Senate clears franchise of Smart Broadband, Air PHL

December 17, 2021 | 12:01 am

BILLS extending for another 25 years the franchise of Smart Broadband, Inc. and Air Philippines Corp. on Thursday passed on third and final reading, receiving unanimous support from the Senate.

House Bill 8970 or an act renewing for another 25 years the franchise granted to Smart Broadband, previously known as the Meridian Telekoms, Inc. was passed with 20 affirmative votes.

Under the proposed measure, the grantee is permitted and will have the authority “to construct, install, establish, maintain, lease, and operate wired and wireless telecommunication systems throughout the Philippines.”

It must also operate, maintain, and upgrade all its stations, lines, cables, systems, facilities, and equipment for the satisfactory transmission and reception of messages, signals, and pulses at all times.

The proposed bill also mandates that it improves and extends its services in areas not yet served, and hazard- and typhoon-prone areas.

The grantee no longer has to apply for renewal of its franchise three years before its expiration.

On the dispersal of ownership, the grantee must offer Filipino citizens at least 30% of its outstanding capital stocks in any securities exchange or through any methods allowed by law.

The provision that the grantee must ensure that 60% of its employees are regular employees was also removed.

Smart Broadband is a unit of Smart Communications, Inc., which is a subsidiary of PLDT, Inc.

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

Meanwhile, House Bill 10442 or the act renewing for another 25 years the franchise granted to Air Philippines was also passed with 20 affirmative votes.

Air Philippines, formerly known as Airphil Express, is under listed firm PAL Holdings, Inc.

Under the proposed measure, its air transport services must include “the maintenance and operation of hangars and aircraft service stations and facilities and other services of similar nature which may be necessary, convenient or useful as an auxiliary to aircraft transportation.”

The grantee must secure from the Civil Aeronautics Board and the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines the appropriate certificates, permits, and licenses for its operation.

It must also create employment opportunities and accept on-the-job trainees in its operations.

The franchise will be deemed ipso facto revoked if the grantee fails to operate continuously for two years.

On the dispersal of ownership, the grantee should also offer its outstanding stocks to at least 30% of Filipino citizens in any securities exchange or through any methods allowed by law.

The grantee must submit an annual report to Congress. If it fails to comply, the airline will be fined P500 per working day of noncompliance. — Alyssa Nicole O. Tan

How PSEi member stocks performed — December 16, 2021

December 17, 2021 | 12:00 am

Here’s a quick glance at how PSEi stocks fared on Wednesday, December 16, 2021.

Bautista, Santos open Ayala PHL Athletics Championship in style

December 16, 2021 | 10:39 pm

By winning two golds each including the 100m dash

By John Bryan Ulanday

BAGUIO CITY — National team mainstay Clinton Bautista and hometown hero Katherine Khay Santos ran away with two gold medals apiece to open the Ayala Philippine Athletics Championships in style at the Athletic Bowl here on Thursday.

Mr. Bautista, the Tarlac pride, and Baguio’s own Ms. Santos juggled two duties but still stamped their classes over their rivals highlighted by supremacy in the centerpiece 100m sprint to emerge as the fastest man and woman in the country’s first trackfest amid the pandemic.

A known hurdles master, Mr. Bautista finished the men’s century dash in 10.86 seconds before staple long jumper Ms. Santos extended her brilliance on the track by clocking in 12.61 seconds to rule the distaff side.

Mr. Bautista also dominated the 110m hurdles, which he won in the 2019 Southeast Asian Games (SEAG), in 14.42 seconds while Ms. Santos leapt for 6.06 meters in long jump to stun four-time SEAG champion and national record holder Marestella Torres-Sunang.

Impressive was Ms. Santos’ twin-gold medal feat via Herculean fashion after reigning supreme in 100m run and long jump only 45 minutes apart.

Ms. Santos ruled the field with a 6.06-m long jump tally only on her first attempt — compared to Ms. Sunang’s same mark on fourth try — before transferring to the track, with little to no breather, for another glory much to the awe of the good-sized Baguio crowd.

“It’s a surreal feeling to compete in a place where it all started, back when it was still soil. It’s my hometown so it’s all worth it with the support of my family and friends,” said the University of Baguio stalwart, who previously won a long jump bronze medal in the 2011 SEAG.

Ms. Santos’ stellar campaign pushed her into strong consideration for a national team comeback with this event organized by the Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association (PATAFA) serving as a performance trial for the 31^st SEAG next year in Vietnam.

Other first-day gold medal winners were Melissa Escoton (women’s 100m hurdles), Janry Ubas (men’s long jump), Edwin Giron (men’s 800m), Bernalyn Bejoy (women’s 800m), John Albert Mantua (men’s discus throw), Daniella Daynata (women’s discus throw), Frederick Ramirez (men’s 400m) and Junel Gobotia (men’s 3000m steeplechase).

Bolts’ rousing debut sends Bossing to third loss

December 16, 2021 | 10:33 pm

By Olmin Leyba

Meralco turned to full power and fried hard-luck Blackwater, 98-77, for a rousing debut in the 46^th Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Governors’ Cup on Thursday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Tony Bishop marked his PBA arrival with 28 points, 13 rebounds and three shot blocks to spark the Bolts to the 21-point triumph in Day 2 of the league’s Big Dome games with a live audience.

Nards Pinto led a solid local support as he scored 18 with seven assists and two steals coming off the bench. Mr. Pinto fired 11 of his output in the second canto, which provided the juice for Meralco’s 32-20 pullaway run.

“It’s exactly what we really hoped for. We wanted to get to a great start this conference and try to catch up with teams who already played a lot of games,” said Meralco coach Norman Black.

The Bolts sent the injury-plagued Bossing reeling to their third straight setback, their long-standing skid extended to 22 games overall since last year’s All-Filipino.

Mr. Bishop is filling in the big shoes of Meralco’s resident import Allen Durham in the import-spiced tournament and showed he could get the job done.

“He showed he can shoot from the perimeter and get points inside and more importantly, he rebounded the basketball and blocked some shots defensively,” said Mr. Black of their Panamanian reinforcement.

“He has a lot of versatility in his game, an all-around player. I don’t think he’s the give-him-the-ball, get-out-of-the-way type of player but he fits well with what we do.”

Despite absence of JVee Casio, Josh Torralba, Kelly Nabong. Kobe Paras and Mike Ayonayon to various injuries, the Bossing fought the Bolts on even terms in the first 12 minutes.

The Bossing were still in the thick of things early in the second before Messrs. Pinto, Newsome and Bishop triggered a 17-5 salvo that pushed the Bolts to a 44-29 tear.

“I think the combination of Nards Pinto and Anjo Caram coming off the bench defensively was a difference-maker and changed the momentum of the game as soon as they entered,” noted Mr. Black.

Mr. Newsome added 11 while Raymund Almazan posted 10 markers and nine boards aside from his defensive duties on Blackwater import Jaylen Bond.

Mr. Bond finished with 18 plus 15 rebounds as Rashawn McCarthy paced the Bossing with 19.

Jamie Lim, Junna Tsukii lead Team Philippines in Asian Karate Championships in Kazakhstan

December 16, 2021 | 10:28 pm

Jamie Lim and Junna Tsukii will spearhead the seven-strong Philippine team battling the region’s best and brightest in the 2021 Asian Karate Championships slated Dec. 19-22 in Almaty, Kazakhstan.

Ms. Lim will compete in the women’s -61-kilogram division while Ms. Tsukii in the -50kg class for the national squad that also fielded in Remon Misu (women’s -61kg Under-21), Alwyn Batican (men’s -67kg), Ivan Agustin (men’s -75kg), Sakura Alforte (women’s individual kata) and John Enrico Vasquez (men’s kata).

The national karatekas arrived in Almaty as early as last Sunday to give them enough time to acclimatize to the conditions.

“We have a pretty good chance of getting a podium finish specially with Junna Tsukii and Jamie Lim,” Karate Pilipinas President Richard Lim on Thursday told The STAR. “But we also have a few surprises that we are also counting on.”

Ms. Lim also said they are using the four-day meet as an indicator on how the country will perform in the Hanoi Southeast Asian Games and the Hangzhou Asian Games next year.

“Overall, it will be a good gauge for the upcoming Asian and SEA Games,” said Ms. Lim.

The 24-year-old Ms. Lim hopes to draw strength from her solid World Championship debut in Dubai last month where she came two wins away from plucking a bronze medal.

Ms. Lim eventually emerged the best Asian performer and even bested Sarara Shimada of Japan where the martial arts sport came from.

Ms. Tsukii, for her part, should be one of the favorites being No. 4 in the world and No. 2 in Asia behind Japanese Miho Miyahara. — Joey Villar

MLB, MLBPA unlikely to discuss economic issues before 2022

December 16, 2021 | 10:24 pm

There apparently will be no Christmas miracle for baseball fans hoping for a quick resolution to the game’s latest labor strife.

On Wednesday night, The Athletic reported that Major League Baseball (MLB) players and owners are not expected to discuss core economic issues until January. Both MLB and the MLB Players Association (MLBPA) are scheduled to meet Thursday to discuss non-core economic issues.

The business of baseball has been on pause since Dec. 2, when owners locked out players following the expiration of the previous collective bargaining agreement.

It does not appear that either side is in a hurry to get a deal in place.

A source from the players’ union told The Athletic that the union has not heard from the league regarding any core economic issues since the beginning of the lockout.

At the same time, The Athletic reported, the union has not reached out to owners about any of those issues either. — Reuters

Real Madrid, Barcelona, Athletic Bilbao sue LaLiga over CVC deal

December 16, 2021 | 10:23 pm

MADRID — Real Madrid, Barcelona and Athletic Bilbao are taking legal action against LaLiga over a €1.994-billion private equity deal that the administrators of elite Spanish soccer agreed last week, the clubs said on Wednesday.

All but five of the 42 clubs in the top two divisions signed up to the €1.994 billion ($2.24 billion) investment from CVC Capital Partners, the first of its kind in Europe.

Four clubs, including the top flight trio, opted out and one abstained.

The deal was “an illegal transaction that causes irreparable damage to the entire Spanish football sector and flagrantly violates the most elementary principles of Spanish sports law and the LaLiga statutes,” Real Madrid, Barcelona and Athletic Bilbao said in a statement announcing legal action and published on their websites.

The agreement, dubbed “LaLiga Boost,” buys CVC an 8.2% stake in a new company that will get broadcasting revenues and sponsorship rights for 50 years.

It commits clubs to allocating 70% of funds for investments to new infrastructure and modernization projects. Up to 15% can be used to sign players, with the remaining 15% for reducing debt.

The CVC deal looked at risk of unravelling last week when Barcelona, Real Madrid and Athletic Bilbao proposed an alternative proposal for JPMorgan, Bank of America and HSBC to jointly lend €2 billion in exchange for a fixed annual payment of €115 million over 25 years, a document seen by Reuters showed.

Barcelona and Real Madrid were also among the driving forces behind a failed plan to launch a breakaway European Super League earlier this year, and vowed to continue to try to set it up. — Reuters

Clubs spend $500M in agents fees

December 16, 2021 | 10:19 pm

MANCHESTER, England — Soccer clubs spent $500.8 million in fees to agents in 2020, more than in the previous year, despite a drop in spending on transfers, the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) said in a report published on Wednesday.

FIFA said that club spending on transfer fees shrank for the second year in a row, due to the impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, but that “this decrease did not carry over to spending on intermediary service fees, which remained on the same level as in 2020 and even slightly increased by 0.7%.”

European clubs accounted for 95.8% of the total spent on ‘intermediary service fees,’ with clubs from England ($133.3m), Germany ($84.3m), Italy ($73.5m), Spain ($34.8m), France ($30.3m) and Portugal ($29.3m) responsible for 77% of the total sum worldwide.

The FIFA report comes as world soccer’s governing body is seeking to alter regulations for football agents. — Reuters

Changing the game

December 16, 2021 | 9:23 pm

It was, perhaps, only fitting that Stephen Curry set the record for career three-point shots made in The Mecca of Basketball. And as he celebrated the 2,974^th trey he has made since he joined the Warriors in 2009, the overflow crowd of 19,812 at the Madison Square Garden — typically jaded and too preoccupied with other interests to be bothered with watching proceedings on the court — celebrated with him. Fans rightly cheered for the leading Most Valuable Player candidate’s accomplishment, never mind that it helped seal the Knicks’ fourth straight loss and seventh setback in the last eight outings.

Needless to say, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr made sure Curry had more than enough time to bask in the feat. He promptly called time out, and the festivities intensified. Erstwhile record holder Ray Allen was even in the building, and made sure to acknowledge the milestone with a hug and a hearty smile. To be fair, it wasn’t a changing of the guard; the ascent to the throne of the greatest shooter in pro hoops history was as inevitable as the sun rising in the east. Rather, it was an appreciation of the singular skill of the 6’2”, 185-pound guard who lasted all the way to seventh in the 2009 draft.

Indeed, Curry didn’t exactly hit the ground running in the land of the giants. He did start 77 of 80 games in the Warriors’ 2009-10 campaign, but he took just 14 shots in 36 minutes per outing. Injury practically wiped out his third season, but, amid speculation that he had putty for ankles, he wound up flourishing when Kerr assumed the mantle in 2014. Three championships and two MVP awards later, he is again taking the National Basketball Association by storm.

That the Warriors are pacing the league despite vital cog Klay Thompson’s continued absence speaks volumes about Curry’s status as first among equals. And, certainly, part of his universal appeal stems not just from his everyman persona, but from his comfort and comfortability in his own skin. He doesn’t act like an Alpha Male; at the height of his powers, he welcomed fellow MVP Kevin Durant with open arms, even going so far as to defer to the new addition to the roster. Which, in a nutshell, is why all and sundry happily doffed their hats to him, and why he doffed his hat to all those who helped him reach the summit.

As outstanding as Curry is at getting his own shot, he was right to give longtime teammates Draymond Green, Andre Iguodala, and Thompson engraved Rolexes for their assists (literally); of his made threes, 479, 168, and 129, respectively, came off dimes from the three. Durant is third on the list with 153; little wonder, then, that the 11-time All-Star couldn’t resist tweeting “Send the Rollie” in response. Bottom line, though, he deserves the spotlight — for changing the game while being, well, himself. Enough said.

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.

Arsenal knocks West Ham out of top four with derby win

December 16, 2021 | 9:22 pm

LONDON — Arsenal moved into the Premier League’s top four at West Ham United’s expense as goals by Gabriel Martinelli and Emile Smith Rowe earned a 2-0 win in a lively London derby on Wednesday.

Brazilian forward Martinelli struck just after halftime with a clinical finish and substitute fellow youngster Smith Rowe eventually gave a dominant Arsenal some welcome breathing space with a superb 87^th-minute effort.

It could have been a more comfortable night for Arsenal had Alexandre Lacazette, captain again in place of the disciplined Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, not had his penalty saved midway through the second half.

West Ham, for whom Vladimir Coufal was red-carded after conceding the penalty, failed to produce the kind of form that has seen them stationed in the top four since October.

They huffed and puffed and threatened sporadically but home keeper Aaron Ramsdale’s only real save was from a Jarrod Bowen effort shortly after Martinelli’s opener.

Victory hoisted Arsenal up two places into fourth spot with 29 points from 17 games with West Ham on 28.

The pre-match buildup had been dominated by Arsenal’s decision to strip Aubameyang of the captaincy for another lapse of discipline. But just as in the comfortable win against Southampton at the weekend, Arsenal did not miss him.

Mikel Arteta’s side responded with a vibrant second-half display after a rather scrappy opening half hour, with French forward Lacazette, who also wore the armband against Southampton, leading by example.

“Really pleased with the attitude, the commitment, the quality that we showed in the game,” Arteta told reporters.

“The players play for the club and the pride that we expect from them. I was really happy from the beginning, because we knew that we had to play really good today to beat West Ham.”

On Lacazette’s leadership, Arteta added: “He’s next in line. It’s in his nature. He’s not a selfish player. He’s a player that’s happy when he makes the team better.”

‘GOOD INTENSITY’

Disappointing as they were, West Ham’s players were furious at Anthony Taylor’s decision to show Coufal a second yellow card. Replays showed he had made contact with the ball before sending Lacazette tumbling for the penalty, although Moyes was in no mood to make excuses.

“I didn’t think a lot of our performance generally, Arsenal played well with good intensity and we couldn’t deal with it,” Moyes said. “(Coufal) got the ball, but he should have got more of the ball.”

A frantic opening half saw West Ham’s Craig Dawson slice the first chance of the night high and wide while Pablo Fornals curled a right-footed effort wide for the visitors.

But as halftime approached Arsenal were dominating and were close to taking the lead when Kieran Tierney’s fiercely-struck shot was touched on to the crossbar by keeper Lukasz Fabianski.

Fabianski was then alert to keep out Lacazette’s shot before Dawson produced a goal-saving tackle to stop Martinelli pouncing on the rebound.

It did not take Arsenal long to take the lead in the second half as Lacazette was given too much space and time to slide a pass through to Martinelli who calmly shot past Fabianski.

Lacazette was a constant menace and went down under a challenge from Coufal and the referee pointed to the spot, before showing the Czech defender a second yellow card.

Fabianski saved Lacazette’s spot kick and as further chances went begging it seemed Arsenal might pay for their failure to finish off the lackluster visitors.

But Smith Rowe came off the bench and soon raced on to a pass by the impressive Bukayo Sako before curling home left-footed to make the points safe. — Reuters

Packers, Bucs can clinch divisions with ties in Week 15

December 16, 2021 | 9:21 pm

THE Green Bay Packers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Arizona Cardinals have the easiest paths to the playoffs in Week 15, all needing just a tie to earn a trip to the postseason.

The difference is the Packers (10-3) can clinch the National Football Conference (NFC) North just by tying the Baltimore Ravens and the Bucs (10-3) can do the same in the NFC South with a tie against New Orleans. The Cardinals (10-3), meanwhile, will clinch a playoff berth but not the NFC West with at least a tie in Detroit.

The Packers would still clinch the division with a loss in Baltimore if the Minnesota Vikings (6-7) lose or tie on Monday night against Chicago.

No team has clinched a playoff berth through the first 14 weeks.

Another division could get clinched in the NFC on Sunday as well.

The Dallas Cowboys (9-4) need a win over the New York Giants and help to clinch the NFC East. A loss or tie by Washington would do it for the Cowboys, provided they win.

The Rams (9-4) could clinch a playoff spot with a tie or win against Seattle, plus help.

In the American Football Conference (AFC), the Tennessee Titans (9-4) will clinch the AFC South with a win in Pittsburgh and a loss by the Indianapolis Colts.

The only other team in the AFC that could punch its ticket to the playoffs is the New England Patriots (9-4), who need a win over the Colts and help. The Colts and Patriots play on Saturday night. — Reuters

Devonte’ Graham’s 61-foot prayer at buzzer stuns Thunder

December 16, 2021 | 9:20 pm

DEVONTE’ Graham made one of the greatest game-winning buzzer-beaters in National Basketball Association (NBA) history, banking in a 61-footer to give the New Orleans Pelicans a thrilling 113-110 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday.

Just moments before Graham’s heave from three-quarters court, the Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander nailed a deep 3-pointer of his own with 1.4 seconds left to tie the game. Gilgeous-Alexander’s 30-footer came as he was avoiding a foul that would have sent him to the free-throw line for two shots.

However, Graham stole the show moments later, taking one dribble and launching from near the opposing 3-point arc. His miracle shot sent Oklahoma City to its third consecutive loss and 13^th in 16 games.

According to ESPN, Graham’s shot was the longest game-winning buzzer-beater in the NBA in the last 25 years. Additionally, ESPN noted that Wednesday’s thriller marked the first game in the last 25 seasons to feature two tying or go-ahead baskets of at least 30 feet in the final five seconds of a game.

Before Graham’s shot, Brandon Ingram (34 points) scored the Pelicans’ previous 10 points. He tied the game with a layup and then put the visitors ahead with a steal and a dunk on the next possession.

Jonas Valančiūnas had 19 points and 16 rebounds for New Orleans, while Graham added 15 points and eight assists.

Gilgeous-Alexander scored 33 points to lead the Thunder, making all nine of his free throws. In fact, Oklahoma City made all 19 of its free-throw tries — 14 in the fourth quarter.

The Thunder bench scored 52 points, including 17 from Kenrich Williams and 16 by Mike Muscala. Williams tied a career high with five 3-pointers.

Through three quarters, the Pelicans held a 26-5 edge in free-throw attempts. But in the fourth quarter, Oklahoma City got to the line repeatedly, including Muscala being fouled twice by Garrett Temple on 3-point tries during a 30-second stretch early in the fourth.

Going toe-to-toe with Ingram, Gilgeous-Alexander hit a 3-pointer with just under 30 seconds left to pull Oklahoma City within one. He then made a pair of free throws to keep the game within reach before drilling his fourth 3-pointer just before Graham’s desperation shot stunned the home crowd. — Reuters