Taiwan to allow Filipino workers in by Feb. 15

February 7, 2022 | 10:32 pm

FILIPINO workers will again be allowed to enter Taiwan starting Feb. 15, the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) announced on Monday.

In a statement, MECO said the Taiwan Economic and Cultural Office in Manila confirmed the border reopening to Resident Representative Wilfredo B. Fernandez.

“We want to thank the Taiwan officials, as well as their business leaders, for their continuing trust and confidence in the world-class, competence, and work ethics of Filipino workers,” Mr. Fernandez said in a statement on Monday.

He also reminded recruitment agencies and overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) to submit genuine and complete documents in line with regulations set by the government of Taiwan.

Philippine Labor Attaché Cesar Chavez, Jr. earlier said that Taiwan authorities previously found fake vaccination cards submitted by migrant workers from another country.

Last month, Mr. Fernandez met with Taiwan’s labor officials where the Philippines was cited as an important contributing partner to Taiwan’s economy.

At least 35,000 OFWs are awaiting lucrative postings in Taiwan with roughly 11,000 new hires and 24,000 replacements, according to MECO. — John Victor D. Ordoñez

Reconstituting the SEC as primary agency to evolve the CG reform in private corporate sector

February 7, 2022 | 10:06 pm

corporate-business-handshake-business-partners — RAWPIXEL.COM-FREEPIK

When we consider that the old Corporation Code operated under the universally accepted principle of “Maximization of Shareholder Value,” it was not surprising that the Security and Exchange Commission (SEC) undertook to pursue corporation governance (CG) reforms under the “no-sanction approach” in the original CG Code, since it was introducing what was then the minority school of thought, “Stakeholder Theory,” and invoking the “State’s policy to actively promote corporate governance reforms aimed to raise investor confidence, develop capital market and help achieve high sustained growth for the corporate sector and the economy.” CG reforms under the old Corporation Code were really an experiment to adjunct the stakeholder theory into the well-established maximization of shareholder value doctrine statutorily embedded in the old Corporation Code.

The Revised Corporation Code embraced many of the CG reforms undertaken by the SEC through its various CG codes and issuances, and constituted the SEC as the primary agency to evolve the reform movement in the private corporate sector, particularly for publicly-held corporations and other corporations the businesses of which are vested with public interests.

Like its counterpart in the public corporate sector, i.e., the GOCC Governance Commission (GCG), the SEC under the Revised Corporation Code has been re-constituted as the “primary regulatory, monitoring and oversight agency, with authority to formulate, implement and coordinate policies to ensure good corporate governance for the private corporate sector,” through the following sections:

(a) SECTION 22: Grants the SEC powers to:

(i) Classify corporations as vested with public interests, after taking into account relevant factors which are germane to the objective and purpose of requiring the election of an independent director, such as the extent of minority ownership, type of financial products or securities issued or offered to investors, public interests involved in the nature of business operations, and other analogous factors; and,

(ii) Issue rules and regulations governing the qualification, disqualifications, voting requirements, duration of term and term limits, maximum number of board memberships of independent directors, and other requirements that SEC will prescribe “to strengthen their independence and align with international best practices”;

(b) SECTION 26: Expressly recognizes the power of the SEC to provide for further qualifications or other disqualifications for directors, trustees and officers under the aegis that the SEC is the “primary regulatory agency” in the promotion of good CG or as a sanction in its administrative proceedings;

(c) SECTION 49: Expressly recognizes the power of the SEC to require other items to be reported by the Board of Directors to stockholders or members at the regular meeting “in the interest of good corporate governance and the protection of minority stockholders;”

(d) SECTIONS 154 TO 156: Grant the SEC investigation and prosecution powers for alleged violation of the RCCP, or of a rule, regulation, or order of the SEC itself, with full authority to administer oaths, issue subpoena of witnesses and documents, as well as issue cease and desist orders;

(e) SECTION 157: Grants the SEC the power to hold, after due notice and hearing, in contempt and impose administrative fines against any person who, without justifiable cause, fails or refuses to comply with any lawful order, decision, or subpoena issued by the SEC;

(f) SECTION 158: Grants to the SEC the power to impose, after due notice and hearing, any of the following administrative sanctions, for violation of any provision of the RCCP, rules or regulations, or any of the SEC’s orders, thus:

(i) Impose a fine ranging from P5,000 to P2 million and not more than P1,000 for each day of continuing violation, but in no case to exceed P2 million;

(ii) Issue a permanent cease and desist order;

(iii) Suspension or revocation of the Certificate of Incorporation; and

(iv) Dissolution of the corporation and forfeiture of its assets under the conditions in Title XIV of the RCCP;

(g) SECTION 178: Grants the SEC “visitorial powers over all corporations,” which powers include the examination and inspection of records, regulation and supervision of activities, enforcement of compliance, and imposition of sanctions in accordance with the Code;

(h) SECTION 179: Includes the following among the powers, functions and jurisdiction of the SEC under the Revised Corporation Code, thus:

(i) Impose sanctions for the violation of the RCCP, its implementing rules and orders of the SEC;

(ii) Promote CG and the protection of minority investors, through, among others, the issuance of rules and regulations consistent with international best practices;

(iii) Prescribe the number of independent directors and the minimum criteria in determining the independence of a director;

(iv) Impose or recommend new modes by which a shareholder, member, director, or trustee may attend meetings or cast their votes, as technology may allow, taking into account the company’s scale, number of shareholders or members, structure, and other factors consistent with the basic right of corporate suffrage; and,

(v) Formulate and enforce standards, guidelines, policies, rules and regulations to carry out the provisions of the RCCP.

In addition, the SEC is granted adjudicative or quasi-judicial powers to summarily rule on the following CG issues, most of which were not found in the old Corporation Code, thus:

(a) SECTION 17: When the corporation fails to comply with SEC’s order to cease and desist from using an unauthorized name, the SEC may hold the corporation and its responsible directors or officers in contempt and/or hold them administratively, civilly and/or criminally liable under the RCCP and other applicable laws, and/or revoke the registration of the corporation.

(b) SECTION 25: In relation to the election of directors or trustees and officers, grants to the SEC the power to:

(i) Summarily order that an election be held if there has been a failure to elect directors or trustees on the schedule or reschedule dates for election;

(ii) Issue such orders as may be appropriate, including orders directing the issuance of a notice stating the time and place of the election, designated presiding officer, and the record date or dates for the determination of shareholders or members entitled to vote.

(i) The power to, motu proprio or upon verified complaint, and after due notice and hearing, order the removal of a director or trustee elected despite the disqualification, or whose disqualification arose or is discovered subsequent to an election;

(ii) Removal of a disqualified director shall be without prejudice to other sanctions that the SEC may impose on the members of the Board of Directors who, with knowledge of the disqualification, failed to remove such director or trustee;

(d) SECTION 73: Within five days from receipt of the report from an aggrieved party who has been denied his right of inspection and/or reproduction, the SEC shall conduct a summary investigation and issue an order directing the inspection or reproduction of the requested records.

The SEC has certainly been granted “awesome powers” to promote good CG. The propensity by which the SEC invokes its awesome regulatory, quasi-legislative and quasi-judicial powers under the Revised Corporation Code vis-à-vis the “comply or explain approach” championed in its 2015 CG Blueprint, will certainly have a great impact on the course of pursuing the CG reform in the private corporate sector of the Philippines.

Preliminarily, it may be noted that under the aegis of the Revised Corporation Code, the SEC, under Chairman Emilio B. Aquino, issued in November 2019, the CG Code for Public Companies and Public Issuers, which retained the same framework as the CG Code for PLCs, including its “comply or explain approach.”

This article reflects the personal opinion of the author and does not reflect the official stand of the Management Association of the Philippines or the MAP.

Atty. Cesar L. Villanueva is co-chair for Governance the MAP Committee on ESG, chair of Institute of Corporate Directors (ICD), the first chair of Governance Commission for GOCCs (GCG), former dean of the Ateneo Law School, and founding partner of Villanueva Gabionza & Dy Law Offices.

map@map.org.ph

cvillanueva@vgslaw.com

Protecting the Overseas Filipino right to vote

February 7, 2022 | 10:04 pm

National elections for Filipino voters based in the Philippines is set for Monday, May 9. Currently, campaigns are in full swing, with both candidates and voters navigating the online and/or socially distanced environment which is a huge departure from the usual big crowds, handshakes, and door to door visits. In other parts of the world, Overseas Filipinos prepare for the same vote (minus the vote for local positions) in a voting period that begins on April 10 and ends on May 9, which allows for many of our more mobile kababayans (countrymen) to get to an embassy or consulate to vote or receive and mail in their ballot when this is possible.

The longer voting period and the option for postal voting may not necessarily mean an easier time at the polls. The pandemic context varies greatly across the territories where our Overseas Filipinos live and work. Some may be hindered not just by additional COVID related measures but also by cultural and geographic limitations.

Of course, the larger question is what the overseas voter might be looking for in terms of better governance for Filipinos based overseas. In 2016, the Center for Migrant Advocacy and the Working Group on Migration of the Political Science Department of Ateneo de Manila University produced a migrant agenda — the OFWS Agenda for the 2016 presidential elections. The migrant agenda was borne out of a series of consultations with OFWs (overseas Filipino workers) and aimed to inform and guide the voters in general and the OF (Overseas Filipino) voters, as well as the candidates, particularly for national positions, of the aspirations and concrete recommendations to improve the rights and welfare of OFs, OFWs as well as their families in the country and abroad.

In 2016, it revolves around four themes with an accompanying situationer and rationale as well as desired improvements and specific proposals:

O: Overseas Foreign Service posts become “institutions of care”

F: Families of OFWs are provided social and psychological safety nets

W: Workers’ rights are treated as human rights

S: Sustainable jobs are created back home

Late last year, the same group (with support from FES) revisited its OFWS agenda with migrant workers groups and reflected on what an OFW agenda might need, in addition to the issues raised in 2016. A more nuanced understanding of the OFWS agenda arose out of these discussions with stakeholders noting that:

• Philippine government, members, regardless of focus and location must have knowledge of the plight of Filipinos abroad

• Mechanisms for monitoring of the wellbeing of families of OFWs are very much needed, especially in the context of this pandemic

• Pre-departure information, as well as timely information abroad, when done well, can be an integral part of protection of overseas workers’ rights

• More pathways towards return reintegration should be created and sustained

When it comes to choosing candidates who truly support the OFWS agenda, these candidates must be knowledgeable about the facts and realities of the life of the Filipino overseas to truly care about their plight. Good policy and good institutions begin with a clear understanding of these realities. A closer look at publicly available debates and pronouncements by national candidates will bring to light which of them are truly present and truly equipped to respond to the needs of Overseas Filipinos.

Finally, we must continue to watch the electoral process, including the requirements to run the OFW vote. This means fully capacitating the government agencies with the proper budget to run the almost one-month OFW voting period, and all the requirements (including postal voting) that go with it. To illustrate, for this election, COMELEC requested P510 million for implementation of overseas voting; they were given only P111,192,000 (only 21.8%) even though COMELEC spending was on track in 2019. In contrast to the budget allotted for the right of Overseas Filipinos to vote, Overseas Filipino personal remittances reached record highs in 2019 at $33.5 billion and despite the pandemic was at $31.59 billion in late 2021.

Without this first step done right, we run the risk of disenfranchising the OFW sector, which has contributed much through continued remittances even during the most difficult times in the pandemic.

Dr. Maria Elissa Jayme Lao is an assistant professor of the Ateneo Department of Political Science with a Masters in International Studies (MIS) from the University of the Philippines-Diliman. She earned her doctor of Public Administration from the National College of Public Administration and Governance, UP Diliman. Her research interests are in International Relations, Electoral Politics, Political Parties, Philippine Foreign Policy, and Migration.

Electrifying profit and penalties, the case of NGCP, DUs, and ERC

February 7, 2022 | 10:01 pm

The severe COVID-19 lockdown has pulled down the Philippines’ overall GDP and sales of the big companies in 2020. For instance, the gross revenue (GR) of the top 1,000 corporations was P10.8 trillion in 2020, down from P12.4 trillion in 2019.

We reviewed the financial performance of the major distribution utilities (DUs), retail electricity suppliers (RES), and NGCP. This is a follow up to this column’s piece on Jan. 24 on the financial performance of major power generation companies (gencos) in the Philippines, https://www.bworldonline.com/major-power-companies-the-indonesia-coal-export-ban-and-the-pcci-election/.

NGCP’S HIGH PROFITABILITY DESPITE LOCKDOWN
In 2016, Manila Electric Co.’s (Meralco) GR was P250.71 billion, its net income (NI) was P20.57 billion; the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines’ (NGCP) GR was P45.54 billion, its NI was P21.24 billion.

The gross profit margin (gross profit over gross revenue) of the NGCP was 66% in 2019 and 68% in 2020, which was huge. Over the same period, Meralco’s profit margin was 17% and decreased to 16%.

What explains the huge profitability of the NGCP? And how do some DUs spend some of their profit? See these recent news reports in BusinessWorld:

1. “NGCP needs about 1,800 MW in firm contracts for full coverage” (Jan. 26),

2. “NGCP invites electricity generators to supply power reserves” (Jan. 28),

3. “Bringing light beyond its franchise: Meralco extends help to typhoon-hit areas” (Jan. 19),

4. “San Miguel unit offers best rate for Meralco’s 170-MW requirement” (Feb. 3),

5. “ERC approves increased subsidized rates for SPUG suppliers” (Feb. 2),

6. “ERC fines generation companies P15.5M for unplanned outages” (Feb. 4).

So, the NGCP is not getting enough firm contracts to provide sufficient reserve requirements to avoid those pesky yellow- and red-alerts that occur yearly. It just accumulates a huge profit, which is good news for its investors (40% State Grid Corp. of China/SGCC, 30% Monte Oro Grid, 30% Calaca High).

MERALCO INCOME AND SERVICES
Meralco is also earning well, but it uses part of its profit on doing more community services. When Typhoon Rai (local name “Odette”) hit the country last December and destroyed many structures in the Visayas, Meralco sent 140+ linemen and engineers with 33 vehicles and cranes to help restore electricity quickly in Cebu and Bohol.

The BusinessWorld report noted Meralco’s help, “In Cebu, over 80 engineers and linemen, and 21 vehicles have been deployed to help the Visayan Electric Co. (VECO) and Mactan Electric Co. (MECO) restore electricity service in several parts of the province. In Bohol… close to 60 personnel, along with 13 vehicles.”

The yellow- and red-alerts continued even until last January. With high power demand expected due to the campaign period starting this February and the elections this coming May, Meralco cannot rely on stable supply and price from the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market (WESM) so it has to get its own short-term contract for 170 MW from Feb. 26 to July 25.

ERC’S GOOD AND UGLY POLICIES
The Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) has made one good policy, protecting consumers in on-grid islands via lowering the cost of the universal charge for missionary electrification (UC-ME), a regular subsidy to consumers in off-grid islands and areas because they rely on gensets running on diesel which can never be cheap.

But the ERC is back to penalizing gencos. It has also penalized a number of DUs and electric cooperatives (ECs). But it seems there were few or no instances where it penalized the NGCP. Like the damage to NGCP’s Negros-Cebu submarine cable last July, caused by a Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) project. Instead of the NGCP going after the DPWH for the huge cost of congestion, the cost was passed on to the Negros ECs, which in turn passed this on to the consumers.

TRANSMISSION CONGESTION
And speaking of congestion, there are a few power plants that are affected until now. Meaning, the NGCP seems not to be investing enough to quickly upgrade the transmission system (Table 2).

So, for the seven projects in Table 2, the additional capacity in Luzon, if congestion is resolved earlier, is 818 MW (668+150). For the Visayas, additional capacity would have been 177 MW. There are also delays in their plant construction but the transmission is more delayed. Then there is the never-ending Mindanao-Visayas interconnection project.

During the Independent Electricity Market Operator of the Philippines (IEMOP) media briefing on Jan. 28, they reported these additional capacities in the Luzon-Visayas grids from January-June 2022: coal 818 MW, solar 125 MW, oil-based 22 MW, geothermal 4 MW, and battery energy storage system (BESS) 180 MW. Note that BESS are not power generators, they are only storage batteries for excess supply on certain hours or days by intermittent wind and solar. I asked the IEMOP if the 180 MW BESS are mainly from SMC, they said “Yes.”

There will be very little additional capacity in Mindanao from January-June 2022 — only 3.6 MW from geothermal; zero from coal, oil-based, solar or wind, but there will be 140 MW from BESS.

POWER GENERATION IN ASEAN-5
In 2020, the Philippines’ power generation was 101.8 terawatt-hours (TWH). This was equivalent to Vietnam’s power generation of 101.5 TWH in 2011, in 2020 Vietnam’s power generation was 234.5 TWH. Malaysia was generating 98.8 TWH in 2005 and 159.6 TWH in 2020. Thailand was generating 101.0 TWH in 2001, and 176.4 TWH in 2020. Indonesia was generating 101.7 TWH in 2001, and 275.2 TWH in 2020.

So, the Philippines’ total power generation of 102 TWH in 2020 was what Vietnam generated in 2011, Malaysia in 2005, and Thailand and Indonesia in 2001. We are so behind in power generation compared to our four neighbors in the ASEAN. We need to do two things to catch up with our neighbors, and serve more households and companies especially now that we have liberalized the Public Service Act, a good job by Congress.

One, we need more stable, reliable, and dispatchable power sources and less intermittent sources. Since the Department of Energy was pressured by the climate activists and ESG (environmental, social, and governance) corporate lobbyists to discontinue new coal plants, we must consider nuclear power. At least the small modular reactors (SMRs).

Two, the transmission system must continue fast upgrades. It will cost big money, but the NGCP is earning big money anyway. The ERC and Congress must push the NGCP to do its job as contained in its legislative franchise. New big power plants must be quickly connected to the grid, and to the consumers.

Bienvenido S. Oplas, Jr. is the president of Minimal Government Thinkers.

minimalgovernment@gmail.com

After two years of closed borders, Australia welcomes the world back

February 7, 2022 | 9:54 pm

SYDNEY — Australia said on Monday it will reopen its borders to vaccinated travelers this month, ending two years of misery for the tourism sector, reviving migration and injecting billions of dollars into the world No. 13 economy.

The move effectively calls time on the last main component of Australia’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, which it has attributed to relatively low death and infection rates. The other core strategy, stop-start lockdowns, was shelved for good in December.

The country had taken steps in recent months to relax border controls, like allowing in skilled migrants and quarantine-free travel arrangements — “travel bubbles” — with select countries like New Zealand.

But the reopening, which takes effect on Feb. 21, represents the first time since March 2020 that people can travel to Australia from anywhere in the world as long as they are vaccinated.

“If you’re double-vaccinated, we look forward to welcoming you back to Australia,” Prime Minister Scott Morrison said at a media briefing in Canberra.

The tourism industry, which has relied on the domestic market that has itself been heavily impacted by movement restrictions, welcomed the decision which comes three months before Mr. Morrison is due to face an election.

“Over the two years since the borders have been closed the industry has been on its knees,” said Australian Tourism Export Council Managing Director Peter Shelley by phone.

“Now we can turn our collective efforts towards rebuilding an industry that is in disrepair,” he added.

International and domestic tourism losses since the start of the pandemic totaled A$101.7 billion ($72 billion), according to government body Tourism Research Australia (TRA). International travel spending in Australia plunged from A$44.6 billion in the 2018-19 financial year to A$1.3 billion in 2020-21, TRA said.

Shares of tourism-related stocks soared as investors cheered the prospect of a return to profit growth. Shares of the country’s main airline Qantas Airways Ltd. jumped 5% while shares of travel agent Flight Centre Travel Group Ltd. surged 8%.

Qantas CEO Alan Joyce said in a statement the company was looking at flight schedules to determine ways to restart flights from international locations soon.

As elsewhere in the world, Australian COVID cases have soared in recent weeks due to the Omicron variant which medical experts say may be more transmissible but less virulent than previous strains.

But with more than nine in 10 Australians aged over 16 fully vaccinated, new cases and hospitalizations appear to have slowed, the authorities say.

The country reported just over 23,000 new infections on Monday, its lowest for 2022 and far from a peak of 150,000 around a month ago.

Mr. Morrison meanwhile said the government would send up to 1,700 Australian Defense Force personnel to fill staffing shortages in the aged care sector, following complaints of understaffing and fatigue due to increased pressures brought by the pandemic.

Around 2.4 million cases have been recorded in Australia since the first Omicron case was detected in Australia in November. Until then, Australia had counted only around 200,000 cases. Total deaths stand at 4,248 since the pandemic began. — Reuters

France’s Macron flies to Moscow in high-risk diplomatic mission

February 7, 2022 | 9:53 pm

French President Emmanuel Macron delivers a speech at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, Feb. 1, 2022. — REUTERS/SARAH MEYSSONNIER/POOL

MOSCOW — French President Emmanuel Macron flies to Moscow on Monday in a risky diplomatic move, seeking commitments from Russian President Vladimir Putin to dial down tensions with Ukraine, where Western leaders fear the Kremlin plans an invasion.

Mr. Macron has made a frenetic series of phone calls with Western allies, Mr. Putin and the Ukrainian leader over the past week. He will follow up on Tuesday with a visit to Kyiv, staking a lot of political capital on a mission that could prove embarrassing if he returns empty-handed.

“We’re heading to Putin’s lair, in many ways it’s a throw of the dice,” one source close to Mr. Macron told Reuters.

Russia has massed some 100,000 troops near Ukraine and demanded NATO and US security guarantees, including that NATO never admit Ukraine as a member.

Two sources close to Mr. Macron said one aim of his visit was to buy time and freeze the situation for several months, at least until a “Super April” of elections in Europe — in Hungary, Slovenia and, crucially for Macron, in France.

The French leader, who has earned a reputation for highly publicized diplomatic forays since he took power in 2017, has both tried to cajole and confront Mr. Putin over the past five years. His efforts have brought close dialogue with the Russian leader as well as painful setbacks.

Soon after his election, Mr. Macron rolled out the red carpet for Mr. Putin at the Palace of Versailles, but also used the visit to publicly decry Russian meddling during the election. Two years later, the pair met at the French president’s summer residence.

But Mr. Macron’s many overtures did not prevent Russian encroachment into traditional French spheres of influence in Africa, culminating late last year with the arrival of Russian mercenaries in Mali. French officials think they are supported by the Kremlin.

Eastern European countries who suffered decades under Soviet rule have criticized Mr. Macron’s cooperative stance on Russia, leery of Mr. Macron’s talk of negotiating a “new European security order” with Russia.

To counter critics ahead of the trip and take on the mantle of European leadership in this crisis, Macron has been at pains to consult with other Western leaders this time, including Britain’s Boris Johnson and US President Joseph R. Biden.

The French president’s visit to Moscow and Ukraine comes less than three months before a presidential election at home. His political advisers see a potential electoral dividend, although Mr. Macron has yet to announce whether he will run.

“For the president, it’s an opportunity to show his leadership in Europe. That he is above the fray,” one French government source said. — Reuters

Vietnam starts reopening schools after year-long pandemic closure

February 7, 2022 | 9:51 pm

HANOI — More than 17 million Vietnamese students were due to return to school on Monday for the first time in about a year, the health ministry said, as authorities announced plans to start vaccinating children from as young as five against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

The Southeast Asian country lifted many of its coronavirus curbs in October, but almost all students had been confined to taking online classes since early last year.

Most schools in the country are due to reopen by the middle of February, the health ministry said in a statement.

In a separate statement at the weekend, the government said it intended to buy 21.9 million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for children aged between five and 12.

More than 75% of Vietnam’s 98 million people have received at least two vaccine shots and authorities aim to administer a booster shot to all of the adult population by the end of March.

Schools in the capital Hanoi will start reopening from Tuesday, with precautions such as temperature checks and protocols in place in case positive cases are detected, authorities said.

Vietnam managed to contain the coronavirus for most of 2020 before the Delta variant drove up infections last year.

The ministry of health said the country reported 14,112 new cases on Sunday. Overall, Vietnam has reported 2.34 million COVID-19 infections and more than 38,300 deaths. — Reuters

Japan PM Kishida calls for doubling booster shots to 1 million a day

February 7, 2022 | 9:51 pm

TOKYO — Japan’s Prime Minister (PM) Fumio Kishida said on Monday he wants to speed up the country’s COVID-19 booster shot program to 1 million shots a day by the end of the month, about double the current pace.

Mr. Kishida told a televised parliamentary budget committee meeting that he has instructed ministers to work with local governments to speed up inoculations as much as possible.

Nationwide infections surpassed 100,000 on Saturday for the first time. Most regions are now under infection control measures to try to blunt the spread of the Omicron coronavirus variant that has exploded among a population where less than 5% have received vaccine booster shots.

Tokyo and 12 other prefectures are in final discussions to extend the virus curbs for about three weeks, the Asahi newspaper reported on Sunday. — Reuters

Steve Nash: Brooklyn Nets not trading James Harden

February 7, 2022 | 9:44 pm

JAMES Harden’s name has surfaced in rumors ahead of Thursday’s NBA trade deadline, but his head coach insists that Harden is staying in Brooklyn.

Steve Nash told reporters on Sunday that Harden will not be traded.

“I’ve talked to James; he wants to be here,” Nash said. “He wants to be here long term as well, so I don’t think anything’s changed other than noise from the outside. James wants to be here, we’re building with James and we think we have the best chance to win with James. I don’t think anything’s changed on the inside, in our locker room, in our communication. It’s just all the noise from the (outside).”

Harden, 32, is averaging 22.5 points, 10.2 assists and 8.0 rebounds in 44 games this season. He has averaged 25.0 points during his career while earning one Most Valuable Player award in 2017-18 and notching nine All-Star selections.

Brooklyn offered Harden a three-year, $161-million extension last offseason that he declined. He has a $47.4-million player option for next season and could sign a longer-term deal worth $200 million or more, depending on whether he stays with Brooklyn or targets another team.

Harden has missed two games in a row because of left hamstring tightness. Nash downplayed the severity of the injury and reiterated that communication between Harden and the Nets has been strong this season.

“This has been a constant thing since the summer,” Nash said. “He’s continually reiterated that he wants to be here. And we’ve continually said that we want him here and that that’s our best chance to win, so nothing’s changed from the communication that we’ve had.” — Reuters

Freestyle skier Eileen Gu advances to Big Air final; Oldham and Ledeux lead

February 7, 2022 | 9:44 pm

ellin-gu — EILEEN Gu (CHN) in the women’s freestyle skiing Big Air Qualifying during the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games at Big Air Shougang. — REUTERS

BEIJING — US-born Chinese skier Eileen Gu breathed a sigh of relief as her third run in the qualifier event for Big Air freeski at the Beijing Olympics on Monday drew loud applause from the audience.

After losing her skis in landing during her second jump, the 18-year-old knew she would need a good trick to make it to the finals, as participants are judged on the best two out of three runs in Big Air events.

Gu chose to do a right 900 Buick, which she failed at in the second run, instead of the planned 1260 spin. She delivered, winning a 72.25, ending on 5^th in the qualifier with 161.25.

“There was a lot of pressure going into it. I just know for myself, I would not feel satisfied if I didn’t make finals,” Gu told reporters about her third run. “I’m happy to be able to perform under pressure and I think that it speaks a lot to the volume of the mental training that I’ve been putting on.”

Fanfare and controversy have swirled around Gu’s highly-anticipated Winter Olympics sporting debut with a surge of praise and attention from Chinese fans and state media but also uncomfortable questions in the country over her nationality.

Canada’s Megan Oldham topped the Big Air freeski qualifier, advancing with France’s Tess Ledeux to the Beijing Games final.

Oldham, 20, earned the single highest score of 91.25 on her second run at the new Big Air Shougang venue, located in a former steel mill, and her two best scores put her top of the standings on 171.25.

Ledeux, who started her Olympic journey by performing a stunning left double 1260, qualified second on 171.00 after two strong opening runs. She crashed on her third run due to the windy conditions.

The 20-year-old said she was saving her more gravity-defying tricks for the finals on Tuesday.

Another young Chinese skier Yang Shuorui did not earn a high enough score to make the final after injuring herself in a training session earlier.

Canadian medal hopeful Elena Gaskell pulled out from Monday’s qualifying due to injuries, the Canadian Olympic Committee said.

Russian Anastasia Tatalina (163.25) and Swiss Mathilde Gremaud (159.25) were among the 12 skiers making it through the final. — Reuters

Joel Embiid carries 76ers past DeMar DeRozan-led Bulls

February 7, 2022 | 9:39 pm

JOEL Embiid had 40 points, 10 rebounds and two blocked shots to lift the Philadelphia 76ers past the host Chicago Bulls 119-108 on Sunday.

It was the seventh game that Embiid scored at least 40 points this season.

Tobias Harris scored 23 points, Tyrese Maxey added 16 and Seth Curry contributed 12 for the Sixers, who snapped a two-game losing streak.

DeMar DeRozan led the Bulls with 45 points, nine rebounds and seven assists. Nikola Vučević added 23 points and Javonte Green had 17.

NUGGETS 124, NETS 104
Nikola Jokić had 27 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists, Will Barton added 21 points, and Denver beat visiting Brooklyn.

Aaron Gordon scored 17 points, Monte Morris and Jeff Green scored 12 apiece, Bryn Forbes had 11 and Zeke Nnaji 10 to help Denver end a three-game losing streak.

Kyrie Irving finished with 27 points and 11 assists, Cam Thomas had 20 points, Blake Griffin finished with 19, Patty Mills scored 14 and Bruce Brown had 10 for Brooklyn, which has lost eight consecutive games.

BUCKS 137, CLIPPERS 113
Giannis Antetokounmpo finished with 28 points, 10 rebounds and five assists and Jrue Holiday added 27 points with 13 assists as visiting Milwaukee used a third-quarter burst to earn a victory over new-look Los Angeles.

Bobby Portis added 24 points with 11 rebounds as the Bucks won their second straight game to open a four-stop Western Conference road trip. An NBA Finals rematch against the Phoenix Suns looms on Thursday. — Reuters

Senegal in party mode after Africa Cup of Nations victory

February 7, 2022 | 9:39 pm

DAKAR — Senegal erupted in celebration on Sunday night after its soccer team overcame Egypt to win the Africa Cup of Nations, giving the West African country its first tournament win after decades of heartbreaking near misses.

Cheers, car horns and fireworks greeted the final whistle in the seaside capital Dakar after a hard-won victory in a penalty shootout that in an instant erased Senegal’s reputation as one of Africa’s underachieving footballing nations.

Thousands took to the streets. People waved flags from the sunroofs of speeding cars. Onlookers hugged and cried. Dozens ran onto a beach in a northern suburb, screaming to the night sky.

“Senegal has lost so many trophies in the final. This is a relief. Finally, we have it!” said Pape Malick Diba, a 31-year-old trader who danced with friends at a fanzone in Dakar where supporters struggled to see the screens through the crowds.

These were rare scenes of collective rapture for Senegalese soccer fans who have seen their fair share of sporting heartache, and who in the last two years have suffered the restrictions and economic hardship caused by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

Senegal lost to Algeria in the final of the last tournament in 2019, but entered this year’s competition as favorites.

Their squad is full of stars from some of Europe’s top clubs, most famously Liverpool striker Sadio Mane, who scored the winning penalty in Sunday’s shootout after missing a chance from the spot during regular time.

The victory ends a storied history of tough losses. In 2002, Senegal narrowly missed the opportunity to become the first African team to reach a World Cup semifinal, losing to Turkey in extra time. That year, it also lost in the final of the Africa Cup of Nations.

In the 2018 World Cup it was eliminated at the group stage under a new rule that penalized it for receiving more yellow cards than group rival Japan.

On Sunday, those old memories were forgotten. — Reuters

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