World’s first NFT museum in Seattle aims to ‘pull back the curtain’ on blockchain art

May 4, 2022 | 12:03 am

climate-conversation — PHOTO FROM SEATTLENFTMUSEUM.COM

SEATTLE — The world’s first permanent NFT art museum has opened in Seattle, aiming to “pull back the curtain” on blockchain-based digital art.

Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) are a type of digital asset that has exploded in popularity recently, with NFT artworks selling for millions of dollars. NFTs exist on a blockchain, a record of transactions kept on networked computers.

The museum opened its doors on Jan. 14, and has been providing an outlet for artists, creators, and collectors to display their NFTs in a physical setting, while aiming to educate the public about this fairly new market for digital art.

“We really realized the impact of being able to look at this type of art in a way where you actually slow down, you see all the details,” said Jennifer Wong, a co-founder and curator at Seattle NFT Museum.

Local digital artist Maksim Surguy attended the opening of the museum’s Climate Conversation exhibition on April 16, which features his designs that are sold as NFTs online, but can also be printed in physical form.

“Previously, if you make a digital artwork or physical artwork, there were a lot of limitations about who can see the artwork or how they can own it,” said Mr. Surguy, who works in Seattle’s tech industry and ventured into crypto-based art a year and a half ago.

According to a March report from Ireland-based Research and Markets firm, the global NFT market is expected to grow to over $21 billion in 2022.

“An NFT is really just a contract that signifies the ownership of an asset of some kind,” said Peter Hamilton, who co-founded the museum. “These tokens… are basically a contract that says this serial number belongs to this piece of art, and if you own this token, you are the rightful owner.”

The museum has programming planned throughout the year.

“I can’t emphasize enough how important the educational part of this museum is,” said Mr. Hamilton. “We’re trying to onboard folks and help them see what the value of NFTs are and help people pull back the curtain a little bit on what blockchain is and what its utility is.” — Reuters

Sparkling odes to New York as Met Gala celebrates Gilded Age

May 4, 2022 | 12:02 am

NEW YORK — Reality TV star Kim Kardashian evoked American history at the annual Met Gala on Monday, donning the sparkling gold gown that Marilyn Monroe wore six decades ago when she serenaded President John F. Kennedy with “Happy birthday, Mr. President.”

Kardashian, her blonde hair in a tight bun, walked gingerly in the close-fitting dress as boyfriend and comedian Pete Davidson held her hand on the red carpet. Mr. Davidson chose a black suit and sunglasses.

The star of The Kardashians said she lost 16 pounds in three weeks so she could wear the iconic dress that Monroe sported in 1962. “It was such a challenge,” Ms. Kardashian said. “It was like a role. I was determined to fit this.”

Known for celebrities in over-the-top outfits, the Met Gala returned to its traditional date of the first Monday in May, just eight months after 2021’s pandemic-delayed event in September.

The event, a fundraiser for New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, has been dubbed the Oscars of the East Coast. This year’s A-list guests were told to dress in “gilded glamour.”

Blake Lively, a Met Gala co-chair along with her husband, actor Ryan Reynolds, arrived in a glittering bronze-colored Versace dress influenced by New York’s Grand Central Terminal, the Statue of Liberty, and the Empire State Building.

Attendants removed a large bow and rearranged the gown’s long train to reveal a turquoise and copper look, a switch that Ms. Lively said was an ode to the greenish patina that bronze buildings develop over time.

“Empire State of Mind” singer Alicia Keys also celebrated New York, wearing a Ralph Lauren dress with 200,000 crystals arranged to look like the city’s skyline.

Jared Leto, who starred in last year’s movie House of Gucci, attended with Gucci designer Alessandro Michele. The pair wore identical tan suits and red bow ties. Mr. Leto described the look as “double Victorian gilded trouble.”

Musician Lizzo wore a black dress with a gold-embroidered jacket and carried a gold flute that she played briefly on the red carpet. Billie Eilish appeared in a light green Gucci gown that she said was made with existing materials to be eco-friendly.

As usual, many celebrities seemed to ignore the night’s theme. Model Gigi Hadid wore a red corseted jumpsuit with a large puffy coat. Singer Gwen Stefani stood out in a full-skirted neon-yellow gown.

The invitation-only Met Gala marks the opening of the annual fashion exhibition at the museum’s Costume Institute. This year’s exhibit, In America: An Anthology of Fashion, caps a two-part exhibition and focuses on the history of American dress.

Former presidential candidate Hillary Clinton said she was attending for the first time in 20 years to celebrate the American spirit. Her burgundy gown featured subtle embroidery of the names of 60 famous American women including abolitionist Harriet Tubman and Madeleine Albright, the late secretary of state.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams wore a tuxedo jacket with symbols of New York’s subway system and “End Gun Violence” written on the back. He noted the economic struggles that many people experienced during the opulent Gilded Age of the late 1800s and early 1900s.

“Although we had some great inventions and some great architecture … it was also a dark period,” he said.

Gabrielle Union wore a silver Versace gown inspired by Diahann Carroll. A red rose on the front symbolized blood spilled by people of color who helped build America, she said.

Actor and musician Janelle Monae donned a black Ralph Lauren gown with a silver- and black-striped hood that she described as “the gilded age of the future.” — Reuters

SEA Games boxers, starring Nesthy Petecio, Eumir Marcial, confident of Vietnam prospects

May 4, 2022 | 12:02 am

Nesty Petecio — NESTHY PETECIO — PHILSTAR FILE PHOTO

THE Association of Boxing Alliances in the Philippines (ABAP) is “cautiously optimistic” as its 10-strong contingent defends its overall crown in the Southeast Asian Games (SEAG) against perennial rival Thailand and vastly-improved host Vietnam.

“We are proceeding with a lot of enthusiasm and focus hoping that we can maintain the same kind of excellence that we showed in Manila three years ago,” ABAP president Ed Picson said during Tuesday’s Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) Forum.

The ABAP has assembled a crack team bannered by Tokyo Olympics medalists Nesthy A. Petecio and Eumir Felix D. Marcial in this mission to retain supremacy in the SEAG after snaring seven golds, three silvers and two bronzes on home soil.

Rio Olympian Rogen Ladon (52kgs), Ian Clark Bautista (57kgs), and Marjon Pianar (69 kgs) join Mr. Marcial (75kgs) in the men’s hostilities while Ms. Petecio (60kgs) is with Josie Gabuco (48kgs), Irish Magno (51kgs), Risa Pasuit (57kgs), and Hergie Bacyadan (75kgs) in the distaff side.

The boxing team is hoping it has prepared well enough for the May 12 to 23 Games amid the less-than-ideal buildup to the pandemic. The boxers went to Thailand for training camp and tournament to get themselves ready.

“We’re cautiously optimistic. We would have wanted a more stringent preparation, but we have to work with what we have. The quality of preparation that we’re getting in Thailand is excellent and we hope that will make up for whatever shortcomings we’ve experienced in the prior months,” said Mr. Picson.

Thailand, which collected five golds, two silvers and two bronzes in the Manila SEAG, and Vietnam, which netted one gold, five silvers and two bronzes last time, loom as the toughest rivals.

“We’re always looking at Thailand but we’re casting a wary eye as well on Vietnam, which has improved tremendously and they’re also the host,” Mr. Picson said in the forum where he was joined by secretary-general Marcus Manalo.

“And countries like Cambodia and Indonesia, even Malaysia, we can’t discount them. They’ve also been preparing and like I said, our overall preparations have not been optimal so we’re also working on that handicap, hindi katulad before na talagang todo-todo ang preparations.” — Olmin Leyba

Healthcare outsourcing company taps AIM to streamline operations

May 4, 2022 | 12:02 am

QAVALO, a Cebu-based company that provides clinical documentation solutions, partnered with the Asian Institute of Management (AIM) to streamline and automate its operations.

The data architecture project funded by the Department of Science and Technology (DoST) aims to usher in the development of a regulatory framework for home health care (HHC).

“The project would increase portability and ease sharing of data, including patient records, between physicians and institutions,” said Christian M. Alis, an assistant professor at AIM and the project leader of QARE-HHC (Quicker Analytics for Responsive Home Health Care), which will develop backend technologies that indirectly benefit end users with efficient processes, enhanced competition, and improved services.

QARE-HHC is a partnership between DoST’s Collaborative Research and Development to Leverage Philippine Economy (CRADLE) program; AIM’s Analytics, Computing, and Complex Systems laboratory (ACCeSs@AIM); and Qavalo, which operates in the HHC industry.

By adopting QARE-HHC, Qavalo will improve its predictive analytics and align company data with its business strategies. The project’s main deliverables are a review of electronic medical record (EMR) providers; pipelines for pre-processing data; an EMR plan based on data collection processes; and deployment-ready artificial intelligence (AI) models.

In the future, mobile applications that improve patient outcomes using a prescriptive AI model for treatment plans could be possible, Mr. Alis said in an e-mail.

“Other possible applications that could be developed include early intervention and screening of diseases and conditions as well as recommending lifestyle interventions for better health,” he added.

Already a mature market in the US (which had more than 11,300 agencies registered in 2018), HHC is a nascent market in the Philippines with few established players.

HHC, or medical services that are delivered to patients in their own homes, intersects with telehealth, the provision of medical services over a distance.

The pandemic has paved the way for this service, according to Christopher P. Monterola, executive managing director of ACCeSs@AIM, at the April 26 launch of QARE-HHC.

“HHC is very new… Even the regulatory frameworks are not in place yet,” he said. “[QARE-HHC] aims to contribute to a robust regulatory regime for it.”

Mr. Alis pointed out that the government encourages home care for mild cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

“By encouraging HHC, we can free up some of the hospital beds for more critical cases,” he said. “If we can do it with COVID-19, we can expand it to more diseases, and then perhaps we can mitigate the lack of hospital beds in the country.”

There are 23 hospital beds for every 10,000 people in the National Capital Region while the rest of Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao have only 8.2, 7.8, and 8.3 beds, respectively, according to a review of the Philippine health system published in 2018. — P. B. Mirasol

CCLEX to ‘slowly’ boost toll road group’s earnings

May 4, 2022 | 12:02 am

METRO Pacific Investments Corp. (MPIC) expects that the opening of the Cebu-Cordova Link Expressway (CCLEX) will gradually boost the earnings of its toll roads business starting this year, its chairman said.

“It will impact the earnings of the tollways group starting this year, [but] not in a major way because the traffic will slowly, gradually build up,” MPIC Chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan told reporters last week.

“It’s a new market for us and, in a way, Cebuanos are not used to paying tolls… So, this will be a new arrangement for them, and we don’t know how they will react to it,” he added.

The 8.9-kilometer expressway was inaugurated on April 27. Vehicles classified under Classes 1 to 3 are now allowed to use the expressway, while motorcycles under 400cc will be allowed to use it only by July this year, Cebu Cordova Link Expressway Corp. (CCLEC) said in a statement.

The approved toll rates range from P90 to P270, depending on the vehicle type.

“The motoring public is asked to drive at a maximum speed of 60 kilometers per hour (kph). The CCLEX is designed for maximum speed of up to 80 kph, but the CCLEC is implementing a 60 kph limit during initial operations as part of safety measures because motorists are still not familiar with the expressway,” the company said.

CCLEC, a subsidiary of Metro Pacific Tollways Corp., the tollways arm of MPIC, signed a concession agreement with Cebu City and Municipality of Cordova in 2016.

CCLEC was granted concession rights to design, finance, construct, operate and maintain the CCLEX, including the right to collect toll fees over a 35-year concession period (including the construction period).

“Work on the CCLEX started on July 5, 2018, with ceremonies marking the beginning of civil works. It is MPTC’s first toll road project outside Luzon,” the company said.

MPIC is one of three key Philippine units of First Pacific, the others being Philex Mining Corp. and PLDT, Inc. Hastings Holdings, Inc., a unit of PLDT Beneficial Trust Fund subsidiary MediaQuest Holdings, Inc., has a majority stake in BusinessWorld through the Philippine Star Group, which it controls. — Arjay L. Balinbin

Bank deposits hit P16.2 trillion in 2021

May 4, 2022 | 12:02 am

TOTAL DEPOSITS with Philippine banks reached P16.2 trillion last year, reflecting the gradual recovery of the economy from the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

The total is higher by 9% than the P14.9 trillion recorded in 2020, the Philippine Deposit Insurance Corp. (PDIC) said in a statement on Tuesday.

“While the pandemic may have been an unpleasant wake-up call for many Filipinos, it has highlighted the importance of saving for the future and emergencies,” PDIC President Roberto B. Tan said.

The increase in deposit value was driven mainly by accounts with balances of above P5 million.

The PDIC said the number of domestic deposit accounts increased by 8.8% to 87.1 million in 2021 from 80.1 million in the prior year. This was driven by deposits with balances of P5,000 and below as well as rising savings deposits.

“With more banks offering basic deposit accounts, saving money in banks becomes much easier and practical,” Mr. Tan said.

Basic deposit accounts were introduced by the central bank in 2018 to help make financial services more accessible to unbanked and underserved Filipinos.

This type of account has a low opening amount capped at P100, no maintaining balance requirement, no dormancy charges and has a maximum balance limit of P50,000.

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas hopes that 70% of Filipino adults will own a transaction account, whether in banks or e-wallets, by 2023.

As domestic deposits grew, insurance coverage up to a maximum of P500,000 per depositor per bank rose 3% to P3.2 trillion. This is equivalent to 19.5% of total domestic deposits.

PDIC data showed the deposit insurance system fully covered 96.8% or 84.3 million of domestic accounts. This increased by 8.9% compared with the 77.4 million seen in 2020.

The deposit insurance system fully covered 96.8% or 84.3 million of domestic deposit accounts, higher by 8.9% than the 77.4 million accounts in 2020, PDIC added.

There are 506 banks operating in the Philippines as of Dec. 31, 2021. All lenders operating in the country are PDIC members. — Luz Wendy T. Noble

Rowing team pinning SEA Games hopes on Olympian Cris Nievarez

May 4, 2022 | 12:01 am

OLYMPIAN Cris Nievarez anchors the 16-member Philippine rowing team gunning for honors in the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games from May 9-14 in Vietnam.

Competing in Haiphong, the rowers will be led by Mr. Nievarez, who placed 23^rd overall in his event at the Tokyo Games. He is aiming to win back-to-back gold medals in the men’s lightweight singles sculls event while also vying in the doubles with CJ Jasmin and the quadruple sculls.

Joanie Delgaco, who ruled the women’s doubles in the 2019 edition with the now-retired Melcah Jen Caballero, is competing in the singles, which Ms. Caballero won last time in Subic.

“We won three golds and one bronze in Subic, but it will be tougher in Vietnam,” said Philippine Rowing Association (PRA) president Patrick Gregorio at Tuesday’s PSA Forum with coaches Shukhrat Ganiev and Ed Maerina.

Mr. Nievarez and company will compete in 13 of the 16 events on tap in Vietnam, where Indonesia, the top nation in 2019 with three gold medals and two bronzes, and the hosts (three silvers and one bronze three years ago) are tipped to be the biggest threats.

The Filipino rowers will also have to contend on borrowed boats as logistics problems prevented the PRA from shipping in its own boats to the northern port city, located 118 kilometers from Hanoi.

The Vietnamese, according to Gregorio, agreed to lend boats to the Philippine contingent. — Olmin Leyba

Korea’s fastest inflation since 2008 raises rate pressure

May 4, 2022 | 12:01 am

SOUTH KOREA’S inflation accelerated to the fastest pace since 2008 in April, prompting the central bank to issue a statement as pressure intensifies for it to raise interest rates further at this month’s policy meeting.

Consumer prices advanced 4.8% from a year earlier, quickening from 4.1% in March and exceeding economists’ estimate of 4.4%, data from the statistics office showed Tuesday. Transportation costs led the gains, reflecting surging energy prices that have been exacerbated by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Inflation will remain in a 4% range for the foreseeable future, the Bank of Korea (BoK) said in a statement following the data, a level that’s double the central bank’s 2% target. It’s “important to stably manage inflation expectations” as pressures rise on items such as gasoline, foods and dining, essential to people’s livelihoods, it said.

Intensifying inflationary pressure is a key factor for the BoK to consider when it meets May 26 in what will be Governor Rhee Chang-yong’s first rate decision. The Federal Reserve is widely expected to raise rates by half a percentage point later this week as it seeks to rein in consumer prices that jumped in March.

“The number knocked my hat off,” An Young-jin, an economist at SK Securities, said of the April reading. “The higher-than-consensus figure leads me to believe another rate hike in the BoK meeting in May is inevitable. At this pace, we may even see an inflation number beginning with ‘5.’”

Mr. Rhee said last week that inflation remains a bigger concern than threats to the outlook for economic growth. Inflationary pressures that drive up wages to create a vicious circle of price rises is another potential risk facing monetary policy makers.

“Inflation is starting to weigh on the economy,” said Lim Dong-min, a Kyobo Securities researcher. “Policy makers will probably concentrate their firepower in battling inflation this quarter.”

The Finance Ministry said in a separate statement earlier that it was quickly implementing various measures such as fuel tax cuts to rein in inflationary pressures.

The BoK has already hiked rates four times since August, leading the global exit from record monetary stimulus that helped soften the hit from the pandemic, while inflating asset bubbles across the economy.

Potential hurdles in the push toward higher rates are Russia’s war on Ukraine that’s weighing on Europe’s economy and COVID lockdowns in China. South Korea’s exports slowed last month as shipments to China fell for the first time since October 2020. — Bloomberg

Filipinos urged to get recommended vaccines

May 4, 2022 | 12:01 am

Filipinos of all ages should get their routine and catch-up vaccines, as the current pandemic does not diminish the risk of other diseases.

This was the main message of partner stakeholders from government, the private sector and civil society who gathered for the Health Connect media forum held on April 25 as the country celebrated World Immunization Week 2022 with the theme “Long Life for All, Kaya sa Healthy Pilipinas.”

World Immunization Week celebrated on April 24–30 aims to highlight the collective action needed and to promote the use of vaccines to protect people of all ages and communities against vaccine-preventable diseases.

“We must prioritize the vaccination of infants, toddlers, youth, adults and those who missed their vaccines during this pandemic. They need to catch up with recommended vaccines in private clinics, health centers, schools, workplaces, or hospitals,” said Dr. Benito Atienza, president of the Philippine Medical Association.

The country’s childhood immunization coverage in 2019 was around 70%, which dropped to 48.5% in 2021 due to the pandemic, according to Dr. Beverly Ho, head of the Department of Health (DoH) Health Promotions Bureau and Disease Prevention and Control Bureau.

She explained that the only reason disease outbreaks have yet to occur in the country is because in between those periods, the DoH in partnership with the Philippine Pediatric Society (PPS), Philippine Foundation for Vaccination (PFV) and local government units (LGUs) implemented numerous supplemental immunization activities.

“We are pushing for a more active immunization campaign this year, particularly now that our health workers are fully vaccinated and boosted against COVID-19 thereby lowering their infection risk while conducting immunization activities,” Dr. Ho said.

Dr. Ho announced that the DoH will conduct a supplemental immunization activity in which the last Thursdays and Fridays of April, May and June will be dedicated to catch-up immunization of children who missed their recommended vaccines during the last two years of the pandemic.

She called on parents to bring their children to the nearest health centers so they can receive their free vaccines.

Dr. Restituta Magpantay, DoH Calabarzon Family Health Unit head and Regional Vaccination Operations Center chairperson, said that DoH Calabarzon is implementing “Chikiting Bakunation Days” in which the last Thursdays and Fridays of April, May, and August will be dedicated to routine and catch-up of children with incomplete vaccinations in 36 areas with the lowest immunization coverage. The initiative will be rolled out nationwide in the coming months.

PPS president Dr. Joselyn Eusebio stressed that immunization prevents and protects against vaccine-preventable diseases, as well as promotes general wellness of our children. “Ang bakuna ay panlaban, hindi kalaban. Kinabukasan para sa lahat, kinabukasan una sa lahat.”

Immunization is important not just for children, but also for adults and older adults, as it provides not only health benefits but socioeconomic benefits as well, according to Dr. Minette Rosario, chairperson of the Adult Immunization Committee, Philippine Society for Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (PSMID).

“When people are vaccinated, they become more productive. Absences from work due to illness are reduced. Children are less likely to miss school due to sickness, and their parents don’t have to take a leave from work to take care of their kids. High immunization coverage of the population also helps ease the burden on our healthcare system and health workers.”

Dr. Eduardo Poblete, president of the Philippine College of Geriatric Medicine, cited a study showing there is low awareness on influenza and pneumonia vaccines among older adults.

“We should adopt targeted strategies to increase vaccination of our senior citizens.”

He recommended fighting ageism or prejudice or discrimination on the grounds of a person’s age, one example of which is the misconception that getting sick is normal among the elderly; broadening further the Expanded Senior Citizens Act to include free vaccination for all senior citizens, not just select ones; providing support and incentives to encourage vaccination among older adults; offering transportation to and from vaccination sites; creating senior lanes in health centers; setting exclusive vaccination days for seniors; and conducting house-to-house vaccination for seniors.

To facilitate the active participation of nurses in immunization activities in the country Philippine Nurses Association National President Melvin Miranda recommended to strengthen interprofessional education and practice; consider nurse-led clinics as extension facilities to bolster existing immunization programs; and include nurses in LGU Health Boards to maximize immunization programs and reach Geographically Isolated and Disadvantaged Areas (GIDAs).

PFV Executive Director Dr. Lulu Bravo called on all stakeholders to work together in fighting misinformation and disinformation, especially about vaccines.

“The time to act is now to win this war for the sake of our people.”

Teodoro B. Padilla is the executive director of Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Association of the Philippines (PHAP), which represents the biopharmaceutical medicines and vaccines industry in the country. Its members are at the forefront of research and development efforts for COVID-19 and other diseases that affect Filipinos.

Weak trading seen as market waits for Fed hike

May 4, 2022 | 12:01 am

STOCKS may continue to drop as investors stay cautious ahead of the expected aggressive rate hike by the US Federal Reserve as well as the release of Philippine April inflation data.

On Monday, the benchmark Philippine Stock Exchange index (PSEi) dropped by 10.17 points or 0.15% to close at 6,721.08, while the broader all shares index went down by 8.31 points or 0.23% to 3,596.83.

Philippine financial markets were closed on Tuesday in observance of Eid’l Fitr.

Philstocks Financial, Inc. Senior Research Analyst Japhet Louis O. Tantiangco said the weak trading seen on Monday shows many investors are staying on the sidelines amid lingering uncertainties.

Mr. Tantiango said investors “traded cautiously ahead of the Philippines’ April inflation data release where a faster print is expected, and the Federal Reserve’s policy meeting where aggressive monetary measures are expected to be taken.”

Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. Chief Economist Michael L. Ricafort said in an e-mail that the market is waiting for the Fed’s policy meeting on May 3-4, where the central bank is expected to hike key rates by 50 basis points (bp), bigger than the 25-bp increase it fired off in March.

“Possible local policy rate hike signaled as early as June recently also partly weighed on sentiment on the local stock market,” Mr. Ricafort added.

Investors expect the Fed to hike rates by 50 bps when it meets on May 3-4 and the uncertainty is around how hawkish Fed Chair Jerome Powell will sound in comments following the decision, Reuters reported.

Markets are pricing in an aggressive run of rate hikes from the Fed as it tries to tame soaring inflation amid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine crisis, continuing lockdowns in China, and soaring global commodity prices.

At home, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Governor Benjamin E. Diokno said in an interview with Bloomberg TV last week that the central bank may consider hiking key interest rates at its June 23 meeting.

This marks a departure from Mr. Diokno’s previous statements that the central bank would only consider normalizing its stance in the second half or when the Philippine economy’s recovery firms up.

Meanwhile, a BusinessWorld poll of 17 analysts yielded a median estimate of 4.6% for April inflation, matching the midpoint of the central bank’s 4.2% to 5% forecast and going beyond its 2-4% target.

April inflation data will be released on May 5.

Mr. Ricafort added that the market will continue to monitor the war in Ukraine and its impact on commodity prices, as this could affect monetary policy.

“Russia’s continued invasion and war on Ukraine could lead to tighter monetary policy and higher US government bond yields and interest rate benchmarks that could also increase the borrowing and financing costs for some listed companies,” he added. — L.M.J.C. Jocson with Reuters

Toyota recalls some hybrid RAV4, Lexus NX for stability control issue

May 4, 2022 | 12:01 am

TOYOTA Motor Philippines Corp. (TMP) has issued a recall or special service campaign on 132 officially sold Lexus NX and RAV4 hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) units due to an issue with their stability control system.

TMP said in an advisory released via the website of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) on May 2 that the special service campaign covers 40 Lexus NX HEV units from the production period of Nov. 17, 2021 to March 31, 2022 and 92 RAV4 HEV units from the production period of Dec. 1, 2021 to April 1, 2022.

“We will perform reprogramming on [the] Brake Actuator ECU. The remedy will be performed at no cost to our customers,” said Bernardino C. Arevalo, TMP first vice-president for customer service operations of the marketing division, in the advisory dated April 20.

According to the car manufacturer, the covered vehicles are equipped with a vehicle stability control (VSC) system that is operated by a skid control ECU with a specific software logic.

However, due to an incorrect programming of the skid control ECU software, the VSC will not return to the default “on” setting at any subsequent ignition cycle after a particular set of inputs from the driver.

TMP said the issue can happen if the driver manually turns off the VSC and the ignition is turned off and then turned back on while the brake pedal is still depressed.

The car manufacturer said the issue could increase the risk of a crash in certain driving conditions.

“If VSC does not return to the default ‘on’ setting because the precise operating inputs were carried out and the driver also does not recognize the warning light to manually reactivate the VSC system, then operating the vehicle with an inoperative VSC system could increase the risk of a crash in certain driving conditions,” the advisory said. — Revin Mikhael D. Ochave

Arts & Culture (05/04/22)

May 4, 2022 | 12:01 am

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Philippine Heritage Awards 2022 call for applications

THE NATIONAL Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) is now accepting applications for the Philippine Heritage Awards. The presented projects must have been completed within the last two years prior to the closing date of the applications, with exceptions of projects such as school curriculums and tours which are continuously implemented under the Heritage Education and Interpretation category. The project must be within Philippine territory. Applications may be submitted in any of the following categories: adaptive reuse, conservation – built heritage, conservation – movable cultural properties, safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage, heritage education and interpretation, and heritage programs support. Submission period is from June to Aug. 31. For more information, visit https://ncca.gov.ph/philippine-heritage-awards/. For questions and concerns, e-mail: phasecretariat.ncca@gmail.com.

Mexican embassy holds Cinco de Mayo Film Fest

IN PARTNERSHIP with the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP), the Embassy of Mexico presents the Cinco de Mayo Film Festival which will run from May 5 to 8 at the FDCP Cinematheque Centers all over the country. Five thought-provoking and award-winning movies from Mexico will be screened at the FDCP Cinematheque Centre Manila, Cinematheque Centre Iloilo, Cinematheque Centre Davao, Cinematheque Centre Negros, and Cinematheque Centre Nabunturan. The films are: Maquinaria Panamericana by Joaquin del Paso; Leona by Isaac Cherem; Novea que te vea by Guita Schyfter; Cria Puercos by Ehecatl Garcia; and Mas Amanceres by Jorge Levya. All films will be in Spanish with English subtitles. Entrance is free of charge on a first-come, first-served basis. For more information, visit the Embassy of Mexico’s official Facebook page at www.facebook.com/embamex.filipinas/.

Nat’l Museum holds online series on underwater heritage

IN CELEBRATION of National Heritage Month, the National Museum of the Philippines presents the series Maritime and Underwater Cultural Heritage, with online episodes to be posted every Monday of May on the museum’s Facebook page (www.facebook.com/nationalmuseumofthephilippines) and YouTube channel. The episode topics are underwater archaeology, collections handling and management, exhibition, and other activities conducted by the National Museum for the preservation and protection of underwater cultural heritage. The first episode premieres on May 9.

Fernando Amorsolo’s works in Lego

THE PINOY Lego User Group (PinoyLUG), in partnership with the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) and Fernando C. Amorsolo Art Foundation, Inc., presents Project AMORsolo, a unique and original concept of PinoyLUG transposing three works of Fernando Amorsolo into Lego bricks mosaic art. The exhibit is part of the CCP’s commemoration of the 50^th anniversary of Amorsolo’s proclamation as the first National Artist of the Philippines in Visual Arts. Project AMORsolo will run at the CCP’s Bulwagang Carlos V. Francisco (Little Theater Lobby) until May 29. It will then move to a more public setting after its initial display at the CCP.

Virgin Labfest 17 kicks off in June

THE CULTURAL Center of the Philippines (CCP), The Writer’s Bloc, and Tanghalang Pilipino present The Virgin Labfest 17: Hinga! from June 16 to 26. Twelve untried, untested, and unstaged works made by Filipino writers will be performed live onsite at the CCP’s Tanghalang Huseng Batute. Early bird rates (P375) on ticket purchases are available only until May 8 at http://ticketworld.com.ph/. For updates, visit the Virgin Labfest Facebook page at www.facebook.com/thevirginlabfest.

MO_Space presents group show

MO_Space presents “An Aging Double,” a group show featuring the works of Jan Balquin, Lesley-Anne Cao, Jed Gregorio, Lou Lim, Veronica Peralejo, Jel Suarez, and Miguel Lorenzo Uy, organized by Gary-Ross Pastrana. The exhibit opens for public viewing on May 7 and will run until June 5. The gallery is open daily from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. For inquiries, call 8856-7915, 0917-572-7970,.

Book on Negros out

THE BOOK Song of Negros: Myths and Culture in the Philippines, was launched on April 24 at the Ayala Museum. The book contains 15 illustrated myths, legends, and folktales from the island of Negros and explains the significance of these tales to the culture of the provinces in particular, and of the Philippines in general. Dr. Victoria Hoffarth, the book’s author, said during the launch: “The fantastical tales of our culture’s mythology can shape our world in ways that we don’t even realize.” In the book Dr. Hoffarth shows how myths are intimately related to history and religion — from Christianity to Islam, from ancient Greece to Hollywood, from pre-Enlightenment Spain to modern, secular Europe. The book is now available at Fully Booked, the Ayala Museum, the Negros Museum, and their websites for online purchases. After June 28, it will be available at Amazon.com in paperback, e-book, and audio-book.