Manila Standard - 2020 January 5 - Sunday

VACATIONERS SEEN CLOGGING EDSA, AIRPORTS VOL. XXXIII • NO. 325 • 4 SECTIONS 16 PAGES • P18 • SUNDAY, JANUARY 5, 2020 • www.manilastandard.net • mst.daydesk@gmail.com

M.E. STRIKES SPARK CALL FOR EVAC

By Vito Barcelo

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HE Department of Foreign Affairs has called on Filipinos to cancel travel to Iraq and to “coordinate closely” with the Philippine Embassy in Baghdad in case of a mandatory evacuation—with a workers’ group urging the government to devise an evacuation plan for some 1.2-million OFWs in the Middle East.

“Filipinos in Iraq are strongly advised to coordinate closely with the Philippine Embassy and their employers in the event mandatory evacuation will be necessary,” the department said in a statement Friday sent through DFA Assistant Secretary Eduardo Meñez.

The DFA also called on all Filipinos to “cancel, until further notice, any travel to Iraq in view of the current situation in the country.”

The advisory came after the death of Gen. Qassem Soleimani, leader of Iran’s elite Quds force, due to an airstrike by the United States at the Baghdad International Airport.

Meñez said the situation in Iraq was being closely monitored and the DFA was “prepared to send a rapid response team should it be deemed necessary.”

Meanwhile, the department asked all Filipinos in Iraq Turn to A2

EXPECT heavier vehicular traffic this weekend—with vacationers returning to Manila after the holidays, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority said.

MMDA spokesperson Assistant Secretary Celine Pialago said she was sure that by Monday all roads in the metropolis would be “back to normal.”

The normal volume of traffic on EDSA, the national capital’s main avenue that stretches from Caloocan City to Pasay City, per day is 410,000.

During the holidays, traffic volume did not reach 100,000 per day.

MMDA and its 2,000 enforcers are bracing for the traffic expected to build up at choke points, which include Old Samson Road in Balintawak, Quezon City, replete with obstructions that vehicles could not pass through.

Meanwhile, the Manila International Airport Authority is ready for the influx of passengers at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Turn to A2

10 FRAT MEN IN 'ATIO' SLAY LOSE BAIL BID THE Manila Regional Trial Court Branch 20 has denied the petitions for bail of 10 fraternity members involved in the death of University of Santo Tomas student Horacio “Atio” Castillo, which means they would remain in jail.

In a 56-page order, Presiding Judge Marivic Balisi-Umali said that upon presentation of facts and evidence, the court “finds the evidence of guilt of each of the accused strong.”

The order was dated Dec. 10, 2019, but was released to the media only on Jan. 3, 2020, Friday.

The 10 fraternity members are Arvin Balag, Mhin Wei Chan, Axel Munro Hipe, Oliver John Audrey Onofre, Joshua Joriel Macabali, Ralph Trangia, Robin Ramos, Jose Miguel Salamat, Danielle Hans Matthew and Marcelino Bagtang.

The court earlier found probable cause to charge the 10 Aegis Juris members with violation of the Turn to A2

FURY, TEARS AS GENERAL LAID TO REST TEHRAN—Iranian military commander Qasem Soleimani will be laid to rest Tuesday in his hometown of Kerman as part of three days of ceremonies across the country, the Revolutionary Guards said.

The US military killed Soleimani on Friday in an airstrike outside Baghdad international airport that shocked the Islamic republic and sparked fears of a new war in the Middle East.

The Islamic R evolutionar y Guard Corps confirmed the commander of its Quds Force foreign operations arm had been killed on Friday by US forces in an airstrike on

'TRASLACION' PREPARATION. Devotees pray and raise their pleas before the image of the Black Nazarene on Saturday at the Minor Basilica of the Black Nazarene of the Parish of Saint John the Baptist, as they prepare for the 'Traslacion' on Thursday in celebration of the feast of their patron. Norman Cruz

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NEW ATTACKS TRIGGER FEARS OF US-IRAN PROXY WAR A FRESH airstrike hit pro-Iran fighters in Iraq early Saturday, as fears grew of a proxy war erupting between Washington and Tehran a day after an American drone strike killed a top Iranian general.

The killing of Quds Force commander Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani in Baghdad on Friday was the most dramatic escalation yet in spiraling tensions between Iran and the United States, which pledged to send more troops to the region -- even as President Donald Trump insisted he did not want war.

Iran’s ambassador to the United Na-

tions, Majid Takht Ravanchi, told CNN that the killing was an “act of war on the part of the United States.”

A new strike on Saturday targeted a convoy belonging to the Hashed alShaabi, an Iraqi paramilitary network dominated by Shiite factions with close ties to Iran.

The Hashed did not say who it held responsible but Iraqi state television reported it was a US airstrike.

A police source told AFP the strike left “dead and wounded,” without providing a specific toll.

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CHANTING MOURNERS. Supporters of the Hashed al-Shaabi paramilitary force and Iraq’s Hezbollah brigades attend the funeral of Iranian military commander Soleimani (portrait) and Iraqi military chief Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis (portrait) in Baghdad’s district of al-Jadriya Saturday with Iraqis chanting 'Death to America' during the funeral procession for the two. AFP

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M.E. STRIKES...

MWSS ASSURES KALIWA DAM IP GROUPS OF RELOCATION

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to immediately contact the embassy in case of emergency at (+964) 781-6066822, (+964) 751-616-7838, and (+964) 751-876-4665; via email at baghdad.pe@ dfa.gov.ph; and/or via facebook page: Philippine Embassy in Iraq.

Due to heightened tensions in Iraq and the region, the US earlier urged all Americans to “depart Iraq immediately” and avoid its embassy in the country.

On Friday night, the United Nations called for restraint, with Secretary-General Antonio Guterres saying the world “cannot afford” another war in the Gulf.

“The Secretary-General has consistently advocated for de-escalation (of conflict) in the Gulf. He is deeply concerned with the recent escalation. This is a moment in which leaders must exercise maximum restraint. The world cannot afford another war in the Gulf,” Guterres’ deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said in a statement.

At the same time, the Trade Union Congress of the Philipines is urging President Rodrigo Duterte to formulate a government evacuation plan for an estimated 1.2-million overseas Filipino workers working in the Middle East who might be affected amid possible escalation of violence.

“With these inauspicious fast turning of events, the fate of our OFWs in the Middle East now hangs uncertain. With the growing instability in that region, there is an urgent need for a Philippine government escape plan that takes every OFWs from harm’s way either by land, sea or air,” the TUCP said in a statement.

“We therefore call on the President to convene a multi-government agency panel that would device an early escape plan which would lead or supervise a possible relocation or repatriation of our OFWs before they are directly affected by the escalating armed conflict in the region,” TUCP president and TUCP PartyList Rep. Raymond Mendoza said.

Mendoza said the plan involves multiple type of government responses that requires contributions from all government agencies.

Mendoza, who is also chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Overseas Foreign Workers, said the plan will also bring in advance notice to OFWs and allay anxiety among them and their families back at home.

“There is no harm in being prepared, identifying contingency measures and taking due diligence in anticipation of a worst-case scenario in the Middle East.

Government advance planning will also alleviate worries and reduce anxieties felt by our OFWs and their families here at home,” Mendoza said.

According to the estimate of the Philippine Statistics Authority last year, there are around 1.2-million registered OFWs working in the Middle East countries such as in Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Lebanon, Kuwait, Jordan, Israel and Bahrain.

The TUCP is also looking at the possible unemployment, the impact of increases in the prices of oil to prices of goods and services in the country, and the effect of reduced remittance to the domestic economy in case the rising tension turn to actual armed confrontations in the region.

“We are also looking at the other aspect of a full-blown conflagrations and it impact on unemployment among OFWs, impact on local inflation, and lower remittances,” Mendoza said. With PNA

VACATIONERS...

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as Filipinos are expected to return after the long holiday season.

In a statement, MIAA general manager Ed Monreal said the number of passengers at four NAIA terminals from Jan. 1 to 6 this year would double compared to the same period last year.

The MIAA said that in 2019, from the period of Jan. 1 to 6, it recorded a total of 202,204 passenger arrivals for domestic, and 223,436 for international.

In the first two days of 2020, the arrival for domestic passengers was recorded at 64,736, while the number of international arrivals reached 80,168 passengers.

The numbers relate to a total increase of 4 percent for domestic arrivals and 9 per cent for international arrivals.

“The arrival figures show that more Filipinos are now traveling abroad to celebrate the holiday season,” Monreal said.

Monreal said the OPLAN Biyaheng Ayos, Pasko 2019 will end on Jan. 6, 2020.

The OPLAN desks were manned jointly by MIAA Operations, Public Affairs, Police, and Medical teams in all the arrival areas of the four NAIA terminals.

The airport chief directed all NAIA accredited transport companies to ensure the availability of vehicles to service passengers especially during peak hours.

Visibility of police was also increased at the arrival area. Vito Barcelo

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HE Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System gave assurances on Saturday the government would provide a proper relocation site for indigenous people communities affected by the Kaliwa Dam project.

MWSS administrator Emmanuel Salamat said in an interview on Dobol B sa News TV, heard nationwide, some 400 individuals from 55 barangays would be affected by the P12.2-billion China-funded project.

He said officials were continuing a dialogue with IP communities and local government units to address their needs with the

construction of the project.

Once constructed, the Kaliwa Dam will provide Metro Manila with 600 million liters of water per day from the dam, whose construction may take two to three years.

“China will ensure the design and construction. Sila rin po ang magpoprovide ng technical assistant sa dam,” Salamat said.

Salamat added 85 percent of the project would be funded through Chinese loan, while the remaining 15 percent would be financed by the MWSS. Last Monday, President Rodrigo Duterte warned courts against issuing temporary restraining orders that would delay the construction of the Wawa and Kaliwa dams.

Duterte said the dams were “the last resort” for Metro Manila to have adequate water supply.

The President assured the public that those who would be affected by the controversial project would be paid and relocated.

The dam projects in Rizal and Quezon were seen to affect at least 56 in-

digenous people households and will place around 284 tribal households at risk of flooding, according to the Environment Management Bureau of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.

In his speech, Duterte blamed the indigenous communities and restraining orders from the courts for supposedly “delaying” the projects.

“Those who live there are, of course, they are all natives. They’re trying to delay the project and we need water for Manila,” he said.

Duterte last expressed support for the project in October, citing the water crisis that left dry faucets in Metro Manila.

YEAR OF THE RAT.

Some stores along Ongpin Street in Manila’s Santa Cruz district put on display lucky charms, particularly mouse figurines in different sizes, ready to welcome 2020—the Year of the Rat in Chinese zodiac. In Chinese culture, rat as the first of all zodiac animals, is a sign of wealth and surplus. People born under this sign are believed to be industrious and thrifty, diligent and positive. PNA

NEW...

From A1 There was no immediate comment from the US. It came hours ahead of a planned a mourning march for Soleimani, killed alongside Hashed number two Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis in the precision drone strike.

Ravanchi said Friday night: “In fact was an act of war on the part of the United States and against Iranian people.”

He added: “Last night they (the US) started a military war by assassinating by an act of terror against one of our top generals. So what else can be expected of Iran to do? We cannot just remain silent. We have to act and we will act.

“We can’t just close our eyes to what happened last night. Definitely there will be revenge, a harsh revenge.

“The response for a military action is a military action. By whom, by when, where? that is for the future to witness,” he said in the interview.

The remarks follow Trump, speaking on Friday night to Evangelical supporters in Miami, saying that Soleimani was planning “a very major attack” and that he had been preparing multiple “attacks against Americans.”

Soleimani—long seen as a deadly

adversary by the US and its allies— was one of the most important power-brokers across the region, setting Iran’s political and military agenda in Syria, Iraq, and Yemen.

As head of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps’ foreign operations arm, Soleimani was a powerful figure domestically and oversaw wide-ranging Iranian involvement in regional power struggles—and anti-US forces.

Trump said the 62-year-old, who had been blacklisted by the US, had been plotting imminent attacks on American diplomats.

His assassination has rattled the region, with Iraqis fearing a proxy war between Washington and Tehran.

Mourning procession A total of five Revolutionary Guards and five Hashed fighters were killed in Friday’s strike near Baghdad international airport.

Their bodies will be laid tom rest in an elaborate mourning procession on Saturday, beginning with a state funeral in the capital and ending in the Shiite holy city of Najaf to its south.

The bodies of the Guards will then be flown to Iran, which has declared three days of mourning for Soleimani.

Tehran has already named his deputy, Esmail Qaani, to replace him.

Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei promised “severe revenge,” while in Tehran tens of thousands of protesters torched US flags and chanted “death to America.”

Trump hailed the operation,

saying he decided to “terminate” Soleimani after discovering he was preparing an “imminent” attack on US diplomats and troops.

He insisted Friday Washington did not seek a wider conflict, saying: “We took action last night to stop a war.

We did not take action to start a war.”

But hours later the Pentagon said between 3,000 to 3,500 troops would be dispatched to Iraq’s southern neighbor Kuwait.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo praised Washington’s partners in the region, but said their European allies “haven’t been as helpful as I wish that they could be”.

“The Brits, the French, the Germans all need to understand that what we did, what the Americans did, saved lives in Europe as well,” he said.

Embassy storming Some 14,000 troops were already deployed as reinforcements to the Middle East last year, reflecting steadily growing tensions with Iran.

There are approximately 5,200 US troops deployed across Iraq to help local forces ensure a lasting defeat of Islamic State group fighters.

Pro-Iran factions have seized on Soleimani’s death to push parliament to revoke the security agreement allowing their deployment on Iraqi soil.

Lawmakers are to convene in emergency session on Sunday and are expected to hold a vote.

Paramilitary figures in Iraq including US-blacklisted Qais al-Khazaali

FURY,...

10 FRAT...

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Baghdad international airport.

Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei swiftly promised “severe revenge” and declared three days of mourning.

Soleimani’s body was expected to arrive in Tehran on Saturday night before being taken to the Shiite holy city of Mashhad the next day for a ceremony to be held next to Imam Reza’s shrine, a statement posted on the Guards website late Friday said.

“A ceremony will next be held in Tehran on Monday

and militiaman-turned-politician Moqtada Sadr called on their fighters to “be ready” after Friday’s strike.

And Lebanon’s Tehran-backed Shiite movement Hezbollah threatened “punishment for these criminal assassins.”

Soleimani had long been considered a lethal foe by US lawmakers and presidents, with Trump saying he should have been killed “many years ag.”

Following Friday’s strike, the embassy urged US citizens to leave Iraq immediately and American staff were being evacuated from oil fields in the south.

Analysts said the strike, which sent world oil prices soaring, would be a game-changer.

“Trump changed the rules—he wanted (Soleimani) eliminated,” said Ramzy Mardini, a researcher at the US Institute of Peace.

Phillip Smyth, a US-based specialist on Shiite armed groups, described the killing as “the most major decapitation strike that the US has ever pulled off.”

He expected “bigger” ramifications than either the 2011 operation that killed Al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden or the 2019 raid that killed IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

Iraq’s caretaker prime minister Adel Abdel Mahdi warned the strike would“spark a devastating war in Iraq” as President Barham Saleh pleaded “voices of reason” to prevail. AFP

morning, and then the pure body of this soldier of the people and the nation will be buried in Kerman on Tuesday morning,” it added.

A group of students also announced they would hold a vigil for Soleimani at Tehran University on Saturday before going to Tehran’s Mehrabad airport for the arrival of his remains.

The general, who died aged 62, was one of Iran’s most popular public figures.

After serving in the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq war, Soleimani quickly

rose through the ranks of the Guards to become commander of the Quds Force.

In recent years, he became an unlikely celebrity in Iran and had a huge following on Instagram.

Tens of thousands of people took to the streets of Tehran and other cities across Iran on Friday to protest the US attack.

Khamenei and Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani paid separate visits to Soleimani’s family at their home on Friday to offer them their condolences over his death. AFP

Anti-Hazing Law for the killing of the 22-year-old Castillo on Sept. 17, 2017.

They have been detained at the Manila City Jail since May 2018.

The court has set the hearing on the hazing case on Jan. 14, 2020, according to a report on GMA’s Saksi, heard nationwide.

In June 2019, the Manila Metropolitan Trial Court Branch 14 sentenced another Aegis Juris Fraternity member, John Paul Solano, guilty of obstruction of justice—the first conviction in the Atio Castillo hazing case.

It was Solano who brought an unconscious Castillo from the frat library to the Chinese General Hospital, where he was declared dead on arrival.

He had told police he found Castillo lying on the road and covered with a blanket.

Solano was sentenced two to four years in prison.

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MMDA, MANILA BRACE FOR NAZARENE PARADE

By Vito Barcelo

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T LEAST 1,000 traffic enforcers of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority and 10,000 policemen will be deployed during the “Traslacion” or the procession of the Black Nazarene on Jan. 9.

Several roads in Manila will be closed to vehicular traffic to pave way for the procession, organizers said.

“The route of the Traslacion will start at the Quirino Grandstand, Katigbak Road through Padre Burgos St., Finance Road through Ayala Boulevard, Palanca St., Quezon Boulevard, Arlegui St., Fraternal St., Vergara St., Duque de Alba St., Castillejos St., Farnecio St., Arlegui St., Nepomuceno St., Concepcion Aguila St., Carcer St., Hidalgo through Plaza Del Carmen, Bilibid Viejo through Gil Puyat, JP De Guzman St., Hidalgo St., Quezon Boulevard, Palanca St. through under Quezon Bridge, Villalobos through

Plaza Miranda and end at Quiapo Church.”

“Personnel from the agency’s Metro Public Safety Office, Traffic Discipline Office, Metro Parkways Clearing Group, Sidewalk Clearing Operations Group will be deployed to ensure the safety of the devotees and to manage traffic in the area,“ MMDA Chairman Danilo Lim said.

MMDA’s additional deployment is meant to help the police, concerned government agencies, and the local government of Manila in maintaining order during the “Feast of the Nazarene” in Quiapo district.

NCRPO vowed to field at least 10,000 cops to ensure safe and peaceful procession.

To immediately clear roads of garbage, street sweepers and road clearing group members will be positioned at the tailend of the Black Nazarene’s procession.

“Our action plan is already in place. Aside from manpower, ambulances, road emergency vehicles, traffic mobile cars, and other necessary equipment will also be dispatched,” the MMDA said in a statement.

Lim said that there will also be volunteers who will help cater to the medical needs of the devotees, saying they will be working hand-in-hand

with MPSO in rendering first-aid treatment to devotees and providing rescue and emergency response when needed.

MMDA said tents, plastic barriers and fences are now being set up at Quirino Grandstand in Manila where several activities will take place.

This includes the traditional “Pahalik,” procession of Black Nazarene replicas, Vigil, and Eucharistic Celebration.

Lim also ordered the clearing of the procession’s route of obstructions and illegally parked vehicles.

Manila Mayor Francisco “Isko” Domagoso, for his part, appealed to the millions of devotees of the Black Nazarene to keep Manila streets clean during the Feast of Nazarene.

Domagoso said he will deploy additional street sweepers from the city’s Department of Public Sanitation to follow the “Traslacion” who would pick up the litters that would be left behind by the devotees.

The mayor said he would also ban sidewalk vendors along the “Traslacion” route which contribute most of the trash being left behind by the people who will join the procession.

Domagoso also said that Jones Bridge was not included in this year’s “Traslacion” route to ensure the safety of the devotees.

WATER WOES.

A woman checks her water meter as Malacañang is mulling over draconian measures like the imposition of a state of emergency to address the worsening problem of water supply in Metro Manila.

Norman Cruz

LABOR EXPORTER SUSPENDED OVER MAID’S MURDER THE Philippine Overseas Employment Administration has suspended the manpower placement agency that hired household worker Jeanalyn Villavende who was murdered by her employer in Kuwait.

In a television interview, POEA Administrator Undersecretary Bernard Olalia said the agency failed to provide a report regarding Villavende’s

situation and grant her request for repatriation.

The POEA official also said that starting today, deployment of household workers to Kuwait was deferred, saying about 10,000 OFWs in the first quarter of 2020 will be affected following the partial deployment ban to Kuwait.

But Olalia said that only domestic

helpers will be affected while professional and skilled workers are not included in the ban.

Agencies that have approved job orders in other countries could send the affected OFWs there as an alternative, including the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, according to Olalia.

The POEA said affected OFWs may look for available jobs in other Asian

countries, including Hong Kong.

He said Israel also needs more than 100,000 hotel housekeepers.

“There are also available caregiver courses in TESDA, as Japan and Europe will be needing health workers, who could have a minimum salary of about P77,000,” he added.

Vito Barcelo

PETRON DEALERS COME TO AID OF MINDANAO QUAKE VICTIMS WITH thousands of Filipino families in Mindanao affected by the recent series of earthquakes that rocked the region, Petron Corporation’s network of service station dealers are joining in the efforts to fuel hope this Yuletide season.

Organized by the Petron Dealers Association or PETDA, the group unanimously and quickly raised funds to provide relief assistance to families severely impacted by the quake.

“We were all set to have a different CSR project for Christmas before the earthquakes occurred. Realizing the extent of the damage, we agreed to just channel our resources to help our kababayans in Mindanao and support their urgent needs instead.

This also makes for a most meaningful culmination of PETDA’s 60th anniversary this year,” said PETDA president Victor T. Rebosura.

Responding to this call, Petron dealers nationwide pitched in to raise a total of P1-million for their “Tabang Mindanao” campaign.

With dealers from Southwest and Southeast Mindanao leading the way, they organized the distribution of relief packs on two separate occasions. On Nov. 8, 25 Petron dealers led by PETDA Southwest and Southeast Mindanao chapter

president Nonito Legas and members of Petron’s National Sales Division travelled to North Cotabato to personally hand out the relief packs to 300 families in Barangay New Baguio, Municipality of Makilala. Each family received relief packs containing rice, bread, powdered milk, canned goods, and soap. They were joined by Municipality of Makilala Vice Mayor lawyer Ryan Tabanay and

local Petron dealer Hilda Sandique in the distribution.

On Nov. 28, Southwest Mindanao dealers with PETDA president Victor Rebosura again taking the lead together with a contingent from National Sales headed by Petron regional manager for Mindanao Retail Sales Bentley Elgincolin trooped to Tent City and Base Camp in Barangay Ilomavis in Kidapawan City to bring more relief

items donated by both PETDA and Petron Corp. PETDA member and Madame Honeylet Avanceña also brought additional items (tarpaulins and bottler water) to help the 850 families relocated in these areas.

Believing that “charity begins at home,” PETDA also allocated funds to give to employees of Petron service stations in Kidapawan who were adversely affected when these stations temporarily stopped operating due to severe earthquake damages.

Rebosura and VP Yahyah Licup led the distribution of financial assistance to displaced personnel.

PETDA is continuing to raise funds among its nationwide network. Metro Manila dealers pitched in nearly half a million pesos, which was turned over to the Tzu Chi Foundation on Dec.13 to benefit more families still needing assistance to recover from the quake.

“We salute our Petron dealers for making a simple but lasting impact on the affected communities in Mindanao. We laud their efforts to turn their 60th anniversary celebration into a noteworthy advocacy. Tabang Mindanao showcases the power of partnership and the spirit of volunteerism in helping build—and rebuild—our nation,” said Petron president and CEO Ramon S. Ang.

CACHO-OLIVARES, SHINING EXAMPLE OF A NEWSHEN, 78 THE Palace was saddened by the passing of Ninez Cacho-Olivares, founder and editor-in-chief of Daily Tribune who died at the age of 78 after a lingering illness.

Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said that “the Palace expresses its deep condolences and commiserates with the family of Ms. Olivares, particularly her children Peter, Bambina, Michael and Pixie, her children-in-law, Tweety Quintero, Xandra Barretto and Jay Fonacier, and her grandchildren Carlo, Iñigo, Isabella and Enrique Olivares, Samantha and Jessica Wise, Julio Olivares and Noelle Fonacier, as well as her friends, colleagues and loved one.”

“Ms. Olivares was the founder, former publisher and editor-in-chief of The Daily Tribune whose hard-hitting publication is known to deliver news without fear or favor. She was for more than 20 years a feature writer and a political commentator in various Manila broadsheets like the Bulletin Today, Philippine Daily Inquirer, Business Day and Business World. She was known for her biting commentaries and insightful analyses laced with wit and elegant sarcasm on government incompetence and corruption that provided probing and intellectual insights to her readers,” the Palace spokesman said.

“We have lost a welcome hell of a journalist that struck fear in the hearts of corrupt bureaucrats and politicians with pretended nationalism as well as pseudo intellectuals who suffocate the air with their nonsense,” he said.

“Olivares was one of the leading figures who carried the torch for freedom of expression” during the martial law regime.

“She bravely joined the parliament of the streets against the Marcos presidency. The threat of arrest and detention could not deter her from pursuing her advocacy of freedom of the press and good government,” Panelo said.

“She was a shining example of a journalist who wrote with truth accompanying the movement of her pen. Her words came across as a scalpel that cuts the lies and corruption of political scoundrels,” he said.

Vito Barcelo

MEAT PRODUCTS SEIZED AT NAIA THE Bureau of Customs seized 21 kilos of meat products from arriving passengers at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport who could not show their import clearance.

BAI-NAIA Director Reynaldo Quilang said the meat products were confiscated from passengers arriving from China, Malaysia and Vietnam on Saturday. The confiscated meat products were turned over to the Bureau of Animal Industry.

Importation or bringing in of meat products from other countries is strictly prohibited due to the spread of African Swine Fever.

He said confiscated meat products were sausages and chicken feet placed inside the luggage of the arriving passengers which were discovered on inspection by BOC examiners.

BOC-NAIA also confiscated about 8.2 kilos of different fruits and vegetables which were about to be brought in by passengers from China.

Customs said that the confiscated items were not covered with import and health certificates from the port of origin upon arrival at the airport.

Vito Barcelo

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INDONESIA BEEFS UP SEA PATROLS AMID CHINA SPAT

NDONESIA is stepping up sea and aerial patrols of islands near the disputed South China Sea, an official said Saturday, following a diplomatic spat over "trespassing" Chinese vessels.

Military aircraft and three warships with some 600 navy, army and air force personnel have been deployed to waters around the Natuna islands, which border the South China Sea. Indonesia has detained Chinese vessels in the fishing-rich waters in the past.

"Territorial violations by foreign

vessels in Indonesian exclusive economic zone... is a threat to Indonesian sovereignty," defence commander Vice Admiral Yudo Margono said in a statement.

The move comes after Indonesia summoned the Chinese ambassador this week and lodged a "strong protest" over a Chinese coast guard ves-

sel escorting Chinese fishing boats around the islands in mid-December.

Beijing responded that it has "historic rights" in the region and that fishing boats had been carrying out "legal and reasonable" activities.

China lays claim to huge swathes of the South China Sea, where it is accused of building military installations and artificial islands—and ramming fishing vessels.

Vietnam, Taiwan, the Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei also have claims in the South China Sea. Beijing claims the majority of the

resource-rich waterway through the so-called nine-dash line, a vague delineation based on maps from the 1940s as the then Republic of China snapped up islands from Japanese control.

Indonesia does not have a claim in the South China Sea, but said it would not tolerate incursions by China—a key trading partner—into its nearby waters.

"There is no compromise on Indonesia's sovereignty," Presidential Spokesman Fajroel Rachman said Saturday. AFP

FEELING BETTER, DUTERTE GIVES 4-MINUTE SPEECH AT AFP PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte is now feeling well, Malacañang said on Saturday after the Chief Executive skipped a scheduled visit to earthquake-hit towns of Malalag and Padada in Davao del Sur on Friday.

“President Duterte was under the weather for two days due to workload, attending events, and lack of sleep. He is all right now,” Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo said.

Duterte led the change-of-command of the Armed Forces of the Philippines on Saturday where new military chief of staff Lt. Gen. Felimon Santos Jr. assumed his post.

The 74-year-old commanderin-chief gave a brief, four-minute speech where he called on government forces to remain vigilant against lawlessness and terrorism.

“Under the command of General Santos, I am confident that the AFP will further achieve more milestones in protecting our freedom and democratic values. It is my hope that you will carry out programs that will elevate competence, the probity, and integrity of our uniformed personnel,” the President said.

“May this momentous occasion renew your commitment to defend our homeland from lingering and emerging security threats as you uphold the safety of our families and communities. Together, let us embody solidarity as we pursue a more peaceful future for all. Thank you for your service,” he added. PNA

INFRA PROJECTS ASSURED WITH 2020 BUDGET

By Maricel V. Cruz and Vito Barcelo REPRESENTING THE PRESIDENT. Davao City Vice Mayor Sebastian Duterte visits earthquake victims in Padada, Davao del Sur on behalf of his father President Rodrigo Duterte. With the vice mayor is Senator Christopher Go. Presidential Photo

AÑO HOPES NEXT PNP CHIEF NAMED WITHIN THE MONTH INTERIOR Secretary Eduardo Año on Saturday expressed hope that President Rodrigo Duterte would finally name the next chief of the Philippine National Police this month.

“I am just hoping that President Duterte will finally decide this January to choose the next Chief PNP,” Año said.

The PNP is headed by Lt. Gen. Archie Gamboa as officer-in-charge.

Año said the President is still assessing the performance of the three contenders for the next PNP chief— Gamboa; Lt. Gen. Camilo Cascolan,

deputy chief for operations; and Lt. Gen. Guillermo Eleazar, former Metro Manila police director who now heads the directorial staff.

“He is closely watching the performance of these senior officers. I hope na makapili na siya within the month,” Año said.

In an earlier interview, Año said Duterte wants to determine who among the contenders could assure a successful campaign against illegal drugs.

No permanent PNP chief has been appointed since retired Gen. Oscar Albayalde stepped

down on Oct.14 amid the ninja cops controversy.

Año said the ninja cops controversy was one of the reasons why it is taking the President a long time to pick the next PNP chief.

"He was so disappointed with that controversy. The President has given everything to the PNP, including doubling the salary of the police officers, and yet, there are still corrupt policemen."

Last month, the President tasked Año to handle and fix the PNP while he has not picked its next chief.

Año, however, clarified that not

picking a permanent chief was not a punishment for the PNP. He said under his supervision, the strategies of the PNP on peace and order would be revisited for improvement.

"I will make sure that we will have a study on the strategies of the PNP in the fight against drugs, organized crime, terrorism, communist insurgency," Año said.

He pledged to get rid of rogue policemen by strengthening the Integrity Monitoring and Enforcement Group and the Internal Affairs Service. PNA

SOLONS WANT MORATORIUM ON LOAN PAYMENT

By Maricel V. Cruz TWO party-list lawmakers from Bayan Muna have called for a moratorium on payments of loans or debts incurred by farmers hit by Typhoon “Ursula.”

"According to the Department of Agriculture, damage to agriculture in areas battered by Typhoon Ursula has ballooned to P1.35 billion and it is but right to call for a moratorium on loan payments of farmers hit by the typhoon,” said House Deputy Minority Leader Carlos Isagani Zarate and Rep. Eufemia Cullamat in a statement.

The two said farmers are still reeling

from the disaster since most of them had their homes and crops destroyed.

“The least creditors both public and private can do is delay collection from the loans of farmers. In fact, if they are really kindhearted, they can also waive the collection of penalties and surcharges, or, even write off the debts of the farmers altogether," Zarate said.

The Department of AgricultureDisaster and Risk Reduction Management Operation Center said 29,056 hectares of agricultural land were damaged and 79,752 farmers were affected in Mimaropa, Bicol and Western, Central and Eastern Visayas during the onslaught of Typhoon Ursula.

HIGH-VALUE CROP. Latest market monitoring shows red onion now fetches for as high as P180 to P260 per kilo. Norman Cruz

THE full implementation of the administration’s big-ticket infrastructure projects under its Build, Build, Build program will start once President Rodrigo Duterte signs the P4.1-trillion national government budget law, a senior lawmaker said on Saturday.

House Deputy Speaker for Finance Luis Raymund Villafuerte said the President’s approval of this year’s budget “will propel the economy to a higher trajectory.”

Villafuerte said the 2020 budget will enable the administration to accelerate state spending on infrastructure and human capital development, which, in turn, will boost the growth momentum and create more jobs.

While this year’s budget is still awaiting the President’s signature, Villafuerte said the newlysigned Republic Act No. 11464 that made unspent portions of the 2019 budget available for release until Dec. 31, 2020 will ensure the unhindered implementation of infrastructure and employment projects.

“The swift approval of both measures by the House under the leadership of Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano and House Majority Leader and Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez 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.

“Both the 2020 GAB [General Appropriations Bill], which the President is due to sign [Monday], and RA No. 11464 would enable the government to sustain the catch-up spending strategy that Mr. Duterte’s economic team put in place this year’s third quarter to make up for the four-months-anda-half delay in the passage of the 2019 budget that hobbled economic growth in the first semester,” he added.

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Opinion

Adelle Chua, Editor mst.daydesk@gmail.com

SHOCK, FEAR AND SADNESS GRIP AUSTRALIA’S ‘BUSHFIRE REFUGEES’

EDITORIAL

FIREFIGHTING

L

ARGE fires are nothing new, but the scale in which the world is seeing them today is unprecedented. Last year we saw how part of the vast Amazon forest burned. Similar fires ravaged parts of Indonesia and the United States. As 2019 gave way to 2020, news of bushfires in Australia dominated global headlines.

Thus far, the fires down under have razed an area of more than 6 million hectares —twice the size of Belgium—across the country. The devastation is more than twice the 2.5 million hectares that burned in the

Amazon in August.

Twenty-three people have died. More than 1,500 homes have burned, so far, and the number is expected to climb. Australian wildlife is also taking a severe beating wth more that 480 million dead in New South Wales alone, according to Agence France Presse.

Over the weekend, some 3,000 military reservists were called in to fight the fires, complementing the efforts of thousands of volunteers.

All the burning takes place as Australia’s prime minister, Scott Morrison, continues to defend his country’s climate change position—emission reduction targets remain lower than other countries’—saying that this would ensure a “vibrant and viable economy, as well as a vibrant and sustainable environment.” The United Nations says that

even with these weak reduction targets, the country has not even been on track.

Australia is also one of the world’s biggest per capita greenhouse gas emitters.

Even if the rains come and help put out the fires, other fires are sure to burn in another part of the world another time. Communities must be prepared, governments must be prepared, but above all, there needs to be a clear link between the way people live and the spread of the fires to lend urgency to the matter.

This is today’s grim reality, and soon it would become so common it would not even be news anymore. As the world gets warmer, the fires would spread more easily and become more difficult to stop. Only decisive and sustained action from all the world will make a dent.

By Holly Robertson THOUSANDS of Australians forced from their homes by rampaging bushfires now find themselves stuck in makeshift camps, fearful for the future and turned refugees in their own country.

On golf courses, cricket ovals and showgrounds—anywhere with a minimal amount of combustible tree cover —Australians are sheltering from a climate-fueled disaster.

At the Catalina Country Club in Batemans Bay, New South Wales, rows of caravans, 4x4s, pick-up trucks and tents are pitched cheek by jowl.

The golf club’s dining room has been converted into an evacuation center.

Instead of players supping a beer after a summer’s day of play, elderly displaced ladies huddle around cups of tea and play cards to pass the time.

Stacks of donations—food, clothing, water—are piled high and there is a steady stream of people walking in and out.

Some new arrivals quip that they are refugees.

But even in a country accustomed to bushfires and which prides itself on resilience in extreme conditions, the last few days, weeks and months have been shocking.

Towering blazes have turned the sky black and choking smoke has covered whole cities—as well as parts of neighboring New Zealand and New Caledonia—amid searing images of families forced to wade into the ocean for safety.

For many, the future is riddled with uncertainty: About whether their homes still stand, when they can return and—with months of summer still to go—about when all this will end.

Many are facing this uncertainty while dealing with the trauma of what they have lived through.

Narelle Coady, 54, took refuge at a Batemans Bay beach on Saturday when her home came under threat for the second time in five days.

“We defended on Tuesday and it was just too scary,” she told AFP. “Really bad, couldn’t breathe. Oxygen gone. It was horrible.”

“That was my first and last time.”

Batemans Bay motel owner Justine Donald, 40, evacuated her home on New Year’s Eve in a scene she described as looking like “the end of the world.”

“The town went black,” she said. “It was black, orange and so thick that to breathe it in, you thought you were going to suffocate.”

“That frightened me so much for my life that now I don’t even think about the properties.”

“It’s devastating,” she said, at times becoming tearful. “My main thing is I just want to be alive and for all of us to be safe.”

“If that’s going to happen again today, I’m going to need a good big bottle of wine and hopefully be stuck inside with towels under my doors because I’m not going to go outside into that again.”

Mick Cummins, 57, also recalled New Year’s Eve when he left his home as fires tore up the east coast.

“Hellfire came over the hill,” he said.

“We just sat there and watched explosion after explosion, the bowling club went up, the houses down the street went up.”

He remembered the fires from 1994 as particularly bad. But compared with this year, they were “just a barbeque,” he said.

“We’re here until we can go home,” said his wife Ulla. “They’re saying we’re probably not going to have power until next week. And if we’ve got no power, we’ve got no phone service either.

We’re stuck.”

Wes Moreton, a 30-year-old father of five left his home, but then was forced to leave his place of refuge as the fire front moved north.

He took no chances and headed with his family to Sydney. Like so many, he is unsure whether they will have a home when they return.

“Fingers crossed it’s still standing,” he said. AFP

YOU, YOUR OTHER SELF, AND YOUR NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS LIKE a lot of people, I practice making New Year’s resolutions at the start of the year. Like everyone who makes resolutions, I find keeping them a challenge. Making New Year’s resolutions is easy; keeping them is hard.

The fact the resolutions are hard to keep is supported by evidence.

According to studies done by researchers from the University of Scranton, only 8 percent of people keep their resolutions to the point where they achieve their goals.

On the flipside, some data suggest that making resolutions can be an effective technique. According to one study published in the American Psychological Association’s Monitor on Psychology, people formalizing their goals into a New Year’s resolution are up to 10 times more likely to achieve them.

The reason making resolutions is easy while keeping them is hard has something to do with the way the human mind works. One theory that is very useful in analyzing how this works is called dual process theory.

While the foundations of dual process theory can be traced back to the American philosopher and psychologist William James, its modern formulation was made popular by

Nobel laureate Daniel Kahneman in his book “Thinking, Fast and Slow”. The book summarizes the results of decades of research performed by Kahneman, often in collaboration with cognitive scientist Amos Tversky.

According to the dual process theory as formulated by Kahneman, the human brain has two “modes of thought” or ways of forming ideas and coming up with decisions. Kahneman calls these “System 1” and “System 2”.

According to the theory, System 1 is fast, instinctive, and emotional.

Meanwhile, System 2 is slower, more deliberative, and logical.

In the book, Kahneman uses the following examples to illustrate the difference between the two systems.

Our brains use System 1 when trying to determine that one object is farther than another or when we are trying to complete the phrase “war and…”

Meanwhile, our brains use System 2 when we are determining the appropriate behavior in a particular social setting or when are trying to solve “17x24=?”

Linking this with New Year’s resolutions, System 2 is what we use when we are thinking about the changes we ought to make at the start of a new year and the actions we should do to accomplish those changes.

For example, when we decide to drink less soda in the coming year, we are using System 2. It is also what allows us to recognize that drinking soda and other sugary drinks can be harmful to our health.

System 1, on the other hand, is what we often use to make splitsecond decisions. For example, when we go into the convenience store thirsty, System 1 can make that can of soda look enticing. When we watch a commercial on TV, System 1 is what connects with the emotional appeal of the commercial and associates the positive emotion in the commercial with the soda brand.

To see how quick System 1 is compared to System 2, try answering the following questions.

First question: A plate and cutlery set costs P110. The plate costs P100 more than the cutlery. How much is the cutlery?

Second question: The number of water hyacinth in a pond doubles every day. If it takes 48 days for the water hyacinths to cover the entire lake, how long would it take for the water hyacinth to cover half of the lake?

In a mere split second, System 1 tempts us to give the answer P10 to the first question and 24 days to the second question.

Meanwhile, we need to take a step back to allow System 2 a few seconds to get the correct answers: P5 for the first question and 47 days for the second.

Given this information, many psychologists suggest not relying on moment-to-moment decisions in making healthy changes. For example, if you plan to quit smoking, do not rely on your resolve to quit. That resolve comes from your System 2 thinking, which recognizes that smoking is an unhealthy habit. However, System 2 can be easily outpaced by System 1, which can make the split-second decision of prioritizing short-term pleasure over long-term gain.

The specifics of a successful strategy depends on your particular situation and goals. However, any successful strategy will usually include not giving System 1 the chance to outpace System 2. For example, if you want to spend less time on social media this year, you might do well to delete social media apps on your mobile devices.

In other words, the key to not giving in to temptation is to avoid them in the first place. Now, that is easier said than done. In my next piece, I will examine the importance of changing one’s environment to the goal of changing oneself.

Rolando G. Estabillo Publisher ManilaStandard

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

can be accessed at: thestandard.com.ph

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SUNDAY, JANUARY 5, 2020 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Cesar Barrioquinto, Editor / Jimbo Gulle, Issue Editor

SPAIN ELECTORAL BOARD DISQUALIFIES CATALAN PRESIDENT

MADRID—Spain’s electoral board ordered Friday that Catalan separatist president Quim Torra be disqualified from being a member of Catalonia’s regional parliament, meaning he would lose his presidential post.

The electoral board decision comes after Catalonia’s High Court of Justice last month convicted Torra of disobedience for failing to remove separatist symbols from public buildings during an election campaign and banned him from holding public office for 18 months.

Catalonia’s autonomy statute specifies that the head of the region’s government must be a lawmaker in the regional assembly.

The election board ruling comes as Spain’s acting Prime Minister, Socialist Pedro Sanchez, faces a confidence vote in the national parliament next week following a November election.

Sanchez he is counting on the abstention of Catalan separatist party ERC’s 13 lawmakers in order to take office for a second term.

The ERC rules Catalonia in coalition with Torra’s more hardline Junts per Catalunya, or Together for Catalonia, party which has said it will vote against Sanchez’s investiture.

Torra slammed the board ruling as a “new coup against Catalan institutions.”

“I will take every step possible against this authoritarian and completely irregular decision,” Torra said, announcing that the Catalan regional parliament would meet in plenary session on Saturday.

The only body competent to order his dismissal was this parliament, he said, as about a 1,000 people gathered in his support outside the regional government’s offices in Barcelona. AFP

NO PROGRESS SEEN DESPITE INTENSE UN TALKS ON SYRIA AID UNITED NATIONS—UN Security Council members held an intensive round of meetings Friday on the humanitarian crisis in Syria’s embattled Idlib province amid calls to reauthorize urgently needed cross-border aid.

Humanitarian aid currently flows into northwestern Syria—a last rebel stronghold—through UN-designated checkpoints in Turkey and Iraq without Damascus’s formal permission.

But that arrangement is set to expire on January 10, and with only a week to find a solution, diplomats said Friday they had no progress to report so far.

Several also said there had not yet been any discussion of how this week’s killing by the US of top Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani might affect matters in Syria, where Shiite forces under his sway play an outsized role.

In a first closed-door meeting Friday, requested by Britain and France, Security Council delegates were briefed by the under-secretaries general for political and humanitarian affairs, respectively Rosemary DiCarlo and Mark Lowcock.

The council issued no statement afterward.

Two other closed-door sessions were held on the aid question.

The first brought together the council’s five permanent members -- the US, Britain, France, Russia and China.

The second involved the 10 nonpermanent members, all of whom support a continuation of cross-border aid even without Damascus’s permission, one diplomat said.

When the council took up the matter on December 20, Russia and China vetoed a resolution that would have authorized continued aid deliveries for a year through four border points -two with Turkey, one with Jordan and one with Iraq. AFP

TRUMP IN WOOING EVANGELICAL VOTERS: ‘GOD ON YOUR SIDE’

BURIED ALIVE. Rescue personnel work Saturday at the site where an under-construction building collapsed on Friday,

trapping and killing workers, in southern Cambodia’s coastal Kep province. Four people were killed and more than a dozen injured when the seven-story building collapsed, an official told AFP, as the search for more victims went into the night. AFP

NEW FIRE THREAT SPARKS AUSSIE TOWNS’ EXODUS

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ATEMANS BAY, Australia—Tens of thousands of Australians have fled their homes as more catastrophic bushfire conditions were expected Saturday, turning dozens of once-bustling southeastern tourist spots into ghost towns.

Temperatures are forecast well above 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) and gale-force winds are expected to fan hundreds of fires, many of which are already burning out of control across the country.

“Today is all about saving lives,” said New South Wales premier Gladys Berejiklian, as authorities painted a stark picture of the day ahead.

A state of emergency has been declared across much of Australia’s heavily populated southeast and more than 100,000 people have been told to leave their homes across three states.

“We’ve literally seen tens of thousands of people moving away,” said New South Wales Rural Fire Service commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons predicting a “long” and difficult day ahead.

“Our message has been make sure you leave yesterday.

Leaving it until today is cutting it fine, leaving it another half hour is cutting it finer,” he said.

Thousands heeded that call Friday, abandoning

summer holidays and pilling into cars that clogged the highways linking southeastern coastal towns with the relative safety of Sydney or larger towns.

By Saturday an eerie calm settled over the smokeshrouded town of Batemans Bay, where supermarkets, shops and even the corner pub were shuttered.

The only activity in the usually bustling tourist hotspot was at an evacuation centre, where hundreds of locals forced from their homes were sheltering on an open field in tents and caravans.

As one resident arrived late Friday night to register with her husband and their corgi, she quipped it was “like a refugee camp”.

Mick Cummins, 57, and his wife fled to the evacuation centre when fire ripped through his rural town on New Year’s Eve. “We said this is too tough for us, let’s get out. We went to the beach and then hellfire came over the hill,” he told AFP. “I was here in the ‘94 fires. I thought that was bad. That was just a barbeque.”

The scale of Australia’s unprecedented months-long bushfire crisis has shocked not just locals but the world.

Since late September, at least 20 people have died, dozens have gone missing, more than 1,300 homes have been damaged and an area roughly double the size of Belgium or Hawaii has burned.

In the small town of Mallacoota, Australia’s navy was called in to evacuate around 1,000 people trapped by fire and forced to wait for days on the foreshore. AFP

MIAMI—US President Donald Trump wooed crucial evangelical voters Friday with a speech in Florida where he told them God is “on our side” ahead of this year’s elections.

Trump -- who despite three marriages, sexual assault allegations and a controversial business history has made himself a champion of right-wing Christians -- promised “another monumental victory for faith and family, God and country, flag and freedom.”

“I really do believe we have God on our side,” Trump told the crowd at the King Jesus International Ministry mega church in Miami.

This was Trump’s first campaign rally of the year and sets him up for what will be a tough fight against his Democratic challenger in November.

Trump, who also faces a looming impeachment trial in the Senate, arrived on stage at the church to be blessed by several television pastors.

“Every demonic altar that has been raised against him will be torn down,” prayed Paula White, frequently portrayed as Trump’s spiritual advisor.

According to a recent poll conducted by the Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI), 77 percent of white evangelical Republicans approve of the job Trump is doing at the White House. That’s in marked contrast to the steady majority of the country disapproving of Trump’s performance.

And when it comes to impeachment over Trump’s alleged abuse of office, those evangelicals are even more united. A crushing 98 percent majority oppose his removal.

“We have not really seen throughout Trump’s presidency any discernible cracks,” PRRI chief executive Robert Jones told AFP. “Our polling shows that they have been largely unfazed by the impeachment proceedings,” said Jones, the author of “The End of White Christian America.” AFP

CHINA CALLS FOR EASING UN SANCTIONS ON NOKOR UNITED NATIONS—A ChineseRussian resolution aimed at easing international sanctions on North Korea is a “timely” step in the “right direction,” China’s UN ambassador Zhang Jun said Friday.

His comments came only days after Pyongyang, deeply frustrated that those sanctions remain in place despite its suspension of nuclear and long-range missile testing, announced it no longer felt bound by the moratorium.

Two previous Security Council sessions on the Chinese-Russian proposal failed to produce agreement, but Zhang said Beijing hoped “that we can build up more consensus.”

“We can really contribute to

the political dialogue between the parties concerned, especially between the United States and DPRK,” or North Korea, he added.

Asked when the council might next vote on the draft resolution, Zhang said only that consultations were continuing.

When Pyongyang announced the end of its moratorium on Wednesday, the US response was cautiously worded. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo urged the North’s leader Kim Jong Un to “take a different course” and stressed that Washington wanted “peace, not confrontation.”

But the US gave no suggestion it was ready to ease sanctions.

Similarly, European diplomats have insisted for months that there should be no lifting of the sanctions until the North takes concrete and verifiable steps toward nuclear disarmament—which is the US goal as well.

The Chinese-Russian draft, distributed to other council members on December 17, calls for an end to several sanctions agreed in 2017, notably a ban on purchasing textile and seafood products from North Korea.

Beijing and Moscow are also calling for an end to a measure that required UN member states to stop employing North Korean workers, a major source of income for Pyongyang, by

December 22, 2019.

Asked whether China—the largest foreign employer of North Korean workers along with Russia —had complied with that requirement, Zhang said his country had taken the sanctions “seriously.”

He added, however, that “we do see some negative effects by the sanctions, especially sanctions affecting the livelihood of innocent, ordinary people.

“We should adjust the sanctions,” he added, to alleviate “the sufferings of innocent peoples.”

North Korea’s self-imposed testing ban had been a centerpiece of its roller-coaster nuclear diplomacy with the US over the past two years. AFP

KNIFE ATTACKER KILLS MAN IN PARIS SUBURB, HURTS 2, IS SHOT DEAD

PARIS—A knife-wielding man ran amok Friday in a park south of Paris, killing a man walking with his wife and wounding two other people before being shot dead by police, officials said.

The Paris police department said the man, identified as 22-year-old Nathan C., attacked “several people” around lunchtime in the suburb of Villejuif.

Some managed to evade him but the man claimed at least one life -- that of a 56-year-old Villejuif resident, according to the town’s mayor Franck Le Bohellec.

The victim “was walking with his wife when the attacker approached; he wanted to protect his wife” and was stabbed, the mayor explained.

According to a source close to the enquiry, another man was seriously wounded and a woman sustained light injuries.

The assailant then fled to the neighbouring suburb of Hay-les-Roses, where he was shot dead by police.

A picture sent to AFP showed a man in a long black garment lying on his back at an intersection.

“We heard screams, then we heard three shots,” said Rouane Yazid, 40, the owner of a garage nearby.

“I went outside to see. Then there were five or six more shots and then sirens. We barricaded ourselves in the garage,” he told AFP. Several sources said Nathan C. suffered from “psychological problems.”

He was not being tracked as a religious zealot, although “elements linked to religion” that “suggested he had converted to Islam,” were found among his personal effects, the local prosecutor’s office said.

The police have opened an investigation of murder and attempted

murder.

The attack came just four days before France marks the fifth anniversary of the killing of 12 people at satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo in Paris by two brothers vowing allegiance to AlQaeda.

President Emmanuel Macron expressed support for the victims and said in a statement: “We continue to fight determinedly against senseless violence.”

France remains on high alert after being hit by a string of attacks by jihadist extremists since 2015, with more than 250 people killed in total.

The day after the Charlie Hebdo attack, a man linked to the Islamic State (IS) group shot and killed a policewoman in a southern Paris suburb before taking hostages at a Jewish supermarket the following day, killing four more people. AFP

READY FOR VOLLEY. A protester holds a tennis

racket during the first protest of the year against the government of President Sebastian Pinera, in Santiago, Chile on Friday. Demonstrations which began on October 18 initially against a modest metro fare hike, quickly escalated and left 29 people dead amid accusations of a heavy-handed response from security forces. AFP

Images

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PHOTOS OF THE WEEK

CIRCULAR PERCH.

A zookeeper counts penguins through an observation window during the annual stocktake at ZSL London Zoo in central London on Jan. 2. AFP

BIG BLAZE. This handout photo from Victoria’s Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning shows a helicopter dumping water on a fire in Victoria’s East Gippsland region. Tourists and firefighters were forced to flee vast fires burning in southeastern Australia on Dec. 30, as a heatwave rekindled devastating bush blazes across the country. AFP

BRIGHT SIGN. A woman poses for a picture in front of a 2020 luminous sign after midnight during a countdown event to mark the New Year in central Seoul on Jan. 1. AFP

HOSED DOWN. The Philippine National Police destroys illegal firecrackers confiscated ahead of the

New Year celebrations by first dousing them. In Cavite, policemen led by Provincial Officer-In-Charge PCol. Marlon R. Santos leads the disposal of P452,847 worth of pyrotechnics at Camp General Pantaleon Garcia in Imus City. In Laguna, the Laguna Police Provincial Office in partnership with the Sta. Cruz Fire Station defuses about 2,000 kinds of firecrackers in a ceremony led by Provincial Director PCol. Eleazar P Matta (holding the fire house), PLt. Col. Pastor P. Castillo, Deputy Provincial Director for Operations, PLt. Col. Vincent C. Templo, Deputy PD for Administration, Senior Fire Officer 2 Paquito Buenaventura and FO3 Jordan Policarpio. Roy Tomandao

YEAR’S MASCOT. Malabon Zoo owner Manny Tangco shows off the biggest cloud rat in his collection to give good luck and prosperity to zoo visitors for the coming 2020, the Year of the Rat in Chinese astrology.

Manny Palmero

SAFE LECHON. Quezon City officials assure city residents on Dec. 30 during a gathering at the Pasong Tamo Elementary School that there is no more African Swine Fever in the city, and thus it is safe to eat pork meat to celebrate the new year. Manny Palmero

PEST CONTROL. A farmer in Laoac, Pangasinan sprays insecticide on his crops for better growth ahead of the new year. Manny Palmero

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Riera U. Mallari, Editor sports_mstandard@yahoo.com

Sports

KNOTT JOINS 2 TOURNEYS, EYES TOKYO OLYMPICS

By Peter Atencio

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ILIPINO-AMERICAN sprinter Kristina Knott is in perfect shape after winning two golds and two silvers at the end of the 30th Southeast Asian Games athletics meet.

With the help of Italian strength and conditioning coach Carlo Buzzichelli and Roshan Griffin, the 23-year-old Knott managed to avoid injuries in all of the races that she joined.

Because of this, Knott is expected to do even better when she joins two big tournaments this February and March, events that will serve as her chance to make it to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

“That’s six high-level performances in three days without injury, four medals, two golds and two silvers. And that is really a feat, to find that she could run at that level, six times in three days,” said Buzzichelli, who has been helping Knott stay in shape.

Buzzichelli has been behind Knott’s case since he came aboard the training program of the Philippine Athletic Track and Field Association.

And he is considered as one of the foremost strength training experts in the world as he has assisted athletes, who have gone on to win medals in major tournaments like the IAAF World Championships and broken national records as well.

During the biennial meet, Knott was fast as she became the second sprinter in 2019 to break Filipina icon Lydia de Vega-Mercado’s 33-year-old national record of 23.65 seconds in the 200 meters.

Knott submitted a 23.01-second clocking in the women’s 200-meter run finals of the SEA Games, even beating defending champion and Vietnam’s “Queen of Speed” Thu Chinh Le in the process.

SEASON 82 OF UAAP JRS FOOTBALL TOURNAMENT OPENS TODAY NATIONAL University plays De La Salle-Zobel, while Ateneo takes on University of Santo Tomas as the UAAP Season 82 Juniors' Football Tournament opens Sunday at the Rizal Memorial Stadium.

The Bullpups, who have achieved big in two years of participation in high school play, takes on the Junior Archers at 1:30 p.m.

The Blue Eaglets, who placed third last season, will go up against the Tiger Cubs at 4 p.m.

Defending champion Far Eastern University-Diliman drew an opening-day bye, as the Baby Tamaraws will open their quest of a record 10th straight title at 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday against the Tiger Cubs at the same Malate venue.

Fil-American Kristina Knott carries the Philippine flag after a record-shattering 200-meter run of 23.01 seconds in the 30th SEA Games.

Knott was after the Olympic qualifying standard of 22.8 seconds and her fiery pace also took down the 23.16-second Philippine record that Zion Corrales-Nelson set in the US NCAA West Preliminary meet in Sacramento, California last May 25.

“You can ask any international coach and he will tell you that that is an indication of a very robust athlete coming off a very good preparation,” said Buzzichelli, who believes

that the pace of Knott’s training will leave most sprinters with an injured hamstring.

But she managed to take care of herself well after each race.

Because of this, Knott will be ready to take part in the 60-meter dash of the Asian Indoor this February in China and the World Indoors in March if she qualifies.

Her clockings in both tournaments will be the basis for her qualification for the Tokyo Olympics.

ON TO THE FINALS.

The protagonists of the coming Philippine Basketball Association Governors' Cup Finals came face to face during a press conference presided over by Commissioner Willie Marcial at the Sambokojin in Eastwood, Quezon City. The Commissioner is shown here with Meralco coach Norman Black, Meralco Gov. Al Panlilio, Ginebra Gov. Al Francis Chua, Ginebra coach Tim Cone and players from both teams.

Defending champion Far Eastern University-Diliman drew an opening-day bye, as the Baby Tamaraws will open their quest of a record 10th straight title at 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday against the UST Tiger Cubs.

All first-round matches will be played at the Rizal pitch except on Jan. 12, where action will shift to FEU-Diliman, where the Baby Tamaraws and the Bullpups clash in a rematch of last season's Finals at 4 p.m.

FEU remained in the throne after a 1-0 win over NU in the one-game final last February.

NO DYBALL, NO PROBLEM AS SAPURA AIMS TO KEEP SUPREMACY IN PETRONAS LE TOUR DE LANGKAWI ‘20 KUALA LUMPUR—The absence of Benjamin Dyball—the yellow jersey winner of Le Tour de Langkawi 2019—has not affected the confidence level of Sapura Cycling Team (TSC) as they look to maintain their supremacy at Petronas Le Tour de Langkawi 2020 slated for February 7 to 14.

TSC team manager Sayuti Zahit admitted that while it will be hard to fill the vacuum left behind with the departure of Australian Dyball, he nevertheless felt that the current line-up of riders which they have chosen for the 25th edition of Petronas Le Tour de Langkawi will deliver what is expected of them.

“It has always been the objective in the formation of TSC to provide a platform for riders from Malaysia and abroad for them to showcase their quality. And we at Sapura is very pleased that Dyball has managed to demonstrate his ability enough to attract a World Tour team like NTT (formerly Dimension Data) to sign him,” said Sayuti.

“This is the fourth year that TSC has competed Benjamin Dyball in Asia and we are grateful that our sponsors have paces the pack. once again come forward to support us. Our main sponsors Sapura alongside Castelli, Rudy Project, Shimano and Cervelo have been fabulous. With be competitive and look to deliver even bigger the backing that we have, it is not impossible to victories in 2020.”

TSC which had a modest beginning back in 2017 where they won just four stages, did better in 2018 before completing 2019 with an awesome 26 stage victories alongside picking up four yellow jerseys.

The most satisfying obviously was Dyball’s yellow jersey win at Petronas LTdL 2019 right at home and in front of their home fans and where it went on to establish TSC as a powerhouse in Asia.

But with the 25th edition of Petronas LTdL in 2020 now a Pro Series race by UCI, Sayuti said that it will be an even tougher field to beat with a handful of World Tour teams alongside those from Pro Continental set to do battle.

“It is much easier to win stages than it would be taking a jersey. But we will try very hard to make sure that we retain the yellow jersey we won last year. I believe that it is possible considering that the race in 2020 will be more on flat terrains suitable for the likes of Marcus Culey, who won the first stage Kuala Lumpur to Tampin in the previous edition,“ added Sayuti.

“It is for that reason; we have selected mostly spinters for Petronas LTdL 2020. But that is not to say that we have no climbers. We can be competitive up Genting Highlands as well.”

Other than Culey, fresh from his

comprehensive victory at the Tour de Selangor a few weeks ago, TSC has included fast maturing Malaysians Nur Aiman Zariff and Muhamad Zawawi Azman alongside the experienced Roy Eefting from Holland.

They will also call on Turkey’s national road race and time trial champion Ahmet Orken; former Floyd Cycling team’s Serghei Tvetcov from Romania and perhaps TSC’s best bet for the yellow jersey Pierpaolo Ficara of Italy, and who was previously with Amore & Vita-Prodir.

As part of TSC’s programme to be competitive for Petronas LTdL 2020, they will be taking part in the Cambodia Bay Cycling Tour (on 6 January) and then on to New Zealand Cycle Classic, Race Tourquay and Jayco Herald Sun Tour in Australia before returning to Kuala Lumpur.

The 8-stage Jubilee edition challenge is scheduled from February 7 to 14, 2020, covering a total distance of 1,095.7 kms across 9 states which include Sarawak, Terengganu, Pahang, Federal Territories (Putrajaya and Kuala Lumpur) Selangor, Perak , Penang and Kedah.

Members of the Sapura Cycling Team are Marcus Culey (AUS); Nur AimanZariff (MAS); Muhamad Zawawi Azman (MAS); Roy Eefting (NED); Ahmet Orken (TUR); SergheiTvetcov (ROM) and PierpaoloFicara (ITA).

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Business

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

ISLAMIC BANKING TO LIFT MINDANAO

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MINDANAO congressman expects Islamic banking to take shape this year, bringing financial services to millions of “unbanked” Muslims in the south.

Islamic banking refers to a non-interest banking system based on the principles of Islamic or Shari’ah law and guided by Islamic economics.

“2020 will mark the start of a surge in finance and banking in Mindanao with Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas approval of initial regulations implementing the new Islamic Banking Law or Republic Act 11439,” Agusan del Norte First District Rep. Lawrence Fortun said in a statement.

BSP Governor Benjamin Diokno said the new regulation would “widen opportunities for Muslim Filipinos, including those from the Bangsamoro Region, in accessing banking products and services. This is a great stride in our financial inclusion mandates.”

Fortun agreed, saying “with the new law and rules, the Islamic banks can soon reach out to the millions of ‘unbanked’ Filipinos”.

“Most of the unbanked towns are in Mindanao,” said the Mindanaoan solon from the CARAGA region.

Fortun, a member of the House committee on banks and financial intermediaries said, “the BSP was swift and wise to approve the Islamic banking rules before yearend.”

President Rodrigo Duterte signed RA 11439 into law on Aug. 22, while the BSP recently approved the introductory regulations on Islamic banking in the country.

“Foreign and local investors eyeing new

investments in Islamic banking and finance now have the go-signal to move forward with their plans for Mindanao and cities where there are concentrations of Filipino Muslims and Muslim expatriates,” Fortun said.

“RA 11439 is one significant legislative accomplishment for inclusive economy of the 17th Congress,” he said.

The Monetary Board, the policy-making body of the BSP, approved the introductory regulations on Islamic banks and the establishment of Islamic banking units in the country to encourage wider investor and consumer participation.

The preliminary policy initiatives jumpstart the implementation of RA 11439 and the relevant provisions on Islamic banking under RA 11054, also known as the Organic Law for the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

RA 11439 which became effective on Sept. 15, 2019 provides the BSP with the legal authority to issue a broader set of rules and regulations on Islamic banking. “ The BSP aims to create an enabling environment that will allow Islamic banks to operate alongside the conventional banks under the same regulatory and supervisory approach, taking into consideration the unique features of the Islamic banking operations,” the Monetary Board said.

“The goal is to provide a coherent, consistent and comprehensive set of regulations and standards to encourage wider investor and consumer participation on Islamic banking and finance without any regulatory arbitrage,” it said.

The regulations, which resounded the BSP’s promotion of strong corporate governance and consumer protection, cover the licensing framework on the establishment of Islamic

ICTSI’s global corporate legal affairs department led by regional legal manager Atty. Lirene Mora-Suarez

LEGAL TEAM OF ICTSI AMONG THE BEST IN PH

Agusan del Norte First District Rep. Lawrence Fortun

banks and Islamic banking units and the BSP’s expectations on the Shari’ah Governance Framework for Islamic banks and Islamic banking units.

The law allows other Islamic banking players, either full-fledged Islamic banks or Islamic banking windows, to operate in the Philippines, subject to the approval of the Monetary Board.

Conventional banks, whether domestic or foreign banks, will be allowed to open Islamic banking unit or to establish a subsidiary Islamic bank.

Foreign banks can also operate in the Philippines under any of the modes of entry provided under RA 7721, as amended.

RA 11439 states that it is the responsibility of an Islamic bank to ensure its compliance with Shari’ah principles. The Islamic bank will constitute its Shari’ah Advisory Council composed of persons who are qualified and have knowledge or experience in Shari’ah and in banking, finance, law or such other related disciplines.

THE global corporate le gal affairs department of Filipino-run International Container Terminal Services Inc. was honored recently by the Asian Legal Business magazine as finalist for the Philippine In-House Team of the Year, Transportation and Logistics In-House Team of the Year and Innovative In-House Team of the Year categories during the annual Philippine Law Awards on Nov. 22, 2019.

Atty. Lirene C. Mora-Suarez, ICTSI Asia Pacific regional legal manager, was also awarded as Woman Lawyer of the Year and is among the top five finalists for Young Lawyer of the Year.

Now on its fourth year, the ALB Annual Philippine Law Awards recognizes and rewards the outstanding achievements and performances of Philippines’ leading private practitioners, law firms and in-house legal teams that have significantly contributed to the everevolving legal landscape of the country.

ALB, owned by Thomson Reuters, provides regular legal updates and rankings tables for firms and individual practitioners around Asia.

ICTSI, a listed company led by businessman Enrique Razon Jr., is one of the top maritime terminal operators in the world.

Its portfolio of terminals and projects spans developed and emerging market economies in the Asia Pacific, the Americas, Europe, the Middle East and Africa. ICTSI has received global acclaim for its public-private partnerships with governments divesting of their port assets to the private sector.

Victoria International Container Terminal, the Australian unit of ICTSI at the Port of Melbourne, has been recognized by the world’s oldest maritime publication, Lloyd’s List, for excellence in port management and infrastructure at the recently-concluded Asia Pacific Awards 2019.

BPI FOUNDATION HELPS FARMERS BECOME PROFITABLE BPI FOUNDATION, the social innovation arm of the Bank of the Philippine Islands, launched its new Farm to Table program aimed at increasing local farmers’ produce through the latest climate-adaptive technologies to uplift and advance the country’s agricultural sector.

To mentor, empower and guide the farmers throughout the program, BPI Foundation teamed up with RiceUp—an agritech social enterprise that empowers farmers through innovation, entrepreneurship, cooperative farming and education as well as Green Earth Heritage Foundation—an organization serving farmers at the foothills of the longest mountain range of the Philippines, the Sierra Madres, in San Miguel, Bulacan.

“The new Farm to Table program aims to engage with over 1,200 preneurs as well as support our country’s food requirements, while farmers, so they can increase their income by as much as 400 percent. also nourishing the earth for future generations” said Maricris San By learning innovative, climate-smart and sustainable methods of Diego, executive director of BPI Foundation.

The program will also explore the potential of the farmers’ farming, Filipino farmers can become strong and independent agri-

yields to reach commercial-scale and become steady producers of rice and other crops for big market players such as restaurants and hotels. With technological support and training on capacity building, farmers will be able to showcase their fresh harvests to major institutions.

The program was able to provide eight rainwater harvesting tanks and greenhouses andhelped farmer families increase their income. Meanwhile, customers have been able to access affordable, safe and nutritious local rice.

Through the program, BPI Foundation, together with its partners, will continue to enhance the capabilities of farmers through agri-preneurship modules on farm schools, money management and financial wellness, basics of costing, computer skills, community organization and environmental protection.

Business

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SUNDAY, JANUARY 5, 2020 business@manilastandard.net

IN BRIEF BRIA BUILDS FILIPINO HOMES

DRIVEN by its markedly simple vision, which is to address the serious housing backlog in the Philippines, Bria charged right ahead in providing homes to ordinary Filipinos.

It is this vision that earned for Bria the distinction of being the fastest-growing mass housing developer Bria Homes is now a dominant player in the socialized and economic housing sector of the local real estate industry.

It has more than 50 projects nationwide— in Bataan, Pangasinan, Pampanga, Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, Rizal, Camarines Sur, Samar, Leyte, Negros Oriental, Misamis Oriental, Bukidnon, Davao Del Norte, Davao Del Sur, North Cotabato, South Cotabato and others.

More projects are underway as Bria continues to expand in Luzon, the Visayas and Mindanao.

With affordable monthly amortizations and convenient payment schemes such as bank financing and Pag-IBIG funding, aspiring homeowners were able to move into their dream Bria Homes located in familyfriendly, wholesome safe and secure communities.

Bria’s happy homeowners attest to this, as shown in Bria Homes’ first viral video in 2019 “Lipat-Bahay” which garnered more than 2.3 million views.

The year 2020 looks bright for Bria Homes and for its current and prospective residents, as the company rides on the momentum generated by its steadfast commitment to provide homes to all Filipinos.

Bria Homes is a subsidiary of Golden Bria Holdings Inc., considered the third largest real estate company in terms of market capitalization valued at more than P250 billion.

The fastest-growing mass housing developer in the Philippines, Bria Homes is primed to bring affordable house-and-lot packages and condominium units closer to ordinary Filipino families.

INSTALLMENT DEALS DOMINATE PH CREDIT DATA from state-run Credit Information Corp. revealed that installment transactions—a series of payments instead of a lump sum made for afforded goods usually with corresponding interest rates—dominate the Filipino borrowers’ credit reports.

Of the 56,481,088 contract data in the country’s sole public credit registry as of Dec. 16, 2019, about 36,833,166 or 65 percent were installment transactions.

This was followed by credit card transactions with 18,816,821 and non-installment contracts with 633,192.

“Installment transactions being the bulk of CIC data is significant. Until now, most transactions captured by other credit bureaus were credit card transactions which may not necessarily reflect an accurate picture of the broader type of lending that is happening in the Philippines,” CIC president and CEO Jaime Casto Jose Garchitorena said.

Installment transactions cover everything from microfinance institution loans to vehicle and housing loans.

Being the Philippines’ foremost repository of credit information, CIC has the largest credit database with the most diverse set of contributors—rural banks, thrift banks, cooperatives, financing/leasing corporations, universal and commercial banks, thrift banks, insurance companies, lending corporations, credit card issuers, microfinance institutions, cooperative banks, savings and loans associations and government-owned and controlled corporations with credit facilities including the Government Service Insurance System which has already started submitting data.

BPO PIONEER TOP WORKPLACE IN ASIA

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USINESS process outsourcing pioneer and top call center company Sykes Asia Inc. was recognized as one of the top workplaces in Asia by the 2019 Asia Corporate Excellence & Sustainability Awards for maintaining quality levels of corporate sustainability especially focused on promoting a healthy work-life balance.

The award was received by Sykes Asia Inc. senior vice president of area operations and shared services John Sneed who was also recognized as one of Asia’s outstanding leaders.

Starting its operations in the Philippines in 1997, Sykes is the first multinational call center to operate in the country. It is also the first BPO company in the Philippines to venture out of Manila, opening the first call center in Cebu in 2003.

The ACES Awards recognizes successful companies and individuals in Asia across two main domains: leadership and corporate social responsibility. It values the services and achievements of businesses, both large and small and national and international, for their contributions to their communities and the world.

Sykes was commended for various programs focusing on developing employees to help them achieve the perfect work life balance while also allowing personal growth, making them one of the best BPO companies in the Philippines to work for.

ACES was impressed with the high employee involvement in various engagement activities at Sykes. The awards organization believes that these not only bring together employees of similar interests but also serve a greater purpose of providing meaningful contributions to society and communities.

“Sykes takes great pride in being recognized as one of the top workplaces in Asia, as this just proves that our employee-focused initiatives promoting a healthy and lively working environment are succeeding. Helping people is what we are all about, not only in servicing our clients, but also in the way we take care of our employees. We allow them to do meaningful work and learn in a fun and supportive office environment that helps them grow their careers,” said Sneed.

Under Sneed’s guidance, Sykes has also developed various initiatives focusing on employee empowerment and the 2019 ACES Awards deemed him as one of the outstanding leaders in Asia. Currently based in Cebu, Sneed says that his win would not have been possible without his belief in the importance of creating the perfect business environment.

From left: Shanggari B., CEO of MORS Group; John Sneed, senior vice president of area operations and shared services of Sykes Asia Inc.; and Dr. Jayanthi Desan, managing director of Synergio.

“My experience at Sykes helped me find and focus on the ‘power of its people’ – how supporting the employees and creating a strong culture can deliver amazing results,” Sneed said. “I have always been a believer that creating the right environment for the employees, setting them as your number one priority, and introducing various programs for their growth and innovation ultimately support the work that we do.”

Sykes dominates the Philippine BPO workplace with almost 18,000 employees, about 4,000 of which are stationed in Cebu.

Despite this large population, Sykes maintains a healthy work-life balance by conducting yearround engagement programs to ensure that everyone in the organization grows as employees and as individuals with their mental and physical well-being of utmost importance.

Every year, employees look forward to activities such as the year-end celebration, sports fest, family day and customer service week.

They can also join funded interest groups (Sykes Choices for Manila and Sykes Involve for Cebu) that provide them opportunities to enjoy their hobbies and interests with their fellow employees outside work.

Employees are also encouraged to further hone their skills under different talent development programs that provide classes on developing business leadership and management abilities necessary in career advancement.

Being among the top BPOs in the Philippines

FREEDOM OF INFORMATION CHAMPION

SIGNIFY NOW CARBON-NEUTRAL

SIGNIFY, the world leader in lighting behind the Philips brand, has achieved carbon neutrality in five more markets—specifically ASEAN, Far East, India, Indonesia and Pacific—boosting its number of markets with carbon-neutral operations to 15 out of a total of 19.

This brings Signify a big step closer towards achieving 100-percent carbon-neutral operations in 2020, one of the goals of its “Brighter Lives, Better World” sustainability program.

Signify in the Philippines joins its counterparts in stepping up on energy efficiency, renewable energy consumption and office space optimization. As a result, it contributed toward the achievement of overall reduction in carbon emissions by 19 percent in 2019.

This includes a reduction of 33 percent from non-industrial sites, 17 percent from industrial sites, 32 percent from business travel and 18 percent from logistics. For instance, instead of air transport, the Signify team in the Philippines actively deploys team collaboration technologies for crossborder projects with colleagues from multiple time zones.

While keeping an eye on delivery commitments, the team also consistently reviews with its distribution channels on how frequency and routes can be optimized made to further lower carbon footprint in the supply chain.

Signify offsets its remaining emissions through contributions to projects that have a positive environmental and social impact, including small- to medium-sized wind farms in India and a hydro plant in Vietnam that operates without using a dam.

“I’m extremely proud of the relentless commitment of all our employees that resulted in this great milestone, showing that carbon neutrality is possible and that it is possible today,” said Signify Philippines country manager Jagan Srinivasan.

“We hope that our achievements inspire other companies around us, and we call upon them to join initiatives that will result in global carbon neutrality by 2050,” he said.

in 2019, Sykes provides employees with opportunities to give back to the community through Sykes Cares. It has launched programs geared towards increasing access to education by providing educational facilities and equipment to underprivileged communities. Through the years, Sykes Cares has developed English training programs for BPO aspirants, rebuilt communities and educational establishments and facilitated tree-planting activities and energy conservation programs.

At the heart of everything that Sykes does is its purpose—to help, one caring interaction at a time–be it for the clients, the customers, the employees or the community.

Because of these efforts, employee reception at Sykes as a workplace is always positive. Employees or brand advocates share how it is a great privilege and opportunity to be working at a pioneer in the Philippine call center industry.

A recent Sykes global satisfaction survey revealed that 82 percent of employees are feeling proud of working at Sykes and 73 percent said that they are likely to recommend a friend to work in the company.

With over 22 years of experience in the BPO industry, Sykes is a recognized industry leader in providing customer care and widely considered to be the top BPO in the Philippines due to its innovative services and supportive work environment that merit the ACES Awards, among other local and international accolades.

From left: FOI program coordinator and assistant secretary Atty. Michel Kristian Ablan, PSA knowledge management and communications division chief Simonette Nisperos and Presidential Communications Operations Office Undersecretary Marvin Gatpayat.

With at least 99-percent outstanding performance rating in compliance and response in the electronic freedom of information portal, the Philippine Statistics Authority was awarded as one of the top performing government agencies in the 2019 Freedom of Information Awards by the Presidential Communications Operations Office on Dec. 12, 2019.

The 2019 FOI Awards, headed by the PCOO, was established pursuant to Memorandum Circular No. 3, s. 2019, which aims to recognize the efforts and accomplishments of government agencies, individuals and organizations in the pursuit of ensuring the constitutional mandate of the right to information.

Simonette Nisperos, chief of the Knowledge Management and Communications Division, received the plaque of recognition on behalf of the PSA. For three years in a row, the PSA continues to be recognized for its exceptional and significant contribution to the FOI’s continuous advancement. Since the first FOI Awards in 2017, the FOI Champion award was conferred to the PSA among 268 participating agencies. And last year, the PSA was also recognized as the agency with the highest number of eFOI requests.

“As national statistician and civil registrar general, I am proud to lead an organization that is recognized by others as excellent,” said PSA head Claire Dennis Mapa.

“This honor bestowed to the PSA is a manifestation of our efforts in adhering to the FOI program. The PSA will continue to be innovative in developing ways of providing easily available quality information through its communications and dissemination programs,” Mapa said.

GIS NOT PROOF OF VTI OWNERSHIP, BASED ON SEC DOCTRINE STOCKHOLDERS cannot use the general information sheet as the proof of ownership of a company, based on the doctrine of the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Law firm Madrid Danao & Associates, representing the incumbent management of Vallacar Transit Inc., the country’s largest bus transport company that operates Ceres Bus Line, said the SEC made this position after four Yanson siblings presented GIS to contest the current management of VTI led by their mother Olivia Yanson.

The law firm said the GIS provided by the Yanson 4 on Dec. 6, 2019 was an insufficient proof of ownership. It said this was based on a letter dated Dec. 19, 2019 from SEC director and officerin-charge Romuald Padilla.

“We would like to emphasize and

reiterate that it is the ministerial duty of this commission to receive the general information sheet from any person filing in behalf of a corporation. However, this does not mean that the commission affirms the truthfulness of, or is bound by the entries/declarations therein,” Padilla said in the letter.

“The foregoing is based on the established doctrine that mere inclusion of a name of an individual in the general information sheet is insufficient proof he/she is a shareholder of a corporation submitting the said document. In determining the true owners of shares of stock of a corporation, the stock and transfer book of the corporation is controlling,” Padilla said.

The VTI Lawyers said that based on the stock and transfer book, Emily Yanson, one of the four Yanson siblings who want

to strip their mother of control over the company, has no shares in VTI. This followed the election of Yanson matriarch Olivia Yanson, Leo Rey Yanson, Ginnette Yanson Dumancas, Charles Dumancas, Arvin John Villaruel, Anita Chua and Daniel Nicolas Golez as members of the board of directors of VTI on Dec. 7. The Yanson 4 held a separate meeting of their own on the same day to question the legitimacy of the incumbent management.

Th e l aw f i r m re p re s e n t s t h e incumbent VTI management who held their annual shareholders’ meeting on Dec. 7, 2019 at the company’s principal office at Ceres compound, Barangay Mansilingan in Bacolod City, pursuant to the company’s by-laws which state that the annual shareholders’ meeting should be held every first Saturday of

December at its principal office. This proves that they have the physical and legal ownership and management of the company.

The VTI directors authorized Madrid Danao & Associates to question the meeting organized by the “impostor stockholders, directors and officers of VTI, namely Roy Yanson, Ma. Lourdes Celina Yanson Lopez, Ricardo Yanson Jr. and Emily Yanson” who are collectively known as the Yanson 4.

The SEC, for its part, said it remains neutral in relation to the ongoing dispute within the Yanson family over the ownership and management of VTI and that the attendance of the SEC Bacolod in the disputed stockholders’ meeting was either misrepresented or misinterpreted as a recognition of the legitimacy of the claims and actions of the Yanson 4.

Tech & Gadgets

VIVO, OPPO, XIAOMI FORGE 'TRANSMISSION ALLIANCE' M

Customer-first approach to drive healthy industry development The Peer-to-Peer Transmission Alliance is a collective commitment between Vivo, OPPO and Xiaomi to drive the next generation of mobile experience. Together, the three brands will continue to openly collaborate to deliver new technological breakthroughs. The Alliance is also looking forward to welcoming more brands to participate and expand the ecosystem in the future.

OBILE phone giants Vivo, OPPO and Xiaomi announced their partnership to bring an innovative new wireless file transfer system to consumers around the world.

An initiative of the newly formed “Peer-to-Peer Transmission Alliance”, the new system enables seamless cross-brand file transfer with just one click.

Vivo, OPPO and Xiaomi have established the “Peer-to-Peer Transmission Alliance” to provide users with an unparalleled file transfer experience. The new wireless file transfer system will allow consumers of these three brands to easily transfer files between their mobile devices without the need for any third-party applications or network data, supporting a wide range of files, including photos, videos, music, documents and more. The move is also in anticipation of 5G adoption, where the average file sizes are expected to significantly increase with the availability of varied and richer content.

“Vivo, OPPO and Xiaomi all share a strong user base, and such partnership will benefit even more consumers globally. For Vivo, this partnership reinforces our commitment to bringing a fast, secure, first-in-class mobile experience by making it even easier for our users to share files with their friends wirelessly. We will continue to bring more strategic partnerships like this for our users across the

Vivo, OPPO and Xiaomi are joining hands to bring new wireless file transfer system to global consumers. The new file transfer system launched in anticipation of 5G adoption.

globe,” said Spark Ni, Senior Vice President of Vivo.

Instant and stable connection with low power consumption The wireless file transfer system provides a streamlined mobile experience which does not require internet connection. It uses Bluetooth for fast pairing and WiFi P2P (Peer to Peer) technology for the data transfer, bringing together an instant, stable and high-speed connection between devices, as well as low power consumption. This technology delivers

an average transfer speed of 20MB/s.

Also, the WiFi P2P technology does not interrupt the WiFi connection, meaning users remain connected and can continue their activities on the device during the file transfer.

Users just need to turn on their WiFi and Bluetooth, or turn on the function under “menu”, then select the files that they wish to share. If the other party also has the function turned on, an icon will pop-up to notify the user. Once confirmed, the selected files will be transferred.

AVAILABILITY This feature will be gradually rolled out on new Vivo products in different markets from February 2020.

Vivo is a leading global technology company that is committed to creating trendsetting smart mobile innovations and services. Devoted to forming a vibrant mobile internet ecosystem, Vivo currently owns and operates an extensive network of research operations, with R&D centers focusing on the development of cutting-edge consumer technologies, including 5G, AI, mobile photography, and next-generation smartphone design.

Currently, Vivo has over two hundred million users enjoying its mobile products and services around the world. It is present in 18 markets globally and features offline retail stores in over 1,000 cities worldwide.

In the Philippines, Vivo is among the top 3 smartphone brands in terms of market share with 1.5 million users nationwide.

For inquiries, visit vivoglobal.ph or check www.facebook.com/vivoPhilippines, www.instagram.com/ vivo_philippines/, and https://twitter.com/vivo_phil.

SUPERCELLS CURE GENETIC ILLNESS MCLEAN, United States—When a person’s immune system is impaired by a genetic disease, a bonemarrow transplant can be a powerful therapeutic tool, but with a major downside: during the first few months the recipient’s defenses against viruses are severely weakened. The slightest infection can lead to a hospital trip.

A still-experimental type of treatment known as T-cell therapy aims to assist during this vulnerable period—the months during which

the body is rebuilding its natural defenses. After two decades of clinical trials, the technology has been refined, and is being used to treat more and more patients, many of them children.

A boy named Johan is one of them.

Today he is a mischievous, smiling toddler with a thick shock of lightbrown hair, who never tires, playfully tormenting the family’s puppy, Henry.

There is no sign of the three-year-

Maren Chamorro displays a photo on a smartphone of her son Johan while he was receiving a specialised T-cell infusion at Children’s National Hospital, during an interview with AFP at her home in McLean, Virginia. AFP

long medical and emotional rollercoaster ride he and his family, who live in an affluent Washington suburb, have been on.

The first traumatic surprise came with the results of a pregnancy test: Johan was not planned.

“That was a huge shock. I cried,” said his mother, 39-year-old Maren Chamorro.

RISKY PROCEDURE

She had known since childhood that she carried a gene that can be fatal in a child’s first 10 years, chronic granulomatous disease (CGD).

Her brother died of it at the age of seven. The inexorable laws of genetics meant that Maren had a one in four chance of transmitting it to her child.

For their first children, she and her husband Ricardo had chosen in-vitro fertilization, allowing the embryos to be genetically tested before implantation.

Their twins Thomas and Joanna were born—both disease-free— seven and a half years ago.

But in Johan’s case, a post-birth genetic test quickly confirmed the worst: he had CGD. After conferring with experts at Children’s National Hospital in Washington, the couple took one of the most important decisions of their lives: Johan would receive a bone-marrow transplant, a risky procedure but one that would give

him a chance of a cure.

“Obviously, the fact that Maren had lost a sibling at a young age from the disease played a big role,” Ricardo confided.

Bone marrow, the spongy tissue inside bones, serves as the body’s “factory” for the production of blood cells—both red and white.

HIS BROTHER’S IMMUNE SYSTEM

Johan’s white blood cells were incapable of fighting off bacteria and fungal infections. A simple bacterial infection, of negligible concern in a healthy child, could spread out of control in his young body.

Luckily, Johan’s brother Thomas, six years old at the time, was a perfect match. In April 2018, doctors first “cleansed” Johan’s marrow using chemotherapy. They then took a small amount of marrow from Thomas’s hip bones using a long, thin needle.

From that sample they extracted “supercells,” as Thomas calls them—stem cells, which they reinjected into Johan’s veins. Those cells would eventually settle in his bone marrow—and begin producing normal white blood cells.

The second step was preventive cell therapy, under an experimental program led by immunologist Michael Keller at Children’s National Hospital. AFP

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SUNDAY, JANUARY 5, 2020 rumallari@thestandard.com.ph

ELECTRONICS...

From C4

Others will use 5G technology and artificial intelligence to help cars detect pedestrians, bicycles and other vehicles.

California’s Xperi is unveiling an incabin system using iris identification, facial recognition and other biometrics to unlock vehicles and detect driver fatigue.

Amazon is revving up its auto efforts with a booth showcasing its cloud-computing AWS division aimed at “intelligent, personalized products and services.”

And a new Fisker Ocean electric car is set to be unveiled, in one of the latest challenges to segment leader Tesla.

SMARTER HOMES

In the smart-home space, more devices will connect to digital assistants like Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant, or their rivals.

These will include smart screen command centers, smart mirrors, and kitchen gadgets and appliances.

Avi Greengart of the consultancy Techsponential expects more smart home devices like security-focused video doorbells, but says the integrated smart home is not yet here.

“It isn’t exactly clear people want to live in the Jetsons’ home,” he said, referring to the cartoon series about a futuristic family.

WEARABLE EVERYWHERE

Wearables are reaching more of the human body in the quest for improved health and connectivity.

German-based Bosch will be showcasing smart glasses designed to help motorists with heads-up navigation assistance, with other smart eyewear to be revealed.

“Hearables” represent another emerging category including advanced earbuds, translators and AIboosted hearing aids.

Ear-worn devices are among the fastest-growing wearables, capturing 47 percent of the segment in the second quarter of 2019, according to market intelligence firm IDC. AFP

FORTINET...

From C4

ers are able to consolidate point products into one enterprise-grade solution to significantly reduce capital costs. Augmenting MPLS with broadband reduces operational costs while a full stack of integrated security functions—including NGFW, IPS, anti-virus and anti-malware, web filtering, SSL inspection (including TLS 1.3), and sandboxing—ensures security without compromise and limits the potential costs related to a security breach.

“Our rapidly growing market share and customer base around the world and across different verticals highlights the need for Fortinet’s security-driven networking approach to SD-WAN. Customers continue to recognize the importance of integrated security and SD-WAN as they select Fortinet’s Secure SD-WAN solution to reduce complexity and enhance their organization’s security posture. As a leading SD-WAN vendor, Fortinet empowers organizations to achieve optimal user experience, visibility, and security at their WAN edge to enable digital innovation” John Maddison, EVP of Products and CMO at Fortinet Here’s what a number of Fortinet’s over 21,000 customers from around the world and within various industries have to say about Fortinet Secure SD-WAN: “The ability to on-ramp our branch offices to the cloud through Fortinet Secure SD-WAN enables us to extend last mile optimization to all users. Fortinet Secure SD-WAN helped us improve user experience and effectively connect to our multi-cloud environment.”

SM CINEMA MALL OF ASIA GIVES SNEAK PEEK OF ALL-NEW THEATERS SM Cinema gave moviegoers a sneak peek of the freshest movie theater complex everyone can look forward to at SM Mall of Asia with a special screening of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.

In the epic ending to the saga, the surviving Resistance faces the First Order once more as Rey, Finn and Poe Dameron’s journey continues.

With the power and knowledge of generations behind them, the final battle commences.

“In this day and age when people find comfort in watching movies from their homes, coping with the changing times allows us to further innovate on what we can offer to our customers.

Now, SM Cinema Mall of Asia utilizes its unique position to provide people the premium movie experience that they deserve, giving the same feeling that is close to home,” said Ruby Ann Reyes, SM Cinema Vice President for Marketing.

SM Cinema Mall of Asia’s Regular Cinemas will feature the most comfortable spectator seats, complete with 7.1 Surround Sound setup and RGB Laser Projection System, so viewers can immerse themselves in an upgraded silver screen experience.

Meanwhile, the premium Director’s Club Cinemas will each house leather full-recliner seats, with a large

advanced laser projection system accompanied by Dolby Digital Surround Sound. Moviegoers can also enjoy an in-theater butler service, enabling them to have an uninterrupted and intimate visual storytelling experience.

Once opened, SM Cinema Mall of Asia will be an entertainment complex where moviegoers can find all cinema formats including regular cinemas, Director’s Club, IMAX, Large Screen Format and Event Cinema.

Soon people can enjoy the luxury of seeing their favorite movies come to life with state-of-the-art facilities, yearround installations, and movie-centric activities.

TECH & Gadgets

C4

SUNDAY, JANUARY 5, 2020

Riera U. Mallari, Editor rumallari@thestandard.com.ph

ELECTRONICS SHOW OFFERS BIG, FLASHY TECHNOLOGY

S

AN FRANCISCO—The screens will be bigger and bolder, the cars will be smarter and some of the technology will be up-close and personal—even intimate.

The 2020 Consumer Electronics Show opening in Las Vegas will be crammed with the latest in connected devices, from light bulbs to underwear, along with the newest technology for automobiles, health and wellness, smart homes, retailing and more.

One of the world’s biggest trade shows, the gathering features 4,500 exhibitors, an estimated 175,000 attendees, and 1,000 speakers in exhibit areas equivalent to more than 50 football fields. The CES runs from January 7 to 10.

Small startups and large tech firms from dozens of countries will be angling for a slice of the trillion-dollarplus global consumer electronics marketplace.

The show, organized by the Consumer Technology Association, will see a large presence from tech giants such as Google and Amazon, vying for leadership in providing the “brains” or digital assistants for many smart products.

With improvements in artificial in-

An attendee tries NReal augmented reality glasses, on the last day of CES 2019 at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. The screens will be bigger and bolder, the cars will be smarter and some of the technology will be upclose and personal—even intimate. The 2020 Consumer Electronics Show opening in Las Vegas will be crammed with the latest in connected devices, from light bulbs to underwear, along with the newest technology for automobiles, health and wellness, smart homes, retailing and more. One of the world’s biggest trade shows, the gathering features 4,500 exhibitors, an estimated 175,000 attendees, and 1,000 speakers in exhibit areas equivalent to more than 50 football fields. The CES runs from January 7 to 10. AFP

sound happy if your favorite football team has won and... dejected if your mother is at the door,” Forrest said.

While the long-sought goal of “emotional intelligence” in computing is still far from reality, he said, advances are allowing more computing power to be packed into smaller spaces including smart eyeglasses, in-ear “hearables” and other devices.

“We can imagine the voice assistant in the ear which can do a lot more than it does today,” Forrest said. “Maybe the restaurant across the street can read you their menu, or you can get turn-by-turn directions in your car.”

aptations.

“Imagine an iPad device you can fold and carry around with you— I think we will see a lot more of those,” Moorhead said.

REALITY CHECK FOR SELF-DRIVING

Fully self-driving vehicles may not be ready to go mainstream, but that is not stopping innovation.

“There’s a deepening understanding that the companies have a big hill to climb” before deploying fully autonomous cars, said Gartner analyst Michael Ramsey.

Accenture analyst Juergen

Reers said CES is increasingly important for the transport sector because “most of the innovation is happening in software and services” rather than in vehicles themselves.

Reers said the industry is changing because “consumers are looking at mobility as a service, rather than simply buying a vehicle.”

China-based Futurus Technology says it will launch what it claims is the first “mixed reality interactive windshield” to give motorists real-time information about a vehicle’s status, performance and surroundings.

Turn to C3

BIG AND SMALL SCREENS

An Alpha Mini robot that uses artificial intelligence dances. AFP

telligence (AI), digital voice assistants are becoming smarter and more like humans, opening up new possibilities, said Simon Forrest of Futuresource Consulting.

“We can see devices that can now

Manufacturers including South Korea’s LG are expected to unveil new televisions with the latest ultra-high definition standard known as 8K, even if little or no content is now available in the format.

Analyst Patrick Moorhead of Moor Insights & Strategy said he expects to see “higher-resolution, lower-price 8K televisions,” extending a trend.

Innovation around the small screen may lead to more folding smartphones and other ad-

People watch an immersive video introduction to Qualcomm 5G technology. AFP

FORTINET SECURE SD-WAN CHOICE OF 21,000 CUSTOMERS FORTINET, a global leader in broad, integrated and automated cybersecurity solutions, recently announced continued momentum and global customer adoption of Fortinet Secure SD-WAN by over 21,000 organizations across different industries and verticals.

Fortinet’s security-driven networking approach to SD-WAN seamlessly integrates enterprise-grade SD-WAN, advanced security, and advanced routing in a unified offering to modernize customers’ WAN edge and help achieve their digital innovation goals with FortiManager Orchestration that can scale to support up to 100,000 SDWAN sites.

Cybersecurity has become a topof-mind strategic business issue for enterprise organizations deploying SD-WAN solutions. As a result, organizations worldwide are turning toward solutions that tightly integrate nextgeneration firewall security and SDWAN functionality. The latest Gartner Magic Quadrant for Network Firewalls states, “By 2024, 50% of new firewall purchases in distributed enterprises will utilize SD-WAN features with the growing adoption of cloud-based services, up from less than 20% today.”

Fortinet delivers full-featured SDWAN via the FortiGate next-generation firewall, and today Fortinet Secure SD-WAN has emerged as one of the top solutions on the market to support enterprises in their pursuit of reducing WAN complexity and cost while enhancing application experience and security. To support large enterprises, Fortinet Secure SD-WAN is able to scale to up to 100,000 SD-WAN sites thanks to Fortinet’s 20-year invest-

ment in building single-pane-of-glass management, which can now support the most demanding use cases for both security and SD-WAN. Fortinet received the highest score for the “Security-Sensitive WAN” use case and scored in the top third for all remaining WAN Edge use cases in the November 2019 Gartner analyst research report, “Critical Capabilities for WAN Edge Infrastructure.” “Gartner recommends that users consider

Fortinet’s Security-driven Networking Approach to SD-WAN Continues to Gain Momentum in Supporting WAN Edge Transformation

the set of critical capabilities as some of the most important criteria for WAN Edge solution acquisition decisions.”

Fortinet believes these results further highlight its focus on Secure SD-WAN innovation.

Customer Validation of Fortinet Secure SD-WAN Today, over 21,000 companies of all sizes and verticals worldwide, including some of the largest service providers, have chosen Fortinet Secure SDWAN to achieve the following business benefits: Enable a Cloud-ready Branch: Onramping branch offices and other remote locations to the cloud through Fortinet Secure SD-WAN enhances customers’ application experience and extends the cloud’s power, flexibility, and productivity gains to all users.

Simplify Operations: By delivering advanced routing, SD-WAN and advance security in a single offering, Fortinet simplifies operations and allows for unified management. Zerotouch provisioning further reduces complexity and allows customers to deploy a new branch in minutes instead of weeks.

Reduce Costs: Custom- Turn to C3

Lettuce grows in a facility that uses vertical farming techniques, in Kyoto. AFP

VERTICAL FARMING TAKES OFF IN JAPAN KYOTO—The nondescript building on an industrial site near Kyoto gives little hint to the productivity inside: 30,000 heads of lettuce grow here daily, under artificial light and with barely any human intervention.

This “vegetable factory,” using the latest vertical farming techniques, is part of a trend born out of necessity in Japan, where traditional farming faces a double threat from the ageing population and migration towards the cities.

With the average age of a farmer in Japan at 67 and few candidates to replace those dying out, the country has been forced to become a pioneer in so-called vertical farming.

Globally renowned firms such as Panasonic, Toshiba and Fujitsu have tried their hand—converting old semi-conductor production lines with varying levels of success.

One of the few companies to turn a quick profit, Spread produces 11 million heads of lettuce annually from its latest factory in Kyoto, a vast sterile area where the vegetables are stacked on shelves several metres high.

Machines shift the lettuces around the factory to areas where the light, temperature and humidity are ideal for that stage of growth. The process works without soil or pesticide, and only a dozen or so humans are employed to collect the lettuce at the end.

Other countries have employed vertical farming techniques—notably in Denmark and the United States—but Japan’s population crisis means the farmers are dying out, with question marks over how the world’s third-biggest economy will feed itself.

“Given the lack of manpower and decline in agricultural production, I felt a new system was needed,” Shinji Inada, Spread’s boss, told AFP. Spread has taken some time to make the process nearly fully automated: an older factory in Kyoto still employs several dozen humans to move the lettuce—a “difficult task,” admits one staff member.

But the advantages are clear: “We can produce in large quantities and at a stable rate all year round, without being affected by temperature changes,” said Inada.

“The other benefit is that we have few losses because our products are preserved for longer,” added the vegetable tycoon.

SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE Inada said the firm initially experienced some difficulty in selling the lettuce, but they have now grown a good brand by producing consistent quality at a consistent price—in a country where prices vary considerably depending on the season.

Spread’s lettuce are found on supermarket shelves in Kyoto and the capital Tokyo and Inada has grand expansion visions to move production closer to where the vegetables are consumed.

The firm is building a factory in Narita near Tokyo and is eyeing further afield to countries where the climate is not suited for such agriculture. “We can easily export our production system to very warm or very cold climates to grow lettuce,” said Inada.

But is this system environmentally friendly? Inada said he hesitated before launching the concept over this very question but finally reasoned the pros outweighed the cons. AFP

Destinations D1

SUNDAY, JANUARY 5, 2020

Bernadette Lunas, Issue Editor

manilastandardlife@gmail.com

@manilastandardlife

@MStandardLIFE

MY FAVORITE PLACES

TYPICALLY TUSCANY. A mere mention of Tuscany reminds one of its rolling hills draped in vineyards, lined by tall cypress trees, and dotted with peach-colored houses.

MERCURY RISING

BY BOB ZOZOBRADO

E

VERY time a new year starts, I always look back at the happy and beautiful things that happened to me the past year and thank the Almighty for them. This time, having been a world traveler all these years, I decided to take a closer look at the many places I have visited and choose my favorites.

The facade of the Basilica Minore del Señor Santo Niño in Cebu.

Always in awe of the charming, and almost magical, island of Santorini.

For the longest time, I have been proclaim- Greek island three times, and every time I’m ing to all and sundry that Santorini is my favor- there, I feel like I’m in heaven. ite place on earth. I have been to that beautiful There is something magical about the place that, every time my visit ends, I leave my heart behind. It could be the dainty white-and-bluepainted houses that cover the entire island, or the fact that its hillside location facing the calm blue waters of the caldera (crater) offers a most soothing antidote to stress.

The island has captivated my inner being so much that I told my children, in jest, that when I die, I want my ashes to be scattered over the island in the hope that, in my next life, I will be a Greek native!

Santorini is one of the islands in the Aegean Sea and is approximately 200 kilometers from the main island of Greece. About 3,600 years ago, the island was the site of one of the largest volcanic eruptions in recorded history. This gave the island its rugged landscape.

The eruption left a large caldera, surrounded by volcanic ash deposits. In fact, the beaches on the island are covered with black, red, and white volcanic ash pebbles. The caldera in front of the island is actually the crater of an underwater volcano.

It is believed that such eruption wiped out Taken during my first visit to Santorini, with the caldera and my cruise ship in the background.

the Minoan civilization which inhabited the area, and the resulting gigantic tsunami killing thousands gave rise to the legend of Atlantis.

My second favorite destination is a place I learned to love from watching it in the movies and on television.

I have always been captivated by Tuscany, the northwestern region in Italy, every time I see it on the silver screen. I associate it with love and poetic serenity. I don’t know why I feel giddy every time the visuals take me there. Since I’ve never been to that place, I added it to my bucket list.

One day, my Portland-based younger sister, Esperanza, invited me to join her on a trip to Italy. My dream was to spend my birthday in Tuscany and, by some stroke of luck, the region was part of her intended itinerary. You should have seen me jumping in jubilation, ecstatic that I could finally be in what I think is the most poetic place on earth!

So, after going around the many scenic cities of Italy, there I was in the charming hilltop town of Cortona, right in the middle of Tuscany, with its magical hills draped in miles and miles of vineyards and lined by those tall, majestic cypress trees.

Turn to D2

INTRAMUROS: SUSTAINABLE CREATIVE URBAN HERITAGE DISTRICT THE Intramuros Administration gets a nod from the Tourism department for its program to transform the historic walled city into a “sustainable creative urban heritage district.”

“Ensuring a sustainable tourism industry entails a holistic management plan that starts with a great vision, and the Intramuros Administration’s vision is inclusive for integrating its people’s welfare, both the residents and tourists, with economic development and cultural heritage preservation,” said Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat.

The IA’s 2022 Onwards vision is anchored on three pillars: (1) convergence of urban regeneration, (2) cultural heritage, and (3) sustainable tourism.

Six priority programs are slated to achieve this vision, namely, preparation and implementation of the first Intramuros’ Conservation Management Plan (CMP), “pedestrianization” of the streets, Manila’s Tourism Circuit, open spaces redevelopment, and the SIMPLE program or the

Strategy for the Effective Mainstreaming of People’s Living Entitlements.

The CMP aims to provide guidelines for the preservation and improvement of Intramuros as an urban heritage site. This plan also includes a disaster resiliency component to ensure safety of all people within Intramuros.

Four programs are also underway to enhance the tourism value and experience of the people.

The “pedestrianization” of major roads enables better protection and appreciation of major destinations. It will also support the redevelopment of open spaces to relive the essence of and reconnect to this historical place.

Complementary to these programs, Intramuros will form part of the “Manila’s Tourism Circuit,” converging with the Rizal Park, the National Museums, Binondo, and other sites within the city.

Lastly, the SIMPLE program aims to improve the quality of living of informal settler families residing Turn to D2

The 'pedestrianization' of major roads in Intramuros enables it to become a walkable city.

Destinations

D2

SUNDAY, JANUARY 5, 2020 manilastandardlife@gmail.com

SMART, PAL LAUNCH TRAVEL SIM CARD WIRELESS company Smart Communications, Inc. has forged a partnership with the country’s official carrier, Philippine Airlines to provide exclusive, co-branded tourist SIMs to travelers arriving at the country’s major airports.

Under the agreement, Smart will provide Smart PAL Travel SIMs to international passengers arriving at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport, Clark International Airport, Cebu International Airport, Caticlan Airport, and Davao International Airport.

The all-in-one Smart PAL Travel SIM is preloaded with 1 GB of open-access data, unlimited texts, and unlimited calls to Smart, TNT, and Sun subscribers, valid for one day.

In-flight vouchers for the Smart PAL Travel SIM will be distributed to travelers, who can then claim them for free at the Smart booths located at the arrival area.

The partnership was announced during PAL’s annual Grand OFW Salubong held at NAIA Terminal 1, where OFWs from Riyadh and Doha were greeted with an exclusive mini-concert by Regine Velasquez upon homecoming. Officials from the two firms also distributed premium items and loot bags during the event.

PLDT, PAL, and NAIA officials launch the free Smart PAL SIM card to be given to travelers arriving at the country's major airports.

MY FAVORITE...

From D1

I found myself doing exactly what I had dreamed of—sipping my favorite red wine, on the veranda of a peach-colored house on top of a hill overlooking lush vineyards, with the cool breeze flowing from all directions, and just enjoying every minute of being alive in such a tastefully artistic locale.

The town was where the movie Under The Tuscan Sun was filmed. In fact, Frances Mayes, the author of the book on which the movie was based, lives in Cortona.

Even if that trip has made me tick off that item on my bucket list, the engaging memory of that delightful interlude will continue to live on. And, every time I feel the weight of the world’s burden, I just think of that visit, then a smile slowly forms on my face!

Although I can truthfully sing The Carpenters’ “I’ve been to so many places in my life and time…” you might be surprised at my choice for my third favorite destination.

Every time I go home to Cebu, it’s like coming back to my cocoon of safety, love, and the tender care of family. Friends from my childhood years are still there and, when we see each other, we enjoy ourselves and talk like we haven’t been separated for so many decades!

YOUR WEEKEND CHUCKLE A guy arrives late for work and his boss noticed it, screams at him, “You should have been here at 8:30 a.m.!” to which the guy replied, “Why? What happened at 8:30?”

It is in Cebu where I do not feel the unkind pressures of the world because I am insulated from all that by the nurturing love of family and long-time friends.

Of course, the feeling of being protected could also be due to the “proximity” of my heavenly patrons whom I have enjoyed paying homage to during my growing up years—Our Lady of Perpetual Help at the Redemptorist Church on Wednesdays and the Señor Santo Niño at the Basilica on Fridays.

The first 28 years of my life were spent in this lovely city when life was so simple then. Even after having been exposed, during most of my adult life, to the ultramodern conveniences of the Americans, the luxurious lifestyles of the Europeans, and the La Vida Loca of the Latinos, there is nothing like coming home to Cebu.

I don’t care about Cebu’s traffic being worse than Manila’s because its roads are narrower. I don’t mind that it is usually two to three degrees Fahrenheit hotter than Manila because it’s closer to the equator. I don’t worry about having lost my sense of direction in the city because the streets I used to be very familiar with have now been redesigned to accommodate tall buildings, malls, and parks.

I will always love Cebu. Home is indeed where the heart is. Sugboanon ako.

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

WARM WELCOME. Guests are promised to experience the serene and cozy ambiance of Royale Parc Hotel as soon as they step inside the lobby until they check-in to their rooms.

A TASTE OF TAGAYTAY’S

AMBIANCE AND HOSPITALITY

N

EWLY opened Royale Parc Hotel in breezy Tagaytay has proven that it’s a “destination worth the time and travel” after its successful hosting of SEA Games athletes recently. Previous guests also attest to it.

Guests who came from all over Southeast Asia were provided with tranquility as soon as they stepped inside the lobby of the hotel, which was formally launched in November 2019.

The hotel, which was rebuilt from an old structure, became the athlete’s respite after the grueling competition for the gold medal.

“We are very delighted with the response of the guests to Royale Parc Hotel Tagaytay. We are proud of our 44 rooms, our world-class amenities, and our hospitable service,” enthused Nilda Diaz-Serrano, the hotel’s corporate general manager. “What they noted is the fact that our hotel is already complete in itself.”

Aside from the comfortable rooms furnished with plush bed and modern amenities, guests are afforded dining option at the in-house restaurant Dekada. Operated by the same group which handles SumoSam, Dekada offers heirloom Filipino dishes with a story.

During the hotel’s formal launch, Tagaytay Mayor Agnes Tolentino lauded the hotel’s owners, management, and team members, claiming Royale Parc will be “another sought-after hotel” in Tagaytay which will “complement the various tourism attractions of the highlands.”

Tolentino expects that tourists will be visiting and revisiting Tagaytay because of the added attraction of staying in Royale Parc Hotel.

Aside from Mayor Tolentino, city councilors also attended the event together with members of the Tagaytay City Tourism Office led by Jellane Mendoza.

Call 0923-0889055 or (02) 984-1297 or (046) 402-1980, or email sales.royaleparctagaytay@ gmail.com for inquiries and reservations.

Inside the landscaped grounds of Fort Santiago.

The newly opened hotel in Tagaytay offers 44 rooms and one in-house restaurant.

The Manila Cathedral is a famous attraction in Intramuros.

trict, amounting to P450,000 per unit, which they can eventually own.

“With the help of the national government, we are progressively accomplishing our programs in Intramuros. The program provides beneficiaries for our Intramuros. We’re done with some of our subsidized socialized housing units outside the dis- infrastructure projects, such as the establish-

INTRAMUROS...

From D1

ment of Museo de Intramuros; lighting and landscaping projects on Muralla street, Burgos and Bonifacio Drives; reclaiming of public spaces; and the rehabilitation of Fort Santiago; among other projects as well,” said Intramuros Administration head Guiller Asido.

Entertainment

SUNDAY, JANUARY 5, 2020

A BIG YEAR FOR

Julie Anne opens the year with 'All-Out Sunday,' the musical variety show which debuts today on GMA 7.

Y

JULIE ANNE

OUNG diva Julie Anne San Jose added another feather to her cap as she received the Best Major Concert award at the 32nd Aliw Award, held recently at Manila Hotel in Manila.

The multitalented performer was given the award for her sold-out Julie Sings the Divas concert where she serenaded the audience all throughout the night by belting out hits of our favorite international divas from different generations.

In her Instagram post, Julie congratulated the whole team behind the successful concert and expressed her gratitude for yet another recognition, “Congrats team #JulieSingsTheDivas. Maraming salamat sa Aliw Awards for the recognition!

Surreal moment. To the whole team, Direk Louie (Ignacio) and Sir Danny Tan, for making this concert possible, sulit lahat ng pagod at dedikasyon.”

The 24-year-old singer-actress also expressed her gratitude to her home studio, talent management, her family, and supporters for their unparalleled support.

“To GMA, GMAAC, my family, friends and supporters, salamat sa walang sawang pagsuporta at pagmamahal. Most importantly, sa Panginoon, for everything. I wouldn’t be where I am if it weren’t for Him. Sharing this award with everyone in this industry. Mabuhay! To God be the glory!”

Meanwhile, Julie Sings The Divas stage director Louie Ignacio was also recognized by the same award giving body that recognizes the achievements of the brightest and talented artists in the live entertainment industry in the country. Ignacio was named the Best Concert Stage Director at the prestigious event.

This 2020, viewers can catch Julie Anne in the Kapuso Network’s newest musical-variety

program, All-Out Sundays, beginning today at 12:00 noon.

Also dubbed as #AOS, All-Out Sundays redefines Sunday afternoon viewing experience of Filipino households with its world-class musical performances, exciting games, and live sitcom every week that promise to spread good vibes and kilig to its viewers.

Joining Julie Ann are Alden Richards, Christian Bautista, Aicelle Santos, Mark Bautista, Rayver Cruz, Ken Chan, Rita Daniela, Gabbi Garcia, Derrick Monasterio, Miguel Tanfelix, Kyline Alcantara, Migo Adecer, Mavy Legaspi, Cassy Legaspi, and JD Domagoso.

Adding fun and excitement into the show are Golden Cañedo, Garrett Bolden, Jong Madaliday, The Clash Season 2 Grand Champion Jeremiah Tiangco and FirstRunner Up Thea Astley and StarStruck 7 Ultimate Survivors Kim De Leon, and Shayne Sava.

Spicing up the program with their amusing brand of comedy are Paolo Contis, Glaiza De Castro, Betong Sumaya, Kakai Bautista, Boobay, Super Tekla,and Lexi Gonzales.

All-Out Sundays launches its all-male dance group composed of five young and talented heartthrobs – Vince Crisostomo, Karl Aquino, Radson Flores, Abdul Raman, and Kim De Leon.

All-Out Sundays is under the helm of creative directors Caesar Cosme and Rommel Gacho, creative consultants Perry Lansigan and Paolo Valenciano, headwriter for musical Rommel Gacho, headwriter for sitcom Vince De Jesus, stage director Rem Zamora, and TV director Miguel Tanchanco.

THE NEW GANG. Some of the stars that join in today's premiere telecast of GMA's newest Sunday musical variety show.

MARKUS PATERSON’S ‘BEST WISHES’ HE MAY have gotten into people’s radar by portraying the bully (and eventual victim) Chuck Santos in first Filipino Netflix Original film Dead Kids, but Markus Paterson is poised to let the world know more about his other passion—singing—as he dropped his latest single “Best Wishes” right after Christmas.

Deviating from his usual upbeat and electronic sound, “Best Wishes” is a stripped down song that highlights Markus’ mesmerizing vocals and raw emotions. Produced under Tarsier Records, it presents a vulnerable and honest demonstration of one’s attempt to find light in the thick of moving on from a painful breakup.

Some lucky fans were able to listen to the song before it officially dropped using a secret link that Markus sent to them through direct message on Twitter.

“Best Wishes” is the lead single from the musician’s upcoming B-Side EP, a collection of original acoustic songs that he wrote on guitar—arranged, produced, mixed and mastered by Tarsier producer and founder Moophs.

Since 2017 though, Markus has released multiple singles under the label including “WIWU,” “EASE,” “Tell Me,” and “Beautiful,” which he recorded with Inigo Pascual and Moophs featuring Kyler.

Markus Paterson, 21, dropped his latest single “Best Wishes” right after Christmas.

The actor-singer started in the industry as a contestant in the reality talent competition Pinoy Boyband Superstar in 2016. Apart from Dead Kids, he has also starred in Ang Babaeng

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

Allergic sa WiFi last year. He is part of the distinctive lineup of artists under Tarsier Records, a record label committed to showcasing the uniqueness of Filipino talents here and abroad.

5 LESSONS FROM ‘STARLA’ TO TAKE INTO THE NEW YEAR WITH YOU

WITH her kids in mind, Judy Ann Santos made her TV comeback via ABS-CBN’s Starla, a very timely series that centers around family and the real meaning of the holiday season—beyond the traditional gift-giving and festivities.

It’s time to get rid of negativity and bitterness, if we are to take into heart these lessons that Teresa (Judy Ann), her family, and the galaxy’s millions of wishing stars taught us in Starla: 1. Helping others while expecting nothing in return Even magical creatures need support too. In the series, kiddie protagonist Buboy (Enzo Pelojero) offered to help Starla (Jana Agoncillo) to grant at least 50 wishes in order for her to become a full-fledged wishing star, even teaching her along the way what constitutes a bad wish and a good wish.

Teresa, at first a self-serving lawyer, has always had a heart for the less fortunate.

Even though rich and successful, she takes her pro bono cases just as seriously as her high profile clients, going so far as to firing an arrogant lawyer who neglected one of their poor clients.

When she was jailed, Teresa also offered her services to her fellow inmates for free because she dreaded the reality that some of them, especially the innocent ones, got separated from their families.

2. Revenge is never the answer Teresa’s deep-seated resentment towards his father Greggy (Joel Torre) and her hometown Barrio Maulap made revenge the fundamental driving force in her life. Blinded by rage, she spent months sabotaging the livelihood, resources, and even safety of the community. After witnessing firsthand how much havoc her plans have caused her neighbors, she made a change of heart that ultimately led her to resign from her company.

3.

Holding yourself accountable and making up for your mistakes Mang Greggy stayed in prison for years for defending other people, and consequently lost his wife and daughter. After being paroled, Mang Greggy became a recluse and stopped opening up his life to other people.

But when Teresa came back to his life, he acknowledged his shortcomings as a husband and a father and remained determined to woo Teresa without sacrificing his principles. For her part, Teresa also owned up to everyone about her evil schemes and vowed to defend them and their rights.

4. It’s never too late to ask for and offer forgiveness In a heartrending scene that moved viewers, Teresa told his father Greggy that she had forgiven him, let go of her pride, and finally sought forgiveness from him.

"You’re just doing your duty to others.

Now I understand that the world isn’t fair to everyone. Some people get stepped on and are taken advantage of.

I understand that you want to right the wrongs in the world the way you know how,” she tearfully said to her father. By then, Teresa was all for reconciliation and ready to repair their relationship.

5. Encourage kindness and pay it forward After Buboy lost his parents, Mang Greggy was the first person to show him empathy. Even when Greggy was grumpy and avoidant of other people, Buboy saw through his adoptive dad’s heart and has always made sure to pay it forward to people in need.

Buboy, with the help of Starla, orchestrated many miracles in Barrio Maulap in order to get it back on its feet, including treating the town’s crops, restoring power to every home, healing a sick mom, or defending a bullied kid.

D4

SUNDAY, JANUARY 5, 2020

Desiree Carlos, Editor

daycarlos28@yahoo.com

Pets

PET-FRIENDLY PLACES TO VISIT IN 2020

By Cho Lo Lobo

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Cho Lo with friends Amber, Muffin and Reese at the Paw Club MOA, his pack's favorite hang out place. Their humans bring them there for grooming while they eat. The place serves food for both humans and pets. Cho Lo’s favorite is the beef and okra meatballs without the gravy.

5. Remember to bring your FIRST AID KIT. 6. Always have spare dog food and cat food for the stray dogs and cats.

My humans are still learning about furparenthood.

Every time we travel or go out, they get to learn something new from meeting other furparents and furbabies which is one fun way of learning!

BY DESIREE CARLOS CAT lovers are always on the lookout for other healthy food and treats for their cats.

Angela Willis, in “How To Make Home Made Cat Food� in Savvy Homemade, noted “This is because feeding your cat the wrong type of food can create serious health problems. Many commercial cat foods contain high levels of chemicals, additives and preservatives that can end up harming your cherished cat.� “When you’re looking for homemade cat food recipes, always be sure that the ingredients you choose will meet your cat’s nutritional needs, and if not, use a supplement, “ Willis stressed.

Water helps keep your cat very healthy.

It is thus important to add food that have water or has a high moisture. It is not good to feed your cat only dry food, Willis said. ‘Cats do not have a strong thirst drive which leads to dehydration. In the wild, they would be eating around 80% water mostly from organs of their prey, so if you think about it why would cats need to evolve a thirst response?� Willis said.

Willis also said it is important to know what you CAN NOT feed your cat.

Food To Avoid

These are bad for cats: 1. Chocolate 2. Pork 3. Bacon 4. Onions 5. Bones or raw eggs (cooked eggs are okay) Your cat can have adverse reactions to these food. These can adversely affect your cat’s system, Willisa said. “It’s also wise to limit the amount of human-food grade tuna you feed your cat,� Willis said.

The tuna in cans can also contain high levels of mercury.

CHIN was seen looking for food in the garbage can inside the garage of Lianne Pacambas. “We started feeding her and she never left so we decided to keep her,� Lianne says.

She is now about six months old. “She likes playing with plastic bottles and scratching our sofa leg but Mom doesn’t mind,� Lianne says, “The throw pillows are all hers.�

Lianne adds: “She loves being fed with fish and bread. She has cat food but doesn't really like munching on it.�

Lianne had her vaccinated so she is protected from communicable diseases. “She sleeps by the window where it's cozy for her,� Lianne says.

Cho Lo enjoying a stroll along the MOA bay area after eating and grooming.

4. Harbor Square in CCP Complex 5. Baypark Hoops in Malate Here are some tips to remember for responsible furparenthood: 1. Always clean after your furbabies. ALWAYS! No excuses!!!

2. Always bring extra mat for the hotel/resort beds and your furbaby’s bath towel.

3. Aways put a leash/lead on your furbabies.

4. Of course, do not ever forget your furbaby’s water and food bowl. And their water and food.

Cho Lo is the furbaby of Botchok (standing, left) and Lalai Lobo (setaed). Also in the photo is Cho Lo’s human sister, Ate Rane (standing, right).

HEALTHY HOMEMADE FOOD FOR CATS 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.

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

UR family is always on the hunt for pet-friendly establishments. Well, mostly beach resorts because my humans love the water and I love the sand.

We probably still have more or less five months to go around the country before my humans go back to Australia (I will follow in six months’ time) and explore more of pet-friendly places so we are very keen to know more!

Oh by the way, when we say pet-friendly, we mean that I, a five-year-old shih tzu, will be allowed to sleep with my humans on the bed.

We need to clarify this because some beach resorts claim they are pet-friendly when they require humans to put their pets in cages or carriers outside the rooms at night time. Boo! đ&#x;‘Ž Here are some of the places we have visited and enjoyed: 1. Stilts Beach in Calatagan, Batangas This was our family’s first ever beach getaway five years ago and where my humans received their guests after their church wedding. So yeah, obviously, this is on top of our list. A very pet and eco-friendly, clean and serene beach resort.

With a bonus of super helpful, polite and efficient staff!

2. Acuaverde Beach Resort in San Juan, Batangas I already have a loyalty card with them since we have been there countless times already!

Pets get to have a welcome pack while humans get to have their welcome drinks!

They have a doggie play area too.

This is a certified pet-friendly resort.

3. Laiya Coco Grove in San Juan, Batangas 4. The Farm at San Benito in Lipa, Batangas 5. Camp Nalu in Baler, Aurora 6. Kingsurfer’s Beach in Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte 7. Estro’s Place in San Juan, La Union 8. Crystal Beach Resort in San Narciso, Zambales 9. El Pescador in Bolinao, Pangasinan 10. The Carmelence View, Tagaytay This is the perfect staycation ( not a beach resort).

We are now looking forward to our upcoming trips to Numana Farm in Bulacan and Hidden Valley Springs & Paradise Island in Laguna, I can’t wait to visit these places!

Our favorite play areas are: 1. Luneta Park 2. BGC 3. Roxas Boulevard

MY FURRY BESTIE

Cats need a lot of water. They can not groom themselves if they are dehydrated.

It is thus advised that cat owners do not give dry cat food alone. You can cook cat food meals or give wet canned food together with the dry cat food. We put water in canned food to add more moisture. “In small amounts, this is fine, but over time your cat could end up with large deposits of mercury in its system that could compromise health,� Willis said.

Dog food is also not good for cats as it contains less protein. Your cat needs more protein.

On Raw Diet

“While raw diets have become very fashionable, many vets will tell you that many raw foods could potentially be infested with parasites or bacteria. You should cook any meat you intend to feed your cat to kill any bacterial contaminants,� Willis said. “You should also remember that raw meat alone could be lacking in sufficient nutrients to keep your cat in optimum health. You may need to add vitamins and minerals to help keep your cat healthy,� added Willis.

It is suggested that a cat owner include food that are sources of the following vitamins: calcium, phosphorus and Omega-3 acids. Or you can give supplements with these vitamins.

Alfalfa and wheat grass for good sources of added antioxidants and nutrients. “Always speak with your vet before switching your cat over to a raw diet,�

Your cat needs calcium and phosporous, among other vitamins.

To ensure your cat gets the needed vitamins, you can give a multivitamin prescribed by your veterinarian.

Willis stressed.

Here are some recipes for homecooked cat meals:

Chunky Meat and Rice Cat Food

Ingredients ¡ 1/2 pound ground meat (chicken, beef, lamb or turkey are fine) ¡ 1/4 cup uncooked rice ¡ 1 large hard-boiled egg ¡ 4 teaspoons olive oil ¡ 1 cup chicken stock What to do: 1. Mash the boiled egg.

2. Mix all ingredients in a saucepan and then bring to a boil over medium-low heat.

3. When the stock is boiling, reduce the heat and simmer gently for 20 minutes or until the stock is less. The rice has cooked by this time and has absorbed some of the stock.

4. Let the cooked cat food mixture cool.

5. Blend the cat food in a food processor until all the ingredients are mashed together.

6. Put in an air-tight container and store in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Chicken and Pasta Cat Food Ingredients ¡ 1/2 pound ground chicken

¡ 1 small finely chopped carrot ¡ 1/2 cup macaroni ¡ 2 tablespoons vegetable oil ¡ 1 1/2 cups chicken stock What to do: 1. Put the oil and the chicken in a saucepan and cook until the chicken is cooked thoroughly.

2. Add the chicken stock, carrot and macaroni and allow the mixture to boil.

3. When the mixture is boiling rapidly, reduce the heat to low and allow to simmer for 15 minutes, or until the macaroni becomes very tender.

4. When cooked, allow the mixture to cool completely.

5. Blend the mixture in a food processor so the ingredients are mashed together.

6. Then put in an air-tight container and store in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Sardine Feast Cat Food

Ingredients ¡ 1 tin sardines in oil ¡ 1/2 cup cooked rice ¡ 1/2 teaspoon finely chopped parsley What to do: 1. Cook the rice until it is very soft.

2. Drain the rice of water, then pour the can of sardines in oil and the finely chopped parsley.

MAGNUS, now two years old, was found inside a trash bin by China de Jesus.

China heard a loud cry coming from the garbage bin and took a peak. “Magnus was wrapped in a plastic bag. I did not waste time getting him, thinking it was so sealed, he might suffocate,� China shares. “He was brought home where we took care of him. The vet said he was like a three-day-old pup when he was found,� China recalls.

China says that today, Magnus is a very healthy baby boy. “He loves walking and playing with me during the weekends. He loves playing with his stuffed toy rabbit which I bought for him. He sleeps on my bed and freely roams around the house. We feed him with dog food and treats. He will forever be loved,� China says.

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.

3. Mix the ingredients well.

4. Store the unused mixture in an air tight container in the fridge until needed again.

Meat and Oats Cat Food

Ingredients ¡ 1 cup rolled oats ¡ 3 cups water ¡ 1 hard-boiled egg ¡ 1 pound minced beef ¡ 2 tablespoons vegetable oil ¡ 1 tablespoon finely chopped spinach What to do: 1. Boil the oats in water until they become very soft and begin to absorb the water.

2. Boil an egg.

3. Remove the eggshell and mash the egg into the oats.

4. In a frying pan, add the oil and beef and cook thoroughly.

5. Add the beef into the mixture of oats and egg and stir through the finely chopped spinach.

6. Mix all ingredients well.

7. Store the unused mixture in an air tight container in the fridge until needed again.

Photos by Tani Benedito