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Monsoon mood

On rainy, dreary days, people feel blue. It is a reaction to the absence of sunlight. The incessant monsoon rains exacerbate the mood of anxiety and restlessness.
In the temperate zones, prolonged periods of darkness and too much artificial lighting have debilitating effects on sensitive personality types. Seasonal Affective Disorder and depression set in.
In the tropical zone, where there is abundant sunshine, one can get claustrophobia by working in a windowless office. There is “cabin fever” syndrome similar to the effect of being confined in a prison cell. Ordinary fluorescent and incandescent laps cannot approximate natural sunlight.
Whenever the blues strike, one needs to step into the sunlight. Exposure to the sun’s beneficial rays improves one mood, and physical, emotional, and mental health.
The source of energy and strength, the sun maximizes and accelerates the processing of minerals, nutrients, and vitamins that humans derive from food. Without vitamin D, the body and the bones deteriorate. Without natural light, the brain does not function properly. Sleep is elusive. The body’s biorhythm goes out of synch.
On a psychic level, the sun plays a significant role in helping the individual get in touch with his soul. This explains why some of the ancient cultures worshipped the sun. The Earth revolves around the sun. The seasons — spring, summer, autumn, and winter — follow a chronological pattern based on the earth’s axial tilt towards the sun.
Linking with the sun increases vitality and verve. It elevates one’s consciousness, promotes inner growth, and expands awareness.
We have the resiliency to adjust to circumstances.
To alleviate sadness, stress, depression or anxiety, people have different ways of coping. Physical activities, sports and exercise trigger the happy hormones. Others immerse themselves in creative or spiritual activities — music, arts, prayer, meditation, and yoga.
Whenever possible, some people escape to the cool mountains. Amidst the familiar mist and towering pine trees, one can recapture a semblance of the bygone, carefree childhood days. The fresh air, brilliant colors, and fragrance of flowers invigorate the body and soothe the spirit. It recalls the nostalgic years when life was simple and easy. Rainy days and nights may come but one feels cozy and safe in a cocoon or a time bubble. The rhythmic patter on the roof is a counterpoint to the sound of crickets and cicadas.
Many people flee to the beach for sunshine. The healing rays work on brain, the immune system and the bones.
The water babies and sailors splash at the seashore, explore hidden coves and swim with the exotic fishes. The powder blue sky is cloudless and the wind blows the playful kits and vivid sails out to sea.
The hours can stretch to days of nonchalance and indulgence. After all, the body and mind deserve a brief hiatus from distress and pollution.
One of the best experiences at sea is watching the moods of the sky and the play of shadow and light. Sunrise is a pastel palette of peach, pink and blue streaks across the East. The sun seems like a pale lantern lighting up the distant lavender hills and rolling pastureland. Everything seems to be soft focus and hazy. The air smells of freshly cut grass. The happy sound of chirping birds announces a new day.
There is a cliff that overlooks a small lagoon. It is almost the mythical never land. The boisterous kids prove their bravery by diving into the clear water to play hide and seek inside the cavern underneath. Peter Pan, the lost boys and the mermaids, are imaginary playmates.
During low tide, they wander around inside the tunnels and make eerie echoes. When the tide rises, they scamper to safety on the rocks or the hidden corner of a rocky beach where the endangered species of pawikan sea turtles lay their precious eggs.
Monsoon season is unpredictable. The rainstorm may suddenly happen. Thunder and lightning precede the downpour. The towering clouds release gallons of water. The waves heave and break against the craggy cliff. The southwestern wind habagat howls. The trees shudder as leaves are shorn from the branches. The sea and sky turn slate and charcoal gray.
When the weather clears up, one can watch a spectacular sunset. As the magnificent orb descends from the heavens, a magical performance begins.
Cloud formations assume mythical shapes lit from within. The sky resembles a canvas with abstract splashes of yellow, copper, cobalt, crimson and indigo. Sea gulls soar then dip gently into the shimmering sea.
From the vantage point of a raft, one sees a new perspective. The sun on brink of the horizon takes on a new meaning. One feels the fluid pulse of the sea. Slowly, one learns to let go.
 
Maria Victoria Rufino is an artist, writer and businesswoman. She is president and executive producer of Maverick Productions.
mavrufino@gmail.com

Harley-Davidson is an early casualty of trade war

By The Bloomberg Editors
IN A speech to a joint session of Congress shortly after his inauguration, President Donald Trump praised Harley-Davidson, the storied motorcycle manufacturer, as a great American company — the kind he most wanted to see succeed. Less than two years later, he is threatening to punish the firm for doing its best to survive his policies.
motorcycle
This absurd turn of events is no accident. It’s the logical consequence of Trump’s entirely illogical approach to trade.
The mistakes began with the president’s tariffs on steel and aluminum. These rested on a patently false justification: that excessive imports of those metals threatened national security. The tariffs wounded Harley-Davidson, and many other similarly situated US firms, in two ways: They raised the price of imported inputs, and they provoked US trade partners to retaliate.
The European Union has announced tariffs on Harley’s US-made products, rendering them uncompetitive in EU markets. The company has said it will therefore move more of its production bound for Europe offshore. An embarrassed Trump is accusing the firm of cowardice and threatening that Harley “will be taxed like never before.”
Moving production abroad to remain competitive was a well-established trend at Harley and many other US companies before Trump’s tariffs. But the trade war the president thinks he can win certainly won’t help keep Harley’s American workers employed. The administration is looking next at tariffs on imports of European cars. If they go forward, expect further retaliation — and a worsening, lose-lose cycle of shrinking trade, diminished US competitiveness, disrupted supply chains and ruined investment plans. US workers and consumers won’t be spared.
Harley-Davidson’s predicament has been especially awkward for a president who wanted to associate himself with the firm and its customers — but bear in mind it’s just one company. Trump’s misguided approach to trade will put many other US producers, famous and not so famous, in exactly the same quandary. The more the president escalates this fight, the more damage he is bound to do.
The president ought to stop his trade-war nonsense before it goes any further — preferably before he finds himself applying sanctions to the very companies he meant to champion.

Why is Unioil Philippines building more e-vehicle charging stations in Metro Manila?

UNIOIL Petroleum Philippines, Inc. has launched on Wednesday its second electric vehicle charging station at its outlet along the northbound side of EDSA in Guadalupe in the hopes that it will encourage more drivers to switch from their fuel-powered cars.

Unioil became the first petroleum company in the Philippines to launch an e-vehicle (EV) charging facility at its fueling station along Congressional Ave. Extension in Quezon City on Nov. 27, 2017.
Even though there are no electric vehicles currently using its charging stations, Unioil is anticipating demand to spike in the future.
“Right now, we are doing this to encourage more people to try the e-vehicles, to bring in e-vehicles. We’re also showing the government that we’re already building the infrastructure. No need to wait. We’re just waiting for the incentives for more e-vehicles to be sufficient,” Unioil President Kenneth C. Pundanera told reporters during the opening of the charging site..
Read the full story.

Germany has more to worry about than going out of the World Cup

Call it Germany’s spoiled summer.
For all that’s going well in this country of about 83 million people — a growing economy, booming real estate market and record-low unemployment — national pride has taken some crushing hits in recent weeks. While Germans like to remind the rest of the world that they make awesome cars, play some mean soccer, elect stable governments and possess a solid bank of global repute — those accepted truths have begun unraveling.
Chancellor Angela Merkel, the bulwark of European stability, is fighting a rising mutiny in her own government; the once-proud auto industry is limping from one scandal to the next; Deutsche Bank AG is crawling into a shell of its former self. And topping it off was the shock of the national soccer squad’s humiliating defeat on Wednesday, when Germany, the defending champion, stumbled out of the World Cup in the first round, the first time since 1938.
“I didn’t expect us to win the cup again, yet to not get past the first round is a real shocker,” Reiner Malberger, a visibly shaken soccer fan from Dortmund, dressed in a German national team jersey, said after sipping beer from his plastic cup at a public-viewing event in Berlin.
The loss was an event of such national significance that even the chancellor felt compelled to weigh in: “Honestly, all of us are very sad tonight,” Merkel said at a public event in the aftermath of the 0-2 upset at the hands of South Korea, a team that ranks 57th on the FIFA scale that is led by Germany. Now the future of German soccer coach Joachim ‘Jogi’ Loew, who has led the squad for almost 12 years, is being called into question.
Merkel, in office for one year longer than Loew, also faces an uncertain future — just three months after she cobbled together a new coalition for her fourth term. Her Bavarian allies are threatening the stability of the government with vows to act unilaterally to get tough on migrants trying to enter the country if she doesn’t seal a European Union-wide deal on the matter at a summit starting Thursday.
While the political drama caught many observers accustomed to a stable political system in Germany off guard, Merkel’s mess was eclipsed on Wednesday by the national outrage following the defeat on the pitch. The banner headline from Bild, Germany’s biggest newspaper, on Thursday morning summed it up: “Without Words!” The story even led the serious Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, while Der Spiegel called the team’s performance a “historical disgrace.”
That’s a description also befitting the German auto industry. Not a week passes by without new revelations about the diesel cheating scandal that first enveloped Volkswagen AG in 2015. The CEO of Audi was arrested last week, accused by prosecutors of trying to tamper with evidence in their ongoing investigation, and has remained in jail since, an unprecedented downfall in Germany of a senior corporate leader. The steady stream of bad news prompted the organizer of the country’s most prestigious automotive awards to cancel the glitzy event last week, saying there were no reasons for jubilation.
Further knocking the car industry, Germany’s most important export machine, has been President Donald Trump’s threat to slap painful tariffs on vehicles imported into the U.S. Daimler AG, which sponsors the German soccer team, was forced to dramatically revise its profit forecast for this year, saying its exports are being hurt in a global trade war.
“We regret the loss for the team and for the German fans,” a Daimler spokeswoman said. Mercedes had built a massive marketing machine around the national squad and the world cup, toying with the prospect of a fifth world-cup title and presenting the players and their trainer as cool rock stars posing around sleek limousines.
And then there’s Deutsche Bank. Seemingly every day, there’s another departure of a key banker as Germany’s largest lender tries to shave off thousands of jobs in a push to return to profit. The bank is by far the worst performer on Germany’s benchmark index this year, having lost 43 percent of its value since the beginning of 2018.
And while Germany mourned its humiliation on the pitch, spectators abroad couldn’t help display some gloating and Schadenfreude. In England, whose team hasn’t progressed to the semi finals since 1990 and only won the trophy once more than half a century ago, the tabloid media could barely contain its glee. The Sun’s front page headline was a definition of the term Schadenfreude and a photo of some dejected German players.
Discount airline Ryanair Holdings Plc, meanwhile, used the defeat for some ambush marketing, touting its “Loew fares” for any traveling soccer fan who might suffer the misfortune of an early trip home. And former England player Gary Lineker, who famously once said that Germany always won at soccer, provided an update on his much-quoted rule.
“Football is a simple game,” Lineker wrote on Twitter after the match. “Twenty-two men chase a ball for 90 minutes and at the end, the Germans no longer always win. Previous version is confined to history.” — Bloomberg

VMware expects revenue growth as business in PHL looks ‘promising’

VMware, Inc. is anticipating revenue growth in the country given the increasing digitalization of companies.
Vice president and managing director for Southeast Asia and Korea Sanjay R. Deshmukh said that business looks “promising” in the Philippines.
“Philippines is growing, one of the top 10 countries in terms of GDP (gross domestic product) growth, so it is a promising business for us in terms of expectation of revenue growth,” Mr. Deshmukh said in a media roundtable on June 28. He didn’t elaborate however on how much growth the company is aiming for.
Country manager Victor Silvino said that the company is in a good position to address the need of companies to use not only data centers or cloud but to continue to move to hyper distributed applications.
“Companies move from putting their data in the data center, to creating digital workspace and…moving to centers of data at the edge, we are well-positioned [in the market],” Mr. Silvino said.
The company recently launched the virtual cloud network, a software-defined network architecture that delivers services to applications and data, whatever the location.
VMWare has major banks as it clients, including Metropolitan Bank and Trust Co. (Metrobank), as well as telecommunications giant Globe Telecom, Inc. It also recently was tapped by Landbank of the Philippines for the state-owned financial institution’s virtualization needs. — Patrizia Paola C. Marcelo

Oil trades near three-year high as Libya crisis tightens supply

US crude traded near the highest in 3 1/2 years as disruption at Libyan ports and a plunge in American stockpiles reinforced fears of a supply squeeze.
U.S. oil stockpiles declined the most since September 2016, the Energy Information Administration reported Wednesday, just as some buyers of Iranian crude faced increasing pressured from President Donald Trump to halt imports from the Persian Gulf nation. A breakaway faction of Libya’s National Oil Corp. ordered the halt of eastern ports placed under its control by a militia leader.
“We are looking at a near-term future where supply risk will support the price,” said Ole Sloth Hansen, head of commodity strategy at Saxo Bank A/S in Copenhagen. “We have seen before the major impact that Libya can have on the market. Europe could end up having to source oil from different locations on a combination of Iran sanctions and the risk of falling Libyan production.”
Prices have been on an upward swing as Trump’s administration seeks to dissuade purchases of oil from Iran, the third-largest producer in the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries. The efforts to isolate and hobble the Islamic Republic have overshadowed Saudi Arabia’s plan to lift output to a record within weeks following OPEC’s agreement to relax output caps.
West Texas Intermediate crude for August delivery traded at $72.86 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange, up 10 cents, at 10:54 a.m. in London. Total volume was 25 percent below the 100-day average. The contract rose $2.23 to close at $72.76 on Wednesday, the highest settlement since Nov. 2014.
The spread between front-month WTI futures and the September contract widened for a seventh day to $1.55 in New York as shrinking inventories strengthened the market structure known as backwardation.
Brent futures for August settlement rose 33 cents to $77.95 a barrel on the London-based ICE Futures Europe exchange. Prices on Wednesday climbed $1.31, to $77.62. The more-active September contract was 35 cents higher at $77.81.
The global benchmark traded at a $5.10 premium to WTI for August, after closing at the narrowest since April on Wednesday. The spread has collapsed since settling at $11.43 on June 7, the widest since February 2015.
In Libya, the eastern National Oil Corp. in Benghazi ordered the halt of exports from Es Sider, the country’s biggest terminal, as well as Ras Lanuf, Zueitina, Brega and Hariga, according to company chief Faraj Said. Forces loyal to militia commander Khalifa Haftar gave eastern NOC control of the terminals earlier this month.
The internationally-recognized NOC in Tripoli said it was confident the eastern splinter organization isn’t capable of exporting crude. National production has slumped to 700,000 barrels a day from about 1 million.
In the U.S., nationwide stockpiles declined by 9.89 million barrels last week, U.S. government data showed. That’s a surprise drop from the 3-million-barrel fall expected in an earlier Bloomberg survey. Inventories in the storage hub at Cushing, Oklahoma, also drew down by about 2.7 million barrels last week, while exports rose, hitting 3 million barrels a day for the first time. This was despite concerns about a pipeline bottleneck in the Permian region.
“The massive $11 Brent-WTI spread in early June was probably a significant factor in the jump in exports,” said Stephen Innes, head of trading for Asia Pacific at Oanda Corp. “All the while, supplies will continue to run tight in North America. And without question, the markets are bedeviled again by enormous supply uncertainties. The oil bulls are back in charge.”
Meanwhile, some buyers of Iranian crude in the world’s top oil market such as Japan’s Fuji Oil Co. and Taiwan’s Formosa Petrochemical Corp. are considering ending imports from Iran. The U.S. wants allies to stop all imports of crude from the country by a Nov. 4 deadline. — Bloomberg

Apple gets second supplier for OLED iPhone screens

Apple Inc. will soon land a second supplier for the organic light-emitting diode screens used in high-end iPhones, according to people familiar with the matter, a key step in the U.S. company’s push to reduce iPhone costs and its dependence on Samsung Electronics Co.
South Korea’s LG Display Co. will initially supply between 2 million and 4 million units, small relative to Apple’s sales, as it continues to work on ramping up capacity, said one of the people, who asked not to be identified because the matter is private. That would however help Apple gain leverage in price negotiations with Samsung, the sole supplier of OLED displays for the iPhone X and Apple’s primary rival in smartphones. The expense of that component is a key reason iPhone X pricing starts at $1,000 and sales haven’t met initial expectations.
A successful supply deal would help both Apple and LG. The Cupertino, California-based company would be able to buy significant volumes from LG for next year’s iPhone model, as it tries fight off a slump in smartphone sales. LG needs a fresh source of revenue as it battles a slide in the price of liquid crystal displays.
“Securing a second supplier for OLED screens is crucial for Apple as it will allow the company to reduce its reliance on Samsung, which is currently the sole supplier,” said Jerry Kang, a senior principal analyst at IHS Markit. “At the same time, it will help accelerate a broad adoption of OLED screens. More suppliers means more volume, and in turn, lower pricing.”
The first OLED screens from LG will be used in one model of the new iPhones slated for release this year, the people said. LG wants to supply all the screens for that Apple model, though it’s not clear it can yet achieve that, one of the people said. The shipment is subject to two layers of approval, the first of which is expected around July, the people said.
Apple and LG Display declined to comment. LG Innotek Co., a supplier to LG Display, reversed losses to rise 0.4 percent in Seoul. Samsung Electronics and LG Display fell with a broader slide in the Korean market.
Apple plans to release a trio of smartphones later this year, including two with OLED screens, Bloomberg News reported earlier this year. The latest move doesn’t indicate Apple is aiming for adoption of OLED screens for all of its iPhones next year and it’s more about diversifying its suppliers, one of the people said.
LG Display has been investing billions of dollars into the next-generation technology, which boasts more accurate colors and a thinner structure than LCDs. But it has fallen behind Samsung in signing a deal to supply screens for Apple’s OLED iPhones, as it maintained momentum in developing larger-sized screens. Apple is also in discussions with China’s BOE Technology Group Co. to supply OLED displays for iPhones, Bloomberg News reported in February.
Separately, Apple and Samsung told a judge Wednesday they’d resolved their last remaining legal dispute in a seven-year patent battle. The string of lawsuits started in 2011 after Apple co-founder Steve Jobs threatened to go “thermonuclear” on rivals that used the Android operating system.
The ensuing litigation cost each company hundreds of millions of dollars in legal fees, and tested their reputations as innovators. The companies didn’t disclose the terms of the accord. — Bloomberg

Germany crashes out at group stage

KAZAN, RUSSIA — Holders Germany sensationally crashed out of the World Cup on Wednesday in one of the biggest shocks in the tournament’s history — failing to make it past the opening round for the first time since 1938.
In a stunning reverse by the footballing superpower who have reached either the final or semi-finals of every World Cup since 2002, the Germans stumbled to a 2-0 loss to South Korea that left them rooted to the bottom of Group F.
Germany went into the game knowing that a win by two clear goals would have seen them into the last 16. But instead it was Sweden and Mexico who advanced after the Swedes romped to a 3-0 win over the Mexicans in Yekaterinburg.
“The disappointment of us being eliminated is just huge,” said Germany coach Joachim Loew, who is now under pressure to quit despite signing a contract extension until 2022 last month.
“It’s too soon for me to answer, it will take a few hours to see things clearly, the disappointment is very deep in me,” the 58-year-old said when asked if he would resign.
“It is a really, really bitter evening for us,” defender Mats Hummels added. “The situation is very difficult to put into words.”
“We had plenty of opportunities, we broke our necks trying out there today,” he added.
Germany qualified for Russia with a perfect record of 10 wins, but Hummels said the team had not played well since they wrapped up qualification late last year.
Hummels said the warning signs had been there after Germany lost their opening game 1-0 to Mexico.
“We put ourselves in this situation after the Mexican game,” he admitted. “The last game we delivered a good performance was in the autumn of 2017.”
Sweden coach Janne Andersson spoke of his immense pride after his side topped the group with second-half goals against Mexico from Ludwig Augustinsson, Andreas Granqvist and an own goal from Edson Alvarez to move into a last-16 meeting with Switzerland.
“We’ve done a fantastic job today with this match,” Andersson said.
“I’m so incredibly proud, almost moved as the thought of how we performed on the pitch, so disciplined. I think we’ve grown since our last match.”
Andersson said he refused to take any pleasure in the demise of the Germans whom he had accused of distasteful celebrations when they beat Sweden.
“I am not like that, it is not like that in sport. I was very angry, but that was then and this is now.”
BRAZIL EASES THROUGH
Brazil beat Serbia 2-0 to top Group E and cruise through to a last-16 meeting with Mexico.
Philippe Coutinho’s sublime pass was converted by Paulinho in the 35th minute and Thiago Silva powered in a second-half header at the Spartak Stadium in Moscow.
The Brazilians had to soak up spells of intense pressure from Serbia but finish unbeaten in the group stage.
After failing to fire in their opening match in Russia, a 1-1 draw against Switzerland, Brazil appear to be finding their normal fluency with each match as they go in search of a sixth World Cup. The Mexicans will need to regroup fast before facing them in Samara on Monday.
With Germany out, Brazil coach Tite was confident his team could cope with being the new favorites.
“We can take the pressure, we are a balanced team and for us, this is about getting stronger and growing,” the Brazil boss said.
Mladen Krstajic’s talented Serbia team will always wonder what might have been. They will inevitably point to the disallowed penalty in the highly charged 2-1 defeat to Switzerland when Aleksandar Mitrovic was wrestled to the ground as the point when their World Cup went awry.
Switzerland joined Brazil in the second round as runners-up after they drew 2-2 with Costa Rica in Nizhny Novogrod.
The Swiss will face the Swedes in Saint Petersburg on Tuesday but must do so without captain Stephan Lichtsteiner who will be suspended after picking up a yellow card.
A 93rd minute own goal by the unfortunate Yann Sommer from a Bryan Ruiz penalty gave the central American side a deserved 2-2 draw on a night of late drama.
Switzerland’s earlier lead lasted just two minutes after substitute Josep Drmic slotted home to seemingly give them three points.
Earlier Blerim Dzemaili had thumped home to give Switzerland the lead against the run of play against the team which finished bottom of Group E.
That goal was canceled out by Kendall Waston’s header in the 56th minute, the central Americans’ first goal of the tournament. — AFP

England, Belgium battle for Group G top spot

KALININGRAD, RUSSIA — England and Belgium battle it out for top spot in their group on Thursday as the remaining teams at the World Cup digest Germany’s astonishing exit from the tournament in Russia.
Both sides — packed with Premier League talent — have sailed through Group G, winning their two games and are now in the curious situation of weighing up whether they even want to top the section.
Their battle in Kaliningrad follows the dramatic exit of Joachim Loew’s 2014 winners, who finished rock bottom of their group after a 2-0 defeat to South Korea, the final humiliation after a campaign that never caught fire.
Loew, who led his side to glory against Argentina in the 2014 World Cup final in Brazil, refused to be drawn on his future in the immediate aftermath of Wednesday’s result.
Despite a huge scare for Lionel Messi’s Argentina, who needed a late goal from Marcos Rojo to edge through to the knockout phase on Tuesday, all of the tournament’s remaining big guns are through to the last 16 in Russia.
There has even been some talk that England might have an easier route at the World Cup if they lose in Kaliningrad.
But coach Gareth Southgate said his team are focused on winning, not on plotting a particular route through the knockout stages.
“We need to keep winning football matches and we want to breed a mentality that everybody in our squad wants to constantly win,” said the manager, who has created a relaxed atmosphere for his young charges.
“We’ve not won a knockout game since 2006. Why we would be starting to plot which would be a better venue for our semifinal is beyond me really.”
England impressed in their opening two World Cup games, beating Tunisia 2-1 in Volgograd and thumping Panama 6-1 in Nizhny Novgorod.
But in Belgium they face the world’s third-ranked side, and a squad loaded with world-class talent such as Eden Hazard and Kevin De Bruyne.
KANE FACTOR
Captain Harry Kane is the top goalscorer at the World Cup with five goals so far and the Tottenham talisman is likely to start against Belgium.
But Southgate did concede he would probably make some changes for a clash that neither side needs to win.
Opposite number Roberto Martinez is expected to make wholesale changes to his team, with Manchester United forward Romelu Lukaku almost certain to miss out after picking up an ankle knock in Belgium’s 5-2 win over Tunisia.
Unlike Southgate, the former Everton and Wigan manager said he was approaching Thursday’s game with one eye firmly on the knockout rounds.
“We want to perform well but I think the priority is not to win,” he said.
“That’s the reality. We wanted to qualify, we’ve done that. There are players who have been in very demanding games so it’s very important for us to protect and give every player the best opportunity to be in the best condition in the knockout games.”
In the other remaining first-round games on Thursday, Japan, Senegal and Colombia are all chasing the two qualification spots in Group H, with Poland out of the picture.
Japan, on four points alongside Senegal, take on Poland in Volgograd while the African team play Colombia, who have three points, in Samara.
Japan coach Akira Nishino has warned his players against complacency when they meet the already eliminated Poles.
After years of struggling to progress to the latter stages, James Rodriguez’s tournament-topping six goals steered Colombia to their best-ever finish of the quarter-finals in Brazil four years ago.
Jose Pekerman has refused to entertain the prospect of seeing Colombia’s stuttering World Cup campaign end at the first hurdle.
“We came here for more, so it wouldn’t be a good result for us not to reach the second round,” Pekerman said.
Aliou Cisse’s Senegal will attempt to succeed where the rest of their continental rivals failed, with Egypt, Morocco, Nigeria and Tunisia all out.
Friday is a rest day in Russia. The last-16 ties start Saturday, with France taking on Argentina in Kazan and Uruguay facing Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal in Sochi. — AFP

PHL vs Chinese Taipei today

By Michael Angelo S. Murillo
Senior Reporter
THE Philippines and Chinese Taipei get their campaigns going today in the third window of the FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers as they collide against each other at the scheduled 7 p.m. match at the Taipei Heping Basketball Gymnasium.
The second of two encounters in Group B of the Qualifiers between the squads, both are angling to get the victory in their rematch to give their thrusts a boost as they try to make their way to the next round of the competition.
Gilas Pilipinas, which took the first encounter over Chinese Taipei, 90-83, back in November in the first window, is already assured of a spot in the second round of the tournament with a 3-1 record but is determined nonetheless to keep rolling since win-loss records are carried over to the next phase.
Bannering the Philippines’ campaign in Taiwan is a 15-man pool handled by national team coach Chot Reyes.
The players are Philippine Basketball Association stalwarts Jayson Castro, Terrence Romeo, Baser Amer, Jio Jalalon, Matthew Wright, RR Pogoy, Calvin Abueva, Troy Rosario, June Mar Fajardo, Japeth Aguilar, Allein Maliksi, Gabe Norwood and Carl Bryan Cruz.
Also included in the pool are naturalized player Andray Blatche and Gilas Cadet member Troy Rike.
Now playing in enemy territory, Gilas is expecting an all the more determined Chinese Taipei team, which is why it has been preparing hard for the challenge.
“We are expecting a determined Taipei team [on Friday]. Good thing the players are showing that they are attuned with the task at hand and really working hard in practice,” said Mr. Reyes in the lead-up to their game against Chinese Taipei.
For Mr. Pogoy, the difficulty they had against Chinese Taipei in the first game should serve as a reminder to them to be on top of their game for the rematch.
“We had a hard time beating them (Taiwanese) in Manila, and this time it will be harder because they have home court. We just have to be ready and have to be more aware of the mistakes we made when we last played them,” said Mr. Pogoy, who finished with 11 points last time around.
In the first game, the Philippines struggled to find form in the early goings but managed to step up down the stretch to hack out the win.
Jayson Castro led the way with 20 points followed by June Mar Fajardo with 17 points.
PAD CAUSE
Over at the Chinese Taipei camp, the team, sporting a 1-3 card, looks to pad its push to the next round by winning its last two games, including against the Philippines.
A win by Chinese Taipei over Gilas today almost assures it of advancing and puts a lot of pressure on Japan (0-4) to win its game against Group B-leading Australia (4-0).
If the host team loses to Gilas though, it may find itself in a still murky situation with Japan for the third spot and rendering their last game in the window on July 2 as a virtual do-or-die.
But Chinese Taipei has made it known that it is out to win against the Philippines in front of its hometown fans.
“Playing at home has always been very important. In home games, the whole country will cheer for the players, and it will stimulate the players more. It will strengthen our desire to achieve victory,” said Chinese Taipei player Huang Tsung-Han, who was not part of the team which met the Philippines the first time around but was a valuable cog in Chinese Taipei’s lone win so far in the tournament against Japan, 90-89, in February, where he scored 11 points.
“This time, we also have some stronger players joining us. As long as we control our fouls, I believe that we will win this time!” he added.
For the third window of the Qualifiers, Chinese Taipei will be backstopped by players from the Chinese Basketball Association like former Super Basketball League most valuable players Chou Yi-Hsiang and Liu Cheng, upcoming stars Chen Ying-Chun and Hu Long-Mao and veterans Tseng Wen-Ting and Yang Ching-Min.
The Gilas Pilipinas-Chinese Taipei game will be shown live on ESPN5 with livestream on ESPN5.com.

Under-19 men’s national team prepares for AFF tournament

THE Philippine U19 men’s national football team is stepping up its preparation as it competes in the ASEAN Football Federation men’s championship in July in Indonesia.
Coached by Reiji Hirata, the Philippine team will begin its campaign in Group A of the competition.
It will first take on Singapore on July 1 before facing Vietnam two days later. The Philippines then faces off with Indonesia on July 5, Thailand on July 7, and Laos July 9.
University Athletic Association of the Philippines rookie of the year Fidel Tacardon of the University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons leads the team roster.
He is joined by the likes of Gio Pabualan of Far Eastern University, JR Suba of San Beda, Iloilo player Martini Rey and Jed Bode of De La Salle Zobel.
“These players have a lot of potential and are very creative,” said Mr. Hirata, who is the head of youth football development in the Philippines Football Federation and has also served the Chinese Taipei Football Association in youth national team coaching.
Mr. Hirata holds a Japan Football Association “A” license, the equivalent to an Asian Football Confederation “A.”
The U19 squad has already played two friendlies. One against San Beda’s college team, where it won 3-0 with starters against starters, and then drawing 3-3 with their second team.
It also faced Philippines Football League squad Davao Aguilas FC in a friendly, where it showed a gallant stand before bowing down, 4-2.
The team is using the PFF Artificial Turf Pitch in Carmona, Cavite within the San Lazaro Leisure Park as training venue, which has been a great help to their preparations, team officials said. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo

Jeremy Miado looks to build on last victory

FOLLOWING a breakthrough victory in ONE Championship in his last outing, Filipino mixed martial arts fighter Jeremy “The Jaguar” Miado now looks to sustain it as he gets back into action today in Myanmar.
The lone Philippine representative at “ONE: Spirit of a Warrior” at the Thuwunna Indoor Stadium in Yangon, Mr. Miado (7-2) is eyeing back-to-back wins in ONE Championship when he collides with Thai Kritsada “Dream Man” Kongsrichai in a strawweight joust.
Mr. Miado, 25, is coming off an impressive win in March this year where he defeated former ONE world strawweight champion Dejdamrong Sor Amnuaysirichoke of Thailand by knockout in the first round.
The Marikina City resident connected with a perfectly timed right hook, which sent Mr. Amnuaysirichoke crashing to the canvas.
The referee quickly rushed forward to stop the contest before Mr. Miado was able to land any follow-up shots, with the end coming at 1:29 of the opening round.
Mr. Miado became the first person to finish Mr. Amnuaysirichoke in an MMA competition and now owns the second-quickest knockout in ONE Championship’s strawweight history.
“The game plan was to counter his aggressiveness and throw out combinations. The plan was to defeat Dejdamrong, but the knockout was unexpected. I felt really shocked because I defeated my idol,” said Mr. Miado of his debut ONE victory following two straight losses to open his bid in the promotion.
The Filipino fighter went on to say that he is expecting to get another tough challenge from Mr. Kongsrichai (7-3) but is welcoming it, seeing it as an opportunity to grow himself as a fighter and sharpen him as he goes for his dream of becoming a world champion.
“Here we are again. Another tough challenge is on our way. To be able to compete against a highly decorated wrestler like my next opponent, it will only be good for my experience as a martial artist,” Mr. Miado said.
“I want people to know that I am a simple guy with a big dream. And I have the goal of becoming a world champion in my division. One win at a time,” he added.
Spirit of a Warrior is to be headlined by hometown hero and concurrent middleweight and light-heavyweight world champion Aung la “The Burmese Python” N Sang, who will stake his middleweight belt against Japan’s Ken Hasegawa. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo

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