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On the future of business

The title of this essay was the main theme of the recently concluded 17th Management Association of the Philippines (MAP) International CEO Conference 2019 which was held at the Makati Shangri-La. This piece is intended to interject our own impressions and perceptions on this vision statement which we hope will complement those of the many informative and insightful presentations made at the Conference.

To our minds, the concept that captures the principal thrust of the Conference, one that we believe is the common thread that brings the diverse presentations into coherence, is the notion that in today’s complex, fast-changing, and uncertain economic environment, business should pursue sustainability as its major strategic concern.

This is easier said than done, however, because the term “sustainability” has many shades of meaning and is subject to many interpretations. From an environmental and ecological perspective, sustainability means the continued co-existence of human society and the larger physical and biological systems in which it is embedded. When we speak of “sustainable development,” we usually have in mind our ability to pursue our human development goals — for example, those embodied in the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals — in a manner that preserves our ability to continuously draw resources from the planet and the larger ecosystem.

From a narrow, institutional point of view, sustainability simply means the ability of a social entity or an organization to survive over an extended period of time. It is in this narrow context that we discuss sustainability as business strategy.

The presentations at the Conference have shown that in order to thrive in an increasingly hostile and volatile environment, an organization must develop its ability to draw resources from the different segments of its environment on which it depends for its sustenance, notably its consumers, its workers, its business partners, and the community of which it is an integral part. Moreover, to survive in a world which is characterized by frenetic and unpredictable changes in technologies and markets, and dramatic transformations in the social, economic and political milieus, organizations should develop the capacity to adapt.

These, then, are the three essential elements of strategies for sustainability: a long-run perspective, a focus on stakeholders, and an emphasis on adaptation through innovation.

In his keynote address, Henry K. H. Wang stressed the relationship between business sustainability and sustainable development, suggesting that the fundamental logic behind strategies for sustainability is that business cannot long survive in an unsustainable environment.

By definition, a strategy of sustainability implies a long-term time horizon. Conference speaker Andrew HW Chan suggested that business should aim for the maximization of economic value rather than the maximization of short-term profits. In setting the tone for the Panel Discussion portion of the conference, MAP’s Alma Jimenez suggested a shift in focus away from shareholder wealth towards the economic well-being of the firm’s other stakeholders as a way of realizing long-run business objectives.

In the exchanges that followed, the various discussants narrated how organizational sustainability can be achieved by creating value for stakeholders. Illac Diaz, founder of the Liter of Light Foundation, showed how an innovative technique for producing solar lights by recycling used plastic bottles and converting these into light bulbs using simple solar panels as a source of energy can create value not only for customers but also for entire communities. Jeannie Javelosa, prime mover of the Great Women project, implemented in collaboration with the Philippine Commission on Women, showed how this social enterprise has succeeded in giving access to the world of fashion to products of women in poor, inaccessible rural areas of the Philippines.

Both initiatives are in keeping with Deepa Prahalad’s advocacy of “bottom-of-the-pyramid” strategies for achieving traditional business objectives by sharing value with those who contribute to the process of value creation, and who have a legitimate stake in the business enterprise — those, in particular, who are the least economically endowed in society.

We have noted elsewhere that one of the greatest anomalies of our time is the ever-widening gap in income and wealth between the very rich and privileged few in most societies, and the masses at the bottom of the social pyramid that are mired in abject poverty. Most social analysts regard this continually widening gap as unsustainable. The rationale behind sustainable strategies, along with Deepa Prahalad’s concern for the well-being of the bottom of the pyramid, suggests that it is in the long-run strategic interest of business to address the issue of non-inclusive growth.

The shareholder-stakeholder issue that unraveled at the Conference suggests that there is no inherent conflict between long-run shareholder wealth maximization and creating value for stakeholders, as both Andrew Chan and Ms. Jimenez have advocated. What it does suggest is that value shared with stakeholder should be treated not as costs to be minimized, but as investments intended to enhance future productivity. In this way, the business enterprise will be able to produce higher economic value in the future and enhance the residual value that goes to shareholders.

This article reflects the personal opinion of the author and does not reflect the official stand of the Management Association of the Philippines or the MAP.

 

Niceto S. Poblador is a retired UP Professor, and until recently was Professorial Lecturer at the UP School of Economics.

map@map.org.ph

nspoblador@gmail.com

http://map.org.ph

A separate department for OFWs: Should we?

(Last of two parts)

AS OF THIS writing, more than 30 bills proposing the creation of a separate department for Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) have been filed in the House of Representatives and the Senate. In this piece, I present the proposed bills and then lay out the positions of the various stakeholders, from government and civil society, as shared during a round table discussion (RTD) on Sept. 13 which I participated in. The RTD was organized by the Center for Migrant Advocacy – Philippines (CMA) and the Working Group on Migration (WGM) of the Department of Political Science of Ateneo de Manila University (full disclosure: I am affiliated with both organizations). After presenting the various positions, I add my own thoughts on what should be considered in this policy debate.

The positions of civil society organizations on the creation of a new Department for OFWs are more diverse than those of government agencies.

For CMA, there is a need to ask if the creation of a new department entails a paradigm shift and if labor migration will be “here to stay instead of being just a temporary measure.” In its position paper, the CMA claims that it “does not oppose the intention to promote and protect the rights of our OFWs and their families” but that “we need to remember that lives are at stake and an act of Congress that may bring unintended consequences will be hard to reverse once implemented.”

According to Marcia Gonzales Sadicon of Ako OFW, their organization supports the creation of a new Department but that the pros and cons must be weighed and problems must be anticipated. Ms. Sadicon inquires, for example, about what would happen to the Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers’ Affairs (OUMWA) which is attached to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA). Will it be removed from the DFA and transferred to the proposed new department? Will it be recognized by the host country? Ms. Sadicon is also particularly concerned with the possibility of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) and the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) being dissolved. These agencies, she said, represent best practices that have been developed over many decades and should therefore be continued and strengthened.

Edna Valdez, president of Bannuar Ti La Union, a community-based migrant organization from La Union, claims that she and her group would like to see the enhancement of services of government agencies especially POEA and OWWA, rather than the creation of a new department. Dr. Edna Co of UP-CIFAL (Centro Internacional de Formación para Autoridades y Lideres) claims that given our history of migration management and the fact that migration is here to stay, “we need to identify where the gaps and problems are, and based on this, how to move ahead” and “we should not be biased to any specific prescriptive step.” A performance review of existing laws and institutions, she argues, is necessary and should have, in fact, been done periodically. Dr. Co further claims that in all the bills being proposed, there is very little mention of reintegration. For her, questions regarding reintegration must be addressed by any new proposal relating to migration management.

The main concern of trade unions, meanwhile, is the possibility of the displacement of public sector employees. According to Jillian Roque of the Public Services Labor Independent Confederation (PSLink), her union is not convinced that creating a new department is the best way forward since it will entail huge costs. Ms. Roque adds that unionists are concerned with job losses, given the fact that the rights of public sector employees have not been prioritized — as evidenced by the continued presence of contractual workers/job orders in government.

According to Josua Mata of the labor center SENTRO (Sentro ng mga Nagkakaisa at Progresibong Manggagawa), a prior question must be asked: Do we really need a new department? The creation of the new department, Mr. Mata claims, needs to be further justified.

MORE QUESTIONS
In addition to the concerns and questions raised by the various stakeholders (all valid!), there are three more questions that need to be asked:

1. What happens to the OWWA fund and the Assistance to Nationals (ATN) fund of the OUMWA?

The debate on whether or not OWWA should be abolished or retained has to extend to a discussion of what will happen to OWWA’s P19.6-billion fund. The same should also be asked of the billion-peso ATN fund now administered by OUMWA, a unit under the Department of Foreign Affairs. The handling of billions of pesos of public money should be treated as a very serious matter.

2. What is the politics behind the proposal?

The proposal is obviously a Duterte agenda given that it was a campaign promise in 2016. Moreover, OFWs are often claimed to be all-out supporters of President Rodrigo Duterte. It is also plain to see that the authors of the proposed bills are all staunch supporters of President Duterte (e.g. Senators Cynthia Villar, Bong Go, Koko Pimentel and Representatives Peter Cayetano, Laarni Cayetano, and Paolo Duterte). But which faction/s of the current supermajority stand to gain? Which faction/s stand to lose? Who is likely to become the Cabinet Secretary of this proposed Department? Who are likely to be appointed Undersecretaries and Assistant Secretaries?

These questions have become more important in light of the recent appointment of Mocha Uson as OWWA Deputy Executive Director. Uson was appointed despite the one-year ban of candidates who lost in the elections and despite the fact that her track record lies in showbiz and not in migration-related work. Will the new department simply be an additional platform to distribute the spoils of the Duterte victory? Will it be run by OFWs themselves or by politicians seeking to court and gatekeep the OFW vote?

3. Will the new department be incentivizing migration even further?

A department dedicated to OFWs could signal the further promotion of overseas work. Will the new department be encouraging the deployment of more workers overseas? There is nothing wrong with giving incentives for migration provided these do not impede nation building. In our case, the promotion of migration in the past four decades has clearly resulted in an undeveloped domestic economy (i.e. why create jobs when Filipinos can seek jobs abroad?), “brain and brawn drain” (i.e. loss of human resources that could have contributed to local development), and, dysfunctional, broken families (i.e. paradoxically, Filipino families have to be apart just to stay together).

More importantly, incentivizing migration has resulted in the neglect of locally based workers, especially those who are actively seeking work. While there is a demand for assistance to OFWs, there seems to be no demand for assistance for the unemployed and underemployed here at home. The unemployed (those seeking work) have reached around two million or 5% of the labor force (of 43.5 million) while the underemployed (those with work but are still seeking for work) have reached almost 7 million or more than 16% of the labor force. All in all, at least 9 million Filipinos are in need of jobs.

We also have to revisit the concept of “brain and brawn drain.” To what extent are we losing valuable human resources? One need only visit our hospitals to realize that nurses have become fewer and that those left behind also aspire to leave and find work abroad. What will happen to health care provision in the country if we lose all of our nurses?

The point is not to pit local and migrant workers against each other but to be cognizant that migration cannot be our main development strategy — if we are to be truly developed, economically and socially. Instead of prioritizing a new Department for OFWs that could potentially lead to job losses, perhaps we should prioritize improving the domestic economy and public service delivery, and, creating jobs and protecting workers, here at home?

 

Carmel V. Abao is a faculty member of the Political Science Dept of the Ateneo de Manila University. She teaches political theory and international political economy.

Energy security and fast growth

KUALA LUMPUR — I came to the capital city of Malaysia to speak at the Liberalism Conference of the Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs (IDEAS) last Saturday, along with the launching of the International Property Rights Index (IPRI) 2019 by the Property Rights Alliance.

Whenever I go abroad I always observe how high or low the energy use is of the cities that I visit. It is obvious that energy use here in Kuala Lumpur is high — streets, tollways, buildings and other structures are well lit at night, there are many MRT, LRT, and Monorail (running on electricity) trips per hour and the MRT/LRT stations underground are well lit and air-conditioned.

Malaysia has only 32 million people and its total electricity generation in 2018 was 168 tera-watt hours (TWH). In contrast, the Philippines has 108 million people and its electricity generation last year was only 100 TWH. Malaysia depends largely on natural gas plus coal (65 + 68 TWH) for power generation and this energy mix is similar to Japan’s.

I revisit two data sets that I put in my two recent energy columns here. Again, data on coal consumption in million tons oil equivalent (mtoe) is from the BP Statistical Review of World Energy (June 2019), data on population and GDP growth are from the World Bank, World Development Indicators database (August 2019). Dividing coal consumption over population, the kilos of oil equivalent (koe) per capita is derived. Growth rates in coal use and GDP are averaged per 10 years.

Three trends and facts emerge from the numbers in the table.

One, countries with high consumption of cheaper energy like coal, represented by their high coal koe per capita, also have higher income — Australia, South Korea, Taiwan, China, Japan, and Malaysia.

Two, the Philippines has the lowest, the smallest coal consumption among the major and emerging Asian economies — only 153 koe per person in 2018. Only one-fourth of Malaysia, one-sixth of Japan, one-ninth of China, and only 1/11 of South Korea and greenie Australia. Hong Kong’s per capita was 662 in 1998 and 837 in 2018 while Singapore’s was 0 in 1998 and 163 in 2018 or slightly higher than the Philippines. And the anti-coal groups and people in the Philippines say that ours is already high and scary that we should stop building new coal plants and retire soon existing ones? Lousy and idiotic argument.

Three, there is clear correlation between growth in cheap energy coal consumption and growth in GDP, at least for the countries covered above. Australia, Japan, and South Korea decelerated coal use from 2006 to 2018 and they also experienced growth deceleration. Malaysia, Vietnam, India, Indonesia, and the Philippines retained their high coal use and they also retained their high GDP growth.

While most anti-coal groups are watermelon (green outside, red inside) activists, some are outrightly pushing for their natural gas business. Demonize coal, prevent the construction of more coal plants so that the big distribution utilities and electric cooperatives will be forced to buy from their soon imported and more expensive LNG power to prevent massive blackouts in the country due to insufficient power supply.

Again, climate change is cyclical and natural, the warming-cooling cycle having been going on since planet Earth was born some 4.6 billion years ago. This is nature-made global warming and global cooling, not man-made or anthropogenic. The deceptive and dishonest “man-made” Climate Change narrative is part of global and national corruption to justify endless and rising oil/carbon taxes, renewables subsidies, climate loans, climate bureaucracies, and junkets.

We need more energy security to sustain fast economic growth and job creation. Cheap, stable and reliable energy that is dispatchable on demand, requires less land per MW of power generation. It is not dependent on the weather and requiring huge tracts of land that can otherwise be used for more food production and forest protection.

 

Bienvenido S. Oplas, Jr. is the president of Minimal Government Thinkers

minimalgovernment@gmail.com

Can there be too much of a good thing?

By Tony Samson

THE CHARTING of pleasure and boredom is covered by an economic principle that says that the enjoyment of even the most wonderful experience is bound to fade, as is our initially hearty appetite for certain subjects in the news like released prisoners, pyramid schemes, and love triangles.

The economic law of diminishing marginal utility states that: “As a consumer consumes more and more units of a specific commodity, the utility from the successive units goes on diminishing,” This axiom was established by the German economist H. Gossen in 1854.

In a buffet lunch, after the first plate is cleared, each subsequent visit to the food-laden table becomes less and less pleasurable. One gets a bloated feeling on the fourth plate and eventually stops eating when the prospect of one more spoonful of fried rice invites retching. The pricing for “all you can eat” offerings presumes that at some point, the customer must stop eating and that enough customers do so early enough.

The curbing of enthusiasm for the heaping plate is enforced with a fine. The restaurant punishes with a surcharge the greedy diner who leaves uneaten food on his plate. (Are the areas under the tables filled with dumped leftovers?)

The other possible example is sex, which we choose not to elaborate on. Here, the declining marginal utility is dictated by physical limitations. In the case of the buffet, the demand side just can’t cope with all that food being shovelled in, owing to the limits of stomach storage. In the other example which we are avoiding, even the possibility of a third sortie verges on the astonishing. Thus, we see that in these two examples of the law of diminishing marginal utility, there is a “physical cliff” (that’s the correct spelling) where human capacity and added pleasure fall off precipitously, along with whatever anatomical parts are required to be alert.

It is this law of marginal utility that makes newly wealthy people like boxers and lotto winners feel the declining pleasure that more purchases of goods and properties bring. They may buy more designer bags, stay in more luxurious hotels, and regularly fly business class. But as this consumption pattern becomes routine, it starts to lose its novelty and then becomes merely boring, bringing on the onset of ennui and then contempt. (Why not buy my own plane?)

Anyway, the ability to purchase more expensive items may come to a screeching halt anyway when purchasing power declines.

The law of marginal utility affects other appetites too, like the one for news. Just as there is the phenomenon of donor fatigue for the tendency to hit the same people with deep pockets for various donations to worthy causes, media that feature the same news subjects over and over create tiredness in the audience, with “news fatigue” for certain topics.

While the need to be informed is fed on a regular basis, the subject for coverage has to vary. The reaction of pushing away the still full plate because of buffet stuffiness is also felt when the same information feeds the news cycle.

The effect of marginal utility leads to another area psychological phenomenon called “adaptation.” If you come in from the blazing heat, say after a walking tour of old houses in Taal, sitting back in an air-conditioned van with the cool pleasure offered in the first minute is almost sensual. But as soon as the body adapts to the new climate, the feeling of joy slowly dissipates. This adaptation mechanism also applies to continuing pain and discomfort. One can even get used to working with toxic office mates encountered daily. The psyche adjusts to its stable state by making these irrelevant, unless they happen to be on top. Then the process is reversed — I have another name for the redundancy list.

Does this law of diminishing marginal utility also apply to money as a commodity? Are those already rich going to push away more wealth opportunities because of the diminishing pleasures of what money can buy? (Of course, not.) Anyway, there are always new goods and services to try. And the feuding heirs and bill collectors are still lining up for the buffet… bringing their empty plates.

 

Tony Samson is Chairman and CEO, TOUCH xda

ar.samson@yahoo.com

NCAA: Elimination sweep and step-ladder semifinals

By Michael Angelo S. Murillo
Senior Reporter

THE men’s basketball competition of Season 95 of the National Collegiate Athletic Association churned out an eventful elimination round with four peat-seeking San Beda Red Lions stamping its class by sweeping their way to the finals and rendering the semifinals a step-ladder.

San Beda (18-0) had it solid throughout the two-round classification phase, taking all comers and various forms of challenges from their opponents to complete a sweep of their assignments.

The Lions booked win number 18 on Oct. 17, defeating the second-seeded Lyceum Pirates in dominant fashion, 85-62, underscoring further their strong claim for another league title.

As has always been the case, San Beda relied on a total effort on both ends of the court to steadily dismantle Lyceum on its way to the sweep-clinching victory.

Donald Tankoua led the Lions with 26 points and eight rebounds, followed by Calvin Oftana with 18 points and 10 boards.

James Canlas finished with 17 points while guard Evan Nelle dished out 10 assists to go along with nine rebounds and four points.

“It’s a bit of a fulfilment on my part that we got the sweep. But our work is not yet done. It’s going to be a tough finals whoever we are going to face,” said San Beda coach Boyet Fernandez.

With the sweep, the second to be fashioned out in three years after Lyceum did the same in Season 93, the Lions earned a direct ticket to the best-of-three finals and will await the winner of the step-ladder semifinals which will begin on Nov. 5.

In the finals, San Beda brings with it its top-ranked defense which only allowed 61.7 points a game in the eliminations. On offense, the Lions are not doing bad either, averaging 80.7 points, good for fourth in the league.

The Lions also have five players averaging eight points or more per contest, led by leading most valuable player candidate Oftana (15.8 ppg).

As a team, San Beda is the leader in a number of categories, including total field goal percentage (44.7%), three-point field goal percentage (33.2%) and assists (19.2 dimes) as well as the least turnover-prone (14.5 miscues per outing).

STEP-LADDER
Meanwhile, slugging it out in the step-ladder semifinals are Lyceum (13-5), third seeds Letran Knights (12-6) and number four team San Sebastian Stags (11-7).

First to collide in the first step are the Knights and Stags.

Letran, the best offensive team in the NCAA in the elimination round with an average of 84.3 points per contest, is led by veteran Jerrick Balanza with 15.1 points, followed by Larry Muyang (12.8 ppg), Ato Ular (11.2 ppg) and Bonbon Batiller (10.5 ppg).

The Knights finished the classification phase on a high note, racking up three straight victories.

“Of course, we wanted to be on top of the standings but we ended up here (third). We’ll just work on where we are. After all, it’s not about how you start the season but how you finish it,” said Letran coach Bonnie Tan.

San Sebastian, for its part, tinkered with early elimination but eventually found the finishing kick it needed to advance to the next round as the fourth seed.

The Stags’ push is led by league top-scorer Allyn Bulanadi (20.3 ppg), who exploded for 44 points in their victory over the Perpetual Help Altas in their final game of the eliminations on Friday to clinch a Final Four spot.

Veteran RK Ilagan is also steady for San Sebastian with a scoring norm of 14.7 ppg and 4.1 apg, both seventh best in the league.

“We’re happy to be in the semifinals. It will be a long break for us before we play again but at least the boys can get their rest and recover,” said Stags coach Egay Macaraya after their win over the Altas.

The winner between Letran and San Sebastian in the step-ladder meets Lyceum in another do-or-die match for the right to face San Beda in the finals.

The Pirates are led by Jaycee Marcelino (18.2 points) and Mike Nzeusseu (15.8 ppg). As a team they are the second-best in offense with an average of 81.6 points.

The step-ladder begins on Nov. 5 with the battle between Letran and San Sebastian and the winner advancing against Lyceum on Nov. 8. Venue is the Cuneta Astrodome in Pasay City.

Cowboys defeat Eagles to stop skid heading into bye

DALLAS — Quarterback Dak Prescott passed for one touchdown, rushed for another and the host Dallas Cowboys handily defeated the Philadelphia Eagles 37-10 on Sunday.

Prescott was 21 of 27 for 239 yards as the Cowboys snapped a three-game losing streak heading into the team’s bye next week.

Ezekiel Elliott also rushed for a score and the Cowboys improved to 4-3. Elliott ran 22 times for 111 yards.

The Eagles were hampered by four costly turnovers, including two fumbles and an interception by quarterback Carson Wentz.

Wentz was 16 of 26 for 191 yards and the Eagles dropped their second in a row to fall below .500 at 3-4.

In a wild first half, the Cowboys quickly took a 14-0 lead as they capitalized on a pair of Eagles fumbles.

Following the first fumble by Dallas Goedert, the Cowboys struck when Tavon Austin received a pitch from Prescott and ran 20 yards for a touchdown and a 7-0 lead.

On Philadelphia’s next possession, Wentz had the ball stripped by DeMarcus Lawrence. Then with 9:08 left in the first quarter, Elliott plunged in from the 1 for a 14-point lead.

The Eagles did respond as Goedert made up for his early turnover and hauled in a 28-yard pass from Wentz to close within 14-7.

But the Cowboys went back ahead by two touchdowns when Prescott rolled out and found a wide open Blake Jarwin for a 21-7 advantage with 6:40 remaining in the second.

Dallas tacked on six more points as Brett Maher drilled field goals from 26 and 63 yards for a 27-7 lead at halftime. Maher’s 63-yarder was one yard shy of tying an NFL record as it sailed through at the halftime buzzer.

Philadelphia put together an impressive third quarter drive which eventually stalled. Jake Elliott’s 38-yard field goal with 4:49 left then closed the gap to 27-10.

MAHER FIRST WITH 3 FGS OF 60-OR-MORE YARDS
Dallas Cowboys kicker Brett Maher became the first player in NFL history to convert three field goals of 60 or more yards when he booted a 63-yarder at the end of the first half Sunday night against the visiting Philadelphia Eagles.

Maher previously had kicked a 62-yarder against Philadelphia at AT&T Stadium on Dec. 9 last season and a 62-yarder against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium last week.

Only two other kickers, Greg Zuerlein and Sebastian Janikowski, have kicked two field goals of 60 or more yards or more in their careers.

Maher’s 63-yarder ties for the second-longest field goal in NFL history. Denver’s Matt Prater hit a 64-yarder on Dec 8, 2013.

Tom Dempsey (1970), Jason Elam (1988), Janikowski (2011), David Akers (2012) and Graham Gano (2018) joined Maher as the only kickers to hit 63-yarders in league history.

Maher’s field goal Sunday gave the Cowboys a 27-7 halftime lead. The kicker is in his second season out of Nebraska. — Reuters

Murray beats Wawrinka to win first crown since hip surgery

ANTWERP — Andy Murray claimed his first ATP title since having career-saving hip surgery as he fought off Stan Wawrinka in an engrossing duel in the European Open final in Antwerp on Sunday.

Former world number one Murray, who appeared on the brink of retirement after losing in the first round of the Australian Open in January, battled back from a set and a break down to win 3-6 6-4 6-4.

In the first final between the pair for 11 years it was 34-year-old Wawrinka, who has also suffered injury problems, who appeared on course for victory when he had points for a double break in the second set, having powered through the first.

But Murray, 32, who opted to have hip re-surfacing surgery after the Australian Open and only returned to court in June, initially in doubles, displayed his old fighting qualities and no sign of any physical problems as he roared back to claim a 46th career title.

The deciding set was littered with service breaks but Murray crucially saved break points at 4-4 and then pounced when Wawrinka served in the next game, sealing the title as his tiring Swiss opponent blazed a forehand wide.

“It’s amazing to be back playing against Stan in a final like that, he was playing unbelievable,” Murray, who appeared close to tears at the end, said on court.

“I never expected to be in this position so I’m very happy. Stan was hitting winners from everywhere but I managed to hang in there. This is one of my biggest wins after everything.”

Murray’s last title came in Dubai in March 2017 when he was still the top-ranked player in the world.

The Scot is attempting to defy conventional wisdom as no player has ever returned from such a hip procedure to the top levels in singles. He has been picking up encouraging victories of late and reached the quarter-finals of the China Open but Wawrinka was by far his biggest win since returning. — Reuters

Titans top Chargers thanks to Gordon’s goal-line fumble

NASHVILLE, TENN. — Jurrell Casey recovered Melvin Gordon’s fumble in the end zone with 19 seconds left Sunday, capping a bizarre ending that gave the Tennessee Titans a 23-20 win over the Los Angeles Chargers in Nashville, Tenn.

Los Angeles (2-5) appeared to have taken the lead with 44 seconds left when Austin Ekeler caught what looked to be a 16-yard touchdown pass from Philip Rivers, but a replay review ruled Ekeler was down at the 1. After a false-start penalty on left guard Dan Feeney, a pass-interference call against Tennessee’s Malcolm Butler moved the ball back to the 1.

But Gordon, who gained only 32 yards on 16 carries, was stopped on the next two plays, fumbling the game away on the second one to seal the Chargers’ third straight loss.

Overshadowed by the wild finish was an excellent game by Ryan Tannehill, making his first start as Tennessee’s quarterback after the benching of Marcus Mariota. Tannehill completed 23 of 29 passes for 312 yards and two touchdowns, including a 5-yard strike to Tajae Sharpe with 13:11 left to snap a 10-10 tie. He threw one interception.

The Titans (3-4) also got 90 yards on 22 carries from Derrick Henry, including an 11-yard touchdown run with 6:39 left that increased Tennessee’s lead to 23-13.

Rivers was 24 of 38 for 329 yards and two touchdowns. He hit Ekeler on a 41-yard scoring strike with 5:09 remaining to cut the deficit to three. — Reuters

UST looking to finish elimination round strong

By Michael Angelo S. Murillo
Senior Reporter

DOWN to their last two assignments in the elimination round of Season 82 of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines, the University of Santo Tomas Growling Tigers are looking to finish strong to help their cause of returning back to the Final Four after a three-year absence.

Last made it to the semifinals of the UAAP back in Season 78, the Tigers are making a strong case for themselves for the top four as they are currently at third place in the race with a 7-5 record with two games left to play in the classification phase.

Aldin Ayo-coached UST has given its playoff push a boost by winning their last two games, the most recent against the already-eliminated National University, 88-76, on Oct. 19.

The Tigers had their early struggles in said game but eventually rendered themselves unstoppable when they got their collective groove going.

The resurgent CJ Cansino stepped up for UST anew, finishing with 15 points, five rebounds, three assists and three steals.

Big man Soulemane Chabi Yo had a double-double of 16 points and 14 rebounds while Renzo Subido shot 4-of-6 from downtown to corral 14 points, three boards, and two assists. Rookie Mark Nonoy added 12.

Rhenz Abando, the center of a UAAP controversy last week when news broke out that he was on his way out of UST after being lured by other teams, made his return after sitting out their previous game, finishing with nine points and five boards.

He has since denied the news and vowed his commitment to stay with UST for the rest of his collegiate career.

Right smack in contention, Mr. Ayo said their approach would be focusing on what they could control as a team and staying the course, hoping that it would be enough to book them a spot in the next round.

“We’re not paying too much attention on where the other teams are in the standings. Our focus right now is our next two games. The elimination round is ending and we’re trying to execute our game plan with minimal mistakes as possible. Hopefully the players stick to the system and play accordingly,” said Mr. Ayo in Filipino following their win over NU.

Next for the Tigers are the De La Salle Green Archers (5-6) on Oct. 23, a game that they are expecting to be another grind since the green and white are also out to pad their push for the Final Four.

“Every time we face La Salle they present us with something different and they are playing better now than the first round. We’ll just be ready for whatever they throw at us in our next game,” said Mr. Ayo.

Remember Mario Mangubat?

Flashback to the 1979 Philippine National Chess Championships. This was 40 years ago and at that time we were still indisputably the no. 1 chess country in Asia. The rise of China and India as world chess powers was still many years in the future. Regional rival Vietnam on the other hand had just been reunited and the country as a while was still politically and economically isolated from the rest of the world and there was no indication of organized chess at any level. To sum it up, in 1979 there were only two International Grandmasters in Asia and both of them were from the Philippines.

I don’t want to hear anyone complain that Walter Shawn Browne, who became a GM in 1970, is an Australian. Even the Australians consider Ian Rogers as their first GM, and he got that title in 1985. Browne was born to an American father and an Australian mother in Sydney, but his family moved to New York when he was three. That was where he grew up. He couldn’t qualify for the interzonal through the United States zonals so he went back to Australia to qualify through the Asian Zonals. The problem was that it transpired that the Asian players were not the pushovers he believed them to be. In particular Renato Naranja, at that time the Philippines’ top player. The two of them tied for first in the 1969 Asian Zonal tournament in Singapore and drew both play-off games. Since Naranja had the better tie-breaks he would be the one to go to the 1970 Palma de Mallorca Interzonal. Walter Browne did not stay in Australia long and he moved to California in 1973.

Both the semifinals and the finals of Asia’s most prestigious national championship were held at the spacious Philippine Chess Federation (PCF) headquarters in Intramuros. In the qualifying event there was a surprise as a 20-year old student of the University of Visayas, Mario Mangubat, topped the event. He led the other qualifiers which included national masters Glenn Bordonada, Lito Maninang, Cesar Caturla, Mariano Acosta and Ricardo de Guzman. Other qualifiers were two-time junior champion Andronico Yap, Remigio Ferido, Rommel Tacorda of Bicol and Mirabeau Maga of Davao.

The Toyota car dealer Autosphere announced a special bonus for the tournament: anybody who wins all his games will receive a brand new Toyota Corolla. This prize of course was targeted at GM Eugene Torre who was the prohibitive favorite to win the title, but that same Mario Mangubat who came out of nowhere to compete in the chess finals defeated him in the third round.

Mangubat, Mario — Torre, Eugene O. [B22]
Nat’l Open Championship (final) Manila (3), 26.04.1979

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.c3 d5 4.exd5 Qxd5 5.d4 Bg4 6.Be2

By the way, with the knight on f6 instead of c6 taking on c5 is considered best for White. But with the Nc6 the text move is the most common continuation. I am afraid there is not enough space to further expound on this. For the time being you just have to take my word for it.

6…e6?!

I have always maintained that Black should exchange pawns on d4 first before this move. Why? See note to next move.

7.0–0

A more aggressive continuation is 7.h3 Bh5 8.c4 (this move would not have been available had Black exchanged pawns on d4 on move 6) 8…Qd6 9.g4 Bg6 10.d5 the following moves are not forced but serve to illustrate the dangers that Black is facing: 10…Nb4 (10…exd5 11.cxd5 Nb4 12.Qa4+ Kd8 13.Na3 White has a nice attack) 11.0–0! f6? (even after the better 11…Nc2 12.Nc3! Nxa1 13.Nb5 Qb8 14.Qa4 Black is not in a good place) 12.Nc3 Nc2 (12…exd5 13.cxd5 0–0–0 14.Bc4 Nc2 15.Nb5 Qb8 16.Rb1 Nd4 17.Nfxd4 Bxb1 18.Ne6 Bg6 19.Bf4 Qa8 20.Nbc7 Qb8 21.Nxd8 White wins) 13.Nb5 Qb6 14.Bf4 e5 15.Nxe5! fxe5 16.Bxe5 0–0–0 (16…Nxa1 17.Nc7+ Kf7 18.Nxa8 Qd8 19.f4!) 17.g5! h5 18.Rc1 Nb4 19.Bc7 White has a decisive advantage. Nunn, J. (2605)-Sher, M. (2520) Vejle 1994 1–0 26.

7…Nf6 8.Na3 Rc8 9.h3 Bh5 10.Qa4 cxd4 11.cxd4 Be7 12.Nb5

White’s threat is 13.Bc4 Qd8 (13…Qd7? 14.Ne5! Nxe5 15.dxe5 and black does not have time to protect his knight as White will win by Nd6+ followed by Bb5) 14.Nxa7 Ra8 15.Nxc6 Rxa4 16.Nxd8 Rxc4 17.Nxb7 Bxf3 18.gxf3 Rxd4 19.Be3 White has two isolated passed pawns on the queenside.

12…0–0 13.Nxa7 Nxa7

[13…Ra8? does not work: 14.Nxc6 Rxa4 15.Nxe7+ winning back his queen]

14.Qxa7 Rfd8 15.Qb6 Rd6 16.Qb4 Qe4 17.Be3 Qd5 18.Rfc1 Rxc1+ 19.Rxc1 h6 20.Bc4 Qe4 21.Be2?!

Imprecise. Better was 21.Ne5! intending 21… — 22.Bd3 Qd5 23.Rc5 Qxa2 24.Qxb7 Black’s position is falling apart

21…Rc6 22.Qd2 Rxc1+?

Better is 22…Bb4! 23.Qd1 (23.Qxb4 Rxc1+ 24.Bxc1 Qxe2 and GM Eugene would have equalized.

23.Qxc1 Nd5 24.Nd2! Qh4 25.Bxh5 Qxh5 26.Qc8+

Now Mangubat has untangled his pieces and will be winning at lest one more pawn.

26…Kh7 27.Qxb7 Qd1+ 28.Nf1 f5 <D>

POSITION AFTER 28…F5

Black’s forces are showing signs of life. How will White counter them?

29.Qa6! f4 30.Bd2 Qb1 31.Qxe6 Qxa2

[31…Qxb2 32.Qxd5]

32.Bxf4!

Mangubat had to have seen this a few moves back.

32…Bf6 33.Be5 Qa8 34.Ng3 Bxe5 35.dxe5 Kh8 36.Qf7 1–0

After 36.Qf7, in the light of White’s threat to play Nh5 followed by Qxg7 checkmate, Black had to go 36…Qg8 37.e6 Nf6 38.b4 it is hopeless.

After this loss GM Eugene just picked himself up and went about the business of winning his 9th national title. He conceded a draw to Luis Chiong in the later rounds but won all his other games.

1979 Philippine National Open Chess Championship
PCF Headquarters, Intramuros, Manila
April 24–May 6, 1979

Final Standings

1. GM Eugene O. Torre, 10.5/12

2. NM Glenn Bordonada, 8.0/12

3–6. NM Rafaelito Maninang, NM Cesar Caturla, Andronico Yap, Luis Chiong, 7.5/12

7. IM Rico Mascariñas, 7.0/12

8–9. NM Ricardo de Guzman, Mario Mangubat, 6.0/12

10. Mirabeau Maga, 5.0/12

11. NM Marianito Acosta, 3.5/12

12. Rommel Tacorda, 2.0/12

13. Remigio Ferido, 1.5/12

Mario Mangubat used his pet Sicilian Alapin to defeat the top two finishers Torre and Bordonada, but could not sustain his momentum and finished at 50%.

A few years later Mario packed his bags to try his luck in the United States and exited from the Philippine chess scene.

Why am I bring this up now? Remember a few columns ago I wrote about President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to approving in May 2009 the inclusion of chess in schools curriculum in primary and secondary schools across the country? At that time they had declared that the Department of Education (DepEd) shall adopt chess as another strategy to promote the development of higher order thinking skills and values among Grades 3 to 6 in the Physical Education department. Chess will continue at the secondary level.

The National Chess Federation had never taken advantage of this boon and up to now there has been zero results in the area of the adoption of chess in the school curriculum.

I recently discovered that Mario Mangubat returned to the Philippines many years ago and currently works at the Land Transportation Office in Cebu, and he is heavy into chess promotion in the area.

His son, Mark Mangubat (no mean chessplayer himself) — he holds the title Arena Grandmaster (AGM) from the FIDE online chess site — has, together with Mr. Rafael Osumo, another serious chess fanatic, picked up on that DepEd initiative and are trying to make chess part of the basic education in Southwestern University-PHINMA. In fact, the school has started offering “Chess Times” to its students and, last September 26, , they included chess among its competitions in their annual Basic Education Day.

With the help of International Arbiter Felix Poloyapoy Jr., the event featured one of the biggest chess tournaments in Cebu City with about 280 pairs of players facing off against each other at the University Coliseum. The 7-round Swiss chess tournament.

So what is “Chess Times”? This is part of SWU Phinma’s initiative which requires students to attend to a scheduled number of chess hours every week.

Chess Time, one of the initiatives under the Stem-based curriculum being implemented this school year for Grades 1 to 7, is designed to teach students 21st century skills, such as communication, collaboration, creativity, critical thinking, computational thinking, decisiveness, and wise judgment.

“Chess teaches the kids all these skills while developing their focus, discipline, and strategic thinking. It is one gateway for Stem education, and our chess program in the school is the path through that gateway for our budding future grandmasters,” said Glenda Roble, Basic Education principal.

Mark Mangubat said he sees a lot of potential talents in this young group of chess players. He is currently trying to form SWU chess teams to the Cebu City Olympics next month.

People like Mark Mangubat and Rafael Osumo are exactly what we need to once again compete in chess on the world stage. I really hope that chess organizers and promoters all over the Philippines take note of their initiative, and replicate their efforts in the other schools all over the country. This is the only way we can climb back from the chess depths we have fell into.

Bring back the days of Philippine chess dominance!

 

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

Wild finish

For most fans with 12 options to turn to on a busy Sunday, a match featuring division doormats appeared to hold much appeal. Under the circumstances, it was arguably among the least favorable. Certainly, it didn’t help that the Chargers and the Titans sported a mere two wins through Week Seven, and, having lost four of their last five outings, evidently without momentum on which to bank their progress. Yet, those looking for gems in the rough and willing to gamble four hours of their time following, if nothing else, opponents on equal footing wound up cashing in. Big.

To be sure, the set-to started slow and progressed with more of a defensive bent. That said, it finished with a bang, and not least because three game-deciding goal-line efforts by the Chargers were marked by significant video reviews. That there were calls on every play proved remarkable. That every single one of the calls were overturned underscored the complexities of the sport and the inability of officials to keep up with the action in real time. In the end, the Titans prevailed by three, to the delight of the 62,431-strong crowd at Nissan Stadium.

Relief was etched in the face of Titans head coach Mike Vrabel in the aftermath, and with reason. Heading into yesterday’s tiff, he had decided to tap Ryan Tannehill instead of erstwhile starter Marcus Mariota, consolidating a change he called for early in the second half of their immediate past loss to the otherwise-hapless Broncos. He was looking for a spark, any spark, and he thought the backup could provide it. As things turned out, he was right, but not without help from the gridiron gods, and not without the trio of close calls that went his way.

For the Chargers, the unfavorable outcome extended their streak of setbacks to three. And while they weren’t entirely wrong to lament the turns of events that had supposed touchdowns negated, they would do well to move on, and fast. There may be no silver lining in the midst of a heartbreaker; as head coach Anthony Lynn contended, “you don’t get one yard, you don’t deserve to win the damn game, and that’s the way it is.” Still, they would be fools to underestimate the value of getting close. Save for their futile attempts to score at the one-yard line, they did just about everything else right in the last quarter. And, moving forward, it’s what they would do well to remember.

 

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 rallies versus dollar

peso remittance
THE PESO strengthened further on positive developments in the US-China talks.

THE PESO went up further against the dollar on Monday on the back of positive developments in the US-China trade talks.

The local unit closed at P51.105 against the greenback on Monday, stronger by 19 centavos from P51.295-per-dollar close on Friday.

The peso opened the session at P51.23 versus the dollar. Its weakest point for the day was at P51.24, while its intraday high was at P51.095 against the greenback.

Dollars traded on Monday climbed to $1.103 billion from $1.036 billion on Friday.

“The peso closed stronger, among the best in more than 2.5 months…amid improved global risk appetite recently amid improved global risk appetite recently amid positive developments on Brexit and US-China trade talks. Some net foreign buying recently amid gains in the local stock market also supported the peso,” Michael L. Ricafort, chief economist at Rizal Commercial Banking Corp., said in a text message.

Another trader attributed the peso’s strength to positive developments in the trade war between the US and China.

“Asian currencies have mostly gained as they were optimist with [US President Donald] Trump saying he wants to achieve a trade deal at the APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation),” a trader said in a phone call.

On Friday, Mr. Trump said he believes a trade pact will be signed by the US and China by the time the APEC meetings take place in Chile on Nov. 16 and 17.

Chinese Vice Premier Liu He will provide Beijing’s perspective on the progress of the talks in a speech on Saturday, according to a tweet from editor-in-chief of the Global Times, a tabloid published by the People’s Daily of China’s ruling Communist Party.

“I think it will get signed quite easily, hopefully by the summit in Chile, where President Xi and I will both be…We’re working with China very well,” Mr. Trump told reports at the White House.

For today, Mr. Ricafort sees the peso trading at a range of P50.90-51.20 against the dollar, while the trader sees it moving within P51.00-51.50. — LWTN with Reuters

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