Life couldn’t keep up with James Mapa

By Dennis Estopace

I held my first gaming console, an Atari 2600 I believe, when James Anthony Mapa asked me to play with him a game of Space Invaders.

At first, the alien spaceships overhead moved slowly left and then right and then advances lower to where my and James’s spaceship were shooting lasers and avoiding projectiles. Then the alien spaceships moved faster and faster as their ranks were decimated. Of course, we had to keep pace or move even faster.

This is how James lived his life, I guess.

He was always moving, and moving faster than the challenges thrown at him.

During college, he worked part time at a Tropical Hut restaurant: flipping burgers and mopping floors to help pay for his education.

He became a med rep after graduation and was fast in securing sales. James always said they were the legal drug pushers.

He once told me he had to move fast in getting a doctor’s nod to promote the medicine as the gears of pharmaceutical manufacturers that time were also churning at top speed. The latter was due to new diseases and illness being born as the world and the country hastened industrialization and urbanization. James, like many in the 80s, were in fast-moving world.

James was also moving so fast even his first car, a Mitsubishi liftback, couldn’t keep up with him. One time, he drove the liftback on an island at the Southern Luzon Expressway―yes, that time in the 80s, there was a center island separating the north-bound and south-bound lanes.

James was doing 140kph during a time when there were no speed limits on the SLEX. He blamed the center island for not moving when he drove. The thick white band of brace around his neck told it all. A whiplash, a whipping from his mom and a warning from authorities were all he got.

One late evening James dropped by our house in Cagayan Street, Santa Ana, Manila, whooping so loud two of our neighbor’s lights went on.

“What’re you so ecstatic about?” I asked with hands akimbo.

“I did it, Jo [Jojo being a term of endearment among Bisaya-cultured Filipinos; James among them as an Ilonggo],” he said with a grin so wide a semi could pass through his teeth. “It only took less than 30 minutes to get here from Pacita!”

I would’ve dismissed this as braggadocio had I not seen how pale his passenger was. There, on shaking knees, came out an ashen Leo Pitargue. He could only nod and kept hands on the car’s roof to steady himself.

“Yep,” Leo murmured. And ask for an ice-cold glass of water, oblivious―or shocked―to James who was doing the jig on a cold night that February.

That month was important because James drove from Laguna just so he could personally greet me on my birthday. How can you punch a guy for being stupid when he was also that sweet?

Leo and I have told him time and time again to slow down, not only in driving, but also after revealing that the nerves of his heart were slowly dying: five percent in the first year of diagnosis and incremental 10 percent in the next three years.

A doctor said James only had three years to five years―seven, tops―to live.

That was in 2003. His ailment was not even fast enough for James. But it did catch up with him when he slowed down; retiring three years ago.

Early Tuesday morning, the heart of James Anthony Mapa just stopped. And by that, James also did.

A day after hearing the news, I am still unnerved.

Here was a dear, dear friend who grew up with me―and like me―as penniless teenagers trying to outwit the alien spaceships brought into the screen we call Life.

Here was a dear friend who made me realize as I’m writing this that while he was fast, he didn’t speed through life like a blur: Life just couldn’t keep up with how he was fast enough to enjoy it.

Press Release: OPPO’s engineers pioneered the ceramic back for Find X5 Pro

 

SHENZHEN, CHINA - Media OutReach - 10 March 2022 - The new OPPO Find X5 Pro — a premium flagship handset born from never-before-seen pioneering engineering methods. Available in stunning ceramic and vegan leather, the curved nature of Find X5 Pro's rear wraps elegantly and organically around the camera housing in an innovative volcano-like design to create an utterly seamless experience, look, and feel, that no other device comes close to matching. Building on the knowledge of creating a similar curved glass rear for Find X3, engineers had to overcome even more substantial challenges to help create a zero-compromise result that met the exact specifications (while surpassing and creating many industry standards in the process). Find X5 Pro's ceramic back is made from a microcrystalline material that's calcined at a temperature of 1000-degrees Celsius to create a texture that reduces fingerprints while being twice as strong as glass, with double the heat dissipation. The downside, however, is that due to its strength, it's a very tricky and unforgiving material to work with. The thought of creating Find X5 Pro's precise, organic curved back from such a material seems impossible, but OPPO's engineers have invented a process which sees the ceramic rear panel carved like a work of art with over 2,000 individual control points used to create its seamlessly organic curves. Taming the ceramic panel posed some crucial hurdles for engineers to solve, and it took six months of research and development in molding, machining and polishing process to create Find X5 Pro's iconic curved rear. A material that's both incredibly strong and resistant to scratches and drops, ceramic is superior to glass in multiple ways, and was therefore the natural choice for a premium handset like Find X5 Pro, further pushing the boundaries of Find X3's glass design. The downside to ceramic's robust properties, however, is that it's difficult to machine, which is clearly problematic when it comes to producing Find X5 Pro's unique curved rear design. Using known existing manufacturing methods resulted in too large a cap between the ceramic rear cover and the camera housing, with less of a smooth curve gradient to boot — an unacceptable outcome. To combat this problem, engineers created a more precise machining method using two blades arranged at a precise 90-degree angle. While this improved the accuracy of the final product, however, the appearance of a straight-edged cutting line surrounding the sides of the ceramic cover, along with visible cutting marks from the machine blade lines. The solution was the creation of a completely new lift edge polishing process which refined the machined edges for a smoother, properly finished look. Initially, however, it was apparent that removing the manufacturing marks also ended up taking away too much of the ceramic material itself away, making the rear panel too small to properly fit the handset. To overcome this, engineers had to meticulously polish the ceramic's edges in multiple stages, using a four-axis polishing machine and micron-level diamond powder. Results from polishing stages were checked at regular intervals to then make minute, precise adjustments down to a staggering 0.005mm. A perfectly machined, premium ceramic rear cover that takes five whole days to produce, with a yield of 97% compared to 87%. One of the major design pain points in smartphones are their camera housing solutions. Most phones have unsightly raised bumps that dominate the design without adding excitement or finesse. Beyond the shape, OPPO's engineers had to decide how to blend the lenses into the housing itself without any ugly protrusions or camera rings. Removing the camera lens ring for a cleaner look means that the lens itself must be precisely positioned so that it's neither too high nor too low. Too high and the lens will be vulnerable to damage. Too low, it will lose the premium feeling of flushnessflow, while being able to feel a dip in the surface. The upshot of this is that the perfect placement of the camera lenses under the ceramic housing was determined to be 0.10mm, or the thickness of a human hair. As a result of direct assembly, however, this number would often reach the thickness of two hairs. This seems utterly insignificant on paper, but anything less than perfect was simply not good enough. To combat this, ceramic battery covers were split into three groups based on their incredibly small variations of thickness. The three lenses for Find X5 Pro were also grouped based on their thickness, and then matched to their closest ceramic cover to reach the perfect, precise depth in the camera housing. OPPO has invested millions to develop specialised automated equipment to group matching lenses and rear covers automatically. In a world where smartphones are churned out to offer a minimal viable experience, however, OPPO's commitment to precision and perfection stands out. Devices like Find X5 Pro are the embodiment of hard work, dedication, and countless hours spent in the pursuit of the absolute very best product possible. With new strides and discoveries being made continuously, OPPO will continue to lead the way for smartphone innovation, with new generations being built on the years of experience and learning before them.

PRESS RELEASE: Sheraton Manila Bay Celebrate All Women

Sheraton Manila Bay continues its commitment to celebrate all women on International Women’s Month, offering a range of delectable culinary and beverage selection for ladies to indulge.

Treat the lovely ladies in your life with our divine Chocolate Fudge Decadent Cake of the Month for only Php 1,200 net. Pair it with a beverage of your choice, which come complimentary for every purchase of a whole cake. Moreover, female visitors at the Sheraton Kiosk may also avail of our “Buy 1, Take 1” deal on coffees, cold brews, and grab & go juices until March 31, 2022.

On International Women’s Day (March 8), we will be giving away complimentary freshly baked cupcake for a minimum spend of Php 500 on pasties, savories, and beverages at the Sheraton Kiosk.

Chocolate Fudge Decadent Cake is also available at the Culinary Courier. View our menu at bit.ly/ccmnlsb. 24 hours advance reservation is required. To order please call +632 5318 0788, 09175837294, 09175837326 or email sh.mnlsb.fnb@sheraton.com.

The Sheraton Kiosk is located at Robinsons Place Manila, Mall Entrance, Padre Faura Wing. Like us on Facebook and Instagram @sheratonmanilabay and Twitter at @sheratonmnlbay.

PRESS RELEASE: Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities

Climate change survivors pay it forward in PH and Pacific

TACLOBAN, 07 March 2022―Residents of Barangay San Agustin in Limasawa Island, Southern Leyte can now enjoy lighting and power after a community solar charging system was installed in their island town last week, two months after Typhoon Rai (Odette) devastated the island. Residents of Suva, the capital of Fiji, likewise received a similar set-up as Fijians trained by Supertyphoon Haiyan (Yolanda) survivors assembled and installed their own system last week.

RE-Serve Corps volunteers assisted in the installation of solar panels atop San Agustin Barangay Hall in San Vicente, Limasawa, Southern Leyte, 01 March 2022 | Photo by Kathleen Lei Limayo/350.org

Fiji and the Philippines continue to face storms supercharged by warming seas and creeping climate impacts, but survivor communities are paying it forward by reaching out across the ocean to empower other survivors by lighting up communities across the Pacific.

Two solar charging systems were set up by the Solar Scholars’ initiative which was established shortly after Haiyan slammed into the Philippines. The modular power stations are the outcome of the Solar Scholars training in Tacloban, Leyte and Suva, Fiji held online from February 22 to 24, where community representatives from Samar and Leyte―supported by the Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities (ICSC)―trained representatives from the climate group 350.org Pacific and the Christian organization Pacific Conference of Churches (PCC). A 300-watt solar charging system set up in Suva was installed in the PCC head office for public use.

Jude Capila Alona, a Solar Scholar from Palo, installed the inverter for the solar charging system inside the barangay hall of San Vicente, Limasawa, Southern Leyte, 01 March 2022. She helped build this system which was also used during the online Solar Scholars training with 350 Pacific last February 22-24, 2022. | Photo by Kathleen Lei Limayo/350.org

ICSC launched the Solar Scholars initiative in 2015 to enable community members, local government officials, and civil society representatives to integrate renewable energy into disaster risk reduction and community development programs. There are now over 400 Solar Scholars across the Philippines.

“We can accelerate the energy transition in more islands by building new and far more locally responsive renewable energy systems that are resilient to extreme weather events and which can be maintained by community members themselves, especially women. Inaction is everyone’s adversary today as we face the rapidly closing window of opportunity to secure a future where our communities can thrive despite the climate crisis,” said ICSC Associate for Community Resilience Arturo Tahup.

“Solar Scholars and community-led power systems help promote community leadership and ownership of accessible, affordable, and sustainable renewable energy services. It’s been an unmistakable joy to witness frontline communities in the Philippines working to help enable their sisters and brothers in Fiji,” he added.

Apart from the online mentoring and live technical training sessions, community Solar Scholars prepared an instructional video by putting up a 200-watt solar charging system to help their Fijian participants. Jude Capila Elona, a Solar Scholar and Typhoon Haiyan survivor with a background in electrical engineering, helped assemble the 200-watt charging system, which was then turned over to residents of Limasawa Island. Fourteen barangay officials and workers, including eight women, were trained to use and maintain the community solar charging system.

“Malaking tulong itong solar charging systems lalo na sa mga maliliit na barangay at iyong iba na malayo sa kuryente. Kung may disaster, kung may bagyo ulit, kung may ganitong system, may pagkukunan na ng kuryente dito,” said Marie Ann Dagohoy-Kangleon, head of Limasawa’s disaster risk reduction management office, during the turnover of the solar charging system in Barangay San Agustin last March 1 to 2.

[These solar charging systems are of great help especially for small communities and far flung areas lacking access to electricity. With this system, we now have access to electricity when the next storm hits.]

When typhoon Odette hit, the National Power Corporation Small Utilities Group’s (Napocor-SPUG) first solar-diesel hybrid plant that powered Limasawa incurred considerable damages, resulting in an island-wide blackout. While electricity has been restored in parts of barangays Cabulihan and Triana by the Southern Leyte Electric Cooperative (Soleco), a bigger part of the island covering barangays Magallanes, Lugsungan, San Francisco and San Agustin remain without power.

Volunteers carried parts of the solar charging system, which was transported from Tacloban City to Limasawa Island, Southern Leyte last 01 March 2022. This system was turned over to Barangay San Vicente whose residents continue to reel from the lack of electric supply after Super Typhoon Odette destroyed their solar-diesel hybrid plant and power lines, their only electric source, last December. | Photo by Kathleen Lei Limayo/350.org

Fiji, an archipelagic country in the South Pacific, has been hit by Category 5 storms in recent years―Cyclone Winston in 2016, the deadliest in the country since 1979, and Cyclone Yasa in 2020, the most powerful storm recorded in the Pacific region that year. Most recently, Cyclone Cody slammed Fiji in January 2022, taking the life of one person and causing major flood damages and the evacuation of around 2,000 people.

“Over the years, as we faced the same destruction in the face of intense cyclones, we've learned a lot and we were able to equip ourselves. It has been a continuous phase of rebuilding. This training has been a light at the end of the tunnel. We can actually give hope to our people,” said 350 Pacific Organizer George Nacewa, one of the new Solar Scholars in Fiji.

 

New UN report

THE latest report launched by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which is the contribution of Working Group II (WG2) to the Sixth Assessment Report (AR6), showed the Philippines is projected to experience decreased agricultural and fisheries productivity, major public health risks, climate-induced migration and displacement, and decreasing but intensifying typhoons. The report also identified socio-economic impacts of climate change, hitting marginalized communities the hardest.

Limasawa Island is a sixth-class municipality in Southern Leyte with over 6,000 residents across 1,364 households. Typhoon Odette struck the town in December 2021, claiming the lives of 407 individuals and leaving at least 1,433 houses totally damaged.

As an island community, the three main livelihoods of residents―fishing, coconut farming and tourism―were also heavily impacted by typhoon Odette. Most of the fishing boats were washed away or totally damaged. The local government estimates that around 80 to 90 percent of coconut trees were badly affected by the typhoon. Strong waves also washed away half of the island’s Triana pier, a major point of entry for local and foreign tourists.

Residents have observed the loss of around five to ten meters in their coastline over the last 30 years, with sea levels during high tide now reaching settlements that previously remained untouched. Limasawa’s case highlights risks associated with slow onset impacts of climate change such as rising seas, which puts coastal communities at high risk from surges brought by storms, leading to displacement of residents.

The IPCC report stressed the urgency of establishing actually resilient energy systems to “avoid the risk of unsustainable energy growth in developing Asia,” a strategy that “requires strategic planning consistent with long term climate projections, impact and adaptation.”

ABOUT

The Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities is a Manila-based climate and energy policy group advancing climate resilience and low carbon development.

RE-Charge Pilipinas (RCP) is a post-typhoon Yolanda initiative that demonstrates the centrality of community-driven renewable energy innovation to achieving climate resiliency and inclusive low-carbon development in the Philippines. The RCP team works closely with women’s groups, local government units, volunteers, renewable energy providers, state colleges, researchers, and civil society groups. For more information, visit https://icsc.ngo/rcp/

Press Release: Marina inspects RoRo vessel

Marina OIC conducts random inspection of RoRo vessel in Batangas and Calapan Ports

The Officer-In-Charge of the Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) has inspected at random a Batangas and Calapan Roll-on / Roll-off (RoRo) vessel at the Batangas Port to strenghen maritime safety measures and look for areas to further upgrade the domestic shipping industry in the Philippines, as part of its eight priority programs under the 10-year maritime industry development plan (MIDP) of MARINA. 

Photo courtesy of Marina

MARINA OIC Vice Admiral Narciso Vingson Jr, together with Deputy Administrator for Operations Engr. Nanette Villamor-Dinopol; Capt. Rommel John Mendoza of the MARINA - Enforcement Service (ES); and Atty. Sharon Aledo of the MARINA Region IV, rode a RoRo vessel from Batangas City bound to Calapan, Oriental Mindoro to assess the maritime operations in these areas at the onset of the Lenten Season. 

Vice Admiral Vingson and his team inspected the basic condition of the passengers and observed compliances to cargo securing procedures of vehicles and trucks.

The MARINA OIC noted that the inspected RoRo vessel was generally clean with its engine room and emergency generator to be well-maintained and ventilated. Significantly, its sewage tank area was found safely secured and located in a separate compartment aboard ship that was also free from foul odor. 

Persons with Disabilities (PWD) elevator was also installed and accessible in the RoRo vessel, while the comfort rooms were well-managed and sanitized. 

However, there was a minor deficiency noted by the MARINA, wherein two drivers were seen inside their vehicles while the vessel was underway. 

Nonetheless, the deficiency was immediately rectified by the vessel’s crew, and requested the drivers to vacate their vehicles and stay at the passengers area for their safety.

“Maritime safety is non-negotiable. The MARINA is consistently working with the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) and the PPA to ensure that our sea passengers enjoy a safe, comfortable, and convenient travel at all times,” Vice Admiral Vingson said. 

Finally, the MARINA is calling all shipping operators across the country to uphold all the fundamental elements of the maritime safety. 

The public, meanwhile, is encouraged to report violations by filing a complaint through these contact details: 0995 400 7336 or +632 521 804.

Press Release: Marina

MARINA promotes quality management on shipbuilding, ship repair industry

GENERAL SANTOS CITY – The Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) has promoted quality management on shipbuilding and ship repair (SBSR) industry through an intensive workshop on the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 9001:2015 on 10 – 11 April 2019.

ISO 9001:2015 focused on the implementation of an organization’s Quality Management System (QMS) for the consistent provision of efficient public service and implementation of effective business processes.

Fifty (50) representatives from various shipyards in Mindanao were briefed on the MARINA Circular 2018-02 or the SBSR – Quality Management System (QMS) and its draft amendments based on stakeholder suggestions raised at the 2^nd National Shipyards Convention held in Cebu City on November 2018. 

Some of the suggestions made were a more relaxed compliance policy, specifically for small shipyards in the country, and more reasonable worker requirements, such as hiring a permanent naval architect only for facilities engaged in shipbuilding and ship repair. 

The MARINA also partnered with the Department of Trade and Industry – Bureau of Philippine Standards (DTI-BPS) to encourage the stakeholders to consider applying for ISO 9001:2015 certification through the presentation of its benefits such as more disciplined workforce, efficient operations, and commendable services. 

“Being ISO 9001:2015 - certified shows that our SBSR facilities are leveled or even better compared to the services offered by international shipyards. Our collective efforts to upgrade our facilities will result to a modernized SBSR industry, as envisioned in the 10-year Maritime Industry Development Plan (MIDP),” MARINA OIC Vice Admiral Narciso Vingson Jr said.    

The workshop will also be conducted in Cebu City and in Manila this year to cater to SBSR stakeholders in Visayas and in Luzon respectively.

Press Release: Technology generators pitch innovations to DOST Regional Offices

Participants of ROs Meet Tech Gens on 04 February 2019
at the Crimson Hotel Filinvest City, Manila. Photo by DOST

Agricultural technologies find home in the regions

The Technology Application and Promotion Institute of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST-TAPI) brought together the technology generators and DOST Regional Offices to facilitate a technology pitching on 04 February 2019 at the Crimson Hotel Filinvest City, Manila.

The event, “ROs Meet Tech Gens,” is a preparatory activity of the Technology Transfer Day which creates a venue to fast-track the adoption and commercialization of DOST-funded and -generated technologies.

A total of 21 technologies from the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic, and Natural Resources Research and Development (DOST-PCAARRD) and the Forest Products Research and Development Institute (DOST-FPRDI) were presented during the event.

“We want our technologies to find home to capable adoptors,” said DOST Undersecretary for Research and Development Rowena Cristina L. Guevara.

Discussed in the event are the step-by-step guide in technology transfer and adoption through the signing of the term sheets, issuance of the Fairness Opinion Report, and signing of the Technology Licensing Agreements.

Agricultural Machineries

Among the technologies presented are machines for agricultural productivity including the coffee depulper – helps reduce the breakage of coffee cherries and attain high quality coffee beans, coffee moisture meter – provides accurate results in determining the moisture content of coffee beans, peanut stripper – separates and sorts the peanut pods from the vines, and peanut sheller – separates and sorts the peanut kernels from the pods.

Innovative Infrastructures

Included in the offering are technological infrastructures for postharvest activities such as the coffee dryer which provides a drying alternative through a greenhouse-type solar dryer retrofitted with biomass furnace for coffee beans, operating at low temperature without electricity.

Moreover, the integrated postharvest facility for mango includes an automated table sorter, wash tank, hot water treatment, industrial fan, weight classifier, and table for packing.

Sustainable Nourishment

To ensure that agricultural products attain their maximum potential, it is important that their source has the optimal environment setting or nutritional status for growth and development.

Pellet feeds are bite-size pieces and nutritionally-balanced mixture of forage and grain ingredients, which provides nourishment to goats.

The protein-enriched copra meal (PECM) is the product of the bioprocessing of copra meal through solid state fermentation to improve its nutritive value.

Hi-Yeast is a yeast-based biocontrol agent (BCA) that prevents fruit and vegetable decay caused by pathogens during postharvest handling. This technology is designed as an alternative and/or supplement to reduce the use of chemicals in nature and reduce the human health and environmental risks that comes with the use of existing synthetic control agents.

Kakawate Fertilizer is an organic liquid plant supplement used for improving the flowering and fruiting of various plants including chili pepper, tomato, cucumber, eggplant, and squash.

MicroMix is a biostimulant composed of a consortium of bacteria that enhances the growth of crops, particularly bell pepper and bittergourd. It was developed as a response to the excessive use of costly chemical stimulants and fertilizers that significantly increases crop production costs.

Fraud Prevention

The meat detection kit authenticates and identifies various meats, and can be used by regulation agencies to prevent frauds in the meat industry.

Useful Wastes

To reduce wastage and environment impacts from byproducts, pineapple wastes are transformed into useful products through the forms of molded and briquetted coals for cooking, bran as feed supplements for chicken and fowls, and multi-use marinade or meat tenderizing product for food processing and other food preparation processes.

Forest Products

Forest products were also presented for the direct consumption or commercial use of stakeholders, such as the wine barrels from santol, high-pressure sap displacement (HPSD) system to force the bamboo sap out, do-it-yourself bamboo shelter, kiln for the production of bamboo charcoal, bamboo veneer lathe is for varying thickness bamboo veneers production, non-wood dryer, and dryer with heat facility for eliminating insect pests and disease-infesting wooden packaging materials.

DOST-TAPI S&T Media Service