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All-Star guards Nash and Kidd headline Naismith 2018 Hall of Fame class

LOS ANGELES — Former National Basketball Association (NBA) all-stars Steve Nash of Canada and American Jason Kidd headline the 2018 Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame class announced on Saturday.
Other inductees include ex-players Grant Hill, Ray Allen, Maurice Cheeks, longtime college basketball coach Lefty Driesell and female players Katie Smith and Tina Thompson.
Nash, who grew up in Victoria on Vancouver Island, is third among the NBA’s all-time assist leaders.
He is one of just a dozen players to have won consecutive MVP honors, doing it in 2005 and 2006.
Born in South Africa, Nash made eight All-Star Games and was a seven-time All-NBA selection, including a first-team selection three times.
“To cap a career in this way. This is an individual recognition, but truly what makes this special is to share in my journey with so many people that go in with me,” said Nash, who led the NBA in assists five times.
Kidd is a 10-time NBA All-Star and six-time All-NBA selection player.
Like Nash, Kidd is considered one of the best passers in NBA history.
“I would like to thank the Hall of Fame for doing this. And again, this being a team sport, it’s about my teammates and coaches, so hopefully I’m representing them well here today,” Kidd said.
He finished his career second all-time in assists and steals and third all-time in triple-doubles.
The induction ceremony is scheduled for Sept. 7 at the Springfield Symphony Hall in Massachusetts. — AFP

TRI-Factor Asian series now in PHL

LOCAL TRIATHLON gets further boost as top Asian multisport brand TRI-Factor holds the third leg of its Asian Championship Series in Camarines Sur in May with a slew of rising and leading triathletes in the region expected to see action.
Put up to provide multi-sport beginners, enthusiasts and veteran triathletes — even kids — a venue to hone their talent and skills in swimming, biking and running, the TRI-Factor have grown from organizing multi-sport events in Singapore to creating the premier short-course championship series across the Asian region.
It features kids triathlon (100, swim-5 km bike-1 km run), freshmen triathlon (200 m swim-10 km bike-2 km run), sprint triathlon (750 m swim-20 km bike-5 km run), standard triathlon (1.5 km-40 km bike-10 km run) and long triathlon (1.5 km swim-60 km bike-15 km run).
The Asian Championship 2018 series will kick off in Singapore on April 22 then to China on May 13 before action shifts to the Philippines on May 25-27 at Camsur Watersports Complex in Camarines Sur.
The TRI-Factor is also staged to promote an active and healthy lifestyle, particularly among the youth. Its staging in the country comes at a time when local triathlon is enjoying tremendous boom.
Founded in 2009, TRI-Factor is aimed at building a community and culture of Asian athletes racing with the region with its short distances and secured courses allowing beginners to master swimming, cycling and running and prepare them for the regular triathlon events.
Each TRI-Factor race finish gives athletes points counting toward a year-end ranking. For the Asian Championship series, each race will be assigned a Race Course index depending on the degree of difficulty where points awarded will be multiplied with the index, allowing athletes to rack up bigger points at the tougher races.

ONE carries more ‘punch’ in Manila return

ONE Championship presents its 13th live show in Manila later this month, carrying more “punch” as it debuts the highly anticipated ONE Super Series.
The Super Series is a unique martial arts league that will feature other Asian martial art forms like Muay Thai, Lethwei, Silat, Karate, Taekwondo, Sambo, Kung Fu, Sanda and Wushu.
It is hoped that through it martial artists will have another pathway to showcase what they can do on a professional level.
ONE, Asia’s largest sports media property, is angling to get added dimension from the Super Series to complement the world-class mixed martial arts offerings it has become known for since setting up shop in 2011.
The various-styled bouts of the Super Series unveils its maiden offering at “ONE: Heroes of Honor” on April 20 at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
It will feature the battle between international kickboxing superstar Giorgio Petrosyan of Italy and 25-year-old “Smokin’” Jo Nattawut of Thailand.
The bout will be part of the card to be headlined by the bantamweight battle of Filipino Kevin “The Silencer” Belingon against American Andrew Leone.
Mr. Petrosyan, 32, is known as one of the finest kickboxing talents in the world. He began his professional Muay Thai career at the age of 16 competing between bantamweight and middleweight, winning multiple titles across each division.
Carrying a kickboxing record of 85-2-2, with two no contests, Mr. Petrosyan has punctuated his illustrious career with an incredible six-year, 42-bout win streak which is considered one of the most dominant reigns in middleweight history.
On the other hand, Mr. Nattawut is a kickboxing star from Atlanta, Georgia, with a professional kickboxing record of 60-11-2. Originally from Korat, Thailand, he is a former Lion Fight Super Welterweight Champion and World Muaythai Council Champion, known for his powerful elbow and knee strikes.
“In the same way that Starbucks offers many flavors of coffee and tea, we offer all martial arts. ONE Championship is the home of martial arts. We have earned that reputation over the last couple of years, and so instead of mixed martial arts, as a fight fan and as a martial arts lover, you now get to see all forms of martial arts for the very first time in history,” said Chatri Sityodtong, ONE chairman and CEO, in a recent conference call with global media whose transcript was shared to BusinessWorld.
“So you will see matches of, you know, Muay Thai versus Taekwondo, or Taekwondo versus Kung Fu, and the list goes on and on. This is a massive game-changing moment, not just for ONE Championship but also for the world of martial arts,” he added.
Also at Heroes of Honor, all bouts are expected to be held inside the new ring, including those that are officiated under ONE’s Global Rule Set.
This means that, for the first time in ONE Championship history, MMA contests will be held in the ring instead of in the cage.
Details and specifications of the new ring have yet to be released by ONE but it said it would do so in the lead-up to the April 20 event. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo

Gradual expansion for the MPBL

Makati, San Juan, Pasig, Laguna, and Rosario, Cavite, any of these places, or even all of them, could become part of the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League’s (MPBL) expansion next conference.
Representatives from these cities had already signified their intention to join by sending a letter of intent. They’ve also attended the league’s initial meetings, which could make them part of the MPBL beginning next conference in June.
Makati will be handled by Cholo Villanueva.
He served as an assistant coach to Franz Pumaren at GlobalPort in the Philippine Basketball Association and said he plans to build a competitive and fast-paced team. Currently, the team is moving from different barangays to look for players, but just like the other teams already competing in the MPBL’s inaugural staging, the team wants to take advantage of getting five ex-pros to shore up the roster.
San Juan has tapped Francis Rodriguez, its old coach in the Metropolitan Basketball Association, and with former Senator Jinggoy Estrada bankrolling the squad, expect the Knights to relive their glory days.
Presently, several ex-pros who have tried out for a spot include Mac Cardona and EJ Feihl.
Laguna is an interesting participant and it will have the Alonte Sports Complex as its homecourt as soon as it gets on board.
Pasig was among those which showed keen interest in joining the fledgling league, whose participants could move up to 15 come next conference.
Now known as the Rios, representatives from Pasig even gave MPBL founder Manny Pacquiao and Commissioner Kenneth Duremdes a replica jersey.
Rosario was the latest to send a letter of intent and is scheduled to meet MPBL officials.
The MPBL-Anta Rajah Cup just started its playoffs and this early, teams are determined to be part of the growing family of this new regional league. By next year, expect the league to go down south and cater to teams from Visayas and Mindanao.
“We just have to carefully study the logistics and the expenses that will be needed and learn from the mistakes of the past league, MBA, which has a similar format,” said Duremdes.
To recall, The MBA got off to a great start but fell under the financial load of the expenses needed in home-and-away games, flying back and forth from north to south.
As for the MPBL, the league started is off to a good start. Slowly but surely, it will become a national league for every Filipino.
After all, the MPBL is Liga Ng Bawat Pilipino.
 
Rey Joble has been a sportswriter covering the PBA games for more than a decade. He is a member of the PBA Press Corps and Philippine Sportswriters Association, the oldest journalism group in the country.
reyjoble09@gmail.com

Wizards’ playoff push

“We don’t know who we play, and we really don’t care who we play,” head Coach Scott Brooks said when asked about the Wizards’ preferences for the first round of the postseason. The premise of the query was sound. After all, they had lost four of their last five games heading into yesterday’s homestand against the Hornets. And were the playoffs to begin today, they would be facing the dysfunctional-but-always-dangerous Cavaliers starring All-World LeBron James. Still, the bench tactician wasn’t wrong to focus on the positives. As he argued, “we just want to play well.”
In this regard, Brooks was, no doubt, buoyed by the return to action of acknowledged leader John Wall. The Wizards floundered in his two-month absence due to injury, going 15 and 12 after looking all roses at the start. Clearly, they need him to right the ship through their last six regular-season matches and into the playoffs, especially if they do wind up drawing the Cavaliers at the outset. And if his sterling showing yesterday is any indication, he’ll be able to do so.
Certainly, Brooks was pleased, describing Wall as a “Ferrari” who “got a lot of open shots for a lot of players. That’s what he does at the highest level.” Which is to say the break did him wonders. Prior to going under the knife for viscosupplementation and debridement of his troublesome left knee, he spent much of his time on the court seemingly stationary and far from his normal whirling-dervish self. Yesterday, he looked like he got back his bounce, with his spring and vision generating myriad open looks for teammates.
In the immediate term, Wall will most definitely help. The Wizards had hitherto looked listless and lost, especially against supposedly overmatched opponents; losses to the likes of the Knicks and the Pistons last week reflected their rudderless plight. Now, they’re at full strength and poised to make a run at a higher seeding in the East. A tall order with just a couple of weeks on the calendar? Perhaps. Then again, what’s most important is the effort, which, at best, sustains momentum. Again, as Brooks contended, “we just want to play well.”
 
Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994.

PET set to start recount on 2016 VP race

By Dane Angelo M. Enerio
THE Supreme Court (SC), acting as the Presidential Electoral Tribunal (PET), begins on Monday what it calls the revision of votes between Vice-President Maria Leonor “Leni” G. Robredo and her rival in the 2016 vice-presidential contest, former senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos, Jr.
Revision is the “process of verifying the physical count of the ballots; to recount the votes of the parties; and to record the objections or claims of the parties; to mark the ballots objected to or claimed by the parties,” according to PET spokesperson lawyer Jose Lemuel S. Arenas.
Ms. Robredo edged out Mr. Marcos in the said race with 263,473 votes, following the latter’s lead throughout Election Day. This   prompted Mr. Marcos to file an election protest.
The revision — which has been delayed twice — will only cover three provinces chosen by each party.
Mr. Marcos’s chosen provinces of Camarines Sur, Iloilo, and Negros Oriental will be the first to undergo the process.
The revision will take place at the SC and Court of Appeals’ (CA) converted gymnasium at the 5th floor of their premises in Padre Faura, Manila.
They will be conducted by revision committees (RC) composed of a head revisor hired by the PET and one revisor each from the parties of Ms. Robredo and Mr. Marcos.
Mr. Arenas said the revisors were private individuals who applied and undergone an interview, a psychological test to dispel bias, and an aptitude test.
It will run from Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., with short breaks in between for the RCs.
RCs will be given a time limit of five hours and 30 minutes for boxes with less than 300 ballots, 8 hours and 15 minutes for boxes with 300-699 ballots, and 11 hours for boxes with more than 700 ballots.
Mr. Arenas explained they plan to hire more head revisors as only 40 RCs will be present on Monday despite the site being able to accommodate up to 50 RCs.
He also pointed out that a total of 5,418 ballot boxes have been retrieved by PET, each representing a clustered precinct from Mr. Marcos’s chosen provinces.
Only 1,400 boxes from Camarines Sur, however, were present on-site at the SC/CA due to limited storage capabilities, he added.
The remaining boxes will be moved in once the RCs are done with the initial 1,400.
Lawyer Ma. Carina M. Cunanan, another PET representative, said the site is monitored by CCTV surveillance and a handful of security personnel, who they plan to augment in the future.
She pointed out that aside from the regular SC security, also present were personnel from the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG).
Ms. Robredo will attend Mass on Monday morning before proceeding to the SC for the recount, according to her camp.
The Marcos camp in its latest statement called on its supporters “to remain calm and be with us in prayers.”

PDP-Laban’s Senate slate being finalized

By Camille A. Aguinaldo
SENATE PRESIDENT Aquilino L. Pimentel III said the senatorial slate of the ruling Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP Laban) for the upcoming 2019 midterm elections would be finalized by September.“Definitely September, it’s final,” he said in an interview with reporters.
Mr. Pimentel, who is also PDP-Laban president, said he would reconcile the list of nominees for the lineup with the ruling party’s secretary-general House Speaker Pantaleon D. Alvarez after the Lenten break. Both Messrs. Pimentel and Alvarez earlier bared their preferred senatorial candidates under the PDP-Laban banner, with the former taking in five reelectionist senators belonging to the Senate majority bloc.
Mr. Pimentel is seeking reelection in the midterm polls, along with majority bloc Senators Juan Edgardo M. Angara, Maria Lourdes Nancy S. Binay, Joseph Victor G. Ejercito, Grace Poe S. Llamanzares-Poe and Cynthia A. Villar. Senator Paolo Benigno A. Aquino IV, the lone reelectionist under the Senate minority bloc, has said he would be joining the “genuine opposition” senatorial slate.
The Senate leader also noted that President Rodrigo R. Duterte, being the ruling party’s chairman, would still have the last word on the senatorial lineup.
“The Speaker and I are working on coming up with a semi-final list. And then, of course, we will finalize it with the President,” he said.
“This is because we will ask his help campaigning for his people whom he will endorse and raise hands during the campaign. He will mention their characteristics and accomplishments. The President should be confident with the PDP-Laban lineup for senators,” he added in a mix of Filipino and English.
Asked if Mr. Duterte would actively participate in the campaign trail, Mr. Pimentel said, “I think he would love to campaign for his senatorial candidates.”
Aside from consultations with the party chairman, Mr. Pimentel said they would also conduct an internal survey to determine who among the nominees would have the “political strength” to win.
He added that the party would also examine the nominees’ track record as well as their support for the political party and its chairman, Mr. Duterte. He also reiterated that candidates under the PDP-Laban banner should be not against federalism, or should at least be open to the party’s advocacy, in order to have a unified message in the upcoming elections.
“When we are in the same stage campaigning in 2019, I hope that we will not be out of tune….My prediction is that, especially if the plebiscite is conducted at the same time with the elections, it will be a campaign issue or campaign topic. I hope we have one voice when it came to federalism,” Mr. Pimentel said.

Guidelines issued on minors in entertainment

THE Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) on Sunday, April 1, announced the amended rules on the hiring of minors in public entertainment.
The rules under newly issued Department Circular No. 2 series of 2018 are applicable to minors who are “picked or chosen as a contestant from the audience of a live television; a contestant of a singing, dance or talent contest for a television show but has not yet been selected as a semifinalist; a recipient of gift-giving activities in television; a participant in school-related performance such as play, skit, or recital; a participant in sports activities, trainings or workshops aimed at developing the child’s talent or skills.”
DoLE in a statement also said minors “who will be featured in a documentary material will no longer need to secure a work permit prior to engaging in public entertainment or information related projects.”
“In case the child in the documentary material is engaged in child labor, the producer shall refer the child to the nearest DoLE regional/provincial/field office for the necessary services needed by the child and his/her family.”
The said circular covers children and adolescents below 15 years of age who are engaged in public entertainment or information.
As for the child laborer, the producer “is enjoined not to disclose his/her identity including his or her photographs, images or video footages for the best interest of the minor pursuant to the Guide for Media Practitioners on the Reporting and Coverage of Cases Involving Children.”
“For group working permits, the DoLE Office must issue a group permit for children appearing in a single project covering those without working child permit yet.”
Also under the new rule, “in case there is a need to re-schedule the performance of the child outside the validity period indicated in the Working Child Permit, the employer shall notify in writing the DoLE regional/provincial/field office which issued the permit at least two days prior to the performance of the work.” — Arjay L. Balinbin

Peso seen weakening

THE PESO is seen to weaken against the dollar this week on the back of upbeat US economic reports and hawkish expectations on the remarks of American policy makers.
Last Wednesday, the local currency ended the session at P52.16 versus the dollar, 16 centavos stronger than its P52.32 finish on Tuesday as investors took profits ahead of the Holy Week break.
Week on week, the peso also strengthened from its P52.39-per-dollar finish on March 23.
Guian Angelo S. Dumalagan, market analyst at Land Bank of the Philippines (LANDBANK), said in an e-mail that the greenback might generally recover this week “fuelled by relatively strong US economic reports and more hawkish remarks from various US policy makers.”
Last Wednesday, the US Commerce Department announced that the US economy grew 2.9% in the last quarter of 2017, faster than the previously recorded 2.5% as well as the 2.7% revision according to a poll from Reuters. However, the October-to-December figure was slightly slower compared with the 3.2% figure logged in the previous quarter.
According to Mr. Dumalagan, the “upbeat” gross domestic product data, as well as reports on US personal consumption expenditures index, personal spending, and personal income, will likely push the dollar upwards in the first three days of the week, as these reports support views of at least two more rate hikes from the Federal Reserve this year.
“The impact of these strong US reports might be amplified by the recent remark of [Atlanta Fed President Raphael W. Bostic] about the need to raise rates closer to a neutral level of 2.9%,” Mr. Dumalagan added, noting that three other Fed officials might echo Mr. Bostic’s remarks during their speeches this week.
Meanwhile, a trader interviewed on last week said investors may look at the domestic inflation figure to be released on Thursday.
A BusinessWorld poll of nine economists showed that inflation likely quickened to 4.2% last month, breaching the 2-4% target range set by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) for this year.
The “upbeat” inflation report of the BSP and European Central Bank (ECB), LANDBANK’s market economist said, will raise the chances of a rate hike this year by monetary authorities.
“Consequently, expectations of higher rates domestically and in the Eurozone could lessen the greenback’s attractiveness against the peso and a basket of other currencies,” he added.
For this week, Mr. Dumalagan sees the peso moving between P51.85 and P52.35 versus the dollar, while the trader gave a slimmer range of P52.15 to P52.45.
“The factors that could reverse the dollar’s projected upward bias include hints from BSP officials of a possible rate hike in May 2018, remarks from the ECB suggesting a rate increase in December, renewed political noise on global trade protectionism, and unexpected dovish comments from US Federal Reserve officials,” Mr. Dumalagan noted. — Karl Angelo N. Vidal

PDEA checking on local anti-drug councils

THE Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency’s Western Visayas office (PDEA-6) has started verifying if anti-drug councils at the municipal and barangay levels are functioning. Senior Superintendent Marlon A. Tayaba, head of the Iloilo provincial police, earlier flagged concerns over non-functional local anti-drug councils.
PDEA-6 Regional Director Wardley M. Getalla said they are now checking on the municipal anti-drug abuse councils (MADAC) and the barangay anti-drug abuse councils (BADAC) in the region.
“Based on data from the Department of the Interior and Local Government), almost 100% of the local government units were given lectures on how to activate their MADACs and BADACs. It is not only enough that you have established these councils. It remains under debate whether they serve their mandate,” Mr. Getalla told the media last week, “They should have an auxiliary team. They should meet every day and conduct monthly activities.”
He also noted that one of the criteria in declaring a barangay “drug-cleared” is the functionality of the BADAC. Mr. Getalla said PDEA aims to make all barangays active in drug-clearing operations by June 2018. — Louine Hope U. Conserva

Caves, waterfalls, culture take spotlight in tourism program 

THE provincial government of Cotabato, also referred to as North Cotabato, is developing eight tourism destinations that highlight its natural environment and indigenous culture.
These are: Pisan Caves in Kabacan; Asik-Asik Falls in Dado Alamada; Hillside Spring Resort in President Roxas; Liliongan Cave and Tourism Park at Liliongan, Carmen; 1,100-meter zipline, also in Carmen; Kirungdong Falls Ecotourism Park and a tribal village in Magpet; and the Pavilion Canopy in the capital Kidapawan City.
Governor Emmylou “Lala” Talino-Mendoza, in her State of the Province Address in late March, said there is already a budget allocation for the tourism development program and preparations are under way for implementation. Other sites that will also be developed include the UK Peak in Aleosan, Matigol Falls in Arakan, and a tribal village in Magpet. Ms. Mendoza said enhancing the environment and “preserving culture” is at the core of the tourism program, citing their Museyo Kutawato in Kidapawan City.
“We hope that this collection of art will not only remind us of our rich culture but also promote community awareness of the history of struggle and of coexistence of the tri-people in Cotabato Province. Museyo Kutawato has now 258 objects properly documented, housed and conserved,” she said. The governor said the province had 114,496 visitors in 2017. — Maya M. Padillo

Congressman wants ‘no tattoo rule’ in recruitment in AFP, PNP dropped

A LAWMAKER called on the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) to drop its “no tattoo rule” on potential recruits.
“For our military and police organizations to bar the entry of capable and well-meaning Filipinos in their ranks on the basis of tattoos is quite archaic, if only because tattoos are no longer taboo in this day and age. Thus, we call for the removal of this ban,” Davao City Representative Karlo Alexei B. Nograles said in a statement on Easter Sunday.
He added that applicants who meet the requirements such as being physically fit, with good moral character, and no criminal record, “should not be denied the right to serve the country.” — M. N. R. dela Cruz