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Ballet Philippines’ Nutcracker treats kids to tea and sweets

SISTERS Edna Vida and National Artist for Dance Alice Reyes have teamed up for Ballet Philippines’ 48th season ending production, The Nutcracker, which will have performances at the Cultural Center of the Philippines from Dec. 1 to 10.

“Every choreographer has his or her points of view. It’s the way you present it in your choreography. In Europe and in the US, there are people who see each version [of The Nutcracker] just to see the differences [in the choreography]. Edna has a different way of telling a story than I would. But together, it will be a sister act,” said Ms. Reyes at the media launch on Nov. 11.

She said this year’s Nutcracker will showcase the best of each of their versions.

Ballet Philippines first produced the classic Christmas show in 1976, when it was first choreographed by Alfred Rodrigues. The sisters did their own versions afterwards, with Ms. Reyes’s versions performed in 1982 and 1991, and her sister’s in 1987 and 2003. But for this year, Ms. Vida will headline the production, while her sister will help her with additional choreography.

Ever since Ballet Philippines’ started performing The Nutcracker in the 1970s, it has highlighted the Filipino family and traditions. “There’s so much to show off in our design, [and in our clothes like] in our saya (skirt),” said Ms. Reyes of the costumes, while calling the set design “expensive.” This year’s production will use a classic set-design design by the late National Artist for Theater Design Salvador Bernal which highlights Filipino design elements like anahaw leaves and capiz shells. The set will also feature trimmings courtesy of Chrysara, a manufacturing company of decorative ware, accessories, and gifts established by Ms. Reyes.

The 2017 version is set in the Philippines in the 1920s and tells the tale of Clara (played by Chanel Rivera) and her journey of courage and empathy. During the family’s noche buena (Christmas Eve feast), she receives as a gift from her toymaker grandfather a nutcracker doll while her sister gets a Sugar Plum Fairy doll, and her brother a Rat King doll. When midnight strikes, the toys come to life, with a fight between the Rats and the Toy Soldiers, with the Nutcracker leading the soldiers. The Rat is supposed to win, but Clara comes to the rescue. Soon, Clara learns that her doll, the Nutcracker, and the Sugar Plum Fairy are trapped by a spell and only a person with a pure heart can break it. Clara’s journey ends with a beautiful feast of dancing flowers and dolls to celebrate her bravery.

Edna Vida’s The Nutcracker is a treat for people of any age, but Ballet Philippines is making a point of inviting children and their parents to afternoons of tea parties and art activities on Dec. 2, 3, 9, and 10 at 4 p.m. before the evening’s show.

Children can celebrate an early Christmas with dancing activities and ballerina shoe-painting sessions, plus a meet-and-greet with the characters: Clara (Chanel Rivera), Sugar Plum Fairy (alternatively played by Denise Parungao, Jemima Reyes, and guest artist Candice Adea), and the Nutcracker Prince (alternatively played by Victor Maguad, Lester Reguindin, and guest artist Nobuo Fujino).

With the cooperation of ABS-CBN Events, the production will have a live orchestra — the Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Gerard Salonga — at the gala performance.

For tickets, check www.ticketworld.com.ph or call Ballet Philippines at 551-1003. — Nickky Faustine P. de Guzman

Manigque, 3 others go 5-for-5 golds in BP Visayas swimfest

TAGBILARAN’S Gabriel Manigque led a quartet of swimmers who swept all of their five events while Cebu City’s Rick Angelo Sotto was poised to do the same in athletics in the Batang Pinoy (BP) Games Visayas regional championships on Tuesday here.

In a feat that surprised even himself, Manigque capped his fruitful campaign in style by ruling the boys 13-15-year-old 200-meter freestyle race in two minutes and .07.05 second for his fifth straight individual gold at the close of the swimming competitions at the Lorenzo G. Teves Aqua Center.

Joining Manigque in the ranks of multiple achievers was Bohol provincemate Ange Lyn Decabo, who bagged the mints in the girls 13-15 100-meter breaststroke (1:23.59) and 50-meter freestyle (30.69) in the meet organized and supported by the Philippine Sports Commission.

Jennuel Booh de Leon of powerhouse Aklan also picked up a pair of golds in the boys 12-under division in the 200-meter freestyle (2:25.46) and 200-meter butterfly race while Bohol’s Chloe Sophia Laurente added the girls 12-under 200-meter butterfly gold (2:53.37) to her tally in duplicating the feat of their senior swimmers.

“This is unbelievable. It’s like acing a test,” said Manigque, 15, a Grade 8 varsity swimmer at University of the East, of his accomplishments in the sportsfest also supported by the Dumaguete City government led by Mayor Felipe Mariano “Ipe” Remollo.

The lanky yet well-built six-footer could not hide his delight at the surprising outcome and vowed to train hard for next year’s Palarong Pambansa in Vigan, Ilocos Sur, after laying a big fat egg in the 2017 edition held in San Jose, Antique edition last April.

“He (Gabriel) wants to be able to swim for the country one day. I hope he gets noticed by this performance,” Boboy Manigque, the young swimmer’s father-coach and a former high school swimming standout, bared of his son’s ambitions.

Aklan handily took swimming overall honors with a tally of 15 gold, 10 silver and 4 bronze medals, Bacolod placed second (8-6-7) and Ormoc City, Leyte, was a close third (8-4-6)

Under the radar in the first few days of the trackfest at the Gov. Mariano Perdices Stadium, Sotto’s exploits could no longer be ignored after boosting his haul to four gold in capturing the boys triple jump title and being a member of the triumphant Cebu City 4×100-meter relay squad (47.3 seconds).

A Grade 7 student at the Ateneo de Cebu, Sotto admitted that his triumph in the triple jump with a leap of 13.57 meters in his sixth and final attempt “was lucky because I knew my teammate Rex (Ammangpang) was stronger than me in this event.”

Sotto, who also swept the boys high jump (1.67) and long jump (6.29) crowns, was gunning for his fifth gold in the 4×400-meter relays tomorrow (Wednesday), which would earn him the distinction of being the most outstanding athlete in track and field.

In other athletic results, Leyte scored a golden treble as Jayvee Alvarez and Chin Chin Alkuino swept the boys and girls 800-meter finals in times of 2:10.05 and 2:27.7, respectively, while teammate Christian Zamora topped the boys discus throw with a heave of 36 meters flat.

As of 12 noontime Tuesday, Cebu Province paced the overall standings with 16 golds, 17 silvers and 25 bronzes, host Dumaguete City was running second (16-10-9), Aklan was not too far behind in third spot (14-8-5) while Cebu City was fourth (12-24-26).

Megawide Construction income jumps in Q3 as construction contracts increase

MEGAWIDE Construction Corp.’s attributable profit jumped by 41% in the third quarter, following increased construction contracts alongside higher passenger volume in its Cebu airport operations. 

In a regulatory filing, the engineering conglomerate reported net income attributable to the parent stood at P455.75 million in the July to September period, higher than the P322.47 million in the third quarter of 2016.

Revenues for the period grew by a third to P4.76 billion, the bulk of which came from construction contracts. 

This brought Megawide’s nine-month attributable profit to P1.38 billion, up 6% year on year, on the back of a 4% increase in revenues to P14.26 billion. 

With this, Megawide said its bottom line is expected to reach over P2 billion for the full year. In 2016, Megawide’s consolidated profit stood at P1.92 billion. 

“The company remains to deliver strong earnings performance and is poised to achieve the 2017 full-year guidance of P2.16 billion,” Megawide said. 

Construction revenues account for bulk of the company’s revenues at 87% or P12.44 billion, which the company attributed to the progress it has achieved with ongoing projects. This includes Rockwell Land Corp.’s Edades Suites, Fort Bonifacio Development Corp.’s BGC 5th Avenue apartments, and several projects under Zenith Foods Corp., among others. 

Megawide also noted it has signed its biggest single project during the period — mass housing developer 8990 Holdings, Inc.’s Urban Deca Homes Ortigas. The project has a value of P14 billion. 

“New contracts contributed to the revenue growth for the year and will provide revenue support in the next two years,” Megawide said. 

For its airport segment, Megawide said operations of the Mactan-Cebu International Airport’s (MCIA) earnings contributions went up 7% to P811.16 million for the third quarter.

Megawide attributed the growth of its airport business to the introduction of new airlines and routes both locally and internationally, consisting of 22 international and domestic airlines servicing 33 domestic and 16 international destinations. This in turn produced a double-digit increase in passenger volumes. 

The company looks to attract more airlines into MCIA by inviting tour operators in China this November to promote tourism in Cebu. 

Passenger volume is further expected to grow as it finishes construction of the MCIA’s new passenger terminal by June 2018. The expansion is slated to bring the airport’s total capacity to 12.5 million. 

Shares in Megawide were up 0.75% or 14 centavos to P18.80 apiece at the Philippine Stock Exchange on Tuesday. — Arra B. Francia

P5-B Japan ship recycling plant hits snag

THE PLANNED P5-billion Japanese shipbuilding recycling facility of Japanese firm Tsuneishi Heavy Industries at Barangay Bacuyangan in Hinobaan, Negros Occidental has been stalled as a portion of the project site has just been discovered to be under the government’s Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP). The Negros Occidental provincial government has already allocated P20 million for the relocation of 249 affected families, while the Hinobaan municipal government already passed an ordinance reclassifying the entire 282-hectare plant site from agricultural to an industrial area. Governor Alfredo G. Marañon, Jr. said the property in question is what used to be the site of the Insular Lumber Company (ILCO), which makes it an industrial area and hence not subjected to CARP. The governor said the local Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) officials knew that the province filed expropriation proceedings, but they still went ahead with their move of putting the land under CARP. Mr. Marañon said the move by DAR is against the law. Meanwhile, Hinobaan Mayor Ernesto A. Estrao said they have already acquired land for the relocation of the families that will be affected, and the site is not far from their original communities. Mr. Estrao noted that the facility is expected to generate at least 6,000 jobs. — The Freeman

Aston Martin honors departing Vanquish with special Ultimate variant

IT’S the “quintessential Aston Martin,” the car maker said of the Vanquish, its flagship GT model that will soon end its production run. Bidding it farewell, Aston Martin created the Vanquish S Ultimate.

The company bared that, like the model on which it was spun off, the Ultimate edition is powered by a naturally aspirated 6.0-liter V12 that makes 595 hp, and which is paired to an eight-speed Touchtronic III automatic transmission. A three-stage adaptive damping system and carbon ceramic brakes complete the car’s mechanical package.

Limited to just 175 cars worldwide, Aston Martin said the Ultimate edition is available as a coupe or a Volante — or convertible, in Aston Martin-speak — either of which is offered in a choice of three exterior color schemes. The special color and trim packages, according to the car maker, include a “suite of details unique to the Vanquish S Ultimate,” which include carbon fiber side strakes that have rose gold Ultimate decals, carbon fiber tread plates, an Ultimate sill plaque, stitched quilting on the seats, and Ultimate head rest embroidery.

The first of the design packages is identified by a monochrome scheme that mates Ultimate black paint with copper bronze graphics around the front air intake, along the side sills, and on the rear diffuser. Other details include black exhaust tailpipes, brake calipers, window trims and five-spoke wheels, plus carbon fiber trim for the hood louvers, front grille and side strakes. The interior has obsidian black leather with chestnut tan accents and stitching, as well as a carbon fiber twill fascia.

Aston Martin Vanquish S Ultimate 2

The second design theme is inspired by the look and materials used in technical sports wear, Aston Martin said. Xenon gray paint and contrasting cobalt blue graphics are combined with the Ultimate’s carbon fiber pieces and black trim. Yellow brake calipers reside behind gloss black five-spoke alloys. The color palette continues to the interior, where yellow accents and blue stitching are matched to gray leather upholstery.

White gold paintwork and bronze graphics contrast with gloss black and carbon fiber exterior details in the third design theme. Tan leather with black accents line the car’s cabin.

“With the Ultimate Edition we have accentuated the Vanquish S’s unique blend of tradition, technology and craftsmanship with a selection of three bold exterior paint schemes and hugely appealing interior packages that make creative use of exciting materials. Our design team has created three unique themes which unite an exterior and interior package, but we have been careful to ensure each exterior color and interior theme works well together to offer our customers maximum choice,” said Marek Reichman, Aston Martin’s chief creative officer.

Orders for the Vanquish S Ultimate Edition Coupe and Volante are now being taken, with deliveries to start in the first quarter of 2018.

IEA expects shale surge to become biggest oil and gas boom in history

THE supply surge from US shale oil and gas will beat the biggest gains seen in the history of the industry, the International Energy Agency (IEA) predicted.

By 2025, the growth in American oil production will equal that achieved by Saudi Arabia at the height of its expansion, and increases in natural gas will surpass those of the former Soviet Union, the agency said in its annual World Energy Outlook.

The boom will turn the US, still among the biggest oil importers, into a net exporter of fossil fuels.

“The implications of the shale revolution for international markets and energy security have been profound,” said the Paris-based IEA, which advises most of the world’s major economies on energy policy. US drillers have “weathered the turbulent period of lower oil prices since 2014 with remarkable fortitude.”

While oil prices have recovered to a two-year high above $60 a barrel, they’re still about half the level traded earlier this decade, as the global market struggles to absorb the scale of the US bonanza. It’s taken the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and Russia almost 11 months of production cuts to clear up some of the oversupply. 

“The United States will be undisputed leader of global oil and gas markets for decades to come,” IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol said Tuesday in an interview with Bloomberg Television. “In terms of oil, big growth coming from shale oil, and as such there’ll be a big difference between the U.S. and other producers.”

The agency raised estimates for the amount of shale oil that can be technically recovered by about 30 percent to 105 billion barrels. Forecasts for shale-oil output in 2025 were bolstered by 34 percent to 9 million barrels a day.

U.S. shale “has emerged from its trial-by-fire as a leaner and hungrier version of its former self, remarkably resilient and reacting to any sign of higher prices caused by OPEC’s return to active market management,” the IEA said.

Reflecting the expected flood of supply, the agency cut its forecasts for oil prices to $83 a barrel for 2025 from $101 previously, and to $111 for 2040 from $125 before.

Lower prices are helping to support oil demand, and the IEA raised its projections for global consumption through to 2035, despite the growing popularity of electric vehicles. The world will use just over 100 million barrels of oil a day by 2025.

That will benefit the U.S. as it turns from imports to exports. The country will “see a reduction of these huge import needs,” Birol said at a press conference in London. That “will bring a lot of dollars to U.S. business.”

Nevertheless, U.S. shale output is expected to decline from the middle of the next decade, and with investment cuts taking their toll on other new supplies, the world will become increasingly reliant once again on OPEC, according to the report. The cartel, led by Middle East producers, will see its share of the market grow to 46 percent in 2040 from 43 percent now.

Yet that could still change, the IEA said.

As shale has outperformed expectations so far, the IEA added a scenario in which the industry beats current projections. If shale resources turn out to be double current estimates, and the use of electric vehicles erodes demand more than anticipated, prices could stay in a “lower-for-longer” range of $50 to $70 a barrel through to 2040.

“There could be further surprises ahead,” the IEA said. — Bloomberg

Trump’s Russia, Duterte’s China

Siegfried and Roy had a long-running and very successful act at the Mirage Casino in Las Vegas. The act featured two white tigers that did marvelous tricks at the crack of the trainers’ whips. Then one day, one of the tigers attacked Roy and mauled him within an inch of his life. The act has since been canceled and the rogue tiger has been put to sleep.

The obvious lesson here is that no matter how masterful you believe you are as an animal trainer, you never know when a wild beast will turn on you. That lesson holds true not just for those training tigers but also for heads of state who fancy themselves good at dealing with the Russian bear and the Chinese dragon.

American media and the US intelligence community still cannot fathom the relationship that President Donald Trump has or wants to develop with Russia’s Vladimir Putin. Since his election to the presidency and up to his visit to Asia to attend the ASEAN Summit, Trump has spoken through both sides of his mouth on the issue of Russian meddling in the last US presidential elections, in spite of its implications of national security.

In response to questions by media about his stand on allegations of Russia’s interference with the very foundation of American democracy, the US intelligence community’s findings that confirmed this interference, and Putin’s denial of the allegation, Trump said that he believed Putin.

In the next breath, he also said that he believed the US intelligence service.

Huh???

On the other hand, political observers and concerned citizens are watching with growing concern the seeming passivity towards China of the notoriously pugnacious and foul-mouthed President Rodrigo Duterte. This, in spite of China’s undisguised encroachment on parts of the South China Sea being claimed by the Philippines.

Everyone who has appeared to cross Duterte has gotten an earful of invectives, including the Pope himself — everyone but Chinese President Xi Jinping.

If Trump, in his own “Trumpish” way, has been trying to “strike a balance” in his attitude towards Putin and America’s intelligence community, he promptly torpedoed that by calling the latter “political hacks.”

That has not been the first time Trump has spoken unflatteringly about America’s intelligence service, or about everyone and anyone whose views he does not agree with, including leaders of the Republican Party.

On the other hand, in spite of overwhelming evidence of Russian meddling with the US elections — not to mention Putin’s hand in the Syrian conflict and other sensitive international issues — Trump has avoided saying anything against the Russian leader.

This has led the media, the political opposition, and skeptical Americans to speculate that Putin has something on Trump or that the issue of “collusion” between the Russians and Trump’s campaign team will eventually lead Special Counsel Robert Mueller to the front steps of the White House and all the way to the Oval Office.

Yet, Trump’s apologists blithely argue that Trump’s approach is a practical and realistic way of dealing with Putin, the better to get his cooperation in solving the Syrian crisis, eliminating ISIS and cooling down other hot spots around the world.

Ranking former officials of the US intelligence services have bluntly described this approach as naïve.

In the case of Duterte, “military blackmail” appears to be the reason for his attitude towards China, which his critics have characterized as passive-to-meek-to-fawning.

Duterte has not been embarrassed to admit that going to war with China would mean total destruction for the Philippines. Never mind that this renders meaningless the words of the Philippine national anthem that vows, “Aming ligaya na pag may mangaapi, ang mamatay nang dahil sa iyo (the original English lyrics went, But it is glory, ever when thou art wronged for us thy sons to suffer and die).”

But Duterte and his apologists do not end there. They unabashedly cite the carrot and stick analogy, pointing out that belligerence towards China, which they attribute to the administration of President Benigno S. C. Aquino III, only got Philippine exports banned, while making friends with the Chinese has generated economic benefits.

Early this year, after a three-day visit to China, Duterte announced that he had wangled several investment and financing agreements amounting to $24 billion — $15 billion in investments and $9 billion in terms of credit facilities. According to him, the bonanza would generate at least two million jobs.

Duterte further declared that, as part of a $10-billion investment package, “China has promised us, for all their goodness…to build two bridges over the Pasig River. Free. Gratis. And I bow in gratitude.”

One social media pundit pointed out that the loan comes with “strings attached,” to which a kibitzer quipped, “You mean, a string of islands attached.”

However, like Trump, Duterte has also spoken through both sides of his mouth in explaining his stand on the South China Sea issue. He has repeatedly insisted that he would not give up an inch of Philippine territory in his dealings with China.

Yet, after being cautioned that China was covetously eyeing more and more Philippine territory, while ostensibly setting up an environment monitoring station in the area, Duterte replied that it could not be prevented from doing so, besides which the Philippines could not afford to go to war with China.

Assuming that “the Philippines is no match to China militarily,” Senior Supreme Court Associate Justice Antonio Carpio suggested five things Duterte could do, first of which was to “file a strong protest” against China’s activities.

“This is the least that the President should do,” said Carpio.

But the most stinging advice that Carpio gave was: “Avoid any act, statement or declaration that expressly or impliedly waives Philippine sovereignty to any Philippine territory in the West Philippine Sea. This will preserve for future generations of Filipinos their national patrimony in the West Philippine Sea. Any statement that the Philippines cannot stop China from building on Scarborough Shoal actually encourages China to build on Scarborough Shoal.”

Just as Trump’s intelligence branch do not buy his fawning attitude towards Putin, Duterte’s Defense chief, retired Major General Delfin Lorenzana has expressed doubts about China’s supposedly harmless “innocent passage” through Philippine territory, as rationalized by Duterte.

Said Lorenzana in a media interview, “Alam mo naman ‘yung innocent passage, Point A to Point B. Napakabagal eh. Tapos tumitigil sa isang lugar. Magtagal doon ng ilang araw. Lipat naman sa kabilang lugar. So that is not innocent passage (We know innocent passage is from Point A to Point B. But the Chinese ship was very slow. It was stopping in one area to stay there for a few days. And then it would move to another area),” he said.

Duterte has dismissed these apprehensions as alarmist. Describing the Philippines’ rosy relations with China, he chimed, “Things are getting great our way. Why spoil it?”

One astute observer, commenting on the attitudes of Trump and Duterte, described the former as “devious, with something to hide” and the latter as “naïve, with a yellow streak.”

Then he asked the rhetorical question: Which attitude is better? To which he also gave the answer: “NOTA. None of the above.”

 

Greg B. Macabenta is an advertising and communications man shuttling between San Francisco and Manila and providing unique insights on issues from both perspectives.

gregmacabenta@hotmail.com

Folayang vows to continue journey after tough defeat

HIS reign as ONE Championship world lightweight world champion might have come to an end last Friday but Filipino mixed martial arts star Eduard “Landslide” Folayang asserts that is not the conclusion of his story as a fighter and vowed to come back even better.

Fell in his second title defense to fellow champion Martin “The Situ-Asian” Nguyen in their “super fight” at “ONE: Legends of the World” at the Mall of Asia Arena by way of a first-round knockout, Mr. Folayang acknowledged he was beaten fair and square and looks forward to going back to the drawing board as he charts his way back.

“I tip my hat off to Martin Nguyen. He did his homework well and came very prepared. Because of this, my hunger for improvement remains unsatiated. This is a big lesson learned. I believe challenges inside and outside the cage always bring out the best in us. I assure you that the journey doesn’t end here,” said Mr. Folayang in statement shared to members of the media in the aftermath of his defeat.

Prior to his defeat to world featherweight champion Mr. Nguyen, who is now a two-division world champion after adding the lightweight belt to his conquest, Mr. Folayang was on a roll, having won four straight, including a third-round technical knockout victory over legend Shinya Aoki that earned him his world title in November last year.

Interestingly though, Mr. Folayang’s last defeat also had the lights turned out on him, with Russian Timofey Nastyukhin KO’ing him (flying knee and soccer kicks) in December 2013 also here in Manila.

Having made to regroup anew, 32-year-old Mr. Folayang, now sporting an 18-6 record, said he is confident that he can make his way back to the top again, saying that he is adopting the verse from Ecclesiastes 9:11 as his battle cry.

“I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favor to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all (Ecclesiastes 9:11),” Mr. Folayang shared in his statement.

In closing, Mr. Folayang said they at Team Lakay will not stop working so as to make the country proud, which has been the motor that keeps them going every time they compete in international events.

“Team Lakay and I will exert our best efforts to wave our Philippine flag more triumphantly in 2018,” he said.

Meanwhile, Mr. Folayang’s Team Lakay teammate Gina “Conviction” Iniong will be back in action in just two weeks’ break to face Japanese Mei Yamaguchi at “ONE: Immortal Pursuit” in Singapore on Nov. 24.

Just fought last Friday like Mr. Folayang, women’s atomweight fighter Ms. Iniong, who beat Indonesia’s Priscilla Hertati Lumbangaol by technical knockout in the second round, will take the place of currently injured champion Angela Lee against Ms. Yamaguchi.

After Ms. Lee was ruled unavailable to go following a freak car accident she was involved in, Ms. Iniong did not waste time making her intention known to step in and take the fight, saying she is ready to go to battle.

ONE: Immortal Pursuit will be headlined by the title fight between welterweight champion Ben “Funky” Askren and Shinya Aoki. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo

Closed fishing season starts today in Visayan Sea

AN INTERAGENCY enforcement team has been reactivated to guard the Visayan Sea for three months, with the annual closed fishing season taking effect today, Nov. 15. The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR)-Region 7 convened on Monday the officials and representatives of concerned agencies to discuss matters in improving surveillance in the Visayan Sea to deter all forms of fishing. “We called for a meeting with all stakeholders to map out the seaborne patrol scheme and harmonize our command,” said BFAR-7 Director Dr. Allan P. Poquita. The enforcement team is composed of members of the BFAR-7 Enforcement Unit; Philippine National Police-Maritime Unit; Philippine Coast Guard-District Central Visayas; and the Philippine Navy. The closed season is prescribed under Fishery Administrative Order 167-3. Mr. Poquita said the policy is based on scientific research that identifies the three-month period as the spawning season of three marine species — sardines, herrings, and mackerels — which are found in the Visayan Sea, considered as one of the country’s major fishing grounds. The Visayan Sea is surrounded by Cebu on the southeast, Negros on the south, Panay on the west, and Masbate on the north. Violators of the closed season may be imprisoned for six months to six years, face a fine of up to P6,000, and lose their fishing license. — The Freeman

fishing

Lulu Tan Gan ‘yarn bombs’ Greenbelt’s garden

LULU TAN GAN, the queen of knitwear, has put colorful sweaters on the trees at Makati City’s Greenbelt Park. Amidst all the green in the mall’s garden, the fashion designer has injected bright pops of color, making the shoppers stop to take some pictures and marvel at the handiworks.

“The challenge is dressing something that is very tall and has 110-inch waistline,” said the designer, laughing, during the launch of her art installation called Yarn Bomb Knit Bomb.

Her art installation, on view until Jan. 14, is a collaboration between Greenbelt and Ayala Museum in a project called G.A.M.E., which commissions artists to make the mall’s garden their canvas and playground. Ms. Gan is the project’s first artist — no other artists are on the lineup yet.

“When it comes to the museum experience, traditionally, we think of white walls and art works as simply displayed in frames and on glass counters. But we see it beyond this,” said Joseph Reyes, assistant vice-president and area head of Central Manila, Ayala Malls Group.

“This is a unique gallery that goes beyond and outside the typical walls of a museum. You can touch, see, and experience the art,” added Ms. Gan of her artwork.

For this exhibition, Ms. Gan called 30 crochet hobbyists to help her with the project.

She said crochet-making is a dying art, and the project wants to revive it. Perhaps, part of the reason why crochet and knitting are being forgotten is because they are often associated with old maids and grandmas. Ms. Gan suggests making these handicrafts more modern.

“It is very important to create new products, especially for the millennials. And one of the things that has been done today is giving it a new form, a new shape. It has probably been elevated as an art form. Whereas I am into fashion design, even myself, I added on another art form which is art installation [to reinvent myself]. I think the kids will see it differently because they will see it not so ‘granny’ as you say,” she said.

She added while laughing, “Probably people should stop making coasters. That’s the old idea.”

Yarn, which can be knitted, crocheted, and woven, she said, can be used to make as accessories like laptop covers, and dresses. “It’s just a matter of redesigning it,” she said.

To help make yarn work become more fashionable and youth-friendly, Ms. Gan — who is a program consultant at the College of St. Benilde — advocates that the school’s fashion-related courses focus on a subject called “fabric design,” which could bring out the best in a designer while elevating his or her skills.

“It does bring out individualism. We also teach them how to use yarn for construction, which means you can use the same yarn to weave, the same yarn to crochet, the same yarn to knit. That is my medium for the longest time,” she said.

And she sees a good future for yarn if people, especially style arbiters like her, start thinking out of the box.

“Ten years ago I started the use of piña (pineapple fiber) as a ready-to-wear material. I was asked a lot, ‘Is it going to sell?’ ‘Who wants to wear piña?’ but now it’s 10 years [and look where piña is]. I think the role of a designer is to influence the future. We should do that. If you’ve grown enough, you should be able to inspire, recreate, and reinnovate, especially our traditional crafts,” said the queen of knit. — Nickky Faustine P. de Guzman

NoKor soldier seriously wounded as he dashes across border

SEOUL — A North Korean soldier involved in an extremely rare and dramatic defection to the South was shot six times by his own side as he drove to the heavily guarded border and ran across under a hail of bullets.

The US-led United Nations Command (UNC), which monitors the Panmunjom border truce village where the defection occurred Monday, said the soldier had driven close to the heavily guarded, military demarcation line separating the two Koreas.

“He then exited the vehicle and continued fleeing south across the line as he was fired upon by other soldiers from North Korea,” the UNC said in a statement.

An official with the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff said the North’s border guards fired at least 40 rounds.

A doctor treating the soldier — who was airlifted to a hospital for emergency surgery — said he had been shot half-a-dozen times and sustained a serious stomach injury.

“He has at least six gunshot wounds on his body and the penetrating wound in the abdomen is the most serious,” Lee Cook-Jong told reporters.

“His organs are extremely damaged… we do not know how long he can hold up,” Mr. Lee said, describing the soldier’s condition as “very serious.”

It is very rare for the North’s troops to defect at the truce village, a major tourist attraction bisected by the demarcation line and the only part of the frontier where forces from the two sides come face-to-face.

The 1953 ceasefire ending Korean War hostilities was signed at Panmunjom, and it has since hosted numerous rounds of inter-Korean talks — sometimes held in huts that straddle both sides of the border line.

The fact that the defector drove to the frontier suggests he may not have been a member of the elite corps of North Korean troops posted to Panmunjom, who are carefully vetted and selected for their loyalty. No tourists were present at the time, because tours do not run on Mondays.

According to the South Korean military there was no exchange of fire across the border, and the UNC statement stressed that no South Korean or US forces were harmed.

The incident, which happened in broad daylight around 4 p.m., comes at a time of heightened tensions on the Korean peninsula over the North’s nuclear weapons program.

Unlike the rest of the frontier, Panmunjom is not fortified with minefields and barbed wire and the border is marked only by a low concrete divider.

After racing across the frontier, the soldier took cover near a building on the South side. The Joint Chiefs of Staff official said he was found collapsed in a pile of leaves and recovered by three South Korean soldiers crawling on their stomachs to his position.

There have been previous defections at Panmunjom, most notably in 1984 when Vasily Yakovlevich Matuzok — an elite student from Moscow who was being groomed to become a Soviet diplomat — sprinted across the border and triggered a 30-minute gun battle that left four dead.

Visiting the border village with a delegation, Mr. Matuzok asked a colleague to take his picture, backed closer to the demarcation line and then suddenly turned and made a run for it. North Korean guards immediately drew their weapons and set off in pursuit. The moment they crossed the line, a shooting match erupted and Mr. Matuzok was forgotten as the rival troops engaged on the South side of the border.

It was the greatest loss of life to occur in what is technically called the Joint Security Area.

Another gun battle was recorded in 1967 when a senior journalist from the North’s state-run KCNA news agency crossed the border while covering military talks underway in Panmunjom. — AFP

Airbnb to invest $2M for tourism projects in Asia

ONLINE HOSPITALITY services provider Airbnb is investing $2 million in the Asia-Pacific region until 2020 to promote tourism projects.

Airbnb Country Manager for Southeast Asia, Hong Kong and Taiwan Robin Kwok said member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) will benefit from this investment as well.

“It’s dedicated to ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations), and just from being here in the Philippines multiple times I can already see huge opportunity for innovation, new ideas, and for SMEs (small to medium enterprises) and start-ups to participate. I look forward to Philippine communities to take advantage of this fund and to get involved,” Ms. Kwok told reporters on the sidelines of the ASEAN Business and Investment Summit in Parañaque yesterday. 

Airbnb is an online marketplace where homeowners can lease or rent out their apartments and houses on a short-term basis. At present, Ms. Kwok said the Philippines has a total of 32,000 homes under its network.

“We’ve seen about 32,000 homes here in the Philippines, everywhere from Makati, to Cebu to Palawan to Boracay. People want to host, share their space, generate that supplemental income and we’re also seeing more and more people search for the Philippines because they want to travel here,” Ms. Kwok said.

This comes amid a 12.7% increase of foreign tourist arrivals in the Philippines from the January to June 2017 period to 3.36 million.

“And we believe we can be a huge supporter for the objective for ASEAN which is to have 800 million inbound international tourists by 2025,” Ms. Kwok said.

Ms. Kwok noted the Philippines reflects the global trend of Airbnb’s hosts, where 75% are located in areas outside the country’s capital and business districts. 

“That means that local mom-and-pop shops, SMEs, they’re now seeing benefits, because people are spending more time and money in those neighborhoods. And that’s great news for those in the local areas as well,” Ms. Kwok said. — Arra B. Francia

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