THE CONTROVERSIAL P18-billion integrated resorts and casino project on Kawit Island will break ground on Aug. 25, Cebu City Executive Assistant to the Mayor Francisco “Bimbo” L. Fernandez said in an interview with the media yesterday. The project will be undertaken by the Gokongwei-led Universal Hotels and Resorts, Inc., (UHRI), which signed a Joint Venture Agreement (JVA) with the city government last Aug. 17. Opposition city council members have filed a case seeking to void the resolution authorizing Cebu City Mayor Tomas R. Osmeña to enter into a JVA with UHRI as well as a temporary restraining order on the project. — The Freeman
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ISRAELI AMBASSADOR to the Philippines Effie Ben Matityau receives a framed Philippine Eagle toy from Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio after the ceremonial signing of an education development agreement on Aug. 15. — BWFILE PHOTO/LSDAVAL, JR.
THE DAVAO City government is looking at more partnerships with Israeli non-government organizations and other groups after last week’s signing for an education project that will provide capacity-building training to local teachers. Mayor Sara Z. Duterte-Carpio on Sunday said she has been discussing with both government and private representatives of Israel on what other sectors they can initiate cooperation. Initially, she said, “they (Israeli groups) would assist us in coming up with the green building for the city hall.” The city government has been planning to build a new structure beside the existing one. — Carmelito Q. Francisco
Under the GOCC Governance Act, the corporate governance standards for directors/trustees and officers of GOCCs have by expressed statutory imprimatur far exceeded those for the directors/trustees and officers in PHCs under the Corporation Code, the Securities Regulations Code, and the SEC Code of Corporate Governance, as follows:
(a) Where the Corporation Code and the SEC Code of Corporate Governance provide for the “duty of diligence” the standard of “due diligence” and would make directors and officers liable only for “gross negligence,” “malice” or “bad faith,” in turn R.A. 10149 imposes on Directors and Officers of GOCCs the duty to act “with extraordinary diligence,” and with “utmost good faith,” as to amount to “[s]uch degree of diligence requires using the utmost diligence of [a] very cautious person with due regard for all circumstances.”
(b) Where the Corporation Code and the SEC Code of Corporate Governance imposes merely a duty of loyalty on directors and officers, R.A. 10149 in addition characterizes the position of Directors and Officers to be “fiduciaries of the State” in the conduct of the business of the GOCC and declares them as “trustees” with respect to the properties, interests and monies of the GOCC.
(c) Where the Corporation Code and the SEC Code of Corporate Governance merely locates within the “business judgment rule” the power of the Board to appoint corporate officers, R.A. 10149 makes it an integral part of the corporate governance principle for GOCC Governing Boards to be bound by the principle of “command responsibility” for the skills, qualifications and actuations of the Officers and Management of the GOCC.
(d) Where in the private sector the violation of the fiduciary duty of loyalty subjects the culprit director or officer to the civil liability of disgorgement or remitting to the company the profits or property that may have been the object of the breach of duty, in the GOCC Sector, R.A. 10149 in addition makes it a criminal offense for a Director or Officer to fail to make restitution of properties or monies belonging to the GOCC pursuant to a final COA finding.
If corporate governance principles, and fiduciary duties and obligations are highest in the public corporate sector when compared to the private corporate sector, then why is there a public perception that corporate governance practice is much higher in the private sector? Why are directors, trustees, officers and even employees in the public corporate sector not scared to death of committing corporate wrongs?
Perhaps it is because it is a matter of perception, when public officials violate their fiduciary duties, the public is the offended party and they take offense; whereas, in the private sector, it is generally a private wrong that affects a limited number of people. More so, in the private sector such mal-governance provides a private relief of making the culprits civilly liable; whereas, the same act in the public corporate sector would be sensationally a criminal offense that comes under the generally notorious norms of “graft and corruption.”
But going into the substance of the matter, rather than perception, in addition to the avarice of humans as the main culprit (which equally applies anyway in both the public and private sectors), I offer the following reason on why in spite of the high standards of corporate governance in the public corporate sector, there is a propensity to governance malpractice, which I refer to as “Theory of Absence of Direct Proprietary Interest,” which I described in a published work as follows:
“One of the reasons that may be given for such seeming irony is that unlike in the private sector where the main stakeholders are the stockholders who, by reason of certain selfish motives to have the best return for their investments, really monitor the performance of the Board and Management (through the function of the stock market and profit results), corporate governance tends to be more disciplined. In others, it is in consonance with the old adage, that the market is by its very nature an unforgiving and disciplining force. Likewise, as the saying goes, nobody can better protect a property other than the owner himself.
“On the other hand, when it comes to the public sector in general, and the GCs in particular, the direct owner would be the Republic, a juridical entity — a medium, nay a mere concept — which on its own has no power to demand accounting; it operates through its agents, which in the world of GCs would be the public officers who serve as members of the Board and Management — hence, you have a high “agency cost.” This agency cost in GCs is highest in the form of outright graft, or by abuse of the remuneration mechanism provided for GC Boards and Management, because technically speaking, members of the GC Board and Management occupy two hats when they perform their public corporate governance functions: they are agents of the Republic which they represent, but at the same time they know that the Republic merely represents the citizenry, and that members of the GC Boards and Management, are also members of the citizenry. Human nature as it is, given the reins of power in a conflict-of-interest situation, then members of the GC Boards and Management often decide, and exercise their business judgment, serving themselves first as members of the public.
“This perverse way of looking at things, comes in the form of many justifications heard through the media when public officers have been caught with their hands in the cookie jar:
‘There is no such thing as ‘stealing from the government,’ since I cannot be guilty of stealing from myself!’
— or —
‘Since government resources are intended for the public, then members of the public have the right to partake of it, but we must take turns in doing so in an orderly fashion (i.e., it is our turn now because we won the elections).’
“This is certainly not to say that every citizen in public office is of the same mold — for indeed many public officers serve and live heroic public and private lives in consonance with the constitutional precept that “Public office is a public trust.” But the reason why there seems to be so much abuse of governance power in GCs seems to emanate from the situation where appointment to the GC Board and/or Management is based on political considerations; and that there is no real sense of the appointees being accountable to the Owner (the Republic) of the GC, when many of the very representatives of the people — the highest officials in the Government — partake for themselves of the largesse of the public coffers in various forms of justifications, such as “pork barrel funds,” “intelligence funds,” and so on. Ultimately, nobody in authority is left to demand responsibility in the public sector.”
It is ironical therefore to this observer that it is precisely the doctrine of maximization of shareholders’ value that has kept corporate governance at its highest adherence in the private corporate sector. (The article reflects the personal opinion of the author and does not reflect the official stand of the Management Association of the Philippines or the MAP)
Cesar L. Villanueva is the Vice Chair of the Corporate Governance Committee of the Management Association of the Philippines (MAP), the Founding Partner of the Villanueva Gabionza & Dy Law Offices, and the former Chair of the Governance Commission for GOCCs. cvillanueva@vgslaw.com map@map.org.ph http://map.org.ph
When Social Welfare Secretary Judy Taguiwalo sent to Congress a position paper opposing an administration proposal to lower the minimum age of criminal liability, Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez said that Cabinet members who do not agree with the President’s policies or directives must resign. He said, “I just reminded the secretaries that they are the alter ego of the President. Now, if they don’t agree with the President, they might as well tender their resignation. Because as Cabinet secretaries, you cannot contradict the views of the President,”
When Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez and NEDA Director-General Ernesto Pernia told the Senate that a shift to federalism could wreak havoc on the Philippine economy, Consultative Committee member Fr. Ranhilio Aquino said, “[I]f [Duterte] favors federalism let him sack Dominguez and Pernia or command them to keep their traps shut. Freedom of expression does not apply to Cabinet officials in respect to policy.”
Ms. Taguiwalo chose to disregard Mr. Alvarez’s opinion and Mr. Dominguez got back at Fr. Aquino by stating that “such attitude would not enrich the level of discourse on the proposed Constitution.” None of the three Cabinet secretaries would be a toady of the President. They considered it their duty to always give the President their best advice, especially if he has an opposite view, bearing in mind that their loyalty to the President matters less and their responsibility to country counts even more. After all, they were not placed in their high-ranking positions because of their personal relationship with the President.
While Mr. Dominguez is both a townmate and former classmate of Mr. Duterte, Ms. Taguiwalo and Mr. Pernia were not known personally by the President when they were appointed department secretaries. All three were chosen for their respective positions because of their expertise in their areas of responsibility, expertise gained through intensive training and extensive experience.
Ms. Taguiwalo eventually lost her Cabinet position because she clung to her beliefs. Will Messrs. Dominguez and Pernia cling to their beliefs or will they cling to their positions by changing their stand on federalism?
There is a Chinese idiom, “Ride a tiger,” which means that once one finds himself in a dangerous situation, getting out of it can be detrimental to his career or aspirations, even threatening to his life. It comes from the phrase “he who rides the tiger is afraid to dismount or finds it hard to get off it.”
There were those who, in the mistaken belief they would retain their influence, chose to ride the tiger by hanging on to President Joseph Estrada even when his extensive involvement in illegal gambling had been exposed. History branded them the Craven Eleven, most of them suffering the end of their political life when Erap was chased out of Malacañang. In contrast were the Hyatt 10, the intrepid men and women who broke away from Gloria Arroyo when her attempt to influence the results of the 2004 presidential election was exposed. They retained the respect of the people.
There are many individuals in the Duterte Cabinet who serve at the pleasure of the President, having been appointed to their positions simply because they were classmates, dormmates, provincemates, or whatever. Either they openly hail the President’s policies and programs or hold their peace, as Mr. Alvarez and Fr. Aquino suggest, to remain in the Cabinet. They go along with the President lest they draw the wrath of a man with the reputation of a cold-blooded punisher. In the words of President John F. Kennedy, “those who foolishly sought power by riding the back of the tiger ended up inside.”
In his third State of the Nation Address, President Duterte admitted that it was hard for him to let go of his friends. He said he values friendship but it also has limits. “I have friends and political supporters whom I appointed to public office and then dismissed or caused to resign.” But the President said that in reference to his friends who have been tainted with corruption.
However, he also called on his friends to help him in his cause to maintain their friendships.”This is a lonely place I am hemmed in. Do not make it lonelier by forcing me to end our friendship because you gave me the reason to end it. It pains me to end the loss of friendships,” he said. Does contradicting the views of President Duterte or opposing him in respect to policy also give him reason to end his friendship with the dissenting official?
It would cause the President no pain if he eases out of government chief economic manager Pernia but it would inflict intense pain if Mr. Duterte ends his lifelong friendship with Secretary Dominguez. But in order to spare President Duterte pain, Secretary Dominguez can resign. To spare himself the dishonor of being fired, Mr. Pernia can resign with Mr. Dominguez for reason of fundamental difference with the President. Executive Secretary Rafael Salas parted ways with President Ferdinand Marcos for the same reason. So did Assistant Defense Secretary Ruben Carranza with President Joseph Estrada and Ombudsman Simeon Marcelo with President Gloria Arroyo.
When the story on the Duterte presidency is written, I wonder if there would be a unit known as the Dissenting Duo in reference to the two economic managers who resigned from the Duterte Cabinet because they would not go along with the President’s cause.
Oscar P. Lagman, Jr. is a member of Manindigan!, a cause-oriented group of businessmen, professionals, and academics. oplagman@yahoo.com
By Regine Ong
REBUILDING after disasters and wars can be a tricky business even for seasoned politicians. It can be a source of rents, but it can as easily erode trust among citizens and destroy political careers. When President Rodrigo Duterte promised to rebuild the war-torn city of Marawi in the southern Philippines, “or else he will forever be the bad guy,” he was surely aware of the enormous social and political costs of reneging on his commitment.
A year later and the reconstruction has yet to begin. The debris has not been cleared, and residents are still barred from returning to their homes. Worse, Duterte barely spoke of the war and the progress of the rehabilitation during his recent State of the Nation Address, though he checked other boxes on his priority list: the war on drugs, the signing the Bangsamoro Organic Law, and the establishment of the Coconuts Farmers’ Trust Fund. He neither spoke of any compensation for lives lost nor properties destroyed.
So, will the recovery of Marawi become another unfulfilled promise?
The rehabilitation of Marawi is not a simple process of rebuilding physical structures. The government needs to ensure that affected communities are resilient and that future conflict can be prevented. The recovery should simultaneously rebuild and address concerns like poverty, education, and the rebuilding of relationships. Actions that fall short will spell neither growth nor peace in Marawi.
The government’s Bangon Marawi Comprehensive Rehabilitation and Recovery Plan is one such limited exercise. The Task Force’s Post Conflict Needs Assessment talks of social resilience but is purely focused on rebuilding vital infrastructure, which they calculate will cost around P17.8 billion for damage to public and private infrastructures within the affected areas.
A cursory assessment shows that the numbers don’t add up, even if we only accounted for the rebuilding of physical structures. Residents in the 24 most affected barangays claim that their lots account for only 25 to 30 hectares. However, the Bangon Marawi Comprehensive Rehabilitation and Recovery Program reports that the most affected areas total 250 hectares, of which one square kilometer or 100 hectares was completely destroyed.
By using construction-based estimates, we find that the rebuilding costs on 100 hectares range from a conservative P16.6 billion to P29.2 billion. Adding the cost of utilities such as power, water, and sanitation, plus the other destroyed or damaged structures in the Greater Marawi Area will surely increase these costs.
There is no adequate explanation behind the government’s calculations, and further delays will make it more difficult to know the true cost of war. In the absence of a more detailed report, let’s try to approximate the costs by using average construction costs per square meter. The key is to ascertain the cost of building a similar structure, and not the prewar cost of the structures, depreciation and all. We then combine the ensuing construction estimates with an accounting of Maranao dwelling styles and local building practices.
For instance, most families typically reside in mixed-use buildings where the physical structure acts as both a commercial and residential space. This type of development requires a more stable foundation and costs more than a simple residential structure. Because of their multiple purposes, these buildings were typically two or more levels aboveground.
Let’s use a conservative estimate of only 60% of the buildings with two-stories to extrapolate the cost of damages. Since two-story buildings have bigger foundations, bigger columns, and suspended beams and slabs, they increase the basic cost of construction by about 10-15%. This along with its multi-functionality makes the calculations more complex because we cannot imply that the whole structure is solely residential or solely commercial. By adding a margin of 10-15% above the projected commercial cost, while accounting for the type of materials used for construction, we arrive at a reliably close range of cost estimates for rebuilding the destroyed part of the city.
In addition, the Maranao live in conglomerates of tightly connected structures, where buildings are directly connected or located very close to each other. Let’s assume that the gap between structures is negligible and compute the cost of rebuilding on the entire 100 hectares.
Our calculations show that 100 hectares of low-cost structures will cost from P16.6 to P16.9 billion. At mid-cost the estimated amount will range from P18.9 to P20.8 billion. Finally, the cost of building a strong, stable, and modern structure can reach up to P21.2 billion to P29.2 billion.
The figures above do not include the cost of repairs or rebuilding of roads and bridges destroyed or severely damaged by the war. The figures do not include the rebuilding of destroyed educational and health facilities. For example, the publicly available data from the Department of Public Works and Highways shows an additional cost of P155 million to P176 million only for bridge repairs. This increases our estimated cost to P16.8 billion to P29.3 billion.
To be sure, the government’s estimates are not widely off the mark. However, we should note that these figures totally ignored those areas severely damaged in the Greater Marawi Area. We included neither large structures like hospitals and mosques nor foregone income resulting from destroyed businesses.
Recognizing the magnitude of conflict requires an honest and empirical estimate of the true costs of war. The State must be realistic, responsible, and credible in its rebuilding plans and estimates. It cannot risk further delays in the reconstruction process or, worse, jeopardize the full restoration of the city.
One would hope, in a time of pain and suffering, that the government would quickly help those in need. But that is not what we see. Having their homes and businesses destroyed, their savings looted, and their livelihoods at risk, the victims of Marawi have received most of their aid from private agencies as they wait for the support the government had promised earlier.
A compensation bill proposed earlier this year promises financial compensation to enable the residents of Marawi to immediately recover from the damage and destruction of their property. Similar bills have been filed since then, but neither the President nor Congress has voiced support for it. Facilitating the compensation bill will manifest the government’s sincerity to rebuild the city of Marawi and lay to rest growing fears about a resurgence of violent extremism.
As a first step, the government should do better and allow transparency in its methodology and accounting of the real costs of war, reevaluate its cost assessments, and see through its promise of rebuilding back and better.
Regine Ong studies economics and mathematics at Wellesley College and is currently on an academic internship with International Alert Philippines. Her research interests include development economics, income inequality, and applied econometrics.
By Raju Mandhyan
THE other day at a business gathering someone asked me, “Raju, what, according to you, has changed in sales and selling over the decades?” Slightly offended by the inclusion of the word decades in the question I quickly brushed it aside by saying “nothing has changed” and moved on. Late at night, I lay wondering and thinking about my experiments and experiences in selling.
At my first honorary job with my father, which was to run errands and try selling for his small school-bag making business, I’d sell nothing at every interaction. I’d walk into his customer’s shops and stand against the wall; tongue-tied praying the shop-owner would leap out from behind his glass counter and beg me to send him school bags. That never happened. I sold zilch. Dad lost hair worrying about my future as a business person.
At my second job, after making it as an engineer, I was assigned to sales. Sales in the engineering company I worked for meant filling up a large wad of papers with numbers, descriptions and a covering letter called proposals. There were templates to follow, listed prices to tally up but there was barely any people to people interaction. The wheeling, dealing and the closing was done by those big-bellied guys called bosses. The prelude into earning trust is authenticity. Here, not just the salesperson but every person and every leader needs not just to have an attitude but believe and act out of a hutzpah made out of originality, honesty, openness, courage and vulnerability.
At my third job selling futures in pork-bellies, orange juice, barley, copper and gold my then balikbayan boss Ricky Ho saw me suffer at selling and called me aside and said, “Hey Raju, recognize this, people sell for two reasons: one to get rid of something and two to make a profit. What do you want to do?” I owned nothing and thus nothing had to be gotten rid of, so I supposed I’d had to make a profit. After that epiphanous moment I learned to sell. The need to survive taught me how to make cold calls, how to qualify, analyze, integrate, pitch, offer, present, solve, offset objections, sooth, meander, negotiate, upsell, cross-sell, resell, negotiate, close, re-open, serve with maximum subtlety and suaveness.
Thus, decades ago, uh-oh, there is that word decades again. Decades ago, or before the turn of the century, selling meant, as Alec Baldwin screamed in the 1992 movie Glengarry Glen Ross (adapted from David Mamet’s Pulitzer drama), “Always Be Closing.” But as the previous century began to wind up entered the “internet of things,” and Alibaba, and explosions of access to all avenues of humongous information. The days of just selling to get rid of something or make a profit out of something began to slowly and steadily be replaced by terms like relationship selling, consultative selling, solution selling, ethical sales, selling to serve, selling to solve, selling to not just create value but to co-create value. Sales and selling had merged into resolving needs and serving customer desires. No, it really had moved beyond finding solutions and serving needs. The seller and the buyer had to tear down walls of privacy and secrets between themselves. It wasn’t just one against another but both, together, towards a faster, better and a cheaper world.
Individuals and companies that did not adapt to this reset got covered in cobwebs and then in white sheets. Rest in peace names like Kodak, IBM, Mattel, Tower Records, Sears, etc.
Yet there was a certain element of truth to my response to the question, “Raju, what, according to you, has changed in sales and selling over the decades?”
Yes, the sales environment has changed. Yes, the rules of the game in the marketplace are different. Yes, the tools of the trade are niftier and swifter. Yes, even the attitude has taken a turn and is still transforming for the better. What hasn’t changed is that every transaction whether it is to get rid of something, to make profit out of something or to serve a need and find mutually beneficial solutions, is that all of them require trust.
The oldest profession in the world requires a certain element of trust. The used car salesman, no matter how sleazy, requires to become worthy of trust. Ricky Ho, my former boss, needed to earn a lot of trust to sell bellies of pork upon which his big-time investor never laid eyes upon. The guy who sells Boeing airplanes to national airlines needs to acquire trust and so does every other sales and service professional who sits behind a monitor and hacks away at a keyboard to sell unseen products to unmet customers.
The why and the how of earning trust from one to another hasn’t changed and might never change till the end of time.
The prelude into earning trust is authenticity. Here, not just the salesperson but every person and every leader needs not just to have an attitude but believe and act out of a hutzpah made out of originality, honesty, openness, courage and vulnerability. A person with that kind of a hutzpah stands out because he stands up and steps in the right direction consistently. He now becomes trustworthy. To earn trust he needs to blend consistency with competence and compassion for the customer, for the stakeholders. Overtime such a leader becomes a champion at earning trust.
The obvious postlude to trust is that your people, your followers, your partners, customers gently and surely move in the right directions that you and they take together. That is influence.
In the coming decades and eons all that we see and hear as innovation may innovate further, but the backbone of all growth and positive change in sales or any service will always be authentic influence.
Raju Mandhyan is an author, coach, and trainer. www.mandhyan.com Unleashing Inherent Excellence! http://twitter.com/RajuMandhyan
The prelude into earning trust is authenticity. Here, not just the salesperson but every person and every leader needs not just to have an attitude but believe and act out of a hutzpah made out of originality, honesty, openness, courage and vulnerability.
By Michael Angelo S. Murillo Senior Reporter
THE Philippine Basketball Association-powered national team shoots for direct entry into the quarterfinals of the 18th Asian Games in its game today against China at the Gelora Bung Karno Basketball Hall in Jakarta, Indonesia.
Set for 5 p.m. (Manila time), the Philippines looks to build on its big 96-59 victory over Kazakhstan in their preliminary Group D match on Thursday to book its place in the next round.
Despite having limited time to prepare for the Games in the lead-up, the Yeng Guiao-coached squad of PBA players showed up well in its opener, leading from wire-to-wire to run away with the victory over Kazakhstan.
Guard Stanley Pringle of NorthPort Batang Pier was impressive on his 5-on-5 debut for the national team, finishing with 18 points to lead a balanced attack by the Philippines.
Christian Standhardinger finished with 15 points while James Yap and Paul Lee added 12 and 10 points, respectively.
For today’s game against China, the Philippines will welcome Filipino-American National Basketball Association player Jordan Clarkson of the Cleveland Cavaliers to the fold.
Got a last-minute approval from the NBA to play for the Philippines, Mr. Clarkson, who served as the flag-bearer of the country in the opening ceremonies on Saturday, is expected to soup up the Philippine basketball team against China, itself featuring NBA players in Houston Rockets center Zhou Qi and Dallas Mavericks forward Ding Yanyuhang.
Mr. Clarkson tried to make it to the Philippines’ game against Kazakhstan on Aug. 16 but arrived in Indonesia with the game about under way, postponing his debut to today.
He said he is excited to play with the Philippine team with its fast-paced style of play.
For Mr. Guiao, the arrival of Mr. Clarkson should provided added dimension to their team.
“I think we have a better chance against China with him [Clarkson] around. China is still the favorite but Clarkson with his skills can help in drawing the defense to him and freeing up opportunities for his teammates,” Mr. Guiao was quoted as saying during their preparation for today’s game against China.
In the event the Philippines wins today, it avoids an early encounter with the top team in Group A, which could be Korea, in the quarterfinals.
The Philippines-China match will be broadcast live over ESPN5.
JAKARTA — The Rain or Shine-Pilipinas team was looking for any edge in order to keep up with China in their game at the GBK Basketball Hall today at 4 p.m. (5 p.m. Manila time).
Speed and outside shooting are the only edge the Filipinos can bank on in facing the Chinese squad, many-time champions of the basketball competitions in the quadrennial meet, head coach Yeng Guiao and his troops will try to use that to the fullest against their taller counterparts.
Over the last 48 hours, the Filipinos had intense sessions with NBA player Jordan Clarkson, who will finally make his debut in the Asiad. This afternoon, the team will spent time viewing and scouting their rivals.
“We’ve become quicker with the entry of Clarkson. Filipinos, particularly the guards, are naturally fast, quick. But if we’re fast, Clarkson is probably the fastest in the squad, Guiao told BusinessWorld in an exclusive interview. Jordan is incredibly quick with his reflexes. He’s going to create match up problems for China once they decide to play match up defense with us.”
Against the Chinese, the Philippines will face a taller frontline bannered by their two seven footers who are likely going to play at the same time.
“They have Zhou Qi, a 7-foot-1 player from the Houston Rockets who can extend his range as far as the three-point line,” said lead scout Ryan Gregorio, a three-time PBA champion. “They also have Wang Zhelin, a star player in the Chinese league, who is seven-feet tall. But another guy who can also create problems for us is Abdushalamu Abudurexeti, a guard who has a body of a power forward.”
“Ding Yanyuang, who plays for the Dallas Mavericks, can also create mismatches at the small forward spot.” — Rey Joble
By Michael Angelo S. Murillo Senior Reporter
THE Philippines’ medal haul in the 18th Asian Games in Indonesia was padded early Monday after Agatha Wong added a wushu bronze in the women’s taijiquan and taijijian all-around event at the Jakarta International Expo.
A bemedalled Southeast Asian Games campaigner, Ms. Wong, 21, held her own in her event and impressed the judges and the crowd, which included Indonesian President Joko Widodo.
Competed third in the lineup, Ms. Wong tallied a total of 19.36 points to wind up with the bronze behind gold medal winner Lindswell Lindswell of Indonesia with 19.50 points and silver medallist Juanita Mok Uen Ying of Hong Kong with 19.42 points.
The wushu bronze of Ms. Wong was in addition to the bronze medals that the Philippine men’s and women’s poomsae teams won in Day One on Sunday.
The men’s team of Dustin Jacob Mella, Jeordan Dominguez, and Rodolfo Reyes, Jr. beat the teams from Saudi Arabia and Iran in its first two outings before bowing to China, 8.180-7.830, in the semifinals.
The women’s trio of Juvenile Faye Crisostomo, Rinna Babanto and Janna Dominique Oliva got past Hong Kong and Indonesia initially.
It fell in the semifinals to Korea’s Gwak Yeowon, Choi Dongah, and Park Jaeeun, 8.020-7.110.
Angling to add to the medal haul of the Philippines was swimmer Jasmine Alkhaldi who qualified for the finals of the women’s 100m freestyle set later yesterday, with the sixth best qualifying time of 56.38 seconds.
As of 2 p.m. yesterday (Manila time), China continues to lead in the medal standings with nine gold, five silver, and four bronze medals, followed by Japan (3-6-5), and Korea (2-3-6).
Rounding out the top 10 were Iran (2-2-1), Indonesia (2-1-0), Kazakhstan (1-1-2), Uzbekistan (1-1-2), India (1-1-1), Chinese Taipei (1-0-4), Mongolia (1-0-1) and, Thailand (1-0-1). VOLLEYBALL
Meanwhile, the Philippine national women’s volleyball team looks to build on its spirited performance on its Asiad debut on Sunday despite losing to Thailand.
Taking on Japan today, the Philippine volleybelles, making their first Asian Games appearance in 36 years, are angling to bounce back in their scheduled match at the Gelora Bung Karno complex in Jakarta, Indonesia.
The Philippines stood strong early against powerhouse Thailand but just could not sustain it en route to the straight-sets defeat, 25-22, 25-12 and 25-15.
The Filipinas raced to an early 9-2 lead to start the game against the Thais but the latter came charging back to level the count at 21-all before eventually taking the opening set.
Thailand picked up from there on, keeping the Philippines at bay the rest of the way notwithstanding the latter’s attempts to take the fight to it, to complete the shutout.
Alyssa Valdez led the Philippines with seven points with Jaja Santiago and Kianna Dy adding six apiece.
“The team played well against Thailand despite the loss. I think the disposition of the team was great and hopefully we get to sustain that for the rest of the tournament,” said team captain Aby Marano following the game.
“We have to stay patient. Our opponents have been together for a longer time than us. Hopefully our supporters would stay patient as well,” she added.
In the Asian Games the Philippine women’s volleyball team looks to finish in the top four of its bracket in Group A to advance to the quarterfinals.
The Philippines-Japan game is set for 5:30 p.m. (Manila time).
JAKARTA — Carrying the Philippine flag in front of the thousands of people at the Bukarno Stadium and millions of audience watching all over Asia was probably the highest of high in Jordan Clarkson’s career.
The Filipino-American who made his way to the NBA and got the rare opportunity of playing alongside two NBA greats — Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers and LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers — considered his experience playing for the Philippine men’s basketball team and becoming the flag bearer in the Asian Games topped them all.
“Probably if not the top achievement it means a lot to me. It’s a great experience for me. Definitely, getting a medal will be an amazing achievement,” Clarkson told the media during the press conference jointly hosted by the Philippine Olympic Committee, the Philippine Sports Commission and the Department of Foreign Affairs Secretary Allan Peter Cayetano at the Ritz-Carlton hotel here late Sunday night.
This is the first time Clarkson will be playing for the Philippine team, being bankrolled this time by Rain or Shine. He was first considered to play in 2015 for the FIBA Asia Cup in Changsha, China. A few weeks ago, things went back and forth when the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) earlier announced it will pull out of its campaign in the Asiad, but had a change of heart at the last minute.
When Clarkson learned that he was given the go signal to join the national team, he immediately jumped on the opportunity, taking a 17-hour flight to Indonesia and made it to the Philippine’s game against Kazakhstan in the latter portion of the third period.
“We went back and forth, I have to jump on the plane the next day just a few hours before they cleared me. Just being able to come here it’s a step forward for them. There are a lot of players around the world. This game has become global. It’s a place of freedom, a place where they can express themselves. I think the game is evolving,” added Clarkson.
“I don’t know how big the Asian Games is. But even before I knew carrying the flag and representing the country is big, but coming out there was probably the highest of high in my career. In my life. Just being able to experience that is definitely a blessing. I had a great time. You see everybody’s faces, from the softball team to the basketball team, everybody. It was a great experience. A great honor.”
Today, Clarkson will finally gets a chance to play when the Philippine squad being coached by Yeng Guiao takes on heavy favorite China at 4 p.m. in Indonesia (5 p.m. in Manila).
While focus of attention will be on him, Clarkson believes the focus should be more given emphasis on how the Philippine team will grow together.
“We have to compete, step on the floor. We don’t have to worry about China, we have to worry about ourselves, execute our game plan, do whatever coach (Yeng Guiao) tells us to do, share the ball, play fast. I’m just trying to learn with everybody. Our practices were really good, intense the last few days. Growing as a team is our main goal. We felt that our team has a lot of talent, a lot of experience and a lot of heart. We’ll go out there and compete and win a medal,” said Clarkson.
“We have a lot of great players there to compete. I don’t think all eyes will be on me. I feel like the guys are ready. I already saw the talent level of the team. I’ve seen the players in the NBA, but I think we have a solid group. We’re all together on this. We’re coming to win.”
SBP president Al Panlilio said putting up the best team out there despite the lack of preparation was still the main thrust of the country’s governing body in basketball.
The group wanted to anchor it on Clarkson, a legitimate NBA player.
“The SBP will never waiver on its thrust to come up with its best team in all international competitions. We want to represent the country. I am very happy to see JC to finally represent the country in the Asian Games,” wrote Panlilio in a statement. “JC is a simple guy and he wants to be with the guys. May pusong Pinoy. He will be a great asset for us as we build our campaign here. Seeing him carrying the flag during the opening ceremony and finally cleared to play, I must say that all our efforts are worth it. Lahat ng hirap sulit. Napakasarap maging Pilipino.” — Rey Joble
IT will be a battle of leagueleaders and undefeated teams today at the National Collegiate Athletic Association as the Lyceum Pirates and defending champions San Beda Red Lions take on one another in a marquee matchup set for 4 p.m. at the FilOil Flying V Centre in San Juan City.
Currently occupying the one and two spots, respectively, Lyceum (8-0) and San Beda (6-0) seek to extend their strong run in the opening round of Season 94 and fortify their top-perch team status in the ongoing tournament.
The Pirates for the second straight season are off to an impressive start, unblemished heading into their last game of the first round.
Last year, Lyceum went undefeated in the two-round classification play before being swept by San Beda in their best-of-three finals series.
It comes into the game off a gutsy victory over the Letran Knights, 87-82, on Aug. 17.
The Pirates used a 17-4 run in the final five minutes to overhaul an eight-point deficit, 78-70, en route to preserving their undefeated record.
Jasper Ayaay led Lyceum with 20 points with Mike Nzeusseu and CJ Perez adding 16 points apiece.
Jaycee Marcelino was the other Pirate in double digits with 10 points.
For his splendid play in said game, Ayaay was adjudged player of the week given by the NCAA press corps.
On the verge of another sweep of the first round, Lyceum coach Topex Robinson underscored the need for them to stay on top of their game lest they find themselves losing their edge.
“It’s nice to win but we have to continue learning and be the best versions of ourselves. We have to continue moving forward and continue to grow. We have to keep our focus and respecting the game by giving our best each time,” Mr. Robinson said.
Meanwhile, San Beda eyes to keep in step with Lyceum or even get the better of the latter in the first round with a win.
The Lions defeated rival San Sebastian Stags, 65-54, on Aug. 16 where they used a strong finishing kick to book their sixth win in as many games.
Javee Mocon paced San Beda in the win with 16 markers followed by Donald Tankoua and James Canlas with 12 points apiece.
Preceding the Lyceum-San Beda match, meanwhile, is Letran (4-3) versus Mapua Cardinals (2-6) at 2 p.m. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo
