Learning from Jakarta

December 12, 2021 | 9:52 pm

Urban planners extol the virtues of the excellent public transport of places like Hong Kong, Seoul, Tokyo, and London. Filipinos traveling to these places often marvel at how easy it is to get around using public transport, and wish we could have that here, too.

That wish can seem remote. After all, these places are much richer than the Philippines, and good public transport costs money. But that doesn’t mean we can’t aspire to and demand better public transport than what we have today. And we can learn valuable lessons from the experiences of other places which face the same challenges as we do, and are just as resource challenged (i.e. poor) as we are, yet are delivering better public transport to their citizens than we are.

On Nov. 18, the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy — an international organization which advocates and advises cities on sustainable development, including sustainable and inclusive public transport — organized a webinar entitled “The Power, Potential, and Pitfalls of Integration: Lessons Learned from Jakarta’s Public Transport Integration.” A video of the webinar, which lasts just under an hour, is available on YouTube and deserves the attention of everyone interested in public transport in Metro Manila.

Indonesia and the Philippines have similar incomes per capita, and Jakarta and Metro Manila have similar land areas, population, and population density. Jakarta is about the same size as Metro Manila, in terms of land area and population. But, as the webinar made clear, Jakarta organizes its public transport very differently from how we do, and if the videos shown during the webinar are representative, Jakarta’s commuters are much better off than Metro Manila’s.

It is beyond the scope of this article to compare in depth, but even a few highlights show some very big contrasts:

1. Jakarta’s 11 million people, living in 660 square kilometers, are governed as a single political unit, which they call a province, with one elected leader called a governor. In Metro Manila, a slightly larger population lives in a similar land area, but is governed under 17 political units with 17 mayors. Plans, decisions, and project implementation, which in Metro Manila would need the approval and coordination of several mayors, can be approved and implemented by a single unit in Jakarta.

2. In Jakarta, transportation policy, its implementation, and its financing, are responsibilities of the Jakarta local government. Jakarta’s local government plans, implements, and owns the Jakarta equivalents of the LRTs and MRT. It also owns and operates Jakarta’s Bus Rapid Transit System (more on this later). Metro Manila has no BRT, but the rest of the transport-related functions undertaken by the Jakarta government in Jakarta are undertaken by the national government here.

3. Jakarta’s Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system, one of the world’s largest, is also owned and operated by the local government. That BRT system has 388 kilometers of dedicated lanes with 260 stations and served 950,000 passengers per day before the pandemic.

4. Microbuses, the Jakarta equivalent of our jeepneys, link residential and industrial areas to the larger capacity rail and bus lines, providing much of the first- and last-mile travel in Jakarta. Microbus rides are free for passengers, and their operators are paid distance-based payments through service contracts. Unlike in the Philippines, where the government considers service contracting and libreng sakay temporary responses to the pandemic, these are permanent features of Jakarta public transport.

5. The Jakarta local government subsidizes public transport, at a cost of the equivalent of P12.5 billion per year. This is about 5-10% of the local government’s total budget per year, and during the pandemic, with a collapsed ridership, the subsidies covered about 70% of the system operating costs.

6. In Jakarta, preparations are underway for full fare integration by 2022, under which passengers will be able to pay a single fare equivalent to P18 to travel for three hours, regardless of how many transfers through different transport modes (LRT, MRT, bus, microbus) the trip takes. There are no such plans in Metro Manila, not even for the rail lines.

There are many other differences, and the policies described above are part of a wider package of reforms in Jakarta, including the development of more multimodal stations as well as greater provisions for the needs of cyclists, active transport users, and pedestrians.

Jakarta appears to be willing to spend much more money and play a more active role in ensuring good public transport for its residents than our national government, not to mention our local governments.

Of course, the speakers in the webinar were government officials, who naturally want to show their city in the most positive light. They claim significant improvements in ridership, service quality, and passenger satisfaction, but all governments do that. Listening to them made me want to believe them and wish that our government was doing the same things here.

When it becomes easier to travel, I plan to travel to Jakarta to see whether things are as good as the Jakarta officials described. Because if they are, it will point to policy directions we may want to take here in the Philippines.

Sunny Sevilla is a former government official who believes that it shouldn’t take longer than 45 minutes door-to-door to travel from any point in BGC to any point in Mandaluyong, on public transportation, on Friday at 6 p.m., and that it is government’s job to make that happen.

Industry drivers 2022-2030

December 12, 2021 | 9:51 pm

McKinsey and Company recently made public its outlook for the Philippine economy from 2021 to 2023. It appears that the Philippines growth trajectory did not and will not resemble a V-, U-, or K-shaped line but one that resembles a long MMMM, albeit on an upward trend. Our new reality is that the economy will continue to grow but will always decelerate once a new variant of the COVID virus disrupts everyday life.

The general prognosis — which I agree with — is that the economy will clock-in at a growth rate within government’s projections of 5-5.5% in 2021 and between 7-9% in 2022 and 2023. McKinsey rightfully forecasts that the economy could return to pre-pandemic levels by the third quarter of 2022 to the first quarter of 2023, depending on rate of vaccination and spread of new COVID variants. For context, Indonesia and China rebounded to pre-pandemic levels this year. This illustrates the depth and breadth of our five quarters of economic contraction. Regretfully, even when fully recovered, the Philippine economy will continue to show pandemic-induced scars, particularly in the tourism sector, manufacturing sector, and brick and mortar retail.

Which sectors will be the drivers of growth within the next 18 months?

Forty percent of the economy will be driven by four sectors. They are, IT-BPOs, OFW remittances, the energy sector, and the healthcare sector. The IT-BPO sector has shown great resilience and is forecasted to grow by 8% to 12% in revenues and 7% to 8% in headcount next year. OFW remittances have already recovered and will post modest growth this year and next. The energy sector will expand continuously as industrial and commercial demand picks up. Growth in capacity will come from renewable energy, but regulatory issues need to be sorted out. As for healthcare, COVID exposed the gaps in the system and both government and the private sector will be filling these gaps in the next 18 months.

Twenty percent of the economy will be driven by consumer goods and industrial manufacturing, combined. The demand for consumer goods will still revolve around the essentials — food, hygiene, and healthcare products. There will be a slight uptick in entertainment and home improvement products. As for industrial manufacturing, the sector will rebound as global demand and exports pick-up. However, it is stymied by raw material bottlenecks and unstable prices of raw materials.

Eighteen percent of the economy will be driven by the wholesale and retail trade. There will be an increasing shift from shopping in malls and supermarkets to online channels and neighborhood resellers. Whereas during lockdown, retailers benefited from stockpiling, the absence of panic will give rise to “per piece” purchases again.

Twelve percent of the economy will be driven by construction and real estate. Construction benefits from government’s infrastructure program going on high gear as well as pent-up demand due to delayed projects during the lockdown. For its part, real estate will be fueled by the high-end residential sector and those that cater to the OFW market.

Ten percent of the economy will be driven by financial services. Owing to the increasing popularity of e-commerce, many of the unbanked will start to enter the banking system. Bank’s shift to digital transactions will increase transactions exponentially.

Now that we know which sectors will be driving the economy, let me enumerate the industries seen to be the high growth superstars from 2022-2030.

The Philippines is positioning itself as a regional hub for Electric Vehicles (EV) and EV parts in ASEAN. At the moment, there are only 54 manufacturers and importers of EV parts and components. The industry is still at its infancy, with opportunities aplenty for parts manufacturing, assembly, electronics, battery charging infrastructure, and recycling.

Copper, nickel, cobalt, and lithium are vital components for manufacturing EV batteries. Fortunately, the Philippines is blessed with the world’s 4^th largest reserves of copper with some 4.1 billion tons, and the world’s 5^th largest cache of nickel with 298 million tons. At present, copper production is only at 287,000 metric tons per year while the output of nickel is at 12.5 million tons a year. Our copper and nickel output is minuscule when viewed against global demand and the amount of reserves we have.

Production can increase but three factors stand in the way. The ban on open pit mining. The power of LGU’s to enact ordinances banning mining even if it overrides government policy. And the zonal ban on mining, which is hyper-excessive. These three impediments must be removed in order for the mining industry to thrive.

Open pit mining has been over politicized in the Philippines but is actually an accepted means of extracting minerals that lie near the surface. The mining industry coordinating council (MICC) has adopted the latest Canadian standards for open pit mining, which are the world’s most stringent in terms of environmental protection. There is no reason to choke the industry just because of an archaic stigma.

Aerospace is another emerging industry for the Philippines due to our large supply of aerospace engineers. At the moment, the Philippines hosts three original equipment manufacturers (OEM) who collectively exported $470 million last year. There is much room for expansion.

In agro-processing, opportunities lie in coconut processing (VCO, MCT oil, coconut sugar, coco milk, etc), processed tropical fruits, carrageenan, cassava processing, natural health supplements, and fishery products.

The construction sector offers immense opportunities given the following factors: a housing backlog of 12.4 million homes; the need for 368,600 square meters of new office space until 2025; the government’s continued push towards infrastructure development; and $14 billion to be spent on modernizing logistics supply chains. Opportunities are rife for engineering services outsourcing, general contracting, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, sanitary engineering, and project management.

Creative industries are making a comeback. Although exports of creative industries (which include furniture, fashion, homewares, toys, etc.) amounted to only $4 billion last year, the industry will soon get a shot in the arm when the Creative Industries Act is enacted into law. The bill was passed in the House on third reading and is presently awaiting deliberation in the Senate. When passed, the bill will open the floodgates of opportunity for creative entrepreneurs, what with financial and institutional support to be provided by government.

The Creative Industries Act mandates the creation of the Philippine Creative Industry Development Council. This will enable the centralization effort across government agencies and across the entire creative value chain. The Council will formulate and execute the Philippine Creative Industries Development Plan as well.

E-commerce offers enormous opportunities for wholesaler and retailers. With 94 million internet users and 89 million Filipinos active on social media, e-commerce in the Philippines grew by 93% last year, with 64.7% of all internet users having engaged in at least one e-commerce transaction. Merchandise trade over e-commerce in the Philippines is seen to reach $660 by the year 2030.

Finally, Artificial Intelligence (AI) has the potential to be the number one growth driver in the country. For this reason, the National AI Strategy was established to position the Philippines as a center of excellence in AI. The Philippines aims to be a producer, programmer, and provider of all products that utilize AI.

All these, coupled with our traditional money makers such as the electronics industry, tourism, and IT-BPO industry, means that our businessmen will not be short of opportunity for expansion and diversification. The next 18 months is the best time to take a position in a high-growth industry of your choice.

Andrew J. Masigan is an economist

andrew_rs6@yahoo.com

Facebook@AndrewJ. Masigan

Twitter @aj_masigan

Economic scarring

December 12, 2021 | 9:51 pm

“Rebounding from a deep contraction in 2020, the Philippine economy is forecast to grow 5.3% this year before accelerating to an average of 5.8% in 2022-23 on the road to recovery,” according to the World Bank (WB) in its 2021 Philippines Economic Update (PEU), launched at a Zoom press briefing on Dec. 7 (https://www.worldbank.org). Specifically, Gross National Product (GNP) “will grow at 5.9% next year — up from its 5.8% projection in September — and 5.7% in 2023 from 5.5% figure” (https://cnnphilippines.com/business, Dec. 7).

The “Joint Statement of the Duterte Administration’s Economic Managers on the Philippine Economic Performance for the Third Quarter (Q3) of 2021” boasted that “The Philippine economy grew by 7.1% year-on-year in the third quarter. This is up from the -11.6% in the same period last year. This is among the highest third quarter growths in the ASEAN and East Asian region” (https://neda.gov.ph/, Nov. 9). And with the 7.1% Q3 growth, the economic managers claimed that average GDP growth from January to September stood at 4.9%, within the upper end of the government’s target range of 4-5%.

In August “the government cut its economic growth target to 4-5% from 6-7% previously to address the effects of tightened restrictions in rising cases of the new Delta variant in the pandemic” (https://www.bworldonline.com, Nov. 2). Sad, because the economy had grown by 11.8% in the second quarter after falling 3.9% in the first three months of the year and had technically exited recession in the second quarter after five straight quarters of decline.

Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Karl Kendrick Chua told legislators at the start of deliberations on the proposed P5.02-trillion 2022 national budget that since the Development Budget Coordination Committee (DBCC) slashed this year’s economic growth forecast to 4-5%, GDP needed to expand by over 9% next year so that nominal GDP could return to its pre-COVID-19 P19.52 trillion (Philippine Daily Inquirer, Aug. 26). When the GDP shrank 9.6% at the end 2020 (the worst annual economic contraction post-war), nominal GDP slid to P17.94 billion. The earlier 6-7% GDP growth target was calibrated to coach GDP to grow back to pre-COVID base. Chua said that 75% of the economy stopped at the height of the most stringent COVID-19 lockdown in 2020 (Ibid.).

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) lowered its 2021 Philippine GDP forecast to 3.2%, from the 5.4% projection set in June. Fitch Ratings downgraded its projection to 4.4% from 5%, while the ASEAN+3 Macroeconomic Research Office cut its forecast to 4.3% from 6.4%. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) maintained its forecast for the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) growth at 4.5% in 2021 and 5.5% in 2022 in its Asian Development Outlook (ADO) 2021 Update.

During the Q&A at the Dec. 7 press briefing, WB Senior Economist Kevin Chua was asked: What is this instability in GDP growth targets, projections, and even final measurement that confused planners, administrators, and regulators; actors and influencers, victims or observers. One prominent economist in the audience asked what figures and data are to be believed, for sure knowing for herself that scientific measurement can be subjectively interpreted and analyzed. One other prominent econometrist challenged the poverty statistics and income elasticities imbedded in the GDP projections. Does the WB/IMF or the ADB conduct live surveys to get primary data on economic factors vulnerable in this pandemic? Chua replied that the WB and international agencies use econometric models and simulation for this.

And these models recognize “economic scarring” as a “subject-to” constraint made important in analyzing economic growth and development in this 20 month-long COVID pandemic. “The recession brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic is no ordinary recession. Compared to previous global crises, the contraction was sudden and deep — using quarterly data, global output declined about three times as much as in the global financial crisis, in half the time.” (https://blogs.imf.org, “Slow-Healing Scars: The Pandemic’s Legacy”).

Economic scarring from persistent epidemics has been analyzed before, but this is the first time a pandemic has hit the whole world and lingered to stalk and attack all people. Projections analyses of past epidemics suggest that their initial impact on the level of potential output is relatively short-lived, tending to dissipate two years after the end of the epidemic. However, it should be noted that the past epidemics considered in the analysis were — with the exception of the swine flu — mostly localized events which are not comparable to a major global pandemic (https://voxeu.org, Feb. 5).

The IMF expects world output in the medium-term to be about 3% lower in 2024 than pre-pandemic projection. This will vary across countries, depending on the future path of the pandemic; the share of high-contact sectors; the ability of businesses and workers to adapt; and the effectiveness of policy responses. Emerging market and developing economies are expected to have deeper scars than advanced economies, with losses expected to be largest among low-income countries. (imf.org, op. cit.).

“Severe recessions in the past, particularly deep ones, have been associated with persistent output losses from reduced productivity. Although the pandemic has spurred increased digitalization and innovation in production and delivery processes — at least in some countries — the resource reallocation needed to adapt to a new normal may be larger than in past recessions, affecting productivity growth going forward. Another risk is the pandemic-driven rise in market power of dominant firms, which are becoming increasingly entrenched as weaker competitors collapse.

“Productivity has also been affected by COVID-19 disruptions to production networks. High-contact sectors, such as arts and entertainment, accommodation and restaurants, and wholesale and retail trade are less central to production networks than, say, the energy sector. But historical analysis shows that even shocks to these peripheral sectors can be greatly amplified through spillovers to other sectors. Widespread school closures have occurred across countries, but the adverse impacts on learning and skills acquisition have been larger in low-income countries. The resulting long-term individual earnings losses and damage to aggregate productivity could be a key legacy of the COVID-19 crisis” (Ibid.).

The IMF advises countries to adjust their economic policies to the different stages of the pandemic with a combination of better-targeted support for affected households and firms, and public investments. Human capital nurturing should be first priority, with adequate resources allocated to healthcare and education. Jobs must be protected through policies to facilitate job mobility and promote competition and innovation. Public infrastructure investment should be increased, in cooperation and partnership with the private sector.

“Finally, strong international cooperation will be needed to address the growing divergence across countries. It is vital that financially constrained economies have adequate access to international liquidity for development spending. On the health front, this also means ensuring adequate production and universal distribution of vaccines — including through sufficient funding for the COVAX facility — to help developing countries beat back the pandemic and prevent even worse scarring,” the IMF admonishes (Ibid.).

True. Best for small emerging economies like the Philippines to focus on what can be done towards a New Normal in this persistent pandemic.

Amelia H. C. Ylagan is a Doctor of Business Administration from the University of the Philippines.

ahcylagan@yahoo.com

Biden warns Putin: Russia will pay ‘terrible price’ if it invades Ukraine

December 12, 2021 | 9:45 pm

A RUSSIAN FLAG flies with the Spasskaya Tower of the Kremlin in the background in Moscow, Russia, Feb. 27, 2019. — REUTERS

WILMINGTON, Del. — US President Joseph R. Biden on Saturday said he told Russian President Vladimir Putin that Russia would pay “a terrible price” and face devastating economic consequences if it invaded Ukraine.

Biden told reporters the possibility of sending US ground combat troops to Ukraine in the event of a Russian invasion was “never on the table,” although the United States and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) would be required to send in more forces to eastern flank NATO countries to beef up their defenses.

“I made it absolutely clear to President Putin … that if he moves on Ukraine, the economic consequences for his economy are going to be devastating, devastating,” he said after remarks about the deadly tornadoes that hit the US on Friday.

Mr. Biden, who spoke with Putin by telephone for two hours last week, said he had made clear to the Russian leader that Russia’s standing in the world would change “markedly” in the event of an incursion into Ukraine.

Mr. Biden spent the weekend at his home in Wilmington.

Foreign ministers from the Group of Seven (G7)richest democracies on Saturday sent a similar message to Moscow after a meeting in Liverpool, warning of dire consequences for any incursion and urging Moscow to return to the negotiating table.

G7 finance ministers are meeting virtually on Monday to review economic concerns, including inflation, but will also touch on potential sanctions against Russia if it moves against Ukraine, officials said.

Ukraine has accused Russia of massing tens of thousands of troops in preparation for a possible large-scale military offensive.

Russia denies planning any attack and accuses Ukraine and the United States of destabilizing behavior, and has said it needs security guarantees for its own protection.

Mr. Biden last week promised Central European NATO members more military support amid growing concern over the buildup, which countries near Russia’s border worry could result in a similar outcome as Russia’s 2014 annexation of the Crimea region of Ukraine, Lithuania’s presidential adviser said. — Reuters

DHL doubles robots as humans alone can’t handle holiday crunch

December 12, 2021 | 9:45 pm

SANTA CLAUS is getting a bunch of help from robots this Christmas, as one of the world’s biggest supply-chain firms rushed to add automation to its US operations ahead of the holidays.

DHL’s supply-chain unit doubled its use of robots in the US this year and now has about 1,500 picking robots at its warehouses around the country, on top of adding 15,000 seasonal workers, Oscar de Bok, chief executive of the unit, said in an interview with Matthew Miller on Bloomberg TV Friday. It has helped the parcel-delivery company to stay current on its orders, despite bottlenecks and higher labor costs.

“The supply-chain disruption that we’re seeing at the moment is not a one-time thing,” Mr. De Bok said. “Because of the growth of e-commerce, supply chains are now organized differently because you get major hops and jumps at the end of the supply chain, because that’s the end-consumer. All the stores and the wholesalers and distributors that used to be in between are now less, and that’s why you get more disruptions in supply chains.”

The unit of Deutsche Post AG started ramping up for the holiday season early, Mr. De Bok said, allowing it to add the 15,000 workers. The hiring surge came with a cost, though, with wages rising as much as 15% in some parts of the U.S.

Longer term, DHL created eight resourcing centers around the US to recruit and train workers. Other moves to better cope with soaring demand include investing in fulfillment centers that are closer to customers, and relying more on data analytics to better forecast customers’ shipping volumes, Mr. De Bok said. — Bloomberg

Australia shortens wait time for COVID-19 booster doses as Omicron cases increase

December 12, 2021 | 9:45 pm

CANBERRA — Australia said on Sunday it will shorten the wait time for people to receive a coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) booster following a rise in cases of the Omicron variant.

Australia had previously said it would offer the booster to everyone over 18 who had had their second dose of the vaccine six months earlier.

But with rising cases of the Omicron variant, Health Minister Greg Hunt said the time interval will be shortened to five months after the second dose.

“A booster dose five or more months after the second dose will make sure that the protection from the primary course is even stronger and longer lasting and should help prevent spread of the virus,” Mr. Hunt said in an e-mailed statement.

“Data from Israel shows boosters supporting reductions in the rate of infection in eligible age groups, severe disease in those aged over 40 years and deaths in those over 60 years.”

Australia will use both vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna in its booster program.

Australia is one of the most vaccinated countries, with about 90% of people over 16 fully inoculated.

Still, Australia on Sunday reported 1,556 cases in the previous 24 hours as infections lingered near the six-week high reported a day earlier.

Australia has recorded about 229,000 COVID-19 infections, well below the toll of other nations, and 2,100 deaths. — Reuters

Peña stuns Nunes to claim UFC bantamweight crown

December 12, 2021 | 9:36 pm

UFC-Nunez — JULIANNA PEÑA moves in with a hit against Amanda Nunes during UFC 269 at T-Mobile Arena. — REUTERS

LAS VEGAS — Julianna Peña pulled off one of the biggest upsets in mixed martial arts history to score a second-round submission win over Amanda Nunes and win the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) bantamweight title at UFC 269 on Saturday.

In the main event, Charles Oliveira retained the lightweight title, submitting Dustin Poirier with a standing choke early in the third round of a thrilling battle.

Peña looked to be in trouble in the first round of the co-main event against one of the most dominant champions the sport has ever seen, but the 32-year-old came storming back in round two, rocking Nunes with combinations.

Coming into the fight a heavy betting favorite Nunes, whose record includes wins over Ronda Rousey, Valentina Shevchenko and Cris Cyborg, wilted as Peña poured on flurries of punches as the two stood and traded blows before the fight went to the mat.

Nunes’ five-year reign at the top came to an end when she tapped out at the 3:23 mark of the second round as Peña sank in a rear naked choke to hand the Brazilian her first defeat since September 2014.

In the main event former interim champion Poirier, who scored a pair of wins over Conor McGregor earlier this year to earn the title shot, landed some heavy left hands and downed Oliveira as he won the first round.

However, Oliveira got Poirier on his back in the middle of the cage early in the second, landing thunderous elbows before jumping on Poirier’s back and securing the choke early in the third round. — Reuters

AIBA can return as good standing Olympic member, says McLaren

December 12, 2021 | 9:36 pm

TORONTO — After years of corruption, the world boxing’s governing body International Boxing Association (AIBA) can return to a good standing Olympic member, Richard McLaren, the head of the independent investigation commissioned by the AIBA said on Friday.

In the second of three reports to be issued by McLaren, the Canadian law professor detailed an organization (AIBA) spinning out of control, creating a decentralized system of match-fixing.

In the initial findings of his investigation released in September, McLaren described a bout manipulation system which existed in boxing at the 2016 Rio Olympics and resulted in the removal of Executive Director Karim Bouzidi along with several referees and officials.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) suspended the AIBA in 2019, stripping it of involvement in this year’s Tokyo Games over governance, finance, refereeing and ethical issues. A decision its role at Paris 2024 has yet to be taken.

Boxing was not included in the initial sports program for the 2028 Games in Los Angeles announced by the IOC on Thursday.

McLaren said he believes there has been improvement in the operation and administration of AIBA under the leadership of current President Umar Kremlev and Secretary-General Istvan Kovacs, but there was still much to be done with the third phase of his investigation and recommendations to come next year.

“It is hard for an organization to engage in self-reform,” said McLaren. “If they do, it is in a situation like AIBA is in with the IOC where they must or they are out.

“But it takes the right people with the integrity to run the organization, rules can be perfect but the people have to be better.

“If that happens and they implement the recommendations… I think it is possible for the sport to reform.”

Kremlev said AIBA was on the right track in terms of sports integrity, but still needed to make more progress.

“We are already implementing some of the recommendations Professor McLaren has made,” he said. “And we are very serious about making sure that fair fights are ensured by a powerful combination of regulations, processes, people and culture.” — Reuters

Ronaldo penalty gives Manchester United 1-0 win at Norwich

December 12, 2021 | 9:35 pm

NORWICH, England — Cristiano Ronaldo converted a 75^th-minute penalty to give Manchester United a barely deserved 1-0 win at Norwich City in the Premier League on Saturday after the visitors struggled to create chances at Carrow Road.

The result lifted United to fifth place in the standings on 27 points from 16 games, behind fourth-placed West Ham United on goal difference, while Norwich stayed bottom on 10 points.

United’s interim boss Ralf Rangnick was pleased with the outcome and a solid defensive performance but conceded that they needed to improve in every department.

“From the start, we controlled the game but didn’t always have the best possible solutions,” Rangnick told the BBC. “It’s another clean sheet but still a lot of work to do.

“The second half I was not at all happy with the amount of corners that we gave away, but we got the three points.

“Now we have two clean sheets, which is good but we still need to improve on that away, especially against physical teams or teams that attack high like Norwich did. They didn’t play like a bottom team.”

Ragnick’s counterpart Dean Smith was pleased with Norwich’s fighting spirit and contested referee Darren England’s decision to award United the penalty.

“We’ve just played two of the top six, we dominated at Tottenham but didn’t take our chances and we’ve gone toe-to-toe today with one of the big guns and a dubious penalty won it for them,” he said.

United lacked a cutting edge until Ronaldo drove in the spot-kick after he was hauled down by home defender Max Aarons.

Ronaldo saw a shot beaten away by Tim Krul in the 37^th minute and the home goalkeeper also tipped over a Harry Maguire header on the stroke of half time after Alex Telles had hit the bar with a deflected free kick early on.

United fizzled out in the second half and Norwich looked more likely to break the deadlock as David De Gea kept out a Teemu Pukki shot from the edge of the area before Ronaldo struck, sending Krul the wrong way.

The home side piled on pressure in the closing stages and De Gea rescued United again when he clawed out an Ozan Kabak header before Eric Bailly deflected a Billy Gilmour shot with a last-gasp lunge.

United captain Harry Maguire praised De Gea and acknowledged United was not at their best, saying they needed consistency in grinding out results.

“David De Gea did great today,” the central defender told Sky Sports. “We’ve been very disappointed with our defensive record this year, we know we need to do better.

“When you’re playing every week, some performances aren’t going to be at the highest level. You see the top teams do it, they don’t play well every week but they still get the result.” — Reuters

Jason Day, Marc Leishman holds 3-shot lead at QBE Shootout

December 12, 2021 | 9:35 pm

AUSSIES Jason Day and Marc Leishman combined for an 8-under 64 on Saturday and hold a three-shot lead after two rounds of the QBE Shootout in Naples, FL.

Leishman and Day are at 24-under 120. They combined for six birdies while Leishman had the moment of the day by knocking a 96-yard shot in for eagle on the par-4, No. 7 at Tiburon Golf Club.

“It’s funny, the ones you hole are the ones you don’t expect to go in,” Leishman said after the round. “I wasn’t expecting it to go in and then all of a sudden, it disappears. It’s nice. Something about this place that I’ve made a few shots the last couple years and hopefully, we can keep that trend going.”

Saturday’s format was modified alternate shot in which both players hit tee shots and then pick the best one and alternate shots.

There is a three-way tie for second between Billy Horschel/Sam Burns (10 under on Saturday), Jason Kokrak/South Korea’s Kevin Na (8 under) and defending champions Harris English/Matt Kuchar (6 under). English and Kuchar are seeking their fourth QBE title.

Northern Ireland’s Graeme McDowell/Canada’s Corey Connors are four shots back after a 5 under on Saturday. In sixth place is the duo of Bubba Watson and LPGA player Lexi Thompson, who were 6 under for the round and alone in sixth place.

Even though he sits in the lead with a three-stroke cushion, Day isn’t about to relax.

“We’ve just got to focus,” Day said. “We’re still 18 holes away from lifting the trophy, so got to stay on top of it.”

Horschel and Burns combined for 10 birdies, Na and Kokrak had 10 birdies and two bogeys and English and Kuchar had four birdies and an eagle on No. 1.

“Having a round with no bogeys is always good,” English said. “We played some solid golf, it’s just one of those days we didn’t get a whole lot of putts to fall, but it happens.”

The better ball format will be used for Sunday’s final round. — Reuters

76ers put clamps on Stephen Curry in win over Warriors

December 12, 2021 | 9:34 pm

DEFENSIVE ace Matisse Thybulle harassed Stephen Curry into three-for-14 shooting on 3-pointers and Joel Embiid stole the show with a game-high 26 points on Saturday night as the Philadelphia 76ers rolled past the visiting Golden State Warriors, 102-93.

Needing nine 3-pointers to tie Ray Allen’s all-time National Basketball Association (NBA) career record, Curry came up six short and now takes his pursuit to Indiana on Monday night, where the Warriors will continue a five-game trip against the Pacers.

Shooting six-for-20 overall, Curry finished with 18 points, five fewer than Jordan Poole, the team leader with 23.

Thybulle, who played the entire second half in foul trouble, blocked two of Curry’s 3-point attempts to spur a defensive effort that saw the 76ers limit the Warriors to 12-for-48 on 3-pointers.

Embiid’s 26 points were boosted by 11-for-11 accuracy at the free throw line, where the 76ers outscored the Warriors 23-13.

Seeking a third straight win, the Warriors led 78-76 after a Nemanja Bjelica 3-pointer in the second minute of the fourth quarter.

But Andre Drummond, who tag-teamed effectively with Embiid with nine points and nine rebounds off the bench in 15 minutes, slammed down a Shake Milton lob to tie the game, and Thybulle bombed in his second 3-pointer of the night to put the hosts up for good.

A Draymond Green free throw with 5:57 to go had the Warriors within 85-83, but Seth Curry nailed a 3-pointer before Embiid and Tyrese Maxey followed with consecutive hoops, allowing the 76ers to pull away en route to the fourth victory in their last five games.

Tobias Harris backed Embiid with 16 points for the 76ers, while Maxey finished with 14, and Seth Curry and Milton 10 apiece.

Andrew Wiggins added 20 points for the Warriors, who were outshot 46.1% to 40.0%.

Stephen Curry found time for nine rebounds, which tied Embiid, Drummond and Harris for game-high honors. He also had a game-high five assists.

The 76ers led by as many as 10 in the first half, during which Stephen Curryç went into the 23^rd minute before making his first 3-pointer. He connected on two in the final 1:45 of the second period, leading a late rally from a 42-38 deficit into a 49-46 halftime advantage. — Reuters

Record trey

December 12, 2021 | 9:33 pm

Doc Rivers and Steve Kerr were in the building the last time the record for career three-point shots made changed hands. Ten years and 10 months ago, the two had a front-row seat to Ray Allen’s takeover of the top spot from Reggie Miller as head coach of the Celtics and broadcast analyst, respectively. They marveled at the feat then, and because the 10-time All-Star would go on to add 413 more to the aggregate over the next three and a half years, it seemed like one of those slates that figured to stand the test of time.

Boy, were Rivers and Kerr wrong. To be fair, no one could have predicted with any modicum of accuracy the effect advanced analytics would have on the boom in three pointers over the last decade. And, considering all that has transpired in the period, it’s fair to argue that two-time Most Valuable Player awardee Stephen Curry deserves at least as much credit for revolutionizing the sport. Indeed, his inevitable assumption of the throne behind the arc — and, in his case, closer to midcourt — underscores the role he has played in getting all and sundry to embrace the trey.

Purists have contended that Curry’s unparalleled range has led to unintended consequences. The midrange is all but dead, and big men — with the exception of generational stars like Anthony Davis and Joel Embiid — have been devalued to the point of irrelevance. At the same time, however, there can be no denying the lure and allure of the weightiest shot any player can have on his arsenal. It’s just a matter of math, really; there are only so many possessions to have in the course of a game, and it behooves teams to use them to secure the best opportunities to score. And, bottom line, three is one and a half times more valuable than two.

Which was why longtime hoops habitués were tuned in to the Sixers’ homestand against the Warriors yesterday. Heck, even diehard fans at the Wells Fargo Center wanted Curry to break the record. And rightly so. No better time to see history unfold than on their watch. When the battlesmoke cleared, however, the 21,016 warm bodies on hand had to settle for victory for the red, white, and blue. Allen is still on Everest, but the countdown shows he won’t be for long. The inevitable is coming — if for no other reason than because a certain 6’3” guard has stood tallest in the National Basketball Association for some time now.

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.

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