Ms sect d 20161009 sunday

D1

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2016 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

LGUs

Local Gov’t Units

A child-friendly hashtag PATRONESS

By Edgardo S. Tugade

I

T was reported that in the shoot for the USA for Africa video of “We Are the World,” a sign was placed on the entrance to the studio, saying “check your ego at the door.” That was exactly what stars Antonette and Tom Taus did on October 1, when they completely lost their celebrity (but not their charm and cheeriness) in the room of volunteers for the Philippine chapter of #HashtagLunchbag, a non-profit movement that started in Los Angeles, USA in December 2012.

Fittingly, this writer first heard about the movement on social media. A Facebook friend posted a poster of the group’s October feeding program and not even a second passed before I asked to be allowed to cover it. Not many seconds passed before he said yes.

Salu Restaurant, owned by Romnick and Harlene Bautista and growing popular for its authentic menu from different Philippine regions, was the original sponsor of #HashtagLunchbag Philippines. A lively crowd of young volunteers was already sorting out the goodies from new sponsor ABI Pascual—Vitamilk Double Choco soymilk, Absolute mineral water, Pascual Creamy Delight Yogurt and Rebisco crackers—so Antonette patiently attended to this non-millennial writer who did not even recognize her at first.

The volunteers asked me if I wanted to experience their work firsthand and gave me a pile of paper bags on which I was to draw hearts and hashtags using red and black markers. With my hands thus

The image of Our Lady of La Naval will be displayed at the Quezon City Hall until October 12, when a Holy Mass will be said at 9 a.m.

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occupied, Ms. Taus felt safe enough to tell me about the movement. She said she and her brother have been with it since it started in the Philippines in July. Cheska Kramer and her family joined the movement and when her fan Mina Cruz, Salu’s publicist, heard about it, a tie-up with the restaurant was firmly knotted. Antonette said that it was also through Cheska that they got the support of ABI Pascual, whose Creamy Delight Yogurt, the

Kramer family endorses.

After our talk, Antonette helped pack the rice and ground pork dish in styropor boxes, which they put in the paper bags with our high-art doodles together with the ABI Pascual products.

Tom took pictures of the volunteers and helped load the loot bags on their vehicle, which will take them to 300 poor children in Cubao, Antonette said.

The beneficiaries were selected by the Musmos Org of the Ateneo de Manila

University, she added. Then Mina took me off her hands and sat me down to a Salu lunch. But first I offered to add my little widow’s mite to the jar on the registration table for donations.

Sighing, I let go of the chance to go with the convoy to Cubao.

I pieced together what Antonette and Mina told me, enhanced by information from the Facebook pages of the US and Philippine chapters of the movement, and Mina’s e-mail.

HTLB started in the Christmas season of 2012. The US chapter’s FB page narrates: “We are a group of friends who aim to inspire others to pay it forward by incorporating random acts of kindness in our daily lives. We started #HashtagLunchbag on Christmas Day 2012 with the intention to provide a hearty and balanced meal to those in need.”

HTLB PH on their FB page posted: “The goal is to help end hunger, spread Turn to D2

QC lawmaker takes Pasig River ferry

By Rio N. Araja

RECAP. Tacloban City Mayor Cristina Romualdez shares her first 100 days with police chief, Senior Supt. Rolando Bade, and Councilor Aimee Delgado-Grafil. Mel Caspe

Mayor Kring-Kring’s stellar first 100 days

By Mel Caspe ON HER first 100 days as Tacloban City’s chief executive, Mayor Cristina Gonzales Romualdez is already making waves of hope, confidence and approval for helping her constituents, especially the poor, find new life in the long, tortuous aftermath of super typhoon “Yolanda.”

Deep in her thoughts is the upliftment of the economic conditions especially of those living in squatter areas along the shores of the city. Mayor Cristina (she is popularly called Kringkring, but I like to address her this way) set up the Comprehensive Livelihood and Entrepreneurship Program with the less privileged as benefactors.

She expressed pleasure and contentment at the progress in the construction of dwellings for the thousands of families left homeless by the world’s strongest typhoon that made Tacloban its ground zero. Of the 15,000 families affected, some 2,000 families have been moved to new houses. The number of families relocated

to the northern part of the city is expected to rise in the next few weeks.

Mayor Cristina said she was extra appreciative of the concrete response of the National Housing Authority, the GMA Kapuso Foundation, a private establishment and an international group, Habitat for Humanity, who extended substantial help in the rehabilitation efforts. The pretty lady mayor specifically mentioned the NHA who provided the most assistance. By December 2016, more families will be added to the 2,000 now living in new homes.

In the meantime, Mayor Cristina offered jobs to young ladies in her saloon in the city. The Cristina Saloon offers health and beauty services, including reflexology and massage.

The city government has 900 regular employees and accommodated about 2,000 youthful professionals under job orders to augment workers at the City Hall. Some of its buildings were constructed during the term of her husband, former mayor Alfred Romualdez.

In fact, he equates his trip with “my ferry rides in Hong Kong, China and Paris, France.”

Vargas expressed a desire to bring back the long-lost glory of Pasig River “as beautifully described by the country’s greatest national hero, Jose Rizal, in his works of art and literature.

He supported the appropriation of sufficient budget and encouragement of public-private partnerships to make the river what it once was.

The PRRC stressed the need to rehabilitate the Pasig before it is too late.

“Pasig River or Ilog Pasig is the story of the Filipino people. It is the first settlement for Tagalog inhabitants in the early years. The word ‘tagalog’ was derived from “taga-ilog” or riverside

A RIVER ferry system is supposed to be one viable solution to reduce traffic in Metro Manila.

But “unfortunately,” only a few commuters appreciate this solution, Quezon City’s 5th District Rep. Alfred Vargas lamented.

What is worse, even “some government officials do not even know of its existence,” Vargas said.

Knowing how motorists are helpless in traffic, Vargas crossed the divide and viewed the problem from the side of car-less citizens.”Out of curiosity and in line with my congressional duties, I decided to try the ferry trip myself.”

As vice chairman of the House committee on appropriations that will look into the Pasig River Rehabilitation Commission’s 2017 proposed budget, the 35-year-old actor-turned-politician took the proverbial plunge just a week ago and for a fare of just P40.

“The Pasig River is not the same filthy, pungent, polluted river anymore that it has always been reputed to be, thanks to the efforts of PRRC, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority, the local government units and other environmental groups through the years,” the congressman noted.

“The water is clean. The air has a hint of freshness. There is greenery left and right. There are different species of fish and birds. The speed of the ferry was just right. The crew members were polite and professional. The view was remarkable as we passed by the Makati skyline, Arroceros Park, Malacañang Palace and the Post Office. The ride was relaxing,” he says.

“But for me, the most gratifying was… there was no traffic at all!”

The Quezon City lawmaker believed there was still a lot to be done, though “the improvements are noteworthy.” Vargas

dweller.”

The MMDA ferry has 12 stations in Metro Manila—Pinagbuhatan, Maybunga and San Joaquin in Pasig City, Guadalupe and Valenzuela in Makati City, Hulo in Mandaluyong City, and PUP-Sta. Mesa, Sta. Ana, Lambingan, Lawton, Escolta and Plaza Mexico in Manila.

Fares range from P15 to P95. The ferry system operates Monday to Saturday from 6:30 a.m to 5:30 p.m.

Amid deliberations on the several measures granting President Rodrigo Duterte emergency powers to fix the traffic trouble in the National Capital Region, Vargas called on the government to step up promotion of the ferry system.

D2

LGUs

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2016

Ensuring women’s health in Palawan

‘Harana’ by Max Adlao. Galeria de las Islas Facebook page

After the serenade T

HE traditional Filipino serenade, popularly known in this Southeast Asian archipelago as “harana,” is slowly bowing out.

This Latin mode of courteous courting, which romanticized postwar love was relegated to the sidelines by the brasses and bongos of the Yankees, which has evolved into the computerized tunes downloaded to computers and played on computers.

Singing the harana harks back to the Spanish colonial period that started in 1521.

In some provinces—like Quezon, Nueva Ecija, Tarlac and the whole Ilocos region—a man and his friends, classic Spanish guitar in hand, was a common sight by the window of a woman being courted past dusk.

The men in their late teens

or early 20s, in their evening best, hair styled with scented pomade from the nearest town store, belted out love songs when the night was young and the moon was yellow.

In some of the provinces, particularly those in rice-growing Nueva Ecija, the men would be politely invited inside for a singing dialogue with the beloved till past midnight.

But the old folks in the Ilocos would never let the men inside.

The Ilocana, as were many Filipino women in other parts of the country, prided herself on being shy and secretive and never showed her wooer where he stood.

Decades later, the culture of “ang-angaw” among the Ilocanos and “tuksuhan” or just teasing among the Tagalogs flourished.

It matched teens and young adults, people who may have mutual admiration or affection for each other and may end up in a romance or avoidance of each other if the scenario became embarrassing for both.

The presence of other men during the evening serenade, the close friends of the one courting or one who is interested in the woman next door or in some other barangay, was at that time a psychological boost.

In the Ilocos, the men would blend voices and sing the ballad “adayo pay nga ili ti naggapuanmi, ‘diay ili a Santa Fe…” Singing that he had come from a distant place, the town of Santa Fe in far Nueva Vizcaya across the imposing Caraballo

Davao women find new jobs as bakers

By F. Pearl A. Gajunera DAVAO CITY—For sexagenarian and retiree Lorna Raza, age was inconsequential to the pursuit of a new skill.

The former government employee recently had the opportunity to learn the basics of baking. The class was light, easy, and fun. Her classmates were women who, just like her, wanted to do something productive for themselves and their families.

The class was offered for free to teach underprivileged women and victims of domestic violence to be economically independent, productive and competitive.

The 60-year-old Raza, who worked as the Davao City area coordinator of the Presidential Commission for the Urban Poor (PUCP) for 28 years, was hopeful her new skill will work for her and her family.

“This is a new skill and I am just excited about the possibility of making a living out of this.”

A child-friendly...

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love and to inspire others to do the same. We CAN change the world if we do it together!?”

They posted what they did on the social media and soon it was replicated in major US cities and was emulated by generous hearts in Indonesia, Vietnam and the Philippines. Some of the celebrities who supported the US efforts were Kim Kardashian and the Atlanta Braves.

A feeding program is also scheduled in Angeles City today, October 9, sponsored by Angeles Fried Chicken in Balibago.

But what HTLB PH is excited about is

The five-day course was introduced by the local government of Davao City through the City Cooperative Development Office in partnership with the Davao City Social Services and Development Office, and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority.

Raza and 34 other women recently graduated from the course given at the Livelihood and Productivity Center, a 55-square-meter training center in SIR Matina.

Another graduate was Maria Fe Caral, a member of Samahan ng may Kapansanan sa Dabaw. A scoliotic, Fe never allowed her disability to keep her from learning a marketable skill.

Caral’s group operates a bakery in Los Amigos in Tugbok and intends to expand its operations. Although confined to her wheelchair, Caral will be one of the bakers.

The other graduates were survivors of rape and victims of violence against women. what they will do for poor children on their favorite season—Christmas! Mina said: “We’re trying to partner with some organizations so we can launch Salu’s Treat Feast. We’ll be giving our customers an option to treat families who cannot celebrate Christmas merrily, i. e. indigenous communities, poor farmers and fishermen villages. The idea is something similar to notebooks sold for P35 by National Bookstore. A customer may for a few extra bucks buy a family or community a feast this Christmas. We’ll create a compilation of video greetings from both donors and beneficiaries which we’ll upload online as well for everyone to hear and enjoy. Details are still being sorted out but we’ll reveal all the mechanics soon.”

mountains, the man told the maiden how much he has suffered for her.

Among those that evoke poignant memories is the Ta,” popular in Bugalog “ lacan and Laguna and other surrounding provinces of Metro Manila, particularly “O Ilaw (Oh, Light)” which compares the beloved to a star in the pitch-dark sky.

The song begs the woman to open her window and look out at the man, who is pining yet not whining.

But Parokya ni Edgar rocked the “Harana.” Loosely translated, it begins “Is the serenade still the trend? Perhaps it makes you meditate. Who is this looking like a fool alone, singing piteously out of tune. And he has roses in his hand. What he’s wearing are denims old in the company of friends so bold.”

Honor B. Cabie

TWENTY-SEVEN-YEAR-OLD Dr. Marvin Masalunga is in the United States for a series of training and orientation on reproductive health.

Masalunga works in the district hospital of Coron, Palawan as a deputy municipal health officer.

In his work, he meets and treats local patients day in and day out.

He is one of the recipients of the 120 Under 40 Campaign of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and the Bill and Melinda Gates Institute. This project recognizes persons who champion reproductive health. A native of Cavite, Masalunga, whose nomination was initiated and recommended by the Forum for Family Planning and Development, is the only Southeast Asian individual to receive the citation. He joins nine other awardees who will discuss ways to improve maternal and child care among locals of their respective countries.

Masalunga will discuss about the state of reproductive health in the Philippines in Baltimore, Maryland. The next sessions will take place in Washington D.C, and New York where talks on the use of contraceptives, and the future of reproductive health will be given, respectively.

When asked about how he feels with the recognition, he says “it’s a validation of what I, and our group of rural health workers in Palawan, do for the people. Aside from that, it speaks that I am probably doing something right in my service.”

The latest figures show that among all the provinces in the Mimaropa region, Palawan has one of the highest maternal mortality rate—or the number of women dying due to pregnancy and childbirth complications.

Records from the Provincial Health Office reveal that Palawan’s MMR rose to 182 in 2014 from 125 MMR per 100,000 live births in 2012.

While the municipality of Coron is one of the popular tourist spots in Northern Palawan with its pristine waters and captivating landscapes, little do most people know about the plethora of health issues that beset its locals, especially the women and the youth.

“Some areas don’t even have electricity and access to health facilities. Tara, the farthest barangay, can be reached from Coron via a three-hour boat ride.” Masalunga shared.

Teenage pregnancies, aside

from risky and complicated ones, are also health issues that need to be addressed in Coron.

According to Masalunga, “one out of 10 pregnant women in the municipality are teenagers.”

Aside from regular medical assistance, Masalunga and his team of rural health workers in Coron carry out talks on the importance of reproductive health and family planning. Just last year, they helped organized the ‘Buntis Congress’ that gathered expectant mothers together for discussions, and counseling as well as provision of free health services such as laboratory, pre-natal checkup, and ultrasound.

Masalunga also led talks among the youth, especially to members of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program of the Department of Social Welfare and Development.

Through these proactive efforts, Coron’s medical team is seeing improvements in providing maternal and child care among locals. According to Masalunga, “80 percent of our woman now give birth in the hospital, and are assisted by a health care provider and a midwife. This is a good number because we are really pushing for facility-based delivery services, and not just in the home, where the lack of medical resources puts the mother and the child’s life on the line.”

It was during one of the RH orientations that Masalunga met several members of the Forum for Family Planning and Development.

In talks about pushing for the full implementation of reproductive health, Masalunga says we are facing a huge battle in the form of religious and cultural beliefs.

Masalunga asserts that reproductive health is not just about promoting the use of contraceptives, nor does it recommend abortion. Rather, it emphasizes the need for couples to space births and plan for their family— as doing so means planning for the future of their children.

This young doctor’s work in Coron is about to end in October.

After this, he plans to take up Pathology as specialization as he further pursues his medical career.

He reveals his plan for next year, that is to come up with an adolescent forum (in partnership with different groups). This activity will aim to empower the youth to know more about their reproductive health rights, and how they can take care of themselves better. PIA

Eryx Reyes: An art for an art

I FEEL very blessed that artists in painting and photography add or accept me as a friend on Facebook and let me publish their pictures for free or write on their works. Whenever an article of mine is published I post its link on the page of the artist it is about and their other artist friends add me. My early interest in bonsai led me to join online groups and write about some of them, and then I stumbled on this network of artists who make artificial bonsai. My article on two of them came out in our Life section.

By networking with bonsai culturists, I met Zambales native Eryx

Reyes, 41. I was added by his wife Karoll whose photos I liked. Among those were pictures of Eryx’s drawings of bonsai, which were an offshoot of his love for the Japanese art of miniatured trees. I lost no time in adding him to my friends.

Like the other bonsai enthusiasts and painters, I interviewed Reyes through private messages on FB. He asked his child to write his answers to my questions on bond paper and he posted a picture of it on chat.

He described himself as simple, quiet and shy. “In elementary school, I learned wood carving, drawing and watercolor painting. But I also prac-

ticed playing the guitar, harmonics, the bugle and drums.”

He tried sports in high school— table tennis, chess, baseball and basketball. He took up architecture in college, joined a band, and went into mountaineering and rifle shooting. He said he “fell in love and became close to nature when mountain climbing.”

Love for nature often draws a person to photography, but the high cost of that art drove him to devote himself to bonsai. Up to now, he says, he is “still freshly discovering the beauty of nature” around him.

Edgardo S. Tugade

Gadgets & Games

D3

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2016 rumallari@thestandard.com.ph

Oculus:

Just like the real thing Facebook co-founder and chief executive, Mark Zuckerberg, speaks at an Oculus developers conference while wearing a virtual reality headset in San Jose, California. AFP

Wireless ATM, anyone?

3C ENTERPRISE Wireless Pty. Ltd. (3C Wireless), a global M2M financial solution expert, reaches out to the unbanked population in the Philippines by enabling traditional banks to fully integrate technology to boost financial inclusion in the country.

It is introducing 3C Secure Network, the new standard for Wireless Automated Teller Machine networks, which allows for secure and reliable M2M communications utilizing today’s high--speed wireless data networks.

According to a World Bank study in 2014, about 69% of Filipinos did not have bank accounts of their own or maintained one with someone else. The figure is quite alarming because the global average then is only 38%.

Access to financial products and services is vital, especially for the marginalized sectors of society, because it is a catalyst for economic development and fosters inclusive growth.

Huddlestone

Dr. Ted Marr

“The geography of the Philippines makes it difficult to provide easy access to financial products and services. But by being able to connect ATMs wirelessly in a secure, fast and reliable manner, we are able to reach many Filipinos spread across the 7,107 islands,” said Dr. Ted Marr Ph.D, Executive Vice President of 3C Wireless.

The 3C Secure Network can be

used to replace traditional and expensive leased line links or can be used as a backup to these links to increase availability. The solution is very reliable as it is dual carrier capable meaning that even if the primary telecommunications provider has a failure there is an inbuilt redundant link that will automatically come online.

The 3C Secure Network uses

industry standard encryption technology to secure data. This secure traffic is only encrypted and decrypted in the respective banks’ own trusted network so there is no possibility of non--encrypted traffic being captured over the air. And to top it off, the solution is very fast because it utilizes the latest high-speed cellular services and fibre optic technology.

“Our solution is readily available and can be deployed in minutes.

It also comes with an Easy—to— Use Management System giving banks total control of their communications system,” said Robert Huddlestone, Chief Technology Officer, 3C Wireless.

3C Wireless was the technology partner in the recent 2016 NCR Consumer Experience Banking Forum. NCR is the world’s number one provider of ATM’s with over 810,000 installed globally.

For more information on 3C Wireless, you may log on to www.3centerenterprisegroup.com.

Pixel phones and smart machines SAN FRANCISCO—US internet giant Google on Tuesday challenged heavyweight rivals including Apple and Amazon with an array of new gadgets aimed at digital lifestyles.

Coming products to watch for:

Smartphone ‘Made

by Google’

Pixel is the first smartphone designed by Google, with the Silicon Valley powerhouse dictating the hardware, software and services the way Apple does with its iPhones.

The Google-branded smartphone takes aim at flagship models by Apple, Samsung and others in the fiercely competitive market. Pixel, which comes in five and 5.5-inch (12.7 and 14-centimeter) screen sizes, boasts a fingerprint reader, a camera billed as the best in any smartphone, unlimited online storage for photos and videos, and quick charging combined with long battery life.

Pixel is powered by the latest version of the Android mobile operating system, Nougat, and Google promised to keep the software automatically updated.

Pixel also features Virtual Assistant artificial intelligence to enable users to manage tasks and get information in natural conversation format. Pixel’s starting price of $649 in the United States is the same as that of Apple’s newest iPhone.

cyber concierge for getting information and managing tasks about the house or flat. Home listens for commands or queries even while playing music, and can control other smart devices in range. Google Home will be available in shops in November, but could be pre-ordered beginning

knowledge amassed by the world’s leading online search engine.

Google outlined plans to infuse a growing array of devices and services with Assistant smarts, letting people get answers or manage matters in conversational styles, as though speaking with a human

form can be slipped into play in View headgear to act as screens for virtual reality experiences.

View is made of cloth, a step up from the actual cardboard from which its predecessor at Google was playfully constructed. Purportedly inspired by casual clothing, View material makes it lighter and potentially more comfortable than devices already on the market.

Streaming 4K video

Chromecast Ultra is an improved version of medallion-sized Chromecast devices that plug into TV monitors for viewing online streaming videos. Google said it has sold more than 30 million Chromecast devices since they debuted three years ago. The new generation Chromecast promised more reliable viewing and image quality ramped all the way up to ultra-high definition 4K video. Chromecast Members of the media examine Google’s Pixel phone during an event to Ultra was priced at $69 and will be introduce Google hardware products on October 4, 2016 in San Francisco, available in November in the UnitCalifornia. AFP ed States and 15 other countries.

Tuesday.The device’s price in the aide. Google laid out a vision of United States is $129. That’s $50 less becoming a leading player in artifiWifi all over than Amazon Echo, a rival that has cial intelligence, with Assistant beGoogle Wifi promises to make been popular with consumers since ing infused into many devices and sure people can connect to the interit was launched by the online titan. services allowing opportunities to net from anywhere in a home. Diskhave them work together. sized Wifi modules can be placed Spreading machine smarts in various spots in homes, acting as Google Assistant is an improved Cardboard grows up an internet-linked mesh of sorts so version of virtual helper software Daydream View virtual real- getting online is uniformly easy. Wifi the internet company previously ity headgear came as an answer to software lets people easily manage called Google Now. Facebook-owned Oculus, and a di- congestion on home networks, or Cyber concierge It competes with Apple’s Siri, Am- rect challenge to Samsung Gear VR. even selectively cut off children’s Google Home is a flower vaseSmartphones compatible with gadgets from the internet when they sized speaker infused with machine azon’s Alexa, and Microsoft’s Corsmarts and voice controls to act as a tana, tapping into the vast trove of Google’s Daydream software plat- should be at a meal or in bed. AFP

S

AN JOSE—Facebook worked to ramp up enthusiasm for its virtual reality line, unveiling new gear including a lower-end wireless headset prototype.

The company’s Oculus virtual reality division is set to release in coming months a new “Touch” controller and a more affordable computer for powering virtual experiences using Rift headsets.

“We are here to make virtual reality the next major computing platform,” Facebook cofounder and chief Mark Zuckerberg said at the third annual Oculus Connect developers conference in San Jose, California.

Oculus has been dealing with a series of setbacks in the rollout of its VR headgear, including shipping mishaps and a higher-than-anticipated price.

To boost excitement for the headsets Zuckerberg donned one while on stage, virtually traveling with a pair of colleagues to the bottom of a sea and the surface of Mars, pausing in the middle to take a Messenger video call from his wife Priscilla.

The CEO snapped a “selfie” with his wife in the virtual world and posted it in real time to his page at the social network.

Zuckerberg said that Oculus VR—which Facebook snapped up in 2014 for $2 billion—has a prototype of a wireless version of Rift that would not need to be plugged into a computer, though he said it was far from consumer-ready.

‘Bullish on stand-alone’

The mobile VR market currently offers headsets that act as frames into which smartphones can be mounted to serve as screens, available for less than $100.

Rift headgear meanwhile sells for $599, a price that does not include the cost of a computer that can handle the processing and graphics demands of the technology.

Oculus CEO Brendan Iribe did demonstrate an AMDpowered desktop from Cyberpower that can run Rift for $499, half the price of the other high-powered computers needed to handle virtual reality.

But according to Max Cohen, Oculus’s head of mobile, wireless is the future. He told AFP that the company sees developing a lower-end wireless headset as integral to expanding virtual reality’s availability.

“In the long run, we are bullish on stand-alone,” Cohen said.

“There are limitations to mobile, and there will be some people who don’t want to buy a PC for virtual reality, no matter how cheap.”

Other companies have also announced the development of more affordable headsets that are compatible with smartphones, including Daydream View from Alphabet Inc’s Google division.

- Not feeling Luckey -

Oculus announced the long-anticipated Oculus Touch controllers—which will give users “hands” to use in virtual worlds—will ship worldwide on December 6, going for $199.

The VR company also said it will invest millions of dollars to fund education content, promote diversity in its developer community, and broaden virtual reality content far beyond games.

Zuckerberg said Facebook would invest $250 million in developing content for Oculus VR gear, on top of the $250 million the company has already spent.

Noticeably absent from the OC3 keynote was Oculus cofounder Palmer Luckey, who has played a starring role at company events in the past.

Luckey came under fire after he said he donated $10,000 to a political group backing Republican candidate Donald Trump. The organization had claimed responsibility for creating negative social media posts about Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton.

After word spread, some high-profile video game studios went on record saying that they would not create content for Oculus over the rift.

D4

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2016 Riera U. Mallari, Editor

rumallari@thestandard.com.ph

Gadgets &Games

REMOTECONTROLLED CAIBA.

Developer Katsumori Sakakibara wears a headmounted display to demonstrate a prototype remote-controlled robot called ‘Caiba’, during a preview of the Combined Exhibition of Advanced Technologies Japan in Chiba, Tokyo. Waist-high Caiba—whose name means hippocampus, a key area of the brain, in Japanese—is controlled by a human wearing a virtual reality handset and mechanical arms. AFP

COBOTS, humans

work side by side

T

HE World Robotics Report 2016, recently released by the International Federation of Robotics forecasts that compact, user-friendly collaborative robots will become a key driver in the automation market.

The report predicts the worldwide annual sales of industrial robots to increase by at least 13 percent on average per year from 2017 to 2019.

Human-robot collaboration will have a “breakthrough” in this period, enabling robots and humans to work safely sideby-side without any fences, while increasing production efficiency and quality.

“As the market leader of the cobot industry, Universal Robots welcomes the report which confirms the validity of our mission: lowering barriers and enabling automation in areas previously considered too complex or costly,” said Chief Commercial Officer of Universal Robots, Daniel Friis.

“Our installed base of more than 10,000 cobots worldwide illustrates the dramatic growth potential of this game-changing automation technology. We enable small and medium-sized enterprises to optimise their competitiveness on the global stage with an industry leading payback period.”

Industries predicted by IFR to adopt cobots at an increasing rate include automotive, the plastics industry, electronics assembly and the machine tool industry.

These are all key sectors in Southeast Asia, and where Universal Robots is see-

ing strong traction.

“UR robots are now increasingly deployed on the auto assembly line, working handin-hand with employees, by relieving them of ergonomically unfavorable tasks.

We have recent case studies documenting how cobots quadrupled injection moulding production, and how our new UR3 table-top robot is now a sought-after automation tool for light assembly, such as circuit board handling,” said Friis.

In Asia, strong, continued robot growth is forecasted by IFR,

with the recent report suggesting a rise of 18 percent in robot supplies this year, while installations are expected to rise by 15 percent. China is predicted to remain the main driver of robot growth, expanding its dominance with almost 40 percent of the global robot supply being installed in China by 2019.

“Asia is a strong focus area for Universal Robots. We opened a Shanghai subsidiary in 2013 and are constantly expanding our distributor network in the regions where customers are increasingly using our cobots to optimise product quality and automate repetitive tasks that many manufacturers have difficulty staffing with manual labour,” said Friis.

According to Friis, the demand for consumer goods across global markets is pushUR5

Filipino smokers want E-cigarettes IN A first-of-its-kind survey of adult smokers in Philippines, regional consumer advocacy group factasia.org has found that most smokers (70 percent) see e-cigarettes as a “positive alternative” to tobacco products.

The same number—70 percent—would consider switching to e-cigarettes “if they were legal, met quality and safety standards, and were conveniently available”.

The survey was conducted

by Ipsos to gauge consumers’ views on safer alternatives to conventional cigarettes, such as e-cigarettes that contain nicotine—products that do not burn tobacco and therefore do not produce the potentially dangerous particulates, tar and smoke found with cigarettes.

Eminent international public health and tobacco control experts encourage use of ecigarettes as a far less harmful alternative for smokers who either find it difficult to quit or who enjoy their nicotine.

Few smokers in the Philip-

pines have tried them—just 15 percent of the survey of three major population centres. But they are almost unanimous in believing they should have a right to access information about less harmful products (86 percent agree), while more than three-quarters agree that: “Through tax and regula-

E-cigarettes are described as more than 95 percent safer than smoking.

tory policies, the government should encourage adult smokers to switch to less harmful alternatives to cigarettes and ensure they are not used by youth.”

Smokers surveyed also said it would be wrong for the authorities to “prevent or delay the introduction of less harmful alternatives to cigarettes.” factasia carried out the survey “in order to gain a better understanding of Asian consumers’ demand for less harmful alternatives to tobacco,” said Heneage Mitchell, co-founder of factasia.org.

E-cigarettes are described as “more than 95 percent safer than smoking” and “no more harmful than coffee” by top global public health experts. In the UK, for example, they are “encouraged” by Public Health England, which recently reported e-cigarettes have become the most popular aid to quitting at the same time as successful attempts to quit have reached an all-time high. factasia.org recommends full retail availability of appropriately regulated (for product quality and safety) e-cigarettes, with age-of-sale restrictions to keep them away from youth,

although evidence from countries where e-cigarettes are widely used shows the youth take-up is no higher than youth smoking incidence.

“There is a clear need for action in Philippines to regularize the industry and to establish quality standards, tax the products rationally and ensure they are made available only to adults, like many other consumer items,” said Mr Mitchell.

“The government here has a great opportunity to ensure there is no repeat of the situation that has arisen with conventional tobacco products, where 10 to 15% of total consumption is illicit—smuggled or counterfeit product.”

Vaping should be restricted to adults, said Mr Mitchell. “But e-cigarettes are here to stay and consumers deserve the protection of regulation and standards that they expect in other product sectors. Our survey shows they are calling for positive government action.”

ing manufacturers to produce innovative, high-quality products more quickly, consistently, and sustainably around the world.

“To support the growing demand for flexible cobot solutions, Universal Robots recently launched Universal Robots+, an online showroom for end-effectors, software, peripherals and accessories from the UR ecosystem of 3rd-party developers that are optimised to work flawlessly with UR robots. This allows UR’s integrators, distributors and customers to hit the ground running when completing their next UR robot installation,” said Friis.

Complementing Universal Robots+, is the new UR Academy, which includes free e-learning modules available to all that make up the basic programming training for UR robots. This includes adding end-effectors, connecting I/Os for communication with external devices and setting up safety zones. Universal Robots expects the initiative to help support Industry 4.0.

“It’s unprecedented in the industry to provide hands-on interactive teaching modules available for free with no licensing required. The Academy offers an instrumental tool in helping us educate the market on how our technology can address key business challenges. As Southeast Asia gears up to be the world’s manufacturing hub, educating future operators and programmers now to bridge this gap becomes even more important,” said Friis.

Robot Olympics coming to Japan TOKYO—The robot olympics are coming to Japan in 2020, the same year that the eyes of the world will be on the summer games in Tokyo.

As top human athletes battle for medals, their cutting-edge droid counterparts will also be locked in fierce competition at the “World Robot Summit”.

Japan’s trade ministry is hosting the event which will feature “competitions and exhibits” involving a variety of machines including humanoid and industrial robots, a government official said Wednesday.

The exact date and location of the event has yet to be determined, with the ministry now inviting bids from cities across Japan, which is famed for its robot technology.

In recent years, the country has sent a talking robot into space as a conversation partner for Japanese astronaut Koichi Wakata, as part of a project to see how the machine could act as a companion for isolated people.

Japan has also used robots to fill jobs as kitchen workers and farmers in a bid to address labour shortages that are projected to get worse as the country rapidly ages.

The government said it hopes to draw high-tech robots from around the globe for the 2020 summit.

Tokyo will host the 2020 Summer Olympics starting in late July that year, followed by the Paralympics.

Asia’s biggest tech fair— the Cutting-Edge IT & Electronics Comprehensive Exhibition (CEATEC)—kicked off near Tokyo this week with a dizzying array of robots on display. AFP