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Rain or Shine-backed PHL team to participate in Asiad basketball — owner Raymond Yu

TALKING about change of heart, it looks like the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) has decided to send a team in the coming Asian Games and Rain or Shine, which was tapped to represent the country in the biennial meet, will continue to carry the country’s colors in the quadrennial meet just as planned.
Rain or Shine team owner Raymond Yu confirmed this development to BusinessWorld in a telephone interview.
“Yes, we’re going to the Asian Games and we were just informed (Sunday) today. There’s a scheduled press conference (Sunday) and additional information as far as who are the players who will be loaned to us will be revealed,” Mr. Yu said.
According to Mr. Yu, he was informed on the possibility of his team going to the Asian Games a few days ago. Last week, the SBP, the country’s governing body in basketball, told mediamen that they are pulling out from participation in the Asian Games after Yeng Guiao, who was tasked by the Elasto Painters to handle the national team to the quadrennial meet, did not get the players he requested.
This time, the SBP is carrying a different tune and informed the Elasto Painters that they can form a team headed to the Asiad with the support of the PBA.
Rain or Shine has been an active supporter of the national team past and present.
In 2012, when Gilas Pilipinas started to form the team heading to the World Cup qualifier, the team had already loaned Gabe Norwood, Jeff Chan and Beau Belga. Other past and present players who also saw action for the national team include Paul Lee and Raymond Almazan.
Two other present members of the Elasto Painters also had experience playing in major international competitions – James Yap (2009 FIBA Asia Championship handled by Guiao) and Chris Tiu (2011 FIBA Asia Championship under Rajko Toroman). — Rey Joble

Pornanong holds nerve to remain in front at Women’s British Open

LYTHAM ST. ANNES — Thailand’s Pornanong Phatlum showed no signs of nerves as she retained her overnight lead with a third-round 69 at the Women’s British Open at Royal Lytham and St. Annes on Saturday.
On 13-under-par, she led by one from English home favorite Georgia Hall, with South Korea’s Ryu So-yeon a further shot back on 11-under.
Hall, who holed a string of great putts, had five birdies in a 69 to maintain high hopes of improving on last year’s tie for third and become the first British winner since Scotland’s Catriona Matthew triumphed at Lytham nine years ago.
Pornanong has missed six cuts from seven previous appearances in the championship and her best result in a major is a tie for seventh in the 2014 US Women’s Open.
But after two scores of 67 sent her one stroke ahead of the field at the halfway point, the 28-year-old had another exquisite round of four birdies. Her only error in 54 holes came with a bogey at the short 12th, where she failed to get up and down from a bunker.
Attired in a brightly patterned skirt and using a pink ball, Pornanong certainly brought some color to the championship. And her game shone.
RYU SHOOTS 67
Ryu, a two-time major winner, made a Saturday move with a joint-best-of-the-day 67. Two-over after four holes, she then hit a purple patch with birdies at five out of six holes from the fifth. More followed at the 12th and 15th.
Australia’s Minjee Lee and Japan’s Mamiko Higa were tied for second with Hall overnight and they both shot 71 to slip to joint-fourth on 10-under alongside South Korea’s Park Sung-hyun (69).
Kim In-kyung, the defending champion, fell back to one-under-par after a disappointing 74, while world number one Ariya Jutanugarn, the 2016 winner, had a fine 69 for six-under.
Atthaya Thitikul, the only amateur to make the cut, had a tough day. The 15-year-old Thai propped up the field after a 79 for seven-over-par. — AFP

Three Filipino teener cyclists complete Prudential RideLondon Surrey 46

PROVING they have what it takes to ride with some of the top racers in the world, three teenage professional Filipino cyclists completed the Prudential RideLondon Surrey 46 in London, United Kingdom, late last month.
Philippine National Road Race Under-23 Champion Ismael Grospe, Jr. (19 years old,) with Aidan James Mendoza (19 years old,) and Genesis Maraña (17 years old,) clocked in 03:05:44 as they cycled the route that started at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and finished at The Mall in front of Buckingham Palace in the annual race that took place on July 28 and 29.
An intermediate category open to cyclists not younger than 16 years old who are yet to conquer a 100-mile challenge, this year marked the third time that the category was featured in Prudential RideLondon, dubbed as the world’s greatest festival of cycling.
The Prudential RideLondon Surrey 46 saw participants take on 46 miles of traffic-free roads and has been hailed as “a wonderful way to ride one’s first sportive.”
“We are proud that aside from having our largest delegation from the Philippines to date — with eight strong and highly competitive cyclists ready to overcome the challenges of the long ride — they are the Filipinos’ champions in advocating cycling as a way of life,” said Pru Life UK’s Senior Vice- President and Chief Marketing Officer Allan Tumbaga during the send-off for the Filipino cyclists last month where he shared their group’s thrust as well of promoting cycling as an alternative mode of transportation and as an avenue for healthy living.
Other cyclists who represented the Philippines in Prudential RideLondon Surrey 100 category are Philippine National Road Race Champion Jermyn Prado, John Kenneth Cruz, Ryan Lamayo, Tetsuya “Jun” Minagawa, and Bertrand Dominique Teplitxky. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo

MPBL: Manila, Parañaque Patriots strike over rivals

ANGELES CITY, PAMPANGA — Bringing its swagger to silence the Kapampangan crowd, Manila asserted its mastery over host team Pampanga to win big in the MPBL Datu Cup while Parañaque got back to its winning ways by outlasting Pasay Saturday night here at the Angeles University Foundation Arena.
The Stars got a big game from the smallest man on the team — Chris Bitoon — who knocked in 22 points and dished out nine assists in powering Manila to a 100-75 demolition of Pampanga.
It was the fourth win in five games for the Stars, who had defeated their last three opponents by an average of 20.3 points. Prior to this game, the Robust Energy Capsule-backed Stars were coming off from a 107-76 whipping of the Cebu Sharks-Casino Ethyl Alcohol, whom they had held scoreless the entire first period.
This time, they brought their vicious form in thwarting the Pampanga Lanterns, who had lost back-to-back games and fell to 2-3.
Earlier, the F2 Logistics-supported Parañaque Patriots held steadier down the stretch to nip the Pasay Voyagers, 73-69.
Harold Arboleda, the league’s double-double machine, came up with another solid showing to power the Patriots. He finished with 23 points and 12 rebounds while also dishing out five assists and a steal in another solid effort. His impressive numbers enabled the F2
Logistics-backed Patriots got back to the win column. Parañaque now improved its win-loss record to 3-2. Pasay absorbed its fourth loss in five games. The win didn’t come easy though for Parañaque, which needed to battle its way back from a 15-point deficit at half time.
But the Patriots came out with a more energetic showing in the second half led by Arboleda and Rysuei Koga, the only other double-digit producer for Parañaque with 16 markers.
By crunch time, the Patriots went to their best player, Arboleda, and the former NLEX Road Warrior knocked in his team’s last five points, including the go-ahead three-pointer that shoved his team up front, 71-69 heading to the final minute of the match. — Rey Joble

Aussie teen De Minaur’s epic fightback books final with Zverev

WASHINGTON — Australian 19-year-old Alex De Minaur saved four match points Saturday and advanced to Sunday’s ATP Washington Open final, where he will face third-ranked defending champion Alexander Zverev.
The Aussie teen outlasted 20-year-old Russian Andrey Rublev 5-7, 7-6 (8/6), 6-4 after two hours and 52 minutes while 21-year-old German Zverev ousted Greek teen Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-2, 6-4.
De Minaur, ranked 72nd, won the last six points of the tie-breaker to force a third set, then broke 46th-ranked Rublev in the final game, winning on his fourth match-point chance when the Russian double faulted.
“I’m probably going to look back on that and not know how I did that,” De Minaur said. “I managed to string along some great points. It was one of my best matches.
“I had to play some really good points to get myself out of there. I took advantage of a lot of short balls and tried to dictate and that turned the match around.”
It will be the youngest combined age of any ATP final since 20-year-old Rafael Nadal beat 19-year-old Novak Djokovic in 2007 at Indian Wells after the ATP’s first all-21-or-under semifinals since 1995 in Buenos Aires.
Zverev seeks his ninth career ATP title and third of the year after Munich and Madrid. He could join a Washington back-to-back champions list that includes Argentina’s Juan Martin del Potro (2008-09) and Americans Andre Agassi (1990-91 and 1998-99) and Michael Chang (1996-97).
“I’m playing great and hopefully I can win,” Zverev said. “I hope I get out there and play a good match and get to Toronto with another title.”
It’s only the second career ATP final for De Minaur, the son of a Spanish mother and Uruguayan father who lost to Russian Daniil Medvedev in January’s Sydney final.
De Minaur, aided by a walkover Friday when three-time Grand Slam champion Andy Murray withdrew before their quarterfinal, could become the first player to win his first career title at Washington since James Blake in 2002.
Rublev, who returned in July from a three-month layoff due to a lower back stress fracture, beat American Denis Kudla 6-1, 6-4 earlier Saturday in a rain-delayed quarterfinal.
Rublev broke DeMinaur at love to close out the first set and raced ahead 6-2 in the tiebreaker, but De Minaur hit an ace, service winner and forehand winner to pull level, then forced a third set on a Rublev mis-hit and wide backhand.
De Minaur lost his only meeting with Zverev in a Davis Cup fifth-set tie-breaker earlier this year.
“It was a very tight match,” De Minaur said. “I’m going to have to play some very high-quality tennis. The main thing is to recover and get back tomorrow and do the same thing.” — AFP

Still short of winning

Tiger Woods waxed optimistic heading into his Saturday start at the Bridgestone Invitational, and with reason. For one thing, he figured he could again lean on familiarity to go low; Firestone fits his eye, translating to a record eight victories that includes blowouts over strong fields. For another, he understood the value of closing in via an outstanding penultimate 18; not for nothing has he paced the PGA Tour in third-round scoring since he began his comeback in earnest this year.
As things turned out, Woods did make a big move yesterday. Unfortunately, it was in the wrong direction; following an up-and-down — but mostly down — stint that had him post a single birdie despite inviting conditions, he tumbled 18 spots to 28th. His 73 was the ninth-worst of the 71 scores turned in, prompting pundits to speculate if he wasn’t physically up to par, so to speak. Not so, he disclosed; he was just plain bad, having had to fight, in his words, “everything. I didn’t warm up very well. I didn’t hit the ball crisp or clean.”
Given the wasted opportunity, Woods couldn’t help but be disappointed. History beckoned, with a projected ninth triumph fittingly marking the end of the World Golf Championships event in Akron, Ohio; next year, it will be moving to Memphis, Tennessee as part of a deal with city-based FedEx. Instead of stepping up, though, he found himself battling his swing. And it certainly doesn’t help that, at 42, he faces a tougher bounce-back than he has been used to. “That’s one of the challenges as we age — trying to recover for the next day. It’s got[ten] a lot harder.”
Still, if there’s anything Woods understands, it’s that the product of hard work doesn’t always manifest itself immediately. Which is why he’ll keep plodding on; he’ll still be out to do as best he can even if he’s no longer in contention because, well, there’s the PGA Championship next week to consider — and, after that, three more tournaments in four weeks. And, after those, there’s a probable stint in the Ryder Cup as playing assistant captain.
All told, Woods has plenty to get up for, and the numbers don’t lie. He’s making strides, just not as fast as he’d like; among other stats, he’s third and fourth in strokes gained on approach and around the green, respectively. Where he needs improvement — make that a lot of improvement — is off the tee; unless and until he cleans up his effort with a driver in hand, he’ll be coming close, but still short of winning.
 
Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994.

SWS: Satisfaction with Duterte gov’t ‘very good’

NET SATISFACTION with President Rodrigo R. Duterte’s administration has remained at “very good” +58, as in the first quarter, according to the Second Quarter 2018 Social Weather Survey of the Social Weather Stations (SWS).
The noncommissioned survey was conducted June 27-30, using face-to-face interviews of 1,200 adults (18 years old and above) nationwide: 300 each in Metro Manila, Balance Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao, with sampling error margins of ±3% for national percentages and ±6% each for the said areas.
Net satisfaction with the administration was lowest in the National Capital Region at “good” +47 and highest in Mindanao at “excellent” +76, followed by the Visayas at “very good” +56 and Balance Luzon at “very good” +54.

(The SWS terminology for net satisfaction ratings is as follows: +70 and above, “excellent”; +50 to +69, “very good”; +30 to +49, “good”; +10 to +29, “moderate”, +9 to –9, “neutral”; –10 to –29, “poor”; –30 to –49, “bad”; –50 to –69, “very bad”; –70 and below, “execrable.”)
By economic class, net satisfaction was highest among the ABC at “excellent” +81, followed by Class E at “very good” +62, and Class D at “very good” +56.
Net satisfaction in urban areas was at “good” +49, dropping from “very good” +63 in March; and in rural areas, “very good” +67, rising from “very good” +53 in March.
REPORT CARD
The survey also has a “Governance Report Card” in which, out of 20 performance subjects rated, the administration’s net satisfaction rated “very good” on five subjects, “good” on 12 subjects, “moderate” on two subjects, and “neutral” on one subject.
“The net satisfaction rating of the National Administration was very good on: building and maintenance of public works (+62), reconstructing Marawi City (+55), promoting the welfare of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) (+55), helping the poor (+54), and promoting women’s rights (+52),” SWS said.
“It was good on protecting human rights (+48), transparency in government activities (+43), having clear policies (+40), fighting terrorism (+39), ensuring that no family will ever be hungry (+39), foreign relations (+39), fighting crimes (+37), ensuring an efficient public transportation system (+36), fulfilling commitments in international treaties (+33), deciding quickly(+33), reconciling with Muslim rebels (+31), and eradicating graft and corruption (+30).”
“It was moderate on reconciling with communist rebels (+27) and defending Philippine sovereignty in West Philippine Sea (+20).”
“It was neutral on fighting inflation (+1).”
WOMEN’S RIGHTS, OTHER ISSUES
THE survey noted further that net satisfaction with the administration rose by two grades from moderate to very good on promoting women’s rights, up by 24 points from +28 in December 1995 to +52 in June 2018.
“It fell by one grade from very good to good on Protecting human rights, down by 6 points from +54 in March 2018 to +48 in June 2018,” the survey said.
“It also fell from good to moderate on Defending Philippine sovereignty in the West Philippine Sea, down by 14 points from +34 in March 2018 to +20 in June 2018.”
“It stayed good on Fighting crimes, although down by 3 points from +40 in March 2018 to +37 in June 2018.”
“It stayed good on Ensuring an efficient public transportation system, although down by 5 points from +41 in March 2018 to +36 in June 2018.”
“It stayed good on Eradicating graft and corruption, although down by 16 points from +46 in March 2018 to +30 in June 2018.”
“It stayed neutral on Fighting inflation, although down by 7 points from +6 in March 2018 to -1 in June 2018.”

Duterte set to sign National ID law

By Arjay L. Balinbin, Reporter
PRESIDENT RODRIGO R. Duterte is scheduled to sign on Monday, Aug. 6, the Philippine Identification (ID) System Act which institutionalizes a single official identification for all Filipino citizens and foreign residents in the country, Malacañang said in an advisory on Sunday.
The National ID system, identified as among the priority measures of the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC), is expected to be rolled out next year as the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) has already allotted P2 billion for its implementation.
The proposed legislation hurdled the bicameral conference committee last May, where lawmakers decided to adopt the Senate version, Senate Bill (S.B.) No. 1738.
The Senate bill was prepared by that chamber’s committees on justice and human rights, finance, and public information and mass media. Its purpose is to “provide a valid proof of identity for all citizens and resident aliens as a means of simplifying public and private transactions.”
The measure aims to eliminate the need to present other forms of identification when transacting with the government and the private sector, subject to appropriate authentication measures based on a biometric identification system.
“Furthermore, the PhilSys (Philippine ID System) shall be a social and economic platform through which all transactions including public and private services can be availed of and shall serve as the link in the promotion of seamless service delivery, enhancing administrative governance, reducing corruption, strengthening financial inclusion, and promoting ease of doing business,” the Senate bill also read.
Also on Monday, there will be a ceremonial signing of the organic law (Republic Act No. 11054) for the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.
“We cannot underplay the significance of this signing as we take comfort in this momentous step towards building the foundation of a lasting peace in Mindanao. We therefore would like to express our gratitude to all those who worked hard to enable the passage of this landmark law,” Presidential Spokesperson Harry L. Roque, Jr. said in a statement on Sunday.

House panel to file new resolution on separate voting in charter change

A COMMITTEE at the House of Representatives plans to file a new resolution, proposing that the two chambers of Congress vote separately when it convenes into a Constituent Assembly (ConAss) in making amendments or revising the 1987 Constitution.
“(The) voting (will be done) separately as demanded by the Senate. It will be covered already by a resolution, concurrent resolution na ipapasa namin (that we will file),” Leyte Representative Vicente S.E. Veloso, newly installed Constitutional Amendments committee chairperson, said in a phone interview Sunday.
He said Concurrent Resolution no. 9 convening Congress into a constituent assembly, already passed by the chamber, will be withdrawn.
Speaker Gloria M. Arroyo said last week said she has agreed to a separate voting to push forward the administration’s federalism shift. This, however, was met with skepticism in the Senate.
Mr. Veloso said the Committee will tackle on Tuesday the draft Constitution submitted by the Consultative Committee, led by retired chief justice Reynato S. Puno, as well as the chamber’s own working draft.
“In fact, tatlo na ang tinitingnan kong matrix, ‘yung Puno committee na draft, congressional draft and then the 1987 Constitution,” Mr. Veloso said. (In fact, there are three matrix I’m considering — the Puno committee draft, the congressional draft and the 1987 Constitution.)
He added: “’yung Puno draft hindi naman masyadong komplikado. Maraming salient features do’n na magaganda, so kukunin namin ‘yun (The Puno draft is not too complicated. There are many salient features that are good, which we will adopt), but those that are medyo (slightly) controversial that I expect will encounter a stiff opposition from the House, iyon ang titingnan (that’s what we’ll look at).”
He cited among the possible contentious issues the provisions on term limits and the ban on political dynasties.
“Halimbawa, ‘yung anti-dynasty, simple lang naman, ang solusyon dapat walang term limit (For instance, the anti-dynasty, it’s simple, the solution is to omit term limit),” Mr. Veloso said. “You’re putting up term limits that (are) not in the 1935 Constitution, in fact, it is also not in (the) 1973 (Constitution).”
The ConCom draft proposes that elective officials, such as the president, vice-president and members of Congress, shall serve four years with re-election. — Charmaine A. Tadalan

Senate bill on locked-in period for mobile devices revised

By Camille A. Aguinaldo, Reporter
A NEW version of the proposed Network Freedom Act filed in the Senate seeks to allow postpaid mobile devices to have a lock-in period for a limited time and prohibit telecommunications companies from selling locked prepaid mobile device from a specific network.
The previous version of Senate Bill No. 1643 prohibited the locking of both prepaid and postpaid mobile devices.
In a statement, Senator Sherwin T. Gatchalian, author of the bill and chairperson of the Senate committee on economic affairs, said the technical working group (TWG)on the bill is awaiting the findings of a study by the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) and National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) to determine a reasonable lock-in period for postpaid mobile devices, citing the nine-month lock-in period used in New Zealand as a global best practice.
“But the buying power of a New Zealander and the buying power of a Filipino is widely different. I think the buying power of New Zealanders is much higher so that they can shorten the time period,” Mr. Gatchalian said.
“Our system is different. The buying power here is lower, maybe there are those who want (the lock-in period) 12 months or even longer. But I think to be more educated about it, we’re requesting the NTC and DICT to come up with an analysis on this,” he added.
Members of the TWG, including representatives of telecommunication companies, also agreed that mobile devices must be automatically unlocked within 24 hours upon completion of the service contract or upon full payment of the device should a subscriber wish to pre-terminate his or her contract.
The unlocking will be done free of choice and will not void the warranties provided by the manufacturers, the TWG also said.
The new version of the bill also provides that subscribers be fully informed of the unlocking process, with the terms indicated under the mobile communications service contract.
“Telcos will be mandated to inform their subscribers of the official channels for unlocking, as well as the method and manner for unlocking, making the process completely transparent,” Mr. Gatchalian said.
The counterpart House Bill No. 22, filed by Cavite Rep. Francis Gerald A. Abaya, remains pending in the committee level.

Foreign agencies deploying OFWs to Kuwait directed to put up escrow fund

THE Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) has issued an order directing foreign placement agencies (FPAs) hiring domestic workers for Kuwait to put up an escrow account for their possible money claims in contract disputes.
POEA’s Memorandum Circular 10-A, dated July 26, directs the said agencies to deposit a minimum US$10,000 at a reputable bank authorized by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas.
The escrow deposit, POEA said, “shall answer for all valid and legal claims arising from the violation of the employment contracts with the workers.”
The escrow requirement applies to FPAs requesting or renewing their accreditation with a Philippine recruitment agency (PRA).
“If the FPA is accredited or to be accredited to more than one PRA, it needs to put up only one escrow deposit,” the order read. “The escrow deposit of FPA and the escrow of the PRA shall be equally applied to answer for the awards to the workers.”
If the FPA has a pending Disciplinary Action against Employer (DAE) case during the renewal of its accreditation, the FPA will be required to put up an additional escrow deposit which shall not exceed US$ 50,000 and which shall be subject to the following schedule of payment: US$3,000 per case with regards to one to five pending case/s; US$4,000 per case with regards to six to 10 pending cases; and US$5,000 per case with regards to 11 or more pending cases.
“In case the escrow deposit has been garnished, the FPA shall replenish the escrow deposit within fifteen (15) days from the receipt of Notice to Replenish Escrow Deposit,” the order read further. “Failure to comply with such notice will result in suspension of the documentary processing of the FPA until its compliance.”
The order also stipulates terms for the release of escrow deposits upon the cancelation or expiration of an FPA’s registration or accreditation, or after an FPA has ceased its operations. — Gillian M. Cortez

Amnesty program on for OFWs in UAE

By Gillian M. Cortez
THE United Arab Emirates (UAE) government will assist over 100,000 Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) through a three month amnesty program.
Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) Secretary Silvestre H. Bello III said in a statement on Sunday: “I advise all the undocumented, distressed, and overstaying OFWs to avail (themselves) of the amnesty program given by the government of UAE for them to legalize their stay.”
The amnesty program “Protect Yourself via Rectifying Your Status” started this month and will last until the end of October. The program will benefit “87,706 undocumented or overstaying Filipino workers in Abu Dhabi and 14,400 in Dubai,” DoLE said.
DoLE added that OFWs who are interested in availing themselves of the program “may seek assistance from the Philippine Embassy in UAE, as well as from the Philippine Overseas Labor Offices in Abu Dhabi and Dubai.”
OFWs who seek repatriation “will receive immediate assistance from Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), including airport and cash assistance,” the department also said.

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