Manila Standard - 2021 January 10 - Sunday

Indonesian plane crashes into sea, 62 feared dead

AN Indonesian budget airline plane with 62 people on board is suspected to have crashed into the sea shortly after the Boeing 737 took off from Jakarta airport on Saturday, authorities said.

Flight tracking data showed the Sriwijaya Air Boeing 737-500 plunged into a steep dive about four minutes after it left Soekarno-Hatta international airport.

Sixty-two passengers and crew were on board, including 10 children, the nation’s transport minister, Budi Karya Sumadi, told reporters.

The suspected crash site is near tourist islands just off the coast of Indonesia’s sprawling capital.

The plane took off on Saturday afternoon and a search and rescue operation began with no official results available on Saturday night.

“We deployed our team, boats and sea riders to the location suspected to be where it went down after losing contact,” Bambang Suryo Aji, a senior official at the agency, told reporters after nightfall.

Sriwijaya Air flight SJ182 was bound for Pontianak on Indonesia’s section of Borneo island, about 90 minutes flying time over the Java Sea. “I have four family members on the flight -- my wife and my three children,” Yaman Zai said as he sobbed at Pontianak airport.

“They haven’t arrived. They’re not here,” he was heard saying as he spoke on his mobile phone.

Data from FlightRadar24 said the plane reached an altitude of nearly 11,000 feet (3,350 metres) before dropping suddenly to 250 feet. It then lost contact with air traffic control.

“Sriwijaya Air flight #SJ182 lost more than 10,000 feet of altitude in less than one minute, about 4 minutes after departure from Jakarta,” the tracking agency said on its official Twitter account.

Broadcaster Kompas TV quoted local fishermen as saying they had found debris near islands just off the coast of the capital Jakarta, but it could not be immediately confirmed as having belonged to the missing jet. AFP

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ORDERLY FEAST. Devotees observe social distancing at Plaza Miranda outside the Minor Basilica of the Black Nazarene in Quiapo, Manila on Saturday, as they attend the first of 14 Masses heard to celebrate the feast day of the image of Jesus Christ carrying a cross. Bishop Broderick Pabillo, apostolic administrator of the Manila archdiocese, presided over the first Mass (inset). As the day went on, most of over 400,000 devotees brought their replicas of the miraculous icon but had to scramble over the Quezon Boulevard divider to get closer to the church and hear the Mass (also inset). Norman Cruz and AFP

COVID worries 9 in 10 Pinoys

SWS Nov. survey shows more Filipinos fearful of catching coronavirus The health department earlier said the surge in new infections was possible as testing lagged over the holidays.

T LEAST 91 percent of adult Filipinos are worried that anyone in their Davao City led areas in the country with immediate family might catch the coronavirus, a Social Weather Station (SWS) the most newly confirmed cases with 143.

It is followed by Quezon City with 98, survey conducted last November showed.

Rizal with 80, Cavite with 77, and Bulacan About 77 percent were “worried a great Lancet medical journal and involved hun- with 74 confirmed infections.

The Department of Science and Techdeal” and 14 percent were “somewhat dreds of patients in the Chinese city of Wuworried” in the national survey conducted han, is among the few to trace the long-term nology said local experts would need more samples from COVID-19 patients to check among 1,500 from November 21 to 25, symptoms of COVID-19 infection.

2020, the SWS said in a statement released It found that fatigue or muscle weakness whether the mutated variant of the virus January 7. were the most common symptoms, while has already entered the country.

“Ang sabi nga sa Philippine Genome About 3% are worried a little, and 5% are people also reported sleeping difficulties.

(AS OF 4 PM JAN. 9) not worried of the coronavirus that causes “Because COVID-19 is such a new dis- Center, maganda sana kung makaka-700 COVID-19, which has claimed the lives of ease, we are only beginning to understand sana kami ng mga samples,” Science and more than 1.9 million people worldwide. some of its long-term effects on patients’ Technology Secretary Fortunato Dela Pena The November percentage of those wor- health,” said lead author Bin Cao, of the said during a public briefing.

TOTAL NUMBER OF CASES The Philippine Genome Center has so far ried about catching COVID-19 surpassed National Center for Respiratory Medicine. the previous record of 87% in May 2020, The Philippines on Saturday logged tested 350 samples taken from travelers comwhen SWS first surveyed about it, and it 6 1,952 new cases of COVID-19, bringing ing from countries that have earlier reported points up from the 85% recorded in Sep- the total to 485,797 cases, as seven labo- the COVID-19 variant, but none have tested NEW ACTIVE tember 2020. ratories failed to submit data on time, the positive for the mutated virus so far.

A Filipina worker earlier tested positive This developed as more than three quar- Department of Health (DOH) reported. ters of people hospitalized with COVID-19 The day’s figure is the highest daily tally for the new COVID-19 variant, more than still suffered from at least one symptom since Dec. 18 when the country recorded a week after she arrived in Hong Kong.

DEATHS NEW after six months, according to a study pub- 2,115 cases. However, the data for Satur- Dela Pena noted, however, that the Filipina lished Saturday that scientists said shows day does not include results from the seven was not infected with the virus by the time the need for further investigation into lin- labs that were not able to submit their data she boarded the plane in Manila.

RECOVERIES NEW Professor Bin Cao said the research gering coronavirus effects. to the COVID-19 Data Repository System highlighted the need for ongoing care for The research, which was published in the (CDRS) on January 8, the DOH said.

By Vito Barcelo

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COVID-19 PH AT A GLANCE

485,797

1,952 26,784 9,398

34

449,615

291

Twitter kicks out Trump, says he’s ‘too dangerous’ WASHINGTON—President Donald Trump, already facing mounting calls to step down or risk impeachment, suffered further ignominy Friday when Twitter permanently suspended his account, saying the US leader is too dangerous to use the platform.

After a “close review” of tweets from the @realDonaldTrump account, “we have permanently suspended the account due to the risk of further incitement of violence,” Twitter said.

The unprecedented move, which severs Trump from his 88.7 million followers, is an astounding setback for the president in the chaotic waning days of his administration.

It could also prove an insurmountable hurdle should the brash Republican choose to mount a political comeback in 2024, as he has hinted he could do on multiple occasions.

With his presidency imploding, Trump signalled a final, unrepentant display of division by announcing—in his final tweet before the ban—that he will skip the inauguration of Joe Biden on January 20.

“To all of those who have asked, I will not be going,” he tweeted.

Biden responded this was “a good thing,” branding Trump an “embarrassment.”

However, Biden showed how wary he is of the growing rush to impeach Trump -- and deepen the nation’s political divisions -- over his incitement of crowds who stormed Congress on Wednesday.

“That is a judgment for the Congress to make,” Biden said, adding that the “quickest” way to get Trump out was for him and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris to take over in 12 days. AFP

patients after they have been discharged from hospital, particularly those who have had severe infections.

The World Health Organization has said the virus poses a risk for some people of serious ongoing effects — even among young, otherwise healthy people who were not hospitalized.

The new study included 1,733 COVID-19 patients discharged from Jinyintan Hospital in Wuhan between January and May last year.

The SWS survey also revealed that Filipinos felt catching COVID-19 is greater than their worries about catching previous viruses such as Ebola, Swine Flu, Bird Flu, and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS).

The survey was the first to be done through in-person interviews since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.

According to SWS, Filipinos are more worried about contracting the coronavirus than Americans, with only 59 percent of Americans worried based on the November survey of Gallup.

Worry about catching the virus rose in all areas, with the highest percentage in the Visayas at 96 percent. It was followed

by Mindanao at 95 percent, Luzon outside Metro Manila at 89 percent and Metro Manila at 85 percent.

Over 400,000 persist in attending Black Nazarene feast THOUSANDS of devotees thronged Quiapo Church in Manila on Saturday for a glimpse of a centuries-old statue of Jesus Christ believed to have miraculous healing powers, after an annual parade was cancelled due to COVID-19.

Ignoring official pleas to stay home because of the virus threat, Catholics wearing masks and face shields gathered along an avenue outside the church in the capital, where the first of 15 masses for the feast of the Black Nazarene began before dawn.

People patiently waited to enter the church or watched the back-to-back masses broadcast live on large screens outside.

The orderly scenes were in contrast to the normal frenzied procession involving hundreds of thousands of pilgrims risking life and limb to touch the icon in the belief it can heal the sick.

In other developments: • In contrast to the “sea of people” in past years, the number of devotees occupying the two main streets leading to the Quiapo Church rose to nearly half a million on Saturday morning on the Feast of the Black Nazarene, the Manila Police District said.

“On Quezon Boulevard alone mahigit 300,000. Sa Palanca naman mahigit na 100,000 na,” MPD Director Police Brigadier General Leo Franciso said.

• Manila apostolic administrator Bishop Broderick Pabillo told Black Nazarene devotees to trust God and Jesus Christ amid the continuing threat of COVID-19 which has infected more than 482,000 Filipinos and claimed more than 9,300 lives.

The Manila bishop, who celebrated the first mass for the Feast of the Black Nazarene, reminded millions of devotees that “God is with

DTI HELPS UPGRADE SAUSAGE BUSINESS Since she was young, Sherry Wenzel Rellosa has always been passionate about food. Her first business venture is baking, and she now owns a cake shop.

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us” even during this time of hardship brought by coronavirus 2019 which has made our lives more challenging.

• As devotees continued to flock to Quiapo, the church vicar assured that only 30% of the venue capacity is filled, in accordance with guidelines set by the InterAgency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID).

“Nasusunod ang 30% minimum seating capacity sa loob ng Quiapo Church,” Fr. Douglas Badong, parochial vicar of Quiapo Church (Minor Basilica of the Black Nazarene), said in an interview on Dobol B sa News TV. • The Department of Health (DOH) on Saturday said it reported to Manila Mayor Francisco “Isko” Domagoso the alleged crowding around Quiapo Church despite limitations to mass gatherings due to the

COVID-19 pandemic.

But Alex Irasga, working committee head of the Feast of Black Nazarene, told Teleradyo in an interview that devotees were disciplined, with no more traces of “organized chaos” from the previous years.

• Several devotees who are senior citizens did not reveal their real ages to authorities to attend activities during the Feast of the Black Nazarene in Quiapo Church, the Manila Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (MDRRMO) said on Saturday.

“Ang mga kapulisan po natin medyo nahihirapan nga po silang awatin ang ating senior citizens. ‘Pag tinanong po sila ay mababa sa 65 ang sinasabi nilang edad nila pero sa tingin naman po ng ating mga kapulisan ay mahigit 65 na po,” MDRRMO Director Arnel Angeles said in a Super Radyo DZBB interview.

Vito Barcelo, Willie Casas and AFP

A DESIRE NAMED UP CHAPEL

BRINGING OUT ALL THE FEELS

THE Parish of the Holy Sacrifice, more popularly known as the UP chapel at the University of the Philippines Diliman in Quezon City, was spruced up in 2020 by DMCI

ABS-CBN Music has premiered the official Himig 11th Edition music videos, bringing vibrant depictions of the songwriting competition’s 12 finalists, which articulate diverse stories of life, love, misery, and optimism.

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Austria added to travel ban over variant 420k Pinoys jobless over P pandemic,

By Vito Barcelo

ASSENGERS from Austria have been added to the list of countries from whom travelers are restricted from entering the country, according to the Bureau of Immigration on Saturday.

BI Commissioner Jaime Morente said foreign passengers coming from or having been to Austria 14 days prior to arrival in the Philippines shall be prohibited from entering the country.

“The restriction for those coming from Austria will start at 12:01 midnight of January 10, and will be in effect until January 15,” he said.

The Austrian restriction brings the total number of restricted countries to 28.

The expanded travel restrictions were directed by Malacanang following the reported new South African variant of the coronavirus.

Earlier, the government imposed a ban on travelers from the United Kingdom, Denmark, Ireland, Japan, Australia, Israel, The Netherlands, Hong Kong SAR, Switzerland, France, Germany, Iceland, Italy, Lebanon, Singapore, Sweden, South Korea, South Africa, Canada, Spain, and the United States.

Portugal, India, Finland, Norway, Jordan, and Brazil were added to the list on Friday.

Morente clarified that Filipinos coming from the said countries will be allowed entry but will be referred to the airport’s one stop shop to “undergo an absolute facility-based 14-day quarantine period, notwithstanding a negative RT-PCR result,” he added.

Those who will be merely transiting in the 28 banned countries will not be required to undergo the 14-day quarantine but will still have to undergo regular protocols for arriving passengers.

“They will be considered transiting if they merely stayed in the airport, were just there for a layover, and were not cleared for entry by immigration authorities in the said countries,” said Morente.

DOLE says

MORE than 420,000 Filipinos lost their jobs in 2020 as the COVID-19 pandemic affected the economy and forced businesses to close, according to the Department of Labor and Employment.

This brought the country’s unemployment rate to 10.2 percent in 2020, based on the latest Labor Force Survey of the Philippine Statistics Authority, DOLE Assistant Secretary Dominique Tutay said during the Laging Handa briefing Friday.

“Doon po sa monitoring naman ng Department of Labor and Employment ng job displacement, mahigit 420,000 po ang permanently nawalan ng trabaho, at meron din pong 4.5 million workers affected by flexible work arrangement at temporary closure,” Tutay said.

The Labor Department has been allocated a total of P28.8 billion to assist affected workers, with a total of 3.4 million OFWs and in the informal and formal sectors benefiting from the DOLE’s CAMP, TUPAD and AKAP programs, according to the official.

Tutay said the country has initiated a three-year national employment recovery plan that will focus on four key areas: restarting of economic activities, restoration of business confidence, upgrading of the workforce, and facilitation to labor market access of job seekers.

“Inaasahan natin na maganda ang magiging outlook natin for 2021. Hindi man ito babalik doon sa pre-COVID pandemic situation, but at least malaki ang opportunity na makabangon na talaga ang ating ekonomiya at manggagawa. Naka-focus sa businesses at mga manggagawa ang tinatawag na National Employment Recovery Strategy,” she explained.

Tutay said that for 2021, jobs in the sectors of health, construction, business process outsourcing (BPO), and the government will continue to be in demand.

FLOODED VISAYAS. Members of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) assist in the evacuation of 30 families in Barangay Jubasan and Barangay Sabang II in the town of Allen, Northern Samar on Friday.

Meanwhile, Victorias City Councilor Francis Frederick Palanca (inset right) and city responders rescue children from a flooded village early morning on Saturday as a second wave of massive flooding hit several localities in northern Negros Occidental.

2nd wave of massive floods hits northern Negros BACOLOD CITY—A second wave of massive flooding triggered by hours of moderate to heavy rains brought by thunderstorms hit localities in northern Negros Occidental on Friday night.

Like what took place in the early morning of New Year’s Day, hundreds of residents in the cities of Talisay, Silay, Victorias, and the town of E.B. Magalona, all situated in the third district, were back in evacuation centers after waters rose neck-deep and even higher in some barangays.

The latest data from affected local government units showed that in Talisay, just north of Bacolod, 2,964 families from 15 villages were evacuated as of Saturday noon.

In Silay, 193 families took shelter at the civic center by past midnight.

Meanwhile, in Victorias, an initial 1,089 families were displaced, 830 of whom left their homes during preemptive evacuation.

“The floods were really bad. We had a hard time rescuing people. My vehicle could no longer enter some areas where waters were rising on Friday night,” said Victorias Councilor Francis Frederick Palanca, who joined responders in evacuating his affected constituents.

By early Saturday morning, Palanca was still with fellow responders rescuing people stranded in their homes.

Although there were areas where floodwaters have subsided, some were still underwater at noon, he added.

In E.B. Magalona, at least three villages were flooded and several residents were also brought to evacuation centers.

During the January 1 floods, Cadiz City reported only damage to crops, but this time at least a hundred residents of the second district were also displaced and evacuated to a school building.

Further down north in Escalante City, which is part of the first district, a portion of the national road in Barangay

Jonob-Jonob was also flooded and rendered impassable for a few hours.

Hours before the rains came on Friday, third district officials led by Rep. Francisco Benitez, with Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson, launched a dredging operation in Victorias as part of the response to the January 1 flash floods that affected some 15,000 families and destroyed and damaged hundreds of houses in Talisay, Silay, Victorias and E.B. Magalona.

More than PHP20 million in damage and losses to agro-fishery and livestock were also reported after the New Year’s Day floods.

Talisay and Victorias were placed under a state of calamity by their respective city councils on Wednesday and Thursday, respectively.

The Philippine Coast Guard on Saturday said it has helped evacuate around 115 residents in Talisay City and Victorias City at around 1 a.m. on Saturday.

Customs-NAIA seized P1.73b Bulacan airport will in goods in ‘20 spur growth—solon

By Maricel V. Cruz A PARTY-LIST legislator on Saturday lauded the grant of a franchise for the construction of a major airport in Bulacan that she said would advance socio-economic growth not only in the immediate area of the future domestic and international terminal, but the whole country as well.

AAMBIS-OWA Rep Sharon Garin said Republic Act 11506, which grants San Miguel Aerocity Inc. the franchise to construct domestic and international airports in the municipality of Bulakan, Bulacan, will result in the decongestion of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport and improve passenger and cargo handling in both airports.

“Our country relies heavily on tourism and we want to support the industry by providing better facilities that will be ready to accommodate the expected influx of foreign tourists once this pandemic is over,” Garin said in a statement.

Citing the 2019 report of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), Garin pointed out the substantial contribution of the air transport industry to the Philippines, including airlines and its supply chain, contributing roughly P131 billion to the country’s gross domestic product (GDP). On top of this, around 1.2 million jobs are supported by the air transport sector.

Garin also said that another proposed measure, House Bill 7575 or the Bulacan Airport City Special Economic Zone and Freeport Act, will complement the newly enacted law and propel the country’s economic recovery and growth.

By Joel E. Zurbano

GOVERNMENT agents seized a total of 44 shipments of shabu, ecstasy, and other prohibited substances worth a total P1.73 billion at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport in 2020.

The latest apprehension was the shipment of party drug ecstasy tablets at the Central Mail Exchange Center in Pasay City worth P1 million late last month.

Customs-NAIA district collector Carmelita Talusan attributed their accomplishment in apprehending drug shipments to her men and the continuing support of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency and NAIA Inter-Agency Drug Interdiction Task Group.

Most of the drugs seized were shabu, ecstasy, cocaine, and kush marijuana.

Apart from the smuggled drug shipments, NAIA port in close coordination with other government agencies also able to intercept P1.16 million imported meat products, P2.5 million medicines without permits, P1.5 million in gun parts and accessories, P11.7 million assorted jewelries, and P29.8 million of undeclared currency and other smuggled food products and misdeclared items.

“This was the result of our intensified campaign on dangerous contraband and anti-social goods at the airport in 2020 in compliance with the directives and programs initiated by our Commissioner Rey Leonardo Guerrero,” said Talusan.

Cops nab 3 after rape of teener in Nueva Ecija

By Jess Malabanan CAMP OLIVAS, Pampanga—A 16-yearold girl was raped by three new acquaintances after downing several bottles of liquor at the home of one of the suspects at Barangay San Cristobal, Licab, Nueva Ecija over the weekend.

Police quickly arrested the suspects after the victim “Nena” (not her real name) sought their help moments after the incident.

The suspects were identified as Nathaniel de la Cruz, 19; Joseph Esguerra, 22; and Francis Ngacngac, 24, all residents of Licab, about 155 km north of Manila in Nueva Ecija’s western border with Tarlac.

“Nena,” a Grade 9 student at a public school in Licab, narrated her ordeal to her parents, who rushed to the police station to file complaints against the suspects.

The victim said she was invited by De La Cruz to dinner, but instead was offered alcoholic drinks. Moments later two other suspects joined them, police said.

Nena told investigators she was sexually abused by the suspects who took advantage of her drunkenness. She said her appeal for them to stop landed on deaf ears.

“I was drunk and helpless. These monsters took advantage of the situation,” the victim narrated to investigators at the Women’s and Children Desk of the Licab police station.

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US DOJ slaps charges vs. 15 in Capitol riot WASHINGTON—The US Justice Department announced Friday that it has charged 15 people involved in the assault on Congress, including one man accused of possessing bombs made to act like “homemade napalm.”

But Ken Kohl, a federal prosecutor with the Washington US attorney’s office, said they did not expect to charge anyone with “incitement” or “insurrection” in Wednesday’s violence, amid calls for legal action against President Donald Trump, his lawyer Rudy Giuliani and others for encouraging it.

The department unveiled the cases against 13 people, including Richard Barnett, a Trump supporter who invaded the office of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and Lonnie Coffman of Alabama, who was found carrying two handguns and had 11 Styrofoam-enhanced Molotov cocktails in his truck.

Others whose charges were unsealed include Christopher Albert of Maryland, who allegedly entered the US Capitol with a loaded handgun; and Mark Leffingwell, charged with punching an officer.

Most of the 13 were charged with illegal entry into restricted buildings of Congress, and violent or disorderly conduct.

They were also charged with impeding government functions after forcing the shutdown of a joint meeting of Congress to officially certify that Trump rival Joe Biden had won the November 3 election, which Trump had until Thursday refused to accept.

‘Lawless destruction’ Barnett, famously photographed with his feet on a desk in Pelosi’s office, was charged with theft of stationery.

“The lawless destruction of the US Capitol building was an attack against one of our nation’s greatest institutions,” said Acting US Attorney Michael Sherwin in a statement.

Kohl said that not all the charges filed over Wednesday’s violence had been unsealed, and that more were in the pipeline as the FBI investigates.

“This investigation has the highest priority,” he said, with “hundreds” of Justice Department investigators working the case. AFP

Kim Jong Un: US is Nokor’s ‘biggest threat’ SEOUL—North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said the United States is his nuclear-armed nation’s “biggest enemy”, state media reported Saturday, as he threw down the diplomatic gauntlet to the incoming administration of Joe Biden.

The declaration comes less than two weeks ahead of the new US president’s inauguration and after a tumultuous relationship between Kim and the outgoing leader Donald Trump.

Kim and Trump first engaged in a war of words and mutual threats, before an extraordinary diplomatic bromance that featured headline-grabbing summits and declarations of love by the US president.

But little substantive progress was made, with the process deadlocked after their February 2019 meeting in Hanoi broke down over sanctions relief and what Pyongyang would be willing to give up in return.

The North “should focus and be developed on subverting the US, the biggest obstacle for our revolution and our biggest enemy”, Kim told the fiveyearly congress of the ruling Workers’ Party of Korea, the official KCNA news agency reported.

“No matter who is in power, the true nature of its policy against North Korea will never change,” it quoted him as saying, without mentioning Biden by name.

“The check has come due on the Singapore and Hanoi Summits,” tweeted Ankit Panda of the Carnegie Endowment. “And the Biden administration gets to pick up the tab.” AFP

MORNING AFTER. Workers clean damage near an overrun Capitol Police checkpoint a day after a pro-Trump mob broke into the US Capitol on Thursday in

Washington, DC. AFP

US internal division Biden’s greatest post-poll challenge

W

ASHINGTON— President-elect Joe Biden has vowed to restore a global leadership role for the United States, but he will be haunted by a final act of his predecessor—inciting a mob to trash the US Capitol.

Allied democracies voiced shock, and authoritarian states alleged US hypocrisy after Donald Trump’s supporters stormed and defiled the seat of US democracy to disrupt a ceremonial session that certified Biden’s victory.

Several lawmakers, scholars and activists said that Biden -- known for his strong

interest in foreign affairs -- will be obliged to focus inward and confront the reality that perhaps millions of Americans believe Trump’s unfounded conspiracy theories of electoral fraud.

“The post-9/11 era is over. The single greatest national security threat right now is our internal division,” said Elissa Slotkin, a Democratic congresswoman who was previously a CIA analyst.

“If we don’t reconnect our two Americas, the threats will not have to come from the outside.”

Biden has pledged to convene within his first year a “summit of democracies” to promote shared liberal values in a rebuke of Trump’s embrace of autocrats abroad.

That summit could now seem either poignant or awkward taking place in Washington.

“We’ve seen an undermining of trust in

government here but also overseas, where the US has been a leader in promoting the rule of law and democracy, even if it’s often seen as hypocritical,” said Sarah Margon, who leads advocacy on US foreign policy at the Open Society Foundations.

“So I actually think what happened links domestic and foreign policy ever more closely.”

Margon said that foreign leaders would closely watch Biden’s domestic actions, and that he could send a strong message by ensuring the Capitol rioters are prosecuted -- deterrence against any future attempts to trample on democracy.

‘Democracy must be defended’ Secretary of State Mike Pompeo rejected “slander” that the United States had become a “banana republic”—noting that law enforcement dispersed the mob and the certification went ahead. AFP

WHITE TREETOPS. An aerial view shows a snow-covered landscape at the Nordhelle mountain near Meinerzhagen, western Germany on Saturday. The winter weather in the upper parts of Germany attracts many visitors. AFP

Canada leads call on Iran to ‘deliver justice’ in plane crash TORONTO -- Canada and other nations whose citizens died in Iran’s downing of a Ukrainian jetliner one year ago on Friday called on Tehran to come clean about the tragedy and “deliver justice” for the victims’ families.

“We urgently call on Iran to provide a complete and thorough explanation of the events and decisions that led to this appalling plane crash,” the coordination and response group made up of Canada, Britain, Ukraine, Sweden and Afghanistan said in a statement.

COP ON FIRE.

A Senegalese policeman gets covered in flames as he tries to put out a fire, after protests erupted during a curfew in Dakar on Wednesday.

Senegalese President Macky Sall announced on the evening on January 6 the state of emergency with a night curfew for two regions including Dakar to stop the rise of the coronavirus. AFP

They also said they “will hold Iran to account to deliver justice and make sure Iran makes full reparations to the families of the victims and affected countries.”

In Toronto, in Canada’s Ontario province, nearly 200 people gathered under cloudy skies Friday afternoon in front of the University of Toronto before holding a march in honor of the crash victims, according to an AFP photographer at the scene.

Many people carried signs depicting

the victims’ photos and names. Other people wore black face masks printed with the word “Justice.”

Among the marchers was Hamid Niazi, who lost his wife, daughter and son in the crash.

“I am not sure how I can explain that, I am still in (a) state of denial and disbelief.

I can’t believe that that happened to my family,” he told AFP. “Sometimes I think I am having a nightmare, that this couldn’t happen.”

AFP

3 tons of cocaine seized from salt ship BANJUL, Gambia—Law enforcement officers in The Gambia discovered nearly three tonnes of cocaine in a salt shipment from Ecuador, its drugs agency said Friday, in the tiny West African country’s largest-ever seizure.

Officers searching a container in the port of the capital Banjul on Thursday found 118 bags of the illegal white powder, which were labelled as industrial salt, according to a statement from The Gambia’s Drug Law Enforcement Agency (DLEAG).

The container was part of a consignment of four containers originating from the Ecuadorian port of Guayaquil.

Lamin Gassama, DLEAG’s intelligence director, told AFP that the 2.9 tonnes (6,400 pounds) represented the largest ever

drugs haul in The Gambia -- a poor nation of some two million people, and the smallest on mainland Africa.

He added that the seizure was worth approximately $88.5 million.

In its statement, The Gambia’s drugs agency said that local law enforcement is searching for the consignment’s owner, a 37-year-old French national named Banta Keita.

West Africa is an important transit region for cocaine trafficked from South America into Europe, according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.

Seizure of the narcotic across the African continent rose from 1.2 tonnes in 2015 to 5.6 tonnes in 2018, the agency said in a report in June. AFP

Europe doubles vaccine supply via 300m order LONDON—Europe rushed to bulk buy more coronavirus vaccine doses and approved more drugs on Friday, as the World Health Organisation called on wealthy nations not to hog all the available jabs and millions in Asia faced tough restrictions over isolated outbreaks.

The pandemic has already killed 1.9 million people out of 88 million infections and is picking up speed, with 14 percent more cases reported globally per day this week compared to the previous seven days, according to an AFP count.

As the world races for vaccines, the European Union said it had agreed an option for a further 300 million jabs from Pfizer/ BioNTech, doubling its supply of the drug.

European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said the bloc would have “more than enough” doses for its entire population thanks to the new deal as well as forthcoming approvals of other vaccines including a jab developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University.

Britain, freshly departed from the EU, approved its third vaccine on Friday from US firm Moderna, keeping ahead of its neighbors in terms of vaccines available and numbers inoculated.

But the WHO urged rich countries to stop cutting their own deals with manufacturers to snap up the first wave of vaccines, potentially bumping up the price for everyone else.

“No country is exceptional and should cut the queue and vaccinate all their population, while some remain with no supply,” WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said, pushing wealthier countries to free up excess doses for the globally-shared Covax programme.

Bruce Aylward, the WHO lead on Covax, said that “50 percent of the high-income countries in the world are vaccinating today. Zero percent of the low-income countries are vaccinating. That is not equitable.” AFP

10 babies killed in fire at major Indian hospital BOMBAY, India—Ten babies were killed in a maternity unit in the Indian state of Maharashtra early Saturday when fire tore through a major hospital, a doctor said.

Staff rescued seven of the newborn infants at the Bhandara district hospital but were beaten back before they could get to the 10 others, Pramod Khandate, a senior doctor, told AFP. All of those who died were aged between a few days and three months, according to reports.

“The cause of the fire is not known yet but our staff extinguished the fire as soon as they could. The smoke led to the babies suffocating,” Khandate said.

Nurses on duty noticed a fire coming from the hospital’s neonatal unit and raised the alarm.

The fire brigade stopped the blaze from spreading to other parts of the hospital and other patients were moved to safety.

“Heart-wrenching tragedy in Bhandara, Maharashtra, where we have lost precious young lives,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Twitter. Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi called the deaths “extremely tragic”.

Authorities ordered an immediate inquiry into the latest disaster to raise doubts about safety in Indian hospitals.

More than 90 people died in an inferno in a Kolkata hospital in 2011. AFP

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SUNDAY, JANUARY 10, 2021

Business

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

DTI program helps Cavite-based chef upgrade sausage business

S

ince she was young, Sherry Wenzel Rellosa has always been passionate about food. Her first business venture is baking, and she now owns a cake shop.

She dealt into the meat manufacturing business in July 2019 when a friend offered a meat processing equipment and introduced her to the various opportunities that it could present.

She took the chance and started training on sausage making from a European-trained chef. She also took several short courses on meat processing from prominent training schools in the Philippines.

Afterwards, she started to sell the meat products online and got a loyal customer base. Her family saw the business’ potential for growth that they decided to open their first Shepherd’s Deli store in Barangay De Ocampo, Trece Martires City, Cavite.

Shepherd’s Deli is a family-run business dedicated to providing excellent quality of meat products and great value to customers. Its mission is to make Shepherd’s Deli meat products a staple to be enjoyed in every household while its vision is to uplift the brand of Filipino sausage to make it wellknown in the international market.

Performance excellence, godly pursuit, teamwork and integrity are its core values.

In 2020, Rellosa became a mentee under the Kapatid, Mentor ME – Money and Market Encounter online training program of the Department of Trade and Industry in Cavite.

The KMME-MME online training program is one of the many interventions that DTI is giving to the micro, small and medium enterprises in the time of COVID-19 pandemic.

The KMME-MME program helped her a lot to gain more understanding of the business and the marketing techniques. She became more knowledgeable on the different avenues on how to reach out to the business’ target customers. She also learned and apprehended

Management Association of the Philippines president Aurelio Montinola

MAP names Montinola as new president

the principles in business, its application and how to adapt in the current economic situation.

The KMME-MME mentors have been very generous in sharing their expertise and insights in further building up the business. Rellosa also shared that when entrepreneurs had problems in supply of resources or lacking ideas for growth and expansion, a great solution is knowing available government agencies willing to support entrepreneurs like DTI. After joining the KMME-MME program, Rellosa said that she is now more optimistic, goal-oriented and inspired having been exposed to a lot of possibilities.

She also realized and appreciated the importance of continuous learning. “By investing in yourself, you also invest in your business”, she said.

Sherry Wenzel Rellosa, owner of Shepherd’s Deli

“Having a sense of purpose and passion for what you do is what will sustain you when things get tough. Having a solid foundation is very important when you are planning to build a strong structure. Your foundation in business is comprised of your values, determination, and wisdom through knowledge and experience,” she said.

Rellosa said she now has a better sense of direction for the business after the KMME program. Shepherd’s Deli’s gourmet meat selection includes longaniza, German franks, gourmet bacon, pepperoni, slab corned beef, Hungar-

ian sausage, all-beef patty, American meatloaf, bockwurst, bratwurst, chickenwurst, Italian sausage, kielbasa, pepperstick, Spanish sausage, nurnberger and Vienna sausage.

Moreover, Shepherd’s Deli is on its way to having its certification from the Food and Drug Administration.

For the years to come, Shepherd’s Deli is creating the groundwork for an effective system that will enable the business to reach its full potential—to be a national brand ultimately known for its quality and value.

THE Management Association of the Philippines, one of the country’s most active business groups, named banker and business executive Aurelio ‘Gigi’ Montinola III as its president for 2021. Montinola is the 72nd president of the organization which was established in 1950.

Montinola is chair of Amon Trading, East Asia Computer Center, Far Eastern College Silang, Nicanor Reyes Educational Foundation, FEU High School, FEU Alabang and Roosevelt College.

He is also the chair of the Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation, the WWF Philippines National Advisory Council and the National Golf Association of the Philippines. He is the vice chair of the Philippine Business for Education.

Montinola is a director of the Bank of the Philippine Islands and independent director of the Roxas and Company Inc., both listed corporations. He is also a director of the BPI/MS Insurance Corp.

He served previously as president of BPI and the Bankers Association of the Philippines. He was awarded the 2005 and 2010 Asian Banker Leadership Award for the Philippines and the 2012 “MAP Management Man of the Year”.

He graduated with a BS Management Engineering at the Ateneo de Manila University in 1973 and received his MBA at Harvard Business School in 1977.

The other MAP officers for 2021 are Atty. Emmanuel Bonoan, vice chair and COO of KPMG R.G. Manabat & Co. as vice president; Maria Victoria ‘Marivic’ Espano, chair and CEO of P&A Grant Thornton, as treasurer; Romeo Bernardo, managing director of Lazaro Bernardo Tiu & Associates, as assistant treasurer; and Marianne Hontiveros, managing director of CEO Advisors Inc. as secretary.

Españo receives 2020 PRC award in accountancy

Pepsi-Cola expands digital footprint

By Othel V. Campos BEVERAGE maker Pepsi-Cola Products Philippines Inc. strengthens its digital transformation journey as it equips itself with the technology need to COVIDproof and future-proof the business.

PCPPI, the exclusive manufacturer of PepsiCo beverages in the Philippines, decided to subscribe to the advanced SAP Enterprise Management System—a software that enhances the operability of the company targeting weak points to make them more resilient to abrupt changes in the retail space.

“This is reinforcing our digital transformation. We also launched our new e-commerce platform in October because we have big ambitions for our digital journey. I am happy that we did not meet any major business obstacles through these changes. It is exciting to realize the benefits from said systems. This is us finding new ways to deliver value and service,” said PCPPI president and chief executive Frederick Ong. SAP is among the market leader in enterprise management software, with 77 percent of the world’s transaction revenue touching a SAP system.

The SAP technology allows the beverage firm to streamline its business operations and improve financial, operational management and enhanced customer experience.

Using SAP, PCPPI has an end-toend, up-to-date, single data platform

to process information which is more efficient as data is translated into realtime insights and analytics. The system makes for sounder business decisions.

Along the process, PCPPI integrated eight core business procedures and existing systems to create an end-to-end enterprise management tool.

Despite the challenges brought by the pandemic, the company was able to complete its nationwide roll-out this November, covering 18 Business Units in more than 100 locations.

Through Fasttrack Solutions, a platinum partner of SAP in the Philippines, the project was initiated successfully and seamlessly.

To formally close the SAP integration project, PCPPI, together with Fasttrack Solutions and SAP Philippines, held a virtual closing ceremony on Dec. 17, 2020.

The event attended by all the leads from the three partner companies was meant to recognize its many men and women who participated to make the integration successful.

PCPPI hopes to expand its digital footprint into other aspects of the business for increased stakeholder collaboration and employee engagement.

“We envision connecting faster, more efficiently with our people and customers during these challenging uncertain times.

It is their best interest that we keep to heart and is at the center of our purpose,” Ong said.

P&A Grant Thornton chairperson and chief executive Marivic Españo was conferred the 2020 Outstanding Professional of the Year in the field of Accountancy by the Professional Regulation Commission.

Españo received the award at PRC’s 2020 Awards ceremony entitled “The Outstanding Professional: Shining Light Amidst the Challenges of Time” on Dec. 17, 2020.

The prestigious award was given by the commission as recommended by a distinguished panel of judges to Españo for fulfilling the criteria of exemplifying professional competence and integrity of the highest degree, for her contributions to the advancement of the Accountancy profession and her contribution and participation in socio-related activities.

As a recognized expert in fields such as strategy, management, business process improvement, professional accounting services and taxation, Españo has exhibited impeccable leadership and excellence throughout her professional career.

She steered P&A Grant Thornton (Punongbayan & Araullo) to remarkable levels of growth, being its CEO since

P&A Grant Thornton chairperson and CEO Marivic Españo receives the 2020 Outstanding Professional of the Year in the field of Accountancy from the Professional Regulation Commission.

2011. Her leadership skills are also recognized within the Grant Thornton network of member firms. She was elected as board governor of Grant Thornton International Ltd from 2015 to 2019.

Españo is actively involved in various business organizations. Her stints include

being the former president of the Financial Executives Institute of the Philippines in 2019, board trustee in the Institute of Corporate Directors and the Shareholders’ Association of the Philippines and board governor and treasurer of the Management Association of the Philippines.

Ohmyhome introduces ‘shoutout’ for simpler, faster house search BROWSING through thousands ers are looking for,” Race, Ohmyhome of residential listings to find the chief product officer, said. ideal home can be an incred“ShoutOut likewise works well for ibly time-consuming process for homebuyers who have been looking Filipino property seekers who are for a particular property but can’t find swamped with work or domestic it through the app search options. With concerns. this new feature, they can simply creTo make the housing journey is ate a ShoutOut and indicate their prefeven easier, Singapore’s leading erences,” Rhonda, Ohmyhome chief proptech company Ohmyhome, executive, said. which recently launched its innoTo ‘shout out’, property seekers vative application in the Philipmay tap the “Post your ShoutOut” pines, introduced ‘ShoutOut’, a option in the Ohmyhome app. From one-of-a-kind feature exclusive to there, users may choose from “I want the Ohmyhome app. to buy” or “I want to rent” and indicate Guaranteed to make the home- To ‘shout out’, property seekers may tap the ‘Post your their price range, preferred location, search smooth and quick, ‘Shout- ShoutOut’ option in the Ohmyhome app. From there, floor area, and other specifications Out’ allows buyers and renters to such as number of bedrooms, toilets, users may choose from ‘I want to buy’ or ‘I want to post property preferences for sell- rent’ and indicate their price range, preferred location, and parking slots. ers and landlords to see.

ShoutOut allows users to create floor area, and other specifications such as number of Race and Rhonda Wong, coup to five listings. Compared to the bedrooms, toilets, and parking slots. founders of Ohmyhome, explained actual property listings in the Ohmywhat feature is about. home platform, ShoutOuts are posts “ShoutOut reverses the home-searching behavior. Buyers and that show what property-seekers are looking for and the speciftenants can post their requirements on the app, to which sellers or ics of their ideal home. Each ShoutOut automatically expires property owners can respond if their properties meet the criteria. after four weeks, but can be extended by clicking the ‘repost’ This feature also gives property sellers a glimpse at what search- button.

Youth & Culture B1

SUNDAY, JANUARY 10, 2021

Bernadette Lunas, Editor

manilastandardlife@gmail.com

@manilastandardlife

@MStandardLIFE

Keeping kids safe on the web

Online bookstore offers children’s books on data privacy, fake news

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FILIPINO online store for books and gifts offers two books designed to empower children and teens who spend most of their time online.

Looking for Juan now carries the two new releases from the Center for Art, New Ventures, and Sustainable Development (CANVAS), namely Safe Space: A Kid’s Guide to Data Privacy and #YouThink: Fight Fake News.

Safe Space: A Kid’s Guide to Data Privacy is a 60-page activity book that introduces the concept of personal data to children, aged 6 to 12, and teaches them how to protect themselves.

The book breaks down, in childfriendly language, how social media and online gaming platforms work when they sign up to them, how their information can be used, and how and why they should strengthen their privacy settings.

The information presented in Safe Space is eye-opening as it explains what personal details we actually reveal when we use our gadgets online—our location, the time we spend online, what photos or posts we “like,” and so on. Yet the book does not read heavy, it is not too technical either. The illustrations on each page are whimsical, and the color-and-play activities are fun and engaging. #YouThink: Fight Fake News, on the other hand, is geared for older kids, aged 12 to 18.

Presented zine style, it unpacks false information and the many forms that it may take such as misleading information, fake photos, and deepfakes (fake videos or audio recordings).

The 42-pager also discusses how context matters and how our emotional reaction to posts can be a sign that it is fake. The layout of #YouThink is lighthearted and entertaining.

“Explaining data privacy and fake news to children can be challenging,” says Gigo Alampay, CANVAS executive director and author of the books, “but we think this is important information that children and teens should know. These books will help them build their skills in keeping themselves and their data safe, as well as differentiating what is fact or fake.”

Alampay further asserts, “We also hope that these books can become Empowering 12- to 18-year-old readers about fake news is '#YouThink: Fight Fake News' which discusses the many forms of misleading an opportunity for children and their information , fake photos, and deepfakes (fake videos or audio recordings) online.

‘‘

'Safe Space: A Kid's Guide to Data Privacy' introduces the concept of personal data to children, aged 6 to 12, in a fun and engaging way.

guardians to talk meaningfully to each other about things they see online, or things in general.”

Safe Space: A Kid’s Guide to Data Privacy has a section with pointers for teachers and parents on how to use the book. #YouThink: Fight Fake News includes letters from experts on

misinformation and fake news.

Both books feature illustrations provided by Ang Ilustrador ng Kabataan (Ang INK) as well as book design by Studio Dialogo. CANVAS says copies of the books will be donated to the National Data Privacy Commission in support of its information and education efforts. The

paper cut illustration by artist Liza Flores, which serves as the book cover of Safe Space, will also be donated to the National Data Privacy Commission.

Safe Space: A Kid’s Guide to Data Privacy and #YouThink: Fight Fake News are sold at P300 each at www. lookingforjuan.com.

Explaining data privacy and fake news to children can be challenging.

But we think this is important information that children and teens should know.

Fast food chain spreads kindness and happiness Looking for a new indoor plant?

The Happy Meal Buy 1 Share Program gives toys and books to children from areas affected by typhoons Rolly and Ulysses.

ASIDE from making customers happy with its newest 15-piece Minions 2 Happy Meal collectibles, fast food giant McDonald’s spreads the happiness to more Filipino children this holiday season.

Every Happy Meal purchase, for as low as P90, can make two children happy as McDonald’s matches each purchase by gifting a toy or a book to kids from partAlden Richards ner beneficiaries. encourages Filipinos to With the community’s support, support the Kindness the chain, since the program’s Kitchen. launch on Nov. 27, has already distributed books and toys with the help of partner organizations such as the Philippine Red Cross, Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation, Philippine Business for Social Progress, Manila Water Foundation, and Makati Med Foundation.

Beneficiaries of the Happy Meal Buy 1 Share 1 program include children from areas affected by typhoons Rolly and Ulysses such as those in Rizal, Marikina, Albay, Batangas, Quezon, Catanduanes, Camarines Sur, Pampanga, and Sorsogon, as well as a number of local government units and non-government organizations and all Bahay Bulilit communities.

Customers who want to help in the initiative can simply order at McDonald’s for dine-in, takeout, drive-thru, or McDelivery until Dec. 31.

Meanwhile, in the latest video of Ronald McDonald House Charities, its ambassador, Alden Richards encourages everyone to help through McDonald’s Kindness Kitchen.

“Sabi nga nila, ang Pasko ay panahon ng bigayan, kaya kumakatok po kami sa inyong mga puso. Ngayong Pasko sana mabigyan pa natin ng tulong ang mga kababayan nating nagugutom,” Richards said in the video uploaded to YouTube on Dec. 15.

The McDonald’s Kindness Kitchen was first set up in March to provide cooked meals for frontliners, volunteers, and communities affected by the pandemic. With the support of more than 50 partners including Metrobank, Coca-Cola, and HAVI logistics, the Kindness Kitchens has served more than 350,000 meals in more than 1,000 barangays, hospitals, and quarantine centers across the country. Go to https://rmhc.org.ph to help.

McDonald’s Philippines has recently joined Pilipinas Kontra Gutom, a multi-sectoral movement of the government’s Task Force Zero Hunger, private sector, and non-profit organizations working hand in hand to address the country’s concerns on involuntary hunger.

HEY, YOUTH! SHARE your unpublished essays with the readers of Manila Send your essay (maximum of 800 words) with photo/s, Standard. Chosen essays will be published in the Young Life if available, to manilastandardlife@gmail.com with the subcorner that comes out every Sunday. ject: “Young Life - (title of your essay)” along with a brief This space is open for young writers, aged 13-29 years old. description of yourself.

Build it!

By Jess Ferrer

The over 14-inch blooms could be a wonderful Valentine’s Day gift idea— MANY people have developed a liking just make sure the receiver is a fan of for growing and nurturing plants in building their own gifts, of course.

Meanwhile, the Bonsai Tree their living spaces since the model building kit consists pandemic has forced of 878 pieces and comes everyone to stay inwith a rectangular pot doors. These leafy and slatted wood-effect companions have been LEGO stand. Builders a wonderful way to can enjoy a sense of calm brighten up homes and as they carefully shape pass the time—if you the bonsai tree model, can keep them alive. which stands at seven Good news for those inches when comwho love plants but just plete, with either green can’t stop killing them (beleaves or pink cherry cause of lack of plant care blossoms. knowledge), as they can now “As adults look for new ways build them. to switch off and relax, Yes, build them.

The LEGO Group Build your blooms with we’re delighted to be able to help them seek solace launches a new decorative the 756-piece LEGO collection that builders can Flower Bouquet set that from their busy everybuild into colorful plants features a combination day lives as they immerse that they can display after, of colorful flowers and themselves in creating leaves. these beautiful botanical no watering required. The builds,” says Jamie BeLEGO Botanical Collection includes LEGO Flower Bouquet rard, design lead at the LEGO Group.

Both sets include a number of eleand LEGO Bonsai Tree.

The 756-piece Flower Bouquet set ments made from plant-based plastic, features a host of beautiful blooms produced using sustainably sourced sugarcane. They are now availin stunning colors that older able at LEGO certified builders can customize. stores and major retailers A combination of snapfor P3,499.75 each set. dragons, roses, poppies, asters, daisies, and different leaves can be arranged in the The Bonsai Tree model bouquet in a number of consists of 878 pieces and ways to suit the mood comes with a rectangular pot and slatted woodof the builder and the effect stand. design of the room.

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SUNDAY, JANUARY 10, 2021

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

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HE Parish of the Holy Sacrifice, more popularly known as the UP chapel at the University of the Philippines Diliman in Quezon City, was spruced up in 2020 by DMCI Homes, just in time for the new year.

DMCI Homes worked on rehabilitating the 65-year-old historical landmark by repairing its old and worn-out parts and repainting its interior and exterior facades. Work started in July 2020 and completed last December.

Bringing the chapel to its original state DMCI Homes did a series of consultations with UP officials and UP parish to address the immediate needs of the chapel, and to ensure that its original state of beauty and elegance were maintained when the repairs were executed.

Work on the chapel was supposed to start early 2020, but the pandemic pushed back the restoration plan to the latter part of the year.

DMCI Homes led a team that facilitated the repair of masonry cracks, de-clogging of downspouts and drains, and the installation of new electrical fixtures. Repainting work was performed on the chapel’s iconic dome and roof as well as its walls, columns, eaves, under slabs, ceilings, and railings.

The murals depicting the stations of the cross, the marble altar, the floor mural, and the cross at the center of the chapel - all handiworks of national artists were left untouched during the rehabilitation.

Restoration to continue in 2021 DMCI Homes will restore in 2021 the chapel’s ceiling, or the underside of the dome, as this was rescheduled to give way for the church activities during the 2020 Christmas season.

Home/Design

A desire named UP Chapel

RESTORED TO SPLENDID ELEGANCE. The repainted exterior dome following the chapel’s original color.

MORE PERSONAL WORSHIP. Restored walls and railings give a peek into the halcyon days of UP chapel as an architectural, engineering and religious icon.

Completed in 1955, the UP chapel of the DMCI group of companies. was designed by national artist for The structure is considered an architecture Leandro Locsin and built architectural landmark due to its

by Engr. David M. Consunji, founder unique design as it is the first circular

chapel in the country with the altar in its center. It is also the first structure in the country to feature a thin-shell concrete dome, made possible through

Consunji’s innovation in the mixing and delivery of concrete. It is the only structure in the country to feature the works of five national artists.

LUMINA HOMES TO UNVEIL FIRST CONDO. Vista Land’s mass housing arm, Lumina Homes is set to launch its first condominium property at the heart of a provincial city south of Metro Manila. Over the past eight years, the brand has produced over fifty housing projects in Rizal, Bulacan, Pampanga, Bataan, Zambales, Tarlac, La Union, Pangasinan, Nueva Ecija, Cagayan, Isabela, Cavite, Batangas, Laguna, Quezon, Camarines Norte, Albay, Sorsogon, Iloilo, Capiz, Cebu, Negros Occidental, Agusan del Norte, Bukidnon, Zamboanga del Sur, Misamis Occidental, Davao del Norte, Davao del Sur, and South Cotabato. The breakthrough condominium will rise in an accessible location close to major thoroughfares, transport hubs, schools, hospitals, and business and leisure centers. For more information, visit www.lumina.com.ph

FUTURE-PROOF COMMUNITY. AboitizLand recently made a strong case for sustainability with its residentialrecreational development Foressa Mountain Town in Cansomoroy, Balamban, Cebu. The real estate developer hosted a webcast with executives from Miami-based DPZ CoDesign, thought leaders on new urbanism, and representatives from Greenstrat, to illustrate what makes communities inherently resilient. Using the 300-hectare Foressa as a focus point, the forum highlighted the highland estate’s compact, connected, convivial and cost-efficient design. The panel speakers discussed . among others, Foressa’s masterplan which brought together urban design, architecture, adventure and landscape components within five thematic districts: light, which is currently under construction, water, earth, wood and air. With an average lot cut of 442 square meters, future residents of Foressa will enjoy privacy set against the backdrop of picturesque mountains. Interested parties may contact https://www.facebook.com/ForessaMountainTown/ .

QUANTUM JUMP FOR QUANTUM RESIDENCES.

Federal Land, Inc. recently conducted a concrete-pouring ceremony for its newest project, Quantum Residences – Amethyst Tower, at Taft Avenue, Pasay City. Developed under subsidiary, Horizon Land, Quantum Residences offers a central location accessible to important thoroughfares in Pasay, and a full set of amenities to help motivate young professionals in their pursuit of education, career, and vast interests.

At the ceremony were (from left) Mike Salazar, product planning dfepartment head at Federal Land; Dinah Hernandez, Horizon Land sales channel head; Maria Margarita Saenz-Resurreccion, sales group head; Cherie Fernandez, product development group head; Engr. Alex Canigan, project manager at Design Coordinate Corp.; Engr. Richard Naval, construction management group operations head, Federal Land; Engr. Felisberto Gancayco, managing director, Design Coordinate Corp.; and Mark Gosiengfiao, product planning department manager, Federal Land.

‘MULTIFIX’ MORTAR FOR WALLS, FLOORS.

Holcim Philippines recently launched a product that can help contractors and masons improve the quality of walls, floors, and tile installation in building projects. Dubbed Holcim Multifix, the product is a combination of sand and cement enhanced with polymer that can be used just by adding water.

Holcim Multifix is produced in the company’s drymix plant, removing the need for masons to combine materials on site, and achieve uniform quality for the application of the mortar. “We developed Holcim Multifix in line with our commitment to produce innovative building solutions that do not just bring value to our customers, but are also sustainable for the environment,” said Holcim senior vice president for marketing and innovation Ram Maganti.

The product is currently available as 25-kilogram bags in select locations in Luzon, and will be introduced in Mindanao in the first quarter of 2021. Holcim Multifix is the latest in the company’s line of drymix products which includes Holcim Skim Coat and Holcim Tile Adhesive.

Entertainment

SUNDAY, JANUARY 10, 2021

Himig Handog unveils 12 music videos that bring out all the feels A

BS-CBN Music has premiered the official Himig 11th Edition music videos, bringing vibrant depictions of the songwriting competition’s 12 finalists, which articulate diverse stories of life, love, misery, and optimism.

1. “Ang Hirap Maging Mahirap” Davey Langit delivers the angst and pains of a person deprived of wealth in the music video of Kenneth Reodica’s “Ang Hirap Maging Mahirap.” The video directed by Jude Matanguihan also features rapper Kritiko, who gives a realistic portrayal of a person fighting to survive everyday life.

2. “Bulalakaw” Janine Berdin and composer Joanna Ang bring healing in the “Bulalakaw” music video directed by Edriel Garcia and Yani Bautista.

Dressed in white gowns, the two belters render the Visayan pop song in harmony, ending the story with a view of the sunrise, a perfect scene to bring hope to viewers.

3. “Bang Planeta” Zild’s “Ibang Planeta” music video, directed by Shaira Luna, is a tacit throwback to the ‘80s as it evokes the feeling of being taken to a different dimension while in love, visualizing the unique storytelling of composer Dan Tanedo.

4. “Ika’y Babalik Pa Ba” Juris brings another touching anthem in Jabez Orara’s composition “Ika’y Babalik Pa Ba,” with its music video expressing an extreme longing for a loved one as rendered by cast members Iana Bernardez and Ilya Nikeshin. Despite being set on a black-and-white screen, the video directed

by Frank Mamaril leaves viewers with eagerness to give a failed relationship another try.

5. “Kahit Kunwari Man Lang” The MV is a glimpse into the affecting joint performance of Moira dela Torre and pop-rock band Agsunta of the song “Kahit Kunwari Man Lang,” which tells the highs and lows of an unlabeled relationship told by its composer David Mercado. The music video directed by Miko Pelino also stars Ara Dabao and Eian Rances.

6. “Kahit Na Masungit” The “Kahit Na Masungit” MV complements the hip entry of John Francis and Jayson Franz Pasicolan interpreted by Jeremy G and Kyle Echarri. The video, directed by Cristhian Escolano, showcases Jeremy and Kyle as leading men courting a grouchy lass played by Reign Parani. Viewers will also see the two young heartthrobs doing some dance moves that match the chill track.

7. “Kulang Ang Mundo” Sam Mangubat sings the power ballad composed by Daryl Cielo, “Kulang Ang Mundo,” as a grand profession of love and as a background to Kiara Takahashi and Argel Saycon—collectively known as KiarGel— and their journey towards a happy ending. Jefferson Hao directed the engaging video, which also features Kid Yambao.

8. “Marupok” The funky and empowering “Marupok” track composed by Dana Balagtas is brought to life with an enthralling and vivid performance of KZ Tandingan, who echoes a warning to a man she is in love with to be clear with his intentions in the music video directed by Gelo Yellow.

9. “Out” Former Idol Philippines contestant FANA reinvents herself in the captivating music video of Erica Sabalboro’s “Out,” which includes words sang in English, Tagalog, and Bicolano. FANA effectively expresses her anguish, appeal, and claim to survival to convey the song’s promising message of audacity in the video directed by Edrex Sanchez.

10. “Pahina” Kiss ‘N Tell brings viewers to a painful recollection of a couple, played

by Gigi Delana and Mark Rivera, of their love that has gone off track.

The visual storytelling of Joshua Ortiz and Aniceto Cabahug III’s entry, directed by Jem Cadeliña, paints a picture of an unconditional love told in the pages of a storybook yet taken for granted as time goes by.

11. “Tabi-tabi Po” “Tabi-Tabi Po’s” music video has all the feels of getting attracted, falling in love, and moving cautiously towards officially asking someone out. The music video led by its director Jasper Salimbangon, an accompaniment to Mariah Moriones’ composition, highlights JMKO’s soothing voice as he implicitly expresses his feelings to the apple of his eye. It also stars Inka Magnaye, Rain Matienzo, and Ady Cotico.

12. “Tinadhana Sa’Yo” Zephanie makes hearts bleed as a young lady hopelessly in love in the music video of “Tinadhana Sa’Yo,” a song written by SJ Gandia about unrequited love. Amiel Kirby Balagtas directed the video, which also stars Aaron Gonzalez.

One of these 12 Himig entries will soon be hailed as MYX Choice for Best Music Video, and 30 percent of the criteria for judging will be based on the number of music video views on Star Music’s YouTube channel.

“Ang Hirap Maging Mahirap”

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

‘Bulalakaw’

‘Kulang Ang Mundo’

‘ka’y Babalik Pa Ba’

‘Bang Planeta’

‘Marupok’

‘Pahina’ ‘Kahit Kunwari Man Lang’

‘Kahit Na Masungit’

‘Out’

‘Tabi-tabi Po’

‘Tinadhana Sa’Yo’

From Milo kid to hardcourt dreamboat

By Paolo Manuel C. Fule REMEMBER the young kid in a television commercial for Milo alongside Kiefer Ravena and Chris Tiu? Well, he is now one of the rising stars of collegiate basketball. Meet Prince Carlos of College of Saint Benilde (CSB) Blazers basketball.

Born Ray Rogil Benedict Carlos on June 13, 2000 in San Juan City, the 5-foot11 combo guard is currently playing for the CSB Blazers. In 2018, won as the champion in Hanes 1-on-1 King of the Hard Court.

Prince also models for different brands today.

Asked how he manages his studies and sports, “Pre-pandemic, as much as possible, I make sure that I do all my school works at school so that when I go home after practice, I don’t have to do anything else but eat and rest,” said the handsome cager.

Apart from basketball, Prince is also into Young Prince Carlos (center) with Kiefer Ravena (left) and Chris Tiu swimming, football, volleyball, and a lot more. He lists Jayson Castro and Alex the NBA, he likes Kyrie Cabagnot as his PBA idols, while in Irving and Stephen Curry “because of their capabilities of making plays for their teammates, and at the same time they are also able to make plays for themselves.” He also idolizes Chris Ross and John Wall for their defense.

For keeping a welldefined physique, apart from playing balls and other sports, Prince keeps a specific workout routine.

“I do workouts like push-ups, shoulders and legs exercises to activate my muscle,” the 20-yearold student-athlete said.

As for his best games and career-best in scoring, “I remember scoring 30 Now 20 years old, combo guard Prince but I forgot which league, Carlos plays for College of Saint Benilde it was a long time ago but Blazers basketball team.

Tomorrow X Together

announces first Japanese album TOMORROW X Together, a five-member South Korean boy group formed by Big Hit Entertainment, will release its first Japanese full-length album on Jan. 20.

Titled Still Dreaming, the album imparts the message that the five boys continue to reach for a shared dream after the success of their debut album The Dream Chapter: STAR, released in March 2019.

The album features ten tracks comprised of Japanese versions of six of the group’s Korean hits, plus two intro/outro tracks, their Japanese hit “Everlasting Shine,” and a brand new Japanese original song, “Force,” featured as the opening theme for the animation World Trigger (2nd season).

Tomorrow X Together, read as ‘tomorrow by together,’ is a bright and youthful boyband aiming to become the next global breakthrough artist.

B4

Features SUNDAY, JANUARY 10, 2021

Right-wing media offers sympathy, excuses for US Congress mob

MOB RUSH. Supporters of US President Donald Trump protest inside the US Capitol on January 6 in Washington, DC. Demonstrators breached security and entered the Capitol as Congress debated the a 2020 presidential election Electoral Vote Certification. AFP

What we do and don’t know about new COVID mutations

By Amélie Bottollier-Depois

P

ARIS—The emergence in Britain and South Africa of two new variants of Sars-CoV-2, which are potentially far more infectious versions of the virus, has prompted widespread concern. Here is what we know—and what we don’t—about the mutations.

What are they?

All viruses mutate when they replicate to adapt to their environment.

Scientists have tracked multiple mutations of Sars-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19, since it appeared in China in late 2019.

Most mutations did not materially alter either the virus’s virulence or transmissibility.

However, one mutation -- variant B117, which likely emerged in south-

eastern England in September, according to Imperial College London -- has now been detected in countries across the world, including the United States, France, and India.

Another variant, 501.V2, was detected in South Africa in October, and has since spread to several nations, including Britain and France.

Both have multiple mutations to the virus, most notably on its spike protein -- the part of the virus that latches on to

likely to be far more transmissible than other strains.

The NERVTAG expert committee which advises the British government on disease control has estimated the new mutation is between 50 percent and 70 percent more transmissible.

A team at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) concurs, with experts putting increased transmissibility in the 50-74 percent range.

Last week researchers at Imperial College London released the results of a study into thousands of genetic sequences of Sars-CoV-2 found in Britain between October and December.

Are they more contagious?

They found that the new variant had a Indeed, several recent studies-- yet “substantial transmission advantage”, with to be peer-reviewed -- have concluded a reproduction rate between 0.4 and 0.7 that the British variant of Sars-CoV-2 is higher than the unmutated virus. AFP

human cells and helps it spread.

Specifically, the mutated versions have an altered receptor binding domain known as N501Y, which is situated on the virus’ protein spike and which allows easier access to the ACE2 receptor in human cells.

This makes the mutated versions potentially more infectious than other strains.

The European Centre for Disease Control says that while there is “no clear relationship” between enhanced ACE2 binding and increased transmissibility, “it is plausible that such a relationship exists”.

NEW YORK—American conservative media has played down the gravity of the storming of the US Capitol by a mob supporting outgoing President Donald Trump, citing anger at the establishment, and accusing the hard left -- without proof -- of having infiltrated the crowd.

Trump supporters broke into Congress as a session was being held Wednesday to certify Joe Biden’s November election win, triggering unprecedented chaos and violence at the heart of American democracy, as well as accusations the president was attempting a coup.

Since his defeat, Trump has claimed the election was rigged against him, but has offered no substantive evidence. None of the nearly three dozen lawsuits his campaign has filed challenging the results has been successful.

As well as Fox News, new ultraconservative outlets battling to nibble market share from the television news behemoth sought to dissociate Trump supporters from the chaos in Congress.

The demonstrators “pushed and shoved but for the most part, that was about it,” said Kevin Corke, a Fox News reporter.

“Most of what we saw was beautiful today,” said Ben Bergquam, a reporter for the small online channel Real America’s Voice, on Wednesday.

Deflecting the blame Outlets including Real America’s Voice, Newsmax and the One America News Network (OAN) -- which Trump has recommended several times in recent weeks -- claimed without any evidence that the crowd had been infiltrated by small ultra-left groups.

“I think they were undercover Antifa,” Gina Loudon, presenter for Real America’s Voice, said of the rioters she encountered Wednesday in the corridors of the Capitol.

Antifa is a mostly unstructured group of left-wing activists who are frequently denounced as violent troublemakers by Trump and his supporters.

Pat Fallon, a Republican in the House of Representatives, told Newsmax “we don’t even know who was on the other side of those doors” among the rioters.

While denouncing the violence committed in the precincts of Congress, Greg Kelly, of Newsmax, said it nonetheless followed a certain logic. AFP

Icy Epiphany swim for COVID-defying Bulgarians KALOFER, Bulgaria—A shivering crowd of around 100 men defied Covid-19 restrictions Wednesday to jump into Bulgaria’s Tundzha river -- an icy swim marking the Epiphany, which is supposed to bring good health.

Rumen Stoyanov, mayor of the riverside town of Kalofer in central Bulgaria, declined to join in the ritual himself this year.

But he did not stop residents from diving in, despite a ban on large group gatherings.

“Nobody is in a position to stop this celebration. It’s a sign of how defiant Kalofer residents are,” he said.

Participants would be asked to chip in to help pay an expected fine of 1,000 lev ($315, 500 euros), he added.

Crosses are thrown into lakes and rivers by priests across Bulgaria and Romania to mark the Epiphany, which in the eastern Orthodox Church is celebrated as the baptism of Christ.

The first person to retrieve the cross is supposedly blessed with good health.

In Kalofer, men clad in embroidered shirts held out for longer than usual as they performed their traditional dance in the freezing water, a show of tenacity in a time of particular health challenges.

They did not appear to have taken any precautions against Covid, despite Bulgaria having one of the highest mortality rates from coronavirus in the European Union. AFP

ICY DIVE. A man reacts as he retrieves the

wooden crucifix from the winter waters of the Tundzha river in the town of Kalofer, as part of Epiphany Day celebrations on January 6 despite the COVID-19 restrictions in the country. As a tradition, an Eastern Orthodox priest throws a cross in the river and it is believed that the one who retrieves it will be healthy throughout the year, as well as all those who dance in the icy waters. AFP

Coco Chanel’s final days still fascinate 50 years on FASHION DIVA.

In this file photo taken on January 1, 1960 French fashion designer Coco Chanel poses onboard of a plane at Paris airport. Chanel revolutionized fashion with her suit and symbolizes the French elegance.

Chanel died on January 10, 1971, at the Hotel Ritz in Paris. She was 87 years old. AFP

PARIS—The greatest fashion designer of the 20th century, Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel, died suddenly in her suite at the swish Hotel Ritz in Paris half a century ago this week.

The woman whose designs still shape what we wear today, died at 9:00 pm on January 10, 1971.

Despite it being a Sunday, the 87-year-old was working on a new collection, which was shown two weeks after her death.

A perfectionist to the very end, the designer was seen by staff at her fashion house on the rue Cambon the day before checking the slightest details, choosing cloth and inspecting all the buttons.

AFP broke the news the middle of the night: “Mademoiselle Coco Chanel died on Sunday evening in Paris.”

The creator of the little black dress had freed women from the tyranny of Victorian corsetry, borrowing liberally from men’s wardrobes to do so.

But while her tweed suits, two-tone shoes and quilted handbags were synonymous with French elegance and female liberation, she also had a darker side. AFP

Danish kids’ show shocks with ‘world’s longest penis’ COPENHAGEN—The everyday adventures of new Danish kids’ TV character John Dillermand like walking the dog or going to the zoo might not look like the stuff of scandal -- if the tales didn’t often revolve around his oversized penis.

Even in one of the world’s most progressive countries, the stories of the man with “the world’s longest willy” have sparked debate about just what is appropriate for children in the programme’s target audience of four- to eight-year-olds.

“We think it’s important to be able to tell stories about bodies,” public broadcaster DR posted on Facebook Tuesday.

“In the series, we recognize (young children’s) growing curiosity about their bodies and genitals, as well as embarrassment and pleasure in the body.”

Broadcast on kids’ channel Ramasjang, the first of Dillermand’s 13 episodes has already been watched 140,000 times since it was released on January 2.

His extra-long member is often key to the wacky situations in which he finds himself at one point floating over the city thanks to balloons tied to his tackle.

“It’s a very Danish show. We have a tradition to push the limits and use humor and we think it’s totally normal,” education expert Sophie Munster told AFP. AFP