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FIDE Hamburg Grand Prix

The FIDE Hamburg Grand Prix took place in the Kehrwieder Theater in Hamburg, Germany from Nov. 5–17 this year. The 16-player knockout is the third of four legs of the 22-player Grand Prix series that will determine two places in the 2020 Candidates Tournament.

Players compete in three of the four tournaments, which each have a €130,000 (about P7.3 million) prize fund, with €24,000 (about P1.3 million) for first place. There are grand prix points awarded to the players depending on how they finish in the tournament. Winner gets eight GP points all the way down one for the Quarterfinal loser. There is also one additional GP point for each match win without tie-breaks. Here in Hamburg, for example, the tournament winner Grischuk got eight points plus an additional two for defeating David Navara (1.5-0.5) and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (1.5-0.5) in the regulation two-game match, without need of tie-breaks.

Each round consists of two games of classical chess, with a time control of 90 minutes/40 moves + 30 minutes to the end of the game, with a 30-second increment from first move. If the match is tied two 25+10 (25 minutes play-to-finish with 10 second increment) rapid games are played. If still tied, there are two 10+10 games, then two 5+3. Finally, if after all of that they are still tied, then a single Armageddon game is played, where White has 5 minutes to Black’s 4 (with a two-second increment from move 61) but Black wins the match with a draw.

Hamburg FIDE Grand Prix
Hamburg, Germany
Nov. 4–18, 2019

Round 1

Maxime Vachier-Lagrave FRA 2774 vs. Wei Yi CHN 2736, 1.5-0.5

Veselin Topalov BUL 2736 vs. Hikaru Nakamura USA 2745, 1.5-0.5

David Navara DZE 2724 vs. Nikita Vitiugov RUS 2732, 3.0-1.0

Alexander Grischuk RUS 2759 vs. Radoslaw Wojtaszek POL 2739, 2.5-1.5

Daniil Dubov RUS 2699 vs. Teimour Radjabov AZE 2758, 4.5-3.5

Peter Svidler RUS 2729 vs. Pentala Harikrishna IND 2746, 1.5-0.5

Yu Yangyi CHN 2763 vs. Dmitry Jakovenko RUS 2681, 2.5-1.5

Jan-Krzysztof Duda POL 2730 vs. Ian Nepomniachtchi RUS 2776, 1.5-0.5

Round 2 (Quarterfinals)

Maxime Vachier-Lagrave FRA 2774 vs. Veselin Topalov BUL 2736, 1.5-0.5

Alexander Grischuk RUS 2759 vs. David Navara CZE 2724, 1.5-0.5

Daniil Dubov RUS 2699 vs. Peter Svidler RUS 2729, 3.5-2.5

Jan-Krzysztof Duda POL 2730 vs. Yu Yangyi CHN 2763, 1.5-0.5

Round 3 (Semifinals)

Alexander Grischuk RUS 2759 vs. Maxime Vachier-Lagrave FRA 2774, 1.5-0.5

Jan-Krzysztof Duda POL 2730 vs. Daniil Dubov RUS 2699, 3.5-2.5

Round 4 (Final)

Alexander Grischuk RUS 2759 versus Jan-Krzysztof Duda POL 2748, 3.5-2.5

There were some instances in Hamburg where the players went for quick draws in the classical games and headed straight for the faster time controls of the tie-breaks. The Finals match between Grischuk and Duda though was very hard-fought all throughout.

Grischuk was pressing in both games. In the first he had a chance for a big advantage but, with the clock seconds ticking away, let it slip.

Grischuk, Alexander (2764) — Duda, Jan-Krzysztof (2748) [E15]
Hamburg FIDE Grand Prix Hamburg GER (4.1), 17.11.2019

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6 4.g3 Ba6 5.b3 Bb4+ 6.Bd2 Be7 7.Bg2 d5 8.cxd5 exd5 9.0–0 0–0 10.Nc3 Re8 11.Ne5 Bb7 12.Rc1 Nbd7 13.Rc2 Bf8 14.Bf4 c5 15.Nxd7 Qxd7 16.dxc5 bxc5 17.Bg5 d4 18.Bxb7 Qxb7 19.Bxf6 gxf6 20.Na4 Re5 21.Nb2 Rae8 22.Nc4 Re4 23.e3 f5 24.Qh5 Qd7 25.Rd2 Bg7 26.Rd3 Qe6 27.exd4 cxd4 28.Rf3 Re2 29.Rxf5 Rxa2 30.Rd5 Qg6 31.Qf3 Ra6 32.Rd7 h5 33.h4 Rf6 34.Qd5 Re2 <D>

POSITION AFTER 34…RE2

35.Qg5?

A pity. With 44 seconds left on his clock Grischuk did not have time to find 35.Ne5! Qe4 (35…Qf5? 36.Rd8+! Kh7 37.Nd7! Qxd5 38.Nxf6+ Bxf6 39.Rxd5 Rb2 40.Ra1 White is just winning) 36.Qxe4 Rxe4 37.Nd3 Re2 38.Rd1 Ra2 White is clearly better as his pieces as Black’s pawns are too scattered.

35…Qxg5 36.hxg5 Rf5 37.f4 Rb5 38.Rf3 a5 39.Ra7 Rc2 40.Rxa5 Rb8 41.Kf1 Rc3 42.Rxc3 dxc3 43.Ne3 Rxb3 44.Ke2 Bd4 45.Ra8+ Kh7 46.Rc8 Bxe3 ½–½

Duda, Jan-Krzysztof (2748) — Grischuk, Alexander (2764) [D37]
Hamburg FIDE Grand Prix Hamburg GER (4.2), 17.11.2019

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.Nc3 Be7 5.Bf4 0–0 6.e3 Nbd7 7.Rc1 c5 8.dxc5 Nxc5 9.cxd5 Nxd5 10.Nxd5 exd5 11.a3 Bd7

Something went wrong with White’s opening, for Black is already threatening …Ba4, …Nb3 (that is why some people were saying that putting white’s rook on c1 was wrong) and …Qa5+ and White would not be able to castle.

12.Qxd5 Rc8

With the idea of …Nd3+, winning the Rc1.

13.e4! Qb6 14.b4 Rfd8 15.bxc5 Bxc5 16.Be2 Bb5 17.Rxc5!

Only move

17…Rxc5 18.Qb3!

Another only move

18…Qc6

With the idea of …Bxe2+ followed by …Qxe4

19.Be3! Bxe2 20.Bxc5 Bxf3 21.Qxf3 Qxc5 22.0–0

Now White is safe.

22…b5 23.h4 h6 24.Rb1 a6 25.Rb3 Qe5 26.g3 Rd4 27.Re3 a5 28.Qg4 b4 29.axb4 axb4 30.Qc8+ Kh7 31.Qb7 f6 32.Kg2 Rc4 33.Qd5 Qxd5 34.exd5 Rd4 35.Rb3 Kg6 36.Kf3 h5 37.Ke3 Rxd5 38.Rxb4 ½–½

In the tie-breaks the Polish no. 1 drew first blood in the 25+1 games but Grischuk in a must-win situation managed to win a pawn in the opening of the second game and accurately brought home the full point.

The first game at 10 minutes + 10 seconds increment proved decisive.

Grischuk, Alexander (2764) — Duda, Jan-Krzysztof (2748) [D30]
Hamburg FIDE Grand Prix (4.5), 17.11.2019

1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.e3 e6 5.Bd3 Nbd7 6.b3 b6 7.0–0 Bb7 8.Bb2 dxc4

The main line is 8…Bd6. Several years ago during the 2013 European Team Championship Duda as Black had this same position and played 8…dxc4 followed by …c5, then …Be7, …0–0 and put pressure on the White center. He won that game (I will show it to you later) but apparently this was Grischuk’s plan — having won that game, Duda would probably follow the same path, and there Grischuk is lying in wait …

9.bxc4 c5 10.d5!

Grischuk’s “surprise”’ for Duda. In an earlier game Duda’s opponent had played 10.Nbd2 Be7 11.Qe2 0–0 12.Rad1 Rc8 13.Ne5 cxd4 14.exd4 Nxe5 15.dxe5 Nd7 16.Ne4 Bxe4 17.Qxe4 g6 18.Qe3 White’s planned kingside offensive never got off the ground and Black targeted White’s weak center pawns and went on to win. Kessler, L. (2280) — Duda, J. (2536) European Team Championship U18 Maribor 2013 0–1 29.

10…exd5 11.cxd5 Bxd5

Taking with the knight is not much better: 11…Nxd5 12.Bc4 Nb4

12…N7f6? 13.Qa4+! Or 13…Nd7 (13…Qd7? 14.Bb5 wins the queen) 14.Rd1 Black will be losing material;

12…N5f6? 13.Ng5 the f7 pawn cannot be defended;

12…Nb4 13.Qb3 Qe7 14.Rd1 (threatening to exchange twice on f7 followed by Rxf7+) 14…0–0–0 15.Bxf7 material parity is restored but Black’s position is miserable.

12.e4 Bc6 13.Re1!

I am sure that Grischuk saw that 13.e5 Nh5 14.e6! fxe6 15.Re1 Nf4 16.g3 is pretty dire for Black, but the text move does not give anything away and strengthens the attack. This type of move is very useful in games with fast time controls — in contrast with 13.e5 which forces instant counter-moves, 13.Re1 is the calm before the storm and obliges Black to think and eat up his time..

13…Qe7 14.Nc3 0–0–0 15.Nd5 Qe8

The knight is a thorn on Duda’s side but cannot be taken: 15…Bxd5 16.exd5 Qd6 17.Ba6+ Kb8 18.Ne5.

16.a4 Bd6

Black needs to regroup his pieces but 16…Nb8 is met by instant material loss via 17.Nxf6 gxf6 18.Bxf6

17.Ba6+ Kb8 18.Qb3! Nxe4 19.a5 Bc7?

The only move is 19…c4! freeing up c5 for his knight.

20.axb6 axb6 21.Bb5 Bb7 22.Qa4 Qe6 23.Bc6! Bxh2+!

Desperation, but anything else leads to mate:

23…Bxc6 24.Qa7+ Kc8 25.Qxc7#

23…Qxc6 24.Qa7+ Kc8 25.Ne7#]

24.Nxh2 Qxc6 25.Qa7+ Kc8 26.Ne7+ Kc7 27.Nxc6 Ra8 28.Rxe4 Rxa7 29.Rxa7 Kxc6 30.Re7

Duda could have resigned here with a clear conscience.

30…Rd8 31.Nf3 b5 32.Rxf7 b4 33.Rxg7 Kb6 34.Ra1 Bxf3 35.gxf3 Nf8 36.Rg8 c4 37.Bg7 Ne6 38.Rxd8 Nxd8 39.Rc1 Kb5

[39…c3 40.Bxc3 bxc3 41.Rxc3 is too easy to win]

40.f4 Ne6 41.Be5 Nc5 42.Kf1 Nd3 43.Rd1 Kc5 44.Ke2 Kd5 45.Rh1 Nc5 46.Rxh7 c3 47.Bxc3 bxc3 48.Rc7 c2 49.Kd2 Ne4+ 50.Kxc2 Nxf2 51.Kd2 Ke4 52.Ke2 Ng4 53.Rc4+ Kf5 54.Kf3 Nh2+ 55.Kg2 Ng4 56.Kg3 Ne3 57.Rc5+ Kf6 58.Kf3 Nf5 59.Ra5 Kg6 60.Ra6+ 1–0

In the second game Duda played the Four Knights Defense, got the advantage but was then steadily outplayed by his opponent. On the 45th move Duda offered a draw in a lost position which Grischuk happily accepted as it was already game, set and match.

With his Hamburg win Grischuk appears to be a cinch to qualify for the 2020 Candidates tournament to be held in Yekaterinburg in March. We will talk more about this on Thursday.

 

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

The ‘spark’

Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin had seen enough. After witnessing quarterback Mason Rudolph go three and done against the winless Bengals to start the second half, he figured he needed to make a change. The starter’s latest series of futility didn’t just worsen a line that, by then, reflected an eight-of-16 effort and yet another interception. Including poor outings over the previous three games, it reflected a downward trajectory that stunted the offense and required the defense to carry the load by extension. The season was on the line, and the time had come for him to save it by inserting, in his words, “a spark.”

Tomlin was right, of course, and not simply because the Steelers then went on to win. Never mind that backup Duck Hodges was serviceable at best, going five of 11 for 118 yards. Most importantly, he delivered the goods while protecting the ball. In his first time out on the field, he made a good pass that led to an even better run by wide receiver James Washington after the catch; the board reflected a 79-yard completion for a touchdown, turning a four-point deficit into a two-point lead consolidated by the extra point.

In the aftermath, the box score had Hodges staying at one TD through five more drives. Crucially, it also showed he had zero interceptions in each of those five drives. And, twice, he went deep enough downfield to set up field goals that preserved victory. Make no mistake; the Steelers’ defense still carried the day. That said, he made sure not to burden it with additional baggage by understanding the importance of safe decision making. Slow and steady wins the race, and Tomlin was pleased with the result. To wit, “Mason wasn’t doing enough; Duck came in and provided us with a spark, made a couple plays.”

Whether the performance was likewise a successful audition for the starting job remains to be seen. Tomlin wouldn’t commit in his post-mortem, instead choosing to note in neither-here-nor-there fashion that Hodges “made some plays, but you can’t take anything away from James Washington, with what he did to produce after that catch. Man, we’re just all rowing together.” Which, in a nutshell, means he’ll have a hard choice to make — that is, if he didn’t merely refuse to divulge that he already made it. In any case, the erstwhile third-string quarterback will be ready to answer the call.

 

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.

Peso strengthens on prospects of US-China deal

THE PESO appreciated on Monday on the back of positive developments in the US-China trade talks as well as US manufacturing data.

The local unit ended trading at P50.755 against the greenback on Monday, strengthening by 4.5 centavos from the P50.80 per dollar close on Friday, according to data from the Bankers Association of the Philippines.

The peso opened at P50.85 per dollar, which was its weakest point for the day. Meanwhile, its intraday best was at P50.74 versus the greenback.

Dollars traded climbed to $1.203 billion from $1.099 billion logged on Friday.

Traders attributed the peso’s gain to news of progress in the US-China trade deal as well as US data.

“We traded in a sideways manner with peso on the gaining side due to positive developments on the US-China trade deal. And it seems like trading will continue to trace headlines for the next few days,” a trader said in a phone call.

“The peso strengthened after the US PMI’s (purchasing managers’ index) relatively good figures compared to that of the UK and the euro zone. Also, we are seeing the continued influx of remittances supporting the peso,” another trader said in a phone call.

Reuters reported that US national security adviser Robert O’Brien said on Saturday that an initial trade pact with China is still on the cards by 2019, although he warned that Washington will not disregard the continued unrest in Hong Kong.

“At the same time, we’re not going to turn a blind eye to what’s happening in Hong Kong or what’s happening in the South China Sea, or other areas of the world where we’re concerned about China’s activity,” he said.

Meanwhile, IHS Markit said the flash PMI for US manufacturing picked up to 52.2 in November from a 51.3 figure seen in October. Preliminary services PMI saw a reading of 51.6, up from the 50.6 seen in October, according to another Reuters report.

In the euro zone, business expansion plateaued this month as a downturn in the manufacturing industry appears to be increasingly affecting the bloc’s dominant services industry.

The flash November composite PMI from IHS Markit decreased to 50.3 from 50.6 in August, moving closer to the 50 mark which separates industry growth from contraction.

For today, the first trader sees a trading range of P50.60-50.90 against the dollar, while the second trader forecasts that the local unit could play around P50.70-50.85.

Meanwhile, Asian currency markets were shackled in a tight space on Monday, with investors content to hold most of their bets in light of uncertainty over progress made in US-China trade talks.

“The currency market is a bit fatigued on the trade side — tired of the alternating hot and cold headlines….the expectations are quite low right now in terms of what the deal would involve,” Sim Moh Siong, FX strategist at Bank of Singapore told Reuters. — L.W.T. Noble with Reuters

Shares decline as net foreign selling continues

LOCAL SHARES moved down on Monday as foreign investors continued selling their holdings amid concerns in the market.

The bellwether Philippine Stock Exchange index (PSEi) fell 52.97 points or 0.67% to close at 7,771.62 on Monday, while the broader all shares index shed 25.5 points or 0.54% to 4,653.54.

Philstocks Financial, Inc. Senior Research Analyst Japhet Louis O. Tantiangco said in a text message yesterday that the market’s decline can be linked to the continuous outflow of foreign funds.

“Net foreign selling today posted P1.08 billion. We’re already running five straight days of foreign fund outflows, three out of which, including today, went beyond the P1 billion mark. This shows that the last MSCI rebalancing results are still weighing on the local bourse,” he said on Monday.

The total net foreign selling of P1.08 billion on Monday is also a jump from Friday’s net outflow of P642.36 million.

“What’s alarming is we closed today below that 7,800 support line. We expect this line to be tested in the next few trading days. Failure to get back above that line would give us a new trading range which is 7,500-7,800,” Mr. Tantiangco added.

For Regina Capital Development Corp. Head of Sales Luis A. Limlingan, the decline of the market was due to developments in the US-China trade talks.

“Philippine shares closed lower after investors shrugged off positive comments on a trade deal by President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping and a better than expected set of flash PMIs (purchasing managers’ index),” Mr. Limlingan said in a mobile message.

Mr. Limlingan was referring to comments of US National Security Advisor Robert C. O’Brien that the “phase one” trade deal with China may still be signed by the end of 2019.

However, Reuters reported Monday that the challenges to conclude the “phase one” trade deal reflects the unlikelihood of a “phase two” agreement, citing officials from both US and China. An unnamed Chinese official was quoted as saying Beijing “can wait” on the trade deal, noting it is US President Donald Trump who wants the agreement anyway.

Despite this development’s effect on the PSE’s main index, most Asian markets ended on green territory on Monday.

Meanwhile, of the sectoral indices at the PSE, only mining and oil advanced as it added 51.24 points or 0.62% to 8,226.67.

The rest declined: industrials by 163.96 points or 1.65% to 9,747.66; property by 36.24 points or 0.89% to 3,996.98; financials by 13.10 points or 0.69% to 1,861.03; services by 8.27 points or 0.53% to 1,541.43; and holding firms by 6.5 points or 0.08% to 7,750.43.

Monday ended with 1.04 billion issues worth P4.68 billion changing hands, down from P5.49 billion on Friday. Stocks that went down outnumbered those that increased, 118 against 68, while 46 ended unchanged. — Denise A. Valdez with Reuters

Briton, Filipino hostages rescued from Abu Sayyaf

SOLDIERS in southern Philippines rescued a British man and a Filipina from members of the Abu Sayyaf Group, a militant group linked to Islamic State, the Army said on Monday, after their captors fled during a military operation.

The couple, Allan and Wilma Hyrons, were abducted at gunpoint on Oct. 4 from the resort they ran in a neighboring province and were now being looked after at a military camp.

A photograph issued by the Army showed the couple unharmed and eating a meal.

The kidnappers were members of the Abu Sayyaf, a group that operates in the Sulu archipelago and has extremist factions loyal to Islamic State, and linked to at least five suicide bombings in the region in the past 16 months.

“We welcome the rescue of Alan and Wilma Hyrons, the British Embassy in Manila said in a statement. “We extend our gratitude to the government and authorities of the Philippines.”

The Abu Sayyaf is much feared for its banditry, piracy and kidnap-for-ransom business, with targets that include Europeans and seamen from Vietnam, Indonesia and Malaysia. Some hostages were held for years and beheaded when ransom was not paid, among them a German and two Canadians.

The group has used terror for profit and to promote its jihadist agenda, according to the US National Counterterrorism Center.

The Philippines does not disclose when demands for their release are met.

Philippine President Rodrigo R. Duterte has poured more troops into the region to try to wipe out the Abu Sayyaf. The group remains influential among local clans and a formidable opponent, with a small and well-equipped network that operates in the jungles of Basilan and Jolo islands.

On Saturday, the army said it had killed a man it believed to be central to the group’s planning of suicide bombings and its coordination with Islamic State. — Reuters

Rights group says Robredo fired on ludicrous grounds

A HUMAN RIGHTS group yesterday criticized President Rodrigo R. Duterte for firing Vice President Maria Leonor G. Robredo as its drug czar “on ludicrous grounds.”

“By firing her on such ludicrous grounds, Duterte reveals he was never even remotely sincere, and exposes his game to appoint her as a total sham,” Human Rights Watch said in an emailed statement.

“Vice President Robredo barely warmed her seat before President Duterte fired her as co-chairperson of the Interagency Committee on Anti-Illegal Drugs,” its Asia researcher Carlos Conde said.

“Was his offer of involving her in finding solutions to the situation of drugs in the Philippines ever really serious?” he added.

The non government group said Mr. Duterte had not given the vice president a chance to show what she could do to make the campaign against drugs effective “and, most important, nonviolent and rights-respecting,” Mr. Conde said.

But presidential spokesman Salvador S. Panelo told DZBB Radio that Ms. Robredo “had it coming,” citing her missteps including meeting with officials of the United States Embassy and United Nations.

He also said the vice president disrespected Mr. Duterte by daring him to fire her. Mr. Duterte fired Ms. Robredo on Sunday evening, more than two weeks after she accepted the post.

Ms. Robredo had failed to come up with programs to address the problem on illegal drugs, the presidential palace said.

Ms. Robredo’s Liberal Party said it expected her to be fired. “We knew the president would do it because this was the only way to avoid a big problem that they themselves had created,” Lorenzo R. Tañada, the party’s vice president for external affairs, said in a statement.

Ms. Robredo this month said she had agreed to head the Duterte administration’s anti-illegal drug campaign, if only to stop the killings. She accepted the post against the advice of many of her party mates, who said the appointment might be a trap.

The opposition leader has vowed to enforce the state’s anti-illegal drug campaign within the bounds of the law. She said she would treat the drug problem not only as a crime, but also as a health issue.

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

Senator Panfilo M. Lacson said he regretted the vice president’s firing, saying “she was on the right track in addressing the problem of drugs.”

Justice Secretary Menardo I. Guevarra also weighed in on the development. “I feel so sad about what happened,” he said. “There was this opportunity for the administration and even the opposition to bond together and put up a united front against a common enemy which is illegal drugs,” he said. — Gillian M. Cortez, Charmaine A. Tadalan and Vann Marlo M. Villegas

DoJ seeks return to detention of massacre suspect

GOVERNMENT prosecutors have asked a Quezon City trial court to order the return to detention of one of the principal suspects in the massacre of more than 50 people in Maguindanao province in 2009.

In a pleading, the prosecutors also sought tighter security in the hospital where Zaldy U. Ampatuan is confined, to rule out his escape.

“The prosecution panel is not unmindful of the medical condition of Zaldy Ampatuan,” the Justice department said. “Unfortunately, it is apprehensive that his alleged hospital confinement under the cloak of being still undergoing physical and occupational therapy may provide him all the opportunity for a convenient escape.”

Prosecutors said there was no need for Mr. Ampatuan to remain confined since he was only undergoing physical therapy.

“In deference to this honorable court, it should now stop extending so much grace, sympathy or concern to accused Zaldy Ampatuan but has to act firmly with an iron hand to prevent any untoward contingency while its decision is still underway,” they added.

The Supreme Court earlier gave the trial court until Dec. 20 to rule on the multiple murder case, where 58 people died including 32 journalists.

The ambush took place when family members and the media were accompanying then-gubernatorial candidate Esmael G. Mangudadatu to the Commission on Elections to file his certificate of candidacy. Mr. Mangudadatu was then running for governor of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

The court was supposed to rule before the 10th year anniversary of the massacre but the judge sought more time. — Vann Marlo M. Villegas

Baguio City plans street parking fees

THE BAGUIO City government is looking at the imposition of parking fees along nine main roads as part of the traffic management program to lessen decongestion in central areas. In a statement on Sunday, Mayor Benjamin B. Magalong said he has endorsed to the city council the passage of an ordinance that would allow the collection of parking fees along identified stretches from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. The proposed rates are: P35 for the first two hours and P10 for every succeeding hour for regular vehicles; and P20 for the first two hours and P5 per succeeding hour for motorcycles. Mr. Magalong said he made the endorsement after consultations with the Land Traffic and Transportation Management Committee and the Baguio City police. The initial list of proposed roads with sections to be covered are: Session Road, Kalaw Street (St.), Assumption Road, Harrison Road, Calderon St., Claudio St., Gov. Pack Road, and Kayang-Hilltop. City Treasurer Alex B. Cabarrubias said the scheme is estimated to bring in a monthly income of up to P947,000 “assuming that all slots will be filled for an eight-hour operation.” City Administrator Bonifacio dela Peña said the scheme, once approved, will be in place until the local government completes the planned parking building projects.

Passi City wants to be home of Iloilo’s 2nd airport

By Emme Rose S. Santiagudo, Correspondent

PASSI CITY, located in the central part of Panay Island, is proposing to host the second airport in Iloilo province, to be built either through national funding or a public-private partnership (PPP).

Mayor Stephen A. Palmares, in a phone interview, said the city government already submitted its proposal to the Regional Development Council (RDC).

“We conceptualized it because if we have an airport, it will create an economic boost in Passi. Our foresight is it will go in harmony with our (proposed) economic zone,” he said.

The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines has already conducted a site inspection of the proposed 1,000-hectare area in Barangay Santo Tomas, the mayor said.

Passi, with a population of about 110,000, is the only component city of Iloilo province.

It is classified as a fourth-class city with an agriculture-based economy. Among its major crops are sugarcane, rice, and pineapple.

Mr. Palmares said with Passi being a landlocked city, an airport would improve movement for their products and access to investors.

“There were negative reactions from other people saying that it’s a long shot because we already have many airports in the region, but we are thinking and planning ahead for the city,” he said.

He added that an airport in Passi will help decongest the Iloilo International Airport in Cabatuan, near Iloilo City.

The other airports in the region are in Roxas City, Kalibo and Caticlan.

Mr. Palmares said groups from South Korea and Singapore have already expressed interest on the airport plan.

“If it will be through PPP or a funding from the national government, we are very much okay. We have nothing to lose, what is important is that we’re thinking about the future of Passi,” he said.

Adopt-a-home program launched for earthquake-hit areas in Cotabato

FOR P52,000, a sponsor can provide a temporary shelter for one family displaced by the series of earthquakes in October that struck Mindanao, with parts of Cotabato among those hardest hit. The provincial government said the adopt-a-home project is part of the Comprehensive Provincial Rebuilding Plan (CPRP) that is currently being finalized. Each unit, designed to withstand earthquakes, has a floor area of 20 square meters, built using G.I. pipes, G.I. sheets, plyboard, plywood, and foam insulators, among others. There are two prototypes, one designed by the military’s engineering brigade and the other by the Provincial Engineering Office. The houses will be built at temporary relocation sites while permanent relocation areas are developed as some earthquake-affected areas have already been declared as no-live zones. Donors may choose the beneficiary family, the local government said. The CPRP will also have an adopt-a-school, and adopt-a-community program. Of the over 65,000 families affected by the tremors, more than 38,000 have been displaced, based on data from the national disaster management agency. Of those displaced, 12,228 families are spread in 105 evacuation centers while 25,873 are taking shelter at the homes of relatives and friends. Aside from Cotabato, there are also communities displaced in several towns in Davao del Sur.

6 Abu Sayyaf killed, 7 soldiers wounded in weekend encounters in Sulu

SIX MEMBERS of the Abu Sayyaf militant group were killed in continuing military operations over the weekend in the southern island of Sulu, the Western Mindanao Command WestMinCom) reported late Sunday. The military said among those killed were two sub-leaders of the militant group, known for its kidnap-for-ransom operations and has pledged allegiance to the Islamic State (IS). One of them was identified as Sibih Pisih, who leads has a pending arrest warrant for the massacre of 22 civilians in Talipao, Sulu in 2014. Lt. General Cirilito E. Sobejana, WestMinCom commander, said the operation was part of “search and rescue efforts to recover the kidnap victim, including the Hyrons couple,” referring to Filipina Wilma Hyrons and her British husband, Allan, who were abducted at their beach resort in Zamboanga del Norte in early Oct. Last Friday, troops also killed high-value target Talha Jumsah, an IS-trained improvised explosive device expert who also served as “finance conduit and liason” between foreign and local terrorists. Meanwhile, WestMinCom said five soldiers and two Special Forces members were injured in the two encounters over the weekend, all of whom have undergone medical treatment in nearby facilities.

8th polio case confirmed

A NINE-YEAR old girl from Basilan has been confirmed to be the latest person to have polio, bringing the national total to eight, of which six are within the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), the Department of Health (DoH) reported on Monday. The DoH said samples from the latest patient sent to the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine and the National Institute of Infectious Diseases–Japan tested positive for the polio virus. Of the first seven cases, there were one each in Lanao del Sur and Cotabato City, and three in Maguindanao, all BARMM areas. The two others were in Sultan Kudarat and Laguna. The DoH reported the 1st polio case in September after the country has been free from the disease for almost two decades. A nationwide polio vaccination campaign has been launched, and the second round started on Monday, with a goal of covering the entire Mindanao islands. — Gillian M. Cortez

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