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ONE champion Eduard Folayang fearless in fighting on foe’s turf

By Michael Angelo S. Murillo
Senior Reporter
TOKYO — ONE Championship world lightweight champion Eduard “Landslide” Folayang of the Philippines will make his first title defense since returning to the top of the division in “ONE: A New Era” here this weekend against former champ and hometown bet Shinya “Tobikan Judan” Aoki.
It is a fight that the Team Lakay stalwart said he is expecting to require only the best from him, more so since it is happening in enemy territory.
But instead of being intimidated, Mr. Folayang (21-6) said he is undaunted by fighting in Mr. Aoki’s backyard, knowing that he will be coming in prepared and ready to fly the Philippine flag come fight night.
“I’m sure he is preparing hard because he’s fighting on his home turf but I’m ready for him,” said Mr. Folayang, 34, of his upcoming fight, which is the headliner for ONE Championship’s stacked first foray in Japan, happening at the Ryogoku Kokugikan on March 31.
“I’m not putting too much pressure on myself. I’m just going to give my best in his hometown. I’m excited to fight in Japan, the home of martial arts,” he added.
Mr. Folayang, who defeated Amir Khan of Singapore to recapture the lightweight gold in November, went on to say that he is very comfortable in fighting on the road, highlighting his track record in fights away from home.
“If you look at my record I have had great success fighting away from the Philippines. I enjoy representing the country,” he said.
He also said that his upcoming fight with Mr. Aoki (42-8) is a totally different fight from their first encounter in 2016 where he defeated the Japanese legend by a third-round technical knockout in Singapore to lay his hands on the lightweight championship for the first time.
“I think we already made a statement in our previous fight and the win. This will be a whole new fight. I will face a new and improved Shinya and he will face a new and improved Eduard,” he said.
As to how he is approaching his second fight with Mr. Aoki, 35, the Filipino champion said the game plan is to take him out within the distance if the opportunity presents itself even as he said it will take a lot to achieve such a feat.
“I am certainly not taking him lightly. Shinya is and will always be a legend in my eyes. That being said, I’m preparing to take him out on March 31st. In my mind, I finish him within the distance,” Mr. Folayang said.
“If he does successfully take me down to the mat, I have to remain calm and work to escape. The thing with Shinya is, if he’s able to bring you into his world, it can be extremely dangerous, especially if you panic. You are prone to making mistakes and trust me, he recognizes every opening,” he added, referring to Mr. Aoki’s vaunted takedown and ground game.
Apart from the Folayang-Aoki title fight, also on tap at ONE: A New Era is 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.
Also part of the card is the middleweight world championship collision of champion Aung La N Sang of Myanmar against Ken Hasegawa of Japan as well as the world bantamweight title clash of champion Kevin Belingon of the Philippines against Brazilian Bibiano Fernandes.
A New Era will see the ONE debut as well of mixed martial arts legends Demetrious Johnson and Eddie Alvarez in separate grand prix matches with Filipino flyweight Danny Kingad also set to see action.
The event will be available live for viewing on the ONE Championship app while in the Philippines it can be seen at ABS-CBN S+A beginning at 6 p.m. and iWant Sports.

Solid fundamentals doing wonders for Filipina player in the US

By Michael Angelo S. Murillo
Senior Reporter

A CONSCIOUS effort to learn the right fundamentals of the sport of basketball has allowed a 16-year-old Filipina player to steadily make a name for herself in the United States.
Ella Fajardo, a product of the Basketball Efficiency and Scientific Training (BEST) Center in the country, is being noticed for her solid play as a member of the Gill St. Bernard’s School in New Jersey.
The amiable Fajardo attributes the success she is currently enjoying largely on her experience at the BEST Center, in particular how it instilled in her “solid fundamentals with a scientific spin” which has been a big help as she tries to build on her achievements on the basketball court.
“Everything I am right now as a player is because of the BEST Center. Basketball starts with the fundamentals, which I did learn from the BEST Center,” said Fajardo in an intimate interview with media arranged by Milo Philippines on Monday.
“There is definitely a big difference in how fundamentals are taught in the States and in the Philippines. The Milo BEST Center really teaches you the fundamentals and all the coaches I had at the center gave me the support that I needed. They were really patient. They were there step by step unlike in the States where they are more lenient,” she added.
Unlike most graduates of the BEST Center, Fajardo had an interesting journey in her training, flying into the country from the States every summer break with her family to enroll at the center and further hone her skills.
From 2012 to 2015, Fajardo, with full support from her parents Ellen and Allan, who himself was product of the BEST Center and believes in its style of training, immersed herself in the basketball program from the beginners level all the way to the advanced ones.
It was a “sacrifice” that was well worth the effort and time, said Fajardo, especially since they are now reaping the benefits of it.
With her solid basketball play she has earned scholarships and won awards as well as become part of the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League with the New Jersey Sparks.
She has also earned the interest of collegiate teams, including Yale University in the Ivy League, New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) and St, Peter’s University which are Division 1 schools.
These are apart from the life lessons she also gained from the training she had here, including leadership, discipline and confidence as well as friendships she has built, particularly with her coaches at the center.
PROUD MENTORS
Seeing one of their products do well on the court like Fajardo, the BEST Center is brimming with pride and has become all the more determined to continue what it has been doing for more than 40 years now.
“At the BEST Center, aside from teaching the skills, important for us as well is the relationship we build. It brings a lot of pride on our part to do see our graduates do well. We really follow their progress. In the case of Ella, we have stayed in contact with her and her family. And we are happy to see her get all this success because she is a good kid,” Marilyn Jorge of the BEST Center, who is also the wife of founder Nic.
Ms. Jorge went on to say that they at the BEST Center really make an effort to teach the right fundamentals of basketball, armed with the latest techniques and done step-by-step by their coaches, many of whom are teachers as well in different schools.
While she has already accomplished a lot in playing basketball, Fajardo said that she still has a lot of goals as far as her journey goes.
“One of my goals is to get a full academic scholarship from a D1 (Division 1) school and play for the Perlas Pilipinas national team because I have a lot of Filipino pride. Being Filipino has taught me a lot to have puso (heart). And No matter what, always laban (fight),” she said.
She recognizes that moving forward it would get tougher for her but she was quick to say that she will be ready, banking on hard work and the support of her family and friends, and, of course, the many lessons she learned from the BEST Center.
As part of the Milo Sports Clinics, the BEST Center will begin its basketball and volleyball clinics for this year next month. Basketball and volleyball are among the 21 sports featured in the annual Milo clinics, which now include arnis, wushu and ultimate frisbee.

Beach Volleyball Republic on Tour: Tan-Rodriguez, Abdilla-Lopez rule Santa Fe Open

SANTA FE, BANTAYAN ISLAND, CEBU — Perlas’ Bea Tan and Dij Rodriguez bested NU-Boysen’s Roma Joy and Roma Mae Doromal, 21-18, 21-16, to rule the Beach Volleyball Republic On Tour Santa Fe Open Sunday here.
It was Tan and Rodriguez’s second consecutive championship, winning all five matches in the beach volleyball circuit’s third visit to Cebu province.
Tan and Rodriguez were first challenged in the semifinals, rallying from a set down to beat Air Force 1’s May Ann Pantino and Jozza Cabalza, 14-21, 21-18, 15-12, while the Doromal sisters topped Bacolod’s Bianca Lizares and Margie Señas, 24-22, 21-19, in the other pairing.
Pantino and Cabalza settled for third place after prevailing over Lizares and Señas, 21-15, 21-13.
Sharing the spotlight is Air Force-AboitizLand’s Ranran Abdilla and Jessie Lopez, who overcame a first set loss and rallied from a 4-8 deficit in the third set to nip University of St. La Salle-Bacolod’s Harold Parcia and Neil Depedro, 11-21, 21-16, 15-13, and emerge as men’s champions for a third consecutive time.
The triumph was a fitting send-off for Abdilla and Lopez, who also ruled the December Open in Manila late last year and the Puerto Galera leg two weeks ago, as the Air Force standouts will now fully concentrate to the national indoor volleyball team preparing for this year’s Southeast Asian Games.
It was still a great run for Parcia and Depedro, who scored a 21-18, 15-21, 15-9 win over NU Boysen 1’s James Buytrago and Pol Salvador to arrange a Finals duel with Abdilla and Lopez, who overcame an energy-zapping opening set to dispose Visayas 1’s Jade Becaldo and Kevin Juban, 35-33, 21-17.
Buytrago and Salvador completed their first-ever podium finish after besting Becaldo and Juban, 21-18, 21-19.
In the quarterfinals, Tan and Rodriguez bested PetroGazz’s Jonah Sabete and Melanie Torres, 21-17, 21-17, the Doromal’s rallied from a set down to beat Air Force 2’s Angel Antipuesto and Mikaela Andres, 18-21, 21-16, 15-13,
Pantino and Cabalza dominated Cebu’s Therese Ramas and Krizia Talacero, 21-9, 21-8, while Lizares and Señas outlasted LNMB-Tanjay’s Natsu Kilamura and Katrina Epa, 23-25, 21-12, 15-9.
Men’s quarterfinals action saw Parcia and Depedro turn back the Cebu-Russian pair of Amil Pacinio and Mike Shavrak, 21-16, 21-16, Abdilla and Lopez down Bacolod’s Nonoy and Inaudito, 21-12, 21-18, Buytrago and Salvador stun Visayas 2’s Fort Libres and Raphy Abanto, 21-17, 21-14, while Becaldo and Juban needed three sets to subdue AboitizLand’s Krung Arbasto and Jason Uy, 20-22, 21-14, 15-13.
A BVR Sandroots clinic was held in coordination with Cebu Provincial Sports Commission, with coaches Jason Gabales, a Santa Fe native, and Grace Antigua leading the program.
For more updates on this year’s BVR On Tour, please check out its Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts.

AFC enhances online site with new features

RECOGNIZING the appetite of football fans in this part of the world for up-to-date news on their favorite leagues and teams, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) launched new features on its online site.
Described as a one-stop hub of the latest results in the leagues across all 47 of the AFC member associations (MAs), the-AFC.com now has a live score feature to give fans the opportunity to follow the latest table standings, fixtures and scorers.
The football body said further expansion is set that would cover video highlights, interviews, and close integration with the AFC’s digital streaming platform for MAs — mycujoo.
According to the AFC, the added features are suitable for Asian fans, who are among the most active and passionate in the world.
“Asia is home to the largest football ‘stadium’ on the planet. We are a diverse continent with some of the world’s most passionate fans and, with more than 10 time zones, football literally never sleeps in Asia,” said AFC General Secretary, Dato’ Windsor John as they unveiled the new features this week.
“The AFC’s Digital properties, including the-AFC.com, have undergone significant enhancement in the past two years. We are increasing our fan focus and this new feature further underlines our desire to grow the game,” he added.
The AFC said that since it started making enhancements on its Website in late 2017 it has seen “commendable growth” in traffic, with 34.3 million page views registered in 2018, an increase of almost 100 percent from the previous corresponding year.
In January 2019, the AFC outstripped last year’s Website numbers while 890.2 million fans engaged with the AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019 through the digital and social platforms.
With the latest enhancement, the AFC sees it complementing the growth in numbers some more. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo

Our magnificent warriors

FIDE Master Sander de Erit Severino was born in June 30, 1985 in Silay, Negros Occidental. At a young age he was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), more commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. Both of his legs are paralyzed due to this condition. Sander started playing competitive chess at seven years of age and became a regional champion at nine and National Kiddies Champion at 11.
We had previously written about Arena GM Henry Lopez. He was born Nov. 27, 1980 in Panabo City and struck by polio at the age of two. His brother Christ Lopez taught him chess at the age of six and by 11 Henry was playing in the Panabo City Chess Club every weekend and soaking up chess knowledge like a sponge — the result was that he twice qualified for the Shell National Youth Active Chess Championship Grand Finals in 1998 and 2000.
In 2000, there was the life-changing Millennium Grand Prix chess tournament sponsored by the Philippine Chess Society. This was a knockout format tournament with a P1 million first prize. The Social Security System, through its EVP Horacio Templo, sponsored the participation of several chessplayers with disabilities and footed all the bills for their participation including transportation, food and accommodation in Manila. This was where Sander Severino, Henry Lopez and NM Jasper Rom (born 1972 in Danao City, Cebu, with congenital defect on both legs) first met. All three of them did especially well in the Grand Prix and henceforth they were recognized as the top players with physical disabilities in the country.
In late December 2000 Severino participated at the FIDE Asian Continental Under-16 Championships in Bagac, Bataan with his participation sponsored again by the SSS. The top Under-16 players of the country participated including John Paul Gomez, Oliver Barbosa and Catalino Sadorra, all of whom are now International Grandmasters. Completely undeterred Sander won game after game and got himself the gold medal as well as the FIDE Master title which went with it.
Sander Severino, Jasper Rom and Henry Lopez got together again recently and created some magic. Ever heard of the Para Games? This is a multi-sport event usually held after the Asian Games for athletes with disabilities. Indonesia hosted the event from Oct. 6-13, 2018 in Jakarta and it drew the participation of 43 countries competing in 18 sports, including archery, athletics, badminton, wheelchair basketball, wheelchair fencing, swimming, shooting and, for the first time in the Para Games, chess. And this is where our magnificent warriors came in.
In the previous edition of the Para Games, held in 2014 at Incheon, South Korea, the Philippines was ranked 24th out of 32 countries with a total of five silver and five bronze medals. This time our ranking jumped to 11th out of 43 with 10 golds, eight silvers and 11 bronzes, and half of the gold medals came from chess.
There are three classifications of chessplayers in the Para Games, there is P1, those with physical disabilities, B1 meaning totally blind and B2/B3 or partially blind. Then the games are played under standard (60 minutes for the entire game with 15 second increment after every move) and rapid (25 minutes for the entire game with 10 seconds added after every move) time controls. Here are the medal winners for the chess team:
Gold Individual Standard P1 — FM Sander Severino,
Gold Individual Rapid P1 — FM Sander Severino,
Gold Team Standard P1 — Sander Severino, Jasper Rom, Henry Lopez,
Gold Team Rapid P1 — Sander Severino, Jasper Rom, Henry Lopez,
Gold Team Standard B2/B3 — Menandro Redor, Arman Subaste, Israel Peligro,
Silver Individual Rapid P1 — Henry Lopez,
Silver Individual Standard B2/B3 — Menandro Redor,
Bronze Individual Standard P1 — Jasper Rom,
Bronze Individual Rapid P1 — Jasper Rom,
Bronze Team Rapid B1 — Francis Ching, Rodolfo Sarmiento, Cecilio Bilog,
Bronze Individual Standard B2/B3 — Arman Subaste,
Bronze Individual Rapid B2/B3 — Arman Subaste,
And, Bronze Individual Rapid B2/B3 — Arman Subaste, Menandro Redor, Israel Peligro.

Firdaus, FM Maksum (2193) — Severino, FM Sander (2363) [A08]
Asian Para Games 2018 P1 (2.1), 07.10.2018

1.d3 d5 2.g3 e5 3.Bg2 c5 4.Nf3 Nc6 5.0 — 0 Nge7 6.Nc3
Sander of course knows how to handle the King’s Indian Attack from the Black side. There are so many Filipino players who play nothing else.
6…f6 7.e4 d4 8.Ne2 g5
White needs to get in some active play right away, especially since the Black King is still in the center. If he keeps a wait-and-see attitude Black is going to get buried in the kingside.
9.c3 Ng6 10.a3
I think White should already open up the center with 10.b4 dxc3 11.bxc5 Bxc5 12.Nxc3 and there is a lot of empty space around the black king.
10…Be6 11.cxd4 cxd4 12.b4 Be7 13.b5 Na5 14.Rb1 b6
The White queenside offensive is at a dead end he should turn his attention to defending his king.
15.Nd2 g4 16.f4 Nf8 17.Bb2 Rc8 18.Rc1 h5 19.Rf2 Nd7 20.Rxc8 Qxc8 21.Bf1 Nc5 22.Qb1 Na4 23.fxe5 fxe5 <D>
POSITION AFTER 23…FXE5
White’s passive play has left him with 2 knights and 2 bishops which have no scope. A direct attack on his king should carry the day.
24.Kg2 Nxb2 25.Qxb2 Qc5
This is typical of Severino’s play, which is across the entire board. Black puts pressure on the queenside and then, when the time is right, he will suddenly switch to the kingside.
26.Nb1
Defending the a3 pawn, but what for? If Black takes the pawn then queens are exchanged and white should count himself lucky that he has survived to the endgame. I believe instead of another passive move White should try to coordinate his pieces starting with 26.Ng1.
26…Kd7 27.Nc1 Rc8 28.Na2 h4!
The switch is on. With his queen and two knights bottled up in the far corner White has no defense.
29.gxh4 Bxh4 30.Re2 Qf8 31.Nd2 Qf4 32.Nb4 Rh8
Threat is …Bf2.
33.Kg1 g3 34.h3 Bg5 35.Nd5 Qf8 36.Qc2 Bxd5 37.exd5 Be3+ 38.Kg2 Qf5 39.Kxg3 Qf4+ 40.Kg2 Rg8+ 41.Kh1 Rg1# 0 — 1
Jasper Rom annotated some games for us. Here is one of them.

Rom, Jasper (2202) — Soltanov, FM Serik (2266) [B06]
Asian Para Games 2018 P1 (7.2), 10.10.2018 [Jasper Rom]

Going into the last round, Sander, myself and Henry have already secured the team gold — which was our main target for this Asian Para Games. We have been playing the event (after being re-united after 18 years) with a great teamwork and a team-first mentality. As Sander has also secured the individual gold with a last-round draw, it was time to go all out for a win. I’m sure my opponent, a strong FM from Kazakhstan had the same mentality.
1.e4 d6 2.d4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.Be3
Prior to this game I studied Soltanov’s openings and noticed that he has a proclivity to play the Pirc/Modern defense and so I specifically prepared this line based on one of GM Roman Dzindzichashvili chess lectures.
4…a6 5.f4 Nf6 6.Nf3 b5 7.e5 Nfd7
Perhaps better was Ng4 as after the text move, White just gains a strong position.
8.Bd3 Bb7 9.0 — 0 0 — 0 10.Ne4
Pushing my e-pawn to e6 followed by Ng5 (if fxe6) is an idea here. But I just wanted to keep control of the position and continue building up.
10…Nb6 11.Qe1 Nd5 12.Bd2 e6 13.Qg3 Nc6 14.c3 Nce7 15.Qh3 h6 16.Rae1 Nb6 17.Re2 Bxe4
Here my opponent offered a draw which I simply ignored by making a move.
18.Bxe4 Ned5 19.g4
Now is the time to attack!
19…Nc4 20.Bc1 c6 21.Bd3
Here I could just have played f5 directly but I wanted to make sure there was no counterplay.
21…dxe5
The opponent, perhaps very uncomfortable with his position, just started to crack.
22.fxe5 g5 23.Bxg5
Simple chess.
23…f6
[23…hxg5 24.Qh7#]
24.exf6 Nxf6 25.Bxh6 Ra7 26.Bc1
Keeping it simple. Threat is g4 — g5 followed by Qxe6+
26…Bh8 27.g5 Rg7 28.Rg2 1 — 0
After 28.Rg2 Black is losing at least a piece. For example after 28…Nd5 there is the sequence 29.Qxe6+ Rff7 30.g6. With this win, I managed to grab the individual bronze medal in addition to the team gold and individual gold by Sander. Our teamwork is paying off!
Philippine Sports Commission Chairman Butch Ramirez confirmed that financial incentives will be awarded with P1 million for gold, P500,000 for silver and P200,000 for bronze as mandated by law. This means Severino will get P2.66M for his four-gold feat (remember, in a team event the P1 M is divided by the number of members of the team, which is three). Henry Lopez is set to receive P1.66 million for two team golds and two individual silvers in chess while Jasper Rom will be going home with an additional P1,066,666 in his pocket.
Nice incentives, but now we have to look forward and prepare for World Chess Championships for the Disabled in October 2019 in Moscow, and the ASEAN Para Games in January 2020 in the Philippines. Keep the momentum going!
 
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

Bosh retires

As longtime followers of the National Basketball Association know, Chris Bosh was One in many things apart from the number on his jersey. Certainly, he was the first to sacrifice the most for collective pursuits in an era defined by increased player mobility. He gave up top-dog status, robust stat lines, and max salaries with the Raptors to play a supporting role for the Heat. Through two championships out of four straight Finals appearances, he received far less praise than the other members of the famed Big Three. Never mind that his endgame exploits in Game Six of the 2013 title series helped change the career trajectories of LeBron James and Dwayne Wade.
Considering the capacity and willingness of Bosh to give without regard for recognition, his retirement ceremony yesterday was decidedly overdue. No doubt, it got delayed by his refusal to accept the fate handed him by his recurring and life-threatening bouts with venous thromboembolism; ever the fighter, he sought professional opinions supporting his argument that he could still play with the aid of medical intervention. Once he made peace with reality, though, his date with the red-and-black faithful was set. As franchise president Pat Riley noted, he’s “forever and always a lifer of the Miami Heat.”
Significantly, those who know Bosh best remember him as much — if not more — for his character. Whether on the court or off, he’s simply out to be there for others. His video-bombing ventures have become social media fodder, but, away from the cameras, he’s known to lend a hand and an ear to those in need. It’s why yesterday became as much a celebration of his considerable worth as a player as his immeasurable value as a human being. “He’s not just a superstar,” Riley pointed out. “He’s an incredible superhuman.” Added Wade, he’s “the piece and the person that made the Big Three era legendary.” Even James, who couldn’t be present at the event because of a Lakers match at the Staples Center, chimed in via Twitter: “MONSTER!!!!!!!! One beautiful game and even better person.”
Nope, Bosh wasn’t the first to have his jersey hanging in the American Airlines Arena rafters. He’s fourth after Alonzo Mourning, Tim Hardaway, and Michael Jordan. Among them all, though, he’s tops in well wishes. Not a single negative was said of his place among the greats, and for all the Could Have Beens and Would Have Beens his illness generated, he left behind a legacy fit for the “1” on his back. The “Stretch Five” moniker is used liberally these days, but for a long, long while, it was his and his alone. He earned it, and, outside basketball, he earns it still.
 
Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994.

Peso weakens on growth fears

THE PESO weakened against the dollar on Wednesday, dragged by risk-off sentiment in the market amid concerns of a slowing global economy and ahead of the trade negotiations between the United States and China.
The local unit closed Wednesday session at P52.61 versus the greenback, 16.5 centavos weaker than the P52.445-per-dollar finish on Tuesday.
The peso opened the session weaker at P52.60 versus the dollar, declining to as low as P52.64 intraday. Meanwhile, its best showing stood at P52.54 per greenback.
Trading volume declined to $704.2 million from the $770.05 million that switched hands the previous day.
Traders interviewed yesterday said the peso traded sideways as it consolidated.
“We’re seeing swings in the dollar-peso trading… There were flows that continued to run,” a trader said in phone interview. “After the monetary policy meeting on Thursday, we saw a big sell-down that was due to positioning. Right now, we’re seeing a pickup in a bit in terms of level.”
Meanwhile, another trader said yesterday’s session was “somehow muted” as the pair moved within a tight range.
“We are also seeing market sentiment that the global growth slowing down. That’s they are moving to safe haven currencies such as the yen and the dollar,” the second trader said. “There’s a lot of uncertainties in the market. A lot of central banks in Asia and Europe have projected slower growth of their economies.”
Apart from concerns over the slowing global growth, the second trader added that investors opted to stay on the sidelines ahead of the trade meeting between the US and China later this week.
For today, the second trader expects the peso to move between P52.50 and P52.70, while the other gave a wider P52.50-P52.85 range. — K.A.N. Vidal

Shares go down as investors await US-China news

By Arra B. Francia, Reporter
LOCAL STOCKS retreated on Wednesday amid a lack of leads that could boost investor sentiment.
The benchmark Philippine Stock Exchange index (PSEi) pulled back 0.58% or 45.98 points to close at 7,861.05, failing to hold the 7,900 level it breached in the previous session. The broader all- shares index also went down 0.5% or 24.55 points to 4,835.90.
“Philippine shares sputtered to the finish line today with a lack of follow-through after opening, as investors awaited news on US-China trade talks,” Regina Capital Development Corp. Head of Sales Luis A. Limlingan said in a mobile phone message on Wednesday.
US and Chinese officials will continue high-level trade talks this week, with US officials set to visit Beijing on Thursday and Friday. Chinese officials will then travel to the US in the following week.
Eastern Development Securities Corp. trader Jayniel Carl S. Manuel, meanwhile, attributed Wednesday’s performance to the PSEi’s general sideways trend for the week.
“I expect a neutral movement in the next coming days for the reason that we still don’t have much catalyst yet in order for our market to enter the bull market territory,” Mr. Manuel said in a text message.
The PSEi failed to mirror the ascent seen in Wall Street overnight, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average jumping 0.55% or 140.90 points to 25,657.73. The S&P 500 index climbed 0.72% or 20.10 points to 2,818.46, while the S&P 500 index rose 0.71% or 53.98 points to 7,691.52.
Meanwhile, Asian markets were mixed as investors continued to worry over the global economy’s slowdown. Japan’s Nikkei 225 dropped 0.23% to close at 21,378.73, while South Korea’s Kospi index also slid 0.15% to end at 2,145.62.
Back home, services was the lone counter that managed to eke out gains after adding 0.03% or 0.61 point to 1,595.51.
The rest declined, led by financials which slumped 0.93% or 16.45 points to 1,747.50. Mining and oil plunged 0.9% or 73.48 points to 8,039.35; industrials went down 0.8% or 94.54 points to 11,587.62; property dropped 0.74% or 30.56 points to 4,054.77; while holding firms slipped 0.43% or 33.64 points to 7,745.03.
Some 1.20 billion issues switched hands valued at P5.60 billion, down from the previous session’s P5.39 billion. Decliners were almost double the advancers, 139 to 71, while 49 names were unchanged.
Net foreign inflows slipped to P321.88 million, slightly lower than Tuesday’s P369.81 million. This marked the fifth straight session that foreign investors were in buying mode.
The list of 20 most actively traded stocks showed 12 losers, including GT Capital Holdings, Inc. (down 3.28%), Ayala Land, Inc. (2.13%), and Metropolitan Bank & Trust Company (down 2.23%). GT Capital reported its 2018 earnings report on Wednesday, showing a six percent profit drop due to lower auto sales.

Rappler’s Ressa, others charged with violating Anti-Dummy Law

ONLINE NEWS site Rappler CEO and Executive Editor Maria A. Ressa and six other members of its 2016 Board of Directors were charged by the Pasig Prosecutor’s Office with violation of the Anti-Dummy Law.
The charge of violation of Section 2-A of Commonwealth Act No. 108 or the Anti-Dummy Law, filed before Pasig City Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 265, is in connection with Philippine Depositary Receipts (PDRs) it issued to Omidyar Network Fund, LLC in 2015.
Charged along with Ms. Ressa are Rappler Managing Editor Glenda M. Gloria and 2016 directors Manuel I. Ayala, Nico Jose Nolledo, James C. Bitanga, Felicia Atienza, and James Velasquez.
All of them except Ms. Ressa, who is currently out of the country, posted bail of P90,000 before the Pasig City RTC Branch 265.
Arraignment for the case is scheduled on April 10, 8:30 a.m.
The Court of Appeals (CA) in February denied for lack of merit the motion for partial reconsideration of Rappler, Inc. and Rappler Holdings Corporation over their alleged violation of foreign equity restriction in relation to the PDRs awarded to Omidyar.
The CA ruled that Rappler, as a “mass media” entity, should be wholly owned by Filipinos, but the PDRs issued to Omidyar granted to the foreign company “control over corporate policies and affairs of a mass media entity.”
The appellate court in its resolution also remanded the case to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), directing it to evaluate the legal effects of Omidyar’s donation of its PDRs to Rappler staffs.
The case stemmed from the decision of the SEC in January last yea revoking Rappler’s certificate of incorporation for “existing for no other purpose than to effect a deceptive scheme to circumvent the Constitution” and declaring as void Omidyar’s PDRs for being a “fraudulent transaction.” — VMMV

PNP to look into claims vs Yang

THE PHILIPPINE National Police (PNP) will look into former presidential adviser Michael Yang’s alleged links as claimed by a dismissed police officer, Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief Oscar D. Albayalde said on Wednesday.
“The President did not stop us or did not tell us to stop our validation. There is no harm in validating…to boost the statement of the President,” Mr. Albayalde told reporters.
The police general added: “Not probe actually. ‘Yung probe parang (The probe is more like) information gathering.”
Mr. Albayalde said the PNP Directorate for Intelligence (DI) will be in charge of this inquiry.
“It does not need a formal order…It’s normally kapag may mga ganyan our intel opearatives talagang mag ano and the DI (In cases like this, our intel operatives and the DI will work on that).”
“May mga allegations si Acierto (Acierto has made some allegations)….In fact,…meron siyang mga operations na sinasabi (In fact, he has cited some operations). We can start from there also. We will verify ‘yung mga (those) operations nila kung talagang totoo o hindi (if these indeed were conducted),” the PNP chief said. — Vince Angelo C. Ferreras

Filing of petitions for dominant majority, minority parties set until April 10

POLITICAL PARTIES have until April 10 to file a petition before the Commission on Elections (Comelec) for the determination of the dominant majority and dominant minority parties for the May midterm elections.
Comelec on Wednesday announced that, “Political parties may now file a petition for accreditation for the determination of the dominant majority party, the dominant minority party, the ten major national parties, and two major local parties in connection with the upcoming 2019 National and Local Elections.”
In the 2016 elections, the Liberal Party (LP) was hailed as the dominant majority party while the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) was the dominant minority party.
Both parties held the same positions during the midterm elections in 2013.
Petitions that are verified will have to be filed with the Comelec through the Clerk of the Commission, pursuant to Resolution No. 10514, on or before April 10. — Gillian M. Cortez

Senator calls for stricter laws on carrying of firearms

SENATOR Panfilo M. Lacson on Wednesday recommended that the 18th Congress legislate stricter laws on the carrying of firearms, following recent shooting incidents, including the killing of a policeman in San Juan City last Tuesday.
In a statement, Mr. Lacson also said it was time for the Philippine National Police (PNP) to tighten as well the issuance of Permits to Carry Firearms Outside Residence (PTCFORs) following reports that even criminals who just change their names can get such permits.
He added that there should be “prompt changes” in the public mindset and legislation on the possession and carrying of firearms outside residence.
“Presently, when we see persons in civilian attire with firearms bulging from their pants, we just assume they are police or military personnel. It should be the other way around. If we see someone in civilian attire and with a firearm, we should instinctively assume the person is up to no good, and report him or her to the nearest police station,” said Mr. Lacson, a former PNP chief.
“Some gun owners’ groups have argued they have no choice but to bring their guns outside their houses because the police cannot protect them. This should be a challenge to the PNP, to show they can protect the public,” he added.
According to Republic Act No. 10591 or the Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act, PTCFORs are issued by the PNP to any person “whose life is under actual threat or his/her life is in imminent danger due to the nature of his/her profession, occupation or business.”
Several bills have been filed in the Senate seeking to amend R.A. 10591 to improve government regulations on firearms by imposing stiffer penalties on its unlawful use.
Mr. Lacson cited other areas, such as Hong Kong, where people automatically report to police those they see in civilian attire carrying firearms. He also said the Philippines should take note of New Zealand’s actions to tighten gun ownership laws following the March 15 mass shootings which killed 50 people.
“Firearms are for self-defense against intruders and should be kept at home. Once one brings it outside your house, chances are the owner’s mindset can change and he or she can use it for offense,” the senator said. — Camille A. Aguinaldo

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