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Another 3 areas declared red tide free

THE NUMBER of red tide-affected areas in the country continued to drop with three more removed from the list as of the latest bulletin from the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR).

In its 27th shellfish bulletin released Sept. 24, BFAR removed the warnings for Milagros in Masbate, Carigara Bay in Leyte, and Murcielagos Bay in Zamboanga del Norte after these areas tested negative for paralytic shellfish poison or red tide. 

BFAR said that areas still positive for red tide include Dauis and Tagbilaran City in Bohol, Dumanquillas Bay in Zamboanga del Sur, and Lianga Bay in Surigao del Sur.

In the first half of the year, red tide areas across the country reached as many as over 20 during certain periods. Red tide is a term used to describe all phenomena in which the water is discolored by high algal biomass or concentration of algae, according to BFAR.

All types of shellfish and Acetes sp. or alamang sourced from areas affected by red tide are not allowed for human consumption. Other marine species coming from the same areas can still be eaten with proper handling.     

Red tide happens a result of high concentrations of algae in the water. Human consumption of contaminated shellfish may result in paralytic shellfish poisoning, which affects the nervous system.     

Usual symptoms of paralytic shellfish poisoning include headache, dizziness, and nausea. Severe cases may trigger muscular paralysis and respiratory problems. — Revin Mikhael D. Ochave

Magnolia scores early series lead

THE Magnolia Hotshots Pambansang Manok moved a win away from advancing to the next round of the PBA Philippine Cup after defeating the Rain or Shine Elastopainters, 81-70, in Game One of their best-of-three quarterfinal series on Sunday. — PBA IMAGES

By Michael Angelo S. Murillo, Senior Reporter

THE Magnolia Hotshots Pambansang Manok scored an early series lead over the Rain or Shine Elastopainters in their best-of-three Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Philippine Cup quarterfinal matchup by taking Game One, 81-70, on Sunday at the Don Honorio Ventura State University Gym in Bacolor, Pampanga.

Magnolia outgunned Rain or Shine in the third quarter to create some distance, which it did not relinquish the rest of the way to come within one victory away from barging into the next round of the ongoing Philippine Basketball Association tournament.

Paul Lee and Ian Sangalang paced the Hotshots in the victory, finishing with 20 and 19 points, respectively, with the latter also collecting 13 boards.

It was a game of runs in the first two quarters with the two teams fighting to a 42-37 count, and the Elastopainters on top, by the half time break.

In the third quarter, Magnolia cranked its play up on both ends of the court to seize control of the contest.

The Hotshots limited the Elastopainters to just eight points while they scored 23 in the period, 13 points coming from the combined efforts of Messrs. Sangalang and Lee, to turn things around and lead, 60-50, heading into the final quarter.

Rain or Shine regained some footing to begin the fourth quarter.

Led by rookie Leonard Santillan, the Elastopainters narrowed the gap to just four points, 64-60, by the 9:08 mark.

But Magnolia would exert itself anew to build further distance, 73-64, in the next five minutes.

From there, the Hotshots would never be threatened as they went on to close out things.

Rome Dela Rosa and Jio Jalalon scored 10 points apiece for Magnolia while do-it-all forward Calvin Abueva had eight points and 13 rebounds.

For Rain or Shine, it was Mr. Santillan who top-scored with 17 points on top of grabbing 12 rebounds. Rey Nambatac and Javee Mocon, meanwhile, had 16 and 11 points, respectively.

“It was an important win for us. In any series, getting Game One is important because it gives you momentum,” said Magnolia coach Chito Victolero following their victory in the series opener.

“We really prepared for this game. It was a physical and defensive battle and we were ready for that. We ground it out with Rain or Shine and we’re glad we got the win,” he added.

Magnolia has a chance to close things out in Game Two set for later this week.

Gilas Pilipinas takes on China in FIBA Asia opener

GILAS Pilipinas Women will take on China in the opener of its FIBA Women’s Asia Cup campaign on Monday. — FIBA

THE Philippine women’s national basketball team begins its International Basketball Federation (FIBA) Women’s Asia Cup campaign on Monday, taking on top-ranked China in the opener at the Prince Hamza Hall in Amman, Jordan.

Bannered by a mix of veterans and seniors-debuting players, Gilas Pilipinas Women faces off with the Chinese team in a match scheduled for 9 p.m. (Manila time). It will be the first of three matches for the Philippines in Group B of the competition, where it will also take on Australia and Chinese-Taipei.

The goal for the Gilas women is to stay in the top three in the grouping to advance to the next round and avoid risking being relegated to Division B play in FIBA Asia.

Playing in Group A, meanwhile, are Japan, South Korea, New Zealand and India.

Coached by long-time national team bench tactician Patrick Aquino, Gilas Women is composed of Southeast Asian Games 2019 double gold medal winners Afril Bernardino, Janine Pontejos and Clare Castro. They are joined by fellow veterans Andrea Tongco, Chack Cabinbin, Mar Prado, Khate Castillo and Ria Nabalan.

Making their senior team debuts, meanwhile, are Ella Fajardo, Camille Clarin, Ann Pingol, and Kristine Cayabyab.

Against China, Gilas Women is in for a tough challenge outright as it is up against a team seeking redemption after failing to bring home the title last time around, finishing runner-up to Japan in 2019.

The Chinese, too, will also enjoy a ceiling advantage against the Filipinos with an average height of 6-foot-1 to the latter’s 5-foot-8.

Leading the way for China are Yueru Li, Xu Han and Siyu Wang, who all figured prominently in the FIBA player power rankings heading into the tournament.

Gilas Women, however, is undaunted, vowing to still represent and compete the best way it can.

“We’re up against the continent’s best teams and we just have to take advantage of every opportunity presented to us on the court and build on them,” Mr. Aquino shared prior to leaving for Jordan.

The Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP), the country’s federation for the sport, is rallying behind Gilas Women, highlighting its continued improvement would go a long way in the organization’s push to further grow women’s basketball in the Philippines.

“The continued growth of women’s basketball in the country is one of the pillars of the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas and this is why the Federation, along with our partners, will do everything we can to support our Gilas Pilipinas Women,” said SBP Special Assistant to the President Ryan Gregorio in a statement.

Gilas Pilipinas Women had its “bubble” training at the Summit Point Golf & Country Club in Lipa, Batangas, for two weeks as part of its preparation.

In 2019, the Philippines went 0-3 in group play of the Asia Cup, but salvaged one win over India in the seventh place game to avoid being relegated. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo

PFF lauds Malditas’ efforts in securing Asian Cup spot

THE Philippine Malditas are through to the AFC Women’s Asian Cup next year. — AFC

THE country’s football federation lauded the efforts of the Philippine women’s squad in securing a return trip to the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Women’s Asian Cup next year.

In a statement released following the Malditas’ 2-1 conquest of Hong Kong in Group F of the Asian Cup Qualifiers in Uzbekistan on Friday, that earned for them a ticket to the prestigious biennial football tournament in India in 2022, the Philippine Football Federation (PFF) highlighted the team’s go-getting mindset to succeed despite challenges presented by the pandemic both in training and during the competition itself.

“We are truly delighted by this remarkable achievement by our Philippine Women’s National Team. Qualification to the AFC Women’s Asian Cup is a testament to the hard work and sacrifice made by the players and the coaching staff and the support of sponsors and stakeholders,” said PFF President Mariano Araneta.

“But we cannot rest on this achievement. We will leave no stone unturned in preparing the team in the 2022 AFC Women’s Asian Cup, where the Top 5 teams will qualify for the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) Women’s World Cup in 2023,” he added.

The win over Hong Kong in preliminary play assured the Philippines will play in the Asian Cup. It completed a sweep of the Malditas’ assignments in Group F where they also defeated Nepal, 2-1.

Chandler McDaniel scored the go-ahead goal in the 87th minute to book the win for the Philippines.

Teammate Tahnai Annis put the Malditas in the driver’s seat early in the contest at JAR Stadium in Tashkent when she scored in the 17th minute off a pass from Rocelle Mendaño.

Hong Kong equalized, courtesy of Chung Pui Ki, who broke through in the 61st minute with a pinpoint free kick from just outside the box to beat Philippine goalkeeper Inna Palacios.

But the Malditas stayed the course, continuing to put pressure on the defense of Hong Kong, which eventually paid dividends when Ms. McDaniel scored before time.

NEXT UP
With the 2022 AFC Women’s Asian Cup spot already secured, the Malditas are now looking to sustain the momentum generated and begin preparation as soon as they can.

“Next is we have to start early. I think we will have a three-week break and after that, the PFF and the rest of the coaching staff will plan for the next camp,” shared national team coach Marlon Maro.

Part of their push is to train anew in California, where they held camp prior to the qualifiers.

He, however, hopes that players based in Manila can join the rest of the team overseas for a more thorough preparation.

“My plan next is to make sure that all players in Manila can have their visas. California is the only place that we can train on because it’s open already. You can do all sports activities there. And besides, we can have a lot of friendly matches like what happened in this competition. We had five practice matches with different women clubs in California so that helped us a lot to prepare tactically,” the coach said.

He went on to say that also to be discussed is fortifying the team further.

“We have to make sure that we beef up the team when it comes to players based on position. We have positions that we have to strengthen, especially the side defenders.”

The Malditas’ AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers campaign was supported by the Philippine Sports Commission and the MVP Sports Foundation. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo

US tightens grip on Ryder Cup after foursomes

KOHLER, Wisconsin — The United States tightened their grip on the Ryder Cup with another day of domination at wind-whipped Whistling Straits on Saturday, taking a commanding 11-5 lead over holders Europe, who need to produce an historic comeback if they are to defend their title.

Comfortably in front 6-2 at the start of the day, the US turned up the pressure in the morning foursomes taking three-of-four points before fending off a fight back from the Europeans in the afternoon fourballs splitting the matches 2-2.

Only nine times in 42 Ryder Cups has a team come from behind on the final day to lift the trophy.

No team has ever rallied from six points down going into Sunday’s singles although twice (the US in 1999 and Europe in 2012) teams have come from four back to capture the title.

“We are going out there until the end,” assured Sergio Garcia, playing in his 10th Ryder Cup for Europe. “We are not going to give up, that’s for sure.”

Heading into Sunday’s singles, the US sit just 3 1/2 points away from the 14 1/2 they need to secure the little gold trophy.

It would mark just the second time in six Ryder Cups and third in last 10 that the US has won the title.

While 40,000 mostly American flag waving fans will pour into Whistling Straits on Sunday in full party mode US captain Steve Stricker and his men were not popping the champagne just yet.

“You’re too far ahead of me,” said Xander Schauffele, when asked to compare winning the Tokyo Olympic gold medal to winning a Ryder Cup. “I don’t think any of us are getting too far ahead of ourselves.

“It’s 12 points for grabs tomorrow, and we are all trying to take care of our own business.”

Not since 1975 had the US entered the second day of the Ryder Cup with a four-point cushion and Stricker wisely decided not to mess with success on Saturday, sending out the same four pairings for Saturday’s foursomes as he did on Friday and returned the same result, a dominating 3-1 romp.

Heading into the afternoon fourballs, Stricker again mostly stuck with a winning formula going back to Bryson DeChambeau and Scottie Scheffler in one pair and Tony Finau and Harris English in another while throwing out two new combinations. With the situation getting more desperate by the moment European captain Padraig Harrington searched for a lifeline.

In a bid to shake things up, Rory McIlroy was left out of a Ryder Cup session for the first time in his career sitting out the morning foursomes after dropping both his opening-day matches.

But Harrington recalled the Northern Irishman for the fourballs reuniting him with fiery Ian Poulter hoping they light a fire.

The pair once again could not capture any past Ryder Cup magic the “Postman” Poulter failing to deliver the points the way he had so often done while McIlroy’s record in at Whistling Straits dropped to 0-3-0.

The one bright spot for the Europeans has been Jon Rahm, who has performed like the world’s top ranked player right from the outset, having a hand in 3 1/2 of Europe’s five points.

Rahm and Garcia earned Europe’s only win on Friday and picked up full points in both Saturday sessions. Rahm also teamed with Tyrrell Hatton for a half-point in Friday’s fourballs.

But the contributions from the rest of the 12-man European squad have been sparse.

The only other pair to win a match were Hatton and Shane Lowry in the fourballs and that was only clinched on the last shot on the final hole when 2019 Open champion Lowry drained a nervy 10-footer for a 1-up victory over Finau and English. — Reuters

Usyk outclasses Joshua to grab heavy crowns

LONDON — Ukraine’s Oleksandr Usyk dethroned world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua in his own backyard with a stunning display to earn a unanimous points decision in front of a sellout crowd at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday.

The 34-year-old former undisputed cruiserweight world champion put on a master class to silence the vast majority of the 67,000 fans who packed into the huge arena.

Usyk, giving away height, weight and reach to the champion, proved too elusive for Joshua throughout an enthralling contest and landed the much cleaner shots, finishing with a flurry in round 12 as he went in search of a knockout.

Joshua stayed upright, but the decision was a formality as Usyk seized the WBA, WBO, IBF and IBO belts with the three judges scoring it 117-112, 116-112, 115-113. 

Former Olympic champion Usyk, contesting only his third professional heavyweight fight, follows in the footsteps of compatriots Wladimir and Vitali Klitschko who dominated the division for a decade from 2004-15.

He is only the third cruiserweight world champion to step up a weight and become the heavyweight world champion after Evander Holyfield and David Haye.

For Joshua, a second career defeat was a crushing blow and scuppered hopes of a unification showdown with fellow Briton Tyson Fury, the WBC holder, who takes on American Deontay Wilder in Las Vegas on Oct. 9.

Even the most die-hard Joshua fans had to concede their man had been schooled by a skilful craftsman who rarely looked ruffled even when sustaining a cut above his eye late on.

Joshua gave the crowd little to cheer and ran out of ideas against his southpaw opponent who was ahead throughout.

“This means a lot for me. The fight went the way I expected it to go. There were moments when Anthony pushed me hard, but it was nothing special,” Usyk told Sky Sports.

“I had no objective to knock him out because my corner pushed me not to do that. In the beginning, I tried to hit him hard, but then I stuck to my job.”

NERVOUS HUSH
A sensational atmosphere greeted the fighters as they made the long walk to the ring, with the crowd in full cry and fireworks blasting into the sky.

But from the first bell, Joshua appeared unsure whether to try to overpower his opponent or outbox him — failing miserably at both.

A nervous hush descended on the stadium in the opening rounds as Usyk’s threat became all too apparent.

Constantly on the move, he rocked Joshua in the third with a powerful left hand.

Usyk retained control in the following rounds as Joshua failed to unleash his supposed superior power and the Londoner was in big trouble again in the seventh round as he was sent staggering backwards by a big left hook.

A nick appeared above Usyk’s eye in the 10th round, but Joshua’s face was showing signs of battle damage.

Joshua needed a knockout to retain his belts, but it was Usyk who came closest with a ferocious attack at the end of the 12th which left the Briton reeling.

Even before the official result was announced, some Joshua fans were heading for the exits while Usyk’s followers were just getting the party started.

Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn said his fighter was “devastated” by the defeat, adding that he would go to hospital with a suspected broken eye socket.

“Congratulations to Oleksandr Usyk. What a fighter. He put in a great performance and the better man won,” Hearn said.

“I had it reasonably close in the eighth and then Usyk ran away with it.”

Joshua later took to Twitter, saying: “Keep positive even if the world’s crumbling in front of you! London I love you & thank you each and every time!” — Reuters

Tsitsipas sizzles as Team Europe closes in on Laver Cup triumph

STEFANOS Tsitsipas won his singles contest before returning to court with Andrey Rublev to triumph in doubles as Team Europe swept all matches on Saturday and are one victory away against Team World to maintain their iron grip on the Laver Cup.

Team Europe has won all three editions of the Laver Cup so far and were on the cusp of a fourth after the Björn Borg-captained side went ahead 11-1 at the end of second day’s play at Boston’s TD Garden.

The absence of Roger Federer, Rafa Nadal and Novak Djokovic for this year’s event has proved to be no hindrance as Team Europe maintained a spotless record in the six singles matches over the first two days.

Named after Australian great Rod Laver, the three-day team event pits six of Europe’s top players against six of their counterparts from the rest of the world, with four matches played each day — three singles and a doubles.

Each win is awarded one point on Friday, two points on Saturday, and three points on Sunday, with the first team to reach 13 points declared winner of the event, which was canceled last year due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

In Saturday’s first match, world number three Tsitsipas did not leave the court against Nick Kyrgios, but required some time to replace a worn-out pair of shoes during a 6-3, 6-4 win.

Tsitsipas came under scrutiny at the US Open for both the timing and length of his mid-match bathroom breaks, which critics considered unfair gamesmanship. But this time, he was in control of the match and had a clear reason for the stoppage.

Early in the second set, Tsitsipas interrupted his own service game at 15-15 and took several minutes installing new laces before ultimately deciding to put on fresh shoes, given the original pair did not stand up well to the indoor surface.

“It’s not the best advert for the shoe I guess, but look at it, it’s absolutely battle-weary from the amount they slip and slide around,” the Eurosport commentator said.

“I wonder if Kyrgios is tempted to say something like, ‘Is this going to take about eight minutes? What’s going on here?!’”

The Greek returned to the multipurpose indoor arena — also used by the NBA’s Celtics and NHL’s Bruins — with Russian world number five Rublev for the final match on the second day and rallied to beat the pairing of American John Isner and Australian Kyrgios (6-7(8), 6-3, (10-4)).

Germany’s Alexander Zverev, ranked fourth in the world, also needed the 10-point match tie-breaker in the final set to tame big-serving Isner (7-6(5), 6-7(6), 10-5).

US Open champion Daniil Medvedev had a more comfortable outing in the night session against Canada’s Denis Shapovalov and won (6-4, 6-0).

Zverev and Rublev will look to settle the fate of the Laver Cup early on Sunday when they team up for the opening doubles match against Shapovalov and American Reilly Opelka.

Following the doubles, the German is scheduled to be back on court soon for his singles contest against Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime.

Medvedev will play Argentina’s Diego Schwartzman in the third match before Tsitsipas draws the curtains on the event, which moves to the O2 Arena in London in 2022, with his contest against Isner. — Reuters

Reality check for Chelsea; Liverpool goes top after thriller at Brentford

LONDON — Chelsea tasted defeat for the first time this season as Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City earned a statement (1-0) win at Stamford Bridge on a day that Manchester United were beaten by Aston Villa and Liverpool were held by Brentford.

City ended a poor run against Thomas Tuchel’s Chelsea thanks to a Gabriel Jesus goal early in the second half.

In the other early kickoff, Manchester United slumped to a first Premier League defeat of the season as they lost (1-0) to Villa with Bruno Fernandes missing a last-gasp penalty.

That paved the way for Liverpool to go top later, although Jürgen Klopp’s side had to be settle for a point as Brentford secured a 3-3 draw in a thriller.

Liverpool have 14 points from six games with City, Chelsea, United and Everton all on 13 points.

Brighton & Hove Albion could go top with 15 points if they beat Crystal Palace on Monday.

Tuchel had enjoyed mastery over his Man City counterpart Guardiola, winning all three matches against him since arriving at Stamford Bridge in January — a sequence culminating in the Champions League final victory.

But this time, Guardiola won the tactical battle as his side dominated possession and barely gave Chelsea, who were joint top before the lunchtime kickoff, a sniff.

Jesus’s low shot on the turn in the 53rd minute earned City the win and, but for Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy they would have enjoyed a bigger margin.

Victory made Guardiola City’s most successful manager in terms of wins with 221 since taking charge in 2016.

“I am so proud,” Guardiola said. “What we have done in these five years — players, backroom staff and all at the club — working together to improve the club. It’s an honor.

“Hopefully we can make more (wins) and the next manager can come and break the record. It means we have won many games. It’s why we have won a lot of titles.”

It was a reality check for Chelsea whose cautious approach backfired completely.

“We were excellent, but only in the last 20 meters of the match, not in the other 80 meters,” Tuchel said.

“Part of performance is to make an opponent underperform and City did that. They were stronger, sharper, had more precision.”

Villa went ahead in the 88th minute at Old Trafford thanks to a header by Kortney Hause, but his handball then gave United a penalty in a frantic finish.

Fernandes stepped up, but blazed over, with manager Ole Gunnar Solskjær upset with the antics of Villa’s players.

“Bruno has been such a good penalty taker,” Solskjær told reporters. “You would back him with your mortgage. What I did not like to see was the way they crowded the penalty spot and the referee to try to affect Bruno.

“It clearly worked for them, but that is not great to see. They achieved what they wanted to.”

Mohamed Salah scored his 100th Premier League goal for Liverpool, but it was not enough to earn his side victory.

Ethan Pinnock put Brentford ahead, but Diogo Jota leveled and Salah struck in the 54th minute.

Vitaly Janelt headed in a rebound to make it 2-2 and although Curtis Jones put Liverpool back in front in the 67th minute, Brentford snatched a point as substitute Yoane Wissa struck in the 82nd.

“We went toe-to-toe with one of the best teams in Europe. We have a well-earned point and were very brave throughout the game,” Brentford manager Thomas Frank said.

West Ham United, who beat Manchester United in the League Cup in midweek, followed up with a 2-1 victory against Leeds United thanks to a late goal by Michail Antonio at Elland Road.

Norwich City’s horrendous start to the season continued as they made it six defeats from six games with a 2-0 loss at Everton.

Jamie Vardy scored twice for Leicester City and once for Burnley in a 2-2 draw, although Burnley had a late ‘winner’ canceled out by a VAR check. Watford also had a late goal disallowed by VAR as they came back to draw 1-1 at home to Newcastle United who are still without a league win. — Reuters

Win over Padres in 10 innings helps Braves stay atop NL East

JORGE Soler drove in four runs, including one on a double in the 10th, to help the visiting Atlanta Braves the San Diego Padres (10-8) in 10 innings on Saturday.

Soler, who went three-for-five, hit a line-drive double that scored Travis d’Arnaud, who began the inning at second base, and sent Orlando Arcia, who had walked, to third. Arcia then scored on a long sacrifice fly by Ozzie Albies.

The winning pitcher was Richard Rodriguez (5-4) and Will Smith earned his 34th save. The losing pitcher was Daniel Hudson (5-3).

The Braves tied the game in the ninth against reliever Mark Melancon, the league’s save leader. He allowed a one-out single to Austin Riley, who went to second on a passed ball and scored on Eddie Rosario’s soft single.

The Braves (82-72) remained 1 1/2 games ahead of Philadelphia in the NL East. San Diego fell to 78-77.

The Braves are 5-9 in extra innings. The Padres are 7-8 in extra innings.

San Diego starter Vince Velasquez pitched three innings and allowed two runs on three hits, two walks and three strikeouts. Atlanta starter Huascar Ynoa allowed a season-high seven runs on seven hits and six strikeouts in 4 2/3 innings.

Adam Frazier hit a solo homer, his fifth, in the first to give the Padres a 1-0 lead.

San Diego added two more runs in the second on a solo shot by Eric Hosmer, his 12th, and an infield grounder by Vince Velasquez.

Atlanta cut the lead to 3-2 in the third on RBI singles from Albies and Austin Riley, then tied the game on Riley’s RBI single in the fifth.

Manny Machado had given the Padres a four-run lead in the fifth inning on his 12th career grand slam, to left field against Ynoa, who had walked two batters and hit another to load the bases. It was his 27th homer and gives him 100 RBI.

But the Braves tied the game with four runs in the sixth on a run-scoring double by Joc Pederson and a three-run homer from Soler, his 25th. — Reuters

WNBL: Paranaque Lady Aces remain unbeaten 

Allana Lim led the Paranaque Lady Aces in their rout of the Taguig Lady Generals, 58-37, on Sunday. — WNBL

The Paranaque Lady Aces blew out the Taguig Lady Generals, 58-37, on Sunday to remain unbeaten in the Pia Cayetano WNBL Season 2021 at the Bren Z. Guiao Convention Center in San Fernando, Pampanga. 

Allana Lim had 23 points and 13 rebounds to lift the Lady Aces to a 2-0 record and close the gap with league-leading Glutagence Glow Boosters, who have a 3-0 card. 

The Lady Aces began with a 7-0 lead, but the Lady Generals tied the game up. Lim scored five of Paranaque’s last nine markers, 16-7, and her team never looked back. Lim already had 11 points in the first half and Paranaque led, 26-15, at the turn. 

The Jayen Cruz-coached squad led by as many as 23 points in the contest even as Paranaque missed Clare Castro, who is with Gilas Pilipinas Women for the FIBA Asia Women’s Cup in Jordan. 

April Siat scored eight points and grabbed seven rebounds, and Angeli Gloriani also chipped in with six points, five rebounds, and two steals. 

Janeth Sison and Tin Capilit had 10 and 8 points, respectively for Taguig.

US date with fate

It’s all over, but the proverbial shouting, of course. Barring the most monumental collapse in Ryder Cup history, the United States will walk away with the hardware for only the fourth time since 1995 (with one of those victories coming on the strength of a final-day comeback from four points down). It headed into the latest staging of the sport’s premier team event as an overwhelming favorite, and not simply because it set up the Whistling Straits Golf Course in Wisconsin to play to its strengths. That said, there’s a reason it won’t be counting on its triumph as a sure thing until it nets the 14 and a half points it requires to win.

Certainly, the US has demons to exorcise. Despite its supposedly ascendant status in just about every meet, it has mostly failed to live up to expectations. And for all the analysis spent on the cause for its continual underachievement, even casual observers need only take a cursory look at results through the years to see why. Its strength has invariably been in fourballs and singles play, as clear an indication as any of its superior talent, but relatively weaker esprit de corps. And, if nothing else, the Ryder Cup has been all about camaraderie; the key is to make the whole greater than the sum of its parts.

To be fair, the US has been making strides in recent memory. The “pod” system devised by captain Paul Azinger in 2008 has proven to be a boon. Ditto for the captain-and-assistants arrangement that fosters continuity through the Ryder and Presidents Cups. The intent is evident: to ensure that it meets its potential. Also adding to its confidence this year, and not without irony: six rookies in name only, boasting of match play experience in other events and tournament wins that underscore their capacity to perform under pressure.

When the US tees off for singles today, it will be in possession of a whopping six-point lead. It needs three and a half of the 12 points on tap to clinch the deal. On paper, the outcome seems inevitable. Then again, golf has a fickle nature, and nothing can be etched in stone for the red, white, and blue — not even on a friendly course in front of cheering fans. Today is the day it meets its date with fate. How it does so remains to be seen.

 

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.

Our Brand is Crisis: Controversies, challenges, and opportunities in pandemic procurement

For a nation obsessed with telenovelas, there is nothing more gripping and terribly dramatic as the agony and ecstasy of a Senate Blue Ribbon Committee Hearing on questionable purchases and deficiencies in compliance with procurement audits. Apart from, or maybe because of, the escalating tensions brought about by the upcoming Philippine elections in 2022, corruption inquiries and allegations occupy the headlines and most of the chatter on social media. In the midst of a health crisis, the voting public wants to know one thing — did anyone profit from the pandemic?

Exchanges of vicissitudes, public self-recriminations, and political power-mapping (or matrixing) aside, if anyone did unconscionably profit while people are literally dying on the streets, what is it with the current system that allows this to happen? Is there a means to make government purchases more efficient in an emergency where supply chains are broken, and lockdown restrictions affect suppliers’ ability to implement contracts? Under normal circumstances, the market regulates itself, but in times of crisis such as a global pandemic, the demands for goods and medicines exceed supply causing unprecedented and uncorrected price inflation. Here, the search for the balance between fast-track purchasing through simplified and streamlined processes and post-facto supplier review has begun.

THE LEGAL FRAMEWORK ON GOVERNMENT PROCUREMENT
The Philippines has a single law on procurement — Republic Act No. 9184, otherwise known as the “Government Procurement Act of 2003” (Philippine GPA). The Implementing Rules and Regulations were approved in 2003 and revised in 2009 to address, among others, deficiencies in domestic and foreign-funded procurements in government, and again in 2016, to adopt good practices from development banks to achieve “procurement professionalism.” In 2019, the Philippines went even further and submitted a request to become an observer in the Committee on Government Procurement of the World Trade Organization (WTO), in preparation for potential accession to the WTO Agreement on Government Procurement (WTO GPA). In broad strokes, the Philippines was poised to accede to the WTO GPA as the core principles of the Philippine GPA are in conformity — procurement processes are transparent, competitive, efficient, and there is accountability. The Philippine GPA likewise makes direct reference to the direct application of the WTO GPA as the relevant procurement law in case the Philippines becomes a member.

The Philippine GPA also consolidates and standardizes procurement rules and procedures for all National Government agencies including government owned and/or controlled corporations, local government units, the Senate and House of Representatives, as well as those made by all Courts in the Philippines wanting to purchase goods and services, including infrastructure and consulting services. To ensure implementation, the Commission on Audit (CoA) evaluates the compliance of all government procuring entities with the requirements under the Philippine GPA by reviewing the bidding procedures and the manner by which the bid is awarded to the winning contractor.

EMERGENCY PROCUREMENT IN THE PHILIPPINES
On March 8, 2020, President Rodrigo Duterte signed Proclamation No. 922 declaring a State of Public Health Emergency throughout the Philippines following confirmed local transmission of the COVID-19 virus. On March 16, 2020, Proclamation No. 929 was declared putting the Philippines in a State of Calamity, thereby affording the National Government and the local government units ample latitude to utilize and appropriate funds to contain the spread of COVID-19 and continue the basic services of government. The State of Calamity was extended until Sept. 12, 2021 by virtue of Proclamation No. 1021 and again until Sept. 12, 2022 by virtue of Proclamation No. 1218.

While in a State of Calamity, the Government Procurement Policy Board (GPPB) and CoA confirmed the authority given to procuring entities to use negotiated procurement for the government to timely respond to the public health emergency. These Proclamations and guidelines were further affirmed by the enactment of Republic Act No. 11469 or the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act and Republic Act No. 11494 or the Bayanihan to Recover as One Act.

The Philippine emergency procurement system allows for shortened notices for health supplies, medicines, and vaccine procurement and conferred the authority upon procuring entities to make advance payments to suppliers or winning contractors. Aside from doing away with competitive bidding in some cases and allowing for negotiated procurement, splitting of contracts was allowed and a Notice to Proceed was no longer required for the purchase to be confirmed. The only safeguard in place was that the procuring entity should ensure that the purchase shall not constitute an “irregular, unnecessary, extravagant, excessive or unconscionable use of funds, as defined by existing accounting and auditing rules.”

GAPS IN THE COVID-19 PROCUREMENT POLICY
As evinced from the line of questioning by the Senators during the Senate Blue Ribbon Hearing on public protective equipment procurement, the following bottlenecks are common or faced during emergency procurement:

• Procurement was not coordinated between the National Government and local government units.

• There is no central committee created for COVID-19 procurement; conflict or duplication of purchases was observed between the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), the Philippine International Trading Corp. (PITC), and the Department of Health (DoH).

• There is no formally defined emergency procurement governance structure in terms of accountability, approval requirements, and delegation of authority.

• A complaint handling mechanism for emergency procurement has not been convened or resorted to.

• There is a lack of clarity on the exact volume of procurement needed to meet market demands.

• Aside from CoA, there is no agency or committee responsible for the post-facto oversight or review of the procurement process.

STRATEGIES IN APPROACHING URGENT PROCUREMENT
In the recently concluded study on the “Opportunities and Challenges for Public Procurement in the First Month of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Results from an Expert Survey,” the World Bank Group recommended strategies for an improved emergency procurement system to combat the regression coefficients between efficiency and transparency in procurement:

• Assess the adoption of critical and high-risk procedures for emergency procurement and adjust the latitude on negotiated procurement accordingly.

• Improve on the regulatory framework on emergency procurement by amending the Philippine GPA.

• Strengthen and invest on e-procurement systems.

• Provide clear legal and regulatory guidelines around emergency procurement.

• Build a transparent and accountable procurement system by reviewing the procurement process done through expedited modalities such as direct contracting.

Moreover, and despite the emergency concerns, the Philippine Competition Commission (PCC) can also look into and ensure that competition policy is not disregarded in times of emergency procurement. Procuring entities should opt for competitive tendering; focus should be on building a fast-tracked and simplified competitive procedure and not on negotiated procurement. Existing contracts should not be renewed or extended, and purchases made by direct award should be limited to what is necessary in terms of volume to address the emergency. It is also prudent to start building market intelligence to inform on emergency purchases and be vigilant against suspicious selling patterns or suppliers.

The Philippines should also strongly consider accession to the WTO GPA and allow foreign or more competitors in the government procurement market.

At the core of possible procurement solutions, technology once again occupies a central component. Big data and analytics can and should be used in the supply chain to manage the impact of COVID-19. Organizations, including government agencies that provide basic services, should lean towards data-driven decisions for an effective response to procurement by creating analytic models, building databases, and capturing and predicting the volume of demand for goods and services. Big data and analytics can bring about a new frontier with the premise of transformative changes in procurement such as risk analysis, real time performance outputs or scorecards of suppliers, data mining on price trends, and predictive analytics on forecast spend and pricing. Investment in these technological structures by opening up market access to public services can also boost the nation’s capacity in accelerating growth of industries that can improve on our way of doing business.

The COVID-19 pandemic has tested the legal and administrative framework of Philippine procurement, both in times of plenty and in times of urgency. The gaps in the law and the lack of accountability indicates that procurement can be further strengthened to ensure a more agile and honest response. The quality of institutions and the capacity of the State governance is truly tested in times of contagion and calamity. Responsiveness and accountability can co-exist in an emergency response and the behemoth that is the government, with all its moving parts, can work in both national and granular levels. After all, as Jane Bodine famously ends the movie Our Brand is Crisis, “if you don’t like the road you’re on, start paving one.”

Sources used and recommended for further reading:

• Torino, Jellie M., “GPA and the Philippines: Likely or Unlikely?,” Procurement Law Journal (2016)

• Arrowsmith, Sue et al., “Public Procurement in (a) Crisis? Global Lessons from the COVID-19 Pandemic” (2021)

• World Bank Group, “Opportunities and Challenges for Public Procurement in the First Month of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Results from an Expert Survey” (2021)

 

Kristine C. Francisco-Alcantara is the Managing Partner of Abad Alcantara and Associates and is a Member of the Board of Trustees of the Foundation for Economic Freedom.

AAALaw@tradelawyers.ph

www.tradelawyers.ph

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