Manila Standard - 2019 February 3 - Sunday

VOL. XXXII • NO. 353 • 4 SECTIONS 16 PAGES • P18 • SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2019 • www.manilastandard.net • mst.daydesk@gmail.com

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LACSON HIT FOR P50-B BUDGET 'INSERTIONS'

ENTERTAINMENT/ D3

JANINE

IN A DIFFERENT KIND OF ROMCOM ARMY-SAYYAF CLASH: 8 DEAD, 20 WOUNDED

By Francisco Tuyay

BRIGHT LIGHTS. Chinese lanterns are among the featured attractions of

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SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2019

the South Island Lantern Festival of Christchurch, New Zealand, which unfolds Feb. 22 to 24. One of the Kiwi capital’s largest and most popular free cultural events, the festival is further proof of the world celebrating Chinese culture, and in particular the Chinese Lunar New Year on Feb. 5 (See story on D1). Tourism New Zealand

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WORK PERMIT RULES REVISED

By Vito Barcelo

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HE Bureau of Immigration issued new guidelines for the issuance of Special Work Permit and Provisional Work Permit following the surge in the number of Chinese workers in the Philippines.

Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente signed Operations Order No. JHM-2019-002, requiring foreign nationals intending to work in the Philippines to submit additional documents before they are issued a SWP or PWP, in a bid to discourage and minimize the number of foreign workers in the country.

The issuance of new guidelines for

SWP and PWP was triggered by reports of mounting complaints from various labor groups, which claims that thousands of foreign workers, mostly Chinese, were working in the construction sites and other technical jobs which can be filled by Filipino workers.

Under the new guidelines, the BI will no longer issue SWP or PWP to construction workers, cashiers, waiters,

janitors, household helps, carpenters, garbage collectors, security guards, warehouse caretakers and other analogous labor.

However, the bureau may still issue SWP or PWP to highly technical positions provided that they first secure a Special Temporary Permit from the Professional Regulation Commission.

To acquire a SWP/PWP, foreign workers are required to submit the following: At least 20 days validity of Temporary Visitors Visa (TVV) at the time of application; existence and capability of petitioning company; address of the company and applicant (residence); nature of business of the petitioning

company as reflected in its SEC Certificate and; whether the company has a valid appropriate government license to operate.

The BI said that an applicant can only work for the position applied for and for the said company.

The Alien Control Officer (ACO), acting Alien Control Officer (AACO) or duly authorized personnel shall approve or disapprove SWP/PWP application filed within their area of jurisdiction. However, the BI satellite offices at SM Aura and Makati will not be allowed to issue SWP/PWP and all applicants are advised to secure their SWP/PWP at the main office in Intramuros, Manila.

COMELEC PRINTS 50-M BALLOTS THE Commission on Elections has started the printing of more than 50 million ballots for the May 13, 2019 elections but will print first the ballots for overseas absentee voting.

Comelec spokesperson James Jimenez assured the public that the poll body is on schedule to meet the deadline as the National Printing Corp. will be printing at least one million ballots a day.

He said 63 names running for the senate positions will be included in the ballots, including Senator Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III and former Senator Sergio Osmeña III whose disqualification cases are still being heard.

Jimenez said the two senators names cannot be excluded from the ballot at this point because that would open the floodgates for frivolous disqualification cases.

The Comelec filed disqualification charges against Osmeña from running in public office due to his alleged failure to file his Statement of Contributions and Expenses during his 2010 and 2016 Senate bids.

Pimentel is facing disqualification case filed by lawyer Ferdinand Topacio, who claimed that the senator has breached the constitutional provision of limiting a senator’s tenure to two consecutive Senate terms. Vito Barcelo

GRAVITY DAM. Migratory birds feast on small species of fish as they seek refuge at the Prinza dam, a gravity dam (450 meters) on the Zapote River that serves as footbridge on the border between Barangay San Nicolas I in Bacoor City, Cavite and Barangay Talon Dos in Las Piñas city. The dam was built by the Spaniards on April 24,1885. Ey Acasio

HOUSE LEADER BATS FOR REVIEW, ACCESS TO SALN

By Maricel V. Cruz

PARTIALLY CLEANED. Promenaders continue to flock the length of the partially-cleaned Manila Bay from Manila’s Quirino Grandstand to Pasay City’s CCP Complex a week after the government started its massive rehabilitation process on its entire stretch. Ey Acasio

TRAFFIC REROUTED IN QC

By Joel E. Zurbano THE Metro Manila Development Authority and the Quezon City government will impose today (Feb. 3) a traffic rerouting and a “stop and go” scheme in connection with the Moslem and Christian groups peace rally at the Quezon City Memorial Circle in light with the recent bomb attacks in Mindanao.

In its advisory, the MMDA Public Information Office stated that“traffic rerouting and stop and go scheme will be implemented in parts of Quezon City as Muslim and Christian groups conduct a solidarity walk/salubungan inside QCMC.” Dubbed as “Lakad para sa Kapayapaan Laban sa Karahasan,” the solidarity walk

aimed to show that Muslims and Christians are “allies promoting peace and not war.”

Beginning at 7 a.m., the “stop and go” scheme will be implemented at the corner of Masaya Street and Commonwealth Avenue as Moslem group cross Elliptical Road from their assembly area at the Philippine Coconut Authority building.

The group will pass through the east side gate facing Commonwealth Avenue all the way to Liwasang Aurora in QCMC where they will be holding a program.

A traffic rerouting, on the other hand, will be enforced as Christian groups, coming from East Avenue crosses Elliptical Road and enter the QCMC gate facing East Avenue towards Liwasang Aurora.

HOUSE Majority Leader Fredenil Castro, on Saturday said that the issuance of rules governing the review, filing and disclosure, and access to the Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth of House members, officials and employees was legitimate and in accordance with the law.

At a news forum, Castro maintained that the House’s decision to draft and approve the resolution was justified.

Taking a swipe at those who oppose the resolution, Castro said he does not see any problem with it. “They are expressing imaginary problems. For some, nothing and nobody is good but themselves,” Castro, one of the principal authors of House Resolution 2467, said.

The resolution, Castro said, fulfills the

mandate of Republic Act 6713.or the “Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees”which mandates government agencies, even the Supreme Court, to come up with the rules of procedure in the review, filing and disclosure, and access to the SALNs of government employees.

The concept was started during the time of then Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr., and had been worked on during the speakership of former Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez and only prospered during the time of Speaker Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.

Castro earlier said among the purposes of HR 2467 is to pinpoint responsibility in case when the SALN of a House Member, official or employee ends up in the hands of unscrupulous people with sinister design.

Catriona Gray

PH READIES HOMECOMING FOR CATRIONA A HOMECOMING fit for a queen is what awaits Miss Universe 2018 Catriona Gray when she returns to the Philippines in February.

Gray, who resides in New York City during her reign, has been fulfilling her duties as Miss Universe and is set to fly back to the country on Feb. 20.

Alongside her Binibining Pilipinas family, Gray will hold activities with select media and VIP guests, and participate in charitable activities with the BPCI Chairman, Mrs. Stella Marquez Araneta.

Gray’s philanthropic work and passion to give back remains a priority among her role this year as Miss Universe. Her return to the Philippines will provide an opportunity to visit and support organizations close to her heart such as LoveYourself, an organization focused on advocating for HIV/AIDS education and testing; and Smile Train, an international charity that supports 100 percent-free cleft repair surgery and care for children in underprivileged communities.

Additionally, Gray is expected to make a visit to Tondo, Manila where she has since supported Young Focus Philippines to provide access to education for children living in the area.

A highlight of Gray’s return to the Philippines will be the Grand Homecoming Parade that will provide fans and all Filipinos the opportunity to see and support Miss Universe through their attendance. The Grand Parade will take the reigning Miss Universe to the streets of Manila and Makati on Feb. 21. Gray will again be welcomed with a homecoming parade at the Araneta Center on Feb. 23.

PINOY NETIZENS NOW PREFER MESSAGING—RIO TEXTING is out, messaging is on.

According to Tehnology Acting Secretary Eliseo Rio, majority of Filipinos have switched to online chats and messenger apps from texting.

Rio cited data showing that there was a 40 percent drop in text messaging over the past three years, matching the same percentage of mobile phone users shifting to online messaging in 2016.

The shift came following the availability of 4G LTE services in the country, which allows better chat connectivity.

“Sa [With] SMS (short message service), you can only contact pointto-point, person-to-person pero dito sa (but in) social media you can actually broadcast yourself,” Rio said.

Recent studies show that Filipinos are the world’s top internet and social media users despite having one of the slowest internet speeds in the world.

The We Are Social and social media management platform Hootsuite said on its 2019: Global Digital Overview report, Filipinos spend an average of 10 hours and 2 minutes on the internet via any device each day.

This is surprising since the Philippines’ internet speed ranks as the slowest among 15 Asia-Pacific countries and 108th in the world as shown by a 2017 study.

SOLONS ASK ERC TO HASTEN PROBE ON 7 PSAS NOW that the composition of the Energy Regulatory Commission is almost complete, two militant legislators asked the agency to speed up the investigation of at least seven power supply agreements (PSA), that may cost consumers P930 billion more in 20 years, that have been pending before the body for nearly three years now.

Oppositionists and Party-List Reps.

Tom Villarin of Akbayan and Rep. Carlos Zarate of Bayan Muna made the call in reaction to reports that the ERC leadership is on its way to being complete again following the resignation and retirement of three of its five top officials last year.

“The newly-constituted ERC with full membership should go full throttle on

investigating all deals that is not to the best interest of consumers,” Villarin said.

“As a regulatory body, it [ERC] should be independent and critical of all applicants for energy power generation supply and distribution [that] would tend to create monopolies and control of the market,” added Villarin.

Zarate said, “I think what is left now is to submit these seven power supply agreements to a competitive selection process (CSP).” A CSP basically refers to a bidding process, which the PSAs in question allegedly did not undergo.

Zarate initiated a House investigation on the power deals in 2017 due to an experts’ finding that consumers would shoulder P930 billion in additional power

EIGHT people—five soldiers and three Abu Sayyaf bandits—were killed while more than 20 were wounded in an armed clash between government troops and an estimated 100 Abu Sayyaf in Patikul, Sulu on Saturday, the military said.

Troops hunting down terrorists who engineered the Jolo Cathedral bombing in Jolo clashed anew, this time with a large concentration of the bandit group, Turn to A2

rate expenses within the 20-to-21-year duration of the PSAs should the ERC approve them.”

Since July 2018, three commissioners— Alfredo Non, Gloria Victoria Yap-Taruc, and Geronimo Sta. Ana left the ERC. Non and Yap-Taruc retired, while Sta. Ana resigned for health reasons.

Among the reasons cited by ERC chairman Agnes Devanadera for the body’s delay in resolving the seven questioned PSAs back then were the lack of quorum among commissioners.

President Rodrigo Duterte has since appointed Commissioners Catherine Maceda and lawyer Alexis Lumabatan to replace Non and YapTaruc, respectively. Maricel V. Cruz

twitter.com/ MlaStandard

By Maricel V. Cruz

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OIL PLAYER SETS HEFTY PRICE CUT

OUSE Majority Leader and Capiz Rep. Fredenil Castro said Saturday selfproclaimed anti-pork barrel crusader Senator Panfilo Lacson had introduced P50 billion of his own allocation into the 2019 budget.

By Alena Mae S. Flores PHOENIX Petroleum Philippines led the latest round of oil price cut by implementing a price rollback of P0.65 per liter for gasoline and P0.35 per liter for diesel effective Feb. 2 to reflect the movement of world oil prices.

Other oil companies are expected to follow suit. Oil companies historically implement the oil price adjustment every Tuesday.

Turn to A2 facebook.com/ ManilaStandardPH

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But unlike the line item or itemized amendments of the members of the Lower House in the budget , Lacson has yet to give the specific details of where his P50 billion allocation will go, making it like a lump sum appropriation or pork barrel, Castro said in a statement.

At the same time, the leadership of the House of Representatives stood firm in having the P3.757-trillion national budget for 2019 approved and ratified before Congress adjourns session on Feb. 6 to make way for the election campaign period for the May manilastandard.net

13 elections.

Castro, taking a swipe at Lacson, the stauch critic of pork barrel, caused by the senator’s seeming refusal to itemize the introduced allocation discovered by congressmen as senators’ alleged insertions or pork funds.

“The Senate and the House in the congressional bicameral conference committee have already an understanding that we should finish deliberations on the 2019 national budget to have it ratified on Wednesday, February 6,” Castro said at a news forum.

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'SUICIDE BOMB' THEORY SPLITS PALACE, AFP

By Joel Zurbano MILITARY authorities appear skeptical the twin explosions in Jolo last weekend were suicide bombings despite claims they were by President Rodrigo Duterte and Interior Secretary Eduardo Año.

Año said Indonesian suicide bombers guided by the Abu Sayyaf group were the culprits.

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana on Friday also said he believed suicide bombers were responsible for the blasts, adding forensic investigators of the Turn to A2

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NDF MAN'S KILLING BLAMED ON DUTERTE

By Brenda Jocson

GAMU, Isabela—Communist rebels have accused President Rodrigo Duterte of ordering the summary execution of National Democratic Front consultant Randy Malayao, who was shot dead in a parked bus Wednesday.

In a press statement released through its Cagayan Valley Kilusang Rebulusyon spokesman Bienvenido Magalat, the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army-NDF said Duterte and Department of Justice placed Malayao on a proscription list and Order of Battle, making him a target of government forces.

The President, the communists said, issued Excutive Order 70 that created the National Task Force to End the Communist Insurgency, then ordered the all-out war against both the NPA and the Abu Sayyaf group last week in the aftermath of the bombing of the Jolo Cathedral that claimed 22 lives and injured over 100 others.

Malayao had faced charges filed by the family of the late Cagayan Governor Rodolfo Aguinaldo, who was killed in 2001. But these were dismissed, Magalat said, leading to the NDF consultant’s release from the Cagayan Provincial Jail in Tuguegarao City.

According to the military, Malayao was“one of the masterminds”of the communists in the north, being the top NPA commander in Cagayan Valley.

Major Jefferson M. Somera, spokesperson of the 5th Infantry Division at Camp Melchor dela Cruz based here, said the military was not surprised by the leftists’ accusations and threats.

“In fact we are used to it. Instead, we will continue our massive intelligence and information gathering in coordination with other law enforcement agencies in the area of responsibility so that we could prevent and foil whatever plans the rebels would do,” he said.

The 5th ID “is very much prepared to combat whatever atrocities these insurgents would do to protect all civilians and military any time,” Somera added.

Meanwhile, the Philippine National Police office in Region 2 maintained its heightened alert status in anticipation for leftist-led rallies and any attacks that may occur during Malayao’s vigil in San Pablo, Isabela.

Malayao was once vice president of the Koalisyong Makabayan and writer of the “Northern Dispatch,” the official publication of the NDF. On Friday, Chief Inspector Rex Pascua, chief of police of Jones town in Isabela, said they expect rebels from the Benito Tesorio Command or NPA South Front to attack government forces and outposts to avenge Malayao, whose remains were taken back to San Pablo on Thursday.

Pascua said police would put up checkpoints along the interior roads of Isabela’s towns and ask for identification from passersby in a bid to thwart the Tesorio rebels, who claimed responsibility for an ambush that killed two Army soldiers in Gamu two years ago.

“We will remain alert and keep our men on the ground. In fact, we had intensified our guard and alerted our assets,” the police chief said, noting that Jones town has already been declared an election hot spot by the Commission on Elections.

OIL PLAYER...

From A1

But Eastern Petroleum Corp. announced Saturday it would increase the price per kilogram of its liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), effective at 6 a.m..

In an advisory, it said it would increase the price of its EC Gas LPG by P3.40 per kilogram or P37.40 for an 11-kilo tank.

World oil prices declined after reports of an increase in US crude drilling, which showed potential supply increase.

The continuing trade war between the US and China also impacted on investor confidence.

“Expect fuel prices to decrease next week. Diesel should go down by P0.30 to P0.40 and gasoline should go down by P0.60 to P0.70 per liter,” Unioil Philippines said in its advisory on Saturday.

The price rollback put an end to the four consecutive oil price increases implemented by the oil companies.

On Jan. 29, the oil firms raised the price of diesel by P0.55 per liter, gasoline by P0.20 per liter and kerosene by P0.40 per liter to reflect the movement of world oil prices, triggered by the Venezuela supply unrest which could curb supply.

While gasoline and diesel prices declined, Isla LPG and Petron Corp. announced an increase in the price of liquefied petroleum gas or cooking gas to reflect the increase in the contract price of LPG for February.

Petron raised the price of its Gasul brand of LPG by P3.38 per kilo while Isla LPG which markets the Solane brand increased by P3.41 per kilo effective Feb. 1.

JOIN WAR VS. CRIMINALITY, RODY URGES VILLAGE EXECS

By Vito Barcelo

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RESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte has urged all barangay officials to join the government’s fight against all forms of criminality and illegal drugs, saying community officials play a vital role in ensuring peace and order in the country.

In his message during the Barangay Summit on Peace and Order in Palo, Leyte, as delivered by Interior Secretary Eduardo Año on Friday, Duterte said it is important that local communities participate in the government’s campaign against what he calls the ills of the country.

“Peace and order and the adherence to the rule of law are vital in ensuring the progress of a nation,” Duterte’s message read.

“It is imperative for our local communities to contribute to this undertaking by advocating and implementing policies and programs

LACSON...

From A1

The Congress will adjourn on Feb. 6 for a 90-day campaign period for the May 13 polls.

At the same time, Castro said Lacson’s alleged P50 billion pork was a no joke.

He said the alleged pork funds of congressmen at P50 billion was no comparison to the senators’ some P190 billion un-itemized ‘insertions.’

Castro said he fould it amusing that Lacson would call the line item appropriations of congressmen-- in which projects are properly identified--pork barrel when he would not call his own P50 billion lump sum appropriation as not pork but institutional amendments.

But Castro pointed out that there had been no clarifications as to “the difference between insertion and institutional amendments.”

“Until now they (senators) have yet to submit an itemized proposal of their amendments to the budget measure,” said Castro.

He also defended the House’ line item.budgetting system where every item in the budget measure was properly accounted for “in the spirit of transparency.”

“We will not allow a reenacted budget because it is bad for the economy,” Castro stressed, citing statements by economic managers that the growth rate of the Philippine gross domestic product will drop by 1 to 2.6 percent under reenacted budget in 2019,” he said Castro said congressmen “will cross the bridge when we get there” should the Senate fail to give in to the demand of the House for an

'SUICIDE BOMB'...

From A1 Philippine National Police were looking at body parts, saying these could belong to two persons—one inside the church and another outside.

The bombings immediately sent a security ripple in the country’s major airport facilities while the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines activated Airport Security Committees to prepare against threats of terror and provide safe air transport services to the riding public.

The AFP had said initial investigation suggested the improvised explo-

ARMY-SAYYAF...

From A1 among them a suspect in the twin blasts that killed 22 and hurt at least 100 others in the capital town of Jolo last week.

The “intense firefight” between the 5th Scout Ranger Battalion and the Abu Sayyaf members under a certain Hajan Sawadjaan erupted in Barangay Kabbon Takas shortly before noon, military officials told reporters.

Sawadjaan is an Abu Sayyaf leader believed to be involved in the bombings at the Jolo Cathedral during a Mass on

that strengthen the government’s campaign against illegal drugs, criminality, corruption and terrorism,” added the President, who was ill and did not make the event.

This developed as National Capital Region police chief Director Guillermo Eleazar on Saturday appealed to the public to remain calm and vigilant in the aftermath of the Jolo cathedral bombing that claimed 22 lives last Sunday.

Eleazar stressed there is no security threat against Metro Manila, even as government forces have stepped up attacks against the terrorist Abu

Sayyaf Group and the communist New People’s Army.

The Philippine National Police have tightened security around churches and mosques in Metro Manila following the Jolo bombing, which also injured over 100 churchgoers.

“We have no reliable or confirmed threat here in Metro Manila, but we did the security inspections just the same to keep our police prepared and active, and to be more vigilant for the sake of our citizens,” Eleazar told radio dzBB. A unity prayer walk has been scheduled for Sunday to call for cooperation to achieve security, he added.

In Palo, the President via Año also expressed his gratitude to the barangay captains of Eastern Visayas for their unwavering commitment to eradicate the ills of the society.

“Our barangays play a crucial role in preserving and protecting the rights and freedoms of our citizenry.

Indeed, it is in our local communities

that the values of social responsibility, civic duty and justice are fostered,” Duterte said.

“I am confident that you will remain as this administration’s reliable partners in implementing peace and order programs that ensure the safety and security of our communities and help uplift the lives of our countrymen,” he added.

“Your support in these endeavors has indeed improved the capacity of our law enforcement agencies in defending our freedoms and liberties,” the President said.

Duterte expressed hope the youth will be able to learn from their local communities about nation-building and selflessness.

“The result of your hard work serves as an inspiration for our people, especially the youth, to take part in the noble work of nationbuilding. May your selflessness further inspire your constituents to become agents of positive change as well,” he said.

itemized version of their proposed amendments.

While Lacson said the amount would go to the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police, he had yet to give the details on where the fund would go.

It is confusing, Castro said, that Lacson would call the line item appropriations of congressmen in which projects are properly identified pork barrel when he would not call his own P50B lump sum appropriation as not pork but institutional amendments.

But Castro pointed out that there had been no clarifications as to “the difference between insertion and institutional amendments.”

He also reaffirmed the opposition of the House against a reenacted budget of 2019, citing statements by economic managers that the growth rate of the Philippine gross domestic product will drop by 1 to 2.6 percent under reenacted budget in 2019.

Castro said a possible deadlock with the Senate on the matter of a reenacted budget and the P190 billion allocations from the Senate would be addressed should it arise.

Lacson’s P50B allocation is part of the P190B amendment being introduced by the Senate to the 2019 budget, he said.

He revealed there was also no itemized allocation for the P190 billion amendments introduced by the Senate to the budget.

He said the lump sum had been highly contentious because it was unclear what the funds were being allocated for.

Castro said a possible deadlock on the budget may take place should the Senate not reveal line items in their P190 billion “institutional amendments.”

US SPIES ELEVATE CHINA RIVALRY TO WAR OF IDEOLOGIES WASHINGTON—In a move that could harden Washington’s posture toward Beijing for years, the US intelligence community has characterized relations with China as a global ideological showdown that will not be doused by trade deals or commercial theft crackdowns.

US spy chiefs abruptly shifted their view of the superpower rivalry this week to something much deeper than a contest over markets, technology and geopolitics.

The annual Worldwide Threat Assessment released by Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats instead said China is seeking to propagate “authoritarian capitalism” to counter Western liberal democracy, in an echo of the decades-long Cold War. “Chinese leaders will increasingly seek to assert China’s model of authoritarian capitalism as an alternative—and implicitly superior—development path abroad, exacerbating great-power competition that could threaten international support for democracy, human rights, and the rule of law,” it said.

It added the “coming ideological battle” will be marked by “a period of increased Chinese foreign policy activism and a Chinese worldview that links China’s domestic vision to its international vision,” including the idea that market-oriented authoritarian regimes are superior.

China policy analysts said the assessment marks an important modification of US thinking—and reflects President Xi Jinping’s ideological transformation of Chinese

foreign policy.

They also say it goes far beyond the views of Trump, who has treated relations with China as more transactional.

“This is more than just economics,” said James McGregor, chairman of China business consultancy APCO Worldwide.

“Now that China is so successful, there is an ideological battle for which system works best,”he told AFP. “There are a lot of poor and developing countries which have looked at what China has accomplished with awe and admiration, and they are wondering if that system will work for them.”

Aaron Friedberg, Princeton University professor and China expert, said the shift is significant but not surprising after Xi last year severed the country’s decades-old anchor to a non-ideological foreign policy.

“For a long time Chinese officials went out of their way to say that they didn’t see themselves as presenting an alternative model,” he said.

“Now it is an ideological competition because the Chinese see it that way.”

But Xi differs from Mao Zedong, the iconic leader who sought to advance his version of Marxism– Leninism throughout the developing world in the 1950s and 1960s, Friedberg said.

Xi’s government is, he explained, “doing things that have the effect of weakening democratic institutions in places where they are not perhaps deeply rooted,” such as Central Europe and Africa. AFP

sive device (IED) that went off inside the cathedral was “remotely” detonated, and that this would already dispel reports of a suicide bombing.

In Manila, the Ninoy Aquino International Airport-Office for Transportation Security instructed personnel to make simultaneous checking of all passengers entering at the initial and final security check to ensure that no firearms or explosives could be smuggled into four airport terminals.

Last Monday, the CAAP initiated security committee meetings in its 12 area centers nationwide to revisit and update the airports’ contingency plans and simulate bomb incident management exercises.

The authorities discussed various

areas of security including aircraft security checks upon disembarkation, aircraft access management, mandatory removal of shoes, In-Flight Catering Security Plan development, and random searches using the Explosive Trace Detection System.

In the landside and airside areas of airport security, measures such as the deployment of behavioral observation personnel at the passenger terminal building front-ofthe-house and landside parking area, increasing security patrol visibility, deployment of government armored assets, K9 Explosive Detection Units, and bomb squad, and the development of a strong security culture amongst airport

stakeholders were discussed.

The committee also discussed updates on the observance and implementation of the (OTS) Security Condition 2 (SECCO 2).

In compliance with the International Civil Aviation Organization’s current National Civil Aviation Security Program and Airport Security Program, SECCO 2 is defined as verifiable intelligence indicating the probability that civil aviation operations have been targeted for attack.

“SECCO 2 requires further security enhancement from aircraft operators and state agencies, such as the CAAP, to manage the risk of flights,” said CAAP Media Communications chief and spokesman Eric Apolonio.

Jan. 27.

In his report, Col. Gerry Besana, spokesperson of the Western Mindanao Command, said the fighting started at about 11:30 a.m. and raged on to late afternoon.

The gun battle entered its fourth day after the awful bomb attack labeled as a suicide bombing, apparently pulled off by Indonesian jihadist couple that claimed 22 people dead and wounded 123 others.

Besana said the fresh fighting erupted as troops from the 5th Scout Ranger Battalion under Lt. Col. Marlo Jomalesa encountered an estimated 100 heavily armed Abu Sayyaf militants under Hatib

Sawadjaan at Sitio Sungkog, Barangay Kabbon Takas in Patikul.

Initially, the ASG reportedly inflicted and undetermined number of casualties with government forces suffering no deaths.

There was no confirmation yet whether Sawadjaan was actually leading the large group of terrorists when spotted by soldiers on relentless pursuit against the enemy of the state.

Sawadjaan was classified as a notorious terrorist behind the killing of Canadians John Ridsdel and Robert Hall in 2016 and figured in the kidnapping of teachers in Basilan.

The terrorist sub-leader operates in

Sulu with hundreds of fighters equipped with sophisticated weapons.

On Wednesday, government forces pounded ASG positions in the ridges of Patikul, Sulu after President Rodrigo Duterte ordered troops to crush the terrorist group following the twin blasts in Mt. Carmel Church, sparking skirmishes.

The day after, a member of the AjangAjang wing of the ASG under Sawadjaan, Ommal Usop, was killed in shootout with troops in Brgy Latih, Patikul town.

Besana identified Usop as one of 13 members of the Ajang-Ajang group responsible in the twin bombing in Mt. Carmel Church last Sunday.

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MOTORBIKE TAXIS: TRANSPORT SEEKS AMENDMENT TO LAW

CUSTOMS, QUARANTINE GET TOUGH ON ASF TWO state agencies have agreed to get tough on passengers and importers who bring into the country pork products from countries affected by the outbreak of African Swine Fever.

The Bureau of Customs, Manila International Container Port and the National Veterinary Quarantine Service of the Bureau of Animal Industry reminded the public of the ban on pork products from 13 identified areas.

Erastus Austria, district collector of the Customs, said the tight watch on ASF outbreak was part of an order the Department of Agriculture issued in 2018.

The DA came out with the order after outbreaks of African Swine Fever were monitored in these countries: Belgium, Bulgaria, China, Czech Republic, Hungary, Latvia, Moldova, Poland, Romania, Russia, South Africa, Ukraine, and Zambia.

That DA was for a temporary ban on the importation of domestic and wild pigs and their products including pork meat and semen.

The DA in 2018 issued Memorandum Order No. 22 which prohibited the use of catering food wastes/left-overs from the international and domestic airports and seaports as swine swill feed throughout the country.

An ASF awareness campaign is being enforced at the national level to warn the public, especially the arriving passengers and importers, to comply with the policies and regulations set by the BOC and BAI. Vito Barcelo

PH LOSES 9 SPOTS IN FREEDOM INDEX WEAK monetary freedom, government integrity and tax burden had more weight than gains in property rights that sent the Philippines losing nine notches in the 2019 Index of Economic Freedom of the Washingtonbased The Heritage Foundation.

Thus, the Philippines got an economic freedom score of 63.8, classified as moderately free, according to the think tank.

The country’s score, however, declined by 1.2 points from its 2018 score of 65.0, dragging its global ranking to 70th place out of 186 countries. Last year, the Philippines ranked 61st.

“Its overall score has decreased by 1.2 points, with drops in scores for monetary freedom, government integrity, and the tax burden outweighing a higher score for property rights,” The Heritage Foundation said.

The Philippines also slid to 15th place from 13th among 43 countries in the Asia–Pacific region.

The think tank said the country’s overall score is above the regional and world averages of 60.6 and 60.8, respectively.

“The absence of entrepreneurial dynamism thwarts development.

Despite the adoption of some fiscal reforms, deeper institutional reforms are needed in interrelated areas: business freedom, investment freedom, and the rule of law,” The Heritage Foundation said.

NEW BATTLEGROUND. Volunteers from the Metro Manila Development Authority and ride-hailing app Angkas join forces to clean up portions of the Manila Bay during the weekend in line with the ‘Battle for Manila Bay’ project. Norman Cruz

MAKATI DONATES P22M TO OMPONG-HIT AREAS

By Joel E. Zurbano

M

AKATI City Mayor Abigail Binay has officially turned over the P22.7 million in Makati’s financial assistance to officials of 18 provinces and 34 cities and municipalities severely affected by Typhoon “Ompong” three months ago.

On Binay’s recommendation, the City Council passed City Ordinance No. 2018102 last year authorizing the donation of P22,750,000 to local government units in Ilocos, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon and Cordillera Administrative regions recently placed under a “state of calamity” due to Typhoon Ompong.

Binay said the assistance is intended to support the ongoing rehabilitation and recovery programs of those areas.

“We are always willing to help out and share our knowledge and resources

to local government units throughout the country that are in great need. We do this not only to alleviate the plight of the victims but also with the hope of making their communities more resilient to disasters,” she said.

Under City Ordinance No. 2018-102, the city has appropriated P8,250,000 for selected provinces in Regions I, II, III and the Cordillera Administrative Region. For 34 cities and municipalities in the said regions, the city has appropriated P14,500,000.

Gov. Faustino Dy III of Isabela attended the turnover ceremony and received the P500,000 financial assistance for his province.

In his acceptance speech, Dy thanked Makati City for its donation to his province, saying he believed in the advocacies of the city government especially on disaster risk reduction and management (DRRM).

Speaking on behalf of some 128,000 constituents, Mayor Eufemia Domingo of Licab, Nueva Ecija, thanked Mayor Binay and the city government for the P250,000-donation to her municipality.

Region I mayors who attended the ceremony and personally accepted the check donations were Eileen Guerrero (Paoay, Ilocos Norte), P250,000; from Ilocos Sur: Juan Paola Ancheta (Caoayan), P500,000; Josh Edward Cobangbang (Cabugao), P1,000,000; Ferdinand Hernaez (Santa Lucia), P500,000; from La Union: Stefanie Ann Eriguel (Agoo),

P1,000,000; and Philip Caesar Crispino (Caba), P250,000; and from Pangasinan: Eduardo Ballesteros (Aguilar), P250,000; Jojo Callejo (Alcala), P250,000; and Bona Fe De Vera Parayno (Mangaldan), P1,000,000.

Mayors from Region II who were present were Leonardo Pattung (Baggao), P1,000,000 and Marilyn Pentecostes (Gonzaga), P500,000 from Cagayan. From Region III: Joe Gorospe (Dilasag), P250,000 and Shierwin Taay (Dingalan), P250,000 of Aurora; Florida Paguio-Esteban (Cuyapo), P250,000; and Eufemia Domingo (Licab), P250,000 of Nueva Ecija.

From the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), mayors who attended were Dominic Valera (Bangued, Abra), P250,000; Bernadette Barona (Abra, Bucay), P250,000; Felix Joash Eduarte (Abra, Tayum), P250,000; and Armando Lauro (Tublay, Benguet), P250,000.Provincial and city treasurers who represented their governors and mayors from Region I were Enrique Castro, Local Treasury Operations Officer (Ilocos Norte), P500,000; Veronica Garcis, City Treasurer (Batac, Ilocos Norte), P250,000; Maribeth Chan, Provincial Treasurer (Ilocos Sur), P500,000; Algen Gomez, Treasurer (Naguilian, La Union), P250,000; Lovela Gamueda, OIC Municipal Treasurer (Santol, La Union), P250,000; Marilou Utanes, Provincial Treasurer (Pangasinan), P500,000, and Jivita Olegrio, Municipal Treasurer (Rosales, Pangasinan) P250,000.

FRANCHISE EXPO. The 17th Franchise and Business Expo, organized by the Association of Filipino Franchisers Inc., opened at the World Trade Center in Pasay City and welcomed thousands of attendees and hundreds of exhibitors, composed mostly of existing and aspiring entrepreneurs who are informed about franchising remains as the best and most advantageous path for business investments. Shown in photo during the expo opening ceremonies are (from left) Senators William Gatchalian and Cynthia Villar, AFFI chairman Eric Caeg; AFFI president Marie Joyce Co-Yu, Trade and Industry Secretary Ramon Lopez, and Celeste Porto, Marketing head, Globe myBusiness. The event is open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and ends Feb. 3.

HOUSE BILL PROTECTS ELDERLY FROM ABUSE

By Maricel V. Cruz THE House of Representatives was expected to approve on second reading next week a bill that would promote and protect the rights of senior citizens.

House Bill 7030 or the proposed “AntiElder Abuse Act,” principally authored by Rep. Victor Yap of Tarlac, aims to protect senior citizens from violence. The bill, which defines elder abuse and prescribe penalties for offenders, was approved on second reading last week.

The bill defines elder abuse or abuse against senior citizens as the following: (a) physical abuse, (b) psychological, mental or emotional abuse, (c) economic or financial abuse and material exploitation, (d) sexual abuse or non-consensual sexual contact of any kind, (e) neglect by refusal or failure to fulfill obligations who has responsibilities to provide care, as well as (f ) abandonment or desertion by leaving a senior citizen unattended.

The measure recognizes that the State is mandated to value the dignity of senior citizens and guarantee the full respect for human rights. The State shall protect

the family and its members, particularly the elders from all forms of violence, abuse, neglect, exploitation, and coercion, especially acts detrimental to their safety and security.

Under the bill, a senior citizen shall have the following rights in addition to those provided in existing laws: (a) to avail of protection and legal assistance from the Public Attorney’s Office of the Department of Justice (DOJ) or any public legal assistance office, (b) support services from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and the concerned local government unit (LGU), (c) legal remedies provided under the Family Code, and (d) to be entitled to actual, compensatory, moral and exemplary damages, among others.

The bill provides that violations of its provisions shall be considered aggravating circumstances due to the vulnerability of senior citizens.

It also states acts constituting murder or homicide, as well as those that result in mutilation, shall be punished in accordance with the provisions of the Revised Penal Code.

Meanwhile, all other acts specified in the bill shall be penalized with imprisonment and a fine of P100,000 up to P300,000. A person found guilty shall also undergo the mandatory psychological counseling or psychiatric treatment.

The bill mandates LGUs to respond to a call or request for assistance of the victims.

Further, the Philippine National Police shall establish guidelines and procedures in responding to calls and requests related to acts of violence committed against senior citizens.

Barangay officials or law enforcers who fail to attend to victims shall suffer imprisonment of six months to one year, and be fined with P5,000 to P10,000 at the discretion of the Court.

The measure provides that any person who fails to report the incident as required shall be liable for a fine of not less than P10,000.

HB 7030 also mandates the DSWD to provide rehabilitative counseling and treatment to perpetrators towards learning constructive ways of coping with anger and emotional outbursts, as well as reforming their ways.

THE Department of Transportation on Saturday sought time to study a proposal legalizing the use of motorcycles in public transport, saying there ought to be an amendment of the law.

The DOTr said an existing law on land transportation “clearly does not allow motorcycles to be classified as ‘for hire’ or for public utility.”

“Allowing motorcycle taxis to operate as public transport would go against the Temporary Restraining Order issued by the Supreme Court, thereby exposing DOTr officials to criminal liability or contempt of court,” the agency said in a statement.

He was referring to the court order that halted operations of Angkas, an app-based motorcycle taxi service.

“This is why the DOTr has maintained that the best recourse for conversion of motorcycle taxis to public transport is amendment of the law,” it said.

While Congress has yet to pass a measure that would amend Republic Act 4136 or the “Land Transportation and Traffic Code,” the DOTr sought more time to craft regulations for motorcycle taxis.

“It does not intend to antagonize Angkas. In fact, the DOTr has welcomed motorcycle groups in discussions to thresh out the requirements and other contingent issues,” the department said.

“These issues are ultimately directed at regulation for passenger safety and nothing else,” it said.

The House of Representatives committee on Metro Manila development in January called on the agency to draft such guidelines pending amendment of the law restricting use of motorbikes in public conveyance, as it favored the legalization of motorcycle taxis.

DRUG WAR: PH WORKING WITH FOREIGN LAWMEN

JUSTICE Secretary Menardo Guevarra said on Sunday that law enforcement officials are working closely with authorities abroad to keep an eye on transnational drug rings seeking to enter the country.

“The Bureau of Customs and the Bureau of Immigration are cooperating with their counterparts in foreign jurisdictions, as well as with the Interpol, in monitoring the movements of suspected international drug syndicates and their couriers,” Guevarra told the Philippine News Agency on Friday.

Earlier this week, the Makati City Regional Trial Court rescheduled the promulgation of the drug case filed against Horacio Herrera, a suspected member of the Sinaloa Mexican drug cartel, who arrived in the country four years ago with P12 million worth of high-grade cocaine.

Herrera was supposedly in talks with members of a Chinese drug syndicate when he was arrested in an entrapment operation.

In New York, Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, the acknowledged leader of the Sinaloa cartel, is fighting an indictment for drug trafficking, money laundering, and murder.

The case has drawn international attention for the details bared during the trial, including an allegation that Guzman paid high-ranking Mexican officials to turn a blind eye to the operations of his drug cartel.

Guzman was extradited to the United States two years ago after escaping from a Mexican prison. PNA

ERRATUM PCSO NOON at NGAYON Report There was a double entry in the released Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) NOON at NGAYON report, print version initially published 29th January 2019. The data/figures in the AFP/ PNP Health Facilities CapabilityBuilding Project in the table which stated “Php 17,290,349,263.75” is a misplaced entry, intended for the Tax and Duties the agency paid.

This error is limited to this specific data entry, all other data and figures presented are true and correct.

A4

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2019

News

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

WORK PERMIT RULES REVISED

By Vito Barcelo

T

HE Bureau of Immigration issued new guidelines for the issuance of Special Work Permit and Provisional Work Permit following the surge in the number of Chinese workers in the Philippines.

Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente signed Operations Order No. JHM-2019-002, requiring foreign nationals intending to work in the Philippines to submit additional documents before they are issued a SWP or PWP, in a bid to discourage and minimize the number of foreign workers in the country.

The issuance of new guidelines for

SWP and PWP was triggered by reports of mounting complaints from various labor groups, which claims that thousands of foreign workers, mostly Chinese, were working in the construction sites and other technical jobs which can be filled by Filipino workers.

Under the new guidelines, the BI will no longer issue SWP or PWP to construction workers, cashiers, waiters,

janitors, household helps, carpenters, garbage collectors, security guards, warehouse caretakers and other analogous labor.

However, the bureau may still issue SWP or PWP to highly technical positions provided that they first secure a Special Temporary Permit from the Professional Regulation Commission.

To acquire a SWP/PWP, foreign workers are required to submit the following: At least 20 days validity of Temporary Visitors Visa (TVV) at the time of application; existence and capability of petitioning company; address of the company and applicant (residence); nature of business of the petitioning

company as reflected in its SEC Certificate and; whether the company has a valid appropriate government license to operate.

The BI said that an applicant can only work for the position applied for and for the said company.

The Alien Control Officer (ACO), acting Alien Control Officer (AACO) or duly authorized personnel shall approve or disapprove SWP/PWP application filed within their area of jurisdiction. However, the BI satellite offices at SM Aura and Makati will not be allowed to issue SWP/PWP and all applicants are advised to secure their SWP/PWP at the main office in Intramuros, Manila.

COMELEC PRINTS 50-M BALLOTS THE Commission on Elections has started the printing of more than 50 million ballots for the May 13, 2019 elections but will print first the ballots for overseas absentee voting.

Comelec spokesperson James Jimenez assured the public that the poll body is on schedule to meet the deadline as the National Printing Corp. will be printing at least one million ballots a day.

He said 63 names running for the senate positions will be included in the ballots, including Senator Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III and former Senator Sergio Osmeña III whose disqualification cases are still being heard.

Jimenez said the two senators names cannot be excluded from the ballot at this point because that would open the floodgates for frivolous disqualification cases.

The Comelec filed disqualification charges against Osmeña from running in public office due to his alleged failure to file his Statement of Contributions and Expenses during his 2010 and 2016 Senate bids.

Pimentel is facing disqualification case filed by lawyer Ferdinand Topacio, who claimed that the senator has breached the constitutional provision of limiting a senator’s tenure to two consecutive Senate terms. Vito Barcelo

GRAVITY DAM. Migratory birds feast on small species of fish as they seek refuge at the Prinza dam, a gravity dam (450 meters) on the Zapote River that serves as footbridge on the border between Barangay San Nicolas I in Bacoor City, Cavite and Barangay Talon Dos in Las Piñas city. The dam was built by the Spaniards on April 24,1885. Ey Acasio

HOUSE LEADER BATS FOR REVIEW, ACCESS TO SALN

By Maricel V. Cruz

PARTIALLY CLEANED. Promenaders continue to flock the length

of the partially-cleaned Manila Bay from Manila’s Quirino Grandstand to Pasay City’s CCP Complex a week after the government started its massive rehabilitation process on its entire stretch. Ey Acasio

TRAFFIC REROUTED IN QC

By Joel E. Zurbano THE Metro Manila Development Authority and the Quezon City government will impose today (Feb. 3) a traffic rerouting and a “stop and go” scheme in connection with the Moslem and Christian groups peace rally at the Quezon City Memorial Circle in light with the recent bomb attacks in Mindanao.

In its advisory, the MMDA Public Information Office stated that“traffic rerouting and stop and go scheme will be implemented in parts of Quezon City as Muslim and Christian groups conduct a solidarity walk/salubungan inside QCMC.” Dubbed as “Lakad para sa Kapayapaan Laban sa Karahasan,” the solidarity walk

aimed to show that Muslims and Christians are “allies promoting peace and not war.”

Beginning at 7 a.m., the “stop and go” scheme will be implemented at the corner of Masaya Street and Commonwealth Avenue as Moslem group cross Elliptical Road from their assembly area at the Philippine Coconut Authority building.

The group will pass through the east side gate facing Commonwealth Avenue all the way to Liwasang Aurora in QCMC where they will be holding a program.

A traffic rerouting, on the other hand, will be enforced as Christian groups, coming from East Avenue crosses Elliptical Road and enter the QCMC gate facing East Avenue towards Liwasang Aurora.

HOUSE Majority Leader Fredenil Castro, on Saturday said that the issuance of rules governing the review, filing and disclosure, and access to the Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth of House members, officials and employees was legitimate and in accordance with the law.

At a news forum, Castro maintained that the House’s decision to draft and approve the resolution was justified.

Taking a swipe at those who oppose the resolution, Castro said he does not see any problem with it. “They are expressing imaginary problems. For some, nothing and nobody is good but themselves,” Castro, one of the principal authors of House Resolution 2467, said.

The resolution, Castro said, fulfills the

mandate of Republic Act 6713.or the “Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees”which mandates government agencies, even the Supreme Court, to come up with the rules of procedure in the review, filing and disclosure, and access to the SALNs of government employees.

The concept was started during the time of then Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr., and had been worked on during the speakership of former Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez and only prospered during the time of Speaker Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.

Castro earlier said among the purposes of HR 2467 is to pinpoint responsibility in case when the SALN of a House Member, official or employee ends up in the hands of unscrupulous people with sinister design.

Catriona Gray

PH READIES HOMECOMING FOR CATRIONA A HOMECOMING fit for a queen is what awaits Miss Universe 2018 Catriona Gray when she returns to the Philippines in February.

Gray, who resides in New York City during her reign, has been fulfilling her duties as Miss Universe and is set to fly back to the country on Feb. 20.

Alongside her Binibining Pilipinas family, Gray will hold activities with select media and VIP guests, and participate in charitable activities with the BPCI Chairman, Mrs. Stella Marquez Araneta.

Gray’s philanthropic work and passion to give back remains a priority among her role this year as Miss Universe. Her return to the Philippines will provide an opportunity to visit and support organizations close to her heart such as LoveYourself, an organization focused on advocating for HIV/AIDS education and testing; and Smile Train, an international charity that supports 100 percent-free cleft repair surgery and care for children in underprivileged communities.

Additionally, Gray is expected to make a visit to Tondo, Manila where she has since supported Young Focus Philippines to provide access to education for children living in the area.

A highlight of Gray’s return to the Philippines will be the Grand Homecoming Parade that will provide fans and all Filipinos the opportunity to see and support Miss Universe through their attendance. The Grand Parade will take the reigning Miss Universe to the streets of Manila and Makati on Feb. 21. Gray will again be welcomed with a homecoming parade at the Araneta Center on Feb. 23.

PINOY NETIZENS NOW PREFER MESSAGING—RIO TEXTING is out, messaging is on.

According to Tehnology Acting Secretary Eliseo Rio, majority of Filipinos have switched to online chats and messenger apps from texting.

Rio cited data showing that there was a 40 percent drop in text messaging over the past three years, matching the same percentage of mobile phone users shifting to online messaging in 2016.

The shift came following the availability of 4G LTE services in the country, which allows better chat connectivity.

“Sa [With] SMS (short message service), you can only contact pointto-point, person-to-person pero dito sa (but in) social media you can actually broadcast yourself,” Rio said.

Recent studies show that Filipinos are the world’s top internet and social media users despite having one of the slowest internet speeds in the world.

The We Are Social and social media management platform Hootsuite said on its 2019: Global Digital Overview report, Filipinos spend an average of 10 hours and 2 minutes on the internet via any device each day.

This is surprising since the Philippines’ internet speed ranks as the slowest among 15 Asia-Pacific countries and 108th in the world as shown by a 2017 study.

SOLONS ASK ERC TO HASTEN PROBE ON 7 PSAS NOW that the composition of the Energy Regulatory Commission is almost complete, two militant legislators asked the agency to speed up the investigation of at least seven power supply agreements (PSA), that may cost consumers P930 billion more in 20 years, that have been pending before the body for nearly three years now.

Oppositionists and Party-List Reps.

Tom Villarin of Akbayan and Rep. Carlos Zarate of Bayan Muna made the call in reaction to reports that the ERC leadership is on its way to being complete again following the resignation and retirement of three of its five top officials last year.

“The newly-constituted ERC with full membership should go full throttle on

investigating all deals that is not to the best interest of consumers,” Villarin said.

“As a regulatory body, it [ERC] should be independent and critical of all applicants for energy power generation supply and distribution [that] would tend to create monopolies and control of the market,” added Villarin.

Zarate said, “I think what is left now is to submit these seven power supply agreements to a competitive selection process (CSP).” A CSP basically refers to a bidding process, which the PSAs in question allegedly did not undergo.

Zarate initiated a House investigation on the power deals in 2017 due to an experts’ finding that consumers would shoulder P930 billion in additional power

rate expenses within the 20-to-21-year duration of the PSAs should the ERC approve them.”

Since July 2018, three commissioners— Alfredo Non, Gloria Victoria Yap-Taruc, and Geronimo Sta. Ana left the ERC. Non and Yap-Taruc retired, while Sta. Ana resigned for health reasons.

Among the reasons cited by ERC chairman Agnes Devanadera for the body’s delay in resolving the seven questioned PSAs back then were the lack of quorum among commissioners.

President Rodrigo Duterte has since appointed Commissioners Catherine Maceda and lawyer Alexis Lumabatan to replace Non and YapTaruc, respectively. Maricel V. Cruz

B1

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2019

Opinion

Adelle Chua, Editor mst.daydesk@gmail.com

EDITORIAL

SOUNDS OF SCIENCE

A SALIENT TRADITIONAL HOLIDAY

W

E JOIN the nearly 1.5 million Filipinos with pure Chinese ancestry —around 1.8 percent of the 106 million Filipinos to date—and the substantial portion with at least some Chinese ancestry in celebrating on Tuesday the Lunar New Year or Spring Festival.

There is a difference between the Chinese New Year and the New Year observed by majority of Filipinos who use the Gregorian Calendar, which is based on a solar calendar.

The Lunar New Year is based on a traditional Chinese lunisolar calendar whose

dates indicate both the phase of the moon as well as the time of the solar year, where a lunar month is around two days shorter than a solar month.

Reason why, according to the solar calendar, the Chinese New Year falls on a different date each year—for the Lunar New Year to “catch up” with the solar calendar.

As in any culture, New Year is celebrated differently.

But we pause and mark the Lunar New Year with our brothers and sisters in the Chinese community, given that we have a strong quotidian denominator with them, starting from the time Chinese soldiers and guerrillas joined in the fight against the Japanese Imperial Forces during the Japanese Occupation in the Philippines

PECIER DECIERDO

THE TRUE COST OF COAL

from 1941 to 1945.

Chinese-Filipinos were also integrated in the US Armed Forces of the First and Second Filipino Infantry Regiments of the US Army.

After the war, the Chinese community in the Philippines, as did other Chinese communities in other parts of Asia, became preeminent in the economies of their host countries.

Today, while the number remains fluid, many Filipino-Chinese in the second or third generation, who belong to either Hokkienese- or Cantonese-speaking groups of the Han Chinese Ethnicity, are active in helping build a better Philippines.

It is only appropriate that we celebrate with them.

Xīn Nián Kuài Lè!

COAL remains one of the main sources of energy in many parts of the world, including the Philippines. According to the Department of Energy, as of 2015, 44.5 percent of the country’s energy comes from coal. The Philippines is set to add even more coal plants, with are more than 20 new plants in the pipeline.

One reason for coal’s continued dominance is its apparent cheapness.

But this apparent cheapness is a result of the failure to take full account of real cost of coal. This becomes even more true when coal is compared with other energy sources, especially renewable ones such as solar, wind, and hydro. If these things are accounted for, coal comes out to be expensive for people and the planet.

Coal’s apparent cheapness is due to a variety of factors. For one, the machinery required to burn coal and convert the heat energy to electricity is relatively simple. In a coal-fired power plant, coal is ground into a powder and burned. The heat produced is then used to heat water. The boiling water produces steam, which then powers a turbine linked to a generator. This way of generating power is essentially the same method invented by James Watt that kickstarted the Industrial Revolution.

Another reason for coal’s apparent cheapness is the low price of coal in the market. One factor in this low market price is the large supply of coal in the region coming from Indonesia. According to Enerdata,“Indonesia is the world’s second coal and lignite exporter,” after Australia, accounting for 97% of Southeast Asia’s coal exports. “This cheap and easy availability in the region explains why coal is so widely used to meet the rising power generation needs,” explains Enerdata’s website.

But what is the price the real price of burning coal?

Coal is a fossil fuel. Like other kinds of fossil fuel, such as oil and natural gas, burning coal releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and is the main cause of global warming and climate change.

However, of the different kinds of fossil fuels, coal produces the most carbon when burned, making it the dirtiest energy source in terms of carbon pollution.

To estimate the true cost of burning fossil fuels, economists and environmentalists have come up with the concept called the social cost of carbon. According to the Environmental Defense Fund, the social cost of carbon is a “measure of the economic harm” from the impacts of climate change “expressed as the dollar value of the total damages from emitting one ton of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.”

The current estimate of the social cost of carbon is at $40 per ton. This estimate is made by an Interagency Working Group in the US comprised of different government agencies. While pro-industry groups contest this figure, many experts say this number is an underestimation.

However, carbon is not the only pollutant emitted by burning coal. Burning coal releases the noxious gases sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides. It also releases toxic heavy metals and particulate matter that is small enough to get into people’s lungs.

Sulfur dioxide is a harmful gas that can penetrate human lungs. According to the U.S. Union of Concerned Scientists, sulfur dioxide is also “linked with asthma, bronchitis, smog, and acid rain, which damages crops and other ecosystems, and acidifies lakes and streams.”

Nitrous oxides, meanwhile, “irritate lung tissue, exacerbate asthma, and make people more susceptible to chronic respiratory diseases like pneumonia and influenza,” according to the Union.

Heavy metals like mercury, lead, and cadmium that are spewed by coal plants can do serious damage to the nervous system of people living near the plant.

Often, the toxins released by burning coal are carried by soot or particulate matter.

One kind, called particulate matter 2.5 or PM2.5, is smaller than the width of a human hair and can easily get inside human lungs.

In fact, fossil fuels are so dangerous that, according to the NASA’s Global Climate Change website, it is more dangerous than even nuclear power.

Coal’s ability to pollute goes beyond the air. Coal can also pollute water sources with harmful substances. One product of burning coal is coal ash. When water seeps through coal ash, it may carry the toxic chemicals all the way to the ground water, where it can contamination the water that people use for their daily lives.

Because of all these effects, researchers from the Harvard Medical School estimate the total cost of coal to the US at $500 billion.

Coal probably has a proportionally high cost to Filipinos in terms of the hospital bills of all the people affected by its pollution.

Given that our country has a “right to develop,” we can as a people can decide what route that development can take. If we are to follow science, the most humane and cost-effective way is for that development to have less coal and fossil fuels, and more renewables and sustainable practices.

AUSTRIAN LAKE OFFERS CLIMATE HAVEN FOR DUTCH ICE SKATERS FOR over two decades, climate change has prevented a hallowed fixture in the Dutch ice skating calendar. But devotees of this national obsession have found refuge in the Austrian Alps—all thanks to James Bond.

Over the past two weeks, thousands of ice skaters—almost all of them Dutch—have flocked to the Weissensee lake, 930 meters above sea level in southern Austria, in order to recreate the spirit of outdoor ice skating’s Holy Grail: the “Elfstedentocht.”

It’s a race which originally linked 11 towns in the Netherlands via frozen canals but for 22 years a lack of ice has meant organizing it there has been impossible.

Instead, hundreds could be seen gathering on the lake before sunrise earlier this week, headlamps ready and raring to set off on the 200-kilometer (124-mile) route in temperatures of minus 10 degrees C (14 degrees F).

“We searched for solutions in several European countries,” says Toine Doreleijers, the organizer of the “Alternative Elfstedentocht.”

“But nowhere else did we find a

frozen lake that was so stable.”

And it was none other than James Bond that led them to the discovery in 1987.

“When the film ‘The Living Daylights’ came out, there was a car chase scene on a lake and it was obvious that if this ice could support that, it could also support thousands of skaters,” says Doreleijers.

The race has proved a godsend for the 700-strong Weissensee locality.

Almut Knaller, from the local tourism office, says the event pulls in 40,000 overnight stays.

“Beforehand, after Christmas, it would get very quiet. Thank you, James Bond!”

‘Ice Master’ The “Alternative Elfstedentocht” has been held annually in Weissensee since 1989, while the original route in the Netherlands has only been usable once in that time, in 1997.

Harry van den Heuvel, a 56-yearold logistics manager, is one of those who’ve come halfway across the continent to compete.

“The true route is really something mythical. So much so that the

number of participants had to be limited to 15,000,” he says.

It’s Harry’s fourth time at Weissensee, and this year he finished behind his personal best, with a time of eight hours and 22 minutes, held up by 15 falls on the way.

Professional skaters compete on separate days and normally finish in under six hours.

The job of preparing the ice for these two weeks of competition falls to one man—72-year-old handyman Norbert Jank.

Jank can remember the days when he just used the frozen lake for horse-drawn sleigh rides—since then he has been dubbed the “Ice Master” for his knowledge of the lake.

“The crew for the James Bond film asked me to ensure that the ice would hold for the shooting,” he remembers.

Since then he has worked together with his team to produce 25 hectares of ice suitable for skating, encompassing the 12.5-km ring used by the Alternative Elfstedentocht.

Skating on thin ice Weissensee owes its particular iciness to “a basin effect which

sees cold air pile up on the surface of the water, and also to the fact that in general there is no fog to retain heat,” says Gerhard Hohenwarter, of the ZAMG meteorological institute.

But Weissensee is now also finding out that there is no escape from climate change.

“As with everywhere else in the Alps, temperatures have risen by 2 degrees C in 40 years,” says Hohenwarter, adding that several other lakes in the region which used to be suitable for skating now don’t freeze over reliably.

Jank has seen the effects in action.

“In the old days, the ice would be around 50 cm thick, sometimes 80.

Now it’s more like 30. I wouldn’t bet on it being fit for skating in 20 years’ time.”

Until then, Weissensee “allows us to keep Dutch outdoor ice skating culture alive, it’s an essential part of our heritage,” says Doreleijers.

But van den Heuvel still dreams of the day when the original route will reopen.

“I very much hope to be able to race on it,” he says. AFP

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Honor Blanco Cabie Night Editor Jimbo Gulle City Editor Romel J. Mendez Art Director Roberto Cabrera Chief Photographer

Chairman Emeritus, Editorial Board

World

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SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2019 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Cesar Barrioquinto, Editor / Jimbo Gulle, Issue Editor

GRIM OUTLOOK, ANOTHER SWITCH OF AUSSIE PM SEEN

SYDNEY, Australia—While much of the West embraces the populist right, Australians are baulking at their government’s climate-sceptic tough-onmigrants message, with polls pointing to a change in government at this May’s election.

As things stand, folksy Aussie Prime Minister Scott Morrison risks being turfed out after less than a year on the job—a short innings even in the selfstyled coup capital of the democratic world.

Current polls show his conservative Liberal Party heading for its worst electoral defeat since 1983 and Australia getting a seventh change of prime minister in ten years.

“The polling has really been consistently showing that the Labor Party are ahead by a significant margin,” said Glenn Kefford, a campaigns expert at Macquarie University.

“The sentiment out there is that the Labor party are headed for victory, it’s just a question of what the size of that victory will be.”

Facing an uncertain future, three of Morrison’s cabinet ministers have called it quits before the campaign gets into full swing. AFP

SUPERFREEZE. A man waits to cross a street during heavy snow fall in downtown Manhattan on Wednesday in New York City. Bitter cold with temperatures lower than Antarctica gripped the American Midwest, grounding flights, closing schools and businesses and raising frostbite and hypothermia fears for homeless residents. Heavy snow was forecast in the northern stretches of Maine and snow squalls predicted for other parts of the east coast. AFP

IVORY COAST’S GBAGBO FREED BY WAR CRIMES COURT THE HAGUE, Netherlands—The International Criminal Court finally freed former Ivory Coast president Laurent Gbagbo on Friday after his shock acquittal last month on charges of crimes against humanity.

Supporters sang and waved flags in the Hague after judges agreed to release the 73-year-old on condition that he stays in an as-yet-unnamed country pending an appeal by the prosecution.

Gbagbo, the first former head of state ever to stand trial at the ICC, and his aide Charles Ble Goude were cleared on January 15 over a wave of violence after disputed elections in the west African nation in 2010.

More than 3,000 people died on both sides after Gbagbo refused to concede defeat to his internationally backed-rival—and now-president— Alassane Ouattara.

ICC appeals judge Chile Eboe-Osuji said the court would release Gbagbo “to a state willing to accept them on its territory and willing to enforce the conditions set” by the court.

The court later said that Gbagbo and Ble Goude had been released from the ICC’s detention centre in The Hague for an “interim” location while his final destination was confirmed, without giving further details.

“We are very happy for Mr Ble Goude and his family that he is finally released,” Ble Goude’s lawyer Alexander Knoops told reporters. “He was under huge stress.” AFP

6.5-MAGNITUDE QUAKE SHAKES GUATEMALA, MEXICO GUATEMALA CITY—A 6.5-magnitude earthquake shook Mexico and Guatemala on Friday, leaving three people injured and causing infrastructure damage, authorities said.

The quake struck near the MexicoGuatemala border, 37 kilometers (23 miles) southwest of Ciudad Hidalgo, in the Mexican state of Chiapas, said Mexico’s National Seismological Service. It put the depth at 62 kilometers.

It caused rockslides that blocked three highways in Guatemala, and left at least three people with minor injuries, authorities there said.

The quake was felt as far away as El Salvador and Mexico City. In the Mexican capital, more than 1,200 kilometers from the epicenter, tall buildings swayed and thousands of people were evacuated.

The shaking was powerful around the epicenter, in Chiapas, but no major damage or injuries were reported on the Mexican side of the border.

“It was pretty scary,” said Karla Munoz, a resident of Tapachula, Chiapas, who told AFP her daughters had been “extremely frightened.”

“We all started crying at school!” said one of them, nine-year-old Eva. The memory is still fresh in Mexico of two earthquakes in September 2017 that killed 465 people and damaged tens of thousands of buildings.

The seismically volatile country’s deadliest earthquake on record killed thousands of people in 1985. AFP

C

RAPID THAW FOR US ARCTIC DEEP FREEZE

HICAGO—A brutal cold spell that paralyzed the US Midwest, freezing water mains, causing power outages and canceling flights, eased on Friday, with forecasts predicting a rapid thaw.

The two days of intense cold from the socalled polar vortex that descended on the US Midwest and Northeast will go down in memory for its scenes of winter at its most bitter.

Blocks of ice floated down the river that runs through downtown Chicago, the rushing waters of the Niagara Falls were frozen in some places, and half the Great Lakes were covered in ice.

US media reported as many as 21 weatherrelated deaths since a snow storm hit the Midwest early in the week, followed by plunging temperatures Wednesday and Thursday.

Temperature readings were nosing up on Friday and “will continue to moderate,” the National Weather Service said.

The concern, though, turned to the threat of flooding and further stress on already strained infrastructure as the region thawed out.

“In some areas of the Midwest, the coming wild temperature swing will be the most extreme warm-up from record winter cold ever seen in such a short time period,” Jeff Masters, meteorologist at Weather Underground, told AFP. The Arctic air mass that veered off its normal polar route broke more than 340 records in communities across a cluster of states, according to the Midwestern Regional Climate Center.

With wind chill factored in, temperatures dropped to as low as -64 degrees Fahrenheit (-53C) in Minnesota, -59F (-51C) in Wisconsin, -58F (-58C) in Iowa and -55F (-48C) in Illinois.

By Monday, the weather was expected to be comparatively balmy -- around 50F (10C) in Chicago and Detroit.

“It’s important to remember that the rapid change in weather and snow melt could lead to dangerous flooding,” James Joseph, the regional director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), said in a statement.

In the region around Niagara Falls, officials

worried that ice jams could raise water levels in the Upper Niagara River, according to local TV station WIVB. Niagara Falls Mayor Paul Dyster said they were also working “to avert possible creek flooding once thaw comes.”

In Illinois, state officials said they were discharging warm water from a nuclear power station into a river in order to prevent ice jams and flash flooding.

In Detroit and Chicago, which have already contended with dozens of broken water mains over the last several days, more pipes could burst as rapid warming puts pressure on aging systems.

Elements of normal life resumed in fits and starts, including transportation.

Thousands of flights were scrapped this week, especially at Chicago’s two major airports, which experienced more than 1,500 cancellations a day.

The city is a regional hub, and passengers were left stranded or looking for alternate routes.

“The majority of our customers have already been rebooked,” American Airlines spokesman Ross Feinstein told AFP on Friday. AFP

TRUMP TO PITCH ‘GREATNESS’ IN STATE OF UNION WASHINGTON, United States—US President Donald Trump’s State of the Union speech will urge optimism, pulling back from Washington’s current climate of strife, a top official insisted Friday.

Previewing next Tuesday’s speech before Congress, a senior administration official said Trump will “cast an inspiring vision of American greatness.”

The president—in open warfare with opposition Democrats, as well as railing almost daily against prosecutors looking at allegations that he colluded with Russia in his 2016 election -- will take the high ground, the official said.

“Optimistic and unifying, but I think it can also be considered visionary,” the official said of the speech.

However, the speech is bound to be one of the most politically fraught in years, coming against the backdrop of a bitter row with opposition Democrats who refuse to fund Trump’s plan for more walling along the US-Mexican border.

The dispute even led to Congress delaying the date of the speech.

And Trump himself hinted Friday that he will use the delayed event to declare a national emergency, allowing himself to unilaterally appropriate wall building funds, bypassing Congress altogether.

The senior administration official refused to confirm any specific details of the speech and emphasized that the president’s main goal was to present a more healing tone.

According to an excerpt given to journalists, Trump will say: “Together, we can break decades of political stalemate, we can bridge old divisions, heal old wounds, build new coalitions, forge new solutions and unlock the extraordinary promise of America’s future.”

The administration official, who spoke on condition of not being identified, said that Trump would focus on five areas: The contentious debate on illegal immigration over the Mexican border.

An “update” on trade negotiations with China and other countries where Trump says he is strengthening markets for US workers.

Asking Congress to approve

“substantial investments” on US infrastructure projects.

Lowering sky-high prescription medicine costs.

Foreign policy and efforts in countries like Syria and Afghanistan to “bring an end to our endless foreign wars.”

The official refused to give concrete details of policy announcements. However, he did say that Venezuela, where Washington is supporting the opposition’s bid to push out leftist President Nicolas Maduro, would feature.

Speaking at the White House, Trump gave his strongest indication yet that he is readying to declare a state of emergency on the border, something that would undoubtedly deepen partisan bickering in Washington. AFP

RIVAL RALLIES, TENSE STANDOFF IN VENEZUELA

MUMMY DOCTOR. French forensic doctor Philippe Charlier examines the Guano mummy with Ecuadorian technicians in a laboratory at the Cultural Heritage Institute of Ecuador in Quito on Wednesday. Charlier is studying the 16th-century mummy of a friar found in the town of Guano, Ecuador in 1949. As the body was placed in a wall with a cold, dry environment, it was protected from flies and larvae, and the preserved tissues still contain traces of the rheumatoid polyarthritis that have captured the attention of Charlier, who has studied the remains of Hitler, Descartes, Robespierre and of the first discovered specimen of the Cro-Magnon man. AFP

CARACAS, Venezuela—Tens of thousands of protesters were set to pour onto the streets of Caracas on Saturday to back opposition leader Juan Guaido’s calls for early elections as international pressure increased on President Nicolas Maduro to step down.

Major European countries have set a Sunday deadline for Maduro to call snap presidential elections. Failing that, they will join the United States in recognizing National Assembly speaker Guaido as Venezuela’s interim president.

“Maduro’s tyranny must end and must end now,” US Vice President Mike Pence told a rally of exiled Venezuelans in Miami on the eve of the protest.

Guaido’s call for a massive show of popular support coincides with a huge pro-Maduro demonstration.

The ruling Socialist party celebrates the 20th anniversary of the rise to power of Hugo Chavez, Maduro’s deceased predecessor, on Saturday.

The “clear goal” of the march was “to accompany the ultimatum given by members of the European Union,” Guaido said ahead of the march, which will begin outside the EU offices in eastern Caracas.

“We are going to stage the biggest march in the history of Venezuela and our continent,” he added.

The rival marches will take place in different districts of a tense Venezuelan capital. Maduro’s supporters will concentrate in Plaza Bolivar in the heart of Caracas, 10 kilometers (six miles) from the EU offices.

Clashes last week around the country left some 40 people dead, according to the United Nations. AFP

Images

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SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2019 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

BOMBING VICTIM. The remains of Seaman Second

Class Jaypee Galicha of the Philippine Coast Guard receive arrival honors at the PCG Special Service Office in Muelle de Industria, Farola Compound, Binondo, Manila on Wednesday.

Galicha was attending Mass when an explosive went off inside the Cathedral of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel in Jolo, Sulu on Sunday. Norman Cruz

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INTERNET SAVVY. A man checks his social CLEANER PLAYGROUND. Kids play along the waters of Manila Bay on Friday after a week of the government’s ongoing rehabilitation of the heavilypolluted waterway. Lino Santos

media account in Quezon City on Friday, as the Philippines was announced as the world’s heaviest Internet user, dethroning Thailand, according to the latest Digital 2019 report jointly released by social media management platform Hootsuite and its partner, We Are Social. Manny Palmero

WAGE PROTEST. Government workers troop to the front of the Department of Budget and Management office in Manila to call for a national minimum wage of P16,000 a month in time for the national budget for 2020. Norman Cruz

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Riera U. Mallari, Editor sports_mstandard@yahoo.com

Sports

NEW DEVICE TO BOOST FILIPINO ATHLETES’ SEAG PERFORMANCE

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S THE government speeds up development of the sports facilities for the 30th South East Asian Games, the Bases Conversion and Development Authority and its partner MTD Philippines Inc. recently introduced SmarTracks—a tracking technology that documents performances of athletes real time.

This new facility will soon be used in the Athletics Stadium in New Clark City and is expected to benefit hundreds of athletes during the Games.

A live demonstration, led by MTD Philippines, was held at the ULTRA Track Oval in the Philippine Sports Complex, Pasig City. Athletes and coaches from the Philippine National Athletics Team participated in the live demonstration including members of the Philippine Sports Commission and the Philippine Athletics Track and SmarTracks, the first of its kind in athletic performance tracking technology, enables athletes and coaches to improve their training by recording vital data on team and individual performances.

Its automated timing system will help athletes monitor their progress and adapt their training more efficiently. This new facility eliminates the need for manual tracking by instantly providing information to our athletes and coaches.

Sprinters at the demonstration wore a belt with a sensor to accurately measure their speed, number of footsteps and the length of every

John Chicano

MIGHTY SPORTS CLOBBERS AMERICAN U Game Saturday (Shabab Al Ahli Club, Dubai) 11 p.m. (Manila time) — Mighty Sports vs UAE National Team

A live demo (above) is done by MTD Philippines of the SmarTracks (below), a tracking technology that documents performances of athletes real time.

step on each sprint.

“It’s great for the morale. Great atmosphere to see the interest, the demonstration and the explanations going on. Our athletes performed well in practices and it was probably the best practice of the season,” PATAFA Head Coach Rohsaan Griffin said. “This year’s a big year and so we need as many measurable metrics as we can get to chart our progress,” he added.

Meanwhile, BCDA President and CEO Vivencio Dizon said that SmarTracks can inspire the athletes to perform their best during the South East Asian Games.

“We want the best for our athletes so this new state-of-the-art facility is an added value to the world-class infrastructure we’re developing in New Clark City,” Dizon said.

GO FOR GOLD TRIATHLETES RULE NAGT OPENER JOHN Leerams Chicano of Team Go For Gold is fast shaping up as the toughest obstacle to the bid of Nikko Huelgas for a third straight gold medal in the Southeast Asian Games.

Chicano, the 2017 SEA Games men’s triathlon silver medalist, again showed that he’s the biggest thorn on Huelgas’ side after topping the opener of this year’s National Age-Group Triathlon (“t was a nice race and I’m really looking forward to be in peak form in time for the SEA Games,’’ said Chicano, who also won the prestigious Tri-Factor International Triathlon in Quzhou, China late last year.

Just like Chicano, Huelgas is part of the Go For Gold triathlon team.

Chicano cut loose in the final two kilometers of the run se-

quence of the NAGT held at San Bernardino inside Subic Bay Freeport to capture the gold in the men’s elite with a clocking of one hour, 58 minutes and 47 seconds.

Seeking a spot in the men’s national squad, 21-year-old Fer Casares placed second in two hours and one second followed

by Go For Gold and Siklab Sports Youth Awardee Kim Remolino of Cebu (2:02:12).

Chicano, better known as Rambo in the elite triathlon circuit, has been blessed with another win brought about by his commitment of conducting triathlon clinics in rural areas to search for future talents.

“Rambo has become an inspiration to all our young triathletes who are motivated to follow his footsteps as we aim to produce more triathlon cham-

pions,’’ said Go For Gold godfather Jeremy Go. Chicano and Huelgas are both looking forward to teaching a new breed of triathletes as Go For Gold helped organize a series of sprint races in Cebu, Davao and Subic this year.

Joining hands with Sunrise Events over the next three years, the Go For Gold Sunrise Sprint will coincied with the 5150 triathlon races on April 28 in Cebu, July 7 in Davao City and Nov. 3 in Subic Bay. 5150 is an Olympic distance race.

Go, vice president of Powerball Marketing and Logistics Corp., the company behind the Go For Gold program, recently announced that the top performers in the open category (15 years old and above) will earn a yearlong contract with Go For Gold.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates— Team Mighty Sports-Philippines lived up to its billing with a dominant 87-58 victory over American University in Dubai on Friday night in the Dubai International Basketball Championships at the jampacked Al Ahli Club gymnasium here.

Cheered on by a pre-dominantly pro-PH club crowd that filled up the 4,000-seater arena, the Filipino cagers flexed their muscles early on and never let up for an auspicious start in the most prestigious invitational cage tournament in the Middle East being held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Ahmed Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum.

Justin Brownlee came off the bench and led the attack with 17 points in just nine attempts, highlighted by three triples, on top of six boards in 18 minutes of play while big man Randolph Morris showcased his playmaking ability with a game-high four assists aside from 14 points and six rebounds to help the Mighty Sports’ cause.

Fil-Am wingman Jeremiah Gray also came up big with 15 points, including an emphatic jam in the second period, while former Ginebra stalwart Jett Manuel proved he still has it with 12 points, spiked by two treys, underlining the solid support provided by Mighty Sports’ locals.

“We played a good game, but I don’t think this is the real competition. This is probably the weakest team in the whole tournament,” said Mighty Sports coach Charles Tiu, trying his best to tone down the hype over the confidence-building win against an AUD side composed mostly of collegiate players.

Still, the accessories and apparel team backed by SMDC, HealthCube Medical Clinics, Go for Gold and Oriental Game sent a strong message to its future rivals that it is a force to be reckoned with this time after a nightmarish debut in the annual cage spectacle back in 2017.

Former Los Angeles Lakers star Lamar Odom, arguably the poster boy of the Philippine-based team, struggled with just four points on 2-of-10 shooting but did account for seven rebounds, two assists, one steal and a block in his first competitive in over four years much to the delight of Mighty Sports owner Alex Wongchuking.

“He may have yet to show his sharp form of old but we are more than glad to see him enjoy the sport that he loves,” said Wongchuking. “He played most to the crowd and for sure, he will only get better from hereon.”

Up next for Mighty Sports is an expected tough test in fellow Group A member, host UAE national team, on Saturday at 7 p.m. (11 p.m., Manila time) at the same venue.

JR NBA EXPANDS PROGRAM

THE National Basketball Association today announced the Jr. NBA Philippines 2019 presented

by Alaska will return for the 12th consecutive year and expand to provide youth in the region the opportunity to represent Asia Pacific in the second Jr. NBA Global Championship, a youth basketball tournament for the top 13and 14-year-old boys and girls teams from around the world that will be held Aug. 6 to 11 at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World near Orlando, Fla. Jr. NBA Philippines 2019 tipped off today in Manila with a train-the-trainers clinic for teachers and coaches.

The program, which aims to teach the fundamental skills and core values of the game at the grassroots level, will once again include nationwide youth clinics, coaching workshops,

and training camps.

New this year, the Jr. NBA Global Championship Asia Pacific regional competition will expand to include youth from Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

As many as five boys and five girls from the Jr. NBA Philippines National Training Camp will be selected to participate in the first Jr. NBA Global Championship Asia Pacific Qualifiers, a week-long event in June that will feature top youth players from the region.

The top performing 10 boys and 10 girls will represent Asia Pacific in the Jr. NBA Global Championship.

“As we expand the Jr. NBA Philippines program, we are excited to introduce new opportunities for players and coaches to gain an enriching experience playing with and learning from peers of diverse cultural backgrounds,” said

NBA Philippines Managing Director Carlo Singson. “Together with longtime partner Alaska, we are committed to growing the Jr. NBA Philippines into an inclusive program that fosters a safe and fun environment for boys and girls to compete, learn the fundamental skills and values of the game, and positively impact the next generation of Filipino athletes.”

“Jr. NBA Philippines presented

by Alaska continues to be a great platform to reach kids at a young age and inspire them to learn the fundamentals of the game in a fun and engaging way,” said Alaska Basketball Powercamp Director Jeff Cariaso. “We look forward to leveraging the excitement of the NBA to inspire basketball participation and utilizing the Jr. NBA Philippines program to promote the importance of active play and proper nutrition among the Filipino youth.”

PH LADIES OPEN. Jasper Tiu (seated, center), VP Sales and Marketing, and Carlos Bacani (second from right), Marketing director of Peerless Products Mfg. Corp., makers of Champion Detergent, sign the contract with Women’s Golf Association of the Philippines president Anna Haurie (second from left), making Champion the presenter of the 57th Philippine Ladies Open slated Feb. 19-21 at the Manila Golf and Country Club. With them are (from left) WGAP board member Greely Oposa, WGAP vice president Susan San Pascual and WGAP board members (standing, from left) Detsy Laurel, Corazon Suntay, Cora Sy, Cielo Fregil, Kathy Uy and Evelyn Alcantara.

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Fulgar Architects CEO John Ian Lee Fulgar

Business

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

FILIPINO ARCHITECT INTRODUCES METAMODERN BUILDING DESIGNS

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FILIPINO architect is introducing metamodern designs in the Philippines to construct better and innovative buildings that embody technology, function, culture, national identity, environment sustainability and social interaction in the digital age.

John Ian Lee Fulgar, chief executive of Fulgar Architects, a Mandaluyong City-based architectural and technology studio, says the metamodern philosophy is what comes after post-modernism.

“What we have now is assembly architecture which means you buy components and put them together. That is what is happening. That is why you could see most box types as in assembly line,” he says in an interview in Makati City.

“We are borrowing too much from the western ideas, where they mass produce and practice assembly architecture. While we are adopting these concepts, further studies on how it will impact our way of living as Filipinos must also be considered,” he says.

Fulgar says that as a tropical country in the Pacific, the Philippines has its own condition that should merit its own architecture.

Fulgar says that with metamodern design, his company is delineating away from the old school of polarity—black or white, good or bad. “What metamodern is is that it helps us become more subjective to try to think of more common ground

Fulgar Architects design

where we can entertain polarities to come up with something new, something creative. That is the challenge now,” he says.

“What we are trying to do is get back to design and also to try to excite clients by trying new things, new approaches now that we have the capacity to review and compare with international works,” he says.

“I am hoping that with the trend of metamodern that we try to spearhead, sooner we will come up with different designs that hopefully could compete with the international market and worldclass standards,” he says.

“In the metamodern, we are more facilitated by things that are digitalized. It is post-industrial agenda and it has a global message where

everyone is more connected and we have more perspective of what is happening across the globe, unlike before when we were somewhat alienated from that,” Fulgar says. He says it is Google that pioneered the open space design.

“When we have technology influencing our social behavior especially the younger ones, more and more are now working at home. I think that is a new cultural shift that architecture should also listen too and try to translate into building designs,” he says.

On what makes metamodern different from the current form of assembly architecture, Fulgar says the former is heavily influenced by technology to become more functional.

“We are very particular with function. We address the primary impact of the project. In terms of style, we are heavily influenced by technology. We are also looking at parametric forms. We hope to come up with more of these interventions as we go. We are doing it slowly. I think there is a period when we could actually bring these new designs,” he says.

Fulgar, who has worked in mega projects in Singapore for a decade, returned to the Philippines in 2014 to help transform Philippine architecture.

He says sustainability is also a part of metamodern architecture. “Sustainability is a default part of it. We have to be friendly to our environment. In terms of function, we would like to reinvestigate the things that are no longer part of our spaces now....There should be a relook of architectural programming,” says Fulgar, who studied at the University of the Turn to C2

FILIPINO DESIGN MANUFACTURERS SET TO ATTEND ‘AMBIENTE’ ACCLAIMED designer Tony Gonzales returns to Germany with 24 strong exhibitors from the home lifestyle category.

The biggest in its four straight years of participation since 2016, the Philippines is once again set to conquer the international stage as it seeks to generate export sales in Ambiente, a leading international fair held in Germany.

Twe n t y fo u r Ph i l i p p i n e exhibitors from various sectors such as furniture and lighting, home décor and houseware, and gifts and seasonal decors will exhibit alongside the world’s top manufacturers in Messe, Frankfurt

in Germany on Feb. 8 to 12, 2019.

“The trend now is gearing towards natural with soft but colorful hues and we are proud to say that we have already started that direction in the Manila FAME October 2018 edition,” said Tony Gonzales, designer and over-all curator of the Philippine participation in Ambiente.

After a 15-year hiatus from curating the Philippine delegation in the largest B2B trade show in the world, Gonzales returned last year and is intent on leading the Philippines once again with a successful participation. The 2018 Philippine participation in

Ambiente exceeded targets as it generated $2.3 millon export sales.

“We are already ahead of the game as we have been developing products since last year for Manila FAME. We used this time to really refine the products that we will bring in Germany. The Filipinos are already known for their design sensibilities, but we want to bring products that are not just designcentric but also saleable,”Gonzales said, as he delved deeper on the business of design.

“At the end of the day we are doing business and we are looking forward to generate sales because

the Frankfurt fair is where you verify your niche since people really go there to buy,” Gonzales said.

With a theme “Sustainability Through D esign” LifestylePhilippines will champion ecological sustainability by harnessing the different natural resources abundant in the Philippines such as mother of pearl, abaca (Manila hemp), raffia, rattan, buri and other plant fibers. These renewable resources are transformed into unique, functional products that reflect the exquisite Filipino design sustainability.

Motivational speaker Mitch Carson

FORMER ALCOHOLIC TURNS INTO A TOP MENTOR FOR SPEAKERS

By Othel V. Campos MOTIVATIONAL speaker Mitch Carson visited the Philippines recently for a four-day teach-in-cumconference called ‘Speak in Manila’.

Carson has mentored 270 speakers across all professions, industries and sectors, a good percentage of whom are already self-made speakers who want to learn more.

“There’s a whole wide range of those wanting to get famous or be known through public public speaking, not only within their countries but globally. They want to get out, market themselves as good speakers and monetize on their capabilities. I help them go where they want to go and brand them uniquely in the international market.

They were perceived much greater than they were before because they must have perfected their routines.

What they all get to know is that speaking is all about perception.

Marketing is about perception,” Carson said.

During the four days that Carson was in Manila, 20 speakers became his participants with two Filipinos on the roster. A great many flew from other parts of the world like Japan and Australia to hear him speak and listen to his formula on how to engage an audience.

One of the two Filipinos is an 83-year-old socialite who Carson met during his earlier stint as a speaker in a Manila event in 2018. “She does it because she loves it. She’s in my network. She believes in what I’m doing. I did not charge her,” he said.

The other Filipino participant is quite famous outside the country and has spoken all over the world himself.

Carson is also a well-known speaker who leads about four to five conferences all over the world each year. His “Speak” stints in different famous cities draw crowds of repeat participants and interested new speakers.

Carson had staged events in Bangkok, Beverly Hills, Cairo, Dubai, Madrid, Oman and other major cities around the world multiple times to share the formula of eloquence and substance speaking.

“I have trained some of the most elite speakers in the world. People with skills in artificial intelligence, people who have expertise in different fields, people who are already experts in their own personal way,” he said.

“I have trained people who know how to motivate other people ans those that may have the ability to sell. I have people who train public speakers in Malaysia. A student of mine was here because he wants to grow his brand online by coming and sharing his passion here. They come to me because they want to grow their brand out if their home country,” he said.

Carson provides speakers with a platform, a speaking opportunity to let the fear escape from them and conquer their stage fright. The fourday conference was actually a session of fast-track curriculum in speaking.

“I give them a stage, a platform.

And before they get to the stage, I give them training. They pay in order to get paid when they go out into the speaking world. I get them prepared.

I’m their university. I am their fasttrack university in order to and get paid,” he said.

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Business

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SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2019 business@manilastandard.net

TECHNOLUX TO CO-PRESENT LAUNDRY SHOW TECHNOLUX Equipment & Supply Corp., an industry leader and the country’s largest importer and supplier of a complete line of laundry and foodservice equipment and small wares, is co-presentor of the “1st Cleaning and Laundry Show 2019” on Feb. 21 to 23 at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City.

The three-day event will gather local and international suppliers, manufacturers, exhibitors, customers and companies involved in laundry systems, cleaning equipment and chemicals, janitorial and custodial supplies and IT service providers.

Technolux will showcase its array of laundry equipment such as cutting-edge smart hard- and soft-mounted washerextractors, tumble-dryers, detergents, steamers and ironers that they imporåt and supply to the country’s top hotels, resorts, laundromats and other institutions.

Some of the world-class brands that will be featured are IPSO (manufacturer of laundry equipment); Firbimatic (closed circuit dry cleaning machines); Braun (heavy duty industrial washer extractors, tumble dryers, flatwork ironers, automatic feeders, bed sheet and towel folders); Seitz (laundry detergents, wet cleaning detergents and dry cleaning solveånts); Autovalet Systems (fully automated conveyor system and Sidi Mondial (laundry pressing machines, dry cleaning utility press, form finishers, cuff and collar press, vacuum ironing tables and spotting tables).

Technolux is also set to highlight its “Self-Service Coin-Operated Laundry Business”, a full cycle approach in owning a laundry enterprise, offering clients multiple business packages that will suit their preferences.

The coin-operated business is powered

by IPSO laundry equipment. Based in the US, IPSO belongs to Alliance Laundry Systems Network, the global leader in commercial laundry with presence in over 100 countries.

FORMER... FromC1 Carson helps speakers identify which passions turn to money and focus on the right direction.

Most speaking trends on demand is on artificial intelligence, big data, video and mobile apps. “I can get in experts who want to grow their brands. They maybe experts but they may not be experts in communicating their messages. There’s a big divide there, there’s a valley. I bridge the gap.

They don’t know how to convey their message. There are lots of experts but no marketing skills so I give them the fast-track by identifying their passion and testing if their passion is maketable,” said Carson.

Public speaking, he said, is quite financially rewarding. A veteran speaker like himself can earn at least $200,000 a year just from speaking alone.

“But for celebrity speakers like Bill Clinton and Arnold Schwarzenegger, a single speaking performance earns them $500,000,” he said, adding that he had once shared the stage with former President Clinton.

He was not born a speaker though.

Losing both his parents at age 22 was too much for him that he was drawn to seductive world of alcoholism and drugs.

“I went on a downward spiral depression of drinking and drug sessions. I decided to live after being extremely drug addicted and alcoholic. I made a decision at age 23 to live,” he said.

In more than a year of wastedness, Carson got involved in Alcoholic Anonymous and had been sober since July 1984 and started in a career of motivating people to thrash the habit.

“After six months of being sober, I started speaking of my recovery and recovery from being dead. That launched my speaking career. And I became better at it, sharing my experience of overcoming alcohol and drug addiction. And then it grew and grew and then I realized that my reception in the market is pretty good.

I can make a living out of it,” he said.

That transition is what has made him build a stronger wall to drugs and alcoholism. This coming July 1, 2019, Carson will be celebrating his 35 years of being sober.

“I shared about this all over the world in some 59 countries. Much of the time I don’t get paid to do that. It do that because it is my privilege to do it, it is may passion to do it. Speaking about drugs and alcohol and recovery possibilities, I do with passion but never accepted payment. I still do that whenever I’m m asked and I will never accept a penny. But I have to eat so I make money the other way. But helping others is my primary mission in life,” he said.

In April, Carson will be back for another conference in Cebu and may stage a reprise of “Speak in Manila” in July.

“I believe that Filipinos can be great speakers. The quality of their voice and they being bilingual are enough to start with. They only need a little bit of mastery through proper training,” he said.

TIN CAN MAKER CONTINUES LEGACY

O

RIENTAL Tin Can president Ramon Chua leads the company as a trailblazer in the metal packaging and quality tin cans in the Philippines.

With emphasis on innovation and quality, OTC, the company his father Chua Tee started in the 1940s, has become a household name in the industry, and currently supplies a majority of the country’s food canneries in Luzon, the Visayas and Mindanao.

The success of OTC can be attributed to Tee’s philosophy that “quality no matter what product you make will be the key to success.” He passed on this guiding principle to his son Engineer Ramon Chua who now helms the business.

Ramon Chua expanded the capabilities of the company by moving Oriental Tin Can from 3rd Avenue Grace Park, Caloocan City to a much bigger area in Novaliches, Quezon City that would house all its production lines in 1954.

With Chua’s technical knowhow and vision, OTC became the first company in the Philippines to have its own coil cutting lines, and soon developed innovations such as computerized numerical control machinery to engineer its 2-piece cans – a feat which gained the company multiple international awards.

Not one to rest on his laurels, Chua together with his son Felimon Dexter Chua are constantly innovating. OTC will soon have its own easy-open can lids. ‘’Its quality and innovation or nothing. This differentiates Oriental Tin Can from competitors,’’ Chua said.

ASSURANCE OF QUALITY Chua said the number one consideration is quality control. The Filipino company aspires to become globally competitive by offering products that are internationally recognized for their quality and excellence. OTC operated with international standards, codes of practices, and complies with relevant requirements of law to assure their clients of world-class products.

Its flagship product, the 2-pc tin offers distinct advantages. The first is a pre-fabrication consultation that involves the client into the design process. Cans are not made as is, but are adjusted to suit the needs and goals of the client.

Clients are also assured of the high-standard manufacturing process, high quality raw materials and top caliber people that are involved. OTC uses only top-of-the-line machinery across four strategically-placed plants.

This nation-wide presence makes it much more convenient for customers to receive their products.

OTC will continue to grow as Chua passes on the legacy to his son Felimon Dexter Chua, underscoring their family’s standards of exceptional quality and innovation in business.

Engineer Felimon Dexter Chua (left) and Engineer Ramon Chua

EDC CONTRIBUTING P10M FOR BORACAY REHABILITATION

By Alena Mae S. Flores BORACAY ISLAND—Geothermal producer Energy Development Corp. is investing P10 million in the rehabilitation of its adopted wetland in Barangay Balabag here over a three-year period.

“Under our memorandum o f a gre e m e nt w i t h t h e D E N R [Department of Environment and Natural Resources], the BWCP is a three-year project,” EDC corporate social responsibility head Allan Barcena said.

“We plan to invest P10 million during this period. Aside from the walkway and view deck, a visitor information center and other visitor amenities will be built here in the future,” Barcena said.

The 7.79-hectare Wetland No. 2 is one of the nine wetlands in the island identified by the DENR where environmental rehabilitation is needed. The brackish water swamp that has been turned into a construction dump over the years.

Wetlands are areas that are permanently or seasonally saturated by water and plays a critical role in climate change adaptation and mitigation.

EDC is developing Wetland No. 2 into the Boracay Wetland Conservation Park to serve as an arboretum for threatened native tree species under the Binhi reforestation

FILIPINO... FromC1 Philippines College of Architecture and gained experience with worldwide industry consultants such as Skidmore Owings & Merrill of New York, Arup, Meinhardt, Cicada, Wilson Associates and Davis Langdon & Seah.

He now leads a team of 18 people who include architects, engineers, designers and IT experts in the office and another 30 to 40 people in the field who monitor construction of various projects. “ We h a v e t h e t e c h n o l o g i c a l component and the design component working together. We enjoy more of collaborative work. We have a table where we share ideas. It is more of a studio setting where we celebrate creative inputs and how we can think more outside the box and how we can offer something much more different than what is out there,” he says.

H i s co m p a ny, e s t a b l i s h e d in 2014, focuses on planning and design specialties for hotel, resort

and greening initiative.

Binhi is the company’s forest restoration program that prioritizes the propagation of 96 identified rare and threatened native tree species.

The wetland project was inaugurated in Oc tober 2018, c o i n c i d i n g w i t h t h e i s l a n d ’s reopening. The company is working with the community to help sustain the project. “ We w a n t t o d e v e l o p t h e community to become an eco partner, not only for rehabilitation but also for livelihood,” Barcena said.

EDC is the largest diversified

and commercial developers, property owners and business enterprises with a pursuit for the metamodern in the next Philippine architecture.

Fulgar Architec ts specializes in parametric design and business approaches for lifestyle building designs and real estate ventures in the Philippines. It also does masterplanning for certain projects like subdivisions.

Aside from building design, Fulgar is also adept in computer programming and coding which allows him to employ 3D modelling in architecture.

Among his ongoing projects is The Fortress, a fusion of medieval and modern look with streamlined feel and amenities in Angeles City, Pampanga.

The project is owned and developed by an international group which plans to establish 30 such hotels around the country.

Another is a 12-story hotel with roof deck in Olongapo City and an upscale resort on a 3.6-hectare property on a cliff in Puerto Galera, the Mars Ravelo Museum on a 2.4-hectare property in Tagaytay City and a high-end hotel and casino on a 7,000-square-meter lot in

renewable energy firm in the country, with installed total capacity of 1,456.8 megawatts of purely renewable energy.

After a thorough assessment of endemic flora and fauna in the location, EDC has planted the appropriate native tree species that will thrive in a wetland environment and that can support marine and land animals already existing in the area.

BWCP is rich in rare plants, including threatened species like Sander’s Alocasia, Narra, Ipil, Kubi, Antipolo, Isis, Sakat, Balakat and Bakauan Dagat.

EDC’s partnership with DENR is a continuing initiative that goes beyond rehabilitating the wetland and planting more trees in the area.

At present, visitors can commune with nature from the scenic view deck and delight in observing local and migratory birds.

BWCP as part of EDC’s Binhi program expands EDC’s advocacy and mission to restore denuded forests, preserve and propagate threatened native tree species and protect biodiversity to leave a legacy of a verdant Philippines for the next generation.

The Binhi program, now in its 10th year, has reforested 9,196 hectares across EDC’s geothermal sites located in Leyte, Bicol, Negros Oriental and North Cotabato. To propagate these native tree species, Binhi now has 162 partners across 16 regions in the country.

As of 2018, Binhi has effectively helped EDC attain a carbon negative status. In its sustainability report, EDC’s geothermal reservations have effectively absorbed 970,472 tons of carbon dioxide.

Officials said that with BWCP and Binhi, Boracay can look forward to a future where not only its clean waters and white sands showcase environmental sustainability, but also its very own native tree arboretum that the local community can be proud of.

Tanauan, Batangas.

“We are blessed and privileged to have clients who are also excited about coming up with new things and they are very hands-on in the creative process and we encourage them to throw their ideas,” says Fulgar.

Fulgar says digital technology now enables architects to design better buildings. “The influence of technology has a lot of change in the mindset.

When you have technology, you have data and you have something to analyze with in terms of circulation, orientation, flow, behavior. We are talking about information that affects the business model,” he says.

“There is a lot of change in mindset in terms of design, coming from the day of manual drafting on the table. When we design now, we are actually virtually constructing it. When we do that, we have some kind of visualization and simulation as to how the building will perform. That cuts a lot of wastages.

The design becomes more efficient,” says Fulgar.

“You can simulate a lot to include fluid dynamics and circulation and how

solar patterns affect the performance of the building, how you can manage energy load,” he says.

Fulgar believes that metamodern designs will allow the Philippines to build better structures that represent its national identity in the future.

“What we build affects all of us. What metamodern’s role here is to look at all these aspects—from sustainability, liveability, buildability, all of that—and try to come up with new forms with more technological innovations, to come up with better building designs that we haven’t tried before that could probably change how we live, how we interact with each other,” he says.

“What we also need is to go back to culture and identity. Sustainability can only bring you so far, but how we embody identity and culture in the design helps us remember things such as nationality, love for the country and sense of pride,” he says.

“It is more of a journey towards that—how we re -imagine the new Philippines and Philippine architecture,” says Fulgar.

Roderick T. dela Cruz

Tech & Gadgets

THE PREDATOR'S NEW HUNTING GROUNDS

By Kyle Gabrielle Ureta and Lorelee Antonette Yap

W

ITH the rapid growth and popularity of E-Sports and the gaming industry in the Philippines, it was only a matter of time before the leading brands for gaming technology dipped their hands into the market.

Now, Acer’s hardware gaming brand Predator has finally arrived in the Philippines, opening their first concept store at SM City North EDSA, highlighted by the showcasing of the brand new Predator Thronos and the appearance of Predator Ambassador and famous Cosplayer and Gamer Alodia Gosiengfiao, along with the Managing Director of Acer Philippines Manuel Wong and various SM Officials.

Looking like a gamer’s dream land, the store showcases the brand’s latest gaming technology-from laptops, desktops, monitors and top notch accessories. The store also includes its own service center that offered Unit Diagnostics, Driver Installation, Software Repair, Memory Upgrading and HDD Installation.

Serving as the store’s centerpiece is the chair of the future, the Predator Thronos. During the store’s grand opening, the Thronos was freely displayed for the public to test freely.

Starting at the price of P699,999.00, the Predator Thronos is fully equipped with everything a gamer needs for the most immersive gaming experience. With its 1.5-meter tall steel structure, the Thronos

Predator’s first ever concept store at SM City North EDSA [Photo by Lorelee Yap]

grips a motorized cockpit for adjusting the screen setup which includes three 27-inch gaming monitors supported by an overhead brace and integrated with a Predator gaming PC and all its gadgets. The chair also includes an adjustable ergonomic seat design, footrest, and a cabin that reclines up to 140 degrees. These parts vibrate in sync with the sounds the games produce, allowing for a whole new level experience the Thronos promises.

“Experience means everything for the Predator brand,” said Sue Ong-Lim, Predator Philippine Sales and Marketing Director.

“We want to create an environment where gamers can

see what incredible possibilities there still are on gaming by creating not only a hub for all their tech needs, but also giving them an immersive gaming experience,” she continued.

Furthermore, the fun didn’t stop there! The store also displayed and sold other high-end products like the Predator Bag, Acer Nitro accessories, a set of Predator Apparel, a rocking cool headset called Predator Galea, Predator Helios 300, and Predator Nitro Notebooks for a discounted price from Feb. 1 to 3 joining the SM North EDSA’s Great Northern Sale.

The concept store is now open on the 3rd Floor of SM Annex, at SM City North EDSA.

AMAZON Web Services announced a series of cloud-based innovations, including new purpose-built databases, data lake setup service, reinforced learning and deep learning applications in a recent Amazon Web services media masterclass held at Fairmont Makati, Monday.

AWS, standing on a $27 billion run rate, continues to provide cloud computing services with a global infrastructure called the AWS Cloud operating at 60 availability zones within 20 geographic regions with plans to extend their reach to 12 more availability zones across four more regions in Bahrain, Cape Town, Hong Kong SAR, and Milan.

The New Amazon Aurora Global Database enables its users to update a database in a single region, which will then be replicated automatically to other AWS region, improving not only easier data availability, but also disaster recovery while an On-Demand feature has

Santanu Dutt- Senior Manager Solutions Architecture ASEAN [Photo by Lorraine Alberto]

been implemented in the Amazon DynamoDB system that reads/ writes capacity provisions which renders capacity planning obsolete and customers pay only for the requests they consume.

To help businesses consolidate data and break down data silos

that lead to more better decisions, AWS Lake formation was launched, drastically leading the competition by setting up a data lake in matter of days with just a few clicks in a dashboard compared to most companies that take months from preparing storage, running analytics

MAGIC...

From C4

everything else perfect whenever we binge-watch our favorite movies with our family or friends. Imagine being able to hear the sound surrounding you much like when you’re in the cinemas.

Sony’s latest technology, the Vertical Surround Engine, gives you the feel of surround sound with just two front speakers. The Sony HT-X9000F also has a 2.1ch Dolby Atmos/DTS:X perfect for any type of TV viewing, choose the perfect setting for the full experience with a press of a button for every sound: Theater Mode, Music Mode, Game Studio Mode, News Mode, and Sports Mode. It fits any room, crisp sounding from low to high frequency and is a match made in heaven with the Sony BRAVIA X90F TV. Enjoy your films, TV shows, and video games in the highest audio quality in a cinematic ambiance.

Three-dimensional immersive experience with the HT-Z9F This soundbar was launched side by side with the HT-X9000F, but this model has a 3.1ch Dolby Atmos and DTS:X; no matter what room you’re in, its three front speakers will create the Vertical Surround Sound resulting to a three-dimensional immersive experience.

The HT-Z9F is also equipped with DSEE HX or the Digital Sound Enhancement Engine that upgrades music to near highresolution sound quality and with the use of the Sony Music Center App your Sony soundbars throughout your home can be streamed all together.

These soundbars are fit for any home with Bluetooth, HDMI, and USB compatible features. Cinema audio quality has never been within reach.

Treat yourself and your family right this 2019 with the HT-X9000F at P31,199.00, and HT-Z9F at P42,299.00 available at any Sony Centers and Authorized Dealers nationwide.

EMERGING...

Alodia Gosiengfiao

and setting up security and access policies.

The machine learning platform service Amazon SageMaker also had additional machine learning model development capabilities launched, namely, the AWS DeepRacer, which is a 1/18th scale fully autonomous race car and can be supplied with codes that make it fully autonomous and the AWS Marketplace for Machine Learning, where developers can sell their work and use over 150 algorithms and models deployed directly to the Amazon SageMaker.

“For the last 25 to 30 years, computing needs in general, from mainframes to traditional servers, laptops to computers, wearable devices, smartphones and Ipads, the general philosophy has always been that humans have used two senses. We have five senses, but we use two for all our computing needs, touch and sight. Most computers rely on touch and sight,” said Solutions Architecture Senior Manager Santanu Dutt.

Machine Learning); Application Development Analyst (SQL, HTML, JavaScript, Java, Cascading Style Sheets or CSS); Back End Developer (JavaScript, PHP, MySQL, Cascading Style Sheets and jQuery); Full Stack Engineer (JavaScript, PHP, MySQL,Cascading Style Sheets and jQuery); Sales Development Representative (Customer Service, Sales, Leadership, Management and Marketing).

“Digital competence, as we now know, is composed of a blend of hard and soft skills. This competition for talent will only grow fiercer, so organizations need to build an adaptable workforce. Real-time understanding of the demand and supply of skills, talent pools and talent movement is the first step towards buildingManila talent intelliStandard gence at scale,” added Ang. TODAY

MEMORIAL LOT FOR SALE AT STO. ROSARIO MEMORIAL PARK Antipolo/Taytay/ Binangonan 0922-8575389/ 646-0851 (MS-FEB. 3, 2019)

FOR SALE HILLSDALE SUMMIT TAYTAY Residential Subdivision Lots *FLOOD FREE & ATOP ROCK-SOLID HILLS *MINUTES FROM ORTIGAS CENTER, CUBAO, SM TAYTAY, PUREGOLD TAYTAY, SAN BEDA TAYTAY, ASSUMPTION ANTIPOLO, NCBA, MANILA EAST MEDICAL CENTER. 0922-8575389/646-0851 (MS-FEB. 3, 2019)

BOOST PRODUCTIVITY WITH HP LASERJET PRINTERS WHEN it comes to creating lasting impressions through visually-stunning and professional-looking documents, most businesses trust HP LaserJet printers to deliver high quality print-outs. This is the reason why HP is committed to not only manufacture the most advanced printers but also to develop the print technology behind these machines.

Now, HP makes its LaserJet printers even more powerful and responsive to business needs as it equips its Original HP toner cartridges with JetIntelligence.

HP LaserJet printers now more responsive to business needs with the toner cartridge JetIntelligence technology.

The HP JetIntelligence technology inside every original HP toner cartridge enables LaserJet printers to print even more high-quality pages and work at peak performance while ensuring utmost protection against counterfeit cartridges.

More prints for more value The original HP toner cartridge with JetIntelligence has a page maximizer technology that uses smaller, more robust parts to fit even more toner particles inside each cartridge, ultimately resulting in more prints that can help reduce costs.

An intuitive print gauge technology also constantly tracks toner levels to predict cartridge life more precisely than ever before.

Quality prints at top speeds Aside from JetIntelligence technology, the original toner cartridges—ColorSphere 3 toners for color HP LaserJets and precision black toner for monochrome HP LaserJets—are specially engineered to match the printer’s high-speed performance.

The toner particles of ColorSphere 3 toners have a wax core and soft polymer that melts at lower temperatures to provide 40% faster printing of glossy

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TODAY SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2019 rumallari@thestandard.com.ph

From C4

AWS: PROVIDING MORE SOLUTIONS AND CLOUD-BASED INNOVATIONS Ram Christian Agustin

Manila

Standard

documents while consuming up to 50% less energy.

A hard, durable outer shell also protects the toner particle from breakage and wear, for higher page yields.

HP Polymerized Precision black toners, meanwhile, boast of a low-melt wax core surrounded by black polymer for fast and energy-efficient printing of crisp, black text and professional-quality graphics.

Cartridge authentication Every original HP toner cartridge with JetIntelligence is equipped with HP’s exclusive anti-fraud technology that helps users manage costs and prevent the use of potential counterfeit or used cartridges.

This is done by authenticating the cartridge as it is installed and notifying users if a used or counterfeit cartridge is detected.

An auto seal removal also automatically occurs “inside” the cartridge to allow for consistent, clean, and hassle-free installations.

To know more about how the HP JetIntelligence Technology inside original HP toner cartridges can help your business boost productivity while reducing costs, visit any authorized HP reseller outlet nationwide.

Notice is hereby given that the intestate of the Late Ma. Jennifer Cecilia J. Macatangay, who died without living any will on April 19, 2017 has been settled by way of Self-adjudication by her sole heir and mother, Ma. Teresa J. Macatangay as per Doc. No. 82, Page No. 18, Book No. I, series of 2018 of notarial register of Atty. Henson M. Montalvo Notary Public for and in the City of Makati.

(MS-JAN. 20/27 / FEB. 3, 2019)

TAGAYTAY LOT FOR SALE -Area910 sq. meters - Frontage 20meters -Along TagaytayCalamba Rd. (Near Southridge Estates And One Tagaytay Place) Tel. No. 09998859240 02-6460853 (MS-FEB. 3, 2019)

LOT FOR SALE Nasugbu, Batangas -3.4 hectares -100 meters frontage (Along J.P Laurel St., Brgy.Lumbangan) Call 646-0853, 0999-885-9240 (MS-FEB. 3, 2019)

LOT FOR SALE ANGONO, RIZAL - 6.9 hectares - 300+ meters frontage - Along Carlos Botong Francisco Avenue, Brgy San Isidro - 130 meters away from Manila East Road Call 646-0853 / 0999-8859240 (MS-FEB. 3, 2019)

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TECH & Gadgets SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2019 Riera U. Mallari, Editor rumallari@thestandard.com.ph

EMERGING PH JOBS SHOW DEMAND FOR TALENT WITH HYBRID SKILLS

SONY 9-MONTH PROFIT SOARS ON GAME, MUSIC

OKYO—Japanese electronics giant Sony said on Friday that ninemonth net profit jumped 63.2 percent on-year, led by its games and music divisions, while tax benefits allowed the firm to raise its annual forecast.

But the electronics and entertainment giant lowered its annual sales forecast, citing slowerthan-expected sales in a range of fields including the key semiconductor unit.

The company said its April-December net profit reached 828.4 billion yen ($7.6 billion), while operating profit rose 13.9 percent to 811.5 billion yen. However, revenue dipped 0.8 percent to 6.54 trillion yen.

While the company said it expected sales to fall in a range of fields, it added many of its key segments should meet forecasts including its games, music, movie, television and audio operations.

Before the announcement, analysts said the company was expected to continue seeing improvement after years of painful losses.

“Sony remains on a recovery track,” Hideki Yasuda, an analyst at Ace Research Institute in Tokyo, told AFP ahead of the announcement.

“Its game sector has continued spearheading its recovery although sales of PS4 consoles are gradually slowing down.”

Sony’s movie segment also drove profits, said Yasuo Imanaka, an analyst at Rakuten Securities.

“Its recent box-office movies are now generating profit through sales of DVD and Blu-ray discs as well as profits from their television licence fees,” he told AFP ahead of the announcement.

In the three months to December, including the allimportant holiday shopping season, Sony said it continued to enjoy robust game software sales, although sales of PS4 consoles slowed.

EMI Music Publishing, now a Sony subsidiary, also contributed to profits, while the movie “Venom” added to the group’s sales.

But Sony said it had to downgrade its overall an-

(L-R) Richard Camacho, Erick Colon, Joel Pimentel, Zabdiel de Jesus and Christopher Velez of CNCO perform onstage during Sony’s “Lost In Music”Tech and Music Pop-Up in New York City. AFP

nual sales target to 8.5 trillion yen from an earlier projection of 8.7 trillion yen owing to lower-thanexpected sales of financial services, semiconductors, mobile gadgets and cameras.

But a one-off tax benefit allowed the firm to lift a net profit projection to 835 billion yen from the previous outlook of 705 billion yen.

Sony continued to struggle with its smartphone business, with analysts suggesting the firm should give up the segment in the future, rather than to continue bleeding.

“Its mobile phone business continued suffering losses. Sony may have to consider drastic action, including its withdrawal from smartphone businesses in the near future,” Imanaka said.

The trade war between the United States and China also posed a risk for the conglomerate, although the degree of possible damage from the friction remained uncertain.

“A potential risk is the US-China trade dispute on the global economy, but the impact should be limited,” Yasuda added.

MAGIC OF DOLBY ATMOS IN SONY SOUNDBARS These Dolby Atmos Sony soundbars can take you inside the action.

SOUND quality and immersive cinematic experiences are top priorities when planning for your home theater upgrade.

As OLED, 4K, and Smart TVs get more popular, the best soundbars are expected to be just as aesthetically pleasing as they are aurally satisfying. Sony partnered with worldrenowned brand Dolby Atmos to bring lifelike cinematic experience through sound-

bars that immerse you in the moment.

Yes, we can’t all be action heroes, but these Dolby Atmos Sony soundbars can take you inside the action. But first, you need to get an upgrade.

Cinematic ambiance in a minimalist design with the HT-X9000F Having the best seat in the house makes Turn to C3

SHOPEE LAUNCHES HONOR 10 LITE

By Lorelee Yap and Lyka Navarrosa

The front of Honor 10 Lite [Photo by Lorelee Yap]

SHOPEE, the leading e-commerce platform in Southeast Asia and Taiwan, exclusively introduced Huawei’s latest smartphone, the Honor 10 Lite, to their over 21 million users in the Philippines last Jan. 25.

According to Martin Yu, Associate Director of Shopee Philippines, Honor was included on the list of best-selling brands on their app throughout the year of 2018. ‘’As the demand for premium tech products continues to grow in the Philippines, Shopee will bring even more unbeatable deals on leading brands to our Filipino users in 2019,’’ Yu added.

Wang Yang, Country Director of Honor Philippines was proud to

launch their new Honor 10 Lite and took note of their successful partnership with Shopee again. ‘’Honor has grown our online presence rapidly since joining Shopee in 2018, with our orders increasing by over 350%. We believe this partnership can reach even greater heights in 2019,’’ he said.

Honor 10 Lite features a 6.21inch LCD screen, a 1080 by 2340 pixels full view display, and 24 megapixel front camera and 13 megapixel on its rear with an additional two megapixel for its phase detection auto focus.

It has an octa-core CPU equipped with Hisilicon Kirin 710 chipset that is powered by Android 9.0 (Pie) as its operating system together with a 3GB of RAM and hybrid dual sim (nano-

sim, dual stand-by).

Honor 10 Lite can cater up to 512 GB of external storage and has a built-in 3400 mAh battery capacity.

Its price varies depending on the internal storage of the device —P9,990 for the 32 GB and P10,990 for the 64 GB. Honor 10 Lite exhibits three stylish and eye-catching gradient colors such as sapphire blue, midnight black and sky blue.

Those who bought the Honor 10 Lite at its first day on Shopee enjoyed the 15% discount, getting it at P8,491 from the original price of P9,999, to go with P3,000 worth of freebies—Honor Band 4 Running, Honor Gift Box, and a Honor foldable luggage.

Honor 10 Lite will be available on Shopee until Feb. 8.

XIAOMI RELEASES REDMI GO SMARTPHONE XIAOMI debuted its first AndroidTM Go smartphone, Redmi Go, in the Philippines.

Packed with useful software and efficient hardware, Redmi Go will be available at P3,990.00.

The AndroidTM Go program was launched by Google in 2017, with affordable smartphones running on a highly efficient version of Android. Out of the box, Redmi Go runs the Android™ 8.1 Oreo™ (Go e d i t i o n ) o p e r a t ing system, featuring reimagined

Google apps that have been optimized to reduce storage and data use.

“Xiaomi has received such a warm welcome in the Philippines since its re-entry last year, and we are really grateful to all Mi fans for their support.” said Steven Shi, Head of Southeast Asia, Xiaomi Global. “With Redmi Go making its global debut here, we hope that even more users here will be able to enjoy an amazing smartphone experience at an amazing price. This is part of our com-

mitment to make innovation available to everyone.”

Redmi Go features a 5.0inch HD display, the Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 425 SoC, and a 3000mAh battery. On the back it sports a 8MP main camera supported by an LED flashlight.

On the front, Redmi Go has a 5MP camera for selfies. It comes with two SIM card slots and has a dedicated microSD slot that supports up to 128GB microSD cards.

Redmi Go will come in Black or Blue, and will be

available in 8GB storage capacity at P3,990.00. The first 200 customers, who pre-ordered on Lazada from Jan. 31 to Feb. 3, will receive a free pair of earphones.

Redmi Go will be available in Authorized Mi Stores nationwide starting Feb. 4.

Redmi Go will be released in more markets globally.

Local availability in other markets will be announced closer to launch date.

For additional information about Xiaomi, visit: http://blog.mi.com/en/

Xiaomi’s first AndroidTM Go device will first be available in the Philippines

DIGITAL competency is in high demand, but so are soft skills, according to the 2019 Emerging Jobs in the Philippines Report by LinkedIn, the world’s largest professional network.

The findings underscore the demand for jobs which require hybrid skills, primarily to help organizations in the country navigate their digital transformation journey.

LinkedIn analyzed millions of unique, user-input job titles from the last five years, and found that while the top five emerging jobs are related to technology, many of them require management and communications skills.

Their actual roles are varied and diverse, reflecting a labor market that values talent with a hybrid set of complementary skills.

According to LinkedIn, the top five emerging jobs in the Philippines are Data Scientist, Application Development Analyst, Back End Developer, Full Stack Engineer and Sales Development Representative.

“Our Emerging Jobs Report highlights the reality that new jobs are emerging more rapidly than at any other time in history.

Traditional roles have evolved into hybrids that did not exist five years ago. While the top emerging jobs for Philippines are mostly related to technology, many of them require soft skills such as management and communications skills, making them hybrids of new and traditional roles,” said Feon Ang, Vice President of Talent and Learning Solutions for APAC at LinkedIn. Evolution of business process outsourcing (BPO) is driving the rise of hybrid skills While there have been growing concerns about automation taking over routine tasks and affecting the jobs of low-skilled BPO workers, it is also enabling the BPO sector to evolve and move up the value chain, seeking core skills such as big data, data analytics, cyber security, blockchain, digital commerce and fintech. With the rise of knowledge outsourcing, more organizations will offer more complex services, prompting the need for hybrid talent with both soft and hard skills who can communicate their unique value to clients and build lasting customer relationships.

Both established organizations and start-ups drive demand for tech talent Ongoing digitalization in the public and private sectors has contributed significantly to the increased demand for jobs in tech.

At the same time, the Philippines’ emerging startup scene is also contributing to the demand for tech talent. Startups in fintech, agriculture, retail and engineering, among others, require tech expertise to help them build innovative products that solve local market problems and make people’s lives better.

Foster and develop the right talent, focus on skills instead of titles The demand for digital talent is fast growing, but is comparatively low in supply. LinkedIn’s data speaks of how the Philippines, like every other country, is facing a challenge in building its digital workforce. Companies are encouraged to look into providing opportunities for existing employees to upskill or reskill. In addition, the report also noted that HR and talent acquisition teams need to evolve and innovate the way they hire. As skills commonly associated with these emerging jobs evolve, hiring based on a candidate’s title is no longer adequate and accurate in filling these gaps.

The top skills for the five emerging jobs are: Data Scientist (Data analysis, Python, SQL, R programming and Turn to C3

Destinations D1

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2019

Bernadette Lunas, Issue Editor

manilastandardlife@gmail.com

@manilastandardlife

@MStandardLIFE

frequent flyer

CHINESE NEW YEAR IN NEW ZEALAND PAL has an ongoing All Seats, All Flights promo.

PAL OFFERS DISCOUNT ON DOMESTIC FLIGHTS

FESTIVITIES IN NZ. Tourists coming to New Zealand during Chinese New Year can expect a wide range of activities the whole family can enjoy.

W

HILE Hong Kong is the most popular destination to ring in the Chinese New Year, a country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean makes a case as a new place to be when celebrating Lunar New Year.

Go to www.philippineairlines.com.

Home to a thriving Chinese community that makes sure authentic festivities are abundant during Chinese New Year, visitors in New Zealand can look forward to enjoying the celebrations along with the country's unique hospitality, or manaakitanga. For those spending the festive period in New Zealand, here is a list of cool events to usher in the Year of the Pig.

AirAsia officials introduce AVA, an AI chatbot designed to respond to guest inquiries instantly.

AIRASIA UNVEILS AI CHATBOT AVA

Dunedin Chinese New Year Festival

February 5 at Dunedin Chinese Garden, Dunedin Dunedin’s Chinese Garden is a perfect miniature of a traditional Chinese landscape painting, encapsulating the essence of nature. Established 10 years ago to celebrate the city’s Chinese heritage and sister city relationship with Shanghai, it offers a tranquil oasis in an urban setting.

Chinese New Year celebrations in Dunedin include entertainment in the garden, a dragon parade from the central city Octagon followed by dragon and lion dancing, cultural performances, food stalls, and a grand finale at the Garden.

This is the Apollo spacecraft that has carried astronauts to space.

HEADS up, seat sale hunters!

You have until today to book discounted Economy seats in Philippine Airlines’ domestic flights.

The country’s flag carrier and only 4-star global airline has an ongoing All Seats, All Flights promo wherein Economy seats in select domestic flights are priced at discounted prices.

Through this promotion, PAL caters to those craving a scrumptious inasal food trip in Bacolod or wanting to explore the sought-after beaches of the Gigantes Islands in Iloilo.

Travel period is from Feb. 1 to March 31, for travels from Tuesday to Thursday.

The South Island Lantern Festival in Christchurch takes over the Avon River Precinct and livens up the downtown area with vibrant paper lanterns.

Christchurch Night Noodle Markets

February 6-17 at North Hagley Park, Christchurch The ultimate Asian pop-up market will transform North Hagley Park into a glorious fusion of Eastern flavors and the colors of Chinese lanterns. The program includes authentic family-friendly entertainment, cuisine from

top-notch international and local by the Asian Events Trust, the vendors, and a fully licensed bar. event has been going strong for 19 years, and has already comWellington Chinese pleted a full animal cycle.

This year’s celebrations coinNew Year Festival February 9-10 at TSB Bank cide with the landmark exhibiArena and Shed 6, Auckland tion at the national museum.

New Zealand’s capital city The event will also include sevcelebrates Chinese New Year eral special events created to in style with its annual Chinese celebrate this exhibition includNew Year Festival. Organized Turn to D2

IN A bid to improve guest experience, low-cost airline AirAsia has recently unveiled an improved website and mobile app as well as a chatbot powered by artificial intelligence.

The updates are designed to deliver a more seamless, user-friendly experience to airasia.com and the app’s 3.3 million monthly active users.

“We are excited to welcome the new year with our new-look website and app that features AI and boasts a better, faster, more intuitive experience.

We are always working to enhance our guest experience, and we will be adding more mobile app features in Turn to D2

SPACE AVAILABLE THOSE of us who another airline, are “children” of the commonly reairline industry are ferred to as an very familiar with “Interline Ticket.” this phrase (the title However, durof today’s column) ing a recent visit which indicates a to the National passenger’s willAeronautics and MERCURY RISING Space Adminisingness to take a

BY BOB ZOZOBRADO chance at traveling tration Johnson even without a conSpace Center in firmed reservation. If Houston, Texas, upon check-in at the airport, there “space available” took on a completeis an unsold seat on the plane, or a ly different meaning in my mind. confirmed passenger cancels at the As my friends and I wandered last minute, then the “chance” pas- through the vast expanse of the senger can travel. facility, and were exposed to the Passengers who belong to this various space exploration miscategory are usually airline em- sions of the USA and those of the ployees going on vacation, holding other countries, I began to realize a Trip Pass on their own airline, or that the immeasurable outer space a Courtesy Pass issued to them by can actually be a boundless play-

The 3-stage Saturn V rocket used in many Apollo space missions.

ground for countries that are technically equipped to use it as such.

Space is available, and all scientifically advanced countries in the world know that, and are continuously developing ways to offer the

first vehicle to transport passengers to the moon, or to any other planet.

So for today’s column, “space available” refers to that “great beyond” out there.

Turn to D2

Destinations

D2

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2019 manilastandardlife@gmail.com

CHINESE...

From D1

ing performing arts, a “Beijing meets Wellington” football game and a spectacular fireworks display which is best viewed from the waterfront.

The main festival day includes an Asian market, a street parade, and plenty of cultural entertainment.

Auckland Lantern Festival

February 14-17 at Auckland Domain The Auckland Lantern Festival, celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, is another magical event bringing Chinese culture to the fore. It is one of Auckland’s favorite and most anticipated cultural events with around 200,000 visitors annually.

The Lantern Festival brings the city to life as hundreds of handmade and spectacular illuminations brighten the night sky and the crowds pour into the Auckland Domain. On a hill overlooking central Auckland, the old trees and expansive lawns of the Domain take on a beautiful nighttime glow with the brilliant colors of more than 800 lanterns on show. A street full of food stalls, music, and entertainment adds to the festival atmosphere.

There is always plenty of familyfriendly entertainment—including international acts from China, ranging from martial arts, dance, and live music. It is a great weekend of fun for all ages, and entry is free.

WHERE DO PINOYS

CELEBRATE

CHINESE NEW YEAR

Chinese New Year Stargazing

Canterbury At Lake Tekapo, in the South Island, Earth and Sky’s world-famous stargazing tours give visitors a chance to experience Chinese New Year from a new perspective. Jupiter, a very auspicious planet for the Chinese, shines bright during the Chinese New Year.

Dunedin's Chinese Garden (Photo from Wikimedia Commons)

FREQUENT...

From D1

the months to come so it is no longer just a flight booking platform, but your complete travel companion,” enthused AirAsia deputy group chief executive officer Aireen Omar.

AVA, or AirAsia Virtual Allstar, is an AI chatbot available on the new live chat feature made to respond to guest inquiries instantly. It currently speaks eight languages, including English, Bahasa Malaysia, Thai, Bahasa Indonesia, Vietnamese, Korean, Simplified Chinese, and Traditional Chinese.

Meanwhile, the new homepage is designed for easier and faster navigation, including upcoming flight notice; search shortcut and recent searches; links to the best hotels, travel, dutyfree shopping and activity deals; recommended destinations; and link to BigPay, AirAsia’s money app.

A first among online apps, iOS users can now choose where to go using an interactive map that pinpoints all AirAsia’s destinations in a single page, they can also select the nearest departure and arrival airports, and check their upcoming flight status by asking Siri.

Guest may now enroll to AirAsia’s Fast Airport Clearance Experience System on their mobile app to clear security and board their flight seamlessly.

Finally, guests can search for the lowest fares using the Low Fare Calendar, which has been integrated in the app.

SPACE...

From D1 NASA is an independent agency of the US government which handles the country’s space program and focuses on aeronautics and aerospace research. It has successfully handled the Apollo moon landing missions, the Skylab Space Station, and the Space Shuttle. It continues to support the International Space Station, and is currently working on the Orion MultiPurpose Crew Vehicle and the Space Launch System.

It has three major facilities that are open to the public—the Kennedy Space Center in Brevard County, Florida, where all space vehicles are launched; the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, where Mission Control for all manned space missions is managed; and the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, where

Families traveling to Sapporo, Japan should not miss the Sapporo Snow Festival, a huge winter event featuring hundreds of snow statues and ice sculptures.

F

ILIPINOS are heading to Hong Kong, Tokyo, and Manila to ring in the Year of the Earth Pig, according to data from Agoda.

Rounding up the top 10 destinations of choice during Lunar New Year are Cebu, Taipei in Taiwan, Boracay, Sapporo in Japan, Bangkok in Thailand, Palawan, and Osaka in Japan.

Data from the digital booking platform reveal travels during the Chinese New Year tend to be reserved for family bonding and indulging in food and leisure activities, as Filipinos choose gourmet and retail paradises Hong Kong, Tokyo, Taipei, and Bangkok among their top 10 destinations.

Agoda offers these unique travel ideas for Filipinos traveling with family during this occasion.

If you’re heading away with the entire family

ated in the center of Sapporo, the hotel is an easy reach to JR station and the Tokyu Department Store.

If you’re looking for fabulous food

In Singapore, you must not miss the “lo hei” (prosperity toss). Family and friends huddle around a Cantonese-style raw fish salad and toss its contents in the air while saying auspicious greetings. It is believed that the higher the tossing, the more fortune one would have for the new year.

Those looking to impress their family members may go to Jade restaurant at The Fullerton Hotel as it offers a Special Piggy Edition Gold Rush Yu Sheng complete with edible gold leaf, or switch things up at Carlton Hotel Singapore where the Wah Lok Cantonese Restaurant offers a unique take on the well-loved dish with Alaskan crab.

The Sapporo Snow Festival is one of Japan’s most popular annual events, taking place from Jan. 31 to Feb. 11. For some family fun and adventure, head over to Tsudome, featuring snow slides and a rafting area for visitors of all ages.

If you’re traveling solo Stay at Hotel Mystays Sapporo AsBe treated to the captivating pen for an unforgettable stay. Situ- sights of Tokyo’s dynamic city sky-

The Millennials Shibuya offers fuss-free and affordable accommodations right in the heart of the city center.

line while sipping a late evening cocktail at the popular Peter: the Bar, Sky Lounge Stellar Garden, R bar, or Thirty Six bar. This is also a good opportunity to meet some new friends while traveling solo.

For a memorable experience, try staying in a capsule hotel. Accommodations such as Nine Hours Asakusa and The Millennials Shibuya offer fuss-free and affordable accommodations right in the heart of the city center.

nect with nature and enjoy some “me time” can head over to Taiwan. Pamper yourself with a luxurious stay at Fleur De Chine Hotel and wake up to breathtaking views of Sun Moon Lake.

Fill your days with visits to nearby scenic spots such as Lalu Island, Wenwu Temple, Chaowu Pier, Songbolun Trail, Ci En Pagoda, and many more. An alternative is the Radium Kagaya International Hotel, a haven of rest and relaxation that is just steps away from the If you’re a nature seeker city’s numerous attractions such as Solo travelers looking to recon- Beitou Hot Spring.

According to digital booking platform Agoda, the top 3 destinations of Filipinos during Chinese New Year are Hong Kong, Tokyo, and Manila.

the Skylab and the Saturn 6 rocket or ceiling to prevent it from bobbing in and out. Their food comes in small were developed.

During my tour of the Johnson Space packets and, although they have many Center, I saw the replica of the Interna- choices of viand to eat, each can be eattional Space Station and witnessed a en only after water is added. To be asdemonstration on how the astronauts sured of a continuous supply of water, survive in it. I learned that it travels at liquid waste is also recycled.

The astronauts in the Space Station a speed of 17,500 miles per hour, or 5 miles per second. Its speed allows it to are required to do full body exercises witness sunrise and sunset every 90 two hours a day to offset the decrease in muscle and minutes. It was bone density very interesting brought about to see what tranby weightlessspires inside the YOUR WEEKEND ness. The abstation.

CHUCKLE sence of gravity When astroCondoms do not guarantee safe causes the spine nauts sleep, sex. A friend of mine was wearing to grow two they go inside a one when he was shot dead by the inches and the man-sized pouch woman’s husband! heart to shrink, which is attached although this is to the wall or ceilnot a cause for ing, and “lock” alarm as it will themselves inside that pouch with their foreheads “taped” grow back to its original size once the by a wide band attached to the wall astronaut returns to earth.

The space shuttle DISCOVERY piggy backs on this Boeing 747 when transported to another location.

The Apollo 18 space manned missions have been shelved due to budget constraints. But NASA is now working on the Orion Program, in cooperation with the European Space Agency, which plans to send four astronauts to as far as Mars. I learned that travel to that planet will take 3.5 years. Whew! That’s a loooooong trip!

Any volunteers?

There were many other interesting stops in our day tour of the Johnson

Space Center which further convinced me that man’s curiosity will always nudge him to explore what mystery lies beyond our planet. Since there is so much SPACE AVAILABLE for these explorations, we can look forward to discovering many more new things about what is out there that God still hasn’t shown us.

For feedback, I’m at bobzozobrado@gmail.com.

Entertainment

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2019

FOUR STORIES OF LOVE AND HEARTBREAK THIS FEBRUARY

JANINE

IN A DIFFERENT KIND OF ROMCOM Janine with leading man Enchong Dee

By Nickie Wang

K

The story depicts events in the life of a young named Bert (played by Enchong Dee), who is quick-witted, sickly emotional and independent guy who falls for Elise (played by Janine), who, on the other hand, is a strong, tough, independent woman.

Early on since childhood, Bert developed feelings for Elise. But puppy love is not yet something that should be taken seriously. Later on, they get separated to pursue education and chase their dreams.

Years later, their paths cross and old feelings get rekindled. But their situation is different now; they are not young kids anymore and love is not a children’s game. New struggles arise when their current situations do not work in their favor.

“People might say that it’s another formula film, another romcom. It’s not just a love story.

What makes it different is that the entire story is inspired by real events. It’s based on someone’s true story,” Janine told showbiz press in a recent interview.

“Personally, if a film is inspired by a true story, I find it more interesting to watch. And I hope the audience would see it that way,” she continued. “It’s a long journey from start to finish. It talks about love, moving on, loving again, chasing, and finding your own dream. And the movie is so fun to watch because a lot of the scenes just seemed real.”

Janine further said that the fun part of doing the film was working with people like Enchong. The Kapamilya actor made her enjoy the entire shooting process.

“If you get to know Enchong better, he’s a very nice person, approachable and very kind.

He is really fun to be with. In the movie, people will see a different side of him that people will surely love and appreciate,” she mused.

This is the second time for Enchong and Janine—who come from different networks— to work together. The two previously appeared on the horror movie Lila in 2016.

Directed by Joel Ferrer, Elise also stars Miko Raval, Victor Anastacio, Laura Lehmann, and Miel Espinosa.

The film opens Feb. 6, ahead of Valentine’s Day. Janine also invites her fans and supporters to grace the premiere night of the film which is happening a day before it’s commercial screening.

APUSO talent Janine Gutierrez stars in a romantic comedy, which she describes as “something different from all of the romcoms” that moviegoers have seen of late.

QCINEMA FINALIST PREMIERES AT 48TH INT’L FILM FEST ROTTERDAM

QCinema Film Festival finalist 'Dog Days' tells the dark comingof-age story of Michael Jordan Ulili, a half-Filipino and half-black wannabe basketball star.

NETPAC Jury Prize winner and QCinema Film Festival finalist Dog Days had its international premiere at the 48th International Film Festival of Rotterdam (IFFR) in the Netherlands on Jan. 30.

With its commitment to strengthen the local film industry and champion Philippine cinema globally, the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) supports and takes pride in showcasing films that reflect unique Filipino culture and stories.

Dog Days tells the dark coming-of-age story of Michael Jordan Ulili, a half-Filipino and half-black wannabe basketball star who chases after his “hoop dreams.” It will screen under the film festival’s Bright Future section.

Meanwhile, Khavn, director of Balangiga: Howling Wilderness, collaborated with German director Alexander Kluge for Happy Lamento. The feature-length music film, which is part of the fest’s Perspective programme, features electricity, circus, and the song “Blue Moon.”

Aside from screenings, the IFRR also holds CineMart, the first international co-production

D3

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

market of its kind. This year’s selection includes sixteen (16) independent feature films with theatrical potential. Among the selected projects is The Perilous Odyssey to Mount Gulsuk by Jordan Dela Cruz under VY/AC Productions and Cinematografica Films, the only Filipino project for CineMart’s 36th edition.

“IFFR is one of the largest platforms that spotlights independent films and emerging talents and content from all over the world.

We are proud that Filipino filmmakers are part of their showcase this year,” said FDCP Chairperson and CEO Mary Liza Diño.

The IFFR is one of the most industry-driven and well-attended film festivals in the world.

This annual twelve-day film festival provides a platform for filmmakers to feature one-ofa-kind narratives through independent films to broader and more diverse audiences. The International Film Festival of Rotterdam, which ends today, runs at various locations in the center of Rotterdam and in LantarenVenster at the Kop van Zuid.

EMBARK on a rollercoaster ride of emotions this love month as Cinema One airs four different stories of passion and heartbreak in Romance Central, Central airing on Sundays this love month.

Here are four stories of love and heartbreak to witness: Going with the flow in Siargao Ride the waves with vlogger Laura (Erich Gonzales) who travels to surf-town Siargao and meets rock singer Diego (Jericho Rosales), who is returning home to escape his city troubles. As the two vibe together, they bump into Abi (Jasmine Curtis), Diego’s hometown sweetheart. Will a new love bloom in paradise? Or will the old flame ignite sparks once more?

Taking a leap in Love Me Tomorrow Follow the generational journey of disc jock JC (Piolo Pascual) as he pursues kindhearted Christy (Dawn Zulueta), an attractive, older woman.

With many hurdles between them— including fierce Janine (Coleen Garcia) who is after JC—the pair find it difficult to be true with each other. Can love truly bridge gaps in age, status, and other aspects of life?

Choosing between two in The Achy Breaks Hearts Chinggay (Jodi Sta. Maria) has been waiting for love her whole life—and the continuous pressure of marriage was not helping. This was until she meets Ryan (Ian Veneracion) and things turn out to be sweet, but her ex Frank (Richard Yap) shows up to redeem himself, and things start to get confusing. Will she choose one over the other? Or will she realize that the love that she needs won’t come from either?

Rebuilding bridges in Starting Over Again After their heart-wrenching breakup four years ago, Ginny (Toni Gonzaga) is offered a partnership with former boyfriend and now-chef Marco (Piolo).

Thinking this is fate working that they get another chance, Ginny eagerly accepts. Unfortunately, she finds out Marco is engaged. Despite this, she continues the project in the hopes of winning back Marco, who is now a very different man. Will Ginny get her happy ending with Marco, or is she four years too late?

Get ready to catch feelings in Siargao (today, Feb. 3), Love Me Tomorrow (Feb. 10), The Achy Breaky Hearts (Feb. 17), and Starting Over Again (Feb. 24) on Cinema One’s Romance Central, Sundays at 5:00 p.m.. Cinema One is available on SKYcable Channel 56, SKYdirect Channel 19, Destiny Cable Analog 37 and Digital 56.

D4

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2019

Desiree Carlos, Editor

Pets

daycarlos28@yahoo.com

CARING FOR ORPHANED KITTENS

They might be able to find a foster mother cat to feed the kitten, “ Williams suggested.

“If you can't find a foster, buy a milk replacer designed specifically for kittens. Don't give a kitten cow's milk, which can cause gastrointestinal upset,” Williams stressed.

She added: “Kittens need constant feeding to stay nourished.

Newborn kittens typically nurse every one to two hours. At 3 to 4 weeks old, they may need to eat between four and six times a day.”

PET TALES

BY DESIREE CARLOS

A

N INCREASING number of kittens, some have just been born or are just days old, are being found in trash bins or abandoned on a vacant lot or beside a busy street by rescuers or by passersby who report to animal welfare groups. The mother cat is either dead beside the babies or is nowhere to be found.

Before getting the kittens, please wait as the mother might just be looking for food and will go back to her babies. The mother is always nearby. She will not go very far.

Ask around and most likely, someone knows the mother cat and will tell you if the mother cat is just near the place, specially if the kittens are inside a public market or beside a house in a subdivision A welcome development in the animal welfare world is the increasing number of humans who are now taking in these kittens, fostering them until an adopter is found.

More humans are now willing to help kittens who have been thrown away or whose mothers were hit by vehicles or killed by a cruel person.

But not all who find orphaned kittens on the streets know what to do.

Kittens with no mothers are at high risk of dying within a few hours or days without the mother’s milk that strengthens their immune system and keeps them from being infected with a communicable disease.

To help the loving humans who take in or rescue orphaned kittens, here are some tips on

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.

When and how to change the food

These kittens abandoned on the side of the busy Commonwealth avenue in Quezon City. They were rescued by admin Nicole Benedito of Save Animals of Love and Light (Save ALL).

At three to four weeks of age, you can start giving the formula in a bowl which is easy to drink from.

“Then start the shift to an adult diet by mixing canned or dry cat food with warmed formula. When your kitten is around 6 or 7 weeks of age, you can switch her to a dry diet, “ said Williams.

Help kittens poop and urinate

Rescuer Nicole feeding a kitten using a bottle. Keep the head up so that the kitten will not choke.

A bottle with warm water is used to keep the kittens warm. Please make sure to wrap the bottle in a towel and keep at a safe distance from the kittens.

how to hopefully keep the kittens alive from Ellie Williams in How to Take Care of a Newborn Kitten Without a Mother (cuteness.com).

“If you've rescued a kitten whose mother died or abandoned her, you'll have to fill that role. Newborn kittens need round-the-clock care and monitoring, but can be raised by a human caregiver. Before attempting this, however, take the kitten to a veterinarian for a thorough examination and to enlist his advice to create a plan of care,” Williams said.

warm. If your kitten has been abandoned, you'll need to keep her warm.

Wrap a heating pad or hot water bottle in a blanket to create a warm bed, but position it so that your kitten can move away from it if she gets too warm. Keep an eye on the heating pad to ensure that it's working properly and that it doesn't get too hot or malfunction,” Williams said.

You can also use a lamp and place over the kittens’ bed. Do not put directly on the kittens. Please monitor the kittens and the lamp as it might get too hot inside the cage or box.

Keeping the kittens warm

The mother cat provides the Nutrition for kittens warmth the kittens need.

“Before hand-raising a kitten, “Newborn kittens cuddle up with contact local veterinarians, animal their mother and siblings to stay shelters and rescue groups.

Williams said: “Kittens can't urinate or defecate on their own until around 2 or 3 weeks of age.

Until then, their mother stimulates elimination by licking around the anus and genitals. You can simulate this action by taking a warm, moistened towel or piece of gauze and carefully rubbing it around the kitten's anal and genital areas.

Do this after every feeding.”

At four weeks old, you can begin to train the kitten to use a litter box by placing her in it every after feeding.

“Use a shallow box with low sides or use a cardboard box and cut one side low,” Williams said.

Please ask the vet when the kittens are ready for deworming and vaccination. Most orphaned kittens do not grow up as normally as kittens with mothers.

The vet will also determine the appropriate dosage (dewormer) for the kitten depending on the development and the weight.

Vaccinations are given when the vet sees the kittens are strong enough for this.

Cats do not need rice and corn but a small amount of carbohydrates will provide energy and reduce the cost, says Rebecca Remillard, a board-certified veterinary nutritionist from the MSPCA Angell Animal Medical Center in Boston.

The Risks and the Rewards of Raw Cat Food

Angel, a pusang Pinoy or puspin, loves to eat anything—from dry cat food, to canned food, to cooked food. He loves boiled dilis with malunggay (moringa) leaves cut into small pieces. You can make your own home cooked recipe after reading about what food— specially the kind of vegetables—you can give to cats. Remember, there are vegetables or food that are toxic to cats. Please do some research before giving anything to your cat.

(Photo taken by Joey Salgado.)

Amino acids like taurine and arginine (from meat or fish) Fatty acids Vitamins Minerals Water

LITTLE GEGE is a miracle dog. He is a survivor of both kidney and liver failure, says owner Jo Gargantos.

LITTLE GEGE, a tri-colored shih tzu who is turning eight (8) years old on June 15, likes to cuddle and this warms his owner’s heart always.

“Pakarga, pahalik, pasyal. He likes to be with family members always,” says Jo. Jo recalls LITTLE GEGE was only six months old when he was given to her because her niece, who was taking care of LITTLE GEGE, died.

“Sakin na pina adopt ng uncle ko and we are so happy we adopted him,“ Jo says.

Deworming and vaccination

RECIPES FOR NATURAL CAT FOOD MORE and more owners are shifting to natural food from manufactured cat food due to reports of too much preservatives in dry or canned cat food. The preservatives have been linked to urinary tract infection and/or kidney disease in a number of cats.

Other owners however decided to look for manufactured cat food with no salt, no artificial coloring, and no artificial flavoring.

But dry and canned food cost a lot more than natural food, specially if the owner will buy the best manufactured food in the market.

So some cat owners have decided on natural food.

Owners who do want to shift to natural food is advised to shift their cat to natural food slowly. Any abrupt change in diet can cause the immune system to weaken.

Julie Edgar in Homemade Cat Food and Raw Cat Food in WebMD says a number of cat owners are “doing it themselves—the pet food scares of recent years have, by some accounts, motivated the trend…”

Edgar stresses that some vets have warned about quality control, the risks of bacterial contamination and compromising nutritional value if one will give raw or homemade food.

“If you choose to go it alone, be warned: Making your own cat food is an exacting and time-consuming business. Striking the right balance of ingredients, including vitamins and minerals, and properly storing the food are critical for a happy and healthy animal,“Edgar says.

These are what cats need, Edgar says: *Protein from meat or fish

MY FURRY BESTIE

Remillard says “raw meat in diets are neither safe nor nutritionally sound.”

The American Animal Hospital Association warns that both cat and human are at risk of salmonella poisoning.

“There are a lot of people who want to feed raw. I tell them they have to be aware of zoonotic (animal to human) disease transmission, food safety, and contagion issues. I don’t think veterinarians should get upset about it, but they should make clear the health issues,” Remillard says.

The raw meat diet can also spoil easily and might not be detected if the owner left the food for too long or left the house for a certain period of time, Remillard says But Edgar says Lisa Pierson, a veterinarian in California, has not had “issues with bacterial contamination in the six years she has made her own cat food because she is careful: She knows where the meat comes from, she parboils mostly rabbit and bone-in chicken, grinds it herself, and adds minerals like taurine to make sure her cats are eating a balanced diet.”

“She says it’s also cheaper than higher-quality canned food and would take an owner of two cats about two hours a month to make, “ Edgar says.

The Risks and Rewards of Cooked Food

“Little scientific evidence exists either for

or against a cooked diet for cats,” Edgar says.

Cornell University’s College of Veterinary Medicine, “warned against making raw or cooked cat food at home because of the importance of getting the right quantity and proportions of nutrients, “ Edgar adds.

Remillard does not push home cooked cat food but she says it might work as long as the cat owner has consulted a veterinarian-nutritionist.

Below are sample recipes:

Raw Meat Diet

This recipe from Pierson will provide food for 10-14 days for an average cat.

For more guidelines, Edgar suggests going towww.catinfo.org.

3 pounds of whole fowl or rabbit, including bones, organs, and skin 1 cup water 2 eggs (use raw yolks, and lightly cook the whites) 2000 mg wild salmon oil 400 IU vitamin E (powdered E in capsule form works) 100 mg vitamin B-complex (start with a smaller amount when beginning a raw meat diet; the vitamin has a strong odor) 2000 mg taurine, powdered ¾ tsp lite salt with iodine (when using chicken parts) Liver (add 4 oz if the meat you are using does not include organs) Psyllium (add when first introducing the raw meat diet to your cat.Seewww.catinfo. orgfor additional information on this ) Home cooked food: This recipe from the MSPCA-Angell Ani-

BRUNO is a seven-year-old chihuahua who loves morning walks , says owner Flor GB. “He is also one with nature. He loves walking in a place with many trees, “ Jo adds.

“He is soooo matakaw and carrots is his fave treat!!!” Flor shares.

Editor's note: These stories were compiled by admin Miks Lim of Save Animals of Love and Light (Save ALL), a SEC-registered animal welfare group that helps animals in need, and encourages and promotes responsible pet ownership, adoption of rescued dogs and cats from fosters, shelters and pounds, and spaying and neutering of pets to control animal population in the country, among others.

mal Medical Center provides for a day’s feeding of an average 12-pound adult cat with no medical problems.

“Use a dietary gram scale to weigh out foods until you get accustomed to the correct measurements, and make sure all ingredients are well blended before serving. The food must be kept refrigerated or frozen between meals, and for palatability’s sake, warmed before being given to your cat,” Edgar says Mix the following ingredients: *Protein: cooked dark meat chicken, beef, pork, lamb, salmon, or tuna (83 grams or 3 wt-ounces) Carbohydrate: cooked white rice, oatmeal, barley, corn, peas, or pasta (50 grams or 1/3 cup) Fiber: cooked sweet potato, without skin (30 grams or 1/5 cup) Fat (optional): vegetable, safflower, olive oil or fish oil (1/4 teaspoon) Balance IT Feline: 2.7 grams or half a red scoop (in the container). This is a commercial blend of vitamins and minerals. DC