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Another Filipina makes us proud

Just as Hidilyn Diaz and Nesthy Petecio brought pride to the nation as champion Olympians, another Filipina, Bettina Arguelles, brought the country distinction by being named the first female Southeast Asian Executive Chef of the Sofitel Hotel Group. As many of us know, Sofitel is part of the Paris based Accor Group, one of the largest hospitality conglomerates in the world with 5,100 hotels in 110 countries. Sofitel is among Accor’s luxury brands and a purveyor of French art, culture, and cuisine.

Many of us may not understand the significance of being an Executive Chef for a global luxury hotel brand. It is a highly competitive field dominated by Anglo Saxon (white European) men. Executive Chefs are responsible for directing the culinary activities of the hotel, which is customarily the second largest source of revenues, after room sales. Food & Beverage operations (F&B) are often the largest contributor to bottom-line profits.

Under the Executive Chef’s purview is the task of conceptualizing food items for all the F&B outlets of the hotel (from casual dining to themed cuisine — from banquets to fine dining); ensuring the highest level of quality across all F&B products; managing costs; and orchestrating an army of sous chefs, pastry chefs, bartenders, kitchen assistants, etc.

Being appointed Executive Chef is an enormous responsibility that affects both the reputation and profits of the hotel. Along with this responsibility comes prestige and financial rewards. Being appointed Executive Chef is considered the pinnacle of a culinary career.

Bettina broke the stereotype of an Executive Chef in a French hotel chain. Not only is she the first and only female Southeast Asian, she also began her culinary training late in life, when she was 30. Most chefs start their training in their teens.

Bettina is a product of the Ateneo where she graduated from Communications Arts. She worked in the advertising industry for most of her 20s. But food was her passion and being in the kitchen was her calling. At 30, she enrolled at the At-Sunrice Global Chef Academy in Singapore. She paid her dues by working for the Fullerton Hotel, Resorts World Sentosa, Privé (a restaurant owned by Michelin-starred chef Wayne Nish), Bistro Moderne (owned by world-renowned chef Daniel Boulud), the InterContinental Singapore, and the Sofitel Group. She picked up a number of culinary awards along the way, including the Malaysian Culinaire in 2007 and the Philippine Culinary Cup in 2015. Two years ago, she was named Chef of the Year by the globally acclaimed World Gourmet Awards.

I met Bettina at the Sofitel Manila where she oversees the hotel’s F&B operations, including the famous Spiral restaurant. We were introduced by Sofitel Manila’s new General Manager, Oliver Larcher. Sofitel is one of the few hotels that is doing well despite the pandemic. Larcher has been successful in keeping costs down and keeping operations tight whilst maintaining the highest standards of quality Sofitel is known for. The hotel is buzzling and in fighting form, save for mandatory social distancing restrictions.

I asked Bettina what she offers, as an Executive Chef, that white male chefs do not. She said, “among the advantages of being a Filipino is that we are used to adversities. We know how to adapt to difficult situations with creativity and an indomitable spirit. Filipino workers are very much sought after overseas because when we’re thrown in the water, we swim like there’s no tomorrow. The Filipinos that leave the country are driven out of our comfort zones.” It’s a sink or swim situation where those who survive tend to thrive and become the best they can be.

Her personal management style is markedly different from the Europeans. Whereas most Executive Chefs maintain an attitude of superiority and manage with fear (it has become common since Gordon Ramsey), Bettina has chosen to be a “servant leader,” she professed.

“Anyone who reaches an Executive Chef position is assumed to be proficient in cooking. That is a given. But what makes me unique is that instead of perpetuating an atmosphere of fear and oppression, I choose to be nurturing and maternal. This probably stems from the fact that when I ventured into this industry, I was already a mother of two, hence, the maternal instincts were a very strong part of my character. I have found that inspiration and motivation is a more powerful than fear or reprimand.”

Unlike other Executive Chefs, Bettina has no qualms about getting her hands dirty in the kitchen. Her staff (especially the non-Filipinos) are often surprised to see her chiffonade herbs, cut fruits, or cook eggs at the omelet station. It is unheard of for Executive Chefs to do such “menial tasks.” But Bettina is as strong believer in servant leadership. “I want to change the perception that certain chores are too menial for an Executive Chef. I don’t like my team thinking that once they reach a certain position, they are too good to peel potatoes or cut onions. In fact, it is the opposite. No task is unimportant, no task is too small. If we put as much attention and importance in every step of the cooking process, the end result will always reflect perfection.”

She attests that her servant attitude has made her team work harder and do better. Working side by side with her staff also gives her the opportunity to mentor her underlings. Her management style is indeed maternal and this is perhaps why she was singled-out by the Sofitel management as a worthy Executive Chef.

Many of our youth are aspiring chefs and hope to become Executive Chefs one day. To them, Bettina offers this advice: “Go out and see the world. Work in a foreign country, travel to eat, read cookbooks like you would read a novel, and always think you’re a beginner that needs to prove yourself.”

Bettina is classically trained in the French style and her menu is a reflection of that — sophisticated, well-considered, and technical. However, she also makes it a point to promote Filipino cuisine whenever possible. However, she says “we need to elevate our cuisine by using great ingredients, improving our presentation, and highlighting regional cuisines. The world needs to know more than just lechon and adobo (whole roast pig and meat stewed in vinegar). There’s so much more to our cuisine than that.”

Remember the name — Bettina Arguelles. She brings pride to the country at a time our people are weary of COVID-19 and all its negative outcomes. She reminds us that Filipinos can be great simply by sticking to their values and honing their craft to world class standards.

Bettina Arguelles will go down in history as an icon of Philippine culinary arts along with other Filipinas like Nora Daza, Glenda Barretto, Gaita Fores, and Cristeta Comerford.

 

Andrew J. Masigan is an economist

andrew_rs6@yahoo.com

Facebook@AndrewJ. Masigan

Twitter @aj_masigan

Singapore at 56 and our enduring partnership with the Philippines

FREEPIK

THE REPUBLIC of Singapore turns 56 on Aug. 9. The last 56 years may have been rife with challenges, but our small city state in Southeast Asia has continued to not only survive, but also thrive. Even as the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the daily lives of Singaporeans and our linkages with the world, we have continued to engage our partners in the region and beyond.

Singapore’s National Day is an occasion for Singaporeans to not only reflect on how far our country has come, but also to recognize that Singapore would not have been where we are today without the assistance and support from friends like the Philippines.

Since the establishment of diplomatic relations between Singapore and the Philippines in 1969, bilateral ties have grown from strength to strength. We have good bilateral cooperation in a wide array of sectors, including defense and security, trade and business, education, health, human resource development, and culture. Singapore and the Philippines also work closely on important regional and international initiatives, including the COVID-19 ASEAN Response Fund and vaccine multilateralism.

The past year has been extraordinarily challenging for all of us. Despite the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, our economic ties are robust. Singapore remains one of the top investors in the Philippines, and our companies are bullish about the Philippines.

People-to-people ties also remain close, as the Philippine community is one of the largest diaspora groups in Singapore. We deeply appreciate the invaluable contributions that Filipino professionals, including doctors, nurses, and other economic frontline workers, have made to Singapore’s COVID-19 response, as well as our efforts to keep the Singapore economy going.

Another testament to the enduring friendship between our two countries is the donation of medical equipment like RT-PCR machines, COVID-19 test kits, and oxygen concentrators from the Singapore government and Singapore organizations like the Temasek Foundation to support the Philippines’ fight against COVID-19. International cooperation remains ever more important as the world, and especially our region, continue to battle new waves and variants of the virus.

Our two governments will continue to explore mutually beneficial areas of cooperation that will pave the way for Singapore and the Philippines to emerge from the pandemic stronger together. At the recent 5th Informal Consultations on the Philippines-Singapore Action Plan held on July 14, we identified opportunities to expand bilateral cooperation in new areas of growth such as the digital economy and the environment in the post-COVID-19 “new normal.” We also committed to a sustainable post-pandemic economic recovery, and looked forward to the safe resumption of travel between our two countries when conditions permit.

To our Filipino friends who have walked with Singapore on our nation-building journey, maraming salamat po sa inyong lahat (thank you all)!  I am confident that Singapore and the Philippines will continue to grow and prosper together in the years ahead.

 

Gerard Ho is the Ambassador of the Republic of Singapore to the Republic of the Philippines.

To be or not to be

“Something is rotten in the state of Denmark,” Marcellus mutters under his breath. Standing guard on the battlements of the castle, he watches over Prince Hamlet and his friend Horatio walking together in the cold darkness, talking as darkly. In the castle beyond, bright hot torches glare at the gloom outside as King Claudius and his men sweat the heat of their carousing and drinking. In the mist of heat meeting cold, the ghost of King Hamlet appears and beckons to his son: “Remember me,” he says. “Revenge me.”

His father has been dead one month. Just home from schooling in Wittenberg, the young Hamlet finds his mother, Gertrude, now married to Claudius, brother of his father. How could she, Hamlet thinks? “Frailty, thy name is woman!” And his uncle has stolen the crown of Denmark — Prince Hamlet was to be next in line of succession from his father. By this, Claudius has brazenly shattered the rule of law in the country. Under his autocracy, stealing and killing, cruelty and deceit thrive and fester. “It appeareth nothing to me by a foul and pestilent congregation of vapours,” Hamlet laments. Alas, something is indeed rotten in the state of Denmark. Everything stinks.

Hamlet is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare’s longest play (29,551 words), and the most famous of his known 38 plays: 12 histories, 14 comedies, and 12 tragedies. It is a “dramatization of the complex philosophical and ethical issues that surround cold-blooded murder, calculated revenge, and thwarted desire,” one critic says. But the spontaneous subconscious identification of most readers would probably be with the moral-psychological dilemma of Hamlet: “To be or not to be?”

Simplifying Shakespeare’s early-modern English, the tension of Hamlet is this: Something is not right (rotten); shall I just take it and suffer, or shall I fight it and change it?

“To be, or not to be, that is the question,

Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer

The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,

Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,

And by opposing end them?”

How Hamlet resolves his conflict is the literal story. He chooses to fight, heeding the ghost of his father, whose murder by Claudius cries for revenge. But the allegory rises from the murder and revenge in the persistent symbolism of the human inner conflict of having to choose to react by righting what is wrong (in the right or wrong way) or not reacting at all and letting things slip by in the natural progression of cause and effect. Tragedy is about wrong choices, or right choices and wrong methods.

Politics and power is the allegorical story of Shakespeare’s Hamlet. “Th’ abuse of greatness is when it disjoins remorse from power.” Shakespeare says in another tragic play, Julius Caesar (Act II. Scene i,19-20). “Something is rotten in the state of Denmark,” says the same of politics and power in Hamlet (Act I, Scene iv, 67).

Note the persistent allegory of politics and power insinuating into our daily lives. Is something “rotten” in our today? Shall we have to vainly step into the theatrics of a Hamlet, as we experience inner conflict in the choices we must decide upon, 24/7?

In the Shakespearean play, the usurper-dictator Claudius murdered his brother the King by pouring poison into the King’s ear while he was sleeping. Poisoning the ear is a direct symbol of lies and deceit, disinformation and fake “news” that has since time been in the tool kit of unscrupulous politicians and corrupt others to wrest control and hold power over the defenseless and misled common people. It is utterly naïve to even ask, “do we have that?” in an environment polluted physically and morally with untruths and outright denial of wrongdoing by some greedy leaders.

A “play-within-a-play” is a literary technique used to emphasize the allegory through a parallel or contrasting story within the main story. The pouring of poison into the sleeping King’s ear was re-enacted by actors hired by Hamlet in a playlet presented to his uncle Claudius and mother Gertrude. Of course, King Claudius was furious, and Gertrude scared. By their reactions Hamlet tested and elicited the truth. Curiously, in our tremulous today, a “play-within-a-play” is staged in that the one and a half years COVID-19 pandemic vies for audience attention (ours) versus the neglected festering political situation that our autocratic leaders have created, apparently to their advantage. Something is rotten in the country.

Is there a Claudius among our leaders, who has disrespected and often disregarded the rule of law and slammed an iron fist in so-called “political will” to have his way? Was the common good, and its freedoms thwarted in the arrests and detentions of suspected dissenters and protestors against the ruling power? Were privately owned public service and utility companies, or even private enterprises, closed or sequestered and effectively given to cronies and dummies? Claudius was like that — he ruled with terror and despotic control. The rule of law bowed to his rule of one.

Yes, Claudius had his cronies and a close circle of collaborators and conspirators. His first convert to his side was his sister-in-law Queen Gertrude, who married him after one month of widowhood — to stay as Queen. Hers was the extreme disloyalty and treachery. In poetic justice, Gertrude mistakenly drank the poisoned cup Claudius intended for Hamlet — and she died. Claudius coopted Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, two of Hamlet’s close friends from school, to spy on Hamlet and they did. How sadly too often that we see crafty politicians and powerful persons buy the body and souls of people who too easily change allegiances in exchange for their own taste of power and wealth! We know who they are, these cronies and fanatic supporters of powerful people wanting to stay in power for life.

And today, in the isolation and separation of the deathly COVID-19 pandemic, the Filipino people, while focused on their individual health and economic survival, must focus on the coming elections on May 9, 2022 — nine months from now. It is a torturing “play-within-a-play.” The Hamlet in us must ask, “To be, or not to be?” Like the roused antibodies in the human system in the terrible pandemic, “Will it be ‘Fight’ or ‘Flight’?” The virus is to be controlled by the vaccinations. What do we do about the political disease and dysfunction?

There seems to not yet be a strong and united opposition that can run against the Duterte aligned or sympathetic line up of candidates. Vice-President Leni Robredo has yet to formally decide that she will run for President. Her fate lies in enough thinking voters who will have deeply discerned the right choice of someone pure in mind and heart who will lead the country after the restlessness and agitation of the immediate past six years. We need a change, and respite from “foul and pestilent congregation of vapors” like in Hamlet’s “rotting” Denmark.

Rappler describes a dreadful scenario: “PDP-Laban, Duterte’s national political party, is trying to convince him, their chairman, to run for vice-president in the national elections next year. They even said they would give him a free hand in choosing the presidential candidate he will run alongside, even if the candidate is not a party member.

“Political experts have slammed PDP-Laban’s call as ‘politics of the absurd’ and a corruption of the electoral process. Former Commission on Elections chairman and one of the framers of the 1987 Constitution, Christian Monsod, also said a VP run by Duterte could be a strategy to circumvent the charter” (Rappler, June 8, 2021).

There is something rotten in our country. It is our choice “to be, or not to be… Rotten.”

Vote wisely.

 

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

ahcylagan@yahoo.com

Best performance ever

AS the Tokyo Olympics drew to a close on Sunday, the Philippines was still inside the top 50 in total medals hauled, thanks to (clockwise from top left) the gold of weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz, silver of boxer Carlo Paalam, silver from female boxer Nesthy Petecio, and bronze of middleweight fighter Eumir Felix Marcial. — TOKYO 2020 AND REUTERS

PHL wins one gold, two silvers, a bronze at Tokyo Olympics

By Michael Angelo S. Murillo, Senior Reporter

THE Tokyo Olympic Games came to an end on Sunday with the Philippines ending up with its best performance ever in nearly a century of participation.

After the competition smoke cleared, the country stood at 50th place in the medal tally on the strength of winning one gold, two silvers and a bronze during the 16-day competition.

It was the first multi-medal showing for the Philippines since 1932 when the country bagged three bronze medals in the Games held in Los Angeles.

But Tokyo 2020 was made all the more significant with the elusive first-ever gold medal finally won.

Hidilyn F. Diaz, 30, bannered what sports officials dubbed as the “Golden Olympics,” when on July 26 she won the top prize in the 55-kg division of women’s weightlifting and ended the long wait of the Philippines for an Olympic gold.

She did it in record-setting fashion, establishing an Olympic-best 127kgs in the clean and jerk for a total lift of 224 kgs, also a Games record. She lifted 97 kgs in the snatch.

Her victory served as inspiration for the rest of Team Philippines as it went on to continue the country’s campaign.

Together with the silver she won in the 2016 Rio Games, Ms. Diaz is now widely recognized as the best Olympian the Philippines has produced.

The boxing team also stood out in the just-concluded edition of the Summer Games, with three boxers out of four landing podium finishes.

Women’s featherweight Nesthy A. Petecio was the first to win a silver on Aug. 3 followed by flyweight Carlo Paalam four days later.

Interestingly, Ms. Petecio, 29, and Mr. Paalam, 23, almost did not make it to the Tokyo Games, having qualified because of their standings in their respective weight categories after the boxing task force of the International Olympic Committee decided to use the standings to fill up the remaining slots for the Tokyo Games because of the pandemic.

Their teammate, 25-year-old Eumir Felix D. Marcial (middleweight), settled for the bronze medal but not after making noise with dominant victories in his early fights and narrowly losing in a close fight in the semifinals.

Women’s flyweight Irish Magno, 30, was the other Filipino boxer who competed and made it to the Round of 16.

Rower Cris Nievarez, 21, was the first athlete from the Philippines to see action and advanced to the quarterfinals of the men’s single sculls event. He eventually finished 23rd overall out of 32 competitors.

Taekwondo jin Kurt Barbosa, 22, and shooter Jayson Valdez, 25, competed in the opening weekend of the Tokyo Games and put up a gallant showing.

And so did Filipino-foreign athletes Kristina Marie C. Knott (athletics), Luke Gebbie and Remedy Rule (swimming).

While he did not advance to the semifinals of the 100m men’s freestyle, Mr. Gebbie, 24, set a new national record with a swim of 49.64 seconds.

Gymnast Carlos H. Yulo, 21, had it rough in artistic gymnastics, failing to qualify in six out of seven events. But he came back stronger and managed to finish fourth in the vault final.

Weightlifter Elreen Ann Ando, 22, finished seventh in the women’s 64kg division but turned a lot of heads with her strength, further solidifying her standing as the heir apparent to Ms. Diaz.

Ernest John Obiena, 25, and Margielyn A. Didal, 22, both competed in the finals of the men’s vault and women’s street skateboarding, respectively, and were praised for the way they showed top-class talent and sportsmanship amid the competition.

Judoka Kiyomi Watanabe, 24, struggled in her debut Olympics but vowed to continue working on her game.

In golf, Filipino bets made an impression at various stages of the four-round tournament.

US Women’s Open champion Yuka Saso, 20, did not have a good start to her campaign, finishing at 47th place after the first round, but made a spirited charge back as the competition progressed, eventually landing tied for ninth overall.

Juvic Pagunsan, 43, and Bianca Pagdanganan, 23, for their part, were inside the top 10 early in the competition in their respective divisions.

“This is the best Olympics for the Philippines. We exceeded our expectations and we’re just proud of the athletes and what they have done,” said Philippine Olympic Committee President Abraham N. Tolentino.

“And it’s not only those who won medals. Everybody showed up and gave their all.”

The POC official went on to say that hopefully, the gains in the Tokyo Games will be sustained moving forward just as he underscored the Filipino athletes are capable of competing with the best in the world.

“Tokyo showed that the Filipinos can compete on the big stage and provided they get the support they need for training, anything is possible,” Mr. Tolentino said.

Philippines’ Olympic medal haul through the years

Philippine boxing team in Tokyo providing a blueprint

THE four-man Philippine boxing team for the Tokyo Olympics. (From left) Carlo Paalam, Irish Magno, Eumir Felix Marcial and Nesthy Petecio. — NESTHY PETECIO TWITTER PAGE

HANDING two silver medals and a bronze to the Philippines in the just-concluded Tokyo Olympic Games, the national boxing team did well and provided a glimpse of how bright the future of the sport in the country can be.

“Though we fell short in our bid to win the gold, our boxers achieved something that had never been done before. Like I mentioned before, this group is special and what they did in Tokyo will stand the test of time, a testament that nothing is impossible,” said boxing analyst Nissi Icasiano in an online interview with BusinessWorld.

Filipino boxers landed on the podium three times out of a possible four, led by the silver-medal finishes of women’s featherweight Nesthy A. Petecio and men’s flyweight Carlo Paalam.

Ms. Petecio, 29, settled for a silver medal at the Olympics after bowing to Japanese Sena Irie by unanimous decision in the finals of the women’s featherweight boxing tournament at the Kokugikan Arena in Tokyo on Aug. 3.

Many pundits and observers felt Davao native Ms. Petecio did enough to win the gold over Ms. Irie, who employed much holding and clinching throughout the contest, but in the end just could not get the nod of the judges, losing, 5-0.

Four days later, Mr. Paalam, 23, duplicated the feat of Ms. Petecio, bagging the silver in a gallant stand against Olympic veteran Galal Yafai of Great Britain.

Mr. Paalam lost to Mr. Yafai by split decision, 4-1,

Despite suffering a knockdown in the first round, the Filipino fighter ended the fight strong, landing solid shots to narrow the gap.

Mr. Yafai moved to win the contest, with four judges scoring the fight, 29-28, for him while one went with Mr. Paalam, 29-28.

The silver medals from Tokyo were the fourth for Philippine boxing in the Olympics, in addition to those won by Anthony Villanueva (1964) and Mansueto Velasco (1996).

Eumir Felix D. Marcial took home bronze in the middleweight division but not after making noise with dominant victories in his early fights and narrowly losing in a close and action-filled fight in the semifinals against Oleksandr Khyzhniak of Ukraine.

Women’s flyweight Irish Magno, 30, was the other Filipino boxer who competed and made it to the Round of 16.

“It’s the first time since 2004 that we had four boxers representing our country. To make it more special, two of them are women. This feat alone just assures us that the future is bright. These men and women just provided the future generation a blueprint to success,” said Mr. Icasiano.

The analyst went on to say that following the national boxing team’s campaign at the Tokyo Games, any notion that Filipino boxers cannot win a gold should be cast aside.

“We shouldn’t think of the notion that the gold medal is elusive. It’s actually doable. It took us 89 years to get to this moment. It just makes me excited for things to come,” Mr. Icasiano said.

Next for the Philippine boxers are the Southeast Games and Asian Games next year while Mr. Marcial looks to grow his career as a professional fighter as well. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo

Brazil back-to-back Olympic champions

GOLD medalists Brazil celebrate during the medal ceremony. — REUTERS

YOKOHAMA — Brazil retained their Olympic football title with substitute Malcom scoring an extra-time winner in a 2-1 victory over Spain in the men’s gold medal match on Saturday.

After the game ended 1-1 in normal time, Malcom raced onto a diagonal ball from Antony and got the better of Jesus Vallejo before driving the winner into the far corner in the 108th minute to ensure Brazil repeated their Rio 2016 triumph.

“This was the most important goal of my life,” a beaming Malcom told reporters, “It is such a unique moment”.

Dani Alves, Brazil’s 38-year-old captain, who had led the team as an overage player in a bid to win a major global tournament with his country, collapsed to his knees at the final whistle and buried his face in his hands.

“My captain Dani, he’s unbelievable, he helps everyone. He lifts us up, He’s unbelievable, I don’t have words for him,” Brazil’s other goalscorer Matheus Cunha said.

The Brazilian players made up for the absence of fans in the 65,000 Yokohama stadium by going through the full repertoire of celebratory songs after the final whistle.

An Olympic gold in football will never match a World Cup title, but for 120 minutes, there was no doubt that this match meant plenty to both sides.

Brazil were awarded a penalty in the 39th minute when Spain goalkeeper Unai Simon came out to punch clear a cross but crashed into Cunha, only for Richarlison to blast the spot-kick high over the bar.

The South Americans grabbed the lead on the stroke of half time, however, when a deep Claudinho cross was hooked back across the area by Dani Alves and Cunha brought the ball down to slot home.

Spain threatened little but got on level terms in the 61st minute when substitute Carlos Soler broke down the right and whipped a cross to the back post where Mikel Oyarzabal connected with a sweet left-foot volley that whistled past Santos.

With Brazil looking to break on the counter and Spain moving the ball well, the game was tightly balanced in the latter stages, but the Spaniards came closest to grabbing a win in normal time.

Oscar Gil’s cross shot from the right caught out Santos and struck the top of the bar in the 86th minute and two minutes later Bryan Gil’s thundering shot from outside the box blasted against the bar.

That meant extra time and the introduction of Malcom by Brazil coach Andre Jardine, which proved to be crucial as the Zenit St. Petersburg winger wrote his name into Brazilian football folklore. — Reuters

Japan to douse Olympic flame of Games transformed by pandemic and drama

TOKYO — Japan will douse its more than year-old Olympic flame on Sunday, closing out a Tokyo Games that were upended by the pandemic and transformed by the drama of politics, dazzling sport and deeply personal turmoil.

For the host nation, the Olympics fell short of the global triumph and financial blockbuster it once sought. Still, organizers appear to have prevented the Games from spiraling into a coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) superspreader event, a remarkable achievement given that some 50,000 people came together amid the pandemic.

While the bubble — the set of venues and hotels to which Olympic visitors were largely confined — appeared to hold, elsewhere some things fell apart. Fueled by the Delta variant of the virus, daily infections spiked to more than 5,000 for the first time in Tokyo, threatening to overwhelm its hospitals.

Normally one of the world’s most electric cities, Tokyo is under a state of emergency, depriving it of the manic buzz of an Olympic host or the fervent crowds of its last Olympics in 1964.

While opinion polls showed most Japanese opposed the Games, would-be spectators still came out in force, defying authorities to peek in from overpasses as they tried to catch a glimpse of outdoor events such as the triathlon or new sports such as skateboarding.

Their numbers appeared to be bolstered by enthusiasm over Japan’s medal haul — 20.

China were on top of the tally with 38 golds as of late on Saturday, with the United States at 36 and Japan at 27. There are 13 golds up for grabs on Sunday before the closing ceremony, including in the men’s marathon.

Japan is due to hand over the Olympic baton to the next host city, Paris, at a ceremony that starts at 8:00 p.m. JST (1100 GMT).

After a year’s delay and often against the backdrop of cavernous, nearly empty venues, the Games themselves provided plenty of high drama.

COLD WAR AND ‘TWISTIES’
The drama culminated with the defection of Belarusian sprinter Krystsina Tsimanouskaya who, in a moment more reminiscent of the Cold War, refused to board a flight home after she was taken to the airport against her wishes.

She has since sought refugee status in Poland.

US superstar gymnast Simone Biles shocked the world when she pulled out of five of her six events, including abruptly abandoning the women’s team final after attempting just one vault, citing concerns for her mental and physical health.

The 24-year-old spoke with candor about struggling to deal with the weight of expectation placed on her and made the world aware of the “twisties,” a type of mental block that prevents gymnasts from performing their gravity-defying skills.

Biles ultimately came back to win the bronze on the balance beam in the final event of the women’s gymnastics program, a moment of triumph that crystallized her transformation from Olympic champion to advocate for mental health.

In athletics, Italy provided a different kind of shock with their amazing run. Their victories included a stunning gold in the men’s sprint relay, taking their athletics gold tally to five.

In swimming, the United States were without 23-time Olympic gold medalist Michael Phelps for the first time since the Atlanta Games in 1996, and while their gold count slipped, they still ended the meet on top of the medal table with 30 in total.

But they were pushed close by the Australian team who achieved their best ever haul of nine golds and 21 medals overall, eight of their titles won by their astonishing women’s team.

As the Games wind up, Japan will now be left to count the cost. The bill for the Olympics and Paralympics is expected to be ¥1.64 trillion, 22% higher than it was before the Games were delayed in 2020, and twice as much as the ¥800-billion estimate Tokyo submitted in its host bid. — Reuters

Houses and lots, added cash incentives for silver medal winner Paalam

CARLO PAALAM — REUTERS

Tokyo Olympic Games silver medallist Carlo Paalam stands to get added incentives for his efforts.

In separate announcements at the weekend, the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC), Phoenix Petroleum and VisMin Cebu Landmasters, Inc (CLI) said they will reward 23-year-old Paalam for his impressive run in the just-concluded Summer Games and for bringing pride and honor to the country.

POC President Abraham N. Tolentino in a virtual press conference from Japan on Sunday said that just like gold medallist Hidilyn F. Diaz, Mr. Paalam and the two other Olympic medal winners – boxers Nesthy A. Petecio (silver) and Eumir Felix D. Marcial (bronze) – will also get a house and lot in Tagaytay City in Cavite.

The properties, courtesy of Mr. Tolentino, will go alongside the additional cash incentives to be given by the POC, amounting to P3 million for gold, P2 million for silver and P1 million for bronze.

Phoenix, through the Siklab Atleta Pilipinas Foundation, will also give a P3-million financial incentive to Mr. Paalam.

“Carlo put up a magnificent fight, and we are proud of his overall performance as a Filipino Olympic boxer. His win inspires us to continue supporting Filipino athletes because they give honor to our country, and prove that we are truly world-class. This year’s Olympics has been a great opportunity to display Filipino supremacy in sports,” said Phoenix Petroleum Senior Vice President Raymond Zorrilla in a statement.

Phoenix’s reward takes Mr. Paalam’s total cash incentives to date from both the government and private sector to at least P22 million.

CLI, meanwhile, announced it is giving Mr. Paalam a P3.6-million house and lot (townhouse) in its subdivision project Velmiro Uptown CDO, located in the Upper Canitoan Cagayan de Oro area.

“We are very proud of Carlo’s achievement, and want to take part in uplifting his quality of life especially when it comes to housing. He deserves to live well, and we hope his family will enjoy their new home in our Velmiro Heights community in CDO. We look forward to welcoming him home,” said Jose Soberano III, CLI chairman and CEO, in a statement.

Mr. Paalam was born in Bukidnon but is currently based in Cagayan de Oro. – Michael Angelo S. Murillo

Creamline one win away from Open Conference finals

Alyssa Valdez and the Creamline Cool Smashers took Game One of their PVL Open Conference best-of-three semifinal series over the Petro Gazz Angels in five sets on Sunday. (PVL Media Bureau)

By Michael Angelo S. Murillo, Senior Reporter

The Creamline Cool Smashers moved a win away from booking a spot in the Premier Volleyball League Open Conference finals after taking Game One of their best-of-three semifinals series with the Petro Gazz Angels in five hard-fought sets at the Bacarra Socio-Civic & Cultural Center on Sunday.

Towed by the game-long brilliance of Alyssa Valdez and stepped-up play of Tots Carlos, the Cool Smashers bucked being a set down, 1-2, to charge back and complete their comeback for the win, 27-29, 25-23, 16-25, 25-17, 16-14.

Both teams competed hard, looking to claim the early advantage in the series and move a step closer to the best-of-three finals.

The count stood at 10-all late in the fifth set when Jeanette Panaga and Ms. Carlos scored back-to-back to give Creamline a two-point cushion, 12-10.

Petro Gazz got to pull even at 12-all after a service error by Cool Smashers setter Jia Morado and a defensive stop on Ms. Valdez in the ensuing play.

But Ms. Carlos was not to let her team lose, scoring three of the next four points of Creamline as they went on to outlast Petro Gazz.

Ms. Valdez top-scored for the Cool Smashers with 25 points, with Ms. Carlos adding 23.

Jema Galanza and Michelle Gumabao also scored in double digits for Creamline with 16 and 13 points, respectively.

“It’s really a game of adjustments,” said Ms. Valdez after their win. “There were some adjustments in the middle of the game towards the latter part of the third set and fourth set and we’re happy that we were able to apply them.”

“Thanks to Tots as well for stepping up the way she did,” the Creamline star added.

For Petro Gazz it was Myla Pablo who led with a game-high 26 points, 25 coming off attacks. Ces Molina added 17 points.

Creamline tries to close the series out in Game Two on Monday at 5 p.m.

Messi on verge of joining PSG, reports L’Equipe

LIONEL Messi is set to join Paris St.- Germain (PSG) after Barcelona were forced to let their Argentine talisman go as they could not afford to give him a new contract under La Liga’s salary limit rules, L’Equipe reported on Friday.

Earlier on Friday, PSG manager Mauricio Pochettino said Messi was an “option” that was being evaluated by the Ligue 1 club.

A move to PSG would reunite Messi, who has officially been a free agent since July 1, with his former Barcelona teammate Neymar.

On Thursday, the six-time Ballon d’Or winner left Barcelona despite both parties having reached an agreement over a new contract, citing economic and structural obstacles to the renewal of the deal.

The 34-year-old was expected to sign a new five-year deal with the Catalan club, which would have included a salary reduction of 50%.

Barcelona president Joan Laporta said on Friday that the club was forced to let Messi leave because his high wages coupled with strict La Liga financial rules could have jeopardized its future.

Messi had tried to leave Barcelona in August 2020, making a formal request for an exit after a breakdown in his relationship with then president Josep Maria Bartomeu but successor Laporta, who presided over the Argentine’s rise to greatness, convinced him to stay.

Messi has spent his entire professional career at Barcelona, having joined the club’s youth setup aged 13, and went on to score 672 goals in 778 games across all competitions since making his debut in 2003.

PSG have been busy in the off-season, having already brought in Gianluigi Donnarumma from AC Milan, Sergio Ramos from Real Madrid and Georginio Wijnaldum from Liverpool, all on free transfers. Full back Achraf Hakimi was signed from Inter Milan.

They will begin their new Ligue 1 campaign at newly promoted Troyes on Saturday. — Reuters

NBA anti-tampering rules

In late September 2019, about a month before the new season of the National Basketball Association began, the Board of Governors approved a set of measures giving the league more teeth to enforce anti-tampering rules that had long been in place. Considering the increased player mobility in recent memory, honchos were concerned with developments that indicated provisions in the constitution designed to prevent personalities from influencing players still under contract were being followed in the breach. Among the weapons at the regulators’ disposal was the capacity to audit communications between front offices and player agents.

The decision of the Board of Governors was not made lightly. Principals became alarmed not just with the movements the summer just past had engendered, but with how they came to pass. The seeming speed in which they were executed lifted the curtains on de facto dealings well before the start of free agency. And, to signal that it meant business, the front office took the Bucks to task a mere week after, fining them $50,000 in violation of rules “governing the timing of discussions regarding future player contracts and permissible commitments to players.” The subject of the penalty was a public pronouncement from general manager Jon Horst that underscored the obvious: They would be offering two-time Most Valuable Player awardee Giannis Antetokounmpo a supermax extension.

Significantly, the Bucks again found themselves in hot water the next offseason for trying to put together a sign-and-trade deal (with the Kings that would net them Bogdan Bogdanović) even before free agency began. For the transgression, they were docked their 2022 second-round pick. It was a stiff penalty, but still a lighter one had the league not taken into consideration their “cooperation with the investigation, the absence of evidence of any impermissible early agreement on the terms of a contract between the Bucks and Bogdanović, and the fact that the team ultimately did not sign Bogdanović.”

Fast forward another year, and, this time, the NBA is setting its sights on the Bulls and Heat for their supposed machinations in claiming Alonzo Ball and Kyle Lowry, respectively, through sign-and-trade accords. It will be looking for traces of unsanctioned discussions among teams and players prior to the start of free agency. Needless to say, the league’s intent is to send a clear message that it will brook no transgressions, targeting arrangements that are easier to probe. Unlike free-agency acquisitions, trades are more complex, involving more quarters and needing a longer time to consummate — and, therefore, theoretically impossible to complete when they became public knowledge.

In truth, the league is scratching the surface. Talks of transfers happen all the time, and especially among players. A full two weeks before the Lakers acquired nine-time All-Star Russell Westbrook, for instance, he discussed the opportunity to don the purple and gold with resident top dogs Anthony Davis and LeBron James, and in the latter’s home to boot. Even as existing rules also cover players, however, the NBA has understandably been loath to target them. After all, they drive the product, and hitting them hits the product. Moreover, the news they create and amplify serve to keep the spotlight on the pro scene.

It must be noted that the NBA is swimming against the tide. That said, it cannot but follow through on the September 2019 action of the Board of Governors. Never mind that there is little to no chance of it invalidating the Ball and Lowry accords given the even more damaging effects of such a decision. No matter what happens, though, this much is clear: even those who want to stick to the rules will be compelled to walk the fine line considering that the benefits far outweigh the costs.

 

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.

Rocked by sexual assault allegation, Alibaba launches investigation, suspends several staff

SHANGHAI, Aug 8 (Reuters) – Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding Ltd said on Sunday it has suspended several staff following an employee’s allegations on the company’s intranet that she was sexually assaulted by her boss and a client.

The woman’s account, published via an eleven-page PDF that went on to circulate widely online, prompted a social media storm on China’s Twitter-like microblogging website Weibo. Police in the city of Jinan said on Sunday morning that they were investigating the incident.

“Alibaba Group has a zero-tolerance policy against sexual misconduct, and ensuring a safe workplace for all our employees is Alibaba’s top priority,” a spokesperson said in a statement.

“We have suspended relevant parties suspected of violating our policies and values, and have established a special internal task force to investigate the issue and support the ongoing police investigation.”

Late on Saturday, a female Alibaba staffer’s account of an incident she said took place while on a business trip went viral on Chinese social media, with responses to her account figuring among the top-trending items on Weibo as of Sunday morning.

The woman, who did not reveal her identity, alleged that her boss coerced her into going on a business trip with him to meet one of her team’s clients in the city of Jinan, about 900 kilometres (560 miles) from Alibaba’s headquarters in Hangzhou.

According to the woman, on the evening of July 27, the client kissed her. After consuming alcohol, she woke up in a hotel room the following day with her clothes removed and no memory of what happened the evening before.

CCTV footage she obtained from the hotel showed that her boss entered the room four times over the course of the evening, she added.

Upon returning to Hangzhou, she said she reported the incident to human resources and upper management on Aug. 2, asking her boss be fired and for time off. While human resources initially agreed, ultimately they did not follow through, she said.

Alibaba CEO Daniel Zhang responded to the uproar late on Saturday on the company’s internal message board, according to a person who saw the post, though the company did not officially disclose the material posted on its intranet .

“It is not just Human Resources who should apologize. The related business department managers also hold responsibility and should apologize for their silence and failure to respond in a timely manner,” Zhang wrote.

“Starting from me, starting from management, starting from human resources, everyone at Alibaba must empathize, reflect, and take action.”

Alibaba announced on its intranet that the woman’s supervisor, her contact at human resources, and direct management of those individuals had been placed on suspension, according to the person who saw the posts.

Last month another sex scandal rocked China when Chinese-Canadian pop singer Kris Wu was publicly accused by an 18-year-old Chinese student of inducing her and other girls, some of them under the age of 18, to have intercourse with him.

The incident revived discussions of the #MeToo movement in China, and police in Beijing subsequently arrested Wu, who has denied the allegations. – Reuters

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