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Marcos couple sick, told to rest

Philippine President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. arrives in Melbourne on Sunday afternoon for a three-day summit between Australia and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). — PPA POOL PHOTO

PHILIPPINE President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. and his wife had been advised on Thursday to continue to rest in their residence after experiencing flu-like symptoms, according to the presidential palace.

“The President and the First Lady continue to experience flu-like symptoms but with improvements, maintaining stable vital signs,” it said in a statement. “They are advised to continue medications, rest, and hydration for full recovery.”

On Wednesday, the President canceled his appointments after developing the flu-like symptoms following his busy schedule. He has also canceled his participation in a March 22 luncheon organized by journalists from foreign media outfits, which the palace said will be rescheduled. 

“The President continues to work in his residence, handling correspondence and directives within medical advice,” the palace said on Thursday.

“He anticipates resuming full public engagements soon, per his physician’s clearance.”

Mr. Marcos visited other countries in recent weeks, including Germany and the Czech Republic from March 11 to 15. — Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza

NLEX expects 10% traffic surge

VEHICLES approach the NLEX Balintawak toll plaza, May 18, 2021. — PHILIPPINE STAR/ MICHAEL VARCAS

TRAFFIC volume along the North Luzon Expressway is expected to spike by around 10% during the Holy Week, prompting NLEX Corp. to deploy the full force of its personnel to assist motorists.

J. Luigi L. Bautista, NLEX president and general manager, said in a media release on Thursday that 1,500 of its toll and systems personnel will be on duty and that some decongestion projects have been in place for the Holy Week.

“NLEX has implemented decongestion projects in Meycauayan Northbound designed to help ease the expected traffic surge,” said Mr. Bautista. “We are hoping that these decongestion projects, alongside with other measures, will contribute to a more manageable traffic flow.”

Still, the unit of Metro Pacific Tollways Corp. (MPTC) appealed to motorists for cooperation and patience, particularly when traveling to the NLEX-SCTEX-NLEX Connector this Holy Week.

MPTC is the tollways unit of Metro Pacific Investments Corp., one of three key Philippine units of Hong Kong-based First Pacific Co. Ltd., the others being Philex Mining Corp. and PLDT, Inc.

Hastings Holdings, Inc., a unit of PLDT Beneficial Trust Fund subsidiary MediaQuest Holdings, Inc., has a majority stake in BusinessWorld through the Philippine Star Group, which it controls. — Ashley Erika O. Jose

Farmers expose NFA rice sales

PHILSTAR FILE PHOTO

A TOTAL of 9.6 million sacks of rice were allegedly sold by the National Food Authority (NFA) to private rice retailers without proper bidding in the years 2021 and 2022, a farmers organization said on Thursday.

“The alleged sale of around 75,000 bags of aging NFA stocks to private traders in early 2024 is just the tip of the iceberg,” Raul Q. Montemayor, national manager of the Federation of Free Farmers (FFF), said in a statement sent to BusinessWorld. “Much larger transactions occurred in previous years, with buyers paying only P25 per kilo without going through bidding.”

He said this disposal of rice stocks by the NFA in 2021 and 2022 resulted in the agency depleting its rice stocks to only three-and-a-half days’ worth of national consumption by end-2022 — a violation of Republic Act No. 11203 (Rice Tariffication Law) which mandates the NFA to maintain buffer stocks equivalent to 15 to 30 days of national rice consumption. 

The NFA faced scrutiny earlier this month after a report surfaced that it allegedly disposed of 75,000 bags of “aging and deteriorating” buffer stocks of rice worth P93.75 million without undergoing the proper bidding process.

The FFF said that in 2021 alone, almost 5.6 million bags of rice were allegedly sold to traders, with 4 million more sold the same way the following year.

Mr. Montemayor said that they based their rice sale report on inventory and sales data from the 2022 NFA report. “We got the breakdown of (rice stock) sales by buyers from insiders,” he said.

Sought for comment, the NFA said: “We cannot comment on this since the Department of Agriculture and the Ombudsman are already conducting a parallel investigation on the matter.”

Albay Rep. Jose Maria Clemente S. Salceda said he already instructed the Department of Agriculture (DA) to investigate not just the initial alleged anomalous sale of “75,000 (rice) sacks but the full 2019 to 2024 period.”

“The critical matter is that NFA minimizes its losses from being low-balled on its sales of stocks so that it will be able to absorb losses from the retail sector,” Mr. Salceda, who is vice chairman of the House Agriculture and Food Committee, told BusinessWorld in a Viber message.

Mr. Montemayor said the DA should quickly resolve the alleged irregularities in rice stock sales so the NFA can resume its mandate of stockpiling rice supplies meant to be used for emergency and calamity purposes. “Harvests are already peaking, and the NFA must intensify its palay procurement in order to replenish its depleted buffer stocks,” he said.

“It cannot move with so many of its top officials suspended for six months, and some warehouses reportedly padlocked, pending the results of the investigations,” he added. — Kenneth Christiane L. Basilio

P1.23B allotted to power up schools

PHILIPPINE STAR/ MIGUEL DE GUZMAN

THE DEPARTMENT of Budget and Management (DBM) said on Thursday that it has approved the release of P1.295 billion to fund the electrification of schools.

The DBM issued the special allotment release order (SARO) allocating P1.295 billion for the electrification of off-grid schools as well as the modernization of other schools’ existing electrical systems.

Budget Secretary Amenah F. Pangandaman approved the SARO release on March 1. “Investing in education means we are also investing on the needed facilities of our students,” she said in a statement.

The fund would be used to upgrade existing electrical power systems of school buildings, as well as the purchase and installation of appropriate transformers and solar power systems.   

The allocation is under a special provision in the 2024 General Appropriations Act under Program/Activity/Project (PAP) – Basic Education Facilities, which would cover schools in most regions in the Philippines.

The special provision also prescribes that the Department of Education (DepEd) prioritizes the use of solar energy sources for providing electricity to both off-grid and on-grid public schools.

“The fund would be a big help for students and teachers to be more comfortable in their classrooms,” the Budget chief said in Filipino.

DepEd data from 2020 showed that around 1,562 schools don’t have electric power, while 39,335 needed an upgrade of their electrical systems. — Beatriz Marie D. Cruz

Bushfires hit 2 Cotabato towns

COTABATO CITY — Swaths of forests and grasslands, withered by lack of rain since February, have been razed by scattered wildfires in two towns of Cotabato province since Sunday.

As of Thursday, at least 30 hectares of grasslands have gone up in smoke in the Lower Binay area in Magpet town, local officials and community elders interviewed by BusinessWorld said.

Fires, one after the other, also lit up the dry hinterlands of Gambodes and Binoungan in Arakan town until growing big to sweep through the area towards Magpet on Wednesday, they said.

Some residents of these three areas have been displaced and given essential humanitarian aid.

Cotabato Gov. Emmylou Taliño Mendoza also convened the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office to draft a plan with municipal officials on measures to take to forestall bushfires as the summer season sets in.

“We are waiting for the results of the joint investigation on these fires by the local government units in Arakan and in Magpet and the Bureau of Fire Protection,” Ms. Taliño Mendoza said. — John Felix M. Unson

Fil-Am Nation upstages NUNS in national high school tourney

NBTC

THERE will be a new champion in the Smart-National Basketball Training Center Division 1 National Finals.

In a stunning turn, three-time titlist National University-Nazareth School (NUNS) got an early boot as Fil-Am Nation exacted vengeance on the former with a convincing 81-64 win in the Supreme 16 late Wednesday night at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.

Terrence Hill showed the way with an all-around outing of 21 points, six rebounds, five steals and four assists as the fancied Filipino-Americans avenged their finals loss to the Bullpups in style to also barge their way to the Fantastic 8. 

Sebastian Margate had a breakout game of 19 points while former Gilas Youth player Jacob Bayla and NCAA Finals MVP from Colegio de San Juan de Letran Andy Gemao threw in 14 and 13, respectively.

Fil-Am Nation Select, which tasted a 75-64 defeat to NUNS in the finale last year, will face North Luzon champion Yengskivel Sportswear after its 78-70 win over Xavier University-Ateneo de Cagayan University-Sealcor.

Also making the quarterfinals was Batang Tiaong, which first dropped three-peat CESAFI champion Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu led by the top-ranked high school cager Jared Bahay to Division 2 in the Round of 32 before ousting PPG Tarlac, 80-64 in the Round of 16.

UAAP champion Adamson, University of Santo Tomas, NCAA bets Mapua University and San Sebastian College-Recoletos and One Media TV48 Naga completed the Last 8 of the country’s most prestigious national high school tilt.

In the Division 2, St. Jude College-Dasmariñas headlined the quarterfinal cast after eliminating Ateneo de Cebu, 70-65.

Joining them were Eco Green Technology-Makati, Arellano High School, Philippine Christian University-Dasmariñas, Visayas champion Khalifa-Cebu, St. Roberts International College-Iloilo, Top Flight Sports Canada and UNBL-Don Bosco-Dumaguete. — John Bryan Ulanday

PSC cites women athletes’ role in successful PHL sports agenda

PHILIPPINE Sports Commission Chairman Richard Bachmann — FACEBOOK.COM/PSC.GOV.PH

PHILIPPINE Sports Commission (PSC) Chairman Richard Bachmann championed the women athletes and their unparalleled role in elevating the local sports development in the inaugural Women in Sports Awards Wednesday night at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum.

Tennis sensation Alex Eala and national football team standout Sarina Bolden as Athletes of the Year headlined the star-studded event that feted the Filipinas’ vital role in the international success of Philippine sports.

“Your (women athletes) contribution to the country is seen and felt by everybody. The community of champions you have established is what we need in advancing our agenda and platforms for all athletes,” said Mr. Bachmann.

“To all our awardees, may this be an inspiration in performing your best in every battle in the spirit of dedication and commitment to the sporting community as we all together take steps in achieving a more successful Philippine sport.”

Forty six other Filipina achievers as well as sports executives, coaches, nutritionists, trainers and sports psychologists were recognized by the PSC for their massive contributions beyond the game.

Among the major awardees were reigning world women’s world 10-ball champion Chezka Centeno and Asian weightlifting silver medalist Vanessa Sarno as well as the country’s only Olympic gold medalist so far in weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz-Naranjo, who was feted with the Flame Award.   

Seoul Olympic Games gold medalist Arianne Cerdena, who traveled all the way from the United States, was also honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award, along with seven others, including PSC commissioner and bowling legend Olivia “Bong” Coo.

Sen. Christopher “Bong” Go, Senate Sports Committee Chair, also preached the contributions of the Filipina athletes in the historic event organized by the PSC and the Philippine Council on Women in celebration of International Women’s Month.

“Tonight is a testament to the strength, dedication and passion of Filipino women. You have not only excelled in their respective sports but have also contributed to uplifting the spirit and prestige of our  nation in both the local and international stage,” said Mr. Go.

“We recognize that the journey of our Filipina athletes is one of relentless perseverance and pain. These qualities not only define their paths to excellence but also inspire us all.”

Sen. Pia Cayetano, a major advocate of women in sports but could not be present due to prior commitments, awarded Eala and Bolden with an incentive of P100,000 each for their exemplary athletic achievement in the event backed by Milo, CEL Logistics and Wrist Pod. — John Bryan Ulanday

PBA All-Star captains Mark Barroca, Japeth Aguilar bring back memories of first trip to the City of Smiles

FOR BARROCA AND AGUILAR, this gig brings back memories of their unforgettable first trips to the City of Smiles decades ago. — FACEBOOK.COM/PBAOFFICIAL

BACOLOD CITY — There’s an air of nostalgia as captains Mark Barroca and Japeth Aguilar led the entourage that arrived Thursday for the weekend’s PBA All Star festivities.

For Messrs. Barroca and Aguilar, this gig brings back memories of their unforgettable first trips to the City of Smiles decades ago as collegiate players and with it, an intense desire to make the next three days even more special.

“Last time I was here, its 2004 with Ateneo (also in the Unigames). But ever since, I was looking forward to going back here,” said Mr. Aguilar, who shared that it was his first time to travel by plane then and also his first exposure to a cuisine other than the familiar Kapampangan dishes.

“After a long while, I returned. And immediately, we’re greeted by the wonderful and beautiful people of Bacolod; Its realy a city of smiles.

It’s an emotional trip, too, for Mr. Gallent, who’s making his All Star coaching debut in the Team Mark versus Team Japeth extravaganza on Sunday at the University of St. La Salle.

“It’s a really great blessing for me at the start of the year. I just hope it continues like that. After winning the championship (in the Commissioner’s Cup for San Miguel), I’m coaching the All Star so (I’m) very happy about that,” said Mr. Gallent, who is pitted against Tim Cone of Team Japeth.

“I would like to thank the fans for bringing me here. We will try to win the game and try to be competitive on Sunday,” he added.

Before that highlight game, there will be a series of activities happening in the next two days.

Friday’s itinerary includes a referees clinic and basketball clinic at Barangay Villamonte, a visit at the Negros Occidental High School and mall tours at Ayala and SM malls.

Saturday, representatives from each team engage in a battle of skills in the Obstacle Challenge competition and separate Three-Point Contests for Big Men and Guards afterwhich the top rookies, sophomores and juniors face off in the Team Great versus Team Stalwarts game. — Olmin Leyba

Goals galore as British Premier League scoring rates soar

LONDON — Goals late in games have resulted in the biggest season-on-season scoring rate rise in England’s top flight for nearly 100 years as Premier League defenses take a hammering.

With the season reaching its climax, the average goals per game currently stands at 3.24 compared to 2.85 last season, an increase of 13.7%. It is the biggest jump since 1925-26 when the offside rule was tweaked to favor attacking players.

Statistics website soccerstats.com reveals that more than 25% of the goals scored this campaign have come after the 76th minute, many arriving deep into the lengthy periods of stoppage time that have become a feature of the season.

The latest goal scored this season was Ollie McBurnie’s 103rd-minute penalty for Sheffield United against West Ham United in January while numerous other goals have come past the 100-minute mark.

Teams towards the middle of the table have also been more effective attacking units this season.

According to Simon Gleave, head of analysis at Nielsen’s Gracenote, the eight teams currently ranked 10th to 17th in the league table are averaging 1.45 goals per match, compared to their equivalents last term with 1.04 per game.

The current top nine teams, seven of which finished last season in the top nine, are recording a 5% increase.

Certain clubs have clearly worked on their attacking effectiveness too, none more so than Wolverhampton Wanderers whose average per game of 1.5 is an 84% rise on last season.

Chelsea are up 74%, Aston Villa 54%, Bournemouth 50% and West Ham United 44%.

Champions Manchester City, however, are averaging fewer goals than they were last season, as are Manchester United, Brighton & Hove Albion and Brentford.

With a three-way title race reaching its climax, Arsenal’s goalscoring prowess could give them the edge.

The Gunners have racked up 70 goals in 28 games at an average of 2.5 goals per match — their highest top-flight scoring average since the 1934-35 season.

“Since 1962-63, there have been only eight teams that have averaged 2.5 goals per match or better across a whole season; Manchester United (1999-00), Chelsea (2009-10), Liverpool (2013-14) and Manchester City (2013-14, 2017-18, 2018-19, 2019-20 and 2021-22),” said Mr. Gleave.

“Arsenal need to score 25 more goals in their last 10 matches to join this select group.”

For pure entertainment, however, Newcastle United’s matches are the ones to watch. Their 28 games have produced 107 goals at an average of 3.82. Only one team since the 1966-67 season — Liverpool in 2013-14 — have had an average exceeding 3.8 goals per match across a whole season. — Reuters

Boston Celtics hold off Bucks for 10th straight home triumph

JAYSON TATUM had 31 points and eight rebounds to help the Boston Celtics extend their winning streak to seven games with a 122-119 victory over the visiting Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday night.

Derrick White added 23 points and eight assists for Boston (55-14), which made 18 of its 40 3-point attempts. Jaylen Brown had 21 points, and Payton Pritchard came off the bench to score 19. Mr. Pritchard made 5 of 8 treys.

The Bucks (44-25) trailed 116-114 after a Bobby Portis layup with 32.6 seconds to play, but Mr. Brown made two free throws to give Boston a four-point lead with 20.3 seconds remaining, and Milwaukee failed to score on its ensuing possession. The Celtics led by six until Damian Lillard made a 3-pointer at the final buzzer.

The victory stretched Boston’s home winning streak to 10 games and improved the Celtics’ home record to 32-3.

Mr. Lillard scored a game-high 32 points, and Mr. Portis added 24 points and 15 rebounds. The Bucks received 22 points from Khris Middleton.

Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo missed his second consecutive game with a hamstring injury. Mr. Antetokounmpo is averaging 30.8 points, 11.2 rebounds and 6.4 assists per game this season.

Boston wasn’t at full strength, either. Starting guard and former Buck Jrue Holiday was scratched with a shoulder injury, and Sam Hauser remained out after spraining his left ankle during Sunday’s victory in Washington. — Reuters

‘Mind the Game’

There’s no question that LeBron James moves the needle like no one else in basketball. While he’s already 39 and clearly in the downside of a stellar career, he remains the sport’s single bigger influencer — in the real sense of the word. He has 159 million followers on Instagram and another 52.8 million on X, and his posts on either platform immediately generate teeming reactions from supporters and critics alike. He commands attention, and not simply because knows how to put the ball through the hoop. Authority bias may be at play, but, for the most part, he knows what he’s talking about.

Which, in a nutshell, is why James’ decision to enter the realm of podcasting cannot but be viewed as a positive. In fact, his reach and acumen make the endeavor a no-brainer. And, in JJ Redick, he has found a perfect partner: a fellow hoops lifer with a profound capacity for delving into subjects, even esoteric ones, with uncanny depth. To contend that they were made for “Mind The Game” would be an understatement, as evidenced by the wealth of information contained in the first episode that was released the other day.

Between sips of wine and water, James and Redick filled the joint venture between their production companies with nuggets of wisdom. They fed off a discussion that began with an attempt to answer the question “What makes a great basketball player?”, moved on to the meat behind the term “Basketball IQ”, delved into the merits of standard offensive sets, and underscored the influence of such “relatable” megastars as Stephen Curry and Allen Iverson. In between, they talked about the anatomy of monumental comebacks in matches — like the one he recently orchestrated against the Clippers — and the rise of Jayson Tatum and the Celtics following the arrival of Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis in exchange for “a bag of Lays potato chips.”

Clearly, James and Redick aren’t afraid to tackle sensitive subjects — and, yes, they speak their mind, as they typically do. Given how the first episode evolved, the podcast has something for everyone. That said, it’s also not for the Average Joe looking to multitask while it runs in the background via YouTube or Spotify. It takes itself seriously, and pridefully spews out particulars with no intention of babying the viewer or listener. Phrases like “pick the picker” and concepts like “horns chest” abound, making it more attuned to the tastes of diehard fans than casual observers.

All the same, “Mind the Game” is a vital foil to the cesspool of podcasts littered with subjective judgments with nary any justification. It’s a welcome respite from all the inane content occupying airwaves — full of sound and fury, yet signifying nothing. It is, to be sure, not without irony that both James and Redick aren’t free of guilt in this regard, the former with “The Shop” and the latter with “First Take.” Nonetheless, they deserve props for daring to go against the tide, and, ultimately, for making sense. In view of the myriad demands on their time, the hope is that they are able to keep it going.

 

Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994. He is a consultant on strategic planning, operations and human resources management, corporate communications, and business development.

Global fertility rates set to fall, shifting burden to poorer nations

A WOMAN pushing her baby in a stroller walks around in the Hongdae area of Seoul, South Korea, June 29, 2016. — REUTERS

FERTILITY rates in nearly all countries will be too low to sustain population levels by the end of the century, and most of the world’s live births will be occurring in poorer countries, according to a study published on Wednesday.

The trend will lead to a “baby boom” and “baby bust” divide across the world, with the boom concentrated in low-income countries that are more susceptible to economic and political instability, senior researcher Stein Emil Vollset from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington in Seattle said in a statement.

The study reported in The Lancet projects 155 of 204 countries and territories worldwide, or 76%, will have fertility rates below population replacement levels by 2050. By 2100, that is expected to rise to 198, or 97%, researchers estimated.

The forecasts are based on surveys, censuses, and other sources of data collected from 1950 through 2021 as part of the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study.

Over three-quarters of live births will occur in low- and lower-middle-income countries by the end of the century, with more than half taking place in sub-Saharan Africa, researchers said.

The global fertility rate — the average number of births per woman — has fallen from around 5 children in 1950 to 2.2 in 2021, data show.

By 2021, 110 countries and territories (54%) had rates below the population replacement level of 2.1 children per woman.

The study highlights a particularly worrying trend for countries like South Korea and Serbia, where the fertility rate is less than 1.1 child per female, exposing them to challenges of a dwindling workforce.

Many of the most resource-limited countries “will be grappling with how to support the youngest, fastest-growing population on the planet in some of the most politically and economically unstable, heat-stressed, and health system-strained places on earth,” Mr. Vollset said.

While tumbling fertility rates in high-income countries reflect more opportunities for education and employment for women, researchers said the trend signals an urgent need for improvement in access to modern contraception and female education in other regions.

In addition, “once nearly every country’s population is shrinking, reliance on open immigration will become necessary to sustain economic growth,” IHME’s Natalia Bhattacharjee, a coauthor of the report, said in a statement.

The authors noted that predictions were limited by quantity and quality of past data, especially for the 2020 to 2021 COVID-19 pandemic period. — Reuters

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