The Weekly Journal - Wednesday, May 26, 2021

Puerto Rico and the Caribbean

www.theweeklyjournal.com

>Carlos Rivera Giusti

Wednesday, May 26 - June 1, 2021 - // no. 109

Clarifying the FY 2022 Budget P6 LUMA in the Final Stretch P7 Puerto Rico Loosens Travel Rules P8

DDEC: Doing More With Less Cidre foresees $60 million budget cut for FY 2022

T

>Archive

Rosario Fajardo

The Casals Festival is Back P13

rfajardo@wjournalpr.com

@RosarioWJournal

he Secretary-designate of the Economic Development and Commerce Department (DDEC by its Spanish acronym), Manuel Cidre Miranda, is foreseeing a $60 million budget cut for the umbrella agency for fiscal year (FY) 2022.

Despite the shortage of funds and the “immense challenge” ahead, he stressed that he remains focused on an economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic that

“is as fast, sustainable and lasting as possible.”

In a joint hearing by the Puerto Rico House and Senate Finance Committees, Cidre reported that the new budget proposed by the Financial Oversight and Management Board (FOMB) for DDEC contains a reduction of almost $60 million compared to what the agency requested. The majority of the budget cuts are focused on payroll expenses, operational expenses, capital expenditures and incentives to promote jobs and investments.

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/ Wednesday, May 26, 2021

a week in review Pierluisi Lifts Curfew, Private Sector Cheers

>Archive

>Courtesy

>Carlos Rivera Giusti

More than a year after the COVID-19 pandemic began, Gov. Pedro Pierluisi that starting this week, Puerto Rico will no longer be under curfew. He signed a new executive order in effect from May 24 to June 6, which includes businesses being allowed to operate at 50 percent guest capacity, an increase from the previous limitation of 30 percent. Meanwhile, shows and events in coliseums will be allowed, albeit by 30 percent guest capacity. The private sector hailed the new regulations as the island gradually returns to normality.

Hewlett Packard to Close Puerto Rico Operations in 2022 Hewlett Packard announced the closure of its Aguadilla operations in 2022, which will cause the loss of 400 jobs. The company said that it will move its Puerto Rico manufacturing operations, a plant where ink and related products are manufactured, to the U.S. mainland and other parts of the world, including Singapore. Of the 400 direct and indirect jobs to be lost, 150 are of HP employees and the remainder are contractors. The closure will begin in November this year and conclude in 2022.

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Iberia Resumes Flights Between Madrid and San Juan As part of the Puerto Rico delegation’s work during its participation in the International Tourism Fair in Madrid, Carlos Mercado Santiago, executive director of the Puerto Rico Tourism Co., and Javier Sánchez Pietro, president of Iberia Airlines, announced the restart of three weekly flights between the cities of Madrid and San Juan throughout the year, starting July 2. Officials signed an agreement to promote Puerto Rico as a tourist destination in the more than 90 destinations that the Spanish airline offers in Europe.

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San Juan’s Hato Rey business district >Josian E. Bruno Gómez

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Economic Development and Commerce.”

Currently, DDEC oversees several smaller He outlined the negative impact in several agencies, such as the Puerto Rico Industrial agency areas. “As for payroll, a $5 million Development Co.; Trade and Export; Puerto Rico budget cut will hinder DDEC’s ability to meet its Tourism Co.; Land Redevelopment Authority; the responsibilities, goals and commitments from its facilities of the former Roosevelt Roads Naval programmatic agenda,” Cidre told lawmakers.

Station in Ceiba; and the Planning Board.

“The budget cut in operating expenses of “This transformation seeks to turn DDEC $4 million will prevent DDEC from promoting into a one-stop-shop to facilitate investment Puerto Rico as a destination for and business development by doing business in Europe, a real following the best practices of alternative that we must exploit in industry leaders worldwide,” the face of the imminent increase Cidre said. The aim of the in tax rates for U.S. companies consolidation is also to reduce established outside the United government expenses by Despite the States,” he noted. eliminating redundancies among shortage of funds “In addition, [the budget cuts] agencies, such as various human and the “immense hinder the contracting of the resources and accounting offices. challenge” ahead, professional services necessary Meanwhile, in the area of DDEC Secretaryto complete the cultural and capital expenditures, Cidre designate Manuel organizational transformation assured that a $5 million budget Cidre stressed that he inherent in the physical and cut in this area will prevent remains focused on organizational consolidation “correcting the structural an economic recovery of the economic development and design deficiencies of its from the COVID-19 component in DDEC, which is part facilities” that are necessary to pandemic that “is as of the [government’s] Fiscal Plan,” accommodate the 593 employees fast, sustainable and he added. to be consolidated under the lasting as possible.”

Cidre was referring to DDEC umbrella. the continuing process of “As for incentives, a $49 million consolidating several economic budget cut will substantially development agencies under the affect transshipment strategies; DDEC umbrella. Since 2018, DDEC has become the the implementation of the Incentives Code; the main economic component of the island, following analysis of return on investments; the review of the passage of the Reorganization Plan No.7 and processes and regulations, and [DDEC’s] annual Law 141, known as the “2010 Reorganization report. This budget cut puts us under an immense Plan Implementation Act of the Department of challenge,” he said.

In fact,

Among the agency’s top priorities for the coming fiscal year will be to continue promoting Puerto Rico as an investment destination. “The office’s primary projects for fiscal year 2022 will be to continue with the implementation of the Incentives Code and its corresponding regulations, strengthen law enforcement and advance organizational restructuring of the office,” Cidre explained.

Among the incentives that DDEC oversees include those for the creative industries (film, artists, etc.); the manufacturing sector (pharmaceuticals, medical devices, biotechnology, aerospace, etc.); and innovative small and midsize companies. Two well-known incentives fall under Laws 20 and 22: Law 22 promotes the export of services and Law 22 grants various tax benefits for high-net-worth individuals to move to Puerto Rico.

Concerns About Minimum Wage Increase

Cidre also expounded his views on the possibility of raising the island’s minimum wage, which is back on the government’s agenda. Puerto Rico’s minimum wage of $7.25 an hour is the same as the federal minimum wage.

The former businessman, who is the founder of the local bakery and restaurant chain Los Cidrines, warned than an increase in the minimum wage could lead to the closure of 70,000 small and midsize businesses that could not absorb the higher operating costs.

“There are already studies that validate that over 70,000 jobs could be lost and this is basically in small, micro and midsize enterprises. This would not affect large businesses or large chains. In fact, these days, there was a fast-food chain that

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The budget cut in operating expenses of $4 million will prevent DDEC from promoting Puerto Rico as a destination for doing business in Europe, a real alternative that we must exploit in the face of the imminent increase in tax rates for U.S. companies established outside the United States.

Jobs, jobs, jobs is a primary focus for DDEC.

announced an increase, “Cidre told lawmakers.

He was referring to McDonald’s, which announced that workers in company-owned restaurants would see a 10 percent increase in their salaries. Nationwide, entry-level workers would now receive between $11 and $17 an hour.

Cidre also wondered rhetorically if raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour would be enough to fight poverty and inequality.

“Possibly that would be [another] $ 600 a week and with that, the person will have to send his children to private school because the public system is not the best. He has to buy a car for himself and his children because the [public transportation] system does not work and regardless of the salary, he will always be confined to the problem of inequality and poverty,” he said.

In general, Cidre said the minimum wage issue should be looked at by sectors because “that is the correct route… However, simultaneously you have to work with the same force to reduce living costs in Puerto Rico. Without a doubt, we have to get involved in having a world-class education and adequate public transportation, “he said.

Cidre recommended that the central government should talk to the agencies of the United States government about raising the minimum wage without people losing their social welfare benefits. “The world is not moving towards social assistance. The world is moving towards subsidies on the cost of living and what the state can give citizens to compensate for the salaries they have, “he reiterated.

“The Department of Labor and Human Resources, the Department of the Family, the Department of Housing and the Department of Health, which are the largest government components, must work on this. There are countries like Norway and Qatar that no longer send coupons or anything, but give $1,500 a month to each citizen and with that, people have to resolve [their budgets], “he said.

At the end of the day, what Puerto Rico needs is a “profound” labor reform, Cidre said. “The table is set for a profound labor reform that does not necessarily address regulations for vacations

- DDEC chief Manuel Cidre and sick days that are important, but addresses the reality that the pandemic cost us 10 years [of economic activity] and that many people will not return to their jobs,” he said.

Some studies have estimated that the island has lost an estimated 400,000 jobs since the COVID-19 pandemic began more than a year ago, and of these jobs, around 100,000 may never return.

Minimum Wage Issue Back on the Table

As reported by THE WEEKLY JOURNAL, the minimum wage agenda is back in the public arena after Gov. Pedro Pierluisi announced that he would form the Governor’s Advisory Group on the Minimum Wage.

The group, created through Executive Order 2021-035, will be chaired by La Fortaleza Chief of Staff Noelia García Bardales and will integrate

members from both the public and private sectors.

“Wage inequality is one of the main aspects as to why Puerto Rico residents seek a better quality of life in the United States. Puerto Rico has highquality professionals and people who want to strive forward here. My government will continue working actively to improve the quality of life of our citizens, and that includes us evaluating the minimum wage and promoting fairer salaries because we need a robust workforce for Puerto Rico’s recovery,” the governor said.

“It’s been 12 years since, in 2009, it was determined that the minimum wage in Puerto Rico would be $7.25 an hour. Since then, the cost of living has increased and now it is time for our workers to earn a fair salary that is in sync with the times,” Pierluisi added.

Many Law 22 grantees have moved to the Condado area of San Juan. >Archive

>Archive

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The FOMB’s Natalie Jaresko >Carlos Rivera Giusti

FOMB and the Governor Play Ball

Jaresko: FY 2022 budget will include debt service payments

N Rosario Fajardo

rfajardo@wjournalpr.com

@RosarioWJournal

atalie Jaresko, the executive director of the Financial Oversight and Management Board (FOMB) and Gov. Pedro Pierluisi are playing ball on the fiscal year (FY) 2022 budget for Puerto Rico, as both have expressed they are willing to reach an agreement.

The Legislature, meanwhile, has continued to express the importance of “good faith” in the process.

“We will work every day with the legislature and the governor. We understand there may be changes,” Jaresko said, adding that the Oversight Board would consider amendments. “As long as those changes don’t significantly or materially impact the certified fiscal plan, we will consider all of them. Previous legislatures didn’t act and didn’t send us a budget. I’m hopeful this year we can come to an agreement between the legislature, the government and the board on a budget that is consistent.”

The FOMB has presented a General Fund budget of over $10.112 billion, while Pierluisi’s is more

than $10.345 billion. The difference between the two is roughly $233 million.

Jaresko told reporters that while the FOMB’s budget does not include debt service payments, the budget will be amended once it is approved.

“The plan hasn’t been confirmed by the court, and we have to respect the judge and the court,” she noted. “There’s still a disclosure statement process, solicitation and voting, and confirmation that will be potentially litigated by those who disagree. It’s too early, from our perspective, to include these amounts [in the proposed budget].” Different variables will affect the General Fund’s numbers, she noted.

She also emphasized that the FOMB was focused on ensuring Puerto Rico does not spend more than it earns. “We have ensured that the level of revenues being spent is only a portion of [projected] revenues so that those payments and all the payments that are going to be required under the plan of adjustment terms are affordable.”

The federal Promesa law that governs the Puerto Rico government, which is bankrupt, gives the FOMB the ultimate say in how the island handles its finances, including the government budget. In recent years, the FOMB has approved its own budget, arguing that previous administrations did not submit budgets that were in line with its certified fiscal plan and stated priorities.

“Until revenues allow more spending, we have to avoid the practices of the past - spending

more than we earn, overestimating revenues and spending beyond our means,” Jaresko said, adding that this practice by government administrations was what led to Puerto Rico’s bankruptcy.

For the first few years, the government’s Plan of Adjustment has allocated between $600 million and $700 a year on debt service payments.

The FOMB’s budget also includes $1.5 billion for Medicaid, but Puerto Rico, as is the practice in previous years, is asking the federal government for additional funds, to help shore up the island’s health plan for the medically indigent. This year, the central government is hoping for an estimated $400 million in additional Medicaid funds.

Focus on Essential Services

Jaresko also emphasized that essential services would not be affected, including education, public safety, health, economic development and the public pension system. She said that 72 percent of the Oversight Board’s budget is allocated for these areas.

Another $273 million have been allocation requests from the governor. These include $32 million for the commonwealth’s share of parametric insurance coverage for catastrophic events; $87 million in capital expenditures for the Transportation Department’s fourth phase of the Abriendo Caminos project; and $73 million for the PayGo pension payments for government workers.

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Another Legal Victory for LUMA Ahead of the company’s June 1 takeover of PREPA’s T&D systems

W

The Weekly Journal Staff

ith less than one week before LUMA Energy takes over Puerto Rico’s electricity transmission and energy (T&D) systems, U.S. District Court Judge Laura Taylor Swain has rejected a claim by the Electrical Industry and Irrigation Workers Union (Utier by its Spanish acronym) to cancel the public-private partnership (PPP) contract.

According to Swain, the labor union did not prove its case that the contract has led to “irreparable harm” to union workers at the electric utility. On the contrary, she noted that the LUMA contract specifically states that the rights acquired

by PREPA workers would be “respected.”

The bankruptcy judge also seemed to chastise Utier, saying that “there is no perpetual contractual right to employment” by the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA). The public corporation is under section 503 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code.

The news came as LUMA and the Steering Committee overseeing LUMA’s PPP contract signed five fundamental agreements to clarify certain provisions. Officials were quick to note that the signing did not signify that amendments were made to the contract.

“It is important that the people of Puerto Rico have the confidence that we have conducted an exhaustive analysis of the public-private partnership contract to ensure that it is one for the benefit of the island and its citizens. These agreements that we are announcing are part of our commitment to maintain transparent management, whose priority is to ensure the public interest,” said Larry Seilhamer, president of the Steering Committee and designated secretary of State.

The Steering Committee’s requirement for LUMA was focused on five key areas: hurricane preparedness, conflicts of interest, PREPA employees, PREPA workers’ pensions, and Puerto Rico’s energy policy.

Regarding hurricane preparedness, aware of the fragility and deterioration of the electric energy grid’s system of transmission and distribution, LUMA reiterated its commitment to deliver a consumer-focused service that ensures a swift emergency response, including the mobilization of the necessary equipment to streamline the energy system’s recovery after a natural disaster.

“LUMA is ready to respond in case of a natural

From left, Wayne Stensby, president and CEO of LUMA Energy, and Fermín Fontanés Gómez, director of the Public-Private Partnership Authority >Archive

their job. As agreed, LUMA will offer the same disaster in Puerto Rico. It is what we came to do salaries or higher, as well as benefits, to PREPA and we will achieve it throughout the 15 years workers who decide to continue working under the of the contract’s validity,” said Wayne Stensby, company’s direction. president and CEO of LUMA. As reported, LUMA has In regard to the ban on interviewed more than 5,000 conflicts of interests, LUMA applicants and offered roughly said it will continue operating in 2,500 job positions. More than “strict compliance” to applicable 1,900 applicants have accepted laws and regulations related to The job offers, including more than political activities, conflicts of bankruptcy judge 1,000 PREPA employees, while interest, embezzlement, misuse seemed to chastise fewer than 3 percent of the of public funds or property, or Utier, saying that Authority’s workers have declined bidding regarding government “there is no perpetual job offers. As such, the company contracts. LUMA is responsible contractual right to asserted that it is ready to begin for any issue concerning the employment” by the operations on June 1. contract’s services. It will also hold Puerto Rico Electric Concerning the pensions of “robust and competitive” bidding Power Authority.

PREPA workers, LUMA said it will processes that attract “the best ensure that PREPA employees companies,” including local who transfer to the company service providers. will have 100 percent of their rights regarding their 401(k) Continuing to Accept Job retirement accounts and contributions to these Applications accounts.

Contributions to these accounts from As for PREPA employees, LUMA will bolster both employees and LUMA will be awarded its recruitment efforts to establish the required immediately. workforce to begin its operations on June 1.

In addition, there will be additional alternatives Likewise, it will extend these efforts for as long as for employees who have more than 10 years of possible until reaching that goal. service at PREPA, including the continuation of To date, more than 22,000 Puerto Ricans their participation in PREPA’s Retirement System. including 2,100 PREPA workers - have applied This is established in the budget presented by to work with LUMA. The Steering Committee LUMA to the Puerto Rico Energy Bureau. underscored that no PREPA employee will lose

In fact,

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Happy days are here again.

Puerto Rico Adjusts Travel Measures Removes negative COVID-19 test requirement for vaccinated travelers

B Rosario Fajardo

rfajardo@wjournalpr.com

@RosarioWJournal

esides the increasing number of tourists traveling to Puerto Rico, there is more good news for the island’s visitor economy. Gov. Pedro Pierluisi’s new executive order, which went into effect May 24, includes modified restrictions such as the elimination of negative COVID-19 PCR molecular test requirements for fully vaccinated travelers on domestic flights.

“Puerto Rico has prioritized health and safety from the onset of the pandemic, becoming the first U.S. destination to implement an islandwide curfew, among other measures developed to safeguard residents and visitors. As restrictions loosen, we look forward to welcoming travelers seeking to responsibly explore our island, immerse themselves in unforgettable culture, unique natural wonders and delicious cuisine, while taking advantage of the ease of travel that comes with Puerto Rico being a U.S. territory, including no need for a passport for U.S. citizens,” said Brad Dean, CEO of Discover Puerto Rico, the island’s destination marketing organization (DMO).

Data reported by leading travel and tourism research show that passenger arrivals and hotel occupancy are clearly correlated, according to the DMO. The island’s hotel occupancy for April 2021

from the island’s hotels and independent beats 2019 numbers, and every month through rentals. Unfortunately, due to the impact of the the rest of the year is currently booking above coronavirus pandemic, the DMO has not received where Puerto Rico was at the same point in time its full funding from the Puerto Rico Tourism two years ago. It is possible that Puerto Rico could Co.(PRTC) during the current FY 2021, Dean be on track for a full recovery of demand this year, indicated.

Dean indicated.

“The organization remains hopeful that for The DMO also continues to see strong the next fiscal year (2021-2022) performance on their website Discover Puerto Rico will receive DiscoverPuertoRico.com in April, full funding from PRTC and will including both month over month attend additional in-person and year over year, with three tradeshows that are critical to the months of record site traffic.

The island’s DMO’s mission, both in the U.S. During April, the organization saw hotel occupancy mainland and internationally. time on site go up and bounce for April 2021 beats Some of the shows already rate down, which shows the 2019 numbers, committed to include: CLIA Cruise right consumers are seeing the and every month 360, Connect Marketplace, IMEX advertising and then visiting the through the rest of America, ASTA Global Convention, site. the year is currently IPW Las Vegas, and even FITUR “In the first quarter of the year, booking above 2022 and ANATO Vitrina Turística organic traffic accounted for where Puerto Rico in Colombia,” explained Ed Carey, over 51 percent of sessions on was at the same chief sales officer of the DMO. the website, totaling 1.5 million. point in time two During the recent FITUR Compared to the fourth quarter years ago. international tourism fair in of last year, we saw an increase of Madrid, it was announced the 87 percent in the first quarter of Iberia Airlines would resume this year. In February of 2018, the three weekly flights between San old site SeePuertoRico.com saw over 28,000 organic sessions compared to 456,632 Juan and Spain’s capital, starting July 2.

The right message is key to continue attracting organic sessions three years later in February 2021, which is a 1,517 percent increase,” explained visitors, Dean noted. “Consumers want to travel, and while some are determined to travel Leah Chandler, chief marketing officer of Discover regardless of the health outlook, others remain Puerto Rico. cautious or even hesitant. This is why it’s so Meanwhile, the DMO reported that officials important for us to continue to deliver precisely plan to attend 85 tradeshows during fiscal year the right message to reassure prospective visitors (FY) 2022. All in-person tradeshows that Discover that future travel to Puerto Rico is both safe and Puerto Rico attends are paid from the DMO’s core enjoyable.” budget, which comes from room tax collected

In fact,

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Luxury Real Estate in Historic Demand

Powered by the arrival of high-income investors

T Christian G. Ramos

cramos@elvocero.com

@cramossegarra

he growing number of off-island investors who are settling in Puerto Rico to take advantage of the tax benefits offered to them has generated a dramatic increase in demand for the luxury real- estate sector, which has significantly increased sales and consequently, prices.

According to Francisco Díaz Fournier, owner of A luxury property on the island was sold for $30 milLuxury Collection Real Estate, both the COVID-19 lion to a Californian family in March. >Courtesy of Puerto pandemic and President Biden’s intent to increase Rico Sotheby’s International Realty taxes for millionaires and large companies to 39.6 percent have motivated more high-income Beach, in Río Grande; Condado, in San Juan; investors to relocate to Puerto Rico.

Palmas del Mar, in Humacao and Old San Juan.

“What we are currently experiencing is a “These markets were dormant for a long time phenomenon that had not been seen for more and for the moment, have exploded. There than 20 years. 2020 turned out to be a record were no new constructions and as interest year because investors in markets with began to move from overstocked inventory New York -where skyrocketed, prices the situation [due to skyrocketed,” he the pandemic] was stated. alarming - to safer Margaret Peña places with favorable Juvelier, president tax benefits. Now, and founder of with the elections [last Puerto Rico Sotheby’s November] and the International Realty, announcement by the observed during her Democrats to increase participation at CEO taxes, many have Day of the Puerto moved to the island Rico Chamber of for tax benefits,” he Commerce, that the explained. average price of Díaz said that the luxury properties that Francisco Díaz Fournier, dramatic increase in are being sold on the sales has led to an Real-estate executive island is around $4 insufficient inventory million. of properties in the Before, the time luxury segment to to market luxury meet demand, which has raised the price of some properties was a year and a half and now it is properties above $1,000 per square foot. The six months or less. “They are looking for large greatest interest, according to him, is being seen properties. We recently sold a residence in for Dorado, the most expensive market; Bahía Dorado at the Ritz Carlton for $18 million and

The day they fix the streets and sidewalks, improve the cleanliness of [Condado] and implement more rigorous public order codes, interest will grow even more. Condado is a very attractive place and it has a lot of potential.

another for $30 million for which we received five offers,” Peña said.

Condado, Reborn

Díaz said that Condado has re-emerged with a “huge” growth in interest last year, making it the area with the most potential for new development.

Properties in the area are selling fast and at premium prices. “The market in Condado has exploded with a huge trend, quite dramatic.

This is positive because there have been no new developments in the area, except for one, for more than a decade. All the existing inventory is in old buildings and there is a lot of interest in new buildings. New luxury developments will come to Condado in the range of over $1,000 per square foot,” he affirmed.

At Laguna Plaza, part of the Paseo Caribe complex, Díaz said sales started at $657 per square foot, then rose to $757 and has already surpassed $1,000. “We have an apartment here for $3.2 million and in 48 hours we already had an offer,” he said. Meanwhile, at Peninsula - the only new development in Condado - sales start at $1,034 per square foot. “The penthouse of this building sells for $1,120 a square foot, for $7.2 million. They are extraordinary numbers, which have never been seen in the island’s market,” he pointed out.

Díaz made it clear that prices in Condado could increase more if the government revitalizes the area. “The day they fix the streets and sidewalks, improve the cleanliness of the area and implement more rigorous public order codes, interest will grow even more. Condado is a very attractive place and it has a lot of potential,” he underscored.

Domino Effect

Alejandro Herrera, co-owner of Luxury Collection Real Estate, stated that although in Dorado the greatest interest is for Dorado Beach at the Ritz Carlton Reserve, the lack of inventory in that development has caused an exodus to nearby developments that are now experiencing an increase in sales.

“At Dorado Beach, there is almost nothing available. What little there is, is sold fast and very expensively. Because Dorado Beach is out of inventory, they are moving to buy elsewhere such as Sabanera, which was stable in price and values, but is now also rising dramatically. Every prime development in Dorado is benefiting from interest in Dorado Beach,” he stated.

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The company’s campus buildings will feature 90,000 silver solar panels. >Archive

Google Developing Interactive Language Program

Hopes to operate with carbonfree energy by 2030

T Giovanna Garofalo

ggarofalo@wjournalpr.com

@giopgarofalo

ech giant Google LLC, a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc., is developing LaMDA, a language model for conversational applications that will be available for businesses and other users in Puerto Rico. LaMDA should make its debut before the end of the year.

Being an open-domain technology, this piece of artificial intelligence (AI) has been designed to chat about virtually any topic and could potentially revolutionize both studying and research. For example, if a business owner were interested in learning about different kinds of taxes, they can ask LaMDA and it will respond with accurate answers.

Likewise, if a student wanted to learn about space, they could ask questions about the different celestial bodies and learn more in a conversational way. “This is one of the ways we believe LaMDA can make information and computing radically more accessible and user-friendly,” Pichai said.

“We have been researching and developing linguistic models for many years. We are focused on ensuring that LaMDA meets our incredibly high standards for fairness, accuracy, security and privacy and that it is developed in a manner consistent with our AI Principles. And we look forward to incorporating conversational capabilities into products like the Google Assistant,

Search and Workspace, as well as exploring how to deliver capabilities to developers and enterprise customers,” Pichai explained.

Although LaMDA is still in its research phase, the company is pleased with the results thus far. This is essentially the next step in advanced speechfocused AI, made possible through a variety of preceding and current algorithms, such as Google Translate. However, Pichai noted that LaMDA replicates natural conversations, but it only trains with text, whereas people make exchanges by sharing other types of communications, such as images, audio and videos.

“Therefore, we need to create models that allow people to ask questions naturally through different types of information, which is called multimodal models (MUM). With MUM you could one day plan a road trip by asking Google to “find a route with beautiful views of the mountains.

This is an example of how we are moving towards more natural and intuitive ways of interacting with Search,” he asserted.

Eyes on Sustainable Development

Google also announced ambitious plans to achieve fully sustainable operation within the decade, as part of the company’s mission to reduce its carbon footprint and fight against climate change.

In 2007, Google became the first large company worldwide to become carbon neutral. Just 10 years later, it combined its operations with 100 percent renewable energy and has been doing so ever since. In addition, last year Google subdued its entire carbon legacy and it seeks to operate entirely on carbon-free energy by 2030. “This represents a significant change from current

approaches and is a leap to the moon on the same scale as quantum computing. It presents problems that are equally difficult to solve, from obtaining carbon-free energy in all the places we operate to ensuring that it can operate every day around the clock,” said Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google.

The tech conglomerate affirmed that it will soon become the first company to implement carbon smart load shifting both in time and place within its data center network, building on the first carbon smart computing platform it established in 2020. Pichai explained that by May 2022, Google will more than 33 percent of non-production computing to “times and places with the greatest availability of carbon-free energy… And we’re working to apply our AI in the cloud with new fiberoptic sensing and drilling techniques to deliver geothermal energy in more places, starting at our Nevada hubs next year.”

“Investments like these are needed to get carbon-free energy 24/7, and it’s happening in Mountain View, California too. We are building our new campus to the highest sustainability standards. When completed, these buildings will feature the first of its kind, a dragon-scale solar skin, equipped with 90,000 silver solar panels and the capacity to generate nearly 7 megawatts (MW).

They will house the largest geothermal pile system in North America to help heat buildings in winter and cool them in summer. It has been amazing to see it come to life,” the CEO added.

This choice aligns with several of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) outlined by the United Nations, which call for responsible consumption and production, climate action, and innovation on behalf of governments, companies and communities by 2030 as well.

11 < The Weekly Journal > Wednesday, May 26, 2021

Luego de un fuego u otro desastre, la Cruz Roja Americana provee ayuda financiera, apoyo emocional y asiste en la recuperación de las familias afectadas. Si usted ha sido afectado por un desastre, llame al 787-758-8150.

¡Dona hoy!

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/ Wednesday, May 26, 2021

Janid Ortiz,

Director of Partnership Marketing for Discover Puerto Rico

rom Adjuntas to Yauco, these incorporated cities and towns – and the barrios that comprise them -- are our lifeblood. They are where we live, where we work, where we play… and for the island to be economically viable, they are where tourists come to immerse themselves in our culture.

One of the reasons I love my job at Discover Puerto Rico, the island’s destination marketing organization (DMO), is that I work hand in hand with mayors, tourism directors and businesses in our 78 municipalities to share their stories with the world.

While most travelers know about our luxurious beaches and San Juan’s cosmopolitan treasures, they are also eager to learn about our hidden gems – like the magical waters of Coamo’s hot springs or the legendary floral exhibits in the central mountain town of Aibonito, nicknamed Puerto Rico’s Garden. A personal favorite of mine is quiet Santa Isabel, where I live in a mountaintop home with amazing views of the Caribbean Sea. It’s a relaxing diversion from the hustle and bustle of city life.

Identifying and publicizing Puerto Rico’s diversity is important because I believe it distinguishes the island from other Caribbean destinations.

People come to Puerto Rico because of our distinct and amazing culture.

And that culture fosters memorable experiences that will last a lifetime.

The information we gather from mayors and other representatives of our municipalities is used to populate our website, and often is part of advertising and promotional content we use to attract potential visitors to our beautiful destination.

This is always an important role, but it became even more so when most travel halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Our job changed in an instant – from enticing people to travel

>Archive

F

From Adjuntas to Yauco: Shining a Light on Puerto Rico’s Amazing Municipalities

now, to encouraging them to keep Puerto Rico top-of-mind for future travel, when safe to do so. That is a subtle but important distinction, and – with our municipalities’ help – it has worked: research reveals that interest in our island, as well as bookings, are on the rise.

I’m proud of the work we do at Discover Puerto Rico. And by helping potential visitors “discover” our island, we have also helped Puerto Rico “recover” – from hurricanes, political unrest, earthquakes and most recently, COVID-19. Helping steer the island’s recovery and to positively impact the “visitor economy” is our purpose and the driving force behind our organization.

It was also our impetus for creating a Municipal Economic Development Guide, a detailed handbook that offers sales, marketing and communication tools to assist mayors, tourism directors and businesses to better serve – and connect with – the tourism sector. We’re hearing from them that it is useful in promoting municipalities, igniting economic growth and propelling the creation of additional jobs.

As we continue to work hand in hand with municipalities and other stakeholders, we have the potential to take Puerto Rico tourism to another level. Currently, tourism accounts for about 7 percent of our gross national product (GNP),

but I feel certain that this will grow even higher as more people, across the globe, identify Puerto Rico as a dream destination.

Travel has the power to transform the lives of visitors. But even more importantly, it can make a dramatic and positive impact on the lives of those of us who live in Puerto Rico, whether or not they are directly involved in the tourism industry.

Tourism has a halo effect, bolstering the economic performance of other businesses and individuals who benefit from it.

I see it every day. And as the world recovers from COVID-19, we’ll all see more of tourism’s impact on our lives in the weeks and months to come.

The event will be broadcast via WIPR and the Facebook page of the Casals Festival. >Facebook/Festival Casals

Casals Festival Celebrates 65th Anniversary

Will feature in-person and virtual concerts with local, international artists

T

The Weekly Journal Staff

he 65th edition of the Casals Festival will take place from May 29 to June 5 in a hybrid format that includes an in-person opening concert and concerts streamed online.

The complete series of eight concerts will be broadcast at 8 p.m., through the Facebook page and YouTube channel of the Casals Festival. The event will also be broadcast simultaneously via WIPR (Channel 6).

The opening concert on May 29, by the Puerto Rico Symphony Orchestra, will take place in the Pablo Casals Symphony Hall in Santurce, in person with a limited capacity, and following COVID-19 health protocols established by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The presentation will be directed and accompanied by renowned Israeli violinist Pinchas Zukerman.

“We welcome you to this new edition of the Casals Festival which, like every year, proposes a varied and interesting program of concerts and artists of great international prestige. After a long period of empty theaters, we return with great joy to our Symphony Hall to present the first face-toface concert of our orchestra [since the pandemic began]. This event will be followed by a series of first-rate recitals by Puerto Rican, European and North American artists who bring their talent and expertise to this unique event in the Americas,

which the public can follow from their homes and from any other country,” said Maximiliano Valdés, the artistic director of the Casals Festival.

First-Class Performances

On May 30, the Festival will feature a concert

by American cellist Mark Kosower, who will be accompanied by his compatriot, pianist Evan Solomon.

On May 31, viewers will be delighted by Puerto Rican group Trío Sanromá, composed of Francisco Cabán on the violin, Luis Miguel Rojas on the cello, and Diana Figueroa on the piano.

After a long period of empty theaters, we return with great joy to our Symphony Hall to present the first face-to-face concert of our orchestra [since the pandemic began].

Maximiliano Valdés

On June 1, a recorded concert will be broadcast at the Theater of the University of Puerto Rico by the choir of that institution, Coralia, directed by Carmen Acevedo.

With the intention of attracting new audiences and generating bonds with other musical genres, this edition will have the novelty of including the concert ‘Saludo al Festival Casals’ on June 2 with jazz music, by Puerto Rican saxophonists Miguel Zenón and David Sánchez.

The Festival will then continue with concerts by international artists.

On June 3, Ukrainian pianist Vadym Khodolenko will perform, and on June 4, Spanish guitarist Pablo Sáinz Villegas.

The last concert will take place on June 5, with the recorded transmission of the memorable concert of the Puerto Rico Symphony Orchestra at the 2014 Casals Festival, conducted by Maximiano Valdés, and accompanied by American classical pianist André Watts.

The recordings of the concerts were made in the countries of origin of each artist, according to the Festival’s organizers. The video shots were made in cinematic style and reflect the vision and style of the musicians themselves. The audiovisual material has been supervised and edited by the local production company Como Imágenes.

In fact, Concert Dates May 30: American cellist Mark Kosower and pianist Evan Solomon May 31: Trío Sanromá June 1: Coralia, the choir of the University of Puerto Rico June 2: Puerto Rican saxophonists Miguel Zenón and David Sánchez June 3: Ukrainian pianist Vadym Khodolenko June 4:Spanish guitarist Pablo Sáinz Villegas June 5: 2014 Casals Festival recording, accompanied by North American pianist André Watts

>Archive

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Best Themed Fruit Platters for Entertaining Make entertaining fresh, healthy and fun

B summer season.

The Holiday Entertainer

eautiful fruit platters are all the rage and incorporating a theme into your platter makes the table feel fresh and fun! Try these tips and tricks for making the bestthemed fruit platters, especially coming into the height of the

Colors

1. Rainbow Fruit trays are basically tangible, edible (and delicious!) rainbows anyway - why not give that rainbow a form? Start with your reds - sliced strawberries, watermelon and whole cherries.

Move to oranges with, well, oranges! Then pineapple and banana for yellow, honeydew melon and kiwi slices for green, and blueberries, blackberries, and plums to get into the blue/indigo realm. Build out your rainbow fruit platter in an arch and set a platter of something white at each end for the clouds. We like bowls of vanilla yogurt or whipped cream.

2. Sunset Who doesn’t love the warm, calm colors of a sunset? Bring these into your fruit platter with slices of pineapple, mango, papaya, nectarines, blood oranges, grapes, raspberries and strawberries. Arrange in waves for an organic, sunset tableau.

3. Cool Colors Cool colors evoke that feeling of a dip in the lake on a hot summer day. To get this feeling for your table, load your fruit tray with cool-colored fruits like blueberries, plums, blackberries, green and purple grapes, kiwis, pears and honeydew.

4. Sunshine If you’re going for happy, vibrant table décor, use a sunny fruit platter for an added dose of energy. Arrange rays of cantaloupe, starfruit, Golden Delicious apples, and pears around a dish of pineapple rings to make your sun.

Character (Great for children!)

1. Strawberry Shortcake Strawberry Shortcake and her berry-themed pals make a great fruit tray theme for a kid’s

Enjoy Puerto Rico’s many tropical fruits. >Brandon Cruz González

birthday party! Each character tray can have its namesake baked good in the center, surrounded by a healthy spread of the matching fruit! Choose from Strawberry Shortcake, Blueberry Muffin, Raspberry Torte, Cherry Jam, Huckleberry Pie and Apple Dumpling.

2. Superman Red, yellow and blue fruits make a perfect Superman-themed tray. Get specific and create the red S on a yellow background, then surround that with blue to fill the rest of your tray.

3. Spongebob Those same yellow fruits mentioned in the sunshine theme above make the perfect base for Spongebob Squarepants. You can use coconut flakes or small dishes of vanilla yogurt for his eyes and a row of graham crackers at the bottom for his pants.

4. Winnie the Pooh Winnie the Pooh is another children’s classic that makes a great fruit tray. Yellow, orange and red fruits come together to make Pooh’s iconic friendly face and little shirt. You can even add a pot of honey-lime dressing on the side for guests to drizzle over their DIY fruit salad.

Event

1. Picnic If you’re taking a fruit tray to a picnic (or maybe hosting a socially-distant picnic in your backyard!) it’s best to think portable. Grapes and berries

make excellent picnic fare, as do strawberries and watermelon slices. If your picnic is an adult affair, your picnic platter choices might do better to pair with cheese and wine, so think grapes and apples.

Or, if you want to keep serving simple, you can load individual skewers with colorful cuts of fruit and lay them out on your tray for easy grab-and-go that won’t require serving utensils or sticky hands.

2. Tropical Vacation Especially if you’ve felt stuck at home for a while, maybe you’d like to host a party with a tropical vacation theme - and nothing says vacation like a platter of tropical fruit! The key here is to go as “exotic” as possible and treat yourself and your guests to a fruit tray they’d only see at a beach or jungle resort. Try a combination of dragon fruit, guava, lychee, mango, kiwi, carambola (star fruit) and passionfruit - or use them to accent a larger tray of standard summer faves like watermelon and cantaloupe.

3. Fourth of July Fourth of July fruit trays are fun and easy to build. Set up a rectangular tray with red stripes with strawberries, watermelon chunks, cherries or grapes, alternating with the white of sliced bananas or apples (or angel food cake!). Leave the upper left corner to fill with blueberries or blackberries, and dot with cut-out white stars if you’re feeling crafty.

Whatever your theme or event, a fruit tray brings a bit of festivity, freshness and a lot of color to the table!

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>Courtesy of LIBERE

/ Wednesday, May 26, 2021

How Streetwear Became Mainstream Formal dressing gets a makeover The Weekly Journal Staff

M

en’s fashion has dramatically changed over the past decade or so. With the rise of hoodies under trench coats, white sneakers with suits and beanie hats for all occasions, formal dressing has had its own makeover - thanks to the introduction of streetwear into the mainstream fashion scene Streetwear is a form of casual dressing, with elements of hip hop culture mixed with the surf and skate scene, and often inspired by Japanese style. It gained popularity in the 1990s when music and fashion were sold as a package deal, and singers’ merchandise was more than just a band name printed on a t-shirt, but instead statement pieces that were designed to be fashionable.

Well-known brands such as Supreme, Thrasher and Stüssy have seen a huge surge in demand since the crossover of streetwear into the limelight of the fashion world.

Originally beginning as skate and surf brands, these labels are more popular than ever, with Supreme’s net worth valued at $1 billion in 2017.

Supreme has stores in many cities from New York to Harajuku in Japan, with raffle tickets now being distributed for their popular “stock drops” to

Bad Bunny is known for his streetwear style. >Brandon Cruz González, archive

control stock management for the lucky customers who get their hands on a new piece of Supreme.

Thrasher and Stüssy are no longer just worn in skate parks or on the beach.

They are now seen as statement pieces, with the clothing being the epitome of cool and often mixed with more formal items such as a long trench coat or even tailored suit pants. Today, Stüssy is widely known as the Chanel of streetwear.

Fashion designer and DJ Virgil Abloh

has had a huge role to play in streetwear becoming more popular.

Abloh founded his fashion brand Off-White in 2012, with t-shirts retailing in and around $250 each. Off-White is hugely influenced by Japanese street style: think layered neutral pieces and oversized hoodies, with the iconic logo often splatted across the back of the garments or placed on the sleeve. Since then the company has become a household name, as has Abloh’s.

Streetwear officially made it into mainstream fashion when Virgil Abloh was appointed creative director of menswear at Louis Vuitton in 2018.

Abloh’s first show at Louis Vuitton was a far cry from what the brand was once known for: dark browns and camel shades, often elegant in craftsmanship and classy in appearance. Abloh made his debut in Paris with a show full of color.

The runway was a strip of rainbow hues, opening with white loose-fitting suits matched with white leather duffle bags. The collection continued to show luminous green industrial vests with Well-known matching gloves, as brands such as well as harnesses in Supreme, Thrasher bright colors paired with and Stüssy have matching bags. seen a huge surge It was clear from in demand since that point that Abloh the crossover of was bringing his iconic streetwear into streetwear looks with him the limelight of the to Louis Vuitton, and, for fashion world. better or worse, men’s fashion has not been the same since.

In fact,

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