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UP returns to UAAP finals

By Michael Angelo S. Murillo
Senior Reporter
THE University of the Philippines are back in the UAAP Finals after 32 years following their victory over the Adamson Soaring Falcons, 89-87, in overtime in their Final Four do-or-die on Wednesday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Hanging tough amid a very tough challenge from the Falcons all the way to the end, the Maroons ended three decades of finals drought in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines while also completing an upset of higher-seeded Adamson, which carried a twice-to-beat advantage in the semifinals.
UP had a strong start, jolted by Juan Gomez De Liano who came off the bench to boost their offense.
The Maroons were up, 13-8, in the first five minutes and then extending it to a nine-point cushion, 21-12, inside the last two minutes.
Diliman-based UP eventually settled for a 26-16 lead at the end of the first quarter.
In the second quarter, Adamson came out on a better footing.
Led by Jerrick Ahanmisi and Papi Sarr, the Falcons would soar to a 14-5 run in the first four minutes of the frame to come within a point, 31-30.
But the Maroons regrouped after on the lead of Gomez De Liano and Bright Akhuetie.
They would finish the quarter with a 20-14 blast to carry a 51-42 advantage to the halftime break.
Gomez De Liano continued to pour it for UP to begin the third canto, towing his team to a 16-point separation, 60-44, at the 5:57 mark.
The Falcons were undeterred though and fashioned a comeback.
Adamson narrowed the gap to three points, 61-58, with two and a half minutes remaining in the quarter.
It would complete the turnaround in the canto with an 9-3 finish to seize the lead, 67-64, heading into the fourth period.
The two teams jousted to begin the fourth, fighting to a 69-68 count and Adamson up with 7:44 to go.
The game was knotted at 74-all midway into final canto.
UP was ahead, 74-73, entering the last two minutes before big man Jerson Prado made it a three-point cushion, 76-73, with two free throws with 1:22 remaining.
Ahanmisi pushed Adamson to within one point, 76-75, with a minute to go.
The two teams had their chances at the basket after but failed to connect until UP guard Jun Manzo scored on a drive to the basket to make it 78-75 with 10 seconds left.
Adamson sued for time after to set up a play.
The Falcons’ first play was foiled but had another chance at it and they delivered accordingly with Jerom Lastimosa hitting a game-tying triple with 2.6 seconds left to make it 78-all.
UP tried to go for the win with the time remaining but Paul Desiderio’s heave from midcourt failed to hit the mark, sending the game to extra time.
In overtime, it was the Falcons who jump-started things, scoring the first six points to take an 84-78 lead with 2:39 to go.
UP then answered with a quick six points after a minute and a half to tie the score at 84-all by the 1:09 mark.
Jonathan Espeleta gave the lead back to Adamson, 85-84, by splitting his free throws only to be answered by Desiderio with a triple to make it 87-85 for the Maroons with 41 ticks left.
Lastimosa then tied the count at 87-all with two free throws.
Back on their court, Desiderio broke the tie, 89-87, with a basket with six seconds to go.
Lastimosa had a chance to win it for the Falcons but his desperation three-pointer did not go in, sending the UP crowd, part of a mammoth 20,909 in attendance, into celebration.
Gomez De Liano led all scorers with 30 points while Desiderio had a double-double of 16 points and 11 rebounds.
Akhuetie, meanwhile, had 13 points and 17 rebounds for UP.
Ahanmisi paced Adamson with 20 points while Lastimosa finished with 17.
Sarr had 16 points and 15 rebounds for the Falcons.
“After that made three-pointer by Lastimosa to force overtime the spirit to fight momentarily left us. But these guys just did not give up. We are happy to be in the finals with this group of players,” said UP coach Bo Perasol following their win.
“It was not an easy journey for us this season but it was all worth it. We are in the finals,” Mr. Perasol added.
UP will have a short turnaround as it plays the defending champions Ateneo Blue Eagles in Game One of their best-of-three finals on Saturday, Dec. 1.

Singapore-headquartered e-commerce platform high on partnership with ONE

By Michael Angelo S. Murillo
Senior Reporter
SINGAPORE-headquartered fashion, beauty and lifestyle e-commerce platform Zilingo recently inked a partnership with ONE Championship that has it helping power Asia’s largest global sports media property’s brand-new athleisure business.
It is a deal that Zilingo, founded in 2015, said it is very excited about as it adds further dimension to it as an e-commerce player.
The athleisure business of ONE Championship is another vertical it is exploring which aims to introduce premium sports and lifestyle wear that inspires, represents, and empowers the consumer, all part of the group’s thrust as a global brand.
The athleisure business has ONE having its own merchandise line and online store, which is supported by Zilingo, touted as Southeast Asia’s leading fashion, beauty and lifestyle e-commerce platform.
“ONE Championship through the years has truly been a supportive partner of Zilingo. We have strong synergies between our business and theirs. We are a fashion company and we focus on building products through the fashion supply chain and on the other hand ONE is a sports and media brand. So for us to plug in our products into the ONE Championship franchise and to support them in their merchandise line and leisure line is valuable for us,” said Marita Abraham, Zilingo chief marketing officer, in an interview with BusinessWorld on the sidelines of the unveiling of their partnership with ONE last week here in Manila.
“It’s a partnership where we are associating with one of the biggest brands in this region. We believe it will be a fruitful partnership and we’re excited about it,” added Ms. Abraham, whose group has also set its global footprint in Thailand, Indonesia and have recently penetrated the US online marketplace with its new B2B platform, Zilingo Asia Mall.
Zilingo is set to hit Philippine shores soon, the company official shared.
Ms. Abraham further said that they have been working closely with ONE Championship to ensure the success of the new business line.
“We have known [ONE Chairman and CEO] Chatri [Sityodtong] and his team for a long time and we have been following the ONE brand for years. It has been working with us on and off through small partnerships in the past. And now Zilingo is ready to work with them on this. We have been working under the hood of production, from manufacturing to design, sampling, quality control, shipping, logistics and designing the Website,” Ms. Abraham said.
The ONE Championship online store is at https://shop.onefc.com while Zilingo is at https://zilingo.com.

Esports at SEA Games 2019 takes form with Razer on board

JUST days after being named one of the 56 events included in the Southeast Asian Games next year here in the Philippines, esports saw things get rolling for it with the naming of Razer as an official partner in the biennial regional tournament.
The leading global lifestyle brand for gamers, Razer has been tasked to provide the infrastructure and logistical support as well as expertise and experience in organizing esports events to ensure that the esports portion of the Games is successful staged, from the qualifiers all the way to the tournament proper itself.
In the official announcement of the partnership on Wednesday at the Marriott Hotel, officials of Razer and the Philippine Southeast Asian Games Organizing Committee, led by Chairman Emeritus Alan Peter Cayetano, hailed the newly forged deal as a breakthrough for the SEA Games as well as in the continued growth of esports.
“Esports is no longer a niche market. Many people are already picking it up both as gamers and audience and it is projected to be a billion-dollar industry by next year,” said Limeng Lee, Razer chief strategy officer, at yesterday’s announcement.
“To have Southeast Asia be part in that movement is big,” he added.
For Mr. Cayetano, the inclusion of esports in the Games as an official medal sport is a welcome development as it fortifies further the SEA Games goal of unity and inclusion in the region.
“SEA Games is about sports and competition but still we cannot forget about its goal of unity and inclusion. Gamers are part of this community,” Mr. Cayetano said.
PhilSGOC and Razer officials said more details on the tournament and other developments will be announced on a later date.
They, however, said that six games are being eyed — two mobile, two PC and two console games — for the Games.
The 2019 SEA Games is slated from Nov. 30 to Dec. 13 spread in different parts of the country. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo

Coach Tiger Woods coming to your living room next year

LOS ANGELES — Tiger Woods next year will begin producing weekly golf instructional videos and give fans a glimpse into his life on the PGA Tour as part of a new partnership with Discovery’s GOLFTV, the network said on Tuesday.
The live and on-demand video streaming service will collaborate with Woods on a wide range of programming to offer fans an authentic look into the life, mind and performance of one of the game’s all-time greats, the network said.
The 14-time Major champion said he was excited for the new endeavor, which he hoped would generate enthusiasm for the game among a new, younger audience.
“I want to talk to golf fans and golfers everywhere, directly, and straight from me,” Woods said
“That’s important to me. Talking about what we care about: what’s happening on the course, how to play better, how can I shoot lower scores tomorrow, how can I beat my friends?”
The 42-year-old said sharing his knowledge of the game through training videos was his way of giving back to people who share his love for the game.
“Getting the chance to do instruction is exciting,” he said.
“I’ve always been focused on my own game and this experience can help players everywhere. Whether you’re a long-time player or a beginner, there are some things that help us all play better.”
“If I can help the next generation enjoy the game more and play better, that’s pretty special.”
The PGA Tour and pay TV operator Discovery, Inc. in October announced the creation of GOLFTV, a live and on-demand video streaming service that will give golf fans access to nearly 150 tournaments annually when it launches on Jan. 1.
The partnership with GOLFTV comes at an ideal time in Woods’ career.
After years of setbacks due to multiple back surgeries, the American had a comeback season this year that culminated with a win at the Tour Championship in September, his first PGA Tour win in five years and his 80th overall. — Reuters

Associations, events among to be feted at sports tourism awards

KEY PLAYERS who have been done their part in the exponential growth of the local sports tourism industry are set to be honored at the 2nd Sports Tourism Awards.
Happening on Dec. 5 at the newly opened Savoy Hotel Manila in Pasay City, the Philippine Sports Tourism Awards (PSTA), which is founded by tourism marketing and public relations group Selrahco, is also geared towards inspiring local players to further step up their game in pushing the Philippines as a top sports tourism destination in the world with various events and activities, riding on the back of the richness of the country’s geography and the inherent passion of Filipinos for sports.
The awards is making a comeback after taking a year off last year to give way to the organizational changes that happened both in the sports and tourism sectors in the country.
But like its inaugural edition in 2016, organizers said the 2nd Sports Tourism Awards will honor deserving awardees who have put in much effort to the Philippine sports tourism push.
“Once again the awardees are of par excellence and this event is to honor them for their efforts and professionalism in creating and hosting the sports events which have encouraged more visitors, locally and from overseas, to participate,” said Charles Lim, chairman and founder of the PSTA, during the press conference for the event held on Tuesday.
Among those short-listed for awards are the Philippine Football Federation and Philippine Football League (National Sports Association of the Year); Sunrise Events Inc., Palawan Express, Davao Fun Sale Inc. , and Blue Kiteboarding Inc. (Organizer of the Year [Private]); Tabuelan 111, Visit Davao, and Manggahan Bike Fest (Event of the Year [Domestic]); Ironman 70.3 Asia-Pacific Championship, 4th Futsal Asian Championship, Pal Interclub Tournament, Clark Hot Air Balloon, and Blue Palawan International Kiteboarding Open (Event of the Year [International]); and PAL Interclub, Century Tuna Ironman, and Cobra Ironman (Event Sponsorship of the Year).
Other categories in the PSTA are Destination of the Year, Organizer of the Year (LGU), Destination Marketing of the Year, Hotel of the Year, Charity of the Year, and Airline of the Year.
The winners are to be chosen by a panel of judges from the sports and tourism sectors.
The PSTA is supported by the Department of Tourism, Philippine Sports Commission and the Philippine Amusement & Gaming Corporation, among others.
Previous winners of the awards were Clark Freeport (Destination of the Year), Sunrise Events, Inc. (Organizer of the Year -Private), Municipality of Lubao (Organizer of the Year — Government), (Tabuelan 111 — Event of the Year -Domestic), Ironman 70.3 (Event of the Year — International), Philippine Inter-Island Sailing Federation — Sport Association of the Year), Province of Cebu -(Destination Marketing of the Year Ironman 70.3), Resorts World Manila Masters — Event Sponsorship of the Year) and Fat Boy 10s Rugby (Charity Event of the Year). — Michael Angelo S. Murillo

Teen star in Khanty-Mansiysk

The 2018 women’s World Chess Championship is over and the Chinese Grandmaster Ju Wenjun remains the chess queen of earth. I’d like to point out the notable performance of IM Zhansaya Abdumalik of Kazakhstan.
Ms. Abdumalik was born in Jan. 12, 2000 in Almaty, Kazakhstan, which makes her 18 years old as of today. She carries the title of International Master but actually holds three Grandmaster (GM) norms already and only needs to bring her rating up to 2500 to get the full GM title.
IM Zhansaya has three world championship titles: Under-8 section (2008 Vung Tau) and Under-12 division (2011 Caldas Novas, Brazil) and World Girls Under-20 Championship (Tarvisio, Kazakhstan). In 2016 she became the women’s champion of Kazakhstan. She is so highly regarded in her home country that the chess academy there is called the “Zhansaya Abdumalik Chess Academy,” inaugurated by the 12th world champion Anatoly Karpov no less.
IM Abdumalik did really well here in Khanty-Mansiysk to reach the quarterfinals. Along the way she defeated IM Padmini Rout IND 2341 2.5-1.5, GM Zhao Xue CHN 2478 3-1, Jolanta Zawadzka POL 2407 2.5-1.5 before falling to former world champion Mariya Muzychuk UKR 2545 1-3.
That is the bare score and it doesn’t seem like much, but let me explain to you how difficult her journey was.
Let us not discuss first round opponent Padmini Rout who is lower rated than Zhansaya (never mind that Padmini was Indian women’s champion for the last four years), the second round opponent GM Zhao Xue is a real powerhouse who at one time was considered a potential world champion. She played for the Chinese Olympiad team (and you know they are among the most powerful teams in the world) in 2002 (Bled), 2004 (Calvia) and 2016 (Baku). In fact, in Bled she won a gold medal as 5th board, scoring 11/12 (!) for a performance rating of 2723.
In round 3 IM Abdumalik faced the Pole WGM Zawadzka who was herself having a good tournament – in the previous round she had defeated former challenger GM Humpy Koneru and was really itching to further go up the tournament ladder. Zhansaya lost the first game but came back to win the 2nd to bring the match to tiebreaks. Abdumalik then posted this very emphatic win to eliminate Jolanta.

Abdumalik, Zhansaya (2473) — Zawadzka, Jolanta (2407) [B01]
Women’s World Championship Khanty-Mansiysk (3.3), 11.11.2018

1.e4 d5 2.exd5 Qxd5 3.Nc3 Qd6 4.d4 Nf6 5.Nf3 Bg4 6.h3 Bh5 7.g4 Bg6 8.Ne5 Nbd7 9.Nc4 Qe6+ 10.Ne3 0–0–0 11.Bg2 h5 12.g5 Ne4 13.Qf3 f5?!
Totally understandable but wrong. Black was afraid of the Q+B battery down the long diagonal and decides to shut it off on e4. In reality what is happening is that she has killed the scope of her g6–bishop. Better is 13…Nd6 followed by …f7–f6.
14.0–0 c6 15.h4 Nxc3 16.bxc3 Nb6 17.Bh3 Qf7 18.a4!
Winning the pawn with 18.Bxf5+ backfires after 18…e6 and White is forced into 19.Be4 Qxf3 20.Bxf3 Na4 21.Bd2 e5! Black equalizes.
18…e6 19.a5!
Getting the knight out of the way so that she can play Ne3–f4–e5.
19…Nd5 20.Nc4 Bd6? 21.Nxd6+ Rxd6 22.c4 Nc7 23.c3 Na6 24.Bf4 Rd7 25.Be5 Re8 26.Qf4 Kd8 27.c5 Qg8
Jolanta’s queen is doing nothing on f7 and she tries to reposition her forces with Ke7, Ra8, Qc8, etc.
28.Rfb1 Ke7 29.Rb2 Ra8 30.Rab1 Qc8 31.Bf1
With the idea of 32.Bxa6 bxa6 33.Rb8, which wins the black queen.
31…Nc7 32.Rxb7 Nd5 33.Rxd7+ Qxd7 34.Qd2 f4 35.Bd3 Bxd3 36.Qxd3 Kf8 37.Qh7 Qf7 38.Rb7! 1–0
Black resigned after 38.Rb7. She loses her queen after 38…Qxb7 39.Qh8+ Kf7 40.Qxg7+ and will probably be mated too in a few more moves. Her match with former women’s world champion Grandmaster Mariya Muzychuk was a battle royale. First Abdumalik grabs a win with a nice attack.

Muzychuk, Mariya (2545) — Abdumalik, Zhansaya (2473) [B41]
Women’s World Championship, Khanty-Mansiysk (4.1), 12.11.2018

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 a6 5.c4 Nf6 6.Nc3 Bb4 7.Qd3 0–0 8.e5 Ne8 9.Bf4 Qc7N 10.a3 Bxc3+ 11.Qxc3 f6 12.Nf3 Nc6 13.Bg3 fxe5 14.Nxe5 Nxe5 15.Bxe5 d6 16.Bg3 Qc6 17.f3 e5 18.c5 dxc5 19.Bc4+ Be6 20.0–0–0 b5 21.Bxe6+ Qxe6 22.Rhe1 b4 23.Rxe5 Qa2 24.axb4 cxb4 25.Qxb4
The following sequence is fascinating.
25…Rc8+ 26.Rc5 a5 27.Qb5 Rf5! 28.Bf2 Qe6 29.Rd3?
A blunder. 29.Rd2! holds.
29…Rfxc5+ 30.Bxc5 Qe1+ 31.Kc2 Qf2+
The point.
32.Kb3 Qxc5 33.Qxc5 Rxc5 34.h4 Rb5+ 35.Ka3 Kf7 36.Rd7+ Ke6 37.Ra7 h5 38.g4 hxg4 39.fxg4 Rb4 40.Rxa5 Rxg4 41.Rh5 g6 42.Rh8 Ng7 43.b4 Nf5 44.b5 Rxh4 45.Rg8 Rg4 46.b6 Nd6 47.Rc8 Rg5 48.Rb8 Kd7 49.Kb4 Kc6 50.Kc3 Nb7 51.Kd4 Kxb6 52.Re8 Kc6 53.Re5 Rg4+ 54.Ke3 Nc5 55.Kf3 Rg1 56.Re8 Kd6 57.Rc8 Ne6 0–1
Mariya immediately strikes back in the second game to bring the match to tiebreaks.

Abdumalik, Zhansaya (2473) — Muzychuk, Mariya (2545) [B47]
Women’s World Championship Khanty-Mansiysk (4.2), 13.11.2018

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 e6 5.Nc3 Qc7 6.Be2 Nf6 7.0–0 Bb4 8.Ndb5 Qb8! 9.Be3 a6 10.a3 Be7 11.Nd4 0–0 12.f4 d6 13.Kh1 Bd7 14.Bf3 Rc8N 15.Qe1 b5 16.Qg3 b4 17.axb4 Qxb4 18.e5 Nxd4!
It is win or go home, so the former world champion takes a risk by giving up the exchange in order to activate her bishops.
19.Bxd4 Qxd4 20.exf6 Bxf6 21.Bxa8 Rxa8 22.Qd3 Qxd3 23.cxd3 d5 24.Ra3 g6 25.Rb3 a5 26.Ra1 Kg7 27.Kg1 a4 28.Rb7
Strange as it may seem, this move, bringing the rook to the 7th rank is a mistake. It is vulnerable to the two rampaging bishops.
28…Bc6 29.Rc7
[29.Rb4 Be7 30.Rb6 Bc5+ wins the rook]
29…Be8 30.Kf1 h5 31.Ra2 Bd8 32.Rb7 Bc6 33.Rb4 Ra6 34.Ke2? Be7ƒ 35.Rd4 Bc5 36.Rdxa4 Bxa4 37.Nxa4 Bd4
Black’s bishop dominates the knight. Muzychuk is already winning.
38.b4 Ra8 39.Ra3 h4 40.Kf3 f5 41.g4 Kf6–+ 42.Ra2? Rb8 43.g5+ Ke7 44.Nb2 Rxb4 45.Nd1 Bb6 46.Rc2 Kd7 47.Nc3 Rd4 48.Rd2 Ba5 49.Ne2 Rxf4+! 50.Kxf4 Bxd2+ 51.Ke5 Ke7 52.Nf4 Bxf4+ 53.Kxf4 Kd6 54.d4 e5+! 55.dxe5+ Ke6 56.Kf3 Kxe5 57.Kg2 Kf4 58.Kh3 Kxg5 0–1
So … on to the tiebreaks! All tiebreaks games were played the next day after the second classical game. First there were two Rapid (25 minutes + 10 seconds increment) and the two players exchanged fighting wins to go to the second phase, the so-called “long-blitz” games at 10 minutes per game plus 10 seconds increment after every move.
The first game was a giant battle and wound up with a KRN vs KR endgame on the 85th move. As our BW readership knows this is a draw but fiendishly difficult for both sides. You should note that both players had already exhausted their time allotment and were only going by the 10-second increment. Try playing with 10 seconds per move in a complicated and crucial endgame for a hundred moves! Anyway, they fought on until they got to this position on the 135th move (Muzychuk is White).
POSITION AFTER 135.NG5
Black can only prevent 136.Re8 checkmate by giving up her rook for the knight, but fortunately for Abdumalik they have already reached the 50-move threshold with no exchanges or pawn moves and she could have claimed a draw here. The heat of battle and sheer exhaustion however got to her and she resigned in this position.
That meant that Abdumalik was once again one game away from elimination, and they had to play the 2nd “long-blitz” game immediately after the exhausting marathon above. She was equal to the task, though.

Abdumalik, Zhansaya (2473) — Muzychuk, Mariya (2545) [B18]
Women’s World Championship Khanty-Mansiysk (4.6), 14.11.2018

1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.Nd2 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Bf5 5.Ng3 Bg6 6.h4 h6 7.Nh3 Nf6 8.Nf4 Bh7 9.Be3
Mikhail Tal played 9.Bc4 in his 1960 world championship match with Botvinnik. The idea is that after 9…e6 10.0–0 Bd6 (Better than 10…Be7 11.Bxe6! fxe6 12.Nxe6 Qd7 13.Nh5! with a very dangerous attack) 11.Nxe6!? fxe6 12.Bxe6 Qc7 13.Re1 Nbd7 theoretically White does not have enough for the piece but the practical problems for Black are plenty. Tal, M-Botvinnik, M Moscow 1960 0–1 58. I wrote a long theoretical on this position many years ago in “Chess Asia” and have played it hundreds (maybe even thousands) of times in the Internet Chess Club for blitz and bullet games. My score with White in this line is something like 60%, and that includes games with titled players, even grandmasters!
9…e6 10.Bd3 Bxd3 11.Qxd3 Qa5+ 12.c3 Bd6 13.0–0 Nbd7 14.b4 Qc7 15.Nfe2 0–0 16.a4 a5 17.b5 c5 18.Ne4 c4 19.Qc2 Nxe4 20.Qxe4 Nf6 21.Qf3 Nd5 22.g3 f5?
When you are tired you tend to strike out rashly hoping to end the game immediately. This is the explanation I can think of for this anti-positional move which is parried by Abdumalik without problems.
23.Bf4 Rae8 24.Rfe1 Rf7 25.h5 Nxf4 26.Nxf4 e5?
A well-intentioned move which has a flaw.
27.dxe5 Rxe5 28.Ng6! Rxe1+ 29.Rxe1 Qd7 30.Qd5 f4 31.Re7!! 1–0
So now they go to the next set of tiebreak games, the blitz 5 minutes + 3 second increments. By this time Abdumalik had depleted all our inner reserves and could not put up a fight. Mariya Muzychuk won the 1st and forced a draw in the 2nd in a winning position to eliminate her worthy foe and go on to the semi-finals.
This epic battle left its mark on both players. Muzychuk herself was very tired and could not put up much resistance to Russia’s Kateryna Lagno in the semi-finals. They drew the two classical games but Lagno won both tiebreak games to proceed to the finals against Ju Wenjun.
Abdumalik is only 18 years old. She just put everyone on notice that her name will be one to reckon with in future world championship battles.
 
Bobby Ang is a founding member of the National Chess Federation of the Philippines (NCFP) and its first Executive Director. A Certified Public Accountant (CPA), he taught accounting in the University of Santo Tomas for 25 years and is currently Chief Audit Executive of the Equicom Group of Companies.
bobby@cpamd.net

Fruitful season

To contend that Tiger Woods has had a fruitful season would be an understatement. True, he was next to atrocious in his immediate past performances; he laid an egg at the Ryder Cup and failed to tame both Phil Mickelson and softened-up Shadow Creek in a made-for-television affair. On the other hand, he did wear himself thin heading into his unlikely triumph at the Tour Championship. And were his 80th PGA Tour triumph his only achievement for 2018, the year would still be deemed a resounding success. As things turned out, he contended in, among other tournaments, two major championships and managed to move up a whopping 655 spots to 13th in world rankings.
Which, for the most part, was why Woods sounded more thankful than disappointed during his presser for the Hero World Challenge yesterday. If nothing else, he understood the depths from where he came and the advances he made to remain the talk of the sport, but for all the right reasons. And considering the full schedule he hitherto subjected himself to in order to make his strides, his hosting of a by-invitation event in the Bahamas this weekend figures to be a welcome respite.
Knowing Woods, though, there will be nothing on his mind but victory when he tees off at Albany. For all the trappings of the luxury resort, he will not be distracted from the same singular pursuit that has propelled his achievements since he chucked his amateur status in late 1996. How well he does is subject to speculation, but what his determination to succeed won’t be. It’s certainly what has enabled him to turn his fortunes for the better despite four back surgeries in the last half decade. These days, he doesn’t just view teeing off as a measure of progress in and of itself; he’s back to believing he begins any competition as the prohibitive favorite.
In any case, there can be no underestimating the remarkable lengths Woods has gone through in order to once again rub elbows with the best of the best in the sport. Certainly, no other player would have been able to get reacquainted with winning in such forceful fashion after having canned a swing coach and changed equipment. Then again, he is who he is, and nothing he does surprises anymore.
 
Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994.

PSEi declines on concerns over reenacted budget

By Arra B. Francia, Reporter
STOCKS CORRECTED on Wednesday, ending a four-day winning streak as investors assessed how a pause on public works could affect the implementation of new projects next year.
The benchmark Philippine Stock Exchange index (PSEi) fell 0.42% or 31.20 points to 7,382.43 by closing bell yesterday. The broader all-shares index likewise dropped 0.34% or 15.38 points to 4,443.38.
“Today’s downward bias may have been influenced by the government’s re-enacted budget and ban on public works ahead of elections, which both point towards a five-month pause in the implementation of new projects,” Papa Securities Corp. Head of Marketing and Business Development Arbee B. Lu said in an e-mail on Wednesday.
Budget Secretary Benjamin E. Diokno said on Tuesday that the government will likely see a five-month pause in new projects to be implemented due to the late signing of the 2019 General Appropriations Act, which the president is expected to sign in mid-March.
This will coincide with the April-May ban on public works for the midterm elections.
“This may put pressure on the government’s GDP (gross domestic product) target next year,” Ms. Lu said, although adding that investors are still focusing on the release of inflation figures on Wednesday next week.
For Eagle Equities, Inc. Research Head Christopher John Mangun, the PSEi’s pullback was expected.
“Investors will continue to take profits and cut positions to raise cash for the long weekend. We expect the index to end the week more or else close to the levels we began the week at,” Mr. Mangun said in a separate e-mail.
Net foreign buying continued, albeit slowing to P265.94 million from Tuesday’s P312.80 million.
Four sectoral indices moved to negative territory, led by property which slumped 0.98% or 35.36 points to 3,541.67. Financials shed 0.61% or 10.93 points to 1,753.63; services slipped 0.32% or 4.55 points to 1,411.18; while mining and oil went down 0.04% or 3.78 points to 8,509.92.
In contrast, holding firms added 0.01% or 1.25 points to 7,282.89, while industrials was flat with a 0.44-point increase to 10,710.79.
Some 1.15 billion issues switched hands valued at P7.22 billion, slimming from the previous session’s P7.59 billion.
Decliners outpaced advancers, 95 to 81, while 54 names were unchanged.
Overseas, Wall Street advanced. The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 0.44% or 108.49 points to 24,748.73. The S&P 500 index climbed 0.33% or 8.75 points to 2,682.20, while the Nasdaq Composite index also added 0.01% or 0.85 point to 7,082.70.
Asian markets ended mixed on Wednesday, although investors remained cautious on how US President Donald J. Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping’s negotiations will go over the weekend.

Peso inches up vs dollar

THE PESO strengthened a tad against the dollar on Wednesday amid large trading volume ahead of the meeting between the US and Chinese leaders.
The local unit closed yesterday’s session at P52.585 versus the greenback, just two centavos stronger than the P52.605 finish the previous day.
The peso opened the session weaker at P52.67, while its intraday high stood at P52.51. Its worst showing, on the other hand, was at P52.72 against the US currency.
Trading volume slid to $1.053 billion from the $1.067 billion that switched hands on Tuesday.
A foreign exchange trader said the peso strengthened slightly even as the dollar moved higher ahead of the meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump.
“The peso traded in a high range between P52.50-P52.70. So it’s more of a reflection of the dollar trading higher,” the trader said in a phone interview.
Reuters reported that the dollar’s strength also reflected risks around the upcoming G20 Summit in Buenos Aires wherein the leaders of the two biggest economies are scheduled to discuss trade issues.
In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Mr. Trump said it was “highly unlikely” Washington would accept Beijing’s proposal to postpone the 25% tariffs to be imposed on Chinese goods by next year.
“The peso slightly appreciated amid risk-on sentiment ahead of Trump’s upcoming trade talks with China,” another trader said.
For today, the first trader expects the peso to trade between P52.45 and P52.65, while the other gave a P52.50-P52.70 range.
“We will continue to trade between P52.50 and P52.75, range. We have to hear from other Fed officials on what they think about the path next year,” a third trader said.
On Tuesday, Federal Reserve Vice Chair Richard Clarida backed the central bank’s approach to hiking interest rates, saying it is “necessary.” Investors are now awaiting clues from Fed Chair Jerome Powell on the future path of policy rates. — K.A.N. Vidal

Bersamin is new chief justice

SUPREME COURT (SC) Associate Justice Lucas P. Bersamin has been appointed the new chief justice, replacing retired chief justice Teresita J. Leonardo-De Castro, Justice Secretary and Judicial and Bar Council ex-officio member Menardo I. Guevarra confirmed on Wednesday.
Mr. Bersamin, 69, is the third most senior justice in the SC, after Senior Associate Justice Antonio T. Carpio and Associate Justice Diosdado M. Peralta. The Abra native will serve for less than a year before he retires on Oct. 18, 2019.
In a press conference, Mr. Bersamin assured that he has been independent and he scrutinized cases thoroughly.“Ang pagtingin sa isang bagay (the way of looking at things) from different points of view will give you a different perspective. If your perspective of what is independent is against the government or any administration that has issues in our court, let me assure you, I have always given these matters analytical attention and deep study so when the time comes for me to give a vote or to render a judgment I always do my best to come out with a fair and valid ruling,” he said.
“Maybe your concept of judicial independence is that the government should lose the case. I hate to disappoint you. The government is often better in the arguments than the other side. The government is represented by the Office of the Solicitor-General when it comes to issues raised in the Court of Appeals or in the Supreme Court and there are also many cases where the government loses and yet you do not call that independent. It’s just that the government has less of the merits of the case than the other side,” he added.
“My voting record, it is there. Sometimes I join the decision against the government, sometimes I go in favor of the government,” he said. “As far as the law is concerned I was independent.”
Mr. Bersamin previously voted in favor of the ouster of then chief justice Ma. Lourdes P.A. Sereno in June 2018 via quo warranto. He also voted to allow the burial of the late dictator Ferdinand E. Marcos at the Libingan ng mga Bayani and in favor of martial law’s implementation and extension in Mindanao. He also concurred in keeping Sen. Leila M. De Lima detained over her drug charges.
Mr. Bersamin said that he and President Rodrigo R. Duterte do not know each other and he only met the President during the oathtaking of his predecessor, Ms. De Castro, at Malacañang.
SENIORITY
Asked about prevailing over seniors Messrs. Carpio and Peralta, Mr. Bersamin said, “I think that I have served the longest in the judiciary. I leave that to the president to make a decision of what he meant by giving priority of preference to seniority….But let us trust in his wisdom. He appointed me, that should be the end of it and I don’t think that will be fair to my colleagues to make a judgment comparing them to me. I may lack more qualifications than they have but it’s still up to the appointing powers to exercise the discretion to choose among us who are properly nominated,” he said.
Mr. Carpio is a leading critic of China in the maritime dispute with the Philippines over the West Philippine Sea.
Mr. Bersamin also prevailed over Associate Justices Estela M. Perlas-Bernabe and Andres B. Reyes, Jr.
Mr. Bersamin has served in the judiciary since November 1986, starting as judge of Quezon City Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 96. He was in private practice before joining the judiciary.
He then served as Court of Appeals (CA) justice in March 2003 before his appointment as SC associate justice in 2009 by then president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
Mr. Bersamin earned his law degree from the University of the East in 1973 and ranked ninth in the Bar Examinations the same year.
NEW ASSOCIATE JUSTICE
Mr. Duterte also appointed Court of Appeals Associate Justice Rosmari D. Carandang as the newest SC associate justice, filling in the position left by Ms. De Castro when she was appointed chief justice on Aug. 25.
Ms. Carandang, 66, served as Manila RTC Branch 12 judge from 1994 to 2003 before she was appointed to the CA. She earned her law degree from the University of the Philippines in 1975 and ranked ninth in the bar examinations the same year.
Ms. Carandang will retire in 2022. — Vann Marlo M. Villegas

Locsin confirmed as Foreign Affairs Secretary

By Camille A. Aguinaldo, Reporter
THE COMMISSION ON Appointments (CA) on Wednesday confirmed Teodoro L. Locsin, Jr. as the Secretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA).
Senator Panfilo M. Lacson, chairperson of the CA committee on foreign affairs, sponsored the confirmation of Mr. Locsin to the appointments body.
“The appointee has distinguished himself with the credentials and qualifications befitting someone who should be at the helm of the Department of Foreign Affairs. Irrepressible, articulate, very independent minded and extraordinary prolific in writing,” he said in his sponsorship speech.
Prior to his DFA post, Mr. Locsin was the Philippine Permanent Representative to the United Nations (UN). He attended Ateneo de Manila University and Harvard Law School.
He also served as a speechwriter to three Presidents, and was elected as Makati City representative from 2001 to 2010. Apart from public service, Mr. Locsin is also a veteran journalist, with a renowned career spanning five decades.
During his confirmation hearing, lawmakers raised the issue of the television report of broadcast firm GMA Network, Inc. whose news crew was driven away by Chinese Coast Guard off the coast of Zambales. The reported influx of Chinese workers were discussed as well.
Mr. Locsin said he prefers a tighter coordination between the two countries’ Coast Guards in response to the query of Senator Risa N. Hontiveros-Baraquel if DFA would file a diplomatic protest on the incident with the television network.
“Maybe we need coast guard presence, a tighter coordination to avoid occasions that may escalate what is a conflicted one into an actual conflict,” he said.
As for the influx of Chinese workers in the Philippines, the country’s top diplomat said that during the visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping, he learned that China also intends to run after its citizens engaged in online gambling overseas.
“We’re going to be doing two things: One, online gambling is illegal, we’re going to stamp it out with the help and not against the objection of China because they too want to end it,” Mr. Locsin said.
“This is one of the areas where two law enforcement agencies will be able to coordinate without looking as if we had surrendered our sovereignty,” he added.

DND mulls formation of hit squad vs NPA

DEFENSE Secretary Delfin N. Lorenzana yesterday said they will look into the formation of the government’s own “sparrow unit” that will combat communist rebels following the pronouncement of the President on Tuesday.
The sparrow unit was known during the Marcos dictatorship as the hit men in urban areas of the New People’s Army (NPA), the armed groups of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP).
“We will study it very closely. Who will compose it, who will supervise it, who will be the targets. Who will be accountable. Because there is great danger of abuse or mistakes in these undercover operations,” said Mr. Lorenzana in a message to the reporters on Wednesday, Nov. 28.
President Rodrigo R. Duterte said on Tuesday that he will create his own hit group, dubbed as “Duterte Death Squad,” that will combat the NPA’s “sparrow unit.”
The defense chief said a leader is needed to guide the operations of the planned hit squad to avoid accidental attacks on mistaken identities.
“[There could be] mistakes in identifying their targets… One way to prevent this is for someone higher up to give the go signal after careful and thorough vetting,” said Mr. Lorenzana, adding that operatives should not be given “blanket authority.”
Meanwhile, exiled CPP leader Jose Maria C. Sison said the NPA’s sparrow unit is not what it used to be.
“They don’t exist anymore in the way they existed in the 70s, 80s…. It’s Duterte who says a lot about sparrow unit, but the AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines) authorities have not been talking about it. In Mindanao, there are already incidents of NPA, not necessarily sparrow, hitting AFP,” said Mr. Sison in an interview with ABS-CBN News Channel (ANC) on Wednesday morning.
He added, “As far as I know, there is no widescale operation of sparrow. NPA Sparrow Unit now have a different purpose, Duterte is just inventing. He’s giving the license again to military officers to kill anyone in bus terminals just because they don’t like the looks of anyone who’s a tambay (bystander).”
DUREZA
On another matter, Mr. Sison said he and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) were surprised about the resignation of Jesus G. Dureza as Presidential Peace Adviser as confirmed by Mr. Duterte on Tuesday night.
“We in the NDF were surprised because we have always thought that Duterte and Dureza are quite close to each other, have mutual trust and confidence. But of course there is something unbelievable about the corruption charge,” said Mr. Sison.
At a speech at the new Bohol airport inauguration, Mr. Duterte also announced that he has sacked two officials of the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPPAP), Ronald I. Flores, who held an undersecretary rank, and Yeshter Donn P. Baccay, an assistant secretary.
Both officials were under the office in charge of the Payapa at Masaganang Pamayanan or PAMANA program, which provides interventions and development projects such as infrastructure and livelihood in conflict-affected areas.
Mr. Dureza, in a post on his official Facebook page, wrote, “Although I have voluntarily relinquished my assigned task at OPAPP, I call on everyone to continue supporting our President. I will continue to do so in my private capacity. I believe in him and in his sincere intentions for our country. He cannot do this alone.”
In a separate interview with ANC, former NDFP consultant Saturnino C. Ocampo said the President might choose someone from the military to takeover Mr. Dureza’s post.
“There’s a possibility that the President may appoint a military officer and that would not be good for the prospect of the peace negotiations,” said Mr. Ocampo.
Last Nov. 19, retiring Armed Forces of the Philippines Chief-of-Staff General Carlito G. Galvez Jr. expressed his interest to become a consultant for OPAPP to help in the implementation of the Bangsamoro Organic Law. — Vince Angelo C. Ferreras

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