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Sixers, Raptors advance

LOS ANGELES — Kyle Lowry scored Toronto’s first nine points as part of a game-opening, 12-1 flurry Tuesday night to propel the Raptors to a 115-96 blowout win over the visiting Orlando Magic and a 4-1 win in an Eastern Conference first-round playoff series.

The second-seeded Raptors will next face the third-seeded Philadelphia 76ers in the Eastern Conference semifinals. The 76ers beat the Brooklyn Nets 122-100 on Tuesday night to take their first-round series in five games, as well.

With a chance to wrap up the best-of-seven set at home, the Raptors wasted no time taking charge. Lowry hit four field goals — including a 3-pointer — in his early burst, and Kawhi Leonard added a three-point play as Toronto went up by 11 before the game was three minutes old.

The Raptors’ surge didn’t stop there. After Aaron Gordon dropped in Orlando’s first basket 3:23 into the game to cut the gap to 12-3, Toronto immediately went on another 10-0 run to expand the lead to 22-3 at the 5:09 mark of the first period.

Lowry buried a second 3-pointer in the second spurt.

In winning for the fourth straight time after a series-opening loss at home to Orlando, the Raptors led 35-19 after one quarter and never allowed the Magic closer than 11 after that.

In fact, after building a 67-47 halftime advantage, Toronto never led by fewer than 17 points the rest of the way.

Leonard finished with 27 points and Pascal Siakam scored 24 for the Raptors, who had never previously won four straight games in the same playoff series.

Leonard’s game-high total included 5-for-5 shooting on 3-point attempts.

Lowry totaled 14 points while Norman Powell added 11 and Serge Ibaka 10 for Toronto, which won the final four games of the series by a cumulative 75 points after dropping the opener 104-101.

Lowry also found time for nine assists, one fewer than teammate Fred VanVleet’s game-high total.

The Raptors shot 48.2 percent from the floor, compared to Orlando’s 38.6% mark.

D.J. Augustin, the hero of Orlando’s Game 1 win with a late 3-pointer, had a team-high 15 points for the Magic. Orlando was making its first playoff appearance since losing in the first round to Indiana in 2012.

Terrence Ross and Wes Iwundu had 12 points apiece, Gordon 11 and Evan Fournier 10 for Orlando. Khem Birch grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds in the loss.

LILLARD’S 50 POINTS, BUZZER-BEATER BOUNCE THUNDER
Damian Lillard capped a 50-point game by sinking a long 3-pointer as time expired to give the Portland Trail Blazers a 118-115 victory over the visiting Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday night and a five-game series win.

Lillard set a franchise single-game playoff scoring record as the third-seeded Trail Blazers clinched the first-round Western Conference playoff series despite trailing by 15 points with 7:45 to play. They will next play the winner of the Denver-San Antonio series.

Paul George scored 36 points for the Thunder, and Russell Westbrook collected 29 points, 14 assists and 11 rebounds.

An 8-0 Blazers run tied the game at 113-113 with 57.1 seconds to play, and the two teams traded baskets after that. Then, after a Westbrook miss with less than 20 seconds to play, the Blazers rebounded and got it to Lillard, who hit the series-clinching bomb at the buzzer.

NUGGETS 108, SPURS 90
Jamal Murray had 23 points and seven assists, and host Denver beat San Antonio in Game 5 of a Western Conference playoff series — the only series of the four played Tuesday night not to end.

The Nuggets lead the series 3-2 heading into Game 6 at San Antonio on Thursday night. Game 7, if necessary, would be played Saturday in Denver.

Nikola Jokic amassed 16 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists, Will Barton scored 17 points off the bench, and Gary Harris had 15 points for Denver. LaMarcus Aldridge had 17 points and 10 rebounds, and DeMar DeRozan also scored 17 for the Spurs, who lost a second game in a row. — Reuters

Ceres-Negros FC stays unscathed in AFC Cup 2019

TOP local club Ceres-Negros FC kept its unblemished record in the ongoing AFC Cup 2019 intact after fashioning out an impressive come-from-behind 3-2 victory over Persija Jakarta in Group G action in Indonesia on Tuesday.

Down 0-2 early in the contest, which was witnessed by 35,000 hometown fans, the “Busmen” showed tremendous grit in fighting back and stunning Persija and its supporters.

Midfielder Mike Ott provided the winning goal in stoppage time that completed for his team the impressive victory that extended their lead at the top of the standings in Group G.

With the victory, Ceres now holds a 4-0-0 record and 12 points, five clear of second-running Becamex Binh Duong (2-1-1) while Persija (1-1-2) was pinned to third with four points.

Persija was first on the scoreboard, connecting in the 49th and 57th minute care off midfielders Sandi Sute and Rizki Ramdani Lestaluhu, respectively.

But the Busmen remained steadfast in its resolve and slowly chipped away on their deficit.

Substitute Miguel Tanton narrowed the gap at 2-1 with a smooth free kick in the 70th minute.

Team scorer Bienvenido Maranon then pulled Ceres even in the 85th minute when he headed into the net a nifty pass from Stephan Schrock.

Got the momentum it needed, Ceres continued to put pressure on the home team, which it was eventually reward for in stoppage time as Mr. Ott took a pass from Mr. Schrock and swished it past the Persija keeper for what turned out to be the winning goal.

Persija tried to salvage the game after but to no avail.

As expected, Ceres was proud of what it was able to pull off, highlighting how it was a product of team effort and hard work.

“We are happy with the win first of all. The team showed that if everybody works hard anything is possible. It’s very nice,” said Mr. Ott in the postmatch interview.

Ceres next plays on May 1 against already-eliminated Shan United (0-0-4) of Myanmar on May 1 in Yangon. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo

San Miguel Beermen out to fetch semifinals series close out in Game Five

UP 3-1 in their best-of-seven PBA Philippine Cup semifinals series, the four-time defending champions San Miguel Beermen seek to close out the Phoenix Pulse Fuel Masters in Game Five today at the Cuneta Astrodome in Pasay City.

Set for 7 p.m., the Beermen use the first of the three tries they have to enter the finals of the season-opening Philippine Basketball Association tournament and give themselves a chance to extend their stranglehold on the All-Filipino title with a fifth straight crown.

San Miguel put itself in the favorable position it is in with a convincing and dominant 114-91 victory in an emotionally charged Game Four on Tuesday that saw a couple of players ejected, a lot of hard fouls given and second motions that nearly translated to fracas.

It was a tight contest at the start until Alex Cabagnot and Terrence Romeo jolted the Beermen to an offensive explosion that created much separation from their opponents, which the latter could not recover from.

Mr. Romeo led San Miguel with 20 points, going six-of-10 from beyond the arc, while Mr. Cabagnot had 18.

Arwind Santos also had a solid game with 16 points and eight rebounds. Chris Ross and Von Pessumal were in double digits in scoring as well with 10 points apiece.

Matt Ganuelas-Rosser stepped in for the still-ailing Marcio Lassiter and had an impressive all-around game of eight points, seven assists, six rebounds and five steals.

For Phoenix, it was only Calvin Abueva who really made his presence felt with 19 points and 15 rebounds. Matthew Wright struggled for just six points.

Recognizing the great position they are in and how Phoenix has given them a hard time in the series, San Miguel coach Leo Austria said they will try to finish the affair today and not give the Fuel Masters any more chances.

“We will work hard in the next game to finish things. We don’t want to extend the series. But it’s not going to be easy because we believe Phoenix will fight hard for their tournament lives,” said Mr. Austria, who also underscored the need for them to have a good start just like in Game Four to make it easier for them in the end game.

Despite in a deep hole, the Fuel Masters are not about to give up and have vowed to continue fighting, taking it one game at a time, all the way to the end.

LONGER PREPARATION FOR GILAS
Meanwhile in Gilas Pilipinas news, the team’s think tank said it is looking at a longer preparation time for the team for its FIBA World Cup campaign in August.

Speaking at the Philippine Sportswriters Association forum on Tuesday at the Amelie Hotel-Manila, Gilas coach Yeng Guiao said they are looking at the possibility of asking stakeholders, particularly the PBA, for added time to prepare the team.

“I think we need more than the 10 or 12 days of break (in the PBA schedule) for the World Cup so we can extend our practices,” said Mr. Guiao.

Adding, “I’m asking for more than 12 days of continuous practice or if possible, one month. I hope we can practice twice a day for four days in June, then twice a day for eight days in July and daily in August.”

PBA Commissioner Willie Marcial, who was also at the forum, reiterated the league’s support for Gilas and that they are open to granting the request of Mr. Guiao.

Gilas struggled in qualifying for the World Cup but eventually secured a spot. It is bracketed in Group D along with Italy, Serbia and Angola. The World Cup happens in China from Aug. 30 to Sept. 15. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo

Magnolia now up 3-2 over ROS in semis series

By Michael Angelo S. Murillo
Senior Reporter

THE streak back of the Magnolia Hotshots Pambansang Manok in their best-of-seven PBA Philippine Cup semifinal series with the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters continued on Wednesday as they took Game Five, 82-74, to gain the upper hand.

Lost the first two games of the series of their semifinal pairing, the Hotshots have won three straight since and are now on the verge of advancing to the finals of the season-opening Philippine Basketball Association tournament.

Mark Barroca and Jio Jalalon led Magnolia in the big win at the Cuneta Astrodome with 14 points apiece with Rafi Reavis also coming up big with nine points and 12 rebounds.

It was a low-scoring ball game as the two teams sputtered with their offense in different stretches of the match.

Magnolia though made a key run in late in the game that gave them a 78-71 lead with a minute and a half left.

Rain or Shine tried to rally back but it could only come to within four points, 78-74, with a minute to go in the game as it saw Magnolia go away with the victory.

Gabe Norwood had his best game of the series offensively for the Elasto Painters with 15 points but it was not enough to carry his team over the hump.

James Yap had 12 and Mark Borboran 11 for Rain or Shine, which will try to stave off elimination in Game Six on Friday at the Ynares Center in Antipolo City.

MPBL: Davao Occidental, San Juan clash for Datu Cup

THE MPBL Datu Cup comes down to an end on Thursday night as fans will witness the ascension of the first ever national champion. Either host team Davao Occidental or San Juan will be feted here at the Rizal Memorial College Gym as they battle it out one last time this season.

Starting at 7 p.m., the Cocolife-backed Davao Occidental Tigers and the Go-For-Gold-supported San Juan Knights will slug it out one last time Thursday. The Tigers dragged the Knights to a rubber match following a late burst in Game 4, allowing Davao Occidental to sent the series back to its home court.

Expect the Davaoeños to come in full force as they brace themselves for war against the battle-tested Knights that is out to relive its glory days.

Tigers rookie head coach Don Dulay admittedly that he has never been in a game of this magnitude.

“It’s the first time for me to compete at this level,” said Dulay.

The hometown crowd will play as the sixth man for the Tigers, but Dulay believes there’s no guarantee that they’re going to win it. They know they have to take it.

In taking the championship, Dulay will need another collective effort from Billy Robles, Eman Calo, Leo Najorda, big man Bogs Raymundo and Finals MVP-candidate Mark Yee to put themselves in a better position to beat the Knights.

The Knights, on the other hand, will have to play it the right way and that is involving everybody on the groove of things — from gunners John Wilson and Macmac Cardona, big men Larry Rodriguez and Larry Muyang, high-leaping guard Mike Ayonayon and spitfire guard Orlan Wamar.

MPBL founder and chief executive officer Senator Manny Pacquiao is going to award the golden trophy and championship rings to the winning team.

Also to be feted Thursday night are the Finals MVP and the Coach of the Year. — Rey Joble

Bangkok Open

19th Bangkok Chess Club Open
Centara Grand Hotel, Bangkok, Thailand
April 6-14, 2019

Final Top Standings

1-2. GM Jan Gustafsson GER 2633, GM Deep Sengupta IND 2551, 7.5/9

3-6. GM Venkataraman Karthik IND 2505, GM Zhao Zong Yuan AUS 2529, GM S Dhopade Swapnil IND 2488, GM Andrea Stella ITA 2512, 7.0/9

7-19. IM Duong The Anh VIE 2302, GM Nigel Short ENG 2636, GM Musunari Lalith Babu IND 2577, GM Moulthun Ly AUS 2490, GM Jha Sriram IND 2381, IM Lou Yiping CHN 2482, IM Subbaraman Vijayalakshmi IND 2345, FM Andrean Susilodinata INA 2296, IM Haridas Pascua PHI 2426, FM Khherdekar Sauravh IND 2247, GM Rodrigo Vasquez Schroeder CHI 2487, Razah Muhd Syukar MAS 1792, FM Riste Menkinoski MKD 23096, 6.5/9

No. of participants: 200 players

Time control: 90 minutes for the first 40 moves, then 30 minutes play-to-finish with 30 seconds added to your clock after every move starting move 1

The Bangkok Chess Open, which alternates between being played in exotic resorts all around Thailand and the capital city, was this year held in the luxurious ballroom of the Centara Grand Hotel with a field of 200 players which included 17 International Grandmasters. Three former winners participated as well, Nigel Short (winner in 2012, 2015 and 2017), Jan Gustafsson (2011) and Australian GM Zhao Zong Yuan (2013).

This year GM (Grandmaster) Jan Gustafsson of Germany did a repeat and won by going undefeated with six wins and three draws. The popular GM, known for his tournament commentaries on the online website chess24.com, has taken part in almost every previous edition of the Bangkok tournament.

His opponent in the game below is the Vietnamese IM The Anh Duong, one of the surprises of the tournament. Despite his 2302 rating he had just defeated two GMs in a row (Italy’s Stella and Australian Zhao Zong Yuan) and was trying to ride the momentum.

Gustafsson, Jan (2633) — Duong, The Anh (2302) [A18]
Bangkok Open 2019 Bangkok THA (8.1), 13.04.2019

1.c4 Nf6 2.Nc3 e6 3.e4 d5 4.cxd5

In the very sharp Mikenas Line of the English Opening White can either play 4.e5 right away or do it after exchanging first on d5. Most popular is 4.e5 d4 5.exf6 dxc3 6.bxc3 Qxf6 but GM Gustafsson, an openings expert, probably chose the text to confuse his young opponent.

4…exd5 5.e5 Nfd7

Not very common but still part of GM praxis. 5…Ne4 is the move usually played. After 6.Nxe4 dxe4 7.Qa4+ Nc6 8.Qxe4 Be6 Black is a pawn down but doing well because of his superior development. Here is an example of what might happen: 9.Bb5 Bd5 10.Qg4 a6 11.Bxc6+ Bxc6 12.Ne2 Qd5 13.d4 Bb4+ 14.Bd2 Bxd2+ 15.Kxd2 Qb5 16.Rab1 Qb4+ 17.Ke3 0–0 18.f3 f6 19.exf6 Rxf6 20.Rhd1 Re8+ 21.Kf2 Qe7 22.Nc3 Qe3+ 23.Kf1 Bxf3 24.gxf3 Rg6 25.Re1 Qd3+ 26.Kf2 Qd2+ 27.Re2 Rxe2+ 28.Nxe2 Rxg4 29.fxg4 c6 0–1 (29) Kuppe,W-Unzicker,W Oldenburg 1949.

6.d4 c5 7.Nf3

The idea behind Black’s 6th move is that 7.Nxd5 cxd4 8.Qxd4 Nb6 White is losing a piece.

7…Nc6 8.Bg5

Gustafsson avoids the main line but keeps developing rapidly — true enough Black soon loses his way. The move 8.Bb5 has a good reputation and even such a strong player as John Nunn lost a brevity here after 8…cxd4?! (8…Nb6 is best) 9.Nxd4 Ndxe5? 10.Qe2 Qe7 11.Nxd5 Just like that and White is winning 11…Nd3+ 12.Bxd3 Nxd4 13.Qxe7+ Bxe7 14.Nc7+ Kd8 15.Nxa8 Bb4+ 16.Bd2 Re8+ 17.Kd1 Bxd2 18.Kxd2 1–0 Quinteros,M (2555)-Nunn,J London 1977.

8…Qa5 9.Be2 cxd4 10.Nxd4 Nc5?

He should have accepted the pawn with 10…Ndxe5 11.0–0 White is doing very well but at least Black has some material compensation. The way the game goes White gets all the advantages he is after without any of the disadvantages.

11.0–0 Be6 12.Bb5 Rc8 13.Nxe6 fxe6 14.Qh5+ g6 15.Qg4

In case you didn’t notice White is threatening b2–b4.

15…h5 16.Qf4 Nd7 17.Nxd5! Qxb5

[17…exd5 18.e6 threatening both the d7–knight and Qf7 checkmate]

18.Nf6+ Nxf6 19.Qxf6 Rh7

[19…Rg8 20.Qxe6+]

20.Qxe6+ Ne7 21.Bxe7 Rxe7 22.Qxc8+ Kf7 23.f4 Qb6+ 24.Kh1 Rc7 25.Qd8 1–0

I said The Anh Duong was “one of the surprises” because the big one was our GM candidate Haridas Pascua from Baguio City. He lost in a huge upset in the first round to an unknown Malaysian player but then scored 6.5 from his next 7 games to climb back into contention. In fact, if he had beaten, and not lost to GM Deep Sengupta in the last round it was he, not Sengupta, who would have been tied with Gustafsson for firsst place.

In the penultimate round Haridas defeated India’s GM Lalith Babu, the tournament’s third seed. A good all-rounder with excellent fighting qualities, he is the Indian 2017 National Chess Champion and member of the legendary Indian team to the 2014 Tromso Olympiad which brought home the bronze medals even without their star player Vishy Anand.

Their game was an exciting tussle. Watch.

Pascua, Haridas (2426) — Babu, M R Lalith (2577) [E61]
19th Bangkok Chess Club Open 2019 Centara Grand Ladprao Hotel,
(8.3), 13.04.2019

1.d4 g6 2.c4 Bg7 3.Nc3 d6 4.Nf3 Bg4

A bit of an irregularity which GM Babu trots out every once in a while. This unnamed variant is usually resorted to get out of the books, although some high-profile players like Zurab Azmaiparashvili, Merab Gagunashvili and the Kazakh-French blitz specialist Vladislav Tkachiev. Locally, the one who uses this every once in a while is Fernie Donguines.

5.e3 Nf6 6.Be2 0–0 7.h3 Bf5 8.0–0 Nc6 9.d5 Nb8 10.Nd4 Bd7 11.e4 e5 12.Nc2 a5 13.Ne1 Na6 14.Nd3 c6 15.a4 Nb4 16.Be3 c5 17.Qd2 Qb6 18.g4 Ne8 19.Kh2 Qd8 20.Rg1 f5?!

Opening up the g-file which points directly at his king is reckless, but Lalith likes double-edged positions and so he goes for it.

21.gxf5 gxf5 22.Bg5

[22.Bh6 is easily parried by 22…Kh8]

22…Nf6 23.f4 fxe4 24.fxe5

[24.Nxe4? Nxe4 25.Bxd8 Nxd2 Black remains at least a piece up. Take note that the second players threatens …Nxd3, Bxd3, …Nf3+]

24…exd3

[24…dxe5 25.Nxc5 White wins the e4–pawn and has a big advantage]

25.exf6 Rxf6 26.Ne4 Kh8 27.Bh4 Qe8 <D>

Taking the queen out of White’s bishop’s diagonal. 27…dxe2? 28.Rxg7! Kxg7 29.Bxf6+ snares the queen.

POSITION AFTER 27…QE8

28.Rxg7!

Nevertheless!

28…Qe5+

[28…Kxg7 29.Bxf6+ Kg8 30.Rg1+ Kf8 31.Qh6+ Kf7 32.Nxd6#]

29.Rg3 Rf4

[29…Qxe4 30.Bxf6#; 29…dxe2 30.Bxf6+]

30.Qxf4! Qxf4 31.Bf6+ Qxf6 32.Nxf6 dxe2 33.Rag1 1–0

Mate is unavoidable.

Nigel Short has not been as active as he used to be because of his new duty as vice president of the World Chess Federation (FIDE), but he still makes it a point to play in Opens around the world to feel the chess pulse. Here in Bangkok he was the top seed and started well but lost steam towards the end. He came up with a brilliancy in round one. Too bad his opponent preferred to lose prosaically rather than go down in flames.

Short, Nigel D (2636) — Avinash Ramesh (1834) [A15]
Bangkok Open 2019 Bangkok THA (1.1), 06.04.2019

1.Nf3 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.b4 Bg7 4.Bb2 0–0 5.g3 d5 6.Na3 b6 7.Bg2 Bb7 8.0–0 Na6N 9.b5 Nc5 10.d4 Nce4 11.Ne5 a6 12.Nc6 Qd7

Why not 12…Bxc6 13.bxc6 Qd6 and win the c6–pawn? Well, you can’t. After (13…e6 14.Rc1) 14.cxd5 Qxd5 15.Qc2 Rad8 16.f3 Nd6 17.e4 White is dominating the center and winning some material.

13.Qc2

With the same idea as in the previous variation: cxd5 followed by f2–f3 and e2–e4.

13…axb5 14.Ne5 Qd8 15.cxb5 Qd6 16.Nb1 Ra5 17.a4 Rfa8 18.f3 Ng5 19.Nd2 Qd8 20.Rfc1 Ne8 21.f4 Ne6 22.Qb3 Nf8 23.e3 e6 24.Bc3 R5a7 25.Bb4 Nd7 26.Bf1 f6 27.Nc6 Bxc6 28.Rxc6 Kf7

Black’s forces have been pushed back and now Short goes in for the kill.

29.Rxe6! Nb8

If Black takes the rook he is mated by 29…Kxe6 30.Qxd5+! Kxd5 31.Bc4#

30.Re7+ Kg8 31.Bg2 Bf8 32.Qxd5+ 1–0

Congratulations to the winners, also to National Master Ric Portugalera of Davao who won the parallel Bangkok Challengers Cup.

 

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

Confident Raptors

The Raptors advanced to the second round of the playoffs yesterday, but it wasn’t a big deal to them. In fact, it looked much like the same old, same old; they claimed their fourth straight game to book a seat in the conference semifinals for the fourth consecutive year. Significantly, the manner in which they did so was nothing short of dominant; after seeing the Magic score 104 points in a close loss to open their 2019 postseason campaign, they stamped their class on both ends of the court to norm 107.8 while limiting their opponents to 89 the rest of the way.

To be sure, it’s the type of outputs and outcomes that pushed Raptors hoops honcho Masai Ujiri to pull the trigger on a risky trade deal that sent erstwhile franchise leader DeMar DeRozan packing prior to the start of the season. The latter was a beloved figure among the Maple Leaf Square faithful, and the development produced blowback that could still have negative repercussions. Needless to say, whether or not it will be a boon or a bane depends on the decision of prime acquisition Kawhi Leonard when he enters free agency in July. Should he stay, he cannot but prove to be an extremely sound investment. Should he walk, he will go down as one of the most expensive one-year rentals in the annals of the National Basketball Association.

In this regard, the Raptors have reason to treat their first-round performance as much more than routine. True, they simply met expectations. And, true, the real challenges lie ahead. On the other hand, it’s not as if they don’t already carry a huge load on their shoulders. That they seem none the worse for wear so far is indicative of the progress they have made under first-year head coach Nick Nurse, and with Leonard spearheading the cause. And they’re certainly doing the three-time All-Star and two-time Defensive Player of the Year right; they had, and still have, him on a cautious load-management regimen that ensured his complete convalescence from right quadriceps tendinopathy.

The Raptors believe the long game they’re playing will reap dividends when Leonard looks at his options as a free agent. At the same time, they understand that his mindset will be molded by how far they progress in the playoffs. Up next are the Sixers, much more loaded and far more dangerous than the overmatched Magic. Nonetheless, they’re confident of their chances — ostensibly much more confident than they would have been with DeRozan on tap. And, in the final analysis, it’s all that matters.

 

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

Robredo jumps 15 points in Q1 SWS survey

By Vince Angelo C. Ferreras

VICE-PRESIDENT Maria Leonor G. Robredo’s net satisfaction rating jumped 15 points to “good” +42, according to the First Quarter 2019 Social Weather Survey by the Social Weather Stations (SWS) on the country’s top officials.

Net satisfaction with Senate President Vicente C. Sotto III stayed “very good” at +61, as he did in SWS’ fourth quarter survey last year, while House Speaker Gloria Macapagal Arroyo improved by 4 points but was still remained “poor,” as she did in the previous quarter.

Some 63% of adult Filipinos were satisfied with Ms. Robredo’s performance while 21% were dissatisfied, SWS said. Ms. Robredo ranked a “moderate” +27 last December.

The upgrade in Ms. Robredo’s net satisfaction was due to the increase in her ratings in Balance Luzon (from +20 to +46), Visayas (from +48 to +65), and Mindanao (from +31 to +33), the polling group also noted.

“Compared to December 2018, Vice-Pres. Robredo’s net satisfaction rating rose across all basic socio-demographics except among the 18-24 year olds,” SWS pointed out further.

Ms. Robredo’s net satisfaction is back to the +42 points she gained in December 2017. The next year, she had a net satisfaction of +34, +32, +34, and +27 in SWS’ succeeding quarterly surveys.

Of Mr. Sotto’s latest net satisfaction, 71% of adult Filipinos were satisfied and 10% were dissatisfied.

Starting June last year, Mr. Sotto had a net satisfaction of +54, +55, and +61 in three of SWS’ quarterly surveys for 2018.

Ms. Arroyo was first rated by SWS in September last year, in its third-quarter poll following her rise to the House speakership on July 23, 2018. She had a net satisfaction of “neutral” -4, followed by “poor” -21 in December 2018 and “poor” -17 this March, of which 29% were satisfied and 46% were dissatisfied.

In a statement, House Majority Floor Leader Fredenil Castro said: “Natural lang na maapektuhan ang rating ni Speaker Arroyo ng mga paninira tungkol sa budget. Pero ang mahalaga, naipasa ang budget at susulong na ang mga programa at proyekto para sa taong bayan. Kabilang dito ang Build, Build, Build program, Universal Health Care, Free Tertiary Education, at marami pang iba.” (It’s only natural that Speaker Arroyo’s rating would be affected by the [politicking] behind the budget. But what’s important is that the budget was passed, so that programs for the people may now be pushed, such as the Build, Build, Build program, Universal Health Care, Free Tertiary Education, and many others).

“At agad ding kumikilos ang Speaker para sa mga nasalanta ng lindol. Ito ang tunay na serbisyo publiko, anuman ang lumabas sa survey,” Mr. Castro also said. (And the Speaker acted on behalf of those affected by the earthquake. This is true public service, regardless of the survey.)

Chief Justice Lucas P. Bersamin had a net satisfaction of “moderate” +14 — compared with +11 in December last year — of which 34% were satisfied and 20% were dissatisfied.

SWS said its noncommissioned survey was conducted from March 28-31, using face-to-face interviews of 1,440 adults nationwide: 360 each in Balance Luzon, Metro Manila, the Visayas, and Mindanao, with sampling error margins of ±2.6% for national percentages and ±5% each for the said areas.

Canada ‘working to resolve’ garbage

By Arjay L. Balinbin, Reporter

THE EMBASSY of Canada in Manila responded on Wednesday to President Rodrigo R. Duterte’s warning that he would declare war on Canada if it will not pull out its trash shipped to the Philippines about five years ago.

The embassy said the governments of the Philippines and Canada have been “working to resolve the issue.”

“Canada is strongly committed to collaborating with the Government of the Philippines to resolve this issue and is aware of the court decision ordering the importer to ship the material back to Canada,” the embassy said in a statement.

It also noted that “a joint technical working group, consisting of officials from both countries, is examining the full spectrum of issues related to the removal of the waste with a view to a timely resolution.”

“In 2016, Canada amended its regulations around hazardous waste shipments to prevent such events from happening again. We are committed to working collaboratively with the Government of the Philippines to ensure the material is processed in an environmentally responsible way,” the embassy said.

The embassy also said both countries are celebrating 70 years of diplomatic relations this year.

“The relationship is built on strong people to people ties, our common interest in strengthening political, economic and cultural relations and in our mutual commitment to peace,” it said further.

Mr. Duterte made his remarks regarding the waste issue at the Provincial Capitol of Pampanga in San Fernando City last Tuesday during a situation briefing on last Monday’s earthquake as it affected Region III.

“‘Yung basura ng (The trash from) Canada, I want a boat prepared. I’ll give a warning to Canada maybe next week that they better pull that thing out or I will set sail doon sa (to) Canada. Ibuhos ko ‘yang basura nila doon (I will dump their trash there),” he said.

He added: “I cannot understand why they are making us a dump site…. Well, not this time. Magka-away kami (We are enemies)… Eh ‘di ano. Awayin natin ang (We will fight) Canada. I will declare war against them. Kaya ‘man natin ‘yan sila (We can defeat Canada).”

For his part, Magdalo Representative Gary C. Alejano said in a statement: “Tama naman ang Pangulo na hindi tayo dump site ng Canada para tanggapin ang kanilang basurang iligal na pumasok dito sa bansa (The President is right in saying that we are not Canada’s dump site as to just accept their garbage that was illegally shipped to our country).”

“However, I can’t help but notice how the President finds it so easy to express outrage over Canada’s trash, but never when China infringes on our sovereignty and national interest,” the Otso Diretso senatorial candidate also said.

He said China and Canada “have both done something against our national interest.”

“[B]oth cases warrant an appropriate response from the government. I hope this administration stops making us look like fools with senseless theatric displays and just get to work already.”

Duterte to dismiss more corrupt officials

PRESIDENT Rodrigo R. Duterte on Tuesday said he would issue “so many letters of dismissal” against corrupt government officials.

In his speech at the opening ceremony of the 7th Union Asia Pacific Regional Conference in Pasay City on Tuesday night, Mr. Duterte said he would issue dismissal letters against officials who linked to corruption before flying to Beijing to attend the second Built and Road Forum.

“If you ask me if I’m happy with the job, I am not, because of so many corruption and I have to fire [some officials]. I’m leaving for China, and before that I will leave so many letters of dismissal,” he said.

“Corruption is really — [it] seeps down [to] the core. You have to [do] something more than just a warning,” he said.

“I’m the only President who — ako lang ang Presidenteng nangbubugbog ng tao (beats up a person). Tanungin mo ‘yang mga guwardiya diyan (Ask the guards),” he added.

He reminded his audience, who were mostly health workers, to make sure that their services reach the poorest Filipinos.

“They are the ones who need it most. They are the ones who live in squalor, in blighted areas. No nutrition and very susceptible to bacteria and virus,” the President said.

“The health workers have to penetrate the mountains and areas where I said plight of squalor abound.”

“I’m 74 years old, I do not want to die of TB. I do not want to die of lung cancer. As a matter of fact, I got — I acquired Buerger’s disease from smoking. That is why my doctor is here. She gets my blood. Was it… Ah see? Almost every other day.”

“It’s about Buerger’s disease. But I have stopped smoking. When I became mayor in Davao City, I stopped smoking and said it cannot be done, because Filipinos, you know…. And I said, if I catch you smoking in public, you will just have to eat your cigarette. Choose. I’ll blow your balls out or you eat your cigarette.” — Arjay L. Balinbin

Ex-cop, others ordered arrested over 2018 shabu shipment

By Vann Marlo M. Villegas, Reporter

A MANILA court has ordered the arrest of former police officer Eduardo Acierto, former Customs intelligence officer Jimmy S. Guban, and six others in connection with the 2018 importation of multi-billion pesos worth of shabu kept inside magnetic lifters that slipped past the Bureau of Customs (BoC).

The arrest warrant issued on April 12 by Judge Ma. Bernardita J. Santos of Manila Regional Trial Court Branch 35 also includes Deputy Director General for Administration Ismael G. Fajardo, Jr. of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA). Others also ordered arrested are Chan Yee Wah, Zhou Quan, Vedasto Cabral Baraquel, Jr., Maria Lagrimas Catipan, and Emily Luquingan. No bail was recommended in the arrest warrant.

They are charged with violation of Republic Act (RA) No. 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002, in connection with the importation of the said illegal drugs, following criminal complaints filed by the National Bureau of Investigation and PDEA last year.

The case stemmed from the P2.4-billion shabu shipments kept in two magnetic lifters found at the Manila International Container Port in August 2018 and the P11-billion worth of the same illegal drugs placed in four magnetic lifters found in Cavite also that month.

The Department of Justice (DoJ) recommended the charges on April 8. Its prosecution panel, however, dismissed for lack of probable cause the criminal complaints against 40 others, including Customs officials and employees.

The panel also endorsed to the Office of the Ombudsman for preliminary investigation the graft complaints against Messrs. Fajardo, Acierto, Guban, former BoC commissioner and now Technical Education and Skills Development Authority Director-General Isidro S. Lapeña, and eight other BoC officials. The panel further recommended to the Ombudsman a dereliction-of-duty complaint against Mr. Lapeña and four others.

Mr. Acierto previously surfaced in March, claiming that President Rodrigo R. Duterte’s economic adviser Michael Yang is involved in illegal drugs.

Peso weakens ahead of US GDP

THE PESO weakened further on Wednesday as the dollar strengthened across Asian currencies ahead of the first-quarter US economic data release.

The local unit closed Wednesday’s session at P52.23 versus the greenback, 19 centavos weaker from the P52.04-per-dollar finish recorded last Monday.

The peso traded weaker the whole day, opening the session at P52.14 per dollar. It reached a low of P52.325, while its intraday high was at P52.10.

Trading volume climbed to $1,373.48 billion from $976.9 million that changed hands the previous session.

Peso trading was suspended on Tuesday following the magnitude 6.1 earthquake that shook several parts of Luzon, prompting the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas to close treasury operations.

A foreign exchange trader said in a phone interview that the peso weakened yesterday, mimicking the downward move of its peers versus the dollar.

“We saw a strong dollar across the region. This is ahead the US GDP (gross domestic product) data on Friday. I guess people are expecting a strong print,” the trader said.

The trader added that resistance levels were broken yesterday, continuing the weakening move of the peso last Monday.

“There was a lot of pent-up demand in the morning, we saw a lot of corporate demand in the morning as well, pushing it higher,” the trader added.

Meanwhile, another trader attributed the depreciation of the peso to upbeat US corporate earnings which drove dollar demand.

“The said reports also reinforced views of lingering strength in the US economy despite worries of an ‘earnings recession’ from the recent weakening in global demand,” the trader said in an e-mail.

For today, the first trader expects the peso to move between P52.15 and P52.35, while the other trader gave a P52.10-P52.40 range. — K.A.N. Vidal

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