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School leadership and bullying

A few days before Christmas, I, like many others, was shocked to see Facebook videos purportedly showing an Ateneo high school student using his martial arts skill to assault and humiliate a schoolmate inside a restroom. The videos were disturbing not only because of the humiliation and physical harm inflicted on the victim, but more so because of the way the young man appeared to take pride in bullying his schoolmate not only in plain sight of others but also on video.
Shortly after, Ateneo administrators announced the dismissal of the student following its internal policies and after due investigation. Rightly, I think, the school administration extended its support to the families of both the victim and the perpetrator to help them move forward after the incident and its aftermath. After all, why be mean-spirited to a young man who has been shown the error of his ways and now has the rest of his life to undo his mistake and improve himself?
What happens now? It will take more than the very public punishment of one high school student in a high-profile case to change the bullying cultures that exist in many schools. Admittedly, bullying is a systemic and complicated problem with many causes working together. Thus, it cannot be totally prevented in schools because students have their own minds and can choose to be abusive when they please.
However, school leaders (teachers and administrators) have a critical role in making the school culture as inhospitable to bullying as possible. Bullying undermines the essential mission of schools to form well-adjusted and productive citizens. Victims usually develop mental health problems for life, including low self-esteem, depression, and, in some cases, suicidal tendencies. Also, young people who behave as bullies in school can very well become bullies later on in their workplaces, from the frontlines all the way to corporate boardrooms.
Bullying can happen in all schools. Students differ in abilities, personalities, appearance, and socioeconomic backgrounds. Some with power over others (say, due to physical superiority or membership in a popular group) may treat those unlike them in demeaning and hurtful ways, whether in person or over social media. Thus, school leaders have to think carefully about how their approach may be enabling or preventing bullying. To believe that bullying is not a problem because the administration does not receive reports is a mistake. The culture of silence among students is so powerful that most cases are never reported to any adult.
The worst thing leaders can do is to condone bullying. Sweeping bullying under the rug sends the worst message young people can get from their school: “Bullies can get away with anything because the leaders are more interested in keeping up appearances than making the school safe for everyone.” This betrays the trust of the students and their parents, who count on the school as a haven for learning and development. The bad effects of such a betrayal on young people cannot be exaggerated.
Needless to say, leaders must ensure compliance with the Anti-Bullying Act. This means having an anti-bullying policy, reporting and discipline systems, and formal educational programs for all on the dynamics of bullying. However, leaders should avoid doing this mechanically because doing so sends a weak message that can be drowned out by the other operational concerns of the school. After a while, the compliance approach could become just another “program” to be trotted out during accreditation or to convince parents and the public of the school’s concern.
Beyond compliance, leaders need to add strong leadership to make sure that substance wins over form. They must visibly and consistently build a culture of positive relationships, mutual service, and valuing of diversity in the school. This means giving diverse students ways to understand and appreciate each other as persons with unique gifts. It also means showing students how to resolve their differences through dialog and principled compromise.
The message that “Every student is worthy of respect” must override the tendency of schools to lavish recognition on its achievers. In line with this, leaders should encourage outstanding students to serve others and to share their gifts with schoolmates who are less capable.
Leaders need to spend time listening to the real concerns of students. This will help them to better guide young people to harmoniously co-exist for their mutual growth and happiness. Building a dignity-centered culture cannot be done through policies and formal teaching alone. It requires engaged leaders who will role-model caring and respectful behavior and focus their attention on day-to-day relationships among students and the rest of the school community. This will enable the school to truly achieve its educational mission.
 
Dr. Benito L. Teehankee is full professor in the Management and Organization Department and coordinator of the Business for Human Development Network of De La Salle University.
benito.teehankee@dlsu.edu.ph

Old hasn’t gone out of style

We have started a new year, an election year at that, but it doesn’t seem like “out with the old, in with the new” applies. For the senatorial election, that is. Checking the latest survey list, and I have checked it twice and have my own opinion on who has been naughty and who has been nice, I see mostly “old” names in the lead, and “new” names trailing behind.
Unsurprising, really. After all, since the 1960s, the Filipino electorate has had a thing for political families. There are more to political dynamics here than lineage and popularity, of course. But, for the sake of discussion, going by votes alone, these families have managed to get the required numbers to stay in national office for a long time.
There was a Macapagal vice-president in 1957-1961, and president in 1961-1965. Then there was a Macapagal daughter as vice-president in 1998-2001, and as president in 2001-2010. The same daughter was senator in 1992-1998, and, since 2010, has been in Congress to represent a legislative district in Pampanga. She is the current House Speaker.
A Marcos was senator in 1959-1965, and was Senate president in 1963-1965. He later became the president of the Republic in 1965-1986. His son was senator in 2010-2016, and almost became vice-president in 2016. If the son wins a pending poll protest anytime soon, he might just become the country’s No. 2 official until 2022. A Marcos daughter is also now vying for a Senate seat in May.
An Aquino was senator in 1928-1934. His son was senator in 1967-1972. His grandson was senator in 2007-2010. The same grandson was president in 2010-2016. The grandson’s mother was president in 1986-1992. She was a Cojuangco. Her father, Jose, and grandfather, Melecio, had both served in Congress as representatives of Tarlac.
These three political families – Macapagal, Marcos, Aquino – have been major contenders in national politics since the 1960s. In fact, the presidency has always been in their hands in the last 58 years except for three relatively short periods: 1992-1998 (Ramos), 1998-2001 (Estrada), and 2016-present (President Duterte).
There are indicators that a Marcos might again aim for the presidency in 2022. Then, there are persistent but unfounded rumors that another possible presidential contender in 2022 is, in fact, a Marcos relation. If so, can allies of the Macapagal and Aquino camps be far behind? For president or vice-president, will another Villar or another Cayetano give it a try? How about Vice-President Robredo?
To date, only the Macapagal and Aquino families — hailing from the neighboring provinces of Pampanga and Tarlac, respectively, in Central Luzon — have managed to produce “repeat” presidents. Although the Marcos family beats everybody else in terms of total length of presidential term (21 years vs 13 years for the Macapagals and 12 years for the Aquinos). The Marcoses, from Ilocos Norte, also come from the island of Luzon.
Since the Philippine Revolution of 1898, there have been no “repeat” presidents from the political families of Aguinaldo, Quezon, Osmeña, Roxas, Quirino, Magsaysay, Garcia, Ramos, and Estrada. Also, other than Osmeña and Roxas, and President Duterte, all other presidents have come from the island of Luzon. Osmeña and Roxas are both from the Visayas islands, while President Duterte is the first Philippine president from Mindanao.
The Osmeñas and the Roxases remain as contenders, though, despite failing to produce repeat presidents, with scions from these two families still active in national politics. Grandsons of these two presidents are now seeking to return to the Senate in May: former senator Manuel Araneta Roxas, son of former senator Gerardo Manuel Roxas (Senate: 1963-1972); and former senator Sergio Osmeña III, son of former senator Sergio Osmeña, Jr. (Senate: 1965-1971).
President Duterte was the game-changer, I believe, having broken the hold of Luzon and Visayas politicians on the presidency. Whether his success in 2016 as a “Mindanaoan” in getting the presidency will have significant impact on the May 2019 senatorial election is anybody’s guess. However, going over the latest survey, it seems only one politician from Mindanao will make it.
The “Magic 12” in the senatorial survey is composed of incumbent and former senators who come mostly from Luzon, with only one contender from Mindanao and another of Visayan ancestry. There is no room for “new” names in the latest Magic 12 survey, and in this line, expect “balikbayans” to compose our Senate from 2019 to 2025.
According to a news report, citing a recent release by SWS, with five months to go, Luzon politicians and incumbent senators Cynthia Villar and Grace Poe lead the senatorial survey for the May 2019 election. Senator Villar is at No. 1 with a voter preference of 62%, followed by Senator Poe with 60%. Third to fifth are former senator and now Taguig Rep. Pia Cayetano, and incumbent Senators Sonny Angara and Nancy Binay, all from Luzon.
Sixth in the survey is former senator Lito Lapid, who hails from Pampanga in Luzon, followed by incumbent Senator Aquilino Pimentel III (from Misamis Oriental, and the only one from Mindanao), and former senator Jinggoy Estrada, also from Luzon. In 10th is former senator Mar Roxas (of Visayan ancestry), followed by Ilocos Norte Gov. Imee Marcos and incumbent Senator Joseph Victor Ejercito, who are both from Luzon as well.
No. 13 and 14 were former senator Serge Osmeña (of Visayan ancestry) and incumbent Senator Paolo Benigno Aquino IV (of Luzon), while no. 14 and 15 were former special assistant to the President Christopher Go and former National Police chief and Bureau of Corrections head Ronald dela Rosa, allies of President Duterte. They were followed by former presidential political affairs adviser Francis Tolentino and former Senate president Juan Ponce Enrile, also both from Luzon.
In this regard, despite what President Duterte has achieved for Mindanao in 2016, I don’t think we can expect similar changes in our politics in May 2019 or in years to come. Luzon politicians appear set to continue to dominate, in the same way that we have seen the same political families, groups, or camps prevail since we gained “independence” in 1946.
Despite having gone through three constitutions (1935, 1973, and 1987), numerous coups (1986-1989), two political upheavals (1986 and 2001), and nine years of nationwide martial rule (1972-1981) under Proclamation 1081, it is apparent that all these political changes thus far have not actually resulted in much change in who we elect to office.
 
Marvin Tort is a former managing editor of BusinessWorld, and a former chairman of the Philippines Press Council
matort@yahoo.com

The New Year could mark the beginning of a new(ish) century

By Frederick Studemann
SO how was it for you? Depending on your location and source of commentary, the year just gone was terrible, tumultuous, hugely eventful or (for the odd cheery contrarian) another small stepping stone on the long path of human progress.
And the one ahead? With the wisdom of hindsight, will people come to view all the current anger and confusion — from Brexit to Trump, the rise of China to the challenge of tech — as symptomatic of a more profound geopolitical change? A moment when the maps no longer worked; the rules and tools of the past no longer applied. Is this not just the dawn of a new year, but of a new age — a “new century” even?
The notion that centuries do not necessarily begin when they ought to according to dates is well rehearsed in the west. The historian Eric Hobsbawm wrote of a “short” 20th century running from the start of the first world war in 1914 to the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. That short century followed a long 19th one, judged by some to have spanned from the French Revolution in 1789 to that fateful gunshot in Sarajevo. Others see this as a bit of stretch, preferring to set the 19th century clock running in 1815 with the end of the Napoleonic Wars and the peacemaking Congress of Vienna.
The 18th century is available in both long and short versions — from Britain’s Glorious Revolution of 1688 to the Battle of Waterloo in 1815; or from around 1715 with (give or take a few years) the death of Louis XIV of France, the end of the war of Spanish succession, the union of England and Scotland, and the arrival in London of regal immigrants from Hanover, to the storming of the Bastille in 1789. The odd member of the UK’s governing Tory party gives the appearance of still living in the 1700s, ensconced in the glorious certainties of a world just waiting to surrender itself to the native genius of a global Britain; truly a splendidly long “long 18th century.”
Returning to our own times, there are those, such as the economic historian Brad DeLong, who wonder whether Hobsbawn may have short-changed the 20th century. Can a case be made, they ask, for the 20th century to run from 1870, when the wider impact of the industrial revolution became clear, political economics became central and liberal democracy took hold, to just after the global financial crisis?
In this parlor game, certain patterns emerge. One is that the teenage years of a century seem to be popular moments for starting or resetting the historical clock — 1914, 1815, 1715 and so on. That adolescent perspective is one that might be neatly applied to our current times. But others point to 2001 — the terror attacks on New York and Washington; China joining the WTO — as a moment when forces were unleashed that would shape the decades ahead. In other words, our century pretty much started on time.
While some historians delight in applying thought-provoking and crisp parameters to the past — just look at their book titles — others are more cautious.
“History is not a series of coupled railway carriages,” argues Margaret Macmillan, emeritus professor of international history at Oxford. “The trouble with chopping up the past into decades or centuries, or even years, is that it gives a misleading impression of unity.” But she admits, there are times when “you do feel the world — our bits of it — changed and one age ended and another started.” The end of the Roman republic, the fall of the Ming dynasty and Japan’s Meiji Restoration are a few such moments that she cites.
So where do we fit in? Is the present moment one of those definitive endings and beginnings? Tom Holland, just surfacing after finishing off his latest book on the classical world, notes that if we are indeed now witnessing the end of a Western-led global order and all its universalist claims then the right initial historical punctuation mark might be better set at 1492, when Christopher Columbus pointed his ship west towards the Atlantic. Rather than fussing about centuries — whether long, short or a bit of both — as defining measures of history, should we really be counting out in half-millennia? Amid the upheavals of the coming months, it may be salutary to ponder how the future will see us.
 
frederick.studemann@ft.com

Attached and dangling

By Tony Samson
REPORTERS and political analysts have foisted on us a now accepted linguistic option to be let loose on categories of potential candidates aspiring for an elective post. They have attached the suffix “-able” to every elective position imaginable. This verbal shorthand was originally limited to the highest position, with aspirants whether declared or not, being referred to as “presidentiables,” a word sure to prompt our computer spell-check to underline with its disapproving jagged red line, offering “presidential” instead. (Was this what you meant?)
The suffix is a linguistic device that adds an affix, an element of a word, to a noun to turn it into an adjective, adverb, or another noun with a completely different meaning. This takes a page from a favorite German practice of just jamming words together to come up with an idea like schadenfreude which links “joy at the misery of others” in one word.
One can say of somebody that he is a good mathematician but lousy businesswise. This suffix “wise” after “business” limits the area of incompetence to commerce, as this person so denoted may be good calculus-wise. Suffix derives from the Latin suffigere, meaning to attach on top of, much like an uninvited mate brought by an invited guest.
The penchant for suffixes has been applied to lesser positions like vice-president, senator, and sometime last year, speaker of the house with that clunky and unspeakable new word which spell-check is sure to zap — “speakerable” for the successful “congressionable” later found acceptable by his peers to be their leader, after being anointed palace-wise, or in some cases mayor-wise.
Still, the suffixed position is not used lightly. It is accorded only to those with respectable credentials and a fair chance of winning, fame-wise and party-wise. Unknowns like those first in the starting line to register as candidates for president or senator do not automatically merit the dangling appendix. Perhaps, a new term altogether will need to be used for them, something like wannabe or dreaming.
A catch-all suffixed word to cover aspirants for different positions who are leading in periodic surveys has also crept into the political vocabulary. The term “winnable,” meaning having a big chance of getting the post as evidenced by a high ranking in a reputable poll, is now routinely used. The quality of “winnability” (The nominal form of the suffixed adjective) is supposed to be the critical quality an anointer or alternately, heavy supporters, fund-wise, are looking for. More compelling, politics-wise, it seems, comes the party machinery and its ability to stay in one piece and not break up in several pieces.
The other end of the word (in this case the front) accommodates the prefix. This is an affix that is attached and dangling as well. The prefix too has served a political purpose. Mobs are classified as “pro” or “anti” a cause or a person. Coverage of oratorical excesses can become too cloying, even described as quasi-religious with its messianic overtones. (The drug war will eliminate drugs and those who use them.) The transformation of erstwhile supporters to virulent critics can be tracked to “pre” and “post” inauguration when declared reforms turn into broken promises.
There seem to be no hard and fast rules for according a suffix to certain aspirants. Can one simply declare himself a presidentiable on his own initiative? Is there a requirement of deserved status conferred by third-party individuals, preferably from media to confer the title? Should there be perhaps a suffix-issuing body that will control the use of the presidential suffix requiring certain criteria like not eliciting laughter when a certain name is linked to the highest elective position? (You mean the almost retired boxer?)
What are we to call pretenders to the suffix, whom not even neighbors would take seriously for an elective position, even in the village association? Are they unwinnable, insufferable, and laughable?
Corporate types already in their retirement need to use affixes to describe their status when asked — what’s keeping you busy? Do they still go to work daily? Their affiliation with a company is ambiguous, as they are “semi-retired” and just acting as quasi-consultants. As to their financial situation, they are coping well enough in a post-modern type of arrangement. Cash-wise, they’re supra-liquid, or above water. Next question, please.
 
Tony Samson is chairman and CEO, TOUCH xda.
ar.samson@yahoo.com

JP Erram excited over new PBA journey with Warriors

By Michael Angelo S. Murillo
Senior Reporter
SET to parlay his wares with the NLEX Road Warriors when a new season of the Philippine Basketball Association rolls off later this month, big man JP Erram said he is excited and looking forward to the latest turn in his burgeoning career.
Acquired by the Road Warriors in a three-team trade with the Blackwater Elite and TNT KaTropa this offseason, 29-year-old Erram said he is saddened by his departure from the Elite after four years of playing for the team but nonetheless recognizes it is part of being a player and is now focused on bettering himself as a player and helping NLEX succeed.
“Of course there is a bit of sadness in leaving Blackwater. I played there for four years and gone close with my teammates. But I cannot do anything about it. That’s how the business of basketball is,” said Mr. Erram, a member of the PBA-backed Gilas Pilipinas team.
In NLEX, the former Ateneo player hopes to continue his rise as a player, with help from the team’s resident veteran big men.
“Individually as a player I hope to improve. Asi Taulava and (JR) Quiñahan are here so they will be a big help in my game. I’m just starting my career and newly being recognized and I want to continue to improve. I don’t want to disappoint my new team and will do everything I can to help it,” Mr. Erram said.
Playing for national team coach Yeng Guiao with NLEX, Mr. Erram is not expecting to have a hard transition under the fiery coach’s system but underscored the need to having a good relationship with his new teammates.
“I know Coach Yeng and his system in Gilas and what he expects from me. It’s more of adjusting to the new environment in NLEX. I have new teammates. But so far they have welcomed me,” he said.
As to goals for 2019, Mr. Erram, one of the more vastly improved players in the league, said apart from individual growth, team success is something he hopes to achieve.
“Hopefully all our sacrifices as a team will pay off. We hope to win more games and maybe reach the finals,” said Mr. Erram, who also shared he is open to representing the country in international competitions, including the sixth and final window of the FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers in February where the Philippines has its back against the wall.
In acquiring Mr. Erram from Blackwater, NLEX had to let go of its two first-round picks in the recent PBA Rookie Draft, namely Paul Desiderio (4th) and Abu Tratter (9th), to Blackwater.
Also part of the deal was sending Mike Miranda (from NLEX) and a 2021 second-round pick (from Blackwater) to the KaTropa.

PSC vows commitment to successful SEA Games hosting

By Michael Angelo S. Murillo
Senior Reporter
WITH less than a year before the country’s hosting of the 30th Southeast Asian Games, local sports officials and offices are now busy getting the ball rolling in preparation.
One of the busier agencies is the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC), which has vowed to do its part in having a successful, if not excellent, hosting by the Philippines of the biennial regional sporting meet set to happen from Nov. 30 to Dec. 11.
Tasked with among other things to ensure that venues and facilities to be used during the Games are ready and at par with international standards, the PSC said that things are on track albeit admitted there are still problems they have to address to.
“We’re on track. There are problems, of course, but it’s part of the one-year preparation. We should have prepared two years ago but we all know a lot had happened and it was already cancelled,” said PSC Chairman William “Butch” Ramirez in a recent interview with BusinessWorld, referring to an earlier decision of the government to cancel the SEA Games hosting to focus on the rehabilitation of war-torn Marawi before being reconsidered.
“Meetings are ongoing. We had two or three meetings already with the SEA Games Federation. The PSC is not involved in the number of sports to be played as it’s with the POC (Philippine Olympic Committee). But venues we are involved because we are the ones who are funding them. By August, or October at the most, we think almost all the venues will be ready,” he added.
Mr. Ramirez, who is in his second tour of duty as PSC chairman after holding the same position from 2005 to 2008, said they are now awaiting for the approval of the P7.5-billion budget for the SEA Games by Congress so they can further pick things up.
“If the budget will be approved by January then the money will be used for the preparation but if it will be a re-enacted budget there will be a problem. But even then if it is a re-enactment the government will try to find ways to get the money. It can be done. Back in 2005 we were able to do a good hosting job with a P500-million budget,” the PSC official said.
Late last year, the PSC identified the areas where the 55 sporting events in the 2019 SEA Games will take place, dividing them into four clusters.
The clusters are Clark, Pampanga; Metro Manila; Subic, Zambales; and the Batangas, La Union and Tagaytay.
In the Clark cluster are aquatics, underwater hockey, athletics, archery, rugby 7’S, arnis, baseball, softball, floorball, indoor hockey, net ball, golf, judo, jujitsu, kurash, smabo, wrestling, lawn balls, petanque, shooting, and wakeboarding.
Identified areas in Clark include the Parade Grounds, The Villages, Royce Hotel, Luisita Golf, ASEAN Convention Center, Clark Global City and Clark Wakepark.
Part of the Metro Manila cluster, meanwhile, are badminton, basketball (3-on-3), basketball full court, taekwondo. Bowling, boxing, fencing, kickboxing, wushu, figure skating, ice hockey, football, gymnastics, rowing, soft tennis, tennis, squash, volleyball, Esports, and billiards.
Among the venues are Philippine Sports Commission Philippines Arena, SM Mall of Asia Activity Arena, MOA Arena. Ninoy Aquino Stadium, World Trade Center, La Mesa Ecopark, Manila Polo Club, and Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Venues for Esports and billiards are still to be determined.
In Subic, to be played are beach volleyball, beach handball, chess, muay, pencak silat, table tennis, weightlifting, karatedo, sepak takraw, obstacle sports, sailing, windsurfing, traditional boat race, triathlon and duathlon.
Areas of competition include Subic Tennis Court, Subic Bay Exhibition & Convention Center, Subic Gymnasium and Subic Bay Yacht Club.
Polo will be played in Calatagan, Batangas. Surfing is in La Union while cycling and skateboarding are to be held in Tagaytay.

James to miss fourth straight game but making progress

LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James will miss his fourth consecutive game on Wednesday, but he made some strides Tuesday in his recovery from a left groin injury.
James was shooting in front of coach Luke Walton during practice Tuesday in his most significant action since sustaining the injury on Christmas Day against the Golden State Warriors.
“He’s working on his body, his game, himself all the time,” Walton told reporters. “But that’s the first time I’ve seen him shoot (since the injury).”
The team ruled James out of the Wednesday game against the Oklahoma City Thunder but continues to list him as day-to-day.
The Lakers are 1-2 without James, and swingman Lance Stephenson admitted the star’s absence has an effect on the team.
“It’s definitely tough because he’s very vocal,” Stephenson told reporters. “With him missing, it’s like everyone is quiet. You don’t know what’s going on the floor. But the games that we had (this week), I think we got better at it.”
The Wednesday contest has a bit of hype associated with it due to Paul George’s presence in town.
George, who broke into the NBA with the Indiana Pacers, grew up an hour north of Los Angeles and had long expressed a desire to return to the area.
However, the Pacers traded George to Oklahoma City in the summer of 2017, and he re-signed with the Thunder as a free agent in July 2018 while the Lakers signed James as a free agent.
“I wanted to play in L.A. That is where I wanted to go,” George told The Undefeated this summer. “Had that trade never went down, had I played one more year in Indy, I would have been in a Lakers uniform.”
Walton had little interest in discussing George.
“It doesn’t matter,” Walton said. “You prep yourself, you do your work and then whatever’s gonna happen is gonna happen. You don’t get too emotionally attached to it. We went after players, LeBron decided to come, Paul didn’t. That’s our team now. We’re very happy we have LeBron James on our team.” — Reuters

Leonard’s 45-point night lifts Raptors past Jazz; Blazers beat Kings

LOS ANGELES — Kawhi Leonard scored a career-best 45 points — including 19 in the third quarter — and gathered six rebounds to help the Toronto Raptors defeat the visiting Utah Jazz 122-116 Tuesday night.
It was a career-best 14th straight game in which Leonard has scored at least 20 points.
Pascal Siakam scored a career-best 28 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for the Raptors, who won their second game in a row.
Norman Powell added 14 points off the bench for Toronto.
Reserve Jae Crowder scored a season-best 30 points for the Jazz in the opener of a four-game road trip. Utah lost for the third time in five games.
Derrick Favors added 21 points and nine rebounds for Utah. Donovan Mitchell notched 19 points, Rudy Gobert had 16 points and nine rebounds and Ricky Rubio contributed 14 points and eight assists.
The Raptors led by as many as 12 points in the third quarter and took a 10-point margin into the fourth.
They extended the lead to 12 on consecutive layups by Delon Wright earlier in the final period.
Rubio’s 7-footer reduced the lead to seven with 6:38 to play. Siakam’s layup and free throw with 4:44 to go had the Raptors back up by nine, but Crowder nailed consecutive 3-pointers to pull Utah within four with 4:06 left.
Leonard sank two free throws and then a layup to push the lead to 113-105.
Rubio’s free throw got Utah within four with 56 seconds to play. Siakam made two free throws to increase the margin to six with 23.5 seconds remaining.
Mitchell missed a 3-point attempt, and Fred VanVleet sealed the outcome with a free throw.
The Raptors were ahead 26-24 at the end of the first quarter after leading by eight.
Favors, on a layup, and Mitchell, on a 14-foot jumper, concluded the first-half scoring and gave the Jazz a 53-51 lead. Toronto’s largest lead in a closely contested second quarter was four points, and Utah’s biggest margin was three.
The Raptors started the second half with three 3-pointers — two by Siakam and another by VanVleet — to take a 60-53 edge. The advantage reached 67-57 after Siakam hit another 3-pointer with 8:07 to play in the third quarter.
Powell completed the third-quarter scoring with a 3-point shot, and the Raptors led 95-85.
NURKIC, BLAZERS BEAT KINGS IN OT
Jusuf Nurkic had a monster game, and the visiting Portland Trail Blazers rallied from a nine-point deficit with three minutes remaining in the fourth quarter to pull out a 113-108 overtime victory over the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday night.
Nurkic scored 24 points, grabbed a career-high 23 rebounds and also had seven assists, five steals and five blocked shots for the Blazers, who closed the fourth quarter on an 11-2 run.
Damian Lillard collected 25 points, six rebounds and six assists, and Seth Curry came off the bench to produce a season-high 18 points for Portland.
Buddy Hield scored 27 points and Nemanja Bjelica contributed 14 points and 16 rebounds for the Kings, who trailed by 14 points at halftime but stormed back to lead 101-92 with 3:10 remaining in regulation.
Lillard hit three free throws and a jumper to give Portland a 108-105 lead in the extra session. CJ McCollum’s jumper made it 110-105, and he followed with a layup to up the lead to 112-105 with 1:04 left.
The Kings missed 15 consecutive field-goal attempts before Bogdan Bogdanovic (19 points) made a 3-pointer with 23.4 seconds remaining to cut the gap to 112-108. Nurkic split a pair at the line for a 113-108 lead with 13.6 seconds on the clock.
Nurkic (15 points, 11 rebounds) and Curry (15 points) led the way as Portland raced to a 64-50 lead at the half. Hield had 19 first-half points for Sacramento.
JOKIC’S TRIPLE-DOUBLE HELPS NUGGETS SINK KNICKS
Nikola Jokic had 19 points, 15 assists and 14 rebounds, Malik Beasley scored a career-high 23 points off the bench, and the host Denver Nuggets beat the New York Knicks 115-108 on Tuesday night.
Jokic notched his third triple-double this season and the 19th in his career.
Paul Millsap scored 16 points in his second game back from a broken toe to help the Nuggets win their third straight.
Luke Kornet had 19 points, Kevin Knox scored 18 and Enes Kanter had 17 for the Knicks, who have lost eight in a row.
Emmanuel Mudiay finished with 15 points in his first game in Denver since the Nuggets traded him to New York last season.
Millsap and Beasley helped turn a two-point deficit into a win with an early surge in the fourth quarter. Mason Plumlee tied it at 84 with a dunk. Millsap hit a short jumper, Beasley hit two of his five 3-pointers and Millsap hit another step-back shot to give the Nuggets a 94-87 lead.
The game stayed close throughout the third quarter. Denver tried to take control with six straight points to lead 72-69 midway through but New York responded with a 9-1 run. It was tied late when Kanter hit a layup to give the Knicks an 84-82 lead heading into the fourth quarter. — Reuters

Dubov is World Rapid Chess champion

GRANDMASTER (GM) Daniil Dmitrievich Dubov (born April 18, 1996 in Moscow) won the $60,000 first prize (approximately P3.15 million at the World Rapid Chess Championship by posting a score of 11/15 with seven wins, eight draws and no losses.

FIDE World Rapid Championship (sponsored by King Salman of Saudi Arabia)
St. Petersburg, Russia
December 26-28, 2018

Final Top Standings
(Rapid Ratings)
1. GM Daniil Dubov RUS 2723, 11.0/15
2-5. GM Shakhriyar Mamedyarov AZE 2786, GM Hikaru Nakamura USA 2844, GM Vladislav Artemiev RUS 2812, GM Magnus Carlsen NOR 2903, 10.5/15
6-17. GM Alireza Firouzja IRI 2412, GM Yu Yangyi CHN 2758, GM Anish Giri NED 2739, GM Sergey Karjakin RUS 2774, GM Tigran L. Petrosian ARM 2676, GM Anton Korobov UKR 2740, GM Maxim Matlakov RUS 2690, GM Jan-Krzysztof Duda POL 2683, GM David Anton Guijarro ESP 2708, GM Alexander Grischuk RUS 2732, GM Dmitry Jakovenko RUS 2731, GM Pavel Ponkratov RUS 2650, 10.0/15
Total of 206 Participants
Time Control: 15 minutes for the entire game with 10 seconds added to your clock after every move starting move 1
Dubov’s great performance was a bit of an upset — his 2723 Rapid Rating put him at a starting rank of no. 25. The top 5 seeds were:

Magnus Carlsen NOR 2903

Hikaru Nakamura USA 2844

Vladislav Artemiev RUS 2812

Vladimir Fedoseev RUS 2810

Levon Aronian ARM 2802

Remember this game from the 2017 World Cup?

Dubov, Daniil (2666) — Artemiev, Vladislav (2692) [B98]
FIDE World Cup 2017 Tbilisi (3.2), 10.09.2017

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Bg5 e6 7.f4 h6 8.Bh4 Be7 9.Qf3 Nbd7 10.0–0–0 g5 11.fxg5 hxg5 12.Bg3 Qc7 13.Bb5 g4 14.Qe2 e5 15.Nf5 axb5 16.Nxb5 Qc6 17.Nbxd6+ Bxd6 18.Nxd6+ Kf8 19.a3 Ne8 20.Nf5 Ra4 21.Be1 Ndf6 22.Ng3 Nxe4 23.Rd8 Be6 24.Bb4+ Rxb4 25.axb4 Nxg3 26.Qxe5 Ke7 27.Rhd1 Rxh2 28.b5 Ne2+ 29.Kb1 Qc4 30.Rxe8+ Kxe8 31.Qb8+ Bc8 32.Qxh2 Nc3+ 33.bxc3 Qxb5+ 34.Kc1 Qg5+ 35.Rd2 Qa5 36.Rd4 Qg5+ 37.Kd1 Qf6 38.Qc7 Qf1+ 39.Kd2 Qxg2+ 40.Kc1 Qf1+ 41.Rd1 1–0
Dubov acknowledged that he did not want a draw as the match would go into rapid tiebreaks where Artemiev would be the favorite. He had to play to win but in standard chess Artemiev had better technical skills, so the only alternative was to go for a complicated struggle, which was why he lashed out with 13.Bb5 even though he had no special preparation.
Here in St. Petersburg Dubov showed strong play over the whole board, correctly adapting himself to the needs of the position. This crucial win over Wang Hao in the penultimate round shows this characteristic.

Wang, Hao (2782) — Dubov, Daniil (2723) [D78]
FIDE Wch Rapid St. Petersburg (14.3), 28.12.2018

1.Nf3 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.g3 Bg7 4.Bg2 c6 5.d4 d5 6.Nbd2 0–0 7.0–0 a5 8.b3 Ne4 9.Bb2 Bf5 10.Nh4 Nxd2 11.Qxd2 Be6 12.f4
White has a very good score with this line, something liike 6 wins 1 draw out of 7. His attack based on the threat of f4–f5 has usually proven to be very strong.
12…Nd7
The obvious 12…f5 to prevent f4–f5 has not proven to be effective. After 13.Rac1 Nd7 14.Qe3 Bf7 15.cxd5 cxd5 16.Nf3 Nf6 17.Ne5 Ne4 18.Rc2 a4 19.Rfc1 axb3 20.Qxb3 Bxe5 21.dxe5 Qa5 22.Bd4 White had the advantage. Wen, Y (2617)-Darini,P (2523) Bandar e Anzali 2017 1–0 44.
13.f5 gxf5 14.Nxf5 Bxf5! 15.Rxf5 e6 16.Rff1 f5 17.cxd5 cxd5 18.Rac1 Nf6 19.Bf3 a4 20.Qe3 Qd7 21.Rc2 axb3 22.Qxb3 Rac8 23.Rfc1 Bh6 24.Rxc8 Rxc8 25.Rc5
Wang Hao is himself a very strong rapid player. Before the start of round 14 he was just half a point behind the leaders Yu Yangyi and Dubov and obviously was trying to squeeze all he can out of the position. This backfires on him.
25…Bf8 26.Rb5 Rc7 27.Rb6 Ne4
With the idea of Ne4–d2(or d6)-c4.
28.Bxe4 fxe4
Alarm bells are ringing now. Not only does Black have the c-file but the f-file is also open and his king is all alone.
29.Kg2 Bg7 30.Rb5
Wang Hao has clearly lost the thread of the game. Black now finishes very strongly.
30…Qf7 31.Rb6 Bh6
Whereas White was wasting time with his useless rook moves Dubov has repositioned his pieces and now threatens …e3 or …Be3 targeting the White king.
32.Qd1 Be3 33.Qf1 Qh5!
Now threatening either …Rc2 or …Rf7 with a winning position.
34.Rxe6 Rc2 35.Kh1 Rxb2 36.Re5 Qf7 37.Rf5 Qe6 38.Re5 Qd7 39.Qf6 Rb1+ with unavoidable mate. 0–1
The reigning classical chess world champion Magnus Carlsen was of course the big favorite to win, considering that he is the no. 1 ranked player in the world in classical, rapid and blitz (and don’t forget that in 2014 he was the world champion in all formats), but he spoilt his tournament with losses in the first two rounds to GM Adam Tukhaev and IM Shamsiddim Vokhidov. Never heard of them before? That’s the point. In the second day of rapid play he lost once again, this time to GM Alexander Zubov of the Ukraine. That meant that Carlsen was playing catch-up for the entire tournament and it is to his great credit that he finished tied for 2nd half a point behind Dubov, although tiebreaks relegated him to 5th place.
Another favorite is Hikaru Nakamura, rated no. 2 in the world in rapid chess and a legend in the online chess servers. He lost two games though to Nepomniachtchi and Tigran L. Petrosian and even a closing 3.5/4 burst could not overtake Dubov. His tactics though were still a joy to watch.

Nakamura, Hikaru (2746) — Sargissian, Gabriel (2689) [A06]
FIDE Wch Rapid St. Petersburg (13.7), 28.12.2018

1.Nf3 d5 2.b3
Similar to Georgia’s top player Baadur Jobava, Nakamura has taken to playing b3, especially in quickplay games, with the idea of retaining pieces to give full scope to his tactical genius at getting the most of his pieces in the middlegame.
2…Nf6 3.Bb2 Bg4 4.e3 e6 5.d3 Be7 6.h3 Bxf3 7.Qxf3 0–0 8.g3 a5 9.a4 Bb4+ 10.c3 Bd6 11.Bg2
We are out of the opening now and Nakamura starts kingside operations. Watch!
11…Nbd7 12.0–0 Qe7 13.Qe2 c6 14.Nd2 Rfe8 15.e4 dxe4 16.dxe4 Ne5 17.f4 Bc5+ 18.Kh2 Ned7 19.e5 Nd5 20.Rf3 Qf8 21.Ne4 Be7 22.c4 Nb4 23.f5 exf5 24.Rxf5 g6 <D>
POSITION AFTER 24…G6
Now it begins.
25.e6! gxf5 26.exd7 Red8
[26…fxe4?? 27.Qg4+ followed by mate]
27.Qh5
With the idea of Nf6+ Bxf6 Bxf6 and wins
27…f6 28.Qxf5 Qf7 29.Bxf6 Bxf6 30.Nxf6+ Kg7 31.Rf1 Qe7 32.Qxh7+ 1–0
I thought that Peter Svidler might be a dark horse to win this championship as he is a native of St. Petersburg and he usually does well in front of a hometown crowd. He was among the leading group after 9 rounds but got hit with a couple of brilliancies in the latter rounds. Here is one of them.

Svidler, Peter (2753) — Andreikin, Dmitry (2725) [A30]
FIDE Wch Rapid St. Petersburg (10.5), 27.12.2018

1.Nf3 Nf6 2.c4 b6 3.g3 Bb7 4.Bg2 g6 5.0–0 c5 6.e3 Bg7 7.d4 0–0 8.Nc3 Ne4 9.Ne2
The most common move here is 9.Bd2, but as in the Nakamura game above, when you are going for a win you strive to retain pieces in the opening so that you will have more wood behind your attacks.
9…Nc6 10.Nf4 e6 11.Re1 f5 12.d5 exd5 13.Nxd5 Ne7 14.Nf4 Qc7 15.a4 g5 16.Nh5 g4 17.Nh4 Ng6 18.Nxg7 Nxh4! 19.gxh4 Kxg7 20.Qc2 Rf6 21.b3 Rh6 22.Bb2+ Kf7 23.Bxe4 Bxe4 24.Qc3 Rg8 25.a5?
If he had seen the threat Svidler would have played 25.Qe5 although after 25…d6 26.Qg3 Qe7 27.Rad1 Rgg6 followed by …Rxh4 Black is still winning.
25…Qxh2+! 26.Kxh2 Rxh4+ 27.Kg3 Rh3+ 28.Kf4 Rf3+ 29.Ke5 Rg6 0–1
Andreikin threatens mate with either …d6 or …Re6. There is no defense.
Now for something interesting, during the first day of play an interviewer asked Dubov what time control he preferred. The surprising answer was:
“I can say what I hate most. I actually hate rapid. Normally a classical game is a serious game — you prepare, you kind of need to sleep at night, you need to be in a very good physical shape. Blitz is exactly the opposite — you don’t care at all. You can be drunk, you can dance all night, whatever happens — you just need to be lucky and it will work. In rapid it’s not that you don’t care at all, but still it’s kind of not exactly a serious type of chess. I normally don’t know — should I party all night or should I sleep all night? Should I do Grischuk style and think with whom should I sleep all night and such stuff. I don’t know!”
So, the current World Rapid Champion hates Rapid chess. Something to think about.
 
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 for 25 years and is currently Chief Audit Executive of the Equicom Group of Companies.
bobby@cpamd.net

Lakers to LeBron

“We are not just one player,” second-year forward Kyle Kuzma declared in the aftermath of the Lakers’ victory over the weekend. It was a significant development, to be sure, and not simply because they prevailed against the very Kings who tormented them just three days earlier with an emphatic comeback. Consider: It marked the first time in three tries that they won without top dog LeBron James in the lineup, as good an indication as any of their growth. It’s especially noteworthy in light of the fact that his teams hadn’t triumphed in the last 16 matches he missed.
Considering that James figures to still be out for the foreseeable future due to a groin strain, the Lakers need to keep pushing. It certainly helps that they’re confident, as much a function of their youth as of their immediate past experience. So integral is he to their system that his sidelining cannot but be disruptive. On the other hand, it’s likewise a grand opportunity for the otherwise-overlooked supporting cast to take a central role. And against the Kings, it managed to do so. Brandon Ingram, second overall pick in 2016, proved particularly productive in the crunch, spearheading the offense with heady decision making.
That said, the Lakers are clearly a work in progress. Ingram’s starring role against the Kings, for instance, came at the expense of Lonzo Ball, second overall pick in 2017; the latter was compelled to ride the pine as he took over ballhandling chores. Admittedly, head coach Luke Walton’s constant shuffling from game to game is reflective of the uneven roster of the purple and gold; key figures perform overlapping roles even as other facets deemed crucial to success in the age of advanced metrics are left wanting.
Which, in a nutshell, is why the Lakers will ultimately go only so far as James can take them. That’s they’re solidly in the playoff picture as opposed to scrambling in lottery territory is due in large measure to his efforts. They’re bucking preseason prognoses because of him, and they’ll harbor prime postseason placement also because of him. Any injury he suffers is disappointing at best and devastating at worst. They may indeed be more than just one player, but that one player is who’s driving them most.
 
Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994.

Investor caution greets new year

By Arra B. Francia
Reporter
VOLATILITY that rocked the bourse in 2018 will likely persist this year, as the trade war between the world’s two biggest economies and fears of a recession in the United States continue to make investors skittish.
The Philippine Stock Exchange index (PSEi) was battered by headwinds in 2018 — from inflation that accelerated to a nine-year high of 6.7% in September and October to the trade spat between the US and China affecting billions of dollars’ worth of goods from both sides.
“We attribute the year-to-date underperformance of Philippine equities to a combination of rising global yields, desynchronized global growth and accelerating domestic inflation,” according to a Philippine Equity Strategy report of BDO Nomura Securities, Inc.
Elevated inflation dampens consumer spending, which has otherwise been a key strength of the overall economy.
The benchmark Philippine Stock Exchange index (PSEi) fell 12.76% year-on-year to 7,466.02, leading to an 8.17% annual drop in total market capitalization to P16.15 trillion.
Citing forecasts of major investment houses, PSE President Ramon S. Monzon has said the main index could end 2019 at 7,600-8,400. “We got the outlook of three big investment houses, BDO (Nomura Securities, Inc.), Wealth (Securities, Inc.), Metrobank (Metropolitan Bank & Trust Co.) They were forecasting the PSEi to be anywhere from 7,600 up to 8,400. I hope magdilang anghel sila (their projections will come true),” Mr. Monzon told reporters in Taguig City on Dec. 18.
Asked on his expectation for the year ahead, PNB Securities, Inc. President Manuel Antonio G. Lisbona said expects 2019 to be just “slightly better” than 2018.
“2018 marked the end of low interest rates. Our biggest challenges for 2019 will be the effect of rising rates (especially if the increases are higher than expected), the effects of the trade war between the US and China — which doesn’t look like it will be resolved soon and is actually escalating given the US’ call to stop using Huawei and ZTE equipment,” Mr. Lisbona said in a mobile phone message.
Unicapital Securities, Inc. Technical Analyst Cristopher Adrian T. San Pedro said separately that he expects the PSEi to mirror developments of global markets, which had swayed with volatility in 2018.
“Moving forward we are going to experience more volatility than last year as we continue to monitor developments in foreign markets, particularly in the US because of the threat of an impending bear market due to recession shocks in the medium term,” Mr. San Pedro said in an e-mailed reply to questions.
Mr. San Pedro said the PSEi may rally in the short term due to a seasonal increase in stock prices in January.
Expectations of slower inflation may also lift the stock market this year. The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) projects inflation to have decelerated within the 5.2-6% range in December, which if realized would be the slowest since May 2018’s 4.6% or July’s 5.7%. The Philippine Statistics Authority will report December inflation data on Jan. 4.
“Beyond a possible moderation in the BSP’s monetary policy stance… slower inflation should reduce margin pressure on inflation-sensitive stocks. We see inflation as less of a risk for equity investors versus this time last year, and we turn more positive on consumer stocks,” BDO Nomura said in its report.
The May 13 mid-term elections are expected to boost spending this semester, providing an added lift to overall first-half economic growth.
Still, the results of the congressional and local elections may cause some political shocks, according to Unicapital’s Mr. San Pedro.
Despite the expected volatility, PNB Securities’ Mr. Lisbona said long-term investors will have an opportunity to further increase their portfolios.
“In terms of support, we are looking at 7,000 as primary support but we don’t discount the market going to 6,600 if [interest] rate increases accelerate unexpectedly,” Mr. Lisbona added, while declining to give a 2019 year-end forecast.

Analysts’ December inflation rate estimates (2018)

INFLATION likely eased further in December as fuel and food costs continued to ease, analysts said in a BusinessWorld poll, even as some flagged that a spike in demand during Christmas may have buoyed prices. Read the full story.

Analysts’ December inflation rate estimates (2018)

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