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CHED bucks private teacher scholarships

COMMISSION ON HIGHER EDUCATION FACEBOOK PAGE

THE COMMISSION on Higher Education (CHED) on Wednesday said it supports a bill that seeks to expand government financial assistance to private schools, with conditions.  

The commission supports House Bills 928 and 1723 but has reservations about a provision that grants scholarships to private school teachers, CHED program specialist Cynthia Q. Hernandez told a House of Representatives hearing.  

This could put pressure on the CHED budget if it is made to pay for the scholarships, she told congressmen. 

The Excellence in Teacher Education Act strengthens teacher education by broadening the mandate and functions of the Teacher Education Council (TEC) chaired by the Education secretary.  

Pasig Rep. and committee chairman Roman T. Romulo said the House is willing to remove the provision. 

The bills seek to extend state assistance to private elementary students, teachers and schools. — Matthew Carl L. Montecillo 

DBM: ‘Unprogrammed’ DoTr budget supported by loans

BW FILE PHOTO

THE Department of Budget and Management (DBM) said it can adequately account for all items in the National Expenditure Program (NEP), rejecting claims by a legislator that vague proposals in the NEP suggest that the government is planning to spend “unprogrammed” funds that will swell the budget by as much as P588.1 billion.

“The DBM stands firm on its position of having no irregularities in allocating unprogrammed funds under the 2023 NEP as it is ready to defend the proposed budget with the start of the budget deliberations. Details of these unprogrammed appropriations are available for public and Congress scrutiny,” it said in a statement on Wednesday.

On Saturday, Deputy Speaker and Batangas Rep. Ralph G. Recto called P588.1 billion worth of proposed spending “shades of grey,” referring to the lack of itemization in the spending proposal.

The proposed 2023 budget is officially P5.268 trillion.

“The spending being (sought) by the Palace is actually half-a-trillion pesos more,” Mr. Recto said in a statement, noting that the P588.1 billion is “more than double the current year’s P251.7 billion worth of unprogrammed funds.”

“The funding footprint is big but the appropriations language (consists of) one-liners. It is a blank check request,” he said.

On Wednesday, the DBM said in a statement that the “unprogrammed” portion consists largely of the P378.2 billion for use by the Department of Transportation (DoTr), funded from loans.

The share of unprogrammed appropriations in the budget has typically ranges between 2% and 8.4%. The inclusion of the DoTr item brings the share in the 2023 proposed budget to 11.2%.

The DBM said that the DoTr item should not be classified as an unprogrammed allocation, resorting in an unprogrammed portion of about P200 billion or 4%.

“The DBM contends that if there is going to be an analysis on whether it exceeded the ideal percentage of unprogrammed appropriations against the national budget, it should be based on the P200 billion unprogrammed appropriation, and not with the P378.2 billion unprogrammed appropriation corresponding to loan proceeds of the DoTr,” the DBM said.

Other unprogrammed items include support for infrastructure projects and social programs (P149.6 billion, inclusive of P22 billion for the procurement of vaccines); the Armed Forces of the Philippines Modernization Program (P5 billion); budgetary support to Government-Owned and -Controlled Corporations (P20.6 billion); support to foreign-assisted projects to the Department of Social Welfare and Development (P2.2 billion); the Risk Management Program (P1 billion); and payment of arrears accumulated by the Land Transportation Office-Information Technology service (P2 billion).

It also includes a refund of the service development fee for the right to develop the Nampeidai property in Tokyo (P210.5 million); the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas equity infusion as authorized by RA 11211 (P10 billion); public health emergency benefits and allowances for health and non-healthcare workers (P18.9 billion); and prior years’ funding for local government units (P14 million).

The funding of unprogrammed appropriations is conditional on surplus tax collections, new revenue sources, or additional foreign project loans.

“But the problem is, there seems to be lax compliance on this. In 2020, for example, when revenue collections were down because of the pandemic, every centavo of the P122 billion in unprogrammed appropriations was (still) released,” Mr. Recto said, calling for more transparency whenever the funds are utilized. — Diego Gabriel C. Robles

MAP cites infra precedents for EDSA busway privatization

PNA/JESS M. ESCAROS JR.

By Arjay L. Balinbin, Senior Reporter

THE Management Association of the Philippines (MAP), an advocate of privatizing the bus system servicing Epifanio delos Santos Avenue (EDSA) as well as urban railways, said the utilities and infrastructure industries offer sufficient precedent for the private management of public goods.

MAP said privatization is the best way to improve the EDSA Busway, which suffers from long queues as demand overwhelms the available number of buses.

“Privatization of public utilities and infrastructure has many precedents,” MAP Infrastructure Committee Chair Eduardo H. Yap told BusinessWorld in an e-mail on Wednesday. 

Mr. Yap wrote BusinessWorld in response to an article in which analysts raised questions over the proposed EDSA Busway privatization.

His organization recently urged the Department of Transportation (DoTr) to consider privatizing the EDSA Busway and bus service as well as commuter rail lines still largely in public hands like Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT-3), Light Rail Transit Line 2 (LRT-2) and the Philippine National Railway (PNR) commuter lines.

“Privatization of public utilities and infrastructure has many precedents. LRT-1 was recently privatized, while MRT-7 is being developed and will be operated by a private concessionaire,” Mr. Yap said.

“These existing concession agreements may serve as models or guides for the privatization of the EDSA Busway,” he added.

He said that some of the concerns expressed by analysts are “considerations that are known and will be among matters to be discussed in a series of roundtable discussions with privatization experts and stakeholders.”

“The bottom line is that this busway on EDSA has proven to be more efficient than the previous bus transportation system on the yellow bus lanes. But it is a work in progress that must be quickly and properly completed in accordance with global standards and availing of the latest high-capacity commuter clean-energy buses,” he said.

“Privatization will realize this objective and optimize this busway to its fullest potential as a mass transit system without severe overcrowding and long wait for ride.”

High fares, underinsurance, government meddling that deters investment recovery, and unresolved issues with the implementing rules and regulations of the Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) Law are among the concerns raised about any privatization exercise.

Business groups have criticized the new rules for the BOT Law, saying private proponents will shoulder more risk while the government is relieved of responsibility for delayed deliverables.

MAP is proposing a “hybrid” public-private partnership model, in which the government provides the infrastructure, while a private company operates the service and maintains the facilities under an operations and maintenance concession.

MAP has offered to work with the DoTr and other private sector parties in preparing the terms of reference for the bidding and award of the concessions “to ensure a level playing field for all.”

EDSA Busway upgrades recommended by MAP include increasing the capacity of station platforms to accommodate more commuters and enable simultaneous docking of buses, the construction of more stations near footbridges and concourses dedicated to the busway, expediting the construction of donated busway station footbridges, resolving chokepoints along the carousel line, replicating the busway in other major commuter corridors in the National Capital Region, and easing bus-to-train connectivity.

Other recommendations are to provide bus exchange stations for trunk-to-feeder line transfers, decongest the Ayala stations and McKinley Road by providing an alternate route between Bonifacio Global City and Buendia stations, and modern high-capacity bi-articulated electric commuter buses.

House members declare support for raising DoT budget

Tourists flock to surfing spots in Baler, Aurora during summer. — PHILIPPINE STAR/ MICHAEL VARCAS

LEGISLATORS preparing the 2023 budget said the Department of Tourism (DoT), which will receive 30% more funding under the spending plan proposed by the Executive branch, is still inadequately funded relative to the economic benefits generated by the industry it regulates.

“As revenue and job-generating department, adequate budgetary support must be accorded to the Department of Tourism so that the Philippines can compete for tourist arrivals with our ASEAN neighbors and create local livelihood opportunities,” Albay Rep. Edcel C. Lagman said at a hearing of the House Committee on Appropriations.

The 2023 DoT budget is P3.58 billion, up 30.3%, according to the spending plan sent by the government to Congress. The department had sought funding of P12.2 billion from the Department of Budget and Management.

Zamboanga Sibugay Rep. Wilter Y. Palma told the committee that he “fully endorse(s) the augmentation or the increase of the budget of the Department of Tourism” because its funding, as proposed, “is small compared to the income that is being derived from the tourism industry.”

Manila Rep. Edward Vera P. Maceda said that even with small budgets, the department must improve its fund utilization.

President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr., in his First State of the Nation Address to lay out his legislative agenda, called tourism “an important economic development tool” that generates an “abundance of opportunities… in terms of regular employment and even job creation at the grassroots level.”

Gabriela Party-list Rep. Arlene D. Brosas said the DoT does not appear to have allocated funds for safety nets, wage subsidies, or cash assistance for tourism workers, who were among the most affected by the pandemic.

Tourism Secretary Ma. Esperanza Christina G. Frasco told the committee that the department “signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE)  with a view to bridging the gap between the shortage of workers in the accommodation sector, as well as the huge demand for tourism employment, especially for those who have been displaced by the pandemic and those who wish to pursue a career in tourism.”

She said the current tourism workforce is up 4.6% from the 2021 work force of 4.7 million.

Ms. Frasco added that the DoT is organizing its efforts around attracting long-stay, repeat visitors.

John Paolo R. Rivera, associate director of the Asian Institute of Management Dr. Andrew L. Tan Center for Tourism, said tourism’s employment potential rests on the increasing confidence of travelers as borders and economies reopen.

“As we transition to post-pandemic (conditions), the demand for tourism products and services will increase, (generating) a need for the workforce to service rising demand,” Mr. Rivera said in an e-mail.

In other committee work at the House, the Committee on Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprise Development, said its agenda is headlined by the proposed Magna Carta for Micro-, Small- and Medium-Sized Enterprises (MSMEs), the proposed Pondo sa Pagbabago At Pag-asenso (P3) act, the proposed Barangay Microfinance System act, the proposed Strengthening the Protection & Welfare of Self-Employed Workers act, the proposed Establishment of Support Services for Small Entrepreneurs in Online Spaces act, the proposed Declaration of National Entrepreneurship Week act, the proposed MSME Stimulus Act, the proposed Pangkabuhayan Act of 2022, a measure setting up a Small- and Medium-sized Enterprises stock exchange, and amendments to the Go Negosyo Act.

It said 24 bills have been referred to the committee as of Aug. 17. — Kyanna Angela Bulan

Legislator asks Migrant Workers dep’t to screen OFW employers

PHILIPPINE STAR/EDD GUMBAN

THE Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) needs to screen foreign employers before deploying overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), to minimize the possibility of these OFWs being abused at their workplaces, Senator Rafael T. Tulfo said on Wednesday.

“What I really need to see is a screening process not only for OFWs but also for employers,” the senator, who chairs the Senate Migrant Workers Committee, said in a hearing.

“We keep sending our OFWs (overseas) until they, unfortunately, come back dead, and I don’t want that to happen,” he added.

Secretary Susan V. Ople, who heads the DMW, said the system has been geared towards maximizing deployments, with limited capacity for tracking workers past departure.

“I have noticed that… long as there are job orders, we just keep approving, which is why sometimes the recruitment agencies, despite only having a few staff, have hundreds and hundreds of job orders; when OFWs have a problem, they no longer know where to search because the employer has already changed,” she said.

Ms. Ople also noted that some Philippine diplomatic personnel have been reported for sexually harassing OFWs in shelters overseas.

“I hope we can give teeth to our laws in such cases. It is hard to accept that these things happen,” Senator Robinhood Ferdinand C. Padilla, said. “An ambassador is the father of Filipinos in the host country, yet he commits such offenses, right in the OFW shelter?”

Ms. Ople said the former ambassador has not been criminally charged over the incident and eventually retired from service. She had helped pursue the complaint against the ambassador when she was still with a non-government organization, adding that the Department of Foreign Affairs told her last month that the former ambassador will be fined.

She recommended legislation penalizing sexual harassment by diplomats and other overseas personnel. — Alyssa Nicole O. Tan

Hoarded white onion, sugar to be released to markets

PHILSTAR

AGRICULTURAL GOODS such as sugar and white onion that have been seized from hoarders will likely be distributed to markets, an agriculture official said.

“We see from our investigations that there is a lot of sugar in Quezon City, Pampanga, Pangasinan, Misamis Oriental, and Bukidnon. (There is no) artificial shortage, the sugar is being hoarded. That will probably be confiscated and distributed in supermarkets and to small sellers so they can be bought at a cheap price,” Agriculture Undersecretary Domingo F. Panganiban said in an interview on PTV on Wednesday.

For white onion, Mr. Panganiban said that the government is still consolidating data to determine whether there is a shortage or not.

“There were nine trucks caught in Misamis Oriental. The Bureau of Customs (is determining) if they were smuggled or not. We will distribute that in markets so consumers can buy them,” he said.

Mr. Panganiban said that the DA is working on subsidies and land allocation to support salt making by fisherfolk.

“If we have more area for salt making, it will (reduce the need for) imports… we must help our fisherfolk, who are producing salt for the entire country, especially in Occidental Mindoro and Central Luzon and Pangasinan,” he said.

“It will take maybe another two to three years before we stabilize our salt (supply). We should start this second half of 2022 to distribute money to our fisherfolk producing salt so we can increase (the area devoted to production),” he added. — Luisa Maria Jacinta C. Jocson

LANDBANK loan approvals for high-value crop growers top P17B 

BW FILE PHOTO

THE Land Bank of the Philippines (LANDBANK) said it has approved P17.4 billion in loans so far this year for producers of high-value crops.

“LANDBANK aims to promote the diversification of crop yields of our farmers alongside ensuring food security. We will continue to support the production of high-value crops through accessible and responsive credit assistance,” LANDBANK President and Chief Executive Cecilia C. Borromeo said in a statement.

LANDBANK did not provide details on the period when the loans were approved.

The loans will be allocated to 1,220 borrowers to support production of highland and lowland vegetables, fruit, as well as industrial crops including abaca and bamboo.

Spices, legumes, and alternative food staple crops such as soybean and root crops are also supported by the lending program.

“Aside from increased high-value crop production, farmers can avail of loans under the program to finance related projects such as the establishment of nurseries and budwood or mother and plant or parent clone gardens, as well as for the establishment of new plantations, and the replanting, rejuvenation and rehabilitation of old trees,” LANDBANK said.

The bank’s financial support extends to post-harvest activities such as fermentation and drying, including roasting, grinding, milling, packaging, and storage. Trading and export activities are also eligible.

“Individual small farm holders may borrow up to 90% for a production loan, while a maximum of 80% may be borrowed by small and medium enterprises (SMEs), cooperatives, farmers associations and organizations, large agribusiness enterprises and corporations, non-government organizations (NGOs) and countryside financial institutions (CFIs),” it added.

The program can also finance up to 80% and 85% of the total project cost for the acquisition of fixed assets and commodity loans, respectively. — Luisa Maria Jacinta C. Jocson

Rekindling the SEC’s eSPARC

To quote a popular Korean pop group, “the wait is over” for eSPARC, which is now ready “to light it up like dynamite.” So I urge companies to “get it, let it roll.”

In April 2021, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) launched the Electronic Simplified Processing of Application for Registration of Company (eSPARC) system to automate the company registration process for domestic corporations, while other types of registration applications, such as those of foreign corporations, are filed through the SEC Company Registration System (CRS). The eSPARC was later enhanced to increase utilization, and to catch up with the regulatory changes imposed by the Revised Corporation Code, subsuming the CRS functions in September 2021.

The registration processes on eSPARC include name reservation, form fill-out, download of pre-generated registration documents, upload of signed and notarized or consularized/apostilled documents, payment of registration fees, and a recently-added facility that allows registrants to download a digital Certificate of Incorporation (CoI).

To maintan its spark, eSPARC was further reformed earlier this year. It now has two subsystems: the Regular Processing, and the One-day Submission and E-registration of Companies (OneSEC) Processing.

The Regular Processing subsystem of eSPARC processes the company registration within the usual timeline. On the other hand, the newly added subsystem — OneSEC Processing — allows registrants to complete the registration process in only one day. This is available for domestic stock corporations, whether organized as a One Person Corporation (OPC) or otherwise.

According to the SEC’s slogan, this new subsystem aims to provide the following:

One – One-day approval of the registration application anytime, anywhere

S – Simple procedure to ensure that the data encoded are protected and secured

E – Efficient management of information

C – Completely seamless and fully automated

This initiative is the most awaited comeback and digitization of the previous “Green Lane Registration” of the SEC, which was a one-day registration process offered during the manual era.

To qualify for one-day processing, registrants applying for OneSEC Processing have to meet specific conditions. These conditions include, among others: a) the primary purpose or main activity must be predetermined/fixed and not subject to any modification/correction; b) the corporate term of existence is perpetual; c) the applicant corporation’s location is not in any of the economic zones; and d) the mode of payment for the subscription of shares is cash. Registrants who initially apply via OneSEC Processing but fail to meet the conditions will be redirected to the Regular Processing system.

Be mindful that failure to complete the application and to pay the assessed registration fees within one day from the Payment Assessment Form’s (PAF) issuance will cause the system to purge the entire application automatically. This includes the cancellation of the pre-approved name reservation.

For regular processing, the SEC promises to review the application within seven working days from submission. Once the application is pre-approved, the duly finalized documents must be uploaded to eSPARC by the registrants within 30 calendar days. If the uploaded documents are disapproved, the documents incorporating the corrections sought by the reviewing officer must be uploaded within 15 calendar days from disapproval. Once the PAF is issued, registration fees must be paid within 45 days from the date of the PAF.

The issuance of a digital CoI signals the inception of the SEC’s digital transformation, a precursor of more innovation yet to come. Notwithstanding the downloadable digital CoI, however, the hard copy CoI will be released only upon presentation and submission to the selected SEC office of the digital CoI, proof of payment of the assessed registration fees, along with four sets of complete registration requirements within 60 calendar days from the date stated in the digital CoI. 

eSPARC is now also integrated with the Philippine Business Hub (PBH), an online system that caters to post-SEC registrations with other government agencies such as the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), the Local Government Unit, and social agencies (like the Social Security System, Philippine Health Insurance Corp., and Home Development Mutual Fund). At the end of the registration process in eSPARC, a link to the PBH will appear. For those who did not receive the link to the PBH website or who obtained their CoI or license outside eSPARC, they can still proceed to the PBH website at https://business.gov.ph. Upon logging in to the PHB, registrants may apply for a Tax Identification Number (TIN) and automatically obtain their employer numbers from the social agencies.

While the PBH is available, registrants may still personally visit the government offices to process the post-SEC registrations, if onsite processing is somehow preferred.

While the eSPARC-PBH integration appears to be a one-stop shop for the registration of companies, registrants must ensure that they complete the post-registration process. Even if registrants have obtained their TIN online through the PBH, they still need to go to the Revenue District Office of the BIR having jurisdiction over their registered business address to secure their certificate of registration, apply for an authority to print their receipts/invoices, and register their books of account.

The full implementation of a one-stop shop for online business registration in all government agencies has yet to be realized. Nevertheless, the foundation has been laid through the eSPARC-PBH’s convenient registration process. It is the SEC’s contribution to jumpstarting the economy post-pandemic. Let’s hope this digitization initiative will continue to run — “smooth like butter.”

The views or opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of Isla Lipana & Co. The content is for general information purposes only, and should not be used as a substitute for specific advice.

 

Cyril B. Pestilos manager at the Tax Services department of Isla Lipana & Co., the Philippine member firm of the PwC network.

+63 (2) 8845-2728

cyril.b.pestilos@pwc.com

EcoOil-La Salle captures PBA D-League Aspirants’ Cup crown

SCHONNY Winston (7) leads La Salle with 16-5-5 tally. — PBA MEDIA

ECOOIL-LA SALLE seized the PBA D-League Aspirants’ Cup crown, coasting to a 91-78 win over Marinerong Pilipino in the winner-take-all Game 3 yesterday at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.

Four players hit twin digits led by Schonny Winston with 16 points, five rebounds, five assists and three steals as the Green Archers pulled off a reverse sweep after a 72-67 loss in Game 1.

Mark Nonoy also came through with 15 markers on three triples for his biggest game of the season as MVP runner-up Michael Phillips carved out 15 points and 16 boards with eight coming from the offensive glass.

Evan Nelle then added a 13-5-5 line for La Salle, which rode on the momentum of a huge 70-63 win in Game 2 to capture its first title in the developmental ranks.

“As I’ve told the team, we have to show that we want it more and the boys did. We’re proud of how the guys played. We had momentum and we had to use that to our advantage. The boys responded and took advantage of that,” said coach Derrick Pumaren.

With momentum on its side, La Salle broke the gates wide open at 21-9 before erecting a 51-36 cushion at the break. The Green Archers even led by as many as 21 points, 74-53.

But the Skippers, bannered by MVP Juan Gomez De Liaño, as expected waged a heavy resistance with a 17-5 salvo to strike within 70-79 in the last four minutes before the Green Archers’ steady finish to take it home.

“This is part of the program, this is part of the process for us so if we’re gonna bring our A-game, we got to bring it in this game. We did,” added Mr. Pumaren, who will now shift his focus to La Salle’s final build-up for the UAAP Season 85 in October.

Mr. De Liaño put up a fight for Marinero with 30 points but his backcourt duo Jollo Go bled for only two after an ejection in the second half due to a low blow on La Salle big man Ben Phillips.

The Skippers thus settled for a bridesmaid finish anew after sweeping the 2019 Foundation Cup only to bow against BRT Sumisip Basilan–St. Clare in another winner-take-all Game 3.

The Scores:

EcoOil-La Salle 91 — Winston 16, M. Phillips 15, Nonoy 15, Nelle 13, Austria 8, Manuel 7, Quiambao 6, Nwankwo 6, B. Phillips 5, Macalalag 0.

Marinerong Pilipino 78 — Gomez de Liaño 30, Nocum 18, Gamboa 12, Soberano 7, Manlangit 5, Carino 2, Go 2, Pido 2, Bonifacio 0, Bonsubre 0, Agustin 0.

Quarterscores: 25-19, 51-36, 74-57, 91-78. — John Bryan Ulanday

Tokong rules men’s short board surfing in Phuket

SEAG gold medalist John Mark Tokong — PHILIPPINE STAR FILE PHOTO

SOUTHEAST Asian Games (SEAG) gold medalist John Mark Tokong vanquished the waves of Kata Beach as he captured a gold medal in the Phuket Beach Festival 2022 staged over the weekend.

Mr. Tokong, fondly called “Marama,” was a cut above the rest in the men’s short board competition where he struck gold after beating Indonesian Nyoman Satria Mukti by registering 15.30 points, or 1.9 points ahead of the latter.

It was another triumph for the 26-year-old after he struck gold in the 2019 SEA Games in La Union as well as the 25th Siargao International Surfing Cup held the same year.

CASUGAY WINS
Another Filipino, Roger Casugay also made his presence felt as he took home a bronze in men’s long board.

Mr. Casugay is also a SEA Games gold winner and a Pierre de Coubertin Act of Fair Play Awardee of the International Fair Play Committee two years ago.

Phuket Beach Festival 2022 which was sanctioned by the Asian Surf Cooperative, was participated by surfers from the 12 countries in the Asia Pacific region namely host Thailand, Japan, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Australia, among others. — Joey Villar

Pinoy makes it to SoCal Academy b-ball program

CHRIS Gavina, Nathan Tan and Rob Wainwright

THE SOUTHERN California Academy (SCA) welcomes Nathan Tan, their first Filipino athlete, into their elite basketball program. SCA is a prestigious sports preparatory academy located in Southern California in the United States offering both academics and elite sports programs. SCA’s basketball program has been ranked No. 1 numerous times in the whole state of California and in the top 5 in the whole of the United States.

Southern California Academy is led by no less than the best coaches in the US with head coach Chris Chaney who has produced 19 NBA players and over 70 international pros, with 150+ NCAA Division1 players, 850+ career wins, multiple National Championships and National Coach of the year awards to his name.

Last year Nathan (Tan) played his senior year in high school for Scotland Campus in Pennsylvania, a prestigious sports school in the East-Coast of the US. Scotland Campus PA is nationally ranked in the top-10 best sports preparatory schools in the whole of the US.

NBA prospects Dior Johnson, a four-star recruit and Brandon Huntley-Hatfield, a five-star recruit are products of SCA and Scotland Campus respectively. And for a home-grown Filipino athlete like Nathan, being part of the same elite sports program under the best coaches in the US who has produced superstars is nothing short of an honor.

Nathan tells us how proud he is to showcase Filipino talent in the most competitive sports communities with the best athletes in the US, “I wanna show them the level of game Filipinos have in basketball and how competitive we are in this sport.” While Nathan is now counted among prospect rising stars in US collegiate sports, Nathan still recalls falling in love with basketball at an early age of four. He started like any regular kid, attending basketball clinics at a young age and playing street basketball at local pick-up games. This is where a coach took notice of his talent and invited him to try out for the San Beda Taytay Grade School team. Nathan led the San Beda Red Cubs to multiple championships and was captain ball at Palarong Pambansa representing the CALABARZON region, then got recruited to play for La Salle Greenhills. Going through high school in the Philippines, Nathan had always been an underrated athlete. In spite of this he persevered; until one day an international scout took notice of Nathan’s talent and had recommended him for a US school where Nathan was accepted and offered a scholarship to play basketball. And the rest is history. 

In this very competitive sport of basketball, the journey is never an easy one, Nathan gets his encouragement from people who have been with him from the beginning. Coach Chris Gavina, Head coach of PBA franchise Rain or Shine, has been Nathan’s personal trainer and is instrumental in Nathan’s growth in the sport, “I believe I trained Nate for the first time when he was 12 years old. On our first session I immediately recognized his willingness to allow me to take him outside of his comfort zone” Coach Chris shares. “Nathan has an insatiable desire to prove his doubters wrong!” Mr. Gavina adds.

Now his career milestones, playing in the US, are just the beginning of his journey. “It doesn’t matter if no one else believes in your dream, it’s enough that you believe in yourself and work hard. My goal is to be in the NBA, and I’m sure soon I will get there.”

Nathan serves as an inspiration to many young athletes aspiring to make it big in sports. He shares how even in the midst of the pandemic he has not lost focus. His journey to greatness has brought Nathan through many ups and downs in life but despite the trials that come his way, he came out successful and made it where only few Filipino athletes have.

Raducanu’s US Open title defense ends in first round

BRITAIN’S Emma Raducanu acknowledges the crowd after losing her first round match against France’s Alize Cornet.

NEW YORK — Emma Raducanu, who made a dream run to the US Open title last year, suffered a nightmare 6-3 6-3 first round loss to France Alize Cornet on Tuesday as the clock finally struck midnight on an improbable tennis fairytale.

Ms. Raducanu captivated the sporting world when she became the first qualifier to claim a Grand Slam title, winning 10 matches in New York without dropping a set, catapulting her career into the stratosphere and making her one of the most marketable athletes on the planet.

Twelve months ago Ms. Raducanu arrived at her opening match an unknown with no expectations or pressure but on Tuesday the 19-year-old sometimes appeared to be carrying the weight of world on her slender shoulders.

Not only was Ms. Raducanu defending her one and only title but a massive 2,040 of her 2,756 ranking points and with those gone the world number 11 will drop out of the top 70 and back having to qualify for some events or depend on wildcards.

But the loss, said Ms. Raducanu, has also brought freedom and a clean slate that will allow her to reconstruct her game and career without unrealistic expectations.

CRAFTY VETERAN
Ms. Raducanu got her defense off to a positive start breaking Ms. Cornet at the first opportunity but the crafty French veteran, making a record 63rd consecutive Grand Slam appearance, would immediately break back.

The two players would trade breaks a second time before Ms. Cornet would break the young Briton a third time to get in front 5-3 and hold serve to secure the 1-0 lead.

It was the first set taken from Ms. Raducanu at Flushing Meadows but not the last.

The 11th seed becomes the first defending US Open champion to lose in the first round since Germany’s Angelique Kerber in 2017.

“I think I’m just handling my emotions better — that’s it,” said Ms. Cornet. I guess I’m getting old. “I’m getting more mature. I’m 32 so it’s better late than never I guess.” — Reuters

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