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Adiwang featured at ONE Championship’s first offering this year

ONE Championship opens its 2021 season on Jan. 22 with “ONE: Unbreakable” which has Filipino mixed martial artist Lito “Thunder Kid” Adiwang among the featured fighters.

Happening as the Singapore Indoor Stadium, Unbreakable is a six-fight offering from ONE, which the promotion hopes will set the pace for it as it tries to rebound from a coronavirus pandemic-disrupted 2020.

The Philippines will be represented in the event, with Team Lakay’s Adiwang (11-3) going up against Hexigetu of China in a three-round strawweight joust.

Mr. Adiwang is looking to bounce back from a narrow split decision loss to Japan’s Koha “Hiroba” Minowa last November.

The loss stopped for the Filipino strawweight a seven-fight winning streak in MMA — two in the main roster of ONE — and something Mr. Adiwang wants to stop in his upcoming fight.

“Nothing has changed in my mindset. The goal remains the same for me. I’m climbing to the top. If anything, I just got more motivated and driven. I want to prove myself in this next fight, and to do that, I have to be at my best,” said Mr. Adiwang, a product of the ONE Warrior Series, in a release.

“Expect a better, stronger, and wiser Thunder Kid next time. Definitely, surviving and learning from all the challenges and setbacks that came my way has made me a better person, a better fighter.”

Added motivation for Mr. Adiwang to do well in his Circle return is to honor the memory of his late mother, who he lost last month.

“There is nothing a mother wants more than to see her child happy and successful. I know my mother loved me so much, and she just really didn’t want me to get hurt, which is why she didn’t fully accept me being a fighter with her whole heart,” he said.

“But I chose this career, and I believe she was happy to see me succeed in what I love to do. I know in my heart she is proud of me, and I will continue to live my life in her honor.”

Mr. Adiwang’s opponent, Hexigetu (7-3), meanwhile, is on a roll, winning his last three fights, the most recent of which a split decision conquest of Thailand’s Dejdamrong Sor Amnuaysirichoke last October.

ONE: Unbreakable is headlined by the ONE bantamweight kickboxing world championship clash between reigning champion Alaverdi Ramazanov of Russia and challenger Capitan Petchyindee Academy of Thailand.

Co-headliner is the lightweight battle between former champion Shinya Aoki of Japan and American James Nakashima.

Also on tap is Serbian heavyweight kickboxer Rade Opacic against Swiss Patrick Schmid; welterweight Zebaztian Kadestam of Sweden versus Gadzhimurad Abdulaev of Russia; and atomweights Meng Bo of China and Samara Santos of Brazil.

In the Philippines, Cignal TV and TV5 are the broadcast homes of ONE Championship. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo

Nets handle Knicks, with short roster following Harden trade

NO James Harden, at least for one more game? No Kyrie Irving, for who knows how long? It was no problem on Wednesday night for the Brooklyn Nets.

Kevin Durant scored 26 points to lead seven players in double figures for the rapidly retooling Nets, who capped a wild day with a 116-109 win over the host New York Knicks.

Everyone in uniform except DeAndre Jordan and Chris Chiozza scored at least 10 points for the Nets hours after the team reportedly agreed to acquire Harden from the Houston Rockets in a blockbuster four-team trade.

The trade brings together the only active players to win three consecutive scoring titles. Harden is the NBA’s reigning scoring champ (2017-20), while Durant led the league in points per game from 2009-10 through 2011-12, and added a fourth scoring title in 2013-14.

With Irving’s availability uncertain, the deal also buys the Nets some “superteam” insurance. Irving missed his fifth straight game due to personal reasons and is expected to sit out at least the rest of the week.

Bruce Brown had 15 points and 14 rebounds for the Nets while Joe Harris scored 15 points. Timothé Luwawu-Cabarrot, and Landry Shamet each had 13 points, and Jeff Green and Reggie Perry added 11 points apiece.

Julius Randle scored 30 points for the Knicks, who have lost four straight. RJ Barrett had 20 points while Mitchell Robinson (10 points, 12 rebounds) recorded a double-double. Immanuel Quickley (19 points) and Kevin Knox II (13 points) each got into double-digits off the bench.

Randle scored 10 points in the first nine minutes as the Knicks took a 20-13 lead. The Nets ended the first quarter on a 13-5 run and went ahead for good on Perry’s putback 37 seconds into the second period.

The Nets ended the half on a 9-0 run to extend their lead to 61-45. Brooklyn led by as many as 19 in the second half and maintained a double-digit advantage until the Knicks ended the game on a 14-3 run. — Reuters

21-assets deal

James Harden finally got what he wanted. Within a day after publicly declaring he was in a “situation… that I don’t think can be fixed,” he wound up being shipped to the Nets as part of a four-franchise deal involving a stunning 21 assets. It was what he wanted, of course, and he made his sentiments felt way back in a tumultuous offseason that saw erstwhile backcourt partner Russell Westbrook leave in frustration. Since then, he had been on a scorched-earth offensive; he partied instead of practiced, breached health and safety protocols, showed up thoroughly out of shape, sulked his way to poor performances, and alienated teammates with his polarizing words and actions.

Indeed, the Rockets had no choice but to send Harden packing, pronto. His rant the other day, after a second straight blowout against the powerhouse Lakers, proved to be the last straw. Prior to things coming to a head, general manager Rafael Stone pledged to play the waiting game, keeping lines with league counterparts open while waiting for a fair trade. As things turned out, however, he proved so desperate to leave as to keep any semblance of respect and respectability in and to the process. Ask four-time All-Star DeMarcus Cousins, who knows what recalcitrance looks like from personal experience, and who thus found cause to rip him to shreds in reaction.

And so Harden will now go through the remainder of the 2020-21 season with the Nets, who, in giving up their future for him, evidently did not learn from their Kevin Garnett-Paul Pierce experience. The more optimistic view holds that, unlike the aforementioned Celtics greats, he’s in his prime and, therefore, in far better position to justify the ransom paid for him. Only time will tell; while the sight of three otherworldly scorers sharing the court together does elicit visions of shotmaking wizardry, there’s only one ball and, aside from them, two other players sharing it that cannot simply be throw-ins.

In any case, the payoff deals a significant blow to Harden’s reputation with the Rockets, not to mention the National Basketball Association. The numbers don’t lie; his contributions since he arrived in 2012 had been nothing short of historic. At the same time, he leaves behind a legacy of failed relationships and disappearing acts under pressure. “I love this city,” he said of Houston in the midst of his rants the other day. “I literally have done everything that I can.” And he’s right. He has done everything, including throwing the proverbial kitchen sink back to where he once belonged.

 

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.

Fitch and Moody’s: Qualified Rating Actions

It’s most interesting juxtaposition between the varied accounts and perspectives on the pandemic and the Authorities’ optimistic view of the Philippine economy this year and the next. We saw this in the last few days splashed all over the broadsheets, with both citing factual basis but pointing perhaps to some qualified conclusion.

Are we looking at a classic example of clustering illusion?

Last Tuesday, Jan. 12, the broadsheets reported that Fitch affirmed the Philippines’ long-term foreign currency issuer default rating at triple B with a stable outlook. A country with a triple B rating in Fitch methodology is of “good credit quality.” It indicates “that expectations of default risk are currently low.” As such, the Philippines is considered to have the capacity to pay for its financial obligations. Given our painful experience with the pandemic, this is great for the Philippines.

Cited as main bases for this rating action were the country’s modest government debt levels and still strong growth prospects amid the coronavirus crisis. Expectedly, Fitch recognized that the impact of the pandemic on growth was more significant than their initial projection. The infection rate was higher and public health policy response was deemed broadly inadequate.

As a debt watcher, Fitch was correct to raise the potential risk of a delay in vaccine procurement and administration especially in the face of expected surge in transmission following the holiday season and the mass gathering in Quiapo. The most recent detection here of the UK variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus should add greater urgency to stronger public health policy. Other factors could pull down the growth prospects including the presidential elections in May 2022 and the Supreme Court ruling mandating the National Government (NG) to pay up arrears and increase revenue allotments to local government units.

Policy-wise, the fiscal authorities affirmed their commitment to prudent fiscal and debt management to help revive the economy. The point, to them, is to restore both business and consumer confidence.

This is a welcome affirmation because, as Fitch stressed, weaker growth translates into lower public revenues and weaker capacity to undertake public infrastructure programs and sustain anti-pandemic measures. Public spending is compensatory to anemic consumption expenditure and decline in net income from abroad.

The central bank, on the other hand, focused on its early response to the pandemic in order to “signal to the market that we were ready to act swiftly and decisively to buoy market confidence, as well as to ensure sufficient liquidity and efficient functioning of the financial system.”

Fitch observed, however, that the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) today has limited monetary space because the key policy rate is now below the 2.6% average inflation in 2020 and forecasts for inflation for both 2021 and 2022. The BSP was correct in acting promptly but may have to rethink its ultra-easy monetary policy. Growth in bank loans remains lethargic.

We see the same narrative of Moody’s as reported by the broadsheets the following day, Wednesday, Jan. 13. If Fitch was quite optimistic about its growth expectation for 2020 at minus 8.5%, the lower end of the NG’s minus 8.5-9.5% forecast, Moody’s was less optimistic at minus 8.7%. But Moody’s 2021 growth projection was right at the midpoint of the Development Budget Coordination Committee’s (DBCC) 6.5-7.5% growth prospects for this year compared with Fitch’s 6.9%.

But there is an identical qualifier. “Continuing pandemic-related constraints inhibit a complete recovery to 2019 output levels in 2021, despite our projection of relatively rapid real GDP growth.”

I share the view of both debt watchers that the key to economic bounce back in the Philippines and the rest of the Asia Pacific region is policy effectiveness against the pandemic. Without safeguards, opening the economy and encouraging people to go out and spend are just plain irresponsible.

What is the scenario out there?

Vaccination of the population will take time to cover a critical mass of both the population and the regional areas. Final talks are yet to be closed by the NG with vaccine makers such that the rollout is expected to happen in February. Against our population of more than 108 million, only 40 million doses will be available by then.

In fact, some members of the Philippine Senate are sceptical about the ability of the NG to fulfill its target of ordering 148 million doses of the coronavirus vaccines by year-end. The basis of minority leader Senator Frank Drilon, for instance, is that up until today, no emergency use authorization to any vaccine of any brand has been issued. On top of that, only part of the money to buy the vaccines is available. Administering the vaccines is another problem because of the people’s hesitancy to get the jab.

If local governments units (LGUs) and private corporations remain outside the perimeter of authorized parties to source the vaccines, it would be an enormous challenge to achieve herd immunity and restore business and consumer confidence. If the tripartite partnership among the NG, the LGUs/private corporations, and pharmaceutical companies can be streamlined by some protocols, and devolved, the faster we shall be able to overcome these issues.

The numbers have it. Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles recently announced that the Government has allocated P75 billion for the purchase of the vaccines. That would be good for around 57 million Filipinos. An additional 13 million, or a total of 70 million Filipinos, will get the vaccines if the sourcing by LGUs and private companies is factored in.

But what about the rest of us?

It would help us all if the Government at this point makes its vaccination policy — from sourcing to distribution — transparent. Access should be defined in an inclusive way. By all means, the Government should also define whether getting the jab is free or at cost. This is very critical to avoid confusion, perhaps riots, and discourage the emergence of a parallel market in vaccines. We cannot tolerate undue enrichment of some because of regulatory capture.

We have no time to lose. We are now behind some 42 countries that have started to vaccinate their citizens. The World Health Organization disclosed that of these early birds, 36 are high-income and the rest are middle-income countries. The UK with Pfizer was the first, with some boosters from its own AstraZeneca-Oxford University vaccine and Moderna. The European Union has also announced it has more than enough for its population. We used to deride the US for its infamous contribution to the rapid spread of the virus but mass vaccination is now in progress. The US was rather proactive in advancing billions of dollars to both Pfizer and Moderna while their vaccines were still being developed.

Looking ahead, what do we see?

From the BSP’s vantage point, “the worst is behind us. The recovery phase has begun.” This broadsheet actually supplied it with the eye-catching headline “remarkable rebound seen this year.” The BSP predicted a “solid” growth in the December quarter and “double-digit” growth in the second quarter of 2021. Policy-wise, the nation was assured that “the current policy is sufficient to carry us through” after the Philippines experienced its worst recession in many years.

This is not the first time we are hearing this optimistic commentary. An equally sanguine assessment of the “green shoots” in the third quarter was also made but the recession remained in double-digit territory. Unfortunately for us, many lagging and leading indicators have actually worsened since then.

The last easing by the BSP says it all. Despite the negative real policy rate, easing was continued because there must have been some fear the economy might fail to ascend from the recession.

And today, inflation rates here and abroad are rising. If growth perks up, and this is the pronouncement, domestic demand will begin to expand. No less than the Department of Finance flagged inflation risks from higher prices of food particularly vegetables and meat. Crude oil prices will not help because they are rising and are now exceeding $55 per barrel with output cuts by the Saudi-led OPEC and its allies.

Interest rates and money supply are definitely not the only games in town.

Like Fitch and Moody’s, I also see good prospects in our growth story. But I also see risks should we foul up our pandemic mitigation. Our people ought to know the limits of our exuberant optimism. Without vaccination reaching critical mass, our people might have to spend more time in lockdown, no country might admit them for work. Tourists would be discouraged to come. These images are repugnant to economic recovery.

But some of us might be seeing different shapes in the clouds, or “Face on Mars” instead of just mere rock formations.

Rolf Dobelli in The Art of Thinking Clearly argues that our brains do seek patterns and rules but seeing none, they could simply make some. This is a clustering illusion. We might therefore be seeing the economy’s impressive record of the last 20 years and projecting them into the next few years. The virus will not allow that if we fail to subdue it with massive vaccination.

 

Diwa C. Guinigundo is the former Deputy Governor for the Monetary and Economics Sector, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP). He served the BSP for 41 years. In 2001-2003, he was Alternate Executive Director at the International Monetary Fund in Washington, DC. He is the senior pastor of the Fullness of Christ International Ministries in Mandaluyong.

Trump’s triumph

With only a little exaggeration did some analysts call it an insurrection — an attempt to overthrow the US government.

Incited by Donald Trump to prevent the official declaration of Joseph Biden as the 46th President of the United States, several hundreds of his supporters stormed and occupied the US Congress on Washington DC’s Capitol Hill on Jan. 6 (Jan. 7 in the Philippines). Five people died in the process.

Trump, said White House insiders, was “delighted.” But the rioters failed to stop the counting of the Electoral College votes during the Nov. 3, 2020 presidential elections. After several hours’ delay, the US Congress declared Biden the duly elected President of the United States and his running mate Kamala Harris Vice-President.

Trump may not have won a second four-year term. But as the number of the participants and their willingness to risk life and limb in the Jan. 6 riot showed, he has succeeded in making racism and fascism part of mainstream US politics.

The indicators of Trump’s bigotry and authoritarian impulses were many and varied. His anti-immigrant policies separated families and consigned hundreds of children to cages in concentration camps. To stop protests against the killing of unarmed African Americans by the police, he deployed federal agents to spy on their leaders. He supported the police’s habitual use of lethal force against people of color, while defending the violence of white supremacist groups against peaceful protesters. But instead of being widely condemned, his racism and fascism gained substantial support from the misinformed millions in American society.

Trump’s followers, who include police and retired military personnel, are likely to be continuing threats to the US and to accelerate its decline. Even if he or any of his accomplices fail to regain control of the Executive branch of the government, his policies during the past four years and his incitement to violence can set off periods of unrest, conflict and even widespread civil disturbances. There are in fact fears that his thugs are planning armed uprisings in Washington DC and in various state capitals to prevent Biden’s inauguration on Jan. 20.

Trump has threatened to run again in 2024, and vowed that his losing the 2020 elections will not stop his MAGA (shorthand for “Make America Great Again”) campaign. Although at the age of 74 he claims to be in perfect health, time could still catch up with him before then. But even if that happens, what some analysts are already referring to as “Trumpism” will quite probably outlive him.

Racism and intolerance were previously thought to be mere aberrations and the remnants of a long-gone past to which only a minuscule segment of the US population still subscribe. But they were the vast reservoirs of hate among the white, non-college graduate workers’ sector from which Trump gained much of his support in 2016. Although that base has shrunk somewhat, he still has several neo-Nazi groups, Christian fundamentalists, and, oddly enough, even people of color (among them, though quite predictably, Americans of Filipino extraction) and women behind him and the demented politics that he stands for.

As a consequence, Biden’s pledge to immediately put in place measures to halt the spread of COVID-19 (which as of this week had infected 22 million Americans and killed over 370,000), and to repair the damage Trump’s four years in the White House did to the US both domestically and internationally will be resisted by the latter’s still substantial political base. Even without Trump, but nevertheless inspired by him, they can usher in a period of political instability that will outlast Biden’s term. The US will neither be the same nor great again.

The closest Philippine counterpart of Trumpism is Marcosismo. Marcosismo is not just about the Marcoses. Marcosismo without Marcos is the lethal contagion resident in the Philippine political elite and, unfortunately, among many Filipinos as well. It has survived two “People Power” mutinies and five post-Marcos regimes. Its current version has enshrined violence and intimidation as the first and last methods of governance. It has also made corruption, self-aggrandizement, and indifference to human lives and the people’s welfare its first priorities.

As in the case of Trumpism, support for Marcosismo is based on the murderous ignorance disinformation generates and the willful indifference to factual evidence, in this instance among millions of Filipinos. In the Philippines as in the US, disinformation is a crucial factor in the persistence and acceptability of fascist rule. In addition, the Trump anomaly has also provided the local equivalent of his followers the argument that if strongman rule, which had hitherto been thought possible only in banana republics and such Third World, pre-Enlightenment countries as the Philippines, is after all good enough for Americans, it should be even better for Filipinos. Thus the argument that democracy, which is yet to be realized in the Philippines, has failed to eradicate or even reduce poverty, and that a dictatorship along the lines of the Ferdinand Marcos kleptocracy would make possible the changes that have eluded Filipinos for over a century. The consequence is widespread support for supposedly strong, but actually no more than despotic and shamelessly incompetent government.

The Trumpist phenomenon has again demonstrated how strong is US cultural and ideological influence on the people of the Philippines. This is evident in the surprise, even among some supposedly well-informed Filipinos such as journalists and media practitioners, over the rioting in Washington DC on Jan. 6. Many described it as uncharacteristic of the “show window of democracy,” and as un-American. Apparently they were assuming that unlike their own country — and as Americans never tire of claiming — the US is the paragon of reasoned, democratic discourse, of fairness, universal justice, and respect for the rights of everyone regardless of race, creed, color or political belief. It is an illusion mostly induced by the movies, television programs, music, books, news reports, and other products of the billion dollar, mostly US-based culture industry to which hundreds of millions of people all over the world are exposed daily.

Most Filipinos are as a consequence completely unaware of how much of a myth is the image of the US, its citizens and its institutions as the embodiments of civic, political, economic, social and human perfection. As the Trump phenomenon has demonstrated, there are huge pockets of bigotry, inequality, gender and racial discrimination, and partiality for violence in American society that are just waiting to be tapped by the next demagogue who wants to advance his or her personal, familial, and class interests over those of the rest of the country.

The same disciples of ignorance, intolerance, and the worship of the use of force lurk as well among the populace of the Philippines. And those sectors are not only threatening to overwhelm the relatively few adherents of reason, democratic choice, and reform. They are also flourishing in the form of the Marcosista ideology of dominance, repression and exploitation that lives on in what passes for the minds not only of the ruling oligarchy but also of its benighted followers.

Every Filipino opposed to the return of tyrannical rule should be alert to the possibility that should the 2022 election results not be to their liking, the Marcosistas and their ilk could replicate in these isles the Trumpist orgy of hate and violence that has plunged the US into one of the worst crises in its 245-year history.

 

Luis V. Teodoro is on Facebook and Twitter (@luisteodoro).

www.luisteodoro.com

Other-ness

The whole world has been rushing forward at a dizzying speed for decades. There was a mad rush to meet deadlines, to accomplish goals, to achieve. A year ago, the spinning suddenly slowed down due to extreme natural disasters and the pandemic. The frenetic movement forward shifted. It became a confusing downward spiral. Every day has been hazy, uncertain and anxiety-ridden. Confinement and a loss of activity stretched from weeks to months. And during the downtime, there is quiet time for reflection and evaluation.

No matter what the environment is, there are essential values that still matter. Kindness, courtesy, gratefulness, considerateness, compassion, and, for those in a position of power and means — noblesse oblige. One observes that some of these traits are sadly missing among the younger generation. The “I, me, myself” attitude of entitlement prevails in pockets of society. Thinking about others seems to have been forgotten or discarded. Courtesy and thoughtfulness belonged to the bygone era of gentility.

During the pre-pandemic times, some bratty sons and pampered daughters of affluent families mistakenly thought that the world was at their feet and that their good fortune was meant only for their personal enjoyment. Others believed that they could flaunt their new wealth, recently acquired by instant success, power, fame. One could see the acquisitions, toys, and frivolity in social media. This was not “PC” (politically correct) and it can never be cool.

In the context of the lingering crisis, it would be totally insensitive and crass. Despite the current depressed mood, some characters still manage to surface from the blues to make and to poke fun. It is fine to have some enjoyment but one need not overemphasize it. A touch of discretion is part of being considerate to others — especially to those who are not doing well and have lost their income.

Mark Twain once wrote, “Good breeding consists in concealing how much we think of ourselves and little we think of the other person.”

Some formerly obscure individuals who suddenly attained a degree of success and prominence began to act pompous. They lacked good manners and they strutted around, acting condescending towards others. In their self-serving inflated opinion, these snobs considered anybody who was relatively low key, less popular, and less affluent — beneath them. This attitude and manner was seen in how they treated the employees and service staff.

On the lighter side, it is heartwarming to see a few young gentlemen still acting as gallant escorts — opening doors and pulling chairs for ladies — their grandmothers and girlfriends. They are well-mannered, courteous members of the “old school.” They have been raised well by their parents. Alas, the genteel era of courtliness seems to have vanished in the past century.

On another level, guts is a quality the people equate with courage and confuse with toughness. To define it, Dorothy Parker asked the celebrated author Ernest Hemingway what he meant by “guts.” The writer replied, “Grace under pressure.”

We see this trait among good leaders, exceptional men and women who can carry on and forge ahead during a crisis. They are resilient, strong, persevering — despite the odds. They always think of what is good for others, and not just their own personal interests. They are tough but not rough.

Gaston Pierre Marc, Duc de Levis (1764-1830) came up with the idea “noblesse oblige.” Nobility obliges. “Those of high rank must be noble, gallant and responsible.” He wrote in Maxims and Reflections: “When one comes from an illustrious family, one must teach his children that, if the public is willing to honor in them the merit of their parents, he expects to find traces in their descendants: nobility obliges.”

In this cyber age, the self-centered, impatient, abrupt super-achiever counts speed, convenience and efficiency. Everything — goals and deadlines — is crammed and compressed. Noblesse oblige is considered archaic. However, it is an essential quality of life. Kind words and thoughtful gestures are always valuable and appreciated.

In the context of the current distressed and critical situation, life has been very difficult. However, big corporations are helping the economy by donating essential goods and medicines, by reducing rent, sponsoring scholarship grants, and by working with the underprivileged youth and children through special projects in community livelihood programs. Corporate social responsibility continues, albeit in a drastically reduced way due to the adverse business conditions. Cost cutting has affected the giving of grants in terms of quantity but not necessarily quality.

In medieval times and throughout the centuries, it had been an unwritten code among aristocrats and the rich benefactors to provide for their loyal subjects and workers.

This is the spirit of generosity and sharing that is the basis of “other-ness.”

The magnanimous tradition of helping the less fortunate is definitely relevant in today’s environment. It is a way of being grateful and sharing blessings.

 

Maria Victoria Rufino is an artist, writer and businesswoman. She is president and executive producer of Maverick Productions.

mavrufino@gmail.com

When media discriminates

Last weekend saw tech giants Twitter and Facebook, including, bizarrely, Spotify, banning US President Donald Trump from the use of their platforms. This was followed by bans imposed on certain conservative personalities or substantial reductions in their reach or followers.

Immediately thereafter, as if in tandem, Apple, Google, and Amazon banned Twitter rival Parler, under the ostensible reason it failed to come up with a “moderation” policy (i.e., the monitoring and regulation of views posted in its page).

But the point of Parler was precisely to abstain from the regulation of views. It is this — the allowing of conservatives to air their views — that made Parler a target. One sees this in its labeling by CNN as “right wing,” which is ridiculous because the identity and nature of Parler is rooted in its neutrality.

There is something reprehensible in seeing multinational social media companies abuse their wealth and dominance to decide what everybody else can read, write, view, or hear. An argument made by liberal progressives is to twist the conservative position on private property: since Facebook and Twitter are private companies, they should be free to do what they want. In short, let market forces rule. But this assertion lacks any real substance.

Unlike most private businesses, social media (particularly in the US) are allowed certain privileges unavailable to ordinary companies (e.g. Masterpiece Cakeshop, a bakery that liberal progressives keep forcing to make cakes depicting gay “marriage”). The most prominent of these privileges is the Communications Decency Act’s Section 230, which provides that: “No provider or user of an interactive computer service shall be treated as the publisher or speaker of any information provided by another information content provider.”

Thus, unlike news media for example, social media providers are immune from any liability for allowing the posting by various users of any views, video, audio, or document. The rationale, ironically, is to encourage greater freedom of expression and information. But if Twitter, Facebook and others discriminate in what they allow to be posted, they are essentially editorializing and hence abusing the protection given by S.230.

Furthermore, the scale, reach, and power of these social media companies is hardly similar to a mere private bakery such as Masterpiece Cakeshop. One can simply go to another baker or even make the cake yourself celebrating your particular ideology. This is not possible vis-a-vis social media companies, especially if they are acting in concert.

In the Philippines, the ability of media companies to commit discrimination is gratifyingly limited by law. In the first place, RA 10175 (Cybercrime Prevention Act) already punishes criminal online acts, hence minimizing the need for media companies to act unilaterally (and discriminatorily).

Furthermore, Article 32 of the Civil Code renders liable any “public officer or employee, or any private individual, who directly or indirectly obstructs, defeats, violates or in any manner impedes or impairs” freedom of religion, freedom of speech, and the right to equal protection of laws.

For any social or news media company that acts discriminately, there’s also RA 10667 (Philippine Competition Act): “Section 15. Abuse of Dominant Position. It shall be prohibited for one or more entities to abuse their dominant position by engaging in conduct that would substantially prevent, restrict or lessen competition: xxx (d) Setting prices or other terms or conditions that discriminate unreasonably between customers or sellers of the same goods or services, where such customers or sellers are contemporaneously trading on similar terms and conditions, where the effect may be to lessen competition substantially.”

For broadcast companies specifically, the terms of franchise normally include provisions encouraging the airing of varying views. For example, the law renewing GMA’s franchise (RA 10925) requires that: “The grantee shall… provide at all times sound and balanced programming; promote public participation; assist in the functions of public information and education; conform to the ethics of honest enterprise; promote audience sensibility and empowerment …”

Finally, to allow tech and media giants the ability to censor and discriminate is simply bad policy. A study finds that “policing within a single platform (such as Facebook) can make matters worse, and will eventually generate global ‘dark pools’ in which online hate will flourish. We observe the current hate network rapidly rewiring and self-repairing at the micro level when attacked, in a way that mimics the formation of covalent bonds in chemistry.” (“Hidden resilience and adaptive dynamics of the global online hate ecology.” N. F. Johnson , et al., published in Nature, August 2019)

In other words, “banning bad content is actually socially riskier over the long term for our entire culture.” That’s according to alternative social network Minds.com CEO Bill Ottman. In the end, he says, “freedom is the best policy.”

It’s also “the policy that results in the least harm.” (“Social Censorship: Should Social Media’s Policy Be Free Speech?,” Forbes, October 2020)

Indeed, anybody discriminating just to violate others’ inherent natural rights are really just twats.

 

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

How China is controlling the COVID origins narrative: silencing critics and locking up dissenters

Just over a year has gone by since the novel coronavirus first emerged in the Chinese city of Wuhan and the world still has many questions about where and how it originated.

The World Health Organization (WHO) is sending a team to China this week to investigate the origins of the virus—which has now claimed nearly two million lives globally—but one health expert warns expectations for the visit should be set “very low.”

The Chinese government has greatly restrained any attempts to investigate the origins of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)—both internally and by foreign experts—while at the same time advocating alternate theories that the pandemic originated elsewhere.

The top leadership sees control over this narrative as vital to its hold over the Chinese population and the boosting of its international reputation.

The stakes could not be higher because Beijing has presented the Communist Party’s strong, centralized rule as the key to the country’s success at controlling the pandemic and reviving its economy.

This has been contrasted with disastrous efforts to control the disease in the US under the Trump administration. The state-run Global Times has called the US a “living hell.”

Against this backdrop, Yanzhong Huang, a senior fellow with the Council on Foreign Relations, says the WHO investigation team will have to be politically savvy and draw conclusions that are acceptable to all the major parties.

Part of controlling the Communist Party narrative has entailed the detention of many citizen journalists who sounded the alarm about the virus in its early days, exposed the government’s attempts to cover it up, and criticized its early response to control it.

In late December, one of these independent journalists, Zhang Zhan, was sentenced to four years imprisonment for the crime of “picking quarrels and provoking trouble.”

A former lawyer, Ms. Zhang traveled to Wuhan in February to talk to people about how they were coping in lockdown. She shared videos and talked about what she observed, at one point noting the fear people felt toward the government was actually greater than their fear of the virus.

In an interview before her detention, she said “Maybe I have a rebellious soul… I’m just documenting the truth. Why can’t I show the truth?”

Ms. Zhang is just one of many critics whom the government has attempted to silence.

Chinese law professor Xu Zhangrun was detained by police for a week after writing articles critical of Chinese President Xi Jinping, and then fired from his position at a university. He remains under surveillance and has been banned from leaving Beijing, but he continues to write.

Others have simply disappeared. The outspoken lawyer and citizen journalist Chen Qiushi went missing in February after reporting from Wuhan and didn’t reappear until late September. He also remained under “strict supervision” by the authorities.

And Wuhan businessman Fang Bin, who was detained in early February after posting videos purporting to show COVID victims inside hospitals, hasn’t been heard from since.

Under Mr. Xi’s leadership, the Communist Party has become increasingly vigorous in guarding the official propaganda around party ideology and Mr. Xi’s rule from any form of criticism.

While Mr. Xi emphasized in a 2013 speech the importance of the propaganda and “ideological leadership” to the country, the pandemic has allowed China’s party-state to extend its ideological control over the courts, eliminating any pretense of judicial autonomy.

This manipulation of rule-of-law institutions can be seen in the prosecution of citizen journalists like Zhang Zhan and anyone else who questions or criticizes the official party line.

Marxist scholars and party propagandists argue there are no contradictions between party ideology and “rule of law.” In China, they say, there is no need for a legal separation of powers to ensure justice because the party is the ultimate expression of the people’s will when it comes to law and order.

In essence, the Communist Party is the rule of law, with Chinese characteristics.

The party has long used the security system and courts in this way to “kill chickens to scare monkeys” (a Chinese idiom meaning to punish an individual as an example to others).

In the past, the targets have typically been prominent political dissidents, such as Liu Xiaobo and Wei Jingsheng, and human rights lawyers.

What is new and disturbing is the use of this tactic to eradicate all dissent and perceived threats to the party’s rule from civil society. Those targeted in recent years include Chinese-Australian writer Yang Hengjun, Hong Kong media mogul Jimmy Lai and Chinese-Australian journalist Cheng Lei, as well as many foreigners.

This domestic political context makes it unlikely the WHO researchers will be allowed to fully investigate all hypotheses as to the origins of the coronavirus, such as the claim it could have been caused by a leak at the Wuhan Institute of Virology.

Although China’s so-called “Bat Woman,” virologist Shi Zhengli, has said she’d welcome a visit by the WHO team to the lab, leaked government documents tell another story.

According to the documents, published by the Associated Press this month, the government is monitoring scientists’ findings and requiring any research to be approved by a new task force under Xi’s direct command before publication.

Ms. Zhang’s case reveals how challenges to official narratives are now being dealt with in China. It also shows that Chinese citizens do not always find official narratives convincing and propagandists cannot force them to believe in ideology. The forced silencing of critics does not equate to people believing in the official party line.

With the origins of COVID-19, China’s citizens—and the world—deserve truth, not politically convenient spin. — John Garrick and Yan Bennett/The Conversation

John Garrick is a University Fellow in Law at Charles Darwin University in Australia.

Yan Bennett is assistant director for the Paul and Marcia Wythes Center on Contemporary China at Princeton University in New Jersey, USA.

Globe partners with Microsoft Office 365 to power virtual education

Globe expands its initiatives to maximize digital education through Microsoft Office 365 solutions. Due to COVID-19, digital learning emerged as a means to continue communication and collaboration between students and teachers while at home. However, because of insufficient digital infrastructure and tools, not all educational institutions are equipped to manage remote learning.

“It is a perfect time for educational institutions to maximize the learning and productivity platforms that teachers, students, and staff can use to make sure that learning is uninterrupted. With Globe and Microsoft teaming up, we can assure that learning continues even at the confines of the homes”, said Mark Abalos, Globe’s Segment Head for Education.

Compared to other Learning Management Systems (LMS), Microsoft Office 365 Education offers a richer, more secure, more affordable, and more productive platform that works across a range of devices. It also provides educational resources suited to every teacher and learner’s need, style, and budget. The platform can significantly improve the process and the delivery of virtual learning.

The Office 365 Education platform creates a modern classroom all in the cloud for a professional learning environment. Educators can easily monitor student participation, manage assignments and feedback, as well as create documents, spreadsheets, and presentations needed for the class. In addition, it can support the school’s learning program, whether blended, face-to-face, or purely virtual.

During this health crisis, Globe has continuously provided technology that can digitally transform learning. In addition to flexible learning solutions and tools for educational institutions, Globe offers a comprehensive onboarding process, teacher training, and after-sales support.

Even with the hopeful release of the COVID-19 vaccine, virtual learning is both the safest and most reliable method to continue education. With the help of Globe and Microsoft, educational institutions will be provided with stable, reliable, and secure platforms that can maximize digital learning through this health crisis.

#Reinvent the way we learn.

By bridging teachers to information and technology that enable continuous learning, especially during times of crisis, Globe continues to prove itself an invaluable partner in promoting 21st Century Learning and in improving resilience in education.

Learn more about our offers at https://www.globe.com.ph/business/sme/education-offers.html

Ocean 100: Profits from world’s seas dominated by 100 companies

Just 100 companies account for most of the profits from the world’s seas, researchers said on Wednesday, calling on them to help save the oceans from over-fishing, rising temperatures, and pollution.

Together, the companies generated $1.1 trillion in revenues in 2018, or about 60% of the total, according to a study that sets out for the first time which firms profit the most from marine industries.

Oceans play a critical role in capturing planet-warming gases, absorbing around 25% of all carbon dioxide emissions. But environmentalists say much more needs to be done to protect them.

“There’s so much talk about the need for sustainable oceans… but there’s very rarely a conversation about who it is that needs to do the job,” said Henrik Osterblom, who co-authored the paper published in the journal Science Advances.

“We have identified who has power to influence the future of the oceans,” Mr. Osterblom, science director at the Stockholm Resilience Centre, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

“Just knowing who they are is the first step in getting them involved in what needs to be done.”

The team of researchers including Mr. Osterblom and environmental experts at Duke University in the United States focused on eight sea-based industries ranging from container shipping to seafood production and offshore wind.

The “Ocean 100” list was topped by offshore oil and gas giants including Saudi Aramco and Brazil’s Petrobras, with only one firm from outside the industry, Danish shipping company A.P. Moeller-Maersk, making the top 10.

It could help inform government policies as well as direct environmental groups seeking to push business towards greener practices, Mr. Osterblom said.

“One of our biggest challenges is to sustain healthy ocean ecosystems as economic use increases and climate impacts accelerate,” said Daniel Vermeer, director of Duke University’s Center for Energy, Development, and the Global Environment.

“This study confirms that a relatively small number of companies will be central to this challenge, and have a real opportunity for leadership.” — Umberto Bacchi/Thomson Reuters Foundation

Entrego now offers cashless option for safer transactions

Many Filipinos have experienced the convenience of doorstep delivery services during the COVID-19 pandemic, as everyone is encouraged to stay safe at home. Aside from making sure that each delivery gets to its customers efficiently, Entrego has been at the forefront of making sure that each transaction is safe, by educating its riders on the proper protocols that need to be observed such as proper wearing of masks and observing physical distancing.

Now, Entrego adds another layer of protection by offering contactless payment options upon pick-up or delivery. This can help the community stay safe and healthy by minimizing the risk of exposure from handling money, in support of the government’s call to provide contactless payments.

The new cashless transactions, which can be done by scanning a QR Code with the GCash app, features flexibility as payments may be made at point of pick-up or point of delivery. Shippers can pay upon pick-up for their myEntrego shipping fees or buyers can pay upon delivery for the items that they have purchased online.

The process is quick and easy: all you need to do if paying through the mobile app is to inform the rider that you intend to pay via GCash, and the rider will present his card that will contain the Entrego logo and QR Code. Scan the QR code and enter the full and exact amount due in your GCash app, and you will receive a notification for a successful transaction.

The digital shift empowers both the merchant/shipper and the customers. It enables the merchants to transition to a truly digital space while allowing the customer to check their items before paying digitally. This also lessens the need to go out of our homes and withdraw cash from the ATM and carry large amounts of cash.

The cashless transaction service is now available in Metro Manila, to be rolled out nationwide this coming January. The service is applicable to participating merchants and riders only, you may check with your merchant and rider. To learn more about the convenience of Entrego’s new cashless service, visit http://entrego.com.ph/

 

‘Walkable chair’ makes standing on the job an easier prospect

If you or your employees have a job that requires standing for long periods of time, Japanese startup Archelis may have the device for you.

The “archelisFX”—whose name derives from the Japanese for “walkable chair”—is a wearable exoskeleton being showcased at this year’s CES virtual tech and gadget show. It straps to the legs and disperses the user’s body weight.

That makes standing less tiring and can provide relief from leg and back pain for factory workers, surgeons, and others who need to stand for hours at a time, the company says.

“It allows people to walk or move while wearing it and people can put it on easily regardless of their body shape or size,” said Katsuhiko Saho, Archelis’ business development manager.

Archelis said the product is set to launch this year, retailing at around $5,000.

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