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NUJP flags PNP ‘directive’ on media

By Vince Angelo C. Ferreras
THE National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP), in a statement on Monday, flagged a directive by the Philippine National Police (PNP), enjoining its units to “coordinate with local media outlets” in encouraging “positive coverage” on police operations and other activities.
In its statement, the NUJP said, “We have obtained a copy of a directive issued to the Cebu City police dated October 2 that ‘pertains to the optimal use of various media platforms to enhance the PNP’s operational capability’ and is based on the ‘verbal instruction of CPNP,’ meaning PNP Director General Oscar (D.) Albayalde.”
NUJP claimed further that, “as a result of Albayalde’s order, our Bacolod City chapter has confirmed that policemen visited the local office of the SunStar daily asking for positive coverage because most of the news about the PNP lately has supposedly been negative. Other news outlets in the city were also visited.”
“More worrisome is that the visiting lawmen actually took photos of the staff at the SunStar Bacolod office without asking permission first and, reportedly, also at the Cebu radio station,” NUJP said.
The group also said its “members in Batangas also reported that the PNP in the province now refuses them access to spot reports, citing a so-called directive from the national headquarters. They are only being given press releases that only cite their “accomplishments” in a clear effort to dictate how the local media report on police activities.”
But in his press briefing on Monday, Mr. Albayalde said, “We’re not asking for favors dito (here). We are asking for close coordination and collaboration to help inform the Filipino people kung ano talaga ang dapat malaman ng ating taumbayan (what the people should really know).”
SCHOOLS FLAGGED BY AFP
The police chief also told reporters that the PNP has been coordinating with the Commission on Higher Education (CHEd) for a dialogue with school officials of the 18 universities identified by the Armed Forces of the Philippines as recruitment hubs of communist rebels.
National Capital Region Police Officer Chief Director Guillermo T. Eleazar and PNP Spokesperson Chief Supt. Benigno B. Durana Jr. have met with Commission on Higher Education chairperson Prospero De Vera III last weekend regarding the planned dialogue.
Mr. Albayalde said, “The only thing is we are just concerned about the welfare and education of our students, dahil napakadali ma-influence ng ating mga kabataan lalo na yung mga medyo emotional at mapusok ang mga kabataan natin. Ito yung iniiwasan natin (because our youth are very easy to influence, especially the emotional and aggressive among them. This is what we’re trying to avoid).”
The PNP chief added: “The police recognized that student activism is a healthy sign of a vibrant democracy which our country now (has). But to the extent of taking up arms or inciting to take up arms against the government is definitely in conflict with the law that the PNP is duty bound to address with appropriate police response.”
“Nonetheless, I assure you there will be no police intervention to suppress academic freedom, speech, expression, and other fundamental liberties exercised in our campuses.”
Mr. Albayalde said he hopes that “patriotism and nationalism” will be taught more in state colleges and universities.

Nationwide round-up

Senators propose tweaks to transport modernization program

PHILSTAR

LAWMAKERS HAVE put forward proposed adjustments in the government’s public utility vehicles (PUV) modernization program, mainly in consideration of jeepney drivers who will be affected by the transition to more environment-friendly transport.
Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph G. Recto on Monday proposed to the Department of Transportation (DoTr) to make the vehicle upgrade voluntary, instead of mandatory, for drivers.
Senator Paolo Benigno A. Aquino IV, meanwhile, filed a bill providing a five-year transition plan for the modernization program.
During the Senate hearing on the DoTr’s modernization program, Mr. Recto questioned the agency’s efforts to push jeepney drivers to upgrade their vehicles.
He said the existing type of jeepneys should just be allowed to operate and compete with the new ones.
“Let the market forces determine, instead of making it mandatory. Matira matibay ang mangyayari d’yan (The best will prevail). We didn’t create Uber and Grab, right? They just entered and the market determined that they’re willing to pay higher prices if needed. Why can’t we do that in our jeepneys also?” Mr. Recto said.
“That is the problem of the government’s thinking, everything is mandatory. Standards and certain regulations are allowed. You implement simultaneously when the timing is wrong. The inflation rate is high, the fuel prices are high, the prices are not adjusted, then you will introduce something new again… So why not do it market oriented?” he added.
The DoTr plans to replace all public utility jeepneys that are at least 15 years old.
The government is offering an P80,000 subsidy per new vehicle, which is estimated to cost between P1.5 million to P1.8 million.
Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) Martin B. Delgra III admitted that there have been challenges in the implementation of the PUV modernization program, especially on achieving the agency’s three-year target period.
He said the LTFRB aims to monitor within that three-year transition period if commuters would prefer the old jeepneys or the new vehicles.
LTFRB Board Member Aileen Lourdes A. Lizada, for her part, called for the completion of the public transport route rationalization plan.
Mr. Aquino’s Senate Bill No. 2056, the Makatarungang Transisyon Tungo sa Modernisasyon, mandates the DoTr to provide guidelines in the phased transition from the current PUVs to standards-compliant vehicles.
The proposed measure also provides for a government subsidy not lower than 20% of the vehicle’s unit price for driver and operators.
“What we’re looking at here is the common ground so that we can reach our goal of having clean air in the country but at the same time no Filipino will lose jobs or livelihood,” Mr. Aquino told reporters after he filed the bill. — Camille A. Aguinaldo

De Castro on short Supreme Court leadership: ‘I tried my best’

WITH JUST over a month serving as the Supreme Court’s (SC) top magistrate, retiring Chief Justice Teresita Leonardo-De Castro said she tried her best to bring reforms during her short stint.
“I tried my best so that my presence will be most felt not only by the employees of the court but also of our judges and justices nationwide. I hope you have felt it,” she said in a speech in her last flag raising ceremony at the SC on Oct. 8.
Ms. De Castro is stepping down on Oct. 10 when she reaches 70, the mandatory retirement age.
She noted the administrative reforms she instituted in the judiciary, which she said is “among the most over burdened offices in the national government.”
She cited the salary upgrade of the first-level court, the granting of overtime pay to stenographers and court employees who help in trial cases, the opening of positions of assistant chiefs of courts, and the immediate promotion of officials when there are vacant positions.
“We have also opened up the positions of assistant chiefs of office, numerous positions which remained unfilled up for many years in order not to disrupt the delivery of public service when a chief of office is promoted or retires,” she said.
Ms. De Castro also announced that SC employees will receive a token of appreciation for their “hard work” and “dedicated service to the court.”
“Remember it comes not only from me but from all the justices of the court who have been very supportive in seeing to it that your welfare and well-being are served. I will miss all of you,” she said.
“With this, I say goodbye to all of you, you have given me much memories to live by the rest of my life. Thank you,” she added
Ms. De Castro served in the SC for over a decade since her appointment as associate justice on Dec. 4, 2007. She was appointed as chief justice on Aug. 25, 2018, following the ouster of Maria Lourdes P.A. Sereno through quo warranto. — Vann Marlo M. Villegas

BI denies Sr. Fox’s appeal to extend missionary visa

THE BUREAU of Immigration (BI) on Monday denied “with finality” the appeal of Australian missionary Patricia Anne Fox for the extension of her missionary visa.
In a statement, the BI said that the nun’s motion for reconsideration was denied as it is “merely a reiteration or rehash of arguments already submitted, and found to be without merit,” and that Ms. Fox “failed to raise any new and substantial arguments.”
“Our Board of Commissioners saw that there is no valid reason to reverse the September 13 Denial Order. She presented no new arguments in her motion for reconsideration,” BI Spokesperson Dana Krizia Sandoval is quoted in the statement.
Ms. Fox’s missionary visa expired last Sept. 5.
The BI denied the application for her visa extension, citing that an approval “will be inconsistent with the findings cited in the deportation order against her.”
Ms. Sandoval also said that the missionary nun is required to apply for the downgrading of her visa as a visitor.
“Downgrading is the process that will revert her status to a temporary visitor’s visa, and she will be given 59 days starting from the date of the expiry of her visa,” she said.
“Non-compliance of the order may result in another deportation case against her.”
Meanwhile, Ms. Fox filed a pending petition for review last Sept. 3 before the Department of Justice (DoJ) on her deportation case.
Justice Secretary Menardo I. Guevarra said the BI has submitted its comment on the issue and “the matter is now submitted for the DoJ’s consideration.”
In a statement, Ms. Fox’s legal counsels said it is not surprising that the BI maintained its decision against the visa extension application.
“Clearly, the BI wants her out of the country, discontinue her missionary work for the poor Filipinos, and silence her unwavering call for justice, accountability and protection of human rights, without even laying the basis for such decision,” they said.
“This Order also reflects the policy of the Duterte Administration against persons critical of its human rights records and anti-people programs,” they added.
Ms. Fox’s legal counsels said they will file her reply to the comment of the BI on Oct. 15 to “settle the substantive issues raised” in the petition, including the “right of foreigners to their exercise of freedom of expression and assembly, universally recognized by both domestic and international laws, which the BI refused to squarely address.”
“Sr. Pat maintains her position that her standing in solidarity with the poor and oppressed in the Philippines, for almost three decades now, is an essential element of her mission as a Church worker and more importantly, a valid exercise of her right to freedom of expression and assembly,” the lawyers said.
Ms. Sandoval said the bureau will have to wait for the DoJ decision before acting on the deportation order but may grant a temporary visitor’s visa “without prejudice to the resolution of her appeal.” — Vann Marlo M. Villegas

Nayre in must-win situation after splitting first two games

By Michael Angelo S. Murillo
Senior Reporter
PHILIPPINE table tennis bet Jann Mari Nayre faces a must-win situation after splitting his first two matches in the group stages of the men’s singles preliminaries of the 2018 Youth Olympics in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Nayre, who was the first Filipino paddler who qualified in these Games, opened his campaign on Monday with a hard-earned win over Nicolas Burgos of Chile in five sets, 11-9, 6-11, 11-9, 11-6, and 11-8 but bowed later to Austria’s Maciej Kolodziejczyk, 9-11, 8-11, 1-11, and 6-11.
The result has the 18-year-old Nayre needing to win against Rio Olympian Kanak Jha of the United States, the No. 1 paddler in the U18 world circuit, to advance in the competition when they meet on Tuesday at Table 4 of the Table Tennis Arena where the best under-18 table netters in the world are seeing action.
Against Burgos in his first game, Nayre, who has represented the Philippines in the Southeast Asian Games in Kuala Lumpur last year and the Asian Games recently, attacked the Chilean’s weak back hand and stay focused the rest of the way after giving up an action-packed exchange in the second set.
In his game versus Kolodziejczyk though, Nayre struggled, failing to get his game going as he fell to one too many costly errors.
Despite his back against the wall, San Beda University Taytay’s Nayre is not losing hope and is vowing to give his best to go deeper in the tournament.
“I’m not losing hope. Anything is possible. I’ll just show up at my best,” said Nayre.
He added, “It gets tougher as we move into the succeeding rounds. I’ll just try the best I can not to get eliminated early.”
Nayre’s opponent Jha, meanwhile, swept his first two matches in group play, beating Kolodziejczyk and Burgos in that order.
Also seeing action today is Filipino-Norwegian kite boarder Christian Tio, who will begin his campaign at the Club Nautico San Isidro in Buenos Aires.
The Philippines’ Youth Olympics bid picks up on Wednesday when fencer Lawrence Everett Tan, golfers Yuka Saso and Carl Jano Corpus and Filipino-American swimmer Nicole Oliva start with their respective events.
Saso, the Asian Games double-gold medalist, is entered in the women’s individual stroke play while Corpus will represent the country in the men’s side for three rounds at the Hurlingham Club.
Tan will compete in the men’s foil while Oliva, a bronze medalist in the Kuala Lumpur SEAG, will make her debut in the women’s 100m freestyle. Oliva will also swim in the 200m, 400m, and 800m freestyle events.
ASIAN PARA GAMES
Meanwhile, simultaneously taking place with the Youth Olympics is the 2018 Asian Para Games in Jakarta, Indonesia, with the Philippines breaking through with its first-ever gold medal care of swimmer Ernie Gawilan who topped the men’s 200m individual medley SM7 on Sunday.
Gawilan of Davao City, who was born with no legs and an underdeveloped left limb, registered the best time in the event of 2:52.43. He beat out Chinese-Taipei’s Chen Liang Da (2:55.90) and India’s Jadhav Suyash Narayan (2:56.51).
He also won a silver in the men’s 50m freestyle S7 with a time of 31.93 seconds behind gold medallist Wei Soong Toh (29.01s).
As of this writing, the Philippines is at seventh place in the medal standings with one gold, two silver and two bronze medals.

Brewers sweep Rockies

JESUS Aguilar, Orlando Arcia and, Keon Broxton homered, and the Milwaukee Brewers beat the Colorado Rockies 6-0 in Game 3 on Sunday in Denver to sweep the National League Division Series (NLDS).
The Brewers move on to the NL Championship Series, where they will host Game 1 on Friday against either the Dodgers or Braves. Los Angeles led that series 2-0 with Game 3 scheduled for later Sunday at Atlanta.
Erik Kratz had three hits, and Wade Miley teamed with five relievers to produce the Brewers’ second consecutive shutout. Corbin Burnes (1-0) got the win with two innings of relief.
Milwaukee advanced to a League Championship Series for the first time since 2011 and just the third time in team history.
“It’s a great feeling,” Brewers manager Craig Counsell told the media after the game. “I told the guys, we’ve earned the right to play to go to a World Series. And that’s a really, really special feeling.”
Trevor Story had two hits for the Rockies, who batted just .146 in the series. The Brewers gave up just two runs in the series, both coming in the ninth inning of Game 1, when the Rockies rallied to send the game into extra innings.
Counting the NL West tiebreaker game against the Dodgers on Oct. 1, the Rockies mustered six runs total in their last five games, four of them defeats.
“They pitched really well,” Colorado manager Bud Black said of the Brewers. “They’ve got good arms. I think there was a little bit of pressing going on all week. These were games that were high intensity and (had) a lot on the line. You know, the Dodger game, the Cubs game, these three playoff games. I think there were some guys trying a little bit too hard, which is a natural occurrence.”
The Brewers went up early Sunday on German Marquez (0-1). Christian Yelich drew a one-out walk in the first, Ryan Braun singled to put runners on the corners, and Yelich scored on Travis Shaw’s groundout.
Aguilar made it 2-0 when he hit a first-pitch curveball from Marquez with one out in the fourth. It was his first of the series.
Colorado had one chance early but couldn’t capitalize. Story led off the second with a single and Carlos Gonzalez walked with one out, but both were stranded.
DJ LeMahieu hit a two-out double in the third, but Nolan Arenado grounded out to end that inning.
The Brewers took a 4-0 lead on a bad couple of plays by Scott Oberg in the sixth. With two outs and runners on second and third, the reliever was called for a balk when he dropped the ball trying to flip it from his glove to his hand, allowing Mike Moustakas to score from third
Kratz, who doubled and advanced to third on the balk, then scored on a wild pitch to make it 4-0.
Arcia and Broxton opened ninth with a back-to-back homers off Wade Davis.
Marquez gave up two runs on seven hits and a walk in five innings. He struck out five and walked one.
Miley lasted 4 2/3 scoreless innings, giving up three hits and a walk with two strikeouts. He left with a runner at second and two outs, and Corey Knebel entered to strike out Charlie Blackmon and end the inning.
“The big performance today for me was from Corbin Burnes,” Counsell said. “I thought the Blackmon out was a big out. … Corbin kind of pulled some big weight today and did a heck of a job, but we’ve gotten so many contributions down there (from the bullpen) and they’re all pitching at such a high level that it makes (my) job pretty easy.”
Yelich, the NL MVP candidate who drew two walks Sunday, is reveling in his first playoff appearance after five losing seasons with the Miami Marlins.
“It makes you appreciate it,” he said. “It makes you realize you don’t get to do this every single year. It’s been a hell of a ride, and hopefully we’ve got more to go.” — Reuters

Diesel in highest rise this week at P1.45/L

OIL COMPANIES will raise the prices of diesel products this week by P1.45 per liter (/L), the biggest increase so far this year and the eighth week of price hikes since early August. Gasoline products will also go up by P1/L, the ninth straight week of increase. Kerosene prices will be up by P1.35/L. The price adjustment takes effect at 6:00 a.m. Today. “These reflect movements in the international oil market,” Petron Corp. said, adding that the prices are inclusive of value-added tax. Last week, the per liter prices of gasoline, diesel and kerosene products rose by P1.00, P1.35 and P1.10, respectively. — Victor V. Saulon

Acuña’s slam helps Braves edge Dodgers, extend NLDS

FREDDIE Freeman hit a tiebreaking homer leading off the sixth inning after the Los Angeles Dodgers had come back from a five-run deficit, and the host Atlanta Braves stayed alive in the National League Division Series (NLDS) with a 6-5 victory in Game 3 on Sunday night.
Rookie Ronald Acuña Jr. hit a grand slam to climax a five-run second inning for the Braves, but the Dodgers fought back thanks in part to homers by Chris Taylor and Max Muncy.
Freeman’s homer, the first ever for the veteran first baseman in the postseason, came on the first pitch from reliever Alex Wood, who left a curveball over the middle of the plate.
Braves closer Arodys Vizcaino recorded the save by striking out three consecutive Dodgers after allowing a single and a walk to open the ninth inning.
The Dodgers, trying to reach the NL Championship Series for the third straight year, lead the best-of-five series 2-1 after a pair of shutouts in Los Angeles. Los Angeles still can advance to play the Milwaukee Brewers with a victory Monday at Atlanta.
Game 5, if needed, would be Wednesday at Los Angeles.
Acuña’s second-inning grand slam came on a 3-1 fastball after Walker Buehler had given the Braves their first run of the series on a two-out, four-pitch walk to opposing starter Sean Newcomb, a .044 hitter with one RBI in the regular season.
Acuña, at age 20, became the youngest major-leaguer to hit a bases-loaded homer in the postseason. Mickey Mantle did it at 21 for the New York Yankees in the 1953 World Series against the Brooklyn Dodgers.
Newcomb, who pitched two innings of relief in Game 1, lasted 2 2/3 innings in Game 3 and was charged with two runs (one earned).
Kevin Gausman gave up a two-run homer to Taylor in the fifth before Muncy followed by going deep off Max Fried to tie the game later in the inning.
Buehler retired 10 straight batters after Acuña’s homer. He allowed just two hits but yielded five runs while striking out seven and walking three over five innings.
Matt Kemp, who led off the Dodgers’ sixth with a double, was cut down at the plate trying to score on a ground ball. Rookie Touki Toussaint (1-0) became the pitcher of record for the Braves when Freeman homered off Wood (0-1) in the bottom of the inning. Toussaint tossed one scoreless inning. — Reuters

Star toll plazas now RFID-ready

THE TOLL plazas of the Southern Tagalog Arterial Road (Star) Tollway now have RFID (radio-frequency identification) technology, allowing seamless travel through the 42-kilometer highway connecting Santo Tomas town and Batangas City. In a statement yesterday, San Miguel Corp. subsidiary Star Tollway Corp., operator of the toll road, said “Autosweep RFID payment lanes, alongside regular cash lanes, are now operational at the toll plazas.” The company said about 58,000 vehicles traverse Star Tollway daily, of which 28% are using Autosweep RFID as payment mode. “We encourage motorists to utilize the Autosweep RFID access as mode to pay their toll fees. This is one of the plans that we are implementing in order to lessen hassle and ensure faster travel. We are more optimistic that with the inclusion of the Star Tollway into San Miguel Infrastructure’s Autosweep RFID system, we will be able to handle vehicle volumes at a faster rate,” the company said. The other tollways operated by San Miguel Infrastructure are: South Luzon Expressway (SLEx), Skyway, and the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Expressway (NAIAx).

MPBL outreach program visits landslide victims in Naga, Cebu

SHOWING that the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) is more than just a basketball organization, officials of the fastest growing regional amateur basketball league spearheaded the first ever outreach program for the landslide victims in Naga, Cebu.
Hundreds of families were cramped inside the Enan Chiong Activity Center where the victims are temporarily sheltered, but there were joys on their faces the moment the MPBL delegation arrived led by Commissioner Kenneth Duremdes, assistant commissioner Satar Macantal, operations head Zaldy Realubit, team coordinator Emerson Oreta, and the members of the Cebu Sharks headed by coach Ting Manalili and star player Patrick Cabahug.
Also part of the delegation is Atty. Dan Roleda, whose grouped also helped out in giving support to the victims of the landslide.
“Senator Manny Pacquiao, being a brother as well in the Fraternal Order of Eagles and the Guardians. We talked about the MPBL Cares. He really wanted to reach out to the barangays and distressed people from different communities. The MPBL wants to show it cares. We tied up on this with the Fraternal Order of Eagles. For 40 years, the Fraternal Order of Eagles is doing community works in all fields, medicine, nutrition, even housing. So the Fraternal Order of Eagles is the perfect partner of the MPBL Cares,” said Roleda.
“We are here in Naga, Cebu, to visit and check on the conditions of the landslide victims. Hopefully, Senator Manny Pacquiao will be able to come up with ideas concretely and not just visiting, how we could help these victims. It’s not ideal to give one time support and that’s it. We are working together to have an everlasting solution on this problem. We would like to tell these victims not to lose hope because the entire Filipino nation is with them.”
Commissioner Duremdes added that the MPBL Cares in Naga is just the first of a series of community works for the league.
The MPBL donated food, refreshments, and other useful materials to the victims. The league’s staff members also played with the children of the victims and was also entertained by Realubit, who sang with the victims while playing the acoustic guitar.
The Sharks, who won a day earlier in the MPBL against Makati, also gave their fellow Cebuanos some encouragement not to lose hope. — Rey Joble

Letran Knights resume assault on NCAA top two

FRESH from their huge victory over erstwhile league-leading Lyceum Pirates last time around, the Letran Knights forge ahead in their assault on the top two in National Collegiate Athletic Association Season 94 when they take on the also-rans San Sebastian Stags in opening seniors’ play today at the FilOil Flying V Centre in San Juan City.
Currently at third place with an 11-4 record, the Knights, winners of their last four games, look to book another key win in their 2 p.m. match with the Stags to put further wind in their push for a top-two position in the ongoing season which are held right now by defending champions San Beda Red Lions (14-1) and Lyceum (14-2).
Letran is coming off its 80-79 win over Lyceum on Oct. 5 which had it benefitting from a late downgrade of a three-point shot by the Pirates that handed it the victory.
With 40.8 seconds left in the contest and the Knights up, 80-77, Lyceum guard Jaycee Marcelino drained a three-pointer to tie the knot at 80-all.
Both teams did not score after up to the final buzzer. And when everybody thought the game was heading into overtime, the referees decided to go for a review of the Marcelino three-pointer and eventually ruled it as just a two-pointer to give the win to the Muralla-based Knights, 80-79.
While shocked at the outcome, Lyceum said it would not protest the ruling and just move on.
In said game, Letran big man Larry Muyang played well, finishing with a solid double-double of 23 points and 16 rebounds to go along with four blocks.
He shot efficiently from the field, hitting 11-of-12 for a 92% shooting clip.
Veterans Bong Quinto and JP Calvo also came up big for the Knights, finishing with 20 and 18 points, respectively.
For his impressive performance against the Pirates, Muyang earned NCAA player of the week honors, edging Perpetual Help’s Price Eze, Emilio Aguinaldo College’s Jerome Garcia, and San Beda’s Robert Bolick.
“This is a big win for us. We won. It is that simple [regardless of the manner it happened]. Credit to the players,” said Letran coach Jeff Napa after their squeaker over Lyceum.
Out to spoil the Knights’ top-two push, meanwhile, are the rivals Stags (4-11), who have lost back-to-back matches, the last one against the Perpetual Help Altas, 85-77, on Oct. 5.
Alvin Capobres, JK Ilagan, and Allyn Bulanadi combined for 50 points against the Altas but it was not enough to tow their team to the victory.
Down to its last three games in the season, San Sebastian hopes to finish on a positive note and have something to build on.
Meanwhile, playing after Letran-San Sebastian are Perpetual Help (10-5) and the EAC Generals (4-12). — Michael Angelo S. Murillo

ONE Championship’s growth further expands with additional equity investment

By Michael Angelo S. Murillo
Senior Reporter
ONE Championship’s ascent as a global sports media property continued after recently closing a $166-million Series D financing round led by Sequiao Capital.
In an announcement released by the group on Monday, with the latest equity investment, that counts Temasek, Greenoaks Capital, and others as new investors, ONE said its total capital base has now exceeded $250 million.
Established in 2011, ONE Championship has steadily grown across the board, with its offerings going beyond top-class mixed martial arts action.
Just last weekend, it staged its first boxing event that featured the title defense of World Boxing Council super flyweight champion Srisaket Sor Rungvisai of Thailand and challenger Iran “MagnifiKO” Diaz of Mexico in a show dubbed “ONE: Kingdom of Heroes” in Bangkok.
It has also been active in promoting other forms of martial arts by way of its Super Series, which is a unique league designed to give martial artists another pathway to showcase what they can do on a professional level, be it in Muay Thai, Lethwei, Silat, Karate, Taekwondo, Sambo, Kung Fu, Sanda and Wushu.
ONE Championship, too, has expanded its reach, making itself available in various platforms, including via its mobile super app which was launched in May.

Retrieval ops for Naga landslide victims closed; focus now on rehabilitation, investigation

AUTHORITIES HAVE terminated the retrieval operations in Naga City, Cebu, where massive landslides killed at least 78 people on Sep. 20,. Efforts will now focus on rehabilitation. As of Sunday, five people remain unaccounted for. Naga Councilor Carmelito Cruz, Jr., also the head of the head of the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office and the Emergency Operations Center, said at least P400 million will be needed for the permanent relocation of 400 families. “We are in the process of conducting a Post Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA) with the guidance of Cebu Province and the (regional) Office of Civil Defense. The inputs during the PDNA will form part of the Recovery and Rehabilitation Plan,” Mr. Cruz told The Freeman. The city currently has P55 million in local funds for the rehabilitation, excluding the P10 million in donations. Mr. Cruz said the national government has committed to give P175 million through the National Housing Authority. Meanwhile, the Cebu provincial board started on Monday its own investigation into the Naga landslides, which is being blamed on quarrying operations. — The Freeman
>> See full story on https://goo.gl/VSDPhP

China is double champion

43rd Chess Olympiad (Open Division)
Batumi, Georgia
Sept. 23 — Oct. 6, 2018

Final Standings

Country/Points TB1 TB2

1. China 18/22 372.5 28.5

2. USA 18/22 360.5 29.0

3. Russia 18/22 354.5 29.0

4. Poland 17/22 390.0 28.0

5. England 17/22 340.0 27.5

6. India 16/22 388.0 29.0

7. Vietnam 16/22 379.5 30.5

8. Armenia 16/22 371.0 27.5

9. France 16/22 366.0 28.5

10. Ukraine 16/22 337.0 26.0

11. Sweden 16/22 333.0 29.0

12. Czech Rep. 16/22 331.5 27.5

13. Germany 16/22 317.5 27.0

14. Austria 16/22 300.5 27.0

15. Azerbaijan 15/22 402.5 29.5

Total of 185 teams from 183 countries. Georgia as the host country was allowed to field three teams.
Time Control is 90 minutes for the first 40 moves, then 30 minutes play-to-finish, with 30 seconds added to your clock after every move starting move 1.
Back in 1975 we had the Philippines vs China Friendship Matches where a 10-man Filipino squad (Grandmaster [GM] Eugene Torre, International Master [IM] Rodolfo Tan Cardoso, IM Renato Naranja, IM Rosendo Balinas Jr, Glenn Bordonada, Rico Mascariñas, Roger Abella, Rafaelito Maninang, Cesar Caturla, and Phil Junior Champion Frederic Tumanon) met the best player of China, ostensibly to test the playing level of China in preparation for their first participation in the Chess Olympiad. Anyway, there were six matches of 10 games each, held in various cities around China and the Philippines won 35.0-25.0.
I can talk on and on about this. For example our team had a fixed board order, but the Philippine delegation head, the late Florencio Campomanes, gave the host country the freedom of varying their board orders as they please. In other words he allowed them to identify and target the weak points in our team but the Philippines won nevertheless.
The rest is history. Apparently China took their lessons well and joined their first Chess Olympiad in 1978 Buenos Aires – they did not do too badly – 20th place, and this included a beautiful win by Liu Wenzhe over Jan Hein Donner to allow China to tie Netherlands, a world chess power, 2-2. Here is that “Chinese Immortal:”

Liu, Wenzhe — Donner, Jan Hein [B07]
Olympiad-23 Buenos Aires (8), 02.11.1978

1.e4 d6 2.d4 Nf6 3.Nc3 g6 4.Be2 Bg7 5.g4
Liu Wenzhe is later to become the head coach of China and have a direct hand in the development of their chess talents. He is the author of the book “The Chinese School of Chess.” The idea he uses against the Pirc, which is 4.Be2 together with 5.g4 succeeds here because Donner was not taking his opponent seriously. I have appended the game Kovacevic vs Seirawan at the end of this column to give an idea on how it should be met.
5…h6
IM Andrew Martin recommends 5…c5 here. “A more fluid, Sicilian-type of game would certainly increase the likelihood that Black could expose g2–g4 as something of a luxury.”
6.h3 c5 7.d5 0–0?
Castling into it. GM Robert Byrne suggested here 7…Na6 followed by …Nc7.
8.h4! e6 9.g5 hxg5 10.hxg5 Ne8 11.Qd3 exd5 12.Nxd5 Nc6 13.Qg3 Be6 14.Qh4
We are just on the 14th move and already White has forced mate.
14…f5 15.Qh7+ Kf7 16.Qxg6+! Kxg6 17.Bh5+ Kh7 18.Bf7+ Bh6 19.g6+ Kg7 20.Bxh6+ 1–0
According to GM Kavalek, after Donner lost the game he sat in his chair for another 15 minutes, staring at the chessboard with amazement. And then, understanding the humor of the situation, he mocked himself: “Now I will be known as the Chinese Kieseritzky.”
And now see how far they have gone. Here in Batumi the Chinese Men’s and Women’s Teams both struck gold. We will discuss the women’s Olympiad in another column – today we will look at the Men’s.
China, USA and Russia all tied for first with 18 out of a maximum of 22 points, so the first tie-break system of Olympiad Sonneborn-Berger points was applied. As I explained in our Sept. 27 column, this means that the match points of the teams against which you had played during the Olympiad are multiplied with the number of team points you scored in the match against that team, followed by dropping the result against the lowest-ranked team.
Having come from behind the Russian squad had much lower Sonneborn-Berger tiebreak points than the other two and their bronze medals were perhaps the most that they could have hoped for.
Before the round started however the Americans had higher tie-break points than the Chinese so they didn’t try too hard to win their match and were content with four draws. Their misfortune is that all their opponents from previous rounds did worse than the Chinese team’s opponents and by the time all the results of round 11 were tallied it was China which jumped ahead.
The Chinese squad is composed of:

bd 1 GM Ding Liren 2804, 5.5/8

bd 2 GM Yu Yangyi 2765, 7.0/11

bd 3 GM Wei Yi 2742, 3.5/7

bd 4 GM Bu Xiangzhi 2712, 7.5/10

bd 5 GM Li Chao 2708, 5.0/8

Wei Yi did not do as well as expected. He had wins against two IMs but lost to GM Jorge Cori (2664) of Peru and GM Jiri Stocek (2574) of the Czech Republic and drew the rest. He was benched in the final two matches of China.
Yu Yangyi and Li Chao did more or less what is expected of them. Bu Xiangzhi, at one time the world’s youngest-ever GM in history until Sergey Karjakin broke his record, delivered for his country scoring the decisive win against the Netherlands and Azerbaijan to tow them back into contention after a bad start.
Ding Liren, still in crutches because of a broken hip he suffered during the Norway Altibox tournament last June, played well. He was undefeated and had three wins (against GM Emilio Cordova PER 2609, GM Ivan Saric CRO 2689 and GM Jan-Krzysztof Duda POL 2739) and 5 draws.

Ding, Liren (2804) — Duda, Jan-Krzysztof (2739) [D24]
43rd Olympiad 2018 Batumi GEO (10.1), 04.10.2018

The Poles were the surprise team of Batumi. They had no big names but that didn’t stop Poland from defeating top seed USA and second seed Russia, not to say anything about powerhouses Ukraine and France. China stopped them in round 10 with a big 3–1 victory. Ding Liren got the brilliancy prize as well for defeating the Polish Champion Jan — Krzysztof Duda, so this was a very good day at the office for him.
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.Nc3 dxc4 5.e4 b5
Mainline Vienna is 5…Bb4 6.Bg5 c5 7.Bxc4 cxd4 8.Nxd4 but Duda had already played the text move in the 2018 Polish Championship, so I guess Ding was not surprised by it.
6.e5 Nd5 7.Nxb5 Nb6 8.Be2 Nc6 9.0–0 Be7 10.Qd2!?
A new try, relocating his queen to the kingside. The “normal” 10.Be3 does not seem to give White any edge. 10…0–0 11.Qd2 (11.Nc3 Rb8 12.a3 Bb7 13.Qc2 Na5 14.Rad1 h6 15.Nd2 Qd7 16.f4 Nd5 Mamedyarov, S (2801)-Caruana, F (2822) Saint Louis 2018 1/2 61.) 11…Rb8 12.Rfd1 Bb7 13.b3 a6 14.Nc3 cxb3 15.axb3 Nb4 Black is completely fine. Wojtaszek, R (2750)-Duda,J (2724) Warsaw POL 2018 0–1 55.
10…0–0 11.Qf4 Rb8 12.Nc3 f5 13.Qg3 Kh8 14.Rd1 Nb4 15.b3 cxb3 16.axb3 a6 17.Bc4 Nc2 18.Ra2 Nb4 19.Ra1 Nc2 20.Ra2 Nb4 21.Re2 a5 22.d5! exd5 23.e6 Bd6 24.Qh3 Qf6! <D>
The bishop on c4 cannot be taken: 24…dxc4? 25.Ng5 h6 26.Nf7+ Rxf7 27.exf7 followed by Re8+.
POSITION AFTER 24…QF6
The critical position. Ding thought on his next move for 30 minutes and then flashed out his next moves fast.
25.Nb5!!
This appears to be an only move:
25.Bg5 Qg6 (not 25…Qxc3? 26.Rc1 the queen has nowhere to go) 26.Bb5 Bxe6 Black has parried all threats and White’s forces are uncoordinated. For example, 27.Bd2 c6 28.Ba4 Bd7 White’s bishop on a4 is completely shut out of action;
25.Ng5 h6 26.Nf7+ Rxf7 27.exf7 Qxf7 White has no attack
25…dxc4 26.Nxd6 cxd6 27.e7 Re8 28.Ng5 Qg6
[28…h6 29.Qh5! Bd7 30.Rxd6! Qxd6 31.Nf7+]
29.Rxd6! f4! 30.Qh4 Qb1
Everything is hanging.
31.Re1
After the game some commentators pointed out that 31.Qxf4! would have been better because of 31…Bd7 32.Rf6!! Kg8 33.Rxb6 Rbc8 (33…Rxb6 34.Qf7+ Kh8 35.Qf8+) 34.Qf7+ Kh8 35.Re1 but I do not believe any human being would go into that line, especially in such a pressure situation.
31…Bf5 32.Rd8! Bg6
[32…Rbxd8 33.exd8Q Rxd8 34.Nf7+ Kg8 35.Qxd8+ Kxf7 36.Re7+ Kg6 37.Qd6+ Kh5 38.Qxf4 h6 (otherwise Qg5 mate) 39.Rxg7 mate is coming up]
33.Rxb8 Rxb8 34.Qxf4 Rg8 35.Nf7+ Bxf7 36.Qxf7 Nd7 37.e8Q Nf6 38.Bg5! Threatening both the black queen and mate. 1–0
Here is the Seirawan game I promised.

Kovacevic, Vlatko (2510) — Seirawan, Yasser (2510) [B07]
Hoogovens Wijk Aan Zee (9), 26.01.1980

1.e4 d6 2.d4 Nf6 3.Nc3 g6 4.Be2 Bg7 5.g4 c6 6.g5 Nfd7 7.h4 b5 8.h5 Rg8 9.hxg6 hxg6 10.Nf3 b4 11.Nb1 a5 12.a4 c5 13.d5 Nb6 14.c4 Kd7 15.Nbd2 Rh8 16.Rg1 Kc7 17.Rb1 Rh3 18.b3 Qh8 19.Nf1 N8d7 20.Bf4 Ne5 21.Nxe5 Bxe5 22.Bxe5 Qxe5 23.f3 Bd7 24.Qc2 Qd4 25.Rg2 Rh1 26.Rf2 Qh8 27.f4 Qh4 28.Rd1 f6 29.gxf6 exf6 30.e5 fxe5 31.fxe5 Rf8 32.exd6+ Kb7 33.Bd3 Re8+ 34.Be2 0–1
 
Bobby Ang is a founding member of the National Chess Federation of the Philippines (NCFP) and its first Executive Director. A Certified Public Accountant (CPA), he taught accounting in the University of Santo Tomas for 25 years and is currently Chief Audit Executive of the Equicom Group of Companies.
bobby@cpamd.net

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