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Lessons from an election

“STOP THE COUNTING!” Donald Trump said in all-caps in his Twitter account.

He had been ranting and raving since the Nov. 3 US elections to stop the counting of the votes and just the day after, unilaterally declared himself the winner for a second term as POTUS — President of the United States of America.

SCOTUS (the Supreme Court of the US) will hear of this, he said in a tantrum, as he threatened to file cases of election fraud. The Republican machinery refined Trump’s blind fury, filing legal charges instead in the proper venues of the state courts concerned: to stop ballot counting in Michigan and Pennsylvania, to recount in Wisconsin, and to prevent the counting of absentee ballots in Georgia that it claims arrived after an Election Day deadline.

Nevertheless, the counting continued. “The Supreme Court is more tolerant of state courts’ interpreting their own election laws rather than federal courts,” professors at the Boston University (BU) School of Law said on BU Today. Besides, “none of the votes being counted right now are affected by the lawsuit(s),” the legal experts said. “Count every vote,” the Democrats insisted.

After three tense days of counting after election day, Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden was just six Electoral College votes shy of the necessary 270 Electoral Votes to be elected president. On the weekend, 504 out of 538 electoral college votes had been called, and Biden won Nevada, Wisconsin, Michigan and Arizona, getting a clear win of 290 electoral votes versus Trump’s 214 which included Florida, Texas, Ohio, and Iowa.

Yet it was not all about Trump or Biden. It was about testing democracy in a government of the people, by the people and for the people. For fraud and manipulation of an election disenfranchises all voter-groups by self-serving individuals grabbing the power of choice, the right of the collective majority to make it happen. And for fraud to be insinuated as having been done by the voters themselves would be an unforgivable affront to American integrity, character, and values — even as freedom of expression and belief are sacrosanct in a democracy.

The American people drafted a Constitution, now over two centuries old, to embody the democratic principles to govern themselves and live their lives in peace and prosperity. The first 10 amendments are known collectively as the Bill of Rights. Since the Constitution was put into operation on March 4, 1789, only 33 amendments have been proposed by the United States Congress and sent to the states for ratification, 27 of these having been ratified by the requisite number of states, and are part of the Constitution (reference: footnoted WikiSource listings).

The Separation of Powers, a political doctrine embedded in the US Constitution, imposes a strict system of checks and balances among the Executive, Legislative, and Judicial bodies in government to ensure that individual rights are protected under the indispensable rule of law. In the 2020 presidential elections, held in the extremely restrictive COVID-19 pandemic, rights under the Constitution were uncurtailed, and the American people chose their leaders, despite the temerity of a tough-guy President to try and “Stop the counting.”

The Associated Press reported that 18 Senate seats were won by the Republicans in the November 2020 elections, bringing the total number of Republican Senators to 48. Democrats have 14 new seats, bringing the total number of Democratic Senators up to 46. Other parties have two seats. Counting the incumbent (not covered by these elections) 30 Republican Senators and 33 Democrats, there will be a tenuous division in the Senate, with 51 votes needed for a majority.

In the wholly newly elected House of Congress, the Democrats now have 214 seats (close to the 50% +1 majority) compared with the Republicans’ 196 seats.

Partisanship will not be imputed on the Judicial branch of the government. But as of Nov. 4, 2020, the United States Senate has confirmed 220 Article III judges nominated by Trump, including three associate justices of the Supreme Court of the United States, 53 judges for the United States courts of appeals, 162 judges for the United States district courts, and two judges for the United States Court of International Trade (from US Judiciary listing).

It seems so neatly set up for the rights and freedoms in a democracy, like the world model for all democracies as America is. But history and culture come to bear on the smooth execution and management of a people’s democracy. America, a “Nation of Immigrants” as it is called, was an instant democracy, with its people precisely “escaping” from the tyrannies of autocratic rule in the countries they originally came from. As a test of fire of their firm belief in the equality of persons and peoples, America emancipated the slaves. The 13th Amendment (of Article IV, Section 2) of the US Constitution, passed by the US Congress on Jan. 31, 1865, and ratified Dec. 6, 1865, abolished slavery in America and stressed that all men are equal.

So much for democracy in America. But can the same level of refinement of what can be called a democracy be replicated or at least worked up to, in a small developing country like the Philippines, with its US-style government born just after the Second World War? Have 300 years of colonization by Spain and 50 years under America affected the Filipino psyche such that hierarchical systems and feudal authority figures have diverted the necessary tunnel vision for rights and freedoms — in this high-gear global competition for power and influence?

The recent US elections, when a strong-man President dared to test his power and influence above all, have been closely watched by the Filipino people. Perhaps it is because the presidential and national elections are coming in 2022 — and under the same constraints of the vise-grip of the coronavirus pandemic on the people’s anxieties and energy level. Already, there have been perceived aggressive intrusions on people’s basic rights — like in the critically sensitive and alarming aspects of freedom of speech and of thought. Laws that would have been unpassable in other times, have passed in Congress and the Senate against unsustained protests by rights groups.

There are matters to be learned from the recent US elections: first is the vigilance for the maintenance of a system of checks and balances in government. In the Philippine political milieu, voters have a chance to reinforce the separation of powers by not voting for political dynasties in order to stop the entrenched patronage system that capitalizes on the people’s dependency on powerful individuals who cannot and will not resist the temptations of corruption and rent-seeking. Perhaps it would be good not to vote for a leader with autocratic tendencies. Secondly, voters must insist on the accountability of public officials — voters must review track records of reelectionists, and remember campaign promises on election day, to hold the elected official to account in his term. Voters must not shirk their responsibility to keep watch that rights are not transgressed and the people’s tax money is not stolen by corrupt officials — for the good of all in the democracy.

Votes should never be sold, for money or for reflected power from immoral leaders and officials. Lessons in life, in a democracy.

 

Amelia H. C. Ylagan is a Doctor of Business Administration from the University of the Philippines.

ahcylagan@yahoo.com

Where did the Philippines go wrong? What did Vietnam do right?

Last month, the International Monetary Fund announced that Vietnam will surpass the Philippines in terms of per capita income by the end of this year. This comes on the back of Vietnam’s decisive anti-virus response which significantly insulated it from the pandemic’s economic blowback. Vietnam’s economy is poised to grow by 3% in 2020 while the Philippine economy will likely contract by a massive 9%.

This was bound to happen. Since Vietnam adopted its Doi Moi policies in 1986 (Doi Moi consist of economic reforms designed to transform Vietnam into a market-driven, socialist state), the socialist republic has increased per capita income from $200 to $3,500. From being one of Asia’s poorest nations, the average Vietnamese is now wealthier than the average Filipino.

How did this happen? The fates of both nations were a result of two distinct paths to development. Vietnam adopted a policy of rapid industrialization while the Philippines relied on its population to drive growth. Vietnam’s socialist government succeeded in instituting the necessary reforms to make its environment conducive to manufacturing while the democratic government of the Philippines was only marginally successful.

The decline of Asia’s star economy of the 1960s began under Marcos’ leadership. Contrary to the misnomer that the best days of the country were under Marcos, statistics show that the economy began to decelerate and lose much of its competitiveness under the despot’s watch. During the Marcos kleptocracy, privately owned businesses that were profitable and competitive were “nationalized” and meted out to cronies to usurp. Among them were companies involved in steel manufacturing, cement manufacturing, auto and auto parts manufacturing, light electronics and construction, among others. These companies eventually closed under crony mismanagement. Our competitiveness in these industries were lost in the process.

Marcos putrefied our institutions by instilling a culture of corruption which remains pervasive up to today. The dictator broke the country’s finances by amassing billions in debt for graft-ridden projects that failed to contribute to national productivity. Marcos relegated two generations of Filipinos to poverty.

By the time the despot was ousted in 1986, the country was an economic wreck. Public utilities were owned by the state and operated with wanton inefficiency. Government institutions were as corrupt as they were inefficient. Private businesses lost their competitiveness and struggled to stay afloat. All these were exacerbated by massive capital flight and a foreign debt load we could not pay.

When President Cory Aquino took over, her first priority was to re-establish our democratic institutions — which she did. But unfortunately, neither Cory, nor any other President after her, including President Duterte, made a commitment to industrialize the nation as Vietnam did.

As mentioned earlier, our leaders relied on our population to fuel growth. GMA relied on OFW remittances to keep the economy afloat. PNoy’s accelerated the development of the IT-BPO industry which later became a new source of foreign exchange. President Duterte depended on household consumption to drive the economy.

Although the Philippine economy grew by an average of 5.3% from 2000 to 2019, its foundations remain “shallow.” I say “shallow” because our manufacturing base remains dangerously thin, our level of exports are substantially lower than our ever-increasing imports, agricultural output is at subsistence level and our service industry is generally comprised by low-value services (eg. call centers). Ours is a consumption-lead economy, not one driven by production.

In contrast, Vietnam embraced industrialization with gusto. During the early days of Doi Moi (1986 to 1990), the Vietnamese sought to attain food security. To achieve this, the socialist government decentralized farming and introduced incentives for production expansion. The monopoly of the state over international trade was broken and private enterprises were allowed to import and export. Farmlands were distributed to individual farmers and excess crops, beyond the mandated quota, could be maintained by the farmers. Regions were encouraged to plant according to their comparative advantage. Price controls were removed. These reforms were the foundation of Vietnam’s agricultural revolution and the reason why it is a net exporter of agricultural products today.

In 1987, the Vietnamese government introduced its first Foreign Investment Law to attract foreign capital and develop its industrial sector. The law permitted complete foreign ownership of domestic physical assets and opened all but a handful of industries to foreign investors. In 1990, the Law on Private Enterprises which provided a legal basis for private firms was enacted. In the same year, the Vietnamese government began the process of privatizing state-owned enterprises.

With its new wealth, tax revenues were diverted to underdeveloped areas through investments in infrastructure and social welfare. As a result, poverty rates declined significantly in the countryside.

From the year 2000 to the present, Vietnam sought to become the region’s center for export manufacturing. Its competence increased not only in agricultural products but also in apparel and footwear as well as electronics and high technology products. As of 2019, Vietnamese exports topped $300 billion, four times more than that of the Philippines. Vietnam bagged $112 billion worth of foreign direct investments from 2010 to 2019 while the Philippines attracted only $57 billion.

How did Vietnam become the favorite destination for multinational companies? It is a combination of many reasons. The first is that it pursued as many free trade agreements as it possibly could. This lowered the tariffs imposed on both imports and exports. Vietnam, today, has free trade agreements with ASEAN, the US, WTO members, China, India, Japan, Korea and members of the Trans Pacific Partnership (ex US).

Next, the Vietnamese government made large investments in primary education and healthcare. Infrastructure spending was gradually increased to 8% of GDP. Lately, it has been investing heavily to modernize its digital backbone.

Finally, it made conditions conducive for manufacturing. This included lowering power cost (it is 43% cheaper than the Philippines), a stable policy regime, the development of upstream and downstream supply chains and better trading infrastructure like seaports and export processing zones. In addition, the Foreign Investment Law of 1997 was revised several times such that Vietnam now offers one of the most attractive fiscal incentives in the region. It also helps that Vietnam is geographically closer to China and East Asia.

Vietnam’s economy will continue to soar and the Philippines will be hard-pressed to catch up unless it embraces industrialization. Not to do so will cause us to be left further behind in the development race.

Since Marcos’ ouster, we have failed to fully industrialize the nation. Let’s hope that the next administration has the vision and political will to do so.

 

Andrew J. Masigan is an economist

US president-elect Biden calls for healing, unity

WILMINGTON, Del./WASHINGTON — President-elect Joe Biden declared it was “time to heal” a deeply divided America in his first speech after prevailing on Saturday in a bitter election, even as President Donald Trump refused to concede and pressed ahead with legal fights against the outcome.

Mr. Biden’s victory in the battleground state of Pennsylvania put him over the threshold of 270 Electoral College votes he needed to clinch the presidency, ending four days of nail-biting suspense and sending his supporters into the streets of major cities in celebration.

“The people of this nation have spoken. They have delivered us a clear victory, a convincing victory,” Mr. Biden told honking and cheering supporters in a parking lot in his home town of Wilmington, Delaware.

The Democrat pledged that as president he would seek to unify the country and “marshal the forces of decency” to battle the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, rebuild economic prosperity, secure healthcare for American families and root out systemic racism.

Without addressing his Republican rival, Mr. Biden spoke directly to the 70 million Americans who cast ballots in support of Mr. Trump, some of whom took to the streets on Saturday to demonstrate against the results.

“For all those of you who voted for President Trump, I understand the disappointment tonight. I’ve lost a couple times myself. But now, let’s give each other a chance. It’s time to put away the harsh rhetoric, lower the temperature, see each other again, listen to each other again,” he said.

“This is the time to heal in America.”

He also thanked Black voters, saying that even at his campaign’s lowest moments, the African American community had stood up for him. “They always have my back, and I’ll have yours,” he said.

Mr. Biden was introduced by his running mate, US Senator Kamala Harris, who will be the first woman, the first Black American and the first American of Asian descent to serve as vice president, the country’s No. 2 office.

“What a testament it is to Joe’s character that he had the audacity to break one of the most substantial barriers that exists in our country, and select a woman as his vice president,” Harris said.

Congratulations poured in from abroad, including from conservative British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, making it hard for Trump to push his repeated claims, without evidence, that the election was rigged against him.

Mr. Trump, who was golfing when the major television networks projected his rival had won, immediately accused Mr. Biden of “rushing to falsely pose as the winner.” Clusters of Mr. Biden supporters lined two blocks of his motorcade’s route back to the White House.

“This election is far from over,” he said in a statement.

Mr. Trump has filed a raft of lawsuits to challenge the results but elections officials in states across the country say there has been no evidence of significant fraud, and legal experts say Mr. Trump’s efforts are unlikely to succeed.

As the news of his win broke, cheers and applause were heard around Washington, with people emerging onto balconies, honking car horns and banging pots. The wave of noise in the nation’s capital built as more people learned of the news. Some sobbed. Music began to play, “We are the Champions” blared.

In the Brooklyn neighborhood of Bedford-Stuyvesant, some people erupted in screams of joy as word spread. Several residents danced on a fire escape, cheering while others screamed “yes!” as they passed by.

Trump supporters reacted with a mix of disappointment, suspicion and resignation, highlighting the difficult task that Mr. Biden faces winning over many Americans, especially in more rural areas, who believe Mr. Trump was the first president to govern with their interests at heart.

“It’s sickening and sad,” said Kayla Doyle, a 35-year-old Trump supporter and manager of the Gridiron Pub on Main Street in the small town of Mifflintown, Pennsylvania. “I think it’s rigged.”

Angry pro-Trump “Stop the Steal” demonstrators gathered at state capitol buildings in Michigan, Pennsylvania and Arizona. Protesters in Phoenix chanted “We want audits!” One speaker told the crowd: “We will win in court!”

There were isolated instances of Trump and Biden supporters confronting one another, as occurred between two groups of about 100 each in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, but there were no immediate reports of the violence many had feared. The pro-Trump protests mostly faded as the results sank in.

Before the election, Mr. Trump refused to commit to a peaceful transfer of power if he lost, and he falsely declared victory long before counting was complete.

Former and present political leaders also weighed in, including congratulations from former Democratic President Barack Obama, for whom Mr. Biden served as vice president, and Republican US Senator Mitt Romney. Trump ally Senator Lindsey Graham called on the Justice Department to investigate claims of voting irregularities.

The networks’ declaration for Mr. Biden came amid concerns within Mr. Trump’s team about the strategy going forward and pressure on him to pick a professional legal team to outline where they believe voter fraud took place and provide evidence.

Mr. Trump’s allies made it clear the president does not plan to concede anytime soon.

One Trump loyalist said the president simply was not ready to admit defeat even though there would not be enough ballots thrown out in a recount to change the outcome. “There’s a mathematical certainty that he’s going to lose,” the loyalist said.

Mr. Biden’s win ends Mr. Trump’s chaotic four-year presidency in which he played down a deadly pandemic, imposed harsh immigration policies, launched a trade war with China, tore up international agreements and deeply divided many American families with his inflammatory rhetoric, lies and willingness to abandon democratic norms.

On Saturday, Trump campaign manager Bill Stepien urged supporters to be ready to attend protests or rallies that the campaign is “propping up around the country,” according to a person familiar with the situation.  

DIFFICULT TASK AHEAD
For Mr. Biden’s supporters, it was fitting that Pennsylvania ensured his victory. He was born in the industrial city of Scranton in the state’s northeast and, touting his middle-class credentials, secured the Democratic nomination with a promise to win back working-class voters who had supported Mr. Trump in 2016.

He launched his campaign in Pittsburgh last year and wrapped it up with a rally there on Tuesday. It was a tight race in industrial states such as Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota, but Mr. Biden did enough to prevail.

He faced unprecedented challenges. These included Republican-led efforts to limit mail-in voting at a time when a record number of people were due to vote by mail because of the pandemic, which has killed more than 236,000 people in the United States.

When Mr. Biden enters the White House on Jan. 20, the oldest person to assume the office at age 78, he likely will face a difficult task governing in a deeply polarized Washington, underscored by a record nationwide voter turnout.

Both sides characterized the 2020 election as one of the most crucial in US history, as important as votes during the 1860s Civil War and the 1930s Great Depression.

Mr. Biden’s victory was driven by strong support from groups including women, African Americans, white voters with college degrees and city-dwellers. He beat Mr. Trump by more than four million votes in the nationwide popular vote count.

Mr. Biden, who has spent half a century in public life as a US senator and then vice president under Mr. Trump’s predecessor Mr. Obama, will inherit a nation in turmoil over the pandemic and the related economic slowdown, as well as protests against racism and police brutality.

Mr. Biden has said his first priority will be developing a plan to contain and recover from the pandemic, promising to improve access to testing and, unlike Mr. Trump, to heed the advice of leading public health officials and scientists.

In addition to taming the health crisis, Mr. Biden faces a huge challenge remedying the economic hardship caused by COVID-19. Some 10 million Americans thrown out of work during coronavirus lockdowns remain idled, and federal relief programs have expired.

The US economy remains technically in recession, and prospects are bleak for a return to work for millions, especially in service industries such as hospitality and entertainment, where job losses hit women and minorities particularly hard.

Mr. Biden also has pledged to restore a sense of normalcy to the White House after a presidency in which Mr. Trump praised authoritarian foreign leaders, disdained longstanding global alliances, refused to disavow white supremacists and cast doubt on the legitimacy of the US election system.

Despite his victory, Mr. Biden will have failed to deliver the sweeping repudiation to Mr. Trump that Democrats had hoped for, reflecting the deep support the president still retains.

This could complicate Mr. Biden’s campaign promises to reverse key parts of Mr. Trump’s legacy. These include deep Trump tax cuts that especially benefited corporations and the wealthy, hardline immigration policies, efforts to dismantle the 2010 Obamacare healthcare law and Mr. Trump’s abandonment of such international agreements as the Paris climate accord and Iran nuclear deal.

Should Republicans keep control of the US Senate, they would likely block large parts of his legislative agenda, including expanding healthcare and fighting climate change. That prospect could depend on the outcome of four undecided Senate races, including two in Georgia that will not be resolved until runoffs in January.

For Mr. Trump, 74, it was an unsettling end after an astonishing political rise. The real estate developer who established a nationwide brand as a reality TV personality upset Democrat Hillary Clinton to win the presidency in 2016 in his first run for elected office. Four years later, he becomes the first US president to lose a re-election bid since Republican George H.W. Bush in 1992.

Despite his draconian immigration curbs, Mr. Trump made surprising inroads with Latino voters. He also won battleground states such as Florida, where his pledge to prioritize the economy even if it increased the threat of the coronavirus appeared to have resonated.

In the end, though, Mr. Trump failed to significantly widen his appeal beyond a committed core of rural and working-class white voters who embraced his right-wing populism and “America First” nationalism.

Duane Fitzhugh, a 52-year-old teacher celebrating Biden’s victory outside the Trump Hotel in Washington, said it was as if an evil enchantment was being lifted.

“It’s like a pall fell over the country four years ago and we’ve been waiting years for it to end,” he said. — Reuters

Kamala Harris breaks barriers as America’s next vice president

REUTERS/KEVIN LAMARQUE

WASHINGTON — Kamala Harris made history on Saturday with her election as Joe Biden’s vice president, becoming the first woman, first Black American and first Asian American to win the second highest US office.

Ms. Harris, 56, is widely seen as an obvious candidate for the Democratic Party nomination in 2024 should Mr. Biden, who will be 78 at their inauguration on Jan. 20, decide not to seek a second term. She hasn’t weighed in publicly on such speculation.

Edison Research and the major US television networks on Saturday projected their victory, based on unofficial final results, even though the incumbent president, Republican Donald Trump, vowed to continue fighting in courts.

A US senator from California, Ms. Harris has a track record of shattering glass ceilings. She served as San Francisco’s first female district attorney and was California’s first woman of color to be elected attorney general.

Her background in criminal justice could help a Biden administration tackle the issues of racial equality and policing after the country was swept by protests this year. She is expected to be a top adviser on judicial nominations.

Ms. Harris, whose mother and father emigrated from India and Jamaica, respectively, had her sights set on becoming the first woman US president when she competed against Mr. Biden and others for their party’s 2020 nomination.

She dropped out of the race last December after a campaign hurt by her wavering views on healthcare and indecision about embracing her past as a prosecutor.

Mr. Biden looked beyond some of the harsh words Ms. Harris had for him in that campaign to name her his running mate in August. She has proven to be a valuable and polished stand-in, appealing especially to women, progressives and voters of color, all critical to the party’s election hopes.

Ms. Harris, who developed a deep fundraising network during her Senate and White House bids, has been instrumental to Mr. Biden’s raking in record sums of money in the closing months of the campaign. Her selection sparked a burst of excitement in the Democratic base and among the party’s donors.

“Harris always made the most sense as a running mate for Biden because she had the ability to help him unify the Democratic coalition across racial and generational lines and was able to spike base enthusiasm,” said Joel Payne, a Democratic strategist who worked for Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign.

A TEAM PLAYER
Accusations from progressives that Ms. Harris did not do enough to investigate police shootings and wrongful conviction cases when she was California’s attorney general helped doom her own presidential run but surfaced little during her time as Mr. Biden’s running mate.

Ms. Harris has often defended her record, saying as she did in a town hall event last year that she had worked her whole career “to reform the criminal justice system with the understanding that it is deeply flawed and in need of repair.”

Mr. Trump and his re-election campaign had sought to paint Ms. Harris instead as a tool of the Democratic left who would wield power and influence behind the scenes in a Biden presidency.

Prior to her selection, several Biden aides say that Ms. Harris was able to put to rest concerns among some in the former vice president’s camp that she would be too personally ambitious to make a trustworthy partner.

Ms. Harris has shown herself to be a team player, taking on a lower-profile role and holding virtual and in-person political events that sometimes drew little news coverage, while often speaking in terms of what Mr. Biden would do for the country if elected and making an impassioned case against Mr. Trump.

“Joe and I were raised in a very similar way,” Ms. Harris said of Mr. Biden at her October debate against Vice President Mike Pence. “We were raised with values that are about hard work, about the value and the dignity of public service and about the importance of fighting for the dignity of all people.”

DOUBLE DUTY
Ms. Harris juggled her running mate duties with her day job in the Senate. Befitting her background as a prosecutor, she was a deft cross-examiner of US Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett at Barrett’s Senate confirmation hearing in October, weaving Mr. Biden’s campaign message on healthcare and climate change into her line of questioning.

As the Senate’s only Black woman, Ms. Harris emerged this year as a leading voice on racial justice and police reform after Minneapolis police killed African-American man George Floyd in May. She marched with protesters on the streets of Washington and won over some liberal skeptics.

Asked on “60 Minutes” last month why, given Mr. Biden’s age, he believed Ms. Harris would be ready to step into the presidency if something happened to him, the presidential candidate rapidly fired off five reasons.

“Number one, her values. Number two, she is smart as a devil, and number three, she has a backbone like a ramrod. Number four, she is really principled. And number five, she has had significant experience in the largest state in the Union in running the justice department that’s only second in size to the United States Justice Department. And obviously, I hope that never becomes a question,” he said.

Ms. Harris is married to attorney Douglas Emhoff, who has been a fixture on the campaign trail. His two children from a previous marriage refer to their stepmother as “Momala.” — Reuters

Global uncertainty could risk World War III, says UK military chief

LONDON — Current global uncertainty and anxiety amid the economic crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic could risk another world war, the head of Britain’s armed forces has warned.

In an interview aired to coincide with Remembrance Sunday, the annual commemorations for those who have been killed and wounded in conflict, Nick Carter, Britain’s Chief of the Defence Staff, said an escalation in regional tensions and errors of judgement could ultimately lead to widespread conflict.

“I think we are living at a moment in time where the world is a very uncertain and anxious place and of course, the dynamic of global competition is a feature of our lives as well, and I think the real risk we have with quite a lot of the regional conflicts that are going on at the moment, is you could see escalation lead to miscalculation,” Mr. Carter told Sky News.

Asked if that meant there was a genuine threat of another world war, Mr. Carter replied: “I’m saying it’s a risk and we need to be conscious of those risks.”

Mr. Carter, who became the British military chief in 2018, said it was important to remember those who had died in previous wars as a warning to those who might repeat past mistakes.

“If you forget about the horror of war, then the great risk I think is that people might think that going to war is a reasonable thing to do,” he said.

“We have to remember that history might not repeat itself but it has a rhythm, and if you look back at the last century, before both world wars, I think it was unarguable that there was escalation which led to the miscalculation which ultimately led to war at a scale we would hopefully never see again.” — Reuters

ROS Elasto Painters score big win over the Blackwater Elite

By Michael Angelo S. Murillo, Senior Reporter

THE Rain or Shine (ROS) Elasto Painters scored a big win over the Blackwater Elite, 82-71, on Sunday at the Angeles University Foundation (AUF) Arena in Pampanga to give their PBA Philippine Cup playoff push added muscle.

On a slide entering the contest, losing three straight, the Elasto Painters used a strong run in the third canto to create separation from the Elite and held on the rest of the way for the victory to regain its footing in the ongoing Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) tournament and improve to a 5-4 record.

Sophomore Javee Mocon led the ROS charge in the victory, finishing with a double-double of 19 points and 13 rebounds.

After holding a four-point cushion in the opening half, 38-34, the Elasto Painters cranked things up in the third canto, outscoring their opponents, 25-11, to stretch their lead to 18 points, 63-45, with one quarter left to play.

In the fourth period, Blackwater tried to rally back, but it could only come to within eight points when everything was already settled with 34 seconds remaining.

Beau Belga finished with 14 points for Rain or Shine, with rookie Clint Doliguez and Ryan Arana adding eight points each.

“Credit to the players. The three-game losing streak started to put pressure on us, but we just focused on shooting better and grinding it out,” said ROS coach Caloy Garcia, whose team moved to a share of fifth spot with three other teams as of this writing.  

For Blackwater (2-7), it was Mac Belo who showed the way with 15 points to go along with eight rebounds.

Guard Roi Sumang and veteran Nino Canaleta added 11 points apiece for the Elite, who have lost six straight.

With the loss, Blackwater is now out of the running for a spot in the quarterfinals. Also eliminated are the Northport Batang Pier (1-7) and Terrafirma Dyip (1-7).

In the PBA Philippine Cup, only the top eight teams after the elimination round advance to the next round with the top four teams enjoying a twice-to-beat advantage over their lower-seeded opponents.

The top seed faces the number eight team, #2 vs. #7, #3 vs. # 6, and #4 vs. #5.

In case of a tie, playoff games will be held only for the #8 seed. For the rest, the quotient system will be in effect.

Meanwhile, games on Monday will have the Phoenix Super LPG Fuel Masters against Blackwater at 1 p.m., Alaska Aces versus the NLEX Road Warriors at 4 p.m., and the Barangay Ginebra San Miguel Kings against Terrafirma at 6:45 p.m.

CEO Alfredo S. Panlilio: Drawing parallels between sports and corporate life

SPORTS and corporate life may seem to be distinct things, but at the core, they are pretty much similar.

This was the focus of the speech of PLDT chief revenue officer and Smart president and CEO Alfredo S. Panlilio at the recently held PH Digicon 2020, a virtual business convention which gathered top industry leaders from across the world, sharing expert insights on technology and business.

Mr. Panlilio drew from his experience as a sportsman and sports advocate as he underscored how sports and corporate life operate on similar points.

“Sports engender a sense of belonging and build solidarity between you, your teammates, your coaches, and your wider community… Being a sportsman means exhibiting respect for your competitors and to everyone around you,” said Mr. Panlilio, who is also president of the MVP Sports Foundation and team governor of the Meralco Bolts in the Philippine Basketball Association.

Adding, “As a telco executive, I realize that there exists an inextricable link between connectivity, corporate life, and sports. While the squeaky hardwood of the basketball court feels completely different from the low-key carpet of the boardroom and the office, both environments prize similar values.”

Mr. Panlilio went on to liken to what he does for PLDT-Smart to that of managing a team, which includes speaking to key players about the need to level up and to work as a team; maximizing the use of data analytics; monitoring top-ups, regional performance, geographical demand; and a number of other metrics to make better decisions.

“We have enhanced our capacities by investing in better fiber systems, LTE, and 5G. “How these values manifest in business and in sports may look very different, but the core philosophies and strategies are the same,” he said.

Accountability, too, is primordial in the corporate setup and sports, Mr. Panlilio said.

“The accountability we inculcate among our employees is the same accountability we like seeing on the court — players admitting their mistakes and vowing to play harder, and smarter — during the next game.”

MAMBA MENTALITY
A go-getting mindset — built around preparation, hard work, and developing new skills to overcome setbacks and challenges as embodied by the late National Basketball Association legend Kobe Bryant’s famous Mamba Mentality — goes a long way, Mr. Panlilio said.

He shared that it is the same grit and determination he has seen with the successful people he has worked with.

For the PLDT-Smart executive, continued improvement is also key to flourish be it in sports or corporate life.

“Whenever I am asked about our performance, I cannot help but answer the question like an athlete during a post-game interview. I would say: I’m happy we won, but the series isn’t over. There are a lot of things we could do even better. Better teamwork. Better discipline. Better accountability. More inclusion. We need to review the film. We need to see how we can improve. We do what we do to create a future where all of us can win, and we will not stop until we achieve that.”

PLDT Enterprise’s PH Digicon 2020 happened from Oct. 28 to 30. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo

Olympian Marcial building up his confidence in US training

TOKYO Olympics-bound athlete and new professional fighter Eumir Felix Marcial has been making strides in his training in the United States (US), particularly in building up his confidence.

Currently training at the Wild Card Gym in Hollywood, California, Mr. Marcial, 25, shared that he welcomes the opportunity to once again work on his game after being “inactive” for the large part of the last seven months because of the restrictions brought about by the coronavirus pandemic.

In particular, he cited regaining his confidence, which he admitted was affected by the limited things he could do in training.

“Steadily, I’m regaining my confidence after doing sparring work. It has been a while since I had this kind of training. I’m happy that I made the decision to go here in the US and train,” said Mr. Marcial in the vernacular.

Mr. Marcial last fought in March of this year when he won the gold and an outright Olympic slot during the Asian Olympic Qualifiers held in Amman, Jordan.

He then signed a professional contract with MP Promotions of Filipino boxing legend Manny Pacquiao in July.

To further ramp up his preparation for the rescheduled Olympic Games next year, Zamboanga native Marcial is set to submit a proposal to the Association of Boxing Alliances in the Philippines (ABAP) and the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) to request appropriate funding for his training program.

Under the program, famed trainer Freddie Roach will serve as his lead trainer, with Justin Fortune as his conditioning coach and Mr. Roach’s Filipino deputy Marvin Somodio as assistant trainer.

Mr. Marcial is also hoping to get head coach Ronald Chavez and one Filipino sports masseur trainer to join him in his training camp.

“The ABAP and PSC said they will support this program because they know I’m now comfortable with coach Freddie, but I’m hoping that coach Ronald could join me here as well,” he said.

Work continues for Mr. Marcial as MP Promotions is angling to give Mr. Marcial his first fight as a professional, sometime in December.

“I’m looking forward to having my first pro fight in December, but my main focus is to continue training and get my conditioning back for the Olympics. That’s my priority right now—Olympic gold. Nothing else,” Mr. Marcial said.

While signed with their group, Sean Gibbons, MP Promotions president, made it clear that they are behind the Olympic quest of Mr. Marcial and that their plans for the fighter early on are geared towards complementing his training for the Tokyo Games.

Mr. Marcial is one of two Filipino boxers to date who have qualified for the Olympics next year. The other being Irish Magno. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo

United City extends winning legacy of squad in PFL

NEW name, same result.

For the fourth straight year, United City Football Club (Ceres-Negros FC) is taking home the championship of the Philippines Football League (PFL).

United City FC, which took over from Ceres in the offseason, bagged the PFL title with a game to spare after routing Stallion-Laguna FC, 7-1, on Friday at the Philippine Football Federation (PFF) National Training Center in Carmona. Cavite.

The win gave United City FC (4-0-0) another three points to take its total to 12, four clear of the second-running team Kaya FC-Iloilo, rendering the former unreachable.

The team got an opening to cop the title right away after Kaya (2-2-0) was held to a nil-nil draw by Mendiola FC 1991 earlier on Friday.

“When we learned that Kaya was held to a draw, we said to the players we needed to seal the game against Stallion. Our main objective was to really win this game at all cost,” said United City FC coach Frank Muescan post-match.

Mr. Muescan took on coaching duties for the team after hired coach Trevor Morgan could not make it for the tournament because of travel restrictions.

United City FC exactly knew what it wanted to do against Stallion.

From a slim 2-1 halftime edge, the team exploded for five goals in the second half to convincingly put the game away.

Spanish striker Bienvenido Maranon got his second hat-trick of the tournament, scoring in the 58th, 66th, and 74th minute. Midfielder Mike Ott, meanwhile, secured a brace (4th and 54th), with Takashi Uddawara and OJ Porteria grabbing a goal each in the rout.

With his team at the top for four straight years now, Mr. Maranon gave credit to the entire squad and to the team’s new management for staying the course.

“It is good that even if we changed management, we are still the best team in the Philippines and we showed it again today,” he said, adding that sealing a spot in the AFC Champions League for being the newly crowned PFL champion was icing on the cake.

“Now we will have a chance in playing strong clubs from China, Japan, and Korea which we all look forward to next year.”

Despite the championship being settled, games in the PFL continue with a triple-header on Monday – Azkals Development Team versus Stallion (9 a.m.), Maharlika Manila FC against Mendiola (4 p.m.), and United City FC vs. Kaya (8 p.m.).

The 2020 PFL season concludes on Nov. 12 with Mendiola vs. Stallion at 4:30 p.m.

This year’s coronavirus pandemic-hit PFL season is being done in a bubble setup for two weeks with the team on top in the end crowned as champion.

The PFF National Training Center is the official game venue while Seda Nuvali in Santa Rosa, Laguna, houses the teams and the league for the duration of the tournament.

During the tournament, all clubs are asked to strictly adhere to health and safety protocols prescribed for the league.

PFL matches can be viewed over the PFL Facebook page. PFL YouTube Channel, 1Play Sports, EXPTV Channel and www.PFLTV.ph.— Michael Angelo S. Murillo

Zverev stops Nadal to set up Medvedev final in Paris

PARIS — Top seed Rafael Nadal’s bid for a maiden Paris Masters title was halted on Saturday when the Spaniard was beaten 6-4 7-5 in the semi-finals by German fourth seed Alexander Zverev.

Nadal, who reached the final at Bercy in 2007, was only briefly in contention as he surrendered his serve three times.

The 20-time Grand Slam champion broke back after falling 4-2 behind in the second set but it was a brief comeback as the 23-year-old Zverev stole his serve again in the 11th game.

He then served it out, prevailing on his second match point when Nadal’s forehand flew wide.

Zverev will look to claim his fourth Masters title against Russian third seed Daniil Medvedev, who qualified with a commanding 6-4 7-6(4) victory against Canadian Milos Raonic.

“I feel good. Look, I’m in the final of a Masters, so I’m quite happy about that. And I have just beaten Rafa,” said Zverev.

“So that is never easy to do. I think the whole world will agree with me on that, all the players will agree with me on that. It’s going to be a final against Daniil. Obviously, two best players of the tournament are still left.”

Nadal said he was satisfied with his overall performance in Paris, although he rued his tactical game-plan.

“I did things well. I think I returned better than the other days, but was impossible at the beginning. I think I understood that I had to go back too late, because I was not able to, he was serving bombs and hitting the right spots all the time,” he said.

“So I decided to go, like, eight metres behind the baseline later on in the match and I think worked better for me.”

Medvedev hit 31 winners to 12 unforced errors in a muffled atmosphere at the Bercy arena, where the tournament is being played without spectators amid government restrictions to contain the rise of COVID-19 cases in France.

The 24-year-old, who arrived in Paris having lost five of his eight previous matches, broke for 3-2 as Raonic made yet another forehand unforced error.

Both then stayed strong on serve and Medvedev, who saved six of seven break points throughout, bagged the opening set with a timely serve and volley on his first opportunity.

Raonic dropped serve in the 11th game of the second set, but he broke straight back to force a tiebreak, in which he was out of sorts, with Medvedev wrapping it up with a smash to reach his fourth Masters final.

“When you play against Milos, you are always at risk because (if) one time he breaks you, it is very tough to break him back,” said Medvedev.

“It was shaky here and there, but I am really happy to be through to the final.” — Reuters

Cohen completes $2.4 billion purchase of Mets

STEVE Cohen on Friday officially closed the deal to become the owner of the New York Mets.

“This is a significant milestone in the history of this storied franchise. I want to thank everybody who helped make this happen,” Cohen said in a statement. “The 2021 season is right around the corner and we’ve got a lot of work to do, so I’m excited to get started. Let’s go Mets!”

The 64-year-old billionaire hedge fund manager’s purchase of 95% of the team was approved weeks ago by Major League Baseball owners.

The $2.4-billion deal is the highest price tag ever paid for a North American sports team. Forbes estimated a net worth of $14 billion for Cohen, who becomes baseball’s wealthiest owner.

Changes began happening almost immediately in the front office.

On Friday afternoon, the Mets announced the departures of executive vice president and general manager Brodie Van Wagenen, special assistant to the general manager Omar Minaya, assistant general managers Allard Baird and Adam Guttridge, and executive director of player development Jared Banner.

Van Wagenen, a former agent, had been the GM since October 2018. Minaya has served in various capacities over three different stints with the Mets dating back to the mid-1990s.

“I want to thank Brodie, Allard, Adam and Jared for their contributions over the last two years,” said Mets president Sandy Alderson in a news release. “I especially want to thank Omar for his long and distinguished service to the Mets in many important capacities.”

Alderson said he has begun the process of building a new leadership group.

Cohen, who initially bought a minority stake in the Mets in 2012, reached an agreement to purchase the team on Sept. 14.

Cohen is CEO and president of Point72 Asset Management.

The Fred Wilpon and Saul Katz families, who previously owned the Mets, now possess a 5-percent share of the team.

The club, which made its debut in 1962, has won two World Series titles (1969, 1986) and lost three other times. It has not reached the playoffs since 2016, delivering just one winning season in the last four years. — Reuters

Players association approves Dec. 22 start for 2020-21 season

THE National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) said on Thursday it has tentatively approved Dec. 22 as the start date for the 2020-21 season with a reduced 72-game schedule.

The 2019-20 season was only completed in October after a four-month delay due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with teams competing in a bio-secure bubble at Walt Disney World in Orlando.

The start date announcement followed a formal vote of player representatives, NPBA said.

“Additional details remain to be negotiated and the NBPA is confident that the parties will reach agreement on these remaining issues relevant to the upcoming season,” the NBPA said in a statement.

The National Basketball Association (NBA) has pushed back the draft from Oct. 16 to Nov. 18, with training camps set to begin in early December.

ESPN had reported, citing unnamed sources, that finishing the 2020-21 season before next year’s Tokyo Olympics in mid-July would be worth between $500 million and $1 billion in short and long-term revenues to the league and players.

The Los Angeles Lakers captured a record-tying 17th NBA Championship on Oct. 12 with a 106-93 victory over the Miami Heat that sealed the best-of-seven title series 4-2. — Reuters

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