THE much-awaited fourth staging of the vertical run of Kerry Sports Manila happens next month with a new presenting partner while promising yet again another exciting and challenging event.
Happening on Sept. 22 in Shangri-La at the Fort at Bonifacio Global City, Taguig, the fourth Vertical Run with Kerry Sports has Citi Philippines on board as presenting partner and aims to build on its previous staging that has seen participants’ fitness tested to the limits.
The event once again will have runners facing one of the tallest buildings in the metropolis, faring at 229.3 meters.
The Citi Vertical Run 2019 with Kerry Sports Manila, organized by Shangri-La at the Fort, has been given the “Qualified Race (QR)” title by the International Skyrunning Federation, the world governing body for skyscraper racing.
“We are proud to be the home of the Manila Vertical Run in Kerry Sports Manila. Every year, runners from all over the world gather to this massive event to test their fitness and finish strong. We’ve had a solid run for three years and every year it keeps getting better and better. We look forward to partnering with Citi to make this event a huge success,” said John Rice, General Manager of Shangri-La at the Fort, Manila and Area Vice-President for Philippine Properties, at the press launch for the event on Aug. 22 at Kerry Sports Manila.
For Citi, it looks at its involvement in the vertical run with excitement and is hoping that it will be the first of many events it would do with Kerry Sports.
To have more people try the vertical challenge, organizers expanded the number of categories runners can join in, namely, the Full Challenge, Four-Runners Challenge, Horizon Challenge and Fun Climb.
The Full Challenge will see runners race up to 59 floors, conquering 1,353 steps at 250 meters. The minimum age for this category is 18 years old. Registration fee for it is placed at P1,500.
The Four-Runners Challenge will see a team of four run together the 59 floors. Their official record will be based on the third runner that crosses the finish line. Registration cost is P6,000 for the entire team.
Meanwhile, the Horizon Challenge is a fun challenge by running up 37 floors. Minimum age requirement is 12 years old. Rate is at P1,200.
The Fun Climb is for beginners or non-runners who wish to try the Vertical Run. In it runners only climb up to 20 floors. Minimum age requirement is 10 years old. Rate is at P1,200.
To register and other particulars for the Citi Vertical Run 2019, log on www.manilaverticalrun.com or go to Kerry Sports Manila in Shangri-La at the Fort. Deadline of registration is until Sept. 8, 10 p.m. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo
5-8 Alexander Motylev 2668, Vladislav Artemiev 2757, Alexandr Predke 2650, Kirill Alekseenko 2668, 5.5/11
9 Aleksey Dreev 2662, 5.0/11
10-11 Alexey Sarana 2635, Vladimir Fedoseev 2671, 4.5/11
12 Dmitry Jakovenko 2704, 3.5/11
Average ELO 2688 — Category 18
Time Control: 90 minutes for the 1st 40 moves, then 30 minutes play-to-finish with 30 seconds added to your clock after every move (the so-called increment) starting move 1
GM Evgeny Tomashevsky
GM Evgeny Tomashevsky, nicknamed “The Professor,” won the Championship for a second time with an undefeated 3 wins and 8 draws, 7.0/11, half a point ahead of his pursuers Vitiugov, Matlakov and Inarkiev. Tomashevsky was in the leading group for most of the tournament but it was only in the final round, when he defeated tournament revelation Kiril Alekseenko in a tremendous battle, that he managed to grab the solo lead.
22–year–old GM Kirill Alekseenko from St. Petersburg qualified for the SuperFinals by finishing among the Top 5 of its qualifying event the Russian Higher League. In contrast with Tomashevsky, GM Kirill is a very aggressive player. You can see the clash of styles in this game.
Alekseenko lets his guard down and it will cost him. He should not have tolerated the rook on c6 and opposed it right away with 31…Rc8.
32.Bxd5!
Just because you are a positional player does not mean that you are poor in tactics.
32…exd5 33.Qb1+?!
[33.Qe3 is the more accurate move, putting his queen on the dark squares]
33…Kg7 34.Qf5 Bd3!
A miraculous resource which almost saves him. Emphasis on “almost.”
35.Qxd3?
Allows Kirill’s tactical resource next move. Tomashevsky should have continued his attack with 35.Qg5+! Kh8 (35…Bg6 36.e6! Nf6 37.Rc7+ the end) 36.Rh6+ Bh7 37.Qf5 Qg8 38.Qxd7 Qg7 39.Qc6 Rb8 40.Bd2! intending to put his bishop on f6.
Alekseenko should have just simply taken the a4–pawn, but he obviously did not see Tomashevsky’s next move.
55.Ke2!
Moving back to the kingside where he will make the passed kingside pawns tell. 55.Kc2 Rxa4 is a draw, for example 56.Rg8 (56.h4 Rg4 holds) 56…Ra2+ 57.Kc3 Rxh2 book draw.
55…Kd4
[55…Rxa4 56.h4! the two passed pawns win]
56.Ra8?
This is a very difficult ending with not much time left for either side, which accounts for the inaccuracies. Passed pawns must be pushed and here 56.g4! is the correct winning method. 56…Rxa4 57.g5 Ra6 58.h4 Ke5 59.Rf8! With the black king cut-off, this is clearly decisive.
56…Ra2+ 57.Kf3 Rxh2
Finally the draw is in sight.
58.a5! Kc5?
The losing move. After such a heroic defense Kirill slips up, even though he took 12 minutes on this move. By going after the a-pawn with the king he allows White to cut him off the kingside and win with his passed pawns. The correct drawing method is to go after the a-pawn with the rook: 58…Rh7! 59.g4 (59.a6 Kd3 60.a7 Rf7+ 61.Kg4 d4 white cannot win as Black has his own passed pawns to keep him honest for example if: 62.Kg5 Rd7 63.Kg6 Kd2 64.g4 d3 65.g5 Rc7 66.Kh6 Kc2 67.g6 d2 68.Rd8 Rxa7 clearly a draw) 59…Rf7+ 60.Kg3 Rg7 61.a6 Re7 62.g5 Ke3 63.Kg4 d4 it does not look like it, but actually Black can hold the draw here. For example: 64.Kf5 d3 65.Kf6 d2! 66.Rd8 Ra7 67.g6 Rxa6+ 68.Kf5 Rxg6 69.Kxg6 Ke2 drawn by the skin of his teeth.
59.a6 Kb6 60.Rd8 Kxa6? 61.Rxd5
With the Black king cut-off from the kingside White has an easy win.
With this victory Tomashevsky earned 1 million rubles (approximately P800,000) and a Renault Arkana car. The top 3 finishers automatically qualified for next year’s SuperFinal. There was a 3-way tie for 2nd place so tie breaks had to be applied to eliminate one of them. The first criteria is number of games played with Black, which did not change anything because all three had 5 whites and 6 blacks. The second criteria, the Sonneborn-Berger system (the scores of everybody you beat added to half the scores of everyone you drew with, therefore giving more value to wins/draws against a player ranked high, than for a win/draw against a player ranked low in the tournament) favored Vitiugov and Matlakov. This was a particularly glaring development for Ernesto Inarkiev, the one eliminated. He was the fightingest player in the field, scoring 4 wins and 2 draws. Considering that there were a total of only 23 decisive results out of a total of 66 games in the tournament, that meant Inarkiev had been involved in 25% of the decisive games in the whole event.
In keeping with the “Chess in Museums” initiative of the Russian Chess Federation together with the Elena and Gennady Timchenko Charitable Foundation, the first 2 rounds were held in the Votkinsk Museum-estate of Tchaikovsky (yes, the composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, who spent his early childhood there in that area) and the rest of the tournament at the House of Friendship of Peoples, Izhevsk, both located in the Republic of Udmurtia in Central Russia, not far from Moscow. The historical significance of this area is that during World War II, many industrial factories were evacuated from Ukraine and western borderlands to Udmurtia.
Tomashevsky is not as well known as he should be, but he is right there on the fringes of the exclusive circle of the chess elite. He was European Champion in 2009 and first won the Russian Championship in 2015. That was his biggest year so far, as in February 2015 Tomashevsky took clear first place in the Tbilisi leg of the FIDE Grand Prix 2014–15 scoring 8/11, 1.5 points ahead of second-placed Dmitry Jakovenko, with no losses and wins over Baadur Jobava, Alexander Grischuk, Shakhriyar Mamedyarov, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave and Rustam Kasimdzhanov. His performance rating in this tournament was 2916.
In team events he has twice won the European Club Cup, helped Russia to gold in the 2009 World Team Championship, and played in the Russian bronze medal-winning team to the 2016 Olympiad in Baku.
Tomashevsky is nicknamed “the Professor” because (1) he is the son of a university professor, (2) with his glasses on and professional bearing he looks like a professor, (3) he is well-educated, having graduated from Saratov State Socio-Economic University, and, most especially, (4) for his academic approach to chess, specializing in position play and the technical stages of the game.
He seconded Boris Gelfand in the latter’s attempt to wrest the world championship title from Viswanathan Anand in their 2012 match.
We will continue this 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.
Rory McIlroy was a dejected runner-up at the Tour Championship 11 months ago. Paired with Tiger Woods in the final round, he didn’t quite have his A-game to keep up with the eventual champion. In fact, he wound up being a spectator to one of the most spectacular finishes in the sport — with the best player of his generation being embraced by an extremely engaging crowd of thousands that literally went inside the ropes to celebrate the outcome. And even as he joined teeming fans in congratulating the comebacking titleholder, he knew he let a grand opportunity slip away.
The good news was that McIlroy used the experience to jump-start his next campaign. He would go on to make the Top 10 in 14 of 19 events, including victories at The Players Championship and the RBC Canadian Open, and in the process join Woods and all-time great Jack Nicklaus as the only club wielders to claim four majors and 15 tour wins in history. Which was all well and good, his uneven performances in Grand Slam stops notwithstanding. Given his experience at East Lake last year, just about the only thing left for him was to end the season with flourish.
Creditably, McIlroy did just that, parlaying his handicapped start into a command performance that left no question as to who truly ruled the FedEx Cup Playoffs. Owing to reconfigured rules that spotted players with strokes depending on seeding following the BMW Championship, he stood at third, five back of provisional leader Justin Thomas, before the first round even began. It didn’t matter, though; by the time he put the final touches on a sterling showing that had him posting under-par scores in each of the four rounds (a feat no one else managed), he was four shots clear of his nearest pursuer. And, this time, it was his masterpiece the gathered masses rejoiced in.
McIlroy was beside himself with joy in the aftermath, and with reason. He moved to World Number Two with the triumph. Moreover, the rise in rankings came with a cool $15 million for emerging at the top of the FedEx Cup Playoffs, raising his aggregate prize money for the season to $24.3 million, the highest in golf annals. “I’m going to enjoy this one tonight,” he disclosed. And, no doubt, the good vibes will spur him to remind all and sundry why he continues to be deemed among the most talented in the sport.
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.
THE country’s chief diplomat on Monday said China should explain the entry of its warships into Philippine waters after reports that the vessels had turned off their transponders during their so-called innocent passage.
“That’s the other thing China must explain when it claimed that storms buffeted its gray ships off course in circles,” Mr. Locsin yesterday said in a social media post.
“Just the same, is anybody checking what the weather was in place the last batch of warships rightfully exercising ‘innocent passage’ dawdled in our waters?” he added.
This followed reports that Chinese warships have been entering Philippine territory with their automatic identification systems turned off. The Chinese government has said the warships were trying escape bad weather.
“Does innocent passage require helping the coastal state to monitor the innocence of a maritime passage by keeping its automatic identification systems on?” Mr. Locsin said in a separate post. “I know it is aggravating to think the other side might be right but would western navies turn off their systems?”
Mr. Locsin also urged Congress to pass a bill that will establish the Philippines’ archipelagic sea lanes.
“We can start by passing former Senator Antonio Trillanes’ bill defining our archipelago,” the Foreign Affairs chief said. “Oddly it is not easy to do that because it requires the consent of surrounding states, so I am told.”
Mr. Locsin said his department had fired off diplomatic protests over the presence of Chinese vessels within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone.
Defense Secretary Delfin N. Lorenzana earlier frowned on the unannounced entry of Chinese warships in Philippine waters.
The Armed Forces of the Philippines said at least five Chinese warships had entered Sibutu Strait in Tawi-Tawi in southern Philippines without notifying Philippine authorities.
Presidential spokesman Salvador S. Panelo earlier said the act violated international law.
The Philippines should expect more frequent passage of Chinese warships through its waters as China expands its naval reach, according to Jay L. Batongbacal, director of the University of the Philippines Institute of Maritime Affairs and Law of the Sea. — Charmaine A. Tadalan
ALBAY Rep. Joey S. Salceda has filed a bill that seeks to cut five hours from the weekly work schedule of private employees.
House Bill 309 seeks to start a 35-hour working week instead of the usual 40 hours, as an alternative arrangement for workers in the private sector.
“This is in line with the policy of the state to promote not only higher levels of productivity but also the welfare of workers,” Mr. Salceda in his explanatory note. The lawmaker said he “envisions a more robust economy, and happier workers in healthier workplaces.”
The new work schedule must not compromise minimum labor standards set by law, according to the bill.
Employers must ensure that employees under the program receive a rate pay, including overtime, night shift differential and other monetary benefits; have day off and equivalent workload; and be given written terms and conditions.
The average work hours have been unchanged since 1995, according to a Labor Force Survey by the Philippine Statistics Authority, that Mr. Salceda attached to his bill.
“In the Philippines, a shorter working week is undoubtedly the answer to the problems resulting from the extent of time poverty that people face with work,” the congressman said. He also noted that networking and checking emails have increasingly become a more regular aspect of people lives.
Overworking not only affects employees work quality but also their personal lives “with a reduction in happiness and quality of life,” Mr. Salceda said, citing a study.
“Firms in both the public and private sectors that have five-day work weeks may also compress the work week to four days at work going no more than nine hours per day,” he said.
Early this year, President Rodrigo R. Duterte enacted a bill institutionalizing telecommuting as an alternative work arrangement for employees in the private sector. — Vince Angelo C. Ferreras
PRESIDENT Rodrigo R. Duterte has ordered the Justice department not to release former Calauan Mayor Antonio Sanchez, a convicted rapist and murderer, according to his former aide.
The president has studied the case of the ex-mayor and determined that he’s ineligible for an early release because he committed a heinous crime, Senator Christopher Lawrence T. Go, Mr. Duterte’s former right-hand man, told reporters.
Mr. Duterte made this clear to Justice Secretary Menardo I. Guevarra and Bureau of Corrections chief Nicanor E. Faeldon, the lawmaker said.
Mr. Guevarra on Sunday said he would suspend the program on the early release of convicts for good conduct amid an uproar against the planned release of the ex-mayor.
Mr. Sanches was convicted in 1995 for the rape and murder of two University of the Philippines students in 1993 and was sentenced to seven life terms.
Meanwhile, Senator Juan Miguel F. Zubiri said he would file a bill amending the law that expands the application of early release for good conduct.
“We intend to go back to work tomorrow armed with possible amendments to that Good Conduct Law by making it specific that convicts of heinous crimes especially those such as murder, drug trafficking, kidnap for ransom and other highly dangerous criminals cannot avail of the program,” he said in a mobil-phone message.
Mr. Zubiri said such convicts are “too dangerous” to be released. “Imagine the families and individuals who testified against them will be in extreme danger,” he said.
He also warned that law-abiding citizens will now be afraid to testify against criminals of heinous crimes. “Cases like that have happened in other countries like the United States where criminals released on good behavior had become recidivist and preyed on other victims in other states after relocating,” he said.
Meanwhile, Mr. Guevarra said he got an order from the presidential palace to hold Mr. Sanchez’s release until legal issues are settled.
He earlier said he would form a task force that would review the rules and inform the Supreme Court about the planned suspension.
Justice Undersecretary Markk L. Perete in a text message yesterday said they needed 10 days to review the law.
Presidential spokesman Salvador S. Panelo on Friday said the ex-mayor was ineligible for an early release because he was convicted of heinous crimes. Mr. Panelo, the former legal counsel of Mr. Sanchez in the case had denied having a hand in his planned release.
The Supreme Court in June ruled that the law should be applied retroactively. Last Friday, it denied ordering the early release of Mr. Sanchez, saying it had ruled based on the judicial doctrine that laws should be applied retroactively if they favor the accused. — Arjay L. BalinbinandVann Marlo M. Villegas
PRESIDENT RODRIGO R. Duterte on Monday skipped the National Heroes’ Day commemoration rites because he was not feeling well, his former aide Senator Christopher Lawrence T. Go says. “He is indisposed. Seventy-four years old na po si Pangulo at kailangan niya ring magpahinga… Ang dami naming lakad (The President is 74 years old and he needs to rest too. He has so many affairs to attend to),” Mr. Go said in a televised media interview at the Libingan ng mga Bayani on Monday.
He added that Mr. Duterte had met with Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) Chairman Nur Misuari in Davao City over the weekend. There will be follow-up meetings with bigger groups, he said.
Presidential Peace Adviser Carlito G. Galvez, Jr. said last week that Mr. Duterte is considering creating another autonomous government for the MNLF.
House Speaker Alan Peter S. Cayetano represented the President at the National Heroes’ Day rites. In his message to the nation, Mr. Duterte called on the public to “embody solidarity and sustain our momentum towards positive change not only for ourselves, but for the succeeding generations as well.”
CHINA VISIT
Mr. Duterte is scheduled to leave on Aug. 28 for his fifth visit to China, upon the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping. The visit runs until Sept. 1, a day earlier than initially planned.
The Palace earlier announced the trip will last until Sept. 2, but the DFA said the President will no longer visit Fujian province and instead fly back to the Philippines on the 1st. Mr. Duterte’s health has been the subject of public speculation since 2016.
On July 22 last year, before his third State of the Nation Address, the President was reported visiting a hospital. But the Palace said it was only for a regular medical examination. In February this year, rumors about his death circulated online. — Arjay L. Balinbin
Dar assures sufficient pork supply
DEPARTMENT OF Agriculture (DA) Secretary William D. Dar has assured there is enough pork supply for the coming Christmas Season amid increased hog mortality in some areas. “Wala pang problema sa (There is no problem yet with) supply. ‘Yan ang (That is the) commitment ng (of the) hog raisers, commercial raisers… We have enough pork supply,” he told reporters on Monday.
The DA on August 19 announced that is has received reports of increased hog mortality, which was “2% beyond normal” in areas that remain identified. However, reports from international media noted that Taiwan will be imposing special baggage check on passengers from the Philippines after a suspected outbreak of African Swine Fever in the provinces of Bulacan and Rizal.
ASF is a non-treatable and contagious disease, and can kill swine in as fast as two days. Mr. Dar said the department is considering one of the major economic swine diseases listed by the World organization for Animal Health (OIE) as the cause of the deaths. Based on OIE-listed diseases for 2019, the possible swine diseases and infections include infection with ASF virus, infection with classical swine fever virus, infection with porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus, infection with Taenia solium (Porcine cysticerosis), Nipah virus encephalitis, and Transmissible gastroenteritis.
Senator Cynthia A. Villar, chair of the Senate committee on agriculture, called for calm among hog raisers and consumers while the DA is assessing the matter. “Ito naman ay isang (This is a) separate incident na hindi naman (that is not yet) proven na (as) ASF… so dapat relax lang tayo (so let’s just relax). We should just observe the proper practices to make sure that sanitary ‘yung ating mga (our) hog farm,” she told reporters. — Vincent Mariel P. Galang
Villar vows to push for Coco Levy Trust Fund bill passage within the year
PHILSTAR
SENATOR CYNTHIA A. Villar, chair of the Senate committee on Agriculture, said she aims to push for the passage of the Coco Levy Trust Fund bill within the year.
“We have talked to the Executive Department to find out what needs to be revised or incorporated in the bill or what the reason was for the veto. We talked about it and I think it was a fruitful discussion, so again we will be refilling the bill with the proper corrections and we hope to pass it before the end of the year,” she said during her speech for the opening of the 55th International Coconut Community Session and Ministerial Meeting on Monday in Pasay City. She said one of the revisions would be the creation of two committees, one for finance and another for implementation, to make sure that the funds will be used efficiently and effectively. This would also be in line with adjustments being undertaken at the Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA).
Coco levy are the taxes collected from coconut farmers by the late dictator Ferdinand E. Marcos and his cronies. The 100-billion Coco Levy Fund, which will help alleviate the lives of about 3.5 million coconut farmers, was vetoed by President Rodrigo R. Duterte in February this year. He said he wants more safeguards and a stronger Executive role in the implementation of the fund. He said in his State of the Nation Address last July, “I also have not forgotten my commitment to uplift the lives of coconut farmers and further develop coconut industry through the urgent utilization of the Coconut Levy Fund.” He also urged lawmakers to pass “a more responsive version” of the bill.
Meanwhile, Ms. Villar also said she will push more coconut farmers to practice intercropping with cacao and coffee, which would increase their income by $200 per month. Agriculture Secretary William D. Dar, for his part, said he aims to strengthen links between the private sector and farmers for the coconut industry’s growth. — Vincent Mariel P. Galang
OIL COMPANIES are rolling back the prices of gasoline and diesel products this week, both by P0.10 per liter (/L) while increasing by the same amount the cost of kerosene. For most of them, the price adjustment will take place at 6:00 a.m. today, Aug. 27. Phoenix Petroleum Philippines, Inc., PTT Philippines Corp., and Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corp. were the first three companies that sent their advisories during the weekend. “These reflect movements in the international oil market,” said Petron Corp. Last week, oil companies raised the per liter prices of gasoline, diesel and kerosene by P0.35, P0.60, and P0.45, respectively. — Victor V. Saulon
THE LOW pressure area that developed Monday into a tropical depression, named Jenny, is bringing rains in the eastern side of the country and 15 provinces in Luzon have been placed under typhoon signal #1 as of Monday afternoon. In its 5 p.m. bulletin, weather bureau PAGASA declared the warning signal over: Cagayan, Isabela, Quirino, Nueva Vizcaya, Apayao, Abra, Kalinga, Mountain Province, Ifugao, Benguet Aurora, Nueva Ecija, eastern portion of Pangasinan, northern portion of Quezon including Polillo Island, and Catanduanes. PAGASA said other parts of Luzon, Western and Central Visayas, and Zamboanga Peninsula are expected to have light to moderate with intermittent heavy rains between Tuesday afternoon to Wednesday. Jenny, as of Monday afternoon, was moving northwest at 25 kilometers per hour (kph) with maximum sustained winds of 45 kph near the center and gustiness of up to 55 kph. The typhoon is expected to exit the Philippine area by Thursday.
PANAY ELECTRIC Co., Inc. (PECO) has filed its motion for reconsideration to an Iloilo court’s decision allowing MORE Electric and Power Corp. (MORE Power) to take over its assets. MORE Power has also promptly submitted an opposition and PECO has until Aug. 28 to reply. The case is now under Judge Daniel Antonio Gerardo Amular of the Iloilo City Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 37. In its motion for reconsideration filed Aug. 23., PECO cited that the Mandaluyong RTC Branch 209 ruled on July 1 that Sections 10 and 17 of Republic Act No. 11212, which granted MORE Power the congressional franchise to distribute electricity in Iloilo City, are “void and unconstitutional for infringing on PECO’s rights to due process and equal protection of the law.” PECO also said that the “unconstitutional provisions of RA 11212 confer no right upon MORE Power and its alleged right to take over PECO’s assets is legally inexistent.” On the other hand, MORE Power asserted in its opposition that there is already an established jurisprudence on the mater. “The established jurisprudence is that the moment there is an application for writ of possession and a deposit has been made, and the plaintiff was granted by law the power of eminent domain, it is a bounded duty for the expropriation court to grant the writ of possession.”— Emme Rose S. Santiagudo
SULU GOVERNOR Abdusakur M. Tan has asked the mayors, together with other local government unit (LGU) officials, to draft short- and long-term development plans for their respective areas. In a news release, the provincial government said the three-year plan, with a target budget of up to P1 billion per LGU, will be submitted to the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) government for consideration in the annual allocation. In a meeting last Aug. 21, Mr. Tan told the local leaders to “submit early for this would ensure greater probability of inclusion of our proposal in the list of programs and projects in 2020.” The agreed deadline was end-September. The 10-year plan, on the other hand, will be consolidated and submitted as a provincial proposal to the Department of Public Works and Highways.
CIVIL REGISTRAR
In the same meeting, Mr. Tan proposed that all local civil registrars start offering free registration services to help improve the province’s data. Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) Provincial Director Medzhur Tan, in a presentation at the meeting, explained that poverty incidence in Sulu “is so high due to data inaccuracy.” Sulu, along with Basilan and Lanao del Sur, are the poorest provinces in the country. PSA’s Mr. Tan also pointed out that, “In addition, this disparity in data generation affects our access to programs or suitability of projects to address poverty.”
