W E D N E S D AY : J U LY 1 5 , 2 0 1 5
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EU: Energy sector Gamers mourn death to receive P3-b aid By Alena Mae S. Flores
of Nintendo president THE European Union is prepared to release
A ONE-SENTENCE notice on the official Web site of Japanese video game maker Nintendo announced the passing away of its president Satoru Iwata at the very young age of 55. The brief and almost clinical announcement masked the grief that gamers all over the world—including the executives and personnel of Nintendo—felt at the loss of a visionary leader who was largely responsible for keeping the company alive in the wake of the challenge posed by smartphone game apps that for a while made the company’s bottom line dip a little. Old fogeys would remember the joy of such engaging games as Super Mario Brothers that had gamers almost jumping and moving both hands in a slashing arc as they simulated the movements to evade villains like Lakitu or the Koopa Troopas, while trying to snatch up coins overhead. Then there was The Legend of Zelda, an early role-playing game where players take on the character of Link and set on a mission to rescue Princess Zelda who has been imprisoned in a dark dungeon by the evil Ganon. Every single gamer who has played these games will not deny getting lost in hours of adventure progressing from one stage/level to another. And that was decades before Candy Crush came into the picture. Those who knew Satoru Iwata—a native of Sapporo who showed his genius for programming as early as high school—was just a teenager when Nintendo started the business. After a stint as a freelance game programmer, he moved to a small Nintendo unit that made games for the parent company in 1982, rose to the top post then joined Nintendo as corporate planning head in 2000. In two short years, he became president of a company that was raking in almost $5 billion annually—the first one outside the Yamauchi family to occupy the top post. Despite the competition, Nintendo always managed to come back and how, with new games and devices such as the Wii—a wireless motion sensor console that became a “colossal” hit as players also used it as an exercise option playing virtual sports like tennis, boxing, bowling, fencing and even dancing! Just recently, Nintendo announced plans to enter the mobile gaming market with several game in the pipeline for smartphones and tablets, with the release set for 2017. For sure, Iwata would have been immersed in the development of an exciting new game because as he said during a game developers conference in the United States--he may be a corporate president and a game developer but in his mind (and most likely in his heart)—he was a gamer. Where in the world is El Chapo? The escape of top Mexican drug boss Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman from a supposedly maximum-security prison cell gave the Mexican government a big egg on the face. How embarrassing it must have been for Mexican president Enrique Peña Nieto who was traveling to France with a bevy of journalists when the news broke. Initial reports say the notorious boss of the Sinaloa drug cartel escaped last Saturday through a mile-long tunnel from a shower in his cell. How he could have pulled off the caper is something that investigators will need to find out and it’s not unlikely that some may prison personnel have been working with El Chapo. After all, it’s not as if it’s his first time to pull a prison break. In 2001, he escaped another maximum-security cell by hiding inside a laundry container and was reportedly garbed in a jail guard’s uniform. Tunnels by the way happen to be a favorite of Mexican drug lords who would use them for their trafficking activities (human, drugs and arms) and transport these to the US. Of course, the news about El Chapo’s escape from prison does not strike Filipinos as surprising given the numerous stories we have heard and read about HVIs (high value inmates) being given “furloughs” with no one the wiser, except the prison guards and officials who are probably under the payroll of these influential and affluent jailbirds. Those who have watched Erik Matti’s OTJ (On the job) starring Joel Torre as an old inmate who is allowed out of prison whenever he needs to be “on the job” as a hired killer would definitely figure out what we are trying to say. Back to El Chapo, one of our malicious minded buddies wondered aloud—“I wouldn’t be surprised if El Chapo now sports a new face and is now buying a ticket to the Philippines.” Heaven forbid. We have enough problems with drug trafficking as it is without having one of the world’s most wanted on our shores. ••• For comments, reactions, photos, stories and related concerns, readers may email to happyhourtoday2012@yahoo.com. You may also visit and like our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/ happyhourmanilastandard. We’d be very happy to hear from you. Cheers!
a P3-billion grant to the Philippine energy sector for rural electrification, policy reforms and deployment of renewable technologies and innovative solutions for the poor. European Union Ambassador to the Philippines Guy Redoux said during the Energy Smart Philippines 2015 Conference the European Union committed a total of P12 billion grant in the energy sector between 2014 and 2020. “Our first program with DoE and energy agencies is currently being finalized. The program will provide policy reforms and will help government in reaching its 90 percent electrification target,” Redoux said. He said projects under the P3-billion grant were in an “advanced stage” and should be
signed this year. Redoux said the P3 billion grant included several components, such as rural electrification in remote areas, or “areas where renewable energy is the best option.” Part of the P3-billion grant would be used to help the Energy Department in policy formulation, while a portion of the amount would finance electric cooperatives going into renewable energy power generation, he said. Redoux said the European Union would work with the Philippines to ensure that renew-
able energy technology reached people who needed it the most, noting that around four million households did not have access to energy. “Energy is now one of the priority areas of our partnership in the next six years,” he said. Redoux, meanwhile, welcomed the issuance of the circular providing for a competitive selection process for distribution firms in securing their power supply. Redoux said the CSP will provide a “level playing field where all players have access to the market.” “Currently the competitive segment in the energy supply in Philippines is not very large and with this new decree, it obliges distributors to secure any new supply through competitive process. This will enable distributors to get the lowest price, consumers or industry will benefit from that,” he said.
SSS update. Social Security System president and chief executive Emilio de Quiros Jr meets (fourth from
left, above) with 175 employers and company representatives during a stakeholders’ forum on June 30 at the Kapis Mansion, Banica, Roxas City, Capiz province. De Quiros provided updates on SSS operations and programs, such as SSS Web enhancement, SSS PESO Fund, Loan Condonation Program and the new SSS funeral benefit.
Naia Expressway delayed by one year By Darwin G. Amojelar CONGLOMERATE San Miguel Corp. said Tuesday the construction of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Expressway is oneyear behind schedule due to government failure to deliver right of way requirements for the project. “The major hurdle we are facing is the right-of-way for a number of key areas, including Villamor Airbase, NAIA Road, Tambo and locations along the Quirino to Roxas Boulevard stretch, which government has yet to deliver,” Alec Cruz, head of tollway proj-
ect of San Miguel Holdings Corp. He said the construction works at NAIA Expressway were behind schedule by about 12 months. Cruz said ROW issues had made it “very difficult” to complete the project before the AsiaPacific Economic Cooperation meeting in Manila. He said the Public Works Department must deliver about 20 percent to 25 percent of the ROW requirements to complete the project by October. The NAIA Expressway was about 40 percent completed. If the government failed to
deliver the ROW, Cruz said the project would likely be completed by April 2016 from the original target of October this year. “We’d also like to ask for the cooperation of utility companies such as Meralco [Manila Electric Co.], the telecommunications companies and businesses in the area whose facilities need to be relocated to make way for the construction,” Cruz said. He said San Miguel also added a new contractor to build the Parañaque River section to increase the chance of substantially completing the project before the Apec meeting.