Manila Standard - 2019 November 17 - Sunday

VOL. XXXIII • NO. 276 • 4 SECTIONS 16 PAGES • P18 • SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2019 • www.manilastandard.net • mst.daydesk@gmail.com

RODY TO LENI: LEAK DATA, YOUR'E FIRED

By Vito Barcelo

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RESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte warned Vice President Leni Robredo, whom he appointed this month as co-chair of the Inter-agency Committee on Anti-Illegal Drugs (ICAD) not to reveal classified matters of the government that would endanger the security of the state.

The President added he would fire Robredo as drug czar should she share secret details with others, after the Vice President met with the officials from the United Nations Of-

fice on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) on Monday in connection with her new role as drug czar.

Duterte made the pronouncement over GMA News when asked

regarding Robredo’s meeting with the UNODC, community-based advocacy groups and U.S. Embassy officials to discuss the drug problem in the country.

Earlier, Robredo said there is a need to tap other stakeholders and provide a platform for those who want to help fight illegal drugs.

At the same time, Robredo said there was no hidden agenda behind her request for more information about the government’s deadly campaign against illegal drugs.

She gave the assurance to members of the law enforcement cluster of

the ICAD during a meeting on Thursday, the committee she co-chairs with Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency chief Aaron Aquino.

“I assured them that my request for information is not to ghost-hunt,” she told reporters after the meeting, referring to the leadership of the Philippine National Police. “[It is] just so I know where to start, what is the baseline.”

She explained that seeing the full picture of what happened in the past three years would prevent a repeat of the problems that confront the previous implementation of the anti-illegal drug campaign.

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MICHELLE DEE: AUTISM ADVOCATE ENTERTAINMENT D3

SPECIAL POWERS 'TOO LATE'

By Vito Barcelo MALACANANG on Saturday said Congressman Joey Salceda’s proposal to grant President Rodrigo Duterte special powers to speed up the implementation of “Build. Build, Build” program was “late” since the President had only more than two years left in office.

In a statement, Palace spokesperson Salvador Panelo said the congressman from Albay filed House Bill No. 5456 intended to grant Duterte special powers to speed up the implementation of the “Build-Build-Build” program of this Administration.

“While we respect the wisdom of Congress and laud the gentleman from Albay in seeing the importance of this flagship infrastructure program of the current government, we consider this proposed measure belated and no longer a priority legislative agenda of the Turn to A2

VAPING APPS BANNED ON APPSTORE

JOLLY CHRISTMAS. There is a glittering flash of light at SM City Marikina as it unveiled last week its giant Christmas facade at the mall’s atrium attended by children at heart with Santa Cvlaus, who made a special appearance giving treats and gifts to the kids. Norman Cruz

GOKONGWEI'S WIDOW, SCHOLARS' BENEFACTOR, DIES; 85 ELIZABETH Yu Gokongwei, widow of billionaire John Gokongwei Jr., died Saturday, a week after the death of her husband and just one day after his burial, her family confirmed. She was 85.

The couple are survived by their children Robina, Lance, Lisa, Faith, Hope and Marcia.

“Our mother, Elizabeth Yu Gokongwei, passed away peacefully on Saturday, November 16, 2019, one week after the death of our father, John Gokongwei, Jr., her husband of 61 years,” the family said in a statement.

The wake will be private, to be shared with friends and family, according to her

RESORTS WORLD TREAT.

Christmas begins early at the country’s premier entertainment and lifestyle destination Resorts World Manila with the launch of its annual Grand Fiesta Manila.

From left: Resorts World Manila President and CEO Kingson Sian; Pasay City Mayor Emi CalixtoRubiano; Pasay Representative Antonino Calixto; and CEO of Alliance Global Inc., and Head of Megaworld Lifestyle Malls Kevin Andrew Tan during the Grand Fiesta Manila 2019 launch and Tree Lighting ceremony.

son Lance in a text message.

Five years ago, in 2014, Mrs. Gokongwei published the coffee table book “My Angkong’s Noodles,” a documentary on the culinary heritage of Chinese Filipinos, which compendium of recipes she dedicated “to our immigrant grandmothers and great-grandmothers who had to work daily at the stove.” Profits from the book’s sale went to Gokongwei Brothers Foundation’s scholarships and educational endowments.

She was a member of the Board of Trustees of the GBE where she focused her efforts on providing educational

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APPLE has said it is banning vapingrelated apps from its App Store due to concerns that e-cigarette use can damage lungs or even kill people.

Apple vets what is allowed on the shelves of its virtual shop that serves as the sole outlet for apps available to its popular mobile devices, including some 900 million iPhones in use around the world.

“Recently, experts ranging from the CDC to the American Heart Association have attributed a variety of lung injuries and fatalities to e-cigarette and vaping products, going so far as to call the spread of these devices a public health crisis an a youth epidemic,” Apple said Friday in response to an AFP query prompted by an Axios report.

“We agree, and we’ve updated our App Store Review Guidelines to reflect that apps encouraging or facilitating the use of these products Turn to A2 are not permitted.”

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RODY...

From A1 “The (PNP) leadership was very cooperative. Actually, they reiterated their support, they reiterated that if there are data that we need or have to be clarified, they are open to providing that,” she told reporters, adding she would allow concerned agencies to conduct their own internal cleansing and not waste her time “ghost hunting.”

“We are returning to the agencies the responsibility to… clean their own institutions,” she said. “We are looking for ways of moving forward because we really do not have much time.”

Earlier, Interior Undersecretary for external and legislative affairs Ricojudge Echiverri expressed reservations on the release of the drug war data to Robredo.

Among the information the Vice President was seeking was a list of those involved in the deadly police operations that claimed the lives of thousands of suspects who allegedly fought back against police.

Commission on Human Rights chairman Chito Gascon earlier said they would request for access to such information from ICAD now that Robredo was the co-chair.

Duterte said “there’s a limit to that, saying “I know that she’s a lawyer and she has other advisers... There are certain matters that should be kept with the government, that classified matters cannot be shared. Once [she does] that, she’s out, I would fire her.

Because you jeopardized the security of the state.”

Also during the TV interview, Duterte admitted that he was suffering from illnesses due to old age.

“Lahat ng sakit, nandito na sa ‘kin kasi matanda na ako... Kung sabihin mo,‘Okay ka ba presidente? Are you in the best of health?’Of course not. I am old, life has begun to take its toll on my health. At kung sabihin mong may sakit ako, meron. You name it, I have it. Para wala na lang debate,” he said.

The President, who was supposed to take a three-day leave last week held a dialogue with farmers in North Cotabato on Friday.

He also went to Eastern Samar to condole with the orphaned families of the soldiers killed in a clash with NPA rebels.

Meanwhile, Malacanang said it was still too early to say if Robredo was doing a good job in her new appointment.

In an interview over CNN, Panelo instead urged the public to support her new task, saying it was too early to assess Robredo’s performance as co-chairperson of ICAD. “My assessment on everybody is you are in a hurry. The Vice President just started her new job,” he told CNN Philippines.

“Give her the chance, let her perform her job, then let’s assess afterward,”the Palce spokesman said.

He said it would take a little time to comprehend with her new role since the fight against illegal drug was a serious matter, adding that Robredo needed to test the waters first.

The Vice President accepted the President’s offer to co-chair ICAD until the end of their term in 2022.

“You have to know the situation first. You’ll weigh the situation if you need to meet the people there first,” he said.

“Then you’ll ask for the advice of experts before you make a move.

She’s doing it right,” he added.

The Palace spokesman said Robredo’s move to meet with members of the FBI, United States Drug Enforcement Agency, and the United Nations office on drugs and crimes was one of the steps to learn on how to deal with illegal drugs in the country.

“This is educational. She doesn’t know anything about it. So, that is the right step – knowing what are the facts. If you are in the position, how would you work if you are not aware of the situation in your turf,”he added.

GOKONGWEI'S...

From A1 opportunities to underprivileged youth.

One of her pet projects, launched in 2012, was the awarding of high school scholarships at the St. Stephen’s High School to promising students.

PH LEGAL TEAM OVERSEAS EYED IN HOUSE MEASURE

By Maricel V. Cruz

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PARTY-LIST lawmaker is pushing to strengthen the offices abroad tasked with promoting the rights of Filipino workers – through the creation of a Philippine Overseas Legal Action Center in areas that have concentration of Filipino workers.

The bill, authored by Party-list environment” for Filipino workers Rep. Jocelyn Pua-Tulfo of ACT-CIS, abroad. aims “to provide a more secure House Bill 1541 strengthens the

powers and functions of the existing Philippine Overseas Labor Office under the Department of Labor.

She said the bill, aside from instituting a more efficient system to bring legal service to those in need, would provide additional support by providing mental health and medical diagnostics to distressed Filipino workers.

Pua-Tulfo, vice chairman of the House Committee on Overseas Workers Affairs, said POLAC shall be distinct from the present POLO, whose main function is to provide

legal assistance to ensure the enforcement of government policies and regulations that govern Filipino workers abroad.

Pua-Tulfo added the proposed POLAC shall be given prosecutory powers against those who violate the rights of Filipino workers and will be allowed to collect “costs of suit” from offending parties.

“As such, there shall be minimal costs shouldered by the aggrieved party and by the government as a whole in the course of protecting of its citizens,” she added.

ATENEO OFF TO HOT START, ROUTS UST, 91-77

By Peter Atencio

PRESIDENTIAL CONDOLENCE. President Rodrigo Duterte, the military commander-in-chief, condoles with the kin of one of the slain soldiers in a firefight with enemies of the state he visited at Camp General Vicente Lukban in Catbalogan City in Samar on Friday. Malacañang Photo

SPECIAL...

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President, given that we only have less than three years left in office,” Panelo said.

The Palace spokesman said the President would implement and maximize what is presently available under the laws for this purpose.

“One of the inherent powers of the State is the power of eminent domain where pertinent government offices, through the Office of the Solicitor General, may expropriate or initiate proceedings therefor to acquire private property for public use,” he said.

“This power is particularly essential in securing rights of way, an issue that hampered the construction of vital infrastructure.

The current agencies involved in the infrastructure program are presently utilizing this process,” he said.

“The Build-Build-Build program is now rolling with 35 ongoing constructions; 32 projects about to commence construction within 6-8 months; 21 in the advanced stages of government approval and 12 in the advanced stages of feasibility

studies. We expect 38 projects to be completed by 2022, 22 partially operational or at substantial completion, and while 40 are to be completed beyond 2022, all projects will be started within the governance of this Administration,” Panelo added.

The Duterte government allots P9 trillion for the implementation of around 100 big-ticket infrastructure projects and over 10,000 small infrastructure projects under the “Build, Build, Build” program.

Panelo noted that there was progress in the implementation of the infrastructure program, citing the figures recently released by Bases Conversion and Development Authority president and chief executive officer Vivencio Dizon who also serves as Presidential Adviser for Flagship Programs and Projects.

Around 38 out of the revised list of 100 key infrastructure projects are expected to be completed by 2022, while 22 are “partially operational or substantially completed” and the remaining 40 would be

finished “beyond 2022,” Dizon told a Palace economic briefing on Wednesday.

Dizon also noted that 35 flagship infrastructure projects are ongoing, 32 will commence construction in the next six to eight months, 21 are in the advanced stages of government approval, and 12 in the advanced stages of a feasibility study.

Panelo was confident that all infrastructure projects “will be started within the governance of this Administration.”

“One of the inherent powers of the State is the power of eminent domain where pertinent government offices, through the Office of the Solicitor General, may expropriate or initiate proceedings there for to acquire private property for public use,” he said.

“This power is particularly essential in securing rights of way, an issue that hampered the construction of vital infrastructure.

The current agencies involved in the infrastructure program are presently utilizing this process,” Panelo added. With PNA

THE Ateneo Blue Eagles are getting close to their goals of completing a perfect season.

Showing no signs of rustiness from their 15-day break, the Blue Eagles got off to a hot start, and finished stronger with a 91-77 smothering of the University of Santo Tomas Growling Tigers yesterday at the Araneta Coliseum.

The Loyola dribblers got the best out of Thirdy Ravena as they went on to post their 15th straight win at the end of Game 1 in the 82nd University Athletic Association of the Philippines men’s basketball finals.

They could become the second squad to win a crown with an unblemished record if they beat the España-based dribblers for the last time in Game 2 on Wednesday.

The University of Santo Tomas Growling Tigers last won the crown via a 14-game sweep of the elimination round back in 1993.

That was when UST, then coached by Aric del Rosario, completed their sweep with a 75-68 win over the Adamson Falcons.

“It’s good to get the win. But we tend not to see that as a win. We see this as the first half of basketball. We did a long break to prepare for the second half, which is Game 2. A lot of work to do,” said Ateneo coach Tab Baldwin.

The Blue Eagles are now moving closer to history, and if they finish the season with 16-0 sweep, this could be the longest winning streak for a collegiate squad in the league in 26 years.

Ravena finished with a season-high 32 points, his highest output since the end of the elimination round when the Blue Eagles turned back the Adamson Falcons, 80-74, when made 23 points.

The 6’2” Ravena was hardly needed in the fourth quarter as the Blue Eagles nursed a 21-point edge, 80-59, off Matthew Daves’ layup off SJ Belangel’s pass.

The Growling Tigers got only six of 26 career-high points from Mark Nonoy in the fourth period, as he was held to just two points as the Blue Eagles managed to check him in third period for a 76-58 spread.

That was when Ravena was at his best, knocking in 14 points in the third, as the Blue Eagles first took a 21-point spread, their biggest advantage for the rest of the game.

Their halfcourt defense allowed them scoring a lot from transition points after the Blue Eagles forced 16 turnovers with their traps.

Angelo Kouame knocked in 18 points, and his inside play in the last 7:15 of the second saw Ateneo pulling away by 19, 38-19, with 7:15 remaining.

“We played really bad. We were not executing. We went there with some players who were not in their usual game. We were not able to prepare them well. There were situations na hindi namin nadaanan sa practice,” said Tigers’ coach Aldin Ayo.

VAPING...

From A1 Apple has pulled 181 vaping-related apps from the App Store worldwide.

Tobacco along with vaping cartridges were never allowed at the virtual shop, so the apps involved social networks, news, games, hardware or stores, according to the California-based company.

“We are grateful that Apple is joining with us and others on this historic day to stand against big Vape and their lies by removing all vaping apps in the App Store,” American Heart Association chief executive Nancy Brown said in a released statement.

“Our hope is that others will follow our lead and follow with their own powerful message that nicotine and nicotine addiction caused by e-cigarette use are leaving thousands sick and dying across the globe.”

People who already have the nowbanned apps on their Apple gadgets will be able to continue using them.

US President Donald Trump said this week he planned to meet with vaping industry representatives as he considered whether to ban flavored e-cigarette products following a deadly epidemic of vaping-linked lung injuries.

Vaping, already criticized as a“gateway” to tobacco or other addiction, is facing unprecedented scrutiny amid a mysterious epidemic linked to e-cigarette use that has killed 39 and sickened more than 2,000 mostly young people in the US. Meanwhile, the Department of Health clarified on Saturday the first confirmed lung injury in the country related to vaping or the use of electronic cigarettes was still regarded as a probable case.

Health Secretary Francisco Duque III, in an interview on Dobol B sa News TV aired over GMA News TV beamed nationwide, said the vaping-related illness

would only be confirmed once examination results showed that viral or bacterial infection did not cause lung injury.

The DOH on Friday said a 16-year-old female from the Visayas who started smoking last March had been afflicted with lung injury.

According to Duque, the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine was coordinating with the hospital to gather more specimen from the teenager such as blood, phlegm, or stool for further examination.

Results may be finished in two weeks.

AFP

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PAGCOR REOPENS WINDOW FOR WALK-IN AID REQUEST

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HE Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation will resume acceptance of walk-in requests for financial medical assistance starting today.

This was announced yesterday by PAGCOR chairperson Andrea Domingo as she vowed stronger cooperation with the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office to address the problem of fraudulent claims.

PAGCOR on November 13, 2019 said that it would temporarily stop accommodating requests for financial aid beginning November 14 due to fraud committed by a couple who submitted fake documents for fictitious medical cases.

While PAGCOR will pursue legal action against the couple, they have been released for humanitarian considerations.

PAGCOR will resume accepting medical assistance requests that will first be endorsed to PCSO for verification. PCSO will confirm whether a request has been issued a PCSO Guarantee Letter.

The primary objective of enhanced PAGCOR and PCSO coordination is to maximize aid given to each patient, and to harmonize the systems of both agencies.

Under the arrangement, PAGCOR will be able to tap the assistance of PCSO, which has more human and organizational resources and experience in processing requests for medical assistance.

This interim measure is in preparation for responsible data-sharing and other long-term solutions that the two agencies have been exploring in light of their commitments under the Universal Health Care Law and the Malasakit Law. PAGCOR further warns that individuals or groups found guilty of fraudulent activities against the agency shall be dealt with strictly in accordance with law.

PAGCOR is mandated to generate funds for the government through direct remittances to national coffers and other legal beneficiaries.

To align with and support the current administration’s priorities, it has also provided direct financial medical assistance to Filipinos in need.

MAKATI SPELLS OUT PRIORITY: KIDS’ HEALTH, EDUCATION

By Joel Zurbano THE Health and education of children in Makati City will get priority.

Thus assured City Mayor Abigail Binay in her State of the Children Address in Makati Coliseum last Friday.

Binay presented major accomplishments and programs of the city government for the holistic development of children.

During the assembly, the local chief executive highlighted exemplary initiatives aimed to address the basic needs of children and uphold their rights, even before they were born.

“Bilang isang magulang at tumatayong ina ng mga mamamayan ng Makati, nais kong maibigay sa inyo ang isang maginhawang pamumuhay dito sa ating lungsod. Mula sa panahong ipinagbubuntis pa lamang kayo, hanggang sa makatungtong kayo sa ligal na edad, isinusulong ko at ipinagtatanggol ang mga karapatan ninyo bilang mga bata,” she said.

Binay mentioned the Baby Makatizen program which aims to encourage pregnant residents to have regular prenatal checkups at the barangay health centers, Ospital ng Makati or at any private health facility to ensure the safety of both mother and baby from conception to delivery.

Under the program, a reusable baby bag containing newborn essentials such as diapers and baby wipes, swaddle blanket, tie side and pajamas, is given for free to Yellow Card holders who have completed the required prenatal checkups from the first to third trimester.

Binay reported that 1,259 Baby Makatizen bags have been distributed to those who had their checkups at the city’s public health facilities, and 280 bags to those who went to private clinics and hospitals in the city.

To strengthen the bond between mother and child, 1,750 mothers received a special souvenir picture of their first moments with their child from the city, the mayor added.

E-WASTE. Residents of Barangay West Triangle in Quezon City bring their broken

or discarded equipment to a collection event organized by the barangay council to promote awareness and support for the ‘Safe PCB and E-Waste Management’ project by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources-Environmental Management Bureau to protect public health and the environment against harmful chemicals in electronic waste. Manny Palmero

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FINANCE CITES SPEX AS TOP TAXPAYER THE Department of Finance has recognized Shell Philippines Exploration B.V. (SPEX), the operator of Malampaya Deepwater Gas-to-Power Project, as top paying company under the oil and gas category in the recent 2019 Transparency Awards held in Pasay City.

SPEX topped the list with a P22 billion total reconciled payments indicated in the latest report, “Forging New Frontiers: the Fifth PH-EITI Report (FY 2017) (“the 5th Report”). One of the most successful Public-Private Partnerships in the history of the country, the Malampaya project provides up to 40% of Luzon’s electricity requirements and has contributed US 11 billion in remittance to the Philippine government.

The Transparency Awards is Philippine Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (PH-EITI)’s annual award-giving ceremony to recognize outstanding performance and achievement in the implementation of EITI and promotion of extractives transparency as a whole.

This recognition shows that in addition to powering Philippine progress, SPEX also ensures that the extraction of the country’s natural resources translate to sustainable development.

The 5th Report embodies innovation and expansion with the pilot use of an online reporting tool Online Reporting in the Extractives (ORE), and the inclusion of new sectors. Besides having a larger scope than the previous report, the 5th Report also features pilot reports on beneficial ownership and small-scale mining

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6 SLAIN SOLDIERS AWARDED CUSTOMS TO OIL FIRMS: COMPLY WITH FUEL MARKING

By Joel E. Zurbano THE government on Saturday reminded other oil firms they still have three months to test their petroleum products under the Fuel Marking Program to avoid heavy penalties and prosecution.

Lawyer Teddy Raval, Customs Deputy Commissioner for Enforcement, made the appeal few days after his team and fuel marker consortium Sicpa SA-SGS Philippines resumed operation in Batangas on the petroleum products of Chevron Philippines Inc. The marking of Chevron petroleum products was done at its import terminal in San Pascual, Batangas on Nov. 11.

Chevron Phils., which sells fuels through the Caltex brand, was among the country’s three major oil companies, including Pilipinas Shell and Petron Corp.

Three other oil firms—Seaoil Philippines, Inc, Unioil Petroleum and Insular Oil Company—have so far complied with the new policy, which according to Raval is intended to curb smuggling and shipment misdeclaration of petroleum products by placing a molecular marker in the refined fuel products—gasoline, diesel, and kerosene.

“The other oil companies with unmarked fuel are encouraged to do the same. They still have three months to comply. We will strictly enforce and impose penalties as mandated by the law,” he said.

The corresponding penalties include seizure of petroleum products, conveyances such as vessels or tank trucks, and closure of premises.

By Vito Barcelo

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RESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte has posthumously conferred the Order of Lapu-Lapu, Rank of Kalasag to the six soldiers killed in an encounter with New People’s Army in Eastern Samar last week.

Duterte visited Camp General V cente Lukban in Catbalogan City on Friday evening to honor the six soldiers who died in a 30-minute clash with the communist rebels in Borongan City. At least 24 other soldiers were wounded in the firefight.

The recipients of the award were SSgt. Rex Jadulco, Sgt. Ronaldo Go, Sgt. Limar Banug, Cpl. Junmar Buranday, Cpl. Kent Lloyd Agullo, and Pfc. Charlie Del Rosario.

Of the wounded soldiers, the 16 confined at the Camp Lukban Station Hospital were conferred the Order of

Lapu-Lapu, Rank of Kampilan by the President.

Four other soldiers who were injured during separate clashes with the rebels, were also conferred the Order of Lapu Lapu, Rank of Kampilan.

Critically injured soldiers and police personnel in the Borongan City encounter who are now recuperating at the Divine Word Hospital in Tacloban City were also conferred the same award and rank.

The Order of Lapu-Lapu is given to persons in the government or private sector who have rendered extraordi-

nary service or have made exceptional contributions to the success of the President’s campaign or advocacy.

The Kampilan Medal is conferred on persons who were seriously wounded or suffered great loss of property as a direct result of their participation in such action.

The Kalasag Medal, on the other hand, is given to officials and personnel of the government and private individuals who lost their lives as a direct result of their participation in an activity pursuant to a campaign or advocacy of the President.

The dependents of the soldiers killed in action received financial assistance from the government, while other support were extended through the state’s Comprehensive Social Benefit Program. The injured Army and police personnel were also given financial support.

Pet detective Sun Jinrong

CHINA’S PET SLEUTH USES HIGH-TECH TOOLS PRIVATE sleuth Sun Jinrong brings heat detectors, tiny surveillance cameras, and a blow dart loaded with a tranquilizer to his search for one desperate client’s missing loved one: A cat named Duoduo.

Unlike Jim Carrey’s goofy Ace Ventura character, the man dubbed

by China’s media as the nation’s first pet detective is a stoney-faced animal lover who solves cases with the help of high-tech gear worth thousands of dollars.

With dogged determination, Sun has reunited around 1,000 missing pets with their owners since he launched his business seven years ago.

Clients pay 8,000 yuan ($1,130) for the service provided by his company, which has 10 employees and is based in the eastern city of Shanghai.

Sun often gets calls from anguished pet owners in the middle of the night and rushes to cities and towns across the nation to help.

Dog ownership was banned as bourgeois vanity under Chairman Mao Zedong, but Chinese society’s views of pets have changed and there are now 91.5 million cats and dogs in the country, according to Pet Fair Asia and pet website Goumin.com.

Sun says pets are sometimes stolen rather than lost, and dogs are occasionally sold for their meat.

“Most pet owners get very flustered,” Sun said. “They don’t even own a flashlight. They can only look for cats in the dark by the weak light of their phones.” AFP

CHRISTMAS IS IN THE AIR. Mallgoers roam around the newly-launched Christmas garden at the Festival Mall at Filinvesty City in Alabang. Ey Acasio

FIRE INCIDENTS IN ILOILO CITY CAUSED BY POWER WIRES MORE than half or 1,464 cases out of 2,887 incidents of fire in Iloilo City since January 2014 were caused by faulty electricity wire setups in street poles, many of which are owned by the franchise-less Panay Electric Co. which is being investigated by the Energy Regulatory Commission.

Iloilo City Fire Marshall Chief Inspector Christopher Regencia s a i d p e r h i s e x p e rience, street pole fires are caused by high-voltage electricity wires and not by the lowvoltage wires put up by telecommunications and cable TV companies in the same poles.

Regencia said in the case of Iloilo City, the BFP has assumed the fires

came from short circuit in electricity wires by the distribution utility because of the huge sparks that usually precede the wires catching fire.

The Iloilo City fire chief’s statement is in response to the reply of PECO to his report to the ERC that more than half of electricity pole fires in Iloilo City were actually caused by telecommunications wires and not by PECO’s electricity wires in the street poles.

Regencia submitted the report to the ERC in support of the complaint filed by Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Trenas against the threats to public safety

by PECO’s “inadequately-maintained lines, power outages and hazardous electric posts.”

PECO had claimed its own tests prove that the low voltage telecommunications wires could cause a spark that could trigger fire.

However, Regencia said his experience in his entire career as a fireman and chief of fire departments of other cities showed that the pole fires were all caused by faulty electricity wire connections or old electricity wires whose rubber coating had worn off and exposed the wires to the elements. Such exposed wires explode or trigger sparks when they rub with other wires, thus causing fire, the Iloilo City fire chief said.

BFP records submitted by Regencia to the ERC showed that from Jan. 1,

2014 to Oct. 29, 2019, a total of 2,887 fire incidents occurred in Iloilo City, with pole fires numbering 1,464 cases, or 51.187 percent of all fire incidents during the almost six-years period.

The BFP also said another factor behind the pole fires is PECO’s failure to solve the problem of illegal connections or “jumpers.”

PECO had lost its congressional franchise after failing to convince Congress to renew it when it expired in January 18 this year over mounting consumer complaints against the poor quality and the safety issues of its distribution assets, the unfriendly customer relations culture among its staff and the frequent power outages.

LAWMAKER SLAMS TAXIS WITH ILLEGAL ‘TURBO TIMERS’

By Maricel V. Cruz

EMPATHY. House Majority Leader and Leyte Rep. Martin Romuladez, in partnership with Tingog Party List Rep. Yedda Marie K. Romualdez, distributes P3,000 each as well as mosquito net, water container, pail, and dipper to more than 1,000 families affected by the recent earthquake at three barangays in Makilala, North Cotabato. Romualdez recently donated P500,000 to the victims during his birthday celebration last Thursday. Ver Noveno

means that the timer on these flawed or purposely modified meters run twice as A PARTY-LIST congressman has warned fast as they should,” Nograles said. the riding public against ‘turbo timers’ Under such a meter, a 30-minute ride on taxis. that should cost P60, excluding the per Complaints reaching Puwersa ng kilometer charge ends up costing P120, Bayaning Atleta party-list Rep. Jericho or double. That is a significant uptick Nograles’ office showed that some taxis considering the usual traffic jams in the have unusually fast timers in their fare metropolis which prolong travel time, meters, which directly affect the P2- he said. per-minute running travel fee charged “This is the new style of ‘batingting’ to riders. that the LTFRB should guard against. I The running charge—similar to the urge passengers of taxis to be observant one imposed by Grab drivers—was and call the attention of the driver if among the new features of the meters they notice these so-called turbo timers. that current taxi have following the mass Matinding panloloko yan,” Nograles said. recalibration that was implemented over One complainant described such a year ago. The recalibration coincided meters as “parang tubo ng tubig na may with the hike in cab fare. tagas, tuloy-tuloy ang buhos.”

“One of the reports said that a 15-secNograles said such modus may beond lapse in real time gets reflected as a come more prevalent during the holiday 30-second lapse on the taxi meter. This months of November and December.

Australian wildlife ranger Craig Dickmann

AUSSIE RANGER STICKS FINGER IN CROC’S EYE AN AUSTRALIAN wildlife ranger has recounted his terrifying escape from the clutches of a “particularly cunning” crocodile, after wrestling with the reptile and sticking a finger in its eye.

Craig Dickmann, who made a split-second decision to go fishing last Sunday in a remote part of Northern Australia known as “croc country,” said a 2.8-meter crocodile came up from behind him as he was leaving the beach.

“As I’ve turned to go, the first thing I see is its head just come at me,” he told reporters on Friday from his hospital bed in the town of Cairns in Queensland state.

Dickmann said the animal latched on to his thigh.

“That noise will haunt me forever I think, the sound of the snap of its jaws,” he said.

The 54-year-old said he wrestled with the croc on the remote beach as it tried to drag him into the water.

Dickmann stuck his thumb into its eye, saying it was the only “soft spot” he found on the “bullet-proof” animal.

“Their eyes retract a fair way and when you go down far enough you can feel bone so I pushed as far as I possibly could and then it let go at that point,” Dickmann said. AFP

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Adelle Chua, Editor mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Opinion BOLIVIA CRISIS: A COUP OR A RETURN TO RULE OF LAW?

EDITORIAL

‘OUTLANDISH’

I

MPEACHMENT hearings began this week in the United States, as President Donald Trump’s actions—he called the Ukranian president strongly hinting that he would release much-needed military aid only if it started an investigation into political rival Joe Biden and his son’s affairs in Ukraine—were put in scrutiny.

Hunter Biden sat on the board of Ukrainian energy company Burisma while his father was vice president.

Thus far, three witnesses from the government have emerged: Washington’s top envoy to Kiev William Taylor, deputy assistant secretary of state George Kent, and Taylor’s predecessor Marie Yovanovitch, who was ousted by Trump in May this year.

All of them provided accounts of how Mr. Trump abused his awesome powers as chief executive to achieve a personal end. Biden is one of the strongest contenders for the Democratic nomination for the 2020 elections. If he is nominated, he would go against Trump who will seek re-election.

The most recent testimony—Yovanovitch’s— gave Americans yet another insight into their leader’s behavior and state of mind.

“Everywhere Marie Yovanovitch went turned bad.” he ranted on Twitter, “She started off in Somalia, how did that go? Then fast forward to Ukraine, where the new Ukrainian President spoke unfavorably about her in my second phone call with him.”

Mr. Trump also repeatedly referred to Yovanovitch as “bad news,” firing off tweets during the time she was on the stand during the hearing. In turn she said she felt intimidated.

On social media and elsewhere, Trump and his supporters make no disguise of their attempts to discredit the witnesses, saying they were only bureaucrats who were not privy to Trump’s real intentions at the time. There is no denial that such a call to the Ukranian president toward such

an end ever happened. In fact, Trump himself makes a candid retelling of the conversation, calling it a “perfect phone call.” What they are saying is that the offense is “not as outlandish as it could be.”

In all these, the witnesses are key. They are career officials and diplomats, who have served their country far longer than Trump has been in politics. Their words, thus, have the advantage of probity, objectivism and independence – they have nothing to gain from fabricating stories about the US leader.

The Philippines is no stranger to impeachment proceedings. It could be argued that this constitutional, supposedly non-partisan constitutional last resort has been used in politically motivated attacks. Witnesses are characters with dramatic testimonies and questionable motives. What a contrast from the sober and level-headed statements of Taylor, Kent and Yovanovich.

“Outlandish” is the perfect adjective for an administration that constantly challenges its people’s credulity. To counter this kind of governance, its opposites—sober, calm, conventional—are needed.

By Barnaby Chesterman EVEN before Bolivia’s Evo Morales quit the presidency in response to weeks of violent protest over his re-election, leftist allies were denouncing what they called a coup.

From Britain’s opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn and US congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to allies Cuba and Venezuela, the president’s weekend departure has been characterized as an illegal power grab.

Accused of election fraud, he fled for Mexico after his resignation as right wing opposition senator Jeanine Anez prepared to declare herself acting president.

Stretching back to 1970s Chile and Argentina, Latin America has a dark history of right-wing coups that have left millions acutely suspicious of foreign influence and anti-democratic domestic forces.

The intervention of armed forces chief Williams Kaliman in suggesting Morales step down lends credence to the idea that Bolivia’s power shift follows the pattern.

But Maria Teresa Zegada, a political scientist at San Simon University in the central Bolivian city of Cochabamba, says the events lack several elements that are typical of coups.

“It implies the substitution of one group in government for another,” Zegada, who specializes in social movements, told AFP by telephone.

“In Bolivia’s case, this hasn’t happened.”

While Anez has assumed the role of interim president, she has repeatedly stressed that she aims to hold new elections in short order.

The 52-year-old didn’t stand in the October 20 general election and has given no indication she intends to put herself forward in any future poll.

RESTORING CONSTITUTIONALITY Another feature of coups is that they “have to break the constitutional order,” said Zegada.

“In this case it’s the opposite... this interim government is trying to restore constitutionality.”

Morales’s standing in the election was itself a controversial issue as Bolivia’s constitution limits presidents to two consecutive terms, while Morales was seeking a fourth.

He had lost a 2016 referendum in which he tried to remove term limits but a year later Bolivia’s highest legal authority—the constitutional court—ruled against the constitution.

A coup also involves a power grab, usually by the military or an individual backed by the armed forces.

“What’s the objective of this (interim) government? It’s mission is basically to bring back peace to Bolivia and call elections as soon as possible,” said Zegada.

Even the military itself is not acting as if it is involved in a coup, she added.

“The police and armed forces are there to bring peace to the streets,” Zegada said.

Another controversy centers around the legitimacy of Anez’s constitutional courtbacked claim to be interim president.

She found herself next in line after the resignations of the only government figures more senior than her -- Morales, the vicepresident, the Senate president and the lower house speaker.

Former Senate president and Morales loyalist Adriana Salvatierra has claimed she should take charge since she says her resignation was never formally accepted by the Senate.

“Salvatierra’s reaction is a bit too late because she had already resigned verbally and sought refuge in an embassy,” said Zegada.

‘THERE WAS A COUP’ Movement for Socialism, the populist, indigenist party led by Morales, is attempting to wrest back control after a raft of politicians and governors followed Morales out the door—many seeking refuge in foreign embassies from angry mobs.

Zegada, though, says it may be too little too late to claw back power.

“It’s going to be difficult for the Movement for Socialism to change this situation,” she said.

As for the accusations of a coup, for Zegada, that’s nothing more than hot air.

“It’s a diversionary tactic that the Movement for Socialism is using to gain media attention,” she said.

According to one of Morales’s main regional detractors, it’s something that has been seen before.

“The word ‘coup’ is used a lot when the left loses,” said Brazil’s far-right President Jair Bolsonaro.

For Luis Almagro, secretary general of the Organization of American States that audited the October 20 election, there was a coup—just not the one Morales backers are claiming.

“Yes, there was a coup d’etat in Bolivia,” he said. “It happened on October 20 when there was electoral fraud.” AFP

ISRAELI FIRM ONE STEP CLOSER TO CREATING FIRST 3D PRINTED HUMAN HEART WHEN the creative minds that drive Israeli biotechnology company Matricelf started telling people about their plan to create the world’s first 3D printed human heart the common response was that they were talking about the stuff of dreams.

But Matricelf’s vision has now moved one step closer to reality following the announcement that the company has been handed the first Seed Award— “the world’s first creativity award that highlights the integration of technology and daily life”—and the RMB1 million (US$143,000) that goes with it.

“It is a huge challenge to take an idea from the academic world to the real world,” said Matricelf CEO Asaf Toker. “It’s very expensive. So this will help us a lot to continue our journey. As it said it is a ‘seed’ award and it will help bring our ideas to life. Winning here will have a huge impact on us.”

The Matricelf team first emerged out of Tel Aviv University eight years ago, and has since picked up more than US$12 million in research grants as it has explored the world of the autologous matrix and the cell implants now being used to enhance natural healing.

The company itself was established in April 2019 and made headlines earlier this year when it printed the first ever 3D human heart, part of its continued efforts to explore the potential of printed organs and tissues. As well as heart issues—such as myocardial scarring and age-related macular degeneration—the company has fixed its focus on using the technology

they are exploring in treating acute spinal cord injuries, and Parkinson’s disease.

“Printing the heart helped us capture the attention of the world, now we have to turn this idea from the academic world into reality,” said Toker, who brought the tiny little heart with him to China. “Look at this. This is history. It’s the first time in human kind that we have been able to take human cells and do this. The main challenge now is take this small heart and train it to function as a heart.

“We still have a long way to go before we can implement it in humans, maybe 10 years, but we have started, and this award helps us, and that is the most important thing. For the work we are doing with spin cord injuries we think we can start within a few years. If that works, people will be able to work again. If we bring this all together we feel will we will have made our mark in this world.”

The brainchild of Chinese real estate giants the Seedland Group, the Seed Award has been designed “to reward, encourage and inspire those who have passion for life and innovative ideas, and are willing to apply the power of creativity to creative a better life.”

Initially, organizers weren’t sure exactly how many applications they would get. In the end, around 1,300 flooded in from all over the world.

After regional qualifying, the competition came down to a final session staged on a dazzling stage in the southern Chinese metropolis and tech hub of Shenzhen on November 13.

“We have been looking for partners in the medical world and we are looking for investors and exciting things are happening in China,” said Toker. “This is a great place for all of us to start. We were actually doing a road show looking for investors when we heard about the Seed Award and immediately wanted to be part of it. Everything about it is amazing. It’s a great opportunity for exposure too.”

One of the many unique aspects of the Seed Award is its format, with creators given five minutes on stage to “sell” their idea, and with a clock running down behind them on a big screen.

Then they face a Q&A session from a panel of experts which in Shenzhen was led by George Fitzgerald Smoot, a Nobel Prize Laureate in Physics, and included Joseph Sifakis (Turning Award Laureate), Mina Teicher (Israel’s former chief scientist), Yin Shouyi (vice-director of Tsinghua University’s Institute of Microelectronics), and Peter J. Bentley (Honorary Professor at the Department of Computer Science at UCL).

It was a little like the science and tech world’s answer to America’s Got Talent and Toker said it had added to the excitement of contestants—and well as helping them to fine-tune their pitches.

“I am a lecturer so I love standing in front of a crowd and talking about what I am doing,” said Toker. “There is a pressure but it is really a lot of fun.”

On stage when being handed the Seed Award, Toker was lauded for being “inspired to the continued

pursuit of dreams.”

Off stage the Israeli wanted to stress that the journey had only really just begun —but that the Seed Award had further convinced him the “future” was now very close indeed.

Toker’s own journey into the world of medicine started when he was serving as a medic in the Israeli army, and he witnessed first-hand the suffering that was prevalent throughout Rwanda in the 1990s.

“I saw the massacres and I decided I wanted to dedicate my life to medicine and to help people,” revealed Toker.

Matricelf is now preparing for first clinical trials in humans for acute spinal cord injuries while searching for investors —and exploring other projects, too.

Toker revealed backstage in Shenzhen that he had talked to a fellow Seed Award finalist in Richard Hanbury of Sana Health about possible future collaboration.

Sana Health was among the recipients of the Seed Award’s Talent prizes, which also showcased a rich diversity of talent and potential. Sana Health is working on the world’s first pain and sleep management mask, while fellow Talent winner Nobarriers.ai is exploring how EMG signals and AI can change the way human being react. The third Talent prize went to Ampaire which is working to develop options in the field of electric aircraft.

“Between us here, to see the spark in people’s eyes, we hope we can improve the life of millions,” said Toker. AFP

Rolando G. Estabillo Publisher ManilaStandard

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PRINCE ANDREW HAS ‘NO RECOLLECTION’ OF US SEX ACCUSER LONDON—Britain’s Prince Andrew has said he does not remember meeting Virginia Roberts, one of disgraced US financier Jeffrey Epstein’s alleged victims, who says she was forced to have sex with the royal.

But Andrew admits in an interview with the BBC due to be broadcast on Saturday that his decision to remain friends with Epstein after he was convicted of soliciting prostitution from a minor in 2008 was a serious error of judgement.

“I have no recollection of ever meeting this lady, none whatsoever,” Andrew told BBC interviewer Emily Maitlis, according to extracts from “Prince Andrew and the Epstein Scandal” released ahead of the programme’s broadcast.

Andrew, the second son of Queen Elizabeth II and eighth in line to the throne, has been heavily criticized over his links to multimillionaire Epstein, who died in custody in the US in August.

A photograph apparently showing Andrew with his arm around then 17-year-old Roberts, now Giuffre, and with Epstein’s friend Ghislaine Maxwell standing in the background, has been widely published. Supporters of Andrew, however, have disputed its authenticity.

Epstein pleaded guilty in 2008 to procuring a girl under the age of 18 for prostitution and served 13 months in US prison before being released on probation.

Pressed in the interview over the fact that he remained friends with Epstein even after his conviction, Andrew, 59, admitted that he regretted that decision.

“I stayed with him and that’s... that’s... that’s the bit that... that... that, as it were, I kick myself for on a daily basis,” the prince said.

“Because it was not something that was becoming of a member of the royal family and we try and uphold the highest standards and practices and I let the side down, simple as that,” he told Maitlis of the BBC’s Newsnight programme.

Epstein, 66, who was arrested in New York in July on charges of trafficking underage girls for sex, was found dead in his New York jail cell on August 10 while awaiting trial over abuses involving girls at his Palm Beach home and on his private island in the Caribbean.

A coroner ruled that he committed suicide by hanging.

Over the years, the financier hobnobbed with politicians, socialites and celebrities, including Donald Trump before he was president, and Bill Clinton.

In August, Giuffre, who says she was abused by Epstein for years and farmed out to his wealthy friends including Andrew, said “the reckoning must not end, it must continue”. AFP

KHAMENEI: IRAN WANTS ‘IMPOSED’ ISRAEL STATE REMOVED, NOT PEOPLE TEHRAN—Iran’s supreme leader said Friday that calls for the abolition of Israel which have sparked outrage in the West target the “imposed state” not the Jewish people.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said the future of the land should be decided

by Palestinians of all faiths, Jewish as well as Christian and Muslim.

“The ‘abolition of the Israeli regime’ ... does not mean the abolition of Jewish people; we have no problem with them,” Khamenei told a meeting of Islamic countries in Tehran, according to his official website.

It means “abolition of the imposed regime and state, that the Palestinian people, whether Muslim, Christian or Jewish... choose their own government and oust thugs like (Benjamin) Netanyahu,” he added, referring to Israel’s prime minister.

The Iranian government does not recognize Israel, referring to it as the “Zionist regime”, and support for the Palestinian cause has been a constant feature of its foreign policy since the Islamic revolution of 1979.

Iran openly supports Israeli foes like Hamas and Islamic Jihad in the occupied Palestinian territories and Hezbollah in Lebanon.

“We are not anti-Semitic. Jews are living in utmost safety in our country.

We only support the people of Palestine and their independence,” he said.

Khamenei said that the “enemies of Islam,” including Israel and the United States, seek to sow discord between Islamic countries and called for unity in the face of the “common enemy”. AFP

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Cesar Barrioquinto, Editor / Jimbo Gulle, Issue Editor

BIGGEST HK MUSIC FEST CANCELLED OVER UNREST

ONG KONG—Clockenflap, Hong Kong’s biggest music festival, has been cancelled, organizers said on Friday, the highest-profile event so far to fall victim to the increasingly violent political unrest engulfing the city.

British folk-rock sensations Mumford & Sons and American star Halsey were among the headliners for the festival this year, which was scheduled for November 2224.

“Due to the escalation of the crisis this week, and therefore the uncertainty this creates for the coming weeks, Clockenflap 2019 will be cancelled,” the organizers said in a statement.

“Until this week we were fully committed to delivering the festival. Unfortunately, the situation has now made this impossible.”

Pro-democracy protests have escalated in the

past week with widespread travel chaos wrought by roadblocks and targeted vandalism of metro stations and lines.

Violent clashes between police and protesters have left parts of the city debris strewn.

Last Friday, a 22-year-old student died from head injuries sustained during a fall as police skirmished with demonstrators. And on Thursday, a 70-year-old man died after being hit by a brick.

Clockenflap is an annual festival that takes place in front of Hong Kong’s iconic harbor and attracts tens of thousands of fans.

It is the latest in a growing list of banned, cancelled or postponed events in Hong Kong’s normally packed social calendar.

Hong Kong’s annual pride parade due on Saturday was downgraded to a stationary rally after police banned the traditionally boisterous and colorful march.

The WTA Hong Kong Open, Oxfam’s annual trail run fundraiser as well as concerts by acclaimed K-Pop acts and comedians have been pulled as the city reels from the protests. AFP

ROUGHED UP. A man is beaten after getting in an argument during a demonstration of office workers and protesters, in Central in Hong Kong on Thursday. Pro-democracy protesters challenging China’s rule of Hong Kong on Nov. 14 choked the city for a fourth straight working day, firing arrows at police, barricading roads and disrupting transport links, as schools and businesses closed. AFP

NOKOR CALLS BIDEN ‘RABID DOG’ THAT ‘MUST BE BEATEN TO DEATH’ SEOUL—North Korea launched a visceral diatribe against US Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden, calling the former vice-president a “rabid dog” -- while also borrowing the terminology of Donald Trump.

Pyongyang is renowned for its vitriol, but the verbal deluge was unusually ferocious even by its own standards.

Biden “had the temerity to dare slander the dignity of the supreme leadership of the DPRK”, the North’s official KCNA news agency said late Thursday, referring to the country by its official name.

“Rabid dogs like Biden can hurt lots of people if they are allowed to run about,” it went on. “They must be beaten to death with a stick.

“Doing so will be beneficial for the US also,” it added.

It was not immediately clear what had provoked Pyongyang’s ire, but

Biden’s campaign on Friday seemed to relish the attack.

“It seems that murderous dictator Kim Jong Un doesn’t like me,” Biden said in a statement. “Add him to the list of autocrats who don’t want me to be president -- right next to Vladimir Putin. I wear their insults as a badge of honor.”

Trump said that “he and Kim ‘fell in love’ -- well, there will be no love letters in a Biden Administration”, the former vice president said.

Biden, who vowed not to “embrace dictators”, said that Trump is “emboldening” the North Korean leader.

Kim “would love to see Trump reelected, as would the rest of America’s adversaries. That’s just one more reason it’s so important we beat him next November”, Biden said.

The Biden campaign earlier released an ad condemning Trump’s foreign policy, saying that “dictators

and tyrants are praised, our allies pushed aside”.

The voiceover says the word “tyrants” at the exact moment a picture appears of Trump and Kim shaking hands at their Singapore summit last year.

KCNA appeared to cite one of Trump’s favored insults for the candidate -- “Sleepy Joe” -- when it said Americans called him “Biden not awakened from a sleep”.

Biden had shown “a sign of the final stage of dementia”, KCNA added.

“It seems time has come for him to depart his life.”

KCNA misspelled the candidate’s name as “Baiden” throughout, seemingly reflecting the spelling used in the Korean alphabet.

It is not the first time the North has condemned Biden. In May it called him an “imbecile” and a “fool of low IQ” days after he called Kim a “dictator” and “tyrant.” AFP

CNN: US DIPLOMAT CONFIRMS TRUMP QUERY ON PROBES WASHINGTON—A US official testified Friday that he overheard Donald Trump asking about “investigations” he had requested from Ukraine into domestic political rivals -placing the American president at the center of an alleged conspiracy to extort Kiev.

David Holmes said he heard a phone conversation in a Kiev restaurant in which Trump, on the other end of the line, pressed Washington’s EU ambassador Gordon Sondland for information on Ukrainian plans to probe former vice president Joe Biden.

Details of the conversation were included in Holmes’s opening statement to impeachment investigators, published by CNN. The revelation casts doubt on a major plank of the Republican Party’s defense against allegations that Trump led a conspiracy to seek foreign help in the 2020 US election.

Republicans have stated that the only direct evidence is the summary of a single July 25 phone call between Trump and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky -- which they say exonerates the US leader.

Holmes, a career diplomat, said the Trump-Sondland call took place a day later, suggesting that the pressure on Ukraine amounted to a concerted effort rather than just one call.

Sondland told Trump that Zelensky “loves your ass,” Holmes is said to have testified.

“I then heard President Trump ask, ‘So, he’s gonna do the investigation?’” Holmes testified, adding that Sondland replied that Zelensky “will do ‘anything you ask him to.’”

Lawmakers who emerged from the deposition declined to provide details from closeddoor testimony, but they confirmed Holmes said he had heard the call.

“It’s a matter of public record that Mr. Holmes heard this conversation and recognized the president’s voice loud and clear because he was so loud on the phone,” Democratic congressman Gerry Connolly told CNN. The call became public knowledge only on Wednesday when William Taylor, the top envoy to Ukraine, testified that Holmes had brought it to his attention.

Holmes, according to his reported opening statement, said he could hear Trump’s “very loud and recognizable” voice through the earpiece of the phone. AFP

JUDGE LOWERS OPIOID SETTLEMENT TO $465M, BLAMES CALCULATOR NEW YORK—An Oklahoma judge who had ordered Johnson & Johnson to pay $572 million for its role in the opioid crisis on Friday reduced the figure to $465 million, after a miscalculation.

Judge Thad Balkman in August ordered the pharmaceutical giant to pay Oklahoma $572 billion to finance an “abatement plan” for care for addicts, families and communities ravaged by the crisis that’s led to more than 400,000 overdose deaths in the United States since 1999.

But Balkman later said he had made a mistake in calculating the amount J&J would be required to pay, overstating by more than $100 million the amount the pharmaceutical giant would have to spend on programs to care for babies exposed to opioids during pregnancy.

“That’ll be the last time I use that calculator,” the judge said at an

October hearing.

Prosecutors had originally sought $17 billion in damages against J&J for an abatement program to be spread over 20 years.

But Balkman said the state had not made a strong case for the future costs of the crisis to it and the community beyond one year, and so limited his August ruling to that.

The judgment, handed down after a civil trial earlier in the year, was the first time a pharmaceutical company had been found responsible for the opioid drug crisis.

Johnson & Johnson, through its Janssen division, and other drug makers including OxyContin manufacturer Purdue, are accused of promoting the excessive use of opioid pain medication beginning in 1996, causing an addiction crisis and an explosion in overdose deaths. AFP

SORRY, DEAR. A man embraces his daughter after picking her up at Central Park,

after a shooting at Saugus High School in Santa Clarita, California on Thursday. Two students died and at least four people were injured in the shooting north of Los Angeles Thursday. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that shooter Nathaniel Tennosuke Berhow passed away at 3:32 Pacific Time Friday. AFP

Images S O T O PH F THE O EEK W

SERIOUS DEMOS. Demonstrators take part in a protest against the government and to commemorate the first anniversary of the death of Mapuche indigenous leader Camilo Castrillanca— killed in a police operation—in Santiago, Chile on Nov. 14. The demonstrators are demanding greater social reform from President Sebastian Pinera, who has announced several measures in a bid to appease protesters, including a pledge to change the constitution that dates from the 1973-90 Pinochet dictatorship. AFP

NO CLEAN COAL. Members of environmentalist group Climate Justice wear gas masks and hold

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ON THE GROUND. Vice President Leni Robredo met with Naga City Dangerous Drugs Board and the members of the City AntiDrug Abuse Council on Friday, Nov. 15. This is part of Robredo’s initiatives to know more about the country’s drug problem, in her bid to help build an improved campaign to combat illegal drugs. Jay Ganzon/OVP

‘BAYONG,’ NOT PLASTIC. Environmental groups belonging to the Global Break Free from Plastic Movement hold up ‘bayong’ or woven leaf bags as they stage a protest in front of the head office of Department of Environment and Natural Resources in Quezon City, criticizing the agency’s ‘hypocritical and pro-industry stance’ on plastic pollution. Manny Palmero

up placards as symbolic protests in celebration of the Philippine Clean Air Month, calling to stop the use of coal for power plants during a press conference at the Quezon City Memorial Circle. Manny Palmero

HOUSE GUESTS. Forty former members of the Abu Sayyaf Group set foot inside the House of Representatives on Thursday, Nov. 14, as part of their reintegration program and an exposure trip in Metro Manila and Luzon to learn best practices in farming. With them is John Louie Balagot (center, brown jacket), Chief of Staff of Deputy Speaker and Basilan Rep. Mujiv Hataman. House Media

BIG QUAKE DRILL. Personnel of the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office, Bureau of Fire Protection and members of the Police Provincial Office of Bulacan pose after an earthquake drill at the Philippine Arena in Bocaue, Bulacan on Thursday, Nov. 14 as part of the 4th Quarter National Simultaneous Earthquake Drill. Central Luzon Police Regional Director Brig. Gen. Rodel Sermonia said it also tests the readiness of security and first-aid responders for the opening of the Southeast Asian Games at the same venue on Nov. 30. Orlan L. Mauricio

LOTS OF GUNS. Police Brig. Gen. Vicente D. Danao JR, the new Regional Director of PRO CALABARZON (2nd from right) looks at 977 loose firearms and 10 light weapons obtained by the city and municipal police stations during a command visit at the Laguna Police Provincial Office headed by Police Col. Eleazar Pepito Matta at the Kampo Heneral Paciano Rizal in Brgy. Bagong Bayan, Sta. Cruz, Laguna on Nov. 14. Roy Tomandao

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Riera U. Mallari, Editor sports_mstandard@yahoo.com

Sports

ATHLETICS EXPECTS LOW OF 6 GOLDS, HIGH OF 12 IN SEAG

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HILIPPINE Athletics’ Track and Field Association president Philip Juico knows he has six athletes capable of winning gold medals in the 30th Southeast Asian Games.

But he also challenged his possible silver medalists to go for gold and leave it all on the track and field.

“Ang sabi namin sa kanila (possible silver medallists), you guys who are capable of silver, tirahin niyo na. Try your best to win the gold. Kasi sabi nila, a silver can also be gold,” said Juico.

In PATAFA’s projections, Juico sees a gold-silverhaul of 6-10-8 in the coming athletics’ competitions of the biennial meet, slated Dec. 5 to 10 at the 20,000-seat New Clark City athletics’ stadium inside the sprawling 9,500-hectare NCC sports complex.

“Sa triple jump, it’s Harry Diones. He has been a little inconsistent, kaya lang tumataas ang ranking niya.

From silver, puwedeng mag-gold iyan. In decathlon, it’s Aries Toledo, who won gold in kuala lumpur. Probably good for a silver, pero puwede rin mag-gold,” said Juico. “We urge them to go for it.

Ibigay na ang lahat for our country.”

Projections are quite conservative on reigning marathon champion Mary Joy Tabal due to a pair Thai runner, “breathing down her neck.”

“It [gold count] could be anywhere between 6 to 12 golds. That’s [12] the most optimistic,” he added.

The tracksters who are best-equipped to win golds are pole vaulters Ernest John Obiena and Natalie Uy, 800-meter specialist Carter Lilly, hurdles champ Eric Cray, sprinter Kristina Knott and new recruit, shot-putter William Morrison.

The 21-year-old Morrison heaved a distance of 20.4 meters in a Bloomington, Indiana meet last June. That mark, is over two meters better than the 17.42, which Promrob Juntima of Thailand achieved when he won the gold medal back in the 2017 SEA Games.

Morrison, in fact, is just half a meter short of the Olympic standard of 21.1 that would qualify him for

Natalie Uy

Ernest John Obiena Eric Cray

the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

“Morrison is a candidate for the Olympics. Kaya because he is throwing in the 20s,” said Juico.

Another FilAm in Cray is the best bet in the men’s 400-meter hurdles, since he is no. 1 in the SEA rankings.

Then’s there’ Lilly, who can go below 1:48.00 in the men’s 800-meter run.

Pole-vaulters Obiena and Uy, the gold and bronze medalists, respectively, in the Asian Athletics Championship in Doha, Qatar, are currently the best in the region.

SANTE FITNESS LAB LAUNCHES OBSTACLE COURSE CAMP SANTE Fitness Lab, a premier one-stop fitness, sports performance training and physical therapy center, recently launched its Obstacle Course Racing camp at the Vermosa Sports Hub in Cavite.

The camp aims to promote OCR as a sport and as a new and exciting fitness program and facility to try.

OCR is a sport for everyone, be it a beginner or elite.

It gathered Santé business owners, employees, as well as the members of the Santé Barley OCR Team.

SFL General Manager Clarize Lucindo said the camp seeks to encourage everyone to start their journey to fitness and lead a healthier lifestyle.

“Just like any other workouts, OCR involves seemingly tough movements. But through SFL’s very own OCR camp, the basics of the sports are introduced and proper progressive training is provided. The camp is designed to be both fun and challenging to eventually help you to become fitter, be race ready,” added Lucindo.

Despite being a seemingly hard sport, Santé OCR Team Head Coach Carlos Paca noted that OCR is a sport for everyone, be it a beginner or elite.

“What makes OCR different are its benefits as it involves the whole body, making day to day activities a lot easier,” added Paca. “To those who have an athletic background, they can already partake in various OCR events to test themselves out. We also encourage beginners, as well, to try out our OCR camp as their fitness workout. This camp is a perfect activity as it involves maximizing the entirety of the body.”

OCR involves running and overcoming various physical challenges in the form of obstacles, such as climbing up ropes, scaling walls, and monkey bars. The terrain also adds challenges to sports when running.

The SFL’s OCR camp launch was powered by

Sante’s new and improved FIT N’TRIM, a weightmanagement drink that has the signature organic barley grass powder from New Zealand, L-carnitine, and a zest of green tea and lemon flavor. This exciting drink served as thirst quenchers and energy boosters to the OCR campers.

SFL’s OCR Camp will now be available for all fitness enthusiasts, as well as those who want to try and learn the sport regardless of their fitness levels.

With SFL’s premier facility that simulates the toughness of the sport, it makes for a perfect hub for both starter and competitive training. Whether you want to try it as a group, maybe as a company engagement activity, or a new sport to discover with your barkada, SFL is the place to be OCR-ready!

Anybody who wants to ignite their road to fitness with scientifically-based programs for the best outcome, will be at home at SFL. Bearing the tagline “the New Home of Champions,” the hub serves as a training ground and rehabilitation facility not only for the elite and competitive athletes but also for everyday people who aim to be physically fit and overcome limitations to improve their quality of life.

To know more about Santé Fitness Lab, its training programs and facilities, and other upcoming events, visit its official FB Page at https://www.facebook.com/santefitnesslab/ or its website at https:// santefitnesslab.com/.

SAVINGS FOR JR GOLFERS IN DREAMBIG GOLD SERIES CAMP WHEN the DreamBig Gold Series Golf Camp and Tournament opens at Orchard Golf and Country Club on Dec. 17 and 18, 2019, junior golfers living in the Philippines will not only be able to hone their talents and get the chance to be scouted by world-class coaches. They will also enjoy huge savings and other conveniences of having the golf camps travel to Manila instead of them going abroad to join them.

Headlined as The Road To U.S. College Golf, the Dream Big golf camp will be preceded by the first-ever Future Champions Golf (FCG)-Dream Big Golf Challenger Series on December 16 and 17, a qualifier for the FCG Callaway World Championship. The winner of each age division in the Orchard tournament will qualify for direct entry to the FCG Callaway World Junior Golf Championship 2020 that will take place at Rancho Mirage, California on July 13 to 15, 2020.

Golf Coaches from topmost schools in the US NCAA Division 1 – UCLA (University of California – Los Angeles), Columbia University and UC Berkeley – will run the two-day golf clinic and oversee the 2-day

FCG Golf Tournament.

Open to all junior golfers aged 12 to 18 years old, interested junior golfers and their parents have a choice of participating in both the tournament and the golf camp, or just one of the two activities.

“Either way they will be getting a tremendous advantage if they choose to join the tournament and the camp in Manila.

The cost of the trip, the tuition and the accommodations abroad is quite prohibitive for players who want to bring their game to a whole new level. But now, Golf Coaches from topmost schools in the US NCAA Division 1 – UCLA (University of California – Los Angeles), Columbia University and UC Berkeley – are coming and will run the two-day golf clinic here. The savings will be tremendous,” said Akshay Maliwal, Founder and CEO of DreamBig Events, who will stage the twin activities.

Maliwal said participants will save over USD5000 by joining the camp in Manila and enjoy other advantages as well. The expenses abroad for camp tuition, airfare, board and lodging for athlete and chaperone, local transport expenses, and miscellaneous costs will

Golf Coaches from topmost schools in the US NCAA Division 1 will run the two-day golf clinic and oversee the 2-day FCG Golf Tournament.

add up to USD 5,900 and the athlete has to set aside seven days for travel and the camp itself.

“In contrast, taking advantage of the Gold Series Golf Camp and Tournament in Manila will cost only USD 870 and will

take out just three days from the athletes’ schedule. Airfare and travel costs are eliminated, as well as board and lodging.

Over and above that, the Manila camp includes a qualifying tournament in the package – something that the camps abroad do not offer. With just one event, athletes have the opportunity to qualify for the Callaway Junior Tournament – the top tournament for junior golfers – and hone their skills at the camp as well. They have better access and opportunities to interact closely with the US coaches here; whereas interaction with coaches at similar camps in the US, is extremely limited,” Maliwal said.

At the camp, campers will experience guided range and short game sessions that will allow them to sharpen their practice and pre-tournament routines. They will be given instruction that will help them expand their course management skills and prepare them for competition, as well as expose them to US coaching styles and competition at a higher level. The camp is limited to 30 participants only to enable personalized and customized instruction for each athlete.

P3.15M AT STAKE IN COJUANGCO CUP RACE A WHOPPING P3.15 million in prizes will be up for grabs in the 2019 Ambassador Eduardo M. Cojuangco Jr. Cup on Sunday at the Saddle and Clubs Leisure Park Racetrack in Naic, Cavite.

Thirteen of the country’s best horses will be vying for the rich P1.8M top purse in the prestigious 2,000-meter race held in honor of the San Miguel Corp. Chairman, a stalwart in the horseracing industry.

Leading the elite cast is defending champion Hitting Spree, which will try to make it three in a row in the annual Cojuangco Cup. Twelve other thoroughbreds, led by Hitting Spree’s stablemate and Triple Crown winner Sepfourteen (jockey JA Guce), will be crowding the reigning titlist for the top purse of P1.8 million in the rich racing weekend put up by the Philippine Racing Commission.

“The big guns are all here, making the Ambassador Eduardo M. Cojuangco Jr. Cup truly one of the year’s biggest races in terms of prize money and star power. Racing enthusiasts will be in for a treat,” said Philracom Chairman Andrew A. Sanchez.

Runner-up gets P675,000, while third-, fourth- and fifth-placers receive P375,000, P150,000 and P100,000, respectively.

Ambassador Cojuangco himself has donated special championship trophies to the winners and a medallion to the champion jockey.

Joining the fray are Bugle Notes (jockey JB Hernandez, owner Bell Racing Stable); Certain To Win (CP Henson, Bingson Tecson); Christmas Sky (Pat R Dilema, C&H Enterprises, Inc.); Greatwall (FM Raquel, Jr., Robert Ramirez); Metamorphosis (CS Pare Jr., Francisco Paulo Crisostomo); Murika (RG Fernandez, Joseph Dyhengco); Super Sonic (JB Guce, Leonardo Javier, Jr.); Time and Again (Val R. Dilema, Napoleon Magno); Truly Ponti (PM Cabalejo, Narciso Morales); UND Kantar (Ro Niu, Jr., Melaine Habla); and Viva Morena (Dan Camañero, Bienvenido Pierre Niles III.) More big stakes races are still in the offing from Philracom in the coming months. After the Ambassador Eduardo M. Cojuangco Jr. Cup is the 2nd leg of the 3YO Imported/Local Challenge on Nov. 24.

NU PEP SQUAD EYES 2ND STRAIGHT TITLE THE NATIONAL University Pep Squad seeks its second straight title as the UAAP Season 82 Cheerdance Competition gets going on Sunday at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.

NU Pep won five championships in the last six years as the Bustillosbased cheerdancers hope to wow everyone with a performance that coach Ghicka Bernabe said is a tribute to all the Filipinos.

In front of its flag-waving schoolmates, NU Pep Squad is ready to deliver with its Sarimanok-inspired run in the mat.

NU Pep will be the eighth and last performer which was determined in the lottery two months ago, the first since the 2014 edition, where they won back-to-back titles.

“Eight is better than one pagdating sa performance. Somehow nu’ng na-experience namin as first performers before, kahit gaano kami kahanda, I can’t control the emotions of my kids, I can’t control yung scenario,” said NU Pep head coach Ghicka Bernabe.

Last season’s runner-up Far Eastern University Cheering Squad will be the fifth performer, hoping to deliver with a Michael Jackson-inspired run.

Adamson University Pep Squad, which placed third last year, will be at No. 6, seeking to bore fruit its bid to regain the throne it won two years ago.

De La Salle Animo Squad will perform first, followed by University of the East Pep Squad, University of the Philippines Pep Squad and Ateneo Blue Babble Battalion.

University of Santo Tomas Salinggawi Dance Troupe will be the penultimate performer before NU. Gates open at 12 noon.

C1

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2019

Business

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

YOUNG CEO RECEIVES ‘MOST INFLUENTIAL FILIPINA’ AWARD T

By Alena Mae S. Flores

HE Filipina Women’s Network recognized Mica Tan, the 27-year-old chief executive of the fastgrowing MFT Group of Companies as one of the most influential Filipina women in the world.

Tan joined the roster of women leaders who received the award during the #FWNSummit2019 on Oct. 28 to Nov. 2 in Paris, France.

Tan was recognized by FWN as an emerging leader of the young generation. Inspired by her family’s entrepreneurial mindset, she leads MFT Group—a private equity group that restructures the corporate blueprints of family legacy businesses.

“It has always been my dream to lead a new breed of enterprising individuals; those who are able to see smart investment opportunities that may bring brands to the global platform. And I feel honored to have been recognized by FWN as an emerging leader in this field,” said Tan. Tan said the award encourages her to further increase MFT Group’s business footprint “by becoming the most recognized strategic business partner of local and global businesses.”

MFT Group has significantly grown and expanded its investment and operational teams to over 9 countries and 18 cities worldwide since it was established.

The group is a strategic partner to legacy corporations and provides shared services in financial services and asset management, healthcare, food and beverage and real estate and related products.

MFT Group of Companies CEO Mica Tan

The company’s ultimate objective is to add long-term value for the investors and the companies that they form strategic partnerships with, thus creating positive economic impact.

The Filipina Women’s Network recognizes women of Philippine ancestry who are changing the face of leadership in the global workplace, having reached status for outstanding

work in their respective fields and are recognized for their contributions to society, female mentorship and legacy.

Ta n w a s s e l e c t e d f r o m a n outstanding field of nominees from around the world. She was nominated by the Global FWN president Georgitta “Beng” Pimentel Puyat, who is the chairman of Philippine Orchard Corp.

Puyat was also a 2017 Global FWN100

awardee.

P u y a t c a l l e d Ta n “ a young visionary, an astute innovator and a next generation philanthropist; an unstoppable force with her sights set beyond the future of her current endeavors.”

“I saw this even back then when I first met her at age 10.

She is nominated not only because of her exceptional business acumen and her p e r s o n a l a d vo c a c i e s t o promote education, health and entrepreneurship, but her stature as an influential, magnificent role model to Filipina women everywhere,” said Puyat.

The FWN100 Award was launched in the United States in 2006 and expanded its search globally in 2013. It recognizes Filipina women who are influencing the face of leadership in the global workplace, having reached status for outstanding work in their respective fields and are recognized for their leadership, achievement and contributions to society, femtorship and legacy.

Marily Mondejar, CEO of the Filipina Women’s Network said the Global FWN100 awardees include innovators and thought leaders, dynamic entrepreneurs, rising stars under the age of 35, practitioners, behind-thescenes leaders and public service advocates who have moved through the ranks in the public and private sectors. “ They are magnificent women doing extraordinary work motivating next generation leaders,” Mondejar said.

The awardees are asked to give back to the Filipina women community by femtoring a young Filipina through the FEMtorMatch initiative and bring her to the Filipina Summit.

MAPÚA MAKATI MOVES TO BIGGER FACILITIES MAPÚA University in Makati City will open at a new location along Pablo Ocampo Sr. Extension in Barangay San Antonio by March 2020.

The new annex, which features ecologically sustainable design and construction, will replace the one presently located along Gil Puyat Avenue.

The new location and its structures are fully compliant with all international standards for the construction and maintenance of its facility. The building’s structural framing is designed based on the provisions of the latest code, the National Structural Code of the Philippines 7th Edition, and its structural integrity was analyzed by using computer software such as ETABS 2016 Ultimate 16.2, Staad Pro V8i, and Safe 2016.

These quality assessment measures mean that, for students and other occupants of the building, safety and security provisions for structural damage due to natural causes have been integrated into the design, ensuring a stronger

and more reliable structure.

The infrastructure uses eco-friendly materials such as low-volatile organic compound or VOC paint materials, alongside a provision of a dedicated materials recovery facility to reduce, reuse or recycle waste.

Primarily, the infrastructure uses insulated glass unit, a low-E glass for exterior windows and other sections, which reduces heat absorption but maximizes natural light.

For electrical, the building makes use of sustainable LED lighting fixtures and an advanced

Lightning Protection System.

The building’s plumbing and sanitary systems use potable water tanks located at its basement, and it also features a sewage treatment plant, a rainwater catchment tanks for irrigation and lowwater consuming plumbing fixtures.

The P2.5-billion new annex will be an eight-story building on a 5,114-square-meter property. Aside from the school facilities, it will likewise allocate commercial space for a bank, a canteen, a bookstore, and a covered court for the convenience of the school population.

The new location is strategically located i n a n a re a w i t h n u m e ro u s co m m e rc i a l establishments, fast food chains, co n d o m i n i u m s, l ow co s t h o u s i n g, a n d supermarkets. It also becomes more accessible with the operation of E-Sakay, a paid shuttle service with scheduled trips between Quezon City and Circuit Makati.

FULLERTON MARKETS HOLDS FINAL LEG OF ASEAN TOUR IN PH AFTER successful editions in Thailand, Vietnam and Malaysia, Fullerton Markets headed to Manila for the final leg of its Fullerton ASEAN Tour.

On November 9, the Philippine debut of the ASEAN Tour took place at Edsa ShangriLa, Manila. Traders, aspiring entrepreneurs and established business owners attended the event, with some participants flying in from their respective provinces to catch the much-awaited trading and investment summit.

Fullerton Markets’ CEO Mario Singh is a recognized figure in the forex industry, having appeared multiple times on international media such as CNBC and Bloomberg.

Wayne Ko, the head of research and education, is a forex coach and mentor who

has provided world-class education and training to traders around the globe. Chief strategist Jimmy Zhu’s expertise includes forex, stocks and bonds. He regularly appears on international news channels including CGTN and CNA to give his market analysis.

Wayne started the event by sharing with the audience how to earn from simply copying trades on Fullerton Markets’ platform called CopyPip. When asked by the media whether it’s better for amateur traders to just copy or study the basics of Forex, Wayne said: “I highlighted three pitfalls of copy trading to tell people that in copy trading, it’s important to know who to copy from. You’d need basic knowledge to identify a good, trusted strategy provider to follow. Learning how

to have profitable trades on your own is good. But it takes passion to understand the market.”

Jimmy gave insights into what the Philippines can expect in 2020. He shared his optimism of the country’s economy making a recovery—this is provided that the United States and China can come up with a good deal. He added, “I think the country’s stocks are pretty attractive.

In the next few days, the dollar may weaken and a weak dollar is a good asset for emerging markets. Also, a weak dollar is good for countries with foreign debts like Malaysia and the Philippines. If the dollar continues to weaken, the extra debt burden will decrease for these countries, From left: Fullerton Markets head of research and I think this will continue for the next and education Wayne Ko, CEO Mario Singh six months in the Philippines.” and chief strategist Jimmy Zhu

ShuttleOne CEO Hongzhuang Lim (left) and MakerDAO Foundation business development associate for Europe Gustav Arentoft

BLOCKCHAIN ADVOCATES HOPE TO REVOLUTIONIZE BANKING IN PH EXECUTIVES of Singapore-based financial technology company ShuttleOne and Denmark-based MakerDAO Foundation are looking at the potential of the blockchain technology to make mobile banking more inclusive and sustainable in the Philippines and the rest of Southeast Asia.

Gustav Arentoft, business development associate for Europe of MakerDAO Foundation, says blockchain can enhance the provision of financial services to Filipinos and Asians who are not served by traditional banks.

“I am not saying cryptocurrencies and blockchain will tear the banks down and result in a new world order.

But I do believe it is an awesome alternative,” Arentoft, 25, says in an interview in Makati City.

“What we set out to do is to create an alternative to prime financial system. I truly believe that we will become one of the biggest finance companies in the world to serve a lot of people who have been underserved. We have amazing projects and partners like ShuttleOne. I truly believe in ShuttleOne because whatever they do will benefit us as well,” says Arentoft. “ This technology will enable services for the ones who are being neglected currently. We want everyone to get good banking services,” says Arentoft.

Hongzhuang Lim, the Singaporean f o u n d e r a n d c h i e f e xe c u t i v e of ShuttleOne which applies the blockchain technology of MakerDAO Foundation, says blockchain—the distributed ledger of digital records— can resolve a lot of problems including in finance.

“One of the biggest problems the blockchain is solving is the problem of consensus. This has been a problem for humans for a very long time.

Now with the age of computers, we are able to automate this decisionmaking process by fixing a set of rules.

The blockchain can make efficient a lot of these processes,” says Lim, 35.

ShuttleOne has teamed up with local institutions in Malaysia and Indonesia to provide digital payment solutions and is now looking at opportunities in the Philippines. It aims to provide mobile banking services to at least five million unbanked Southeast Asians.

“Our mission is to open the first mobile banking service for 80 percent of Southeast Asians. Southeast Asia is underbanked. I think only about 24 percent of the whole Southeast Asia has a bank account,” says Lim. “In five years, we want to open the first savings accounts of 5 million in the countries where we are operating across Southeast Asia. We want to move faster than most of the banks here.”

MakerDao uses a stablecoin called Dai that is pegged to the US dollar.

Arentoft says that with Dai, anybody can send money from one country to another instantly and at a much lower cost. “The advantage in this case is that you can send it anywhere across the world. I can send money from Denmark to Singapore, Indonesia or the Philippines and within one minute you can receive it,” he says.

Lim says aside from being fast and efficient, sending money through the blockchain can reduce the transaction fee to a third of what it takes using the traditional remittance service.

“In a Malaysian remittance house, their average fee is 9.5 percent. For us, from end to end, between Indonesia and Singapore, we have reduced that to 3 percent. That is 300-percent decrease in cost. Of course, speed is there. In a normal remittance house, the guy may take two to three days to take out their money. We can do it in less than half a day. That is because of the blockchain application,” says Lim. “We are making money borderless.

Turn to C2

Business

C2

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2019 business@manilastandard.net

IN BRIEF

AETAS IN PAMPANGA OPEN SAVINGS ACCOUNTS

Senator Aquilino “Nene” Pimentel, Jr.

AN INDIGENOUS community in Porac, Pampanga can now enjoy secure ways of saving their hard-earned money.

The Aetas who live on farming have recently opened Cebuana Lhuiillier Micro Savings accounts during an Iponaryo cascade.

“We are happy that an Aeta community is now part of our growing number of Iponaryos who are a step closer to financial inclusion. This complements our #KayaNa: Unbanked Filipinos No More movement which provides unbanked and underbanked Filipinos with access to a savings account,” said Jean Henri Lhuillier, Cebuana Lhuillier president and CEO. From as early as June 2019, 8,000 Cebuana Lhuillier employees, dubbed “Iponaryo Ambassadors”, have been conducting cascades nationwide to promote the value of micro savings.

In September, over two million Filipinos have already opened a Cebuana Lhuillier Micro Savings account to jumpstart their Iponaryo journey.

IDESIA WELCOMES HOMEOWNERS P.A.-Hankyu One, the joint venture of homegrown P.A. Properties and Osaka-based Hankyu Hanshin Properties Corp., welcomed its first batch of proud homeowners to their new homes in Dasmariñas City.

To mark the hand-over ceremony, executives and representatives of P.A. Properties and Hankyu Hanshin Properties Corp. handed over the housing units to the first batch of residents while thanking them for choosing Idesia in their homeownership journey.

“The hand-over ceremony signifies the start of our homeowners’ new life in a community where they will experience the serenity of countryside living while enjoying the convenience of urban lifestyle. For P.A.-Hankyu One, today is equally meaningful as we finally welcome our first batch of Idesia residents,” said P.A. Properties president Jonathan Lu. “We are equally appreciative of the patience and inspiring involvement of our homeowners and brokers in making sure that we all get to this day—one that matches the momentum that we can see and feel in the construction of the rest of the houses that will complete the Idesia community,” Lu said.

The 37-hectare Idesia Dasmariñas township is the flagship project of the joint venture.

PEARLPAY PARTNERS WITH RURAL BANKS FINANCIAL technology startup PearlPay has signed a strategic partnership with the Association of Pangasinan Rural Banks as part of its push to enable financial institutions to be more commercially competitive through digital transformation.

The agreement was signed during the 62nd Charter anniversary symposium of the Rural Bankers Association of the Philippines at the Manila Hotel. It allows 16 member banks of APRUB to access PearlPay’s end-to-end cloudbased banking solutions, namely Core Banking Solutions, Agent Banking Solutions and whitelabel e-wallet solutions.

“Rural banks have proven to be important vehicles in the overall development of the Philippine economy as they cater to the financing needs of farmers, fisherfolk, and rural communities for financial inclusion,” Spark Perreras, cofounder and CEO of PearlPay, said.

“As a fintech company, one of our core goals is to empower these institutions with digital solutions that allow them to streamline processes, scale operations and reach customers,” he said.

INVENTORS WEEK ALL SET AT CLSU ALL systems are now in place for the celebration of the 26th National Inventors’ Week by the Filipino Inventors Society Producers Cooperative in partnership with the Department of Science and Technology at the Central Luzon State University in Nueva Ecija on Nov. 18 to 21.

Other partners in the celebration are the Technology Application and Promotion Institute, the provincial government of Nueva Ecija and the Regional Inventions Contest and Exhibits. This year’s host is Region 3 with the theme “Science for the People and Inventrepinoy: Meaningful Partnership for National Development”.

Expected to grace the event are DOST Secretary Fortunato dela Pena, FISPC president Francisco “Popoy” Pagayon, Filipino Inventors Society president Manny Dono, Region 3 director Julius Caesar Sicat, TAPI director Engr. Edgar Garcia and Senate committee on science and technology chair, Sen. Nancy Binay.

The four-day event and activities are mandated under Presidential Proclamation No. 285 of 1993, which encourages them to showcase unique and marketable inventions of Filipinos for Filipinos.

To further spread its message, different state universities and colleges, other higher educational institutions and prominent individuals have been invited to participate in the activities.

CLSU particularly at the Lucio Tan MultiPurpose Gymnasium, will be filled with invention exhibits of local inventors across the country. They will be showcasing their talents and creative ingenuity.

Pagayon bats for the global recognition and commercialization of Pinoy inventions.

BLOCKCHAIN...

From C1

Of course, we work with regulators who provide us the policies we need to follow. Locally, we have to follow the laws,” says Lim. Both Arentoft and Lim attended the 3rd Asia Finance Forum: The Future of Inclusive Finance organized by the Asian Development Bank in Manila.

The ADB estimated that of the 1.7 billion people who are outside of the formal banking and financial system, more than half are in Asia and the Pacific.

A 2017 ADB study found that only 28 percent of adults in the Philippines had a bank account, and only about 15 percent saved money with a formal financial institution over a 12-month period.

It projected that the Philippines’ GDP could increase by more than 14 percent if the financial inclusion gap were closed.

The ADB forum focused on the future of inclusive finance by discussing how new technologies like artificial intelligence, big data and blockchain as well as the rapid expansion of mobilephone banking and digital banking could help bring financial services to unbanked communities.

Roderick T. dela Cruz

NENE, THE GREAT STATESMAN M

OST people dedicate their whole lives giving their best to leave a lasting mark. The late Sen. Aquilino “Nene” Pimentel Jr. followed his heart despite unbelievable challenges and difficulties to be a protector of this country’s freedom and a servant to his fellow men.

“Tatay Nene,” as he was fondly called by family and those close to him, was a patriot and a freedom fighter.

He fought the Marcos regime who he believed committed an “ultimate sin” to democracy when then President Ferdinand Marcos declared martial law.

Being threatened and imprisoned four times didn’t stop him from fighting a corrupt government that he saw as one that only served the interests of the few, and not of the many.

HEART FOR PUBLIC SERVICE Having been raised by a local lawyer of Cagayan de Oro and a public school teacher of Ilocos Norte, Pimentel had his mind shaped to a life of public service.

He graduated with a degree in law from Ateneo De Cagayan (now Xavier University) where his legacy started.

When he became the dean of the institution, he formed a group of lawyers who defended against what they called as “oppressive judges”.

DEFENDER He was a journalist who started as a cub reporter for Mindanao Star, then the leading weekly newspaper of the south.

As a journalist, Pimentel adopted an open mind, understanding that the great power and freedom that goes with wielding a pen is a bigger responsibility.

He did not just protect freedom of speech; he also denounced the abuse of it.

In one of his writings, he called the attention of the press and media professionals and challenged them to be more vigilant and responsible in publishing news that many give credit to as facts.

Later on, he rose from the ranks and wrote for the Manila Times and other weekly columns for some publications.

ADVOCATE Nene Pimentel has always been celebrated as a local hero.

He was elected to the 1971 Constitutional Convention as a representative of Cagayan de Oro and Misamis Oriental.

He was elected mayor of Cagayan de Oro in 1980 and defeated a Marcos-funded opponent.

His position was threatened by the national government, but the people of Cagayan de Oro fought back through a people’s assembly that’s similar to what happened in the legendary EDSA Revolution. His people spoke and got him reinstated.

He co-founded the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino in 1982 to ensure the representation of Visayas and Mindanao in the national government.

He became an assemblyman for his hometown at the Regular Batasang Pambansa in 1984 when

the Aquino regime started.

He understood the power of local governments and how decentralizing and transforming local government units can be the key to unlock the nation’s progress.

His exper tise in the local community conversations got him a post as a consultant for the current government in studying the implications of shifting from a democratic to a federal government.

As a senate president for three terms, a long time writer of books and a principal author of some landmark laws, Pimentel lived a life that ensured the protection of justice and democracy.

Even the freedom that we now enjoy as citizens of this nation may be partly owed to him.

AUTHOR N e n e Pi m e nte l ’s co nt r i b u t i o n to t h e development of the local government system is so significant that he was dubbed as the “Father of the Local Government Code”.

His mastery of the local government reflected on the way he authored the Local Government Code of 1991 (Republic Act 7160), which aimed to “liberate provinces, cities, municipalities and barangay from over-dependence upon the central government by increasing their powers and share in the taxes and wealth of the nation.”

Rex Book Store partnered with him in publishing “The Barangay and the Local Government Code” in 1994. This publication is Nene Pimentel’s lasting mark for several generations of law students, lawyers, and lawmakers.

On the occasion of his passing, Rex joins the rest of the nation in honoring the great statesman in Nene Pimentel.

RELIABLE POWER NEEDED FOR ‘BUILD, BUILD, BUILD’ AGENDA

By Hector Zabala DESPITE assurances from the Department of Energy of ample electricity supply, businessmen are worried over an impending power crisis.

Last month, the Luzon grid experienced yellow alerts for two consecutive days, bringing the number of yellow alert days this year to 45. That’s more than the total of 39 yellow days since the start of President Rodrigo Duterte’s administration, from mid-2016 to 2018.

Representatives from the real estate and business process outsourcing sectors, two of the country’s booming industries, expressed concern over the possibility of less than steady supply of electricity in the future, noting that investors and buyers in the former, as well as the 24-hour operations of the latter, are dependent on power as a crucial component of the government’s “Build, Build, Build”infrastructure program.

The BPO industry relies on reliable power to maintain a high level of competitiveness as more firm providers widen their portfolio of non-voice services in new growth areas outside Metro Manila, according to Santos Knight Frank, a real-estate service provider in the Philippines.

“BPO operations need steady electricity supply, including backup sources—this, and the Philippines’s demographics are the ‘secret sauce’ of the BPO industry’s growth,” said Rick Santos, chairman and CEO of SKF. The real estate sector, one of the economy’s consistent growth drivers for the past decade, looks forward to the impact of more stable and reasonablypriced power for their property developments, with the recently successful conduct of the competitive selection process.

“Reliable sources of power keeps prices of real estate developments stable for consumers, and adds value to the concerned project,” Jeffrey Ng, president of Cathay Land, told the Manila Standard. “This serves as an inspiration, or benchmark, to future projects from developers of all scales.”

Antonio Jaime Jose Fernandez, strategic management consultant of Menarco Development Corp., said: “Power is important for developers…this is what our customers want. If the government and private sector can deliver on this, this would be an ideal scenario.”

RED ALERTS Last summer, during the height of daily yellow and red alerts, the DOE issued a statement that the public

should not worry about yellow alerts.

But only two new generating plants started operating this year—SMC Consolidated Power, with a capacity of 150 megawatts and San Buenaventura Power with 500 MW, for a total of 650 MW. This falls short of the 1,665 MW that the DOE in December 2018 said was needed by 2019 to assure stable supply and price.

Three others plants—AES Masinloc Power Partners, 300 MW; GNPower-Dinginin, 600 MW; and Solar Philippines-Tarlac—are in various stages of licensing, construction or commissioning. Due to red tape, it took San Buenaventura seven years to start up. The question in the minds of business stakeholders: when will the rest finally be cleared to run?

Infrawatch PH, an infrastructure-oriented think tank, warned last week that at650 MW, the two new generators translate into only 4-percent increase in capacity. Yet DOE forecasts demand to grow 4.9 percent a year till 2040, based on NEDA’s GDP projections.

DELAYED APPROVAL Terry Ridon, an Infrawatch PH convenor, warned that a power crisis could dampen the holiday season due to red-tape delays in the energy sector.

Ridon claimed that there had been a delay in the approval of six power supply agreements in the Manila Electric Company’s concession area.

The former House energy committee member said the CSP certifications required by the Energy Regulatory Commission have not yet been issued.

The DOE should issue the certifications “in the soonest time,” Ridon said.

What were the DOE’s solutions to address the looming power crisis? One is emergency power supply agreements with selected power plants. Another is to get

big factories to disconnect from Meralco, Luzon’s largest distributor, and run their own small generators. Both are expensive propositions, industry observers noted.

Meanwhile, there are reports of delayed generation plant startups from non-issuance of permits by the ERC. Plants are reportedly rejected for regulatory evaluation due to differences between DOE and ERC. Ridon lamented the “regulatory footdragging and finger-pointing” between the two agencies.

“With more than a month since the CSPs in the Meralco concession area, the DoE should be reminded that the President’s 30-day timeline for cabinetlevel regulatory approvals had already been breached,” Ridon said.

Industry stakeholders have not missed the irony of a looming power crisis with committed plants that are either still under construction, or commissioning tests, waiting at the wings while the DOE and ERC are acting on the applications.

Despite its growing economy, they point out that the Philippines will have the same problems next summer, and possibly the succeeding summers, with the middling generational capacity in Luzon totaling only 16,133 MW. ECONOMIC RUIN A group of consumer welfare advocates also blame the indecision of regulators, and the courts, on applications and cases related to new power plants.

Laban Konsyumer president Vic Dimagiba noted that petitions were pending for years in the ERC and the courts, particularly for baseload power plants— generators that run round the clock—that would have added capacity to the grid.

Industry stakeholders have called for the DOE and ERC to step up efforts to avert a full-blown power crisis. Dimagiba proposed that the DOE revisit the comprehensive Power Action Plan for the Philippines that was developed by Japanese experts and presented to Manila by Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry in March 2017.

The said plan aims to help solve electricity problems in the country by improving power-generation efficiency through the upgrading of existing coal-fired and hydroelectric plants and the use of the country’s abundant natural resources such as geothermal, wind and coal, among others.

The question for electricity stakeholders: is the government serious about building new power plants?

If not, the Philippines could be on the road to economic ruin because of a power crisis.

Tech & Gadgets

FWD PH LAUNCHES SHOP@FWD ONLINE INSURANCE SHOPPING SITE F AST-GROWING insurer FWD Philippines, part of pan-Asian FWD Group, recently launched its new online insurance-selling platform Shop@FWD that offers exclusive insurance products and rewards only available online.

Shop@FWD—accessible through shop.fwd. com.ph—is a new digital platform that allows customers to purchase insurance products in mere minutes. It is the fastest way to get insured online while getting rewards as well.

“We’re making insurance more accessible with Shop@FWD. Anybody, from young professionals to breadwinners, can now easily purchase much-needed insurance coverage with the click of a button,” said FWD Philippines President and Chief Executive Officer Peter Grimes. “At FWD, we want to change the way people feel about insurance, and one way to do this is to provide a hassle-free way to purchase insurance and be instantly covered.”

Since its launch in 2014, FWD Philippines has been providing simple, relevant, and affordable ways for customers to get the protection they deserve.

Shop@FWD is the company’s latest digital innovation that reimagines the meaning of insurance.

THE THINGS YOU ‘CAN DO’ Exclusively available via Shop@FWD is KanDüü, an insurance product suite that covers policyholders so that they“can do”whatever they want with no hesitation.

KanDüü is available for individuals aged 18-50 years old and comes in three variants: KanMend, KanLive, and KanGuard. For only P1,799 a year, customers will be covered up to age 55.

Each product has distinct features that fit people’s diverse lifestyles and varying needs.

KanMend is a life insurance policy that provides a critical illness benefit of P100,000 in case the insured is diagnosed with any of the 42 covered critical illnesses. The policy also comes with a reward—six months of access to KonsultaMD, a health hotline service that provides 24/7 unlimited telemedicine access to licensed Filipino doctors providing medical advice, anytime, anywhere.

KanLive is a life insurance policy that provides a death benefit of P200,000, to beneficiaries in case

of the insured’s death. One year of unlimited medical consultation is also included, courtesy of Aventus Medical Inc, a healthcare service provider with 12 branches spanning throughout Metro Manila, Cebu, Laguna, and Pampanga.

In the unlikely event that the customer is caught in an accident or terrorist attack anywhere in the world, KanGuard provides a cash benefit of P500,000 for the financial support of the beneficiaries in case of the insured’s death, or for the financial support of the insured in case of total and permanent disability. It comes with a one-year subscription to Assist America Global Emergency Services, a provider of emergency medical services for travelers worldwide.

“FWD Philippines offers the most affordable insurance plans with rewards in the country. We want to make insurance more tangible and relatable for our customers through Shop@FWD’s protection products and rewards,” said FWD Philippines Head of Marketing Roche Vandenberghe. “Shop@FWD aims to empower more Filipinos to live worry-free, knowing that we’ve got their back!”

COVERAGE IN MINUTES, HASSLE-FREE PURCHASE, EASY ACCESS TO POLICY INFORMATION Customers can get covered in minutes, simply by filling out a one-page application form at shop.fwd. com.ph. The application requires no medical exams or paperwork, and customers can manage their insurance coverage anytime, anywhere with FWD Tapp—a onetap insurance app that allows customers to manage their insurance from the ease of their mobile device.

“We value people’s time, and that’s why no paperwork is required when buying through Shop@FWD. Instant coverage is possible just by filling out a onepage form. We strongly believe that insurance should be a convenience, not a burden. That is our true vision for Shop@FWD,” added Grimes.

TCL BRINGS DISPLAY EXPERTISE TO SMARTPHONES TCL Communication recently announced the launch of TCL PLEX, a smartphone that brings the brand’s renowned display expertise to a mobile form factor.

Featuring TCL NXTVISION™, a proprietary advanced display optimization and camera technology, you can see your screen come to life with enriched color, clarity and contrast enhancement in real-time and have an elevated camera experience.

TCL PLEX will embody the brand’s new ‘Display Greatness’ philosophy to relentlessly pursue mobile innovation excellence leveraging its unique display heritage. It offers best-in-class imaging standards with an industryleading camera with super low-light sensor and super wide-angle lens, as well as a fluid, intuitive interface to ensure efficient interaction between you and your smartTCL PLEX phones at all times.

“TCL’s legacy in display technology is second to none. We are the No. 1 TV brand in China and No. 2 TV brand globally. With the launch of the TCL PLEX, we not only want to bring our display know-how to more consumers and deliver on the key smartphone experiences – display, camera, user interface and design. We also want to open doors to a whole new future by introducing an ecosystem of smart devices that help our consumers lead more connected lives,”said Peter Lee, General Manager, Global Sales and Marketing at TCL Communication.

“The TCL PLEX is the first of a new range of devices we will be releasing from next year, including our

5G products and devices with foldable displays.”

Indulge in a cinematic immersion with dedicated display engine and real-time SDR to HDR video enhancement Equipped with a dedicated display engine, you can now indulge in a cinematic immersion anytime you want. With cutting-edge color accuracy thanks to TCL NXTVISION, colors on the TCL PLEX’s screen are intensified with a 6-axis color enhancement for radiant images.

Edges are honed with 2D edge enhancement for sharper pictures and visual contrasts are made more striking without being over-exposed with targeted contrast enhancement. With an SDR to HDR real-time conversion feature, the TCL PLEX offers a HDR-like video enhancement with increased contrast, amplified color, brighter highlights and darker shadows. Now, you can expect stunning HDR quality entertainment at all times.

With so much time spent on smartphones, it is imperative to protect your eyes from strain and ensure the best display clarity constantly. The TCL PLEX does just that with‘Adaptive Tone’, ‘Reading Mode’ and ‘Eye Comfort Mode’. ‘Adaptive Tone’ automatically adapts display brightness and adjusts color temperature so you get the best viewing experience in any condition. ‘Reading Mode’ offers a paper-like reading experience and allows you to select a list of frequently used apps where this mode can apply automatically on startup.

‘Eye Comfort Mode’ reduces eyestrain by removing 66 percent of harmful blue light emitted from the screen.

Featuring an in-house 6.53-inch FHD+ TCL Dotch™ Display with 90 percent screen-to-body ratio1 and a discreet front camera, as well as a Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ processor, you can now enjoy more screen and afford an exceptional entertainment experience.

Capture like a pro even at night with impressive low-light photography capability The TCL PLEX is equipped with a triple camera setup so you can capture like a pro. Sporting a main camera that utilizes a 48MP ultra high-res Sony sensor with 4k recording function and a separate dedicated video camera with an industry-leading 2.9μm big pixel low-light sensor, users can make every moment extraordinary even at night with the TCL PLEX. Equipped with an innovative algorithm, the TCL PLEX has the capability to integrate auto-brightness, denoising, super resolution, HDR and more into a single AI model in the camera’s auto mode. This results in a night shot capability of up to three times brighter2 in the darkest environments. Users may also choose to up-level the night photography experience with a dedicated ‘Super Night Mode’, producing exceptionally detailed images that have greater definition, clarity and color in the dark.

A 16MP 123° super wide-angle camera allows

Buy a TCL PLEX for only P15,990 and get a free TCL 24” LED TV worth P7,995

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SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2019 rumallari@thestandard.com.ph

REDDOORZ REVEALS 2 NEW APPOINTMENTS SINGAPORE—RedDoorz, Southeast Asia’s largest and fastest-growing hotel management and booking platform, recently announced several new leadership appointments, further bolstering its regional team as the firm eyes significant growth in 2020.

Jupe Tsui, previously CFO of Oriente and Regional Finance Director for booking.com, has been appointed as Chief Financial Officer, and Liviu Nedef, former Head of Marketing at HOOQ has joined as SVP of Marketing.

“RedDoorz has grown five-times in size in the last 12 months and we intend to continue to drive significant growth in 2020,” said Amit Saberwal, Chief Executive Officer and Founder of RedDoorz. “Creating more robust commercialization strategies, taking greater control of our operational costs, developing impactful brand campaigns, and enhancing end-user experiences enriched with emerging technologies requires an experienced team with a depth of experience in their respective fields to ensure we are solving for both the current and future needs of our business.”

As Chief Financial Officer for RedDoorz, Tsui will be responsible for refining and implementing RedDoorz’s financial growth strategy, as well as implementing new financial initiatives. He brings with him almost 30 years of experience from some of the world’s largest multinational companies.

Most recently, he served as Regional CFO for Oriente, an innovative technology and data-science company committed to unlocking financial inclusion for underserved communities in emerging Asia.

He was also Regional Finance Director for Booking.com, where he was instrumental in transforming a 150-person finance organisation to help drive exponential growth for four consecutive years. He joins RedDoorz at a time of unprecedented growth.

“I am excited to be joining a company that is not only disrupting an old and archaic industry, but that’s doing so with such focus and determination for the benefit of the customer and small hotel owners across the region,” said Tsui. “I look forward to leading the RedDoorz financial team through this, and the next period of rapid growth.”

Nedef has assumed responsibilities in a newly formed role as the Group Senior Vice President of Marketing. His mission will be to make RedDoorz the leading affordable hotel brand in Southeast Asia.

Liviu brings almost 15 years of experience, having led marketing functions for high growth digital, content and e-commerce brands including HOOQ and Lazada.

“RedDoorz is an exciting company that is redefining the travel accommodation space for millions of people in Southeast Asia. I’m thrilled to join Amit and the team with the important task of building brand perception, amplifying our stories and delivering a new perspective to consumers around the region. Our brand has a vision that’s easily relatable and translates well across the region and I look forward to help propel RedDoorz forward during our next phase of growth.”

Saberwal added: “These appointments bolster our leadership team to accelerate RedDoorz’s regional growth. At a time of tremendous change in the travel and hospitality landscape, we are reinforcing our position as a leading industry disrupter, serving our customers and hotel partners with the best thinking, the best people and innovative technology.”

FOOD TECHNOLOGY: NUTRISET AN ALLY IN FIGHT VS MALNUTRITION

Immediate availability of nutritional products is key to improve access to essential health services to vulnerable communities.

ONE in three Filipino children below five years old suffers from either acute malnutrition or stunting.

In addition to this, the Philippine government estimates that over 4.2 million children are stunted (short for their age, also called chronic malnutrition) and that more than 300,000 children under 5 years old are severely thin for their height, referred to as acute malnutrition.

The high prevalence of malnutrition in the Philippines is linked to low access to essential health and nutrition services by the poor and marginalized, a situation exacerbated by recurring natural disasters and conflicts.

But thanks to Nutriset, the government has an ally in the fight against malnutrition.

Directly contributing to the Philippine Plan of Action for Nutrition (PPAN) 2017-2022, Nutriset manufactures and

supplies nutritional food products elaborated with scientists to prevent and treat malnutrition.

In the Philippines, Nutriset offers a range of 20 products registered with the FDA, available with 2 distributors. The Department of Health has already ordered 3.5MT of Nutriset products to care for 25,500 children.

Immediate availability of nutritional products is key to improve access to essential health services to vulnerable communities. Nutriset is looking to have its global stocking capabilities available in Metro Manila and Cebu.

More information is available at www. nutriset.ph.

Nutriset is a pioneering company, dedicated to the fight malnutrition.

Headquartered in France, Nutriset is part of the Nutriset Groupe that focuses on the development of a sustainable agro-

industry, nutrition and access to highquality food.

Founded 30 years ago by Michel Lescanne, helmed by Adeline LescanneGautier as General Manager, the Nutriset Group currently employs 250 employees worldwide and established PlumpyField® a global agroindustry network that manufactures its products closer to where the needs are. Together they share the same mandate to contribute to nutritional autonomy for all.

Lescanne, himself, was a recipient of the European Inventor Award for 2015, the same year Nutriset received the prestigious Patents for Humanity Award.

A key partner of the World Food Programme and Unicef, Nutriset defines nutritional autonomy for all as the “capacity of a country or community to set up a sustainable system to identify and make accessible the nutrients required

for the development and good health of its population.”

As of 2018, 17 million people suffering from malnutrition, mostly children, received care using Nutriset products.

Key regions targeted are Africa and Asia. The activity of the company directly contributes to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals which include no poverty, zero hunger, good health and well-being, among others.

Nutriset products cover two key areas, namely prevention of stunting (chronic malnutrition) and management of acute malnutrition (prevention and treatment).

Studies show that children whose diet lacks the micronutrients that are essential in the early stage of life, starting from conception to two years old, are at risk of negative impacts in their future motor and cognitive development.

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TECH & Gadgets SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2019 Riera U. Mallari, Editor rumallari@thestandard.com.ph

LG LAUNCHES NEW LINEUP FOR COMMERCIAL AIR-CONS

A

S THE leader in the HVAC industry, LG Electronics recently held a press conference at Solaire to formally introduce the brand-new 2020 line up for single commercial air conditioners.

Air-conditioning is integral to everyday life in the Philippines, owing to the tropical climate that can get blazing hot at times. However, according to the Global Competitiveness Report by the World Economic Forum (WEF), electricity in the Philippines ranks a lowly 92nd globally, meaning the price of electricity is very high. This makes air-conditioning not feasible for some households due to the costs involved. Recognizing this issue, LG, by applying innovative technology, has achieved a high-efficiency and cost-effective solution in the brand-new line up for single CAC. LG’s brand-new line up for single CAC, which are perfect for restaurants, small and medium-sized stores, and small and medium-sized offices, include the Floor Standing, the Ceiling Mounted Cassette, the 1 Way Ceiling Cassette, the Ceiling Suspended, and the Ceiling Concealed Duct. To attain high-efficiency and costeffectiveness, the products are rigged with LG’s revolutionary R1 CompressorTM and Smart Inverter.

The compressor used in the new line up is an LGexclusive R1 Compressor with a shaft-through bottom compression structure. With its innovative technology, the R1 Compressor has resolved the endemic problem of a relatively low efficiency in the widely

Shown here are (from left) LGEPH Brand Ambassador James Deakin, LGEPH Air Solutions Business Development Manager Rod Astoriano, LG Electronics Asia B2B Air Solutions Sales Manager Joohoon Kim, LG Electronics Commercial Air Conditioner Business Leader Junsuk Lee, LGEPH Vice President for Air Conditioners, Energy Solutions Young Park and LGEPH Air Solutions Sales Head Michael Piccio.

LG Innovative HVAC Solutions Booth won Best Booth Award- 2nd runner up at the HVAC Show 2019

used rotary compressor and improves the tiling motion of scroll. By virtue of the compressor, it lowers the noise to 4dB and reduces its weight by 20%.

In comparison to other companies’ line up for single CAC, which is operated with a noninverter compressor, all of LG’s CAC is operated with the inverters. With the LG Smart Inverter, the annual price of electricity is expected to decline by 25% compared to an on/off model.

Likewise, users can receive quick return on investment within 20 months by virtue of energy savings. Moreover, it enables air flow to cool in a long distance. Since the Floor Standing unit can reach up to 20 meters, it makes it possible to cool a room even though it is far from the unit.

Furthermore, a five-step air cleaning feature reduces maintenance costs and makes upkeep simple and fuss-free. In terms of performance, it has a wide operation range as low as -15°C and as high as 48°C outdoor temperature.

After announcing the brand-new line up for single CAC, LG also introduced the Dual Vane Cassette, an upgraded version of the 4 Way Ceiling Cassette, and the Round Cassette which raised expectations and set the bar high. These

products will be launched in the second quarter of 2020 after launching single CAC. The conventional 4 Way Ceiling Cassette is equipped with four vanes, so it used to offer air flow in four ways. However, LG also introduced the Dual Vane Cassette which is equipped with innovative dual vane technology. Since the Dual Vane Cassette has eight vanes, it manages air flow more precisely and provides optimized air flow for users. Also, the Dual Vane Cassette allows users to choose six different modes, including three patented ones. Thus, it offers the best air flow over various spaces.

With a premium round design, the Round Cassette provides perfect circular air flow without any blind spot by minimizing junctions whereas a conventional round cassette has three outlets to provide three-way air flow with blind spots. In addition to that, unlike other brands’ round cassettes which controls wind direction in three steps, LG’s Round Cassette is equipped with crystal vanes, enabling the user to control the direction in six steps. Moreover, the 3D fan increases air flow rate by 5% while lowering noise. With a larger air flow rate, cooling rate becomes 30% faster.

STEP-UP IG GAME WITH VIVO V17 PRO’S POSE MASTER WHAT does it take to be one of those Instagram celebrities with and endless stream of effortlessly cool photos?

Well, it’s not as easy as it seems. Taking those perfect shots can actually be pretty tough especially for those who end up using the same old poses or others who often feel too camera-shy to snap IG-worthy photos of their best moments.

Make things more exciting by playing around with new poses from the Vivo V17 Pro’s AI pose master. The Pose Master offers tons of ideas to match a variety of photo scenes, from selfies to groufies, to help you stay at the top of your IG game.

The Vivo V17 Pro’s top-of-the-line cameras get the job done with its many innovative features. Capturing the fuller picture for the ‘gram is its front camera with a 105-degree super wide-angle camera and its impressive 32mp main camera.

Step up to the ranks of pro-level IG feeds with the Vivo V17 Pro’s powerful rear AI Quad Camera, complete with its 48mp main camera, and three other cameras specialized for super wide-angle, super macro, and bokeh photography. There are plenty of other modes and features that will help users the get best shots like its Super Night Mode with its F/1.8 aperture for nightlife photos.

Get creative and have fun with all the poses with the impressive cameras of the Vivo V17 Pro to reach those IG goals and literally Shoot Beyond Limits.

Visit www.vivoglobal.ph/product/V17Pro to find out more about the newest Vivo smartphone.

NTT LTD. ANNOUNCES 2020 TECH PREDICTIONS SINGAPORE—NTT Ltd., the worldleading global technology services provider, has announced its Future Disrupted: 2020 technology trends predictions.

They’re based on the most critical technology trends companies need to be aware of next year and the steps they need to take to address them.

Formed from key insights from its technology experts, the company outlines the trends that will shape the business technology landscape throughout 2020 across six key areas: Disruptive Technologies, Cybersecurity, Workplace, Infrastructure, Business, and Technology Services. NTT Ltd. CTO Ettienne Reinecke predicts mainstream adoption of disruptive technologies in 2020 will finally see data, automation and internet of things (IoT) technologies come together to create connected cities and societies.

The company predicts that 2020 will finally see all the hype words of the past decade come together to create completely connected environments that are capable of running themselves autonomously to build more intelligent cities, workplaces and businesses—and on a secure basis.

Data, AI and secure by design will be at the heart of this movement, empowering devices to talk to one another and act on that information without human intervention.

Smart cities and IoT will become the norm as they improve productivity, growth and innovation across entire regions.

NTT Ltd. is the newly-formed company bringing together 40,000 people from across 31 brands—including NTT Communications, Dimension Data and NTT Security—to serve 10,000 clients from around the world.

Using the insights gathered from its global client base, NTT Ltd. is able to better understand the future and shape the most effective intelligent technology solutions for its customers.

The Future Disrupted: 2020 Technology Trends looks at the way businesses need to prepare for tomorrow, in the next year.

Commenting on the predictions, Ettienne Reinecke said: “The industry has been talking about different technologies, including the cloud, data, AI and security in different siloes.

But 2020 is the year that will change. Next year, we’ll see complete end-to-end computing come to the fore, bringing to life fully intelligent environments that are completely connected and will have a big impact on the world we live in.”

“We will see most cities and societies starting to follow in the footsteps of Las Vegas City, which has become intelligent in the way it shares data across the region, improving situational awareness through video and sound data.

With IoT technology on a secure infrastructure, it’s created a safer environment to live in, improving living conditions and, ultimately, saving lives. Projects like these need a variety of different technology capabilities to come together in order to achieve great things, so building fully connected environments will be the key focus point next year.”

SAFE CHRISTMAS MADE BRIGHTER WITH FIREFLY LED LAST year, Firefly LED lit up a 71-foot Christmas tree at SM By the Bay Mall of Asia. That feat is quite difficult to follow or is it?

Firefly LED makes Christmas even better and brighter for 2019. The tree is now taller and no less than the Filipino Christmas icon, singer and songwriter Jose Mari Chan, lit up the 75-foot Firefly LED Giant Christmas Tree at SM By the Bay Mall of Asia on Nov. 9, signaling the official start of the Christmas season in the Philippines, which was hosted

by Donita Rose.

The Philippines celebrates Christmas the longest—it begins in September and typically ends in January—and it is a most joyous celebration.

The tree lighting event also served as the first public introduction of Jose Mari Chan as Firefly LED Brand ambassador.

According to Chan, Firefly LED is not the only brand that offered him an endorsement. The reason he accepted it is because the company manufactures products that he believes in.

“I am very honored to be Firefly LED’s first ambassador. Firefly LED makes Christmas even better because a safe Christmas is indeed a happy Christmas,” said Chan.

At the Chan home, their Christmas tree is lit up

with Firefly LED Christmas Lights, the first Fireflybranded Christmas lights in the country.

“Firefly has lights for every household need, and its standard LED bulbs range is safe for the eyes, as certified by TÜV-SÜD, a world-renowned German testing institute. We are very happy to be working with Jose Mari Chan, who is a revered Christmas icon in the Philippines,” said Erik Riola, Marketing Director of Firefly Electric and Lighting Corporation.

The Firefly LED Giant Christmas Tree at SM By the Bay has a “Home for the Holidays” theme with red and gold colors. The tree is adorned with gift boxes, candy canes, Christmas balls with angels and snowmen, and covered with Firefly LED Bright Christmas Lights.

To supplement the grandiose Firefly LED Christmas tree, SM By the Bay, has also installed “Christmas Forest of Lights” featuring 30 8ft forest trees with light synchronization to be displayed until January 2020.

Aside from SM By the Bay, Firefly LED also lit up the 75-ft Christmas tree at SM North Edsa with a “Frozen” theme, a parol-inspired tree in Ayala Cebu, and an indoor Christmas Tree at Robinson’s Tagum.

Firefly LED also has Christmas lights installation at Aseana Bradco and Macapagal Avenue in

partnership with DM Wenceslao.

During the tree lighting event, Chan performed a number of songs, including the iconic “Christmas in our Hearts.”

The Filipino-owned Firefly Lighting brand has been in business for close to two decades, but only began selling Christmas lights three years ago. The company mainly sells various lighting and power solutions products.

Firefly LED Bright Christmas lights is the first Firefly-branded Christmas lights in the market today. These lights are tested safe as the product has a built-in safety fuse and made of high-grade materials such as copper wire, instead of aluminum.

All Firefly Christmas lights are approved by the Department of Trade and Industry.

“Firefly’s Christmas lights come in warm white, white and RGB (red, green and blue). The Christmas lights prices range from P439 for the 90 LED bulbs, 6-meter, steady-on string lights, to P2,499 for the curtain lights with 400 LED bulbs and with a blinking night sky effect” said Christine Reyes, Assistant Brand Manager of Firefly LED. Visit Firefly’s official Facebook page: facebook.com/ FireflyLightingPH to know what Jose Mari Chan and Firefly LED has in store for you this holiday season.

Firefly LED lit up a 75-foot Christmas tree at SM By the Bay Mall of Asia

Destinations D1

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2019

Bernadette Lunas, Issue Editor

manilastandardlife@gmail.com

@manilastandardlife

@MStandardLIFE

A mama Olive Ridley Turtle lays eggs on the beachfront of Mövenpick Resort and Spa Boracay.

DAZZLING DANCING LIGHTS

BORACAY RESORT WELCOMES NEW VIP GUEST IT’S THAT TIME OF THE YEAR AGAIN. Families and friends gather at Ayala Triangle Gardens to watch the lights and sound show happening every night, from 6:00 to 10:00 p.m.

By Bernadette Lunas

“G

OING to Ayala Triangle light show has been our tradition.

This is our fifth year!” shared Sam, 28, who recently went with friends to Makati CBD’s Christmas installation highlight this year.

Sam works in Ortigas, but she said she had never missed one show since she first saw it five years ago. “This is like a nice treat to those who work here in Ayala,” she enthused.

Every year since 2010, thousands of families and friends gather at the Ayala Triangle Gardens to enjoy the spectacular Christmas lights and sound show. Dazzling lights up on trees and around the 20,000-square-meter garden shine and dance to the beat of Christmas medleys.

The Festival of Lights has in fact made it to the coveted list of Conde Nast Traveller’s Seven Most Spectacular Lights in the World, alongside Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen, Champs-Elysées in Paris, and Kobe Luminarie in Japan.

“The Gallery of Lights by Ayala Land is the highlight of our year. It’s our way of giving back to the community and making the holidays more meaningful for many Filipino families,” Cathy Bengzon, head of corporate marketing of Ayala Land, said in a statement.

From Filipino fiesta to Disney-themed medleys as well new light designs and exhibitions, Ayala Land has always presented new ways to delight “Makatizens” and those who travel from other parts of the metro to watch the show and bond with loved ones after.

In a bid to “make the event even more memorable than the last,” there's a couple of new additions to the whole production such as illuminated art installations.

This year’s Gallery of Lights is all about shapes and lines with polygon clouds—perhaps a nod to the triangle-shaped garden—that form a canopy of lights and bright noodle lights lining tree trunks and branches designed by lighting direc-

THOUSANDS of guest, from celebrities to world-famous athletes, have enjoyed the idyllic secluded beach, upscale facilities, and sophisticated amenities of Mövenpick Resort and Spa Boracay.

Discerning guests do know the best place to stay in the island paradise in Aklan.

But one particularly very important guest was spotted at Mövenpick, specifically on the beachfront. It was an Olive Ridley Turtle, which on Nov. 5 was seen nesting with approximately 106 eggs.

As with all guests of the resort, general manager Andre Brulhart is leading the team in making sure the VIP guest and its eggs are well taken care of. In coordination with municipal marine biologist Haron Deo Vargas, necessary procedures have been undertaken to ensure the security of the fragile eggs, including the building of a fence to protect the nest.

This year’s Gallery of Lights, directed by Voltaire de Jesus and Luther Gumia, feature polygon-shaped lights and bright noodle lights dancing to the beats of three medleys.

The resort installed a fence to protect the nest.

'The Carol of Lights,' a 3D video mapping show, features colorful light projections of images inspired by church ceilings and stained glass windows.

tors Voltaire de Jesus and Luther Gumia.

Tivoli and laser lights dance to three beautiful medleys starting with the techno-inspired number by Tris Suguitan; a Big Band medley

by Mel Villena which consists of jazz-inspired tunes that feature brass instruments; and a Filipino medley by Von de Guzman that showcases popular Pinoy Christmas tunes with a mix of cheerful and sentimental melodies.

A 3D video mapping show, dubbed "The

Carol of Lights," by Epson Philippines adds a visual treat to spectators. Light projections of images inspired by church ceilings and stained glass windows designed by G.A. Fallarme and conceptualized with Henk-Gert Lenten, will be shown for the first time on the dome of Tower One and Exchange Plaza.

The Gallery of Lights happens every night from 6:00 to 10:00 p.m., from Nov. 12 to Jan. 12, 2020.

“We are very delighted and we are filled with excitement as we anticipate the hatching of the eggs. We see this as a sign of environmental sustainability and a sign of hope. Mövenpick Resort and Spa Boracay is deeply committed to the environment in as much as we are committed to our guests,” enthused Brulhart.

Vargas revealed it was the first time he has encountered an Olive Ridley Turtle in the island’s reefs. The most common, he said, were Hawksbill and Green Sea Turtles, and sometimes Leatherback Turtle.

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MAKING A DIFFERENCE Rafael 'Raf' Dionisio, dressed to lead the campaign for reforestation.

Good thing I learned that MAD I HAVE always been a fan of this was actually an acronym for “Make young man, Rafael “Raf” Dionisio, A Difference,” and my faith in him since the first time I met him when was restored. he was also invited to speak at the I discovered the many noteworsame youth forum I was invited thy projects he was involved with to speak at. He impressed me as in promoting sustainable tourism a typical “dynamic millennial on in the countryside, with ecological the go.” I was overwhelmed by all MERCURY RISING considerations, and giving special his bright ideas that I decided to

BY BOB ZOZOBRADO attention to the less privileged invite him to speak at one of our members of our society. university’s tourism events.

Just the other day, he invited me He has an enviable youthful exuberance and dynamism that you can’t help but to his newest project, Table To Tribe, a unique seedwonder where all that energy and innovative moves raising dining experience put together by a team of are coming from. Raf can easily charm anybody with Michelin Star-chefs headed by Chele Gonzalez, who created special dishes and cocktails inspired by local his interesting plans and projects.

My first five minutes with him immediately con- traditions observed by the Aetas.

Vegetable and fruit seeds from the dishes were saved vinced me that he is how today’s youth should be.

I was a little bit taken aback, though, when I found and planted for the long-term food security of forestout that he owns a travel agency called MAD Travel. based communities in Bataan and Zambales. With our In my mind, I wondered, why such a negative name.

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Destinations

D2

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2019 manilastandardlife@gmail.com

CHECK-IN

Agoda now allows users without a credit card to book a room.

No credit card?

No problem Online booking platform Agoda now enables more Filipinos to travel as it rolls out new payment options for those who don’t have a credit card.

The “Book without a credit card” option is now available in more than 1,000 hotels across the Philippines. Travelers can quickly and easily identify properties that offer this payment method with a “Book without a credit card” badge on the search page, or easily use the platform’s search filter to find these properties. They can complete the payment at the hotel upon check-in.

The second new payment option, “Counter payment” is available on all Agoda domestic properties. It allows travelers to pay at bill payment centers. Travelers can simply select “Counter Payment” as a payment method when completing the booking form. The “Counter payment” is available at various BDO, BPI, Bayad Center, and LBC branches, with additional partnerships coming soon.

Landers members can enjoy a discounted stay at Azalea.

Superstore members get overnight stay discount Members of Landers Superstore are treated to a huge discount on room rates at Azalea in Baguio and Boracay, as the two brands team up in time for the holiday season.

All Landers members can get up to 60 percent discount on rates that include room accommodation and breakfast buffet. Those who will stay at Azalea Hotel and Residences Baguio will also get free parking for one car throughout the duration of their stay.

Stay period is ongoing until Jan. 30, 2020. Promo rates are non-transferrable and members will be required to present their membership cards upon check-in. It is not applicable on public holidays and hoteldeclared long weekends.

Call Azalea’s reservation hotline at (02) 484-0080 to 81 or 0917-8611641 or 0919-9944140 for more information.

FAMILY BONDING AT THE BEACH FAMILY FIRST. There are only a few things better than a family getaway in the world-class island of Boracay.

T

HERE are a few things better than a family bonding in, say, a world-class paradise such as Boracay.

A new resort in Boracay invites moms and dads and the rest of the gang to celebrate the gift of family by spending quality time in a leisurely escape.

Inspired by the Polynesian word for “family,” the seven-hectare luxury resort Auhana Boracay is all about the love that ties them together. It offers a variety of facilities made for every member of the family as well as encourage bonding.

The fambam can take a dip into the shell-shaped main pool that overlooks the sea, while the kids can spend hours of fun with other young guests in the Tiki Hut Kids’ pool. Private lap pools

facing the beach are also available for a quiet dip.

Moms and dads can treat themselves to a relaxing time at The Auhana Spa, which boasts an extensive collection of essential oils. Some of the services the spa offers include the Auhana Signature Massage, a combination of Swedish, Shiatsu, Hot Stone, and Thai Massage.

After hours of playing and relaxing, families can bond over good food at any of the resort’s three restaurants.

The luxurious Auhana Boracay offers upscale facilities and amenities for The All-Day Dining is an openfamilies to enjoy individually or together. air restaurant that serves meals with a side of a breathtaking view of the sea. Asian Eats, on the other esque view of greens and blues hand, offers classic and contempo- from the windows, as well as amerary, as well as Asian fusion dishes. nities like plush beds, flat screen The Porch is perfect for dinners TV, complimentary Wi-Fi access, with a priceless view of Boracay’s and modern restroom fitted with fabled sunset. top-of-the-line bathtub, heated There’s also the Bar and Lobby toilet seat, and more.

Lounge where families can bond The resort also houses a over snacks during the day, and 51-square meter chapel that can where mom and dad can share a comfortably seat 80 guests. drink later in the evening.

And while Auhana provides a Auhana brings Boracay’s famed comfortable distance from the powdery white sand beach and commercial and recreational escrystal clear water closer to guests tablishments of Station 2, shuttle by lining its beachfront with services are provided until 10 in rooms, suites, and villas. the evening. Guests can also reach Guests can choose to stay in Station 2 by foot, should they opt more than 500 rooms spread across for a romantic, 15-minute stroll 14 categories, including, among along the beach. others, Deluxe, Premier, Premier Panoramic, Junior Suite, Family Contact the resort at reservations@ auhana.com or (036) 286-3900 for The sprawling seven-hectare property has 500 rooms, several pools, a chapel, and Suite, and Presidential Suite. three restaurants, among other facilities.

Each room guarantees a pictur- inquiries and reservation.

Raf Dionisio and his partners hope that seed saving will restore over 3,000 hectares of forest in the councountry’s rain forest down from 70 tryside. Livelihood is a key compopercent in 1900 to only 3 percent this nent of reforestation, as forest-based year, the fight against climate change communities must be able to earn takes us back to growing more trees while keeping our forests safe.

This aspect of sustainable tourism and empowering the people who is, indeed, a live there. praiseworthy This lauddirection that able project YOUR WEEKEND MAD Travel of MAD Travel, is taking. The CHUCKLE in partnership Table-Towith Gallery Q: Why do we tell stage actors to Tribe event

by Chele and “break a leg?” is certainly a La Camara, A: Because every play has a cast. big help in sends a clear our country’s message that efforts to seeds can be saved and sent to farmers so they solve our problem of diminishing can grow their own farms. Seeds forests and the impoverished comwere delivered to the Aetas the fol- munities in them.

I told you that this young man, Raf lowing day, setting a good example for households, hotels, resorts, and Dionisio, is a repository of bright ideas. restaurant owners that they can actu- He was born to MAKE A DIFFERENCE. ally contribute to ending poverty by For feedback, I’m at donating seeds from their kitchen to bobzozobrado@gmail.com. our hardworking farmers.

MAKING...

From D1

BORACAY...

From D1

Chef Chele explains to guests how the kitchen can help grow more trees and sustain the lives of forest-based communities.

“We have four species of sea turtles in our municipal waters, out of five species that can be found in the Philippines,” he shared.

Olive Ridley Turtle is the most abundant sea turtle species in the world and is known for its mass nesting. It is also one of the smallest sea turtle species at only 2- to 2.5-feet (0.6 to 0.7 meters) long and 80 to 110 pounds (36 to 50 kg.). They are named after the olive coloration of their heart-shaped shells.

Vargas said the eggs will hatch anytime from 45 to 75 days. He also added that the resort can expect more. “That is just one clutch. A nester can have up to seven clutches, and it takes a week or more for a female Olive Ridley Turtle to nest.”

Mövenpick Resort and Spa Boracay security, meantime, is placed on alert for the return of the mother turtle.

It is also updating the community through its social media accounts.

Entertainment

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2019

D3

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

MICHELLE DEE TO BRING AUTISM ADVOCACY AWARENESS TO

69 MISS WORLD TH

Pop superstar Taylor Swift

By Eton Concepcion

ARTIST OF THE DECADE

M

ODEL and actress Michelle Dee heeded her mom Melanie Marquez’s advice to lighten up a bit to enhance her personality for the coming Miss World 2019 pageant.

“You see, I’m a very serious person and mom helped me to be a lighter person and to have fun and enjoy and enjoy myself,” the statuesque 23-year-old said during the send-off press conference held in Quezon City on Wednesday.

“My game plan is to just do my best in all the fast-track events of Miss World. I hope for the world to see the beauty in Filipinos and what we have to offer as a country,“ the psychology graduate said. “For the Miss World Beauty with a Purpose, I think my personal advocacy happens to fit the Miss World criteria, that is raising awareness on addressing autism.”

Michelle has been collaborating with the Autism Society Philippines, specifically, to

TAYLOR SWIFT REIGNITES FEUD WITH FORMER LABEL

bring attention to the needs of children on the spectrum. She wants to help on how to increase the chapters of Autism Society Philippines, especially, in the rural areas, knowing the high number of undiagnosed cases of autism due to lack of facilities and

Miss International 1979 Melanie Marquez carries baby Michelle in a photo for an old magazine cover

awareness.

For Miss World Philippines national director, being the daughter of a former Miss International could work to Michelle’s favor.

“Of course there’s a lot of pressure living up to her family’s legacy, but let’s just hope she does her best,” said Vegafria. “Her Filipina looks, plus her experience as an actress and model are definitely a big plus, and I think her heart is in the right place when it comes to her personal advocacy.”

Michelle is going to the Miss World with a set of wardrobe from nothing but the best with the likes of Renee Salud, Nono Palmos, Chris Nick, and Jojo Bragais, to name a few.

Contributing to ensure the Fil-Chinese beauty’s victory, Michelle’s finals evening gown and national costume are designed by Francis Libiran.

Will Michelle duplicate Melanie’s feat and achieve the rare distinction as the first ever mother-daughter to win major international titles?

Miss World 2019 finals will be held at the Excel Arena in London, England on Dec.14, to be telecast live on GMA-7, Saturday at 10:00 p.m..

Actress and model Michelle Dee vies for the country’s second Miss World crown

Michelle poses for the cameras during a send-off party organized by Miss World Philippines

A TRACK FOR COUPLES FACING SELF-DOUBT AND INSECURITY YOUNG singer-songwriter Jayda is back with another heartwarming tune through her self-penned song “Perfectly Imperfect,” a duet which she sang with The Voice Teens finalistJeremy G. The track, produced under Star Music, speaks about mutual love and appreciation between lovers. It revolves around the theme of loving someone without reservations despite their flaws and insecurities. It also promotes love that sees beyond physical attributes, a relationship that looks past all imperfections.

“Perfectly Imperfect” went through quite a journey, having undergone four arrangements before finally being recorded.

The 16-year-old performer originally wrote it on her guitar while on her way home from a trip in Palawan when she was just 14 years old.

Apart from this single, Jayda also teamed up with Indonesian artist Renn Miko earlier this year for the song “Crazy About,”

her first international collaboration. Meanwhile, her first EP In My Room was released last year, followed by her stint as Niall Horan’s opening act during his Manila tour at the MOA Arena.

Jayda is only one of the many talented artists under Star Music—a known home to many of the best OPM music of today from the country’s leading media and entertainment company, ABS-CBN. On the other hand, The Voice Teens alum Jeremy Glinoga has since reinvented himself and is now known as multi-talented performer Jeremy G. He now guests regularly inASAP Natin ‘To, and was also named as one of the ambassadors of technosport Hado, which was just recently launched in the Philippines.

Jayda and Jeremy G’s “Perfectly Imperfect” was released on all digital platforms on Friday, Nov. 15. Catch the premiere of its music video on Star Music’s YouTube channel on Monday (Nov.18).

Teen singer-songwriter Jayda teams up with Jeremy G for the track ‘Perfectly Imperfect.’

GLOBAL pop star Taylor Swift on Thursday publicly reignited her battle with the heads of her former label, saying it is threatening to bar her from going through with an upcoming performance and Netflix documentary over her plans to re-record her early albums.

Earlier this year the superstar began feuding with industry mogul Scooter Braun over his purchase of her former label for more than a decade, the Nashville-based Big Machine, which gave him a majority stake in the master recordings of her first six albums.

Swift said she would begin rerecording her early albums to create copies she owns herself, saying her contract allows her to begin re-doing albums one through five in November 2020, when she plans to be back in the studio doing just that.

But now the 29-year-old said Braun and Scott Borchetta, president and CEO of Big Machine, are “exercising tyrannical control” over her, telling her team that she’s “not allowed to perform my old songs on television because they claim that would be rerecording my music before I’m allowed to next year.”

Such a claim would stifle her scheduled performance at this month’s American Music Awards, where she will receive an Artist of the Decade award.

“Additionally - and this isn’t the way I had planned on telling you this news -Netflix has created a documentary about my life for the past few years.

Scott and Scooter have declined the use of my older music or performance footage for this project, even though there is no mention of either of them or Big Machine Records anywhere in the film,” Swift said in a Tumblr post.

“Scott Borchetta told my team that they’ll allow me to use my music only if I do these things: If I agree to not rerecord copycat versions of my songs next year (which is something I’m both legally allowed to do and looking forward to) and also told my team that I need to stop talking about him and Scooter Braun.”

The owner of coveted masters— one-of-a-kind source material used to create vinyls, CDs and digital copies —is able to dictate how songs are reproduced and sold.

Swift pleaded to her fans and fellow artists to back her against Braun and Borchetta, who have not made any public statements regarding the singer’s latest post. AFP

D4

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2019

Desiree Carlos, Editor

Pets

daycarlos28@yahoo.com

DOGS SAVE HUMANS TOO W

(Part 1)

E HAVE read PET TALES and heard

BY DESIREE CARLOS of humans saving dogs from cruel persons, irresponsible owners, dog meat traders, and dog fighting syndicates.

But stories of dogs saving humans are now growing in number and show us that our furry friends indeed have feelings and an intelligence that can match humans, in some ways.

I have read of two separate incidents wherein a mama dog and a

The anecdotes made me smile, cry, and laugh; the book put me in a happy place during or after a stressful day.

One such heartwarming story is that of a dog who saved his friend, a three-year-old boy.

Dogs help humans in many ways. Summer, a 14-year-old shih tzu, always comfort members of the family when one is crying or angry. Her presence calms us. pack of dogs saw a baby who was thrown in the garbage bin. These rescuer dogs then brought the baby to the hospital.

I have also read about hero dogs who saved children from being hit by a vehicle. The dogs in all incidents took the impact which damaged half of the face of these dogs.

These stories warm the heart.

Thus, our family is so grateful we found a book which chronicled acts of compassion from dogs and cats in a local bookstore.

“The Compassion of Animals” by Kristin Von Kreisler is such a lovely read. It contains anecdotes on how dogs and cats helped, saved, and comforted humans in different parts of the world.

talked for a moment on the telephone, then got up to check on Kenny. He and Belle, she discovered, had left the yard… Nancy searched the house, but they were both missing….

When she shouted their names, Kenny did not answer. What was even more cause for alarm was that Belle did not come…

Panicked, Nancy telephoned her husband, Kenneth at his office…

“Did you look around the channel?” The Lunenburg Harbour Channel, which then would have been at half-tide and about ten feet deep, bordered the Knickles property.

“They never go anywhere near the water. They can’t be there,” Nancy reassured Kenneth --- and herself.

As Kenneth hurried home…. Cross-

Lucas' smile alone is healing. Dogs have that power to make one feel better just by being there. And no one ever feels alone when a dog is around.

Smart Labrador leads owners to drowning child.

In Chapter 15, “Kindness to Kids,” Kreisler shared the story of dog Belle and human Kenny: “Belle, a black Labrador retriever in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, was obedient and loving. Not once did Belle refuse to come when called. Like a loyal guard, she protected Kenneth Knickles, age three, and followed him everywhere.

“I’m going out to play, “ Kenny told his mother, Nancy, one winter morning.

She looked up from the newspaper at the kitchen table. “Have fun.”

Belle filed out the door behind Kenny… When Belle accompanied Kenny, Nancy never worried.

She finished the newspaper and

ing the bridge over the channel, he glanced down the partly frozen water and was stunned to see Belle hanging by her claws to an icy ledge along the bank. Only her head and paws were visible above the slush.

Belle could easily have let go of the bank and swum to safety. Instead, Kenneth was certain, with her black body against the white snow, that she was marking the spot where his son could be found.

Hanging there, she wanted someone to see her and come to rescue Kenny. Using her body as a signal, she was calling for help.

Kenneth parked the car and ran to help her, drenched and shivering, onto the bank. When he put his head into the water to look under the crust

of ice for Kenny, he saw one of his son’s Mickey Mouse mittens at the bottom of the channel.

Kenneth’s heart beat with such force that his temples pounded. As Belle whined, he threw his hat into the water to see which direction it would float ---and which direction the water might have pulled Kenny under the ice. Following the hat with his eyes, Kenneth spotted a small piece of Kenny’s blue snowsuit on the channel’s surface just eight feet from where Belle had been hanging. The boy had turned upside down in the water. Air that was trapped under his suit barely kept him afloat.

Just as Kenneth saw his son, Belle jumped back into the water and swam to save him. Nancy ran to the channel while Kenneth leaped across it from chunk to chunk of ice. Lying on a thick frozen slab to anchor himself, he pulled Belle, then Kenny out of the water. Belle watched as Kenneth frantically pushed on Kenny’s chest; water gushed out of the boy’s mouth.

Kenneth picked the boy up and jumped back across floating ice cakes to shore. Certain that his son was dead, he was numb with shock. Nancy buried her face in her hands and sobbed. Belle barked as if she were calling for help.

When firemen arrived, the dog… tried to get into the ambulance with Kenny’s lifeless body. As the ambulance sped away, she ran after it until Nancy and Kenneth forced her to come back home, where she paced from room to room and seemed lost and inconsolable Nancy and Kenneth put her in the basement and drove, grief-stricken to the hospital…

“He was in the water half an hour, “a doctor told them. “If we revive him, he’ll be brain dead.” …Belle moped at home. Occasionally, she walked to the channel and looked across the water, perhaps to see if Kenny was there…

After three weeks, he came home – without brain damage. A miracle.

Another miracle had been Belle’s intelligence and sacrifice. For weeks the Kinickles asked themselves.

“What if?..” What if Belle had left Kenny in the channel and had come in to Nancy’s call? And what if the tide had dragged Kenny away under the ice while Belle was gone? Then, even the dog might not have known where Kenny was. If she’d not hung, wet and shivering, onto the bank to mark the spot, Kenneth never would have found his son in time.”

(Next week: more stories about dogs who helped humans.)

ALL ABOUT DOGS AND CATS: A NEWS ROUNDUP

SMART CAT PUT IN 'SOLITARY CONFINEMENT' FOR FREEING OTHER CATS IN A SHELTER “NOW he's a star,” wrote AJ Wellington for CNN online on November 13, 2019.

Quilty, a six-year-old cat, has become an internet darling after he was caught freeing himself and other cats from a room in the Friends for Life Animal Shelter in Houston, Texas.

When he was put in solitary confinement, a set of photos of an angry Quilty serving time for his crime was posted online and drew sympathy for the smart, “mutinous” cat.

Wellington quoted Jennifer Hopkins, the shelter’s communications person, as saying "Quilty can be a little difficult.”

Qulity has been in the shelter for only a few months. When he arrived however, the door of the room where he was kept was always found by the staff to be open and other cats have been out…or led to another room.

"We would come in in the morning and have to collect all 15 of the cats who had had a blast during the night," Hopkins told Wellington.

After reviewing the security foot-

age, they saw the culprit was Quilty.

He would jump up and pull the handle down on the door.

“Three times, he managed to Houdini himself and the dozen or so other senior cats to freedom -- or, at least, another room,” Wellington wrote.

They put him in a room, alone, while they Quilty-proofed the premises.

“Pictures of the unjust confinement won the little insurgent thousands of fans on Facebook. It may be his resemblance to Smudge, the cat grimacing over a plate of salad that has become a well-worn meme. Feline malcontent, after all, is an eternal spring of humor,” Wellington wrote.

“Whatever the reason, people are now clamoring to adopt the cat that, may we remind you, can open doors and is absolutely not sorry about it. In fact, according to Hopkins, Quilty's nickname at the shelter is ‘spicy a-hole.’ You can draw your own conclusions as to why,” Wellington said.

Despite his antics, Quilty holds a special spot in the hearts of the shelter staff.

Born in 2013, Wellington said Quilty was named after a character from the Vladimir Nobokov novel "Lolita" like the rest of his litter.

“And, like his literary source material, the cat would prove to be problematic,” Wellington wrote.

Hopkins shared that Quilty was adopted when he was a kitten but the owner had to move to a place where cats are not allowed. Quilty was brought back to the shelter.

"We have a lifetime commitment for all of our animals to make sure they're safe. We spend a lot of time and effort on them," Hopkins said.

"After all, we get the weird ones," she added.

The shelter has accepted Quilty's sudden fame on its Facebook page with hashtags like #FreeQuilty and #QuiltyNotGuilty, Wellington said.

Since there are people who love cats like Quilty, he now has a potential adoptive family and is just waiting for the next steps to be completed so he can join his new forever family.

Hopefully, Quilty won’t break out of his new home.

Editor's note: To donate to Friends For Life animal shelter, please go to https:// friends4life.org/about/

PUPPY CARE PUPPIES are like babies. There are so many new things one will know along the way. There are so many things one has to learn about taking care of them.

But as with babies, a new parent who has prepared for this new journey will make less mistakes.

Tip #1: A new pet owner must read up on puppy care and ask the vet and other responsible pet owners on how provide the best care.

Here are other tips from the article “Puppy Care: 6 Essential Tips for Caring for Your New Dog” by Earthbath Natural Pet Care.

1. Find A Good Vet Having a good vet is essential for your dog’s long-term health. Your pup needs regular check-ups and vaccinations.

2. Create A Puppy Space Provide a safe place for your puppy where he feels loved. “Create an area in your home with your puppy’s bedding, water and food bowls, and toys. If you’re afraid of the bowls being knocked over, keep those in your kitchen, but still close to the puppy’s bed. This allows your puppy to acclimate. Make sure he can still see you easily as he gets used to his new home, “ Earthbath shares.

3. Find The Right Food Nutrients required by puppies differ from those an adult dog needs.

Please buy a high quality food that was prepared specially for puppies.

Rafa and Nica, rescued pups of Save ALL Inc., never chew furniture as they were given chew toys for dogs and were under close supervision when they were growing up. They learned early what they can and can not do.

4. Make Time For Play Puppies need time to play as they are full of energy that they have to expend.

“Play time’s not only for exercise. It’s also bonding time for the two of you. Pick up several different types of toys to find out what your puppy likes best. If you have a fenced-in area in your yard, go out and play,”Earthbath says.

5. Establish a Regular Grooming Routine It will make your life easier if you introduce your puppy to grooming as soon as possible. Make the grooming session a fun time for your puppy.

“Regular grooming should include things like teeth brushing, ear cleaning, nail trimming, brushing, and baths. Teeth should be brushed everyday with a toothbrush or … tooth and gum wipes, and you may want to establish a weekly routine that includes ear cleaning, brushing, and bath. Nail trimming may need to be done as often as once a month,” Earthbath says.

6. Focus On Training You can train your puppy. The earlier, the better.

Teach your pup simple commands like “stay,” “come,” and “sit.”

“Be consistent, and in no time, your puppy will know what’s right and wrong for a happier and safer home,” Earthbath says.

“They grow up fast, so enjoy this special time with your newest family member!,” Earthbath adds. DC

SENIOR LADY GETS 10-DAY JAIL TIME FOR FEEDING STRAYS DESPITE her age, Nancy Segula was sentenced to 10 days in prison for feeding stray dogs and cats in Ohio, U.S. A. Segula, 79, lives in Garfield Heights, Ohio, where it is illegal to feed stray dogs and cats under ordinance 505.23, WJW Fox 59 Web reported.

Segula, WJW said, has been feeding the strays for two years.

“It began in 2017 with me feeding stray kitties. I used to have a neighbor that had a couple cats and he moved away so he left them,” Segula told WJW. “I would always feed them and care for them because I was worried about them and I’m a cat lover. Once my neighbors got upset about it, they called the animal warden."

Segula was already caught in 2017. She got her first

citation then.

Since then she has received four citations, the last one requiring her to appear before a magistrate in July this year.

She was sentenced to 10 days in the Cuyahoga County Jail.

“I couldn’t believe what my mother was telling me. She gets 10 days in the county jail, I couldn’t believe it,” Dave

Pawlowski, Segula’s son, told WJW. “I’m sure people hear about the things that happen downtown in that jail. And they are going to let my 79-year-old mother go there?”

Segula is expected to report to the county jail on Aug. 11.

“It’s too much of a sentence for me for what I’m doing when there are so many people out there that do bad things.” Segula told WJW.