Facebook Instagram Linkedin Twitter Youtube
Home Blog Page 12499

Folayang, Nguyen tout super fight as ‘entertaining and fun’

By Michael Angelo S. Murillo
Senior Reporter

ONE Championship brings a groundbreaking offering when it makes its next stop in Manila in November with the main players touting it as an “entertaining and fun” fight night for mixed martial arts aficionados.

Dubbed “ONE: Legends of the World,” and happening at the Mall of Asia Arena on Nov. 10, the event will mark the first time in its history that ONE, Asia’s largest sports media property, will pit two reigning world champions from different weight divisions in a “super fight.”

ONE lightweight world champion Eduard “Landslide” Folayang of the Philippines will stake his title against world featherweight champion Martin “The Situ-Asian” Nguyen of Australia in a five-round contest.

Mr. Folayang, a native of Baguio City, will make his second title defense of the belt he won in November last year over MMA legend Shinya Aoki while Mr. Nguyen is making his cage return after shocking the MMA community with a devastating knockout win over erstwhile champion Marat Gafarov in August.

The headliners are up with their upcoming showdown, highlighting the dynamic that goes with such fight involving world champions.

Mr. Folayang (18-5) said he welcomes the new challenge presented to him in his latest fight albeit admitting it would entail a lot from him as a fighter.

“Crossover fights like this are very interesting and challenging. It’s another way for us fighters to showcase our skills. But it’s not easy and you really have to prepare well for such a setting as the dynamic for it is very different,” said Mr. Folayang when asked by BusinessWorld, during his face-off with Mr. Nguyen early this week at the City Garden Grand Hotel in Makati, for his thoughts on crossover fights.

“I normally fight lightweights and Martin is a natural featherweight so I expect him to be faster and quicker than the fighters in my division. So right now I’m really preparing a specific game plan for him to counter his moves,” Mr. Folayang added.

He went on to say that as the one defending his title, he will try everything he can to emerge on top.

“I intend to defend my division. This is my kingdom so to speak and he belongs in featherweight,” he said.

WELCOME THE FIGHT
Like Mr. Folayang, Aussie Nguyen (9-1) also welcomes the crossover fight, viewing it as a good opportunity to highlight some more his skills as a young and talented fighter.

“My body is still young. While I’m in this sport I want to fight as much as possible and enjoy this moment as well as inspire as many people as I can. I didn’t expect it to come this early but I wanted this to happen and I was told it’s going to happen in December in Thailand but I did not know my opponent yet. I thought I was going to fight in December but I’m okay with this schedule as I want to enjoy Christmas with my family,” Mr. Nguyen said in a separate interview.

Mr. Nguyen said he considers beating Mr. Gafurov as the high point of his MMA career so far and is looking to build on it.

“Beating Gafurov has been the pinnacle of my career so far. He was deemed undefeated and they were having a hard time finding an opponent for him. But I stepped up and defeated him. It made it all the more gratifying,” Mr. Nguyen said.

For ONE Championship, doing its first-ever crossover fight is only fitting to be done in the Philippines, considering how fans in the country have been supportive of the organization’s events here since 2012.

“As you know Manila is a big market for mixed martial arts in Asia. ABS-CBN is a good partner for us here. We also have incredible sponsors and the fighters here have improved a lot. This is our first crossover fight and we knew we just have to bring it to the Philippines,” said Loren Mack, ONE vice-president for PR and communications.

A game to sink your teeth into

By Alexander O. Cuaycong

Total War: Warhammer II, the second offering in the Warhammer Trilogy of Creative Assembly and published by Sega, takes its lore from Games Workshop’s tabletop Warhammer Fantasy Battle. This peculiar blend of turn-based strategy mixed with real-time combat is the sequel to Total War: Warhammer, and takes players on an epic campaign to four brand-spanking-new continents outside the scope of the first game. Using one of four different races divided into eight separate factions, players must vie for control over a storm of immense power called “The Great Vortex,” and tame or destroy the magical rift before their competitors do.

Design-wise, TW: WII’s map is nothing short of epic. It spans: 1.) the beautiful island of Ulthuan, civilized and tame; 2.) the wild jungles of Lustria, filled to the brim with ancient temples and ruined cities; 3.) the frozen wastes of Naggaroth, harsh and deadly; and, 4.) the barren deserts of the Southlands. And then there are the four factions, taken directly from Games Workshop’s own designs. From the noble and proud High Elves, to the sadistic and brutal Dark Elves, to the feral Lizardmen slithering in the jungles, to the sneaky Skaven skulking in the shadows, the races are as varied as they come — not only looking differently but playing differently as well. For example, the High Elves and their evil cousins, the Dark Elves, rely on monsters and elite troops to hold the line and break formations. The Lizardmen use brute strength and dinosaurs to pummel enemies into submission. And the Skaven, ever scheming, play exactly like rats, crawling out of dark corners and ambushing unsuspecting victims.

Thus, while the overall objective of the battles is the same (rout the enemy off the field and pummel them into submission), the ways in which players can do it vary greatly. The High Elves have disciplined infantry and elite cavalry to overcome enemies, or magic to heal their own troops. The Dark Elves can make use of blood lust, channeled into a meter called Murderous Prowess, which, when active, gives them stat boosts and makes them deadly foes. Lizardmen units go berserk and become almost unstoppable with their Primal Fury mechanics. Skaven possess abilities to ambush enemies and catch them off-guard by summoning more units on the field whenever and wherever practicable.

Couple that with the underlying objective of controlling “The Great Vortex,” and it’s easy to see how TW: WII stands out. This isn’t just an empire management game like previous releases in the Total War library. This is designed with a campaign in mind. The objective forces players to scheme, plot, and conquer their way to dominance over the rift. Missions appear frequently to give players the ability to perform rituals to tame “The Great Vortex,” and with each completed ritual, the odds begin to mount, as more enemies pop out to prevent them from taking place. It becomes a race against time as players must compete with the AI on who wrests control of the Vortex and thereby wields control over the fate of the world.

Considering the breadth and depth of the challenges, players feel a real sense of achievement when the final scenes play out. Every campaign is rigorous and, depending on the difficulty level, may take some 20-odd hours to finish, and even more for a map-wide domination campaign.

To be sure, flaws abound. TW: WII’s AI, while formidable, can be exploited very easily. Harder modes don’t make the AI smarter and more challenging; these just give them bonus resources to work with. Thusly, later campaign battles invariably turn into a slog. Diplomacy is still woefully broken, and several impactful bugs are still present two weeks after launch. The climate system, while interesting, leaves a lot to be desired, and the atrocious upkeep must be addressed, as these serve to artificially hinder players by handicapping them rather than serving as fair tests of skill.

Still and all, TW: WII is nothing short of fantastic. With a lengthy and difficult campaign players can sink their teeth into, AND with guaranteed support from developers via a Free Campaign called Mortal Empires for owners of the first Warhammer title, the latest release is a definite must-buy. While it may not be the perfect Total War game, it’s an enjoyable romp through Game’s Workshop’s Warhammer universe. Players who love grand strategy offerings mixed with real-time battles would do well to pick it up. Highly recommended, and a steal at $60.

Video Game Review

Total War: Warhammer II
PC via Steam

THE GOOD
• Outstanding variety: four races to choose from and plenty of other races to fight

• Compelling campaign narrative

• Continued developer support

• Gorgeous art design coupled with fair mechanics

• Steam Mod support to allow players to customize game settings

THE BAD
• Increasing difficulty adds to the tedium and doesn’t heighten the aptitude of the AI

• AI can be exploited (a big negative for single-player options)

• Other races are locked until further notice (limiting single-player and multiplayer choices)

• Rock-Paper-Scissors multiplayer battles due to randomness

RATING: 9/10

Home furnishing, fashion accessory SMEs to get tech support

THE EUROPEAN Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines (ECCP) and the Department of Science and Technology (DoST) have launched a technology-driven design project that is seen to benefit Cebu’s furnishing and fashion accessory sectors, especially the small and medium enterprises (SMEs). Tristan L. Abando, provincial director of DoST-Cebu, said the Design-Technology Fusion through Materials Innovation Expanded (De-Tech Fusion Ex) project will provide science and technology support to enhance the capabilities of the Materials Innovation Center (MATIC), which serves as hub for design sector stakeholders. Among those who stand to gain from the project are the close to 300 member companies of the Cebu Furniture Industries Foundation (CFIF), Cebu GTH (Gifts, Toys and Houseware), and FAME (Fashion Accessories Manufacturers and Exporters Association) Foundation. He pointed out that these companies employ around 160,000, including workers of subcontractors spread throughout Cebu and neighboring islands. De-Tech Fusion Ex is also expected to benefit universities, research institutions, communities and material suppliers. The program also covers opening opportunities for collaborative partnerships within the Southeast Asian Creative Cities Network. — The Freeman

Weinstein allegations swell as film industry faces scrutiny

LOS ANGELES – The avalanche of assault accusations against Harvey Weinstein grew Wednesday as more actresses came forward with explosive charges against the movie mogul, whose lurid behavior has opened a Pandora’s Box of Hollywood harassment and hypocrisy.

The new claims landed as the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences as well as the Cannes film festival organization declared the abusive behavior repugnant, but also as film figures warned that such actions have gone virtually unchecked in an industry that for years has seen itself in a progressive light.

The Weinstein revelations are just “the tip of the iceberg,” comedy actor and director Rob Schneider told TMZ.

“There’s not one actress who doesn’t have a story,” he said, adding that he himself experienced sexual harassment by a male director when he was younger.

Amid the gravity of the situation, the Academy, which has awarded 81 Oscars to Weinstein films produced by Miramax and then the Weinstein Company, announced it would convene a meeting on Saturday to “discuss the allegations against Weinstein and any actions warranted by the Academy.”

Weinstein, 65, has denied all charges, according to a statement from his spokeswoman Sallie Hofmeister. On Wednesday she offered “no comment” when asked about reports Weinstein was heading to Europe to enter a rehabilitation facility.

The scandal has rocked Hollywood, with the list of the Oscar-winner’s harassment victims also reportedly now including Gwyneth Paltrow, Angelina Jolie, Rosanna Arquette, and French actress Judith Godreche.

But a new angle to allegations emerged Tuesday when three women, including an Italian film star, claimed that Weinstein raped them.

The Weinstein Company board has sacked him, and his wife Georgina Chapman told celebrity magazine People she was leaving Weinstein, with whom she has two children.

‘EVERYONE KNEW’
“I am profoundly devastated. I have lost my wife and kids, whom I love more than anything else,” Weinstein told The New York Post, adding that, “I hope one day we can reconcile.”

The latest allegations portray Weinstein as a ruthless sexual predator, who on at least one occasion sought to engage an actress in a threesome with another woman.

“He asked us to kiss and she began some sort of advances upon his direction,” actress Cara Delevingne, who is also a fashion model, said in an Instagram post detailing an encounter at a hotel. When Delevingne got up to hurriedly leave, she wrote, “he walked me to the door and stood in front of it and tried to kiss me on the lips.”

The bluntest accusation came from Lea Seydoux, an award-winning French film star who wrote a devastating first-person account of her run-ins with Weinstein and others in an industry that essentially turned a blind eye to the abuse.

“That’s the most disgusting thing. Everyone knew what Harvey was up to and no one did anything,” Seydoux wrote in The Guardian.

She said she quickly figured out Weinstein’s motives when they met. “He had a lecherous look. He was using his power to get sex,” she wrote. “He’s big and fat, so I had to be forceful to resist him. I left his room, thoroughly disgusted.”

Some of the worst misconduct allegations emerged in a New Yorker magazine investigation published Tuesday, which details charges by Italian actress Asia Argento that Weinstein forced oral sex and intercourse on her 20 years ago. She told the publication she had maintained her silence until now for fear that Weinstein would “crush” her.

Another instance involved model Ambra Battilana Gutierrez, whom the New Yorker said Weinstein met in March 2015.

BUNGA BUNGA
According to the New Yorker, Gutierrez says Weinstein “lunged at her, groping her breasts and attempting to put a hand up her skirt” at a meeting in his offices in Tribeca. She reported the incident, and the New York Police Department asked her to wear a wire.

In the audio of their conversation which was released by the magazine, Weinstein can be heard apologizing for grabbing her breast and then repeatedly pressuring her to come into his hotel room.

Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance decided at the time not to press charges after it emerged the young woman had attended one of former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi’s infamous “bunga bunga” sex parties.

Amid concerns about potential criminality, Vance appeared before reporters Wednesday to justify the decision.

“Our sex crimes prosecutors made a determination that this was not going to be a provable case, and so the decision was made not to go forward,” Vance said.

“Obviously he has some serious issues, and the tape is terrible.”

The abundance of charges have sent tremors through the Democratic Party, whose heavyweights Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama stand accused of having waited too long after the revelations broke to disavow their friend and party donor.

Republicans have launched withering accusations that liberal elites were protecting one of their own, as those in President Donald Trump’s party demanded that Democrats jettison contributions by the movie mogul.

Since 1990, Weinstein and his wife have personally donated more than $1.4 million to various Democratic candidates or groups, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. – AFP

Orthorexia: When ‘healthy eating’ ends up making you sick

PARIS – People, it seems, have never been so afraid of their food – and, say some experts, an obsession with healthy eating may paradoxically be endangering lives.

Twenty-nine-year-old Frenchwoman Sabrina Debusquat recounts how, over 18 months, she became a vegetarian, then a vegan – eschewing eggs, dairy products and even honey – before becoming a “raw foodist” who avoided all cooked foods, and ultimately decided to eat just fruit.

It was only when her deeply worried boyfriend found clumps of her hair in the bathroom sink and confronted her with the evidence that she realized that she was on a downward path.

“I thought I held the truth to food and health, which would allow me to live as long as possible,” said Debusquat.

“I wanted to get to some kind of pure state. In the end my body overruled my mind.”

For some specialists, the problem is a modern eating disorder called orthorexia nervosa.

Someone suffering from orthorexia is “imprisoned by a range of rules which they impose on themselves,” said Patrick Denoux, a professor in intercultural psychology at the University of Toulouse-Jean Jaures.

These very strict self-enforced laws isolate the individual from social food gatherings and in extreme cases, can also endanger health.

Paris nutritionist Sophie Ortega said she had one patient who was going blind due to deficiency of vitamin B12, which is needed to make red-blood cells.

B12 is not made by the body, and most people get what they need from animal-derived foods such as eggs, dairy products, meat or fish, or from supplements.

“A pure, unbending vegan,” her patient even refused to take the supplements, said Ortega. “It was as if she preferred to lose her sight… rather than betray her commitment to animals.”

‘DISEASE DISGUISED AS VIRTUE’
The term orthorexia nervosa was coined in the 1990s by the then alternative medicine practitioner Steven Bratman, a San Francisco-based physician.

To be clear, orthorexia is not an interest in healthy eating – it’s when enthusiasm becomes a pathological obsession, which leads to social isolation, psychological disturbance, and even physical harm. In other words, as Bratman said in a co-authored book in 2000, it’s “a disease disguised as a virtue.”

But as is often the case in disorders that may have complex psychological causes, there is a strong debate as to whether the condition really exists.

The term is trending in western societies, prompting some experts to wonder whether it is being fanned by “cyber-chondria” – self-diagnosis on the internet.

‘NOT MEDICALLY RECOGNIZED’
Orthorexia is not part of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, set down by mental health professionals in the United States that is also widely used as a benchmark elsewhere. The fifth edition of this “bible,” published in 2013, includes anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa, but not orthorexia.

“The term orthorexia was proposed as a commonly used term but it is not medically recognized,” said Pierre Dechelotte, head of nutrition at Rouen University Hospital in northern France and head of a research unit investigating the link between the brain and the intestines in food behavior.

Even so, says Dechelotte, it has a home in the family of “restrictive food-related disorders – but it’s not on the radar screen.”

Alain Perroud, a psychiatrist who has worked in France and Switzerland over the course of a 30-year career, says orthorexia “is much closer to a phobia” than to a food disorder.

As with other phobias, the problem may be tackled by cognitive behavioral therapy – talking about incorrect or excessive beliefs, dealing with anxiety-provoking situations, and using relaxation techniques and other methods to tackle anxiety, he suggested.

Denoux contends that between two and three percent of the French population suffer from orthorexia, but stresses that there is a lack of reliable data as the condition has not been officially recognized.

Denoux’s figure seems coherent to Dechelotte, who says that women seem to be more than twice as susceptible to the problem as men.

‘BUBBLE OF RESTRICTION’
Outside the world of clinicians, orthorexia seems to be creeping into wider usage.

American blogger Jordan Younger has helped to popularize the term, documenting her own painful downward spiral – since reversed – into unhealthy living.

On her blog, she describes it as “a bubble of restriction,” obsessing over a diet that was “entirely vegan, entirely plant-based, entirely gluten-free, oil-free, refined sugar-free, flour-free, dressing/sauce-free, etc.”

Those who seem to be most worried about healthy food are often concerned about food scandals in the West, Pascale Hebel from the Paris-based CREDOC research center told AFP.

Over nearly three decades, Europe has experienced a string of food safety scandals – beginning with mad-cow disease and continuing recently with insecticide-contaminated eggs – as well as mounting opposition to the use of antibiotics, genetically modified foods and corporate farming practices.

The disorder reflects a craving for control, suggested Denoux: food is seen as a form of medicine to fix a western lifestyle that may be seen as polluting or toxic.

“We are living through a time of change in our food culture, which has led us to fundamentally doubt what we are eating,” said Denoux.

Among believers, this “suspicion of being poisoned is deemed proof of insight.” – AFP

SEC cautions investors over ‘Pluggle’ scheme

THE Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on Thursday cautioned the public when dealing with Pluggle, Inc., saying the company has no license or permit allowing it to solicit investments from the public.

In an advisory, the SEC Enforcement and Investor Protection Department said  Pluggle has been promising investors returns of between 30% to 100% in a span of 12 days for an investment of at least P1,000.

Pluggle claims its members earn money from six ways, including a P100 bonus for registration, and up to P400 in bonuses for those who can recruit new members. Transactions are done via online currency bitcoin, or through other legitimate members or leaders.

“The public is hereby advised to exercise caution before investing in these kinds of activities and to take the necessary precaution in dealing with Pluggle or its representatives,” the corporate regulator said.

While Pluggle has been registered as a corporation, the SEC noted the company has not secured the necessary permits stated under Sections 8 and 12 of the Securities and Regulation Code that would allow it to solicit investments from the public. 

Violation of these provisions may lead to a maximum fine of P5 million, or a criminal sentence of up to 21 years.

The SEC also noted that the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas does not endorse the use of any type of virtual currencies, but is looking at regulating its use. — Arra B. Francia

Kindness

The Dalai Lama once described the essence of spirituality in one word — kindness.

In the cyberage of materialism and speed, the concept of spirituality is dismissed as irrelevant, obsolete, and archaic.

We live in the brave new world that Aldous Huxley wrote about decades ago. Scientists are preoccupied with genetic engineering — cloning, improving the human race through manipulation of the chromosomes, stem cell, gene therapies, and DNA.

Most people are obsessed with power, progress, success, wealth, fame (or notoriety). Material and commercial concerns such a globalization, being “number one” and winning wars take precedence over what have always been the essential — the intrinsic, ethereal, natural and spiritual.

Material might, prowess, brute strength versus wisdom, grace and goodness.

In childhood and adolescence, in the era of gentility, we learned our prayers and important religious rites of passage. There were many lessons at home and in school. It seemed so structured and strict at that time. But there were reasons (that we could not grasp) for the discipline and rigid rules. We could not question our parent and superiors. We had to obey.

The foundation was cast for a young adult to face the world and tackle its myriad challenges — physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual.

With the passing years, the rigidity of that foundation wavers or erodes. Young adults begin to develop their individual ideas. The early impressions and idealism alter in the context of the real world. It is one filled with pressure, anger, greed and angst.

Matters of tradition, principles, faith, doctrine, and rituals recede to the background. Focus shifts to a different wavelength, to a more pragmatic sensibility.

Many people flow with the tide and choose the path of least resistance. They go through the motions of observing and practicing rites and rituals for convenience and convention. It is driven by a desire to belong, to fit it or to confirm.

Free spirits and liberal thinkers take the more difficult path. To defy convention, they do their own thing, in their own time. The flout convention and common beliefs.

The brave ones denounce the pretense of society and the hypocrisy of the righteous, judgmental do-gooders. There are too many prayer-perfect, pseudo-Pharisees.

 

Maria Victoria Rufino is an artist, writer and businesswoman. She is president and executive producer of Maverick Productions.

mavrufino@gmail.com

Hundreds missing as winds fan California wildfires

SONOMA, CALIFORNIA — Firefighters facing a resurgence of high winds on Wednesday struggled to halt wildfires that have killed at least 23 people, destroyed 3,500 structures and left hundreds missing in chaotic evacuations across northern California’s wine country.

Nearly two dozen blazes spanning eight counties have charred around 170,000 acres (68,797 hectares).

Flames erupted on Sunday night when gale force winds toppled power lines across the region, possibly igniting one of the deadliest wildfire outbreaks in California history.

The entire town of Calistoga, a Napa Valley community of some 5,000 residents spared from advancing flames the first night of the fire, was ordered to evacuate on Wednesday evening, as the county sheriff’s office warned that conditions had worsened as the so-called Tubbs Fire was burning nearby.

“The Tubbs Fire has made slow progress to this point but significant winds are still forecasted,” the city said in an online alert.

Flames were spread rapidly by hot, dry “Diablo” winds — similar to Southern California’s Santa Ana winds — that blew into northern California toward the Pacific on Sunday night.

The official cause of the fire has not been determined. But electric wires knocked down by those same winds may have sparked the conflagration, according to Daniel Berlant, spokesman for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire).

“That is definitely a possibility,” he told Reuters. “Power lines are a common cause of fires during wind events.”

Mr. Berlant said some of the victims in northern California were asleep when the fast-moving fires broke out, igniting their homes before they could escape.

At least 20,000 people remained under evacuation as the fires raged largely unchecked for a third day, belching palls of smoke that engulfed the region and drifted south over the San Francisco Bay area, where some residents donned face masks.

More than 550 people were still reported unaccounted for in Sonoma County on Wednesday morning, said Jennifer Laroque, a county emergency operations center spokeswoman.

It was unclear how many of the missing might be fire victims rather than evacuees who merely failed to check in with authorities. Officials urged displaced residents to let their family members know they were safe.

OBLITERATED NEIGHBORHOODS
The Sonoma County town of Santa Rosa, the largest city in the wine country region, was particularly hard hit by the Tubbs fire. Blocks of some neighborhoods were nearly obliterated with nothing left but charred debris, broken walls, chimneys and the steel frames of burned-out cars.

“It’s like driving through a war zone,” J.J. Murphy, 22, one of thousands of evacuees, said of the area around his home in the Sonoma Valley community of Glen Ellen.

Mr. Murphy, five relatives, a bird, a dog and two cats piled into their camper van to flee on Monday, he said.

“It’s crazy how in just a few hours a place I’ve recognized all my life I can’t recognize,” he said at a roadside food stop in the town of Sonoma.

In the town of Napa on the first night of a blaze dubbed the Atlas fire, nearly 50 people who were in danger of being overrun by flames were rescued by the crews of two California Highway Patrol helicopters.

The weather gave firefighters a bit of a respite on Tuesday as cooler temperatures, lower winds and coastal fog enabled them to make headway against the flames. Fire crews labored on Wednesday to strengthen containment lines as winds picked up again.

“We’re not out of the woods and we’re not going to be out of the woods for a great number of days to come,” Ken Pimlott, director of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, told a news conference.

In addition to high winds, fires were stoked by an abundance of thick brush and other vegetation left tinder dry by a summer of hot, dry weather.

Matt Nauman, a spokesman for the region’s main utility, Pacific Gas & Electric, acknowledged that fallen power lines were widespread during the “historic wind event,” which he said packed some hurricane-strength gusts in excess of 75 miles per hour (120 km/h).

FIRES ENTER RECORD BOOKS
At least 13 people were killed by the Tubbs fire in Sonoma County alone, officials said, two more than were reported earlier in the day.

It is the deadliest single California wildfire since 2003, when the so-called Cedar fire killed 15 people in San Diego, according to state data.

The latest overall death toll of 23, including six fatalities in Mendocino County and two more each in Napa and Yuba counties, marks the greatest loss of life from a California wildfire since 25 people perished in a firestorm that swept the Oakland Hills in October 1991.

The deadliest wildfire on record in California dates back to October 1933, when 29 lives were lost in the Griffith Park fire in Los Angeles.

Wildfires have damaged or demolished at least 13 Napa Valley wineries, a trade group for vintners there said on Tuesday. But experts say smoke rather than flames may pose a greater risk to the delicate grapes still waiting to be picked.

California Governor Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency in several northern counties, as well as in Orange County in Southern California, where a fire in Anaheim destroyed 15 structures and damaged 12. — Reuters

TV5 Network and ESPN unveil collaboration for ESPN 5

DESIGNED to further expand how sports content is delivered in the country, TV5 Network, Inc. and ESPN yesterday announced their long-term collaboration for the new brand ESPN 5.

Under the tie-up of the two organizations, which will see TV5’s “Sports 5” rebranded as “ESPN 5,” they will team up to provide extensive coverage of sporting events both here and abroad .

It will also give TV5 access to more than 2,500 hours of additional programming per year from ESPN’s roster of sports rights, original programming and studio programs.

The companies, too, will also join forces to produce a daily Philippine edition of the iconic SportsCenter to air on TV5.

In a press conference held after the formal announcement at the Internet and Mobile Marketing Association of the Philippines’s DigiCon 2017 at the Philippine International Convention Center, TV5 President and Chief Executive Officer Vincent “Chot” Reyes, along with officials of ESPN, shared some of their plans for ESPN 5.

“With this partnership with hope to enhance our position as the top sports authority in the country and continue to provide great content,” said Mr. Reyes in his message at the press conference at Sofitel Philippine Plaza Manila.

“It’s a combination of television content. We will have free TV content on TV5. It is also going to be a digital partnership with ESPN5.com and we are looking to make it the go-to sports site in the country,” he added.

The TV5 head went on to say that the decision to partner with a global brand like ESPN is a “positioning move” for TV5.

“It’s a big positioning move for TV5. We are positioning ourselves really as a sports and news network. TV5 is still there but under it we will have ESPN 5, News5, the Digital5 and all our verticals. We are very excited. I think the network is positioning itself very clearly in the eyes of the consumers, our partners and the advertisers. And now they know what TV5 stands for,” Mr. Reyes said.

Included in the portfolio of programs under ESPN 5 are the Philippine Basketball Association, FIBA competitions, Gilas games, Ultimate Fighting Championship and the Philippine SuperLiga, as well as sports coverage and content from ESPN which include more than 70 National Football League games per season.

Mr. Reyes said mornings will be dedicated for international sporting events while prime-time slots will have the traditional local sports content. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo

PAGCOR privatization up for Palace approval

THE PLAN to privatize the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) is now up for the President’s approval, according to the body overseeing government-owned and -controlled corporations (GOCCs).

Governance Commission on GOCCs (GCG) spokesperson Johann Carlos S. Barcena said that the commission submitted its memorandum on the privatization in August.

“The GCG has submitted a memorandum for the President recommending the approval of the decoupling of commercial and regulatory functions of the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation through the privatization of PAGCOR-owned and operated casinos,” Mr. Barcena said in an e-mail.

“Once decoupled, PAGCOR shall be limited to performing its regulatory functions,” he added.

However, Mr. Barcena said that the privatization scheme, which will trigger an auction, is still being reviewed, as well as its valuation.

The GCG is authorized to recommend the streamlining, reorganization, merger, privatization or abolition of GOCCs.

Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez III has said he wants to remove PAGCOR’s conflict of interest as a regulator of the gaming industry as well as an operator of gaming centers.

He said the Finance department may prioritize the sale of solely PAGCOR-owned casinos, before disposing of those units held by a consortium with private firms. 

Mr. Dominguez said that the review of the privatization process will take until the end of the year, before proceeding with an auction in 2018.

Andrea D. Domingo, who chairs PAGCOR, has said that the government will lose an annual P24 billion following the disposal of its commercial activities, but this will be offset by additional taxes and higher license fees from the new casino owners.

PAGCOR, the government’s third-largest revenue-generating agency, reported P28.27 billion in gross gaming revenue in the first six months of the year, up 8.38% from a year earlier.

For 2017, it targets P155-160 billion in gross gaming revenue, which is about 30% more than its 2016 target, and 4% above its actual P149-billion 2016 performance. — Elijah Joseph C. Tubayan

Fed seeks answers to missing inflation in a tight labor market

US CENTRAL BANKERS are looking for clues that underlying strength in the economy will underwrite their plans to raise interest rates for a third time this year, a record of their meeting last month showed, as officials wrestled with why inflation remains so low.

US financing conditions remain easy, the economy is expected to grow above 2 percent for at least the next two years, and unemployment dropped to 4.2% last month, the lowest since 2001. For all that, inflation rose by a mere 1.4% in the year through August, and forecasters, including those at the Federal Reserve, expect it to remain subdued for a while. They aren’t sure why. The central bank has missed its 2% inflation target for most of the past five years.

“Many participants expressed concern that the low inflation readings this year might reflect not only transitory factors, but also the influence of developments that could prove more persistent,” according to minutes of the Sept. 19-20 meeting of the rate-setting Federal Open Market Committee. The minutes, released Wednesday in Washington, reeled off a list of potential explanations, ranging from the influence of technology on business pricing and pressure on health-care costs from government policies, to elusive “common global factors.”

US central bankers next meet Oct. 31-Nov. 1 and again on Dec. 12-13. Investors have priced in a roughly 77% chance of another hike by the end of the year, according to trading in fed funds futures contracts, despite anxiety among Fed officials that something may be amiss in models they rely on to predict higher prices as the job market heats up.

“These minutes suggest that a majority of policy makers still need to have a hike this year disproven” by weaker economic data, said Michael Hanson, chief US  macro strategist at TD Securities in New York. But “they are willing to concede that the risk on inflation” remaining too low is higher than before.

Several policy makers said their decision on whether to raise rates this year “would depend importantly on whether the economic data in coming months increased their confidence” on inflation rising toward target. The policy decision doesn’t hinge on inflation reports alone, but whether the mix of data continues to point to an economy that is pushing the edges of its capacity.

Data out since the meeting showed indicators of US service sector and manufacturing activity rose in September to the highest in more than a decade, though that partly reflected slow supplier deliveries related to disruption after hurricanes battered Texas and Florida.

“They have less confidence in how inflation is behaving, but are much more comfortable that moderate growth is apt to persist,” said R.J. Gallo, a fixed-income investment manager at Federated Investors in Pittsburgh.

At the meeting, the US central bank left the target range for the federal funds rate unchanged at 1% to 1.25%, while projecting another increase before the end of the year and announcing an October start for a gradual unwind of its $4.5-trillion balance sheet.

Getting a clear read on economic data may be difficult as some prices, such as gasoline, are affected by the hurricanes. The Fed’s post-meeting statement on Sept. 20 said the storms would affect the economy in the near term but were “unlikely to materially alter” its course over the medium term.

The minutes said Fed policy makers expected third-quarter growth “to be held down by the severe disruptions caused by the storms but to rebound beginning in the fourth quarter as rebuilding got under way and economic activity in the affected areas resumed.”

Even though the administration of President Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress say tax reform is a top priority, most Fed officials had either not assumed any fiscal stimulus in their projections made in September, the minutes said, “or had marked down the expected magnitude of any stimulus.”

Many officials said US  financial conditions would support the economic expansion, while a couple of policy makers “expressed concern that the persistence of highly accommodative financial conditions could, over time, pose risks to financial stability,” the minutes said.

The minutes said “many” participants “continued to believe” that labor-market pressures would eventually show through to higher inflation. — Bloomberg

Bill seeks more benefits for agri dev’t workers

THE House’s deputy speaker has filed a bill calling for additional benefits and compensation for agricultural development workers.

Deputy Speaker Sharon S. Garin’s House Bill 6329 or the Magna Carta of Agricultural Development Workers seeks to increase the profession’s benefits in terms of compensation and working hours, and outlines other incentives.

Workers under this category include agricultural technicians, agriculturists, aquaculturists, nutritionists, agricultural engineers, agricultural technologists, and fisheries officers in the city, municipal, and provincial levels.

“With the great contribution of agriculture to our nation’s development, it is proper that the government give prime importance to projects and programs that support this sector,” Ms. Garin said in a statement.

The agriculture sector employs more than a third of the country’s work force but contributes about a fifth to the economy.

The basis for benefits will include civil service eligibilities, professional license and required education.

The statement noted that local government units opt to leave positions for local agricultural development workers vacant in order to cut costs.

Such practices has been blamed for the ineffective and slow delivery of agricultural support to farmers in various provinces and regions, in turn weighing down on production.

“A better and more efficient delivery of government assistance would lead to a more vibrant agricultural sector,” Ms. Garin added. — Janina C. Lim

1...12,49812,49912,500...13,178Page 12,499 of 13,178
© 2024 BusinessWorld Publishing.
All rights reserved.
Read our privacy guidelines
Facebook Instagram Linkedin Twitter Youtube