Manila Standard - 2018 April 8 - Sunday

VOL. XXXII • NO. 52 • 3 SECTIONS 16 PAGES • P18 • SUNDAY, APRIL 8, 2018 • www.manilastandard.net • editorial@manilastandard.net

DAENEE BARTOLOME

CANADA TURNS DOWN VISA FOR TATTOO ARTIST

By Robbie Pangilinan THE Canadian Embassy has denied the application for a visa of a Filipina tattoo artist set to represent the country in the Vancouver Tattoo and Culture Show on April 20-22.

All hopes of Daenee Bartolome vanished when, after 15 days, she got her passport and found out her application was denied.

Top government officials were also saddened by the news—Department of Foreign Affairs Director and former deputy Consul General for Canada Atty. Anthony Mandap, Director of Canada Division Office of American Affairs Jaime Ramon T. Ascalon, and Department of Tourism Secretary Wanda Turn to A2

SPEEDCUBERS METHOD. More than 100 speedcubers nationwide gather at SM San Mateo on Saturday for the Metro Speedcubing Open organized by the Philippine Cubers Association. The event is a two-day competition of mental strength where cube enthusiasts solve their way through different categories and try to break records in completing 3D combination puzzles the fastest time possible. Manny Palmero

DU30 AVERTS RICE SHORTAGE—NFA

By Vito Barcelo

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HE National Food Authority will now proceed with the importation of 250,000 metric tons of rice to augment the depleting supply of cheap rice in the market, following the verbal order of President Rodrigo Duterte to NFA Administrator Jason Aquino.

The President ordered the NFA chief to ignore the NFA Council, an 18-member body that consists of representatives from financial institutions and other related agencies, and to push through with the rice importation.

“I told him (Aquino), to ignore the council, go ahead and make the importations,’” the President said in a speech during a dinner

concert in Pasay City.

During the event in Pasay, the President warned not to “put people on a very unsettling environment” because of the reported rice shortage.

The President earlier met with rice traders in Malacañang where he asked them to sell cheap rice to the public and assured them of his support to improve their rice produc-

tion to solve rice shortage, if any.

NFA rice is at P27 to P32 a kilo, while commercial rice costs P36 to P65 a kilo.

Reports on the rice shortage spread last March when the NFA said it would temporarily stop issuing NFA rice to accredited retailers due to low supply.

However, conflicting government reports on the status of rice supply in Metro Manila have alarmed the public, prompting the President to step in and ordered both the NFA and its council to stop issuing statements.

Aquino said the NFA was set to import 250,000 metric tons of rice under the government-to-government (G2G) scheme.

There has been a confusion on the fate of the NFA and the NFA Council after two Cabinet officials gave conflicting statements Friday

on whether these would be abolished or not.

In a radio interview early Friday, Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol said President Duterte disclosed his decision to abolish the NFA Council during a dialog with rice traders at Malacañang Thursday night.

“He announced that he has abolished the NFA Council and that he would transfer NFA and other agriculture-related agencies and return these to the Department of Agriculture,” Piñol said.

But Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque clarified that the NFA and the NFA Council would not be abolished, nor would these be returned to the DA. “The 18-member NFA Council would not be abolished contrary to earlier reports. The President Turn to A2

POLICE ROOKIES DEPLOYED FOR 'BORA' REHAB ILOILO CITY—The Police Regional Office 6 (Western Visayas) deployed on Saturday 139 rookie policemen to Boracay in Malay, Aklan in preparation for the closure and six-month rehabilitation of the island starting April 26.

PRO-6 spokesperson Chief Insp.

Joem Malong, said the augmentation force had been tasked to provide security and maintain peace and order in the island while rehabilitation works were under way.

Malong said these policemen, with the rank of Police Officer 1, had just completed their training on Civil Disturbance Management.

She noted the peace and order situation in Boracay was still manageable.

“There has been no riot or rally in the area. But the Police Regional Office 6 would like to inform you that we are prepared for whatever happens during the closure or rehabilitation of Boracay,” she added.

Meanwhile, a local labor group said in a statement it wanted an Turn to A2

DEATH MARCH SURVIVORS TELL TALES OF VALOR

By Ben Cal

US-CHINA TRADE WAR FEARS TRIGGER STOCK MARKET DIVE NEW YORK—US stocks plunged more than two percent Friday (Saturday in Manila) after President Donald Trump warned of tariffs on an additional $100 billion of Chinese imports, provoking a strong response from Beijing and fanning fears of a full-blown trade war.

Investors were unnerved by the latest broadside from the volatile US president and by China’s strident response, which vowed Beijing would stand firm “until the end at any cost.”

“The market is getting more concerned about the possibility of a trade war between the US and China,” said Tom Cahill, portfolio strategist at Ventura Wealth Management.

“The market does not like uncertainty and right now we have a lot of it.”

The Dow finished down 2.3 percent at 23,932.76, with all 30 members ending in the red. The S&P 500 and techrich Nasdaq indices also lost more than two percent.

The barbs over trade overshadowed a lackluster jobs report, which placed US jobs growth at 103,000 in March, well below analyst expectations. Unemployment held steady at 4.1 percent.

European equity markets also retreated, but not as severely, with Paris, Frankfurt and London falling half a percentage point or less.

Asian stocks mostly receded on Friday. Tokyo finished in the red, losing 0.4 percent. There were also losses for Seoul and Sydney, while Shanghai was Turn to A2 shut.

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TALES OF BRAVERY. War veterans Col. Catalino del Rosario Ibañez and Col. Vicente Alhambra Sr. recount their tales of valor during World War II. PVAO photo

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OF THE estimated 80,000 Filipino and American prisoners of war, who took part in the infamous Bataan Death March 76 years ago, only three are still alive with their age past the century mark.

Records at the Philippine Veterans Affairs Office named the centenarian war veterans as Pfc. Juliano de la Peña, 107, Col. Catalino del Rosario Ibañez, and Col. Vicente F. Alhambra Sr., 102.

Despite his age, De La Peña personally visited the PVAO on Thursday to receive a commendation for his honorable and great service to the country during the World War II and as survivor of the Bataan Death March.

Senator Panfilo Lacson, who was guest speaker during the ceremony in Camp Aguinaldo, handed the plaque to De La Peña, and to 64 other war veterans who received the same commendation.

Lacson was assisted by PVAO administrator Lt. Gen. Ernesto G. Turn to A2 Carolina (ret.).

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AFP, PNP HEADS CHOSEN FOR INTEGRITY SPECIAL Assistant to the President Christopher “Bong” Go on Saturday said newly-named Philippine National Police chief Oscar Albayalde and Armed Forces of the Philippines chief General Carlito Galvez were picked for their loyalty and integrity.

Go, who congratulated the two officials following President Rodrigo Duterte’s announcement, also expressed confidence that both will be able to effectively handle their respective commands.

“With the years of experience they possess, I am confident that both General Carlito Galvez and Director Oscar Albayalde will be able to lead our Armed Forces and National Police,” said the Palace official.

Duterte earlier announced that Albayalde is the next PNP chief, replacing Director General Ronald dela Rosa. The president also designated Galvez as the new head of the 130,000-strong military, replacing Gen. Rey Leonardo Guerrero.

According to Go, the President himself thoroughly vetted the two before making his final decision. He said both possess the qualities of a good leader, besting others who were eyeing the positions.

“They are both loyal and are men of honor and integrity. And more importantly, the President trusts them,” stressed Go. “I congratulate them and wish them all the best on their new assignments,” he stressed.

Albayalde, who is set to retire on Nov. 8, 2019, promised to continue with their internal cleansing program to instill discipline among police ranks.

According to Albayalde, he was elated and overwhelmed by the trust and confidence Duterte has given him.

“I will continue and fully support the advocacy of the administration of our President,” he said.

Meanwhile, Galvez was the commander of the AFP Western Mindanao Command (Westmincom) who topped the list of three key contenders who were recommended by the AFP Board of Generals.

PCC: GRAB-UBER DEAL ON HOLD

By Othel V. Campos

THE Philippine Competition Commission has ordered ride-hailing service provider Uber to continue operating its applications for the entire duration of its motu proprio review.

The directive also puts Grab’s move to acquire its competitor to a halt while the antitrust commission is reviewing the deal.

Grab Holdings Inc. and MyTaxi.PH Inc. have announced earlier to buy the assets of Uber B.V. and Uber Systems Inc. in Southeast Asia and has started to carry out the terms of its sale, including the migration of Uber drivers to its platform and the shutdown of the Uber app by April 9 in the Philippines.

In a bid to protect competition in a looming monopoly, the PCC issued a set of Interim Measures to ensure the welfare of the riding public and the drivers while the in-depth merger review of the Grab-Uber deal is ongoing.

Commission chairman Arsenio M. Balisacan said Uber is capable of operating its ride-hailing app in the country, despite claims that it has already exited the Southeast Asia market.

“Uber is highlighting its exit, but what it does not emphasize enough is its integration with Grab. Thus, Uber is not truly exiting the Philippine market, but rather effectively merging their operations with Grab here. The deal makes Uber a part-owner of Grab,” he said.

“This move by Uber in the Philippine market leads to further substantial concentration of what is, to begin with, an already highly concentrated ride-sharing market. This virtual monopolization of the market by Grab can harm the riding public,” stressed Balisacan.

The Commission conducted a public hearing with the representatives of the parties on Thursday regarding the imposition of interim measures.

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Alhambra and Ibañez received their plaques last year.

In the case of Alhambra, he held the distinction as a veteran of three wars— World War II, Korean War and the Hukbalahap anti-insurgency campaign in Luzon.

In an interview with Alhambra at his Cavite residence, the centenarian war veteran disclosed his secret to longevity and how he survived unscathed against the odds, including the infamous “Bata-

INCOMING PNP CHIEF VOWS PURGE TO FORGE AHEAD

By Joel Zurbano

I

NCOMING Philippine National Police Director General Oscar Albayalde on Saturday vowed to continue on the national level all the programs, including the crackdown on illegal drugs and erring police personnel, that he started during his stint as National Capital Region Police Office chief. by choosing me to be the next PNP chief. I will do my best to fill the big shoes that will be left by Dir. Ronald dela Rosa,” said Albayalde.

“Under my watch the PNP will work side by side with you (Duterte) to help fulfill your promise of genuine change for the Filipino people, and of a more disciplined and better police force.”

Albayalde’s appointment was welcomed by Interior department’s officer in charge Eduardo Año, a retired military general, who described top cop as the man who best can handle

“Rest assured that I will continue what I started at the NCRPO. We will make sure every policeman is ready to respond to the needs of the community at all times,” said Albayalde.

He thanked President Rodrigo Duterte for the trust and confidence given to him when the Chief Executive recently named Albayalde to replace his mistah, Ronald dela Rosa, whose extended term would be expiring this month.

“I am truly humbled by your trust and faith in me. I will not betray the trust and confidence you gave me

the job.

Año said one of the defining moments of Albayalde’s career was his handling of an international gathering of leaders and delegates (Asean Summit) in which he deployed 20,000 cops to provide security and ensure the success of the Manila summit.

A native of San Fernando City, Albayalde is a member of the Philippine Military Academy ‘Sinagtala’ Class ’86 and former executive officer of the Philippine National Police-Directorate for Plans and former police provincial commander in Pampanga.

In July 2016, Albayalde took over the post as NCRPO police director, replacing Joel Pagdilao, and promised to strengthen police presence in the communities and intensify campaign against criminality and illegal drugs.

Albayalde received the Special Unit Awards on the Accounting of Illegal Drugs Personnel during the

116th Police Service Anniversary at Camp Crame, Quezon City last Aug. 9.

The award was given in recognition to the relentless efforts of the Team NCRPO in accordance to the marching order of President Duterte to wage war against illegal drugs and criminality.

A total of 228,395 suspected drug personalities surrendered to the NCRPO last year also in line with the government’s campaign dubbed “Oplan Tokhang.”

Tokhang (toktok-hangyo or knock and plead) mandates police station commanders to ask the barangay captains to submit a list of residents known to be into illegal drugs, including pushers, dealers, users and couriers.

The NCRPO reported that under Albayade’s watch, crime incidents in Metro Manila such as robbery, car and motor thefts, rape and physical injury went down in 2016 and 2017.

With Francisco Tuyay

PORT OPERATOR, BROKERS FACE SMUGGLING RAPS THE Bureau of Customs has filed smuggling charges against port operator Asian Terminals Inc., several importers and brokers for the illegal release of 105 container vans valued at P69 million before the Department of Justice.

Customs Commissioner Isidro Lapeña said port operator of South Harbor connived for the illegal release of 105 containers despite the standing alert order.

The bureau’s Action Team Against Smugglers (Batas) filed the case against ATI’s assistant vice president for South

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From A1 expressed his intent to place the National Food Authority under the Office of the President,” Roque said.

The President, Roque said, also appeared poised to clip the powers of Aquino by stripping him of the power to approve rice importation.

“The President is considering the approval of rice importation to be cen-

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assurance from the government that workers who will be displaced by the six-month closure will be given opportunities to earn a living.

The statement was issued after President Rodrigo Duterte approved the recommendation of an inter-agency task force to close Western Visayas’ top tourist destination starting April 26.

Wennie Sancho, secretary-general of General Alliance of Workers As-

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From A1 Teo—who all endorsed Bartolome as the first Filipina tattoo artist to join the event attended by tattoo enthusiasts from round the world.

The letter of denial stated she had no travel history, sufficient funds and personal assets.

Bartolome’s mother revealed that her daughter had P300,000 in her bank account, a property with her FilipinoCanadian fiancé and a house in Sta. Rosa, Laguna where she resides with an Death March” because, according to him, “God was on his side” throughout the ordeal.

“Remain active but most of all be prayerful,” Alhambra said.

It was in Bataan and Corregidor where Filipino and American soldiers made their last stand against the Japanese during the war, which lasted more than three months before they surrendered on April 9 and May 6, 1942, respectively.

Alhambra kept his photo albums of World War II, the Korean War in 1950-53, and the anti-insurgency drive against the Huks.

Harbor Operations Steve Realuyo and shift manager Darwin Dalmacio.

The same charges were filed against the owners, officials and customs brokers of Premiere Oak Lumber & Wood Products Corp., Spectrum Highlands Marketing Corp., Megaabundancesteel Indent Trading Corp., Abundancegain Indent Trading Corp., Paragon Platinum International Trading Corp. and Imperialfoods and Agricultural Prod.

“The cases were filed in compliance with the directive of Lapeña to go after those involved in the

incident by filing the appropriate charges against them,” Batas director for legal service and executive head Balmyrson Valdez said.

“As part of the protocol of the BoC, all alerted shipment must be subjected to 100 percent examination before its release,” Lapeña said.

“In the case of the 105 containers, the examinations were not conducted as the officers of the six corporations, with the assistance of their customs brokers and ATI all connived to secure the release of the containers from the ATI premises

without the necessary examination,” the customs chief said.

The 105 containers were released

by ATI without the required lifting order authorized by the Customs commissioner, Batas said.

“The illegal withdrawal of the subject containers is a blatant violation of Sections 1401 (Unlawful Importation or Exportation) and Section 1424 (Removing Goods from Customs Custody) of the Republic Act No. 10863, otherwise known as Customs Modernization and Tariff Act of 2016,” he said. Vito Barcelo

tralized under the Office of DA Undersecretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat, subject to the review of the Office of the Executive Secretary,” the Palace spokesman added.

By placing the NFA under the Office of the President, Duterte will now have a more direct hand on issues concerning the agency.

NFA Council chairman Laeoncio Evasco earlier slammed the NFA for creating an artificial rice shortage with its statement on supposed zero buffer

stock.

As this developed, Roque said rice traders pledged to give at least 700,000 sacks of rice to replenish the NFA stocks sold at P38 per kilo.

“This will allow retailers to sell rice to the public at P39 per kilo,” Roque said.

The lowest price for rice at wet markets these days is around P44 per kilo.

The special pricing will be given to retailers by rice traders starting next week until the supply of low-priced NFA rice comes in, he added.

sociation (Gawa), said they wanted an assurance from the Department of Labor and Employment and other agencies for the implementation of corresponding interventions, mainly livelihood.

Sancho reiterated that this “unfortunate” event would affect at least 17,000 registered workers in Boracay on top of thousands in the informal sector.

“The government should have concrete measures before the scheduled closure on April 26,” he said, adding that “it involves the economic welfare of the workers and their family.”

Gawa, along with other labor groups and unions in Region 6, earlier issued a resolution appealing to the President to hold in abeyance the planned closure of the island.

Sancho said they submitted the resolution, also signed by Philippine Agriculture Commercial and Industrial Workers Union (Paciwu) national president Hernane Braza, on March 6 but they did not receive a response.

PRO-6 might send more forces to the island depending on the situation in the area, “just in case the situation there escalates,” Malong said. PNA

her family.

“My daughter earns as a tattoo artist. Her income comes from her craft.

She pays the correct taxes, too,” said the mother in Filipino.

A formal email invitation from Kara Johns, business manager of Vancouver Tattoo Convention, arrived two days after Bartolome filed for a visa.

The letter was also sent to the embassy via email and fax.

The embassy replied to Johns, also through email, saying all supporting information/documents should be included with the application.

Bartolome will apply again on Tues-

day, seeking assistance from the Canadian ambassador to the Philippines John Holmes and this time with the formal invitation from the convention.

“The invitation should have been submitted with the application. The Embassy usually asks for documents like these,” said Consul Anthony Mandap.

Founder of Philippine Tattoo Artists Guild Ricky Sta. Ana also expressed dismay over the denial.

He also submitted his application on Wednesday and was hopeful he would receive his visa together with Bartolome’s.

Hong Kong, however, outperformed regional peers with a sizeable 1.1-percent gain, with the market playing catch-up after Thursday’s closure.

Bargaining tactic?

The more muted response overseas likely reflects skepticism that the harsh trade rhetoric between the US and China will be followed up with concrete action.

Some investors have taken solace from signals that the Trump administration may be taking a harsh line as a bargaining tactic towards deal making with China.

But those hints were absent Friday.

Top White House economic advisor Larry Kudlow, who had repeatedly suggested that US tariffs might not go into effect, reversed himself, and warned Friday that the tariff threat is not a negotiating tactic.

Kudlow said that tariffs were still not a certainty and there were some “back channel” talks going on but “any foreign policy can go wrong.”

US stocks deepened further in the afternoon following an interview with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and a speech by Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell.

Briefing.com analyst Patrick O’Hare said investors were disappointed by the lack of reassurances from Trump administration officials, including Mnuchin, who told CNBC that the administration hoped to negotiate but acknowledged that a trade war was a possibility.

The Mnuchin interview was a “reminder that things are moving in a contentious direction because there are no negotiations and no one is really backing down on either side on the implementation of tariffs,” O’Hare said. AFP

staff Gen. Mariano Castañeda for immediate deployment to fight the invading Japanese forces.

“We were the first PMA class called to active duty,” Alhambra recalled.

He said Japanese warplanes bombed Baguio and Cavite where US naval forces were stationed at Sangley Point.

Alhambra said he was enlisted into the 2nd Regular Division of the United States Armed Forces in the Far East assigned in Mariveles, Bataan.

It was in Bataan that the bulk of Filipino and American forces stood their ground to defend the Philippines until they were forced to surrender on April

9, 1942 due to shortage of ammunition, food and medicines.

Alhambra described the fall of Bataan as a “sad day” as he and his comradesin-arms became prisoners of war of the Japanese forces.

He said he was lucky that he did not get sick during the Death March from Mariveles, Bataan to San Fernando, Pampanga and during his incarceration in Capas, Tarlac, which lasted for several months before he and other POWs were freed.

“As many as 500 POWs died every day due to malaria in the concentration camp,” he said. “It was horrible!” PNA

He prays to God for protection, which he admitted was his secret weapon, especially during two wars and the fight against the Huks.

A graduate of the Philippine Military Academy Class of 1942, Alhambra and his classmates were automatically drafted into military service three months before graduation when World War II broke out following the bombing of the Philippines by Japanese planes on Dec. 8, 1941.

He said the entire PMA class of 1942, including Jose Crisol, who became defense undersecretary in post-war years, reported to then Armed Forces chief of

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FACEBOOK FACES PROBE OVER ‘DATA BREACH’

PAYING HOMAGE. Visitors pay homage at the tomb markers of fallen soldiers at the Libingan ng mga Bayani in Taguig City on the eve of ‘Araw ng Kagitingan’ celebration. Ey Acasio

COP CAUGHT GAMBLING IN CASINO FACES RAPS

By Joel E. Zurbano THE Southern Police District is now coordinating with the Philippine National Police headquarters in Camp Crame in connection with the administrative case to be filed against Supt.

Adrian Antonio who was caught playing inside a casino in Parañaque City.

SPD Director Tomas Apolinario said Antonio has been slapped with violation of Article 231 (Open Disobedience) of the Revised Penal Code before the Parañaque City Prosecutors Office Thursday afternoon.

The 35-year-old Antonio, who was assigned as administrative officer of the PNP’s Directorate for Operations, is now under the custody of the Parañaque City Police Station.

“We will forward the complaint sheet to his [Antonio] unit in Crame and they will be the one to conduct (the investigation for) the administrative case,” said Apolinario.

If found guilty, Antonio will be dismissed from the service.

Elements of the Parañaque City Police arrested Antonio while gambling at the Pit Arena 16 of City of Dreams Resort and Casino around 10:55 a.m. on Tuesday.

Apolinario said Antonio was monitored though the closedcircuit television camera inside the Pit Arena of the said establishment and caught in the act of playing baccarat. He added that Antonio also had an altercation with another player in the Casino that revealed his true identity.”

Presidential Memorandum Circular 06-2016 prohibits all government officials and employees, including policemen from entering and playing in casinos.

PDP-LABAN SWORE IN MORE MEMBERS IN TAGUM CITY

By Maricel V. Cruz

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DP-LABAN drew more members in Davao del Norte as at least 30,000 were sworn in by Senate President and PDPLaban national president Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III in Tagum City on Friday.

The mass oath-taking ceremony was reportedly the largest political gathering of the PDP-Laban in the home province of House of Representatives Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez, secretary-general of the party.

Pimentel recalled that at the time Alvarez joined the party, there were only about 20,000 members but this has grown to 300,000 registered members throughout the country

and abroad “because of the OFWs.” Before the mass oath-taking, Pimentel challenged the audience if they were ready to pledge to the “party with an ideology of President Duterte” and it was welcomed with a thunderous “yes.”

An estimated 15,000 participants were inside the gym and many more were outside as they could no longer be accommodated inside the venue.

Alvarez also spoke about the concrete gains of the people under the Duterte administration with the support of the House and the Senate, such as the free college education in state-owned universities, and free irrigation.

He also urged the people to support the administration’s senatorial slate.

Alvarez also expressed confidence that he would maintain his grip on his position amid ouster rumors against him.

“Those are just plain rumors. I am still the Speaker of the House,”

Alvarez said.

Alvarez said that ouster plots are normal occurences in politics even as he shrugged off the alleged threat reportedly from Northern Luzon congressmen to unseat him.

Alvarez said he believes he still has the trust and support of President Rodrigo Duterte and the members of his supermajority coalition at the Lower House.

Despite his quarrel with the President’s daughter Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio of Davao City, Alvarez said he and the President maintains a cordial relationship.

“Nothing has changed,” he said.

Alvarez said he will not allow himself and his leadership to get distracted by the alleged coup even as vowed to continue performing his legislative functions in securing the passage of the President’s agenda.

Several lawmakers, including Alvarez’s fellow Mindanaoans, rallied behind the Speaker and denied the coup plot against him. With PNA

NIGERIAN ATM SKIMMING SUSPECT FALLS IN STING

By Francisco Tuyay A NIGERIAN national believed involved in Automatic Teller Machine skimming was arrested during a police anti-illegal drugs operations in Angeles City while two persons were killed in an encounter with operatives in Bulacan Friday and Saturday, respectively.

Chief Supt. Amador Corpuz, police regional director of Central Luzon, identified the Nigerian suspect as Chinedu Umeanwe, also known as “Brook.” The 26-year-old Nigerian was nabbed by Police Drug Enforcement Unit and operatives of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Team at Unit 6 Great Frontier Apartment, No. 925, Laguna St., Mount View, Barangay Balibago, Angeles City.

The Nigerian national, a programmer and website designer, yielded

4 pieces of small heat-sealed plastic sachets with suspected shabu, 3 pieces of P1,000.00 bill marked money, one unit of Dell laptop, one unit of magnetic stripe car reader and 21 pieces of VIP cards allegedly used in ATM skimming when collared by authorities.

Charges for Violation of Sec. 5 and 11 of RA 9165 were already filed against the suspect and coordination with the Bureau of Immigration is being done for verification of the suspect’s status as he may be involved in an international syndicate engaged in ATM card fraud.

The suspect, however, has yet to face charges for violation of RA 8484 (Anti-Fraud) pending the results of investigation conducted by the PNP Cybercrime Group.

In Bulacan, two unidentified persons were killed after they traded

shots with police operatives at a checkpoint in Barangay Muzon, San Francisco del Monte, Bulacan at about 8 p.m. Friday.

Initial reports from the Sta. Maria, Bulacan Municipal Police Station said Regional Highway Patrol Unit-3, led

by SP02 Tagle were on patrol at Muzon village when they chanced upon a Toyota Vios without license plate with two occupants.

Operatives conducting checkpoints at nearby Barangay Sta. Cruz spotted the vehicle and signaled them to pull over but the driver of the vehicle instead sped off.

Police personnel then alerted a team of operatives in another checkpoint at Barangay Sta. Clara to intercept the Toyota Vios. As they spotted the vehicle passing by their checkpoints, the vehicle occupants reportedly fired shots and executed a U-turn.

DOE SIGNS CONTRACT FOR PH’S FIRST WASTE-TO-ENERGY PROJECT FACED with a high cost, unreliable, and 100 percent-fossil-fuel-dependent electricity and the rapid growth of waste as population, tourism and development growth in his city, Puerto Princesa City Mayor Lucilo Bayron decided to pursue a novel and sustainable solid waste management system that converts waste to energy, thereby solving two problems at the same time.

Solid waste management and power generation used to be concerns that were poles apart and completely unrelated, but because of innovative technology, they had become interconnected.

Adopting the Westinghouse thermalgasification technology that is already in use in Japan and in many European countries, Austworks Corp., in joint venture with the City Government of Puerto Princesa, will be putting up a P2.1-billion waste-toenergy plant at the city’s Sta. Lourdes Sanitary Landfill.

Using the city’s 110 MT/day municipal waste as feedstock, the plant will generate some 5.5 MW electricity. The generating

capacity will increase as the volume of the city’s solid waste increases.

Austworks will cap the existing sanitary landfill once the project becomes operational and will add on a methane harvesting facility to capture the methane gas inherent in landfills, thereby preventing it from polluting the atmosphere, and generate additional power as well.

“Doing away with the need to construct another expensive sanitary landfill; earning unexpected income of up to P20M/year as its share from project revenue;the city will save P40M annually which is its budget allocation for solid waste collectionsince Austworks will do the actual waste collection themselves; and unlike most renewable energies that are intermittent, this project will provide the first base-load renewable energy in the province that is very much competitive in terms of reliability, sustainability and low- generation cost—these are the benefits that Puerto Princesa stands to gain from this trailblazing technology,” Mayor Bayron said.

HISTORIC SIGNING. Puerto Princesa City Mayor Lucilo Bayron and DoE Secretary Alfonso Cusi are shown duing the historic signing at the DoE Office of the Operating Contract for the country’s first Waste-to-Energy Project. Looking on are Austworks president lawyer Russel Alabado and director Greg Burton.

FACEBOOK officials are likely to face a probe after a lawmaker said he would summon them to a congressional inquiry to determine whether it misused data from about a million Filipino users following reports of a massive data breach in the United States.

In a statement, Quezon City Rep. Winston Castelo said he would like Facebook to clarify “to what extent the data from Filipinos were misused,” after the social media giant itself admitted that some 1.2 Facebook accounts from the Philippines “may have been improperly shared” with Cambridge Analytica, the firm accused of harvesting personal data to influence election turnout in the US. Earlier, Quartz claimed that Cambridge Analytica chief executive Alexander Nix went to the Philippines in 2015 for a “research trip.” The same report alleged that Cambridge Analytica’s predecessor Strategic Communications Laboratories also helped the campaign of a Filipino candidate in the 2016 national elections.

Facebook earlier admitted that about 87 million users around the world may have been affected by the data breach, prompting European Union countries and Australia to launch separate probes into the massive data breach.

2,500-PLUS ‘COLORUM’ PUVS NABBED

GOVERNMENT agents apprehended more than 2,500 erring drivers in separate operations against colorum and dilapidated public utility vehicles in Quezon City and Bulacan province.

Manuel Gonzales, head secretariat of the Inter-Agency Council for Traffic (I-ACT), said the latest operations— conducted along Mindanao Avenue in Quezon City and San Jose del Monte in Bulacan—resulted in the apprehension of a total of 2,561 PUVs. “The anti-colorum operation conducted April 6 at Starmall in San Jose del Monte flagged down 73 jeepneys, buses, motorcycles and tricycles and resulted to 47 issued tickets for various violations,” said Gonzales.

He added that a bus and six motorcycles were also impounded by the Land Transportation Office and one UV Express was towed by the Metro Manila Development Authority during the operation.

On Thursday, I-ACT men composed of personnel from the MMDA, LTO, Police-Highway Patrol Group and Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board conducted the operation on Mindanao Avenue where they caught 176 colorum and illegally-parked PUVs. Also apprehended were PUVs caught for smoke belching and operating with defective car parts and other violations.

The I-ACT recently launched Task Force Kamao in response to President Rodrigo Duterte’s directive on cracking down on all colorum vehicles nationwide, and arresting their drivers and operators. Joel E. Zurbano

HOUSE ADOPTS ‘RESO’ CITING PH BOXING CHAMPS THE House of Representatives’ committee on games and amusements has commended Filipino professional boxers for bringing pride and honor to the country by winning in different world boxing matches.

The committee, chaired by Parañaque Rep. Gus Tambunting, adopted House Resolutions 132, 321, 343, 394, 1646, 1698 and 1705, congratulating and commending Filipino boxers for winning world boxing titles in different divisions.

The resolutions are authored, respectively, by Reps. Abdullah Dimaporo of Lanao del Norte, Antonio Floirendo Jr. of Davao del Norte, Tricia Nicole Velasco-Catera of MATA Party-list, Mark Aeron Sambar of PBA Party-list, Winston Castelo of Quezon City, Enrico Pineda of 1-PACMAN Party-list, and Maximo Rodriguez Jr. of Cagayan de Oro City.

HRs 1646, 1698 and 1705 commended Jerwin Ancajas for successfully defending his IBF junior bantamweight world title via a technical knockout of Mexican challenger Israel Gonzales in Corpus Christi, Texas, USA last Feb. 4, 2018.

Likewise, Ancajas was commended through HR 321 for a much earlier victory over McJoe Arroyo for the International Boxing Federation Super Flyweight world title. Maricel V. Cruz

A4

Opinion

SUNDAY, APRIL 8, 2018

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Adelle Chua, Editor

CROCODILES GUARD SECRETS OF PAKISTAN’S LOST AFRICAN PAST

EDITORIAL

KARACHI, Pakistan—Dancing and chanting in Swahili at a crocodile shrine outside Karachi, hundreds of Pakistani Sheedis swayed barefoot to the rhythm of a language they no longer speak—the celebration offering a rare chance to connect with their African roots.

For many Sheedis, the swampy crocodile shrine to Sufi saint Haji Syed Shaikh Sultan—more popularly known as Mangho Pir—is the most potent symbol of their shared African past, as they struggle to uncover the trail that led their ancestors to Pakistan.

Many, like 75-year-old Mohammad Akbar, have simply given up the search for their family’s origins.

The descendants of Africans who have been arriving on the shores of the subcontinent for centuries, the Sheedis rose to lofty positions as generals and leaders during the Mughal Empire, which ruled swathes of South Asia.

But, actively discriminated against during British rule, their traditions began to fade, and they found themselves wholly shunned when Pakistan was created in 1947, absent from the country’s elite political and military circles.

Figures are scant but it is generally accepted that Pakistan holds the highest number of Sheedis on the subcontinent, upwards of around 50,000 people.

But their history has been scantily written, making it difficult if not impossible for Sheedis— including even those like Akbar whose ancestors arrived in Pakistan relatively recently—to trace their antecedents.

“I came to know in the 1960s that my grandfather belonged to Zanzibar, and we contacted the Tanzania embassy to find our extended family,” Akbar told AFP outside his home in Karachi.

“We were told that we can never reach them until we can identify our tribe, which we don’t know,” he said. “I never tried again.”

His plight is common, with little in the way of documentation or scholarship on the community.

What is available suggests many arrived as part of the African slave trade to the east—a notion rejected by many Sheedis, most of whom now reside in southern Sindh province.

“We don’t subscribe to the theories that someone brought us as slaves to this region because Sheedis as a nation have never been slaves,” argues Yaqoob Qanbarani, the chairman of Pakistan Sheedi Ittehad, a community group.

Others say the community’s origins can be traced back to the genesis of Islam, claiming a shared lineage with Bilal—one of Prophet

‘LABORACAY’

L

OCAL and foreign tourists alike have traditionally descended on Boracay Island on May 1 for festivities.

government will see how—perhaps if—it can restore the island to its once-pristine state. At least for this year there will be no Labor Day celebrations.

There has to be, however, a reflection on this development’s impact on labor. Thousands of employees of business establishments, big and small, face a disruption of livelihood. This has very real consequences on their families.

Forget the business owners who through neglect or obstinacy did not deliver what was expected of them. Forget the local executives who looked the other way as illegal activities went unabated for long, and who bungled their stewardship mandate.

It’s the laborers who now stand to lose income for the next six months, if not lose it altogether, who will suffer through no fault of their own. Their only failing is relying on an income source that has been revealed to be shaky at best, and immoral at worst.

Businesses and local leaders in other resort towns should now seriously look into how they have been conducting their affairs. It’s the least they can do for the environment, the public—and their workers.

There is no remote link between the resort destination in Malay, Aklan and Labor Day, except the fact that the holiday falls smack in the middle of the summer season. Dubbed “Laboracay,” the event cements the reputation of Boracay Island as a getaway spot. It rakes in respectable revenues for the business establishments operating in the area and, by consequence, for the local government.

This year, however, there will be no festivities of the sort. In place of parties there will be protests and long faces as President Rodrigo Duterte made good on his threat to close down the island for rehabilitation.

Progressively, over the years, Boracay has degenerated into what he calls a cesspool, with business owners failing to comply with environmental rules that would have ensured the sustainability of the island and the safety of its guests.

In the next six months, the

Turn to A5

‘MATERIAL MAKER,’ JOY ROJAS’ SECOND SHOW; CNF TEACHING SEMINAR IN BAGUIO

HORSES, heavy textures, gouts of pastel paint and pulverized earth—all these come together in the works that visual artist Jose Ferdinand “Joy” Rojas II brings to his second solo exhibit, “Material Maker.”

The show will run from April 15 to 30 this year at the Pinto Art Museum.

Rojas, a lawyer by profession, had a well-received sold-out first solo show in December 2017 entitled “Strong Material” that featured abstract mixedmedia paintings.

His second exhibit also offers abstract works featuring textures, finishes, and colors that evoke the personalities and abilities of the racehorses after whom both shows are named and others as well.

A racehorse owner since his bachelor

days and a well-respected member of the Philippine Thoroughbred racing and breeding community (he once served as chairman of the Philippine Racing Commission), Rojas is enamored of horses and racing and these influences emerge in his work, both in the process and the product.

The process of raising a successful racehorse starts in selecting the traits of its sire and dam. The resulting foal is nurtured with proper nutrition, which must be carefully planned, chosen,

and appropriately given. It is trained, and again wise selection governs the process from choosing a trainer to drawing up the conditioning program.

Choosing a jockey to ride the horse in a race is yet another step.

Similarly, Rojas selects the materials, from paint to canvas to other media, that for him will bring to life his idealized concepts of a particular horse combined with his other life experiences including travel around the world.

Both breeding and horseracing may be deemed creative processes, and Rojas conveys that creativity in his paintings.

In this second exhibit, works such as ‘Fiorella’ retrace the metallic color fields of Rojas’ first show, but with an increased sense of sophistication and elegance.

‘Rhummaker 2’ and similar paintings showcase contrasts in color, texture, line, and form, with texturizing Turn to A5

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Opinion CROCODILES...

From A4

Mohammad’s closest companions.

As the knowledge of their origins has faded, so too have many of their traditions, including the vestiges of Swahili once spoken in parts of Karachi.

“Swahili has been an abandoned language for some generations now,” says Ghulam Akbar Sheedi, a 75-year-old community leader.

“I remember that my grandmother would extensively use Swahili phrases in our daily conversation,” says 50-year-old Atta Mohammad, who now struggles to remember even a few sayings.

With so many traditions lost to the past, the Sheedi mela, or festival, at the Mangho Pir shrine has assumed rich significance and been the epicenter of the community in Sindh for centuries.

They no longer know why it is held there, they are simply following in the steps and repeating the words of their ancestors.

“It attracts the Sheedi community from all over Pakistan,” Qanbarani tells AFP. “We celebrate Mangho Pir mela more than Eid,” he adds.

The celebration features a dancing procession known as the Dhamal, with men and women in trance-like states—a rare sight in conservative, often gendersegregated Pakistan.

“The Dhamal dance... is done with great devotion and much delicacy,” says Atta Mohammad, who spoke with AFP at the festival.

“Some of us are captured by holy spirits.

Mehrun Nissa, 65, prepares a sacred drink during the mela while translating from what she says is a Swahili dialect.

“Nagajio O Nagajio, Yo aa Yo.... means now we are leaving to have a drink from the bowl,” she explains.

Mangho Pir is also home to over 100 lumbering crocodiles that waddle between the devotees near a swampy green pond where they have lived for generations.

Legend holds that lice on the Sufi saint’s head transformed into the reptiles who now live at the shrine.

The oldest crocodile—known as More Sawab, and believed to be anywhere between 70 and 100 years old—is feted at the festival’s climax with garlands and decorative powder while being fed chunks of raw meat.

Even this tenuous link to the community’s past is in danger of being severed, however.

The celebrations this March were the first time the festival has been held in nine years, after rising extremism saw Sufi shrines come under threat across Pakistan, with repeated gun and suicide bomb attacks.

“The situation was not suitable for us as children and women also participate in the mela,” said Qanbarani, as heavily armed police commandos flanked the crowd.

But with dramatic improvements in security in recent years the community hopes to continue the mela, celebrating traditions that have survived slavery, colonization, and modernization.

“It is a Sheedi community belief that by honoring the crocodile our whole year will pass in peace, tranquility and prosperity,” explains Mohammad.

“We look forward to celebrating the mela next year, too, and forever.” AFP

‘MATERIAL...

From A4 materials such as metallic foil, glass beads, and pulverized volcanic rock and sand adding interest and a tactile dimension.

Finally, works such as ‘Confetti’ are playful and perky, providing a counterpoint to the works of more somber colorways with their splashes of pastel over metallic and pearlized paints.

The titles of the above works are the names of actual racehorses that

SUNDAY, APRIL 8, 2018

A5

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

FLORIDA SCHOOL SHOOTING SURVIVOR REJECTS ‘HERO’ LABEL MIAMI—A survivor of the Florida school shooting nicknamed “Iron Man” for his efforts to save classmates said he did not want to be labeled a “hero,” as his family announced a lawsuit against authorities.

Anthony Borges, 15, was shot in both legs and the back by Nikolas Cruz, who opened fire at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland on Feb. 14.

Despite his injuries, the teenager managed to shut a door, preventing the shooter from entering the room where around 20 students were hiding.

In doing so, he was shot twice more.

“I don’t know why I survived, but I will tell you that my family and I will dedicate the rest of our lives to seeing that something like this this never happens again,” Anthony said in a statement via his lawyer, Alex Arreaza.

Anthony, joined by Arreaza, his father Royer Borges, his grandfather Alfredo and friend Carlos Rodriguez on Friday took part in a press conference in Plantation, north of Miami.

He entered in a wheelchair, and still recovering after nine surgeries and seven weeks in hospital, did not want to speak.

“I know I’m being called ‘Iron Man.’ I am not,” he said in the statement. “I am a 15-year-old who was shot five times. I’m just a kid who wants to go back to school without being afraid.”

Borges also accused Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel and schools superintendent Robert Runcie of failing him, as they were unable to prevent Cruz from buying firearms and entering the school despite his erratic behavior.

“You know he was a problem and you did nothing,” he said.

Arreaza, who had already announced the lawsuit against Israel and Runcie, said he would file “today or tomorrow” against them, Nikolas Cruz and the executors of Cruz’s mother’s estate.

“They damaged my son’s soccer career,” Royer Borges said, alleging it took 38 minutes for authorities to get to his son after he was shot.

The Borges family left Venezuela more than 15 years ago over political instability and fears over rampant crime.

“While we appreciate the efforts in Washington DC, Venezuela is a place where they have gorgeous marches with millions of people and nothing gets done,” Arreaza said, referencing the March For Our Lives in March. “[The family has] decided that they’re going to put their faith in American justice system.” AFP

CAMBODIANS FEAR TARANTULA MAY SOON GO OFF THE MENU SKUN, Cambodia—While a plate piled high with hairy, palm-sized tarantulas is the stuff of nightmares for some, these garlic fried spiders are a coveted treat in Cambodia, where the only fear is that they may soon vanish due to deforestation and unchecked hunting.

Taking a bite out of the plump arachnids has become a popular photo-op for squealing tourists who pass through Skun, the central Cambodian town nicknamed “Spiderville” for its massive market of creepy crawlers.

But the bulk of the clientele are locals who are there to load up on a traditional snack known as “aping” that vendors say is becoming scarce—and more expensive—as rapid development wipes out jungle habitats.

“Aping are famous in Cambodia but now they are not abundant, they have become rare,” Chea Voeun, a tarantula vendor, told AFP from her stall where she sells other fried insects including crickets and scorpions.

Voeun, who has been selling the delicacy for 20 years, used to source the spiders from nearby forests, where hunters dug them out of burrows dotting the jungle floor.

But those trees have since been razed for cashew nut plantations, forcing Voeun and other vendors to rely on middlemen to procure the spiders, which are harvested from faraway forested provinces.

That has jacked up the price of the tarantulas to $1 a piece, a nearly tenfold spike over the past decade.

For now, the price surge is helping line the pockets of vendors who can unload several hundred spiders a day, but they fear that stocks are running low and will kill their businesses in the long term.

“When the big forests disappear, these spiders will no longer exist,” said seller Lou Srey Sros, as tourists snapped pictures of children playing with the eight-legged creatures.

Locals say the spiders, whose taste has been compared to crab, are best prepared simply: Dipped in salt and garlic and then tossed into a pan of sizzling oil.

Tarantulas have been part of the Cambodian diet for generations, prized for their purported medicinal qualities.

But they are believed to have cemented their

This photo taken on March 14, 2018 shows a Cambodian vendor holding a fried tarantula at Skun town in Kampong Cham province. AFP

place on the Cambodian palate during the brutal years under the Khmer Rouge in the late 1970s.

The Maoist regime forced millions of Cambodians out of the cities and was ultimately responsible for murdering, overworking and starving to death nearly a quarter of the population in its drive to create an agrarian utopia.

Famine pushed many to forage for any sustenance they could find, eating everything from rats to lizards and tarantulas.

While the Khmer Rouge’s devastating rule came to an end in 1979, spiders stayed on the menu.

But the jungles which are home to them are now rapidly disappearing.

Cambodia has one of the fastest deforestation rates in the world, with huge swaths of forest cleared for rubber plantations and timber.

The Southeast Asian country has lost 20 percent of its forest cover since 1990, according to the conservation NGO Fauna and Flora International.

It is not just habitat loss but over-harvesting to

meet a high demand that is driving the spiders out of existence, said Tom Gray, director of Science and Global Development for Wildlife Alliance.

“Across Southeast Asia it is unsustainable hunting in our forests rather than direct habitat loss which is causing the biggest impacts on biodiversity,” he told AFP. The tourist frenzy has helped fuel the tarantula trade, with busloads of travellers stopping in Skun to taste the unusual snack.

“It just makes me a little bit swimmy because that was not what I would eat at home but I am here so it’s time to try them,” Australian tourist Elisabeth Dark said after taking a bite of a spider leg.

But for many Cambodians, the only fear factor is that the treat will soon run out.

“The next generations may not know about them because these beasts have become so rare, not like before,” lamented vendor Lou Srey Sros.

“As more people clear [forests] to plant cashew nut trees, they will be gone.” AFP

BRAZIL’S POLITICAL ELITE EYES LULA ARREST WITH CONCERN BRASÍLIA—The imminent jailing of Brazil’s Lula may have dealt a crippling blow to the country’s left, but it has also shaken up their political rivals on the right, most of whom are also under investigation for graft.

There has been a deafening silence around the arrest of Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who is facing 12 years behind bars for taking bribes and money laundering, especially given that his political demise likely removes the main frontrunner in October’s presidential elections.

“Operation Car Wash went much further than anyone expected, including those in the main parties, the big figures in Congress and even [President Michel] Temer himself,” said Sylvio Costa, founder of the specialist website Congresso em Foco.

“In their minds, he would never go so far. They are completely stumped,” he told AFP. And what was likely to be at the forefront of their minds was this, he

competed on Philippine tracks.

Rojas’ current works show a greater mastery of materials and techniques and a higher level of sophistication and artistry, straddling the sensibilities of Jose Joya’s works of the 1960s and ‘70s and contemporary moods.

For these reasons, “Material Maker” is another significant milestone in the career of this dedicated and hardworking artist, and will be a rewarding and interesting experience for art lovers. *** The Philippine Pedagogical Institute

said: “If Lula, who is so popular and who has topped all the polls this year, becomes a prisoner, what is going to happen to me?”

According to Congresso em Foco, nearly 40 percent of lawmakers and federal senators are currently under scrutiny for alleged misuse of public money or for receiving backhanders.

Breaking it down, more than half of Brazil’s 81 senators and just over a third of its 513 lawmakers have been ordered to appear in court in connection with allegations of graft.

The arrest of a hugely popular figure like Lula—who was convicted for accepting a luxury seaside apartment as a bribe from a construction firm linked to Petrobras—comes in the context of a growing climate of violence.

Last month, a campaign bus carrying Lula came under fire as it was traveling between towns in southern Brazil ahead of the Oct. 7 presidential election.

Only one shot was fired and noone was hurt but it raised the alarm

will host a national seminar-workshop next week in Baguio City for senior high-school teachers on the teaching of creative nonfiction.

The seminar speakers are Ateneo de Manila University’s Danilo Francisco M. Reyes and Linangan sa Imahen, Retorika, at Anyo director Louie Jon A. Sanchez, both essayists and poets.

They will introduce participants to the practice of the genre, and offer modules on the teaching and appreciation of non-fiction texts as well as the writers’ workshop method.

The workshop will be held on April

over tensions ahead of the vote in which Lula had hoped to make a comeback.

Even his chief rival, the outspoken hard-right populist Jair Bolsonaro, appeared to be at pains to calm the situation.

“Brazil has scored a goal against impunity and corruption, but it’s hardly that. The enemy still has not been eliminated ... This year, we must elect a president, a man or a woman who is honest, who has God in their heart and who is a patriot,” he said in remarks far from his usual aggression-filled campaigning.

Temer himself has kept silent. Last year, the conservative leader became the first president in Brazil’s history to be charged with corruption.

Already charged on two counts and possibly facing a third, he has so far managed to escape trial through being shielded by a loyal Congress.

But all that will change when he steps down from office.

Writing on Twitter, Sao Paulo Governor Geraldo Alckmin, who is

seeking to unite a wide range of rightleaning centrists in the upcoming election, said: “It is regrettable to see the order to arrest a former president but I am convinced this symbolizes an important change in Brazil: the end of impunity.”

“The law is applicable to everyone,” wrote Alckmin who is running for the PSDB, a center-right party whose former head Senator Aecio Neves stood down as a candidate after being charged with corruption.

And Rodrigo Maia, leader of the Federal Chamber of Deputies and also a former presidential candidate under investigation as part of Operation Car Wash, said “nobody who holds public office in any country should celebrate an order to jail a former head of state.”

But on social media, it was a very different story with the arrest order hailed by civil society organizations who had backed the 2016 impeachment of leftist president Dilma Rousseff, Lula’s protector and successor. AFP

14 to 16, 2018 at the Hotel Supreme Convention Plaza. For more details, e-mail philippinepedagogy@gmail.com or text 0939-926-0272.

This is an excellent idea and quite timely as CNF is becoming more popular, not just among the literary set. I know of several teachers who are eager to know more about this to be able to impart the knowledge to their students.

Writing essays has been a part of school days for decades—there are those who will recall their blue-covered ‘theme books’ from elementary and

high school—but CNF as a particular genre is not tackled as such. It could be quite rewarding for those students who enjoy writing, and what better—and easier—way to start than mining one’s own life experiences for narratives.

Teachers who are well instructed in CNF, what it is, and how to write it will be assets to their schools and students.

Best wishes to the organizers and participants.

Dr. Ortuoste is a writer and communication consultant. FB and Twitter: @DrJennyO

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A6

TODAYAPRIL 8, 2018 SUNDAY, mst.daydesk@gmail.com

US IMPOSES SANCTIONS ON PUTIN’S OLIGARCH ALLIES WASHINGTON—The United States struck President Vladimir Putin’s inner circle, imposing sanctions on seven of Russia’s most influential oligarchs and stoking a diplomatic crisis some have dubbed a new Cold War. Those hit include metals magnate Oleg Deripaska, described as operating for the Russian government, as well as Alexei Miller, director of state-owned energy giant Gazprom. Any assets they hold in areas under US jurisdiction could now be frozen.

Also on the list are tycoon Suleiman Kerimov, under investigation in France over allegations he brought in millions of euros in suitcases full of cash, and Kirill Shamalov, a billionaire reported to be Putin’s son-in-law.

Russia’s state arms exporter, a key tool in Putin’s efforts to support the modernization of his own military by selling advanced hardware around the world, was also added to the sanctions list.

In all, President Donald Trump’s administration targeted seven oligarchs, 12 companies they own or control, 17 senior Russian officials and the state-owned arms export company Rosoboronexport.

“The United States is taking these actions in response to the totality of the Russian government’s ongoing and increasingly brazen pattern of malign activity across the world,” a senior administration official told reporters.

“This included their occupation of Crimea, instigation of violence in eastern Ukraine, support for the Assad regime in Syria... and ongoing malicious cyberactivity,” the senior official said.

“But most importantly this is a response to Russia’s continued attacks to subvert western democracies.”

Nevertheless, White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said the new sanctions did not mean that Trump’s offer to sit down with Putin in Washington is off the table.

“As the president has said, he wants to have a good relationship with Russia but that’s going to depend on some of the actions by the Russians,” she said.

“However, at the same time, the president is going to continue to be tough until we see that change take place. And we’re going to continue working forward in what we can to have that meeting and have a meeting with Vladimir Putin at some point.” AFP

HOPPING TRUMP’S WALL IN UNDER TWO MINUTES

C

IUDAD JUÁREZ, Mexico— President Donald Trump’s orders to deploy thousands of National Guard troops to secure the US frontier with Mexico did not stop one determined migrant from hopping the border wall on Friday.

With the help of three other men – two to give him a boost and one to stand as a lookout – the young man jumped the rusty metal barrier that separates Ciudad Juarez from Sunland Park, New Mexico.

The whole operation took less than two minutes.

“He couldn’t get over! He was taking forever,” said one of the men who helped him, telling AFP he has seen people scale the six-meter (20-foot) wall in one minute flat.

He then ran off to avoid being spotted by US Customs and Border Protection.

The young border jumper, who hailed from southern Mexico, meanwhile disappeared into the desert, running toward a group of houses just visible on the horizon.

Trump has unleashed a flurry of furious tweets ever since seeing news reports on a caravan of more than 1,000 Central American migrants crossing Mexico toward the United States.

On Thursday he ordered 2,000 to 4,000 National Guardsmen to the border – drawing a bitter reaction from Mexico.

The activists organizing the migrant caravan have announced they will no longer try to reach the border en masse, and individual migrants and families have each begun going their own way.

Many remain in central Mexico. But some have already made it to the border, according to Javier Calvillo, a Catholic priest who runs a shelter for migrants in Ciudad Juarez.

“Five migrants who were part of the caravan arrived here this week, but they’re already gone,” he said.

“They crossed into the United States, or tried to.”

AFP

REGIONAL BIDS AND AWARDS COMMITTEE INVITATION TO BID PROCUREMENT OF FOREST / ORNAMENTAL SEEDS The DENR-NCR, through the GAA-CY 20181 intends to apply the sum of TWO MILLION FIVE HUNDRED FORTY ONE THOUSAND FIVE HUNDRED PESOS (PhP2,541,500.00) being the Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) to payments under the contract for “Procurement of Forest/Ornamental Seeds”. Bids received in excess of the ABC shall be automatically rejected at bid opening.

The DENR-NCR now invites all interested Phil-GEPS registered contractors, manufacturers, suppliers, dealers, authorized franchised dealers to bid for the following project, to wit:

Quantity

Unit

2018-031 300 100 100 100 150 150 150 100 100

kilo kilo kilo kilo kilo kilo kilo kilo kilo

100

kilo

100 100

kilo kilo

50,000

Cuttings

15 15 15 15

25 grams/can 25 grams/can 25 grams/can 25 grams/can

Item Description Forest / Ornamental Seeds Narra Balitbitan Catmon Dita Dwarfed Caballero Bignay Banaba (violet) Palawan Cherry Golden Shower Tabebuia (lavender, bright yellow, pink) Alibangbang (native) Molave Assorted Ornamental Cuttings Sweet Pepper Trinity Sweet Pepper Emperor Hot Pepper Sinigang Hot Pepper Red Hot TOTAL

Unit Cost

Total Cost In Philippine Pesos

1,500 1,500 1,500 1,500 1,000 1,000 1,000 1,200 1,200

PhP 450,000 150,000 150,000 150,000 150,000 150,000 150,000 120,000 120,000

1,200

120,000

1,200 1,500

120,000 150,000

10

500,000

1,050 1,250 600 1,200

15,750 18,750 9,000 18,000 PhP2,541,500

Interested bidder may bid on a per item basis. Delivery of the Goods is required as indicated in the Bid Data Sheet of the Bidding Documents. Bidders should have completed a contract similar to the project in the last five (5) years. The description of an eligible bidder is contained in the Bidding Documents.

GAZA—A Palestinian journalist shot by Israeli forces during clashes along the Gaza border has died, the health ministry in the Strip said Saturday.

Yasser Murtaja, a photographer with the Gaza-based Ain Media agency, was hit during clashes Friday, the ministry said.

An AFP photograph taken after he was wounded showed Murtaja wearing a press

(Pambansang Pangasiwaan ng Patubig) Regional Office No. III

Office Address : Tambubong, San Rafael, Bulacan Telephone Nos. : (044) 766-2467,766-4829,816-6808 Website : www.region3.nia.gov.ph

ATTY. ALVIN JOSEPH G. CONSTANTINO Chairperson, Regional Bids and Awards Committee 1

In the case of National Government Agencies, the General Appropriations Act and/or continuing appropriations; in the case of GOCCs, GFIs, and SUCs, the Corporate Budget for the contract approved by the governing Boards; in the case of (LGUs, the Budget for the contract approved by the respective Sanggunian. (Section 5(a), R.A. 9184) (MS-APR. 8, 2018)

Email Address: nia03@yahoo.com Telefax No.: (044) 766-2467 TIN No.000-979-570-000

1.

NATIONAL IRRIGATION ADMINISTRATION – REGION 3, through the General Appropriations Act of Cy 2018intends to apply the sum of ofFifty Eight Million Eight Hundred Twenty Three Thousand One Hundred Pesos (P 58,823,100.00)being the Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) to payments under the contract for NIAR3-2018-BUL-BUSPAN & ANBUSPA-11. Bids received in excess of the ABC shall be automatically rejected at bid opening.

2.

Bidder must secure Site Inspection Certificate from IMO Office as a technical requirement for Eligibility and Technical Document (Envelop A). Non compliance will be a ground for disqualification.

3.

Only those Letter of Intent with a company profile, submitted by the owner or its authorized liaison officer, will be accepted to participate in the bidding.

4.

The NATIONAL IRRIGATION ADMINISTRATION – REGION 3 now invites bids for Replacement of Pumps, Motors & Control Panel of ANBUSPA and BUSPAN, Bustos, Bulacan. Delivery of the Goods is required Two Hundred Forty (240) calendar days. Bidders should have completed a contract similar to the Project. The description of an eligible bidder is contained in the Bidding Documents, particularly, in Section II. Instructions to Bidders Clause 5.4.

5.

6.

Bidding will be conducted through open competitive bidding procedures using a non-discretionary “pass/fail” criterion as specified in the 2016 Revised Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of Republic Act (RA) 9184, otherwise known as the “Government Procurement Reform Act”. (i) Bidding is restricted to Filipino citizens/sole proprietorships, partnerships, or organizations with at least sixty percent (60%) interest or outstanding capital stock belonging to citizens of the Philippines, and to citizens or organizations of a country the laws or regulations of which grant similar rights or privileges to Filipino citizens, pursuant to RA 5183. (ii) Bidding is open to all interested bidders, whether local or foreign, subject to the conditions for eligibility provided in the IRR of RA 9184.

Interested bidders may obtain further information from NATIONAL IRRIGATION ADMINISTRATION – REGION 3 and inspect the Bidding Documents at the address given below during 9:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M., Monday to Friday.

A complete set of Bidding Documents may be purchased by interested Bidders on March 28, 2018 to April 17, 2018 from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Monday to Friday, and April 18, 2018 from 9:00 a.m. to 9:30 a.m., except holidays from the address below and upon payment of a nonrefundable fee for the Bidding Documents in the amount of Fifty Eight Thousand Pesos (P 58,000.00).

A complete set of Bidding Documents may be purchased by interested Bidders on April 12, 2018 to May 02, 2018 from the address below and upon payment of a non-refundable fee for the Bidding Documents in the amount of Five Thousand Pesos (PhP5,000.00).

April 06, 2018

es to nine after thousands gathered along the border for the second week in a row.

Some Palestinians burned mounds of tyres and threw stones at Israeli soldiers over the border fence, who responded with tear gas and live fire.

At least 491 Palestinians were injured by shooting, the health ministry said. AFP

InvItatIon to BId for the Replacement of Pumps, Motors & Control Panel of ANBUSPA and BUSPAN, Bustos, Bulacan ITB No. NIAR3-2018-BUL-BUSPAN & ANBUSPA-11

Interested bidders must submit their bid proposal from April 12, 2018 to May 02, 2018 and may obtain further information from and inspect the Bidding Documents at the address given below during 8:00 -5:00 P.M.

It may also be downloaded free of charge from the website of the Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (PhilGEPS) and the website of the Procuring Entity, provided that Bidders shall pay the nonrefundable fee for the Bidding Documents not later than the submission of their bids.

The DENR-NCR will hold a Pre-Bid Conference on April 20, 2018, 2:00 o’ clock in the afternoon, at the Conference Room, 4th Flr., DENR-NCR Bldg., National Ecology Center, East Avenue, Quezon City which shall be open to all interested parties.

Bids must be delivered to the address below on or before of 10:00 a.m. of May 02, 2018. All Bids must be accompanied by a bid security in any of the acceptable forms and in the amount stated in the Bidding Documents.

Bid opening shall be at 10:30 a.m. onwards of May 02, 2018 at the Conference Room, 4th Flr., DENR-NCR Bldg., National Ecology Center, East Avenue, Quezon City. Bids will be opened in the presence of the Bidders’ representatives who choose to attend at the address below.

Late bids shall not be accepted.

The DENR-NCR reserves the right to accept or reject any bid, to annul the bidding process, and to reject all bids at any time prior to contract award, without thereby incurring any liability to the affected bidder or bidders.

For further information, please refer to: BAC Secretariat Procurement Section, 3rd Flr, DENR-NCR Bldg.

National Ecology Center East Avenue, Quezon City Tel. 3740091

vest as he received treatment.

The Israeli army declined to comment, saying it was reviewing the incident.

The Gaza health ministry also announced the death of another man, 20-year-old Hamza Abdel Aal, saying he was shot east of Al-Bureij in central Gaza.

The deaths brought the number of Palestinians killed during Friday’s clash-

Republika ng Pilipinas

Bidding will be conducted through open competitive bidding procedure using a nondiscretionary “pass/fail” criterion as specified in the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of Republic Act (RA) 9184, otherwise known as the “Government Procurement Reform Act”.

Bidding is restricted to Filipino citizens/sole proprietorships, partnerships, or organizations with at least sixty percent (60%) interest or outstanding capital stock belonging to citizens of the Philippines, and to citizens or organizations of a country the laws or regulations of which grant similar rights or privileges to Filipino citizens, pursuant to RA 5183 and subject to Commonwealth Act 138.

This combination of pictures created on April 6, 2018 shows a group of young Mexicans helping a compatriot migrant to climb the metal wall that divides the border between Mexico and the United States to cross illegally to Sunland Park, from Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua state, Mexico. AFP

PALESTINIAN JOURNALIST SHOT BY ISRAELI TROOPS DIES

DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENT AND NATURAL RESOURCES National Capital Region

Purchase Request No.

Cesar Barrioquinto, Editor / Jimbo Gulle, Issue Editor

It may also be downloaded free of charge from the website of the Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (PhilGEPS) and the website of the Procuring Entity, provided that Bidders shall pay the applicable fee for the Bidding Documents not later than the submission of their bids.

7.

The NATIONAL IRRIGATION ADMINISTRATION – REGION 3will hold a Pre-Bid Conference on April 4, 2018, 10:00 a.m. at NIA-R3 Office, Conference Room, Brgy. Tambubong, San Rafael, Bulacan, which shall beopen only to all interested parties who have purchased the Bidding Documents.

Bids must be delivered to the address below on or before 9:30 a.m. (PST) of April 18, 2018. All Bids must be accompanied by a bid security in any of the acceptable forms and in the amount stated in ITB Clause 18.

Bid opening shall be on 10:00 a.m. (PST) of April 18, 2018 at NIA-R3 Office, Conference Room, Brgy. Tambubong, San Rafael, Bulacan. Bids will be opened in the presence of the Bidders’ representatives who choose to attend at the address below. Late bids shall not be accepted.

8.

All particulars relative to the eligibility screening, bid security, performance security, pre-bid conference/s, evaluation of bids, post qualification and award of contracts shall be governed by the pertinent provisions of RA 9184 and its revised IRR.

9.

The NATIONAL IRRIGATION ADMINISTRATION – REGION 3reserves the right to reject any and all bids, declare a failure of bidding, or not award the contract at any time prior to contract award in accordance with Section 41 of RA 9184 and its IRR, without thereby incurring any liability to the affected bidder or bidders.

10. For further information, please refer to: BAC Secretariat/s; NIA – Region 3,Tambubong, San Rafael, Bulacan Tel No. (044) 766-4839 and 816-8608

Noted by:

(SGD) VIRGILIO J. ILAO BAC - Chairperson

(SGD) JOSEPHINE B. SALAZAR Regional Manager (MS-APR. 8, 2018)

Fans dressed up in costumes attend the rugby tournament of the Hong Kong Sevens at Hong Kong Stadium on the second day on April 7, 2018. AFP

US CONGRESSMAN PULLS LOADED GUN AT CONSTITUENT MEETING WASHINGTON—A US congressman said he pulled out a loaded Smith & Wesson pistol during a meeting with gun control activists Friday in a bid to prove that firearms are not responsible for violence.

House Republican Ralph Norman of South Carolina told The Post and Courier newspaper that he drew the handgun and placed it on a table while at a “Coffee With Your Congressman” event at a diner, in an attempt to convey that guns are only dangerous if in the wrong hands.

“I’m not going to be a Gabby Giffords,” said Norman, 64, referring to the former congresswoman from Arizona who was shot in the head during a meet-and-greet outside a grocery store in 2011.

Giffords was gravely wounded in that attack. She survived and became a prominent gun safety advocate. Both Giffords and her hus-

band, retired NASA astronaut Mark Kelly, are longtime gun owners.

“Americans are increasingly faced with a stark choice: leaders like Gabby, who work hard together to find solutions to problems, or extremists like the NRA and Congressman Norman, who rely on intimidation tactics and perpetuating fear,” Kelly said in a statement.

“If we want to protect our kids and communities, Congress must get serious about passing safer gun laws. For our kids’ sake, let’s show our leaders we expect them to behave more like Gabby and less like Congressman Norman.”

The paper said Norman also claimed: “I don’t mind dying... But whoever shoots me better shoot well or I’m shooting back.”

Norman’s indelicate reference to Giffords appeared to suggest that her debilitating injury was in some way due to her not being adequately armed. AFP

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

Sports

A7

SUNDAY, APRIL 8, 2018 reuelvidal@yahoo.com

NEW MOM DELIVERS MESSAGE ABOUT EMPOWERED WOMEN

By Reuel Vidal

D

AVAO CITY—Radka Kahlefeldt luxuriated in an ice cold bath to relax her tired body which went through a 1.9-kilometer swim through open water, a 90-kilometer bike ride which traversed three cities and one municipality and a 20.1-kilometer run through the Davao City commercial district.

She had just crossed the finish line ahead of an international field of the best triathletes in the world to rule the women’s division of the 2018 Alveo IRONMAN 70.3 Davao held at the Azuela Cove a few minutes earlier.

Kahlefeldt delivered a baby just a few short weeks prior to the race smashing all preconceptions about pregnancy, childbirth and the resolve of an empowered woman.

Kahlefeldt was smiling broadly while cooling down. She put down her cellphone after making a call to check on her baby and then faced the media for interviews.

“I actually gave birth a few weeks ago. I was not able to train very long.

You could train early for the swim and the bike but I had to be careful training for the run after childbirth,” she said.

Kahlefeldt broke barriers for women with her victory and will help overcome many wrong impressions about women and giving birth. If they plan their physical activity well women can be just as strong if not stronger even after giving birth.

“Women can be very powerful. But we have to be very careful about training. I feel great. I just love racing.

So I signed up for this race. I was motivated to join this race so that I could get back into competition. It worked out quite well,” she said.

Davao City rolled out the red carpet as it welcomed local and foreign guests and participants to the Alveo IRONMAN 70.3 Davao, the first worldclass triathlon in Mindanao.

The city government highlighted the diverse but rich culture of the 11 tribes in the city during the hosting of the event as the “Durian Capital of the Philippines” and home of the majestic Philippine Eagle became the home of the biggest sports spectacle in Mindanao this year.

Participants experienced racing through Davao’s fusion of nature and urban infrastructure. The other neighboring cities and municipalities of Panabo City, Tagum City and Carmen were likewise showcased.

Kahlefeldt also expressed her admiration and respect at how organizers were able to put up an excellent race in Mindanao.

“I am impressed with how Sunrise Events put up an amazing race. This was their first year in Davao but it was still organized so well. I am terribly happy. I couldn’t ask for a better race,” she said.

Kahlefeldt revealed that the sup-

JJFP Secretary General Ferdinand Agustin

PHILIPPINE JIU-JITSU FEDERATION MARCHES ON

Radka Kahlefeldt, left, rides her bike as she leads the women’s field during the 2018 Alveo IRONMAN 70.3 Davao held at the Azuela Cove.

Radka Kahlefeldt is all smiles as she shows off her medal after winning the 2018 Alveo IRONMAN 70.3 Davao held at the Azuela Cove.

Radka Kahlefeldt raises her hands in victory after crossing the finish line to rule the 2018 Alveo IRONMAN 70.3 Davao.

port of the crowd, who cheered her on during the race, played a big part in her performing so well despite the sweltering heat.

Hundreds lined the shore while the participants started the race with the open water swim. Thousands more lined the entire route of the bicycle ride through three municipalities and the run through the commercial district of Davao to cheer the participants.

“I felt like I was in the Olympics because of how well it was organized. I felt like dying in the run because of the heat but I had to go on because of the cheering of the people. They really motivated me,” she said.

Meanwhile, Mauricio Mendez of Mexico posted a come-from-behind win in the men’s competition.

Mendez is world champion in XTERRA, a series of triathlon races which include swimming, mountain biking, and trail running. He says he is happy to be able to compete in both regular and cross country triathlon.

FIL-AM DRIVER RIDES INDY LIGHTS TO GLORY WHO would have thought that a young boy who once rode slow-moving carabaos and pumped water from artesian wells in Semirara, Antique would one day find himself behind the wheel of one of the fastest cars in Indy Lights, roaring down the track at a couple of hundred miles an hour?

At a young age, Neil Alberico learned what he wanted to be: a race car driver. But as many young boys eventually outgrow their infatuation with fast cars, Neil grew into his. He was soon driving anything with wheels that moved fast, from motorcycles to go-karts, and is now a respected Indy Lights driver under Rising Star Racing.

“We first approached Neil because he was fast and flamboyant behind the wheel of a car.

Neil is much more than that. Outside of the car, we found a young man of character and a sense of caring,” recalls Art Wilmes, founder of Rising Star Racing. “I think his most special traits are those gained from his Filipino heritage. As I learn more about the culture of the Philippines and its welcoming people, I see that influence in Neil. Neil is just a race car driver when he is

in the car. He is just a special person when he is outside of the car. That is the Filipino within him.”

As a driver, Neil is fast, always has been.

But he has also been unwilling to take shortcuts, play dirty, even if other drivers sometimes do. Falling back on his values, he understands being competitive also carries a certain responsibility to do things the right way. And that is how he is going to compete, cleanly and with honor.

Every passion carries a price, and unlike in other sports where you can just pick up a ball, bat or gloves and walk to the nearest rec center and play, car racing—especially open-wheel —is an expensive sport. For the past couple of years, Neil and his team have been traveling for face-to-face meetings with sponsors across America and in the Philippines to support his dream of driving IndyCar. It is an expensive dream, one that will take tremendous effort on and off the track to achieve. But Neil is both determined and fearless, and has the example of a strong, tireless mother to keep him going.

Fil-Am driver Neil Alberico sits proudly atop his vehicle before a race.

THE Jiu-Jitsu Federation of the Philippines (JJFP) continues its avowed goal to band together all jiu-jitsu clubs in the country and elevate the level of the sport in the country.

The JJFP is the National Sports Association (NSA) for jiu-jitsu in the Philippines. It was formed in 2015 and is the duly accredited by the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC), the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC), the Ju-Jitsu Asian Union (JJAU) and Ju-Jitsu International Federation (JJIF) It is led by set of officers which include experienced sports management professionals, successful businessmen and most importantly accomplished and respected leaders in the jiujitsu community.

Its president is Ramon “Choy” Cojuangco, its vice president Jason Lim and secretary-general Ferdinand Agustin.

The JJFP has numerous accomplishments. It won titles in various international tournaments, including the Asian Beach Games and Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games.

It now counts over 2,000 member athletes spread all over the archipelago, a testament to the steadily growing pickup of the sport by the Filipinos.

Jiu-jitsu is making its way to the mainstream consciousness like other combats sports karate and taekwondo. With this JJFP underscored it commitment to further enhance the growth of the sport in the country while encouraging more people to consider it as something worth doing.

“The federation is open to all jiu-jitsu teams in the Philippines to join us as members. They just have to fulfill the requirements as mandated by the POC,” said TJ Sulit, JJFP assistant secretarygeneral, during the press conference hosted by the federation last March 28.

The association detailed how far it has come since being formed and its plans to move forward.

“Our goal has always been to form a strong team composed of the best athletes available who we hope to continue to get from our selections,” he said.

The JJFP has 25 national team members right now, which include multiple international gold medal winner Meggie Ochoa, Annie Ramirez, Kaila Napolis, Gian Dee, Marc Lim, and Apryl Eppinger.

JJFP said 2018 is going to be a busy year for the federation as it sets its sights on the Asian Games in August in Indonesia, where jiu-jitsu will be played for the first time.

Beore that our national team is set to compete in the Abu Dhabi World Professional JiuJitsu Championships, April 1629; Los Angeles, Jiu-Jitsu World League, May 19; and JJIF 2018 European Championships, June 8-10.

The federation is also preparing or the the Manila Southeast Asian Games next year.

A8

SUNDAY, APRIL 8, 2018 Riera U. Mallari, Editor

Sports

Reuel Vidal, Issue Editor sports_mstandard@yahoo.com

WINDSURFER FINDS NEW WATER SPORTS CALLING

Arlie Juarez, a windsurfing star for the Philippine team during the 1990s, is now a certified driving instructor.

By Lito Cinco

A

RLIE Juarez, a former national windsurfer in the 1990s, participated in three Southeast Asian Games in 1995, 1997 and 2001, bagging bronze medals in the 1995 and 1997 editions.

He was also a gold-medal winner in the Presidents’Cup Windsurfing International Championships in 1997.

When he returned to competition in 2015 for the RS 1 World Windsurfing Championship held at the Taal lake, he found out he still had it as he settled

for second in the Masters’ Class.

“I should have won the gold because the winner was eventually disqualified, but the organizers never got to change the standings. But it’s not a problem with me,” said Juarez, who is now based in Anilao in Mabini, Batangas, where the present national windsurfing team members are based.

From time to time, he meets with these up-and-coming windsurfers.

“My dream is to become a coach.

I want to share all the things I have learned in windsurfing to those young athletes, but the problem is it will be difficult to live on the salary of a national coach if I make it a full-time job, so I just help them from time to time.

What I take pride in is the fact that a lot of my former windsurfing teammates have also become certified divers and instructors and I was the one who helped them get their certifications,” said Juarez.

A diving course will cost a diver over half a million pesos to take and complete, but with his courses sponsored by the Ayala family, Juarez charges only P27,000 for a three-day open water course, P18,000 for a twoday advanced rescue diving course and P85,000 for a monthlong dive master course.

With this, he has a good reason to maintain his present job that has brought him to some of the the best diving sites in the Philippines in the company of personalities and celebrities, including Prince Albert of Monaco and Prince Andrew of England, Manny Pacquiao, Luis Manzano, the Sorianos and the Ayalas, among others.

“During our time in the 1990s, it was very difficult to become a national team member, you need to beat the top ones like Richard Paz, whom I also helped to become a certified diver. I peaked in the mid 1990s and as a

heavyweight in windsurfing, I was on top of my class. But I could not afford to stop my work because I was still sending my two daughters to college in New York,” added Juarez.

As a dive master, he rates his home waters in Anilao as the best diving spot because of the wide variety of marine life there, plus the fact that it is near Manila. He also included as among the best diving sites the Tubbataha Reef, which is already a heritage site; the Apo Reef which has the the second largest coral reef in the world; and the Verde Island Passage, described as the center of the center of marine biodiversity with more than 2,000 species.

Eventually, Juarez would like to settle down with his daughters in the United States, but before that, he intends to enjoy the waters here as long as he can, teaching and guiding others in the sport.

GAZPROM’S FOOTBALL FOR FRIENDSHIP LAUNCHED GAZPROM, official partner of FIFA and the 2018 FIFA World Cup, announced the opening of the Sixth Season of the Football for Friendship International Children’s Social Project, launched in Philippines for the first time.

The goal of the programme is to involve the young generation throughout the world in promoting the most important human values among their peers—friendship, equality, peace

and respect for different cultures and nationalities.

The Football for Friendship Open Draw was held in Moscow. The program has expanded from 64 countries in 2017 to 211 countries and regions in 2018.

Some 32 International Teams of Friendship were formed during the Open Draw, as well as playing roles for each Young Player from each country (goalkeeper, defender, midfielder or forward) were determined. These 32 teams will compete at the Football for Friendship World Championship on June 12.

As per the Open Draw, the young ambassador from Philippines will play as a “midfielder” in the International Team of Friendship. The final events of the season will be held in Moscow, Russia from June 8 to 15.

The teams are organized using the “football for friendship” principle—athletes of different nationalities, different genders and different physical abilities will play in one team. Age of players is 12. Each International mixed Team of Friendship will be trained by Young Coaches - football players of 14-16 year olds from different countries.

More than 5,000 media from around the world will cover the programe events, as well as the F4F International Children’s Press Center, consisting of young 12-year-old journalists from 211 countries and regions.

National selections of participants who will become Young Ambassadors of peace, friendship and equality in their countries have started all over the world.

The day after the Football for Friendship World Championship, Young Ambassadors will meet at the most important event—The Sixth International Football for Friendship Children’s Forum, where they will discuss ways of promoting the programme’s key values across the globe.

During the International Friendship Camp, Young Players under the guidance

The teams are organized using the “football for friendship” principle—athletes of different nationalities, genders and physical abilities will play in one team.

of Young Coaches and under the supervision of famous players will be learning of F4F key values in the Nine Values School.

The UN considers this initiative as a unique educational programme.

As an ecological initiative of Football for Friendship all the 32 International Teams of Friendship named after endangered animals of all the continents of the world.

“The 6th season of the International children’s social programme Football for Friendship is officially open. This year, F4F is supported by 211 countries and regions! For the very first time, young athletes from all parts of the world where football is played will meet on the same field. We live in an age where people all over the world seek to unite behind the principles of equality and respect for each other. The project is a crucial element in this process. Football for Friendship gives that opportunity to everyone,” said Viktor Zubkov. Chairman of the Board of Directors of PJSC Gazprom.

“We were glad to support this unique

initiative from our FIFA partner Gazprom,” said Fatma Samoura, FIFA Secretary General.

“The forum is a perfect example of how football can be used to open doors for girls and boys from all backgrounds, a mission that FIFA supports actively.”

Speaking on the collaboration of Team Socceroo Football Club with the Football for Friendship Program, Michael Reyes, Managing Director, Team Socceroo Football Club said: “The 6th Gazprom Football for Friendship being held in collaboration with FIFA is an event that brings together children from 211 countries and regions. We are delighted to support the programme and will be nominating two young students from Philippines to participate in the programme in Moscow in June. We look forward to these young children becoming a part of a global movement of football for peace.”

The video version of the Open Draw is available on the F4F official YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/ user/FOOTBALL4FRIENDSHIP.

Jennifer Rosales hopes to help produce another champion golfer in the future.

ROSALES PAYS GOLF BACK WITH JRO CUP TWO-TIME LPGA winner Jennifer Rosales gathers 40 of the country’s leading and rising juniors players for the JRo Cup unfolding Tuesday (April 10) at Wack Wack Golf and Country Club in Mandaluyong City.

Unlike in the first JRo Cup that featured only the top 20 junior girls, the second edition will now include the boys in a Ryder Cup-style event with Rosales, now retired from active play, hoping to inspire the youth by providing them a tournament that will pit their talent and skills in a different kind of format.

“When I retired a couple of years ago and decided to get certified teaching, I told myself that I would want to help our golfers here,” said Rosales, the first Filipina to win on the LPGA Tour in 2004 in Georgia. She annexed her second crown in Hawaii the following year.

“I just want to inspire and motivate them and it’s time for me to give back teach them what I know,” said Rosales.

“When I was going to turn pro and wanting someone to talk to about it, I really didn’t have anyone to go to, so I figured things out for myself.

“So I told myself that when I retire, I will help our golfers to make that transition that’s why I decided to teach…I want to inspire more girls to play golf and I know we have so much talent here. It’s just a matter of showing them the right path and all about working hard and discipline,” she added.

The new format will give the select field a different kind of feel in competition play with Rosales adding: “I want it to be different and for them to have fun and enjoy the game.”

Through the backing of Callaway and Kit Dichaves, Rosales hopes to make the event, which starts at 10 a.m., an annual affair.

“My goal here is for all the participants to have fun and enjoy the game. I want the Class C and D girls and boys players to learn from those ranked in Classes A and B, that’s why I paired them against each other,” said Rosales.

B1

G

SUNDAY, APRIL 8, 2018

Business

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

THE RISE OF ASEAN DIGITAL COMPANIES

COCA-COLA EMPOWERS FILIPINA RETAILERS

RAB’S acquisition of the Southeast Asian business of California-based ridesharing services provider Uber highlighted the emergence of Asean digital companies with global aspirations.

“The spirit of entrepreneurship and innovation is very strong in Southeast Asia,” says Mai-Lan Tomsen Bukovec, vice president and general manager of Amazon S3, Amazon Web Services’ object storage service.

Bukovec is the keynote speaker during the AWS Summit 2018 on April 4 where 10,000 participants, including 6,000 who trooped to Singapore Expo and 4,000 who tuned in to the livestream event, learned more about the latest technologies such as the cloud, digital transformation, artificial intelligence, machine learning and deep learning.

“There is digital transformation happening all over the world. It is all based for the most part on AWS. Right here in Asia, we have many different enterprises that are working on this journey of digital transformation,” says Bukovec.

AWS, the cloud-computing arm of Amazon. com, encourages companies to shift from onpremise IT infrastructure in the form of expensive servers and adopt its cloud solutions. It offers more than 130 services to startups and companies, including computing, storage, database, networking and application development as well as the latest solutions on analytics, Internet of Things, artificial intelligence, voice recognition, image recognition, machine learning and virtual and augmented reality.

AWS, which launched its first storage service called S3 in 2006, is the fastest technology company in history to hit $10 billion in annual run rate. “Today, AWS is a $20-billion run rate business, growing at 45 percent year-on-year.

We have millions of active customers on the platform every single month. In the last two years, we opened offices in the Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam and most recently Indonesia.

We are putting teams in place to work with customers and partners to benefit from AWS. We see this record adoption of the Internet in Asean.

We have more than four million net new users that are joining and connecting to the Internet every single month,” says Nick Walton, managing director of AWS in Asean.

Asean, a group of 10 Southeast Asian countries with a combined population of over 600 million, is now home to several unicorns or highly successful digital companies such as Grab, Iflix, Lazada, Go Jek, Traveloka and Tokopedia which are also AWS clients.

“There are new companies that are evolving from day one. We have seen a lot of interesting, large startups across the region. Everyone is talking about—Go Jek, Grab, Traveloka, Tokopedia and so on, but what is interesting I think is the next batch of startups that are coming through,” says Walton.

“They are not in the scale that big unicorns are. But we heard about Hellodoc which is a startup from Indonesia providing health services through their platform. We know companies like Shoppr in Malaysia who are using AWS to analyze 10 million images a day, helping provide fashion advice,” he says.

Unicorns “I expect that in a couple years time, there should be another 15 to 20 unicorns in Southeast Asia. What we focus on in AWS is working with startups, both big and small, and helping set them up to be successful,” says Walton.

Walton says there is also a good set of

Coca-Cola 5by20 Star program graduate Carmelita Aspiras looks after her sari-sari store, which grew after she applied her learnings from the program.

Executives of Amazon Web Services lead a panel discussion during the AWS Summit Singapore.

startups coming from the Philippines. “Coins. ph is the obvious one that is a real standout. But again, there is another batch of startups that are off the radar at the moment, but have good ideas—real smart, good entrepreneurs, ambitious entrepreneurs who run on AWS. Not all of them will be successful, but some will which is exciting,” says Walton.

Greg Meehan, partner and vice president for sales of Supahands, says AWS enables their Kuala Lumpur-based company to reach out to remote employees and clients. “Supahands is a platform that connects large remote elastic workforce across Southeast Asia to businesses globally. It can scale out and scale back in, depending on our clients’ demand. We call our remote workers super agents. We have 2,000 super agents working on the platform primarily located in Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines as well,” Meehan says.

“We started in 2014. Originally, we were a virtual assistant app. After a couple of years in 2016, the company realized that there were larger requests that were coming through and more frequently. From there, we have grown to work with large multinationals in Malaysia, Singapore, across the world actually. The way we use AWS is it is completely scaleable. You only pay for what you actually use,” says Meehan.

Ricky Dagelet, chief executive of Manila-based E-Science, says AWS also supports the operations

of their company. “We are an innovation company specialized in mobile technologies. We were founded in 2000. So it is almost our 19th year.

Right now, we are specializing in mobile solutions for enterprise market. It is ideal for companies who have mobile field force, with big sales organizations, companies with a lot of field representatives that collect data from the field,” says Dagelet. E-Science plans to expand to other Southeast Asian countries.

Walton says aside from startups, large traditional companies also take on the journey of digital transformation. “All companies need to become increasingly digital. This is what we have seen in the transformation of large enterprises. We need to be competitive. We need to serve better, because our customers expectation increase,” he says.

“Companies like Globe Telecom definitely get that and understand that customer expectations continue to increase. That is why Globe uses AWS to drive innovation and to deliver new services to their mobile customers and drive loyalty and new customer growth,” says Walton.

Santanu Dutt, head of solutions architecture of AWS for Malaysia and the Philippines, says Southeast Asia is a big market for AWS. “We had startups like Grab and Supahands of Malaysia, Coins.ph of the Philippines and other startups adopting us for their digital journey. But in the Turn to B2

Hundreds of engineers, IT executives, builders and developers from Asean attend the AWS Summit.

ODYSSEY FOUNDATION DEVELOPS 2,800 MICRO ENTREPRENEURS ANECITA C. Manayon, a 50-year-old street vendor in Dalandanan, Valenzuela City, saw her income rise after learning how to produce processed food products under a livelihood program provided by Odyssey Foundation Inc., the corporate social responsibility arm of CDO-Foodsphere Inc. “I used to sell only dried fish and vegetables. But when I learned how to produce siomai, empanada, embotido and other processed food products, I am now selling more products in Valenzuela City. My income also increased, thanks to Odyssey Foundation,” said Manayon.

Manayon is one of the 2,800 beneficiaries of Odyssey Foundation’s Gabay Hanapbuhay livelihood program which turned them into micro entrepreneurs. The program equips mostly poor parents with entrepreneurial skills so that they can earn additional income for their families.

It trains beneficiaries on cosmetology, facial treatment, food processing, fancy jewelry making, dishwashing liquid and soap making, massage therapy,

cosmetology, fancy accessories design, beads making and water lily weaving.

OFI also provides starter kits to selected participants following assessment and evaluation.

The program was created to help parents overcome economic problems such as inadequate household income, unemployment and malnutrition of children.

Gina Briones, a 49-year-old housewife

in Malanday, Valenzuela City, now earns more from selling embotido to her neighbors, after receiving training on meat processing under Gabay Buhay.

“After the training, I received orders from my neighbors who liked my embotido. I am now able to save, if there are many orders. Even my children now spend less in school, because I personally prepare their lunch,” she said.

Helen Sumayang, a 47-year-old

housewife in Barangay Pasolo, Valenzuela City, said the training on massage therapy now enables her to earn. “My neighbors and friends know that I have been well trained and call me if they need massage.

I earn P200 to P300 per message. This means additional income for my family,” she said.

The livelihood program started on Oct. 8, 2011 in Barangay Maysan, Valenzuela with 142 parent participants under the first batch, according to Odyssey Foundation president Jerome Ong. Parents of undernourished children in Valenzuela City, home to the headquarters of CDO Foodsphere, were the initial beneficiaries to complement OFI’s supplemental feeding program called Gabay Nutrisyon.

The program spread to other parts of Luzon amid the overwhelming response of community leaders. Different barangays in Caloocan City, Malabon City, Quezon City, Bulacan and Malvar, Batangas also benefited from the succeeding batches of the livelihood program.

WHEN Carmelita Aspiras opened her sari-sari store in 2012 to help fund her youngest son’s college education, she struggled to keep the business afloat. During her store’s first two years, she toiled with constantly depleting inventory and increasing debts.

However, things began to change in 2015 when Carmelita joined the Coca-Cola 5by20 Sari-Sari Store Training and Access to Resources or Star program. Here, she underwent training on business professionalism, planning, and management which helped her conquer financial barriers and improve her small enterprise.

“When I joined the Coke 5by20, I didn’t expect the positive effect it would have in my life. We really enjoyed our training because we learned a lot and experienced so many new things that we didn’t expect we would ever go through in our lives,” she says.

Carmelita is just one of ove r 1 3 0 , 0 0 0 wo m e n m i c ro entrepreneurs that Coca-Cola has helped through the Star program since it was established in 2011. In line with the global campaign, the program aims to empower 200,000 Filipinas by 2020.

With a growing number of participants in the STAR program, Coca-Cola Philippines decided to measure its impact among the trainees, conducting a research from 2015 to 2017 comprised of five waves of surveys among 500 graduates.

The training proved to be highly beneficial for Carmelita as she easily put into practice her learnings like applying correct mark-up prices to products and paying attention to customer preferences and competition. According to the 5by20 Impact Report, 97 percent of the Star program participants found the training useful while 98 percent of them applied their learnings to their business.

Upon using these newly-acquired skills, Carmelita also became a part of the 96 percent of women who reported business growth in their sari-sari stores and whose income, revenue and inventory size increased by 12 percent, 17 percent and 20 percent, respectively.

Now, with a thriving sari-sari store business, Carmelita moves forward with entrepreneurial confidence, applying her learnings beyond the store, to other supplementary ventures such as selling home-cooked meals, offering made-to-order Filipino desserts and baked goods, and even selling clothes and shoes. She funds her side projects with income from her sari-sari store business to continuously invest towards a more stable financial future.

Just as Carmelita now sees a clear path towards her goal of financial success, 65 percent of the Star microentrepreneurs are also confident of their future financial stability, substantially rising by 32 percent compared to the base line survey in 2015.

The Star program was launched

by Co c a - Co l a P h i l i p p i n e s t o complement the 5by20 global initiative of the brand which aims to empower 5 million women by 2020.

Implemented in partnership with the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, the program has become one of the most responsive and inclusive advocacies in the region which equips women micro-entrepreneurs with the necessary knowledge to achieve economic stability by giving them access to training, resources, and peer mentoring.

Business

B2

SUNDAY, APRIL 8, 2018 business@manilastandard.net

EXPERTS PUSH FOR LAW ON OPEN DATA A M U LT I - S E C TO R A L forum of scientists, academics, government and civil society experts are pushing for a new law that provides open access to data that are crucial in responding to disasters.

Dr. Alfredo Mahar Lagmay, a professor at the National Institute of Geological Sciences, University of the Philippines, presented the findings of his study entitled “An Open Data Law for Climate Resilience and Disaster Risk Reduction” at a forum organized by independent think tank Stratbase Albert del Rosario Institute last week.

Prof. Dindo Manhit, president of Stratbase ADRi, said while strides have been made on disaster preparedness since super typhoon Haiyan hit the country in 2013, the study remains highly relevant with the frequency of natural disasters hitting the country every year.

“We’re one of the most vulnerable countries to the effects of climate change, as well as other natural disasters, owing mainly to our geographical location. Worse, the consequence of these disasters is aggravated by poor infrastructure, which is more pronounced in the countr yside, where, tragically, calamities more frequently occur,” he said.

Lagmay cited an incident d u r i n g t h e re s c u e o p e ra t i o n s following the 2006 landslide in Saint Bernard, Southern Leyte, as a testament to the life-saving potential of freely available data in disaster response.

“It was one of the biggest landslides in the world in the past century, and for so many days a 2,000-man search and rescue team tried to look for one barangay—Guinsaugon, particularly an elementary school.

There was word that came out there was a teacher who texted saying that they were still there, alive, with 400 children,” he said.

The school, which was supposedly buried under 30 meters of rubble, actually had a GPS point that could’ve been used to aid rescuers, Lagmay said.

“We knew there was available data but the GPS point was only given on the seventh day after the request, and so the rescue efforts failed. More than 1,000 died,” he said.

Lagmay said that after studying disasters like the Saint Bernard landslide and related policies, the need for an open data approach emerged, he said. “We must have open access. We must have open knowledge, open science, and open government,” he said.

Lysander Castillo, secretar y general of the Philippine Business for Environmental Stewardship, cited the importance of institutionalizing a law on open data to push government agencies to the right direction.

“We have manpower challenges, technology challenges, capacity challenges and that’s where having a law is an advantage,” Castillo said.

THE...

From B1 last few years, we have also seen a lot of large enterprises adopting us for agility and innovation,” he says.

“Singapore Airlines is using us for digital transformation. AirAsia handles 10 million customers to 40 million customers every week. Petronas is running their system on us. Globe in the Philippines runs 50 percent of their workloads on AWS platform. It has been a very good market for us, and that is why we have invested a lot in terms of resources,” Dutt says.

Disruptor “AWS has leveled the playing field.

If you look at 15 years ago, to start a platform and be a global disruptor, you would need a lot of cash and capital investment to have a global presence. Today, what you need to do is pick up a button and start up your own server and go on from there across the 100 plus services that are available to startups. That sort of levels the playing field because they have access to the same APIs [application programming interface],

MALAYSIAN TRADERS NOW KEEN ON PH MARKET

Malaysian Trade Minister YB Dato’ Sri Mustapa Mohamed

By Othel V. Campos

M

alaysian traders are now more optimistic about doing business with Filipino entrepreneurs.

Malaysian Trade Minister YB Dato’ Sri Mustapa Mohamed says the Philippines’ growing population, now at more than 100 million, and fast rising economic growth which is forecast to average 6.2 percent annually between 2018 and 2020, offer enormous opportunities to expand bilateral trade and investments.

“Despite being Malaysia’s fourth largest trading partner among Asean countries, I feel that our trade has not reached its full potential. In comparison with other Asean countries, our bilateral trade with the Philippines is relatively modest, and hence more vigorous efforts and marketing activities need to be undertaken to further stimulate stronger growth of trade,” he says.

Mohammed attended the recently concluded Malaysia Promotion Programme, a significant initiative, brought by the Malaysian government and private sector together as a National Blue Ocean Strategy , to promote and enhance Malaysia’s brand and visibility as an ideal trade, investment and tourism destination.

The Philippines was chosen as the first country in Asean for the program which was held on March 11 to 18. It kicked off with a Malaysian food fair dubbed as Citarasa Malaysia.

Malaysia considers the Philippines as the perfect choice for the first MPP. “The expanding economy and the introduction of more business friendly policies by the Philippines government will create huge opportunities and incentives for Malaysian companies to venture and expand their presence in the country,” Mohamed says.

“Economic sectors such as construction and building materials, ICT, healthcare, hotel and tourism, banking, legal services and franchise are among those targeted for investments by Malaysian companies and I would like to take

the same platform that global players have. In a sense, our platform is democratizing access to high-end technology, from small startups to largest players equally,” says Dutt.

AWS encourages all companies in the region, including the largest banks, to bring their legacy applications from servers or data centers located in their own offices to the cloud and adopt the latest technologies to cut cost, boost productivity of employees, capture the target market more efficiently and serve customers better. Dutt says DBS, one of the largest banks in Asean, is already embracing the cloud.

Bukovec says that with the help of AWS, “the stock exchange in Thailand built a whole new online trading platform that handles a hundred thousand users at its peak and they did it in eight months.”

She says in Indonesia, Kumparan, the country’s first hybrid media platform, takes professional journalism and combines it with user-generated content to deliver millions of reads to customers.

In Singapore, Challenger, a consumer electronics retail chain, uses the AWS platform to bring together over 38 physical retail stores with Hachi.tech,

this opportunity to express my gratitude to the Philippines government for continuing to facilitate Malaysian investors in the country,” he says.

Malaysia achieved record performance with 19.4-percent growth to $412.1 billion in 2017.

Exports reached $217.4 billion last year.

The trade performance helped Malaysia’s economy achieve a growth of 5.9 percent, higher than the expected target set by the government and international financial institutions.

Mohamed says the trade performance and economic growth were the results of the right and effective economic policies that have been put in place to facilitate businesses to prosper and expand both in the domestic and international markets.

“In the context of our regional and bilateral trade, Asean accounts for the largest export market with 29 percent of our global exports going into the region. The Philippines remains an important market and trading partner for Malaysia’s export,” he says.

Malaysian exports to the Philippines grew 21.2 percent in 2017 to $3.85 billion while bilateral trade also grew 26.1 percent to $5.94 billion.

“One of the areas that we should focus on and develop strategies to expand bilateral trade is on e-commerce. Asean is among the biggest e-commerce adopters in the region but online sales in the region are still very low as compared to other global markets such as China, USA and Europe,” Mohamed says.

Data from A.T. Kearney show that online sales in Asean only account for about 2 percent of global e-commerce transactions but the potential of growth is very huge as more online users, especially the young population, are getting on board and will be the key drivers for e-commerce in the future.

Malaysia has established a strategic alliance with Alibaba to develop the world’s first Digital Free Trade Zone to facilitate and bring more SMEs into exporting their products and services in the global markets.

DFTZ will provide physical and virtual zones to facilitate SMEs to capitalize on the convergence of exponential growth of the internet economy and

their online e-commerce site, she says.

Singapore Airlines, one of the world’s most awarded airline companies, is in the middle of digital transformation on AWS platform, according to Bukovec.

George Wang, senior vice president for IT at Singapore Airlines, confirms this, saying digital transformation “requires a concerted effort across the company from top management all the way to frontline staff.”

“We need to reimagine the customer journey, the way we sell to customer, the way we serve the customer, the way we offer it and the way we enable our employees,” Wang says. “From all these services and innovations with AWS, we are able to achieve 16 times faster than before. We have also reduced the footprint of our data center to one quarter of its original size mainly due to our strategy of going to cloud.”

Partners AW S r e c e n t l y r e c o g n i z e d i t s o u t s t a n d i n g p a r t n e r s i n As e a n , including Accenture which received the Partner of the Year – Consulting Partner award for its work in Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines; Malaysia’s GoQuo as the Par tner of the Year-Technology Partner for building solutions for customers

cross-border e-commerce activities.

“Under Asean, we have developed a masterplan on Asean ICT and connectivity to support the e-commerce ecosystem and infrastructure. We are also in the process of finalizing the Asean Agreement on E-commerce which will further streamline regulations to promote greater digital connectivity and lower operating barriers to entry for businesses in Asean,” Mohamed says.

“I also understand that the Philippines and other Asean countries have developed their own digital strategies and e-commerce roadmap and as such, the private sector particularly the SMEs in Asean should be assisted and urged to adopt e-commerce in their exporting strategy,” he says.

The Malaysian official acknowledges the immense potential for Malaysia and the Philippines bilateral trade and investment relations to expand in view of the greater economic integration under AEC and the strong growth on economic potential in both countries.

The Philippines is also bullish to bring out the country’s best brands out to Malaysia and the rest of the world, in support of big and small Filipino entrepreneurs, with special emphasis on increasing Halal certification for most Philippine products and brands.

Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez says Halal certification will open up a larger market for Filipino enterprises that are going overseas.

“There’s a bigger market out there if we intensify our campaign to have as many industries, companies and products to go for Halal certification. The global market for Halal products and services is at $3.3 trillion and where we’re at, we’re not even close to scratching the surface,” Lopez says.

Lopez says the government is optimistic that more Filipino companies will soon have their presence in the mainstream Malaysian market on top of the big Filipino brands Petron Corp., San Miguel Corp. and Universal Robina Corp.

“We want more exposure. We continue to participate in Malaysia International Halal Showcase because this venue really promotes Philippine Halal-certified products. And if we are successful in this, we expect more and more products to be Halal-certified,” Lopez says.

across Asean on advanced AWS services; Singapore’s 1CloudStar as the Specialized Partner for providing critical solutions built on the AWS cloud for customers across Asean; Singapore’s Source Pte Ltd. as Rising Star Partner for ramping up on their local capabilities and capacity; and Thailand’s DailiTech as Innovation Partner for the innovative use of AWS services to create solutions for customers, using advanced machine learning technologies like Amazon SageMaker and Amazon Lex. Other Asean clients now using AWS cloud solutions include Singtel, MediaCorp, Ayala Land, PayMaya, Globe Telecom, Sunday Insurance, Halodoc, Bhineka, Momo, Link, Central Technology Organization, Carmudi, Knorex, Eatigo and FinAccel.

Craig Stires, head of analytics, big data and AI of AWS in Asia-Pacific, says companies need to keep up with the rapid pace of technology advancement.

“If you look back three years ago, this idea of self-driving cars seemed kinda far-fetched. There was a lot of uncertainty around it. What we are seeing is that there has been a lot of progress. Companies are moving faster and faster. The idea of drones delivering

products, five years ago, sounded like science fiction. That is now a real thing, as we have Amazon Prime Air and deliveries happen across the UK. These things that seemed kinda far-fetched or seemed like science fiction are now happening,” he says.

Stires, a data analyst who helped the Bureau of Internal Revenue in the Philippines develop a system to track tax evaders, says AWS helps companies, both big and small, to have an equal access to the latest technologies.

“Very small companies, organizations that have two or three people with great idea have access to the same kind of technologies that are available to the very high end. All of these technologies that we built over 20 years, we have released those as commercial offerings, so that every developer, whatever their skill sets, could have access to the very high end of the AI,” says Stires who also worked as a dive instructor in Palawan several years back.

Bukovec says she expects more startups and companies in Asean to become successful on the global stage.

“I can’t wait to see what the builders of Southeast Asia will do next. And AWS will be with you every step of the way,” she says. Roderick T. dela Cruz

Tech & Gadgets

B3

SUNDAY, APRIL 8, 2018 rumallari@thestandard.com.ph

VIVO V9 LEADS FUTURE IN MOBILE TECHNOLOGY UPGRADE YOUR EVERYDAY AESTHETIC WITH SONY'S H.EAR SERIES The Vivo has a dedicated team of designers to create AR Stickers effects for the V9. These stickers are specifically designed for different markets according to local culture.

G

LOBAL smartphone brand Vivo has made its mark in the mobile industry with its trailblazing innovations.

For instance, it was the first to introduce smartphones with an incredible 24-megapixel front camera in the V7 and the V7+ as a response to the growing, influential presence of the selfie generation.

Vivo continues leading the pack Enjoyable AR Stickers with the launch of its new flagship The AR Stickers, meanwhile, provides smartphone, the V9. various effects to put some flair in every Remarkable AI Photography selfie to encourage each Vivo V9 user to The Vivo V9 has powered up its use express themselves. The new flagship of artificial intelligence to enhance its smartphone has over 40+ built in AR already topnotch photography. The Stickers to choose from. new flagship smartphone has a 24MP Boundless front camera and 16MP + 5MP dual FullView™ Display rear camera. But each shot is improved Without sacrificing its compact dewith AI technology including Face sign, the V9 features a 6.3-inch screen Beauty, High Dynamic Range, selfie with a 19:9 aspect ratio. Its screen size lighting, bokeh algorithm, and Aug- is 5.2% higher than the previous flagmented Reality Stickers capabilities. ship smartphone, the V7+. Vivo also Extraordinary reduced the side bezels by 19% to a AI Face Beauty mere 1.75mm. These bezel reduction The AI Face Beauty uses a database means a higher screen-to-body ratio of almost one million facial images of almost 90% for an unparalleled from all over the to determine users’ viewing experience. age, sex, skin tone, and texture--even Upgraded Game Mode surrounding lighting scenarios. This But Vivo has some more tricks up feature also saves a user’s customized its sleeve. Known for being a gamersettings to automatically apply them friendly smartphone, Vivo has upgradfor the next photo sessions. ed its Game Mode features that will

The Vivo V9 delivers AI-powered photography and mobile experience with a 90% screento-body FullView™ Display.

allow gamers to block background notifications, reject calls, among other capabilities.

The Vivo V9 is powered by the latest Android 8.1 OS and is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 626 octa-core processor, 4GB RAM and 64 ROM. Along with the Smart Engine, which intelligently allocates and optimizes processing resources according to your needs, the V9 ensures smooth and seamless

experiences for gamers.

The AI Game Mode of Vivo V9 also allows gamers to talk to people while they are still playing their favorite gaming applications as long as they are connected to the Wi-Fi. It also has a Picture-In-Picture feature that allows gamers to use social messaging applications even in the middle of a play.

Vivo V9 also has an improved gaming keyboard, which is a mini version of the TouchPal Keyboard.

GET OPPO F5 AT P1,O00 OFF ON A LIMITED-TIME OFFER OPPO’s best-selling smartphone F5, which features the first Artificial Intelligence Beauty Technology in a smartphone, is now even more attractive with a limited-time discount of P1,000.

With A.I. Beauty Technology, selfies are rendered more natural by analyzing more than 260 facial points in the subject’s face.

The F5 is equipped with a 6”FHD+ Full Screen display, allowing a bigger and more immersive screen with the same footprint of a 5.5” smartphone.

Along with a powerful octa-core processor and 4GB RAM for seamless multi-tasking, photography is also highlighted with a 20MP front-facing

camera and a 16MP f/1.8 aperture rear camera for a crisp and vibrant shooting experience.

“We encourage our customers to take the opportunity to avail of our limited-time price discount for the best-selling OPPO F5. Its overall appealing package highlighting its superior selfie features is ideal for anyone this season,” said Eason de Guzman, OPPO Philippines’ Public Relations Manager.

The limited-time price offer will run from April 6 to 9 at all OPPO authorized stores and resellers nationwide. For more exciting updates, visit OPPO Philippines’ Facebook page at https:// www.facebook.com/OPPOPH/.

WHAT sets the h.ear series apart from the rest of Sony’s audio products is its sleek and simple design.

With an array of colors to choose from, there are endless possibilities to complement your everyday aesthetic. Inspired by the latest color and fashion trends and incorporating Sony’s enhanced audio performance, premium high-resolution sound has never looked this good.

Colors speak louder than words The h.ear series immediately catches your eye with trendy and soft colors.

These colors were chosen from the latest fashion trends in the past few years by Sony designer, Satoshi Aoyagi.

They are meant to express the style of the user and to compliment his/her aesthetic. Styles vary from soft pastel colors such as Twilight Red and Pale Gold to basic clean colors such as the classic Grayish Black and Moonlit Blue.

The designers considered the roles each of these colors would fulfill and designed it in such a way that you can seamlessly add these devices to your everyday attire. These colors were not just made you look stylish, but to capture the individuality and personality of the user.

The perfect example of style meets function Sony has always been pushing the envelope when it comes to the design of their headphones and the h.ear series isn’t an exception. These headphones are more compact, and with a compact folding design that makes them easy to fit in a bag or coat pocket.

One might assume that with a compact design, the overall comfort of these headphones would be sacrificed, but that is not the case. The adjustability of every hinge and the retractable headband are there to give you the perfect fit, so you can showcase your stylish set of headphones with ease and comfort.

Stylish and Powerful Not only do these earphones look stylish and fashionable, but they pack a heavy punch with the compatibility of Sony Hi-Res Audio, which brings a new element to listening to your favorite tracks on the go. Listeners will be in trance with how great music sounds with a pair of these headphones that are equip the latest technology from Sony Personal Audio with top of the line digital noise cancelling features, a 40mm HD driver for dynamic range and titanium diaphragm domes to minimize distortions.

The WH-H900N, WH-H800, WI-H700, MDR-H600A and IER-H500A are currently available in Sony Centers and authorized dealers nationwide, in Horizon Green, Grayish Black, Twilight Red, Pale Gold and Moonlit Blue.

SAMSUNG, UCSF INTRODUCE MY LAB

New app leverages revolutionary optical sensor on the Galaxy S9 and S9+ to provide contextualized feedback about participants’ blood pressure and stress levels

BARCELONA, Spain—Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. and the University of California, San Francisco have announced the launch of My BP Lab, a jointly developed smartphone research app to help users monitor their blood pressure and stress levels and obtain personalized insights for improving their daily health.

My BP Lab leverages an innovative optical sensor available on the Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+, announced today, to provide users with richer, more accurate information about their health status. This optical sensor is built into the device, and allows blood pressure to be directly measured by the smartphone without any external hardware.

Users joining a program led by UCSF researchers will receive personalized, on-demand information regarding their stress and blood pressure levels throughout the day. One aim of the study is to optimize My BP Lab to provide contextualized and scientifically informed feedback, so users will be able to gain a better understanding of their stress and blood pressure levels and manage their health more effectively.

The study also further improves the accuracy of the blood pressure readings, by gathering data from thousands of users in real-world settings.

“At Samsung, we have a firm commitment to the health and well-being of our users,” said

Peter Koo, Senior VP and leader of the Health Service Team at Samsung Electronics. “That’s why we developed a revolutionary optical sensor in the Galaxy S9 and S9+. We are pleased to be partnering with UCSF to utilize this sensor and contribute to research that will provide our users with crucial and meaningful feedback about their health.”

Users who open the My BP Lab app will be invited to join a three-week UCSF research study that will track stress and how emotions experienced throughout the day affect your wellbeing. Participants will report on their behavior, including sleep, exercise, and diet, and will use the smartphone’s sensor to make blood pressure measurements throughout the day. Participants could learn, for example, what day of the week their stress levels were the highest, or how their sleep quality affected their blood pressure levels in the morning.

“This study could provide the largest dataset yet on stress, daily emotional experiences, and blood pressure,” said Wendy Berry Mendes, PhD, a professor of psychiatry at UCSF and the Director of the Emotion, Health, and Psychophysiology Lab. “Our partnership with Samsung could help people all over the world improve their health by managing stress.”

My BP Lab will be available to download from the Google Play Store on March 15. The program

is available for users in the United States who are eighteen years of age or older.

About Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. Samsung inspires the world and shapes the future with transformative ideas and technologies. The company is redefining the worlds of TVs, smartphones, wearable devices, tablets, digital appliances, network systems, and memory, system LSI, foundry and LED solutions. For the latest news, please visit the Samsung Newsroom at http://news.samsung.com.

About University of California, San Francisco UC San Francisco (UCSF) is a leading university dedicated to promoting health worldwide through advanced biomedical research, graduatelevel education in the life sciences and health professions, and excellence in patient care. It includes top-ranked graduate schools of dentistry, medicine, nursing and pharmacy; a graduate division with nationally renowned programs in basic, biomedical, translational and population sciences; and a preeminent biomedical research enterprise.

It also includes UCSF Health, which comprises topranked hospitals, UCSF Medical Center and UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals in San Francisco and Oakland—and other partner and affiliated hospitals and healthcare providers throughout the Bay Area. Please visit www.ucsf.edu/news.

B4

SUNDAY, APRIL 8, 2018 Riera U. Mallari, Editor rumallari@thestandard.com.ph

TECH & Gadgets

FACEBOOK TO VERIFY IDENTITIES FOR ADS ONLINE SHOPPING EASIER WITH SHOPEE MALL

Shown here is Facebook CEO and founder Mark Zuckerberg (left) and COO Sheryl Sandberg. Facebook announced that it will require any political ads on its platform to state who is paying for the message, and would verify the identity of the payer, in a bid to curb outside election interference. AFP

W

ASHINGTON —Facebook announced Friday it will require political ads on its platform to state who is paying for the message and would verify the identity of the payer, in a bid to curb outside election interference.

The social network, which is under fire for enabling manipulation of its platform in the 2016 election, said the new policy would require any messages for candidates or public issues to include the label “political ad” with the name of the person or entity paying for it.

Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg said the change will mean “we will hire thousands of more people”to get the new system in place ahead of US midterm elections in November.

“We’re starting this in the US and expanding to the rest of the world in the coming months,” Zuckerberg said on his Facebook page.

“These steps by themselves won’t stop all people trying to game the system. But they will make it a lot harder for anyone to do what the Russians did during the 2016 election and use fake accounts and pages to run ads.”

A separate Facebook statement

said the changes would help improve transparency and accountability of the network around political campaigns.

“We believe that when you visit a page or see an ad on Facebook, it should be clear who it’s coming from,” the statement said.

To get authorized by Facebook, “advertisers will need to confirm their identity and location,” the statement said.

“Advertisers will be prohibited from running political ads—electoral or issue-based—until they are authorized.”

Facebook made the announcement as Zuckerberg prepared to appear before Congress next week to answer questions about the harvesting of personal data on 87 million users

by Cambridge Analytica, a British political consultancy working for Donald Trump’s presidential campaign.

The move also comes amid concerns that Russian-sponsored entities delivered

Facebook ads designed to create discord and confusion ahead of the election and that firms like Cambridge Analytica created messages based on psychographic profiles gleaned from the platform to influence voters.

Sandberg’s apology

Separately, Facebook chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg offered fresh apologies to users for failing to do enough on privacy and data protection.

“We know that we did not do enough to protect people’s data,” Sandberg told National Public Radio.

“I’m really sorry for that. Mark is really sorry for that, and what we’re doing now is taking really firm action.”

Sandberg said Facebook first became aware in 2015 that Cambridge Analytica had obtained user data from a researcher who put up a poll on the social network.

“When we received word that this researcher gave the data to Cambridge Analytica, they assured us it was deleted,” she said.

“We did not follow up and confirm, and that’s on us—and particularly once they were active in the election,

we should have done that.”

Sandberg was asked by NBC television’s “Today Show” if other cases of user data misuse could be expected.

“We’re doing an investigation, we’re going to do audits and yes, we think it’s possible, that’s why we’re doing the audit,” she said.

Sandberg said Facebook also should have been more proactive in dealing with Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.

“That was something we should have caught, we should have known about,” she told NPR. “We didn’t. Now we’ve learned.”

The firestorm over the improper data shared has sparked calls for investigations on both sides of the Atlantic.

In Brussels, a European Union spokesman said Facebook confirmed that up to 2.7 million people in the EU may have been affected by the personal data scandal.

“We will study the letter [from Facebook] in more detail, but it is already clear that this will need further follow-up discussions with Facebook,” spokesman Christopher Wigand said. AFP

D-LINK AIMS TO ELEVATE PH IT EDUCATION

D-Link Network Engineer Jonel Rufila presents D-Link’s line of products at PSITE 20th National Convention.

REFLECTING its support for quality IT education in the Philippines, leading global supplier of networking products D-Link International Pte. Ltd. has entered into a partnership with the Philippine Society of Information Technology Educators Foundation Inc., the country’s largest organization of academic institutions, IT program heads, faculty members, corporate members and IT graduate students.

D-Link joined the PSITE annual National Convention held last February at The Mallberry Suites Business Hotel, Cagayan de Oro City.

The convention, which had the theme “Towards Intelligent PSITE @ 20,” gathered together 300 attendees

and 200 academic institutions from all over the country.

Besides bringing together stakeholders in IT education under one roof, the event looked into current developments and trends in intelligent education and e-learning, the role of digital arts, cloud computing, data mining and analytics, and the potential of machine learning.

D-Link’s future plans include supporting laboratory upgrades and projects for private and public schools by offering network upgrades. These upgrades will equip schools with the latest software technologies necessary to aid IT professors and instructors in educating their students.

More than half of IT students have been found to lack the necessary programming skills that will make them fit for employment after graduation, according to a study last year by the Philippine Software industry Association.

Poor access to new technologies that facilitate learning may be one of the reasons.

While there remains other factors to be addressed when it comes to improving IT education in the Philippines, this partnership with PSITE is a step forward in achieving that goal.

With the support from D-Link, the IT industry can look forward to having better equipped IT graduates who are ready for the professional world.

MY HOME CREDIT: YOUR LOAN IN YOUR PHONE HOME Credit Philippines, the fastest growing consumer finance company in the country, has officially launched their mobile app, My Home Credit.

Since its successful pilot launching last October 2017, the app has reached over 214k installs via Playstore.

This app by Global Fintech company Home Credit is an effective and innovative way of servicing their large customer base of over two million clients nationwide. There is no more need for paper bills—with the mobile app’s push notifications, they can now check their due dates and

receipts of successful payments.

Think of it as a digital loan assistant. Home Credit’s very own mobile app team ensured that from overview of loans, status and modes of payment, up to notifying them with the successful receipt—every detail about their loans is in the palm of their hands.

Not only that—since the Philippines is the fastest growing app market in Southeast Asia, HCPH is taking advantage of this opportunity to engage with its customers.

Imagine having one simple application as a touchpoint between the company and its customers—

convenient, isn’t it?

The app’s original features include the quick loan and payments overview and schedules, together with the app messages so customers will never miss a due date.

Recently, the mobile app team even added a chat feature for customers who prefer non-voice contact. Now, all they have to wait for are the online loan application and online payments features!

“Our mobile app team has upcoming developments lined up this year, which our customers can look forward to. Our plan for My Home Credit is more than just loan monitoring. Customers

can also participate in promos and contests with great prizes at stake, and we have much more surprises to keep it exciting for them,” HCPH Chief Product & Marketing Officer Franchette Cardona shared.

In a country with the largest number of active social media users, HCPH has also brought its customer service to a social media level. And with Filipinos spending plenty of time daily for their online activities, smartphones have become a good channel to reach them—indeed, Home Credit is truly focused on its customers.

SHOPEE, the leading e-commerce platform in Southeast Asia and Taiwan, has officially launched ‘Shopee Mall’, a new dedicated portal featuring thousands of products sold by leading brands and Shopee’s top sellers. Shopee Mall will give users direct access to a variety of prominent brands such as Nestle, ColgatePalmolive, Xiaomi, Abbot, SM Store and many more.

All products on Shopee Mall come with 7 Days Return Policy, 100% Authenticity Guarantee, Free Shipping and Cash on Delivery nationwide.

“Following the tremendous growth of Shopee in the Philippines, Shopee has taken a major step to officially launch Shopee Mall as a way to cement our position as the one-stop shopping platform of choice in the market. Moving forward, Shopee will continue to establish more strategic partnerships with leading brands to expand and diversify our product assortment to a wider range of demographics, and to drive forward the growth of Philippine’s e-commerce industry,” said Terence Pang, Chief Operating Officer of Shopee.

Maynard Ngu, CEO of Cherry Mobile, stated: “Shopee is one of the leading e-commerce players in the Philippines’ market with great potential. The introduction of Shopee mall is a strategic move as it helps to target consumers who are looking for a premium shopping experience. Cherry Mobile is excited to be partnering with Shopee to reach out to more Filipinos from all across the country. Moving forward, we are looking forward to working closely together with Shopee to provide the best shopping experience and deals for our customers.”

Shopee Mall was conceptualized to solve shoppers’ concerns about authenticity, a major concern among buyers when shopping online. The newly launched portal caters to the demands of Filipino shoppers by allowing users to shop from their favourite brands on an integrated and secure platform. Additionally, with more local brands embracing e-commerce, Shopee Mall provides a platform for traditional brands and retailers to expand their digital presence, and reflects Shopee’s commitment to constantly innovate and enhance its platform, features, and services to best meet the needs of users.

A premium online shopping environment To identify Shopee Mall product listings, shoppers can look out for the distinctive red ‘Mall’ label while browsing.

Shopee ensures a premium online shopping experience with the following benefits: 7 Days Return Policy: Shoppers can enjoy hassle-free returns within 7 days for all Shopee Mall products; 100% Authenticity Guarantee: Serves to eliminate buyer concerns about product authenticity.

Any shopper who receives a counterfeit product when purchasing from Shopee Mall is entitled to a 100% refund; Free Shipping and Cash on Delivery nationwide: Shoppers can enjoy greater cost savings with free shipping nationwide on every order, subject to a minimum spend of 500 Pesos.

Get ready for a series of super deals and promotions during Shopee Mall Grand Launch For more information, visit www. shopee.ph.

Download the Shopee app for free on Apple App Store or Google Play Store.

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Young Life sunday, april 8, 2018

Bernadet­te Lunas, Issue Editor

manilastandardlife@gmail.com

@manilastandardlife

@MStandardLIFE

Nadine Lustre is confident in her own skin (Photo from @nadine on IG)

Nadine Lustre urges women to

THE NOMADIC COOK. Yana Gilbuena travels to different parts of the globe to serve delectable Filipino dishes.

Traveling cook spreads Filipino flavors across the globe W

ith a few kitchen tools in her folding purse and a huge desire to spread the flavors of the Philippines, Yana Gilbuena travels to different parts of the globe to serve delectable homegrown dishes in her kamayan-style pop-up dinner.

say ‘yes’ all day Actress, singer, and one of today’s most influential personalities Nadine Lustre has had her share of critics and naysayers. But despite criticisms, the 24-year-old star stands her ground and continues to do what she believes are best for her and the people around her.

“Pag totoo ka sa sarili mo, mararamdaman ng mga tao na mahal mo talaga yung ginagawa mo, People will gravitate toward what is authentic and fueled by passion. That’s how you’ll be able to inspire and encourage others,” opines Lustre.

Gilbuena’s SALO Series, culled from the word “salu-salo,” offers Filipino fare via a banquet where partakers are encouraged to eat food spread over banana leaves using their bare hands. Since its inception, the pop-up dinner has traveled the 50 states of the United States, Canada, part of South America, and here in the country.

From Iloilo to the world

The SALO Series offers Filipino fare via a banquet where partakers are encouraged to use their bare hands.

The idea to share Filipino flavors to the world was born of one homesick Ilonggo’s desire for a warm bowl of arroz caldo.

“It started when I was living in New York and there was this need to have arroz caldo (hot chicken porridge) in the middle of winter,” recounts Gilbuena.

She continues, “It got me thinking that even though New York is a melting pot of cultures and cuisines, how it is that Filipino cuisine is not well-represented?”

Thus, apart from serving well-loved Filipino dishes like adobo (chicken or pork stewed in vinegar, garlic, soy sauce, and peppercorns), pansit (noodle dish), and lumpia (spring rolls), the nomadic cook promotes regional specialties from Philippine islands as well.

Gilbuena acknowledges that there are some Filipino dishes that most Fil-Ams who grew up in the US are not familiar with. In fact, she recalls that they were “pleasantly surprised” by the regional dishes she served them.

“They had probably been to Manila or to their parents’ hometowns in the Philippines but never really explored places beyond that. So, me bringing dishes from the remote islands like Camiguin, Cagayan de Oro, Zamboanga, and they were just like, ‘What? We have this in our cuisine?’”

“And I would reply in jest, ‘Yeah, girl. You need to travel a little bit more!’”

Despite the lack of formal culinary education, the 34-year-old cook traces her love for cooking to her early days in the family kitchen, growing up in the cuisine-rich region of Visayas in the company of her aunt, grandmother, and cooking-inclined yayas (nannies).

Turn to C2

Summer adventures on ice

Mall-goers at SM City GenSan can now beat the heat and play it cool at the newly opened 300-square meter mobile ice skating rink at the mall’s Event Center.

The only mobile ice skating adventure in Mindanao will run until May 31, and is open every day to the public.

During the grand launch, champion figure skater, Sofia Guidote, who placed 4th among 21 figure skaters—the highest for a female competitor from Southeast Asia—at the 2015 ISU Asian Open Figure Skating Trophy, showed her fire on ice; while junior figure skater, Sophia Hernandez wowed the jam-packed mall with her performance.

Rates for Summer Adventures on Ice are P160 per hour on weekdays and P200 per hour on weekSM City GenSan opens the only mobile skating rink in Mindanao ends, inclusive of ice skates rentals.

Sophia Hernandez shows off her ice skating talent

Nadine encourages women to be strong, confident, and beautiful through her new song 'Curvalicious'

This is exactly what she aims to communicate to her fans, especially women, through her new song "Curvalicious"—the new anthem of Whisper sanitary pad label.

“The Whisper Curvalicious woman embodies who I want to be so I really wanted to contribute in a bigger way and work on the new anthem with them.

I love that we share the mindset that every girl should be able to feel empowered and confident, any day and every day,” says the spunky millennial celebrity.

Like many of her songs, "Curvalicious" is supercharged with groovy beats and empowering lyrics, such as: “Gumalaw kung paano mo gusto. Huwag papigil sa kahit na kanino.”

Leading Whisper’s #Curvalicious movement, she says, is a great honor. “Beyond being the face of a brand, I really want to be an inspiration for other girls—to be the spark that will move others, women for women.”

“Through my work, I want people to be unafraid to be strong, confident, and beautiful.”

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sunday, april 8, 2018 manilastandardlife@gmail.com

Young Life

traveling...

From C1

Gilbuena recalls her bonding time with her aunt was highlighted by cooking and baking recipes printed on the labels of canned milk.

“I became really comfortable with making fire and all those stuff on my own, like dealing with old stoves. I have very fond memories of the kitchen growing up, and I think that’s where it all started. And then the rest, I just learned along the way,” she shares.

Big hopes for Filipino cuisine

While many food enthusiasts and critics from across the globe have been noticing Filipino fare and tagging it as “the next big thing,” Gilbuena believes that our cuisine’s full potential has yet to be fully discovered and explored as it continues to evolve amid constantly changing influences.

“It’s definitely getting there,” Gilbuena asserts. “There are so many more Filipino restaurants popping up everywhere across the US, and I think that’s one of those things that cause people to realize that, hey, there is a market for Filipino cuisine, and not just for Filipinos. So I think it will just continue to expand more as the years go by.”

She likewise thinks that the most defining thing about Filipino cuisine is that it’s constantly evolving. “The more influences we get, the more it expands,” she says.

Gilbuena relishes how adobo can take on so many flavors in just one bite. “I think we’ve mastered the whole balance of sweet and salty, vinegary and spicy, that other cuisines have tried to do for the longest time.”

This fusion of flavors that Gilbuena is enamored with is made even tastier and more full-flavored with the well-loved Filipino condiments made by NutriAsia, which she uses in her dishes.

She reveals that ever since she started cooking, she has been using Datu Puti vinegar, UFC banana sauce, Silver Swan soy sauce, Jufran sweet chili sauce, and Mang Tomas all-purpose sauce.

Hence the partnership that Gilbuena forged with NutriAsia as its brand ambassador is instrumental in furthering her advocacy of raising more awareness for Filipino cuisine.

“This collaboration makes sense because I use NutriAsia products all the time. I love using Filipino ingredients to make Filipino food. Adobo is the most common one. I’ve tried making adobo using a different kind of soy sauce. It just doesn’t taste the same,” she shares.

“I’ve used red wine vinegar, too, but no—the flavor is just not there.

So why not use the flavors of home to make the tastes of home.”

Gilbuena’s SALO Series pop-up dinners continues to thrive touring the world. With a constant craving for discovery and experiment, and a passion for Filipino cuisine, she aims to continue taking on the world, one pop-up diner at a time.

“I am definitely gonna go on touring Filipino food. I wanna include Europe and the Middle East in SALO’s itinerary, and from there just continue spreading the flavors of Filipino food,” she says.

“I can’t picture myself doing anything else but this.”

The shoes

that play like

Kobe Bryant

THE KOBIEST KOBE YET. The KOBE NXT 360 is designed to boost the chance of offensive players, like Kobe Bryant, to score.

Kobe Bryant shows KOBE NXT 360's drop-in midsole

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veryone knows that shooting a basketball is easier when the shot is uncontested, but only a few people know the specific space between the one who has the ball and the defender to ensure the former makes a score.

A study from the MIT revealed that for every foot of space created by a player on the offense against the defender, shooting percentage for NBA players rises by 2 percent. While that number might seem small, it’s in the minutia that the likes of Kobe Bryant play.

Nike aims to take advantage of the 2 percent improvement by creating the “Kobiest Kobe yet,” the KOBE NXT 360, which features a three-part structure of wrap-around Flyknit, a drop-in dual-intensity midsole, and an outsole—working together to provide the surest possible footing.

Made for players like the Black Mamba, Nike improved KOBE 360’s traction and connectivity around corners. Wear tests administered by Nike’s NXT and Sport Research Lab teams analyzed quickness around the three-point arc, a distance of 50-feet, and showed that pushing off of a banked surface allows for more force and quickness—keys to creating separation from the defender.

The design of the shoes is also made for quick cuts, as players on the offense make 50 percent more cuts and sharp, quick movements, than players on the defense.

Meanwhile the drop-in for the KOBE 360 balances Lunarlon foam on the perimeter, which provides a supportive platform on the bank, with plush Nike REACT technology directly underfoot for all-game comfort.

Finally, the wrap-around Flyknit construction of the KOBE 360 is steamed directly on the last to mimic the anatomical shape of the foot, allowing for a more conformed fit as well as the elimination of harsh corners both on the footbed and then with ground contact. Ultimately, the advanced fit makes it easier for the player to create a separation between himself and the defender.

The KOBE NXT 360 rolls out on April 13 at select Nike Basketball retailers.

Student organization receives tech visionary recognition Agriculture is not particularly popular a career path among the youth. It is not considered a lucrative profession, and there is a perception that those who go into it end up as a farmer burning under the sun in a remote farm.

A student organization in University of the Philippines-Los Baños aims to remove the stigma by promoting agriculture through various activities involving agricultural biotechnology.

For its unwavering efforts to promote and revitalize agriculture in the country, the University of the Philippines Genetic Researchers and Agricultural Innovators Society or UP GRAINS was recognized by Lenovo Philippines as an Outstanding Tech Visionary in this year’s Ten Accomplished Youth Organizations (TAYO) 15 awards held recently at New UP GRAINS members (from fifth from left) Atiana Inzon, Albert Caraan, Alexandrinne Pinca, World Manila Bay Hotel. and Mark Mariano with (from left) UPLB International Students Division head Dr. Erick TAYO, now on its 15th year, is conVernon Dy, UPLB Students Organization and Activities Division head Allen Nazareno, UPLB sidered the nation’s premier search for Office of Student Affairs administrative officer Maritess Mojica, and CID Communication PR outstanding youth organizations that mamanger Camille Antonio have created a huge impact in addressing the country’s pressing concerns.

The Lenovo Outstanding Tech Vi- most meaningful project that ad- Philippines chose UP Grains for its sionary award is a special citation dresses key issues through the in- Lakbioteknolohiya project.

“With their project Lakbioteknologiven to the organization with the novative use of technology. Lenovo

hiya, UP GRAINS showed dedication and creativity in addressing the longstanding problem of the public’s lack of interest in agriculture. This is in line with Lenovo’s ‘Different is Better’ philosophy that is built around a fundamental belief that innovation is the best way to address challenges and embrace progress,” said Lenovo Philippines country general manager Michael Ngan.

Lakbioteknolohiya is an information and workshop drive held in high schools and communities where agriculture is the main source of income.

Most of the lessons taught are from UPLB’s curriculum, such as DNA extraction, Hydroponics, Plant Disease Diagnosis, and Fermentation Technology. Hands-on exercises on urban farming and agricultural biotechnology experiments are also included in the workshop, and all of these are geared towards improving agricultural production and maintain quality agroenvironments.

“Because UPLB is the only school that offers a course in Agricultural Biotechnology, we took it upon ourselves to teach the masses the many benefits

of agriculture and encourage them to engage in the practice,” said Albert Caraan, a member of UP GRAINS and the project head of Lakbioteknolohiya – Camarines Norte.

The first division-wide edition of the project saw members of the organization teaching in the province of Camarines Norte, where an estimated number of 300 students and teachers participated. After the project, Caraan shared that the participants used the knowledge that they obtained to conduct their own research and activities in order to help improve their region’s agriculture.

But for Caraan, the most important takeaway from the project is the renewed interest among the youth to take up agriculture in the future, both in college and as a career option.

“Seeing the students’ willingness to take up agriculture-related courses really made our day, as this has been objective ever since we began in 2014 – to promote agriculture in order to attain a very strong agricultural sector in the near future,” he enthused.

Together with the award, UP GRAINS also received P20,000 and a Lenovo laptop.

Showbiz

SUNDAY, APRIL 8, 2018

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Nickie Wang, Issue Editor nickie.standard@gmail.com

Enrique Gil turns 26 and celebrates his birthday with Liza Soberano in Anilao, Batangas.

Matteo Guidicelli as Lakam in 'Bagani'

FACE-OFF IN

‘BAGANI’ WINS VIEWERS

BIRTHDAY BOY ENRIQUE MAKES MOST OF HIS SUMMER

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NRIQUE Gil had a Jamaican-themed birthday held in Anilao, Batangas. Thanks to Liza Soberano who helped him put together the summer party for his friends and family.

Liza calls Enrique Mr. YouTube because the latter likes watching videos and documentaries online using his mobile phone almost all the time.

Now, before tackling another jam-packed year, Enrique wants to get away from everything first.

The heartthrob isn’t a stranger to project-laden schedules and quick escapes -- mostly via video games and watching documentaries whenever there’s time. However, to make the most out of his summer this 2018, Enrique’s taking the great escape: he’s spending some time in his newly-bought getaway house in Batangas.

“My new place is near the beach, so I think I’ll be there most of the time,” shares the actor.“Perhaps I’ll go for a dive and take long walks along the shore -- anything that can clear my mind and give me peace. The beautiful view there is also a plus, because I can use my phone to capture the scenery as well.”

Of course, being the techie that he is, Enrique won’t miss out on more games and series while he’s chilling at his new home.

“Liza’s been telling me to play Rules of Survival -- she likes that game a lot,” he shares. “She even calls me Mr. YouTube now because I love watching many videos and documentaries online. I guess I’ll be a beachside Mr. YouTube this summer, then.”

Enrique’s bound to see breathtaking views as he relaxes by the beach this summer.

“Of course, since I’m also going to stream videos, play games, and take lots of photos while I’m there, I need a phone equipped with crystal-clear display and full, vibrant color,” says the actor who is the ambassador of Samsung Galaxy J2 Pro. Equipped with a Super AMOLED Display that sports 16M colors, the smart phone helps Enrique make the most out of his vacation.

“Samsung’s always ahead of the game when it comes to smartphone innovations. I’m so excited to add more color to my summer getaway with the J2 Pro,” he says.

‘DAIG KAYO NG LOLA KO’ CELEBRATES 1ST ANNIVERSARY

From left: Marian Rivera, Carla Abellana, Ruru Madrid, Jullie Anne San Jose, Gil Cuerva, Jeric Gonzles, and Kyline Alcantara headline 'Daig Kayo Ng Lola Ko' month-long anniversary celebration.

GMA Network’s well-loved program Daig Kayo Ng Lola Ko celebrates its first year of shaping children’s values through its magical stories with special episodes airing this month.

The kid-friendly show will showcase five different stories that will be shown every Sunday of the month featuring the network’s biggest stars.

For its first anniversary episode last Sunday (April 1), Carla Abellana headlined the story entitled “Boggs Bunny”.

Carla is Boggs Bunny, an Easter Bunny

who learns the lesson about spreading love and joy.

Today, Ruru Madrid topbills the episode “Hercules,” a story about believing in oneself as Lola Goreng (Gloria Romero) wants to inspire her grandson Jorel (Julius Miguel) to join a school activity but the latter has low self-esteem.

Kambal, Karibal stars Kyline Alcantara and Jeric Gonzales headline “Ibong Adarna” that tackles the story of the mythical bird and how one can be a blessing to others on April 15.

Meanwhile on April 22, Lola Goreng tells a story about love and appreciation for family in its fourth episode entitled “Tarzan and Jane” with Julie Anne San Jose and Gil Cuerva.

And to cap the month-long special is a story that highlights how true love will find you. No less than Kapuso Primetime Queen Marian Rivera breathes life to Princess in the episode entitled “Enchanted” which will air on April 29.

Daig Kayo Ng Lola Ko airs every Sunday after Sirkus on GMA.

BAGANI continues to reign primetime as the clash between Lakas (Enrique Gil) and Lakam (Matteo Guidicelli) earned a national TV rating of 33 percent from combined urban and rural homes, compared to its rival Kambal, Karibal with only 19.30 percent, according to data from Kantar Media.

The whole month of March, Bagani also ruled its timeslot with an average national TV rating of 33.40 percent, or 15 percentage points higher than rival program’s 17.80 percent.

Aside from the television veiwers, netizens commended the episode amazing action scenes, making the show’s official hashtag #BAGANILakasVsLakam trend on Twitter nationwide.

In the episode that aired on Tuesday, the long-awaited battle between Lakam and Lakas finally happened, leaving many people dead in Sansinukob. The two were just about to give each other their final blow when Mayari intervened and made them realize their responsibilities as Baganis.

Lakas, Ganda (Liza Soberano), and Dumakulem, seemed to realize their faults and stopped. Lakam, however, stuck to his father’s plans and still tried to find ways to eliminate Lakas and the desert tribe.

Out of desperation, he gave in to the suggestion of one of his father’s advisers, Hukluban (Minco Fabregas).

Bagani airs weeknights after FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano on ABSCBN.

AVID FAN SHOWS LOVE FOR ENCHONG AND MAJA IN PARIS

Enchong and Maja with a fan (center) from Africa

ENCHONG Dee and Maja Salvador were taking photos around Paris, France when a woman approached them and called them by the name Ethan and Margaux, their characters in the now defunct primetime series Ina, Kapatid, Anak.

In a video posted by Enchong on his Instagram account, the Kapamilya actor asked the woman named Alimah, where she watched their show, to which the woman quipped, “In Senegal. It is in Africa. I am very happy to see you because I love this (series) with Margaux, Ethan, and Celine.”

Enchong also took the opportunity to thank their African fans. His caption read, “Shoutout to our beautiful and über supportive Kapamilyas in Africa.

Hoping to visit some countries in Africa one day.”

Ina, Kapatid, Anak, with the international title Her Mother’s Daughter aired in Senegal and other parts of Africa in 2016.

It tells the story of Celyn (Kim Chiu) and Margaux (Salvador), two different women who grew up living two very different lives. Celyn was raised in an impoverished family in a province, while Margaux had the life of a princess as the heiress of the country’s biggest shoe company.

More ABS-CBN content is expected to air in Africa after the network closed a volume deal with StarTimes, the leading digital TV operator across Sub-Saharan Africa, in October last year. The partnership was made in response to African viewers’ demand for more Filipino dramas.

For more information, visit ABSCBN International Distribution’s official website at http:// internationalsales.abs-cbn.com.

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pet tales

By desiree carlos

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weekend at the beach, a staycation, a trip to an exotic country. These are indeed exciting ways to spend one’s five-day vacation.

Many rested and recharged in beach resorts, got pampered in luxury hotels, or enjoyed an adventure in an Asian country.

Some opted to stay at home where they slept away their stress of many months, meditated to gain back their calm and balance, and reflected to reassess where they are at this time of their lives.

But eight men and women chose to spend one day of their vacation in the most unusual way: they went to the Dogs Mountain Sanctuary in Besang, Naguillan, La Union to be with more than 150 rescued dogs and seven (7) rescued cats.

Last Holy Friday (March 30), the members of Cordillera Animal Protection Advocates or CAPA went down from Baguio City to bring food donations for the dogs rescued from dog meat trade, the streets and pounds, and to help feed these loving souls.

Aside from feeding the 150 dogs, they also bathe 50 dogs, got wood for cooking from the mountain at the back of the sanctuary, and prepared vegetables for the dogs’ next meal.

They interacted with the dogs who always love being touched and being talked to.

CAPA officers and members Cherrybeth Batuna, Cielo Sison, Arthur Licayo Jr., Gian Maranan, Mike Maniacop,

Around 50 dogs were treated to a cooling bath.

Liberty, a dog who can not walk, enjoyed her bath, thanks to Cherrybeth Batuna.

sunday, april 8, 2018

Desiree Carlos, Editor

daycarlos28@yahoo.com

Pets

A retreat to remember

My Furry Bestie

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

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

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

CAPA members, Dogs Mountain Sanctuary owner Shirly Hughes (right) and sister Ashley and Save ALL admin Nicole Benedito (second to right) spent Holy Friday showing love and tending to 150 rescued dogs. The dogs happily joined the photo shoot.

BUFFY, fondly called Tush by Mommy Marie Jamie Rellosa Angeles, is turning 10 months old this April.

Jamie says Buffy is a mixed breed: a beagle and a shih tzu.

Buffy’s first parents can not take care of her anymore because of a heath issue, thus, Buffy was given to Jamie.

Today, she is one spoiled girl in the pack.

Celery is low on calories and can prevent diabetes, obesity, osteoporosis and may other diseases. ONLY THE STALK IS GIVEN TO THE DOG. This is best chopped thinly and put in boiling water for a few seconds to prevent choking in dogs and to keep the vitamins intact. You can also give the broth to the dog. You can mix with dry dog food to hydrate your dogs.

Bathing time for the doggies on a hot afternoon. They loved it!

Malunggay is very good for dogs because it contains a lot of vitamins. It takes time though to remove the small leaves from the thin branches, thus it is such a big help when CAPA ladies did the 'sorting.'

They are very happy when animal lovers visit them.

These traumatized dogs are resilient beings. They simply love when shown love. They seem to forget the horrors they went through after they have been made to feel how it is to be loved.

CAPA's Mike, Eric and Art gathered wood from the mountain for cooking congee (boiled rice) with vegetables for the dogs.

Kyle Maranan, and ErickJohn Ortega, and volunteer Leah Acompandao spent one whole day with the dogs and said they felt it was one of the most fulfilling and fun days of their lives.

Their efforts were rewarded with smiles that warm the heart, wagging tails, licks and hugs from the grateful dogs.

CAPA is a non-government organization registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission. It was formed Feb. 6, 2017 to push for ways to protect animals, promote compassion for animals and responsible pet ownership, and help animals in need, among others.

Sanctuary owner Shirly “Yuri” SebusaHughes and sister Ashley are very grateful for the donations of dog food from CAPA and from Jefford Gumayod and Davelyn Mangoyob who sent their love gifts through their friends. Each day, the dogs in the sanctuary need 50 kilos of dry dog food for one feeding alone.

To help Dogs Mountain, please visit their Facebook page https://www.facebook. com/dogsmountainsanctuary/?ref=br_ rs and message them, or contact Yuri Hughes, also in Facebook. They need dog food, rice, medicine, and cleaning materials, among others.

Have a great Sunday, everyone!

Namaste!

The Pet Summit Philippines is the “country’s largest family Pet Trade Show for all pet lovers founded by Paws & Tails Event Concepts and Management and All4PetsParty.com in 2014. A spectacular trade showcase of all the latest and premium pet related brands from the country’s key industry leaders. We aim to promote RESPONSIBLE PET OWNERSHIP for happier and healthier pets,” says Mae Domingo,one of the organizers.

This year’s Pet Summit Philippines Pet Trade Show will be held April 14 at 12 noon up to April 15, 9 p.m. at Blue Bay Walk, corner Macapagal Road Edsa Exite, Pasay City.

There will be talks on proper pet care and responsible pet ownership.

Donations will go to animal welfare groups, says Ms. Domingo.

Donors will get a raffle ticket and stand to win wonderful prizes.

The event is hosted by Paws & Tails Event Concepts and Management, North Crew Events and Projects, Pet Summit Philippines, and ALL4PETSParty.com.

AMBO was rescued by a good Samaritan from the streets as a motherless kitten.

The rescuer’s sister fostered Ambo for a while, then posted her photo to look for a furever home for him.

Maureen Gaddi Dela Cruz saw Ambo’s photo and “my heart melted and I decided to adopt Ambo” Maureen shares: “Ambo proved to be a perfect fit for our family. We were grieving the loss of our beloved cat several months before Ambo came into our lives.”

Ambo was originally named Amber by his foster mom, but “she got a big surprise when she brought Ambo to the vet to be spayed and the cat turned out to be a boy!” Maureen recounts.

PET SUMMIT PHILIPPINES 2018 This is for all pet lovers. Do come and have a fun day!