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Team Lakay taking pride in how far it has come

STARTED over a decade ago with a lot of struggles and questions whether it would succeed on the goals it has set for itself, Baguio-based martial arts group Team Lakay has gone on to become one of the top organizations in the land. It is something that it takes special pride in, seeing it as a direct result of the hard work and determination the people behind it put in.

Established in 2003 by a group of martial arts practitioners led by Mark Sangiao, Team Lakay had a “simple” vision when it started, that is to promote and help grow martial arts in general locally and produce world-class athletes that can represent not only the Cordilleras but the entire country, which 14 years later since opening shop it believes to have done, by and large.

“Prior into going to mixed martial arts we trained in kickboxing, which was popular then in Baguio, and then wushu, which got our interest so much. Then in 2002 MMA was on the rise and we saw it as a good opportunity for us to grow,” said Mr. Sangiao in a recent interview with BusinessWorld, as he spoke of the beginnings of Team Lakay.

“Our vision from the start was to produce world-class athletes that can represent the country,” added the former national team athlete.

Mr. Sangiao shared that the early years of Team Lakay were not easy and that they had to show tremendous resolve to forge ahead and steady the ship.

“We encountered a lot of problems early only. Foremost is financial. There were times that we did not have money for training. Also we had to sacrifice some time away from our families. But what got us through was our passion for what we are doing and eventually we found ways to overcome such problems,” said Mr. Sangiao.

As it grew as a group and proved itself in the realm of MMA, various MMA companies started noticing and it became a steady fixture in the Universal Reality Combat Championship (URCC) and Pacific Xtreme Combat (PXC).

Later on opportunities to fight in ONE Fighting Championship (now ONE Championship), Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and Brave Combat Federation came, which helped Team Lakay’s growth, Mr. Sangiao said, as it only inspired their fighters to do better and aim high.

In particular, Mr. Sangiao mentioned ONE for the steady exposure that it has given to its fighters in the last half decade.

Team Lakay taking pride in how far it has come
ONE Championship world lightweight champion Eduard Folayang (L) of Team Lakay will defend his title against featherweight champion Martin Nguyen (R) at “ONE: Legends of the World” tomorrow at the Mall of Asia Arena. — ALVIN S. GO

CHAMPIONS CAME
With more platforms to showcase what it is capable of doing as a group, Team Lakay produced champion fighters who are considered now as some of the best in the region.

The most notable currently is ONE world lightweight champion Eduard “Landslide” Folayang, one of the incorporators of Team Lakay.

Mr. Folayang seized the ONE title by upsetting MMA legend and erstwhile champion Shinya Aoki of Japan in November last year by knockout.

He is set to make his second title defense on Friday at “ONE: Legends of the World” at the Mall of Asia Arena,” facing off with world featherweight champion Martin “The Situ-Asian” Nguyen in the promotion’s first-ever “super fight.”

“It’s a big thing that we are able to produce champions and that they are known today not only in the country but outside as well. It is in line with what we wanted to achieve right from the start,” he said.

“It’s also a testament to the team work that we encourage within the group, making all that we have put in all the more fulfilling,” Mr. Sangiao added.

But while they are very satisfied with how things have panned out for them, Mr. Sangiao said their story is not yet done, and the learning and evolution continues.

“Seeing our fighters become champions is very satisfying for us but just like in life you don’t stop growing and learning. This is MMA and there is still a lot that needs to be learned,” said the Team Lakay head just as he expressed hope that more MMA groups which will represent the country will spring up in the years to come. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo

First luxury Perigord truffle is cultivated in Britain

LONDON — A black Perigord truffle has been cultivated in Britain for the first time, and the scientists who announced the breakthrough on Monday said climate change could make it a new British crop.

The 16-gram specimen was cultivated in Wales in the roots of a Mediterranean oak tree that had been treated with truffle spores.

Scientists from Cambridge University and Mycorrhizal Systems Ltd. (MSL) said they also added lime minerals in the surrounding soil to make it less acidic.

A Perigord truffle can be worth as much as £1,700 ($2,200, €1,900) per kilogram in Britain.

It is currently found mainly in France, as well as Italy and Spain.

MSL said the truffles’ traditional Mediterranean habitat had been affected by drought due to long-term climate change, and yields are falling.

The British cultivation is “the farthest north that the species has ever been found,” Cambridge University said.

Paul Thomas of MSL said: “This cultivation has shown that the climatic tolerance of truffles is much broader than previously thought, but it’s likely that it’s only possible because of climate change.”

“Some areas of the UK… are now suitable for the cultivation of this species,” Thomas said, adding, “The potential for industry is huge.”

The truffle was recovered in March and found by a specially trained dog called Bella. It will be kept for posterity but the farmer can sell any future specimens to restaurants.

The results of the study have been published in the scientific journal Climate Research. — AFP

Trump warns ‘rogue regime’ North Korea of grave danger

SEOUL — US President Donald J. Trump issued a stark warning to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Wednesday, telling him that the nuclear weapons he is developing “are not making you safer, they are putting your regime in grave danger.”

“Do not underestimate us and do not try us,” Mr. Trump told North Korea as he wrapped up a visit to South Korea with a speech to the National Assembly in Seoul.

Mr. Trump used some of his toughest language yet against North Korea in a wide-ranging address that lodged specific accusations of chilling human rights abuses against Pyongyang. He called on countries around the world to isolate Pyongyang by denying it “any form of support, supply or acceptance.”

Mr. Trump painted a dystopian picture of North Korea, saying people were suffering in “gulags” and some bribed government officials to work as “slaves” overseas rather than live under the government at home. He offered no evidence to support those accusations.

Mr. Trump’s return to harsh, uncompromising language against North Korea came a day after he appeared to dial back the bellicose rhetoric that had fueled fears across east Asia of the risk of military conflict. On Tuesday, Mr. Trump had even offered a diplomatic opening to Pyongyang to “make a deal.”

He went mostly on the attack in Wednesday’s speech but did promise a “path to a much better future” for North Korea if it stopped developing ballistic missiles and agreed to “complete, verifiable and total denuclearization” — something Pyongyang has vowed never to do.

“We will not allow American cities to be threatened with destruction. We will not be intimidated,” he told South Korean lawmakers. “And we will not let the worst atrocities in history be repeated here, on this ground we fought and died to secure.”

“The world cannot tolerate the menace of a rogue regime that threatens it with nuclear devastation,” Mr. Trump said, speaking as three US aircraft carrier groups sailed to the Western Pacific for exercises — a rare show of such US naval force in the region.

‘GRAVE DANGER’
Aiming his words directly at Mr. Kim, Mr. Trump insisted: “The weapons that you are acquiring are not making you safer, they are putting your regime in grave danger. Every step you take down this dark path increases the peril you face.”

However Mr. Trump, whose strategy has stressed sanctions and military pressure instead of diplomacy, did not spell out any new approach to force North Korea to abandon its missile and weapons programs.

North Korea has made clear it has little interest in negotiations at least until it develops a nuclear-tipped missile capable of hitting the US mainland, something US intelligence officials say it may be just months away from achieving.

“North Korea is a country ruled by a cult,” Mr. Trump said in a speech that was interrupted several times by applause and ended with a standing ovation.

He stopped short, however, of repeating the derisive nickname “little Rocket Man” that he has used to describe the young North Korean leader.

Mr. Kim, for his part, has called Mr. Trump “mentally deranged.”

The speech came after Mr. Trump’s attempt to make an unannounced visit to the heavily fortified border separating North and South Korea was aborted earlier on Wednesday when dense fog prevented his helicopter from landing, officials said.

Mr. Trump tried to travel to the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) — the doorstep of the North Korean nuclear standoff — near the end of a 24-hour visit to ally Seoul. He was then due to fly to China, where US officials say he will press a reluctant President Xi Jinping to tighten the screws further on Pyongyang.

However, Mr. Trump and his entourage had to turn back when the weather made it impossible for his helicopter to land in the border area, the White House said.

White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders described Mr. Trump as “frustrated” at having to abandon the trip.

A visit to the DMZ, despite his aides’ earlier insistence he had no plans to go there, would have had the potential to further inflame tensions with North Korea.

Mr. Trump’s earlier threats to “totally destroy” North Korea if it threatened the United States, and the personal insults he exchanged with Mr. Kim after the North’s most recent missile and nuclear tests, had raised fears in the region of a potential spiral into war.

CHINA’S ROLE
Just before departing for Beijing, Mr. Trump specifically cited China, North Korea’s main trading partner, as one of the countries that must fully enforce international sanctions against Pyongyang and downgrade diplomatic and commercial ties.

“To those nations that choose to ignore this threat or, worse still, to enable it, the weight of this crisis is on your conscience,” he said.

Mr. Trump will try to convince Mr. Xi to squeeze North Korea further with steps such as limits on oil exports, coal imports and financial transactions.

But it is far from clear if Mr. Xi, who has just consolidated his power at a Communist Party congress, will agree to do more.

China has repeatedly said its leverage over Pyongyang is exaggerated by the West and that it is already doing all it can to enforce sanctions.

Despite that, Mr. Xi may be mindful that Mr. Trump has held off on trade actions against China that he loudly threatened during the 2016 presidential campaign to give Beijing more time to make progress on North Korea. — Reuters

Philex Mining earnings drop in Jan.-Sept. period

PHILEX MINING Corp. reported its profit fell by 15% in the first nine months of the year, as sales were affected by “production-related issues” at its Padcal mine.

In a statement on Wednesday, the listed miner said its net income in the January to September period slipped to P1.132 billion from the P1.333 billion booked during the comparable period last year.

Core net income stood at P1.158 billion for the period ending September 30, 13% lower than the P1.33 billion in the same period last year.

The gold-copper miner’s operating revenues during the nine-month period amounted to P7.180 billion, a 6.81% decline from the P7.705 billion a year ago.

“The Padcal Mine experienced production-related issues in the nine months of the year, which have slowly been addressed and showed in a higher tonnage during the middle part of September that extended into October,” Philex Mining said.

Total ore milled in the first nine months stood at 6.26 million tons, 13% down from the 7.21 million a year ago. Philex Mining attributed the decreased ore production to “low mine delivery due to equipment availability issues, limited flexibility related to ore handling, and persistent bouldery ore.”

Gold production slumped 21% to 62,689 ounces during the nine-month period. The price of gold averaged $1,272 per ounce during the January to September period versus $1,273 per ounce a year ago.

“(The) impact of lower gold output resulted in lower revenue of P4.036 billion (9M2016: P4.797 billion) which comprised 56% of total revenues,” Philex Mining said.

On the other hand, copper sales during the period, which account for 43% of revenues — grew 9% to P3.09 billion from P2.84 billion a year ago. Improved copper prices helped offset a 19% drop in output to 21.92 million pounds. Average copper price stood at $2.80 per pound during the nine-month period from a year ago’s $2.19 per pound.

The remaining balance of its nine-month revenues came from silver sales which stood at P55.9 million, 15.81% lower than the P66.4 million registered last year.

Philex Mining is one of three Philippine units of Hong Kong-based First Pacific Co. Ltd., the others being PLDT, Inc. and Metro Pacific Investments Corp. Hastings Holdings, Inc. — a unit of PLDT Beneficial Trust Fund subsidiary MediaQuest Holdings, Inc. — maintains interest in BusinessWorld through the Philippine Star Group, which it controls. — Janina C. Lim

PSE buys additional 3% stake in PDS Holdings

THE PHILIPPINE Stock Exchange, Inc. (PSE) has jacked up its stake in the operator of the country’s fixed income bourse with the acquisition of the shares owned by FINEX Research and Development Foundation, Inc.

In a disclosure on Wednesday, the PSE announced it inked a share purchase agreement with FINEX involving 192,776 common shares in Philippine Dealing System Holdings Corp. (PDSHC) for a total of P61.68 million.

The shares are equivalent to 3.0844% of the total issued and outstanding stock of PDSHC, effectively increasing the PSE’s ownership in the PDS group to around 60%.

The PSE has signed similar deals with the Bankers Association of the Philippines, Whistler Technologies Systems, Inc., Investment House Association of the Philippines and The Philippine American Life and General Insurance Co.

The PSE has been increasing its ownership in the PDSHC as part of efforts to merge the trading platforms for the country’s equities and fixed-income exchange. — Krista Angela M. Montealegre

Making an apple look like a banana

In the wake of President Donald Trump’s self-serving assertion that any unflattering media reports about him are “fake news,” CNN, which has been among Trump’s most persistent critics, has launched an ad campaign on the theme, “Facts First.”

The visual device is an apple. The voice-over announcer intones, “This is an apple.” He then continues to point out that others might claim that it is a banana but that doesn’t change the fact that it is an apple.

“They might scream banana, banana, banana, over and over again,” the voiceover continues. “They might put BANANA in all caps. You might even start to believe that this is a banana. But it’s not. This is an apple.”

In other words, according to CNN, facts are facts, no matter how one tries to twist them.

That hasn’t stopped Fox News, an unabashedly pro-Trump network, from routinely presenting an apple as a banana. Of course, CNN has not been beyond portraying an apple as rotten, even if it is not necessarily so. And in the late night shows, which have made Trump-bashing standard comic material, every White House apple is spoofed as populated by worms — sometimes with the worms being unfairly added on.

In the Philippines, where social media trolls-cum-bloggers and communications-cum-political consultants proliferate, the apple is often portrayed as a calabasa or a balimbing.

In fact, in both the administrations of Trump and President Rodrigo Duterte, whenever the subject of an apple is discussed, the tactic is not simply to call the apple a banana but to completely change the subject and call attention to their antagonists’ stinking durian.

In the wake of indictments by Special Counsel Robert Mueller of three Trump associates, connected with the last presidential campaign, Trump has gone on a rampage on Twitter in an effort to re-focus attention on Hillary Clinton and her alleged links with the Russians.

In all media interviews, Trump apologists have also routinely referred to Clinton as “crooked Hillary.” They have also automatically extolled the achievements of the Trump administration. The claimed achievements have mostly been snatched from thin air, but the apologists manage to present them with a straight face.

In the case of the Duterte administration, any accusations made against him are immediately countered with vicious Aquino-bashing (the whole Aquino clan, not just former President Benigno S. C. Aquino III) and besmirching of everyone who dares to criticize Duterte, including the Catholic Church.

While these counter-attacks are made mostly on social media, there are readily identifiable newspaper columnists who have perfected the art of deflecting the topic, from Duterte to the “enemy” whom they generally label “yellow” or “dilawan.”

But the apple-to-durian tactic is not a monopoly of DDS (die-hard Duterte supporters). The anti-Duterte camps, from some bishops, to the political opposition, to Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV have also tended to exaggerate their portrayal of Duterte as a murderous monster and as a provincial mayor who has been promoted to his level of incompetence as President of the Philippines.

What has happened appears to be the resurgence of the Big Lie, a propaganda technique applied by Adolf Hitler and first introduced in his book, Mein Kampf.

This technique was restated as “A lie repeated often enough will be taken for the truth,” and has often been attributed to the Nazi’s propaganda czar, Joseph Goebbels. But it was Hitler who first introduced it.

The Big Lie has become standard fare served out by both the Trump and Duterte governments, but, aside from that, the other tactic that is being employed is the Vicious Counter-Attack — an attack designed to be so personal and brazen as to make the targets sorry for getting involved in the fray.

What has been the result of this exchange of virtual excrement? The poor, confused and largely misinformed Filipino readers, television viewers, and social media users must be amused, entertained, scandalized and, subsequently, convinced that all those involved are like the proverbial pot calling the kettle black. The classic case of people living in glass houses who throw stones.

Indeed, all of that mud-slinging has been counter-productive. Everyone gets dirtied. Everyone loses respect.

A cursory look at today’s Facebook yields the following postings, some made by folks whom I know to be relatively intelligent and knowledgeable:

“The Liberal Party has lecherously and liberally legalized and legitimized the art of corruption…small time at sisiw lang si Marcos!”

Desperado na talaga ang mga yellow media. 30 years of garbage manipulating both broadcast and print media to change public opinion in favor of their political bosses. Their bosses who have amassed wealth through corruption and drugs syndication while providing inept and inefficient governance.”

The inference, obviously, is that, by comparison, the Duterte government is NOT corrupt. And yet, today’s Facebook also had the following posting of a Forbes Magazine article by Panos Mourdoukoutas:

“Duterte’s Philippines is getting more corrupt — President Rodrigo Duterte’s death squads didn’t kill corruption in the Philippines last year. But they killed freedom and democracy, and will kill the country’s economic growth and equity market. The Philippines dropped six notches in the 2016 Corruption Index country ranking published recently by Transparency International.”

Noted Philippine Star columnist, Boo Chanco, commented, also in today’s Facebook: “…from the nastiness in many of my FB feeds lately, i suspect a severe loss of brain matter is responsible. you got to be close to brain dead to want to break this country apart into two very distinct camps. it is not a recipe for the future. okay… is about how to deal with early alzheimers but i am starting to think this has become an epidemic even among younger people who no longer know how to think for themselves or allow other people to think for themselves.”

Trump’s bluster, exaggerations and outright lies have resulted in a slide in his approval rating in public opinion polls. A new Quinnipiac University poll reveals that Trump’s rating went down from an already low 35% to his lowest yet at 33%, with 61% of respondents saying they disapprove of his performance, and 55% saying they strongly disapprove.

In Duterte’s case, a new SWS poll reports that only 35% of Filipinos believe that he can deliver on his campaign vows, a double-digit drop compared to a survey last year. In June 2016, 63% believed he could make good on his promises. That eroded to 56% in September 2016 and dropped further to 52% in a March 2017 poll.

Significantly, Duterte suffered his biggest drop in his home region of Mindanao — a drop of 33%. In the Visayas, ostensibly another Duterte stronghold, the decline has been 18%.

Expectedly, Duterte’s apologists have “downplayed” the erosion, pointing out that “this has been the trend in previous administrations.” Trump, on the other hand, has tried to appear calm and unflappable in the face of recent negative developments, particularly the indictment of those involved in his campaign.

Privately, however, Trump is reported to be fuming and highly stressed. Like Trump, Duterte and his apologists must be realizing, by now, that all of his bluster and their vicious attacks and counter-attacks are not impressing the public.

Clearly, more and more thinking folks on both sides of the Pacific Ocean have begun to see that an apple is an apple and not a banana. And even the attempts to throw in a stinking durian to confuse them is no longer doing the Dotard and the Dutertard any good.

 

Greg B. Macabenta is an advertising and communications man shuttling between San Francisco and Manila and providing unique insights on issues from both perspectives.

gregmacabenta@hotmail.com

Healthy food items are a Christmas gift option

SINCE ITS advent in 1995, Healthy Options has been innovating products for the health and well-being of its customers. The store offers holiday gift collections annually which showcase new products.

This year’s collection, “Light Up Your Christmas,” features health, beauty, sparkling juices, wines, grocery and personal care items, and gift cards.

Two packages — “Gifts of Health” and “Gifts of Beauty” — were highlighted during the launch on Oct. 19 at the flagship store in Edsa Shangri-La Plaza.

“We specifically chose these five packages to address the different health needs of the gift recipients that our customers will have,” Healthy Options Director of Brand Marketing Pam So-Suarez said of the “Gifts of Health packages,” in an interview with BusinessWorld.

The “Gifts of Health” packages include: Sparkle, a set of gourmet selections; Shimmer, a festive selection of snacks; Glisten, a selection of gluten-free products; Twinkle, low-sodium and low-sugar snacks; and Glow, ready-to-eat and easy-to-prepare treats.

Aside from the health packages, customers may avail of the “Gifts of Beauty” packages: Be Dazzling, a line of hair care products made with Brazilian keratin and argan oil; Pure Radiance, a skin and body care set; and Shine On (Luster and Glimmer gift boxes), which are budget-easy skin and hair care packages.

Ms. Suarez added that aside from the holiday gift collection, the launch of their Canada-manufactured private label food and grocery products makes the collection unique from those offered in previous years. The private label products are identified with white packaging and the Healthy Options logo. — Michelle Anne P. Soliman

Clinic offers digital detox for Brazilian tech junkies

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL — Like many young people, 29-year-old student L.L. loves his cell phone. So much, in fact, that his studies, his work and even his personal relationships have suffered, and his phone eventually became a way to avoid people in the real world.

That was when he realized he needed help.

L.L., who like other patients interviewed by AFP asked that their full names not be used, suffers from a form of digital dependency known as “nomophobia,” a neologism derived from the term “no-mobile-phone phobia.”

It is a condition with real psychological, social and physical consequences and is on the rise in Brazil, home to the fourth largest number of Internet users in the world.

In September, the student started on a course of treatment in the Delete Institute, the first in Brazil to offer free digital detox to online addicts.

Set up in the psychology department of Rio de Janeiro’s Federal University in 2013 by psychologist Anna Lucia King, the Delete center has already treated 800 people suffering various types of dependency on digital technology.

The profiles vary, from adolescents who spend hours playing video games on their computers, to adults who have lost a spouse over their addiction, or who were fired from jobs for spending too much time on Facebook or WhatsApp.

Newly enrolled patients undergo an evaluation by a multi-disciplinary team and answer questions to establish the source of their dependency. Afterwards, a psychologist evaluates whether there is any sort of clinical disorder present, such as anxiety, panic attacks, social phobias or obsessive compulsion disorder.

Afterwards, they are classified into one of three possible categories: conscientious user, abusive user or dependent, and offered treatment sessions tailored to individual needs and the gravity of the case.

GROUP THERAPY AND EXERCISES
The aim of the treatment is not to demonize technology but to allow addicts to use it in a healthier manner.

In weekly group sessions they discuss their experiences. They also are given exercises — like trying to read a book or watch a movie without looking at a cellphone — and taught good practices — known as digital etiquette. The goal is to help a person go from an abusive user to a conscientious one. Some disorders may need to be treated medication.

As well as causing emotional problems, nomophobia can inflict physical suffering on an addict.

The center’s physiotherapist, Mariana King Padua, explained that prolonged use of cellphones, and the angle of the users head when staring at a handheld screen, can put so much pressure on the neck that it causes injuries. “The neck muscles are not adapted to this kind of work load,” she said.

Heavy usage of technology does not necessarily make a person an addict: that only happens when their use becomes exaggerated.

“Abusive behavior occurs when the virtual world starts to impinge on the real one, that’s when people lose control. It’s a fine line,” said Eduardo Guedes, Delete’s specialized digital media researcher.

QUITTING THE ADDICTION
The ubiquity of online technology and the penetration of the Internet into everyday modern life can often blind people to their own addiction. Many times, it is the people around an addict who seek help for them.

That was the case for H.B., 24, whose mother brought her to the Delete Institute last August to treat her dependency on computer games.

“I didn’t even notice that I had a problem,” she said. “You get used to it, it’s difficult to stop.”

Moderation is hard to come by these days in the largest economy in South America.

In 2015, 50% of Brazilians, or 120 million people, were connected to the Internet, trailing only behind China with 705 million, India with 333 million and the United States with 242 million, according to a UN report on the information economy that was published in October.

Around 85% of online Brazilians use digital media to communicate with each other, while 77% use Facebook and other social media platforms like Instagram or Snapchat, according to Brazil’s Internet Managing Committee, which oversees Internet usage in the country.

While nomophobia is still a relatively new concept in Brazil, it is widely acknowledged as a public health problem in countries like South Korea, Japan and China and is treated in rehab centers.

Both patients and therapists at the Delete Institute believe they can learn to live in harmony with the new technologies.

“I am getting better with the exercises,” said L.L. “The problem with intensive Internet usage is that you end up neglecting other aspects of your life.” — AFP

2 hotel projects get BoI nod or IPP incentives

TWO HOTELS, one in Legazpi City and the other in Cebu City, have been approved by the Board of Investments (BoI) for inclusion in the 2017 Investment Priorities Plan (IPP), giving project proponents access to incentives. The projects, both endorsed by the Department of Tourism, are Yello! Hotel in Cebu of Gothong Southern Properties, Inc., and the The Marison Hotel of Legazpi Meil Li, Inc. “These hotels will cater to both local and foreign tourists coming to Cebu and the rest of Central Visayas as with Legazpi City and the Bicol Region. These will fuel the robust economies of Cebu and Bicol as developers partake a slice of the areas’ huge tourist markets,” Trade Undersecretary and BoI Managing Head Ceferino S. Rodolfo said in a statement. Gothong Southern Properties is investing P392.7 million for the 192-room, two-star hotel at Cebu’s Lahug district, which is planned for opening by Jan. 2019. Yello! will also have function rooms and other amenities such as a swimming pool. The Marison Hotel, on the other hand, will have about 117 rooms and commercial spaces on the ground floor. Legazpi Meil Li is putting in P35 million for the three-floor tourism facility.

NCAA chess wars

93rd NCAA Athletic Season
2017 NCAA Chess Team
Championship Seniors

San Beda College (SBC), 30.0/36

Lyceum of the Philippines University (LPU), 26.0/36

DLS-College of Saint Benilde (DLS-CSB), 25.5/36

Arellano University (AU), 24.0/36

Colegio de San Juan de Letran (CSJL), 20.0/36

San Sebastian College-Recoletos (SSC-R), 15.5/36

Mapua University (MU), 13.0/36

Jose Rizal University (JRU), 11.0/36

University of Perpetual Help System Dalta (UPHSD), 8.5/36

Emilio Aguinaldo College (EAC), 6.5/36

Most Valuable Player: FM Mari Joseph Turqueza SBC

Coach of the Year: Ildefonso Datu — SBC

Individual Awards (gold medalists):

Bd01 FM Mari Joseph Turqueza — SBC 6.5/7; Bd02 McDominique Lagula — SBC 6.5/7; Bd03 Marc Christian Nazario — SBC 5.5/7; Bd04 Prince Mark Aquino SBC 5.5/7; Bd05 Louie John Alegria — LPU 4.0/5; Bd06 Virgen Gil Ruaya — LPU 4.5/6

The Most Valuable Player of the tournament was FM Mari Joseph Turqueza, born Oct. 8, 1992. That name is very familiar to me — I remember that six years ago Turqueza while still a high school student represented the Philippines in the 2011 World Junior Championship held in Chennai, India. He finished with 7.0/13, 48th place out of 125, but I considered it a success. Why? The quality of his games were great. He defeated the highly regarded Indian Srinath Narayanan, now a GM and one of the top players of his country.

Turqueza, Mari Joseph (2235) — Narayanan, Srinath (2371) [D02]
50th World Juniors Chennai IND (7.30), 09.08.2011

1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 e6 3.g3 c5 4.Bg2 cxd4 5.0–0 d5 6.Nxd4 Be7 7.c4 0–0 8.cxd5 Nxd5 9.e4 Nb6 10.Nc3 Bd7 11.Qe2 Na4 12.Nxa4 Bxa4 13.Qc4 Be8 14.Be3 Nd7 15.Rac1 Ne5 16.Qb3 Rb8?

Overlooking White’s combination. He should have played 16…Bd7 here.

17.Nxe6! fxe6 18.Qxe6+ Nf7 19.Rfd1 Bd6 20.e5 Bd7 21.Qd5 Ba4 22.Rd4 Bxe5 23.Rxa4 Qf6 24.Rxa7 Bxb2 25.Rc7 Rbd8 26.Qb3 Bd4 27.Bxd4 Qxd4 28.Raxb7 Qa1+ 29.Bf1 Rd1 30.Rxf7 Rxf1+ 31.Kg2 Rg1+ 32.Kh3 1–0

Black resigns. After 32…Qf1+ 33.Kh4 g5+ 34.Kxg5 the checks are at an end and mate cannot be prevented anymore.

He also brought down one of the tournament’s top seeds, GM Jorge Cori of Peru.

Cori Tello, Jorge (2514) — Turqueza, Mari Joseph (2235) [E05]
50th World Juniors Chennai IND (12.26), 14.08.2011

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.g3 d5 4.Nf3 Be7 5.Bg2 0–0 6.0–0 dxc4 7.Ne5 Nc6!

Blundering a pawn? No, this is a pawn sacrifice to fully activate Black’s forces. You will see from the game how effective it is.

8.Nxc6 bxc6 9.e3 Rb8 10.Qa4 c5 11.dxc5 Bxc5 12.Qxc4 Qd6 13.Qc2 Rd8 14.Nc3 Ba6! 15.Rd1 Bd3 16.Qd2 Qe7 17.Qe1 e5 18.b3 e4 19.Bb2 Bb4 20.h3 h5 21.Bf1 Bxf1 22.Qxf1 Rxd1 23.Rxd1 Rd8 24.Nb5 h4 25.Nxa7? Rxd1 26.Qxd1 hxg3 27.Nc6 Qe6 28.Qd8+ Kh7 29.Qxc7

I think this is where Cori made his miscalculation. He had reckoned only on 30…Qxh3 31.Qxg3 where the Black offensive is stopped and White wins because of his passed queenside pawns. But Black has a zwischenzug.

29…Bd6 30.Qd8 Qxh3 31.fxg3 Qxg3+ 32.Kf1 Ng4 33.Ke2 Qf2+ 0–1

See? Mari Joseph Turqueza was uncowed by his opponent’s GM title and went for the throat, as he always done. I dubbed him “Turqueza the Warrior” and predicted that this is only the first of many future triumphs.

That was six years ago and I am afraid FM Mari Joseph Turqueza has sort of lagged behind. His rivals in that tournament, GMs Dariusz Swiercz, Ray Robson, Ivan Salgado Lopez, Vasif Durarbayli and SP Sethuraman have all reached super-GM status (ELO 2600+) while he is still languishing at 2294. Back in 2011, he was already ELO 2235!

Our national chess federation is failing us in not developing our strongest prospects and if we continue in this fashion the Philippines will continue sinking down the country lists.

Anyway, pontificating aside, Turqueza was obviously the strongest player in this year’s NCAA. Aside from the queen sacrifice I showed BW readers last Tuesday, here is a brevity against Emilio Aguinaldo College’s top board.

[SBC] Turqueza, Mari Joseph — [EAC] Borillo, Allan Kenneth P. [D15]
2017 NCAA Chess (SENIORS) JPL Freedom Hall, LPU, Intram (1.1), 06.08.2017

1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Bf5

I went over all the Black games of Allan Borillo and it appears he has no opening preparation — just a bunch of irregular lines. I believe his coach ought to be fired.

The line he played here is NOT the Baltic Defense, which is 1.d4 d5 2.c4 Bf5, introduced by Keres during his very young days but still considered suitable only as a surprise weapon. The position on the board is known to be bad for Black — he has weaknesses on the queenside for no compensation.

4.Nc3

Most authors recommend that White continue 4.cxd5! and now 4…cxd5 5.Qb3, attacking both b7 and d5, is very good for White, even the great Emanuel Lasker couldn’t hold this position: 5…Qc8 6.Nc3 e6 7.Bf4 a6 8.Na4 Ra7 9.Nb6 Qd8 (9…Qc6 10.Bxb8 Bc2 11.Qc3 Qxb6 12.Qc8+ Ke7 13.Bxa7) 10.Bxb8 Qxb8 11.Qa4+ Ke7 12.Rc1 g5 13.Ne5 Nh6 14.Nc8+ 1–0 (14) Caro, H-Lasker, E Berlin 1890; 4…Bxb1! 5.Rxb1 Qxd5 6.a3 Nf6 7.e3 Nbd7 8.Qc2 e6 (8…e5? 9.Bc4 Qa5+ 10.b4 Qc7 11.Ng5 1–0 (17) Istratescu, A (2587)-Gidel, J (2137) Elancourt 2004) 9.Bc4 White is just better.

4…Nf6 5.Qb3

Perhaps more to the point is 5.cxd5 cxd5 first before 6.Qb3, as now 6…Qb6? just loses a pawn to 7.Nxd5.

5…b6?

This is the fatal mistake and Black is not given a second chance. The correct move is 5…Qb6.

6.cxd5 Nxd5

[6…cxd5 7.e4! dxe4 (7…Bxe4 8.Bb5+ Nbd7 9.Nxe4 dxe4 10.Ne5 e6 11.Bg5 wins) 8.Ne5 e6 9.Bb5+ Nfd7 (9…Nbd7 10.g4 Bg6 11.d5!) 10.g4 Bg6 11.h4 a6 12.Bg5 White has a decisive advantage]

7.Ne5 Be6 8.e4 Nxc3 9.Qxc3

How does Black defend the c6–pawn?

9…Qc8

[9…Bd7 10.Qf3 Be6 (10…f6 11.Bc4 e6 12.Qh5+ you can figure out the rest) 11.d5! cxd5 12.Bb5+ Nd7 13.exd5 wins]

10.Be3 g6 11.d5 <D>

POSITION AFTER 11.D5

11…cxd5 12.Qxc8+ Bxc8 13.Bb5+ Bd7 14.Rc1 Bg7

A merciful death. 14…e6 15.Rc8+ Ke7 16.Nxd7 is more painful

15.Rc8# 1–0

Consider this a horror story. Don’t repeat Black’s opening.

San Beda’s Marc Christian Nazario did not have any real rivals on board 3 and he made a big difference in the play-off rounds. This is not to say he is invulnerable — the following drubbing from San Sebastian’s Bernales served as a good wake-up call.

[SSC-R] Bernales, Carl Lemuel P. — [SBC] Nazario, Marc Christian [C55]
2017 NCAA Chess (SENIORS) JPL Freedom Hall, LPU, Intram (8.2), 03.09.2017

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nc3 Nc6 4.Bc4 Nxe4 5.Nxe4 d5 6.Bxd5 Qxd5 7.Nc3 Qd8 8.h3 Bd6

The opening has been a success for Black. He has the two bishops, no structural weaknesses and a clear path t conjuring up a kingside attack.

9.0–0 0–0 10.d3 h6 11.Re1 Re8 12.Be3 Bf8 13.Qe2 Bd7 14.Rad1? Nd4! 15.Qf1

Otherwise he loses a piece: 15.Bxd4 exd4 16.Ne4 f5

15…Nxf3+ 16.gxf3 Qh4

Black has a very strong attack with no material investment.

17.Kh2 Bc6

I’d say 17…Re6 was stronger — it discourages white’s queen from occupying the g-file because of …Rg6.

18.Qg2 Qh5 19.Ne4 Kh7 20.Rg1 Qf5 21.Qg4 Bd7 22.Qh4 Kh8?

Nazario commits the mistake of forgetting that his opponent also knows how to attack.

23.Bxh6! gxh6 24.Nf6 Bg7 25.Rxg7! Kxg7 26.Rg1+ Kf8 27.Rg8+

[27.Qb4+ Re7 28.Rg8# is, of course, faster]

27…Ke7 28.Nxe8+ f6 29.Qxf6+ Qxf6 30.Nxf6 Rc8 31.Rxc8 1–0

After 31.Rxc8 Bxc8 32.Ng8+ Ke6 33.Nxh6 White is three pawns up in an easily won endgame.

In the playoff rounds, though, Nazario was properly warned, and he scored 2/2 to reel in the championship.

[AU] Caranyagan, Carlo — [SBC] Nazario, Marc Christian [C20]
2017 NCAA Chess (SENIORS) JPL Freedom Hall, LPU Manila (10.1), 10.09.2017

1.e4 e5 2.c4 Nc6 3.g3 Bc5 4.Bg2 d6 5.Ne2 f5 6.d3 Nf6 7.Bg5 Bxf2+ 8.Kd2 Nxe4+ 9.dxe4 Qxg5+ 10.Kc3 Bd4+ 11.Nxd4 exd4+ 12.Kc2 fxe4 13.Re1 Bf5 14.Bxe4 0–0 15.Nd2 d5 16.cxd5 Bxe4+ 17.Nxe4 Qxd5 18.Qg4 Ne5 19.Qg5 Qc4+ 20.Kd1 Nf3 21.Qc1 Qd3+ 22.Nd2 Nxe1 23.Qc4+ Qxc4 0–1

[SBC] Nazario, Marc Christian — [LPU] Mendiogarin, Jhoemar D. [B10]
2017 NCAA Chess (SENIORS) JPL Freedom Hall, LPU Manila (11.1), 17.09.2017

1.e4 c6 2.c4 d5 3.exd5 cxd5 4.cxd5 Nf6 5.Qa4+ Nbd7 6.Bc4 g6 7.Nc3 Bg7 8.d3 0–0 9.Nf3 a6 10.Qa3 b6 11.0–0 Bb7 12.Re1 Re8 13.Bf4 b5 14.Bb3 Rc8 15.d4 Qb6 16.Qb4 Bf8 17.Be5 Red8 18.Rad1 Ng4 19.d6 e6 20.Bf4 Nh6 21.d5 exd5 22.Bxd5 Qc5 23.Qxc5 Nxc5 24.Bxb7 Nxb7 25.d7 Ra8 26.Bc7 Nc5 27.Bxd8 Rxd8 28.Ne4 Ne6 29.Ne5 Bb4 30.Re2 Ba5 31.Nc6 Bb6 32.Nxd8 Bxd8 33.Nc5 1–0

 

Bobby Ang is a founding member of the National Chess Federation of the Philippines (NCFP) and its first Executive Director. A Certified Public Accountant (CPA), he taught accounting in the University of Santo Tomas (UST) for 25 years and is currently Chief Audit Executive of the Equicom Group of Companies.

bobby@cpamd.net

Financial firms sign up for PESONet

BANKS and e-money issuers have established a clearing house for digital payments, which will allow electronic fund transfers (EFT) across different banks and electronic wallet providers for same-day credit.

A group of 33 lenders and financial technology service providers have signed up for the Philippine EFT System and Operations Network (PESONet), which will serve as an industry-led clearing house that will conduct daily batch processing for online fund transfer orders from one account to another.

The payment orders will be charged a “minimal” fee to be paid by the sender, with the receiver expected to get the transferred amount in full.

BSP Governor Nestor A. Espenilla, Jr. said the new clearing house is expected to drive increased e-commerce activity, as it makes payments to individuals, merchants, and to the government more convenient through account-to-account transactions.

“Greater efficiencies in electronic channels will also bring about an accelerated velocity of payments. This will increase economic activity,” Mr. Espenilla said during the launch event held at the BSP headquarters in Manila.

“When payment beneficiaries are able to quickly obtain the liquidity that they need, they are able to pursue productive activities at a faster rate.”

The central bank chief said he is particularly eyeing government payments to shift to the digital platform through the payout of worker salaries, tax collections, and even loan proceeds from state agencies.

The BSP targets to lift the share of digital payments to 20% of total transactions by 2020, coming from a measly 1% recorded in 2013. The Monetary Board has officially adopted the National Retail Payment System (NRPS) framework under Circular 980 issued on Monday, which recognizes the use of automated clearing houses to facilitate and oversee digital payments in the Philippines.

All financial entities must continue to comply with risk management protocols as they carry out increased electronic transactions, as well as report to the Anti-Money Laundering Council, among others.

Last month, the Bankers Association of the Philippines announced the creation of the Philippine Payments Management, Inc., which is an industry-led body that will oversee the PESONet that will build on the existing Philippine Clearing House Corp.

The digital clearing house is eventually seen to replace paper-based checks, which currently takes one business day to complete a fund transfer.

Adopting the NRPS is likewise seen to broaden access to financial services, as the central bank eyes to tap the high penetration rate of mobile phones among Filipinos as their entry point to formal banking channels.

The central bank will not dictate a certain rate for these fund transfers, with the financial players expected to come up with “competitive” fees to attract more clients to pay online.

John Cary L. Ong, head of the PESONet initiative and senior vice-president at UnionBank of the Philippines, said he personally expects transaction charges to match usual interbank withdrawal fees through automated teller machines, which usually ranges from P10-P15.

“The idea is to make it so small that it’s not worth the time and effort to physically go over the counter, queue up somewhere, or open another bank account,” Mr. Ong told reporters in a press briefing.

Mr. Ong said the PESONet will start with one batch processing per day, and will increase the frequency of these runs as volumes pick up.

Making interbank or inter-wallet transfers will have to be made available by the financial firms to their clients through their respective online, mobile, and over-the-counter facilities. — Melissa Luz T. Lopez

Democratic election win is lousy anniversary gift for Republican Trump

WASHINGTON — US President Donald J. Trump suffered a triple defeat as Democrats won high-profile state and mayoral elections to underscore his unpopularity on Wednesday’s first anniversary of his dramatic election win.

The Tuesday night results amounted to a sweeping repudiation of what critics have called Mr. Trump’s politics of division, and a test of his influence ahead of electoral battles looming on the state and national level.

The most damaging defeat was in Virginia, a state bordering Washington seen as a bellwether for national politics with the country gearing up for 2018 congressional elections and the next presidential contest in 2020.

The Virginia governor’s race had all the makings of a nailbiter, but in the end, Lieutenant Governor Ralph Northam trounced his Republican rival Ed Gillespie by an unexpectedly wide nine percentage points in the southern battleground state.

In New Jersey, Democrat Phil Murphy reclaimed the governorship with a victory of about 13 percentage points over his rival following eight years of Republican Governor Chris Christie, a onetime ally of Mr. Trump.

And in New York, progressive Mayor Bill de Blasio rode a wave of hometown distaste for Mr. Trump to cruise to reelection in America’s most populous city.

Messrs. Murphy and Northam painted their wins as rejections of the polarization that to a large extent characterized Mr. Trump’s 2016 campaign and much of his first year in the White House.

“Tonight, New Jersey sent an unmistakable message to the entire nation: We are better than this,” Mr. Murphy declared.

The results mark a revival of political fortunes for the Democratic Party, which had failed to win a number of previous special elections in several states this year triggering concern about how to counter Mr. Trump’s influence in US politics.

“This is a referendum on American values,” Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez said on CNN, speaking of the Tuesday night sweep.

In a statement, the Committee said it had won not just in Virginia and New Jersey but “up and down the ticket across the country” by maintaining or flipping mayoral and state house seats in six other states.

In Virginia, Democrat Danica Roem, 33, made history by becoming the state’s, and possibly the nation’s, first openly transgender state legislative delegate.

A victory for Mr. Gillespie would have served to validate Mr. Trump’s aggressive style, and form a blueprint for how mainstream Republicans can embrace Trump issues without necessarily embracing the controversial man himself.

Now they might be forced to rewrite their playbooks.

In his typically combative style, Mr. Trump swiftly sought to distance himself from Mr. Gillespie, who did not campaign with the president in Virginia.

“Ed Gillespie worked hard but did not embrace me or what I stand for,” Mr. Trump wrote in a scathing tweet from South Korea, where he is in the midst of a tour through Asia.

The president insisted that with the US economy doing well, “we will continue to win.”

But some analysts said the results suggest a Democratic wave might be on the horizon.

Virginia was a “bloodbath” for Republicans, Michael McDonald of the University of Florida told AFP.

Even though Mr. Gillespie aired ads that fueled a debate on race, guns, illegal immigration and the fate of Confederate statues, his attempt to distance himself from Mr. Trump specifically just did not work.

“Trump sucks up a lot of the air in American politics, so it’s difficult for any Republican to run away from Donald Trump,” he said.

If Mr. Trump had not proven a drag on Virginia voters, it would demonstrate his overwhelming power to draw Americans to polls despite poor approval numbers.

Compounding the Republican woes in Virginia, Democrats also won contests for lieutenant governor and attorney general.

The party gained several seats in the 100-member House of Delegates, putting Republicans under threat of possibly losing control of the state legislature.

“There will be a lot of Republicans who are concerned” about how such a development might translate into losses in 2018’s congressional mid-term elections, Mr. McDonald said.

“If they can lose control of a legislative chamber, they can certainly lose control of the US House of Representatives,” said the professor.

All 435 seats in the US House are up for reelection every two years.

Republicans currently hold a comfortable majority, but if they lose that advantage, Mr. Trump’s legislative agenda, including his longstanding effort to repeal and replace the existing health care law, would come under threat. — AFP