Manila Standard - 2020 August 23 - Sunday

VOL. XXXIV • NO. 170 • 2 SECTIONS 8 PAGES • P18 • SUNDAY, AUGUST 23, 2020 • www.manilastandard.net • mst.daydesk@gmail.com

SWEET PRODUCE. A young boy harvests corn near the scenic windmill farm in Pililla, Rizal. Lino Santos

Faster vaccine procurement OK’d • PH records 4,933 new cases • DILG to hire 50,000 contact tracers

By Maricel V. Cruz

C

ONGRESS has approved a provision waiving a Phase 4 clinical trial requirement to hasten the procurement of a coronavirus vaccine under the Bayanihan to Recover as One Act 2 that was ratified by the Senate last week as infections continue to surge, with the total reaching 187,249 on Saturday with 4,933 new cases.

COVID-19 PH AT A GLANCE

(AS OF 4 PM AUGUST 22)

187,249 TOTAL NUMBER OF CASES

4,933 69,362 NEW

ACTIVE

2,966

26

114,921

436

DEATHS

RECOVERIES

NEW

NEW

“Once the medication and vaccine are available, we will do everything and we will really go out of our way to make sure that our kababayans can access them. We can’t allow the medication and vaccine to be affordable only to the rich and well-to-do,” said Speaker Alan Cayetano.

The Department of Health said it will do away with the fourth and final phase of clinical trials for COVID-19 drugs and vaccines, a requirement set by the Universal Healthcare Law. The approved provision of Bayanihan 2 waives the Phase 4 trials under the following conditions:

• the medication and vaccine are recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) and/or other internationally recognized health agencies; and • minimum standards for the distribution shall be set by the Food and Drug Authority (FDA) and the Health Technology Assessment Council (HTAC), as may be applicable.

The provision shall remain in effect three months after December 19, 2020.

“Like I always say, we have to adapt, innovate, and manage in the new normal.

So, this early we are preparing for the vaccine). We can’t start looking for the funding only when the vaccine becomes

available. We have to be equipped,” Cayetano said.

Phase IV clinical trial involves the post-market monitoring of the effects of a new drug and is usually done to a few thousand patients.

The DOH said waiving the Phase 4 trial requirement “is not without historical precedent.”

“Accelerated clinical trials and regulatory approvals in response to threats such as Ebola and Meningitis contributed to mitigating the spread of Ebola and decline in the incidence of Meningitis in the sub-Saharan belt,” the department said in a statement.

When the Dengvaxia anti-dengue vaccine was administered to Filipinos, mostly children, during the past administration, it was still on Phase 4 clinical trial.

The vaccine had already been administered to the close to a million people, the manufacturer, Sanofi Pasteur of France, found out that instead of preventing dengue, Dengvacia will exacerbate symptoms of people who were in-

WHO HOPES COVID OVER IN TWO YEARS

PASSION, GRIT AND LOVE FOR COOKING

CATWALK: FLOWING GOWNS AND FRILLS

The world should be able to rein in the coronavirus pandemic in less than two years, the World Health Organization said as European nations battled rising numbers of new cases.

Rhea Torreblanca Dasalla lost her husband on March 24, a week after she gave birth to their second child. Grieving while nurturing an infant, she mustered enough courage to establish a food venture amid the pandemic.

Liu Liu the cat is a fashion designer’s dream model and muse – happy to spend hour upon hour being measured and dressed, and posing in tailored couture outfits and artistic designs.

jected the drug but have not had dengue fever before.

The country on Saturday reported 4,933 new COVID-19 cases, the fifth consecutive day where more than 4,000 cases have been reported.

The National Capital Region reported the highest number of new cases with 2,845 cases, followed by Cavite with 461, Laguna with 288, Rizal with 167, and Bulacan with 152.

Total recoveries rose to 114,921 after 436 more patients recovered from the illness while the death toll stood at 2,966.

Meanwhile, the Department of the Interior and Local Government said it is targeting to start the hiring of 50,000 contact tracers in September once the additional P5-billion appropriation under the Bayanihan 2 is released.

Interior Undersecretary Jonathan Malaya said the mass hiring will allow the government to meet the recommended ratio for contact tracing of Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong, the country’s contact tracing czar, of a 1:30 or 1:37.

STORIES ON PAGE 2

NBI TO SECURE PHILHEALTH DOCS CLASH OVER P10B TOURISM FUND

BUSINESS / A4

WORLD / A3

I’M NOT A TEACHER BUT NOW I TEACH

BGC HOTEL PULLS IN FRESH INVESTORS

A Grade 9 student suddenly finds herself teaching her younger sibling as classes go online amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Property developer Novel Residential Concepts Inc., which offers investment packages for its Ridgewood Premier Hotel project near Bonifacio Global City, is offering investors safe options in this time of crisis.

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FEATURES / B4

TANIKALA UNCHAINS PATRIOTIC RHYMES Tanikala is one of the few rare sons of this archipelago born with the talent to spit rhymes based on what he wants Filipinos to aspire to be.

‘CHR MAY ACCESS INFO ON KILLINGS’ PRO-ADMIN GROUP SEEKS REV-GOV IGME NOW A STORM, LPA SEEN IN DAVAO

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SUNDAY, AUGUST 23, 2020 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

SURVIVING, BARELY. (From left) A vendor pushing a cart full of plastic wares in Dasmariñas City, a call center agent riding her scooter to get home from work in Cebu City, and a disabled street dweller navigating the dangerous Gen. Maxilom Ave highway to beg for alms – all trying to survive the so-called new normal amid the COVID-19 pandemic that has left many without jobs or livelihood. Pond News Asia

NBI to secure PhilHealth documents

By Joel E. Zurbano

S

ENATOR Francis Pangilinan on Saturday sought the help of the Commission on Audit and the National Bureau of Investigation to secure pertinent documents needed in the probe in connection with the Philippine Health Insurance scam.

“A member of the media has told us that PhilHealth documents are being destroyed in Regions 1, 3, 8, and 11,” Pangilinan said.

“As among those who filed a Senate resolution asking for an investigation into the PhilHealth billion-peso scandal, we ask the authorities, the National Bureau of Investigation and the Commission on

Audit, to help secure those documents now,” he added.

The opposition senator said the destruction of the said documents was equivalent to burying the body of the victim of their crime. “Their destruction is another set of crimes.”

He said the destruction of PhilHealth documents that most likely revealed who

pocketed the people’s money was obstruction of justice (Section 1b of Presidential Decree 1829); removal, concealment or destruction of documents (Article 226 of the Revised Penal Code; Art. 226 above was amended by Republic Act 10951, Section 44 with higher penalty); and a violation of the National Archives Law (RA 9470).

“We call on Health Secretary (Francisco) Duque, who is chairman of the PhilHealth board, to show leadership now and order to secure the documents. We call as well on the other Cabinet secretaries on the PhilHealth board to act now and ensure that the documents are intact,” said Pangilinan.

Reports showed that several documents and computers in the Philhealth Region I

office in Pangasinan, which is under investigation for failing to act on at least 200 fraudulent claims, were destroyed.

“There is enough reason to suspect that the destruction of documents and records caused by the roof leaks in the PhilHealth’s regional office in Pangasinan was intentional,” said Senator Panfilo Lacson.

Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri said the roof leaks seemed to be part of a cover-up to hamper ongoing investigations. He called on the NBI to get to the bottom of the roof leaks.

“We urge the Executive and the Ombudsman to immediately implement the suspension orders and appoint trust worthy OICs so that the important documents can be protected,” he said.

Group seeks Palace: No order to withhold info on killings revolutionary government

By Vito Barcelo

A GROUP supporting President Rodrigo Duterte, whose six-year term ends on June 30, 2022, has renewed calls for him to declare a revolutionary government with him at the helm.

“We are urging our Filipino brothers and sisters to join us in declaring a revolutionary government and appeal to the president to head this revolutionary government, to institute the changes up to the end of his term,” said Bobby Brillante, deputy national spokesperson of the MRRD-NECC. The acronym stands for Mayor Rodrigo Roa Duterte-National Executive Coordinating Committee, in reference to his local post for years in Davao City before he was swept to Malacanang during the presidential elections in 2016.

Brillante joined other groups at the Clark Freeport and Special Economic Zone in Pampanga for a manifesto signing where signatories called for the revolutionary government and to push for a shift to federalism while Duterte still has two years left before he bows out of office.

“This is a people’s initiative type and we can no longer wait for Congress to institute changes. This is a signing of a manifesto statement of support and coalition building,,, The manifesto that we have today will be the basis of our unity. Considering there is a limited time remaining [in] his term, we have to revolutionize the process of change and we cannot leave this to Congress,” he said.

Duterte had promised to spread political power and resources that have long been held in the capital, Manila, by setting up a federal government through charter change.

MALACAÑANG denied an alleged report that President Rodrigo Duterte has ordered the Philippine National Police not to release to the Commission on Human Rights the information of its investigation on the attacks against rights defenders and activists.

“There is no truth to the alleged report that Duterte instructed the PNP not to re-

lease or share their information to the CHR regarding the killing of 89 activists and rights defenders,” Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said in a statement.

The PNP itself denied the claim, adding in a statement “The Philippine National Police categorically denies that President Rodrigo Duterte issued any order prohibiting the release of information or data with regard to the ongoing investigation on the recent attacks against rights

defenders and activists.”

Roque made the statement in response to CHR Commissioner Leah TanodraArmamento allegations that they could not file any case over the killings of rights defenders and activists because the PNP was refusing to give them data allegedly due to the President’s instructions.

The Palace official said the President wanted justice for the victims and wanted to expose those behind the attacks.

The fire alert at a residential area in Brgy.

Zapote, Las Piñas City reached Task Force Alpha early Saturday, with at least 16 firetrucks on site.

‘Majority of licensed health workers inactive’ LESS than half of the 750,000 licensed health workers in the country are actively working in government and private hospitals here amid the coronavirus disease 2019 or COVID 19, according to recruitment and migration expert Emmanuel Geslani.

“Of the 750,000 health professionals, only 204,437 are active in the health

sector, leaving 543,495 who are not practicing their professions, according to the data obtained from DOH (Department of Health) as of 2017,” Geslani said in a statement.

“The institution mentioned should carefully study the data that there are over 750,000 health professionals in the country which includes

(sic) dentists, med techs, pharmacists, physicians and midwives,” he said..

Over 500,000 nurses have passed the licensure exams since the year 2000-2019 but only less than 200,000 are working as nurses in private and government hospitals, Geslani said.

Vito Barcelo

Igme now a storm, LPA spotted in Davao

DISINFECTION. The Ospital ng Tondo in Manila remains closed to new patients

amid ongoing disinfection after 32 doctors and nurses fell ill while tending to COVID-19 patients.

TROPICAL Depression Igme has intensified into a storm yesterday morning, the weather bureau reported in its severe weather bulletin.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration said Igme (international name: Bavi) is enhancing the southwest monsoon (Habagat) and may bring rain in several areas in Luzon.

Among the areas where Igme-triggered monsoon rains are expected are Batanes, Babuyan Islands, Ilocos Region, Cordillera Administrative Region, Zambales, and Bataan.

These areas, Pagasa said, will have light to moderate rains, which may be

at times heavy. It warned residents in areas prone to flooding and landslides to take precautions.

Pagasa also advised those with small sea craft not to venture out to sea in the northern and western seaboards of Luzon. Coastal waters in these areas will be moderate to rough.

Igme has maximum sustained winds of up to 65 kilometers per hour near the center and gustiness of up to 80 km/h.

The tropical storm is moving northwest at 10 km/h toward the southern Ryukyu islands of Japan.

Igme is expected to exit the Philippine Area of Responsibility early Sunday morning. Maricel V. Cruz

Lawmakers trade barbs over P10-b tourism funds

By Maricel V. Cruz CONGRESSMEN on Saturday accused senators of “showboating on Bayanihan 2 in aid of reelection” when some members criticized them for pushing for the allocation of P10-billion for the tourism sector under the proposed Bayanihan to Recover as One Act for the construction of toilets, roads and other infrastructures.

Deputy Speaker and Laguna Rep. Dan Fernandez in particular questioned why Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri and other senators were now scoffing at the consolidated Bayanihan 2 bill when the chamber’s contingent to the bicameral (bicam) conference committee had given its approval of the measure, leading to its ratification by the Senate last Thursday.

The House is set to ratify the Bayanihan 2 bill when it resumes session on Monday (Aug. 24).

After the bill’s ratification by both chambers, the consolidated Bayanihan 2 will then be submitted to Malacañang for President Rodrigo Duterte’s approval and enactment into law.

“If our high and mighty senators feel that the consolidated Bayanihan 2 bill was not up to their standards, then why did they approve it during the bicam talks?” Fernandez asked.

“The truth is a majority of the good features of Bayanihan 2 were actually introduced by the House and were only adopted by the Senate.”

According to Fernandez, the senators critical to the P10-billion funding for the tourism sector “appear conflicted.”

Fire guts homes of 100 families in Las Piñas MORE than 100 families were left homeless when a fire of still unknown origin razed a densely populated barangay in Las Pinas City on Saturday.

No one was reported dead or hurt by sundown.

The blaze, according to Fire Senior Supt. Rizalde Castro, reached Task Force Alpha, prompting the authorities to deploy at least 16 firetrucks from various parts of southern Metro Manila.

The fire broke out around 10:07 a.m and transpired at the residential area of Basa Dos, Zapote. Damaged houses were mostly built with light materials.

Initial reports showed that a public market and a cockpit were affected by the blaze.

Castro said they placed the fire under control at around 12:30 p.m. and was declared out after one hour.

Authorities have not yet determined the cause of the blaze while residents claimed they heard an explosion before the fire started.

“Cause of fire and amount of damages are still under investigation. No casualty or injured was reported as of this time,” said Castro.

Bureau of Fire Protection records showed that most of the fires happened due to faulty electrical lines, unattended gas lamps and cooking stoves and overheating appliances. Joel E. Zurbano

World

SUNDAY, AUGUST 23, 2020

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South Korea to ramp up virus curbs SOUTH Korea has announced it will ramp up coronavirus restrictions across the country starting Sunday to try and control a growing outbreak.

The move came as South Korea— which had largely brought its earlier outbreak under control—reported 332 cases on Saturday, the highest daily figure since early March.

Virus curbs were tightened in the Seoul region last week but with more than 300 cases reported two days in a row, authorities expanded them to the rest of the country.

“We are at a very precarious stage where we could see the beginning of a nationwide second wave,” said health and welfare minister Park Neung-hoo at a press briefing.

Controlling the spread of the virus was the highest priority, he added.

The expanded measures include restrictions on gatherings and activities including professional sports, which will be played behind closed doors again.

All beaches around the country will also be closed from midnight.

South Korea has reported a total of 17,002 coronavirus infections with 309 deaths.

A majority of the new cases have come from the greater Seoul region— home to half of the country’s 51 million people.

South Korea endured one of the worst early outbreaks outside mainland China but brought it broadly under control with extensive tracing and testing while never imposing the kind of lockdowns ordered in much of Europe and other parts of the world.

The country has been seen as a model on how to combat the pandemic with the public largely following safety health measures such as face masks. AFP

Brazilian military plane flew illegal Amazon miners BRAZILIAN prosecutors alleged Friday that a military airplane was inappropriately used to fly a group of illegal miners operating in the Amazon rainforest to meet with Environment Minister Ricardo Salles in Brasilia.

The allegation is the latest controversy for far-right President Jair Bolsonaro’s environment minister, whom activists accuse of working to dismantle environmental protections rather than promote them.

Prosecutors in the northern state of Para said the Air Force plane used to transport the group to Brasilia was originally deployed to fight environmental crimes in the Amazon region.

Instead, it “was used to transport criminals,” they said in a statement.

The incident occurred in early August on the Munduruku and Sai Cinza indigenous reservations.

Like many such reservations, they have been overrun by wildcat gold miners, even though mining on indigenous lands is illegal in Brazil.

Activists say illegal mining is a major cause of environmental destruction in the world’s biggest rainforest and a threat to indigenous communities.

However, Bolsonaro, a climatechange skeptic, has pushed for indigenous reservations to be opened up to mining and agriculture.

According to prosecutors, Salles had visited the Munduruku and Sai Cinza region the day before, after which the planned operation against environmental crimes was cancelled.

The Air Force plane instead carried a group of seven people back to the capital to meet with the minister, the statement said. AFP

Officials of the Police Board of Investigations help employees of the Forensic Medicine Board pick up a black plastic bag containing a corpse in a street in Tegucigalpa in Honduras. Corpses appeared again in the streets in an upturn of violence in northern Central America, after a truce in the beginning of the new coronavirus pandemic, when social isolation measures were taken to prevent contagions. AFP

WHO hopes COVID-19 pandemic over in two years T

HE world should be able to rein in the coronavirus pandemic in less than two years, the World Health Organization said on Friday, as European nations battled rising numbers of new cases.

Western Europe has been enduring the kind of infection levels not seen in many months, particularly in Germany, France, Spain and Italy—sparking fears of a fullfledged second wave.

In the Spanish capital Madrid, officials recommended people in the most affected areas stay at home to help curb the spread as the country registered more than 8,000 new cases in 24 hours.

France also reported a second consecutive day of more than 4,000 new cases – numbers not seen since May – with metropolitan areas accounting for most of those infections.

But WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus sought to draw favorable comparisons with the notorious flu pandemic of 1918.

“We have a disadvantage of globalization, closeness, connectedness, but an ad-

vantage of better technology, so we hope to finish this pandemic before less than two years,” he told reporters.

By “utilizing the available tools to the maximum and hoping that we can have additional tools like vaccines, I think we can finish it in a shorter time than the 1918 flu,” he said.

The WHO also recommended children over 12 years old now use masks in the same situations as adults as the use of face coverings increases to stop the virus spread.

With no usable vaccine yet available, the most prominent tool governments have at their disposal is to confine their populations or enforce social distancing.

Lebanon is the latest country to reintroduce severe restrictions, beginning two weeks of measures on Friday including night time curfews to tamp down a rise

in infections, which comes as the country is still dealing with the shock from a huge explosion in the capital Beirut that killed dozens earlier this month.

The Americas have borne the brunt of the virus in health terms, accounting for more than half of the world’s fatalities.

Still, new daily cases of the coronavirus have been dropping sharply in the United States for weeks—but experts are unsure if Americans will have the discipline to bring the epidemic under control.

After exceeding 70,000 confirmed infections per day in July, the country recorded 43,000 cases on Thursday.

Further south, Latin American countries were counting the wider costs of the pandemic—the region not only suffering the most deaths, but also an expansion of criminal activity and rising poverty.

Without an effective political reaction, “at a regional level we can talk about a regression of up to 10 years in the levels of multidimensional poverty,” Luis Felipe Lopez-Calva of the UN Development Program told AFP. AFP

Kremlin critic Navalny ‘stable’ in Berlin: NGO RUSSIAN opposition leader Alexei Navalny is in a stable condition after arriving in Berlin by air ambulance on Saturday following a suspected poisoning, the German NGO that chartered the flight told AFP. “Navalny’s condition is stable,” said Jaka Bizilj, the head of the Cinema for Peace NGO after the flight touched down at Berlin’s Tegel airport.

The air ambulance took off from the Siberian city of Omsk on Saturday after a day-long standoff over his medical evacuation.

The 44-year-old lawyer and anticorruption campaigner, one of President Vladimir Putin’s fiercest critics, fell into a coma after becoming suddenly ill Thursday on a plane to Moscow that had to make an emergency landing in Omsk.

His aides say they believe he was poisoned, apparently by a cup of tea at the airport, and blamed Putin, though Russian doctors said tests showed no trace of any poison.

Doctors treating him in Omsk had refused to let Navalny leave but reversed course after his family and staff demanded he be allowed to travel to Germany.

This file photo taken on September 29, 2019 shows Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny delivering a speech during a demonstration in Moscow. Navalny is unconscious and in intensive care in hospital after apparently being poisoned. AFP

Navalny’s wife Yulia posted a picture on Instagram of him being lifted into the plane on a covered stretcher and thanked supporters for their “persistence.”

“Without your support, we wouldn’t

have been able to take him!” she wrote.

The ambulance arrived at the Omsk Emergency Hospital No. 1 early Saturday and masked medics put Navalny inside on a stretcher. AFP

Bannon claims he is a ‘political hit job’ victim FORMER top Trump strategist Steve Bannon, who was arrested this week for defrauding donors to a Mexico border wall fundraising campaign, has said he is the victim of a “political hit job.”

“I’m in this for the long haul. I’m in this for the fight. I’m going to continue to fight,” he said Friday on his podcast, Bannon’s War Room.

“This was to stop and intimidate people that want to talk about the wall. This is to stop and intimidate people that have president Trump’s back on building the wall.”

Bannon, who is credited with orchestrating Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential bid, on Thursday denied one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and another of conspiracy to commit money laundering.

The 66-year-old was released on bail of $5 million.

Prosecutors said the online crowdfunding campaign known as “We Build the Wall” raised more than $25 million, which the defendants promised would go towards construction of a southern border barrier but siphoned off instead.

Once a prominent and trusted presidential ally, Bannon was behind some of US President Donald Trump’s most controversial moves, including his ban on some travelers from abroad and the decision to pull the United States out of the Paris climate change agreement.

After frequent clashes with others in the White House, including Trump, Bannon was pushed out in August 2017.

With the presidential election coming up in November, Trump looked to put distance between himself and his former adviser on Thursday. AFP

Locals enjoy rare calm at London museums

FACE-OFF. Trump supporters holding a rally confront a counter-protestor

wearing a BLM shirt in Tujunga, a north neighborhood of Los Angeles, California on August 21, 2020. AFP

GETTING close to the animated T-Rex at London’s Natural History Museum normally requires long queues and sharp elbows.

But today, only a handful of children shriek in delight as it roars.

With tourists staying away and visitor numbers limited due to coronavirus, the popular exhibit is unrecognisably quiet – as are many of the British capital’s museums and galleries.

It is tough for the institutions’ finances, but the lack of crowds is a boon for the few foreign visitors and for locals, who are taking the opportunity to explore their own backyard.

Lynsey Wheeldon, 39, from Dunstable, north of London, headed straight to the dinosaurs when she visited the Natural History Museum with her children on a hot August day.

“We got in straight away and it was only us and maybe six or seven families,” she said. “We got to see things— it’s been great!”

Still worried about catching coronavirus, she was reassured by the decision to let in just 20 percent of normal visitors.

“We probably wouldn’t have come if it wasn’t this quiet,” she told AFP. Foreign visitors usually make up 70 percent of entrants to the Natural His-

tory Museum but this has fallen to three percent since it reopened on August 5 – and 57 percent were Londoners.

For those tourists who do run the gauntlet of Britain’s rapidly-changing quarantine rules, the calm in the city is also refreshing.

“There isn’t the crush, there are no queues... for us tourists, it’s paradise,” said Frenchman Michel Besse, visiting with his family.

Britain has been badly hit by coronavirus, with more than 41,000 people dead, and despite the easing of lockdown many people are still nervous about venturing out. AFP

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SUNDAY, AUGUST 23, 2020

Business

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

UnionBank adds 260,000 depositors amid pandemic M

ore than 260,000 depositors have opened digital accounts with Union Bank of the Philippines in the safety of their homes since mid-March this year when the government imposed community lockdowns and border restrictions to contain the health crisis.

“During this pandemic, we are operating digitally, meaning we are able to provide continuous banking service to our customers through the digital channels. We have chat bot, we have online app, we have our web UnionBank senior executive vice president and chief transformation officer Henry Aguda

facilities. I think we are the only bank right now that is onboarding additional customers without the customers going to the branches,” UnionBank senior executive vice president, chief technology and operations officer and chief transformation officer Henry Aguda says in a virtual interview.

“During the pandemic, we noticed that a lot of people started downloading our apps. It is so easy. Just download a Unionbank app from the Apple Store or Google Play, take a selfie of yourself, take a picture of your government accredited IDs, and then you get an account open already.

Of course, you have to give your KYC [know your customer] information,” says Aguda, who is also the chairman of UBX Philippines, a subsidiary of UnionBank.

“Right now, we are averaging around 1,200 new digital accounts a day, and we see that growing further. Overall, I think we have onboarded close to 260,000 digitally opened accounts,” he says.

“We still have paper, because there are still notarized documents, and there are still cash. But during the pandemic, the volume of transactions in our digital channels is 11 times higher than over the counter, and growing. Last April was the point that digital transactions overtook over the counter transactions. The new customers that we are onboarding, or the 260,000 individuals, If you compare that to the total number of new accounts, about 90 percent plus are opened from the digital channels. There are still new account openings over the counter, but it represents a very small percentage. Over 90 percent are opening digitally,” says Aguda.

UnionBank also allows most of its staff to work from home. “If you take a look at the whole bank organization, around 85 percent of employees are working from home.

We can sustain this until things normalize. In fact, if you look at the core of the banking industry, I think we are one of only two banks that I know of whose call center is fulfilled from the homes of call center agents,” he says.

Aguda says this became possible through the bank’s investments in digital infrastructure, including the cloud platform provided by Amazon Web Services.

“This is the advantage of having a lot of our work processed on the cloud. If you are too dependent on the data centers, accessing it becomes bandwidth hungry.

In our case, we can go straight for most of our computing requirements to the cloud. From home to cloud, cloud to home, things are computed quickly and with less bandwidth. That is why Unionbank has the reputation of having maybe the biggest cloud computing footprint among the banks,” he says.

UnionBank, with AWS support, achieved an “infinite” scaling for workloads, requirements and maximized platform and software as a service offering. AWS, one of the world’s largest technology companies, offers more than 175 fully-featured services for compute, storage, databases, networking, analytics, robotics, machine learning and artificial intelligence, Internet of Things, mobile, security, hybrid, virtual and augmented reality, media and application development, deployment and management from 77 availability zones in 24 geographic regions.

“If we didn’t go with AWS, we would not be flexible in terms of work from home. If all our compute resources are in the data centers, we would not be able to do a lot of work from home. That is partly because a lot of our compute resources are on the cloud. During this pandemic, we have to be very resilient. Our backup and disaster recovery

are in AWS. Despite the earthquakes with the Philippines being in the Ring of Fire, we are confident that a lot of our compute resources are outside the country. All of these were approved by the BSP [Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas],” he says.

Aguda says UnionBank digital account holders can also deposit checks without going to the branches. “We made it easy for them to put in money in their account by just depositing checks. They can take a picture of the check issued to them, and after taking a picture of the checks, it gets deposited to their account,” he says.

“We also made it easy for customers to cash out the money or allow them to disburse it. With their digital app, they can actually send a notification to beneficiaries whether in the province or here and allow them to cash out the proceeds from any of our ATMs or 11,000 cash-out centers. You can cash-out proceeds from Palawan Express, Cebuana Lhuillier, etc. We made it an end-to-end digital banking experience for customers. We would not have been able to do a lot of it, if not for AWS,” he says.

UnionBank has been investing P3 billion in digital infrastructure annually. Aguda says this has enabled the bank to offer digital solutions more rapidly than any other Philippine bank and allowed most of its employees to work from home.

“In fact, our data centers are unmanned at this point, and most of our people from our IT operations are actually working from their homes. This they would not be able to do if most of the compute resources are not in the cloud.

So they don’t have to go to the data centers or to the office. They can just manage most of their compute resource requirements at the safety of their homes,” says Aguda.

UnionBank was ranked as the second most helpful bank in Asia-Pacific region during the coronavirus pandemic, next only to KakaoBank of South Korea, according to the BankQuality Consumer Survey on Retail Banks conducted in April. “These are actual customers saying that Unionbank has actually been very helpful during this pandemic,” says Aguda.

Aguda says the coronavirus pandemic was a perfect storm for digital transformation. “People cannot go out of their homes, go to bank branches. Even if the ECQ [enhanced community quarantine] was lifted, we have seen a huge drop in the number of customers going to the branches. Social distancing has highlighted the issue that customers should not line up in bank branches, which Unionbank has always advocated. Our digital infrastructure is intended to do that. With social distancing, all the more you should not have lines in the branches,” he says.

“Unionbank started this digital journey several years back. The things that we have launched in the digital channels are now becoming more and more useful during the pandemic. It was unfortunate that it took a pandemic to get the awareness of everybody that digital transformation that is important,” he says.

“This digital trend is the new normal. Even BSP is talking about experimenting with digital currencies now. They are accelerating their plans for a digital banking industry.

This is a wake-up call,” he says. Painfully so in these past six months, a lot of banking customers have been forced to study and learn about digital banking and adapt to digital banking. E-commerce is growing exponentially. Digital payment is growing exponentially, so this trend, after the pandemic, is going to be the new normal.”

Roderick T. dela Cruz

Love for cooking sustains QC food business amid challenges FILIPINOS are resilient, and not even the pandemic or the loss of a loved one can prevent them from helping others and finding ways to support their family.

Forty-year-old Rhea Torreblanca Dasalla lost her husband on March 24, just a week after she gave birth to their second child Dmitri Dominic. Their first child, Sophia, is now a 20-year-old lady. Grieving, while nurturing an infant, Dasalla mustered up enough courage to establish a food venture amid the pandemic.

My Sunday Kitchen, which she put up in mid-June, delivers delicious homecooked meals, cakes and pastries which found a loyal following in Quezon City and other parts of Metro Manila. She tapped the social media to spread the word about the products, and quickly she found customers who kept placing orders.

“The business started during my search for something to do while coping with the depression brought about my husband’s death,” says Dasalla, who was married Dennis, a barangay kagawad who died of cardiac arrest. “That was when I started thinking that I should do something fruitful to continuously battle the enormous depression I felt deep inside. The first thing that came into my mind is to let love be expressed through cooking.”

Her first project, My Sunday Mobile Kitchen, helped feed children in the depressed areas of Barangay Paltok, Del Monte on weekends. “It grew into something big. We just surprisingly found ourselves serving meals to kids as well as to those who had been working so hard during these trying times such as delivery riders, drivers and a lot more. That was also where I got the name My Sunday Kitchen,” she says.

The food business came afterwards, while she was browsing Facebook and came across the page of a friend. “We had a quick chat on how life has been going on. We had a conversation about cooking—that it is going to be a great outlet for me and something to focus on. So the

My Sunday Kitchen founder Rhea Torreblanca Dasalla

inspiration began just right there,” says Dasalla.

Today, My Sunday Kitchen has more than 2,200 followers on Facebook. “We

are home-based in Del Monte, Quezon City. I have two staff helping me all the way through during weekdays and the whole family during weekends,” she says.

“What separates us from the rest is we cook because we know how much joy food can bring to others and how it helps tighten family bonds. Our way of cooking is done with care and for us, it is an act of love,” she says.

With the community lockdown and transport restrictions, many shops in Quezon City had to close down. “We had been seeing in our own two eyes that businesses were closing here and there. It had greatly affected commercially known businesses and big food chains,” says Dasalla.

As many restaurants ceased operations, she noticed a growing demand for food deliveries. “People from all walks of life were shifting to food deliveries versus going out. This is what helped food deliveries get more stability. Online selling is the new normal. And we are planning to grow it big by experimenting more on flavors to come up with unique food fit for all,” she says.

“I could only hope that everything still goes well in the coming days. We take it one day at a time,” says Dasalla who worked for a multi-level marketing company before establishing My Sunday Kitchen. She also managed a flower shop, an events planning business and a dress shop.

“I got pregnant and gave birth during this pandemic, so I decided not to go back to work because I am hands-on with my five-month-old child. I’m a mother of a 20-year-old lady and a five-month old,” she says.

“Everything I do now is for my children and to fulfill my promise to my husband that I’m never going back to work and to set up our business instead. So here, I am taking it one step at a time. If God allows, by next year we will have a small café,” says Dasalla.

To those who are losing hope in business, she encourages them to remain grateful for each day. “Just wake up each day with a joyful and hopeful heart. Always start your day

Rice farmer Cristine Almero works on her 2.33-hectare rice field in Pilar, Bohol to support the financial needs of her family.

Lady OFW turns to farming with help of LandBank PILAR, Bohol– Unhappy and lonely working abroad, 38-year-old Cristine Almero decided to return to her hometown of Pilar to make a living by growing palay on a 2.33-hectare rice field that she inherited from her parents.

Like other small farmers in town, Almero once fell prey to informal lenders who charge high rates of 7 percent to 10 percent per month. All that changed when she and other farmers availed of the Sikat Saka Program of the Department of Agriculture and Land Bank of the Philippines which offers low-interest loans.

“Noong wala pang Sikat Saka, kung saan-saan kami humihiram ng pera pambili ng feeds, panggastos sa palayan, pangtanim, at labor. Kulang talaga yung tubo kasi ibabayad lang sa interes,” said Almero, who, like small farmers like her, need timely and affordable credit support every cropping cycle to finance their palay production.

Through the assistance of LandBank, Almero currently enjoys reduced interest rate of 0.75 percent per month under the Sikat Saka Program.

The low rate is a result of her good payment record for loans she obtained from the program starting 2014, at an initial interest rate of 1.25 percent per month—still a relatively low borrowing rate than those offered by informal lenders.

Since she joined the formal credit system, Almero said her income has increased to about 50 percent more every cropping cycle, providing a better life for her family.

“Malaki ‘yung naitulong. Nakaipon na kami, nagkaroon kami ng savings, at nakabili kami ng second-hand na sasakyan. Gumiginhawa ang buhay namin, hindi na kami nangungutang dun sa labas. Tsaka nakakakain na kami ng maayos,” Almero said.

Aside from low interest rates, Almero also benefits from the support services of Sikat Saka Program partner-agencies. These include market support from the National Food Authority, free irrigation services from the National Irrigation Administration, full crop insurance premium subsidy from the Philippine Crop Insurance Corp. and training courses on credit worthiness and financial literacy facilitated by the DA’s Agricultural Training Institute.

“Gusto kong magpasalamat sa LandBank dahil malaki ang naitulong nila sa aming mga farmers. Sana magpatuloy pa sila sa pagtulong samin,” Almero said.

Almero is one of the 604 small rice farmers in Bohol who have availed of the Sikat Saka Program. Majority of the farmer-borrowers are already enjoying 0.75 percent interest rate per month for their loans.

The Sikat Saka Program has helped increase palay production in the province of Bohol, particularly in areas under the Bohol Integrated Irrigation System. For the past couple of years, the province was able to contribute a substantial share to the region’s palay production, making it the “Rice Granary of Central Visayas.”

Launched in 2012, the Sikat Saka Program provides a loan of up to P50,000 per hectare for small rice and corn farmers tilling at least half a hectare, but not exceeding five hectares of land, and are not members of LandBank-accredited cooperatives, which makes it difficult for them to secure loans from other financial institutions. with a prayer. Involve God in your plans. Let Him do His miracles, and you’ll be surprised. Give your best every time. Always find something new to offer to your customers, especially if you’re running a food business online. Be present on social media. Observe discipline, passion and consistency,” she says.

“I always say consistency is the key. I have learned it from the experts. Lastly, I learned during this challenging period to take each day as an opportunity to give love, in big or small ways, in anything and everything that we do,” says Dasalla.

Roderick T. dela Cruz

Youth & Culture B1

SUNDAY, AUGUST 23, 2020

Bernadet­te Lunas, Editor

manilastandardlife@gmail.com

@manilastandardlife

@MStandardLIFE

I am not a teacher

but I teach

By Mikaela Acido-Muega

YOUNG DON’T really plan on LIFE becoming a teacher. That’s for sure! The chaotic work schedule, noisy kids, and teaching responsibilities aren’t really my thing. But the pandemic has compelled me to However, her online classes were not as be one. easy as I thought they would be. I and my

I

My younger sister’s online classes started earlier than mine, and since my parents are busy with their online meetings and webinars and my grandmother doesn’t know how to use a computer, I am the only one available to help her.

sister were very perplexed by the online platform her school is using for lessons.

The site is difficult to use, lessons in the form of videos load too slowly, and the teachers discussing on the videos sometimes speak too fast.

It was agonizing for me to supervise my sister, as she took down notes of the lessons presented online and as

we navigated through the mishmash of video classes on the platform.

But I accepted the task of helping my sister with her online classes, so I had to be the teacher she needed during this time. I had to be patient yet efficient and effective if she has to finish and complete her tasks.

I remembered what my mother said in one of her webinars: that for “teaching and learning to happen during the pandemic, everyone needs to reframe their lenses in order to accept the changes in the way teaching and learning is done now.”

And reframe my lenses, I did! I had to see things like a teacher would do to be able to support my sister’s learning.

I finally had an idea how to teach and assist my younger sister in her online classes. I was the teacher

LOCKDOWN LEARNING. Moms, dads, and even older siblings have now become teachers as the world grapples with changes brought by the pandemic.

Difficult to use online platforms, unstable Internet connection, and lack of equipment are just some of the many challenges in online learning.

Nature on your Kanken Swedish artist Mia Hoff creates patterns and doodles that showcase the beauty of nature for Fjallraven's Kanken Art 2020 collection.

WHEN Swedish illustrator, artist, port the Arctic Fox Initiative, which and graphic designer Moa Hoff was aims to protect the environment and a child, she visited Northern Sweinspire people to spend more time den with her father, where they outdoors. Arctic Fox is the Engspent the time trekking the lish translation of Fjallraven. mountains together.

Moa Hoff’s limited A nature lover who edition designs for always loved the Fjallraven are now forest and thought available at Outtrees had a secret doors by SM, lolife, “the light, the cated at SM Makacrisp colors, and ti. The collection the small knobby consists of a laptop mountain birches” bag which can fit made a lasting ima 15-inch laptop, pression on her. a mini backpack, It was these card wallet, travel glimpses of childwallet, toiletry bag, hood memories and and pen case. the associated feeling of hope, happiOutdoors by SM ness, and awe at the is on the second vastness and beauty level of SM Makati. of nature that served To order online, as her inspiration avail of the call to The Kanken Art backpack has a when she was asked deliver service by compartment for a 15-inch laptop. by iconic Swedish joining Outdoors by brand Fjallraven to SM – MAKATI Viber design a collection community group for its limited edition Kanken Art, now or contacting 0917-843-6176. Shop the available in the Philippines. collection online at The SM Store on LaEvery piece of Kanken Art will sup- zada or www.shopsm.com.

HEY, YOUTH! SHARE your unpublished essays with the readers of Manila Standard. Chosen essays will be published in the Young Life corner that comes out every Sunday.

This space is open for young writers, aged 13-29 years old.

Send your essay (maximum of 800 words) with photo/s, if available, to manilastandardlife@gmail.com with the subject: “Young Life - (title of your essay)” along with a brief description of yourself.

I never thought I was! Now, my younger sister knows how to use the platform a bit. It was painstaking, but fulfilling in the end.

I suddenly remembered what my First Year adviser told me about how fulfilling it was for a teacher to see their students succeed. It was the same feeling I had assisting my younger sister.

Indeed, it takes something special to become a teacher. It takes commitment to be able to help another who knows

less so that they can have a chance to become better in life. This is just one small step forward for me and my sister, but who knows? It may lead to bigger things for us in the future.

I may not be a true teacher yet, but I’m happy to be given this chance to serve as one at home.

The author is an incoming Grade 9 student at Quezon City Science High School.

6 tips for students taking online classes 2. Find the perfect spot sions to be completed for steady proTHE sudden switch to online learnCreate or identify an appropriate gression week after week. ing has caused anxiety, fear, and con4. Communicate with classmates fusion to many learners and educa- quiet workplace in the residence. Minimize distractions. Have a separate area and professors tors worldwide.

Reach out to professors and classmates Aside from the critical problem of for leisure. Do not ever do homework on regarding subject content, requirements, equipping students with tools they the couch—It will be less productive. need to continue their and time frame for submisclasses (i.e. computer, sion. When experiencing reliable Internet connecsudden device shut-downs tion, etc.)—so much so or unstable Internet conthat many have resolved nection, inform profesto asking strangers online sors immediately so they may be able to understand for spare change (#Piand assist. soParaSaLaptop)—navi5. Set goals gating a completely new Break down big assignclassroom atmosphere is another challenge. ments into smaller jobs.

To help enrollees faCreate daily to-do lists miliarize themselves with with concrete goals. For new modalities, The Beexample, read five pages nilde Well-Being Center a day with an end goal of has come up with several 25 pages in a week. Create pointers for the psychosoa reward system to make cial and emotional well- Navigating a completely new classroom atmosphere can be challenging. work productive, such as being of students. snacks or break times, to 3. Organize 1. Stick to a routine retain productivity.

Utilize Google Calendar to colorStick and follow the schedule despite 6. Take effective breaks being online. Log in to the respective code events and deadlines by class. Set Studying for long periods of time websites. Watch lectures. Be consistent specific reminders for certain projects. may cause loss of focus. Get up and in working on the assigned activities. Check each course page every morning move once every hour. Limit phone Share your schedule with your family to for new tasks. Understand expectations breaks to five minutes to avoid getand plan accordingly. Schedule mis- ting sidetracked. avoid interruptions.

CHECK THIS OUT Tokyo’s transparent public toilets THE land of all things quirky is at it again, this time installing public toilets with see-through walls. Yes, see-through, as in you can see the inside from outside.

Designed by Shigeru Ban Architects, the transparent restrooms are installed at Yoyogi Fukamichi Mini Park and Haru-no-Ogawa Community Park, both in Shibuya.

But if doing your “business” in a see-through public restroom is too risqué for your taste, don’t worry because the walls turn opaque once a user enters and locks the door.

This new and unusual attraction aims to ease common worries of people using public toilets: cleanliness and whether there’s anyone inside.

The walls of the see-through toilet become opaque when occupied and locked. (Photo from The Nippon Foundation)

Lego launches bricks that help teach Braille to blind and visually impaired children.

(Photo from LEGO)

Lego’s Braille bricks LEGO shares the fun of building blocks with children with vision impairment as it launches Braille Bricks, which lets users learn the Braille writing system.

First launched in April 2019, each brick is molded with studs that correspond to numbers and letters in the Braille alphabet. The letters and symbols are marked on the bricks as well so they can be used by sighted users.

According to the Danish toymaker, each toolkit will have 300+ Lego Braille Bricks covering the full alphabet in the chosen language, numbers 0-9, and select mathematical symbols and punctuation marks.

B2

SUNDAY, AUGUST 23, 2020

Joel D. Lacsamana, Editor E-mail: jdlacsamana@gmail.com

Home/Design

BGC hotel pulls in investors amidst COVID-19 P ROPERTY developer Novel Residential Concepts Inc., which offers investment packages for its Ridgewood Premier Hotel project near Bonifacio Global City (BGC), recently offered investors an option in this time of crisis.

Novel treasurer Alfonso Keh Jr. said strong interest for Ridgewood Premier Hotel persists amid the Covid-198 pandemic, especially with the 168room prime facility along C-5 Road well on track for completion, and start of operations in 2022.

“It is in times like this when our investment concept will naturally stand out,” opined Keh. “The investment is safe as it is backed by a CCT, or condominium certificate of title, so you have in your hands a property that is appreciating in value. We also give an annual return of up to 12 percent depending on the hotel’s occupancy.”

Under Novel’s prospectus, investors will get a CCT and sign a lease agreement with Novel for the units they bought. Investors will get a guaranteed 6% annual return based on their actual investment, plus up to 6% percent occupancy bonus. The annual bonus will be based on hotel occupancy.

These give Ridgewood Premier Hotel’s investment plan a good balance of yearly return and capital appreciation secured by real estate.

“This means that conservatively, you can fully recover your investment in just nine years,” Keh pointed out. “This is faster than investments in time deposits with annual yields of only 3% to 4%, or bonds and the money market at 3% to 5% per annum. At the same time, our offering is relatively safer than putting your money in the stock market and mutual funds that are not only volatile but also require constant attention.”

Units on offer are categorized into Standard Suite (24.8 sq. m. at P3.54 million), Deluxe Suite (28.5 sq. m. at P3.89 million) and Two-Bedroom Suite (55.7 sq. m. at P6.92 million). All prices are inclusive of plush hotel furnishings, and investors can choose between two payment schemes spread over 24 months.

Bringing a piece of Japan to BGC BONIFACIO Global City­—Collaboration is needed to seamlessly fuse Japanese innovation with Filipino hospitality and create a unique development that will redefine the real estate market.

The Seasons Residences in Bonifacio Global City, the Japanese-inspired condominium project by Federal Land, Inc. in partnership with Nomura Real Estate Development Co., Ltd. and Isetan Mitsukoshi Holdings Ltd., is an example of such synergy.

Through the shared expertise of the developer and its partners, the design and structure of Seasons Residences make it more than just a technical collaboration, but of cultural harmony as well.

Industry experts from design, architecture, and engineering from both Tokyo and Manila were commissioned for the project, making Seasons Residences a masterwork of collaborative design.

Comfort in the heart of Mandaluyong WHILE the pandemic brought significant shifts in consumers’real estate purchasing preferences, it also underlined the edge of owning a townhome in Metro Manila.

A smart edge is TransPhil Real newest development in Mandaluyong City, The Bedford.

“A price point like ₱22,000,00023,000,000 can only get you a studiotype condo unit in the CBD or at most, a 1 bedroom-unit with limited kitchen, dining, and living areas,” explained Ramon Garcia III, TransPhil Real Estate president.

“But with The Bedford, you get a 3 to 4-story townhome complete with customizable rooms, bathrooms with multipoint heaters, open-living spaces, and high-quality features like splittype inverter airconditioners, intercom system, heat and smoke detectors, and compound CCTV to name a few.”

TransPhil Real Estate’s new development is within reach of the

metro’s top schools like Saint Pedro Poveda College, La Salle Greenhills, Xavier School, Immaculate Conception Academy, and Ateneo Law School, in addition to key areas such as S&R

Shaw, Shangri-La Plaza, Ronac Living Gallery Shaw, and other nearby hospitals, markets, and CBDs. For more information, visit www. transphil.com.

HAVEN FOR NATURE-LOVERS.

While gardening has always been a popular hobby, more people have been drawn to it lately as they turned to growing houseplants to relieve themselves of coronavirus lockdown stress, and anxiety. Developer DMCI Homes designed Kai Garden Residences, a Japanese architecture-inspired condominium along M. Vicente Street, Mandaluyong City, to precisely achieve a

HELPING DIG THE PH OUT OF RECESSION. Japan Tobacco International Philippines (JTIP) is eyeing Manila as the site of a Global Business Service (GBS) Center at Bonifacio Global City (BGC) in Taguig. JTIP general manager John Freda told the Manila Standard recently that the GBS Center will employ up to 350 people within the next three years, bringing the total number of JTI employees in the Philippines to 5,000 including those in a manufacturing plant in Batangas province. The Geneva-based company hopes the facility, like its factory in Batangas, can help soften the recessionary impact of the ongoing Covid-19 which resulted in the loss of thousands of jobs over the past six months. Freda, who arrived in the country in time to experience a “baptism of fire” courtesy of the twin crises of the Taal volcano eruption and the Covid-19 pandemic, explained that the center will provide solutions, consulting and analytics to satisfy operational challenges in the areas of finance, marketing and sales, people and culture, procurement, global supply chain and information technology. JTI is a global tobacco company based in Geneva, Switzerland. In the Philippines, it manufactures and distributes the popular cigarette brands Winston, Camel, Mevius, Mighty and Marvels.

SPACE VISUALIZATION The master plan is designed by Nikken Sekkei, a Japanese architectural firm ranked #2 in Building Design’s 2019 World Architecture top 100 list. Established in 1900, Nikken Sekkei has completed over 20,000 projects in 40 countries and 200 cities worldwide.

Renowned for its “space creation” and “space visualization” philosophies, the company is tasked to design the commercial area to incorporate distinct Japanese spatial characteristics.

The concept behind the façade of the podium, on the other hand, is the brainchild of Torafu Architects led by up-and-coming designers, Koichi Suzuno and Shinya Kamuro. The company has established itself on a wide array of projects ranging from architectural design, interior design, exhibition space design, to product design.

Working hand-in-hand with Torafu’s façade concept is Asao Tokolo, a modern master of pattern design and the artist behind the Tokyo Olympics 2020 emblem.

Working with Japanese partners are elite groups of Filipino architects and engineers.

Arch. Carmelo Casas of Casas+Architects spearheads the construction process of Seasons Residences as the project architect. Known for landmarks such as the Grand Hyatt Manila and Solaire Resort and Casino, Casas+Architects is sought after for their expertise in high-rise residential and office building design and master planning.

DAMPING TECHNOLOGY AGAINST EARTHQUAKES Since both Japan and the Philippines experience frequent earthquakes, Seasons Residences commissioned Engr. Raul Manlapig of Ove Arup & Partners Hong Kong to provide structural, wind, and seismic engineering services.

The company equips Seasons Residences with Viscoelastic Coupling Dampers (VCDs), a Japanese damping technology which absorbs wind, or quake-induced vibrations in tall buildings.

ZEN-INSPIRED To complete the Japanese aesthetics of Seasons Residences, GF & Partners provides a Zen-inspired interior design to the amenities and common areas in collaboration with Japanese partners. sense of calm at a time of uncertainty.

Every nook and corner of the property promises to be a showcase of colors as DMCI Homes plans to make use of Salingbobog (Crateva religiosa), Banaba (Lagerstroemia speciosa), Fire tree (Delonix regia), Palo Santo (Triplaris cumingiana Polygonaceae), and the flamboyant Palawan Cherry (Cassia nodosa) to offer bright blooms and refreshing greens. Local trees like Katmon (Dillenia philippinensis), and Ylang-Ylang (Caanga odorata) as well as shrubs such as the sweet-smelling Kamuning (Murraya paniculata), or the prolific bloomer Bougainvillea (Bougainvillea spectabilis), will also provide structure and points of interest in this garden community.

Entertainment

SUNDAY, AUGUST 23, 2020

B3

Nickie Wang, Editor; E-mail: nickie.standard@ gmail.com

Golden Cañedo thrums chance encounters T

HE Clash Season 1 champion Golden Cañedo has a musical treat up her sleeve with the release of "Walang Hanggang Sandali," a new single under GMA Music.

She considers it a blessing to have been entrusted with a song composed by esteemed OPM artists Ebe Dancel, Yumi Lacsamana, Herbert Hernandez, and Jim Paredes. The song was likewise a product of the 1st Filscap

Master Camp, the first major songwriting collaboration in the Philippines.

“I feel honored that I was chosen to sing this song. I look up to them dahil sila ‘yung mga pinapakinggan ko noon and hinahangaan ko ‘yung mga kanta nila,” Golden said during the virtual launch of the latest single.

“And now, I’m the one singing their song. I can only be thankful to GMA management because they gave me this opportunity to give life to this song,” she added.

"Walang Hanggang Sandali” is about chance encounters and how

Digital shows that keep you moving forward ADJUSTING to the new normal has been difficult for everyone, but no matter what happens, life goes on. Just like what the popular hashtag says, we will always find reasons to continue fighting and loving because #TuloyAngBuhay.

Here are some of ABS-CBN’s digital

versity, and listen to legendary Filipino tales from celebrity storytellers such as Catriona Gray, Pia Wurtzbach, and Apl De Ap in Bahay Book Club.

Host DJ Jhai Ho and Rise Artist Studio also continue to bring camaraderie and personal stories of hope in We Rise Together,

destiny works behind-the-scenes in meeting the right person to love.

Having been in a relationship herself, Golden shared the feeling of finding her special someone.

“Only God knows kung sino ang nakatadhana para sa atin. And when that perfect time comes, parang masasabi mong ‘yun na ang magiging simula ng ‘Walang Hanggang Sandali.’It feels good to be in love with the right person,” the teen singer stated.

Golden’s new single will be available for streaming on Spotify, YouTube Music, Apple Music, and other

Golden Cañedo steps out of her comfort zone with the release of a new single.

Tanikala unchains patriotic rhymes IT IS always refreshing to come across a young individual whose perceptions and experiences in his motherland has immensely influenced his life. Tanikala is one of the few rare sons of this archipelago born with the talent to spit rhymes based on how he wants Filipinos to aspire to be.

Eufrenzy Jeano Mira Chichioco, also known as Tanikala is a 17-year-

top local artists like Gloc-9, Shanti Dope, Ron Henley, and an underground artist named ISLA. Discovered by DJ Medmessiah, the man behind independent record label, Morobeats, Tanikala made his mainstream debut after being featured on the widely successful Netflix feature, Jokoy: In His Elements. The show was an excellent opportunity to showcase

Fliptop Festival" last February. The song’s message resounded not only to fellow Pinoys but also to other nationalities reached by JoKoy's episode.

Tanikala is set to release his first solo album on Sept. 1 with ten original tracks written by Tanikala and produced by DJ Medmessiah.

Tanikala, as well as Dj Medmessiah of Morobeats, is managed by Anna

his talent and Filipino rap music across the globe. Since then, he has received an outpour of support from the entertainment industry who sees his ability as something worth honing and could one day even be a source of inspiration for his generation and the next.

Tanikala, together with his groupmates, wrote the song "Kayumanggi" featured on the Nextflix special. The same track was performed during "The

Macquillier, under independent talent representation Blackseed Entertainment.

Blackseed Entertainment has partnered up with Morobeats to help develop upcoming talent internationally.

While Morobeats has been around for quite some time, Blackseed Entertainment backing Morobeats brings a promising opportunity for striving Filipino artists.

Tanikala, 17, inspires a new generation of Filipinos with his passion for incorporating current social situations in his compositions.

shows, exciting reel and real stories that will pull you through tough times, bounce back, and move forward: Get into uncharted territory Now is the time to get involved in new endeavors. Find what really makes you happy and passionate, and work towards it.

Get inspiration from Star Hunt talents as they interact with their fans through engaging conversations about love and life and showcasing of talent in Star Hunt Originals on Kumu. In MNL Presents: Bye Us, two friends must decipher what is truly between them as their friendship is tested when the other decides to move to Japan.

while Ebony and Ivory spice up our afternoons in Breaktime sa Showtime with fun banters and interactive games.

Embrace love in times of trial Facing the unknown is scary as it is, but holding someone’s hand as you muster through it is one of life’s greatest gifts. if you’re craving feel-good romantic stories, watch Sarawat (Bright Vachirawit) and Tine (Win Metawin) in the Tagalized Thai series Still 2gether, the sequel to 2gether, where the new couple balances their duties as both individuals and romantic partners. Another Thai series, Come To Me finds Mes (Singto Prachaya) and Thun (Ohm

old boy from Dasmariñas, Cavite. At age 14, he discovered his talent for rap, which eventually turned into a deepseated passion for the craft.

Derived from the word chains, Tanikala's name represents his continuous lines that strongly impact the society he wants to change. Even at a young age, he can compose full songs and throw fiery rhymes on his own. His inspirations include some of the Philippines'

Filmmaker reflects on her being cultural outsider in short film ‘Tokwifi’

By Rikka Villarez

Meanwhile, jazz up your Sundays by watching the famous ASAP concert experience in iWant ASAP, the first-ever live inapp musical variety show for Kapamilya netizens.

Cherish the people who keep you going Do not take the power of support system for granted. It’s really important to be surrounded by people who understand, care,

Pawat), a ghost and a human trying to find a way to be together.

Meanwhile, immerse yourself in the first interactive boy love (BL) digital series from Kumu and Firestarters Production entitled Kumusta Bro? The online digital shows are produced

by ABS-CBN Films, Star Cinema, Kumu, Black Sheep, RISE, TVDG, Star Music, Star Magic, Cinema One, TFC, and OKS.

COMEDIC DRAMA Tokwifi directed

by Carla Pulido Ocampo bagged two titles in the awarding ceremony of 16th Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival last week.

The film won Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema (NETPAC) Award and Best Short Feature Film for its “magical but very convincing depiction of how women are boxed into stereotypes by television and how cultural communities are reduced into backward primitivism by the media.”

According to Ocampo, the culture of Filmmaker Carla Pulido Ocampo bagged two titles in the awarding ceremony of the 16th edition of Cinemalaya.

and encourage you in your journey.

Follow the newly forged fellowship of three foreign students in reality show Di-

Watch all these for free and check out the complete catalogue of shows on oks.abscbn.com.

indigenous Filipinos has always been set aside and even now, are still misunderstood. She offered the NETPAC award as a gift for those in the said situation.

“I have a favorite Bontoc folktale about a star who went down from heaven to take a bath in a lake … a Bontoc man fell in love and married her,” she narrated.

Ocampo said that she placed a twist in this story to reflect that she was an outsider who knew little of their culture. She wanted to symbolize her insecurities as an outsider by creating a “manila version” of a star.

“Alam naman natin tayong mga Tagalog ang konsepto natin ng mga bituin

ay yung mga artista sa telebisyon o sa mga pelikula so ayun, this film delves into the world of Bontocs and the world of our stars,” she explained.

Tokwifi, according to the filmmaker, was also meant to be a form of criticism on the discrimination of indigenous people.

“Why don’t we celebrate their own identity? Why do they need to fit in the standards of popular media?” she questioned.

Ocampo said that they created this 20-minute film to “run-over” these kinds of biases that rule over people’s minds.

B4

Features SUNDAY, AUGUST 23, 2020

Street art thrives in Sao Paulo P

ERCHED atop a platform swaying in the air 10 stories high, Paola Delfin is putting the final touches on a giant graffiti mural in the sprawling concrete jungle of Sao Paulo.

The Brazilian mega-city is known as a world streetart capital, and not even the coronavirus pandemic has stopped graffiti painters.

Delfin and 14 other artists are painting 12 giant murals on the facades of a series of buildings around a square in the chic neighborhood of Pinheiros.

The work is part of the NaLata urban art festival, an event that had to be mostly canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic – except for the murals.

Together, they cover 3,689 square meters, the biggest ensemble graffiti work in Brazil.

Because of coronavirus stay-at-home measures, "we decided we would only feature artists who were already in Sao Paulo," said the festival's curator, Luan Cardoso.

"The festival was originally going to have a series of public activities, but we had to cancel them to avoid crowds. With these paintings, though, this part of the festival is happening in the street. It's totally democratic," he told AFP. Delfin, a 31-year-old Mexican artist, said painting on the streets of the Brazilian cultural capital was a dream come true.

Her 182-square-meter work depicts a man and woman's face in black and white with near-photographic realism.

"Sao Paulo is obviously a super important place in the art world, especially street art and public art. I had always wanted to work here, and doing it in such a central place where lots of people can see is really important," she said.

Brazil is the second-worst-hit country in the pandemic, after the United states, with more than 3.3 million cases and more than 108,000 deaths.

Sao Paulo state, the hardest hit, accounts for a quarter of the death toll.

The artists all depicted their reflections on the pandemic in their work.

Delfin said she wanted hers to send "a message of hope, that things will get back on track."

"I can see loads of people looking at it out their windows," she said. AFP

Spirited away: Safe full of cash vanishes from Japan ninja museum

despite pandemic

Graffiti painters in Sao Paulo, known as a world street art capital, have defied the coronavirus pandemic. AFP

Catwalk: Pet clothing designer inspired by ancient Chinese beauties Liu Liu the cat dons a traditional flowing Chinese gown known as 'hanfu.' AFP

THEY came in the dead of night; no one saw them and nobody knew they were there. Moments later, the Japanese ninja museum was missing a safe full of cash.

Under cover of darkness, thieves vanished with the 150-kilogram strongbox containing around $9,500, paid as admission fees to the Iga-ryu Ninja Museum in central Japan.

The museum is dedicated to the legend of the ninja – the covert martial arts masters and agents of sabotage who prowled the shadows in feudal times, and were famous for secrecy and stealth.

But police called to investigate the crime found that the culprits had been less than subtle – having forced their way into the museum office with a crowbar, Kyodo News agency reported.

The safe, which was stolen in the early hours of Monday, contained takings from around 1,100 weekend visitors, the Asahi Shimbun daily reported.

The museum, in Iga, features a traditional ninja house and offers interactive experiences, allowing visitors to learn about ninja skills, throw star-shaped weapons, and watch ninja shows.

Iga, which is 350 kilometers southwest of Tokyo, is home to one of the two most famous ninja clans.

The city's Mie University set up the world's first research centre devoted to ninja in 2017, and opened a graduate course a year later. AFP

LIU LIU is a fashion designer's dream model and muse – happy to spend hour upon hour being measured and dressed, and posing in tailored couture outfits and artistic designs. Liu Liu is also a cat.

Her doting owner, Wu Qiuqiao, makes a living from designing miniature versions of traditional flowing Chinese gowns known as "hanfu" for cats and dogs that sell for up to 500 yuan ($70).

After quitting her job as a copy editor last year, the 26-year-old works from her apartment in the central city of Changsha designing petsized dresses out of pastel-coloured chiffon and decorated with embroidery, beads, frills and motifs that she sells online.

Liu Liu ably models the creations inspired by the historic costumes of the Han ethnic majority that are seeing a resurgence in popularity among young people – and now pet owners.

"Some of my regulars may have already bought all the clothing in my store and occasionally ask me to introduce new designs," Wu said.

Wu got the idea for making historic garb for pets after failing to find suitable styles for Liu Liu. And she clearly is not the only one who likes her furry companion dressed in something traditional.

Wu sells up to a thousand pieces a month from her online store Chunfeng Daxiaoqiao and she regularly rolls out new designs to satisfy demand.

"I think hanfu is a heritage of history, and is also very beautiful," Wu said. "(My business) can allow people who enjoy traditional culture, or young people who enjoy hanfu... to be able to adopt ideas they like through pet clothing." AFP

False ads, bad advice puts China's mums off breastfeeding

Only one in five Chinese babies are exclusively breastfed for the first six months of life, due to aggressive promotion of formula milk. AFP

UNREGULATED, aggressive promotion of formula milk, poor medical advice, short maternity leave and workplaces hostile to nursing mothers mean China has among the lowest breastfeeding rates in the world and is falling well short of its own targets, experts warn.

Just one in five of the nation's babies are exclusively breastfed for the first six months of life, a recommendation set by the World Health Organization (WHO). This is less than half the global average, according to UNICEF's 2019 breastfeeding scorecard, and far below the Chinese government's aim to have 50 percent of mothers nursing by this year.

Authorities are now launching a push to promote the practice including building more baby care rooms in public places such as parks and railway stations and teaching doctors and nurses about the benefits of breastfeeding – but experts and mothers say this isn't enough.

Mary Zhang stopped nursing after one month. She developed mastitis – a painful

inflammation of the breast that can lead to fever, infection, and in some cases hospitalisation – but doctors gave her inaccurate information on how to treat it, leaving her in agony and struggling to feed her infant.

"Nothing worked. I was in pain and my baby was crying," recalls Zhang.

She adds: "So my mother started giving formula. Once the baby got used to the bottle, he refused to latch. I couldn't breastfeed."

Only 12 percent of babies in China are born in hospitals where staff have lactation knowledge, according to UNICEF. But the biggest challenge comes from relentless and misleading formula advertising after the government repealed a code of conduct, set by WHO, regulating its marketing.

Authorities abandoned the guidelines, which restricted the marketing of substitute milk and prohibited health workers from promoting it, even after brands selling baby food – including Danone – were found to be offering money to doctors to push their products.

Fang Jin, secretary general of governmentbacked think tank China Development Research Foundation, says there is "intense commercial pressure" from a powerful formula lobby keen to tap the world's biggest market.

China's infant formula market was valued at $27 billion last year and is set to grow 18 per cent to about $32 billion by 2023, according to Euromonitor.

"Infant formula is now advertised as having the same nutrients as breast milk, which is a total lie," Fang adds.

It is also now marketed in hospitals and clinics.

"Most women bring milk powder tins when they come to give birth. They are afraid they might not produce enough milk. It's a myth propagated by the formula lobby," explains Liu Hua, a nurse at Beijing Obstetric and Gynaecology hospital.

Pregnant women rarely get information on breastfeeding during prenatal visits and turn to smartphone apps or websites – often funded by formula firms – for advice, she added. AFP