Washing hands important, but cleaning devices used in retail also necessary

May 6, 2020

AS COVID-19 cases continue to rise in the Philippines, only essential retail businesses like supermarkets, convenience stores and pharmacies are still allowed to operate but with at a higher level of cleanliness and hygiene.

High contact areas–is a medical definition correctly used now this pandemic, which is a medical condition. The Center for Infectious Diseases defines high-touch surfaces as those “sustaining more than one contact per interaction; or touched more than 48.6 percent of the time during an 8-hour shift. The word “shift” is used because it applies to a hospital setting. But the same can be carried over to non-hospital conditions, such as the steering wheel of a car, the screen of a phone or tablet or the keyboard of a laptop.

5 areas of high surface contact from a medical point of view. (Image from the WHO)

To ensure the safety of customers, frequent sanitization of retail facilities has become a necessity. However, the disinfection of devices used by their front-line staff is equally important, when it comes to curbing the spread of the virus.

For retailers–those in the business of selling, demonstrating, repairing–devices need to be very conscious of this point of contact and the high touch surface. It would be counterproductive to expect front-line staff and store associates to wash their hands multiple times a day but only to touch a dirty device immediately afterward. This is especially true if the point-of-sale happens in a succession such as when handling equipment, tablets or mobile computers, and even issuing receipts from label printers.

Mobile devices become contaminated with bacteria from the constant handling by staff. According to a whitepaper on devices used in healthcare, a typical mobile device has 18 times more bacteria than a public toilet door handle. If the coronavirus can survive for up to 6 hours or more on particular surfaces, disinfection should as be regular as each time it is handled. But is this even possible?

So how should retailers properly clean and disinfect their devices without damaging them?

Here are some of the best practices picked up from Zebra Technologies. The company is a pioneer in enterprise-class technology products and solutions. Its healthcare technology solutions provide a higher level of patient care, connecting patient data to clinicians and providers in real-time. This allows them to share best practices on maintaining a well-disinfected retail and hospital environment in a non-technology setting.

Disinfection vs cleaning

With so many people touching devices like the point-of-sale equipment in stores, proper cleaning and disinfection of surfaces need to be observed. It’s not enough to just clean the glass components or the surfaces of buttons. Supermarkets, pharmacies and convenience stores must thoroughly disinfect the plastic parts as well such as the housing and the nooks and crannies to prevent the transmission of contagions.

Optimal results can often be achieved with the use of a microfiber cloth. Microfiber cleaning products can remove up to 98 percent of bacteria and 93 percent of viruses from surfaces by using clean water.

Yet, simply wiping down a device is not enough. Even when fingerprints are cleaned from a device, the surface may still be covered with bacteria. So, unless the right disinfectant is used, the device may not be completely safe for usage again.

Health experts emphasize the 5:1 rule of thumb or ratio for cleaning and disinfecting devices. This means that a device should be disinfected with a microfiber cloth at least five times after the device has been cleaned at the beginning of the workday. Users should also consider using disinfecting equipment with approved disinfectants based on the device, coupled with a regular cleaning schedule.

Implementing immediate disinfecting processes

Contrary to popular belief, the best disinfectant is not always those that are alcohol-based. Depending on the device and its usage, other forms of cleaning agents can also include sodium hypochlorite, hydrogen peroxide or even mild dish soap.

Therefore, it is important for users to refer to the official sources of their devices to understand which cleaning agents are safe to use and the best way to clean their devices with. Otherwise, using the wrong cleaning agent may have a harsh effect on the devices, especially the plastic casing.

It is recommended that retailers implement a device cleaning policy as soon as possible by referring to the original suppliers’ guidelines. This will help ensure that their front-line staff can properly disinfect their devices regularly. In addition, it will reassure store associates that the necessary steps are taken to prevent any shared technology devices from becoming a potential source of virus transmission.

Lastly, it is important to implement precautions and best practices for handling devices during the cleaning process to ensure the safety of both the front-line staff and customers.

Here is a link to learn a step-by-step guide to cleaning your cellphone from thespruce.com. The site have many tips on cleaning and even making homemade facemasks. –with Zebra Technologies, WHO-IDC

Tech innovators partner to use AI to save coral reefs

Gregory E. Bautista

April 29, 2020

CORAL reefs are also affected by COVID-19.

Before COVID-19 however, thousands of coral reefs and reef-rich areas have been destroyed by man’s encroachment, including marine accidents such as that in the Tubataha Reef involving a U.S. warship. With the reduction of tourists flocking to dive sites and coral reefs, due to the coronavirus pandemic, it is expected that these wonderful marine ecosystems will flourish again.

Since last year, Accenture, Intel and the Sulubaaí¯ Environmental Foundation came together to develop a new artificial intelligence (AI) powered solution to monitor, characterize and analyze coral reef resiliency. They call it Project: CORaiL, and it has been collecting data needed to make decisions on how to best manage the reefs since May 2019.

Project: CORaiL is an example of how AI and edge computing can be used to help researchers monitor and restore the coral reef.

“We are very proud to partner with Accenture and the Sulubaaí¯ Environmental Foundation on this important effort to protect our planet,” said Rose Schooler, corporate vice president in Intel’s sales and marketing group.

Engineers from the three companies implemented an artificial, concrete reef–called a Sulu-Reef Prosthesis (SRP)–to provide support for unstable coral fragments underwater. Designed by Sulubaaí¯, the SPR was placed in the reef surrounding the Pangatalan Island in the Philippines. Fragments of living coral were planted on it and will grow and expand, providing a hybrid habitat for fish and marine life.

“Artificial intelligence provides unprecedented opportunities to solve some of society’s most vexing problems,” said Jason Mitchell, a managing director in Accenture’s Communications, Media & Technology practice and the company’s client lead for Intel.

A critical element of Project: CORaiL was to identify the number and variety of fish around a reef, which serve as an important indicator of overall reef health.

Traditional coral reef monitoring efforts involve time-intensive, disruptive and even dangerous, human divers manually capturing video footage and photos. Now using AI, engineers strategically placed intelligent underwater video cameras around the SRP.

Equipped with the Accenture Applied Intelligence Video Analytics Services Platform (VASP), the AI cameras detect and photograph fish as they pass by. Powered by Intel technologies Xeon, FPGA Programmable Acceleration Cards and Movidius VPU, it can accurately count and classify marine life.

The data is then sent to a surface dashboard, providing analytics and trends to researchers on the ground in real-time. Since the solution was deployed, it has collected roughly 40,000 images, which researchers have used to gauge reef health in real-time, enabling them to make data-driven decisions that will help the reef develop.

“The value of your data depends on how quickly you can glean insights to make decisions from it. With the ability to do real-time analysis on streaming video, VASP enables us to tap into a rich data source – in effect doing ‘hands on’ monitoring without disrupting the underwater environment” said Athina Kanioura, Accenture’s chief analytics officer and Accenture Applied Intelligence lead.

“Our ecosystem of corporate and social partners for this ‘AI for social good’ project proves that strength in numbers can make a positive environmental impact,” Mitchell said emphasizing the collaboration between the two technology companies and social impact organization.

Engineers from Accenture and Intel are already at work on the next-gen Project: CORaiL prototype.

This new automated marine device will include an optimized “convolutional neural network” (basically an independent AI device) and a backup power supply. The team is also looking into using infra-red cameras which will enable videos at night to create a complete picture of the coral ecosystem. Additional uses could include studying the migration rate of tropical fish to colder countries and monitoring intrusion in protected or restricted underwater areas.

Suzuki Jimny: the joys of driving a box on wheels

Gregory E. Bautista

April 28, 2020

At the Tanay Adventure Camp. (Photo by author)

REMEMBER when you were little and the best plaything was a box?

I do. I’d draw wheels on a box and sat inside on a pillow, with a plate for the steering wheel and a ladle for the shifter. It brought hours of imaginary fun for me, especially when my dad brought his own “car” (which I now think would have been a fairly large balikbayan box) and we raced up imaginary hills and drove around curvy roads.

This is the “sakto” parked between a “litro” and a “regular.” The Suzuki Jimny can make most of any parking space. (Photo by author)

That same feeling of fun and exhilaration came back when I drove the new Suzuki Jimny. The emotions were exactly the same, except this time this box had real wheels, and the hills and curvy roads tested the suspension and engine of this much loved Japanese kei-box…err…car.

Having driven the previous generation Jimny, I recall that I had not experienced the “cardboard box car emotions” I had just having seen this car. Looking back I think it was because the last version had its edges sanded down–closer to the Vitara–than the Suzuki Beaver, which is its actual spiritual forebearer. Thus despite the distinct similarities inside the interiors and the stance, there was a certain softness to that elder Jimny.

Boxy is sexy

So the newer (not even a year old yet in the market) Jimny is visually boxier. It is also shorter, wider but not taller than before. The bulk outside comes from the fender flares and the cropped length of the new bumpers. It is essentially a Japanese kei car and thus needs to meet the approved dimensions.

That means, no longer than 3.4 meters, no wider than 1.48 meters, and no taller than 2.2 meters. Suzuki designers made sure for this iconic variant to remain relevant, bringing back what made it stick to the minds of the generation that have the money to buy one, is to remake visual cues that are both nostalgic and fun.

To make this fun box of a car happen required common sense engineering–like making the doors thinner without compromising safety, make the seats wider and more comfortable without making it thicker. This means relocating the window switches and building a more supportive seat frame, firming up the cushions without adding too much foam.

Real kei cars go up to 660cc only. Once the cars get out of Japan, specifications can change. Thus what is not “kei” is this car is the 100hp 1.5-liter K15B engine–upping the power by 13 horses from the previous 1300 cc package. That ups it to 101 hp with 130 Nm of torque.

More horses, more fun

Now, if you consider 101 actual horses pulling the 1,110 kilograms of steel, plastic and rubber, that is a lot of power to boot and an almost perfect power-to-weight ratio. It won’t keep you wanting for speed nor for jolt when off the beaten path.

(I did 130 kph on the Clark Speedway straight then backed off, but Top Gear’s Niky Tamayo reported 145 kph–with his serious driving skills and fancy measuring equipment)

At the Lumot Lake in Cavinti, Laguna (Photo by author)

I don’t think the Jimny’s aerodynamics will ever get a good grade in the wind tunnel but you don’t need speed when the this car is in its territory–that is concrete-less places with mud, gravel and boulders, a couple of lakes in between, and river crossings too. That is why suffixed to its name is the label “All-Grip Pro,” which when broken down in an etymological fashion means exactly that–get a grip on any surface!

Now I will leave the hardcore off-roading with Tito Beeboy Bargas, but sample some of it when I visited my dad’s best buddy, Tito Jowi Faulve at our favorite summer haunt, Tanay Adventure Camp.

Tanay is closer to Manila than it is to our home in Laguna. I drove with my friend John to the camp but we came in from our renter at BGC–22 kilometers closer than if I had driven from home. The drive also provided me a chance to test the fuel efficiency, just by topping fuel (an important lesson I learned joining my dad in the many fuel economy runs he had driven for in the past).

Frugal enough

I registered about 11-12km/L in combined highway and uphill drives to Tanay and logged about 7-9 in traffic. Using more economical driving techniques, that is 80 kilometers per hour at best, ranging between 2,000 to 2,500 rpm and the Jimny gave a modest, but acceptable 18 kilometers per liter.

That is frugal enough knowing that this engine is free from expensive and hard to tune electronic fineries. It is a simple block with a lot of potentials (yes, plural as in 200 horsepower, as in that photo below).

2020 Suzuki Jimny: Specs, Features, Modified — The modified Jimny owned by Carlos Gono of Autoplus was tweaked to produce 200 horsepower from the same 1.5-liter engine. (Photo from topgear.com.ph)

What’s beneath

Underneath the Jimny are equally simple technologies. To prop up the box is a ladder frame that sits on 3-link live axle with coil springs on both ends. Steering is a simple as a go-kart’s recirculating ball and pitman arm set-up. To compensate for the height, long linkages connect the whole set up to the power steering. The variant I tested was an automatic, so it had everything like cruise control and the fancy clinometer in it.

There are no complaints about the suspension. I grew up with cars that had far more horrid manners–a D21 Terrano and the Y61 Patrol–both from Nissan, rode like they had no shock absorbers. That jiggly suspension bit is the 4×4 part of this car’s existence, so those who chose it, accept it wholeheartedly. The suspension feels bouncy at low speeds. But sharp at slow corners because of the short wheelbase. At higher speeds, it is still stable.

Away from the pavement

Again moving out of the concrete, the Jimny was just awesome. After my dad texted Tito Beeboy, John and I went on to Barangay Daraitan where the famous Jungle Base is found and tested the 4×4 capabilities to the fullest. Hill climb and descent controls, the nice 4×4 lever, and the “taller than most” ride height were fully evaluated. And gets full passing marks with above-average grades on articulation and control and exceptional marks for power delivery.

Inside the best part is the folding seats. Just look at the photo. Enough said.

That driving a box feeling is warm and fuzzy. And that continued to overwhelm me until the day I returned the little brute.

Despite having all the fancy conveniences and amenities–the electronic driver aids, the passenger doors that locks at 4 positions, the full flat cargo area, the swingout rear door, the fancy audio system, these are all the conveniences that make owners forget that under that box on top of a ladder frame, is one capable car that does it well both on the road and away from it.

Remember that last description.

With a price tag of over a million at the entry-level 5-speed manual and P1.175M for upper end GLX 4-speed automatic, there are other cars with more space and possibly more oomph. But possibly bereft of the excitement and fun of that cardboard box.

Matching systems with mission critical data

Gregory E. Bautista

April 22, 2020

Chung Heng Han, Senior Vice President for Systems in JAPAC and EMEA for Oracle interviewed online.

ENTERPRISES today run on data.

In every stage of the various eras of industrial revolutions, there were different motive forces that powered each one. From steam to electricity, then computerization to automation. Now it is data that fuels Industrial Revolution 4.0

Just to put that in perspective, there are 2.5 exabytes of data are created daily. That is 2,500,000,000,000,000,000 (2.5 quintillion) bytes of data, that will require 10 million Blu-ray (25GB) discs to store. If one would which if stack these discs, it would measure the height of four Eiffel Towers on top of one another.

Experts say that 90% of this gigantic ocean of data today has been created in the last two years alone. What is scary is that, the amount is growing exponentially.

How will organizations manage this massive data growth?

With all this enterprise data, scattered and stored everywhere, in on-premise servers, data centers and the Cloud how can organizations get the best of both worlds–the might of on-premises infrastructure with the elasticity of the Cloud?

Malaya Business Insight interviews Chung Heng Han, Senior Vice President for Systems in JAPAC and EMEA for Oracle and is asked how the world will process, store, move, retrieve and transfer this data. He points out how a new data management model Oracle calls ‘Cloud Adjacency,’ will give that “best of both worlds” scenario in a simplified way.

Q: What is the most critical role data plays in business today?
A: It is increasingly clear that the role the data plays within the business is what makes the difference between an organization being a business and digital business. Those that are data-driven recognize that leveraging data lets them work differently and create different types of “engagement models”, and the difference is profound.

But accessing all the data the companies hold and are collecting can be very hard. More often than not, it is locked in separate siloes, both on-premises, and on different Clouds. In fact, a Forrester research recently noted that 73% of organizations operate disparate and siloed data strategies, and 64% are still grappling with the challenge of managing a multi-hybrid infrastructure.

No wonder 70% of organizations consider the need to simplify their processes as a high or critical business priority.

Q: Given that scenario, how are companies trying to cope up?
A: More often than not, people are turning to public Cloud in the first instance to help them do this. Its benefits are well known to improve agility, greater speed to market, faster innovation, elastic scalability, cost optimization enhanced productivity and data-driven decision making. Today, the Cloud has become a core business enabler.

But at the same time, it must be said that the Cloud is still in its early days, with analysts estimating less than 20% penetration, and most of this being for non-critical workloads. The reason for this is that one size or generic approach does not fit all, as no two organizations have the same infrastructure needs. And it is agreed to be especially hard for critical workloads, such as these valuable data stores.

Q: The penetration rate for the Cloud is still very small. What should be done?
A: So, in reality, while many CIOs may dream of a standardized and unified infrastructure based on one or two strategic vendors, the reality of enterprise infrastructure is that the different elements that create today’s key applications, including the databases they run on, will be split between disparate public Clouds, old-school on-premise resources, and private Clouds.

And what we are seeing is that most public Cloud users—about 81% according to a recent Gartner survey–are using multiple Cloud providers and are running either a hybrid or multi-Cloud strategy, or a mixture of both.

Q: What’s the difference between hybrid and multi-Cloud?
A: Hybrid Cloud is the combination of public infrastructure Cloud services with private Cloud infrastructure, generally with on-premises servers running Cloud software. The public and private environments basically operate independently of each other and communicate over an encrypted connection, either through the public internet or through a private dedicated link. Hence, the term hybrid–two different models but still connected.

Multi-Cloud, on the other hand, is 100% public Cloud, where infrastructure is spread between different Cloud providers or within regions on the same Cloud.

Q: What factors should be considered when choosing one over the other?
A: Multi-Cloud’s main advantage is that organizations and application developers can pick and choose components from multiple vendors and use the best fit for their intended purpose.

This ability to be selective is critical for data-driven organizations that are using their data as an asset. It can potentially enable them to move corporate data closer to key Cloud services, such as high-performance compute and new services that allow them to access things like AI, machine learning (ML), and advanced analytics so that they can construct new business models.

In effect, this is not so much about moving data into the Cloud, this is about moving the Cloud and Cloud services to the data.

Q: Why would you do that?
A: Different workloads move to the public Cloud more easily than others.

For enterprise applications, the public Cloud–whether by need, default or mandate–can be excellent. In fact, recent research by Enterprise Strategy Group (ESG) shows a steady upward trend in the use of Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) such as Oracle’s Generation 2 platform. Or companies are using the most mature area of Cloud, Software-as-a-Service (SaaS).

But for other workloads, there can be real issues. For example, there can be significant challenges when moving critical databases into generic public Clouds. Using a generic, public Cloud can introduce business risks, simply because these databases are extremely critical.

It also brings challenges, which can relate to performance, scalability, security, and data sovereignty. There are also unintended consequences pertaining to increased latency that can lead to SQL time-outs and high networking costs which can be a real shocker for your IT budgets. This means it can be hard for organizations to maintain their application SLAs (service-level agreement).

Q: Given these choices, what is the answer?
A: Many IT professionals are looking for ways to address the challenging–and ever more stringent–performance, scalability, availability, security, and cost requirements demanded of their mission-critical applications and technologies, such as databases. And they are trying to do this while simultaneously enabling their organizations to embrace some amount of public Cloud services, optimally and on their terms.

This can make them feel like they are between a rock and a hard place.

The desired situation for many customers is to ‘have their IT Cloud cake and eat it too’. In other words, find a model that offers the elasticity of the Cloud and the processing power of on-premises IT to address this conundrum.

A new model, providing ‘Cloud Adjacent Architecture’, can help offer a solution to those not yet willing or able to consider using the public Cloud. In effect, it puts their data on powerful Cloud-ready hardware close to the public Cloud across a globally interconnected exchange of data centers. This then enables enterprises to interconnect securely to the Cloud, as well as other business partners, whilst also directly lowering latency and networking costs.

By doing this, enterprises can reduce their data center footprint, leverage the scale and variety of modern public Cloud services, while still having the control, precision, and data ownership of on-premise infrastructure.

Q: What types of workloads is it best suited to?
A: For this strategy to work organizations should ask or consider the following in their strategy formulation. Enterprises that are trying to achieve better business and product development agility or are trying to get out of the data center business (stepping stone to the Cloud). Those with data sovereignty challenges with public Clouds and those have moved workloads to the Cloud and now have created application integration and latency issues. Companies that have specialized workloads and they want to move to the edge of the Cloud or have performance, scalability and special capability requirements for which Cloud providers cannot solve

Q: What is Oracle’s solution?
A: We looked into how we could put those databases on Exadata, adjacent to the Cloud or the Cloud-based applications that are connected to them.

The result is what we believe a very pragmatic approach. Oracle is working with key hosting providers, such as Equinix, to place its next generation of Exadata Engineered Systems directly in their data centers. This unites the joint competitive advantage of on-premises architecture with generic public Cloud services. Organizations gain on-premises levels of performance predictability, scalability, and high-availability features, as well as improved control, increased data sovereignty, and higher security, all while still being able to embrace the public Cloud.

Additionally, by placing Exadata into such facilities, organizations can leverage the high speed interconnections that exist in any of the public Clouds available directly in their facility, eliminating the high cost of the direct networking pipes that organizations must otherwise pay each public Cloud provider to meet their required database SLAs.

In the case of such a set up in Equinix, users of this solution have reported savings of up to 70% on their networking costs by connecting to public Clouds within an Equinix data center rather than trying to reach these Clouds from their own data centers.

Moreover, and crucially, this Cloud Adjacent solution represents a zero-change architecture to optimally and simultaneously address on-premises performance and security needs and multi-Cloud operational strategies.

Best of all, customers can choose who manages the data–whether it’s the customer themselves, a partner, or a systems integrator–and how it gets done, providing total flexibility and enabling customers to retain control of their Oracle Database licenses and their data.

Q: Where might we expect to see multi-Cloud strategies being deployed?
A: There are many different types of use cases, but one of the most understandable is around the deployment of multi-Cloud architectures to support smart city initiatives. With the proliferation of sensors, cameras and other types of technologies, our urban infrastructure is changing from being purely physical to including data and technology. The convergence of the digital and physical worlds provides those driving smart cities initiatives with a unique opportunity to understand better the dynamics of a location on a real-time basis and then use insights to provide value back to residents and businesses through the provision of new or better services, often delivered by an app.

But to do this means harnessing a proliferation of data, which given the number of parties involved, is likely to sit in different systems and even different Clouds. And when you start bringing in big data, social and mobile services into the equation, it gets even more interesting.

This new approach can be used to give the best of both worlds within the multi-Cloud deployment, hopefully removing some the core drawbacks of data complexity and help bring a more rapid roll-out of projects that could make a significant difference to all our lives.

Now its the best time for online learning

Gregory E. Bautista

April 3, 2020

WITH the changing landscape of learning due to unforeseeable global events such as the Corona outbreak, parents turn to online learning programs to help their child continue their studies while they are at home.

The Galileo Enrichment Learning Program has turned to online learning for kids, with the launch of Galileo Online Learning (GO Learning). Through the use of technology, GO Learning is able to connect the Galileo community online and provide them with teacher-guided tasks and self-learning activities.

GO Learning, as an online learning provider, provide many advantages as it engages the learner wherever they are. We listed down top 3 reasons why parents should enroll their child in online learning:

Convenience and Minimal Supervision. Online learning does not require parents to drive their kids to a particular location. They can study and improve their skills at home and at their own suitability with minimal supervision. This way, parents can attend to their busy schedule and other activities with the assurance that their kid is getting the required personalized support they need. On the other hand, kids also feel more in control of the process and in charge of their education.

Enforces an Interactive Approach to Learning. Students in a classroom receive information in a passive way. Some students are even left unnoticed if they shy away from asking questions. However, online learning encourages interaction and active engagement through the use of online games, assignments, and personalized activities. This builds the kids’ confidence and lessens frustrations as they are encouraged to participate in a fun way. With proper guidance, online learning taps into their interests and gives them the freedom to contribute solutions and answers.

Online learning also increases interaction with shy students. Video conferencing such as Zoom allows students to raise their hand if they want to ask a question, or directly send a question to the teacher if they are afraid or shy to ask in front of their peers. The platform creates a safety net for kids. Reports suggest that online learning programs have proven to help kids’ build their confidence.

This increased confidence does not only help students through their academic year but also helps them to perform well in all aspects of their life.

Promotes Independence, Responsibility and Self-Discipline. Kids are tech-savvy and can easily navigate the internet — maybe even better than us. Navigating online learning portals will be easy for them and they may be in control of what they learn online. Even if students learn at their own pace and time, certain online learning portals pose deadlines and time limits in accomplishing the activities. This promotes routine work, time management, self-learning, independence, and responsibility with the content that they absorb from the online resources. These traits, if conquered, will help the kids get through a long way when they engage in life offline.

As the use of technology grows day by day, new modes of learning have entered the world of education. Without a doubt, online learning benefits children and will be the future of education.

Click here for more information about Galileo Online Learning

Mitsubishi PH helps in COVID-19 fight with L300s to lent to DOTr, Sta. Rosa City LGU

Gregory E. Bautista

April 1, 2020

Two new model L300s are put into service by the MMPC to serve Sta. Rosa City residents during the COVID-19 pandemic. (Photo by MMPC)

March 28, 2020 (Sta Rosa City) — As its way of recognizing the efforts of our fellow countrymen, Mitsubishi Motors Philippines Corporation (MMPC) lent out L300 shuttle units to the Department of Transportation (DOTr) and to the local government of Sta. Rosa City, Laguna.

Sta Rosa City Mayor Arlene B. Arcillas personally receives the L300 lendouts from MMPC. (Photo by MMPC)

Two new L300 units were provided to DOTr to assist in the servicing of health workers, support staff and other frontliners from Sta. Rosa City in Laguna to Muntinlupa City and vice versa during the enhance community quarantine period.

An additional two (2) L300 units were lent to the local government of Sta. Rosa City to transport the city’s frontliners within the area.

Each unit will be allowed to carry 10 passengers, including the driver, to observe the social/physical distancing rule being implemented.

DOTr Undersecretary Mark de Leon was also present at the turnover of the L300s lent to the Sta. Rosa City government. (Photo by MMPC)

“Mitsubishi Motors acknowledges the sacrifice being done by our frontliners. From the people in the medical field, our uniformed personnel, food and service crew, security guards and other support personnel, we salute your bravery, selflessness and dedication in protecting our communities from this virus.” as shared by MMPC President and CEO, Mutsuhiro Oshikiri

Mitsubishi Motors Philippines Corporation is located in Sta. Rosa, Laguna. Its 23-hectare assembly facility has a maximum production capacity of 50,000 units and employs many residents of the city. It manufactures the Mirage, Mirage G4 and L300.

Mazda PH and Pilipinas Shell partnership to benefit Mazda car buyers

Gregory E. Bautista

March 23, 2020

From Mazda Philippines (left to right) Cameron Arciaga- Marketing Assistant; Tracy Carpena -Marketing Manager; Saul Aurelius Babas- Senior Manager, Marketing and Corporate Communications; Ira Jornada- PR & Activation Supervisor; Louise Panganiban- Senior Marketing Specialist; Ronette Tanjuatco- General Manager & Business Strategy; Steven Tan â€“President & CEO Pilipinas Shell (left to right) Cesar Romero- Country Chairman; Randy Del Valle- General Manager; Arvin Obmerga-Marketing Manager; Jerome David â€“ Fuels Brand Manager; Vanessa Ejercito- Fuels Brand Manager; Brand Briones; Marketing Implemeter; Aldwin Angeles-Brand & Communications Manager

MAZDA Philippines and Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corporation, one of the country’s top fuel companies, announce the renewal of their long-standing partnership during the contract signing ceremony held at the Mazda Makati dealership.

Through the four-year contract of Mazda and Pilipinas Shell, Mazda customers who will purchase brand-new vehicles from any of the 20 Mazda dealerships nationwide until December 31, 2023, will receive a Shell Welcome Kit to fuel their next drives at Shell. Customers get a P700 worth of points through the Shell Go+ card that can be used in to purchase in Shell fuels, lubricants, or refreshments at Shell Select. The Shell Go+ Card will likewise earn more points every time a customer buys from Shell.

“Mazda Philippines, through its dealership network, has been promoting the use of Shell fuels and lubricants to every new Mazda owner since we took over the distributorship in 2013,” shares Steven Tan, president and CEO of Mazda Philippines. “We believe Shell products work best with our highly advanced and fuel-efficient Skyactiv gasoline and diesel engines. Our technical and commercial partnership benefits the customer in the end as Shell fuels and lubricants ensure Mazda vehicles are always performing at their best and most efficient levels. We are proud to formalize again our cooperation with Pilipinas Shell as it gives value added benefits to our new car customers through this renewed relationship.”

During the formalization of the partnership, Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corporation Country Chairman, Cesar Romero, likewise reaffirmed the oil company’s support for the Mazda brand and its customers. “We are grateful for this relationship that we have with Mazda and we wish to be part of their growth in the next three years,” Romero shared. “We believe that this is a great partnership because both Pilipinas Shell and Mazda have that strong commitment to make the customers’ journeys better every day,” he added.

Every purchase of a Mazda2, Mazda3, Mazda6, CX-3, CX-5, CX-30, CX-8, CX-9, MX-5 or BT-50 entitles the new car owner to receive a Shell Go+ Card. Customers may enjoy the benefits and rewards of the loyalty card after activating it through online instructions. Shell Go+ cardholders may also opt to receive news about the latest promotions and deals from both Mazda Philippines and Pilipinas Shell.

Bermaz Auto Philippines, Inc. is the exclusive distributor of Mazda vehicles and parts in the Philippines. Its current product line-up now includes the Mazda2 sub-compact sedan and hatchback, the all-new Mazda3 compact sedan and hatchback, the Mazda6 full-size executive sedan and sports wagon, the CX-3 freestyle crossover, the all-new CX-30 premium compact crossover, the CX-5 premium five-seater crossover, the all-new CX-8 premium three-row crossover, the CX-9 seven-seater premium executive crossover, the MX-5 2-seater sports roadster and the BT-50 pickup truck. There are 20 Mazda 3S dealerships located across the Philippines and Metro Manila — Mazda Greenhills, Mazda Pasig, Mazda Quezon Avenue, Mazda North EDSA, Mazda Makati, Mazda Alabang, Mazda Cavite, Mazda Sta. Rosa, Mazda Pulilan, Mazda Pampanga, Mazda Dagupan, Mazda Cabanatuan, Mazda Tarlac, Mazda Negros, Mazda Cebu, Mazda Iloilo, Mazda Cagayan De Oro, Mazda Davao, Mazda Butuan and now Mazda General Santos.

Hyundai modern jeepneys delivered, displayed

Gregory E. Bautista

March 3, 2020

Modern jeepneys are part of the shuttle system and are given priority in the transportation system, post-ECQ. (Handout photo)

HYUNDAI recently released its own version of the modern jeepney as it turned over several units of the Class 2 modern jeepney to the Public Transport Alliance of Gensan (PTAG). Two weeks later it showcased its full lineup including the H-100 Class 1, the HD50S Class 2, and debuted the HD50S Class 3 at Negoshow Oro in Laguna.

The two events promote the Department of Transportation’s (DOTr) Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program (PUVMP).

PTAG President Robert N. Cang said that 15 out of the 326 units ordered were already turned over. PTAG, one of the country’s major transport cooperatives, comprising 11 groups and around 2,000 individual members, is the first Mindanao transport cooperative to comply with the national PUVMP in the region.

At the Negoshow Oro in Laguna, 16 more transport cooperatives signed MOUs with HTB Calamba for 1,708 units of the modern jeepney Class 2 and 570 units of the modern jeepney Class 3 or a total of 2,278 units. To date, HARI has penned over 2,000 units orders of its modern jeepney line with various transport groups across the country.

The PTAG turn over ceremony took place in General Santos City Oval Plaza with Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) Chairman Atty. Martin B. Delgra III; DOTr Assistant Secretary for Road Transport and Infrastructure Atty. Mark Steven Pastor; LTFRB Region XII Director Col. Paterno Reynato Padua (ret.), and representatives from Hyundai Asia Resources Inc. (HARI) Commercial Vehicles Division as guests.

In his speech, DOTr Asec. Pastor expressed confidence that the government program is gaining traction as operators, drivers, and commuters alike are realizing the economic, social, and environmental benefits of modernizing the local public transport system.

“We are happy to start 2020 strong in our commitment to support the PUVM. We made sure that the units reached GenSan safe and sound through their 1,230-kilometer journey from the Hyundai Logistics Center in Laguna,” HARI President and CEO Ma. Fe Perez-Agudo warmly said explaining that the new jeepneys will be a part of the RORO system of province.

The Hyundai Class 2 modern jeepney is built on the HD50S platform and is powered by a 2.9-liter Euro 4-compliant CRDi engine that provides better fuel efficiency, reliability, and cleaner emissions. It is designed for enhanced stability and power-to-weight ratio, boasting a 3,415-millimeter wheelbase. It also features roof-mounted air conditioning, AFCS, Wi-Fi, GPS tracking, CCTV cameras, 7-inch monitor, and speed limiter and can accommodate 22 seated passengers as well as up to ten standing commuters.

PH can be next hotbed for tech innovation

Gregory E. Bautista

February 26, 2020

INNOVATIONS in telecommunications and technologies such as blockchain and digital delivery of services are going to make the Philippines a hotbed for fintech developments in the region.

“Now, the Philippines is primed to move on to the next level and transition into a world-class digital economy via the Philippine Fintech Festival, an international gathering of experts and leaders in innovation,” Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Undersecretary Dr. Rafaelita “Fita” Aldaba said as she underscored the significance of being at the center of tech innovation, citing how fintech companies and products have largely contributed to the government’s relentless drive for financial inclusion.

According to the experts at the launch of the Philippine Fintech Festival, which will be held on May 20 and 21 this year, the Philippines is at a point where there is a supply of expertise, as well as a digitally transforming environment making it suitable to introduce innovations..

The ingredients necessary for the country to become the next fintech and tech innovation hub include its 6.2 percent GDP growth, an innovation ready regulatory environment, which has quickly shifted archaic laws into more flexible policies that allow for IT growth, a solid financial and business ecosystem, the growing and relatively young population and, an Internet penetration rate of 63 percent mostly through mobile devices.

The Philippine Fintech Festival (PFF) was organized to size up and further move the widening horizon for country’s tech and fintech potential forward. It will be held at Shangri-La at The Fort on May 20-21, 2020, and aims to be a platform where tech leaders and innovators can engage, inspire, and collaborate on business, industry and nation transformation.

The PFF features game-changing tech solutions that shape the dynamic Southeast Asian economies to become more competitive and financially inclusive. Attendees can learn how their businesses and enterprises to accelerate their transformation journey through tech showcases so decision-makers can touch, feel and experience the latest technologies.

The PFF is in partnership with various government agencies including the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), Department of Science and Technology (DOST), and Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), along with private corporations and organizations such as Distributed Ledger Technology Association of the Philippines (DLTAP) and FinTech Philippines Association (FPH).

Data rights are human rights, say experts

Gregory E. Bautista

February 19, 2020

NEW employees of a media outfit in Manila were outraged when they found out that their salaries became public knowledge at work. This breach of data privacy has not been addressed by the company nor reported as such because it apparently did not result in “damages.”

The ethics of the matter however does not even need a law to cover it. Sensitive personal information such as political or religious affiliation, credit card or SSS numbers and even salaries are private and confidential and cannot be, in any way or form, leaked to those who do not have business knowing it.

Late last year a group of data scientists, analysts, students, and business leaders with an interest in data ethics and social impact united to create the inaugural Data Ethics PH, a group that was to create conversations and discussions to flesh out and solve the ethical dilemmas with data in the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

The ethics of data, of personal data in particular is a wide topic. It includes data privacy and security, to digital ownership and control, data discrimination, algorithmic liabilities, and the default problem for many companies and the government which is data poverty.

CirroLytix CTO Dominic Ligot opened the session explaining how the first and second Industrial Revolutions as analog versions of what are occurring today. He reiterated the mantras of Data Ethics PH which are “data rights are human rights” and “social problems are data problems”.

Data Ethics PH was formed to promote, discuss, and assess the ethical use of data and technology in the Philippines. Members share a passion to drive social impact using data and technology.

“Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should.” For the Women (FTW) Foundation and Adaptive AI Founder Carlo Almendral said, speaking on the difference between ethics and compliance. He also reminded the audience of about 200 to bring the discussion back to humans because data is created by humans.

The common theme through all the first meet was how there is an “inordinate focus on data privacy and security” when the challenges span everything from digital ownership, AI liabilities, data-driven discrimination, and data poverty.

“Data plus ethics equals politics, and to remember that remember that data can’t speak for itself — it needs people to speak for it — which is always a political decision,” National Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies (NCPACS) Fellow Nick Tobia said as he concluded the evening by discussing the political nature of data.

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