Manila Standard - 2020 January 12 - Sunday

REPATRIATES START TREK BACK HOME THE first batch of Filipinos—14 total—to be repatriated from Iraq is already at the Philippine Embassy in Baghdad and will be brought to Doha, Qatar before being flown to Manila today, the Department of National Defense spokesperson said on Saturday.

“This number may increase, however, as the Embassy continues to call on other OFWs who wish to come home,”DND spokesperson Arsenio Andolong said in a statement.

There are an estimated 4,000 Filipinos in Iraq, according to data from the Department of Foreign Affairs.

Andolong also said on Dobol B sa News TV, beamed nationwide, that there were logistical concerns, reason why Filipinos to be repatriated from Iraq could not be brought directly to Manila.

He said Special Envoy to the Middle East and concurrent Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu was in Qatar to implement the repatriation of OFWs. Filipinos married to Iraqi nationals are not covered by the repatriation order imposed by the Philippine government in Iraq.

President Rodrigo Duterte clarified that those in Iraq would be forcibly evacuated, “But on those who are married already, whose husbands are Iraqi nationals, we cannot do anything,” he added.

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IRAN ADMITS IT SHOT DOWN JET

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RODY EASES UP ON OFW BAN IN KUWAIT

By Vito Barcelo

SMOKING WRECKAGE. Search-and-rescue teams stand on Jan. 8 near the site of a Ukrainian airliner that crashed shortly after takeoff near Imam Khomeini airport in the Iranian capital of Tehran—with no hope of finding anyone alive, the victims including 82 Iranians and 63 Canadians, officials said. Top left is an image grab from footage obtained from the staterun Iran Press news agency showing the black box of the airline flight, while at top right, demonstrators from the Anglo-Iranian communities in Britain attend a vigil opposite the gates of 10 Downing Street in central London for the crash victims. AFP

PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte said he might still allow the deployment of overseas Filipino workers to Kuwait while justice was being done for the slain domestic helper Jeanalyn Villavende.

The President said “the situation is quite different and do not see any apathy there. And the police authorities there in Kuwait acted swiftly, and they have arrested the spouses.”

“Kita ba naman there were arrests made and there’s an investigation going on. Apparently, justice is being done,”the President said in an interview with ABS CBN television news, heard nationwide.

“I’m not really keen on moving people out,” he said.

Duterte said he would not order the pullout of Filipino workers from Kuwait over the latest incident. “I’m not really keen on moving people out.”

Villavende was allegedly killed by her employees in Kuwait last month after reportedly enduring maltreatment, and her employers have reportedly been detained.

The Palace earlier said the President was outraged over this latest death involving a Filipino worker.

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EHRAN—Iran on Saturday said it unintentionally shot down the Ukrainian airliner that crashed this week killing 176 people, calling it an “unforgivable mistake.”

The Ukraine International Airlines plane came down on Wednesday shortly after Iran launched missiles at bases hosting American forces in Iraq in response to the killing of Qasem Soleimani, one of Iran’s top generals, in a US drone strike.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran deeply regrets this disastrous mistake,” Iranian President Hassan Rouhani tweeted.

“Armed Forces’ internal investigation has concluded

REVENUE BILLS TOP PRIORITY WHEN HOUSE SESSION RESUMES

By Maricel V. Cruz

THE House of Representatives will prioritize the passage of revenue measures and bills creating three departments when Congress reconvenes next week after its Christmas recess, Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano said during the weekend.

“We already have good laws like those that provide for universal health care or free PhilHealth insurance coverage for all Filipinos and free college education. We also have the massive Build, Build, Build infrastructure program. We have to fund these with taxes,” Cayetano said.

The House committee on ways and means earlier endorsed the approval of at least four revenue measures, including imposing a five-percent license fee on Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators or POGOs and an income tax on their foreign workers.

Cayetano said President Rodrigo Duterte’s order for the repatriation of Filipinos in Iraq highlighted the need for the creation of the proposed Department of Overseas Filipino Workers.

He said the long-term solution to problems affecting millions of OFWs and

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that regrettably missiles fired due to human error caused the horrific crash of the Ukrainian plane and death of 176 innocent people,” he added.

“Investigations continue to identify and prosecute this great tragedy and unforgivable mistake.”

Earlier, Iran’s official IRNA news agency had published a statement from the military saying the Boeing 737 was mistaken for a “hostile plane” at a time when enemy threats were at the highest level.

The admission came a day after Iran’s civil aviation chief denied claims that the plane had been shot down, as international pressure mounted on Tehran to conduct a credible investigation after several Western governments blamed a missile strike.

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LUNAR ECLIPSE. The full moon during the penumbral lunar eclipse, the Earth’s main shadow did not cover the Moon, as seen on the outskirts of Chandigarth, India. There were no other locations on Earth where the Moon appeared partially or totally eclipsed during this event. The next lunar eclipse will be on June 5, the eclipse to be visible in Manila—it will begin at 01:45:51 local time when the Earth’s shadow will begin covering the lunar surface. The eclipse will be over at 05:04:03, according to experts. AFP

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DMCI AGREES TO PAY 150% FOR ECOLAND REAL estate developer and billionaire Isidro Consunji said Saturday his mining company DMCI Holdings had agreed to compensate owners of Ecoland 4000 homeowners 150 percent of what they paid for their collapsed condo units.

Consunji issued the statement, in a text message to CNN Philippines, hours after getting called “arrogant”by President Rodrigo Duterte for refusing to pay the Ecoland homeowners who have been trying to get refunds for their damaged homes since the 6.5-magnitude earthquake struck Davao City last October.

“We accepted the offer to settle the claims of the homeowners at 150 percent of acquisition cost.

They have a general assembly on Jan. 20,” Consunji said in his text message.

Consunji’s DMCI Homes had initially refused to take responsibility for the condo built by its sister firm in Davao, saying “The company was not involved in the development, design, and construction of the said project.”

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REPATRIATES...

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Mandatory repatriation in Iraq is still enforced and the deployment of Filipino workers to the Gulf state remains prohibited, Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III said on Thursday.

Alert Level 4, which calls for mandatory repatriation of Filipinos in crisis-stricken areas, was raised in Iraq following the US airstrike in Baghdad that led to the death of top Iranian general Qasem Soleimani.

Filipinos working and living in Iran and Lebanon are no longer covered by the mandatory repatriation order after alert levels in the two countries have been downgraded.

On Friday, Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles called on Filipinos in Iraq to heed the Philippine government’s desire to repatriate them.

Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo, however, said on Wednesday that the Duterte administration would respect any Filipinos who want to stay in Iraq despite the tensions between the US and Iraq.

Duterte has formed a special working committee that will oversee the evacuation and repatriation of Filipinos from the Middle East.

The panel is chaired by Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana and vice chaired by National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon Jr. Members are Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu, Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr., Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III, Local Government Secretary Eduardo Año, and Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade.

Duterte said he has been receiving updates from the special working panel.

“I requested Secretary Lorenzana to take stab of what we have, what equipment can be sent immediately, ships and airplane, and of course the provisioning of the evacuate ships to be quartered in the certain place outside of the harms and that would be Iraq and Iran,” he said.

“I (also) sent (retired) General Cimatu, Secretary Cimatu of the DENR. He used to be the special emissary of President (Gloria Macapagal) Arroyo (to the Middle East). And he has had a vast experience how to handle this kind of situation. He’s there already. He has been communicating with us,” he added.

Around P1.8 billion in government funds have been readied for the repatriation of Filipinos in the Middle East.

Meanwhile, contingency plans on the repatriation of overseas Filipino workers remain in place as the situation in the Middle East is still unstable, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said on Saturday.

“The situation in the area is still unstable and our contingencies for massive repatriation are still in place,” Lorenzana said in a media statement.

Lorenzana also said the Philippine Coast Guard ship, BRP Gabriela Silang, was in Malta and ready to sail anytime to nearby countries where Filipinos are in danger to ferry them to safer areas.

“We are closely monitoring Kuwait which just raised its security level to maximum on Jan. 9, 2020,” he added.

The DND chief was earlier named chairperson of the special working panel that will oversee the evacuation and possible repatriation of OFWs in the Middle East amid tensions between the United States and Iran.

“The Alert Level within an area covering a 100-km radius from and including Tripoli, Libya was raised to Level 4 (mandatory evacuation).

Outside the said 100-km radius, it remains at Alert Level 2,” Lorenzana said.

Lorenzana also advised Filipinos in Iraq and in Tripoli, Libya to contact the nearest Philippine mission to facilitate their mandatory evacuation. PNA

DMCI...

From A1 Duterte on Friday night hit out at real estate developer and mining company DMCI Holdings for the collapsed condominium building in Davao City and for the erroneous water supply contract.

In his speech in Cotabato, Duterte earned the ire of businessman Isidro Consunji for commenting that it was the government who made the erroneous water contract.

Consunji is the president and chief operating officer of DCMI Holdings that

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'CLIMATE CHANGE SAFETY RIDDLED WITH PITFALLS'

020 IS the most crucial year yet for humanity’s plan to dodge the bullet of catastrophic global warming, experts said Saturday, warning that the narrow path to safety was riddled with pitfalls, from the US election to Brexit.

When nations struck the 2015 Paris agreement, which aims to limit temperature rises under 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 Fahrenheit), they agreed on five-year periods in which climate action could be implemented, assessed and boosted.

2020 is the year the landmark deal goes into effect, yet almost three decades of diplomatic wrangling has fallen far short of what science says is needed to avert disastrous climate change.

A crucial UN summit at which leaders will finalize their action plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions is set to open in Glasgow on Nov. 9— just six days after a US general election that could see President Donald Trump win a second term.

Trump shocked the world in 2017 when he said the United States—history’s largest emitter—

was withdrawing from the Paris agreement. It is due to leave the deal on Nov. 4.

“Another four years of Trump in the White House would mean that the world’s key country in terms of providing global leadership will be sitting the problem out,” Michael Oppenheimer, professor of Geosciences and International Affairs at Princeton University, told AFP. “So that’s four years of having a millstone around the neck of the world’s efforts to deal with climate change.”

After a year of climate-related disasters, from cyclones and flooding in Africa and southeast Asia to devastating wildfires in Australia and California, nations in December failed to make progress during the annual UN Climate Change Conference COP 25.

More than 100 countries have

pledged to redouble their efforts to reduce domestic emissions, but the biggest polluters—China, India, the US and the European Union—have yet to unveil new plans.

Brexit ‘risk’ The Paris deal was dragged partly over the line, thanks to more than a year of shuttle diplomacy by host France.

Climate negotiations are multilateral and emissions cuts voluntary, so much depends on the skill and tactics of the country in charge of annual COP negotiating sessions.

COP26 president Claire O’Neill told AFP last month that climate would be the British government’s “number one global priority” this year leading up to the Glasgow summit.

But there are fears that Brexit trade negotiations with Brussels, which will last until around the same time as COP26, will drain much-needed diplomatic bandwidth.

“There is a Brexit scenario in which the UK is distracted at the highest level and the relationship with the EU has soured,” said Nick Mabey, CEO of the green think tank E3G. “It’s a risk. Brexit is the government’s number one defensive diplomatic priority and I would say COP needs to be its number one offensive

diplomatic priority.

“COP requires a huge, proactive campaigning, full-functioning diplomatic machine,” he told AFP. Mabey said Britain already had more than 100 diplomats focusing solely on climate ahead of Glasgow.

EU-China summit But perhaps the biggest moment for the climate in 2020 will come before both the US election or the COP. In September, the EU-China summit in Leipzig is likely to see the world’s largest single market push the world’s biggest carbon polluter for greater emissions-cutting commitments.

Li Shuo, senior global policy advisor for Greenpeace East Asia, said this year presented a massive opportunity for China to show global leadership over climate.

“The US, China, EU climate tricycle has had a wheel pulled off by Trump,” said Li Shuo, senior global policy advisor for Greenpeace East Asia.

“Going into 2020 it is critical for the two remaining wheels to roll in sync.

“The decision taken by Chinese leaders over the next year... matters to how the world views China under increasingly turbulent geopolitics,” Shuo said. AFP

REVENUE...

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Filipinos abroad was the formation of the proposed new agency.

“Even if we have a hardworking secretary of foreign affairs and an equally hardworking secretary of labor, they have other tasks.

Secretary Roy Cimatu (of Environment and Natural Resources) may be an expert on Middle East, but he, too has other jobs. So what is important is for the nation to have a full-time secretary whose only job is to attend to the welfare and concern of OFWs,” he added.

As for the problem of water distribution in Metro Manila and neighboring areas, Cayetano said he supports the President’s decision for the government to have a new contract with water distributors Maynilad Water Services and Manila Water.

“I am thankful that the two water concessionaires have already declared they are willing to talk, they are willing to look at it. So we hope the new contract could come out in the first quarter of this year. The earlier we can resolve it, the better for consumers,” he said.

The President wants “onerous” provisions in the existing agreements with Maynilad and Manila Water to be taken out.

Cayetano said he does not think Duterte’s order for the scrapping of those provisions would affect the investment climate in the country.

He said the planned creation of a Department of Water Resources could be the long-term solution to the water supplydistribution crisis.

In a related development, Bagong Henerasyon Party-list Rep. Bernadette Herrera echoed the House leadership’s position when it lauded President Duterte for demonstrating the political will to correct the onerous provisions of the agreements.

“As the President has stated, the time of reckoning has come for the two water concessionaires. We have been saying all along that the agreements are disadvantageous to the Filipino consumers,” Herrera said.

IRAN...

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the Soleimani killing, and fears grew of an all-out war between the United States and Iran.

Washington has said the Soleimani strike was carried out to prevent “imminent”, large-scale attacks on US embassies. Iran had vowed “severe revenge” for Soleimani before launching missiles at the bases in Iraq.

built the Ecoland 4000 Tower in Davao City that collapsed after a magnitude 6.6 earthquake hit Mindanao in October last year.

Duterte even went as far as threatening to deny permits for Consunji, who also runs coal mines under Semirara Mining and Power Corp.

The President even threatened to suspend the permit of DMCI, one of the country’s top construction companies and a leading property developer.

“Those having problems in the Philippines are the rich,” Duterte said in Filipino.

“The Consunjis, one of their four condos collapsed. He spoke about the water concession issue. You are the one who’s having problem, Consunji, you’re a builder, if I’m

STREET DANCE. Students from various schools in Navotas City in Metro Manila do a rhythmic street dance in the runup to the Pangisdaan Festival, to be held on Thursday to celebrate the founding of Navotas City, sometimes referred to as the 'Fishing Capital of the Philippines'. The celebrations include boat races, street dancing performances, and floating parades—not to mention, of course, the fish markets. Andrew Rabulan

“Human error at time of crisis caused by US adventurism led to disaster,” Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif tweeted.

“Our profound regrets, apologies and condolences to our people, to the families of all victims, and to other affected nations.”

Iran has invited the United States, Ukraine, Canada and others to join the crash investigation.

The majority of passengers on UIA Flight PS752 which had just taken off from Tehran were IranianCanadian dual nationals but also in-

cluded Ukrainians, Afghans, Britons and Swedes.

It was Iran’s worst civil aviation disaster since the US military shot down an Iran Air plane over the Gulf by mistake in July 1988, killing all 290 people on board.

Video footage of the UIA 737, which the New York Times said it had verified, emerged and appeared to show the moment the airliner was hit.

A fast-moving object is seen rising at an angle into the sky before a bright flash appears, which dims

mad at you. I will not grant you any permit,” he said during the turnover of financial aid to farmers in Pigcauayan town, Cotabato province.

Duterte mentioned that the portions of the Ecoland 4000 tower, which was built

by DMCI subsidiary DMC Urban Property Developers Inc., collapsed, causing injuries to several tenants and temporarily trapping some inside the building.

“We poor people, we don’t have a problem. Those facing problems are the rich like Consunji. Of his four condominiums, one collapsed. Out of all the buildings in Davao, only his property suffered major damage,” he said.

Consunji, who is also the vice chairman

and then continues moving forward.

Several seconds later, an explosion is heard and the sky lights up.

Many airlines from around the world canceled flights to and Iran in the wake of the crash, or rerouted flights away from Iranian airspace.

Nations around the world have called for restraint and deescalation, and fears of a full-blown conflict have subsided after US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that Iran appeared to be standing down after targeting the US bases in Iraq. AFP

of Maynilad, earlier spoke that both Maynilad and Manila Water would go bankrupt should Duterte push through with revoking water supply deals for Metro Manila.

Consunji was quoted as saying in a Manila Standard report that the utility firms would go under as they have no way of repaying debts if their contracts are rescinded.

The businessman also said it was the government, and not the private firms, who drafted the terms of the contract that the President found “onerous.”

The Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System revoked the contract extensions for the two water companies for “onerous” concession deals.

RODY...

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In 2018, Duterte launched a tirade against the brutal death of Filipino worker Joanna Demafelis. The Philippine government imposed a temporary deployment ban of workers to Kuwait.

The incident triggered negotiations to forge an agreement providing additional protection for Filipino workers in Kuwait.

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MAKATI CLOSES HOTEL KTV BAR AND SEX DEN

LONG WAY TO GO. A car makes its way through thick fog mixed with bushfire smoke in the Ruined Castle area of the Blue Mountains, some 75 kilometers from Sydney, on Jan. 11, 2020. Massive bushfires in southeastern Australia have a ‘long way to go,’ authorities have warned, even as colder conditions brought some relief to exhausted firefighters and communities. AFP

BARMM AUDITOR KILLED; ALL-OUT PROBE SOUGHT COTABATO CITY—Rep. Esmael Mangudadatu of the second district of Maguindanao on Saturday strongly condemned the killing of a senior state auditor in this city.

Guiara Bagundang Akmad, 57, succumbed to multiple gunshots in a drive-by shooting Friday noon at the Citymall car park on Avenlina Street, Barangay Rosary Heights.

Akmad was a supervising auditor of the Commission on Audit in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao. She was assigned to Maguindanao.

“I strongly denounce the treacherous killing of Guiaria Bagundang Akmad,” Mangudadatu said in a statement hours after Akmad’s shooting.

Mangudadatu described Akmad as a person of principle and integrity whose dedication and love for her family and work is beyond question.

“Her demise is a strong indication that the rise of violence and disorder is upon Maguindanao,” he said, adding that “May the wrath of the Almighty Allah be at the heels of those who have the blood of Akmad in their hands.”

Akmad was with her husband in a car when shot by one of two men riding tandem in a motorcycle while they were exiting from the Citymall car park.

Akmad, who bore multiple gunshot wounds, was rushed but failed to reach the Cotabato Regional and Medical Center alive.

The victim’s husband, who was driving the car, was unscathed during the incident.

Maj. Rustom Pastolero, Police Station 2 chief, said investigation on the case is still going on. PNA

COMMUTER BOAT ADDS TO METRO FERRY SYSTEM

By Joel E. Zurbano

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HE Metropolitan Manila Development Authority has introduced a new commuter boat to improve the service of Pasig River Ferry system as an alternative mode of transportation in the metropolis.

The brand new air-conditioned boat, which brings to eight the total number of operational ferries, has a capacity of at least 150 passengers.

MMDA deputy chairman Frisco San Juan said the additional ferry will be useful during rush hours and will start operating this week.

The launching of the new boat coincided with the MMDA’s signing of cooperation agreement with Dito Telecommunity and Nautical Transport Service Inc. The cooperation of the private sectors would help the agency develop the route and operate additional boats.

To further expand the operations

and cater more passengers, the MMDA is also planning to construct three more ferry stations in Quinta Market in Manila, Circuit Makati in Makati City, and Kalawaan in Pasig City.

The agency relaunched the Pasig River Ferry service and offered free rides to the public last month until the end of January to address the worsening traffic situation in the metropolis.

Commuters will be accommodated on a first-come, first-served basis.

The free boat ride, according to MMDA chairman Danilo Lim, is one way of giving back to the people for their support to the ferry sys-

tem since the revival of its operation.

“This will also attract more commuters to patronize the ferry boat service along the historical Pasig River, especially with current concerns about vehicular traffic along EDSA,” Lim said.

The ferry system covers 12 other terminals—Pinagbuhatan, and San Joaquin in Pasig City; Guadalupe and Valenzuela in Makati City; Hulo in Mandaluyong City; PUP Sta. Mesa, Sta. Ana, Lambingan, Lawton, Escolta, and Plaza Mexico, all in Manila.

The system operates from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily from Mondays to Sundays.

The MMDA revived the system as a means to decongest Metro Manila’s major roads affected by road construction projects being carried out by the Duterte administration.

Lim said the program has two other purposes: Boost Metro Manila’s tourism and use it for disaster and rescue purposes.

WASTE MANAGEMENT.

Construction workers along Roxas Boulevard in Manila work on a drainage to manage the waste that could end up in the waters of Manila Bay. Norman Cruz

CRUISE SHIP MAKES 2ND CALL ON ILOCOS PORT

By Maricel V. Cruz A NONDESCRIPT port in Ilocos Sur takes on its second port call from the Royal Caribbean this week with some 6,000 passengers.

House Deputy Speaker Deogracias Victor Savellano said it was a surprise to Ilocano folk that huge cruise ships are making port calls on this rustic Salomague town.

The first was on the early morning of Dec. 26, 2019 when the MV Spectrum of the Royal Caribbean made its maiden trip to Salomague. Another came on Jan. 6, 2020.

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It brightened prospects in the tourism industry for Salomague and the province of Ilocos Sur, Savellano of Ilocos Sur's First District said.

According to Savellano, the development of the Salomague Port is part of a long-term development plan that would boost tourism and the economy of the province.

“That is part of a development plan that we made in the First District—to develop the port for cruise ships rather than a container port which could have some adverse effect on the environment,” Savellano says.

“The construction of a coastal road

was also part of this plan—to make the airport more accessible to tourists from the Salomague Port,” he added.

Relative to this development, the Ilocos Sur lawmaker asked the Department of Tourism and Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority to build world-class restrooms in the 11 municipalities of the province to serve local and foreign tourists.

Savellano said there is so much to do and so many things to see in Ilocos Sur. “Soak in the sun at the nearby Cabugao Beach or head south to historic Vigan or lounge on the secluded beaches of nearby Cabugao. And for

a more urban excursion, head about an hour south to historic Vigan City where Spanish colonial architecture have been preserved,” Savellano said.

Take a tour of the old city on a horsedrawn carriage, the kalesa, and travel back to the colonial times, he added.

After a historic sight-seeing, nothing beats a cool buco juice or a dig into the province’s gastronomic delights like the crispy bagnet, Ilocos empanada or Vigan longanisa, to name a few.

Savellano said Ilocos Sur has a lot to offer and that the doors of Salomague Port is open to welcome all its visitors.

THE Makati City government padlocked a KTV bar inside a hotel situated near the city’s Central Business District for having engaged in sex trafficking.

The city’s Business Permit and Licensing Office shut down the KTV Bar at a penthouse of Makati Palace Hotel along Burgos Street in Barangay BelAir following a police raid Friday. Two Taiwanese nationals were found operating an alleged prostitution den.

City Administrator Claro Certeza and Chief Legal Officer Michael Arthur Camina signed the closure order, citing the KTV bar owners Shih Fang Chen, 65, and Po Yi Chen, 55, violated the Expanded Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2012 and Section 4A.01 of the Revised Makati Revenue Code or operating without a mayor’s permit.

Aside from the owners, 14 Chinese customers—all employees of a Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator company—were also placed under police custody.

Police raided the KTV bar after they received a tip from an informant regarding the illegal activities, involving POGO workers, inside the establishment.

Thirteen Filipino women were rescued during the police operation and brought to the city’s Social Welfare and Development Office.

Last year, two Chinese nationals were also arrested in Makati on charges of sex trafficking Vietnamese women.

The National Capital Region Police Office busted the racket following confidential information regarding a sex trade involving foreign nationals in Barangay San Antonio.

The suspects, identified as Kuang Meiting and Li Xuemei, were arrested in an entrapment operation conducted by men from the NCRPO-Regional Special Operations Unit and Women, and Children Protection DivisionRegional Investigation and Detective Management Division in coordination with personnel from the Makati City Police Station.

The authorities swooped down room numbers 519, 803, 924, and 1823 of Avida Asten Tower 2 located along Malugay Street and rescued six Vietnamese women.

The city government had declared an indefinite moratorium on the issuance of new business licenses and permits to service providers of POGO due to rising criminality and prostitution. Joel E. Zurbano

CHINA SCHOOLS BECKON TO PH ENGLISH TUTORS FILIPINO teachers may find employment opportunities in China as English tutors.

In an advisory on Saturday, the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration said four tertiary educational institutions in China need English teachers—the Northwest A&F University, Yancheng Teachers University, Yiwu Industrial & Commercial College, and Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine.

It added that it is now accepting applications through its Government Placement Branch.

The POEA said interested applicants must have a bachelor’s degree in education or English language and must be a graduate of Philippine educational institutions accredited by the Ministry of Education of the People’s Republic of China. (http://www. poea.gov.ph/news/2020/PH-TEI%20 LIST%20accredited%20by %20 PRoC12263.pdf) They also asked qualified applicants to register online at www.poea.gov.ph or at http://onlineservices.poea.gov.ph/OnlineServices/ POEAOnline.aspx.

Applicants are required to personally submit documents at the counters of the Manpower Registry Division, Ground Floor, Blas F. Ople Building (formerly POEA Building), Ortigas Avenue corner EDSA, Mandaluyong City.

The following are the requirements for registration: Passport with at least six-month validity upon submission of application, PSA Birth Certificate, 2 pieces of 2x2 recent ID pictures, school credentials, relevant to the position applied for, PRC board certificate, employment certificates, relevant to the position applied for (if required), certificate/ diploma of highest educational attainment, transcript of records and printed copy of worker’s information sheet/E-Registration (log-in at http:// onlineservices.poea.gov.ph/OnlineServices/POEAOnline.aspx).

The agency said all documents must be fastened in a folder labeled with RSF no., applicant’s name, position applied for, country of destination, PEOS online number and E-Registration number. PNA

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CHR TO PROBE SOLON’S KILLING

By Maricel V. Cruz

T

HE Commission on Human Rights will initiate a probe on the killing of a former Batangas lawmaker and two others whose charred remains were found inside a car in Quezon province Thursday.

“The Commission on Human Rights condemns this horrible act, along with the number of vigilante killings against present and former government officials,” CHR spokesperson Jacqueline de Guia said.

De Guia said the killing of former Batangas Rep. Edgar Mendoza, his

bodyguard Ruel Ruiz and his driver Nicanor Mendoza, “is a deplorable display of barbarity and cruelty.”

“Vigilante killings, which arbitrarily deprives individuals of the right to life, contributes to the growing culture of impunity,” De Guia said.

The CHR has endorsed the case for

investigation to its Calabarzon office, she added.

“The State bears the ultimate responsibility and duty to protect its citizens, hence the Commission calls upon law enforcement agencies to act quickly to bring justice to the victims and their family,” De Guia said.

Police said residents reported the presence of a burning vehicle in Barangay San Francisco in Tiaong. Authorities discovered the remains of the victims inside the vehicle after putting out the fire.

The Justice department has ordered the National Bureau of Investigation to do a parallel probe of the

circumstances surrounding the death of the victims.

Initial investigation showed that Mendoza left his residence to attend a meeting in Calamba City, Laguna, on Wednesday. He was with his driver and an aide when he left his house.

Mendoza’s family reported him missing when he failed to get home on Wednesday night, investigators said.

Mendoza, a lawyer, once served as Immigration commissioner during the Arroyo administration.

He represented the Second District of Batangas in the 11th Congress from 1998 to 2001.

ASSISTANCE. President Duterte (below) leads the distribution of farm equipment (left) and farm inputs such as certified seeds and fertilizers (above) to Soccsksargen farmers. Presidential Photo

DUTERTE CONDOLES WITH OMAN PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte has condoled with Oman over the death of Sultan Qaboos bin Said, who has ruled the Gulf State since 1970.

“On behalf of the Filipino nation, President Rodrigo Duterte expresses his sincere condolences and offers his fervent prayers to the government and people of the Sultanate of Oman as they mourn their beloved leader,” Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo said on Saturday.

“Sultan Qaboos was a man of vision and foresight who transformed his country into a modern and stable nation it is known today. We thank His Majesty for graciously hosting thousands of Filipinos who work and consider Oman their

second home,” he added.

Qaboos, 79, died Friday night, state media Oman News Agency confirmed as it declared a three-day period of national mourning.

The longest-serving Arab leader, Qaboos deposed his father in a palace coup in 1970.

Oman had been an isolated state during the reign of Qaboos’ father, but he transformed into a new era when he ruled the Gulf nation.

Qaboos was unmarried and had no children or a direct heir at the time of his death.

Haitham bin Tariq, Oman’s culture minister and the 65-year-old cousin of the late sultan, has been sworn in as the new royal ruler.

“Haitham bin Tariq was

sworn in as the new sultan of the country...after a meeting of the family which decided to appoint the one who was chosen by the sultan,” the Omani government said in a tweet.

Most experts had expected the throne to go to Asad bin Tariq, another cousin, who was appointed deputy prime minister for international relations and cooperation affairs in 2017 in what was seen as a clear message of support.

Haitham, a sports enthusiast, held the position of undersecretar y of the ministry of foreign affairs for political affairs before becoming the minister of heritage and culture in the mid-1990s. PNA, AFP

FARMERS RECEIVE P58-M AID

PARK REHAB.

Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong (left) accompanies Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat (center) and Interior Secretary Eduardo Año (right) during an inspection of Burnham Park on Friday, Jan. 10. Specific spots in the park that would undergo major rehabilitation are the Burnham Lake and the children’s playground. PNA

PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte on Friday distributed P58 million worth of agricultural assistance to farmers in Soccsksargen.

Among the farm equipment turned over by the President were six four-wheel drive tractors, five rice combine harvesters, and 27 hand tractors. He likewise distributed fertilizers and certified seeds.

“It is my hope that the farm inputs and machinery to be distributed today will reinforce the short and long term solutions that we have already implemented that aim to raise greater productivity and competitiveness in the agricultural sector,” Duterte said.

The President also extended financial assistance to the farmers through the Rice Farmers Financial Assistance cash cards worth P5,000 each. Onehundred rice farmers from Libungan,

Cotabato received the financial aid.

He also promised to invest in muchneeded infrastructure such as farm-tomarket roads, irrigation systems, farm equipment and other tools aimed at increasing rice productivity.

At the same time, the President pitched for the continuous implementation of the Rice Tariffication Law, assuring farmers that the measure will help strengthen the country’s economy and provide more opportunities for the agricultural sector.

“To our dear farmers, let me take this opportunity to encourage you to give the Rice Tariffication Law a chance. Let me assure you that in the long run, this measure will not only help strengthen our economy, but will also provide new opportunities for your sector,” he said. PNA

AÑO: NO EXCUSE FOR ‘SNATCHER’ COP

By Joel E. Zurbano INTERIOR Secretary Eduardo Año said there was no excuse for action of a police general who snatched the mobile phone of GMA-7 reporter Jun Veneracion during the Traslacion of the Black Nazarene in Manila last Thursday.

“He [Southern Police District chief Police Brigadier General Nolasco Bathan] should not have done that,” Año said, adding that he will order a probe on the incident.

“Even if it was not Jun Veneracion, even if it was just an ordinary person, you cannot just snatch someone’s phone. That is not among the actions that can be taken by a police officer,” he added.

Veneracion captured on video a policeman manhandling a Black Nazarene devotee along Ayala Bridge, which in turn apparently prompted Bathan to snatch the latter’s phone.

Bathan returned the phone after about 20 minutes and apologized, but insisted he thought the journalist was “someone who

poses threat during the procession.”

Veneracion’s video was already in the “Recently Deleted” album when his phone was returned to him.

The Commission on Human Rights likewise strongly condemned the unnecessary force exhibited by law enforcers against the devotee, as well as Bathan’s action.

“The use of excessive force was unnecessary, and the latter can be considered suppression of the freedom of the press,” said CHR spokesperson Jacqueline de Guia.

De Guia said Traslacion is a public event where the police are assigned “to protect the people and to de-escalate situations that could lead to violence.”

“The Filipino people deserve to be made aware of incidents that prove otherwise. The media has a responsibility to inform the public. Active threats and suppression of the press are not actions indicative of a healthy police force, and this type of behavior must be nipped at the bud,” she said.

EYE CANDIES. A vendor sorts paintings for sale at the Plaza Rajah Sulayman in Manila on Saturday, Jan. 11. Norman Cruz

MEGHAN RETURNS TO CANADA PRINCE Harry’s wife Meghan has returned to Canada following the couple’s bombshell announcement that they were quitting their frontline royal duties as the monarch held urgent talks with her family to resolve the crisis.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex spent an extended Christmas holiday in Canada with their son before returning to break the news this week that they would “step back” from their royal roles.

The Daily Mail newspaper reported that Meghan flew back on Thursday, having never intended to be in Britain long, and “may stay there for the foreseeable future.”

“I can confirm reports that the duchess is in Canada,” the couple’s spokeswoman told AFP, without confirming the Mail’s report that Harry was likely to join his wife and eightmonth-old son in Canada shortly.

Several Canadian media reported Meghan had returned to Vancouver island off the country’s Pacific coast, where the family spent the year-end holidays and where baby Archie had remained with his nanny.

Senior royals were caught off guard by Wednesday’s announcement that the Sussexes wanted to seek a “progressive new role” and divide their time between Britain and North America.

In Washington, President Donald Trump weighed in, telling Fox News that he found the spat “sad.”

“I just have such respect for the queen. I don’t think this should be happening,” he said.

Queen Elizabeth II’s office issued a terse statement the same evening, saying there were “complicated issues that will take time to work through.”

But a Palace source on Thursday said the queen had instructed aides to work “at pace” with Meghan and Harry and the government “to find workable solutions.” AFP

P60.7M GIVEN TO TYPHOON-HIT E. VISAYAS TACLOBAN CITY—The Department of Social Welfare and Development has extended a total of P60.7 million in assistance to Eastern Visayas, which was hit by two typhoons in December.

The department gave P43.8 million worth of assistance for families affected by Typhoon “Tisoy” that lashed Samar provinces on Dec. 2 while P16.9 million worth of relief supplies were released to victims of Typhoon “Ursula” that crossed the region on Christmas Eve. The DSWD assistance is on top of the P16.7-million aid initially provided by the affected local government units.

DSWD-Eastern Visayas regional disaster response operations division information officer Joshua Kempis said relief operations are still ongoing.

“The LGU is always the first responder in any disaster. When needed, we extend support by augmenting their supply,” Kempis said.

Some 24,331 family food packs have been transported and distributed to Tisoy victims in the Samar provinces and 39,839 relief packs for Ursula victims in Leyte, Biliran, Western and Eastern Samar.

Each food pack contains six kilos of rice, four cans of corned beef, four cans of meat loaf, six sachets of coffee, good for three to five days for a family of five members. Also distributed are non-food items such as blankets, tarpaulins, and malong (tube skirt). PNA

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Opinion

Adelle Chua, Editor mst.daydesk@gmail.com

AS YOUNG INDIA PROTESTS, YOUNG BOLLYWOOD FINDS ITS VOICE

EDITORIAL

BIG-TIME SNATCHER

Q

UIAPO, Manila is not a place one can confidently walk around holding one’s valuables. This part of town is known for having many petty criminals ready to snatch one’s phone, wallet, or watch if one were the least bit unguarded.

When he turned and tried to get his phone back, yet another cop prevented him from approaching the “snatcher.”

Fortunately, Veneracion had the presence of mind to recall that the cop who took his phone had stars on his shoulders— Brigadier General Nolasco Bathan, chief of the Southern Police District.

When he managed to get near Bathan, the general supposedly threw a fit and threatened to take his hand-held radio; it was only much later that a calmer, friendlier Bathan supposedly told him: “I’m sorry, Jun, I didn’t recognize you.”

Last Thursday, however, it was not a petty thief but a police general who took a journalist’s cell phone from his hands.

Covering the annual Feast of the Black Nazarene Nov. 9, GMA reporter Jun Veneracion was recording a commotion between cops and one devotee who was being dragged to the ground. One cop pushed the devotee, yet another held him in a chokehold.

Suddenly, a man “darted out of nowhere and snatched my mobile unit.

He quickly moved away from the scene,” said Veneracion in a Facebook post.

When Veneracion looked for the video, he found it in his “recently deleted” folder. It is now posted on social media, including the last few seconds where a man was clearly heard saying “burahin mo, (delete it).”

As of press time, no comments have been obtained from Bathan or from the Philippine National Police. We wonder how they would explain away the very obvious violation of rights committed against both the hapless devotee and the journalist who was just trying to do his job recording events that transpired during the annual event.

It is not clear what the cops had against the devotee, and we doubt if anything would justify the way he was dealt with by so many policemen.

What is clear is that Bathan saw something that he felt must not be made known to the public, and out of

impulse took matters, quite literally, into his own hands.

President Rodrigo Duterte has yet to appoint the next PNP chief after the disgraceful exit of the most recent one, General Oscar Albayalde who was tagged in the so-called ninja-cops scandal. We are certain this gap does not necessarily mean the police force is rudderless or unhinged, as the police force tries to rehabilitate its image and as thousands of conscientious cops strive to give the organization its good name.

Bathan’s actuations, however, are a jarring reminder that there are some exceptions to the general effort.

We hope something is done by the leadership in this regard—unless it agrees that the PNP has the right to stifle the people’s right to know about what is really going on from the very organization mandated to protect them.

By Ammu Kannampilly FEARING a backlash from fans, politicians and religious zealots, Bollywood stars have in the past usually steered clear of India's fiery politics. But the country's top actress may have changed that.

Signalling a possible generational shift, Deepika Padukone waded into a sea of student protesters in Delhi on Tuesday night, evoking loud cheers from the surprised crowd.

Few had any inkling that Padukone would attend the demonstration at a prestigious university where the leftleaning student body has long been in the crosshairs of India's ruling party.

Her appearance sparked a social media war between those wanting her new film boycotted—suggesting her only motive was publicity for the movie which released Friday—and others applauding her courage.

Either way, many said the moment marked a watershed in India's multibillion-dollar Hindi movie industry.

"It was a gutsy move," said Mumbaibased novelist and commentator Shobhaa De, and reflected a "big shift" for Bollywood.

"Stars today understand that their constituency is young India, and young India respects people who speak up," De told AFP. In a country where obedience to elders is all but enshrined in law, young Indians are demanding the right to be heard, protesting against everything from university fee hikes to most recently a new citizenship law criticized as anti-Muslim.

And in an age ruled by social media, even movie stars are not insulated from the issues that matter to their fans.

WHY THE SECRET TO CHANGING YOURSELF IS CHANGING THE WORLD

IT IS often said that if we want to change the world, we must begin with ourselves.

There is wisdom in this recommendation.

If we want others to act on a big problem, we might want to start by making a good example. Plus, while we have a very limited control over what happens in the world around us, we can control how we behave and how we react to what happens to us.

Given the scale of the world’s problems—bushfires killing a billion animals in Australia or world governments failing to act on the climate crisis as the world inches closer to tipping points—it is worth examining the opposite approach. If we want to improve our situation in life, we might have to fight for a better world.

There is growing scientific evidence that this might be a more effective approach in making long-term improvements to our collective wellbeing. Let us examine the evidence.

According to surveys, among the most common New Year’s resolutions include exercising more, losing weight, eating

healthier foods, reading more, saving more money, and quitting smoking.

The challenge of keeping New Year’s resolutions is usually framed as a problem of self-control. Do you want to lose weight or spend less time on social media? All you need is self-control.

However, according to a 2011 study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, the people who rated themselves as being the best at selfcontrol also reported experiencing fewer temptations throughout their day. In other words, the people who said they were good at self-control rarely exercised it.

This result lines up with the findings of a more recent paper published in the journal Social Psychological and Personality Science. In the study, participants who experienced more temptations, and who therefore had to practice self-control more often, were less successful in accomplishing their goals.

In addition to higher rates of failure, the study participants who were subjected to more temptations and exerted more self-control also reported feeling more depleted.

On the other hand, the participants who experienced fewer temptations, and who therefore rarely practiced selfcontrol, were more successful in their goals.

These findings have tremendous practical applications for improving public health and financial wellness.

Instead of exhorting people to practice self-control over their diet or their financial choices, these studies suggest that we can get better results by changing people’s environment so that they are subjected to fewer temptations.

This effect can be seen in a 2015 study published in the journal Health Affairs.

The study works on the well-known idea of a “food desert.” Food deserts are areas where access to healthier food options is not readily available. People living in food deserts have to travel farther in order to buy nutritious foods.

The study found that opening a local supermarket that offers healthier options improved the health outcomes of a community when compared to a community that remained a food desert.

The effect of environmental changes to better behavioral outcomes is the central concern of the increasingly popular Nudge Theory in behavioral science.

In their influential book “Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness”, economist Richard Thaler and legal scholar Cass Sunstein define a nudge as “any aspect of the choice architecture that alters people’s behavior in a predictable way without forbidding any options or significantly changing their economic incentives.”

An example of a nudge is the placement of foods in a store. For example, several studies suggest that

placing fruits and healthy snacks near the cash register made people buy them more. Meanwhile, placing more sugary foods farther, in places that are harder to see, made people buy less of them.

While these suggestions sound obvious, the fact is that there are powerful vested interests intent on keeping the status quo. There is, after all, billions in profit to be had selling highcalorie, low-nutrient foods and drinks.

Another example that shows the necessity of changing the world involves the effect of public spaces and public transportation on health and wellbeing.

A mountain of evidence supports the idea that the existence of public spaces such as parks and improvements in public transportation both have very big impacts on public health. They range from the obvious—more parks means more physically active citizens—to the less apparent—more convenient public transportation means people can use their mental energies to make better life choices.

Again, obvious as these suggestions sound, they require big shifts in public policy and spending. In other words, they require changing the world.

As we try to improve ourselves in this new year, we must not forget to also actively participate in political and social pushes to change the world into one where making better life choices is easier than making bad ones.

‘CANNOT STAY NEUTRAL’ Another factor is events on the ground since Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government passed the citizenship law last month.

Hundreds of thousands of people have participated in demonstrations nationwide, and at least 25 have been killed in clashes with police.

Last Sunday, masked attackers went on the rampage at Delhi's Jawaharlal Nehru University, injuring 34 people and sparking yet more protests.

"Ultimately the film industry is a microcosm of society, and I don't think images of bloodied students go down well with middle-class Indians," Richa Chadha, another actress, told AFP. "Actors are not elected officials but they can sense the mood of the nation," she added.

A year ago, Modi posed for a nowfamous selfie with the who's-who of Bollywood, including Padukone's husband Ranveer Singh.

Sidharth Malhotra and Varun Dhawan, two of the stars who appeared in that selfie last January, have now both spoken out against the violence.

"My heart goes out to all the students back home in Delhi," Malhotra tweeted last month, calling it "sad to see violence against citizens for voicing their opinion through peaceful protests."

"I think we cannot stay neutral in such issues," said Dhawan.

‘AWAKENED CONSCIENCE’ In contrast to Bollywood's younger generation, the old guard including superstars such as Shah Rukh Khan, Aamir Khan and Amitabh Bachchan have not commented on the protests.

They perhaps have learned the hard lesson that sticking your neck out is a dangerous business, risking film boycotts, the loss of lucrative sponsorship deals, or worse.

Padukone's last release "Padmaavat" came under fire from religious radicals linked to Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) who objected to her portrayal of the legendary Hindu queen in the epic.

Mobs attacked the director and vandalized the set. One BJP politician even offered a bounty for the actress to be beheaded, and a Molotov cocktail was lobbed at a cinema.

On Friday, cabinet minister Smriti Irani accused Padukone of being unpatriotic and standing "with people who wanted the destruction of India."

"You are damned if you speak up and damned if you don't," said Chadha. AFP

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BRITAIN WANTS DIPLOMAT’S WIFE EXTRADITED FOR TEEN’S CAR DEATH LONDON—The British government announced Friday that it has formally requested the extradition of the wife of a US diplomat who left the country after being involved in a car accident that killed a teenager.

The US State Department responded by saying such an extradition would be "an abuse" because the woman had diplomatic immunity.

"Following the Crown Prosecution Service's charging decision, the Home Office has sent an extradition request to the United States for Anne Sacoolas on charges of causing death by dangerous driving," a Home Office spokesman said.

"This is now a decision for the US authorities." The case of Anna Sacoolas, 42, has been a thorn in London's close relations with Washington, stirring up debates over the limits of diplomatic immunity in cases unrelated to national security.

It has been a political headache for British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who is cultivating trade relations with Washington in a bid to offset the potential damage of Britain's withdrawal from the EU. Briton Harry Dunn, 19, died on August 27 when his motorbike collided with a car driving on the wrong side of the road near an airbase in Northamptonshire, central England, which is used by the US military as a communications hub.

Sacoolas admitted in October to being the driver, but has cited immunity while refusing to return to Britain to face justice, as Dunn's parents demand. AFP

LONG-REIGNING OMAN SULTAN QABOOS DIES, 79 MUSCAT, Oman—Sultan Qaboos, the longest-reigning leader of the modern Arab world, has died at the age of 79, the royal court said Saturday.

"With great sorrow and deep sadness... the royal court mourns His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said, who passed away on Friday," the court said in a statement.

Qaboos, who has ruled since 1970 when he deposed his father in a palace coup, had been ill for some time and had been believed to be suffering from colon cancer.

He left no apparent heir. He was unmarried and had no children or brothers.

It is not clear who will succeed Qaboos, whose country has a distinct method of choosing the next ruler.

According to the Omani constitution, the royal family shall, within three days of the throne falling vacant, determine the successor.

If the family does not agree on a name, the person chosen by Qaboos in a letter addressed to the royal family will be the successor.

The sultan should be a member of the royal family, as well as "Muslim, mature, rational and the legitimate son of Omani Muslim parents."

Local experts say that more than 80 men meet the criteria, but one name stands: Asad bin Tariq.

Tariq, 65, had been appointed deputy prime minister for international relations and cooperation affairs in 2017.

The move was seen as a clear message of support to the sultan's cousin and "special representative" since 2002.

Qaboos transformed the Arabian Peninsula nation from a backwater into a modern state while pursuing a moderate but active foreign policy. AFP

Cesar Barrioquinto, Editor / Jimbo Gulle, Issue Editor

‘WE WANT THIS’: HK ELECTION TOURISTS JOIN TAIWAN RALLIES

CRUCIAL POLL. Residents vote at a polling station at Linyuan District in Kaohsiung on Saturday. Taiwanese voters headed to the polls on January 11 for a closely watched presidential and parliamentary election in which the island’s fraught relationship with China is taking center stage. AFP

RAIN BRINGS RELIEF, BUT FIRES ‘LONG WAY TO GO’

M

OGO, Australia— Massive bushfires in southeastern Australia still have a "long way to go," authorities have warned, even as colder conditions brought some relief to exhausted firefighters and communities on Saturday.

After a blustery night that saw a series of massive infernos in New South Wales and Victoria states merge into a mega-blaze four times the size of Greater London, temperatures dropped, and rain fell on firescarred regions.

"Whilst it was a very long and—in parts of New South Wales—difficult night, we're relieved this morning that no lives have been lost and no substantial property damage," New

South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian told reporters on Saturday.

The milder conditions are expected to last around a week, giving firefighters time to try to get the fires under control.

New South Wales Rural Fire Service commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons described the conditions as the "best seven days we have had without a rise of very dangerous fire ratings."

In a matter of months, the catastrophic bushfires have killed at least 26 people, destroyed more than 2,000 homes and scorched some 10 million hectares (25 million acres)—an area larger than South Korea or Portugal.

University researchers estimate that more than one billion mammals, birds and reptiles have been killed in the blazes.

Despite the cool change, authorities warned that the bushfire season is not yet over, with hundreds of fires across several states still raging.

The head of a firefighting "strike team" in the village of Towamba, Nathan Barnden, told AFP the rainfall

was "fantastic" but "not enough at this stage to put these fires out".

"We're going to need hundreds of millimetres over a period of time to... make firefighting easier for us," he said.

In Victoria state, Premier Daniel Andrews called on communities to remain vigilant and warned that the months-long crisis was "a long way from over."

That message echoed in the town of Mogo, where what remains of the main street was still without power and the few open businesses were running on generators.

Local resident and father-of-two Mark Bucke, 49, said the last 10 days had "been hell, especially with kids."

"We didn't have bread or milk for probably four days."

Bucke said many people in the area had been struggling to cope through the crisis: "It would've been like when there was a war or something, you couldn't get what you usually get— just the basics—that was the worst part." AFP

UNDER RUSSIAN PRESSURE, UN OKS SCALED-BACK SYRIA AID UNITED NATIONS—The UN Security Council voted Friday to renew crossborder aid to Syria but under pressure from Russia scaled back the program, which has been helping millions in the war-ravaged country since 2014.

The assistance is being prolonged for only six months, whereas it had been extended yearly previously.

And deliveries will now be made from only two points, which are along Syria's border with Turkey, down from four.

After a series of concessions by Western countries since late December, the resolution extending the aid was passed by 11 votes in favor and four abstentions which came from Russia, China, the United States and Britain. The existing mandate was to

expire Friday.

Belgium and France expressed disappointment over the scaling back of the aid.

"Eleven million Syrians need humanitarian assistance," said Belgian Ambassador Marc Pecsteen de Buytswerve.

The US ambassador, Kelly Craft, meanwhile said "Syrians will die with this resolution."

Russia, a key backer of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, saw international authorization of cross- border aid shipments as a "breach of sovereignty" a western diplomat said.

The diplomat said Russia wanted to force recognition that Damascus had largely retaken control of territory inside Syria a year ago, admitting that Moscow was in a "strong position" in

the face-off with western countries.

The western concessions to Russia keep the program alive but on a reduced scale.

The aid is vital for almost three million Syrians living in the northern Idlib region, where fighting and bombardments have increased in recent weeks.

The resolution extends cross border aid until July 10. It does away with two entry points, one along the border with Turkey and the other on the frontier with Iraq. The latter helped 1.3 million people in northeast Syria.

At the insistence of Germany and Belgium, the council asked Secretary General Antonio Guterres to compile a report by the end of February on finding an alternative to the aid point on the Iraqi border, which is the town of Al Yarubiyah. AFP

TAIPEI—At a raucous election rally for Taiwanese president Tsai Ingwen, Hong Konger Karen Leung surveyed the huge crowd of excited flag-waving voters as a rap song blasted over the loudspeakers and sighed: "We want to have elections like this."

Leung is one of scores of Hong Kong election tourists who have travelled to Taiwan this week to witness something denied to them—universal suffrage.

Tsai, who is seeking a second term, has repeatedly invoked the seven months of pro-democracy protests engulfing the financial hub as a warning call for what might happen should Beijing succeed in its wish to one day take control of Taiwan.

Her opponent Han Kuo-yu of the Kuomintang party favors warmer ties with China but has also promised to defend the island's freedoms.

In the days running up to Saturday's presidential and parliamentary elections, Hong Kongers have become an increasingly common sight at Tsai's rallies.

"I feel like there is hope here (in Taiwan)," Leung, a 26-year-old accountant, told AFP after getting a tote bag stamped with Hong Kong's pro-democracy protests slogans at a booth on the sidelines of Tsai's final rally on Friday night.

"Taiwan has its freedom and they are standing up to China," she added.

Hong Kong's democracy activists have long maintained close ties with Taipei, an island that transitioned from decades of dictatorship into one of Asia's most liberal democracies. AFP

LIBYA, IRAN TOP AGENDA IN MERKEL-PUTIN MEETING MOSCOW—Confrontation between Washington and Tehran over the US killing of a top general and turmoil in Libya are set to dominate talks in Moscow on Saturday between the leaders of Russia and Germany.

Russia's Vladimir Putin will hold talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Moscow on Saturday afternoon—her first visit since May 2018 when the two leaders met at Sochi on the Black Sea. Putin visited Syria and Turkey this week and is keen to stress his role as a regional powerbroker.

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas, who will attend the talks, said a "key reason" for the meeting was the escalating crisis in Libya, where Germany is acting as a mediator in a conflict he has warned could become a "second Syria."

"We are involving Europe and those players who are influential there, for that we need Russia," Maas told Germany's NTV television. "For us, it's not too far to fly to Moscow to discuss that with Putin."

Merkel is to invite Putin to a Berlin conference on Libya later this month, diplomatic sources told AFP. Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called for a ceasefire in Libya on Wednesday, although they are seen as supporting opposing sides in the conflict. AFP

INDIA TO BLOW UP LUXURY HIGH-RISES OVER TOUGH LAWS KOCHI, India—Four luxury waterfront high-rises in southern India will be reduced to rubble in controlled explosions this weekend in a rare example of authorities getting tough on builders who break environmental rules.

India has seen a construction boom in recent years, but developers have often ridden roughshod over safety and other regulations, and with the connivance of local officials.

The inhabitants of the four apartment blocks in Kochi bought their 343 flats in good faith and now face a lengthy legal fight to recoup their money. Some had invested their life savings.

First to be blown up on Saturday morning will be the 19-floor H2O Holy Faith complex of 90 flats—now empty—overlooking Kerala state's famous lush backwaters. Five minutes later, the

twin towers of Alfa Serene will tumble.

On Sunday, high explosives drilled into the walls will bring down the two remaining complexes.

Sirens will sound and people have been told to stay at least 200 meters (220 yards) away while ambulances and fire engines will be kept on standby.

Police commissioner Vijay Sakhare said they were ready to manage crowds they expected would flock for a "once-in-a-lifetime kind of spectacle".

Nearby residents said they were worried about the impact of the demolition on their homes, however.

"One of the companies tasked with demolition has no expertise. They deal in steel and scrap. We are really worried," Divya, who has moved into temporary accommodation, told AFP. AFP

IN MOTION. Riot police spray water to disperse demonstrators during a protest against Chilean President Sebastian Pinera's government in Santiago on Friday. Chile has been rocked by months of protests that began with strikes over metro fare hikes and quickly escalated into the most severe outbreak of social unrest since the end of Augusto Pinochet's dictatorship nearly 30 years ago. AFP

Images

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PHOTOS OF THE WEEK

SEA OF DEVOTEES. Devotees follow the carriage transporting the statue of the Black Nazarene during an annual religious procession in its honor in Manila on Thursday. Thousands of barefoot devotees joined the religious procession on Jan. 9, hoping to touch a centuries-old icon of Jesus Christ, called the Black Nazarene, which is believed to have miraculous powers. AFP

REACHING OUT. Devotees try to touch the Black Nazarene statue during the annual religious procession

NICE VIEW. A man rests at the footbridge platform of Mega Q-Mart along EDSA in Quezon City while watching the southbound traffic toward Makati City build up on Monday, the first day back for most workers following the Christmas holidays. Manny Palmero

CHARRED REMAINS. This photo taken on Jan. 8 shows a dead kangaroo on a farm after bushfires in

THICK FLOCK. A picture taken on January 8 shows a murmuration of starlings before landing to roost

in Manila on Thursday. AFP

Batlow, in Australia’s New South Wales state. Batlow has become one of the faces of the destruction wrought by the unprecedented disaster, which also hit areas usually untouched with Australia’s summer fires, when shocking images of dead livestock along a road was shared by the national broadcaster ABC. AFP

near the southern Israeli city of Rahat, in the Negev desert. AFP

INUNDATED. French police use water canon as people protest on day 36 of a nationwide multi-sector strike AFTER THUNDER. Lightning streaks the sky over the Mediterranean Sea in Lebanon’s port district of al-Mina in the northern city of Tripoli on Jan. 8. AFP

over French government’s plan to overhaul the country’s retirement system in Nantes, western France on Jan. 9.

The French President’s push for sweeping changes to the pension system has unleashed the longest transport strike in France in decades, causing weeks of travel chaos in the French capital Paris particularly. AFP

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SUNDAY, JANUARY 12, 2020

Riera U. Mallari, Editor sports_mstandard@yahoo.com

Sports

BOLTS TO RIDE MOMENTUM OF GAME 2 WIN IN FINALS Game today (Smart Araneta Coliseum) Game 3, best-of-7 FINALS 6:30 p.m. -- Meralco vs. Ginebra

By Arman Carandang

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ERALCO tries to ride the momentum of its big victory last Friday in Lucena City, but coach Norman Black said his Bolts need a much better job if they are to repeat over Barangay Ginebra Sunday in the resumption of their 2019 PBA Governors’ Cup championship series at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

“We want to have a better job on Sunday (today),” said Black, his voice drowned by a wild celebration that followed the Bolts’ 104-102 win in Game 2 of the best-of-7 title series at the Quezon Convention Center.

“We never knew those shots are gonna fall. We did not have those shots before this game. So the guys came in with more confidence and we were knocking down big shots,” added Black.

As a result, the Bolts left that progressive city capital of the Quezon Province the same night carrying great momentum which they hope to sustain when they play the Gin Kings in Game 3 at 6:30 p.m. today.

Stung by 91-87 loss in last Tuesday’s series opener, the Bolts instead flashed a high-intensity offensive and decked the Gin Kings with a finals’ record 16 triples, with Baser Amer making five, Nard Pinto four and Allen Durham 3.

A quick look at the first two games of the series reveals that both the Gin Kings and the Bolts showed excellent offense.

In last Tuesday’s series opener, the Gin Kings pierced the Bolts’ vaunted defense by making shots against the most trying moments.

The result gave the Gin Kings a 91-87 win and a good momentum going to Lucena. Alas, the league’s most popular ballclub failed to ride the win, no thanks to the Bolts’ own admirable shooting prowess.

“Our defense allowed them (Bolts) a lot of open shots, so we’ve got a lot to go back to the drawing boards and figure what’s going on,” admitted Ginebra coach Tim Cone.

“We’re just a poor defensive team tonight,” la-

Meralco’s Allen Durham (left) against Ginebra’s Justin Brownlee will again be a key matchup in the series.

mented Cone. “They (Bolts) got a lot of good shots from Nico Salva and the other guys. What can I say?

They played really well and we did not play well.”

As for the Bolts, Black added that the one big factor that really gave them a big lift was that sort of fear of losing which will mean going down to 0-2.

“Of course, there’s also the determination of not wanting to go down 0-2,” said Black, adding they were a little bit scary prior to the game.

“It’s nice to get this win here. You know we’re a little scary because we’ve never won here (in Lucena) in the finals,” added Black.

Prior to Game 2, PBA statistician Fidel Mangonon III said Meralco was 0-2 in Lucena overall and had a 4-game losing streak in road games dating back in 2018 Philippine Cup. The last time the Bolts won on the road prior to Game 2 was, interestingly, against Ginebra at the

Philippine Arena in that same 2018 Philippine Cup elimination.

The Gin Kings, on the other hand, won five of their last six games in Lucena and were 8-5 there overall.

Durham led the Bolts with 21 points, 18 rebounds and six assists, Amer and Chris Newsome were easily the brightest among the Meralco locals with 17 points each, while Raymond Almazan quietly distributed 15 points and nine rebounds.

Pinto finished with 12 points which were all coming from three-point area. The seldom-used gunner hit all of his four three-pointers in the first quarter to set the tone for the hot-shooting Bolts.

Ginebra drew 35 points and 11 rebounds from Justin Brownlee, with Stanley Pringle adding 23 points and 10 rebounds, and Japeth Aguilar 18 points.

PH GOLF TOUR ASIA CAPS 3RD SEASON AT EAGLE RIDGE THE men of the PGT (Philippine Golf Tour) Asia resume their title chase in two spillover tournaments from the circuit’s milestone third season, all aiming for a strong start coming off a long break at the Eagle Ridge Golf and Country Club in Gen. Trias, Cavite.

A power-packed cast from at least 15 countries gears up for a pair of four-day battles of shotmaking and wits beginning Tuesday (Jan. 14) for the ICTSI Eagle Ridge Invitational with Jhonnel Ababa seeking to keep the crown he won in emphatic fashion in 2018 at the Aoki course and extend his run of luck in the circuit.

The $100,000 event serves as the eighth leg of the region’s emerging circuit put up by ICTSI, which staged two tournaments in Taiwan last year

to highlight its third Artjanawat, who ruled season. the inaugural PGTA Action then heats event in Taiwan last up next week for the May, ($21,388).

ICTSI Eagle Ridge That guarantees Championship on Jan. a spirited clash of 21-24 at the Faldo laypower, iron play and out to be spiked by the putting in the next race for the Order of two weeks with the Merit honors. other local top guns Tony Lascuña, who and a number of humbled the Taiwanforeign bidders likeAbaba ese aces and a slew of wise all geared up foreign bets to snare and ready to crowd the Nan Pao TPGA Open title in Taiwan the fancied players in pursuit of last Sept., paces the OOM derby with spots in the elite circle of PGTA earnings of $38,950 with Aussie Tim winners.

Stewart just behind with $32,570, folA select number of pros, meanlowed by 2018 champion Clyde Mon- while, test the Aoki layout in today’s dilla ($23,823) and Thais Namchok (Sunday) pro-am tournament where Tantipokhakul ($21,972) and Wisut they will be paired with officials and

guests of the event’s chief backers, including ICTSI, PLDT Enterprise, Meralco, BDO and PGT Asia official apparel Pin High.

Juvic Pagunsan ruled the last PGTA leg at Summit Point, nipping Lascuña in sudden death with the same finish expected in the last two tournaments for the season of the circuit organized

by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc. Aside from Ababa, the winningest player in the circuit with four victories, Lascuña, Mondilla, Tantipokhakul and Artjanawat, others in the fold are former leg winners Jobim Carlos, Jay Bayron, Damien Jordan of Australia, James Ryan Lam and American Tarik Can, who edged Thai Nirun Sae-Ueng in a playoff to claim the Aboitiz Invitational crown at Wack Wack last Sept.

BANAL FINDS TRAINING HAVEN IN SANTE FITNESS LAB

Gab Banal working out at Sante Fitness Lab.

IMUS—For some, playing basketball may seem just a game to play, but in reality, it takes a lot of sweat, courage, passion, and commitment to gain strides and bring the team to triumph.

Take it from Gab Banal, one of today’s local basketball scene’s beasts.

DEFINING THE GAME For Banal, a former Mapua Cardinal, PBA-D League MVP, former FIBA 3x3 representative, and now MPBL’s two-time Most Valuable Player, basketball has always been a personal love.

“Playing Basketball always has been close to my heart. That love turned to passion, and led me to dream to strive continuously to improve and better myself every time I step in the hard-court,” he said.

Banal has been in various professional leagues and his mindset has always been aimed towards winning.

“The will to win has got me going from the very start. It also made me beat the weaknesses and grow the strengths that got me where I am now,” said Banal.

RISING TO THE TOP Banal used to play sparingly in the

PBA, which, arguably, is the country’s highest-level league, but it was in other competitions where he proved his might.

To name a few, he was one of those who represented the country for tournaments like the Asia League, FIBA 3x3 Challenger, and the William Jones Cup. “Basketball is a tough competition. To compete, you need to put yourself to a certain level—100 percent, or even more.

The battle of wit and grit made me fall in love with it. The adrenaline in the dying minutes, the battle of heart and physicality, and the responsibility to take my team to the next level also serve as my fuel,” said Banal.

DOING THE DRILLS With the sport being a physicallytaxing feat, he needs the right physicality to ace the competition and deliver his A-game.

“On and off the court, I make sure that I do work-outs and exercises with no wasted movements or energy. I simulate it to the game, boosting my confidence since I know I am equipped enough,” he said.

Banal does his training and drills at Sante Fitness Lab—a premier one-stop fitness center that offers holistic training programs, as well as innovative recovery and sports rehabilitation. He considers this training and fitness center as his gamechanger for an elite game level.

“Sante Fitness Lab delivers me the right fitness regimen for keeping-up my A-game. The Equipment is leveled world-class that supplements my workouts. And with my training and drills, SFL has got me covered with a tailorfitted program helping me improve and intensify my performance. The recovery program also has been my edge, helping me be back on the court stronger and better amid a physically tolling game,” added Banal.

“To all aspiring basketball players out there, you need to work hard but work smarter. Develop all your aspects, not only as a player but also as a person. Work on your mental, spiritual, and physical health. Do what you love. Be passionate and never stop chasing that dream of playing hoops,” said Banal.

ADAMSON, UST TAKE HISTORIC TRIUMPHS ADAMSON and University of Santo Tomas overpowered their respective foes to take the historic first wins in the inaugural UAAP High School Girls’ Basketball competition, Saturday at the Paco Arena.

The Junior Tigresses stunned heavily favored De La Salle Zobel, 63-45, in the main game of the double-header to set the tone for the tournament, which is a demo sport for Season 82.

Trailing early, UST turned to their defense to close the first half on a 6-0 run capped by a Bridgette Santos fastbreak layup to lead at 11, 27-16, heading into the break.

Erika Danganan paced the Tigresses with 21 points to go along with nine rebounds and six assists.

The guard also ended with four steals, two of which came in that stretch, which sparked the run.

“Nu’ng nag-start kami, gigil kami eh,” UST head coach Aileen Grajales admitted. “’Yung iba rito galing probinsya, so nanibago pa, gigil pa. Pero nung third quarter, nakabawi na po.”

UST’s advantage ballooned to 26 points at the 9:25 mark of the fourth quarter as Jane Aranza finished off her steal off of a Candice Udal pass to put the board at 47-21.

Grajales was grateful that the league started a Girls’ division.

“Paangat na yung women’s basketball so mas maganda yung ginawa ng UAAP, kasi bata pa lang nate-train na natin,” the former national team stalwart said.

Katelyn Cancio led La Salle with 11 points and seven rebounds.

Achissa Maw added seven markers and ended with 12 boards.

In the first-ever UAAP girls basketball match, the Lady Baby Falcons dominated the Lady Eaglets, 121-44.

Mia Miguel produced an impressive double-double performance at 24 points and 14 rebounds, with three steals and an assist to boot to lead Adamson.

Katrina Agojo also ended with double-double at 12 markers and game-high 17 boards.

BULACAN, BIÑAN STRETCH MPBL RUNS BIÑAN, Laguna—The Bulacan Kuyas and the Binan City Heroes continued their rise in the Chooksto-Go/MPBL Lakan Season with victories over also-ran opponents Friday at Alonte Sports Arena.

Powered by JR Taganas’ 16 points and 11 rebounds, the Kuyas subdued the Paranaque Patriots, 76-69, for their fifth straight win and fourth spot in the North division of the 31-team Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League.

Toting a 17-8 record, the Kuyas are locked in a tight fight with the Bataan Risers (16-9) and the Pampanga Giant Lanterns (16-9) for the top four spots which means having the homecourt advantage in the eight-team playoffs.

Virtually assured of top 3 finishes are the San Juan Knights (21-3), the Manila Stars (21-5) and the Makati Super Crunch (20-5).

Homegrown Stephen Siruma and Adven Jess Diputado supported Taganas with 12 points each, while only Keith Pido shone offensively for the Yabo-supported Patriots who dropped to 8-17.

The Heroes led by as many as 20 points before settling for a 9284 victory that extended their win run to six and boosted their chances of barging into the playoffs of the South division.

James Mangahas posted 18 points plus 10 rebounds and got ample support from brother Allan Mangahas with 11 points and 10 assists, Mark Anthony Acosta with 14 points, Jed Mendoza with 13, and Kyle Drexler Neypes with 10 as Binan climbed to an 11-14 slate.

Currently at 10th spot, Binan is hounding No. 9 Cebu City (11-12) and No. 8 Bicol (13-12) in the chase for the eight playoff berths in each division.

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SUNDAY, JANUARY 12, 2020

Business

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

MILLENNIALS BECOMING MANAGERS THIS DECADE

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ILLENNIALS are expected to rise to management positions in this decade, and this will help accelerate the digital transformation and process automation of many companies around the world.

“It is the decade of the millennials when they become the decision-makers. 2020 will be the decade where the millennials enter the management positions,” Praveen Kumar, general manager for Asia Pacific of ASG Technologies, says in an interview at Conrad Manila in Pasay City.

ASG is an American software company that helps companies in their digital journey. In the Philippines, its customers include six of the 10 largest banks and one of the two major telecom companies. Other clients are in healthcare, pharmaceutical, retail and business process outsourcing industries.

Kumar is referring to the Generation Y or the group of individuals who were born between 1981 and 1996. Some of the millennials, known for being adept at mobile apps and social media, would be in their 40s in this decade.

Kumar says in this decade of millennials, “we do expect solutions to be mobile-friendly, more processes to be agile, decision-making to be quicker and the ability to think about customers to be a lot higher”. “ We would see more collaborative decision-making between business and IT. We will see them coming together and taking more decisions together which plays into the strength of ASG. The products we are launching, the new solutions we are focusing on are all towards transformation and automation,” he says.

Kumar says banks, for example, should be able to serve millennials faster to gain more business. “How long does it take you to get an automotive loan.

Let’s say a week. But millennials who visited the dealership and shortlisted a car wanted to drive out with that car. That’s how millennials think. It is instant gratification. If it takes a bank a week to decide on the loan, that allows potential customers to shop for other cars and change their mind. The bank just lost a potential customer,” he says.

“Banks need to be more agile in their process which means that in the backend, they need to have a process transformation. If it could

ASG Technologies general manager for Asia Pacific Praveen Kumar

be done in an hour or two or three, w hy d o e s i t n e e d s e ve n d ays ?

We are working with banks and insurance companies and other units to transform their process.

Across all industries, we are seeing AI [artificial intelligence] and ML [machine learning] play significant role,” says Kumar.

“In the Philippines, we are about 14 years now. Our growth has been rapid in the past four because we invested in marketing and added more business partners. Five years back, we had one business partner. Now, we have five,” he says.

“It has been a rapid growth. Last year was really, really strong. This year is looking very strong already because of the pipeline,” says Kumar, a 45-yearold Indian national based in Singapore.

He has been with ASG since 2013 and prior to that, worked for other major IT companies such as IBM, Nortel and T-Systems.

“We grew 3x in the Philippines last year, driven by investment on transformation and automation. This year, we expect to grow at least 30 percent to 50 percent, on top of 2019 growth. That gives us phenomenal momentum,” he says. Kumar says this makes the Philippines an important market in Asia Pacific for ASG. He says ASG has helped banks in the Philippines become mobile-ready. “Out of the 10 biggest banks, six use ASG solutions. That gives us a significant footprint in the financial industry, apart from other lines of business. We have a bunch of success historically in Manila. One of the top two telcos is also a customer. That kind of captures the telco and financial markets,” he says.

“Industries continue to invest because of two reasons. They have to stay competitive because of the new-age companies coming in. There is new fintech, new retail, new way of lending loans. Banks have to revamp

their operations,” he says.

Kumar says BPOs in the Philippines now also embrace artificial intelligence and machine learning to become more efficient, agile and competitive. “There is competition, as Vietnam is coming up, Malaysia is coming up and other industries are coming up. If you don’t reduce cost and don’t reduce time to market, you are gonna lose out,” he says.

ASG has three lines of business, including systems which is around infrastructure, management and operations and automation; content which covers storage and digital automation; and data governance.

Kumar says the company has evolved significantly over recent years with the advent of new technologies that are embraced by millennials.

“We have evolved as much as the customers because our products have also been revamped. In fact, the latest product which is around process transformation and digital automation is being launched this year. All our products support cloud and run on any cloud platform.

We also offer SaaS or software as a service on the cloud.

We offer subscription based methodologies,” he says.

“That is the flexibility that the customers see in us. We have evolved as much as the market has. In the past three to four years, the product is fairly revolutionary to the customers and the customers appreciate the functionality that we bring on the table,” says Kumar.

“Our solutions talk about saving 40 percent of your cost and time and 60 percent more agile in terms of speed to market. It fits into where the future of most businesses would want to go. AI and ML are part of the transformation process,” he says.

Kumar also contests the idea that AI and ML will result in people losing their jobs.

“When automation started in auto industry, they said plants and robots would replace humans. It did not happen.

In fact, they produced more cars and hired more skilled jobs. When computers came, they said it would replace humans. What happened is that people learned more.

Similarly, in this digital age, you will upskill yourself. Jobs would remain but the skill level of the individual would be better. In fact, there would be more jobs and there would be more activity. Replacement would happen at the lower end, but those people would eventually upskill,” he says.

Roderick T. dela Cruz

FPG INSURANCE NAMES DE RODA AS NEW PRESIDENT FPG INSURANCE Co. Inc., a major player in the non-life insurance industry and leader in motor insurance coverage, named Gigi Pio de Roda as its new president and CEO effective Jan. 6, 2020.

De Roda takes the reins of the company’s flagship motor insurance and the emerging por tfolios for travel and residential insurances.

She joins FPG Insurance from her recent role as Philam Life/AIA’s chief operations officer. Known in the industry for her transformation of business operations through complex executions and efficiency, de Roda is responsible for Philam Life/ AIA’s digital revolution since 2017, where customer service and experience are at the core of its design.

“We gladly welcome Gigi to the FPG Insurance family and are very excited for the changes that she will be bringing into the company.

FPG Insurance is looking for ward to how she will charter the course for our Philippine business direction,” said Stephen Blasina, FPG Insurance regional managing director.

De Roda is bringing in over 30 years of proven financial services expertise, having previously also ser ved HSBC Philippines in various executive positions such as COO, senior vice president and head of retail banking and wealth management and chief risk officer.

She has a degree in Management of Financial Institutions from the De La Salle University, is a fellow of the Institute of Corporate Directors and also serves as a professional executive coach.

ASTRAZENECA LAUNCHES JUAN HEALTHY LUNG PHILIPPINES

ASTRAZENECA, a leading global biopharmaceutical company, announced the launch of Juan Healthy Lung Philippines—an initiative focused on reducing asthma deaths in the country in partnership with the Philippine College of Chest Physicians, the Asthma Club of the Lung Center of the Philippines, the LCP Physicians’Association Clinical Mentoring Program, the Philippine Pharmacists Association and the Ospital ng Muntinlupa.

The burden of respiratory disease in Asia is significant with more than 107 million people in the Asia Pacific region suffering from asthma, and less than a third of them receiving preventive therapy. The Philippines has the second highest asthma mortality in the world with asthma as the tenth leading cause of death in the country. Unfortunately, these asthma death rates are continuing to increase. In addi-

tion, asthma hospitalization ranks sixth in PhilHealth benefit claims.

Dr. Camilo Roa Jr., consultant pulmonologist and program director for the Asthma Comprehensive Care Unit in the University of the Philippines–Philippine General Hospital and chair of Juan Healthy Lung Philippines, said “more can and should be done to increase awareness of the burden that this disease has on the lives of patients, health systems and national economies. As an asthmatic, I know how it feels like to have asthma and how it can be successfully controlled with proper management.”

In response to this serious problem, AstraZeneca Philippines, through its Juan Healthy Lung Philippines, is bringing together relevant stakeholders to advance asthma management capabilities and to reduce the asthma burden and mortality

among Filipino patients.

Juan Healthy Lung Philippines takes a three-pillar approach over three years, covering partnerships, awareness program and access.

Leon Wang, AstraZeneca International executive vice-president, said: “Respiratory illnesses such as asthma are rapidly rising across Asia and particularly in the Philippines. Asthma presents particular challenges for most healthcare systems, which have historically focused on acute, short-term care. Effectively treating asthma requires a lengthy, potentially life-long management with the patient at the center. AstraZeneca is privileged to have this opportunity to collaborate with our partners to implement Juan Healthy Lung Philippines to ensure more Filipino patients with asthma get access to early treatment and appropriate care.”

From left: Dr. Cyril Joseph Tolosa, Leon Wang, Dr. Camilo Roa, Lotis Ramin, Dr. Eileen Aniceto, Atty. Froilan Bagabaldo, Dr. Analiza Tatad, Dr. Dina Diaz, Bryan Posadas and Jo Feng

Business

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SUNDAY, JANUARY 12, 2020 business@manilastandard.net

IN BRIEF

YOUNG FILIPINOS PITCH INNOVATIVE IDEAS

MAPÚA GRAD’S FILM IS PH’S ENTRY TO OSCARS A FILM by a Mapúa University Multimedia Arts and Sciences graduate is the Philippines’ entry to the Foreign Language Film category of the 92nd Annual Academy Awards or the Oscars 2020.

“Verdict” by Raymund Ribay Gutierrez stars Max Eigenmann and the late Kristoffer King, a story of a domestically abused woman fighting for justice. It recently won the Special Jury Prize at the 76th Venice Film Festival and was the only film from Southeast Asia that made it to the prestigious film festival.

“This is what’s happening. Things are not black and white. The law is not always fair.

Filmmaking is about life and I just want to show how life is, and at this stage of my career, I am interested in the serious side of life,” Gutierrez said in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter.

In 2016, Gutierrez was nominated for a Palme d’Or in the Short Film tilt of the 69th Cannes Film Festival for his film “Imago”. The film won the Short Cuts Award for Best Short Film in the Toronto International Film Festival and Best Short Film in the Stockholm International Film Festival. It also bagged the Edward Snowden Award in the Internationales Festival Zeichen der Nacht in Berlin and Best Short Film in the London Short Film Festival the following year.

Adding to the young filmmaker’s accolades, Gutierrez received another nomination in 2018 for his new short “Judgement” at the Cannes Film festival – his second in the span of three years.

The film also won the Silver Star award in the El Gouna International Film Festival in Egypt, and the Bronze Horse or Best Short Film award in the Stockholm International Film Festival in Sweden.

The 92nd Academy Awards is set to take place on Feb. 9, 2020, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California.

BPI-PHILAM CELEBRATES 10TH ANNIVERSARY TOP bancassurance firm BPI-Philam caps off the year with a festive celebration that highlights its triumphs in the past months and celebrates 10 successful years in the business.

Rocking the night through its EDM festivalinspired theme “ELEVAT10N,” the company looks back on its early beginnings and, at the same time, looks forward to its future with Bring Dreams to Life, a campaign that aims to elevate the experience of its customers even higher.

The introduction of the campaign “Bring Dreams to Life” was one of the highlights of the night. Complete with a catchy jingle that embodies its very aim, the campaign is expected to shake up the brand come 2020. Bring Dreams to Life emphasizes BPI-Philam’s commitment to service that allows people to live their dreams through its comprehensive library of products that cater to every Filipino in all stages of life.

“The campaign aims to boost the confidence of Filipinos to live their lives without limitations as we provide them with the opportunity to live better, healthier, and longer lives. Bring Dreams to Life encourages people to not let anything hold them back in their journey to their dreams, with BPI-Philam alongside them all throughout,” said BPI-Philam CEO Surendra Menon.

BPI-Philam believes that every Filipino deserves to have their lives protected from and have their finances be supported through any unforeseen or unfortunate events. Moving forward to the new decade, BPI-Philam takes on the challenge of taking insurance to as many parts of the country and as many Filipinos as it can.

“The end of the decade also marks a decade of successfully securing lives for BPI-Philam, and this night is a celebration of that milestone. As we welcome the new year, we envision our plans to strengthen our services to secure more lives and open more doors of financial protection to Filipinos. From here, we aim to further our goal of making insurance accessible and affordable to more and more individuals,” said Menon.

In its first year, BPI-Philam acquired 10,000 new policy holders in total. By 2019, the bancassurance company has secured the same number of policies every month of the year.

BPI-Philam has grown from 10,000 to 350,000 policies—each one representing a client whose life has been protected and whose dreams have been helped to fulfill. Its regular premium shares also performed a significant yearly increase— from 16 percent in 2010 to 50 percent in 2014, and now a massive 95 percent just before the decade ends.

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Young innovators from all over the Philippines showcase their ideas to help their communities at this year’s Youth Social Innovation Lab.

ORE than 100 young innovators, mentors and stakeholders attended the 2019 Youth Social Innovation Lab on Nov. 18 to 19 and hosted

by Youth Co:Lab Philippines in partnership with makesense and co-led by Citi Foundation.

The participants from different youth sectors all over the Philippines were selected to come together to pitch and develop their ideas for socially inclusive sustainable enterprises. With the theme “Social Inclusion,” the two-day hackathon held at the Benilde Hub of Innovation for Inclusion (HiFi) showcased the ideas of innovative Filipinos aged 15 to 30, including high school and university students, fresh graduates, youth affected by conflicts and/or disasters, LGBT+, differently-abled youth and those from ethnic and religious minorities.

Through intensive integrated learning sessions rooted on human-centered and design thinking methods, participating youth were grouped together and had the opportunity to be mentored by experts to develop and harness their ideas into tangible and marketable solutions.

The teams then had to pitch their ideas to a board

of jurors to clinch a spot at the Youth Co:Lab Regional Summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in April 2020 where they will have an opportunity to participate in a competition among fellow youth innovators across the Asia-Pacific region.

Five groups were selected to represent the Philippines in the regional competition. These include AccesiWheels (first place), a ride-hailing mobile application designed for persons with disabilities by persons with disabilities; #Ethnicoco (second place), an enterprise driven to innovate high value-added products from devalued coconut agriculture wastes produced by indigenous communities; and Transkonek (third place), an online platform linking transgenders to job opportunities and other support services.

Also selected were Project Ka-sama (fourth place), a virtual learning environment offering mental health and counseling classes to people with chronic medical conditions; and Greenhows (fifth place), a co-creation lab that harnesses the ideas and potential of students, local artists, and people from displaced communities through stories and exhibitions, environmental campaigns, commerce, and capacity building.

The Youth Social Innovation Lab is hosted by Youth Co:Lab (YCL) Philippines in partnership with makesense. The initiative is also part of the firstever Philippine Startup Week organized by the Department of Trade and Industry, Department of Science and Technology and the Department of Information and Communications Technology.

Co-created in 2017 by the United Nations Development Programme and Citi Foundation, Youth Co:Lab aims to establish a common agenda for countries in the Asia-Pacific region to empower and invest in youth, so that they can accelerate the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals through leadership, social innovation and entrepreneurship.

“Across our work towards achieving sustainable development, the youth has always been seen as agents and accelerators of change, with much of their future at stake. In the Philippines, approximately 30 percent of its population is made up of young people. That’s 32 million Filipino youth who we see as an invaluable resource that can make significant contributions to development impact through leadership, innovation, and entrepreneurship. We believe that we should harness that resource and keep them informed, inspired, and involved,” said Enrico Gaveglia, deputy resident representative of UNDP Philippines.

Lisa Coory, head of public affairs at Citi Philippines, expressed Citi’s support for the initiative. “Our employee mentors who shared financial and technology expertise were greatly impressed by the breadth of innovative ideas. We congratulate all participants for taking the initiative to solve important problems affecting our communities, and we look forward to cheering on the selected teams from the Philippines at the Regional Summit where they will join fellow youth from 24 other Asia-Pacific countries in April 2020,” she said.

SPORTSMAN NOW HEADS THE TURF COMPANY

The Turf Company president and COO Juanchit Jose

THE Turf Company, one of the country’s leading distributors of irrigation systems, precision mowing equipment, golf carts and other utility vehicles and allied products, announced the appointment of Juanchit Jose as the company’s new president and COO. The Turf Company is the Philippines’ exclusive distributor of Toro equipment from the US and is a global leader in maintenance equipment and watersaving irrigation system supplies for commercial and residential gardens, public parks, golf courses, sports fields and agricultural fields; Club Car electric and gas-powered golf cars and UTVs for personal and commercial use; and Orec Mowers, among others.

It is a subsidiary of Techno Holdings Corp., the

industry leader in the marketing of some of the world’s leading brands in the F&B, hospitality, sports, golf course maintenance and irrigation systems, health, wellness and skin care industries.

Jose, having worked with multi-brands in various fields, brings to the company years of experience in sales, marketing, operations and distribution.

In this new capacity, he will oversee the company’s overall operations including achieving sales goals and budgets; managing finances; fostering good relationships with clients and principals; ensuring the productivity of all departments and implementing continuous staff training programs.

Among The Turf Company’s projects in 2019 were deliveries of Toro equipment to Eagle Ridge Golf and Country, Forest Hills Golf Club, Manila Southwoods Golf and Counrty Club, Filinvest Mimosa Golf Club, Alabang Golf and Country Club and VMJ Evergreen Golf Maintenance. Club Car fleets, meanwhile, were delivered to Camp John Hay, Filinvest Mimosa Golf Club, Pandera Verde Golf Club and Tagaytay Highlands Golf and Country Club.

The year 2020 promises to be an even more progressive year for The Turf Company with the new management. Under Jose’s leadership, after sales

service will be further strengthened through the addition of qualified technicians and the intensive training of the local team both here and abroad so they can be immersed in the operation of new equipment and their technology. The company is also enthusiastic about fostering stronger and more solid ties with principals from different world-class brands. Significant plans in terms of completing major projects this year are also afoot, according to Jose. All these are expected to drive growth for the company in 2020.

Jose is a passionate sportsman and athlete. After playing tennis under a full athletic scholarship at St. Ambrose University in Davenport IA USA, he continued his tennis career and became a certified tennis professional under the United States Professional Teaching Association. He was a teaching pro in different clubs in Los Angeles and Chicago. He is also an avid golfer who has played in tournaments here and abroad.

He is a member of Ecostrong, the defending champions in the Orchard Golf and Country Club’s Intra-Club Tournament.

Jose is concurrently the managing director of Finix Corp.—a top distributor of fitness and sports equipment used by the country’s popular hotels, gyms and fitness centers. Finix is also a subsidiary of Techno Holdings Corp.

WHAT TECH FOUNDERS CAN LEARN FROM IKEA

Graventure founder Gracy Fernandez GRACY Fernandez, the founder of car rental platform Graventure—a startup backed by Manny Pacquiao, believes that technology company founders have a lot to learn from Swedish firm IKEA which is not just a product innovator but also a supply chain innovator.

Here is Fernandez’s take on the issue.

IKEA started way back in 1943, in Sweden at the height of World War II’s shadow over Europe. The founder was only 17 then, and he grew the mail-order business into the big-box furniture retailer known as IKEA today until his resignation from the board in 2013. It is now characterized by its labyrinth of showrooms, its unique taxonomy for Swedish product names - rugs take their namesake from real cities in Sweden or Denmark, while bookshelves are personified with common boy names or occupations and its affordable, everyday prices.

So what relevance does IKEA, ostensibly a furniture company, have to modern founders in software or hardware? The answer lies in what IKEA is not. At first glance, IKEA may seem like a product business. IKEA, after all, maintains an expansive, ever-changing catalogue of everything from office desks and lamps to living room couches and armchairs, that consumers cannot seem to get enough of - in 2016, the company posted revenue of 35.074 billion euros.

“Yet to think that IKEA is only a furniture

company, albeit an especially innovative one, is a misconception, one on the order of believing McDonalds is only a fast food chain, even though it derives most of its revenue from leasing properties from its global real estate portfolio to franchisees.

IKEA is not a product innovator—it’s a supply chain innovator, a fact evident in the company’s DNA. The first products that IKEA sold were general merchandise that could be bought from many other stores, such as table runners, fountain pens, and encyclopedias. And even if IKEA developed a distinct charm in its products over the last 75 years, no one would argue that they are product innovations, even in the staid world of furniture. Any one of the office desks from IKEA was sleek and durable, but at the end of the day, it still consists of four legs and a flat-top surface like any other.

“In other words, IKEA did not reinvent the wheel—instead, the company found ways for it to go much, much faster. To this end, IKEA kept the number of suppliers it uses to a minimum in order to reduce transportation costs; popularized flat packing of furniture, which could be self-assembled at home with simple directions; and encouraged self-service in-store, even for the loading of larger items onto the customer’s cart.

By optimizing IKEA’s supply chain, the company’s leaders made its exquisitely designed products accessible to a much broader range of people, who otherwise may have had to settle for inferior wares.

IKEA’s obsession over its supply chain should be an inspiration to all founders in the tech world.

The idea that only new products can solve problems is severely limiting—it keeps a whole host of issues from improving because entrepreneurs are stuck chasing their fulfillment in invention rather than optimization. Yet the latter is every bit as necessary as the former, if not more so. For every Musk that pioneers mass market electric vehicles, there needs to be a slew of other entrepreneurs competing to make the production of similar technology more efficient and therefore accessible to more people.

Innovation should always end in inclusion.

OPPORTUNITIES Foodtech recently grabbed headlines with Travis Kalanick’s $400 million fundraise for CloudKitchens, in a wider industry projected to be worth $700 billion in just over a decade. CloudKitchens is challenging the supremacy of brick-andmortar restaurants by allowing delivery-only restaurants to serve consumers from their turnkey cloud kitchens. This is a major supply chain innovation. Now people across the country, and not just those located in busy metros, can enjoy food on-demand; these businesses can find more customers, and in turn, more revenue.

If CloudKitchens is innovating the backend of the food business, there are a plethora of other companies addressing other parts of the supply chain. Some are disintermediating the middlemen and

creating farm-to-table mechanisms and networks for farmers, such as Sharky’s in Myanmar. Others are helping food operators maximize unutilized capacity by bringing in more foot traffic through digital content, like KFC and their Ole Ole Hour campaign in Malaysia. And still others are replacing waitstaff, cashiers, and traditional registers with more automated solutions and robostaff, like Sushiro in Japan.

NEXT FRONTIER When the popular online trading and investment platform eToro launched its “foodtech portfolio”, it essentially hailed the industry as the next frontier, not only for financial investment, not only for startup innovation, but for the earth and human civilization’s sustainability itself.

With the pretty much irreversible surge in population, world food demand will increase by as much as 60 percent, putting the onus on foodtech including many of those in the eToro portfolio to respond with innovations in kind, many of them in supply chain.

In fact, the new foodtech investment portfolio includes a diverse range of innovators and established players. There’s big brand Danone which invests in foodtech disruptors and newer companies like Beyond Meat whose stock value quadrupled in three months following its IPO earlier this year. eToro’s ready-made portfolio’s allows private individuals to readily participate in the otherwise complex (and prohibitive)

investment oppor tunities in whole industries. Industries whose movement and growth are made up of many individual company performances in turn influenced by very diverse factors.

But as major frontiers go, early investments in the foodtech today may reap for the participants immense benefits in time and in the very same way that forward-thinking founders are placing big bets on the industry.

MISSION-CRITICAL I’ll be the first to admit that supply chain innovation is not necessarily as sexy as product innovation, in large part because it’s so abstract. It’s easy to dream up something you want to create - we do it all the time, hardwired as we are to daydream during the slightest period of inactivity.

It’s comparatively much harder to look at things that already exist and think of how you might optimize its path to the consumer.

The supply chain innovations that the foodtech industry has so far produced have come through continual, painstaking review of all legacy processes, but the result is worth it for consumers and businesses.

Because there are many more spheres that would benefit from supply chain innovation, founders need to mentally disassemble products and rethink how each of its component parts can be delivered or supplied more quickly, efficiently, cheaply, or in a mission-critical manner if you like, to save humankind.

Tech & Gadgets

SAMSUNG UNVEILS QLED 8K TV AT CONSUMER ELECTRONICS SHOW L

AST VEGAS—Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. recently introduced its next-generation QLED 8K line at CES 2020 in Las Vegas, offering a glimpse into the future of display technology.

It combines cutting-edge innovations that make the viewing experience more immersive with connected features that make consumer lifestyles more integrated to deliver the ultimate home entertainment experience.

The 2020 QLED 8K lineup provides consumers with an unprecedented viewing experience and unparalleled smart home integration.

It leverages the power of enhanced AI (Artificial Intelligence) technology to improve audio, video and smart capabilities. Plus, it offers a range of smart features powered by Tizen, making it easier than ever for consumers to use voice commands and access new features like Tap View, Digital Butler and Samsung Health.

The ultimate expression of these different innovation is the new, flagship Q950TS QLED 8K TV, which is the first TV in the industry to feature surround sound audio, true-to-life 8K resolution and a stunning, ultrathin form factor.

“8K resolution has the potential to transform our industry. Screens over 75” are the fastest growing segment in the market, and that segment is where 8K resolution matters the most,” said Joe Stinziano, Head of Consumer Electronics Business at Samsung Electronics America. “Our 2020 8K lineup demonstrates the power of this potential. Its unprecedented immersive capabilities and unparalleled smart features empower consumers to pursue their passions more simply and more comprehensively than ever before.”

REINVENTING TV DESIGN The Q950 practically eliminates the bezel around the display to create a screen-to-body ratio of nearly 99 percent, the largest in the market.

When watching from about ten or fifteen feet away, consumers experience a stunning Infinity Screen effect where the bezels seem to disappear.

The result is an even more immersive viewing experience that eliminates the boundaries between the TV and its surroundings.

In addition, the Q950 is only 15 millimeters thin across the entire display. In combination with a completely flat black panel, the Q950 can lay flush against the wall or create a striking silhouette when placed on a media stand.

REDEFINING PICTURE QUALITY The 2020 QLED 8K lineup reflects Samsung’s commitment to leading

The 2020 QLED 8K lineup provides consumers with an unprecedented viewing experience and unparalleled smart home integration.

the industry in the implementation, adoption, and playback of 8K resolutions.

Every model in the lineup will meet the requirements of the 8K Association’s Certified Test Specifications as well as the CTA 8K Ultra HD Display Definition.

At the same time, the QLED 8K lineup is among the first in the industry to support the playback of native 8K content. In 2020, consumers will be able to enjoy and stream AV1 codec videos filmed in 8K on QLED 8K TVs. All Samsung TVs in the 2020 8K line will ship with this capability built-in.

And, Samsung is working with partners like YouTube to create pathways for streaming native 8K content.

In addition to building out the 8K ecosystem across the industry, the QLED 8K lineup helps consumers to experience the power of 8K resolution even when they are watching lower resolution content. Based on powerful Samsung semiconductor technology, the Q950’s next-generation Quantum Processor 8K features improved AI upscaling capabilities that use machine learning to analyze and identify the characteristics of individual pixels. It then restores different elements of the image to create a pristine 8K picture, regardless of the content source.

The Q950 also leverages the power of AI to ensure that nothing distracts viewers from their content.

While traditional TV sensors can only adjust screen brightness based on

the ambient light within the room, Adaptive Picture accounts for the distribution of light within the particular scene, ensuring that the TV can maintain a clear picture in bright rooms while still maintaining contrast.

Another common issue for consumers streaming content is the speed of their internet connection. AI ScaleNet ensures a smooth streaming connection by optimizing the available network bandwidth. It compresses content as it leaves the content provider and then restores it after it reaches the TV to effectively cut in half the bandwidth needed for consumers to stream content. Samsung Electronics is continuing to work with Amazon on this feature, utilizing AI ScaleNet from standard definition to 4K in Prime Video.

REINVIGORATING SOUND PERFORMANCE Since audio as important as video when it comes to an immersive streaming experience, the Q950 delivers some of the best TV audio on the market. It features speakers on every side of the display, as well as subwoofers in the back. When combined with Object Tracking Sound+, which uses AI-based software to match the movement of audio sound with the movement of objects on the screen, the Q950 can deliver crisp and clear 5.1 channel surround-sound.

The Q950 can also adjust the volume of dialogue in response to common sounds like a blender or vacuum

cleaner. Active Voice Amplifier (AVA) helps the 40% of U.S. consumers who say that these sounds tend to distract them while they’re watching TV by detecting the these noises and automatically enhancing voice clarity.

Finally, the Q950 is uniquely capable of using its built-in speakers as an additional audio channel when connected to a 2020 Q Series soundbar like the Q800, a 2020 CES Best of Innovation honoree. Q-Symphony pairs the audio from both devices together to create a dynamic and multi-dimensional soundscape.

REINVENTING THE VIEWING EXPERIENCE Consumers today have access to— and are consuming—more streaming content than ever before. That’s why the 2020 QLED 8K TV line offers unique features that help consumers to better enjoy their content and interact with their different devices.

In 2020, Bixby, the Samsung’s AI assistant, is getting even smarter. Consumers can use their TV to change the mood of a room. For example, if they tell Bixby to create a calm atmosphere, the TV will then display a relaxing backdrop on the screen. In addition, Samsung will offer multiple voice assistant options in order to provide consumers a choice by integrating Amazon Alexa and the Google Assistant into Samsung’s 2020 QLED 8K line. Now users will enjoy easier access to the content they love, with expanded smart home and TV control capabilities.

The Q950 features a new and improved Universal Guide that uses AIbased algorithms to analyze the type of content that consumers watch, as well as the services and TV channels that they tend to use, to offer recommendations uniquely customized to their specific habits and tastes.

TECH COMPANY SPROUT AFFIRMS DIVERSITY AS KEY TO INNOVATION THE anchor for successful entrepreneurship, especially in the Philippine digital technology space, is thoughtful problem-solving. An extensive understanding of issues and the context in which they exist is crucial, and for Patrick Gentry, CEO and cofounder of Sprout Solutions, this means drawing on the diverse knowledge and experience of everyone in his organization.

According to Gentry at his keynote speech during the Institute of Corporate Directors’ (ICD) monthly luncheon held on November 15, “servant leadership” is their key approach to corporate governance. Beyond transparency and compliance, this style of stakeholder engagement has helped the company foster an environment that provides employees at all levels the opportunity to influence Sprout’s direction as an organization.

“That kind of approach to leadership is extremely appealing to the high-level resources that are coming up through the ranks right now,” noted Gentry. “Those people that are between 30 and 40 that have 10 years of experience under their belt, they really look for that style of leadership and that style of government.”

Gentry explained that servant leadership encourages employees to voice out their opinions to steer a business towards optimum impact for everyone affected by its operations. This is particularly advantageous to digital technology companies, who need to keep their products and services relevant to the market while attracting new talent that can help the business keep up with changing demands.

“In this age of digital disruption, we rely on innovation, and to have innovation you have to have a lot of diverse ideas coming up from the bottom,” said

Gentry. “The people at the rank and file level are the closest to these issues and a lot of times have a lot of amazing ideas.”

This is why the company holds diversity in such high regard. Not so much in terms of creating an environment that boasts diverse genders, races, and cultures, but one that respects the ideas and thought generation they bring to the organization.

Further commitment to the diversity of perspectives and ideas manifests in the company-wide “10th man rule,” which mandates at least one person to disagree with any agreed upon course of action to encourage full exploration of possible solutions. In what Gentry calls a “conflict-averse society,” this helps Filipino businesses practice good governance by ensuring all concerns are made public.

This sentiment towards diversity was shared by Alfredo E. Pascual, CEO of the ICD and renowned finance expert who is currently an independent director on the board of SM Investments Corporation.

“There is greater recognition now that having a diverse membership on the board, diverse in terms of skillset,

knowledge, age, and gender, could result in greater value creation for an organization,” said Pascual. “That opens up the entry of independent and open-minded directors, directors who have different viewpoints.”

The current challenge, according to ICD chairman, Francis Estrada, is reconciling best governance practice with the “dynamism and disruption” that technology exposes business ecosystems to. He ruminated on a need to change the perspective on how corporate boards approach company growth.

“Maximization of shareholder value is not the issue we are dealing with in a more fundamental way,” said Estrada. “The issue of an ethical foundation to all innovation and entrepreneurship is indispensable.”

Sprout Solutions is the country’s leading HR and Payroll management software solutions provider that aims to drive growth of Philippine businesses with their innovative technology. Through end-to-end processing and seamless automation, Sprout guarantees its clients immediate compliance with government regulations so that they can focus on company growth.

The Software-as-a-service (SaaS) company is currently four years old and had around 10 employees in the beginning. With a growth rate averaging 10 percent a month, Sprout now has close to 300 people and manages the HR information systems of corporate clients such as KMC and Intellicare.

“People saw our vision that we are here to do something good,” said Gentry as he contemplated the role that ethics has played both in the growth of the company and the evolution of its services. “We wanted to show that Sprout is more than just an office, we really want to do good by helping others do the right thing.”

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SUNDAY, JANUARY 12, 2020 rumallari@thestandard.com.ph

GLOBE AT HOME APP HITS 1-M MARK IN REGISTERED USERS GLOBE At Home app, the best partner for your home internet connection, has reached a record number of registered users by hitting the 1,000,000 mark!

As of December 2019, there are 1,000,620 confirmed total registered customers benefiting from its features that offer utmost convenience in managing their Globe At Home plans.

These numbers are projected to continuously increase in the succeeding quarters as more and more useful features are deployed monthly.

“The Globe at Home app is one of our most recent efforts to offer enhanced home Internet experience for our customers,” shared Martha Sazon, SVP and Head of Broadband Business at Globe. “This is why we are thrilled to know that more homes are maximizing the benefits of the app to fully enjoy quality connectivity with their families.”

With features designed to make managing one’s account hassle-free, the app offers a convenient digital alternative to traditional methods. Using one convenient app, customers can easily track their data usage, purchase promos and add-ons, view and pay their bills, score freebies, perform selftroubleshooting for basic connectivity issues and even track their repairman or request for a transfer of location.

With the app’s Help and Support feature, everything you need to know about your Globe At Home service — from information about the latest promos and new plans to troubleshooting tips — is available in just one click. You can also activate and cancel content services connected to your Globe At Home Postpaid subscription on your app’s dashboard.

For Prepaid customers, the Globe At Home App allows you to activate your home internet service in three easy steps, track your data usage, load promos in seconds and enjoy various rewards.

“We are continuously updating the app with more features such as realtime serviceability check and auto debit option for payment. With these in the pipeline, customers can be assured that we will be working on further improving their home Internet experience in the near future,” Sazon added.

Aside from the app, Globe At Home also offers fast and easy applications via Facebook Messenger. It’s definitely a more convenient way to get connected without having to leave the comfort of your home.

The Globe At Home app is free for download on Google Playstore and the App Store. For more updates, follow the official Globe At Home FB page at www.facebook.com/globeathome/.

LENOVO...

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Global Series Championship, where they’ll be greeted with Lenovo Legion equipment to use in the high-stakes competition.

The Lenovo Legion T730 tower serves as a stunning powerhouse with up to 9th Gen Intel® Core™ i7 overclocked 9700K processors and supercharged NVIDIA® GeForce® RTX™ 2070 Super GPUs all optimally cooled via Lenovo Coldfront 2.0 with Liquid Cooling. When paired with the Lenovo Legion Y25 Monitor, the Lenovo Legion T730 towers deliver lightning-fast 144Hz refresh rates for near-instant responses in the heat of battle, as well as bring out sharp images and details during gameplay.

LENOVO LEGION Y25 GAMING MONITOR

Beyond these powerful esportsready desktop PCs and monitors, Lenovo will also be providing Lenovo Legion laptops for the caster’s desks to spectate and commentate on the live performance.

The exclusive partnership will kick off at the first Apex Legends Global Series Major on March 13-15, 2020 in Arlington, Texas.

For more information and updates, check out Twitch™, playapex.com/ algs, as well as @LenovoLegion. These channels are regularly publishing a variety of content from tier one tournaments to influencers’ gameplay and community challenges. In addition to Twitch, Lenovo Legion and Apex Legends are also on Twitter®, Facebook™, Instagram® and YouTube™.

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TECH & Gadgets SUNDAY, JANUARY 12, 2020 Riera U. Mallari, Editor rumallari@thestandard.com.ph

GET BETTER SLEEP WITH HONOR BAND 5

RCBC TAKES DIGITAL BANKING TO NEXT LEVEL

Y NOW, you should all know that having sufficient sleep—between 7 to 8 hours is crucial for your wellbeing. When you’re sleeping, it is when your body takes control at vital processing, restoration and strengthening and this is something you’ll thank us later after a gruesome leg day at the gym!

HOW 7~8 HOURS QUALITY SLEEP AT NIGHT BENEFITS YOU?

• Prevents you from putting on weight Plan an earlier bedtime in addition to exercising if you’re keeping a close watch on your weight. When you are sleep-deprived, your brain releases chemicals to signal hunger and this leads to eating more.

• Keeps you away from the doctor Stress, anxiety, and worries lead to physical illness.

A 7 to 8 hours sleep at night helps at taking away the negativities. If you are lacking in sleep, you tend to have a greater risk of heart diseases or stroke.

• Spur creativity, concentration, and productivity When your brain get well rested at night, its function get boosted in the day time from various aspects including cognition, productivity, concentration, and creativity.

• Steer clear of depression Sleep impacts many of the chemicals in your body, including serotonin. People with serotonin deficiencies are more likely to suffer from depression. You are happier when you get enough sleep!

(Aren’t we all? LOL) • Boost your memory Deep sleep is a very important time for your brain to make memories and links, and getting more quality sleep will help you remember and process things better.

HOW DO YOU KEEP TRACK OF YOUR SLEEPING HOURS?

Before you invest in sleep trackers, you first need to understand how these devices work. Typically sleep trackers like HONOR Band 5 tracks: • The amount of time you spend asleep • The quality of your sleep • How much time you spent in each stage of sleep • Sleep-related health tips.

How do they track? The main way sleep trackers know when you’re asleep is through your body movement. While we switch positions during sleep and may twitch some during our dreams, we’re generally a whole lot more still when we’re asleep than when we’re awake. This makes body movement a useful indicator for measuring your sleep vs. awake status and your overall time asleep.

LENOVO LEGION IS EXCLUSIVE PC, MONITOR OF APEX LEGENDS SERIES

Lenovo Legion T730

LENOVO, Electronic Arts Inc. and Respawn Entertainment announced Lenovo Legion as the exclusive PC and monitor for the Apex Legends™ Global Series—the official esports program for Apex Legends. This esports program is based on the multiple experience for The Game Awards “Multiplayer Game of 2019.”

As the world’s top PC maker, Lenovo is committed to providing highperformance equipment for top-tier competitive gaming experiences.

Lenovo will provide more than 200 high-performance Lenovo Legion desktops and monitors for all Apex Legends Global Series Majors ensuring the best in the world play on some of the best gaming equipment.

One way to qualify for the Apex Legends Global Series Majors, the highest tier of competition, is to compete in Online Tournaments. The online elite subsequently advance to local Challenger events or regional Premier events to showcase their skills at increasingly talented competition. Only the best players in the world will advance to the Apex Legends Global Series Majors, and ultimately the Apex Legends Turn to C3

Lenovo Legion Y25 Monitor

YUNCHENGCO-LED Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. has introduced many firsts in its revitalized mobile banking app, with enhanced user interface and other new online banking features to optimize digital customer experience.

Highlights of the new RCBC mobile app include the push and pull payments through QR Ph, the government’s national QR code standard promoting interoperability across payments providers in the country, online time deposit placement of up to P10 million or US$200,000, and online check deposit for On-us checks, among others.

It now allows in-app enrollment with newly improved security features such as biometrics log-in, one-time password verification, and device registration where account can only be accessed on registered devices.

On the other hand, the web version of RCBC Online Banking can now facilitate multi-currency foreign exchange or buy-andsell supporting various currencies such as Chinese Yuan, Euro, British Pound, Hong Kong Dollar, Japanese Yen, Singapore Dollar, and US Dollar; and online government payments via PESONet in partnership with the Land Bank of the Philippines. Both features will be available in the mobile app by 2nd quarter of this year.

“Filipinos should expect for more digital-enabled banking products and services coming their way as we usher in 2020, further scaling digitalization and financial inclusion,” RCBC Chief Innovation and Inclusion Officer Lito Villanueva said.

In a recently released study of the United Nations-based Better Than Cash Alliance it reported that the volume of e-payments usage in the Philippines grew from 1% in 2013 to 10% in 2018, while the value of e-payments rose from 8% to 20% during the same period.

The study also revealed that women in the Philippines are ahead of the men in adopting digital payment solutions.

“This clearly shows that people have been receptive of these innovative fintech solutions. By trusting and embracing these solutions, it would surely bring an inclusive and sustainable digital economy,” Villanueva added.

Download the RCBC app now and enroll your account.

For more information, visit www.rcbc.com.

ALLIANZ INVESTS IN FIRMS WITH SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS PRACTICES

IN ITS drive to be a fully-sustainable company by 2050, Allianz PNB Life keeps a strong focus on investing in companies with sustainable business practices that deliver long-term value via its Peso-Hedged Global Sustainability Equity Fund.

The equity fund was promoted during the company’s recent Sustainability Forum, where speakers from different industries talked about climate change and the environment and how individuals, companies, and governments can help address its various concerns.

The Peso-Hedged Global Sustainability Equity Fund gives its holders the opportunity to invest in global equity markets of developed countries. It prioritizes investments in companies with sustainable practices, and its hedging component minimizes the risk of

exchange rate movements, adding further protection for investors.

The equity fund is in line with Allianz’s Sustainable Investing, which incorporates Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) factors into investment decisions to better manage risks and generate sustainable, longterm results. It came about as traditional financial analysis has been found to be inadequate to cope with hidden risks and failed to capture opportunities.

Globally, Allianz has been declared the world’s most sustainable insurer for three years running by the Dow Jones Sustainability Index.

In the Philippines, it has launched a number of sustainability projects that include its support of the Lucio Tan Group’s Project Canopy, which involves the reforestation of

the Cordilleras, and the launch of e-Sakay, electronic jeepneys that ply the Makati and Mandaluyong routes.

Benjamin Yong, Allianz Global Investors SG Regional Channel Sales Manager, discussed the environmental factors that go into Allianz’s Sustainable Investing, which covers companies’ carbon footprint, water usage, waste management, and pollution mitigation.

Guest speakers from other sectors likewise presented insights, research, and solutions on various sustainability-related topics.

Arnold Grant S. Belver, EnP, Senior Science Research Specialist of the Policy Research and Development Division of the Climate Change Commission, talked about “Resilience—How Families Should Prepare for Climate Change.”

Movers of Sustainability. Shown here are (from left) Arnold Grant Belver, EnP, Senior Science Research Specialist, Policy Research and Development Division, Climate Change Commission; Benjamin Yong, Regional Channel Sales Manager, Allianz Global Investors Singapore; Rosalina de Guzman, Chief of Climate Data Section, Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration; Antonito Miguel Ramos, EnP, Innovation Manager/Urban Planner, Palafox; Allianz PNB Life Chief Marketing Officer Gae Martinez; PNB Branch Banking Group Head for Metro Manila Edilberto Ramos; (From Allianz PNB Life) Chief Distribution Officer Chris Cabognason; National Sales Head Carol Bernas; and Digital Brand Management Director Kenneth Yu.

Destinations D1

SUNDAY, JANUARY 12, 2020

Bernadette Lunas, Issue Editor

manilastandardlife@gmail.com

@manilastandardlife

TECH AND ENVIRONMENT TO SHAPE TRAVEL IN THE 2020s

@MStandardLIFE

FREQUENT FLYER

5 WAYS TO BEAT AIRPORT INCONVENIENCES EVEN before the plane goes up, stress levels of unprepared passengers can reach over 30,000 feet high. Air travel can quickly turn a comfortable—exciting, even—period that should pass by smoothly, into an unhappy journey that could potentially affect the destination.

Fortune favors the prepared, so here’s a short list of ways to ensure traveling by air is hassle-free.

Bring only the essentials, and pack them strategically.

TAKE NOTHING BUT PICTURES. Individuals from Asia, the United States, and the United Kingdom are looking to travel to more destinations—unencumbered by long queues, as well as passports, key cards, and other items currently necessary when traveling—while making eco-conscious choices this decade.

By Steph Llarena

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Majority of travelers from the Philippines want to explore our local destinations.

(Photo by Carmela Asistio)

HIS is the decade of technological advancements and conscious traveling, according to a new research by a digital travel platform.

Next generation travel

With the continued advancement of technology and better connectivity, Asian and Western travelers are expecting to see the rise of apps catering to all travel needs, passport-free travel, and mobile app check-in in hotels in the 2020s, Agoda reported.

Over half or almost half of respondents in Taiwan (50 percent) and in Southeast Asia: Indonesia (56 percent), Singapore (54 percent), Malaysia (53 percent), the Philippines (48 percent), and Thailand (48 percent) consider this "the norm" in the current decade.

However, only a third of people in the United Kingdom and the United States (33 percent) expect this change.

“Asian travelers, in particular, are enthused by and expectant of, technology developments that

enhance and simplify their travel experience. Asian based companies are now leading the world in technology adoption and development to achieve this,” said Timothy Hughes, vice president of corporate development at Agoda.

Further, Southeast Asians want to be able to go into their hotel rooms faster, as one in two consider mobile app check-in—allowing guests to skip the registration queue, download their room access key, and go straight to their rooms—becoming a thing in the 2020s, with Singaporeans, Filipinos, Malaysians, and Thais most expectant of this trend.

When it comes to passport-free travel, Singapore, Vietnam, the Philippines, China, and Australia are the top five countries most likely to see this future.

“It is a technology golden age for travelers,” stated Hughes.

Asian and Western travelers expect to see the rise of apps catering to all travel needs.

“The 2000s was defined by the mouse and the computer, putting online travel booking just a click away. The 2010s, was defined by the smartphone and app, putting a travel agent in the pocket of every phone owner, and the 2020s will be defined by the power of data and Machine Learning."

Eco-friendly travel

An interesting finding from the research is that travelers are becoming more conscious about the environment, with more than a quarter looking to make more eco-friendly travel choices in this decade.

Travelers from Singapore, Thailand, and Indonesia are the “most keen” to follow this principle, perhaps they are, Agoda said, more aware than others with the recent closure of Maya Bay in Thailand, and the recent Boracay rehabilitation in Philippines.

More travels

More are eager to tick off items on their travel bucket lists this decade.

Forty percent of respondents globally said they look forward to exploring more of their own country, while international travel is anticipated at 35 percent.

The research also discovered

travelers in the 35-44 and 55+ age groups are most likely to explore their own countries and territories more (40 and 42 percent, respectively), with those from China, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand, the US, and Vietnam choosing domestic destinations within their top three destinations in the 2020s.

Here at home, 45 percent of travelers would like to explore more of the Philippines in this decade, while 39 percent would like to travel more internationally. Manila tops the list of Filipino travelers in the 2020s, followed by Seoul in Korea and Kyoto in Japan.

Meanwhile, Korean and Japanese travelers are looking to embark on more solo trips in this decade. Taiwanese and Indonesians prefer taking a sabbatical or gap year.

Asia tops the global travel destination for this next decade, as travelers from both Asia and the West showcase a growing curiosity for Asian treasures like Kyoto, famed for its Shinto shrine, as well as its eclectic blend of culture, food, and history; followed by Bangkok in Thailand and Bali in Indonesia.

The research, which surveyed 16,383 adults, was taken from Dec. 12 to Dec. 18 last year.

Pack smart and strategically

When travel experts talk about packing smart, it means bringing only the essential items or those one really needs. Use travel organizers to separate clothing and miscellaneous items to avoid unnecessary rummaging through the luggage just to get that item that sits under everything else.

When packing toiletries and other important personal products, buy those in travel sizes allowed by authorities. Find out beforehand what are not allowed to put in the checked-in and/or cabin luggage. Finally, ensure the bags do not exceed weight limits to avoid paying for excess baggage fee.

It's better to arrive at the airport hours before the flight than leaving it to chance.

Get to the airport early

It’s extremely unwise to leave getting to the airport on time to chance, especially since traffic in many major urban centers, particularly Metro Manila, can turn a 15-minute trip into at least an hour-long ride.

The rule of thumb when flying is to get to the airport at least three hours (international) or two hours (local) before the scheduled flight so one has enough time for check-in and security screening. Worried of getting bored waiting? Use this time to catch up on reading, eat a meal, or go shopping— or at least check out what’s available in the stores.

Turn to D2

RESPONSIBLE TOURISM

Responsible tourism in the Philipines gained ground only after the ill effects of uncaring visitors and stakeholders showed its wrath on Boracay, our country's world-class paradise island.

to practice responsible tourism.

WITH the progress of the tourThis has been distributed to ism industry worldwide, many the local government units all countries have been clamoring over the country, for their referfor responsible tourism to preence and strict implementation, serve the attractions and destimaking it clear to everyone that nations for future generations being mindful of what we do to to enjoy. our local attractions and destiHere in our country, the call MERCURY RISING nations is actually taking good for responsible tourism gained

BY BOB ZOZOBRADO care of our common heritage. ground only after the ill effects Based on the guidelines pubof uncaring visitors and stakelished by the United Nations holders showed its wrath on Boracay, forcing the authorities to close it for several World Tourism Organization, the handbook starts out by requesting future travelers to do some remonths for rehabilitation.

Now that this “paradise island” is back on its feet search first on their destination: to learn about again, the locals, the stakeholders, and the visitors local customs, traditions, and social conditions. It now have to toe the line, if they want the destina- makes the traveler understand the local community he is going to visit and builds his excitement tion to be enjoyed by future generations.

Meantime, I applaud our Department of Tourism over his forthcoming adventure.

The handbook also recommends that the traveler and, of course, Secretary Berna Romulo-Puyat, for coming out with a handbook to remind everyone Turn to D2

Destinations

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SUNDAY, JANUARY 12, 2020 manilastandardlife@gmail.com

5FromWAYS...

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STAY IN

Leaving for the airport with a phone battery at 100 percent.

Keep your phone charged

Things may not go as planned, and when this happens, it helps to have a trusty phone ready to make phone calls, send messages, or go online to make necessary changes or search the web. Before leaving for the airport, get your phone’s battery to, ideally, 100 percent. On long flights, keep a charger or powerbank handy.

When going abroad, it may be better to buy a new SIM card in the destination for easier, better, and cheaper communication.

Better still, find out if there are Wi-Fi devices available for rent—rates may be more affordable and charges may be based on the actual number of days a tourist will be staying in a particular country.

HOME IN THE CITY. Ortigas-based hotel Discovery Suites offers special overnight rates available until the end of January.

AT HOME AWAY FROM HOME D

ID not have a chance to take a break or bond with family or friends over the holidays? Thankfully promos at hotels happen all year round.

Pack kids' favorite toys to keep them entertained throughout the flight.

Bring something to keep kids busy

Traveling with children can be difficult, especially when they start wailing or throwing tantrums out of boredom.

To spare parents and guardians (did we mention the other passengers, too?) the stress, bring something that will keep children entertained throughout the flight.

Download their favorite movies or television shows, pack their favorite toys, and bring some snacks. If it is a long flight, bring comfortable pillows and blankets.

Traveling with a baby? It’s especially considerate to give disposable earplugs to nearby passengers.

Ortigas-based Discovery Suites continues being a home in the big city with its rates for overnight stay starting at P5,200 nett.

Available today until Jan. 31, the promo includes breakfast buffet for two, high-speed Internet access, as well as access to fitness center, kiddie playroom, and swimming pool.

Call (02) 7719-8888 or email reservations@ds.discovery.com.ph.

Over in Iloilo, Richmonde Hotel joins in the celebration of Dinagyang festival, whose highlights are happening on Jan. 24, 25, 26.

Located within the township of Iloilo Business Park at the heart of Mandurriao, Richmonde provides easy access to the different venues of Dinagyang activities around the city. Room rates on Jan. 24-26 start at P6,800 nett for Deluxe Room, P7,300 nett for Premier Room, and P12,800 nett for One Bedroom Suite.

Promos are valid for either Call (033) 328-7888 or 0917single or double occupancy, and 5809642, or email rhireservations@ include breakfast buffet for up richmondehotel.com.ph.

RESPONSIBLE...

From D1

Travel confidently with an insurance.

Get travel insurance

Some of the worst things that can happen when traveling are accidents, medical emergencies, missed flights, and lost baggage and mix-ups. These events can be a real bummer. Ensure a stress-free vacation by getting a travel insurance such as Axa Smart Traveller.

Axa Smart Traveller comes with a wide range of benefits, including 24-hour travel assistance, protection of personal belongings, and refunds for travel inconveniences. Plans include Essential, Classic, and Elite. The Classic and Elite plans are compliant with the Schengen visa requirement, with the latter offering the highest coverage available. There’s also a plan for a single trip for up to 10 adults and 10 children traveling together to and from the same destination within the same travel period, as well as annual plan for an individual or group.

to two adults and two children 5 years old and below, Wi-Fi access, and use of the hotel’s gym and swimming pool.

The hotel’s in-house restaurant The Granary is serving a sumptuous spread during Dinagyang Festival Dinner Buffets on Jan. 24-26 from 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. The starters, soups, salads, entrées, carvings, action stations, and desserts consist of an appetizing mix of Filipino items and global cuisine.

Dinagyang partygoers can end the day with a delicious recovery meal courtesy of The Granary’s special “Hangover Buffet” served from 11:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. Dishes include arroz caldo with biscocho, pancit molo with paborita, batchoy with puto manapla, and pata with pandesal. There are rice topping choices of pork tocino with garlic rice, chicken inasal with adobo rice, and karne frita with kalkag fried rice.

Richmonde Hotel Iloilo joins in the merrymaking during the 2020 Dinagyang festival with its special room rates and buffets.

and to purchase souvenir products But, it also advises not to give monthat are not made by using endan- ey to children begging on the streets gered plants or animals. It is also im- and support, instead, whatever comlearns to speak a few words of the lo- portant that in protected areas, the munity projects there may be that cal language, to help him connect with traveler should access only those will benefit the local residents. the residents in Conforming a more meanwith a very popuingful manner. lar topic these YOUR WEEKEND CHUCKLE As one days, the handexperiences book also recomTwo campers are walking through the woods when a huge the offermends that the brown bear suddenly appears in the clearing about 50 feet in front ings of the traveler should of them. The bear begins to head towards them. The first guy drops destination, show respect to his backpack, digs out a pair of sneakers and frantically puts them he should the elderly and on. The second guy says, “What are you doing? Sneakers won’t respect evto all genders. help you outrun that bear.” “I don’t need to outrun that bear,” said erything There should be the first guy, “I just need to outrun you!” that makes no discriminathe place tion of sexes and unique—its one should show history, architecture, dress code, open to visitors. equal consideration, regardless of the manner of communication, reliThe handbook includes a very other person’s gender preference. gion, music, art, and cuisine. By do- important reminder on dealing It highlights the fact that, someing so, the tourist’s feeling of being with children in the tourist’s desti- times, what may be taboo to one’s Tourism Secretary Berna Romulo-Puyat in a different place adds to his ex- nation, making it clear that abusing culture may be the norm for anothing but pictures, leave nothing but citement over the trip. children is a crime anywhere in the er’s cultural environment.

Those who are fond of commun- world. Respecting human rights All in all, the handbook is a simple footprints, kill nothing but time.” ing with nature are reminded to be and protecting children from ex- reminder of how to be a responFor feedback, I’m at guardians of forests, wetlands, and ploitation should be a primary con- sible tourist. As for me, every time bobzozobrado@gmail.com. wildlife in their natural habitats, cern for the responsible traveler.

I travel, my mantra is: “Take noth-

Entertainment

SUNDAY, JANUARY 12, 2020

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

MOVIES TO WATCH OUT FOR THIS 2020

The ‘OST Princess’ finished third place at the Dangdut Academy (D’Academy) Asia 5 on Dec. 29 in Indonesia

REDISCOVERING HANNAH PRECILLAS

By Nickie Wang

F

Dolittle (Jan. 29) Robert Downey, Jr. stars as Dr. Dolittle, an eccentric doctor and veterinarian in Victorian England who can talk to animals. Seven years after his wife passes away and he becomes a hermit, Queen Victoria falls gravely ill and he is forced to leave his secluded home in Dolittle Manor and journey to a mythical island to search for a cure.

RESH from her successful stint in Dangdut Academy (D’Academy) Asia 5, the biggest dangdut music talent show in Indonesia, where she placed 2nd runner-up, OST singer Hannah Precillas still couldn’t believe that she's able to harness her ability to outperform herself.

In D’Academy, which is considered to be the first and biggest dangdut music talent show created by Programming Indosiar, and has become one of the most successful talent search shows in Indonesia, she had to sing 20 foreign songs. “ There were times that I only had a few hours to learn a song.

It was a challenge. I didn’t really expect that I would get that far. I didn’t even think that I would pass the audition for the contest,” she told Manila Standard in an interview.

For her audition, the 21-year-old singer performed two songs, one in English and another in Indonesian.

“Dangdut is a music genre in Indonesia. It’s like our version of kundiman, but there are techniques that you have to learn and unlearn to be able to perform a dangdut. And even if I already sounded okay, locals would still tell me that I sounded different. I think that’s normal, parang tayo, we would easily know if a foreigner is the one singing a Tagalog song,” she explained.

The GMA Artist Center star raised the country’s flag in the international scene after capturing the hearts of the judges and the Indonesian audience with her singing prowess. She consistently wowed the crowd with her rendition of various Indonesian songs she performed throughout the competition.

Among the 35 contestants from all over Asia, she consistently received top scores, becoming the lone Filipino and female contestant to compete in the grand finals.

For reaching the finals, she brought home 50 million rupees or around P180,000. She said she’s using the prize money for her mom’s kidney transplant.

“After the contest, the management decided to give the top 3 an additional 50 million rupee. So, I said, wow, I’m already a millionaire in Indonesia,” she laughed. “ I always feel blessed for all the support. It’s a big accomplishment for me and it’s a great experience for me as a singer na ma-try din yung iba pang genre and to represent the Philippinessa international stage,” she said.

Hannah has been invited to perform again Indonesia for the 25thanniversary celebration of Indosiar.

“It’s another opportunity. I hope I get more offers there. I’m just so proud and thankful that they also appreciate my talent,” she said.

Hannah, the winner of GMA’s talent competition Bet Ng Bayan in 2014, is the voice behind the well-loved theme songs of GMA entertainment programs including Hahamakin Ang Lahat,Kambal, Karibal, Hindi Ko Kayang Iwan Ka, Kapag Nahati Ang Puso, and Onanay.

Birds of Prey (Feb. 6) After Harley Quinn became a fan favorite in DC movie Suicide Squad, it’s no surprise that she’s getting her own movie.

In this spin-off movie, Gotham City crime lord Black Mask puts a hit on a young girl named Cassandra Cain. Harley teams up with heroines Black Canary, Helena Bertinelli, and Renee Montoya to protect her at all costs.

Hannah Precillas is the singer behind the well-loved theme songs of GMA TV series

YOUNG ARTIST TURNS RECYCLED CARDBOARDS INTO INTRICATE TOYS TODAY in GMA’s informative science show, iBilib, certified I-Bilibers Shaira Diaz and Dekdek join Chris Tiu as he introduces them to 16-yearold Sebastian Cacho, an artist who recycles cardboard into wonderful toy robots, insects, dragons and other figurines.

For the show’s first experiment, they will compare the rust-cleaning properties of vinegar vs. lemon juice.

In “Lifehacks” segment, the lowly rubberband takes centerstage as Dekdek teaches Shaira how to make an old broom with frayed bristles useful again. Then, she returns the favor when she fixes the broken zip-

IT IS an exciting year for movies and SM Cinema is preparing for new releases just for its patrons. From Marvel Phase 4 to book adaptations and exciting sequels and spinoffs, here are some of our most-anticipated movies in 2020.

Cats (Jan. 8) This musical fantasy based on the popular Broadway play is a magical story of a group of cats called the Jellicles, who must decide which among them will transcend to the Heaviside Layer and be reborn into a new life. The star-studded cast includes Taylor Swift, Idris Alba, Rebel Wilson, James Corden, Jason Derulo, and Jennifer Hudson.

More Than Blue (Jan. 8) This is a remake of the South Korean film of the same name. When a man finds out he has a terminal illness, he hides it from his high school sweetheart turned fiancé, who he knows is afraid of being left alone, and pushes her to marry another man.

‘iBilib’ host Chris Tiu (rightmost) with (from left) young talent Dekdek, actress Lexi, and artist Sebastian Cacho

per of his pants.

In “Bilibabols,” Roadfill and Lexi from Starstruck challenge two pairs to high jump backward so as to land on an ever increasing number of stackable chairs.

In “Street Genius,” see which among four different car parts (fan belt, seat belt, electrical wiring, and brake cable) breaks easily when used to carry the same load.

Moreover, see if a man can drink from all four glasses using four different lengths of straws (5, 10, 15 and 20 feet).

All these on GMA’s favorite science show every Sunday morning.

Little Women (February) This adaptation of the well-loved book is exciting enough with just its cast featuring Meryl Streep, Emma Watson, Laura Dern, Saoirse Ronan, and Timothee Chalamet, among others. Directed by acclaimed director, Greta Gerwig, it tells the story of the March sisters after they leave their family home during the aftermath of the American Civil War. Onward (March 4) Onwards is set in a fantasy world filled with magical creatures but has since lost its sense of magic after modernization took over. One day, two teenage elf brothers, voiced by Tom Holland and Chris Pratt, have to embark on a quest after a spell that would bring back their deceased father for 24 hours goes awry.

A Quiet Place: Part II (March 18) The sequel to one of the most talkedabout thriller films in 2018 is finally coming.

While an official plot still hasn’t been released, we are excited to delve back into the eerie and horrifying world created by its director, John Krasinski, in the first movie.

Mulan (March 25) In this much-anticipated live-adaptation of the classic Disney princess, based on the Chinese legend of Hua Mulan, we follow a woman who disguises as a man in order to save her ailing father from being forced to fight in the war.

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SUNDAY, JANUARY 12, 2020

Desiree Carlos, Editor

Pets

daycarlos28@yahoo.com

THAT THING CALLED ANIMAL WELFARE

O

VER the years, animal welfare has increased recognition and awareness in the country. While the Philippines issued its first animal welfare national legislation only in 1998, it is the first Asian country to have such a legislation.

portantly, love, care and compassion.

BY GREG SALIDO QUIMPO Under our law, animal welfare “pertains AND HEIDI MARQUEZ to the physical and psymon ground is that animals should be treat- chological well-being ed humanely and that the infliction of pain of animals. It includes, or suffering to animals is morally wrong. but not limited to, the Both welfare and right advocates agree that avoidance of abuse, animals are sentient beings and as such, maltreatment, cruelty they can feel and suffer. and exploitation of In the Philippines, our animal protection animals by humans by laws are based on the animal welfare con- maintaining appropriThe concept of animal welfare however, has cept. The definition of animal welfare under ate standards of acalways been confused with animal rights, to the Republic Act (RA) 8485 as Amended by RA commodation, feeding There are a number of rescued dogs waiting to experience being a loved member of a extent that they are being used interchange- 10631, otherwise known as the Animal Wel- and general care, the family. Those who want to adopt can contact AKF through their Facebook page. ably by those who claim to be in the know. In fare Act of the Philippines as Amended, was prevention and treatfact, as we live in the digital world now, the in fact taken from the international standards ment of disease and The current laws may not be enough as yet disparity between animal welfare and animal and principles called the Five Basic Free- the assurance of freedom from fear, distress, rights have existed for thousands of years. The doms of Animals: Freedom from hunger and harassment, and unnecessary discomfort and to cover the field of animal protection. Neverpain, and allowing animals theless, it suffices to inculcate animal welfare truth of the matter is that anito express normal behavior." in every Filipino citizen provided strict implemal welfare and animal rights The rules lay down the mentation is had and both the government are different animals. standard for humane care, and the NGOs partner in the spread of animal Animal rightists believe that use and treatment of ani- welfare education. animals have rights and thus, Needless to state, animal welfare legislation mals and thus, the law proshould not be used by humans hibits and criminalizes mal- is a growing organism in itself. As we progress for whatever purpose including treatment, cruelty, abuse, as a nation, the need for improved welfare laws food. Thus, the influx of veganneglect, abandonment of develop with time and the current situation. ism or plant-based diet. They That thing called animal welfare has become animals. regard the use of animals by huThe Philippine law, recog- a byline, a tag line, a slogan, a cry for both netimans as a form of exploitation nizing the great importance zens and actual citizens. The social media have and hence, advocate the ban of of animals for humans, is fo- been flooded with posts showing animals, both use of animals because for them, cused in the protection and in good, amusing and bad welfare state furanimals should not be regarded promotion of the welfare of thering awareness about people and their relaas property or things to be used animals used for breeding, tionship with animals. We believe that this is a for food, clothing, entertainment maintaining, keeping, treat- favorable development for animals. and even for work and as subjects As humans increasingly realize the significant ing or training of all animals for research. Proponents of anias objects of trade or house- contribution and importance of animals in his/ mal rights advocacy agree that her daily life and their impact in the ecosystem, hold pets. the interest of animals should Regardless which concept there is a need to ensure that humans recognot be seconded or overruled beone adhere to, the promo- nize its responsibility to care and protect the cause human interest is at stake.

AKF's rescues include disabled dogs. AKF tion and protection of the welfare and needs of the animals through a reFor them, using animals is mor- needs help to continue providing for their ally wrong as they are entitled to needs. To help these dogs, please visit their Dogs rescued from dog meat traders and from welfare of animals is a par- spectable cohabitation. amount consideration for their own right to existence and Facebook page. the streets are playful, loving, sweet dogs.

Editor's Note: The column CLAWs Protection both welfarists and rightists. the right to be protected from As an animal welfare orga- will come out every second Sunday of the month. any suffering.

On the other hand, animal welfare groups thirst, Freedom from discomfort, Freedom nization, AKF is focused on the same concept AKF rehabilitates and re-homes the rescued are more accepting that animals can be used from pain, injury and disease, Freedom to that animals have feelings too and thus, they to benefit humans. However, while so, animals express normal behavior and Freedom from need to be protected from any form of cruel- dogs and a few cats from its shelter in Capas, Tarmust be treated as humanely as possible and fear and distress. Simply, these five basic ty, maltreatment and abuse. Hence, its cam- lac. This haven for the rescued animals was built that they should not be exposed or subjected freedoms respond to the basic needs of the paigns are directed on the reduction of animal in 2006 and is purely operating on donations. animals for food, water, shelter, veterinary cruelty, animal welfare promotion and aware- Please visit #AKFanimalrescue on FB or email AKF to unnecessary pain or suffering. at: akfadvocates@gmail.com While the two concepts differ, their com- medical care, play and exercise and most im- ness, including legislation.

CLAWS PROTECTION

BATH TIME AND DOGS

YES, not all dogs want to take a bath.

But for your dog’s health, it is important to bathe your dog.

Bathing keeps your dog free from parasites and dirt that can cause fungal and bacterial infections. It also keeps you dog’s coat and skin clean and shiny. This makes your dog feel comfortable and prevents itchiness.

In “Dogs 101: Everything You Should Know About Bathing Your Dog,” Dog Time shares important information as it replies to questions frequently asked by dog owners.

These tips can also apply to asong Pinoys or aspins and mixed breeds.

“How Often Should I Bathe My Dog? While dogs don’t require daily scrub downs like we do, they do need regular baths–but just how regular depends on several factors, such as the dog’s environment and type of coat.

Your veterinarian can give you advice on how much bathing is appropriate for your individual dog.

Here are some general guidelines: • Bathing once a month works for most dogs.

• Dogs with oily coats, like Basset Hounds, may need bathing as frequently as once a week.

• Many short-haired breeds with smooth coats, such as Beagles and Weimaraners, do just fine with less frequent baths. Short-coated Basenjis are fastidious in their personal hygiene and rarely need a bath.

• Breeds with water-repellent coats, such as Golden Retrievers and Great Pyrenees, should be bathed less often so as to preserve their natural oils.

• Dogs with thick, double coats, such as Samoyeds, Malamutes, and other Northern breeds, do best with fewer baths and a lot of extra brushing,which gets rid of loose, dead hair and helps distribute natu-

ral oils that keep your dog’s skin and Some grooming or pet supply stores rent out dog tubs and towels. coat healthy.

Using a garden hose is okay if Of course, if your dog likes to go swimming, is obsessed with mud the dog is truly filthy or the weathpuddles, or lives in the country and er’s good, but make it an occadoes a lot of rolling in who-knows- sional experience. Dogs don’t like what, then you may want to bathe being cold any more than we do, more frequently than if that same and most don’t like having a hose shot at them. dog lived in a condo in the ‘burbs.

That said, How Should I avoid bathing Give My Dog A more often than Bath? truly necessary, Once you’re or you’ll strip prepared to take your dog’s coat on the task–with of its natural oils, or without your making it dry dog’s cooperaand more prone tion–here’s what to dandruff, frizzto do: ies, and mats.

• Brush your Some shampoos dog before may dry or ira bath. Matritate the dog’s ted hair holds skin more than water, leaving others, in which your dog with case you should irritated skin. If bathe less often you can’t brush or try a different Jasper, rescued dog of animal welfare or cut the mats shampoo. yourself, B a s i c a l l y , group Save ALL Inc.- Save Animals of out the best way Love and Light, being groomed. Save take your dog to gauge when ALL makes sure the rescued dogs are to a professional bathe regularly to keep them clean groomer. You your dog needs and healthy. may want to put a bath is to give a cotton ball in her a good sniff. each ear to keep How does she smell to you? Not so good? Start run- water out. It helps prevent ear infections and irritation. ning the water.

• Use lukewarm water. Dog skin is different from ours, and hot water Where Should I Wash My Dog? Owners of small dogs have an ad- can burn dogs more easily. Bath wavantage–they can just plop the dog ter should never be hotter than what in a sink or laundry tub. But if you you’d run for a human baby. Keep it can’t fit your dog in a sink, use the even cooler for large-breed dogs bathtub, or get in the shower with who can easily overheat.

• Talk to your pet in a calm and them and use a detachable nozzle.

A portable doggy tub is also an reassuring voice. Some dogs will option. While some tubs are made eventually learn that you’re not torof heavy plastic, others are collaps- turing them, although others will ible and can easily be used outside continue to hide under the kitchen or in the laundry room or mudroom. table whenever you get out a towel.

• Use dog shampoo. It dries their skin less than people shampoo.

Work the shampoo into a gentle lather and massage it all over your dog’s body, being careful not to get soap in their eyes.

• Rinse well. Any soap left in their fur can irritate your dog’s skin once they’re dry. Rinse, rinse, and repeat the rinse.

• Air-dry. Hot air from a human blow-dryer can be too hot for their skin. Either air-dry or use a blowdryer designed for dogs; its lower temperatures won’t cause itching or dandruff.

• Reward your dog. Follow up with abundant praise, petting, or play.

Many a damp dog loves to vent their frustration over bath time by playing exuberant tug-of-war with the bath towel–or just running away with it– when it’s all over.

When Should I Go With The Pros?

If the idea of wrestling your dog into a bath tub and expecting them to quietly tolerate being lathered and rinsed makes you laugh hysterically, then do what many opt for: take your dog to someone who makes bathing dogs their business.

Groomers will not only bathe your dog, but they’ll clip their nails, express anal sacs upon request, trim near the eyes, and dry them off.

Most are priced reasonably.

Professional dog groomers are a must for certain breeds, such as Poodles, Yorkies, Maltese, Springers, and others with hair that grows long.

Unlike fur, hair doesn’t shed, and it will keep growing until it gets cut– just like yours.

Even if your dog has fur instead of hair, groomers are helpful if your dog deeply hates baths. They’ve got lots of tried-and-true techniques for making even the most bath-averse canine behave.”

ASIA’S BIGGEST DOG SHOW COMES TO ARANETA CITY THE biggest dog show in Asia is coming to Araneta City with the staging of the Philippine Circuit at the Smart Araneta Coliseum from January 16 to 19.

Boasting a roster of both local and international entries, the Philippine Circuit, hosted by the Philippine Canine Club Whiskey, one of the Bull Terrier winners Inc., will be bringof the Dog Show last year. ing no less than the crème of the crop of dog breeds.

Dog lovers can look forward to seeing ever-popular Yorkshire Terriers, Great Danes, Pomeranians, and rare breeds the world over best it out in a series of adorable challenges.

The Grand Circuit has even been known to showcase the Bichon Frise, the Affenpinscher, Caucasian shepherds, and a Pharaoh hound.

The exhibitors will compete in 12 different shows where they will be judged according to their performance based on the standard of their breed by jurors from Asia, Europe and the Americas. This prestigious event is guaranteed to only bring the best to casual dog owners and aficionados alike.

The Philippine Circuit is happening at the Big Dome in Araneta City for the fifth straight year this 2020. A well suited venue as Araneta City is now a pet-friendly area where registered animal companions can freely roam through the Pet Pals initiative.

Pet owners simply need to avail of the free Pet Pal I.D at mall concierges to enjoy this privilege.

Buy your tickets at www.ticketnet.com.ph or thru the Araneta City Mobile app.

Interested buyers may also call 8911-5555 for inquiries.