D1
SUNDAY, JANUARY 29, 2017
Jimbo Gulle, Editor
Roger Garcia, Issue Editor
LGUs
Local Gov’t Units
mslocalgov@gmail.com
AMENDMENT TO ANIMAL FEEDS ACT SOUGHT
Scan this icon to view the PDF
KICK IT. An instructor leads a platoon of the Philippine Army’s 8th Infantry Division in a taebo exercise, part of the physical conditioning 8th ID Commanding Officer General Raul F. Farnacio has prescribed for the troops stationed in Maulong, Catbalogan City, Samar. Farnacio even joins the troops in road runs every Tuesday and Friday. Mel Caspe
30 TRADE ATTACHÉS SELLING DAVAO TO REST OF THE WORLD D By F. Pearl A. Gajunera
AVAO CITY—Thirty trade attachés from Asian and Middle East countries recently visited the city to sell Davao to the international market as a potential business destination.
Davao City Investment and Promotion Center chief Lemuel Ortonio said the attachés will be the “indirect marketing officers” of the city in their different countries to encourage investors there to trade in President Rodrigo Duterte’s hometown. Ortonio said the attachés are here to check on the investment concerns of Davao, as he presented the safety and security features of the city to ensure foreign investors it is safe to invest here. “We presented the safety and security of the city because that is very important when we market our investment opportunities here,” he said. Ensuring that Davao is safe will not only benefit the city’s business sector but its tourism aspect as well, Ortonio said, noting his office is leading investors to finance projects in the city’s suburban areas with its downtown “somewhat congested.” Earlier this year, Benito de Leon, Public Safety and Community Command Center chief, said they will convince the Department of Foreign Affairs to encourage different countries to lift their travel advisories to Davao City. Authorities here are better prepared to combat terrorism and ensure the safety of Davaoeños and tourists alike, De Leon said. It is evident that the city is safe “since various big events happened in the city without any eventualities,” he added.
Assistant City Administrator for Operation Lawrence Bantiding said his team is assessing how big an increase in taxes Davao will apply, and its possible impact on the business sector here. If the local revenue code was amended every five years as prescribed by law, Davao would have increased local taxes by 20 percent by now, he said. Bantiding said there is a need to increase local taxes to add funds to the 10-point priority agenda of Mayor Sara Duterte. “The increase of local taxes will be a big help to the city. We can add to the budget of our education, infrastructure ad agriculture programs, among others,” Bantiding said. New businesses in Davao are exempted from paying real property taxes for three years. Councilor Danilo Dayanghirang, the Committee on Finance, Ways and Means chairman, said this is meant to encourage more investors to do business in the city. “It has been noted that Davao City has a very low business tax compared to other cities [in the country],” he said. Dayanghirang also noted the city’s budget would have ballooned to P10 billion if the local revenue code was amended in the last few years. Despite the low business tax rates in the city, the City Treasurer’s Office managed to collect more than P800 million from businesses for 2016. City Treasurer Bella Tanjili said they are expecting Davao’s total collection to go up to P7 billion after their real property Local taxes rising? tax collection in March. Meanwhile, the city government is preparing for the posBantiding revealed that more than P200 million came from sible increase of local taxes, 12 years after the city’s local rev- the top 10 business taxpayers alone, and P96.4 million came enue code was last amended. from the Davao Light Power Co. Inc.
PENDING with the Committee on Agriculture and Food, the Animal Feeds Act of 2016, authored by Deputy Speaker Sharon Garin, seeks to amend the Livestock and Poultry Feeds Act enacted way back in 1956. “The need for a new and better law that is in tune with the demands of the present time is called for as there are a lot of changes brought about by the continued growth of the industry,” Garin, who’s representing AAMBIS-Owa, said in a statement . House Bill 3355 seeks to organize, update, and strengthen the livestock and poultry feeds industry in the Philippines. Some of the amendments proposed are to update many of the outdated definition of terms, policies, and penalties found in the original law passed six decades ago. The proposed amendments also included a better licensing and registration to ensure the quality of all feeds whether for commercial or non-commercial use will be established. “We must acknowledge that the success of the swine and poultry industries of the Philippines is also dependent on the Feeds Industry of the country,” Garin added.
AGROFORESTRY PROJECT BOOST FOR FARMERS, CAGAYAN LGUS By Brenda Jocson SANTIAGO CITY, Isabela—In an effort to help increase income opportunities among local farmers in communities surrounding the Didipio mine in Cagayan Valley as well as propagating forest lands with more trees, an agroforestry company has ventured in establishing an enterprise development through agroforestry projects. Director Lucy Exconde of OceanaGold Sustainable Agroforestry Inc., an affiliate of Australian OceanaGold miner, said that they have developed a central nursery which has already produced more than a million seedlings distributed to tree farmers. She said LGUs, school and government agencies are also recipients of their seedlings of various tree species in support of the establishment of around 1,000 hectares of plantation. In partnership with local government units and community associations in Region 2, Exconde said the enterprise also includes millions of pesos worth commercial tree plantation, wood resources utilization and trade of various agroforestry products which could also be a good source of income to farmers associations.
JAPAN AIDS PAMPANGA HEALTH PROGRAMS
TOP STUDENTS. Awardees of 10MOST (Most Outstanding Students) in Muntinlupa City from 1998 to present gather in the 10MOST Night 2017 at City Hall, as Mayor Jaime Fresnedi and Rep. Ruffy Biazon joined the city’s ‘crème de la crème’ and encouraged the young professionals and students to continue being models of excellence. The next 10MOST batch will be awarded at the Ayala Malls–South Park Activity Center in Alabang.
CITY OF SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga— The Japanese Healthcare system is now being offered as an alternative model for Pampanga by a visiting international liver transplant specialist recently. Dr. Koichi Tanaka of the International Frontier Medical Support said that he is offering the excellent healthcare services of Japan to the province. In a courtesy call to Pampanga Gov. Lilia Pineda, the group discussed mutual support and collaboration between the provincial government and the Japanese government in terms of collaboration for improved healthcare services and critical medical
programs for the people of the province. Tanaka led the group composed of Kozo Kikuchi, president of the International Frontier Medical Support; Takayuki Hiruta, president and director of the Hiruta Riken Co. Ltd. and Cecilio Lagman, coordinator. The Japanese offer was made in the midst of the full blast implementation on Feb. 1, 2017 of the Cuban healthcare system in Pampanga as encouraged by President Rodrigo R. Duterte. The World Health Organization hails the Cuban system as excellent and efficient—as it deals with prevention instead of cure and is free—as mandated by Article 50 of their Constitution.
On the other hand, Japan being a member of the Organization for Economic Cooperation Development—a group of semi and rich 30 countries who charge their citizenry 30 percent while the 70 percent is shouldered by their respective governments—is bent on extending their support for the program in the Philippines. Tanaka who had 2,000 liver transplant visited Diosdado P. Macapagal Memorial Hospital in Guagua and Ricardo Rodriguez Hospital annex in Bacolor. The visiting Japanese group were assisted by Dr. Jose Antonio Rivera, provincial health officer; Dr. Eddie Ponio of DPMMH and Dr. Antonio Ong of Rodriguez Hospital, respectively.
LGUs
D2
SUNDAY, JANUARY 29, 2017 mst.daydesk@gmail.com
QC PRESSES LTO TO CATCH DRUGGED, DRUNK DRIVERS ALARMED by the increase in the number of deaths and accidents related to driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs, the Quezon City government is pressing for the strict enforcement of Republic Act 10586, otherwise known the Anti-Drunk and Drugged Driving Act of 2013. As provided in City Resolution No. SP-6932, S-2016 approved by the 36-member Quezon City Council, the city urged the Land Transportation Office to strictly implement the provisions of RA 10586, which seeks to penalize the acts of driving under the influence of alcohol, dangerous drugs and other intoxicating substances. Principally authored by Councilor Oliviere Belmonte, the ordinance cited as imperative the need to implement the law, including the criminal penalties provided by it “so as to control the drug abuse problem” if there is any as Belmonte takes into consideration that these substances often cause significant physical, mental or social dysfunction not only to the driver but also to the passenger and the people around. Under existing laws, enforcement officers of the LTO or any authorized officer trained and deputized by the LTO, are mandated to enforce the provisions of the said law. Recently, the Highway Patrol Group of the Philippine National Police reported that the number of vehicular accidents associated with drunk driving is increasing. The Philippines ranked 81st among the countries with high alcohol-death rate as reported by the World Health Organization.
MINE FIRM OBSERVES LABOR RULES By Dexter See
TUBA, Benguet—The management of the Philex Mining Corp. is strictly adhering to the government’s policy against contractualization of its workforce, citing that most of its over 2,100 managers, supervisors and rank and file are hired as regular workers. Engineer Eulalio B. Austin Jr., Philex president and chief executive officer, said the company is also hiring contractual workers from service providers and contractors that are accredited by the Department of Labor and Employment pursuant to existing labor laws, rules and regulations. “We have to strictly comply with whatever policies handed down by the present administration as we have already regularized a majority of our workforce even before the President Duterte’s pronouncements against contractualization since it is part of our practice as responsible mining firm,” Austin stressed. The Philex official revealed the hiring of service providers and contractors are done in consultation with the Philex Mines Supervisors Union and the Philex Rank and File Union because the two labor unions are also monitoring the compliance of the company to existing laws, rules and regulations. According to him, the company is hiring some 10 to 20 percent of its workforce from duly accredited service providers and labor contractors to allow the available jobs to be done in time because of the company’s need to also comply with their prescribed deadlines. Because of the existence of the two labor unions in the mine site, he claimed Philex is one of the preferred employees in the region to date because the nearly P600 daily wage is almost 20 percent higher than the prevailing wage in the National Capital Region and nearly 292 percent more than the existing P285 daily wage approved by the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board in the Cordillera.
The ’Elsa’ sculpture by Gerry Leonardo sits near the beach as part of the ’Himala sa Buhangin!’ Arts and Music Festival organized by the Ilocos Norte provincial government. Under Gov. Imee R. Marcos, Ilocos Norte is gearing up for its 200th anniversary by promoting its cultural heritage as a catalyst of growth and opportunity.
CULTURAL POLICY DRIVE FOR ILOCOS NORTE BICENTENNIAL
I
N PREPARATION for the province’s 200th founding anniversary, Gov. Imee R. Marcos is accelerating the Provincial Government of Ilocos Norte's drive towards developing and promoting its cultural heritage as a catalyst of growth and opportunity. Established under Provincial Ordinance No. 041-2015 by the ninth Sangguniang Panlalawigan, Ilocos Norte’s cultural policy is founded on Republic Act No. 10066 or the National Heritage Act of 2009 which encourages local government units to incorporate programs and budgets for the protection and conservation of cultural properties whether through environmental, educational, or cultural activities. The policy implements nine strategies, including the establishment of new art venues; strengthening of institutions involved in the study and research of the Ilocano heritage; provision of training for artists and a cultural workforce; investment in cultural entrepreneurs and
producers; and promotion of the province’s cultural sites, products, and events. PGIN had already begun the said establishment and promotion of cultural treasures in 2014. To revive the trades such as carpentry, wood-carving, and handloom weaving, the first conservation school in the country was launched in the Paoay Campus of Mariano Marcos State University College of Industrial Technology (MMSU-CIT): the Paoay School for Craftsmen. It was also under Gov. Marcos’ leadership that Ilocos Norte began spearheading large-scale cultural-tourism events like the Himala sa Buhangin! Arts and Music Festival on the Ilocos des-
PGIN also heavily supports the ert and the Tan-ok ni Ilocano Festival of Festivals, known as House of Inabel opened earlier the grandest display of festival this month in Pinili, which serves to display loom-woven products, culture in Northern Luzon. widen its market, and educate ’Heritage is our living’ young Ilocanos on the craft as a All too often, we take our im- cultural heritage. mense heritage for granted. We “As we grow, we must maintain must urgently put in place a cul- the social networks and compastural strategy not merely to pro- sion that are traditionally Ilocatect heritage sites and museums, no. And while we embrace techbut to promote art galleries and nology and all its devices, we spaces, endow schools of archi- will honor our culture, heritage tecture, design, literature, gas- and the values that define us as tronomy, and renew vanishing a people,” said Governor Marcos. indigenous cultures,” Gov. Marcos had said in her 2014 State of the Province calls for project Province Address. proposals She added, “In Ilocos Norte, In line with these goals, PGIN culture sells, and for many has called for project proposals for among us today, heritage is our books, graphic novels, research living.” projects, music compilations, Aside from events showcas- comic books, children’s histories, ing Ilocano talents, PGIN con- and other literary works about Ilotinued accelerating its cultur- cos Norte, the Ilocano culture and al-tourism campaign through heritage, Ilocano heroes, and the the opening of new museums Ilocano diaspora. Entries chosen will receive such as the Ilocano-Cordilleran Taoid Museum in Laoag funding for the proposed project City and the “rice farmer’s and are to be published on or behouse” attraction known as fore the bicentennial celebration in February 2018. the Balay Dingras.
’SCRAP TOLL FEES IN KENNON, HALSEMA ROADS’ BAGUIO CITY—The City Council here passed a resolution strongly supporting and endorsing the immediate passage of House Bill Nos. 4570 and 4571, otherwise known as “an act terminating the collection of toll fees along the portion of the Benguet road, popularly known as Kennon Road, from Klondyke spring to Camp 6 and along Halsema highway, repealing for the purpose Executive Order No. 34, series of 1954 as amended.” The resolution authored by all members of the local legislative body stated the local government supports the immediate passage of the two bills which will provide the needed solutions to the long quest of road users from paying
multiple fees, traffic jams, road accidents, increment of selling or ceiling price of products and alleged potential source of corruption among those involved in the collection of toll fees. The Bill, if enacted will likewise protect the interest of traders, farmers and travelers from indigenous cultural communities and its populace as it would help minimize expenses in the transport of goods and services along the corridors of Benguet and Baguio City. Earlier, the provincial board of Benguet passed a separate resolution strongly supporting the passage of the two pending bills before the House of Representatives. Dexter A. See
TURNOVER. Cavite Gov. Boying Remulla hands over the ceremonial key of 18 patrol vehicles and 30 motorcycles to Philippine National Police Chief Director General Ronald ’Bato’ dela Rosa at Camp Pantaleon Garcia in Imus, Cavite on Jan. 23. The vehicles will provide a substantial police presence and enhance the emergency response capabilities of the Cavite police force. Benjamin Chavez
Gadgets & Games
VIVO V5: PREMIUM SELFIE PHONE IS HERE
Vivo Philippines launched the Vivo V5 Plus in a star-studded event at the SM Mall of Asia Atrium recently. Photo shows (from left) Trade Marketing Director Lindsay Guan; Ted Xiong, CEO; Hazel Bascon, VP; Robert John Decillo, National Sales Manager; Annie Lim, Brand Director; Sajid Silvestre and Jelly Buan, Service Managers doing a Selfie with celebrity guest KZ Tandingan. Manny Palmero
F
ILIPINOS are certified selfie lovers, as proven by a recent study by TIME, which found that Makati City is the world’s “selfie capital,” and the cities of Cebu, Quezon and Iloilo belong to the top 100 “selfiest cities” across the globe. Taking a selfie is an integral part of the lives of millions of Filipinos from all walks of life, which is why they continue to search for the best selfie phone available in the market. The entry of top five premium global brand1 Vivo’s flagship phone, Vivo V5 Plus, in the local market marks the end of this search. Dubbed as the perfect selfie phone, the Vivo V5 Plus is equipped with the most advanced selfie technology to date, expected to impress selfie- and smartphoneenthusiasts all over the world. Here, Vivo shares five reasons why the Vivo V5 Plus deserves its tag as the perfect selfie phone. • The world’s first 20MP dual front camera. After intensive research and development, Vivo finally came up with the perfect front camera for selfie lovers. If you think that a 16-megapixel camera is impressive, then prepare to be blown away
achieving the true bokeh or background-blurring effect, on the spot. To achieve this, Vivo engineers studied the blurring effects of 96 large aperture SLR camera lenses, simulated each of them in the V5 Plus smartphone algorithm, and added special enhancements to produce even better selfie results. • The selfie soft light. With the Vivo V5 Plus’ selfie soft light, beautiful self-shots can be taken even by the Vivo V5 Plus’ front camera: at night or in poor lighting condia 20-megapixel and 8-megapixel tions. The lighting and brightness combo—the first of its kind. of every selfie photo is enhanced, A total of 200 engineers from on the spot—with no need for an Vivo and its partner organizations ‘edit’ button. spent eight months in developing • The face beauty mode 6.0. With this dual front camera, creating an the Vivo V5 Plus’ face beauty mode algorithm specially designed for 6.0, whitening and skin tone enbeautiful portrait shots. hancements of your selfies are easily • The true ‘bokeh’ effect. Vivo’s done. The face beauty mode 6.0 also dual front camera consists of a “erases” blemishes, making skin look primary (20MP) and a secondary either fair or rosy—your choice. (8MP) camera, with the latter fo• Other advanced phone features. cused on collecting depth-of-field The Vivo V5 Plus is called a ‘perfect’ information. The result? An accurate selfie phone because its advanced separation of objects based on their camera features are supplemented by distance from the camera lens. This other positive attributes such as amazmeans that the subject in focus is ing style, speed, and performance. separated from the background, With its 4GB RAM, 64GB ROM,
Qualcom Snapdragon 625 processor, and Funtouch 3.0 OS, you can be sure that this Vivo phone has superior power and efficiency. The Vivo V5 Plus also has a long-lasting battery, at 3160 mAh, and a fastcharging feature. Thus, you never have to worry about your phone running out of juice. With an ultra-slim bezel technology, the Vivo V5 Plus is light and handy, making the act of selfie-taking even easier. With all these and more, the Vivo V5 Plus truly has the most advanced selfie technology to date. And, as a welcome bonus, the newest Vivo phone is priced at only P19,990. No doubt, the V5 Plus deserves the ‘perfect selfie phone’ title.
FACEBOOK CRACKS DOWN ON FAKE NEWS
SAN FRANCISCIO—Under pressure to stymie the spread of fake news, Facebook on Wednesday modified its system for showing trending topics. The leading social network said that instead of simply showing a topic, it will include headlines from articles about the trending subjects along with sources publishing those stories. “This was the most requested feature addition since the last update we made,” product management vice president Will Cathcart said in a blog post.
MAXIMUM... From D4 it was also the most energy efficient product even versus its inverter counterpart. The Carrier Optima, a noninver ter air conditioner, provides inverter like savings for 30% less than the cost of an inverter product. “We at Carrier are committed to providing customers with the comfort that they need at home and for their lifestyle,” said Mally Zavalla, Concepcion-Carrier Air Conditioning Company Consumer Solutions Group, Marketing Director. “This is why we are proud of the Carrier Optima, our high wall, non-inverter air conditioner engineered for customers who are looking for superior air conditioning with-
“These are the same headlines that appear when you hover over or click on a trending topic, but people told us they wanted these headlines directly within trending, too.” The headlines that are shown will be automatically selected based on factors including how much people engage with the pieces and with the publisher overall, and whether other articles are linking to them. The update, which is being rolled out in the United States this week, also changes the
way topics are identified as trending at Facebook. Instead of measuring how many people are clicking on and sharing a single article, Facebook will take into account how many publishers are posting stories on the same topic and how much attention those pieces are getting. The change was intended to surface topics quicker, capture a broader range of news, and help ensure that trends reflect real world events being covered by multiple news outlets, Facebook said.
Also, lists of topics will no longer be personalized based on individual interests and will be the same for everyone in a region. “This is designed to help make sure people don’t miss important topics being discussed on Facebook that might not show up in their News Feed,” Cathcart said. Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg has sought to deflect criticism that the huge social network may have been used to fuel the spread of misinfor-
mation that impacted the 2016 US presidential race.
‘Tabloid cloakers’
Meanwhile Google on Wednesday said in a blog post that it took down 1.7 billion ads last year as part of its fight against “bad ads, sites, and scammers.” The internet giant noted the rise of “tabloid cloakers,” a scam that tries to trick people, and Google, by pretending to offer real news but instead taking people to promotional pages. AFP
out the worries of expensive electricity bills.” The secret to the Carrier Optima’s energy efficiency is in its interior. The air conditioner runs with additional cooling coils, a more compact yet power ful compressor, and stronger motors. It also has a Turbo Function that allows rooms to cool fast as soon as the air conditioner is switched on. All these power ful features are housed inside the Carrier Optima’s sleek exterior—it’s an air conditioning masterpiece that can fit stylishly in any home owner’s space. Carrier understands that aside from energy efficiency The Carrier Optima, a non-inverter air conditioner, provides inverter like savings and cooling capacity, an air for 30 percent less than the cost of an inverter product. conditioning unit must have features that will make sure hold. That’s why they installed Optima. appliance stores nationwide. every family member is breath- the latest, most advanced air The Carrier Optima High For more information, visit ing clean air within the house- filter technology in the Carrier Wall is now available in major www.carrier.com.ph
D3
SUNDAY, JANUARY 29, 2017 rumallari@thestandard.com.ph
APPLE TIFF WITH QUALCOMM SPREADS TO CHINA SAN FRANCISCO—Apple on Wednesday took its legal war with Qualcomm to China, filing lawsuits there accusing the chip-making giant of illegally wielding monopoly power. Apple confirmed the suits and referred AFP to comments it released when it filed an antitrust suit against Qualcomm in the United States last week. “For many years, Qualcomm has unfairly insisted on charging royalties for technologies they have nothing to do with,” California-based Apple said in the statement. “Qualcomm built its business on older, legacy, standards but reinforces its dominance through exclusionary tactics and excessive royalties.” Qualcomm, also based in California, told AFP that it had not seen the legal complaints but that a press release from a Beijing court said one of the filings accused the company of violating China’s anti-monopoly law. The other asked for a determination regarding terms of a patent license agreement, the company said. “These filings by Apple’s Chinese subsidiary are just part of Apple’s efforts to find ways to pay less for Qualcomm’s technology,” Qualcomm general counsel Don Rosenberg said in a statement. “Qualcomm is prepared to defend its business model anywhere in the world.”
High stakes
Apple last week sued Qualcomm in US federal court, accusing the chipmaker of abusing its market power to demand unfair royalties, echoing recent charges by US antitrust regulators. The suit accuses Qualcomm of building a business model based on its rights to technologies that are considered telecommunication industry standards and then ramping up royalties when Apple innovated its mobile devices with features such as TouchID fingerprint recognition or digital wallets. Tech giant Apple said in the US court filing that it has been overcharged “billions of dollars” by its chipmaking partner’s “illegal scheme.” The company also claimed Qualcomm owes it a billion dollars but is refusing to pay in retaliation for Apple’s cooperation with South Korean antitrust regulators looking into the chipmaker’s actions in that country. South Korea’s anti-trust watchdog last month slapped Qualcomm with a record fine over $850 million for abusing its dominant market position as a maker of baseband chipsets used in mobile phones. Qualcomm will appeal the decision, seeking a stay in the Seoul High Court while the process takes place, according to Qualcomm president Derek Aberle. AFP
HOME CREDIT...
From D4
in all Home Credit partner stores offering Samsung phones, from Jan. 28 to March 25. For those looking for even more affordable options from Samsung, they can also take a look at crowd favorites Galaxy J7 Prime at P13,990 and Galaxy J7 (2016) at P11,990, also being offered by Home Credit at 0% interest installments for six months. The Samsung Galaxy J7 Prime features Premium Design and Prime Performance. The powerful 3GB RAM device is housed in a stylish, metal unibody design with 2.5D Gorilla Glass 4, a 5.5” full HD screen, and a 13MP rear camera with F1.9 lens, to ensure bright images even in low light conditions. Meanwhile, the J7 (2016) features Signal Max for wider signal coverage, Ultra Data Saving for optimized mobile data usage, and Ultra Power Saving Mode for power when you need it the most. Home Credit’s 0% promo for these models runs from Jan. 21 to March 5. “The Christmas season was definitely an exciting time for us and customers alike, as we offered 0% promos for various products,”remarked Home Credit Head of Sales Adam Bernasek.“With January coming in, we know for sure that the demand is still there for people to have something new to welcome a brand new year. Home Credit and Samsung are more than happy to meet this demand with our latest 0% interest promos.” For more information on the promos, visit www.homecredit.ph
D4
SUNDAY, JANUARY 29, 2017 Riera U. Mallari, Editor rumallari@thestandard.com.ph
Gadgets & Games UPGRADED OPPO F1S TO MAKE PH DEBUT
The smartphone giant elevated the business phone competition a notch higher with a smartphone that becomes faster and more intelligent through time.
HUAWEI MATE 9: FAST IS AN UNDERSTATEMENT By Peter Paul Duran
S
PEED is the name of the game, and for Huawei’s new Mate 9, fast is an understatement. The smartphone giant elevated the business phone competition a notch higher with a smartphone that becomes faster and more intelligent through time, boasting of long battery life and bannering the resurgence of the dual camera--the Huawei Mate 9. Boasting of the Kirin 960 chipset, the world’s highest performing smartphone processor, the Mate 9 is the answer to today’s common handset flaw--performance erosion, but the leading smartphone company is also making giant strides ahead in smartphone photography and battery longevity. A phone that is born fast, yet stays fast, the Mate 9 becomes more efficient and adaptive to everyday
utilization with longer use. It also brags a 4000 mAh battery with SuperCharge technology that delivers a full day’s charge in 20 minutes. But the premium feature comes in the form of its dual camera, a second generation Leica duallens camera with 20 MP monochrome sensor, 12-megapixel RGB sensor, Hybrid Zoom, and a superior 2x magnification. “Mate 9 not only delivers professional smartphone photography quality, but enhances the entire smartphone experience with high-grade processors and a long-lasting battery fit for today’s fast-paced and always on-the-go business lifestyle,” said Mark De Joya during the Mate 9 and GR5’s launch at the Aracama restaurant in BGC. The Mate 9 defies every business phone’s downside of losing their speed over time, which could result to the sacrifice of its responsiveness and momentum. But by optimizing its hardware and software systems, Huawei produced a phone that becomes faster with more usage, thanks to the ARM Cortex-A73/A53 Octa-core CPU and Mali G71
Octa-core GPU. When combined with Huawei’s Machine Learning Algorithm and EMUI 5.0, the phone becomes more intelligent as it understands and adapts to the users’ phone usage behaviors-accelerating the phone’s processor, making the operations smoother and more responsive as time goes on. Meanwhile, also competing in the dual cam arena is the recently released GR5 2017 that allows users to take beautiful bokeh shots- or the separation of the subject from the background. The GR5 2017’s powerful signature dual camera can easily take photos that are more vivid and with better detail with just a smartphone. So if you want to take pro-looking shots, give it a try with the GR5 2017. The Huawei Mate 9 is now available at P31,990, while the GR5 retails at only P13,990. These brand new phones can be purchased in all Huawei Experience stores and resellers nationwide. For more information, kindly visit http:// consumer.huawei.com/minisite/ph/ mate9/index.htm
AN upgraded variant of the OPPO F1s with increased internal storage capacity and larger RAM for snappier performance will soon be available in Philippine stores. The upgraded F1s expands storage space from 32GB to 64GB, and sports a 4GB RAM instead of the original 3GB RAM. “The latest upgrades on the F1s shows that OPPO is unrelenting in its commitment to deliver outstanding experience for smartphone users,” said OPPO Philippines Brand Marketing Manager Stephen Cheng. “The F1s was already a masterpiece of technology and design when it made its debut in the country last year, but we never stopped looking for more ways to make it even better.” The new phone keeps the other specifications of the original F1s including the 16-megapixel front camera for crisp and vivid selfies even in low light, thanks to a 1/3.1-inch sensor and large f/2.0 aperture.
Bigger space, better functionality
Though the upgraded F1s doubles the original’s internal storage capacity, the triple-card slot allows for an extra SD card to expand memory further by up to 128GB, enough to store more than 40,000 photos. The expanded storage works together with the F1s’ bigger RAM and ColorOS3.0to support the phone’s octa-core processor for fast performance when launching, using, and installing apps. OPPO Philippines is yet to announce the upgraded F1s’ release date. For more details, stay tuned on OPPO Philippines’ Facebook and Instagram pages. OPPO is a global electronics and technology service provider that provides customers with the latest and most exquisite electronic devices and mobile Internet service. OPPO delivers customers with the most delightful electronic experience that is full of surprises, through meticulous designs and smart technology. For more information, please visit http:// global.oppo.com.
HOME CREDIT SEALS TIEUP WITH SAMSUNG WHETHER you’re an avid traveler looking for a splash-proof phone, a yuppie looking to take the perfect selfie, or simply not quite done yet with Christmas shopping, consumer finance company Home Credit has you covered, with an exciting selection of 0% interest promos with smartphone giant Samsung to usher in the New Year. Two of Samsung’s best-selling premium models have fresh new up-
grades to welcome 2017. The 5.2-inch Samsung Galaxy A5 (2017) and its 5.7-inch big brother Galaxy A7 (2017), priced at P19,990 and P23,990, respectively, both sport full-HD super AMOLED displays, and are encased in a metal frame with a 3D glass back, giving them the uberpremium look and feel of Samsung’s flagship models at more affordable prices. The new 2017 models are excellent choices for those with
active lifestyles, as they are certified IP68 for water and dust resistance, and can be submerged under 1.5 meters for up to 30 minutes. Plus, with the front and rear 16-megapixel cameras, expect top-notch images for both selfies and scenery. These two models are can be availed from Home Credit at ninemonth installments at zero interest, Turn to D3
Samsung Galaxy A5
‘OPPO is unrelenting in its commitment to deliver outstanding experience for smartphone users.’
MAXIMUM COMFORT WITH CARRIER OPTIMA AIRCON UNIT WHAT will you do with up to P10,000 savings a year? That’s how much savings you can get when you use a Carrier Optima high wall, a non-inverter air conditioning unit that gives maximum cooling minus the worries of high electricity consumption. With the rising costs of electricity these days, it’s essential to own an appliance that’s energy efficient. With the Carrier Optima, homeowners can save as much as P10,076 per year, compared to other leading non-inverter brands. This is possible because of the unit’s energy efficient and highlyoptimized system design.
Carrier Optima high wall gives maximum cooling minus the worries of high electricity consumption.
The amount of savings became a trending topic among viewers during the recent pilot episode of vlogger (or video blogger) and TV Host Marco Ho’s (a.k.a. Bogart the Explorer) brand new Facebook Live Talk Show: “The Sorta Kinda Late But Still Quite Early Night Show with Bogart the Explorer”. Held at the XSplit Studios, Bogart tested the superior energy efficiency of the Carrier Optima compared to an inverter and a non-inverter of competing brands through an electricity meter. In the test, Carrier Optima proved that it not only performs at its rated specification of 660 watts, Turn to D3