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Ateneo, FEU fight for last UAAP finals spot

By Michael Angelo S. Murillo
Senior Reporter

THE Ateneo Lady Eagles and Far Eastern University Lady Tamaraws make one last go at the remaining finals spot in Season 81 of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines when they collide in their semifinal rubber match today at the FilOil Flying V Arena in San Juan City.

Set for 3:30 p.m., the do-or-die match was forced after FEU cast aside its twice-to-win disadvantage with a five-sets victory over Ateneo in the opener of the Final Four on May 4 and put itself in a position to face the Lady Eagles on equal footing for a ticket to the championship round.

The Lady Tamaraws got valuable contributions from different sources to outlast Ateneo, 10-25, 25-23, 25-22, 12-25 and 15-8.

FEU came out flat to begin the contest but dug deep in each of the next two sets to seize control of the match.

In the fourth frame, the Lady Tamaraws fell back and saw their opponents level the count.

But in the deciding set they would recalibrate, bucking a slow start to speed past the Lady Eagles the rest of the way and never looked back on their way to the victory.

The FEU veterans stepped up in their season-extending victory with graduating player Heather Guino-o leading the charge with 17 points and Nette Villareal adding 10.

Jerrili Malabanan had eight points while rookie France Ronquillo held her own with seven markers.

For Ateneo, it was leading scorer Kat Tolentino who showed the way with 21 markers with Bea De Leon and Maddie Madayag backstopping her with 16 and 13 points, respectively.

While they admitted to have allowed a good opportunity to advance to the finals slip from their hands last time around, Ateneo coach Oliver Almadro said they remain bullish of their chances in the rubber match.

He expressed confidence in his players’ ability to bounce back after a tough loss but nonetheless underscored the need for them to go for the win as FEU is expected to make a serious run at it as well.

The winner of the Ateneo-FEU semifinals will move on to the championship round against the University of Santo Tomas Golden Tigresses, who dethroned the defending champions De La Salle Lady Spikers in their Final Four bracket on Sunday in five sets. UST carried a twice-to-beat advantage but saw no need to use it.

On the part of FEU, given the opportunity it has, it is bent on making full use of it.

“We are thankful to be put in such a position to extend our season. We will continue to fight to achieve our goal,” said Lady Tamaraws coach George Pascua.

“We still need to improve on things. Wednesday will be tougher game with a lot of pressure,” he added.

Magnolia Hotshots focus on commanding 3-1 series lead

By Michael Angelo S. Murillo
Senior Reporter

CURRENTLY in the driver’s seat of their best-of-seven PBA Philippine Cup finals series at 2-1, the Magnolia Hotshots Pambansang Manok look to create further separation with the San Miguel Beermen in Game Four today at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Seized the series lead following their 86-82 win in Game Three on May 5, the Hotshots go for the victory in game number four that pushes them on the brink of the title in the season-opening Philippine Basketball Association tournament.

In taking Game Three, Magnolia proved to be the steadier team all game long with the team continuously frustrating San Miguel even when the latter made a spirited run late in the game to book the victory.

Mark Barroca paced Magnolia with 22 points.

Ian Sangalang and Rafi Reavis each had a double-double. Mr. Sangalang finished with 17 points and 15 rebounds while Mr. Reavis had 16 markers and 15 boards.

Arwind Santos, meanwhile, led the Beermen with 19 points and 12 rebounds.

June Mar Fajardo struggled for 17 points with Terrence Romeo adding 15.

Magnolia had control of the game for much of the time until the Beermen came within three points, 82-79, with 17 seconds left after an Alex Cabagnot triple.

But Mr. Barroca gave Magnolia more breathing space, 86-79, with four straight free throws after.

Marcio Lassiter hit a three-pointer to narrow the Hotshots’ lead, 86-82, with four seconds remaining but the Beermen would not go any closer than that as Magnolia closed things out.

“It’s about character. We played with a lot of effort and a lot of heart,” said Mr. Reavis, named player of the game, in describing what did it for them in the last game.

It is something they hope to take cue from in today’s game as they make their push for their first All-Filipino title in five years.

“Hopefully we can do what we did tonight. For as long as we stay in what we do and play who we are as a team, as long as we stick with our roots, we’ll be fine,” said Mr. Reavis.

For San Miguel, the mission order is to make the adjustments and find a way to dictate the pace, something it was not able to do in Game Three.

“We have little time to adjust but let see what happens,” said Beermen coach Leo Austria.

Game Four of the PBA Philippine Cup finals is set for 7 p.m.

Prior to the game the best player of the conference award will be handed out.

Vying for the BPC plum is multiple-time winner Fajardo, Northport’s Sean Anthony and Stanley Pringle, Phoenix Pulse’s Calvin Abueva and TNT’s Roger Pogoy.

Pioneer Epoxy announces National Bangkarera Year 4

PIONEER Epoxy, in cooperation with Angat sa Dagat Organization, unveils PENB 2019 which will hold in Naga City, Cebu on May 31 to June 2 this year.

The event will stage four different categories participants can join in: 7-7.5HP Open Category (Gasoline Engine Single Piston), 16-18HP Open Category (Gasoline Engine Single Piston), 13HP-16HP Angat sa Dagat Special Category (Stock Engine Gasoline), and Paddle Boat Open Category (Mixed Doubles).

“By staging this annual national event, we’re giving our local fishermen and boat makers a platform where they can showcase their skills. It’s also our way of giving back to all the members of their community, who have been using our products for the past 60 years,” said Alben B. Manuel, assistant vice president — marketing head for Philippines and international market group of Pioneer Adhesives, Inc., during PENB 2018 held in Iloilo City.

Last year’s PENB recorded the largest number of participants with 58 teams and 155 boats — a marked increase from the previous year’s turnout.

“This tournament was designed to strengthen the camaraderie among boat racers nationwide, all of whom make a living as fishermen and boat makers,” he added.

Over P1 million in cash and product prizes which will be given away.

Harden and Rockets level series with Warriors

LOS ANGELES — James Harden paired a game-high 38 points with 10 rebounds while Eric Gordon and P.J. Tucker provided ample support as the Houston Rockets squared their Western Conference semifinal series against the visiting Golden State Warriors with a 112-108 victory in Game 4 on Monday.

The best-of-seven series is tied at two games apiece ahead of Game 5 on Wednesday in Oakland, Calif.

Gordon chipped in 20 points, and Tucker finished with 17 points and 10 rebounds.

While Houston shot just 17 of 50 from behind the arc, the volume of 3-pointers made a significant difference. The Warriors wound up just eight of 33 from deep, including misses from Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry in the waning moments with the Rockets leading by three after Harden missed the second of two free throws.

Chris Paul (13 points) sank one of two foul shots with 2.9 seconds to go, sealing the Rockets’ win.

Houston led by as many as 17 points, claimed a 50-43 rebounding edge and allowed just 11 second-chance points.

Durant led the Warriors with 34 points while Curry chipped in 30. However, Curry missed 10 of 14 3-point attempts while Klay Thompson continued his shooting woes, going five of 15 overall and one of six from deep. Draymond Green produced 15 points, 10 boards and five assists for the Warriors.

Houston used another barrage of treys to surge to a double-digit lead in the second quarter, starting with a Harden 26-footer at the 7:12 mark that pushed the Rockets to a 39-37 lead. Harden and Iman Shumpert added 3-pointers in succession before Gordon completed a three-point play and Austin Rivers drained a trey that capped a 20-6 run from the Rockets.

The Warriors fashioned a rally, and when Andre Iguodala drilled a 3-pointer just prior to the first-half buzzer, the Rockets led 61-54 at the intermission.

When Houston threatened to run away in the third quarter following successive threes from Harden, Tucker and Harden again, the Warriors trailed 77-60 only to respond with a 22-9 push that cut the margin to 86-82 on a Curry layup.

From that point, the Rockets managed a reply whenever Golden State pulled close, including critical baskets from Harden and Paul after the Warriors surged down the stretch in the fourth quarter.

BUCKS BUILD 3-1 SERIES EDGE ON CELTICS
George Hill scored nine points during Milwaukee’s game-turning third quarter run — one generated with likely NBA Most Valuable Player Giannis Antetokounmpo on the bench due to foul trouble — and the Bucks took a commanding lead in the Eastern Conference semifinals by beating the host Boston Celtics 113-101 on Monday night.

The Bucks now lead the best-of-seven series three games to one. Milwaukee will look to cement its first trip to the conference finals since 2001 on Wednesday when it hosts Game 5.

The Celtics will try to become just the 12th team in NBA history to come back from a 3-1 deficit in a best-of-seven set and the first since the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Golden State Warriors in the 2016 NBA Finals.

The Bucks were clinging to a 59-58 lead when Antetokounmpo went to the bench after drawing his fourth foul with 8:18 left in the third quarter. A Marcus Morris free throw following the foul tied the game, and the Celtics took the lead at 62-59 on a 3-pointer by Al Horford.

Boston kept the Bucks at bay for the next few minutes before Ersan Ilyasova’s put-back tied the game at 67-67 with 3:54 left. That began a quarter-ending 15-5 run for the Bucks, who took the lead for good on Hill’s layup 29 seconds after Ilyasova’s basket.

Kylie Irving drained a free throw to cut the gap to one, but the Bucks scored the next nine points — a run Hill began with a 3-pointer and ended with a bank shot — to extend Milwaukee’s lead to double digits for the first time.

Antetokounmpo returned for the fourth quarter and scored 17 of his game-high 39 points as the Bucks put the Celtics away. “The Greek Freak” also finished with 16 rebounds and four assists despite playing just 34 minutes.

Hill scored 15 points while Khris Middleton and Eric Bledsoe each had 13 points for the Bucks. Pat Connaughton added nine points and 10 rebounds.

Morris (18 points, 14 rebounds), Jayson Tatum (17 points, 10 rebounds) and Kyrie Irving (23 points, 10 assists) all had double-doubles for the Celtics, who led by as many as 11 points in the first quarter. Horford scored 20 points while Jaylen Brown added 16 points for Boston. — Reuters

Chess masters set to join Alpha One Extreme Solution rapid chess championship

GM Darwin Laylo, International Masters (IMs) Ronald Dableo, Angelo Young, Barlo Nadera, Ricardo de Guzman, Deniel Quizon and Chris Ramayrat, National Master Marc Christian Nazario and United states chess master Jose “Jojo” Aquino Jr. have confirmed their participation to the inaugural Alpha One Extreme Solution Open Rapid Chess Championship slated on May 30 this year at the Xentro Mall in Antipolo City.

The seven round swiss-system, 20 minutes + five seconds delay time control format is open to all chess players, regardless sexes and ages, titled or untitled backed up by 4knights Chess Cafe and Zabryne’s Chess Cafe and National Chess Federation of the Philippines to be sanctioned tournament.

According to Chief Operations Officer and Vice President Jessie Pendre of the organizing Alpha One Extreme Solution, the champion will receive P20,000 plus trophy while the second P15,000, third P10,000, fourth P8,000 and fifth P6,000 while sixth to 10th placer will get P2,000 each plus medals.

Francis G. Lopez added that the top PWD, executive, 1800 and below, unrated, lady, senior (50 above), media, U-8, U-10, U-12, U-14 and U-16 will each earn P1,000 plus medals.

Assistant vice president Mc Daniel Ebao said advance registration fee is P500 plus free T-shirt (For advance entry). Deadline of registration on May 25, 2019. On-site registration is P600.

Free registration for Grandmaster, Woman Grandmaster, International Master and Woman International Master while P300 (discounted) for the National Master, Woman National Master, Fide Master, Woman Fide Master, 16 years old and below (youth), lady, PWD, senior 50 above and media.

National arbiters Alexander “Alex” Dinoy and Alfredo Chay of the Chess Arbiter Union of the Philippines will supervise the said chessfest. — Marlon Bernardino

Cousins eyes playoffs return

LOS ANGELES — Injured Golden State Warriors center DeMarcus Cousins doesn’t want to be counted out of the playoffs. If the Warriors can keep playing this postseason while eyeing another NBA title, so will he, despite having suffered a partially torn quadriceps muscle.

“For me, my goal is I ain’t planning on sitting,” Cousins told The Undefeated on Monday following the Warriors’ shootaround ahead of Game 4 against the Houston Rockets in the Western Conference semifinals. “I don’t know the reality of it. But for me, that is not what I’m planning on doing. … It’s definitely some type of bad movie. But I think it will have a very nice ending. Just wait for it.”

Cousins, a six-time All-Star who has started taking part in light shooting drills, tore the quad muscle in his left leg in Game 2 of the first round of the playoffs against the Los Angeles Clippers on April 15, but did not require surgery.

The Warriors announced then that Cousins would be sidelined indefinitely and would begin rehabilitation immediately, but he was not ruled out for the rest of the playoffs.

“I was confident from the beginning once they told me the severity of it,” Cousins said. “Talking to the doctors helped me understand the injury a little more. I started analyzing things and playing it out in my head. I’m going to take it day by day and work my (tail) off like I always do…

“Obviously, I was little more relieved that it wasn’t anything catastrophic like I’ve dealt with before. It sucks to be injured anyway on top of that. The timing of it really (messed) me up the most. It’s a part of this game, man. I’m not the first. I won’t be the last.”

Cousins made his Warriors’ debut on Jan. 18 against the Clippers. That came almost a year after recuperating from a ruptured left Achilles tendon he suffered playing for the New Orleans Pelicans against the Houston Rockets on Jan. 26, 2018. Then he was injured again while trying to run down a loose ball 3 1/2 minutes into the team’s eventual 135-131 playoff loss to the Clippers.

Warriors coach Steve Kerr is also hopeful of Cousins’ return, telling the media on Sunday: “He’s coming along pretty well. We’ll just have to wait and see.” — Reuters

Philam Football: Super Eagles and Ghana FC set for finals rematch

TAGUIG CITY — Super Eagles and Ghana Football Club are set to face in what will be a highly-anticipated finals rematch after winning over their counterparts in the semifinals of the continuing Season 3 of Philam Life 7s Football League at the McKinley Hill Stadium.

In what was a tight affair, Ghana FC scored the marginal goal in the game’s last few minutes to squeak past Bohemian Soccer Club, 1-0.

With Coach Ayi Bimbo desperately looking for a score, he turned to Asare David who converted just in time in what was a rocket of an attempt in the second half. His trust in his super sub paid dividends once again, citing him as the team’s game-changer.

“It was really a tight game. All of us had chances and it was really hard work. We’re not hitting the back of the net. I called on Asare David and he changed the game. Last shot, he made it from long-range. And again, he’s done it. All credit goes to him,” said Coach Ayi Bimbo.

On the other side of the bracket, defending two-time champions Super Eagles continued their dominance by beating Delimondo-Laro FC 4-1.

After scoring two unanswered goals in the first half behind Ebere Ogochukwu and Femi Ogurinde, the Super Eagles didn’t take their foot off the gas pedal with Ebere completing brace in the second half while Charles Ujam scoring one more.

“Today, we’re so happy because we’ve accomplished it. Whatever happens in the Finals, we’ll be happy. Everything for today was expected, they played hard and we were just ready for them today. We’re just better than them today,” said Coach Danny Kross.

Unexpected turn

The local club football scene was dealt an unexpected blow recently when the plug was pulled on the rebranded Philippine Premier League (PPL) at the weekend with only one official play date held.

The death knell for the league, which was launched just early this year to replace the Philippines Football League which ran for two seasons, came when the Philippine Football Federation (PFF) decided to terminate its agreement with PPL operator Triple CH Holdings Co. Ltd with immediate effect and said it would bring back the PFL later this month.

Not much detail was given as to the reason behind the termination of the deal but reports have that the country’s football federation was not satisfied with the way things were panning out for the league across various fronts, including lack of sponsors and inability of some of the competing teams to secure the proper licenses to participate.

The PPL was supposed to kick off on March 30 but had to postpone it to April 27 to iron some things out.

On the eve of its opener on April 26, Stallion Laguna FC and Global Makati FC, two teams that were expected to see action in the PPL, withdrew from participating, citing several issues and questioned the capacity of the operator to run the league.

The move left the PPL with only five teams — Ceres-Negros FC, Kaya FC-Iloilo, Green Archers United, Mendiola FC 1991 and Philippine Air Force — two of which, Mendiola and Air Force, were without licenses at the time.

Despite that the PPL pushed through with its kickoff on April 27 at the Rizal Memorial Football Stadium with Air Force and Mendiola fighting to a 2-2 draw and Kaya emerging as a 3-0 winner over Green Archers United.

It turned out to be a one-and-done staging for the PPL as exactly a week after the PFF decision was handed down.

I was at the launch of the PPL in January and this turn of events came to me as a big surprise.

At that time there was much hope for the rebranded league with various stakeholders high on it, including officials of the PFF, led by its president Nonong Araneta, and PPL, coveror Sports5, team executives and other partners.

They hailed it as “a new dawn for Philippine football,” and quite understandable as the PPL had grand plans laid down by its commissioner and Triple CH Holdings chairman Bernie Sumayao.

Among the plans were to have at least eight teams participating, increasing fan engagement both at the game venue and out of it, and steady exposure for the league with TV coverage and activation on various social media platforms.

PPL said these were conspicuously missing in leagues prior to it.

Such goals were doable no doubt but needed much work to be realized.

As it turned out, however a lot, or should say, little, happened in between the launch and the targeted kickoff of March 30, eventually leading to the PFF decision last weekend.

In the aftermath, fans and stakeholders are turning to the PFF and its next move.

The revert to the PFL is seemingly welcome to many but mere revival of the league would not make the cut because supporters of the sport in the country are clamoring for more things to get their teeth into.

In doing so, however, the PFF should make sure to cover the needed bases so as not have a repeat of this recent episode in Philippine football.

To see the PPL not able to take off as hoped was truly unfortunate but here is hoping that the return of the PFL would be a successful one. For the sake of the Beautiful Game let us make this happen and well.

 

Michael Angelo S. Murillo has been a columnist since 2003. He is a BusinessWorld senior reporter covering the Sports beat.

msmurillo@bworldonline.com

The better team

The Celtics remained defiant in the aftermath of a second straight embarrassing loss at the TD Center yesterday. It was actually their third consecutive setback against the Bucks, as clear an indication as any of their overmatched position in the semifinal-round series. Don’t tell them that, though; to a man, they believe they continue to have the capacity to advance to the conference finals. For one thing, they’re convinced their talent base is superior; they ran roughshod over the Pacers in the first round, and then claimed Game One by 22 versus the owners of the league’s best regular-season slate.

As National Basketball Association annals have shown time and again, however, the mere compilation of marquee names with varied skill sets does not immediately translate to triumph. Granted, it should with the Celtics, who have a rich history of winning and boast of Brad Stevens, one of the best bench tacticians in the business. That it hasn’t with consistency throughout their 2018-19 campaign speaks volumes of their disjointed nature. The presence of great players does not always make for great teams, and it’s no coincidence that the Bucks — pro hoops’ prime example of success as the whole being greater than the sum of its parts — have exposed their deficiencies.

In any long series, the better team invariably prevails. And, for the most part, the definition of “the better team” involves the participation of the series’ best player. To no one’s surprise, the distinction belongs to Giannis Antetokounmpo, preemptive Most Valuable Player and the single biggest reason for the Bucks’ ascendancy. They lost Game One in large measure because he lacked the aggressiveness to keep defenders at bay. Since, then, though, he has stamped his class, and to the point where he affects those around him even when he’s not on the court.

Yesterday, for instance, the Bucks turned a tied game into a developing rout with Antetokounmpo on the bench due to foul trouble in the third period. And when he returned in the fourth, he made sure that their efforts paid dividends by producing a dominant finish. Meanwhile, Kyrie Irving, the Celtics’ own All-Star, has been firing blanks; not coincidentally, the aforesaid stretch of losses marks the worst three-game shooting slump of his postseason career. And his response in being told he went seven of 22 from the field yesterday? “I should have shot 30. I’m that great of a shooter.”

Certainly, Irving can talk the talk; after all, he has a championship ring, and the most pressure-packed three-point shot ever in Finals history, to back up his claims. Considering that the Celtics need to take the next three games, including two at the Fiserv Forum, however, he likewise needs to walk the walk pronto. Else, his self-assured declarations will come off as little more than false bravado, especially with Antetokounmpo preferring to let teammates get all the credit in contrast.

 

Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994.

Philippine startup community ranks 54th out of 100 globally

According to research center StartupBlink, the Philippines’ startup ecosystem places 54th out of 100 countries all over the world. This is up 16 slots since the study was last conducted in 2017.

The Startup Ecosystem Rankings for 2019 considers the quantity and quality of both startups and supporting organizations in a given location, placed within the context of its larger business environment. The study also further zoomed in by ranking cities. In this regard, Manila, Cebu, and Pasig placed 84th, 293rd, and 546th respectively out of 1000.

To help ensure the accuracy of their data, StartupBlink received support from various ecosystem partners, including QBO Innovation Hub, the Philippines’ first public-private initiative for startups. Other partners include Queen’s University, Leumitech, and the Kingston Economic Development Corporation.

“Incredible potential”

The Asia-Pacific region saw significant drops among its former high-rankers. Singapore, which used to be number one, slipped 11 spots to number 21. China likewise dropped to number 27, down seven spots from the last study.

Meanwhile, several countries made huge leaps. Aside from the Philippines, India, Thailand, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and New Zealand climbed up by at least 15 spots apiece.

The cluster of Metro Manila with connected suburbs and cities is credited as one of the reasons behind the country’s recent performance in the rankings, supported by the high tech literacy and English proficiency of Filipinos.

Barriers such as a general lack of startup entrepreneurship and a conservative business mindset continue to hinder potential growth. But with a robust selection of government entrepreneurship programs such as P3 Program and Kapatid Mentor Me Program, the state of the country’s startup ecosystem is looking to be more positive than glum.

“The Philippines has incredible potential to be a leading startup hub owing to the country’s favorable demographics, available tech talent, and rapidly growing economy,” said Katrina Chan, Director at QBO Innovation Hub.

“We are starting to see more elements come into place—increased investment activity, growing public -private support, rising interest in entrepreneurship—which makes me believe that the Philippines can live up to its promise and produce the next unicorns to rival the biggest names in the region in the next few years,” she said.

March factory output slumps

Factory output posted its fourth consecutive month of decline in March, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) reported this morning.

Preliminary results of the PSA’s latest Monthly Integrated Survey of Selected Industries showed the volume of production index contracting by 9.2% year on year in March versus the February’s revised 8.1% decline and the 11% growth logged in March 2018.

It was the fourth straight month of decline following the contractions in February (-8.1%); January (-2.5%); and Dec. 2018 (-8.9%).

Year to date, the factory output decline averaged 6.6% versus the 12.3% growth in 2018’s comparable three months.

The PSA reported eight out of 20 major industry groups that registered annual declines led by furniture and fixtures (-25.5%), food manufacturing (-17.3%), and petroleum products (-17.2%).

In comparison, the Nikkei Philippines Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) was 51.5 that month, easing from February’s 51.9.

A PMI reading above 50 signals improvement in business conditions from the preceding month, while a score below that point indicates deterioration.

Average capacity utilization — the extent by which industry resources are used in the production of goods — was estimated at 84.4%. Eleven of the 20 sectors registered capacity utilization rates of at least 80%. — M.A. Madrid

Inflation slowdown continues in April, slowest in 16 months

Inflation further eased for the sixth straight month in April, the Philippine Statistics Authority reported this morning.

April’s headline rate of 3% was down from 3.3% in March and 4.5% in the same month last year. It was the slowest since the 2.9% recorded in Dec. 2017.

The April reading was lower than the 3.1% estimate median in BusinessWorld’s poll of 10 economists late last week. The latest figure also fell within the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas’ (BSP) 2.7%-3.5% forecast for the month.

Year-to-date, inflation is at 3.6%, which is within the BSP’s 2-4% target range for 2019 as well as being on track towards the BSP’s three percent forecast for the entire year.

Core inflation, which strips commodities prone to volatile price swings, went down to 3.4% in April from 3.5% in March.

“The slowdown was mainly brought about by the slower annual increase in the heavily-weighted food and non-alcoholic beverages index at 3% [from 3.4% in March],” the PSA noted in a statement.

The PSA also noted slower annual increments in the following commodity groups: alcoholic beverages and tobacco (9.9% from 10.8%); clothing and footwear (2.4% from 2.5%); housing, water, electricity, gas, and other fuels (3.2% from 3.4%); furnishing, household equipment and routine maintenance of the house (3.2% from 3.4%); health (3.7% from 3.9%); and restaurant and miscellaneous goods and services (3.5% from 3.7%).

Food-alone inflation eased to 2.9% versus the previous month’s 3.1% and
5.5% a year ago.

“The rest of the commodity groups either exhibited higher annual hikes or retained their previous month’s annual rates,” the PSA said. — Lourdes O. Pilar

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