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Thought leaders ponder the future of business and why sustainability matters

Tough choices, turbulent world — these are the challenges that today’s CEOs face. Globalization 4.0 is changing the business equation such that now they have to aim for sustainability with the same vigor they put into pursuing profitability targets. As discontent with the old order continues to escalate because of perceived global imbalance, people are turning to businesses to help solve society’s problems.

The 2019 Management Association of the Philippines (MAP) CEO Conference boldly brings this discussion in a forum that will tackle the future of business and how business leaders can navigate the pressure points in this emerging world order. Thought leaders will provide insights that can help expand the arsenal of strategies and options as they face the future.

With climate change and sustainability becoming two of the world’s most serious challenges, businesses have to review the way they operate alongside governments and communities to address the triple bottom line — profits, people, planet. Keynote speaker Henry K.H. Wang (President, Gate International) will speak on “Business Sustainability Impacts and Future Developments,” sharing his extensive knowledge on energy and sustainable business.

A figure in the international speaking circuit, Mr. Wang has published over 100 papers and speeches plus several books on climate change and renewable energy, and holds international patents on new process inventions.

Author and innovation strategy consultant Deepa Prahalad will explore the profound changes that are moving the needle to close the gap between the haves and the have-nots. With the business environment continuously in a state of flux, it’s time to realize “The New Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid.” Ms. Pralahad’s book, Predictable Magic: Unleash the Power of Design Strategy to Transform Your Business, was selected by Fast Company as one of the Best Design Books of the Year. She will share her thoughts about emerging markets and innovation.

Businesses cannot operate in a vacuum and they have to pay attention to their stakeholders — regulators, investors, employees, governments and NGOs alike. Companies are now expected to disclose their sustainability efforts and performance, yet many still have to define the linkage between what they do and the value these create for their businesses and stakeholders. Sustainability is more than just a compliance requirement, it is poised to become a core business agenda. In “How Sustainability Practices Impact Shareholder Value,” Andrew WK Chan (Sustainability & Climate Change Leader, PWC South East Asian Consulting Services, Malaysia) will share the insights gained from PWC’s research, especially on the factors that will establish the link between sustainability performance and value creation.

All these raging issues cannot just be plain talk. Social entrepreneurs are showing through their initiatives that development can be a major undertaking that can combine doing well by doing good. These pioneers will take the spotlight in the panel discussion on “Doing the Unthinkable,” where a new breed of entrepreneurs will share their experiences in building enterprises anchored on engagement with their communities.

Four Filipino social entrepreneurs who are slowly changing the world will discuss their philosophies and how they animate what they do. Jeannie Javelosa, founder of Echostore and of Gender-Responsive Economic Actions for the Transformation of Women (GREAT Women), is an advocate for culture and sustainable development, providing opportunities for underprivileged women in the Philippines and in Southeast Asia and helping them establish their own micro-enterprises and gain access to global markets. Illac Diaz, founded Liter of Light, which has helped thousands rise from energy poverty through a clever and environment-friendly lighting concept using recycled plastic bottles to avoid relying on traditional and centralized energy providers such as coal, nuclear or hydro plants. Mr. Diaz works to empower communities in the Philippines and around the world through several pioneering programs in rammed earth, bamboo, and PET plastic bottle construction. Georgianna Carlos, who made it to Forbes’ 30 Under 30 Asia 2019 list, is the Co-Founder and CEO of Fetch! Naturals — a premium pet care brand that uses only natural ingredients such as neem or jicama. Bro. George Maria will talk about “Yamang Bukid,” a successful agri-farm endeavor that shares the harvest of the enterprise with the employees and staff whom they consider partners in their initiatives.

The future of business places people front and center. Today’s competitiveness will hinge in a large measure on the ability of organizations to leverage their human capital. “How Top Tier Companies Across the Globe Create Organizational Excellence” highlights human capital development as key to outstanding results, particularly the actions that produce the most significant increases in energy, performance and relationships. Deanna Murphy (founder and CEO, People Acuity), author of the book Shift Up! Strengths Strategies for Optimal Living, will talk about people acuity — clearly seeing and effectively optimizing people in a people-focused human economy. She will be joined by psychologist, coach, and adventurer Steve Jeffs (Chief Innovation Officer, People Acuity), who translates his passion for extreme sports and environments into results. He focuses on helping people to achieve what was previously impossible.

Clearly, the 2019 MAP Conference is where we expect ideas to trigger innovation and action by providing Filipino business leaders with the spark and inspiration to begin the process of reinventing themselves, at least for those who intend to sustain their operation now and in the future.

Mark this not-to-be-missed Conference in your calendar: Sept. 10 at the Makati Shangri-La. This is spearheaded by the MAP and BusinessWorld, along with knowledge partner PwC/ Isla Lipana & Co.

Platinum sponsors include Ayala, Shell, BDO, SM Investments and Sun Life Financial. Diamond sponsors are EON and FranklinCovey. Gold sponsors are Divina Law and Navarro Amper & Co./Deloitte Philippines. Silver sponsors are BPI, Development Dimensions International (DDI) Philippines, Digital Out of Home, Inc., Maynilad, Meralco, NOAH Business Applications, SGV and Unionbank. Bronze sponsors are Air21, BDB Law wts, FPH, FWD, Gardenia, Grand Hyatt, Healthway Medical, IP Converge, Megawide, MPTC, NLEX, P&A Grant Thornton, Philippine Coffee Board, PLDT, RSM (Reyes Tacandong & Co.), STRADCOM, Teleperformance and The Bellevue Manila.

Print Media Partners are the Philippine Daily Inquirer, The Daily Tribune, The Manila Times, and The Philippine Star. Broadcast Media Partner is ANC. Makati Shangri-La is the Hotel Partner. The Conference will be livestreamed by BIPStream.

 

Junie S. del Mundo is the Chair of the MAP CEO Conference Committee and the CEO of The EON Group, a fully-integrated communications agency.

map@map.org.ph

junie.delmundo@eon.com.ph

http://map.org.ph

Capitalist amnesia enables China’s tough line

By Pete Sweeney

HONG KONG — Capitalist amnesia is encouraging China’s hard line in Hong Kong. Violence in the financial hub worsened over the weekend. A Reuters report, meanwhile, says Beijing last month rejected a compromise with protesters. Investors have ignored ugly crackdowns before; that feeds cynical expectations that harsh measures will be forgiven again.

Examples of moral courage in the corporate world are few and far between. Saudi Arabia’s brutal assassination of journalist Jamal Khashoggi generated negative headlines and dampened enthusiasm for a Davos-style shindig in Riyadh, but that barely lasted. China’s own record — including the use of re-education centers in its Muslim Xinjiang region — has hardly scared off foreign cash.

United Nations data shows foreign direct investment in China hit $1.6 trillion in 2018, a figure which rises to $3.6 trillion when Hong Kong is included; Japan, by way of comparison, notched up $214 billion. Human rights campaigners may howl, but the money has saluted.

None of that is encouraging for Hong Kong, where mainland media is suggesting red lines have already been crossed. Should Beijing find it necessary to use violence and coercion to clear the Chinese-run territory’s streets, as it did in Tiananmen Square in 1989, past experience may lead officials to believe the economic cost will be minimal.

The analogy does not hold. Neither the Tiananmen affair nor the tough line in remote Xinjiang had much impact on foreign investors’ wealth; neither location hosted a stock market doing over $12 billion in daily turnover. Business executives tend to tolerate iron fists that bring stability, but military intervention in a city of 7 million will make matters worse.

Until recently, China could trust foreign companies to accept some rights would be ruffled in the name of stability and growth. But that assumption is beginning to fray, and a brutal solution in Hong Kong would not reassure. It’s also not all up to executives: hawkish Western legislators could use any confrontation to force funds and companies to divest. History does not always repeat itself.

 

REUTERS BREAKINGVIEWS

Season 82 underscores higher level of excellence, sportsmanship in UAAP

By Michael Angelo S. Murillo
Senior Reporter

SEASON 82 of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) officially rolled out last Sunday with the group underscoring “a higher level of sportsmanship and excellence” for the brand-new year of the high-profile collegiate league.

Opened with ceremonies held at the Mall of Asia Arena, UAAP Season 82, hosted by the Ateneo de Manila University, is touted to see athletes and coaches go for greater things, enhanced further by the country’s hosting of the Southeast Asian Games later this year, which, in turn, it hopes to inspire the whole nation.

“We’re always asked, challenged to do the greater thing,” said Ateneo president Fr. Jett Villarin, SJ, of host school Ateneo, at the season opening, as he laid the direction that the new UAAP season will be charting. “We as a country, we are hosting the 2019 Southeast Asian Games so it is another occasion for us to come together as Filipinos and I hope that is something that is also a greater thing to do beyond our teams, beyond our schools,” added Mr. Villarin.

The opening was ushered in by the Ateneo Glee Club’s moving renditions of Teach Me To Be Generous and the Lupang Hinirang, and then featured top local bands like Sponge Cola, Itchyworms, Autotelic, December Avenue and IV Of Spades and performances by the Ateneo Dance Club and the Blue Babble Battalion.

Aside from Mr. Villarin, the other members of the Board of Trustees who attended the ceremony were De La Salle University’s Br. Rey Suplido, University of the East’s Dr. Ester Garcia, Far Eastern University’s Dr. Michael Alba, National University’s Dr. Renato Carlos Ermita Jr, University of Santo Tomas Rector Fr. Herminio Dagohoy, University of the Philippines’ Dr. Michael Tan and Adamson University’s Fr. Marcelo V. Manimtim.

Also at the opening, the UAAP said that it is expanding the league calendar, adding new sporting events in both collegiate and high school divisions to give more student-athletes a platform to showcase what they can do.

“Starting this season, 3×3 Basketball will be an official sport. For the high school division, we are adding Boys’ and Girls’ Lawn Tennis as demo sports and Boys’ and Girls’ Beach Volleyball as medal events,” announced UAAP President Em Fernandez.

For the past two seasons, 3×3 basketball was a demonstration sport. With the active participation of all the member schools, the league has deemed to upgrade it as an official sport, raising the medal events in the collegiate level to 31.

Far Eastern University will serve as the sub-host for this season’s 3×3 basketball tournament that is set to take place on March 2020.

On the other hand, lawn tennis and beach volleyball in the high school division will be making its debut.

Beach volleyball, which will be sub-hosted by University of Santo Tomas, will open its curtains on January 2020 while lawn tennis, which will be sub-hosted by National University, is scheduled to take place on February 2020.

ATENEO BLUE EAGLES FAVORITES
Meanwhile, the marquee UAAP men’s basketball will kick off on Wednesday, Sept. 4, with the defending champions Ateneo Blue Eagles considered to be favorites anew.

Going for their third straight UAAP title, the Blue Eagles open their bid against the Adamson Soaring Falcons in the scheduled 4 p.m. match.

Owing to its Ateneo’s deep and battle-tested roster, steered by champion coach Tab Baldwin, the opposing UAAP coaches believe that championship glory still passes through the Blue Eagles.

“It’s a given that Ateneo is going to be on top,” said University of the Philippines coach Bo Perasol, whose team finished runner-up last year.

He was seconded by Adamson coach Franz Pumaren, saying, “It’s Ateneo and they should be rated number one. From player one to 16, skills-wise, they’re all the same.”

Ateneo will be headed by veterans Thirdy Ravena, Isaac Go, and twins Matt and Mike Nieto.

Djokovic’s US Open title defense derailed by injury

NEW YORK — Novak Djokovic’s US Open title defense came unstuck on Sunday when a nagging shoulder injury forced the world number one to retire from his fourth-round match against Stan Wawrinka, prompting a chorus of boos from the crowd at Flushing Meadows.

Wawrinka was leading 6-4 7-5 2-1 when Djokovic decided he could not continue, the pair embracing at the side of the court before the Serb walked off with his head down low but his left thumb stuck high in the air.

“The pain was constant for weeks now. Some days higher, some days with less intensity, and obviously taking different stuff to kill the pain instantly,” said Djokovic, who has won the US Open three times.

“Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t.

“You just know when you know, I guess, when you feel like you’re not able to hit the shot anymore.”

After dropping the second set, Djokovic immediately called for medical attention and sat courtside without his shirt on while the trainer gave him a massage.

He returned to the court but the 16-times Grand Slam winner was still clearly hampered by the issue and after being broken to love following a double fault decided he could not go on.

The shoulder injury nearly saw Djokovic retire from his second-round match on Wednesday but the 32-year-old seemed to have recovered by Friday, saying he was almost pain-free after winning in straight sets to reach the last 16.

While frustrated in his bid to inch closer to Roger Federer’s all-time record of 20 career Grand Slam titles, Djokovic was confident there would be plenty more chances to add to his collection.

“It’s a long road ahead hopefully for me,” he said. “I hope I can play for many more years. I’m planning to. I mean, I don’t see an end behind the corner at all.

“Now it’s a matter of keeping my body and mind in shape and trying to still peak at these kind of events that are majors and that are the most significant in our sport.”

Djokovic was off the pace in a lacklustre first set against three-times Grand Slam champion Wawrinka but seemed to right the ship in the second when he took a 4-1 lead.

But a determined Wawrinka, with his serve clicking, fought his way back and twice held to love en route to taking the set for a 2-0 lead.

Wawrinka, who had not faced Djokovic since beating him in the 2016 US Open final, said he could see his opponent was struggling but did his best to focus on his own game.

“For sure I could see some little thing that he was in trouble,” said Wawrinka, who will face Russian fifth seed Daniil Medvedev in the quarterfinals.

“But I was most likely, most of the time, focused on myself because I know how well he can fight. I know how well he can come back. Doesn’t matter how he’s feeling on the court, and that’s what I was focusing on.” — Reuters

Gilas absorbs second straight loss, falls to Serbia, 126-67

By Michael Angelo S. Murillo
Senior Reporter

WHILE it fought relatively on a better footing than its tournament debut, Gilas Pilipinas still could not go over the hump and fell to its second straight defeat in the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup, losing to world number four Serbia, 126-67, in Group D action on Monday at the Foshan International Sports & Cultural Arena in China.

Came out with more energy and purpose than their opener against Italy on Aug. 31, where they were walloped by 46 points, 108-62, the nationals competed against the Serbians only to fall anew and drop to a 0-2 record in their grouping.

The Philippines battled early in the contest, with Paul Lee finding his mark.

Gilas was on top, 9-7, at the 5:39 mark of the opening frame before National Basketball Association All-Star Nikola Jokic led the Serbian team to a 14-2 run in the next three minutes to build a 10-point lead, 21-11.

Serbia further built on it the rest of the way to take a 28-13 advantage after the first 10 minutes.

In the second quarter, Serbia continued pounding Gilas but the latter kept showing fight with CJ Perez and Robert Bolick countering.

The Philippines was still within striking distance of 11 points, 39-28, with six minutes to go.

But Serbia picked up its game on both ends after, outsprinting Gilas, 33-5, to take a 62-35 advantage at the half.

With firm control of the match, the Serbians went for the kill in the third quarter.

Hitting from all cylinders, Serbia channelled the unstoppable, stretching its lead to 50 points, 96-46, with 1:24 left in the frame.

The count was at 99-48 heading into the final canto.

With the outcome of the match already a foregone conclusion at the beginning of the fourth quarter, Gilas tried to gain some real estate to build on moving forward.

The closest it would get though is 46 points, 106-60, with 4:52 left before Serbia cranked it up some more en route to the victory.

NBA player Nemanja Bjelica led Serbia with 20 points, going 7-of-7 from the floor, followed by Bognan Bogdanovic with 17 points.

Miroslav Raduljica had 13 points while Mr. Jokic had 11 points, seven rebounds and seven assists.

For Gilas it was Mr. Perez who led with 16 points followed by Mr. Lee with 15.

Naturalized player Andray Blatche finished with just five points but had six assists before fouling out.

Next for Gilas is Angola in a battle of winless Group D teams on Wednesday, Sept. 4, at 3:30 p.m.

Saint Benilde’s Gutang is NCAA player of the week

STEPPED UP as the College of Saint Benilde Blazers swung back to winning, sophomore guard Justin Gutang was hailed as National Collegiate Athletic Association player of the week.

With his team riding a two-game losing streak entering their game against the Jose Rizal University Heavy Bombers on Aug. 30, Gutang took the cudgels for the Blazers as they made their way to their sixth win in eight matches with a hard-earned 74-66 victory.

The win came as Saint Benilde coach TY Tang served a one-game suspension and guard Jimboy Pasturan missing the contest after being ruled out for the rest of the season because of a shoulder injury.

Gutang tallied 14 points, eight rebounds and two assists in the victory over the Bombers in a game that was competitive all the way to the end.

In winning the weekly award, given by media covering the league, Gutang bested San Sebastian Stags’ Allyn Bulanadi and Alvin Capobres.

Gutang and the Blazers end their first-round campaign on Friday, Sept. 6, against the Letran Knights at the Cuneta Astrodome in Pasay City. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo

Ding wins Sinquefield Cup

7th Sinquefield Cup 2019
Saint Louis, Missouri, USA
Aug. 15-30, 2019

Final Standings (GM all)

1–2. Ding Liren CHN 2805, Magnus Carlsen NOR 2882, 6.5/11

3–4. Viswanathan Anand IND 2756, Sergey Karjakin RUS 2750, 6.0/11

5–8. Shakhriyar Mamedyarov AZE 2764, Anish Giri NED 2779, Fabiano Caruana USA 2818, Ian Nepomniachtchi RUS 2774, 5.5/11

9–10. Hikaru Nakamura USA 2743, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave FRA 2778, 5.0/11

11–12. Levon Aronian ARM 2765, Wesley So USA 2776, 4.5/11

Average ELO 2783 Category 22

Time Control: 130 minutes for the entire game with 30 seconds delay before clock starts on every move starting move 1

Magnus Carlsen and Ding Liren both won two games each and drew nine to tie for first in the 7th Sinquefield Cup tournament held in its headquarters at the Saint Louis Chess Club in Saint Louis, Missouri. According to the rules the tie had to be broken via two-game matches.

Magnus Carlsen was the heavy favorite here due to his almost perfect record in high-pressure tie-breaks with fast time controls. If you will recall, back in 2007 (when he was only 16 years old) Magnus participated in the Candidates Tournament for the FIDE World Chess Championship 2007, facing Levon Aronian in a six-game match at standard time controls. At this point of his career Aronian was ranked no. 5 in the world and not expected to have any difficulty beating the outsider but Carlsen drew (+2−2=2) by coming from behind twice. The four-game rapid playoff was drawn as well (+1−1=2), with Carlsen winning the last game to stay in the match. Eventually, Aronian eliminated Carlsen from the tournament after winning both tiebreak blitz games.

That was 12 years ago. Since then Carlsen became World Chess Champion in 2013 (by defeating Viswanathan Anand) and won both the 2014 World Rapid Championship and World Blitz Championship, becoming the first player in history to hold all three titles simultaneously.

From 2007 till now Carlsen had figured in 10 playoff matches and won them all — this includes 3-0 versus Caruana to settle their 2018 world championship match and 3-1 versus Karjakin in the 2016 version of the same world championship. Also, in the online site chess.com there was a Champion’s Showdown two years ago, a combination rapid and blitz event pitting Carlsen versus Ding — the Norwegian really crushed his foe 22-8 with 16 wins, only two losses and 12 draws.

Ding Liren though is no slouch himself. He finishes consistently high in rapid/blitz events and back in July 2016, with a blitz rating of 2875, he was the highest rated blitz player in the world, 2016 is ancient history already? Well, consider this — in the Saint Louis Rapid/Blitz event held just two weeks earlier he finished tied for second a full 4.5 points ahead of Carlsen who was in sixth place.

1st Tiebreak: Two games of rapid (25 minutes for the entire game with 10 second delay before clock starts)

Ding Liren versus Magnus Carlsen drew both games.

2nd Tiebreak: Two games of blitz (five minutes for the entire game with three second delay before clock starts

Ding won the first game on time in a much better position and then forced Magnus to resign the second game one move away from mate.

Carlsen, Magnus (2882) — Ding, Liren (2805) [C84]
7th Sinquefield Cup TB Saint Louis USA (4), 29.08.2019

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0–0 Be7 6.d3 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 Na5 9.Bc2 c5 10.d4 cxd4 11.cxd4 0–0 12.h3 Re8 13.d5 Bd7 14.Nc3 Qb8 15.Bd3 Rc8 16.Ne2 Nb7 17.g4 Nc5 18.Ng3 Nxd3 19.Qxd3 b4 20.Re1 Qb5 21.Qd1 Rc7 22.Be3 Rac8 23.Nd2 g6 24.b3 Qb7 25.Nc4 Bb5 26.Na5 Qb8 27.Qd2 Rc3 28.a3!?

Setting a small trap …

28…bxa3?!

Which Black falls into, losing the exchange.

29.Nc6 Bxc6!

Ding makes the most of it, and in fact gets full compensation as his light-squared bishop becomes quite powerful.

30.Qxc3 Bxd5 31.Qa5

Ding remarked that he had missed this move. “First I thought it was a free pawn on e4 but then I saw he could play g5. Then I found the idea of Ba8.” What idea of Ba8? You will soon see.

31…Bxe4 32.g5 Ba8!

This is the Ba8 move referred to earlier. It was instantly played and comes with the deadly threat of …Qb7 threatening mate along the long diagonal.

33.Qxa6

Preventing …Qb7.

33…Nd5 34.Ba7 Qc7! 35.Rec1 Qxc1+?!

Best was 35…Nc3, but then it would deprive us of the brilliant finish.

36.Rxc1 Rxc1+ 37.Kh2 Bc6 38.Qxa3 Bxg5 39.Qxd6 Bf4! 40.Bc5 Ne7! 0–1

Brilliant. after 40…Ne7 41.Qxe7 Rh1# Ding: “If I didn’t have Ne7 then maybe I am lost.”

The spell is broken, and Magnus has finally lost a tiebreaker.

Carlsen was a gracious loser, commenting afterwards that Ding “was a lot better than I was today so he won absolutely deservedly.” He continued “It has something to do obviously with the fact that he’s a very good player, but yeah, clearly I had a very difficult day today. I couldn’t get anything going, I was thinking too long and mainly just defending in most of my games, so it wasn’t close.”

Ding’s best game in the tournament was against Anish Giri. Even such a hard-to-please commentator like former world champion Garry Kasparov called it a “positional masterpiece.”

Ding, Liren (2805) — Giri, Anish (2779) [D38]
7th Sinquefield Cup 2019 Saint Louis USA (5.4), 21.08.2019

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.Nc3 Bb4

As most BW readers know, 4…Be7 is the Orthodox Queen’s Gambit Declined and 4…c6 the Semi-Slav. Putting the bishop on b4 is the Ragozin which has lately become very popular in the tournament circuit.

5.Bg5 h6

International Master Richard Pert wrote a book on Playing the Ragozin where he advises Black to go into the Vienna Variation with 5…dxc4 6.e4 c5, especially when you have a weak opponent or need a win. The reason is that after the text move White has a drawing option which I will show you in a while.

6.Bxf6 Qxf6 7.Qa4+

If White is satisfied with half a point then 7.e3 0–0 8.Rc1 dxc4 9.Bxc4 c5 10.0–0 cxd4 11.Nxd4 Bd7 12.Qb3 Nc6 13.Nxc6 Bxc3 14.Rxc3 Bxc6 15.Bb5 Bd5 16.Bc4 Bc6 17.Bb5 with an immediate draw.

7…Nc6 8.e3 0–0 9.Rc1 Rd8 10.Be2 dxc4 11.Bxc4 Bxc3+ 12.bxc3 Bd7 13.Be2 e5 14.Qc2 Bf5 15.Qb2 e4 16.Nd2 Na5 17.0–0 c5 18.Rfd1 Rac8 19.Nf1 Bg6 20.Ng3 Qg5 21.Qb1 f5 22.dxc5 Rxc5

It looks like White’s c3–pawn is doomed, right?

23.Rd4 Bf7

The Chessbase website says that Black’s troubles started with this move.

24.Rcd1 Rdc8 25.Bb5!

A powerful refocusing of his bishop’s energy. Ding intends to bring it to b3.

25…g6

Another point behind White’s last move is that 25…Rxc3 is met by 26.Bd7 followed by Bxf5. Black cannot play 26…R8c5? 27.Bxf5 Rxf5 28.Nxe4 forking Black’s queen and rook.

26.Ne2 Qf6 27.Ba4 Qe5 28.Bb3

Black has nothing better than to capture the bishop with his knight, which repairs White’s pawn weakness on c3.

28…Nxb3 29.axb3 R5c7 30.c4 a6

Black could have played 30…b5! right awey. He will regret this decision later.

31.Nf4! b5 32.Nd5 Rc6 33.c5! <D>

Position after 33.c5

Overlooked by Black. He cannot take the pawn now because 33…Rxc5 34.Nb6 R8c7 35.Nd7 forks the queen and rook.

33…a5 34.b4 axb4 35.Qxb4 Rb8 36.Nb6

Once again threatening Nd7.

36…Be6 37.Nd7!

Putting a rook on the 7th rank, after which the end is near.

37…Bxd7 38.Rd5 Qe7 39.Rxd7 Qxc5 40.Qb3+ Qc4 41.Qb2 Qc3 42.Qa2+ Rc4

[42…Qc4 43.Qa7 White has a mating attack: 43…Re8 44.Rg7+ Kf8 45.Rh7 Qg8 46.Qa3+ etc]

43.g3

White can of course play 43.Qa7 right away, but Black is completely defenseless now and this move just highlights it.

43…Rbc8 44.R1d6! Kf8 45.Rxg6 b4 46.Rxh6 f4 47.gxf4 1–0

With 48.Qa7 coming Giri decides to give up the ghost.

We will continue our story 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

Shocker

When the schedule for the United States Open men’s singles draw was released, not a few quarters saw fit to look ahead to a potential Round of Four match between Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer. There was reason for the heightened anticipation, to be sure; they contended for the Wimbledon championship when they last met, and their encounter had to be decided via an unprecedented fifth-set tiebreaker. And with fellow Big Three stalwart Rafael Nadal expected to emerge from the other half of the bracket, a humdinger of a final appeared to be in store.

Significantly, little ink was devoted to the prospect of an upset or two prior to the aforesaid meetings. Not that a development contrary to expectations was rare. Rather, it was that the marquee names hitherto proved all but immune to unforeseen outcomes. Unless and until they went up against each other, their progress was the closest tennis had to a sure thing. As always, though, Stan Wawrinka didn’t care for conventional wisdom and steeled himself for the task at hand; for all his inconsistent play since undergoing a couple of knee surgeries two years ago, he’s a three-time major winner who knows how to produce the biggest shots in the grandest of stages.

And so Wawrinka didn’t just anticipate doing well against Djokovic in their fourth-round encounter. He looked forward to victory, and not simply because he wound up with the hardware the last time they faced each other at Flushing Meadows. Even three years removed from his four-set triumph, he exuded confidence that belied his aggregate 5-19 slate against his longtime rival. Also in his favor was an apparent left shoulder injury that seemed to bother the World Number One on occasion.

Lo and behold, Wawrinka did wind up advancing to the quarterfinals when the battlesmoke cleared. He certainly hit the ground running, putting his opponent on the defensive from the get-go with booming serves and precise groundstrokes. Meanwhile, Djokovic was less than primed to withstand the pressure; clearly ailing, he displayed none of the point-construction skills that hitherto enabled him to dominate the sport. Typically accurate with placements, he committed a whopping 38 unforced errors through two sets and change.

Djokovic tried, and for a while in the second set, he appeared ready to take the measure of Wawrinka. Unfortunately, the latter was too good yesterday, and he needed nothing less than his level best to keep pace. Instead, he had a handicap that not even a visit from the trainer prior to the start of the third set could help overcome, compelling his retirement and sealing his earliest exit in a Grand Slam tournament since 2006. Disappointed with the turn of events, the crowd rained boos on him as he left the Arthur Ashe Stadium.

The reaction was decidedly unfair, but Djokovic chose to consider it with grace. Parenthetically, Wawrinka was right to treat his accomplishment without an asterisk; he played so well that he would have conceivably beaten anybody at full strength. In any case, the US Open is readying for another titleholder. Its defending champion has fallen by the wayside. A new one is ready to be crowned.

 

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.

Duterte told to divulge details of China deals

AN OPPOSITION senator yesterday asked the presidential palace to disclose details of the agreements signed between the Philippines and China during President Rodrigo R. Duterte’s recent visit to Beijing.

“It’s our territory and it’s our natural resources,” Senator Francis N. Pangilinan said in a statement. “The Filipino people have all the right to be informed and know the details.”

Mr. Duterte met with Chinese President Xi Jinping in China last week, where six bilateral agreements on education and science and technology among other things, were signed.

These include a $219-million loan agreement to fund the construction of the Philippine National Railways south long-haul project. The project was among the 75 flagship infrastructure projects under the administration’s “Build, Build, Build” program linking Metro Manila to provinces in the Bicol region.

Presidential spokesman Salvador S. Panelo also said other agreements signed by the Philippines and China included “cooperative measures and assistance in the key areas of education, science and technology, and economic growth.”

The meeting also resulted in the creation of a steering committee for joint exploration in the South China Sea, despite China’s rejection of a United Nations arbitral ruling in 2016 voiding China’s claim to more than 80% of the main waterway.

“Remember we have the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on our side and the permanent court of arbitration ruling that recognized the Philippines’ sovereign rights to fish and explore for resources in the West Philippine Sea,” Mr. Pangilinan said, referring to areas of the South China Sea within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone.

“The Filipino people should know the contents of the agreement,” Mr. Pangilinan said. “They will say whether this is good for us or disadvantageous to us.”

He also said Malacañang should avoid agreements that will “diminish” the Philippines’ exclusive rights to explore and develop its natural resources.

Mr. Duterte earlier said he favors a 60-40 share in favor of the Philippines in the planned joint exploration.

Meanwhile, the Communist Party of the Philippines criticized Mr. Duterte for bowing down to China and surrender the country’s sovereign rights in the South China Sea.

The president “merely went through the motions” of bringing up the decision of the UN court during his meeting with his Chinese counterpart, Communist Party founder Jose Maria C. Sison said in a statement on the group’s website.

“In the end, it was a purposeless exercise,” Mr. Sison furthered. “There was no further discussion on the matter. Duterte merely acquiesced to Xi Jinping when the superpower president reiterated that China does not recognize the ruling.”

Mr. Sison said the proposed joint exploration of natural resources in the South China Sea favors China. “With control of capital and the technological and industrial means, China will surely be able to take full control of the oil drilling operations to the detriment of the Philippines.”

Mr. Panelo shrugged off Mr. Sison’s remarks. Mr. Duterte “has no time to waste in responding to the latest anti-Duterte statement of Jose Maria Sison, other than saying that it is another arrant raving and incorrigible ranting coming from an aging armchair passé rebel whose illusory vision has outsprinted the ticking hands of time,” he said in a statement. — Charmaine A. Tadalan and Arjay L. Balinbin

Prison chief confirms parole for 3 convicts in rape-slay case

THE HEAD of the country’s prison system yesterday confirmed that three of the seven convicts involved in a 1997 celebrated rape-slay case in Cebu had been granted parole.

The convicts in the rape and murder of the Chiong sisters were freed for good conduct, Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) Director-General Nicanor E. Faeldon yesterday told senators during a hearing. He denied having approved their release.

Mr. Faeldon also said he had approved the process that nearly freed former Calauan Mayor Antonio L. Sanchez, who was sentenced to seven life terms in 1995 for the rape and murder of two University of the Philippines students in 1993.

The prison chief told the Senate justice committee he had issued the approvals “after I continuously consulted with the lawyers.” He suspended Mr. Sanchez’s parole because he had to review his case, he said.

The Senate body is investigating the parole granted to about 1,900 inmates convicted of heinous crimes. BuCor suspended the ex-politician’s release after a public uproar.

Mr. Faeldon argued that the law disregards the type of crime committed in the grant of parole.

Justice Secretary Menardo I. Guevarra disagreed with the prison chief’s interpretation. “The proper interpretation in so far as the exclusions are concerned, would be to exclude those convicted of heinous crimes from the benefit of the good conduct time allowance law,” he told senators at the same hearing.

Mr. Faeldon said inmates Ariel Balansag, Aberto Caño and Josman Aznar, who were convicted for the rape-slay of Marijoy and Jacqueline Chiong, had been granted parole, but denied signing any release orders. “I cannot remember ordering the release.”

Senator Richard J. Gordon, who heads the justice committee, said 1,900 ineligible inmates should be put back in jail.

Mr. Guevarra earlier suspended the parole program amid an uproar against the planned release of Mr. Sanchez.

Senator Juan Miguel F. Zubiri has said he would file a bill amending the law that expands the application of early release for good conduct. The measure would specifically bar its application to heinous crimes such as murder, drug trafficking and kidnap for ransom, he said.

Mr. Guevarra said he got an order from the presidential palace to hold Mr. Sanchez’s release until legal issues were settled. It was the Justice chief who first announced the plan to release Mr. Sanchez along with thousands of convicts for good conduct, which he said could not be appealed. — Charmaine A. Tadalan

Oil companies to cut petroleum prices

OIL COMPANIES are cutting the prices of petroleum products for the second straight week on Tuesday, according to separate advisories.

Gasoline and diesel will drop by 10 centavos a liter, while kerosene will slip by 15 centavos a liter.

The price cut will take effect at 6:00 a.m. today for most of the oil companies.

Last week, oil companies cut the prices of gasoline and diesel products by 10 centavos a liter, but raised kerosene prices by 10 centavos a liter.

This week, Seaoil Philippines, Inc. was among the first to enforce the price cut at 6:00 a.m. on Monday.

Last week, international crude prices fell, driven by concerns over the intensifying trade war between the US and China and its impact on the world economy.

Latest Department of Energy data showed year-to-date adjustments stand at a net increase of P4.75 a liter for gasoline, P3.35 a liter for diesel and P1.40 a liter for kerosene. — Victor V. Saulon

Storm Liwayway strengthens but not expected to make landfall

TROPICAL STORM Liwayway (international name: Lingling) has strengthened with maximum sustained winds of up to 65 kilometers per hour (km/h) near the center and gustiness of up to 80 km/h as of Monday morning, according to weather bureau PAGASA. Forecast indicates the storm will not make landfall in the country as it moves in a northwest direction. The trough of Liwayway is expected to bring scattered light to moderate rains with at times heavy rainshowers in the Bicol Region, Cagayan including Babuyan Islands, and Batanes. Storm signal #1 has been raised over Batanes as of Monday afternoon. The southwest monsoon will also bring rains over Zambales, Bataan, Occidental Mindoro, Palawan and Western Visayas. Liwayway is seen exiting the Philippine area by Wednesday or Thursday.

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