Yes, Friendster is back

by Art Samaniego, MB

This week, the internet was abuzz with talks about the return of once the most favorite social media platform of many Filipinos — Friendster.

Many immediately noticed, including me, that it’s not the original Friendster because it’s using a .click and not the .com domain. My first reaction upon knowing it from my friend Azrael Coladilla was to warn my friends, but after thoroughly checking the site with inputs from Rodel Plasabas of the DICT, I found NO evidence of phishing or scamming. Still, many were not convinced and accused the site of doing illegal online activities, even telling people to stay away from www.friendster.click because a supporter of the Philippine president Bongbong Marcos shared it.

The new Friendster is a fan site of the original Friendster of 2003. Running on the WordPress platform and using BuddyPress plugin, it never claimed to be a part of or affiliated with the original social networking site.

I sent a message to the admin of the page and found out that the owner is Bram Gumilang from Indonesia. A web developer who used to work in IT industry and now builds houses and designs surfboards. 

I found Bram easy to talk with and straightforward when I asked him about Friendster. click. Here’s what we talked about:

Art: Why did you create the “new’ Friendster?

Bram: Friendster always has that kind of nostalgic and sentimental value to me.

Around 2005/2006, when Friendster started implementing its CSS customization feature, I got heavily involved in Friendster-related groups and communities. In 2006 I launched the website Friendster -layouts.com and a community forum friendstertalk.com, which had quite an active userbase until Friendster started losing it’s traction in the social media world. 

So last year when I had a bit of free time I decided to start friendster.click and build it with free/open source platform, because why not. It’s fun to build something, even more fun to see that people are also having fun with it.

Art: What data are you collecting and how will you protect these data?

Bram: Basically the same kind of data collected by websites like facebook, twitter, etc. in order for these kind of sites to operate, but in a much smaller scale. More about this can be read in the site’s privacy policy page.

I’m not a security expert, but I do what any web administrator does to protect websites and databases from intruders, including making sure the web server secure and the systems up to date.

Friendster.click database doesn’t store any sensitive financial information (we don’t ask users to fill in their bank or credit card information or anything like that).

Passwords are stored not in plain text but encrypted with certain hash (that kind of one way encryption is pretty standard in modern web these days), so even if someone has access to the database, the person can never decrypt it. 

Bram, the developer and owner of Friendster.click

Art: Are you planning to sell the data that you have collected?

Bram: No. When the data is stuff like aB0uT mE, zodiac, favorite music, etc., the possibility/value of selling it is not substantial enough that makes it worth ruining your reputation as a web admin.

Art: Many people with no security background claim that the site is collecting data that could be used for phishing attacks. What can you say about this?

Bram: Just like any other site, by default, the site collects data. Browser information, geolocation, cookies, those kind of stuff. For other data that is more specific in nature (including email address, comments, personal information, etc.) it’s up to the users, the way they engage with the site, and how much they want to share about themselves.

I’ve never done any phishing for my personal/financial gain, not at Friendster.click or other sites I manage. I never created a website with that kind of intention.

Art: What do you want to tell the people who accused you of using Friendster to scam users?

Bram: While having a certain resemblance to the original Friendster, it’s quite obvious that the site is fan-made. The site is definitely not being used to run a scam operation, financial fraud, or anything like that.

Art: The site is now becoming popular. What are your future plans for this?

Bram: I have yet to make any future plans for this.

Art: Are you planning to make Friendster.click a complete social media network? Will your future moves include giving Friendster its old glory?

Bram: As long as the site can stay online and grow within a reasonable scale, that would be good enough.

Art: People criticizing your site are concerned about security. Can you assure them that data will be secure and safe?

Bram: No one can actually assure anyone 100% security and safety. Even websites run by corporations and governments can be hacked.

Never post any sensitive/financial information online. No one can steal from you if you don’t make valuable/important data accessible to begin with.

Art: Do you have any message to Friendster.click users?

Bram: I just wanna say thank you for the support and the enthusiasm. It’s a pleasure to see you all around, having fun, making connections, showing off the background pictures and music/video on your profiles, and so on. Let’s keep the Friendster experiences and memories alive.

Art: Thank you, Bram, and I hope to connect with you at Friendster.click.

Bram: Thank you Art.

I checked Friendster.click and it never claimed or pretended to be the Friendster of 2003. It is obviously a fan site that aims to give a nostalgic experience to the former users of the real Friendster. Is Friendster back? Yes, it is back because it never left the hearts of every user. It may not be the real Friendster that we used to love, but it makes us feel again the connection it created among the millions of users all over the world.

So what are you waiting for? Go check www.friendster.click and get those testimonials from friends that we all missed.

Davao opens center for 'the abused'

By Ruth Palo, Manila Times

December 1, 2022 2

THE Davao City government opened a Tele-Women and Children Protection Unit (WCPU) center that houses a medical facility and two city government offices in seven villages here.

The project is in partnership with the Child Protection Network, United Nations Children's Fund, and the Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC).

The Tele-WCPU centers will bring free comprehensive medical, psychosocial, and legal services closer to women and children who are victims of abuse with the use of modern technology.

 

The Tele-WCPU centers are located in Barangay Buhangin, Calinan, Marilog, Matina Crossing, Talomo, Tibungco, SPMC-Institute of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine, Integrated Gender and Development Division, and the City Social Welfare and Development Office.

The Tele-WCPU centers will connect abuse victims to SPMC-WCPU — a multidisciplinary team of trained child protection doctors, social workers, psychologists, psychiatrists, developmental pediatric doctors, police officers, and lawyers that will render services such as medical follow-ups, mental health follow-ups, legal and social services, and a child helpline that provides consultation on child abuse.

The audio and video consultation at the Tele-WCPU centers are offered for free.

In a report from the City Information Office, Dr. Marie Aimee Hyacinth Bretaña, coordinator of the SPMC-WCPU, said that with the teleconsultation program, the abused women or children no longer need to go to SPMC for follow-up consultations.

"There are villages in Davao City that have high cases of abuse. Through this teleconsultation program the follow-up of cases can be done online but the first consultation still needs to be conducted here at WCPU. Our goal here is really to reach out to our communities," Bretaña said.

She added that after the first consultation at SPMC-WCPU, patients or victims of abuse opt not to return due to distance, financial difficulties, or fear of getting infected with Covid-19. This teleconsultation addresses these concerns.

"Through this teleconsultation program, they can do the teleconsultation in their villages where they are provided a designated room for the teleconsultation because we still need to exercise confidentiality for the patients," she said.

Gladys Manit, a kagawad (officer) of Barangay Buhangin Proper, said that the villages selected were provided with computers by the Unicef for the teleconsultation and as counterparts, they provided the designated venue where the teleconsultations are to be conducted.

"We provided the venue, which is very conducive for the clients for direct consultation," Manit said.

She said that the trained Gender and Development clerk of their village and the Barangay Council for the Protection of Children, Violence and Against Women and Children record officer will help entertain the clients.

She said that residents should not hesitate to go to their barangay to connect with SPMC-WCPU.

"This is very important to lessen cases of abused women and children and it could help in the intervention programs for the victims of abuse," she added.

This is what the future of modeling in the Philippines looks like

 Published December 1, 2022, 8:39 AM

by John Legaspi

The Professional Models Association of the Philippines celebrates 35 years of elevating, celebrating, and empowering Filipino models

Gone are the days when fashion models are seen as walking mannequins. They are no longer just muses donning designers’ latest visions. Models are now the face of the shift in today’s fashion industry. From the pages of magazines to ad campaigns online, people can of different sizes, ages, races, and gender can see themselves represented. And It is just right, because, as they say, beauty is not a one size fits all. While this change is definitely a step forward in the global modeling industry, there are more things to be done to help the modeling community thrive, especially in the Philippines. 

Phoemela Baranda, Angelita Agustin, Tweetie de Leon-Gonzalez, Rissa Mananquil Trillo, Apples Aberin (Photo courtesy of @metrophotoforbrands)

Since its inception in 1987, the Professional Models Association of the Philippines (PMAP) has been on a mission to elevate, celebrate, and empower Filipino models here and abroad. As it toasts its 35th anniversary this year, that goal remains the same, perhaps, bigger. Last Nov. 22, the local modeling organization welcomed the country’s fashion crowd to an event celebrating its legacy. It presented its iconic members and new faces all dressed in the stunning couture creations of Filipino fashion designer Mark Bumgarner. But the event wasn’t just a celebration of style, it is also a testament to the organization’s role in taking the local modeling scene to newer heights and in breaking more barriers.

“Run by models for models, we put our all into building a safe space where Filipino models can grow and thrive,” said its newly-elected president of Margarita Gutierrez. “We have never been the type of people to simply stagnate and rest on our laurels. Even though we’ve already reached amazing feats, we are not stopping.” 

Margarita Gutierrez (Photo courtesy of @metrophotoforbrands)

During the event, Margarita laid out her visions for PMAP, the dreams she cannot wait to fulfill with her army of Filipino models. During her leadership, she sees a modeling industry that is inclusive, an industry that is open to all types of models. While it is apparent now in the industry, she thinks that more is to be done to break industry norms and stereotypes.

“Modeling is about feeling confident and beautiful in your own skin,” she said. “I want every single person to be able to open a magazine or watch a fashion show and see someone to whom they can relate. Someone who makes them feel seen.”

The second thing on her agenda is to make it possible for Filipino models to work internationally. For them to be able to walk the runways of the fashion capitals of the world, star in global campaigns, and put the Philippine flag on the international modeling scene. Her plan is to foster collaborations with foreign partners in giving Filipino models the opportunity they truly deserve. 

Lastly, to make Filipino models more than just models. Using herself as an example, Margarita, a model and a public servant, believes that models can also pursue other dreams. She wants to see models also become doctors, lawyers, entrepreneurs, and other roles they have been dreaming of. 

With all these on her to-do list, Margarita, together with her team in the PMAP, paints a future for models where their roles are not limited to just strutting and posing but being as catalysts for change. They deserve it, and as fashion consumers, we deserve it. 

“Gone are the days when models strictly fit a certain stereotype,” Margarita said. “The PMAP now will be our battle cry for a more inclusive, diverse, and compassionate modeling community. Now is the time to unite. Now is the time to evolve—to change.”

Doers of God’s will

By Fr. Roy Cimagala *

“NOT everyone that saith to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven: but he that doth the will of my Father who is in heaven, he shall enter into the kingdom of heaven.” (Mt 7,21)

It’s very clear that with these words of Christ we should do everything to live by God’s will and ways. Given the many distractions we have these days, we really need to exert the appropriate effort to be able to do just that.

In this regard, it is indeed advisable that we pause from time to time to check on how we are taking things in general, on how things are developing and on how our intentions are. We know quite well that things can change in the process. What may be good at the beginning can start to stray somewhere along the way.

Indeed, we may start by looking for God in the things that we do, giving him glory and conforming ourselves to his will and ways. But along the way, we can start giving in to our own desires, our own will and ways. From loving God, we can easily slide to loving self. We are very notorious for this tendency. 

That’s why we really need to pause and check ourselves often. We have to see to it that we manage to keep our proper spiritual and supernatural bearing. In other words, we have to realize that whatever we do, whatever the situation is, we somehow would still be in contact with God. Somehow everything should be a form of prayer.

This will require us to develop the skill of knowing what truly comes from God and what simply is a matter of self-indulgence. We need to be very discerning and discriminating in this regard. Not everything that presents itself before our mind comes from God. It can come from other sources—our weakened flesh or concupiscence, the world and the devil himself.

We should not be naïve and just accept things as they come. We need to check if the spirit behind anything that involves us comes from God or not. We cannot deny that there are many things that can look good but actually are dangerous to us.

In this, we have received enough warnings from Sacred Scripture. “Beloved,” St. John, for example, in his first letter tells us, “do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are of God; for many false prophets have gone out into the world.” (4,1)

There are many kinds of spirits roaming around the world, and we have to learn how to discern them. There is the spirit of God, the spirit of Christ as opposed to the anti-christ. There is also the evil spirit, and the spirit of the world that is dominated by the evil one. There is also the spirit of the flesh.

For this to take place, we certainly need a kind of plan or program to keep our spiritual life alive and vibrant even as we go through the drudgery of routine things or the excitement of new and challenging things.

But we need to discipline ourselves to follow that plan, knowing that no matter how good that plan is, if we fail to deny ourselves and carry the cross, as Christ himself told us, (cfr. Mt 16,24) we cannot keep our proper spiritual and supernatural bearing, and thus become prone to a distraction that can lead us to our destruction!

* Chaplain Center for Industrial Technology and Enterprise (CITE), Talamban, Cebu City

Email: roycimagala@gmail.com

Christiane Hörbiger im Alter von 84 Jahren gestorben

Quelle: dpa-infocom GmbH

Wiener Burgtheater, Kinofilme, Fernsehserien: Christiane Hörbiger begeisterte im Laufe ihrer Karriere ein Millionenpublikum. Nun ist die österreichische Schauspielerin gestorben.

Die österreichische Schauspielerin Christiane Hörbiger ist tot. Die 84-Jährige starb am Mittwoch in Wien, wie ein Freund der Familie und eine langjährige Mitarbeiterin der Schauspielerin bestätigten. Zuerst hatte die Wiener Zeitung „Kurier“ berichtet.

Die Grimme-Preisträgerin stammte aus einer der bedeutendsten deutschsprachigen Schauspieler-Dynastien und war bis ins hohe Alter aktiv. Zwar war sie auch immer wieder auf Theaterbühnen zu sehen, ihre wahre Berufung fand sie aber vor der Kamera. Als „Grande Dame“ aus Film und Serien avancierte sie im Laufe ihrer jahrzehntelangen Karriere zum Publikumsliebling.

Geboren wurde Hörbiger 1938 als mittleres Kind des berühmten Schauspieler-Ehepaares Attila Hörbiger und Paula Wessely in Wien. Auch ihre beiden Schwestern Maressa Hörbiger (77) und Elisabeth Orth (86) haben sich erfolgreich der Schauspielerei verschrieben.

Ausbildung an Schauspielschule abgebrochen

Ihr Debüt vor der Fernsehkamera feierte Hörbiger mit nur 17 Jahren. Ihre Ausbildung am renommierten Max-Reinhardt-Seminar nach ihrem Schulabschluss brach sie wegen eines Filmangebots aber nach nur vier Wochen ab.

Wenig später stand Hörbiger als Recha in Lessings „Nathan der Weise“ das erste Mal auf der Bühne des Wiener Burgtheaters. Die Kritiken für ihren Auftritt fielen allerdings vernichtend aus.

An verschiedenen Theatern wie etwa in Heidelberg und Zürich erarbeitete sich Hörbiger danach einen Namen als ernstzunehmende Künstlerin. Schließlich kehrte sie sogar als Recha ins Burgtheater zurück und wurde für ihre Darstellung gefeiert.

In den 70er Jahren spielte sie mehrfach die Buhlschaft im „Jedermann“ der Salzburger Festspiele und verfestigte damit eine Familientradition. Sowohl ihre Eltern als auch die Schwester standen bereits am Domplatz in Salzburg auf der Bühne.

Große Bekanntheit als „Julia“

Ihr Durchbruch bei einem breiten Publikum gelang Hörbiger in den 80er Jahren mit der Fernsehserie „Das Erbe der Guldenburgs“, die derzeit wieder in der ZDF-Mediathek steht.

Als Richterin in der österreichisch-deutschen Serie „Julia – Eine ungewöhnliche Frau“ fesselte sie um die Jahrtausendwende fünf Staffeln lang ein Millionenpublikum.

Viel Lob erhielt sie für ihre Darstellung der Göring-Nichte Freya von Hepp in Helmut Dietls preisgekrönter Kultsatire „Schtonk“. Erfolge feierte Hörbiger auch mit dem Justizdrama „Die Geschworenen“, dem Thriller „Die Gottesanbeterin“ oder der Dürrenmatt-Literaturverfilmung „Der Besuch der alten Dame“.

Hörbiger wurde im Laufe ihrer Karriere unter anderem mit dem Bayerischen Fernsehpreis für ihr Lebenswerk, dem Karl-Valentin-Orden, dem Ernst-Lubitsch-Preis sowie dem Deutschen Fernsehpreis geehrt.

Hörbinger war in erster Ehe mit dem Regisseur Wolfgang Glück verheiratet. Ihr zweiter Mann und Vater ihres Sohnes Sascha, der Schweizer Journalist Rolf R. Bigler, starb 1978. Einen neuen Lebensgefährten fand die Schauspielerin im Wiener Regisseur und Autor Gerhard Tötschinger, der 2016 starb.

Die Hundeliebhaberin lebte in den letzten Jahren in Baden bei Wien. 2019 erregte ein Video Aufsehen, in dem die zuvor als SPÖ-Sympathisantin bekannte Hörbiger für den inzwischen zurückgetretenen jungen ÖVP-Kanzler Sebastian Kurz ihre Stimme erhob.

VP Sara tells Filipinos to be inspired by Bonifacio, rekindle patriotism

Published November 30, 2022, 12:45 PM

by Betheena Unite

Vice President Sara Duterte expressed hopes that Filipinos would take inspiration from Andres Bonifacio to rekindle their “deep sense of patriotism.”

Vice President Sara Duterte keynotes the 48th Philippine Business Conference (PBC) and Expo organized by the Philippine Chamber of Commerce (PCCI) at the Manila Hotel on Oct. 19, 2022. (Noel B. Pabalate/MANILA BULLETIN)

Duterte, who also heads the Department of Education (DepEd) in a concurrent capacity, joined the nation in commemorating the 159th birth anniversary of Andres Bonifacio, also known as the Father of Philippine Revolution, on Wednesday, Nov. 30.

She enjoined the nation to emulate Bonifacio’s “courage and heroism” in overcoming the difficulties it faces.

“May his extraordinary love of our country continue to inspire us to be constantly united in overcoming the difficulties we face as a nation and realize our shared aspirations of a better life for all,” the Vice President said.

“And may the fire he started in the name of freedom rekindle a deep sense of patriotism among us as we usher in a future strongly forged by our unyielding solidarity and our own acts of selflessness, courage, and bravery for our country and our fellow Filipinos,” she added.

Duterte also urged the citizenry to keep loving the Philippines.

Karen Davila on media rivalry: ‘It’s such a waste of time, mind and heart’

Published November 30, 2022, 10:25 AM

by Robert Requintina

Karen Davila (Facebook)

Award-winning broadcaster Karen Davila shared some words of wisdom after she was interviewed by fellow broadcaster Korina Sanchez-Roxas for her program “Korina Interviews” on Net25 recently.

Fans believe Karen and Korina have a cold war due to rivalry at ABS-CBN, but Karen frowned at rumors that they were enemies.

“They would say in social media ang fake ninyo, ang plastic ninyo but I would like to say from the bottom of my heart, that interview with Korina (Sanchez) was really in God’s good and perfect time,” said Karen during an interview with the entertainment press following her talk at the opening of Global Care Cancer Institute Inc. in Bay, Laguna last Nov. 26. 

Karen said: “Ayoko magpaka-plastic but Korina and I were not really good friends. We didn’t have the opportunity in ABS-CBN to sit together, to talk with each other. And for whatever reason it was, we were both busy, the competition was too much. ABS-CBN was a very competitive environment. And I think everyone would know that, right?

“But when Korina came to the house, I would always see Korina in socials because we have the same set of friends, napakagaan (niyang kasama). Ba’t ganun? In God’s good time! It’s in God’s perfect time that the Lord made us meet and talk.

“The sad part is that we never really knew each other. We never socialize in the office, we never got to talk. So when she interviewed me, that if I had any regrets, it was my 22 years in ABS-CBN, it was lost time to get to know Korina,” Karen said.

Karen said that the last time she saw Korina was at the party of their former boss Jing Reyes. She described the event as bittersweet after she saw the originals of ABS-CBN once again after many years.

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“Korina is very easy. I saw her at the party of Jing Reyes, just to see the orginals of ABS-CBN – Noli De Castro, Loren Legarda, Ces Drilon, Ted Failon – it was bittersweet and nostalgic. You saw the originals of ABS-CBN when it was climbing up in 1986, to ABS-CBN today, you just realized ang buhay ay umiikot lang talaga,” she said.

Karen, who just turned 52, encouraged media friends to be friendly and let go of the competition or rivalry.

“Kaya kung may kaaway man kayo or kasamaan ng loob kayo, it is time, especially to media people. Lahat tayo at one point may competition but let me tell you it is a waste of time, mind and heart. When it is surrendered to the Lord, everything is so much lighter,” she said.

Karen said that she is set to interview Korina for her online show soon. “We will schedule that interview with Korina, kaso nga magpapasko. So I want to give the right time for that.”

Andres Bonifacio’s heroism honored in perpetuity in Filipinos’ hearts and minds

Published November 30, 2022, 12:05 AM

by Manila Bulletin

Andres Bonifacio’s heroism is honored today by the Filipino nation on his 159th birth anniversary. His preeminent stature as a national hero whose birth date is declared a non-working public holiday is anchored on his role as the Father of the Philippine Revolution.

His “Monumento” is a popular landmark located on a rotunda that marks the northern terminal of the country’s most well-known national highway, EDSA in Caloocan City, Metro Manila. While Jose Rizal died at age 35, Bonifacio’s death occurred at age 34, underlining the gallantry of the youthful leaders of the revolution that sought to end more than three centuries of Spanish colonialism.

He is hailed as the Father of the Philippine Revolution. In 1892, he joined Rizal in establishing La Liga Filipina that advocated for political reforms in Spain’s colonial government in the Philippines. This triggered Rizal’s deportation to Dapitan in Zamboanga. Together with Apolinario Mabini and others, Bonifacio revived La Liga in Rizal’s absence and was active in organizing local chapters in Manila. He also became its chief propagandist. 

It could be gleaned that Bonifacio discerned, too, the need for a gradualist approach in bringing about social change. But he and his youthful fellow reformists must have felt the severity of the Spanish response that pushed them into eventually waging an armed revolution to overthrow an unjust and well-entrenched colonial regime.

Thus, he and his colleagues decided to establish the Kataastaasan, Kagalanggalangang, Katipunan ng mga Anak ng Bayan (KKK) or more commonly known as the Katipunan, a movement which sought the independence of the Philippines from Spanish colonial rule and started the Tagalog Revolution.

Noted historians Teodoro Agoncillo and Milagros Guerrero cite Bonifacio as having “reorganized the Katipunan into a revolutionary government, with himself as president (pangulo) of a nation-state called “Haring Bayang Katagalugan” (‘Sovereign Nation of the Tagalog People’ or ‘Sovereign Tagalog Nation,’) also “Republika ng Katagaluguan” (‘Tagalog Republic,’ Republica Tagala in Spanish), wherein “Tagalog” referred to all those born in the Philippine islands and not merely the Tagalog ethnic group. Hence, some historians have argued that he should be considered the first president of the Philippines.”

It has become well-known that, following a power struggle with the Cavite-based forces of Emilio Aguinaldo, he was killed in Maragondon, Cavite. Subsequently, Aguinaldo proclaimed Philippine independence from the balcony of his home in Kawit, Cavite. 

History and posterity have given ample recognition to Andres Bonifacio’s heroism and greatness. Apart from the observance of a non-working public holiday on his birth anniversary he has been honored extensively in other ways. The headquarters of the Philippine Army was named after him. It is now one of the leading commercial, financial and residential hubs in Metro Manila. There is a Liwasang Bonifacio near the Manila City Hall.

But it is in the hearts and minds of millions of grateful Filipinos where the heroism of Andres Bonifacio lives in perpetuity.

Korean student wins Miss Earth 2022, PH beauty finishes in top 20

Published November 30, 2022, 7:33 AM

by Robert Requintina

Miss Earth 2022 Mina Sue Choi (Facebook)

A 24-year-old South Korean student was crowned Miss Earth 2022 during a competition held at Okada Manila in Paranaque City Tuesday night, beating 85 other contestants in the environment-driven pageant.

Crowd favorite Mina Sue Choi, a communications student, is the first Korean to win Miss Earth since the beauty pageant started in 2001.

Choi promotes the reduction of carbon footprints in cities with sustainable mobility and encouraging lifestyles that will help reduce carbon emission in our daily lives. 

During the final question-and-answer, Choi and the three other contestants were asked the same question: “What is one thing that you want to correct in this world and how would you correct it?”

Choi answered: “If there’s something I would correct in this world it would be being empathetic. We often mistake kindness as being empathetic but what being empathetic is putting yourself into someone else’s shoes and when it comes to climate issues and other issues in this world one has to be empathetic. You really need to see how the other person perceives this world, you need to understand their pain by being in their shoes and that, like I feel like the first with being empathetic, kindness and empathetic can be different.”

Other winners were: Miss Australia Sheridan Mortlock, Miss Earth Air 2022; Miss Palestine Nadeen Ayoub, Miss Earth Water 2022; and Miss Colombia, Andrea Aguilera, Miss Earth Fire 2022.

Miss Philippines Jenny Ramp finished in the top 20 of the competition. Other candidates in the semis were delegates from Belgium, Netherlands, Puerto Rico, Zimbabwe, Brazil, Cuba, Nigeria, Portugal, Czech Republic, Ethiopia, Ireland, Namibia, Norway, Slovenia and Vietnam. 

Asked what makes her proud of her country, Choi said: “Korea has many wonderful things from history to current cultural wave, but I must say the one thing I am most proud of is the people of Korea. In the past and present day, Koreans have always been challengers and hard workers. We always challenge ourselves, sometimes critique ourselves, but to always better ourselves. I love that people of our country are proud to be Korean wherever we are. I am thrilled to live in the moments where everyone will recognize our people, our culture, and our country, Korea.”

From left: Sheridan Mortlock, Australia, Miss Earth Air 2022; Miss Earth 2022 Mina Sue Choi, South Korea; Nadeen Ayoub, Palestine, Miss Earth Water 2022; and Andrea Aguilera, Colombia, Miss Earth Fire 2022. (Facebook)

Choi also shared tips on how to promote ecotourism and climate change.

“In order to promote ecotourism, it is crucial that we continuously think about the objective of traveling to a new place. Personally, I love to challenge my comfort zone and attempt to live the experiences of the local life. Learning how different people live and thrive in cultures and spaces that I am not familiar with is probably the best part of traveling.

“Having that conscious understanding may just be the way to respect nature and the people of the local. Rich experiences do not require rich expenses, the experiences can be made by using our travel budgets more wisely: purchasing local goods, supporting local businesses, opting for public transportation, bikes, and more,” the Korean beauty queen said.

Choi also shared her childhood years, saying she grew up in many places.

“To most people in the world, the question “So, where are you from?” is straightforward. Depending on who is asking, they would name their home town, province, or country.  

“For me, however, this conversational item requires a bit more thought because my itinerant upbringing has allowed me to put down roots in so many different places. Although I was born in Sydney, Australia and lived in the heart of the city until I was 7 years old, I do not have a discernible Aussie accent.

“From 7 until I was 11 years old, there was a sudden shift in my life. I began to attend public Korean schools in Korea where I faced many challenges blending in with my peers as a semi-bilingual. After attending for 4 years or so, I began to adapt and was seen as any other Korean primary school student.

“Then, another great shift occurred in my life: my departure to Vancouver, Canada. From here on, my entire childhood consists of memories of me living in Canada, the United States, China, and back to Korea.

This pattern of residing in unfamiliar places, adapting, then finding yet another new place has impacted me as a person today and most likely will impact the future versions of myself as a global woman of this era,” Choi also added.

PH jumps in global ICT readiness ranking

by Bernie Cahiles-Magkilat

The Philippines is the biggest mover in the Network Readiness Index (NRI) 2022 ranking 71st from 85th last year out of the 131 economies that highlighted impact as the country’s main strength and technology as its biggest concern for improvement.

The NRI 2022 released by the Portulans Institute, a Washington DC Board think tank, is one of the leading global indices on the application and impact on information and communication technology (ICT) in economies around the world. 

Based on the NRI, which has four major pillars, the Philippines ranked 85th under the technology pillar, 82nd on governance pillar, 73rd on people, and 50th on impact.

 

When it comes to sub-pillars, the strongest showing of the Philippines relates to economy, individuals, and future technologies, among others. But it also showed that more could be done to improve the economy’s performances in the businesses, inclusion and SDG Contribution.

The report cited the Philippines as the year’s “biggest mover”, with Impact as its main strength and Technology as greatest scope for improvement. The Philippines performed considerably well on e-Commerce legislation, High Tech exports, and ICT services exports.

The report also cited the Philippines as number number five among the 36 lower middle income economies included in the report, outperforming in ten sub pillars: access, content, future technologies, individuals, governments, trust, regulation, inclusion, economy, and quality of life. 

The Philippines was ranked 5th in the group of lower-middle-income countries. In terms of pillar performance, it has a score higher than the income group average in each of the four pillars. At the sub-pillar level, the Philippines outperforms lower-middle-income countries in ten of the 12 sub-pillars: access, content, future technologies, individuals, governments, trust, regulation, inclusion, economy, and quality of life.

The country also ranked 13th within Asia and the Pacific, but lags behind its region in each of the four pillars. With regard to sub-pillars, it outperforms the average in Asia and Pacific in two of the twelve sub-pillars: individuals and economy.

In a statement, Trade Secretary Fred Pascual said the Portulans Institute for recognizing the Philippines as one of the champions of digital transformation, this is a testament to the continuing efforts of the Philippine government to transform the country into a digital economy.

“It shows that we are a country composed of digital natives, and it indeed gives us a demographic advantage. We are mindful of this advantage and recognize that the digital economy is about people and technology, so we are ramping up efforts to promote science, technology and innovation, as our main strategy,” Pascual said. 

According to Pascual, several initiatives are on the pipeline. In terms of legislation, the enactment of the proposed Internet Transactions Act (ITA) and amendments to the E-Commerce Act are also underway. Digital transformation initiatives to address upskilling and reskilling of human capital and businesses are also being scaled up. Further, E-Government or the automation of government processes are also being pursued through a whole-of-government approach.

Pascual noted that the Department is driving the formulation of the updated eCommerce Philippines Roadmap 2023-2025 which is designed to be more inclusive—including the youth, women, senior citizens and PWD sector, to help build a more robust e-commerce industry.

The DTI also serves as a key partner of the Banko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) on financial inclusion and digitizing merchant payments. Relative to this, the Department, through the E-Commerce Office launched the e-Bayad Mo! social media campaign including a pay drama series as part of the its initiatives toward acceleration of digital payments adoption in the Philippines.

Further ramping up the Campaign and in support of the BSP’s financial inclusion program, an e-Bayad Mo! Regional Caravan is set to be launched, which will provide financial literacy sessions to encourage and discuss the benefits of using digital payments.

In closing, Pascual said that “the report highlights that digital natives will build and manage the future of the world. Our country’s median age is 25 years old and about 40% of our population are digital natives (20 years and below). With our huge base of young, highly-mobile workforce and consumers, we have more than enough economic assets to inspire the government and incentivize the private sector towards Network Readiness.”