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CIA puts history out in open with millions of online records

WASHINGTON — The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is putting its clandestine history out in the open with a declassified trove of 12 million pages that’s available online.

Documents covering the agency’s work from the 1940s through 1990s were previously accessible — but only by visiting the National Archives in College Park, Maryland. The CIA is required to declassify most records that are 25 years or older.

“This is one of the things that we think improves transparency for us, and it’s a simple thing” to make information “more widely available,” Joseph Lambert, the CIA’s director of information management, said in a phone interview.

Known as the CIA Records Search Tool, or CREST, the collection includes reports on policy and intelligence operations, with topics from the Cold War and Vietnam to terrorism and global economics. The agency continues to review documents for declassification, but the number of records to be assessed is growing rapidly, beyond the realm of humans “being able to scale to that kind of volume,” Mr. Lambert said.

Mr. Lambert said the agency is looking at emerging technology, including artificial intelligence and machine-learning tools, to help process the staggering amount of documents officials must pore through. That requires judging whether releasing the content would harm national security and redacting certain sensitive names and details.

“Human beings can only do so many pages,” Mr. Lambert said. “It’s a difficult endeavor to make sure that you can put together the right technologies to assist a human being going forward to scale to hundreds of millions of pages.” — Bloomberg

JFK daughter Caroline Kennedy steps down as US ambassador to Japan

TOKYO — Caroline Kennedy on Wednesday stepped down as US ambassador to Japan, the embassy said, ending a three-year tenure for the rookie envoy who was welcomed into the job with movie-star fanfare.

The sole surviving child of assassinated US President John F. Kennedy took up the post in November 2013 as her boss, Barack Obama, focused on Asia in the face of a rising China and unpredictable North Korea.

Despite being wartime enemies, the US and Japan are close allies and thousands lined the streets of Tokyo to catch a glimpse of Ms. Kennedy when she arrived to start the job. The event was broadcast live on television.

Ms. Kennedy’s replacement has not yet been appointed by incoming US leader Donald Trump.

A first-time envoy, Ms. Kennedy, 59, had a high profile in Japan and regularly visited the northeast, which was devastated by the 2011 quake-tsunami disaster.

She also participated in memorial ceremonies in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the targets of the US atomic bombing in the final days of World War II.

Last year, Ms. Kennedy joined President Obama on an historic visit to Hiroshima, the first serving US President to do so.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, accompanied by Mr. Obama, visited Pearl Harbor in December, opening a new diplomatic chapter for the two former enemies — 75 years after Japan’s surprise attack that led to America’s entrance into the war.

“I think that both the President’s visit to Hiroshima and the Prime Minister’s visit to Pearl Harbor really show how far our two countries have come together,” she said in an interview with the top-selling Yomiuri newspaper published Wednesday.

“To be able to be at both of those events during my ambassadorship, I feel so incredibly fortunate and privileged.”

Ms. Kennedy also witnessed tense negotiations over moving a major US military base in Okinawa, which hosts more than half of the approximately 47,000 American military personnel stationed in Japan.

Despite the two countries’ close relationship, the presence of US troops has led to diplomatic flare-ups.

The popular diplomat raised eyebrows in 2014 when she expressed concerns on social media about what she called the “inhumaneness” of a Japanese village’s traditional dolphin hunt.

Japan’s whaling and dolphin hunting is a sore point in relations with many Western nations including the United States. — AFP

Merkel seeks 4th term, faces German voters on Sept. 24

BERLIN — Germany looks set to hold its federal election on Sunday Sept. 24, with Chancellor Angela Merkel seeking a fourth term in office and the anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany party expected to enter the national parliament for the first time.

Government spokesman Steffen Seibert said on Twitter that the Cabinet had suggested that date to the President, who has the final decision but tends to agree with the government’s proposal.

Ms. Merkel faces a tougher re-election campaign than previously after allowing more than a million migrants from the Middle East, Africa and elsewhere to enter the country in the last two years.

Concerns about integration and security have pushed her popularity down and fuelled the rise of the anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, which is expected to win enough votes to clear the 5% threshold to enter the federal parliament.

A poll by Forsa for German magazine Stern published on Wednesday put Ms. Merkel’s conservative bloc — her Christian Democrats and the Christian Social Union, their Bavarian sister party — on 38%, up one point.

The Social Democrats (SPD), junior partner in the ruling coalition, also edged up by one point to 21% while the AfD shed one point, falling to 11%.

The head of the Forsa opinion research institute which conducted the poll, Manfred Guellner, said a jihadist attack on a Berlin Christmas market last month that killed 12 people and was committed by a rejected asylum seeker had failed to boost support for the AfD.

“Although the security debate after the Berlin terror attack is running high, the AfD is unable to capitalise on it,” Mr. Guellner said in a statement.

“It is actually losing support while the CDU/CSU and the SPD are stabilizing.”

RADICAL SURGE
The AfD, born as a eurosceptic party in 2013, has attempted to harness public unease with migration and asylum and, due to its relative strength, threatens to scramble the potentially complicated arithmetic of coalition building after the election.

It hopes to become the first populist party to gain seats in the Bundestag lower house of parliament in post-war Germany.

The AfD, seeking to gain momentum from a surge of European radical parties, will host a meeting of far-right leaders in the western city of Koblenz on Saturday.

Leaders expected to attend include Marine Le Pen, the presidential candidate for France’s National Front; Harald Vilimsky of Austria’s nationalist FPOe party; and Dutch MP Geert Wilders of the anti-Islam Freedom Party (PVV).

The Forsa poll, conducted Jan. 9 to 13 among a representative sample of 2,053 eligible voters, showed the ecologist Greens and the far-left Linke each at nine percent and the pro-business Free Democrats at six percent.

The Greens, who have been mentioned as potential partners in government for Ms. Merkel after the election, on Monday chose two members of their pragmatist wing, Cem Ozdemir and Katrin Goering-Eckardt, to lead the party into the general election.

Both have praised Ms. Merkel’s stance on refugees.

However, Ms. Merkel has faced blowback from within her own conservative bloc, with the Christian Social Union in the southern state of Bavaria agitating for an upper limit on new asylum seekers — a bid Ms. Merkel has repeatedly rejected.

US president-elect Donald Trump said in a newspaper interview Monday that Ms. Merkel had made a “catastrophic mistake” in letting migrants flood into Germany.

Yet some analysts say German uncertainty over the future of the post-war order with Mr. Trump at the helm in Washington and Britain leaving the European Union could help Ms. Merkel’s campaign as voters long for stability. — Reuters and AFP

Feeding the PHL’s growing appetite for connectivity

TODAY, there are at least 3.6 billion Internet users in the world and more than 54 million are located in the archipelagic Philippines. In fact, Filipinos are the world’s top Internet and social media users. On average, Filipinos spend 6.3 hours a day online via laptop and 3.3 hours a day via mobile compared to the global average of 4.4 hours a day and 2.7 hours a day respectively in 2015.

On top of that, the Philippines is also the fastest growing smartphone market in Southeast Asia. To feed the country’s increasing demand for Internet connection, the government has launched ongoing initiatives over the years to boost the infrastructure. The country’s hunger for digital content presents great market potential for online businesses — such as gaming, shopping and banking.

A woman checks her mobile phone while working on her laptop. — BW file photo

THE PHILIPPINES’ STATE OF THE INTERNET
While Philippines’ connectivity infrastructure is in its infancy, the country’s connectivity has shown steady improvements over the years. Akamai’s Q2 2016 State of the Internet — Connectivity report showed that the average connection speed increased 24% from the first quarter.

To continue the momentum in improving the country’s connectivity, the government has introduced ongoing initiatives for faster Internet speeds in the coming years. The country’s lead agency on ICT-related matters, Department of Science and Technology — Information and Communications Technology Office (DoST-ICTO), is driving necessary developments in the ICT policy and infrastructure including Smart City initiatives and cyber security. Additionally, the two dominant network service providers in the country are working on enhancing and expanding their mobile Internet services and coverage.

LET’S GET DIGITAL
Given the steady improvement of connectivity, and a strong demand for digital content and mobile usage, the Internet presents great potential for businesses to move online and flourish. However, moving online also means heavier reliance on delivering content and data through the Internet to end-users, and businesses need to overcome new challenges that come with providing a fast, secure and seamless experience for their users.

Here are three tips to stand out from others riding the online wave:

    • Highly distributed architecture for optimum Web traffic delivery

Users in the digital era expect highly available and on-demand access to content and information. It is mission-critical for businesses to accelerate Web pages to load as quickly as possible, on any device, anywhere. Even a fraction of a second matters. Did you know that 47% of shoppers expect Web sites to load in 2 seconds? Select cloud-based application delivery platforms that are built on a highly distributed network architecture and powered by intelligent traffic routing software. The highly distributed positioning of servers enables the software to leverage both geographic and network proximity to end-users to effectively route traffic. Thus, this ensures consistent high-performance and low-latency Internet traffic routes even in times of outages, errors, or congestion for optimized, seamless and speedy delivery of online content.

    • Scalability and real-time intelligence is key

Being able to provide consumers with high-quality and engaging product images are crucial. Image-heavy sites with interactive elements are key to grasping attention, creating a deep impression which in turn leads to increased chances of conversions. Images are necessary for any online business but creating and maintaining a repository of images for an entire catalogue of products suitable for devices of all sizes can take a real toll on the site.

Consider a solution that is designed for flexible integration with existing storage and publishing workflow environments. By using a real-time algorithm to analyze each image and apply a precise level of compression, businesses can deliver the richest, fastest and best-suited images for each end-user and device.

    • Building and maintaining cyber resilience

The Web security threat environment is constantly evolving and attack methods are growing in sophistication and in size with each passing attack. These attacks aim at taking the Web site down, risking downtime, data breach or Web site defacement which ultimately impacts the brand’s reputation. Businesses reported that Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks cost them an average of $1.5 million annually. The threat is real and in the fight against cyber-attacks, taking on a proactive, multi-layer defense is no longer a choice, but a necessity. Such approach entails

  • Active maintenance for up-to-date web applications configuration and network systems to prevent cyber-attackers from penetrating organization’s assets;
  • Interactive monitoring, early detection and faster threat mitigation to minimize cyber-attack’s impact;
  • Round-the-clock security experts to customize and fine-tune adjustments in configuration rules in almost real-time to optimize defense and protection against the latest threat vectors.

As the Philippines’ Internet infrastructure continues to mature, 2017 promises to be an interesting and exciting year for organizations in the virtual space — online retailers, financial institutions, e-gaming companies, public sector organizations and more. User experience remains key to creating loyal customers and supporters, it is pertinent that businesses work with a partner who can help them navigate the fast-evolving landscape and provide advanced solutions to stay ahead of the game.

Gerald Penaflor is the country manager of Akamai Technologies in the Philippines.

Domineering Warriors

First off, let’s be clear about one thing: The Warriors’ victory over the Cavaliers the other day has absolutely no bearing at all in regard to their bid to claim the Larry O’Brien Trophy in June. For all the celebrating the 35-point trouncing elicited in the 19,516-strong Oracle Arena, it was, in the final analysis, a single outing midway through a long campaign. True, the way it unfolded was nothing short of perfect for the blue and gold; they got off to a scorching start and sustained their focus until the final buzzer, exposing the defending champions as overmatched at best. On the other hand, it’s precisely because they don’t have the hardware on their mantel that they would do well not to delve on the significance of their accomplishment.

Indeed, the Warriors understand the pitfalls of premature revelry. This time last year, they likewise schooled the Cavaliers; in fact, the 34-point drubbing compelled the latter to institute internal overhauls designed to keep pace with the evident front-runners. They then went on to post two National Basketball Association milestones; they became owners of both the best regular-season record and the worst Finals collapse in pro hoops history. So if there’s anything their bitter experience taught them, it’s that the finish is far more important than anything before it.

That said, the Warriors cannot but be pleased with how they competed against the Cavaliers, who hitherto seemed to have their number. Their travails have made them wiser, and their potential to contend consistently in the medium term have also made them more intimidating; one-time league Most Valuable Player Kevin Durant would not have joined them had they managed to defend their title. And, as they stamp their class anew, they appreciate the irony of their Finals failure setting up their future success.

In the aftermath of the Warriors’ triumph, vital cog Draymond Green professed his belief that they have a rivalry with the Cavaliers. In truth, they’re a cut above all and sundry. At their best, they have no equal, which is to say they need not go beyond their own backyard to find their most formidable foils. When they’re full of confidence, as they are these days, they don’just win; they dominate.

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.

Tumbaga memories

I’d like to introduce BW readers to Mr. Eliseo Tumbaga. He has been a journalist and then later an entrepreneur, corporate executive and business consultant for the past 43 years.

As regards, chess he is a FIDE-licensed trainer with rank of National Instructor and secretary of the Professional Chess Trainers Association of the Philippines. Eli is also the founder and admin of the Facebook group Chess News & Views, which I urge all our readers to join.

It was in his Facebook page that I learned several months ago that chess legend GM William Lombardy was facing imminent eviction from his New York City home of the past 30 years due to rent in arrears.

William Lombardy was one of the best players in the USA during the ’50s and ’60s. He won the 1957 World Junior Championship with a perfect 11-0 score (one of his victims was Rudy Tan Cardoso), a record that stands to this day.

In 1967, he was ordained a Roman Catholic priest but left the priesthood in the ’80s to get married and have a son. His main claim to fame was for being the coach and second of Bobby Fischer from the time Bobby was 11 years old all the way up to the 1972 World Championship match with Boris Spassky. It is said that Lombardy was a key figure in keeping Fischer in Reykjavik despite several threats to withdraw and to finish the match victoriously.

Mr. Tumbaga reported that Lombardy’s problem with the rent was solved when a generous family in the Chicago area offered to let him move in with them. Eli then shared some of his memories of William Lombardy when he came to Manila to participate in the 1973 Manila International, the very first attempt of the Philippines to organize a big international tournament. In the 1960s, Meralco organized tournaments with guest grandmasters, even bringing in Bobby Fischer once, but in the 1970s, Mr. Florencio Campomanes started organizing big international tournaments in the Philippines, and even made the impossible dream come true of having a chess Olympiad brought to Manila shores in 1992.

That was still many years away. With the chess popularity after the 1972 match of the century between Bobby Fischer and Boris Spassky “Campo” invited world championship candidate Bent Larsen, top players from world powers Yugoslavia, USA and Argentina and some more other European players to come to the Philippines and play in the inaugural Manila International Chess tournament. The players were to be wined and dined and treated like kings, even brought to Malacanang Palace where President Ferdinand Marcos feted them.

Eli Tumbaga’s memories:

“I had the pleasure of meeting GM Lombardy in 1973 when I was just starting out as a 19-year-old sportswriter with The Times Journal, one of the three leading English-language newspapers in the Philippines.

“Early one morning, before 7 o’clock, I went to the Manila International Airport to meet GM Lombardy and GM Lubomir Kavalek. They were arriving from San Francisco to take part in the Manila International Chess Championship and I was assigned by my editor to interview them.

“When I arrived at the airport, Mr. Florencio Campomanes was already there waiting for the two GMs. As you know, he always wanted to be in control of any situation and I think he was annoyed that I was going to interview them. Mrs. Irina Kavalek arrived with them, by the way, and the Times Journal photographer was also there. Campo couldn’t say directly that interviews were banned but his glare said it all. He couldn’t box me out totally because there were three visitors and I was able to interview them in round-robin fashion as they were walking towards Immigration desk and then to the exit.

“In the evening, the two American GMs conducted a simultaneous exhibition and my boss managed to get a seat for me. I was assigned to Kavalek, who had acted as Fischer’s second in the second half of the match with Spassky after Fischer had a disagreement with Lombardy.

The simuls were held at the penthouse of the Manila Bank building on Ayala Avenue which is now the head office of China Bank Savings. Manila Bank was owned by the Puyat family and Lito Puyat, president of the Basketball Association of the Philippines at the time, invited them to watch a basketball game at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum after the conclusion of their joint exhibition.

“As it turned out, I was the last man standing among the chess amateurs who showed up that evening. No one anticipated that I would put up stiff resistance against GM Kavalek. Because our game was taking too long, the visitors were in danger of missing the basketball game altogether. At one point, GM Lombardy said to GM Kavalek in a loud stage whisper: ‘Give him a draw so we can watch the ballgame!’

“GM Kavalek ignored the plea. I played the Najdorf Variation of the Sicilian Defense against him, not knowing that he was one of the foremost experts in the world on that opening, and I was holding my own deep into the middlegame.

Perhaps GM Kavalek considered it a matter of honor not to concede a draw in his area of expertise to an unknown amateur, who only a few months before had played in the national junior championship — his first tournament.

I lost the match eventually but I wasn’t unhappy about it. I learned later that the visiting grandmasters arrived at the basketball venue with just minutes remaining in the game.

“In the evening, I was worried that Campo might still be mad at me. But he kept a poker face and then turned on the charm when the simuls were about to begin. When I was the only one left playing, I saw him with a wide grin beside GM Lombardy. They stood behind GM Kavalek, looking at the position on the board with much interest. I think he was telling GM Lombardy that I was one of the products of his junior tournaments in the Philippines. By the time my match with GM Kavalek was finished, I think I had been forgiven for my transgression in the morning.

“A few days later, my editor, Gus Villanueva, told me that Campo called and had some nice words about my play.

“It was certainly one of my most memorable experiences as a chess player who had never before played a GM. The Philippines — and the whole of Asia — did not have a GM yet at the time. Eugene Torre got his GM title the following year, after the World Chess Olympiad in Nice, France. Sadly, I lost the scoresheet as I kept moving from place to place.

“I certainly hope that our chess-playing friends in Chicagoland, particularly IM Angelo Young and Florentino Inumerable, will find the time to welcome GM Lombardy to his new place of residence.

Manila 1973

Final Standings

1. GM Bent Larsen DEN 2620, 12.5/15

2. GM Ljubomir Ljubojevic YUG 2565, 11.5/15

3. GM Lubomir Kavalek USA 2565, 11.0/15

4. GM Svetozar Gligoric YUG 2595, 9.5/15

5-6. GM William Lombardy USA 2520, GM Florin Gheorghiu ROM 2550, 9.0/15

7-8. IM Stefano Tatai ITA 2430, GM Borislav Ivkov YUG 2520, 8.5/15

9-10. GM Miguel Najdorf ARG 2525, GM Miguel Angel Quinteros ARG 2520, 8.0/15

11-12. IM Eugenio Torre PHI 2430, IM Rodolfo Tan Cardoso PHI 2375, 6.5/15

13. IM Renato Naranja PHI 2420, 4.5/15

14. NM Edgar de Castro PHI 2285, 4.0/15

15-16. IM Max Arie Wotulo INA 2330, IM Haji Ardiansyah INA 2350, 1.5/15

Manila 1973 was among the strongest international tournaments in 1973. GM William Lombardy finished fifth and won the $1,000 “Brilliancy Prize” for the following game (also in the Najdorf Variation).

* * *
Lombardy, William James (2520) — Quinteros, Miguel Angel (2520) [B99]
Manila (13), 03.11.1973

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Bg5 e6 7.f4 Be7 8.Qf3 h6 9.Bh4 Qc7 10.0 — 0 — 0 Nbd7 11.Be2

The bishop goes to e2 to support the g2 — g4 pawn push. If he pushes the pawn now Black has 11.g4? g5! 12.fxg5 Ne5 13.Qg3 Nfxg4 14.gxh6 Bxh4 15.Qxh4 Qe7 the second player is doing very well.

11…Rb8

Removing the rook from the long diagonal in anticipation of the e4-e5 pawn push by White.

12.Qg3

Attacking g7 and also threatening Nxe6

12…Rg8 13.Rhf1!

GM Lombardy had been writing a book on the 1973 USA Championship and had studied intensively this move, which John Grefe used with deadly effect against Walter Browne in the 1973 USA Championship.

13…b5

The Grefe game continued 13…g5 14.fxg5 Ne5 15.Nf3! b5 16.Nxe5 b4 17.Nxf7! bxc3 18.gxf6! Rxg3 19.fxe7 Rg5 20.Bxg5 hxg5 21.Nxd6+ 1 — 0 Grefe,J (2200)-Browne,W (2530) El Paso 1973.

14.Nxe6!?

Lombardy took an hour before deciding on the text move. Actually, recent analysis has shown that a better way to continue is 14.Bxf6! Bxf6 (14…Nxf6 15.e5 dxe5 16.fxe5 Nd7 17.Nd5! exd5 18.Bh5 Bg5+ 19.Kb1 Rf8 20.Rxf7! too much!) 15.f5 Bxd4 (15…Nc5 16.fxe6 Bg5+ 17.Kb1 Bxe6 18.Nxe6 Nxe6 19.Nd5 Qc5 20.h4 Be7 21.Bg4 White just has too many threats and he has not even sacrificed anything) 16.fxe6 fxe6 17.Bh5+ Kd8 18.Rxd4 b4 19.Ne2 Rb5 20.Qg6 Qc5 21.Qxe6 Nf6 22.Qb3 Qxh5 23.Rxf6 White has a decisive advantage.

14…fxe6 15.Qg6+ Kd8

[15…Kf8 16.e5 dxe5 17.f5 (threat is Bh5) 17…e4 18.Bxf6 gxf6 (18…Nxf6 19.Bh5) 19.Qxh6+ Rg7 20.fxe6 followed by Nd5]

16.e5 dxe5 <D>

POSITION AFTER 16…DXE5

17.f5!?

During the time of this game Lombardy’s 17.f5 was hailed as a brilliant solution, but in the light of the Black defense pointed out later it appears that 17.Qf7 is more correct. 17…Re8 18.Qxg7 Nd5 19.Bh5 Bxh4 20.Bxe8 N7b6 21.Qxh6 Qe7 22.Ne4! Kxe8 23.fxe5 Kd8 24.g3 White’s material advantage will win the game for him.

17…exf5 18.Bxf6 Bxf6 19.Nd5 Qc6! 20.Rxf5 Rf8 21.Bg4 Rb6?

The losing move. Black can still miraculously hold the position with 21…Qe6! after best play 22.Rf3 (22.Rxf6? Rxf6! tables are turned and it is now Black who is winning) 22…Qe8 23.Qe4 Bg5+ 24.Kb1 Rxf3 25.Qxf3 Qf8 it looks like the worst is over for Black.

22.Rxf6! gxf6

22…Rxf6? 23.Qxg7 Re6 24.Qf7 there doesn’t seem to be anything Black can do. If 24…Qd6 then 25.Nxb6 Qxb6 26.Bxe6 Qc6 27.Qf8+ Kc7 28.Qe7 e4 29.Bf5 a5 30.Bxe4 Qb6 31.Bf5.

23.Qg7 Rb7

[23…Re8 24.Nxb6 Re7 25.Qg8+ Re8 26.Bxd7!]

24.Qe7# 1 — 0

A nice finish.

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

Mbala, Oraeme get mythical team nod from media

BEN MBALA of De La Salle University and Allwell Oraeme of Mapua Institute of Technology, most valuable players in the biggest collegiate leagues in the country, banner the Collegiate Mythical Five selection that will be awarded by the UAAP-NCAA Press Corps later this month.

In an announcement made early this week, Mbala and Oraeme, MVPs in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) and National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), respectively, head the five-man cast and to be joined by Jeron Teng of La Salle, Jio Jalalon of Arellano University and Javee Mocon of San Beda College.

Being named to the mythical five, said players are eligible to be named player of the year in the annual awards ceremony organized by the people covering the two marquee leagues.

Played for the first time with the Archers in Season 79 after completing his residency, Mbala was a runaway winner for the UAAP MVP award with averages of 20.7 points, 16 rebounds, 1.3 steals and 2.5 blocks while helping his team to a near-perfect slate in the elimination round with a 13-1 record.

His presence proved to be a huge difference maker for the Taft-based team, which made its way back to the UAAP summit with the Season 79 crown after missing the final four altogether the previous year.

Oraeme, meanwhile, proved why he is the best big man in the country’s longest-standing collegiate league, winning his second consecutive MVP award in NCAA Season 92.

The title would not go his and the Cardinals’ way but he was instrumental in Mapua making it back to the semifinal round for a second consecutive time with averages of 16 points, 20 rebounds and 2.4 blocks a game.

Teng, for his part, took a back step for teammate Mbala for much of the UAAP season but when it came to winning time the King Archer showed the way, leading his team to the title over archrivals Ateneo Blue Eagles with norms of 19 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists in the finals en route to being named best player of the championship series.

Jalalon, now in the pros with the Star Hotshots, made huge waves in his final year in the NCAA, posting stellar numbers of 21.1 points, six boards, 7.4 assists and 2.3 steals in steering his Arellano team to a runner-up finish.

While his numbers were not as staggering as the other mythical five members, Mocon (11.3 ppg, 8.4 rpg, 3 apg and 1 spg) was a steadying factor in San Beda recapturing the NCAA title. He also stepped up to the plate when top Lions big man Donald Tankoua had his season cut short by a knee injury.

Apart from the Collegiate Mythical Five award, also to be handed out is the Coach of the Year which will go to Aldin Ayo of UAAP champion La Salle and Jamike Jarin of NCAA titleholder San Beda.

Also to be given are the Pivotal Player, Impact Player, Super Senior and Mr. Efficiency awards.

The annual Collegiate Basketball Awards by the UAAP-NCAA Press Corps is backed by Smart, Accel, Mighty Sports, MJM Productions and Chooks to Go.

It happens on Jan. 26 at the Montgomery Place Social Hall in E. Rodriguez Ave., Quezon City. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo

La Salle’s Ben Mbala leads the Collegiate Mythical Five selection of the UAAP-NCAA Press Corps. — Alvin S. Go

Anthony reportedly keen to stay with floundering Knicks

NEW YORK — New York Knicks coach Jeff Hornacek says he’s willing to “look at everything” in a bid to find a winning formula, but Knicks watchers were looking beyond lineup changes Tuesday in a bid to parse the future of the NBA franchise.

A meeting between veteran star Carmelo Anthony and team President Phil Jackson was described variously in US media reports as “contentious” and “calm and business-like” with the New York Daily News reporting that Anthony told Jackson he wants to stay in New York.

Speculation that Jackson wanted Anthony out were fueled by an Internet column by Charley Rosen, a former assistant coach and confidant of Jackson, who wrote that Anthony’s “legs are going, going, almost gone.”

“The only sure thing is that Carmelo Anthony has outlived his usefulness in New York,” Rosen opined.

On Monday, Anthony said he wasn’t interested in waiving his no-trade clause, and that he’d proven his loyalty to the organization.

“I don’t think I have to speak on that,” he told ESPN.com. “I think I’ve proven that over the years, day in and day out.”

Anthony’s comments came after the Knicks dropped a heartbreaker at Madison Square Garden, falling 108-107 to the Atlanta Hawks. It was the Knicks’ 11th defeat in their last 13 games.

Hornacek, who shook up his starting lineup to include rookies Ron Baker and Mindaugas Kuzminskas, said Tuesday he’d look at more changes as he searches for a winning formula.

He said Anthony, who has started at power forward for the past three games as Kristaps Porzingis battles a sore Achilles tendon, could stay there when Porzingis returns, with the Lithuanian starting at center and France’s Joakim Noah coming off the bench.

“We’ve got to look at everything,” Hornacek said. “In the long run, we’ve got to look at hey, when KP comes back, will it change everything altogether and what it will do?”

“Sometimes it’s a chance you have to take, but we continue to look over that. We just need to mix it up maybe a little more.” — AFP

Meralco willing to bet on talented injured Lutz

CHRIS LUTZ is worth the gamble.

That’s how Meralco coach Norman Black sums up the decision regarding the acquisition of the talented but injured swingman, who missed most of the games last season due to various injuries.

One of the most talented players to enter the Rookie Draft in 2011, Mr. Lutz was a member of the original Smart Gilas team in 2008 and went on to play for the national squad for three years.

He was selected third overall in the 2011 Rookie Draft behind JVee Casio and Paul Lee and had a splendid season in his freshman year. His average would go down following the acquisition of Marcio Lassiter, his former teammate, who shares the same position with the former Marshall University player.

Over the past two seasons, Mr. Lutz hit rock bottom as he had suffered different sorts of injuries — from his knee, his hamstring, his foot and his waist.

Just recently, Mr. Lutz underwent operation and is now on his way to recovery, but he will need more time to rest before plunging back to action.

Merlaco coach Norman Black is willing to take the risk.

“We are aware that Chris is recovering from an injury and will need more time to completely heal,” wrote Mr. Black in a text message. “The time table is for him to be back on the court sometime in March and to be back as an active player as soon as he can get back into playing shape, which we don’t see happening before the month of April.”

Black believes that once Mr. Lutz regained his old, deadly form, he’ll be an asset to Meralco’s future campaign. The Bolts are currently languishing at the bottom of the standings in the Philippine Cup with a tournament-worst 2-7 win-loss record. They are in danger of being eliminated for the second straight season of the same conference.

“Obviously, he’s coming off an injury so it’s somewhat a risk, but we felt it was a risk worth taking and we are looking forward to his recovery. We do know that if he returns to his regular playing condition, he will be a valuable asset to the Meralco team. It’s very rare that you can pick up a player of his talent and experience off the UFA (unrestricted free agent) list. That7;s the rationale,” he added.

Chris Lutz, shown in action against Jericho Cruz of Rain or Shine. — PBA Media Bureau

Many happy returns for birthday girl Kerber

MELBOURNE — World number one Angelique Kerber gave herself the perfect birthday gift Wednesday by reaching the Australian Open third round, but she had to work hard against fellow German Carina Witthoeft.

Germany’s Angelique Kerber hits a return against Germany’s Carina Witthoeft during their women’s singles match on day three of the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne on January 18, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / SAEED KHAN / IMAGE RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE – STRICTLY NO COMMERCIAL USE

The defending champion, who turned 29, battled through 6-2, 6-7 (3/7), 6-2 and will next face Czech Kristyna Pliskova, the twin sister of fifth seed Karolina Pliskova.

The prospects looked bleak for the unseeded Witthoeft, who has twice lost to Kerber at Wimbledon including an embarrassing 6-0, 6-0 ‘double bagel’ in 2015.

Witthoeft has never beaten a top 10 opponent but she showed far more fight than at the All England Club, with Kerber taken to three sets for the second match in a row.

The top seed said she struggled with the sun in her eyes at times and admitted to too many silly mistakes.

Kerber stunned Serena Williams in the final last year and also went on to win the US Open, dethroning the American as the world’s top ranked player.

She is not only defending a major title for the first time but also playing her maiden Grand Slam as top seed, admitting she is still getting used to dealing with the extra pressure.

The top seed came out of the gates at full pelt, breaking the 21-year old in the first game when her opponent netted a backhand.

Ranked 89, Witthoeft was pushed around the baseline by the left-hander but some unusually wild shots from Kerber handed her break opportunities, one of which she grabbed to level the match.

It was an aberration as the birthday girl immediately broke back, before turning up the heat to score another break and then holding serve to take the set.

Bidding to be the first woman to defend her Australian title since Victoria Azarenka in 2013, Kerber had an indifferent lead-up to Melbourne with early exits in Brisbane and Sydney this month.

She has slowly been improving as he works her way deeper into the Australian Open and towards a potential quarterfinal against Garbine Muguruza, with Williams seeded to meet her in the final.

Kerber was rattled and lost her opening service game of the third set to love, but she quickly regrouped as the crowd got behind her to break back.

A tired Witthoeft had no response and her previously stern resistance crumbled into surrender.

MEN’S DRAW
In the men’s draw, Japanese fifth seed Kei Nishikori marched into the third round alongside former finalist Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, with both winning in straight sets.

Nishikori was extended to five sets in his first-round win over Andrey Kuznetsov, but he found the going a little easier in his 6-3, 6-4, 6-3 win over Jeremy Chardy.

However, he said he hadn’t completely clicked into gear, complaining of “up and down” form after he was broken three times by the 72nd-ranked Frenchman.

Nishikori, who believes he is due a first major win this year, next plays either Lukas Llacko or Dudi Sela, with Tomas Berdych potentially awaiting in the fourth round.

France’s Tsonga, who is seeded 12th and was runner-up to Novak Djokovic in 2008, beat Serbia’s Dusan Lajovic 6-2, 6-2, 6-3 to go through.

In the women’s draw, 36-year-old Williams continued her smooth progress when she beat qualifier Stefanie Voegele 6-3, 6-2 to set up a meeting with China’s Duan Yingying

Williams, the oldest player in the women’s draw, pulled out of the doubles competition with her sister Serena as a precaution to rest a sore elbow.

Russia’s Kuznetsova thrashed Australian wildcard Jaimee Fourlis 6-2, 6-1 to set up a third-round clash with 31-year-old Serb Jelena Jankovic.

World number one Andy Murray plays Russia’s 156th-ranked Andrey Rublev for the first time later, as the five-time runner-up sets his sights on finally lifting the trophy.

Roger Federer, 35, has a similar situation heading into his first career match-up with America’s Noah Rubin, the 20-year-old world number 200. — AFP

Angelique Kerber — AFP

Corteza finishes second at Molinari Championship

FILIPINO billiards star Lee Van Corteza’s impressive run at the World Pool Series-Molinari Players 8-Ball Championship fell short yesterday as he bowed to Russian Ruslan Chinakhov, 16-6, in their race-to-16 finals at the Steinway Cafe-Billiards in New York City.

After subduing Great Britain’s Darren Appleton, 18-16, in an exciting semifinals earlier in the day, Davao native Corteza found the going tough in the finals against 23-year-old Chinakhov, who continued with his ascent in the billiards circuit with the victory.

Prior to the finals defeat, Mr. Corteza, 36, was on a roll in the tournament, taking down opponents impressively one after another in the preliminary rounds.

He opened his campaign with a dominating 13-3 win over American Carl Khan in the first round of the four-day tournament before holding off Frankie Hernandez of the United States, 13-10, in the second round.

Greece’s Nick Ekonomopoulos was Mr. Corteza’s next victim, falling, 13-8, in the third round.

In the last 16, Mr. Corteza got the better of Finland’s Mika Immonen, 15-13, to earn a spot in the quarterfinals where he edged Japanese Naoyuki Oi, 15-13.

Winner Chinakhov, meanwhile, also had it solid en route to the title, taking down Great Britain’s Lee Creighton, 13-4, in the first round, Israel’s Zion Zvi, 13-8, in the second, and United States’ Brandon Shuff, 16-14, in the third round.

The last 16 saw Mr. Chinahov beat Greece’s Alex Kazakis, 15-10, before taking down British Karl Boyles in the quarters, 15-11.

In the semifinals, Mr. Chinakhov, who was a prodigy player at 13 years old and won the World Jr. 9-ball Championship when he was 15, faced and beat Filipino Johann Chua, 15-8, to effectively thwart what would have been an all-Filipino final.

For his runner-up finish, Mr. Corteza got $8,500 while champion Chinakov got the top prize of $20,000.

Losing semifinalists Appleton and Chua each received $5,250.

Another Filipino Dennis Orcollo reached the quarterfinals but lost to Mr. Appleton, 15-12.

The Molinari Players 8-Ball Championship, which attracted more than hundred cue artists, was the first event of the World Pool Series, and was sponsored by Molinari, Predator, Cheqio, RYO Rack, Aramith, Iwan Simonis, Kamui, Billiards Digest, Ultimate Team Gear, and High Rock.

Proponents said the 8-Ball series is designed for players and fans alike to further underscore the discipline’s standing as the most recognized and most participated around the world. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo

Lee Van Corteza — JP Parmentier

KaTropa stop the bleeding with win over Floodbuster

THE TNT KaTropa wiggled their way out of a telling funk in the PBA Philippine Cup yesterday albeit struggled anew in fending off the Mahindra Floodbuster, 104-92, in their opening encounter at the Cuneta Astrodome.

Losers of their last two matches in the season-opening Philippine Basketball Association tournament entering the match, the KaTropa halted their skid but not after having made to sweat by an inspired Floodbuster crew.

Took a 29-25 lead at the end of the first quarter, TNT saw things reversed in the second canto as it was outscored by Mahindra, 32-22, to trail by six points, 57-51, at halftime.

The KaTropa though came out firing in the third period with Troy Rosario, Moala Tautuaa and rookie Roger Pogoy leading the way en route to recapturing the lead, 82-78, at the end of the quarter.

Mahindra would go on a blitz at the start of the payoff period, making a 9-6 run to narrow its deficit, 88-87, with seven minutes left.

TNT, however, hit back-to-back triples after, care of Larry Fonacier and Ryan Reyes, to create some distance anew.

With momentum swinging their way, the KaTropa continued to take it to the Floodbuster, building a 10-point lead, 100-90, with three minutes left in the match and never looked back.

Mr. Rosario led TNT with 18 points on top of nine rebounds while Mr. Pogoy finished with 16 markers, four assists and four steals.

Big man Tautuaa had 14 with Mr. Fonacier and Kris Rosales winding up with 11 each and Jayson Castro 10.

Mahindra, meanwhile, was paced by Alex Mallari who had 19 points, seven rebounds and five assists.

TNT coach Nash Racela said defense was key for them in their skid-busting victory, particularly closing out on Mahindra’s shooters.

“Heading into the game Mahindra was shooting well. So we made a conscious effort to step up our defense in the second half, closing out better on their shooters,” Mr. Racela said.

For Mr. Pogoy, named player of the game, important for them as well in their win was their composure even when they were trailing, something he said they were not able to do in their previous two losses.

“We did a better job handling playing from behind. We just have to trust each other and play our game the way we are capable of,” the TNT rookie said.

With the win, the KaTropa improved to 5-4 for joint fourth place, as of press time, along with the Blackwater Elite. The Floodbuster, for their part, slid to 2-6, good for 10th place.

Next for TNT is a matchup with GlobalPort Batang Pier on Jan. 25 while Mahindra will have a short turnaround and take on the Alaska Aces on Sunday, Jan. 22.

The TNT KaTropa stopped their losing skid yesterday by beating the Mahindra Floodbuster, 104-92. — Alvin S. Go

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