Ms sect b 20171008 sunday

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SUNDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2017

Business

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

HOW A MINDANAOAN BECAME A BESTSELLING AUTHOR IN THE US

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Mindanao-born marketing executive who studied in the Visayas and worked in Luzon is now a best-selling author and professor in the United States.

“I was not the smartest in my class, but I was a hardworking and diligent student and performed fairly well. The Philippine education system provided me with a solid foundation for my future career,” says Dr. J. Mark Muñoz, the chairman and chief executive of consulting firm Muñoz and Associates International, and now the most published Filipino-American business author. Muñoz and Associates directs mergers and acquisitions, international marketing, business development and international finance projects worldwide.

Muñoz is also a multi-awarded professor of International Business at Millikin University in Illinois. As a writer, he authored, co-authored or edited 14 books such as Land of My Birth, Winning Across Borders, In Transition, A Salesman in Asia, Handbook of Business Plan Creation, International Social Entrepreneurship, Contemporary Microenterprises: Concepts and Cases, Handbook on the Geopolitics of Business, Business Plan Essentials, HispanicLatino Entrepreneurship, Managerial Forensics, Strategies for University Management (Vol 1 and 2) and Advances in Geoeconomics.

Muñoz grew up in Zamboanga City. “My father was an insurance executive. I had a traditional Filipino upbringing and embraced the country’s values growing up. I enjoyed the strong sense of family and community in the Philippines as well as the countless natural attractions it had to offer,” Muñoz says in an email interview.

“I had my high school at the University of the Philippines in Cebu. My college and postgraduate years were spent at West Visayas State University in Iloilo and University of San Jose Recoletos in Cebu,” he says.

He graduated with a degree in Biological Science from WVSU in 1986, a Master’s in Business Management from University of San Jose Recoletos in 1992 and a Ph.D in Business Management from the same university in 1997.

He also attended post-graduate management programs at WHU (Germany), Peking University (China), Fudan University (China), Harvard University (US) and Shanghai University of Finance and Economics (China). He was an Asia Scholar at Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University in 2009 to 2010.

Muñoz recalls that as a young student, he dreamt of becoming a medical doctor to heal the sick. “I turned out to be a doctor of Management instead and now ‘heals’ organizational and operational problems of companies and countries instead. As I child, and even during college and the early stages of my career, I never dreamed of being a US educator and author. I guess our destiny can take us to unusual directions,” he says.

His exposure to business books written

by American authors, however, has altered his interests. “I remember reading several business books written by influential American authors during my post-graduate years. I was very impressed with the knowledge the books imparted. It shaped my thinking and helped me grow as a person and as an executive. Never did I imagine that one day, I would end up following the footsteps of those authors and receiving international awards and recognition for the books I have written,” he says.

Education and business are in the DNA of the Muñoz family. “Both my maternal and

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Filipino-American business author Dr. J. Mark Munoz

paternal grandparents were educators. My father was a successful insurance executive and my mom stayed at home and dabbled in business. They are both currently semi-retired in business and have remained active in religious and community activities in Cebu. I have a brother and two sisters. My brother runs his own business in the Philippines, and my two sisters have pursued their own careers in the US,” he says.

Muñoz’s tenure in a market research firm in Manila brought an opportunity to work overseas. “I ended up in the States after getting hired to be account director for US and AsiaPacific for an international market research firm. The role allowed me and my family to live in the States while I developed and marketed research products in Asia,” he says.

“After this role, I transitioned into the US academia as a professor in a private university.

I ended up studying in advanced management programs in China and Germany and directed educational programs across several countries,” he says.

Being a professor has opened more opportunities, especially in writing books. “In

2009, I became a visiting fellow at Harvard University and furthered my education there while sharing what I know with the campus community. I enjoyed academic life in the US and decided to stay on. Aside from having the honor and privilege of educating young minds, my work schedule allowed me to travel the world and write books,” he says.

Muñoz has completed 14 books and is in the process of completing six more. His topics cover international sales and marketing, microenterprises, social entrepreneurship, geopolitics and geoeconomics. He is considered a pioneer in the field of Managerial Forensics –the notion of using evidences as a tool to analyze causes of corporate “ailments” or “malaise”.

The books he is currently working on are in the areas of global business intelligence, globalization alternatives, ar ts and entrepreneurship and artificial intelligence in business. “I enjoy researching and writing about topics relating to globalization, global business, international management and strategy and international entrepreneurship,” says Muñoz. Being a voracious learner, Muñoz Turn to B2

CORDILLERA’S TOURISM SECTOR OFFERS CAREERS TO MILLENNIALS THE Department of Tourism is preparing an event that will unveil tourism career opportunities in the Philippines.

The First NorthPhil Tourism Forum and Career Fair is being organized by the DOT office in the Cordillera Administrative Region in Baguio City on Oct. 16 to 18.

“The fair will highlight the rise of our region as MICE [meetings, incentive travel, conventions and exhibitions] ‘CAReer’ hub for tourism,” said DOT-CAR regional director and project proponent Marie Venus Tan. “Such opportunities are open to all graduating students who are looking for a career in the tourism industry,” Tan said.

The three-day event includes lectures and fora on topics related to tourism career opportunities and practices as it brings the academe to the realities of the industry’s needs.

The speakers, who are the icons of practically all the tourism sectors, will present their personal and professional experiences in their respective career paths and provide tips on how to spot and seize opportunities for industry growth and advancement, thus resulting in jobs and livelihood generation.

“As industry leaders, they will talk about the realities in their respective sectors such as the culinary and restaurants, hotels and resorts, MICE, cruise, airlines and aviation and travel and tours, among others,” Tan said.

Also to be featured are the new breeds of tourism entrepreneurs who do business online using various mobile applications and other enabling digital mechanisms, including the income potentials that these can generate.

“And to fully equip and empower the graduates, they will be given a free seminar on basic productivity and quality concepts; communicating ser vice quality ; understanding, satisfying and managing customer expectations; and the art of effective listening and communication,”Tan said.

Trainers from the Department of Labor and Employment will also teach future employees on how to conduct themselves during employment interviews, while at the workplace, when subjected to sexual harassment, and how to deal with the reality of HIV in the community, among others.

The Technical Educations and Skills Development Authority will present its training programs, courses, and assistance to graduates in searching and qualifying for jobs. Another interesting session is about proper grooming where experts provide the formula in picking the right clothes, hairstyle and makeup for various occasions and situations.

The session includes discussion on the effective verbal and non-verbal communications during interviews and other forms of human interactions.

A special matching session at the career exhibition will also help jobseekers find employment that aptly suits their education, skills, personality and interests.

The 1st NorthPhil Tourism Forum and Career Fair will be held at the Camp John Hay Trade and Cultural Center as a human capital development project of the DOT’s CAR regional office in its pursuit of the National Tourism Development Plan 2016-2022.

The event is being organized and managed by the Philippine Exhibits and Themeparks Corp.

“The growth of tourism, being a largely service-oriented industry, depends on competent and tourismcapable human resources who can make a community or region tourism worthy, thus our focus on the academe as the matrix of our developmental efforts,” Tan said.

BALAMBAN: FROM SLEEPY TOWN TO BOOMTOWN

Shipbuilding firm Tsuneishi Heavy Industries with its more than 11,000 workers drives the economy in Balamban and neighboring towns and city in southwest Cebu.

MORE than 20 years ago, there were only a few opportunities for trade and employment in Barangay Buanoy in the southwestern Cebu town of Balamban.

Such is no longer the case these days. From being

a fourth-class municipality, Balamban became a firstclass town with a total regular income of P301.9 million, according to data from the Commission on Audit.

From a few stores, more than 1,300 business permits were renewed in 2014 and 242 new business permits were issued by the local government. The number of business permit renewals rose to 1,327 in 2015.

Among the fast-growing barangays are Buanoy and Arpili, where the West Cebu Industrial Park, the economic zone that hosts Tsuneishi Heavy Industries Inc. Charlie Ombao, THI factory support department manager, said that in 1994, he had to go to the Poblacion or town center to buy a beer. He was among the first employees of THI and worked during the construction stage of the shipbuilding firm.

Due to labor migration, Balamban’s population grew to 70,000 in 2014, almost double that of 1995, a year after THI was established.

THI has 11,260 employees and 760 of them are direct

hires. THI hired qualified residents from Buanoy and from other parts of Balamban, as well as those coming from neighboring Toledo City.

Residents like Jamaica Quimod could not imagine how their lives would have turned out if THI had not invested in the town. Quimod’s mother found a job at K & A, another locator at WCIP. Jamaica got a scholarship from the Tsuneishi Foundation to study civil engineering at the University of San Jose Recoletos. She graduated in March 2016 and began working at THI shortly after as a field engineer.

Quimod says that with THI, she sees her dreams becoming reality. “I want to study further, build a house for my parents, and visit places around the world,” she said.

Ombao said that THI continues to look for growth opportunities to be able to help Filipinos like Quimod.

Last year, THI built 20 vessels. It received 15 orders that are scheduled for delivery this year.

To provide quality products on schedule, THI chose AboitizPower to provide reliable and stable power for its operations.

Under the Retail Competition and Open Access regime, big power consumers like THI, or those that require 1 megawatt or more, have the option to choose their own licensed retail electricity suppliers.

“We chose AboitizPower because we trust them.

They have a track record of being a reliable and a responsible power company,” Ombao said.

Ombao said that THI takes its responsibility to the community and the environment seriously. In line with its parent company’s vision and mission, the facility in Balamban treats its wastewater before discharge, segregates its wastes so that only residual wastes are brought to the municipal landfill for final disposal, and complies with DENR regulations and standards on the treatment and disposal of hazardous materials.

Business

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SUNDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2017 business@manilastandard.net

MINDANAOAN...

From B1

says he has read too many books to list. “The authors that have shaped my business thinking to a large extent are management gurus such as Peter Drucker, Michael Porter, Stephen Covey, Spencer Johnson and Tom Peters,” he says.

Muñoz says achieving his dreams in the US can be attributed to three approaches—hard work, passion for learning and cross-cultural appreciation. “I give a 101 percent in everything I do. I give it my all and do even more. In my view, success is often achieved when you’ve done your best work, and did an extra mile,” he says.

Muñoz says the attributes well ingrained in Filipino culture are sound foundation for success anywhere in the world. These attributes include good work ethic, friendly disposition and sense of community. He thus advises aspiring Filipino authors to take advantage of these attributes, coupled with the proficiency in the use of English language and the advent of the Internet.

“My advice would be to leverage these abilities, along with some talent to an international audience.

In my view, there are many talented individuals in the Philippines who can make a huge impact in the international scene. There are a lot of exciting possibilities for musicians, writers, filmmakers, fashion designers, IT professionals and educators. In my view, practically all professionals in the Philippines can find success overseas.

The key would be to find creative avenues to tap into an international audience. The Internet and various supporting digital platforms have made this process much easier than in the past,” he says.

“Filipino authors are very talented.

I have very high regard for all of them.

I really wish Filipino authors, artists and professionals get to showcase their work to a broader international audience. For authors, I would suggest making an effort to reach out to international publishers. The hardest part is getting the first book published. It gets easier once you’ve built a name for yourself. It is not a bad idea for Filipino authors looking to get started in the international scene to partner with an established author as a way to start building their international reputation. Being a co-author, getting published in international journals or contributing in book chapters would be a great way to start,” he says.

Muñoz, however, says the path to success would not be easy.

“Contrar y to what some might think, the path I’ve taken was not actually easy. Prior to getting my first international job, I was turned down numerous times. Before I got my first book published, my book proposal was rejected by several publishers. In fact, I got sick and tired of being rejected that I decided to complete the entire manuscript without having a committed publisher,” he says, referring to his first book titled ‘Land of My Birth’, a socio-political critique of the Philippines.

Book reviewers called it the contemporar y version of Jose Rizal’s Noli Me Tangere. The book eventually got published and led to Muñoz receiving a literary award called the Calatagan Award from the Philippine American Artists and Writers Association in 2005.

“I guess the message I want to share is that hard work, persistence, confidence and willingness to take risk can work out well especially when one is looking to break into the international scene,” he says.

Muñoz plans to wrap up the six book projects he is working on which are in various stages of completion and expects to have them published by 2018. He has been getting calls and invitations from major international publishers requesting for more book projects.

“Unfortunately, there are only so many hours in a day. I juggle my time between family, teaching, writing and my international business consulting practice. My future plan is to stay on course and continue making an impact on the world through my teaching, books and consulting practice. Down the road, I would love to serve as coach and mentor to talented Filipinos and Filipinas and help them succeed internationally,” he says.

Muñoz shares his own quote and words of inspiration to Filipinos who dream of succeeding in the global stage. “Where you come from, what you’ve done, and where you’re at – provide little bearing on what you can become,” says Muñoz.

Roderick T. dela Cruz

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NEW ZEALAND WANTS MORE FILIPINO VISITORS

EW Zealand, one of the world’s premium destinations, wants to attract more tourists from the Philippines in what can be viewed as an international recognition of the Filipinos’ rising spending force.

“The Philippines is a new key source market for us,” Steven Dixon, regional manager for South Asia and Southeast Asia of Tourism New Zealand, tells journalists at Sofitel Philippine Plaza Hotel in Pasay City.

Dixon says Tourism New Zealand, the nation’s tourism promotion agency, decided to hold Kiwi Link for the first time in the Philippines on Oct. 2 to Oct. 4 to connect Filipino travel trade communities with New Zealand tourism operators and suppliers.

Southeast Asia, including the Philippines, is an emerging market for New Zealand with significant growth predicted in the future.

“The Philippines has grown as an interesting emerging market for Tourism New Zealand. For the year ending August 2017 alone, more than 22,780 Filipinos visited New Zealand, with those on holiday staying an average of 13.7 days—the highest across our South and Southeast Asian markets,” Dixon says in a separate statement.

The increase in visitor arrivals from the Philippines is attributed to an emerging middle class and improved airline connectivity, making the Philippines an interesting market. New Zealand is considered a premium destination in the Philippines as the cost of the tour packages is one of the highest among the different long-haul destinations.

Dixon says tourism is now the biggest export generator in New Zealand and an important contributor to its economy. International and domestic tourism contributed $34.7 billion to its economy in the fiscal year ending March 2017. Of the total figure, foreign tourists accounted for $14.5 billion.

Tourism New Zealand now seeks to strengthen tourism ties between New Zealand and the Philippines through Kiwi Link’s different programs and other key initiatives. Kiwi, which was derived from a native flightless bird, is a nickname used internationally for people from New Zealand.

Dixon says last year, some 3.6 million foreign tourists visited New Zealand, a country of 4.4 million Kiwis, who are mostly of European descent. Maori represents 14.6 percent of the country’s population, while 9.2 percent are Asians. The rest are other Pacific islanders.

Auckland and Wellington are the two largest cities located in the North Island, where three quarters of Kiwis live.

Dixon says Kiwi Link in Manila sought to strengthen travel trade ties between the two countries. He says the event demonstrates Tourism New Zealand’s commitment to the growing Philippine market for holiday tourism and business events.

“With the upcoming launch of Philippine Airlines’ non-stop, three-times a week service from Manila to Auckland in December 2017, we’re expecting a further increase in visitor numbers from the Philippines. This new service will reduce the flight time between Manila and Auckland to 10 hours and is expected to increase seat capacity by 21 percent,” he says.

“We are confident Kiwi Link Manila will help attract more high-calibre visitors from the Philippines to New Zealand,” says Dixon.

Kiwi Link Manila hosted 39 tour operators from Singapore, Jakarta, Indonesia and the

Steven Dixon, regional manager for South Asia and Southeast Asia of Tourism New Zealand

Philippines and 31 from New Zealand consisting of accommodation, inbound operators and experience travel operators.

“New Zealand is a destination where you can experience so much, so many different types of activities—all amazing, and very diverse landscapes—all within a short span of time.

You will never be out of experience,” says Dixon, referring to experience tours of national parks, film locations of the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings, wine regions, glaciers, mountain resorts, rainforests and islands.

Dixon says Kiwis are very welcoming of foreign tourists. “We had a survey recently, and it is almost 100 percent satisfaction for tourists out of New Zealand. It is a very safe destination. It is very friendly. It is a part of what we do in New Zealand.

You will be greeted with a smile just like you have a great smile here in the Philippines,” says Dixon.

Dixon says many Filipinos now want to go to New Zealand. “That is a part of why we think that it is really, really an attractive market,” he says.

“The one thing that we want Filipinos to understand is the ease of getting around when you are in New Zealand. It is very easy to go from one location to another and experience is really different in diverse landscape in a short space of time. You can be in our biggest city, then you

can take a quick flight to the bottom of New Zealand and you can be among the glaciers. In the afternoon, you can experience natural rainforest.

It is incredibly easy to get around and it is safe and family-friendly as well. There are a lot of families coming to New Zealand,” says Dixon.

Dixon says while Filipinos need to apply for a visa to go to New Zealand, the process is easy and the approval rate is high. “We have one of the highest approval rates in this market. Our process is affordable fast and streamlined. You can do it online. From start to finish, it is smooth and fast,” he says.

He says arrivals in New Zealand from the Philippines increased 29 percent as of endAugust, a growth figure that is expected to continue in the coming years.

Dixon, however, says New Zealand is not a budget destination. “For a lot of people, it is an aspirational destination. It is not a destination that everybody can get into. We are a premium destination, but the type of experience you will have here you will never forget. People who come to New Zealand and go back home say a little part of New Zealand never leaves them. It is a premium destination, but you will be rewarded,” Dixon says. Roderick T. dela Cruz

PH COMPANIES ENCOURAGED TO PREPARE FOR DDOS ATTACKS AN EXECUTIVE of American technology company Neustar Inc. advises Philippine companies to prepare for the socalled distributed denial-of service or DDOS attack, a cyberattack where the perpetrator aims to consume network and computing resources connected to the internet, making the effected internet resources unavailable to the intended users.

“Worryingly DDoS attacks show no sign of slowing down, with new incidents making headline news almost daily. Major attacks within the Philippines include the DDoS attack on the Philippine government websites in July 2016, impacting government operations and more recently, the DDoS attack on the National Union of Journalist of the Philippines in January 2017, which took down the NUJP website,” says Robin Schmitt, general manager of Neustar in Asia-Pacific.

Typically, the attack is conducted by flooding the targeted resource with a huge number of requests to overload the network and computer systems. In a DDoS attack, the incoming traffic flooding originates from many different sources. This effectively makes it impossible to stop the attack simply by blocking a single source.

Attackers threaten an organization with a massive volumetric attack unless they pay a ransom.

“Companies need to realize that DDoS attacks are no longer ‘just an IT problem’. From IT, customer service to marketing, no business unit is safe from the effects of cyber-attack. When an attack hits, it reverberates throughout the enterprise, and when it is successful, it indiscriminately affects the bottom line,” Schmitt says in an email interview.

According to IDC, digital transformation of companies in the Philippines will see 25 percent of the top 1,000 companies have a majority of their business depend on the ability to create digitally enhanced products, services and experiences by 2020.

“However, the opportunity digital transformation affords also poses significant security challenges. Cybersecurity will increasingly be elevated to a tier-1 business priority. Enterprises must realize that in the world of cyber security, having the wrong solution or inadequate capabilities can be the difference between reading the news and making the news,” says Schmitt,

Robin Schmitt, general manager of Neustar in Asia-Pacific who served as chief operating officer of Bombora Technologies for five years, before it was acquired

by Neustar. Schmitt joined the Neustar team in August 2015.

According to Neustar Worldwide DDoS Attacks and Cyber Insights Research, DDoS attacks have dealt a serious blow to businesses in Asia-Pacific, with 33 percent of organizations reporting an average revenue loss of $250,000. “For the Philippines, this

number is expected to rise as commitments to expand the national LTE [long-term evolution] coverage coupled with the rising adoption of unsecured IoT [internet of things] devices present threat agents with a greater attack surface for more sophisticated hacking. It is crucial to highlight that the size, complexity and ferocity of DDoS attacks has been growing and will continue to grow,” says Schmitt.

Results of the recent Neustar Worldwide DDoS Attacks and Cyber Insights Research Report show that more than 80 percent of surveyed organizations globally have been attacked at least once in the previous 12 months, representing an increase of 15 percent since 2016. Furthermore, 85 percent of those attacked were hit more than once.

“Worryingly, despite knowing the threats, companies are still struggling to detect and respond to DDoS attacks effectively and efficiently. In APAC, 49 percent of organizations need over three hours to detect a DDoS attack and an extra three hours to respond to one. To bring this into perspective, ideally, companies should expect to identify and mitigate an attack in less than 10 minutes,” he says.

Schmitt says implementing solutions before a breach occurs is the best way to manage the risk.

“As the cyber security landscape is constantly evolving, solutions must also constantly adapt to anticipate attackers’ modus operandi,” he says.

“Selecting a solution that matches the level of risk is critical.

Implementing a solution that doesn’t provide adequate protection may lead to unforeseen losses when an attack occurs, while implementing an over-sized DDoS mitigation solution may be unnecessarily expensive. There are many different solutions on the market. It is advisable for companies to partner with an organization that provides the flexibility to fit a solution to the businesses technical environment and level of risk,” he says.

“With proper management and the right partners, businesses can protect their digital assets and avoid unnecessary financial and reputational loss,” says Schmitt.

Roderick T. dela Cruz

World

Cesar Barrioquinto, Editor / Jimbo Gulle, Issue Editor

ROHINGYA MILITANTS: MYANMAR CEASEFIRE TO END OCTOBER 9 YANGON, Myanmar—Rohingya militants whose attacks triggered an army crackdown in Myanmar’s Rakhine state unleashing a huge wave of refugees said Saturday their one-month ceasefire would end in two days, but added they were open to peace if the government reciprocated.

In a statement released through its Twitter account, the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) said its unilateral truce would end at midnight on October 9.

“The humanitarian pause was conducted to enable humanitarian actors to assess and respond to the humanitarian crisis in Arakan (Rakhine),” the statement said.

“If at any stage, the Burmese government is inclined to peace, then ARSA will welcome that inclination and reciprocate,” it said, using the former name for Myanmar.

It did not include any direct threats of new violence.

The armed group tipped northern Rakhine into crisis when it ambushed police posts on August 25.

The army’s reprisal has been so sweeping and savage that the United Nations says it likely amounts to ethnic cleansing of the Muslim minority, who have faced decades of persecution. AFP

SPAIN BRACES FOR MORE PROTESTS IN CATALONIA

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2017

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mst.daydesk@gmail.com

DEADLY ‘NATE’ BEARS DOWN ON MEXICO, US C ANCÚN, Mexico—Nate reached hurricane status as it bore down on popular Mexican beach resorts and headed for the United States’ Gulf Coast early Saturday after dumping heavy rains on Central America and leaving at least 28 people dead.

New Orleans, which was ravaged

by Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and left hundreds of dead, and other cities on the US Gulf coast were under a hurricane warning.

Louisiana, the state home to New Orleans, said President Donald Trump had quickly approved the release of federal aid to help mitigate the impact of the storm.

With the storm’s top winds swirling at 129 kilometers (80 miles) per hour some 240 miles northwest of the western tip of Cuba, the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) warned that in the United States, “the combination of a dangerous storm surge and the tide will cause normally dry areas near the coast to be flooded by rising waters moving inland from the shoreline.”

The water was expected to peak at up to 2.5 meters (eight feet) above ground in some areas.

Luis Felipe Puente, national coordinator of Civil Protection, recommended “avoiding aquatic, touristic and recreational activities” in Quintana Roo. After moving across the Gulf of Mexico, the storm was set to make landfall along the central US Gulf Coast late Saturday, the NHC said.

Authorities canceled school in seven Mexican coastal towns and declared an orange alert for the northern half of Quintana Roo state.

Swells expected to affect northwestern Caribbean land over the weekend “are likely to cause lifethreatening surf and rip current conditions,” according to US fore-

casters.

New Orleans issued a mandatory curfew for Saturday from 6:00 pm (2300 GMT), and mandatory and voluntary evacuation orders were issued for certain low-lying areas.

“Our greatest threat... is not necessarily rain, but strong winds and storm surge,” said New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu.

Unlike Hurricane Harvey, which dumped record amounts of rain while hovering over neighboring Texas for a week, fast-moving Nate was expected to quickly pass along a northerly path.

Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards warned that while Nate was forecast to be a weak hurricane, it could still cause unexpected damage.

“Anyone in low-lying areas... we are urging them to prepare now,” he said.

In the neighboring state of Mississippi, lines formed at gas stations in areas within the potential path of the storm.

Some offshore oil and gas rigs in the Gulf of Mexico were evacuated ahead of the storm’s advance.

Nate was still wreaking havoc in Central America, where heavy rains continued causing floods.

Authorities in El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras have declared a maximum or red alert.

On Thursday, intense rains forced thousands from their homes, uprooted trees, knocked out bridges and turned roads into rivers across a swath of Central America.

“We were drowning. Thank God (emergency workers) helped us.

The river swelled so much it swept away our house, our pigs, our chickens -- it swept away everything,” said Bonavide Velazquez, 60, who was evacuated from her home in southern Nicaragua.

Nicaragua bore 13 of the deaths, according to Vice President Rosario Murillo.

In Costa Rica, where a national emergency was declared, 10 people died, including a three-year-old girl, after they were hit by falling trees and mudslides. An alert was issued for people to be wary of crocodiles that might be roaming after rivers and estuaries flooded. AFP

MADRID, Spain—Spain braced for more protests Saturday despite tentative signs that the sides may be seeking to defuse the crisis after Madrid offered a first apology to Catalans injured by police during their outlawed independence vote.

Catalan leaders had threatened to declare independence unilaterally and Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy vowed to stop them, rejecting calls for mediation in a dispute that has drawn cries of concern even from Barcelona and Real Madrid footballers.

Spain’s deepest political crisis in decades has raised fears of further unrest in the northeastern region, a touristfriendly area of 7.5 million people that accounts for a fifth of Spain’s economy.

Opponents of secession have called for demonstrations around Spain and a major rally in Barcelona on Saturday.

Also Saturday, people who support dialogue to end the crisis plan to gather in a bid to pressure mayors nationwide.

The anonymous initiative, which spread across social media, seeks to promote talks using the slogan: “Spain is better than its leaders”.

“It’s the moment to come together to tell (our leaders) that they are incapable and irresponsible,” the group’s manifesto reads. The gathering will start from around midday (1000 GMT). AFP

ARMY TRAINING. Recruits undergo training at the headquarters of the Depot of the Nigerian Army in Zaria, Kaduna State in northcentral Nigeria on Thursday. The Nigerian army train recruits to tackle the terror threat of the Islamist group Boko Haram in North East Nigeria, as the Islamist insurgency began in 2009 and has killed at least 20,000 and forced more than 2.6 million from their homes. AFP

LEONARD COHEN’S POEMS TO BE PRINTED IN FINAL BOOK

IN AFTERMATH OF SHOOTING, LAS VEGAS SEEKS HEALING

NEW YORK—The final poems of Leonard Cohen, completed days before the legendary songwriter died, will be published in an anthology next year, his estate announced late Friday.

Entitled “The Flame,” the volume will include Cohen’s unpublished poems as well as his prose pieces and illustrations and lyrics to his three final albums.

Explaining the metaphor in the title, Robert Kory, who was Cohen’s manager, said that the Montreal-born artist had finished “The Flame” days before his death and it “reveals to all the intensity of his inner fire.”

“During the final months of his life, Leonard had a singular focus -- completing this book taken largely from his unpublished poems and selections from his notebooks,” Kory said in a statement.

“The flame and how our culture threatened its extinction was a central concern,” he said.

The book, which has US, Canadian and British publishers, will come out in October 2018.

Cohen died in November 2016 at age 82, just weeks after he released his last album, “You Want It Darker,” whose lyrics reflect heavily on death, spirituality and his place in the universe.

While he became best known for meditative tunes such as “Hallelujah” and “So Long, Marianne” -- as well as the quirkier “First We Take Manhattan” -- Cohen turned to music relatively late, in his 30s, after establishing a literary career. AFP

LAS VEGAS—Far from the Las Vegas Strip and its flashy hotels, a small healing park opened Friday in the north of Las Vegas, as communities shaken by Sunday’s horrific mass shooting join to grieve.

One of its creators, landscape architect Mark Hamalmann, said it is a “remembrance garden,” featuring 58 trees planted along a small paved walkway. In the middle, there is a large oak tree representing the “tree of life,” while American flags adorn a wooden fence.

“Everything here is donated by local companies, everyone here is a volunteer, and it’s just amazing how it’s come together,” Hamalmann, who oversaw the garden’s construction, told AFP. In the healing park, he explained, everyone is welcome to walk, sit and reflect on the benches, or leave messages on a wall of remembrance.

And there is little doubt healing is what Las Vegas needs.

Fifty-eight people died and nearly 500 were injured when 64-year-old Stephen Paddock opened fire on an outdoor country music festival -- an act that investigators are still at a loss to explain -- before taking his own life.

Since the shooting, “I can’t sleep. I think probably the adrenaline is still running and I can’t wrap my brain around what I saw,” said Dori McKendry, a driver for rideshare startup Lyft.

McKendry was parked in front of the Mandalay Bay hotel Sunday night when Paddock started shooting from his 32nd-floor room.

Admitting she currently has a “mental and emotional feeling of insanity,” McKendry said she has offered free rides to victims’ families to help process what happened.

Thomas Fadden, who survived what was the deadliest shooting in recent US history, said it was scary “not to know who your neighbor could be.”

Paddock, a retired accountant and high stakes gambler, lived quietly in the small town of Mesquite, Nevada, north of Las Vegas. His neighbors, his family and even his girlfriend said they had no clue about what he was about to do.

Several clinics in Las Vegas have organized counseling sessions for people struggling since the shooting -- including survivors, relatives or simply those suffering from anxiety in the wake of the atrocity. AFP

FOR FAMILY. A family performs a ceremonial offering to their relatives in North Korea, near the Demilitarized Zone at Imjingak on Wednesday. South Korea is observing the annual Chusok harvest festival--a week-long holiday during which families typically offer thanks and prayers to their ancestors. This came before reports said North Korea is preparing to test a long-range missile, which it believes can reach the west coast of the United States, a Russian lawmaker who just returned from Pyongyang was quoted as saying on Friday. AFP

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SUNDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2017 Riera U. Mallari, Editor rumallari@thestandard.com.ph

Gadgets & Games

LENOVO CELEBRATES THINKPAD'S 25TH YEAR

ENOVO on Friday announced at an exclusive event at the Yamato Labs in Japan, the birthplace of ThinkPad, a limited-edition model to celebrate 25 years of design and engineering innovation.

The ThinkPad Anniversary Edition 25 is a modern incarnation of the classic design and includes iconic “retro” features such as a backlit 7-row ThinkPad Classic keyboard, dedicated volume buttons, multiple status LEDs and a multicolor logo.

The design concept was launched on June 25, 2015, using social media as a method to gather feedback and preferences from ThinkPad fans and loyalists from around the world. In addition to the classic features, the ThinkPad Anniversary Edition 25 is a thoroughly modern laptop. Powered by an Intel® Core™ i7-7500U processor with discrete NVIDIA GeForce 940MX graphics and a 14-inch full HD display with touch, the ThinkPad “Retro” performance is a far cry from the original 700C.

25 Years of Uncompromised Innovation

Designed by Richard Sapper and engineered in the Yamato Labs in Japan, the original ThinkPad 700C announced on October 5th 1992. Inspired by the traditional Japanese bento box, the 700C was the start of an amazing journey. In the space of a couple of months, it won more than three hundred awards and became a status symbol for presidents and CEO’s.

VIVO BOASTS OF FACE ID ACCESS FEATURE

ThinkPad, 130 million unit sales later, is an icon in the IT industry. It has helped explorers reach Earth’s remotest places, supported dozens of missions into space and facilitated countless businesses to grow. In fact, we have looked back over the years and collected a number of stories where ThinkPad has changed the world.

So, what makes ThinkPad so special?

“ThinkPad design creates a powerful and synergistic relationship between form and function. It balances sophisticated aesthetics, thoughtfully crafted user experiences and renowned engineering in order to deliver superior products,” said David Hill, former Chief Design Officer, Lenovo. “25 years after the introduction of the original 700C, the latest X1 Carbon is immediately recognizable as a ThinkPad.”

ThinkPad at 50 —What Next?

As technology has advanced with exponential speed, the designers and engineers behind ThinkPad have remained purpose-driven in their quest to continually reimagine mobile computing while preserving the original concept. From the ThinkPad 701C with the “butterfly” keyboard to the

PACKPRINTPLAS SLATED AT SMX AFTER its successful staging in the key cities of Cebu and Davao, PackPrintPlas Philippines 2017 will be concluding this year’s series with a bang as it celebrates its 25th anniversary in Manila.

The final installation for the year will be held on Oct. 12 to 14 at the SMX Convention Center Mall of Asia Complex, Pasay City. The event is set to gather more than 700 brands and is expected to welcome over 20,000 visitors and trade buyers from all over the country.

“PackPrintPlas Philippines was one of the very first shows our company put together on its own and we’re very proud that is has now become one of the biggest and most anticipated expos in the country,” said Patrick Lawrence Tan, CEO of Global-Link MP Events International, Inc., organizers of the show. “Our goal has always been to connect manufacturers, suppliers, and service providers to the new clients. We are honored and at the same time humbled by their trust in us over the years as we slowly built on this vision to establish the show as a sourcing show that completes the entire supply chain for various other industries as well. Now that thousands of buyers visit the PackPrintPlas Philippines expo each year, we can only strive to do better. This year’s event is surely going to be one to remember as we mark this very important milestone. Biggest ever!”

This year’s list includes: Starlinger & Co., Zhejing Wankai Package Co., Ltd., Shandong Tongjia Machinery Co. Ltd., Matila Industrial Co. Ltd., Fu Chun Shin Machinery Manufacture Co. Ltd., Yo Den Enterprises Co. Ltd., and the European Plastic Joint Stock Company, to name a few. There will be over 150 foreign companies exhibiting in the Philippines for the first time coming from Austria, China, Japan, Korea, Singapore, Taiwan, Germany and many more.

The ThinkPad Anniversary Edition 25 is a modern incarnation of the classic design.

2-in-1 convertible X1 Yoga with “rise and fall” keyboard, the relentless quest for perfection has made ThinkPad the number one business laptop of all time. Over the next twenty-five years, ThinkPad will continue to develop, innovate and deliver the technologies of tomorrow. Arimasa Naitoh, former head of the Yamato Labs and affectionately known as the father of ThinkPad, firmly believes that

the future is in safe hands.

“From the original 700C to the latest X1 Series, ThinkPad has proved it can enable business transformation and offer customers uncompromised mobility,” he says. “Our team of engineers imagine a future world where ThinkPad creates new segments and further enrichens user experiences as technology becomes more embedded in our lives.”

STARMOBILE BACKS ’MILLENNIORS‘ FILIPINO tech brand Starmobile partnered with Smart Communications for its barangay technology education program for “millenniors.”

A play on the words “millennials”, who are known to be tech savvy, and “seniors,” the program aims to teach technology to the elderly.

For many of them, taking selfies, posting on Facebook, and chatting over Messenger are not just fun—these activities keep them in touch with their children and grandchildren, many of whom they don’t always get to see or speak with.

The session, launched in partnership with Adamson University, taught the seniors about the basics of smartphones and mobile data, and helped them join Facebook.

Members of Smart’s Public Affairs team led the lecture, while student-volunteers from Adamson University’s Computer Science department and Adamson’s Integrated Community Extension Services sat with the elders to assist them in navigating their smartphones.

They used Starmobile devices, including PLAY and UP series smartphones which are

The session, launched in partnership with Adamson University, taught the seniors about the basics of smartphones

designed for first-time users and large-screen ENGAGE tablets for users who prefer larger fonts and images.

Learn more about Starmobile by visiting nearest Starmobile Store in your area or check out the official Starmobile website at starmobile.com.ph or the official Starmobile Facebook Page at facebook.com/ starmobilephones.

Five Awesome Years Established in 2011, Starmobile is the mobile devices division of Star Telecom Alliance Resources Inc. (STAR Inc.). It is founded by telco industry experts with ex-

ZOOKAL DEMOCRATIZES EDUCATION ZOOKAL, the most popular education app in the country with over 200,000 users, has released its latest version in the App Store and Google play.

Leveraging its strong team of 100+ experienced teachers and topic experts, Zookal has doubled its original content to 40,000 questions and full solutions; covering the most popular school, college and licensure tests. The update comes with an impressive new design and most importantly personalized learning features to enhance the education experience for all students using the app.

The app’s effectiveness lies in the tailored learning approach; catering to the different learning speeds and styles of each individual user. This is achieved by providing instant comprehensive feedback to the user after each question is attempted. These solutions have been individually hand-

crafted by topic experts and highly experienced teachers, allowing students to quickly build confidence and consolidate their learning with full solutions and explanations.

Studies show that immediate feedback can help in enhancing comprehension.

“Using Zookal’s app allows me to seamlessly answer questions and have a an enhanced learning experience through understanding the topic areas better with full explanations – almost as if a teacher was sitting with me,” said Vana Sabanal, college student.

“I resorted to review materials online when I planned to take the Civil Service exams and that’s when I found Zookal. I was glad that I discovered the test questions there because I only had less than a week to review.

After passing the test, I am now one step closer to my long term goal. Zookal gave me an advantage despite the limited time

I had and it saved me a lot of money as well because it’s free,” added Regyn Avena, Civil Service Exam passer Zookal’s team is highly excited about the potential to impact the futures of millions of students, despite already achieving over 200,000 downloads to date.

“The Zookal app aims to prepare students and young professionals for the exams that will define the course of their careers in the next five or ten years. With questions carefully created and curated by teachers and practitioners of various fields, we offer the best app-based reviewers in the world,” said Maggie Del Valle, Zookal’s Head of Content.

“We are really excited about Zookal 2.0 and its newest features. Our goal is to equitize education by providing high quality content through our digital platforms. We put into great consideration the reviews we got from our users in our pre-

tensive experience in retail and product development.

Since it first offered Android devices, Starmobile has officially become the winningest Philippine smartphone brand with a slew of innovation awards from reputable media outfits. The company’s flagship KNIGHT series, has won top awards since 2013—a feat that has not been replicated by any local device company.

Learn more about Starmobile and its line of smartphones and tablets by visiting www.starmobile.com.ph or log on to facebook.com/starmobilephones.

IF YOU ask people what makes a smartphone great, they would say it is the high technology features that makes a smartphone “smart”.

Vivo V7+, in this regard, never disappoints.

Boasting of a 24MP front-facing camera—an industry-first—with LED flash and smart photography algorithms provides for a clear-cut, crisp, and natural-looking photo, and a revolutionary 5.99” all-screen display with its 84.4 percent screen to body ratio, providing a more exciting and enhanced game and visual experience, the V7+ offers far impressive features than most of its counterparts.

But what people are mostly raving about this newest Vivo offering is the Face ID feature. Putting the emphasis in “smart” in smartphone, the Face ID feature enables the V7+ to “wake up” with the user simply picking up the phone, raising it in portrait mode to unlock it and it is ready to go. True to the wonders of future technology, Vivo offers it in the now with the Face ID feature, a surely-safe security access to one’s smartphone, where phone unlocks with mere facial recognition.

Vivo launched the V7+ in a grand unveiling last September 20 at the Marriott Hotel in Manila. Backed by hotshots Kathryn Bernardo and Daniel Padilla plus R&B sweetheart Julie Anne San Jose along with other big stars that make up the Vivo Family such as the likes of PBB Teen Big Winner Maymay Entrata, young matinee idol Inigo Pascual, teen idols Boyband PH, soul diva KZ Tandingan, and teen sweetheart Andrea Brillantes, among others, Vivo proves to be a brand that even huge celebrity influencers trust.

The V7+, with its impressive, thumbprint features, is priced at only P17,990. Available in Matte Black and Champagne Gold—perfect shades for the hippest crowd.

The Vivo V7+ is selling nationwide and is available at Lazada, Argomall and all Vivo concept stores and kiosks.

For inquiries about Vivo, visit the Vivo website at www.vivo.com/ph or check out their Facebook (https:// www.facebook.com/VivoPhil), Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/ vivophil/), and Twitter (https://twitter. com/vivo_phil) accounts.

SAMSUNG UNVEILS THE FRAME

vious version and made sure that wereflect the improvements on the new one,” said Karla Kay Sarno, Zookal’s Head of Operations.

The new version of the Zookal app is now available for update in Apple Store and Google Play store:

THROUGH the years, Samsung has se- a customizable work of art where you can cured its place as the leader in home enter- freely curate your favourite artwork and tainment by pioneering technologies that photos, transforming the room into a more have revolutionized the way consumers vibrant and personalized environment.

Through its Art Mode feature, Saminteract with their television sets. In May, sung The Frame can the brand made display any piece headlines when it from the Samsung launched the SamCollection, a built-in sung QLED TV that library of over 100 promises to deexclusive works by liver superior color renowned global and image qualartists commisity. But just when sioned and handeveryone thought selected by the tech TVs couldn’t get giant. With options any more groundin 10 different catbreaking, Samegories–wildlife, sung shook things landscapes, drawup yet again with ings, digital art, the launch of The still life and more– Frame, an innovaThe Frame is an innovative concept there’s something tive concept that that merges world class-art and design for every unique merges world with award-winning technology. preference. If these class-art and design with its award-winning technology. are not enough, The Frame has an Art Samsung The Frame breathes new life to Store for an unlimited access to a plethora home design and gives purpose and mean- of collections. You can also opt to upload ing to TV, 24 hours a day. When it is powered your personal images, and customize its on, The Frame offers premium picture qual- display with a variety of layouts and filters ity. Meanwhile, when not in use, it becomes using your smartphone.