Facebook Instagram Linkedin X Youtube
Home Blog Page 10760

Pacquiao is new WBA super welter champion

By Michael Angelo S. Murillo
Senior Reporter

FILIPINO boxing legend Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao added another accolade to his legendary career after claiming the World Boxing Association super welterweight title on Sunday (Manila time) after beating erstwhile American champion Keith “One Time” Thurman by split decision at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Showing firmer command for the most part of the scheduled 12-rounder, 40-year-old Pacquiao took everything that Mr. Thurman, 30, threw at him and went away successful, winning, 115-112, 113-114 and 115-112 for the split decision win.

The only eight-division world champ established early control of the match, even sending Mr. Thurman down the canvas in the opening round with a combination to the body and head.

It was a momentum that Mr. Pacquiao would build on until his opponent gained some traction of his own at the start of the seventh round.

The American got Mr. Pacquiao with clear shots from the seventh to the ninth round to narrow the gap and make a strong case for himself.

Mr. Pacquiao, however, would regain his footing and stood toe-to-toe with Mr. Thurman in the last three rounds, doing more than enough damage to hold on for the victory.

While happy and proud with the win, Mr. Pacquiao, also a sitting senator of the republic, acknowledged that it was in no way easy, and that Mr. Thurman was a tough opponent.

“He’s strong and not an easy opponent, said Mr. Pacquiao, who improved to 62-7-2 with the win, in the post-fight interview.

“We both did our best and I think we made the fans happy,” he added.

For Mr. Thurman (29-1 with one no contest), he did not contest the decision, believing the opening-round knockdown made a huge difference in the end even as he underscored the legend of Mr. Pacquiao.

“I knew it was a close fight but he had the knockdown in the first round. Pacquiao is legendary,” a more humble Thurman said after.

MALACAÑANG CONGRATS PACQUIAO
Meanwhile, following Mr. Pacquiao’s victory, Malacañan Palace issued a statement congratulating the Filipino champion for bringing another source of pride for the nation.

“At the start of the year, Senator Emmanuel “Manny” Pacquiao made the whole country proud as he successfully defended his WBA welterweight belt over American Adrien Broner. Six months later, he doubled this feat as he defeated Keith Thurman today via split decision, even knocking him down in the 1st round,” said Salvador S. Panelo, Chief Presidential Legal Counsel and Presidential Spokesperson, in the statement.

“Pacquiao’s victory is not only his, but of the entire nation. As such, the Palace is one in rejoicing with the Filipino people as the Pambansang Kamao once again puts the flag above the pedestal with his display of tenacity and courage,” the statement further read.

Mr. Pacquiao said his next fight could be next year.

Among those present to witness the Pacquiao-Thurman fight live were boxing legend Floyd Mayweather Jr., who is once again being floated to be the next opponent for Mr. Pacquiao, and National Basketball Association superstar and champion Kawhi Leonard of now the Los Angeles Clippers.

Also present was Ms. Universe 2018 Catriona Gray of the Philippines.

Filipino fighters pummel opponents in undercard of Pacquiao-Thurman fight

FILIPINO boxers John Leo Dato and Genisis Libranza hacked out impressive victories in their respective fights in the undercard for the Manny Pacquiao-Keith Thurman battle on Sunday (Manila time) at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, in the United States.

Mr. Dato, a flyweight who originally hails from La Union but is now based in California, knocked out Mexican opponent Juan Antonio Lopez in the fifth round while top flyweight prospect Libranza of Davao beat American Carlos Maldonado also by technical knockout in the fourth round.

Not so lucky, however, was Jayar Inson of Davao City, who received a quick second-round stoppage loss from Sergey Lipinets of Kazakhstan.

Unbeatean heading into yesterday’s fight, Mr. Dato (13-0, seven knockouts) made sure he kept his record unscathed with a solid showing against Mr. Lopez.

The Filipino set up his opponent well in the fifth round, pinning Mr. Lopez on the ropes before unleashing an uppercut to the midsection that all but signal the end to the fight.

Mr. Lopez instantly fell down on one knee and failed to beat the count on his way to the victory.

The loss sent Mr. Lopez (14-7) to his seventh defeat in 21 fights.

Seconding Mr. Dato with a win was Libranza, his second in US soil this year.

Mr. Libranza was all business against Mr. Maldonado and pounded on every opportunity he could get.

The end of the fourth round saw the Filipino unleashing a barrage of combinations on the American who could not retaliate while on the ropes, prompting the referee to stop the contest and hand the win to Mr. Libranza.

Mr, Libranza hiked his record to 19-1 with the victory. Previously he defeated American Gilberto Mendoza by unanimous decision in Carson, California, in February.

Meanwhile, Mr. Inson missed out on the opportunity to climb up the boxing ladder after falling to Mr. Lipinets via knockout in the second round.

A replacement for the fight after Mr. Lipinets’ original opponent John Molina, Jr. backed out because of back injury, Mr. Inson tried his best but was still found wanting against the former International Boxing Federation light welterweight champion.

After an exchange in the second round, Mr. Lipinets countered with a left hook straight to the head of Mr. Inson who fell to the canvas face first. The Filipino managed to stand up but the referee no sooner stopped the fight.

With the win, Mr. Lipinets improved to 16-1 while Mr. Inson dropped to 18-3. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo

Aces force KaTropa to rubber match

THE ALASKA Aces are not about done in the Philippine Basketball Association Commissioner’s Cup after negating a twice-to-win disadvantage in the quartefinals with a 108-72 victory over top seeds TNT KaTropa in the first game of their pairing on Sunday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Fresh from a playoff match on Friday to seize the eighth and final quarterfinal spot in the midseason PBA tournament, the Aces played with a sense of urgency and purpose throughout to outplay the Texters en route to forcing a rubber match on Wednesday.

The Aces got their collective attack humming to start the contest, outscoring the Texters, 17-8, in the first seven minutes.

Led by import Terrence Jones, TNT was able to recover, coming to within three points, 21-18, with 1:40 to go.

But Alaska would finish strong, going on a 6-0 blast the rest of the way to take a 27-18 lead after 12 minutes.

TNT tried to make up for lost ground to begin the second frame and was able to pull to within a point, 34-33, at the 6:54 mark as Jayson Castro started asserting himself on offense.

Chris Bachero and import Diamon Simpson though would steady the Alaska ship, helping their team to further separation of 42-33 in the next three minutes.

TNT made attempts to charge back only to find an Alaska crew firm on its footing to take a 53-41 advantage at the break.

Alaska picked up where it left as the third quarter rolled out, racing to an 11-0 run in the first five minutes to go up, 64-43.

It was a run that the milk masters would take full advantage of to continue to hold sway, 87-60, heading into the final frame.

Making matters worse for TNT, Mr. Jones was assessed a Flagrant Foul 1 after the third quarter buzzer sounded by shoving Alaska forward Carl Bryan Cruz.

With the call, the TNT import had to begin the first three minutes of the fourth quarter on the bench.

The Texters showed early fight in the final canto but they could not make significant headway.

The count was at 99-67 for Alaska midway into the quarter before the two teams started to empty their benches and rested key personnel for the next game.

Mr. Simpson and Jeron Teng top-scored for the Aces with 15 points each with the former adding 19 rebounds, four assists, four blocks and two steals.

Simon Enciso and Mr. Banchero had 14 points apiece with Vic Manuel finishing with 13.

For TNT it was Mr. Castro who led with 23 points, followed by Mr. Jones with 19 markers.

“We definitely did not see this (big win) coming. But it happens to great teams, and TNT is a great team. We prepared for a game plan that worked today and credit to the entire coaching staff,” said Alaska coach Alex Compton after their win.

“We have to prepare again for Wednesday as we know TNT would come back better,” he added. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo

Portrush goes wild for Ireland’s Lowry as Open final-round test awaits

PORTRUSH, NORTHERN IRELAND — They chanted his name, they rose as one for a standing ovation and long after Shane Lowry had departed the 18th green to sign for a course-record 63, the crowd were still following him across the course, singing and celebrating with abandon.

The Irishman, who produced a round of impeccable precision, has a four-shot lead over Tommy Fleetwood going into Sunday’s final round.

The first British Open in Northern Ireland in 68 years could end with an Irish triumph and goodness knows how the capacity crowd will respond if Lowry holds firm and secures his first major win.

“Honestly, that’s the most incredible day I’ve ever had on the golf course. I honestly can’t explain what it was like,” said Lowry.

“I said to (caddy) Bo (Martin) walking off the 17th tee: ‘We might never have a day like this on the golf course again. So let’s enjoy this next half hour.’ You know what I mean? And that’s what I did. The crowd was incredible. I just can’t believe what it was like”.

There was electricity accompanying Lowry on each hole — but it was also noticeable that his two of his closest rivals, the English pair of Fleetwood and Lee Westwood playing a hole behind, also enjoyed warm support and appreciation from the crowd.

This is a crowd that is knowledgeable about the game and the challenges of this beautiful links course and they were treated to some outstanding all-round golf from the near-flawless Lowry.

He was honest enough to concede that he — and the chasing pack — had been helped by the late afternoon and early evening stillness.

“I’m sitting here after shooting 63, which is incredible. And obviously it is one of the best scores I’ve ever shot, but I think we got very lucky with the weather today. The wind laid down and it played quite easy towards the end.

“The greens are perfect and we’re playing links golf in no wind. It virtually had no real protection out there. If you were hitting decent shots you were getting good results.”

It was the quiet before the expected storm. Sunday’s forecast is for heavy rain and strong winds and while it was suggested that Lowry might have the edge in such conditions, he was quick to dismiss such talk.

“Tommy Fleetwood grew up in Southport, he’s played in bad weather and bad conditions before. J.B. Holmes flights the ball lovely, he’s pretty good. Brooks (Koepke) is there.

“No, there’s a good leaderboard behind me. We’ll see what happens,” he said.

DOWNPLAYING MEMORIES OF FAILURE
Inevitably, his final-round failure at the 2016 US Open at Oakmont, where he also had a four-stroke lead going into the final round, was raised and Lowry did his best to downplay that memory.

“Obviously I learned a lot that day. I learned a lot about myself at Oakmont. I’m going to learn a lot about myself tomorrow.

“I think I learned a few things that day about playing in the final round of a major with a lead, that you need to just hang in until the very last minute. You never know what can happen. And I’m going to do the same tomorrow.

“That’s a long time ago… I don’t think I’m a much different golfer but I feel like I’m a different person now. I think that’s what will help me tomorrow.”

A battle of nerves awaits for Lowry, who can expect a fanatical welcome at the first tee, rain or shine. In anticipation of that moment, he says he will avoid isolation and be open to conversation with, amongst others, his coach Neil Manchip.

“I’m not going to be sitting there tomorrow morning in the house in a corner trying not to think about the day ahead.

“Obviously I’ll go to bed thinking about holding the Claret Jug tomorrow evening. It’s only natural, isn’t it? We’re human. We’re not robots. We can’t not think about things.

“And when you try not to think about something you end up thinking about it more, so you might as well talk about it. So we talk about stuff. Talk about everything.”

He is the talk of the town already but if he can hold firm on Sunday, he will become part of golfing folklore. — Reuters

Sports hub promotes active lifestyle with facilities in the heart of metro

RECOGNIZING the growing demand for work-life balance among city-dwellers, Ortigas & Company has moved to address such, building sport facilities in the heart of Quezon City geared towards promoting a healthy lifestyle.

CV Sports Hub, located at Circulo Verde, a 10-hectare mixed-use estate in Quezon City, is a multi-use recreational sports center designed to complement the lifestyle of the active and healthy community, as well as sports enthusiasts.

Making it different from the usual sports and training facilities in the metro which are located in enclosed areas, CV Sports Hub offers “open breathable spaces” for sports and fitness enthusiasts to thrive in and enjoy. The recreational sports center also takes in pride in being built within a green community.

The CV Sports Hub offers three top-notch facilities now, namely, The Bike Playground, CV Quad and CV Pitch, which cater to different interests of sports enthusiasts.

The Bike Playground, open since 2017, is a one-of-a-kind cycling facility since it is the only indoor asphalt pump track in the Philippines. It was designed by Vesolutions, a global leader in pump track and trail building, and includes a one-kilometer outdoor trail and a kids’ track for all skill levels and types of bicycles.

It was the venue for the Red Bull Pump Track Series Philippine Qualifier in 2018, and the Red Bull Pump Track World Championship Philippine qualifier this year.

The CV Quad, meanwhile, is a convertible court suited for those looking for a venue for basketball, volleyball, badminton, and futsal games.

Handlers of the facilities said at the CV Quad players are able to feel what it is like to play in international quadrangles with the area’s FIBA-based system, LED lighting, electronic scoreboard, and shot clock.

The CV Quad’s flooring is optimized with Decoflex sports floor — a type of flooring resilient to the demands of sports for optimum playability and durability.

A football field within a green estate is what CV Pitch offers.

Opened in March this, the CV Pitch is a FIFA standard-sized field with a sand-based Princess 77 Bermuda natural grass.

The pitch was the official field used by the University Athletic Association of the Philippines Season 81 Women’s Football.

For particulars on the facilities, call +63917-1242787, or e-mail thebikeplayground@gmail.com, or follow it on Facebook and check out www.thebikeplayground.com for The Bike Playground; call+63947-8309014 and +63906-2185131, or e-mail CVPitch@CANSportsGroup.com, or follow @CVPitch.ph on Facebook for CV Pitch; and call (02) 638-1641and follow @cvquad on Facebook for CV Quad. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo

Traveling rule

The eye test is crucial to National Basketball Association referees. In fact, it’s the single biggest determinant of the decisions they make as they survey the non-stop action on the court. On the flipside, it also happens to be the biggest weapon longtime habitues of the sport wield against them. Data from the front office strongly indicate that they get calls right an overwhelming majority of the time. Unfortunately, they don’t get pats on the back for doing their jobs well. Rather, they get pilloried on the rare instances that they wind up swallowing their whistles for reasons they may deem justifiable at the given instance, but which not-quite-impartial quarters believe to be flat-out wrong.

Because so much occurs during a contest, referees exercise their better judgment in support of the bigger picture. Their purpose isn’t to call fouls or violations to a point where the proceedings all but come to a screeching halt. Instead, they use their unique skill sets and wealth of experience to weigh whether undue advantage was caused by a particular offense — in which case they feel they have no choice but to step in. Otherwise, they keep the ball live and let the play continue. Occasionally, though, the aforesaid eye test will come into play and cast them in a bad light.

Considering how much the game itself has evolved at the highest level, it’s no surprise that referees have become hard-pressed to keep up. For practical and understandable reasons, they’re compelled to exercise their better judgment when it comes to citing infractions. Else, they would be blowing their whistles at just about every turn given the moves all 10 players on the floor make to push the envelope in an effort to claim an advantage. Even highly partisan fans understand their dilemma, and are thus sympathetic to their positioning between a rock and a hard place.

To be sure, there have been cases in which apparent violations have been let go, and to a point where they’re no longer deemed as such. Traveling, for example, has been effectively institutionalized. At one time, it was simply any second step after the pickup of a dribble. It then evolved to “one and a half steps” after a gather — not coincidentally still the rule. The practice these days, however, is much different from theory ; with such “innovations” as the Euro step, the stepback, and the side stepback, what’s legal has been stretched to levels of incredulity.

Last February, for instance, a match between the Wizards and the Pistons saw Bradley Beal take six — yes, six — steps en route to the basket before making a pass. There was no whistle, to the consternation of just about everybody in Little Caesars Arena. The ensuing discussion broke the Internet and had the referees association, in mind-numbingly defending the absence of a call, get into a public spat with the league, and particularly Monty McCutchen, formerly from among its ranks and current vice-president of referee development and training. Meanwhile, the All-Star himself admitted what he got away with; “look clean to me,” he noted in a tweet laced with laugh emojis.

Little wonder, then, that James Harden, last year’s Most Valuable Player and the biggest beneficiary of the hazy implementation of the traveling rule, has seen fit to, in his words, “come up with something more creative, and it’s gonna look like a travel, but it’s not.” Clever, and in more ways than one. This early, he’s already conditioning all and sundry to accept a legal a move that the eye test will determine to be a traveling violation even in real time. It’s anybody’s guess whether he manages to do so without the game arbiters calling it for what it is — but if he does, look out.

 

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.

BoP swings to $404-M deficit in June

THE country’s balance of payments (BoP) registered a deficit in June, as the government made principal and interest payments on its foreign debts, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) reported on Friday.

Latest available central bank data showed that BoP — a summary of the Philippines’ economic transactions with the rest of the world for a given period — stood at a $404-million deficit in June from the $1.177-billion deficit in the same month in 2018.

On a month-on-month basis, the BoP position swung from a $928-million surplus tallied in May. The last time the BoP position was in a deficit was in October 2018.

Still, the balance of payments stood at a $4.788-billion surfeit in the first half of 2019, a turnaround from the $3.257 billion deficit during the same period a year ago.

“The substantial outflow in June 2019 stemmed from the principal and interest payments of the National Government (NG) on its foreign exchange obligations. This outflow was partially tempered, however, by the NG’s net foreign currency deposits, and the BSP’s foreign exchange operations as well as income from its investments abroad during the month in review,” the central bank said.

As the country’s monetary authority, the BSP sometimes conducts “tactical interventions” to temper any sharp swings that may cause the peso to appreciate or depreciate.

Meanwhile, the BoP surplus in the first semester was partly attributed to remittance flows from overseas Filipinos in the first five months of the year and net inflows of foreign direct investments (FDI) in the January-April period.

Cash sent home by Filipinos overseas grew 4.5% to $12.349 billion in the five months ended May from the $11.822 billion booked during the comparable period in 2018.

On the other hand, FDI net inflows in the first four months stood at $2.903 billion, 14% less than the $3.377 billion recorded in 2018’s January-April period.

“The BoP position reflects the final gross international reserves (GIR) level of $85.77 billion as of end-June,” the BSP said. “At this level, the GIR represents a more than ample liquidity buffer and is equivalent to 7.5 months’ worth of imports of goods and payments of services and primary income.”

The GIR level is also equivalent to 5.1 times the country’s short-term external debt based on original maturity and 3.7 times based on residual maturity, the central bank added.

Michael L. Ricafort, economist at Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. said the BoP deficit in June may “reflect some net foreign selling in the local stock market as well as higher global oil prices that may have increased oil imports.”

The central bank expects the country to post a BoP surplus of $3.7 billion this year versus its previous projection of a $3.5-billion gap.

The Philippines ended 2018 with a $2.306-billion BoP deficit. — Karl Angelo N. Vidal

Super consortium submits revised plan for NAIA rehabilitation

A “super consortium” composed of seven of the country’s top conglomerates submitted a revised proposal for the rehabilitation of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), in line with the Department of Transportation (DOTr)’s instructions to pattern the plan after Clark International Airport’s concession agreement.

Jose Emmanuel P. Reverente, spokesperson for the NAIA consortium, said the group submitted hard copies of the proposal to the DOTr’s office in Ortigas and the Manila International Airport Authority on Friday morning.

Copies were also delivered to the transport department’s headquarters in Clark in the afternoon.

“We complied with the instruction to follow the Clark template,” Mr. Reverente said in a text message.

The resubmission comes after Transportation Secretary Arthur P. Tugade said that they will require all proponents of airport projects to draft concession agreements patterned after the one signed with the North Luzon Airport Consortium (NLAC) for the operation and maintenance (O&M) of the Clark International Airport.

NLAC is composed of Gotianun-led Filinvest Development Corp.; Gokongwei-led JG Summit Holdings, Inc.; Philippine Airport Ground Support Solutions, Inc. (PAGSS) and Changi Airports Philippines Pte. Ltd.

The concession agreement for Clark specifies separate government and private sector roles for the project.

The adoption of the Clark O&M concession agreement as a template is seen to make regulatory approvals much faster, since it will include the same terms that regulatory bodies will have already studied.

Under current rules, the DOTr must draw up concession terms for the group awarded with original proponent status (OPS) after negotiations with private sector groups concerned. These are then submitted to the National Economic and Development Authority’s Investment Coordination Committee (NEDA-ICC) for evaluation.

The project will need final approval from the NEDA Board, led by President Rodrigo R. Duterte, before implementation.

The NAIA consortium wants to rehabilitate and expand NAIA over a 15-year period for P102 billion. This should increase the capacity of the Manila gateway to 47 million in two years, from the current 30.5 million annual passengers. The capacity will further rise to 65 million after four years.

The consortium is composed of Aboitiz InfraCapital, Inc.; AC Infrastructure Holdings Corp.; Alliance Global Group, Inc.; Asia’s Emerging Dragon Corp.; Filinvest Development Corp.; JG Summit Holdings, Inc.; and Metro Pacific Investments Corp.

Aside from the NAIA consortium, three other unsolicited airport development proposals with OPS are pending with the NEDA-ICC: Aboitiz InfraCapital, Inc. for the Bohol-Panglao International Airport; Chelsea Logistics and Infrastructure Holdings Corp. for the Davao International Airport; and Mega7 Construction Corp. for the Kalibo International Airport. — Arra B. Francia

Dengue deaths reach 94 in Western Visayas

NINETY-FOUR people have died of dengue in Western Visayas — the region with the highest number of cases — as of July 19, according to data from the Department of Health-Center for Health Development-Region 6 (DOH-CHD-6).

A total of 18,834 cases of the mosquito-borne disease have been recorded between January and July 19 in Western Visayas, up 259% from the same period last year.

Among those reported to have died from the disease is the only daughter of former Janiuay town mayor Jose L. de Paula. The two daughters of Maasin Mayor Francis A. Amboy and Iloilo City Councilor Ely A. Estante were among those who tested positive for dengue.

Gyms in the towns of Maasin and Banate have been converted into temporary medical facilities for dengue patients to augment the 590 beds in the 11 district and provincial hospitals around the region.

DoH-6 Regional Director Marlyn W. Convocar announced earlier this week that all the private hospitals in Iloilo have agreed to accept dengue patients endorsed by government hospitals.

Moreover, 229 healthcare personnel have been deployed in the region to monitor the dengue cases.

Amidst the outbreak, the West Visayas Regional Blood Center of the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) has assured that there is a sufficient supply of blood for dengue patients.

“We have sufficient blood supply mainly because of the continuous blood donation activities conducted recently, but we have to sustain it to replenish the blood supply,” Dennis Roy M. Pasadilla, PRC-Iloilo Chapter director and manager of the blood center, said in a phone interview.

In Iloilo City, a massive clean-up drive will be conducted on July 20 in all the 180 barangays to address mosquito breeding grounds.

As of July 13, the four regions with the highest number of dengue cases aside from Western Visayas are: Calabarzon (Cavite-Laguna-Batangas-Rizal-Quezon) with 11,474 cases; Central Visayas, 9,199; Soccsksargen (South Cotabato-Cotabato-Sultan Kudarat-Sarangani-General Santos City, 9,107; and Northern Mindanao with 8,739. — Emme Rose S. Santiagudo

DoJ panel formed to look into sedition charges vs. Robredo et. al.

THE Department of Justice (DoJ) has formed a panel of prosecutors to look into a complaint against several prominent figures who are supposedly involved with a series of videos that linked President Rodrigo R. Duterte and his family to illegal drugs.

On Friday, Justice Undersecretary Markk L. Perete said that the DoJ has created a panel of special state prosecutors to look into the charges filed by the Philippine National Police-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG) against 35 people including senators, church leaders, lawyers, and Vice-President Maria Leonor “Leni” G. Robredo.

“Justice Secretary Menardo I. Guevarra has formed a panel of three state prosecutors to conduct a preliminary investigation on the complaint filed by the PNP-CIDG in relation to the alleged Project Sodoma,” he said in a message to reporters.

In the DoJ’s Department Order 366 issued on July 19, Mr. Guevarra assigned Senior Assistant State Prosecutor Olivia L. Torrevillas, Assistant State Prosecutor Michael John M. Humarang, and Assistant State Prosecutor Gino Paolo S. Santiago to handle the preliminary investigation.

“The Order shall take effect immediately and shall remain in force until further orders,” the Department Order said.

On Thursday, the PNP-CIDG filed a complaint that recommended charges of sedition, inciting to sedition, cyberlibel, libel, estafa, harboring a criminal, and obstruction of justice be filed against 35 people allegedly involved in the so-called Project Sodoma.

Peter Joemel Advincula, the self-confessed drug dealer who was featured in the videos, is among the 35 charged. He is also the witness in the case. — Gillian M. Cortez

IBP dropping petition for West Philippine Sea Writ of Kalikasan

THE Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) on Friday announced that it is withdrawing its petition made on behalf of Palawan-based fisherfolk which asked the Supreme Court (SC) to issue a Writ of Kalikasan to protect the country’s shoals in the West Philippine Sea.

On Friday, IBP National President Domingo Egon Q. Cayosa said that the motion was set to withdraw the petition. “With due regard to the plight and position of the fishermen petitioners, the views and recommendations of the handling lawyers and the IBP Chapters involved, and the matters raised and guidance by the Honorable Supreme Court, a motion has been filed for the withdrawal or discharge of the counsels for the fishermen and for the withdrawal of the petition,” said Mr. Cayosa in an IBP update regarding the petition.

The petitioners are members of the Kalayaan Palawan Farmers and Fisherfolk Association who said that the respondents, including Environment Secretary Roy A. Cimatu, Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel F. Piñol, and Philippine Coast Guard Admiral Elson E. Hermogino, refused to take legal action against violators of environmental laws and thus they sought the Court to compel the government to protect Panatag Shoal (Scarborough Shoal), Ayungin Shoal (Second Thomas Shoal) and Panganiban Reef (Mischief Reef).

Representing the IBP are lawyers Andre C. Palacios and Jose Manuel “Chel” I. Diokno.

Last week, Presidential Spokesperson Salvador S. Panelo claimed in a Palace briefing that the IBP Lawyers representing the case “manipulated” the fishermen into filing the petition. Around the same time, Solicitor General Jose C. Calida said that some of the fishermen has backed out of the petition. — Gillian M. Cortez

Trust in China falls, while trust in US improves — SWS

THE Social Weather Stations (SWS) reported that even more Filipinos are distrustful of China since its last survey, while their trust of the United States has been increasing.

On Friday, SWS said in a statement that the net trust rating of Filipinos towards China is now “poor” according to its June 2019 survey.

“The Second Quarter 2019 Social Weather Survey, conducted from June 22-26, 2019, found 51% of adult Filipinos with little trust, 21% undecided, and 27% with much trust in China, for a net trust rating (% much trust minus % little trust) of -24, classified by SWS as poor,” the survey firm said in its report. SWS noted that China’s Net Trust Rating is -18 points lower than its “neutral” score in the March 2019 survey of -6. This is the China’s lowest since the “bad” -35 net trust rating in June of 2018.

The non-commissioned survey had 1,200 participants across the country.

SWS Net Trust Ratings are classified as the following: +70 and above is “excellent”; +50 to +69, “very good”; +30 to +49, “good”; +10 to +29, “moderate”; +9 to -9, “neutral”; -10 to -29, “poor”; -30 to -49, “bad”; -50 to -69, “very bad”; -70 and below, “execrable.”

On the other hand, SWS said that 81% of Filipinos trust the US, with only 8% saying they had little trust, while 11% answered they were undecided. This makes the US’ Net Trust Rating +73 or “Excellent.” This was 13 points higher than the +60 the country got in the March 2019 survey.

Other countries monitored by the SWS in the June 2019 survey also got mostly “Good” Net Trust Ratings, with SWS saying “It was +46 (63% much trust, 16% little trust, correctly rounded) for Canada, +46 (62% much trust, 15% little trust, correctly rounded) for Australia, +45 (63% much trust, 18% little trust) for Japan, +38 (55% much trust, 17% little trust) for New Zealand, and +34 (53% much trust, 18% little trust, correctly rounded) for Malaysia.”

Regarding the intentions of other countries towards the Philippines, 43% of respondents disagreed with the statement “Most of what the Chinese government wants to happen in the Philippines is good for the Filipinos” (25% strongly disagree and 18% somewhat disagree) while only 27% agreed (8% strongly agree and 19% somewhat agree). Thirty percent were undecided. This gives a Net Agreement Score of -16 (% agree minus % disagree) which SWS added is a “moderately weak” rating. In the December 2018 survey, China received a -17.

Meanwhile, the US’s Net Agreement Score for the same statement (“Most of what the American government wants to happen in the Philippines is good for the Filipinos”) was +39, with 55% of Filipinos agreeing (20% strongly agree and 35% somewhat agree) while 17% disagreed.

SWS classified net Agreement Ratings as follows: +50 and above, “extremely strong”; +30 to +49, “very strong”; +10 to +29, “moderately strong”; +9 to -9, “neutral”; -10 to -29, “moderately weak”; -30 to -49, “very weak”; -50 and below, “extremely weak.” — Gillian M. Cortez

1...10,75910,76010,761...14,278Page 10,760 of 14,278
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
© 2024 BusinessWorld Publishing.
All rights reserved.
Read our privacy guidelines
Facebook Instagram Linkedin X Youtube