On January 24, 2019, the House of Representatives approved a bill which lowers the minimum age of criminal responsibility from 9 to 12 years old. This occurred after the first version of the bill pegged it at 9-15 years old. If this bill becomes law, children aged 9 to 12 can be subjected to criminal charges if they have committed serious crimes like murder, kidnapping, serious illegal detention, and other associated offenses.
The alleged rationale of the bill was the belief that 12-year-old children, when they acted in discernment, may be subject to proceedings involving reversion and intervention. Some of the legislators involved in the formulation of this proposed bill mentioned that the proliferation of crime incidents where children are involved have increased over the years, according to the Philippine National Police. The Executive department chimed in by saying that this piece of law will teach children a sense of accountability for their acts. The more teeth the law has, the more motivation for children not to participate in any way in the commission of crimes.
But how do the existing laws define what is a child and what are his or her rights? The Child and Youth Welfare Code considers as children anyone below 21 years old. On the other hand, the Juvenile Justice Act of 2006 defines a child as a person under the age of eighteen (18) years.
A “Child at Risk” refers to a child who is vulnerable to and at the risk of committing criminal offenses because of personal, family, and social circumstances. So up to the age of 18, a child is exempt from criminal liability. In all of these aforementioned laws, the recurring theme revolves around the right of the child to grow up in an atmosphere of freedom, peace, understanding, tolerance, and brotherhood. It also considers an innate inability of children to really understand the wider, serious implications of their actions, whether or not such amounts to a crime.
The Juvenile Justice Act views discernment as the capacity of the child at the time of the commission of the offense to understand the difference between right and wrong and the consequences of the wrongful act. Now this definition should not be compartmentalized from the societal strata, economic conditions, and other factors that mold a child. It is obvious and I am sure that the PNP will have a plethora of data to support a conclusion that more than a majority of children are in conflict with the law, specifically those drug related crimes, are living in poverty.
While drugs are a real menace children who participate in offenses brought about by it are, in reality, driven by daily “subsistence” issues — where to find food to eat, shelter, and medical care. This is the issue and not their age. Treating children prematurely like adults who have already fully developed a moral or social compass is extremely dangerous.
The way forward is to implement all our laws that seek to protect the rights and welfare of our nation’s children. There are mechanisms provided in these laws that take into account the concerns of our government agencies tasked to promote public order within the context of children in conflict with the law. Children should not be the targets. We adults are ultimately responsible for who they are, what they become, and how they behave in society. More law will not necessarily solve our crime or violence issues. Let us allow our children to be just that. Children.
Ariel F. Nepomuceno is a management consultant on strategy and investment.
BusinessWorld has reported that a listed company had just “broken ground” on a 1.1-megawatt (MW) solar photovoltaic (PV) rooftop project in one of its malls in Mindanao. The project, said to cost P67.4 million, is in line with the firm’s target capacity of 200-MW of electricity from solar PV rooftops in the next two years.
I consider this a very welcome development, considering reports of a possible shortage in the near future. On Tuesday, “reserve energy” in the Luzon grid reportedly dropped to “below minimum levels…due to the unexpected shutdown and limited generation of some power plants.” This was on the back of high demand for electricity. Available capacity on Tuesday was at 10,115 MW, while peak demand during the day hit 9,491 MW.
Electricity transmission grid operator National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) said it is required to maintain a “regulating reserve” ideally equivalent to 4% of the demand for the hour. In addition, it should have a “contingency reserve” of about 600 MW — equivalent to the capacity of the largest power generating unit online — and “dispatchable reserve,” or readily available power to make up for any lost contingency reserve. Any drop in the level of any of these reserves prompts a system alert, as what happened on Tuesday.
The forecast is that El Niño, or the long dry season, will negatively impact particularly Luzon — where Metro Manila is — with peak demand seen hitting 11,403 MW in May. Hydroelectric power plants in Luzon are expected to reduce capacity by about by 30% in April-June. Luzon will have to import 200 MW from the Visayas grid and get another 150 MW from a diesel-run power plant to mitigate power outages.
It is thus a big deal for us that many businesses like shopping malls have been turning to solar power to make up for the gap in power supply. Solar technology and newer battery technology have now become more accessible to many. And with sunlight being a “free” source of energy, solar makes a lot of sense for a country like ours.
I am told that costs have gone down even for outfitting homes with solar panels, to allow for residential self-generation to some degree. I am uncertain however if solar power producers can still excess supply to the grid, at least to recover some of their costs in producing their own electricity.
Many government buildings now under construction, as well as privately owned commercial and residential buildings, are above ground. It will be great if these developments can already include systems and facilities that will allow for self-generation of electricity, even partially.
The same goes for train (PNR) and light rail (LRT and MRT lines) stations, which are mostly above ground. The same can be powered partly by solar energy by outfitting suitable surfaces with solar panels. A big portion of Metro Manila’s “concrete jungle” can actually be converted into “solar farms.”
In Germany, for instance, which is not even a tropical country like the Philippines, there are already plans to make all trains run on “renewable energy” by 2050. The effort may take 31 more years to achieve, but at least the German nation has a plan that is actually worth pursuing, and the will and determination to make it happen.
Germany has previously announced that it would give up nuclear power. At present, the entire country runs on 20% renewable energy. Deutsche Bahn, Germany’s national railway operator, has also announced plans to make all trains run on 100% renewable energy by the year 2050.
The German railway currently uses 2% of the country’s total electricity. So, its goal of going completely renewable will have a “powerful impact upon the nation as a whole,” noted environmental site inhabitat.com. inhabitat.com added, “Deutsche Bahn’s switch to renewable energy will not only lower CO2 emissions but will also increase the railway’s competitive edge as the need for environmental protection becomes more and more urgent.”
Another interesting case is that of the village of Wildpoldsried in the state of Bavaria, also in Germany. The village reportedly produces “321% more energy than it needs” and “an impressive $5.7 million in annual revenue from renewable energy,” inhabitat.com noted.
And this is done by having “equipped nine new community buildings with solar panels, built four biogas digesters…and installed seven windmills.” In the village itself, inhabitat.com said, 190 private households have solar panels while the district also benefits from three small hydro power plants, ecological flood control, and a natural waste water system. The Guardian, meantime, in a commentary by energy expert Leo Murray, noted that “solar giant Lightsource…[has] signed a 25-year power purchase agreement with Belfast airport that underwrote a neighboring £5 million solar farm, using a private wire to supply a quarter of the airport’s electricity needs.
It also reported that in the UK, authorities and experts are already looking into solar-powered trains, considering that many trains in the territory already run on electricity. This is given that “Network Rail is the UK’s single largest electricity consumer, with internal decarbonization targets and a strong incentive to reduce operational energy costs,” Murray added.
My point is this: if Germany and the United Kingdom can look into it, why can’t we? We now have more homes, and more shopping malls, using solar power or self-generating part of their electricity requirements. But, in my opinion, we can expand this further, and we can learn from the experience of countries like Germany and the UK.
We have more sunshine here than in Europe, given the longer dry season. But our solar initiative should already go beyond the private sector. There should be the political will on the part of the national government, as well as local governments, to go green when and where they can. Public facilities should shift to renewable energy. This should not be a choice, but a mandate. And voters should insist on it.
Marvin Tort is a former managing editor of BusinessWorld, and a former chairman of the Philippines Press Council matort@yahoo.com
By Raju Mandhyan
THOUGH this habit has impacted me several times and through multiple avenues, I can’t seem to be impressed any lesser every time it happens. The habit of assessing any situation through a proactive stance and doing something concrete about all challenges most often than not generates happy and constructive outcomes.
Some time ago, I spent three months working with a bunch of senior executives of a global corporation. In the previous quarter their sales were down, they were developing lesser and lesser new products. People in several of their departments were low on energy and low on engagement. Upon probing deeper and conversing with people at multiple levels we sensed a drop in trust levels among the senior management.
Though this was barely visible in their behaviors and internal communications, it seemed that production, sales and even marketing had read between the lines and gotten a whiff of the underlying tremors in the senior team. The infliction had spread and was slowing down progress and even routine work.
We used a combination of strategies and interventions to heal the underlying tremors and discords. Most all of them were first focused on impressing upon all departments the value of consistent growth through innovation. Followed by small group discussions which were facilitated such to increase personal and corporate alignment. Once the teams and parts of the organization began to understand what needed to be done, several brainstorming sessions were held where cross-functional teams came up with ideas to innovate on people development, process improvement and suggestions on big-picture strategies for growth.
Of the scores of ideas, a select few were converted to action plans. The miraculous thing about the whole process was that since the dialogues and discussions were held following the Appreciative Inquiry way of life, a soft but a sticky benefit that emerged was increased engagement at all levels of the organization. It may not show on the company’s scorecards yet but the energy levels, the open discussions in the hallways and even the number of hi-five’s went up.
Appreciative Inquiry, in a tiny nutshell, is the habit of zooming in on strengths and successes of a system and then using careful questioning to unleash more strengths and synergies within a system. It is happy acceptance coupled with, say, the Socratic method of unearthing positive wisdom. Together, it makes for powerful magic for growth and development.
In the following months the company recouped and ran surveys on the actual results and numbers. The senior leadership and most all involved felt that what had been done had been done for the better and it is bound to have a long-term positive effect. If you, personally, or your organizations need to catalyze engagement, then development, look no further than appreciating what is and exploring deeper into what can be through the Appreciative Inquiry way of life. In our circle of consultants, we claim that deep inside every harsh desert there lies an oasis.
By Michael Angelo S. Murillo Senior Reporter
THE Columbian Dyip put some flicker back into their quarterfinal hopes in the PBA Philippine Cup after an 85-82 victory over the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters on Wednesday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Getting balanced contributions from the rest of team, Columbian upended Rain or Shine to improve to 4-5 in the ongoing Philippine Basketball Association tournament, still in contention for a playoff spot.
Rain or Shine (ROS) got it going early as veteran James Yap was finding his mark and help his team to a 26-15 lead at the end of the first 12 minutes.
But Columbian regrouped in the second quarter, chipping away on its deficit to come to within three points, 32-29, with 5:14 to go and eventually tying the count at 34-all two minutes later.
Pulled by guard Rashawn McCarthy the rest of the quarter, the Dyip completed the turnaround, holding a 42-40 lead at the half.
A back-and-forth marked the start of the third canto before Mr. McCarthy instigated a pullaway by Columbian as they built a 55-46 separation by the 6:47 mark of the frame.
The Elasto Painters tried to claw their way back but the Dyip held strong to stay in control, 66-59, heading into the final canto.
Mark Borboran and Ed Daquioag jolted Rain or Shine to start the fourth.
They levelled the count at 73-all with seven minutes left in the contest after back-to-back triples from Messrs. Borboran and Daquioag.
Columbian scored four quick points after care of Jackson Corpuz and CJ Perez to make it 77-73.
The score was 79-75 with four minutes to go, and the Dyip still on top, before the Elasto Painters made it a one-point game, 83-82, entering the last two minutes.
It stayed that way until Reden Celda made it a three-point cushion for Columbian, 85-82, with 2.3 seconds to go.
Rain or Shine sued for time after to set up a play to extend the contest.
The Elasto Painters went to Mr. Yap for the game-tying trey but his desperation heave as time expired just hit the front of the goal, sending them to the defeat.
Mr. McCarthy paced Columbian with 22 points with Mr. Corpuz adding 12.
Rookie Perez had a double-double of 11 points and 11 rebounds.
Rain or Shine (7-3), meanwhile, had Mr. Borboran top-scoring with 21 points with Mr. Yap and Javee Mocon adding 10 each.
The Elasto Painters have now lost back-to-back matches after winning their previous five.
“It was a total team effort for us. We struggled early but we were able to pick it up with contributions from both the veterans and our rookies,” said winning coach John Cardel after the game.
“This win helps us in our push for the quarterfinals with two games left in the eliminations,” he added.
By Michael Angelo S. Murillo Senior Reporter
THE FAR Eastern University Lady Tamaraws outlasted the University of the East Lady Warriors in their highly competitive UAAP Season 81 match on Wednesday at the FilOil Flying V Arena, winning in five sets, 25-15, 24-26, 25-22, 20-25 and 15-9.
Challenged greatly by a UE crew, FEU held steady in the clutch to win its second game in a row after dropping its previous two matches to get back in the red with a 3-2 record in the ongoing University Athletic Association of the Philippines season.
The two teams split the opening two sets with FEU clinical with its game to take the first, 25-15, before UE dug deep in the second frame to hack out a 26-24 win to level the match.
In the third set the Lady Tamaraws were quick to create some separation led by rookie Lycha Ebon.
They raced to an 8-5 lead by the first technical timeout.
UE stayed within striking distance, paced by Mean Mendrez.
But Ebon and Cel Domingo would not allow FEU be denied of a set win as they conspired to help their team to a 25-22 count and a two sets to one lead for the match.
Getting some leverage, the Lady Tamaraws continued to hold sway at the start of the fourth frame.
They held a narrow 16-15 advantage by the second technical timeout.
FEU extended its lead to 20-17 after only to find itself stopped on its tracks by a ferocious UE fight back that saw the Lady Warriors finish the set with an 8-0 blast to send the contest to a deciding fifth set.
In the deciding set it was UE which came out on a firmer footing with Seth Rodriguez and Laizah Bendong joining in the mix.
The Lady Warriors was up, 8-7, at the exchange.
However, instead of going north, things went south for UE after that as it was outscored by FEU, 8-1, the rest of the way and saw the Lady Tamaraws going home with the win.
Ebon was solid with a career-best 21 points for FEU.
Domingo backstopped their rookie with 17 markers and Jeanette Villarreal adding 10.
For UE (1-4), which has now lost back-to-back, it wad Mendrez who led the way with 21 points followed by Rodriguez and Judith Abil with 10 points each.
FEU next plays on March 10 against Adamson University while UE returns a day earlier on March 9 versus the De La Salle Lady Spikers.
LOS ANGELES — James Harden scored 35 points — 19 in about the final seven minutes of the fourth quarter — as the visiting Houston Rockets lost a 22-point lead before coming back to defeat the Toronto Raptors 107-95 to extend their winning streak to six games.
Gerald Green added 18 points for the Rockets, who won both meetings between the teams this season.
Eric Gordon and Austin Rivers added 13 points each for the Rockets, while Clint Capela had nine points and 15 rebounds and Chris Paul had five points, 10 assists and six rebounds.
Kawhi Leonard led Toronto with 26 points, Pascal Siakam had 17 points and 10 rebounds, and Serge Ibaka contributed 10 points and 15 rebounds. TIMBERWOLVES 131, THUNDER 120
Karl-Anthony Towns scored 41 as Minnesota beat visiting Oklahoma City in Minneapolis for its third consecutive win this season over the Thunder.
Oklahoma City’s Paul George returned to the lineup after missing three games with a sore shoulder, but he struggled, making justeight of 25 shots from the field and four of 14 from behind the 3-point arc to finish with 25 points.
Russell Westbrook led the Thunder with 38 points and 13 rebounds, sinking 15 of 28 shots and five 3-pointers. Andrew Wiggins finished with 18 points for the Timberwolves. GRIZZLIES 120, TRAIL BLAZERS 111
Mike Conley scored a career-high 40 points to lead Memphis over visiting Portland, draining six of seven 3-point attempts while connecting on 12 of 18 shots overall.
Delon Wright added 25 points on 9-of-13 shooting for Memphis, and Jonas Valanciunas scored 17 points.
CJ McCollum scored 27 points for the Trail Blazers, who finished 5-2 on a seven-game road trip. Damian Lillard scored 24 points, and Maurice Harkless added a season-best 20. 76ERS 114, MAGIC 106
JJ Redick scored 26 points, his 23rd 20-point game this season, to lead host Philadelphia past Orlando. — Reuters
SET to make its debut on Philippine soil later this month, Bahrain-based Brave Combat Federation said the timing is but right for the country to experience its brand of mixed martial arts action.
To happen on March 15 at the Mall of Asia Arena, “Brave 22: Storm of Warriors” will mark the first time that the promotion will play the Philippines after building its name in different parts of the world since its establishment in 2016.
The event will be headlined by the title defense of Filipino Brave bantamweight champion Stephen “The Sniper” Loman (12-2) against challenger Elias Boudegzdame (15-5) from Algeria, by way of Montpellier, France.
Also seeing action at Storm of Warriors are Filipinos Jeremy Pacatiw, Marc Alcoba, Rolando Dy, Harold Banario, Rex De Lara, Jayson Margallo, John Cris Corton, Jason Vergara and Jomar Pa-Ac.
For Brave President Mohammed Shahid, their first show in the Philippines was long time coming and that they are looking forward to establishing their footing in the country, especially since Filipino fighters are staples in the promotion.
“[Coming here was] something we were looking forward to for a very long time. This event is for the Filipino fighters and fans. It’s about time that Filipino fighters are recognized back in their home,” said Mr. Shahid.
“When I first came here a few weeks back, a lot of people asked me how come we have not known of Stephen Loman, the champion of Brave CF. They did not know that he was representing your country around the world. He has proven what a world champion is. We hope to change that with Brave 22 and show who he is and what true martial arts is,” he added.
The Brave executive went on to say that a lot of factors led to the setting up of their first event in the country, including the immense growth of MMA in the Asian region, with the Philippines included, and the good relations of Bahrain and the Philippines.
“There are reasons why this finally happened. First point is across Asia the growth of mixed martial arts, including the Philippines, has been tremendous. And one of Brave’s world champions is from the Philippines. Every promotion in the world is recognizing MMA in the Philippines. It’s a no-brainer,” said Mr. Shahid.
Adding, “Also we have had good relations with the Philippine government. Even Ambassador to Bahrain Alfonso Ver said we should come to the Philippines because he saw that Filipino fighters were fighting in Brave and doing well.”
Mr. Shahid said fans should expect a good night of fight action at Storm of Warriors.
He sees Mr. Loman having his hands full versus Mr. Boudegzdame but is all praises for the Filipino champion.
“Stephen Loman is a great champion. He took everything we offered. When we told him that he would defend his title here, he immediately said okay and that he is ready,” Mr. Shahid said.
Live coverage of Brave 22: Storm of Warriors will handled by ESPN5 on various platforms.
Founded three years ago, Brave, under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa, has made significant headways in bringing top-class MMA action in different parts of the globe.
Since September of 2016, the company has visited 14 countries: Bahrain, Brazil, the United Arab Emirates, India, Kazakhstan, Mexico, Jordan, Indonesia, Northern Ireland, Morocco, Colombia, Pakistan, South Africa, and Saudi Arabia.
Brave said that by taking MMA to a wider range, it was able to give a truly global platform to athletes for their in-cage abilities and fighting qualities. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo
CEBU — Despite falling way short of its opening round target, reigning four-time champion Manila Southwoods yesterday still grabbed a one-point lead over darkhorse Tagaytay Highlands as the exclusive Cebu Country Club layout here proved one tough nut to crack for the talented field.
Ace Yuto Katsuragawa fired an eagle-spiked one-under-par 71 worth 37 points to lead the Carmona-based squad to a 125 tally as Tagaytay Highlands rode the 33s of Marty Ilagan and new recruit Jolo Magcalayo to emerge as the closest pursuer.
Action shifts to Mactan Island Golf Club for the next two days, and Southwoods’ non-playing skipper Thirdy Escano declared that Katsuragawa will be sitting out the next two rounds, guaranteeing that Southwoods will have its biggest gun come the final day on Saturday.
Jolo Magcalayo picked up on the 18th hole after missing his second putt for a bogey, and Highlands counted the 30 of Jonas Magcalayo and the 28 of Lisandro Opulencia for its 124, two points ahead of perennial contender Del Monte Golf, which got a level 36 from Romeo Jaraula.
Luisita, the Senior champion last week, was seven shots off after a 118 built around the 32 of Luigi Paolo Wong and the 31 of Don Petil.
Young Jung-oh’s 22 failed to count for Tagaytay Highlands, which was supposed to play in the lower Founders Division but found itself ranged against the big boys at the last minute after the addition of Jolo Magcalayo.
Highlands also has a formidable bench, with Raymund Sangil and Jenz Tecson in the roster.
Dan Cruz fired 29 points and was the third best scorer for the Luisitans.
Aeroflot Open 2019 “A”
Cosmos Hotel, Moscow, Russia
Feb. 20-27, 2019
Final Top Standings
1-2. GM Kaido Kulaots EST 2542, GM Haik Martirosyan ARM 2616, 7.0/9
3. GM Krishnan Sasikiran IND 2678, 6.5/9
4-9. GM Wang Hao CHN 2714, GM Wei Yi CHN 2733, GM Maksim Chigaev RUS 2613, GM Ernesto Inarkiev RUS 2692, GM Alexey Sarana RUS 2630, GM David Anton Guijarro ESP 2642, 6.0/9
10-24. GM M.Amin Tabatabaei IRI 2590, GM Anton Korobov UKR 2687, GM Suri Vaibhav IND 2575, GM Sanan Sjugirov RUS 2663, GM David Paravyan RUS 2627, GM Aram Hakobyan ARM 2545, GM Denis Khismatullin RUS 2621, GM Bogdan-Daniel Deac ROU 2603, GM Constantin Lupulescu ROU 2610, IM Klementy Sychev RUS 2545, GM Zhou Jianchao CHN 2615, GM Tigran L Petrosian ARM 2595, GM SL Narayanan IND 2593, GM Parham Maghsoodloo IRI 2666, IM Nodirbek Yakubboev UZB 2569, 5.5/9
Total of 101 participants
Time Control: 90 minutes for the first 40 moves, then 30 minutes play-to-finish with 30 seconds added to your clock after every move starting move 1 GM Kaido Kulaots
The 17th edition of the Aeroflot Open was scheduled to start on Feb. 20 but a bomb threat forced the evacuation of the venue, the Cosmos Hotel, shortly after play had started. When the situation normalized the organizers announced that round 1 would start the next day and there will be a double-round day on the nearest Saturday to make up for the lost afternoon. As a consequence of that, the time control of the tournament, originally 100 minutes for 40 moves plus 50 minutes until the end of the game with a 30-second increment, was adjusted to 90 minutes for the first 40 moves plus 30 minutes till the end of the game with 30 seconds added to the clock after every move. This is to avoid unnecessary strain on the players.
The tournament then continued in earnest.
The surprise winner of the event was GM Kaido Kulaots, the champion of Estonia. He celebrated his 43rd birthday the day after the tournament ended. To give you some perspective, Vladimir Kramnik has just retired from tournament chess after a “long, fruitful and legendary” career. He is also 43 years of age.
The Aeroflot required a minimum rating of 2550 to ensure entry into the Top Section, the so-called “A” tournament. Based on that criteria Kulaots would not have qualified in the 100-player “A” section. Fortunately, after all the entrants had been processed and the players ranked from highest to lowest he was no. 62 out of 100, so he was allowed to play. I remember back in 2011 the Philippines sent a contingent of some of our top players (GMs Darwin Laylo, Richard Bitoon and John Paul Gomez) to Aeroflot, and all of them got bumped down to the “B” tournament! Then again this is Moscow, where even the cigarette vendors play decent chess.
The World Champion Magnus Carlsen weighed in on this result on twitter: “Congrats to Kaido Kulaots for an absolutely amazing underdog victory at the Aeroflot open! 19 years ago, he shared a flat with my father and I at the Gausdal tournament, and inspired an unrated 9-year-old by predicting that he would one day be rated 2650.”
Maghsoodloo, Parham (2666) — Kulaots, Kaido (2542) [B90]
Aeroflot Open A 2019 Moscow RUS (1.12), 20.02.2019
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Nb3
This is the pet line of Polish GM Mateusz Bartel, and he has been playing it with a lot of success. So much, in fact, that even Alexander Grischuk used it heavily during the World Rapid and Blitz Championships in 2016. The main idea is simply to wait and see how Black develops his forces. There is a secondary idea which I will show you later. 6…g6 7.Be2 Bg7 8.g4
This is the idea I was talking about. In many cases after White plays g2 — g4 Black has the counter …e7 — e5 with a double attack on the knight in d4 and the pawn on g4. By pre-emptively withdrawing his knight to b3 he gets rid of that possibility. 8…h6 9.Be3 Nbd7
Here is one of the original games with this line. It is quite instructive: 9…Nc6 10.f3 b5 11.Qd2 Be6?! (Maybe 11…Ne5 was better. The bishop does not seem to be particularly well-placed on e6) 12.0 — 0 — 0 Rc8 13.Kb1 Ne5 14.h4 Bc4 15.Bd4 Qc7 16.f4 (this is probably why Kulaots chose to move his b8 — knight to d7 followed by b6. With the knight on e5 White’s f2 — f4 pawn push is a nuisance) 16…Bxe2 (as GM Roiz points out 16…Nc6 17.Nd5 Bxd5 18.Bxf6 Bxf6 19.exd5 Nb8 20.g5 Bg7 21.h5 is winning for White) 17.Qxe2 Nexg4 18.e5 dxe5 19.fxe5 Black is losing a piece now. Bartel, M (2625)-Artemiev, V (2674) Moscow RUS 2016 1 — 0 40. 10.f3 Qc7 11.Qd2 b5 12.a3 Rb8 13.0 — 0 — 0 Nb6 14.Bd4 e5 15.Bxb6 Rxb6 16.h4 Be6 17.Kb1 0 — 0 18.Nd5 Nxd5 19.exd5 Bd7 20.h5 g5 21.Bd3 <D> POSITION AFTER 21.BD3
Black now gives up a pawn to open up the position for his bishops. 21…e4! 22.Bxe4 b4! 23.a4
[23.axb4 Qc4 24.Na5 Qxb4 25.Qxb4 Rxb4 26.b3 Bxg4 Black has the better position at no material investment] 23…Bxa4 24.Nd4 b3 25.cxb3?
[25.c3 is imperative] 25…Bxb3 26.Rc1 Qb7 27.Rh2 Rb8 28.Rc6 Rb4 29.Nxb3 Rxb3 30.Rc2 a5
Black is clearly winning. Opposite-colored bishops is drawish in the endgame, but in cases like this it is favorable for the attacking side — the b2 — pawn can be attacked by the Black bishop and cannot be defended by its White counterpart. 31.Kc1 Be5 32.Kd1
White has no time to save the h2 — rook because 32.Rg2? Bf4. 32…Bxh2 33.Qxh2 Qb6 34.Kc1 Qe3+ 35.Kb1 Qe1+ 36.Ka2
[36.Rc1 Qb4 37.Rc2 a4 it will be over soon] 36…Ra3+ 0 — 1
[36…Ra3+ 37.Kxa3 (37.bxa3 Qb1#) 37…Qa1#]
Besides the prize fund of €140,000, the Aeroflot Open provides a ticket to the Dortmund super GM tournament later this year. We hope Kulaots will continue his good form. Estonia has a great chess tradition — the chess legend Paul Keres is from there as is the two-time world correspondence champion (1983 and 1999) Tonu Oim. The famous chess coach Ivo Nei is also an Estonian. However, lately the country has been in a bit of a chess decline because their top players have left — Jaan Ehlvest, the former world championship candidate, now represents the USA and Lembit Oll passed away some years ago from an apparent suicide. Hopefully the successes of GM Kaido Kulaots will stir up new impetus to develop the next batch of hopefuls.
Finishing in second place was the 18-year-old Armenian GM Haik M. Martirosyan. He actually tied for first place but the tie-break system in use in Moscow was “most black,” meaning that the one who played Black more times is given a higher placing. Kulaots had five blacks (he actually killed with black — 4.5/5!) and Martirosyan had four. Some might say that the tie-break rule of “most blacks” is not fair, but it does not matter, for Kulaots undoubtedly deserved his gold medal. He was lower-rated in every single game but despite that scored wins against heavyweights Maghsoodloo, Alireza Firouzja, Daniil Dubov, Wei Yi and Khismatullin. Compare those names against GM Haik’s opponents: Shardul Gagare, Liu Yan, Manuel Petrosyan, Sasikiran and Tigran L. Petrosian.
Having said that, Martirosyan showed brilliant play as well.
Petrosian, Tigran L. (2595) — Martirosyan, Haik M. (2616) [C50]
Aeroflot Open A 2019 Moscow RUS (9.2), 27.02.2019
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.d3 Nf6 5.Bg5 h6 6.Bh4 a6 7.a4
Everybody is playing the Italian Slow Game now and so far the verdict is that Black is doing ok. Here is a warning though on how quickly the situation can change. 7.Nc3 g5 8.Bg3 d6 9.a3 Nd4 10.Nxd4 Bxd4 11.h4 Rg8 12.hxg5 hxg5 13.Rh6 Bg4 14.f3 Bd7 15.Qd2 Qe7 16.Bf2 0 — 0 — 0? (up to now Black is ok but he starts losing the thread here. Best is 16…Be6 to try and force the white-squared bishops off the board) 17.Bxd4 exd4 18.Rxf6! Qxf6 19.Nd5 Qe5 20.Qa5 b6 21.Nxb6+ Kb8 22.Nd5 Qg3+ 23.Kf1 Rc8 24.Bxa6 Bc6 25.Ne7 1 — 0 Pavlidis,A (2552)-Ashiku,F (2373) Batumi 2018. 7…d6 8.c3 Ba7 9.0 — 0 Qe7 10.Nbd2 g5 11.Bg3 Nd7 12.Bd5 h5 13.h4 g4 14.Ne1
[14.Ng5 Nd8 the white knight is in danger of getting trapped] 14…Nf8 15.d4 Ng6
[15…exd4 16.cxd4 Nxd4 17.Nc2 Followed up by Nc4. White is counting on assaulting the black king which is stuck in the center] 16.Nc4 exd4 17.Nd3 Nce5 18.cxd4 Nxc4 19.Bxc4 Bxd4 20.Nf4 c5 21.Nxg6 fxg6 22.b4
I believe 22.Qb3 followed by e4 — e5 would open up the position in White’s favor. 22…Be6 23.bxc5 dxc5 24.Bxe6 Qxe6 25.Rb1 b6 26.Qb3 c4 27.Qb4 Bc5 28.Qc3 0 — 0 29.Rfc1 Rad8 30.Rc2
[30.Qxc4 Rd1+! 31.Kh2 (31.Rxd1 Qxc4) 31…Qxc4 32.Rxc4 Rxb1 leaves Black a rook ahead] 30…Rd4 31.Re1 b5 32.axb5 axb5 33.Qa5?
Taking his own queen out of the action. 33…Qc6 34.Rb1 b4 35.Rxb4 Bxb4 36.Qxb4 Qxe4 37.Ra2 Qe6 38.Kh2 Rd7 39.Rc2 Rc8 40.Qc3 Rd3 41.Qa5 Rd1 42.Qg5 c3 43.Qh6 Qf5 44.Re2 c2 45.Be5 Rh1+! 46.Kg3 Rh3+! 0 — 1
More on this come Tuesday.
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
For a while there, it looked as if the Rockets were floundering. They greeted the last week of February with a loss to the otherwise-reeling Lakers, marking their second straight setback and third in four outings. Frustration was setting in, and to the point where reigning league Most Valuable Player James Harden felt compelled to note that “we have no tendencies.” Never mind that he was still in the midst of a record scoring spree topped only by offensive force Wilt Chamberlain in pro hoops annals. As far as he was concerned, more pressing matters had to be contended with, their battle for homecourt advantage in the first round of the playoffs not least of all.
And then the Rockets found their groove. Ironically, they did so on the next outing, and without Harden to boot. The National Basketball Association’s most prolific point producer sat out the match against the rival Warriors, seemingly a grave handicap but, in retrospect, perhaps just what they needed to close ranks. In his absence, they wound up claiming victory at hostile Oracle Arena and underscoring, most importantly to themselves, that they were a force under any circumstance. For all his otherworldly exertions, he didn’t make them; rather, he made them better.
For the Rockets, the distinction is crucial to defining their competitiveness. Including yesterday’s emphatic triumph against the gritty Raptors on the road, they’re on a six-outing skein that has enabled them to challenge the swooning Nuggets for the second seed in the West. And who knows? With continually inspired play and a little help from the uncharacteristically shaky Warriors, they may yet be in the same position they were in last year heading into the postseason: as Number One in the conference and harboring realistic designs of going all the way.
These days, Harden is all smiles, highlighting, if nothing else, that three weeks in the NBA is an eternity. It helps, of course, that the Rockets, beset with injuries to key players throughout their 2018-19 campaign, are finally complete and healthy. “It feels good,” he acknowledged. “Guys know their roles. We’re executing defensively. We’re helping each other out. We’re talking.” In other words, they’re close to their finest, and they couldn’t have developed a rhythm at a better time. They’re supremely confident, and why not? They’re themselves anew, and they have him.
Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994.
By Camille A. Aguinaldo, Reporter
THE PHILIPPINES and Vietnam convened on Tuesday its ninth Joint Bilateral Cooperation Mechanism, which led to both countries adopting a new five-year plan of action on a broad range of areas.
“Building on the excellent work of our senior officials yesterday, (Vietnamese) Deputy Prime Minister Pham (Binh Minh) and I adopted the new Philippines-Vietnam five-year Plan of Action covering the period 2019 to 2024,” Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro L. Locsin, Jr. said in a joint press conference at the Diamond Hotel in Manila on Wednesday.
“It comprehensively maps out specific commitments we will undertake jointly in the political, security, economic, and cultural spheres, as well as in other various areas,” he added.
For his part, Mr. Pham, who is also the Vietnamese Foreign Minister, highlighted his “in-depth and substantive discussion” with Mr. Locsin on “regional and international issues of mutual interest,” such as the still-disputed South China Sea.
“We both underlined the importance of maintaining peace, stability, safety and security of navigation in the South China Sea, peaceful resolution of (the) dispute, and respecting the diplomatic and legal processes, respecting international law, including UNCLOS (United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea) 1982, full observation of DOC (Declaration on Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea) towards early conclusion of an effective and substantive COC (Code of Conduct in the South China Sea),” he said in his press statement.
“Vietnam spoke highly of the Philippines’ role as the Coordinator of the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations)-China relations until 2021,” he added.
Vietnam is among the countries with competing territorial claims in the South China Sea, aside from the Philippines, Malaysia, Taiwan, Brunei, and China. The country protested last November China’s construction activities in the disputed waters.
Mr. Pham also noted the strengthening of cooperation between the Philippines and Vietnam in the defense and security aspect “with the regular and effective implementation of important mechanisms such as defense policy dialogue and the navy consultation.”
“We appreciate the good progress in maritime and oceanic affairs cooperation, and also in agriculture, ICT (Information and Communications Technology), environment, education, training, culture, sports, tourism, and people-to-people exchange,” he said.
He added that both countries have agreed to target an annual growth of 20% in bilateral trade turnover in the next few years. He said bilateral trade turnover between the two countries reached $4.72 billion in 2018, which Mr. Pham said was up by 18% compared to 2017.
“Both our countries are among the fastest growing economies in Asia, and that is conducive to further promoting our trade and investment relations in the years ahead,” Mr. Pham said.
Mr. Locsin said the new five-year plan between the two countries showed the “resolve to drive relations forward and onward.”
“As two of ASEAN’s most dynamic economies, and as two countries faced with similar challenges, we draw lessons not only from our gains and accomplishments but also from…areas where we might have fallen short,” Mr. Locsin said.
The Joint Commission on Bilateral Cooperation (JCBC) is a regular consultative mechanism between the two countries to discuss bilateral and regional issues of mutual concern. The last JCBC was held in Hanoi in October 2015, during the tenure of then Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert F. Del Rosario.
By Vince Angelo C. Ferreras
PHILIPPINE NATIONAL Police (PNP) Chief Director-General Oscar D. Albayalde has approved a limited reshuffle of 1,370 police officers who are related to politicians running this midterm elections.
The PNP also ordered the resignation of five police officers who are seeking elective posts and have accordingly filed certificates of candidacy.
“As (the) non-partisan and deputized law enforcement agency of the Commission on Elections, we strongly and firmly remain faithful to our apolitical mandate to ensure and protect the will of the electorate towards honest, orderly and peaceful elections,” Mr. Albayalde said in a statement on Wednesday, March 6.
The limited reshuffle policy is an administrative measure to help ensure impartiality among police personnel especially in areas where they have relatives who are vying for elective posts.
The said policy was also applied to 121 provincial directors, city directors, mobile force commanders, and chiefs of police who have reached the maximum two years tour of duty in their assignments.
PNP noted there are 1,858 of its personnel who are related to politicians running this midterm elections. Of that total, 488 are assigned to areas where they have no such relatives and are thus kept to their present assignments.
Those reassigned were 26 commissioned officers and 1,344 non-commissioned officers.
Of the five police officers seeking public office, whom the PNP did not identify, one is running for vice-mayor and the others for municipal councilors in the provinces of Bukidnon, Surigao del Norte, Northern Samar, Lanao del Sur, and Zamboanga del Sur.
Commission on Elections Resolution No. 10420 Section 24 states that “any person holding a public appointed office or position, including those in uniformed service, shall be considered ipso facto resigned from the office and must vacate the same at the start of the day of the filing of COC.”
