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Allianz PHL connecting with communities through sports

By Michael Angelo S. Murillo
Senior Reporter
SEEING sports as a good platform to communicate what it is all about as a company, Allianz Philippines continues to dabble in it and affirms its commitment to such a thrust.
For the second straight year, the insurance firm is holding an obstacle course racing event, dubbed “Allianz OCR Sunday,” on March 31 at Filinvest, Alabang.
The day-long event includes two prestigious obstacle course races, namely the Conquer Challenge and Ninja OCR.
The Conquer Challenge, organizers said, is an entry-level obstacle course race which will have a five-kilometer race of 20 obstacles and a 1.5-km race with eight obstacles.
The Ninja OCR, meanwhile, involves a series of short distance and no running obstacle course races. It will have different categories, namely, individual (male and female), team, kids, and dogs with distance, difficulty, and type of obstacles varying for each category.
“As a company that uses sports to connect with communities and people, Allianz Philippines has chosen to be associated with OCR. We saw how the spirit of the sport is strongly aligned and consistent with our brand belief,”, said Gae Martinez, chief marketing officer, Allianz PNB Life, at the media launch of the event on March 20 at Pretty Huge Obstacles at the Bonifacio Global City in Taguig, of their involvement in the steadily growing sport of OCR.
Adding, “As in OCR and in life, there are obstacles that you need to overcome before you reach your destination. Both follow a journey of trials, failures, and successes. Many are holding back to make a big step to achieve their dreams or afraid to take the risk. That’s why Allianz is here to give people the courage to move forward and triumph over these obstacles.”
It is an effort that is being received by the local OCR community wholeheartedly, seeing the involvement of companies like Allianz in OCR as going a long way in the growth and promotion of the sport.
“It’s a big help for OCR in the country to have companies like Allianz on board. We, at Conquer Challenge, and Allianz have something in common in being inclusive and giving opportunities to people. And I encourage other groups as well to look at OCR and pick it up,” said James Bungubung of Conquer Challenge in an interview with BusinessWorld.
HIGHER STAKE
Spiking things up at the Allianz OCR Sunday are the national team pool slots for the Southeast Asian Games later this year that will be up for grabs in the elite division.
The top five male and female in the five-kilometer elite division will have a chance to be invited in the national team pool that will prepare for the SEA Games 2019 here in the Philippines where OCR is set to make its debut.
Expected to vie for a spot are five Aeta athletes who took part in the Allianz Conquer Challenge event last year.
They are Jacob King, 22, Miracle Lansang, 21, Danilo Yugyug, 20, Gelyann Soria, 17, and Ivy Pelayo, 16, who are from Villa Maria, an adopted community of Allianz based in Porac, Pampanga.

IBF super flyweight champ Jerwin Ancajas not being complacent ahead of next title fight

IN May this year Filipino International Boxing Federation super flyweight champion Jerwin “Pretty Boy” Ancajas will make his seventh defense of his title. And he is not just going through the motions, recognizing that in every challenger he faces is one who is expected to go all out and that he needs to be ready.
To fight Japanese challenger and number one contender Ryuichi Funai on May 4 at Stockton Arena in California, Mr. Ancajas (30-1-2) said he is bracing for yet another tough challenge but nonetheless said he is going to be ready for it.
In a talk with media at their Survival Camp in Magallanes, Cavite, last week, the Davao del Norte native said he has been training for his next fight since December last year.
Even if he did not know yet at that time who his opponent would be, Mr. Ancajas and his team were already at work to have themselves ready anytime a fight is set.
“Since December we have been training even if we didn’t know then who we will be facing. I’m not worried of being burnt out. I’m used to it. That’s what we have been doing,” said Mr. Ancajas in Filipino.
With his opponent winning his last seven fights, Mr. Ancajas said Mr. Funai (31-7) has been impressive and comes into their scheduled encounter on a high with much momentum.
“Based on what I have seen of Funai he’s a good fighter. In his last seven fights he was impressive, knocking out all his opponents. So we are not taking him lightly. We do not want to be complacent,” said Mr. Ancajas.
The 27-year-old Filipino champion is coming off a split draw against Mexican Alejandro Santiago in a fight that Mr. Ancajas said they learned a lot from.
“We learned a lot from our previous fight. We were not able to make the adjustments to Santiago’s style during the fight as much as we wanted to. Which is why for this fight we are really doing a lot in training to be ready for everything,” he said.
Mr. Ancajas said at this stage of their training he is already at 85 per cent ready and looking to build on it as the fight gets closer.
The champion also shared that he is not looking past Mr. Funai, 33, but hopes to do more in the 115 weight division and possibly meet up against other champions for a unification bout.
The Ancajas-Funai is part of the fight card staged by Top Rank and headlined by the IBF light heavyweight title clash between champion Artur Beter of Russia against challenger Radivoje Kalajdzic of Bosnia-Herzegovina.
Mr. Ancajas has been a champion since September 2016 when he defeated McJoe Arroyo of Puerto Rico. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo

Bataan, Manila collide; San Juan takes on QC as MPBL Final Four begins

Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) logo
Games Today (Bataan People’s Center)
7 p.m. — San Juan vs Quezon City
9 p.m. — Bataan vs Manila
EXPECT a slam bang encounter as powerhouse teams Bataan Riers and Manila Stars begin their semifinal round even as San Juan Knights battles a Quezon City Capitals that is making a Cinderella run in the northern division of the MPBL Datu Cup Tuesday night at the People’s Center in Balanga, Bataan.
It took nearly a year before these two teams waited for their next encounter, but a lot of things have changed since the Stars of Manila gave the Risers of Bataan a heartbreaking loss right at the San Andres Gym.
The two teams square off at 9 p.m. right after the beginning of the best-of-three semifinals series between the Knights and the Capitals at 7 p.m.
“It’s a different Bataan team, no doubt. But they also have a different Manila team now because of personnel movements,” said Bataan coach Jojo Lastimosa, who after losing to Manila went on to pick up a string of victories that stretched to a 14-game run.
The Zetapro-backed Risers are hoping to get the upper hand with a win in front of their home town crowd, but beating the Robust Energy-supported Stars would mean extra effort not just from their old reliables but also need contributions from their reserves.
Bataan has point guard Pamboy Raymundo, Gary David, Gab Dagangon, Alfred Batino and Vince Tolentino as the usual starters the past few games, but the Risers have also stacked their bench with dependable reserves like Byron Villarias, prized acquisition Yvan Ludovice, Richard Escoto, Bernie Bregondo, Rob Celiz, Achie Iñigo and even homegrown Gio Espuelas.
The Stars are as equally formidable with young cagers Chris Bitoon, Aris Dionisio, ex-pros Roger Yap, Riel Cervantes, Marvin Hayes, and Marcy Arellano, frontliners Mark Cruz and McLean Sabellina, Mac Montilla and Drian Celada ready to provide firepower.
The superior line up of both squads is just one of the interesting highlights in the match up. Serving as a fitting background to the duel is the coaching battle between two of the greatest players ever to play in Philippine basketball — Philip Cezar of Manila and Jojo Lastimosa of Bataan.
Cezar, a 15-time PBA champion and member of two grand slam teams with Crispa, is looking to revive his winning touch as coach, this time with his current MPBL team. He gave San Juan a championship in Year 2000 in the defunct Metropolitan Basketball Association, the precursor of the MPBL
Lastimosa is looking to make a good impression as a first time coach in big-time basketball circuit. He has served as an assistant coach to Nash Racela at FEU and also to Yeng Guiao of the NLEX Road Warriors.
The game between San Juan and Quezon City will be as equally exciting. — Rey Joble

Olympiad wrap-up

Previously I discussed the good coaching for the Philippine Women’s Olympiad team. For these team events this is very important. You will recall the Bersamina vs Pichot game from the previous Olympiad.

Bersamina, Paulo (2408) — Pichot, A (2536) [E81]
42nd Olympiad 2016 Baku AZE (9.26), 11.09.2016

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.f3 0 — 0 6.Be3 c5 7.Nge2 Nc6 8.d5 Ne5 9.Ng3 h5 10.Be2 h4 11.Nf1 e6 12.f4 Nxc4 13.Bxc4 b5 14.Bxb5 exd5 15.exd5 Rb8 16.h3 Nh5 17.Be2 Rxb2 18.Rc1 Re8 19.Kf2 Ng3 20.Nxg3 hxg3+ 21.Kf3 Qh4 22.Qg1 Bf5 23.Bb5 Re7 24.Bxc5 dxc5 25.d6 g5 26.fxg5 Be4+ 27.Nxe4 Qxe4+ 28.Kxg3 Be5#
0 — 1
After the game Paulo’s teammate GM Rogelio Barcenilla asked him why he entered that line with 12…Nxc4 without anything prepared. Bersamina was very surprised and it turned out that he did not know the theory.
Apart from the fact that he was very irresponsible for entering a sharp line without studying it beforehand (for example, before the game started a simple position search in Chessbase would have shown him the critical moves), his coach should have alerted him to the fact that after 1.d4 Pichot almost always goes for the King’s Indian, and in answer to the Saemisch Variation (1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc4 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.f3) he invariably plays the sharp line starting with 5…0-0 6.Be3 c5! In short the complicated line which occurred in the game was a distinct possibility from the beginning.
Let me show you how good coaching affected the result of two more of our women’s games in Batumi.
WIM Catherine Perena-Secopito was the veteran of the Philippine Women’s team to the 2018 Batumi Olympiad. Born August 31, 1985 she has been a member of all our Olympiad teams since 2006 Turin.

Hincu, Olga (2124) — Secopito, Catherine (2157) [E12]
Olympiad Women (10.2), 04.10.2018
[WIM Catherine Secopito]

This was my last game in the 43rd Batumi Chess Olympiad. It was the penultimate round and we are paired against 46th seed Moldova. I had just lost three straight games so I needed a win to regain my confidence.
Right before the match I checked my opponent’s games and decided to use Queen’s Indian since I saw that she only uses the Petrosian variation (1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6 4.a3) and it would be easier to prepare given the time constraint. I added a twist though, instead of 4…Ba6 which I used in my game against Hanzelj Lara of Slovenia which ended in draw, this time I opted for 4….Bb7. I watched the video of Sergei Tiviakov on Queen’s Indian (“No Fear of 1.d4, vol 1”) for my preparation. The video was handed out by coach Jayson so as to help us with the opening preparations.
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6 4.a3 Bb7 5.Nc3 d5 6.cxd5
The main move.
6…Nxd5
[6…exd5 is also possible but as what Tiviakov says he wants to keep the diagonal of the white bishop open so as me]
7.Qc2
White intends to follow up with e4 to gain control of the center.
7…Nxc3 8.bxc3 c5
To counter-attack in the center.
9.e4 Nd7 10.Bd3
According to Tiviakov the strongest move here is 10.Bf4 as it prevents 10…Qc7 to exchange the pawns and queens and have an equal position. After 10.Bf4 cxd4 11.cxd4 Rc8 12.Qb3 (12.Qa4 is met by 12…a6 with the intention of pushing his b-pawn to b5. 13.Bxa6 cannot be played because of 13…Ra8) 12…Be7 13.Bd3 Nf6 keeping an eye on e4. Black has no problems. Greenfeld, A (2551)-Tiviakov, S (2668) Dieren 2006 1/2 21.
10…Qc7
Just like Tiviakov suggested I now intend to trade Queens by exchanging pawn on d4. The main play of white in this position is to launch a kingside attack and the queen exchange will douse cold water on this plan.
11.0 — 0
Better is 11. Qe2 to avoid the exchange. Another option is Qb1.
11…cxd4 12.cxd4 Qxc2 13.Bxc2 Rc8 14.Ba4
The same game/variation was played by Cmilyte, Victorija (2508) against Hou, Yifan (2623) in 2012 Porto Vecchio Rapid Event, only that Hou Yifan played 14…Bd6. The game ended in draw.
14…a6 15.d5 exd5
I decided on capturing the pawn though it exposes my King in the center. My idea is to exchange the pieces, go for the endgame and the pawn on d5 would be vulnerable. But according to the engine, 15…b5 is better. There might follow 16.dxe6 fxe6 17.Bb3 Nc5 18.Ba2 Bxe4 and the advantage has shifted to black.
16.exd5 b5 17.Re1+ Kd8 18.Bg5+ f6 19.Bd2
Intending to check on a5.
19…Bc5
[19…bxa4? 20.Ba5+ Rc7 21.Rad1 Bd6 22.Re6 White is clearly better]
20.Bb3 Re8
I am trying to exchange pieces and convert to endgame.
21.Ba5+ Bb6 22.Rxe8+ Kxe8 23.Re1+ Kd8 24.Bb4 Nc5 25.Bc2 g6 26.d6 a5 27.Bd2 Bd5
My plan is to convert this to endgame by possibly playing Nb3 and remove another piece. Then target the weak a3 pawn and support my pawns for promotion.
28.Nd4?
She blundered! Correct is 28.Rb1 Bc4 29.Be3.
28…Nb7
I believe my opponent completely overlooked this possibility. Now Black is attacking the d4 — knight and the c2 — bishop at the same time.
29.Bb3
The only move to save the piece.
29…Bxb3 30.Nxb3 a4 31.Nc1 Rc2
I quickly played this move because of the principle that rook is stronger on the 7th/2nd rank and then together with my bishop I can target the f2 pawn. But it appears that Bc5 is much better, directly attacking the pawn on d6 and a3 which is blockading the path of my passed pawn.
32.Rd1 Bc5 33.Nd3 Bxa3 34.Bb4 Bxb4 35.Nxb4 Rc4 36.Nd5 a3 37.d7 a2 38.Ra1
[38.Nb6 is met by 38…Rd4! 39.Ra1 Rb4 followed by …Rb1+]
38…b4 39.f4 b3 40.Re1 Rc6
[40…b2 quickest way to victory.]
41.Nb4 Kxd7 42.Nd3 Ra6 43.Ra1 Rd6 44.Nb2 Rd2 45.Nc4 b2 0 — 1
She resigned. At last I was back on track.
Recalling the Bersamina game, here is Shania Mae Mendoza out-preparing her opponent. Everything looked really complicated, but she had done her homework and brought home the full point efficiently. This game is from our 2-2 tie with England in the 5th round.

Head, Louise (2161) — Mendoza, Shania Mae (2113) [D44]
Olympiad 2018 (5), 28.09.2018
[WFM Shania Mae Mendoza]

1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 e6 5.Bg5
My opponent usually plays 5.e3, but I was not surprised when she went 5.Bg5, the Botvinnik Semi-Slav — this very sharp line was part of my preparation against Team Venezuela.
5…dxc4 6.e4
This is the best for White! It occupies the center, attacks the c4 — pawn and creates the threat e4 — e5 in the process.
6…b5 7.e5 h6 8.Bh4 g5 9.Nxg5
[9.exf6 gxh4 10.Ne5 Qxf6 does not promise much for White.]
9…hxg5 10.Bxg5 Nbd7 11.exf6 Bb7
If 11…Nxf6? 12.Qf3 (Please do not mix up the moves. If 12.Nxb5? first then 12…cxb5 13.Qf3 Bb4+ 14.Kd1 (14.Bd2 Bxd2+ 15.Kxd2 Qxd4+ The second player is a clear piece up) 14…Qxd4+ 15.Kc2 Nd5 Black is already winning 12…Be7 13.Nxb5! White is doing fine.
12.g3 Qb6 13.Bg2 0 — 0 — 0 14.0 — 0 c5 15.d5 b4
There are two mainlines in this position that white may consider 16.Rb1 or Na4. I believe the text is not the most accurate.
16.dxe6 Bxg2 17.Kxg2?
Another mistake. The only way to continue fighting is 17.e7 Bxf1 18.Nd5 Qe6 when it is still anybody’s game. Lan, Z (2361)-Li, D (2485) Shenzhen 2017 0 — 1 39.
17…Qxe6 <D>
POSITION AFTER 17…QXE6
Now I am on my own, but I was not worried because my pieces are about to take control of the game.
18.Qd5 bxc3 19.Qa8+ Nb8 20.Bf4 Bd6 21.Bxd6 Rxd6 22.h4 cxb2 23.Rab1 c3 24.Qxa7 Rb6 25.Qa3 Qxf6 26.Qxc5+ Qc6+ 27.Qxc6+ Nxc6 28.Rfc1 bxc1Q 29.Rxc1 Rb2 30.Rxc3 Kc7 31.a3 Rh6 32.Rf3 Ne5 33.Rf5 Kd6 34.Kh3 Ke6 35.Rg5 Rxf2 0 — 1
Wow. Our women players have got serious writing skills.
 
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 for 25 years and is currently Chief Audit Executive of the Equicom Group of Companies.
bobby@cpamd.net

NCAA wild finish

There was a lot of hype surrounding the Blue Devils-Knights match yesterday, and for reasons going beyond the presence of Zion Williamson, preemptive Wooden awardee and top pick in the 2019 National Basketball Association rookie draft. University of Central Florida head coach Johnny Dawkins was a star and former assistant under Duke counterpart Mike Krzyzewski, and their March Madness meeting induced plenty more speculation than any other 1-9 encounter would otherwise have.
Still, the numbers were clear. For all the news generated by the second-round set-to, the Blue Devils were not number one seeds for nothing. They held a win probability close to a hundred per cent before opening tip, and it stayed there until midway through the second half. Only when the relentless Knights battled back from a seemingly daunting deficit and then took the lead four-fifths into the payoff period did the line go against them. And for a while there, it looked as if they were ripe for an upset; down by four with just under two minutes left to play, they benefited from a turnover off a one-on-two situation that should have been a score for the opposition.
Who knows how Duke would have finished had UCF’s Dayon Griffin been more prudent and not gone for an alley-oop pass that Aubrey Dawkins couldn’t quite get a handle on? Instead, it got a new lease on life following the recovery by Javin DeLaurier and subsequent three pointer by Cam Reddish. Charity shots from B.J. Taylor came after misses on both ends, but offensive rebounds helped its cause, with the first leading to a Williamson and-one that sent Tacko Fall to the showers, and the second to a gimme by RJ Barrett that ultimately became the winning basket.
Considering the wild finish, Krzyzewski can be forgiven for deeming the Blue Devils lucky to still be alive in the tournament. After all, they survived two good — make that great — outcome-altering looks by the Knights that somehow failed to find the bottom of the net in the dying seconds. In truth, they deserved the victory; they were steadier under pressure, and not for one moment did they find their confidence shaken. Having a winning culture under a winning mentor with a winning player does that.
The path to the championship figures to be harder from here on, but Duke has been there and done that. No wonder it continues to have the best title odds at a shade under one in five. It went through the wringer yesterday, and how. But it’s still around, and it should be all the better for its experience. Never mind that UCF Knights showed others in the Sweet Sixteen the proper on-court counters for it. There can be no planning against heart, especially when superior talent is already a given.
 
Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994.

Peso dips against US dollar amid global economic worries

peso dollar
THE peso is expected to continue to further weaken against the US dollar this week.

THE PESO dipped against the dollar on Monday dragged by risk off sentiment amid concerns of a slowdown in the global economy.
The local unit ended Monday’s session at P52.52 versus the greenback, 20 centavos weaker than the P52.32-per-dollar finish last Friday.
The peso opened the session weaker at P52.55 per greenback, sliding to as low as P52.66 intraday. Meanwhile, its best showing of the day stood at P52.49 per dollar.
Trading volume thinned to $886.2 million from the $1.18 billion that changed hands the previous day.
“The local currency depreciated on safe haven demand due to weaker-than-expected manufacturing and services data from the US and eurozone last Friday, raising fears of a global economic growth slowdown,” a trader said in an e-mail on Monday.
Germany, Europe’s largest economy, posted sharper contraction in terms of manufacturing activity, increasing worries on decelerating growth in the currency bloc.
This was mirrored in the manufacturing output in the European region, posting the biggest contraction since December 2012.
Traders said that concerns over slowing global economic growth spilled over in Asian markets.
“We saw risk-off sentiment given that equity markets in Asia are all down by an average of 2%,” a second trader said.
The bellwether Philippine Stock Exchange index declined by 1.88% yesterday to close at 7863.02, dragged by holding firms (down 2.74%) as well as mining and oil companies (down 2.38%).
For today, the first trader expects the peso to move between P52.35 and P52.65, while the other gave a P52.30-P52.70 range.
“The peso might weaken further on sustained risk-off sentiment as the weaker global data solidified the softer economic outlooks from major central banks abroad,” the first trader noted. — K.A.N. Vidal

PSEi joins global rout on economic growth fears

By Arra B. Francia, Reporter
LOCAL EQUITIES plunged with much of the world on Monday as investors shunned risk in the face of mounting signs of a global growth slowdown ahead.
The Philippine Stock Exchange index (PSEi) fell 1.87% or 150.40 points to finish 7,863.02, failing to hold the 8,000 line it breached last Friday. The broader all-shares index likewise retreated 1.43% or 70.44 points to end 4,842.87.
“It was more of the offshore concerns that caused the local market’s retreat today. First, we have the inverted yield curve in the US which is usually associated with an upcoming recession,” Philstocks Financial, Inc. Research Associate Japhet Louis O. Tantiangco said in a text message.
He added that the contraction of the Eurozone Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index also weighed on sentiment, as manufacturing activity was reported to fall to 52.5 in March, its lowest level in almost two years.
“All of these together with the dovish stance of the monetary policies of the major economies including the US, the European Union, and China are backing the notion of a slowdown in the global economy,” he explained.
Regina Capital Development Corp. Head of Sales Luis A. Limlingan also noted the inversion of the US yield curve, which typically signals a recession ahead.
“The benchmark 10-year rate fell below the three-month yield, causing a yield-curve inversion, which often signals a recession is on the horizon,” Mr. Limlingan said in a mobile phone message.
The PSEi followed the huge pullback overseas.
On Friday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average spiraled down 1.77% or 460.19 points to 25,502.32; the S&P 500 index dropped 1.9% or 54.17 points to 2,800.71; while the Nasdaq Composite index plummeted 2.5% or 196.29 points to 7,642.67.
Asian markets were no better off on Monday, as Japan’s Nikkei 225, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index, Shanghai Composite index, South Korea’s Kospi and India’s S&P BSE Sensex Index fell 3.01%, 2.03%, 1.97%, 1.92% and 1.11%, respectively. “To add, our regional peers are also in red meaning investors have fled towards safer assets,” Philstocks Financial’s Mr. Tantiangco noted.
All six sectoral indices at home declined: holding firms by 2.73% or 217.33 points to 7,726.72, mining and oil by 2.37% or 198.38 points to 8,141.23, financials by 1.82% or 32.58 points to 1,756.89, property by 1.33% or 54.90 points to 4,056.60, industrials by 0.82% or 96.76 points to 11,640.62 and services by 0.76% or 12.25 points to 1,596.46.
Investors abroad remained predominantly bullish for the third straight trading day, although net buying was more than halved to P666.90 million from Friday’s P1.45 billion. Some 708.80 million issues worth P5.39 billion changed hands, compared to Friday’s 1.36 billion issues worth P7.61 billion. Stocks that declined were almost three times those that gained, 142 to 47, while 41 others ended flat.

Año vows end to CPP-NPA in Duterte’s term

By Vince Angelo C. Ferreras, Reporter
THE COMMUNIST rebellion could end in two years, with Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) founder Jose “Joma” Maria C. Sison becoming “irrelevant,” said Interior Secretary Eduardo M. Año.
“In two years’ time, tapos na ‘tong CPP-NPA (the CPP-NPA [rebellion] will end) and Joma [Sison] is already out of touch. He’s very irrelevant. Better for him to come home,” Mr. Año told reporters at an event in Quezon City on Monday, March 24.
Mr. Sison, in exile in the Netherlands, said over the weekend that government forces cannot defeat the New People’s Army (NPA) as the rebels are gaining strength and are “deeply rooted among the toiling masses.”
In response, Mr. Año, a retired chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), said: “Malayo sa katotohanan si Joma (Joma is far removed from reality). Umuwi muna siya para malaman niya na this week lang, ilang high-ranking CPP-NPA [officials] ang nahuli ng Armed Forces, pati ng PNP (He should come home so he would know that just this week, some high-ranking officials of the CPP-NPA were arrested by the Armed Forces and also the PNP [Philippine National Police]).”
The Interior Secretary added, “I think everyone believes na dapat nang tapusin ‘yung CPP-NPA at pagod na yung mga tao sa pagsusunog, pagpatay. Ito na ‘yung time na tapusin natin para ‘yung susunod na administrasyon, ‘di na nila proproblemahin ang CPP-NPA.” (I think everyone believes that the CPP-NPA should be wiped out because the people are already tired of their torchings and killings. This is the time to end the [rebellion] so the next administration will not have a problem with the CPP-NPA).
The NPA marks its 50th year on March 29, a transition observed by the CPP on its founding anniversary on Dec. 26 last year.
For his part, AFP Spokesperson Brig. Gen. Edgard A. Arevalo said “we are, together with other government agencies under the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict,… working for the indictment of Mr. Sison and his cohorts.”
On Sunday, government forces arrested in Liliw, Laguna, three communist rebels including a priest turned consultant of the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP).
In a press briefing at Camp Crame on Monday, PNP chief Director-General Oscar D. Albayalde said the suspects, who are now in police custody, are active members of the CPP-NPA-NDFP.
They were identified as Francisco Fernandez, 71, a consultant of NDFP of who is the subject of an arrest warrant for murder; his wife, Cleofe Lagtapon, 66, said to be the regional deputy secretary for communications and for education of Komiteng Rehiyon Negros (KRN); and Gee-Ann Perez, 20, communications staff of KRN.
According to government records, Mr. Fernandez is a Catholic priest who joined the NPA in the 1980s and has been linked to the killing of soldiers through Special Partisan Unit operations in Guihulngan City, Negros Oriental.
The suspects were arrested during a service of warrant operation by the local police and military at 5:16 a.m. of Sunday.
Authorities were able to recover from the suspects three short firearms, three magazines for caliber .45 with 15 rounds of live ammunition, three hand grenades, two sling bags, one blue backpack, subversive documents, articles and notes and three mobile phones.
Aside from murder charges, the suspects were also charged with violation of Comelec Resolution 10429 in relation to the Omnibus Election Code; violation of RA 10591 or illegal possession of firearms; and violation of RA 9516 or illegal possession of explosives.
Mr. Albayalde said the arrest of the three rebels is proof of the effectiveness of local peace talks.
Said the PNP chief: “Nakita kasi ng gobyerno na mas effective yung localized peace talks (The government saw how more effective localized peace talks are). In fact, napakarami na ang nag-surrender sa atin. (many have already surrendered to us). This is the very reason kung bakit nag-iingay sa social media ito si Joma Sison. (This is the very reason why Joma Sison is making noise in social media).”
He added, “It’s better to surrender than fight the military forces or the PNP.”
For his part, 2nd Infantry Division Commander Major General Rhoderick M. Parayno said, “After the termination of the peace talks, ‘yung mga involved sa talks (those involved in the talks) and even the consultants, I think there are 23 of them (the rebels) and six have been arrested.”
“So this will definitely put an end to the effort ni Joma Sison na ibalik sa national level ‘yung peace talks dahil mas pabor ang kanilang members and ground commanders nila sa local peace talks.” (So this will definitely put an end to Joma Sison’s effort to bring back the peace talks to the national level because their members and ground commanders are more in favor of local peace talks).
Malacañang recently announced that a new panel will be organized to pursue localized peace talks with the rebels.

ICC case against Xi to ‘stress a point’

By Vann Marlo M. Villegas
and Arjay L. Balinbin, Reporters
JUSTICE SECRETARY Menardo I. Guevarra said the communication filed against Chinese President Xi Jinping before the International Criminal Court (ICC) “was more of a political statement than a true legal action.”
Mr. Guevarra said he believes the communication filed by former foreign affairs secretary Albert F. Del Rosario and former Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales was “not with the hope” of winning in the ICC due to issues on jurisdiction and legal standing.
“I believe that the complaint was filed not with the hope of a favorable judgment by the ICC…but probably to impress upon China that if the Philippine government is not willing to vigorously assert its West Philippine Sea (WPS) arbitration victory at this time, there are Filipinos who are unwilling to defer further action to enforce the arbitral ruling,” he told reporters in a text message.
“Private citizens or groups can say or do something to influence public opinion or affect state action pertaining to matters of public interest, but not necessarily aligning themselves with mainstream political aggrupations in the partisan sense,” he also said.
Mr. Del Rosario and Ms. Morales on March 15 sent the communication to the ICC, days before the country’s withdrawal from the court, as they sought a preliminary examination against Mr. Xi and other officials over harassment of Filipino fishermen in the West Philippine Sea.
In the cover letter of their communication dated March 13, they said Chinese officials “committed crimes within the jurisdiction” of the ICC as they implement a “systematic plan to control (the) South China Sea.”
They noted that despite the Philippines’ withdrawal from the ICC, the international court still has jurisdiction over crimes in the time the Philippines was a member of the Rome Statute from November 2011 to March 17, 2019.
The justice secretary also said: “The complaint may also have been filed to stress a point: that our withdrawal from the ICC was a mistake, as this is one forum where enforcement action in the WPS may actually be sought.”
He added that he “trust(s) that the President has the greater interest of the country in mind in pursuing his kind of foreign policy, and for that reason we ought to give him all the leeway and flexibility he needs.”
The Philippines effectively withdrew from the ICC on March 17, a year after the Philippines submitted its withdrawal to the United Nations secretary-general following the ICC’s announcement that it will conduct a preliminary examination on the “war on drugs.” Despite that development, the ICC has said the examination continues.
SANTIAGO’S ELECTION ‘VOID’
In another development related to the ICC, Malacañang on Monday said the election of late Senator Miriam-Defensor Santiago as the first Filipino judge in the court was “void” from the start, saying the country has never been a member of that body. Presidential Spokesperson Salvador S. Panelo said at a news conference at the Palace on Monday that Ms. Santiago “never knew” that the Rome Statute, which established the ICC, was never published in the Official Gazette.
“If the position is we’ve never been a state party [to the ICC], then logically, it is void,” Mr. Panelo said.
“Unless, the International Court says it is not, because it is a legal issue. As far as we are concerned, they never assumed jurisdiction over us. As far as they are concerned, they assumed jurisdiction because there was a treaty,” he added.
Mr. Panelo further said that in spite of the fact that there was a treaty, “the Constitution was not followed, so it’s a legal issue.”
“Obviously, she never knew — knowing her to be a lawyer, she never knew that there was (no) publication on the Official Gazette or a newspaper of general circulation,” he said.“Had she known that, knowing her, I’m sure she would have raised that as an issue.”
Ms. Santiago, who succumbed to cancer in 2016, was elected to the ICC in 2011. She was the first Filipino and first Asian to be elected as judge of The Hague-based organization that investigates and tries individuals charged with the gravest crimes of concern to the international community. She stepped down in 2014 after nearly three years in the position, citing health reasons.
Raul C. Pangalangan, a former dean of the University of the Philippines-College of Law, currently serves as a judge of the ICC. He was elected to the ICC in 2015.
Mr. Panelo said, when asked if the Philippines will have to pull Mr. Pangalangan out of his post, “We don’t have to pull out anybody.”
“If the position is we never (were) under the jurisdiction of the court, then it behooves whoever is there to do something for himself,” he added.

More than half of towns and cities in hotspot list

THE PHILIPPINE National Police (PNP) has identified a total of 941 election hotspots that comprise 57.60% of the 1,634 cities and municipalities nationwide. Of the total, 570 are categorized as election areas of grave concern (Red Category), 238 under immediate concern (Orange Category), and 131 are areas of concern (Yellow Category). There are no areas under the Red Category in the National Capital Region and Ilocos region. PNP also said that Cotabato City and Daraga, Albay are areas under the control of the Commission on Elections. — Vince Angelo C. Ferreras

Palace leaves probe on PCSO’s Cam to Ombudsman

PHILSTAR/MIGUEL ANTONIO DE GUZMAN

MALACAÑANG ON Monday said it will not be conducting an investigation on Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office Board Member Sandra M. Cam’s alleged undeclared properties, saying that she is already being probed by the Ombudsman. Detained Senator Leila M. de Lima last Sunday challenged President Rodrigo R. Duterte to fire Ms. Cam for allegedly “amassing properties worth hundreds of millions of pesos, including an island.” “I dare you, Mr. President, to fire Sandra Cam or at least order a bona fide investigation into her alleged amassing of properties worth hundreds of millions of pesos, including an island,” she said in a statement. Sought for comment at a news conference at the Palace on Monday, Presidential Spokesperson Salvador S. Panelo said “From what I understand, somebody has already filed a case in the Ombudsman. So that’s the Ombudsman call now… the Ombudsman has the power to suspend, I think we will let it do the process,” he explained. “We will not be duplicating any investigation.” — Arjay L. Balinbin

Fuel prices continue climb this week

OIL COMPANIES are raising the prices of gasoline, diesel and kerosene this week to reflect the movement of prices in the international market. Gasoline will rise by P0.65 per liter (/L), while diesel and kerosene will increase by P0.10/L. For most of the oil companies, the price adjustment will take place at 6:00 a.m. on Tuesday, March 26. Last week, oil companies raised the prices of petroleum products, with gasoline increasing by P1.45/L, one of the biggest price hikes in recent months. — Victor V. Saulon

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