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Capiz 2018 infrastructure budget slashed

THE 1ST District Engineering Office in Capiz has suffered a substantial slash in their budget for 2018. Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH-Western Visayas) Regional Director Wenceslao M. Leaño Jr. said that from the roughly P1.6 billion received by the district office in 2017, this year’s budget did not even reach P100 million. “They have a budget of P5 million plus another P30 million that is lodged at the regional office. I’m not sure about the (exact) figure but the reduction was very substantial considering that they had more than P1 billion budget last year,” he said. District Engineer Gerald A. Pacanan confirmed the huge cut saying, “There was a P30 million slash in the budget which was supposedly posted in the Web site of the Department of Budget and Management. But after the printing, it was excluded.” Both officials declined to comment whether politics could be behind the limited budget. Mr. Pacanan said budgeting is a political exercise and so he leaves it to the politicians to explain this year’s allocation. The province’s 1st Engineering Office is under Rep. Emmanuel A. Billones who is a member of the opposition Liberal Party. — Louine Hope U. Conserva

Oscars nominations: all the fun facts

LOS ANGELES — The nominations for the 90th Oscars were announced Tuesday, with The Shape of Water, Dunkirk, and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri leading the pack. But the statistical quirks that the annual event throws up can be as intriguing as tracking which movies get the most nods.

Here are some fun facts and figures from this year’s list of nominees:

• Female filmmakers recognized.

The 7,000-plus voters of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences managed to remember this year that women make movies too.

Greta Gerwig, recognized for Lady Bird, is only the fifth female best director nominee, and the first since Kathryn Bigelow won for The Hurt Locker in 2010.

Rachel Morrison, the director of photography on Mudbound, is the first woman to receive a nomination for cinematography.

• Long live Queen Meryl. Meryl Streep increases her lead as the most nominated performer in history with her 21st nod for Steven Spielberg’s The Post.

Her three wins were for Kramer vs. Kramer (1979), Sophie’s Choice (1982), and The Iron Lady (2011).

• All hail the maestro. John Williams adds to his record number of music scoring nominations with his 46th for Star Wars: The Last Jedi.

His overall total of 51 nominations — including five for original song — is the most for any living person, and second only to Walt Disney at 59.

• Kobe Bryant: Oscars MVP? Basketballer Kobe Bryant, an 18-time NBA all-star, is an Oscar nominee thanks to his collaboration with artist Glen Keane and composer John Williams for the short Dear Basketball.

“What?? This is beyond the realm of imagination,” Bryant, 39, tweeted following the announcement.

But not everyone will be delighted with the nod.

In the wake of the Harvey Weinstein scandal, it will be a reminder that the Los Angeles Lakers legend was arrested over the suspected rape of a hotel worker in Colorado in 2003. Bryant admitted to a sexual encounter, but insisted it was consensual. The criminal case was dropped when the accuser refused to testify, but Bryant faced a civil suit. As part of an out-of-court settlement, he publicly apologized to his accuser, but admitted no guilt.

• Snubs and surprises. Among this year’s big snubs were Golden Globes nominees Armie Hammer (Call Me by Your Name) and Hong Chau (Downsizing), as well as Wonder Woman, which didn’t get a single nomination.

Mudbound and The Big Sick were conspicuously absent from the best picture category, though they received other nominations.

Steven Spielberg (The Post) and Martin McDonagh (Three Billboards) were both left out of the best director category, despite helming two of the most acclaimed movies of the year.

On the other side of the coin, Denzel Washington picked up a surprise 8th nomination for acting, expanding his own record as the most-nominated black actor in Oscars history. He has won twice, for Glory and Training Day.

Washington also has a nomination for best picture for Fences, which he directed and co-produced. — AFP

Weak demand of iPhone X to hurt Sony — JPMorgan

SONY CORP.’s lucrative smartphone camera business may be heading for a slowdown.

The Tokyo-based company’s image sensor business is likely to weaken amid slowing momentum for Apple, Inc.’s iPhones, an analyst at JPMorgan Chase & Co. wrote as he downgraded the company to neutral from overweight. IPhone X production will probably fall 50% quarter over quarter and the weakness is likely to continue for the first half of the year as demand for high-end smartphones plateaus, according to J.J. Park. Sony shares fell as much as 5.2% by midday in Tokyo.

Sony is the global leader in the production of image sensors, camera chips which convert light into digital pictures and videos. Despite a cooling in the smartphone industry, it has benefited from a trend to include multiple image sensors in each phone — a technique used to create better-looking pictures and to power simple augmented-reality functions. In October, Sony raised its profit forecast for the current fiscal year in part because of sensor demand, and shares have rallied more than 60% over the last year.

Weak demand for the new iPhone X will hurt Sony, which gets half of its image sensor revenue from Apple, Mr. Park wrote. He also said the trend for adopting dual cameras is not as strong as first believed, including among Chinese phone makers, which will further hit Sony’s sales.

“Given high market expectation, in our view any shortfall in the semiconductor operation will put pressure on the share price,” Mr. Park wrote. Sony declined to comment on JPMorgan’s report.

Customers seemed to be opting for cheaper models of the iPhone, according to Cowen & Co., which suggested that Apple failed to cram enough new technology into the iPhone X to justify its $999 price tag.

Phone makers such as Apple and Xiaomi Corp. have been outfitting their latest models with two cameras on the back of each device, and in some cases on the front. That lets software compare two pictures to improve photo quality and gauge depth to perform basic AR functions.

But JPMorgan’s Mr. Park suggested consumers are shunning better picture quality for a cheaper price, saying that “high-end smartphones are clearly hitting a plateau along with higher product prices.” He said Sony has a 70% market share for high-end image sensors and is one of the few Apple suppliers whose shares have yet to adjust to waning demand for iPhone X.

“Despite a correction in Apple supply chain names, Sony has massively outperformed its global peers thanks to the structural trend of dual-cam,” Mr. Park. — Bloomberg

EasyCall seeks to comply with public float rule

EASYCALL Communications Philippines, Inc. (ECP) will be offering more shares to the public in line with the new minimum public ownership (MPO) requirements set by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

In a disclosure to the stock exchange on Wednesday, the company said its majority shareholder, TDG Ventures, Inc. (TVI), will be reducing its ownership in the company.

“TVI… has expressed its intent to reduce some of its shareholdings through the market in support of ECP’s compliance to the MPO that the SEC may impose,” the company said.

Data from the PSE showed ECP currently has a float of 10.06%, falling short of the 20% floor the required by the corporate regulator.

The SEC last November 2017 released new guidelines for companies looking to list their shares in the Philippine Stock Exchange, doubling the 10% MPO implemented since 2011 to 20%. This move is in line with improving liquidity in the market.

ECP is one of the 68 listed companies the SEC said would have to raise their MPO as a result of the new requirement. The commission is still studying the guidelines on how these firms can go about their re-IPO (initial public offering) or follow-on offerings.

Noncompliance with revised MPO could serve as ground for a possible delisting. For instance, PNOC-Exploration Corp. was involuntarily delisted from the PSE in 2013 after it failed to comply with the 10% MPO the SEC implemented in 2011.

Incorporated in 1989, ECP’s business involves corporate DSL resellership, Internet services, Web business solutions, and server co-location. The company also targets businesses unreachable by fiber optic cables, providing them with IP broadband solutions.

ECP realized a 60% increase in its net income attributable to the parent during the first nine months of 2017 to P5.36 million, following an 8% rise in revenues during the same period to P37.05 million.

Shares in ECP dropped P7.95 or 13.26% to P52 each at the Philippine Stock Exchange on Wednesday. — Arra B. Francia

Davao, Marawi eye sisterhood agreement

THE CITIES of Davao and Marawi are eyeing a sisterhood agreement wherein the former would commit to “extend technical assistance to Marawi in the fields of infrastructure development, urban planning, disaster management, and other expertise that may support for its rehabilitation,” according to the Davao City Investment Promotion Center. As this developed, the Davao City administration has asked the local legislative council to approve another P5-million assistance for Marawi’s recovery efforts. Last year, Davao released an initial P5-million aid following the five-month armed conflict between government forces and Islamic State-inspired local groups. “It is within our duty as elected officials to help other cities who are in need of our help,” Davao Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio said in a statement. The Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) also earlier urged the government to look into Shariah-compliant funding mechanisms such as Islamic microfinancing for both businesses and communities in Marawi as part of the rehabilitation program. — Carmelito Q. Francisco

Thai’s Thaugsuban indicted on terrorism, treason

BANGKOK — The firebrand leader of anti-government protests that presaged Thailand’s 2014 military coup was indicted on treason and terrorism charges on Wednesday linked to the deadly demonstrations. Suthep Thaugsuban, whose protest movement paralyzed Bangkok for months and led to the toppling of the elected government in May 2014, was formally charged alongside eight other Democrat party politicians. The protests against former premier Yingluck Shinawatra were marred by violence that left 28 dead, generating unrest the army said warranted its power grab — the 12th successful takeover since 1932. Suthep, a former deputy prime minister and nemesis of the billionaire Shinawatra clan, gave barnstorming speeches across Bangkok, leading daily marches in a self-proclaimed “shutdown” of one of Southeast Asia’s largest cities which lasted for weeks while armed guards patrolled protests sites. The military dispersed the rallies after toppling Yingluck and has run the country ever since. Suthep and eight other Democrat politicians — a faction seen as aligned with the army — were charged with “treason, illegal gathering, and incitement,” said the state prosecutor’s deputy spokesman Prayut Petkhun. Suthep and Chumpon Julsai, a former Democrat MP, were also charged with terrorism, he told reporters. The case comes as the kingdom’s rancorous political scene — which has been dormant since the coup — stirs back to life ahead of elections slated for late 2018, but whose timeframe keeps slipping. — AFP

Rethinking the Urban Development and Housing Act of 1992

Last year marked the 25th year of the Urban Development and Housing Act (UDHA). Enacted in 1992, the UDHA brought the hope of realizing a socially just, pro-poor urban development, particularly in addressing the issues concerning urban housing.

The final piece of social legislation of the first Aquino regime contained stipulations that not only addresses the immediate concerns of urban development and housing, but also — and perhaps more importantly — puts emphasis on people’s participation and empowerment. The UDHA as such held the promise of deepening democracy — construed as serving the twin goals of social justice, and popular empowerment — in the context of urban development.

Two decades hence, however, and the country continues to experience fundamental issues that concern urban development, particularly on urban housing. The Kadamay situation of last year is symptomatic of how unequal urban development has been in the Philippines, as well as how the policies in place have been failing in addressing such.

For all its potentials, the UDHA has been beset by ineffectiveness, reflected by the chronic housing backlogs, the continuing human rights violations of evictees and resettled peoples, and creeping inadequacies of socialized housing programs. Why has this been so?

Admittedly limited in scope and range, and by no means a thorough evaluation of the UDHA, this piece argues that the explanation for UDHA’s failure lies in the contradictions of the law itself.

The UDHA is technically not an urban land reform policy, embedded as it is in the “enablement” model of urban development.

The UDHA is primarily a product of the lobbying efforts of the organized urban poor. The opening up of the “democratic space” in the wake of the 1986 EDSA Revolution paved the way for the increased participation of such groups in the (formal) political realm, in the process empowering them. The 1987 Constitution itself, in Article XIII, Sections 9 and 10, enabled the UDHA’s enactment.

The UDHA thus contains stipulations that provide for a socially just, pro-poor urban development.

First, the law contains stipulations governing evictions and resettlement of informal settler families, safeguarding their rights through the provision of consultative mechanisms in all phases of the relocation process.

Second, the UDHA stipulates strategies for low-cost, pro-poor housing. The key element in such strategies is participation of both the private sector, and the urban poor communities themselves.

On one hand, the law gives incentives — in the form of rationalized processes, and tax exemptions, among others — to private real estate developers involved in socialized housing projects. On the other, the Community Mortgage Program (CMP) prompts the urban poor communities to organize. Third and last, the UDHA emphasizes community empowerment, and decentralization.

As mentioned above, the law stipulates the participation of urban poor community organizations in the consultative processes prior to eviction and/or resettlement. The CMP’s focus is on organized urban poor communities, as Section 33 of the law points out. Section 39 of the UDHA also stresses the role of the local government units (LGUs) in implementing the law, in coordination with other national government agencies, and other stakeholders.

For all its potentials, however, the UDHA has been continually critiqued for its ineffectiveness.

The housing backlog is currently estimated at 2.02 million, per the report of the Philippine Development Plan 2017-2022. The said document also estimates the national total of informal settler families to 1,502,336, close to 40% of which are in the Metropolitan Manila area.

More importantly, a 2014 report published jointly by the Institute for Popular Democracy (IPD), and the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) titled “Human Rights in the Rubble: A Review of Forced Eviction and Resettlement Law and Practice in Metro Manila” has found a number of weaknesses in the law’s protections for the rights of the poor informal settler families. Questions have also been raised concerning the CMP’s performance. Several research projects on the CMP published by the Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) pointed out a number of deficiencies in the CMP’s implementation, particularly concerns about the targeting of the beneficiaries and the transformation of communities into improved ones.

The UDHA is also embedded in the principle of “enablement,” which recasts the role of the state in urban development as an “enabler,” rather than that of a “direct provider.” Gavin Shatkin characterizes the said principle as “premised on the belief that governments should dramatically reduce their direct involvement in the delivery of goods and services,” in the process acting “as a facilitator in ‘enabling’ the private sector and civil society to deliver them.” Cedric Pugh points out, however that “enablement was more about reconfiguring state roles into relevant significance and effectiveness, rather than simply reducing the state’s economic allocations to the social sector.”

Nevertheless, the “enablement” principle arguably is reflected in the limited appropriations that has hounded the Philippine urban development and housing landscape.

The 2017 PDP points out that national housing received 0.05-0.11% of the budget for social services in the years 2014 to 2016, while another report points out that for 2017 alone, the combined budgets of the primary national housing agencies (the National Housing Authority [NHA], and the Social Housing Finance Corporation [SHFC]) are a measly 0.39% of the P3.35-trillion budget, targeting 1.7 million households for direct housing assistance.

The “enablement” principle also emphasizes decentralization.

Such contributes to the ineffectiveness of the UDHA in realizing a socially just and pro-poor urban development.

The IPD and CHR report discussed earlier has also found that the decentralized nature of eviction and resettlement policy and processes contribute to services that fall short of the international standards for human rights. As such, the report recommends further integration of the agencies concerned.

However, something more than a review of the law, or the creation of a Department of Urban Development and Housing, is called for.

The fundamental challenges are that of examining the ways by which the state can be strengthened while being embedded in an institutional matrix that reconfigures its role and that of searching the ways by which the contradictory logics of profit making and public service delivery in the context of socialized housing provision can be alleviated.

(For purposes of brevity, citations have been removed but are available upon request. — Ed)

 

Gino Antonio P. Trinidad is currently a Doctor of Public Administration student of the UP National College of Public Administration and Governance (UP NCPAG). He is a member of the faculty of Ateneo’s Political Science Department. He obtained both his MA Global Politics and AB Political Science degrees from Ateneo de Manila University.

Halal accreditation to expand in 2018 to attract more businesses

THE Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) said it wants to increase the Philippines’ 5% share of the growing global market for halal products via the expansion of accreditation bodies that can certify that food, drink and fashion products comply with Islamic rules.

The department hopes to set up 10 halal accreditation bodies this year,to make it easier to attract more businesses to participate in the halal trade.

Assistant Secretary for Trade and Investments Promotion Group Abdulgani M. Macatoman said during the World Halal Assembly last week that the halal market is expected to be worth $10 trillion by 2030, from $3.2 trillion currently.

“The Muslim population worldwide has been steadily growing. In 2016 the population was at 2.14 billion, growing to 2.18 billion in 2017,” he said, adding that in the Asia Pacific, the numbers are 1.3 billion by 2030, according to projections by Pew Research.

He said the most marketable Philippine products are dried fruits in markets like the Middle East and parts of Southeast Asia.

The DTI is seeking to make the Zamboanga region a hub for halal products. The region is deemed suitable for such a push because of the potential of its economic zones and freeports, plus the availability of expertise in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, with which the Zamboanga region has some territorial overlap.

“The preparation of halal food and apparel requires a great understanding of and obedience to Muslim culture, and we Filipinos have a great grasp of this culture and unique practices,” he added.

The products identified as having potential for developing in the Zamboanga region are rubber, cacao, mangoes and coconut.

The government has development plans for cacao and rubber, while the fruits and nuts industries will be getting a road map to expand production and export activity. — Anna Gabriela A. Mogato

Aric del Rosario-mentored Parañaque Patriots debut versus Caloocan Supremos in MPBL opening

ARIC DEL ROSARIO has no plans of slowing down.

In fact, the 70-year-old coach is making a coaching comeback as head mentor of the Yakimix Parañaque Patriots, which will make its debut in the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) today against the Caloocan Supremos.

Game time is 9 p.m. at the Smart Araneta Coliseum right after the opening ceremonies highlighted by parade of teams’ colors and their muses and live performance from talents of ABS-CBN, the official coveror of the fledgling league put up by Senator Manny Pacquiao.

Mr. Del Rosario was architect of University of Santo Tomas’ four-peat in the UAAP from 1993 to 1996, but he was also part of so many champion teams handling in different capacities.

In the PBA, he was a member of Tim Cone’s coaching staff that won the grand slam in 1996.

Two years later, Mr. Del Rosario moved to the Metropolitan Basketball Association where he guided the Pampanga Dragons to the championship.

He coached in the UAAP for a few more years then moved to Perpetual Help in the NCAA before taking time off from the one he loves doing the most.

But the itch in coaching is still there and Mr. Del Rosario agreed to be at the helm of the Patriots.

Among the key players seeing action for the Patriots are PBA draftees Juneric Baloria and Jett Vidal, ex-D League players Marlon Gomez and Mac Montilla, and Aric’s own son, Edsel del Rosario.

But the Caloocan Supremos are no pushovers, parading a lineup bannered by ex-PBA players Jopher Custodio and Allan Mangahas, former Sta. Lucia center Philip Butel and ex-Ginebra player Marlon Basco.

Format of this home and away tournament is single round robin with eight teams advancing to the quarterfinal round. — Rey Joble

Wesley’s miracle win

80th Tata Steel Masters
Wijk aan Zee, Netherlands
Jan. 12-28, 2018

Current Standings (9 out of 13 rounds)

1. Anish Giri NED 2752, 6.5/9

2-3. Magnus Carlsen NOR 2834, Shakhriyar Mamedyarov AZE 2804, 6.0/9

4-5. Wesley So USA 2792, Vladimir Kramnik RUS 2787, 5.5/9

6-7. Viswanathan Anand IND 2767, Sergey Karjakin RUS 2753, 5.0/9

8. Peter Svidler RUS 2768, 4.5/9

9-10. Gawain Jones ENG 2640, Maxim Matlakov RUS 2718, 4.0/9

11-12. Wei Yi CHN 2743, Fabiano Caruana USA 2811, 3.5/9

13. Baskaran Adhiban IND 2655, 2.5/9

14. Hou Yifan CHN 2680, 1.5/9

Ave. Rating 2750 Category 20

Time Control: 100 minutes for the first 40 moves followed by 50 minutes for the next 20 moves then 15 minutes play-to-finish with 30 seconds added to your clock after every move starting move 1.

Holland’s Anish Giri went into the solo lead after nine rounds in Wijk aan Zee by defeating Russia’s Maxim Matlakov from the Black side of some sort of Delayed Catalan. So far he looks in good shape as he remains undefeated and aside from beating the lone woman participant Hou Yifan has also scored the full point against heavyweights Mamedyarov (the early leader) and Vladimir Kramnik.

Wesley So could not keep pace and agreed to a draw with Peter Svidler. He is also undefeated and went through a rather crucial patch from rounds 4-6. In the 4th round Wesley was lost against Caruana but fought back and drew. In round 5 he beat Adhiban and in round 6 there was this miracle vs Wei Yi. Let me tell you about that.

I retired from chess in 1976 when I graduated from High School to become a working student in UST. There was no more time for chess, work was from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. after which I had to rush to the College of Commerce for classes from 5-9 p.m. After I passed the CPA board examinations my schedule became even more hectic as it was already time to earn a living.

Then in 1992 the Manila Olympiad happened. I couldn’t resist and left the office a bit earlier everyday to hop over to the PICC to watch the games. There was a bookstand there run by IM Malcolm Pein (he is one of the biggest chess organizers in the world now — the annual London Chess Classic being just one of his many projects) and he introduced me to Chessbase software and other books and publications. Once again I got hooked and devoured whatever literature I could.

There was this one player I couldn’t get enough of — GM Alexei Shirov was running roughshod over the chess establishment with games such as this.

Shirov, Alexei (2655) — Thorhallsson, Throstur (2425) [D45]
Reykjavik (5), 1992

1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Nf3 e6 5.e3 Nbd7 6.Qc2 Bd6 7.g4!?

I hadn’t been following theory for many years already — the maneuver h2–h3 followed by g2–g4 I was familiar with, but playing g2–g4 right away? Wow.

7…0–0 8.g5 Nh5 9.Bd2 f5 10.gxf6 Nhxf6 11.Ng5 Qe8 12.0–0–0 h6 13.h4! Bb4

[13…hxg5 14.hxg5 Ne4 15.Nxe4 dxe4 16.Qxe4 Rf5 17.c5 followed by Bc4]

14.Bd3 Bxc3! 15.Bxc3 hxg5 16.hxg5 Ne4 17.Bxe4 dxe4 18.Qxe4 Rf5 19.Qh4 Qg6 20.Qh8+! Kf7 21.f4

The idea is to play Qd8 followed by Rh8.

21…Nf8 22.Qh4 Ke8 23.e4 Rf7 24.Rhe1! Kd8 25.d5! cxd5 26.cxd5 Bd7 27.f5! exf5 28.e5 f4 29.e6 Ba4 30.Rd2 Rf5 31.Qf2! f3 32.Re4 Rxg5 33.Rxa4 Rg1+ 34.Rd1 Rg2 35.Qh4+ Ke8 36.Re4 Rc8 37.d6 Rd8 38.Qe7# 1–0

An awe-inspiring performance!

In 1997 the first FIDE KO World Chess Championship was held in Groningen. I managed to get a copy of the tournament book and played through every single one of the games. This game I thought was one of the best of the event.

Krasenkow, Michal (2645) — Garcia, Gildardo (2480) [A17]
FIDE-Wch k.o. Groningen (2.1), 11.12.1997

1.Nf3 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.g4!?

Krasenkow’s biggest contribution to opening theory.

4…d5 5.g5 Ne4 6.Qa4+ Nc6 7.Nxe4 dxe4 8.Ne5 e3!

It is not immediately evident, but the idea of this move is to open up the long diagonal for Black’s light-squared bishop.

9.fxe3 Qxg5 10.Nf3

[10.Nxc6? Bd7 11.Qxb4 Bxc6 unexpectedly White’s rook is trapped in the corner]

10…Qe7 11.a3 Bd6 12.d4 Bd7 13.Qc2

[13.c5 Ne5 14.Qc2 Nxf3+ 15.exf3 Qh4+ 16.Qf2 Qxf2+ 17.Kxf2 Be7 equal]

13…Qf6 14.b4 e5 15.d5! Bf5 16.Qa4!

[16.e4? Nd4 17.Nxd4 Qh4+ 18.Kd1 Bxe4 it is Black who is winning]

16…Be4 17.dxc6 b5 18.cxb5 Bxf3 19.exf3 e4 20.Ra2 exf3 21.Rf2 Rd8 22.Qc2 Be5 23.Bb2 0–0 24.Bxe5 Qxe5 25.Rxf3 Rd6 26.Bg2 Qxb5 27.Rf5 Qa6 28.Ra5 Qb6 29.Qc5 Qb8 30.0–0 1–0

A few years ago in “Secrets of Modern Chess Strategy” IM John Watson wrote that the single biggest change in opening and middle game strategy in the last two to three decades has been in the area of flank pawn advances. The two games above had a lot to do with that.

Which brings us to Wei Yi vs Wesley So from the 6th round of the ongoing Tata Steel Masters tournament in Wijk aan Zee.

Wei, Yi (2743) — So, Wesley (2792) [A06]
80th Tata Steel GpA Wijk aan Zee NED (6.4), 19.01.2018

1.Nf3 d5 2.e3 Nf6 3.c4 e6 4.Nc3 dxc4 5.Bxc4 a6 6.b3 c5 7.Bb2 Nc6 8.Qc2 Be7 9.a3 b6 10.g4!

This move surprised Wesley. In a post-game interview Wesley said: “I forgot about this stuff. I thought that it is not dangerous since I did not castle. Actually, it is surprisingly strong as he gets a bind after g4–g5 followed by Nc3–e4.”

10…h6

Not 10…Nxg4? 11.Qe4 and one of the knights fall.

11.Rg1 b5 12.Be2 Bb7 13.g5 hxg5 14.Nxg5 Rh6

Guarding against Nxe6 and a queen check on g6.

15.Nce4 Nxe4 16.Nxe4 g6 17.Nxc5 Bxc5 18.Qxc5 Rxh2 19.a4!

After this Black’s position starts to collapse.

19…Qh4

There is no other way to generate counter chances.

20.Rf1 Rc8 21.Qb6 Nd8 22.axb5 Bg2 23.Ra4

Not 23.Rg1? Rh1 it is Black who wins.

23…Qh3

This was the position when I tuned in to the game as the chessbase Web site. I thought that after Ba3, bxa6 and Bb5+ Black’s king is caught in the crossfire of the two bishops. I got completely disheartened, and then the miracle came!

24.Ba3?

This is why I am not a GM. The text which seemed so strong to me is an inaccuracy. More to the point is 24.bxa6! Bxf1 25.Bxf1 Rh1 26.Qb5+ (covering the f1–bishop) 26…Nc6 27.a7 the rest is easy: 27…Rxf1+ 28.Qxf1 Qxf1+ 29.Kxf1 Ra8 30.Bd4 Kd7 31.Bc5 Kc7 32.d4 White’s two extra passed pawns on the queenside are too strong.

24…Rh1 25.bxa6 <D>

Position after 25.bxa6

Wei Yi is clearly winning but in bad time trouble. Wesley has to find some way to complicate matters.

25…Qh8!?

And he does. Black is still losing but he sufficiently confuses Wei Yi into making a mistake.

26.Rd4?

White should have blocked the long diagonal with 26.d4! followed by 26…Bxf1 27.Qb5+ Nc6 28.Bxf1 and Black’s position is resignable.

26…Bxf1 27.Qb5+ Nc6 28.Bxf1 Rxf1+! 29.Kxf1

Wei Yi must have thought he was still winning, or otherwise he would have played 29.Qxf1 Nxd4 30.exd4 Qxd4 31.Qb5+ and it is still a game.

29…Qh1+ 30.Ke2 Qh5+! 31.Qxh5 Nxd4+

CHECK.

32.exd4 gxh5

And now, much to Wei Yi’s dismay, because of Black’s passed h-pawn it is now the second player who is winning.

33.b4 Rb8 34.Kf3 Kd7 35.Kg3 Kc6 36.b5+ Rxb5 37.Bc5 Rb2 38.a7 Kb7 39.d5 exd5 40.Be3 Rb4 41.d4 Rb1 0–1

A marvelous turnaround. Let us hope that Wesley’s luck holds up till the end of the tournament.

 

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

bobby@cpamd.net

GIZ, AXA developing microinsurance product for disasters

GERMANY’S international aid agency has partnered with an insurance company to develop a disaster microinsurance product which will be offered to small businesses.

The micro disaster risk insurance (MicroDRI) product is expected to cover 10,000 micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) by mid-2018, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) said.

Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH (GIZ), the DTI, and AXA unit Charter Ping An came together in a public-private partnership to offer the insurance product, which will be distributed by Cebuana Lhuillier Insurance Solutions.

Undersecretary Zenaida C. Maglaya said that the idea of providing MicroDRI came about after typhoon Yolanda in 2013 and was refined over the years to address affordability concerns.

“What we do now is increasing level of awareness and participation of MSMEs in business continuity plans. That’s the first thing [we considered],” she added.

“It was not difficult for us to convince them to prepare themselves. We had to find ways to really look into who we can have partnerships with to see what we can do to protect the MSMEs, especially the micro-enterprises.”

Ms. Maglaya said that only 30% of enterprises affected by the typhoon renewed their licenses.

In a study conducted by GIZ, 25% of MSMEs fail to reopen after being hit by a major calamity. Also, these businesses are estimated to lose between P250,000 to P10 million during disasters, making it harder for them to bounce back.

GIZ Philippines program director Antonis Malagardis said that MSMEs typically lose one-third of their financial capacity, which makes it hard to repay loans.

“With the MicroDRI product, our goal is to come up with a financially sustainable product that will provide the protection that these MSMEs need to ensure operation of their businesses,” he added.

Mr. Malagardis said insurance should be considered an investment instead of a cost.

The DTI will conduct financial literacy training to help MSMEs build resiliency against future calamities, through its Negosyo Centers.

The MicroDRI product will be developed by AXA using a grant from GIZ.

Cebuana Lhuillier vice-president and group head Jonathan D. Batangan said the company can tap its branch network and add more outlets which can serve as distribution platforms.

“We can reach the maximum number of MSMEs. In the next few years, we plan to add more partners including sari-sari stores [as part of the group’s] remittance business,” he added. — Anna Gabriela A. Mogato

Renewable energy market would benefit Mindanao, says MinDA

THE PROPOSED trading platform for green energy would be favorable to Mindanao in the long term with several projects lined up tapping renewable power sources, according to an official of the Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA). “The renewable energy market will become a market of big renewable sources if all the projects are realized,” Assistant Secretary Romeo M. Montenegro, MinDA deputy executive director, said in an interview last week. Mr. Montenegro, also the technical head of the Mindanao Power Monitoring Committee (MPMC), said they are projecting that by 2030, Mindanao will have about 40% of its power sourced from renewable energy plants. The MPMC is monitoring the implementation of about 280 proposed projects with a combined output of about 3,400 megawatts. At present, about 70% of electricity supply in Mindanao comes from fossil-fuel plants with the operation of several new coal-fired facilities. In a consultation last week in Davao City, Energy Undersecretary Felix William B. Fuentebella said they are looking at launching the renewable energy market in 2019 with the bigger wholesale electricity spot market expected to be in place nationwide this year. Under the Electric Power Industry Reform Act, supply from renewable energy sources must be the first to be dispatched in the market. — Carmelito Q. Francisco

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