Facebook Instagram Linkedin Twitter Youtube
Home Blog Page 6624

Human-centered approach to work

Freepik

(Last of a series)

Let me end this series of articles on the “Human-Centered Approach to Work” by reflecting on the content of a recently published book by Jamie Merisotis, president and CEO of Lumina Foundation, entitled Human Work in the Age of Smart Machines. He wrote that in this time of upheaval and social unrest, with increasing threats to global health (consider the COVID-19 pandemic), democratic institutions (consider the rise of totalitarian or authoritarian governments), and the world’s economies, we must rise to the challenge of workers being transformed — and often rendered obsolete — by automation and artificial intelligence. We must be able to work alongside smart machines, doing that which only humans can: thinking critically, reasoning ethically, interacting interpersonally, and serving others with empathy.

The main theme of this book brought me back to the time I was graduating from De La Salle High School on Taft Avenue and was deciding what course to take in college. Having decided to continue my education at the same college (La Salle was not yet a university), I considered the undergraduate offerings then of my alma mater. There were the usual majors in business, such as accounting and business administration, as well as the offerings in the college of engineering such as chemical, mechanical and civil engineering. Fortunately, two towering figures in the liberal arts — Dr. Ariston Estrada and Dr. Waldo Perfecto — convinced a small group of high school graduates in 1954 to enroll in a newly crafted college curriculum called Liberal Arts-Commerce (LIA-COM) that combined a strong humanities program with a specialization in one of the fields of management, such as accounting, marketing, or finance. It was supposed to be a five-year program (as compared to the four-year purely commerce specialization). By overloading subjects over four years of the program, I was able to finish the course ahead of time. I never regretted making that decision of taking the LIA-COM. I am now ready for the new occupations of human work enumerated by Jamie Merisotis in his book under the chapter “The Work Only Humans Can Do.”

According to Merisotis, there are four kinds of occupations that are emerging that embody human work — the work of the future. The first category is that of “Helpers.” These are the people in occupations involving deep personal interaction with other people. Since the service sector accounts for a larger component of GDP in developed economies, these jobs are proliferating, as many industries have transformed to become focused on customers. The most notable example is in the financial services (I am glad I never considered myself an accountant even if I majored in accounting in the “COM” portion of LIA-COM). As technology (especially automation) has taken over most of the repetitive tasks that professionals such as bankers and accountants used to do, their jobs have become focused on understanding client needs and responding to them. As retail banking has become the key driver of profits in that industry, recognition of the importance of customer service has become widespread. One survey found the top investment priority of banking executives, even in emerging markets like the Philippines, was to enhance customer service, with implementing new technology far behind. The same survey also reported that bank executives view talent as the primary constraint they face in pursuing their customer-centric business model.

The second category of human work that is emerging can be referred to as “Bridgers.” Workers in these occupations interact with others, perform technical tasks, and help run systems. Bridgers literally create connections — to other people, and to other forms of work. Sales managers, automotive repair managers, and many supervisors fall into this category. The vast field of Information Technology contains many of these jobs. No longer is an IT professional a “computer geek.” He must be a “bridger,” combining technical expertise with strong people skills such as communication and empathy in order to be effective. I see these qualities in the IT personnel in my own university. They have a deep understanding of the nature of each of the various disciplines of the component schools of our University (e.g., management, economics, political science, education, engineering, etc.) so that they can effectively cater to the needs for IT services of these schools and their respective professors. The term “bridgers” is truly appropriate for the type of work they do.

The third category has been labeled “Integrators.” These people are in occupations that integrate knowledge and skills from a range of fields and apply them in a highly personal way. Examples given are social workers and elementary school teachers. Social workers have to keep constantly abreast of knowledge in fields as diverse as psychology, economics, medicine, and nutrition. In addition, they must also understand the implications of emerging research and be able to integrate it into their practices. In fact, they themselves are field researchers— testing new approaches, innovating, and constantly seeking new ways to better meet the needs of their clients. All of their work is done within a social, cultural, and economic context, and under constraints of laws and regulations that also are constantly changing.

Finally, the fourth category comprises the “Creators.” These are people who possess highly technical skills and pure creativity. Many of these occupations involve the creative use of technology. For example, computer gaming is now a $135-billion global industry, and it is growing at the rate of 11% per year. Just the sales of one game — Red Dead Redemption II — totaled $725 million in its first three days off the market. Video game development employs more than 220,000 people in the United States, at an average salary of $97,000 annually. A study commissioned by the BPO-IT Industry Association of the Philippines identifies computer gaming as one of the knowledge-intensive industries that Filipino young people can excel in as AI and robotization increasingly make contact center agents redundant.

Reflecting on these insights from Mr. Merisotis’ book, I have the following recommendations to the human resource strategy that we have to follow in the coming years as we try to be at the forefront of Industrial Revolution 4.0, even if we have not completed the first three stages of the industrial revolution that started in England during the last decades of the 18th century. The very first thing we have to do in order to prepare Filipino workers for the age of smart machines is to increase the public budget we spend on education from the low of 3% prevailing to 6% which is the average among our peers in the Southeast Asian region. This larger amount should be mostly invested in improving the quality of public education so that our elementary and secondary school pupils can improve their performances in international tests in reading comprehension, arithmetic, and science. To attain this goal, we must increase significantly the salaries of our elementary school teachers who are “integrators” and must be able to teach many subjects to their pupils, being versatile enough to go from arithmetic to science to history to geography to social sciences, etc., etc., especially in the more remote areas of the country where there is a shortage of teaching personnel. The elementary school teacher should be a jack of all trades and a master of as many disciplines that are taught to students at the basic education level.

We must also pay handsomely teachers at the senior high level (Grades 11 and 12) because they are the ones who should make sure that a graduate of senior high school is already steeped in critical thinking, effective communication, inter-personal skills, and multi-disciplinary analysis by having been exposed to the liberal arts and the humanities. It must recalled that what we should offer in the last two years of high school in the K to 12 curriculum now in force are the academic subjects that used to be taught in the first two years of college when basic education was delivered in 10 years. We have to upgrade the quality of basic education to the extent that everyone who has completed the two years of senior high school must already have been exposed to the Great Books, philosophy, history, arts, and sciences: in a word, the liberal arts which prepare every person to live a fully human existence, independently of his specialization which he needs to earn a living.

If we are able to introduce these reforms in our educational system, we will prepare our present and future generations for what is truly human work that can never be replaced by machines. As Mr. Merisotis wrote in his book: “Human work doesn’t fit into the neat categories of the industrial age. Rather than mastering a single body of knowledge or set of technical skills, to do human work, people must develop a wide range of abilities and apply them to solving complex problems in dynamic settings… if a job can be defined by a single body of knowledge, no matter how arcane, or a single set of skills, no matter how specialized, there is a high likelihood artificial intelligence can do it.”

I am glad that I took the LIA-COM program instead of just specializing in accounting. I am sure that a robot will never make me redundant!

 

BERNARDO M. VILLEGAS has a Ph.D. in Economics from Harvard, is professor emeritus at the University of Asia and the Pacific, and a visiting professor at the IESE Business School in Barcelona, Spain. He was a member of the 1986 Constitutional Commission.
bernardo.villegas@uap.asia

Lacson wants juvenile justice law revised to include parents’ accountability

PARENTS SHOULD be held partly accountable for crimes committed by juvenile delinquents, Senator Panfilo M. Lacson, Sr. said as he proposed a review of the law on justice for young offenders.

“I think a shared responsibility must be administered to the parents,” said Mr. Lacson, Sr., who is running for president in the May 2022 elections.

He said parents must also face penalties if proven beyond reasonable doubt that there was negligence which contributed to the criminal behavior of the child.

“After all, while they are still minors, they are under the custody of their parents, who raise and shape the minds of the children,” said Mr. Lacson, a former national police chief.

He said Republic Act No. 9344, the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act of 2006, “already went through what we call the test of time and there were issues, problems encountered.”

It must be revisited to address some of its defects, he said. — Alyssa Nicole O. Tan

 A strategic national agenda to move forward

vectorjuice-freepik

The May 2022 national elections are revealing themselves to be a political quagmire. The outcome and aftermath will have deep impact on every Filipino.

Realities on the ground present sobering and multi-faceted challenges for the next administration. These challenges must be met accordingly with responsive reforms to raise the country from the current economic doldrums towards recovery.

Early into the pandemic, the Stratbase ADR Institute endeavored to continually monitor the risks of the pandemic. After 21 months and on to the pre-election period, Stratbase also commissioned 12 special studies that provided analyses and recommended strategic policy reforms based on sound data. These studies  delved deep into the issues on health, education, inequality, digitalization, climate action, national security, and democratic governance.

Addressing corruption is top of mind. As the health-cum-economic crisis persists, corruption corrodes our democratic way of life and institutions and every strand of our social fabric. The resulting hardships are aggravated by fragmented healthcare and social protection systems and the government’s ineffectual pandemic management.

In his study, Dr. Francisco Magno said that “democratic backsliding and weak governance contributed to the country’s poor pandemic performance. The declining percentile rank of the Philippines in the WGI (World Governance Indicators) can be arrested through improvements in controlling corruption, voice and accountability, government effectiveness, regulatory quality, rule of law, and political stability.”

It is thus “important that the pursuit of reforms and innovation are anchored on building strong institutions for citizen deliberation, participation, and oversight in the exercise of authority and the disbursement of public resources,” he said.

Key to the health challenge is a people-centered healthcare system. According to Magdalena A. Barcelon, M.D., Katharina Anne D. Berza, and Eleanor A. Jara, M.D., this system includes “shifts in policy direction and structural changes taking into consideration resource distribution, and people’s participation in health-related decision making at the national and community level.”

These social, political, and economic factors have all the more raised the urgency of addressing inequality and have compounded generational disparities and existing social cleavages. Dr. Ronald Mendoza said, “For these reasons, the challenge of our generation is no longer simply about reducing poverty. Reducing inequality is the key to political stability, crisis resilience and sustained economic development.”

Digital transformation and e-commerce, which the pandemic accelerated, demonstrates another challenge and opportunity as another pillar of economic recovery. In this sense, digital transformation, readiness, and infrastructure need to be prioritized in response to the digital divide or lack of access to digital services.

According to Dr. Sherwin Ona, “In times of crisis, people expect their government and its institutions to provide clarity of direction, stability, and hope. This means that future national leaders must be cognizant of its potentials and dangers of digitalization to be able to navigate its complexity and provide a clear path for a resilient Philippines.”

The rise of the digital economy, in turn, has brought the issue of bringing the consumer economy of the country to a new level. The digital landscape is the new arena in dealing with trade, investments, and supply chain issues, where the Philippines must find its niche in the global supply chains. This is where the role of the private sector becomes crucial. Moving forward, the situation necessitates a shift to investment-driven growth anchored on the principles of stakeholder capitalism.

In regional and international affairs, the growing global democratic convergence provides legitimacy to the promotion of multilateralism and rules-based order. The involvement of the international community in the Indo-Pacific amid China’s expansionist agenda in the West Philippine Sea has thus far been a deterrent against any escalation given the brewing tensions between littoral states, China, and international actors.

Richard Heydarian said that “as a US treaty ally, and a strategic partner of key regional powers such as Australia and Japan, the Philippines should leverage these new regional alignments to uphold its sovereign rights and defend its territorial integrity.” Further, he emphasized that the next administration should “respond to China’s strategic opportunism and leverage the broader shifts in geopolitical alignments in the Indo-Pacific.”

For Dr. Rene de Castro, “the key challenge for the 17th Philippine president is to transform the current administration’s unplanned and makeshift policy of limited hard balancing into a well-thought, comprehensive, and formal grand strategy that will guide the Philippines in the next six years.”

In a non-traditional security (NTS) outlook, Dr. Mely Caballero-Anthony observed that NTS is “Non-military in nature, they include climate change, pandemics, environmental degradation, and resource scarcity threatening food and energy security.” For Toby Melissa C. Monsod, Sara Jane Ahmed, and Golda P. Hilario, the Philippine contribution to the Paris Agreement should be strengthened where climate change adaptation and resilience serves as the anchor and sustainable development as the context.

Climate change poses a direct threat to livelihoods and human capital, as recently demonstrated anew by the devastation caused by typhoon Rai/Odette in the Visayas and Mindanao areas. Climate action, together with the other challenges mentioned, necessitates a multi-sectoral or a holistic collaboration among governmental and nongovernmental actors.

These evidence-based policy recommendations are a comprehensive set of developmental solutions of top thought leaders and movers from the country’s academe, private industries, civil society, and government. The objective is to help the next administration with a strategic national agenda that will be responsive to the daunting challenges towards recovery.

This coming election, we must choose leaders that have the competence, track record and who are deserving of our trust to lead us out of these hard times.

 

Victor Andres “Dindo” C. Manhit is the president of the Stratbase ADR Institute.

Solon appeals for generators for typhoon-affected Cebu residents

A PARTY-LIST representative appealed for power generators to areas in Cebu where electricity supply has yet to be restored following the onslaught of typhoon Odette, with international name Rai, on Dec. 16.

The people in Cebu are struggling because they do not have electricity, water, and telecommunication signal, Ako’y Pilipino party-list Rep. Ronnie L. Ong said after an aerial survey and visit of the province.

He also noted that some gas stations in affected areas were taking advantage of the situation by selling overpriced fuel.

“They charged P100 to P200 per liter,” Mr. Ong said in Filipino.

The coastal towns were the hardest hit, he said.

Mr. Ong also said some vaccines against the coronavirus were wasted in typhoon-struck areas as there was not enough fuel to sustain the operation of storage facilities.

On Monday, the Health department reported that 100 vials of Pfizer vaccines were wasted in the Western Visayas region, which does not cover Cebu.

“The National Vaccines Operations Cluster shall replenish (the) stocks of Region 6 in the future,” Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario S. Vergeire told reporters via Zoom.

She added that teams were still assessing the condition of other vaccines and storage facilities in areas with reported blackouts due to the typhoon. — Jaspearl Emerald G. Tan

What’s the point of holiday gifts?

freepik

Whether it’s the dread of a trip to an overcrowded shopping mall, the challenge of picking out the right gifts, the frustration over delivery delays or the hit to the wallet, shopping for holiday gifts can be stressful.

What’s the point of it all? Shouldn’t the holiday season simply be about family, friends, and food? And wouldn’t everyone just be better off spending their own money on things they know they want?

Gift exchanges may seem wasteful and impractical. But as social scientific research reveals, the costs and benefits of gift-giving aren’t what they seem.

During his fieldwork in Papua New Guinea, anthropologist Bronislaw Malinowski documented an elaborate tradition practiced by the Massim people. These island communities maintained a complex ceremonial exchange system that revolved around the gifting of shell necklaces and shell armbands. Each gift first passed between individuals and then traveled between islands in a circle that became known as the “Kula ring.”

These artifacts had no practical utility or commercial value. In fact, selling them was strictly forbidden by custom. And since the objects were always on the move, their owners rarely wore them. Nonetheless, the Massim took long journeys to exchange them, risking life and limb as they navigated the treacherous waters of the Pacific Ocean in their wobbly canoes.

This hardly seems like an efficient use of time and resources. But anthropologists realized that the Kula was instrumental in cultivating human connection.

Individually, these gifts were not really free; they came with the expectation of repayment in the future. But on the whole, they served to create a cycle of mutual responsibilities, resulting in a network of reciprocal relationships encompassing the entire community.

Similar exchanges exist in societies around the world. In many parts of Asia, gift-giving is an integral part of corporate culture. Just like for the Massim, those symbolic gifts facilitate business relations.

In much of the Western world, one of the most familiar contexts is the custom of exchanging holiday presents. On occasions such as Christmas, Hanukkah, or Kwanzaa, many families spend considerable time, effort, and money on buying presents for their loved ones.

Looking at it through the lens of cold logic, the practice seems wasteful. Everyone has to pay for someone else’s stuff. Some gifts end up going unused or returned. If no one gave presents, everyone might be better off spending their money and time according to their own needs and desires.

However, psychological research suggests otherwise.

Studies show that spending money on others feels better than splurging on ourselves. In fact, neuroscientists have found that making a donation makes the brain’s reward circuitry light up more than receiving a gift. Moreover, the joy of giving a gift lasts longer than the fleeting pleasure of accepting it.

By exchanging presents, we can double-dip, spreading feelings of gratitude all around. Besides, as families and friends know one another’s tastes, preferences, and needs, chances are that most people will end up receiving what they wanted in the first place, with the added bonus of bringing everyone closer together.

Ritualized sharing occurs not only within but also between families. Think of birthday parties, weddings, or baby showers. Guests are expected to bring a present, often of significant value. Both they and their hosts often keep track of the value of those presents, and receivers are expected to reciprocate with a gift of similar value when the opportunity presents itself in the future.

This exchange serves multiple functions. For the hosts, it provides material support, often during challenging transitional periods such as starting a new family. And for guests, it is like investing money into a fund, to be used when their time comes to become hosts. Moreover, the gifts help raise the symbolic status of the givers along with that of the receiver, who is in position to organize a lavish ceremony partly or wholly funded by the guests. Most importantly, these exchanges help build a network of ritual bonds between families.

Similar practices even extend to politics: When diplomats or leaders visit a foreign country, it is customary to exchange presents. French officials often hand out bottles of wine, while Italian leaders are known to give fashionable ties.

Other diplomatic gifts may be more unusual. When President Richard Nixon visited China in 1972, Chairman Mao Zedong sent two giant pandas, named Ling-Ling and Hsing-Hsing, to the National Zoo in Washington, DC. The US government reciprocated by sending two oxen to China.

From the shells exchanged by Pacific islanders to the toys and sweaters placed under Christmas trees, sharing has always been at the center of many ritual traditions. This is fundamentally different from other forms of material exchange, like trade or barter.

For the Massim, exchanging a shell necklace for a shell armband is not the same as trading yam for fish, just as giving a birthday present is not the same as handing a cashier money to purchase groceries.

This speaks to a more general rule of ceremonial actions: they are not what they appear to be. Unlike ordinary behaviors, ritual actions are nonutilitarian. It is this very lack of obvious utility that makes them special.

 

Dimitris Xygalatas is associate professor of Anthropology and Psychological Sciences, University of Connecticut.

The fine line between vaccinated and unvaccinated employees

vectorjuice-freepik

Early in 2020, the entire country was caught unawares by the COVID-19 virus, and it seemed as if everything had to be put on hold to curb its spread. Unfortunately, businesses were not exempted from such a turn of events.

Relief came in the form of COVID-19 vaccines, which were deemed crucial in controlling the spread of the virus. Countries, including the Philippines, began vaccination efforts for their citizens. Thus, our President signed into law Republic Act No. 11525 or the “COVID-19 Vaccination Program Act of 2021.”

This did not mean, however, that all citizens in the Philippines were required to be vaccinated against COVID-19. At the time when vaccine supplies were quite scarce, while government officials highly recommended COVID-19 vaccination for the eligible population, they also reiterated that vaccination was not mandatory.

Relevantly, on March 12, 2021, the Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) issued Labor Advisory No. 3, Series of 2021 (LA No 3-21), which put forth that, while employers shall “endeavor to encourage their employees to get vaccinated,” there shall be no discrimination in the workplace between vaccinated and unvaccinated employees. The DoLE also made clear that a “[n]o vaccine, no work policy shall not be allowed.”

At the time, therefore, absent any law or regulation mandating employees to be vaccinated, and with the clear policy set out in the LA No. 3-21, employers found themselves stuck in a dilemma — to what extent may they encourage employees to get vaccinated such that they cannot be deemed to be discriminating against non-vaccinated employees?

LA No. 3-21 had been encompassing, such that there can be no discrimination in “terms of tenure, promotion, training, pay, and others benefits, among others, or termina[tion] from employment.” In other words, it seemed that LA No. 3-21 intended employers to treat unvaccinated employees as they would their vaccinated employees. This had been the ongoing policy for quite some time.

However, with the trend of going back and forth between stricter and more lenient quarantine measures, and in the country’s efforts to take further its battle against COVID-19, we can now see a gradual shift in the policy on “non-mandatory” vaccination in the workplace.

The distinction between vaccinated and unvaccinated employees was initially put to light due to the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases’ (IATF’s) implementation of the “Alert Levels System” in pilot areas. Specifically, the IATF’s Guidelines on the same (IATF Guidelines) imposed a requirement for certain establishments to have a fully vaccinated workforce as a prerequisite for their operations.

Noticeably, under the said IATF Guidelines, the task force limited the list of establishments requiring a fully vaccinated workforce. These include, among others, venues for meetings, tourist attractions, amusement parks, cinemas, food preparation establishments, personal care establishments, and the like. In other words, under the IATF Guidelines, by way of exception rather than the general rule, these specific employers may require only fully vaccinated employees to report for work on-site.

Taking matters further, however, the task force recently issued IATF Resolution No. 148-B, Series of 2021 (IATF Resolution 148-B, S. 2021), which now seems to have more boldly distinguished between vaccinated and unvaccinated employees. IATF Resolution 148-B, S. 2021 provides:

“in areas where there are sufficient supplies of COVID-19 vaccines as determined by the National Vaccines Operation Center (NVOC), all establishments and employers in the public and private sector shall require their eligible employees who are tasked to do on-site work to be vaccinated against COVID-19.”

There can be no doubt as to the intended policy behind such a Resolution — a covered employer may now require eligible employees, who will perform on-site work, to be vaccinated against COVID-19.

Understandably, the IATF likewise clarified that unvaccinated employees cannot be terminated from employment solely by reason of their vaccination status. However, the IATF imposed a requirement for unvaccinated employees to regularly undergo RT-PCR or antigen tests, at their own expense, in case unvaccinated employees must perform on-site work. Further, under IATF Resolution No. 149, Series of 2021, the task force clarified that the frequency of RT-PCR tests for unvaccinated employees required to work on-site shall be determined by the employer, but should be at least once every two weeks. It is well to recall that under previous DoLE issuances, the cost of COVID-19 testing must be shouldered by the employer. With IATF Resolution No. 148-B, S. 2021, it seems that the employer is relieved of such a burden when it comes to unvaccinated employees who must perform work on-site.

IATF Resolution No. 148-B, S. 2021 took effect on Dec. 1, 2021. However, its implementation remains controversial, with push back from numerous groups questioning, among others, the seeming requirement of a “mandatory” vaccination and/or the act of passing the burden of RT-PCR tests to unvaccinated employees. Hopefully, the relevant agencies such as the DoLE would issue further guidelines to serve as guidance for both employers and employees in implementing this IATF Resolution.

Ultimately, with more aggressive strategies in favor of vaccination, it is perhaps likely that we may soon see the end of the country’s ongoing struggles against the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

This article is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not offered and does not constitute legal advice or legal opinion.

Karenina Isabel A. Lampa is an associate of the Labor and Employment Department (LDRD) of the Angara Abello Concepcion Regala & Cruz Law Offices or ACCRALAW.
(632) 8830-8000
kalampa@accralaw.com

WGM Frayna beats Doroy to crowd Women’s Chess Championship leaders

WGM JANELLE MAE FRAYNA — NCFP

By Joey Villar 

A wake-UP call in the opening round was all Janelle Mae Frayna needed to get it going. And when she did, there seems to be no stopping the country’s first and only woman grandmaster (WGM).

WGM Ms. Frayna waylaid Allaney Jia Doroy in 91 moves of an English Opening on Tuesday to finally catch up on the leaders after six rounds of the 2021 Philippine National Women’s Chess Championship at the PACE in Quezon City.

It was the top-seeded 24-year-old Ms. Frayna’s third win since falling to 13-year-old sensation Ruelle Canino in last Saturday’s first round.

The Army woman from Camarines Sur has also two draws in that impressive stretch.

And thanks to her reawakening, Ms. Frayna has zoomed to the top alongside Kylen Joy Mordido, Marie Antoinette San Diego, Shania Mae Mendoza and Jan Jodilyn Fronda on identical four points.

More wins could be coming on her way as she was clashing with lower-ranked Francois Marie Magpily in the seventh round at press time.

“That loss was a wake-up call,” said Ms. Frayna.

Ms. Mordido, who needs the last of the three norms to become the country’s next WGM, held Ms. San Diego to a 31-move draw of an English Opening while Ms. Mendoza split the point with Marian Calimbo in 68 moves of a King’s Indian Defense.

Ms. Fronda, for her part, was on the verge of hurdling Mariel Rinoa Sadey and seizing the solo lead.

But the 2019 national titlist failed to capitalize on her pawn edge that allowed Ms. Sadey to escape with a 59-move draw in their Sicilian battle.

It kept Ms. Sadey at No. 6 with three points, half a point atop Mses. Canino, Doroy and Bernadette Galas with 2.5 points.

Ms. Canino bested Ms. Magpily in 69 moves of a Pirc Defense while Ms. Galas downed Lexie Grace Hernandez in 53 moves of a Reti Opening.

The event, which is backed by PSC chair Butch Ramirez, Chess Movement, Inc. chair Dr. Ariel Potot, PCSO general manager Royina Garma, Endgame Sports founder Atty. Cris Aspiras, POC President Bambol Tolentino, NCFP chief Butch Pichay and Atty. Roel Canobas, is staking a top purse worth P50,000 and a slot to the Hanoi Southeast Asian Games in May next year.

Junna Tsukii, Jamie Lim enter gold medal round at Asian Karate Championships in Kazakshtan

JUNNA TSUKII AND JAMIE LIM — PHILIPPINE STAR FILE PHOTO

World Championship veterans Junna Tsukii and Jamie Lim lived up to billing as they won all of their three matches on Tuesday to barge into the gold medal round of the 2021 Asian Karate Championships in Almaty, Kazakhstan.

Ms. Tsukii, ranked No. 4 in the world and No. 2 in Asia, trounced South Korea’s Jung Ji Young, 4-1, Hong Kong’s Tsang Yee Ting, 9-0, United Arab Emirates’ Hawraa Al Ajmi, 3-2, to set up a finals showdown with Kazakhstan’s Moldir Zhangbyrbay in the women’s -50-kilogram division.

Ms. Lim, the best Asian in the World Championship in Dubai last month, eked out pulsating victories over Taipei’s Ku Chih-Ling, 5-4, Kyrgyzstan’s Kymbat Toitonova, 1-0 and Jordan’s Joud Aldrous, 1-0, to arrange a gold medal duel with UAE’s Sarah Alameri in the women’s -61kg class.

The finals are set today.

The efforts of Mses. Tsukii and Lim, whose trip is being bankrolled by the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC), ensured the country of at least two more silver medals to its initial haul of three bronze medals courtesy of Remon Misu (women’s Under-21 -61kg kumite), John Enrique Vasquez (men’s individual kata), and Sakura Alforte (women’s individual kata). — Joey Villar

PSC organizes aid to affected national team members

The Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) and the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) have come to the aid of national athletes and coaches hit by Typhoon Odette recently.

The PSC board chaired by William Ramirez has approved on Tuesday the release of a P15,000 assistance to each of the 85 athletes and 20 coaches from 24 sports who were affected by the storm that left a trail of devastation in the Visayas, Mindanao and some parts of Southern Luzon.

POC President Abraham Tolentino has also donated P10,000 each to Cebu-based former Southeast Asian Games marathon gold medalist Mary Joy Tabal and 10 athletes and two coaches who are members of the national surfing team currently based in Siargao.

“We hope to get in touch with the others the soonest possible time so we can further our assistance to them,” said Mr. Tolentino. “We’re hoping and praying that no other athletes or coaches have been severely affected by the typhoon.”

The PSC had also sent 10,000 bottles of water and 900 units of mattresses as part of its relief efforts in partnership with the Special Services Office of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), which also oversees the detailed service of the country’s military athletes.

The PSC also earmarked a P50,000 financial aid to the rehabilitation of the weightlifting gym in Bohol that was also utterly damaged by the calamitous weather.

Mr. Ramirez has also showed faith to the Filipino athletes that it can rise above these disasters.

“They are trained to overcome, to survive and to win. They might be sad for a while, but the champions in them will prod them to rise up and help themselves and those around them so that together they can get through this,” he said. — Joey Villar

Buccaneers QB Tom Brady named to record 15th Pro Bowl

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback (QB) Tom Brady was named to the Pro Bowl for the 15th time, another record in his historic career.

Per the NFL, Brady’s selection Monday broke a tie with Peyton Manning, Tony Gonzalez, Bruce Matthews and Merlin Olsen for the most all-star selections in league history.

Brady was one of the first five choices revealed to the public on Monday. He was joined by Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce and two Los Angeles Rams stars — defensive end Aaron Donald and wide receiver Cooper Kupp.

The five players were pictured on billboards in Las Vegas, which is set to host the Pro Bowl on Feb. 6. The full AFC and NFC Pro Bowl teams are scheduled to be announced on Wednesday. — Reuters

Joel Embiid scores 41 points to lift 76ers past Celtics

Joel Embiid scored nine straight points in the final 1:22 and finished with 41 points and 10 rebounds as the Philadelphia 76ers rallied past the host Boston Celtics for a 108-103 win on Monday night.

Seth Curry added 26 points and seven assists and Tobias Harris had 25 points with seven boards for the 76ers, who snapped their three-game skid.

Jaylen Brown had a team-high 30 points for Boston. Jayson Tatum totaled 17 points, nine boards and six assists, Enes Freedom added 15 points and 11 rebounds and Marcus Smart scored 15 for the Celtics.

Boston had won two of three coming in, but has now dropped five of seven overall.

Philadelphia was playing for the first time since last Thursday after its Sunday game against New Orleans was postponed due to the team’s coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak.

76ers center Andre Drummond, forward Georges Niang and guard Shake Milton were all sidelined on Monday while in the league’s COVID health and safety protocols.

Philadelphia guard Tyrese Maxey was scratched after being questionable with a left quad contusion. Guards Furkan Korkmaz (non-COVID illness) and Jaden Springer (concussion protocol) were also sidelined.

Celtics starting center Al Horford, forwards Grant Williams, Jabari Parker, Juancho Hernangomez and Sam Hauser and guards Josh Richardson and Brodric Thomas all missed the game in COVID protocols. Center Robert Williams III was a late scratch for personal reasons.

Philadelphia led 51-49 at half time after leading by as many as nine in the first quarter.

The Celtics took their first lead of the night at 55-53 after a pair of free throws by Brown at 10:33 of the third quarter.

Leading 80-75 through three quarters, Boston went up 97-90 late in the fourth before surrendering an 8-1 run to give Philadelphia the lead for good at 99-98 on Danny Green’s 3-pointer with 1:43 left.

Embiid made three straight jumpers and sank three of four free throws to seal the win.

Embiid (right ankle soreness) and Green (right hip soreness) played despite being questionable. Tatum, Dennis Schröder and Romeo Langford were also active after being deemed game-time decisions for undisclosed reasons. — Reuters

Kerr named head coach of US men’s basketball national team

The Golden State Warriors’ Steve Kerr has been named head coach for the United States men’s basketball team and will lead them as they look to defend their Olympic gold medal at the 2024 Games in Paris.

Kerr has won eight National Basketball Association (NBA) championships as a player and a coach and was assistant coach on the most recent USA staff.

“I’m incredibly honored and humbled to represent our country as the head coach for the USA basketball men’s national team,” Kerr said.

“It’s a thrilling opportunity and I’m excited for the challenge.”

Gonzaga University head coach Mark Few, Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra and Phoenix Suns head coach Monty Williams will complete the 2022-24 US national team coaching staff as assistant coaches.

“I’m also beyond excited to work with three coaches I have enormous respect for in Erik Spoelstra, Monty Williams and Mark Few,” Kerr said.

“Coaching the USA Men’s National Team comes with great responsibility — one that calls for a group effort with a team of coaches committed to the team, to the goal and to each other — and I couldn’t ask for a finer group of high character individuals to help me lead our national team.

“Our goal, of course, is to win and make our country proud. We will work hard to do so.”

The US men have won four consecutive Olympic gold medals (2008, 2012, 2016 and 2020) and have claimed FIBA World Cup championships in two of the past three competitions (2010, 2014).

Since first fielding the “Dream Team” NBA stars in 1992, US men’s teams have claimed gold medals in 15 of 19 major FIBA basketball competitions, while compiling a 146-10 overall record (.936 winning percentage) in those competitions. — Reuters

1...6,6236,6246,625...13,811Page 6,624 of 13,811
© 2024 BusinessWorld Publishing.
All rights reserved.
Read our privacy guidelines
Facebook Instagram Linkedin Twitter Youtube