Manila Standard - 2019 July 7 - Sunday

7.1-MAGNITUDE

QUAKE JOLTS S. CALIFORNIA

VOL. XXXIII • NO. 143 • 4 SECTIONS 16 PAGES • P18 • SUNDAY, JULY 7, 2019 • www.manilastandard.net • mst.daydesk@gmail.com

WORLD B2

DUTERTE DARES US: FIRE SHOT AT CHINA

By Maricel V. Cruz

Workers from the House of Representatives (above) start cleaning and repairing the backyard and helipad of the lower chamber in preparation for the State of the Nation Address of President Rodrigo Duterte on July 22. In Davao City (right). Duterte Coalition leaders—siblings Rep. Paolo Duterte and Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio— meet up Saturday with three candidates for House Speaker (from left) Marinduque’s Rep. Lord Allan Velasco, Taguig City’s Alan Peter Cayetano, and Leyte’s Rep. Martin Romualdez—without the Coalition’s endorsed bet Davao City’s Rep. Isidro Ungab.

Manny Palmero

SUNDAY, JULY 7, 2019

LEYTE 1st District Rep. Martin Romualdez has vowed to mobilize the 18th Congress into crafting a roadmap that will complement, through legislation, President Rodrigo Duterte’s war against poverty.

Romualdez, one of the leading contenders in the race for House Speaker, said Saturday the roadmap must spell out the legislative measures and funding requirements needed to realize Duterte’s vision of reducing poverty incidence by almost a half before his term ends in 2022.

“We are winning the war against criminality and terrorism. We are one of the fast-growing economies in Asia. It is time now to focus more on the President’s war against poverty,” said Romualdez, a lawyer and president of the Philippine Constitution Association (Philconsa).

“The 18th Congress must step up to the plate. Lifting Filipinos out of poverty is the top priority of President Duterte in the next three years and we need everybody’s support for Turn to A2 this mission,” he added.

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SSS COVERS 3,000 JOB ORDER EMPLOYEES

NO LETUP. Amphibious excavators continue to dredge waste from the waters of Manila Bay. Norman Cruz

DUTERTE BATS FOR NEW FARM TECHNOLOGY

By Vito Barcelo PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte said Filipino farmers should utilize the latest farming technology to boost agricultural output and help attain food security.

The President made the call during the inauguration of P1.7billion Chen Yi Agventures rice processing plant in Alangalang, Leyte.

“The rice processing center could help Filipino farmers increase their income and ensure the country’s food supply,” Duterte said.

“This project is a testament to our commitment to find more ways to actively respond to the various problems and challenges confronting the agricultural industry, that we are taking initiatives to sustain our rice supply and ensure food security for our nation,” the President added.

The two-hectare complex is the most technologically-advanced rice processing center in Southeast Asia, and the largest in the Visayas and Mindanao regions.

The facility uses temperaturecontrolled silos with a total capacity of 6,000 metric tons of rice and will keep dried palay in a freshly harvested condition for over a year.

“I hope that CYA and the local government of Leyte will continue to take further strides in spurring countryside development as well as the others in advancing the rice industry towards more progressive and modern practices,” he said.

CUSTOMS BRACES FOR ANOTHER REVAMP

T

HE Bureau of Customs is bracing for another revamp after President Rodrigo Duterte said he would be firing “a lot” of officials for corrupt practices.

Army to man the bureau.

“I do not believe that our Army officials are not allowed to work [in the Bureau of Customs]. Idiots. If my country is sinking, I cannot help my country?”

“I will go for the Customs again.

There will be a lot of dismissals,” the President added.

Customs assistant commissioner Vin“When I go back, I would be firing cent Philip Maronilla said they are still in more from the Bureau of Customs,” the the dark as to who will get the axe.

President said Friday evening, adding “No comment. We would allow the that he might just tap the Philippine President to first make an announce-

ment on who are the personalities because right now we do not know who would be affected by the planned changes in the bureau,” he said in an interview.

To date, there are some five exmilitary officials occupying top positions in the bureau, including Customs chief Rey Leonardo Guerrero, Deputy Director for Intelligence Group Raniel Ramiro, and Deputy Director for Internal Administration Group Donato Belmonte San Juan. PNA

‘PURSUE ONE TOWN, ONE EVACUATION POLICY’

By Joel E. Zurbano

SOARING HIGH. President Rodrigo Duterte leads the unveiling of the Ormoc City Airport’s marker during its inauguration in Leyte on July 5. With the President are Senator Christopher Lawrence Go, Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade, Leyte Rep. Lucy Gomez and Ormoc City Mayor Richard Gomez. Presidential Photo

GAME OF THRONES TAPESTRY FEATURED BELFAST, United Kingdom—In a Belfast museum, seamstresses are at work depicting gory battles and warring kings in shimmering threads of red and gold—an epic homage to the TV phenomenon “Game of Thrones.”

The team of volunteers at the Ulster Museum are putting the final touches to a 90-meter tapestry depicting all eight seasons of the fantasy saga, which reached its dramatic conclusion in May. “Game of Thrones,” which first hit screens in 2011, was produced and chiefly filmed in studios in Belfast and in the Northern Irish countryside.

The Northern Irish public have taken the series to their hearts.

“A tapestry is, more than anything else, a great storytelling device,” explained Valerie Wilson, cos-

tume and textiles curator at National Museums Northern Ireland.

“The length of the tapestry allows the story to unfold, so in many ways it’s the perfect medium for telling the story of the ‘Game of Thrones’ project.”

Styled in the manner of the treasured Bayeux Tapestry—which depicts the 11th-century Norman conquest of England—the completed piece will be transported to France to hang near its predecessor in September.

“This tapestry references the Bayeux Tapestry in that it has a series of repeated icons through it,” explained Wilson.

The panels of the piece are woven by machine before the finishing touches are put on by hand. AFP

IN AN untypical meeting, Duterte Coalition leaders Rep. Paolo Duterte and his sister Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio met up with candidates for House Speaker—Rep. Martin Romualdez of Leyte, Rep. Lord Allan Velasco of Marinduque, and Rep. Alan Peter Cayetano of Taguig—in Davao City on Saturday.

The Coalition’s previously endorsed bet, Davao City’s Rep. Isidro Ungab, was starkly absent during the meeting and there was no explanation for his non-appearance.

There were no sweeping details about the unprecedented weekend meeting, 16 days to the day President Rodrigo Duterte delivers his State of the Nation Address before the joint session of Congress.

But Rep. Duterte, who formed the Coalition with his sister and eight other Davaoeño lawmakers to unite the House of Representatives, said in general terms the meeting was cordial, where they discussed the progress of the country.

Earlier, Rep. Duterte said he was no longer running for speakership and would just support the speakership bid of Ungab who was being pushed by the Hugpong ng Turn to A2

ROMUALDEZ EYES GROWTH 'ROADMAP'

PULLING THINGS TOGETHER.

A4

'PULONG' OPTS OUT OF RACE FOR SPEAKER

SENATOR Ralph Recto on Saturday urged the government to have a “one town, one evacuation” scheme in building evacuation centers.

This as the Department of Public Works and Highways reported that it has built 82 evacuation centers in 52 provinces and is set to construct 55 more.

Recto suggested these structures, which should be able to withstand 300 kilometers per hour winds and an intensity 8 earthquake, should be expanded into a “one town, one evacuation center” program.

He urged the DPWH to explore designs other than the limited-capacity dormitories it is building to include multiple-use gymnasiums that can be transformed into a safe refuge when disaster strikes.

Recto has refiled a bill institutionalizing this kind of public infrastructure “which a country visited by two dozen typhoons a year, one that sits atop the volcanic Ring of Fire, and whose cities submerged during the monsoon months needs.”

“As women, children and elderly comprise the bulk of those displaced by natural and man-made calamities, like fire, the gyms-cum-evacuation centers will be equipped with toilet facilities and a clinic area,” he said.

THE state-run Social Security System will cover more than 3,000 contractual and job order personnel employed at the local government of Parañaque City after a memorandum of agreement was signed on June 3.

The pension fund and the local government of Paranaque City agreed to formalize the SSS membership of the local government’s contractual and job order personnel through the KaltaSSSCollect program.

Under the deal, social security coverage will be provided to personnel who are not covered by the mandatory membership of the Government Service Insurance System or any social security scheme due to their employment status.

“The SSS is pleased with the agreement with the local government of Parañaque which will ensure that their contractual and job order personnel will be entitled to social security benefits provided

by SSS. We know how important these workers are in the government since they also work equally as hard as regular employees. The KaltaSSS-Collect agreement will be a mutually rewarding partnership if both our organizations meet our goals, for SSS to reach out and cover more workers and for the Parañaque LGU to help improve the lives of their contractual workers,” SSS president and chief executive officer Aurora Ignacio said.

Contractual and job order personnel will be registered with the SSS as self-employed members, while the local government of Parañaque will act as a collecting agent who will remit their monthly SSS contributions through the KaltaSSS-Collect’s salarydeduction scheme.

As active paying self-employed members, the job order and contractual employees of the local government will enjoy SSS benefits such as sickness, maternity, disability, retirement, funeral, and death or survivor’s pension.

PPI: BEST COMMUNITY PAPER HAILED AS THE print industry continues to face challenges brought about by disruptive technology and innovation and a changing consumer landscape, the Philippine Press Institute shone the spotlight on the best of the best among the community newspapers across the country.

Cebu Daily News bagged three of five major awards for the daily newspaper category for the 2018 Civic Journalism Community Press Awards, namely the Best Edited Community Newspaper, Best Editorial Page, and Best in Photojournalism.

Edge Davao, on the other hand, garnered the Best in Business and Economic Reporting and Best in Environment Reporting awards for the daily newspaper category.

Baguio-based weekly newspapers Herald Express and Baguio Chronicle were awarded the Best Edited Newspaper and Best in Environment Reporting, respectively, for the weekly newspaper category.

Other winners were The Bohol Chronicle for the Best Editorial Page; Cagayan de Oro’s Business Week Mindanao for Best in Business and Economic Reporting; and Dumaguete’s Metro Post for Best in Photojournalism.

“The industry is being buffeted by dizzying winds of change. Today —as in the past—any technology that accelerates information has the power to disrupt; so it is with the Internet and social media...We must adapt to the technology sooner or later if we are to survive. We have to be realistic that this world has changed and adapt to the reality on the ground,” newly-elected PPI chairman and Manila Standard publisher Rolando Estabillo said.

twitter.com/ MlaStandard

By Vito Barcelo

P

RESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte, in a free-swinging gesture, dared the United States to fire the “first shot” at China—and said the Philippines would be behind the former if trouble erupted in South China Sea. The President made the statement Friday night during the inauguration of Chen Yi Agventures Rice Processing Complex in Alangalang, Leyte, where he challenged Washington to assemble all its armaments in the disputed South China Sea. “Now I am telling [you] this, bring all your warplanes, ships in China, fire the first shot and we will just be behind you. Let’s fight and see who would be defeated,” he said.

The President’ s remarks responded to the US for egging the Philippines on to do something about China’s moves in the South China Sea. The President repeatedly said the Philippines could never win a war against China.

“That’s our problem today. I hope that China would not overdo things also [sic] because there is facebook.com/ ManilaStandardPH

S

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always America pushing us, egging us [on]. We’re just being pushed, I am being used as (a) bait. What [do] they think of the Filipinos? Earthworm?’ he said.

“They always said: US-RP pact. Okay. Let America declare the war. Let them assemble all their armaments there in South China Sea. Fire the first shot and I’ll be glad to do the next. We have the RP-US pact, let us honor it. Do you want trouble? Okay, let’s do it,” Duterte said in a mix of Tagalog and English..

The President said “people would die when time comes. But then what will happen to the America?

And what will happen to the Philippines and Asia?

I really do not know. That’s geopolitics. But I am not [an] idiot.”

Earlier on, the Pentagon criticized China when it fired a missile in the South China Sea, and described the move as “disturbing” and contrary to Chinese pledges that it would not militarize the disputed waterway.

However, China’s Defense Ministry on Friday denied US accusations that the Chinese military had recently carried out missile tests in the disputed South China Sea, saying instead that they had held routine drills that involved the firing of live ammunition.

Japan’s public broadcaster NHK reported the six missiles test-fired by China last weekend could have been the Dongfeng-21D ballistic missiles, nicknamed the “carrier-killer.”

Turn to A2

NURSES' LACK A THREAT TO HOSPITALS

By Maricel V. Cruz MANY hospitals run by local governments are in danger of being closed down because of lack of nurses, a pro-administration lawmaker said on Saturday.

Camarines Sur Rep. Luis Raymund Villafuerte said hospitals run by local governments were losing to the Department of Health offering a very much higher pay than the local government.

Under DOH guidelines, local governments pay the nurses they employ P25,000 a month; while the departments offer a starting salary of P45,000 a month under the latest tranche of the Salary Standardization Law, thus the exodus of the trained Turn to A2 nurses to the DOH.

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A2

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'PULONG' ...

From A1

OIL FIRMS REVERSE GEARS, CUT PRICES BY 40C/LITER

Pagbabago as its candidate to assume the highest top post.

“I have personally spoken to President Rodrigo Duterte Thursday night in Davao City regarding my plan to run for Speaker of the House of Representatives. We both agreed that this will not be the right time for me to be Speaker and I can still help his administration from the House in a different capacity,” Duterte said in a statement.

“As president of Hugpong sa Tawong Lungsod, I will support the bid for speakership of Congressman Isidro Ungab from our sister party, Hugpong ng Pagbabago,” he added.

But there was no explanation from him why Ungab was absent at the meeting.

Duterte also said in his statement released to media that “The President has also been fully informed of Rep. Ungab’s participation in the race for the next Speaker of the House of Representatives.”

Duterte said he organized the Coalition to resist the meddling of Cabinet members in the choice for the next Speaker.

Velasco is supported by ruling PDP-Laban, while Cayetano’s bid was allegedly backed by several Cabinet members. Romualdez is a long-time ally of former President and House Speaker Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.

Cayetano is a senior member of the Villar-controlled Nacionalista Party, the third largest voting bloc in the House (42 members) next to PDP-Laban (86 members) and the party-list coalition (55 members).

With Maricel V. Cruz

By Alena Mae S. Flores

O

BENEATH A CLOUDY SKY. Residents in Makati’s Barangay Olympia look helpless Saturday morning as fire eats up a row of houses. Later in the afternoon, another fire hit Barangay 183 in Villamor, Pasay City, with reports suggesting firefighters had difficulty in extinguishing the fire in the latter with water hydrants not working properly. Norman Cruz

Other oil companies are expected to follow the price cut which ended three consecutive week of price increase for diesel.

Gasoline prices, however, is still expected to go up next week.

“Expect fuel prices to have a rollback for diesel and an increase for gasoline. Diesel should decrease by P0.40 -0.50 per liter while gasoline should increase by P0.20-0.25 per liter,” Unioil Philippines said in its advisory.

Domestic pump prices move to reflect the movement in world oil prices as the Philippines import more than 90 percent of its fuel requirements.

On July 2, Tuesday, the country’s oil firms implemented a hefty oil price hike of P1.20 per liter for gasoline, P1 per liter for kerosene and P0.95 per liter for diesel.

World oil prices went up last week due to the ongoing trade conflict between the US and China which could dampen demand.

The Department of Energy said weak manufacturing data released last week added to worries about slipping demand for crude oil.

The agency said some analysts sees oil supply to remain tight as the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies including Russia may extend the production cut during their meeting in Vienna this week.

DUTERTE...

From A1

The Department of National Defense earlier said it would investigate the reported Chinese missile launch.

Meanwhile, the Philippines will conduct its own inquiry into the reported launching of anti-ballistic missiles by China off the West Philippine Sea. Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said Wednesday, in a message to reporters, “We have no first-hand knowledge about this missile launch except this news report. We will conduct our own inquiry and will decide later what to do if [the report is] proven correct.”

The tests took place last weekend with China warning ships not to approach the test area, and at least one missile was reportedly fired into the sea, one report said.

US Ambassador to the Philippines

NURSES'...

From A1

“The DOH must stop pirating nurses working in hospitals run by local government units (LGUs) to join an apparently flawed national recruitment program ostensibly aimed at deploying health professionals to geographically isolated and poor communities across the country,” Villafuerte said.

Villafuerte said the DOH was undermining local autonomy, particularly the devolution of health functions to LGUs, with the problem projected to worsen if LGU hospitals find themselves with a severe nurse shortage.

The DOH is the agency tasked to supervise the operation of local government hospitals and it imposes certain staffing patterns that the local government hospitals may not need owing to the exodus of their nurses to the DOH. Villafuerte lamented the DOH’s “pirating” strategy could weaken the effective implementation of the Universal Health Care program.

“LGUs which are tasked to provide primary and secondary health care, are facing a shortage of medical staff to deliver these services in their respective communities.

He said the problem was expected to worsen in the years to come if it remained uncorrected, because under the K-12 program, which has added two years to the basic education curriculum, the production of new nurses had been delayed as secondary students were spending two more years in high school.

He cited, for instance, the case of CamSur where nurses have started leaving en masse from LGU-run hospitals to transfer to the Bicol Medical Center in Naga City, which reportedly opened just recently 800 positions for nurses under the NDP. “The DOH being the agency tasked to check on the operations of LGU hospitals is the same one now undermining their ability to continue operating. How can LGUs continue meeting the DOH’s medical staff requirement when the Department itself has been virtually pirating their nurses with its recruitment spree?” he stressed.

“Where will LGUs get new nurses for their small hospitals now that their existing ones are darting off to DOH-managed facilities?” Villafuerte said.

IL PLAYER Phoenix Petroleum Philippines led the new round of price rollback of P0.40 per liter for diesel effective 12 noon Saturday.

Sung Kim reiterated Washington’s position on the South China Sea dispute.

“We urge all countries to refrain from provocative and unilateral actions that [are] inconsistent with international norms and practices,” Kim said during the July 4th US Independence Day celebration at Makati Shangri-La. “We have stated our position very clearly for some time now, and I believe our friends in the Philippines agree that countries, including China, should refrain from such actions,” Kim added.

The US envoy called China’s missile launch “provocative” and a violation of international law.

“We have long been concerned and it’s not just the US but I think countries in the region have been concerned about aggressive unilat-

eral actions in the disputed areas including militarization in the area,” he said.

Kim said China continued to renege on its commitment that it will not militarize the waters, where it has installed surface to air missiles in several contested features it recently transformed into artificial islands.

“China itself has committed that it would stop militarization but obviously that has not happened,” he said.

“It’s clear that countries should behave according to international practices and laws,” Kim added.

Reports indicated that China tested multiple anti-ship ballistic missiles over the weekend while the G-20 summit in Osaka, Japan, attended by US President Donald Trump and other world leaders, was taking place.

An expert on maritime law, mean-

while, said the missile tests are aimed at showing off China’s military capability to other countries, but were not targeted specifically at nations with competing claims in the South China Sea. “It could also be seen as kind of signal to other countries that they can do this. The countries, therefore, would act more carefully,” said Jay Batongbacal, director at the University of the Philippines Institute for Maritime Affairs and Law of the Sea. Pentagon spokesman Lt. Col. Dave Eastburn earlier revealed that a recent Chinese missile launch was done in the South China Sea near the Spratly Islands, calling it ‘disturbing.”

But Batongbacal played down the missile tests, saying it did not mean that China was threatening other countries with war. With PNA

ROMUALDEZ...

From A1

Romualdez, president of Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats, noted the President had succeeded in reducing poverty by mid-term of his six-year term, but his programs and policies needed to be institutionalized to ensure poverty rate would be cut down to just 14 percent by 2022.

“The numbers now are good. All poverty indicators are at all-time low. We just need to stay on the course and make sure that all the programs and policies are in place for the next phase of the war against poverty,” said Romualdez.

Romualdez cited the latest survey of the Philippine Statistics Authority which shows the number of Filipinos living below the poverty line was reduced in the first semester of 2018.

This, according to the National Economic and Development Authority, was largely because of improvements in the quality of employment in the past three years since the last poverty survey in 2015, as well as the expansion in government social services.

The PSA report said the nationwide poverty incidence fell to 21 percent in the first half of 2018 compared to 27.6 percent in the first half of 2015.

Romualdez said even self-rated poverty was down, with the number of Filipinos who considered themselves poor hitting a new record low of 38 percent in the first quarter of 2019, according to the latest survey of the Social Weather Stations.

The figure, which translates to some 9.5 million families, is 12 points below the 50 percent recorded in December 2018, and 4 points below the previous record low of 42 percent in September 2016 and March 2018.

“Our people are slowly realizing, through direct experience, the benefits of our economic growth. If we can sustain this, the goal of transforming the Philippines into an upper middle-income by 2022 is achievable,” Romualdez said.

To win the war against poverty, Romualdez said the 18th Congress must work closely with Cabinet officials and agree to a common roadmap for the two branches of government to work on.

He welcomed the proposal for President Duterte to sign an executive order creating a task force that seeks to eradicate hunger in the country by 2030.

The creation of the Zero Hunger InterAgency Task Force was among the agenda tackled during the Cabinet meeting in Malacañan Palace on Monday night.

According to Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles, who presented the proposed EO, the new task force would formulate a national food policy to ensure the attainment of zero hunger and poverty eradication, consistent with the 20172022 Philippine Development Plan.

The plan is to reduce hunger by 25 percent two-and-a-half years after the EO is issued.

Target includes cutting hunger incidence by half in five years after the issuance of the EO, and by 75 percent within seven-and-a-half years.

According to Nograles, the task force would rationalize existing domestic laws, decrees, policies and issuances pertinent to the alleviation of hunger and poverty, consistent with international laws and treaty obligations; identify and ensure the institutional responsibilities of concerned government agencies.

Meanwhile, more than five years after Typhoon ''Yolanda,'' Romualdez said Leyte was not only back on its feet but on its way to full recovery.

Leyte’s impressive recovery attributed to President Duterte’s “no-nonsense” approach in rushing the rehabilitation and recovery projects in the province, he said.

“President Duterte was very instrumental in fast-tracking the recovery post Yolanda. Now, it’s my turn to help him realize his vision for the country through legislation,” said Romualdez after attend-

ing the inauguration of the Ormoc Airport Development Project late afternoon Friday.

Romualdez joined Duterte in the inauguration rites for the P34-million airport rehabilitation project, which included the renovation of the terminal building as well as the construction of the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines administration building.

“President Duterte, when he was still Davao City mayor, was the first to rush aid to Leyte when Yolanda ravaged our province more than five years ago. We have not forgotten this, and we will be forever grateful for his concern to our people,” Romualdez said.

“This airport project is an example how his no-nonsense approach in governance prompted officials to rush the completion of projects in Leyte,” the lawmaker said.

Senator Bong Go, Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade, Presidential Assistant for the Visayas Michael Lloyd Dino, Leyte Rep. Lucy Torres, Ormoc City Mayor Richard Gomez and other officials attended the event graced by the President.

The terminal improvements in Ormoc started in February 2018 and were completed end of May last year.

The airport’s total area expanded from 150 square meters to 1,350 sqm., accommodating more passengers and larger aircraft.

In 2018, the Ormoc Airport catered to over 1,200 passengers and accommodated more than 80,000 aircraft operations.

Aside from the Ormoc airport development project, Romualdez said President Duterte also approved the allocation of P716 million for the Tacloban Airport terminal building construction project.

Under the DOTr’s original timetable, the terminal building construction is up

for bidding in June this year.

The target is to complete the full development of the city’s airport within the term of Duterte.

The transportation department backed the development of the city’s airport, considering that it is the seventh busiest airport in the country with 1.2 million passengers last year.

In 2018, the DOTr released P264.93 million to finance asphalt overlays, a newly designed parking area, shore protection, and site development for the new terminal building, including the construction of a perimeter fence.

For 2019, the approved budget is P50 million to support the multi-year implementation of control tower and operation building construction.

“The administration of President Duterte is not only focused on rehabilitation and recovery projects for Leyte. He also wanted to make sure that no more lives will be in peril when calamity strikes the province,” Romualdez said.

The President, he pointed out, has also allocated P9.62 billion for the Leyte tide embankment project, which has been dubbed as the “Great Wall of Leyte.”

The ambitious project is part of the Build Back Better policy of the Government’s Program on Rehabilitation and Recovery from Super Typhoon Yolanda to build safer cities/communities.

The project involves building a fourmeter high structure which covers a length of about 27.3 kilometers stretching from the shoreline of Barangay Diit of Tacloban City passing through the entire shoreline of the Municipality of Palo, Leyte and ending up to Barangay Ambao of Tanauan, Leyte.

The tide embankment project aims to protect 30,800 houses and establishments of Yolanda-affected areas in Tacloban–Palo-Tanauan from future similar storm surges and to prevent casualties.

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RIVER FERRY SERVICES EXPANSION PUSHED

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HE Department of Transportation ought to consider the viability of linking up the planned Sangley-Manila commuter boat service with the new P2-billion Pasig River ferry system that is already in the works, Makati City Rep. Luis Campos Jr. said on Saturday.

“If the DOTr is going to allow new commuter boats to run between Sangley airport in Cavite City and Manila via Manila Bay, then we might as well integrate the service with the Pasig River ferry system,” Campos said.

The DOTr’s Maritime Industry Authority announced that it is set to open applications for private commuter boat operators between Sangley and Manila.

The DOTr plans to deploy fer-

ries to quickly move passengers to and from Sangley airport, without having to go through the jammed roads between Manila and Cavite.

President Rodrigo Duterte recently ordered the DOTr to activate Sangley as reliever aviation gateway

by November to ease aircraft and passenger congestion—the root cause of persistent flight delays—at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.

“Joining together the Sangley-

Manila-Pasig River ferry services, possibly via a common terminal later on, might be highly sensible, if we want to encourage the optimization of water buses as an alternate mode of public transportation in and around Metro Manila,” Campos said.

In this year’s General Appropriations Act, the national government is spending P2 billion to revive the Pasig River ferry system, this time with smaller boats moving faster between stations.

The new money is being spent to build 17 new stations along the 25-kilometer river in the cities of Manila, Mandaluyong, Makati, Taguig, Pasig and Marikina.

The new stations are on top of the 12 previously built for the old and now-defunct ferry service.

Once fully operational, the new

Pasig River ferry service is projected to convey some 76,000 commuters every day on water buses—24 air-conditioned boats with 50 seats each moving through 29 terminals in 15-minute intervals.

The new ferry service forms part of the Pasig River Convergence Program, which being carried out by 10 agencies led by the Department of Budget and Management.

The old Pasig River ferry service collapsed after the lone private operator insisted on deploying bigger boats with 150 seats each that took a longer time to fill. This caused poor ridership due to delayed boat departures and arrivals.

The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority has since been trying to run a makeshift Pasig River ferry service with a limited capacity.

SHELL TURNS 105, UNVEILS CAMPAIGN

SECURITY CHECK. Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade submits himself

to security inspection upon his arrival at the Ormoc City Airport in Leyte where President Rodrigo Roa Duterte leads the inauguration of the airport on July 5, 2019. Presidential Photo

ONE of the Big Three oil companies celebrating 105 years of operation in the Philippines has renewed its commitment to deliver more and cleaner energy to help meet growing needs and find ways to use energy more efficiently.

At the heart of this commitment is the goal to #MakeTheFuture of energy one that is environmentally and socially responsible and thus, sustainable with the help of all stakeholders, including kids.

Pilipinas Shell launched its #MakeTheFuture campaign with an event designed for kids at the Mind Museum in Bonifacio Global City Taguig.

“Everything that we are doing today impacts on future generations, and it is interesting to see what tomorrow’s decision-makers and leaders know about energy, how they’re affected and what they think must happen to ensure that Shell can help make the future sustainable for them,” says Cesar Romero, country chairman of Shell companies in the Philippines.

By holding the Kids #MakeTheFuture event, Shell intends to create an opportunity to promote energy consciousness and education among youngsters, as well as to invite them to join the discussion on improving and making the future of energy.

The young attendees were among the first to see the #MakeTheFuture campaign video which highlights inspiring stories of kids who benefit from ongoing programs like Access to Energy, Shell’s program to power off-grid communities using renewable energy.

Romero was joined by managing director of Shell Philippines Exploration B.V. Don Paulino and Country Health Manager Dr. Rose Rivera in providing insights on the many ways that everyone, including kids, use and expend energy, and what Shell does to provide them the energy that they need.

SOLON PROPOSES ‘EDDIE GARCIA LAW’ AMID SAFETY ISSUES

By Maricel V. Cruz A PARTY-LIST legislator on Saturday vowed to push for the enactment of the proposed “Eddie Garcia Act” as soon as the 18th Congress opens on July 22.

Rep. Michael Romero of 1-Pacman said his House Bill 181 or the proposed “Eddie Garcia Act” shall put in place occupational safety and health standards for the film, television and theater industry in the country.

“The film, television and theater industry involve a unique business, and as such, presents several unique health and safety hazards that require special attention,” said Romero.

“Under this House bill, the film, television and theater industry are required to provide a safe workplace for all its workers and employes. Workplace safety and health protocols shall be primordial to eliminate personal injuries, illness or even death from occuring inside the workplace,” he explained.

Romero filed his bill in honor of late veteran actor Eddie Garcia who suffered serious internal injuries after tripping on lose cables at the production set of a regular

television series being taped by GMA Network on June 8, 2019. He was 90.

Romero said the multi-awarded actor was known for his professionalism and never reported late on the set even during his prime as among the most popular actors in the country.

HB 181 proposes to limit working hours on the movie set between eight to 12 hours, which already covers waiting hours in between takes, among other safety and ssecurity provisions.

Setting limits for filming and taping of movies, Garcia said, will safeguard the health of all personnel and actors on the movie set.

HB 181 also provides for mandatory personnel and production insurance coverage and the creation of a standard operating procedure for safety and medical emergencies on the set.

It also provides for emergency operational standards and protocol in the film, television and theater industry for scenes that involve the use of explosive, pyrotechnics, smoke and fog, gasoline operated eqiupment, scaffoldings, and others that may endanger the physical safety of all persons involved.

ROAD HEROES. Transport group launches the ‘Bayani ng Kalsada’ with the signing of a memorandum of agreement for the issuance of drivers’ insurance coverage led by (from left) lawyer Tirso Peralta, LTOP Orlando Marquez, Fortune Life president Virgilio Aquino and lawyer Larry Gadon held in Quezon City.

Manny Palmero

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CEBU PAC LAUNCHES NEW ROUTES TO CHINA

By Joel E. Zurbano THE Cebu Pacific Air launched its first commercial flights between Manila and Shenzhen.

The inaugural flight left the Ninoy Aquino International Airport at 11:35 p.m. on July 1 while the return flight from Shenzhen left at 3:05 am on July 2.

CEB will fly four-times-weekly between Manila and Shenzhen—a special economic zone and one of the world’s fast-rising innovation and technology hubs.

During the maiden flight from Manila, the first passenger who checkedin, Liao Haoshen, was awarded a special token from the carrier, represented by its Corporate Communications director, Charo Logarta Lagamon.

Shenzhen is the airline’s fifth destination in mainland China after Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou and Xiamen. CEB also flies to Hong Kong, Macau and Taipei.

Shenzhen is also the airline’s 27th international destination.

The CEB management stated it is looking to expand in North Asia, including opening significant new routes and possible new destinations in China.

Flights between Manila and Shenzhen will run four times weekly— Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. At only two hours and 40 minutes’ flying time, the evening departure of the flights will enable travelers to make full use of business hours, both in Manila and in Shenzhen.

Shenzhen, located in Guangdong Province, is part of the booming Pearl River Delta megalopolis. Shenzhen has a continuous development of rail and road links to other cities within the region, including a branch road that connects to the Hong KongZhuhai-Macau Bridge.

As China’s first special economic zone, Shenzhen is an important city for sourcing of goods for those engaged in trade. Boasting of shopping complexes, it is also a retail mecca for bargain hunters. Dubbed as “China’s Silicon Valley,” Shenzhen is one of China’s leading innovation and technology hubs, serving as headquarters for tech giants such as Huawei, BGI, BYD and Tencent.

SENATOR PUSHES BAN ON WASTE IMPORTS SENATE Minority Leader Franklin Drilon on Saturday pushed for a measure seeking to impose a total ban on waste importation and prosecute violators with hefty fines or jail term of up to 12 years.

Drilon’s Senate Bill No. 18 or the Waste Importation Ban Act of 2019 prohibits all waste imports, including recyclable materials, from entering the Philippines.

The senator came up with the measure on the heels of numerous reports showing that the country is becoming a dumpsite of foreign waste.

He cited how the recent Canadian garbage inside the 103 shipping containers found its way to Philippine shores and how our country has become a cross boundary disposal site of unwanted and toxic shipments of waste from waste exporters like Australia, South Korea, Hong Kong and Japan.

Drilon explained that under his bill, not even recyclable materials can enter the Philippines, pointing out how unscrupulous individuals were using loopholes in existing laws to bring other nations’ garbage into the country.

Drilon’s bill also mandates that all imported wastes shall be immediately brought back to the country of origin at the expense of the consignor or importer.

“The passage of this measure will no doubt stop the waste trade in the country and send a clear message to other countries that the Philippines is not a landfill,” the minority leader said.

Under Senate Bill 18, any person who misdeclares, brings into the Philippines any waste, or assists in the importation of waste products shall be punished by very hefty sanctions and penalties.

“Violators may be fined with up to P15 million and/or imprisoned for 8 to 12 years,” Drilon warned.

If the offender is a foreigner, the offender shall be deported after serving the sentence, he added. Joel Zurbano

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SSS COVERS 3,000 JOB ORDER EMPLOYEES

NO LETUP. Amphibious excavators continue to dredge waste from the waters of Manila Bay. Norman Cruz

DUTERTE BATS FOR NEW FARM TECHNOLOGY

By Vito Barcelo PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte said Filipino farmers should utilize the latest farming technology to boost agricultural output and help attain food security.

The President made the call during the inauguration of P1.7billion Chen Yi Agventures rice processing plant in Alangalang, Leyte.

“The rice processing center could help Filipino farmers increase their income and ensure the country’s food supply,” Duterte said.

“This project is a testament to our commitment to find more ways to actively respond to the various problems and challenges confronting the agricultural industry, that we are taking initiatives to sustain our rice supply and ensure food security for our nation,” the President added.

The two-hectare complex is the most technologically-advanced rice processing center in Southeast Asia, and the largest in the Visayas and Mindanao regions.

The facility uses temperaturecontrolled silos with a total capacity of 6,000 metric tons of rice and will keep dried palay in a freshly harvested condition for over a year.

“I hope that CYA and the local government of Leyte will continue to take further strides in spurring countryside development as well as the others in advancing the rice industry towards more progressive and modern practices,” he said.

CUSTOMS BRACES FOR ANOTHER REVAMP

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HE Bureau of Customs is bracing for another revamp after President Rodrigo Duterte said he would be firing “a lot” of officials for corrupt practices.

“When I go back, I would be firing more from the Bureau of Customs,” the President said Friday evening, adding that he might just tap the Philippine

Army to man the bureau.

“I do not believe that our Army officials are not allowed to work [in the Bureau of Customs]. Idiots. If my country is sinking, I cannot help my country?”

“I will go for the Customs again.

There will be a lot of dismissals,” the President added.

Customs assistant commissioner Vincent Philip Maronilla said they are still in the dark as to who will get the axe.

“No comment. We would allow the President to first make an announce-

ment on who are the personalities because right now we do not know who would be affected by the planned changes in the bureau,” he said in an interview.

To date, there are some five exmilitary officials occupying top positions in the bureau, including Customs chief Rey Leonardo Guerrero, Deputy Director for Intelligence Group Raniel Ramiro, and Deputy Director for Internal Administration Group Donato Belmonte San Juan. PNA

‘PURSUE ONE TOWN, ONE EVACUATION POLICY’

By Joel E. Zurbano

SOARING HIGH. President Rodrigo Duterte leads the unveiling

of the Ormoc City Airport’s marker during its inauguration in Leyte on July 5. With the President are Senator Christopher Lawrence Go, Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade, Leyte Rep. Lucy Gomez and Ormoc City Mayor Richard Gomez. Presidential Photo

GAME OF THRONES TAPESTRY FEATURED BELFAST, United Kingdom—In a Belfast museum, seamstresses are at work depicting gory battles and warring kings in shimmering threads of red and gold—an epic homage to the TV phenomenon “Game of Thrones.”

The team of volunteers at the Ulster Museum are putting the final touches to a 90-meter tapestry depicting all eight seasons of the fantasy saga, which reached its dramatic conclusion in May. “Game of Thrones,” which first hit screens in 2011, was produced and chiefly filmed in studios in Belfast and in the Northern Irish countryside.

The Northern Irish public have taken the series to their hearts.

“A tapestry is, more than anything else, a great storytelling device,” explained Valerie Wilson, cos-

tume and textiles curator at National Museums Northern Ireland.

“The length of the tapestry allows the story to unfold, so in many ways it’s the perfect medium for telling the story of the ‘Game of Thrones’ project.”

Styled in the manner of the treasured Bayeux Tapestry—which depicts the 11th-century Norman conquest of England—the completed piece will be transported to France to hang near its predecessor in September.

“This tapestry references the Bayeux Tapestry in that it has a series of repeated icons through it,” explained Wilson.

The panels of the piece are woven by machine before the finishing touches are put on by hand. AFP

SENATOR Ralph Recto on Saturday urged the government to have a “one town, one evacuation” scheme in building evacuation centers.

This as the Department of Public Works and Highways reported that it has built 82 evacuation centers in 52 provinces and is set to construct 55 more.

Recto suggested these structures, which should be able to withstand 300 kilometers per hour winds and an intensity 8 earthquake, should be expanded into a “one town, one evacuation center” program.

He urged the DPWH to explore designs other than the limited-capacity dormitories it is building to include multiple-use gymnasiums that can be transformed into a safe refuge when disaster strikes.

Recto has refiled a bill institutionalizing this kind of public infrastructure “which a country visited by two dozen typhoons a year, one that sits atop the volcanic Ring of Fire, and whose cities submerged during the monsoon months needs.”

“As women, children and elderly comprise the bulk of those displaced by natural and man-made calamities, like fire, the gyms-cum-evacuation centers will be equipped with toilet facilities and a clinic area,” he said.

THE state-run Social Security System will cover more than 3,000 contractual and job order personnel employed at the local government of Parañaque City after a memorandum of agreement was signed on June 3.

The pension fund and the local government of Paranaque City agreed to formalize the SSS membership of the local government’s contractual and job order personnel through the KaltaSSSCollect program.

Under the deal, social security coverage will be provided to personnel who are not covered by the mandatory membership of the Government Service Insurance System or any social security scheme due to their employment status.

“The SSS is pleased with the agreement with the local government of Parañaque which will ensure that their contractual and job order personnel will be entitled to social security benefits provided

by SSS. We know how important these workers are in the government since they also work equally as hard as regular employees. The KaltaSSS-Collect agreement will be a mutually rewarding partnership if both our organizations meet our goals, for SSS to reach out and cover more workers and for the Parañaque LGU to help improve the lives of their contractual workers,” SSS president and chief executive officer Aurora Ignacio said.

Contractual and job order personnel will be registered with the SSS as self-employed members, while the local government of Parañaque will act as a collecting agent who will remit their monthly SSS contributions through the KaltaSSS-Collect’s salarydeduction scheme.

As active paying self-employed members, the job order and contractual employees of the local government will enjoy SSS benefits such as sickness, maternity, disability, retirement, funeral, and death or survivor’s pension.

PPI: BEST COMMUNITY PAPER HAILED AS THE print industry continues to face challenges brought about by disruptive technology and innovation and a changing consumer landscape, the Philippine Press Institute shone the spotlight on the best of the best among the community newspapers across the country.

Cebu Daily News bagged three of five major awards for the daily newspaper category for the 2018 Civic Journalism Community Press Awards, namely the Best Edited Community Newspaper, Best Editorial Page, and Best in Photojournalism.

Edge Davao, on the other hand, garnered the Best in Business and Economic Reporting and Best in Environment Reporting awards for the daily newspaper category.

Baguio-based weekly newspapers Herald Express and Baguio Chronicle were awarded the Best Edited Newspaper and Best in Environment Reporting, respectively, for the weekly newspaper category.

Other winners were The Bohol Chronicle for the Best Editorial Page; Cagayan de Oro’s Business Week Mindanao for Best in Business and Economic Reporting; and Dumaguete’s Metro Post for Best in Photojournalism.

“The industry is being buffeted by dizzying winds of change. Today —as in the past—any technology that accelerates information has the power to disrupt; so it is with the Internet and social media...We must adapt to the technology sooner or later if we are to survive. We have to be realistic that this world has changed and adapt to the reality on the ground,” newly-elected PPI chairman and Manila Standard publisher Rolando Estabillo said.

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Opinion

Adelle Chua, Editor mst.daydesk@gmail.com

EDITORIAL

SOUNDS OF SCIENCE

SUMMA CUM LAUDE

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HE recent graduation extravaganza at the staterun University of the Philippines in Diliman, where the school graduated 5,000 students in various disciplines, including a record 54 summa cum laude, during its 108th General Commencement Exercises can make many pretty much jaundiced.

Recognized with them during the university spectacle on June 30 at the University Amphitheater were 437 magna cum laude and 1,173 cum laude students.

They notched an average of 1.20 for the summa, 1.40 for the magna, and 1.75 for the

cum during eight continuous semesters in the university—for those who follow the 1.0 to 5.0 grading system, 1.0 being the highest down to 3.0 being the passing grade.

While we take an unambiguous pause as we celebrate as well with the graduates—all of them in fact—and their parents and friends, we are reminded rather accordingly by observations, raised wittingly, that there has been what one summa cum laude graduate of the same university described as a “brain boom” and “grade inflation” over the years from teachers which had seemingly depreciated the Latin honors.

On the same gear, there has been a quick admission that today’s millennials—those born between 1981 and 1996 (22-37 years old) —are contestably getting smarter than their predecessors, seen as one factor for the sodescribed “brain boom.”

The Latin honors performance gain has been studied by New Zealand intelligence researcher James Robert Flynn, famous for his publications

PECIER DECIERDO

WHY WE SHOULD CARE ABOUT CORAL REEFS

about the continued year-after-year increase in IQ scores throughout the world, now referred to as the Flynn effect.

We also take a particular eye on one graduate of the Jesuit-run Ateneo de Manila University, Reycel Hyacinth Bendaña, daughter of a jeepney driver and her school’s valedictorian in 2019, whose commencement address went viral on social media.

She chewed over the idea: “Every graduation, Atenean seniors are told to go ‘down from the hill.’ This year, perhaps it is time to ask why there is even a hill at all … As long as society has not overcome bigger, deeper problems—social discrimination, stark economic inequality and the concentration of political power in the hands of the few—there will always be something better to struggle for.”

Whatever, the 2019 graduates deserve our hand, the young women and men who deserve watching after having stepped out of their school corridors, high in hope they will use their qualifications for their country.

WHY should we take care of coral reefs? As a lover of marine life, I find that question strange. To me, it is not very different from asking, “Why should we care about babies?”

My perspective, however, is a peculiar and privileged one. I have seen coral reefs up close and find them mesmerizing, and I think their aesthetic beauty and the diversity of life they contain has inherent value worth preserving for its own sake.

I understand that not everyone can share this evaluation for many reasons. Even then, I think everyone should still care about coral reefs, if at least for the most selfish of reasons.

Before we look at the reasons why we should care about coral reefs, it helps to review some basic science.

Coral reefs are like the forests of the sea. They are teeming with different kinds of living things and have structures that support complex interrelationships between different living things. Unlike trees, however, corals are not plants. Instead, corals are animals related to jellyfish and sea anemone.

Many species of corals have the amazing ability of building complex structures that provide shelter and protection of other living things. It takes a long time for coral reefs to grow, because individual corals grow slowly. In fact, most corals grow by less than an inch (2.5 cm) per year.

Despite the slow pace of reef-building, corals have had eons to construct their colorful underwater cities. Many islands, such as the atolls of the South Pacific, exist thanks to the activity of corals over thousands of years. The biggest coral reef on Earth, the Great Barrier Reef off the coast of Australia, can be seen from space!

Despite the impressive size of some coral reefs, they only cover less than 1 percent of the vast ocean floor. This makes it even more impressive that coral reefs are home to probably around one quarter of all marine species!

Being home to a large number of fish and other marine species, coral reefs have incalculable value to people who depend on the sea as a source of food.

The Philippine seas are actually part of one of the most important marine areas on Earth—the Coral Triangle, home to more coral species than anywhere else on Earth.

This area is also home to six of the seven species of sea turtles and to over 2000 species of fish, including tuna.

According to the World Wildlife Foundation, over 120 million people live in the area within the Coral Triangle and rely on its reefs for food and income.

Coral reefs also serve as protection from storms waves and strong currents.

According to the Scripps Institute of Oceanography, coastlines protected by reefs are also “more stable, in terms of erosion, and are also a source of sand in natural beach replenishment.”

Coral reefs also provides jobs based on tourism, employing thousands of people in areas where they are healthy enough to attract visitors from far away.

Coral reefs even provide medicines! By studying the vast biochemical repertoire of the living things in coral reefs, scientists discover new medicines that help sick people living hundreds of kilometers away from the nearest shoreline.

The total value of coral reefs to people has been estimated at 172 billion dollars (8.8 trillion pesos) each year.

Unfortunately, coral reefs are under many kinds of threats, ranging from direct physical damage (such as from overharvesting or being hit by ships) to stress from invasive species.

However, the worst threat to coral reefs is probably no other than global warming.

Warm waters cause corals to lose the microscoping algae that produce the food corals need. As the globe warms, the ocean warms the fastest.

Another threat related to global warming is ocean acidification, which means that seawater is becoming more acidic. This happens when the excess carbon dioxide that causes global warming becomes absorbed by the ocean. The more acidic seawater makes it more difficult for corals to build their hard skeleton.

According to a report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, if we fail to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, more than 99 percent of corals will be in grave danger.

Given how much we depend on them, the collapse of the world’s coral reefs is too tragic for comparison. However, science warns us that it will happen if we fail to solve the climate crisis.

Given how valuable coral reefs are to us, even to those of us who think we do not depend greatly on the bounty of the sea, it is time we start caring about coral reefs.

Fortunately preserving the richness of life underwater requires us to simply preserve life above water. In the face of global warming, saving the seas means saving ourselves.

STARVED, TORTURED, BOMBED: THE FATE OF REFUGEES TRAPPED IN LIBYA

By Lucie Peytermann ACUTE malnutrition, forced labor, torture: NGOs have sharpened their tone against the shocking conditions endured by refugees and migrants in Libya, where over 40 people were killed in an airstrike on a detention center.

Tuesday night’s strike on the center at Tajoura near the capital Tripoli, in which 70 people were wounded, underscored the vulnerability of the mainly African migrants trapped in conditions the UN has called “ghastly.”

Their plight has been blamed by NGOs on an agreement between EU nations and the Libyan coastguard to prevent the migrants from reaching Europe’s shores by boat.

Since January, over 2,300 people have been intercepted at sea and brought back to Libya, according to the UN. Once back in Libya, they are transferred to detention centers like the one in Tajoura.

The situation has deteriorated further since Libyan strongman Khalifa Haftar, whose forces have been blamed for the airstrike, launched an offensive in April to capture Tripoli, triggering a wave of violence in which over 700 people have been killed.

“There is a certain blindness among European countries among the situation of migrants in Libya,” Vincent Cochetel, special envoy for the Central Mediterranean at UN refugee agency UNHCR, told AFP. “The recent fighting has created an even worse situation. It cannot be business as usual in terms of this cooperation [with the EU] on returns to Libya,” he argued.

The levels of despair among the migrants are such that in May, a man in a rickety boat who spotted the coastguards approaching jumped into the sea rather than be captured—a scene captured on video by German NGO Sea-Watch.

The man was later rescued by a passing ship.

EU on the defensive Excruciating footage filmed inside hidden prisons run by human traffickers that was broadcast by Britain’s Channel 4 in February

gives some idea of the brutality inflicted on migrants by militia members who use them to try to extort money from their families.

In one clip, a man is seen lying on the floor, screaming in agony as his captor burns his feet with a blowtorch. Another man, wearing a bloody T-shirt, is suspended from the ceiling by his feet, a gun pointed at his head.

A third is bound and lying face down, a huge concrete block crushing his back and arms as someone flogs the soles of his feet.

According to figures from the International Organization for Migration, at least 5,200 people are currently trapped in official detention centers in Libya, mostly from troubled countries such as Sudan, Somalia and Eritrea.

There are no figures for the number of people held in illegal centers run by human traffickers.

The EU has fended off criticism of its pact with the Libyan coastguard on the ground that it has dramatically reduced the flow of migrants seeking to reach Italy, which began turning away rescue boats a year ago.

Questioned by AFP, the European Commission defended its record, saying that since 2014 it had raised some 338 million euros for programs linked to migrants in Libya and helped with the repatriation of 38,000 people in the past 16 months.

“We are extremely concerned by the deterioration of the situation on the ground,” Commission spokeswoman Natasha Bertaud recently told AFP. The Commission, she said, was hamstrung by the failure of EU members to agree on common approach towards migrants and asylumseekers.

When NGO vessels rescues people in the Mediterranean, “it effectively falls on the Commission to ring round nearly 28 capitals to find places for people to disembark,” she said, adding: “That is not sustainable!”

The dead piling up Ten NGOs working in Libya, including the Danish Refugee Council, the International Res-

cue Committee and Première Urgence Internationale (PUI), decided in May to break their silence on the catastrophic conditions there.

They called on the EU and its member states “to urgently revise their policies on migration”, saying they were “gravely concerned about the human cost” of such policies which were encouraging “a system of criminalization and detention.”

“Migrants and refugees, including women and children, are at risk of arbitrary and indefinite detention in Libya” where they are held in “appalling” and “inhumane conditions,” they said.

Benjamin Gaudin, who heads the Libya operations of French NGO Première Urgence Internationale, called on the EU to stop sending migrants back to Libya altogether.

Describing conditions in the six official detention centers where PUI works, Gaudin said: “At times, the migrants are literally piled up on top of each other, in appalling sanitary conditions with huge problems getting access to water—sometimes there is no drinking water at all.”

“They don’t receive enough food; in some centers, there is absolutely no way to protect yourself from the cold or the heat. Some don’t even have an outside area so the migrants there never see the light of day.”

Human Rights Watch, which visited many detention centers in 2018 and spoke to about 100 migrants, documented the “cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment” suffered by migrants in a report earlier this year.

“The bodies are piling up inside Libyan detention centers,” Julien Raickman, who heads the Doctors Without Borders mission in Libya, told AFP. “The people who are detained there, mostly refugees, are continuing to die from sickness, hunger and are victims of all sorts of violence, of rape and the arbitrary treatment of the militias,” he said.

And now, he added, “they have found themselves trapped by the ongoing conflict.”

‘Locked up for a year’ Their plight was taken up last month by the Council of Europe, a pan-European rights watchdog whose human rights commissioner asked European countries to suspend their cooperation with the Libyan coastguard on account of the “torture, rape, slavery, exploitation or indefinite and unlawful detention” suffered by migrants.

The UNHCR on June 7 denounced the “ghastly conditions” in the centers, with spokesman Rupert Colville saying 22 people had died in an outbreak of tuberculosis at a facility in the western Libyan town of Zintan since September.

MSF, which has recently begun operating in Zintan as well as Garyan, a city south of Tripoli, spoke of a “sanitation catastrophe.”

According to the NGOs and the UNHCR’s Cochetel, the vast majority of those trapped in these centers are bona fide refugees, who would be granted asylum in a developed country.

The UNHCR has, however, struggled to find safe countries in Europe or elsewhere willing to take in the refugees.

“There is a strong sense of despair over this impasse: in centres where we have been working in the region of Misrata and Khoms, people have been locked up for a year,” MSF’s Raickman said.

General Ayoub Kacem, spokesman for the Libyan navy, which is in charge of the coastguard, argued that Libya was a “victim” of the migration flows.

Calling the migrants a “burden” for the country he accused the EU of “lacking concern” for their fate and urged EU members to finally adopt a common approach to the issue.

For MSF’s Raickman it is long past time for talking.

“European states have a scandalous level of responsibility for all these deaths and this suffering,” he told AFP. “What we need is action: the urgent evacuation of refugee and migrants who are trapped in extremely dangerous conditions in Libya.” AFP

Rolando G. Estabillo Publisher ManilaStandard

Published Monday to Sunday by Philippine Manila Standard Publishing Inc. at 6/F Universal Re Building, 106 Paseo de Roxas, corner Perea St., Legaspi Village, Makati City. Telephone numbers 832-5554, 832-5556, 832-5558 (connecting all departments), (Editorial) 832-5554, (Advertising) 832-5550. P.O. Box 2933, Manila Central Post Office, Manila. Website: www.thestandard. com.ph; e-mail: contact@thestandard.com.ph

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MEXICANS RESCUE 24 KIDNAPPED MIGRANTS CELAYA, Mexico—Mexican authorities on Friday rescued 24 Central American migrants, including nine children, who had been held hostage for nearly three weeks in the crime-ridden state of Guanajuato, officials said.

The migrants were held for 20 days in the town of Celaya, about 210 kilometres (130 miles) from Mexico City, said Secretary of State Security Juan Jose Gonzalez.

They told officials that their relatives had been making payments to their captors during that time, Gonzalez said.

The victims were receiving medical attention after their ordeal, he added.

Separately, the security ministry announced the arrest of 59 migrants, including 55 Hondurans, around the northeastern town of Saltillo, near the US border.

Thousands of Central Americans attempt to cross Mexico in so-called “caravans” every year in the hope of reaching the United States to seek refuge from violence and poverty at home.

After US President Donald Trump threatened Mexico with tariffs, Mexican leader Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador agreed last month to crack down on undocumented migration, deploying tens of thousands of National Guardsmen to tighten its borders.

Mexico deported 33 percent more foreigners month-on-month in June, officials said this week.

The migrants are frequent targets for violent criminal gangs operating in Mexico, where more than 40,000 people have been officially reported missing. AFP

SOUTH KOREAN ACTRESS FACES THAI JAIL FOR CLAM TV STUNT BANGKOK—A South Korean actress faces up to five years in a Thai jail for catching endangered giant clams in a reality TV stunt, an official said Saturday, despite the show’s extensive apology.

Lee Yeol-eum was filmed diving for giant clams at a Thai marine park for a June 30 episode of “Law of the Jungle”—a popular South Korean reality show.

After prising two giant clams from the coral-laid seabed, Lee pumped them in the air yelling “I caught it!”

The creatures are listed as an endangered species and protected under Thai law.

A picture of 23-year-old Lee picking up the mollusks started circulating online, bringing the star of Korean TV drama “My First Love” to the attention of authorities.

Narong Kongaid, the head of Hat Chao Mai National Park—where the show was filmed in April—told AFP he filed two charges Wednesday against the actress for violating the National Parks law and the Wildlife Protection law.

“She is subjected to five years imprisonment,” Narong told AFP. The production company had apologised, he said, “but this is a criminal case and we cannot withdraw the complaint.”

The police will figure out a way to find Lee Manila even if she’s no longer in Thailand, Standard Narong added. AFP

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Cesar Barrioquinto, Editor / Jimbo Gulle, Issue Editor

S. CALIFORNIA HIT BY 7.1 QUAKE, STRONGEST IN TWO DECADES

OS ANGELES—Southern California was hit by its largest earthquake in two decades Friday, a 7.1-magnitude tremor that rattled residents who were already reeling from another strong quake a day earlier.

Emergency workers and security forces were being dispatched early Saturday to the epicenter of the shallow earthquake in a remote and sparsely populated area around 150 miles (240 kilometers) northeast of Los Angeles, where it was also felt.

No deaths or serious injuries had been reported late Friday evening, but there were reports of

building collapses and power outages in the town of Trona, California Office of Emergency Services director Mark Ghilarducci said.

There were “significant reports” of fires caused by gas leaks, as well as breaks to power, water and communications lines in the region, he told a press conference.

California Governor Gavin Newsom said he had requested emergency federal assistance from the White House, and state resources had been activated at “its highest level.”

A joint taskforce including around 200 security forces as well as helicopters and cargo aircraft was being deployed, National Guard Major General David Baldwin said.

San Bernardino fire department spokesman Jeremy Kern told CNN there were “no active searches ongoing” for trapped casualties.

The quake was 11 times stronger than the 6.4-magnitude quake “foreshock” the previous

day, according to the United States Geological Survey.

The two major quakes, along with multiple aftershocks, have revived fears of the “Big One” —a powerful tremor along the San Andreas Fault that could devastate major cities in Southern California.

“This is an earthquake sequence. These earthquakes are related,” said Caltech seismologist Lucy Jones.

There was a 10 per cent chance of Friday’s quake being followed by another magnitude 7.0 or higher quake in the next week, she added.

In Kern County, where the quake struck near the town of Ridgecrest, some 1,800 residents were without power, fire department chief David Witt said.

“As for injuries reported, nothing but minor injuries and such as cuts and bruises, by the grace of god,” he said. AFP

BEZOS FINALIZES $38-BILLION DIVORCE SAN FRANCISCO—Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and MacKenzie Bezos finalized their divorce Friday to the tune of a $38-billion settlement, Bloomberg News reported.

Under the agreement, MacKenzie Bezos, 49, will receive approximately 19.7 million Amazon.com shares, giving her a four percent stake in the company valued at $38.3 billion, and landing her at 22nd on the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, the news service said.

A judge in Washington state’s King County finalized the divorce. Jeff Bezos, 55, will retain a 12 percent stake and remain the world’s richest man.

MacKenzie Bezos, a novelist, HIGH-WIRE ACT. A man walks on a slackline during the 7th edition of the European ‘Marmotte Highline Project’ festival in has said she would give all of her stake in The Washington Post Lans-en-Vercors, near Grenoble, eastern France, on Thursday. The event, during which the participants will be able to evolve on and the space exploration firm the various highlines located in the Regional Natural Park of Vercors, takes place until Sunday. AFP Blue Origin to her husband as well as voting control of her remaining Amazon stock.

She has also promised to donate half her fortune to charity, joining the ranks of the world’s TEHRAN—Iran demanded Friday Council, a key advisory and sensitive time in Iran-EU ties as the ultra-wealthy philanthropists as that Britain immediately release an arbitration body, warned that if bloc mulls how to respond to Tehran a signatory of the Giving Pledge. oil tanker it has detained in Gibraltar, Britain failed to release the tanker announcing it is poised to breach the The personal life of Jeff Bezos accusing it of acting at the bidding of Iran would be forced to take tit-for- uranium enrichment limit it agreed was thrust into the spotlight the United States. tat action against a British vessel. to in a troubled 2015 nuclear deal. with the announcement in JanA senior foreign ministry “If Britain does not release the The Grace 1 was halted in the early uary that he and his wife were official “described the UK move as Iranian oil tanker, the relevant hours of Thursday by police and divorcing after 25 years of marunacceptable” in a meeting with authorities will be duty-bound to customs agencies in Gibraltar, aided riage and the revelation by the British ambassador Rob Macaire, take reciprocal action and seize by a detachment of British Royal National Enquirer that he had who had been summoned to hear a a British oil tanker,” said council Marines. been having an affair with a forformal protest, the ministry said in a secretary Mohsen Rezai.

Gibraltar’s Supreme Court ruled mer news anchor, Lauren Sanstatement.

Authorities in Gibraltar, a British Friday that the vessel can be held for chez.

He “called for the immediate overseas territory on Spain’s southern 14 more days, the territory’s attorney Jeff and MacKenzie Bezos release of the oil tanker, given that tip at the western entrance to the general said. married in 1993 and have four it has been seized at the request of Mediterranean, said they suspected The ship was detained 2.5 miles (four children. Jeff Bezos founded the US, based on the information the tanker was carrying crude to kilometres) south of Gibraltar in what Amazon in their Seattle garage currently available”, the statement Syria in violation of EU sanctions. it considers British waters, although in 1994 and turned it into a coadded.

The detention of the 330-metre Spain, which lays claim to the territory, lossus that dominates online reCYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK The secretary of Iran’s Expediency (1,000-feet) Grace 1 comes at a says they are Spanish. AFP tail. AFP

IRAN DEMANDS BRITAIN RELEASE OIL TANKER

TODAY

NOTICE TO THE PUBLIC The following shipments which were exempted by DAO 17-05 from the Bureau of Philippine Standards’ (BPS) Certification Process for having been imported by a cement manufacturer with Integrated Cement Plants, did not undergo the new Certification Process as prescribed under DAO 17-06, Series of 2017.

Type Brand Batch Code No.

: : :

Manufacturing Date Manufacturer Address Importer Address

: : :

PNS Prescribed Distributors

: :

Incidents/Injuries

:

OPC Type 1 Holcim TCC20171023, TCC20171025, TCC20171102, TCC20171103, TCC20171110, TCC20171112, TCC20171118 October 1, 2017 to November 4, 2017 113 Chung Shan N. Road, Sec. 2 Taipei, Taiwan 7F Venice Corporate Center, 8 Turin St, Mckinley Town Center, Mckinley Hill, Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City, 1634, Philippines PNS 07:2005 GRJ Jaro Enterprise Incorporated, A. Macalindong Trading and Construction, Mega Orosteel Marketing Corporation, Bicol Bestrade Sales Center Inc, Sahara Batching Plant Corporation, Peaksun Enterprises & Export Corp, Megacem Incorporated, Raeken Marketing Co. Inc, Saturn Cement Marketing Corporation, High Performance Concrete Inc., New Golden Hub Corporation, Km. Seventeen General Merchandising, Jose Prissco Trading, Macrocem Trading, Chaper Trading & Trucking Services, Chiong Giok Trading Inc, Marc Alain General Merchandising, Marcbilt Construction Inc., Ahnex Builders & Ready Mix Corporat, XYZ Construction & Suppliers, Bauer Foundations Philippines Inc., Pacific Concrete Products Inc., House Technology Industries Pte Ltd None reported

The importer,Holcim Philippines, Inc., has executed a Sworn Undertaking assuring quality and safety standards of the subject goods, which are covered by a Philippine Standards (PS) License.

For Inquiries: Importer’s Contact Person Telephone/Mobile Number Address

: : :

DTI-FTEB Telephone No. : (Fair Trade Enforcement Bureau) DTI-BPS Telephone No. : (Bureau of Philippine Standards)

Hillary Luke Correa (+632)459 3333 7F Venice Corporate Center, 8 Turin St, Mckinley Town Center, Mckinley Hill, Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City, 1634, Philippines (+632) 811-8231 (+632) 751-4720 MS-JUNE 29 & 30, JULY 6 & 7, 2019

AT LEAST 14 KILLED AS MORTARS HIT AFGHAN MARKET KABUL, Afghanistan—At least 14 people were killed and dozens more wounded when a busy market in northern Afghanistan was hit by mortar fire, officials said Saturday.

Several Taliban shells hit the market Friday morning in the Khwaja Sabz Posh district of Faryab province, according to Hanif Rezaee, an Afghan army spokesman.

“Fourteen civilians were killed and 40 —including women and children—were wounded,” Rezaee told AFP. He said the Taliban had been trying to hit an army checkpoint near the market.

The insurgent group did not immediately comment.

Naem Musamim, Faryab’s public health director, said 14 bodies and 39 wounded people including four children had been taken to local hospitals.

Some victims with critical injuries were airlifted to hospitals in Mazar-i-Sharif in Balkh province.

The deadly incident comes as the war between the Taliban and Afghan security forces rages on, even as Taliban officials are meeting with US negotiators in Doha in a bid to bring about an end to the conflict.

On Sunday, the insurgents will meet in the Qatari capital with various representatives from Afghan society as part of a potential peace process. AFP

HISTORIC DOORWAY. A picture taken on June 29 shows the Northern Palace at the ancient archaeological site of Babylon, south of the Iraqi capital Baghdad. AFP

Images

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BOUNTY OF THE SEA. French oyster aquaculturist Jean Christophe Cabrol checks the growth of oysters covered with sea squirts on collector lines in a shellfish farming in the pond of Thau in Bouzigues, near Montpellier. AFP

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Riera U. Mallari, Editor sports_mstandard@yahoo.com

Sports

PERPETUAL HELP BEEFS UP ROSTER, EYES FINAL 4 STINT

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ITH the exit of five key players from the University of Perpetual Help, coach Frankie Lim has beefed up the line up of the Altas Basketball with the entry of eight rookies, who came from different schools and recruited in Visayas and Mindanao.

The rookie-laden Altas aim to duplicate – and even surpass-- last year’s Final Four finish in the company of National Collegiate Athletic Association Season 94 champion San Beda University Red Lions, Lyceum of the Philippines University Pirates and Letran Knights.

The Las Piñas City-based team is now undergoing intense training inside the newly renovated state-ofthe-art basketball court in Barangay Pamplona III, according to Coach Lim. Lim will mainly rely on holdovers point guard Edgar Charcos, sophomores Jielo Razon, (SG), Jasper Cuevas (PG), Luke Sese (SG), Small Forward Kim Aurin, Forward Ton Ton Peralta and Anton Tamayo--a vital cog for the Perpetual Help Altas.

Transferees 6’5” center Ben Adamos, power forward Lean Martell and Lele Guissani from San Beda University will replace the posts left by NCAA Season 94 MVP Prince Eze, AJ Coronel and Rom Mangalino.

Adamos will be backed up in the interior by 6’7” rookie Mario Barasi Jr. from Far Eastern University-Diliman.

Prized recruits Jeff Egan from Bukidnon and Ramlee Lanoy from Saint Francis of Assisi, who saw action in Philippine Basketball Association D-League last season will show their force in the court.

Namchok Tantipokhakul

THAIS SET TO KEEP RUN IN PGT ASIA

The Senior and Junior (inset) teams of University of Perpetual Help are confident of a good showing in Season 95 of the NCAA.

La Salle-Zobel High School graduates Nathaniel Sevilla and Benedict Jomalesa and Aldeo Lucero from Davao complete the line-up of the Senior Altas.

“The guys are in shape now, they are game ready. I think the other teams don’t expect us in the Top Four, but we can pull off some surprises,” Lim said.

“We have a good chance this season, even though we are under the radar of other teams. We are now battle ready,” Lim added. “Our main target first is to, as much as possible, win games until the end of the double elims. The other one is to enter the Final Four.”

“With the support the Perpetual Help Community and Management and team owner Boss Tony Tamayo and UPHSD President Anthony

Tamayo, we will do our best to reach the elusive crown,” Lim added.

Perpetual Junior Altas basketball head coach Myk Saguiguit is also optimistic that his squad will show good character in NCAA Season 95, which unfurls on today at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.

Filled by rookies and transferees, the Altalettes, who have shown impressive wins during the Fil Oil Pre-Season Cup by defeating University of Santo Tomas, Far Eastern University, Jose Rizal University and La Salle-Greenhills.

Holdovers Emman Galman, Edzel Galoy, Yuki Kawamura, Jearico Nuñez, Shin Dela Cruz, Kyle Cuevas and Shawn Orgo are expected to inspire the new recruits to add more teeth on defense and .

Prized catch John Escalante from

Ateneo de Zamboanga and two former Adamson Baby Falcons Mark Banaticla and John Vincent Berwite, on the other hand, will be a big help on the perimeter post.

Other new recruits are 6’5” center Johndel Balazuela, Alfonso Manuel, beanpole shooter Angelo Gelsano, Jose Mary Ignacio and Gabriel Angeles.

The Junior Altas finished 5th to 6th last season with a 9-9 win-loss record together with LPU GenTri. “I know the boys will show their character this season, with the support of the management and team owner Boss Tony Tamayo.” Coach Myk Saguguit said.

NCAA Season 95 unfurls Sunday at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City with this year’s theme: Kaisa sa Pagkakaiba. Dennis Abrina

GO FOR GOLD SUPPORT NETS MICIANO 5 ASEAN TILT GOLDS

Go For Gold’s Jeremy Go with IM John Marvin Miciano

WITH the backing of Go For Gold, International Master John Marvin Miciano recently bagged five medals in the 20th Asean Age Group Chess Championships in Mandalay, Myanmar.

The reigning Asian youth champion secured a silver medal in the standard event before spearheading the country’s golden finish in the blitz team event with fellow youth standouts Melito Ocsan Jr. and John Merill Jacutina.

Garnering 7.5 points after nine rounds for second place behind boys standard champion IM Anh Khoi Nguyen (8.5 pts), Miciano also grabbed a bronze in the individual blitz and again joined forces with Ocsan and Jacutina for a silver in the team rapid event.

“Marvin has done a great job. Despite his youth, he has accomplished a lot,’’ said Go For Gold godfather Jeremy Go. “We hope that with our support, he can continue to go for gold.’’

For his numerous feats since last year, Miciano has been named by the Davao City Sports Council as Davao City’s male athlete of the year in the So Kim Cheng Awards on July 26.

“While it’s nice to win as many medals in international tournaments, my real objective is to earn a GM norm to boost my quest to become a grandmaster,’’ said Miciano, who capped his impressive performance in Myanmar with another team silver

in the standard event.

One of the most promising athletes under the Go For Gold program, Miciano is a fast learner, having earned his national master title at 16 years old and named Fide master the following year.

The World Chess Federation granted Miciano the IM title for winning the 2018 Asian Youth U-18 Chess Championships in Thailand.

“There are a lot of tournaments out there where we can win gold medals, but with only few grandmasters participating. I need to participate in tournaments with more GMs for me to get that GM norm,’ said Miciano.

To accomplish the feat, Miciano should capture three GM norms and improve his Fide rating to 2500. Miciano is currently competing in the ongoing Asian Juniors Championships in Solo, Indonesia.

Aside from Miciano, Go For Gold already has a stable of champions in skateboarder Margielyn Didal, the Philippine dragonboat team from the Philippine Canoe-Kayak Dragonboat Federation and reigning Southeast Asian Games men’s triathlon champion Nikko Huelgas.

Go For Gold is also backing the national athletes from cycling, wrestling, sepak takraw, the Philippine Air Force volleyball squad and has two basketball teams, one in the PBA D-League and the San Juan Knights in the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League.

PENONG’S 5150 DAVAO DRAWS STRONG FOREIGN, LOCAL CAST

By Reuel Vidal DAVAO CITY—The show must go on.

Penong’s Duathlon Davao, reclassified from a 5150 Triathlon, blasts off today July 7, at the Waterfront Hotel here with a strong cast of international professionals and some of the best triathletes in the country.

Sunrise Events and IRONMAN Group, after conducting comprehensive water testing, concluded that water quality is not suitable for recreational use. After consultation with local health officials, and with the health and safety of participants as utmost priority, the swim leg was cancelled.

Formerly an Olympic distance triathlon the Penong’s Duathlon is reclassified to a Run-bike-run duathlon.

The Penong’s Duathlon starts with a 2.5k run, followed by a 40k

bike and topped by a 10k run to complete the duathlon. The Sunrise Sprint starts with a 1.25k run, followed by a 20k bike and will be completed with a 5k run.

Professional triathletes Mitch Robins of Australia, Jakub Langhammer of Czechoslovakia and Kieran McPherson of New Zealand battle for the men’s top prize. Thailand-based Dimity Lee Duke and Lisa Tyack of Australia and New Zealand’s Laura Wood compete for the crown in the women’s category of the race staged by Sunrise Events with title sponsor Penong’s Barbecue Seafood & Grill which is Davao’s most popular barbecue house.

On the local front, some of the country’s best triathletes: August Benedicto, Banjo Norte, Raymond Torio, Juan Carlos Abad and Jorry Ycong compete for the Asian Elite crown.

Those top triathletes lead hun-

dreds of endurance racers vying in various age-group divisions in the race which attracted participants from Japan, Kuwait, United Kingdom, Australia, Panama, New Zealand, Spain, the US, Korea, Singapore, Japan, Italy, France, Greece, Guam, South Africa and Czech Republic.

Benedicto is a four-time champion in IRONMAN 70.3 Philippines.

Norte is a three-time winner. The pair will lead the chase for the Asian Elite crown worth P30,000.

Penong’s Barbecue Seafood & Grill makes its debut on a national stage even as it promotes a healthy lifestyle by holding the Penong’s 5150 Triathlon.

“We want to introduce Penong’s not just in the food industry but also in sports. I have four kids and two are seriously into triathlon. We want to market Penong’s through triathlon,” said Penong’s owner Ma. Teresa Regis.

Mitch Robins of Australia is out in front of the bike part of the triathlon after transitioning from the swim. Robins is favored to win Penong’s Duathlon Davao.

NAMCHOK Tantipokhakul and Wisut Artjanawat try to make three-forthree for Thailand as they banner the stellar international cast vying for top honors in the ICTSI Manila Southwoods Championship, which gets going Tuesday (July 9) at the Legends course in Carmona, Cavite.

Tantipokhakul rallied with a 67 in the final round and nipped Finland’s Teemu Putkonen by one in the kickoff leg of the Philippine Golf Tour Asia third season at Luisita Golf and Country Club in Tarlac last April while Artjanawat charged back from six down and stunned a slew of Taiwanese to snatch the Taiwan PGA Open crown last May, the first PGT Asia co-sanctioned event abroad.

That should make the Thai duo the marked players in the upcoming $100,000 event sponsored by ICTSI, which drew 121 bidders, including those from Singapore, Laos, England, Korea, Japan, Australia, Syria, Malaysia, Colombia, India, Argentina, Venezuela, Spain, Finland, Macedonia, South Africa, the Netherlands and the US. But the Thais will surely draw much of the attention given their strong showing in the first two legs of the region’s emerging circuit organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc. and backed by PLDT Enterprise, Meralco, BDO and PGT Asia official apparel Pin High.

Others tipped to contend for the top $17,500 from the country’s perennial regional rivals are Parama Chansue, Wongsakorn Choowong, Chonlatit Chuenboonngam, Ratchapol Jantavara, Sutijet Kooratapisan, Pasavee Lertvilai, Donlapatchai Niyomchon, Natthapong Niyomchon,Tawai Polthai, Puk Pradittan, Varanyu Rattanaphiboonkij and Pachara Sakulyon.

But a host of talented foreign pros are also in the fold, eager to stamp their class over the flat, bunker-laden course with sleek putting surface set at par 71, led by former The Country Club Invitational champion Micah Shin of the US and former PGTA leg winners David Gleeson of Australia along with the long-hitting Tim Stewart, also from Down Under, twotime PGT leg titlist and Manila-based Dutch Guido Van der Valk, Spain’s Marcos Pastor, comebacking Brett Munson of the US and Singapore’s Koh Deng Shan and Gregory Foo.

PH BLU GIRLS BOW TO TAIPEI THE Philippines engaged Chinese Taipei in a tight battle for five innings before losing to its Asian rival in the USA Softball International Cup on Friday at the South Commons Softball Complex in Columbus, Georgia, USA. The game was tied at 1-all in the bottom of the fifth when Chia-Yi Chen singled on a 1-0 count, scoring two runs for Chinese Taipei en route to a 5-1 victory.

Amateur Softball Association of the Philippines president and Cebuana Lhuillier president and CEO Jean Henri Lhuillier, however, remains confident that the Blu Girls will continue to improve and learn valuable lessons in matches like this and in a tournament featuring some of the world’s best women’s softball teams.

“It may be a bitter pill to swallow if we look at the results but we will always remain focused on the objective of being here.” Lhuillier said. “We want to get better and we can only achieve that if we play against better teams. We will look at how the Blu Girls perform here and make necessary adjustments so we can have a better chance in the qualifying tournament for next year’s Olympic Games.”

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Business

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

DIGITIZATION PIONEER NAMED ‘2019 OUTSTANDING ENGINEER’ Jolliville Holdings Corp. chairman Jolly Ting

UK INSTITUTE ADMITS TING AS DOCTORATE FELLOW IN BUSINESS

Dr. Ernesto de Castro, the 2019 Outstanding Civil Engineer

T

HE Professional Regulation Commission recognized Dr. Ernesto de Castro, the strongest advocate for the use of Building Information Modeling in the Philippines, as the 2019 Outstanding Civil Engineer.

De Castro, 73, is the founder, chairman and president of Esca Inc. which provides BIM services to local and global companies. He believes that BIM—the digitization of building models representing the physical environment—will disrupt the local construction industry.

The PRC, during the awards night at Manila Hotel on June 20, recognized de Castro as “a professional civil engineer in design, construction and project management of major building landmarks and infrastructure projects; structural engineer; pioneer in engineering outsourcing services; pioneer in digital design services and integrated project delivery; board examiner; chairman of the Philippine Contractors Association Board; construction arbitrator; educator; entrepreneur and leader in the digitization of the construction industry.”

D e Ca s t ro h e a d s E s c a I n c. a n d E s c a International—engineering companies that provide modern end-to-end engineering solutions for projects in the country and overseas. “[He is] the strongest advocate for the wider adoption of BIM, virtual design and construction and digitizing the built environment,” the PRC said.

During the awards night, the PRC acknowledged the achievements, commitment and the contributions of Filipino professionals to their respective fields as well as to the whole nation.

The event was led by PRC with the participation of various professional regulatory boards and the members of accredited professional organizations.

De Castro is one of the country’s leading minds in engineering. He served as the chairman of the Association of Structural Engineers of the Philippines, the Philippine Institute of Civil Engineers and the Society of the Philippine Accredited Consultants. He has also taught at the University of the Philippines College of Engineering and College of Business Administration and served as the dean of engineering and chancellor of the University of the East, Caloocan.

His goal is to make the Philippines a global center of excellence for engineering services by 2022. He says he wants the construction sector digitized to produce better-quality buildings and structures with greater efficiency, transparency

and speed at the least cost.

“I am more interested in technology and the new technology in building is what we call BIM or Building Information Modelling. This technology is where you digitize the whole building. When you digitize the whole building, you have all the information in your fingertips,” de Castro says in an interview at his office in Cubao, Quezon City.

“If we transform construction, we can make it better and faster. This is what you call digitizing everything. Once everything is digital, the information is very easy to get, very fast and very cheap. That’s the only way we can join the smart community—when we digitize construction,” says De Castro.

De Castro, who also serves as the chairman of the board of consultants for the implementation of the Building Code of the Philippines, believes that BIM will disrupt the local construction sector.

“Among all the industries, construction is behind in the use of digital technology. We have to do something already, otherwise we may be left behind,” he says.

Esca which was named after de Castro offers structural design, civil engineering and project and construction management services to local and foreign companies. It also has an academy that trains engineers on the use of BIM and has an international outsourcing division that provides engineering services to global clients, mainly in the US. “I started it as an outsourcing business. It is what I am doing for the engineering design. We outsource to the Middle East and the US,” says de Castro.

His daughter Jean Jacquelyn Nathania de Castro, a corporate lawyer and former host of Bloomberg TV Philippines who is married to fellow lawyer Alfredo Molo III, serves as the chief executive of Esca.

De Castro graduated with BS Civil Engineering degree from UP Diliman in 1967, MS Civil Engineering from the same university in 1968 and PhD in Civil Engineering, Major in Structures from Lehigh University, Bethlehem in Pennsylvania in 1975.

The UP College of Engineering recognized him as one of the country’s Most Outstanding Engineers of the Century in celebration of its centennial in 2011 while the UP Alumni Association gave him the Most Distinguished UP Engineering Alumnus Award in 2003. In the US, he was inducted as a life member of the American Society of Civil Engineers.

Esca, his company, has provided engineering services to major commercial and institutional landmarks of SM, Robinson’s Land, Filinvest Land, Federal Land, Megaworld Corp. and other major developers.

De Castro says that the government should institutionalize the use of BIM in the construction of building and infrastructure projects. “With BIM, it is easier to conduct cost estimate and spot conflicts and clashes among engineers, architects, contractors and suppliers. It is easier to demonstrate and simulate. The technology is designed for a collaborative environment.

This is something that I am introducing to the educational system and to the industry,” he says.

“BIM is already practised by many developing countries including Vietnam and Myanmar. Here, I did my share by introducing it to some schools such as Ateneo de Naga University, UE Manila and UE Caloocan. Hopefully, other schools will pick it up because their graduates will be more advanced in learning than the graduates of other schools,” he says.

“It is my personal advocacy to help the engineers of the country,” says de Castro.

He says that with the use of BIM, inefficiencies and corruption in construction could be avoided.

“It will be transparent. It is digital so it is easy to get the cost estimate and it is very easy to pinpoint responsibilities. I know it will improve the quality of the constructed projects,” he says.

De Castro says digitization could save time and money because it would avoid mistakes and repetitive works. “In the experience of other countries, it could reduce the project cost substantially or more than 10 percent,” he says.

“It translates into better transparency, quality and efficiency. The process is faster and there are fewer wastes and less reworks. Construction projects become expensive because of reworks.

If you can eliminate waste, projects will be less expensive,” he says.

De Castro promotes the “build it twice” philosophy which means “you build it first digitally so that in the actual construction you already know the whole process”.

“We can detect errors in architectural, structural, mechanical works. We track savings in time and cost,” he says. “In one of our test cases, the contractor saved P8 million out of a direct cost of P33 million.”

De Castro says he wants local engineering companies to have full BIM operations. “If a company will become a digital company, they can disrupt the bigger players because they can be more efficient and more agile and they can do much better work at much smaller overhead cost,” he says.

“I really think that we should run faster now with this technology, or we may be left behind by other countries,” he says. Roderick T. dela Cruz

THE Academy of Multi-Skills United Kingdom has conferred a doctorate fellow in business on Filipino entrepreneur Jolly Ting.

Ting, the chairman of Jolliville Holdings Cor p., received the doctorate fellowship from AMS president Dr. Herbert J. Wooler on June 5, 2019 in a conferment ceremony in Macau. It was the second time Ting was recognized by the academic body. He was earlier accepted as a fellow by AMS. AMS was founded and registered in the UK in 1995 to give professional recognition to multi-skilled personnel, skilled trades, crafts and professions. It is registered as a professional institute and is acknowledged as the leading institution in multi-skills with more than 15,000 members worldwide.

Ting was earlier recognized as a doctorate fellow by Royal Institute of Entrepreneurs in Singapore. He also received the Most Promising Entrepreneurship award during the Asia Pacific Entrepreneurship Awards 2014.

Ting won accolades for transforming Jolliville Holdings Co r p o r a t i o n i n t o a b u s i n e s s conglomerate with a portfolio of strong companies in various industries that include real estate, power generation, water distribution, management, leisure and business process outsourcing.

JOH, a publicly listed company, aims to provide essential services to improve lives in the communities where it operates.

Ting, 73, was born in Naujan, Oriental Mindoro on Dec. 26, 1945.

He was only 14 when his father died, a turning point in his life that forced him to study harder. He graduated salutatorian from a Catholic school.

He studied Business Management in the University of the East and worked in several restaurants as a dishwasher, kitchen helper, waiter and bartender to support his studies.

“I remember sleeping for only four hours between work and study.

I studied from 2 pm to 6 pm, worked at the restaurant from 7 pm to 1 am and slept only from 2 am to 6 am,” Ting recalls.

After graduating from UE, he was promoted as a restaurant manager.

He then put up his own restaurant in 1972, another restaurant in 1976 and a third in 1979.

In 1986, he established Jolliville Realty and Development Co. Inc. as a realty company. Three years after, JRDCI was transformed into a holding company and was renamed Jolliville Holdings Corp.

Turn to C2

ABRA LAUNCHES MOBILE APP FOR US STOCK INVESTMENTS

By Darwin G. Amojelar

Abra founder and CEO Bill Barhydt

GLOBAL financial and technology company Abra is expanding its operations in the Philippines with the launch of a new feature in its mobile application that allows users in the country and in more than 150 countries to invest in fractional shares of traditional US stocks and exchangetraded funds using bitcoin.

“The app is live in more than 150 countries.

The top two countries for us so far is the US and the Philippines. We are also doing more marketing in other countries as well to expand our business,” Bill Barhydt, the founder and chief executive of Abra, told reporters in a news briefing.

“Investing in financial markets is a basic tool to build personal wealth. Yet outside of the

United States, most of the world’s population is not invested in financial assets or markets due to issues of access and affordability,” he said.

“Abra addresses this global inequality by allowing more people to have a stake in financial markets. The focus of this launch is to make financial markets of the developed world more accessible and affordable to those in emerging economies,” Barhydt said.

The company launched the new mobile feature, which allows Filipinos to invest in US stocks.

“The interest is way higher here so far than the other countries. There’s higher GDP [gross domestic product] per person here, which means higher investment income,” Barhydt said.

Abra makes investing in US stocks affordable for everyone with a fractionalized investment

model of $5 minimum per investment.

Just as investors can own a fraction of a bitcoin, they can now use Abra to own fractions of high-priced stocks and ETFs. As a special launch promotion, Abra will be offering $0 trading fees for the rest of 2019 on stock and ETF investments.

Bitcoin is a digital currency that uses the blockchain technology to facilitate secure, public and anonymous transactions.

Global investors outside the United States can now fractionally invest in more than 50 stock and ETF products, including popular stocks like Tesla, Uber, Apple, Amazon, Google, Netflix and Berkshire Hathaway.

Abra also plans to offer Philippine stocks in the future. “We want to offer every major equity Turn to C2

Business

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SUNDAY, JULY 7, 2019 business@manilastandard.net

IRISH FIRM OFFERS FLOOD PROTECTION BARRIERS IN PH ALL Weather Industries, an Irish company established in September 2017, has quickly found its own niche with its revolutionary Dam Easy flood protection barriers.

Since it was launched by AWI in Ireland, it immediately took its domestic market by storm, especially as the country and its neighboring European countries are prone to floods. Word of mouth on the offthe-shelf, easy-to-install quality flood protection barrier spread like wildfire that the demand for Dam Easy quickly reached global heights.

“In 2018, our biggest market was the US with about 60/40 split of commercial to residential although [currently] our number one city in the world is Hong Kong with a 50/50 split. This year, the mix is changing as we expand. Mainland Europe is becoming very strong and so is the Middle East,” AWI co-founder and chief executive Brian Mooney said.

Dam Easy flood barriers are now sold in 28 countries through 21 distribution partners and are also available online.

AWI recently teamed up with Scottsdale Corp. to launch the Dam Easy flood barriers in the Philippines.

Scottsdale Corp. will manage and operates the sole distribution of the flood solution in the Philippines.

Both Mooney and Scottsdale president Cheriza Manalang are one in saying that the Philippines is an ideal market for Dam Easy flood barriers.

“The Philippines is at risk for disasters including floods and typhoons. There are numerous typhoons make landfall here every year,” Manalang said.

UK INSTITUTE... FromC1 “In the mid-1980s, I founded Jolliville to manage a small portfolio of real estate assets. We started out leasing and managing a couple of Metro Manila properties and catered to a very niche market,” Ting says.

“In the late 1990s, we were presented with a rare opportunity to operate a privately-run water company in my second hometown Calapan, Oriental Mindoro. We took over the operations of Calapan Waterworks Corp. with some hesitation. Perhaps I was personally influenced by my entrepreneurial spirit and my love for my hometown that we took on the challenge despite our inexperience in the water distribution business back then,” he says.

In 2002, JOH was listed in the Philippine Stock Exchange to raise funds for the water development project of Calapan Waterworks Corp.

Soon after, Calapan Water became the group’s flagship company and water revenues became its top growth driver.

“By this time, our company ’s portfolio had expanded to include diversified interests in management, leasing, real estate, business process outsourcing and water distribution,” says Ting.

In 2011, with the looming power crisis in Oriental Mindoro, JOH saw an opportunity to venture into the power industry through subsidiary Ormin Power Inc. Since then, JOH has undertaken several developments across different business segments. “Our water distribution business has expanded to service the town of Agoo in La Union and the town of Tabuk, Kalinga. Recently, we inaugurated a 10-megawatt mini hydropower plant in San Teodoro, Oriental Mindoro. We are also rolling out many developments that will enhance our real property assets,” says Ting.

ABRA... FromC1 market for all and so our plans is to get them one at a time,” Barhydt said.

The most in-demand stocks are in the US, Europe and China.

Abra is a non-custodial platform unlike crypto exchanges or wallets that operate like traditional banks.

This means the funds are stored on the bitcoin blockchain, making the transactions more secure and private than centralized databases used by most crypto exchanges and wallets.

Abra is backed up by American Express Ventures, First Round Capital, Foxconn Technology Group, Arbor Ventures, Lerer Hippeau, RRE Ventures, Silver 8 Capital and many others.

By Othel V. Campos

A

TAIWANESE entrepreneur has had the opportunity to create nutritive to-go snacks using her keen experience as a semiconductor expert as she transcended a life choice to make a go for a healthier lifestyle.

Mandy Huang, the owner of Choice Delights Inc., has had this dream since she completed a culinary course at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris and was awarded a patisserie certificate in Tokyo.

“This was a time when I thought of integrating the discipline of the semiconductor industry into the food business. I’m talking about the precise parameters that I have come up with to create a product that is healthy and tasty, which is difficult, nowadays, without putting extra ingredients that can be addictive or extra sweet that is common in most health snacks,” she said.

Huang previously worked as a director for a global semiconductor organization but has retained an independent director position in a Taiwanese semiconductor firm. From semiconductor to bakery, the shift was quite overwhelming, she said.

“Both as totally different, each with its own set of principles, but I was able to integrate the measurement principles and the manufacturing techniques used by semiconductor companies in baking,” she said.

“As a chef, I wanted to create nutritious food with the right crunch. But having the perfect crunch is as daunting as making a foundry or an electronics wafer. So I used my knowledge as a semiconductor expert to manipulate the parameters needed to create a perfectly-baked wafer cookies which is how they describe my product. To me, a snack with a good crunch is better tasting than a sticky, gooey bar, but that is my a chef’s perspective,” she said.

From superfoods like quinoa to healthy grains and fruits like Job’s tears, nuts, seeds, cranberry and oats, Choice Delights uses raw ingredients sourced only from eco-environmental farms.

Considered a high-end superfood, Choice has a standing partnership with Valrhona, a French premium chocolate manufacturer, to use its chocolate for one of the variants of Choice granola cookies.

Choice Delights uses only the finest materials for granola cookies, noting each ingredients characteristics and contributions to making the product as healthy it can get with a taste that is pleasant to the taste buds.

Market goals While Choice Delights is now served at the business class lounge of Taiwan High Speed Rail, its presence in Taiwan was further boosted when China Airlines started offering rebates for Choice Delights products in Duty-Free shops upon presentation of a China Airlines boarding pass as it also serves the product to business compartment passengers.

Globally, Choice Delights products are now served at several Michelin restaurants as the product passed the exacting standards these ultrafine dining restaurants traditionally call for.

The product is a resident sku at prime groceries and high-end snack bars in Taiwan as it is bit pricier than regular health bars.

Huang said she is keen to have her product penetrate markets in Asia like the Philippines and Japan.

SEMICONDUCTOR EXPERT VENTURES INTO SUPERFOOD

Choice Delighte owner and CEO Mandaly Huang (left) and Monde Selection managing director Louis Poot Baudier

The growing health trend in the Philippines is an attraction to superfood product manufacturers to bring over new health food trends, she said.

Gold award Choice Delights has also won a string of awards like the Classical Red Dot Award Design for uniqueness and social corporate impact in 2017 and the Stevie Awards for Women In Business.

The citations are on top of the quality assurance label granted by the internationally-acclaimed Monde Selection, an international quality assurance test patterned after Belgium’s quality assessment protocol.

Monde Selection is an independent international quality institute, founded in 1961 and approved and controlled by the Belgian Ministry of Economy.

While its hub is located in Brussels, it has reached the continents of Asia, Africa, Oceania and the South and Central Americas.

“Our mission is to certify the quality of consumer goods from all over the world to grant them an internationally renowned quality label. We are often times referred to as the Nobel Prize for food, although is not a competition. We only subject products to an evaluation using certain criteria when and if the producer wants his product to be tested,” said Monde Selection managing director Dimitri Delloye.

Since 1961, Monde Selection has assessed nearly 6,000 companies worldwide with almost 30,000 product tested and evaluated by Minde Selection juries.

Delloye said it pays to be evaluated by an international quality certification body not only because of the fame it will accord the product but also because consumers will be consoled by the fact that what they are consuming is of superior quality without untoward effects to the human body.

TECHNOLUX LAUNCHES MEDICAL AESTHETIC DIVISION

The medical aesthetic team led by Technolux vice president Norell Ortega (second from left)

THE health, beauty and wellness industry continues to enjoy immense growth worldwide as people are becoming more aware of how being fit and healthy impacts their lives and have adopted a lifestyle that is here to stay.

The industry’s market space is dominated by beauty, anti-aging, fitness and mind+body regimens, as well as nutrition, healthy eating and weight loss products, treatments and services. In addition, it has developed wearable fitness technology such as fitness trackers that monitor health and activity and smart watches/bracelets.

Alongside this development are opportunities for businesses to invest in the health, beauty and wellness industry as a means for growth.

Technolux Equipment and Supply Corp. is one company that sees the huge potential that this industry has to offer.

Considered as the country’s largest importer and distributor of foodservice, kitchen and laundry equipment and

smallwares for the foodservice and F&B industry, Technolux recently launched its medical-aesthetic division as one of the highlights of its 44th anniversary this June.

“It has always been our vision to expand our market reach. When we were presented with studies on the solid growth in the health, beauty, aesthetic and wellness sector, we decided to make a foray into this market. We already have a strong sales, operations and technical team and the expertise on how to become good distributors. Adding new products and services to our portfolio is a challenge that we are poised to address,” says Norell Ortega, vice-president for sales of foodservice Manila and medicalaesthetic division.

Medical aesthetic services involve advanced technologies in skincare/ beauty to help improve, correct or enhance a person’s physical appearance.

The most common concerns of endusers are remedies for fine lines and

wrinkles, fat reduction, stretch marks solutions, scar treatments, skin oxygenation and rejuvenation, body contouring and firming, skin tightening and weight loss management.

Technolux’s new division has scoured Asia and the US for suppliers of top quality and state-of-the-art aesthetic machines, and dental equipment to meet market demands as mentioned above.

“Currently, we have a wide range of both tabletop and big machines with user-friendly technology for hair removal, anti-aging, pigmentation, skin rejuvenation and body slimming.

We also have high intensity focused ultrasound, diathermy, lasers, facelifting apparatus, dry-heat sauna capsules and dental equipment among others,” Ortega says.

Cognizant of today’s strongest aesthetic trends, Technolux envisions this new division to be the ideal partner and the supplier-of-choice of the country’s top dermatological and aesthetic clinics, facial care centers, fitness and sports facilities, gyms, salons, saunas and spas, dental clinics

and even hospitals. “ We have machines that are reasonably-priced with advanced technology that give good results.

So, our customers can, in turn, offer end-users more affordable treatments and services that make beauty, health and wellness more sustainable. We are always on the look-out for the latest innovations by attending beauty and wellness coventions and trade shows in different countries,” Ortega says.

As a pioneer supplier of foodservice, kitchen equipment and laundr y equipment, Technolux has a major share of the market, an unprecedented edge even after four decades. The secret is in its after-sales service.

“We pride ourselves with the best after-sales service in the industry. It’s one of our core values and is part of our company’s culture,” Ortega says.

“This is what sets us apart from others in the same field. It doesn’t begin and end with a sale; it’s a whole process of taking care of our customers.”

The medical-aesthetic showroom is located at the 5th floor of Technolux’s headquarters in Makati City.

Tech & Gadgets

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SUNDAY, JULY 7, 2019 rumallari@thestandard.com.ph

SHELL TECHNOLOGY FORUM LOOKS TO “THE ROAD AHEAD”

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ILIPINAS Shell Petroleum Corporation (Pilipinas Shell) and its partners in the transportation, general manufacturing, and construction industries came together for this year’s Shell Technology Forum to discuss developments in their respective businesses and how private companies and the government can come together for “The Road Ahead.”

This year’s forum discussed issues related to collaboration and why it is important in our quest towards a more innovative future for the Philippines.

Serge Bernal, Sales Team Lead for Indirect Channel for Lubricants Philippines, shared the importance of the Tech Forum after Shell’s presence in the Philippines for 105 years: “The company here in the Philippines is now 105 years old, and we always strive to contribute to nation building in all of its products, services, and people. This forum is one of Shell’s ways in leading the future of energy in our country by continuously evolving and adapting.”

On May 23, 2019, the yearly forum welcomed key partners from various industries as well as experts from the government, with the keynote speaker this year being Undersecretary Rosemarie Edillon of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), who emphasized how the Philippines is doing with innovation.

USec. Edillon defined innovation as “the implementation of new or significantly improved goods and services, production processes, marketing, or organizational methods for adding value. So, anything that is actually new or improved—anything that reduces the burden of labor.”

She noted a survey in 2015 done by the Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) which found out that out of 1,000 establishments, less than half, or 42.9%, were innovation active in 2015.

Breakthroughs in Innovation For the breakout sessions, speakers discussed the challenges, trends, and opportunities for product and service development. Despite these challenges, however, speakers noted their optimism

Allianz PNB Life President and CEO Alexander Grenz

ALLIANZ AIMS TO SIMPLIFY LIFE INSURANCE WITH DIGITAL STUDIO

Shown here are (from left) Steve Quila (General Manager of Pilipinas Shell Lubricants), Dennis C. Javier (Vice President for Wholesale Commercial Fuels), Jeyan Vasudevan (Regional Technology Manager, APME Shell Bitumen), Zain Haik (Asia General Manager, Fleet Solutions), DJ Javier (Philippines Lubricants Technical Manager), Engineer Pablo Acuin (Maker of First Philippine Hybrid Trai, Metals Industry Research and Development Center), Acd. Rhodora Azanza (President, National Academy of Science and Technology), Jacqueline Famorca (Country Business Manager, Fleet Solutions), Elitza Terzova (Shell Global Fuels Product Manager), Desmond Lee (Senior HSSE Adviser, Trading and Supply Products East), and Felix Guerzoni (PAS Team lead for Shell Lubes Asia Pacific @ Shanghai Technology) come together for the Think Tank Panel Discussion for the afternoon plenary.

by discussing the importance of collaboration and innovation to discuss the best solutions for their respective business and industries.

Erin Masangcay, Head of Road Freight Royal Cargo Inc., talked about difficulties fleet operations have due to the traffic congestion in the country: “The truck ban limits trucks from traveling on roads from Mondays to Saturdays from 6 AM to AM and 5 PM to 10 PM. This poses heavy logistical barriers and high shipping costs,” she stressed.

Masangcay stressed that many organizations in the logistics industries are hopeful for change through initiative from the private sector. “I think the government is aware of the problem and is willing to help, we just need the private sector and public sector collaborating for these policies.”

In the construction breakout session, Jeyan Vasudevan, Shell Regional Technology Manager of APME Bitumen, expressed an example of collaboration between the private and public sectors.

With the onset of the Build, Build, Build program by the current administra-

tion, he expressed Shell’s contribution to building better infrastructure in the country: “In the Philippines, we have one of the bitumen refineries that has been set up two years back. It is supplying not only the Philippines but also supplying Asia. The president has announced the Build, Build, Build program, and Shell has responded to that and assured that the supply security for the country has been built.”

Zain Hak, Shell Asia General Manager of Fleet Solutions, noted that we cannot omit partnership if we want more efficient workflow. “I look after all the fleet solution in Asia, and I can tell you that of the 10 countries that we operate, societies that are effectively leveraging these partnerships, whether they are fluid partnerships, join ventures, are the ones who actually have the most effective systems,” he revealed.

As a leader in the construction industry, Joachim Enenkel, Director for Construction and Real Estate, Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry, echoed USec. Edillon’s remarks about the importance of innovation in

improving our businesses: “If we do not innovate, if we do not move forward, we lose competitiveness.”

Better technology, better products For the three industries of this year’s Technology Forum, speakers noted the impact of high-performing products that support business efficiency and the growing industries of the Philippine market.

According to representatives of the transportation industry, better technology to reduce fuel consumption costs and prevent corrosion of engines is vital to better products and services for industries such as mining, construction, manufacturing, marine, and transport.

Shell Fuels Technical Advisor Andrew Kho, in his presentation, emphasized how Shell FuelSave Diesel is accomplishing more for less: “Shell FuelSave Diesel keeps engine equipment in peak condition with DYNAFLEX technology, which allows the engine to operate more efficiently,” Kho noted. “Reducing operation costs is integral to upkeep of more efficient service for customers everywhere,” he added.

YOUTUBE ADS AWARDS YEAR 2 KICKS OFF YOUTUBE announced the return of a bigger YouTube Ads Awards in the Philippines to recognize the best creative storytelling in YouTube ads in the country.

Created in collaboration with adobo magazine, the Awards seeks to honor outstanding digital ads that cut through the clutter and resonate well with Filipino viewers.

The digital space continues to be an effective platform to reach today’s consumers. However, as more brands move to advertise online, the challenge also rises for marketers and agencies to be more creative and innovative in telling their brand stories in the competitive market.

“As the industry evolves, it is exciting to see how creative practitioners are using digital platforms to reach their audience. Through the YouTube Ads Awards, we recognize the best-performing brands that resonate with Filipinos with a mix of original content and unique storytelling,” said Google Philippines’ Country Marketing Manager Gabby Roxas.

Back on its second run, YouTube Ads Awards recognizes the best ads in 17 categories: 10 of which are related to food and beverage, health and nutrition, and

charities and non-profit among others. Four categories spotlight the best use of storytelling formats including best in 5-second intro, multi-video, long-form, and 6-second storytelling. The last category looks at the entries’ effectiveness, format innovation, and storytelling for occasions. Video entries are judged based on content, engagement, effectiveness, and campaign results.

Renowned digital storytellers and industry leaders will make up the panel of judges including: • Joe Dy—Chief Creative Officer of McCann Worldgroup; • Leigh Reyes—president of MullenLowe Philippines; • Kring Lao—Marketing Director of McDonald’s Philippines; • Gerry Dy—Digital Head of Security Bank; • Lester Estrada—Chief Marketing Officer of P&G Philippines;

• Judy Ann Santos—actress and YouTube content creator; • Alex Gonzaga—television host, actress, and YouTube content creator; • Antoinette Jadaone - film director; • Eugene Manalo—Managing Partner of The Huddle Room Media Inc.; • Quark Henares—film director and head of Globe Studios; and • Lyle Sacris—director and cinematographer “I’m thrilled to return as a judge for the second YouTube Ads Awards. It’s always an enriching experience to see how creative agencies and brands push forward to showcase excellence in digital advertising,” shared judge chair and McCann Worldgroup’s Chief Creative Officer Joe Dy. To join the YouTube Ads Awards, participating organizations must submit their YouTube videos posted between Jan.16, 2018 to Jan. 15, 2019 and complete entry forms showing business metrics and post-campaign results. Entries can be submitted until July 11, 2019 through https://events.withgoogle.com/ youtube-adsawards-ph/.

IN ITS aim of creating a positive impact on people’s lives, Allianz PNB Life Insurance is pioneering the next-generation of innovation and solutions in protection, savings and investment, and health through its newly established Digital Studio.

“Allianz has always believed in embracing new ideas and technologies, and the Digital Studio is a step toward creating bigger digital innovation. Creating a workspace, which actively fosters collaboration by taking people out of their day-to-day business environment will help us to break down barriers and develop more innovative solutions for our customers,” Allianz PNB Life’s president and chief executive officer Alexander Grenz said.

He added that, “More young people are plugged-in and online. They expect to get what they want when they want it. The Allianz Digital Studio ensures that the company delivers.”

Allianz Digital Studio serves as the home of the company’s Digital Transformation Team, whose main function is to make Allianz’ services to both its internal and external customers simpler, easily accessible and efficient.

“It’s an enabler for our agile ways of working, for us to deliver positive and meaningful transformation in our journey towards a digital way of life,” Allianz PNB Life’s Digital Transformation Team head Erk Musa elaborated.

With its open layout, this customercentric digital facility encourages open communication among its teams, which are known as squads and tribes. Musa said that this environment allows everyone to deliver the products and services of their customers in a “positive and meaningful way.”

Increasing Efficiency and Effectiveness “We already know a great deal about the what’s, why’s, and wants of our customers. Alli-anz Digital Studio is here to help with the how. This is where exchanging ideas, sharing of best practices, solving common problems, and delivering on our digital performance promise through simple, instant and personal service, will all happen,” Grenz added.

Currently, the Digital Transformation team in Allianz Digital Studio is divided into three tribes: Customer Onboarding, Servicing, and Loyalty & Special Projects.

The Customer Onboarding Tribe creates innovative solutions for sales and distribution activities, to help boost efficiency and productivity. The Servicing Tribe creates platforms that will serve as secure and convenient connection points between Allianz and external customers’ needs. Lastly, the Loyalty & Special Projects Tribe works on projects for Allianz’s third-party partnerships, employee engagement platforms, and tools to monitor customer experience. Allianz Digital Team uses design-thinking and agile framework to simplify life insurance for our customers.”

NTT BRINGS TOGETHER LEADING EXPERT COMPANIES TO LAUNCH NEW GLOBAL TECH SERVICES PROVIDER SINGAPORE—Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation (NTT Corporation) today launched NTT Ltd., a world-leading global technology services provider that brings together the capabilities of 28 companies, including NTT Communications, Dimension Data, and NTT Security into one US $11 billion business.

Headquartered in London and employing around 40,000 people in offices across 70+ countries and regions, the new NTT company delivers unparalleled capabilities and global scale focused on doing great things for people, businesses, and society.

President and CEO for NTT Corporation, Jun Sawada, said, “I’m delighted to announce that we launched NTT Ltd. today. When we combine the new capabilities of NTT Ltd. along with NTT DATA, we create a top five global technology and business solutions provider with US$20 billion revenues outside of Japan. Going forward, we will accelerate our execution as one NTT in order to contribute to a smarter and better world through digital transformation.

“We are also excited to confirm that our global headquarters for NTT Ltd will be in London and that our

commitment to the UK remains extremely strong. We considered several locations as the headquarters for NTT Ltd and made a deliberate decision to choose London. It has many benefits, including a stable economy, a wealth of skills and talent, diversity in population and thinking, a strong infrastructure, schools, and housing for global talent moving to the city. In short, it’s a great city to live and work in, and we’re excited that we are making it the home for our new business.”

UK Prime Minister Theresa May said, “Britain has a longstanding and proud reputation as a global tech leader and it’s fantastic that NTT Ltd. has chosen London for its global headquarters. A key part of our modern Industrial Strategy is to put the UK at the forefront of the tech and data revolution, and they will join many other world-leading companies who call Britain home.”

The new company already partners with over 10,000 clients around the world including the world’s leading organizations in financial services, pharmaceuticals, telecommunications, energy and utilities, manufacturing, automotive and technology sectors. Companies already benefitting from NTT’s intelligent technology

solutions to deliver on the promise of a connected future include Tour de France, ALMA, City of Las Vegas, Connected Conservation, ISPPC, Alcatel and NXP. Tsunehisa Okuno, Chairman for NTT Ltd. and Executive Vice President for NTT Corporation, commented, “Today NTT continues its 120-year heritage of always listening to and innovating for our clients. Along with creating a very strong technology and managed services provider in NTT Ltd., we have also increased our commitment to invest more in R&D and new technology startups through our venture capital fund, and to develop our own disruptive innovation business team. We see the opportunity to help our clients and communities more effectively when we bring all of these capabilities together.”

Meanwhile, John Lombard has been appointed Chief Executive Officer, Asia Pacific of NTT Ltd. effective 1 July 2019. As the CEO, John manages the end-to-end go-to-market, sales, delivery, operations, and profitability for Asia Pacific. NTT Ltd. was incorporated on 1 July 2019 to bring together 28 businesses, including Dimension Data, NTT Communications and NTT Security, into a single global technology services company.

John Lombard, NTT Ltd. CEO, Asia Pacific

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TECH & Gadgets SUNDAY, JULY 7, 2019 Riera U. Mallari, Editor rumallari@thestandard.com.ph

HUAWEI’S 5G TECHNOLOGY: CONNECTING INTELLIGENT FUTURE

S

5G is on

HANGHAI—5G technology is the new Space Race. And Huawei is at the forefront of it all.

At the MWC19 Shanghai, 5G commercial networks were officially launched inside the Shanghai New International Expo Center, based on Huawei's 5G digital indoor system and extended 5G coverage to all of the seven exhibition halls.

With 5G commercial licenses being issued to operators globally, 5G is taking off and set to become a part of people's daily lives.

But what is 5G? Using cutting-edge technology, 5G networks are the next generation of mobile internet connectivity which offers faster speeds and more reliable connections on smartphones and other devices, with average download speeds of around 1GBps expected to soon be the norm. The technology is expected to help power a huge rise in Internet of Things as it provides the infrastructure needed to carry huge amounts of data that will allow for a smarter and more connected world.

“June 6th was a huge milestone. Now that China has issued its 5G licenses, 2019 is officially the year of 5G. As a Chinese company, and as a leader in 5G, we are super excited and eager to do our part,” said Ken Hu, Huawei Deputy Chairman at the MWC Shanghai 2019.

“5G is here. We will put our shoulders to the wheel and work with our partners to drive greater collaboration. Together, we can use the power of 5G to help all industries go digital,” Hu added.

With development well underway and testbeds already live across the world, 5G networks are expected

Huawei Deputy Chairman Ken Hu

with dedicated network slices. This allows 5G to meet a wide range of industrial needs, and lays the foundation for a more fully automated, intelligent future,” Hu continued.

“At the same time, as more and more industries embrace intelligence, we will see much greater demand for technologies like cloud, AI, big data, and edge computing. With the support of 5G, these technologies will be able to support far more industrial applications than ever before—and much more efficiently, too,” Hu said.

Huawei Philippines COO Daniel Guo Zhi seconded.

“The 5G is faster and cheaper. It has no delay and it will not interfere with the activities of the user. The 5G network is an Internet of Things and it will definitely save every user’s time. In the long run, the 5G technology will change a lot of things in the [ICT] industry as it provides benefits for more people,” said Zhi. Locally, Globe has partnered with Huawei Technologies for the planning and design of a mobile broadband network, as well as the establishment of a mobile innovation center for research and development of the 5G technology—an initiative making the Philippines the first country to commercially rollout 5G service in the Southeast Asian region.

“For the Philippines, the focus of the 5G technology will be in the NCR (National Capital Region) first, where the majority of the business and customers lie. And maybe next year, the terminal price of the 5G will drop by a $150, and more people may avail and enjoy the 5G service. Even this year, they can still use the CPE, which functions like a Wi-Fi and we still can benefit from this 4G form. Maybe two years from now, the 5G will be the standard form in mobile phones and infrastructures. But our cell phones can still handle both,” Zhi added.

Ken Hu said 5G will change the world.

And that change is happening now.

Huawei Philippines COO Riera U. Mallari Daniel Guo Zhi

to launch across the world by 2020, working alongside existing 3G and 4G technology to provide speedier connections that stay online no matter where you are, thereby connecting an intelligent future.

During the show many exhibitors demonstrated their latest 5G equipment, from smartphones to base stations, and 5G services.

Highlights included self-driving cars, a 5G mirror, and an 8K 360° VR experience, which visitors could use to enjoy the beautiful scenery of China's most famous places.

“5G will pay a pivotal role in the digitization of all industries. Right now China is in the process of evolving towards automated, digital, and AI-driven industrial development. And 5G arrived just in time to help. 5G can provide much greater bandwidth and lower latency than traditional wireless connections, and can also support different applications

Huawei Philippines’ Karrie Buenafe

UP TO 90% OFF AT SHOPEE 7.7 LOWEST PRICE SALE SHOPEE, the leading e-commerce platform in Southeast Asia and Taiwan, wraps up the Shopee 7.7 Lowest Price Sale on July 7 with free shipping for as low as ₱0 minimum spend on flash items, 100% cashback vouchers, and ₱77 deals across categories.

On the big sale day, there will be amazing prizes including televisions, smartphones, and home appliances up for grabs for only ₱1 during the Shopee ₱1 Game. Consumers can also purchase their favorite items with deals up to 90% off from official brands including Unisilver Time, Silverworks, Bosch, Realme, Dove, Safeguard, MET Tathione, and Pantene.

Ruoshan Tao, Head of Marketing at Shopee Philippines said, “We’re thrilled

with how Shopee has performed in the first two quarters of the year and we’re building on this success with another big campaign, Shopee 7.7 Lowest Price Sale.

We understand that Filipinos are active and savvy shoppers so Shopee is happy to provide consumers a wide range of products at the lowest price possible.”

Consumers will be treated to backto-back promotions happening everyday until the big sale day on July 7. Here are the key highlights of Shopee 7.7 Lowest Price Sale: • Free Shipping with P0 Min Spend happening for limited time starting midnight on 7 Jul. • ₱1 Game where users can pay ₱1 upon check out and one lucky winner will be chosen to take home the

featured item of the day. Users stand a chance to win premium gadgets including the Samsung 49” 4K Smart TV, Huawei P30 Lite, and Xiaomi Mi Band 3 for only ₱1.

• Big discounts up to 90% off from leading brands including Unisilver Time, Silverworks, Bosch, Realme, Dove, Safeguard, MET Tathione, and Pantene.

• Exclusive promotions from partners including Cebu Pacific, Metrobank, and Pizza Hut. Tune in to the finale episode of Shopee Pop Star Search.

For more information on Shopee Pop Star Search, visit https://shopee. ph/m/popstar-search.

For more information on Shopee 7.7 Lowest Price Sale, please visit https:// shopee.ph/m/7-7.

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Visit https://shopee.ph for more information.

BRING OUT YOUR KIDS’ CREATIVITY WITH WORLD’S SMALLEST INKJET ALL-IN-ONE PRINTER MORE than an institution where young minds are shaped with academic lessons, school is also a place where students can also learn new skills, improve their talents and showcase their creativity.

This school year, parents can give their children a boost in discovering new skills and unlocking imagination by investing in a reliable and costefficient all-around printer that can help bring out their child’s creativity, at home and in school.

With all-in-one printers such as the HP DeskJet Ink Advantage 3700, elementary and high school learners will not only be able to conveniently print assignments and home works, they can also showcase their creativity through colorful projects such as arts and crafts presentations, posters, collages, and photo albums.

Whatever challenging school home works and projects their kids will tackle at school, parents can be sure the compact and wireless HP DeskJet Ink Advantage 3700 can showcase the young ones’ creativity through producing vivid and quality photos and documents.

As the world's smallest inkjet all-in-one printer, the HP Deskjet Ink Advantage printer may be considered "little", but it is capable of doing big tasks such as copying, printing, and scanning.

And with its affordable inkjet cartridges, parents wouldn’t have to worry about printing all the artworks their kids need for their school projects. They can even help the kids with printing home works and putting the projects together by using the HP Smart App, downloadable from Apple Store and Google Play, to print photos on the HP DeskJet Ink Advantage 3700.

With the HP DeskJet Ink Advantage 3700, parents can encourage their kids to continue discovering their creative and artistic side while enjoying another school year.

UNLOCKING NEW OPPORTUNITIES WITH SWITCH TO DIGITAL

By Jimbo Gulle

THE Philippines remains the leader in customer experience (CX) delivery despite a global slowdown, but the shift to digital and the uptick in the global market unlocks new opportunities for contact centers in the country.

“The shift to digital means new, higher value, higher margin opportunities for contact centers in the Philippines,” said Jojo Uligan, President of the Contact Center Association of the Philippines, in a press conference Friday for the Contact Islands 2019 event.

“As the global market leader in contact center services over the past decade, the [PH] industry stands to benefit from the shift away from classic delivery models to digitally-enabled service delivery designed to disrupt and transform customer experience or CX,” Uligan added.

“Clients today have gone beyond traditional service level agreements (SLAs) and key performance indicators (KPIs). By capitalizing on digital capabilities, clients have started to expect their service provides to help them reshape and transform the end-to-end customer experience to impact

both top line and bottom line,” he added.

In the Philippines, the take up of real estate for IT-BPO (information technology-business process outsourcing) this year has resurged to 126,000 square meters from January to April, which is back to historical high levels.

Everest Group’s analysis reveals that the Philippines still enjoys 16% to 18% of the estimated global IT-BPM market of USD 81 billion to USD 83 billion.

The country's leadership is based on a report by Texas-based consulting firm Everest Group, which said that the 2018 global growth in IT and Business Processing Services (BPS) sourcing has slowed to 3% to 4%.

According to the report, several companies around the world have taken some pause in their sourcing decisions as they figure out how to best integrate automation, artificial intelligence and analytics in their business and shared services strategy.

While the Philippines continues to grow faster than global market growth, Everest similarly has seen a slower growth in the country 2018 at 5.1%, ending that year with direct employment of 1.23 million employees, lower than the 8% annual projection based on the industry roadmap 2022.

This slowdown in the local industry growth is seen as driven by the global market pause in investments as well as a “wait and see” stance some investors have taken given the anticipated investment incentive regime changes being proposed in the country.

This year, however, shows some signs of a rebound, CCAP said, as globally, Everest Group forecasts a 4% growth in 2019. “After the dip in growth last year, the industry has now stabilized and is showing an uptick,” the Everest analysts say.

The shift to higher value services has been occurring over the past 5 years or so and is manifested in the types of jobs being currently handled by Filipino IT-BPM workers.

In the 2018 CCAP job complexity study conducted with its members, jobs that are ‘mid-skilled’ and ‘high-skilled’ represented almost 9 out of 10 contact center jobs, that is, 30% were “high skilled” and while 55% were “mid skilled”.

These work categories range from jobs like patient medical reach out, level 1-2 technical help desk specialists to business analysts, level 3 enterprise tech support and artificial intelligence developers.

Shown here are (from left) Butch Valenzuela, Board of Director, CCAP, Benedict Hernandez, CCAP Chairman and Jojo Uligan, CCAP President during the pre event press briefing of Contact Islands 2019.

Destinations D1

SUNDAY, JULY 7, 2019

Bernadette Lunas, Issue Editor

manilastandardlife@gmail.com

@manilastandardlife

WILD HOLIDAYS, EXOTIC GETAWAYS

MERCURY RISING

BY BOB ZOZOBRADO

EDUCATIONAL TOURISM OUR Department of Tourism recently organized a Tourism Industry Coordination Meeting and Workshop. The purpose of the gathering was to get everybody in the industry committed to further strengthening their involvement in the achievement of the department’s tourist arrivals target.

Attending the event were officers of the different tourism organizations in the country and some representatives from the private sector, all stakeholders in our country’s fastest growing industry.

An interesting feature of the event was the setting up of several counters all over the room, each representing a specific niche tourism market which we, the stakeholders, could affiliate ourselves with and discuss how we could help them with their marketing efforts.

Because I am also a member of the academe, one niche market that caught my attention was educational tourism. Although current arrivals in this particular market are barely enough to create ripples in our economy, I see this as an important tool to further banner our country’s lead in the field of education.

Records show that, in 2013, only 23,000 foreign students enrolled in ESL (English as a Second Language) courses in our schools. However, last year, this number zoomed up to 60,000, with these top five countries sending us their students—South Korea, Japan, China, Vietnam, and Russia, in that order.

CALL OF THE WILD. Ranthambore National Park in Rajasthan, India is home to a large population of Royal Bengal tigers,

H

perfect for adventurers looking to embark on a wildlife getaway.

ERE’S a “wild” vacation idea to consider: Get up close and personal with nature and its inhabitants by embarking on a wildlife retreat. Lucky for us, our planet offers countless wonders to behold. Here are five of them.

Malaysian hornbill in Belum Temenggor rainforest in Perak, Malaysia.

Discover Malaysia’s homegrown species

At 130 million years old, the Belum Temenggor rainforest in Perak is one of the oldest rainforests in the world. Outdoor activities include wildlife watching, jungle trekking, kayaking, and camping. If you’re lucky, you may catch a rare sighting of the Malayan tiger, Asiatic elephant, or the white handed gibbon—mammals that have been classified as species under threat of becoming endangered.

After a day of wildlife adventure, sleep with the rainforest right at your doorstep at the Belum Rainforest Resort, where many of the luxury guest rooms feature stunning nature views.

@MStandardLIFE

Discover the vibrant marine life of Miniloc Island in El Nido, Palawan.

Swim with Miniloc Island’s marine life

Surrounded by a beautiful cove against a backdrop of sheer limestone cliffs, the El Nido Resort on Miniloc Island is a great destination for those seeking crystal clear waters and vibrant marine life.

Resort activities include guided sunrise and sunset hikes, boat trips to the nearby lagoons and caves, and snorkeling excursions with the local fish.

Talakitok, which can weigh up to 80 kilos and measure up to 170 centimeters long, stalk these waters. These massive fish are often mistaken for sharks, so keep an eye out for them.

Soar high in Phuket’s nature

Perched high above the Phuket jungle are the amazing Keemala Hotel ‘bird nest’ villas.

With a strict Anti Animal Exploitation Policy, the resort houses several rescued animals onsite. Tourists can meet Keemala’s resident water buffalo, which was rescued, and learn about the species’ daily routine and significance in Thai culture.

The resort is home to other rescued animals including goats, ducks, peacocks, and chickens, which make an especially thrilling experience for kids.

Keemala Hotel's bird nest villa perched on Phuket jungle in Thailand.

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FRONT DESK

THE ORIENTAL GOES TO PANGASINAN THE world-famed Hundred Islands in Alaminos City, Pangasinan will soon be the new home of The Oriental Hotels and Resorts, a popular hotel chain with properties in Albay, Bataan, Tagaytay, and Leyte.

The Oriental’s president and chief executive Marie Abigail Lee was in Pangasinan to break ground for The Oriental Hundred Islands.

The soon-to-rise 100-room hotel is located at the jump-off point to the famed national park of 123 islets in the Lingayen Gulf.

Set to be completed next year, The Oriental Hundred Islands will sport tropical-themed, contemporary Filipino architecture and design complete with natural materials such as

shell, rattan, wood, and bamboo. The resort will have private villas, seafood and al fresco dining, infinity pool, cabanas, a 1,000-person pavilion, spa and fitness center, and water sports recreation.

It will also preserve and enhance the gazebo with the monuments of Princesa Urduja and Lim Ah Hong, Pangasinan’s legendary characters.

According to Lee, the project is a public-private partnership with the City Government of Alaminos to upgrade the tourist services and further boost arrivals in the area.

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The Oriental Hundred Islands will be located at the jump-off point to the Hundred Islands National Park.

Sunjae Hwang, president and Jeffrey Allain Jayme, account executive of SMEAG Global Education, the leading ESL school in Cebu.

What is even more significant, and a source of pride for me, is that my hometown, Cebu City, leads the pack of cities in the country that have the most number of ESL schools with 150, followed by Baguio which has 20, and Clark which has 10. All these schools are accredited by TESDA (Technical Education and Skills Development Authority) and by our Bureau of Immigration.

To ensure that these schools maintain the quality of education they give their students through the years, representatives from DoT spot-check on them regularly, and interview students on-the-spot for feedback.

To increase enrollment, officers of these schools and designated representatives from our DoT take part in foreign educational fairs, with the latest ones added to their list are those in Russia, Thailand, and Italy. No wonder the number of students yearning for our brand of English continues to increase by leaps and bounds yearly.

Renne Marie Reyes, head of DoT’s ESL Market Development Group and Marissa Masangkay, her assistant, were nice enough to explain to me the immigration documents required of these foreign students.

For those availing of short courses, all they need is an SSP (Student Turn to D2

Destinations

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SUNDAY, JULY 7, 2019 manilastandardlife@gmail.com

EDUCATIONAL...

From D1

Study Permit), which can easily be obtained from our embassies/consulates abroad. But, if they prefer the longer degree courses, they need to have a Student Visa.

I met Sunjae Hwang, owner of SMEAG Global Education in Cebu. This leading ESL school has three campuses in that city plus one in Tarlac. He and his assistant, Jeffrey Allain Jayme, were grinning from ear-to-ear as they shared with me

MALLING IS MORE FUN IN THE PHILIPPINES

YOUR WEEKEND CHUCKLE HUSBAND: I had some words with my wife…and she had some paragraphs with me!

the good news that their school just bagged 100 Russians to take up short courses at their Cebu schools.

I am really happy to know that educational tourism has grown sturdy roots in our country’s continuously evolving tourism landscape. I look forward to the day when it will be recognized by our local businessmen as a significant and profitable investment, further validating our proficiency in the use of English as a Second Language.

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

FRONT DESK...

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DISCOVERY HOTELS WIN I PREFER MEMBERS’ CHOICE AWARDS Three properties of homegrown chain Discovery Hospitality Corporation are among the top 40 hotels that won the first I Prefer Members’ Choice Awards of the Preferred Hotels and Resorts, the world’s largest independent hotel brand representing more than 750 hotels, resorts, and residences across 85 countries.

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Kultura features uniquely Filipino products as part of the Malling is More Fun in the Philippines campaign of SM Supermalls.

ALLS are a huge part in Filipino culture.

More than a place for shopping, it’s a destination for leisure—where sale happens on the same day as a food fair, where friends can watch a movie and later have a coffee, where families can choose whether to eat at a restaurant or grab a quick bite at a fast food.

These establishments are now part of the modern urban landscape; a multifaceted space where communities manifest and various activities and experiences are available.

With over 70 malls nationwide, the country’s largest shopping mall SM continues to serve as a venue for meaningful family bonding mo-

Discovery Suites Ortigas

Discovery Shores Boracay, Discovery Primea, and Discovery Suites Ortigas was voted by I Prefer members for delivering high quality standards and exceptional, personalized experiences.

“Our uniquely warm service style continues to win the hearts and minds of our guests. This recognition is a testament to our brand promise—service defined by thoughtful gestures and the highest standards,” said Jun Parreño, president of Discovery World Corporation and chief operating officer of Discovery Hospitality

Abe serves Kapampangan specialties

ments, where malling experiences are available for all ages.

To prove that “malling is more fun in the Philippines,” SM Supermalls has teamed up with the DeLocal fashion label Bench showcases its spring/summer 2019 collection. partment of Tourism to celebrate the best of the Philippines through a range of fun fairs and fiestas full cal celebrities and chefs, regional shanghai. Goldilocks Bakeshop disfood fairs, exclusive dining deals, tributed their caramelized popcorn of fun, food, and festivity.

A series of culinary demos by lo- and the SM Supermarket Chefs and polvoron, as SM Supermarket Showdown will be held at 32 SM offered their famed turon.

Supermalls nationwide.

Kultura, on the other hand, feaLocal food and lifestyle brands tured uniquely Filipino products highlighted their products during such as lambanog, tobacco, and lothe launch at SM Megamall. cal coffee beans, while homegrown The iconic Jollibee mascot wel- fashion label Bench showcased its comed guests in a traditional bar- spring/summer 2019 collection. ong Tagalog, while well-known Filipino restaurants joined the fun as Malling is More Fun in the Philippines they offered their signature dishes is happening at SM malls in North like Abe’s adobo with garlic rice and Edsa, Megamall, Mall of Asia, Southsisig with quail egg; Manilachon’s mall, Fairview, Manila, East Ortigas, porchetta or traditional boneless Marikina, BF Parañaque, Baguio, Ropork roast stuffed with herbs; Sar- sales, Cauayan, Cabanatuan, Pamsa’s kansi panada and isaw; and Zu- panga, Clark, Telabastagan, San buchon’s famous lechon Cebu.

Fernando, Baliwag, Marilao, Molino, Guests also enjoyed Barrio Fies- Trece Martires, Santa Rosa, Batanta’s puto and kutsinta, Frituen Bat- gas, Legazpi, Cebu, Seaside City soy’s chicharong bulaklak and bag- Cebu, Iloilo, Bacolod, Puerto Princenet at the Eat Together Food Hall by sa, Lanang Premier, General Santos, Tahanan Pottery Shop's onsite demo Vikings, and Gerry’s Grill’s lumpiang and CDO Downtown Premier.

WILD...

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Discovery Primea

Discovery Shores Boracay, Discovery Primea, and Discovery Suites Ortigas were announced as one of 10 winners within the Asia, Middle East, and Africa category.

Along the gorgeous stretch of sand in Boracay, the award-winning Discovery Shores Boracay stands in a class of its own. Meanwhile, Discovery Primea, located in the heart of Makati, highlights boutique-style service and modern luxury. Business meets leisure at Discovery Suites, which towers along the bustling Ortigas Business District.

Rest like a maharaja in Oberoi Vanyavilas Ranthambore Hotel's glamping tents.

Gayana Marine Resort in Kota Kinabalu has its own Marine Ecology Research Centre.

Be a marine conservationist for a day (or two) in Kota Kinabalu

For a feel-good holiday, head to Gayana Marine Resort in Kota Kinabalu, which has its very own on-site Marine Ecology Research Centre, a learning and educational organization that raises awareness of the marine ecosystem and the increasing threats on marine life.

Visitors can also participate in rehabilitation activities such as replanting corals in the reef or get up-close with sea creatures like seahorses and bamboo sharks.

Go off-grid with India’s majestic predators

Ranthambore National Park in Rajasthan is one of the largest wildlife sanctuaries in Northern India, and is famous for its large population of Royal Bengal Tigers. While the tigers are the main attraction for wildlife enthusiasts, don’t forget to keep an eye out for the Indian leopards, nilgai, wild boars, striped hyenas, sloth bears, and chitals.

The glamping tents at the nearby Oberoi Vanyavilas Ranthambore Hotel are luxurious enough for a maharaja. Around the wooded grounds is a diverse bird life including magpie robins, purple sun birds, and oriental white eyes.

Entertainment

SUNDAY, JULY 7, 2019

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

TARSIER RECORDS LAUNCHES

INIGO PASCUAL’S INTERNATIONAL CAREER

Inigo released the lead single “Options,” a song he first performed at the legendary Viacom Times Square building in New York. The soothing track tackles an alltoo-familiar situation—the battle between the mind and the heart in the millennial world of dating.

2019 is indeed shaping up to be a huge year for the singer-songwriter, as he has officially kicked off his biggest career move yet—crossing over to reach global audiences as ABS-CBN continues to champion Filipino talents on the world stage.

He recently launched his first international collaboration,“Mr. Nice Guy,”with Australia’s no. 1YouTuber and Chinese recording artist, Wengie. The music video currently boasts it’s top spot at the MYX Philippines charts and more than three million views on YouTube alone. Following this, his “Beautiful” collaboration with Markus, Kyler, and Moophs topped the NMF PH Playlist as the number one local release.

Stream Inigo’s “Options” single and watch out for more of his music on digital stores.

By Nickie Wang

T

HERE are a few names that have been waiving the Philippine flag on the international music scene, but in reality, there’s still plenty of work to be done before Filipino musicians could penetrate the international market.

Darna action figure on display at the recently concluded ToyCon 2019

DARNA SOARS WITH ANOTHER FIRST PINOY comics favorite superheroine Darna is soon getting a Funko Pop variant, the first local superhero to have its own Funko collectible toy.

ABS-CBN collaborates with wellknown global brand Funko for the creation of the limited edition Darna Funko Pop, which will be released to the public very soon.

The big Darna x Funko revelation happened at the just concluded TOYCON 2019 held at the SMX Convention Center, jumpstarting the yearlong Darna 70th anniversary celebration campaign.

Darna is one of the superheroes in the Ravelo Komiks Universe, the latest ABS-CBN brand created based on the legendary works of famed comics artist Mars Ravelo. The Ravelo Komiks Universe also features the well-loved Captain Barbell and Lastikman characters.

Funko is one of the leading creators of licensed pop culture products, now with over 6,000 designs featuring characters from TV, films, comics, and more. Headquartered in the US, its works were first previewed at the New York Comic Con 2010 and has, since then, been making waves worldwide.

Aside from the #DarnaFunkoPop toy, other Darna collectibles are also available in various stores, such as the Darna Card Game, statuettes, shirts, and other novelty items.

INTERNATIONAL BIGGEST CAREER MOVE.

Inigo Pascual launches his first internationallyproduced single “Options,” his bold move to reach a global audience.

AFTER millions of fans were left thrilled and gratified with the events of Avengers: Endgame, Spider-Man: Far From Home gives fans the satisfaction of seeing the Marvel cinematic universe post-Avengers from the point of view of Peter Parker as he takes on greater responsibilities.

To further heighten the anticipation for the release of Spider-Man: Far From Home, SM Cinema treated Spider-Man fans to a fun-filled weekend with the Ultimate Spidey Fan Event at SM Mall of Asia Atrium from June 28 to July 3.

The Ultimate Spidey Fan Event turns the SM Mall of Asia Atrium into every Spider-man fan’s dream with plucked-out-of-the-movie elements that fuel excitement for the fans. “ We always give our moviegoers a different movie experience.

We want to bring the reel into

And it’s true, no work is easy that’s why Tarsier Records is using all its resources to promote local musicians globally.

“We launched in September 2017. It was my brainchild. I worked for six months producing the first tracks. We went to Tokyo, Singapore, and Hong Kong for distribution and partnerships and we finally launched in September with our first group of artists,” Tarsier Records Chris Lopez told Manila Standard in Standard an interview.

Among the artists that the label launched in 2017 were Kiana V, Sam Concepcion, and Markus.

“They are some of our big ones,” Chris added.

“We wanted to be seen as a portal of Filipino music to the rest of the world. It’s a slow process but we’re trying hard and if there’s anyone who can lead the charge, it’s the guy right there,” the music executive said pointing his fingers to Inigo Pascual whose upcoming LP is being produced by Tarsier Records.

Inigo is back with brand new music as he launched his first international solo single, “Options,” produced

by LA-based instrumentalist Bernard “HARV” Harvey.

“Options” is the title track of his upcoming LP, also named Options that is slated to drop at the last quarter of 2019. This exciting international album is produced under Tarsier Records together with music producers including HARV and songwriter Felisha “Fury” King, who writes and produces songs for the popular FOX TV show, Empire, and several other artists including Justin Bieber and Eminem.

FROM REEL TO REAL

ULTIMATE SPIDEY FAN EVENT

SPIDER-MEN. Cosplayers delighted fans and mallgoers who visited the Ultimate Spidey Fan Event at SM Mall of Asia Atrium

real life with activities that complete and complement what they see in the movies,” saidRuby Ann O. Reyes, SM Cinema Vice President for Corporate Marketing.

With activity stations where fans can

score special prizes, upside-down rooms for IG-worthy photos, a Play Station booth where Spider-man on PS4 can be played for free and a Spider-man memorabilia exhibit, SM Cinema brings the Spider-man straight from the Marvel

Raunchy US rapper Nicki Minaj is set to perform later in July in the conservative capital of Saudi Arabia.

NICKI MINAJ TO PERFORM IN SAUDI ARABIA

cinematic universe into real life.

Fans also feasted their eyes on a special Spider-Man art piece unveiled at the event by steampunk artist Ram Mallari, who has earned a reputation as a great innovator in the field of “reclaimed sculpture” with his retro-futuristic works with intricate metalwork techniques. He has already received international acclaim, like being invited to be a guest artist and lecturer at the art workshop of the Singapore Science Museum.

Cosplayers from the Spider-Man groups Web Pinas, Spiderverse PH, Pinoy Spider-man Collectors, and Option A Lego Group also participated in the event to show their excitement and support for the classic Marvel superhero as the next chapter of his story unfolds.

Catch Spider-Man: Far From Home in any of SM Cinema’s Director’s Club Cinema and IMAX theatres nation nationwide.

US RAPPER Nicki Minaj will perform in Saudi Arabia this month, organizers said, triggering a storm on social media as the ultra-conservative kingdom loosens decades-old restrictions on entertainment.

Minaj, known for her profanity-laced lyrics and raunchy music videos, will perform in the western city of Jeddah on July 18, organizers of the ongoing Jeddah Season cultural festival announced on Twitter on Tuesday.

The headline act, to be televised on MTV, will also feature British musician Liam Payne and American DJ Steve Aoki, local media reported.

DJ “She (Minaj) is going to be active on her social media, she’ll be posting right from the stage and at her hotel in Jeddah,” Robert Quirke, an event organizer, was quoted as saying by the Arab News daily. “Everyone is going to know that Nicki Minaj has landed in Saudi Arabia.”

The performance in the kingdom, which forbids alcohol and has a strict social code, comes as Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman pursues a sweeping liberalization drive that has led to new cinemas, concerts, and sporting extravaganzas.

The news was widely welcomed in a country where two-thirds of the population is under 30, with one Twitter user posting a picture of Minaj and writing: “My dream has come true.”

But it also triggered outrage from conservative quarters.

“She is going to go and shake her backside and all her songs are about sex... and then everyone tells me to wear the abaya. What the hell!” one woman said in a video posted on Twitter.

Saudi Arabia is boosting entertainment that allows citizens to have fun, in what some see as an attempt to blunt public frustration over an economic downturn and high youth unemployment. AFP

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SUNDAY, JULY 7, 2019

Desiree Carlos, Editor

daycarlos28@yahoo.com

Pets

PARVOVIRUS IN DOGS PET TALES

BY DESIREE CARLOS

C

ANINE parvovirus is highly contagious, viral disease that can lead to death.

Rescued dog Nica (brown dog) almost died when she was infected by parvo virus. She was only six weeks old then.

After treatment and confinement at the clinic, she was given the 5-in-1 series of vaccines. Every year thereafter, she is given a booster shot and an anti-rabies shot.

dish and water bowl in the solution for 10 minutes. If the objects can not be disinfected due to the material, please throw or discard the object. · The solution can be used to disinfect the soles of your shoes if you suspect you have walked through an infected area. · Spray areas that are harder to clean (grassy areas, carpeting and wood, for example) with disinfectant. Some owners removed the carpet and wood to ensure the other dogs will not be infected.

MIMIW is a six-year-old pusang Pinoy or puspin who brought love into the home of Kela de Dios.

“She just came into our lives. She went inside our home and never left since then,” Kela says.

Kela thinks Mimiw “might have felt really safe and secured. Mimiw found a forever home.”

“She loves to play with her hoomans and brushes herself on our legs to make her presence felt, “ Kela shares.

“When it's meal time, Mimiw would jump on the dining table to join us. She loves fish and scrambled eggs,” she adds.

Mimiw blends well with her dog siblings, Kela says.

“We love her so much!” adds Kela.

Treatment

· At present, there are no drugs that can kill the virus. “Treatment consists of aggressive supportive care to control the symptoms and boost your dog’s immune system,” ASPCA said. · “Dogs infected with parvovirus need intensive treatment in a veterinary hospital, where they will receive antibiotics to control secondary infections, drugs to control the vomiting, intravenous fluids to treat dehydration and other supportive therapies,” ASPCA said. · The hospital stay can be from 5-7 days. · “Treatment is not always successful, so it is important to make sure your dog is vaccinated,” ASPCA said.

When to See the Vet

ASPCA reiterated that parvovirus is “often fatal.”

“If you notice your dog experiencing severe vomiting, loss of appetite, depression or bloody diarrhea, contact your veterinarian immediately,“ it said.

SAFE TOYS FOR CATS Wooden scratching facilities can help to transfer scratching behavior into an outdoor context. If your cat is destined for an indoor life you need to avoid future confusion by ensuring that the material on the scratch post does not resemble any of your household furnishings,” Vet West Animals Hospitals said.

UNKNOWN to many owners, adult cats love to play just like kittens.

“It is a common misconception that cats only play when they are kittens, when in fact adult cats also benefit from regular playtimes and playful interaction with their owners, “ said Vet West Animals Hospitals.

“As they get older their play may Best way to play alter, but the drive to chase, pounce with an adult cat and kill remains throughout the cat's It helps to use toys with remote life and games that allow for these be- control. haviors are always popular, “ it added.

“Playing with cats using remote style toys has a number of advantages espeThe scratching post cially for the more independent adult Scratching posts are important toys. cat. If a toy is being held in the owner's They “provide an opportunity for hand the cat will be aware of their presplay but they are also very necessary ence and this can interfere with the full since scratching is an important behav- expression of their predatory behavior, ior for cats and one that needs to have as it does not seem ‘real’,” Vet West Anian acceptable outlet within the home, mals Hospitals said. “ Vet West Animals Hospitals said.

It added: “The close presence of huIt said however, “Probably the man hands can also encourage cats to most important features of a ‘play’ with moving fingers and can enscratching post are its height, its sta- courage predatory responses towards bility and its surface texture.” owners' hands and ankles.”

It suggested giving tall scratching An easy way to encourage play posts which allow cats to scratch at while retaining a distance from a cat full stretch. is by using a fishing rod kind of toy. “..the surface material needs to Keep the object at the end of the offer a good purchase for the claws. line moving and let the cat stalk it,

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.

You can protect your dog from this disease by having your dog vaccinated.

At six weeks of age, a pup is dewormed by the vet.

At eight weeks of age, the pup is given the first of a series of vaccines. The next shots are given every two weeks thereafter.

The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), in Puppy Vaccines 101: Which Shots Does my Puppy Need and When? In Jeffers site, said the core puppy vaccines that are considered necessary to give your pup are that for DISTEMPER, HEPATITIS, HEPATITIS, PARVOVIRUS, PARAINFLUENZA, AND RABIES. The 5-in-1 vaccine takes care of parvovirus, canine distemper, adenovirus (hepatitis), and parainfluenza.

An anti-rabies shot is given separately.

“The (parvo) virus attacks rapidly-dividing cells in a dog’s body, most severely affecting the intestinal tract. Parvovirus also attacks the white blood cells, and when young animals are infected, the virus can damage the heart muscle and cause lifelong cardiac problems, “ said the Rafa, a parvo survivor, is given a booster shot every year.

American Society For the Prevention of Cruelty against Animals (ASPCA). the environment for months. a core vaccine for all puppies and Worse, it can survive on inani- adult dogs,” ASPCA said.

Symptoms mate objects such as food bowls, · The series of first vaccine usually The symptoms are: shoes, clothes, carpet and floors. starts at 6-8 weeks of age. Every year · Lethargy · Dogs who are not vaccinated thereafter, a booster shot is given. · Severe vomiting against parvo virus can easily be in· “Older dogs who have not re· Loss of appetite fected if they walk on the streets or ceived full puppy vaccination se· Bloody, foul-smelling diar- go to parks, specially in urban areas ries may be susceptible to parvovirhea, which can lead to dehydra- where there are a lot of dogs. rus and should also receive at least tion one immunization,” ASPCA said.

When you observe any of these Dogs Prone to Parvovirus It added: “Because parvovirus symptoms in your dog, please · Pups, adolescent dogs and can live in an environment for bring him or her to the vet imme- dogs who are not vaccinated can months, take extra care if there diately. be infected. has been an infected dog in your · Breeds at high risk are labra- house or yard. Parvo is resistant Causes dor retrievers, rottweilers, dober- to many typical disinfectants and · This disease is highly conta- man pinschers, American Staf- can be difficult to eradicate.” gious and can be transmitted fordshire terriers and German through the poop of a parvo-in- shepherds.

Here is a guide from ASPCA: fected dog. It can be transmitted · Prepare a solution of one part to any person, animal or object Prevention bleach to 32 parts water if organwho/that has come into contact · Ensure your dog’s vaccination ic material is not present. with an infected dog’s poop. is given as scheduled by your vet. · Make sure you clean and disin· The virus can be present in “Parvovirus should be considered fect the infected dog’s toys, food

(Last part)

MY FURRY BESTIE

Jack and Jill, rescued by Save Animals of Love and Light (Save ALL) when they were kittens, loved to play with everything and scratch at anything. Flattened cardboard boxes also served as scratching posts for them. They are now adult cats but they still love scratching posts of any kind: bought or made by volunteers. Tip: Please always put catnip (bought in pet stores) on the scratching boards/posts.

play time can be short bursts only as they also sleep in between.

“This means that short intense play sessions are the most beneficial in feline terms and owners often misinterpret the lack of staying power as a sign of boredom. In fact your cat's play pattern is perfectly normal and you can maximize the benefit of these short playtimes by rotating the toys on a regular basis and ensuring that there is always something new and Normal play time exciting to keep your cat's interest!”

Cats are playful creatures but their Vet West Animals Hospitals said. DC

chase it, and “ kill” it.

“During a natural hunting sequence cats will often spend time observing the movement of potential ‘prey’ without chasing it and while many owners interpret this as a sign that the cat is not interested in the toy the truth is that this cat has just become more efficient at waiting for the right moment to pounce, “ Vet West Animals Hospitals said.

DON DON was rescued in a way by the father and sister of Cheryl Jullienne Villar. They took pity on him, forcing them to buy the poor pup who was then being sold while on a vehicle under the scorching heat of the sun.

“He was placed on top of a tricycle and was being peddled in our area when my Dad and sister saw him pretty worn off and tired. They decided to buy him, “ Cheryl recounts.

Don Don was named after Cheryl’s father, Domingo N. Villar.

“After several visits to the vet for deworming and vaccines, Don Don got sick and had to be force fed.

We took turns taking care of him, “ Cheryl recalls.

“After 14 days, he regained his appetite. He recovered and we were all so glad he did, “ Cheryl says.

Don Don is “a very intelligent dog and he is very protective of us. When a burglar got inside our house, he barked nonstop and stroke my Mom’s arm (my Mom fell asleep and left the door open) with his paw repeatedly until she woke up. This made the burglar leave our home,” Cheryl shares.

“He was just a little pup when this happened.

At that young age, he already knew what danger meant, “ Cheryl notes.

Don Don has had many medical challenges and overcame all of it.

At five years old, Dondon had episodes of collapsing due to excitement, Cheryll says.

No medicine was recommended. Instead, “we were advised to ensure he had exercise and to simply make him relaxed, “ she says.

After two years, the episodes suddenly disappeared.

Recently, at seven years old, the vet found a tumor in Don Don’s organ.

“No chemo medicine was available then and we patiently waited for the vet's call for months.

We kept praying for the tumor to go away and heal, “ Cheryl recounts.

“Miraculously, the tumor decreased in size, “ she adds.

Don Don also underwent an ear operation due to hematoma.

The Villar family is so happy Don Don overcame all his medical struggles and still brings love and joy in their home.

“Dondon enjoys chicken, beef, rice and a little dog food. He loves tricycle rides and lots of sleep. He is well known in our area because I walk him everyday,” Cheryl says.

“We make sure to celebrate his birthday every February 19th. He is my little brother and I will forever be his big sister, “ adds Cheryl.

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.