salaries and

benefits that are not commensurate to their heavy task of gathering evidence and establishing air-tight cases against erring public officials.

Under the proposed “Retirement Law of the Office of the Ombudsman,” all other officials and employees covered by the Act, from Salary Grade 26 to 29, shall enjoy the same retirement and other benefits as those of the Judges of the Regional Trial Courts, Municipal Trial Courts in Cities, Municipal Trial Courts and Municipal Circuit Trial Courts with the same salary grades.

The bill provides for the automatic increase in the pension benefits of OMB retired officials or employees whenever there is an increase in the salary and allowance in the same position from which they retired.

It also provides for additional monthly hazard allowance not exceeding 50

percent of the basic monthly salary to officials and employees exposed to hardships, security risks and other hazards by reason of their assigned tasks and responsibilities.

Upon the death of a retired or incumbent official or employee covered by the Act, the surviving legitimate spouse and dependent children of said official or employee shall be entitled to receive on a monthly basis all the retirement benefits the deceased had been receiving or entitled to receive at the time of death under the provisions of the applicable retirement laws then in force.

Any increase after the effectivity of this Act in the salary, allowances or retirement benefits, or any upgrading of the salary grades or levels, all of the justices and judges shall apply to the corresponding OMB or employee

ASIAN WATER LEADERS. Photo shows MWSS Administrator Reynaldo V. Velasco (left) with K-Water and Asia Water Council president Hak soo Lee with Manila Water president Ferdinand M. dela Cruz, himself a K-Water Institute alumnus, and Manila Water strategic asset management director Abe Basilio.

Velasco, himself an AWC director, presented the AWC new member to K-Water’s Lee at a recent international water conference in Gyeongju, South Korea.

ARREST...

NPA...

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He said the CPP and its armed wing, New People’s Army, failed to show sincerity and commitment in the negotiations.

Communist rebels have done “so much destruction” in the country, the President added.

“There’s always a time to destroy and to repair. And they have done so much destruction to the country. Not only destroying the youth then, but even now,” Duterte said.

Sison, however, said Duterte was unprepared to handle the complexities of the affairs of government and the peace process with communist insurgents.

Sison said the Cabinet and the military “should consider whether [Duterte] is mentally fit for his office or needs to be replaced in accordance with their 1987 Constitution.”

“In the course of his rants, Duterte unwittingly exposed his scarce, shallow and defective knowledge of the peace process,” Sison said.

He said the President cited alleged recent incidents in the armed conflict which the latter allegedly used “as false basis for slandering the revolutionary forces and threatening the termination of the peace negotiations and the outlawing of the revolutionary forces and legal democratic forces as terrorists.”

Sison also accused Duterte of “lying” when he said the NDF ignored the government proposal for a stand down agreement, prior to the adoption and implementation of the coordinated unilateral ceasefire.

Following the government announcement of the termination of peace talks, the National Democratic Front of the Philippines late on Friday said they were now waiting for the written notice of termination.

The NDFP also said the front expected the government to comply with the protocol on termination—that is, the talks deemed terminated 30 days after receipt of the formal notice.

“We, the National Democratic

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Front of the Philippines, hereby declare that we await receipt of the written notice of termination of the peace negotiations by the Government of the Republic of the Philippines as a consequence of the reported signing of Proclamation No. 360 by GRP President Duterte declaring such termination,” Fidel Agcaoili said.

It has been three times since Duterte suspended or terminated the talks, Agcaoili said.

Agcaoili said that the NDF was expecting the government to “comply with this provision.”

“The GRP-NDFP peace negotiations are governed by agreements.

We expect the written notice to be sent to us immediately now that Proclamation No. 360 has been published,” Agcaoili said.

They also reminded Duterte that “no one can rule a country in Mafia-style fashion where it becomes a personal turf and all forms of opposition are wiped out while the Army and police are transformed into enforcers and hit-men.”

Also on Friday, Commission on Human Rights Chairman Chito Gascon on Friday said the body would closely monitor rights violations that might be caused following his decision to terminate peace talks with the communist rebels. “...there are cases of human rights violations that have been documented over the last 30, 40 years perpetrated by armed groups as well as armed forces,” Gascon said.

“If there will be an escalation of conflict, then necessarily we are concerned that there may also be an escalation of human rights violations so we will also have to monitor this very closely,” he added.

Gascon said the CHR supported the peace talks to minimize the effect of the conflict on civilians.

“We have always supported opportunities for political settlement of conflict so that people can focus on rebuilding their lives and asserting their rights in the context of armed struggle. Often it’s the people who are caught in the crossfire,” he added.

without firing a shot and carted off several weapons and other equipment.

The Friday ambush took place a day after President Rodrigo Duterte signed Proclamation No. 360 formally terminating peace negotiations with the National Democratic Front, and two days after three policemen were wounded in a rebel ambush in Sibalom, Antique.

News reports said the police personnel, belonging to the 6th Regional Public Safety Battalion, were on a patrol vehicle and a private car when they were attacked early Friday evening. The lone fatality was identified as Police Officer 1 Jofer Odon.

Most of the wounded policemen were taken to Iloilo City.

On Saturday, the Coronacion “WalingWaling” Chiva Command of the NPA on Panay acknowledged the attack, which it said was carried out in Barangay Bolo by a unit

of the Jose Percival Estocada Jr. Command in Central Panay, although it claimed 12 policemen were wounded.

It also called the Sibalom incident an ambush pulled off by the Napoleon Tumagtang Command of Southern Panay.

On the same day as the Maasin ambush, Concha Araneta, spokesperson of the NDFP on Panay, issued a statement belittling Duterte’s branding them “terrorist,” saying this was no different from what past presidents since the late President Ferdinand Marcos had done.

President Duterte on Thursday signed a proclamation declaring the end of peace negotiations with the Communist Party of the Philippines-NPA-National Democratic Front of the Philippines The reason, the presidential spokesperson said, was the “engage[ment] of the NDFP-CPP-NPA in acts of violence and hostilities.”

17 LGUS...

From A1 The purpose of the smoke-free forum is to “highlight experiences of the local government units in Metropolitan Manila relative to the passage and implementation of tobacco control policies compliant with Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.”

The forum tackled the effective ordinances in protecting the health of the public and the strategies towards public awareness and compliance.

For his part, MMDA chairman Danilo Lim thanked local executives in their efforts and for supporting the government’s campaign against smoking and cleaner air.

“We have to stand our grounds despite the struggles in implementing a smoke-free Metropolitan Manila,” Lim said.

The MMDA has implemented “no smoking in public places policy” and provides technical assistance to the LGUs in policy development, capacity building, communication strategies, and compliance monitoring.

Just recently, the National Police Commission ordered the Philippine National Police to strictly enforce the nationwide smoking ban in public places and conveyances.

The commission issued Memorandum Circular 2017-003 directing PNP personnel

to apprehend violators of Executive Order 26 which was approved by President Rodrigo Duterte on May 16, 2017.

The directive enjoins the members of the PNP, together with the Smoke-Free Task Force under the city and municipal governments, to strictly carry out the provisions of E.O. 26 including the apprehension of violators and the institution of criminal proceedings for violations, in accordance with relevant laws, rules and regulations, and in observance of due process.

E.O. 26 is a reinforcement of Republic Act No. 9211, or the Tobacco Regulation Act of 2003, which prohibits smoking in certain public places and the purchase and sale of cigarettes and other tobacco products to and by minors, and in certain places frequented by minors.

Under the law, the penalty for: * Smoking in prohibited places and for violation of DSA (designated smoking area) standards: -First offense: a fine of P500.00 - P1, 000.00; -Second offense: a fine of P1, 000.00-P5, 000.00; -Third offense: a fine of P5,000.00-P10, 000.00 and revocation of the business permits and licenses to operate.

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CHILDREN’S TELEVISION ACT OF 1997 ‘STRENGTHENED’

By Maricel V. Cruz

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PANEL in the House of Representatives has passed the bill to strengthen monitoring, production, and broadcast of child-friendly programs.

The House committee on public information, chaired by Rep. Bernadette Herrera-Dy of Bagong Henerasyon party-list, approved House Bill 4503 of Pangasinan Rep. Christopher de Venecia.

The bill proposes to amend Republic Act 8370, otherwise known as the Children’s Television Act of 1997. The amendments, De Venecia said, would strengthen the National Council for Children’s Television through the inclusion and clarification of the government agency figures to be members of the Advisory Committee.

The Children’s Television Act of 1997 established the NCCT, the sole policy-making agency mandated to encourage and promote the production and broadcast of children’s and childfriendly television programs for Filipino children.

De Venecia stressed the need for HB 4503 given

that television continues to be one of the most accessible and influential media consumed and preferred by Filipino children.

In February to March 2015, NCCT surveyed 4,395 children below 18 years old from Grades 3 to 10 enrolled in 209 public and private elementary and high schools across the country. The study revealed that many children watch television from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. This time frame is considered the prime time of Philippine television shows, replete with news shows and “teleseryes.”

“Television programs not specifically created for children are detrimental to their growth, even without the presence of vulgarity and violence in its content,” explained De Venecia.

He added that the study showed that most Filipino children watch television for close to three hours on weekdays, and six hours on weekends.

This exceeds the recommended daily exposure to television of one to two hours, as prescribed by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

“There is a need to ensure that the NCCT is advised knowingly and prudently in the formation of national policies pertaining to children’s broadcast programs, since the future lies in the hands of our children,” said De Venecia.

Under De Venecia’s proposal, an Advisory Com-

mittee assists the NCCT in the formulation of national policies pertaining to children’s broadcast programs. This ensures that quality television programs are offered to Filipino children for their empowerment and holistic development.

“The bill primarily introduces changes to Section 6 of the Children’s Television Act, the section concerned with the composition of the Advisory Committee,” De Venecia said.

One of the bill’s major amendments, he said, mandates the addition of a representative of the National Youth Commission to the Advisory Committee. The NYC may help address NCCT concerns with respect to adolescents since this is a critical period to a person’s growth and development towards being a mature, responsible, and selfreliant adult.

HB 4503 was backed by the NCCT, through its supervising administrative officer Daisy Atienza.

Atienza noted that NYC’s participation will be of great importance in the conduct of NCCT research for policy formulation, citing the necessity to shield the Filipino public especially children from negative influences. The addition of NYC to the Advisory Committee allows NCCT greater access to insight, data, input, and information in relation to the Filipino youth.

AFP VOWS TO PROTECT PRESS FREEDOM CAMP AGUINALDO, Quezon City—The Armed Forces of the Philippines Chief of Staff General Rey Leonardo Guerrero has vowed to protect freedom of speech and information as he addressed the members of the Defense Press Corps on their 50th Anniversary Celebration on Nov. 23, 2017 at the Tejeros Hall, AFP Commissioned Officers Club here.

Marine Colonel Edgard Arevalo, AFP Public Affairs Office Chief, said “the DPC and the AFP have been working together for five decades. As enduring partners, they worked hand-in- hand in bringing relevant and timely information from the military to the people they have sworn to protect.”

“This reputable defense media organization offers the needed perspective of the AFP’s internal security operations, the developments post Marawi siege, the implementation of martial law, Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Risk Response operations.

“They provide the needed check and balance and engendered transparency and accountability in the use of its resources.” said the chief of AFPPAO.

COMPLIANCE. Executives and engineers of the Masbate Gold Project inspect an area of the minesite undergoing a

progressive rehabilitation program, which is part of MGP’s efforts to go beyond environmental compliance. To date, the MGP has planted 2.1 million trees across the expanse of over 2,659 hectares of land and 388,500 mangroves over 87.66 hectares of coastal areas. MGP consists of two companies: Filminera Resources Corp., which holds the mineral tenements and conducts the mining operations, and Phil. Gold Processing & Refining Corp., which owns and runs the process plant.

Phil. Gold is wholly owned by B2Gold Corp., one of the fastest-growing gold producers in the world. In photo are the MGP and B2Gold officers (from left) Damien Tredwell, environmental advisor, Phil. Gold; Ray Mead, Phil. Gold president; Mike Cinnamond, B2Gold SVP for finance and CFO; Roger Richer, B2Gold executive vice president, general counsel and secretary; Pete Remoto, resident manager of Filminera, and Manny Pacsoy, drill and blast superintendent of Filminera.

TESDA SET TO BOOST LANGUAGE, CULTURE TRAINING PROGRAM THE Technical Education and Skills Development Authority is set to boost its language and culture training program among overseas Filipino workers to ease language barriers between the Filipinos and their foreign employers.

Tesda Director General, Secretary Guiling “Gene” Mamondiong said that at present, there are 36 Tesda Training Institutions nationwide that offer language training.

Mamondiong said that the language training program of Tesda is incorporated in the Training for Work Scholarship Program which offers language courses on English, Japanese, Spanish, Mandarin (Chinese), Italian, Arabic and Korean (Hangul).

He also said that a memorandum of understanding have previously been signed among Tesda, Spanish Embassy and Instituto Cervantes de Manila (Spanish), Filipino-Chinese Chamber

of Commerce Incorporated (Chinese Mandarin), Italia Lavoro (Italian) and the Korea International Cooperation Agency or KOICA through the Philippine National Volunteer Service Coordinating Agency of PNVSCA (Hangul) for the language training program.

Aside from language proficiency program, the training aims to educate the OFWs about the culture of the country where they are working.

Tesda‘s National Language Skills Institute has also become a venue of Japanese Language Preparatory training for nurses and caregivers under the Philippine-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement.

Mamondiong also said that Tesda is planning to expand its basic language and culture training by adding German, Russian, French, Bahasa, Vietnamese and Mandarin (Taiwan) languages.

CALL OF NATURE. Commuters queue up to use a public toilet under a bridge and along a main road in Manila on Nov. 24, 2017. AFP

DEPED SAYS PROVIDENT FUND TO BENEFIT PERSONNEL PASIG CITY—Contrary to claims that the Department of Education allowed private lending institutions to offer loans to its teaching and non-teaching personnel because it receives “commission,” that small fraction actually goes to the Provident Fund from which all DepEd personnel may benefit.

The service fee, which amounts to a measly 0.05 percent, charged for every remittance of the loan payment of a personnel-borrower, through the Auto-

matic Payroll Deduction System comes full-circle to benefit all Department personnel. To date, DepEd’s Provident Fund amounts to P4 billion.

“Walang pakinabang ang DepEd dyan.

Hindi kumikita ang DepEd sa PLI, in fact nakakapagbigay pa ng additional benefits to its employees who borrow from the Provident Fund kung saan pumupunta ang service fees na yan,” Undersecretary for Finance-Disbursement and Accounting Victoria Catibog clarified.

The same is true with loans from the Government Service Insurance System, wherein the interest paid on loans of 12 percent comprises the capital for the retirement benefits of government employees. Unlike PLIs, GSIS does not pay fees to DepEd for servicing the loans of its personnel.

The Provident Fund was established in 1992, through DepEd Order 97, initially aimed to benefit teachers and administrative support staff by providing loans for emergency needs; their education and

their children’s; their hospitalization and of their immediate dependents; minor but immediate repair of their house; and other similar purposes to be determined by the National Board of Trustees.

In 2007, through Deped Order 36 (Amendments and Addendum to DepEd Order 12, s. 2004), the aforementioned loan coverages were expanded to include death benefit and extended to the fourth degree of civil consanguinity or affinity of the borrower.

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SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2017 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

DUQUE WARNS PUBLIC VS SELFMEDICATION HEALTH Secretary Francisco Duque III cautioned the public against self-medication and antibiotic resistance following the declaration of Association of Southeast Asian Nations members to fight anti-microbial resistance.

The Asean leaders recently signed the AMR on the sidelines of the 31st Asean Summit in Manila, and in line with this, the Health department launched the National Antibiotic Guidelines.

The guidelines contain treatment recommendations for infectious diseases.

“Ito ay kasunduan sa magkabilang panig ang Asean kung saan signatory ang Pilipinas sa AMR... na dapat na siguraduhin ng mga gobyerno at lalong na ng departments of Health ng Asean na ang paggamit ng antibiotic hindi ‘yan basta basta,” Duque said in a radio interview.

The Health secretary warned the public against self-medication especially taking antibiotics without a doctor’s prescription.

“Kaya ang babala sa ating mga kababayan na ‘wag basta basta iinom ng mga antibiotic dahil malaki ang implikasyon niyan sa inyong kalagayan lalo na kung nagkaroon kayo ng impeksyon.”

He added: “Unang-una tama ang indication, number two kailangang sumunod sa tamang prescription na mga doctor lamang ang nakakapagbigay at dapat sinusunod din ang nakalagay sa prescription slip na sinabi ng mga doctor na kapag sinabing one week o two weeks susundin ‘yun ng mga tao ‘yung tamang indikasyon para dun sa klase ng antibiotic.”

Duque explained that antibiotic resistance occurs during self-medication or not following the prescribed medication as microbes “learn” how to get immune to the drugs.

The Health chief also warned against buying antibiotics from sari-sari (convenience) stores.

“Unang-una pwede isumbong ‘yang tinda-tindahan lang na wala namang lisensya na magbenta ng antibiotics... labag ‘yan sa batas at hindi pwedeng tindahan lang ang nagbebenta niyan,” Duque said.

He said that the DoH is doing efforts to promote the National Antibiotic Guidelines.

“Hindi pwede yung prescribe nang prescribe na kahit hindi kailangan ay nagbibigay na ng antibiotic dapat magkaroon ng mas malinaw na ebidensiya kung bakit mo binibigyan ng ganitong klase ng antibiotic,” he added.

N. VIZCAYA OPENS P88-M ROAD PROJECT

By Ben Moses Ebreo BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya—Provincial and municipal officials recently opened an P88-million Farm-to-Market Road Project to further boost agricultural production of farmers in a remote barangay of Bagabag town.

Gov. Carlos Padilla said the KinacaoKurasay-Kinalabasa Road Concreting Project was funded jointly by the provincial government and the Department of the Interior and Local Government through the Konkreto at Ayos na Kalsada ang Daan Tungo sa Pangkalahatang Kaunlaran Project during the term of former governor Ruth Padilla.

“This has been a long dream of farmers in the three barangays to uplift their agricultural production. Portions of this road project has been earlier funded by the provincial government along with other national government agencies,” he said.

Padilla said infrastructure development projects such as the KKK-RCP are now focused in the inner villages of the province to further boost agricultural production.

EX-DND SPOKESMAN PASSES AWAY AT 82 LAWYER Jose T. Flores Jr., former spokesman of the Department of National Defense, died after a lingering illness. He was 82.

Flores, former speech writer of former Senator Juan Ponce Enrile when the latter was the secretary of National Defense, is survived by his wife, Dr. Letica Orap-Flores, children Lelisa, Jopro, Aldrin and Janette, and grandchildren.

Flores’ remains lie in state at the St. Peter’s Chapel on Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City.

Burial will be at the Christ the King Columbarium in Quezon City on Nov. 30.

A4

Opinion

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2017

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Adelle Chua, Editor

MUSLIMS ARE OFTEN THE FIRST VICTIMS OF MUSLIM TERRORISTS

EDITORIAL

By Eli Lake

I

WANTING MORE

N October, President Rodrigo Duterte said he was transferring the control of the government’s war against illegal drugs to the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency. Beginning his term and up until then, it was the Philippine National Police that had been in charge of the campaign.

But the public outrage became too great, especially after the killing of teenagers perceived to be mere victims of the PNP’s excessive force. It appeared cops were overly zealous in carrying out its orders from the President, or deliver results.

Those results are missing these days, such that the President is now mulling handing back the PNP the reins of the anti-drug war.

“Whether I like it or not, I have to return that power to the police because surely it will increase the [drug] activity,” Mr. Duterte said.

“He wants more,” said Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque.

While a formal return has yet to be made, the PNP deputy spokesman has already expressed readiness to take on the job again.

Meanwhile, the PDEA spokesman said it has been their desire that the PNP would

THE terror in Egypt on Friday is only the latest grim reminder that Muslims are often the first victims of Muslim fanatics.

The massacre of at least 235 people attending a Sufi mosque in Bir al-Abd on the Sinai coast is being attributed to a local affiliate of the Islamic State, known as Ansar Beit al-Maqdis. This slaughter was particularly venal. Gunmen waited for ambulances and first responders to come to the mosque after an initial detonation and sprayed bullets into the survivors and those dispatched to save them.

An anonymous Muslim cleric told the New York Times that he was shocked the killers would attack a mosque. Prior targets for the terrorists in the Sinai included Coptic Christian churches and a Russian airliner in 2013.

But the killing of Muslims should surprise no one. Just look at the trail of blood in Iraq. Sunni terrorists attacked the al-Aksari mosque in both 2006 and 2007 in Samarra.

The site is one of the holiest in Shiite Islam and was known for its golden dome. While it was rebuilt in 2009, the attack sparked pledges of sectarian reprisals.

Al Qaeda and the Islamic State perfected car bomb attacks that detonated inside crowded markets in Baghdad, killing Muslims. Shiite militias responded to these attacks by meting out random terror on the Sunni minorities in Iraq with death squads, at times abetted by the state’s interior ministry. The killing is not limited to Iraq. Civil wars in Lebanon, Syria and Yemen have increasingly pitted Islamist extremists against one another.

This is important for a few reasons.

To start it puts the lie to the mantra of the Islamic State, al Qaeda and other Islamic terrorists that they are protecting the faith from the West. These groups are responsible for turning their battlefields into abattoirs. They slaughter the group they claim to protect.

But it’s also a reminder of the short sightedness of President Donald Trump, who has at times tried to frame the war on terror as a contest between Islam and the West. It’s true that fiends like the Islamic State have targeted religious minorities in the Middle East like Christians and Yazidis, but this has not stopped them from killing so many of their own religion, too. The West’s quarrel is with the extremists of political Islam, or the sect of the faith that seeks to impose Islamic law on others—not the entire religion. Indeed, our military relies on local Muslims fighting alongside it in the war on terror. It’s a strategy Trump himself has pursued in Syria and Iraq.

Many of the regimes in the Islamic world have internalized

return in the fight against illegal drugs.

With this demand for “more,” the people brace themselves for a return to the previous scenario where poor neighborhoods are raided and drug suspects are hauled off and punished for resisting arrest or putting up a fight. Such a process has earned criticism here and abroad.

The PNP says it already has plans for some changes in its methods but would not disclose them until there has been a formal transfer. The recommendations, they say, are awaiting the approval of the PNP chief, Director-General Ronald dela Rosa.

This is the same Dela Rosa who exacted accountability from erring policemen by making them do push-ups and berating them in public.

We want—no, we demand—that the return of the drug campaign to the police be accompanied by greater circumspection and responsibility. Nobody disputes the need to crack down on the illegal drug trade; it is the means through which this aim is achieved that raises questions and invites opposition. It is the manner by which the campaign is carried out that will determine its credibility and acceptability.

Of these, we, too, do want more.

Turn to A5

5TH NATIONAL COMMUNICATION RESEARCH CONFERENCE A SUCCESS

ALL roads led to Baguio City for the staging of the 5th National Communication Research Conference that brought together over 700 participants to share knowledge and discuss issues in the discipline of

communication.

The event was founded by Dr. Fernando Paragas of the University of the Philippines-Diliman College of Mass Communication as a venue for communication research students to disseminate their work.

Due to insistent public demand, as the saying goes, what was initially a small gathering at the UP CMC auditorium expanded to nationwide size as communication students and faculty around the country clamored

for an opportunity to learn from each other.

This year’s conference theme was “FCX: Filipino Communicative Experience.” Plenary and parallel sessions were held at the University of the Cordilleras. According to NCRC 2017 Convenor and UP CMC Dean Elena Pernia, who delivered the opening remarks, the event “is an opportunity for communication scholars to connect, collaborate, and partner with each other.”

The event’s keynote speech was delivered by Baguio Rep. Mark Go, while welcome remarks were delivered by University of the Cordilleras President Ray Dean Salvosa and UP Baguio Chancellor Raymundo Rovillos.

All of them emphasized the need for truth in communication and enjoined those present to be mindful of their responsibility as communicators. (I’ll be going into greater detail about their timely and relevant speeches

in my opinion column on Thursday, Nov. 30).

Among the event speakers were Dr. Marianne Dayrit Sison, Deputy Dean of the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology’s school of communication; Dr. Katrin de Guia, expert on sikolohiyang Filipino; and Dr. Jose Lacson Jr. (UP CMC), who was among the first to systematically study Filipino communicative behavior.

Also present were Dr. Lourdes Portus (UP CMC and president of Turn to A5

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From A4 Philippines Communication Society) and Dr. Margarita Acosta (Dean of the communication school of Miriam College) who acted as program emcees; Ariel Sebellino (president, Philippine Press Institute), Dr. Joyce Arriola (University of Santo Tomas), and other communication and social science rock stars who imparted valuable insights to a rapt audience.

NCRC 2017 was organized by UP CMC Department of Communication Research led by its chair Dr. Rosario San Pascual, in coordination with UP Baguio, UC, and PCS. The ‘punong abala’ was UP CMC’s Dr. Julienne Baldo-Cubelo, whose organizational skills resulted in a smooth and pleasant conference experience for participants. *** I presented my disser tation “Kulturang Karera: Communicating Philippine Horseracing Culture” at one of the parallel sessions and was glad that it spurred interest among some of the audience members to engage in subcultural studies.

I pointed out the huge research gap in certain areas such as gambling and relatively new pursuits including cosplay and eventing. I hope that students will see the limitless opportunities for research that are around them, and that they will be encouraged to construct knowledge that is about Filipinos and the Philippines. *** An interesting development on the sidelines of the conference was a proposal made by Dean Pernia to the gathered faculty members from various schools.

She suggested the formation of a group of academic professionals and research-minded practitioners that will advocate the advancement of communication and media research in the country.

According to Pernia, “This group, tentatively called the Philippine Communication and Media Research Association (PCMRA), will bring together scholars engaged in the study of communication and media phenomena that involve the Philippines and Filipinos.”

Th e h u g e p a r t i c i p a t i o n by communication scholars over the years in the NCRC shows the potential for growth in this area of research.

“After NCRC 2015,” said Pernia, “we were asked the questions, ‘So what?’

‘What now?’ ‘Where do we go from here?’ The establishment of the PCMRA is among the next steps articulated back then.”

What can we expect from PCMRA? Pernia proposed that existing communication research programs continue to stage the NCRC and hold workshops or short courses in communication theory and research.

A hub will also be set up that will facilitate collaborative communication and media research, while future activities will include international conferences, PCMRA accreditation in international communication and media associations, and the creation of an academic journal and other research publications.

As Pernia pointed out, “The study of communication and media crosses academic boundaries and is central to understanding issues and challenges in contemporary human society.”

Dr. Ortuoste is a Californiabased writer. Facebook and Twitter: @jennyortuoste

A5

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

IN THE DEPTHS OF THE AMAZON

From A4

this lesson. Today Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates are no longer trying to buy off jihadis or remain neutral. They seek to confront both the Sunni and the Shiite extremists.

And while this is a good sign, it’s also not a cure-all. This gets us back to Egypt. The current leader, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, has tried to crush the radicals in his own country with an iron fist since assuming power in a coup that unseated Egypt’s elected and Islamist leader, Mohammed Morsi. His crackdown on Islamists, human rights groups and moderate opposition, however, has not stopped the terror. And as long as the terror continues, Muslim civilians will suffer. Bloomberg

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2017

By Sebastian Smith, Apu Gomes, Marie Hospital WAIAPI Amazon tribal territory, Brazil—There’s a point, whatever corner of the world you’re traveling in, when you may have that urgent question: where’s the toilet? But at the start of a rare visit to Waiapi tribal territory deep in the Amazon, the question we had was more nuanced: what even was the toilet?

The Waiapi tribe only came into contact with the outside world in the 1970s and they’ve worked hard to preserve their way of life.

Dressed in red loincloths and covered in red urucum and black jenipapo dyes, they still subsist entirely on hunting, fishing and small-scale slash-and-burn farming in Brazil’s teeming rainforest.

An AFP team of three, we arrived in a big white 4x4 after driving most of a day on increasingly rough roads. Unloading our massive collection of cameras, computers, insect repellent, waterproofs and other gear under the eye of a half dozen shy village children wearing almost nothing, it was clear we had a little adjusting to do.

Then came that urgent question and a Waiapi leader, resplendent in beads and body paint, pointed us down a mud track through the jungle to a shallow river, where he left us. We surveyed these Waiapi “toilets” in considerable puzzlement.

In one part of the river, children wearing small versions of the ubiquitous red cloth splashed about in knee deep water. A short distance away in the middle of the stream rose a table-sized wooden platform.

Were you meant to squat on the platform? Go in the woods at the edge? Do it all in front of an audience?

Baffled and too embarrassed to get the bottom of that particular story we retreated. Adjusting was going to take a bit longer perhaps.

Geographically speaking, the Waiapi are not as isolated as it might seem. A small Brazilian town called Pedra Branca is just two hours away by bumpy, unpaved road. The Amapa state capital Macapa, which we reached by flying much of the night on two planes from Rio de Janeiro, is only three or four hours’ drive further.

But the tribe has campaigned hard to prevent outsiders from crossing those short distances— and with good reason.

Their first contact with whites in the 1970s introduced diseases like measles that almost wiped out the Waiapi, who lacked immunity, let alone vaccines. Today, they’re back

A portrait of a Waiapi woman lifting her child up. Tribes like the Waiapi are popularly portrayed as guardians over the ‘lungs of the planet’ yet the outside world rarely hears directly from them. AFP

up to 1,200 people but face a new threat: industry-friendly President Michel Temer’s bid to open the surrounding nature reserve to foreign gold and other mineral mining companies.

Temer ’s plan, which he later suspended under pressure from environmentalists, was the reason AFP planned this trip. We wanted to give a voice to the indigenous people who have been living here since long before the first Europeans landed in South America.As pressure from loggers, miners and industrial farmers mounts every year against the Amazon, tribes like the Waiapi are popularly portrayed as guardians over the “lungs of the planet.” Yet the outside world rarely hears directly from them.

The challenge wasn’t eking out that one quote, but coming up with a plan to sort this cornucopia into distinct stories—and, given our ignorance about the Waiapi, being ready to

change that plan.

One thing we quickly had to accept was that not everything was as it first seemed. So the initial image of bare chested warriors with six-foot long bows and arrows was not false. The Waiapi are truly skilled hunters and masters of finding everything needed to survive—from housing to medicine and weapons—in the forest.

But we became aware of surprisingly modern elements seeded into this ancient lifestyle. For example, one or two villagers had mobile phones, using them to take pictures, since there is no signal. The elder son of the chief had a rickety old TV set and a satellite dish by the thatched roof where he slept, although we never saw it functioning.

Around the campfire, our talk also inevitably turned to more downto-earth—even if equally hard-toanswer–questions.

Like that whole Waiapi toilets

mystery.

So the good news is that after some dogged investigating we did figure out how the river worked.

There were actually two rivers running near the village. The shallow one with the wooden platform was for answering the call of nature, while a second, much deeper one was for swimming and bathing, which the Waiapi take very seriously.

The wooden platform, however, was not for what we imagined—it was for clothes washing. Imagine the scandal we dodged there. And the fact that small kids splashed around in that same water was also normal, because the toilet part was actually reserved for about 20 meters downstream.

Simple, really. “You go in the middle of the river, do your business and clean yourself with the water,” Jawaruwa explained. No toilet paper needed— another plus for the Waiapis’ green lifestyle. AFP

CRYPTOCURRENCIES DON’T BELONG IN CENTRAL BANKS

By Tyler Cowen SHOULD central banks embrace cryptocurrencies, or even pioneer their own? In a nutshell, no. Crypto assets are an unusual innovation, still in flux and often poorly understood. Trying to centralize them in a bureaucracy is exactly the wrong way to go.

Yet China’s central bank claims it is working toward a blockchain-based digital currency. Singapore has already experimented in this direction. The phrase “Fedcoin” is sometimes bandied about, though I’ve seen no concrete sign of the US Federal Reserve jumping on this bandwagon. In its recent quarterly review, the Bank of International Settlements asked central banks to consider whether cryptocurrencies might make sense for them.

Central banks, however, are intrinsically conservative bureaucracies. They shun bad publicity, and they don’t like to be“out there”ahead of the curve. They don’t want their names connected with potential mishaps—because they value their credibility and their political capital so highly. That’s appropriate, because central bank independence is typically fragile.

Given that background, should we foist a new and potentially risky responsibility on them? Central banks

will feel some anxiety at having to manage a crypto project. To conserve their political capital, they will take fewer risks elsewhere, such as unorthodox monetary policy or larger balance sheets. Yet the response to the 2008 financial crisis shows a certain amount of central bank risk-taking is needed.

I’m worried about central banks taking on unnecessary risky projects, thereby rendering them too cautious in other areas.

An additional reason for skepticism stems from the nature of crypto assets.

The word “cryptocurrency” is far more common than “crypto asset,” but it’s a misleading term. Bitcoin, for instance, is used only rarely in retail transactions, and for all its success it isn’t becoming more important as a medium of exchange. Bitcoin thus isn’t much of a currency in the literal sense of that term.

There is a version of bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, that changed the initial rules to be better suited as an exchange medium, but it isn’t nearly as popular.

I f yo u t h i n k o f t h e s e a s s e t s as “cryptocurrencies,” central bank involvement will seem natural, because of course central banks do manage currencies. Instead, this new class of assets is better conceptualized as ledger systems, designed to create agreement

about some states of the world without the final judgment of a centralized authority, which use a crypto asset to pay participants for maintaining the flow and accuracy of information.

Arguably these innovations come closer to being substitutes for corporations and legal systems than for currencies.

Put in those terms, an active (rather than merely supervisory) role for central banks in crypto assets is suddenly far from obvious. Consider other financial innovations: Does anyone suggest that central banks should run their own versions of ETFs or high-frequency trading? Is there a need for central banks to start managing the development of accounting and governance systems?

Finally, bitcoin and other crypto assets are still in the midst of rapid evolution, with basic questions still unanswered. Should bitcoin “fork” to allow for greater speed in processing transactions? Is the future going to favor bitcoin, the Ethereum platform, or something else altogether? How many initial coin offerings make economic sense, as opposed to being bubbles?

Should initial coin offerings be used to fund startups? How many crypto assets should survive in the long run?

Can blockchains be used to record and settle the transfer of property titles? Are

there any circumstances when it should be possible to revise transactions on a blockchain?

Because crypto assets are not large enough to pose systemic risks for economies, it’s best to let markets try to figure out the answers to these and other questions. What’s needed now is further experimentation, not bureaucratization. If central banks move into this world, the danger is that they will try to settle issues on the basis of their conservative judgments.

The Fed would command the bulk of market attention; it would be hard for alternative crypto systems to be seen as anything but competitors and potential sources of risk or disruption. (In this regard, a Singaporean project is less likely to dominate the market and thus it would be less of a problem.) Innovation is likely to slow down.

In general, I think the central banks in the world’s developed economies have done a pretty good job. But consider a simple question: Would any central bank have had the inspiration or taken the risk of initiating the bitcoin protocol in the first place?

So why should central banks be given a commandeering position in steering these evolving innovations?

Bloomberg

World

A6

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2017 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Cesar Barrioquinto, Editor / Jimbo Gulle, Issue Editor

ROHINGYA TO STAY IN TEMPORARY SHELTERS AFTER MYANMAR RETURN DHAKA, Bangladesh—Rohingya refugees who return to Myanmar following a Bangladesh-Myanmar repatriation agreement will initially have to live in temporary shelters or camps, Dhaka said Saturday.

“Primarily they will be kept at temporary shelters or arrangements for a limited time,” Bangladesh Foreign Minister A.H. Mahmood Ali told reporters in the capital Dhaka.

The United Nations says 620,000 Rohingya have fled to Bangladesh since August and now live in squalor in the world’s largest refugee camp after a military crackdown in Myanmar that the UN and Washington said clearly constitutes “ethnic cleansing.”

Bangladesh and Myanmar signed the repatriation agreement on Thursday, which would pave the way for an “earliest return” of the Rohingya refugees, according to the deal, which Dhaka released on Saturday.

Under the agreement, Myanmar “would restore normalcy in Northern Rakhine (State) and to encourage those who had left Myanmar to return voluntarily and safely to their own households” or “to a safe and secure place nearest to it of their choice.”

“Myanmar will take all possible measures to see that the returnees will not be settled in temporary places for a long period of time MAGENTA and their freedom of movement CYAN YELLOW BLACK in the Rakhine State will be allowed in conformity with the existing laws and regulations,” it added. AFP

TRUMP SAYS HE TURNED DOWN TIME’S ‘PERSON OF THE YEAR’ WASHINGTON, United States—US President Donald Trump said he turned down being named Time’s “Person of the Year” after the magazine asked him for an interview and photo shoot but did not confirm he would be chosen.

He tweeted: “Time Magazine called to say that I was PROBABLY going to be named ‘Man (Person) of the Year,’ like last year, but I would have to agree to an interview and a major photo shoot.”

“I said probably is no good and took a pass. Thanks anyway!”

Time responded on its own Twitter account: “The President is incorrect about how we choose Person of the Year. TIME does not comment on our choice until publication, which is December 6.”

Former editor Richard Stengel went further, retweeting Trump’s tweet with the comment: “Hate to tell you but that PROBABLY means you’re NOT Person of the Year.

“They just wanted a photo shoot. But I’m sure you still have that fake TIME cover somewhere in storage.”

The magazine confers the distinction on the person who “for better or for worse... has done the most to influence the events of the year.”

Trump was named the magazine’s 2016 “Person of the Year” following his election, in an edition which carried the title “President of the Divided States of America.” AFP

IN RE: PETITION FOR ISSUANCE OF C E R T I F I C AT E OF PUBLIC CONVENIENCE AND NECESSITY TO OPERATE DOMESTIC NONS C H E D U L E D (AIR TAXI) AIR TRANSPORTATION SERVICES LlTEAIR EXPRESS INCORPORATED Petitioner. x--------------------------------------x

PRESIDENT VOWS STRONG RESPONSE

C

AIRO, EGYPT—Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has vowed to respond forcefully after attackers killed at least 235 worshippers in a packed mosque in restive North Sinai province, the country’s deadliest attack in recent memory.

Al-Sisi declared three days of mourning that began Saturday, the day after the gun and bomb assault on the Rawda mosque, roughly 40 kilometers (25 miles) west of the North Sinai capital of El-Arish.

In a televised speech, the president pledged to “respond with brutal force,” adding that “the army and police will avenge our martyrs and return security and stability with force in the coming short period.”

Several hours later Egyptian air force jets destroyed vehicles used in the attack and “terrorist” locations where weapons and ammunition were stocked, an army spokesman said.

Witnesses said assailants had surrounded the mosque with all-terrain vehicles and detonated a bomb.

They then mowed down panicked worshippers as they tried to flee and used congregants’ vehicles they had set alight to block routes to the

CAB Case No. EP-175649-HED112017-056-0

NOTICE OF HEARING

The applicant is hereby required to have this Notice of Hearing published at least once a week for three (3) consecutive weeks in a broadsheet newspaper of national circulation. The Notice of Hearing and the Application shall be served, by this Office, to all concerned parties/airlines, either by facsimile or electronic mail, in compliance with CAB Board Resolution No. 97 (2003).

Parties opposing the said application shall file its manifestation not later than the pre-marking and comparison of documents, on December 6, 2017 and its written opposition on or before the date of hearing, furnishing a copy of the same to the applicant or appear at the hearing with such evidence as may be proper under the premises. Failure on the part of any interested party to file their opposition on time or appear at the hearing shall be construed as a waiver of their right to be heard and the Civil Aeronautics Board shall proceed to hear and decide the application on its merits.

Let a copy of the petition and this Notice be posted at the CAB Bulletin Board beginning today.

03 November 2017 Pasay City, Philippines MARIA ELBEN SL. MORO Hearing Officer

mosque.

The state prosecutor’s office said in a statement that 235 people were killed and 109 wounded in the attack, the scale of which is unprecedented in a four-year insurgency by Islamist extremist groups.

AFP photographs of the scene indicated that children were among the dead.

World leaders condemned the attack. US President Donald Trump condemned on Twitter the “horrible and cowardly terrorist attack on innocent and defenceless worshippers.”

The grand imam of Cairo’s AlAzhar, Sheikh Ahmed el-Tayeb, condemned “in the strongest terms this barbaric terrorist attack.”

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the bloodshed.

The Islamic State group’s Egypt branch has killed hundreds of policemen and soldiers, and also civilians accused of working with the authorities, in attacks in the north of the Sinai peninsula.

They have also targeted followers of the mystical Sufi branch of Sunni Islam as well as Christians.

A tribal leader and head of a Bedouin militia that fights IS told AFP that the mosque is known as a place where Sufis gather.

The Islamic State group shares the puritan Salafi view that Sufis are heretics for seeking the intercession of saints. AFP

OSCARS BID FOR STORY OF ‘PAKISTAN’S TOUGHEST WOMAN’

Mick Mulvaney

Pursuant to the provisions of RA776, as amended, Notice is hereby given that LlTEAIR EXPRESS INCORPORATED has filed with the Civil Aeronautics Board a petition for issuance of Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity (CPCN) to Operate Domestic Non-Scheduled (Air taxi) Air Transportation Services. The above entitled case is scheduled for hearing on December 12, 2017 at 10:00 AM at the CAB Conference Room, Old MIA Road, Pasay City before the undersigned, wherein the applicant shall present relevant evidence. Pre-marking and comparison of documents to be presented during the hearing shall be on December 6, 2017 at 10:00 AM, three (3) days thereafter, Applicant shall submit the marked documents together with the scanned copy to Hearing Examiners’ Division (HED) in accordance to CAB Resolution No.6 (BM 01-01-27-2016) dated January 27, 2016, otherwise known as Less Paper Transaction of CAB.

(MS-NOV. 19,26 & DEC. 3, 2017)

The lights of the Eiffel Tower in Paris were switched off on November 24 in tribute to the victims of the deadly attack on a mosque in Egypt’s Sinai.

Armed attack ers killed at least 235 worshippers in a bomb and gun assault on a packed mosque in Egypt’s restive North Sinai province, in the country’s deadliest attack in recent memory. AFP

DONALD APPOINTS NEW HEAD OF FINANCIAL WATCHDOG WASHINGTON, United States—US President Donald Trump appointed White House budget director Mick Mulvaney to head a financial watchdog that the administration has sought to overhaul as part of its deregulation push.

Mulvaney, who described the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) as a “sick, sad joke” in a 2014 interview, will serve as acting director until a permanent head is nominated and confirmed, according to a White House statement.

Richard Cordray, the first director of the CFPB who had long been in the banking industry’s crosshairs, announced last week he would step down by the end of the month, several months early.

The Trump administration’s decision to appoint Mulvaney sparked some confusion over the interim CFPB leadership, as Cordray had already named Leandra English – who was already part of the agency – as his de facto successor by naming

her deputy director.

That move came hours before Trump tapped Mulvaney as the regulator’s temporary leader.

Since the start of his presidency Trump has decried financial rules and regulations, put in place through the 2010 Dodd-Frank Wall Street reform legislation, to combat the excesses that led to the 2008 financial crisis.

Trump’s Treasury Department has produced three reports calling for a whittling down of rules imposed on mid-size banks, a scaling back of stress tests and a restructuring of the CFPB. Republicans have long deemed the bureau, which was founded in 2011 under the administration of former president Barack Obama, too far outside political control.

Last month, the US Senate voted to terminate a rule created by the agency that would have allowed class-action suits against banks or credit card companies. AFP

QAZI AHMED, Pakistan—As 200 armed men surrounded their house on a hot August night in 2005, Nazo Dharejo and her sisters grabbed their Kalashnikov and puny stock of ammunition and climbed to the roof.

The gunfight which followed earned her the moniker “Pakistan’s toughest woman,” and became the subject of a film which has been entered in next year’s Academy Awards, vying for glory alongside heavy-hitters such as Angelina Jolie’s “First They Killed My Father” and Joachim Trier’s “Thelma.”

A world away from Hollywood’s red carpet, at the ancestral home Dharejo fought for in Pakistan’s rural Sindh province, she described the night which could lead to Oscar glory.

“I will kill them or die here but never retreat,” Dharejo, now in her late 40s, recalled saying as assailants attacked her home.

Her husband begged her to stand down but she refused, facing down her own relatives – who were armed and had long sought to take her family’s

property after her father died leaving no male heir, she said.

Her grandfather had several wives, and the male heirs in other branches of his family were laying claim to her inheritance.

But her family had defied rural Pakistani cultural norms of the time to educate their daughters and teach them they were as good as boys, and the sisters were willing to give their lives to prove it.

From their position on the roof their tiny army – the three sisters, Dharejo’s husband, and some loyal friends and neighbours – held off the onslaught, with household staff making daring runs for more ammunition until daylight broke.

A five-year legal battle over the land eventually saw her foes pay half a million rupees ($4,800) in compensation and offer a public apology – an act of utmost disgrace in rural Pakistan.

In 2013, Dharejo’s story came to the attention of a British-born Pakistani filmmaker, Sarmad Masud. AFP

This photograph taken on September 27 shows Pakistani woman Nazo Dharejo meeting her daughter Urooj Dharejo at her agriculture field in Qazi Ahmed in Sindh province. AFP

Sports

A7

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2017 randyproject@yahoo.com

LET’S PLAY XIANGQI

By Randy Caluag

A

CCORDING to some historians, Xiangqi started in ancient China when two dynasties decided to hold a board game to settle their dispute instead of engaging in a long-drawn war that had already killed millions of Chinese soldiers.

Xiangqi was said to have played a major part in China’s unification.

This ancient Chinese chess is now becoming one of the fastest-growing sports in world. In the Philippines, with its large Chinese community, is expected to keep pace and excel in the sport that will be played as a demonstration sports in the Asian Games in Palembang, Indonesia next year.

Also known as the“elephan t game,” Xiangqi is “probably played by more people than any other board game in the world—including the familiar western “international” chess,” according to ancientchess.com.

In the Philippines, it’s widely popular among Chinese schools, said Jimmy Chan Cuan, founder of the Filipino Chinese Amateur Athletic Federation, which helped the founding of the Philippine Xiangqi Federation and now headed by president Wilson Tan. And it’s getting bigger as the group will be getting the support of the Philippine Sports Commission and the Department of Education.

“We will build a formidable team to prepare for a lot of international tournaments,” said Tan, who bared that Xiangqi will be included in the regular sports in the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China.

How is it played?

Like the western chess, Xiangqi also has top official pieces and foot soldiers.

The objective of the game is to capture the Governor/General which is the equivalent of the King in internationally known western chess. He can be captured by means of checkmate, a situation where he has no means of escape when under attack or stalemate, when he has no means of a safe move.

There is also a special rule that the Governors/ General of the opposing sides should “never face each other”, this concept limits the movements of each other, especially in the endgame when there only a few pieces remaining.

In a formal tournament, the Red piece makes the first move to start the game.

Nazareth School of National U top hitter Faith Nisperos delivers a hit that soars over Hope Christian’s Cristy Ondangan (18) and Anika Jaboneta’s outstretched arms during their Rebisco Volleyball League clash at the Sta. Rosa Multi-Purpose Sports Complex in Laguna.

NU, DLS-LIPA GAIN RVL TOP SEEDING

The Philippine’s bet Wang Keng (left) ponders her next move. Clarisse Ramirez

Representatives from China and Malaysia at play

“It’s a very exciting game. It’s a simulation of an actual battle that’s why Xiangqi is also sometimes called Chinese art of war,” said Tan. The Philippine’s first grandmaster is an engineer, Asi Ching, who has joined and excelled in local and international tournaments.

“We hope to produce more grandmasters as we embark on a vigorous program that would make the Philippines one of the powerhouse teams in the world,” added Tan, who recently hosted the World Xiangqi Championships at the Manila Hotel attended by more than a hundred players from 25 countries.

Asian Xiangqi Federation president Timothy Fok, one of the guest of honors in the tournament

Ramirez said the PSC has committed to help the game grow and help spread it beyond the homes and offices of the members of the Filipino-Chinese community, through the Philippines Sports Institute under training director Marc Velasco.

Tan said the game has been played since the 1930s within Chinese community and it’s about time that homegrown Filipinos get to discover the sport.

Fok, in his short stay in the country, also distributed miniature set to media and sports officials for them to try the game.

This writer, who had played leisure chess and the local Filipino board game of “dama,” tried the game in the afternoon of the opening day of the

Asian Xiangqi Federation president Timothy Fok and Philippine Sports Commission chairman Butch Ramirez shake hands to signal the start of bigger things to come for Xiangqi in the Philippines

said there’s a huge interest among Chinese people all over the world because “it is not a just a game but a part of China’s 2,000 years of culture.”

“Filipino-Chinese players are among the best Xiangqi

LOCAL BETS UPBEAT AT PGTA CAT OPEN player in the world, so I firmly believe that the sports will bring pride and honor for your country in the future,” added Fok, who is also the president of the Hong Kong Olympic Committee.”

PSC Chairman Butch

World tilt.

With the guidance of the umpire, it was easy to play and understand. There’s no reason why Filipinos, even those without Chinese background, cannot enjoy the game.

JIU-JITSU CHAMP SHARES SKILLS IN ‘ASSEMBLE YOUR ARMOUR’ UNDER Armour athletes, led by Asian jiu-jitsu champion Meggie Ochoa, former volleyball queen Gretchen Ho and Kali Huff of the University of the Philippines football squad, launched the UA’s Women’s Fitness Retreat “dubbed as Assemble your Armour, recently at Chi Spa of Edsa Shangrila.

These women champions in their own field of sports shared their training regimens, fitness routines to selected women patron of Under Armour.

One of the highlights of the event is the Self-defense tecnique shared by ambassadress Ochoa.

Ochoa once again ruled the Asian region recently when she bagged a gold medal in the Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games (AIMAG) in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan.

Ochoa emerged as one of the two gold medalists for the Philippines when she beat a Viet-

Meggie Ochoa leads the stretching session during the “Assemble Your Armour” event at Chi Spa in Shangrila Edsa

namese foe to capture the top honor in the women’s Ne-waza -45kg division event.

“Overwhelming,” said Ochoa

in an interview after arriving from Ashgabat. “Right from the beginning, marami kaming pinagdaanan bago kami ma-

NAZARETH School of National U and De La Salle-Lipa pulled through with a pair of lopsided victories over their fellow fancied rivals to clinch the top seeding at the close of the 18-and-under Rebisco Volleyball League elims at the Sta. Rosa Multi-Purpose Sports Complex in Laguna.

The NSNU girls stepped up their title drive with a 25-15, 25-23 triumph over the Hope Christian High School side in Pool A while the Batangas-based squad stopped the host Holy Rosary College team, 25-14, 25-18, in Pool B in a pair of duels of unbeaten teams in the event sponsored by Rebisco.

NSNU and DLL thus finished the elims with 5-0 cards while Hope CHS and HRC settled for No. 2 with 4-1 records at the end of the elims of the two-division tournament organized by Metropolitan Sports and Events Group, Inc. headed by Freddie Infante.

The victories also set up NSNU against HRC and De La Salle-Lipa versus Hope Christian in a pair of explosive crossover semifinal matches being played at presstime.

The winners will dispute the crown in the country’s longest talent-search backed by Asics and Mikasa at 5 p.m. today (Sunday).

In other results, Bacolod Tay Tung High School routed Angelicum Learning Center of Cagayan de Oro, 25-16, 25-17, to finish third in Pool B with a 3-2 slate while University of San Jose-Recoletos posted its second straight win after three losses, repulsing FEU-Diliman, 2225, 25-20, 25-15. FEU wound up with a 1-4 slate while Angelicum dropped all its five matches.

University of Mindanao-Tagum ended up third in Pool A with a 3-2 record, including a 25-16, 25-19 triumph over Koronadal National Comprehensive HS, while Holy Family Academy of Pampanga turned back Leyte National School, 25-21, 16-25, 25-20, to wind up tied for fourth with LNS and KNC with 1-4 marks.

Rebisco has stepped in to boost the sport’s grassroots program with the league producing current stars Alyssa Valdez, Jaja Santiago and Jasmine Nabor. The country’s leading snack-food company has earlier sponsored the national team’s participation in the Asian Seniors Women’s Championship in Laguna, the Asian Women’s Volleyball Club Championship in Kazakhstan and the recent smash-hit Battle of the Rivals, which pitted Ateneo against La Salle.

karating dito. Sobrang grateful, sobrang grabe ‘yung pasasalamat especially kay God dahil kung hindi dahil sa kanya, Siya ‘yung nag-align ng mga pangyayari para mag-lead dito.”

It was another gold medal for Ochoa, who last year also took first place in the Asian Beach Games in Vietnam. Following the success of in the AIMAG, Ochoa is now looking at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta, Indonesia as the next target.

“Hindi kami tumitigil sa training at sa paghahanda at sa pag-realize ng mga learnings from AIMAG,” said Ochoa.

Ochoa is part of the growing list of Under Armour ambassadresses who have brought honor to the country owing to their performances in the international sports scene.

Last year, Hidilyn Diaz made

history by becoming the first Filipina to take home a medal in the Olympics when she claimed the silver in the weightlifting competitions in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil.

Diaz was also a winner in the recent AIMAG when she captured the silver medal in the event as part of her preparations for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics where she is aiming for a gold medal. Diaz is also taking part in the next Under Armour’s fitness retreat, in which the successful Filipina athletes and personalities will be able to draw inspiration to the Filipino people through their efforts.

The next Under Armour fitness retreat, in partnership with the Aegle Wellness Center and Sanctband, will be held on Jan. 2,2018 in the Balesin Island, Quezon.

THE local top guns brace for another fourday battle of shotmaking and putting against an elite foreign field but remain upbeat of their chances to score a repeat on the Philippine Golf Mondilla Tour Asia which resumes Wednesday (Nov. 29) with the CAT (Central Azucarera de Tarlac) Open at the Luisita Golf and Country Club in Tarlac.

Former PGT Order of Merit winner Miguel Tabuena ruled the kickoff leg of the region’s newest circuit at Southwoods last August then Rene Menor scored a career breakthrough at Splendido via a playoff win over Thai Pasavee Lertvilai and John Michael O’Toole of the US last September. Clyde Mondilla, this year’s PGT OOM champion, topped the Riviera stop before multi-titled Tony Lascuña rallied to snare the ICTSI Wack Wack Championship two weeks ago.

While Tabuena won’t be around to shoot for another crown on a course he calls home to compete abroad, a slew of local aces will be on hand to man the fort, including the three other PGTA winners along with Zanieboy Gialon, Jay Bayron, Elmer Salvador, Michael Bibat and Jhonnel Ababa.

A host of young Filipino talents are also expected to figure prominently in the chase for the top P17,500 purse in the 72-hole championship sponsored by ICTSI and organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc. They include Jobim Carlos, Ira Alido, Keanu Jahns and Justin Quiban, who had held his own against the veteran campaigners and turned in impressive finishes in the last two big international tournaments here.

A8

Sports

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2017 Riera U. Mallari, Editor / Reuel Vidal, Issue Editor / Randy Caluag, Issue Editor

sports_mstandard@yahoo.com

Gina Iniong (right) and Mei Yamaguchi embrace after their hard fought match. Yamaguchi won by unanimous decision.

ONE Championship

PINOYS SUFFER BITTER LOSSES

ONE Welterweight World Champion Ben Askren (left) unloads a vicious two-fisted attack at challenger Shinya Aoki who tries to defend himself. ONE Championship

ASKREN RULES ONE IMMORTAL PURSUIT

By Reuel Vidal

S

INGAPORE—Shinya Aoki thought he was going to a grappling match. Ben Askren quickly taught him how mistaken he was by repeatedly pounding Aoki on the face and forcing the referee to stop their match 57 seconds into the first round.

Askren thus retained his ONE Welterweight World Championship by beating Aoki at ONE: Immortal Pursuit Friday evening, November 24 at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.

Askren, who improved his record to 18-0, then affirmed his decision to retire saying that he had enough money and didn’t want to fight until he was too old to be fighting at all.

“I think this is it. I did say, if I get the opportunity to prove I’m Number 1—Although, I think I’m Number 1. I know I’m Number 1. I haven’t proven to the world I’m Number 1. So if I get that opportunity, I would take that opportunity,” said Askren.

“I don’t need to make any more money. I need to show people that I’m the best welterweight in the world. Other than that, then I’m out.”

Aoki, hoping to avoid the powerful strikes by Askren early in the first round, attempted to pull

the defending champion down the canvas into half guard. But Askren was too strong. Even with both legs wrapped around Askren’s torso Aoki couldn’t pull Askren into the ground.

Instead of falling forward Askren lifted Aoki higher off the canvas then slammed him down the mat. Askren then pounded on the shaken Aoki forcing the referee to stop the match.

In the co-main event of the evening, Amir Khan of Singapore punished resilient Adrian Pang of Australia with accurate hits to the face and legs to win their three-round lightweight division showdown via unanimous decision. Khan couldn’t knock down, let alone knock out, the granite jawed Pang but left the Australian’s face a bruised mess after their fight.

The 22-year-old Khan kept Pang at bay with powerful kicks and stinging straight right hands while avoiding Pang’s powerful round-

ONE Welterweight World Champion Ben Askren (above) pounds challenger Shinya Aoki during their battle at ONE: Immortal Pursuit. ONE Championship

house punches by quickly back-pedaling. Khan also withstood Pang’s takedown attempts to eke out the hardearned victory.

Brazilian jiu-jitsu blackbelter Leandro Issa leaned on his successful takedown attempts to beat South Korea’s Dae Hwan Kim in a grueling bantamweight showdown.

Issa was awarded the unanimous decision. Issa held the initiative at the onset and quickly built an early lead to survive the late challenge by the Korean.

May Ooi of Singapore continued her winning ways inside the ONE Championship cage by submitting Cambodia’s Vy Srey Khouch

Amir Khan (left) connects with a leg to the face of Adrian Pang. Khan could not knock out Pang but did enough to win by unanimous decision. ONE Championship

in the first round via rear-na- she sank a deep rear-naked ked choke. Ooi brought the choke forcing Srey Khouch fight into the ground where to tap out.

SINGAPORE—Filipino Mixed Martial Arts fighters Richard Corminal and Gina Iniong both hoped to win their bouts— Corminal by knockout as early as possible and Iniong with a repeat decision victory—against celebrated rivals at ONE: Immortal Pursuit in Singapore last Friday.

Things didn’t go as planned.

Corminal lost by arm triangle choke to highly regarded Arnaud Lepont right in the first round.

Iniong lost by unanimous decision to top atomweight contender Mei Yamaguchi.

LePont stopped fighting professionally to manage one of Vietnam’s biggest martial arts gyms in the nation’s capital of Ho Chi Minh City. After two years away from competition, Lepont made a triumphant return to the ONE Championship cage.

Lepont stalked Corminal early in the first round and quickly took the action to the mat. The Frenchman mounted Corminal and methodically tightened his hooks to force the submission finish.

Yamaguchi—who should have been fighting for the ONE Championship women’s atomweight title if not for the injury suffered by champion Angela Lee—vented her ire on Iniong.

The first round was close as Iniong kept Yamaguchi at bay with her powerful right hand. The tide turned against Iniong in the second round. Yamaguchi took Iniong down and pummeled her with punches and elbows.

The third round was all Yamaguchi. Iniong, who only two weeks before had tallied a victory in the ONE cage over Indonesian Priscilla Hertati Lumbangaol, faded from fatigue allowing Yamaguchi to dominate and win the fight. Reuel Vidal

POTTS FOLLOWS ABUEVA’S FOOTSTEPS

Davon Potts (center), then with the San Beda Red Lions, drives past a pair of Letran College Knights defenders. Jamil Buergo

DAVON Potts will be following heralded footsteps after first helping the San Beda Red Lions win the National Collegiate Athletic Association senior basketball crown before going on to join the Alaska Aces in the Philippine Basketball Association.

Before Potts Calvin Abueva also needed to complete his NCAA stint (with the San Sebastian College Stags) before joining Alaska. Selected second overall in the 2012 PBA Draft Abueva missed Alaska’s first three games in the PBA Philippine Cup. Abueva eventually helped the Aces win the 2013 Com-

missioner’s Cup title and also won that season’s Rookie of the Year Award.

Potts was drafted by Alaska in the second round at eighteenth overall. Unlike Abueva who failed to win the NCAA crown in his final year in college Potts helped the Red Lions go all the way. Potts played an instrumental role in the finals as he averaged 15.0 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.0 assists in the Finals.

Potts is a proven winner. Not only did he help San Beda win back-to-back NCAA crowns he also led Cignal to two PBA DLeague championships.

Projected as a high pick in

the first round Potts somehow dropped all the way to eighteenth overall in the draft. Potts says he’s used to being underestimated.

However, he only uses this as fuel to work harder and do better.

“I use that as motivation a lot. They doubt me but I always use that as fire from day one. I always loved that and used that as fire to prove everybody wrong,” said Potts in a published report.

While the Fil-Am guard was San Beda’s main man last year under coach Jamike Jarin he didn’t get as much playing time (at least in the

elimination round) under new coach Boyet Fernandez.

This may have been by design because his increased contribution in the crucial playoffs against the Lyceum University Pirates was enough to tilt the balance in favor of the defending champion Red Lions. Potts has shown that he can help teams win basketball crowns. He will be an asset to the Aces who will be gunning for their 15the title this coming PBA season.

But can Potts truly follow in the footsteps of Abueva and help Alaska win a title in his first season with the team?

Only time can tell. Reuel Vidal

B1

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2017

Business

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

LIL’S LEADS RENAISSANCE OF MINI-4WD

ONLINE SELLER. Lazada Philippines co-founder and CEO Inanc Balci

I

LAZADA BOSS SHARES STRATEGY FOR LOW PRICES

NANC Balci, the co-founder and chief executive of Lazada Philippines, remembers that when the online shopping company first set up an office in Makati City nearly six years ago, it was in a former spa facility along Jupiter Street.

“Our meeting room used to be a jacuzzi. Our interview room was a sauna. And people would be scared to come to talk to us and enter the sauna,” says Balci, a 32-year-old Turkish expatriate who oversaw the expansion of Lazada Philippines, which now occupies a swanky 3,000-square-meter office at Net Park Building along 5th Ave. in Fort Bonifacio, Taguig, aside from a 2,000-sqm facility along Paseo de Roxas Ave. in Makati.

The change in Lazada’s office address somehow represents the rapid rise of the electronic commerce company into a dominant player in the $1-billion industry. Lazada Philippines has millions of products on its online platform, easily surpassing those sold by large shopping malls. “When we started the business six years ago, e-commerce was very small, almost non-existent. Now it is a $1-billion industry. We have an extremely strong market share. It is a significant, majority market share,” Balci says in an interview.

“We currently have 29 million products on Lazada Philippines. If you go to a shopping mall, you will see 600,000 to 1 million products. On Lazada, we have 29 million. So we will continue growing the assortment of products and the merchants. We have recently launched Taobao collection. Taobao is the largest e-commerce company in China. It has 1.6 billion products. It is a part of Alibaba,” he says.

Lazada, now controlled by Chinese billionaire Jack Ma of Alibaba Group, is present in six Southeast

Asian countries: the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

Balci, who has a double degree in Industrial Engineering and Economics from Prude University in United States, heads Lazada Philippines, which employs more than 2,500 people in 38 hubs all over the country, a 30,000-sqm warehouse in Laguna, a 10,000 sqm warehouse in Cebu, a major sorting center in Taguig, an in-house business process outsourcing facility, a logistics company, a payments solutions company and third-party partners.

Lazada Philippines will expand the Laguna warehouse into a 60,000-sqm facility, open another warehouse in Davao City next year and increase its number of hubs, Balci says in an interview in Fort Bonifacio.

Lazada was started by Rocket Internet SE, a German technology company. Alibaba acquired a majority 51-percent stake in Lazada in April 2016 and increased the interest to 83 percent in April 2017.

Balci personally accompanied Jack Ma during the Chinese billionaire’s recent visit to the Philippines.

Balci says he and Ma talked about everything.

“We talked about how we can execute the strategy in Southeast Asia, which is a different market from China,” he says. “We talked about the Philippines.

We talked about general concepts like the issues on payments, Internet, infrastructure, even the traffic, and then we talked about specific issues related to Alibaba business in the Philippines.”

Balci says Lazada has developed its own expertise in Southeast Asia. “If Alibaba comes here, it may not work, because it is a different market. If Amazon comes here, it may not work, because it is a different culture. So we are talking to them [Alibaba] on how to craft and execute the strategy,” says Balci, while acknowledging Alibaba’s great experience and expertise in the China market.

He says while Alibaba and Amazon have their own expertise focused on their home markets, Lazada has developed its own business strategy in

the Philippines, which also includes logistics (Lazada Express) and payments business to overcome the challenges specific to the country.

“The first challenge in the Philippines is always logistics for e-commerce. We are the first and only company that resolved this by launching our own Lazada Express. Today, we deliver 80 percent of Lazada packages through Lazada Express. For the rest of 20 percent, we use third-party logistics companies,” he says.

“The second challenge is payments. The Philippines is a cash economy, with not enough credit cards or electronic payments. Over 80 percent of our sales is cash on delivery. We were the first company to launch nationwide cash on delivery. We are still the only e-commerce company that can do nationwide cash on delivery,” he says.

Balci says there are other challenges related to internet connection, smartphone penetration and lack of trust with customers or potential customers.

“I believe we will overcome all of these in the coming years,” he says.

Balci believes that given Lazada’s diversified expertise in the Philippines, it will sustain its dominant market share.

“The plan is to continue growing the company.

We have a very strong momentum especially in the Philippines. The business continues to grow very fast,” he says. “We are devising our strategy to continue this momentum and how to reach out to more people. We are doing tremendous investments in logistics. We have now 38 hubs all around the Philippines. We have thousands of riders. We have recently moved into a 30,000-sqm fully automated warehouse in Laguna.

There is a second phase being built. It will be 60,000 sqm. It is huge. You have to take a bicycle to go from one end to the other end,” he says.

Balci says the company has recently launched Lazada E-wallet and will add more payments options through partnerships with other players in the market.

Turn to B2

THE Tamiya Mini-4WDs broke into the Philippine hobby scene in the late 90s. Undoubtedly, countless Gen-Xers have fond memories of building their first kit—be it a Magnum Saber, Tridagger X, or Brocken Gigant—before testing their work on the track.

After a few laps, the realization then sets in that a virtually limitless array of modifications can be made on the car, for the sole (and oftentimes obsessive) purpose of beating their own time and making it to the leaderboard.

It has been 20 years since then and the hobby is still alive and well.

Lil’s Hobby Center, the premier source of all Tamiya kits, and a dedicated community of hobbyists has sustained interest in Mini-4WD. To quote a number of hobbyists, the past months have seen a “Mini4WD renaissance”. Leading the renaissance is Lil’s Brickyard Racing, a pop-up Mini-4WD racing track located at the ground floor of Glorietta 5.

Lil’s Brickyard Racing is the definitive place where the Mini4WD community and those who are interested to get into the hobby can gather, socialize and race.

“For over 40 years, Lil’s has been the catalyst for growth of the model kit, R/C, and Mini-4WD communities in the Philippines,” said Ferdie Kahn, owner of the Brickyard and partner at Lil’s Hobby Center. “In order to thank the community for their support through the years, we opened The Brickyard, a pop-up track where everyone can build and race their Mini-4WD Tamiya cars,” he said.

Over the last decade, the hobby has become more accessible, especially to children. Indeed, there is a sense of a well-loved tradition being passed on to a new generation whenever parents bring their kids to the Brickyard. “Tamiya kits and parts have become much more affordable, especially for the Mini-4WD,” Kahn said. “For parents, you can see the sheer joy in their faces as they relive their youth. For children, the hobby is an engaging and educational activity that is truly enjoyable at the same time.”

Aside from the fun and engagement that the hobby brings to children, Ferdie believes that the supportive and inclusive community is a huge part of the Mini-4WD experience. “Whenever beginners would walk into the Brickyard to buy and build their first car, the more seasoned racers are more than willing to give advice, even parts!” he said. “They are especially helpful to children, going as far as abandoning their own modifications to help the beginners build and race,” he enthused.

Lil’s Brickyard Racing will be open until Jan. 6, 2018. Lil’s Hobby Center is also planning to bring the track to other locations after the holidays.

PETITE CEO KEEPS REX’S LEGACY ALIVE WITH her petite frame and bubbly demeanor, Rex Group of Companies managing director Danda Crimelda Buhain embodies the idea that big things come in small packages.

As the third generation in a family of publishers, she is in charge, together with her brother and cousins, of keeping the family’s legacy alive. It is no easy task and keeping relevant in digital age is even harder.

The company is celebrating its 67th year from humble beginning in Calle Azcarraga (C.M. Recto Street) in Manila to become one of the country’s leading publishing companies in providing educational materials with over 10,000 published titles for K-12, tertiary and law levels in its 26 branches and showrooms around the country.

She joined Rex in 1998 as the head of the recruitment office for authors and basic education. Eventually, she handled almost all of the levels like the higher education and legal units, moving on to lead the business development initiatives for the company.

She immersed in the various aspects of product development and innovation.

“It’s a big job for a four-foot-ten girl like me,” she jests when asked about her current role in the family business.

“When I started with Rex, I was assigned to focus on the authors because my grandfather and my father had always believed that there has to be someone taking care of authors because at the end of the day the heart and soul of the products we produce is through the authors because they’re the ones writing and developing the content,” she explains.

With more than 19 years of experience in the educational material development industry, Buhain also oversees another company (International Sales Arm), the Rex Book Store International Inc. (RBSII) and the Rex Knowledge Group that produces various learning materials towards the development of the Filipino Whole Child.

“Eventually we started developing digital products,”Buhain says,“Coming from five decades of focusing on the product

development of textbooks, authorship, eventually I became the managing director of all the groups in charge of product and service development”.

Buhain has a keen eye for innovation without losing the quality of content in every educational material that the company produces.

“Gone are the days when we looked at ourselves as a textbook provider because when you say education now, it would encompass all the learning solutions available—whether in a book form, digital form, assessment, manipulatives, professional development for both the students and the teachers,” Buhain says.

“We got into it already because at the end of the day, the way kids learn now is different. It’s not dependent anymore on a monolithic approach of teaching things.

If you just depend on the monolithic approach, you end up not achieving your desire of making kids learn. You want them to really learn, not just memorize or know the concept. Hence, being able to apply it

in the real world when they go to college or when they go to the work place.”

She is a firm believer in innovation amid the digital age going as far as making sure that she and her team put their creative efforts in designing learning materials so people won’t be impassive.

“So the way we look at ourselves is a provider of learning solutions for all stakeholders in education—learners, teachers”, she says.

“A learner doesn’t necessarily mean a student from kinder to law but everyone is a learner. The moment you buy materials that you would go through, you are a learner. Kahit nagtatrabaho ka learner ka pa rin,”she says.

Buhain eceived her Bachelor’s in Communication, specializing in Advertising and Public Relations from Assumption College of San Lorenzo. She is the mother of two boys—Luigi (15) and Enzo (12). In 2015, the Philippine Cancer Society nominated Buhain and 13 others as ladies leading lives worthy of praise on the personal, professional and civic fronts.

Business

B2

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2017 business@manilastandard.net

LAZADA...

From B1

“We launched same-day delivery for the first time in the Philippines. If you order at 1 p.m., you will receive it on the same day. There are hundreds of thousands of items available for this,” he says.

Balci expects the e-commerce industry in the Philippines to continue its robust growth. “There are 10 million e-commerce customers. But only 1.5 percent of retail sales comes from e-commerce. If you look at the region, it is around 1.5 percent to 5 percent. So definitely we need to continue investing in the market to grow it,” he says.

“At the same time, we are very optimistic. When I look at customers, I see there are 63 million Facebook users, which means we can drastically grow e-commerce customers. I believe that if we realize these new customers, the Philippines will be the No. 1 in Southeast Asia, and potentially in the long term, one of the biggest in the world,” Balci says.

Balci says Lazada surpassed its sales target during its Online Revolution campaign on Nov. 9 to Nov. 11 and expects to break another record for its mega sale on Dec. 7 to Dec. 12. He confesses that Lazada is offering huge discounts on products to attract more customers to try e-commerce.

“We want our customers in the Philippines to buy the cheapest Christmas gifts. More than that, some people don’t understand that these are long-term investments. These are the kind of events that people get the courage to buy something online for the first time, because the prices are unheard of,” he says.

“We make an investment, our brand partners make an investment, companies like P&G, Unilever and Nestle, hundreds of them. Our merchants make investments.

Together, we bring down the price by as much as 95 percent. We make these investments so that in the future, it will be a much bigger market. This obviously benefits the customers. It gives them an excuse to try e-commerce for the first time.

Because the prices are no brainer,” he says.

On how Lazada is able to bring down prices by more than 90 percent, Balci says the company and its partners subsidize the cost of some products. “Through our own funding, we make subsidies in certain products. Brands makes subsidies in certain products because their marketing costs are much lower when they sell online. Our merchants also make their own subsidies because they don’t have to open all these stores. They don’t need to employ more people. So the cost base of our brands and merchants is much lower.

We also contribute ourselves. Together, the prices have become unbelievably low,” he says.

Balci says Lazada remains on expansion mode and continues to invest, but the long-term plan is still profitability.

“Southeast Asia is a growing market.

What we are doing is we are investing into the market in order to fulfill the whole potential of Southeast Asia. Today, if Lazada wants, Lazada can be profitable.

But the issue is not to look at this first.

There are more urgent priorities which are the growth of the market and having this massive market share. This is why together with investors, we have a plan and we are 100-percent adhering to this plan,” he says.

“This is still very early days for our business. It is a billion-dollar industry, but it is going to be a multi-billion-dollar industry. There is still a lot of room to grow,” says Balci. Roderick T. dela Cruz

SENATORS URGED TO CUT PROPOSED ‘SWEET TAX’ CONSUMER advocacy group CitizenWatch Philippines has joined the mounting calls to minimize the impact of the proposed sugar sweetened beverage taxes to poor consumers in House Bill 5636 currently pending in the Senate.

Should the bill be passed into law, its repercussions will “significantly impact the lives of millions of low-income Filipino consumers, said Tim Abejo, CitizenWatch convenor.

“It’s really the low-income earners who consume these products—powdered juice drinks, carbonated softdrinks and other beverages—on a daily basis, and higher prices could take a toll on their everyday expenses as once inexpensive products become suddenly unaffordable,” he said.

The House-approved version of the proposed tax measure, a part of the government’s banner tax reform program called Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion, imposes P10 per liter for drinks containing purely locally produced sugar and P20 on beverages with imported sugar or sweeteners.

“This can drive the prices of goods to double or even triple their current prices.

For instance just think of a 1 liter sachet powdered juice now at P9 suddenly sold at P30! Consumers sari-sari store and carinderia owners will all take a big hit,” Abejo warned.

He cited the over 300,000 signatures gathered by the Philippine Association of Stores and Carinderia Owners from across the country in opposition of the so-called “sweet tax.”

LOVE FOR TRUCKS LIFTS FAMILY BUSINESS

By Othel V. Campos

F

ILIPINO-CHINESE entrepreneur Richardson Chua has a life-long love affair with trucks. His penchant for the big, bulky machines is an osmosislike passion he inherited from his father.

“From a very young age, I have grown up with trucks. And I am truly blessed to be able to do what I love for a living. I have to thank my father for my love of equipment, and more importantly, for the passion in building this country,” says Chua, the general manager of trucks distributor Stonebrothers Inc. “That really is how Stonebrothers came to be. I believe this passion is what unites each and every person [in our company],” he says.

Stonebrothers, a company owned by Chua’s family, has the full authority to bring in and sell Chenglong trucks in the Philippines. The first Chenglong showroom is located at Edsa Balintawak in Quezon City.

“O f all Chinese trucks, Chenglong by Stonebrothers is something special. It’s because we make products with you, the business owner in mind. We see the big picture and understand the landscape where the trucks will operate.

From the water-break system to combat our hot environment, to the mixer lift lines to make sure we do not hit the low hanging wires in the cities, there is nothing too little to care about,” he says.

StoneBrothers assumed the dealership of Chenglong Motors in 2016, with a clear focus on maintenance and continuous support. The company was attracted to the core advantages of Chenglong trucks that include durability, efficiency and safety.

Chua says Chenglong trucks boast of durability, having the only 6,300-ton presser in Asia. “Whereas other companies bend their truck chassis separately and combine the latter, we use the presser to bend them at the same time fusing them completely. This eliminates any crevices or imperfections that might be the entrance point of water or other corrosive substances,” he says.

Another rust-proofing technique that Chenlong employs is the use of a five-layer coating system to make sure that the truck will not rust through the years. “As you know, no matter how strong the steel, it cannot beat rust,” says Chua.

Stonebrothers Inc. general manager Richardson Chua

Chua says as for efficiency, Chenlong trucks excel both in fuel consumption and hauling capacity.Using a best in class Yuchai engine, an adaptive transmission and aerodynamic body design, Chenglong lowers down operating costs by using less fuel and less maintenance expenses.

“In fact, there was a recent fuel efficiency competition in Vietnam where Chenglong placed first among all the other popular trucks. It only needed 28.9 liters to travel 100 kilometers,” Chua says.

Safety, meanwhile, was a reinforced feature using the keel structure design of the Chenglong truck, or the so-called dragon bone that guarantees to be one of the safest cabins in the market today.

“Safety is something that hits home for me because I believe that in doing business nothing is more important than the lives of our people,” says Chua.

Chua says the name ‘Chenglong’ which literally means ‘to ride a dragon’, has a deep symbolic history.

Chenglong Motors came from one of the oldest cities in China, a place called Liuzhou which has a history of over 2,100 years. A very poor town that relied largely on the river to live, it was able to build a huge manufacturing company called Chenglong Motors that employs a significant portion of the entire city, to free themselves from poverty.

Because of the river’s shape, the citizens would often refer to their hometown as LongCheng or the Dragon City that is prone to floods, which is the reason why it is always said that the dragon must be angry.

Led by Chenglong, Liuzhou has become one of the most industrialized cities in China and has become one of its manufacturing capitals.

Like China, the Philippines’ terrain is as difficult steep and rough and the weather is quite variable too.

“The trucks need to work 24/7 to make money, and overloading is standard not an exception.

To all of us contractors and haulers, do these things sound familiar to you? Rough roads, harsh terrains, unpredictable weather and overloaded cargo is also very Philippines. So you see, the growth of China is parallel to that of our own development, with identical challenges,” he says, reinforcing a proposition that Chenglong trucks are well-suited for the Philippine environment.

Chenglong delivered its first units in the Philippines in 2008. So far, over 4,000 units have been sold.

Chua says not many Chenglong trucks are visible in Manila, but in the provinces, especially in the rough mine sites of Surigao and Palawan, Chenglong is used extensively. He says it is in these places, where the conditions are the worst and the usage most rigorous that the build quality of Chenglong really stands out.

“As we truck owners know, a truck is as only as good as its weakest link. Your engine might be top notched but if your wiper motor fails, you cannot operate in the rain,” Chua says.

“Our goal is to empower businesses to be able to use less resources to create more. So from here on end, every move we make will be geared towards having the best heavy equipment support in the business,” Chua says.

ALLIANZ PNB PRESIDENT AIMS TO GROW AGENCY FORCE DR. OLAF Kliesow, president and chief executive of Allianz PNB Life, has recently presented the results of the Allianz “Global Wealth Report”, which puts the asset and debt situation of households in more than 50 countries under the microscope.

Kliesow, who brings with him a wealth of experience from over two decades of career in global finance and investment, is set to grow the 300man Allianz PNB Life to a 3,000-strong company to become one of the top 10 performing life insurers in the country by 2020.

He said the focus of the company is to expand its agency force to complement its primary bancassurance distribution network with the Philippine National Bank and another regional deal with the Hong Kong Shanghai Bank.

“With the Philippines, we started about a year ago, firstly focusing mainly through PNB. We are looking at a very positive result for 2017.

We have expanded our reach with a recent partnership with HSBC. We have also started growing our agency distribution, which will be the focus in 2018,” he said.

Global report shows recovery He said that 2016 was politically a very turbulent year, but private wealth shrugged it off, after a weaker 2015 (+4.7 percent), financial assets grew again by 7.1 percent last year, more or less matching the post-crisis average.

The study also revealed that Asia (excluding Japan) was once again the uncontested leader in 2016, with growth of 15 percent; in China financial assets increased by 17.9 percent. In a long-term comparison, too, Asia (excluding Japan) is the dominant region, particularly when inflation is also taken into account.

“Worldwide, financial assets climbed to a new record high of almost 170 trillion euros. Last year’s acceleration in growth came mostly from industrialized countries, where growth doubled to 5.2 percent. Bank deposits remain popular – despite real losses owing to inflation,” he said.

Gross per capita financial assets in Asia (excluding Japan) grew by almost 11 percent per year in real terms in the last decade. The other two emerging

Allianz PNB Life president and chief executive Dr. Olaf Kliesow

regions, Latin America and Eastern Europe, achieved growth of only about 5 percent, which was still more than twice as fast as the growth rates in North America (+2.1 percent) and Western Europe (+1.4 percent).

Debt growing faster The study likewise cited that global household liabilities increased by 5.5 percent in 2016, the highest rate of growth since 2007. That means that debt also rose faster than nominal economic output for the first time since 2009, and the global debt ratio increased by almost 1 percentage point to 64.6 percent. In Asia (excluding Japan) debt growth rose sharply by a further 4 percentage points to just under 17 percent, pushing the debt ratio to 46.3 percent.

At the top were Chinese households which ratcheted up their liabilities by a whopping 23 percent (debt ratio: 45.1

percent). That means that this region accounts for almost 20 percent of global private liabilities of just under 41 trillion euros, compared with less than 7 percent ten years ago.

Despite the steep rise in debt, global net financial assets—gross financial assets minus debt—reached a new record high of 128.5 trillion euros at the close of 2016. That represents an increase of 7.6 percent year-on-year.

PH has huge pent-up demand “The Philippines still has huge pentup demand when it comes to access to financial services and financial deepening,” said Kliesow, adding that, “less than a third of the population aged 15 and older have an account at a financial institution.”

The study also took note of aging populations and low protection provided by social security systems pose a challenge in the development

of financial systems in Asia, which also reflects on the Philippines.

In India for example, more than 53 percent of the population aged 15 and older and in China 79 percent of the respective age group have an account at a financial institution. It is therefore not surprising that asset diversification is as good as nonexistent among Philippine households: only 0.2 percenthold securities or other investment products.

The same holds true with respect to insurance coverage: Despite the fact that 24.2 percent of households are reported to have retirement insurance and 27.5 percent percent are said to own a car, insurance penetration is also still rather low in comparison to the regional average, with premium income in life insurance amounting to 1.3 percent of GDP and that of property and casualty insurance to 0.5 percent of GDP.

Tech & Gadgets

FILIPINO TECHIE MAKES IT TO FORBES 30 UNDER 30

“W

HY isn’t there a tech company in the Philippines?” asked Gian Javelona, then a young and highly ambitious college student taking up Computer Engineering at the Polytechnic University of the Philippines.

Today, at 26, Javelona is CEO of OrangeApps, a company that brings together a School Information System, a Learning Management System, and Data Analytics in a singular platform for better school performance.

Javelona was included in Forbes Magazine’s 30 Under 30 Asia 2017, a prestigious list of young achievers and innovators in the region.

OrangeApps is continuously on the up and up, with its latest portfolio of products expanding to include Khawna, an online learning platform that offers various courses to people who may need additional know-how in science, technology, engineering and entrepreneurship, even in far-flung areas as long as there is Internet access. Other game-changing and groundbreaking products are currently being developed.

Javelona was invited recently as a panelist in a discussion organized by AXA for its new offering MyAmbition, the first investment-linked insurance product that is available online.

At the event, Javelona talked about his path to becoming an entrepreneur and achieving his ambition.

A major milestone in his life was when he was accepted in 2013 to the incubation program of Ideaspace Foundation, an initiative of businessman Manny Pangilinan to help nurture start-ups and “technopreneurship,” as well as innovation technology development.

AXA MyAmbition is a variable life insurance plan that can be bought online for a one-time investment of as little as P50,000 up to a maximum of P125,000.

It lets you grow your money by investing it in a fund best suited to your investment personality. It also doubles as a life insurance, which means your loved ones will receive bigger gains in the future in case something unexpected happens to you. You also have the option to let your money stay with AXA so it can grow further.

You can check the performance of your investment by simply downloading the MYAXA app and registering your policy. You can avail of up to 10 MyAmbition policies, and you can pay your premium via your credit or debit card.

AXA encourages people of all ages and walks of life to have a game plan, in the same way Javelona does, to be able to live the life they choose.

To learn more about AXA MyAmbition, visit axa. com.ph today.

Gian Javelona is CEO of OrangeApps, a company that brings together a School Information System, a Learning Management System, and Data Analytics in a singular platform for better school performance.

SYNERGY88 WOWS DIGITAL, GAMING WORLD

Jason Harris (left), Senior Director, Worldwide External Development and Business Development of Electronic Arts, with Jackielyn Chua, Synergy88 Managing Director

FILIPINO talent is slated to wow the digital entertainment and gaming world once again as top ranked developers make their way to two major international events in Europe and Asia in the next two months as a fitting follow up to recent successes in Busan, South Korea and Vancouver, Canada.

Synergy88’s Barangay 143 made its way to Cannes, France last October for the annual Marché International des Programmes de Communication (International Market of Communications Programs) with the participation of its ASI Animation Studios Inc. Popularly known as MIPCOM, the event is best known as the world’s market for entertainment content across all platforms.

Following this, Synergy88’s gaming company, Synergy88 Digital, moved to South Korea as part of the Philippine Delegation that attended the Global Gaming Exhibition 2017 from Nov. 16 to 18.

The whirlwind of events follows in the footsteps in Synergy88 Digital’s high marks with its “Barangay 143: Street League” which was chosen as a finalist in the Busan Indie Connect held last Sept. 15 to 17 in Korea.

Synergy88 Digital was the only Filipino company that made it out of 300 entries and was likewise nominated as the“Best Multiplayer Game.”

Synergy88 Digital was also lauded for its participation in the External Development Summit 2017 in Vancouver, Canada last September.

XDS is the only annual, international games industry event with a primary focus on external development for art, animation, audio, software engineering, QA and localization. It brings together a niche community of game developers and publishers, vendors, and middleware providers.

The event itself is composed of industry players who meet annually in to contribute to the advancement of the industry through collaboration, sharing of best practices, networking and the delivery of a high-caliber, educational program.

Considered to be a professionalsonly event, Synergy88 Digital has consistently attended XDS since 2014. This year it was part of a larger Philippine delegation as it was joined by the Department of Trade and Industry’s Export Marketing Bureau.

The joint effort is a testament to Synergy88’s effort to promote Filipino talent globally, create a larger scale of awareness about the potential and opportunities of the industry.

Through the years it has reached out to respective institutions and government agency for support to help the industry overcome its challenges

DISCOVER ADVENTURES WITH NEW OPPO F5 YOUTH FOLLOWING the successful launch of the OPPO F5, OPPO is set to expand its A.I. Beauty Technology-powered smartphones with the new OPPO F5 Youth in the Philippines, launched Saturday at the OPPO Concept Store at SM Megamall.

Designed for the younger generation, prepare to explore new adventures with a smartphone equipped with flagship level features in a more attractive price point.

The OPPO F5 Youth brings the same personalized beautification feature which first appeared on the F5, and the 6-inch FHD+ full-screen along with other emerging cool functions, such as the speedy Facial Unlock and game first technology.

The OPPO F5 Youth takes your selfie adventures to the next level, featuring a high quality 16MP Selfie camera with OPPO’s A.I. Beauty Technology, accompanied with a 13MP rear camera to capture moments anytime and anywhere. You get to see extraordinary visuals with a six-inch full-screen of 2160x1080 resolution (FHD+).

The F5 Youth takes enhanced naturallooking selfies that reflect real beauty from inside out through the A.I. Beauty Technology. Experience real and natural looking selfies with more than 200 facial recognition points identified by the F5 Youth to remove impurities and enhance facial features. Each and every selfie with the F5 Youth is guaranteed to be unique for everyone to appreciate.

“Since we launched the F5, we have envisioned OPPO to capture real moments—the real you, your real beauty.

And with the release of the OPPO F5 Youth, we give everyone an opportunity to get a full experience of the new generation of selfies with the same A.I. Beauty Recognition technology,” said Stephen Cheng, OPPO Philippines’ Brand Marketing Manager.

Features built for the youth Interact with the OPPO F5 Youth’s seamless features and innovative design. The 6-inch full-screen display allows users to get a wider visual perspective of their phone while maintaining the same size of a 5.5” phone. See more vivid visuals on the OPPO F5’s

new mainstream aspect ratio of 18:9, designed to be sleeker and give a more immersive display. OPPO continues to give the most comfortable and convenient security access anytime with its back-fingerprint reader and speedy facial unlock technology.

For a smoother and energy-saving experience, the OPPO F5 Youth comes in the latest ColorOS 3.2 that is smoother to operate with 23% faster app launches.

This is accompanied with 2.5GHz Octacore CPU processor for an all-day computing experience with no delays.

For more exciting updates about the OPPO F5 Youth, make sure to tune in to OPPO Philippines’Official Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/OPPOPH/

B3

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2017 rumallari@thestandard.com.ph

FINTECH FIRM APPSOLUTELY STARTS PRE-SALE OF LOYALCOIN CRYPTOCURRENCY FINTECH service firm Appsolutely begins pre-selling LoyalCoin cryptocurrency, as a prelude to its upcoming token-generating event on Dec. 11.

Appsolutely will release 4.75 billion LYLs to the public. Currently, $1 can buy 250 LYL, while Php 1 can buy 5 LYL. The public event will enable merchants, retailers, and even consumers to purchase LYLs that can be traded with partners of Appsolutely.

“This pre-sale event is intended to build the company’s capacity among consumers and retailers, especially as we see LYL becoming a mainstream digital currency for a variety of services,” said Patrick Palacios, Appsolutely CEO. Opportunities in an omnichannel loyalty economy Appsolutely, a company that has extensive experience in digital loyalty and platforms and has earned an impressive portfolio of major retail clients, has recently developed blockchain-enabled services as the next-generation solution to customer loyalty.

The company is firming up its vision of a universal loyalty points system across service-oriented companies.

Inspired by the growing global trend of an omnichannel loyalty economy among businesses, Appsolutely is taking their knowledge to develop a robust system that enables companies to engage customers and provide them with elevated levels of experience.

Citing a recent report by research firm KBV Research, Appsolutely’s Patrick Palacios said the loyalty management market is projected to grow US$6.2 billion by 2023, which is an 18.6 percent growth from the previous year.

“This isn’t just a one-off trend; we’re seeing lots of opportunities as even merchants are becoming interested in transacting using cryptocurrencies, which are more secure and robust as a mode of payment,” Palacios said.

Tech behind Appsolutely The result of their research and development is a rewards ecosystem called LoyalPlatform, designed to enable companies to effectively adapt an omnichannel loyalty program and turn an otherwise deficient loyalty system to a more secure and value-based rewards program.

LoyalPlatform is composed a digital wallet, a series of white label apps, and a coalition of supporting merchants and vendors.

At the core of the LoyalPlatform is LoyalCoin, a secure, blockchainbased virtual currency that would serve as both denomination for rewards and avenue for exchange into other virtual currencies. LoyalCoin tokens are created on the NEM Blockchain Technology network, a powerful blockchain system that can process 4000 transactions per second, faster than other blockchain systems. With it, customers who are issued LYLs by retailers can redeem rewards from the source merchants or use the LYLs to purchase other products other than from the source retailers.

Meanwhile, LYLs also help retailers by opening new revenue streams from surplus economic activity where points earned can be used to trade for other products and services with other merchant partners.

For more information on how to participate visit https://loyalcoin.io

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TECH & Gadgets

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2017 Riera U. Mallari, Editor rumallari@thestandard.com.ph

WISH 107.5 LAUNCHES WISHCARD, WISHAPP

Wish 107.5 officials are shown during the launching of the Wishcard at the Power Mac Center Spotlight in Circuit Makati. They are (from left) Jay Eusebio, VP for Marketing and TV; Bong Etorma, VP for Operations; and Noel Peralta, CEO for 1KSolutions Inc. (developer of WishApp and WishCard).

I

NNOVATION is Wish 107.5’s calling card.

The all-hits FM radio station is at it again as it adds a new item to its roster of groundbreaking innovations—the WishCard— launched recently at the Power Mac Center Spotlight in Circuit Makati.

Tagged as the newest and coolest card in the Philippines, Wish 107.5 followers can get the WishCard by downloading the Wish App for free via Google Play for Android phones. Apple users can also avail of the App soon.

A WishCard holder can avail of exclusive promos, rewards, and other freebies from different partner establishments.

Wish 107.5 sees this endeavor as a way to show its appreciation to its loyal subscribers, tagged as “Wishers” numbering 1,700,000, all of whom will be given their WishCards, developed by 1KSolutions Inc. The card’s accompanying mobile app also serves as a one-stop source of Wish 107.5, which is loaded with exciting features such as live audio streaming, news feed updates and an access to more Wishclusive contents.

into your WISHapp. This is filled with news articles that you can also check in WISH 107.5 Website. It contains the most updated news articles regarding your favorite artist and band, featured songs and Wishcovery!

Upon clicking the title of the link shown on the newsfeed you wanted to view, a write-up regarding the artist, song or event will appear. You do not need to spend time searching about your favorite artist updates because the write-up itself is filled with accurate and fresh information about them.

Live Streaming

Level up your music habit with the WISHcard’s live streaming feature!

This feature allows you to stream Wish 107.5 anytime and anywhere.

All you need is online connectivity via WiFi or mobile data. It`s very easy to use thanks to its own docked player that makes navigation a breeze. Having its cozy orange color will smoothen up your mood while listening to your favorite songs and DJs. With just one click, your world will be filled with clear and loud music.

Promos

What is shopping without promos?

Promos and discounts can be availed by anyone who uses this card. This feature listed the coolest promos collaborated with our merchant partners for you to get the best deals.

News Feed Check the list of promos in feature First on the list is the News Feed. It “Promos.” Just click the promo you are is the first thing you’ll see after logging interested with. Tap the “Get Coupon”

button and it will automatically be saved to your list of coupons.

Just click the promo you are interested with. Tap the“Get Coupon”button and it will automatically be saved to your list of coupons. When you are ready to redeem your coupons, just simply show it to the cashier as you pay the items for you to avail the promo. Promos and discounts are best here in WishCard!

Rewards

This feature gives the list of specialized items from apparels and food to travel get-aways and high-end gadgets that may be given to you absolutely for free!

How? It`s very easy Wishers! Rewards are redeemed based on the number of points you’ve earned. You can have your points by listening to your favorite DJs where he or she will announce the promo codes unexpectedly.

Promo codes can be encoded to another section labeled as “PROMO CODE” to consolidate your points. If you are one of the lucky listeners, the

number of points mentioned by the DJ will be added to your points.

Upon choosing your preferred item, click “more info” and there you have it.

Just make sure that you have sufficient reward points for you to get your chosen item. You can drop by to any wish booth near you or to Wish 107.5 office to claim your rewards. Tune in to your favorite Wish 107.5 programs and gather a lot of points to redeem great rewards!

Innovations

Since its launch in August 2014, Wish 107.5 has earned various recognitions because of its various unique concepts, such as the Wish Bus, Wish Music Awards, and online singing competition, Wishcovery.

The WishCard is a brainchild of multi-awarded media personality, Dr. Daniel Razon, president and CEO of Breakthough and Milestones Productions International, the company that provides content for Wish 107.5.

So what can you ask more in a radio FM? Get your WishCard now.

SAFER HOMES THROUGH D-LINK’S WIFI CAMERAS THE main goal of technology is to make our lives better and safer each and every day, and with D-Link’s customer-first commitment, your home has never been safer.

Made with state-of-the-art materials of the highest industry quality, the DCS-8000LH and DCS8100LH can best other players in the market because we value your security and your family’s peace of mind above all else.

The DCS-8000LH boasts of a powerhouse 720p HD resolution and a 120-degree viewing angle for more coverage around your home. The sleek, discreet, and inconspicuous design makes the DCS-8000LH a compact wireless network camera that can monitor any designated area both during a sunny day and during the darkest of nights. It can connect to your wireless network easily so that you can install the device anywhere with Wi-Fi coverage, with the free and user-friendly mydlink Lite app that sends you notifications, saves snapshots, and allows you to manage your camera remotely. Its built-in night vision, motion and sound detection, Bluetooth setup, and Built-in IR LEDs will make you feel secure and can set your mind at ease no matter what the situation.

On the other hand, the onemegapixel sensor, high-quality 720p HD resolution, and 180-degree ultra-wide viewing angle of the DCS-8100LH lets you play with its flexibility as it can pivot, tilt, and rotate to provide you with the best view of your home while you are away. Its comprehensive feature set includes the Wireless Signal Strength LED for you to locate the best wireless location for smooth video streaming. On top of the motion detection, the DCS-8100LH can also pick up and capture loud sounds from the microphone, triggering instant notifications for you. The built-in infrared LEDs can offer night-time viewing of up to 5 meters (16.4 feet), and what’s even better is that you can talk to household loved ones using the mic and speaker on the device for seamless two-way communication.

Simply use the Bluetooth setup or connect to your wireless network, then install the mydlink Lite app to manage your camera remotely.

As an added bonus, the DCS8100LH supports a microSD card with a storage capacity of up to 128GB to let you backup video and images to a flash card, along with an Event recording to microSD Feature (Motion and Sound Detection).

The Wireless N with backwards compatibility allows your camera to work with 802.11g/b devices as well. Is there an even better way to protect your family and your home than this? Beef up your home security with D-Link today.

Soon available in IT stores nationwide, the DCS-8000L and DCS8100L units are priced at P3,350 and P9,340 respectively.

SAMSUNG UNVEILS SMART CLASSROOM IN CAMARINES SUR SAMSUNG Electronics Philippines Corporation launched its latest Smart Classroom in Tagontong, Goa, Camarines Sur. The new space at the Philippine Science High School - Bicol Region is the tech giant’s 15th site in its continuing efforts to develop exceptional Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics students. This is also the fourth time that Samsung collaborated with Philippine Science High School Foundation Inc. The Samsung Smart Classroom program aims to enhance the quality of education via technology. The brand equips public and rural high schools with state-of-the-art devices, such as Galaxy tablets and Samsung LED screens, furnished with modules from e-learning content developer FrontLearn-

ers, to create a dynamic and interactive learning environment.

“While the PSHS system is known for producing some of our most gifted scientists, its Bicol campus boasts an impressive robotics and research program that is recognized regionally, and internationally,” said Twyla David, Head of Corporate Citizenship at Samsung.“Through this program, we want to help PSHS-BRC develop competent STEM graduates that contribute not only to the development of their region, but the whole nation.”

To demonstrate the functionality of the classroom, the school conducted interactive physics lectures led by Glaiza Reobilo, a Physics teacher at PSHSBRC. The school plans to use the classroom for technical electives such as computer-aided design, electronics, microprocessing,

and programming.

More than providing access to information, the Galaxy tablets also expedite discussions, particularly in methodologybased subjects. In programming and mathematics, for example, checking the solution is as important as getting the right answer. A Samsung Smart Classroom setup enables teachers to access their students’work via wirelessly connected tablets.

They can highlight parts of a student’s solution or code, for instance, and flash it on a big LED screen for the whole class to discuss. Questions can also be inputted on the devices for the teacher to facilitate and display on the board.

“Our country is in dire need of more competent scientists,” says Elsie Ferrer, Campus Director of PSHS-BRC. “Bicol, for

example, is a hotbed for natural disasters—yearly typhoons, earthquakes, floods, among others. Our local government units encourage schools to create solutions centered on disaster management. That is one important field that our future scientists can contribute to.

“We are grateful that Samsung continues to provide us with a fully digital educational experience. This will help in upholding our track record of mentoring the next generation’s thinkers, scientists, and innovators. We are looking forward to more partnerships with them,” says Ferrer.

The Samsung Smart Classroom launch in PSHS-BRC strengthens Samsung’s drive to be a global leader in technology and innovation, improving the lives of its consumers in every way.

The Samsung Smart Classroom program aims to enhance student engagement and performance at the PSHS-BRC.

C1

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2017 Isah V. Red, Editor /

Young Life

Bernadette Lunas, Issue Editor isahred@gmail.com.ph

PICKS FOR MILLENNIALS:

OIL SCRUB, DEADLY DELICACY, AND MORE

By Bernadette Lunas

I

T’S not easy to be Piolo Pascual, especially these days. With tapings for a sitcom and his upcoming television series, training for his first full marathon next year, attending to his production and real estate businesses, and being a father to his son Iñigo, Papa P currently has his hands full.

And as if his responsibilities are not enough, there is one more thing that keeps him busy: “I’m moving houses, to live with my mom,” shares Piolo.

“When I turned 40, I moved in a house with my mom (in Alabang).

So it’s me, my mom, my sister, and Iñigo [living there together],” the actor and producer relates.

It would seem a bit odd that a grown-up man with a teenage son has decided to move in with his mother, when it should be a different case; him having a family of his own living in their own home.

But Piolo explains: “I lived in a condo for about, probably, 15 years.

Since my mom’s in the States and would travel back and forth, I got her a condo [here in the Philippines]. But when she turned 70 last year, she said she wanted to live in a house, be with people. So my sister and I decided to build a house for her.”

But being Piolo Pascual—with all the responsibilities it entails—something as simple as moving houses is not that easy.

“I have so much stuff that it took me three months to move,” he shares, adding, “It’s hard nowadays because you’re busy, because of the traffic, and because everything depends on the availability of a truck.”

Adding to his stress are losing items that are meant to be moved from one place to another. Piolo, who in the past 20 years had moved places at least six times, says he already lost “so much stuff,” the most heartbreaking of which are his box of videotapes containing footages when they were kids, a hard drive with 80,000 videos and photos he compiled from early 2000s up to recent, and a box of trophies (which included his

Best Supporting Actor award he got for his performance in the 2002 film Dekada ’70).

To help him manage his time and sort everything out, Piolo, like most of us, relies on technology. Thus, when he moved the last items from his condo in Makati to the home he shares with his mom, Piolo booked a delivery service from Mober app.

Mober Technology is the country’s first on-demand app that offers reliable and affordable van delivery services. Dubbed as the “Uber for delivery”, which was co-founded

by Dennis Ng, it aims to provide streamlined delivery solution to consumers, businesses, especially SMEs, and van and truck owners who want to maximize the use of their vehicle by partnering with the Filipino startup.

Using the app is same as booking a cab. It currently offers three kinds of vehicles (van, mini truck, truck), and delivers only within Metro Manila.

“I booked using Mober and the last few stuff in my condo were delivered within the same day. I’m really happy because there was no hassle,” shares Piolo.

Piolo avers that using apps such as this helps simplify our lives—something that he strives to do.

“All these apps that make our life easier is what we really need. We live in a world where we put so much stuff in our hands and to be able to do something as simple as moving shouldn’t be even bothering us.”

FACIAL scrubs are more popular as an exfoliating product—because it is—than as a nourishing item in a beauty regimen.

To change this, St. Ives introduces oil scrub variants that exfoliates and nourishes the skin to bring out that luminous, lit-fromwithin look. The St. Ives Apricot Oil Scrub and St. Ives Coconut Oil Scrub (P399) combine the skin nourishing properties of a scrub exfoliator, together with 100 percent grapeseed oil.

Go to www.stives.com to know where you can score these new oil scrubs

MOVE IN WITH PAPA P. Piolo Pascual,

the new endorser of Mober app, believes that everyone should take advantage of applications that can help us do simple things like moving houses.

* * * Feeling a bit adventurous?

Try Japan’s popular delicacy fugu, fugu also known as tiger pufferfish or blowfish, made by an expert.

Chef Mizumoto Masahiro, schooled and licensed chef to prepare this rather deadly dish, Turn to C2

HAVE A MERRY‘KIEHLSMAS’ GIVE a gift of art and great skin with Kiehl’s products adorned with colorful holidaythemed designs by London-based graphic artist Kate Moross.

The holiday collection, Kiehl’s biggest to date, is composed of the brand’s 10 bestselling products, each featuring their own festive design— making you want to keep the tub or the bottle even after you used up all its contents.

Kiehl’s brings three of its holiday collection here at home: the ultra-hydrating Ultra Colorful and festive designs adorn some of Kiehl's bestselling products, such as Ultra Facial Cream, Midnight Recovery Concentrate, and Calendula Toner

Facial Cream (50ml for P1,575), the invigorating Calendula Herbal-Extract Toner (250ml for P2,425), and the replenishing Midnight Recovery Concentrate (50ml for P3,895).

The Kiehl’s x Kate Moross Holiday collection also includes customizable gift sets for patrons who wish to personalize their gifts.

Adding to the fun of the holidays is Kiehl’s Mickey Collection to be launched in December. The collection includes a special edition tote bag available for free with every purchase worth a minimum of P8,000.

Go to Kiehl's Philippines on Facebook or @KiehlsPhilippines on Instagram to know more.

Young Life

C2

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2017 isahred@gmail.com

PICKS...

From C1

will serve a fugu set menu at Kitsho Japanese restaurant on December.

The four-course meal (P4,480++) consists of blowfish sashimi, hotpot, deep fried fugu, and congee; including appetizer and fruit.

Visit Kitsho on the ground level of Hotel Jen Manila along Roxas Blvd. Call (02) 795-8888 loc. 2312 for inquiries and reservations. * * *

M.R.K.T. (Mad Rabbit Kicking Tiger) bags are made of premium eco-friendly and sustainable materials

SOCIALLY CONSCIOUS AND STYLISHLY TRENDY BAGS Complete your daily essential with antibacterial products that can help you ward off germs wherever you may be.

The fresh-smelling Hygienix 65% Ethyl Alcohol effectively kills germs and disinfects without drying the skin. Hygienix Anti-Bacterial Hand Gel and Hygienix Anti-Bacterial Hand Spray are perfect for commuters who need a quick and effective product to sanitize their hands. Wash your hands using Hygienix Germicidal Soap that kills 99.99 percent of germs and common disease-causing bacteria.

Hygienix antibacterial products are available in major supermarkets, drugstores and groceries nationwide. * * *

Citi Philippines Customer Franchise head Roy Villareal, Corporate Affairs director Aneth Ng-Lim, and Credit Payment Products head David Stoughton

Citi lets its credit card holders dining out with family and friends from Friday to Sunday get a chance to win back the money they used to dine.

Sounds good? It gets even better as cardholders may opt to dine anywhere—fast food restaurants, hotel dining outlets, bars, or cocktail lounges—from today until Jan. 28, 2018, with no minimum spend required. The total dining bill or max of P5,000 will automatically be credited to their card.

Visit www.citibank.com.ph to know more about this exciting promo.

By Daniel Reyes

C

ONSUMERS of this generation are known to prefer products and services from socially responsible businesses. Globally, 66 percent of purchasers are willing to spend more on a product from a sustainable brand, according to Nielson’s Global Corporate Sustainability Report in 2015.

This is why many companies step up in promoting sustain- followers of Guison loves it when he uses the bags. “I get so able developments to attract conscious shoppers with pur- many compliments when they see me using the bags, [and] I chasing power. love how [the bags] are so different and versatile. The type of One of the rising fashion brands practicing sustainable material they use will remind you of beautiful architectures,” and ethical manufache shares. turing methods is Mad Since M.R.K.T. perRabbit Kicking Tiger ceives trendiness not as (M.R.K.T.), a bags and a mere sign of the times, accessories label. the brand is anchored Each product of on visionary concepts M.R.K.T. is made of prethat present an intelmium eco-friendly and ligent sense of urban sustainable materials design. that are extremely duSpeaking of trendirable and functional ness, the influx of Filiwithout compromising pinos traveling across aesthetic appeal. The cities and countries has Los Angeles-based lafurther increased the bel innovated excellent demand for handbags alternatives to several to carry all their essenanimal dependent matials. terials being used in “It’s always tricky manufacturing bags; when choosing the its signature materials right bag to bring for a include vegn leather, trip, because you want smrt felt, supr felt, thrit to carry all your essenmo resin, mcro suede, tials; and, of course, you and mcro leather. want it to look good,” And aside from says Guison. “I personbringing forth a disally go for structured tinctive combination bags because they go of ground breaking dewith almost any look.” sign and functionality In addition to them that focuses on social being stylish and enconsciousness, M.R.K.T. vironment-friendly, also introduces a threeM.R.K.T. bags are water way approach to aesresistant—a truly vital thetics: architectural feature for something Lifestyle blogger David Guison with his M.R.K.T. bag inspiration, distinctive that your bring around patterns, and vibrant to carry your important colors. items—thanks to supr For lifestyle blogger David Guison, M.R.K.T. bags’s utilitar- felt, a material made of melted surface fibers, created in the ian feel sets them apart from other bags in the market. The M.R.K.T. design lab. style is young and current but not loud or intimidating.

M.R.K.T. Bags are available at Bratpack and The Travel Club Perhaps this can be the reason why many of the millennial stores nationwide.

Wearing someone else’s eyeglasses will ruin your eyes: FACT

IT COULD be something you were told about when you were younger and didn’t know better, or something that almost everyone asserts is right but you just can’t believe to be true. These are the misconceptions we aim to debunk in this section.

This week, we will differentiate fact from fiction about wearing prescription eye glasses.

Just like most of the personal things we own, prescription specs are not meant to be shared.

Wearing the wrong prescription glasses for a long period can cause headache and nausea. Get an eye check-up and determine the right prescription for you.

Wearers will forever be dependent on their eyeglasses: FICTION

Prescription glasses correct your vision. Dayto-day tasks are easier because everything is clear. Hence, you constantly wear your glasses not out of dependence, but because all your visual difficulties disappear.

Wearing eyeglasses will aggravate your vision problems: FICTION Eyeglasses are an aid to improve vision. They will not add to your sight problems. Our vision naturally deteriorates with age, so don’t fret because it is not the eyeglasses’ fault. Regular eye check up will help identify the problem and the right prescription glasses can help you see clearly.

Ready-made reading glasses will address your vision problem: FICTION

WEARING EYEGLASSES FACT

FICTION

Store-bought reading glasses are not customized for the wearer mainly because the prescription grade is the same for both left and right lenses. Most people with vision problems have different prescription grades for each eye. Headache, eye strain, and even nausea can result from wearing reading glasses that are not your actual prescription.

Go to Essilor, the world’s leading ophthalmic optics company, to get a proper eye care and prescription glasses such as those with Varilux, the optimum solution to achieve natural, sharper vision at any distance.

Showbiz

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2017

C3

Isah V. Red, Editor / Nickie Wang, Issue Editor isahred@gmail.com

Bossa nova artist Melvin Velasquez

By Nickie Wang

B

FILIPINO BOSSA NOVA

ECOMING a successful actor is no easy feat. It requires hard work, skills, and often a little bit of luck. But for some stars, TV, movie, or recording success isn’t enough. Take Kapamilya star Enchong Dee for example.

The 29-year-old actor has also been able to prosper in the entrepreneurial world after deciding to take a stab at getting his own business up and running. At the moment, Enchong co-owns two branches of an emerging restaurant chain and personally invested in the same brand opening another branch, which he solely operate.

In an interview with Manila Standard last week, during the 12th-anniversary party Peri-Peri Charcoal Chicken and Sauce Bar, Enchong shared that food business is something that he’s always been passionate about.

“Food is my passion. Many people don’t know that when I was growing in Naga, we had a poultry farm. We literally know all kinds of chicken preparations and dishes,” the actor said.

During the party held in a Peri-Peri branch at Greenbelt, the Fil-Chinese actor was also formally introduced as the restaurant chain’s celebrity endorser.

“Enchong perfectly matches the upbeat and active energy of the brand. The dynamic actor is well at home with the restaurant’s playful atmosphere.

I must admit that the TVC featuring him dancing the Peri-Peri dance helped a lot in terms of brand recall,” shared Peri-Peri’s local innovator, Bryan Tiu. Two years since he ventured into the food business, Enchong slowly realizes that food is “the future.” And he plans to get more involved in the restaurant operation more. In fact, he even helps his staff wait tables in between showbiz commitments.

“I visit our branches, two to three times a week.

During weekends I try to help my waters do their job. It’s a nice feeling to have a close encounter with the customers. It’s not something that I am being required to do but it gives me a different kind of satisfaction because I know what it feels like when someone receives bad service in a restaurant,” Enchong explained why he’s that handson.

With the ever-changing media landscape, the

actor believes that doing something other than acting can help him secure a better future. Although he doesn’t consider going full-time in the food business, he has started planning for any kind of eventualities that he may encounter.

“There’s this something in my head that says showbiz is just temporary. It’s not forever. So I’m thinking of something that I would be busy in the future in case I’m no longer that active in showbiz.

Maybe I will slow down a bit but not completely retire. I want something that will give me security,” he said.

He further stated that he doesn’t want to experience being on his knees begging for work. That’s why as early as now, he’s looking for possible investment options that can give him financial security at the latter part of his life. “ P a rang yung 80 years old na ako pero nagmamakaawa pa rin ako na, ‘Bigyan ako ng trabaho, kailangan ko ng pagkain.

I don’t mean anything sa sinabi ko, pero it’s the reality. We saw that kind of reality with stars before, and yet they have to work even at the age of 60 or 70 years old. People in that age should be enjoying life instead,” he ended.

ACT EXCELS IN LONDON

DYNAMIC.

Young actor Enchong Dee has successfully practiced his being an entrepreneur while keeping his flourishing showbiz career

Enchong Dee doing the Peri-Peri Chicken Dance for the restaurant's latest TVC

ANNE, VICE GANDA SET SOCIAL MEDIA RECORDS IT’S Showtime main hosts Anne Curtis and Vice Ganda have proven once again that they are the country’s undisputed social media royalties after they both achieved remarkable milestones on Instagram and Twitter.

The photo Anne Curtis and husband Erwan Heussaff marked the most special day of their life together on Nov. 12 in an exclusive ceremony held in Queenstown

in New Zealand. Their wedding photo, which Anne shared on Instagram on Nov. 14, has set a Philippine record for having more than 1 million likes on the popular photo-sharing app.

Meanwhile, Vice Ganda became the first Filipino to have 10 million followers on Twitter surpassing Anne Curtis’s 9.95 million virtual army in the micro-blogging site.

In a post over the weekend,

Vice Ganda joked that he will have enough money to buy his home network, ABS-CBN, if each of his 10 million Twitter followers would buy a lipstick from his newly launched cosmetic line.

“Happy 10Million Twitter followers!!! Kung lahat kayo bibili ng mga paninda kong lipstick baka next year ako na may ari ng ABS CBN. Chozz!,” the TV host and comedian said in jest.

This photo of the newlyweds Anne Curtis and Erwan Heussaff has set a Philippine record for having more than 1 million likes on Instagram

TV host and comedian Vice Ganda is now the most followed Filipino personality on Twitter with 10 million virtual supporters

ANOTHER Filipino singing talent is making waves abroad, capturing the hearts of Londoners with his showcase of vocal prowess and authenticity as a performer.

Marvin Velasquez is an artistto-watch. He used to be a regular of reality singing competitions and now he is making a name for himself through the showcase of power vocals delivered soothingly in bossa nova style.

The pride of Nueva Ecija recently did a series of wellapplauded appearances in various locations in London, England. The special leg was made possible after he collaborated with Londonbased Side Projects Productions for his first digital recording releases.

A down-to-earth fellow with a disarming smile, Marvin excitedly shared, “In a way I’m carrying the flag of our country each time I go on stage on a foreign stage. I’ve been to a lot of places and it makes me glad that Filipino talents like me are appreciated by people abroad, including our compatriots.”

A loving family man, Marvin is back in Manila to appear in an anticipated ensemble concert entitled Musikahan Noon At Ngayon Concierto happening on Dec. 8 at the Music Museum in San Juan City. The concert will feature The Boyfriends, Male Rigor of VST&Co. fame, YouTube sensation Zendee, The Voice Kids 2nd Season champ Ella Nympha, among other remarkable acts.

His distinctly big voice is behind the songs “Tabing Dagat”, “Kay Bathalang Mahal,” and “Mambo, Samba, Cha-cha”, all written and arranged by Londonbased Erasmo Mallillin and his brother Jun whose brilliant track record included scoring hits for the Boyfriends.

As Marvin’s star rises, he is fast becoming a sought-after name on the gig scene. He had also been tapped to host and perform at The Pinoy Rock Legends Rock & Roll Christmas at Teatrino in Promenade Greenhills on Dec. 13.

This show will showcase iconic Pinoy rockstars Gary Perez, Resty Fabunan of Maria Cafra, and Jun Mallillin of Abrakadabra who’s behind the now-classic “Bote’t Dyaryo.”

Meanwhile, the Filipino communities in foreign countries often find him delightfully surprising with his unassuming stage presence that delivers a voice to hear for. By invitation, he has performed in Singapore, Hong Kong, Thailand, India, and London.

The last stop, produced by London companies Side Projects Prod, managed by music expert Port Mallillin, and Simply C, saw him perform alongside The Boyfriends.

Marvin will fly to Hongkong and Macau for a number of scheduled performances from Dec. 17 to 27.

“Hopefully I am giving justice to the bossa nova genre which to me is a type of music that more and more people are embracing,” he said humbly considering that music insiders are already christening him “Bossa Nova Prince.”

C4

sunday, november 26, 2017

Desiree Carlos, Editor

Pets

daycarlos28@yahoo.com

Ways to keep a dog’s liver A

healthy

hEALThY liver is essential to prolonging a dog’s life.

pet tales

By desiree carlos

But if your dog has a liver concern, do not worry. There are ways to address this. it may take time and more effort on your part, but the liver can be nursed back to health or “balance.” understanding the liver harmony in the liver leads to harmony in life, says Chris Bessent, author of Liver Disease in Dogs: A Traditional Chinese Medicine Perspective in the Dogs Naturally website.

The liver, Bessent notes, is “central to some of your dog’s most vital functions.”

The liver does the following: 1. aids the body in its ability to clot blood; 2. breaks down harmful toxins; 3. helps in daily digestive functions; 4. removes waste products from the blood; 5. helps keep the immune system strong; 6. produces antioxidants; and 7. stores vitamins and fat.

The allergies are reactions to dangerous toxins, pesticides, or allergens in the environment.

When a dog has an allergic reaction, it disrupts the flow of qi to the liver and subsequently, throughout the body, and makes the dog more susceptible to future allergic reactions.

A dog with liver imbalance may also have “inflamed eyes” or eyes with excessive discharge.

Bessent notes that “Conventional veterinarians would prescribe steroids to treat the allergy but may have difficulty finding the underlying problem. Additionally, commonly prescribed steroids can have a harmful effect on the liver.” holistic veterinarians will instead recommend treating the underlying problem of the allergy, performing acupuncture and providing herbs to bring balance back to the liver. seizures in dogs --a serious physical manifestation of liver disharmony -- are often labeled as epilepsy and treated as such by conventional medicine.

But seizures can be managed by acupuncture and herbs (particularly liver harmonizing herbs).

This corner features pets of animal lovers every week. We hope new owners and those thinking of getting a pet will be encouraged to be responsible “furparents” through these features.

We also hope more people will be moved to be kind to animals when they read about the great relationship that can be created between humans and animals.

For contributions, please email to daycarlos28@yahoo.com and put My Furry Bestie as subject.

Holistic approach to correct the imbalance

here are Bessent ‘s recommendations to correct the liver imbalance: Due to these important tasks, the liver can 1. acupuncture by a holistic veterinarian. cause imbalance and illness in your dog’s body 2. acupressure to be done by the owner at when the liver is not functioning well. home.

Bessent notes that “in Chinese medicine Qi is Acupressure is the application of physical the energy, or life force, that travels throughout pressure using hands to acupuncture points. the body along meridians, or pathways in the Bessent explains: ”Dogs have five commonly body. The liver has its own associated liver meused acupressure points on each side of the ridian that travels along the inside of the hind body pertaining to the liver. There are two limb and then to the organ and is involved with points on the back and three on the inner hind related functions in the body.” leg, totaling in ten acupressure points. if perThus, any problem with the liver also affects formed correctly, acupressure will relax a dog the meridian (not just the liver itself) and other and put him to sleep! And don’t worry if you hit functions that the liver meridian influences such the wrong spot. Your dog will still enjoy a nice as the gastrointestinal system. massage. “ 3. moderate exercise 4. provide your pet an easily digestible diet Possible causes of liver imbalance such as fish, chicken, beets, spinach, squash holistic veterinarians, Bessent says, sees a and broccoli. Make sure your dog is not alconnection between the liver and a variety of lergic to fish or chicken. Please ask your vet. different symptoms. some vets prescribe hepatic dry dog food.

But since this has preservatives, we give both These vets thus identify factors that have serithe hepatic dog food and natural food or ous effects on the liver. These are: cooked veggies.

1. an elevated amount of toxins in the envi5. the diet should also be low in fat and protein. ronment, 6. feed your dog several times a day, instead 2. pesticide, Rafa, rescued at six weeks old, was treated for the deadly of giving a big meal once a day. We feed a dog 3. some vaccination, and parvo virus with a lot of medicine and survived. however, a with a liver concern three times a day.

4. emotional distress in the dog due to lack of year later, the blood test showed an elevated liver enzyme 7. give the dog the correct amount of vitaattention, basic care, and exercise. count. he has since been on a diet that keeps his liver healthy. mins, particularly B vitamins.

They believe a dog’s emotional stress will he is now two years old.

8. minimize pharmaceutical use, or giving eventually manifest in physical forms we call meds to your dog. symptoms.

9. minimize or avoid use of substances with chemicals in your home and lawn.

“When owners bring their dog for evaluation, i like to get their own account of the dog’s recent behavior and physical ailments. Anything they recently noticed Try to use cleaning supplies that contain organic ingredients or are environmental- friendly ones. can help in the diagnosis,” he adds.

10. limit the amount of vaccines for a dog with liver concerns. “Do only those that are necessary, and if the dog has to undergo anesthesia for any procedure, try Warning signs Thus, always observe your dog. Look out for a change in your dog’s behavior as to make sure everything is done under the one anesthesia treatment to limit the number of times it must be administered, “ Bessent says. this may indicate liver disharmony. some of the behavioral changes are 1. irritability, 2. restlessness, 3. aggression, 4. a tendency to become territorial when it comes to possessions, and 5. fear aggression.

The physical symptoms of liver disharmony are: 1. anal sac issues, 2. allergies, 3. eye discharge, 4. seizures 5. gastrointestinal problems, 6. excessive panting, 7. thickened saliva, 8. purple or reddened tongue (except for breeds of dogs known for having purple or black spots) , and 9. a quickened, “taut” pulse .

“The liver controls the pelvic and anal regions and can thus produce complications including chronic anal sac issues and bowel problems. it can also create gastrointestinal problems such as consistent vomiting, gurgly guts and vomiting bile,” Bessent says.

Allergies and seizures

he adds: ”Allergies can also be related to liver malfunction. symptoms would include itching, especially in the paws, abdomen and face. Their skin may also be red and hot to the touch. Their coat may have a greasy or phlegmy smell. “

Herbs for a healthy liver

They are all rescued cats, shares Pearl Erasmo-Martinez.

"You should see the cats of my friend Aya Daisa Babela. They are 20 in all and they are all rescued! she used to come to work with a cat in her bag kasi nakita nya sa may paradahan ng shuttle. she once went outside our office while it was raining because she heard a stray cat crying. she rescued the cat too," says Pearl.

hARRY POTTER, a dog with a white streak on his forehead, was given to Althea Prudente when he was four months old. he is now nine years old and the alpha in the pack of four dogs. "he is my number 1 loyalist. so spoiled too!" says Althea.

Milk thistle helps prevent toxins from lodging in the liver.

Bessent says milk thistle is “considered hepatoprotective, which means it prevents damage to the liver. Milk thistle is best when it’s fresh grown and organic.”

We give milk thistle in capsule form once a day.

Bessent also reveals that “artichoke enhances the regeneration of damaged liver cells, and dandelion increases the production of bile by the liver.”

But dandelion has to be properly prepared for consumption by both humans and dogs. Please look for a holistic vet and ask where you can source this, or an acupuncturist with a supply of properly prepared herbs.

“There are many wonderful herbal formulas available for all aspects of liver disharmonies. Each aspect of a liver disharmony may require a different herbal formula. For example, gastrointestinal issues will have a different liver formula prescribed than a formula to treat seizures. Because of the complexity of liver disharmonies, it’s best to consult a holistic veterinarian trained in Chinese medicine for a complete exam and the appropriate therapy, “Bessent stresses.

A lifetime concern

Bringing back balance to the liver is a long process and may be a lifetime concern. “ A dog with a ‘liver constitution’ has a lifelong tendency to develop a liver condition as a result of emotional, environmental or physical stress he or she may have endured. Older dogs have a particularly difficult time bouncing back, especially if they have been exposed to long- term steroid use, which can add insult to injury in the liver.

But don’t lose hope. Consult a holistic veterinarian and ask about acupuncture and herbal supplements. The right treatment can promote liver harmony for years to come,” Bessent says.

Tip on proper caT food sTorage

Brothers seb and santi love two things: playing at the garden and eating both dry and wet cat food.

My Furry Bestie

JusT like human food, cat food should be stored properly or your cats can get sick. here are tips from PetMD: 1.Keep the original packaging The cat food bag is designed to keep out the elements and maintain the freshness of the food for as long as possible. The bag also contains the expiration date, barcode, and batch code which are important if there is a cat food recall.

2.Never mix old cat food with new cat food You may taint the new food with the old cat food. Put the old food in another container instead and feed this to your cat first.

3. Keep cat food away from sunlight sunlight can elevate temperatures and humidity, thus, it can speed up food degradation and increase the risk of salmonella or other bacterial contamination .

4. Do not expose the food to air seal the cat food bag after every feeding to prevent unnecessary exposure to air and humidity which can speed up the rate of food degradation and also increase the risk of bacterial contamination like salmonella.

5. Throw away expired cat food Expiration dates are put on the packaging to ensure that the food is still safe for consumption by your cat.

Never risk your cat’s health by giving expired food.

MhiN changed Wenna Redaniel Tapican forever and in very a good way. “i'm a dog lover and indifferent to cats until Mhin appeared in front of our house three years ago. i fed him once with my dog leftover. Then he became a constant visitor, “ Wenna recalls. she adds, “i fell in love with his fluffy furs and fierce eyes. he bit me twice and i was sent to the hospital for anti-rabies shot.

The incident did not stop me from trying to understand his wild nature.”

When Wenna’s dog , nineyear-old Chin, got sick, Mhin became her companion. sadly, Chin died. “in a way, Mhin help me to survived the pain . Now, Mhin has his own space in our home and i ensure his pork liver and cat food are in our grocery list. he now has a new buddy, Rain. i love them all.” says Wenna.