Nation at a Glance — (03/28/18)
News stories from across the nation. Visit www.bworldonline.com (section: The Nation) to read more national and regional news from the Philippines.
Stand up for the Philippine Rise
On April 12, the Area Task Force (ATF) North under the National Task Force West Philippine Sea (NTF-WPS) will stage the ceremonial send off of the Philippine Rise Maritime Scientific Research team and buoy casting onboard BRP Tarlac at the Philippine Rise. The Philippine Rise is formerly known as Benham Rise.
In the 2012 United Nations decision, Benham Rise was confirmed as part of the Philippines’ continental shelf and territory. Five years later, Benham Rise was renamed as Philippine Rise by virtue of Executive Order (EO) No. 25. Changing the Name of “Benham Rise” to “Philippine Rise” and for other Purposes signed by President Rodrigo Duterte on May 16, 2017. Accordingly, all official maps and charts of the Philippines will use the name Philippine Rise to refer to the 13-million-hectare underwater plateau located near Aurora.
The BRP Tarlac was acquired in mid-2016 under the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Modernization Program during the administration of former president Benigno S. C. Aquino III. It is claimed to be the largest military sea vessel of the Navy — with a maximum carrying capacity of 11,583 tons capable of housing more than 600 personnel (crew and troops), and associated vehicles and equipment.
The ceremonial send off of marine researchers and buoy casting onboard the BRP Tarlac form part of recent Philippine government’s “efforts to establish maritime presence and situational awareness” in the country’s northeastern seaboard, an area which includes the Philippine Rise. Philippine Rise is located east of Luzon, and bigger than Luzon.
Isn’t this event timely and relevant? What can we gain from it? And to what extent can the National Task Force on the West Philippine Sea exercise and uphold its mandate?
SYMBOLIC YET POLITICAL ACT
The ceremonial send off of marine researchers and buoy casting onboard the BRP Tarlac on April 12 constitutes a symbolic and creative act of political will by the Philippine government. Ceremonial as it seems but it confirms our exclusive sovereign rights and jurisdiction in Philippine Rise. It is an act towards the right direction, that is, to keep and guard Philippine Rise as part of the country’s national territory. Moreover, it serves as a deterrent to other states to explore and exploit the area for interests without Philippines’ consent and other than maritime scientific research which is what the international law requires and demands.
The April 12 ceremonial event also constitutes a symbolic and creative act of resistance. It is resistance to China’s unwavering quest to control almost whole of the South China Sea. To date, China has refused to accept the award of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) arbitral tribunal on Philippines’ jurisdiction over the West Philippine Sea.
In 2017, Chinese vessels were seen surveying the Philippine Rise. This has prompted the Philippine government to ask the Chinese Embassy in Manila to clarify the presence of a Chinese survey ship in the area. Beijing from its end, denied it and claimed that its Chinese vessels were exercising navigation freedoms and the right to innocent passage. But was it really the case? Philippine Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana himself had doubts as China’s claim contradicts its actions and innocent passage as codified in the UNCLOS.
In January 2018, Magdalo party-list representative Gary Alejano claimed that the Department of Foreign Affairs has granted the request of the Institute of Oceanology of Chinese Academy of Sciences (IO-CAS) for a maritime scientific research (MSR) in Philippine waters. The DFA has constantly reassured the Filipino publics that the approval and disapproval of any request for MSR in Philippine waters depends on whether the requesting party complies with our sovereign rights and jurisdiction.
But can this assurance assuage any apprehension and remove any doubts of the Filipino publics particularly if it is China which is the state party in question? Can it keep the Filipino publics’ confidence that its government is acting on the national interest and not hijacked by China’s interest? Is it in pursuit of the country’s independent foreign policy, or is it a ploy to mask some other interests at stake?
WHAT IS THERE TO GAIN?
On April 12, 2012, the UN Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf approved the Philippines undisputed claim to Benham Rise. The UN decision declared Benham Rise part of the Philippines’ extended continental shelf and territory. What the decision means is that the Philippines has the exclusive rights to develop resources in the area which, according to Professor Jay Batongbacal, is potentially a rich source of natural gas and other resources such as heavy metals. Two years thereafter, Filipino divers and marine resources experts and researchers dived into Philippine Rise for the very first time.
Under Article 246 of UNCLOS, the Philippines is obliged to allow foreign states to conduct marine scientific research (MSR) in its continental shelf like Philippine Rise. The purpose is “to increase scientific knowledge of the marine environment for the benefit of all mankind.” Nonetheless, only the Philippines has the exclusive sovereign right to explore and exploit the mineral resources in its extended continental shelf like Philippine Rise. Under the law, foreign states are obliged to seek for Philippines’ consent to conduct MSR and for purposes of maritime scientific research only.
Unlike Scarborough Shoal, Philippine Rise is not part of the disputed waters in the South China Sea. It is not part of China’s nine-dash-line claim, and no other state claims the area that is bigger than the province of Luzon. The sovereign exclusive rights and jurisdiction of the Philippines Rise in the area remain as it has always been prior to the UN award and will remain so pursuant to the UN decision in 2012. While all state parties are obliged to comply with the UN decision, the challenge is for the Philippine government to enforce and compel observance of the international law.
Isn’t it high time to seriously examine our present circumstances and redefine our rules of engagement? Shouldn’t we stand up for what is legally and historically ours? Taking it from Professor Jay Batongbacal’s recommendation, shouldn’t the Philippines enact a law or executive order that establishes the boundaries of its continental shelf? And from Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio, shouldn’t the Philippine government uphold the ruling of the UN?
The Philippine Rise or Benham Rise is ours! No less than President Duterte himself said so. If it is ours, then we must guard it and not allow China or any other state party to do whatever it wishes without our consent and against and beyond what is allowed and required by international law.
THE NATIONAL TASK FORCE ON THE WEST PHILIPPINE SEA
The National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea (NTF-WPS) was created on March 17, 2016 through Memorandum Circular 94 signed by former president Aquino after Filipino fishermen were harassed by the Chinese coast guard in the Scarborough Shoal or also known as Panatag Shoal or Bajo de Masinloc. Scarborough Shoal is an island group of 150 square kilometers located 124 nautical miles off the coast of Zambales province or west of Luzon. It is one of the oldest known fishing grounds of the Philippines.
The Chinese occupation of Scarborough Shoal in 2012 left the Philippine government with no other choice except to resort to file an international arbitration case against China. While the Permanent Court of Arbitration ruled in favor of the Philippines while defeating Beijing’s claim to a nine-dash-line territory, it did not rule on the sovereignty questions on Scarborough Shoal claiming that it is not within its jurisdiction.
The NTF-WPS is headed by the National Security Adviser with permanent representatives from different departments and agencies of the Philippine government as members, namely, the Departments of Foreign Affairs, National Defense, Justice, Interior and Local Government, Environment and Natural Resources, Energy, Agriculture, Trade and Industry, Transportation and Communications, and Finance, the National Economic Development Authority, National Coast Watch System, Armed Forces of the Philippines, Philippine National Police-Maritime Group Philippine Coast Guard, and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources.
Functions of the NTF-WPS provides that the NTF-WPS gets guidance from the president, through the Cabinet Cluster on Security, Justice and Peace, and is responsible “in orchestrating and synchronizing the employment of the different national government agencies’ capabilities to achieve the national objectives in the WPS and in submitting such reports and/or recommendations to the president through the Security Cluster.” It also provides that the NTF-WPS performs what used to be the functions of the Inter-Agency Coordinating Committee on the WPS.
The creation of the Area Task Force (ATF) North is provided in Section 3.
Based on Section 3 of Memorandum Circular 94, the ATF is in charge of orchestrating and synchronizing the efforts of the different government agencies at the area level and receives guidance and direction from the NTF-WPS.
Given their mandate, the NTF-WPS and ATF remain as policy coordinating entities at different levels.
Depending on the president’s order, however, these bodies can produce a better outcome while exercising their mandate. Our ATF-North is able and capable, and with a strong and defined order from the president, it can definitely do much more. When it happens, the symbolic/ ceremonial act indeed becomes a truly political act!
Diana J. Mendoza, PhD, is the Chair of the Department of Political Science at the Ateneo de Manila University.
The Special Australia-ASEAN Summit: Highlighting Australia’s significance as an Indo-Pacific Middle Power
Middle powers have an interest in preserving the international order. They follow the leadership of a relevant great power, but they do so willingly and with alacrity compared with the small powers. As a general rule, middle powers forgo the attainment of great power status for various reasons such as the urgency to prosper economically or to maintain a fairly adequate military force. Their foreign policies are generally directed toward the limited use of force in international affairs, the establishment of new norms of international behavior, and the pursuit of alternative ways of conducting global affairs in contrast with the realpolitik of national interest and foreign policy based upon the doctrine of “might makes right.”
Australia is an important Indo-Pacific middle power that is also a formal treaty of the United States and an important partner of Japan in a loose security organization called the Democratic Security Diamond (DSD). Australia’s foreign policy has a two-pronged thrust: a) a focus on the security of the Indo-Pacific; and b) capacity-building assistance directed to Southeast Asia and the South Pacific. It underscores the significance of the Indo-Pacific and publicizes a common vision for the region, that is, a region where the US plays a dominant security role and where the current international liberal order that has underwritten the peace and prosperity of the world since the end of the Second World War is upheld. It is an order that also encourages and assists like-minded states to play an important role in maintaining the rule of law.
As a middle power, Australia is no longer dependent on one superpower for its security and instead seeks safety in numbers. Thus, to offset China’s growing power and an expected decline in American influence in the Indo-Pacific. Among the like-minded states it wants to partner with are the 10-member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
THE SPECIAL AUSTRALIA-ASEAN SUMMIT
From March 17 to 18, Australia hosted a summit meeting with the 10-member states of ASEAN. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull saw ASEAN as a partner to promote free trade in the region in a way that the other economic powers, such as the US and China, cannot do without generating suspicious and further division given the two great powers’ increasing geo-strategic competition. Australia and the leaders of the ASEAN made a strand against protectionism, calling for the adherence to multilateral trade agreements in the light of an emerging trade war between the US and China.
The two sides also discussed defense issues, like the North Korean nuclear threat, the growing risk of extremist and religious radicalization in the region, and the South China Sea row.
THE 800-POUND ‘KANGAROO’ IN THE ROOM: THE SOUTH CHINA SEA DISPUTE
Australia has declared its neutrality on the sea dispute because of its close economic relations with China. However, as a US formal treaty and close partner of Japan in the DSD, Australia found it necessary to seek close political and security ties with ASEAN in the face of China’s maritime expansion in East Asia. Recently, Canberra has become very wary of Chinese building of artificial islands and the militarization of these land features in the South China Sea. It has also been unsettled by the Philippines’ decision to set aside the Permanent Court of Arbitration’s decision on the South China Sea dispute and the efforts by President Rodrigo Duterte’s efforts for a rapprochement with China.
Late last year, Australia even spearheaded the revival of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, a loose regional security forum made up of the US, Japan, India, and Australia, to ensure that a rules-based order prevails in the Indo-Pacific region rather than one that is based on coercion.
Officially, the summit was supposed to focus on foster closer economic relations between Australia and ASEAN, but Australia made sure that the South China Sea issue would dominate its unofficial agenda.
A head of summit meeting, Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop hailed the role of international law in settling conflicts as she commented her country’s efforts to build a coalition with ASEAN in the face of Chinese expansion in the South China Sea. Minister Bishop said: “the rules-based order is designed to regulate behavior and rivalries of and between states” and “places limitations on the extent to which countries use their economic or military power to impose unfair agreements on less powerful nations.”
At the start of the summit, Prime Minister Turnbull made it clear that Australia’s goal during the summit was to get ASEAN on its side.
During a closed-door meeting during the summit, Australia and ASEAN agreed to boost defense ties while at the same time emphasizing the importance of non-militarization in the South China Sea.” The joint communique issued at the end of the two-day summit called for self-restraint in the South China Sea, and for the parties to avoid actions that may complicate the situation. Australia also joined its ASEAN partners in urging China to work for the early conclusion of the code of conduct in the South China Sea.
Clearly, along its decision to join the Japanese-led DSD and resurrect the QUAD, Australia’s hosting the Special Australia-ASEAN summit showed that it is a relevant Indo-Pacific middle power that is determined and capable of upholding the liberal international order in this part of the world.
Dr. Renato Cruz de Castro is a Trustee and Convenor of National Security and East Asian Affairs Program, Stratbase ADR Institute.
Build, Build, Build, and the Swiss Challenge Method
Under the Build, Build, Build program, the government intends to spend $158 billion over the next five years in public infrastructure projects. This means that by end of President Duterte’s term in 2022, infrastructure spending will reach around 7.3% of GDP, a significant increase from the 5.1% spending in 2016. This huge public spending for government infrastructure projects present vast opportunities for construction firms and other businesses related to it.
The government plans to reach this ambitious goal by forging more public-private partnerships through a transparent procurement process.
In relation to this, President Duterte earlier this year announced that for the procurement of projects under the Build, Build, Build program, government will adopt the Swiss Challenge. Understanding the concept of Swiss Challenge is therefore key in order for a prospective contractor to take part in the infrastructure boom.
Swiss challenge is procurement system accepted in several jurisdictions, including the Philippines. Authors and experts say that the term “Swiss Challenge” was coined to compare a government’s impartiality in awarding contracts to the private sector to Switzerland’s neutrality during the World Wars 1 and 2.
The term Swiss Challenge is described in Republic Act No. 6957, otherwise known as the Build Operate Transfer (BOT) law, as the system to be followed when projects are procured through unsolicited proposals from private sector. Section 4-A of the BOT law allows acceptance of unsolicited proposals for projects which do not require direct government guarantee, subsidy, or equity and more importantly, which involves a new concept or technology. Notably, Section 10.3 of the implementing rules allows it as long as the proposal involves a new concept or technology.
A project is considered to involve new concept or technology under Rule 10, Section 10.2 of the BOT law IRR if it possesses at least one (1) of the following attributes: (a) a process which significantly reduces construction costs, accelerates project execution, improves safety, enhances project performance, extends economic life, reduces costs of facility maintenance and operations or reduces negative environmental impact or social/economic disturbances or disruptions either during the construction or operation phase or (b) a process for which the proponent possesses exclusive rights, either world-wide or regionally or intellectual property rights.
Once the unsolicited proposal is shown to possess the foregoing, it will be subject to the Swiss Challenge before the project is awarded to the proponent.
Section 4-A of the BOT law describes Swiss Challenge procedure as follows:
Original proponent submits an unsolicited proposal for a qualified project;
Government will publish for three (3) consecutive weeks, an invitation for comparative or competitive proposals;
The qualified project shall be awarded to the original proponent if no proposal is received for a period of sixty (60) working days;
In the event another proponent submits a lower price proposal, the original proponent shall have the right to match that price within thirty (30) working days.
The foregoing process was summarized by the Supreme Court in the case of SM Land, Inc., v. Bases Conversion and Development Authority (G.R. No. 203655, 13 August 2014) where it defined Swiss Challenge as a system where “[a] third party can bid on a project during a designated period but the original proponent can counter match any superior offer.”
The government in advocating the Swiss Challenge also promotes modernization of infrastructure through intense private sector participation. Relevantly, the Supreme Court in SM Land, Inc., v. Bases Conversion and Development Authority explained that “the development and adoption by several countries of the Swiss Challenge scheme is attributed to the recognition that the private sector can be an important source of technical and managerial expertise, as well as financing, as evidenced by private companies’ practice of directly approaching governments with new and innovative project ideas through unsolicited proposals.”
It appears then that this administration’s inclination to Swiss Challenge scheme for the Build, Build, Build program is not only intended to enhance private sector participation. By favoring the Swiss Challenge, the government adopts a policy which gives a premium to innovation and the introduction of new technologies. This policy is beneficial not only to contractors and investors but also to the general public because it will pave the way for the modernization of Philippine infrastructures.
This article is for general informational and educational purposes only and not offered as and does not constitute legal advice or legal opinion.
Juan Paolo G. Alfonso is an Associate of the Litigation and Dispute Resolution Department (LDRD) of the Angara Abello Concepcion Regala & Cruz Law Offices (ACCRALAW).
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Unwitting Zuckers of Zuckerberg’s Facebook
George Orwell’s omnipresent Big Brother, which he predicted in his book, Nineteen Eighty-Four, written in 1949, may have already become a reality. And we may already be glimpsing the vision of John the Apostle in the Book of Revelation about every person in the world needing “the Mark of the Beast” to be able to buy or sell anything.
These days, every time I go online to seek information on a subject, say, gout, I subsequently and invariably receive a stream of unsolicited information on products and services related to gout/purine/uric acid with an accompanying sales pitch.
Obviously, my name and personal information are contained in a humongous database and my online search on gout automatically triggers a process that kicks off a response from concerned marketing firms with whom my name and data have been shared.
It is common knowledge that companies, from banks to insurance firms to consumer products marketers, routinely share — in fact, sell — customer information to other firms, unless the subjects specifically prohibit such a sharing.
But that kind of sharing is small-time compared to the humongous online database generated and controlled by a Big Brother kind of entity to which we, as consumers, have unwittingly — even willingly — given access to some of the most intimate insights into our lives.
The result is that this equivalent of Orwell’s omnipresent eavesdropper is able to monitor our every move — or our every material need — and is able to translate that into a marketing opportunity for its business customers/subscribers. Whenever we buy or sell anything, and whatever activity we may engage in online, the information is fed into that ever expanding file in which we are indexed.
Who or which would that omnipresent entity be that has such access to the personal information of billions of people in the world? It is social media.
There are several existing social media platforms, but the biggest Big Brother of them all is Facebook, a company founded by a high-tech genius named Mark Zuckerberg. As of 2017, Facebook had 2.2 billion active users.
In effect, billions of Facebook users (some of them fanatics) bear the Mark of Zuckerberg. Isn’t this eerily similar to the Mark of the Beast?
Facebook is particularly popular among Filipinos.
The Philippines may be trailing other countries on such key factors as the economy, business and industry, tourism, culture, sports, the arts and technology, but we Pinoys are said to be the World’s Number One in terms of Facebook usage. This is according to a report of the social media management platform, Hootsuite, and We Are Social Ltd., a consultancy based in the United Kingdom
I must confess to being a Facebook user, although I do not share too much information about myself. I regularly post my newspaper column and often kibitz on the conversations of friends, and occasionally, let loose expressions of outrage over social and political ills. And, oh yes, I often brag about my grandchildren. Otherwise, for a Facebook user, I consider myself a relatively private person.
There are some obvious reasons for the popularity of Facebook among our people. Our extended family system, coupled with the Pinoy Diaspora, has found in Facebook a beautiful tie that binds us across time and distance. The other reason is our inherent desire to socialize — even the most reticent among us — with the added advantage that Facebook allows us to be a joiner without the inconvenience of actual physical contact.
And, most of all, to paraphrase the lyrics of the song, Roses and Lollipops, it is because “We try acting grown-ups, but as a rule, we’re all little children…” Like kids, we like to tell about our joys and our pains. We like to greet others and to be greeted in return. And we love pictures of ourselves and those close to us.
Even our lovable habit of offering to share food with anyone who sees us eating (“Kain tayo!”), finds social media expression in the way we take a photograph of our favorite dish and post it online before proceeding to consume it.
We willingly share our personal information and make it public through social media in any number of ways. Heart-warming. Trusting. Innocent. Funny. Naughty. Naïve. Proud. Boastful. Ridiculous. Uncouth. Tragic.
Nikolas Cruz, the shooter who killed 17 at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida posted his inner demons on social media. Tragically, no one took it seriously enough to intervene.
Facebook’s terms of usage list clearly enough the way information that we post will be shared, including sharing it with companies that market products and services — as well as specialist groups that promote politicians. But most of us don’t bother with such details.
Which brings me to the current furor in the United States over the way the personal information of 50 million Facebook users had been used to get candidate Donald Trump elected president.
In a move so reminiscent of the antics of the Philippine legislature, there are calls for an inquiry on Capitol Hill to get to the bottom of this. Actually, the use of the Internet and of insights on online users for political purposes isn’t new.
When senator Barack Obama first ran for president, his campaign team is said to have put the Internet to astonishingly effective use, not only for political propaganda but also for fund-raising.
The presidential campaign of President Rodrigo Duterte is also said to have been boosted by social media, with Facebook executives suspected to have had a hand in it.
But what riles political and media observers, as well as average Americans, is the way the personal information of the 50 million US Facebook users had been tweaked by a Russian-American techie, Aleksander Kogan, to extract in-depth insights on them without their permission, and how these insights were used for the Trump campaign by Cambridge Analytica, a British firm which had eventual Trump adviser Steve Bannon as a vice-president.
The situation becomes fuzzier with the reported involvement of Wikileaks’ Julian Assange, who had hacked the e-mails of the Democrats and presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. Thus, the suspected involvement of the Russians in connection with its interference in the US presidential election.
There is a growing demand to put Zuckerberg on the carpet, based on the principle of command responsibility, because his company allowed “bad actors” to exploit the personal information of the 50 million Americans, not simply enabling one presidential candidate to win but also, quite possibly, allowing Vladimir Putin’s techies to throw America’s digital system off kilter.
How all of these straws get woven into one sinister plot, if at all, is up in the air. But one thing is certain, the red flag has been raised over the trustworthiness of Facebook as a depository of insights into private lives, not just in America but in the rest of the world, as well.
In an interview with CNN, Zuckerberg admitted being concerned enough to concede that some kind of regulation of social media might be necessary.
But whatever regulatory measures might be put in place, there will always be those who will find a loophole in them for less than benign purposes.
My own advice to fellow Facebook users is, keep your innermost secrets to yourselves. Don’t post them.
However, you can go right ahead and keep posting your favorite dishes. And brag about your grandkids.
Greg B. Macabenta is an advertising and communications man shuttling between San Francisco and Manila and providing unique insights on issues from both perspectives.
Peso drops ahead of two-day break
THE PESO weakened against the dollar on Tuesday ahead of expected market inflows today ahead of a two-day trading break.
The local currency ended yesterday’s session at P52.32 versus the greenback, 11.5 centavos weaker than the P52.215-per-dollar finish on Monday.
The peso opened the session stronger at P52.15 against the dollar, while its best showing stood at P52.135. Its intraday low was at P52.33 versus the greenback, which was just a centavo below yesterday’s finish.
Dollars traded increased to $718.9 million from the $690.9 million traded on Monday.
A trader said the market saw strong dollar demand late afternoon, dampening the local currency to near its intraday low.
“I think the upsurge was due mostly on covering of sell flow tomorrow (Wednesday),” the trader said on Tuesday. “We are expecting large amount of inflow come tomorrow, that’s why there’s short covering today.”
Meanwhile, Ruben Carlo O. Asuncion, chief economist at UnionBank of the Philippines, attributed the weak peso to higher oil prices in the world market.
“Although the US dollar value dropped, it seems the downward pressure today came from the lingering tension in the Middle East, pushing the Brent higher,” he said in a text message.
Oil prices rose on Monday with international Brent crude futures opening above $70 per barrel for the first time since January.
Prices were lifted by expectations that Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries leader Saudi Arabia may extend supply cuts into 2019, as well as concerns that the United States may re-introduce sanctions against Iran.
Another trader, on the other hand, said the peso weakened as the dollar “regained strength” after the tensions between the US and China on trade policies subsided.
“The peso weakened towards the closing today after the easing of trade tensions between US and China over steel tariffs which has boosted the dollar’s recovery,” the trader said in an e-mail on Tuesday.
Last week, the local currency dropped as President Donald J. Trump slapped new tariffs on Chinese goods worth about $50 billion following a seven-month investigation into alleged intellectual property theft.
For today, the first trader expects the peso to move between P52.15 and P52.40, while the second trader gave a wider forecast range of P52 and P52.40.
“Moving forward, we expect market to cap gain because given the holidays, we will have to cover for remittance,” the first trader said. — K.A.N. Vidal with Reuters
San Miguel, Magnolia welcome finals break
By Michael Angelo S. Murillo
Senior Reporter
HAVING played every other day in the last couple of weeks, PBA Philippine Cup finals protagonists San Miguel Beermen and Magnolia Hotshots Pambansang Manok said they welcome the break afforded by the observance of Holy Week.
Following Game Two on Sunday where the Beermen pulled even in their best-of-seven championship series, the finals of the season-opening Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) tournament takes a week-long lull in action for Holy Week and returns on Easter Sunday for Game Three.
The finals combatants said they will be using the break to recharge their troops, both physically and mentally, to put themselves in better position for the sprint to the finish when action resumes.
“It (the break) has advantages and disadvantages of course. Just like what happened to us entering the finals we had a five-day break before our first game and I think we did not handle it well as we fell short in the opener. But we’ve learned our lesson,” said San Miguel coach Leo Austria following their Game Two win as he alluded to their Game One loss where they had the rug pulled from under them by Magnolia.
“But generally it is good for us. In our system we have a rotation of nine to 10 players, and majority of them average 38 minutes of play. So this break gives them ample time to recharge and strengthen especially Chris Ross. Our physical therapist said we must limit his time because of his thigh injury but he doesn’t want to rest. So the break should help him,” he added.
The San Miguel coach went on to say that for Holy Week they would continue to practice till Thursday to prepare for the rest of the series, now rendered a best-of-five.
VERY MUCH WELCOME
Magnolia views the break the same way as San Miguel, underscoring it should only make the series all the more engaging.
“It is very much welcome. I think in the past few weeks we have been playing every other day so it’s good for the players,” said Magnolia coach Chito Victolero, who is angling to give the team its first title in five years and his first as a PBA coach.
“It’s good for the players to step away from basketball for a while and freshen their minds and rest, and I guess it’s the same for San Miguel. It will also be good for fans as they get to see their favorite players recharged and play their usual game,” he added.
Mr. Victolero said they resume practice today after their game last Sunday.
Game Three of PBA Philippine Cup finals series is set for 6:30 p.m. at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Kiteboarding ace Tio fired up to represent Philippines and Boracay
By Michael Angelo S. Murillo
Senior Reporter
LATER this year 17-year-old Boracay kiteboarder Christian Tio will be representing the Philippines at the Youth Olympic Games III after emerging victorious at the Asian qualifiers early this month in Thailand.
Tio will be the lone representative of the Philippines in kiteboarding to the Games to be held in October in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and it is something the young athlete is looking forward to as he gets to showcase his skills for flag and country as well as his hometown of Boracay, which is in the news of late.
“Competing in Argentina is amazing [as I get] to represent my country, my home in Boracay. I do this a lot, traveling around the world but the Youth Olympics is more special,” Tio shared to BusinessWorld recently after topping the first-ever Kitesurfing Youth Olympic Qualifiers Asia at Pranburi from March 13 to 18.
He competed at the Boys Asia division and finished with 26 points after 20 elimination rounds to wind up on top and book his place in the Youth Olympics.
In winning his event, Tio, who is supported by energy drink Red Bull, beat out Haoran Zhang of China and Thai Sarun Rupchorn, who wound up second and third, respectively, on the podium.
Tio said he felt at ease during the competition which greatly helped in his performance.
“I mostly do freestyle which is different from racing, but I have done this before and I just needed a few days to warm up to get better and better results during the week,” he said of the mind-set he had during the competition.
BORACAY ISSUE
Turning to the Boracay issue, the Filipino-Norwegian kiteboarding ace, the son of kiteboarders Chris Mohn and Liezl Tio, admitted that he has not been able to follow the latest developments on it as he has been busy training but shared that he hopes all will be settled soon and that he is proud to represent it in every competition he engages in.
“Boracay is my home and I’m proud to represent my island,” said Tio.
Boracay has been in the news of late over long-term environmental concerns and authorities are mulling its temporary closure to tourists to give time to rehabilitate it.
As to kiteboarding as a sport, Tio said he hopes more Filipinos get to take it up as it is something that is in synch with the Philippines as a country.
“We have a lot of nice beaches and a lot of wind, there is a lot of potential for the sport, we just need more riders,” he said.
“The kiteboarding scene here right now is still quite small but it’s quickly growing. The more others can come and support, the more the talent develops,” he added, referring to sponsors like Red Bull which have been throwing their support behind the sport.
Tio began his professional career at the age of 14. When he was 10 years old, he competed at the Kiteboard Tour Asia’s Asia championship tour where he went against older and more experienced kitesurfers.
He also competed at the Junior Kitesurfing World Championships in 2014 and 2015, taking home second place.
The 2018 Summer Youth Olympic Games, from Oct. 6 to 18, will showcase over 3,500 young athletes who will represent over 200 countries around the world. Kitesurfing will be among a number of sports to make their debut as part of the Olympic program. Other debuting sports include Freestyle BMX, futsal, sports climbing, karate, and breakdancing.
Vios Cup 5 kicks off next month
“WAKU DOKI” motoring action takes center stage anew next month with the kickoff of the one-make race Vios Cup.
Now on its fifth year of staging, Toyota Motor Philippines (TMP) will once again gather some of the top race drivers in the country in its three-leg competition, which has become one of the most awaited motorsports events in the country since its inception in 2014.
The first and last legs of the Vios Cup this year will be held at the Clark International Speedway in Pampanga, while the second leg will be held at Filinvest, Alabang, bringing the motorsports experience back to the streets of Metro Manila.
A brainchild of former TMP President Michinobu Sugata, the Vios Cup is designed primarily to relive motorsports in the country in a waku doki (exciting) manner.
For this year, TMP said it remains committed to this grassroots racing program and develop basic motorsports knowledge and racing skills in the country.
For the fifth season of the Vios Cup, competitors have been divided into three racing categories, namely, Super Sporting Class, Sporting Class, and Promotional Class.
New celebrity racers such as actors’ Diego Loyzaga, Sofia Andres, Chie Filomeno, and Sam Milby are also on tap, joining veteran Vios Cup participants Gretchen Ho, Aubrey Miles, Fabio Ide, and Troy Montero.
Car enthusiasts can also expect upgrades this year in the Super Sporting specifications such as the lightweight hood and trunk lid to further maximize the speed performance of the Vios.
Moreover, it is now equipped with TRD Rotor Disc Brakes providing higher braking power.
The first leg of Vios Cup Season 5 rolls off on April 28, beginning at 10 a.m. The event is open to the public, and admission is free.
The event is done in partnership with Bridgestone and ROTA, supported by Motul, Brembo, AVT, 3M, Denso, OMP, and Tuason Racing. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo
Children’s Games special edition for Duterte
A SPECIAL edition of the UNESCO-recognized Children’s Games was held in Maasin City last Saturday in advance celebration of President Rodrigo R. Duterte’s 73rd birthday today.
The games visited the President’s birthplace where 702 kids from 66 barangays enjoyed playing various team sports as well as Filipino parlor games.
PSC Regional Coordinator for Visayas Nonnie Lopez said that “the PSC is one with President Duterte’s wish for the well-rounded development of the Filipino children through sports. That is why we strategically chose to do it in his birthplace in Southern Leyte.”
Lopez added that “this is the first time that the Children’s Games did it along the coastal areas of the country in hopes of leading the children not only in sports, but also in the preservation of our natural resources.”
PSC Chairman William Ramirez relayed his greetings and said that “the PSC celebrates the birthday of President Rodrigo R. Duterte with a big edition of the Children’s Games. The commission will continue to work along the directive of the president in bringing sports to the farthest end of the Philippines and engage the youth in sports.”
The five-day special edition kicked-off on March 24 in the towns of Libagon, Sogod and Tomas Oppus where 376 children participated.
Another day of games will be done today with joining municipalities of Macrohon, Padre Burgos, Malitbog and Limawasa Island, before the culminating activity tomorrow with Liloan, San Francisco and Pintuyan, San Ricardo participating.
Seventeen more Children’s Games have been scheduled and more are being coordinated to be held this year.
Fultz scores 10 points in return to playoff-bound Sixers
LOS ANGELES — Former first-overall pick Markelle Fultz delivered 10 points in his much-anticipated return as the playoff-bound Philadelphia 76ers crushed the Denver Nuggets, 123-104, on Monday.
The return of guard Fultz, who was a top pick in the 2017 NBA entry draft, comes just a day after the 76ers clinched their first playoff spot in six years.
Joel Embiid scored a team-high 20 points and 13 rebounds and Ben Simmons had seven points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists for the Sixers, who recorded their seventh straight win to move within one game of third place in the Eastern Conference.
With 10 games left in the regular season, Philadelphia will use that time to determine how Fultz can fit into their playoff plans.
Fultz played 15 minutes as a backup guard to Simmons and finished five-of-13 from the field with eight assists and four rebounds in his first game since Oct. 23.
It was just the fifth career NBA game for Fultz who was initially diagnosed with a right shoulder problem then told he had a scapular imbalance.
But with their first playoff berth since 2012 safely tucked away, the club decided it was time for Fultz’s season debut.
Fultz checked in to a standing ovation from the crowd of 20,500 at the Wells Fargo Arena with 2:54 left in the first quarter and drove down the baseline for a quick basket.
Later in the game the crowd chanted, “We Want Fultz!”
Will Barton led the Nuggets with 25 points.
Elsewhere, Kemba Walker moved a step closer to becoming the Charlotte Hornet’s all-time leading scorer with a 31-point performance in a 137-128 overtime victory against the New York Knicks.
Walker was four-of-four from the field as he carried his team over the hump in the extra session at the Spectrum Center on Monday.
He is now 20 points shy of breaking Dell Curry’s franchise scoring record and is in position to do so at home Wednesday against LeBron James’ Cleveland Cavaliers.
Trey Burke scored a game-high 42 points for the Knicks who fell to 27-48 on the season.
In Detroit, the Pistons used a balanced attack to win their fourth game in five contests and claim a 112-106 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers.
Reggie Jackson led the charge with 20 points as six Pistons scored in double figures.
Jackson, who returned to the lineup four games ago after missing 37 games with a foot injury, stayed in the contest right down to the final buzzer. — AFP
Aranar-Nualla tandem wins DSCPI First Quarter Ranking
SEAN MISCHA ARANAR and Ana Leonila Nualla and the pair of Michael Angelo Marquez and Stephanie Sabalo captured the 2018 DanceSports Council of the Philippines, Inc. (DSCPI) First Quarter Ranking Competition recently at the Valle Verde Country Club Ballroom Hall in Pasig City.
Aranar and Nualla bested Mark Jayson Gayon and Mary Joy Renigen to take home the Grade A Standard title, while Marquez and Sabalo beat Cristian Vanni and Camilla Mola to win the Grade A Latin crown of the competition organized by DSCPI President Becky Garcia.
The competition was sponsored by the Philippine Sports Commission, Philippine Olympic Committee, Philippine Amusement and Gaming Board, GNK Ballroom, C+H Multimedia Solutions, Inc., Flawless, Retro DCG-FM 105.9, Studio AK and The Greenery Bulacan.
Aldrin Perez and Cristina Irish Armstrong defeated Michel Flores and Ariane Rose Madrid for the Grade B Standard plum, while Filemon Baguio II and Jhistine Glyde Baguio beat Darren De Guzman and Danica De Guzman for the Grade B Latin crown.
Jose Michael Angelo Cabarles and Febrah Mae Tacorda beat Efren Cesista and Gilie Ballovar to capture the Grade C Standard title while Shaquille Jay Hanz Basan and Cindy Jaz Basan won over Gelmar Ballovar and Sheena Badong to gain the Grade C Latin crown.
The next DanceSport events are the 2018 DSCPI Midyear Ranking and Competition in July 2018, Palarong Pambansa DanceSport Competition on April 17 in Vigan, Ilocos Sur and Cebu WDSF Open and DanceSport sa Sugbu on Sept. 8 at the Waterfront Hotel in Lahug, Cebu.
For inquiries, you may reach the DSCPI Secretariat at 637-2314.