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Finally, a win for Elite

By Michael Angelo S. Murillo
Senior Reporter
THE stretch of futility for the Blackwater Elite in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Commissioner’s Cup came to an end on Wednesday after they booked their first victory with an 86-84 win over the Magnolia Hotshots Pambansang Manok.
Winless in seven attempts prior, the Elite finally broke through on their eighth try, banking on a strong push on both ends of the court in the third quarter and making a strong push in the end game to pull themselves to the long-sought victory and improve to 1-7 while sending the Hotshots (3-3) to their second straight defeat.
Blackwater took early control of the contest but failed to sustain it, seeing itself overtaken midway into the opening quarter and trailing, 27-19, after the first 12 minutes of play.
The Hotshots opened the second canto with an 8-2 run to stretch their lead to 35-21 with three and a half minutes lapsing.
But the Elite, led by guard Roi Sumang, would push themselves back in the match after.
They outscored the Hotshots, 15-6, in the next five minutes to come within five points, 41-36.
Magnolia would survive the Blackwater onslaught, holding a 48-40 advantage at the halftime break.
The Elite continued to charge back at the start of the third frame, fashioning out a ferocious 15-2 rally to race to a 55-50 lead with six minutes remaining.
Magnolia tried to regain its footing only to see the Elite pile on the pressure the rest of the way.
After the third-quarter smoke cleared, the Elite were on top, 69-61.
Recognizing that they allowed the Elite much headway in the third canto, the Hotshots came out with more aggressiveness on both ends of the court to start the fourth.
They went on a 10-0 blast, led by Jio Jalalon, Rodney Brondial and Justin Melton, to regain the lead with nine minutes left on the clock.
A slugfest ensued thereafter with both teams trying to seize control heading to the final stretch.
The count stood at 77-76 with Magnolia ahead with five minutes left.
A triple by Mr. Brondial started for Magnolia a 5-4 run that gave it an 82-80 lead heading into the last two minutes.
A jumper by Mark Barroca at the 1:46 mark made it a four-point advantage, 84-80.
Guard Mike DiGregorio pulled the Elite to within two points, 84-82, with a coast-to-coast layup with 53 ticks to go.
Off a timeout, the Hotshots turned the ball over, resulting in a basket for JP Erram off a pass from import Henry Walker to level the count at 84-all with 27 seconds left.
Rome Dela Rosa tried to win it for Magnolia but his three-point attempt failed to hit the mark, leaving Blackwater to craft a play with eight seconds remaining.
Mr. Walker then took charge for the Elite off a timeout, driving into the lane and dunking the ball and getting fouled, giving the go-ahead basket to his team with three seconds left.
He missed the free throw but Magnolia was not to make a basket after to hand the win to the Elite.
Mr. Eŕram led the Elite with 19 points and 15 boards with Messrs. Walker and DiGregorio adding 11 points each.
Mr. Barroca paced Magnolia with 16 points.
“The team is slowly but surely improving each game. I just told the players that the work continues for us even if we we are already eliminated and good thing they are responding accordingly. It’s a process for us,” said Blackwater coach Bong Ramos in the postgame press conference.
Blackwater plays on June 8 against the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters while Magnolia returns to action on June 10 versus the Alaska Aces.

Djokovic stunned by unseeded Cecchinato as Keys, Stephens set up all-American semis

PARIS — World number 72 Marco Cecchinato stunned Novak Djokovic in a French Open classic on Tuesday to set up a semifinal clash against Dominic Thiem, with Sloane Stephens and Madison Keys to meet in the women’s last four.
Cecchinato is the first Italian man to reach a Grand Slam semifinal since 1978 after his thrilling 6-3, 7-6 (7/4), 1-6, 7-6 (13/11) victory over the 12-time major champion.
The 25-year-old, who had never won a Grand Slam match in his career before Roland Garros, goes on to face Austrian seventh seed Thiem for a place in Sunday’s final.
In an epic fourth-set tie-break, Djokovic saved three match points but wasted three set points as Cecchinato became the lowest-ranked man to make the last four in Paris since 100th-ranked Andrei Medvedev in 1999.
In a roller-coaster of a quarterfinal, both men were warned for coaching, 2016 champion Djokovic required two medical timeouts while the Italian was docked a point for unsportsmanlike behavior.
Djokovic had also squandered three set points in the second set and failed to serve out the fourth in the ninth game after being 5-2 in front.
In an extraordinary post-match press conference, Djokovic then said he may even skip Wimbledon where he has been champion three times.
“I don’t know if I am going to play on grass,” said the Serb.
“I’m just not thinking about tennis at the moment.”
Cecchinato struggled to comprehend his triumph, coming just two years after his career was almost derailed when he became embroiled in match-fixing allegations.
“Maybe I’m sleeping. It’s amazing, it’s unbelievable for me. I’m very happy because it’s unbelievable to beat Novak Djokovic in a quarterfinal at Roland Garros. It’s amazing,” he said.
Thiem reached his third successive French Open semifinal with a 6-4, 6-2, 6-1 demolition of a hobbled and exhausted Alexander Zverev who admitted he was close to quitting the tie.
German second seed Zverev simply ran out of gas, paying a heavy price for needing three successive five-set matches to reach his first Grand Slam quarterfinal.
“I definitely thought about it, but I didn’t want to pull out for the first time of my career in a Grand Slam quarterfinal,” said Zverev.
Thiem, who lost in the semis to Djokovic in 2016 and Nadal last year, said he is now better-equipped to go all the way.
“I’m a better player in general, for sure. There was another year of work where I improved and developed my game,” said the 24-year-old.
“I know how to handle a Grand Slam now, how… to get that deep in such a tournament, and I think everything gets better with experience.”
STEPHENS SETS UP KEYS REMATCH
US Open champion Stephens brushed aside Russian Daria Kasatkina to set up a repeat of last year’s Flushing Meadows final with fellow American and good friend Keys.
The 10th seed produced a clinical performance to down Kasatkina 6-3, 6-1 on Court Philippe Chatrier, firing 17 winners.
Earlier in the day Keys, the 13th seed, reached the semi-finals for the first time by seeing off Kazakhstan’s Yulia Putintseva 7-6 (7/5), 6-4.
“I’m excited to play my good friend in the semi-finals, we’ve already played in the US Open final and it’s really good for American tennis,” said Stephens.
The 25-year-old, who was ranked 957 just six weeks before her maiden Grand Slam triumph last year after a series of injury problems, is now into the last four of a major for the third time.
Keys struck 30 winners past a battling Putintseva in an impressive display as she continued her recent revival on clay, having never reached the quarterfinals in Paris before this week.
The 23-year-old struggled last September under the pressure with the US Open title on the line, losing 6-3, 6-0, but she is confident that performance won’t affect the match at Roland Garros.
“Honestly, the (US) Open feels like it was 12 years ago at this point,” said Keys, who is yet to drop a set in the tournament.
“I obviously rely on what I learned there and how to manage my emotions and manage the moment, but there were so many late nights and I was so tired. It feels completely different here.” — AFP

Warriors ready for road test while Cavaliers confident in homecourt

CLEVELAND — Defending champion Golden State returns to an all-too familiar NBA Finals venue Wednesday at Cleveland with hopes of putting a stranglehold on the best-of-seven championship series.
The Warriors opened up a 2-0 lead after back-to-back opening wins at home to take a giant stride towards a third crown in four years in what is their fourth straight finals meeting with the Cavaliers.
“In the finals, this is the only building I know what that experience, that atmosphere, is like,” Warriors guard Stephen Curry said. “We know how Cleveland plays here, with a lot of energy and force. We understand how hard it is to win in this building.”
Curry struck for an NBA record nine 3-pointers in Game Two but comes to Cleveland knowing the fight is far from done.
“No matter what has gone on in the series, when you change venues, you’ve got to reassert your dominance and try to find that right momentum to start,” he said. “I want to be a part of leading that charge and playing an amazing game and really taking control of the series.”
Teams leading 2-0 have won the finals 88% of the time but no team leading 3-0 has ever lost, something that keeps the Warriors hungry and the Cavaliers desperate.
“They won two games on their home floor. Now we’ve got to come back and do the same thing,” Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue said.
“We’re very confident we can do that. The guys are engaged and locked in. Winning (today) is a step forward, but then go out and win game four also. We know we can. We believe.”
Bouncing back has been a trademark for LeBron James, the Cleveland superstar who has helped the Cavs go 8-1 at home in these playoffs and 5-1 after losses until the finals.
“We’ve been very persistent and very resilient throughout this whole season,” James said. “We have an opportunity to protect home, as Golden State has done. We look forward to the challenge. It’s a very tall task. But we have an opportunity.
“We’re down 2-0 and I don’t like the way I feel. When you’re down like this versus a team like this, there’s no good feeling.”
Warriors coach Steve Kerr is glad to have a familiar situation for his team in the road challenge.
“We’ve been here before and that’s the biggest thing,” Kerr said. “We’re used to the dynamic of being ahead in a series and then having everything shift when you go on the road — especially when you play Cleveland.
“LeBron, this crowd and their environment, we know the kind of force they’re going to bring. And we have to be prepared for that.”
‘HAVEN’T PLAYED OUR BEST’
Kerr remains uncertain about forward Andre Iguodala, idled by a left leg injury.
“He’s doing better,” Kerr said. “So I would upgrade him to questionable. I’m hopeful he can play, if not tomorrow then in game four.”
Lue said he plans to look at guard Rodney Hood off the bench to add some zing to the struggling Cavaliers attack.
“We definitely haven’t played our best basketball,” Cavs guard J.R. Smith said. “We feel confident in the position we’re in. We’ve just got to go out there and make it happen.”
“We all feel that we can still win this series, and that we can play a lot better,” said Cavaliers guard George Hill.
Lue wants more physical toughness and better communication on the defensive side, especially guarding Curry.
Nearly 20,000 screaming Cavs supporters won’t hurt Cleveland’s cause, either.
“Atmosphere is going to be crazy,” Cavs forward Jeff Green said. “Our fans give us another boost of energy that we’re going to need. It’s going to be fun.”
Warriors star Kevin Durant is ready for craziness.
“We’ve just got to embrace whatever happens and look forward to a crazy environment with a team that’s desperate,” Durant said. “The job is not done and you can’t relax or be comfortable when you’re still trying to win this thing.” — AFP

Q&A with San Antonio Spurs champ and defensive ace Bruce Bowen

HAD his impressive run in the National Basketball Association (NBA) Finals in a 14-year career, San Antonio Spurs champion and defensive ace Bruce Bowen was recently in the country to celebrate the championship series between the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers with Filipino fans.
Mr. Bowen, 46, who has been retired from the NBA for nearly a decade now and has been doing color-commentating of games since, met local sports media during his stay here and shared some of his thoughts on LeBron James, the ongoing season and the NBA Finals at hand, among others.
Question: Much has been said about the play of LeBron James this season, how impressed are you of it? And how difficult is it with you having played in the NBA?
Bruce Bowen (BB): Obviously our roles are different but in my mind we’re similar. [Laughs]. But what he is doing is special from a standpoint that we are talking about a player who is tagged as the ‘Chosen One’ when he came into the NBA and I remember a lot of people had a problem with that. But you look at what he has been able to do.
As of 2007 he got into the NBA Finals and he was young man then with a little club and everybody else had grenades, Uzis and the like but he took something from it and learned from it. Then he went to Miami and learned more from Erik Spoelstra and Pat Riley, guys who understood how to win and be a leader. And when he learned to lead then we got to see the LeBron James that we have today. Look at the first two rounds of these playoffs. First two rounds the Cavs were being written off but after that, bam, bam, bam thanks to LeBron.
Q: What are the standout moments for you this season so far?
BB: I think this season the game just continues to evolve, making fans even like the NBA. Old guys say ‘The game is not like it used to be.’ Well it’s not. It’s nice to see guys like LeBron James doing what he does after 15 years. It’s nice to see guys come together and do what they do like those three guys in Golden State (Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Kevin Durant]. They have been tremendous.
Right now more people also understand what goes into the game that they do not know before — like Kevin Love having to deal with offcourt issues (panic attack) and Kyle Korver as well. This is a game that we love but there is more to it. Now there is a human element to things thanks social media. It’s no longer about the players playing the game and winning and that’s it. Now fans recognize that the players need their support because some are going through something and not just because they support a particular team.
Q: What is you finals prediction?
BB: I always go with the team that won the previous championship until someone takes it from it. I’m not going philosophical on this. You have two teams (Warriors and Cavaliers) that are deserving of the title. They have to guard against certain things though. Golden State has a lot of people saying they are going to win it all but they have to guard against that, not to be complacent. On the flipside, the Cavaliers are taking on a ‘We against the world’ stance. But they have to step up and not let LeBron do everything. But when it is said and done, it’s going to be Golden State in six games.
Q: You were known as of the best defenders in the league when you were playing, who were toughest players to guard?
BB: Number one is Michael Jordan, number two is Kobe Bryant, three LeBron, four Michael Redd [of the Milwaukee Bucks] and five Tracy McGrady. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo

Power Mac Center app arcade tournament A.R.cadium back to challenge mobile gamers

TAKING cue from its push to showcase the capabilities and features of the iOS operating system while at the same enhancing the mobile gaming scene in the country, Power Mac Center is bringing back its first-of-its-kind app arcade tournament, Arcadium.
Now on its fifth staging, the latest edition of the event highlights the augmented reality-readiness of Apple devices through various games featured in the tournament happening throughout the month of June.
Augmented reality is loosely defined as a technology which superimposes computer-generated images on a user’s view of the real world, thus giving a sense of virtual reality.
“A.R.cadium,” slightly modified to highlight augmented reality, kicks off this weekend in various Power Mac Center stores in the metro.
Anyone can join and play and just has to register at the participating stores.
At A.R.cadium participants will have their skills and smarts tested in games such as Stack AR, Kings of Pool, Smash Tanks and The Machines AR, which is a Defense of the Ancients (DOTA)-like game requiring strategy and skills.
Gamers will be provided with Apple devices during the games. They can play any or all of the featured games with their scores tallied.
The highest scorers per game at the end of the tournament period will receive P20,000 worth of Power Mac Center gift checks each.
“This is the first year that we will be featuring augmented reality. Since AR was introduced to Apple devices, we thought of apps that are available at the App Store that are challenging and engaging for users and at the same that can feature the AR-readiness of the Apple devices, which is why we came up with A.R.cadium,” said AG Constatino, Power Mac Center marketing manager, in an interview with BusinessWorld during the event launch on Tuesday.
“The thing about AR is it blends in with the environment that you are in. Like in this case the tournament happens inside the stores. And you will be able to bring your friends and families to play and win great prizes,” added Mr. Constantino, who also shared that Arcadium events have been well received since its first edition in 2011 and something they hope to continue doing.
A.R.cadium game days are as follows: For The Machines AR and Smash Tanks – SM Megamall and SM Aura Premier (June 9-10), Greenbelt 3 and Power Plant Mall (June 16-17), The Annex at SM North EDSA and TriNoma (June 23-24), and Festival Mall and SM Mall of Asia (June 30 to July 1); and for Kings of Pool and Stack AR — Robinsons Magnolia, The Podium and SM City East Ortigas (June 9-10), Cash & Carry, Circuit Makati and Glorietta 5 (June 16-17), Ayala Malls Cloverleaf, Ayala Malls Vertis North, SM City Fairview and SM City Marikina (June 23-24), and SM City BF and SM South Mall (June 30-July 1). — Michael Angelo S. Murillo

Shankland continues rampage

53rd Capablanca Memorial
Havana, Cuba
May 8-20, 2018

Final Standings (Grandmasters all)
1. Samuel Shankland USA 2671, 7.5/10
2. Aleksey Dreev RUS 2653, 6.0/10
3. David Anton Guijarro ESP 2646, 5.5/10
4. Aleksandr Rakhmanov RUS 2635, 4.0/10
5-6. Lazaro Bruzon Batista CUB 2664, Yusnel Bacallao Alonso CUB 2594, 3.5/10
Average ELO 2644 Category 16
Time Control: 90 minutes for the first 40 moves, then 30 minutes for the rest of the game with 30 seconds added to your time after every move starting move 1.
The Capablanca Memorial started in 1962 in the Habana Libre (called the “Havana Hilton” before the revolution) hotel in Havana, Cuba. As most of our readers know both Fidel Castro and Ernesto Che Guevara were serious chessplayers and Guevara covered the costs as President of the National Bank of Cuba and Minister of Industries. At that time it was the highest paying tournament in the world. It has been held annually since then.
The most famous edition is the 4th, held in 1965. The organizers paid a $3,000 appearance fee (obviously a huge amount at that time) for Bobby Fischer to play and Fischer agreed, but the US State Department refused to issue him a visa. Undaunted, the organizers arranged for Fischer to play his moves from the Marshall Chess Club in New York and relayed via telex to Cuba. Former world champion Vassily Smyslov won the tournament with 16.5/20 and Borislav Ivkov (Yugoslavia), Efim Geller (USSR) and Fischer tied for 2nd-4th places half a point behind.
Those were the glory days of huge round-robin events. Nowadays round-robin tournaments usually run for nine rounds. The Capablanca Memorial is no longer as strong as it was previously but every year the organizers manage to put together a good lineup. Their strongest player Leinier Dominguez had already migrated to the USA and is no longer available to play but they scored a coup when the newly-minted Champion of the USA, Samuel Shankland, agreed to play.
GM Samuel Shankland did not disappoint and continued with his hot streak. After crowning himself as the new champion of the USA with an emphatic 8.5/11, Shankland won the Capablanca Memorial a point and a half ahead of the field with 7.5/9. Together with his performance in the USA championship that would be two 2800+ results in a row! From 2671 in the May rating list this brings up his ELO rating to 2717 FIDE and #30 in the World in the June rating list. He is now the 4th American player to be rated above 2700 after Fabiano Caruana, Wesley So and Hikaru Nakamura.
If I may say so, his games are a breath of fresh air. Instead of the ultra-refined opening and middlegame maneuvers we have seen lately in elite chess where a lot of shadowboxing takes place and perhaps too much of the action is hidden in the variations, Shankland plays direct chess, identifies goals and works towards them right away.
In his video series “The Shankland Method” (available from the Internet Chess Club) Shankland talks about his formulation of a plan, and his opponents’ efforts to counter them, and then his insistence on doing it anyway. The following games illustrate that style well.

Shankland, Samuel (2701) — Bacallao Alonso, Yusnel (2594) [B12]
53rd Capablanca Memorial 2018 Havana (5), 13.05.2018

1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5
Can this be any good, moving the c-pawn a second time? I looked this up in John Shaw’s recent book on the Caro-Kann and was surprised to see that it is called the Arkell-Khenkin line, after the GMs Keith Arkell (England) and Igor Khenkin (Russian-turned-German). Anyway, according to Shaw this move was tested at the highest level in 1961, when Botvinnik used it three times in his return match against Mikhail Tal, after 2 draws and a loss, he abandoned it in favor of 3…Bf5.
4.dxc5
There is also this move 4.c4 which seems to be wrong but IM Richard Palliser recommended it in Dangerous Weapons: The Caro-Kann. He says “Don’t let Black have all the fun!” The famous English openings expert IM Andrew Martin on seeing this move remarked “maybe White’s hand slipped.”
On my part I confess to be very biased against this move because of a similar line where even Magnus Carlsen lost a brilliancy with it to the German GM Fabian Doettling. OK, it is only a blitz game, but let’s take a look at it! 4.Nf3 Nc6 5.c4!? Bg4 6.dxc5 e6 7.cxd5 exd5 8.Nc3 Bxc5 9.Qxd5 Qxd5 10.Nxd5 0–0–0 (it appears to me that Black, although currently down a pawn, has a big advantage, perhaps even winning already — take a look at white’s stranded king in the center of the board) 11.Nc3 Nb4 12.Ne4 Nc2+ 13.Ke2 Bb6! 14.Nd6+ Rxd6 15.exd6 Nxa1 16.Kd1 Nf6 17.Bd3 Rd8 18.Bf4 Nh5 19.Be5 f6 20.Bg3 Nxg3 21.fxg3 Rxd6 22.Ke2 Re6+ 23.Kd2 Be3+ 24.Kd1 Rc6 25.Re1 Rc1+ 26.Ke2 Rxe1+ 27.Kxe1 Be6 Black is a piece up and wins easily. Carlsen,M (2625)-Doettling,F (2542) Internet Chess Club 2006 0–1 39.
4…e6
As I study the line it really does seem that Arkell and Khenkin have a lot of good games with it and deserve the line attribution. I will show you one each. Hope you enjoy them: 4…Nc6 5.Bb5 e6 6.Be3 Nge7 7.c3 Bd7 8.Bxc6 Nxc6 9.f4!? g5! and now:
10.fxg5!? h6 11.gxh6 Bxh6 (by the way, Arkell is known as a positional player, the type who likes to sit back and slowly squeeze the position of his opponent. I can only look on in wonder at the finish of this game) 12.Qe2 Qh4+! 13.Kf1 (The alternatives: 13.g3? Qe4; 13.Qf2? Bxe3; 13.Bf2 Qg5 does not lose material right away but is not a pleasant position) 13…Bxe3 14.Qxe3 Nxe5!! 15.Na3 (15.Qxe5 Bb5+ 16.Ne2 Rh5! 17.Qe3 Rf5+ 18.Kg1 Qe1#) 15…Ng4 16.Qd2 Nxh2+ 17.Ke2 Qg4+ 18.Ke1 (18.Kd3 Qe4#) 18…Nf3+! 0–1 (18) Greet,A-Arkell,K British Championship, Somerset 2000.
In the early years of Black’s g-pawn push it was thought that it was refuted by 10.Nf3 but Igor Khenkin refuted the refutation thus: 10…gxf4 11.Bxf4 Bxc5 12.Nbd2 Qb6 13.Nb3 Bf2+ 14.Ke2 (White is now threatening Rf1 followed by Ng5) 14…Na5! 15.Nxa5 Bb5+ 16.Kd2 d4!! 17.b4 (There is nothing better: 17.Nb3 dxc3+ 18.bxc3 Rd8+ 19.Nbd4 Bxd4 20.cxd4 Rxd4+ 21.Nxd4 Qxd4+ 22.Ke1 Qxf4 Black is clearly winning; 17.Nxd4 Bxd4 18.Kc2 Bxc3! 19.bxc3 Rd8 20.Qe1 Bd3+ 21.Kc1 Qxa5 Also clearly winning) 17…dxc3+ 18.Kc2 Rd8 19.Qc1 Ba4+ 20.Nb3 Qxb4 21.Qf1 Bxb3+ 22.axb3 Qe4+ 23.Kxc3 Rc8+ 24.Kb2 White resigned because he is being mated. 0–1 (24) David,A (2315)-Khenkin,I (2575) Geneva 1996. Wow.
5.Nf3
In the 1961 world title match Tal won with 5.Qg4!? Nc6 6.Nf3 Qc7 7.Bb5 Bd7 8.Bxc6 Qxc6 9.Be3 Nh6 10.Bxh6 gxh6 11.Nbd2 Qxc5 12.c4 0–0–0 13.0–0 Kb8 14.Rfd1 Qb6 15.Qh4 a5 16.Rac1 Rg8 17.Nb3 a4 18.c5 Qc7 19.Nbd4 Rc8 20.b4 axb3 21.axb3 Qd8 22.Qxd8 Rxd8 23.b4 Rg4 24.b5 Rc8 25.c6 Be8 26.Rc2 Bg7 27.Ra1 Bxe5 28.Nxe5 Rxd4 29.Nd7+ 1–0 (29) Tal,M-Botvinnik,M Moscow (Russia) 1961. The conclusion will be 29…Bxd7 30.cxd7 Rd8 31.Rc8+ Rxc8 32.Ra8+ Kxa8 33.dxc8Q+ Ka7 34.Qc5+ there are no longer any unanswered questions.
5…Bxc5 6.a3 Ne7 7.b4 Bb6 8.Bd3 a5 9.b5 Nd7 10.0–0 Ng6
Black avoids 10…0–0 because of 11.Bxh7+?! Kxh7 12.Ng5+ Kg6! (12…Kg8? 13.Qh5 Re8 14.Qxf7+ Kh8 15.Qh5+ Kg8 16.Qh7+ Kf8 17.Nxe6+ takes out the black queen) 13.Re1! (threatening Qd1–d3+–g3) 13…f6!? 14.Nxe6 it looks like White is winning but Black can actually save himself with 14…Bxf2+! 15.Kh1 (15.Kxf2? Qb6+) 15…Qb6 16.exf6 Nxf6! 17.Nxf8+ Kf7 18.Rxe7+ Kxf8!? 19.Qe2 Bg4! and it appears that Black has the upperhand. GM John Nunn wrote a book on Secrets of Practical Chess and one of its cardinal rules is DAUT: Don’t Analyze Unnecessary Tactics. Why go into this at all when you have a lot of safe moves available?
11.Bb2 Qc7 12.Re1 a4 13.Nbd2 Nc5 14.Bxg6 fxg6!?
Normally Black should recapture with the h-pawn but in this situation opening up the f-f8le for his rook is a good option.
15.Qe2 0–0 16.Bd4 Ba5 17.Rec1 b6 18.c4!?
Black’s king position is very secure so Shankland starts working on the queenside.
18…Qe7 19.Qe3 Bb7 20.cxd5 Bxd5 21.Bxc5 bxc5 22.Rab1!
White is playing for a win. After 22.Qxc5 Qb7 Black has full compensation for the pawn in his two bishops and pressure along the long diagonal.
22…Qb7 <D>
POSITION AFTER 22…QB7
White is trying to make something of his passed pawn but Black is countering with pressure on the long diagonal. Here is where the question comes in, what if White proceeds with his original plan anyway? After careful calculation Shankland decides that he can allow Black to destroy his kingside pawn structure and his passed pawn can win it for him. It is here that the imaginary line is crossed — from here there is no turning back.
23.Nc4! Bxf3 24.gxf3 Rxf3 25.Qxc5 Qe4
White’s king is in a scary position but Shankland has carefully calculated that he can get away with it.
26.Nxa5 Rf4
The threat is 27…Rg4+ 28.Kf1 Qd3+ 29.Ke1 Rg1 checkmate. Other moves lose immediately:
26…Rxa5 27.Qb4;
26…Qg4+ 27.Kh1 Rxa5 28.Qb4.
27.h3!
Without this move White is lost.
27…Qf5 28.Rb4! Qg5+ 29.Kh2 Rf3 30.Rc3
Everything is defended and White wins.
30…Rxc3 31.Qxc3 Rxa5 32.b6 1–0
Yup, that’s the Shankland method. Keep asking yourself the question “what would happen if I should do it anyway?” Don’t trust your opponent’s calculations — don’t take his word for it. Concentrate, immerse yourself in the variations. Work it out for yourself.
 
Bobby Ang is a founding member of the National Chess Federation of the Philippines and its first Executive Director. A Certified Public Accountant, he taught accounting in the University of Santo Tomas for 25 years and is currently Chief Audit Executive of the Equicom Group of Companies.
bobby@cpamd.net

The curse of Game 1

Considering how the specter of the Cavaliers’ Game One loss continues to hang over their heads, pundits are right to view it as the curse that will keep on cursing throughout the 2018 National Basketball Association Finals and beyond. Yesterday, for instance, previously unseen footage of their bench following their poor execution of the waning moments of regulation emerged, underscoring their standing as self-injurious figures in the tragedy. Heading into today’s pivotal match, yet another reminder of their abject failure was the last thing they needed.
Still and all, LeBron James deserves considerable credit for displaying the constitution to move on, and fast. His reaction to news that the lull — as it can be generously assessed — before the start of the overtime period in Game One was caught on tape could not have been more measured. “It went viral? Damned cameras,” he noted with a smile. Indeed, he looked relaxed as he faced members of the media on the eve of the greatest challenge of his career. If nothing else, his disposition showed that he was ready to once again undertake his Sisyphean endeavor.
It’s nothing short of remarkable, really. He figures to keep plodding on even though he knows it won’t be enough in the end. Insanity? Perhaps, because, in Game Three, the Cavaliers will be doing the same stuff against the juggernaut Warriors and expecting a different outcome. As otherworldly as he has been, his exertions won’t be enough, and especially not when even those supposed to be on his side wind up sabotaging the cause.
If there’s anything the remarkable footage of the Cavaliers staying deathly silent in the huddle showed, it’s the ridiculously inhuman extent of the load James carries. He was justified in pondering the degree to which his historic performance was wasted, and his spirits sagged when he learned that the coaching staff didn’t use a timeout they still had. Likely in his mind: I have to do all the thinking around here. Meanwhile, critics saw fit to pile on him for his seeming inability to rally his teammates for the extra session still to be played. Imagine that.
By any measure, the Cavaliers deserve praise for their resiliency. They’ll do their best in Game Three, and if James succeeds in putting up staggering numbers, they have a chance. Otherwise, they’ll be fodder for the Warriors, whose superiority is so evident as to deflate the best player of his generation.
 
Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994.

PHL govt's 'friendly attitude' lures Indonesian crypto startup

The country’s virtual currency (VC) community last year faced several uncertainties after the government drew ire from companies whose businesses involve the digital form of money. It even came to a point where the Securities and Exchange Commission warned the public about investing on VCs and even declared the token sales of a controversial businessman as illegal.

However, things turned lighter in March, with the country’s business watchdog and the central bank announcing their plan to launch a nationwide campaign to educate Filipinos on digital currencies following the release of guidelines on VC exchanges.

This, according to Peko Wan, vice-president of Indonesian startup Pundi X, “caught the attention” of the company engaged in letting blockchain developers and token holders sell cryptocurrency and services at any physical store in the world.

“For the Philippine market, it’s very interesting that the government has a friendly attitude towards cryptocurrency companies,” she told SparkUp on the sidelines of a meet-up that the company organized on May 30 in Makati City. “This is a very promising market for us to develop. In our roadmap, we see Korea, Japan, Singapore, Switzerland as the countries where we first deployed and now we think maybe Philippines could be part of it.”

Pundi XPOS

The company aims to introduce to the country its blockchain-powered product called Pundi XPOS, which enables brick-and-mortar shops to accept, sell, and buy cryptocurrencies.

While Pundi X has yet to decide on when to launch the product here, Wan said the company sees a huge potential in the country. It aims to deploy “at least 100,000” units of Pundi XPOS worldwide.

In penetrating the Philippine market, Wan said Pundi X will leverage on the huge number of Filipino overseas workers opting to use cryptocurrencies.

“There are over 2.3 millions of documented overseas workers in the Philippines. Some of them choose to purchase cryptocurrencies and send them back to their families. Cryptocurrency can make the cross-border transactions faster and more cost effective,” Wan said in a separate statement.

Wan added that they are considering to tap convenience stores, food chains, and luxury goods stores to become their partners in the Philippines.

“There’s a use case for Filipino market,” she said—the technical jargon simply describing how a user makes use of a system to accomplish a goal. “We’ll start from there and when we see good partners we, of course, want to expand our footprints to physical stores to deploy devices,” she said.

Pundi X is also banking on the growing interest in blockchain technology among consumers and businesses in the Philippines, as well as the establishment of organizations like the Blockchain Association of the Philippines and the Philippine Association of Digital Commerce and Decentralized Industry.

Still, as blockchain is still unfamiliar territory for Filipino regulators, she said: “We will be very transparent of what we are doing here also we are not involving any money laundering, I think this is what the government is very very afraid of. If there’s any regulation in place we will comply, that is our goal.

A word of advice for startup founders

When 28-year-old Katrina Chan returned to the Philippines in 2012 after finishing her studies in the U.S., the local tech startup community was just in the “awareness and capacity building” stage, a stark contrast to where she came from.

“Everyone in the U.S. was working or was aspiring to work in Silicon Valley,” she recounted. “When I came to the Philippines, I wondered where the tech scene was, who the startup guys were, and I quickly found out that there was almost no scene.”

Chan, who graduated from Carnegie Mellon University with a degree in materials science and engineering, with additional major in business administration, said she even struggled to find events organized for startups.

But a lot has changed since then. Fast forward to 2014, the country has witnessed the unprecedented rise in the number of new and innovative b u s i n e s s e s , mostly led by ambitious young entrepreneurs. The current count, according to a study by PwC Isla Lipana and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), is at around 300.

Along with this is the growing interest of the private sector to support or invest in these startups, paving the way for the establishment of organizations that support through mentorship and seed funding, among others.

Chan, for instance, began volunteering before heading the growth division of business incubator IdeaSpace, where she mentored early-stage startups. From there, she founded and now directs QBO Philippines, a partnership between government agencies such as the DTI and Department of Science and Technology and J.P. Morgan Philippines. Launched in 2016, QBO aims to support and grow the country’s startup ecosystem by providing forums, seminars, and even business incubation to local startups.

“We’re seeing a lot of growth across Southeast Asia,” she said. “More people being bullish that startups can actually compete in the global stage.”

But while Filipino startup founders already have ideas bright enough to conquer the global market, Chan observed they lack one more thing—angst.

“What I see missing a lot here is ambition and confidence in their idea,” she said. Relative to foreign founders whose startups command the level of funding, development and traction, Filipino founders, she observed, are “shy.” Instead, she says, founders should have “the grit to go through the initial pains.”

“What matters is who does it faster, who executes it better, and a lot of that is driven by the team or the founders,” she added.

“It’s not about the solution, it’s about the problem you’re solving,” she concluded. “If the problem exists, then your product will make sense.”

INCIDENTAL INTELLIGENCE

QBO Innovation Hub is located at DTI International Building
375 Senator Gil J. Puyat Avenue Makati City, Metro Manila.

Drop by the website at qbo.com.ph.

 

Securing the way to safety

Car is an important investment, thus, owners do all the possible means to protect it. And with the increasing number of road accidents today, car insurance is essential to protect the property as well as themselves and other persons in the event of vehicle damage and injuries. Car insurance wouldn’t prevent accidents from happening, but it helps the car owners lessen their financial burden when these unfortunate incidents occur.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), more than 1.25 million people die each year while between 20 and 50 million more people suffer non-fatal injuries as a result of road traffic crashes. And without sustained action, road crashes are predicted to become the seventh leading cause of death by 2030, the agency said.

“Road traffic injuries cause considerable economic losses to individuals, their families, and to nations as a whole. These losses arise from the cost of treatment as well as lost productivity for those killed or disabled by their injuries, and for family members who need to take time off work or school to care for the injured. Road traffic crashes cost most countries 3% of their gross domestic product,” the WHO said in its Web site.

In the Philippines, the figure is also alarming. In Metro Manila alone, a total of 110,025 road crash incidents were recorded in 2017, according to the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA). This figure translates roughly to 300 cases of road crashes per day.

Vehicle owners in the country are actually required to get a compulsory motor vehicle liability insurance upon the registration of the vehicle to the Land Transportation Office (LTO).

An excerpt from Section 389, Chapter VI of the Insurance Code of the Philippines says that: “The Land Transportation Office shall not allow the registration or renewal of registration of any motor vehicle without first requiring from the land transportation operator or motor vehicle owner concerned the presentation and filing of a substantiating documentation in a form approved by the Commissioner evidencing that the policy of insurance or guaranty in cash or surety bond required by this chapter is in effect.”

The most basic type of car insurance a vehicle owner can get is Compulsory Third Party Liability (CTPL) insurance, which only covers third-party persons involved in the accident.

The Paragraph (c) of Section 386, Chapter VI of the Insurance Code reads that: “A third party is any person other than a passenger as defined in this section and shall also exclude a member of the household, or a member of the family within the second degree of consanguinity or affinity, of a motor vehicle owner or land transportation operator, as likewise defined herein, or his employee in respect of death, bodily injury, or damage to property arising out of and in the course of employment.”

As explained by online vehicle marketplace Carmudi Philippines in its Web site, anyone outside the car, for example, any unsuspecting pedestrians who are caught in the accident, are covered by the CTPL. Also, those who are riding with the driver who aren’t their employees or a family member within the second-degree consanguinity or affinity are considered third-party persons.

“As the name suggests, only the expenses of the third-party victims are covered by the Compulsory Third Party Liability car insurance. This does not include expenses for personal injuries, damage to the insured car, or damages to the property of any third party. For instance, if you, or any of your relatives or employees get injured during an accident, you will not be covered. If your vehicle sustains damages, or if there is any property damage from the third party, the repair expenses will be coming straight out of your own pocket,” Carmudi Philippines said.

Generally, the third-party car insurance does have a lot of limits. Therefore, vehicle owners who want to ensure more protection can consider comprehensive car insurance that comes with wider coverage and greater benefits. And for further peace of mind, it can be customized to the extent that everything in and around the vehicle is covered.

“Comprehensive car insurance coverage depends on individual car insurance providers. Specifically, these may include loss, damages, and liabilities due to third party deaths or bodily injury, personal accidents, property damage, accidental collisions, theft, malicious acts by third parties, fire and explosions, and Acts of God,” Carmudi Philippines said.

For example, if the insured car has been stolen, the owner can claim an amount based on the market value and depreciation of the lost vehicle as calculated by the insurance company. When some parts of the car have been stolen, the insurance may cover them as well. However, damaged or stolen items inside the car are not covered.

A comprehensive car insurance coverage also allows the insured vehicle owner to file a claim when the car has been damaged due to fire and explosions, and collision to another vehicle, where the damages including the others’ vehicles may be also covered.

In cases when the car has been vandalized by the other people, Carmudi Philippines said that it may be covered by the insurance since it may fall under malicious acts of third party.

For damages caused by natural disasters which fall under the “Acts of God” such as floods, typhoons, hurricanes, tornadoes, hail, wildfires, tsunamis, or earthquakes, it may be covered as long as it is included in the policy.

“For more protection from legal and financial liabilities, the comprehensive car insurance is your best bet. If car thefts often happen in your area, you’re better off with it. Also, considering how flood and natural disaster-prone the Philippines is, the Acts of God comprehensive car insurance policy inclusion is useful,” Carmudi Philippines said. “It may be expensive to buy car insurance, but when you think about the increasing risk factors that you normally encounter on the road, you’ll realize that it’s truly worth every peso you spend. Because in the world of driving, it’s always better to be safe than sorry.” — Mark Louis F. Ferrolino

Government flags inflation concern

By Melissa Luz T. Lopez Senior Reporter
and Ranier Olson R. Reusora Researcher
INFLATION clocked slower than expected in May but still marked the fastest clip in more than five years and kept the year-to-date pace past the government’s 2-4% target for 2018, prompting state economic managers to express concern and assure the public of action in separate statements on Tuesday.
The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) reported a 4.6% inflation rate in May, a fresh high in at least five years, but slower than the 4.9% median in a BusinessWorld poll that was also the estimate given by the Department of Finance (DoF) for the month.
The pace picked up for the fifth straight month, faster than April’s 4.5% and May 2017’s 2.9%, but matched the floor of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas’ (BSP) 4.6-5.4% estimate range.
Core inflation — which excludes volatile food and energy prices — rose to 3.6% in May from 3.5% in April.
The PSA attributed the acceleration to the faster annual gains recorded in alcoholic beverages and tobacco (20.5% from 20% in April 2018); transport (6.2% from 4.9%); restaurant and miscellaneous goods and services (3.7% from 3.4%); as well as furnishing, household equipment and routine maintenance of the house (2.9% from 2.8%).
On the other hand, slower annual growth was recorded in food and non-alcoholic beverages index at 5.7%, slower than the 5.9% rate recorded in the previous month.
The rest of the commodity groups retained their previous month’s growths.
May’s pace took the year-to-date average to 4.1%.
Inflation Rate
“The inflation outlook continues to be a concern and requires close attention. The actual May inflation of 4.6% is at the low end of our forecast range for the month. That’s positive although headline inflation remains generally elevated,” BSP Governor Nestor A. Espenilla, Jr. told reporters in a text message.
“There are also signs that inflation is slowing and may be close to peak.”
Noting that the economy is “going through a challenging period,” three economic managers — Budget Secretary Benjamin E. Diokno, Socioeconomic Planning Sec. Ernesto M. Pernia and Finance Sec. Carlos G. Dominguez III — said in a separate joint statement that “[t]he government is closely monitoring and taking steps to address the difficulties experienced by Filipino families today arising from higher prices.”
They cited ongoing disbursement of cash subsidies for the poorest of the poor, the possible importation of oil from outside the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and the planned shift to a regular tariff scheme for rice from the current quota system that is expected to “drive down the price of rice by up to P7 per kilo” and “reduce 2018 inflation by around 0.4 percentage points if implemented in the third quarter.”
The BSP has been expecting inflation to keep rising in the next few months and peak towards end of the year, later than previously projected.
“The Monetary Board will consider what further adjustments are necessary to firmly anchor inflationary expectations and ensure that the inflation target will be achieved in 2019,” Mr. Espenilla added.
Analysts generally agree that there will likely be another interest rate increase this year after the 25-basis point rise on May 10 that was the first hike in nearly four years.
One analyst said May’s slower-than-expected pickup in prices may allow the BSP to keep rates steady in its June 21 policy meeting.
“We believe that recent developments would mean that inflation is at or near the peak. These developments also cut the pressure on BSP to hike policy rates this month,” Jose Mario I. Cuyegkeng, senior economist at ING Bank N.V. Manila, said in a market report. “However, we still expect BSP to hike policy rates at the June 21 meeting to preempt second-round effects and stabilize inflation expectations.”
Michael L. Ricafort, economist at the Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. (RCBC), shared this view, saying: “Another [25 basis point] hike in key policy rates remains possible in the third quarter of 2018 when year-on-year inflation is expected to peak in an effort to better manage both actual inflation and inflation expectations in the economy…”
The BSP has conceded to missing its 2-4% inflation target for 2018 as latest estimates showed the full-year pace could average 4.6%.
Nomura economists Euben Paracuelles and Brian Tan said separately that they continue to expect two more rate hikes from the BSP in its June and August policy meetings. The analysts expect a “further acceleration” in price spikes over the coming months given a “feed-through” of tax reform, looming increases in electricity rates, and higher core inflation.
“We believe inflation expectations are likely to rise further given still-accelerating headline inflation, as evident in rising demand for wage increases,” the Nomura analysts added.
For ANZ Research economists Shashank Mendiratta and Sanjay Mathur: “[H]eadline inflation in May came in below our and consensus estimates. Core inflation also sequentially slowed, although an unfavorable base effect resulted in a faster on-year increase of 3.6% year on year.”
“As such, the moderation in headline inflation both on an annual and sequential basis is a positive development,” they said in a note.
“Nonetheless, it still remains above the 2-4% target band of the BSP and further progress is necessary. We continue to expect one more 25 basis point rate hike in August.”
On the other hand, Guian Angelo S. Dumalagan, market economist at the Land Bank of the Philippines (LANDBANK), said that the “weaker-than-expected inflation… could reduce the chances of further tightening moves from the BSP this year.”
“The slower rise in the prices of non-alcoholic beverages suggests that the impact of the TRAIN (Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion) law on the costs of sugar-sweetened drinks may already be normalizing.”
OUTLOOK
Prices of widely used goods will likely stay elevated for the rest of the year, according to economists.
“Moving forward, inflation might rise further amid higher oil prices and a weaker peso,” said LANDBANK’s Mr. Dumalagan.
“However, recent developments suggest that inflation this year might turn out lower than the [low-end] 4.6% estimate given by the BSP amid easing price gains of various commodity clusters.”
He added: “The entry of imported rice in the second half of the year may also limit the increase in domestic prices. Key risks to inflation include geopolitical developments in the Middle East that could disrupt oil supply and the depreciation of the peso which could make imported goods more expensive in local currency terms.”
For RCBC’s Mr. Ricafort, inflation would “remain relatively high” for the rest of 2018 due to “relatively lower base effects” on account of the TRAIN law.”
“However, inflation could start to normalize [around Jan-Feb] 2019, exactly a year after the effectivity of the TRAIN Law…” he said.
“Any further increase in global oil prices and weakness in the peso exchange rate would continue be the major risk factors to inflation in the coming months,” he added.
Mr. Ricafort said further that “[r]isks to inflation include other possible second-round inflation effects in the coming months, such as the effects on inflation and inflation expectations by any upward adjustments on wages, transport fares, [and] utilities [costs]…”
“Any further increase in global oil prices and weakness in the peso exchange rate would continue to be major risk factors to inflation in the coming months.”

April sees more jobs; quality wanting

By Christine J. S. Castañeda
Senior Researcher
THE RANKS of jobless Filipinos in April dipped from a year ago, but those working who wanted additional income increased in the same period, according to the latest government data released on Tuesday.
Results of the Labor Force Survey (LFS) conducted by the Philippine Statistics Authority put April’s unemployment rate at 5.5%, improving from the 5.7% recorded in the same month last year. This was equivalent to 2.36 million Filipinos, down from 2.44 million a year earlier.
April’s jobless reading was the lowest recorded for all April rounds in the past decade, according to the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA).
This also puts the unemployment rate within the 4.7-5.3% target for 2018 under the Philippine Development Plan 2017-2022.
The employment rate, which is the proportion of the employed to the total labor force, slightly grew to 94.5% from 94.3%, as the net jobs created reached 625,000.
The size of the labor force was approximately 43.2 million out of an estimated 71.01 million Filipinos aged 15 years and older, for a participation rate of 60.9%. This was lower than last year’s 61.4%.
By industry, agriculture’s share in total employment slipped to 23.9% in April 2018 from 26.1% in April 2017, while those of services and industry rose to 56.4% and 19.7% from 55.4% and 18.5%, respectively.
Labor Force Survey
Economists interviewed said that the results in sectoral employment were “not surprising.”
Ruben Carlo O. Asuncion, chief economist at Union Bank of the Philippines (UnionBank), noted that agriculture “has always been a laggard, so this is not surprising.”
“It must be noted that employment in agriculture and its measurement is very tricky because, unlike jobs in both services and industry, agriculture jobs are not all-year-round and some are part-time in nature,” he explained.
“But apart from the challenge of measurement, agriculture jobs are generally shrinking with the way the economy is developing with bias for services and industry.”
For Jefferson A. Arapoc, economist at the University of the Philippines (UP): “The employment rate increase in the service and industry sectors is not really surprising given the output growth that they recorded last quarter at seven percent and 7.9%, respectively.”
“The robust performance of these sectors positively affected their ability to generate gainful employment opportunities for the labor force. On the other hand, the agricultural sector posted the lowest output growth last quarter, standing at 1.5%,” he added.
NEDA in a statement attributed growth in employment partly to the infrastructure build-up by both the private and public sectors. “Employment grew partly due to increased infrastructure spending as the Department of Public Works and Highways’ road projects and rehabilitation of public school facilities are already under way nationwide,” NEDA’s officer-in-charge, Undersecretary Jose Miguel R. de la Rosa said in the statement.
Mr. de la Rosa noted that industry’s “strong employment growth rate” of 8.1% was equivalent to 605,000 new workers, 468,000 of which came from construction.
The sector’s performance, he said, led to the increase in the sector’s employment share to 19.7% which is the “largest in the past decade.”
“We are now seeing the contribution of the ‘Build, Build, Build’ campaign in terms of job generation. We can expect the demand for workers in the sector to grow further as more projects break ground,” NEDA’s statement quoted Mr. de la Rosa as saying.
“However, youth unemployment remained high despite improving to 13.8%, which is also the lowest in the past decade.”
UNDEREMPLOYMENT WORSENS
Despite the slight drop in the jobless rate, underemployment — reflecting those already working, but are looking for more work or longer working hours — worsened to 17% or 6.93 million workers from 16.1%, equivalent to 6.47 million workers.
Among the underemployed, 47.1% were in services, up from 44.4%, LFS results showed. Industry made up 20.5% (up from 19.7%) and agriculture, 32.4% (down from 35.9%).
NEDA attributed the increase in underemployment rate to the “increase of those employed fulltime but wanting more work by 30.8%, or approximately 752,000 workers.”
“Still, other aspects of quality of employment significantly improved such as wage and salary employment, full time employment and mean hours of work,” it added.
Full-time workers — those who worked for at least 40 hours in a week — accounted for 68% of the employed, up from the 60.8% in the past year.
Part-time workers — those who worked for less than 40 hours in a week — made up 31%, down from 37.8%.
The same period saw working hours per week average 42 hours, up from 40.3 hours a year ago.
Wage and salary workers accounted for 63.8% of total employed persons, improving from 61.3% in the previous year. The self-employed without any paid employee were estimated at 27.2% (down from 28.2%), while unpaid family workers accounted for 5.3% (down from 6.7%).
For UnionBank’s Mr. Asuncion, the increase in underemployment for the period may have come from the “perennial problem of mismatch between the supply and demand of labor.”
For UP’s Mr. Arapoc, the high underemployment rate can be ascribed to the increase in the prices of consumer goods. “High inflation rate lowers a person’s purchasing power that could potentially make them look for more income generating activities,” Mr. Arapoc explained.
In a separate report released yesterday, the PSA said that inflation rose to 4.6% in May, the fastest in at least five years.
Looking forward, UnionBank’s Mr. Asuncion expects unemployment and underemployment to slip this year.
“I still see underemployment and unemployment to be better in the coming months, (i.e., underemployed and unemployed becoming less and less). If robust economic growth continues coupled with progressive government policies to harvest demographic dividends in the long run, I do not see any reason this will worsen,” he said.

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