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Belingon out to keep standing in ONE bantamweight division

FORMER ONE Championship bantamweight champion and current number one contender Kevin “The Silencer” Belingon returns to action on Friday and is looking to keep his standing and be in a position still to make an assault at the division title.

To take on Brazilian John “Hands of Stones” Lineker in the headlining fight at “ONE: Inside The Matrix III” at the Singapore Indoor Stadium, Team Lakay’s Belingon (20-7) said he is determined to make his return to the ONE Circle something to take notice of, especially since he is coming off a two-fight losing streak.

Both losses came at the hands of reigning ONE world bantamweight champion Bibiano “The Flash” Fernandes of Brazil last year.

“I’m ecstatic to compete, because it’s already been a year since my last fight. The situation we are in right now has truly affected everyone in the industry. Every fighter, including myself, has had to slow things down a little bit and stay isolated in quarantine so we don’t contract the virus,” said Mr. Belingon as he also took note of the challenges they had to go through in the lead-up brought about by the coronavirus pandemic.

Mr. Lineker (32-9), a former Ultimate Fighting Championship campaigner, had a winning debut in ONE in October last year with a unanimous decision winner over Muin Gafurov of Tajikistan.

He is currently ranked number five in the division and is keenly eyeing a title shot, something that is not lost to 33-year-old Belingon.

“John Lineker is one of the toughest fighters I will ever face. He’s not an opponent to be taken lightly. He’s got a lot of experience, and a lot of power in his hands, which is why he is known to end fights early,” he said.

Adding, “We have watched his previous fights and we’re confident we can come up with the right game plan for whatever he brings to the table. I have to win this fight to prove that I deserve to stay as the number one contender.”

Also seeing action at Inside The Matrix III is Mr. Belingon’s teammate and former ONE world flyweight champ Geje “Gravity” Eustaquio (13-8), who will take on South Korean Song Min Jong (11-7) in a 64-kg catchweight joust.

Mr. Eustaquio, 31, last fought in November 2019, beating Toni Tauru of Finland by knockout (spinning back kick) in the third round.

He is looking at using the win as a springboard to string back-to-back wins, something he has not done since 2018.

Completing the night for Team Lakay is strawweight Lito “Thunder Kid” Adiwang (11-2), who is to take on Hiroba Minowa (10-2) of Japan.

ONE: Inside The Matrix III can be seen here over One Sports+ at 8:30 p.m. One Sports, meanwhile, will air the event on a same-day delay at 9 p.m. Additionally, TV5 will air the event on a next-day delay at 11 p.m. – Michael Angelo S. Murillo

E-Gilas plunges back into action at FIBA Esports Open

THE PHILIPPINE ESPORTS team, or “E-Gilas,” pits its skills anew on the world stage as it plunges back into action at the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) Esports Open this weekend.

Topped the Southeast Asian conference in the inaugural edition of the FIBA tournament in June, E-Gilas seeks to maintain its standing in the region in competitions happening from Nov. 14 to 15.

Unlike in the first edition where the Philippines battled just one team in Indonesia, the conference this time around was shored up with Oceania coming on board with Australia representing.

For the second edition of the FIBA Esports Open, E-Gilas will be made up of veterans and champions in the competitive NBA 2K scene, namely, Angelico Cruzin aka Shintarou;  two-time NBA 2K Asia Champion Aminolah Polog Jr. aka Rial; NBA 2K17 Asia champion Custer Galas aka Custer,  NBA 2K18 Asia Champion Philippe Alcaraz Herrero IV aka IzzoIV; Clark Banzon aka Clark; and reserves Arnie Sison ELChapO; and Rocky Braña aka Rak and coached by Nite Alparas.

“We are thrilled to once again represent the nation in the FIBA Esports Open II. Being invited back is both an honor and a challenge to Team Pilipinas, which we’ll meet with passion and sportsmanship in the true spirit of Philippine basketball,” said Richard Brojan, who co-manages the team with Paul Laus from Playbook Laus Esports.

For the tournament, each team will consist of seven players, five on the court and two reserves. Games will be played remotely on NBA 2K using the Pro-AM mode and allowing full customization of player avatars, uniforms and arena designs.

As in the first edition of the Open, the series will be produced from the FIBA Esports Studio in Riga, Latvia, with 54 hours of live content to be streamed. Each game will be available online with live commentary in English, as well as a daily show featuring up to 12 games.

E-Gilas was dominant in its five-game series with Indonesia in the first edition of the tournament, capped by a 71-35 shellacking in the fifth game.

The 36-point win took the Philippines’ average margin of victory to 32.8 points for the series.

The Philippines opens its campaign on Day One at 6:30 p.m. against Indonesia, which it also battles at 7:30 p.m.

E-Gilas then takes on Australia at 8 p.m. and 9:20 p.m.

Running alongside the Southeast Asian conference are those in Africa and the Middle East.

The Europe conference will be played on Dec. 12-13 and the North and Central America, and South America conferences on Dec. 19-20.

Individual finals will take place in each of the respective conferences with a best-of-three format.

The FIBA Esports Open 2020 is angled by the world basketball governing body to add further dimension to it as an organization while also affording the basketball community some action after activities were halted by the coronavirus pandemic.

Team Philippines’ matches can be seen over the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas Facebook page as well as FIBA’s Facebook, Twitch, and YouTube channels. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo

Soggy Masters on tap as unique major season wraps up

AUGUSTA, GEORGIA — Players applying late finishing touches to their Masters preparations were forced to cut things short when thunderstorms rolled in on Wednesday afternoon, setting the stage for a soggy start to a tournament 19 long months in the making.

A handful of players were still on the course at 3 p.m. local time when the siren wailed to signal dangerous approaching weather, among them Matt Kuchar, who casually strolled up the 18th hole in the company of a couple of friends.

A dire forecast for heavy rain overnight and into Thursday morning suggests Augusta National’s vaunted drainage system will be fully tested.

Bryson DeChambeau remains a warm favorite to add to his recent US Open victory, though his odds are nothing like a short-priced Tiger Woods in his heyday.

DeChambeau, who has spoken about perhaps using a 48-inch shaft driver, the maximum allowed, was spotted on the range earlier on Wednesday tinkering with a more standard 45-inch one.

Whether he puts the longer one into play this week might be of interest only to golf equipment junkies, but it has the potential to change the modern game.

The longer the club the faster it can be swung, and the further it can be hit, though the trade-off in loss of accuracy has to date discouraged anyone from wielding the 48-inch weapon competitively.

Whatever driver DeChambeau chooses, however, he will need a deft touch around and on the greens at a course where experience counts for much.

Others with legitimate hopes of slipping into a Green Jacket include fellow Americans Dustin Johnson and Justin Thomas, Spaniard Jon Rahm, and Northern Irishman Rory McIlroy.

Defending champion Woods, meanwhile, finds himself in the unaccustomed position of being almost an afterthought, a longshot based on his recent mediocre form.

Nineteen long months after ending a decade-long drought to claim a 15th major title, the 44-year-old Woods is at an age where great performances are still possible but consistent excellence is harder to attain.

That the Masters is even being played will be a welcome sight for golf fans around the world.

Usually held in early spring, it was the first major championship this year to be postponed as the coronavirus swept across the United States.

The PGA Championship was subsequently pushed back from May until August, the US Open from June until September, and the British Open cancelled altogether.

The Masters — as with the majors preceding it — will be played without spectators, but a global television audience will lap it up, even if the pink azaleas and white dogwoods that usually provide a colourful backdrop are missing.

But a Green Jacket is still on offer, and at the end of a disrupted season there could hardly be anything more fitting. — Reuters

Lakers to start 2020-21 season without fans in stands

FIRST, the Los Angeles Lakers were forced to skip a championship parade, and now, they are asking their fans to wait even longer for an up-close-and-personal gathering.

The defending National Basketball Association (NBA) champions announced Wednesday that they will start the 2020-21 season without fans at their home arena, Staples Center, and then assess the situation as the season progresses.

The Lakers said the decision was made with more than a month remaining before the season after guidance from state of California leaders, as well as local health officials.

The team’s official stance is that games will be held without fans “until further notice.”

“The health and safety of our fans, players, staff, and community are our main priority and we will continue to work with state and local officials to come up with a plan to safely welcome fans back to Staples Center in the adherence with local, state and NBA guidelines,” the team said in a release.

The NBA officially agreed this week on a Dec. 22 start to the upcoming season that will include 72 games, 10 less than usual. An NBA season typically starts in October but is being pushed back this year because of delays created last season as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The just-concluded season was paused in March, resumed in late July in a “bubble” environment near Orlando and the Lakers came away with the title on early October with an NBA Finals victory over the Miami Heat.

The Lakers’ announcement seemed to suggest the team will wait to raise its most recent championship banner until fans can attend home games.

“We appreciate your continued support and look forward to coming together, when it is safe to do so, to celebrate the raising of our banner and the quest for another NBA championship,” the team said.

DUNCAN TO STEP DOWN
Meanwhile, San Antonio Spurs assistant coach Tim Duncan will step down from an assistant coach’s role on Gregg Popovich’s staff, the New York Times reported Wednesday.

According to the report, it was always in the intention for Duncan to serve only one season as an assistant. Duncan is expected to return to the player-development role he held with the organization before joining the bench.

Duncan is one of the best players in NBA history, and played his entire 19-year career with the Spurs while earning All-Star honors 15 times. He helped lead San Antonio to five NBA titles (1999, 2003, ‘05, ‘07, ‘14), earned league MVP honors in 2002 and 2003, was named Finals MVP three times, and landed on the All-NBA First Team 10 times.

Duncan was set to join the Basketball Hall of Fame, with Kevin Garnett and Kobe Bryant, as part of the 2020 class before the coronavirus pandemic pushed the ceremony back until 2021.

San Antonio has not made an announcement about filling Duncan’s absence on the coaching staff. — Reuters

IOC’s Bach will be in Tokyo for talks with Games organisers

BERLIN — International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach will be in Tokyo for three days next week to review preparations for the postponed 2020 Olympics and back organizers amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Bach told a news conference on Wednesday he would be in Tokyo between Nov. 15 and 18, but did not provide details on possible meetings with government officials or Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga.

“It (the trip) is important because we are now coming to a crucial stage of putting this toolbox together with COVID-19 counter-measures to get the feeling what will be needed next year,” he said.

“I hope after this visit we can give even more confidence to all the participants of the Games about the safe environment they will see in about nine months from now.”

The IOC and Japanese organizers took the unprecedented decision in March to delay the Games by a year to 2021 due to the pandemic, a costly postponement that still has many moving parts given the spread of the virus.

Bach said it was still too early to say whether spectators or even international visitors would be part of the Olympics in July and August, but he believes recent events held in Japan provide confidence that some fans will be in the arenas.

Japan hosted a one-off gymnastics meeting on Sunday, seen as a crucial trial run for having international athletes travel to and compete in Japan during the Games.

“(The IOC is) more and more confident that we will have a reasonable number of spectators,” Mr. Bach said. “How many and under which conditions, again, depends very much on the future developments.

“The message I want to deliver in Tokyo is that we are fully committed to the safe organization of the Games,” Mr. Bach said. “This is the principle to which we remain committed; that these games will happen in a safe environment.” — Reuters

‘All eyes’

Tiger Woods was most definitely not the pre-tournament favorite when he teed off with playing partners Shane Lowry and Andy Ogletree at Augusta National last night, Manila time. The honor went to United States Open champion Bryson DeChambeau, whose impressive length off the tee figures to tame the course. As the defending Masters titleholder, however, all eyes stayed on him. Never mind that sports books had a dozen or so names ahead of him, and that his 35-to-one odds reflected his poor form in recent memory.

The phrase “all eyes” is, to be sure, relative considering that the Masters will be held on a November weekend for the first time in history. With the novel coronavirus pandemic wreaking havoc on the schedule, golf’s premier event has been compelled to compete with football, invariably deemed much more appealing to broadcast viewers. And with no spectators allowed on the course, players will be crafting shots in silence. Whereas outstanding efforts used to be accentuated even more by rousing cheers, they will now be greeted sans any responses save for those from flightmates.

Woods has been hyped by the resplendent reactions throughout his storied career, but the peace and quiet may yet serve him in good stead given his utter lack of competitiveness since he stunned all and sundry by claiming his 15th major trophy at Augusta National last year. He has been okay at best, but nowhere near good enough and often enough to make the first page of leaderboards. If anything, his Masters prognosis is optimistic; a significant change in priorities, an absence of reps, and the ravages of time are offset only by his familiarity with the layout.

Don’t tell that to Woods, though. He’s still bent on winning. And he still believes he can emerge triumphant in golf’s holiest of grails. Last year, the right mix of talent, perseverance, and luck propelled him to success. This time around, he’ll need more — much, much more — than his fair share simply to keep pace. All the same, he’ll be walking the terrain with pride. He is, after all, the reigning Masters champion—until he isn’t.

 

Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994. He is a consultant on strategic planning, operations and Human Resources management, corporate communications, and business development.

Graphic design platform offers free marketing templates for MSMEs

Graphic design platform Canva launched Canva for Negosyo to help entrepreneurs take their negosyos (businesses) online. 

Canva for Negosyo has free resources—including branding video tutorials, informational blogs, and customizable marketing templates—useful for designing and managing a small online business. Fashion and food images, curated based on the common needs of MSMEs, are available too for those with a limited budget for photography.

Creating an account is not necessary to access these resources. 

“We want to be the Filipino entrepreneurs’ ally and give them a headstart as they take their businesses online,” said Maisie Littaua, head of growth for Canva Philippines. Many micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) are transitioning their businesses digitally to keep up with the times, but find themselves in an unfamiliar environment where they have little to no experience. 

BusinessWorld reported that “the Department of Trade and Industry tallied 839,444 business registrations between January and early November, outpacing the 2019 full year by 32%. … Online business registrations totaled 82,870 from the start of the lockdown in March to Nov. 4. There were only 1,753 registrations for online businesses in January.”

Five toolkits available on the Canva for Negosyo page represent businesses that are among the most popular with entrepreneurs: lutong bahay (home-cooked meals); manufactured skincare products; DIY laundry shops; electronics; and cafes.

“These are the types of businesses that can also scale up so there’s a need for consistent branding to grow their business, so these toolkits are made for that,” said Ms. Littaua.

Canva for Negosyo has a Facebook community where entrepreneurs can interact and collaborate with fellow users. Some of the most common queries asked in the group include those in relation to design improvement plus requests for specific business templates. Canva is open to expanding its collection based on the needs of Filipino business owners. 

Apart from Canva for Negosyo, the design and publishing platform also offers Canva for Education, a creativity and collaboration tool with education-specific content for teachers. A series of webinars acquainting Filipino teachers with the tool led to the creation of a similar support group on Facebook for educators. — Patricia B. Mirasol

Green Modern Process Infographic

MMC settles into ‘healthy normal,’ plans to expand services in 2021

Makati Medical Center (MMC) announced a downward trend in COVID-19 admissions, positivity rates, and healthcare worker infections, and an upward trend in operational capacity. 

“We have observed the highest protocols and now our patients are back. We call it a healthy normal. We continue to invest despite the pandemic,” said MMC President and Chief Executive Officer Pilar Nenuca Almira, in a November 10 media roundtable discussion. 

Initiatives for 2021 include the creation of a transplant center, the expansion of the renal care center, and the acquisition of new magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and catheterization laboratory machines. 

This year, MMC unveiled telepharmacy, telepsychiatry, and home care services; a wellness center in Ayala North Exchange that has x-ray and electrocardiogram (ECG) services, as well as a breast clinic that is completely detached from hospital premises. 

INFECTION CONTROL
From declaring its first case on March 8, to having its first mortality the second week of April, MMC has since settled towards what it calls a “healthy normal.” Of the 5,321 COVID-19 patients it treated as of October 16, 95% (or 5,072) were deemed recovered, a favorable rate compared to the national figure of 86% (or 310,642) as of October 20.

“In mitigating the impact of a pandemic, nothing is ever too much, too fast, too soon. We need to coexist with the virus,” said MMC medical director Dr. Saturnino P. Javier 

MMC tests its frontliners for COVID-19 every two weeks; those identified in a contact trace are likewise tested immediately. Team modules for psychosocial counseling have also been mandated for healthcare workers to help address any mental health issues. 

Dr. Javier stressed the importance of communication and collaboration in times of crisis.  

Patients who enter the hospital and are suspected of having COVID-19 are designated in hot zones (areas where infected patients are examined and treated). The rest are designated in cold zones (uncontaminated areas). Everyone admitted must further undergo a confirmatory COVID-19 test.

The enforcement of infection prevention and control protocols—together with bed capacity expansion, infrastructure revision, COVID-19 laboratory accreditation, and telemedicine adoption—all contributed to MMC’s coping with the pandemic. 

“The enforcement of strict infection prevention and control protocols can be summed up with the letters BCD: barrier, cleanliness, and distance,” said Dr. Javier. “The most important, though, is the letter A: awareness of all these protocols.” — Patricia B. Mirasol

Venio provides nano-credit assistance to the unbanked

Venio provides unbanked consumers with nano-credit assistance by making credit facilities accessible through a smartphone app. Users enter their details in the app to apply for a loan and then wait for the app’s decision. 

Approved nano-sized loans—typically between US$1 and US$5 or the market currency equivalent—can be used “same as cash” within the Venio Marketplace to purchase goods and services such as food, communication, transportation, and medicine from partner merchants.

Included in its retail network are a growing number of Philippine sari-sari stores as well as international retailers such as Grab and McDonald’s.

“We focus on these small ‘nano’ sized loans as it is a unique offering and other players are not offering credit facilities of this size,” said founder and CEO Warren Platt. “The fact that Venio is offering loans of these sizes means that we can reach customers no one else is and people that have been excluded by the financial system.” 

Of the nearly 400 million adults in Southeast Asia, 198 million remain unbanked and do not own a bank account. In the Philippines, the number stands at 44 million, according to a 2019 report by Google, Temasek, and Bain & Co. Nikkei Asia also reported that in the Philippines, 52 million people, or nearly 80% of adults, are ineligible for bank loans. Many end up borrowing money from acquaintances or loan sharks to cover unforeseen expenses. 

Venio’s mobile application is designed to encourage responsible lending and borrowing as well as allow customers to build their own credit history. Loans are available without any upfront collateral provided on the part of the customer. Each transaction is charged with a 15% convenience fee.

A proprietary scoring algorithm takes over 60 data points from the user’s handset, details on the user’s profile, and further user application data. According to Venio:

• “Geolocation data showing the person goes to the same place five days a week for eight hours would suggest they have a job;

• A download in English could suggest higher education and so earnings potential (the app can be accessed in either English or Filipino);

• Educated users are likely to store contacts with capital letters at the start of their names; and

• Customers having a lot of contacts with post-paid phone numbers would suggest they move in a relatively better-off circle.”

“When done responsibly, nano-credit can really work for people,” said Mr. Platt, who added that initial repayments and secondary loan repayments continue to be greater than expected. 

Venio, which means “come” in Latin, has expanded its services nationwide across the Philippines on the back of launches across Manila, Cebu, and Davao. It has also launched operations in Mexico on the back of an oversubscribed debut in the Philippines. — Patricia B. Mirasol

The social (selling) network

By Mariel Alison L. Aguinaldo

In the world of live selling, e-commerce becomes a social experience, a welcome development for shopaholics in lockdown. A seller sets up a livestream—an online broadcast—and transacts with buyers in real time via chat and other features, depending on the platform they’re using. Online shopping break outs of the rigidity of a website page and turns into a fun interactive video event. 

“Given the current effects of the pandemic, … there is indeed a need to fill and digitally capture that social and relationship building aspect of the shopping experience,” said Samantha Rodriguez-Tung, senior vice president for eCommerce at Kumu, a livestreaming application.  

The presence of other buyers watching the broadcast is reassuring since they act as fellow witnesses to the quality of the products and the selling process itself.

“There’s social proof when you are broadcasting… because other people can comment and you can see your friends also commenting,” said Irene Chan, marketing manager of BeLive, a livestreaming platform for e-commerce retailers, influencers, small business owners, and content creators, in an interview with BusinessWorld.

Buyers—who usually belong to a brand’s established customer base or an e-commerce marketplace—can communicate with other participants in the comments, asking for more details or sharing their thoughts about the products. 

Daniel Mayer, chief executive officer and co-founder of BeLive, shared that a broadcast in June by one of their users, e-commerce platform Fingo Thailand, hit over 11,000 concurrent live views and more than 11,000 comments. Another partner, beauty brand Beautéderm, hosted a livestream in July with Filipino celebrities Darren Espanto, Camille Prats, and Darla Sauler. It generated over 20,000 comments.

For many people, live selling has also become a form of entertainment. A good host can quickly become an influencer, creating a community of ardent followers. There’s Austin Li, a Chinese livestreaming personality who first became famous for selling 15,000 lipsticks in five minutes in 2018. In his broadcasts, Li chats with his viewers while trying on shade after shade on his lips in record time. These broadcasts have cemented his celebrity status over the years: he has around 40 million followers on Douyin, China’s equivalent of TikTok.

For shopKUMU, an upcoming “shoppertainment” or shopping entertainment platform by Kumu, livestreams will be hosted by celebrities like Bela Padilla and Ces Drilon. Homegrown Kumu talents like PrimaClara and Apple Chiu, who all have their own respective following, will also be featured.

Live selling even has the potential of transporting people to other places through its livestreams and products. When COVID-19 endangered the livelihood of fishermen from Zhejiang province in China, the local government held a broadcast at sea in partnership with Taobao Live, the live selling segment of the e-commerce company. They captured the first fishing ceremony of the year and hired chefs to cook dishes from the day’s catch. Buyers could then buy these fresh fish during the broadcast. 

The potential of live selling is the stuff of dreams for many sellers, especially in markets like China where it is massively popular. Red Dragonfly, a Chinese shoe retailer, experienced a 114% year-on-year sales boost in its flagship stores during a livestream in March of this year. In 2019, Viya Huang, another Chinese livestreaming celebrity with a loyal following, sold out 15,000 bottles of Kim Kardashian-West’s perfume within minutes.

The practice is also picking up in other parts of Asia. Lazada reported that the gross merchandise volume (GMV) generated through LazLive increased by 45% month-on-month in April. In Thailand, a Shiseido LazLive broadcast garnered 90,000 viewers and generated 40 times GMV uplift compared to a non-livestreaming hour.

 While live selling may be especially popular now, Mr. Mayer believes that it will outlast the pandemic because sellers will need as many revenue channels as possible. It also provides a convenient form of retail that is much more interactive than other alternatives.

 “Live [selling] allows retailers to meet their customers where they are and sell their products in a friendly and intuitive way… While it’s hard to replace the energy of face-to-face interaction, livestreaming offers businesses an avenue to continue making an income in an authentic way even during periods of sheltering-at-home,” said Mr. Mayer.

Tech experts voice concerns of gig worker surveillance in pandemic

LONDON – Growing armies of gig workers have little to no say in how they are being monitored during the coronavirus pandemic, researchers and advocates told a conference on Wednesday, calling for better oversight in how tracking tools are deployed.

From Singapore to Estonia, business is turning to technology to help people resume work and travel, with apps, scanners, and so-called immunity passports, but digital rights experts warn against privacy and increased surveillance.

Gig workers – independent contractors such as drivers who perform on-demand services – are most vulnerable to surveillance as they have no safeguards like minimum wage or health cover, researchers told the Thomson Reuters Foundation’s annual Trust Conference that was held online.

“Tools to monitor gig workers were at play before the pandemic when it was a harder sell, but when introduced during COVID you have public health as a legitimate reason,” said Urvashi Aneja of policy and advocacy collective Tandem Research in India.

In India, contact-tracing mobile app Aarogya Setu is mandatory for food-delivery workers, government and some private sector employees.

Such tools can track gig workers’ location at all times, regardless of whether they are at work or not, said Aneja, whose organisation has been reviewing tech tools used during the pandemic.

“One of the things that gig work does it that it fragments the labour force, so the ability and the spaces to collectively bargain, for workers to come together, is also decreasing,” she added.

Workers’ increased engagement with tech platforms fuels a model where “we are turned into monetised bits that are bought, sold and traded”, said Safiya Noble, a leading technology scholar at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).

Monitoring technologies like facial recognition tends to single out minorities for unfair treatment, and provide little recourse for them to seek redress, said Noble.

Aneja agreed, saying “not only is tech created in the Global North, it’s critiqued in the Global North”.

“We need to build up civil society so that the critique doesn’t replicate the same power imbalances as the product.”

Alice Munyua, director of innovation and public policy for Africa at Firefox browser maker Mozilla, called for more tools to help create a “healthy internet”.

The company developed Facebook Container, a Firefox extension that allows users to isolate their web activity from Facebook sites like Instagram and Messenger.

“This prevents Facebook from following you around the web … the less data they have on you the less they can give away,” she said. — Thomson Reuters Foundation

Typhoon Vamco lashes main Philippine island, kills one

MANILA – Typhoon Vamco soaked and lashed provinces in the Philippines’ main Luzon island overnight, killing one person while three more are missing, the local disaster agency said on Thursday.

Vamco, with maximum sustained winds of 155 km per hour (96 miles per hour) and gusts of up to 255 kph (158 mph), made landfall three times starting on Wednesday night in Quezon province, south of the capital Manila.
The local disaster agency reported a 68-year-old man was found dead on the roof of his house in a coastal community in Camarines Norte province, where three more people are missing.

Vamco, the 21st cyclone to hit the country this year, battered the Philippines still reeling from Molave, the world’s most powerful typhoon this year that killed 25 people and destroyed thousands of homes early in November.
It will leave land on Thursday afternoon, but not before bringing torrential rains and strong winds as it passes through rice-producing provinces in the world’s largest rice importer.

In the capital, residents were mopping up after heavy downpours that flooded roads and homes, said Marcelino Teodoro, mayor of Marikina City, a suburb of metropolitan Manila.

“Many of our residents were soaked overnight. In some areas, floods have reached the second floor and roofs,” Teodoro told DZBB radio station.

Nearby dams are close to spilling, which could aggravate flooding, the disaster agency said.

Airline flights and mass transit in the capital were suspended while the coast guard stopped port operations. Government work was suspended and financial markets were shut.

The Philippines, an archipelago of more than 7,600 islands, experiences around 20 tropical storms annually.
Vamco is forecast to head towards Vietnam next, with the weather agency there expecting the storm to hit the central region on Sunday, bringing intense rains.

Floods and mudslides over the past month have killed at least 160 people in central Vietnam, left dozens missing and damaged 390,000 houses. – Reuters

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