Migration and financial stability: A model on how to get there

June 30, 2021 | 7:03 pm

Last week, I presented a model of a migrant’s road to financial stability, which is composed of two stages: Achieving Independence and then Achieving Stability. All of this is based on two precipitating conditions: an indebted road to migration and a home bias for investing. Today we detail how to achieve financial independence. Although this study is specific to poorer population of migrants, there is a lot to learn for all other members of society.

Financial freedom. I found that in order to achieve financial independence, one needs more than simply financial freedom, although this is the most obvious thing to consider. The default situation of indebtedness is what largely structures the migrants’ strategies and behaviors during the first few years abroad, in that everything they do is targeted at paying off their debts. This was true even when such loans bore no interest or had no strict deadline. They implemented strict budgets both in the host and home countries, often sacrificing daily necessities for the sake of setting aside money for debts. To achieve this, they relied upon a series of mechanisms to impose discipline on accumulating lump sums such as joining the rotating credit scheme we have seen in Microfinance called the paluwagan, which put social pressure to save.

Professional freedom. At the beginning stages of migration, a migrant is at the mercy of his or her employer or employers. In domestic work, references and recommendations are key, and given the short-term nature of the work, networking is essential to getting more work. During this period, many employers are abusive and do not pay the social security fees for the migrant or provide a low salary knowing that the person is desperate for work and has debts to pay. The migrant thus concentrates efforts on accumulating professional experience and her network to improve job opportunities targeted towards increased income flow. For several months, they do not do other activities other than work, work overtime, and accept odd or thankless jobs.

Social freedom. Above and beyond simply having a financial debt to work for and pay off, however, is the social aspect attached to the debt and the relationships that could suffer because of this pressure. When one is poor, relationships matter all the more. Maintaining good relationships is the key motivator for migrants to pay off their debts as soon as possible.

“My reason why I want to settle everything, is because — true or not — it’s as though I feel that the way I am treated by my debtors is not the same as before, now that I owe them money.” (Eduardo)

The first means to repair or at least not put a relationship in jeopardy is to pay the debts as soon as possible and to cut the debt relationship with the closest relatives. This reduces their dependency on people, allowing them to have social freedom and gain acceptance once again.

Psychological freedom. Finally, migrants felt psychologically imprisoned by the debt which caused them depression and demotivation.

“You know, people with debts, even before sleeping, I don’t know if you have experienced it already… before closing one’s eyes, the problem of the debt is on your mind. And even before having opened your eyes (in the morning), it is on your mind again. It’s that hard. (Eduardo)

FACILITATORS TO MOVE TO STAGE 2
Though many migrants could normally get out of the debt within two to three years by working hard, many of them remained indebted or in a very unstable financial situation despite their improved resources. There was only one explanation for this: they felt the need to repay moral debts, what in Filipino is called utang na loob. This meant that whenever a person approached them for money, they found it difficult to refuse. They not only felt the need to help each other out, but they want to do this; this is their source of success and joy.

“I am very good at listing things when it comes to what I owe, but when it comes to the things I give, I don’t list that down.” (Jenalyn)

To counteract this strongly embedded cultural norm, two facilitators are needed in order for a migrant to shift from being independent to achieving stability. These are financial literacy training and the availability of products for inclusive finance.

Financial literacy training. I perused survey data from the Leadership and Social Entrepreneurship program of the Ateneo de Manila University, a program which teaches leadership, financial literacy, and social entrepreneurship to migrants across 10 countries. One of the key highlights of the survey is that after financial literacy training, participants were more aware of setting limits to remittances or “giveaways” to friends and relations.

Availability of products for inclusive finance. Another key facilitator was the fact that traditional banking in France was largely inclusive even to migrants with no papers. Anyone could open a bank account with savings accounts and even create home savings schemes. Having a bank account was necessary to be able to do any future transaction in France and migrants quickly adapted to the system.

When we talk about financial independence, it is not just having an income to support oneself or being free from debt. It is the combination of financial, professional, social, and psychological freedom. And yet this still may not lead to financial stability because of cultural impediments or unforeseen circumstances. To move to that next stage, financial literacy and inclusive finance remain key.

Daniela “Danie” Luz Laurel is a business journalist and anchor-producer of BusinessWorld Live on One News, formerly Bloomberg TV Philippines. Prior to this, she was a permanent professor of Finance at IÉSEG School of Management in Paris and maintains teaching affiliations at IÉSEG and the Ateneo School of Government. She has also worked as an investment banker in The Netherlands. Ms. Laurel holds a Ph.D. in Management Engineering with concentrations in Finance and Accounting from the Politecnico di Milano in Italy and an MBA from the Universidad Carlos III de Madrid.

President Noy’s framework: Dignity and democracy

June 30, 2021 | 7:02 pm

I write this column four days after former President Benigno S. Aquino III or, to me, simply President Noy, passed away on June 24. The time was 6:30 a.m., as officially declared by the Capitol Medical Center.

Soon after the official announcement and confirmation of President Noy’s death, tributes from all over the world came in. Soon enough too, the paid master troll swung into action, ordering his minions to put a negative spin on the late president’s death and the subsequent outpouring of grief. The trolls’ bosses couldn’t muster that kind of sympathy.

So, obediently, the trolls accused the Aquino family and sympathizers of neglecting President Noy and leaving him all alone in his home to fend for himself. Saying that the mourners and sympathizer were paid to attend the wake and line the streets. These were the trolls’ predictable reactions. Their frame of reference was “I need to be a troll because I benefit from it. It all protects my masters so they can continue getting benefits for themselves and for me.” Pathetic.

Anyway, we’re done with the trolls. We’ll just consign them to the circular file where they and their masters belong.

As we recall President Noy’s life, our mind races back to the first time we became aware of him and the rest of the family. Housewife Cory Aquino had been the main pillar of the family in the absence of husband Ninoy. The rest of the family had dutifully stayed in the background and avoided drawing attention to themselves. Marcos had locked up their father in jail together with thousands of other political opponents.

Benigno Aquino III, Noynoy, was only 12 when Ninoy was hauled off to several jails. Ninoy, Marcos’s most vocal and popular adversary, had been incarcerated since Sept. 23, 1972, two days after the official declaration of martial law was signed by Marcos. The document was known as Proclamation 1081.

On Aug. 18, 1973, almost a year after the imposition of martial rule, my wife, Margie, and I were invited to the Aquino home on Times St. to observe in private the birthday of the eldest Aquino child, Maria Elena or Ballsy. We were told that Marcos might allow Ninoy to spend a few hours with his eldest on her birthday. As we drove that rainy night to the Aquino home from our place, about five minutes from Times St., I thought that “martial law was not all that bad after all.” The dispensation was allowing its fiercest enemy to visit his daughter on what was reportedly her 18^th birthday. We arrived Times in driving rain.

In my excitement and to avoid being drenched, I hurriedly ran toward the entrance. In my haste, I accidentally slipped on the slope leading to the door of the family home.

Once inside, we joined the small group of Aquino relatives and friends — at least those who dared to be identified with the family.

Seated on one table was a long-haired young man, to whom Margie and I were introduced. The young man turned out to be Benigno Aquino III or “Noynoy,” then 13 years old, I was later to find out. He had his own guests. On the surface, no one in the family seemed anguished by the treatment given by the autocracy to Ninoy and to them. Everyone was, however, expectantly awaiting the arrival of Marcos’s prized catch. After some time, Ballsy announced that her father was not allowed to join her on her birthday. The temporary joy evaporated. The power of a dictator to manipulate and play with one’s emotions was very clear again at that instance.

Fast forward to April 10, 1975, when, in protest over his — a civilian’s — trial on trumped up charges before a military tribunal, Ninoy embarked on a 40-day fast that was to end on May 13.

As the fast progressed, family and friends of Ninoy gathered in celebration of the eucharist. a novena was being held in different churches and was attended by those who were not afraid to be “Aquino-tagged.” As the Aquinos themselves narrated, “‘friends’ avoided us as if they were stricken with leprosy.”

Fortunately, in days to come, and as if to encourage the family, the novena was well attended. One of the venues, St. Mary the Queen in Greenhills, was filled to capacity one sweltering summer night.

Present of course at the novena were the Aquino children, including Ninoy and Cory’s only son, Noynoy. He was, as usual, silently observing the proceedings and making a mental note of those who dared attend the novena.

Noynoy’s silence and his desire to merely observe have been mistaken for some kind of abnormality or ignorance of the political situation and, worse, for apathy and indifference.

During his mother’s presidency, he engaged in the same quiet observation and analysis. He observed how President Cory’s cabinet and other officials were carrying out their duties of governance. Silence did not mean lack of insight and informed judgment. It meant, however, that he was forming his own framework of analysis and governance based on personal experience, actual hardships of the family, and sentiments of people who were willing to be candid with him.

This framework would later form the basis of the basic principles of his governance. This was clear right at the start of the campaign. He was going to wage a campaign against corruption because corruption created poverty and poverty deprived people of their basic human rights to food, shelter, education: “walang mahirap, kung walang corrupt” (there would be no poor if there are no corrupt). And it wasn’t just a slogan. He meant every word of it. And so was the “daang matuwid” (straight path) theme. It came about because he was personally aware of the consequences of a crooked path.

At his inaugural speech, he expressed his disgust for the “wang wang” mentality. To President Noy, the “wang wang” — siren — was a symbol of entitlement and immunity from prosecution. It was an unacceptable “in your face” display of the inequality between the haves and the have nots.

The other part of the many parts of that framework was human rights. And on this issue, he needed no further insights. But if he added any other insight, President Noy discerned that poverty prevents people from exercising their basic human rights.

It is no surprise therefore that President Noy devoted his entire presidency to transparent and inclusive economic and infrastructure development. Based on his quiet studies, he was conscious of the ultimate impact of inclusivity on human dignity.

As some statesmen have said, the principle of human dignity is in most accord with democracy.

Philip Ella Juico’s areas of interest include the protection and promotion of democracy, free markets, sustainable development, social responsibility and sports as a tool for social development. He obtained his doctorate in business at De La Salle University. Dr. Juico served as Secretary of Agrarian Reform during the Corazon C. Aquino administration.

Activating local responses for digital education

June 30, 2021 | 7:01 pm

SCARCE e-learning technology restricts access to education, adds to the marginalization of countless youths, and further widens the gap between the few and the many. How could we even begin to address our country’s learning crisis in digital education?

Securing a computer for one’s education is one hurdle, and internet facility is another. These experiences replicate themselves in various regions, provinces, and cities in our country — as to the extent and depth they engender, they need to be closely examined: One experience is evolving value-change. Internet sites now offer video games for a chance to win computer laptops and tablets purportedly for schooling. Other chances for trying one’s luck are variety shows and raffle extravaganzas. Continuing one’s education is seemingly becoming a game of chance.

Two is making do. Mobile phones somehow enable school and college work no matter how ill-suited they are for online learning. In families where only working adults have mobile phones, they share them with their dependents who are studying. For young families with only one mobile phone, their children persist in their early schooling using worksheets that their parents or guardians get from school and designated drop-off points such as the local sari-sari store.

And three is studying through sheer grit. Our elementary school pupils as well as our high school and university students, especially those living outside cities or metropolitan areas, climb onto their housetops and on trees, study along the main highway or anywhere outside their homes to get a better internet connection.

What is to become of our young citizens, our future? In this pandemic whose end is not yet forthcoming, Filipino youth struggles to secure its digital education. Anecdotal accounts as well as quantitative data impinging on digital education confront us with cultural and material challenges, to wit:

Unlike television, a computer is not a standard home appliance, and a typical Filipino family will hardly dedicate its savings to it, remaining oblivious of a computer’s value for its children’s education.

Schools, especially public schools, largely remain dependent on printed materials as learning resources.

As a basic mobile phone now acts as a poor substitute for an online-learning ready computer in this time of COVID-19, 27% of adults have hardly any access to it (Mobile Technology and its Social Impact Survey 2018, Q4 & Q5. Pew Research Center), while nearly 60% of households cannot access the internet (Philippine Digital Economy Report 2020).

And for those who can access the internet, there exists widespread experience of slow internet connectivity. World Population Review data by country in 2021 peg the world average broadband speed at 55.13 with the Philippines hitting below average at 26.03, Indonesia at 22.35, Vietnam at 56.83, Malaysia at 91.49, and Thailand at 175.22.

In basic education, the Learning Continuity Plan of the Department of Education (DepEd) provided the framework for this first year of schooling in the pandemic, schoolyear 2020-2021. This government response has been excruciatingly difficult. We cannot leave government’s DepEd alone to lead us through a new era of digital education, mired as it has been for years in our country’s education problems. And, indeed, the DepEd has been soliciting help and cooperation from various sectors.

Budget constraints limited what DepEd could do at the onset. Blended learning, the chosen mode of delivering basic education, aims to combine worksheets and online instruction necessitating resources such as printing materials and digital equipment for use by both pupils and their teachers. Printing worksheets alone required billions, as much as P35 billion as per government announcement at the start of the schoolyear, and only a little less than half of the funds was readily available. Clearly, basic education was to suffer another crisis as the pandemic raged on.

Nevertheless, by January 2021, the DepEd website featured an article on the significant contributions of local government units (LGUs), non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and external partners. A total of 475 of these external actors have partnered with DepEd school division offices thereby pushing response to digital education challenges at the local level. Four LGUs — Manila, Quezon City, Pasig, and Valenzuela City — all in Metro Manila, are cited for their provision of digital equipment such as cellphones and smartphones to their young constituents. But similar initiatives were taking place across the country, in other regions outside Metro Manila. DepEd’s regional offices reported a total of 1,202 donation activities to augment education needs in both print and digital sources.

On a national scale, how widespread are these initiatives that to date, are basically in the form of donations? Considering that a public school fundamentally fosters a sense of filial or family connection and community ownership, immediate action comes from the local. In the coming schoolyear, we may expect further development of more innovative responses from our LGUs, and NGOs that basically work as rooted in specific localities, plus external partners such as local firms, usually micro- and small-business establishments in a barangay, for example, and most importantly, citizen or people organizations. And surely, initiatives from our public-school teachers remain at the forefront. They stand closest to our pupils in this, their greatest education challenge. Public school teachers lead community action with the school heads, barangay officials, and homegrown enterprises.

For a chance for our nation to recover in this pandemic, harnessing these local organizations — that is, stirring a social movement from the ground-up for the sake of our children — is the only socially sustainable way.

May Zuleika Salao, PhD, is Program Director in Political Economy of the School of Law and Governance, University of Asia and the Pacific. As a scholar of the Hanns Seidel Foundation in Germany, she is presently a visiting researcher at the Department of Politics and Public Administration, University of Konstanz.

What’s new?

June 30, 2021 | 7:01 pm

IN HIS 2014 book, News: A User’s Manual, Alain de Botton tackles the news in all its forms. News has become almost a religion, an obligation to keep up with what’s going on around us. It’s the first thing we check when we wake up and take our coffee.

Journalists hold facts and accuracy to be sacred, with “bias” being the devil’s handmaiden. Still, the very selection of what set of facts to cover and how to put these in context clearly call for subjective judgment.

De Botton breaks down the news by type of coverage. Foreign news, from his perspective as British, though Swiss-born, tackle other countries and their crises. It raises the question of how we can even be interested in what happens elsewhere. The BBC, De Botton reports, had a bureau consisting of six journalists to cover Uganda. He wonders why. Okay, a British explorer named a famous lake in Uganda after Queen Victoria. So what if the head of the country had stolen aid money meant for to the needy? Should it bother the Brits? (That one has a familiar ring.)

De Botton has interesting takes on celebrity journalism — the rich and famous, and how they live. A 30-year-old “technopreneur” selling his pay platform for $300 million at age 30? Does this not stoke envy in the readers? As for the section on disasters, crime, and accidents of the bloodiest kind — the evoked emotion is relief. (I’m glad it wasn’t me the police killed in a case of mistaken identity.)

Coverage of “consumption” news is a relatively modern trend. De Botton devotes a whole section on journalistic reviews for the consumption of goods. These include travel, art, fashion, technology (which phone to buy), and food. Restaurant and hotel guides even assign stars bestowed by anonymous evaluators, sponsored by a tire company. (Yes, my dear, Michelin makes tires.)

2014 when De Bottons’ book came out seems like ages ago. (He has no section on fake news.) So, how do we now get our news in these parts and in these times?

The “personalization” of the news through an app is already mentioned by De Botton at the end of his book. This trend has accelerated. Our personal selection shows preference, and, yes, bias. We read news that confirm our own views, and support what we already believe in. This is what behavioral economists call “confirmation bias.” So, if we don’t believe in vaccination as an effective deterrent for getting the virus, but just a marketing offensive (in all the meanings of the word) of big pharma, we look for items to confirm our bias, like vaccinated passengers in a cruise testing positive anyway.

So, how do we get our news? Aside from the curated news alerts, we rely on Viber groups to feed us the latest posts and opinions. Aren’t there chat fights within the group when the pessimist spreads his fake and dated news to the consternation of the realists? (Please slug it out off-line.)

The proliferation of fake news is a recent phenomenon. It adheres to the belief propounded by Joseph Goebbels, Hitler’s Minister of Propaganda — “A lie told once remains a lie, but a lie told a thousand times becomes the truth.” The fake news is now even amplified by surveys to increase its credibility. Reposting and forwarding have made fake news the new chain letter.

At bottom, the question to ask is this — Who determines what facts constitute news with some relevance to the reader?

With the personalization of the news we pay attention to (or ignore), the phenomenon of selective perception now applies to current events. Unfortunately, indifference over, say, what’s happening in Burma, or, closer to home, the invasion of fishing grounds and oil deposits in the West Philippine Sea, can lead to events taking their course without any opposition.

Even “breaking news” can invite a shrug of the shoulders. As with the person called in the middle of the night by relatives or friends watching a fire breaking out in his vicinity on the news, the simple and comforting answer is plain — no, we’re fine. That’s the house across the road from us.

We can all go back to sleep… unless the firemen didn’t do their job.

Tony Samson is Chairman and CEO of TOUCH xda

ar.samson@yahoo.com

Hawks level series with Bucks at two games apiece; Giannis injured

June 30, 2021 | 6:27 pm

LOU Williams contributed 21 points and eight assists while starting in place of injured star Trae Young to help the Atlanta Hawks post a 110-88 victory over the visiting Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday and tie the Eastern Conference finals at two games apiece.

Bogdan Bogdanović made six 3-pointers while adding 20 points for the fifth-seeded Hawks, who never trailed and led by as many as 25 points.

While Young sat out Game 4 with a bone bruise in his right foot, the third-seeded Bucks lost their own star when two-time NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo hyperextended his left knee in the third quarter and didn’t return.

Antetokounmpo had 14 points and eight rebounds in 24 minutes before exiting with 7:14 left in the third period.

Game 5 is Thursday night in Milwaukee.

Clint Capela added 15 points for the Hawks before leaving with 3:28 left in the fourth after taking an elbow to his nose from Milwaukee’s Sam Merrill. Kevin Huerter also scored 15 points for Atlanta.

Jrue Holiday recorded 19 points and nine assists and Khris Middleton had 16 points and eight rebounds for the Bucks, who were a woeful 8 of 39 (20.5%) from three-point range while shooting 39.3% overall.

Antetokounmpo was helped off the floor by his brother Thanasis after getting hurt.

Antetokounmpo got injured when he leaped to defend an alley-oop pass to Capela. Antetokounmpo hyperextended his knee as he landed. He fell to the court in intense pain, grabbing the knee, and Capela fell on top of him after scoring the basket.

Young was injured in Game 3 on Sunday night when he inadvertently stepped on an official’s foot.

Cam Reddish added 12 points and Danilo Gallinari tallied 10 for Atlanta, which shot 50% from the field and was 13 of 38 (34.2%) from behind the arc.

Capela’s basket on the play in which Antetokounmpo was hurt ignited a 17-2 burst that saw the Hawks open up a 77-54 lead with 3:18 left in the third. Bogdanović knocked down three 3-pointers during the run.

Reddish’s 3-pointer with 29.7 seconds left elevated Atlanta’s lead to 87-62 entering the fourth quarter.

Reddish and Huerter buried baskets 13 seconds apart in the final stanza to make it 104-80 with 4:20 left, prompting Milwaukee coach Mike Budenholzer to pull Holiday and Middleton and look toward Game 5.

Williams hit all four of his first-half field-goal attempts — including one 3-pointer — while scoring 13 points to help the Hawks hold a 51-38 half time lead. — Reuters

Philippine football clubs routed in AFC Champions League group play

June 30, 2021 | 6:26 pm

ACLphoto — PHILIPPINES Football League champion United City FC was dominated by Korea’s Daegu FC, 7-0, in Group I action in the 2021 ACL in Uzbekistan on Tuesday. — AFC

By Michael Angelo S. Murillo, Senior Reporter

PHILIPPINE clubs United City Football Club and Kaya FC-Iloilo FC were routed in their respective group matches at the 2021 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League (ACL) on Tuesday night.

Reigning local professional league champion United City was dominated by Korea’s Daegu FC, 7-0, in Group I in Uzbekistan while Kaya fell to Vietnam’s Viettel FC, 5-0, in Group F in Thailand.

Looking to bounce back after a loss in its opening game in the ACL, Daegu FC was unrelenting against United City.

The Korean club opened the scoring in the 23^rd minute at Bunyodkor Stadium with a goal from Cesinha. It doubled its lead 19 minutes later as Edgar Silva scored past United City keeper Anthony Pinthus.

Just when everybody thought Daego FC was done scoring, it managed to score a late goal (Kim Jin-hyuk) before the half time break horn sounded to make it a commanding 3-0 lead at the break.

Daegu FC continued to test the defense of United FC in the second half.

Back-to-back goals by An Yong-Woo in the 62^nd and 72^nd minute put the game out of reach of the Filipino champion club.

The remaining goals of Daegu FC were scored by Park Han-Bin (90’) and Jung Chi-In (95’).

With the win, Daegu FC moved to second spot in Group I with three points on a one-win, one-loss card.

United City (0-1-1), meanwhile, dropped to last place with a point to show for.

Japan’s Kawasaki Frontale (2-0-0) leads the grouping with six points, while China’s Beijing FC (0-1-1) is currently at third.

United City returns to action on July 2 against Kawasaki Frontale.

Meanwhile, Kaya also found the going tough in its match against Viettel FC.

It did not take long for the Vietnam side to go on top, scoring twice inside the first seven minutes of the contest.

Nguyen Hoang Duc scored in the second minute before Caique followed suit five minutes later to make it a 2-0 game for their team. It was a lead they would take all the way to the halfway point of the match.

Viettel added to the woes of Kaya immediately at the onset of the second half, with Bui Tien Dung I at the scoring end in the 49^th minute.

It completed its rout with a second goal from Caique in the 61^st minute and Vu Minh Tuan in the 65^th minute mark.

“It was not what we were looking for, we’re pretty disappointed with the start of both halves. We can’t give a quality side like Viettel the start we did,” said Kaya coach Graham Harvey after the game. “This level of football is a steep learning curve for us. We said when we qualified for the group stage that we’re going to have these experiences and learn from them.”

The loss was the second straight for Kaya (0-0-2) in the 2021 ACL, leaving it the lone team in Group F without a point to show for to date in the tournament.

Defending ACL champion Ulsan Hyundai (2-0-0) of Korea leads the grouping with six points, followed by Viettel (1-0-1) with three points and BG Pathum United (1-0-1) of Thailand with three points as well.

Kaya next plays Ulsan Hyundai on Friday.

In the AFC Champions League, the top teams in each of the groupings advance to the Round of 16 with the second-place clubs qualifying if they end up as among the best runner-up teams.

PJF expects judoka Watanabe to be in the mix for Olympic medal

June 30, 2021 | 6:26 pm

LONE Philippine Olympic judo representative Kiyomi Watanabe will figure prominently in her event in the rescheduled quadrennial sporting meet.

This was shared by Philippine Judo Federation (PJF) President Dave Carter during his session at the online Philippine Sportswriters Association Forum on Tuesday.

The PJF official said they are high on the Filipino-Japanese judoka’s chances for a podium finish, even for a gold medal provided breaks go her way, owing to her go-getting mind-set, apart from Ms. Watanabe’s top-level skills.

“Anything is possible with her (Watanabe). We cannot underestimate her abilities as an athlete. She’s a true warrior, who has the power and the heart to compete,” said Mr. Carter.

Ms. Watanabe, 24, clinched a berth in the Tokyo Games via continental quota as certified by the International Judo Federation, becoming the first Filipina judoka to make the Olympics, and the third straight Philippine bet in judo to see action in the quadrennial meet after Tomohiko Hoshina and Kodo Nakano in the 2012 London and 2016 Rio De Janeiro Games, respectively.

She is currently the 39^th ranked player in the world and won silver in the 2018 Asian Games and a four-time Southeast Asian Games gold medalist.

Mr. Carter said Ms. Watanabe is currently deep in training in Japan where she is based.

While the PJF expects the Philippine bet to put up a solid showing, it admitted Ms. Watanabe will go through a tough challenge.

It said that based on its calculations, Ms. Watanabe needs to win at least five to six matches to make it to the gold medal round. But three wins in the pool play would assure her of making it to the quarterfinals.

“If she reaches the quarterfinals, she has a strong chance,” said Mr. Carter.

In the Olympics, Ms. Watanabe is up against top athletes from Europe, Brazil, France, Slovenia, and Germany, among others.

Judo in the Tokyo Olympics is scheduled to start on July 24, with Ms. Watanabe kicking off her campaign on July 27.

The Tokyo Olympics happens from July 23 to Aug. 8.

Apart from Ms. Watanabe, other Filipino Tokyo Olympic-bound athletes are pole-vaulter EJ Obiena, gymnast Caloy Yulo, boxers Eumir Felix Marcial, Irish Magno, Nesthy Petecio and Carlo Paalam, weightlifters Hidilyn Diaz and Erleen Ann Ando, rower Cris Nievarez, taekwondo jin Kurt Barbosa, skateboarder Margielyn Didal, shooter Jayson Valdez, trackster Kristina Knott and golfers Juvic Pagunsan, Yuka Saso and Bianca Pagdanganan. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo

Durant headlines US men’s roster for Tokyo Olympics

June 30, 2021 | 6:26 pm

TORONTO — LeBron James may have taken a pass on this year’s Tokyo Games but the US men’s basketball squad unveiled on Monday does not lack for experience as one of the nation’s oldest Olympic teams in history will chase a fourth consecutive gold medal.

The 12-member squad will be headlined by Kevin Durant, who was the team’s leading scorer at both the 2016 Rio Games and 2012 London Games and is only the fourth US male basketball player selected to three or more Olympic teams.

The average age of the players, which USA Basketball said will be 28.2 years old at the end of the Olympics, trails only the gold-medal-winning teams from the 1996 Atlanta Games (29.4) and 1992 Barcelona Games (29.0).

“This was an unusually challenging selection process for many reasons, including the year postponement of the Olympics and the issues related to the timing of the NBA regular season and playoffs,” Jerry Colangelo, the USA men’s national team managing director, said in a news release.

“Our roster features players who are experienced in the international game, and this team has outstanding athleticism, versatility and balance.”

Also named to the team, which will once again be a heavy favorite, are Draymond Green, who won gold in Rio, and Kevin Love, who was on the 2012 team that triumphed in London.

The other nine players — Bam Adebayo, Bradley Beal, Devin Booker, Jerami Grant, Jrue Holiday, Zach LaVine, Damian Lillard, Khris Middleton and Jayson Tatum — will be playing in their first Olympics.

James, who won Olympic gold medals in 2008 and 2012 before sitting out the 2016 Rio Games, missed significant time during the 2020-21 NBA season with an ankle injury and previously said he would not take part in the Tokyo Olympics.

The US team will open preliminary round play on July 25 against France.

Since NBA players began representing the United States in 1992, they have captured six gold medals and one bronze medal. The team are also riding a 25-game Olympic win streak that dates back to the bronze medal game of the 2004 Athens Games. — Reuters

England reaches Euro 2020 quarterfinals

June 30, 2021 | 6:25 pm

LONDON — Raheem Sterling and Harry Kane struck late goals as England reached the Euro 2020 quarterfinals with a 2-0 win over Germany at Wembley on Tuesday, its first knockout victory over their old rivals since the 1966 World Cup final.

England will play either Sweden or Ukraine, which were to meet later on Tuesday in Glasgow, in the last eight after a victory which sent the home crowd of over 40,000 into wild celebration.

It was England’s first-ever knockout round win at the Euros inside 90 minutes and after a buildup dominated by talk of historic and bitter tournament losses to Germany, its focus will now be on making some history of its own.

The visitors’ defeat marked the end of Joachim Loew’s time as Germany coach after 15 years in charge, during which he guided the team to the 2014 World Cup title in Brazil.

Debate will continue about England manager Gareth Southgate’s selections but it was telling that both goals came after midfielder Jack Grealish was introduced from the bench in the 69^th minute when the entire tempo and mood of the game changed.

Six minutes after Grealish came on he was involved in a flowing passing move which ended with left wing back Luke Shaw deftly slipping the ball across the face of the goal for Sterling to slide in his third goal in four Euro 2020 games.

Yet shortly after scoring Sterling almost gifted the Germans a leveler when he gave the ball away on the halfway line and Kai Havertz sent Thomas Mueller through on goal.

The experienced World Cup winner had only England keeper Jordan Pickford to beat but dragged his shot wide of his right-hand post, leaving Sterling, who watched in anguish on his knees, to leap to his feet in relief.

After that reprieve, and with the crowd roaring England on, Grealish was the direct provider for the second goal, crossing from the left for captain Kane to beat keeper Manuel Neuer with a stooping header.

It was Kane’s first goal of the tournament and his return to scoring ways will be another positive for Southgate as he looks ahead at a potential route to the final. — Reuters

Serena Williams’ hopes ended by injury; Roger Federer survives scare

June 30, 2021 | 6:25 pm

LONDON — Seven-time champion Serena Williams’s hopes of claiming a record-equalling 24^th Grand Slam singles title at Wimbledon ended in tears as the American quit with an injury early in her first-round match against unseeded Belarusian Aliaksandra Sasnovich.

The 39-year-old needed treatment off the court when leading 3-2 in the first set and was clearly in distress on her return before being forced to retire at 3-3.

Her misfortune added to an already-dramatic second day in which men’s eight-time winner Roger Federer looked set for his first opening-round exit at a Grand Slam since 2003 when he found himself outplayed by Frenchman Adrian Mannarino.

The Swiss trailed by two sets to one but Mannarino slipped on the greasy Centre Court turf and although he soldiered on to lose the fourth set he could not continue.

Men’s second seed Daniil Medvedev looked impressive as he came through a tricky opener against German powerhouse Jan-Lennard Struff, winning in four sets.

While many matches were canceled because of rain, the roofs on Centre Court and Court One did their job to ensure continuous action. Women’s top seed Ash Barty opened the day on Centre with a (6-1, 6-7(1), 6-1) victory over Carla Suarez Navarro who bade an emotional farewell to the tournament, having announced in April that she had recovered from cancer.

A long day concluded with her compatriot Nick Kyrgios locked in a late-night tussle with Frenchman Ugo Humbert on Court One.

The score was 3-3 in the fifth set when play was suspended just before 11 p.m. local time — the cutoff for play. — Reuters

Tokyo may extend coronavirus curbs into Olympics period

June 30, 2021 | 6:24 pm

TOKYO — Japan is considering an extension of its coronavirus prevention measures in Tokyo and other areas by two weeks to a month, Japanese media said, with less than a month to go until the Tokyo Summer Olympics are set to open.

The Japanese capital and other areas are currently under a “quasi” state of emergency set to be lifted on July 12, but a recent uptick in coronavirus cases has officials concerned and could affect the number of spectators allowed in to Olympics venues.

According to the Mainichi Shimbun daily, the government is considering extending the measures by two to four weeks, a period that would overlap with the Olympics, already delayed a year, that open on July 23.

A government meeting on coronavirus measures is set to be held later on Wednesday to discuss ways of dealing with signs of an impending surge in coronavirus numbers that has experts worried, along with concern about the spread of more highly transmissible variants.

“Any decisions regarding quasi-emergency measures will be taken based on policies we have in place,” chief cabinet secretary Katsunobu Katō told a news conference.

Under the “quasi” state of emergency, spectators at events are capped at 5,000. Olympics organizers have ruled that spectators will be allowed up to 50% of the venue capacity or a maximum of 10,000, though foreign spectators have been banned.

Meanwhile, Tokyo governor Yuriko Koike, who had been in hospital due to fatigue, was released early on Wednesday. Media reports said she would be working from home for an indefinite period.

Tokyo on Tuesday decided to move the first half of the 15-day Olympic torch relay scheduled to take place in the capital off public roads.

Officials have pledged to hold a “safe and secure” Olympic Games but face continuing resistance from a substantial part of the public, with worries fanned after two members of the Ugandan delegation tested positive after arriving in Japan. — Reuters

Philippine national volleyball team begins ‘bubble’ training

June 30, 2021 | 6:24 pm

WORK begins for the Philippine national volleyball team in Laoag, Ilocos Norte, on Thursday.

“Training for the national teams officially starts on July 1 and we are very thankful that Ilocos Norte has agreed to adopt our national athletes who will be training in a bubble environment,” said Philippine National Volleyball Federation (PNVF) President Ramon Suzara.

The women’s and men’s teams are girding for two important regional tournaments, namely, the Asian Women’s Seniors Championship and the 31^stSoutheast Asian Games.

The Asian championship happens in Pampanga and Subic from Aug. 29 to Sept. 5 while the SEA Games takes place from Nov. 23 to Dec. 2 in Hanoi, Vietnam.

There are 56 national team members — 20 men and 16 women in volleyball and 10 men and 10 women in beach volleyball.

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