Manila Standard - 2019 December 29 - Sunday

PEACE ADVISER PUSHES TALKS AT LOCAL LEVEL VOL. XXXIII • NO. 318 • 4 SECTIONS 16 PAGES • P18 • SUNDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2019 • www.manilastandard.net • mst.daydesk@gmail.com

'URSULA' LEAVES, P800-M CROPS LOST T

YPHOON ''Ursula'' exited the Philippine Area of Responsibility on Saturday morning, leaving at least 28 people dead, thousands of families homeless and, by preliminary estimates, an initial damage of P800 million to the agriculture sector, according to officials.

In its typhoon monitoring bulletin, the DA-Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Operations Center said the damage and losses caused by the weather disturbance had increased to P782.97 million from the initially pegged P695.85 million.

“Updated reports from Western and Eastern Visayas caused the increase in the total damage and losses,” the DA explained.

It added the volume of production loss on rice, corn, high-value crops, livestock, and fisheries now reached 6,655 metric tons, covering 8,697 hectares of agricultural areas and 56,179 farmers and fisherfolk.

In addition to the P60-million fund under the Survival Recovery Program of ACPC, the DA said the Philippine Crop Insurance Corp. had enough funds to pay for the indemnity of all insured farmers and fisherfolk affected by Ursula.

“The concerned DA RFOs (Regional Field Offices) are still conducting field validation regarding the extent of impact of Typhoon Ursula.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration said “Ursula” was no longer directly affecting the country.

But a tail-end of a cold front will bring scattered light to moderate rains and isolated thunderstorms over Cordillera Administrative Region, Cagayan Valley and Auroa.

The center of “Ursula” was estimated at 595 kilometers west of Subic, Zambales.

Packing maximum sustained winds of 65 kms per hour near the center and gustiness of up to 80 kph, it was moving west southwest at 10 kph. Rio N. Araja

ILLEGAL FIRECRACKERS.

NCRPO Acting Director (top) Brig. Gen. Debold Sinas leads the mass destruction of illegal firecrackers at the QCPD Station 10 in Quezon City while vendors (right) continue to sell their wares including a plastic trumpet along Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City. Below, buyers of firecrackers flock to a store in Bocaue, Bulacan to buy their branded pyrotechnics.

Manny Palmero

PRESIDENTIAL Peace Adviser Carlito Galvez Jr. has expressed caution on having negotiations with Filipino communists overseas, preferring instead to have peace talks with the locals under the government’s“Wholeof-Nation-Approach.”

According to Galvez, local peace engagements being carried out nationwide under the so-called Approach “have proven to be highly effective in achieving enduring peace, social justice, and development.”

In a statement from the Office of the Presidential Peace Adviser, Galvez said the government “is demonstrating its strong resolve and decisiveness to put an end to the local communist armed conflict by directly addressing the roots of the armed rebellion and involving all national and local government agencies together with key stakeholders—including the rebels themselves.”

The local peace engagements became operational by virtue of Executive Order 70, with the Approach Turn to A2

VIOLENT DEMOS AMID CALLS FOR CHANGE THE year 2019 saw an explosion of demonstrations across the world as people demanded an overhaul of entrenched political systems and action on climate change.

Here is a look back at these and other events that marked the year.

On Jan. 23, Venezuela’s opposition chief Juan Guaido declares himself interim president, escalating a long-running political and economic crisis.

He is recognized by more than 50 countries, including the United States. But the army backs President Nicolas Maduro and he remains in his post.

In mid-September, major demonstrations erupt in Haiti after fuel shortages, demanding the resignation of President Jovenel Moise.

Violence claims more than 40 lives.

A metro ticket hike in Chile’s capital mid-October is the trigger for protests that claim more than 20 lives before a referendum on reforms is agreed.

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'2020 INSPIRES HOPE FOR PH, A 2-YEAR HIGH'

By Vito Barcelo DESPITE the unending rise in prices of basic commodities, electricity and water, almost all Filipinos expressed hope, not fear, this coming 2020, according to the latest Social Weather Stations survey.

In its fourth quarter poll, the SWS survey showed that 96 percent of Filipinos, aged 18 and above, were hopeful for the coming 2020 whil e only four percent welcomed it with fear.

Hope for the New Year was four points above the 92 percent in 2018 and matched the record-high level that was first achieved in 2017.

On the other hand, those who will enter the New Year with fear dropped four points from eight percent in 2018. It matched the record-low levels in 2017 and 2011.

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NY REVELRY: BE SAFE, SOUND; AVOID 'CRACKERS, DOH WARNS HEALTH Secretary Francisco Duque III on Saturday urged Filipinos to turn to safer noisemakers instead to welcome the New Year on Tuesday night, as firecracker-related injuries this early reached 22.

At the same time, Duque said Filipino revelers might want to watch community fireworks instead of lighting their own.

Duque’s call came as in Bulacan, three days before the NewYear, the Philippine National Police aired anew its warning against illegal pyrotechnics with a lightning inspection of firecracker stores and warehouses Saturday in Bocaue, the acknowledged ''capital'' of fireworks in the country.

The surprise inspection was led by PNP Director General Archie Gamboa accompanied by Central Luzon Police Chief Supt. Rhodel Sermonia and Bulacan Provincial Director Col. Emma Libunao.

Sermonia presented to Gamboa the results of their operations against illegal fireworks which resulted in the seizure of voluminous prohibited fireworks worth some P50,917.

Confiscated were: 5 sacks of Boomboom; 1/2 sack; kwitis without sticks; 1 1/2 sacks 5 star; 5 bundles big kwitis/ kwiton; 8 boxes, 2 packs, and 1,420 pcs.

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FLOODED RICELAND. A submerged rice field in Dagami, Leyte appears like a calm shoreline following the onslaught of Typhoon 'Ursula.' The Department of Agriculture has placed preliminary estimates of damage and losses at P782.97 million—and the figures are rising. PNA

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SUNDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2019 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

VIOLENT...

From A1

Bolivia is gripped by three weeks of demonstrations after President Evo Morales claims to win a fourth term on Oct. 20. Dozens are killed. Morales resigns on Nov. 10 and flees into exile as the government works on new elections.

Ecuador is paralyzed by nearly two weeks of protests in October and in Colombia strikes and demonstrations against the right-wing government begin mid-November.

On Feb. 22, unprecedented protests break out in Algeria against a fifth term for frail President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, in power for 20 years.

He loses the army’s backing and resigns on April 2. But demonstrations continue, demanding an overhaul of the entire political establishment and rejecting new president Abdelmadjid Tebboune, elected on Dec. 12 in polls marked by record abstention.

In Sudan, the military on April 11 ends Omar al-Bashir’s three decades in power, a key demand in four months of nationwide protests.

Demonstrations continue until a hardwon agreement in August sets up a joint governing council to oversee a transition to civilian rule. More than 250 people are killed, according to protesters.

In Iraq, mass demonstrations erupt on Oct. 1 against unemployment, corruption and poor public services, degenerating into violence that claims more than 460 lives.

On Dec, 1, parliament accepts the government’s resignation.

In Lebanon, rolling mass protests start on October 17, triggered by plans for a messaging app tax and turning against the political elite.

They continue even after Prime Minister Saad Hariri resigns on Oct. 29, with protesters rejecting new premierdesignate Hassan Diab, an engineering professor backed by Hezbollah chosen on Dec. 19 to form a government.

Iran sees an explosion of riots on Nov. 15 after a fuel price hike. Authorities crush the unrest but Amnesty International says more than 304 people were killed, most shot by security forces, a toll denied by the authorities.

After a five-year offensive to seize vast Islamic State territory in Iraq and Syria, the jihadists were driven out of their last bastion in March by Kurdish-led forces.

On Oct. 27, President Donald Trump announces that IS leader Abu Bakr alBaghdadi was killed in a US special forces raid in Syria, blowing himself up as he was pursued. AFP

'2020...

From A1 “Hope for the New Year has always been high,” SWS said, noting that Filipino optimism for the incoming year never fell below 80 percent since the agency started asking the question in 2000.

Filipino hope for the new year has been “at 90s levels” since 2010, the SWS said.

Hope for the new year increased in all areas except Mindanao, the study noted.

Optimism for the incoming year reached an all-time high in the Visayas as new year hope soared to 97 percent, an 18-percentage point improvement from the previous survey.

Luzon also hit a record 99 percent, up 3 percentage points from the previous survey.

Metro Manila’s new year hope rose by 2 percentage points to 96 percent, similar to the capital region’s record-high numbers in 2017, 2011 and 2010.

Mindanaoans’ optimism in welcoming 2020 slid to 90 percent, 4 percentage points lower than the 94-percent hope level in the region last year.

Fewer Filipinos committed to making and fulfilling resolutions for this year.

Some 33 percent said they had set resolutions for 2019, a 13-point decline compared to the 2017 survey.

Of the 33 percent that made resolutions this year, only 3 percent said “nearly all” their resolutions were fulfilled.

The survey has an error margin of +/- 3 percent for national percentages, and +/6 percent each for Metro Manila, Balance Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.

On the other hand, the Department of Health is the most trusted government agency, the latest Pulse Asia survey released Saturday showed.

The Pulse Asia survey, conducted from Dec. 3 to 8, revealed that the DOH got an 80 percent trust rating.

The Armed Forces of the Philippines came in second with a 75 percent trust rating, followed by the Philippine National Police with 72 percent trust rating.

Health chief Secretary Francisco Duque III also earned the top spot for performance with a 74 percent approval rating.

Duque was followed by Education Secretary Leonor Briones with 67 percent approval rating and Social Welfare and Development Secretary Rolando Bautista with a 61 percent approval rating.

BARMM SNIPES AT LOCSIN'S TWEET ON TURKEY MEET

C

OTABATO CITY—The Bangsamoro government said Friday Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. should have taken up issue on its top officials meetings in Turkey with the Intergovernmental Relations level, the forum where the national and regional governnents are properly represented.

Bangsamoro Interior Minister Naguib Sinarimbo said under the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro “issues of this nature may be raised by either party to the Inter-governmental Relations Mechanism.”

Sinarimbo was referring to a Tweet

by Locsin in which the latter threatened to file a diplomatic protest against the Turkish government for hosting Chief Minister Ahod Balawag Al-Hadj Murad Ebrahim of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao in meetings in Ankara on Turkey’s current

PEACE...

From A1 emphasizing the need for greater synergy in the delivery of much-needed government services to remote, underdeveloped, conflict-affected areas across the nation to improve the general welfare and well-being of the people.

In light of Duterte’s recent ceasefire declaration with the Communist Party of the Philippines/ New People’s Army/ National Democratic Front (CPP-NPA-NDF), there are those who believe the truce will sustain the gains achieved through the LPEs. “We support President Duterte’s wish to ensure a peaceful holiday season for Filipinos and particularly all the combatants. May this act of goodwill be considered by the other side as a step towards finally putting an end to the armed violence,” Galvez said in a statement.

But Galvez urged everyone to exercise caution in negotiating peace with the rebels.

He recalled incidents in the past when ceasefires where blatantly violated and exploited by the left in order to push forward their agenda.

“As peace talks were being held at the national level, attacks were being carried out by the rebels. In short, there have already been precedents.

We have to be prepared and make sure that such incidents are prevented at all costs,” Galvez said.

The former Armed Forces of the Philippines chief-of-staff has joined officials who feel that the resumption of peace talks between the government and the CPP-NPA-NDF may put the latter at a disadvantage.

Davao City Mayor Inday Sara Duterte-Carpio cautioned the Duterte administration to always keep its guard up and learn from the lessons of the past, especially how the rebels have openly cast aside several ceasefire agreements as they launched attacks on government forces.

“Why the past peace negotiations sorely failed could only be blamed on the countless criminal acts and treachery of NDFP-CPP-NPA—displayed even during times when ceasefires were supposed to be in place,” Carpio said in a statement.

“As spoilers of peace, we believe that the Christmas truce will be used by the terrorist groups as an opportunity to regain communities previously

NY REVELRY:...

From A1 Pla-Pla; 20 pcs. Big Pla-pla; 5 pcs. Bin Laden; 4 pcs. Big Triangle; 5 pieces Delima Kabasi; 10 boxes Piccolo; 10 pieces Special Tuna; 4 packs Super Lolo; 20 pcs. Goodbye Philippines; 30 pcs Atomic Bomb; 64 pieces Kabasi; 1 Giant Whistle Bomb; 10 pcs. whistle bomb 30 pcs Atomic Bomb; 1pc.

8.2 Magnitude; 5 Bundles Kwiton; 51 pcs.

Pastillas Bawang; 2 pcs. Pizza Pie; 4 pcs. Baby Dynamite;; Juda’s belt; and 5 kilos Mitsa, in city/towns of Baliwag, Bocaue, Marilao, San Rafael, Bulacan, Santa Maria, and San Jose del Monte, Bulacan.

Appropriate charges for violation of RA 7138 were immediately filed against the suspects yesterday.

Sermonia said the continuous operations on illegal firecrackers which have been a common cause of disasters are being conducted while inspection of pyrotech-

role in the peace process.

Locsin had said in his Tweet, now quoted in stories uploaded by Manila news organizations, that the meeting was a “slap at Philippine sovereignty and an attack on our territorial unity and integrity.”

But Sinarimbo said in all of the meetings between the Bangsamoro chief minister and representatives of the Government of Turkey in Ankara, the government of the Philippines was represented by the Consul General.

Locsin later removed his first Tweet.

“The Bangsamoro Organic Law similarly provides for a venue to raise issues of this nature. The venue is the Inter-governmental Relations Body.

Infact, the IGRB, co-chaired by Sec Dominguez and Minister Iqbal held its first meeting in Davao City on Decemebr 16, 2019,” said Sinarimbo, who like Locsin, is a lawyer.

Sinarimbo, also Ebrahim’s spokesperson, said “this (IGR) venue should have been utilized by the good Secretary to raise his issue,”referring to Locsin.

He said Ebrahim was on foreign travel from Dec.11 to 16 on invitation of the government of Turkey and that the“correspondingTravel Authority was issued by the Office of the President of the Philippines to the Chief Minister.”

Turkey continues to play important role in the implementation of the peace agreement as the chair of the Independent Decommissioning Body which is in charge of putting the weapons of the MILF beyond use,

Sinarimbo said.

“It may also help the public to better understand the issue if we are to consider the substantial contribution of the Government of Turkey in the successful conclusion of the peace process that resulted in the signing of the CAB in 2014,” Sinarimbo said.

Sinarimbo added:“Even as we speak, together with other members of the IDB, Turkey is currently undertaking the decommissioning of 12,000 combatants of the MILF and their weapons.

Additional number of MILF combatants will undergo the decommissioning process in parallel and commensurate to the actions of the Government of the Philippines.”

He said Locsin’s proposed diplomatic protest did not show a “better understanding of the peace process and the critical role played by Turkey in our peace process, after all this good relation redounds to the benefit of the country.” Nash B. Maulana

cleared of their presence, consolidate their forces, and derail the progress of existing government rural development projects,” she noted.

Direct approach Galvez, who is the Cabinet officer for Regional Development and Security in Region 3, has seen up close how LPEs have been instrumental in dealing with the communist insurgents, particularly those operating in the countryside.

He explained the CORDS mechanism was established to ensure the efficient implementation of the Whole-of-Nation Approach, particularly those interventions which require greater cooperation between national government agencies and local government units.

“The LPE approach directly addresses the needs of people and communities and prevents them from being exploited by the insurgents. The government provides basic services, livelihood, and security, among others, as a means of capacitating them,”Galvez said.

In Mindanao, the conduct of LPEs has resulted in the mass surrender of members of the CPP-NPA Southern, Northeastern, and Western Mindanao Regional Party Committees operating in Regions IX, X, XI and CARAGA. Through the efforts of local chief executives, the Regional Task Force– Ending Local Communist Armed Conflict (RTF-ELCAC) IX, and the CPPNPA’s Western Committee, the parties forged an agreement in which they committed to jointly carry out socioeconomic programs and projects in their communities.

Moreover, LPEs have enabled the parties to utilize non-traditional measures in convincing members of the rebel group to give up armed struggle and return to mainstream society as peaceful and productive civilians.

LPEs are anchored on the concept of Normalization which include the transformation of armed fighters to peaceful civilians; the delivery of socio-economic programs to the affected communities; the provision of possible amnesty programs; and the healing process among the former rebels and victims of armed conflict.

However, the main strength of these LPEs lie in their ability to bring all the government agencies and key stakeholders together—which is the heart and soul of E0 70—and providing them an opportunity to contribute in peacebuilding by acting as agents of peace, understanding and solidarity in their communities.

Senator Panfilo Lacson, chairman of the Senate’s National Defense and Security Committee, agrees that LPEs have a better chance of resolving the communist insurgency than talks being held at the national level.

“The latest attack on our soldiers

by NPA rebels despite the ceasefire simply means that they don’t listen to Joma Sison anymore. Either that, or he cannot and should not be trusted.

Localizing the peace talks is still the better way, I think,” Lacson recently posted on his Twitter account.

Season of peace In Masbate, 306 members of the CPP-NPA have returned to the folds of the law during the party’s 51st founding anniversary on Dec. 26, 2019.

Of the 306 returnees, 47 were regular NPA cadres, 150 were Milisyang Bayan members, 51 were Sangay ng Partido sa Lokalidad officers and members, and 58 were active supporters of the communist group.

The Masbate group also surrendered 49 different firearms which included six M16 rifles, one carbine, two KG9 sub-machine guns, one Ingram and other pistols, and three improvised explosive devices (IEDs).

On the same day, three NPA members also surrendered in Bislig City, Surigao del Sur, along with two AK-47s and an M-16 rifle.

With these current developments in the peace and security front, Galvez is optimistic that the long-running communist rebellion is coming to an imminent end.

“We welcome the resumption of the peace negotiations between the government and the CPP-NPA-NDF as long as it will end the armed conflict.

Our collective goal is bring enduring and long-lasting peace to our country,” he said.

“It should lead to the cessation of CPP-NPA ambuscades and other acts of violence, extortion activities, liquidation, and finally, in the decommissioning and normalization of NPA combatants,” Galvez added.

One-on-one-talk between PRRD and Sison pushed Malacañang has urged CPP founder Jose Maria Sison to have a “one-onone” meeting with President Duterte in order to “forge a lasting peace agreement”between the government and the rebel group, according to Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo.

Panelo, however, said that “his (Sison) refusal to have a personal dialogue with his former student in the Philippines betrays his insincerity.”

“His decade-long comfortable and luxurious self-exile in Europe has placed blinders in his eyes hence he could not see the transformation of society initiated and propelled by the strong-willed leadership of the former Mayor of Davao City,” he added.

“Foreign financial organizations foresee the Philippines as the fastest growing economy in the Asia-Pacific in 2020. Employment in the country has been on a 14-year high. High inflation is now a thing of the past. Almost six million Filipinos have been lifted out of poverty,” Panelo said.

Government economic managers had projected during the early part of this year that the Philippine economy would expand within the range of 6 to 6.5 percent in 2019.

“Sison does not have the courage to risk losing the comforts he is enjoying abroad, as many NPAs are dying from extreme fatigue, sickness and in combat in the battlefield,”Galvez said.

“Mr. Sison is not an authentic warrior and leader, but rather a deceptive and scheming master propagandist.

He tells more lies and prefers to shade the truth,” he added.

Meanwhile, Galvez pointed out that under the Duterte administration, more than 100,000 hectares of land had been distributed to Filipinos, which reflects the government’s desire to uplift the well-being of the people.

According to Galvez, the most recent land distribution was done in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao in which more than 1,800 hectares were distributed by the Department of Agrarian Reform to former Moro Islamic Liberation combatants.

He said the Duterte Administration was aggressively carrying out development interventions across the country, particularly in conflictaffected areas. The government’s recent “excellent” approval rating is a testament of its impressive performance in the socioeconomic front.

As a result, Galvez said, more than eleven thousand members of the CPPNPA as well as members of other terror groups have laid down their arms and have returned to mainstream society as peaceful and productive civilians.

He said that it is a widely acknowledged fact that areas where the CPP-NPA continue to operate have remained poor and underdeveloped.

“This is their last chance. When I say ‘last chance’, my time is running out,” President Duterte has said. Maricel V. Cruz

nics stores regionwide are being done to ensure that no prohibited firecrackers will get through authorities since only 124 are registered dealers and retailers while only 24 are registered manufacturers in Bulacan.

While there are designated 119 firecracker zones and 98 community fireworks display areas regionwide where the public could only light their firecrackers or watch firecracker displays during the New Year’s celebration, Col. Libunao said it is still best to welcome the New Year with other forms of merriment instead of using firecrackers to avoid any injuries and even fatalities.

Meanwhile, Engineer Celso C. Cruz, president emeritus of the Philippine Pyrotechnics Manufacturers and Dealers Association, deplored the seeming lack of support that their members are getting from government authorities.

“The PNP is the administrator of the pyrotechnics industry under R.A. 7183 hence they are responsible for the regulation and advancement of this business that provides livelihood to thousands of families. For the

past 5 years, there are about 500 to 650 fireworks-related injuries or one person per 200,000 population; while in the USA, the ratio is about 10 persons per 200,000.

This means that the Department of Health should focus more on other health issues rather than advocating a total ban on firecrackers,” Cruz said.

He also lamented the operations of inspection teams from the Department of Trade and Industry which Cruz said should confine itself on its mandated function as a regulatory agency concerning business registration and not meddle on technical matters that primarily belongs to the PNP. Meanwhile, the Taguig City government on Saturday announced it has designated more than 20 areas in the city as firecracker zones in connection with the New Year celebration.

The designated firecracker zones were made in compliance to President Rodrigo Duterte’s Executive Order No. 28, which prohibits the people from putting up their

own fireworks displays or use firecrackers in their residences.

Some barangays in the city, on the other hand, were declared as firecrackerfree zones. Those areas include Calzada, Sta. Ana, Ligid-Tipas, Tuktukan, Ususan and Ibayo Tipas, all in the first district; and Maharlika, North Signal, Pinagsama, South Signal, Tanyag and Western Bicutan, all in the second district.

The identified firecracker zones in Taguig were Pk 1 F. Dingguin Bayan Open Court and PK 2 Bantayan, both in Barangay Palingon; Open Basketball Court on Kentucky Street in Bambang, Barangay Road, and along Guerrero Street in Wawa; Open Basketball Court near Barangay Hall in San Miguel, Lakeshore Hall parking area in Lower Bicutan, Paso Park and at the back of Cayetano Complex in Bagumbayan, Circumferential Road-6 along the jogging area in Hagonoy, C-6 Road in front of Taguig Rescue in New Lower Bicutan, and Samama and open area in Purok 5 Extension Tabig Ilog in Napindan, all in District 1.

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FLEXICARDS FOR PINOYS.

Foreign Affairs Undersecretary for Migrant Workers’ Affairs Sarah Lou Arriola led the distribution of Flexi cards, an alternative working visa permit on migrants based in the Kingdom of Bahrain.

From the 942 undocumented Filipinos who have now normalized their immigration status, another 17 Filipinos benefited from it during the distribution held at the Labour Market Regulatory Authority in Bahrain on Dec. 26, 2019.

The Philippines is the only country that pays for flexible work permitsalso known as ‘blue cards‘ —and provides the same to undocumented Filipino migrants based in Bahrain.

Presidential Photo

HOUSE BUMPER CROP YIELDS 900 BILLS

By Maricel V. Cruz

T

HE leadership of the House of Representatives under the stewardship of Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano has commended its members for having processed a total of 900 measures in 32 session days.

That’s an average of 28 measures for each day the House holds session, which is no mean feat, according to House leaders.

House Majority Leader and Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez said the chamber as an institution performed its tasks commendably by answering the “challenges and demands of our duties and responsibilities.”

Romualdez , chairman of the House Committee on Rules, said these measures include Republic Act 11462postponing the May 2020 barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections to December 2022, RA 11463 or the Malasakit Centers Act that establishes a onestop shop in every government hospital where poor patients can seek financial assistance for their medical needs from four government agencies: the Department of Health, Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office, Philippine Health Insurance Corp. and the Department of Social Welfare and Development, ratification of House Bill 4228 or the proposed 2020 P4.1 trillion national budget, and HB 1026 that increases the tax on electronic cigarettes and impose higher duties on alcohol or the Package 2 Plus B of the Comprehensive Tax Reform Program, amending Sections 141, 142 and 143 of the Republic Act 8424, as amended or the National Internal Revenue Code of 1997, and among others.

“I am proud to report, as the Majority Leader, that the First Regular Session of the 18th Congress processed a total of 900 legislative measures since July 22 to December 18 of the current year. In just 32 session days, we were able to steer the approval of 175 legislative measures. Two of these measures, the institutionalization of the Malasakit Centers and the postponement of the barangay and SK elections, had already been signed into law by President Rodrigo Duterte,” said Romualdez in his report to Cayetano.

“The bicameral report of two other measures, the 2020 General Appropriations Act and the Sin Taxes, were also ratified by both Houses of Congress and are due for signature by the President before the end of the year,” said Romualdez.

Through the leadership of Cayetano, Romualdez reiterated his assurance to the public that the leadership would continue to perform better.

Before Congress went on a month-long Christmas break last Dec. 21, Romualdez said the House of Representatives processed a total of 900 measures or an average of 28 measures per day during the 32 session days.

From July 22 to Dec. 18, 2019, Romualdez said the House received a total of 6,562 measures and 186 committee reports.

Of these, Romualdez said 5,889 are bills and 673 are resolutions. Romualdez, a lawyer and president of the Philippine Constitution Association (Philconsa), said the record time third and final reading approval of the proposed 2020 P4.1-trillion national budget by the House of Representatives is one of the highlights of the First Regular Session of the 18th Congress.

“I consider the swift passage of the 2020 General Appropriations as one of the highlights of the First Regular Session of the House of Representatives. We were able to steer the approval of the 2020 national budget in record time through creative initiatives never before experienced in the House of Representatives. Committee hearings for the budgets of various departments and offices were held simultaneously, from day to night, Monday to Friday,” Romualdez said.

He added the chamber also approved the tax reform measures of the Duterte administration to promote the country as a viable investment destination.

Romualdez, president of the Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats, also lauded both the majority and the minority’s “tough work ethic in doing their jobs creditably.”

“Your congressmen, both from the majority and the minority, worked feverishly in the committee and plenary levels just to get the job done on time.

“The minority congressmen were given almost 80 percent of the total time allotted in plenary for interpellation. With democracy at work in the House, we manage to craft a national budget that is truly a collaborative product of hard-working legislators. No pork, no parking, and no delay. With the swift approval of the 2020 budget, we are confident that we will meet the country’s economic target

SKILLS UPGRADE TO MAKE WORKERS FUTURE-READY, SAYS LABOR USEC THE Department of Labor and Employment says it is crucial to lay down the foundation of 21st century skills to ensure that current and subsequent members of the labor force will be able to compete globally and cope with the demands of the future of work.

“Providing our youth with timely and accurate labor market signals would enable them to prepare and harness their potential to its fullest by establishing strong foundations during their education,” Labor Undersecretary Ciriaco Lagunzad explained during the Annual Public Policy Conference organized by the Philippine Institute for Development Studies.

DOLE issued its Labor Information Report 2022 to guide students in making informed career decisions and help career advocates, career counsellors, and training institutions to come up with strategies that will increase the potential of current and future members of the Philippine workforce.

The DOLE official added that a good labor market information will “effectively link skills demand and supply”, which could lead to “good decisions” and “benefit individuals, businesses, and the economy”.

Apart from automation, Lagunzad said the government should be wary of the drastic changes in the overall business landscape, such as new work arrangements and emerging jobs. He pointed out

that these evolutions may require upskilling, reskilling, and retooling of the workforce through technical, vocational, and educational training programs.

“Updated educational and training tools and approaches that utilize new technologies are essential to equip workers with the skills that they need to succeed in an ever-changing economy,” he said.

According to Lagunzad, the Labor department has several programs to promote employment opportunities, human resource development, and security of workers’ welfare.

One is the Career Guidance Advocacy Program that aims to “raise the awareness of both parents and students about the labor market, and engage counsellors and advocates in optimizing the use of career guidance to address job-skill mismatch”.

Meanwhile, the Special Program for the Employment of Students, which supplements the CGAP, helps poor but deserving students to pursue education by encouraging their employment and providing them with financial assistance.

Another flagship program of the agency is JobStart Philippines. It is designed to address youth unemployment by providing trainings and interventions to enhance the youth’s knowledge and technical and life skills. The program also gives internship opportunities to shorten school-to-work transition. Vito Barcelo

of 6.5 percent to 7.5 percent growth for this year up to 2020,” Romualdez stressed.

As this developed, two bills that were approved by the Congress before if went on a Christmas break would bring about better economic development in the coming year, Deputy Speaker for Finance Luis Raymund Villafuerte said.

Both measures, one of which has been signed into law, will speed up government spending on infrastructure and human-capital development, that will boost the growth momentum and create more jobs.

Villafuerte, who represents Camarines Sur, said the approved measures are the 2020 General Appropriations Bill of P4.1 trillion, which is now awaiting President Duterte’s signature, and the newly-signed Republic Act 11464, which made unspent portions of the 2019 General Appropriations Act available for release until Dec. 31, 2020.

“The swift approval of both measures by the House under the leadership of Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano best illustrates the unequivocal support of the bigger chamber for the vision of President Duterte to sustain the high-growth momentum, attack poverty and improve the lives of the Filipino people over the medium term,” Villafuerte said in a statement.

Villafuerte said the economic growth powered by heavy state spending and low inflation would keep the Philippines among the world’s fastest-growing economies for the remainder of the Duterte presidency.

QC CUTS RED TAPE, RELAXES PROCESS OF TAX PAYMENTS

By Rio Araja THE Quezon City government has eased the transaction process for tax payments in anticipation of influx of taxpayers in January.

Mayor Joy Belmonte tasked the city treasurer Edgar Villanueva to simplify the process of payment of business and real property taxes and avoid long queues.

“Every January, the city hall is filled with taxpayers who are dutifully settling their taxes. We are expecting around 75,000 to 80,000 taxpayers so we want to ensure that we can accommodate everyone with fast and efficient service,” she said.

Starting Jan. 2, the treasurer’s office is prepared to accommodate clients from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. or until all the clients are finished from Mondays to Fridays, in addition to services during weekends.

From six steps, the city treasurer’s office has reduced the process to four steps—fill out forms, evaluation and assessment, signature of the treasurer, and lastly, payment.

Overall, the estimated maximum processing time will be 30 minutes, the city mayor said.

Clients with seven or more transactions can proceed directly to the treasurer’s office located at the second floor of the annex building of city hall.

Belmonte encouraged people to visit the city treasurer’s office branches located in Cubao, Galas, La Loma, Novaliches and Talipapa, and the recently opened business centers in SM North, Ali Mall and Robinsons Novaliches.

The city government is also set to open business centers in Fairview Terraces, Fishermall and Robinsons Magnolia soon.

“We are bringing our city hall system closer to our people through our business centers. Instead of traveling to city hall, our citizens can also do their transactions and payments in these centers,” Belmonte said.

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SUNDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2019

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

News GRETCHEN HO CHOSEN TO CARRY OLYMPIC TORCH

Fire hits a residential area in Barangay 833 in Pandacan, Manila. It has reached the fifth alarm before it was put out. Norman Cruz

CUSTOMS MISSES 2019 TARGET

MARS ROVER TO SEARCH FOR ANCIENT LIFE

By Vito Barcelo

T

HE Bureau of Customs missed its P661-billion collection target for the year, posting a revenue shortfall of P16.5 billion as of mid-December.

For the first 10 months of the year, the bureau failed to collect its revenue targets. It only managed to surpass its target in November and December, which are traditionally considered as high collection months.

The Port of Manila posted the most dismal deficit at P21 billion, or 25 percent below target of P85.3 billion; followed by the Manila International Container Port with a deficit of P20 billion, or 13.1 percent below target of P158.6 billion.

The Port of Batangas collected 7.1 percent lower than its P136.7billion target, followed by the Port of Cebu at 6.6 percent below its target of P28.3 billion and the Port of Davao at 9.8 percent below its P25.9 billion target.

Despite reforms to increase its collection, the bureau—the second biggest collection agency of the government—is still battling corruption issues, including the so-called “tara” system and technical smuggling.

The BOC said its revenue collection was also affected by the foreign-exchange variance from P55 to a dollar in 2018 to P52 to $1 in 2019 as well as the substantial decrease in the importation of oil, sugar and automobiles.

Meanwhile, in Zamboanga City, the bureau has identified four barangays as smuggling hot spots.

Segundo Sigmundfreud Barte Jr., BOC-Zamboanga district collector, identified the barangays as Arena Blanco, Mampang, Talon-Talon, and Campo Islam (Lower Calarian).

“We are done with the coordination [on smuggling] at sea. Now we focus on land,” Barte said.

Among the goods being smuggled into this city are rice, sugar, cigarettes, and other products coming from Malaysia.

Barte said the campaign will be jointly undertaken by his office with the Task Force Zamboanga and the local government. With PNA

2 HURT IN TWIN FIRES IN TONDO, PANDACAN TWO persons were injured in two separate fires that hit residential areas in Tondo and Pandacan, Manila, destroying at least P2 million in properties and rendering some 300 families homeless.

Manila City Hall officials said the fire in Tondo started early morning Saturday along Hermosa Street. The fire in Pandacan, on the other hand, began at 9 a.m.

A report from the Bureau of Fire Protection identified one of the injured as Allan Altobano, a fire volunteer who was hit in the head by falling debris.

BFP investigators have yet to identify one more person who reportedly suffered minor injuries.

The affected families will be temporarily sheltered at the evacuation center in Tondo and at the Pandacan Sports Complex.

The fire in Tondo reached the second alarm before firemen were able to put it out while in Pandancan, fire reached the third alarm.

The BFP advised the public to make sure appliances are unplugged when no one is inside the house or business establishments. Vito Barcelo

BI ARRESTS OVER 2K ILLEGAL ALIENS OVER 2,000 illegal aliens were arrested by the Bureau of Immigration this year as a result of its intensified campaign against foreigners violating the country’s immigration laws, majority of whom were Chinese nationals.

BI Commissioner Jaime Morente reported that since January, a total of 2,257 foreigners were apprehended in various operations in Metro Manila and other places across the country.

Of the number, 1,836 were captured by agents of the bureau’s intelligence division while 421 were arrested by the bureau’s fugitive search unit during the period.

“There will no be a letup in our drive against these illegal aliens. We will continue to go after them and deport them back to their homelands,” Morente said.

Meanwhile, BI acting intelligence chief Fortunato Manahan Jr. said majority of those arrested were Chinese nationals, most of whom are engaged in cyber fraud activities and unauthorized online gaming operations.

The list includes more than 500 illegal Chinese workers caught in Pasay City in October and more than 300 who were rounded up in various establishments in Puerto Princesa City, Palawan in September.

FORMER volleyball player and television host Gretchen Ho has been selected as one of the torchbearers for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

“Guess who’s going to be a torchbearer at the Tokyo2020 Olympics??? This is every athlete’s dream!!! I. Just. Can’t. Wait. For the new year to begiiiin!” she announced on her Twitter account.

The relay will begin on March 12, 2020 with the lighting of the torch in Greece.

Upon its arrival in Japan, the Olympic flame will initially be put on display at various locations in the Tohoku region to help underscore this message of hope in the areas affected by the 2011 earthquake and tsunami.

The Japan leg of the relay will start on March 26, 2020 at the Fukushima Prefecture.

With the theme “Hope Lights Our Way,” the relay will traverse the length and breadth of Japan for a period of 121 days, covering all 47 Prefectures.

The 2020 Summer Olympics will be held in Tokyo from July 24 to Aug. 9.

Only recently, 342 Chinese nationals were arrested in a condominium building in Bago Bantay, Quezon City for operating a telecom scam and working without permits.

BI-Mindanao agents also arrested several Indian nationals who were the subjects of complaints about their usurious lending activities, as well as aliens with reported links to terrorist groups.

“Some of those we arrested were not only illegally working there. They were also suspected of involvement in terrorism while others are wanted fugitives,” Manahan said. PNA

REMAINS. The body of former rebel, Bertuldo ‘LJ’ Cabachite Jr., is sent

home to his family in Mindanao by government troops on Saturday. The military exhumed LJ’s body on Nov. 30 in Nueva Vizcaya after his former comrade disclosed that the rebel was buried after dying of pneumonia. PNA

THE Mars 2020 rover, which sets off for the Red Planet next year, will not only search for traces of ancient life, but pave the way for future human missions, NASA scientists said as they unveiled the vehicle.

The rover has been constructed in a large, sterile room at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, near Los Angeles, where its driving equipment was given its first successful test last week.

Shown to invited journalists on Friday, it is scheduled to leave Earth in July 2020 from Florida’s Cape Canaveral, becoming the fifth US rover to land on Mars seven months later in February.

“It’s designed to seek the signs of life, so we’re carrying a number of different instruments that will help us understand the geological and chemical context on the surface of Mars,” deputy mission leader Matt Wallace told AFP. Among the devices on board the rover are 23 cameras, two “ears” that will allow it to listen to Martian winds, and lasers used for chemical analysis.

Approximately the size of a car, the rover is equipped with six wheels like its predecessor Curiosity, allowing it to traverse rocky terrain.

Speed is not a priority for the vehicle, which only has to cover around 200 yards per Martian day—approximately the same as a day on Earth.

Fueled by a miniature nuclear reactor, Mars 2020 has seven-footlong articulated arms and a drill to crack open rock samples in locations scientists identify as potentially suitable for life.

ANCIENT LIFE “What we’re looking for is ancient microbial life—we’re talking about billions of years ago on Mars, when the planet was much more Earth-like,” said Wallace.

Back then, the Red Planet had warm surface water, a thicker atmosphere and a magnetic force around it, he explained.

“And so it was much more conducive to the types of simple single cell life that evolved here on Earth at that time,” Wallace said. AFP

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SUNDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2019

Adelle Chua, Editor mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Opinion TREASON OR CIVIC-MINDEDNESS? IRAQIS SPLIT ON PRESIDENT’S THREAT TO QUIT

EDITORIAL

RUNNING OUT OF OPTIONS

R

IDERS of motorcycle taxis —the most prominent of which is Angkas—can continue taking this mode of transportation until March 23 next year. The pilot run for what is also known as habal-habal was supposed to have ended Dec. 18, but insistent public demand prompted authorities to renew the test run on Dec. 23, for another three months.

Technically, motorcycles bringing passengers from point A to point B for a fee is illegal. A law from 1964 says that motorcycles can only be either private or government vehicles. There is no mention of them being

public vehicles. They are not TNVS—transport network vehicle service—units, either. The Transportation department says that only sedans, Asian utility vehicles, sports utility vehicles, vans and other similar four-wheeled vehicles fall under this category.

And yet the blue-and-black long-sleeved shirt of Angkas drivers, as well as the similarly colored helmets they and their passengers wear, have become all too common in Metro Manila.

Certainly, motorcycle rides are dangerous.

They offer little protection to those on them, who are out in the open as opposed to those sheltered by the sturdy bodies of fourwheeled vehicles. And while the drivers vow to be careful, some could show some poor judgment on the road or could simply be unfortunate to be alongside those who do not know better.

Despite these risks, the rides are popular.

They are a fast way to get around the metro given the traffic for which we have come to be notorious. They are convenient compared to enduring our inefficient public transport system. They are relatively cheaper compared to the pricey Grab or taxi options.

Given that Filipino commuters are pushed against the wall with hardly no options to get to their destinations, and that motorcycle rides, risks notwithstanding, provide a viable solution to their travel woes, it is high time authorities looked into acknowledging and legalizing this mode of transport. Legalization carries with it accountability, and established parameters for the safe, efficient and fair conveyance of passengers.

Let the pilot test bring out the issues that must be addressed. It’s yet another cry from the hapless commuter, and the government has no choice but to respond in the name of public service.

By Salam Faraj IRAQIS were divided Friday by their president’s threat to quit his job rather than accept a pro-Iran coalition’s candidate for prime minister, with some saying it was unconstitutional but others praising his civic-mindedness.

Barham Saleh has resisted attempts by a pro-Iran coalition to put forward nominees for prime minister, including a resigned minister and a controversial governor.

On Thursday, Saleh said he was “ready to resign” rather than accept a candidate already rejected by the protest movement that brought down the previous government.

Some 460 people have been killed and 25,000 injured since protesters hit the streets in unprecedented numbers in October, demanding a deep overhaul of the political system.

After a relative lull, rallies resurged this week as parliament wrangled over who would succeed prime minister Adel Abdel Mahdi, who quit last month in the face of massive protests and a rising death toll.

With the country in crisis, some were hoping that the weekly sermon of influential Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani would offer a way forward.

The 89-year-old is Iraq’s top Shiite cleric and his opinion has long been decisive in the country’s politics.

But he remained silent on the political situation Friday, further distancing himself from the ruling elite.

‘THANK YOU BARHAM’ In Baghdad’s Tahrir Square—the epicenter of the protest movement—a banner was unfurled overnight alongside portraits of rejected candidates for the premiership, their faces crossed out in red.

“Thank you Barham for siding with the demands of the people and rejecting the candidates of corrupt parties. We are with you,” it read.

But not all protesters shared this view.

Saleh’s resignation would “lead to chaos and give the political parties even more control over the country,” said Ali Mohamed, a protesting teacher in Babylon province south of the capital.

“The president needs to stay to resist these parties, he is the only barrier in place to ensure that a nationalist candidate is nominated.”

Further south in the protest encampment in Diwaniyah, Mohamed Mehdi said he hoped Saleh’s resignation would be accepted.

“That would lead to the dissolution of parliament. Then early elections could oust all these corrupt leaders,” he told AFP. ‘INTO THE UNKNOWN’ In the halls of power, reactions to Saleh’s gambit were equally divided.

The pro-Iran bloc that claims to be the largest in parliament—and should therefore be entitled to nominate the premier—called on lawmakers to “take legal action against the president for violating the constitution”.

But the list of ex-prime minister Haider alAbadi, now in opposition, called on Saleh to “reconsider his resignation” and work with all towards a “radical change in the balance of power”.

Abadi’s list—which came third in the last elections but has since lost many of its lawmakers to the pro-Iran camp—said blocs must “abandon the mentality of treason, intimidation and domination” threatening to plunge Iraq “into the unknown”.

The pressure mounted by the proIran camp is enormous, according to the Wataniya list of secular former premier Iyad Allawi.

The list applauded Saleh’s “civic position” but called on him to stay on to form a “reduced transition government” under United Nations supervision to lead Iraq “from this impasse”.

The deadlock is pitting the pro-Iran camp against determined protesters, who have shut down schools and public buildings across the south.

The civil disobedience will continue, protesters say, until they obtain what they have been demanding since Oct. 1.

Protesters want a total overhaul of a patronage system that distributes posts according to sect and are calling for the resignation of a political elite that has remained unchanged for 16 years.

In their place, they hope fresh polls could elect experts unaffiliated with the political system installed by the United States after it led an invasion of Iraq in 2003 that toppled dictator Saddam Hussein.

But despite parliament passing a new electoral law this week, many of the protesters’ demands may be difficult to meet.

Since Saddam’s fall, Tehran has wielded considerable influence in Iraq—as has its archrival Washington, which is pitted against Iran in multiple theatres across the region.

On Wednesday evening, rockets hit a base hosting American soldiers north of Baghdad, the army reported, without saying who was responsible.

US forces say they have already been the target of ten similar attacks in the past two months and attribute them to armed factions equipped and financed by Tehran.

AFP

2019’S UNFORESEEN HISTORY-MAKERS (Continued from yesterday) VENEZUELA’S JUAN GUAIDO FOR a long time, he didn’t distinguish himself as an outspoken critic of President Nicolas Maduro, but when he proclaimed himself president in January, Juan Guaido suddenly emerged as the socialist leader’s main opponent.

A key challenge now is to continue to inspire a wilting opposition.

When he burst on the scene in January, the 36-year-old lawmaker initially energized a weakened opposition whose key leaders were imprisoned, exiled or in hiding.

On Jan. 23, a few days after taking the helm as speaker of parliament, the only state institution controlled by the opposition, Guaido proclaimed himself acting president, declaring Maduro’s re-election illegitimate.

He was swiftly recognized by the United States and about 50 other countries. His popularity rating among Venezuelans soared to 63 percent. By October, however, it had dropped more than 20 points.

A trained industrial engineer, Guaido said he has “tried everything” to push Maduro out of office, as the country endures a deep economic crisis that has driven 3.6 million people to flee since 2016.

With great fanfare on Feb. 23, Guaido tried to break a border blockade to bring stockpiled international food and medical aid into the country, calling on the military to abandon Maduro. The gambit failed.

On April 30, a military uprising won support of only a handful of officers and was quickly subdued by the government.

Guaido, married with a two-year-old daughter, describes himself as a survivor

of the “Vargas tragedy”--a December 1999 landslide in the northern coastal state where he lived with his mother and five siblings, which killed thousands.

The Venezuelan prosecutor’s office, considered a branch of government by the opposition, has filed a number of lawsuits against him, for which he could face up to 30 years in prison.

But Washington has repeatedly warned Caracas that jailing Guaido would be Maduro’s “last mistake”.

On Jan. 5, his term as parliament speaker officially ends. Agreements between political groupings could allow him to remain in the post, despite a drop in his ability to inspire mass protests, most Venezuelans having abandoned the street to focus on the daily business of survival.

REVOLUTIONARY ‘ICON’ ALA SALEH OF SUDAN Ala Saleh, dressed in traditional white Sudanese garb and standing atop a car, became the symbol of Sudan’s uprising as she led chants against the now-ousted autocrat Omar al-Bashir in April.

Saleh, 22, was propelled to Internet fame after a photograph of her with one hand raised in the air singing and cheering along with crowds of protesters went viral, earning her the moniker of “Kandaka,” or Nubian queen.

An engineering student, Saleh grew up in a middle-class Sudanese family in Khartoum and was relatively unknown until her photograph went viral during the anti-Bashir protests.

But since earlier this year, she has become a voice for women’s rights in the northeast African country, where centuries

of patriarchal traditions and decades of strict laws under the former regime have severely restricted the role of women in Sudanese society.

“The existing discrimination and inequality women face, coupled with conflict and violence over decades, has resulted in women being subjected to a wide range of human rights violations, including sexual and gender-based violence on an epic scale,” Saleh said at an open debate at the UN Security Council last month.

She told the UNSC that even wearing trousers or meeting male friends took courage as it was criminalized under the former regime.

During Bashir’s 30-year rule, authorities enforced a strict public order law that activists said primarily targeted women, through harsh interpretations of Islamic sharia law.

On Nov. 26, the country’s new transitional cabinet led by Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok scrapped the law, although the ruling sovereign council has yet to ratify the move.

Saleh has faced criticism for attracting global attention even as many female activists faced brutal punishments during Bashir’s rule.

But many defend her rise to fame.

“She was a normal person like all others who took to the streets against the former regime,” said activist Khalid Tabidi.

MIGRANTS ACTIVIST CAROLA RACKETE German Carola Rackete was the captain of a migrant rescue ship in the Mediterranean who became a left-wing hero in Italy for challenging then far-right interior minister

Matteo Salvini’s “closed ports” policy.

The dreadlocked Rackete, 31, was skipper of the Sea-Watch 3, one of several ships used by international charities to aid migrants attempting the perilous sea journey from North Africa to Europe on rickety boats.

On June 12, Rackete’s ship picked up 53 migrants adrift aboard an inflatable raft off the coast of Libya.

The Italian authorities allowed some of the migrants to be taken in for health reasons but refused entry to 43 others, leading to a two-week stand-off at sea.

As conditions on board worsened, Rackete eventually sailed her ship to the island of Lampedusa despite an order from Italian officials not to dock there.

She was arrested on June 29, although a judge overturned that order on July 2, saying she had acted “out of necessity” because of the migrants’ condition.

Italy’s highest court is set to rule in January on whether Rackete’s arrest was warranted.

Salvini described the incident, in which Sea-Watch 3 allegedly hit a police speedboat, as an “act of war” and referred to Rackete as “the German criminal”.

During a visit to Italy in November to present her book “The World We Want”, Rackete was given a police escort after coming under attack from anti-migrant groups.

But she said the harassment “does not really affect me”.

“On the contrary, I am now more sensitive to the racism that some people suffer and to the discrimination and social justice that exist in the world,” Italian media quoted her as telling supporters at the book launch.

(To be continued) AFP

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FAMILY COULD SWIM, MOM SAYS AS BRITS DIE IN SPAIN POOL LONDON—The mother of two children who drowned alongside their British father in Spain has denied reports that they could not swim, suggesting instead that something was wrong with the resort’s swimming pool.

The tragedy took place on Christmas Eve as the family-of-five was holidaying at Club La Costa World in the southern Spanish resort of Mijas.

“The three of them knew how to swim,” said Olubunmi Diya in a statement published Friday by the family’s London-based church on Facebook, adding that the whole family was present when the incident happened.

“The children went into the pool using the steps but found themselves dragged into the middle, which was deeper and called for help when they could not get out,”she said, describing how her husband then entered the water to help them.

“I believe something was wrong with the pool that must have made swimming difficult for them at that point in time.”

Gabriel Diya, 52, a Christian pastor, died alongside his nine-year-old daughter Comfort and his 16-yearold son Praise-Emmanuel, who holds American nationality.

“We are deeply shocked, saddened and struggling to come to terms with their passing,” Olubunmi Diya added.

Sources close to the Spanish investigation had earlier said that a surviving sister had told police that the three did not how to swim.

Police had examined the pool’s filters to see if the young girl had somehow been sucked in by the water purification system, a spokesman said. AFP

2K EVACUATED, ONE MISSING AS ‘SCARY’ CYCLONE HITS FIJI WELLINGTON, New Zealand—Nearly 2,000 people took refuge in emergency shelters and one man was missing after being swept away in floodwaters as Tropical Cyclone Sarai pounded Fiji on Saturday causing widespread damage.

National Disaster Management Office Director Vasiti Soko urged locals and the thousands of tourists in Fiji not to be reckless as Sarai lashed the Pacific island nation with heavy rain and destructive winds.

With wind gusts strengthening to 150 kilometres (93 miles) per hour during the day, Sarai destroyed houses and crops, brought down trees, cut power and caused considerable flooding in low-lying areas.

Thousands of holidaymakers were stranded with flights to and from Fiji either cancelled or rescheduled.

New Zealander Melonie Sheppard, who was holidaying on Mana Island to the west of mainland Fiji, described the situation as “scary” and said their resort was in lockdown.

“We’re being hammered by intense winds and horizontal rains. The resort is providing packed meals and water direct to rooms when they can,” she told the New Zealand Herald.

“Wind is howling and tree debris flying about, doors and windows shaking, huge waves rolling into shore. Water now leaking into some rooms—it’s a bit scary at times.”

The Fiji government issued a statement warning of “destructive force winds with... coastal sea flooding to be expected.”

The National Disaster Management Office said as of mid-morning on Saturday, 1,970 people had sought emergency shelter and there had been no reports of any injuries.

However, there were fears for the safety of a man swept away as he tried to cross a flooded river while another man, reported missing at sea, was rescued in his fibreglass dinghy by police. AFP

IRAQ ROCKET ATTACK KILLS US CONTRACTOR NO KIDDING. An Iraqi protester wearing face-paint imitating DC comic and film character “The Joker” poses for a picture near the sit-in by Senak bridge over the Tigris in the capital Baghdad on Wednesday. AFP

UN BACKS RUSSIA ON INTERNET PACT

U

NITED NATIONS —The United Nations on Friday approved a Russian-led bid that aims to create a new convention on cybercrime, alarming rights groups and Western powers that fear a bid to restrict online freedom.

The General Assembly approved the resolution sponsored by Russia and backed by China, which would set up a committee of international experts in 2020.

The panel will work to set up “a comprehensive international convention on countering the use of information and communications technologies for criminal purposes,”the resolution said.

The United States, European powers and rights groups fear that

the language is code for legitimizing crackdowns on expression, with numerous countries defining criticism of the government as “criminal.”

China heavily restricts internet searches to avoid topics sensitive to its communist leadership, as well as news sites with critical coverage.

A number of countries have increasingly tried to turn off the internet, with India cutting off access in Kashmir in August after it stripped autonomy to the Muslim-majority region and Iran taking much of the country offline as it cracked down on protests in November.

“It is precisely our fear that (a new convention) would allow the codification at an international and global level of these types of controls that’s driving our opposition and our concerns about this resolution,” a US official said.

Any new UN treaty that spells out internet controls would be “inimical to the United States’ interests

URUGUAY SEIZES RECORD 4.4-TON HAUL OF COCAINE MONTEVIDEO—Uruguayan authorities seized a record haul of 4.4 tonnes of cocaine at the port of Montevideo in what the navy described Friday as “the biggest blow to drug trafficking in the country’s history.”

In a joint operation between the navy and customs, four soy flour containers packed with bags of cocaine were seized after showing “anomalies” when put through scanners at Montevideo’s port.

In the first two containers investigated, “a total of 4,418 kilograms (of cocaine) corresponding to 4,003 bricks” was found, the navy said in a statement.

Uruguay’s customs director Jaime Borgiani estimated the drugs would be worth a billion US dollars in the European market.

Uruguay is increasingly being used as a transit point for Latin American-produced cocaine heading to Africa and Europe.

The previous record was three tonnes found in a container destined for Africa at Montevideo’s port in November.

It is not known where this cocaine haul originated, but Borgiani said it “was loaded” onto trucks on Tuesday at a ranch in the southwestern Soriano department, 290 kilometers (180 miles) from Montevideo.

The seizure came after authorities swooped in on a new local exporter that had raised suspicions.

The interior ministry said on Twitter that police had raided the ranch where the cocaine was loaded, arresting the owner and his son. It added that a quantity of unspecified drugs was also confiscated.

“The important thing is to show the world and drug traffickers that you don’t mess around with Uruguayan customs,” said Borgiani.

“We’ve taken the necessary steps to rid the country of this scourge.”

THAI NAVY SEAL DIES FROM INFECTION ONE YEAR AFTER CAVE RESCUE BANGKOK—A Thai Navy SEAL who aided with the rescue of a youth football team trapped in a flooded cave last year has died from an infection he contracted during the dramatic recovery mission.

Petty Officer Beirut Pakbara fell ill with a blood infection while working to retrieve the 12 young boys and their coach, the Thai Navy said in a statement posted late Friday on their Facebook page.

After the 18-day ordeal came to an end last June—with the entire team emerging safely from Tham Luang cave in northern Thailand —he was under close supervision by doctors during his yearlong illness.

“But his condition worsened and he died from the blood infection,” said the Navy, expressing “profound sadness” to his family.

An official in Beirut’s home province of Satun told AFP the Navy SEAL was immediately buried on Friday after he died following Islamic funeral rituals.

because that doesn’t tally with the fundamental freedoms we see as necessary across the globe,” he said.

Human Rights Watch called the UN resolution’s list of sponsors “a rogue’s gallery of some of the earth’s most repressive governments.”

“If the plan is to develop a convention that gives countries legal cover for internet blackouts and censorship, while creating the potential for criminalizing free speech, then it’s a bad idea,” said Human Rights Watch’s Louis Charbonneau.

The United States argues that the world should instead expand its sole existing accord on cybercrime, the 2001 Budapest Convention, which spells out international cooperation to curb copyright violations, fraud and child pornography.

Russia has opposed the Budapest Convention, arguing that giving investigators access to computer data across borders violates national sovereignty. AFP

Another rescuer, former Thai Navy SEAL diver Saman Gunan, also died during the rescue mission when he ran out of oxygen while attempting to establish an air line to the children and their coach.

A statue of the hero diver has been erected near the cave’s entrance, attracting more than 1.3 million tourists since the 12 youngsters and the coach were extracted from their watery jail.

The rescue mission—which included foreign expert divers and the Thai Navy—drew extraordinary global interest to the mountainous district of Mae Sai. The “Wild Boars” team became global celebrities and have since toured the world, meeting footballing giants at Manchester United and LA Galaxy and headlining Ellen Degeneres’ US talk show.

The rescue has also attracted filmmakers eager to capture the dramatic operation onscreen—with Netflix nabbing exclusive rights to tell the boys’ story. AFP

Earlier, navy spokesman Diego Perona told journalists that an inventory of the first container found “3,089 bricks of cocaine each weighing 1.1 kilograms (2.4 pounds).”

“The drug has been detected in four scanned containers,” added Perona.

Local media said the containers were due to be loaded onto an Italian-registered ship.

The soy flour containers were destined for Lome, the capital of Togo.

Authorities are questioning the soy company owner, export agent and truck drivers who brought the merchandise to the port.

In August, German customs seized 4.5 tonnes with an estimated street value of $1.1 billion from a container that arrived in Hamburg from Uruguay. The manifest said the container carried soybeans.

In August, one tonne of cocaine was found in an eastern Uruguay seaside town. AFP

WASHINGTON—A rocket attack in northern Iraq killed an American contractor and wounded several military personnel Friday, the first US casualties from a string of recent strikes, the international coalition against the Islamic State group said.

While the coalition did not attribute blame for the incident, it threatens to escalate already-high tensions between Washington and Tehran, which backs various paramilitary groups in Iraq that the United States has accused of being behind rocket attacks on its interests.

“One US civilian contractor was killed and several US service members and Iraqi personnel were wounded in a rocket attack on an Iraqi military base in Kirkuk,” the US-led coalition said in a statement.

Federal security forces and Shiite militia units—as well as Islamic State (IS) group sleeper cells—all have a presence in volatile Kirkuk province, which is claimed by both Iraq’s Kurdish minority and Arab majority.

“Iraqi Security Forces are leading the response and investigation” into the attack, which took place at 7:20 pm (2220 GMT), the coalition said.

A US official with knowledge of the investigation told AFP on condition of anonymity that at least 30 rockets hit the base, including an ammunition depot, causing more explosions, while four more rockets were found in their tubes in a truck at the launch point. AFP

REMAINS OF 6 RECOVERED FROM MISSING CHOPPER LOS ANGELES—The remains of six people were found at the crash site of a tour helicopter that went missing in Hawaii, officials said on Friday.

Seven people were initially aboard the aircraft, which failed to return Thursday afternoon. There were no indications anyone survived the crash and the search for the last person on board will continue Saturday morning, fire authorities said, according to local media.

“The remains of six individuals were recovered Friday afternoon at the site of the helicopter wreckage in Kokee near Nualolo,” the county of Kauai said in a statement.

The victims’ identities have not yet been released, pending notification of next of kin.

According to the statement, final recovery efforts were suspended due to weather conditions but would resume Saturday morning.

“We are heartbroken by this tragedy and we continue to ask the public to consider the sensitive nature of this devastating situation,” said Kauai’s mayor, Derek Kawakami.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and loved ones of all victims,” he said. AFP

NEW YEAR NOTES.

A multitude of notes are pinned onto the Wishing Wall station in Times Square in New York City on Thursday. These notes with wishes are added to over a ton of confetti that floats down at midnight onto the revelers gathered in Times Square in celebration of the New Year. AFP

Images

B3

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2019 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

PHOTOS OF THE WEEK

ECLIPSE PATH.

This composite image shows the moon as it moves in front of the sun in a rare ‘ring of fire’ solar eclipse as seen from Tanjung Piai in Malaysia on Thursday. AFP

SANTA SPLASH. Participants in a Santa Claus costume jump into the water during the 110th edition of the ‘Copa Nadal’ (Christmas Cup) swimming competition in Barcelona’s Port Vell on Christmas Day. The traditional 200-meter Christmas swimming race gathered more than 300 participants on Barcelona’s old harbor in Spain. AFP

SKY WATCHERS. PAGASA Weather Specialist Renato de Leon kneels as he prepares the 45-centimeter reflecting telescope to observe the annular solar eclipse with some children at the PAGASA Astronomical Observatory in Diliman, Quezon City. Manny Palmero

LEAP OF FUN. Youngsters jump into the sea from a diving platform in Saint-Malo, northwestern France, on Thursday. AFP

HONORED SOLDIERS. Major Gen. Franco Nemesio Gacal, commander of the 4th Infantry ‘Diamond’ Division of the Philippine Army, honors the sacrifices of the wounded troopers at Camp Evangelista Station Hospital on Friday and hands out Christmas presents to coincide with the 84th founding anniversary of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. Contributed Photo

HIGH WATER WOES. A car drives through a flooded road following heavy rain in Gaza City on Friday. AFP

B4

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2019

Riera U. Mallari, Editor sports_mstandard@yahoo.com

Sports

AGATHA WONG: PH WUSHU’S PRETTY FACE

By Lito Cinco

A

GATHA Wong, the wushu double-gold medalist for the Philippines in the recent 30th Southeast Asian Games, is a real head turner, not just because of her winning ways, but with her beauty and golden performances in her events.

Her natural grace, composure and focus every time she goes through her routine, coupled with her beautiful face, have made her an instant hit in the biennial meet, which the Philippines hosted recently.

The 21-year-old Wong who is now being hailed as the face of Philippine wushu, definitely gained a lot more fans and admirers, who want to see more of her in action.

Looking back at her performance in the 30th SEA Games, Wong said: “The biggest challenge for me was the physical part of it as I had a slipped disc in 2018 that even just the conditioning part was hard for me. What carried me through in the competition was discipline, it just takes over during the competition, all the long hours, days and years spent in training comes to fore. Balancing my time between studies and training is one big challenge, too.”

A new experience for her though was the fact that for the first time, she cried in a competition, “I have never cried before, but when (Philippine Sports Commission) Chairman Butch Ramirez was awarding me my medal and I realized that I have done it for God and for my country, that was when I broke down,” Wong said.

What makes her happier after the competition, aside from her cash windfall from the PSC, the Philippine Olympic Committee, Malacanang, the House of Representatives and others who are expected to show their appreciation for her double-gold feat, is the fact that wushu is now more popular in the country.

“I know now that more people know what our sport is all about, and I hope the sport will grow even more after this SEA Games,” said Wong.

Agatha Wong’s natural grace, composure and focus every time she goes through her routine, coupled with her beautiful face, have made her an instant hit in the SEA Games.

Unfortunately, Wong, who also won a gold in the 2017 Kuala Lumpur SEAG, is still unsure of her participation in the next SEA Games in Hanoi.

After finishing her college degree at the College of St. Benilde this year, Wong plans to take up law as her second course, making it even more difficult for her balancing her time.

It’s good though that next year, Wong will be seeing action in several major international competitions, including the World Cup in Tokyo, Japan, and the Asian Championship in India.

If she performs well in these two international tournaments, maybe she will change her mind to join the Vietnam SEA Games.

MONSALVE, UY GRAB NATIONAL DOUBLES’ LEAD RYAN Monsalve turned in a superb two-under 66 to make up for Lanz Uy’s shaky 75 as the duo pooled a 141 in aggregate format to grab a one-stroke lead over Sean Ramos and Gabby Macalaguim after two rounds of the National Doubles Amateur Golf Championship at Camp Aguinaldo Golf Club yesterday.

Monsalve, a junior at California Baptist University, bucked a three-bogey miscue with five birdies, including on the par-5 18th that spiked his 35-31 card at the par-68 military layout and cushioned the impact of Uy’s 41-34 game in hot conditions for a 203 total heading to today’s deciding round where play shifts to twoball foursomes (alternate shot).

After an impressive 61 in four-ball, the Macalaguim-Ramos pair struggled with 71 and 72, respectively, for a 143 but remained in the title hunt at 204, still upbeat of their chances in the crucial format which puts premium on cohesion and accuracy where a slightest mistake by one could lead to a challenging shot for the other.

Josh Jorge and Santino Laurel, together with the Jed Dy-Mikha Fortuna pair, made it a four-way fight for the National Golf Association of the Philippines’ closing event for 2019 as the two teams submitted identical 206s after a 138 and 141, respectively.

Jorge fired a one-under 67 while Laurel carded a 71 while Dy, who won this event with SEA Games gold medalist and LPGA Tour-bound Bianca Pagdanganan, struggled with a 71 but drew an impressive game from Fortuna, who shot a 70 marred by a double-bogey on the par-3 13th.

Ivan Monsalve, a senior at CBU, actually fired the

Ryan Monsalve (left) provides the spunk and firepower as he and Lanz Uy surged past the Sean Ramos-Gabby Macalaguim pair to wrest control

day’s best four-under 64, marked by five birdies against a bogey, while Aldo Barro produced a 71 as the tandem jumped from last place at 24th to fifth at 208 and nurtured hopes of pulling off a spectacular feat in the event sponsored by the MVP Sports

Foundation and held as part of the PLDT National Amateur Golf Tour and backed by Cignal and Metro Pacific Investments.

The rest could be too far behind to contend for the crown in the event also serving as tune-up for next month’s National Stroke Play Championship with Luigi Guerrero (71) and Dan Cruz (70) pooling a 209 after a 141 for sixth followed by Santino Diokno-Miguel Roque (146-211), Menard Ko-Roy Nodalo (146-213) and Paolo Barro-Laia Barro (147), Gab Manotoc-Carlo Quimson (149) and Luis Castro-Andres Lorenzo (149), who all scored 214s.

Rianne Malixi, winner of three NGAP tournaments this year who trailed the leaders by just five after a 66 with Precious Zaragosa Friday, faltered a 75 but the latter bombed out with a 94 as the pair tumbled down to last with a 235 after a 169.

In Group II play, Larry Patnongon carded a 73 while Jaime Patnongon made a 77 as they combined for a 150 and a 221 to likewise snare the lead by one over Jona Magcalayo (76) and Sunshine Zhang (77), who totaled a 222 after a 153. Dominic Villamor (76) and James Lubguban (77) also put in a 153 for a 226 while first round leaders Sophia Blanco and Alexi Blanco sputtered with 72 and 89, respectively, and slipped to fourth at 228 after a 161.

Dennis Nicomedes shot a 75 while Allan Rubrica made a 77 for a 152 as they forged a tie at 224 with Ramon Capistrano (74) and Ricky Velasco (79), who combined for a 153, as erstwhile pacesetters Dexter Pelias and Titus Aguilar faltered with 80 and 83, respectively, and dropped to third at 231 after a 163.

JUVENILE CHAMPIONSHIP CONCLUDES 2019’S RACING CALENDAR THE country’s best two-year-old horses, led by Union Bell and Exponential, clash for supremacy and bragging rights in the Philippine Racing Commission’s final offering for the year, the 2019 Juvenile Championship at the San Lazaro Leisure Park in Carmona, Cavite on December 31, 2019.

Easily the most impressive in the sixhorse field, Union Bell (sire Union Rags, USA; dam Tocqueville, ARG), will be shooting for a fourth straight win in the Juvenile Series and the whopping P1.5million prize that goes with it.

The Elmer de Leon-owned Union Bell started its amazing streak with an emphatic five-length win in the 1st leg of the Juvenile Fillies and Colts Stakes

Race at the Saddle and Clubs Leisure Park in Naic, Cavite last October, before making it two in a row in the 2nd leg at the Metro Manila Turf Club in Malvar, Batangas the following month.

Proving that it is one of the country’s fastest-rising young horses, Union Bell completed a hat trick of sorts by winning the Juvenile Colts Stakes Race at the San Lazaro Leisure Park in December to declare its readiness to compete against the big guns in the Triple Crown series next year.

But first things first. The Juvenile Championship crown is up for grabs.

“Masyadong magaling ang kabayo ko, ready na ito next year sa Triple Crown, pero may mga karera pa na

dapat takbuhin,” confidently declared Union Bell’s jockey Jonathan B. Hernandez.

On the same day that Union Bell won the Juvenile Colts’ title, Exponential quietly took the female side of the series, topping the Juvenile Fillies Stakes Race with an impressive fivelength triumph, with interestingly, JB Hernandez, on its mount.

Hernandez, however, will ride Union Bell in the Juvenile Championship, leaving the Raymund Puyat-owned Exponential to the guidance of jockey PM Cabalejo.

Standing in the way of these two favorites are SC Stockfarm’s coupled entries After Party (jockey MM Gonzales)

and Our Secret (Kevin Abobo).

Completing the participants are Lucky Savings (jockey JA Guce, owner Antonio Coyco) and Puro Asset (JL Paano, Melanie Habla).

A total guaranteed prize of P2.5 million is being put up by the sponsoring Philracom for the Juvenile Stakes Race.

Runner-up gets P562,500, while third and fourth placers will receive P312,000 and P125,000, respectively. The breeder of the winning horse pockets P75,000.

“We are definitely saving one of our best stakes races for the last, before we say goodbye to another memorable racing year,” said Philracom Chairman Andrew A. Sanchez.

PACQUIAO’S TRIPLE-DOUBLE LIFTS VISITORS PAST CALGARY CALGARY, Canada—It’s tripledouble for Manny Pacquiao this time.

The Founder and Chief Executive Officer of the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League wound up with 31 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assist to lift Team Pacquiao past Team Casey Calgary, 11699, on Friday, Dec. 27 (Saturday, Dec. 28 in Manila) in the MPBL Canada Invasion at Seven Chiefs Sportsplex here.

Unable to connect well from long distance (3 of 19), Pacquiao scored mostly on drives, hustled for loose balls, and found the open man in 34 minutes and 43 seconds of play to achieve the feat which outweighed his 35-point and 42-point outbursts during similar exhibition games during the MPBL Dubai Invasion in September.

Mark Yee and Cong. Bobby Pacquiao supported the eightdivision world champion, who also had a steal and three turnovers to go with his first triple-double, with 20 points each.

Yee, who also played in the other exhibition game, added 14 rebounds and three assists as Team Pacquiao, mentored by Pampanga Giant Lanterns owner Cong. Dong Gonzales, and assisted by MPBL Deputy Commissioner Zaldy Realubit, led by as many as 89-70.

Other major contributors for Team Pacquiao were Chris Lalata with 11 points, including a pair of two-handed dunks, Christian Luazon and Jhaymo Eguilos with seven points each.

Completing Team Pacquiao, which played bereft of an organized practice, were MPBL Commissioner Kenneth Duremdes, MPBL Operations Head Emmer Oreta, MPBL panelists Martin Antonio, Christian Luanzon and Rodney Santos, Michael Juico, Paolo Hubalde and actor Gerald Anderson.

DRAGIC BASKET CARRIES HEAT LOS ANGELES—Miami’s Goran Dragic drained the game-winning basket with 6.8 seconds remaining as the Heat edged the Indiana Pacers 113112 in a wild NBA finish on Friday.

The Heat took their leaguebest home record to 14-1, but the injury-hit Pacers made them work every step of the way.

Dragic’s jump shot in the lane was Miami’s third attempt on a scrambling possession that had seen both Jimmy Butler and Kendrick Nunn miss and the Heat secure the rebounds.

“That’s who we are, man,” said Butler, who led the Heat with 20 points. “Never give up on any play.”

Indiana’s Aaron Holiday had a last chance for a game-winner but his effort failed to fall.

Bam Adebayo had 18 points and 15 rebounds, including the offensive rebound of Nunn’s miss that made Dragic’s game-winner possible in a contest that saw 20 lead changes.

“The ball didn’t want to go in, but we came up with two huge offensive rebounds, first Jimmy, then Bam,” Dragic said. “The ball came to me. I was just open and I made the shot.”

The Heat maintained their third spot in the Eastern Conference led by the Milwaukee Bucks.

The absence of reigning NBA Most Valuable Player Giannis Antetokounmpo proved no problem for the Bucks in a 112-86 win over the Atlanta Hawks.

Khris Middleton scored 23 points as the Bucks bounced back from their Christmas Day loss to the Philadelphia 76ers.

Antetokounmpo, nursing a sore back, looked on from the bench as the Bucks improved their leaguebest record.

The Hawks, meanwhile, lost their ninth straight and saw guard Trae Young hobble out with a sprained right ankle in the first half. AFP

C1

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2019

Business

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

PH APPROVES CONSUMPTION OF GOLDEN RICE

CEO REVIVES PH STEEL INDUSTRY

AFTER the rigorous biosafety assessment, Golden Rice “has been found to be as safe as conventional rice” by the Bureau of Plant Industry, an attached agency of the Department of Agriculture.

The biosafety permit, addressed to the Philippine Rice Research Institute and International Rice Research Institute, details the approval of GR2E Golden Rice for direct use as food and feed, or for processing.

PhilRice executive director John de Leon welcomed the positive regulatory decision. “With this FFP approval, we bring forward a very accessible solution to our country’s problem on Vitamin A deficiency that’s affecting many of our pre-school children and pregnant women,” he said.

Despite the success of public health interventions like oral supplementation, complementary feeding and nutrition education, Vitamin A deficienc y among children aged 6 months to 5 years increased from 15.2 percent in 2008 to 20.4 percent in 2013 in the Philippines.

SteelAsia chairman and CEO Benjamin Yao receives the Entrepreneur of the Year Philippines trophy at the awards banquet in Makati City.

B

ENJAMIN Yao, the chairman and chief executive of SteelAsia Manufacturing Corp., believes that a strong local steel industry will enable the Philippines to catch up with its industrial neighbors.

“The Philippines is the only Southeast Asian country that does not produce its steel requirements,” Yao says in a recent meeting with business editors in Makati City.

This is expected to be corrected soon as SteelAsia diversifies its production from reinforcing bars or construction steel to steel beams for bridges, sheet piles for ports, heavy angles for transmission towers and wire-rod for machine parts. SteelAsia achieved a milestone in March 2019 when it exported P300 million worth of rebar to Canada.

SteelAsia operates six community mills around the Philippines and is building more to support the large rebar requirements of the construction and real estate industries. Data show that the Philippine steel consumption posted a compound annual growth rate of 11 percent between 2006 and 2018.

Behind the growth of SteelAsia is Yao who believes that steel is the mother of all manufacturing that creates jobs and lifts the whole economy. He says steel has played a crucial role in the industrialization of Japan, Taiwan, South Korea and China.

Speaking at the 1st Philippine Industrial Summit in Mindanao on Nov. 27, 2019, Yao says per capita steel consumption in the Philippines is now near the industrial inflection point of 100 kilograms. “We are at a moment in time where a decision to act or not will mean a big difference for our country,” he says.

SteelAsia, on Sept. 1, 2019, signed a memorandum of understanding with China’s HBIS Group Limited for the first integrated iron and steel facility in Batangas province to elevate the domestic steel industry and reduce

dependence on imports.

Yao says the Philippines imports about 800,000 tons of wire-rod per year and doesn’t produce a single ton. “With domestic wirerod manufacturing, many SMEs can develop using wire-rods as a raw material. Products like nuts and bolts, screws, wire and nails, steel cables, welding rods, machine parts, mesh, everyday items and more can be manufactured in the Philippines,” he says. “Wire-rod is a mother product for many industries that local businessmen or entrepreneurs can benefit from.”

SteelAsia is in the process of establishing three wire-rod mills in Concepcion, Tarlac; Candelaria, Quezon; and Kirahon, Misamis Oriental. “Wire-rod is a mother product for many industries that local businessmen or entrepreneurs can benefit from,” says Yao. For his unparalleled role in the resurgence of the steel industry, Yao was named recently as the Entrepreneur of the Year Philippines and will represent the country in the Ernst & Young World Entrepreneur of the Year Awards in Monte Carlo, Monaco in June 2020.

Organized globally by Ernst & Young, Yao was presented the EOYP 2019 during the awards banquet at Makati Shangri-La Hotel in Makati City.

Yao believes that a robust steel industry is needed to sustain the country’s economic growth and development.

“Our business has to grow and evolve according to our country’s needs. We want to build something to be enjoyed by generations down the road, and thus, we accept that its success, we will never see in our lifetime,” he says.

Yao also received the award for the Master Entrepreneur category for sound management practices particularly in a company’s vital areas such as human resources, sales, business development, finance and marketing.

As the first finalist belonging to the steel industry to be named the Entrepreneur of the Year, Yao is determined to continue pursuing his mission and vision of building

the country by developing the local steel industry.

With Yao putting his vision into action through SteelAsia, as seen with the company’s rapid expansion and plans of putting up an integrated steel mill in Lemery, the country is inching closer to finally having its own steel industry.

SteelAsia is investing more than P100 billion over the next three to five years for expansion. The company recently held its groundbreaking ceremonies for its project sites in Candelaria, Quezon and Lemery, Batangas for what will be the Philippines’ first wire rod manufacturing steel mill and the country’s first steel beams manufacturing plant, respectively.

Such expansion plan is expected to more than double SteelAsia’s employees from the current 3,000 to about 7,000 while creating a domino effect in the support industries to create an additional 21,000 employment, mostly in the countryside.

Yao is the first from the steel industry to be named Entrepreneur of the Year Philippines.

Past winners included Jollibee’s Tony Tan Caktiong in 2003 who also won the World Entrepreneur of the Year, National Bookstore’s Socorro Ramos (2004), Cebu Pacific’s Lance Gokongwei (2005), La Frutera’s Senen Bacani (2006), Alaska Milk’s Wilfred Uytengsu Jr. (2007), Planters Development Bank’s Jesus Tambunting (2009), Bounty Fresh Food’s Tennyson Chen (2010), Aboitiz Power’s Erramon Aboitiz (2011), Hybrid Social Solutions’ Jaime Ayala (2012), Bench’s Ben Chan (2013), Xurpas’ Nix Nolledo (2015), and Uratex’s Natividad Cheng (2017).

Tambunting and Cheng were among the judges for this year’s EOYP. The other judges are Finance Undersecretary Antonette Tionko who is co-chair with Tambunting, Philippine Stock Exchange president Ramon Monzon, Management Association of the Philippines president Riza Mantaring and Philippine Business for Social Progress executive director Reynaldo Laguda. Roderick T. dela Cruz

The beta-carotene content of Golden Rice aims to provide 30 percent to 50 percent of the estimated average requirement of vitamin A for pregnant women and young children.

“IRRI is pleased to partner with PhilRice to develop this nutritionsensitive agricultural solution to address hidden hunger. This is the core of IRRI’s purpose: to tailor global solutions to local needs,” said IRRI director-general Matthew Morrell. “ The Philippines has long recognized the potential to harness biotechnology to help address food and nutrition security, environmental safety, as well as improve the livelihoods of farmers,” Morrell said.

The FFP approval is the latest regulatory milestone in the journey to develop and deploy Golden Rice in the Philippines. With the approval, PhilRice and IRRI will now proceed with sensory evaluations and finally answer the question that many Filipinos have been asking: What does Golden Rice taste like?

To complete the Philippine biosafety regulator y process, Golden Rice will require approval for commercial propagation before it can be made available to the public. This follows from the field trials harvested in Muñoz, Nueva Ecija and San Mateo, Isabela in September and October 2019.

The Philippines now joins a select group of countries that have affirmed the safety of Golden Rice.

In 2018, Food Standards Australia New Zealand, Health Canada and the United States Food and Drug Administration published positive food safety assessments for Golden Rice. A biosafety application was lodged in November 2017 and is currently undergoing review by the Biosafety Core Committee in Bangladesh.

BIGGEST BUSINESS NEWS OF 2019 THE Philippine economy thrived in 2019 amid major challenges and policy issues. Here are ten of the biggest economic developments and corporate news of the year.

POVERTY RATE FALLS TO 16.6% Poverty incidence, or the percentage of the population living below the poverty threshold, fell to 16.6 percent in 2018 from 23.3 percent in 2015, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority.

Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III said this put the government on track to achieving what had seemed at first as an ambitious goal of bringing poverty incidence to 14 percent by 2022, “as evidenced by official data showing that 5.9 million Filipinos were lifted out of poverty in three years”.

Data from the PSA showed that the number of poor Filipinos went down from 23.5 million

Filipinos in 2015 to 17.6 million Filipinos in 2018.

Meanwhile, Economic Planning Secretary Ernesto Pernia said the unemployment rate dropped from 5.1 percent in 2018 to 4.5 percent as of October 2019, the lowest in the last ten years.

“Even our underemployment rate eased to 13.0 percent from 13.3 percent in 2018,” he said.

WATER CONTRACTS ABROGATED Pre s i d e n t R o d r i g o D u t e r t e s l a m m e d concessionaires Manila Water Co. and Maynilad Water Services Inc. for alleged “economic sabotage” and the state-run Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System eventually revoked the concession extension agreements with the two companies.

This followed a water shortage during the dry months of 2019 when the concessionaires resorted to water rationing amid the lack of new

water resources.

Fitch Solutions Macro Research, a unit of credit rating firm Fitch Group, however, warned that this would undermine investor confidence in the short term as it exemplified the high regulatory risk which contracts between the government and private organizations were subjected to.

“We believe investors will be concerned over the possibility of similar instances of government intervention which would create uncertainty for their business operations. As such, there is a possibility that foreign direct investments may take a hit in the short term,” it said.

TYCOONS PASS AWAY Two of the Filipino-Chinese tycoons passed away this year. Henry Sy, the richest in the country who owns the largest property developer, shopping mall operator and bank, died on Jan. 19,

2019 at the age of 94.

Sy headed SM Investments Corp. which redefined the Philippine retail industry. His net worth at the time of his death was placed at $19 billion.

Sy’s contemporary and business rival, John Gokongwei Jr., the founder and chairman emeritus of JG Summit Holdings Inc. which owns Robinsons malls and Cebu Pacific died on Nov. 9, 2019 at the age of 93. At week later, his widow, Elizabeth YuGokongwei, died at the age of 85.

On Nov. 11, 2019, Lucio Tan Jr., the newly appointed president and COO of Philippine Airlines operator PAL Holdings Inc. passed away at the age of 53. He was the eldest child of Lucio Tan Sr., the founder and chairman conglomerate LT Group Inc. and the remaining original taipan in Turn to C2 the Philippines.

Business

C2

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2019 business@manilastandard.net

IN BRIEF

5-DAY MBA PROGRAM EQUIPS ENTREPRENEURS

TIEZA APPROVES TOURISM INFRA DEALS THE Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority board approved nearly P4 billion worth of tourism infrastructure projects to promote sustainable tourism, restore and rehabilitate cultural and historical sites and improve overall visitor experience.

The board which met on Nov. 28 approved priority tourism infrastructure projects for Benguet, Palawan, Iloilo, Pampanga and Pangasinan provinces and for Corregidor Island.

TIEZA chief operating officer Pocholo Paragas said the approval of the fourth batch of high-impact tourism infrastructure projects was a major milestone for the agency since it was reorganized in 2009. Prior to the November board meeting, TIEZA approved P1.2 billion worth of tourism infrastructure projects which included the rehabilitation and improvement of the Chocolate Hills Complex. In total, TIEZA board approved P5 billion worth of tourism infrastructure projects in 2019.

“Our tourism infrastructure is not perfect. We need to develop, and build better facilities to ensure that our local and foreign tourists will continue to enjoy our beautiful destinations without compromising environmental sustainability,” Paragas said in a statement.

ABOITIZ LEADS ‘BAYANIHAN’ THE Aboitiz Group, led by social development arm Aboitiz Foundation and its various business units, pooled their resources and immediately reached out to more than 7,000 victims of Typhoon Tisoy (international name: Kammuri) by conducting relief operations and re-energization efforts in Albay and Sorsogon.

Victims of Typhoon Tisoy, which barreled through the Bicol region on Dec. 2 to 3, were left with destroyed houses and livelihood, no electricity and poor communication lines, three weeks before Christmas.

“Through the help of various Aboitiz business units, we were able to pool as many resources as we could to provide immediate relief assistance to the communities affected by typhoon Tisoy.

We want to bring hope to our fellow Filipinos. After all, this is what Christmas is all about,” said Aboitiz Foundation COO Maribeth Marasigan.

“We commit to continuously seek more sustainable ways to help rebuild lives and livelihoods,” she said.

ING, UNICEF SUPPORT FINTECH ING, in partnership with the United Nations Children’s Fund Office of Innovation, will pilot a global program in the Philippines to jointly identify and invest in fintech startups that are building solutions with the potential to help disadvantaged youth and families in the country.

New digital financial tools—if designed responsibly and with attention to the specific needs of these users –offer the potential to help build economic security, encourage more equitable access to services and lift the financial barriers to opportunities for improving their lives.

The Philippines has enjoyed rapid economic growth in recent years. However, the benefits of this growth have not been shared equally as significant disparities remain.

More than a third of all children—over 13 million—live below the poverty line, and an estimated 2.85 million girls and boys aged 5 to 15 years are out of school.

Despite a large and tech-savvy population, many still face stark inequalities, affecting their education, health outcomes and future opportunities.

The ‘Fintech for Impact’ pilot aims to look for startup companies building innovative tools that will serve the financially excluded and hardest-to-reach communities in the country through open-source technology solutions, contributing to the growth of technology built for positive social impact.

BIGGEST...

From C1

Last year, George Ty of GT Capital and MetroBank died at the age of 86.

RICE IMPORTS EASE INFLATION The open rice importation helped tame inflation rate this year, but affected the livelihood of local farmers.

Republic Act No. 11203, or the Rice Tariffication Law, lifted the quantitative restriction on rice imports starting February 2019. This opened the floodgates for rice imports which eventually dampened the domestic prices of palay to the detriment of 10 million farmers.

Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III said it was only under the Duterte presidency that the government was able to pass the Rice Tariffication Law after three decades of attempt by previous administrations. The law reduced the price of rice for over 100 million Filipino consumers and was envisioned to boost the productivity of palay farmers through the establishment of the annual P10-billion Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund.

As a result, inflation rate dipped to 0.8 percent in October 2019 from 6.7 percent a year ago. It also averaged 2.5 percent in the first 11 months of the year, within the government’s target range of 2 percent to 4 percent.

GDP GROWTH RECOVERS The economy recovered in the third quarter from the initial slowdown in the first two quarters which were affected

W

HILE it is always true that there are no short cuts to success, there are now more convenient and affordable ways to learn everything that it takes to be a successful entrepreneur.

Thanks in large part to Olern or On-Demand Learning For Filipino Entrepreneurs, they can stay competitive by learning new best practices, improve their employees skills and adopt new technologies.

A new breed of training and consulting company with a mission to help Filipino companies become world-class using the latest technologies and training methodologies, Olern has teamed up with different business consultants and experts to design practical and in-depth courses and programs for entrepreneurs, chief executives and their employees.

One of the company’s most popular training programs is the 5-Day MBA Program for

Entrepreneurs. While it would normally take at least two years to earn a Master in Business Administration, Olern has tailor-fitted a miniMBA program for busy executives who have neither the time nor the budget to pursue this post-graduate degree.

In a matter of just five days, the crash course program helps entrepreneurs manage and grow their business. For those who need help in understanding, marketing, human resources and other aspects of their business, Olern’s 5-Day MBA Program for Entrepreneurs will be of invaluable assistance in avoiding costly trials and errors.

The program is conducted by experts and consultants who have gone through and learned from the many pitfalls that they now want the enthusiastic participants to avoid.

Aiza Diuco, founder and CEO of Age Defying Solutions Philippines Corp., makers of Glupa total skin whitening products, is one of those who attended the program.

“I attended the program because I want to upgrade my skills in both business and entrepreneurship. I have learned a lot of new concepts especially in marketing and

I’ve also learned a lot of new terminologies in finance and accounting, which I believe will equip me and allow me to be more ready with the challenges of the business,” Diuco said.

As technologies continues to advance, Olern has also taken advantage of the latest trends by enabling participants to attend their training programs in person or right at the comfort of their homes or offices via livestreaming or by availing of the option to the take the courses online.

“We are using technology to give Filipinos access to quality trainings wherever they are in the Philippines [or in the world]. That means that people from the provinces who were previously deprived of access to these trainings can now learn at the comfort of their homes or offices. They don’t have to endure the traffic or pay for expensive lodging [if they are from the province], just to attend the training,” said Olern founder Jerry Llao.

“We are also uploading videos in our YouTube channel to educate business owners and employees for free and help them bring their company to the next level,” he said.

INTERNET THE ‘NEW TV’ FOR FILIPINO HOMES A MAJORITY of Filipino households still have limited to no access to Internet connectivity, despite the highly social and connected nature of the population.

As a result, most households still heavily rely on traditional services like free or cable TV for their social and entertainment activities inside the home.

This is due to many factors such as the lack of more affordable Internet packages, and limited in-home coverage predominantly in the lower segments.

Speaking at the APAC Android TV Summit 2019 in Bangkok, Globe at Home Prepaid vice president Winsley Bangit discussed the rapid developments in the home Internet consumer habits in the Philippines, and Globe’s role in accelerating such developments.

Fueled by improvements in digital infrastructure and growing affordability of devices and data packs, more Filipinos are online now more than ever, and are beginning to seek contents that they previously get from just traditional TV or cable via the Internet.

“The Philippines is known for its deep passion of using

by the delayed government budget, the El Niño dry spell, water shortages and the US-China trade war.

“The Philippines stayed as one of the best-performing economies in Asia posting a 6.2-percent growth in the third quarter. We are the secondfastest growing major economy after Vietnam—ahead of China, India, Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand,” Economic Planning Secretary Ernesto Pernia said.

Data showed that in the first three quarters of 2019, the gross domestic product grew 5.8 percent, just below the low-end of the 6 percent to 6.5 percent full-year growth target.

“Looking at these milestones in our journey, we see a stable economic performance for 2019, even as we remain vigilant and prepared to face risks such as the possible water shortages in 2020, weak global growth and stagnating world trade, disruptive technologies, and the volatility of oil prices. Our GDP growth is projected to be between 6 percent to 6.5 percent for 2019 and 6.5 percent to 7.5 percent in 2020 to 2022,” said Pernia.

ASF DECIMATES 70,000 HOGS Authorities ordered the culling of 70,000 hogs in Luzon, following the outbreak of the African swine fever in Rizal, Bulacan and Quezon City.

The Philippines notified the World Organisation for Animal Health of the ASF outbreaks which resulted in the culling of about 70,000 animals, representing just a fraction of 12.7 million pigs nationwide.

Globe at Home Prepaid vice president Winsley Bangit speaks at the APAC Android TV Summit 2019 in Bangkok, Thailand.

the Internet for a variety of purposes - entertainment, social media, and now we recently discovered, lifeenablement opportunities,” said Bangit. “By bringing affordable Internet to more families, the significance of connectivity becomes more profound in the day-to-day activities inside the home.”

To further their vision of connecting more Filipino homes, Globe introduced the country’s

The outbreak also affected the sales of processed meat products after several provinces imposed a ban on the transport of pork products such as hotdog from Luzon to the Visayas and Mindanao.

Members of the Philippine Association of Meat Processors Inc. reported billions in losses because of the restriction or ban imposed by several provinces on pork products.

GOV’T CRACKS DOWN ON POGOS The Philippine government began to crack down on the so-called Philippine offshore gaming operators for their failure to pay income taxes.

Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III ordered the Bureau of Internal Revenue to shut down three major POGO service providers in a bid to collect income taxes from them.

T h e D e p a r t m e n t o f Fi n a n c e estimated that some 138,000 Chinese nationals were working in more than 200 POGOs, most of which were located in Makati City and the Bay Area.

A bill was filed in the House of Representatives to impose a 5-percent franchise tax on POGOs and a 25-percent income tax on their workers. Rep. Joey Sarte Salceda, the panel chairman and author of House Bill 5257, said the government could raise as much as P45 billion from these POGOs annually.

TRAFFIC WORSENS Traffic congestion worsened along EDSA and other major thoroughfares as the government and the private sector built projects such as the Skyway Stage 3.

first prepaid home Internet device in 2017—the Globe at Home Prepaid WiFi. In early 2019, another first-in-the-world innovation was launched in the market—the Globe StreamwatchXtreme Prepaid— an Internet TV device that serves as Prepaid WiFi device, Android TV, digital free TV box and karaokeready machine all for a one-time payment of P2999 (under $60).

“Our obsession for the customer continues to help us provide enablement beyond entertainment to more Filipino homes. Globe StreamwatchXtreme Prepaid is only our latest move in pushing the boundaries of bundling home TV solutions with affordable and reliable home Internet in the Philippines,” said Bangit.

The APAC Android T V Summit 2019 was held at The Berkeley Hotel Pratunam, Bangkok, Thailand on Nov. 12 to14. Attendees included more than a hundred TV and telco operators, TV set manufacturers, SOCs, OEMs, System Integrators, Broadcasters, Publishers, Digital Advertisers and key opinion leaders across the region.

Several proposals were also floated to resolve the problem such as the EDSA Expressway, Metro Manila Subway Project, Makati Intra-city Subway and the Makati-Taguig Skytrain.

The Management Association of the Philippines, on its part, recommended improved enforcement of regulations and fines to compel private and public motorists to comply. It asked authorities to designate stops for PUVs to quickly load and unload passengers and to declog bus lanes.

MAP estimated the cost of traffic congestion at about P3.4 billion or 13.4 million trips in 2019, translating into P250 per person per day.

FOUR LUZON GATEWAYS RISING The government and the private sector are now looking at four major gateways in Luzon, including a more enhanced Ninoy Aquino International Airport, Bulacan International Airport, Sangley Point International Airport and a bigger Clark International Airport.

San Miguel Holdings Corp. already bagged the $15-billion Bulacan airport project called New Manila International Airport, although the Department of Finance reportedly opposes its provisions on the material adverse government action and caps on liabilities of the government.

Meanwhile, MacroAsia Corp., a company led by Lucio Tan who owns Philippine Airlines, plans to team up with China Communications Construction Co. Ltd. to bid for the Cavite provincial government’s P500-billion Sangley

Point International Airport.

The National Economic and Development Authority board earlier approved the P102-billion NAIA Rehabilitation Project that aims to double the airport’s capacity to 65 million passengers a year by 2024.

In Pampanga, Clark International Airport is building a new terminal that can accommodate more than 12 million passengers a year.

BSP CUTS INTEREST RATES The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas turned supportive of economic growth this year when it reduced the benchmark borrowing rate by a combined 75 basis points to 4 percent amid the softening of the inflation rate.

Inflation peaked at 6.7 percent in September and October 2018, forcing monetary authorities to raise the interest rate by 175 basis points. With inflation rate softening to as low as 0.8 percent in October this year and the economic growth falling below expectation in the first half of 2019, the BSP decided to resume its policy easing.

BSP Governor Benjamin Diokno hinted that the Monetary Board would continue the policy easing in 2020. The current borrowing rate of 4 percent is still higher than the record-low rate of 3 percent in 2017.

Aside from the interest rate reduction, the BSP also cut the banks’ reserve requirement ratio by 400 bps this year to 14 percent for universal and commercial banks in line with its plan to bring the ratio closer to single digit by 2023.

Roderick T. dela Cruz

Tech & Gadgets

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SUNDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2019 rumallari@thestandard.com.ph

LENOVO THINKBOOK 14, 15 FOR TODAY’S PROFESSIONALS

By Angelica Villanueva

G

LOBAL innovation and technology leader Lenovo recently released the newest member of its ThinkBook series, specifically made for the modern professionals—the ThinkBook 14 and 15.

With the young workforce in mind, Lenovo wanted devices that can fit the busy lifestyle of today’s digitally-inclined and millennial workers.

According to a recent study conducted by Forrester Consulting, today’s millennials and Gen Z workers prefer to have the appearance and material of work laptops as features they value most. Moreover, it should complement their personality and offer smartphone-like experiences.

With this, Lenovo developed that latest ThinkBook to have in-demand features like strong durability when it comes to multitasking, an enhanced connectivity, AI-based technology and enterprise-level support for greater peace of mind.

“The ThinkBook 14 and 15 combine standout performance and sophisticated design in one neat package. Designed for optimum productivity, these devices are built to keep up with the demands of the modern workplace. With Lenovo, we want you to work smarter—not harder,” said Michael Ngan, General Manager, Lenovo Philippines.

True to its mission of developing on-the-go business devices for big enterprises, Lenovo started to create stylish and powerful devices meant for small and medium businesses with its ThinkBook series.

The ThinkBook 14 and ThinkBook 15 also offer full HD (1920 x 1080) resolution anti-glare IPS panels, with the screens bendable up to 180°, making it easy for young professionals to collaborate and share.

They come with narrow bezels, promising a screen-to-body ratio of 80% and up, leaving plenty of room for work which means less distractions for the user.

Both devices feature lightning-

STX Model

HONEYWELL MORLEY-IAS LAUNCHES NEW RANGE OF ALARM SYSTEMS

Shown here are (from left) Joe Fung, Commercial Marketing Lead, Lenovo Central Asia Pacific; Francis Judan, Product Manager for Commercial, Lenovo Philippines; Anna Abola, Marketing Manager, Lenovo Philippines; Michael Ngan, General Manager, Lenovo Philippines; and Joe Ng, SMB Segment Lead, Lenovo Central Asia Pacific.

quick processing thanks to their powerful 10th-generation Intel® Core™ processors. According to Intel, these processors can boast 2.5x faster AI performance, 3x faster connectivity due to Wi-Fi 6 support, and has up to 2x the graphics performance compared to the 8th Gen Intel® Core™ processors. The ThinkBook 14 has an Intel Core i5-10210U processor, while the ThinkBook 15 has an Intel Core i7-10510U processor.

The two devices are both

equipped with 8GB DDR4 memory and 512GB M.2 solid-state drives for faster loading times giving it an enhanced memory and storage. When it comes to graphics, the ThinkBook 14 has Integrated Intel® UHD Graphics, while the ThinkBook 15 is powered by an AMD Radeon™ 620 graphics card.

Both the ThinkBook 14 and 15 come in a sleek mineral gray finish made of aluminum giving a modern and premium style and appearance.

It has also undergone the MIL-SPEC test to prove that it can handle and withstand the exhaustive everyday business use and other conditions such as water spills and extreme high or low temperatures.

The ThinkBook 14 and 15 have several pre-loaded features designed to boost productivity. With an integrated fingerprint reader on the Smart Power Button, users can log in or boot up instantly just like on a smartphone. Furthermore, Skype calls can be made or dropped by clicking designated Business Hot Keys. Both devices also come with an Intel® Optane™ Memory Module, which allows for faster access to frequently used business apps and the Trusted Platform Module, which enables Windows 10 security features and encrypts user data.

ThinkBook 14 and 15 are now available in the Philippines with the price of P48,990 and P57,490, respectively.

For more information, visit Lenovo PH’s website at https:// www.lenovo.com/ph/en or contact the company on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ lenovophilippines/.

XTREME SMART TV: VALUE FOR MONEY

By Paul David Gelario FILIPINOS are generally smart buyers. They always want value for their money, which is the reason why when they buy something, they want to make the most of what they have, squeezing every centavo for what it’s worth.

In this case, they can take a look at the new products of XTREME, which is slowly making a name for itself outside of its sound and karaoke offerings.

A brand under Suntouch Technology Corporation, XTREME promises world-class quality appliances ranging from karaoke microphone systems and air-conditioning units all the way to washing machines and microwave ovens and televisions at very affordable prices.

Manufactured with Filipinos in mind, XTREME recognizes how they continuously work hard to achieve their aspirations and are constantly in search of things that will provide the best value to their hard-earned money.

XTREME celebrates with Filipinos, who constantly strive hard to provide their families a good life and rightfully regards them as ‘life champions’. The brand understands that for these life champions, the best home appliances have always been an aspiration. These items not only enable them to enjoy life better, but they see them as a reward.

As their new home partner in life, with XTREME, Filipinos no longer have to settle with what they can afford, but not necessarily want.

XTREME’s accessible products make it possible for them to go for the life style they want.

AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEMS Keep your homes cooler with XTREME’s wide range of air-conditioning systems that can cater to all kinds of homes and even light commercial spaces. Inverter units are also available as a more sustainable alternative.

REFRIGERATORS Sleek kitchens are now easier to achieve with XTREME’s line of refrigerators and

HONEYWELL introduced recently the Honeywell Morley-IAS STX and SMX Addressable Fire Alarm Systems.

The new models are UL-listed and designed create cost savings and maximize productivity, especially for small- to medium-sized businesses.

The Morley-IAS STX and SMX models fire alarm control panels include a range of one-, two-, and fourloop, and can support up to 159 detectors and 39 modules per loop (or up to 636 detectors and 156 modules with the four-loop panel). Complex configuration is made easy using the SmartConfig™ mobile and PC application through Bluetooth, which can help reduce commissioning time up to 75%.

Users can configure the systems anytime, anywhere, remotely and sync via USB, to upload the data to the panel, thus eliminating the need to carry laptops and tools to the site. It is suitable for installers and end-users who are looking for a solution that is simple, smart, secure. The panels also come with an offline configuration feature.

The compact, high-performance, feature-rich, fire alarm systems are designed to comply with the latest codes and industry safety standards in fire protection (UL 864 10th edition).

“Reliability with simplicity is an important combination when it comes to keeping people and places safe,” said Jeffrey Estrella, President of Honeywell Philippines. “Morley-IAS STX and SMX models feature the right balance of value, performance, quality, reliability, and easy maintenance for a wide range of applications, specifically for small to medium businesses.

We worked to design systems that are easy to install and use with a lower cost of ownership that also require less dependence on technical installers without sacrificing safety.”

For more than 20 years, MorleyIAS has developed fire detection systems for a wide variety of applications, from simple non-addressable products to intelligent addressable systems suitable for a variety of sectors. It has a strong global network of fully trained and accredited distributors and regional support operations in every continent. It is committed to the highest standards of service and product quality, with operations accredited to ISO 9001 and products that meet international approvals, including UL and FM, as well as local legislation worldwide.

HOW LOCAL...

From C4

XTREME MF4300s

freezers. Choose from Top Freezer, Single Door and Chest Freezer variants, and start making that dream kitchen come to life.

WASHING MACHINES No laundry load is too much with XTREME’s washing machine units. Choose from twin-tub, top load or front load units, and let our units do the dirty job, so you sit back and relax.

SMART TVs Available in 32”, 43”, 49”, 55” and 65” screens, XTREME’s Smart TV series features up to 4K UHD quality. Variants are also offer a Built in Soundbar

by Puresound speakers, making one’s viewing experience more enjoyable and engaging.

Manila Standard got a hold of the XTREME

MF4300s, a 43-inch wonder which to our surprise delivered vibrant colors and a crisp sound—perfect for that Sunday Netflix marathon you’ve been accustomed to. Certainly not bad for a proudly-Philippine made Smart TV at a price that won’t drain your bank savings.

But what about its durability?

Its makers are so confident of its endurance, that they are offering a two-year warranty (others only offer 12 months) for its televisions and over 150 accredited service centers nationwide, giving buyers peace of mind when they buy an XTREME TV unit.

Wherever you are, there is an XTREME store near you. So go check out its products in 1,500 stores nationwide.

Bureau of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR-EMB) and its youth-led organization GREENducation Philippines in rolling out ecoinitiatives for two years now. This year, Epson Philippines’ eco-projects focus on upcycling, a practice that transforms byproducts and waste materials into new materials of better quality and environmental value.

These initiatives include a denim upcycling workshop for the youth beneficiaries of Alay Pag-Asa Christian Foundation, Inc. and the EcoVision Short Film Competition, an intercollegiate competition which taps the artistry of Filipino students in raising public understanding of the environment and its conservation through the power of the visual medium.

MSMEs have a huge role to play in protecting the environment. The smallest effort can go a long way, and local businesses have the power to influence customers and other entrepreneurs to do the same. With greater awareness and consciousness on the smart ways to curb carbon footprint, collective action from local businesses can help mitigate the country’s prevailing waste problem.

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TECH & Gadgets SUNDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2019 Riera U. Mallari, Editor rumallari@thestandard.com.ph

5 TRENDS SHAPING TECHNOLOGY IN 2020

ONDON—In 2020, will the wow factor return to consumer hardware? Will blockchain and 5G punch into the mainstream? Or will the world unify against Big Tech’s taxavoiding practices?

AFP looks at five themes shaping the world of technology, after a year in which debate intensified over the industry’s exploitation of its customers’ privacy.

5G’S UNFULFILLED PROMISE

Super-fast fifth-generation network speeds are meant to revolutionise communications along with areas like urban transport.

But so far, 5G has failed to meet expectations due to the lagging build of infrastructure in many places. Apple has yet to launch a compatible phone, unlike rivals including Samsung.

The rollout should quicken next year as more countries install base stations and networking equipment—although US President Donald Trump’s war on Chinese sector leader Huawei remains a wild card.

As smartphone sales plateau around the world, manufacturers have been focussing more on ancillary services.

“You have to sell the entire experience, the entire ecosystem,” Dominique Bindels, senior analyst for home and tech with London-based research firm Euromonitor International, told AFP. Highlighting Apple’s success in payments and peripheral devices such as AirPods, Bindels predicted that smart earphones, along with speakers and athome devices connected on the “internet of things”, would be among the more dynamic sectors in 2020.

Digital assistants such as Alexa and Siri may start talking to each other, after Amazon, Apple and Google this month formed an alliance with other industry players to develop a common standard for smart home devices.

Another trend could be consolidation in TV streaming, after Apple and Disney joined Netflix, Amazon Video and some national broadcasters in a crowded subscription market.

LEAP INTO THE QUANTUM DARK

For the industry at large, business consultancy Accenture this year coined the acronym DARQ to denote four major trends: distributed ledger technology (such as blockchain), artificial intelligence (AI), extended reality and quantum computing.

Unbreakable blockchain networks of computers have already been generating virtual currencies in the form of bitcoin and its ilk, bypassing the need for a regulator like a government or central bank.

Fa ce b o o k wants to make the tech respectable through its “Libra” project, but has hit political opposition around the world, and several financial partners have pulled out.

Unwilling to let private enterprise dictate terms, China and other nations are building their own digital

TECH WARS

payments systems, which could see fruition next year.

However, blockchain networks devour huge amounts of energy, and concerns will mount about their environmental impact as debate intensifies more broadly about tech’s contribution to climate change.

THE PRICE OF PRIVACY

Most companies are now actively engaged across the spectrum of another tech acronym, SMAC: social, mobile, analytics and cloud. For consumers, SMAC is felt in how we communicate with friends and how we search and shop.

That is accentuating fears about privacy, after a series of data leaks at Facebook first laid bare how much of our online lives are exploited by companies and political parties.

“People are becoming more conscious of sharing data but also in the same moment, the Nest cameras and smart speakers are flying off the shelves,” said Bindels.

“There’s a huge divide. People have been learning to trade privacy for convenience. It’s just another currency.”

Amnesty International, in a hard-hitting study last month into Facebook and Google, said that tradeoff amounts to a “Faustian bargain” which imperils our human rights.

To Beijing’s anger, Washington alleges that Huawei and another telecoms group, ZTE, are little more than shell fronts for Chinese spy chiefs.

Ni Lexiong, professor at the Shanghai National Defense Strategy Institute, said US sanctions depriving those firms of access to US components would only encourage China to stand on its own feet.

“In the end, once China has formed its own industrial chain in the field of artificial intelligence, the United States will also lose a large market,” he said.

Samm Sacks, an expert on China’s digital economy at the Washington think tank New America, said the tech standoff could harm progress in areas such as precision medicine and AI-based diagnoses.

The two countries have cooperated in research, “and severing that could have global consequences”, she warned.

TAXING TIMES

The US presidential election next November will likely prove another flashpoint over disinformation peddled on social media.

Democratic hopeful Elizabeth Warren wants Amazon, Facebook and Google to be broken up on anti-trust grounds.

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development is meanwhile due by June 2020 to present a “unified approach” for richer countries to levy a digital tax on internet giants.

Some like France have gone ahead with their own tax, igniting another front in Trump’s multifaceted trade wars as the US threatens tariffs on a range of French goods. AFP

MOBILE TECHNOLOGIES HELP REDUCE CARBON EMISSIONS, ADDRESS CLIMATE CHANGE THE mobile industry is one of many key sectors playing a crucial role in addressing the challenge of climate change.

While Globe and other telecom operators outside the country already committed to reducing their own carbon emissions, they also contribute significantly to the reduction of carbon emissions by other industries through connectivity and behavior change.

A new GSMA report produced in collaboration with The Carbon Trust, an independent sustainability specialist, assessed the enablement impact of mobile communication technology at a global scale. It showed that the use of mobile technology enabled a global reduction in Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions of around 2,135 million tonnes carbon dioxide (CO2e) in 2018. The emissions savings were almost ten times greater than the global carbon footprint of the mobile industry itself.

The Carbon Trust examined 14 markets around the world to form a representative sample of the ‘enablement effect’ of the mobile sector’s ability to reduce emissions. The results indicate an even split between Machine-to-Machine (M2M)/Internet of Things (IoT) technologies and those through behavior changes from the personal use of smartphones.

The majority of avoided emissions from M2M technologies are primarily in buildings, transport, manufacturing and energy—sectors that make up a large portion of global GHG emissions. On the other hand,

personal smartphone usage encourages behaviors like reducing travel for commuting and for leisure, increasing use of public transport by using apps providing real-time updates, sharing accommodations for short stays and holidays, and reducing travel by use of mobile shopping and mobile banking apps.

Yoly Crisanto, Globe Chief Sustainability Officer said, “The impact of mobile technologies in response to climate change, encourages innovation and hastens the digital transformation of industries and nations.”

“As we venture further into the 4th Industrial Revolution, Globe redoubles its efforts to deepen

the adoption of existing and emerging mobile technologies such as data connectivity, cloud computing, Artificial Intelligence and IoT for good,” she added.

Globe recently became a signatory to the United Nations Global Compact, showing its strong commitment to implement universal sustainability principles.

As part of Singtel Group, Globe joined more than 50 mobile operators from all over the world in a major GSMA-led initiative to develop a mobile industry climate action roadmap that will create a decarbonization pathway for the mobile sector by February next year. The end-goal is to achieve netzero GHG emissions by 2050 to reduce the risks and harmful effects of climate change.

Meanwhile, Tom Delay, CEO of the Carbon Trust said: “Climate change requires a collective effort across governments, businesses and civil society if we are going to succeed in limiting global temperature increases to within 1.5 degrees. This analysis shows the positive role that mobile technology is playing in the evolution of other sectors and is a great example of what is possible.”

The report provided a high-level analysis of six categories of enabling mechanisms, with the following results: smart living, working and health (39% of total avoided emissions in 2018), smart transport and cities (30%), smart manufacturing (11%), smart buildings (10%), smart energy (7%), and smart agriculture (3%).

HOW LOCAL EPSON, MSMEs HELP CURB ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES DESPITE being one of the fastestgrowing countries in Asia, the Philippines is considered the most susceptible to hazards brought by climate change.

This alarming reality, which can put the lives of Filipinos at risk, calls timely attention to the pressing environmental issues that need to be acknowledged and addressed before it is too late.

Local organizations, especially the Micro, Small, and MediumScale Enterprises (MSMEs), have a role to play in tackling these environmental challenges. With 99.56% of companies in the Philippines registered as MSMEs in 2017, these businesses have the potential to take the lead in helping address the collective burden and help mitigate the effects of climate change in the country.

When it comes to running an eco-friendlier business, Epson’s printers can help SMEs reduce its energy consumption through its heat-free Micro Piezo and PrecisionCore printing technology and can consider these three steps to go green and save the environment.

SUSTAINABLE OPERATIONS The Philippines still uses nonrenewable sources to power up cities and businesses every day, and while the government continues to explore alternative energy sources, the best course of action in the immediate future is the adoption of ecological options and an overall reduction in power consumption.

One option for MSMEs is the use of efficient office equipment, such as printers, projectors, and other electronic devices, that can support business processes using less power. For instance, MSMEs can consider switching from laser to inkjet printers, which can save up to 85% energy in normal operations.

Nowadays, MSMEs show readiness to make this switch, as they increasingly consider “eco-friendliness” when buying office equipment. According to an Epson study on the digital transformation of SMEs in ASEAN, 76% of MSMEs in the Philippines prefer owning inkjet printers due to its ecological advantages, and since printers account for about 10% of the energy consumption of a typical office, using inkjet also translates to lower energy costs.

REDUCED OFFICE WASTE Waste pollution remains a massive issue in the Philippines. With an average of 40,000 tons of waste produced everyday—enough to fill up to 100 Olympic-sized pools6 —the country is considered as the third largest ocean polluter. In Metro Manila alone, approximately 9,212 tonnes of waste end up in rivers, creeks, and other bodies of water, including Manila Bay. To help solve this problem, MSMEs should incorporate the habit of recycling paper, plastic, and e-waste into their regular operations. MSMEs should also consciously seek out alternatives to reduce garbage disposal, such as recycling spent consumables or using office devices like inkjet printers that do not employ nonreusable cartridges, which can significantly lessen the environmental impact of using printers.

WORKING WITH THE COMMUNITY Eco-initiatives play a key role in companies to impact climate change. It may come in simple ways like taking part in annual environmental activities or by conducting social responsibility projects, such as information dissemination campaigns on environmental issues, clean up drives, among others.

For instance, Epson Philippines Corporation has partnered with the Environmental Management Turn to C3

Destinations D1

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2019

Bernadette Lunas, Issue Editor

manilastandardlife@gmail.com

@manilastandardlife

@MStandardLIFE

WHERE DO FILIPINOS CELEBRATE NEW YEAR’S EVE

By Steph Llarena

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HERE apparently is no place like Manila when it comes to Filipinos welcoming the New Year.

According to 2019 booking data from online travel booking platform Agoda, Filipino travelers, for the fourth year running, have flocked to (perhaps many stayed in) the capital city to usher in the New Year—which, based on those data, could happen again as we welcome the new decade.

It helps that several bars and restaurants across Manila annually prepare fun and festive countdown parties where families and friends can celebrate, if not at home.

Following Manila is the Queen City of the South, Cebu.

Have you seen many Facebook friends celebrating the holidays in Japan during the winter season? Well, data reveal Tokyo is the top overseas destination of Filipinos ringing in the New Year, taking the third overall spot. Tokyo has also maintained its top spot in the Asia Pacific region.

Back to the Philippines, Boracay has returned to the ranking—after a hiatus due to its rehabilitation—at number 4, from number 9 in 2018.

While the second top overseas destination Taipei in Taiwan has taken the fifth spot.

Rounding up Filipinos’ top 2019 New Year’s Eve destinations are Tagaytay, Osaka, Baguio, Hong Kong, and Subic—showing that not

NO PLACE LIKE HOME. Filipinos prefer to usher in the New Year in Manila, the top New Year's Eve destination among PH travelers, according to online booking platform Agoda.

many travelers from the Philippines venture farther away from home.

Meanwhile, in Asia Pacific, following Tokyo as the favorite destination for New Year’s Eve is Taipei, knocking last year’s number 2 Bangkok into third place.

Thailand, however, has the most destinations for New Year’s Eve celebrations in the Asia Pacific region, with three of its bustling cities featured in the rankings (Bangkok at number 3, Chiang Mai at number 7, and Pattaya at number 10).

Manila has made an entrance at number 6.

Osaka (4th), Seoul (5th), Bali (8th), and Kuala Lumpur (9th) comprise the list.

In Europe, Paris and London have both held on to their spots as the two most popular destinations, while Rome has leapfrogged Barcelona to take the third most popular destination title in 2019.

The top climber in the European rankings this year is Milan, which with its free New Year’s Eve shows, traditional fireworks displays, and buzzing nightlife has moved up three places to become the seventh most popular New Year’s Eve destination.

This year, in North America, the party city of Las Vegas has edged out New York as the number one New Year’s Eve destination.

Meanwhile, similar to last year, the City of Angels Los Angeles has remained the third most popular destination to ring in the New Year. Hawaii’s Honolulu has entered the list for the first time this year, coming in strong at the fourth rank with its beaches, lively parties, and rich culture.

Many Filipinos fly to Tokyo to welcome the New Year, as the Japanese city takes the fourth spot according to data from Agoda. It's also the top New Year's Eve destination in the Asia Pacific region in 2019.

(Photo from Go Tokyo/ Facebook)

PINILI TURNS ITS CENTENNIAL PAGE

By Honor Blanco Cabie

PINILI, Ilocos Norte, where warriors walked during the Philippine-American War at the turn of the 20th century and during the Japanese occupation in the 1940s, marks its centennial on Jan. 1.

Officials of the local government unit, headed by Mayor Rommel Labasan, have called on Piniliños to join in the special celebration on Jan. 1 and the 10-day saturnalia during the town fiesta starting April 20, in the run up to the feast of San Isidro Labrador—real name Isidro de Merlo y Quintana—Catholic patron saint of the town.

The anniversary is themed “Pinili 2020: Panangipateg ken Panangitandudo ti (sic) Naindaklan a Gapuanan, Puersa iti Masakbayan (Upholding standout past deeds, driving impetus for the future).”

As early as August this year, this garlic-producing third-class municipality, which became Ilocos Norte’s 17th town on Jan. 1, 1920—with Felipe Arcangel of Batac appointed by townmate, then vicar of the Philippine Revolution Gregorio Aglipay, as the first town chief executive—started clearing the decks in preparation for its centennial.

On Jan. 1, the centennial hymn, written by Carmi P. Lorenzo, the Pugaoan-born principal of Ferdinand Marcos Senior High School in nearby Batac, titled “Pinili a Salinongmi (Pinili our Haven)”—she won the writing competition—will be heard for the first time, according to officials.

The winner in the Digital Logo competition, also launched in August, was identified by contest organizers as Elmer Jhon Bugarin.

Turn to D2

Pinili Municipal Hall, facing south, perched on a hill overlooking the town square and the garlic lands of the town proper.

The Aglipay Shrine, inaugurated in 1997.

Destinations

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SUNDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2019 manilastandardlife@gmail.com

CHEERS TO 2020!

SPECTACULAR COUNTDOWN PARTIES TO WELCOME THE NEW YEAR

T

HE coming year is looking bright and “clear.” We list down some of the hottest and hippest parties in and out of the metro to welcome the year 2020—yes, sparklers and sparkling drinks included!

Wonderful celebration at New World Makati

DJ Cam Abecina gets party-goers grooving to today's upbeat tunes.

Live entertainment, culinary delights, and freeflowing libations make New World Makati Hotel’s annual New Year’s Eve Countdown Party an unforgettable experience.

Party begins at 9:00 p.m., during which guests will be singing along to the music of Brass Munkeys as they perform all-time favorites from the ‘60s up to present-day chart toppers. The revelry continues as DJ Cam Abecina gets party-goers grooving to upbeat tunes from today’s greatest hits.

Guests who will stay until the end of the program at 1:00 a.m. may win exciting prizes such as overnight stays, dining experiences, and more.

Free-standing admission is at P2,988 per person.

Rates for VIP tables are also available.

Café 1228 is serving New Year’s Eve dinner at P2,988 nett and New Year’s Day lunch and dinner at P2,020 per person. Jasmine will also offer set menus. Room rates for two adults and two kids, start at P9,000++.

Call (02) 8811-6888 or email reservations.manila@ newworldhotels.com.

New Year's Eve dinner buffet at Corniche comes with a glass of cava.

All-in party at Diamond Hotel

Exciting entertainment and three rounds of drinks at the Sparkling New Year Countdown Party.

Dazzling deals at New World Manila Bay Dance the night away at the Sparkling New Year Countdown Party at The Lounge.

For P600, guests will enjoy surprises, three rounds of drinks, and exciting entertainment courtesy of DJ Mia Fernandez.

After hours of revelry, the hotel invites

guests to stay for the night. The Countdown to 2020 room package starts at P8,888 per night inclusive of buffet breakfast for two and 25 percent dining discount at Market Café.

Call (02) 8252-6888 or email dining.manilabay@newworldhotels.com.

Before the year changes, revelers can excite their taste buds at Diamond Hotel’s New Year’s Eve Countdown Party.

At P3,980 nett per person, the night starts with a dinner buffet at Corniche with a glass of cava. After indulging in sumptuous meal, guests can then head at the Upper Lobby where Yellow Lane Band, Soul Republic, and J-Project will perform upbeat live music.

For those who prefer a refined and more serene take on welcoming the New Year, Yurakuen’s lunch and dinner group set menus come with a glass of wine and entertainment

courtesy of an acoustic duo. Price starts at P2,200 nett per person.

The Lobby Lounge will open the Midnight Pica Pica Buffet from 10:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m., with seats available at the second floor mezzanine. Party at this spot is priced at P1,280 nett per person.

The countdown party at Bar27 is complete with a sky-high view, upbeat live musical performances by XZEL Band, and a range of tapas and cocktails for P1,380 nett (consumable).

Call (02) 8528-3000 ext. 1121 or email restaurant.rsvn@diamondhotel.com.

Countdown buffet at Lima Park Hotel

Plum Restaurant is serving a Pan-Asian buffet spread on New Year's Eve.

The 4-star hotel in Batangas is welcoming 2020 with a New Year’s Countdown Buffet.

For P1,599 nett, guests may enjoy a dinner buffet and a live band performance at the Plum Restaurant. The recently opened restaurant is one of the three food outlets in the hotel. It features Pan-Asian cuisine which includes East and Southeast Asian fares.

Those who will book today, Dec. 29 will get 10 percent off on the buffet rate.

Call (43) 981-1555 or email reservations@limaparkhotel.com.

PINILI...

From D1 Apart from the hymn and logo competitions, there was also the English Essay Writing Contest, open to all top essayists of the three high schools here—the Pinili Institute, the Pinili National High School and the Sacritan Integrated School. It was sponsored by the Prof. Honor Blanco Cabie Awards for Literature, now in its 11th year, in cooperation with the Pinili Local Government Unit.

The winners—Christian Britany Barroga (Pinili National High School), 1st; Jolina Espiritu (Sacritan Integrated School), 2nd; Shanel Jay Aguinaldo (PNHS), 3rd; and Mark Angelo Perez (Pinili Institute), consolation prize—will get their cash prizes and certificates in April, during the town fiesta at the Pinili Amphitheater south of the terraced town square.

It was in the erstwhile forested hills of Pinili, eventually detached from the mother towns of Paoay, Badoc, and Batac, where Aglipay and his Sandataan guerrilla forces, made up mostly of homegrown villagers, fought advancing and better armed American troops along the main gravel road—eventually named after Aglipay—that cuts through the town proper and the rice lands west and east of the poblacion.

Arguably, Pinili is the only chosen town in the Philippines, with some romanticizing that it was Aglipay who selected the name Pinili because he chose the then thickly forested hilly area to be his and his guerrillas’ last stand against the advancing American troops out to subdue President Emilio Aguinaldo and his followers north of the capital Manila.

Pinili LGU and Pinili-Metro Manila Residents Association officials headed by Mayor Rommel Labasan and Josie Lane, respectively, during a meeting at the residence of Architect Roland Polendey (standing, second from left) and wife Len (seated left). Also in photo is the author (standing, fifth from left).

Some have forgotten that the area’s elders themselves in fact chose—Pinili, and there was then an existing barangay called Pinili Badio which adjoined Badio Laud—to unite and be one municipality after the Philippine-American War for unity and closer cooperation.

Later on during the Japanese occupation in the

1940s, bolomen from the town headed by Mariano Gamatero of Puzol with three subordinate officers ranked major—Agustin Cabie of Upon, Cecilio Vermudez of Salanap, and Florencio Tacub of Puzol—fought guerrilla warfare using military tactics including ambushes, sabotage, raids, petty warfare, hit-and-run tactics, and mobility, to

fight the larger and less-mobile Japanese troops.

In the months before the anniversary, Labasan and the other officials flew out in batches to Hawaii and the US mainland as well as Singapore to persuade their townmates “to come home and celebrate the town’s colorful centennial anniversary next year.”

They also met up with officers and members of the 1993 Securities and Exchange Commissionregistered Pinili-Metro Manila Residents Association in December, where Labasan and Vice Mayor Maynard Francis Bumanglag made a pitch for the centennial celebration.

PMMRA, a civic, non-profit, non-government organization, has been itself conducting annual medical outreach missions in the town’s 25 barangays—covering five barangays per mission— since the mid 1990s.

On the first day of 2020, officials said Pinili’s history will be re-enacted at the town square after a Thanksgiving Mass in Kullabeng, the site where Aglipay used to meet up with elders of the area before it became a town. It was also there where, old hands and historians say, Aglipay, then no longer a Catholic, celebrated what was to be called the first Aglipayan Mass—not in Manila or elsewhere.

There will be a colorful, if animated, march, expected to be highlighted by street dancing along the more than one-kilometer Aglipay Road between the Shrine and the town hall participated in chiefly by local officials, the youth, and some elderly.

Pinili became a municipality after then Gov. Gen. Francis Burton Harrison signed on Dec. 20, 1919 his Executive Order which created Ilocos Norte’s 17th town.

Entertainment

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2019

BRAVE DIGITAL SERIES ABOUT MILLENNIALS IN MANILA M ILLENNIALS are often labeled as lazy, self-entitled, and conceited by older generations. If they’re not asserting their opinions online, they could be writing an essay’s worth of feelings for all to see. It has been said that they’re notorious job-hoppers who seem to always want more and are easily offended. Are they too optimistic, too cynical, or too “woke”?

DIGITAL

he aspires to be known as a rapper online. He tries his best to improve his performances, but comes off as “trying hard.”

South Korean heartthrob Park Seo Joon for Bench clothing campaign

Whether they’re true or not, these so-called characteristics have been the subject of many thinkpieces and practical jokes.

But is there more to these stereotypes than meets the eye? What does it mean to be a millennial living in Manila today?

Enter iWant’s “unfiltered” dark comedy original series Manilennials, which depicts the challenges and social issues that millennials in Manila get to face on a daily basis. Here, Fifth Solomon, Chai Fonacier, Nicco Manalo, Mela Habijan, and Ria Atayde star as five friends navigating their ambitions, identities, and values while finding themselves, with the busy Mela Habijan as Ruth, the hardworking, and colorful rollercoaster ride that is Manila as their backdrop. to-time-for-love go-getter Written and directed by millennials for millennials and even produced Conservative and old-fashioned Ruth is a pre-op transwoman who is by an all-millennial team, Manilennials aims to enlighten viewers by giving a caterer by profession and always strives to be successful. Her driven you five new friends to root for. attitude stems from her need to prove to other people her self-worth. This Here are Manilennials’ five unique individuals that will make you say makes dating just an unnecessary distraction to her. “ravern!” (“laban” or fight in normal-speak): Self-motivation fuels her, but this trait also makes her susceptible to disingenuous influences.

Fifth Solomon as Kiko, the broke but entitled bum Kiko, 29, is an openly gay man, frustrated with his career, and has a hard time motivating himself. He knows that he hasn’t amounted much in life, especially being almost 30 years of age. Always cash-trapped as he keeps refusing jobs he thinks are “below” him, Kiko doesn’t have a stable relationship and can be quite dishonest with himself.

Although he is a sweetheart on the inside, he uses anger and bitterness to hide his weaknesses and shortcomings and defend his point of view.

Chai Fonacier as Eye, the privileged, woke artist The anti-hipster hipster. Yeye may be a pansexual, drunkard chainsmoker, but she is also a talented artist full of wit. She tries hard to be politically aware but often forgets to factor in her privileges. And even though she seems self-assured, Yeye also secretly yearns people’s affection and approval.

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

Ria Atayde as Missi, the bubbly and unapologetic aspiring lawyer Although she is the kikay-type, perky, and social media savvy, Missy is also vain and insecure about her looks. Although a brilliant pre-law student, she has this idealistic views on relationships and life in general, and the parameters she sets hinders her from fostering a healthy relationship. She’s at ease, unapologetic, and even protective of her “burgis” status.

In truth, she is haunted by the death of her dad, which affects her relationships, especially with her mother, whom she still lives with.

Manilennials now streams for free on the iWant app (iOs and Android) or iwant.ph.

PH BRANDS THAT TOOK OVER TWITTER IN 2019 WHATEVER happens, it happens on Twitter. It is not just for people to connect with their favorite artists, Twitter is also the preferred platform for brands to reach out to their audience.

Launching campaigns on Twitter enable brands to tap and connect with the audience where they are the most receptive.

This year, local clothing giant Bench is the most-talked about brand on Twitter.

Bench is known for bringing Korean stars to endorse its fashion campaigns such as Ji Chang Wook and Park Seo Joon. Twitter campaigns by brands from different industries, like food, retail, fashion, and telecommunication have been popping up here and there to forge closer ties and cultivate better relationships with their audiences.

Coming in second place, people are lovin’ the McDonalds Philippines account for its quirky advertisements and gimmicks such as the #NationalFrenchFryDay campaign which celebrated their world-famous fries. Known for its quirky and relatable advertisements, and with their roster of the most sought-after endorsers to boot, world-famous fast food restaurant McDonald’s Philippines heads this year’s top 10 most Tweeted about brands.

Nicco Manalo as Art, the ambitious and loyal wannabe rapper Empathetic and unassuming, Art is one of the nicest guys you will ever meet. He works in a call center and finds stability in his job, but on the side, The cast of ‘Dead Kids,’ the first locally made film exclusive for Netflix streaming.

IBILIB’S FLASHY, NOISY NEW YEAR’S EVE SPECIAL

Program host Chris Tiu with the iBilib gang

IT’S a flashy and noisy New Year’s Eve episode in today’s iBilib, filmed on location at Ninoy Aquino Parks and Wildlife, Quezon City.

First-time guest Kyle Ocampo joins Chris Tiu, James, Roadfill, and frequent kiddie iBiliber Raph Landicho as they witness a world-class performance from the Iduys Fire Dancers, the first Filipino fire-oriented act on Singapore’s Night Safari.

They learn lots about fire-eating, as well as poi dancing, fire blowing and the use of the dragon staff.

In response, Chris makes a flame thrower using cornstarch, and a lighter.

In “Bilibabols,” Jeremy Sabido and Lexi Gonzales from Starstruck visit the Dragon Fireworks

warehouse in Bulacan to learn how fireworks are made, before being treated to a spectacular light show.

In “Street Genius,” see how to make a platform from as few as three planks strong enough for you to walk on and reach an object atop you. In addition, know why a golf ball fired from a cannon and aimed at a hanging watermelon about to be dropped will always hit it, regardless of its speed.

Finally, find out how to make a D.I.Y. horn from an old hose and plastic bottles in “Huling Hirit.”

All these on the year-ender episode of your favorite science show every Sunday morning on GMA.

Other brands that have caught the eye of the Twitterverse are the official accounts of Angkas and Netflix Philippines. These brands keep their Tweets witty and relatable by lightheartedly poking fun of the everyday traffic and struggles of the Filipinos.

Other brands that made it into the list are Shopee Philippines, Creamsilk, Samsung Philippines, Coca-Cola Philippines, and Ponds.

Angkas Twitter account being so relevant as always

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SUNDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2019

Desiree Carlos, Editor

Pets

daycarlos28@yahoo.com

ANXIETY-BUSTERS FOR PETS ON NEW YEAR’S EVE

A

LL the noise from firecrackers, loud music and hooting and hollering on New Year’s Eve can be very stressful for dogs and cats.

if this will help your dog as he/she knows your dog’s condition.)

5) Talk to your vet about… a prescription medication for dogs that reduces anxiety without sedation. Ask your vet if it’s right for your dog.

6) Take your dog out for as much exercise as possible before the festivities begin. And keep your cat moving with toys and laser pointers While some humans enjoy the fireworks dur- before the evening gets going. They’ll be too ing New Year’s eve, dogsand cats don’t. tired to be stressed.

They get terrified and a number of dogs and 7) Try desensitizing earlier in the day or a few cats do experience an anxiety attack. days before by making loud noises, blowing the Your pet is having an anxiety attack when he licks his paws and yawn a lot, or tremble, pant, hide, pace, or go into a corner.

The best thing to do is not to light firecrackers on New Year’s eve and any night or day.

But it is impossible to ask your neighbors not to light those firecrackers.

To help your pet, be proactive and prepare.

Jill Feinstein, in “12 Tips to Calm Your Pet This New Year’s Eve” in Happy Tails from House website, shared these tips to minimize your pet’s stress: Walk your dog before the revelry starts. When they have expended their energy, they will feel sleepy and hopefully, “1) Confine your pet they will just sleep the night away. In photo is Summer, a to a safe place. If your senior dog, who sleeps during New Year's eve. Soft music, her pet is crate trained, favorite treat, and a shirt on calm her. they’ll probably be comfortable there. But if your pet isn’t crate trained, now’s not the time to try it. Instead, put noisemakers, and clanking the pots and pans. them in a safe room where they can’t get them- This may not work for extremely anxious pets. selves into trouble.

8) Try a pressure point coat... These jackets 2) Play relaxing classical music or the televi- put constant gentle pressure on a dog’s pression at a volume that’s loud enough to drown sure points and promote a sense of calm by out the frightening noises, but not too loud to creating the sensation of being held. (Editor’s cause more anxiety.

Note: Or you can put on a shirt on your pet to 3) Spray lavender oil (Editor’s Note: use only make him feel like he is being hugged. Or put pure essential oil mixed with base oil that is safe a body wrap on your pet. ) for pets like virgin coconut oil) on your pet’s 9) Distract your pet with food puzzles or bed or favorite blanket. Or just let them smell it. some new toys. Spritz a new toy with catnip to 4) Try canine or feline pheromones that help keep your cat engaged… your pet feel safe. These come as plug-in room 10) Allow your pet to follow you around if that diffusers or sprays. (Editor’s Note: Ask your vet helps them stay calm. If that’s not possible or

you’re going out, hire a pet sitter. This is particularly advisable if your pet is extremely anxious.

11) Some say you shouldn’t comfort or coddle a frightened pet. It will reinforce their negative behavior. But some say it’s okay to show calm affection. I’m personally in that camp. If you were scared, wouldn’t someone speaking soothingly calm you down? When your pet is calm, reinforce that behavior with treats. And always stay calm yourself so your pet sees that everything’s okay.

12) Leave the neighborhood for a quieter

Walk your dog before the revelry starts. When they have expended their energy, they will feel sleepy and hopefully, they will just sleep the night away.

In photo is Summer, a senior dog, who sleeps during New Year's eve.

Soft music, her favorite treat, and a shirt on calm her.

place if possible.”

Feinstein noted that a pet owner/caregiver may have to do more than two of these tips to help calm one’s pet.

“You may have to try several of them to have any effect on your pet,” Feinstein said.

Do not ever leave your pet alone on New Year’s eve, specially if you know there will be a noisy celebration in your neighborhood.

Never leave your dog tied or caged and ALONE in the garage of outside the house on New Year’s eve. Your dog will definitely have an anxiety attack while the neighbors are lighting those firecrackers.

A WISH LIST FOR 2020

MY FURRY BESTIE

PET TALES

THIS corner features pets of animal lovers every week. We hope new owners and those thinking of getting a pet will be encouraged to be responsible “furparents” through these features. We also hope more people will be moved to be kind to animals when they read about the great relationship that can be created between humans and animals.

BY DESIREE CARLOS HAPPY New Year to all animal lovers in the world!!!

Allow me to share my New Year wish list.

I wish: 1. for a stop to all dog and cat meat festivals everywhere, forever!

2. for a stop to dog and cat meat trade all over the world. Close all restaurants that serve dog and cat meat.

3. for a stop to breeding of dogs and cats for profit. Regulate breeding in all countries.

4. all Kill Shelters and Kill Pounds are closed or turned into No-Kill Shelters.

Hire only animal lovers for vets and caregivers of animals. Let them go through psychological tests if they have to.

Dog and cat catchers should be trained on humane catching.

5. government officials will follow the Animal Welfare law on pound maintenance.

6. government officials will enforce the Animal Welfare Act of the Philippines.

7. all local government officials, policemen and barangay officials will aggressively conduct a. a spay/neuter program in their respective areas of jurisdiction; b. awareness on the Animal Welfare Act and make people aware that any form of animal cruelty is punishable under the law with imprisonment and a fine; c. a seminar on responsible pet ownership which includes giving vaccines and anti-rabies shots, deworming and heart worm prevention, among others; and d. ant-rabies campaign in their areas without having to impound dogs, among others.

8. bestiality (or sex using dogs) will be banned all over the world and be made punishable with life imprisonment. Anyone who does this is simply sick in the head and pose a danger to humans too.

Some dogs, specially senior ones, had a heart attack.

Other dogs will look for a place to hide during the noisy revelry. But if they are tied or caged, imagine what they will be feeling when they can not “escape” while having an anxiety attack.

“Whatever you do, don’t scold them! Your pet needed an outlet to express their anxiety.

Or they may have been trying to escape from it,” Feinstein stressed.

“What if your typically calm pet unexpectedly becomes anxious on New Year’s Eve? This can happen as pets age. Especially if they suffer from health problems or the dementia…” said Feinstein.

Feinstein said it is important to be aware and plan how one can help an anxious pet.

“Look out for the signs your pet is melting down and confine them to a safe place.

Play calming music.

Give them a stuffed Kong toy. And sit with them for a while,” Feinstein said.

“In some pets, the anxiety is so severe they hurt themselves. They may bloody their paws trying to escape out a closed door or possibly even jump from a window. And never tie up your anxious dog outside. They can injure themselves trying to escape the tether and runaway, “ Feinstein stressed.

Put a collar on your dog with identifying tags (with information on how to contact the owner) in case the dog panics and gets loose.

“It’s unfair to let a pet suffer. Talk to your vet if you know you have an anxious pet,” Feinstein said.

Please consider your pets when planning the New Year’s eve celebration. This can be filled with fun for both humans and pets.

Here’s to an amazing 2020 filled with love, kindness and blessings for both humans and pets! DC

For contributions, please email to daycarlos28@yahoo.com and put My Furry Bestie as subject.

Cats and dogs make humans more loving. This sleeping cat— his name is Angel—just makes us want to give him a belly rub or take him in our arms and rock him to sleep.

9. all places where animals are kept captive for HUMAN entertainment are closed down like zoos, circuses and ocean adventures.

10. all leaders and members of dog fighting syndicates are caught and jailed for life.

11. a stop to all animal testing and closure of all laboratories using animals for testing products and medicine.

12. all dogs and cats in the streets, in shelters, and foster homes have found loving adopters who can commit to their lifetime care.

13. all food products for animals are of high quality and sold in sanitary conditions.

I now claim these wishes have all come true. Even just one at a time. (I can be very patient and optimistic.)

And so it is and so be it, it is done!

Please claim and pray that all these have happened here in the Philippines and everywhere else in the world.

Love and respect for all beings will eventually overturn violence and greed. If we

Just looking at a kitten evokes a positive feeling. Chien, when she was a kitten, made anyone who saw her want to cuddle her and kiss her.

It was always love at first sight for anyone who saw her. Today, she is a very sweet, loving catto.

are filled with positive emotions, how can we kill a fellow being-- human or animal?

Animals teach us compassion. Our hearts suddenly fill up with love or gladness when we see them or touch them or hug them. Our experience with dogs and cats teach us to get in touch with positive emotions so that there is less or no space for negative thoughts and feelings that fuel and eventually start and sustain war. There is no room for hate and there will be no need for war when we only feel love and kindness in our hearts.

To me, this is one of the reasons God/ Allah/ Universe/ Higher Being created animals: To learn to act from the heart, from love, from gladness, from gratefulness.

Animals are LOVE in physical form.

I now thank the Universe for the gift of animals and the manifestation of all our wishes.

Have a great New Year filled with love, compassion, kindness and all that is good, everyone.

Namaste!

JIGGY found his way into the garage of Jonas Arevalo last June.

“It was raining hard and I heard a loud cry. We found him under the car. My dad got a stick to get him to move towards our main door and it worked and he went inside our house,” Jonas recalls.

“We let him sleep and the next day he felt comfortable roaming around, “ Jonas adds.

Jonas recalls his mom fed Jiggy some rice and soup. Jiggy finished it up and slept the whole day.

“Days passed by and he started brushing his nose on our legs as if asking for a pat on the head,” Jonas shares.

He adds,”He learned to sleep on my feet and would follow me to my room and sleep there. From then on, we took good care of him and bring him to the vet for his regular check up.”

“As of today, Jiggy is two (2) years old according to his vet. Jiggy loves porkchops and vegetables. We will love him forever,” says owner-adopter Jonas.

Editor's note: These stories were compiled by admin Miks Lim of Save Animals of Love and Light (Save ALL), a SEC-registered animal welfare group that helps animals in need, and encourages and promotes responsible pet ownership, adoption of rescued dogs and cats from fosters, shelters and pounds, and spaying and neutering of pets to control animal population in the country, among others.