Facebook Instagram Linkedin X Youtube
Home Blog Page 10045

NFL: Vikings stun Saints; Seahawks defeat Eagles

LOS ANGELES — Russell Wilson guided the Seattle Seahawks past the depleted Philadelphia Eagles 17-9 and the Minnesota Vikings stunned the New Orleans Saints 26-20 in overtime in NFC wildcard victories on Sunday.

The win sends the Seahawks to Green Bay to face the Packers while the Vikings travel to meet the top-seeded San Francisco 49ers in NFC Divisional Round contests next weekend.

Quarterback Wilson iced the game for Seattle when he hit DK Metcalf with a 53-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter to give the Seahawks a 17-6 lead.

“It was a sweet one,” said Wilson, who passed for 325 yards and ran for 45 more.

Metcalf fell down short of the goal line but was untouched and recovered to make it into the end zone. “He had so many yards, he was making plays all over the field,” said Wilson of the 22-year-old wide receiver, who caught seven passes for 160 yards.

A five-yard run by 33-year-old Marshawn Lynch gave Seattle its first touchdown.

Philadelphia played all but nine minutes of the game behind 40-year-old quarterback Josh McCown after starter Carson Wentz suffered a head injury when tackled by Seattle’s Jadeveon Clowney in the first quarter.

In the day’s earlier wildcard game, Kyle Rudolph caught a four-yard pass from Kirk Cousins to seal the overtime win for the Vikings.

“Nobody gave us a chance to win here today except everybody in our organization,” Rudolph said.

“They (the Saints) brought all pressure and Kirk made a great throw. I’m proud of Kirk, blocking out the noise and coming down here and playing huge all game.”

The oft-criticized Cousins completed 19 of 31 passes for 242 yards and the touchdown. His 43-yard pass to Adam Thielen had put the Vikings in scoring position at the New Orleans two-yard-line.

Vikings running back Dalvin Cook rushed for two touchdowns to spark the Vikings to a 20-10 lead before the Saints rallied, with Wil Lutz’s 49-yard field goal with two seconds left in regulation forcing overtime. Cook, who rushed for 94 yards, had scoring runs of five and one yards, the first after New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees was intercepted. Saints backup quarterback Taysom Hill set up a four-yard touchdown run by Alvin Kamara with a 50-yard pass in the second quarter to give New Orleans a 10-3 lead.

Hill later caught a 20-yard pass from Brees in the fourth quarter to bring New Orleans within 20-17.

Brees passed for 208 yards but along with his interception also had his first fumble of the season.

The loss was a bitter one for the Saints, who last season had lost at home to the Los Angeles Rams in overtime in the NFC Conference Championship game.

The Saints, NFC South champions, had gone 13-3 in the regular season. — Reuters

Duterte’s deadly drug war a failure, Robredo says

PRESIDENT Rodrigo R. Duterte’s deadly war on drugs has failed, with authorities having seized only 1% of the contraband since he assumed office almost four years ago, according to the country’s opposition leader.

Mr. Duterte focused on “street-level enforcement by going after drug pushers and users,” Vice President Maria Leonor G. Robredo said at a briefing streamed on Facebook on Monday. “Even if you do this daily without addressing the supply constriction, the problem won’t end,” she added.

Ms. Robredo’s criticisms formed part of her report on the government’s anti-drug drive that she briefly headed as Mr. Duterte’s drug czar.

Mr. Duterte put Ms. Robredo in charge of his campaign against illegal drugs in November, only to fire her weeks later because he said he didn’t trust her.

The presidential palace dismissed the findings. “Her claims are false,” presidential spokesman Salvador S. Panelo told a briefing in Filipino.

He said police have dismantled a number of illegal drug factories and caused the surrender of thousands of drug addicts and pushers.

Mr. Panelo also cited “casualties” in police entrapment operations, as well as the arrest of some suspects including so-called high-value targets. “These are the facts.”

Philippine police have said they have killed about 6,000 people in illegal drug raids, many of them resisting arrest. Some local nongovernmental organizations and the national Commission on Human Rights have placed the death toll at more than 27,000.

Mr. Panelo said the opposition leader had failed to take into account the thousands of families destroyed by illegal narcotics.

Still, Malacañang is leaving it to the police and Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency to reconcile drug data inconsistencies that Ms. Robredo had cited in her report.

Ms. Robredo cited police data showing thousands of kilos of crystal meth or shabu worth P25 billion being traded weekly. But PDEA data showed that only about 1,000 kilos of illegal narcotics were seized in the entire 2019.

“I’d rather wait for the PDEA and those involved to respond to that,” Mr. Panelo said.

He said Ms. Robredo was Mr. Duterte’s drug czar for only 19 days, adding that the people sitting on the Dangerous Drugs Board and PDEA should know better. “It’s the experts who should give these recommendations.”

Ms. Robredo last year said she had agreed to head the Duterte administration’s anti-illegal drug campaign, if only to stop the killings.

She accepted the post against the advice of many of her party mates, who said the appointment might be a trap.

Most Filipinos support Mr. Duterte’s war on drugs despite criticisms by the international community, according to a Social Weather Stations poll. — Genshen L. Espedido and Gillian M. Cortez

LA Clippers shake off slow start to down NY Knicks

LOS ANGELES — Montrezl Harrell scored 34 points, and Paul George had 32, allowing the Los Angeles Clippers to earn a 135-132 victory over the visiting New York Knicks on Sunday.

Lou Williams, who connected on six of 10 3-pointers, also scored 32 points and recorded nine assists for the Clippers, who had three players score 30 points for the first time in franchise history.

Marcus Morris Sr. led the Knicks with 38 points, hitting six of seven 3-pointers. RJ Barrett had 24 points, while Julius Randle added 16 points and eight rebounds.

George, who returned after missing Saturday’s defeat to the Memphis Grizzlies with a tight left hamstring, converted five of six 3-pointers and nine of 14 shots in 26 minutes. He fouled out with 7:06 remaining. Patrick Beverley also was back in the lineup after missing three games with a right wrist sprain. He finished with six points and six assists.

Kawhi Leonard didn’t play, as the club has held him out of back-to-back contests because of a persistent knee issue. An 18-7 run allowed the Knicks to cut a 14-point deficit entering the fourth quarter to 121-118 after a 3-pointer by former Clipper Reggie Bullock with 4:51 left. They got within three points three times, the second on Morris’ 3-pointer with 42.2 seconds remaining, but Williams answered with a floater with 18.5 seconds left.

Like they did against the Grizzlies, the Clippers gave up 40-plus points in the opening quarter. The Knicks grabbed a 45-29 lead at the end of the first by shooting 76% to 50% for the Clippers.

But the Clippers launched a huge turnaround in the second quarter. Three straight 3-pointers by Williams and another one by George sparked a 25-6 burst and allowed Los Angeles to take 54-51 lead with 6:48 left in the second. The Clippers, who benefitted from three technical fouls by the Knicks in less than two minutes in the quarter, outscored New York 47-24 in the second for a 76-69 advantage at the break. — Reuters

Duterte wants standby fund for OFWs in Middle East

PRESIDENT Rodrigo R. Duterte wants to set up a standby fund for the return of Filipino workers in the Middle East in case tensions escalate between the United States and Iran.

In a speech on Monday, Mr. Duerte said billions of pesos would be needed to rescue the workers, adding that he wanted a committee to manage the funds. “This has to cut across accounting rules,” he added.

The president said he might call for a special session where lawmakers could discuss measures to protect Filipino workers in the Middle East.

The Philippine Embassy in Iraq on Sunday advised Filipino workers there to go on leave after a US strike killed top Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani in Baghdad’s international airport on Friday.

The Pentagon said Mr. Trump had ordered the killing after a pro-Iran mob laid siege on the US embassy.

Mr. Trump on Saturday threatened to hit 52 Iranian sites “very hard” if Iran attacks Americans or US assets in retaliation.

There are 1,190 documented Filipinos in Iraq and 450 undocumented ones, according to the Foreign Affairs department.

Out of 2.3 Filipino workers overseas, 1.2 million are in the Middle East. — Gillian M. Cortez

Book narrates recent rise of the UP men’s basketball team

By Michael Angelo S. Murillo
Senior Reporter

ONE of the bigger stories in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) of late, the rise of the UP men’s basketball team from perennial league whipping boys to title contenders is being chronicled in a soon-to-be-released book.

Nowhere to Go But UP: How a Basketball Team Inspired a Nation, written by sportswriter and Rappler.com host Naveen K. Ganglani, narrates the steady rise of the University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons in recent UAAP seasons, particularly Season 81 where they made their finals return after a three-decade absence.

It was written from the eyes of the founders of the nowheretogobutUP Foundation, the group of alumni who banded together and began the UPrising amid the school’s darkest days in the league when it went through several winless seasons.

“It was purely because of my desire to give back to the University of the Philippines that made me commit into fulfilling this dream — a dream that we share with every Isko and Iska (scholars) out there — to watch our basketball team play in an arena with a sea of maroon. But it doesn’t stop there. The best is yet to come,” said Renan B. Dalisay, credited for spearheading the nowheretogobutUP movement that helped jolt changes in UP’s basketball program, in the book’s unveiling in December at the UP Executive House in Diliman.

Mr. Dalisay said as a group they are very happy to see their efforts bear fruit in aiding in getting new recruits, more partners and new supporters, which in turn pushed the Fighting Maroons to being true contenders.

In Season 81 in 2018, UP made its finals return bannered by Paul Desiderio, Diego Dario, Juan and Javi Gomez De Liano, Jarrell Lim, Bright Akhuetie and Jun Manzo and under coach Bo Perasol.

It marked the first time since 1986 that the Maroons were back in the UAAP Big Dance.

UP bucked a twice-to-win disadvantage against the Adamson Soaring Falcons in the Final Four that year to set up a finals duel with the Ateneo Blue Eagles.

But it would eventually fall to the Eagles in the championship series, 0-2.

In Season 82, the Maroons made it back to the Final Four but fell short of making it to the finals anew as it lost to the University of Santo Tomas Growling Tigers in the semifinals.

Despite the earlier-than-expected exit though, UP underscored that it is a team to contend with, not only for the now but also in the coming years.

A DREAM COME TRUE
For author Ganglani, to be given the chance to write his first book over such a story as that of the Maroons is something he is very proud of and thankful for.

“I was very thankful, because they took a chance on me even if I was only 26 years old at that time. It’s always been my dream as a writer to pen a novel. I’m very glad this was my first one, because the journey of this program is remarkable,” said Mr. Ganglani, a product of De La Salle University, in an interview.

“It was a challenging but fulfilling experience. One of the important things we wanted to accomplish was to get the perspective of the different sides integral to the story — management, sponsors, coaches, players and a few others. There were some roadblocks with regards to scheduling interviews with everyone, but ultimately I feel the book has enough quotes from figures who were important during the many events which transpired in this story,” he added.

Mr. Ganglani shared that the interview process for the book began in March last year with the first draft done by October.

The new book author said everyone could relate to the story of the Maroons, which is a prime example of setting goals to improve one’s lot and making things happen.

“I am happy with how it turned out. One of my goals for the book was to provide a behind-the-scenes look at what manifested in order for the UP Fighting Maroons to transform themselves from college basketball’s consistent losers to championship contenders. That includes the very emotional moments in order to highlight the human side of all of it,” Mr. Ganglani said.

Adding, “There’s nothing quite like the story of an underdog. People with ties to the University of the Philippines will want to read the book to learn more about the men and women who made the Fighting Maroons’ run to the UAAP Finals possible, particularly the previously unknown anecdotes. Those who aren’t from UP can find inspiration in the narrative of the story, particularly about the power of remaining determined in the face of daunting challenges.”

The book will soon be available online through the nowheretogobutUP Facebook page and in bookstores nationwide for P800.

Carlsen is Rapid Champion

World Championship Rapid
Moscow, Russia
Dec. 26–28, 2019

Final Top Results

1. Magnus Carlsen NOR 2886, 11.5/15

2–4. Alireza Firouzja FIDE 2614, Hikaru Nakamura USA 2819, Vladislav Artemiev RUS 2756, 10.5/15

5–11. Levon Aronian ARM 2784, Leinier Dominguez Perez USA 2755, Jan-Krzysztof Duda POL 2751, Daniil Dubov RUS 2752, Anton Korobov UKR 2818, David Anton Guijarro ESP 2709, Yu Yangyi CHN 2747, 10.0/15

Total of 205 participants

Time Control: 15 minutes for the entire game with 10 seconds added to your clock after every move starting move 1.

Venue: VIP Zone of the Luzhniki Football Stadium in Moscow, Russia.

Others: The prize fund is $350,000, with $60,000 for first place. Prize money is shared equally between players on the same number of points, with a playoff for 1st place that consists of two 3+2 games followed, if necessary, by Armageddon, where White has five minutes to Black’s four, with a draw for Black to be counted as a victory.

In the January 2010 FIDE Rating List Magnus Carlsen, still only a teenager (born Nov. 30, 1990) opened the decade by becoming the highest rated player in the world with 2810 ELO rating points, overtaking Veselin Topalov on 2805. This also made Magnus the youngest no. 1 rated player in chess history. It was another three years before Magnus became world champion but even back in 2010 it was expected that Magnus would have a rather long tenure at no. 1.

There was only one rating list then and it took 30 more months, on July 1, 2012 that rapid and blitz ratings appeared on the World Chess Federation (FIDE) website. In 2014 Magnus Carlsen won the World Rapid and Blitz Championships held in Dubai, UAE and achieved the triple crown, simultaneously holding the titles in all three time controls.

On Dec. 30, 2019, at the close of the decade, he has shown no signs of slowing down:

Magnus Carlsen is once again the World Champion in all three time controls,

He ends the year with 10 tournament wins, no losses in classical chess.

He is also the highest rated player in classical and rapid chess, just narrowly missing out on the blitz chess ranking, his 2887 finishing 2nd behind Nakamura’s 2900.

The only title that eludes him is the World Fischer Random championship, but that is OK since it is our Wesley So who holds the title there!

Vladimir Kramnik lost to Magnus in the blitz section and, when asked for comment, simply replied that: “I wish I had such motivation as Magnus! Of course he’s incredible, with his level and also with his motivation, because he won already basically everything which you can win, and I can still see how concentrated and motivated he is. Of course it’s quite remarkable (…) I already stopped counting some time ago how many events he won. It’s now more of a surprise if he doesn’t win — if he wins it’s like business as usual!”

And Magnus knows it too. During the Rapid tournament there were several players who took quick draws to preserve their energy. On the other hand Carlsen always played to win. When asked about this he gave a rather blunt explanation: “I think although these days are very long it’s possible to give your all in all the games, but I think it also helps that I’m better than the others! So for me it’s easier to play for a win. For the others, they maybe risk more if they have to play for a win. I think that’s just the brutal truth — that if you’re a bit better than the others you can afford to take more chances. Maybe some of the other guys playing several short draws had the optimum strategy for themselves, but in order to win it’s not the optimum strategy, I think. Probably in order to do well it’s not a bad idea, but again it’s not the way that I play, but it’s partly because I can afford it!”

Afterwards Magnus noted that although he’d had some tough positions he was never in real peril and, “to go 15 games without being lost in a single one is something I take great pride in.”

His games even under rapid time controls are not blunderfests with the one who commits the second-to-the-last mistake winning. In fact, I would estimate that Magnus only drops around 20% in quality between classical and rapid time control and even at 80% his games are quite impressive.

Carlsen, Magnus (2872) — Le, Quang Liem (2713) [D20]
Wch Rapid 2019 Moscow RUS (10.1), 27.12.2019

Recent developments have shown that Black does not have a clear way to equality in the Queen’s Gambit Accepted. However, under faster time controls the rapid piece mobilization that Black can whip up makes it playable.

1.d4 d5 2.c4 dxc4 3.e4 Nf6

Forces White to push his pawn to e5. After Nd5 Black will establish d5 as his strong point.

4.e5 Nd5 5.Bxc4 Nb6 6.Bb3 Bf5

The main line is 6…Nc6 but anyway 7.Nf3?! Bf5! 8.Nc3 e6 just transposes back into the game position.

7.Nf3 e6 8.Nc3 Nc6 9.Be3 Be7

Black can also castle queenside with 9…Qd7 10.0–0 0–0–0 11.Qe2 Bg4 12.Rfd1 Nb4 13.a4 N6d5 but it looks pretty scary for black, what with the half-open c-file staring down Black’s king.

10.0–0 0–0 11.a3 Na5 12.Bc2 Qd7?!

Perhaps Black should have prefaced this with a bishop exchange on c2, because White now gets a strong pawn center.

13.Bxf5 exf5 14.d5! Nac4 15.Bxb6! Nxb6 16.Qb3 Rad8 17.Rad1 Rfe8 18.Rfe1

White’s protected pawns on d5 and e5, standing beside each other, is a textbook example of the kind of position the first player wants to get out of the opening — Black has no center plus his bishop and knight are not working well together. If White can time his pawn advances right he can win. If he does not then the pawns become a weakness, they fall, and White loses.

18…g6 19.h4 Kg7 20.h5 Bc5 21.Qc2

The immediate threat now is 22.d6! because both 22…cxd6 and 22…c6 is met by 23.b4 winning Black’s bishop.

21…a5 22.Qc1

Preparing to slide to either g5 or h6 after the preliminary e5–e6!

22…Qe7 23.Qf4 Nd7 <D>

POSITION AFTER 23…ND7

24.b4! axb4 25.axb4 Bb6

[25…Bxb4 26.d6! attacking the black queen and bishop simultaneously]

26.h6+ Kg8 27.d6 Qf8

[27…cxd6 28.Nd5!]

28.e6! fxe6 29.dxc7 Rc8 30.Rxd7 Re7 31.Rxe7 Qxe7 32.Nd5! 1–0

Magnus Carlsen made the Queen’s Gambit Accepted look like a forced loss.

A new star was born during the World Rapid Championships. The Iranian Chess Federation banned its players from participating in the tournament but 16-year-old Alireza Firouzja really wanted to play, so he took the big step of defying his federation and registering as a “FIDE” player, i.e., currently stateless.

Now, Alireza was rated 2614 before the beginning of the event only good enough for the 69th seed. He started well with upsets over Korobov and Karjakin and as the young upstart kept scoring points he was continuously matched against the superGMs — Duda, Aronian, Giri, Svidler, Yu Yangyi, Inarkiev, Le Quang Liem, Andreikin, Wang Hao, Mamedyarov – over the course of 15 rounds he faced no less than 12 superGMs rated over 2700. Contrast this for example with Carlsen’s schedule which included 7 over-2700 and Nakamura’s 4 over-2700 opponents.

Karjakin, Sergey (2754) — Firouzja, Alireza (2723) [B90]
Wch Rapid 2019 Moscow RUS (4.11), 26.12.2019

Sergey Karjakin is really one tough opponent. Born Jan. 12, 1990, he holds the record for the world’s youngest ever grandmaster, having qualified for the title at the age of 12 years and 7 months.

In November 2016 he lost the world classical chess championship match to Magnus Carlsen in rapid tiebreaks after drawing 6–6 in the classical games. Karjakin won the 2012 World Rapid Chess Championship and the 2016 World Blitz Championship. As you can see, he is an all-around tough customer in any time control. Take a look at what happens in his game with Firouzja.

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Bd3

A rare move, but one which Karjakin has been playing recently and quite successfully. The idea is to avoid exchanges with Nde2, 0–0, Ng3 and possibly f2–f4.

6…e5 7.Nde2 Be7 8.0–0 0–0 9.Ng3 Re8 10.Bc4 Be6 11.Nd5 Nbd7 12.Be3 Rc8 13.Bb3 Bf8 14.c3 Qa5 15.Nxf6+ Nxf6 16.Bg5 Nd7 17.Qe2 Nc5 18.Bxe6 Nxe6 19.Be3 d5! 20.exd5 Qxd5 21.Rfd1 Qc6 22.Qg4 g6 23.f3 Bc5 24.Bxc5 Qxc5+ 25.Kh1 Rcd8 26.Qe4 b5

Black’s knight is better than its counterpart. From here to the end you will be impressed how Firouzja keeps advancing and Karjakin keeps retreating until White has nothing else to do.

27.Qc2 f5 28.Qb3 Kf7 29.a4 Qc4 30.Qxc4 bxc4 31.Nf1 Rd3 32.Re1 Nc5 33.Kg1 f4 34.Re2 e4! 35.fxe4 Rxe4 36.Rxe4 Nxe4 37.Re1 Nc5 38.a5 Rd5 39.h4 Kf6 40.Nh2 Kf5 41.Nf3 Nd3 42.Re7 Rxa5 43.Rxh7 Nxb2 44.Rf7+ Ke4 45.Kh2 Nd1 46.Rd7 Ne3!

[46…Nxc3? 47.Rd4+ Kf5 48.Rxc4 with the crucial pawn on c4 gone I am no longer sure if Black can win this]

47.Rd6

[47.Rd4+ Kf5 48.Nd2 does not work because of 48…Ra3! 49.Nxc4 Ng4+! 50.Kh3 (50.Kg1?? Ra1+ 51.Rd1 Rxd1#) 50…Rxc3+ wins]

47…Ng4+ 48.Kh3 Nf2+ 49.Kh2 Ra1 50.Ng1 Ng4+ 51.Kh1 Ne5 52.Kh2 Ra2

Threatening …f4–f3.

53.Kh1

[53.Kh3 Ra1 the knight cannot move because of …Rh1 mate]

53…a5 54.Nf3 Ra1+ 0–1

[54…Ra1+ 55.Kh2 (55.Ng1 a4 This pawn is unstoppable) 55…Ng4+ 56.Kh3 Nf2+ 57.Kh2 Rh1#]

GM Alireza Firouzja finished in second place with eight wins five draws and two losses. His rapid rating now stands at 2703 to complement classical rating of 2723 and blitz rating of 2750 — I think from now on everyone will treat him seriously.

 

Bobby Ang is a founding member of the National Chess Federation of the Philippines (NCFP) and its first Executive Director. A Certified Public Accountant (CPA), he taught accounting in the University of Santo Tomas (UST) for 25 years and is currently Chief Audit Executive of the Equicom Group of Companies.

bobby@cpamd.net

Court stands by ruling vs Binay on Makati school

THE COURT of Appeals (CA) stood by its decision to bar former Makati City Mayor Jejomar Erwin S. Binay, Jr. from holding public office after he was found to have approved the purchase of materials for the building of an overpriced school.

In a 12-page resolution, the appellate court denied Mr. Binay’s appeal for lack of merit.

The court in May affirmed the 2017 decision of the Office of the Ombudsman, finding Mr. Binay guilty of serious dishonesty, grave misconduct and conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service for approving and entering into a P165.3 million contract for the city despite irregularities.

He was dismissed and perpetually barred from holding public office.

In his appeal, Mr. Binay claimed to have acted in good faith.

The court said the Supreme Court decision relied on by Mr. Binay, which states that offices may rely on good faith on the acts of their subordinates, was inapplicable.

It said the criminal case that Mr. Binay had cited involved graft and corruption. The accused was acquitted for lack of evidence linking him to the planning.

It also said Mr. Binay’s participation was not limited to signing documents unlike in the case he had cited.

“Binay, Jr. as head of the procuring authority was expected to exercise reasonable diligence in making sure that the prescribed bidding procedures under Republic Act 9184 were properly complied with considering that this involved a multimillion-peso construction contract or the amount of P165.26 million,” the court said.

It was also Mr. Binay’s duty to ensure that his subordinates observed the law and question them for any deviations and undertake measures before approving the purchase, the court said.

“Had Binay, Jr. exercised the due diligence expected of him, he would have easily noticed that the requirements under RA 9184 were not complied with,” it added.

Prospective bidders were prevented from participating in the bidding, favoring one company, the appellate court said.

It also denied the appeals 13 others for raising arguments already discussed in the decision.

Mr. Binay ran for Makati mayor in 2019 but lost to his sister. — Vann Marlo M. Villegas

Health dep’t extends polio vaccine drive

THE HEALTH department will extend the March deadline of its polio vaccination campaign to ensure no child is missed, two decades since the Philippines was declared free of the debilitating illness.

In a statement on Monday, the agency said it would extend the drive until April.

Two more vaccination rounds are scheduled for Jan. 27 to Feb. 7 and March 9 to 20 in Metro Manila. Health authorities will also conduct vaccinations in Basilan, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi, Zamboanga City, Isabela City and Lambayong in Sultan Kudarat on January 6 to 12.

Meanwhile, two more vaccination rounds will be held in all regions in Mindanao on Feb. 17 to March 1 and March 23 to April 4, the Health department said.

The agency seeks to cover 95% of these areas. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that at least 95% of children below five years old should be vaccinated to contain the virus.

The first case of Polio was reported in Lanao del Sur in September, after 19 years since the Philippines was declared polio-free. Seven more polio cases were reported. Of the total, seven were from Mindanao. — Gillian M. Cortez

Eyeing top four

The Clippers didn’t at all sound like title favorites in the aftermath of a demoralizing loss to the Grizzlies the other day. It wasn’t simply that they absorbed a setback against opponents with far less talent than theirs and in clear rebuild mode. It was that they did so at home, and by a whopping 26 points. Never mind that All-Star Paul George and defensive demon Patrick Beverley were sidelined due to injury. That they were on the wrong end of the final score for the second time in four matches since their Christmas Day victory against the rival Lakers, and for half of their last 10 outings, speak volumes on the state of their competitiveness — or, to be more precise, lack thereof.

Not that the Clippers expect to rule the Western Conference in the face of their subscription to an aggressive load-management program that has reigning Finals Most Valuable Player Kawhi Leonard sitting out the second game of back-to-back sets, and then some. Given their pronouncements, they’re looking at the big picture, and figure to be content with a top-four seeding and homecourt advantage in the first round of the playoffs. And it’s exactly where they are despite their travails — which is why head coach Doc Rivers isn’t sounding any alarm bells. Not yet, at least.

Then again, there are no silver linings to being booed off the court by a fan base long on patience but no less hopeful of a deep run. The other day, the Clippers were listless at best, and deserved the jeers they got for being such gracious hosts. They had their backsides handed to them by competition that had no business even keeping pace. And so gloomy was the locker room afterwards that Montrezl Harrell, who put up 28 and nine in a valiant effort, refused to characterize the “vibe” he felt. “I don’t know, brother,” he replied when asked. “I don’t know. And that might be another problem right there.”

Perhaps not. The Clippers are, after all, still extremely efficient when armed with a full complement. They’re a heady 14 and four when Leonard and George are able to suit up together, and their style of play is precisely that which clicks in the postseason. At this point, the glass is what it is — and whether it’s half empty or half full depends on the view.

 

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

Cebu gov’t resorts to JO offer for provincial hospital doctors

WITH NO applicants through an outsourcing company, the Cebu provincial government is now trying to hire medical doctors for its 16 hospitals on a job order (JO) basis. In September last year, Governor Gwendolyn F. Garcia dropped the direct hiring of medical staff, citing that having them under the provincial government’s payroll was too costly. Bidding was conducted for the manpower services, which was won by Manila-based LBP Service Corp. with a P258-million contract for more than 800 medical and clerical personnel. LBP did not receive any applications for the medical doctor positions. Several of the previously directly-hired doctors opted to stay at their posts, although they have since been classified as “outsourced” personnel. The doctors are particularly crucial for the provincial government’s aim to upgrade its four provincial hospitals. Cebu operates four provincial hospitals in the town of Balamban and the cities of Bogo, Carcar, and Danao, all of which are currently categorized as Level 1, meaning only minor surgical operations can be performed. Ms. Garcia said the doctors who have remained will be considered for the JO position given their “commitment” to their profession and “loyalty.” “The best thing we could offer is put them under contract of service nga ilang ma (wherein their) take home (pay) would still be lower than the regular but then it would be enough for them to compensate considering industry rates now,” she said. “We are also closely watching the performance of these doctors kay magpakita sila (if they perform well), and then definitely we can consider mo-graduate ni sila (them) into becoming regular employees,” Garcia said. — The Freeman

Better roads in Biliran

THE rehabilitation of two major roads in the island province of Biliran have been completed, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) reported on Monday. The two projects, with a combined cost of P130 million, were the 5.276-kilometer (km) damaged segment of the Naval-Caibiran Cross Country road in Naval, the provincial capital, and the 4.4-km segment of the Biliran Circumferential Road. “We are hopeful that these road improvements will not only improve access to Biliran Provincial Hospital and Naval Port but also boost economic activity in the agriculturally-rich province,” DPWH Secretary Mark A. Villar said in a statement.

Court rejects appeal on same-sex marriage

THE Supreme Court has stood by its ruling rejecting a plea to allow same-sex marriage in the country.

In a two-page notice dated Dec. 10 and released to media yesterday, the tribunal said the petitioners had failed to give substantial arguments. “No further pleadings or motions will be entertained,” it said.

The court in September dismissed a petition led by lawyer Jesus Nicardo M. Falcis III for his lack of legal standing, violating the hierarchy of courts and failing to raise an actual controversy.

The plaintiff in 2015 questioned the validity of the Family Code, which states that marriage is only between a man and a woman.

The court said the issue of same-sex marriage should be raised to Congress.

It added that Mr. Falcis and his co-counsels were liable for indirect contempt for forgetting the “bare rudiments of court procedure and decorum.

“Or worse, to purport them, but really only to exploit them by way of propaganda and then, to jump headlong into the taxing endeavor of constitutional litigation is a contemptuous betrayal of the high standards of the legal profession,” the court said. — Vann Marlo M. Villegas

1...10,04410,04510,046...14,238Page 10,045 of 14,238
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
© 2024 BusinessWorld Publishing.
All rights reserved.
Read our privacy guidelines
Facebook Instagram Linkedin X Youtube