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Hey! A new tapas place takes Filipino Spanish cuisine into the 21st century

IT’S EASY to call a tapas bar, a tapas bar. All you really need are a line of hams masquerading as vaguely Spanish, offer a few bottles of cheap wine and fruit juice masquerading as sangria, sit back, and wait for the drunks to come. But not this one.

For a restaurant named after the Spanish word for “Hey!,” ¡Oye! Tapas and Grill — the newest property of the Advent Manila Hospitality Group, Inc., the parent company for restaurants XO 46 Heritage Bistro, Arroz Ecija, Rajah Maynila, Isla Kusina, and Raku — goes beyond the basic and serves tidbits worthy of memory (provided you don’t black out from the cocktails). It’s something you should expect from a restaurant where a former employee of Ferran Adria (think elBulli, one of the best restaurants in the world, mourned in its closure) reigns in the kitchen.

“Delicious, progressive, avant-garde — still Spanish, but very today,” is how ¡Oye!’s owner Andrew Masigan describes his eatery’s taste. He thinks that the Spanish cuisine that has evolved on its own in the Philippines is still stuck in the 1970s, while over in Spain, gastronomy has made leaps and bounds. Through his Spanish-trained chefs as well as multiple trips to Spain, Mr. Masigan has tailored the menu over at ¡Oye! to go above and beyond.

I mean, look at its stuffed baby squid, sampled recently during a lunch visit by BusinessWorld. At first seemingly unremarkable, but then a stuffing of ground beef and truffle (real truffle, mind you, not oil) opens the mouth to a dream. More filling choices include tenderloin with foie gras (definitely luxurious, and it melts in the mouth), to grilled pork ribs and chicken (absolutely tender, but aggressive with an inimitable hint of fire and smoke). Definitely a standout was the beef fillet salpicao, with slices of solomillo (sirloin) swimming in ruby-red olive oil, garlic, and pimenton (a spice blend using smoked paprika as a backbone), proving to be more tender than most steaks you can find in the market, its texture acting as a sponge for all the flavors in its make.

Mr. Masigan has been in the food industry for over 25 years, building up on his own father’s experience in the industry in the 1970s. He started his empire with a chain of quick dimsum joints, and along the side managed a refined tea salon. He gave it all up to join government, only to be prodded by a government official to open XO46 Heritage Bistro. According to him, Filipino restaurants usually run the gamut from grills to buffets, with little room for Filipino fine dining. Mr. Masigan’s XO46 Bistro is now the favorite of officials to entertain guests with Filipino food in style — it boasts of crystal, silver, and fine porcelain.

In the future, Mr. Masigan plans to open a restaurant highlighting the cuisine of Mindanao. Bear in mind that at present, Mr. Masigan already has a restaurant highlighting Central Luzon favorites, Arroz Ecija. The emphasis on Filipino cuisine, served at what should be its best, might seem to some to be a crusade against foreign chains opening left and right, and then some. He’s quick to correct us, however: “I think there’s room for everyone. I’m not making a point [that] Filipino is better.”

“What I do want to emphasize is that Filipino is not pedestrian. Filipino food is not ugly.”

And his forays into Japanese (Raku) and Spanish (¡Oye!) are not aberrations in this focus on the Filipino — after all, we were under one colonizer for four years and the other for 400 and their cuisines have joined our culinary repertoire. — Joseph L. Garcia

Gilas resumes FIBA World Cup Qualifier campaign

By Michael Angelo S. Murillo
Senior Reporter

ON-COURT work resumes for Gilas Pilipinas today as it takes on Australia in the second window of group play in the FIBA Asian World Cup Qualifiers in Melbourne.

Currently sporting a 2-0 record in Group B, the Philippine national men’s basketball team looks to stretch its good start when it collides with fellow group leader Australia (2-0) in their scheduled 4:30 p.m. (Manila time) match at the Margaret Court Arena.

Bannering the cause of the Chot Reyes-coached team is a pool of 14 players culled mostly from the Philippine Basketball Association.

The players are Calvin Abueva, Japeth Aguilar, Kevin Alas, Andray Blatche, Jayson Castro, Carl Bryan Cruz, June Mar Fajardo, Jio Jalalon, Allein Maliksi, Gabe Norwood, RR Pogoy, Kiefer Ravena, Abu Tratter and Matthew Wright.

The team has yet to name the final 12 players for the Australia game as of this writing but it was said to have been angling for speed for the second window of the qualifiers which will also see the team play here at home on Sunday, Feb. 25, against Japan.

“Australia is a very tough team. They may not have their NBA (National Basketball Association) players but they have assembled a good team that plays well together,” said Mr. Reyes in the lead-up to the second window as he made his assessment of their opponent today.

“We have little advantage over them. If at all it’s our speed but apart from that not much,” he added.

In the first window of play in the qualifiers last November, Gilas struggled with its collective game but still managed to go unblemished, beating fellow group mates Japan and Chinese Taipei, both sporting 0-2 records right now. The Philippines defeated Japan, 77-71, on Nov. 24 in Tokyo before beating Chinese Taipei, 90-83, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum three days later.

Mr. Castro paced the team in its first two assignments with averages of 20 points, 5.5 rebounds and five assists.

Messrs. Fajardo and Wright averaged 11.5 points each while naturalized player and former NBA campaigner Blatche was good for 9.5 points, 13 rebounds and four assists.

The Philippines ranked joint sixth on offense in the 16-team field after the first window with an average of 83.5 points on an eighth-best 42% shooting clip.

THE BOOMERS
Australia, meanwhile, defeated Chinese Taipei, 104-66, and Japan, 82-58, in that order, to complete a sweep of its first window assignments.

Power forward Daniel Kickert is leading the team with numbers of 18.5 points, five rebounds and 3.5 assists.

Mitchell Creek has been good for 11 points and 7.5 rebounds while point guard Jason Cadee and center Angus Brandt have been chipping in 10.5 and 10 points, respectively.

The Boomers are currently ranked fifth on offense in the tournament with 93 points a game on a high 54.6% marksmanship rate, good for second.

In the Asian Qualifiers, 16 teams have been divided into four groups to determine the top seven teams joining World Cup host China as representatives of Asia/Oceania at the 32-field Basketball World Cup happening in August 2019.

The Philippines-Australia game today can be seen live over ESPN5 and livestream on www.espn5.com.

Philippines to play host to FIA Sport Conference in June

MOTOR sport and what lies ahead for it will take front and center later this year in the country with the Philippines hosting the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) Sport Conference.

Set for June 4 to 6, the conference is to gather FIA National Sporting Authorities (NSAs) and mobility clubs around the world as well as key motor sport decision makers, event promoters and leading figures from racing and rallying, with the Automobile Association of the Philippines (AAP), with support from the Department of Tourism (DoT), taking the hosting lead.

In ceremonies held last week, officials of the FIA, AAP, DoT and their partners formally announced the staging of the FIA Sport Conference in the country, the first to be held in Southeast Asia in its six-year history.

Among those present during the presentation were FIA Sport Conference Project Director Frederique Trouve, AAP President Gus Lagman, FIA Events Manager Martin Lalande, Tourism Undersecretary Allan Canizal, FIA SC 2018 National Organizing Council Committee Government Sector Chair/DoT Assistant Secretary Frederick Alegre, National Organizing Council Committee Private Sector Chair/AAP Trustee and Tourism and Travel Committee Chair Mina T. Gabor and Co-Chair/AAP Trustee and Motor Sport Chair Mandy Eduque.

The FIA said it is very excited to bring the sport conference to the Philippines seeing how active it is, through the AAP, in previous stagings of the conference and how motor sport has steadily grown here in recent years.

“AAP has been very active in participating in FIA conferences and we have seen their loyalty and motivation in promoting motor sport among the youth through efforts such as the Motor Sport Development Program. They have also organized many activities in terms of training in road safety,” said Ms. Trouve during the launch.

Organizers said the conference will feature an industry-themed showcase and platform for the analysis of future trends and opportunities in motor sport.

Other possible offerings are an extrication demo and motor sport activities like drifting, auto cross, slalom, e-karting and the FIA-certified online Gran Turismo Asian Regional Finals Championship which are open to the public.

COMPLEMENTARY
For AAP officials, the FIA Sport Conference is good for motor sport in the country as it can complement and enhance the headways made by the local scene.

“Very few people know that the motor sport scene in the country is very active. And I’m speaking only for the four wheels, two wheels have a different organization. The conference will be a good venue to bring it to the fore,” said Mr. Lagman, whose group is the FIA’s NSA in the country.

“I have attended a couple of these sport conferences, and definitely there is a lot of exchange of information that happens in the three or four days of the conference. Specifically the Philippines can learn quite a lot from other representatives of other NSAs from different countries who may have different programs as far as developing the sport as much as we can share our programs as well,” Mr. Eduque, for his part, said.

Seeing the potential of the event to lure tourists, meanwhile, the DoT said it will work closely with the AAP and other government agencies to ensure the successful and safe hosting of the FIA Sport Conference, which is expected to attract at least 400 delegates from different countries. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo

Flossom Kitchen + Café: A modern twist to classic dishes

“WHEN I told my mother that I wanted to cook, she did not want me to,” said Flossom Kitchen + Café chef and owner Jessica Wong in the vernacular about her decision to pursue a career in culinary arts.

Ms. Wong began experimenting with food as a child, saying that she would sometimes assist her mother in the kitchen. Ms. Wong’s persistence and skill in cooking eventually convinced her mother to allow her to pursue her passion.

Opening a restaurant was a dream she shared with her childhood best friend, classmate, and now co-owner, Betrina Lee. They took up Hospitality and Restaurant Management programs at university, put up small food stalls in commercial areas, and worked in a café chain (for Ms. Wong) and a hotel restaurant (for Ms. Lee) before abandoning their regular jobs to establish Flossom Kitchen + Café which opened in November 2017.

THE FLOSSOM COMPOUND
The restaurant’s name was adapted from a flower shop called Flossom Place Philippines whose owner is also the proprietor of the Flossom compound in San Juan.

The compound’s owner, Mina Yao, found the space available and decided to develop the area for businesses that cater to events said Flossom Kitchen + Café marketing manager Janna Arceo. Aside from the flower shop and the café, the 600-square-meter compound also houses a salon, a co-working space, and an arts and craft store.

A pink neon light spelling “Flossom” mounted on a gray wall beside a display of flowers and indoor plants greets guests upon their entrance. The light airy space, highlighted by pastel gray, green, and pink chairs, has three dining areas — a main dining area, the glass house, and an al fresco area.

The glass house is available for rent at P20,000 (consumable) for four hours. The café may also be reserved for a minimum of 30 pax.

The menu does not focus on a specific cuisine, rather, it consists of the chefs’ personal favorite dishes with added tweaks. “Modern comfort food with a twist,” is how Ms. Arceo describes it.

“It’s different so that it’s something new for everyone but staying classic and true to what was known before,” Ms. Arceo said in a mixture of English and Filipino. “We make it to a point to present it in a different way that guests would not be afraid to try.”

Among their best-sellers, she said, are the Ube champorado (P280), Honey chorizo (P320), Crispy pork belly (P350), Baked meatloaf (P320), Molten Lava burger made with Angus beef patty and served with potato chips (P420), Grilled cheese sandwich served with either tomato soup or salad (P300), Norwegian salmon (P350), and Truffle and Egg sandwich (P300). Americano coffee is served free of charge from 8 to 10 a.m. It is recommended to finish the meal with the Molten Lava cake served with vanilla ice cream (P220) or the Tiramisu (P150).

In keeping with the name of the restaurant, all dishes are served with edible flowers which are grown in Pangasinan.

Food should always be “Instagram-able,” noted Ms. Wong: “The first sense that eats is your eyes. Before you taste or smell it, you see it first,” she said in Filipino, but Ms. Arceo stressed that the quality of the food should be sustainable. “Your Instagram-able food should have a concept behind it. You need to have good food, service, and atmosphere… If it’s Instagram-able but you don’t have those elements, the people will not go back to your restaurant.”

Flossom Kitchen + Café is located at 187 N. Averilla St., San Juan. It is open Monday to Friday (8 a.m. to 10 p.m.), and Saturday to Sunday (8 a.m. to 11 p.m.) For details, visit www.facebook.com/flossomkitchencafe/. — Michelle Anne P. Soliman

GlobalPort fans quarterfinal push with win over Kia

GLOBALPORT BATANG PIER remained in the hunt for a quarterfinal spot in the PBA Philippine Cup after collaring an important win over also-rans Kia Picanto, 108-91, yesterday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Needing to win its two remaining games in the elimination round of the season-opening Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) tournament to assure itself of a spot in the next round, complication-free, GlobalPort moved halfway that after surviving a late Kia charge to improve to 5-5 and move to joint sixth place in the race to the playoffs.

The Batang Pier fell down early by as much nine points, 13-4, before pulling themselves back in the game and trimming their deficit to just three points, 26-23, by the end of the first canto.

Building on the momentum of that run, GlobalPort would go on to outscore the Picanto, 28-14, in the second quarter to seize control with a 51-40 advantage by the halftime break.

Kia tried to claw its way back further to begin the third period but GlobalPort stood its ground and played scrappy to stay on top of things by the end of the frame, 78-67.

The Picanto remained undeterred and continued to fight back to start the final 12 minutes.

They outscored GlobalPort, 12-4, in the first three minutes to come within three points, 82-79.

Guard Reden Celda gave Kia the lead, 85-84, with six straight points at the 7:58 mark.

Back-to-back triples by Stanley Pringle though established control back for GlobalPort, holding a five-point lead, 90-85, with under seven minutes remaining.

Sean Anthony would further pull the Batang Pier to an even bigger lead, 96-87, as the payoff quarter moved past the halfway point.

GlobalPort held a 100-88 lead entering the last two minutes and just stayed the course en route to the win.

Mr. Anthony and Kelly Nabong finished with 21 points each for the Batang Pier while Mr. Pringle added 15.

Kia, meanwhile, was paced by Mr. Celda’s 20 markers.

The Batang Pier shoot for an assured spot in the quarterfinals when they take on the Phoenix Fuel Masters in their final game of the eliminations on March 2 while Kia finishes its Philippine Cup campaign tomorrow against the San Miguel Beermen. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo

Forget Italy, your next high-end truffle is coming from Greece

SO YOU’RE dining at a fancy restaurant and choose to splurge on some truffles to top off your repast. The server steps up and presents the vaguely ugly tuber. As the pungent slices rain down on your main course, the waiter announces that these truffles didn’t come from Italy, the traditional provenance of this decadent garnish. They hail from Greece.

Don’t be shocked — be glad. Italians have successfully positioned their product as the most luxurious under the forest floor. But white Alba truffles — tuber magnatum pico — also grow magnificently well in Greece. Even Aristotle mentions them in his writings, but they never made it into the local cuisine. Unlike Italy’s truffles, which have been dug up and eaten for centuries, Greece’s truffles have remained largely undisturbed. At least they did until the Athens-based culinary exporter Eklekto saw their potential for the US market.

But there’s an additional reason to embrace Greek truffles. Usually, countless middlemen touch an Italian truffle before it makes it to market, increasing the consumer’s chances of getting a counterfeit version. Eklekto partners Peter Weltman and George Athanas say they work only with a small group of Greek foragers and know exactly where the product is from. Apart from the forager working with his trusty dog, Weltman and Athanas are the only people that touch the truffles before export, the company says.

Initially, it was mutual interest in Greek wine that brought Weltman and Athanas together, but a mutual friend and respected mycologist (a study of fungi) pointed them to truffles. Bitten by the Greek truffle bug, Weltman — a trained chef and sommelier — brought a cache of tubers back with him to San Francisco-area restaurants in 2016, jamming a pile of Greek Burgundy’s (also called black truffles) into a stinky backpack. “You bring in caper leaves and it’s one thing,” he says of these sales calls. “But truffles are a whole other ballgame.” Everywhere Weltman went, the kitchen staff gathered around to peer into his Tupperware. They loved the scent: more buttery and saltier than the smokier French version and different from the Perigords — melanosporum — that he had later, which were more fruity, earthy and pungent. Still, they were sent off without a sale.

In 2017, Eklekto’s foragers began unearthing the prized white truffle that, in addition to Italy and Greece, also comes from Slovenia and Macedonia. More than a few Italian truffles have a good chance of actually hailing from these countries, given the premium prices they command and the ease of exporting them. At Urbani, which controls 70% of the world’s truffle market, Vittorio Giordano, vice-president of the US and Canada division, says he’s paying close attention to his Alba sources.

“As a truffle company, we have to keep an eye on the product,” he says. “If there are other areas producing the same truffle, we definitely have to pay attention.”

Nevertheless, with Alba prices climbing due to drought, the timing for Greek truffles was perfect. Last year, Italian truffles jumped to $3,500 a pound wholesale. Greek truffles were slightly cheaper, going for $3,150 a pound. Equally delicious, but not as rare, Perigords fetched $840 a pound.

$100,000 ON TRUFFLES
The same species as the Alba, Eklekto’s Greek white truffle smells and tastes just as delicious. One convert is chef Michael Tusk at San Francisco’s Quince restaurant. Tusk is a prodigious user of the luxury ingredient. “People are paying a lot of money,” Tusk says of his dinners. Because of this, sometimes he would take over in the dining room for any cautious captains. “I was never really fond of conservative shaving. It was either go big or go home.” During his annual, eight-night, white truffle festival, he uses about two kilograms a day. In peak season, Tusk will spend around $100,000 on truffles.

When Weltman first pitched his burgundy truffles to Tusk in 2016, the chef didn’t believe another country’s product could rival Italy’s. But after a year of soaring overhead, he reconsidered. “It was a brutal year of expense and I thought I’ll at least take a look,” says Tusk. He began adding them to his risotto with tartufo bianco, a dish that includes both cultured white truffle butter and a generous shaving of truffles at the table, and agnolottini di fonduta, molten cheese-stuffed pasta with white truffles. “The flavor was really good,” he says.

Last October, when Quince was awarded three Michelin stars, he requisitioned truffles to celebrate. He called up Far West Fungi — a wholesale and retail shop that carries the largest variety of truffle species in the Bay Area and which just received a large shipment of white tubers from Eklekto. General Manager Naomi Wolf delivered the goods personally. “I think it was three pounds, a ludicrous amount,” Wolf says.

“The smell and the taste were absolutely every bit as good as anything I got from Alba.”

George Chen, chef and owner of China Live and Eight Tables in San Francisco, first started using truffles in 2007 at Roosevelt Prime, a steakhouse in China. He continued to use Chinese truffles until 2010, when the market began to be flooded with inferior product. He started searching for alternatives.

“I heard that Greece had truffles, but I had never seen one,” says Chen. Weltman showed up one day with large, bright, white truffles. They had few indentations, allowing for beautiful oval pieces when shaved. But that wasn’t the real test. “The smell and the taste were absolutely every bit as good as anything I got from Alba,” Chen says. He began using them on his velvet chicken with roasted truffle veal jus and, in a riff on broccoli beef, seared Wagyu finished with shaved white truffles.

Taking a chance on a supplier with a new ingredient, especially an expensive one, is a risk many don’t want to take. However, for this southern European country whose economy has problems, it’s a potential jackpot. Lefteris Lahouvaris, a Greek mycologist who works with Eklekto, estimates that Greece could export as many as three tons of truffles annually, translating into millions of dollars at wholesale prices in the US.

Many have yet to be convinced. Chefs that include Yotam Ottolenghi and Alice Waters, both of whom showed interest, eventually passed on Greek truffles. At Far West, where some white Albas went for $5,000 a pound last year, co-owner Ian Garrone says he will continue to carry the Greek truffles as long as they’re consistent. “It’s going to be determined by a few good seasons,” he says. “I’m thinking it’s going to be an early white truffle season. If it can get in the market before Italian [truffles] get established, it has a really wonderful chance of being a mainstay.”

That said, Greece isn’t the only unlikely source for truffles these days. America’s Pacific Northwest is garnering a reputation for its underground crop, too. At the annual truffle festival in Eugene, Oregon, where white truffle season begins in October and ends in March, chefs cook with massive amounts of the tuber. At one especially notable dinner, they created eight courses that paired European truffles alongside the local offerings. Guests unanimously preferred the native truffles, recounts Charles Ruff, the festival’s culinary director. “The best experience with any truffle,” he says, “is to enjoy it in its terroir.” — Bloomberg

Golden Haven enters mass housing

GOLDEN HAVEN, Inc. is formalizing its entry into the mass housing sector after issuing P3.01 billion worth of shares out of its unissued authorized capital stock to Cambridge Group, Inc. (CGI).

In a disclosure to the stock exchange on Wednesday, the Villar-led firm said it has issued 150 million common shares at P20.0935 apiece to CGI by way of private placement. Golden Haven initially secured shareholder approval to increase its issued and outstanding shares last October 2017 to make the transaction possible.

The funds raised from the private placement will then be used to acquire housing developer Bria Homes, Inc., comprising 9.99 million shares at P301.42 apiece. CGI is a firm controlled by the Villar’s Fine Properties, Inc., and is the principal shareholder of Bria Homes.

Also led by the Villar group, Bria Homes develops mass housing projects across the country, with 27 projects in Bataan, Pampanga, Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, Camarines Sur, Negros Oriental, Cagayan de Oro, and Misamis Oriental under its network.

The transaction will bring down Golden Haven’s public float to 10.59% from 14.84%.

The diversification into mass housing comes after Golden Haven changed in corporate name last September 2017, where it dropped the words “memorial park” in order to expand its core business outside the deathcare industry.

Following the plan to acquire Bria Homes, the company then changed its name to Golden Bria Holdings, Inc. last February, which it said would provide the company flexibility in undertaking its expansion plans. The company has yet to disclose when it will file with the Securities and Exchange Commission necessary documents for the name change.

Golden Haven saw its net income attributable to the parent increase 21% to P164 million in the first nine months of 2017, following a 19% growth in revenues to P724 million during the period.

Shares in Golden Haven soared 50% or P87 to P261 apiece at the Philippine Stock Exchange on Wednesday. — Arra B. Francia

Security experts raise the alarm over ‘malicious use’ of AI tech

PARIS — Artificial intelligence (AI) could be deployed by dictators, criminals and terrorists to manipulate elections and use drones in terrorist attacks, more than two dozen experts said Wednesday as they sounded the alarm over misuse of the technology.

In a 100-page analysis, they outlined a rapid growth in cybercrime and the use of “bots” to interfere with news gathering and penetrate social media among a host of plausible scenarios in the next five to 10 years.

“Our report focuses on ways in which people could do deliberate harm with AI,” said Sean O hEigeartaigh, executive director of the Cambridge Centre for the Study of Existential Risk.

“AI may pose new threats, or change the nature of existing threats, across cyber-, physical, and political security,” he told AFP.

The common practice, for example, of “phishing” — sending e-mails seeded with malware or designed to finagle valuable personal data — could become far more dangerous, the report detailed.

Currently, attempts at phishing are either generic but transparent — such as scammers asking for bank details to deposit an unexpected windfall — or personalized but labor intensive — gleaning personal data to gain someone’s confidence, known as “spear phishing.”

“Using AI, it might become possible to do spear phishing at scale by automating a lot of the process” and making it harder to spot, O hEigeartaigh noted.

In the political sphere, unscrupulous or autocratic leaders can already use advanced technology to sift through mountains of data collected from omnipresent surveillance networks to spy on their own people.

“Dictators could more quickly identify people who might be planning to subvert a regime, locate them, and put them in prison before they act,” the report said.

Likewise, targeted propaganda along with cheap, highly believable fake videos have become powerful tools for manipulating public opinion “on previously unimaginable scales.”

An indictment handed down by US special prosecutor Robert Mueller last week detailed a vast operation to sow social division in the United States and influence the 2016 presidential election in which so-called “troll farms” manipulated thousands of social network bots, especially on Facebook and Twitter.

Another danger zone on the horizon is the proliferation of drones and robots that could be repurposed to crash autonomous vehicles, deliver missiles, or threaten critical infrastructure to gain ransom.

AUTONOMOUS WEAPONS
“Personally, I am particularly worried about autonomous drones being used for terror and automated cyberattacks by both criminals and state groups,” said co-author Miles Brundage, a researcher at Oxford University’s Future of Humanity Institute.

The report details a plausible scenario in which an office-cleaning SweepBot fitted with a bomb infiltrates the German finance ministry by blending in with other machines of the same make.

The intruding robot behaves normally — sweeping, cleaning, clearing litter — until its hidden facial recognition software spots the minister and closes in.

“A hidden explosive device was triggered by proximity, killing the minister and wounding nearby staff,” according to the sci-fi storyline.

“This report has imagined what the world could look like in the next five to 10 years,” O hEigeartaigh said.

“We live in a world fraught with day-to-day hazards from the misuse of AI, and we need to take ownership of the problems.”

The authors called on policy makers and companies to make robot-operating software unhackable, to impose security restrictions on some research, and to consider expanding laws and regulations governing AI development.

Giant high-tech companies — leaders in AI — “have lots of incentives to make sure that AI is safe and beneficial,” the report said.

Another area of concern is the expanded use of automated lethal weapons.

Last year, more than 100 robotics and AI entrepreneurs — including Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, and British astrophysicist Stephen Hawking — petitioned the United Nations to ban autonomous killer robots, warning that the digital-age weapons could be used by terrorists against civilians.

“Lethal autonomous weapons threaten to become the third revolution in warfare,” after the invention of machine guns and the atomic bomb, they warned in a joint statement, also signed by Google DeepMind cofounder Mustafa Suleyman.

“We do not have long to act. Once this Pandora’s box is opened, it will be hard to close.”

Contributors to the new report — entitled “The Malicious Use of AI: Forecasting, Prevention, and Mitigation” — also include experts from the Electronic Frontier Foundation, the Center for a New American Security, and OpenAI, a leading nonprofit research company.

“Whether AI is, all things considered, helpful or harmful in the long run is largely a product of what humans choose to do, not the technology itself,” said Brundage. — AFP

Full documentary on Azkals player Rota to be unveiled

AFTER initially showing a work-in-progress edition last year, the makers of the documentary Journeyman Finds Home – The Simone Rota Story will unveil its full version this weekend.

Backed by Football for a Better Life (FFABL), an organization which aims to empower youth and uplift their lives through football, and Davao Aguilas FC, the film chronicles the personal struggles of Philippine Azkals player Simone Rota — from how he was adopted by an Italian couple, to how he grew up and played football in Italy, and then returned to the Philippines to join the national team and search for his biological mother.

The unveiling of the documentary will be held at the Uptown Ultra Cinema in Taguig on Saturday, Feb. 24.

Albert Almendralejo, one of the directors of the documentary, said the latest version of the film is more comprehensive as they added other facets of the life and football journey of Davao Aguilas FC player Rota.

“We have added the grassroots programs that led to the establishment of the Youth Football League and included the Azkals game where Simone was called back to the national team. There is also new information about the lady whom Simone believed was his long-lost mother,” Mr. Almendralejo said.

In conjunction with the unveiling of the documentary, Football for a Better Life will also launch two sports program that it is supporting, namely, Women Empowerment through Sports (WEtS) and Mindanao Futbol.

The former is an international youth project whose local organizer is the nongovernment organization Bridging the Gaps, while the latter is a talent identification mission in Mindanao led by national player-turned-coach Percy Guarin.

“Sport empowers women and develops values in children. This is the advocacy of Football for a Better Life and serves as our humble contribution to national development,” said Mr. Almendralejo, who is the FFABL founder and president.

Journeyman Finds Home – The Simone Rota Story is supported by the Philippine Italian Association, Elan Vita Diagnostic Solutions and Puma. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo

Pairing wine with tapas

WHO SAYS you can’t fall in love with something that can’t love you back? Guests at Barcino’s wine event “Perfect Pairing” in UP Town Center on Valentine’s Day fell in love with the variety of wine and tapas pairings in the masterclass format, conducted by Barcino’s founder and present Business Development manager, Oscar Bosch.

The meal started with a Fragrantia No. 6, a Moscato, which had a tartness at the center and a refined taste akin to candied lemons. This was paired with pintxos de pulpo (octopus) and pintxo de pate de tuna. The wine managed to highlight the chewiness of the octopus, while polishing with a creamy cleanliness the fish’s more base flavors.

Next came a Fragrantia No. 9 Syrah, a rosé with a scent almost like, well, roses, with a hint of grass, a certain crispness and juiciness in the taste (like biting into an apple), punctuated with a note of candied plums. This was paired with piquillo peppers stuffed with fish, wiping off its fattiness and gives it some refinement. No surprises here, but a Vinas del Vero Luces Tinto, a blend of Tempranillo, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Syrah went well with grilled tenderloin with mushroom gravy, perhaps because of the wine’s hint of black pepper, with the aggressive odor of a wooden cask, with a slight hint of patchouli leaves. This final seductive note served as a tonic for the paella negra, which surprisingly had a light tonic effect on the slightly heavy dish.

Said Mr. Bosch after the tasting: “It’s very important to educate people. If you educate the people, the people will become your customers in the future.” Barcino has 17 stores at present, and Mr. Bosch said that they plan to open five more, but plans to explore more options in Spanish cuisine. — JLG

Philippine Airlines puts NAIA-2 annex plan on hold

PHILIPPINE AIRLINES (PAL) is putting on hold its plan to build an annex to the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 2, after the recent proposal of the “super consortium” of conglomerates to rehabilitate the whole airport system.

PAL President and Chief Operating Officer Jaime J. Bautista said the flag carrier is “still in discussion” with Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (PAGCOR) regarding the property where it plans to build an annex.

“Still in discussion but when the consortium takes over they will have to work with PAGCOR. So yes, back seat for now. [Including the plan for another terminal?] Yes, yes,” Mr. Bautista told reporters last week.

Last September, PAL revived its proposal for a NAIA Terminal 2 annex, which will be built on a 16-hectare area that includes the now-defunct Philippine Village Hotel, the former Nayong Pilipino complex and the PAGCOR property.

However, PAGCOR has said the flag carrier cannot build its proposed P20-billion ($400-million) annex   on the property adjacent to Terminal 2 since it does not own it.

The gaming industry regulator had said that PAL has been only leasing the 10-hectare property from PAGCOR and does not have a right to use it for any purpose other than as “an aircraft parking ramp/apron facility,” as stipulated under a lease agreement signed between the airline and the previous management of PAGCOR, which expires in 2033.

The “super consortium” of conglomerates Aboitiz Infra Capital, Inc., AC Infrastructure Holdings Corp., Alliance Global Group, Inc., AEDC, Filinvest Development Corp., JG Summit Holdings, Inc. and Metro Pacific Investment Corp., submitted to the government on Feb. 13 a proposal for the rehabilitation of NAIA to turn it into a regional hub.

Transportation Undersecretary for Aviation Manuel Antonio L. Tamayo told reporters last week that evaluation of the unsolicited proposal may take two months. — Patrizia Paola C. Marcelo

Palmreaders? Japan team builds second skin message display

TOKYO — Palmreading could take on a whole new meaning thanks to a new invention from Japan: an ultra-thin display and monitor that can be stuck directly to the body.

The band-aid-like device is just one millimeter thick and can monitor important health data as well as send and receive messages, including emojis.

Takao Someya, the University of Tokyo professor who developed the device, envisions it as a boon for medical professionals with bed-ridden or far-flung patients, as well as family living far from their relatives.

“With this, even in home-care settings, you can achieve seamless sharing of medical data with your home doctors, who then would be able to communicate back to their patients,” he told AFP.

Slapped onto the palm or back of a hand, it could flash reminders to patients to take their medicine, or even allow far-away grandchildren to communicate with their grandparents.

“Place displays on your skin, and you would feel as if it is part of your body. When you have messages sent to your hand, you would feel emotional closeness to the sender,” Someya said.

“I think a grandfather who receives a message saying ‘I love you’ from his grandchild, they would feel the warmth, too.”

The invention could prove particularly useful in Japan, with its rapidly aging population, replacing the need for in-person checks by offering continuous, non-invasive monitoring of the sick and frail, Someya told AFP.

The display consists of a 16-by-24 array of micro LEDs and stretchable wiring mounted on a rubber sheet.

It also incorporates a lightweight sensor composed of a breathable “nanomesh” electrode, and a wireless communication module.

“Because this device can stretch, we now can paste a display on things with complex shapes, like skin,” Someya said.

It can be placed on the human body for a week without causing skin inflammation, and is light enough that users might eventually even forget they are wearing it.

Along with medical applications, Someya hopes the device could eventually lead to wearable displays for joggers to monitor heart rates or check running routes.

He imagines laborers using the displays to consult manuals on their arms while working.

The device will be showcased at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Texas over the weekend.

Someya created the device in partnership with Japanese printing giant Dai Nippon Printing, which hopes to put it on the market within three years. — AFP