P1-B fresh fund set for EU, Germany-supported Mindanao peace, economic program

November 7, 2021 | 7:47 pm

Vegetable-farmer-Northern-Mindanao-BW-FILE — BW FILE PHOTO

A P1-billion peace program backed by the European Union (EU) and German government was launched last week, targeting to benefit marginalized sectors, including smallholder farmers and fisherfolk in Mindanao.

The four-year project, called SPADe or Strengthening the Implementation of Regional and Local Peace and Development Agendas in Mindanao, will support plans set out by the peace and economic councils across six regions.

“Special attention will be given to vulnerable and marginalized groups such as smallholder farmers and fisher folk, indigenous peoples, internally displaced people, women, and youth,” according to a statement released Friday by the European External Action Service, the EU’s diplomatic service.

EU Ambassador Luc Véron said the project “is consistent with our EU vision, which calls for an integrated approach to conflicts, supports state and societal resilience, addresses extreme poverty, inequality and chronic fragility.”

“Building on our past and current engagements… by investing in improved social cohesion and resilience of communities and by creating economic opportunities, we will contribute to peace,” Mr. Véron said during the launch ceremony.

SPADe is part of the Mindanao Peace and Development Programme (MinPAD RISE), intended to contribute to inclusive economic growth in the country’s southern area.

MinPAD RISE initially received a €35.5 grant, or about P2 billion, in June 2020.

The SPADe program will be implemented by the Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) and the Department of Interior and Local Government, with support from German development agency GIZ GmbH.

“Germany remains committed to contributing to the comprehensive efforts of the peace-building process in Mindanao by providing substantial funding and experts,” German Ambassador to the Philippines Anke Reiffenstuel said.

Undersecretary Janet M. Lopoz, executive director of MinDA which is also the implementing agency of MinPAD RISE, said it is important to complement “the different initiatives” relating to peace and economic development.

SPADe will focus on farm and fishery value chain development and investment promotion, strengthening cooperatives and small enterprises, promotion of good governance among local units, natural resources management, and empowerment of vulnerable groups.

“To reach its socio-economic objectives, the project will promote climate-smart agricultural value chains and improve the services of agricultural cooperatives to their members,” the statement said. — Marifi S. Jara

Iloilo town leaders told to hasten hiring of 1,092 medical personnel to boost vaccination

November 7, 2021 | 7:47 pm

Vaccinators-Iloilo-ILOILO-PICAO — ILOILO PICAO

THE ILOILO provincial government called on town leaders to hasten the hiring of more than 1,000 medical personnel who will augment the coronavirus vaccine rollout, with only 26% of the target population fully vaccinated as of Nov. 3.

An initial batch of new hires signed their contracts over the weekend, according to the provincial government.

Iloilo Gov. Arthur R. Defensor, Jr. signed an order in end-October for the contractual employment of 1,092 vaccinators, composed of 156 medical officers, 312 nurses, and 624 nursing attendants.

They will be paid by the provincial government but the 42 towns and one component city, Passi, are encouraged to hire among their residents for easier deployment.

“The hiring of medical staff to augment your vaccination teams(s) shall take effect immediately or until Dec. 31, 2021, after which we will evaluate if there is a need to extend their services,” reads the order signed on Oct. 29.

The daily rates are P2,627.50 for medical officers, P1,146.91 for nurses, and P600.64 for nursing attendants.

Department of Health (DoH) data as of Nov. 3 show the province had administered the first vaccine dose to 548,901 individuals or 38% of the target which is 70% of the 2.05 million population.

Those who are fully-vaccinated or have received two jabs stood at 374,462 or 26% of the target.

Aside from designated main inoculation sites, the provincial health office has also been implementing vaccination activities at the communities. The province also started the vaccination of minors aged 12-17 on Nov. 5.

The province is currently under an alert level 2, one of the most relaxed quarantine categories.

As of Nov. 6, DoH data show the province had 2,430 active coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases out of the 34,105 recorded since the start of the pandemic. There were 30,695 recoveries and 969 deaths.

Data for the province excludes the urban center Iloilo City, which is administered independently. — MSJ

Metro malls to have longer operating hours by mid-November

November 7, 2021 | 7:46 pm

Shoppingmall-SMMarikina-PHILSTAR-MIGUELDEGUZMAN — PHILIPPINE STAR/ MIGUEL DE GUZMAN

SHOPPING malls in the Philippine capital and nearby cities will be on a longer operating schedule starting mid-November, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) said.

The adjustment comes after Metro Manila mayors lifted the general curfew in the capital region last week along with the easing of the lockdown category to Alert Level 2.

Malls in Metro Manila will operate from 11:00 am to 11:00 pm beginning Nov. 15, MMDA said in an advisory release Saturday night.

Operations during weekends and holidays may start as early as 10 a.m., the metropolis’ development authority said separately in a Viber message.

Independent research group OCTA earlier said Metro Manila is now back to where it was before it struggled to contain a spike in infections spurred by the highly contagious Delta variant, which has been closely watched by health experts worldwide. — Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza

Philippines welcomes South Korea’s lifting of visa restrictions on foreign workers

November 7, 2021 | 7:46 pm

THE PHILIPPINE Labor department on Sunday welcomed South Korea’s decision to lift its visa restrictions on foreign workers under a so-called employment permit system (EPS).

In a news release, the Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) said the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration was already directed “to commence processing the deployment of workers to South Korea following the announced lifting of restrictions on the entry of foreign workers there.”

The decision is also “good news” to Korean employers who have been waiting for the return of Filipino workers, it said.

Citing South Korea’s labor ministry, DoLE said the entry of workers under EPS will be subject to pre-entry measures such as “full vaccination and negative PCR test results.”

They will also be required to undergo mandatory quarantine, it added.

“The Korean Embassy in the Philippines said that it is awaiting guidelines from the South Korean government on the issuance of E9 visas to Filipino EPS workers following the announcement” from South Korea’s Ministry of Employment and Labor, DoLE said.

Since 2004, the Philippines has been sending Filipino workers to Korea under a government-to-government cooperation agreement on EPS, the agency said.

“The deployment of workers was temporarily halted due to Republic of Korea’s entry restrictions since June 2020,” it explained. — Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza

House leader urges Malacañang to sign child marriage bill into law

November 7, 2021 | 7:46 pm

child-marriage-BANGSAMORO.GOV.PH — BANGSAMORO.GOV.PH

A HOUSE of Representatives leader has called on President Rodrigo R. Duterte to sign a bill that would prohibit child marriage in the Philippines.

House Deputy Speaker Bernadette Herrera-Dy, author and sponsor of the measure in the lower chamber, said that enacting the measure into law could be one of Mr. Duterte’s most important legacies.

“President Duterte could be instrumental in ending child marriage in the country by signing into law the proposed Act Prohibiting the Practice of Child Marriage, consistent with his administration’s resolve to effect meaningful change for Filipinos,” she said in a statement.

Under the measure, people who arrange a child marriage face penalties of up to 10 years in jail and a fine of at least P40,000. They also lose parental authority if the person is an ascendant, parent, adoptive parent, stepparent, or guardian of the child.

Those who officiate a child marriage face the same jail time, pay a fine of at least P50,000, and be disqualified from public office if the person works in government.

Those caught cohabiting with a child out of wedlock will also be jailed for 10 years, be fined at least P50,000, and will be disqualified from appointive or elective office.

The measure was ratified by Congress on Sept. 27.

Ms. Herrera-Dy said the enactment of the legislation into law is “urgently needed” as the Philippines ranked 12^th worldwide in terms of absolute numbers of child marriage, citing a 2017 report from the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). — Russell Louis C. Ku

Severino beats Cuban foe to lead world online chess championship

November 7, 2021 | 7:32 pm

white-chess-pieces-chess-board-king — FREEPIK

FIDE Master Sander Severino smashed Cuban Karla Marrero’s Nimzo-Indian Defense in 51 moves to lead two other Filipinos in the 47-player lead pack after two rounds of the online 4^th World Chess Championship on Saturday.

The 36-year-old Mr. Severino, last year’s world champion for the physically disabled, gained the positional edge right in the opening phase that he translated to a pawn advantage and eventually to his second straight win.

Fellow ASEAN and Asian Games veterans Jasper Rom and Rodolfo Sarmiento joined Severino in the lead group after trouncing Poland’s Zuzanna Lukasik and India’s Kumar Naveen, respectively.

Mr. Severino seeks to keep his grip of the lead as he was playing Morocco’s Jamal Messala in the third round at press time in this nine-round event that was joined by 249 participants from 40 nations.

Rom and Sarmiento were battling American Griffin McConnell and Argentinian Leonel Amato, respectively, in the third round.

Just half a point behind was Henry Lopez, who bounced back from an opening round draw with a 43-move victory over China’s Ming Wang of a Slav duel to improve to 1.5 points.

The only other Filipino entry, Darry Bernardo, absorbed his first setback to Malaysian Pin Xie Loo in 33 moves of a Caro-Kann to fall out of the share of the lead with just a point. — Joey Villar

Atlanta Braves celebrate World Series title at championship parade

November 7, 2021 | 7:30 pm

braves-parade — ATLANTA Braves players make their way through downtown Atlanta on a double decker bus during the World Series championship parade. — REUTERS

THREE days after winning the franchise’s first World Series title in 26 years, the Braves celebrated in and around downtown Atlanta on Friday.

According to police estimates, approximately 300,000 to 400,000 fans showed up to celebrate the Braves, who closed out the Houston Astros in six games on Tuesday night.

Several Braves players spoke to the energized crowd, with one of the popular topics being the importance of re-signing star first baseman Freddie Freeman, who will be a free agent this winter.

“It might get me in trouble, but re-sign Freddie,” said shortstop Dansby Swanson, a native of nearby Marietta, GA.

As for Freeman, a Braves stalwart for the last decade, he enjoyed every moment of the championship run.

“I’ve been asked a lot over the last few days, has it hit me yet?” Freeman said. “I kept saying, ‘No, I’m just numb.’ But today, it’s hit me. We’re world champions forever.”

Braves president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos, who tested positive for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) last week, watched the parade from a private suite at Truist Park before returning to quarantine at home with his family.

“That parade was the most incredible thing we’ve ever experienced,” Anthopoulos said, according to MLB.com. “We’re going to be world champions, every single one of us in this stadium, for the rest of our lives.”

The championship parade began at the spot where Braves legend Hank Aaron’s record-breaking 715^th career home run landed at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium in 1974.

Many in Atlanta believe that Aaron, who died earlier this year, was looking down on this year’s team. The Braves won 44 games before the All-Star break and 44 games after the All-Star break before winning it all during the 44^th week of the year. Aaron, of course, wore No. 44 during his legendary career.

His widow, Billye Aaron, spoke at Friday’s celebration.

“The chickens have come home to roost this time,” she said. “The spirit of Hank Aaron pervades this space. He is here with us. He loves the Atlanta Braves and I am so very, very happy to see these young men who have picked up the mantle and who have carried it on.” — Reuters

NBL: Bulacan books twice-to-beat advantage in QF

November 7, 2021 | 7:29 pm

Earnest-Efren-Reyes,-Bulacan — EARNEST Efren Reyes of Bulacan attempting a shot.

THE Bulacan Damayang Filipino Republicans clinched a twice-to-beat advantage in the quarterfinals (QF) after defeating the Laguna Pistons in overtime, 117-108, last Saturday in the Chooks-to-Go National Basketball League (NBL) Chairman’s Cup 2021 at the Bren Z. Guiao Convention Center in San Fernando, Pampanga.

Earnest Efren Reyes scored 28 points, grabbed 11 rebounds, and converted a running jumper to send the game into overtime before the Republicans outscored the Pistons, 17-8, in the extra period.

The Republicans rose to 7-3 and, due to the Taguig Generals’ loss to Pampanga Delta, 108-88, in the second game, grabbed one of the twice-to-beat incentive in the quarterfinals that goes to third and fourth ranked teams at the end of the elimination round.

Ryan Operio also played big plays in overtime after finished with 20 points and Joshua Moralejo had 13 points in the Bulacan victory.

The Pistons finished the elimination round with a 4-6 record despite a gallant stand where they came back from 19 points down to grab a 100-98 lead late in regulation. But even without a time out and with 3.8 seconds to work with, Mr. Reyes scored the jumper that extended the game to overtime.

CJ Gania had 16 points, seven rebounds and shot 4-of-8 from threes in the Delta’s 20-point victory over the Generals.

Pampanga cemented the No. 1 position with a 9-1 record and secured one of the two automatic semifinal berth. Taguig goes to 6-4 and in danger of missing the twice-to-beat advantage in the quarterfinals.

Dončić’s 3-pointer as time expires sinks Celtics

November 7, 2021 | 7:29 pm

LUKA Dončić made the game-winning 3-pointer as time expired and had a game-high 33 points to help the Dallas Mavericks hold off the visiting Boston Celtics, 107-104 on Saturday night.

Dončić dribbled the length of the court before heaving up a fadeaway trey from the corner in triple coverage to win it.

Kristaps Porziņģis added 21 points and seven rebounds in his return after missing the last five games with lower back tightness. Reggie Bullock and Jalen Brunson added 13 points apiece for Dallas, which earned its sixth win in nine games this season. Dončić added nine rebounds and five assists.

Jayson Tatum had 32 points and 11 rebounds to pace the Celtics. Dennis Schröder finished with 20 points and six assists, Robert Williams chipped in 16 points with eight rebounds, and Al Horford scored 14 for Boston.

Boston was without All-Star forward Jaylen Brown, who left the team’s win at Miami on Thursday due to right hamstring tightness.

The loss snapped a two-game winning streak for the Celtics. Dallas was up 57-40 at half time after leading by as many as 19 in the first half. — Reuters

Neymar double lifts PSG to 3-2 win at Bordeaux

November 7, 2021 | 7:28 pm

BORDEAUX, France — Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) stretched their advantage at the top of Ligue 1 to 10 points after two goals by Brazil forward Neymar and another from Kylian Mbappé helped them to a 3-2 win at Girondins Bordeaux on Saturday.

PSG, who carved out a 3-0 lead before late goals by Bordeaux set up a tense finish, have 34 points from 13 games, ahead of second-placed Lens who beat Troyes 4-0 at home on Friday. Bordeaux stayed 16^th on 12 points.

Neymar struck twice in the first half thanks to a pair of sublime assists by France World Cup winner Mbappé, having opened the scoring in the 26^th minute with a neat shot past two defenders inside the near post.

Neymar muted his celebrations and took off his jersey to unveil a message on his shirt paying tribute to Brazilian country singer Marilia Mendonca, who was killed in a plane crash in the state of Minas Gerais on Friday.

The second goal was of superior quality as Neymar raced down the left and exchanged a one-two with Mbappé, who set up the Brazilian with a cheeky back-heel for a clinical finish into the bottom corner.

Mbappé made it 3-0 with a simple goal as Georginio Wijnaldum beat the offside trap and squared the ball to the forward who rolled it into an empty net in the 63^rd minute, with Bordeaux goalkeeper Benoit Costil stranded.

The home side pulled one back in the 79^th minute as striker Alberth Elis held off his marker and beat visiting keeper Kaylor Navas from close range and PSG were forced to hang on after M’Baye Niang netted in stoppage time.

Mbappé acknowledged that an expensively assembled PSG outfit, who were missing Lionel Messi due to a niggling knee injury, were still a work in progress but rebuffed criticism that they are failing to live up to expectations.

“Everyone has the right to an opinion, some people think we are playing badly but I think we are just not playing very well at the moment,” he said.

“We need to improve and we will continue to work hard. Today, we showed our quality as we had spells where we played at a very high level.

“The goals we conceded were avoidable, but in the end we felt comfortable. We try to improve every day and we hope that we will get better and better.” — Reuters

Kamaru Usman defends title over Colby Covington at UFC 268

November 7, 2021 | 7:28 pm

THROUGH two rounds, the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) 268 main event rematch between welterweight champion Kamaru Usman and Colby Covington seemed ill-conceived.

Usman (20-1), of Denver by way of Nigeria, won their first fight nearly two years ago at UFC 245. And he nearly finished this bout at New York’s Madison Square Garden when he dropped Covington (16-3) twice in the closing seconds of the second round.

Covington, though, showed tremendous tenacity by rallying in Rounds 3 and 4 with crisp striking, putting the fight’s result in question.

That’s when Usman showed championship mettle. He clamped down in Round 5 with crisp striking and a little more in the gas tank, and held on for a unanimous decision in the title bout.

The judges scores were 48-47, 48-47 and 49-46 for the champ.

“I know there’s a lot of trash talk and there’s a lot of bad blood here, and there’s probably still gonna be some after tonight, but this guy is tough as (expletive),” said Usman, who successfully defended his belt for the fifth time.

THUG ROSE
The evening’s co-feature bout was a rematch of a strawweight title bout from seven months ago.

And once again, Colorado’s Rose Namajunas defeated China’s Zhang Weili. But unlike the last time, when Namajunas (12-4) defeated Weili (21-3) with a flash knockout early in the first round to claim the 115-pound belt, this match was a five-round battle of attrition.

Weili clearly won the first round with a takedown and extended control time, and Namajunas did the same with the fifth and final round in a similar manner.

The middle three rounds were all coin flips, with both fighters having moments in tense kickboxing and grappling exchanges. In the end, Namajunas got enough nods from the judges in those rounds to retain her championship.

She earned a split decision on scores of 47-48, 48-47 and 49-46 for her fifth straight win.

“I was pretty confident in the end that I won it,” Namajunas said. “The first couple rounds were pretty close. I wasn’t even too worried about the result, just doing my best.” — Reuters

Westbrook experiment a failure

November 7, 2021 | 7:27 pm

The Lakers are just 10 games into their 2021-22 campaign, but, already, not a few quarters have seen fit to declare the Russell Westbrook experiment a failure. It isn’t simply that he remains inefficient; that was a given even for the most optimistic supporters of the purple and gold. It’s that he appears to be utterly unable to make the right decisions in the crunch. The “Westbrook needs to be Westbrook in order to succeed” argument will go only so far when the losses keep piling up.

At this point, there can be no turning back the clock and wondering why the Lakers saw fit to overhaul its roster and roll the dice on the National Basketball Association’s most polarizing player. True, he has a sterling résumé; he’s a nine-time All-Star with a Most Valuable Player award to boot. On the other hand, he competes with blinders on; his gaudy stats have come largely with the offense bending to his will — by hook or by crook, for better or for worse.

It’s possible that, with a few favorable bounces here and there, the Lakers will have been owners of a better slate that takes the pressure off their offseason reboot. There’s a reason Lady Luck hasn’t smiled on them, however; the best teams make and carve fortunes, and, try as the pride of La-La Land may, the ones they do have them either stepping back or running in place. And because Westbrook is the new marquee name, the onus is most definitely on him to deliver on his promise — or at least try by adapting.

Perhaps Westbrook will be properly chastened by resident foundations LeBron James and Anthony Davis. For all his supposed strengths, he’s third — maybe even fourth given the outstanding effort of sixth man Carmelo Antthony — in the pecking order. He can no longer act as if he’s first among equals, the way he has to disastrous results.

If there’s one thing the Lakers have going for them, it’s that they have James to count on. The league’s greatest problem solver (arguably in history) should be able to figure things out by the time the matches really count. The flipside is that he has to be on the court to orchestrate the requisite adjustments — an iffy proposition given his spotty injury record of late. Which leads all and sundry to wonder if their aim to reach the stars ultimately won’t get lift off due to self-imposed obstacles too difficult to surmount.

Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994. He is a consultant on strategic planning, operations and Human Resources management, corporate communications, and business development.