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SUNDAY, JANUARY 15, 2017
Jimbo Gulle, Editor
Roger Garcia, Issue Editor
LGUs
Local Gov’t Units
mslocalgov@gmail.com
TIWI-MAKBAN PROJECT IS BOND DEAL OF THE YEAR
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By Lance Baconguis
QUIET RETREAT. Monte Cueva Asuncion de la Virgen Shrine is a small cave developed by its original owners into a shrine with a quaint chapel inside. The shrine is elevated 172 meters above sea level overlooking the entire city of Maasin in Leyte. A donation by the philanthropists Odong and Loring Chung to the Diocese of Maasin City, tourists have made it a popular pilgrimage site. Mel Caspe
WORLD BANK OFFERS FUNDS TO MINDORO TUNA INDUSTRY S By Robert A. Evora
ABLAYAN, Occidental Mindoro—The World Bank recently offered a substantial financial grant to six coastal municipalities of this province to improve the quality of traditional tuna fishing based on sustainable fishing practices and resource conservation.
Mayor Eduardo B. Gadiano told the Manila Standard that The World Bank has expressed interest in providing financial resource by way of grants to the six local government units, actively involved in the tuna fishing industry using the artisanal methods. “We were told to come up with a joint proposal to list down all we need, such as fish landing, cold storage facilities and fishery-to-market roads, among other necessities, in keeping up with the growing foreign demands of handline-caught yellow-fin tuna,” he added. Sablayan was chosen by the international funding institution as the site to put up these facilities where the five other towns of Paluan, Sta. Cruz, Mamburao, Calintaan, and Rizal, all tunaproducing municipalities, will bring their catch for processing. Using the traditional hook, line and sinker (kawil), artisanal fishermen has an estimated annual catch of 375 tons (375,000 kilos) of yellow-fin tuna caught within Sablayan’s 15-kilometer municipal waters. Foreign buyers mostly from member-countries of the European Union prefer tuna caught by “kawil.” Sablayan was tagged by the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources as the “epicenter of tuna production” in Occidental Mindoro followed by Mamburao, the capital municipality. Two fishing groups, Sablayan Yellow Fin Tuna Fishers Association (SYFTA) and the Samahan Ng Mga Kasa Sa Sablayan (Samasa), told the Manila Standard that their respective members still need assistance from both the local and national governments as “we still face stiff competition from big commercial fishing operators.” Ernesto G. Tauro, SYFTA vice chairman and 2014 Gawad Saka Awardee For Fish Capture by the Department of Agriculture, said “there is either lack or shortage of payaw (fish
aggregating devices or FAD) installed by the government to help boost the tuna catch of local handline (magkakawil) fishermen.” “All FADs are owned by big commercial fishing operators who are monopolizing the tuna harvest by using the prohibited fishing nets,” Tauro said. “While they allow us to use their FADs to fish, we always sail home empty-handed as we cannot compete with these big-time operators because they are using long-line fishing nets,” he explained. The SYFTA, which has 600 artisanal fishermen-members all over Sablayan, has submitted as early as 2015 to the DA, through the regional office of the BFAR, a letter-request for the installation of 10 FADs, costing only P30,000 each, for their own use. The letter-request, written in Pilipino, said: “Marami nang bangka ang hindi na pumapalaot dahil ang lahat ay puro lugi pagdating sa gabi. Iilan na lang po kasing payaw ang natatalian at nahuhulihan ng tuna ng aming mangingisda. Ito po ang labis na nagpapahirap sa amin, wala na pong payaw na para lang talaga sa mag-tutuna. Ang payaw po na tinatalian namin ay pag-aari ng mga commercial fishers na maya’t-maya ang pag-simbada at pagkulong nila gamit ang malalaking lambat.” Victor Samson, Samasa president, said that his group, composed formerly of 15 dealer-members, asked the Sangguniang Bayan of Sablayan to pass an ordinance regulating indiscriminate buying of yellow-fin tuna by unscrupulous traders and outsiders. “Our group is no longer in control of our ‘kasa’ members and have gone separately since outside buyers compete with the locals in buying tuna from handline fishermen,” Samson said.
THE project bond issued for the Tiwi-MakBan Geothermal Energy Project of AboitizPower bagged the 2016 Bond Deal of the Year of the prestigious Project Finance International magazine of Thomson Reuters. The awarding ceremony will be held on Feb. 1, 2017 at the Hilton, Park Lane in London. The project bond has also been touted as one of the best in Asia, getting the Best Renewable Deal of the Year by Alpha Southeast Asia, to be awarded on Jan. 25, 2017 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The P12.5-billion local currency, multi-tranche bond issuance, backed by the Asian Development Bank, was the first green bond issuance in Asia and the Pacific. AboitizPower, through its subsidiary AP Renewables Inc., used the issuance to finance the rehabilitation of the Tiwi-MakBan geothermal power facilities, which it bought from the government in 2009 and to partially fund its operating expenditures and future capital investments. The two power plants, located in Batangas and Laguna (Makban) as well as in Tiwi, Albay, combine for 390 MW of clean renewable power for the Luzon grid.
CAVITE CODING SCHEME SET FEB. 1 By Benjamin Chavez THE provincial government of Cavite will strictly implement its number-coding traffic scheme on Feb. 1, giving erring motorists warning tickets if they violate Provincial Ordinance 164 until then. Jan. 9 to 31 is considered the dry run period for Cavite’s Unified Vehicular Volume Reduction System, but motorists can still expect to incur the regular penalties and charges for other traffic violations, the provincial government warned. The penalty on any person violating the provincial ordinance is P300. The areas covered by Cavite’s number-coding scheme are from Aguinaldo Highway, covering the stretch of Bacoor to the Dasmariñas and Silang boundaries; Governor’s Drive, covering the stretch of Carmona to Trece Martires City to Tanza boundary; Molino Salawag to Paliparan Road, from Zapote to, Bacoor, Paliparan, and Dasmariñas; Molino Boulevard; and Daang Hari Road, covering the stretch of Aguinaldo Highway from Imus to Molino in Bacoor.
P32-M ROAD PROJECTS FOR KALINGA By Brenda Jocson
MUNTI CENTENNIAL. Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Martin Andanar commits to support Muntinlupa’s 100th Founding Anniversary Celebration. Andanar, who also resides in Muntinlupa, receives Centennial communication materials from the city’s Public Information Officer Tez Navarro for the promotion of the local festivity in the government-owned broadcasting network PTV 4.
PINUKPUK, Kalinga—Roads in the former hotbeds of the New People’s Army in the 1980s in this province will finally be paved and concreted with P32 million in funding under the Payapa at Masaganang Pamayanan or Pamana project in this town. The groundbreaking for the concreting of the AllaguiaAsibanglan road was led by representatives from the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace Process and their local partners. The 2.6-kilometer road is the second phase of OPAPP’s road project, which is supervised by the Department of the Interior and Local Government. The Allaguia-Asibanglan road connects Barangay Calowan here and Barangay Saltan in Balbalan town, which is
expected to boost the economic activities of villagers engaged in massive agricultural production. Meanwhile, the DILG said there are at least seven Pamana projects in 2016 for Kalinga province, which is part of enhancing and sustaining peace and development initiatives in the different provinces in the Cordillera Administrative Region. DILG records showed that one project has been completed, and two more warehouses are being built in Lubo, Tanudan town, with a total project cost of P1.2 million. A P40-million construction of the 60-linear-meter WagodBuaya bridge in Balbalan town and two multi-level waterworks system worth P2.2 million in Pasil town are still to be implemented, the department said. In 2016, Cordillera received at least P533 million worth of Pamana community development and livelihood projects.
LGUs
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SUNDAY, JANUARY 15, 2017 mst.daydesk@gmail.com
LGU WANTS TO MANAGE HISTORIC MOUNT DATA HOTEL BAUKO, Mountain Province—The municipal government here has proposed to manage and operate the historic Mount Data Hotel to expedite the long-delayed resumption of operations of one of the supposed income-generating facilities of the government within the jurisdiction of this fourth-class municipality. Mayor Abraham B. Akilit said the regional office of the tourism department already endorsed the local government’s bid to management and operate the hotel to the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority which has jurisdiction over tourism properties in the different parts of the archipelago. “We want to infuse a new style of management of the hotel because aside from its bright prospects of being an economic driver in the locality, there is also a need to sustain its historical value having been the venue where the famous 1987 Mount Data peace agreement was signed,”Akilit stressed. The local chief executive said that the municipal government planned to create a trust fund so that the income to be generated from the operations of the hotel facilities be used for its upkeep and maintenance. Once fully operational, Mount Data Hotel is envisioned to become one of the preferred tourist destinations in the area, apart from Sagada and Banaue in nearby Ifugao. In addition, domestic and foreign visitors flocking to the province will have a decent place to stop and spend the night before proceeding to their desired points of destination in the central Cordillera. Dexter A. See
169 BATAAN INMATES GET LIFE SKILLS BALANGA CITY—One hundred sixty-nine male and female inmates have graduated in the State University’s skills training program held at the Bataan District Jail recently. In a statement, Bataan Peninsula State University Director for Research, Dr. Hermogenes Paguia said that the inmates successfully completed the livelihood and employment-oriented trainings of the university that includes Basic Shielded Arc Welding NC1 and NC2, Bread and Pastry Production NC2, Housekeeping NC2, and Food and Beverages NC2. The conduct of skills training for Bataan inmates dubbed as “BPSU Behind Bars Extension Program” is being conducted in coordination with Tesda Bataan. “We have been doing the program inside the district jail for six years. In 2014, it became regular program of the university,” said Paguia. It was learned that even jail officers benefited in the training program. BPSU president Dr. Greg Rodis fully backs the program. Butch Gunio
COLONEL 'BISTEK'. Quezon City Mayor Herbert Bautista receives his stripes as a colonel of the 150th 2nd Ready Reserve Brigade of the Philippine Army during the Donning of Ranks Ceremony in Camp Aguinaldo. With the mayor are QC Police District Director Supt. Guillermo Eliazar and Armed Forces Chief of Staff Gen. Eduardo M. Año. Manny Palmero
PALACE VOWS FREE IRRIGATION FOR FARMERS THIS YEAR C By Ferdie G. Domingo
ABANATUAN CITY—The long sought-after free irrigation service will be implemented by the national government within this year, the National Irrigation Administration assured. NIA administrator Peter Tiu Laviña, said top-level discussions are now ongoing between the agency and irrigators’ associations to “finetune” the plan to implement free irrigation nationwide. “What I can assure you is that farmers will definitely enjoy free irrigation this 2017,” he said. Laviña made the pronouncements even as farmers and irrigator groups have pressed the Duterte administration to make good on President Rodrigo Duterte’s campaign promise to fully implement free irrigation service.
Led by the Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas, the associations formed the Pambansang Ugnayan para sa Libreng Irigasyon at Patubig to urge the Duterte administration to stop collecting irrigation service fees (ISFs) which if implemented, would mark a first in the country’s history. An additional P2.3 billion was allotted to NIA in the recently ratified P3.35-trillion national budget. The NIA has been depending on ISFs for the salaries of its officials and employees. Under the law, NIA is required to collect ISF which amounts to
roughly P2 billion annually which is also meant to fund the operations and maintenance of existing irrigation systems. An amendment of Republic Act 3601, the law that created NIA, may have to be undertaken to implement free irrigation. NIA used to be just an irrigation division under the Department of Public Works and Highways but it was born through RA 3601 of 1963, which was amended through presidential decrees passed in 1974 and 1980. Pronouncements made by Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol of free irrigation ahead of an enabling law have already affected ISF collections in various NIA regional offices and national irrigation systems. Over at the Upper Pampanga River Integrated Irrigation Systems (UPRIIS), the operator of the Pantabangan Dam based in this city, ISF collections have increased by P14
million in 2016 compared to the previous year, according to its operations manager Florentino David. However, David said other regions are not as lucky as they have reported zero collections since the pronouncements were made. “It’s good that we were still able to jack up our collections. But other regions are not as fortunate as they have practically zero collections,” he said. UPRIIS is the country’s largest NIS. Its Pantabangan Dam irrigates 120,000 hectares of agricultural lands in Nueva Ecija and portions of Central Luzon. David said if free irrigation is implemented in UPRIIS, some 200 employees, mostly collection representatives and billing clerks might lose their jobs. “This will be the effect of free irrigation but we cannot do anything about it. We’ll just have to find a way to give them other positions,” he said.
DOE RECOGNIZES CEMEX FOR ITS ISO 50001 ENERGY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM CERTIFICATION.
The Department of Energy through its Philippine Industrial Energy Efficiency Project (PIEEP) recognized CEMEX Philippines for its implementation of ISO 50001 Energy Management System (EnMS) in its cement plants. CEMEX Philippines’ subsidiaries, Solid Cement Corp. and Apo Cement Corp., are the first cement plants in the country to be certified by SGS Philippines for EnMS. In photo are (from left) Sanjaya Man Shrestha, UNIDO Industrial Energy Efficiency Program manager; Fakhruddin Azizi, UNIDO representative-Philippines; Eduardo Pons, CEMEX Philippines energy director; Ernesto Felix, CEMEX Philippines vice president for operations and technology; Alfredo Cusi, DoE secretary; and Jesus Cristino Posadas, DoE undersecretary.
PCAARRD RENEWS TIES WITH STAKEHOLDERS
Dr. Loureeda Darvin of the Inland Aquatic Resources Research Division-PCAARRD (center) represented PCAARRD Acting Executive Director Dr. Reynaldo Ebora during the MOA signing. Photo also shows (from left) Department of Trade and Industry representative; Dr. Nereus Acosta, LLDA general manager; and Moses Abadilla, project staff.
THE Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development of the Department of Science and Technology (DoSTPCAARRD) renewed its membership to the Technical Working Group on the Containment of Knifefish in Laguna de Bay in a recent ceremonial memorandum of agreement signing held at the National Ecology Center, Laguna Lake Development Authority in Diliman, Quezon City. The activity was part of the Partnership Forum organized by the Laguna Lake Development Authority to enlist commitment from stakeholder groups to implement measures for controlling the population of knifefish, an invasive species in Laguna de Bay. Dr. Nereus Acosta, LLDA general manager, in his keynote address, highlighted the need for continuing partnership among the inter-agency
TWG, the Local Government Units of Rizal and Laguna, and other stakeholders for the management of the lake, without adversely affecting food security. Knifefish is considered a nuisance species in Laguna de Bay because of its voracious feeding habit which includes prey that are of economic importance. The Knifefish R&D Program aims to provide scientific information on the life history, reproductive and spawning behavior, feeding ecology, movement and other information on knifefish that will help identify the vulnerability of the species, and develop effective management and control strategies. Several measures, such as physical removal, development of gadgets for eradication, and development of uses (e.g., food products, fertilizer) are being implemented by the TWG memberagencies to control the knifefish population in Laguna de Bay.
'NINA' SURVIVORS GET TESDA GRANTS
THE Technical Education and Skills Development Authority said that national government will provide scholarship to victims of Typhoon "Nina" that slammed Southern Tagalog late last year. TESDA Director General Guiling “Gene” Mamondiong said the agency is now assessing the areas devastated by the typhoon particularly the provinces of Mindoro, Marinduque, Batangas, Catanduanes, Legaspi, Sorsogon, Albay, Camarines Sur and other parts of Southern Tagalog. Aside from the scholarships, Tesda said that it would provide community-based training to affected residents by teaching them whatever their area could offer while the training-con-production project would increase their skills. Mamondiong said that he will personally visit the affected provinces to assess what other assistance can be extended by Tesda aside from the scholarships and skills training. Typhoon "Nina" battered a large part of the southern Luzon region and displaced more than 120,000 persons. Tesda has also allocated scholarships in the Visayas and Bicol Regions. Jun David
Gadgets & Games
LG UNVEILS PINNACLE OF ITS FLAT-PANEL TVS
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SUNDAY, JANUARY 15, 2017 rumallari@thestandard.com.ph
OPPO'S LATEST A39 DELIVERS FLAWLESS SELFIES A NEW mobile device that easily captures crystal-clear selfies and brilliant night shots will soon make its debut in Philippine stores. The OPPO A39 features a 5 MP-front camera which can capture flawless-looking selfies even in less than ideal lighting situations. “OPPO’s smartphones have always stood out for their outstanding photography performance, powerful hardware, and elegant design. OPPO’s latest smartphone, the A39, is no exception,” said OPPO Philippines Brand Marketing Manager Stephen Cheng. “The A39’s availability here in the Philippines is great news for those of us who can’t get enough of selfies and creative snaps.”
Seamless shots
Though the A39’s 5-MP front camera has less megapixels compared to OPPO’s other smartphones, its extra large 1.4um pixels and ¼-inch sensor has higher light sensitivity and frame rate to capture crisp pictures and videos with reduced noise. The smartphone’s selfie camera is also equipped with the latest iteration of its beautifying app, the Beautify 4.0, which enhances the skin and facial features through seven beautify levels, two skin modes, and upgraded photo-processing algorithms. Its 13-MP rear camera captures 50-MP ultra-high definition images with its extralarge 1/3.06 inch sensor, which maximizes the amount of captured light for brilliant low-light and nighttime shots. The company’s latest OLED TVs are built on a foundation of excellence and come with a number of new cutting-edge features designed to transform the TV into a comprehensive entertainment hub.
L
G Electronics took the stage at Consumer Electric Show 2017 to unveil its newest top-of-the-line LG Signature OLED TV W as the pinnacle of its new lineup of flat-panel TVs.
Featuring Dolby Vision™ and Dolby Atmos™ sound, the new lineup includes a total of 10 different models, highlighted by the 2017 CES Best of Innovation Award winner, the 77-inch LG Signature OLED TV W exemplified by its Pictureon-Wall design. The LG 2017 OLED TV lineup, consisting of models 77/65W7, 77/65G7, 65/55E7, 65/55C7 and 65/55B7, will continue to live up to its unrivaled ability to reproduce the most lifelike images of any TV product with perfect blacks, infinite contrast and an expanded color gamut. The company’s latest OLED TVs are built on this foundation of excellence and come with a number of new cutting-edge features designed to transform the TV into a comprehensive entertainment hub. LG’s 2017 OLED TVs feature the amazing blade-slim design of the B7 and C7 series, Picture-on-Glass design of the E7 and G7 series and the unique Picture-on-Wall design of the newest W7 series. The innovative design of the W7 series follows LG’s “less is more” philosophy, stripping away everything to emphasize the beauty of the screen alone. The W7’s sleek razor-thin profile makes the TV appear to be levitating in mid-air, adding to the sense of immersion. The OLED panel, measuring only 2.57mm thin in the 65-inch model, can be mounted directly on the wall with only magnetic brackets, eliminating any gap between the TV and the wall. The sense of immersion is completed by up-firing speakers and unrivaled Dolby Atmos sound. This design of the W7 series invites the illusion of gazing out a window, not of watching TV. The W7 OLED TV series builds on LG OLED’s revolutionary pixel dimming control technology, which renders perfect black without any light leakage to offer a limitless contrast ratio, with one
billion possible colors. What’s more, all LG’s 2017 OLED TVs use ULTRA Luminance technology to deliver greater brightness where needed. Leveraging the high dynamic range technology that powers Dolby’s most advanced cinemas around the world, Dolby Vision elevates the home TV viewing experience by delivering greater brightness and contrast as well as a fuller palette of rich colors. Dolby Atmos puts viewers inside the action with rich sound that fills the entire room— even the space overhead – with powerful, moving audio that flows around the audience. Dolby achieves this by isolating the relative location of each sound to create incredibly intricate audio that is as rich and multi-layered as the real world. As the first TV in the world to offer Dolby Atmos, 2017 LG OLED TVs can deliver content with both cutting-edge imaging and state-of-the-art sound technologies simultaneously, creating an entertainment powerhouse. Together, Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos deliver a comprehensive solution supported by professional content creators and distributors the world over. Over 80 studio titles are compatible with Dolby Vision and more than 100 titles are currently available for Dolby Atmos, with 25 available in both formats. What’s more, over 100 hours of original content is available in Dolby Vision across leading OTT providers worldwide and soon consumers will have access to Dolby Vision titles on Ultra HD Blu-ray disc, with anticipated availability in 2017. The W7 series and all LG 2017 OLED TVs feature Active HDR for displaying next-generation HDR content designed to render brighter scenes and greater shadow detail. Active HDR allows LG TVs to process the picture frame by frame, inserting dynamic data where needed. This technology allows the TV to offer the best picture even if the original HDR content contains static or no metadata at all. And all of LG’s 2017 OLED TVs support
ASIA'S... From D4
Oscar Visaya
processes and increase speed to market in ways traditional IT infrastructure cannot touch. Key value points include: Flexibility: Cloud provides organizations the flexibility to scale up or down its cloud capacity on-demand. This level of elasticity enables businesses to be more agile and higher performing. Improved mobility: Applications are available to employees anytime, and anywhere. Employees can access apps across smart phones and tabletscatering to the demands of the increasingly mobile-savvy population. Cost savings: As companies do not have to purchase equipment and operate a data center, they have reduced expenses on hardware, facilities, and other operational aspects. Cloud enables organizations to reduce operational costs while increasing IT effectiveness.
Powerful performance
the full palette of HDR formats, including Dolby Vision, HDR10, HLG (Hybrid Log Gamma) and are ready to support Advanced HDR by Technicolor technology. This versatility is compounded by the new HDR Effect feature which processes standard definition content frame-by-frame to improve brightness in specific areas, enhance contrast ratios and render more precise images. Featuring the latest version of LG’s intuitive webOS smart TV platform, version 3.5, viewers will have no trouble accessing premium HDR content online. In order to offer viewers access to the most convenient home cinema experience possible, LG has partnered with leading digital content providers such as Amazon, Netflix and Vudu. To demonstrate the capabilities of HDR content on LG’s OLED TVs, HLG programming from DIRECTV, Dolby Vision content from Netflix and HDR10 titles from Amazon Prime Video will be featured at LG’s booth at CES. The new LG OLED TVs embed cutting edge technology and renowned color science expertise from Technicolor. They apply the same technology and expertise used in the majority of premium Hollywood productions from movies to episodic series. This allows consumers to enjoy the most vibrant and lifelike viewing experiences while accurately recreating the artistic intent of content creators. Because of the superior picture quality of OLED technology, Technicolor is working with LG to expand the capabilities of its OLED TVs for use in production facilities around the world. With Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos integrated tightly into our newest OLED products, viewers will be able to recapture the magic of the cinema and experience their favorite movies with their original clarity, depth and imagination intact,” said Brian Kwon, president and CEO of LG’s Home Entertainment Company. “The stunning new TVs on display at CES this week demonstrate our commitment to innovation and leadership in OLED and the premium TV market globally.”
To cloud or not to cloud? However, Asian businesses still remain cautious. A survey by F5 Networks revealed that the Asia Pacific market lags behind the rest of the world in tapping the cloud for application development and operations2. The study also revealed that businesses in Asia remain hesitant about deploying cloud projects that are mission-critical and production grade, and instead only deploy noncritical low-risk applications, such as email, collaboration and websites. The inherent challenges in cloud migration—such as, determining which workloads are suitable for the cloud, the lack of control and visibility, the application delivery and security capabilities of the cloud provider, and the real possibility of rewriting your entire application to take advantage of the capabilities provided by the cloud provider— can give pause to even the most digitally mature businesses. In Asia Pacific in particular, integration between a provider’s cloud technology and on-premises systems stands out
The A39’s 720P HD screen has automatic brightness adjustments and high contrast to keep the eyes more comfortable. Watching movies or playing games is also a more vivid experience on the A39 thanks to the all-new Color0S 3.0, which provides seamless performance, offers more memory, and saves more power. When the ColorOS 3.0’s power-optimization features work with the A39’s 2900 mAh lithium polymer battery and MT6750 processor, the phone reduces power consumption by up to 35 percent and allows up to more than thirteen hours of constant use. The 3GB RAM and Octa-core 64-bit processor further enhanced its performance to allow smoother multitasking and switching between apps.
Beautiful design
Aside from its powerful hardware and software, the A39 also stands out for its unibody design that gives users a comfortable and effortless grip.The phone’s 2.5D Corning Gorilla Glass 4 Screen has four precisely rounded corners and a thin lightweight frame that rests comfortably in the hand. The phone’s magnesium-aluminum alloy body also retains du-
OPPO A39
rability though it merely weighs 147 grams. The OPPO A39 is now available in concept and dealer stores for only P10,990. For more information on the OPPO A39, log on to http://www.oppo.com/ph/index.html.
as a key factor in weighing the adoption of the service. In addressing these challenges, organizations need advanced and programmable application delivery services which span across data centers and cloud providers, and provide business flexibility to enable a smooth and successful cloud migration. Organizations require a unified platform that enables them to deliver and manage application services consistently across different application environments for existing applications as well as new cloud native applications. Companies cannot ignore the rise of cloud. However, what they can do, is to ensure that their individual journeys to the cloud are secure and successful, by ensuring that the application delivery service that they choose provides the following three key considerations for every app regardless of deployment model: Availability—Especially for mission critical workloads, businesses need to ensure that application delivery services can provide persis-
tent app availability across disparate environments. Performance—With the increased urgency to deliver on-demand content to a variety of devices, app delivery needs to be optimized regardless of the deployment model in order to enhance end-user experience. Security—The increasing frequency with which organizations experience attacks and vulnerabilities, drive security needs as one of the core app services necessary to ensure the survival of apps and business today. Imagine application developers and IT coming together to rapidly develop and launch an application on the cloud that helps scale a line of business from hundreds to millions of customers—all with the same reliability, security and control of a traditional datacenter deployment. Every company has a cloud journey unique to its own needs. As a leading provider of application delivery services, F5 is enabling this future today, without compromises, empowering organizations to power their digital transitions without challenges.
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SUNDAY, JANUARY 15, 2017 Riera U. Mallari, Editor rumallari@thestandard.com.ph
Gadgets & Games DON'T FLASH THAT PEACE SIGN
Joe Stinziano, Executive Vice President of Samsung Electronics America, speaks during a press event for CES 2017 at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. CES, the world's largest annual consumer technology trade show, featured 3,800 exhibitors showing off their latest products and services to more than 165,000 attendees. AFP
SAMSUNG RECOGNIZED FOR DESIGN, INNOVATION
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IDGEFIELD PARK, N.J.—Samsung Electronics announced that it has won more than 120 awards at the 2017 Consumer Electronics Show and continues to receive recognition in categories spanning the home entertainment, home appliance and mobile categories. Samsung is humbled to be honored at CES alongside fellow innovators and the next-generation technologies that are shaping the future of everyday life. Among Samsung’s CES 2017 notable wins are 34 CES 2017 Innovation Awards, including a Best of Innovation Award in the video display category. Samsung was also recognized with a number of media and industry awards, selected by organizations in attendance at the event out of more than 3,880 exhibitors. “As CES celebrates its 50th anniversary, it’s amazing to see how far we’ve come as an industry. This past year was marked with an array of unique developments in product design and engineering,” said Gregory Lee, president and CEO of Samsung Electronica North America. “We are honored to be recognized year after year by CTA and the industry for our innovative products and developments, and remain committed to delivering products that are thoughtfully designed to work the way you live,” Lee addded. Samsung’s award winning products for 2017 include: Samsung’s new QLED TV lineup received more than 20 notable awards including four CES Innovation Awards, Reviewed.com’s Editor’s Choice award, Ubergizmo’s Best of CES award and HD Guru’s CES Top Picks award
Samsung’s new Lifestyle TV, which is designed to appear just like a picture would appear on a wall, collected the Best of Innovation award from CTA as well as Popular Mechanic’s Editor’s Choice award Samsung’s FlexWash + FlexDry were honored with two CES Innovation Awards and an array of media accolades, including the Techlicious Best of CES award, Reviewed.com’s Editor’s Choice award, The Verge’s Best of CES award and a TWICE Picks award Samsung’s Chromebook Plus and Pro garnered wins from Digital Trend’s Top Tech of CES awards, Wired’s Best of CES awards, BGR’s Best Laptops of CES awards, LAPTOP / Tom’s Guide Best of CES awards, Gear Patrol’s Best Products from CES awards and 9to5Google’s Best of CES picks For more information on Samsung at CES 2017, please visit: www. news.samsung.com/ Headquartered in Ridgefield Park, N.J., Samsung Electronics America, Inc., is a recognized innovative leader in consumer electronics, mobile devices and enterprise solutions. A wholly owned subsidiary of Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., SEA is pushing beyond the limits of today’s technol-
Attendees participate in a Samsung virtual reality ride at CES 2017 at the Las Vegas Convention Center.
ogy and providing consumers and organizations with a portfolio of groundbreaking products in appliances, home entertainment, Internet of Things, mobile computing, smartphones, virtual reality, wireless infrastructure and wearables, in addition to offering leading content andservices related to mobile payments, 360-degree VR video, customer support and more. Samsung is a pioneering leader in smartphones and HDTVs in the US and one of America’s fastest growing home appliance brands. To discover more about Samsung, please
visit www.samsung.com. For the latest Samsung news, please visit news. samsung.com/us and follow us @ SamsungNewsUS. Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. inspires the world and shapes the future with transformative ideas and technologies. The company is redefining the worlds of TVs, smartphones, wearable devices, tablets, cameras, digital appliances, medical equipment, network systems, and semiconductor and LED solutions. For the latest news, please visit Samsung Newsroom at http://news. samsung.com.
ASIA'S ACCELERATING CLOUD APP-VANCEMENT
By Oscar Visaya, Country Manager, F5 Networks
IN ASIA, the application economy is an unstoppable juggernaut advancing at full speed. Wielding the power to make or break the customer-brand relationship, applications that fail to deliver a positive user experience risk losing about a third of their customer base. Recognizing the potential of this digital strategy, today, F5 has found that organizations across this region depend on about 200 applications each, to streamline and introduce efficiencies in functionalities ranging from enterprise productivity, IT deployment to supply
chain management. This number is however set to rise as digital workplaces become commonplace. More employees want to, and are given the autonomy of choosing the apps and processes to work with to maintain a high intensity of corporate functionality anytime, anywhere, across any device. In spite of its diverse and uniquely fragmented economies where technology maturity is polarized across developed and developing nations from Singapore to Myanmar, one common technology denominator stands out in Asia: mobile. The strong growth of mobile is ubiquitous across
countries in the region, further driving the demand for applications and creating a level playing field for businesses in this heightening app-centric landscape. With the surging demand for applications, IT departments are facing increasing pressure to deploy them more rapidly, leading to increasing complexity of their infrastructures, and more worryingly, increasing the number of new attack vectors for malicious actors. What businesses need today are therefore solutions that enable them to deploy, scale and manage the growth of their application population—quickly and securely—while creating a seam-
less experience between the application and the end user!
Asia’s Cloud-y Outlook
The industry has come a long way from the time when security and performance concerns hindered companies from migrating even basic applications to the cloud. Today, the cloud acceleration is tangible as CIOs are already prioritizing the move of business critical applications, such as ERP and HR functions, to the cloud as their top agenda. The cloud is transforming the way businesses deploy and manage applications, by improving agility, automating Turn to D3
TOKYO—Could flashing the “peace” sign in photos lead to fingerprint data being stolen? Research by a team at Japan’s National Institute of Informatics (NII) says so, raising alarm bells over the popular two-fingered pose. Fingerprint recognition technology is becoming widely available to verify identities, such as when logging on to smartphones, tablets and laptop computers. Bu the proliferation of mobile devices with high-quality cameras and social media sites where photographs can be easily posted is raising the risk of personal information being leaked, reports said. The NII researchers were able to copy fingerprints based on photos taken by a digital camera three metres (nine feet) away from the subject. “Just by casually making a peace sign in front of a camera, fingerprints can become widely available,”NII researcher Isao Echizen told the Sankei Shimbun newspaper for an article published Monday. “Fingerprint data can be recreated if fingerprints are in focus with strong lighting in a picture,” Echizen also told Yomiuri TV. He added that advanced technology was not necessary and anyone could easily copy fingerprints. But NII says it has developed a transparent film containing titanium oxide that can be attached to fingers to hide their prints, the reports said. The film prevents identity theft but does not interfere with fingerprints being effective in identity verification, the Sankei Shimbun reported. But the technology would not be ready for another two years, the paper said. AFP
Researchers have raised alarm bells over the popular two-fingered pose.
NEW BASE FOR SNAPCHAT LONDON—Snap Inc., which runs smartphone messaging app Snapchat, said Tuesday it had chosen London as its international headquarters, praising the UK’s creative industries. It comes after Facebook, Google and Apple last year announced major investments in London, underlining the capital’s status as a technology hub as Britain prepares to exit the European Union. “I am happy to confirm that the UK is the Snap Inc. family’s hub outside the US,” a Snap spokeswoman said. Snap has around 75 staff in the UK, up from six a year ago and is looking to add a nearby site to its office in London’s Soho district, she added. “We believe in the UK creative industries,”said Claire Valoti, general manager of Snap’s UK operations, in a statement. “The UK is where our advertising clients are, where more than 10 million daily Snapchatters are, and where we’ve already begun to hire talent.” The news was welcomed by the right-wing government of Conservative Prime Minister Theresa May, who is due to trigger Brexit by the end of March. “The UK continues to be a hugely attractive destination for international investment, including global tech,” a government spokesperson said. AFP