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Road Warriors, Bolts look to pad PBA cards

By Michael Angelo S. Murillo
Reporter

TOP half teams NLEX Road Warriors and Meralco Bolts look to fortify their win-loss cards in the Philippine Basketball Association Governors’ Cup when they take on separate opponents in the resumption of festivities today at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Road Warriors, Bolts look to pad PBA cards
The Meralco Bolts play the Phoenix Petroleum Fuel Masters in the return of the PBA Governors’ Cup today. — ALVIN S. GO

Took a break on Wednesday to give way to the campaign of Gilas Pilipinas in the 2017 FIBA Asia Cup in Beirut, Lebanon, the season-ending PBA tournament returns today with NLEX (5-1) and Meralco (4-1), currently second and third in that order in the standings, taking on the Blackwater Elite and Phoenix Petroleum Fuel Masters, respectively.

The Road Warriors engage the Elite in the 7 p.m. main game while the Bolts battle the Fuel Masters in the curtain-raiser at 4:15 p.m.

NLEX returns to action after a gutsy win over Meralco in its previous game, 100-94, on Sunday.

It relied on a late charge to get the victory that effectively halted Meralco’s erstwhile unbeaten run while also padding its own push to the top.

Import Aaron Fuller led the Road Warriors to the win with 25 points, 18 rebounds and two blocks while Kevin Alas and Larry Fonacier scored 21 and 16 points, respectively.

JR Quiñahan was the other NLEX player in double digits with 10 points.

“We passed a difficult test tonight against Meralco. Hopefully we get to sustain this in our upcoming games,” said NLEX coach Yeng Guiao, whose team is expected to parade newly acquired player Cyrus Baguio.

Out to spoil NLEX’s thrust is Blackwater, which finally broke through the win column in its last game.

After opening their campaign with three straight losses, the Elite (1-3) won their game against Phoenix, 92-86, on Aug. 6, getting a major lift from new import Henry Walker, who had 32 points, 15 rebounds and five assists.

Not new to the game in the local pro league, having had previous stops in the PBA in the past, Mr. Walker did not waste much time proving his worth as a replacement for original import Trevis Simpson.

“Special thanks to our new import, who gave the inspiration for everybody for us to come out winners of this game,” said Blackwater coach Leo Isaac of Mr. Walker postgame.

“Going to the last nine minutes of the fourth quarter he was suffering from cramps so he was challenging the locals to take charge. Not being able to move properly, he was shouting at his teammates to ‘take the shot’ or ‘play defense.’ That’s a great sign of a proven winner, to challenge his teammates to be on top of the situation when he was not 100%,” the coach added.

Meanwhile, in the first game, Meralco looks to bounce back after absorbing its first defeat in the conference last time around against NLEX.

Import Allen Durham is bannering the Bolts with averages of 24.4 points, 18.6 rebounds and 7.2 assists.

Meralco, though, will be without guards Baser Amer and Mike Tolomia for some time as they play for the national team seeing action in the 29th Southeast Asian Games in Malaysia.

On the part of Phoenix (2-3), it tries to wiggle out of a three-game losing skid following a strong start of 2-0.

Eugene Phelps is the top man with 27.6 points, 16 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game for the Fuel Masters, who are to play today with new players Jeff Chan and Dylan Ababou, two players they got in separate trades recently.

China blockbuster joins top 100 grossing films worldwide

SHANGHAI – Fresh from shattering China’s box-office record, patriotic blockbuster Wolf Warriors 2 has claimed another slice of history by becoming the first non-Hollywood film to break into the top 100 all-time grossing movies worldwide.

The flag-waving action movie’s plot line of Chinese soldiers saving war-ravaged Africans from Western baddies has resonated in an increasingly self-assured China, and the film last week became the country’s all-time top earner less than two weeks after its release.

The strength of those domestic receipts has now propelled the film onto industry monitor Box Office Mojo’s all-time 100 list, where on Wednesday it knocked 1994’s Forrest Gump from the No. 100 spot.

Box Office Mojo said Wolf Warriors 2 had grossed $682.1 million worldwide, nearly all of it in Chinese cinemas.

But it looked likely to climb still further up the list – latest figures from the official China Movie Data Information Network said Wolf had already raked in 4.75 billion yuan ($710 million) in domestic sales as of Wednesday.

That would put it nearly another 10 places higher on Box Office Mojo’s list, in the company of The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1, and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes.

With special effects, stunts and explosions worthy of Hollywood, Wolf boasts the ominous tag line “whoever offends China will be hunted down no matter how far away they are.”

It depicts a Chinese former special forces operative’s fictional foray into an unnamed African war zone to rescue compatriots and downtrodden locals from rebels and blood-thirsty Western mercenaries.

The movie is directed by martial arts expert Wu Jing, who also plays the lead role of Leng Feng, and a cliff-hanger ending sets the stage for a third installment and another likely windfall.

Wolf is riding a wave of patriotic fervor whipped up by the ruling Communist Party. This summer has also seen the release of the film The Founding of an Army, which chronicles the origins of the People’s Liberation Army.

Cinemas across China have been ordered since July 1 to show short clips promoting “core socialist values” and President Xi Jinping’s “Chinese dream” political credo before each film.

Wu said in an interview published Tuesday: “I’ve only taken a match and lit up people’s patriotism with a spark.”

Wolf Warriors 2 will have work to do to climb up to the top ranks of the list, which is headed by Avatar (2009) at $2.7 billion, followed by Titanic (1997) and Star Wars: the Force Awakens (2015). – AFP

Chinese nationals can now get visa upon arrival, extend up to six months

CHINESE NATIONALS visiting the Philippines are now given a Visa Upon Arrival (VUA) and may stay in the country for up to six months, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) announced on Thursday.

Chinese tourists leaving their hotel in Manila -- AFP
Chinese tourists in Manila leave their hotel in this file photo taken on August 24, 2010. AFP

In a statement, Immigration Commissioner Jaime H. Morente said the move is in line with the government’s “bid to draw more tourists and investors” from China.

The program applies to Chinese nationals who are part of tour groups organized by operators accredited by the Tourism department; businessmen endorsed by local and foreign chambers of commerce and other government agencies; and athletes and delegates to conventions and exhibitions.

Mr. Morente also cited Department Circular 041 issued by Justice Secretary Vitaliano N. Aguirre II that ordered the grant of VUA to Chinese nationals.

Under the rules, visiting Chinese nationals “may apply for landed visas at the BI for an initial authorized stay of 30 days and they may apply for an extension up to a maximum period of six months.”

“Through this scheme we aim to facilitate the expeditious entry and admission of Chinese nationals into the country and thus attract more tourists and investors from China,” Mr. Morente added.

The VUA program will be implemented at the main airport, Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), and eight other international air- and seaports across the country, namely: Clark, Mactan, and Kalibo airports; and Manila, Puerto Princesa, Subic, Laoag, and Caticlan seaports.

VUA applicants should be holders of valid passports, with a return ticket, and should not be in the BI’s blacklist or subject of an Intepol red notice.

A fee of $25 plus P10 legal research fee will be charged for every applicant. Applications should be filed at least 10 working days before arrival in the Philippines.

“If the applicants are qualified, the BI commissioner shall issue an order approving the VUA and the same shall be presented by the Chinese passengers to immigration officers upon their arrival in the country,” the BI also said.

Immigration officers, who will implement the VUA program, are also furnished with the order.

In a statement last March 10, the BI said that Chinese nationals topped the Bureau’s list of registered aliens. According to the BI’s Annual Report of Aliens, there are 28,189 Chinese nationals currently in the country.

However, Chinese nationals also topped the BI’s list of foreign nationals barred from entering the country. According to the NAIA-BI Statistics, 1,594 Chinese nationals were barred from entry at the country’s main gateway. — Kristine Joy V. Patag

South Korea outplays Gilas Pilipinas, 118-86

By Michael Angelo S. Murillo
Reporter

THE Philippines saw its promising run at the 2017 FIBA Asia Cup in Lebanon come to a screeching end early yesterday morning after it was routed by old nemesis South Korea, 118-86, in the quarterfinals of the high-profile continental basketball tournament.

South Korea outplays Gilas Pilipinas, 118-86
Gilas Pilipinas failed to stop South Korea’s fluid offense in their quarterfinal set-to early yesterday morning to fall, 118-86, and bow out of contention in the 2017 FIBA Asia Cup. — FIBA ASIA CUP WEB SITE

Failing to stop the South Koreans’ fluid offense, Gilas Pilipinas scrambled all game long en route to bowing out of contention, a turnaround from the solid start it had in the Cup that had it sweeping all its three games in group play.

The Koreans’ guns were ablaze right from the start, outscoring Gilas, 11-6, in the first five minutes of the match, towed by crisp passing and shooting.

Christian Standhardinger, back for Gilas after missing their previous game, led a rally back to seize the lead, 16-15, with two minutes to go. It was, however, the last time the Philippines would take the lead as South Korea maintained its distance the rest of the way.

The first quarter ended with the Koreans holding a 26-18 lead.

At the start of the second period, the South Koreans attempted to pull away but guard Terrence Romeo, Gilas’ leader in scoring in the tournament, would keep the Philippines in the match, scoring 22 of the team’s total 31 points in the frame behind a torrid six-of-nine shooting from beyond the arc.

The Koreans though would still be up, 57-49, at the halftime break.

In the third quarter, the South Koreans finally succeeded in what they failed in the previous canto of blowing the game wide open.

Displaying precise marksmanship that came from different directions, the Koreans kept Gilas guessing en route to taking a 24-point cushion heading into the final quarter, 86-62.

Despite holding a commanding lead, the Koreans kept steady amid a last-ditch stand from Gilas in the payoff period and continued to lord it over Gilas up to the final buzzer.

When the battle smoke cleared, game numbers showed the domination that South Korea had over the Philippines.

It shot better both in two-point — 62% to 46% — and three-point — 76% to 44% — land; had more assists, 34-14; had more rebounds, 34-30; more fastbreak points, 17-7; more steals, 9-2; and more blocks, 4-2.

Sekeun Oh led Korea’s balanced attack with 22 points and five rebounds while Sunhyung Kim had 21 points.

Big man Jongkyu Kim had 15 and Seounghyun Lee finished with 14 points.

Mr. Romeo was the high point man anew for Gilas with 22 points, all in the second period, while Mr. Standhardinger had 17 points.

RR Pogoy and Jayson William (Castro) wound up with 12 and 11 points, respectively, while Japeth Aguilar ended with seven points and nine rebounds.

Next big tournament for Gilas Pilipinas is the FIBA World Cup qualifier which will begin in November.

Marvel’s battle-scarred The Defenders find teamwork tough

NEW YORK – Riding the slipstream of the Avengers, X-Men and Fantastic Four, The Defenders is promising to bring a more tortured and cerebral superhero vibe to Netflix’s ever-growing repertoire of Marvel series.

The Defenders
www.facebook.com/defenders/

The show unites for the first time the titular characters from the streaming service’s four standalone Marvel series – Luke Cage, Iron Fist, Jessica Jones, and Daredevil – when it premieres on Friday.

They join forces to battle a threat to their home town of New York in the shape of the malign Alexandra (Sigourney Weaver), who seems to be linked to the shady multinational conglomerate known as The Hand.

But the group starts out as a tenuous alliance between four very different characters, all of whom are used to going it alone and have little time for the concept of team spirit.

The group’s first meeting doesn’t augur well for things to come, with Luke Cage and Danny Rand – alias the Iron Fist – even coming to blows.

Actress Krysten Ritter says Jones, a young woman with a tortured past, a penchant for booze and a colorful vocabulary, is “very reluctant” in particular to be part of a team.

“Everybody’s so used to working on their own, they all feel that their way is the best way,” said Mike Colter, who plays Cage, at a roundtable with journalists in New York.

“So sometimes each one of us gets really determined to force our way of doing things because it’s the only way we know.”

What persuades the four heroes to band together, says Colter, has to be something really big – a danger to “a larger number of people than just the people of Harlem” that threatens the whole city.

‘CHARACTER FIRST, DRAMA FIRST’
Filmed entirely in the Big Apple, The Defenders is steeped in the culture and custom of New York, a real-life backdrop that feels more organic than the fictional cities of Gotham or Metropolis.

“Historically, some people shot other places for New York. To some degree it’s effective when you deal with people that have never been to New York,” said Colter, 40.

“But if you’ve been to New York, you immediately can tell. New York is very important because I think it symbolizes a sort of freedom to the world.”

The Defenders is distinguished from many superhero series and movies in the time it takes to explore the internal conflicts that haunt each of its heroes.

Jessica Jones, in particular, is struggling to find her place in the world, scarred by “traumas and injustices” after losing her parents in a car accident, says Ritter, 35.

When they are brought together, each of the four Defenders is in transition, without a superhero costume, in search of an identity.

“I built (Jones) from the ground up, based on her back story, on what she’s been through in her life and how she views the world – with a little sense of humor on top of it to lighten things up,” said Ritter.

She added that she sees Jones as “a character who has super powers” rather than as a superhero.

“For me, it’s character first, drama first. I just approach it like I would any other acting part.” – AFP

2 Mindanao local government execs dismissed for ‘Serious Dishonesty’ in asset statements

THE OFFICE of the Ombudsman has dismissed two high-ranking town officials in Mindanao for failure to declare properties they own in their Statement of Assets and Liabilities (SALN). The two are Mayor Montasir M. Sabal of Sultan Sumagka (formerly Talitay) in Maguindanao and Vice-Mayor Nacianceno M. Pacalioga, Jr. of Dumingag, Zamboanga del Sur. Both were also meted the accessory penalties of perpetual disqualification from holding public office, cancellation of eligibility and forfeiture of retirement benefits. They will also be facing perjury and graft charges. The Ombudsman, in two separate statements released yesterday, said the local government officials’ nondisclosure of real properties “constitutes Serious Dishonesty as the acts were done fraudulently and were committed several times.” The Ombudsman cited records showing that Mr. Sabal failed to disclose his ownership of five real-estate properties located in Davao City and Cotabato City. Mr. Pacalioga, on the other hand, failed to declare 10 parcels of land located in different barangays of Dumingag. Mr. Pacalioga has defended that he did not need to declare these as he had already waived his rights over them in favor of the Dumingag United Subanen Association, Inc. and a certain Roel Dumayon prior to the years in question. — Mindanao Bureau

Lyceum puts unbeaten record on the line versus streaking Letran Knights

LEAGUE-leading Lyceum Pirates stake their unbeaten record in Season 93 of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) anew today this time against the hot Letran Knights.

Lyceum puts unbeaten record on the line versus streaking Letran Knights
The Lyceum Pirates stake their unbeaten record against the Letran Knights today in NCAA Season 93 action at the FilOil Flying V Centre in San Juan City. — ALVIN S. GO

Set for 2 p.m. at the FilOil Flying V Centre in San Juan City, the Pirates (7-0), the lone undefeated team left in the ongoing season of the country’s longest-standing collegiate league, try to sustain their best start ever in the NCAA by adding the Knights (5-3) to their list of conquered.

Lyceum, however, will have to do it sans head coach Topex Robinson, who will serve his one-game suspension after being ejected in their previous game against the Emilio Aguinaldo College (EAC) Generals.

Opening today’s end-of-week triple-header is the match between EAC (3-4) and the San Sebastian Stags (3-4) at 12 noon with the Jose Rizal University Heavy Bombers (3-3) colliding with the College of St. Benilde Blazers (2-5) at 4 p.m.

In its last game against EAC, Lyceum saw itself in a tough battle that even got the usually cool and collected Robinson out of character.

Mr. Robinson was ejected midway in the second quarter after two quick technical fouls called on him when the game was heated.

But it didn’t stop the Pirates from registering their seventh straight victory, 97-93.

In the NCAA, there is a league rule that a player or coach ejected will be meted out an automatic one-game suspension.

“Yes, [he] is suspended,” said NCAA Management Committee Chair Fr. Glyn Ortega, OAR, of host San Sebastian, of the case of Mr. Robinson.

CJ Perez and Jaycee Marcelino led Lyceum with 20 points each in the win over EAC.

Mike Harry Nzeusseu finished with 17 points.

On the part of Letran, currently in the midst of a four-game upswing, it is looking to fortify its place in the top four.

The Knights’ latest win was over the San Sebastian, 79-75, in overtime last Tuesday.

Rey Nambatac took charge for Letran with 23 points.

The Knights, however, lost improved big man Jeo Ambohot in said game after injuring his right wrist.

He is said to be about for two months. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo

John Cleese says comedians needed more than ever

SARAJEVO, Bosnia and Herzegovina – Monty Python star John Cleese said Wednesday that the need for comedy was greater than ever, as he accepted the “Honorary Heart of Sarajevo” award at the Bosnian capital’s film festival.

British actor John Cleese arrives for the 23rd Sarajevo Film Festival late on August 16, 2017, where he is to receive the ‘Honorary Heart Of Sarajevo’ award for his “extraordinary contribution” to film. / AFP

The 77-year-old British actor was presented with the award for his “extraordinary contribution” to the art of film, which he described as “very generous.”

“I’m almost embarrassed to be put in the same category as some of the people who won this award, like Robert De Niro and Martin Scorsese and (British director) Stephen Frears,” he said.

“But I accept it not as a film person but more as a comedian, because I think at this time in world history we have never needed comedians more.”

Cleese created and starred in the hit television series Fawlty Towers and his most prominent work in the movies includes the four Monty Python films and A Fish Called Wanda.

The latter film was projected at an open-air screening to the 3,000 festivalgoers in Sarajevo after Cleese accepted his award.

Created as an “act of resistance” during the city’s 1992-1995 siege, the Sarajevo Film Festival is now in its 23rd edition.

Cleese praised festival director Mirsad Purivatra for setting up the event in a small cinema in that “terrible time” during Bosnia’s civil war.

“What a wonderful statement of what one can do when you can do nothing, you must be very proud,” he said.

The festival regularly attracts big names, with past guests including Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie.

On Sunday, triple Oscar-winning director Oliver Stone was also awarded a “Heart of Sarajevo.” – AFP

Millennium Global buys majority stake in Calata

By Arra B. Francia, Reporter

AGRIBUSINESS FIRM Calata Corp. said it will be welcoming new management that will oversee the company’s operations, amid steps taken by the local bourse to delist the firm following several violations of disclosure rules.

Millennium Global logoIn a disclosure to the stock exchange on Thursday, Calata said Millennium Global Holdings, Inc. will be purchasing a total of 2.5 billion shares from the firm, effectively giving MGHI an 81% stake in Calata. This will be taken from the increase in authorized capital stock by up to 10 billion common shares with a par value of P1 apiece.

“Because it would appear that the company’s lack of experience in effectively complying with strict regulatory regulations might compromise public shareholders’ interest as a result of possible sanctions which may be imposed upon an erring listed entity, on Aug. 17, 2017, the board of directors decided that it would be in the best interest of the investing public to welcome new management which shall inject a new but related line of business into the Company,” Calata Chairman Joseph H. Calata said in a statement yesterday.

Last July, the Philippine Stock Exchange initiated involuntary delisting proceedings for Calata after the firm committed 29 violations of Section 13.1 of the PSE Disclosure Rules from Nov. 29, 2016 to June 20. It also incurred 26 violations of Section 13.2 of the same rules from Oct. 6, 2016 to March 16 and from April 26 to May 2.

The violations were related to the timely disclosure of the disposition of shares by a company’s directors and principal officers and disclosure of updates of previous disclosures on material information that may affect investor decision.

Calata was also found to have violated the so-called blackout rule which prohibits directors and principal officers who have obtained material non-public information to trade their company’s shares within a prescribed period.

Following the acquisition, Calata said it will be transferring all its assets and liabilities to Agriphil Corp. and/or a private firm.

“The transaction intends to transfer the existing agribusiness of Calata Corporation to Agriphil Corporation, a private entity or such other private entity,” the company said.

The board will also wait for shareholder approval in order to make amendments to the company’s articles of incorporation, which will see a change of name, primary purpose, principal place of office, as well as the capital stock increase.

In a separate disclosure, MGHI noted that after the acquisition, it will be using Calata to purchase the business of its subsidiary, Millennium Ocean Star Corp. (MOSC). Established in 1981, MOSC is an exporter and importer of seafood and aquaculture products in both the local and international market. The company began as an exporter of squid balls to Hong Kong until it eventually expanded to create a major plant in Cebu City.

MOSC now exports an average of 3,000 metric tons of various seafood items every year, which includes squid, cuttlefish, octopus, and coral reef fishes. The company further imports around 2000 metric tons of several seafood products per month for local distribution.

To date, MOSC has 11 plants in Luzon, seven in Visayas, three in Mindanao, and one in Hong Kong alongside several buying stations and processing and storage facilities in different parts of Metro Manila. For further growth, the company said it is currently fast tracking its expansion in Vietnam.

MGHI shares went up by 17.15% to 28 centavos each yesterday.

Disco bar of businessman linked to P6.4-B shabu shipment delinquent in tax payments

LIV SUPER Club, a popular disco bar in Mandaue City, where businessman Kenneth Dong is one of the directors and stockholders, has been found to be delinquent in paying local taxes. Lawyer Mae Elaine T. Bathan, chief of staff of Mandaue Mayor Gabriel Luis “Luigi” R. Quisumbing, said the luxury club has not paid its amusement tax in 2016 amounting to P361,000, excluding penalties. It also has not paid amusement tax this year. Ms. Bathan said the city treasurer’s office is now assessing the club’s total dues. “We expect that they will be assessed for more than half a million or to a million,” she said. The club’s business permit, which it secured last June 22, will expire on Dec. 31. It started operations in 2014. “In January, na-issue-han man sila ng temporary business permit that was set to expire on Aug. 9, 2017. However, on June 22, 2017, they have complied with their business permit, thus they were issued a business permit valid up to Dec. 31,” Ms. Bathan explained. It was also only this year that the club started complying with the SSS, PhilHealth, and Pag-IBIG requirements for its employees. Based on the general information sheet from the Securities and Exchange Commission, at least five people are behind the management of Liv Disco Club, Inc. — Brian Tan Del Solo, chairman and president; and Yi Shen Dong (Kenneth Dong), Henry Reyes Yu, Raymond T. Go, and Hua Zhou Ling, directors. “They will be issued with notices to pay these amusement taxes wherein they will be given 10 days to comply. If they do not pay these taxes, then they will be recommended for closure,” Ms. Bathan said. The mayor has also ordered the police to heighten monitoring and intelligence-gathering activities to determine if the bar, along with other establishments, are involved in illegal activities such as narcotics trading. — The Freeman

See related story on NBI files drug rap vs nine over P6.4-B shabu shipment https://goo.gl/221Wct

US teen wildcard Tiafoe stuns Zverev to end treble title bid

CINCINNATI — US teen wildcard Frances Tiafoe shocked seventh-ranked Alexander Zverev 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 on Wednesday, advancing to the third round at the WTA and ATP Cincinnati Masters.

US teen wildcard Tiafoe stuns Zverev to end treble title bid
Frances Tiafoe returns a shot to Alexander Zverev of Germany during Day 5 of the Western & Southern Open at the Linder Family Tennis Center on Aug. 16 in Mason, Ohio. — AFP

Riding a 10-match win streak after titles in Montreal and Washington, Zverev was a favorite to capture his seventh title of the year in the last major US Open hardcourt tuneup.

But 19-year-old Tiafoe, a second-round loser to the 20-year-old German at Wimbledon and the Australian Open in their only prior meetings, pulled off the greatest triumph of his young career.

“I’m happy it finally happened. I’ve lost a lot of tough matches,” Tiafoe said of his first win over a top-10 rival.

“We’re going to be playing a lot over the next 10 or 15 years. I didn’t want to start out 0-3 against him.”

Zverev said the toll of his extraordinary run caught up with him this week.

“I’m completely dead right now,” Zverev said. “I’ve been dead for the past two days. I finished the match. I could have easily pulled the plug in the second set.”

Zverev broke Tiafoe with a forehand winner to claim the first set, but Tiafoe broke three times to win the second set and again to stay level early in the third.

Tiafoe forced two break and match points in the last game. When Zverev sent a forehand long, Tiafoe screamed with delight.

Tiafoe will next face US 14th seed John Isner, the lone remaining seed in his draw quarter.

Zverev could have matched Andre Agassi in 1995 with the only ATP Washington, Canada and Cincinnati title hat trick in a year.

Rafael Nadal, who returns to the world number one spot Monday for the first time since 2014, was set to later face France’s Richard Gasquet in a second-round match. The 31-year-old Spaniard has a 14-0 career ATP record against Gasquet.

VENUS, KERBER ELIMINATED
Top-ranked Czech defending champion Karolina Pliskova defeated Russian lucky loser Natalia Vikhlyantseva 6-2, 6-3, to drop Dane Caroline Wozniacki from the list of rivals who can overtake her for world number one this week.

Romania’s second-ranked Simona Halep and Ukraine’s fourth-ranked Elina Svitolina could still swipe the top spot for the first time in their careers.

Germany’s third-ranked Angelique Kerber, who lost the top ranking after Wimbledon, missed her chance to reclaim it by losing to Russia’s Ekaterina Makarova 6-4, 1-6, 7-6 (13/11).

Leg-cramping Makarova saved a match point in the tie-breaker but needed eight chances to finally subdue Kerber on a drop volley after two hours 38 minutes, lifting her to 5-0 this season against top-5 foes. She faces US wildcard Sloane Stephens next. — AFP

Handhell

MOVIE REVIEW
Salvage
Directed by Sherad Anthony Sanchez

By Noel Vera

Sherad Anthony Sanchez’s Salvage (2015) takes its title from the common Filipino slang word for summary execution, which Pete Lacaba in his Manila Times column Carabeef Lengua explains: “It was during martial rule that salvaging came to acquire its present Filipino meaning. To salvage is to save things from a wreckage, but the visual similarity of the word to the Tagalog salbahe (naughty, abusive), which is itself derived from the Spanish salvaje (savage), inevitably led to the present denotation of salvaging as extrajudicial or summary execution of both criminal and subversive elements.”

I remember a simpler explanation, though I can’t remember where I got it nor find any documentary basis online: that the military is “saving” or “salvaging” the victim’s soul from the evils of communism.

You can’t say the military doesn’t have its own perverse, not to mention blasphemous, sense of humor. Nowadays the shadowy folk that ride on motorbikes and do Duterte’s will by shooting people almost at random in the streets of Manila wrap their victims in duct tape, pin comments to the corpses: “Pusher huwag tularan!” ([Drug] pusher don’t imitate!), or draw the Batman insignia on their cardboard squares. The sophomoric comedy continues unabated.

Sanchez’s conceit takes its cue from Mario O’Hara’s great Pangarap ng Puso (Demons, 2000) in conflating the threat of military execution with the threat of a mythical creature in this case the aswang (ghoul or vampire), the difference being this is told through the lens of a handheld video camera, found-footage style.

A difficult genre to get right and Sanchez doesn’t, not completely: the newsmen still look silly running desperately with camcorder on one shoulder, even sillier when one member of the crew passes the camera to another — “You’re running for your life for f***’s sake!” you want to yell at them; “Drop the f***ing camera!”

At the same time you can’t completely dismiss the film for its flaws. Sanchez takes his cue from another not-quite-as-good horror movie, Leo Gabriadze’s Unfriended to use pixilation or distortion (as if from a damaged hard drive or faulty streaming service) in place of special effects — use the errors generated by the media itself as a means of generating disturbing imagery.

Sanchez goes much further than Gabriadze: sometimes the pixilation covers a man’s back like alligator scales, beautiful and fiendishly itch-inducing (you think of the monstrously scaled men in J.G. Ballard’s The Crystal World crawling to shore like primeval amphibians). At one point we have a man and woman being tormented in the middle of a small arena, women and children standing around watching in their finest town fiesta costumes (bright shiny pink and blue dresses). At one point the camera watches an anaconda wrap itself around a woman, the woman screaming in ecstasy as the film strays into Ken Russell territory (Altered States or The Devils anyone?) — by now handheld camera and nightmare have fused into one and you forget the conventions of the whole silly genre as it is being memorably, horrifically, transcended.

Not sure if Sanchez supports the mayor-turned-president of Davao — a significant portion of the Filipino filmmaking industry does and one fears the worst. But intended or not (this was made back in 2015 after all) he’s produced a powerful metaphor for the insidious nature of fanatical evil, the way it turns truth — reality itself — around, manipulates pixels and sound bytes till they mean the opposite of what they are. We are suitably freaked out.

MTRCB Rating: R-16

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