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SUNDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2017
Business
Ray S. Eñano, Editor / Roderick dela Cruz, Issue Editor business@manilastandard.net
THE JAPANESE ARE COMING TO BUILD FIRST PH SUBWAY Scan this icon to view the PDF
Shinya Mitsudomi (left), corporate officer, group head of sales and managing director of Hitachi Ltd. Japan/Asia Pacific and Mitsushiko Shimizu,general manager of Hitachi Asia Ltd. Philippine Branch answer questions from journalists during a news briefing at Makati Shangri-La Hotel in Makati City.
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APANESE companies are now lining up to win construction contracts for the first subway in the Philippines, and one of them—Hitachi Ltd.—came to Manila to present its engineering capability to undertake what will be the country’s most expensive infrastructure project to date.
“We are explaining our capability to the government and stakeholders,” said Shinya Mitsudomi, corporate officer, group head of sales and managing director of Hitachi Ltd. Japan/Asia Pacific. Hitachi Ltd. and regional unit Hitachi Asia Ltd. hosted Hitachi Social Innovation Forum 2017 at Makati Shangri-La Hotel in Makati City on Sept. 29 where top executives discussed Hitachi’s contribution towards social innovation for over 100 years, its full product range, turnkey, operations, maintenance solutions and international footprint. The forum presented Hitachi’s railway solutions, with Mitsudomi discussing the latest trends in the global railway industry, including future technologies on asset monitoring, IOT/analytics and maintenance optimization that Hitachi Rail is spearheading. “Hitachi has a long history in rail business. We have a very big global footprint. That kind of experience is very much important to construct a stable and high-quality railway system in the Philippines. In addition, we now have a very big and strong turnkey engineering solutions. We have a lot of experience in the world, including Honolulu, Peru, Taiwan,” Mitsudomi said during a news briefing ahead of the forum. Hitachi is among the Japanese companies interested in the P355.6-billion Metro Manila Subway Project and other rail systems that will be implemented by the Philippine government, with the help of Japan International Cooperation Agency, Japan’s main donor agency. Mitsushiko Shimizu, the barong-clad general manager of Hitachi Asia Ltd. Philippine Branch, said Hitachi would employ more Filipinos once it won the subway project and other infrastructure contracts in the country. “We have 11 companies here, with 3,000 employees,” Shimizu said. The subway project, which will run more than 30 kilometers from Mindanao Ave. in Quezon City to FTI in Taguig, before terminating at Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Parañaque City, will be funded by an official development assistance loan from Jica. The loan will have an interest of 0.10 percent per annum payable in 40 years with a grace period of 12 years. In exchange of the concessional
loan, Japanese companies will be prioritized to handle the construction of the project, which is typical of a Japanese ODA loan agreement. Hitachi Social Innovation Forum introduced Hitachi’s railway solutions and presented how it could contribute to improving the Philippines’ railway systems and infrastructures. “We are able to provide safe, efficient and sustainable railway systems that are also environment-friendly. Railway has been drawing global attention due to its potential as a form of transportation infrastructure that can deal with many challenges faced by rapidly growing economies like the Philippines,” Shimizu said. “Through the Hitachi Social Innovation Forum and the company’s Social Innovation Business, we aim to contribute to the Philippines’ growth trajectory in an inclusive and sustainable manner,” Shimizu said. The subway project is a part of the Duterte administration’s P8-trillion ‘Build, Build, Build’ program that aims to decongest Metro Manila and spread out development to other parts of the country. Metro Manila Development Authority chairman Danilo Lim said the subway project, along with a longer Skyway, Metro Rail Transit Line 7 along Commonwealth Ave., NLEx-SLEx Connector Road and a rail line from Tutuban to Malolos to Clark will help ease traffic congestion in the coming years. The Cabinet last month approved the first phase of the subway project that will cost at least P355 billion to build. It involves the construction of a 28-hectare training center and depot in Valenzuela City as well as other related facilities. Implementation period is from 2018 to mid-2025. National Economic and Development Authority director-general Ernesto Pernia said the first phase of the subway project would not only ease traffic in Metro Manila but also improve the quality of life of Filipinos. “For one, carbon emissions will be reduced. And, with greater mobility, people can spend more time on things that matter to them,” Pernia said in a statement. Travel time from Mindanao Ave. to FTI complex in Taguig City is expected to take only 31 minutes onboard the subway rail project. It is expected to serve 365,000 passengers in the first year of operations. Phase 1 of the project, or the subway central zone, will traverse six cities, including Valenzuela City (for the depot), Quezon City, Pasig City, Makati City, Taguig City and Parañaque City. It will have underground stations at Mindanao Ave., Tandang Sora, North Ave., Quezon Ave., East Ave., Anonas, Katipunan, Ortigas North, Ortigas South, Kalayaan Ave., Fort Bonifacio, Cayetano Boulevard, FTI and Naia. Phase 2 will extend the subway to Caloocan or Meycauayan, Bulacan in the north and to Dasmariñas, Cavite in the south.
First phase of the subway project was previously designed to end at FTI, but Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade, along with other economic managers, pushed to have a spur line extending the subway to Naia to make it easier for airport passengers to get to their destination in Metro Manila. “In most of our neighboring countries in Asia, you can reach the city without ever leaving the platform. So, economic managers thought we’re going to build a subway anyway. So why not push to extend it to Naia? It just makes perfect sense. The extension will mean greater connectivity and improved passenger comfort and convenience,” Tugade said in a separate statement. Groundbreaking is currently scheduled in fourth quarter of 2018 while target completion is 2025. Cabinet officials, however, asked Jica to expedite the start of construction so that a portion of the subway can open within the term of President Rodrigo Duterte. Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III recently led a Philippine delegation to the 3rd PhilippinesJapan High-Level Meeting of the Joint Committee on Infrastructure Development and Economic Cooperation in Tokyo to push for “Fast and Sure” principle. The Filipino and Japanese officials agreed to streamline their respective approval processes and introduce measures to put in the fast lane the implementation of the subway and other big-ticket infrastructure projects presented by Manila to Tokyo for possible financing. Dominguez said in a statement that “significant milestones” were reached in the processing of the jointly agreed project list between the two countries. “Now that our plans have progressed, we intend to lay out specific plans on how to expedite the processing and implementation of the flagship projects,” Dominguez said. Atsushi Konno, general manager of Hitachi Asia Ltd.’s corporate communications group, said Hitachi has the capability to complete major rail projects on schedule, based on its performance in other countries. Hitachi focuses on the so-called social innovation business and offers a broad range of information and telecommunication systems, power systems, social infrastructure and industrial systems, electronic systems and equipment, construction machinery, high functional materials and components, automotive systems, home appliances and others. Hitachi said that under its 2018 mid-term management plan, it targets to increase its overseas sales ratio to more than 55 percent. “The Philippines will play an instrumental role in helping Hitachi achieve this target by focusing on energy management, railway and urban development solutions in addition to its high functional materials and ICT businesses,” the Japanese company said. Roderick T. dela Cruz
MOST FILIPINOS NOW TALK TO SOFTWARE ROBOTS By Ryan Carlos Gamilla NINETY percent of Filipino consumers now experience interacting with virtual
agents or software robots monthly, a study conducted by Forrester Consulting for software company Amdocs shows. Costumers of communications and media service providers in the Philippines have given their critical judgment on use of artificial intelligence for customer care and commerce and how they want software robots or chatbots to serve them. “I don’t think there’s anyone around the world to say AI [artificial intelligence] is not gonna change them, quite the reverse. Actually it’s really gonna start to revolutionize and transform businesses and people’s experiences across the world,” says
Dan Horan, chief digital officer and chief marketing officer for Asia Pacific of Amdocs. Amdocs surveyed 7,200 consumers, 521 of them from the Philippines, and 31 communication service providers across the world, 10 of them from Asia Pacific. Forrester and Amdocs conducted two surveys among consumers and decision makers at CSPs to identify the correlation between consumers’expectations and CSPs’investments. The survey shows that consumers understand virtual agents are here to stay and they are open to use them as 90 percent of consumers engage with bots between once a day to once a month. Almost half agree that these interactions will be an increasing part of their life. The findings, however, show that current virtual agents struggle to deliver value
and meet customer satisfaction. Bots, say consumers, cannot deal with complex requests (their biggest problem), understand human emotions (second biggest problem) or deliver personalized offers as well as humans (third biggest problem). About 67 percent of consumers think CSPs are investing in AI to reduce costs and cut jobs while 77 percent of the CSPs state that they are measuring the value of their AI-powered processes and bots investments in satisfaction metrics. Ninety percent of Filipino state that its more convenient (43 percent) and quicker (46 percent), but 48 percent say this is only because they had no other option. If offered a choice, 87 percent would prefer to speak to a human since human agents better understand their needs (83 percent)
and can address multiple questions at once (63 percent). The results of the survey suggested that CSPs must close the customer experience and expectation gap with clear plan to further the function of AI and produce contentment to customers. CSPs must involve the right people in the AI strategy process, focus on intelligence, and align the core use cases with what consumers want. “The good news is consumers actually believe that if anyone can get AI right, the communications and media industry can. And that’s ahead of retailers and banks. So AI could be a winning gambit for service providers as long as they sync up their AI investment priorities with what customers actually want,” says Gary Miles, general manager of Amdocs.
DRAGON SHINES IN INT’L PYRO SPECTACLE IT IS a spectacular way to live up to a company’s name in time for the Christmas holiday season. More than asserting the company’s product excellence, Dragon Fireworks Inc. brought fame, honor and pride to the Philippines. DFI bagged the Jury Prize at the Festival D’ Art Pyrotechnique de Cannes in France recently. DFI, the biggest and most awarded fireworks manufacturing company in the country brought home the Jury Prize from the most prestigious fireworks display competition in Europe. Because of this award, DFI was invited to the next round, dubbed the Battle of the Champions edition where all winning nations over the last three years of the competitions would square off. Joven Ong, managing director of DFI, said the invitation is a huge honor because it is one of two most prestigious World of Fireworks Championships. He said while many fireworks companies applied, only a few were invited to join the Festival D’ Art Pyrotechnique de Cannes, and Dragon Fireworks was lucky to be given the opportunity to represent the Philippines to showcase its excellence in the art of fireworks display. Ong expressed appreciation to the Filipinos who came to watch the competition, and gave their solid support to the country’s entry. “We are truly honored to represent the Philippines wherever we join these fireworks competitions. We are also happy that our fellow Filipinos came out to watch our show which was well liked by the audiences and jury alike,” said Ong. Ong said that after the competition, they also received positive messages and commentaries from social media, indicating admiration for the fireworks display. Ong said he expects the same support from Filipinos for a grander, more spectacular fireworks display next year. Ong who is also the president of the Philippine Fireworks Association, believes that because of the prize, his company would be able to convince other nations to make the Philippines an option as a tourist destination where they could experience impressive fireworks from DFI. “I believe that with our wins in European competitions, we somehow bring not only pride to our fellow countrymen, but encourage Europeans to take a look at our country as a possible destination to go to. We try our best to show what the Philippines has to offer and carry ourselves as ambassadors of our country in the field of pyrotechnics,” said Ong. DFI also won at the Pyronale in Berlin, Germany and snagged the gold prize in Flammende Sterne in Ostfildern, and the silver prize at the Silver Anniversary edition of the Hannover International Fireworks Competition held at the famous Unesco World Herritage Herrenhausen Gardens. Ong said his desire to win is not only for his company but also for the country. DFI seeks to make the country at par with, if not ahead of the world’s best fireworks makers and exporters of high quality and grand pyrotechnics. “ We t r y to j o i n t h e to p 5 competitions in the world. This is like a professional golf or tennis player trying to join the elite competitions of their sport. This way, when you win, you are able to gauge yourself only with the best in your field of expertise,” Ong said. Ong’s team is composed of Don Miguel Villarosa, Eduard Ilagan, Hans Ong, Jay Turingan, Joseph Veloso, Oliver Zeng and Vander Tenedero who choreographed the fireworks display. DFI is busy crafting a good concept for an even grander fireworks display next year to ensure getting the championship and Gold Vestale which would add another honor to the country.
Business
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SUNDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2017 business@manilastandard.net
IN BRIEF Chickenjoy preferred in Vietnam
PLDT UNIT DISRUPTS BUSINESSES
THE Chickenjoy craze has gone overseas. A market research agency revealed that Chickenjoy from Jollibee is significantly preferred more than another fried chicken from a well-known international fast-food brand in Vietnam. The Intage Vietnam Research Agency conducted a blind product test among 300 respondents in Ho Chi Minh and results showed a significant preference for Jollibee’s Chickenjoy. Jollibee currently has 92 stores in Vietnam, the most number of international stores for the Jollibee brand in a foreign country. It aims to open its 100th store within 2017. Aside from Chickenjoy, Jollibee Vietnam also offers Saigon Chili Chicken, Spicy Chickenjoy and other rice meals that are part of the special menu items in the country. “We are pleased to know that the Vietnamese locals love our Chickenjoy. We are proud of the results of this study, especially since Jollibee Vietnam is different. It is a mainstream market, unlike other Jollibee international stores that primarily capture Filipino customers. In Vietnam, it is really the locals that we hope to engage and serve. This is indeed an achievement for the company and we hope this will continue in the coming years,” said Jollibee Foods Corp. chief executive Ernesto Tanmantiong. The study was conducted by Intage Vietnam which belongs to Intage Holdings in Japan, and has been in market research for more than 50 years. It is the first research agency to receive a certification ISO 20252 for its qualifications and standards in marketing research in Vietnam. Jollibee opened its first store in Vietnam in 2004.
Vea (second from right) joins the panel during ACC (Asian Carriers Conference) 2017 held at Shangri-La’s Mactan Resort & Spa.
PhilJets gets new helicopter PHILJETS Group announces the arrival of a new Bell 407GX Helicopter to its fastgrowing fleet. This is the eighth aircraft of the boutique business aviation group. The recent addition to PhilJets’ aircraft roster is ready for operations – making it the only Bell 407GX Helicopter currently available for charter in the Philippines. PhilJets is thrilled to have a new type of aircraft to join its existing line-up which consists of four Airbus H130s, one Airbus AS350B2 and two business jets which are the Cessna Citation XLS+ and the Bombardier Challenger 350. About 80 percent of the fleet are brand new. Having both Bell and Airbus brand to its helicopter fleet, the boutique business aviation group is now able to meet the variety of needs the most demanding customers can have. While the H130 and the AS350B2 have front facing seats, the Bell 407GX helicopter is a perfect choice for those who prefer club seating configuration. Choy Elciario, in charge of air charter sales, elaborates the key difference that sets the Bell 407GX apart from PhilJets’ other helicopters, “Most of our helicopters have forward-facing seat configuration, which are proven to be ideal for tours and sightseeing flights. Now, we can offer club seating experience to our customers who prefer having conversations on board,” he says.
Dentists hold forum on implants THE Philippine Academy of Implant Dentistry has launched series of scientific seminars to help practitioners level up their skills especially along dental implantology. The program kicked off with the holding of the Implant Symposium in collaboration with the Philippine College of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons on Sept. 20 at the Lung Center of the Philippines in Quezon City. The symposium which provided a vibrant platform for dental professionals to explore the potential and impact of new advances in technology while encouraging them to incorporate implantology in their practice and continuing education, drew an attendance of 210, surpassing the target number of participants. “This is an impressive number. I thank the attendees for their encouraging response to and growing interest on the subject. Topnotch and seasoned resource persons who are experts in their field, shared their skills in implants dentistry from digital planning, surgical placement, prosthetic fabrication and esthetic outcome where attendees will earn Continuing Professional Development credit points,” said Dr. Levy Louie Villaruel, president of Philippine Academy of Implant Dentistry.
Technolux brings German kitchen to PH
TECHNOLUX Corp. is bringing Germanmade kitchen products to the Philippines. “Smart and discerning businessmen should know what will work best for them so they make educated decisions when purchasing kitchen products. What they prefer are reputable and reliable brands recognized worldwide like Blanco Holding Cabinet and Bunn Hot Water Dispensers, both distributed by Technolux Corp.,” the company said in a statement. Made in Germany, Blanco Professional’s state-of-the-art cabinet has features that keep food warm for long hours, and even the most sensitive food can be kept warm gently thanks to its adjustable interior that prevents excessive subsequent cooking and drying out. Blanco Professional’s new models under Blancotherm K are synthetic food transport containers that are ideal for canteens, catering companies , hospitals, dining halls and restaurants, providing chefs with easy mobility during live cooking. Another must-have in a professional kitchen are Bunn Hot water dispensers which used for dispensing hot water and are perfect for convenience stores, hospitals and restaurants, Technolux said.
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Voyager Innovations Inc. president and chief executive Orlado Vea
LDT Inc., the country’s largest telecommunications company, has a disruptor in its own business that prepares the company for a full transition into the digital economy.
“The disruptor you describe is actually me. Because what I run in the PLDT Group is the disruptive part,”Orlando Vea, a co-founder of Smart Communications, the mobile arm of PLDT, said in the recent ACC 2017 or Asian Carriers Conference held in Lapu Lapu City, Cebu. The word ‘disruptor’ originated from the phrase ‘disruptive innovation’ which refers to a technology that creates a new market and in the process displaces traditional businesses. Vea, 67, now heads Voyager Innovations Inc., the digital arm of PLDT and the one behind digital platforms such as Smart Padala (mobile remittances), PayMaya Philippines Inc. (formerly Smart e-Money), Freenet (free sponsored data platform), VYGR (digital performance-based marketing), Tackthis! (electronic commerce platform), Hatch, (marketing technology and innovations platform), Lendr (digital consumer loan platform), FINTQ (financial technology unit) and Voyager DX (digital transformation). Voyager, which has 600 employees, introduces solutions that allow customers to participate in the digital economy such as by using digital money. Voyager houses all the digital innovations and services of PLDT Group. Vea said while PLDT started its business as a legacy carrier, it needed to transform as startup companies disrupted traditional businesses and redefined customer
experience or CX. He said this is why Voyager thinks like a startup. “I would like to think that CX is better executed at the mainstream by considering yourself as a startup,” said Vea. “A startup does not have the baggage of being disrupted by competition, as it is so focused on customer. That is a startup kind of thinking. The second one, we need to focus on customer experience before we even think of technology,” he said. Vea said traditional telcos have never felt the love or loyalty of customers. “Life is unfair for telcos. Telcos are never loved. When your services are okay, then you are okay. But when it is down, you are hated. So it is an asymmetrical kind of relationship that you have with the world. I think that digital now presents an opportunity to be loved,” he said. Vea said while the telco industry has brought the world together through connectivity, this has also shifted the attention to customer experience. “Once connectivity is there, you have to give customers more value than just connectivity. This is a work in progress for telcos,” he said. “Now you can have a deeper connection emotionally, servicewise, communications-wise with your customers. That I think is where telcos should go. Telcos now have to run at two speeds. While winding the legacy business, telcos now have to create a separate parallel track to be more
relevant to customers. That is about being more digitally connected to our customers,” said Vea. Dindo Marzan, the managing director of Hatch, the digital transformation group of Voyager, said the company aims to own the digital space not only in the Philippines but also in other emerging markets. “Voyager DX is basically digital transformation. To sum up, DX is digital experience. Either way, they are quite interchangeable. At the end of the day, it is focused on experience and transforming your business,”said Marzan. “It has become our advocacy to make sure that we not only bridge the digital divide but actually enable enterprise companies to help us empower the digital consumers. We don’t move the needle. We break the needle. We do not just cross the finish line. We move the finish line. We change the game. This is the culture in Voyager. It is so much aligned with how other startups would design their company culture,” Marzan said. Marzan said being a digital first company, Voyager started creating digital services. “Digital is changing humanity,” he said. “Because of digital technologies, everything has become easy. You use technology to be efficient, to be effective, to be informed, to make sure you are empowered. That’s how we position digital technology.” Marzan presented data showing that 60 million or 58 percent of the Philippines’ 103 million people are Internet users. Active social medial users are 60 million as well. “Here in the Philippines, Internet is equal to Facebook and Facebook knows that. That is why they are heavily present here,” he said. “In the Asia-Pacific region with 4.2 billion population, 46 percent are already Internet users and active social media users are 1.5 billion or 36 percent. Mobile connection is 3.99 billion and active mobile social users are 1.44 billion. This is exponentially growing and we have to prepare for it,” Marzan said. Marzan said PLDT chairman Manuel Pangilinan allows PLDT Group to be disrupted because it is now ready for the transition. “As a business owner, you need to have self-awareness or selfassessment. Are you the one disrupting, or the one being disrupted? If you are very accepting that either you are being disrupted or the one that is disruptive, then that is a good starting point,”he said. “For MVP, our chairman, he knows that
the business is being disrupted. Hence, Voyager was created and he was very much open to disrupting himself. From his end, he needs to do both—manage the core business but venture into new businesses. Now, we are at this stage of working together with core business which is PLDT Global, ePLDT, Smart and all others under the PLDT Group,” said Marzan. PLDT, which saw call and text businesses shrink because of Facebook Messenger and other over-the-top applications such as Viber and WhatsApp, expects an improvement in bottomline this year. Consolidated core income in the first half still fell 2 percent to P17.4 billion from a year ago, but net income surged 33 percent to P16.5 billion. Consolidated service revenues declined 6 percent to P71.2 billion, mainly because of the 16-percent drop in wireless consumer business. Data, broadband and digital platforms made up for the decline in wireless consumer business. This cluster of service revenues grew 11 percent to P32.6 billion and represented 46 percent of the total revenue mix. Mobile internet revenues climbed 18 percent to P9.6 billion, while corporate data and data center revenues rose 15 percent to P9.7 billion. Fixed home broadband revenues were up 19 percent to P8.4 billion. Voyager, for one, has gained traction in its platforms and services for enterprises and consumers. PayMaya Philippines is now leading the adoption of cashless ecosystems by local governments. Cities such as Muntinlupa, Balanga, Malolos, Catbalogan and Tacloban are using PayMaya cards to disburse financial support and grants, and, to accept payments for services. FINTQ, Voyager’s financial technology arm, launched a new commercial campaign for digital loans marketplace Lendr in June and saw a more than 20-fold increase in signups and loan applications in just a month. Lendr now counts on more than 40 banks and financial institutions as partners. Through Lendr, the partner institutions have disbursed more than P21 billion in loans to more than 200,000 borrowers. Vea said PLDT’s evolution is in response to the demands of the new generation. “I think you just have to admit that the world now belongs to a different generation,”he said, referring to the mobile and digital-savvy millennials. Roderick T. dela Cruz
PH MEAT MANUFACTURER PRODUCES WORLD-CLASS PRODUCTS MEAT manufacturer and supplier RDF, the principal of retail meat store chain Fresh Options, prioritizes food safety in its operations. RDF, or Red Dragon Farms established by veterinarian Dr. Robert Lo in 1988, has ensured that every aspect of its operations complied with both local and international food manufacturing standards particularly those of the National Meat Inspection Service and Food and Drug Administration. The company also complied with the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point and current Good Manufacturing Practices programs. Although full compliance to the rigid protocols of said procedures was tedious, RDF said it believes in the importance of consistently producing quality meat products and avoiding product contamination. “We at RDF are in the business of elevating the experience of food consumption by processing and packing safe and highquality meat. We continuously challenge ourselves to improve our quality and food safety management system, and remain the most trusted and preferred brand of meat and meat products by our consumers,” says Dr. Camille Hernandez, head of RDF technical services and quality assurance division. RDF conceptualized its company-owned, company-operated or Co-Co business strategy to ensure that it had full and sole control of each step of the supply chain. Thus, it ensures that every stage of its operations remained above or at the very least at par with the local and international guidelines.
The company is staffed with a team of experts who oversee the day-to-day operations. The team, which is composed of veterinarians and technical personnel, supervises the entire Co-Co process – from livestock breeding to retail distribution. Under these specialists’ watchful eyes, farms are strictly monitored to ensure that livestock and poultry are only fed with clean, nutritious, plant-based feeds. Personnel also ensure that animals are treated humanely and housed in sanitary conditions to prevent the spread of disease or infection. From there, livestock are brought to slaughterhouses that have been accredited by NMIS. The carcasses are then sent to company’s central depot for processing and production under the strict supervision of quality assurance associates. These slaughterhouses and plants meticulously adhere to strict sanitation and processing regulations to safeguard the quality of the meat. Prior to production, all of the raw materials, such as fresh meat and ingredients, are carefully inspected and analyzed by the Quality Assurance Food Laboratory located inside the plant. Another rigorous evaluation is also conducted to fresh and processed meat after they have been dressed or produced. Meat and meat products are subjected to sensory, physical and microbial analyses prior to delivery to retail stores. RDF’s attention to food safety guidelines does not end at its plants. Unlike other meat manufacturers, RDF assures the quality of its products up to its logistics and distribution chain. Through the use of its CO-CO refrigerated vans, it guarantees
the product quality through the use of a climate-controlled system. Once in stores, fresh cuts, marinated, ready-to-cook, ready-to-heat and valueadded meat are only displayed in upright chillers and freezers to maintain their freshness. Compared to other suppliers who use traditional chest-type freezers that have varying temperatures inside the freezer, RDF ensures that its products are cooled at a constant and even temperature. In fact, store personnel monitor temperature by the hour. To further complement RDF’s exacting food manufacturing procedures, it uses advanced food technologies to ascertain food safety. For instance it utilizes individual quick freezers or a type of blast-freezer that locks in the freshness of meat through very rapid freezing. These freezers help maintain the texture, taste, smell and nutritional content of the meat. RDF also uses a metal detector that checks for the presence of metal particles during the production process. It also makes use of technologies such as the breading, battering and frying machine, Combination steamer oven, stuffer, tray sealer and braising pan to hasten production time and lessen the risk of contamination. A huge factor in maintaining food safety and quality relies on RDF’s workforce. Production and sales personnel receive regular trainings on cGMP, HACCP, food safety, 5S and other procedures. Retail staff also receive added training on customer service. Aside from this, the company also posts guidelines inside each area of operation and employs corrective action should there be any deviations.
A food safety inspector of RDF checks the correct temperature of the carcass
World
Cesar Barrioquinto, Editor / Jimbo Gulle, Issue Editor
SCANDAL-HIT US HEALTH SECRETARY PRICE RESIGNS WASHINGTON—President Donald Trump’s embattled health secretary was forced out of the US administration Friday amid a scandal over his use of costly private jets for government travel. Tom Price was the latest top official to join in a stream of steady and embarrassing exits from a White House administration that has stumbled from one scandal or self-inflicted wound to another since Trump took power in January. Price, a wealthy orthopedic surgeon and former lawmaker from Georgia, is the most senior official to be forced out so far. The scandal that ultimately doomed the 62-year-old has been brewing for days, placing Trump, whose campaign pledges included one to clean up Washington wastefulness and sleaze, in an increasingly difficult position. The announcement of his resignation came less than an hour after Trump told reporters that Price had not offered to resign, but that his fate would be decided later Friday. For days Price battled to keep a position he had held for less than eight months, after it emerged he had repeatedly used taxpayer funds to hire chartered jets. AFP
#NOFREEPHOTOS ROW SHAKES UP FASHION WORLD PARIS—Photographers have risen in revolt at the way fashion labels and influencers are using their street style images without crediting them, highlighting discontent about the “work for free” culture in the multibillion-dollar industry. More than 40 photographers who follow the fashion circuit and snap its top celebrities and bloggers as they arrive for shows in New York, Paris and Milan have formed an unofficial union, and have threatened to shame brands and influencers who use their images without permission. Influencers and bloggers are often paid by labels to wear their clothes and promote their lines in social media posts, mostly on Instagram. And the photographers claim that some influencers with hundreds of thousands of social media followers are making money from their photos while they get nothing in return. The row raises questions about how the fashion industry works in the digital age, with many people prepared to work for little or nothing to get a foothold in such an outwardly glamorous world. Most models, particularly young ones climbing the catwalk ladder, are paid “peanuts,” with one 17-year-old model at Paris Fashion Week telling AFP: “It is pocket money for doing something that I love.” AFP
RESCUERS RACE TO SAVE ANIMALS FROM BALI VOLCANO KARANGASEM, Indonesia—Volunteers are risking their lives to save tens of thousands of animals left at the mercy of a rumbling volcano on the tourist island of Bali, making perilous trips into the red zone to relocate them. Mount Agung, about 75 kilometers (47 miles) from the resort hub of Kuta, has been shaking since August, causing some 144,000 people to evacuate their homes over the past week as experts warn an eruption could be imminent. As evacuees have streamed into temporary shelters or moved in with relatives, animals -- including wild monkeys as well as dogs and farm animals such as pigs, chickens and cows -- have been left in the danger zone close to the volcano that is most at risk of cascading ash, rocks and hot gas. “I’m really worried because all of us that work together to rescue the animals don’t know when the eruption will be,” Vio Verandhini, from Jakarta Animal Aid Network, told AFP. “Earthquakes happen every day, maybe every hour.” There are hundreds of tremors each day triggered by the volcano, a handful of which are magnitude 2-3 and are strong enough to rattle windows and rock furniture. Verandhini’s organization and several others have formed a 12-person emergency response unit that has been making dangerous trips into the red zone, which extends between nine and 12 kilometers from the mountain’s summit. AFP
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mst.daydesk@gmail.com
TILLERSON, CHINA TO PILE PRESSURE ON N. KOREA B EIJING—United States Secretary of State Rex Tillerson met with China’s foreign minister in Beijing on Saturday to discuss efforts to curb North Korea’s nuclear ambitions and prepare US President Donald Trump’s November visit. Tillerson, whose arrival was delayed due to technical problems with his plane in Tokyo, was greeted by Foreign Minister Wang Yi at the Great Hall of the People at Tiananmen Square. Tillerson told Wang that he looked forward to an exchange “on issues important to us and in particular to begin the important work to prepare for the upcoming visit of President Trump.” He did not mention North Korea in his brief remarks before reporters were ushered out of the room. Tillerson was scheduled to meet later with President Xi Jinping after talks with top diplomat Yang Jiechi.
Tillerson had been due to arrive on Friday evening but his aircraft’s problems forced him to travel to China on a military transport plane on Saturday. The visit comes as relations between the two superpowers appear to be improving after months of tensions over how to handle North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un’s nuclear provocations. Trump has repeatedly urged Xi to exert more economic pressure on Pyongyang to convince the renegade regime to give up its nuclear ambitions. China, North Korea’s main trade partner, has responded by backing
a slew of new United Nations sanctions. For its part, Beijing has insisted that the sanctions must be coupled with efforts to organize peace talks, but Trump and Kim have traded increasingly personal insults that have raised fears that the crisis could spark a conflict. “There appear to be two trains of thought in the international community regarding denuclearization of the peninsula: Crush North Korea or talk to North Korea so as to increase its sense of security. China and Russia hold the latter view,” China’s state-run Global Times newspaper said in an editorial. The acting US assistant secretary for East Asia, Susan Thornton, told skeptical US lawmakers ahead of Tillerson’s trip that China appears to be on board with the plan to squeeze Pyongyang. “We are working closely with China to execute this strategy and are clear-eyed in viewing the progress
-- growing, if uneven -- that China has made on this front,” she said. “We have recently seen Chinese authorities take additional actions,” she said, referring to new controls on the cross-border trade and finance that is North Korea’s economic lifeline. On Thursday, China said it was ordering North Korean firms on its territory to close by January. The announcement came days after China confirmed it will limit exports of refined petroleum products to North Korea from October 1 while banning imports of textiles from its neighbor. The measures were in accordance with UN sanctions that were approved earlier in September after North Korea detonated its sixth and most powerful nuclear bomb -- a test that triggered an earthquake felt across the border in China. Trump’s November trip will be part of a tour that will also take in regional allies Japan and South Korea. AFP
LONG TABLE. US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson (second from left) attends a meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (third from right) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Saturday. Tillerson met with China’s foreign minister to discuss efforts to curb North Korea’s nuclear ambitions and prepare President Donald Trump’s November visit. AFP
IRAQ CUTS KURDS’ AIR LINKS WITH OUTSIDE WORLD ARBIL, Iraq—The Iraqi government cut autonomous Kurdistan’s direct air links with the outside world indefinitely on Friday, partially isolating the northern region after it voted a massive “yes” in an independence referendum. The move increases the pressure on the Iraqi Kurds amid soaring regional tensions following Monday’s non-binding but deeply contentious vote. Washington said it did not recognize the “unilateral” referendum and urged all parties to reject the use of force and engage in dialogue. “The vote and the results lack legitimacy and we continue to support a united, federal, democratic and prosperous Iraq,” US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said in a statement. The central government in Baghdad had ordered the halt to all foreign flights to and from the autonomous Kurdish region from 6 p.m. (1500 GMT) on Friday. Foreigners scrambled to fly out of the region’s capital Arbil and its second largest city Sulaimaniyah before the ban took effect. Iraqi Kurdish transport minister Mawlud Bawa Murad told AFP at Arbil airport that the ban would “negatively impact all international businesses in the Kurdistan region, in addition to all civilians, from all nations.” It would “negatively impact our daily life,” he said. “We will do our best
to find a viable alternative, or succeed to bring back international flights.” Arbil is a key gateway for humanitarian aid workers helping Iraqis affected by the battle against the Islamic State group (IS). Washington said earlier it would be willing to facilitate talks between the Iraqi Kurdish authorities and Baghdad to calm escalating tensions over the 92-percent “yes” vote. Neighboring Turkey and Iran also strongly opposed the vote, fearing it would inflame the separatist aspirations of their own sizeable Kurdish populations. Ankara has threatened a series of measures including blocking lifeline oil exports from the region via Turkey. The Kurds, whose borders with Turkey, Iran and Syria remain open, have condemned the flight suspension as “collective punishment.” Iraq’s Prime Minister Haider alAbadi said it was not “punishment” but a legal measure that would be reversed if the transport authority was transferred to Baghdad in line with the Iraqi constitution. The ban saw people, many of them foreigners, flock to Arbil airport to avoid being stranded. Iraqi Kurdistan is home to a large international community, most of whom enter on a visa issued by the regional authorities that is not recognized by the central government, so they cannot travel elsewhere in Iraq. AFP
WHIZZING BY. A Syrian man rides his bicycle past a destroyed building in the district of Jisr al-Shughur, in the northwestern Idlib province in Syria on Friday. AFP
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SUNDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2017 Riera U. Mallari, Editor rumallari@thestandard.com.ph
Gadgets & Games
NOKIA 8: BRINGING MOBILE TECHNOLOGY TO NEW LEVEL A
FTER weeks of anticipation, Nokia 8, Nokia’s new flagship smartphone, was unveiled at lavish rites Friday at the Intramuros Ballroom, Manila House, Taguig.
And judging from the reception it got from media folks, bloggers and techies alike, the Nokia 8 could actually give the smartphone leaders a run for their money, coming on the heels of a successful global launch that demonstrates continued support for the brand. “The Philippines has always been a strong market for Nokia. Filipinos, particularly those in the provinces, have a strong affinity for Nokia phones, which have always delivered on quality, reliability and innovation. We want to continue broadening and deepening our reach here, especially in untapped provinces that need high-quality mobile communication technologies,” said Shannon Mead, HMD Global Country Manager, Philippines. HMD Global, the new home of Nokia phones, is looking to position Nokia as the go-to smartphone for Filipinos across the different market segments. “Nokia will continue to leverage quality and innovation to serve the thriving smartphone market,” Mead shared.
Nokia 8 forerunner Android smartphone
The Nokia 8 brings mobile communication technology to a new level and marks three world firsts for Android smartphones.
The phone features the first-ever Dual-Sight camera, allowing users to capture or livestream moments in both first- and second-person perspective. The 13MP front and rear cameras, codeveloped with ZEISS, can run simultaneously and show images in splitscreen mode, inspiring everyone to “Be less Selfie, be more Bothie.” “This marks the coming of Nokia on Android, which is clearly the dominant OS with its 94 percent share of the global market. Nokia phones are futureproof to support new Android OS versions, making it even easier for users to optimize the phone’s features and functions,” Mead said. The Nokia 8 smartphone pioneers the use of OZO audio to deliver immersive 360-degree spatial surround sound. This high-fidelity playback complements 4K videos and brings Hollywood technology in mobile technology. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 835-powered phone features a seamless unibody with a full-length graphite shielded copper cooling pipe for better heat dissipation, especially when running demanding applications. It runs on Android Nougat 7.1.1 and comes in single- and dual-SIM variants.
Nokia 8 combines premium design and powerful performance to enable smartphone users to create and share experiences in many new ways. We are excited about the positive feedback about Nokia smartphones and look forward to engaging the country’s robust mobile phone market even more in the coming days,” said Mead.
Making smartphone technology more accessible
The Nokia 8, along with other Nokia Android smartphones, penetrates PH’s robust smartphone market.
“Nokia’s latest innovation reflects its commitment to connect people with technology that breaks new ground while reinforcing old foundations. The
With its business principle anchored on the belief that every Filipino should have access to the best mobile communication technology, Nokia offers a wide range of smartphones to address the needs of the different market segments. This means a smartphone for every user type, need and pricing considerations. The Nokia 3, optimized for everyday use, comes in a precision-machine aluminum frame to ensure a strong build unheard of in the affordable smartphone segment. It features a 5-inch Gorilla Glass HD screen and 8MP cameras. LTE 4G connectivity allows fast download and streaming, supported by 16GB of internal storage. A microSD card slot allows up to 128GB capacity. The Nokia 5, which packs a Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 octa-core processor, has 2GB RAM and 16GB storage expandable to 128GB. It features a 13MP camera with dual-tone flash and a 5.2-inch HD screen. A fingerprint sensor provides extra security and convenience.
FUJITSU SELLS 10M SCANNERS
Motorola executives and Presnet Cellphone Shop owners grace the opening of Moto Experience store in SM Batangas. They are Motorola Channel Sales Manager Patrick Mascarinas, Retail Manager Michael Bayot, Country Manager John Rojo, Presnet Cellphone Shop Owner Presnedy Bacal, Presnet Cellphone Shop Owner Mrs. Amor Bacal, Presnet Cellphone Shop Owner Aris Bacal.
By Patricia Bianca Taculao PFU has launched a “10M Achievement” special website to commemorate the milestone of its global shipments of FUJITSU image scanners surpassing the 10-million mark. In honor of the 10-million scanner mark, the website, which contains testimonies from different users about their reason for choosing PFU’s scanners, utilizes the slogan “Good quality has 10 million reasons.” The website also shares various types of campaign information held throughout the world as well as the underlying history of PFU’s scanners. A website named“Our Scanner Story”was also launched to share PFU’s stance in producing image scanners, define quality and technology and continue to provide for their customers through its products. PFU released its first image scanner, the U4301A flatbed scanner, in 1983. PFU has since faced customers’ needs one by one while expanding its “fi-Series” scanner lineup with the addition of ADF equipped models and high-speed image scanners. The year 2001 opened up a new era for PFU with their release of the “ScanSnap Series” enabling “One Touch” scanning and digitization. PFU then proceeded to evolve along with modernization of the world with the release of the Wi-Fi compatible iX Series. It has been 34 years since PFU sold its first scanner. “We’ve developed a wide range of quality products to serve our customers’challenges and to enhance their scanning experience,” said Regional Marketing Specialist Jasmine Yeo. Yeo also said that the 10-million-scanners-shipped benchmark is only a checkpoint for Fujitsu scanners as they will continue to challenge themselves to go beyond the limits.
MOTOROLA PRESENCE ENHANCED MOTOROLA Philippines continues to solidify its presence in the Philippines and make the Motorola experience more accessible to Filipinos nationwide with the opening of the Motorola Kiosk in SM Batangas, its first retail kiosk outside Metro Manila. Motorola is maintaining its momentum of expansion as it officially marks its fourth local retail store after entering the Philippine market barely a year ago last October 2016. The new kiosk in SM Batangas comes on the heels of a new retail kiosk in Cyberzone, Mall of Asia, which opened just two months back. Earlier this year, Motorola opened its first two concept stores located at the fourth level of the Cyberzone areas in SM North Edsa Annex and SM Mega-
mall. Both stores are operated by MemoXpress. “We aim to cater to the smartphone needs of all Filipino consumers, including those outside Metro Manila. We stay true to our promise of making the Motorola experience available to every Filipino consumer with our lineup of entry-level smartphones, midrange models and premium offerings. As we open our first retail kiosk outside Manila, we assure that more opportunities to bring Motorola closer to Filipinos will open before this year ends as we create more consumer engagement through experiential activities and communications,” said John Rojo, Country Manager, Lenovo Mobile Business Group Philippines.
GK SITE GETS BOOST WITH SMART SHINE OS+ SHINE OS+ (Secured Health Information Network and Exchange) illustrates perfectly how technology can be harnessed to improve existing services. SHINE, an electronic medical record (EMR) and referral system funded by Smart Communications Inc. (Smart), and developed by the Ateneo Java Wireless Competency Center, was recently deployed at Gawad Kalinga Ark of Noah in Barangay Taal, Bocaue, Bulacan. Gawad Kalinga Ark of Noah, which is composed of 79 families, has a community clinic formally opened in August. Before that, the clinic was a makeshift structure made of pawid or leaves from the mangrove palm. “SHINE is the perfect fit for Ark of Noah, which is a very organized and modern community. Thus, I believe the people here will benefit from SHINE and what it can do,” said Dr. Elmer Soriano, managing director of Civika Knowledge Management Solutions Inc. It was Civika that made a proposal to Smart to implement SHINE in Gawad Kalinga villages and possibly in other GK communities as well. SHINE OS+ runs on an open source
Tia de Vera (right), a senior high school student volunteer from the US, interviews a member of a GK household. Tia will be staying in GK Ark of Noah to profile the health data of the community using SHINE OS+.
platform, allowing developers to design modules and plug-ins to customize it according to the needs of beneficiary communities. The platform refers patients to better-equipped health facilities electronically, reminds them of appointments and medication via SMS and submits relevant patient information to the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. for faster processing
of claims and health statistics. The Ateneo Java Wireless Competency Center also developed SHINE OS+ Mobile to make it accessible to health professionals anytime, anywhere. “The launch of SHINE OS+ in Ark of Noah is compatible with our efforts to disseminate information about health and nutrition to the people of Barangay Taal,” said Barangay Taal captain Ren Eusebio. “SHINE OS+ will help health workers so that they don’t need to search for and retrieve files manually. No matter what happens, in the event of a disaster like floods, the files are there. They won’t be destroyed. They won’t disappear,” said Soriano. Tia de Vera is a 17-year-old student from the United States who has done volunteer work in Haiti. The daughter of two Filipino doctors, she is interning at GK Ark of Noah for three weeks to help with the SHINE OS+ implementation there. “I was briefed about SHINE OS+ and I am amazed at what it can do for this community and communities in general,” said Tia, who will be encoding the medical information of the GK Ark of Noah residents. She is also tasked with helping develop a manual for using SHINE OS+ in GK sites.
With a bold new industry challenger mentality, Motorola continues to enhance its user experience with cutting-edge technology. The Moto Mods, one of the brand’s offerings, creates a unique mobile experience in a snap when partnered with the Moto Z family. It can transform a smartphone into a super-zoom camera, projector, high-quality speaker or power bank. Motorola also aims to simplify smartphone use with Moto actions, which are convenient ways of enabling some features such as chopping twice motion for flashlight, twisting twice motion to open the camera, twisting twice motion again to take selfies and flipping or placing the phone down to switch to silent mode.
Snap and instantly share more precious moments with the HP Sprocket + Free ZINK Photo Paper promo.
MAKE MORE MEMORIES WITH HP SPROCKET PRINTER W H AT b e t te r way to m a k e memorable moments last than by capturing them instantly. And with the newest pocket-sized printer, HP Sprocket, you can even experience a more exciting and personal way to showcase and share your unforgettable memories! Lightweight and portable, the HP Sprocket allows you to instantly print pictures— anytime, anywhere—directly from your smartphone or tablet via Bluetooth. You can also edit your favourite images with frames and filters with the HP Sprocket app which you can download from Apple Store or Google Play. And with the HP Sprocket + Free ZINK Photo Paper promo, moments with family and friends can get more fun and exciting as every HP Sprocket purchase at online store, Lazada, comes with two (2) free packs of HP ZINK Photo Paper with 20 sheets each. The HP ZINK Photo Paper is designed to easily transform your favorite memories into 2x3-inch smudge-free, glossy, and colorful photos that you can share with everyone. You can also peel off the back of your printed photos to turn them into stickers that you can use to create scrapbooks or decorate your space with your snapshots. So what are you waiting for? Visit www.lazada.com.ph/hpsprocket-official-store/ now to get your HP Sprocket and share even more unforgettable moments with two free packs of HP ZINK Photo Paper. Promo ends Oct. 31.
VIVO V7 TO FLY OFF SHELVES WITH 5,000+ PRE ORDERS “VIVO V7+ is the most in demand selfie smartphone in the Philippines with over 5,000 units pre-ordered in just one week” The Vivo V7+, which was unveiled a week ago with Kathryn Bernardo and Daniel Padilla leading the roster of celebrity endorsers, is proving to be the fastest-selling smartphone to date, already receiving more than 5,000+ pre-orders. The V7+, the latest pride of the topnotch Chinese smartphone manufacturer, boasts of a world-first 24MP front camera, a Face ID security access, and a 5.99” all-screen display. The pre-orders skyrocketed mainly because of the V7+’s top-of-the-line features. The V7+, a selfie-centric phone’s front-facing 24MP camera rocks LED flash and smart photography algorithms which produce sharp and natural-looking photos. The V7+ also prides itself with its revolutionary 5.99”all-screen display with an 84.4% screen to body ratio, providing a more exciting and enhanced gaming and visual experience.
Also, a special Face ID feature allows high-technology security access to one’s smartphone, unlocking the phone with mere facial recognition. Male and female smartphone fans equal in the pre-ordering of the V7+ with the former preferring the Matte Black color and the latter the Crown Gold. The Vivo V7+ , is available for preorder at Lazada Philippines, Argomall and in all Vivo concept stores and kiosks. Selling at a reasonable price of P17,990, the Vivo V7+ is available nationwide.