Nation at a Glance — (08/07/18)
News stories from across the nation. Visit www.bworldonline.com (section: The Nation) to read more national and regional news from the Philippines.
Guiao eyeing international event-ready team for Asiad
By Michael Angelo S. Murillo
Senior Reporter
WHILE left with limited time to prepare, national men’s basketball team coach Yeng Guiao is determined to come up with an “international tournament-ready” team for the 18th Asian Games in Indonesia.
Suddenly thrust back to the driver’s seat after local basketball officials decided to reconsider an earlier decision not to send a team to the quadrennial games, which begins next week, Mr. Guiao said the task is going to be tough but it will not stop them from making the most of what they have and have a good showing in the Asiad.
The NLEX coach is to lead a team composed of the core of the Rain or Shine team in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA), souped up by players from the other PBA teams.
Making up the team are Maverick Ahanmisi, Chris Tiu, Gabe Norwood, James Yap, Beau Belga and Raymond Almazan of Rain or Shine, backstopped by Christian Standhardinger (San Miguel), Stanley Pringle (GlobalPort), JP Erram (Blackwater), Paul Lee (Magnolia), Don Trollano (TNT) and Asi Taulava (NLEX).
Part of the pool for the squad as well are Gilas cadet players Kobe Paras and Ricci Rivero.
Assisting Mr. Guiao is Rain or Shine head coach Caloy Garcia, the former’s deputy while he was still coach of the Elasto Painters.
Messrs. Lee, Pringle and Taulava, however, are still awaiting their accreditation to play for the team from the Asian Games organizing committee, the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas, Inc. said, something the federation is expecting to be cleared soon.
COMPETITIVE TEAM
Mr. Guiao said the players may not necessarily represent the “primary” collection of talent but it is a group that could potentially make things happen in the Asiad given the circumstances of the preparation.
“We only have eight days to prepare because on Aug. 14 we are set to leave for Indonesia. We have eight days of practice. That is really short to whip up a competitive team. Our familiarity with the Rain or Shine guys is a plus. We got Paul, who used to play for Rain or Shine, and we tried to get Poy Erram and Christian Standhardinger and good thing they were allowed to join us,” Mr. Guiao told members of media following the formal announcement of the reconsideration to send a team in the Asian Games on Sunday prior to the start of Game Five of the PBA Commissioner’s Cup finals.
“The next move for us is preparing for the competition. I know all the teams, except the two teams playing in the Finals (San Miguel and Barangay Ginebra), are already in the midst of their preparations for the next conference so they will be affected by this. That is part of the sacrifice that we will undertake for the country. We will pose no excuses. We will work overtime.,” added the coach, who started practice with the team yesterday.
SHOOTERS AND BIG MEN
From the pool of 14 players, Mr. Guiao said they hope to come up with a good mix of 12 players for the team, boasting of shooters and quality big men.
“When you go international, you got to have the shooters and you have to have the quality big men. I guess, that will be the basis for the next eight days of practice, who can give those. That’s the only option that we have and we have to leave out two players. I want to have reliable shooters and scorers, and then I want to have big men that could defend the bigs on the other side,” Mr. Guiao said of the kind of team they envision for their Asian Games campaign.
The Philippines is in Group B in the Asian Games along with 2014 runner-up Iran, Syria and the United Arab Emirates.
In the 2014 edition, the Philippines finished at seventh place.
Batang Gilas romps to second straight win at U18 Asian Championship
By Michael Angelo S. Murillo
Senior Reporter
THE strong start of the Philippine national youth team at the FIBA U18 Asian Championship continued on Monday night as it routed the United Arab Emirates, 92-49, to book its second win in as many games in Group B.
Fresh from an impressive 75-53 victory over Lebanon in its tournament opener on Sunday, Batang Gilas showed no letup against UAE as it led from wire-to-wire, displaying balanced scoring and steady defense en route to the big win at the Bangkok Thai-Japan Youth Center in Thailand.
The Philippines opened the proceedings with a 10-0 blast in the first two minutes of the opening quarter with Kai Sotto, AJ Edu, Joshua Ramirez and Miguel Oczon anchoring.
It was a fast start that set the tone for Batang Gilas as it went on to build a 15-point cushion, 29-14, at the end of the opening 10 minutes of the match.
In the second quarter, UAE would compete on a better footing but unfortunately for the team the Philippines stood its ground as it keep it at bay throughout to hold a 50-31 advantage at the halftime break.
The Batang Gilas juggernaut extended into the third period as it capitalized on its size advantage to pound on the UAE players no end.
Its lead stood at 28 points, 69-41, with seven seconds remaining before a three-pointer by UAE as the quarter expired trimmed the lead to 25 points, 69-44, heading into the final 10 minutes of the contest.
While the match was pretty much under its control, Batang Gilas continued to put pressure on UAE in the fourth period, keeping the latter scoreless in the first seven minutes to extend their lead to 41 points, 85-44.
UAE would only score five points after, handing the 43-point victory to the Philippines, 92-49.
Edu paced Batang Gilas with 16 points and eight rebounds while Sotto had 14 points and eight boards.
Rhayyan Amsali finished with 13 points with Xyrus Torres adding 12.
Raven Cortez only had six points but a team-high 13 rebounds.
Mohamed Alhashmi paced UAE with 18 points.
The Philippines will play China (2-0) today for group leadership and direct passage to the quarterfinals.
Aquino-Cayetano word war continues
By Camille A. Aguinaldo
Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter S. Cayetano on Monday took the advice of former President Benigno S. C. Aquino III to seek answers through a simple search online on the previous administration’s response to the South China Sea dispute but noted that it revealed “far more serious problems that emanated from an unclear chain of command.”
“You know very well the questions I asked cannot be answered by a simple Google search alone. In fact, your suggestion to Google your answers to my questions led to more questions than answers,” he said in his second open letter posted on Facebook late Monday.
“It revealed far more serious problems that emanated from an unclear chain of command, serious miscalculations, and the absence of an end game for the country,” he added.
Mr. Aquino last Friday said the former senator had access to files and persons concerning the issue. Answering the questions raised by Mr. Cayetano point-by-point would provide China “a goldmine of information and intelligence” or what he described a “playbook” on the country’s strategy, he added.
In response, Mr. Cayetano listed another 11 questions on the standoff incident in Scarborough shoal in his second open letter.
“Why did we need to send a backdoor negotiator to resolve the standoff in Scarborough shoal? Were the efforts of then Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario to deal with the problem not enough?” one of his questions stated.
Back in 2012, the Philippine Navy ship was about to apprehend Chinese fishing boats poaching Scarborough shoal when Chinese surveillance ships blocked them. The surveillance ships have placed themselves between the Philippine warships and the Chinese fishing vessels, preventing the Filipino navy officials from making arrests.
He also raised the reported disagreement between former Secretary Albert F. Del Rosario and Senator Antonio F. Trillanes IV on dealing with the issue, citing a 2012 report from the Philippine Daily Inquirer showing Mr. Del Rosario’s disapproval of the backchannel negotiations.
“Senator Trillanes reportedly told you that Secretary del Rosario had been giving you false information about Chinese actions. What were these supposedly false information? Were these information indeed proven to be false?” the Foreign Affairs Secretary asked Mr. Aquino.
In a statement on Sunday, Mr. Trillanes said he was officially designated by Mr. Aquino as backchannel negotiator in May 2012 to deescalate the tension in the shoal.
Mr. Cayetano then asked whether there was an agreement for the withdrawal of Chinese and Philippine ships in the shoal or whether the former President received a commitment from the United States to help the country on the dispute.
He also requested him to point out the provision of the arbitral award where Philippine rights were upheld in cases of militarization in the disputed area or standoffs.
“Couldn’t we have sent back our ships to Scarborough even while we were taking steps to bring the case to arbitration? Why not?” he also asked.
He added that Mr. Aquino still refused to shed light on the issue to Filipinos even as his “playbook” was already known to the Chinese government.
“Our current playbook is what we have to guard closely, not yours. Yet you and your allies continue to undermine the present approach that is called for in our current playbook. Do you or don’t you want to protect our country’s interest?” he said.
Dutertenomics’ debt addiction
“It is the highest impertinence and presumption… in kings and ministers, to pretend to watch over the economy of private people, and to restrain their expense… They are themselves always, and without any exception, the greatest spendthrifts in the society.”
— Adam Smith,
The Wealth Of Nations (1776),
Book II, Chapter III, p.346.
When people spend above their means, they’re considered as profligate wastrels.
But when governments do it — when expenses exceed revenues, resulting in budget deficits — it is simply accepted.
Why?
Because many people benefit a lot from such irresponsibility — politicians, legislators, bureaucrats, consultants, suppliers, and those dependent on welfare.
Congressional hearings for the 2019 budget have already started this month and the House of Representatives and Senate will deliberate on the huge P3.7-trillion budget. It consists of P3.2-trillion projected revenues and P600+ billion of deficit financing or debt.
Since the Philippine government — regardless of administrations — is into endless debt addiction, the public debt stock keeps rising (P562B last year, P679B this year, P785B next year).
Likewise, the annual debt service expenditures, principal and interest mixture is about 55-45% (data from Budget of Expenditures and Sources of Financing (BESF) 2019 submitted by Malacañang to Congress) also keep rising (see table 1).
Meanwhile, the bulk of foreign debt payments goes to paying debt securities to cover the annual budget deficit, and not to multilaterals like the Asian Development Bank and the World Bank or bilaterals like the Japan International Cooperation Agency and the United States Agency for International Development that lend money for specific projects.
Below are some big items in foreign debt servicing. Small debt services that are below $50M like loans from USAID, French Protocol, KFW (Germany), and PL 480 are not included here. Debt securities have high interest rates, which can reach up to 10.6%, unlike those from multilaterals and bilaterals, which only range from 0.1% to 5% (see table 2).
All administrations including the Duterte government have the usual alibi — look at the debt/GDP ratio, around 40% and it’s sustainable, not the total debt stock.
The alibi looks cute and innocent except that the numerator, public debt stock, is debt by the government alone while the denominator, GDP size, is the flow of goods and services produced by mostly people in the private sector, households, and private enterprises.
A continuing budget deficit and addiction to debt are unsustainable.
The people should remind the politicians and legislators from the President down to local governments that having big tax cuts is better than endless big spending and borrowings.
Bienvenido S. Oplas, Jr. is President of Minimal Government Thinkers
minimalgovernment@gmail.com.
Palace mulls issuing EO to extend processing of claims of martial law victims
By Arjay L. Balinbin, Reporter
Presidential Spokesperson Harry L. Roque, Jr. on Monday, Aug. 6, said an executive order (EO) may be needed to extend the operations of the Human Rights Victims’ Claims Board (HRVCB) for the processing of the claims of martial law human rights victims who have not yet received their monetary compensation.
“Makikipagpulong ako po mismo as the presidential adviser on human rights doon sa opisyales ng Human Rights [Victims’] Claims Board. Siguro gagawin ko po itong prayoridad ngayung linggong ito,” Mr. Roque said in a press briefing.
(I will meet with the officials of the HRVCB in my capacity as the presidential adviser on human rights. I will take this as my priority this week.)
He added: Ang problema po diyan natapos na po ‘yung buhay ng (the problem is that life of the) Human Rights [Victims’] Claims Board (have already ended) at parang ayaw na i-honor ng (and it seems that the) LANDBANK ‘yung mga (does not want to honor the) signatures [anymore]. So baka kinakailangan po gumawa ng (an) executive order (may be necessary) para lamang ma-extend ‘yung buhay (to extend its life) just for the purpose of the banks honoring the signature of the designated signatories of the claims board.”
Sought for comment, Bayan Muna Rep. Carlos Isagani T. Zarate said the issuance of an EO is “one of the options” being considered.
Mr. Zarate filed House Joint Resolution No. 24 last month for the extension of the validity and availability of the fund for the Marcos human rights violation victims with the Land Bank of the Philippines.
The resolution also seeks to authorize the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) to administer the effective distribution of the funds to qualified victims or their heirs or representatives until Dec. 2019.
The resolution noted that the HRVCB was able to approve and recognize the 11,103 legitimate claimants out of more than 75,000 applicants.
“However, the HRVCB was only able to completely resolve the 6,737 appeals on May 6, 2018, or six (60 days before the law’s sunset (May 12). The checks issued by the HRVCB for the human rights victims have validity of only three (3) months,” the resolution also read.
Gloria Arroyo, master of Machiavellian politics
Ms. Gloria Arroyo said she has never entertained the idea even if she is in her last 11 months as representative of Pampanga’s second district.
But the brazenness by which she ascended to the speakership, even to the extent of upstaging President Duterte in front of the diplomatic corps, during her last 11 months in Congress, betrays her feigned passiveness towards a position of enormous power.
Provisions in the present constitution prevents her from running again for president and from running for a fourth term as representative of the 3rd district of Pampanga. Such provisions would be absent in the new constitution as hinted by members of the consultative committee on charter change.
Upon being installed Speaker, Ms. Arroyo said her first and foremost job is to carry out the legislative agenda of President Duterte and by the President’s own pronouncement that legislative agenda is charter change.
Yet just days after being installed as Speaker, she was distributing relief goods in the flooded areas of Bataan and Pampanga, activities very much akin to a political campaign rather than to legislative work. When asked why she was doing that, she explained that it was to understand better the problems that congressmen are faced with so she can help them in meeting the needs of their districts. Her answer makes congressmen appear incompetent in appreciating the problems of their district that she has to see for herself what the problem is.
She may not be aspiring to become prime minister but obviously she is already campaigning for a national position. If the proposed constitution is federal presidential as she says, then it is the presidency she aspires for. The proposed constitution would not bar her from running for president.
She has in the past evinced a preference for a parliamentary form of government. Recovering from her near ouster towards the end of 2005 due to the Garci tapes expose, she formed a constitutional consultative body, in contravention to law, composed of people known to be advocates of a parliamentary system. Such a system would have allowed her, as leader of the majority party, to continue to rule as prime minister beyond 2010. As expected, the members came up with a draft constitution that set no limit to the terms of the prime minister and that would abolish the Senate.
However, the move to amend the Constitution didn’t prosper in Congress. Thwarted, the Arroyo-allied groups Sigaw ng Bayan and Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines filed a petition with the Commission on Elections to hold a plebiscite that would ratify their initiative petition. They claim that their petition had the support of more than six million individuals constituting at least 12% of all registered voters, with each legislative district represented by at least 3% of its registered voters. They also claimed that Comelec election registrars had verified the signatures of the 6.3 million individuals.
The initiative petition would modify sections of the Constitution that would shift the present bicameral-presidential system to a unicameral-parliamentary form of government. But the COMELEC denied due course to the petition for lack of an enabling law governing initiative petitions to amend the Constitution.
President Arroyo’s minions would not be deterred. They asked the Supreme Court to rule that the Comelec committed grave abuse of discretion in denying due course to their petition. The Court ruled that the group miserably failed to comply with the basic requirements of the Constitution for conducting a people’s initiative.
That is Gloria Arroyo ever scheming to gain more power or retain power.
As she could not could not get a major party to support her presidential bid in 1998, she had to agree to be the vice presidential candidate of Lakas-NUCD. And so she travelled all over the country, using her maiden and better known name Macapagal, making herself up to look like the bakya crowd’s idol, Nora Aunor, and telling the same simple-minded crowd that she was the classmate of Bill Clinton. She won but Lakas-NUCD’s standard bearer Jose de Venecia lost to the actor Joseph “Erap” Estrada.
As vice president, she saw no evil and heard no evil, when she, as the titular head of the opposition, was duty-bound to take issue with President Estrada’s hollow programs, self-serving policies, and dubious acts. She refused to take a stand on the many issues confronting the nation, choosing instead to only stand and wait — for Erap to self-destruct, physically or politically.
Some said she would have appeared over-eager to become president had she joined the movement to remove Erap from Malacañang as she was next in the line of succession to the presidency. Well, she eventually joined the clamor, but only when the fall of Erap became imminent.
Erap eventually fell.
By virtue of the constitutional provisions, Vice President Gloria Macapagal became president. “I am President of EDSA II.” She declared. But she was only an incidental consequence of EDSA II, “Anak ng EDSA, sa labas,” as Conrad de Quiros of the Inquirer put it so aptly.
As the name Macapagal had served its usefulness, she told media that from then on she would be called Gloria Arroyo.
As president she visited provinces, including far away Abra, distributing assorted packs of foodstuffs and canned goods for indigent families. She awarded checks of P850,000 to each of the municipalities representing the balance of the counterpart fund for the seeds and planting materials program of the Department of Agriculture. A subaltern in the Department of Social Welfare could have distributed goodies to indigent families as an underling in the Department of Agriculture could have delivered the checks. But she chose to act as delivery or messenger girl because she believed in the power of the politics of patronage, power that would be useful for her in the elections of 2004.
To increase her chances of winning in the 2004 presidential election, she appointed her husband special envoy to the millions of Filipinos working overseas. She had been president for almost two years and never during that period did she show special concern for the overseas Filipino workers.
But because the bill allowing overseas Filipino voters to vote in Philippine elections had become law, she suddenly showed serious concern for those Filipinos by appointing her husband special envoy to them. The public saw the appointment as another cheap shot at winning the goodwill, and consequently, the votes of about seven million Filipino voters.
In October 2003, she announced that she was not going to run for president in 2004.
She made it appear she was making a great sacrifice when she made the decision. Said she in December: “My reading of the political winds tells me that the 2004 elections may well go down in history as among the most bitterly contested elections ever. Consequently, we may end up stalling national growth for a few years more. In view of this, I have decided not to run for president during the elections of 2004.”
At the time she made her decision not to run, the chance of being elected president seemed only a faint hope.
She was trailing Raul Roco, Fernando Poe, Jr., and Noli de Castro among the possible presidential candidates in the surveys. Only 11% of those polled said they would vote for her.
Then Roco was diagnosed as seriously sick. De Castro was prevailed (people suspected by the president) upon to run for vice president.
So, she decided to run for president after all.
Said she: “I have deferred my retirement. I will sacrifice my yearnings for personal quiet and release from presidential strain and anxiety. And I will offer myself to the electorate in 2004 as the leader with the experience and vision necessary to change society, to achieve economic development, and eliminate poverty. Tatakbo ako sa pagka-pangulo sa eleksyon ng Mayo 2004. I see the need for a greater sacrifice and I will make it.”
Her deciding not to run for president in 2004 was a great sacrifice. When she decided to run after all, she was making a greater sacrifice.
In July 2005, her calling Comelec Commissioner Garcillano was revealed. People called for her resignation. “I am not resigning my office,” came the defiant response from her. Said she, “I was duly elected to uphold the Constitution and ensure that the institutions of the nation were strengthened, not weakened.”
But it is precisely the legitimacy of her election that was being challenged. Wire-tapped recording of a conversation between her and Comelec’s Garcillano strongly indicated a deliberate attempt to subvert the will of the electorate.
From then on the Arroyo presidency was characterized by Machiavellian machinations to hang on to fast-eroding power and influence. That same character is now manifesting itself but this time to regain power and influence.
Oscar P. Lagman, Jr. is a member of Manindigan! a cause-oriented group of businessmen, professionals, and academics.
oplagman@yahoo.com
Duty of loyalty for officials of GOCCs and listed companies
The GOCC Governance Act requires of directors, trustees, and officers in the GOCC Sector to “[a]ct with utmost and undivided loyalty to the GOCC,” and to “[a]void conflicts of interests and declare any interests they may have in any particular matter before the Board.”
In particular, it provides that “Where a member of the Board or an Officer, by virtue of the office, acquires or receives for oneself a benefit or profit, of whatever kind or nature including, but not limited to, the acquisition of shares in corporations where the GOCC has an interest, using the properties of the GOCC for their own benefit, receiving commission on contracts from the GOCC’s assets, or taking advantage of corporate opportunities of the GOCC, all such profits or benefits shall be subject to restitution under Section 24 of this Act, without prejudice to any administrative, civil or criminal action against members of the Board of Directors/Trustees or Officers. This provision shall be applicable notwithstanding the fact that such member of the Board or Officer risked one’s own funds in the venture.”
The Act imposes the character of being “trustee” on directors/trustees and officers when it comes to the properties, interests and monies of the GOCC, thus: “Except for the per diem received for actual attendance in board meetings and the reimbursement for actual and reasonable expenses and incentives as authorized by the GCG, any and all realized and unrealized profits and/or benefits including, but not limited to, the share in the profits, incentives of members of the Board or Officers in excess of that authorized by the GCG, stock options, dividends and other similar offers or grants from corporations where the GOCC is a stockholder or investor, and any benefit from the performance of members of the Board or Officers of the Corporation acting for and in behalf of the GOCC in dealing with its properties, investments in other corporations, management of subsidiaries and other interest, are to be held in trust by such member of the Board or Officer for the exclusive benefit of the GOCC represented.”
As an ancillary duty to the duty of utmost loyalty, the Act specifically imposes the “obligation to restitute”, the violation of which constitutes an administrative and criminal offense, thus:
SEC. 24. Restitution. — Upon the determination and report of the Commission on Audit (COA) that properties or monies belonging to the GOCC are in the possession of a member of the Board or Officer without authority, or that profits are earned by the member of the Board or Officer in violation of the fiduciary duty, or the aggregate per diems, allowances and incentives received in a particular year are in excess of the limits provided under this Act, the member of the Board or Officer receiving such properties or monies shall return the same to the GOCC.
Failure to make the restitution within thirty (30) days after a written demand has been served shall, after trial and final judgment, be punished by an imprisonment of one (1) year and a fine equivalent to twice the amount to be restituted, and in the discretion of the court of competent jurisdiction, disqualification to hold public office.
In the case of breach of duty of loyalty by directors, trustees and officers in the private corporate sector, Section 31 and 34 of the Corporation Code mandates only that the culprit shall be obliged to reimburse the corporation all the profits he earned from the transaction, even though he may have used his own resources.
Under both the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act and the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officers, the same self-serving transactions would constitute criminal offenses.
Under Section 32 of the Corporation Code, the general rule is that any contract entered into by a director, trustee or officer with the corporation would be considered as “self-dealing” and would generally be annullable at the option of the corporation unless the voting requirements at met, and that in all instances the contract is fair and reasonable to the corporation. Under both the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, and the Code of Conduct for Public Officers and Employees, the same acts are not ratifiable, and constitute a criminal offense.
Directors, trustees, officers and employees in the GOCC Sector are mandated to the highest standard of loyalty to the interests of the GOCC they serve in that they become criminally liable for soliciting, accepting, directly or indirectly, any gift, gratuity, favor, entertainment, loan or anything of monetary value from any person in the course of their official duties or in connection with any operation being regulated by, or any transaction which may be affected by the functions of their office.
DUTY TO APPOINT COMPETENT OFFICERS
The GOCC Governance Act makes it a formal duty on the part of the members of the GOCC Governing Boards to “Elect and/or employ only Officers who are fit and proper to hold such office with due regard to the qualifications, competence, experience and integrity.”
During his term, President Fidel V. Ramos promulgated Executive Order No. (E.O.) 226, s. 1995, institutionalizing the doctrine of “command responsibility” in the government service, which provided that any government official or supervisor “shall be held accountable for ‘Neglect of Duty’ under the doctrine of ‘command responsibility’ if he has knowledge that a crime or offense shall be committed, is being committed, or has been committed by his subordinates, or by others within his area of responsibility, and despite such knowledge, he did not take preventive or corrective action either before, during or immediately after its commission.” Among others, the E.O. makes a presumption that a government official or supervisor has knowledge of the commission of irregularities or criminal offenses “When members of his immediate staff or office personnel are involved.”
E.O. 226 remains effective under the statute books.
The article reflects the personal opinion of the author and does not reflect the official stand of the Management Association of the Philippines or the MAP
Cesar L. Villanueva is the Vice Chair of the Corporate Governance Committee of the Management Association of the Philippines (MAP), the Founding Partner of the Villanueva Gabionza & Dy Law Offices, and the former Chair of the Governance Commission for GOCCs.
cvillanueva@vgslaw.com
map@map.org.ph
http://map.org.ph
Soup of the day
By Tony Samson
RESTAURANTS often have on offer a “soup of the day,” usually priced lower than the others on the menu. The featured soup may include ingredients fresh in the market that day, or in abundant supply, and therefore cheap, after a flood in the fish pens, as in the case of milkfish bellies. And the soup du jour for the more upscale outlets is announced with appropriate fanfare by the waiter who will also include the wine of the day from Chile, available by the glass.
“Specials” for the day also apply to topics that news outlets or social media seem to favor on certain days. The usual herd mentality for news is driven by the constant fear of missing out (FOMO) on a hot subject, the journalistic soup of the day. This can require one to have opinions for discussion and debate. It doesn’t do to ask — what’s that?
These “trending topics” in the language of social media can cover a variety of subjects. Should a broadcaster return the fraudulently solicited sponsorship of sixty million gathered from one government account? (His lawyer said yes — does he check with his client?) Who is really behind the loudspeaker static and replacement? Is the leader hale and hearty? (Can he still carry heavy burden of friendships?)
One can see that soups that get heated and stirred daily consist of large chunks of stuff and conspiracy theories. And the meat that happens to be swirling in the hot mix just wants everything to cool off.
It is the serving of such soups that attract the crisis managers. There is a segment of communications specialists who thrive in setting fires or putting them out — sometimes it’s even the same team. For the beleaguered one in the burning pot, it is always good to distinguish the firefighters from the looters.
The attention span for news, which is defined as something that does not really involve you or your family and close friends (okay, maybe them), has shrunk.
Fifteen years ago, with the pace of news gathering and its dissemination and consumption in traditional media, the attention span was estimated, based on anecdotal evidence alone, at ten days. After this time, the viewer or reader moves to other things. To the millennial this chunk of time seems the equivalent of one paleontological period, say Jurassic. It is said that the attention span now for those who consume news and postings from their hand phone is three seconds (maybe, even two). Either the news item grabs them by their earphones in that time, or it is swiped left for the next topic.
So, is the soup of the day to be savored slowly, to feel the lobster bisque on the tongue, before it slowly slides down in a sensuous trip down the esophagus, chased down by a sip of cold Chilean chardonnay (also the bargain of the day)? No. News is consumed like potato chips — how many bites do you need? A lot of the crumbs fall on the floor.
If attention is the new currency which thousands (make that hundreds of thousands) apps and platforms are chasing for their granularly targeted audiences (those between fifteen to twenty who just had root canal work), is the soup of the day even relevant? Should the target of trolls and demolition crews be overly concerned that he or she will be the target of the public’s attention (and ire) for long?
True, photo op events, like mass action even from the rent-a-crowd types may entice TV coverage and some video blogs. But even these stunts no longer compel attention, as crowds with no clear agenda may even attract the wrong kind of attention. Can loitering be a synonym for rallying?
Even when legal action is taken to the point of having lawyers interviewed in court in the news of the night when the defendant pleads a bad stomach and does not make an appearance, their rightful indignation comes across as rehearsed and recycled.
Of course, the rule when it comes to the soup of the day is simple — there will be another one tomorrow. And would you remember what they had last week?
Tony Samson is Chaiman and CEO, TOUCH xda
ar.samson@yahoo.com
How much have prices gone up for poor families?
Second-quarter inflation, as reflected in goods and services widely used by low-income households, rose to 6.5%, its highest level in almost four years, led by utilities and staple food items, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).
The Consumer Price Index (CPI) for the bottom 30% income segment reflects a heavier weighting for food, beverages and tobacco (FBT), to more accurately capture the spending patterns of the poor. — BusinessWorld Research
Read the full story: Inflation for poor households hits 6.5%
NCAA: Charging Knights take on middling Chiefs
By Michael Angelo S. Murillo
Senior Reporter
WINNERS of their last three games, the Letran Knights seek to continue their impressive run early in Season 94 of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) when they take on the Arellano Chiefs in the last game of the scheduled triple-header in seniors play today at the FilOil Flying V Centre in San Juan City.
Currently sporting a 3-1 card, good for solo third place, the Muralla-based Knights have turned things around after being tripped in their debut outing in the ongoing season to make their way to the top half of the standings.
The Jeff Napa-coached team now try to extend the streak they have built in their match against Arellano at 4 p.m.
Letran’s latest victory came over the College of St. Benilde Blazers, 64-60, on Aug. 2 at its home gym for the “NCAA on Tour.
Veteran Bong Quinto led his team to the victory with 17 points while getting ample support from the frontcourt trio of Larry Muyang, Chris Fajarito and Jeo Ambohot.
Muyag, Fajarito and Ambohot combined for 22 points and 22 rebounds and were instrumental in holding the Blazers scoreless in the last 3:27 minutes to snare the win.
The win was a familiar refrain for the Knights, that has them making full use of their size advantage over opponents.
“We just like to take advantage of the strength that we obviously have and we did it again in this game,” said Mr. Napa following their victory.
Prior to beating St. Benilde, Letran defeated Jose Rizal University and San Sebastian College to bounce back from their initial loss to the University of Perpetual Help.
Arellano, for its part, has been having it roller-coaster so far, leading it to have a middling 2-2 record after four matches.
The Chiefs lost to the Mapua Cardinals, 91-83, last time around and are angling to get back on the winning track and stay inside the top echelon with an above .500 mark.
Adrian Alban is leading Jerry Codiñera-coached Arellano in scoring with 13.5 points with Levi Dela Cruz adding 12.8 points and Rence Alcoriza 11.5 points per game, respectively.
Other matches set for today are Mapua (2-3) versus San Sebastian Stags (2-4) at 12 noon and the Lyceum Pirates (6-0) against St. Benilde (2-3) at 2 p.m.
Meanwhile, after leading the Emilio Aguinaldo College Generals to their first victory in NCAA Season 94, JP Maguliano was named player of the week.
The bruiser forward busted loose for 30 points and 17 rebounds to help the Generals to their 79-77 victory over San Sebastian on Aug. 3.
The 19-year-old Maguliano edged out reigning league most valuable player CJ Perez of Lyceum, Letran’s Quinto, and the San Beda pair of Robert Bolick and JV Mocon for the weekly plum given by sport media covering the league and supported by Chooks-To-Go.
England’s Hall grabs first major at British Open with final round 67
LYTHAM ST. ANNES, UNITED KINGDOM — England’s Georgia Hall showed grit and a steely nerve to win the Women’s British Open with a superb final round of five under par 67 at Royal Lytham and St. Annes on Sunday.
With her father Wayne acting as her caddie, the 22-year-old came from a shot behind overnight leader Thailand’s Pornanong Phatlum to post a 17 under par total and claim a first major title and the $490,000 winner’s cheque.
Over the 72 holes, Hall made only three bogeys — she could well afford the one at the last — and her six-birdie final round secured a two-shot victory over Pornanong.
Hall, whose first name is in honor of the American state that hosts the Masters at Augusta, had only won twice previously since turning professional in 2014, as a rookie on the Ladies European Tour Access Series and at the 2016 Victorian Open in Australia.
The final day turned out to be a two-horse race between the pair at the back of the field, Hall and Pornanong.
The 28-year-old Thai was two ahead after four birdies in the first six holes and still one ahead at the turn.
But Hall staged a great back nine charge with three birdies in four holes from the 13th, the 25-footer at the 16th earning the lead for the first time.
Hall is the first British winner since Scotland’s Catriona Matthew, also at Lytham in 2009, and joins Laura Davies, who has four, Alison Nicholas (1997 US Women’s Open) and Karen Stupples (2004 British Open) as English winners of a women’s major.
Pornanong, leader at halfway and after 54 holes, did little wrong, but was finally overtaken by Hall’s late great run and only then started making costly errors.
A double-bogey at the 17th finally ended her challenge.
Pornanong closed with a 70 for 15 under par with South Korea’s Ryu So-yeon in third place on 13 under after a 70 that was blighted by a triple-bogey seven at the third.
Hall, joint third at The Open in Kingsbarns in Scotland last year, was able to enjoy the walk down the 18th — by then she had a three-shot lead and she played for a safe bogey.
Atthaya Thitikul was the only amateur to make the cut, and her reward was to win the Smyth Salver.
The 15-year-old Thai closed with 77 for 12 over par. — AFP