Pogoy considers it a miracle to play again after illness

January 15, 2024 | 6:58 pm

FAITH kept TNT star RR Pogoy going when he was diagnosed with myocarditis — an inflammation of the heart muscle — that could lead to a six-month layoff, if not end his career.

He considered it a “miracle” that he recovered in less time and even got to return to playing in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup some four months after his heart condition was initially discovered.

Mr. Pogoy who felt ill after the World Cup last September, underwent tests and treatment and eventually failed to join Gilas Pilipinas in the Asian Games campaign.

Mr. Pogoy was actually cleared to play as early as December but he and the team felt he needed a little more time to get his wind back.

And last Sunday, 134 days after suiting up for Gilas in its 96-75 romp over China, the Cebuano sniper got his first taste of action again. Coming off the bench, Mr. Pogoy made his first shot off a spin move and knocked down three triples the rest of the way for an 11-point outing in 20 minutes.

More importantly, Mr. Pogoy’s inspiring presence and infectious energy helped the TNT Tropang Giga beat Phoenix, 116-96, and clinch the last ticket to the quarterfinals at 5-6. — Olmin Leyba

UCAL opens Season 6 with two new members

January 15, 2024 | 6:57 pm

UCAL-Season-6 — COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES MEMBERS OF UCAL-PG FLEX LINOLEUM — FACEBOOK.COM/UCAL2K24

BIGGER, bolder, stronger.

The Universities and Colleges Athletic League (UCAL)–PG Flex Linoleum has welcomed two new members as it ushers in a growing family for its Sixth Season starting this Saturday at the Paco Arena in Manila.

Manila Central University (MCU) and Philippine Women’s University (PWU) are the latest additions to make it a nine-school UCLA cast in its plunge as the first collegiate league to open shop this New Year.

“We would have not gone this far without the loyalty and support of our member schools, the press, the media, our social media and livestream partners, and of course our major sponsor PG Flex Linoleum,” said UCAL President Franklin Evidente, joined by tournament director Horacio Lim.

“We have the same vision and mission with UCAL, help those who need help especially student-athletes. It’s our way to support Philippine sports,” added PG Flex Linoleum President Nelson Guevarra.

UCAL’s growth to nine schools led to its return to its original brand from the Universities and Colleges Basketball League (UCBL) name in the previous years in a bid to cater to more sporting events.

Presented by Angel’s Pizza, UCAL this time around will feature men’s and women’s volleyball, men’s basketball 3×3 and E-sports as part of its growth and innovation in going at par with today’s modern digital age for Season 6.

MCU and PWU, which joined members Centro Escolar University (CEU), Diliman College, Olivarez College, Guang Ming College in Tagaytay, University of Batangas, Philippine Christian University-Dasmariñas and Lyceum of the Philippines University-Batangas, will get a baptism of fire in headlining Saturday’s double-bill opener.

Defending titlist CEU will welcome MCU with a baptism of fire at 12 noon followed by PWU’s first test against PCU-Dasma at 2 p.m. after the opening ceremonies in the morning.

UCAL which produced a bevy of PBA cagers like NLEX’s Dominick Fajardo, Phoenix’s Jorey Napoles and Converge’s Bryan Santos, will stage games on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays with livestreaming at Smart Sports and all of the league’s social media pages. — John Bryan Ulanday

Real Madrid thrashes old rivals Barcelona, 4-1, to win Spanish Super Cup

January 15, 2024 | 6:57 pm

RIYADH — Vinicius Jr. scored a hat-trick in the first half as Real Madrid were crowned Spanish Super Cup champions after a 4-1 demolition of bitter rivals Barcelona in Saudi Arabia on Sunday.

Real dominated every aspect of the game and toyed with last year’s champions who could not handle Vinicius and ended the contest with 10 men after defender Ronald Araujo was sent off for a second booking in the 71^st minute after two fouls on the Brazilian.

“I didn’t expect us to score three so soon, but we took advantage of their high defensive line with an inspired Vinicius tonight,” Real manager Carlo Ancelotti told Movistar Plus.

“It was a difficult match, the result seems too much for the way Barcelona played. At 3-1 it was even. At 4-1 they dropped their arms a bit. We are happy.”

Mr. Ancelotti was being kind to Barca who could have suffered an even bigger defeat after a dismal second half in which they didn’t record a single shot on target.

Real’s masterclass, however, had started much earlier, with Jude Bellingham, Rodrygo and Vinicius creating all kinds of trouble for a Barcelona defense that were playing with an extremely high line.

It took Real seven minutes to open the scoring thanks to a magnificent assist by Mr. Bellingham.

The England midfielder was surrounded by three players on the halfway line but somehow managed to produce a stunning pass to find Vinicius who took the ball in his stride and effortlessly raced past the goalkeeper to finish into an empty net.

Real wasted a great opportunity to extend their lead when Federico Valverde recovered the ball quickly and delivered a great pass through to Rodrygo, whose point-blank strike was brilliantly saved by goalkeeper Inaki Pena.

Real’s second came from another long pass, this time with Dani Carvajal finding Rodrygo in the right channel. He broke into the box before squaring the ball across the penalty area for a Vinicius tap-in in the 10^th minute.

Barcelona almost hit back quickly as Ferran Torres fired a half-volley against the crossbar and goalkeeper Andriy Lunin made a reflex save to deny a bullet strike from Robert Lewandowski on the rebound.

Yet Barca were resilient and managed to reduce the deficit with a fine Lewandowski strike from another rebound in the 33^rd minute.

The momentum was seemingly in Barca’s favor when Aurelien Tchouameni lifted a cross to Vinicius Jr. who was held by defender Mr. Araujo as he tried to pounce on the ball. Vinicius took the penalty and netted with a tidy finish to the goalkeeper’s right in the 39^th minute.

The goal was a hammer blow for Barcelona and Real dominated the second half with Rodrygo hitting their fourth from a rebound in the 64^th minute.

The loss will increase the pressure on Barca manager Xavi, who has faced criticism from fans and media who are unhappy with the team’s form.

They sit fourth in the LaLiga standings on 41 points, eight behind leaders Girona and seven adrift of second-placed Real Madrid.

“We have not shown the level required for a match like this,” Xavi told a press conference.

“We played our worst game. We weren’t comfortable at any point. Madrid hurt us on the counter. I apologize to the fans because it was hard for us to compete and we showed our worst side…” — Reuters

Contrasting opening wins for Djokovic, Sabalenka

January 15, 2024 | 6:56 pm

MELBOURNE — Defending champions Novak Djokovic and Aryna Sabalenka entertained bumper crowds with contrasting first-round victories over teenagers as the Australian Open got underway a day earlier than usual on Sunday.

Mr. Djokovic, who admitted he had been feeling under the weather for the last few days, needed more than four hours on Rod Laver Arena to subdue qualifier Dino Prizmic 6-2 6-7(5) 6-3 6-4 and remain on course for an 11^th title at Melbourne Park.

That kept Ms. Sabalenka waiting almost until midnight to open her title defense against Ella Seidel but the second seed did everyone a favor by making light work of the German qualifier with a quickfire 6-0 6-1 victory.

Mr. Djokovic’s contest was the longest first-round match he had ever played at a major and he lavished praise on Grand Slam debutant Mr. Prizmic for taking the game to him.

“I mean, I had an amazing opponent tonight,” he said of the Croatian.

“For an 18-year-old, he played so maturely and confidently on the court, fighting through, not giving up even when he was four down in the fourth set. I was impressed with his mentality, with his approach, with his game.”

Ms. Sabalenka was clearly delighted to be back at the site of her first Grand Slam triumph.

“I’m super happy to be back. The last time I was here I had incredible memories, unforgettable memories,” the 26-year-old told the fans who stuck around to watch her ruthless 53-minute walloping of Ms. Seidel.

“Hopefully, I can stay until the very, very, very last day.”

In the first match of the day on the main showcourt, fourth seed Jannik Sinner, the hottest player on the men’s tour at the back end of last season, eased past Botic van de Zandschulp 6-4 7-5 6-3 in his first match of the new year.

Cheered on by the “Carota Boys” — a band of fans dressed as carrots — the Italian was far from perfect but content to get through the contest in three sets.

SENSATIONAL SHOTS
“I think, to be honest, it was a positive opening match,” the 22-year-old said. “Today I felt a little bit of the match feeling, it was important for me.”

Fifth seed Andrey Rublev had a much tougher time getting into round two, pushed all the way by debutant Thiago Seyboth Wild in his 7-5 6-4 3-6 4-6 7-6(6) win.

Mr. Rublev was clearly furious at his inability to see off the world number 78, who produced some sensational shots to frustrate the Russian and earn the support of the Margaret Court Arena crowd.

“I’m not going to forget this match,” said the relieved Mr. Rublev, who said he had flashbacks of the Brazilian’s upset of his compatriot Daniil Medvedev in the first round of last year’s French Open.

“Thiago is a super dangerous player, he was serving really hard, first and second serves, and hitting the ball really clean.”

Taylor Fritz also needed five sets to beat South American opposition, the 12^th seed prevailing 4-6 6-3 3-6 6-2 6-4 over Argentine Facundo Diaz Acosta in another four-hour marathon.

The addition of an extra day to the tournament to help clear the first round matches left the early schedule a little light on star power.

Czech Barbora Krejcikova was the only former women’s Grand Slam winner playing in the day session and the ninth seed had to come from behind to beat Japanese wildcard Mai Hontama 2-6 6-4 6-3.

Women’s eighth seed Maria Sakkari had an easier time getting past her Japanese opponent Nao Hibino 6-4 6-1 but 13^th seed Liudmila Samsonova crashed out 6-3 6-4 at the hands of American Amanda Anisimova.

Ms. Sabalenka will next play Czech qualifier Brenda Fruhvirtova, who became the youngest winner in the main draw since Coco Gauff beat Naomi Osaka in 2020 with a 2-6 6-4 6-3 victory over Ana Bogdan at the age of 16 years and 287 days.

Former champion Caroline Wozniacki advanced to the second round after four years away from Melbourne Park when last year’s semifinalist Magda Linette retired due to injury while trailing 6-2 2-0.

Marin Cilic played his first Australian Open before Ms. Fruhvirtova was born and reached the final in 2018 but he had little to celebrate after his 50^th match at Melbourne Park, a 6-1 2-6 6-2 7-5 loss to Hungarian Fabian Marozsan. — Reuters

Japan rallies to beat Vietnam in six-goal thriller at Asian Cup

January 15, 2024 | 6:55 pm

DOHA — Japan came from behind to beat Vietnam 4-2 in their Asian Cup Group D opener in a thrilling encounter on Sunday at the Al Thumama Stadium where five goals were scored in the first half and Takumi Minamino grabbed a brace.

Japan, four-times champions who last won the Asian Cup in 2011, were shocked into action when Vietnam took a 2-1 lead before the Samurai Blue cut their south-east Asian opponents down to size with two goals just before halftime.

Vietnam’s initial resistance when the game kicked off lasted all of 10 minutes before Japan scored, with Mr. Minamino being in the right place at the right time to pounce on a rebound and guide it through a crowd of players into the net.

But Vietnam shocked Japan with an equalizer five minutes later from a corner when Nguyen Dinh Bac — running away from goal — directed a glancing header that looped over the keeper and into the net at the far post.

As the game opened up and with both sides creating chances, it was Vietnam who took the lead from another set piece when Bui Hoang Anh headed the cross to the far post where Japan keeper Zion Suzuki failed to deal with it and Pham Tuan Hai fired home.

The goal sparked wild celebrations and Vietnam coach Philippe Troussier, who is no stranger to Japan having guided them to the title in 2000, allowed himself a wry smile when they went 2-1 up. — Reuters

Bucks knock off Kings in OT thriller

January 15, 2024 | 6:55 pm

DAMIAN Lillard capped a frantic finish with a go-ahead 3-pointer with 1.6 seconds remaining in overtime as the Milwaukee Bucks found a way to outlast the visiting Sacramento Kings 143-142 on Sunday night.

De’Aaron Fox led all scorers with 32 points and sent the game to overtime with a buzzer-beating layup in regulation, then contributed three hoops to a 13-9 run that gave the visitors a 141-137 lead with just 33.9 seconds to go.

The Kings appeared to clinch the win when Lillard misfired on a 3-pointer 4.7 seconds later, but Malik Monk then missed two free throws, allowing a Brook Lopez 3-pointer to get the hosts within 141-140 with 11.5 seconds left.

Fox then missed 1 of 2 free throws with 5.2 seconds to go, enabling Lillard’s 32-footer to be the game-winner.

Recording a third consecutive win and second in two nights, Milwaukee appeared headed to a regulation victory before Giannis Antetokounmpo missed the second of two foul shots with 8.6 seconds remaining, setting the stage for Fox to beat the Bucks to the hoop for his game-tying layup.

Lillard finished with a team-high 29 points to go with eight assists. Antetokounmpo supplied 27 points as part of a triple-double, Malik Beasley had 23 points and Bobby Portis scored 22.

Antetokounmpo’s big night included a team-high-tying 10 rebounds, a team-high 10 assists and a game-high-tying three steals as he played 40 minutes on the second night of a back-to-back. He had made nine of his 13 free-throw attempts until his key miss late in regulation.

Lopez chipped in with 17 points and nine rebounds, and Cameron Payne contributed 15 points for Milwaukee.

Fittingly, the game was lost at the free-throw line by the Kings, who got 12 fewer attempts than the Bucks and were outscored 27-15 at the stripe.

Domantas Sabonis recorded his 10th triple-double of the season for the Kings with 21 points, a game-high 13 rebounds and a game-high 15 assists. Monk had 28 points, Kevin Huerter recorded a double-double with 26 points and 10 rebounds and Harrison Barnes netted 14 points for Sacramento, which fell to 2-2 on its five-game trip.

Four Bucks scored in double figures in the first half as Milwaukee held a narrow 68-66 edge at the break. — Reuters

Grayson Murray wins three-way playoff at Sony Open in Hawaii

January 15, 2024 | 6:54 pm

GRAYSON Murray made an improbable 38 1/2-foot birdie putt on the first playoff hole and defeated Byeong Hun An of South Korea and Keegan Bradley to win the Sony Open in Hawaii on Sunday in Honolulu.

Murray, An and Bradley replayed the par-5 18th at Waialae Country Club to begin the playoff, and Murray’s drive hooked left and appeared to hit palm trees on its way down. But after he punched out into the fairway, he got on the green in three, while Bradley’s second shot sailed into the grandstand and required a drop.

An appeared to be the most likely victor when he chipped his third shot from the greenside rough to 4 feet of the cup. But after Murray sank his long birdie try in the dead center of the hole and Bradley missed a birdie, An’s putt to extend the playoff trickled past the hole.

Murray shot a bogey-free, 3-under 67 to force his way into the playoff at 17-under 263.

Murray, 30, stopped drinking alcohol last year in an effort to improve himself. He cited Chris Kirk as an inspiration after Kirk took time away from the tour to address mental health and addiction concerns.

Now, the 2024 PGA Tour season has begun with Kirk and Murray winning the two Hawaii-based events. Kirk captured The Sentry, the season opener, last week in Maui.

An, who finished fourth place at The Sentry last week, recovered from a bogey-birdie-bogey start to his final round by keeping a clean card the rest of the way. He made a 15-foot eagle putt at the par-5 ninth and nearly had a similar result when playing the 18th in regulation.

An hit a 242-yard approach shot to 13 1/2 feet from the pin. He two-putted for birdie to move to 17 under and tie Bradley for the lead.

Bradley and Murray both missed the fairway with their drives at No. 18 and both punched out. But Murray, who was one off the pace at the time, hit a tight third shot inside 3 feet and tapped in for birdie to join the leaders at 17 under. Bradley also got on in three but missed a 23 1/2-foot birdie putt to win outright, leading to the playoff.

The trio finished ahead of Russell Henley and China’s Carl Yuan, each of whom shot 63 to tie for fourth at 16-under 264. J.T. Poston, who tied for fifth last week at The Sentry, fired a 9-under 61 Sunday to place sixth at 15-under 265.

Canada’s Nick Taylor (65 Sunday), Argentina’s Emiliano Grillo (66) and France’s Mathieu Pavon (67) tied for seventh at 14 under. — Reuters

Oxfam calls on governments to rein in the ‘billionaire class’

January 15, 2024 | 5:24 pm

THE CHARGING BULL or Wall Street Bull is pictured in the Manhattan borough of New York City, New York, U.S., Jan. 16, 2019. — REUTERS

THE COMBINED FORTUNES of the world’s five richest men have more than doubled to $869 billion since 2020 while five billion people have been made poorer, anti-poverty group Oxfam said.

An Oxfam report, which comes as business elites gather this week for the annual World Economic Forum (WEF) meeting in Davos, found that a billionaire is now either running, or is the main shareholder of, 7 out of 10 of the world’s biggest companies.

Oxfam called on Monday for governments to rein in corporate power by breaking up monopolies; instituting taxes on excess profit and wealth; and promoting alternatives to shareholder control such as forms of employee ownership.

It estimated that 148 top corporations made $1.8 trillion in profits, 52% up on 3-year average, allowing hefty payouts to shareholders even as millions of workers faced a cost of living crisis as inflation led to wage cuts in real terms.

“This inequality is no accident; the billionaire class is ensuring corporations deliver more wealth to them at the expense of everyone else,” said Oxfam International interim Executive Director Amitabh Behar.

The Davos events were launched to champion “stakeholder capitalism,” which the WEF says defines a corporation as being not just about maximizing profits but fulfilling “human and societal aspirations as part of the broader social system.”

Oxfam said its report, based on data sources ranging from the International Labor Organization and World Bank to the Forbes annual rich list, showed such aspirations were far from being fulfilled.

“What we know for sure is that today’s extreme system of shareholder capitalism, which puts ever-increasing returns to rich shareholders above all other objectives, is driving inequality,” said Max Lawson, its Head of Inequality Policy.

The inflation-adjusted surge in wealth of the top five billionaires was driven by strong gains in the assets of Tesla chief executive officer Elon Musk, LVMH chief Bernard Arnault, Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison and investor Warren Buffett.

Meanwhile nearly 800 million workers saw their wages over the past two years fail to keep up with inflation, resulting on average in the equivalent of 25 days of lost annual income per worker, according to Oxfam’s analysis.

Of the world’s 1,600 largest corporations, just 0.4% of them have publicly committed to paying workers a living wage and to supporting a living wage in their value chains, the study found. — Reuters

China calls for ceasefire, peace conference on Gaza

January 15, 2024 | 5:24 pm

DOHA/GAZA — China called for a large-scale and authoritative peace conference on the war in Gaza, while the militant group Hamas aired video of three Israeli hostages and said their fate would be disclosed on Monday.

Speaking in Egypt at the weekend, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi called for “the formulation of a specific timetable and road map for the implementation of the ‘two-state solution’ and support for the prompt resumption of Israel-Palestinian peace talks.”

Hamas aired video on Sunday showing three Israeli hostages it is holding in Gaza and urged the Israeli government to stop the offensive against the Palestinian Islamist group and bring about their release.

The undated 37-second video of Noa Argamani, 26; Yossi Sharabi, 53; and Itai Svirsky, 38; ended with the caption: “Tomorrow (Monday) we will inform you of their fate.”

Of some 240 people seized by Hamas in a cross-border killing spree that sparked the war, around half were released in a November truce. Israel said 132 remain in Gaza and that 25 of them have died in captivity.

Israel also said more than 1,200 people were killed in Hamas’ Oct. 7 assault.

The Gaza health ministry has said almost 24,000 people have been killed in the Israeli offensive that followed with more than 60,000 wounded.

The U.S. military said on Sunday its fighter aircraft shot down an anti-ship cruise missile fired from Houthi militant areas of Yemen toward a US destroyer operating in the Southern Red Sea.

The midair interception is the latest incident in the Red Sea where the Houthis have been attacking international shipping in what they say is a campaign to support Palestinians under siege from Israeli forces in Gaza.

It follows a series of American and British airstrikes on Houthi targets in Yemen last week that have drawn threats of a “strong” response from the Iranian-backed militia.

In the latest fighting in Gaza, Israeli tanks and aircraft hit targets in southern and central parts of the enclave on Sunday. Hamas also launched a fresh salvo of rockets on Sunday at Ashdod, an Israeli town 40 km (25 miles) away. There was no word of any casualties.

The Israeli military said it destroyed several silos used by Hamas to fire missiles at Israel.

NEW PHASE OF WAR
The Israeli military says it has shifted to a new phase of the war focused on the southern end of Gaza, where almost two million people are now sheltering in tents and other temporary accommodation, after the initial phase centered on clearing the northern end of the strip, including Gaza City.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has brushed off calls for a ceasefire, saying Israel will keep going until it achieves complete victory over Hamas and recovers the remaining hostages.

The military says, though, the next phase of the war will see months of more targeted operations against the Iranian-backed movement’s leaders and positions.

On Israel’s northern border with Lebanon, where there has been a constant, low-level exchange of fire between the Israeli troops and the Iran-backed Hezbollah militia, Israel’s military said it had killed four militants trying to cross the border.

It said several anti-tank missiles were fired into northern Israel, one which hit a house in Kfar Yuval village. Medical officials said a 76-year-old woman and her son were killed. The son was in the village’s security squad, the military added.

The war in Gaza has also triggered violence in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Palestinian health officials said Israeli forces killed five Palestinians, including boys aged 14, 16 and 17, in three separate incidents in the West Bank.

The Israeli military said two Palestinians in a car rammed through one of its checkpoints near Hebron and opened fire on pursuing troops. They were killed by return fire, it added.

Asked about a 14-year-old boy killed near Jericho, it said soldiers had shot at Palestinians who threw explosives at them.

The Israeli military also said troops shot two Palestinians throwing a bomb at an army base. — Reuters

South Korea’s Yoon pledges to extend tax benefits for chip investments

January 15, 2024 | 5:23 pm

SEOUL — South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol said on Monday that he would extend tax credits on investments in the domestic semiconductor industry to boost employment and attract more talent.

The country, home to the world’s top memory chipmakers Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix, aims to expand tax breaks and support to raise the competitiveness of high-tech sectors including those involving chips, displays and batteries.

“When I talk to heads of state, what I talk about most about South Korea is BTS and semiconductors,” Mr. Yoon told a meeting with chip industry officials and students, referring to the K-pop supergroup.

In January 2023, the government unveiled a plan to offer large tax breaks to semiconductor companies investing at home, which are set to end this year.

“Tax deduction for semiconductor investments is supposed to expire this year, but we will extend the effect of the law to continue with investment tax deduction,” Mr. Yoon said.

Rebutting claims that such tax credits give preferential treatment to large conglomerates, Mr. Yoon said increased investments in chips will lead to more jobs and more state tax income in the long term.

South Korean tech giant Samsung Electronics has said it expects to invest $230 billion in the period through to 2042 to develop the country’s chipmaking base. — Reuters

Pope defends same-sex blessing declaration

January 15, 2024 | 5:22 pm

ROME — Pope Francis on Sunday defended a landmark decision approving blessings for same-sex couples, suggesting that those in the Catholic Church who have resisted it have jumped to “ugly conclusions” because they do not understand it.

In a television interview, the pope made his first public comments since the Dec. 18 declaration sparked widespread debate in the Church, with bishops in some countries, particularly in Africa, refusing to let their priests implement it.

“Sometimes decisions are not accepted, but in most cases when decisions are not accepted, it is because they are not understood,” the pope said in response to a specific question about the December declaration.

“The danger is that if I don’t like something and I put it (the opposition) in my heart, I become a resistance and jump to ugly conclusions,” he said during a link from his Vatican residence with the Che Tempo Che Fa program on Italy’s Channel 9.

“This is what happened with these latest decisions on blessings for all,” he said, referring to the declaration known by its Latin title Fiducia Supplicans (Supplicating Trust). It was issued by the Vatican’s doctrinal department and approved by him.

Since the original declaration, the Vatican has been at pains to stress that the blessings did not amount to an approval of gay sex and should not be seen as anything remotely equivalent to the sacrament of marriage for heterosexual couples.

But even a clarification earlier this month from the Vatican’s doctrinal department did not sway bishops in Africa, where in some countries same-sex activity can lead to prison or even the death penalty.

They issued a letter last week saying the December declaration had caused “unrest in the minds of many” and could not be applied because of the continent’s cultural context.

Some bishops in France told their priests they could bless gay individuals but not couples.

The Church teaches that gay sex is sinful and disordered and people with same-sex attractions should try to be chaste and the pope appeared to be alluding to this is his response.

“The Lord blesses everyone,” the pope said. “But then people have to enter into a dialogue with the blessing of the Lord and see the path that the Lord proposes. We (the Church) have to take them by the hand and lead them along that path and not condemn them from the start.”

Since his election in 2013, the pope has tried to make the Church, with its 1.35 billion members, more welcoming to LGBT people, without changing moral doctrine. — Reuters

How LMA Law’s Atty. Peaches Aranas sees mentoring and guiding people as legacy

January 15, 2024 | 3:40 pm

A-OL — Atty. Ma. Louella ‘Peaches’ M. Aranas

Lawyer Ma. Louella ‘Peaches’ M. Aranas believes that mentoring her law students, the next generation lawyers, to being more conscientious in the matter of paying taxes and thereby contributing to nation-building is the best legacy she can leave behind.

As a faculty member of the Lyceum of the Philippines University College of Law, Atty. Peaches mentors her students about the importance and value of taxes as well as the intricacies of tax laws. She believes that taxation is a duty of every Filipino citizen and in that regard, should be taught differently, not just like an ordinary subject in law school.

Helping people understand taxation

As a matter of fact, when she established LMA Law in 2015, Atty. Peaches made sure the law firm would go beyond standard client service by offering to teach the client and their staff the basics of Taxation, particularly in the aspect of tax compliance. The main goal has always been to help build the country by educating the people that paying taxes is not an obligation but a patriotic and nationalistic duty.

Aside from client service, LMA Law also shares knowledge in taxation and corporation law online. The law firm’s website and social media platforms are archives of written articles that focus on doing taxes right. Its Facebook page regularly shares digests that update people on the latest ruling, jurisprudence, and development in Philippine taxes and corporate practices.

“Sharing knowledge is not easy especially when it comes to taxes. In my heart, my deep desire is to help make taxation relatable to more people. We want to inspire more Filipinos to take on their patriotic duty to pay the correct taxes on time,” she said.

Mandatory Continuing Legal Education for lawyers

Way back in 2017, Atty. Peaches co-founded ACCESS, the country’s pioneer in online mandatory continuing legal education (MCLE). The primary goal was to help change the perception and attitude of lawyers towards MCLE in that, more than just complying and completing the required credit units, it is an opportunity to learn new things.

“Before the establishment of ACCESS, many lawyers thought of MCLE as just a waste of time. By curating our courses, providing three learning platforms — face to face, flexi synchronous and online on demand, we hope to make learning very convenient and of course more interesting. We aim to make lawyers look at MCLE as an opportunity for continued learning and professional growth,” Atty. Peaches said.

Atty. Peaches is also an MCLE lecturer. Through the online on demand and flexi synchronous platforms, she is able to quickly share more from her broad and wide experience in private tax and corporate practice.

“Sharing knowledge through my unique mentoring style, whether it is to my law students, my associates or even to my clients bring me a step closer to my dream. I dream of a country whose citizens believe that paying correct taxes on time makes one a true patriot,” Atty. Peaches concluded.

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