Facebook Instagram Linkedin X Youtube
Home Blog Page 13724

New show makes a superhero of a teacher

JUST IN time for September – Teachers’ Month – GMA Network has unveiled its newest prime time offering starring Marian Rivera-Dantes in a role where she has to play both a teacher and a vanquisher of evil.

Titled simply Super Ma’am, the 13-week fantasy drama will see Ms. Rivera-Dantes playing Minerva Henerala, an odd but soft-hearted high school teacher. A close encounter with a tamawo, a mythical shape-shifting creature, turns her into a tamawo slayer as these creatures are bent to take back their control of the human world.

Joining Ms. Rivera-Dantes is veteran actress Helen Gamboa who plays her grandmother, Lolita, and who guides Minerva in her journey.

Performing alongside Ms. Rivera-Dantes is the network’s newest leading man, Matthias Rhoads, as Trevor James, an American archaeologist and writer, as well as Jerald Napoles as Esteban, the school janitor who has feelings for Minerva.

Other cast members include Al Tantay as Minerva’s alcoholic father, Jackie Lou Blanco as the main villainess and a powerful tamawo disguised as the school’s rich benefactor, and Kim Domingo as Avenir, Minerva’s lost sister turned rival in love as she also falls for Trevor.

“This is my first time to handle this big of a project,” said Lord Alvin Madridejos, the show’s director, at the sidelines of the launch on Sept. 11 at La Reve events place in Quezon City.

Mr. Madridejos has just finished helming the limited-run series Meant To Be which starred Barbie Forteza alongside Ken Chan, Jak Roberto, Ivan Dorschner, and Addy Raj. Meant To Be fended in late June.

“I’ve been working on this on and off for a few months now,” he said, and unlike his other superhero project – Tsuperhero – in 2016, Super Ma’am is meant to show both the struggles of being a superhero and the struggles of being a teacher.

It was also meant to be a tribute to teachers.

“Tsuperhero was more on the comedic side and the attack was more for the masses. This one is more of a tribute project for the teachers because for the longest time, we wanted a project many people will relate to so when we were thinking about it. We’ve done a lot of projects about families and then we thought of who are the ones who can be considered a person’s second family and those are the teachers,” he said before adding, “This is a story about a teacher who is a superhero because that’s how teachers are for their students.”

But lest people think this is a super-serious drama with a lot of action scenes, Mr. Madridejos said there are comedic instances in order to “provide a contrast between the superhero self and the human self.

“Then after a while, you will see the superhero self affecting the teacher self and vice versa,” he said.

And unlike other superheroes, Super Ma’am is almost ordinary as she does not have the power to fly nor teleport so she has to figure out how to get from one place to another – even if it means taking an Uber.

She also does not kill her adversaries as the tamawo when defeated turn into seeds which can be planted and re-grown into good tamawo.

“Because teachers are supposed to be caring,” he explained.

Aside from Minerva’s humanity, Mr. Madridejos noted that they’ve also taken care in their portrayal of the tamawo, a mythological creature from the Visayas region which is said to be very beautiful and have fangs and claws of gold.

“We are pretty careful about this because you don’t know when you’ll breach a culture and offend someone,” he said, adding that they did their research about the legends of the creature.

Super Ma’am airs on weekdays during GMA’s evening prime time Telebabad slot. – Zsarlene B. Chua

Skidding Hotshots, Batang Pier lock horns

CURRENTLY struggling teams Star Hotshots and GlobalPort Batang Pier try to wiggle out of their funk when they collide today at the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Governors’ Cup.

Set for 7 p.m. at the Smart Araneta Coliseum, the Hotshots (4-3) and Batang Pier (3-5), both riding losing streaks that have slowed down their bid in the season-ending PBA tournament, shoot for a key win that would put them back on the winning path as the elimination round hits the homestretch.

Chito Victolero-coached Star has dropped three straight matches after starting the Governors’ Cup with four straight wins.

The slide has seen the Hotshots drop from the top of the heap all the way down to seventh and tinkering with missing the playoffs altogether if they do not get their act collectively on time.

Star’s last defeat was at the hands of the Meralco Bolts, 96-90, on Sept. 9. Prior to it, the team lost to the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters and Barangay Ginebra San Miguel Kings.

Against the Bolts the Hotshots tried to rally back from a slow start but just could not go over the hump in the end.

Import Malcolm Hill had a double-double of 28 points and 10 rebounds to go along with four steals for Star while rookie Jio Jalalon had a near triple-double of 15 points, nine rebounds and seven assists.

These, however, were not enough to overtake a Meralco team which got great numbers from reinforcement Allen Durham with 29 points, 27 rebounds, seven assists, three blocks and a steal, on top of four other players scoring in double digits.

“We need to gather our bearings if we are to break out from our slump. We are still in it and we just need to take care of business,” said Mr. Victolero as they head into their game against GlobalPort.

IN THE SAME BOAT
Like Star, GlobalPort has struggled of late, going down in its last two games.

The Batang Pier played well early in their game against erstwhile struggling Alaska Aces last time around but just could not sustain their good form in the payoff period to bow down, 101-88.

Import Murphy Holloway has been leading the charge for GlobalPort since coming in as a replacement, posting averages of 28.1 points, 18.3 rebounds, four assists, 2.7 steals and 2.9 blocks per game.

The loss to Alaska pushed the Batang Pier down in the standings to ninth place, out of the picture if the playoffs started today.

Meanwhile, in the first game at 4:15 p.m., the Meralco Bolts (6-2) go for solo leadership when they collide against suddenly ascending Alaska (3-6).

The Bolts are set to parade newly acquired player Ranidel de Ocampo when they hit the floor today. Mr. De Ocampo, a longtime player with the TNT KaTropa, was part of a three-team deal that also involved the Phoenix Petroleum Fuel Masters early this week.

Alaska, for its part, continues to fight for its tournament life after starting the conference 0-6. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo

Scoot keen on adding more flights to Manila

BUDGET AIRLINE Scoot, a subsidiary of Singapore Airlines, is interested in adding flights to and from the Philippines, but cited constraints in aviation facilities.

“We want to [add flights], but the Philippine airports are very much constrained in terms of landing slots. We’ll have to see what we can do,” Scoot Chief Executive Officer Lee Lik Hsin said in an interview on Thursday.

The country’s main gateway, the Ninoy Aquino International Airport, suffers from congestion, with 39.5 million people passing through its four terminals in 2016. This is significantly more than its designed capacity of 30.5 million passengers per year.

Scoot, which merged with TigerAir in July, is seeing continued growth in the Philippine market. It flies from Manila, Clark, Cebu, and Kalibo to international destinations via Singapore.

“We expect to increase, that’s because of the additional network opportunities… Previously, the two airlines were small. [The merger] gives us a much bigger network and [allows] us to give more choice to Philippine customers more choices for more destinations,” Mr. Lee said.

Mr. Lee is hoping the Scoot brand, which gives importance on customer engagement, can attract more customers in the Philippine market.

“It’s different to what TigerAir used to be like. We hope that it will be a welcome change. The preliminary response has been good. Our booking numbers have been good after the brand change, we did not see any loss of passengers… I think the brand proposition now is more comprehensive. The difference is customer engagement, the experience part,” he said.

The airline also claims to have an on-time performance of 80%, which is a high rate for a budget airline, according to Mr. Lee.

Scoot is launching seasonal, nonstop flights to Sapporo, Japan, starting Nov. 3 until Feb. 11, 2018, with up to two flights a week, in addition to existing flights routed via Taipei. — Patrizia Paola C. Marcelo

PNOC says Malampaya gas stockpile attracts 12 interested parties

UP TO 12 foreign entities have expressed interest to acquire the unused natural gas from Malampaya owned by the Philippine National Oil Co. (PNOC), with the Energy department’s commercial arm moving to monetize its “banked” gas to fund a big-ticket project.

“This is our first project, we don’t want to just go without proper studies,” Reuben S. Lista, PNOC president and chief executive officer, told reporters on the sidelines of the company’s budget presentation at the Senate on Thursday.

“That’s why we are involving consultants. We are still entertaining new proponents,” he said, adding that PNOC had received 67 proponents as of its last count.

He said the number of interested parties could still increase as other entities have sought to set meetings with PNOC.

Mr. Lista said there is a need to monetize PNOC’s banked gas to avoid borrowing the funds to be used for its plan to build an integrated liquefied natural gas (LNG) hub. He said the National Economic and Development Authority may not approve any move to secure a loan at $2 billion, the estimated cost of the hub.

“That is the direction we are trying to adopt — to look for a partner willing to monetize our banked gas,” he said, adding that the interested buyers that approached PNOC with a proposal are all foreign entities.

PNOC, created by a presidential decree in 1973, is mandated to provide and maintain an adequate and stable supply of energy. Its amended charter includes energy exploration and development. Operations also cover energy development, including indigenous energy sources such as oil, gas, coal and geothermal.

Building an LNG hub has become imperative for the government in view of the expected depletion of the production life of the offshore Palawan gas project by around 2022 to 2024. Malampaya delivers up to 20% of the country’s requirements to produce electricity. — Victor V. Saulon

Dominant position in competition law

No. The article is not about sex.

Unfortunately.

It’s about the Philippine Competition Commission’s (PCC) power to investigate and punish “abuse of dominant position.” Which leaves the questions many businesses are asking: what is “dominant position” and when is it being “abused?”

As defined by law, “dominant position refers to a position of economic strength that an entity or entities hold which makes it capable of controlling the relevant market independently from any or a combination of the following: competitors, customers, suppliers, or consumers.”

Hence, any acts that “substantially prevent, restrict or lessen competition,” constitute abuse of dominant position: predatory pricing; imposing barriers to entry; unrelated transaction bundling; price discrimination; and imposing restrictions on the lease or contract for sale or trade of goods or services.

Further clarification is made down the line: that nothing in the law “shall be construed or interpreted as a prohibition on having a dominant position in a relevant market or on acquiring, maintaining and increasing market share through legitimate means that do not substantially prevent, restrict or lessen competition.”

Also, that “any conduct which contributes to improving production or distribution of goods or services within the relevant market, or promoting technical and economic progress while allowing consumers a fair share of the resulting benefit may not necessarily be considered an abuse of dominant position.

Finally, the PCC is not constrained “from pursuing measures that would promote fair competition or more competition as provided in this Act.”

The latter essentially means that the PCC can throw the Philippine Competition Act (PCA) down the wind if it feels like doing so.

PCC’s self-published materials make their own disclaimer that “there is nothing illegal about having a dominant position, or acquiring, maintaining and increasing market share through legitimate means that do not substantially prevent, restrict, or lessen competition.”

All the foregoing to achieve the objective of “a more equitable distribution of opportunities, income, and wealth” and “a sustained increase in the amount of goods and services produced by the nation for the benefit of the people.”

The problem, nevertheless, for a law that contains essentially penal provisions, is ambiguity.

Fellow Cantabian and competition law practitioner Annalies Azzopardi was right to say that: “The uncertainty as to what a dominant position really is falls foul of the general principle of legal certainty, which posits that rules of law should be ‘clear, equal, and foreseeable’ in order to ‘enable those who are subject to them to order their behavior in such a manner as to avoid legal conflict or to make clear predictions of their chances in litigation.’”

As elucidated by Vijay Kumar Singh (now with the Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs and formerly member of the Competition Commission of India), citing the US Supreme Court ruling in Verizon: “The practice of prohibiting ‘abuse of dominance’ is a challenging and complex task for the competition agencies around the world for two simple reasons, i.e. there are several practices which may amount to an abuse of dominant position (predatory pricing, offering rebates etc.) and there is a very thin line of difference between the legitimate practice of an enterprise to become dominant in market, which is perfectly justified from a business perspective, and using the dominant position unfairly to the detriment of the competition in markets (“Competition Law Dominant Position and Its Abuse: Meaning of Dominant Position,” September 2014).”

From our own legal definition of dominant position, three elements stand out: a) position of economic strength, b) allowing it the independent ability to c) prevent effective competition within the relevant market.

But as Ms. Azzopardi points out: “Walker and Pearce Azevedo argue that this ‘legal’ definition can never make sense in economic terms since [amongst other reasons] ‘No successful firm can truly act independently of its customers and consumers to an appreciable extent, due to the discipline of the demand curve, whereby, if a firm raises its prices, it will sell fewer units, whether it is dominant or not (“Dominant Position: A Term in Search of Meaning” Birmingham, Global Antitrust Review, 2015).’”

After all, take “predatory pricing.”

In the short term, the lowered prices clearly benefit consumers. The “predator” cannot sustain the below cost pricing for long and eventually will have to raise prices. When that happens, newer competitors can swoop in and price accordingly against the predator.

Or price differentials. Gehrig and Stenbacka identify three arguments in its favor: First, price discrimination increases the flexibility of pricing; Second, price discrimination improves fairness between consumers; and Third, in markets that are reasonably competitive, the use of price discrimination makes competition more intense (“The Pros and Cons of Price Discrimination,” Konkurrensverket Swedish Competition Authority, 2005).”

Clearly, businesses have possible tools at their disposal to avoid running afoul of the PCC: employing theoretical and empirical analysis (e.g., pricing, costing, investment options) to meet legal demands relative to determining harmful, exploitative or exclusionary practices.

Still, more specific and concrete legal standards would be helpful as well.

Jemy Gatdula is the International Economic Law lecturer for the University of Asia and the Pacific School of Law and Governance, and Of Counsel for the Policarpio and Acorda Law Office.

jemygatdula@yahoo.com

www.jemygatdula.blogspot.com

facebook.com/jemy.gatdula

Twitter @jemygatdula

Economic team to visit Tokyo ahead of November signings for Japan-ODA funded infra projects

THE GOVERNMENT’S economic and infrastructure team will be visiting Tokyo this month to review the progress of infrastructure projects to be funded by the Japanese government and promote investment.

The Department of Finance (DoF) said yesterday that a Cabinet-level delegation will fly to Japan on Sept. 25-26, to conduct the third Philippines-Japan High-Level Committee on Infrastructure and Economic Cooperation.

“We want to discuss with them how we can fast-track the process of implementing the projects,” Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez III was quoted in a statement as saying.

Projects up for Japanese financing are valued at P315.4 billion. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe pledged $9 billion worth of official development assistance (ODA) during his visit to the Philippines in January.

These include the Malitubog-Maridagao Irrigation Project Phase II, the Metro Manila Subway Project Phase I, the Malolos-Clark Railway Project, the Cavite Industrial Area Flood Management Project, the Dalton Pass East Alignment Alternative Road Project, the Road Network Development Project in Conflict-Affected Areas in Mindanao, the Circumferential Road 3 Missing Link Project, and the Pasig Marikina Channel Improvement Project (Phase IV).

The meetings will finalize funding and implementation arrangements, ahead of Prime Minister Abe’s visit here for the projects’ signing ceremonies on the sidelines of the Nov. 10-14 Association of Southeast Asian Nations Summit.

Joining Mr. Dominguez are Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Ernesto M. Pernia, Budget Secretary Benjamin E. Diokno,  Transportation Secretary Arthur P. Tugade, Public Works and Highways Secretary Mark A. Villar; Bases Conversion and Development Authority President Vivencio B. Dizon; and Executive Secretary Salvador C. Medialdea.

They will be meeting with a Japanese delegation headed by Hiroto Izumi, a special advisor to Mr. Abe, along with other officials from the Ministries of Finance, Foreign Affairs, Trade and Industry, Economy and Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism; and officials from the Japan International Cooperation Agency  and Japan Bank for International Cooperation.

The teams previously met on July 7 in Manila. A similar meeting was conducted with the Chinese over the weekend with the same goal of expediting the implementation of projects.

While in Tokyo, the Philippine delegation will also hold a briefing on the Philippine economy with potential Japanese investors, the DoF said.

“In the economic roadshow, Mr. Dominguez is expected to tell investors about the Duterte administration’s plans to sustain the economy’s growth rate at 7% or higher over the medium term,” the DoF said. — Elijah Joseph C. Tubayan

Puzzling through

Video Game Review
Zero Escape: Zero Time Dilemma
PlayStation 4

By Alexander O. Cuaycong and Anthony L. Cuaycong

AS THE third title in the Zero Escape series developed by Spike Chunsoft and written and directed by Kotaro Uchikoshi, Zero Escape: Zero Time Dilemma leans on familiar strengths: It focuses heavily on puzzles to draw players in and relies on a deep storyline to keep them interested. And, in this regard, it does not disappoint. It could have tread new ground to lure those unfamiliar with the genre or with Uchikoshi’s preferences (as evidenced in, say, the excellent visual novel Ever 17: The Out of Infinity). Instead, it sticks to what its predecessors are best known for, and thereby succeeds in satisfying its target market.

In Zero Time Dilemma, you play as one of three characters in three separate teams, all trapped in a mysterious figure’s deadly game. One must find solutions to his puzzles and escape the many twists and traps he has set up. Failure can result in death; not just of your characters, but their respective teams as well. Through it all, you aim to uncover his plans, figure out his motives, and learn his identity before time runs out.

Needless to say, the concept provides the engine that runs Zero Time Dilemma. The atmosphere overall is tense and uncertain, and helps set the seriousness of the plot. The puzzles, while convoluted and seemingly random, all have a definite solution if properly thought through. Parenthetically, some choices may seem out of the blue and emanate too much from chance and blind luck. What these do, however, is underscore the game’s utter reliance on multiple playthroughs. You get your money’s worth precisely from employing trial and error; desired outcomes become clearer only after sequences and chapters are played through again and again.

To its credit, Zero Time Dilemma maintains a steady pace, moving forward regardless of what’s happening. That said, it crucifies players who can’t keep up with the plot or have little to no knowledge of the previous titles in the franchise. While familiarity with the earlier games is not mandatory, it definitely helps given Zero Time Dilemma’s constant references to past events. This, combined with the game’s constant need to “Tell and not show,” makes it difficult to wholly grasp the story or its twists and turns the first time around.

Significantly, the interface could use some improvement. The note system, for instance, is clunky and troublesome to use and more of a hassle than anything else; as a result, puzzles seem harder than they should be, requiring gamers to constantly check back on previous information. Then again, the hardware is at least as much at fault as the programming; analog controls and the lack of a stylus make writing and drawing more troublesome than necessary.

Thankfully, getting bad endings is not a problem. The game not only lets players save at any time; it gives them the ability to jump to any decision point they’ve already encountered. This means that redoing choices and unlocking alternate storylines aren’t chores; each successive playthrough becomes easier compared to previous ones.

All told, Zero Time Dilemma provides a fairly enjoyable experience that makes its run time of around 20 hours a relative breeze. It isn’t as good as Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors story-wise, and it certainly plays worse due to control limitations. For a console port, though, it plays smoothly and functions well; those who are partial to the PS4 won’t find it a deal breaker. It isn’t the best version available, but it’s well worth its $40 sticker price.

THE GOOD
• A smooth port of Zero Time Dilemma’s Vita version

• Engaging storyline incorporating interesting puzzles

• Multiple endings, with equally compelling branching paths to explore

THE BAD
• Clunky notebook feature that could have benefited from reprogramming

• Extremely confusing plot

• Some endings may feel unsatisfying

Rating: 7/10

Cordillera IPs call for NCIP abolition

AN ALLIANCE of indigenous people’s (IP) organizations in the Cordillera Administrative Region is not satisfied with the P1,000 budget granted by the House of Representatives to the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) and wants the agency abolished altogether. The Cordillera Peoples Alliance (CPA) said the agency has served as a “tool for the further oppression” of IPs across the country, suppressing their right to self-determination and helping institutionalize the grabbing of ancestral lands by mining and other extractive industries. “Not once did the NCIP make a stand in defense of indigenous human rights defenders” nor against the militarization that invariably preceded the entry of mining and other destructive industries,” the CPA said. — interaksyon.com

See full story on https://goo.gl/f9uCkn

IBM sees AI changing, not eliminating, future jobs

IN IBM Chief Executive Officer Ginni Rometty’s vision of the near future, all businesses will need artificial intelligence (AI) to succeed, but software and machines will take jobs away from very few actual humans.

“There’s so much fear-mongering around what AI is,” Rometty said in an interview at Bloomberg’s Sooner Than You Think conference in New York. “When it comes to complete job replacement, it will be a very small percentage; when it comes to changing a job and what you do, it’ll be 100%.”

Rometty said the issue of skills is “front and center” in the US now, even without considering the impacts of AI. She reiterated her view that education has to be “fundamentally revamped” in this country for “the era of man and machine.”

Rather than a dystopian vision in which robots rule the world, Rometty sees AI, or cognitive computing as IBM calls it, as a tool for humans to make better business decisions. And there’s a $2-trillion market for that, Rometty said.

Every company owns troves of data that can be used to train algorithms to identify pertinent insights, she said. That proprietary information gives companies a competitive advantage, and can provide a boost to those businesses with long histories and lots of institutional knowledge that are threatened by fast-moving upstarts.

“I am betting that the incumbents will come roaring back when they realize they have those advantages,” she said.

For her part, Rometty, 60, said her legacy at the 106-year-old International Business Machines (IBM) Corp. is to leave it “reinvented for this next era so it will live on for the next 100 years.” While she has reached the traditional retirement age for IBM CEOs, Rometty has said she plans to stay at her post for a while because her work to transform the company isn’t finished.

Since taking over as CEO in 2012, Rometty has been working to reposition Big Blue as a purveyor of cloud-based technology and services, distinguished by a focus on selling large businesses applications using artificial intelligence techniques. The shift has required significant investment and pushed down profit, even as Rometty has assured investors that IBM is also focused on being a high-value company. Revenue has fallen for 21 straight quarters, showing that IBM has yet to offset declines by adding new business. Investors are keen for tangible results, especially with Watson, the brand encompassing IBM’s AI products. “Watson is exactly where we thought it would be,” Rometty said. She highlighted Watson’s achievements in health care, noting that by the end of the year Watson will be trained on what causes 80% of the world’s cancers. The company doesn’t provide data on Watson’s sales.

Because IBM is such a big business — booking almost $80 billion in sales in 2016 — expectations for Watson to grow the company “two times are unrealistic,” Rometty said. It takes time to teach Watson algorithms on data from industries including health care and finance, and the whole AI era still early, she said.

But pressure for results has mounted, particularly as one-time IBM champion Warren Buffett changed his tune on the company. Buffett, who first took a stake in 2011, said this spring that the competitive landscape IBM faces is more intense than he originally thought, leading him to lower his valuation of the company. Berkshire Hathaway, Inc. cut its stake in the company by about 30% and is no longer the biggest shareholder. — Bloomberg

Rebel Wilson to give record defamation payout to charity

SYDNEY – Hollywood actor Rebel Wilson has vowed to hand the largest defamation payout in Australian history to charity, as she works to get her career back on track after a “long, hard” battle.

The 37-year-old Pitch Perfect star successfully sued Bauer Media over magazine articles which claimed she had lied about her age and background to further her acting career.

On Wednesday, a judge awarded her $4.5 million ($3.6 million) in damages against the Australian publisher – a record sum, her lawyers said.

“I’m looking forward to helping out some great Australian charities and supporting the Oz film industry with the damages I’ve received,” Wilson tweeted.

“Also looking forward to getting back to my career and entertaining everyone!”

Bauer had argued the allegations made in Woman’s Day, Australian Women’s Weekly, and OK Magazine in 2015 were true and denied they had damaged Wilson’s reputation.

But Justice John Dixon said Bauer had “acted in its own corporate interests to secure improved circulation, or increased views/hits” in his ruling.

“Justice Dixon has awarded me a record sum and I’m extremely grateful for that. It is four times the Australian record,” said Sydney-born Wilson.

“To me though, this case wasn’t about the money.”

Throughout the three-week trial, an often-emotional Wilson claimed she was sacked from DreamWorks animated feature films Trolls and Kung Fu Panda 3 following the articles.

She is due to star in Pitch Perfect 3 this year, along with a remake of comedy classic Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. – AFP

Indians set AL record with 21st straight win

WASHINGTON — Jay Bruce and Roberto Perez both homered as the Cleveland Indians set an American League (AL) record with their 21st consecutive win — a 5-3 victory over the Detroit Tigers on Wednesday.

Cleveland had matched the 2002 Oakland Athletics’ 20-game winning streak with a win over the Tigers on Tuesday.

With another triumph in front of ecstatic home fans in Cleveland they surpassed that AL record, and tied the 1935 Chicago Cubs for the second-longest winning streak in Major League history.

The 26-game wining streak by the 1916 New York Giants is considered the longest ever in the Major Leagues — despite the fact that the Giants’ run actually included one tie game, which wasn’t counted toward official statistics.

“It’s pretty special,” said Indians manager Terry Francona, who has played down the streak in a bid to ease pressure on his players, who haven’t lost a game since Aug. 23.

The Indians have outscored opponents 139-35 during the streak.

“Our guys are enjoying it, and they should,” Francona said. “When you do something and do it the right way, you should enjoy it.”

Indians starting pitcher Mike Clevinger gave up one earned run in 5 2/3 innings to get the win.

Cody Allen pitched the ninth inning to earn his 27th save.

Detroit starter Buck Farmer gave up four runs in four innings and took the loss.

The Tigers took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first, but the Indians responded promptly.

Francisco Lindor led off the bottom of the first with a double into the right field corner.

Lonnie Chisenhall struck out but Jose Ramirez drew a walk. Farmer struck out Edwin Encarnacion for the second out, but Bruce hit a fly ball to left field that just made it over the wall for a three-run homer and a 3-1 lead.

The Indians scored again in a testy third inning in which Detroit manager Brad Ausums and catcher James McCann were ejected.

Jose Ramirez doubled with two outs and scored on a bloop single to right field by Encarnacion to extend the Indians’ lead to 4-1.

Bruce, the next hitter, took a close pitch for ball four. McCann said something to home plate umpire Quinn Wolcott, and was immediately thrown out of the game.

Ausmus, who was on his way to the mound, detoured to the plate to argue further and he, too, was sent packing.

With Carlos Santana, the next hitter, at the plate, and John Hicks, the next catcher, behind it, Farmer threw a fastball that Hicks reached for but missed. The ball hit Wolcott in the left shoulder, knocking him on his back. After a brief delay, Wolcott remained in the game.

The Tigers knocked Clevinger out of the game in the sixth inning, scoring two unearned runs. Miguel Cabrera hit a grounder to third baseman Yandy Diaz, who threw wildly to first for an error, allowing Cabrera to reach second base.

Castellano followed with a double, scoring Cabrera to make it 4-2. Clevinger retired the next two hitters, but Andrew Romine lined a single to right, scoring Castellanos as Cleveland’s lead dwindled to 4-3.

Farmer and relief pitcher Daniel Norris combined to retire 11 straight batters through the middle innings.

But the Indians stretched their lead to 5-3 when Perez smacked an 0-2 pitch from Norris over the center field wall.

The Indians have trailed for only four of the 189 innings played during the streak. Indians starting pitchers during the streak are 19-0 with a 1.67 ERA.

“Everybody pretty much has had a hand in doing something,” Francona said.

Bruce said the key was not to focus on all the victories piling up and the historical implications as they do.

“We’re not consumed by the streak,” Bruce said. “What consumes us is coming to the park every day getting ready to play that game. — AFP

Peso back at P51:$1 level

THE PESO dropped to the P51 level anew, as markets expect strong US inflation data that may prompt the Federal Reserve to raise its policy rates for a third time this year.

The local currency closed at P51.165 against the greenback on Thursday, 19 centavos weaker than the P50.975 recorded in the previous trading session.

Yesterday’s close was the weakest logged since Aug. 31’s P51.17-a-dollar close.

The peso immediately breached the P51 per dollar level as the market opened, starting the session at P51.11. The local unit’s strongest showing for the day was at P51.09, while its intraday low was at P51.19 versus the greenback.

Dollars traded grew to $633.55 million from the $610.4 million that changed hands the previous session.

Traders said markets were bullish on US inflation data scheduled for release later in the day, with a strong turnout to increase the possibility of a third Fed rate hike before the year closes.

“We closed above the critical P51 level, we gapped up the morning. Market was very bullish from the get-go and I think we’re anticipating that hopes for a December Fed rate hike are alive and kicking,” a trader said in a telephone interview yesterday.

“And I think it’s a chance for us to buy at a bargain. So the market is very very bullish,” the trader added.

If the inflation report turns out to be within expectations, the dollar’s momentum would continue, the trader said.

“I think it depends on the data if it does come out 1.8%. We’re gonna see the greenback trade even higher. If it disappoints, we might see a fall back below P51 figures.”

Another trader said there was demand for dollars as the US government revived talks on President Donald J. Trump’s tax reform program.

“The weaker peso was due to higher dollar overnight. Because the talks on the US tax reform, was revived, so dollar traded higher.”

Another trader said corporate demand for the dollar also contributed to the peso’s decline.

“I think there was also corporate demand. But it’s nothing unusual. Volume is still within limit.” — Elijah Joseph C. Tubayan

1...13,72313,72413,725...14,286Page 13,724 of 14,286
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
© 2024 BusinessWorld Publishing.
All rights reserved.
Read our privacy guidelines
Facebook Instagram Linkedin X Youtube