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Jakarta launches first airport train

JAKARTA launched the first train connecting its international airport to the city center Tuesday as the sprawling Indonesian capital moves to tackle the gridlock that can make the trip an hours-long headache.

The new system links Soekarno-Hatta International Airport on the outskirts of Jakarta to downtown in 55 minutes, cutting driving time by half or more.

President Joko Widodo inaugurated the new system that officials hope will convince travelers to make the switch from private to public transportation on the 38 kilometer (23 mile) route.

Jakarta is also building its first subway and light-rail systems, with service expected to start in 2019. 

“Thank God that after three years and working hard to finish this Soekarno-Hatta airport train, this morning we can inaugurate it and we know that this train is a way to provide transportation in Jakarta to reduce traffic jams,” Mr. Widodo said.

The direct link cost 3.6 trillion rupiah ($266 million) with a total of 42 trips scheduled daily. The service is to run from dawn to shortly before midnight.

About 11,000 passengers are expected to use the service daily with three trains plying the route. 

Tickets will cost 70,000 rupiah ($5) for the first two months of service, rising to the regular rate of 100,000 rupiah afterwards — about half the cost of a taxi.

Indonesia, the world’s biggest archipelago nation and Southeast Asia’s biggest economy, has been grappling with a lack of public transportation for years, while Jakarta has seen an explosion in traffic jams that are among the worst in the world.

This week’s inauguration comes about eight months before the capital hosts the 2018 Asian Games, which are expected to see about 9,500 athletes flock to the congestion-prone city. — AFP

Vienna ushers the world into 2018 with a waltz

VIENNA — The Vienna Philharmonic did its best to give a troubled world a soothing start to 2018 on Monday with its traditional New Year’s Concert, broadcast live in over 90 countries.

The annual extravaganza, heavy on light-hearted waltzes by the Strauss dynasty harking back to Vienna’s 19th century golden era, is watched by some 50 million people, the Philharmonic said.

His greying hair flopping in time to the music, the conductor this year was Italian maestro Riccardo Muti, waving the baton in the hallowed Golden Hall of the Musikverein for the fifth time since 1993.

The 76-year-old has conducted some of the world’s most prestigious orchestras including the Berlin Philharmonic, the New York Philharmonic, and the Orchestre National de France.

Alongside Strauss favorites like “The Blue Danube,” the 2018 program also featured the Overture to Boccaccio by Franz von Suppe and Alphons Czibulka’s “Stephanie Gavotte.”

In the audience was Sebastian Kurz, since mid-December Austria’s chancellor and the world’s youngest leader at 31, accompanied at the Musikverein by Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte.

Other guests included the presidents of Estonia and Bulgaria. Bulgaria took over the rotating EU presidency from Estonia on Jan. 1 and will hand it to Austria mid-year. — AFP

Phinma to withdraw case against PSALM

PHINMA ENERGY Corp. is withdrawing a case it filed against state-led Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corp. (PSALM) in September last year involving an administration agreement over a 40-megawatt (MW) geothermal plant in Leyte.

The listed company told the stock exchange on Tuesday it will withdraw the civil case it filed against PSALM, seeking damages and annulment of the agreement with prayer for a writ of preliminary injunction/writ of preliminary mandatory injunction and temporary restraining order (TRO).

Phinma Energy on Dec. 29 said it had agreed with PSALM to mutually terminate the administration agreement for the 40-MW “strip of energy” of the Unified Leyte Geothermal Power Plant.

“The termination allows the Company to improve its supply costs while maintaining a diversified portfolio. The Company has settled all its obligations with PSALM,” it said.

“[Phinma Energy] will withdraw the case it filed earlier and no further claims will be pursued,” it added.

The case was filed on Sept. 13, 2017 at the Regional Trial Court of Makati City, with PSALM and Emmanuel R. Ledesma, Jr., the agency’s former president and chief executive officer, as defendants.

In the civil case, Phinma Energy sought to restrain PSALM from terminating the administration agreement for the selection and appointment of independent power producer administrator for the geothermal plant in Tongonan, Leyte on grounds of administrator’s default.

Phinma Energy, then named Trans-Asia Oil and Energy Development Corp., was declared on Nov. 7, 2013 as one of the winning bidders with the right to administer the strips of energy from the plant.

On Nov. 8, 2013, typhoon Yolanda severely hit Region 8, resulting in extensive damage to the plant. It was only after a one-year delay that PSALM awarded the strips to the bidders.

In several letters to PSALM, Phinma Energy said it had formally sought the renegotiation of the agreement and proposed several measures for relief.

On several occasions, representatives from both parties met to discuss the matter. Phinma Energy, in one of the letters, told PSALM about the difficulties suffered by the administrators under the agreement.

Through its counsel, Phinma Energy wrote PSALM about exercising its right to withdraw from the agreement, prompting discussions on the termination.

However, the company received a notice from PSALM of the administrator default. The government agency then resolved to terminate the agreement and forfeit the performance bond. The move prompted Phinma Energy to file the civil case.

PSALM is created under Republic Act No. 9136, the Electric Power Industry Reform Act (EPIRA) of 2001, the law that restructured the Philippine power sector. It took over the ownership of all existing government-owned power generation assets. Its principal purpose is to manage the orderly sale and privatization of these assets. — Victor V. Saulon

Melissa la O’ debuts at Singapore’s Art Stage 2018

'Pink Tropics 1,' oil on canvas, 162.5cm x 105cm, by Melissa la O'AFTER successful shows in Tokyo, Munich, and Taipei in 2017, international Filipino artist Melissa la O’ (melissalaostudio.com) will mount her first solo exhibition, Eden, at the 8th annual Art Stage Singapore, one of Asia’s leading contemporary art fairs, from Jan. 26 to 28.

La O’, 43, had her first show at the Ayala Museum at 18 and again at 21, before studying architecture at Columbia University in New York and the Southern California Institute of Architecture in Los Angeles. After practicing architecture in the US for many years, she returned to the visual arts in 2007.

She has since shown at Jarmuschek + Partner in Berlin, Pon Ding Space in Taipei, Finale Art File and Salcedo Auctions in Manila, ARGE Müller Wellner in Munich, and Clear Edition Gallery in Tokyo, among others. In 2013, she also organized the pop-up exhibit, A Curious Limbo, with internationally renowned Filipino artist Manuel Ocampo.

Thirteen of her abstract works are currently on display at the SilverKris Lounge of Singapore Airlines in Terminal 3 of Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA). The exhibit is curated by Salcedo Auctions and will run at the lounge until May.

For her Art Stage Singapore debut Eden, where she will be represented by Japanese curator Yoichi Nakamuta and his gallery Clear Edition, La O’ will explore the idea of a tropical paradise through large-scale oil paintings of landscapes, foliage and flowers.

“Pieces of nature, such as passing sunlight, mist and falling leaves are smashed, stretched out and redistributed into a fixed space,” says the artist in a statement. “Through my work, I search for the inherent architecture in nature and its effects on the built world.”

Eden by Melissa la O’ will run at the 2018 Art Stage Singapore in Marina Bay Sands from Jan. 26 to 28.

The US is becoming the world’s new tax haven

By Bloomberg Editorial Board

SEVEN YEARS AGO, the US led an effort to address a problem facing governments everywhere. Each year, people manage to avoid paying an estimated $2.5 trillion in income tax — a giant sum that could be used to combat poverty, update infrastructure or lower tax rates for law-abiding citizens.

Now, however, the US is becoming one of the world’s best places to hide money from the tax collector. It’s a distinction that the country would do well to shed.

In 2009, amid growing budget deficits and a tax-fraud scandal at Swiss bank UBS AG, the Group of 20 developed and developing nations came to an agreement: They would no longer tolerate the network of havens, shell companies, and secret accounts that had long abetted tax evasion. A year later, the US passed the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act, which required foreign financial institutions to report the identities and assets of potential US taxpayers to the Internal Revenue Service.

Under threat of losing access to the US financial system, more than 100 countries — including such traditional havens as Bermuda and the Cayman Islands — are complying or have agreed to comply.

The US was expected to reciprocate, by sharing data on the accounts of foreign taxpayers with their respective governments. Yet Congress rejected the Obama administration’s repeated requests to make the necessary changes to the tax code. As a result, the Treasury cannot compel US banks to reveal information such as account balances and names of beneficial owners. The US has also failed to adopt the so-called Common Reporting Standard, a global agreement under which more than 100 countries will automatically provide each other with even more data than FATCA requires.

While the rest of the world provides the transparency that the US demanded, the US is rapidly becoming the new Switzerland. Financial institutions catering to the global elite, such as Rothschild & Co. and Trident Trust Co., have moved accounts from offshore havens to Nevada, Wyoming, and South Dakota. New York lawyers are actively marketing the country as a place to park assets. A Russian billionaire, for example, can put real-estate assets in a US trust and rest assured that neither the US tax authorities nor his home-country government will know anything about it. That’s a level of secrecy that not even Vanuatu can offer.

From a certain perspective, all this might look pretty smart: Shut down foreign tax havens and then steal their business. That would be the kind of thinking that’s undermining America’s standing in so many areas, from trade to climate change. Instead of using its power to establish an equitable system of global governance, it’s demanding a standard from the rest of the world that it refuses to apply to itself. That isn’t leadership.

UnionBank subsidiary CitySavings to acquire Ropali’s PR Savings Bank

CITY SAVINGS Bank, Inc. (CitySavings), the thrift banking arm of Aboitiz-led UnionBank of the Philippines (UnionBank) is set to acquire Philippine Resources Savings Banking Corp. (PR Savings) of the Ropali Group.

In a disclosure to the Philippine Stock Exchange yesterday, CitySavings said it has signed a share purchase agreement with the Ropali Group to acquire 100% of the common shares of PR Savings.

The purchase agreement was signed by Ropali Group chairman and founder Roberto P. Alingog and CitySavings Bank chairman and UnionBank executive vice-president Eugene S. Acevedo.

“This acquisition will expand our mass market reach, consistent with our vision to promote inclusive growth in the country,” UnionBank President and incoming Chief Executive Officer Edwin R. Bautista was quoted as saying in the statement.

The transaction, which will need to undergo closing conditions and secure regulatory approval, is targeted to be finished by the second quarter.

PR Savings Bank is the 15th largest thrift bank in the country in asset terms as of September 2017 with P13.2 billion. The Isabela-based bank, which started its operations in 1977 as Rural Bank of Naguilian (Isabela), Inc., operates 46 branches and 56 other banking offices.

The lender is focused on motorcycle, agri-machinery and teachers’ salary loans, serving over 131,000 borrowers, mostly from the mass market segment.

“The acquisition represents exciting new opportunities for CitySavings to substantially expand its reach in Luzon, as well as enter new market segments such as motorcycle and agri-machinery financing,” the statement read.

PR Savings is part of the Ropali Group of Companies, a mid-sized conglomerate with focus on motorcycles and agricultural machinery.

Ropali Group also owns five rural banks, which include Agribusiness Rural Bank, Inc., Rural Bank of Madela (Quirino), Inc., Emerald Rural Bank, Banco Alabang, Inc., and Farmers Savings And Loan Bank, Inc.

This acquisition will help bolster the operations of CitySavings Bank, which is the sixth largest thrift bank in the country as of September 2017, with assets amounting to P71.7 billion. — K.A.N. Vidal

Moon says better inter-Korean relations tied to resolution of Pyongyang’s nuke program

SEOUL — South Korean President Moon Jae-in said on Tuesday the improvement of inter-Korean relations was linked to resolving North Korea’s nuclear program, a day after the North offered talks with Seoul but was steadfast on its nuclear ambitions.

“The improvement of relations between North and South Korea cannot go separately with resolving North Korea’s nuclear program, so the foreign ministry should coordinate closely with allies and the international community regarding this,” Mr. Moon said in opening remarks at a cabinet meeting.

‘A BIGGER PRIORITY’
Mr. Moon’s comments contrasted with those of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, who said on Monday that Seoul should stop asking other countries for help in improving ties between the two Koreas.

“This shows the Moon administration is looking at the situation from a very realistic, rational point of view,” said Jeong Yeung-tae, head of the Institute of North Korea Studies in Seoul.

“It also shows resolving North Korea’s nuclear issue has a bigger priority (than improving inter-Korean relations).”

Mr. Moon’s comments came after a New Year’s Day speech by Mr. Kim who said he was “open to dialogue” with Seoul, and for North Korean athletes to possibly take part in the Winter Games, but steadfastly declared North Korea a nuclear power.

The South Korean president requested the ministries of unification and sports to swiftly create measures to help North Korea participate in the upcoming Pyeongchang Winter Olympics.

Choi Moon-soon, governor of Gangwon Province where the Pyeongchang Olympics is set to be held, has proposed South Korea would send cruise ships to bring North Korean athletes and officials to Pyeongchang, according to South Korean media.

Mr. Choi met North Korea’s sports official Mun Woong in China on Dec. 18 on the sidelines of an international youth football tournament where North and South Korea soccer teams competed, the Dong-A Ilbo newspaper reported.

Mr. Choi suggested sending cruise ships to North Korea’s Wonsan port to help the North minimize transportation costs and to use the ships as accommodation in South Korea, said the newspaper.

The governor did not immediately respond to a request by Reuters for comment on Tuesday.

‘OUR OFFER STANDS’
As for talks between the two Koreas, Defense Ministry spokeswoman Choi Hyun-soo said Seoul was awaiting a more detailed reply from Pyongyang to already-existing offers for dialogue made back in July last year by Seoul.

“We offered military talks in July and our offer still stands. We are waiting North Korea’s reply. We are willing to talk with North Korea on the peaceful resolution of the North’s nuclear program regardless of form, time and method,” said Choi in a regular briefing.

Mr. Kim’s offer of talks and sporting cooperation with South Korea follows a year dominated by fiery rhetoric and escalating tensions over Pyongyang’s nuclear weapons program.

North Korea tested its most powerful intercontinental ballistic missile in November, 2017, which it said was capable of delivering a warhead to anywhere in the United States.

On Monday, Mr. Kim said that North Korea would mass produce nuclear warheads and ballistic missiles in 2018 for operational deployment, warning he had a “nuclear button” on his desk which he would use if his country was threatened. — Reuters

No surprises

Action in the 2017-2018 National Basketball Association (NBA) season is nearing the halfway point and so far I have to say there are hardly any surprises as far as which teams are figuring in the playoff picture.

A quick look at the standing as of Jan. 1, 2018, the teams expected to make the playoffs are pretty much on track, with the final placing left to be determined.

Out in the Eastern Conference the Boston Celtics (30-10), Toronto Raptors (25-10) and the defending conference champions Cleveland Cavaliers (24-10) are the top three teams to date.

Definitely this is no left field for the three have been the best teams in the East for the last couple of years.

Boston, if at all, should get some second look not necessarily because it does not have in it to lead the pack but considering how it started the season, losing marquee signing Gordon Hayward to a freak, season-ending leg injury on opening day, one would expect it perhaps to lose some ground.

But thanks to young guns Jaylen Brown and Jason Tatum and the leadership and slick play of new leader Kyrie Irving and veteran Al Horford as well as the great coaching of Brad Stevens the Celtics are making things happen.

Toronto is up there with DeMar DeRozan leading (How about the 52-point performance yesterday, huh?) while Cleveland has been a solid third with still much upside despite the myriad of issues and injuries it has had to deal with so far.

The Detroit Pistons (20-15) at fourth are deserving albeit I still feel consistency issues still need to be addressed lest they see their placing fall.

The Washington Wizards (21-16) and Milwaukee Bucks (19-15) at fifth and sixth place, respectively, could be better on the back of stronger lineups.

The Miami Heat (19-17) and Indiana Pacers (19-18) round out the top eight and credit should be given to them to how they are handling transition.

Outside looking in are the New York Knicks (18-18) at ninth and Philadelphia 76ers (17-19) at 10th, which is representative of where they are at this stage of their development as a team led by up-and-coming stars.

The Charlotte Hornets at 13th place with a 13-23 record has been disappointing for me considering they already have a big man like Dwight Howard that should help them compete for at least at the tailend of the top eight spots.

In the Western Conference, the top three teams seen going at it for number one are living up to the billing.

The defending world champions Golden State Warriors (29-8) are leading followed by the Houston Rockets (26-9) and San Antonio Spurs (25-12).

At the current rate things are going it is highly probable that such sequence will stand till the end of the regular season albeit the recent hamstring injury to leading most valuable player candidate James Harden could be telling for Houston.

For all the changes they made in the offseason the Minnesota Timberwolves (23-14) and Oklahoma City Thunder (20-17) are starting to show some competitive form and could be dangerous at number four and five.

The Denver Nuggets (19-17), Portland Trail Blazers (18-17) and New Orleans Pelicans (18-18) could easily change positions but they no doubt have the materials to advance to the playoffs.

Blake Griffin’s recent injury had pushed the Los Angeles Clippers (16-19) back but now that he is playing anew they may make a serious push for the postseason.

The Utah Jazz (16-21) have shown glimpses of promise but it remains to be seen if they have enough motor to propel their playoff push.

Half way into the NBA season, we can see patterns developing, But it is still a long way to go and changes could still happen especially at the lower half of the standings heading into the postseason, leaving us fans with still something to look forward to.

 

Michael Angelo S. Murillo has been a columnist since 2003. He is a BusinessWorld reporter covering the Sports beat.

msmurillo@www.bworldonline.com

SC fines RTC judge for ignorance of law

FOR allegedly granting the application for bail and ordered the release of a man with no standing warrant of arrest, Bogo City Regional Trial Court (RTC) Judge Antonio Marigomen was found guilty of an administrative case. The Supreme Court (SC), in a decision penned by Associate Justice Marvic Leonen, found Mr. Marigomen of Branch 61 liable of less serious charge for violating Supreme Court rules, directives, and circulars, and of serious charge of gross ignorance of the law. — The Freeman

Ducati pitches 2018 Multistrada 1260 as a handier multipurpose tool

INTENDED from its 2010 launch as a “four-bikes-in-one” model, the Multistrada has proven its versatility in serving as a sport bike, a tourer, an enduro or a daily-use street bike, this ability largely credited to its multiple riding modes. Now, Ducati said it has made the model even more capable in tackling its different roles with the release, in mid-December 2017, of the 2018 Multistrada 1260.

As its name declares, the latest Multistrada gets a bigger engine — the 1,262-cc Testastretta DVT (for Desmodromic Variable Timing) engine that propels its XDiavel sibling. Tuned differently to put out torque around the middle of the rev range, the Euro4-compliant L-twin engine allocates 85% of its torque output at 3,500 rpm while bettering this by 18% at 5,500 rpm. Ducati said the engine makes the highest torque output in its class at 4,000 rpm, a speed at which most L-twins spin, so the Multistrada 1260 is handier for daily use.

Along with new connecting rods, crankshaft and cylinders, Ducati said it recalibrated the bike’s DVT system not only for the engine to produce more grunt in low to mid range, but also to make it churn 158 hp at 9,750 rpm and 129 Nm at 7,500 rpm.

Controlling power delivery has been improved by a new ride-by-wire system that’s paired to the Ducati Quick Shift, which promises “more accurate” gear shifts, according to Ducati. Other electronic governors fitted to the bike are the Bosch Inertial Measurement Unit that controls Cornering ABS, Ducati Cornering Lights, Ducati Wheelie Control (DWC) and Ducati Traction Control (DTC). Both DWC and DTC allow the rider to set sensitivity levels by eight different degrees, or disable these altogether. The brand’s Vehicle Hold Control has been included as standard this time around, while the Multistrada 1260 S variant adds the semi-active Ducati Skyhook Suspension Evolution control system to the package.

Regardless of variant, the Multistrada 1260 is kitted with cruise control. On the 1260 S this can be activated via Bluetooth on the multimedia system, which, incidentally, can pair with smart phones. Information about calls, text messages or music selection from connected devices is displayed on a new TFT dashboard.

The Multistrada 1260’s chassis has been updated with a longer swing arm, stretching the bike’s wheelbase. But Ducati said the revised geometry of the front suspension has led to “sharper handling in curves, and ensures full stability even when riding two-up at full load.”

While retaining the styling cues of the previous Multistrada 1200, the 1260 sports new details like its sleeker side fairing panels, a rear aluminum sub-frame that incorporates luggage mounts, and the five Y-spoke wheels. And, like before, the Multistrada 1260 is available in four equipment packages. In Touring guise the bike gets heated grips, a center stand and color-matched panniers. Sport throws in a Termignoni slip-on exhaust, carbon fiber mudguard and billet aluminum brake and clutch reservoir caps. Urban counts a top case, a lockable tank bag and a USB hub while Enduro wears auxiliary lights and Ducati performance components by Touratech, which include engine protection bars, a radiator guard and oil sump guard, a larger kickstand base and off-road foot pegs.

All this makes the Multistrada 1260 an even handier tool.

Art&Culture (01/03/18)

Julius Legaspi at Gateway Gallery

GATEWAY GALLERY opens 2018 with an exhibit by Julius Legaspi who will present new pastel paintings in his fourth solo show, Paghirang. It opens with an Artist Reception on Jan. 6 at the Small Room of Gateway Gallery. In this solo show, Legaspi — who hails from Bulacan — demonstrates his mastery of the pastel medium. He conducts art workshops, is president of Philippine Pastel Artists, and is a member of the Philippine Art Educators’ Association. Paghirang will open to the public on Jan. 7 and will run until Jan. 20. Parts of the proceeds of the exhibit will go to Remote Area Medical Philippines to support is medical missions. Gateway Gallery — open daily from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. — is located at the 5F Gateway Tower, Araneta Center, Quezon City.

Paolo Icasas at the CCP

AN exhibit of works by Paolo Icasas called The Ordinary Man is on view at the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP). The artist takes inspiration from the daily lives of manual laborers, especially those who he works with firsthand. As the first born of parents engaged in a modest construction business, Icasas was the one who took over after his father’s death. It wasn’t just the business that was passed on; it was also the care for the livelihood and welfare of his late father’s workers, most of whom had left their homes in the provinces in hope of a better pay to raise their respective families. The artist sees the manual laborers as extensions of the vacant lots he has a certain affinity to and which he paints as landscapes . Most of his landscapes are named after the addresses of the vacant lots. Calling them by their “name” is his way of bringing the attention to the vacant lots themselves, and to that which they represent.

4 exhibits at Vinyl on Vinyl

OPENING on Jan. 12 are four exhibits featuring Timo Roter and Manuel Ocampo, Nemo Aguila and Darrel Ballesteros, Edric Go, and a group exhibit curated by Alex Junia, Gab Baez, and Geline Marquez featuring works by Nice Buenaventura, Mars Bugaoan, Miles Villanueva, Gab Baez, Isha Naguiat, and Jacob Lindo. Vinyl on Vinylis located at Pasillo 18, La Fuerza Compound 1, Chino Roces Ave., Makati City.

Photos at Solaire

SIX photographers whose intent is to get the viewer to pause, go a level deeper and “see beyond” will have a photo exhibit/fund-raiser for the ERDA Tech Vocational School at Solaire’s The Shoppes Artway from Jan. 3 to 25. The six photographers are Angela Panlillio, Bern Wong, Jeff Dytuco, Michael Olivares, Fred Tiongson, and Tony Rivera.

Thomas is back

For the Cavaliers, some good news: Isaiah Thomas will finally be taking to the court today. He played the long game; even as he wanted to burn rubber as fast as he could, he followed the advice of the franchise’s medical staff and took his time. Never mind that he’s slated to be a free agent after the season, and that missing four-tenths of a contract year will make it harder for him to prove he’s worth, in his words, “the Brink’s truck.” Preferring to first take a step back in order to move two steps forward, he thought best to err on the side of caution in recovering from the hip injury that sidelined him deep into the 2017 playoffs.

Parenthetically, Thomas couldn’t have returned at a better time. The Cavaliers have lost three straight — and five of the last six — matches, and need the spark he figures to provide in order to shake off the malaise. He won’t be hitting the ground running, what with a minutes restriction slated to be strictly implemented. Still, his presence cannot but he deemed a boon; for all his supposed deficiencies on defense, his dynamism on offense should prevent the opposition from loading up on fellow All-Stars LeBron James and Kevin Love, not to mention provide opportunities for the rest.

Which, for all intents, is why Thomas’ teammates couldn’t be any happier. Among others, James, Dwayne Wade, and J.R. Smith took to social media to welcome him back, professing excitement to see him in wine and gold against the Blazers today. Heck, even Jose Calderon and Cedi Osman, whose spots in the rotation he will be affecting, professed their glee. Notably, he will be missing the set-to against the Celtics tomorrow, but small strides make for sterling sprints; the hope is that he will be able to go full bore when he pays the Garden a visit next month.

In any case, Thomas is back, and Cavaliers fans will know soon enough whether he can succeed in exorcising the demons left behind by erstwhile star Kyrie Irving. All signs point to the affirmative. He’s showing up at last, and, if his capacity to continuously overcome adversity is any indication, he’ll be putting up as well.

 

Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994. He is the Senior Vice-President and General Manager of Basic Energy Corp.

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