Facebook Instagram Linkedin Twitter Youtube
Home Blog Page 11690

China research in PHL waters for the sake of science, Palace says

ALLOWING CHINA to do research in Philippine waters is in pursuit of science, Malacañang defended yesterday, Jan. 18.

“Alam ninyo po it’s a scientific research. So science is science. Science knows no nationalities, and the requirement is that Philippine scientists must also participate in the scientific exercise and that the result must be shared with Philippine authorities,” Presidential Spokesperson Herminio Harry L. Roque, Jr. said at a televised press briefing in Legazpi City, Albay.

On the other hand, Magdalo Party-list Representative Gary C. Alejano warned that China may have other intentions in its so-called research.

“Who has history of grabbing our territories, laying claims to 80% of our EEZ (exclusive economic zone), harassing our fishermen, and blocking our patrol vessels? It is the Chinese,” Mr. Alejano said in a statement.

China has been laying claim to most of the South China Sea, which is contested by several countries, including the Philippines, Vietnam, Brunei, Taiwan, and Malaysia.

Mr. Roque insisted that “the quest for truth is all important, it knows no nationalities and that’s why all countries that would want to conduct joint research with us in this extended continental shelf are welcome to do so.”

“We have in fact establish guidelines on which of this request can be approved,” the spokesman added.

Mr. Alejano likened the actions of President Rodrigo R. Duterte’s administration to that of former President Gloria M. Arroyo’s administration when it allowed the Joint Marine Seismic Undertaking (JMSU) in the South China Sea (SCS) with China as well as Vietnam.

“What is happening now seems to be a repeat of JMSU entered into by the Arroyo administration in exchange of the anomalous NBN-ZTE and Manila Clark Northrail deals,” Mr. Alejano said.

The opposition lawmaker also urged Mr. Duterte’s administration “to be more transparent in its dealings with other countries, especially with China, to allay worries and assure the Filipino people that (they) are not being sold.” — Arjay L. Balinbin

Hot Sharapova shows she’s a title contender

MELBOURNE — Unseeded Maria Sharapova yesterday showed she is a serious contender for the Australian Open by swatting aside a 14th seed who had given her major trouble in the past.

Sharapova, back in the top 50 after a 15-month doping ban, demonstrated all the shot-making that made her a five-time major winner as she destroyed gritty Anastasija Sevastova 6-1, 7-6 (7/4) on Rod Laver Arena.

The Russian, who faces Angelique Kerber next in a mouth-watering clash of former Australian Open champions, warned she was still improving less than a year after her comeback last April.

“She’s had success here,” she said of Kerber, the 2016 title winner. “She’s had success playing out here in these conditions on these courts. I want to see where I am on that level.”

The Latvian had thwarted the Russian’s Grand Slam comeback in the last 16 of the US Open last year.

In their next encounter in Beijing Sevastova was only denied after more than three grueling hours in a titanic three-setter.

Yesterday, it was a different story as Sharapova sped through a sizzling first set in just 23 minutes for the loss of only nine points.

“I played really well at the net, finished the balls off with a swing volley or good volley,” she said.

“Something I’ve been working on, and definitely improved in the match today.”

Sevastova characteristically fought back in the second but the only time the 2008 Australian Open champion and crowd-favorite wobbled was when serving for the match.

“She never really lets up,” Sharapova said. “But I got through it. I did the job in two, and that’s not something I did, you know, towards the end of last year.

“I think that’s an improvement.”

DRAMATIC DEMOLITION
As temperatures soared towards 40˚ Celsius (104˚ Fahrenheit) on the hottest day of the tournament so far, it was a dramatic demolition.

The Latvian, who reached back-to-back quarterfinals at the US Open in 2016 and 2017, briefly woke up to break the Sharapova serve for the first time early in the second set.

Angelique Kerber
Angelique Kerber — AFP

The jolt to the Sharapova juggernaut was evident and she began to make unforced errors as service holds and breaks were exchanged.

At 4-4 a backhand winner got Sharapova to break point and when a second screamer followed it was greeted by a double-fist pump from the Russian.

But still Sevastova was not done and broke back again to force a tie-break.

Sharapova regathered and was not to be denied as she hit a scarcely believable forehand crosscourt winner on the run to get to 5-2 before closing out the match with a scream of joy, a fist pump and a huge smile.

“I did my job in two sets against someone that’s been troubling in the past for me. I think I deserve to smile out there after that victory,” said Sharapova.

Sharapova, one of the highest earners in women’s sport, suffered a string of early defeats after her comeback but has been working her way back up the rankings since.

She broke through to win the Tianjin Open in October — her first title since 2015 — and enjoyed a run to the semi-final in Shenzhen to start the year.

KERBER VS SHARAPOVA
Angelique Kerber set up a mouth-watering clash between the only two former Australian Open champions left in the draw when she breezed into the third round yesterday.

The German 21st seed, champion here two years ago, will face 2008 winner Maria Sharapova in Saturday’s glamour clash after beating Croat Donna Vekic 6-4, 6-1 in an hour and 10 minutes.

Sharapova was equally impressive in beating 14th seed Anastasija Sevastova 6-1, 7-6 (7/4) on Rod Laver Arena.

Kerber had a standout 2016 when she won in Australia, beating Serena Williams in the final, to become the first German since Steffi Graf in 1999 to claim a Grand Slam.

She backed it up by being crowned US Open champion and began 2017 as world number one, before her form deserted her and she slumped to 21st by the end of the season.

But a series of wins at the Hopman Cup this month, coupled with ending a 27-tournament title drought by winning the Sydney International — her first since the US Open — has restored her confidence. — AFP

Japanese, Davao City businessmen push for Tokyo-Davao direct flights

DAVAO CITY — Japanese investors and the Davao City Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Inc. (DCCCII) are in talks for the opening of direct flights between Tokyo and Davao City.

Newly elected DCCCII President Arturo M. Milan, in a media forum Wednesday, said the investors from Japan are involved in the tourism sector.

“Nothing is definite yet as we are still in planning and discussing stage. We’re four discussing this but I am not at liberty to discuss this yet, (like identifying) who they are,” he said.

Mr. Milan said the next step is to bring in the Japanese Tourism Bureau as well as the Davao City Tourism Office into the discussions.

Mr. Milan said they are hoping to have the flights launched in time for the Kadayawan Festival in August.

“So we have to have a group that will do Indak-Indak (street dancing performance) in key cities in Japan to create awareness because we cannot just sit and wait until the foreign tourists will come. We need to promote it aggressively. That’s the plan,” he said.

The business leader said they are also looking into creating a “complete package” to attract Japanese tourists, which would include the promotion of other destinations in Mindanao such as Mati City in Davao Oriental and the Surigao provinces.

Mr. Milan said getting an airline to service the Tokyo-Davao route would be easy, but developing and sustaining a market for the flights would be the hard part.

In another development, Mr. Milan said the business chamber in Honolulu, Hawaii and the DCCCII are signing a sisterhood agreement to strengthen economic cooperation.

“They are communicating directly to the (Davao) city government and they are coming in February,” Mr. Milan said, adding, “I want to understand in what area they want cooperation. I suppose it would be tourism as Hawaii is a tourist destination. Probably also in food… or an exploration of what kind of agri products.”

“We are in a very exciting times and I hope we can take advantage of this,” he said. — Maya M. Padillo

Warriors rally past Bulls for 14th straight road win

LOS ANGELES — The Golden State Warriors held the Bulls to 12 points in the third quarter after Chicago had a 66-point first half, enabling the defending champs to rally for a 119-112 victory Wednesday night in Chicago.

The win was the Warriors’ fourth straight to begin a five-game trip and extended Golden State’s road winning streak to 14 games, equaling the third longest in NBA history.

The Bulls used a 17-0 run bridging the first and second quarters to help build a 66-63 halftime advantage. The Warriors countered with a 19-0 flurry of their own in the third quarter to take a lead they never relinquished.

Klay Thompson had 38 points and Stephen Curry 30 for the Warriors, whose 21-3 road record is better than their 16-6 home mark.

Nikola Mirotic had a team-high 24 points for the Bulls, who had won their previous three games.

The game was tied at 72-all before Curry ignited the Warriors’ spurt with a 3-pointer.

Curry added two more 3-pointers and a 2-point hoop, and Kevin Durant chipped in with six points, allowing the Warriors to build a 91-72 lead with 2:59 left in the third quarter.

The Bulls went almost seven full minutes without scoring in the key drought.

The Warriors connected on 13 3-pointers in the game, with Thompson (7-for-13) and Curry (6-for-11) accounting for all of them.

Durant added 19 points in a top-heavy Warriors attack that saw only three players score in double figures.

Golden State was playing without Draymond Green (sore right shoulder) and Andre Iguodala (bruised left calf).

Six Bulls, including three reserves, scored 10 or more points, led by Mirotic, who hit four of his seven 3-point attempts.

The Bulls made 10 3-pointers, their franchise-record 10th straight game making at least 10.

Robin Lopez (16), Kris Dunn (16), Bobby Portis (12), Lauri Markkanen (11) and Denzel Valentine (10) also scored in double figures for the Bulls, who were swept in the season series by the Warriors for the second time in the last three years.

Warriors forward Jordan Bell left the court on a wheelchair after he landed awkwardly and sprained his left ankle in the opening minute. The team said X-rays were negative, and Bell is scheduled to have an MRI on Thursday to determine the severity of the sprain.

The Bulls lost Dunn to injury late in the game when he fell face-first to the court after converting a dunk. He was bleeding from the mouth when taken to the locker room after “taking a chunk out of the floor,” as Chicago coach Fred Hoiberg put it.

The team later announced that Dunn chipped and dislocated two front teeth. Tests found no signs of a concussion, but Dunn will be revaluated Thursday. — Reuters

Dureza vows push for Cordillera autonomy bill, Bangsamoro options

PRESIDENTIAL PEACE Adviser Jesus G. Dureza has promised to push for legislation that will establish the Autonomous Region of the Cordillera (ARC) as Senator Juan Miguel F. Zubiri declared on Wednesday that he will author a counterpart bill in the Senate.

“I will continue to advocate Cordillera’s autonomy in the Palace and in the Senate. I would like to see this happen also, not in another time. A victory should not be postponed anymore. We like this to happen while we have an enabling environment,” Mr. Dureza said during the Congressional Forum on Cordillera Autonomy and Federalism in Quezon City on Jan. 16.

A proposal, contained in House Bill 5343 titled An Act Establishing the Autonomous Region of the Cordillera, was filed at the House of Representatives on March 20, 2017.

“I am honored to author the Autonomous Region for the Cordillera bill (in the Senate),” Mr. Zubiri said as quoted by a statement released by the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP).

Mr. Dureza also lauded the efforts of the region’s leaders and other stakeholders in continuously reaping support towards autonomy.

“The region’s advocacy is a big help for the bill. We need to raise it as often as we can publicly because we are now seeing positive indications and signs that the people would support it. You have succeeded in engaging the bigger table — the public, for your aspirations and your quest for self-determination,” Mr. Dureza said.

Deputy Presidential Peace Adviser Nabil A. Tan, a former vice-governor of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), discussed during the forum the similarities and differences between the ARMM and the Cordillera and shared learnings from their experiences in Mindanao.

BANGSAMORO
Meanwhile, Mr. Dureza said that the Philippine government has assured the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) that it will ensure that a Bangsamoro area in Mindanao will eventually have a mechanism for self-rule regardless of what happens to the proposed shift to a federal form of government.

In a statement released Wednesday, Mr. Dureza said that President Rodrigo R. Duterte is prepared to issue an executive order should Congress fail to pass the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law.

“Stressing that he (Mr. Duterte) can use the inherent powers of the presidency, he is ready to carve out through an executive order the area for the Bangsamoro for their self-rule,” Mr. Dureza said.

The peace adviser made the statement after the President met on Monday with representatives of the MILF in Davao City.

“President Duterte said he would push for the passage of the Bangsamoro bill and will even go to the extent of resorting to an executive issuance to hasten it or if Congress itself fails to approve it,” said Mr. Dureza.

In that Monday meeting, Mr. Duterte assured the group, headed by chair Murad Ibrahim, that he “would push for an early passage of the law for the Bangsamoro ahead of the shift to federalism.” — Carmelito Q. Francisco

Marvel’s Stan Lee is coming to ComicCon Asia

MARVEL COMICS’ Stan Lee (real name: Stanley Martin Lieber) is heading to Manila to grace ComicCon Asia 2018, a two-day event on March 24 and 25 at the SMX Convention Center which is meant to bring “the best of the region’s comics, movies, series, manga, animé, toys, gaming and cosplay… together in a massive arena of fandom explosion,” said a company press release.

The former Marvel Comics editor-in-chief and the man behind many of Marvel favorites (Spider-Man, the Hulk, the X-Men, among numerous others) alongside artist collaborators Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko, will be joining ComicCon Asia 2018’s roster of artists. He will be participating in meet-and-greets during the event, according to Pauline Sofia Laping, ComicCon Asia organizer and PSL Entertainment producer, during the launch of the pop culture convention on Jan. 17 at the Heritage Hotel in Pasay City.

“Before we knew Stan Lee was coming, ComicCon is [already] expecting 20,000 people, and now that we have Stan Lee on board, I’m really expecting and hoping that more people will come and support [the event],” she said during a press conference held the same evening.

THE CONTROVERSY
ComicCon Asia 2018 might have snagged big names — Mr. Lee, Disney’s Armand Serrano, among others — two months before the actual event and promised that more artists will be announced in the next few weeks, but the road from the outset wasn’t easy as upon the event announcement in September last year, its choice of ambassador — athlete/politician Senator Emmanuel “Manny” Pacquiao — was met with resistance mostly due to his disparaging comments towards the LGBTQ community.

The resistance’s loudest voice was that of Gerry Alanguilan, the creator of the graphic novels Wasted and Elmer (the latter was nominated for the 2011 Will Eisner Industry Awards, said to be the “Oscars” of the comics industry), who announced on his blog that he would not be participating in the convention because of Mr. Pacquiao.

“I cannot forget the statements made by Manny Pacquiao in the past. He called same sex couples worse than animals. Worse, in a now deleted Instagram post, he posted Bible quotes that preach that gays should be put to death. As someone who believes in equality for all, I find these statements reprehensible and dangerous. Dangerous because Manny Pacquiao is in a position of political power that would enable him to make his personal beliefs a matter of national policy. That is something I cannot abide,” he said in a Sept. 14 blog post.

“If people have no problem with this, then by all means, attend and participate. I am NOT advocating a boycott. I am simply saying that I will not be going. My decision shouldn’t affect anybody or cause anyone to freak out and bring down lightning from the heavens. It’s just another event I won’t be going to, simply for personal reasons,” he added.

The presence of Mr. Pacquiao at the ComicCon announcement led to rumors that he was one of the funders of the event, a rumor Ms. Laping denied clarifying that Mr. Pacquiao was only there because of his role as a tourism ambassador.

“We knew we wouldn’t be able to please anybody. So regardless of what they say, we will continue to do our best in terms of putting this all together,” Ms. Laping told BusinessWorld shortly after the launch on Wednesday.

“When we started everything, it’s already an expectation that there will be bashers,” she added, saying that the funding for the convention comes from Ms. Laping and her friends.

PSL Entertainment partnered up with Vietnam’s Nam Entertainment, a full-service media company, to organize the event. PSL Entertainment also produces the beauty pageant Miss Global Philippines.

Mr. Alanguilan’s announcement “didn’t get in the way,” Ms. Laping said. “We were surprised, we got even more support [afterwards],” she said, explaining that they got more sponsors, including Philippine Airlines.

The ambitiousness of the event — which is being held for the first time — also drew raised eyebrows from the cosplay community as Pablo Bairan, president of Cosplay.ph (a company which specializes in organizing local cosplay conventions such as Cosplay Mania), noted that considering the organizer’s lack of experience in creating conventions, it might have been better to do a smaller one instead for its first run.

“It might have been better if the organizers of ComicCon Asia started out with a smaller event in order to be better equipped to stage a much larger event similar to AsiaPOP Comicon Manila or ToyCon,” Mr. Bairan told BusinessWorld in an e-mail interview.

“At this point, I think people are still waiting to see how [the event] shapes up. The ticket prices are much higher than the usual conventions so we’ll have to see how receptive the community is to the new pricing structure,” he added.

ComicCon Asia tickets are going for P800 for a one-day pass and P1,300 for a two-day pass. In comparison, AsiaPOP Comicon Manila’s 2017 ticket prices were P600 for a one-day pass, P900 for a two-day pass, and P1,100 for a three-day pass.

Mr. Bairan also noted that meeting and getting Stan Lee’s autograph usually costs a pretty penny.

“I’m also interested in seeing if people are willing to shell out that kind of money,” he said.

“I honestly don’t [have the experience of organizing pop culture conventions] and I won’t pretend that I know so much about it. I have many things to learn but the reason I got into this is because I have good people with great minds putting it together [with me],” Ms. Laping said.

THE CONVENTION
The two-day convention has attracted the participation of several celebrities such as Walter Jones, the original Black Ranger from Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers which ran from 1993 to 1995, and NBA superstar Ray Allen who is celebrating the 20th anniversary of the release of his movie He Got Game at the event.

The cosplay community will also be represented by artist/cosplayer Chad Hoku (a.k.a Hoku Props), and cosplayers Linda Le (a.k.a Vampy Bit Me) and Nana Kuronoma who will all conduct workshops about their cosplay secrets. Meanwhile, cosplay photographer Jay Tablante, alongside cosplayers Anna Redei and Enji Night, will be giving tips on how to capture cosplay through the lens.

ComicCon Asia will also be doing a Cosplay Match-Up contest where cosplayers duke it out in several categories — Animé, Gaming and Western/Filipino.

Aside from cosplaying, the convention will also see Filipino creators like comic book artists Harvey Tolibao and Carlo Pagulayan “give expert comic book illustration techniques designed to help beginners turn to pros,” according to a release.

Armand Serrano, Walt Disney’s Visual Development Artist who has done work for Mulan (1998) and Big Hero 6 (2014) among others, will conduct workshops on how to bring characters from page to film, while LEGO’s senior concept artist, Ian Sta. Maria, will give tips on how to create futuristic character designs.

Temple University’s Dr. John Lent, publisher and creator of the International Journal of Comic Art, who will talk about “the span of the comic industry in Asia and the role of comics in the progressive growth of Asian comic culture and its significance on a global scale.”

ComicCon Asia is holding several competitions such as the Great Filipino Graphic Novel contest (the finals will be during the event); Project X: The Search for the New Pinoy Superheroes, done in partnership with DV Tech Media, where contestants are tasked to create a new Pinoy superhero; and One Shot, a Shark Tank-style, competition where those with a “big video game and/or animation idea” will be given a chance to pitch to venture capitalists and investors. The competition is done in partnership with The StartUp Village, the Animation Council of the Philippines, and the Game Developers Association of the Philippines.

Finally, there will also be an auction of the “rarest memorabilia” at the Auction Hero event, with most of the proceeds earmarked for the Marawi evacuees and the survivors of the soldiers who died during the Marawi conflict.

Tickets for ComicCon Asia will go on sale starting Jan. 25 at www.comiccon.asia.

BSP may revise inflation view ahead of wage rulings

By Melissa Luz T. Lopez,
Senior Reporter

THE CENTRAL BANK could be gearing up for a rate hike as early as March, with concerns over the inflation impact of higher taxes likely to prod policy makers to reassess their forecasts, a global bank said.

Jose Mario I. Cuyegkeng, senior economist at ING Bank N.V. Manila, said the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) could be considering monetary policy adjustments sooner amid concerns over the impact of the tax reform law which took effect this January.

“BSP would likely come out with a revised inflation forecast at the next policy rate meeting on Feb. 8. A higher inflation forecast may presage a tightening move by BSP,” the bank said in a report published yesterday.

The Monetary Board expects full-year inflation to average 3.4%, higher than the 3.2% logged in 2017. Central bank officials have said that they expect new taxes to add less than one percentage point to overall inflation, enough to keep price movements manageable.

On Tuesday, BSP Governor Nestor A. Espenilla, Jr. said the central bank “may need to react” to second-round effects of the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) law, noting that it will now have to factor in the tax adjustments to their baseline inflation forecasts.

Mr. Espenilla said the central bank’s Feb. 8 policy review — its first for the year — will turn out to be “interesting,” as the monetary authority reviews its inflation assessments.

Enacted as Republic Act No. 10963, the TRAIN reduces personal income tax rates and provided a simpler system for computing donor and estate taxes. Foregone revenue will be offset by the removal of some exemptions from value-added tax, alongside higher tax rates for fuel, cars, capital gains and new taxes for sugar-sweetened drinks, among others.

Mr. Cuyegkeng said the central bank appears to have “turned more cautious” about the inflation outlook.

“BSP in the past viewed the inflation impact as transitory which would not require a monetary policy response. But second-round effects are looming and could threaten the inflation target range of 2% to 4%,” the bank economist said, referring to potential increases in transport fares and wage hike petitions.

“We estimate that a 25% increase in minimum transport fares could raise inflation by as much as 1 ppt (percentage point) on CPI (consumer price index).”

ING expects the government to rule on fare petitions by March or April, while regional wage boards are also expected to assess proposals for salary adjustments within the second quarter.

“We believe that the possibility of BSP raising its policy rate at the March 22 meeting has increased,” Mr. Cuyegkeng added, even as he maintains his view that a rate hike from the BSP will come between April and June.

“In the meantime, we believe that BSP would likely prepare the market for a tightening move at the February 8 meeting.”

The Monetary Board has kept its policy stance unchanged since September 2014, although procedural changes have been introduced in June 2016 for the shift to an interest rate corridor. Benchmark rates currently range from 2.5-3.5%.

Analysts have been flagging the need for the central bank to tighten rates to keep up with rising inflation and contain the build-up of risks in the financial system, as well as with rising global yields as the United States tightens its monetary policy further.

SMC food unit to conduct follow-on offering by Q2

SAN MIGUEL Food and Beverage, Inc. (SMFBI) looks to conduct a follow-on offering by the second quarter of 2018 in order to meet the minimum public float of 15%.

Diversified conglomerate San Miguel Corp. (SMC) is currently consolidating its food and beverage businesses Ginebra San Miguel, Inc. (GSMI) and San Miguel Brewery, Inc. (SMB) under San Miguel Pure Foods Company, Inc. (SMPF), which is being renamed SMFBI.

After the consolidation, SMFBI will have a public float of 4.3%, way below the current floor of 15% for listed companies.

“The company is targeting 15% which is the minimum requirement. And then we will decide later on if there is an additional follow-on (offering) that is needed,” SMPF President Francisco S. Alejo III said during a special shareholders’ meeting in Mandaluyong City on Thursday.

SMC Chief Finance Officer Ferdinand K. Constantino said they look to attract a combination of foreign, institutional, and domestic investors for the issuance.

Mr. Constantino noted the surviving company can book up to P245 billion in revenues this year,  with P120 billion coming from food, P100 billion from beer, and the remaining P25 billion from GSMI.

On the other hand, SMPF secured shareholder approval for various transactions relating to the consolidation of SMC’s businesses during the special stockholders’ meeting. Among these are the changes in SMPF’s corporate name to SMFBI and the change in its primary purpose to include the operations of the liquor and brewery businesses.

Shareholders also approved SMPF’s acquisition of SMB and GSMI from SMC through a share swap transaction, valued at P336.35 billion for a total of 7.86 billion common shares in SMB and 216.97 million common shares in GSMI.

“The company will issue 4,242,549,130 common shares to SMC valued at P79.28 per share, totaling P336, 349,294,992.60,” SMPF said in a presentation.

The shares resulting from the share swap transaction will also be listed at the PSE.

The company has also been given the go-signal to conduct a tender offer for SMB and GSMI shares held by its minority shareholders. This move, however, will only be done if the Securities and Exchange Commission requires the company to do so.

Mr. Constantino said the consolidation of SMC’s traditional businesses will provide value proposition to investors, as it can be used as a gauge for the country’s food and beverage sector.

“It will be attractive to investors, because there is no other food and beverage company in the Philippines. It will be a good proxy for the Philippine environment… Malaki value nun (The value is significant), because there’s a big demand for that,” Mr. Constantino told reporters in a briefing after the special shareholders’ meeting.

Shares in SMPF dropped P4 or 0.74% to P537 each at the stock exchange on Thursday, while shares in SMC were up by a peso or 0.77% to P131.50 apiece. — Arra B. Francia

Champs have work cut out at UFC 220

THE Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) features two title fights when it unfurls its second offering for 2018 with “UFC 220” in Boston, Massachusetts, on Sunday with one local combat sports observer seeing the reigning champions having their work cut out for them against weighty challengers.

Headlining the UFC live event in Beantown is the heavyweight title clash between champion Stipe Miocic of the United States and Cameroonian challenger Francis “The Predator” Ngannou with the light heavyweight title battle of American champ Daniel “DC” Cormier against Swiss Volkan “No Time” Oezdemir serving as co-main event.

Mr. Miocic (17-2) will make his third title defense after ascending on top of the division in May 2016 and is looking to continue holding his belt.

But for Mike Miguel, combat sports writer and observer for RealFight.ph, the upcoming title defense presents a whole new challenge for Mr. Miocic.

“More often than not, champions usually head into a fight as a favorite. In this case however, Stipe enters this fight as the slight underdog in most odds and in the eyes of the fans thanks to Ngannou’s performance as of late,” said Mr. Miguel when asked by BusinessWorld for his thoughts on the headliner of UFC 220.

“In the division where anything can happen in an instant, anyone has the capability to change the course of the fight with just one punch and Ngannou possesses that — just like what he did to Overeem to earn a title shot,” he added.

Mr. Ngannou (11-1) has had it impressive in mixed martial arts, winning his last 10 fights, six in the UFC, all by stoppage.

In his last fight in December, The Predator devastatingly knocked out erstwhile top contender Alistair Overeem in the opening round, setting up the title clash with Mr. Miocic.

But Mr. Miguel is not counting out Mr. Miocic and his abilities vis-à-vis Mr. Ngannou, even going as saying that the champion could well retain his title in the end.

“Miocic can overcome Ngannou’s power by maximizing his speed and staying patience and combining that with his own power. Most fans tend to forget Miocic also has the power to knock people out and he has done that in his past four fights under one round against Junior Dos Santos and Fabricio Werdum in addition to Andrei Arlovski and Overeem. I’m looking at Stipe retaining his belt as long as he plays to his strength,” Mr. Miguel said.

CORMIER VS OEZDEMIR
Mr. Miguel also sees the same case in the Cormier-Oezdemir clash, recognizing how the Swiss challenger also has it in him to make things happen in the Octagon.

“Just like Ngannou, Oezdemir has that penchant to knock people out in a short time, which is something to be wary about if you are Cormier,” he said.

“However, against someone like a battle-tested champion in Daniel Cormier, it takes more than that to dethrone him. He should overcome DC’s smothering wrestling game with his reach to pick his spots, much like how Jon Jones did in the past,” Mr. Miguel added.

Other fights at UFC 220 at the TD Garden are featherweight Calvin Kattar against Shane “Hurricane” Burgos, light heavyweight Gian Villante versus Francimar “Bodao” Barroso, and bantamweight Thomas “Thominhas” Almeida (#10) against Rob Font (#14).

UFC 220: Miocic vs. Ngannou will be shown live on Sunday beginning at 11 a.m. over Hyper Ch. 91 in SD or 261 in HD on Cignal TV. Encore telecast is at 7 p.m. on the same day.

In the Philippines, Cignal TV, the country’s foremost direct-to-home (DTH) company, is the home of the UFC after the two groups agreed to an extensive deal that will see the UFC beamed on various platforms. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo

Vivant subsidiary bags power plant contract

A UNIT of Vivant Corp. has secured the right to operate and maintain the 215-megawatt (MW) diesel bunker-fired power plant in Bauang, La Union, the listed company told the stock exchange on Thursday, Jan. 18.

 

Vivant said its subsidiary 1590 Energy Corp. (EC) bagged the contract after its submission of an unsolicited proposal to the provincial government of La Union. The proposal was subjected to a Swiss challenge, opening it to third parties that can match or exceed 1590 EC’s offer.

Vivant said, “(T)he Provincial Government of La Union awarded a five (5)-year lease contract to Vivant-led 1590 EC for the Bauang Diesel Power Plant, which supplies the peaking demand for power in the Luzon grid.”

Vivant, through subsidiaries and affiliates, has interests in companies engaged in renewable and non-renewable energy generation, power distribution, and retail electricity supply business. It owns 1590 EC through wholly owned Vivant Energy Corp.

Based on data from the Department of Energy, the Bauang plant has 21 units with a total installed capacity of 235 MW but a dependable capacity of 180 MW. 1590 EC is the plant’s operator under an independent power producer administrator (IPPA) arrangement.

The lease contract follows Vivant’s disclosure in December last year that its unit Vivant Integrated Generation Corp. had signed a pre-development agreement with Global Business Power Corp. to jointly participate through Lunar Powercore, Inc. in a power development project in Luna, La Union.

The project under special purpose vehicle Global Luzon Energy Development Corp. will undertake the financing, design, procurement, construction, testing, commission, operation and maintenance of a two-unit coal-fired power plant each with a capacity of 335 MW.

On Thursday, shares in Vivant rose 19.80% to close at 29.95 each.

Vivant’s businesses include Cebu Private Power Corp., which owns and operates a 70-MW diesel-fired power plant in Cebu; Delta P, Inc., owner and operator of a 16-MW diesel-fired power plant in Palawan; and Cebu Energy Development Corp., a project company that owns and operates a 246-MW coal-fired power plant in Toledo City, Cebu. — Victor V. Saulon

Woody Allen backlash grows as daughter says she’s telling the ‘truth’ about abuse

NEW YORK — Woody Allen faced a growing backlash Wednesday after his daughter revived child molestation allegations against the legendary director, asking the world to finally believe her as a sexual harassment watershed sweeps the United States.

Dylan Farrow’s claim that the director sexually assaulted her as a seven-year-old first surfaced a quarter of a century ago in the wake of her mother’s bitter split from Allen, who ran off in 1992 with his lover’s adoptive daughter from a previous marriage, Soon-Yi Previn, 21 years old at the time.

The famed American director of more than 50 movies, winner of four Oscars, and showered with awards in Europe, has always denied the allegations. The claims were never proven and the 82-year-old director has continued to enjoy a glittering career.

But the sexual harassment firestorm that has brought down Hollywood titans such as Harvey Weinstein and Kevin Spacey has fueled a growing backlash against Allen.

In the wake of the Time’s Up movement launched by Hollywood women to counter sexual harassment and sexism, Allen’s estranged, adopted daughter said it was time for the world to finally listen.

“Why shouldn’t I want to bring him down? Why shouldn’t I be angry? Why shouldn’t I be hurt?” she told CBS This Morning in her first television interview, excerpts of which were broadcast on Wednesday. The full interview is to air Thursday.

“Why shouldn’t I feel some sort of outrage that after all these years, being ignored and disbelieved and tossed aside?” Farrow added.

Asked why people should believe her now, she replied: “I suppose that’s on them, but all I can do is speak my truth and hope, hope that somebody will believe me instead of just hearing.”

The film director’s agent did not immediately respond to an AFP request to comment.

It was a devastating expose of alleged rape, assault, and harassment published by Farrow’s brother, Ronan, the biological son of Allen and Mia Farrow, in The New Yorker last October that helped end Weinstein’s career.

Since then, a growing number of actresses, including Greta Gerwig, Rebecca Hall, Ellen Page, and Mira Sorvino, have announced they regret working with Allen.

‘MUST BE REEXAMINED’
“I believe Dylan,” Oscar-winner Natalie Portman told Oprah Winfrey in a recent group interview with other actresses who included Reese Witherspoon.

Hall, who appears in his upcoming movie A Rainy Day in New York and starred in his 2008 romantic comedy Vicky Cristina Barcelona, announced on Instagram that she had donated her wage from his latest film to the Time’s Up movement.

“I see, not only how complicated this matter is, but that my actions have made another woman feel silenced and dismissed,” she said.

Up-and-coming actor Timothee Chalamet, who also stars in A Rainy Day in New York followed suit and also announced he was donating his entire salary from the film to Time’s Up and other charities.

“We are in a day and age when everything must be reexamined. This kind of abuse cannot be allowed to continue. If this means tearing down all the old gods, so be it,” wrote Sorvino in an open letter to Farrow in HuffPost last week.

Actor Alec Baldwin, who won acclaim for portraying Donald Trump on Saturday Night Live, is one of the few to publicly defend Allen in recent days, saying it was possible to support survivors of pedophilia and sexual assault, and also believe he was innocent.

Dylan Farrow detailed the alleged abuse for the first time in her own words in an open letter published on a New York Times blog in 2014.

In a follow-up New York Times op-ed, Allen repeated his denial and launched a furious attack on Mia Farrow, denouncing her as “more interested in her own festering anger than her daughter’s well-being.”

Last December, Dylan Farrow wrote another op-ed in the Los Angeles Times under the headline “Why has the #MeToo revolution spared Woody Allen?”

A New York judge who presided over the 1994 custody battle between Allen and Farrow ruled that the abuse allegations were inconclusive, but at the same time lambasted the director as “self-absorbed, untrustworthy and insensitive.”

A Connecticut police investigation also failed to result in any charges.

Allen remains with Soon-Yi and the couple have two children. — AFP

Gov’t slams Rappler anew

MALACAÑANG SEES the controversy over the Philippine Navy’s warship deal allegedly involving Special Assistant to the President (SAP) Christopher Lawrence “Bong” T. Go as Rappler.com’s “defense by way of an offense.” At a press briefing in Legazpi City, Albay, on Jan. 18, Presidential Spokesperson Herminio Harry L. Roque, Jr. said of the news site: “Let me start by saying that this allegation against Special Adviser to the President Bong Go appears to be defense by way of an offense. Please note that this allegation came out immediately after the decision of the SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission) declaring that Rappler, Inc. and Rappler Holding violated ownership rules of the Constitution on mass media companies.” For his part, Justice Secretary Vitaliano N. Aguirre II called for “Rappler’s active participation in the NBI’s (National Bureau of Investigation’s) investigation” as it “will greatly help in bringing out the truth.” — Arjay L. Balinbin and Minde Nyl R. dela Cruz

1...11,68911,69011,691...12,774Page 11,690 of 12,774
© 2024 BusinessWorld Publishing.
All rights reserved.
Read our privacy guidelines
Facebook Instagram Linkedin Twitter Youtube