Ms sect b 20171022 sunday

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SUNDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2017

Business

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

LADY EXECUTIVE BUILDS PH TOURISM DATABASE

GERMAN FIRM NAMES FILIPINO COUNTRY HEAD

Edler Panlilio, the new managing director of SAP Philippines Inc

TOURISM ADVOCATES

Yapak PH team headed by founder and chief executive Diane Zoleta (center, seated in blue jeans) and chief operating officer Trichie de Vera (standing, third from right), together with Dayang Media Productions, Digiteer Digital, Trespaña Productions and photographer Paulo Navarra.

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N AVID traveler and media production executive is spearheading a campaign to build a comprehensive travel information portal about Philippine tourism in a bid to spread the culture of tourism across the country and generate livelihood for Filipinos along the way.

“We believe that tourism is a key driver of the economy,” says Diane Zoleta, the founder and chief executive of Yapak.ph, the first aggregator of tourism information about the Philippines.

Her experience as an advertising executive who organized photoshoots in exotic places all over the country and as a talent manager who brought artists and celebrities to numerous town fiestas in the provinces has opened her eyes to the beauty and rich heritage of the Philippines. At the same time, a visit to Thailand in the 1990s, where ‘tuk tuk’ and cab drivers provided helpful tips and laminated maps on destinations as if they were tour guides, has awakened her desire to make Filipinos embrace tourism the way the Thais promoted their country.

“We have more to offer. And yet, Filipinos are not as entrepreneurial when it comes to promoting tourism. How nice it would be if we Filipinos know the best destinations in our country. That is the main goal of Yapak.ph.

We want to enable Filipinos to promote the Philippines,” says Zoleta.

Zoleta, who earned a degree in Broadcast Communication from the University of the Philippines and now heads Dayang Media Productions and Star Models International Talent Management Agency, wants all Filipinos to help promote the Philippines as a primary tourism destination and raise the bar on the quality of services and products provided to travelers from all over the world. She initially planned to produce a travel map, like the ones presented by ‘tuk tuk’ and cab drivers in Thailand, but the idea grew much bigger with the onset of digital technologies.

Zoleta teamed up with fellow Rotarian, Trichie

de Vera, the country representative of iCare Benefits Philippines Inc. to put Yapak.ph into operation.

“We will launch our website on Oct. 24. The website is going to be the information portal— an initial platform that will evolve into more technology-based initiatives. Unlike any other information portal, Yapak.ph will hopefully have everything that you want to know about the Philippines in just one site,” says de Vera, also an alumna of the University of the Philippines, who serves as chief operating officer of Yapak.ph.

Zoleta, who helped produce some of the most memorable television commercials and print ads for ‘It’s More Fun in the Philippines’, developed the idea for Yapak.ph as early seven years ago and started engaging her team of advertising professionals and university students to shoot travel sites and collate local travel information two years ago.

“Seven years ago, I wanted to start a Philippine travel map. My idea was to provide free travel maps at that time, when Internet was not yet prevalent in the country. The map would encourage people to travel and walk, hence the word ‘yapak’,” she says.

The advent of technology, however, encouraged Zoleta to produce a more comprehensive tourism portal that contains not just a map, but also information, tips and guides that will help foreign and domestic tourists discover provinces, cities, towns and even barangays in the Philippines.

Now, Yapak.ph is considered a pioneer in providing the public with an engaging and personalized website on anything and everything about the Philippines. As a pioneer in tourism aggregation, its mission is to aggregate and organize Philippine tourism and travel information and services to make them “simple yet comprehensive, distinct yet diverse, accessible yet aggregated, in an experiential, personalized, and time efficient manner.” “ We aim to become the nation’s most comprehensive tourism information portal unifying a wide range of data about the Philippines—from its travel destinations, local communities, culture, cuisines, events and more,” she says.

Zoleta says while other websites focus on

just four topics such as adventure, eco-tourism, sustainable tourism and destinations, Yapak. ph encompasses 16 categories in the tourism industry. It provides information on such areas as medical tourism, health establishments, extreme adventures, museum, sports, nightlife, Filipino heritage, social entrepreneurship, knowledge exchange, beaches, pocket parks, nature, food finds, newest spots around the block and history, culture and the arts.

“We realized that there are different kinds of tourism. We enumerated 16 of them,” she says.

Zoleta says the overall vision is “to make the Philippines the No. 1 tourist destination in Southeast Asia by providing the Filipinos and the international community global access to a central information hub and a one stop online store for Philippine tourism and travel in one aggregated site.”

“We offer an expansive ecosystem on Philippine travel and tourism, built on a convergence of three elements: a travel and tourism information portal, a network of partnerships and alliances, and an engaged community of travelers and supporters of Philippine tourism,” she says.

Zoleta says more than just an information portal, Yapak.ph aims to builds a growing network of digital and offsite stakeholders who have a shared vision of making the Philippines the top tourist destination in Southeast Asia. “ We are fostering engagement, where each stakeholder is an active contributor in strengthening local tourism, elevating it as a major driver of the Philippine economy, not only for the purpose of consumption spending but in delivering social impact,” she says.

She recalls that when she visited Thailand, the ‘tuk tuk’ driver who brought her to different destinations also took her to a gold store. “As I was browsing the merchandise, I saw that one of the ladies working in the said store handed the man a gas voucher. On our way back to my hotel, I asked him what the voucher was for, and he told me that whenever he brought tourists into the establishment, the owners gave him a gas voucher for his trouble, even if the tourist didn’t end up buying anything from the store,” Zoleta says.

Zoleta came back to the Philippines with Turn to B2

GERMAN software company SAP SE announced the appointment of Edler Panlilio as the new managing director of SAP Philippines Inc. In this new role, Panlilio will be responsible for leading and driving business growth and operations in the Philippines, building on the 22-year establishment of SAP in the country. He will report directly to Claus Andresen, president and managing director of SAP Southeast Asia.

A 20-year veteran in the IT industry, Panlilio joined SAP in 2013 and was most recently the senior director of key accounts managing a combined salesforce of key account managers, cloud specialists, platform and CRM specialists focused on the top customers for SAP Philippines.

Prior to joining SAP, Panlilio spent more than a decade in his career holding leadership roles and responsibilities with various multi-national IT organizations based in the Philippines, including Symantec, Sun Microsystems and Logica. Panlilio replaced Ryan Poggi, who will take on another executive role within SAP Asia Pacific Japan.

Commenting on Panlilio’s appointment, Andresen said: “The Philippines economy remains vibrant and is the 10th fastest growing economy in the world.

With a stable and sustainable economic environment, SAP is well poised to help the Philippines economy grow by supporting the country’s digital agenda with our technology.”

“Edler’s promotion signifies a strong leadership bench that we have in Southeast Asia, and SAP’s commitment to the development of our talents. I am confident that Edler will be able to build on our growth trajectory and accelerate our growth plans in the Philippines,” Andresen said.

Panlilio said: “The Philippines has a great opportunity to leapfrog into the next phase of digitization as government organizations and companies in the private sector embark on a digital transformation journey.”

“Being a global market leader, SAP has the transfor mative innovations needed to help local government and businesses strive to be a globally competitive Filipino nation with Digital. I am delighted to be a part of the SAP family and look forward to lead the team to help the Philippines run better, and improve people’s lives,” said Panlilio.

MALOLOS CITY ADOPTS ALL-IN-ONE CITIZEN ID CARDS M A LO LO S Cit y, the capital of Bulacan province, has tapped PayMaya Philippines, the country’s pioneer and leader in digital financial services, to enable its constituents with all-in-one citizen ID cards that can be used to access citizen services, pay for fees and transactions, as well as receive cash allowances and other monetary benefits from the local government.

As a start, the citizen ID cards will be available to government employees and resident beneficiaries of Malolos, including student scholars, senior citizens, single parents and persons with disabilities. Beyond helping make disbursements of

allowances and financial assistance more efficient, the city is pushing for financial inclusion as it embraces the digital economy.

The city also intends to use the platform to enable the transportation and tourism sectors as it builds the whole payment ecosystem not just with cards and disbursement tools but also with payment acceptance systems.

“Our goal is to make our constituents enjoy the benefits of digital. With this all-in-one citizen card initiative powered by PayMaya, we are enabling our citizens have a better quality of life and access to the digital economy. At the same time, we are

also accelerating the transformation of Malolos City as a truly digital city,” said Malolos City Mayor Christian Natividad.

“Digital opens up many opportunities especially for the unconnected, unbanked and underserved. Congratulations to Malolos City for this forward-looking initiative as it is transforming their local government, people and communities into fully equipped digital and global citizens,” said Manuel Pangilinan, chairman of PLDT Inc., Smart Communications, Voyager Innovations and PayMaya Philippines.

“Our mission is to bring the advantages of digital financial

services to more institutions and their constituents. True to its pioneering spirit and historical tradition as the site of the proclamation of the first constitutional republic in Asia, Malolos City joins other digitally transformed or DX Cities as one of the early adopters of enabling payment technologies,” said Orlando Vea, president and chief executive of PayMaya Philippines.

Aside from Malolos City, PayMaya i s b e i n g u s e d by o t h e r l o c a l governments including Balanga City, Muntinlupa City, Catbalogan City and Tacloban City. It is also being used as all-in-one ID cards by schools and as disbursement cards by enterprises.

Malolos City Mayor Christian Natividad (left) and PLDT, Smart, Voyager and PayMaya Philippines chairman Manuel Pangilinan shake hands during the partnership ceremony for the all-in-one citizen ID cards in the city.

Business

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SUNDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2017 business@manilastandard.net

JDI OFFERS FORMULA TO DEFEAT DENGUE THE rainy season generally sees an alarming increase in dengue and similar mosquito-borne diseases, posing a big threat to the health and wellbeing of Filipino families, especially children under the age of 9 and even those that are yet to be born.

Dengue is in fact one of the top 10 killer diseases in the Philippines.

From January 1 to May 20 this year, the Department of Health recorded 35,973 dengue cases throughout the country, with 207 reported deaths within the same period.

And while the latest figures are lower compared to last year’s, people must remain vigilant in terms of averting an outbreak of the disease in their communities.

The same Aedes mosquitoes that carry dengue also transmit the Zika virus, a flu-like mosquito-borne disease that is widespread in tropical countries with big mosquito population. As of February this year, the DOH has tallied a total of 57 Zika cases in the country, seven of which involve pregnant women aged 16 to 32.

While a breakthrough dengue vaccine is reportedly now available, most people tend to overlook the fact that there are more practical and more economical ways to get rid of mosquitoes and other disease-carrying insects.

This is where Zap All Knockdown multi-insect killer comes in. Distributed

by Jardine Distribution Inc., Zap contains a formula that kills dengue and Zika virus-carrying mosquitoes, as well as cockroaches and flies, without any irritating smell.

Z a p ’s h i g h - q u a l i t y a c t i v e ingredient—sourced from Sumitomo Chemical, a leading Japanese chemical firm—guarantees faster knockdown power and a long-lasting effect compared to those of other brands in the market.

The DOH itself recommends the use of insect repellants and insect killers as self-protection measures to prevent mosquito bites that can cause dengue, Zika, or similar diseases. Maintaining a clean environment and seeking early consultation with the doctor are also highly advised at the onset of symptoms.

LADY...

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so many ideas on to how to help fellow Filipinos do the same or how to provide them with a free service that consolidates all the travel-related information about the country.

The result is Yapak.ph, which also includes initiatives such as community service revenue programs to create sustainable livelihood and the formation of Yapak Club, an engagement to connect university and college students.

“Yapak Club now has Lyceum chapter and PUP chapter. The good thing about it is that later on, Yapak Club members will also feed information. We are also in talks to have chapters in UE, Adamson, FEU, La Salle and College of Saint Benilde,” says Zoleta.

Zoleta says Yapak’s business model will have digital advertising as its main anchor, where companies such as hotels, airlines, transport providers and travel agencies will converge to market their products and services.

“With Yapak, we will also create livelihood programs for the people.

We will promote even small businesses such as eateries,” she says.

Yapak also has a Facebook page which has already attracted 12,000 followers. “We engage the followers by posting three to five articles a day with focus on millennials. We provide tips, tourist spots, food finds or trivia. We also have ‘hugot’ lines complete with graphics,” says Zoleta.

Zoleta also plans to launch a journal app, or a travel planner that will remind subscribers of their itinerary.

“But the revenue model leans on advertising, because that is our expertise. We envision to put media and advertising together through Yapak,” she says. Roderick T. dela Cruz

WHY CONCEPCION UNIT ADOPTED A NEW NAME

By Othel V. Campos

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MAJOR provider of elevators, escalators and cooling solutions in the country has embraced a new name to reflect a strategic shift for the building industry and address the changing demands of customers.

Concepcion Building and Industrial Solutions, the commercial division of Concepcion Industrial Corp.,changed its name to Alstra. It remains the company behind Carrier, Otis and Toshiba brands in the Philippines.

“Alstra is a name we created. For us, it is synonymous to building solutions itself. It is the same business unit of Concepcion Industrial Corp.

Only, we are trying to fit in more sophisticated solutions that will be the trend of the future,” said Alstra director and head of the building and industrial solutions group Rajan Komarasu.

Komarasu, who grew up in Singapore, studied in Australia and was posted in the Philippines in 2007, said the transformation idea was conceived three years ago, “when we said we needed to cater to what customers are looking for – the requirement of business to business.”

“This required us to totally look at the culture of organization, the people, the systems that we use.

We said we need to change this but as we change we need to market ourselves as building solutions expert in the Philippines,” said Komarasu.

Komarasu said that in the Philippines it was a big challenge to change old habits, but “we had this huge progress to bringing the organization closer to customers.”

“We put in a lot of effort into the areas wherein people might not normally think we are capable of or not worthy of any effort like engineering and project management,” he said.

Assistance on engineering design starts right from the concept to implementation stage as well, he said.

Alstra will be carrying the same cooling solutions and vertical building solutions such as escalators and elevators.

With the rebranding, the company will introduce an expanded menu of building solutions including fire assistance, security protocols, lighting solution, controls and automation using IoT (Internet of Things) that can be packaged however the client wants it.

The trend in building solutions, Komarasu said, is slowly getting ahead of the game, “although, in the Philippines, the ones that can only procure these

Alstra director Rajan Komarasu

are the bigger companies. That’s why we’re slowly getting into the game.”

Alstra still caters to all segments of the construction industry, with projects in the manufacturing sector, hotels, restaurants, BPOs, service sectors and even banks.

It maintains its focus on the commercial and industrial side of the business without losing sight of its beginnings as Filipino white-line manufacturer Condura.

The company continues to manufacture and sell windowtype air-conditioning units, its bread and butter once, but sales had since simmered into a single digit growth as it shifted its focus to more technically-challenging cooling solutions on a bigger scale in partnership with Carrier.

Condura-Carrier is the first air-conditioning brand in country to be ISO certified. By 2020, Alstra aims to have the entire company product line ISO-certified.

Alstra still holds the title as market leader in the airconditioning industry quickly. While its vertical solutions in escalators and elevators have struggled in the past, it has since moved on to a comfortable pace due to consistency in quality and after-service.

“We want to make sure there’s consistency in everything we do. On top of this, we want to continue our CSR [corporate social responsibility]. So far, Alstra has spent more than 30,000 hours over the last three years educating our customers, our supply partners and some contractors about efficiency, safety and technology. We want to make sure we have the right partners and most of all, create synergies in the way we operate,” Komarasu said.

Mergers and acquisitions will remain part of the company’s

expansion plan. “If we do not have the expertise for the solutions we are offering, then we make sure that we partner with the industry’s best experts,” he said.

Alstra’s sales in the first half of 2017 hit P1.8 billion, on track with the company’s target to grow revenues by 15 percent to 20 percent from 2016’s P3.5 billion.

This has not yet factored in about P2 billion worth of projects in the pipeline that started coming in the second half.

“Based on government figures, there might be a slowdown in construction activities in the next two to three years. Construction permits were down by 3 percent in the first half of 2017 compared to 2016. That’s what is in the PSA [Philippines Statistics Authority] site. Since we’ve expanded our portfolio, we don’t see this dilemma affecting our operations,” Komarasu said.

The big drop, he said, came from the Visayas region but the bigger share was still a cco u nte d by t h e N at i o n a l Capital Region.

“I think there’s gestation period going on. Although there’s a lot of commitment on the construction side but developers are pulling back as well. We believe that contractors and developers are moving forward with cautious sentiments. There are too many projects out there but because of shortage of manpower and professionals, there is this temporary impact. We believe this is temporary and will not be a lasting trend. What we see now as growing are industrial businesses and institutions,” he said.

Komarasu said the company would continue investing in more solutions and improving at least 90 solutions.

“As a business, we always need to think positive. We will be very cautious at the same time, so we can achieve our vision to reach P15-billion sales by 2020,” Komarasu said.

AVIATION SECTOR OFFERS ‘HIGHEST PAYING’ JOBS aviation industry, Guico said the road to an aviation career is not for the faint-hearted. Those interested to get into the industry should be passionate and fully equipped with optimal skills and experience to gain a competitive edge.

“Though new graduates will find it hard to land an aviation job immediately after graduation, the key is to keep themselves informed about the industry and the specialization they are into. For example, aircraft mechanics should be more open into accepting onthe-job trainings and immersions. This will give them the experience and skills that a large airline company is looking for,” he said.

“This is the same with pilot students. The key is to gain experience. Airlines may not be always hiring new pilots, so the option is to start by becoming flight instructors so they will gain flight experience and at the same time enhance their skills. So when the time comes that an airline will be looking for their new set of flight crew, you will be on the top choice,” Guico said.

Getting a high-paying job isn’t the sole reason to land in the airlines industry. Alongside the lifechanging chance to see the world are opportunities for career advancement.

“Aside from the travel, airlines also provide assistance for career advancement. There is an ongoing trend now of aircraft mechanics and cabin FOLLOWING the growth of the global economy, the demand for aviation professionals continues to grow in the Asia-Pacific region. Data from the Philippine Statistics Authority show that aviation-related occupations – namely aircraft pilots, navigators, and flight engineers – were the highest paying jobs in 2016 with a P116,714 average monthly wage rate.

It was followed by securities and finance dealers and brokers (P89,831) and civil engineers (P69,957).

The airline industry has prospered over the past decades and the need for aviation experts continues to rise–with 41,000 new aircrafts projected to be built worldwide within the next 20 years.

With the boom of aviation in the Philippines, what can aspiring aviation practitioners expect and how should they prepare?

“One must be really ready when entering the competitive aviation industry,” said Capt. Ramon Guico III, president and chief executive of WCC Aviation Company Inc. Despite the presence of job opportunities in the

crew advancing to become airline pilots,” he said.

Foreseeing the boom in the airlines industry, WCC Aviation is commencing its plans to make quality education more accessible throughout the country by expanding its reach. The company, which is highly regarded not just in the Philippines but also in Asia, aims to soon open a WCC Aviation Branch in Diliman, Quezon City, offering programs such as pilot training and flight attendant course.

This is in addition to WCC Aviation’s constant upgrading of its training programs.

From its modest beginnings in 2005 with only a small school and two students, WCC Aviation has grown to be a university-grade campus that caters to the needs of the airline industry both locally and abroad.

At present, WCC Aviation’s state-of-the-art facilities provides a conducive learning environment.

“We are training students not just to become employees but to be critical thinkers. We want them to be the next generation managers and leaders in the industry. That is why we are highlighting ‘character formation’ in our curriculum. By focusing on developing the character of our students, we help them nurture their skills and become responsible individuals that will later be our contribution towards nation-building,” said Guico.

World

Cesar Barrioquinto, Editor / Jimbo Gulle, Issue Editor

JAPAN BRACES FOR ‘LAN’ AHEAD OF ELECTION

\TOKYO, Japan—A powerful typhoon was bearing down on Japan Saturday, a day ahead of national elections, with experts predicting severe winds and heavy rains as the country goes to the polls.

Super typhoon Lan, described as “very large” and “very strong” by Japan’s Meteorological Agency, was packing gusts up to 252 kilometres (157 miles) per hour Saturday above Pacific waters south of Japan.

As Lan drew closer, voters on remote southern islands in the path of the storm cast their ballots early for Sunday’s election.

The Joint Typhoon Warning Center of the US Navy called it a super typhoon.

The Japanese agency said Lan would move just east of Okinawa Sunday before grazing the country’s coastal areas, possibly directly hitting Tokyo or surrounding regions, Monday morning.

Meteorologists expect strong winds and heavy rain across much of Japan on Sunday.

Regardless of weather, however, national surveys have largely predicted that the ruling bloc, led by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, was likely to claim a landslide victory. AFP

‘SMELL OF BLOOD, FLESH’ IN BOMBED KABUL MOSQUE KABUL, Afghanistan—A strong smell of blood and flesh permeated the Imam Zaman mosque in Kabul on Saturday hours after dozens of Shiite worshippers were slaughtered by a suicide bomber during evening prayers.

Broken glass and dust covered the red carpet, soaked in the blood of the men, women and children who had been praying on Friday when the attacker blew himself up, causing carnage in the cavernous prayer hall.

At least 39 people were killed and 45 others wounded in the assault claimed by the Islamic State group -- one of two deadly mosque attacks on Friday -- capping one of the bloodiest weeks in Afghanistan in recent memory.

“The windows of the mosque were broken, and blood and human flesh were spattered everywhere and you could smell blood and human flesh inside the mosque,” Ibrahim, who rushed to the mosque after the blast, told AFP. “This is absolutely barbarism. What kind of Islam is this? They are attacking worshippers at the time of prayers, even mosques are not safe for us to pray.”

Hours after the suicide bomb the Taliban fired two rockets at the headquarters of NATO’s Resolute Support mission in the heavily fortified diplomatic quarter of Kabul. There were no reports of casualties but the attack underlined the worsening security in the country. AFP

PROBE: CANCER DIDN’T KILL PABLO NERUDA SANTIAGO, Chile—International experts announced Friday that Chilean Nobel laureate Pablo Neruda did not die of cancer, but could not conclusively determine if he was assassinated by late dictator Augusto Pinochet’s regime.

Neruda, a celebrated poet, politician, diplomat and bohemian, died in 1973 aged 69, just days after Pinochet, then the head of the Chilean army, overthrew Socialist president Salvador Allende in a bloody coup.

The writer, who was also a prominent member of the Chilean Communist party, had been preparing to flee into exile in Mexico to lead the resistance against Pinochet’s regime.

He died in a Santiago clinic where he was being treated for prostate cancer.

The subsequent death of former president Eduardo Frei at the same clinic, where he had come for a routine operation, reinforced the thesis that Neruda was murdered.

“The (death) certificate does not reflect the real cause of death,” Aurelio Luna said at a news conference on behalf of a panel of experts, referring to the official explanation that cancer killed the famed writer.

The group of 16 experts from Canada, Denmark, the US, Spain and Chile, 12 of whom worked in Santiago while the rest worked from abroad, could neither confirm nor rule out the hypothesis that Neruda was murdered.

“We do not have that definitive conclusion, we do not have the determination that there was indeed intervention of third parties,” said investigating Judge Mario Carroza, who is handling the case. AFP

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2017

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SPAIN SET TO GRAB CATALONIA’S POWERS M ADRID, Spain—Spain’s government kicked off a crisis cabinet meeting on Saturday as it prepares to seize powers from Catalonia’s separatist executive in an unprecedented move aimed at stopping the northeastern region’s independence drive.

During the meeting, which started around 10 a.m. (0800 GMT), Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy and his ministers will decide on what powers to take away from the wealthy region, which currently enjoys wide autonomy including control over its own policing, education and healthcare.

The measures take the country into uncharted legal waters, and come just a day after Madrid won powerful backing from the king and the EU in its battle to keep the country together.

King Felipe VI on Friday blasted what he said was an “unacceptable secession attempt” and said the crisis sparked by the region’s banned October 1 independence referen-

dum must be resolved “through legitimate democratic institutions”.

“We do not want to give up that which we have built together,” he pleaded.

Madrid enjoys constitutional powers to wrest back control of rebellious regions in one of the Western world’s most decentralized nations, but it has never used them.

Autonomy is a hugely sensitive issue in semi-autonomous Catalonia, which saw its powers taken away under Spain’s military dictatorship. Home to 7.5 million people, the region fiercely defends its own language and culture.

There are fears of unrest if Madrid seeks to impose direct rule of any kind, and Catalan leader Carles

Puigdemont has said such a move could push regional lawmakers to declare unilateral independence.

But Rajoy said Friday that Spain had reached a “critical point” after weeks of political limbo and that his government had to act to stop the rule of law being “liquidated”.

Rajoy is likely to announce plans to take control of Catalonia’s 16,000-strong police force, the Mossos d’Esquadra, whose leader Josep Lluis Trapero could face up to 15 years in jail on sedition charges for failing to contain separatist protests ahead of the referendum.

Madrid could also seek to force new elections -- its preferred solution to Spain’s most protracted political crisis since it returned to democracy in 1977 -- as early as January.

Rajoy is due to hold a press conference early Saturday afternoon to announce his plans, which must pass through the Senate where his conservative Popular Party holds a majority -- a process that would take about a week.

Speaking on Friday night at

the Princess of Asturias Awards -Spain’s answer to the Nobels -- King Felipe described Catalonia as “an essential part of 21st century Spain”.

EU leaders, who were at the ceremony to collect a prize for encouraging harmony in Europe, used their acceptance speeches to demand respect for the law in words that offered implicit backing to Madrid.

“Some are sowing discord by deliberately ignoring law,” European parliament head Antonio Tajani said at the awards night in the northern city of Oviedo.

He added pointedly: “All too often in the past the prospect of redrawing borders has been presented as a heavenly panacea that has resulted in a hellish mess.”

As tensions continue to run high, independence supporters are set to rally in Barcelona Saturday evening calling for the release of Jordi Cuixart and Jordi Sanchez, the leaders of two powerful grassroots separatist groups who have been in jail since Monday pending investigation into sedition charges. AFP

MARCH THROUGH NOWHERE. Rohingya refugees who were stranded walk near the no man’s land area between Bangladesh and Myanmar in the Palongkhali area next to Ukhia on Thursday. Since late August, more than 500,000 Rohingya have fled an army campaign in Myanmar’s Rakhine state that the United Nations has denounced as ethnic cleansing. AFP

‘CZECH TRUMP’ BABIS POISED TO WIN VOTE PRAGUE, Czech Republic—Voters flocked to polling stations on Saturday, the second and final day of a Czech general election expected to sweep into power a billionaire populist dubbed the “Czech Trump” and boost anti-European Union parties.

Betting on his anti-euro, anti-migrant and anti-corruption ticket, ANO (Yes) movement chief Andrej Babis, topped opinion polls by a wide margin ahead of the ballot which ends on Saturday afternoon.

“I think his policy is for the people,” pensioner Alena Kolarova told AFP in Prague after voting, praising Babis for “restoring order in public finances and tax collection” during his threeyear stint as finance minister that ended in May. Babis said he expected his EU country of 10.8 million people to “enter a new stage” after voting on Friday, adding it needed “a government which will really tackle people’s problems.”

Vaclav Vachel, another pensioner, said Babis’s anti-corruption drive was “the key thing,” seemingly unfazed by a fraud indictment the mogul faces for alleged abuse of EU subsidies.

Far-right and far-left anti-EU parties are eyeing strong gains which could lead to a fragmented parliament with up to nine parties and few natural coalition allies.

Analysts warn of instability and that the Czech Republic’s system of liberal democracy could be disturbed.

ANO has already held key posts in the outgoing rocky centre-left coalition under Social Democrat Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka, with Babis serving as finance minister

from 2014 to May this year.

A 63-year-old Slovak-born chemicals, food and media tycoon, Babis captured around 25-30 percent support in recent surveys, putting ANO ahead of its current coalition partner, the left-wing Social Democrats, who have just 12.5 percent.

Parties protesting against liberal de-

mocracy are poised to win a majority in parliament for the first time since communism fell in 1989, the leading Hospodarske Noviny daily said in a Friday editorial.

“And for the first time we face the threat that an openly xenophobic, extremist movement will earn more than 10 percent” of the vote, it added, point-

ing to the far-right anti-EU Freedom and Free Democracy (SPD) of Tokyo-born entrepreneur Tomio Okamura who won backing from France’s far-right National Front.

The daily called the elections a “turning point... both for the country’s internal functioning and its anchoring in the European Union.” AFP

SENIOR QUEEN. Ms. New Jersey Carolyn Slade Harden is crowned Ms. Senior America during the 38th Annual National Ms. Senior America 2017 Pageant at the Resorts Casino Hotel in Atlantic City, New Jersey on Thursday. The pageant is held for women between the ages of 60 and 90, where they participate in evening gown presentations, talent performances, and a category in which competitors share their life philosophy. AFP

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SUNDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2017 Riera U. Mallari, Editor rumallari@thestandard.com.ph

Gadgets & Games

JOLLIBEE IS PH'S NO. 1 IN DIGITAL ENGAGEMENT HE Philippines’ no. 1 fastfood chain is also no. 1 in digital engagement.

For decades, Jollibee has been capturing the taste buds of Filipinos with its langhap-sarap treats. Lately, the brand has been winning over the hearts of millions online with hit-afterhit digital content.

Community Plus, a Mediacom social media listening tool that is used widely amongst various global brands, reports that from January to June 2017, Jollibee outranked all other brands in the quick service restaurant category, particularly in Facebook where it garnered a majority 37% share of engagement, twice greater than its biggest foreign competitor. Social media intelligence tool Thoughtbuzz also reports that Jollibee is the #1 most talked about QSR brand, registering 1.5 million mentions in various digital platforms; almost triple that of its competitors in the same period.

Jollibee Global Brand Chief Marketing Officer and PH Marketing Head, Francis Flores shares, “Jollibee’s stellar digital success has been key to sustaining our market leadership in the country, across all our major target markets.”

Flores added: “Through world-class, highly engaging online content and digital innovations, we will continue to break the internet to reinforce our position as the Philippines’ most loved, most talked about brand. For us in Jollibee, capturing the hearts of the Filipinos online (and offline) is the ultimate reward.”

The Kwentong Jollibee Success

The brand’s original short-film series, Kwentong Jollibee, has gone viral multiple times this year, and has earned multiple accolades not only from netizens but from industry leaders globally.

In February, the highly-evocative “Vow”, “Date”, and “Crush” Valentine’s

Outranking all other QSR brands, Jollibee garnered a 37% share of engagement on Facebook from January to June 2017 according to online content assessment tool Community Plus. Social media intelligence tool Thoughtbuzz also reveals that the brand registered 1.5 million mentions across digital platforms, almost triple that of its competitors in the same period, to become the #1 most talked about QSR brand in the Philippines.

videos successfully wooed the online audience with over 50 million views on Facebook and YouTube, about 1.3 million shares, 7.5 million in engagement, and 82 million reach (72% organic reach). The buzz of Kwentong Jollibee’s Valentine series generated over P150 million in free PR and media values as well.

The viral success of the Kwentong Jollibee episodes continued towards mid-year with “Parangal” and “Powers”—back-to-back moving tributes to the sacrifices of moms and the heroic deeds of dads, to provide a comfortable life for the family—as the Mother’s Day and Father’s Day videos garnered positive reactions from netizens and received 8.1 million and 7 million views, respectively.

The Kwentong Jollibee series’ most recent viral hit, “Apo” is proof not only of the enterprise’s sustained success

but of Jollibee’s digital content mastery. A Grandparents’ Day special, “Apo” follows a young man recalling his happy childhood memories as he makes his way back home to the embrace of his “second parents”. With a whopping 29million reach, over 14.2million views and an engagement of 1.1 million, Jollibee’s special grandparents’ day tribute solidified the brand’s online leadership.

The most recent viral short film was coupled with a heart-tugging CSR effort, Grand Thank You Project, and a special video feature titled “Handog para kay Lola Belen”. The project recognizes hardworking grandparents and gives back the love with a Grandparents’ Day feast for their family and other forms of support such as financial aid. On the Grand Thank You Project’s second year, Jollibee features Lola Belen, a grandmother from Pangasinan who

tirelessly sells local delicacies at a nearby Jollibee branch to provide for her loved ones. The video feature reached over 7.7 million netizens and 5.2 million views.

An Array of World-Class Digital Content

Apart from the emotional Kwentong Jollibee short films, Jollibee has also produced a number of successful online campaigns that have gotten netizens abuzz: from the impressive dance skills of the lovable mascots Jollibee and Friends in the JolliDance Showdown series with more than 29 million Facebook and YouTube views, the quirky quick escape tricks of JolliSavers for every Petsa de Peligro that reached more than 24 million views, to the sumptuous and heartwarming Chickenjoy campaigns that generated more than 28 million views.

ASUS BEEFS UP LINE-UP WITH ZENFONE 4 SELFIE LITE JUST two months after its widelysuccessful, grand ZenFone 4 launch in SMX Convention Center last Aug. 19, ASUS Philippines pulls off yet another surprise that will surely shake up the tech industry anew.

With its goal to reclaim the title and throne as the premier selfie and wefie smartphone, ASUS Philippines further beefs up its already fortified ZenFone 4 Selfie line-up with the introduction of a third model in the celebrated series: the ZenFone 4 Selfie Lite.

The first and original ZenFone Selfie graced the Philippine market back in 2015 with a front camera that was way ahead of its time and produced stylish grade-A selfies that people thoroughly enjoyed, loved, and treasured.

Two years later, the tech giant returns with not only two, but three Selfie smartphones that the Philippine market would love. While the ZenFone 4

Selfie Pro and the ZenFone 4 Selfie each have their own advanced ASUS-grade front cameras that already capture the finest selfies and wefies, it is still quite exciting to see what ASUS’ ZenFone 4 Selfie Lite has to dish out, to further elevate the selfie game and ultimately regain the selfie and wefie throne.

WITH THE SELFIE LITE, ANYBODY CAN BE A SelfieMaster Only for the price of P7,995.00, the newest ZenFone 4 Selfie Lite is a 5.5inch HD display beauty that sports a 13MP front camera with a soft LED flash, great for taking a selfie or even a wefie while still looking fresh wherever and whenever. Its rear camera packs a mean

13MP Phase Detection Auto Focus with a n LED real-tone flash feature, which will ensure that the subject will look blur-free and incredible no matter what!

Another unique feature in this bang-for-buck smartphone is the triple slot tray. This allows anyone to share not only one, but Nano sim cards as well as a Micro SD card that allows you to store up to 2TB in one tray. It’s a stylish but practical add-on to this newest variant in the Selfie series. Imagine all the photos and videos one can store!

Of course, since all of the ZenFone 4 Selfie series is royally crowned as the SelfieMaster, the ZenFone 4 Selfie Lite must also come with the much-favored SelfieMaster! Beautification on photos, videos, and livestream has never been easier with this first ever, all-in-one beautification technology. Added bonuses to this special app are the collage and slideshow makers, which make it a doozy to share photos anytime and anywhere!

HOME CREDIT INKS P2.25B BANK LOAN, EYES P12B IN RECEIVABLES HOME Credit Philippines, a Praguebased finance technology company that offers in-store financing of smartphones and other goods, recently signed a syndicated loan with a total commitment of P2.25 billion.

The loan was arranged by Citigroup Global Markets Asia Limited (Citi) and was participated in by some of the country’s largest banks, namely, Citibank N.A., Union Bank of the Philippines, East West Bank, Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation and CTBC Bank Philippines.

According to HCPH’s chief financial officer Zdenek Jankovsky, the loan will be used to sustain its fast and aggressive expansion in the country, as the company’s customer base approaches two million borrowers, supported by a workforce of 8,000 employees and counting.

“In only four years of operation in the Philippines, we have rapidly grown our customer base while establishing our presence in all major cities and provinces in the country,” Jankovsky said. “This syndicated loan is highly strategic in sustaining our steep growth, and we are happy to be partnering with leading banks who share our vision.”

Jankovsky noted that 2017 is a landmark year for the company, as it completed its nationwide roll-out and gained close to a million new customers on the way to a projected loan receivables volume of P12 billion by year end.

“In terms of agility and speed of progress, HCPH can be compared to a startup, especially since we are only four years old. But in terms of customer base and volume being generated, we are already comparable to much older and mature companies,” Jankovsky said.

The HCPH executive noted that the company’s success may be attributed to its “financially inclusive” business model, as Home Credit provides loans even to first-time borrowers and those with no credit histories, as well as the ease and speed of loan application.

Jankovsky said that Home Credit Philippines has “one of the fastest, if not the fastest, loan processing and approval times” in the industry, with applications approved in as fast as five minutes through their proprietary system, and requiring only two valid IDs from the applicant.

These loan products come with “safe lending” features, such as the option to avail of insurance along with the loan; a 15 day “cooling-off ” period that allows customers to pay back the full loan at no added cost within this time period; customerfriendly repayment tools meant to address various financial difficulties; and Home Credit’s “Our Commitment” that promises full transparency on loan products with no hidden charges.

1GO LOADR DELIVERS LOGISTICS INNOVATION IN1GO Technologies, a 100% Filipinoowned IT Services and BPO Company offering a suite of value enterprise solutions in project and sales force management, logistics, distribution and supply chain systems, introduces 1Go Loadr, a web and mobile enabled collaborative platform—an online marketplace —where both logistic outsourcees and services providers—haulers and shippers—converge to address the numerous delivery requirements of customers.

Through a revolutionary mobile app that’s downloadable from the Google Play Store, or on the web at www.1go-load.me, haulers of varying scales—whether operating just one truck or an entire fleet—can gain access to a wide variety of goods and items available for shipment, resulting in increased productivity and convenience for both haulers and shippers.

“We realized the existence of a gap, a sweet spot, that fleet managers couldn’t fill,” said Manny Miranda, Operations Head of 1Go Tech. “Through 1Go Loadr, we are creating a marketplace among our users. Our business to consumer model allows them to open their fleets of trucks to a larger community.”

Small-scale operators, can benefit from expanded business. Larger fleet operators will enjoy reduced truck downtimes and better operational

Manny Miranda, Operations Head of 1Go Tech

efficiency as well as the ability to manage and deploy their fleets with ease.

Shippers will find it is so much easier to find a reliable hauler and the right vehicle that fit their exact shipping requirements, as the service has over 2000 enrolled trucks to take a load on-demand!

Peace of mind is assured as the exact

truck location can be tracked in real time including the updated estimated time of arrival through GPS. A photo of the driver and the truck is provided for increased security, together with full transaction details.

By downloading the 1Go Loadr app on a smart phone and enrolling, a secured login enables shippers to post their requirements and to find from an extensive directory of enrolled haulers, with complete vehicle specs, the ones capable of matching their needs. Eligible haulers will then be notified. Posted shipping requirements will be assigned on a first-come, first-serve basis. Once a hauler accepts, the shipper can then monitor the whole delivery process from pick-up to final unloading.

1Go Loadr harnesses the power of technology to revolutionize logistics, resulting for cheaper, faster, and highly efficient delivery for utmost customer satisfaction and better business backed by 1Go’s solid experience, impressive roster of world-renowned clients, and robust end-to-end technology solutions.

To experience the future of logistics collaboration, download the 1Go Loader app at the Google Play Store or visit www.1go-load.me.

QC Mayor Herbert Bautista and Vice Mayor Joy Belmonte (5th and 7th from left, respectively), with councilors Godofredo Liban, Allan Francisco and Hero Bautista, PLDT Enterprise AVP Dennis Magbatoc, Smart AVP/Head of Community Engagement and Partnerships Gabby R. Cui, PLDT Enterprise Senior Relationship Manager Jojo Alonzo IV and Councilor Elizabeth Delarmente.

SMART WIFI POWERS QUEZON CITY TO provide residents and workers with high quality data connectivity, PLDT wireless subsidiary Smart Communications, Inc. is rolling out carrier-grade Smart Wifi in more areas in Quezon City, Metro Manila’s most populous city.

Smart Wifi is now available at the Quezon City Hall, while several Quezon City restaurants have also been transformed into Smart Spots, providing high-speed Wifi to people who live and work in the city.

About a fifth of Metro Manila’s more

than 12 million residents, or about 3 million people, live in Quezon City.

“By making Smart Wifi available in more high-traffic spaces, we are making high quality connections more accessible for more Filipinos, who can now be more productive because they can access important government services, as well as update their social media while onthe-go,” said Jovy Hernandez, Senior Vice President and Head of Enterprise for PLDT and Smart.