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Alaska not giving up on PHL Cup playoff chances

By Michael Angelo S. Murillo
Senior Reporter

DEALT a big loss last time around that could potentially derail their chances of advancing to the quarterfinal phase of the PBA Philippine Cup, the Alaska Aces are still not giving up hope even if technically their fate is no longer in their hands.

Following a 94-84 loss to the Northport Batang Pier on their final elimination game of the season-opening Philippine Basketball Association tournament on March 27, the Aces (4-7), currently outside of the playoff picture at ninth place, are hoping to catch a break when the league returns from the All-Star break for the final playdate of the classification phase on Wednesday.

Alaska needs either Northport and the NLEX Road Warriors, tied at seventh with 4-6 records, to lose in their final game of the eliminations to get a shot at progressing via a one-game playoff for the last quarterfinal seat.

The Batang Pier face off with the already-qualified Barangay Ginebra San Miguel Kings (7-3) while the Road Warriors meet up with the Magnolia Hotshots Pambansang Manok (5-5).

If the Batang Pier and Road Warriors win though, the Aces are automatically eliminated.

The Aces lost to both Northport and NLEX in their earlier games.

“I hope we get a chance,” said Alaska coach Alex Compton after their tough loss in their last game.

“We’re going to practice and make the most of that sliver of hope that we have. I know some of the guys will be away for the All-Star but we’re going to practice and cheer for teams we don’t always cheer for — Ginebra and Magnolia — on Wednesday,” he added.

Against Northport, the Aces found themselves struggling to keep in step with the former in the middle quarters, allowing the Batang Pier to gain momentum and control which they never relinquished the rest of the way en route to dealing the loss to Alaska while padding their cause.

Carl Bryan Cruz led the Aces with 23 points followed by Sonny Thoss with 14 points and Simon Enciso with 11.

As of the moment, only six teams are already assured of a seat in the quarterfinals, namely the Phoenix Pulse Fuel Masters (9-2) and Rain or Shine Elasto Painters (8-3), the top two teams which will enjoy a twice-to-beat advantage in the next round; Barangay Ginebra, TNT KaTropa (7-4), defending champions San Miguel Beermen (7-4), and Magnolia.

Out of the running are Columbian Dyip (4-7), Meralco Bolts (3-8) and Blackwater Elite (2-9).

SKILLS CHALLENGE WINNERS
Meanwhile, Beau Belga of Rain or Shine and Rey Guevarra of Phoenix Pulse retained their respective PBA All-Star Skills Challenge titles while veteran Peter June Simon won the three-point contest.

Mr. Belga is still the Obstacle Course king after besting fellow big men Russell Escoto (Columbian) and Yousif Taha (TNT) in the finals on the first day of the All-Star festivities on Friday in Calasiao, Pangasinan.

The burly Rain or Shine player recorded a time of 21 seconds on the full course in the finals, three-tenths of a second better than Escoto (21.3 seconds) with Mr. Taha at third (26.3 seconds).

Mr. Guevarra, for his part, was the Slam Dunk winner for the fifth straight year, defeating Renz Palma of Blackwater in the finals off a dunk-off, punctuated by a perfect 50 points after soaring for a one-hander through a sea of his teammates who assisted him.

Magnolia’s Simon, meanwhile, won the Three-Point Shootout contest at the age of 38.

He topped the elimination round with 20 points before defeating Robert Bolick (Northport) and Philip Paniamogan (NLEX) in the finals.

Mr. Simon had 17 in the championship round, narrowly beating Mr. Bolick’s 16 points. Mr. Paniamogan had 14.

Also a big winner was the rookies-sophomores team, which defeated the juniors selection, 141-140, in their revived All-Star offering.

Rain or Shine rookie Javee Mocon tipped in the game-winner as the buzzer sounded for his team to secure the win. It was top overall pick CJ Perez of Columbian, however, who was named game most valuable player after scoring 32 points, 18 coming in the fourth period, to lead his team’s comeback win over the juniors.

Later yesterday the main feature North All-Stars versus the South All-Stars was to be played at the Calasiao Sports Center.

Harden’s 50-point triple-double lifts Houston over Sacramento

LOS ANGELES — James Harden recorded a 50-point triple-double, and the Houston Rockets fended off the hot-shooting Sacramento Kings for a 119-108 victory on Saturday at Toyota Center.

Harden posted his ninth 50-point game on the season while producing 50 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists. With the Rockets clinging to a 101-100 lead midway through the fourth quarter, Harden sank three free throws, converted back-to-back floaters, and added a 3-pointer to extend the advantage to 111-102. Harden reached 50 points with two free throws with 48.8 seconds remaining. The 50-point triple-double was the fifth of his career.

Clint Capela added 24 points and 15 rebounds, while Chris Paul chipped in 22 points and five assists for the Rockets. The Kings were officially eliminated from playoff contention after going 0 for 5 from behind the arc in the fourth quarter. The Kings entered the period 15 of 24 on 3s.

Bogdan Bogdanovic paced the Kings with 24 points off the bench, while Buddy Hield added 21 points and De’Aaron Fox paired 18 points with 10 assists.

MAGIC 121, PACERS 116
Khem Birch gave visiting Orlando the lead for good with a dunk in the second minute of the fourth quarter en route to a win over Indiana in an important game for both teams.

A seventh win in their past eight games allowed the Magic (38-39) to move within one game of .500 in a tightly bunched group of five teams vying for the final three playoff spots in the Eastern Conference.

Aaron Gordon led the Magic with 23 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists, with more than half his points coming on four 3-pointers. Darren Collison led Indiana with 24 points to go with nine assists, and Bojan Bogdanovic had 22 points.

76ERS 118, T-WOLVES 109
Tobias Harris scored 25 points, and Ben Simmons had 20 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists to lift visiting Philadelphia over Minnesota.

Jonah Bolden scored a career-high 19 points, JJ Redick added 16 and Jimmy Butler had 12 points and 13 rebounds. Mike Scott also had 10 points off the bench. All-Star center Joel Embiid sat out for the Sixers for load management, but they managed to win their second in a row.

Andrew Wiggins paced the Timberwolves with 24 points, while Karl-Anthony Towns added 21. Gorgui Dieng chipped in 13.

PISTONS 99, TRAILBLAZERS 90
Suddenly short-handed Detroit snapped Portland’s win streak at six with a home victory.

The Pistons, who improved to 39-37, have won 11 in a row at home. Detroit won in an unlikely way, losing star forward Blake Griffin shortly before tipoff and catching fire only after a woeful first half of shooting and offense. Reggie Jackson scored a game-high 28 points, and Andre Drummond added 22, to lead Detroit.

The Blazers fell to 48-28, including 19-19 on the road. Enes Kanter, who has been starting at center for Portland, had 20 points and a team-high 15 rebounds.

NETS 110, CELTICS 96
D’Angelo Russell scored 20 of his 29 points in the third quarter to lead host Brooklyn over short-handed Boston.

Russell added 10 assists, Caris LeVert scored 15 points and DeMarre Carroll and Joe Harris chipped in 13 each as the Nets put a 2-5 road trip behind them in their first home game since March 11. Brooklyn (39-38) remained in seventh place in the Eastern Conference.

Gordon Hayward had 19 points, and Marcus Morris and Daniel Theis added 16 apiece for the Celtics, who lost to the Nets for just the second time in their last 13 meetings.

HEAT 100, KNICKS 92
Dion Waiters had a season-high 28 points and added six assists as Miami defeated host New York.

The Heat (38-38), who have a tenuous hold on the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, won their second straight game and reached .500 for the first time since Jan. 27.

Miami got double-doubles from Goran Dragic (10 points, 10 assists), Kelly Olynyk (12 points, 11 rebounds) and Hassan Whiteside (17 points, 13 rebounds). New York’s leading scorers were Emmanuel Mudiay (24 points), Luke Kornet (17) and Kevin Knox (16).

CLIPPERS 132, CAVS 108
Montrezl Harrell scored 23 points off the bench as host Los Angeles recorded its 12th win in 14 outings by defeating Cleveland.

Harrell shot 10 of 13 from the floor, and rookie Shai Gilgeous-Alexander went 9 of 12 to finish with 22 points for the Clippers (46-31), who also posted a 110-108 victory over Cleveland on March 22.

Jordan Clarkson scored 26 points on 11-of-16 shooting from the floor, and rookie Collin Sexton added 21 for the Cavaliers (19-58), who fell to 6-32 on the road.

RAPTORS 124, BULLS 101
Serge Ibaka scored 23 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, and visiting Toronto defeated Chicago.

Fred VanVleet also scored 23 points for the Raptors, who have won nine in a row over the Bulls, including all four meetings between the teams this season. The teams were meeting for the second time in five days.

Marc Gasol finished with 17 points, eight rebounds and six assists for Toronto. Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot scored 18 points and added 10 rebounds for the Bulls. — Reuters

Kingad hurdles first test in ONE flyweight grand prix; Alvarez falls, Johnson wins

TOKYO – Filipino mixed martial arts fighter Danny “The King” Kingad passed his first test in ONE Championship’s Flyweight Grand Prix, hacking out an impressive unanimous decision win over hometown bet Senzo Ikeda at “ONE: A New Era” at the Ryogoku Kokugikan here on Sunday.

Dominated for much of the full three rounds, Mr. Kingad of Team Lakay did not leave any doubt with his consistent activity in the cage, eventually getting the nod of all three judges when the battle smoke cleared to begin his ONE grand prix campaign on the right foot.

The contest got off to a slow start as both fighters gauged each other.

Mr. Kingad then connected a solid leg kick midway into the first round, sending Mr. Ikeda to the canvas.

But the Japanese would recover only to find Mr. Kingad on the attack with a flying knee and a takedown.

Mr. Ikeda managed to get on the back of the Filipino after, going for a rear-naked choke.

It was to no avail, however, as Mr. Kingad extricated himself and the two slugged it out for the rest of the round.

The Team Lakay stalwart began the second round strong, connecting on solid strikes that rocked his opponent.

The Japanese regrouped and landed some counter, forcing Mr. Kingad to take him down to the mat.

For the remainder of the round Mr. Ikeda would hold his own to set up a tightly scored third and final round.

With the outcome of the contest still open, the two men angled for early control.

They had their moments but Mr. Kingad picked it up, connecting on a solid three-punch combination.

He then went for a takedown but gave some window of opportunity for Mr. Ikeda for another rear-naked choke.

Mr. Kingad survived it and the two fighters got back on their feet and went at it on stand-up.

It was a flurry of a finish for the two with Mr. Ikeda making a last-ditch effort to salvage the win, locking Mr. Kingad on a rear-naked choke that proved to be too late as the bell sounded.

Moments later as the two fighters stood side by side for the decision, it was Mr. KIngad’s hand that was raised as winner.

“I’m happy that we won. Looking forward to the next challenge in the grand prix,” said Mr. Kingad post-fight.

“I just stuck to my game plan which was to do strikes and takedowns. He was a tough opponent. But I’m happy with the win,” added Mr. Kingad, who also shared that in the last moments of the third round he felt in danger especially when Mr. Ikeda got hold of him in a choke.

The win improved Mr. Kingad to 10 wins and a loss and set him up for a semifinal encounter in the flyweight grand prix with Kazakhstan’s Kairat Akhmetov, who beat Australian Reece McLaren in an earlier match by way of unanimous decision as well.

ALVAREZ FALLS, JOHNSON WINS
Meanwhile, it was a mixed bag of results for MMA legends “The Underground King” Eddie Alvarez and Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson in their ONE Championship debuts.

Mr. Alvarez fell to Russian Timofey Nastyukhin by way of technical knockout in the first round of their lightweight grand prix quarterfinal match while Mr. Johnson was made to work but nonetheless won over Yuya Wakamatsu of Japan by second-round submission due to guillotine choke in their flyweight grand prix encounter.

Mr. Nastyukhin was in control right from the get-go, getting former Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight champion Alvarez on the defensive.

He would get Mr. Alvarez with a barrage of strikes that forced the American to the cage and drop, from which that latter could not recover from, forcing the referee to stop the fight at the 4:05 mark of the round.

Mr. Johnson, for his part, had a rousing ONE debut but not after being made to work by the younger Wakamatsu.

The Japanese made early in-roads against the former UFC flyweight champion Johnson.

But the American eventually got his footing and started humming, putting the pressure on his opponent with takedowns and grappling.

Mr. Johnson would fail to finish his opponent in the first round though.

In the second round Mr. Johnson continued to put on the pressure on Mr. Wakamatsu.

He got Mr. Wakamatsu on tight hold early and started to wear him down. Mr. Johnson ended up with a guillotine choke and went for the finish.

The win sets up Mr. Johnson for a semifinal match between the winner of the grand prix bracket between Tatsumitsu Wada of Japan and Ivanildo Delfino of Brazil.

GT Capital allots P52B for capital expenditures

By Arra B. Francia
Reporter

GT CAPITAL Holdings, Inc. will be spending P51.7 billion in capital expenditures (capex) this year, primarily to fund the expansion of its automotive and property business units.

This year’s programmed capex brings the company back to its average annual spending of P50-60 billion, as compared to its 2018 budget which reached P112 billion. The elevated spending last year took into account GT Capital’s participation in the P60-billion stock rights offer of banking unit Metropolitan Bank & Trust Company.

The listed conglomerate said in a presentation last week that bulk of the capex will be spent at the parent level, as it will invest P27.8 billion for its partnership in used car auction house operations and other investments.

GT Capital’s unit, GT Mobility Ventures, Inc. has recently partnered with auction house operator Japan Bike Auction Co., Ltd. to form JBA Philippines. This will handle its business in used car auctions and is scheduled to start operations by the third quarter of this year.

“The idea is to have the auction in order for us to extend the value chain for financing, for parts and maintenance, for insurance, extending that product offering into the used car market,” GT Capital President Carmelo Maria Luza Bautista said in an analyst and media briefing in Taguig City last week.

Mr. Bautista said they may set up an online platform for the bidding process of used cars, which will pave the way for more transparency in pricing repossessed assets.

Asked if the capex at the parent level will include its entry into other sectors, Mr. Bautista said they are exploring opportunities.

“It’s more of a war chest, we’re in early discussions with parties looking for partners looking to invest in the Philippines,” Mr. Bautista told reporters after the briefing, although declining to specify which sector they will invest in.

Meanwhile, GT Capital has set a capex of P12 billion for Federal Land, Inc., to be used for land banking purposes and the construction of office buildings. This supports its plan to launch five to eight new projects this year, after unveiling eight projects in 2018 valued at about P30 billion.

Its other property unit, Property Company of Friends, will be allocating P2.3 billion as capex.

Mr. Bautista said they are looking to grow its property business to contribute to about 15-20% of its net income in the next five years, as it currently accounts for 10.5%.

“The aspiration is to grow it to 20% so that we’re not overly dependent on one sector…Ideally we are able to diversify the portfolio so we don’t have as many shocks,” Mr. Bautista said.

Toyota Motor Philippines has allotted P6.8 in capex this year for new models and logistics expansion. The company has recently acquired a 30-hectare property in Batangas for its logistics expansion in order to better manage the vehicles being shipped from abroad and going to dealerships.

Its dealership unit, Toyota Manila Bay Corp., will get about P300 million to expand and renovate its existing dealerships. The company currently has 70 dealerships, with one upcoming branch in Valenzuela and Lucena.

Metrobank will have a capex of P2 billion for IT system upgrades, expansion of electronic banking channels, ATM installation, and renovation or relocation of branches.

Insurance provider AXA Philippines will get about P200 million for computer and IT upgrade, as well as office equipment.

GT Capital’s net income stood at P13.4 billion in 2018, six percent lower year on year following a 10% decline in consolidated revenues to P215.8 billion.

High hopes for ONE Championship in Japan

TOKYO — The long-sought and awaited debut of ONE Championship in Japan came to fruition yesterday as its “A New Era” event was held at the Ryogoku Kokugikan here.

It was a realization of ONE officials’ dreams of sharing their kind of mixed martial arts brand in a country with a rich martial arts history and something they hope would complement the steady growth of the promotion the past few years.

“ONE: A New Era” was boasted by four world title fights, including that of the headlining fight of world lightweight champion Eduard Folayang of the Philippines and his teammate Kevin Belingon, the bantamweight champ, as well as the promotional debut of MMA legends Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson and “The Underground King” Eddie Alvarez.

“We have been lucky as an organization. We are now the world’s fastest-growing sports media property. If you look at our matrix on the last four years alone [you’ll see the steady growth],” said ONE Championship chairman and chief executive officer Chatri Sityodtong, touting growth in TV ratings, social media platforms, corporate partnerships they have inked and roster of athletes, among others.

“We believe that our first event in Japan will break our records and set a new high because of our heroes, their values and incredible stories,” he added.

It is tack that they hope to bank on as they build their brand in Japan.

“How we intend to build Japan is through values, heroes, and stories. Japan has some of the best martial arts and martial artists in the world. And we’re going to celebrate their values and their stories,” Mr. Sityodtong said.

The ONE chairman went on to say that for next year they plan to stage four events in the “Land of the Rising Sun” and eventually settle for 12 events per year.

“As a lifelong martial artist, I want the world to see the true beauty of martial arts. Our heroes, our world champions, they exemplify the very best of humanity. I am very excited to be here in Japan. It is not only a new era for Japan but also for martial arts in the whole world,” Mr. Sityodtong said.

Also part of ONE: New Era was the champion-versus-champion battle between women’s strawweight world champion Xiong Jing Nan of China and women’s atomweight champion Angela Lee of Singapore for the former’s belt as well as the middleweight world championship collision of champion Aung La N Sang of Myanmar against Ken Hasegawa of Japan.

Meanwhile Mr. Johnson was to see action in the ONE flyweight grand prix against Japanese Yuya Makatmatsu while Mr. Alvarez was to see action in the lightweight grand prix against Timofey Nastyukhin in an American-versus-Russia encounter.

Filipino flyweight Danny Kingad was also set to see action in one of the brackets in the flyweight grand prix. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo

El Niño crop damage estimate expanded to P4.35 billion

THE Department of Agriculture (DA) expanded its estimate for El Niño crop damage, mainly to rice and corn, to P4.35 billion as of March 31, from P1.33 billion on March 19.

On Sunday, the DA said in a report that the damage covers lost output of 233,007 MT, affecting 149,494 hectares and 138,859 farmers and fisherfolk.

Rice damage amounted to P2.69 billion on lost volume loss of 125,589 MT, affecting 111,851 hectares and 108,845 farmers.

Damage to the corn crop on the other hand was P1.65 billion, on volume of 107,416 MT, affecting 37,642 hectares and 30,014 farmers.

Areas declared to be under a state of calamity are Rizal, Occidental Mindoro, Zamboanga City, Zamboanga Sibugay, Cotabato, Maguindanao, and Negros Occidental.

Earlier in the week, Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel F. Piñol said pending validation of the damage estimates, particularly those from local government unit sources, the department will maintain the 2019 rice production estimate at P20.085 million metric tons (MMT).

“Still 20.085 million MT,” Mr. Piñol told reporters in Makati on Thursday evening. At the time, the DA’s rice loss estimate was just over half the Sunday total at around 120,000 MT.

“Babawiin natin sa wet season (We will try to make up for it in the wet season),” he said Thursday.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) reported crop damage of P2.67 billion as of March 27, which the DA’s latest estimate has since surpassed.

“We have asked the field offices to validate the numbers because these came from Local Government Units. And we have to understand that (during elections), everybody wants to declare a state of calamity. It will give them access to calamity funds,” Mr. Piñol said

“We are not saying it’s inaccurate but we have to validate that because we will use the estimates (for insurance claims),” Mr. Piñol added.

Former Agriculture Secretary and current President of Inanglupa Movement William D. Dar said the rice output target is challenging but he is hoping for interventions that can be funded by the Rice Tariffication Law.

“It’s a big challenge and hoping that the interventions by government as per the rice tariffication law will help a lot,” Mr. Dar said in a mobile message.

Rolando T. Dy, Executive Director and Full Professor of the University of Asia and the Pacific (UA&P) Center for Food and Agribusiness added that much will depend on late-year planting decisions, which are influenced by perceptions of competition from liberalized rice imports.

“Mahihirapan. (It will be hard to meet the target). First semester is nearly here. So it will be dependent on main plantings mid-June onward for October to December harvest. The peak harvest comprises about 40% of annual [production],” Mr. Dy said in a mobile message.

“Baka bumaba ang plantings (Planting activity may fall) due to El Niño and lower palay prices (due to) cheaper imports,” Mr. Dy added.

Marites M. Tiongco, Dean of the De La Salle University (DLSU) School of Economics, said if farmers fail to produce 20 million MT this year, imported rice can cover demand.

“Any shortage will be covered by importation, more sources of cheaper rice. That is the purpose of the law,” she said in a text message.

The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) has said that the El Niño damage will have minimal impact on economic growth, and any rice lost to the dry spell will be made up for with imports.

“Timing of imports will be right on the dot especially as private importers are quite adept at responding to perceived shortages. They are better at estimating when it is profitable to import and when it is not,” Ernesto M. Pernia, NEDA Secretary, has said.

According to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), rice production in 2018 declined by 1.1% to 19.07 million MT.

The PSA estimated that output of palay, or unmilled rice, was 4.62 million MT in the first quarter, below the 4.65 million MT estimated for the quarter in January.

The Global Agricultural Information Network (GAIN) of the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) estimates that rice imports by the Philippines are expected to hit 2.3 million MT annually between 2019 and 2020. — Reicelene Joy N. Ignacio

Bjerregaard’s dreams come true with win against Tiger

AUSTIN, TEXAS — Lucas Bjerregaard fulfilled a childhood dream with his victory over his idol Tiger Woods at the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play Tournament in Austin, Texas on Saturday.

Bjerregaard, who said he had dreamed of playing against Woods since he was 10, relished the challenge of facing him in person and never looked intimidated as he completed a 1-up victory over the 14-times grand slam winner.

“Yeah, I dreamt about it. I didn’t think it was ever going to come true,” the Dane said after the victory that set up a semi-final with Matt Kuchar on Sunday. “But I’ve definitely seen myself on the practice putting green when I was 10 years old making a putt to beat him or in a major or something like that.

“Obviously didn’t know if it was ever going to come true. And just to get to play him was an experience for me.”

The 27-year-old Bjerregaard might be unknown to the American golfing public but he does have two European victories including a win in the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship at the Old Course at St. Andrews last year.

He also finished 13th on the European Tour’s Race to Dubai rankings last year, but said on Saturday that he had never experienced the noise or support that Woods attracted in his eight-year professional career.

“It was loud,” Bjerregaard said. “It was like nothing I’ve ever experienced before.

“I’ve played with a lot of good players but nothing can compare to that. You can see, like he’s not just my idol, but a lot of other people.”

Bjerregaard, who met Woods for the first time on the practice tee, nearly fell three holes behind on the front-nine against the American before mounting a charge and producing clutch putting down the stretch.

He eagled the 16th hole to tie, then birdied 17 to remain level and watched Woods miss a putt on the last to end it.

“He hit it well,” Woods said. “He hit a lot of good shots today.

“These are not easy conditions out here. The wind is all over the place. He was flighting it well. His natural ball flight is pretty flat. It’s advantageous in these conditions.”

Thomas Bjorn, last year’s Ryder Cup captain, tweeted his pleasure with his Danish compatriot’s success.

“16 and 17 showed the whole golfing world what (he) is all about,” the Dane said. “Big moment in this guy’s career so far.

“Go on Luke.” — Reuters

CLI mulls P2.5-B loan for Davao Global Township

DAVAO CITY — Cebu Landmasters, Inc. (CLI), through its joint venture firm YHEST Realty and Development Corp., is looking at borrowing P2.5 billion for the first phase of its P33-billion Davao Global Township project.

Jose R. Soberano III, CLI president and chief executive officer and YHEST chair, said while the company currently has enough funds for the initial P10 billion needed for phase 1, there have been several loan offers from financial institutions.

“To a certain extent possible, of the P10 billion for the initial phase, maybe 25% of it maybe borrowed,” he said during Friday’s unveiling of the project design.

“There are those (lending institutions) that are knocking on our doors. But since at this stage we have yet to need more funding, we are just doing our internal (funding) generation. We will have enough time (to secure more funding),” Mr. Soberano said.

He added that they are also currently pursuing purchase deals for adjacent properties to expand the project to 30 hectares.

The township, which broke ground in November 2018, is being developed on a 22-hectare area that used to be a golf course.

The first phase, targeted for completion by 2022, covers the construction of a corporate center, two premier residential towers, a retail strip with a cineplex, outdoor retail shops, and a civil center that will be named the DGT Gallery.

Part of the corporate building is being offered to the De La Salle University for a graduate school.

YHEST President Frederick H. Yuson said they are now finalizing the deal with the university.

OPEN SPACES
CLI Chief Operations Officer Jose Franco B. Soberano, meanwhile, said about 40% of the township’s area is envisioned to be open spaces, including a park that will be open to the public.

“It’s a very generous ratio. There will be sidewalk cafés, wonderful views, space for walking and jogging. We will make sure that there will be more trees… It is a former golf course with so much to remember about it from the past,” said Mr. Soberano, son of the CLI president.

“It is a commitment of the company for the people of the city,” he added.

The elder Soberano added that they are exploring the possibility of including a bulk water source component into the project, which they will be discussing with distributor Davao City Water District (DCWD).

“We will not take away the water needed by the city but we will provide more water. We’re not officially talking about this with DCWD but this is something that we want to explore to address the matter of providing water… But all of this will have to follow regulations and we will have to make necessary permits from the National Water Resources Board and the like,” he said.

“This is a real addition to Davao City and this can only happen with all the conviction that we will be putting together in terms of sustainability,” he added.

The Davao Global Township is the third and biggest project of CLI in partnership with YHEST Realty, a group of the Yuson, Huang, Tan and Villa-Abrille families of Davao City.

The other two are the Messa Tierra condominium and the mixed-use The Paragon Davao. — Carmelito Q. Francisco and Maya M. Padillo

Things are different when women make the first move

WE’RE almost done with the second decade of this millennium, and while women have made strides in the world, are we making sure that the field is level for them when it comes to the dating game?

Swipe over to Bumble, a social and dating app introduced in 2014. The app was launched in the country last week in Makati, but it has been present on the smartphones of singles for at least two years now. Bumble was created by Whitney Wolfe Herd, a co-founder of dating and social app Tinder. Michelle Battersby, Associate Marketing Director for APAC, said that the app was created by Ms. Herd, driven by personal experience. “She had seen misogyny existing in the world, and she didn’t like that, and she wanted to do something about that.”

While Bumble may work mostly the same way as Tinder does (swiping right to approve a match, and left to reject it) there’s a difference: the responsibility to make the first move is on the woman in heterosexual settings. Matches are also given 24 hours to talk to each other, or else the match disappears. As for singles in the LGBTQ+ spectrum, the same rules remain, but no one has to wait for the other, but the 24-hour rule stays. “You’re not going to wait five days to hear from a guy you’ve matched with.”

Asked if it made any difference when a woman made the first move, Ms. Battersby said, “Men have often approached women first, and women have sat back and waited for the man to approach them. If the man is faced with rejection, often, aggression is the behavior that follows.”

Around the world, crimes related to dating apps have been reported, ranging from theft and extortion to rape and murder (as was the case for American Sydney Loofe). When a woman takes the lead, does it save her life? “We can’t comment explicitly on safety. However, the way that Bumble is… we find that that sets a different tone for the conversation.

“When a woman makes the first move, it actually takes the pressure off from guys. They’re not the ones having to face that rejection, and it means that that aggression doesn’t end up formulating.”

Bumble also has two other settings, both aimed at advancing a person’s goals: there’s Bumble BFF, where a person can find a platonic relationship, perhaps to have a travel or a shopping buddy. And there’s Bumble Bizz, intended to enlarge a person’s professional network, and maybe even find a work mentor.

“On Bumble, we’re all about empowering women to go after what they want.” — Joseph L. Garcia

Japan assured of spots in Olympic basketball events

TOKYO — Japanese basketball will be represented in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games after world basketball governing body FIBA decided to grant it automatic places in various events.

In a release shared to members of global media, FIBA said its Central Board, in its meeting in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire, had moved to grant Japan’s men’s and women’s national teams automatic places to compete in the Olympic Basketball and 3×3 Basketball Tournaments.

The decision was arrived at, FIBA said, after the board found the Japanese Basketball Association’s (JBA) application having met various sporting requirements needed to get the FIBA nod.

Among the reasons cited were continuous stream of positive developments in Japan’s basketball landscape in recent years, including the on-court success of the men’s and women’s senior national teams, the revamp of the B. League (the national top-flight men’s competition), and making history by being part of the first-ever successful multiple countries bid — together with Philippines and Indonesia — to be awarded the hosting rights for a FIBA Basketball World Cup for the 2023 edition.

For 3×3 Basketball, meanwhile, FIBA said host nation Japan will be represented by both men’s and women’s teams subject to approval by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

FIBA’s urban discipline, 3×3 Basketball is set to make its historic debut as part of basketball’s Olympic program in next year’s edition of the Games. Japan’s has been creating waves in 3×3 Basketball with its men’s and women’s teams ranked inside the top 10.

The country, too, has been hosting a World Tour event for seven years and this year will host the World Tour Final in November in Utsunomiya. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo

Davao specialty coffee group eyes extra 200 hectares to service export market

DAVAO CITY — A group in Davao del Sur province that produces specialty coffee is aiming to expand its current 400-hectare farm by at least another 200 as foreign markets start to recognize the Philippine product.

Marivic C. Dubria of the Balukatay Coffee Farmers Association said one buyer wanted to order 20 tons a year after she participated in the Specialty Coffee Expo 2018 in the US.

She (Ms. Dubria) is again going to the United States next month, this time to Boston, for the Specialty Coffee Expo 2019 after recently winning the Philippine Coffee Quality Competition 2019 for Arabica.

“(Last year American buyers) did not know about the Philippines, (but) they are learning about it now,” according to Terrence John Ryan, chief of mission of the Philippine Coffee Advancement and Farm Enterprise project, which is helping the Balukatay group.

The project is backed by the Agricultural Cooperative Development International and Volunteers in Overseas Cooperative Assistance, which in turn is supported by the United States Department of Agriculture.

Ms. Dubria said the current output of about 30 tons a year is fully taken up by two domestic buyers with a combined order of 16 tons, with the rest purchased by buyers in Japan and Canada.

Mr. Ryan said while the group works on expanding and increasing output, exposure to such international events like the one in Boston “will be very exciting for Philippine coffee producers.”

Melani A. Provido, regional coordinator for the Department of Agriculture’s High Value Crops, said the department has also been helping other coffee groups break into the international market.

Among these groups, said Ms. Provido, is the Alegre Vegetables and Arabica Growers Association, in Bansalan, Davao del Sur.

“We hope that they can also penetrate the international market,” Ms. Provido concluded. — Carmelito Q. Francisco

Treasury bill rates likely to drop

YIELDS ON Treasury bills (T-bill) on offer today will likely decline following the release of the government’s borrowing schedule for this month.

The Bureau of the Treasury (BTr) is offering P15 billion worth of T-bills on Monday, broken down into P4 billion and P5 billion in three- and six-month papers, respectively, and P6 billion in one-year debt papers.

A trader interviewed on Friday said yields on the T-bills on the auction block today will likely decline by five basis points across all tenors from the previous offer.

Last week, the Treasury made a partial award of the T-bills it offered, accepting only P17.455 billion out of the P20 billion programmed.

Rate of the 91-day securities barely moved to 5.787%, while the 182- and 364-day IOUs slid to 5.927% and 6.044%, respectively.

At the secondary market on Friday, three-month, six-month and one-year rates stood at 5.799%, 5.94% and 6.097%, respectively.

The trader said rates this week will likely decline due to the new borrowing schedule of the BTr for the April-June period.

“Supply and demand… Kung babawasan yung (If they will reduce the) supply, we can expect stronger demand from investors. Yields will be a bit lower,” she said.

The government plans to borrow P315 billion from the domestic market this quarter, broken down into P195 billion in T-bills and P120 billion through Treasury bonds.

In the new borrowing schedule, the weekly auction volume for the T-bills was reduced to P15 billion from the P20 billion in the previous quarter.

“We’ll see the yield curve correct a bit because for the second quarter… The auctions are skewed towards the long-end,” the trader added.

Meanwhile, another trader said rates of the T-bills on offer today will decline by up to 20 basis points across the board due to the lower supply.

“No other news except for CPI (consumer price index) which is expected to be lower,” the trader said.

Analysts in a BusinessWorld poll said inflation maintained its descent in March, yielding a median estimate of 3.5%, as rice and food prices dropped further.

Inflation data for the month of March will be released on Friday, April 5.

The government plans to borrow P1.189 trillion this year from local and foreign sources to fund its budget deficit, which is expected to widen to as much as 3.2% of the country’s gross domestic product. — Karl Angelo N. Vidal

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