Manila Standard - 2020 February 23 - Sunday by Manila Standard

SARAH, MATTEO: DEFYING DIVINE By Nickie Wang

VOL. XXXIV • NO. 374 • 4 SECTIONS 16 PAGES • P18 • SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2020 • www.manilastandard.net • mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Sarah Geronimo and actor Matteo Guidicelli

30 MORE FILIPINOS ON SHIP INFECTED

REPATRIATION FROM JAPAN RESET PATIENTS FROM WUHAN CLEARED

HE scheduled repatriation of 497 Filipinos onboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship in Japan today has been postponed, the Department of Health said Saturday.

The DOH said in a statement the of the Filipinos onboard, with 19 the postponement to early next week first number to have tested positive was taken as a precautionary meas- and which has now risen by 30 to 49. ure to ensure the health and safety The DOH said: “[The task force]

is adjusting the schedule out of an abundance of caution with a view of safeguarding the health and safety of our OFs (overseas Filipinos) onboard. Our Tokyo Embassy is working closely with the Japanese health and foreign ministry to complete the quarantine protocols for the Philippine Government to repatriate our Filipino crew members as soon as possible.” As this developed, all Filipinos repatriated from Wuhan—the epicenter of the COVID-19 outbreak in China—have completed the 14-day quarantine period at the Athlete’s Village at New Clark City in Capas, Tarlac. “All 30 repatriates from Wuhan

received a clean bill of health and were cleared by the Department of Health to leave the New Clark City quarantine facility today,” the Department of Foreign Affairs said. Aside from the repatriates, the 10-member Health Emergency Response Team, six flight crew members and three ground crew operators involved in the repatriation also completed the quarantine period without exhibiting any signs of symptoms of the new coronavirus. Malacañang, for its part, said future repatriation efforts will be even more seamless as it commended Turn to A2

WHILE some celebrities turn their nuptials into a public spectacle, screen and music superstar Sarah Geronimo and actor Matteo Guidicelli exchanged “I dos” in a private ceremony at Victory Church in Taguig on Thursday night. The reception, attended by the Turn to A2

IMMIGRATION VOWS PURGE OF CROOKS By Joel E. Zurbano THE Bureau of Immigration is now implementing additional measures to stop and expose illegal activities involving its personnel while expressing willingness to cooperate with authorities and lifestyle check involving an alleged bribery scam. The fraudulent scheme has been reported to involve erring immigration employees at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport. At the same time, Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente on Saturday criticized officials and other personnel of his agency accused of facilitating the “pastillas” scheme, where illegal Chinese workers allegedly enter the Philippines by paying grease money. “As the commissioner, I am very disappointed with the unauthorized activities of some personnel who continue to commit irregularities despite our determined efforts Turn to A2

EX-DOH HEAD FIRES BACK AT ACCUSERS By Maricel V. Cruz HOUSE of Representatives’ Senior Deputy Minority Leader and Iloilo Rep. Janette Garin on Saturday came out two guns blazing against her detractors over the Dengvaxia vaccine issue. She said she would face the most recent charge filed by the Department of Justice against her and several others in connection with the use on almost one million people, most of them children, of the vaccine that was still on Phase 4 clinical testing at the time. “I have yet to receive the 78-page resolution but this will be the nth case that has been filed against me and the other public health servants who sought to bring a life-saving vaccine in the country,” Garin said in a statement. Turn to A2

SANDIGAN'S JUSTICE CRUZ PASSES ON, 64 MASK WEDDING. The scare raised by COVID-19 despite, 220 couples

exchange marital vows in Bacolod at a ‘mask’ mass wedding Thursday solemnized by Mayor Evelio Leonardia, with the City Health Office requiring the couples to fill out Health Declaration forms, declaring their health status during the past 14 days. The unusual ceremony (left inset) is attended by officials in what was dubbed 'Kasalan ng Bayan 2020 on 02-20-2020.' Bacolod City PIO

DEATHS OUTSIDE CHINA RISING; ITALIAN SUCCUMBS TO COVID-19 THE Geneva-based World Health Organization warned of a shrinking window to stem the spread of the deadly coronavirus disease while fears mounted Saturday over the rise of new cases and fatalities outside China. The warning came as the first European died from the new COVID-19 strain, which first emerged in December in central China but has now spread to over 25 countries and caused more than a dozen deaths outside the country. A 78-year-old Italian man died after testing positive for the virus, with the death toll reaching four in Iran, and a number of cases reported across the Middle East, including the first infections

in Israel and Lebanon. The 78-year-old from the Veneto region who had tested positive for the virus died in hospital, where he had recovered some 10 days earlier for an unrelated health issue, Italy’s health minister said. Adriano Trevisan was a retired bricklayer and one of two with the disease in the region, while 15 other people were discovered to have caught the virus in Lombardy, which took immediate measures to isolate affected areas. Five doctors and 10 other people tested positive for the virus in Lombardy, after apparently frequenting the same bar and group of friends, with two other

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SANDIGANBAYAN Associate Justice Reynaldo Cruz died on Friday after losing a bout with pneumonia. He was 64. Cruz was one of the last appointees of former President Benigno Aquino III. He was a senior member of the Fourth Division of the anti-graft court at the time of his death.. Born on July 8, 1955, Cruz was supposed to serve in the judiciary until he retires on July 8, 2025. Cruz was an undersecretary at the Office of the Executive Secretary in Malacañang before his appointment to the anti-graft court Turn to A2 on Jan. 20, 2016.

Associate Justice Reynaldo Cruz

INFECTED PATIENT. Medical workers wearing protective gear carry a patient infected with the COVID-19 coronavirus in Chuncheon Saturday, with South Korea reporting 142 more coronavirus cases, the sharpest spike in infections yet. AFP

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SARAH, MATTEO:...

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couple’s close friends and the groom’s relatives, was held in a posh hotel in BGC. The Internet went ablaze when a “preemptive report” by entertainment columnist Ricky Lo leaked the secret wedding Thursday morning, saying Sarah and Matteo would be getting married anytime within the day. Subsequent reports flooded the online world belying the report of the veteran entertainment columnist when a staff member of The Voice Teens Philippines posted a video and pictures of the 31-year-old actress busy for the rehearsals of the reality singing search. A source from The Voice told Manila Standard that from Feb. 20, Sarah would have four taping days for The Voice Battles, the next round in the competition, but could not confirm whether the singer had other engagements after the shoot. At 3:30 in the afternoon, Sarah left the set, a coffee shop on Sgt. Esguerra, alone. No update was given until the next day, Friday, at around 3:00 in the morning when Jerry Tamara, a bodyguard of Sarah’s family, reported to the Taguig police that he had been punched by Matteo after the actor accused him of informing Sarah’s parents of the private ceremony. Based on the police blotter, the incident, now denied by Matteo, happened at around 11:00 p.m. on Thursday, and Tamara reported the incident at 3:27 a.m. Friday. No case against Matteo was filed as of this writing. In an interview with ABS-CBN’s Mario Dumaual on Friday, Feb. 21, Matteo said “Wala akong sinuntok (I did not punch anyone)” and confirmed that he and Sarah indeed tied the knot. The newlyweds have been together for six years and announced their engagement in November last year via an Instagram post. Shortly after the announcement, Matteo took to social media to publicly reach out to the pop star’s parents and apologize for some events that transpired in the past.

IMMIGRATION..

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to get rid of the culture of corruption in the Bureau since 2016,” Morente said in a statement. The “pastillas” scheme was revealed in a Senate inquiry earlier this week by opposition Senator Risa Hontiveros, who said Chinese nationals who enter the Philippines as tourists and later work for Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO) hubs pay immigration personnel and Chinese and Filipino travel agencies P10,000 in grease money rolled in bond paper. Among those allegedly able to enter the country through payoffs were Chinese nationals already in the immigration blacklist. In a statement posted on social media, Morente said the bureau welcomed efforts to cleanse the ranks of all personnel involved in unethical and corrupt practices. “We will cooperate with any impartial probe and lifestyle check to be conducted by authorities,” said Morente. The agency came up with the statement two days after Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra announced he supported the calls for the conduct of lifestyle checks on bureau officials and personnel suspected of involvement in the so-called “pastillas scheme.” The scheme, in which bureau personnel receive kickbacks to facilitate the entry of Chinese nationals, who pay a “service fee” of P10,000 per head, was exposed during a Senate inquiry. The whistleblower Immigration officer Allison Chiong identified officials and employees involved in the bribery syndicate, saying Chinese nationals could skip the immigration process if their names were found in a master list. Morente said the bureau already placed all the accused in the administrative holding office and have canceled all their privileges. He added the incident and the corresponding consequences should serve as a strong warning and reminder to others not to engage in any unethical practices.

SANDIGAN'S...

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As a member of the Sandiganbayan’s Fourth Division, one of the last decisions he concurred in was to require law enforcers to explain why Joseph Estrada’s co-accused in the former president’s plunder case have not been arrested yet.

FINANCIAL AID FOR OFWS BOUND FOR HK, MACAU ENDS By Joel E. Zurbano

pensed more than P81 million to 8,106 OFWs affected by the temporary travel ban to China, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan due to the spread of coronavirus disease 2019 or COVID-19 outbreak. The P10,000 cash assistance, drawn from the OWWA Trust Fund of member-OFWs, was given to “help stranded OFWs ease their burden

and assist them back to their places of origin” during the travel ban. The financial assistance was distributed through OWWA regional welfare offices. Of the 17 OWWA regional offices, OWWA-National Capital Region got the largest amount distributed with P36.87 million given to 3,687 OFWs. This was followed by OWWA-Region 1 (P7.16 million for 716 OFWs), Region 6 (P6.82 million given to 682 OFWs), Region 3 (P6.67 million for 667 OFWs), Region 2 (P4.74 million for 474 OFWs), CAR (P3.74 million for 374 OFWs), Region 4A-A (P3.71 million for 371 OFWs), Region 7 (P3.04 million for 304 OFWs), Region XI (P2.55 million for 255 OFWs), Region 5 (P1.27 million for 127 OFWs), Region 12 (P1.11 million for 111

OFWs), Region 10 (P1.05 million for 105 OFWs), Region 8 (P760,000 for 76 OFWs), CARAGA (P650, 000 for 65 OFWs), Region 4B (P440,000 for 44 OFWs), and Region 9 (P430,000 for 43 OFWs). OWWA-ARMM has the least number of claimants, releasing P50,000 to five OFWs. Aside from cash, OWWA regional offices provided transportation assistance. OWWA-NCR, the transit point of OFWs coming from other regions, disbursed transport aid to 79 stranded OFWs from Feb. 7 to Feb. 19, amounting to P67,500.00. OWWA NCR’s distribution of cash assistance were held in three venues—OWWA Multi-purpose Hall Mall of Asia, and Philippine Trade Training Center, to accommodate the influx of OFW-claimants.

remain—including the Filipinos whose return today (Sunday) has been delayed until Japan clears them to travel. Norma Fajardo, whose daughter is part of the Diamond Princess security team, said the crew have been well treated and cared for, but she is worried her work makes her particularly vulnerable to the virus. “We couldn’t do anything because she works in security so she has to monitor passengers,”Fajardo told AFP. “We’re worried. She could get infected anytime,” she added. Fajardo said crew who get sick are allowed to rest, but those without symptoms were encouraged to continue working. Esther Rivera—whose son is a ship photographer—has urged the government to bring them home. “I hope they get pulled out from the ship because they are infecting each other there,” Rivera said. Once flown home, the repatriated Filipinos will be quarantined for two weeks at the Athlete’s Village. The announced postponement

of the repatriation coincided with reports London had begun bringing home its citizens from the cruise ship. “We can confirm the evacuation flight from Japan has now departed with 32 British and European passengers on board, as well as British government and medical staff. It is due to arrive in the UK on Saturday morning,” the Foreign Office said in a statement. The plane will land at Boscombe Down military base in southern England and passengers will be placed in a further 14-day quarantine. The Diamond Princess cruise ship was quarantined on Feb. 5 when a passenger who left in Hong Kong was found infected with the virus. Passengers were confined to cabins except for brief trips on deck wearing masks and gloves, when they were told to keep their distance from others. Hundreds of passengers have since been allowed to disembark this week after testing negative for the deadly virus. The United States, Canada, Australia, Hong Kong and South Korea

have all said they will evacuate their citizens from the boat. Tokyo has faced criticism for its handling of the situation, with dozens of new infections detected almost daily since the ship arrived. In a related development, a senior US official said Americans should avoid traveling by cruise liner within Asia because the vessels act as amplifiers of the novel coronavirus, adding that future evacuations of ship passengers were not guaranteed. The warning came as the number of confirmed cases of people on US soil who have been infected with the pathogen rose to 34, of which 21 were repatriated from abroad. More than 300 Americans were flown back from the Diamond Princess cruise ship off the Japanese coast earlier this week, and there have also been several flights bringing home citizens from Wuhan. Ian Brownlee, a senior State Department official, said in a briefing that the government had “advised all US citizens to reconsider travel by cruise ship to, or within Asia.” AFP

61-year-old woman who developed a fever on Feb. 10 but attended at least four services at the church’s Daegu branch before being diagnosed. The mayor of Daegu—South Korea’s fourth-biggest city, with a population of over 2.5 million—has advised locals to stay indoors, while access to a major US military base in the area has been restricted. KCDC said some 9,300 Shincheonji members in Daegu have either been quarantined at facilities or asked to stay at home. Among them, 544 said they had symptoms, health officials added. Cheongdo, some 27 kilometers south of Daegu, is the birthplace of Shincheonji’s founder Lee Man-hee. County officials said Friday that a three-day funeral was held for his brother three weeks ago at a hall owned by the hospital. Shincheonji is often accused of being a cult and claims its founder Lee has donned the mantle of Jesus Christ and will take 144,000 people with him to heaven on the day of judgment. But with more church members than available places in heaven, they are said to have to compete for slots and pursue converts persistently and secretively. ‘Thorough investigation’ President Moon Jae-in on Friday called for a “thorough investigation” of everyone who attended the fu-

neral and Shincheonji services. The central government on Friday had declared Daegu and Cheongdo “special management zones,” with Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun saying the region would be supported with medical personnel, beds and equipment and the cabinet will meet three times a week to discuss the outbreak. Italy has locked down ten towns and asked over 50,000 people to stay home—a move with echoes of China’s lockdown of entire cities in Hubei province at the center of the outbreak. In China, the number of cases outside Hubei, where millions remain under quarantine, has been generally declining, although new hotspots were found in several prisons and hospitals Friday. But just 31 new cases were reported outside the central province Saturday, as the national number of cases rose past 76,000. The outbreak has now claimed 2,345 lives in China. Concerns have also risen about the reliability of the official data, however, after Hubei officials changed methods of counting cases and amended their figures again. A WHO-led team of experts are set to visit Wuhan, the capital of the province, on Saturday. Meanwhile, WHO chief Tedros

Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned that the “window of opportunity” to contain the international spread of the outbreak was “narrowing”, as cases surged across the Middle East and in South Korea. He warned that if countries did not quickly mobilize to fight the spread of the virus, “this outbreak could go in any direction. It could even be messy.” International spread Cases of the deadly virus were reported in a range of countries in the Middle East on Friday, with the first cases in Israel and Lebanon. Iran said four people there had died and 18 been infected from the outbreak. Iraq and Kuwait, which share borders with Iran, were on high alert for a potential outbreak after banning travel to and from the Islamic republic, although they have not confirmed any cases domestically. Nearly 350 people have been infected in South Korea, including two deaths, making it the hardest-hit country outside China. The US advised citizens to avoid traveling by cruise liner in Asia because it said the vessels acted as amplifiers of the virus. Several Australians and an Israeli evacuated earlier this week from the stricken Diamond Princess cruise ship tested positive for coronavirus on returning to their home countries. AFP

HE Overseas Workers Welfare Administration has announced it has stopped giving cash assistance to overseas Filipino workers bound for Hong Kong and Macau in view of the recent lifting of the travel ban in those areas.

“All regional welfare offices were instructed to cease the processing of applications of financial assistance for OFWs bound for Hong Kong and Macau,”said OWWA officer-in-charge director Ronald Mina. But he said the P10,000 cash assistance extended to China-bound OFWs would continue. As of Feb. 20, OWWA has dis-

30 MORE... From A1 the team that brought back the first batch of repatriates from Wuhan. “The Office of the President is confident that the succeeding repatriation efforts will be seamless and will have a similar outcome as we assure that the safety of Filipinos here and abroad remains to be the paramount concern of the government,”Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo said. However, families of hundreds of Filipino crew members still stuck on board the coronavirus-stricken Diamond Princess cruise ship are increasingly worried for their relatives’ health. The vessel, moored off the Japanese coast in Yokohama near Tokyo, has the biggest cluster of coronavirus infections outside Wuhan, with over 600 cases confirmed among the 3,700 passengers and crew. While hundreds of travelers have disembarked, more than 1,000 crew

COVID... From A1 cases in Veneto, authorities said at a press conference. Korean toll: 346 A second person died in South Korea, authorities reported Saturday, as the number of cases in the country spiked. The national toll of 346 is now the second-highest outside of China, with the jump in cases at a hospital in Cheongdo following a similar spike among members of a religious sect in the nearby city of Daegu. Among the new cases, 92 were“related”to patients or staff at Cheongdo Daenam Hospital, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. “Most of the hospital’s patients who have been diagnosed are those who had been staying as inpatients for mental illnesses,” Seoul’s vice health minister Kim Gang-lip told reporters. Authorities reported another death on Saturday, taking the toll to two. Both victims had been inpatients at the hospital. More than 150 members of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus have now been infected, starting with a

EX-DOH... From A1 She was the secretary of Health when the vaccine was used during the dying days of the Benigno Aquino III presidency. “Haharapin ko ito ng buong tapang at walang takot dahil alam natin ang katotohanan (I will face this courageously and fearlessly because we know the truth),” Garin said. “Sa unang batch pa lang out of 7 criminal cases for reckless imprudence filed against us, under the direction of PAO (Pubic Attorneys Office) Chief Persida Acosta, six have already been dismissed and one remains pending. The dismissals entail the cases’ lack of basis and substance (In the first batch of

the seven criminal cases for reckless imprudence [resulting in homicide] cases filed against us under the direction of Chief Public Attorney Persida Acosta, six have been dismissed and one remains pending).” She added: “Science has proven over and over again that no deaths have been linked to the Dengvaxia vaccine. Almost the whole world is using it now and no case like ours has surfaced.” Garin took a swipe at her detractors, saying: “Can you call it justice if we let our countrymen die of diseases that can be cured by medicines or prevented by vaccines? If so, who will be held liable for the dengue deaths when the vaccine was withdrawn?” She again blamed the filing of another case on politics, saying the issue was being used to camouflage the more serious problems that the administration

is facing at that time. In this situation, “real justice should listen science and not politics,”she added in Tagalog. On Friday, the DOJ indicted Garin and several other health officials for the death of children who were injected with Dengvaxia during the BS Aquino administration. Garin, several DOH, Food and Drug Administration and Research Institute for Tropical Medicine were charged together with executives of vaccine maker Sanofi Pasteur, Inc. were charged with reckless imprudence resulting in homicide. The DOJ also said there was“sufficient evidence” to file charges against the Sanofi Pasteur president and four others for alleged violation of the Consumer Act. The indictments were the result of the second batch of complaints filed by the parents of eight children who died

allegedly after being inoculated with Dengvaxia. DOJ investigators noted the indictees’ “undue haste” in the procurement and use of the vaccine “despite the red flags known to them.” They also found that the government bought and rolled out Dengvaxia for its mass immunization program even before clinical trials for the vaccine were completed. It was learned that the vaccine was on Phase 4 of clinical trials or post market monitoring. When drugs are on that phase of the clinical trials, they are not used in a widespread manner since the users are monitored for adverse reactions. DOJ investigators accused Garin and her fellow health officials being “careless in implementing the vaccination program.”

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FIL-AMS FIRED UP: TAGALOG ADDED TO LAS VEGAS BALLOT SOKOR FUGITIVE NABBED AT NAIA STATE agents assigned at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport have arrested a South Korean fugitive wanted for telecom fraud. Immigration port division chief Grifton Medina identified the foreigner as 31-year-old Jang Minki who was intercepted at the NAIA Terminal 3 departure area last Feb. 13 while he was about to board a flight to Osaka, Japan. Medina said Jang was barred from leaving after the immigration officer who processed him saw that his name is on the Interpol’s list of foreigners who are in possession of invalidated travel documents. “His passport was revoked by the Korean government in November last year after authorities learned that he fled his country to avoid prosecution for his crime,” Medina said, adding that the Korean is now detained at the BI detention facility in Bicutan, Taguig pending deportation proceedings. Citing information received from Korean authorities, Medina disclosed that Jang has a standing arrest warrant on charges of engaging in voice phishing operations that victimized many of his compatriots. Described as a form of telecom fraud, voice phishing uses the telephone system to gain access to a person’s private personal and financial information. It is usually used by fraudsters to steal credit card numbers or other information used in identity theft schemes from individuals. Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente commended his men for the Korean’s arrest, saying the latest accomplishment was another testament to the success of the BI’s joint project with the Interpol and other law enforcement agencies abroad in the effort to catch wanted criminals. Morente observed that as a result of the electronic linkage between BI’s border control system and the Interpol database, immigration officers at the airports already arrested or turned back many foreigners who have criminal and derogatory records. Joel Zurbano

ANNY Pacquiao, roast pig dinners and prayer services.

Activists are using every tool possible to get the booming Filipino-American community in Las Vegas to the polls for Saturday’s Democratic nomination vote. Overlooked in the past, Filipinos have rapidly become the western desert state’s largest Asian-American community— almost 200,000 by some estimates, in a state of three million people—forcing candidates to take notice. For the first time, the Tagalog language will be used on voting cards along with English and Spanish at the Democratic caucuses. “We’re proud that they are recognizing us,” said Margie Gonzales, a Filipina community leader. “It means a lot—it means recognition.” Gonzales, who chairs the county’s Asian American and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) commission, has also begun training politicians to speak a few Tagalog words. “When you start knocking on doors, it helps if you greet a Filipino family opening the door in Tagalog,” she said. “That’s a way to make that person smile—you feel welcome.” Feeling welcome is key for a minority community in which immigration and xenophobia are major concerns. Like Latinos, Filipino-Americans tend to vote Democrat. “When Trump talks about not bringing in relatives and

things like that, that same thing applies to Asians,” said Tick Segerblom, a commissioner for Clark County, where Las Vegas is located. “So Trump has really been a boon as far as organizing Asians.” But traditionally Filipino-Americans have not voted in large numbers. To counter that, Gonzales and her fellow activists introduced a tradition commonly found during election campaigns back in the Philippines—the Kamayan, a large communal feast. These typically see politicians mingle at long tables covered in banana leaves, with a whole roast pig on the menu. ‘Squeak of a mouse’ The feasts hosted in Las Vegas by Gonzales so far have not endorsed specific candidates. A grand Kamayan is planned once the Democratic Party settles on a nominee—but that has not stopped those in the race from reaching out. Democratic candidate Tulsi Gabbard, who is Hawaiian, has made inroads, as have Pete Buttigieg and Elizabeth Warren. “This is an overlooked and often ignored community and I feel like Elizabeth Warren celebrates our existence and doesn’t use us as props,” said Filipina campaign volunteer Ninna Diaz, 27. The community is “definitely taking notice,” she added. More recently, Gonzales has conducted Tagalog-language caucus training for campaigns including that of Bernie Sanders. AFP

JOB HUNTING. Thousands of job seekers troop to the Grand JobFair at the New Era University along Central Avenue, Quezon City, a program organized by the NEU Alumni Association Inc. led by its president Randy Escolago. Hundreds of applicants land jobs on-thespot from several private companies. Manny Palmero

QC ENFORCES ‘KULIGLIG’ BAN; CRACKDOWN ON THE Quezon City government has intensified its crackdown against “kuligligs” or improvised tractor-trikes as it confiscated 130 of such vehicles plying the EDSABalintawak area. Mayor Joy Belmonte said the clearing operations, led by the Task Force for Transport and Traffic Management, along the city’s thoroughfares started November last year but apprehended drivers were initially given warnings. In a dialogue with the apprehended drivers, the mayor offered three modes of assistance for their livelihood amid the ban on kuligligs along the city thoroughfares. Belmonte said apprehended drivers can avail of the “Balik Probinsya” program, where they can reclaim their sidecars and use them to earn a livelihood in

their respective hometowns. Apprehended drivers can surrender their sidecars in exchange for P5,000 cash aid and alternative livelihood assistance or they can simply apply for the city’s e-trike program. “We are fully aware of the needs of every family and that is why we offer them alternatives that will help their livelihood,” she added. The city government also offered livelihood assistance to their wives and scholarships for the children of “kuliglig” drivers. According to Ben Ibon, head of the Tricycle Regulatory Division, “kuligligs” are prohibited from operating along national highways and main thoroughfares, same with regular tricycles and pedicabs. Maricel Cruz

PSFI TAPS SOLAR, WIND POWER FOR PALAWAN TOWN AFTER tedious assessment processes by experts and continuous consultations with the community, Pilipinas Shell Foundation Inc. found premise to explore working with the municipality of Maytegued in building stronger and more sustainable socio-economic opportunities for its people, through its Access to Energy Program. On Feb. 4, 2020, PSFI inaugurated the Maytegued Micro-Grid Hybrid Power System, a solar and wind power system that will serve as the community’s main source of electricity. This system is able to generate 24/7 reliable and clean energy service for the island, directly connected to 86 households, where 70 solar home systems were distributed. The project will be directly operated by the Maytegued Electric Association,

a group consisted of residents that are connected to the grid. The association will be collecting membership fees and monthly payments based on the power consumption of each household, monitored through meter readings. These revenues will be allocated to the maintenance and scaling up of operations. Today, residents of Maytegued are not only more comfortable, but are able to bring in better access to livelihood opportunities and basic education. For teachers, simply the access to a printer has reduced their workload by a huge percent. “We used to do all our visual materials and lesson plans manually (handwritten). Now that preparations are so much easier, we are able to focus on our students more,” says Teacher Jasmin.

Reflecting on the predicament of students who travel 2-3 kilometers to school each day, teachers are pleased to know that the children are heading to classrooms where proper ventilation and lighting is available—a place where they can feel comfortable enough to learn. “We are so grateful to Pilipinas Shell Foundation, Inc. You have no idea how much you are helping us and the children. We promise to take care of it.” During the inauguration, PSFI executive director Sebastian Quiniones Jr. ensures the community that the organization is committed to working together with Barangay Maytegued in moving forward, and hopes that the project will serve as their “enabler” for further developments and sustainability.

HYBRID POWER. PSFI executives and community leaders pose for a souvenir shot during the inauguration of the Maytegued Micro-Grid Hybrid Power System in Maytegued town of Palawan.

Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte

SENATE BILL ATTENDS TO HANDICAPPED SCHOOL KIDS MEDICAL diagnosis for children with disabilities must be included in the Universal Health Care Law, Senator Sherwin Gatchalian said on Saturday. According to Gatchalian, his Senate Bill 171 sought to establish Inclusive Education Learning Resource Centers in all public schools nationwide. Inclusive Education means all students, disabled or non-disabled, are placed together in general education classes so that they can receive highquality interventions and support that enable them to meet success in the core curriculum. He indicates that diagnosing disabilities in children is necessary to gauge their specific need and capacity before they can be officially categorized as “children with disabilities.” On the other hand, diagnostic procedures come at a high cost and some parents would opt to skip subjecting their children to proper medical diagnosis. Findings of such screenings can identify needed interventions so that learners can be equipped to participate in regular classrooms. The Philippine Health Insurance Corp. estimates that one out of seven or around 5.1 million Filipino children have disabilities. In the absence of medical diagnosis, teachers rely mainly on some assessment tools to identify and address the learning difficulties of children. One example of an assessment tool is the Early Childhood Development Council Checklist, which helps teachers identify children who are at risk of having developmental delays. Another tool is the classroom activity-based Multi-Factored Assessment Tool administered to Grade 1 students. These are the only available tools that guide teachers on instructional design and decision-making, including the formulation of an individualized education program per learner. “The first stage should be diagnosis so that the teacher will know at what stage and what kind of approach will they be giving the students. I think that is a fundamental requirement for inclusive education, which our system is not doing right now because of high expense,” said Gatchalian, chairman of the Senate Committee on Basic Education, Arts and Culture. Senate Bill 171 also seeks to enable regular teachers, administrators, non-teaching personnel, and parents through trainings on disability awareness and inclusive education. Records from the Department of Education show that there are 14,000 regular schools that cater to SPED students and separate SPED centers nationwide. While there are 231, 631 self-contained learners with disabilities or those who are not part of regular classrooms, SPED teachers are only around 4,000 nationwide.

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2020

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SOLON SEEKS BOOST TO LOCAL TOURISM

EARLY MORNING CATCH. A month after the eruption of Taal Volcano, a fisherman from Talisay, Batangas catches fish for breakfast. Boy Josue

AMENDED DRUG LAW SOUGHT By Maricel V. Cruz

LEADER of the House of Representatives on Saturday proposed to amend the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 to spare journalists from getting involved in documenting drug cases and participating in subsequent court hearings. Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez said the present law requires media practitioners who accompany law enforcers in their antiillegal drugs operations to sign the inventory of confiscated items. “They are also required to testify as witnesses during the hearings of these cases,” he said.

He said it is not the job of media to be involved in documenting drug operations and testifying in hearings. “They are there to cover law enforcement activities, not to participate in documentation and subsequently in hearings,” said Rodriguez, chairman of the House committee on constitutional amendments. He said the requirement puts journalists at risk, since it is not a remote possibility that the accused might get back at them for testifying in their cases. The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines has been lobbying with Congress to remove such requirement by amending the law. Rodriguez has introduced an amendatory bill scrapping the participation of media practitioners in drug operations and cases. The proposed amendment provides that members of the media “shall be invited to join/

cover anti-drug operations of the government for journalism purposes only.” “They shall not be required, coerced or intimidated to sign the inventory of seized items, nor shall they be called as witnesses in any court proceeding in relation to the anti-drug operations they covered. Mere mention of the reporter’s name during the hearing should not be a group for the court to subpoena said reporter,” read the proposed amendment. It also provides that “details and facts about the operation should not be used as condition for the reporter to sign the inventory.” Rodriguez said there are enough public officers like participating law enforcers, prosecutors and barangay officials who could attest to the inventory of seized contraband in drug operations and testify in hearings. “We should not burden our journalists with that. It’s not part of their job,” he said.

PH-RUSSIA FINALIZES LABOR AGREEMENT By Joel E. Zurbano LABOR Secretary Silvestre Bello III on Saturday said the Philippine government is now in the process of finalizing a bilateral labor agreement with Russia. “We are confident that the BLA with Moscow will soon be finalized in line with our commitment to provide protection and support for overseas Filipino workers as we continue to see increasing demand for our workers in that part of the world,” Bello said. He said both countries are keen on signing the labor accord amid a burgeoning requirement for skilled and semi-skilled workers in Russia. Moscow recently amended a law relating to local employment of local skilled workers in order to accommodate foreign workers. In September last year, Bello tapped the department’s labor office in Berlin to extend its services to cover OFWs in Russia and to actively pursue a BLA with Moscow.

Meanwhile, at least 1,000 OFWs in Russia, mostly female household service workers, have registered for membership with the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, Bello said. “We are elated by their decision to register with OWWA as members, and as such will now allow them to have insurance coverage. Their membership will also enable them to access free skills and entrepreneurship training, not to mention scholarship for their children, return and reintegration preparedness and other programs,” he said. The Philippine Embassy in Moscow recently held an outreach program intended to entice OFWs to register or renew their respective membership with OWWA. In a report by Labor Attaché Delmer Cruz, majority of OFWs in Russia have transferred directly from Hong Kong and Dubai. The Philippine Embassy is scheduled to conduct another outreach mission for OFWs next month.

OMBUDSMAN CLEARS DUTY FREE EXECS

REMEMBRANCE. President Rodrigo Duterte takes a solemn moment to commemorate the 52nd death anniversary of his father, Vicente Duterte, at the Roman Catholic Cemetery in Davao City on Feb. 21, 2020. Presidential Photo

PRINCE HARRY, MEGHAN DROP SUSSEX ROYAL LABEL

Prince Harry and his wife Meghan

PRINCE Harry and his wife Meghan will no longer use the “Sussex Royal” label when they begin their new life outside the royal inner circle in the spring, their spokeswoman said Friday. The couple will formally step down as senior royals from March 31 and will no longer carry out duties on behalf of Queen Elizabeth II after that date. “The Duke and Duchess of Sussex do not intend to use ‘Sussex Royal’ in any territory post-Spring 2020,” said the spokeswoman. They will also not use the name for their new non-proﬁt organization, due to be announced in the coming months,

AMID the COVID-19 scare that has caused a huge number of tourist cancellations across the country, a congressman from the Visayas region on Saturday encouraged Filipinos to schedule early summer outings and vacations to boost domestic tourism. At the same time, Samar Rep. Edgar Sarmiento, chairman of the House committee on transportation, advised local governments to stop issuing total lockdowns on hotels, resorts and other tourism destinations. “There is no reason to issue these lockdown orders because the country remains very safe from the dreaded COVID-19 virus,” Sarmiento said. “Filipinos should schedule early summer vacation rather than traveling abroad to support local tourism. Rest assured our local airports follow international protocol to prevent transmission,” he added. Philippine airports have lost about 20 percent or 322,000 international and domestic passengers in three weeks since January due to the COVID-19 outbreak, the Manila International Airport Authority said. After the government imposed a travel ban to China, Hong Kong and Macau in a bid to contain the virus, the international tourist arrivals from Jan. 25 to Feb. 17 decreased by 16.74 percent or 272,006 from the ﬁgures recorded during the same period in 2019. The Philippines posted 1,352,692 international arrivals from Jan. 25 until Feb. 17, slightly lower than the 1,624,698 last year. Meanwhile, domestic travel fell by 3.42 percent, as the country recorded 1,406,876 arrivals this year, down from 1,456,705 in 2019. MIAA general manager Eddie Monreal said the losses will be bigger if the Philippines did not lift the travel ban on Taiwan on Feb. 11. “There’s still time to recover and I hope we will recover soon,” Monreal said. Cebu Paciﬁc has already reduced its year-round low fares across over 70 domestic destinations in support of government initiatives to spur domestic tourism to alleviate the impact of travel restrictions caused by the spread of the new coronavirus. Maricel V. Cruz

she added. The couple currently use the name for their popular Instagram account and a website set up after their shock announcement. They also have made dozens of trademark applications for various products. They announced on Wednesday that their new life will begin on April 1, when they will give up their ofﬁce at Buckingham Palace—the queen’s London residence. Harry, the 35-year-old second son of the heir apparent Prince Charles, will remain sixth in line to the throne, with no change in the line of succession.

The former army officer will also keep his military ranks of major, lieutenant commander and squadron leader in the army, navy and air force, the spokeswoman announced. He and Meghan, 38, will continue to be known as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. They have been living in a luxury mansion on Canada’s Pacific west coast with their baby son Archie since the New Year. Harry and Meghan first used the Sussex Royal name when they created their own household following a split from brother Prince William. AFP

THE Office of the Ombudsman has dismissed the plunder, graft and administrative cases lodged against Duty Free Philippines Corp. chief operating officer Vicente Angala and three co-respondents due to lack of evidence. Also named as respondents were former COO Lorenzo Formoso, former Human Resources Management Division manager Roberto Policarpio, and former Physical Distribution Department manager Manolito Canlas. The cases stemmed from a complaint filed by 10 Duty Free employees accusing the respondents of having financial and pecuniary interest with DFP Services Inc., a former manpower service contractor of Duty Free. The complainants claimed the respondents allegedly enriched themselves from the said service contract. Angala and the other respondents were also accused of allegedly neglecting or refusing to act on the complainants’ request for retroactive appointments, thereby depriving them of their salaries and benefits. But according to the 22-page resolution approved by Ombudsman Samuel Martires late last year that was only recently released, there was no probable cause for the criminal offenses charged. The Ombudsman said the business of DFPSI in which Angala allegedly participated or profited from has no relation or connection with his official capacity as then manager for Duty Free’s International Department.

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2020

Adelle Chua, Editor mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Opinion

EDITORIAL

EVERYMAN

OUTRAGE

N WEDNESDAY, Bureau of Corrections lawyer Fredric Santos was shot near his daughter’s school as he was on her way to pick her up. He is the fifth such BuCor employee to be killed since November 2018, and the 15th since 2011. Santos had previously testified at the Senate hearing on the granting of Good Conduct Time Allowance to inmates at the national penitentiary. He was supposed to do a “tell all” of the irregularities in the implementation of the law, but had backed out before he could shed

more light on the matter. We remember, of course, the public outrage that ensued upon our discovery that the law could in fact allow convicts, even those of who had committed heinous crimes, to regain liberty in exchange for “good conduct.” How “good conduct” was defined was an enigma, especially since numerous convicts had already been released, or were due to be released, before all this became public knowledge. In September, the Office of the Ombudsman suspended Santos alongside 29 others for allowing the questionable release of prison convicts. The Senate hearings also painted a clearer picture of what is happening at the national penitentiary, where it appeared some quarters were more equal than others. The public outrage over what was going on

‘MY TROOPS WILL NOT MOVE’

at the BuCor, as always, eventually gave way to outrage over a string of other issues. It does not mean that the cause for the outrage has disappeared. Oh no, it has not—far from it. Santos’ death is a clear, unequivocal warning to those who might be tempted to even consider speaking out. There are many things in our country that makes us want to retch. The extent of the corruption and cover-up in some agencies is just one of them. May our outrage, then, not be finite—may it never just flow from one issue to another. May we be capable of being angry over many things and of refusing to forget how brazen some of our officials are. It is only outrage—not passive resignation—that will move us to correct the many ills threatening to devour us.

By ML Salvacion THE EDSA People Power Revolution of 1986 is a major milestone in the Filipino’s struggle for freedom and democracy. It is celebrated every year through special programs and activities that commemorate and relive the historic moment in the nation’s history. In the past, these celebrations were anticipated with greater excitement as prominent personalities of the EDSA revolt, like former Presidents Cory Aquino and Fidel Ramos, Senator Juan Ponce Enrile and others would often attend the commemoration event. Once, during one of the celebrations, the organizers even featured ordinary people with their extraordinary experiences during the revolt. But the 1986 EDSA revolt has other stories yet to be told, stories unheard from people who are not your “usual players”—those who were “on the other side of the fence,” so to speak. Brig. General Felix Brawner Jr. has one such story. He was commander of the 1st Philippine Scout Ranger Regiment (PSRR) of the Philippine Army and was also the J-3 (joint staff of operation) of the military during the final days of the Marcos regime. His role may be considered crucial during the bloodless revolt, if not as equally important as that of other key personalities. General Brawner said in an interview that as J-3, he knew the military was prepared for action during the start of the People Power revolt and they all had plans to suppress uprisings and demonstrations. “It was part of my job to send troops where it is needed. It was already plotted in my plans, if there are demonstrations there; I would bring troops there—in Mendiola and other areas. That was my job as J-3,” he said. At the height of the People Power revolt, the government had made plans to storm Camp Crame where Ramos, Enrile and their forces were encamped. Brawner said he ordered the tanks and the 105 mm howitzers sent to EDSA in preparation for the assault of Camp Crame. First, he sent Brig. Gen. Artemio Tadiar with the tanks but the Marine commandant later told Brawner that they were in a difficult situation and they could not advance. So Brawner had the tanks and the marine troops pulled out of EDSA. When Tadiar arrived in Fort Bonifacio, Brawner asked him what happened and Tadiar said: “Sir, it is difficult. Many people will die if I move. I do not have the guts to do it.” The following day, Brawner sent Col. Braulio Balbas, deputy commandant of the Philippine Marines, with his convoy of troops to EDSA but similarly, they could not advance and later returned to Fort Bonifacio. The following day, Balbas and his men entered Camp Aguinaldo and position their 105 mm howitzers on the golf course fronting Camp Crame, ready to fire at the Ramos-Enrile camp. But when they were ordered to fire, they hesitated. When asked what happened, Balbas told Brawner: “We’re still adjusting sir.” Balbas and his men obviously did not want to hurt fellow officers, so they were later sent back to Fort Bonifacio. Next, General Fabian Ver asked Brawner to stay in Malacañang but was later allowed to return and stay with his men in the PSSR Camp in Fort Bonifacio. While in the camp, junior officers of the PSRR asked Brawner that they wanted to go to Camp Crame to join the other PMA officers in the RamosEnrile camp. Brawner did not stop the officers but told them: “If you want to go to Crame, you can go but you have to leave your firearms.” Only one officer and a handful of reserve men stayed with Brawner in the camp. The general told his men that he had only one order which is for them not to leave the PSRR camp. “In other words, whatever order they tell me to leave the camp, I will say no, “Brawner said. Major General Rodolfo Canieso, acting as emissary of Ramos and Enrile, then visited General Brawner in the camp to ask about the situation and to know about the next move. Brawner told Canieso: “Sir, please go home. Nothing will happen. I will not send out my troops. My troops will remain here. You can tell that to Sec. Fidel Ramos and Mr. Enrile.” Early morning the following day, Canieso called Fidel V. Ramos and Juan Ponce Enrile and gave the phone to Brawner. The two talked to him on the phone, one after the other. Brawner assured Ramos: “Sir, I told you. There is no problem. The troops will not move. The troops will not strike.” Brawner told Enrile the same message to which he replied: “Don’t worry, Felix. After this, I will bring you to Cory.” It never happened. Brig. Gen Felix Brawner Jr is now retired, enjoying the quiet, happy life of a good soldier, having served his country with loyalty, courage and honor.

FIRST FILIPINO JUSTICE OF THE PEACE IN CANADA RETIRES

EVERYMAN By Sylvia Europa-Pinca THE first Filipino to be appointed Justice of the Peace in Toronto, Canada, and who worked in the downtown and Scarborough courts handling cases for 25 years, exits the majestic doors of the courts he has served this February 2020. Canadian Justices of the Peace are given until they are 75 years old to serve in the Canadian government. Since he enjoyed his job as magistrate, he has maxed out his retirement age and will say goodbye to his colleagues and friends this February 2020 just before his 75th birthday on May 22, 2020. This Justice of the Peace who lived his life in Toronto, Ontario happens to be my oldest brother, Delano V. Europa. Our father got his first name from the great American President Delano Roosevelt. My husband Ric Pinca and I were in Ontario for a short vacation last November and we requested to watch the proceedings of his court. It was our opportunity to watch this man we admired so much. Entering the court was a breeze as my brother advised the Caucasian guards that his family from the Philippines was coming. The guards were supposed to examine our bags and us as a whole but I heard a guard say “they are the family of his worship Delano Europa.” But Justice of the Peace Europa recounts those days when he was a

new immigrant in Canada. He was already a lawyer in the Philippines and Municipal Judge but he started at the bottom in Canada, so to speak, in a chocolate factory where he had to mix a cauldron of boiling hot chocolate with other blue collar workers. He recounts: “The foreman was not happy with my work and he said look at that man over there, he did not go to school but he does a better work than you.” And my brother retorted: “That is why I went to school, so I get a better job.” In Canada you have to have a job experience before you can get in “the higher workforce.” So my brother transferred to being a park attendant where he studied languages and to studied law subjects at night to add to his Philippine law experience. He had to study law and take up the bar in Toronto to qualify as a lawyer there. Fortunately, he passed the bar exams of Toronto. He worked as a lawyer and later as Justice of the Peace in the downtown Toronto court where there were a lot of cases. Yes, he is addressed as His Worship in a court dominated by whites. We had a wonderful time watching him at work in a Scarborough court populated by lawyers, prosecutors and stenographers. He presided over bail cases in a long black robe with a silky shirt inside. People stood up and bowed when he entered the court and called him His Worship. It was

a very formal proceeding with very quiet surroundings. Police was in every corner guarding the court. The prosecutor and lawyers stayed on the last table next to the audience. The next table was occupied by stenographers taking notes and Justice Europa stayed in a throne-like stage. In all the court discussions, Europa, the Justice of the Peace gets to say the last word. As the court opened, the name of the person going to be arraigned was announced by the police. The handcuffs of the prisoner were unlocked when he entered the glass structure that separated him from the rest of humanity. There was human drama in the courtroom. Dignified, well-poised parents came to rescue their children from prison. A professor from the University of Toronto and his equally sedate wife calmly listened to the prosecutor as he narrated how their son went through the streets of Toronto, driving under the influence (DUI) of liquor. A young man in his 20s, his parents willingly paid for his bail that Justice of the Peace Europa required which was CDN$ 1,000 dollars. If the son commits the same crime, the bail money gets forfeited and the son returns to jail. The freed son quietly approached his parents and hugged his parents as a way of saying thanks. Next in line was a 35-year-old

man who was brought to court and his handcuffs were unlocked when he entered the glass structure. His crime was shoplifting and he had done it several times. When his mother was called, she refused to post bail as she was admonished to see to it that her son did not do it again. The mother said she could not possibly restrain him from his shoplifting as he was an adult and that he did not live with them anymore. The prosecutor recommended no bail and Justice of the Peace Europa agreed with him. The son pleaded with his parents saying he had no one else but them who can save him from prison. The parents turned their backs and left the room. These are some of the things we saw in my brother’s court in Canada. My husband and I were elated to see him make wise decisions. What this meant to us was that we saw a member of our family in a good position in Canadian society. He is the first Filipino justice of the peace who was appointed in Toronto. His daughter and son-inlaw are also doing good. Seeing all these, we are very happy for them, and makes us believe that the Filipino can make the best of life where ever he is. The author is a former president of Europa Public Relations. She is now retired.

Manny Salvacion is a freelance writer working for various publication. He took up English Literature and is currently writing the biography of B/Gen Felix Brawner Jr. The article is part of a chapter in the biography.

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SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2020 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

UK SET TO ISSUE BLUE POST-BREXIT PASSPORTS LONDON—Britain will issue blue passports next month for the first time in almost three decades following its departure from the European Union, the government said on Saturday. The new blue cover passports will be issued and delivered early next month, said the interior ministry, replacing the burgundy passports that were introduced in 1988. They are ironically being made in Poland after the contract was controversially awarded to French multinational Thales. “Leaving the European Union gave us a unique opportunity to restore our national identity and forge a new path in the world,” said interior minister Priti Patel. “By returning to the iconic blue and gold design, the British passport will once again be entwined with our national identity and I cannot wait to travel on one,” she added. The issue became another battleground of the Brexit war after the government announced in 2017 it would return to traditional blue passports “to restore national identity”. The loss of the blue cover was much lamented by some when it was replaced with a burgundy one in line with most other EU nations. The colour change is a return to the original appearance of the British passport, with the colour first used in 1921. AFP

Cesar Barrioquinto, Editor / Jimbo Gulle, Issue Editor

SANDERS WARNS RUSSIA, TRUMP NIXES ‘MEDDLING’

ASHINGTON—Bernie Sanders on Friday warned Russia not to meddle in the Democratic presidential race, as Donald Trump angrily dismissed assertions that Moscow was again seeking to boost his election chances.

Trump has come under fresh fire for removing US intelligence chief Joseph Maguire, replacing him with a loyal partisan with no direct experience in the field, days after Maguire’s staff told lawmakers that Russia was again interfering in a US election to support Trump. Sanders, a self-described socialist who is leading the race for the Democratic nomination to challenge Trump in November, told reporters that US officials briefed him “about a month ago” of efforts to interfere in the 2020 race.

“Unlike Donald Trump, I do not consider (Russian President) Vladimir Putin a good friend. He is an autocratic thug who is attempting to destroy democracy and crush dissent in Russia,” Sanders said in a statement. “I don’t care, frankly, who Putin wants to be president,” he added. “My message to Putin is clear: stay out of American elections, and as president I will make sure that you do.” His comments came moments after The Washington Post reported that US intelligence told Sanders that Russia was seeking to help his campaign. The form of assistance was unclear but Sanders has suggested that Russia could be behind belligerent online remarks by his professed supporters that have drawn condemnation from other candidates. “They’re trying to cause chaos, they’re trying to cause hatred in America,” Sanders told reporters in California. An exhaustive report by former FBI chief Robert Mueller found that Russia backed Trump’s 2016 campaign, including by manipulating social media, but did not find that the campaign

colluded with Moscow. Trump has showed irritation at any suggestions he won because of Russia. Speaking at a rally in Las Vegas, Trump said he had heard a “rumor” that “Putin wants to make sure I get elected.” “Wouldn’t he rather have, let’s say, Bernie?” he said. He earlier tweeted that accounts of Russian support were a “hoax” and “misinformation campaign” by Democrats “who still have been unable to, after two weeks, count their votes in Iowa,” which held the first contest among candidates. In Moscow, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the allegations were “like the usual paranoid announcements, which unfortunately will multiply as we get closer to the election.” “Of course, they have nothing to do with the truth,” he said. President Vladimir Putin, however, acknowledged when he met Trump in July 2018 that he supported the populist billionaire’s campaign, seeing him as friendlier to Moscow than rival Hillary Clinton. AFP

BLOOMBERG RAPS TRUMP WITH ‘CHEAT’ BILLBOARD

TRUDEAU ASKS I.P. GROUPS TO END RAIL BLOCKADES OTTAWA—Crippling blockades of key Canadian rail arteries “must now come down,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Friday, acknowledging that attempts at dialogue to end two weeks of indigenous protests had failed. “The situation as it currently stands is unacceptable and untenable,” Trudeau told a press conference in Ottawa, adding that “Canadians have been patient. Our government has been patient. But it has been two weeks.” “The barricades must now come down. The injunctions (against protesters) must be obeyed and the law must be upheld,” he said, opening the door to police moving in to clear the blockades. What had started as a localized protest by members of the Wet’suwet’en tribe opposed to a natural-gas pipeline in British Columbia quickly spread across the country as others joined efforts to “shut down Canada.” A blockade by Mohawks on a major rail line east of Toronto forced the continent’s third largest railway, Canadian National Railway (CN), to shut down operations in eastern Canada. And the Canadian Chamber of Commerce warned that “essential supplies like grain for livestock, oxygen for hospitals and propane for residential heating” would soon be depleted. Trudeau has made reconciliation with indigenous peoples a priority. But the disruptions to rail traffic—the backbone of Canada’s transportation infrastructure, moving more than Can$250 billion ($190 billion) in goods annually—has in just two weeks led to supply shortages and thousands of temporary layoffs.

TWITTER SUSPENDS 70 PRO-BLOOMBERG USERS OVER RULES SAN FRANCISCO—Twitter said Friday it suspended 70 accounts for spam-like posts supporting Democratic presidential hopeful Michael Bloomberg, whose campaign has hired hundreds of people to promote him on social media. “We have taken enforcement action on a group of accounts for violating our rules against platform manipulation and spam,” a spokesperson for the platform said. Some of the accounts are now banned while others can be re-authorized once the users behind them verify they are in control, Twitter said. The Wall Street Journal revealed Wednesday that the billionaire former New York mayor has hired around 500 people in California at $2,500 a month to regularly post messages supporting him on social media and to send text messages to their friends. The technique blurs the lines between political advertisement and promotion by ordinary activists on social media networks, which are grappling with how to handle political content and prevent abuse. Twitter prohibits sending identical tweets from multiple accounts, as is often the case with spam, and “coordinating with or compensating others to engage in artificial engagement or amplification.” It also bans creating “fake” engagement with “duplicative” content. The policies were triggered by Russiabacked accounts used in an effort to sway the outcome of the US presidential race in 2016. AFP

FRONTRUNNER. Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders waves to supporters at a campaign rally on February 21 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Nevada Democratic presidential caucus will be held February 22. AFP

ERDOGAN TO PUTIN: RESTRAIN SYRIA REGIME IN IDLIB ANKARA—Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday urged his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to halt the Syrian regime’s offensive in northwest Syria as France called for an urgent summit with those leaders to end the bloodshed and humanitarian crisis. Russian air strikes in the northwestern province of Idlib are bolstering a months-long Syrian government onslaught that has forced nearly one million civilians to flee—the biggest displacement of the nine-year conflict. “The president during the call stressed that the regime should be restrained in Idlib and that the humanitarian crisis must be stopped,” the Turkish presidency said in a statement after the two leaders spoke by phone. Putin, for his part, told Erdogan that he was “seriously concerned” by the “aggressive actions” of jihadists in Syria’s Idlib region. In their call, Putin and Erdogan agreed

to “intensify bilateral consultations on Idlib with the aim of reducing tensions, guaranteeing a ceasefire and neutralising the terrorist threat”, the Kremlin said in a statement. Erdogan told Putin the solution was to return to the Sochi agreement they signed in 2018, which allowed Turkey to establish military posts across Idlib designed to prevent a regime assault. That deal has been increasingly set aside as Syrian forces advance steadily into the region. Turkey, which backs some rebel groups in the province, has lost 16 military personnel this month in clashes with Syrian troops. It has reinforced its positions and called on President Bashar al-Assad to pull his forces back. In Brussels, French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday called for a summit on Syria “as soon as possible” with the leaders of Germany, Russia and Turkey. Speaking on the sidelines of an EU

budget summit, Macron said the Syrian offensive “risked provoking a humanitarian catastrophe, an escalation of the conflict and a migration crisis.” In 2015, EU countries split sharply over how to cope with their worst migration crisis since World War II when around a million people, most of them fleeing Syria, entered the bloc. Turkey meanwhile is determined to prevent a fresh influx of displaced people adding to the 3.6 million Syrian refugees it already hosts. With Ankara threatening an “imminent” operation against the Syrian regime, Defence Minister Hulusi Akar inspected troops gathered at the Syrian border on Friday. Erdogan spoke of establishing a “safe zone” to provide shelter and support to fleeing civilians facing harsh winter conditions, adding that Turkish organisations were already building structures in the area. AFP

LAS VEGAS—Democratic White House hopeful Michael Bloomberg mocked Donald Trump with a giant billboard on the Las Vegas Strip on Friday, fueling their feud as the US president visits the city for a rally. “Donald Trump lost the popular vote,” read one slogan on the world-famous street lined with casinos, while another read “Donald Trump’s wall fell over.” The giant digital billboard is just two miles (three kilometers) down the Strip from Trump’s own hotel, where the president is staying while in Las Vegas. Bloomberg is vying for the Democratic nomination to take on Trump at November’s election, and has focused his fire on the president rather than candidates from his own party. When Bloomberg did face fellow Democrats at a Las Vegas debate on Wednesday, Trump was quick to crow: “Worst debate performance in history!” Perhaps inevitably in a row between billionaires, golf was also a theme of the billboards —“Donald Trump cheats at golf,” read a third sign. “A lot of people cheat at golf, it’s probably true,” said Gerry Frenze, a transport company owner from Delaware who was in town for a convention Friday. “But I don’t like the idea (Bloomberg) can buy his way into office.” His wife, Kim Corrigan, had little sympathy for Trump. “Trump makes you want to attack him,” she said. “I don’t like (Bloomberg) doing that. But Trump started it. The way he operates cheapens everyone.” The attack comes on the eve of Nevada’s key vote in the race for the Democratic nomination, with media from around the world in town. Another passerby who did not wanted to be named simply shrugged:“He’s got the money.”AFP

DALAI LAMA MARKS 80 YEARS AS TIBET’S SPIRITUAL LEADER

SHELL GAME. Syrian father Abdullah al-Mohammed whispers in the ear of his three-year-old daughter Salwa at their home in Sarmada, a town in Syria’s last rebel pocket in the Idlib province, which Russian-backed Syrian regime forces are trying to crush on February 19. In Syria’s Idlib, there’s no escaping the war, so Abdullah alMohammed says the only way he found to reassure his daughter Salwa was to turn the shelling into a game. AFP

NEW DELHI—The Dalai Lama on Saturday marked the 80th anniversary of his enthronement as the spiritual leader of Tibet, a position held almost entirely in exile and as a target of constant vilification by the Chinese state. Hundreds of miles from Lhasa’s imposing 1,000-room Potala Palace, the sandal-wearing monk now ministers to his fellow Tibetan exiles from Dharamsala in the foothills of the Indian Himalaya. He remains the universally recognised face of the movement for Tibetan autonomy, but the global spotlight he enjoyed after winning the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989 has dimmed and the deluge of invitations to hobnob with world leaders and Hollywood stars has slowed. Partly because the ageing leader has cut back on his punishing travel schedule, but also due to China’s growing economic and political clout. Beijing accuses the 84-year-old Dalai Lama of wanting to split China, and

regularly refers to him as a “wolf in a monk’s robe”. His office said there would be no commemoration of the anniversary and a teaching event scheduled for March— that usually would attract devotees from across the world —has been cancelled over coronavirus fears. Born into a peasant family in the Tibetan village of Taksar on July 6, 1935, he was identified as the incarnation of Tibetan Buddhism’s supreme religious leader at the age of two after picking out objects that belonged to his predecessor. He was given the name Jetsun Jamphel Ngawang Lobsang Yeshe Tenzin Gyatso— Holy Lord, Gentle Glory, Compassionate Defender of the Faith and Ocean of Wisdom—and two years later arrived in Lhasa where he was formally enthroned as the 14th Dalai Lama. In 1950, aged 15, he was hastily enthroned as head of state after the Chinese army invaded Tibet. AFP

Images

EVENING VIGIL. Supporters and employees of ABS-CBN, the country’s largest broadcast network,

hold candles as they join a protest in front of the ABS-CBN building in Manila on Feb. 21. Philippines’ government lawyers moved on Feb. 10 to strip the nation’s biggest media group of its operating franchise in what campaigners branded a fresh attack on press freedom under President Rodrigo Duterte. AFP

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2020 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

RUN FOR A CAUSE. Masked fraternity students from the University of the Philippines pose during the ‘Oblation Run’ or their traditional naked run at the Arts and Sciences building in Manila on Feb. 21. The group of students called on the youth to act on the issues of climate change. AFP

PHOTOS OF THE WEEK

FINALLY OUT. A passenger disembarks from the Diamond Princess cruise ship—in quarantine due to fears of the new COVID-19 coronavirus—at the Daikoku Pier Cruise Terminal in Yokohama on Feb. 19. Relieved passengers began leaving a coronavirus-wracked cruise ship in Japan on Feb. 19 after testing negative for the disease that has now claimed more than 2,000 lives in China. AFP

CLOWNING AROUND.

Revellers celebrate the Women’s Carnival Day in Cologne, western Germany on Feb. 20. The festivities begin with ‘Weiberfastnacht,’ a raucous street party in which women snip off men’s ties and dress up like clowns—with one huge clown float made to look like US President Donald Trump. AFP

VENICE CARNIVAL.

A woman wearing a mask and a period costume takes part in the Venice Carnival on Feb. 15. AFP

Sports SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2020

Riera U. Mallari, Editor sports_mstandard@yahoo.com

7ELEVEN RIDERS: WE ALWAYS AIM FOR THE BEST By Peter Atencio

ORSOGON City—Just like last year, Team 7Eleven Cliqq-Air21 is hoping to make a dent again in the 10-stage LBC Ronda Pilipinas 10th anniversary race, which reels off today Rampolas Blvd. here.

Team 7Eleven Cliqq-Air21 team manager Rick Rodriguez is upbeat that the whole team will be able to come up with decent finishes again. “The team has always done well. And we always aim for the best.”

But this time, veteran rider Mark Galedo returns after a fiveyear absence with new teammates backing him up. And team manager Rick Rodriguez is upbeat that the whole team will be able to come up with decent finishes again. “The team has always done well. And we always aim for the best,” said Rodriguez at the end of the day’s practice run. Galedo is among five former champions who are around, along with two-time winners Jan Paul Morales of Standard Insurance-Navy and Santy Barnachea of Scratch it. Reimon Lapaza (2014) is riding with Celeste Cycles. The Navymen will be supporting Morales, who won it in 2016 and 2017 and is hoping to leave his mark with Barnachea, who took the inaugural winner in 2011 and ruled 2015. Rain which has been pouring intermittently for the last two days, has almost died down on the eve of Stage 1, a counterclockwise 137-km out-and-back chase around the mostly flat roads in the southernmost province of Luzon. Riders first head south and go on for 115 kms to Juban, before making a turn north after coasting around south of the Bulusan Volcano area. There are many contenders in the tour, including former Le Tour champion El Joshua Carino, Junrey Navarra and George Oconer of Standard Insurance, and Marcelo Felipe, the best Filipino finisher in last year’s staging. Meanwhile, LBC Ronda Pilipinas chairman Moe Chulani said Lingayen will not be in the race route anymore. Instead, Stage 6 will now be a Tarlac-to-Tarlac lap on Feb. 29, while Stage 7 is now from Tarlac to Palayan City, Nueva Ecija on March 1.

STATE-OF-THE-ART EQUIPMENT FOR WORLD-CLASS FILIPINO BALLERS By Arman Armero BECAUSE the game of basketball has increasingly becoming global, Fiberkinetics, a Filipino-owned company, has taken a giant step to revolutionize the way Filipinos ballers play. But what is Fiberkinetics and how does it help Filipino ballers approach the game? Fiberkinetics is a company that specializes in importation and manufacture of institutional-grade basketball goal system, including lights, flooring, timing and digital scoreboards. From its original brand called Fibertech in 1994, the company has rebranded itself to Fiberkinetics in 2011. Fiberkinetics had since improved its product line and even expanded to other sports, notably volleyball, where there is a big demand for highgrade posts and flooring system. According to Ian Navarroza, Sales and Marketing manager of Fiberkinetics, since 1994, the company has installed more than 600 goal systems all over

the country, and is continuously looking to partner with learning institutions, commercial courts, private courts, and government facilities nationwide, even down to the barangay level. In recent years, Fibertech has shifted its focus in providing equipment for three-point shootouts and 3x3 streetball tournaments. Navarozza said the shift to a halfcourt system has its advantages, since it’s easier to set up the

goal system in a more controlled environment. ”This has become one of the company’s goals, because through 3x3 tournaments, there is a bigger space for aspiring players to showcase their talents,” said Navarozza. He added that Fiberkinetics’ foray to 3x3 tournaments is timely, since the sports has gained traction from the International Olympic Committee and FIBA, the world governing body for basketball. “I think Filipino ballers have a more than even chance of making it to the top of 3x3 basketball. After all, this was how most young Filipinos started to learn and play the game,” Navarozza said. Needless to say, Fiberkinetics’ goal system could play a big part in inspiring Filipino ballers to play their best, because they are assured of a fail-safe, state-of-the-art and worryfree playing environment. “Our goal system and equipment, from basketball rims, goal posts, timing, scoring, flooring and chairs have been approved by FIBA and are designed to boost the players’optimum skills,” Navarozza said.

SOUTHWOODS SENIORS DEFEND FOUNDERS PAL TITLE

MANILA Southwoods eyes an encore win in the Founders division of the 34th Philippine Airlines Seniors Interclub golf team championships set Feb. 26 to 29 in Bacolod City. “We hope to duplicate our performance last year,” said Southwoods captain Freddie Mendoza who is fielding nearly the same lineup that gave them a 12-point victory over Valley in Cebu City. Theody Pascual, who led the team in scoring, will be back along with Thirdy Escano, Ryan Abdon, Alexander Ignacio, Jose Roy III, Danny Samaniego and John Bayani Fontanilla III. Rading Decipeda is the team’s newest member, replacing Bong Sison.

Mendoza said competition in the second-tier division is keen and expects an exciting contest among Valley, Riviera and host Negros Occidental. Last year, Southwoods held a precarious one-point lead over Riviera going into the final round before sparkling with a closing 143 points. Riviera was beaten to second place by Valley. Mendoza said they are still two years away from competing against the likes of Luisita and Canlubang in the premier championship division. “By that time Junjun (Plana) and Vince (Lauron) would be available,” he said. The annual PAL Interclub event, hosted by national flag carrier Philippine Airlines, is backed

by platinum sponsors Asian Air Safari, Vanguard Radio Network, Fox Networks Group, and Radio Mindanao Network Inc. Major sponsors include The Boeing Company, University of Mindanao Broadcasting Network, Avolon Aerospace Singapore Pte Ltd, Rolls Royce, Manila Broadcasting Company, Primax Broadcasting, RollsRoyce Singapore Pte Ltd, and CIGNAL TV Inc. Other supporters are Uniglobe Travelware Co., Inc. (The Travel Club), Philippine Manila Standard Publishing Inc. (Manila Standard), Officine Corporation, GE Aviation, SEDA Hotels, BDO Unibank, Smart Communications, Inc., People Asia Magazine, A+E Networks Asia (History), and Allianz PNB Life.

PADILLA OUT TO SUSTAIN TENNIS RUN JUDY Ann Padilla sets out for another two-title romp while Sydney Enriquez seeks to dominate the premier side in the PPS-PEPP Mayor Labadlabad National age group tournament, which got going Saturday at the Sindangan Tennis Courts in Sindangan, Zamboanga del Norte. Padilla, 14, trampled her rivals with superb all-around game to fashion out a pair of straight-set victories, including in the 16-and-under division of the Group 2 tournament in Ozamiz City last week, making the rising Ozamiz City star the top bet in the second leg of the Mindanao swing of the country’s longest-running talent-search. She is also entered in the 18-U section but from where she will have her hands full against a slew of older, talented rivals, led the fancied local star Enriquez, who is tipped to roll to another victory the way she did in Ozamiz. Tukuran, Zambo del Sur’s Eric Tangub, meanwhile, braces for a fierce challenge in the boys’ centerpiece division, drawing tough rivals in Al Dree Pan, Russel Daarol and Brent Cortez, the last two also headlining the 16-U cast that includes Chris Sonsona and Neo Maratas from Dipolog City. Maratas, on the other hand, gains the top seeding in the 14-U class with Penshoppe Erquita, Andre Omos and Miggy Omos also expected to contend for the crown in the fiveday event put up by Palawan Pawnshop-Palawan Express Pera Padala headed by president/CEO Bobby Castro and sponsored by Mayor Rosendo Labadlabad with Sindangan Tennis Club as host. “Mindanao has such a wide base of (tennis) talents and with the support that we’ve been getting from various LGUs, we will continue to hold tournaments here in search of young, promising players waiting to be tapped and developed,” said Castro. Pete Bandala also shoots for a “twinkill” as the top bet in the 10-unisex and 12-U divisions while local bet Marlyn Mesiona guns for the girls’ 12-U crown in the event sanctioned by the Unified Tennis Philippines made up of PPSPEPP, Cebuana Lhuillier, Wilson, Toby’s, Dunlop, Slazenger and B-Meg. Meanwhile listup is ongoing for the next three tournaments, including the Liloy stop, also in Zambo del Norte, on Feb. 27-March 2, the Molave leg in Zambo del Sur on March 5-9 and the Maranding event in Lanao del Norte on March 12-16. For details, call PPS-PEPP Sports Program Development director Bobby Mangunay at 0915-4046464.

SOUTHEAST ASIA’S 1ST STAR WARS VIRTUAL RUN SET MAY 4 THE battle between the light and dark side of the Force is upon us. STAR WARS fans, prepare to choose your side and join the Force in Southeast Asia’s first-ever STAR WARS Virtual Run. Registration is now open and interested participants can clock-in their run distance from May the 4th—a date derived from the iconic phrase “May the Force Be With You”±in celebration of the STAR WARS Day. Excitingly, this year also marks the 40th Anniversary of Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back and runners will receive a commemorative Finisher

Trophy upon completion of the virtual run. Limited edition merchandise will also be available for STAR WARS fans to purchase. In collaboration with LIV3LY, Southeast Asia’s leading Social Fitness App, the STAR WARS Virtual Run is open to fans and runners from Philippines, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam. Runners can pledge their allegiance to their chosen side—light or dark—and fight in the galaxy’s most epic virtual run on treadmills or any running path they choose. Runners may opt to run solo in the

5.4km (Individual) or pair up with a friend in the 40km (Individual or Group of Two) where the distances can be completed all at once or over a period of time. Runners will have to complete the distance by 31 May 2020 in order to be eligible for the Finisher Trophies. Finishers of the 40km distance will receive an additional The Empire Strikes Back 40th Anniversary Trophy. Registration can be done through the MOVE by LIV3LY app, which is available for download on App Store and Google Play. Participants will have to activate the MOVE Run Tracker in the app before they are able record their dis-

tances from 4 May to 31 May. Limited edition merchandise will also be available for purchase through the app including a STAR WARS Pass Holder and Mobile Phone Stand. The merchandise on sale will be exclusive to Southeast Asia and available in limited quantity only. Upon completion and verification by LIV3LY, the Finisher Trophy and any purchased merchandise will be sent to the registered address of the participants. For more details on the STAR WARS Virtual Run 2020 and registration information, please visit starwarsvirtualrunsea. liv3ly.com.

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2020

Business

Ray S. Eñano, Editor / Roderick dela Cruz, Issue Editor business@manilastandard.net

CEO STARTS BUSINESS WITH P2,500 IN CAPITAL L

EO Ortiz, the founder and CEO of Rising Dragon Beauty & Wellness Trading Corp., recalls that he started his business with just P2,500 in initial capital. Today, the 33-year-old serial entrepreneur directly employs 50 and indirectly supports hundreds more in various businesses such as beauty and wellness products, skin care services and restaurant and resort management.

“I started with P2,500 in capital as a reseller of contact lens. With God’s guidance, together with hard work and perseverance, I was able to grow it. With P2,500, you may also achieve bigger dreams and goals in the future,” Ortiz advises other millennials who want to go into business. R i s i n g D r a g o n Tr a d i n g, a Mandaluyong City-based company which Ortiz named after his role models, is the company behind FDAapproved Glutalipo—a slimming and whitening drink in juice, milk tea and coffee variants. Ortiz recently tapped actress Beauty GonzalesCrisologo as a brand ambassador. “Glutalipo was approved by FDA in 2017 and 2018. Definitely, it is safe to use, safe to take and safe to drink,” says Ortiz who is a nursing graduate. He says the product was formulated with 12 active ingredients that have health benefits such as Garcinia combogia, Gluthathione, L-Carnitine, green tea, collagen, grape seed extract, mangosteen, goji berry, barley grass, malunggay, ampalaya, and lemon or coffee. Ortiz says the benefits of the product include weight loss, fairer skin, colon cancer prevention, cleansing and detoxification. “Coffee itself is a good antioxidant beverage, but consumers still look for additional benefits. We are very happy to share this product because aside from the anti-oxidant benefits of coffee, Glutalipo also has other ingredients minerals and vitamins that help make you healthy,” he says. “It also has detox effect which other coffee products do not have. It cleanses the toxins from the colon. It also increases metabolism. It uses stevia, instead of refined table sugar, to make sure that the taste is delicious and healthy. With this coffee, we make sure that the caffeine is just enough, but not to the point that will cause palpitation and other side effects,” says Ortiz.

Rising Dragon Beauty & Wellness Trading Corp. founder and CEO Leo Ortiz

Ortiz says the personal challenges he faced in his own weight loss journey led to the conceptualization of Glutalipo product line. Rising Dragon Trading has an agreement with a toll manufacturer that produces the products according to Ortiz’s instructions and specifications. “We sell around 120,000 to 150,000 boxes each month. We have distribution franchisees and distributors who get the products from us wholesale. The suggested retail price for every box is P300 to P350,” says Ortiz. He says his goal is to further increase their sales this year. “The reason we are getting many influencers and brand ambassadors is that we are hoping to sell around 200,000 to 300,000 boxes monthly before end of the year,” he says. “Hopefully, we can achieve it with God’s grace and with the help of our brand ambassadors.” Ortiz, who was born in the lakeside barangay of Bucal in Calamba, is also about to open a second hot spring resort called Kai in March. He says his first resort, The Oia-Santorini, is doing well. His other businesses are Elite Contact Lens, Gluta Spa and Beauty Vault which he hopes to support with more aggressive marketing campaign in the coming months. Ortiz says other entrepreneurs, some much younger than he is, are also thriving in the online distribution industry. “We have colleagues and business owners who are only 23 years old and who earn more,” he says. He says the secret to success lies in one’s resolve to accomplish his or her dream. “For

as long you know your goal, your dreams and whom you would like to share them with, you should persevere and not give up amid the challenges and problems, until you achieve them,” says Ortiz. “For those who would like to establish their own business and provide for their families, you should not hesitate and be discouraged by challenges. I met a lot of challenges along the way, and even struggled at times, but I did not give up,” he says. Ortiz recalls that when he could not immediately find a job in 2010 despite graduating cum laude as a nurse, he used his spare time to work for Nu Skin, a network marketing company that distributes personal care products. He also sold affordable contact lenses to fellow millennials online. He says what he learned from marketing is priceless. He eventually went beyond marketing, built his own brands and established toll manufacturing agreements with other producers. Now, he has a network of franchisees, distributors and resellers who sell his products in the Philippines and other countries. “Although I still miss being a nurse, I have no regrets because I was able to achieve the dreams that I have for my family and myself,” says Ortiz. “As long as you have courage and determination, you can sur vive the challenges. With P2,000 or P2,500 in capital, you can own a business. Don’t be discouraged. Pursue your dream until you achieve it,” he says. Roderick T. dela Cruz

UK ENGINEERING INSTITUTION RECOGNIZES MAPÚA’S PROGRAM THE prestigious Institution of Civil Engineers of the United Kingdom recognized the civil engineering program of Mapúa University. ICE is an independent professional association for civil engineers in the UK. It is based in London and has over 92,000 members, of whom three quarters are located in the UK, while the rest are located in more than 150 other countries. With ICE’s recognition, Mapúa’s civil engineering graduates will no longer need to apply for an academic assessment to gain an ICE professional qualification. Recognition is given to civil engineering degrees accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of the US-based ABET, ensuring graduates of the programs their global professional qualification. Mapúa’s civil engineering program is identified by ICE as one that fully satisfies the educational base for an Incorporated Engineer and partially satisfies the educational base for a Chartered Engineer. Professional registration as Incorporated Engineer or Chartered Engineer demonstrates that graduates have the expertise and commitment to their profession,

which meets the UK standard for professional engineering competence. Incorporated Engineers, where Mapúa civil engineering graduates now qualify, maintain and manage applications for c u r re n t a n d d e ve l o p i n g te c h n o l o g y, and may undertake engineering design, development, manufacture, construction, and operation. Chartered Engineers, on the other hand, develop solutions to engineering problems using new or existing technologies through innovation, creativity and change, and may have technical accountability for complex systems with significant levels of risk. CEng is the higher qualification between the two and carries slightly better package of benefits and work opportunities than the IEng. A program of Further Learning is required for a Mapúa graduate to complete the educational base for CEng. ICE also offers free membership to students of its recognized engineering institutions. Mapúans can enjoy unlimited access to engineering learning resources after signing up, including ICE’s online Infrastructure

Learning Hub, which enables them to gain more knowledge about civil engineering, innovation, and development through recorded lectures, webinars and case studies. The ICE got their Royal Charter in 1828. In 1975, the institution was named the leading institution for the civil engineering profession in the UK. In October 2018, Mapúa University earned a spot in Rank 401-450 of the 2019 Quacquarelli Symonds Asia University Rankings. To date, the university has the most number of ABET-accredited programs in a single campus with 11 programs accredited by ABET’s Engineering Accreditation Commission and three programs accredited by ABET’s Computing Accreditation Commission. Mapúa also holds the most number of engineering programs that are declared by the Commission on Higher Education as centers of excellence in the country. The new recognition from UK’s ICE is a testament to the university’s commitment to injecting the global standards in its education, breeding graduates of high-caliber ready for their world of practice.

CEBUANA LHUILLIER GETS GOLD AWARD FROM US INSTITUTE CEBUANA Lhuillier has received the 2019 International Service Excellence Award from the Customer Service Institute of America (CSIA). This is the third gold certification that the country’s largest microfinancial services provider has received from CSIA—an organization which monitors and evaluates companies based on the world’s most recognized international customer service standards. Cebuana Lhuillier bested other organizations around the world for the recognition in the large business category as it garnered a score of 9.22, the highest in the history of the International Customer Service Standard certification audit. “We are extremely impressed with the innovations with regard Cebuana Lhuillier president and CEO Jean Henri Lhuillier with the 2019 International to the products and serService Excellence Award vice support for customers that they have put in place and their score reflects that,” said Christine Churchill Burke, CSIA founder and CEO. “Having earned the highest score in the history of the ICSS is a manifestation of our unrelenting desire to provide our clients with only the best service they could get from a financial services company like Cebuana Lhuillier,” said Jean Henri Lhuillier, Cebuana Lhuillier president and CEO. “This is indeed a wonderful way to kick off 2020, and I am proud of what we have become over the years. I am grateful that we are being recognized internationally year after year for our efforts to ensure that our customer service stays relevant, innovative and worldclass,” Lhuillier said. Guided by its vision of empowering more Filipinos to have access to financial solutions, Cebuana Lhuillier has grown to become one of the country’s formidable financial services companies. It has expanded to 2,500 branches and 4,000 partner outlets nationwide, and 1.5 million combined physical and virtual touch points worldwide since it opened its first branch in Manila more than 30 years ago.

Business

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2020 business@manilastandard.net

IN BRIEF

MONDELEZ PH JOINS ZERO WASTE CAMPAIGN

STALDER LAUNCHES RESELLER PROGRAM

OWNING a business at minimum cost and low risk, flexible earning opportunities, flexible schedule, personal growth, mentorship and working from home are just some of the benefits of being a dS Diana Stalder Mompreneur reseller. Mompreneurship is coin for motherentrepreneurs who desire to achieve work and life balance by blending the role of a mother and business owners, thus prioritizing family work together with professional work on a full-time basis. Many new mothers see raising children and growing a family as a full-time job. But more and more mothers are inspired to take on a full-time job by raising children while running a business all at the same time. Dina dela Paz Stalder, president and CEO of dS Diana, supports empowering mothers through entrepreneurship. She knows very well that juggling motherhood while running a business and be great at both is women empowerment. “If you’re already a mompreneur or planning to become one and hoping to make the most out of your past experience and skills, dS Diana Stalder Mompreneur Reseller Program is ready to answer all your queries,” she says.

PDA OBSERVES 16TH DENTAL HEALTH MONTH

THE Philippine Dental Association is observing the 16th National Dental Health Month with a series of activities that started in January and will culminate with the HIV Forum on March 10 at the Muntinlupa Sports Complex, the World Oral Health Day on March 20 at the Pinaglabanan Elementary School in San Juan City and a badminton event on March 22 at the Power Up Centro Atletico, North Road, Cubao, Quezon City. With the theme “Unite for Mouth Health” which aims to strengthen the PDA’s advocacy for “Sugar Away Iwas Tooth Decay” and “Tooth Decay Hindi Okay”, the NDHM kick off was spearheaded by PDA president Dr. Stephen Almonte on Jan. 26 at the Quirino Granstand in Rizal Park with Aqua Run for Oral Health which conveys the message to the public that water is the best drink as opposed to sugar sweetened beverages. Other activities included zumba marathon, chant for smiles, billboard unveiling and interschool hiphop competition. The Mindanao kick-off was held on Feb. 9 in Dipolog City and while the Visayas kick-off was held on Feb. 16 in Cebu. Other activities were open house at the PDA Building in Makati City on Feb. 2; National Toothbrushing Day at the Bonifacio and the Katipunan Revolution Monument in Ermita, Manila on Feb. 3; Indigency Clinic on Feb. 4, 6, 11, 13, 18 and 20; Feast of St. Apolonia (patron saint of dentists) at the Sta. Cruz Parish Church in Manila on Feb. 10 and PWD program which involved giving out of oral health care materials in Braille and handwash facilities at the Philippine National School for the Blind in Pasay City on Feb. 12. PDA also held dart, billiard and bowling tournaments at Starmall in Mandaluyong City on Feb. 23 and a public health forum on Feb. 26.

PALAWAN FARM EYES DAIRY PRODUCTION

YAMANG Bukid Farm, one of Palawan’s most visited tourism destinations, is embarking on dairy production to help improve the nutrition of school children, especially those in public schools. This after the farm tourism destination in the city’s Barangay Bacungan availed of a soft loan from the Philippine Carabao Center to raise imported and high quality breed of carabao that can be a good source of milk and other dairy products. Some 11 Murrah buffaloes were initially given by the Nueva Ecija-based state animal propagation hub in a “publicprivate partnership scheme” to the Puerto Princesa City farm destination, according to Dr. Arnel del Barrio, PCC executive director. “This is part of our carabao enterprise development wherein we help cooperatives, individual farmers and families by lending them the carabaos like a soft loan. Beneficiaries like Yamang Bukid Farm repay it with another carabao which will be given to [another beneficiary],” Del Barrio said. Ten female buffaloes (also technically known as cows) and a bull were received by Yamang Bukid Farm and were promptly shipped from Nueva Ecija. One of the four pregnant buffaloes gave birth to a healthy female calf affectionately called “baby YB” during the trip. Hezir Rabaya, one of the farm’s managers who fetched the herd, said a concrete barn was built on a hill overlooking the sprawling farm to house the animals. “We have enough facilities and personnel for this project,” said Rabaya. The farming destination, Rabaya said, has several employees who underwent training on quality milk production at PCC. These Yamang Bukid employees are the ones who will help him in taking care of the imported water buffaloes and in milk production. Del Barrio said PCC typically disperses 200 carabaos yearly on average and that Yamang Bukid Farm is among the “numerous applicants” to the program. “Yours is exceptional. Your story of doing business to help others is inspiring. I also came to know that you are accredited [as a training center] by [Agricultural Training Institute]. In short, you have everything PCC can hope for in a partner,” the PCC head said. He said both PCC and Yamang Bukid Farm share the same advocacy of helping provide livelihood to farmers and their families. “ The bottomline is to help alleviate poverty and give good nutrition to the schoolchildren,” del Barrio said.

Mondelez Philippines corporate and government affairs country manager Toff Rada (left) and Philippine Alliance for Recycling and Materials Sustainability president Crispian Lao

ONDELEZ Philippines, a major distributor of chocolates, powdered beverage, cheese and snack products in the country, signed a multi-sectoral pledge to ensure that no packaging wastes such as plastics end up in nature by 2030. “As a global company, we recognize that we have a role to play in helping alleviate and solve this waste problem,” Toff Rada, corporate and government affairs country manager of Mondelez Philippines, says in a lunch briefing in Makati City. Mondelez Philippines is one of the 10 companies that have so far signed the pledge collected by the Philippine Alliance for Recycling and Materials Sustainability—a non-stock, non-profit organization that aims to bring together stakeholders from the supply and waste value chain, civil society and the academe. Other parties are multinational consumer good manufacturers and distributors. Rada says that by signing the pledge, Mondelez Philippines and other parties committed to achieve realistic targets that will be submitted to Congress “so that we will be accountable for these targets”. “As an industry, we put our stake in the game, and we said we are committing to this. It is the first time it happened. All of these big companies—Mondelez, P&G, Unilever, Nestle—banded together to say we all agree that we have to come up with concerted efforts

to solve the problem here in the Philippines,” says Rada. Rada says that at the global level, Mondelez has made certain commitments. “We committed to reducing the amount of total packaging that we have by 65 million kilograms by 2020. At the end of 2019, we were almost close to about 60 million kilograms, so we were well on track to meeting that target. That is the short-term. In the medium-term, we also have a goal that by 2025, we will make all of our packaging materials recyclable. This means we will help foster the industry of recycling by making all the packaging that we use for chocolates, powdered beverage and cheese easy to recycle and allow for that zero to waste to nature by 2030,” he says. “By 2025, our goal is all of these [packaging materials] or whatever solutions we come up with, will be fully recyclable and enable the full circular economy to function. Whether it is paper or alternative form of packaging, we are still exploring. There is no particular mode yet of packaging. But our commitment is that by 2025, we will have that done, and we will have shifted all of our packaging into that selected recyclable material,” says Rada. Rada says that in the Philippines, Mondelez Philippines showed its commitment by being an active partner of PARMS. “We have signed the pledge on Jan. 26 during the anniversary of ‘Battle for Manila Bay’ of DENR Secretary Roy Cimatu,” he says. The company also build three recycling plastic play areas in Parañaque City and Quezon City, with another to be constructed this month. It plans to expand its post-consumer collection and recycling actions in 2020. PARMS founding president Crispian Lao says the whole industry’s goal is to develop and implement

a roadmap with concrete short (2022), medium (2025) and long-term (2030) target to guide sound and implementable actions towards the goal of zero waste to nature. Lao says the pledge was witnessed by Cimatu and Senator Cynthia Villar on Jan. 26. “It is a testament to our collective desire to work together, think together and collaborate to bring effective solutions forward,”he says. “We have committed that by April we will come up with preliminary report on how the roadmap would look like. We will share and present this to our relevant stakeholders. We are working with our relevant stakeholders to put this together, and we will present this to the government by middle of April,” says Lao, who is also a commissioner at the National Solid Waste Management Commission. “We are looking at getting more people involved in doing it. The final report will come out in June,” he says. “We want it to be an industry roadmap that is also recognized by government, and we need everybody to agree and support the roadmap so that we can have positive results.” Lao cites the need for other companies and stakeholders to join the campaign. “We are open to further collaboration. We are working with all sectors. We work with everyone who has the same targets and ambitions as we do in finding a solution,” he says. He says there is a need for cooperation from everybody, including local government units that imposed a ban on single-plastic use to force establishments to shift to paper packaging. Lao, however, says that “some of the replacements that are already out there in the market that we thought were better actually ended up as waste also”. “Everybody thinks that paper is a better alternative. But the main question is what do you do with that packaging at the end of its life, if it needs to be disposed of. A coated paper does not biodegrade in the environment overnight. These were coated with either wax or plastics, and they stay in the environment,” he says. Lao says the real issue is the lack of infrastructure in the Philippines to manage its wastes. “The question is, should we start banning products out of the problem without putting the right infrastructure? We explore how the industries and business communities can participate with government and all sectors. At the end of the day, it needs the participation of all stakeholders,” he says. Lao says the pledge is to develop a roadmap to address the problem, ensuring that there are environmentally-sound alternatives that are placed in the market and ensuring that they are economically viable, as the big chunk of the consuming public who are at the lower income level “may not be able to afford the shift that we want and prefer”. Rada agrees, saying an instant shift to recyclable packaging materials may increase prices by up to three times. Lao says the roadmap will be designed a living document that is continually updated, “allowing each stakeholder to do what it needs to do and identify how everybody can participate”. Lao says a well-designed law that considers the inputs from all stakeholders can resolve the waste problem. “If the legislative body comes out with sound bills, zero waste to nature can be realized in ten years. We are confident on that,” says Lao. Roderick T. dela Cruz

COCA-COLA ENVISIONS WORLD WITHOUT WASTE COCA-COLA meets 2020 with reignited passion and steadfast commitment to its World Without Waste vision— signifying a renewed focus on the entire packaging lifecycle, from how bottles and cans are designed and made, to how they’re recycled and repurposed. Forging ahead through programs and initiatives that are impactful, relevant and inclusive, the goal and challenge remains: to help collect and recycle a bottle or can for every one they sell by 2030. While initial strides are steadily being felt towards this end, Coca-Cola continues to work towards transforming how recyclable packaging is perceived and defined: a valuable resource of limitless use and possibilities. Standing as the foundation of the ambitious World Without Waste vision, 2020 will see the groundbreaking of the company’s state-of-the-art bottleto-bottle recycling facility—a first in Southeast Asia. The pioneering, nextgeneration facility is the embodiment of the company’s comprehensive

sustainability blueprint that also allows for positive contributions to livelihood, industry and the environment. Once completed and in full operation, the facility is expected to help increase recycling rates in the

country while providing livelihood opportunities in the waste value chain—waste pickers, junk shops, aggregators—thereby underlining their critical role in a circular economy. The P1-billion rPET recycling facility, an investment shared with like-minded organizations, is also seen as a model for other companies to follow, hopefully sparking investments in similar sustainable-oriented undertakings. Coca-Cola Philippines has been exploring ways to earnestly embrace sustainable packaging solutions. One such example is the first-ever food grade recycled PET bottle for their Viva! mineral water brand. Introduced in 2019, the bottle is made from 100-percent recycled materials, an auspicious start to the company’s goal of achieving 50-percent recycled PET usage by 2030. The company also announced an industry-first initiative of evolving the iconic green color packaging of their Sprite recyclable plastic bottles for a clear, new look. Colored recyclable plastics are known to be more difficult

to recycle and are more limited in use compared to clear plastics. As a result, the transition of Sprite to clear plastic packaging ensures that its bottles are more easily recycled and reprocessed. The company has also undertaken light-weighting efforts resulting in the reduction in the materials used in creating the packaging of their beverages. Seeing the value in strategic partnerships and how these help in instituting a World Without Waste, Coca-Cola Philippines has been working closely with various government agencies alongside nongovernmental organizations and will continue to do so this 2020. The company has and will continue to team up with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Department of Interior and Local Government and Department of Tourism, while also reaching out to local government units to strengthen the waste management systems across different cities, including Siargao, Davao, Bacolod and San Vicente, Palawan.

ABOITIZ FIRST PH SUPPORTER OF GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE TASK FORCE THE Aboitiz Group, through holding company Aboitiz Equity Ventures Inc., emerged as the first local supporter of the International Task Force on ClimateRelated Financial Disclosures in line with its commitment to good corporate governance and sustainability practices. “AEV, being the first Philippine company to express support for the TCFD, is committed to strengthening its sustainability track and enhancing its Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) integration practices,” said AEV chief financial officer Manuel Lozano. AEV is the only Philippine company that is registered as a supporter on the TCFD website and joins over 930 TCFD international supporter organizations (as

of December 2019) whose total market capitalizations top $11 trillion globally. “As part of the Aboitiz Group’s brand promise of advancing business and communities, our long-term strategies include a defined governance structure on addressing climate-related risks and improving our disclosures to provide clear and reliable information to our stakeholders,” Lozano said. TC F D d e ve l o p s vo l u n t a r y a n d consistent climate-related financial risk disclosures for use by companies in providing information to investors, lenders, insurers and other stakeholders. It considers the physical, liability and transition risks associated with climate change and what constitutes effective

financial disclosures across industries. The work and recommendations of the TCFD help companies understand what financial markets want from disclosures in order to measure and respond to climate change risks and encourage firms to align their disclosures with investors’ needs. Companies that express support for TCFD recommendations “join a cohort of leading companies that take action against climate change and are thoughtful to consider how climate change will impact their businesses,” according to the TCFD. “Increasing transparency makes markets more efficient, and economies more stable and resilient,” TCFD chairman Michael Bloomberg said on the task force’s website.

The Aboitiz Group is continuously strengthening its ESG reporting and communication. Aboitiz published its first sustainability report in 2009, and its first integrated report in 2016. The Aboitiz Integrated Report has been Global Reporting Initiative-certified for three years in a row, providing assurance to our stakeholders of timely, accurate, reliable and complete information, based on the GRI framework. Since 2017 and up to the present, the Aboitiz Group’s power business unit AboitizPower is included as a constituent of the Financial Times FTSE4Good Index, an index series designed to measure the performance of companies demonstrating strong ESG practices.

Tech & Gadgets

CATRIONA LEADS SAMSUNG GALAXY S20, Z FLIP LAUNCH

ITH the arrival of the Galaxy S20 and Z Flip, SAMSUNG officially announces renowned fashion photographer BJ Pascual, same-day edit king Jason Magbanua, and 2018 Miss Universe Catriona Gray as the brand ambassadors of the newest devices of the decade. At the media launch, they revealed how the smartphone helps them find a new way of capturing photos and videos. CHANGING HOW USERS SEE THE WORLD

As an in-demand photographer, BJ has shot many of the country’s most beautiful faces and covers of magazines in the Philippines and abroad. The Galaxy S20 Ultra serves as a worthy companion for the illustrious photographer. The smartphone comes with an Ultra-Resolution Quad Camera, which includes the 108MP Wide Angle, 48MP Telephoto, 12MP Ultra-Wide, and Depth Vision lenses. The 108MP camera offers millions of more pixels that show off even the tiniest details. “Even I am surprised at the level of clarity that my smartphone’s camera provides. I have compared photos taken using the 108MP lens and my professional gear, and the ones shot with my smartphone can match with the best of them,” Pascual said. Apart from the leap forward in terms of resolution, the photographer also enjoys the other features of the device’s cameras. Space Zoom allows him to hone in on subjects up to 100 times. Bright Night lets Pascual shoot even in low light conditions without sacrificing sharpness and color accuracy of his photos.

MOVIE-GRADE VIDEO CREATION

Magbanua is the most-cited name in visual storytelling. Acknowledged as the same-day edit king, the videographer is known for producing wedding videos that can double as feature films. His professionalism, creative eye, and agile workflow have made him the videographer on every couple’s wishlist. The Galaxy S20 Ultra has revolutionized mobile videography with 8K Video resolution, now the highest on a smartphone. Each footage is sharp and clear, even at the size of a cinema screen. “I have added the Galaxy S20 Ultra to my gear set because of its 8K capabilities. What I like about using the smartphone is that it’s light yet capable of capturing the best moments of a wedding in

ultra-high resolution,” said Magbanua. Another feature that the videographer uses is the 8K Video Snap, which grabs photos from recorded footage. Each screenshot maintains its crisp resolution, a function Magbanua uses when he observes a picturesque moment in his videos. Both Pascual and Magbanua benefit from the Galaxy S20 Ultra’s stunning performance. The smartphone is equipped with powerful RAM and an enhanced processor for a lag-free experience. This combination of features allows both creators to multitask in their respective fields. The Galaxy S20 Ultra is also furnished with a 5,000 mAh battery that makes the device last longer on a single charge.

CHANGING THE SHAPE OF THE FUTURE

Gray conquered the world as Miss Universe 2018. As a beauty queen, she pushed the advocacies closest to her heart to a wider audience. After the crown, she enjoyed continuous success as a singer and model. Today, she is known for her beauty, sophistication, and style. She embodies the refined elegance and boldness of the Galaxy Z Flip. Samsung is introducing a statement-making foldable smartphone that will bring a new kind of mobile experience. The device comes in a stylish package that will suit any ensemble and is light enough to be carried, even without a bag. “After Miss Universe, I am encouraged to seize every opportunity to further push myself. I’m glad to have the Galaxy Z Flip to inspire me to be bolder in everything I do,” said Gray. Apart from its design, the Galaxy Z Flip also re-

Catriona Gray: After Miss Universe, I am encouraged to seize every opportunity to further push myself. I’m glad to have the Galaxy Z Flip to inspire me to be bolder in everything I do.

invents the way Gray uses a smartphone. The foldable feature makes taking photos hands-free since she can tilt and angle the device in different ways. Even communication is easier. Gray can take video calls with the smartphone angled like a laptop. Join Pascual, Magbanua, and Gray in #TeamGalaxy. For more information about the Galaxy S20 line and the Galaxy Z Flip, visit samsung.com/ph.

EXPERIENCE MINI THAILAND WEEK

Experience innovation at the Mini Thailand Week at the SMX Convention Center.

ORGANIZED by the Department of International Trade Promotion and the Ministry of Commerce in Thailand by Thai Trade Center in Manila, “Mini Thailand Week” will host 100 Thailand and Philippine companies as they exhibit their products and services on March 5 up to 8 (Thursday to Sunday) at Hall 4 of the SMX Convention Center Manila, Mall of Asia Complex, Pasay City. The event has the theme, “Discover Excellence, Trade with Thailand.” The trade show will showcase top and excellent Thai products under these categories, namely Beauty, Health and Wellness as well as spa products, Food and Beverage, Gems and Jewelry, Fashion and Accessories, Household and Kitchenware, pet accessories and many more. Mini Thailand Week 2020 will be holding different activities portraying Thailand’s rich culture. This year’s activities include, Cooking Demonstrations and Thai Traditional Dances. Aside from the exhibition, business matching is available among the participating brands for Philippine trade buyers who are interested to be a distributors or agents. Experience Mini Thailand Week 2020 in Manila, get a feel of the Land of Smiles and discover top Thai brands. Entrance to the trade fair is free. Don’t miss the chance to visit Mini Thailand Week 2020. For more information, contact Thai Trade Center in Manila, at tel nos. 88940406; 88940403, email at thaicommnl@ymail.com or fax at 88160698. Follow this link http://mpevent.minithailandweek.com/index.php/ Buyer_app

SMART TAPS DELNET TO MAKE SATELLITE SERVICES MORE ACCESSIBLE, BOLSTER DISASTER PREPAREDNESS EFFORTS PLDT wireless subsidiary Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart) has tapped solutions provider DelNet International Corp., (DelNet) to make its satellite services more accessible to Filipinos in the most remote areas around the world, whether on land and at sea, where standard mobile systems are not accessible. Since 2013, Smart has been providing the maritime industry with reliable and affordable crew-calling solutions through its Marino Phonepal offering. Now, Smart will be able to reach more customers and expand its presence on ships of all sizes, thanks to DelNet’s far-reaching operations that have been addressing the needs of the maritime industry for 22 years. Bolstering disaster preparedness and response efforts, DelNet will also help Smart in providing communication systems in remote areas in the Philippines during emergencies and calamities when cellular service is not available. Present during the contract signing between Smart and DelNet were Katrina Luna-

Abelarde, President & CEO at PLDT Global Corp; Alice Ramos, Vice President, International Roaming and Consumer Business at Smart; and Klaas Oreel, CEO at DelNet. “This is another milestone for our company because we believe that together with Smart, we can expand maritime communication for seafarers via satellite onboard ships,” said Oreel. Luna-Abelarde meanwhile pointed out, “Smart has always been committed to serving the overseas Filipino. This partnership allows us to continue offering most relevant services to Filipinos across oceans so we could help them stay in touch with their loved ones back home.” “We are confident that Smart and DelNet together can build solutions to better serve Filipino seafarers. Beyond this and in light of seemingly increasing natural disasters affecting the most vulnerable, we are also looking towards developing awareness on the importance of satellite services during those times when communication aid can literally help save lives,” added Luna-Abelarde.

Shown here are Klaas Oreel, CEO at DelNet and Katrina Luna-Abelarde, President & CEO at PLDT Global Corporation.

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2020 rumallari@thestandard.com.ph

PRU LIFE INTRODUCES PULSE APP By Peter Atencio A DIGITAL app which will benefit people in need of medical services in remote areas of the Philippines is now available. This cutting edge tool will help individuals who are diagnosed of their symptoms and make quick decisions on what to do with their present condition. PRU Life UK president and CEO Antonio “Jumbing” de Rosas said this year following the launch of Pulse, which is described as an all-in-one, first of its kind digital app. During the discussion held at the Solaire in Tambo, Paranaque City, De Rosas explained that the app offers medical advise through artificial intelligence-powered, holistic health management to consumers in the country. The app is now available on Google Playstore for smartphone users and will soon be downloadable on IOS-enabled devices. Pulse, according to De Rosas, will be most useful in places where doctors are not always available. “We are doing this because we recognize here in the Philippines, that medical services are out of reach for many people, and at the same time, the cost of medical services is beyond the reach of a lot of people’s financial capabilities,” explained de Rosas. The app, however, does not replace the need to see a doctor, and De Rosas stressed that there’s just not enough medical personnel in remote areas. What that Pulse can do is provide knowledge about the person’s present health and will recommend if they need to see a doctor through its diagnostics system. Because of this, Pulse empowers consumers to take control of their wellbeing anytime and anywhere they are. This will help consumers find out if they have diabetes, cancer or coronary heart disease.

GENUISTO...

From C4

“I was so impressed with the level of commitment to digital transformation,” Hermans said. “I’m not talking just about management but the entire team. All of them working through all hours of the night in the office to finish digital transformation workshop activities; they want to get digital done.” With the signing of the deal, Geniusto and Camalig Bank will work closely towards the goal of achieving the Bank’s full digital transformation. As one of the first movers among its fellow rural banks, Camalig Bank sees this opportunity to leverage the leading digital banking solutions to enable the creation of new products and services and boost revenue in a cashless model in the digital space.

THE SOLUTION

A mobile application shall serve as the Camalig Bank’s flagship product built with practical and convenient account management features including bills payment, prepaid load, funds transfers, and cash in and out options via QR code. The application is tailored with a native look and feel, easy-touse features designed for customer self-service and a mature back-end customer support accessible anytime, anywhere. “The timing couldn’t be more perfect”, said Jose Misael Moraleda, President & CEO of Camalig Bank. “This year we celebrated our 50th anniversary and as encapsulated in our tagline—Let’s Redefine Banking, this move will spearhead our efforts in asserting our commitment to continually improve and compete to provide quality and innovative products and services to the communities we serve.” Moving forward, Hermans said Geniusto is looking to provide the same services and tools to other rural and thrift banks across the country to allow them to benefit from the technology making them competitive in the fast-changing economic environment.

TECH & Gadgets SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2020 Riera U. Mallari, Editor rumallari@thestandard.com.ph

HUAWEI Y7P: AFFORDABLE YET PACKED WITH FEATURES By Paul David L. Gelario

HE rainy days are the times when one’s purchasing power is insufficient. With Huawei Y7P, that problem is no more as this entry level smartphone is affordable and packed with quality features. “There’s always been a time in our life that our budget is very tight. I call those days the rainy days of our life,” Huawei Philippines Product Training Manager, Bryan Baculi said. “This Y7p will take the pressure away. It is not only an affordable product but of quality.” Its triple AI main cameras ensure high quality photos and stability for photogenic users. The camera is a combination of a 48MP main camera, 8MP ultra-wide angle lens, and a 2MP bokeh lens. Its exterior design is crafted with Huawei Punch Display to deliver an immersive 90.15 percent screen-to-body ratio for a full view display. Unlike most smartphones, where the front camera is at the middle, its 8MP front camera is attached to the upper left side of the screen for an added viewing experience. Powered by Kirin 710f, its octacore processors are divided with specific tasks and each of the four cores focuses on performance and efficiency. The battery is a 4000 mAh big battery that can last up to one day for an average user. Its internal memory is at 4GB+64GB and expandable up to 512GB. It has a price of P9,990. The Y7p is now available for pre-order at Lazada and Shopee until Feb. 27. Users who will pre-order will receive a handful of freebies including a bluetooth speaker, a 50GB Huawei Cloud, 500 Huawei Points, and a P1,000 Freebuds 3 voucher. The first 50 customers to pre-order will also get a powerbank worth P1,499, while the first 10 customers receive get a 50 percent voucher for the Freebuds 3.

KEEP YOUR VALUABLES SAFE WITH CHUBBSAFES Huawei Philippines Product Training Manager, Bryan Baculi presents the features Huawei Y7P. Paul Gelario

The Huawei Y7P

LOVE IS IN THE AIR AS LG SHARES GOOD LIFE

#TeamLG provided free air-conditioner cleaning services to the affected residents of the Taal Ash Fall

AS everyone breathed a collective sigh of relief with the downgrading of the Alert Level of Taal Volcano, the community in the immediate vicinity is left to pick up the pieces. Those affected by the volcano’s phreatic eruption have begun to slowly ease back to their homes. It was not an easy task as most of ground zero is still blanketed in volcanic ash— roads, houses, cars, everything. Air-conditioners in particular, needed the most care given the circumstances. Window-type and outdoor units covered in volcanic ash must be cleaned properly to ensure that the silicates and other particles from the ash don’t get inside your home. To help the residents of nearby communities,

#TeamLG offered free air-con cleaning services so that they have one less thing to worry about. Every ounce of help goes a long way. Residents of the afflicted communities just contacted an LG representative to avail of the free cleaning service. Families with children, seniors, pregnant women, and PWDs were given priority, but all eligible requests were immediately taken cared of. “It’s the least we can do. They’ve been through so much the past two months. We at LG stand by our commitment to the Filipino people. We’re here every step of the way to do what we can in helping the people of Taal rebuild their lives,” said LG’s Managing Director, Inkwun Heo.

MONETARY loss is hard to deal with, but it is harder if one’s valuable possession is irreplaceable or has special meaning. Therefore, safeguard your valuables and cash from loss, damage and accidents with Chubbsafes Safes. Chubbsafes is the most trusted security solutions provider around the globe. It is trusted by no other than her Majesty, the Queen of England, awarding Chubbsafes “A Royal Warrant of Appointment” in 2017. Providing excellency in almost 200 years, Chubbsafes know how to combine experience with innovation, creating a wide range of security level to accommodate our security requirements. One of the Chubbsafes’ best is the Senator safe, a compact safe to store your cash and most valuable personal items in your home or office. Its minimalist design is discreet yet effective, providing maximum security without taking up too much space or exceeding your budget. And offering EN 1143-1 burglary protection and EN 15659, LFS 30P for up to 30 minutes of fire resistance certified to ECB•S, combining burglary and fire protection in one safe make it supreme against any other brands. In the name of fulfilling the mission of providing only the excellent quality products near our home, Co Ban Kiat Hardware, Inc. is now partnered with Chubbsafes. Chubbsafes products are currently available at Cobys Design Center, 4F Main Wing, Shangri-La Plaza, (02) 636-4895; CBK Hardware Showroom, 555 Quirino Avenue, Tambo, Paranaque City, (02) 8851-0807; and Co Ban Kiat Hardware Inc. Ground Flr. Co Ban Kiat Bldg. II 231 Juan Luna St., Binondo, Manila, (02) 636-4895.

GENIUSTO BRINGS FULL DIGITAL BANKING SERVICES TO CAMALIG BANK THE Camalig Bank, Inc. (A Rural Bank) has partnered with dominant financial technology firm Geniusto Philippines Inc., to bring full digital banking services in Bicol that could be a game-changer in the region’s banking space. Currently, Camalig Bank offers a diverse selection of credit facilities, including agricultural, salary, business loans for small and medium enterprises, real estate, microfinance, and personal consumption loans. With its partnership with Geniusto, the rural bank is now capable of offering all the mobile and digital banking services provided by most universal banks. “This is a game-changer in the rural banking industry,” Shane Hermans, founder and CEO of Geniusto International. “Geniusto will provide

Camalig Bank with our Omni-Channel Banking platform, which gives them the capability of leveraging an open banking framework.” The Omni-Channel Banking uses open API (application programming interface) to simplify the payment environment while delivering frictionless digital money movement and management. It is specifically designed to support rural and thrift banks to keep things simple, speedy and secure. Hermans explained the platform consists of a mobile and web application combining a powerful hub interfacing technology which can speed up the interaction with legacy bank systems and different service providers. The platform and the hub technology are managed effectively with a robust

administrator back-end, which allows banks to create coordinated settings for the applications and utilize in-app marketing capabilities offered by the Omni-Channel banking platform for customer engagement. Through this, rural and thrift banks will have the opportunity to evolve, penetrate and expand further via the digital channel, towards financial inclusion and education in the rural communities.

STRONG DEDICATION

Hermans attribute the strong working culture of the Camalig Bank team for their commitment to transforming a rural bank in one of the country’s most underserved areas into becoming a fully-digital financial institution. Turn to C3

Geniusto founder and CEO Shane Hermans (left) and Camalig Bank president and CEO Jose Misael Moraleda (right) seal their agreement with a handshake, with the goal of transforming the rural bank into a major financial service provider in the Bicol region. The agreement allows Camalig to provide all the mobile and digital banking services provided by most universal banks.

Destinations D1

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2020

Bernadette Lunas, Editor

manilastandardlife@gmail.com

@manilastandardlife

AirAsia now flies to four destinations in Mindanao.

Text and photos by Diana B. Noche

FREQUENT FLYER

he province of Cavite, founded in 1571 by the Legazpi Expedition, is not called the “Historical Capital of the Philippines” and “Land of the Braves” for nothing.

For over 300 years, its role during the Spanish colonial days and the men and women who stood up to the foreign power in a fight for independence undeniably identify Cavite. Cavite comes from the word kalawit, meaning hook, in reference to the hook-shaped peninsula that juts out to the Manila Bay. Cavite may have also come from the word kabit, meaning connected, joined, or attached, due to the peninsula’s topographical relation to the mainland. Cavite City, the province’s old capital, used to be a mooring post for Chinese junk trading with early settlers from Sulu and Borneo. During the Spanish period, Cavite City shipyards were the main posts for the ManilaAcapulco galleon trade. Restive inhabitants during the late 17th century, unhappy over the constant conflicts with the friars and hacienderos, launched a revolution that continued until the late 1890s. The three priests, collectively known as Gomburza, were implicated in the Cavite Mutiny in 1872, known today as the “Grandmother Event of the Philippine Revolution.” In 1896, Emilio Aguinaldo led a successful revolt that culminated in his taking an oath as the first President of the Philippine Republic at the convent of the Holy Cross Church in Tanza, Cavite. The great moments in Philippine history happened in Cavite in many noble circumstances, exceptional places, and during distinguished times. They took place in a context of a definite spirit and resolve. A strong sense of the past is in every Caviteño’s heart, a source of pride that fills up every page of one’s memory book. To know Cavite well, we have to walk its ground, soak up its history, its heroes, and historical mile-

@MStandardLIFE

AIRASIA FLIES

TO MORE MINDANAO DESTINATIONS HISTORY LIVES. To know Cavite well, one has to walk its ground, soak up its history, visit its sites (such as Tanza Church and Convent), talk to its people, and, best of all, try its food.

CAVITE: FLAME IN THE SOUL AND ON THE STOVE

LOW-COST airline AirAsia announced last week its new domestic destinations in Mindanao, expanding its network connection in the southern part of the country. Beginning March 29, guests can fly to Zamboanga and to General Santos from Clark and Cebu. Destinations in the south also include Davao and Cagayan de Oro, which commenced operations in 2015 and 2018, respectively. “Our newest route cements AirAsia’s connections amongst the country’s major islands: Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao,” AirAsia Philippines chief executive officer Ricky Isla said in a statement.

Zamboanga City Hall (Photo from Wikimedia Commons)

Cavite is known for its role during the Spanish colonial period and the brave men and women who stood up to fight for our country's independence.

Mile-long Barracks in Corregidor is said to be 'the world's longest military barracks.'

stones that distinguish this notable destination. Similarly, talk to the locals, hear them speak with that Chavacano tone color, the Spanish Creole language, an enduring remnant of colonization spun to its own lilt through the years. The landscape of Cavite is composed of non-rigidly terraced agricultural soil, far-reaching coastlines, waterfalls, and lively springs where nature appears exhaustibly undisturbed everywhere the eyes focus on. Tagaytay, for example. Its cool temperature makes it the country’s second summer capital. Cavite is rich in breather comeons. Fort San Felipe; Sangley Point; Corregidor Island; Aguinaldo Shrine; Andres Bonifacio house in Gen. Trias; Balite Springs

and Waterfalls, Saluysoy Spring and Waterfalls in Alfonso; Malakas Springs, Malibiclibic, and Tala Waterfalls in Gen. Aguinaldo; Bucal ni Tata Enteng Springs and Palsahingin Waterfalls in Indang. The list is long. Festivals that bring in money and tourism do not lack in enthusiasm and pageantry: town fiestas, the Kalayaan Festival honoring its native heroes; Mardicas, war dance in Ternate; and Karakol, street dancing with a fluvial procession in its many coastal towns. For the brave of heart, a climb of Mt. Pico de Loro, at its highest peak of 664 meters above sea level. But, of course, you must also come for Cavite’s cuisine. It’s a place where mind and stomach Turn to D2

5 THINGS WE LOVE ABOUT THIS YEAR’S BIG BAD WOLF BOOK SALE By Angelica Villanueva THE “world’s biggest book sale” is back, and after braving the traffic and combing through thousands and thousands of titles, we present the top five things we like about it, and why those who haven’t been should drop by, too. The book sale is open until Feb. 24. More books This year, 17,000 new titles have been added to its shelves from genres including romance, thriller, science fiction, young adult, literature, and graphic novels. Among the newly added titles are 13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher, Elevation by Stephen King, Percy Jackson’s Greek Gods by Rick Riordan and John Rocco, and The 13th Reality: The Complete Series by James Dashner. Book sets with further markdowns are also up for grabs. Amazing promos Book enthusiasts have more chances to grab great finds with Big Bad Wolf’s Crazy Deals promotion. Two million English books are priced at as low as P60, and brand new titles are offered at 50 to 90 percent off recommended retail prices. Further, a lucky “book-hauler” will get the chance to win the grand prize of a trolley stuffed with books and P700 cash vouchers by participating in the contests on

Book sets are available at affordable prices.

Facebook and Instagram. The ‘wholesome’ books If you want to buy children’s books for your nieces and nephews or even for yourself, the Children’s Section has a lot to offer. Since the introduction of Magical Books last year, 12 new titles are introduced, including two “cometo-life” puzzle sets that have an added dimension of fun as an exciting game can be played through the free app on smart gadgets. Safety and green initiative Knowing that no virus can stop our love for books, organizers ensure the safety of shoppers by implementing safety precautions. Infrared thermometers are used to screen visitors and employees before entering the area. Hand sanitizers and alcohol are also available at the counters. Following Pasay City’s law on plastic ban, Big Bad Wolf encourages visitors to bring their own bag or even a luggage. Eco bags are available for P20. Partnership with Gawad Kalinga Believing that reading and learning should be universal, Big Bad Wolf has partnered with Gawad Kalinga to donate books to poor and affected communities in Batangas due to the Taal Volcano eruption. Barangays and public schools are also provided psychosocial rehabilitation.

Isla added, “The launching of the new routes is in support of Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat’s push for a livelier tourism within the Philippines.” To celebrate this new destination, AirAsia is offering all-in promotional fares from Clark to Zamboanga or General Santos from as low as P1,090 for BIG Loyalty Members and P1,157 for non-members. Fares from Cebu to Zamboanga or General Santos start from as low as P990 for members and P1,057 for non-members. Zamboanga is a highly developed and urbanized city that was once a former settlement of the Spaniards during the colonial era. Hispanic influences are still seen in buildings and structures, thus the nickname “Asia’s Latin City.” It is also known as the “Sardine Capital of the Philippines,” supplying around 90 percent of the country’s canned sardines demand, according to research. If Zamboanga is popular for its sardines, General Santos is known for being the “Tuna Capital of the Philippines.” “We are committed to growing our domestic connectivity this year, and you can expect more exciting destinations to be announced later in 2020,” shared Isla.

Statue of General Paulino Santos, after which the province of General Santos was named. (Wikimedia Commons)

Destinations

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2020 manilastandardlife@gmail.com

CAVITE:...

From D1

UNMASKING MARINDUQUE

Ribboned pan de coco

Paella jambalaya

rendezvous, and both are thoroughly satisfied. In Cavite, food is history. It is also known as the capital of Philippine heritage cooking. The quality cuisine, local ambience, and the rustic landscape overcome minor annoyances like the long and honking traffic jams. The cuisine is a mix of Asian and Spanish tastes passed down to several generations—tamales with its origin from the galleon trade, the ensaymada from Mallorca, Spain, the Mexicaninspired pipian—and jealously guarded to protect Filipino heritage food from inauthentic renditions. The quality of food is seamlessly high, in both modest and stiff surroundings. Try the little carinderias perched on spindly stilts coping bravely to the rise and fall of the sea. Visit them as the sunset kindles fire to the coastline. The kitchens may look like a dump but the food is as good as good can be. You also get the sunset view gratis et amore. Bernie’s Eatery in Cavite City is a revelation. A third-generation granddaughter of movie actor Leopoldo Salcedo, Bernardita Rojas-Fontanilla serves one-meal wonders that are uniquely Bernie’s. Her bacalao is something else—served only on Good Fridays. There’s sautéed codfish and lao lao fish, indigenous to Cavite, fried to a crisp. Go for the pancit with kinilaw na puso ng saging and pancit posit, also called pancit choco and pancit negra, cooked in squid ink with diced green mango and pounded chicharon, and uses bihon or sotanghon for noodles. While it does not mind opening its massive front door to sandal-shod customers, Calle Real’s old-world ambience and uniformed staff will prod a diner to stay prim and proper while feasting on paella negra and churros. Don’t leave Cavite without a truckload of pasalubong from Pat and Sam’s (est. 1950), Dizon’s Bakery (est. 1930), and Kaibigan Bakery (est. 1920). Tahong chips, tamales, bibingkang samala in rice or pinipig variants, and baked goodies like salakot bread, bonete, and pan de coco, most of them cooked in old-style pugon. Take the ferry boat from Cavite City to either the Cultural Center of the Philippines or the Quezon Bridge terminal in a little more than 30 minutes with reminiscences of things past and a good fill of Cavite’s flavory delights.

HIDDEN TREASURES UNVEILED. The island province of Marinduque in MIMAROPA boasts a number of natural wonders, including the Marinduque Wildlife Sanctuary.

HILE the moryon masks—for which Marinduque is known—hid the faces of the Roman soldiers who crucified Jesus Christ, the province doesn’t have anything to conceal, but more to reveal. Marinduque showcased its other hidden wonders during its centennial founding anniversary last week, Feb. 16-22. The weeklong celebration kicked off with the recent unveiling of the plaque of the historic Boac Cathedral declaring it an Important Cultural Property. Officially known as the Immaculate Conception Parish Church, and regarded as the greatest monument of local faith and history, it was given the accolade by the National Museum of the Philippines in December 2018. Major events included the unveiling of the Centennial Monument and the BantayogWika, an initiative of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts, Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino, and the Provincial Government. An art workshop, entitled “Sining SikLAVan sa Sentenaryo,” was led by well-known artist Maestro Fernando Sena who hails from Gasan town. While the Miss Marinduque Centennial

Queen pageant selected the new ambassadors of tourism and goodwill of the province. Celebration peaked with Araw ng Marinduque on Feb. 21 featuring the Parade of Floats of the six municipalities, the Moryonan parade of moryons, the launch of the PhilPost commemorative stamp, and the Gawad Marinduqueño Awards and Baliktanaw sa Kasaysayan at Kulturang Marinduque, capped by an evening musical show featuring Marinduqueño singers and OPM icon Ogie Alcasid. Celebrations concluded with the 4x4 Off-road Jeep Club Philippines National Jamboree opening ceremonies and the Centennial Heritage Tour which both went around the province’s tourist spots. Considered as the “heartland of the Philippines” because of its being the geodetic center of the archipelago, Marinduque takes pride in its powdery white

The Moryonan Parade of moryons (Photo by Gerry Jamilia)

beaches on the islands of Tres Reyes, Maniwaya, Palad Sandbar, Sta. Cruz, and Mompong, and lush biodiversity at the Marinduque Wildlife Sanctuary and Mt.

Malindig. It also boasts butterfly farms, icy waterfalls, and cave networks, most notably Bagumbungan in Sta. Cruz town.

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Immaculate Conception Parish Church

Palad Sandbar at Maniwaya Island (Photo by Joven Lilles)

BELGIAN MUSICIANS IN 45TH BAMBOO ORGAN FESTIVAL

Salakot bread baked in old-fashioned pugon.

LAS PIÑAS’ Bamboo Organ Foundation stages a much bigger International Bamboo Organ Festival this year, as it does “every five years.” The 45th edition, which opened on Feb. 20 and runs until Feb. 26, features Belgian-based early music ensemble InAlto. The group of six (cornettos, sackbuts, and organ) consists of musicians from France, Italy, the UK, the Netherlands, and Belgium. InAlto accompanies the Villancico Vocal Ensemble (the festival choir since 2012) under Beverly Shangkuan-Cheng. Soloists are soprano Stefanie Quintin-Avila and alto Michelle Mariposa. �They will

perform on Feb. 23. On Feb. 24, Belgian organist Bernard Foccroulle, will perform at the Bamboo Organ in an organ recital entirely dedicated to Spanish organ music, together with InAlto. The closing concert will be held at the San Ezekiel Moreno Oratory at the Villar Sipag compound on Feb. 26, in memory of Johann Trummer, a great benefactor of the organ culture in the Philippines, who passed away on July 18, 2019. Tickets for the Feb. 23 and 24 programs are available at P700, P500, and P300. For the closing concert, ticket is priced at P300. Call (02) 8825-7190 or 8820-0795 for more information.

The Las Piñas Boys Choir

Entertainment

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2020

Nickie Wang, Editor nickie.standard@gmail.com

A HUGE JUMPSTART FOR

GABBI GARCIA

ITH her hosting, acting and performing skills, there’s no wonder Gabbi Garcia has built a great following and fanbase for her to be dubbed as the “Global Endorser.”

Nadine Lustre shows off her sensational curves

As one of the prized possessions of GMA Network, 21-year-old Gabbi has already starred in various TV series and movies where she received notable recognitions from several award-giving bodies. She is also the face of numerous brands here and abroad, which blessed her with a healthy and positive image in the industry. Today, her influence continues to reach more. With five million followers on Instagram and more than four million on Facebook, Gabbi is considered as one of the most influential social media celebrities and most trusted endorsers in the country. Just recently, giant messaging app Rakuten Viber chose her as one of the VIP guests to watch the FC Barcelona game in Spain. The GMA Artist Center talent is also the newest face of Belo Beauty’s Lumino Vita Glow treatment with her billboards scattered along EDSA. Aside from this, she will have a new

NADINE, ALDEN

SIZZLE AS MILLENNIAL SUPERBODS

PRIZED POSSESSION. Gabbi Garcia has positioned herself as one of the more reliable names when it comes to product endorsements and small and big screen projects.

Bench billboard for their exciting new product. What’s more, Gabbi has been named as the first-ever Filipina Taiwan Tourism Ambassador. With her appointment, she is tasked to promote the beauty and culture of Taiwan and inspire more Filipinos to visit the country. “It’s another milestone for my career, I’m just so honored and happy to be the first Filipina to hold the position. I feel like it’s more of a responsibility to promote good tourism, all the positive things about Taiwan, and to be more relatable.” After the recently-concluded GMA primetime series Beautiful Justice, where Gabbi played one of the lead characters, she will be back on the big screen as part of the cast of an international movie to be shot in Europe. With all these blessings and achievements, she has nothing but

gratitude to those who continuously support and trust her, “I am beyond thankful for my fans and for the brands that have put me in this position. Without them, I wouldn’t be here living my dream and doing what I love most an artist.” Gabbi has definitely started the year with a lot of career milestones, making her busier than ever. She does not complain but treats every project with passion and responsibility to be an inspiration to her loyal fans and supporters. Moreover, the Kapuso star looks forward to actively interact with her followers through her work, “I choose to be relatable to people especially when it comes to social media. You would want people to actually reach out to you. You would want them to see you behind the camera and I feel like relating to people is really important when it comes to projects.”

THE internet went into frenzy when Alden Richards and Nadine Lustre posted pictures of their enviable abs on social media. Alden committed himself to fitness two years ago and is reaping the positive results of his hard work and discipline. “I wanted to make sure that I can be confident about myself when I’m on and off cam. I made it a point to work out even if I’m busy. I’m thankful for the people who were honest enough to tell me I had to go on a diet, if not for them, I wouldn’t have worked so hard,” said Alden. Nadine’s slim figure is a result of her being a fitness buff for years; she loves to run and maintains her sexy figure by eating right. “When I am at the top of my game, I can do anything. That is why I am choosy with what I eat and make sure I exercise regularly,” Nadine commented when asked what keeps her motivated when she works out. Do you think you have what it takes to be a Century Tuna Superbod like Nadine or Alden? Get inspired and watch the new commercial here:https://w w w.youtube.com/ watch?v=_McwiWqI0bI.

MORE FUN, EDUCATIONAL SUNDAY MORNING WITH ‘IBILIB’

Host Chris Tiu (2nd from right) with the gang of ‘iBilib’

DRAMATIC actress Arra San Agustin, JK “Dekdek” Giducos, and Roadfill of Moymoy Palabay once again join award-winning TV host Chris Tiu in GMA’s educational program, iBilib. In today’s episode, Pinoy cyr wheel performer puts on an acrobatic show for the iBilib gang as he demonstrates how to play the Chinese yoyo. Meanwhile, adding entertainment to the program, host Chris shows how a liquid traffic light changes colors by merely shaking it. In “Bilibabols” segment, Roadfill and StarStruck’s Lexi Gonzales hoist the yoga surfing challenge on participants who race, lying belly down, atop yoga balls. In “Lifehacks,” Arra teaches Dekdek how to make an emergency face mask using a paper towel. In “Street Genius,” viewers will learn which combination of common household items would make a cannonball fire better and what happens to a bottle when its air is sucked out completely. Join the gang of iBilib in another informative and entertaining way to learn science in today’s edition of your favorite educational show on GMA.

Alden Richards’s ripped body is two years in the making

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2020

Desiree Carlos, Editor

Pets

daycarlos28@yahoo.com

PADYAK PARA KAY BANTAY AT MUNING:

A FUNDRAISER FOR RESCUED ANIMALS

HEY love to bike from one town to another, and from one province to another.

They also love dogs and cats. With these two passions as their inner fuel, cyclists from two groups decided to do another charity ride, this time from Manila to Davao on March12-18 to raise funds for rescued dogs and cats. They also hope to encourage others to donate dog food, cat food, multivitamins for dogs and cats, and medicine needed by the rescues, specially the 12 dogs saved from danger zones around Taal volcano last month. Donated dog food and cat food will also be used to feed strays in Metro Manila and Bulacan. Gil Bugaoisan, cycling enthusiast and animal lover, said seven members of the endurance cycle group Team Harkor are set to embark on another epic journey to raise funds and donations for strays that were saved and rescued by the animal welfare group Save Animals of Love and Light (Save ALL). Dubbed Padyak para kay Bantay at Muning V 2.0, this group of endurance cyclists will bike for six to seven days from Manila, all the way to Davao City, starting on March 12. Two years ago, the group launched the first charity project by biking from Manila-Bohol in just four days. Although the project was hastily organized, the group managed to raise funds, food and medicine for 67 stray dogs and cats that were rescued by Save ALL. On its verison 2.0 , Team Harkor hopes to do better after teaming up with the Pinoy Road Bikers Inc. (PRBI) which is considered as one of the country's biggest cycling group headed by topnotch lawyer Atty. Raymond Fortun and Ron Saspa Jr. and Coach Jonnel Cruz's IfitPro Unlimited. The House of Representatives, through the generosity of House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano and Deputy Secretary General Bryan Yamsuan, also made it possible for the team to secure their plane tickets going back to Manila. The seven-man team is composed of "Harkor" cyclists: Gil Bugaoisan, 49, a former journalist and now a public relations specialist. Lito Guardaquivil, 44, director of the committee on rules of the House of Representatives. Dong Quemada, 40, an electrical engineer working for Manila Electric Company (Meralco). Jonathan Olfato, 29, an employee of the Department of Education. Ryan Christopher Macalong, 26, a financial underwriter. Lawrence Briones, 24, an online entrepeneur. Jonathan Agmata, 21, an education student (bachelor of secondary education major in English) at St. Paul University. Bugaoisan, the team leader and founder of Team Harkor, said they plan to cover at least 300 kilometers a day, cycling through Quezon's notorious Bitukang Manok and Bicol's dangerous Andaya highway, all the way to Matnog port where

Team Harkor, upon reaching Bohol during their first Padyak para kay Bantay at Muning.

ing inns to five-star waiting shed and cozy roadside embankments. Bugaoisan said he hopes other cyclists will join their team along the way to show their solidarity in their passion not only for cycling but also for their love for furry friends. Save ALL was chosen by the group as the beneficiary of the team's charity project because “the organization is one of the most active and most legitimate animal welfare and rescue groups in the country today.” Funds and other forms of assistance that will be raised during this charity will be used for Save ALL’s rescued dogs and cats especially those that were saved from danger zones surrounding Taal volcano in Batangas. The Taal dog survivors are now being treated for erlichia and worm infestation as the two mama dogs apparently ate ashes due to hunger.

they will take a RORO or fastcraft going to Samar. From Samar, they will cycle to Tacloban, crossing the iconic San Juanico bridge, all the way to Liloan port in Leyte to get another ferry ride to Surigao City. From Surigao, the team will take the long and ardous climb to Davao City through the 140-kilometer Bukidnon-Davao Road (BUDA). Rest stops along the way can vary from lodg-

For inquiries and donations, please visit the Facebook page of Team Harkor or Save ALL. Donations can be also be sent through the following: BDO account N. 006540103300 (Save ALL- Save Animals of Love and Light) BPI saving account No. 4449004634 (Roberta Nicole Benedicto) G-Cash 09175881515 Paypal through daycarlos28@yahoo.com. Remittance centers like Cebuana, Palawan, and M Lhuiller in the name of Niko Gabriel C. Salgado, cell no. 0917 8991013. Please send photo of transaction receipt for donation to be claimed. Please send screenshots of your donations to Save ALL community page for documentation.

DON’T TAKE YOUR DOG'S SNEEZING FOR GRANTED

OR THAT stuffy nose in your dogs. A dog that sneezes or had a stuff nose can be suffering from canine congestion, said Susan Paretts in “Mucous Congestion in Dogs” in cuteness.com “Just like people, dogs can develop excess mucus in their respiratory tract due to a variety of reasons ranging from allergies to respiratory infections. Bring your pooch to the vet so she can diagnose the cause of your pup's congestion and help get him on the road to recovery,” Paretts stressed. The following are the causes of nasal

dischartge and congestion: 1. Canine allergies 2. Respiratory ailments 3. Nasal blockages

Canine allergies

The excess mucus can be aa reaction to something in the environment such as pollen, human dander, nasal mites and other respiratory parasites, foods or medications Dogs with allergies may have itchy skin, excessive sneezing, coughing, nose-

bleeds and breathing problems. The vet might recommend allergy test, a special allergy diet or canine antihistamines to help treat the condition.

scribe some antibiotics if a secondary bacterial infection has developed due to the blockage,” Paretts said.

Respiratory Infections

Dental disease and tooth abscess can cause rhinitis and sinusitis in pooches, Paretts said. Teeth cleaning is always advised to prevent tooth decay. If a condition already exists, the vet can also extract the infected tooth. “Abnormal tissue growth in the nasal passages and pooches who can't swallow properly also can develop excess mucus and secondary bacterial infections. Your vet will be able to determine what is causing your pup's excess mucus through a variety of means, including Xrays, CT scans, blood tests and physical examination of the nasal passages,” Paretts said.

Bacteria, fungi or virus can cause a respiratory infection that makes thee body produce produce extra mucus, resulting in canine congestion. “Such infections include canine influenza, sometimes referred to as ‘kennel cough.’ Kennel cough is caused by a highly contagious virus. The most dangerous infections that can cause congestion in pups include canine distemper, Rocky Mountain spotted fever and pneumonia. Dogs suffering from a respiratory infection may cough, sneeze, develop a fever, have trouble breathing, become lethargic and stop eating,” Paretts said. “Usually the nasal discharge is discolored when an infection is present. Your vet can treat your pup with antiviral, antifungal or antibiotic drugs to get rid of your pooch's infection and congestion,” Paretts added.

Nasal Blockages

Summer (pink dress), Lucas (green shirt) and Louise are now senior dogs. They are prone to sneezing and developing excess mucus after even just a short stay in a cold room, or when it is cold outside the house. They need a shirt to keep them warm. They are also given more meat during cold weather to warm their bodies. But when it is summer time, they are given some cooling food like water melon (not too much though) so that they will not suffer from heat stroke or develop hot spots. Do observe your dog when it is very cold or it is very hot.

Your dog may have been sniffing around the garden or your home and a foreign object may have lodged in one of the nasal passages. “Such nasal blockages and tumors in the nasal passages can cause congestion and nasal discharge in pups. Your pup's mucus may be clear or discolored. A vet can diagnose a nasal blockage through a physical exam and with X-rays. She'll be able to remove it surgically to relieve your pup's symptoms. She also may pre-

Other Nasal Issues

On relieving congestion

With proper treatment by a vet, the dog’s congestion should subside. “While your pup is recovering, your vet may recommend using a humidifier with your pooch to help break up his mucus and relieve his congestion. The vet also may prescribe nose drops to treat any nasal inflammation and reduce nasal discharge,” Paretts said. Always consult the vet. Do not treat your dog with a human decongestant which contain ingredients that are harmful to dogs. Paretts warned against using medicine with phenylephrine and pseudoephedrine which the Pet Poison Helpline has identified as poisonous to dogs. DC

TURMERIC: THE HEALING SPICE FOR DOGS (Part 1 of two parts) THERE are a lot of herbs and spices that are good for dogs. One of them is turmeric. Dana Scott, in “Turmeric For Dogs: 5 Surprising Health Benefits” in dogs naturally.com, said research studies have shown turmeric “can trump a lot of expensive drugs” such as: • Arthritis drugs • Steroids • Chemotherapy • Inflammatory bowel disease drugs • Anti-inflammatory drugs “Turmeric contains a compound called curcumin – which is essentially its active ingredient. Curcumin has antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antiviral, antibacterial, antifungal, wound healing and anticancer activities. It can help fight diseases like arthritis, diabetes, cancer, liver disease, gastrointestinal issues and more,” Scott said. 1. Turmeric is anti-inflammatory Inflammation is not only related to a joint disease in dogs. It can be a chronic, hidden inflammation that is silently killing your dog. “It’s the root of nearly all disease,” Scott said. Inflammation causes a lot of illnesses such as cancer, arthritis, allergies, kidney disease, dental disease, and digestive disease, she added “Not all inflammation in the body is a bad thing. If your dog is exposed to viruses or bacteria, acute inflammation will release white blood cells to the body tissues and start the healing process,” Scott said. But chronic inflammation which stays for weeks, months and even years is the real cause of degenerative and inflammatory health issues in your dog, she stressed.

Senior dog Silver was rescued by Save ALL from the Cainta pound in 2014. Three years ago (2017), a lump was discovered in one breast. Since then, a half-inch turmeric is boiled and the water with the spice is mixed with her natural food(boiled vegetables and a little meat) every day. The lump has not grown bigger. Silver is now 14-16 years old.

“Researchers recently found that heart disease can be linked to dental disease. Chronic bladder infections can lead to bladder cancer. And they’re finding that chronic low-grade inflammation is a major driver of arthritis and joint degeneration,” Scott said. A surprising but good finding based on a 2014 study showed that curcumin in turmeric “outperformed ibuprofen in people with arthritis, “ said Scott. In another study – in 2004 in Oncogene—Scott said curcumin (as well as resveratrol) worked as well as anti-inflammatory drugs.. Turmeric, she said, worked better than aspirin and ibuprofen. Add to that the fact that turmeric is a natural anti-inflammatory “medicine.” 2. Turmeric can help dogs with cancer Turmeric, based on a UK study, was found to stop “precancerous changes from becoming cancer,” said Scott. Turmeric can help prevent cancer and even help treat cancer naturally, she stressed. “Nearly 1/3 of the studies done on turmeric are cancer research … and the results are very promising.Turmeric has been shown to kill cancer cells and prevent more from growing,” Scott said. The American Cancer Society has also declared that curcumin interferes in cancer growth and spread, Scott said. Curcumin found I turmeric, she added, has also been the focus of many because it can reduce the size of tumors and can kill cancer cells. claims, “Half of adult dogs today will get cancer … so turmeric could be a great way to protect your dog from cancer and the inflammation that causes it,” Scott stressed. (to be continued next week)