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Jordan, Iraq claim opening wins at Asian Cup as Malaysia and Indonesia fall

DOHA — Jordan crushed Malaysia 4-0 in the Asian Cup while Iraq cruised to a 3-1 win over Indonesia as the west Asian sides flexed their muscles in their respective group openers on Monday.

On a day where each match featured four goals, Jordan’s thumping victory moved them to the top of Group E — above South Korea who beat Bahrain 3-1 earlier on Monday.

Jordan’s Mahmoud Al-Mardi put his hand up for an early contender for goal of the tournament when the winger gave his side the lead with a shot from outside the box that floated over the keeper and into the top corner at the far post.

Musa Al-Taamari doubled their lead from the spot after a penalty was awarded for a foul on Yazan Al-Naimat following a VAR review while Al-Mardi made it 3-0 when he scored his second from a tap-in after being set up by Yazan Al-Naimat.

Al-Taamari grabbed his second when he lobbed the keeper in the 85th minute to complete the rout.

Like Malaysia, Indonesia were also making their return to the Asian Cup for the first time since 2007 and though the south-east Asian side were able to hold their own against Iraq for 45 minutes, they ran out of gas in the second half.

Iraq’s Mohanad Ali scored first when he was through on goal with just the keeper to beat but Marselino Ferdinan equalised after some fine work form Yakob Sayuri, who skipped a challenge and crossed the ball into the six-yard box for an easy goal.

However, Iraq burst Indonesia’s bubble late in added time just before the interval when Osama Rashid scored from close range after the keeper spilled a save.

Substitute Aymen Hussein then won a header in the 75th minute and volleyed home from the edge of the six-yard box to make it 3-1.

Iraq are second in Group D behind four-times champions Japan, who beat Vietnam 4-2 on Sunday. — Reuters

Dominant Embiid

Joel Embiid sounded confident in the aftermath of the Sixers’ win against the Rockets yesterday. Considering his disposition, it didn’t seem as if he had just emerged from yet another stint in sick bay. Perhaps it was because he had no trouble parading his usual dominant self after missing three games in which the red, white, and blue went a mere one and two. If there was any rust in him, it didn’t show in a 41-10-3-1-1 stat line that extended his streak of posting at least 30 points and 10 rebounds to a remarkable 17 outings.

Embiid was, of course, most glad because his superb showing resulted in victory for the Sixers. And given the way they have run the offense under first-year head coach Nick Nurse, it’s no coincidence that they’re 22 and six when he suits up. Which, in a nutshell, makes his addition to an exclusive list that hitherto counted only Wilt Chamberlain and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar all the more significant. He has been otherworldly since he was drafted third overall in 2014, but he is arguably most impactful this season.

Certainly, Embiid’s contributions are even more pronounced now than when he was recognized as the National Basketball Association’s Most Valuable Player last year. That his extraordinary exertions have come following the departure of James Harden is, perhaps, no coincidence. “Our need will be the real creator,” Plato once wrote, and it’s evident that necessity has compelled the brain trust to mold the Sixers’ playing style to best fit him and his supporting cast. The emergence of Tyrese Maxey and a wholehearted acceptance of slated roles by those around him have made them bona fide contenders for the hardware.

It’s anybody’s guess on whether Embiid can be fit enough to lead the Sixers to a deep postseason run. As things stand, seven games separate him from the minimum threshold of 65 set by the league for awards eligibility. He has, to be sure, argued that personal accolades are secondary to collective objectives. “It doesn’t matter how many games I play; the goal is to be healthy the rest of the year.” And if he is, all and sundry in the City of Brotherly Love have cause to cast moist eyes on the Larry O’Brien Trophy.

 

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.

Filipinos favor working with US — poll

PHILIPPINE STAR/EDD GUMBAN

By Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza, Reporter

MOST Filipinos want the Philippine government to work with the United States amid rising tensions with China, a new poll released by Pulse Asia Research, Inc. showed.

Seventy-nine percent of Filipinos said the Philippines should work with the US as the dispute between Manila and Beijing in the South China Sea poses threats to the national economy and security, think tank Stratbase Institute ADR said in a statement, citing the Pulse Asia survey that it commissioned.

The poll conducted from Dec. 3-7, 2023, also showed that following the US, the Philippines much favors working with Australia (43%) and Japan (42%).

Meanwhile, only one out of 10 Filipinos or 10% favored working with China, the think tank said.

“As evidenced by the survey results, 90% of Filipinos are not in favor of working with China. This is only natural, as the Philippines continue to encounter aggressive and coercive acts in the West Philippine Sea,” Stratbase Institute ADR President Victor Andres “Dindo” C. Manhit said.

On the economic front, Mr. Manhit said the Philippines has decreased its participation in China’s Belt and Road Initiative, which had been embraced by Mr. Marcos’ predecessor, Rodrigo R. Duterte.

The most important reason to defend Philippine claims in the South China Sea — as cited by respondents — is the 2016 arbitral ruling that invalidated China’s expansive claims, the survey found. Some 31% of the respondents cited it.

It was followed by the need to maintain the country’s sovereign and territorial integrity (27%) and protect marine resources from further destruction and prevent the abuse of valuable resources (23%).

Stratbase said 67% of Filipinos think the government needs to strengthen the country’s external defense capability to assert its claims in the waterway.

It said 56% of Filipinos also believe there is a need to reinforce the country’s alliances and partnerships with like-minded countries through the conduct of joint patrols and military exercises (56%), establish stronger military presence in the West Philippine Sea by repairing the BRP Sierra Madre and by conducting regular resupply missions, ensure effective control of the Ayungin shoal (52%) and improve inter-agency cooperation among agencies involved in maritime security (52%).

The US, Japan, and Australia have been at the forefront of international condemnation of China’s intrusions into Philippine waters.

“Their resounding statements of support boost the confidence of the Philippines in the international community,” Mr. Manhit said. “In the face of asymmetric security challenges, the Philippines must leverage its relations with states with shared values and with the same commitment to defend the rules-based international order.”

The Philippines is America’s oldest treaty ally in the Indo-Pacific region. Their ties have been relatively special despite the Philippines becoming a US colony in the 1940s and even as Mr. Marcos’ predecessor pursued a pivot to China and away from the US and other western powers.

In February, last year, Mr. Marcos announced a decision giving the US access to four military bases on top of the five existing sites under the 2014 Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement — a move that has angered China and has been opposed by Filipino patriotic groups.

Opposition to the Philippines’ security alliance with the US is nothing new, with senators backed by nationalist forces rejecting the renewal of a bilateral military bases agreement between the two countries in 1991.

The decision led to the dismantling of an American air base in Clark, Pampanga and a US naval base in Subic, Olongapo. The two sites, which are now economic hubs, are located north of the capital Manila.

“In the face of asymmetric security challenges, the Philippines must leverage its relations with states with shared values and with the same commitment to defend the rules-based international order,” Mr. Manhit said.

China summons Filipino envoy as Marcos lauds Taiwan leader’s election

BW FILE PHOTO

By John Victor D. Ordoñez, Reporter

THE CHINESE Foreign Ministry has summoned the Philippine ambassador to China after President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. expressed intent to work with Taiwan’s newly elected president, China’s foreign ministry said on Tuesday.

“The Chinese side is strongly dissatisfied and resolutely opposes this,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning told a regular news conference, referring to Mr. Marcos’ message to Taiwan president-elect William Lai Ching-te.

She said Assistant Chinese Minister Nong Rong had summoned Philippine Ambassador to China Jaime A. FlorCruz to “give the Chinese side a reasonable explanation” for the Philippine Chief Executive’s congratulatory comments to Taiwan’s new leader.

In an X post, Mr. Marcos said he looks forward to “close collaboration, strengthening mutual interests, fostering peace and ensuring prosperity for our peoples in the years ahead.”

“On behalf of the Filipino people, I congratulate President-elect Lai Ching-te on his election as Taiwan’s next president,” he said as world leaders, including US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, recognized the new Taiwanese leader.

In his response, Mr. Lai recognized the “enduring friendship” between the Philippines and Taiwan.

“I look forward to enhancing our economic and people-to-people ties while championing democracy, peace & prosperity in the region,” he said on X.

Following this exchange, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) of the Philippines said Manila would remain committed to the One-China Policy.

“The Department of Foreign Affairs reaffirms the principles contained in the Joint Communique of the Government of the Republic of the Philippines and the Government of the People’s Republic of China signed by President Ferdinand E. Marcos and Premier Zhou Enlai on 9 June 1975,” the DFA said in a statement on Sunday.

Mr. Marcos’ congratulatory statement was “his way” of thanking Taiwan for hosting about 200,000 overseas Filipino workers as Manila and Taipei “share mutual interests,” the DFA said.

In a separate statement, the Chinese Foreign Ministry referred to Marcos’ remarks as “a grave violation of the one-China principle and the communiqué on the establishment of China-Philippine diplomatic relations and a breach of the Philippines’ political commitment to China.”

Earlier, China’s Taiwan Office spokesperson Chen Binhua said the elections would not “change the basic landscape and development trend of cross-Strait relations.”

Taiwan, which has been independent from China since 1949, is still seen as a “renegade province” by Beijing.

“It is important to note how Beijing has also defied diplomatic protocols many times against Manila’s interests, such as holding a surprise meeting with the former president (Rodrigo R. Duterte),” Don Mclain Gill, an international relations lecturer at De La Salle University, said in a Facebook Messenger chat.

“Therefore, there was nothing wrong with what President Marcos Jr. said,” Mr. Gill said. “Taiwan is of crucial importance to the Philippines and the Filipino people for evident commercial and socio-economic reasons.”

While the Philippines’ DFA clarified the government’s adherence to the One China Policy, he said “it is clear how Manila sought to illustrate its political autonomy while also highlighting the need for democracies to work together amidst revisionist forces in the region.” 

The election of Mr. Lai followed a year that saw increased tensions in the region involving China, which also claims the South China Sea almost in its entirety.

“The election result in Taiwan is a good reminder to the Philippines on the importance of the voice of the people in fighting for national sovereignty,” Chester B. Cabalza, founder of Manila-based International Development and Security Cooperation, said via Messenger chat.

The two countries are “natural neighbors that should be backing each other amid insecurities posed by China’s aggression in the region,” he said.

Mr. Cabalza also noted that Taiwan is a South China Sea claimant and its bond with the Philippines could boost a rules-based order in one of the world’s most important waterways.

The win of a pro-democracy leader in Taiwan gives an overview of the upcoming election in the Philippines next year, he said, which should be “a referendum of our case in the West Philippine Sea.” — with a report from Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza

Lawmakers question unprogrammed funds before SC

BW FILE PHOTO

By Beatriz Marie D. Cruz, Reporter

SEVERAL lawmakers have filed before the Supreme Court (SC) a petition challenging the legality of adding P449.54 billion in unprogrammed appropriations under the 2024 national budget.

In a 27-page petition filed on Monday, the petitioners said: “The Constitutional prohibition on the Congress from exceeding the totality of ceiling of the appropriations proposed by the President in the National Expenditure Program includes the ban on increasing the amount proposed by the chief executive for both the programmed and unprogrammed appropriations.”

Under the 2024 National Expenditure Plan (NEP), the President proposed a total of P281.9 billion in unprogrammed appropriations. This jumped to a total of P731.45 billion under the 2024 General Appropriations Act (GAA), the congressmen noted.

They said that both the House and Senate versions of the 2024 budget reflected unprogrammed appropriations totaling to P289.1 billion only. However, the bicameral conference committee added P449.54 billion in the unprogrammed appropriations.

Lawmakers who petitioned against the move cited section 25(1) under Article 6 of the Constitution, which states that “Congress may not increase the appropriations recommended by the President for the operation of the government as specified in the budget.”

“It is indubitable that the excess of P449.54 billion in unprogrammed appropriations is constitutionally infirm. It is an expenditure outlay inside the Constitution. It is akin to an outlaw which must be slain on sight,” read a portion of the petition.

“This unconstitutional excess outlay was appropriated with grave abuse of discretion,” it added.

The petition was filed against Congress, represented by Senate President Juan Miguel F. Zubiri and House Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez, as well as Sen. Juan Edgardo M. Angara and Party-list Rep. Elizaldy S. Co, who head both Chambers’ respective appropriations panels.

Aside from the lawmakers, the petition was also filed against Executive Secretary Lucas P. Bersamin, Budget Secretary Amenah F. Pangandaman, and National Treasurer Rosalia V. De Leon.

Petitioners of the case were Albay Rep. Edcel C. Lagman, Camarines Sur Rep. Gabriel H. Bordado, and Basilan Rep. Mujiv S. Hataman.

In December, Senate Minority Leader Aquilino D. Pimentel III also said the bicameral committee’s increase in the unprogrammed appropriations is “unconstitutional.”

Citing the Constitution, Mr. Pimentel told reporters: “Congress may approve the appropriations proposed by the President for the operation of the government, but it cannot increase the appropriations.”

House measure promoting extensive use of organic and biofertilizers filed

PHILSTAR

A LAWMAKER has filed a bill promoting the extensive use of organic and biofertilizers to ensure a more affordable option for farmers while addressing other concerns such as food security and environmental sustainability.

“This bill seeks to accelerate the transition from inorganic to organic fertilizer use as a viable solution to the aforementioned concerns,” Cagayan de Oro Rep. Lordan G. Suan said in filing House Bill No. 9751.

The measure proposes the establishment of a National Organic and Biofertilizers Support Program for farmers with up to five hectares of land for rice, sugar and corn production.

The program also includes a P5,000 voucher per hectare and its equivalent value for a fraction of a hectare, to be given every crop season.

In addition, farmers will be given training under the Department of Agriculture (DA) on the proper use of organic or biofertilizer, which will be part of all existing government fertilizer assistance programs.

A groundbreaking aspect of the bill is its integration of organic and biofertilizers into existing government fertilizer assistance programs.

To incentivize the production and distribution of these eco-friendly fertilizers, the measure proposes that companies involved in their manufacture within 10 years of its enactment into law will be exempted from tariffs and duties on importing materials and equipment.

“The reduction of the productive capacity of the land due to chemical saturation is even more evident with the heavy use of inorganic fertilizer,” Mr. Suan noted.

This aligns with President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr.’s call last year to enhance the use of biofertilizers, aiming to decrease reliance on imported petroleum-based fertilizers.

Acknowledging the need for a balanced approach, the Philippine Rice Research Institute recommends a combination of organic and inorganic fertilizers, potentially saving farmers between P2,000 to P4,000 per hectare, depending on factors such as amounts used, timing, and fertilizer type.

“There will still be a mix,” Mr. Marcos was quoted in a Palace statement. “But we will reduce our dependence on imports.”

The Philippines’ agricultural output fell by 0.3% P412.41 billion in the third quarter of 2023 due to lower crops and fisheries production, data from the Philippine Statistics Authority has shown. — Beatriz Marie D. Cruz

‘Cha-cha’ ad gets negative review

A TELEVISION advertisement promoting the amendment of the 1987 Constitution garnered mostly negative reactions from Filipinos online, research firm Capstone-Intel Corp. reported on Tuesday.

It said the advertisement known for using the phrase “EDSA-pwera” garnered 94.8% of negative mentions on social media, while only 5.2% of the times it had been mentioned were positive.

“This means that the article mentions about ‘EDSA-pwera’ campaign was mostly angled negatively, and that forums had a variety of discussions hitting the commercial,” Capstone-Intel said.

The report added that Twitter received the highest count of negative mentions on the advertisement supporting Charter change or “Cha-cha” among the social media platforms at 52.6%. News platforms accounted for 20.4% of the negative mentions, while Facebook stood for 9.9%.

In total, the EDSA-pwera ad received a social media reach of 4.52 million. Non-social media reach was at 508,820. 

The research firm noted that the mentions, whether in social media platforms or in the news, were “mostly negative, emphasizing the failure of the campaign to persuade people why there is a need to amend the 1987 Philippine Constitution.” — Beatriz Marie D. Cruz

LWUA order: Conserve water

PHILIPPINE STAR/EDD GUMBAN

THE LOCAL Water Utilities Administration (LWUA) said it directed its water districts to conduct water conservation measures and have a non-revenue water (NRW) of less than 20% amid the threat of droughts posed by El Niño.

“We gave a directive [to water districts] that the non-revenue water or the water losses… should be less than 20%. Those having leaks, it should be no more than 20%,” LWUA Administrator

Vicente Homer B. Revil, speaking partly in Filipino, said in a televised interview on Tuesday.

Last year, the LWUA said that an average of 488 cubic meters of water a year is lost to waste — half of the size of Angat Dam.

The LWUA oversees 533 water districts which serve 648 local government units and 22.3 million of population in the country.

Mr. Revil said the agency has spent P1 billion worth of projects in 2023, eight of which were implemented last year.

“We will have about 135 water sources that will be opened up through irrigation dams for multipurpose use. It can be used for household, domestic, and commercial,” he said.

Mr. Revil also assured enough supply amid the onset of El Niño. “We are just preparing for the worst scenario that can happen but for now we have enough water for the countrymen.”

El Niño is projected to enter a stronger phase in January, persisting until May, according to the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration or PAGASA.

The LWUA is a government-owned and -controlled corporation that manages the development of water systems outside of Metro Manila. — Sheldeen Joy Talavera

UN to check PHL media freedom

REPRESENTATIVES of media groups, artists, and freedom advocates hold up placards of emojis to champion freedom of expression during a press conference at a restaurant in Quezon City on Tuesday, ahead of the official visit in Manila of UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression and Opinion Irene Khan. — PHILIPPINE STAR/MICHAEL VARCAS

THE UNITED NATIONS (UN) Special Rapporteur on freedom of expression is set to visit Manila on Jan. 23 to Feb. 2 to look into issues surrounding freedom of speech involving media workers and civic organizations in the Philippines.

The UN officer, Irene Khan, will hold dialogues with media and civil society groups to discuss current laws and regulations on free speech, according to the UN Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner’s website.

It said she will “examine, in the spirit of cooperation and dialogue, the situation of the rights to freedom of opinion and expression in the country” and check on Philippine laws on digital privacy and access, and fake news.

Human rights group, Karapatan, urged Ms. Khan on Tuesday to investigate alleged trumped-up lawsuits filed by the government against human rights defenders and journalists.

“Red-tagging has quickly evolved into terrorist-tagging and the use of such laws to impede human rights and development work and quell free expression and dissent — all under the pretext of counterinsurgency and counterterrorism,” Karapatan said in a statement.

The National Union of Journalists in the Philippines (NUJP) said there had been 109 incidents of attacks and threats against journalists in the current administration of President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr.

In a statement, the NUJP also cited 36 incidents of harassment, which includes cases of surveillance of media practitioners and of journalists being tailed by unknown individuals.

“We welcome the visit of UN Special Rapporteur Irene Khan and we look forward to discussing the Philippine press situation with her,” the group said.

“We hope that she will heed our recommendations for a freer press and an environment more conducive to the exercise of freedom of expression in the Philippines,” it added. — John Victor D. Ordoñez

Surigao del Norte housing pushed

PHILSTAR FILE PHOTO

THE OFFICE of the Presidential Assistant for Eastern Mindanao (OPAMINE) is gearing up to take the lead in launching President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s flagship housing program in San Benito, Surigao del Norte.

Presidential Assistant for Eastern Mindanao Leo Tereso Magno disclosed that the initiative came about after a request from San Benito Mayor Ma. Gina Menil to include her municipality in the Pambansang Pabahay Para sa Pilipino (4PH) program.

During their meeting last Monday, Mr. Magno underscored the crucial role of the local government in expediting the housing program’s implementation. In turn, Ms. Menil assured her local administration’s swift preparation of the necessary documents to initiate the project in San Benito. 

Since signing a memorandum of agreement with the Department of Human Settlement and Urban Development (DHSUD) last year, Mr. Magno has been lobbying for the 4PH program in Eastern Mindanao to help create sustainable communities by providing quality housing for Filipinos.

“It is our job at OPAMINE to bring President BBM’s housing program to every municipality, city, and province, led by DHSUD under Sec Jerry Acuzar. We are ready to assist anyone interested in realizing the dream of providing homes for their fellow citizens,” he told Businessworld.

Last December, Mr. Magno announced at a media forum that the DHSUD and OPAMINE are eyeing the construction of about 180,000 housing units in Davao City. — Maya M. Padillo

Filipino now heads Aseanpol

PHILIPPINE Police Colonel David M. Vinluan has been named the executive director of Aseanpol, an organization composed of all chiefs of police in Southeast Asia that addresses transnational crimes.

According to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), Mr. Vinluan will be the first Filipino to hold the position since the organization was founded in 1981.

Aseanpol, which is based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, deals with operational, enforcement and preventive measures against transnational crimes.

In his speech during the handover ceremony held on Monday in Kuala Lumpur, Mr. Vinluan vowed to “carry on the fight against organized threats of transnational crimes in the region.”

Mr. Vinluan, is also a member of the United Nations Peacekeeping Mission in Kosovo and had been a member of the UN Police Division in the UN Headquarters in New York.

In October last year, the Philippine Department of Justice (DoJ) said it was working with the Department of Interior and Local Government, the Supreme Court, and their regional counterparts to identify crime hotspots in the Philippines.

“We are committed to continued collaboration with our international partners to address the shared challenge of transnational organized crime,” Justice spokesman Jose Dominic F. Clavano IV said at a United Nations regional conference in Bangkok in October. — John Victor D. Ordoñez

Philippine foreign affairs chief to visit Uganda

ENRIQUE A. MANALO — DFA.GOV.PH

PHILIPPINE Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique A. Manalo on Tuesday said he will be going to Uganda on Jan. 19 to 20 to discuss global security issues .

In a statement, he said the Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) in Uganda will cover issues climate change and sustainable development.

“This trip will be excellent opportunity to engage with countries from Africa and other regions to boost South-South cooperation and promote the shared interests… of developing countries,” Mr. Manalo said.

“NAM’s role in maintaining global peace and security and sustaining constructive and credible multilateralism that works for the people is important especially in the current international context.”

The visit will be his first to the African continent.

Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) Secretary Ivan John E. Uy will also be going to Uganda to represent the Philippines in the Third South Summit of the Group of 77 on Jan. 21 and 22 in Kampala, Uganda.

The summit aims to boost cooperation in the areas of trade, investment, sustainable development and climate change, among others. — John Victor D. Ordoñez

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