Indonesia police investigates death of politician who opposed remote mine

June 21, 2021 | 6:32 pm

JAKARTA — Indonesian police are looking into the death of a politician from Sulawesi island who opposed a gold mine project there, after environmental groups and the human rights commission called for an investigation.

Helmud Hontong, 58, the deputy regent of the remote Sangihe islands, in North Sulawesi province, was pronounced dead on arrival at Sultan Hasanuddin International Airport in the city of Makassar on June 9.

Canadian mining firm, Baru Gold Corporation, which owns 70% of the Indonesian company granted the mining concession on Sangihe, said it strongly denied any suggestion of links to the death or that it had caused any environmental damage.

Police have set up a team to investigate the death, Jules Abraham Abast, a spokesman for the North Sulawesi police, said.

Initial results of an autopsy did not show any indication of poison, police said in a forensic report, adding that the suspected cause of death was chronic illness. Forensic samples had been sent for further testing, police said.

Ahmad Taufan Damanik, chairman of Indonesia’s human rights commission Komnas HAM, said it had asked police to investigate after receiving complaints from Sangihe island residents.

The politician had appeared to be in good health before boarding a Lion Air flight on Bali island but complained of feeling dizzy about 20 minutes after takeoff, his aide, Harmen Kontu, who was sitting beside him at the time, told Reuters.

Mr. Helmud “lost conscious (ness) and blood flowed from his mouth and nose” soon afterwards, Mr. Kontu said.

Mr. Helmud opposed the 42,000 hectare gold mine concession granted to PT Tambang Mas Sangihe. The central government gave the greenlight for the mine earlier this year.

PT Tambang Mas Sangihe is 70% owned by Canadian firm Baru Gold Corporation and 30% by combined interests, according to the Baru Gold website.

Baru Gold President and CEO Terry Filbert said in a statement that the company denied unfounded accusations over any link to the death of the politician in the strongest possible terms.

“The company has conducted itself, and will continue to conduct itself, in accordance with all laws, rules, and regulations,” he said.

Baru Gold said it had undertaken an environmental study and “outlined in detail a meticulous strategy to mitigate disturbances to the rare flora and fauna of the island”.

Environmentalists say the mining concession, which covers more than half of Sangihe Island — the main island in the group — is a threat to ancient forests, at least 10 species of birds and water supplies for residents.

On April 28, Mr. Helmud wrote to the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry urging it to revoke the mine permit on environmental grounds, the ministry said.

The letter had been received and representatives of the ministry were scheduling a meeting with authorities in Sangihe to discuss the mine, Ridwan Djamaluddin, an official from the ministry, said in a statement.

Alfred Pontolondo, coordinator of the Save Sangihe Island environment group, said Mr. Helmud had been close to the island’s residents and opposed the mine “because of his love for the island”.

“I don’t want to speculate on his death,” he said. “Let the police process it legally if there’s any suspicion.” — Reuters

Ikea and Rockefeller foundations plan to give $1 billion for clean energy

June 21, 2021 | 6:31 pm

IN A move to kickstart the energy transition globally, the Ikea Foundation and the Rockefeller Foundation announced today that they will each donate $500 million to support distributed renewable generation projects in developing nations.

Roughly 2.8 billion people worldwide don’t have access to reliable power, according to the United Nations, but the two philanthropies estimate these funds will bring energy to a billion of them over the next decade. Further, since the partnership will target communities that might otherwise rely on fossil fuels for power generation either now or in the future, they expect that the combined gift will reduce carbon emissions by a billion metric tons.

“Really nothing has ever been attempted even close to this kind of scale when it comes to bringing renewable energy to the world’s poor,” said Rajiv Shah, president of the Rockefeller Foundation. The two foundations said their money will be used to “de-risk” the kind of projects private capital has tended to shy away from and will be shared through a new third public charity. This, Mr. Shah said, will help increase their leverage through private corporations and international development agencies.

The announcement comes as rich countries are under growing pressure to deliver on a decade-old climate finance pledge. In 2009, wealthy nations promised to mobilize $100 billion a year by 2020 to help developing countries deal with the worst impacts of climate change and invest in green technologies. But a meeting of Group of Seven (G7) leaders last week merely reiterated a promise to reach the milestone, even though it was supposed to have been achieved last year. They reached $78.9 billion in 2018, far short of the $100 billion agreed, according to the latest data from the Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development.

The question of who pays to tackle climate change is essential to ramping up efforts to rein in temperatures. Poor countries say they need funding if they’re to step up their carbon-cutting ambitions and invest in the technologies needed to wean themselves off fossil fuels. The investment divide is particularly stark in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, with rich countries investing trillions in recovery while poor nations struggle to recover.

China has been investing heavily in energy generation in developing nations for well over a decade. In 2019 and 2020 alone — an anemic period due to the pandemic — China pumped over $20 billion into energy projects in developing nations, according to information gathered by The American Enterprise Institute, a Washington-based think tank. This included coal projects as well as renewable projects in solar, hydro and nuclear, as well as grid investments.

“We need to be honest and recognize that the current approach is not delivering the impact the world needs in the time that we have,” said Per Heggenes, chief executive officer of the Ikea Foundation. “This is all about acceleration.”

If wealthy nations are to fulfill their $100 billion promise, it will likely be through a mix of public funding and private finance, said Jennifer Layke, global director of energy at the World Resources Institute, a non-profit not party to the agreement. “Some of the persistent challenges with getting markets to change and getting investment to flow into the developing world have remained really sticky problems,” she said.

Ms. Layke also said that philanthropies could play an important role in unsticking the market by supplying seed capital to model projects that demonstrate their viability — exactly what Rockefeller and Ikea partnership was designed to do.

“This is absolutely seed capital,” Mr. Shah said. “It’s risk capital, so that we can motivate others to provide more commercially oriented investment capital to take these to scale.”

He pointed to India, where Rockefeller spent a decade funding 200 micro-solar grids to serve remote villages. Once the kinks were worked out, India’s own Tata Power agreed to expand the project to 10,000 grids.

Ikea has made similar investments in the past, but the two hope that by combining forces, they will be able to leverage billions more dollars and move at a new scale.

The partners say they have a roster of shovel-ready projects across India, Africa and Latin America. Rockefeller already signed commitments for development from both the International Finance Corporation, the private sector arm of the World Bank Group, and the US International Development Finance Corporation, America’s development bank. — Bloomberg

Rahm wins US Open

June 21, 2021 | 6:23 pm

As Oosthuizen falls short again

SAN DIEGO, CA — Jon Rahm became the fourth Spanish major champion when he finished with two brilliant birdies to capture the US Open on Sunday.

He edged South African Louis Oosthuizen by one stroke in a wild battle of attrition that finally turned into a two-man race as several other contenders came unglued on the difficult back nine at Torrey Pines.

Rahm was the only contender to avoid a bogey on the inward half, and he timed his run perfectly by sinking lengthy, sharply-breaking putts at the 17^th and 18^th holes.

He shot 67 for a six-under-par 278, and was confirmed as the champion when Oosthuizen was unable to eagle the par-five 18^th.

Rahm dedicated his victory to his late countryman Seve Ballesteros, who died a decade ago of brain cancer. Ballesteros won five majors, but never the US Open.

“This is definitely for Seve. I know he wanted to win this one most of all,” said an emotional Rahm moments after clinching the title.

The win comes a fortnight after Rahm was withdrawn from the Memorial tournament after testing positive for coronavirus before the final round. He had a six-shot lead at the time.

“I’m a big believer in karma and after what happened a couple of weeks ago, I stayed really positive knowing big things were coming,” he said.

“I didn’t know what it was going to be but I knew we were coming to a special place. I got my breakthrough win here and it is a very special place for my family.”

While Rahm celebrated, Oosthuizen pondered another major near-miss.

Though Oosthuizen birdied the final hole for a 71, it was another bitter pill for the likeable South African, who also finished runner-up at last month’s PGA Championship, and now has six career second-placings in the four tournaments that comprise the grand slam. — Reuters

Filipino tennis ace Alex Eala trusting the process

June 21, 2021 | 6:23 pm

Ealafun — “I THINK it’s important to keep wanting to improve and keep wanting to work hard whether you win or you lose. There’s going to be good times and hard times, but that’s part of being a tennis player and being an athlete,” said Filipino tennis ace Alex Eala. — ALEX EALA FB PAGE

By Michael Angelo S. Murillo, Senior Reporter

HARD work and commitment to improve pay off — a lesson that is very clear for Filipino tennis ace Alex Eala.

Making significant waves in the last two years as a juniors player, and, recently in the professional circuit, Ms. Eala, 16, shared that it has been fun seeing her growth as a player in a sport she is passionate about.

But she admits there is still much to be done and achieved; something she is looking to work for with help from the people who have her back, including those at the Rafa Nadal Academy where she is a scholar.

“I think it’s important to keep wanting to improve and keep wanting to work hard whether you win or you lose. There are going to be good times and hard times, but that’s part of being a tennis player and being an athlete,” said Ms. Eala in a virtual press conference with local sportswriters on Sunday.

“It’s always important to stay positive; having the right people around you, pushing you to be the best you can be.”

The long-time Globe ambassador counts the girls doubles titles in the Australian Open (2020) and French Open (2021) and a couple of International Tennis Federation pro titles this year as a junior-exempt player as among her standout feats in the last two years.

Ms. Eala said she is proud of all of them but that she is not dwelling too much on the results at this point in her career.

“I’m not focusing too much on results at the moment. My goal right now is improving my overall game. I believe the results will just follow,” she said.

Next for Ms. Eala is the Wimbledon Championships which is to kick off later this month.

She is competing in both the girls’ doubles and singles events. Ms. Eala said they have reached out to a number of individuals to partner with in the Wimbledon doubles event but they have not decided yet on a particular player.

In the recent French Open, Ms. Eala had Russian Oksana Selekhmeteva as partner in her run to the title.

After Wimbledon, Ms. Eala said her schedule is pretty much open and dependent on the situation with the pandemic.

She underscored though that work for her definitely continues.

“I’m having a fun time [playing]. Tennis is something I really enjoy. It’s not all fun, of course, because you have to work to stay fit and on top of your game. But that’s part of the job.”

Gilas Pilipinas looks to build on gains from FIBA ACQ

June 21, 2021 | 6:23 pm

GilasTab — THE journey towards improvement continues for Gilas Pilipinas following a successful campaign in the recently concluded FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers. — FIBA

THE journey towards improvement continues for Gilas Pilipinas following a successful campaign in the recently concluded International Basketball Federation (FIBA) Asia Cup Qualifiers (ACQ).

This was shared by Gilas program director and head coach Tab Baldwin following their 82-77 victory over rival Korea on the final day of competition in the qualifiers, which completed for them a sweep of all six matches in the pandemic-disrupted tournament.

“We still have a lot of work to do. We can’t get ahead of ourselves. This is a good start but we have to stay focused again, going back to that theme of improvement,” said Mr. Baldwin at the post-game press conference.

The national men’s basketball team coach commended the all-cadet Gilas players for the manner with which they competed just as he expressed hope that they get to stay the course so as to achieve their collective goal of achieving success for the team and country.

“This is a great group of guys to work with… But the fact is this is a long-term job and in order to do this job well, at the level we hope to get to, we have to put in the work,” he said.

It will be a short turnaround for Gilas as it will be competing in the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament (OQT) in Belgrade, Serbia, from June 29 to July 4.

Gilas will be playing with the host country and the Dominican Republic in Group A in the OQT where one Olympic spot is up for grabs.

The Philippines earned a spot in the qualifiers after New Zealand withdrew from various FIBA tournaments, including the OQT, over coronavirus-related concerns.

Playing in Group B are Puerto Rico, Italy, and Senegal.

Mr. Baldwin said their lineup will be coming from the same pool of players who saw action in the FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers for continuity.

“The players that we have here in this bubble are the players that will go to Serbia. We have to leave one or two players behind, but the 12 players for the OQT will be taken from this group here,” he said.

Fifteen players composed the pool for Gilas in the FIBA ACQ, namely: Dwight Ramos, Justine Baltazar, SJ Belangel, RJ Abarrientos, Javi Gomez De Liaño, Will Navarro, Angelo Kouame, Mike Nieto, Isaac Go, Jordan Heading, Carl Tamayo, Geo Chiu, Kai Sotto, Jaydee Tungcab and Lebron Lopez.

The Gilas coach said they are expecting a tough road in the OQT but reiterated the valuable experience to be gained by the players in Serbia.

The nationals return to work for the Olympic qualifiers this week, including playing the Chinese team, which also saw action in the ACQ, in a pair of tune-up matches. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo

Back to the drawing board for Dasmariñas — analyst

June 21, 2021 | 6:22 pm

FILIPINO boxer Michael Dasmariñas — ALVIN S. GO

FILIPINO boxer Michael “Hot and Spicy” Dasmariñas had it rough in his first fight in the United States, torn down with body shots by undefeated Japanese champion Naoya “Monster” Inoue in three rounds of their scheduled 12-rounder title fight on Sunday.

It was an outcome that should send the Camarines Sur native, the number one contender for Mr. Inoue’s World Boxing Association and International Boxing Federation bantamweight world titles, back to the drawing board, one local fight analyst said.

“[The] talent is there, no doubt about it. But people forget that getting ranked is different from getting a quality opponent. It’s not synonymous,” said analyst Nissi Icasiano in a post-fight interview with BusinessWorld.

The analyst said that while Mr. Dasmariñas has had success in his boxing career as attested by his winning record of 30-3-1, he still lacks the “best competition” in his resume, citing the limited quality fighters that the Filipino had face before Mr. Inoue, which include Lwandile Sityatha and Manyo Plange.

Mr. Icasiano said Mr. Dasmariñas had a right approach against Mr. Inoue but failed to follow through on it.

“He had the right approach. He knew that being tentative would put him in a tough predicament. It was beautiful because he had angles. But my only gripe was that he didn’t generate offense from that movement. He didn’t want to get touched by Inoue, too wary of the punches,” the analyst said.

“He failed to use his length and stance; never created distance with his right jab that could create traps, setups or diversion from a southpaw stance. He was too reliant on his left straight, and we all know that you have to do more than that to put the Japanese knockout artist off his game.”

Mr. Dasmariñas’ corner also did not make the needed adjustments, Mr. Icasiano pointed out.

“Since the second round, the ploy was hit with a jab-straight combo, forcing Dasmariñas to a high guard. However, that left him open for a brutal body shot. From there, Inoue knew he had it,” he said.

But despite the tough loss, Mr. Icasiano said all is not lost yet for Mr. Dasmariñas.

“Michael is only 28. So there is a lot ahead of him. The good takeaway from this fight is that he got a feel of what it is like to be at the elite level. [Again] the talent is there. But you have to put that talent to the test. Iron sharpens iron,” he said. “Michael Dasmariñas needs fights that will bring out the best in him to prepare him for the boxers at the upper echelon.” — Michael Angelo S. Murillo

Suns GM James Jones named NBA executive of the year

June 21, 2021 | 6:22 pm

PHOENIX Suns general manager (GM) James Jones was named National Basketball Association (NBA) executive of the year on Sunday.

The Suns posted the league’s second-best regular season record at 51-21. They reached the Western Conference Finals with a six-game series win over the Los Angeles Lakers and a four-game sweep of the Denver Nuggets.

Jones was honored the same day the team he helped construct tipped off the conference finals at home against the Los Angeles Clippers.

Jones, 40, played 14 seasons in the NBA for the Indiana Pacers, Suns, Portland Trail Blazers, Miami Heat and Cleveland Cavaliers before joining the Suns’ front office. He was first the vice-president of basketball operations, then given the general manager position on an interim basis in 2018 before the interim title was lifted several months later.

He was the architect of the trade that brought Chris Paul to Phoenix from the Oklahoma City Thunder last November. Paul was named All-NBA second team in 2020-21.

Jones received nine of the 30 first-place votes and earned 65 total points. Utah Jazz executive vice-president of basketball operations Dennis Lindsey was a close second with 61 points (nine first-place votes), and Brooklyn Nets general manager Sean Marks finished third with 51 points (five first-place votes).

The award is voted upon by a panel of one executive from all 30 teams. — Reuters

Hawks upset no. 1 seeded 76ers in Game 7; Booker’s 40-pt triple-double carries Suns past Clippers

June 21, 2021 | 6:22 pm

KEVIN Huerter scored a playoff career-high 27 points, Trae Young added 21 points and 10 assists and the fifth-seeded Atlanta Hawks stunned the host Philadelphia 76ers 103-96 in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals on Sunday.

The Hawks will face the Milwaukee Bucks in the Eastern Conference finals.

Young shot five of 23, but made a couple of clutch shots down the stretch.

John Collins had 14 points and 16 rebounds while Danilo Gallinari had 17 points and Clint Capela 13 for the Hawks, who reached the conference finals for the first time since 2015. The Hawks won three games at Philadelphia in this series.

Joel Embiid led the top-seeded Sixers with 31 points and 11 rebounds yet committed eight turnovers. Tobias Harris added 24 points and 14 rebounds, Seth Curry had 16 points and Ben Simmons contributed 13 assists.

The Sixers haven’t reached the conference finals since 2001.

The Hawks led 48-46 at half time thanks in large part to Huerter’s 12 points. Young shot just one of 12 in the opening half.

Embiid had 15 points but committed four turnovers and appeared to tweak his injured right knee shortly before half time.

The game was tight throughout the third as the Hawks moved out to a 64-63 advantage with 4:45 left after a tough jumper by Huerter. He was fouled as well but missed the free throw.

Matisse Thybulle scored four late points in the period, but the Hawks closed the third strong and led 76-71.

Embiid scored the first five points of the fourth — a jumper and a 3-pointer — to tie the game at 76 with 10:37 to go.

The Hawks missed their first nine shots of the fourth but trailed only 81-77. Gallinari then connected on a trey to close the Hawks within one.

Young drove scored on a runner with 5:11 left to give the Hawks an 86-84 lead.

Embiid responded with a jumper with 4:14 remaining to tie the game at 86.

Young drained a deep 30-foot trey with 2:31 to go, and the Hawks led 93-87.

The Sixers went on a 5-0 run to close within one with 1:09 remaining.

Huerter was then fouled on a 3-pointer and dropped in all three for a 96-92 lead with 54 seconds left.

A Gallinari steal and dunk put Atlanta up 98-92 with 42 seconds left.

SUNS DRAW FIRST BLOOD
Devin Booker posted his first career triple-double Sunday afternoon, when he scored 40 points and collected 13 rebounds and 11 assists as the Phoenix Suns outlasted the visiting Los Angeles Clippers (120-114) in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals.

Booker scored 16 consecutive points for the Suns in the third quarter and 29 in the second half for second-seeded Phoenix, which was without All-Star point guard Chris Paul (health and safety protocols).

Game 2 is scheduled for Tuesday night in Phoenix. Considering the Clippers dropped the first two games in each of their first two series this postseason, Booker said the series is far from over.

Making the Suns’ victory more impressive was doing so in their first playoff game this spring without their floor leader Paul. Even without their starting point guard, the Suns tallied a playoff high 31 assists in Game 1.

Paul George scored 34 points and dueled with Booker throughout the second half for “I like the way Devin did it, he didn’t inject himself into the game, he just did it out of what we do,” Suns head coach Monty Williams said about Booker’s duel with George. “I think the poise of our team was important in that moment. When a guy’s making shots like that, it’s easy to become deflated.”

Deandre Ayton scored 20 points for Phoenix with nine rebounds while Mikal Bridges (14 points), Jae Crowder (13 points), Cameron Johnson (12 points) and Cameron Payne (11 points, nine assists) also got into double digits.

Reggie Jackson had 24 points and DeMarcus Cousins added 11 points off the bench for the Clippers. Kawhi Leonard missed his third straight game with a right knee injury.

Neither team led by more than five points in the first half, during which there were 18 lead changes and eight ties, before George (16 points) and Booker (18 points) put on a show in the third quarter, when they combined to score almost half the combined points generated by both teams.

The Suns took their first eight-point lead at 76-68 on a pair of free throws by Booker with 7:13 left. George then scored eight straight points to tie the score before Booker drained a turnaround jumper to put Phoenix up 78-76. But Jackson sandwiched a pair of 3-pointers around a basket by Ivica Zubac to complete the 16-2 run that gave the Clippers an 84-78 lead. — Reuters

QBO-assisted startups hit Q2 targets, seek investors in order to scale

June 21, 2021 | 5:53 pm

Early-stage startups that participated in QBO Innovation Hub’s incubation program secured their growth targets in the second quarter of 2021 and are now looking for investors.

“The goal of the program is to help these select startups set their business up for long-term success. We worked with them to help them understand their customers, improve the customer and user experience, and refine their products and services,” said Carlo Yaptinchay, QBO’s startup development program head, in a statement, “After six months, most of these startups are now looking to expand their customer base, link up with partners, and find investors.”

QBO’s virtual program, which ran from November 2020 to May 2021, helped each venture digitize operations and reach target revenues. COCOTEL, a hotel aggregator, reached an average of P1 million worth of transactions per month for four months; Panublix, a textile sourcing platform, generated over P300,000 in sales for community enterprises; and Last Mile, a logistics service innovation company, grew by 200% in transactions within one quarter.

The 13 participating startups are:

AkadsPH, an online service that streamlines the process of booking tutorial sessions for students using a system that matches them with tutors;
COCOTEL, a hotel brand and aggregator of getaway destination hotels that prevents overbooking through its property management system;
Panublix, a collaborative sourcing platform based in Iloilo City that connects Philippine weavers with the fashion market;
EveGrocer, a subscription-based online grocery, that offers waste-free commodity products;
iRentMo, a rental marketplace community that brings renters together across different industries with an app;
Spare, a financial solution that allows small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to give digital change;
Ventii Eats, a discovery and delivery platform for specialty food;
RaceYaya, a portal for live and virtual events for the endurance sports community;
Fitscovery, a marketplace that provides trainers and gym studios with tools to digitize;
XPERTO, an online events management platform for learning programs designed and delivered by professional organizations, associations, and experts;
InterLeukin, a web platform for end-users, medical purchasers, and suppliers automating the procurement process from end-to-end;
Last Mile, a digital logistics service innovation company that offers fleet management, riders-for-hire marketplace, and third-party fulfillment;
and SmarterMeter, a device that helps consumers save electricity by giving real-time data and analysis about their consumption.

“The pandemic may have delivered a huge blow to our economy, but these startups have shown that they have the expertise, grit, and muscle to help industries digitize and deliver value,” said Katrina R. Chan, executive director of QBO. — B. H. Lacsamana

Plastic Credit Exchange revamps system, uses blockchain technology

June 21, 2021 | 4:43 pm

Plastic Credit Exchange (PCX), a Filipino non-profit plastic offset program, partnered with Microsoft to develop a public, blockchain-protected credit registry.

“It is important that the credit registry is trustworthy and available to the public,” said PCX founder and chair Nanette Medved-Po in a statement. “By using blockchain technology to not only protect the ledger but provide transparency around additionality and protect against double counting, stakeholders will know where and how they positively impact the environment.”

Similar to carbon markets that use carbon credits to limit companies’ production of greenhouse gases, PCX uses plastic credits to limit the number of plastics that businesses produce.

Companies in the Philippines who have purchased plastic offsets include Nestle Philippines and Unilever Philippines. Meanwhile, companies like PepsiCo Snacks, Wyeth Nutrition, Century Pacific Food, Colgate-Palmolive, and NutriAsia have pursued plastic neutrality in the country.

According to PCX, these partnerships have helped divert over 18 million kilograms of plastic waste from the ocean.

“Sustainability and humanity’s response to it is one of the greatest challenges of our lifetime — a planet-sized challenge that requires a planet-sized response,” said Microsoft Philippines Country Manager Andres Ortola in a statement. “Technology can — and must — accelerate that response.”

Microsoft provided an Azure-based blockchain solution to beef up the credit registry’s security, using a web application to integrate the blockchain into PCX’s current operations.

PCX’s blockchain-protected credit registry can be found plasticcreditexchange.com, where it shows how much plastic credit each corporation has bought. — B. H. Lacsamana

Corporate allies should go beyond diversity hiring, says LGBTQ+ organization

June 21, 2021 | 4:14 pm

By Brontë H. Lacsamana

With rainbow-themed profile photos and Pride Month events proliferating online, June marks the time of year when the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and/or Questioning (LGBTQ+) movement is in full swing. Businesses big and small are joining the growing number of allies that support the LGBTQ+ community in ways that go beyond rainbow-washing.

When it comes to “solidarity that translates into concrete actions of acceptance and not just tolerance,” there’s still so much more to do, said Raymond “Ronn” A. Astillas, chair of the Philippine LGBT Chamber of Commerce at a recent Pride event organized by Google Philippines.

Making a more diverse and inclusive work environment through adopting non-discrimination policies and promoting equitable benefits remains a big challenge for companies, he added.

Meanwhile, LGBTQ+ individuals themselves have gradually become more visible over the years, looking out for each other and making themselves heard on social media, no matter what month. “We all must commit to and celebrate Pride every day,” Mr. Astillas said, inviting the general public to learn more about the community.

BEACONS OF HOPE
Several LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs shared their stories leading micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic at the same Google Pride event.

“My team and I are always open in discussing LGBTQ+ issues with each other,” said Ann Marie “Amrei” C. Dizon, founder of creative agency Vitalstrats Creative Solutions. Wearing a rainbow bowtie, she shared how accepting differences within the workplace fostered flexibility and adaptability — qualities that enabled her 17-year-old agency pivot to offer digital services that during the pandemic.

Acceptance was also top of mind for Nariese Giangan when she opened Food for the Gays (FFTG) Café with her girlfriend. Located in Quezon City, the café serves as a safe space for the LGBTQ+ community, complete with rainbow flags at the door and a rainbow-colored grilled cheese sandwich on the menu.

“Minsan may nagtatanong, pwede ba mga straight diyan? Of course, pwede. Wala tayong discrimination dito [Sometimes people ask, are straights are allowed there? Of course, yes. We don’t have discrimination here],” she said.

LGBTQ+ businesses can become cultural centers and beacons of hope in their own locales. Alex “Rui” Mariano, owner of the Fairygodbarbie House of Beauty, started her business specifically to help her fellow trans women transition through a one-stop shop for nails, lashes, and facial services.

“Sabi ko sa sarili ko, what if kung mag-business ako and at the same time i-share ko na rin yung mga secrets ko (I told myself, what if I start a business and at the same time share all my beauty secrets)?” said Ms. Mariano, whose online business eventually led to a beauty spa frequented by cis and trans women alike.

Abigail “Abby” Biyo and her girlfriend did something similar with Nirvana Hostel and Restaurant in Siargao. Despite the lockdowns, Ms. Biyo continued selling products such as “paliyema” (palitaw with yema filling) in local markets and ensuring safe protocols in their establishment so they could continue providing job opportunities in the island.

“The pandemic should not stop you,” she said, in an effort to encourage other struggling LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs, “It’s difficult, but it’s important to keep going.”

CORPORATE ALLIES
Companies are becoming more involved in efforts to improve diversity and inclusion in the workplace as well.

“(The private sector) has been using the term diversity and inclusion more often, and we have many firms seeking training on it,” said Nathalie Africa-Verceles, director of the University of the Philippines Center for Women and Gender Studies (UPCWGS), in a recent B-Side podcast. “We used to get a lot of requests from government agencies, schools, universities, but many companies are now becoming interested.”

Snacks company Mondelez Philippines, Inc., for example, held a Pride Month forum to commemorate signing on as a member of Philippine Financial and Inter-Industry Pride (PFIP), a non-profit organization that aims to foster a corporate industry that is safe for the LGBTQ+ community.

“One of our building blocks of a winning growth culture is diversity and inclusion — creating a safe workspace and ensuring we respect personal, cultural, and professional practices,” said Aileen Aumentado, People Lead of Mondelez Philippines, Inc.

Mondelez provides healthcare benefits for domestic partners of all genders and allows primary caregiver and single parent leaves, regardless of birth story. “Our commitment is to treat everyone with care and integrity, and the best way to express that is through allyship,” she added.

According to PFIP, Mondelez Philippines’ efforts are only the beginning of a long journey toward widespread diversity and inclusion.

“We have to institutionalize sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression (SOGIE) education because we have to continuously educate our community members and make it part of our corporate screenings and onboarding,” said PFIP operations strategist Christopher M. Eugenio, “Then it will become part of language and everyday interactions.”

MY PRONOUNS ARE ‘THEY/THEM’
The Philippines, despite having companies like Mondelez taking necessary steps, continues to lack diversity policies, with the LGBTQ+ community being discriminated against and denied benefits that cisgender workers have.

“The most common microaggression in the workplace is not using or promoting the use of preferred names and pronouns, but these usually stem from ignorance,” said Mr. Eugenio, emphasizing the importance of required SOGIE education. He also brought up gendered, binary dress codes limiting LGBTQ+ individuals’ right to dress to their gender expression, and the lack of a bathroom policy limiting the right to access inclusive amenities and facilities.

These concerns and more should be addressed by the Anti-Discrimination Bill or SOGIE Equality Bill, which remains pending in both the House and the Senate to this day.

“We hear examples of discrimination in schools, public transport, restrooms, and the workplace. It’s only legislation that can effectively put a stop to it,” said Ms. Africa-Verceles of the UPCWGS.

PFIP’s Mr. Eugenio challenged corporate allies to do more. “It’s more than just diverse hiring. The next question is, what are you going to do to make us feel safe, welcome, and supported?”

According to “Pride and Prejudice,” a December 2020 report by the Economist Intelligence Unit sponsored by Manulife, Barclays, and Nomura, only 11% of respondents employed at companies across seven Asian economies feel that being openly LGBTQ+ is advantageous to career progression, while 40% think otherwise. Further, 36% of respondents feel that it is easier for LGBTQ+ people to advance professionally if they keep their sexual orientation and gender identity private.

Cambodians brave COVID-19 impact with small plots of land

June 21, 2021 | 3:20 pm

BANGKOK — When coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) choked off the tourism that throttles Cambodia’s temple town of Siem Reap, Yu Thy and his wife lost their gardening jobs and headed home to grow something different.

They’ve not looked back.

For the switch from hotel gardeners to vegetable farmers has been a rare sliver of good fortune forced on them by a pandemic that has killed nearly 400 Cambodians.

A year after the couple packed up their Siem Reap life and traveled 300 kilometers to their village, life has changed so much for the better they have no plans to go back.

At the root of the decision — a simple, 1.5-hectare plot allocated under a government-led program on which the couple now grow vegetables, tend rubber trees, and raise chickens.

As most Cambodians struggled to make a living in lockdown, Mr. Thy and his wife provided for their family and even made extra by selling their vegetables in central Tboung Khmum province.

Mr. Thy is his own boss and sets his own hours — his new life in rustic Chaem Kravien commune is a world away from Siem Reap, which throngs with visitors drawn to its world-famous Angkor Wat complex of Buddhist temples.

“We’re very glad that we had a house and land to come back to,” said Mr. Thy.

“If we didn’t have land, we would have been badly affected by COVID-19, and would have had to move from place to place selling our labor. We are happy to work on our own land.”

Mr. Thy, already earning well from his vegetables, now hopes to expand business by selling chickens and rubber, too.

He is among 250 formerly landless people, small landholders or indigenous people in Chaem Kravien who received a residential plot and farmland from the World Bank-backed Land Allocation for Social and Economic Development (LASED) project.

Since 2008, LASED has allocated about 17,000 hectares to some 5,000 families. More than 3,300 of them now have titles to their land with the rest set to join them after five years work.

“The goal of the LASED initiative is to fight poverty in a sustainable manner,” said Mudita Chamroeun from the World Bank, which has approved a new $93-million loan for the project.

Mr. Thy shows that schemes like this really work, she told the Thomson Reuters Foundation, adding: “This project has helped families weather the loss of jobs due to the COVID-19 pandemic.”

LAND LOSS
Despite rapid urbanization, about three in four Cambodians live in rural areas, and most depend on land for a living.

Yet Cambodia has a long history of landlessness, with bloody conflicts over land common after the Khmer Rouge destroyed property records to establish a form of communism in the 1970s.

The impoverished Southeast Asian country began issuing Economic Land Concessions (ELC) in 1995, leasing state land to private firms for agriculture and agriculture-based industries to spur economic growth and alleviate poverty.

By 2012, ELCs accounted for more than 2 million hectares of land, equivalent to more than half the country’s arable land.

The land deals have displaced more than 770,000 people — mostly in rural areas — since 2000, human rights lawyers say.

A moratorium on new ELCs has been effective since 2012 and the government has conducted a review of ELCs, resulting in halving their area with an aim to redistribute the land and promote new forms of investment such as contract farming.

“What is needed to address the problem of landlessness is a much more ambitious land distribution program that acknowledges the central role that agriculture plays for a majority of the rural population,” said Jean-Christophe Diepart, a researcher at the Mekong Region Land Governance think tank.

‘REAL’ LAND REFORM
The state owns about 80% of Cambodian land.

A law adopted in 2001 established a system for land titling and created a dispute-resolution system, followed in 2008 with a declaration that aimed to cut poverty, and improve food security and environmental protection.

The government had planned to register all land parcels in the country by 2021 to remove uncertainty over ownership and prevent conflicts, but the process is incomplete.

While programs such as LASED benefit small pockets of the population, “there is a need for real land reform,” said Eang Vuthy, executive director of Equitable Cambodia, a human rights organization in the capital Phnom Penh.

“Hundreds of thousands of families have been victimized by land grab across the country. And there is really no more free land to distribute,” he said.

BOLT HOLE IN PANDEMIC
Over the last year, nearly 50 families who had received land under the LASED project returned to their holdings after losing jobs in the cities or overseas, according to the World Bank.

Some, like Thy, say they will not return to their old jobs.

“To the extent that outmigration is driven by poverty, it is hoped that LASED can contribute to reduced outmigration,” said Ms. Chamroeun.

“However, it is too early to claim success, as the development … is a long-term endeavor,” she said.

For Yon Leng Sung, 30, and her husband Pha Sophon, who returned to her parents’ home in eastern Kratie province last year after losing their jobs as construction workers in Thailand — the decision is clear.

Ms. Leng Sung’s parents had received a residential plot and three hectares of farmland on which they grew cassava.

Ms. Leng Sung and her husband now help out so they can all expect a bigger harvest this year.

“We won’t go back to Thailand again after COVID-19,” she said. “My husband and I will stay here to look after the farm and take care of our parents.” — Rina Chandran/Thomson Reuters Foundation