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PAGCOR revenue up 42% in first 9 months

THE Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (PAGCOR) said revenue rose 42% in the first nine months, driven by collections from the electronic games (e-games) sector.

In a statement, the gaming regulator said revenue for the period was P79.43 billion, of which e-games accounted for over 35%.

“The electronic games sector alone contributed P28.22 billion or 35.52% to the gaming revenue pie, followed by the licensed casino sector, which chipped in 30.84% or P24.5 billion from license fees,” PAGCOR Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Alejandro H. Tengco was quoted as saying.

Gaming operations and license fees accounted for P69.88 billion, while P6.43 billion was generated from related services; and P3.11 billion from other income.

“Our third quarter performance is a strong indication that in spite of the President’s (Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr.) decision to ban offshore gaming operations, we are still on track to meet our P100-billion revenue target by year’s end,” Mr. Tengco said.

Funds supplied by PAGCOR to support government projects and expenses rose 40.39% to P48.88 billion.

It said P33.19 billion went to the National Treasury as the government’s 50% dividend, Mr. Tengco said. PAGCOR also provided P16.59 billion for the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. to improve access to healthcare.

The regulator also paid P3.49 billion in franchise taxes and P421.35 million in corporate income taxes to the Bureau of Internal Revenue.

The Philippine Sports Commission received P1.65 billion plus P90.68 million in incentives for athletes and coaches that excelled in international competition. Key socio-civic projects under the Office of the President also received P9.26 billion in the first nine months.

PAGCOR also provided funds to cities hosting Casino Filipino branches (P525.95 million); the Board of Claims under the Justice department to support victims of unjust imprisonment (P99.08 million); and the Renewable Energy Trust Fund (P140.2 million). — Beatriz Marie D. Cruz

IPOPHL seeks takedown orders vs six piracy sites

THE Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) said that it has issued two requests to disable access to six domains and subdomains over alleged movie piracy, following a complaint from the Motion Pictures Association, Inc. (MPA).

In a statement, IPOPHL said that the two requests involve the blocking of sflix.to, sflix.se, sflix.is, myflixerz.to, myflixer.to, and myflixer.today.

“Both requests were posted on the IPOPHL website for five days starting Oct. 24 before being sent to internet service providers today for their appropriate action, giving website owners time and due process to respond,” the regulator said.

IPOPHL’s requests came following the complaints lodged by MPA, whose member studios include Disney, Netflix, Paramount, Sony, Universal, and Warner Bros. Discovery.

“These websites have neither authority nor permission, from the rights holders, express or implied, to make available, publish, copy, print, reproduce, use, or make available for download or for streaming in any manner of any of the rightsholders’ copyrighted works,” MPA said.

According to IPOPHL, the copyrighted works that were the subject of the complaint include Shazam!, Raya and the Last Dragon, Girls Trip, Day Shift, Jumanji: The Next Level, and Top Gun: Maverick.

It added that the six sites were found to be hosting pirated versions of movies or TV shows, allowing users to access these illegal copies through downloads and streams.

“By hosting pirated content and allowing users to access illegal copies through downloading or streaming, respondents undermine the exclusive rights of complainants,” according to the request.

IPOPHL said that such actions violate Section 216 of Republic Act 18293 or the Intellectual Property Code of the Philippines, as amended.

“IPOPHL is committed to safeguard the rights of artists and the opportunities that could shape the future of the Philippine creative economy,” IPOPHL Deputy Director General Nathaniel S. Arevalo said. — Justine Irish D. Tabile

Coffee industry targeted for yield improvement

KELLY SIKKEMA-UNSPLASH

THE Department of Agriculture (DA) said it is seeking to work with the coffee industry to improve crop yields and climate adaptability.

“We must rely on partnerships among multiple stakeholders to establish resilient and sustainable coffee value chains that support growers,” Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel, Jr. said in a statement on Tuesday.

He noted that the coffee yield improvement program is being conducted by Nestlé S.A., the German government, and the DA.

The DA said that the project targets coffee yields of 2 metric tons (MT) per hectare by 2025.

The program has resulted in the growth of coffee communities in Bukidnon and Sultan Kudarat, now with 3,000 members.

“This collaboration has resulted in better bean quality and an increased average yield of up to 0.8 MT per hectare, up from a low of 0.3 MT. Consequently, farmers’ incomes have risen by 35% or more in some areas,” Mr. Laurel said.

Citing the Philippine Coffee Board, the Philippines produced 30,000 MT of green coffee beans in 2023, up slightly from a year prior.

The DA has distributed P6.5 million worth of assistance, including fertilizer and funding to establish coffee centers, to 16 farmers’ groups participating in the Mindanao Coffee Robusta Project. — Adrian H. Halili

ADB issues first biodiversity and nature bond

BW FILE PHOTO

THE Asian Development Bank (ADB) said it recently issued its first biodiversity and nature bond to finance projects to mitigate climate change and biodiversity loss.

The $150-million 10-year bond was purchased by the Dai-ichi Life Insurance Co., Ltd. and arranged by Credit Agricole CIB, the ADB said in a statement.

It was issued under the bank’s Theme Bonds for Sustainable Development program.

“Investing in nature is emerging as one of the most impactful ways to combat climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution,” ADB Treasurer Tobias C. Hoschka said in a statement.

“Through ADB’s first biodiversity and nature bond, we are pleased to mobilize additional private sector capital to protect, restore and enhance sustainable management of biodiversity and nature mainstreaming.”

The bank’s theme bonds for sustainable development help mobilize private capital in support of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.

It also offers investors an investment covered by the ADB’s ‘AAA’ credit rating. — Beatriz Marie D. Cruz

Dodgers a win away from WS title

FREDDIE FREEMAN — WIKIMEDIA.ORG

Freeman keeps home run streak alive

NEW YORK — Freddie Freeman homered in his third straight game to help put the Los Angeles Dodgers one win away from the World Series (WS)title on Monday, beating the New York Yankees 4-2 on the road in Game Three.

Freeman’s two-run, first-inning shot sent a chill through the Bronx as he became only the third player to homer in the first three games of the Fall Classic.

The Dodgers also got an RBI from Mookie Betts in the third inning and another from Enrique Hernandez in the sixth.

Outfielder Alex Verdugo gave the Yankees a glimmer of hope with a two-run homer in the ninth but it was too little, too late as they were unable to catch fire in front of their home fans.

“Our guys are very hungry for a championship, a parade,” said Dodgers manager Dave Roberts. “Nothing is going to get in the way of that, nothing.”

Yankees great Derek Jeter was on hand to throw out the ceremonial first pitch and fans greeted the Bronx Bombers with a deafening cheer for their first home game in nearly two weeks.

But the mood changed when the Dodgers’ MVP favorite Shohei Ohtani got on base with a four-pitch walk and Freeman then launched a 355-foot home run over the right field wall.

Betts singled to send Tommy Edman home two innings later.

The Yankees failed to record a hit until the fourth inning when slugger Giancarlo Stanton injected some life into the crowd with a double to deep left center field.

But the stout Dodgers defense extinguished that momentum quickly, Betts making a spectacular dive to catch Jazz Chisholm, Jr.’s line drive to right field and Teoscar Hernandez throwing out Stanton at home plate.

Things got worse for the Yankees in the sixth when Dodgers second baseman Gavin Lux stole second and then ran home off of Hernandez’s single to center field.

Frustrated fans had already begun stomping out of Yankee Stadium when Verdugo smashed the ball 373 feet in the bottom of the ninth but Gleyber Torres grounded out in the final at bat.

A cast of high-profile players in a World Series between two marquee franchises has been a boon for MLB and Saturday’s Game 2 saw record viewership in Ohtani’s native Japan, where he is a national hero.

But the series is at risk of a quick ending with the Yankees hosting Game 4 on Tuesday knowing defeat hands the Dodgers the title. No team have ever come back from a 0-3 deficit to win the World Series.

“Hopefully we can go be this amazing story and shock the world,” said Yankees manager Aaron Boone. “But right now it’s about trying to get a lead, trying to grab a game, and force another one, and then on from there.” — Reuters

UE eyes Final Four slot against struggling Adamson

UNIVERSITY OF THE EAST RED WARRIORS — UAAP/NICOLE HERNANDEZ

Games on Wednesday
(Mall of Asia Arena)
10 a.m. – AdU vs UE (women)
12 noon – Ateneo vs UP (women)
2 p.m. – AdU vs UE (men)
6:30 p.m. – Ateneo vs UP (men)

THE UNIVERSITY of the East (UE) tries to bolster its Final Four bid to snap a 14-year drought when it tangles with the struggling Adamson University in the crucial UAAP Season 87 men’s basketball tussle on Wednesday before a long break at the Mall Asia Arena.

The Warriors are enjoying solo third place at 6-3 — just behind leaders and semifinals-bound De La Salle University (10-1) and University of the Philippines (UP) (8-1) — and another win at 2 p.m. opposite the Falcons (3-7) would push them one step closer to the coveted goal.

In the second game at 6:30 p.m., host UP figures in another Battle of Katipunan rivalry game against Ateneo de Manila University at 6:30 p.m. to enhance its twice-to-beat bid.

UE last made it to the post-season play in 2009 with the legendary Warrior Paul Lee leading the way and this is the perfect time to finally end that long agony with a new batch led by Precious Momowei and Wello Lingolingo.

The duo led UE’s five-game killing spree at one point to shake the UAAP order and leave other competitors in scramble, one of them is Adamson at 3-7 in a three-way tie with Ateneo and Far Eastern University  from fifth to seventh place.

University of Santo Tomas is running at fourth, with a 5-6 record, making it a big opportunity for the Warriors to keep all of them at bay while moving closer to the magic number of eight wins.

“The target is to be in the Final Four, that’s number 1. But honestly. We never think that (sure) for Final Four,” said coach Jack Santiago following a 74-58 win over National University to get back on track after a 77-68 streak-ending loss to La Salle.

“Anything can happen. Knowing Adamson, they need to win a couple of games also.”

The Falcons, on the other hand, have been on a free fall since the first round with five straight losses, including a costly 70-59 defeat to UP last weekend, and should be extra motivated to stay in the thick of the Final Four race. — John Bryan Ulanday

GM Gomez keeps National Open Chess lead after nine rounds

FREEPIK

FILIPINO Grandmaster (GM) John Paul Gomez’s quest for another national chess title should end soon.

And it is starting to materialize after Mr. Gomez remained untouchable on top with 7.5 points after nine rounds of the Philippine National Open Chess Championship Grand Finals in Alicia, Isabela.

The battle-scarred 38-year-old drew his last two games with Pau Bersamina and Jem Garcia, who happened to be his teammates when they went to war in the FIDE Olympiad in Budapest, Hungary last month.

The Biñan native will have two assignments left — Daniel Quizon and local bet Joel Banawa — before he consummate what he had long sought for — a third national crown to add to his jewels in 2008 and 2013.

“Two more games,” said Mr. Gomez.

If he hangs on until the end, Mr. Gomez will also punch a ticket to next year’s Southeast Asian Games in Thailand and pocket the P120,000 champion’s prize courtesy of host Alicia Mayor Joel Amos Alejandro.

Standing in the way and just a full point behind with 6.5 points each were familiar faces — Messrs. Bersamina, Garcia and Quizon.

Mr. Quizon poses the most dangerous threat as he is coming off four straight victories that catapulted him back to title contention after suffering a pair of heartbreaking defeats to Mr. Bersamina and Mark Jay Bacojo in the early rounds. — Joey Villar

Mapua survives late LPU rally for NCAA Season 100 semis slot

Games on Wednesday
(Filoil EcoOil Arena)
11 a.m. – Letran vs EAC
2:30 p.m. – UPHSD vs CSB

LAWRENCE MANGUBAT took charge late in the fourth quarter as Mapua University survived a furious Lyceum of the Philippines University (LPU) fight back with a 69-68 victory on Tuesday to advance to the NCAA Season 100 Final Four at the Filoil EcoOil Arena.

The sweet-shooting rookie guard ended up leading his team with 16 points, half of which came in the final period when the Cardinals survived the Pirates’ pillaging and snared an 11th win in 14 outings, which was enough to seal it a semis seat.

It also gave leader College of St. Benilde (11-2) a Final Four berth on a silver platter.

Mr. Mangubat’s wrath was felt most in the dying seconds when he scored five points in a hurry — a jumper that knotted it at 66 with 21 ticks left and a triple with five seconds remaining that gave Mapua the lead for good.

While Mr. Mangubat served as the fireman that extinguished the fourth quarter fire, Chris Hubilla, Marc Cuenco and team captain Clint Escamos did most of the dirty job and finished with 14, 11 and 10 points, respectively.

The win also bolstered Mapua’s bid to finish in the top two and clinch the precious twice-to-beat incentive that goes with it.

But the win almost slipped away as Mapua watched its once mighty 16-point lead late in the third canto vanish amid the fourth-quarter maelstrom whipped up by LPU that saw the latter snatching a two-point lead twice.

The last came at 68-66 with five seconds to go when Pirates captain Renz Villegas drilled in a jumper.

Enter Mr. Mangubat, whose massive tripled hammered in the final nail in LPU’s coffin.

The Pirates dropped to 6-8. — Joey Villar


The scores:

Mapua 69 – Mangubat 16, Hubilla 14, Cuenco 11, Escamis 10, Concepcion 6, Igliane 4, Recto 4, Jabonete 2, Ryan 2, Abdulla 0, Bancale 0, Garcia 0

LPU 68 – Villegas 22, Montaño 9, Cunanan 8, Aviles 7, Daileg 7, Guadaña 5, Barba 5, Peñafiel 3, Versoza 2, Caduyac 0, Moralejo 0

NU guns for twice-to-beat edge against vastly improved UE

Games on Wednesday
(Rizal Memorial Coliseum)
11 a.m. – NU vs UE
2 p.m. – UP vs FEU
5 p.m. – CSB vs La Salle

BACK-TO-BACK champion National University (NU) shoots for the last twice-to-beat quarterfinal bonus against University of the East (UE) at the close of the Shakey’s Super League Collegiate Pre-Season Championship second round on Wednesday at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum.      

Game time is at 11 a.m. with the Lady Bulldogs looking to salvage the reward opposite the vastly-improved Lady Warriors after the duels between University of the Philippines-Far Eastern University at 2 p.m. and De La Salle University-College of St. Benilde at 5 p.m.

NU saw its 28-game winning streak since 2022 get snapped by La Salle last week before taking care of St. Benilde to tie UE at 1-1 in Pool E. Leading the pool is La Salle, at 2-0, to leave the only other incentive up for the taking between the Lady Bulldogs and the Lady Warriors.

FEU, for its part, is also out to clinch the top-seeding and win-once bonus in Pool F with no plan of figuring in a complicated three-way tie with UP (1-1) and Santo Tomas (2-1).

Following a 25-18, 25-18, 25-19 win over Ateneo, the Lady Tamaraws control their own fate with a bonus-clinching victory that in the process would also assure the Tigresses the other reward.

La Salle eyes to complete a sweep to stay on course of redemption after missing the finals won by NU in the UAAP Season 86. — John Bryan Ulanday

Spain’s Rodri wins Ballon d’Or for best player in the world

PARIS — Spain and Manchester City midfielder Rodri won the Ballon d’Or award for the best player in the world on Monday, beating Brazil’s Vinicius, Jr. and England’s Jude Bellingham, both of Real Madrid, to the prestigious prize.

Barcelona’s Spain midfielder Aitana Bonmati won the women’s award for a second time.

Rodri, a first-time winner of the award, was instrumental in helping his team win an unprecedented fourth successive Premier League trophy last season. He was also named best player at this year’s European Championship after Spain lifted a record-extending fourth title. — Reuters

Fever mentor

On paper, the firing of Fever head coach Christie Sides was a shocker. After all, she did just lead the blue, red, and gold to their first playoff appearance in eight years. Not since all-time-great Tamika Catchings burned rubber had they tasted any postseason action, and she played a not insignificant part in their progress. Moreover, she had just finished the second of a four-year contract, and the length of her accord indicated management’s predilection for patience.

Admittedly, Sides was on the hot seat early in the Fever’s campaign. Compelled to go through the toughest curtain-raising schedule in the Women’s National Basketball Association, they managed to win only one of their first nine contests. However, as their campaign normalized, and as she became more familiar with the predilections of her new-look roster starring rookie sensation Caitlin Clark, the victories began to come, and the trickles became enough of a steady stream for them to finish the regular season with a .500 mark.

To be sure, the remarkable progress was due in large measure to the rest Clark was given due to the Olympic break, and the renewed confidence she thereafter displayed. Having plied her trade for nearly a year sans any stoppage, she benefited from getting her sea legs back; her vaunted stamina returned, and she no longer left her shots — particularly those long-range bombs that catapulted her to stardom — short. Little wonder, then, that the Fever led the league in offensive rating down the stretch and heading into the playoffs.

Creditably, Sides knew enough to rejigger her system to make the best use of Clark. She handed the first overall pick in the draft the keys, and then instructed the rest to follow. That said, there can be no glossing over the Fever’s failure to not just move past the first round of the postseason, but to even claim a single match and bring the series back to Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Also, she wound up antagonizing a number of players who chafed at her preference to ride starters at their expense.

Interestingly, president of basketball operations Kelly Krauskopf acknowledged the strides Sides had made and seemed to give her support for the bench tactician in her introductory presser last month. Given that the Fever likewise named a new general manager in Amber Cox vice erstwhile fixture Lin Dunn, perhaps they felt a shakeup on the bench was but fitting. And, no doubt, the fact that six other franchises also let go of their mentors figured into the equation.

If there’s anything the Fever’s upheaval signals, it’s that they will not be happy with anything less than a deep playoff run next year. No more small steps; giants leaps have become the order of the day. Which, in a nutshell, is why they may yet find their best option for the hot seat to be someone who still had a job until yesterday. Indeed, immediate past Sun coach Stephanie White should be their primary target. Having already laid the groundwork by giving Sides the pink slip, they would do well the spread the welcome mat for the only choice that makes perfect sense.

 

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.

China warns of deep-sea spying devices, underwater ‘lighthouses’ that guide foreign submarines

FREEPIK

BEIJING — China’s Ministry of State Security said on Tuesday that it had retrieved spying devices both on the ocean surface and in the depths of the sea, including underwater “lighthouses” that could guide the transit of foreign submarines.

The ministry said it had uncovered devices that had been hidden on the ocean floor and were sending back information that could “pre-set the field for battle,” in an article on its official WeChat account, China’s most popular social media app.

Recent sea and air confrontations in the South China Sea between China and the Philippines over competing territorial claims in the highly strategic waterway have raised the risk of an escalation that could eventually involve the US, which is treaty-bound to defend the Philippines if it is attacked.

China has also recently staged war games around Taiwan in which it simulated attacks and deployment of ships and aircraft, drawing condemnation from the democratically governed island’s government and the United States.

“National security forces have seized a variety of special technical devices used for spying on marine information and data, hidden in the vastness of the sea,” the state security ministry said, without specifying where the devices were found.

“Some act as ‘secret agents,’ drifting and floating with the waves, monitoring the situation in our territorial waters in real time. Some act as underwater ‘lighthouses,’ indicating the direction for foreign submarines that have invaded our waters.”

China claims sovereignty over nearly all the South China Sea, including areas claimed by Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam.

Beijing has also said it will never renounce the use of force over Taiwan, which rejects China’s sovereignty claims and says only the island’s people can decide their future.

A submarine arms race is intensifying between China and the United States and its allies, analysts say, with Beijing on track to have a new generation of nuclear-powered and -armed submarines in operation by the end of the decade.

“Facing a serious and complicated covert struggle for deep-sea security and the real threat of foreign espionage and intelligence agencies… (the ministry) will firmly defend China’s sovereignty, security and development interests and contribute to the construction of a strong maritime nation,” the ministry said. — Reuters