Facebook Instagram Linkedin Twitter Youtube
Home Blog Page 6949

When equality is discrimination

Last February the US House of Representatives passed the Equality Bill. If it gets through the Senate, it will simply be one of the most devastating laws ever passed by any country in history.

Ostensibly, the Bill seeks to “prohibit discrimination on the basis of sex, gender identity, and sexual orientation, and for other purposes.” Yet, behind that seemingly harmless preamble is disguised a ruthless push to ban every thought or speech, including the right to religious beliefs, that opposes the leftist liberal dogma of gender fluidity and sexual orientation.

For the Equality Bill seeks to redefine sex as unanchored from biology, and that anywhere outside one’s home — regardless if it’s a school or church — would be a “safe space” for liberal ideology.

Thus, “any Catholic Youth Organization sporting event is a place of recreation and exercise. Every Christmas nativity scene is a public display. Every pregnancy counseling center is a service or program. Every diocesan-sponsored women’s shelter and food bank is, well, a shelter and foodbank. If a church, mosque, synagogue — or any affiliated school, recreation center, or food pantry — provides any of these programs or services, it will be compelled to allow biological men, for example, to use the women’s restroom. Sports teams would be compelled to allow boys to use the girls’ locker room. Shelters for abused and battered women would be forced to admit males. And of course, girls would be forced to compete against boys in sporting events. The bill expressly denies any religion-based objection.” (Kenneth Craycraft, “The Equality Act’s Assault on Religious Liberty,” February 2021).

But the Philippines has not been exempt from that absurdity. In fact, we pioneered it with the enactment of Republic Act 11313 (the “Safe Spaces Act”).

Section 3.d thereof defines “gender” as “a set of socially ascribed characteristics, norms, roles, attitudes, values and expectations identifying the social behavior of men and women, and the relations between them.” Sec. 3.f further compounds this: “gender identity” refers to the personal sense of identity as characterized, among others, by manner of clothing, inclinations, and behavior in relation to masculine or feminine conventions. A person may have a male or female identity with physiological characteristics of the opposite sex, in which case this person is considered transgender.” This departs from long standing Philippine historical, legislative, and even judicial understanding of gender being intrinsically connected to one’s sex.

And effectively renders the “male” and “female” categorization as utterly meaningless. What our Congress did was to elevate and recognize something subjective, created purely in the mind of any random individual, contrary to centuries of Philippine social, cultural, religious, and official norms, and then imposed criminal liability on the basis of that subjectivity.

The Safe Spaces Act potentially threatens every employer, teacher, or any person in authority that does not subscribe to the idea of gender fluidity and transgenderism with fines or imprisonment. No exemption is made for religious beliefs, academic freedom, and even the military or police.

The current draft of the Anti-Discrimination Act (which reportedly passed third reading) removed — quite gratifyingly and correctly — references to “gender identity and sexual orientation.” Unfortunately, its definition of “gender” perpetuates the detached from biology definition in the Safe Spaces Act.

And quite disturbingly, there is still the Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity bill (ironically pending with the House Committee on Women). Tellingly, one of its fundamental premises is a lie: that SOGI “rights” are provided for and obligated under international law. In truth no international law recognizes SOGI “rights.”

What international law does is recognize the rights of every human individual, which is what’s also embodied in our Constitution. To argue that international human rights laws are “sui generis,” for which everything uttered under its name should be granted, is nonsensical.

To paraphrase Cardinal John Henry Newman: we have human rights because we have responsibilities. Our rights exist as the flipside to our duties as human beings. Without that anchor, then everything, from cash dole-outs to Netflix access, can be labeled a human right.

The tragic disrespect many governments now have for rights can be blamed squarely on this. Ironically but foreseeably, liberal progressive activism simply made human rights utterly incoherent and of diminished value.

And discriminatory as well. With most of that discrimination against biological females.

For all of the Equality Bill’s 31 pages supposedly battling discrimination and despite mentioning “lesbians, gays, bisexuals, transgenders, and queers,” not once do the words “female” or “mother” appear. “Women” is mentioned but under that Bill gender is “fluid” anyway.

The Safe Spaces Act does mention “female” but only in the context of “gender identity.” The Anti-Discrimination Bill also makes no mention of “female” and, quite tellingly, leaves out mention of academic freedom. A university professor speaking out against “gender science” is left with little protection.

All for what?

Our legislators are essentially sacrificing decades of women’s fight for equality at the altar of the LGBT lobby.

 

Jemy Gatdula is a Senior Fellow of the Philippine Council for Foreign Relations and a Philippine Judicial Academy law lecturer for constitutional philosophy and jurisprudence.

https://www.facebook.com/jigatdula/

Twitter @jemygatdula

UN Security Council condemns Myanmar violence

REUTERS

THE UNITED NATIONS (UN) Security Council on Wednesday condemned violence against Myanmar protesters and called on the army to show restraint, but failed to denounce the military takeover as a coup or threaten further action due to opposition from China and Russia.

More than 60 protesters have been killed and some 2,000 people have been detained by security forces since the Feb. 1 coup against elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi, the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners advocacy group said.

On Wednesday, security forces firing teargas and rubber bullets trapped hundreds of anti-junta protesters late into the night in two districts of Yangon.

Some protesters who managed to evade blockades set up by police in surrounding streets told of scores of arrests and said that some of those who got caught were beaten.

In a bid to increase pressure on the military as it continues its crackdown, the US Treasury Department on Wednesday imposed sanctions on two children of military leader Min Aung Hlaing and six companies they control.

“The indiscriminate violence by Burma’s security forces against peaceful protesters is unacceptable,” said Director of the Office of Foreign Assets Control, Andrea Gacki.

Campaign group Justice for Myanmar said in January that Min Aung Hlaing, who has been commander in chief since 2011, had “abused his power to benefit his family, who have profited from their access to state resources and the military’s total impunity.”

The UK is also exploring fresh sanctions, foreign minister Dominic Raab said in a tweet.

In New York, the United Nations Security Council said in a statement that it “strongly condemns the violence against peaceful protesters, including against women, youth and children.

“The council calls for the military to exercise utmost restraint and emphasizes that it is following the situation closely.”

But language that would have condemned the coup and threatened possible further action was removed from the British-drafted text, due to opposition by China, Russia, India and Vietnam.

A junta spokesman did not respond to a request for comment. The military has brushed off condemnation of its actions, as it has in past periods of army rule when outbreaks of protest were forcibly repressed.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he hoped the Security Council statement would push the military to realize it “is absolutely essential” that all prisoners are released and that the results of a November election are respected.

The army has justified the coup by saying that the election, won by Ms. Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD), was marred by fraud — an assertion rejected by the electoral commission. The junta has promised a new election, but has not said when.

Mr. Guterres acknowledged that Myanmar was not a “perfect democracy” before the coup.

“It was still heavily under military control in many aspects, which makes this coup even more difficult to understand, especially the accusations of electoral fraud by those that were largely in control of the country,” he said.

CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE
State television MRTV announced arrest warrants against some of the best-known youth protest leaders and showed a picture of 29 wanted protesters. The protesters have been calling for international protection and action against the junta.

On Wednesday, police stormed a compound in Yangon housing railway staff and surrounded hundreds of protesters in North Okkalapa district, in another part of the city. More than 100 people were arrested at the two sites, witnesses said.

Many of the railway staff are part of a civil disobedience movement that has crippled government business and included strikes at banks, factories and shops.

Police and the army did not respond to requests for comment.

One youth said in a message to Reuters that other protesters had been beaten and slapped. He escaped by hiding in a large washing machine, he said.

“Tomorrow I will keep protesting. I will not stop. The goal is very clear that we want democracy. We want our elected government back,” he said, not wanting his name published.

In the central towns of Mingyan and Monywa, people defied night curfew orders to hold candlelight vigils.

One protester told Reuters from the southern coastal town of Myeik that he had been brought to Myeik Air Base and beaten with belts, chains, bamboo sticks and batons.

“The soldiers said, ‘This is the hell room, why don’t you guys have a taste?’” he said, declining to give his name for fear of reprisals. Reuters was unable to contact police in the town or the air base for comment.

Some police have refused orders to fire on unarmed protesters and have fled to neighboring India, according to an interview with one officer and classified Indian police documents.

An Israeli-Canadian lobbyist hired by Myanmar’s junta will be paid $2 million to “assist in explaining the real situation” of the coup to the United States and other countries, documents filed with the US government show.

Ari Ben-Menashe told Reuters on Saturday his task was to convince Washington that Myanmar’s generals wanted to move closer to the West and away from China. He said they wanted to resettle Rohingya Muslims who fled a 2017 assault for which the UN has accused the military of overseeing a genocide. — Reuters

$1.9-T COVID-19 bill wins final approval in House

WASHINGTON — The US House of Representatives gave final approval on Wednesday to one of the largest economic stimulus measures in American history, a sweeping $1.9-trillion COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) relief bill that gives President Joseph R. Biden his first major victory in office.

The measure provides $400 billion for $1,400 direct payments to most Americans, $350 billion in aid to state and local governments, an expansion of the child tax credit and increased funding for vaccine distribution. Forecasters expect it to supercharge the US economic recovery.

“Help is here,” Mr. Biden wrote in a tweet after the vote. The White House said he plans to sign the bill on Friday.

Approval by a 220-211 vote in the Democratic-controled chamber came with zero Republican support after weeks of partisan debate and wrangling in Congress. Democrats described the legislation as a critical response to a pandemic that has killed more than 528,000 people and thrown millions out of work.

“This is a historic day. It is the beginning of the end of the great COVID depression,” Democratic Representative Jan Schakowsky said.

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said in a statement that passage of the legislation was a pivotal day for the US economy and would speed its recovery.

But Republicans said the measure was too costly and was packed with wasteful progressive priorities. They said the worst phase of the largest public health crisis in a century has largely passed and the economy is headed toward a rebound.

“It’s the wrong plan at the wrong time for so many wrong reasons,” Republican Representative Jason Smith said.

Nevertheless, before final passage, Democrats predicted that Republicans would tout the benefits of the bill to constituents, despite their lock-step opposition in the House and Senate.

Indeed, Republican Senator Roger Wicker wrote on Twitter: “This funding will ensure small businesses can survive the pandemic by helping to adapt their operations and keep their employees on the payroll.”

Democrats were eager to get the final bill to Mr. Biden’s desk for his signature before current enhanced federal unemployment benefits expire on Sunday.

POPULAR SUPPORT
Although many Republicans supported coronavirus relief under former President Donald Trump’s administration, no Republican lawmaker voted for the bill in the House or Senate.

But the bill is popular with the public. A Reuters/Ipsos national opinion poll, conducted Mar. 8-9, showed that 70% of Americans support the plan, including majorities of Democrats and Republicans. Among Republicans, five out of 10 say they support the plan, while nine out of 10 Democrats supported it.

The legislation could have high stakes for both parties. If it succeeds in giving the economy a major boost, the plan could improve Democrats’ political fortunes as they attempt to hold their slim majorities in Congress in the 2022 midterm elections.

The version passed by the Senate in a marathon weekend session removed a $15-per-hour federal minimum wage increase by 2025; tightened the eligibility for $1,400 direct payments, capping them at those earning below $80,000, cut the unemployment insurance payment to $300 per week from the House’s $400 and targeted some of the state and local government aid to smaller communities.

States that voted for Mr. Trump in the November election are due to get a larger amount of education and child-care aid per resident than those that backed Mr. Biden, according to estimates from two congressional committees.

Residents of Republican-leaning states, which tend to have lower household incomes, also are likely to get larger stimulus checks and tax breaks as well, according to an independent research group.

The massive spending push is seen as a major driver, coupled with a quickening pace of COVID-19 vaccinations and a slowing infection rate, in a brightening outlook for the economy.

Morgan Stanley this week pegged 2021 economic output growth at 8.1%. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development on Tuesday predicted US growth would top 6% this year, up from an estimate of around 3% three months ago. — Reuters

Ten years on, Japan mourns victims of earthquake and Fukushima disaster

IWAKI, Fukushima prefecture — With a moment of silence, prayers and anti-nuclear protests, Japan on Thursday mourned about 20,000 victims of the massive earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan 10 years ago, destroying towns and triggering nuclear meltdowns in Fukushima.

Huge waves triggered by the 9.0-magnitude quake — one of the strongest on record — crashed into the northeastern coast, crippling the Fukushima Dai-ichi power plant and forcing more than 160,000 residents to flee as radiation spewed into the air.

The world’s worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl and the tremor have left survivors struggling to overcome the grief of losing families and towns to the waves in a few frightening hours on the afternoon of Mar. 11, 2011.

About 50 kilometers (31 miles) south from the plant, in the gritty coastal city of Iwaki, which has since become a hub for laborers working on nuclear decommissioning, restaurant owner Atsushi Niizuma prayed to his mother killed by the waves.

“I want to tell my mother that my children, who were all close to her, are doing well. I came here to thank her that our family is living safely,” said Mr. Niizuma, 47.

Before setting off for work, he quietly paid his respects at a stone monument at a seaside shrine with carvings of his mother’s name, Mitsuko, and 65 others who died in the disaster.

On the day of the earthquake, Ms. Mitsuko was looking after his children. The children rushed into a car but Ms. Mitsuko was swept away by the waves as she returned to the house to grab her belongings. It took a month to recover her body, Mr. Niizuma said.

The Akiba shrine has become a symbol of resilience for the survivors, as it was barely damaged by the tsunami while houses nearby were swept away or burned down.

About two dozen residents gathered with Mr. Niizuma to decorate it with paper cranes, flowers and yellow handkerchiefs with messages of hope sent by students from across the country.

“It was sleeting 10 years ago, and it was cold. The coldness always brought me back to the memory of what happened on the day,” said Hiroko Ishikawa, 62.

“But with my back soaking up the sun today, we are feeling more relaxed. It’s as if the sun is telling us that ‘It’s okay, why don’t you go talk with everyone who came back to visit their hometown?’”

REMEMBERING THE DEAD
Emperor Naruhito and Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga were slated to honor the dead at a commemorative anniversary ceremony in Tokyo while several other events were planned across northeastern Japan, which was most badly hit by the tremor.

The government has spent about $300 billion (32.1 trillion yen) to rebuild the region, but areas around the Fukushima plant remain off-limits, worries about radiation levels linger and many who left have settled elsewhere. Decommissioning of the crippled plant will take decades and billions of dollars.

Some 40,000 people are still displaced by the disaster.

Japan is again debating the role of nuclear power in its energy mix as the resource-poor country aims to achieve net carbon neutrality by 2050 to fight global warming. But an NHK public TV survey showed 85% of the public worries about nuclear accidents.

The mass demonstrations against nuclear power seen in the wake of 3/11 have faded, but distrust lingers. Some antinuclear activists are planning demonstrations in front of the operator of the plant, Tokyo Electric Power, for Thursday night.

Only nine of Japan’s 33 remaining commercial reactors have been approved for restarts under post-Fukushima safety standards and only four are operating, compared with 54 before the disaster.

Nuclear power supplied just 6% of Japan’s energy needs in the first half of 2020 compared with 23.1% for renewable sources — far behind Germany’s 46.3% — and nearly 70% for fossil fuels. — Reuters

UK COVID-19 variant has significantly higher death rate, study finds

LONDON — A highly infectious variant of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) that has spread around the world since it was first discovered in Britain late last year is between 30% and 100% more deadly than previous dominant variants, researchers said on Wednesday.

In a study that compared death rates among people in Britain infected with the new SARS-CoV-2 variant — known as B.1.1.7 — against those infected with other variants of the COVID-19-causing virus, scientists said the new variant’s mortality rate was “significantly higher.”

The B.1.1.7 variant was first detected in Britain in Sept. 2020, and has since also been found in more than 100 other countries.

It has 23 mutations in its genetic code — a relatively high number — and some of them have made it far more easily spread. Scientists say it is about 40%-70% more transmissible than previous dominant variants that were circulating.

In the UK study, published in the British Medical Journal on Wednesday, infection with the new variant led to 227 deaths in a sample of 54,906 COVID-19 patients, compared with 141 among the same number of patients infected with other variants.

“Coupled with its ability to spread rapidly, this makes B.1.1.7 a threat that should be taken seriously,” said Robert Challen, a researcher at Exeter University who co-led the research.

Independent experts said this study’s findings add to previous preliminary evidence linking infection with the B.1.1.7 virus variant with an increased risk of dying from COVID-19.

Initial findings from the study were presented to the UK government earlier this year, along with other research, by experts on its New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group, or NERVTAG, panel.

Lawrence Young, a virologist and professor of molecular oncology at Warwick University, said the precise mechanisms behind the higher death rate of the B.1.1.7 variant were still not clear, but “could be related to higher levels of virus replication as well as increased transmissibility.”

He warned that the UK variant was likely fueling a recent surge in infections across Europe. — Reuters

Roblox creator’s wealth soars to $4.6B as shares rise

ROBLOX CORP.’s users can create virtual worlds to fend off zombies or scuba dive for hidden treasure, with makers of the most popular games earning enough to become millionaires.

Roblox co-founder David Baszucki — known on the site as “builderman” — has made the most from the online gaming platform. His stake in the company is now worth about $4.6 billion after the company’s shares soared more than 50% in their first day of trading.

“We love the direct listing for Roblox, because we’re all going to come together and that first trade is going to be at the same price for everyone,” Mr. Baszucki said Wednesday in an interview with Bloomberg Television.

Roblox’s user numbers have boomed during the pandemic, but the San Mateo, California-based company now faces an uncertain outlook as the children and teenagers who flocked to it while stuck at home return to school. That’s pushing Mr. Baszucki, Roblox’s chief executive officer, to transform the company into a social meeting place for kids and adults alike.

“Our vision of the future is really connecting the world on the Roblox platform, and allowing you to connect with people,” Mr. Baszucki, 58, said at the annual Roblox Developers Conference in July.

A Stanford University graduate with a degree in electrical engineering, Mr. Baszucki founded Roblox in 2004 with Erik Cassel after the pair developed educational software for teaching physics. Mr. Cassel died in 2013.

Mr. Baszucki participated in shares sales to third parties before Roblox’s listing that were potentially worth hundreds of millions of dollars. Last year, he registered the Baszucki Family Office in California, which is managed by a trust that holds about half of his 12% stake in Roblox.

Mr. Baszucki will receive an additional 11.5 million shares of Roblox if the company meets certain long-term price targets, according to a filing. He won’t take any other cash or equity compensation for as long as seven years after the listing, and plans on using any net proceeds for philanthropy, a spokesperson for the firm said.

Roblox hosts millions of games that are built by users who then get a share of any related revenue. The company planned an initial public offering last year, but delayed it until 2021 and then switched to a direct listing, which typically doesn’t result in any new capital being raised.

The New York Stock Exchange set a share price of $45 for Roblox’s direct listing, which gave the company a market value of about $30 billion. The stock jumped 54% to close at $69.50 in New York.

In addition to Mr. Baszucki’s brother, Greg, other pre-listing investors include Chase Coleman’s Tiger Global Management, which first invested in Roblox in June 2018, when it was valued at about $2.4 billion.

Roblox has said it expects growth rates of more than 60% for the quarter ending Mar. 31, but the ensuing months may look markedly different as the world starts to emerge from the virus crisis.

“We headed into 2020 with strong organic growth, which was further bolstered by social-distancing restrictions,” Chief Financial Officer Michael Guthrie said in a recent statement. “As those restrictions ease, we expect the rates of growth in 2021 will be well below the rates in 2020.” — Bloomberg

Three teams make trade moves ahead of league rookie draft

By Michael Angelo S. Murillo, Senior Reporter

THREE Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) teams made trade moves ahead of the league rookie draft this weekend.

In an announcement on Thursday, the league said the NLEX Road Warriors, Blackwater Bossing and TNT Tropang GIGA figured in a three-way trade involving rookie picks and young veteran players.

The player swaps, which were approved by the PBA trade committee, have NLEX trading its number four pick in the first round of the rookie draft on March 14 to Blackwater in exchange for guard Roi Sumang, forward Don Trollano, center Maurice Shaw and the Bossing’s 2022 second-round draft pick.

Blackwater then sent the number four pick it got from the Road Warriors to TNT for guard Simon Enciso, power forward David Semerad and the Tropang GIGA’s 2023 first-round draft pick and 2024 second-round pick.

NLEX, which still has the number three pick for Sunday’s draft, got a collection of serviceable players from the deal which it hopes to tap to provide stability to the team in the coming PBA season.

Mr. Sumang was one of the bright lights for an otherwise rough campaign for Blackwater in the PBA “bubble” last year, averaging 10.4 points, 4.3 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 1.1 steals. He further shores up the already-loaded guard rotation of NLEX which includes Kiefer Ravena, Kevin Alas, Jericho Cruz, and Mike Ayonayon.

Mr. Trollano, meanwhile, reunites with coach Yeng Guiao, who he played for in Rain or Shine. He was consistent for the Bossing last season, averaging 14.2 points and 8.5 rebounds. The same stability is something the Road Warriors are angling to get from him now that he is in their fold.

Big man Shaw did not get to play much in his rookie season with Blackwater last year because of injury, but NLEX will look to use his height and heft to fortify its frontcourt.

Blackwater, for its part, received veteran players who helped TNT in its solid run in the tournament bubble in 2020.

Mr. Enciso averaged 9.6 points and 2.8 assists for the Tropang GIGA, who reached the finals of the Philippine Cup, while Mr. Semerad was a steady defensive and physical presence.

TNT, meanwhile, is back in the first round of the draft after finding itself sans a pick because of prior deals it had.

At number four, the Tropang GIGA is in prime position to get a quality prospect in the draft.

Reports have it that the team is keenly eyeing Fil-foreign guard Mikey Williams and San Beda University standout Calvin Oftana for the pick.

The PBA rookie draft will be held virtually on Sunday at 4 p.m. It will be aired live on TV5 and One Sports with livestream over ESPN5.com.

Draft order has Terrafirma picking first, followed by Northport, NLEX, TNT, Rain or Shine, and Alaska.

The rest of the opening round has Phoenix Super LPG, Terrafirma, Meralco, Magnolia, NorthPort and Barangay Ginebra selecting.

Revamped The Nationals begins new season March 20

A REVAMPED The Nationals begins its new season next week, promising exciting action and new offering for the local esports community.

Now in their third year, organizers of the Philippines’ first franchise-based esports league have moved to expand their tournament reach, including amateurs and students this time around apart from showcasing the country’s best professional esports athletes.

The Nationals hopes that by doing so it will open more opportunities for aspiring professional esports players.

In Season 3 of the league, which begins on March 20, it will be having two new tournament divisions for every conference for aspiring amateur esports players, namely, The Challenger Series and the Academy Series.

The Nationals Challenger Series will have two standalone weekend tournaments open to everyone in the country, regardless of age and gender. It will be done fully online so as to accommodate more hopefuls.

Student-gamers, meanwhile, are targeted for The Nationals Academy Series, another standalone weekend tournament where only teams and/or players currently enrolled in school can join.

The league said it will not be charging anything for sign-ups on these tournaments.

Also on tap in Season 3 is The Nationals Draft Series, where the top teams and players in the Challenger Series and the Academy Series will be featured.

While it is a tournament by itself, it serves more like a combine for the players to exhibit their skills and talent. It will be an opportunity for them to impress scouts, which may lead to a steady career in esports.

A draft will happen not long after the tournament. Only players 15 years old and above from the draft series are eligible. Each franchise will be required to pick at least one player, with the drafting order being determined by their finish from the previous conference.

Once a player is drafted and signed, they will become full-fledged team members of the franchise teams. With the league’s changes in the minimum number of games per player, any drafted player is guaranteed to see action in the upcoming Pro League.

“As we head over to our third season, we took a look at what we can improve for our players and our fans. We wanted to create a better player ecosystem, which is why we are changing our format into having an inclusive and full path to pro series. With whatever game we have, we are providing a clear opportunity to be a pro player,” said The Nationals Commissioner Ren Vitug of the changes they incorporated.

FOUR CONFERENCES
Meanwhile, The Nationals said that for its third season, the target for the three conferences are Tekken 7, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, and DotA 2.

A fourth conference is also set to happen later this year, which can be a repeat of the year’s most successful conference or will feature a new game.

The Nationals Season 3 kicks off with the Tekken 7 Challenger Series on March 20. Registration for the tournament is now ongoing. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo

San Juan happy to reach another MPBL national finals

WHILE they were given virtually a free pass to the national finals of the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL), defending champions San Juan-Go for Gold Knights are still happy and proud to be back in the Big Dance regardless of how they were able to achieve it.

The Knights booked a spot in the MPBL Lakan Season national finals after defeating greatly undermanned Makati-Super Crunch, 131-54, in their North Division finals rubber match on Wednesday at the Subic Bay Gymnasium.

Makati only paraded five players in the win-or-go home match after disputes between management and players prevented the squad to have a full complement for the MPBL “bubble.”

That gave the Knights a huge advantage in the contest which they used to the hilt.

The team opened the game with a 15-0 run and never looked back from there.

“I just told the players not to be complacent despite the advantage that we had. And they responded well. They did not relax. They put in the effort needed to show that we deserve to win and be in the national finals,” said San Juan coach Randy Alcantara in Filipino after the game.

San Juan veteran John Wilson top-scored for his team with 22 markers followed by Jhonard Clarito with 20 points on top of 13 boards.

Philippine Basketball Association player Mike Ayonayon, who is honoring his commitment with San Juan, the team he played for before being drafted in the PBA, tallied his first triple-double in the league with 10 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists.

San Juan is now awaiting the winner of the Davao Occidental-Basilan knockout match in the Southern Division finals. The contest, originally set for Wednesday as well, was postponed over health and safety protocols after a Basilan player tested positive for the coronavirus.

The match is slated to be played on March 17 if the Basilan team tests negative in its next swab test.

The MPBL Lakan Season National Finals will be a best-of-five affair.

The MPBL was cleared to resume its stalled Lakan Season last week through new protocols set by the government. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo

Volleyball NSA appoints national team coaches

THE national team landscape under the newly recognized Philippine National Volleyball Federation (PNVF) took further form on Thursday after the National Sports Association (NSA) named the coaches who will handle the country’s squads.

PNVF President Ramon Suzara introduced the national team coaches and their staff following weeks of evaluation and discussion.

Odjie Mamon and Dante Alinsunurin were named national women’s and men’s volleyball coaches, respectively. Also appointed were national beach volleyball coaches Rhovyl Verayo (men) and Paul John Doloiras (women).

“After careful and stringent deliberation and evaluation, the federation selected coaches Odjie and Dante, both of who bring with them impressive and credible credentials,” said Mr. Suzara in a statement.

Said coaches will be tasked to focus on the country’s campaign in the Hanoi 31st Southeast Asian (SEA) Games later this year where the men’s team hopes to improve on its silver from the 2019 SEA Games and the women’s team targeting a podium finish.

The National Team Commission headed by Tonyboy Liao and National Coaches Commission under Jerry Yee made the recommendation to the PNVF board on the composition of the national coaching staff.

Mr. Mamon has more than two decades of coaching experience in various local leagues. He was coach of the women’s team, which won bronze in the 2001 SEA Games and part of the coaching staff for the 2003 edition of the biennial sporting meet.

“It’s a call to duty for the national colors and you can’t decline once the country asks for your service,” said Mr. Mamon, who will be assisted by Grace Antigua and former Ateneo de Manila University coach Tai Bundit of Thailand.

Mr. Alinsunurin, meanwhile, steered the men’s team to a spirited silver medal finish in the 2019 SEA Games held here.

He admitted that challenges lay ahead for them amid the pandemic, but vowed to do everything they can to have the best possible team represent the country.

“Everybody is affected by the pandemic, but we are hoping to maintain our finish in the last SEA Games. We have to work really, really hard if we want to win a gold medal,” said Mr. Alinsunurin, who will have Ariel dela Cruz and Sherwin Meneses as assistants. — MASM

LaMarcus Aldridge, San Antonio Spurs agree to part ways — Popovich

LAMARCUS Aldridge and the San Antonio Spurs have agreed to part ways, with the announcement coming from Spurs’ coach Gregg Popovich in his pregame media availability prior to Wednesday’s game against the Mavericks in Dallas.

Aldridge, a seven-time All-Star in his sixth season with San Antonio, has missed eight of the Spurs’ past 11 games with a hip injury and then a stomach ailment. The 35-year-old center/forward is in his 15th NBA season, with the first nine in Portland.

Aldridge is still on the Spurs roster. The team said it will use the next two weeks leading up to the March 25 trade deadline to allow Aldridge to “work on some opportunities elsewhere,” according to Popovich. He is in the final year of a contract with a $24-million annual salary.

“We just think this is a win-win for both LaMarcus and the club,” Popovich said. “When an opportunity arises, that’ll be up to management, his agent and that sort of thing, and we’ll all move forward. — Reuters

Tertiary sports development center of PSC-CHEd partnership

WITH the common vision of growing sports development at the tertiary level in the country, the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) and Commission on Higher Education (CHEd) recently forged a partnership to collaborate on various programs.

The memorandum of agreement (MOA) on the development of tertiary sports was made formal in a signing ceremony held on Wednesday at the CHEd Auditorium in Diliman, Quezon City, with officials of both agencies expressing hope that it will be the start of more productive efforts between the groups moving forward.

“I am so happy for this new forged partnership with CHEd. They have been a brother to the PSC because as a small agency, we cannot be effective and succeed without the help of other agencies,” said PSC Chairman William Ramirez during the signing ceremony.

“This gives us the missing link in providing a professional development in continuous sports education…” he added.

Among the objectives of the MOA is to maximize the engagement and collaboration of both parties in the formulation of a unified tertiary school sports development program to ensure that the Higher Education Institution’s Sports Development Plans are aligned with the national agenda and of the highest international standards.

PSC and CHEd also commit to work hand in hand in providing training for student-athletes, coaches and sports officials on Higher Education through Professional Development and continuing education to ensure that the highest coaching and training skills will be provided to tertiary athletes as the country strives to produce elite athletes for world-class performances.

In addition, the ongoing National Sports Coaching Certification Course will now fall under this partnership, effectively institutionalizing this continuing education initiative of the PSC.

For CHEd Chairman J. Prospero de Vera III, the partnership is a welcome development considering how it will allow both parties to effectively collaborate on various programs, which proved to be tricky in the past, he admitted, as the agencies had their own procedures on going about things.

“We welcome this memorandum of agreement as it will allow us to join forces with the PSC in joint projects that we can initiate. We commit the support of CHEd in all the undertakings on higher education sports development and wellness,” said Mr. De Vera.

Also present at the MOA signing ceremony were PSC Commissioner Celia Kiram, and Chief of Staff and PSI National Training Director Marc Velasco. For the CHEd side were CHEd Office of the Executive Director OIC Atty. Ryan Estevez and Office of the Deputy Executive Director OIC Atty. Lily Milla.

The PSC said the MOA will be discussed in the ongoing National Sports Summit 2021. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo

1...6,9486,9496,950...12,814Page 6,949 of 12,814
© 2024 BusinessWorld Publishing.
All rights reserved.
Read our privacy guidelines
Facebook Instagram Linkedin Twitter Youtube