Facebook Instagram Linkedin Twitter Youtube
Home Blog Page 7930

PSC vows to release athletes’ allowances this week after delay

EXPERIENCED some delays in the processing of the release of the allowances of national athletes, the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) assured at the weekend that the issues have been addressed and disbursement will take place this week.

As per the report of PSC Executive Director Atty. Guillermo B. Iroy, Jr., the allowances will be deposited to the Land Bank of the Philippines by Monday.

The government sports body was called out recently by Senator Bong Go, Senate Committee on Sports chairman, after the lawmaker got wind that allowances of athletes for the months of June and July were yet to be given.

Mr. Go urged the PSC to release the allowances at the soonest possible time so as to help the athletes during these trying times with the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

The PSC, for its part, admitted to the delay and apologized for it.

It, however, explained that the delay in the release of the allowances of the national team was brought about by the overhaul of its payroll administration system after the agency was rocked recently by a payroll padding scam by one of its employees.

“We shifted systems, in coordination with our depository bank. It was one of the ways we saw to tighten up our process in connection with the payrolling of employees and national team members,” said Mr. Iroy in a statement.

The PSC said it recognized the inconvenience the overhauling caused but underscored it was an action needed to be done “to ensure that no underhanded schemes are ever done in this service aspect again.”

“We issued an advisory to the national team to advise them of the delay and the cause of it.  We understand that with the crisis raging, the delay is very stressful but the corrections were also needed,” Marc Edward D. Velasco, PSC chief of staff and National Training Director, said.

The PSC also enjoined all national sports federations to ensure proper monitoring and reporting on the training and activities of the athletes under their supervision and to religiously submit as these are requirements in the processing of monthly allowances. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo

FIBA releases revamped guidelines for return to basketball

STAYING true to its push of adapting to the continuously changing situation with the coronavirus pandemic, world basketball governing body FIBA (International Basketball Federation) recently released a revamped version of its restart guidelines which came out earlier this year.

The second edition of the restart guidelines contains additions seen fit by the FIBA COVID-19 Medical Advisory Group, which monitors the developments related to the pandemic and is working closely working with the different national federations and leagues, with the end view of providing direction and advice for the restart of basketball activities and competitions.

Also going through some revisions is the risk assessment tool which was produced in collaboration with the World Health Organization.

Included in the latest return guidelines is the aspect regarding the spread of the coronavirus disease (2019) pandemic through aerosol. This is under the guidelines covering the close inspection of basketball venues and facilities so as to ensure ventilation is safe for attendees and spectators.

Also included are additional specific risk mitigation considerations to support professional leagues as well as national competitions in their restarts.

For the risk assessment tool, additions are the inclusion of the aspects regarding the possibility of modification of event delivery format; addition of the Decision Tree; and addition of the Risk Communication tab as communication of the COVID-19 risk to individuals in a mass gathering is considered as important as the other factors for risk assessment.

FIBA said the documents are updated regularly so as to provide a checklist to ensure any decisions on basketball events are based on an assessment of risks and the best chance of a successful restart.

It was quick to say, however, that these are not intended to supplant the guidance and restrictions of governments and public health authorities.

“As the restrictions put in place to slow the spread of COVID-19 continue to change around the world, we have witnessed some of our member federations and their leagues implement a safe and successful return to basketball in the past few months at the national level,” said FIBA Secretary-General Andreas Zagklis of the continuous updating of the restart guidelines and risk assessment tools.

“FIBA considers the well-being as well as the mental and physical health of all involved in our sport to be of paramount importance,” he added.

The second edition of the FIBA Restart Guidelines can be seen in this link http://www.fiba.basketball/documents/restart-guidelines-for-national-federations-en. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo

Doncic goes off in Mavericks’ overtime triumph over Bucks

LUKA DONCIC had 36 points, a career-high 19 assists and 14 rebounds for his 17th triple-double of this season and 25th of his career while leading the Dallas Mavericks to a 136-132 overtime victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday night near Orlando.

Dorian Finney-Smith added 27 points and 11 rebounds, and Kristaps Porzingis contributed 26 points and 11 rebounds as the Mavericks (42-30) rallied from a late seven-point deficit in regulation. Maxi Kleber scored 15 points, and Trey Burke had 10.

Brook Lopez recorded season highs of 34 points and six 3-pointers, and Giannis Antetokounmpo added 34 points, 13 rebounds and five blocked shots for the NBA-best Bucks (55-15). Khris Middleton registered 21 points and 11 assists, and Eric Bledsoe had 15 points.

Dallas scored 16 straight points — the final seven of regulation and the first nine of overtime — to open up a 128-119 lead. The Bucks closed within two points before Doncic’s highlight-reel, lefty bounce pass between his own legs set up Kleber’s three-point play to seal it.

SUNS 119 — HEAT 112
Devin Booker scored a game-high 35 points as Phoenix remained unbeaten during the NBA’s restart with a victory over Miami.

Phoenix also got 18 points and 12 rebounds from Deandre Ayton, and a surprising 20 points in 26 minutes off the bench from Jevon Carter, who entered the game with a 4.6 scoring average. Booker, who entered the night ranked 10th in the NBA with a 26.2 scoring average, made 15 of 26 shots from the floor, although he was 0 of 7 on 3-point attempts.

The Suns (31-39) are the only unbeaten team in the NBA restart as they try to avoid missing the playoffs for the 10th consecutive season. Phoenix was without two of its top six scorers as Kelly Oubre and Aron Baynes missed the game due to knee injuries.

Miami (43-27) played without three of its top four scorers: Jimmy Butler (sore right foot), Goran Dragic (sprained left ankle) and Kendrick Nunn (unspecified reason). Heat coach Erik Spoelstra shuffled his lineup, giving rookie guard Tyler Herro his seventh start of the season. Herro responded with 25 points, a career-high 10 assists and eight rebounds.

PACERS 116 — LAKERS 111
T.J. Warren continued his stellar offensive play since the restart, scoring 39 points to lead Indiana over Los Angeles.

Warren, who came in averaging 33.8 points since the league reconvened on July 30, scored seven straight points in the final 1:25 to turn a one-point deficit into a six-point lead with 10.6 seconds left. Malcolm Brogdon scored 24 points, and Victor Oladipo had 22 for the Pacers (43-27).

LeBron James sat out the loss against the Houston Rockets on Thursday because of a sore groin, but returned Saturday to finish with 31 points, eight rebounds and seven assists for the Lakers (51-18). James was the only starter in double figures for Los Angeles, as Anthony Davis was held to eight points on 3-for-14 shooting. — Reuters

Lewandowski dazzles as Bayern crush Chelsea to reach last eight

MUNICH, Germany — Robert Lewandowski struck twice and set up two more goals as Bayern Munich cruised past Chelsea 4-1 on Saturday to reach the Champions League quarter-finals with a 7-1 aggregate victory and remain on course for a treble of titles.

The Bavarians will be on an 18-game winning streak across all competitions as they head into next week’s Final Eight tournament in Lisbon, where they will face Barcelona.

“We’re already excited. Barca are a quality side but we want to compete with them,” Bayern defender David Alaba said. “We will go to Portugal with confidence and, after the last few months, we have nothing to hide from.”

Bayern, who won the domestic league and Cup double and have won all eight of their Champions League games, quickly killed off the tie with a ninth minute Lewandowski penalty, after having won 3-0 in London in the first leg in February.

Polish striker Lewandowski, with 53 goals in 44 matches in all competitions this season, turned provider to set up Ivan Perisic in the 24th minute as the hosts showed no lack of fitness despite a five-week gap since their last competitive game.

Chelsea, who conceded seven goals in a two-legged European tie for the first time, did not lack match practice having played in the FA Cup final last week.

But half a dozen players were missing through injury, including Cesar Azpilicueta, Christian Pulisic and Pedro, or suspension.

“We had individual errors that gave them goals and at this level that will finish you off,” Chelsea coach Frank Lampard said. “It is a good exercise for us to go up against Bayern and their Champions League experience, with a lot of our players having debut seasons.

“I can see where I want us to go and I know we’ll be back.”

Chelsea did get on the scoresheet with Tammy Abraham’s tap-in after a goalkeeping error as Manuel Neuer palmed the ball into his path a minute before the break but it was Bayern who were in control in the second half.

Bayern substitute Corentin Tolisso restored their two-goal lead in the 76th minute with a well-timed volley from a Lewandowski cross.

The forward then bagged his second eight minutes later with a towering header to make it 13 goals in the Champions League this season, confirming Bayern’s status as one of the favourites for the title.

The three-month stoppage caused by the COVID-19 pandemic means that the remainder of the Champions League will be played at neutral venues in one-legged showdowns. — Reuters

Messi helps Barca sink Napoli to reach last eight

BARCELONA — A fired-up Lionel Messi led Barcelona to a 3-1 win at home to Napoli on Saturday for a 4-2 aggregate victory which took the club into the Champions League quarter-finals for the 13th consecutive season where they face Bayern Munich.

The Catalans had a shaky start but took the lead in the 10th minute with a powerful header from a corner by Clement Lenglet before Messi scored a superb second in the 23rd, seeing off four defenders to curl the ball into the far bottom corner.

Messi had the ball in the net again soon after following a superb team move but the goal was harshly ruled out for handball by the Argentine following a VAR review, although Messi later won a penalty which Luis Suarez converted for Barca’s third.

Napoli got one back when Lorenzo Insigne converted a spot kick at the end of the first half and were the better side after the interval but Barca survived to set up a mouth-watering clash with Bayern in the Final Eight tournament in Lisbon next Friday.

“We got the result we wanted. We’ve spent two weeks preparing for the game, knowing how difficult it would be and so it proved as they made it tough for us in certain moments,” said Suarez.

“We were taken by surprise at the start but we scored first. If they had scored it would have caused uncertainty but we managed the game well.”

Messi had sounded the alarm after Barcelona’s rusty performance in the 1-1 draw in the last-16 first leg back in February, saying they stood no chance of winning Europe’s top prize, which has eluded them since 2015, unless they improved.

He would have been worried by Barca’s stuttering start which saw Napoli swarm all over the home side’s area and Dries Mertens clip the crossbar in the second minute with a scuffed shot.

But Napoli’s slack defending allowed Lenglet to score with a free header which settled Barca nerves while Messi effectively killed the tie off with his goal and by winning the penalty by chasing down Kalidou Koulibaly in the area and earning a foul.

However, the fact Napoli ended the game so well, with Hirving Lozano hitting the post and Arkadiusz Milik’s header ruled out for offside, added to the sense that Barca will struggle to beat Bayern, who thrashed Chelsea 7-1 on aggregate. — Reuters

Sixers’ Simmons to have surgery on left knee

PHILADELPHIA 76ers All-Star Ben Simmons will have potentially season-ending surgery on his left knee, the team announced Saturday.

The 24-year-old guard/forward will leave the NBA bubble near Orlando for the procedure. A timetable for his recovery will be set after the surgery, but he would almost certainly miss at least the first round of the playoffs.

“After consultation with the 76ers medical staff and several specialists, Ben Simmons will undergo surgery in the coming days to remove a loose body in his left knee,” the team said on Saturday in a news release.

Simmons sustained a partially dislocated left kneecap during Wednesday’s game against the Washington Wizards at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex. Further examination revealed the loose body and the need for surgery.

The two-time All-Star got hurt midway through the third quarter. He was shown walking gingerly as he exited the arena shortly before the end of Philadelphia’s 107-98 triumph.

Simmons had eight points, six rebounds and four assists in 23 minutes on Wednesday. He is averaging 16.4 points, 8.0 assists, 7.8 rebounds in 57 games this season. He leads the NBA with 2.1 steals per game and leads the 76ers in minutes (35.4).

Philadelphia (42-27) entered Saturday’s play tied with the Indiana Pacers for fifth place in the Eastern Conference. The Sixers have four games remaining in the bubble, starting Sunday against the Portland Trail Blazers. — Reuters

Confidence boosting

Doc Rivers doesn’t often disagree with referees’ calls. Armed with 36 years of league experience, including the last 21 as head coach, he understands that the men in gray can’t possibly get everything right. As far as he’s concerned, it’s enough that they try their best. Yesterday, however, he saw fit to voice his displeasure with a whistle late in the Clippers’ set-to against the Blazers. With 18.6 ticks left in the payoff period and his charges up one, he felt the contact that sent a driving Damian Lillard to the line was incidental at best. And so he made his sentiments known, never mind his reluctance for protest and notwithstanding the contest’s relative lack of bearing.

Rivers was simply being competitive, of course. Top dog Kawhi Leonard was out, and, for strategic purposes, he kept second-leading scorer Paul George glued to the bench in the last five minutes of the match. Still, he wanted to win it, if for nothing else than to boost the confidence of the second stringers burning rubber; after seeing them turn a five-point deficit into a one-point lead over the previous two and a half minutes, he felt they deserved to walk off with victory at hand. But because there was to be no changing the arbiters’ minds, he fully expected the lead to change hands anew with Lillard walking to the stripe for two charities.

As things turned out, Lillard came up with nothing. He missed badly on his free throws; as with his tries outside the paint in the fourth quarter, he could do no better than hit the front end of the rim. Considering his continual capacity to deliver come “Dame Time,” the development was a “surprise” to Blazers mentor Terry Stott and a “shock” to Rivers. Not to noted foils Patrick Beverley and Paul George, though, who celebrated with gusto in the moment and then, to add insult to injury, piled on in social media following the Clippers triumph.

The ensuing trading of barbs between the prideful players underscores both their competitiveness and the lengths they’re willing to go through to show it. Beverley was predictably the instigator, and Lillard couldn’t help but dig in as always. George, however, was a revelation, dishing out in his post-mortem with scribes and doubling down on the net before playing the sympathy card by referencing his six surgeries. Given the extent of the back and forth, it’s too bad the Blazers and Clippers aren’t likely to meet again this season.

In any case, fans shouldn’t fret. Long memories will keep the beef alive, with the protagonists counting the days until the next encounter, and then the next, and so on. Which is to say the games should be interesting at the very least; they certainly can’t come soon enough.

 

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.

Philippines has resources to endure virus, Finance chief says

The Philippines has resources for a “protracted” fight against the pandemic and its effects on the economy, which contracted by a record in the second quarter, according to Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez III.

The nation’s “unique fiscal and macroeconomic strengths” going into this year provide it with a “solid footing” to meet the pandemic’s economic challenge, Mr. Dominguez said in a statement.

“We have the resources necessary to endure this challenge, but we must also conserve our resources for succeeding rounds of this fight,” Mr. Dominguez said. “Government’s ability to sustain the fight depends on our fiscal stamina.”

The Philippines plunged into a recession after shrinking 16.5% in the second quarter as consumer spending and jobs got hammered amid the lockdowns in Manila and other urban centers to contain the virus. Rising infections pushed government on Tuesday to reinstate restrictions in the capital region and four neighboring provinces for two weeks.

The Philippines’ near-term growth outlook has continued to deteriorate amid the pandemic and lockdowns, Fitch Ratings associate director Sagarika Chandra said in a statement. “Downside risks are materializing” given the country’s difficulty of containing the virus.

Despite the latest lockdown, economic recovery in the third quarter will proceed at a “steady, yet moderate” pace after the gradual reopening of businesses since May, Mr. Dominguez said. The restriction is long-term positive as it gives time for government to boost health-care resources and contain the spread of the virus, he said.

“Benign” inflation, a strong peso and a high-investment grade credit rating, which allowed government to borrow money at relatively lower cost, will help it “mount a strong recovery soon enough,” Mr. Dominguez said. — Bloomberg

Duterte orders investigation into Philhealth irregularities

President Rodrigo R. Duterte ordered the creation of a task force to investigate irregularities within the Philippine Health Corp. (PhilHealth) as the state insurer’s officials face allegations of corruption.

Palace Spokesperson Harry L. Roque said in a briefing on Friday that the President signed a memorandum ordering the Department of Justice (DoJ) to probe the matter, this as PhilHealth is facing fresh allegations of corruption amid an investigation by Congress.

“Nag-isyu po ang ating Presidente ng isang memorandum na naka-address po kay Secretary Menardo Guevarra ng Department of Justice na bumuo po ng task force para po imbestigahan ang mga anomalya dito sa PhilHealth (The President issued a memorandum addressed to [DoJ] Secretary Menardo Guevarra to create a task force to investigate the anomalies in PhilHealth),” he said.

Based on the memorandum dated Aug. 7, Mr. Duterte said the task force will also conduct an “audit of the PhilHealth finances and conduct of lifestyle checks on its officials and employees.”

The panel may also recommend the suspension of any of PhilHealth’s officials for the unhampered conduct of the probe. The task force will submit its findings to the president within 30 days.

PhilHealth has been under fire for revelations made during hearings in Congress after its anti-fraud legal officer Thorsson Montes Keith, who recently resigned, said there were anomalous activities in the agency.

Earlier this week, Mr. Roque said Mr. Duterte would not fire current PhilHealth President Ricardo C. Morales, adding that the president wants to see more proof against PhilHealth before he takes any action. — Gillian M. Cortez

Pooled testing only works in areas with little incidence of COVID-19: DoH

The Department of Health (DoH) on Friday said pooled testing for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is only effective in areas where incidence of the disease is low.

In a virtual briefing on Friday, Health UnderSecretary Maria Rosario S. Vergeire said that although the process of pooled testing is efficient, it is ineffective in places with a high prevalence of the disease.

The process of pooled testing involves taking individual swab samples from several people and testing them together in one batch with one COVID-19 test kit. If the pooled test comes out negative, all the people in the batch are cleared. If it comes out positive, then all the people in the batch have to be tested individually for COVID-19. Pooled testing has been eyed by the government as a way to efficiently utilize its existing stocks of test kits as it bats for expanded testing for the disease.

“Hindi siya magiging efficient kung gagamitan ng pooled testing ang areas na mataas ang prevalence (…) Ang pooled testing kapag ginamit sa high prevalence areas, pag pinool mo ang samples na ‘yan, ang dami pa rin na positive na lalabas (…) itetest mo isa-isa ‘yan at hindi magiging efficient,” she said. (Pooled testing won’t be effective if we use this in areas with high prevalence… if the pooled testing is used in high prevalence areas, if you pool the samples, there will be a lot of positive results… and you will have to test that separately and it won’t be as efficient.)

But low prevalence areas will benefit from the use of pooled testing, she said.

She added that the DoH is currently doing a pilot study of the testing method which is set to end next week. She added that the process could be implemented immediately after.

“We have some evaluations we are undertaking right now. Hopefully by next week, kapag natapos na ang evaluations, ‘yan ang commitment ng ating evaluators (once the evaluations are finished, that is the commitment of the evaluators)…. we will immediately start this pooled testing,” she said.

On Friday, the health department reported that there were 3,379 new confirmed cases of COVID-19, bringing the total number of cases in the country to 122,754. The number of recoveries reached 66,852 while the number of deaths rose to 2,168.

The number of COVID-19 tests done locally has reached 1.6 million, and daily testing capacity has exceeded 30,000 tests.

TESTS, TREATMENT

The DoH Undersecretary said the agency will soon release a comprehensive guideline on the use of different COVID-19 testing methods in the country. She estimated the guidelines could be released the week after next.

The guidelines will help those giving the tests on which kind of test they need to give at the different stages of the illness.

“Hopefully by weekend we will finish with the expert comments… hopefully by next week iprepresent na sa (it will be presented already to) the IATF,” she said.

Meanwhile, Ms. Vergeire said that the DoH is currently in the process of finalizing requirements in order to begin its clinical trials with the anti-flu drug Avigan. The trials are supposed to begin on Aug. 10. Ms. Vergeire said, “hindi nafafinalize ang legal documents (the legal documents have not been finalized yet)” but assured “it’s going to happen soon.”

The Japanese Embassy said this week that the Japanese government had sent the drugs to the Philippines for clinical trial use. Avigan is the brand name of favipiravir which is said to help treat COVID-19. — Gilliam M. Cortez

4 Filipinos dead, 31 injured in Beirut blast

Four Filipinos died while 31 were injured by the deadly blast that destroyed the port of Beirut, Lebanon last Tuesday.

In a statement released on Friday, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said four Filipinos perished in the explosion that devastated the city’s business district and killed over 100 people and left hundreds of thousands of residents homeless.

Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Sarah Lou Y. Arriola said in the statement, “Our Embassy officials shall continue to ascertain the condition of our community in Beirut. The DFA reaffirms its commitment to bring the much needed support and assistance to our kababayans (compatriots) specially at this hour of need.”

Philippine Embassy Beirut Charge d’affaires Ajeet Panemanglor said, “Two Filipinos remain in critical condition. They are confined and are being monitored at Rizk Hospital.’

The blast happened in the Port of Beirut and officials have pointed to 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate which was improperly stored there as the cause of the explosion. — Gilliam M. Cortez

Half of Filipinos afraid to speak out against gov’t — SWS

A BIT more than half of Filipinos feel that it is dangerous to print or broadcast anything critical of the administration even if it is truthful, according to a July poll by the Social Weather Survey (SWS).

Its National Mobile Phone Survey found that 51% of Filipinos agree with the statement: “It is dangerous to print or broadcast anything critical of the administration, even if it is the truth.” Of this group, 23% strongly agree while 27% somewhat agree.

On the other hand, 30% of Filipinos disagree with the statement. Fourteen percent of them somewhat disagree, and 17% strongly disagree, correctly rounded.

Eighteen percent of the respondents were undecided.

Overall, this gives a net agreement score of +21, which is represented by the percentage agreed minus the percentage disagree. This result is classified “moderate” by the SWS.

The National Mobile Phone Survey covered a total of 1,555 adult respondents, with an equal male-to-female proportion, from various regions nationwide.

In terms of age, 35- to 44-year-olds comprised the biggest group at 25%, followed by 25- to 34-year-olds at 24%. Filipinos aged 45 to 54 years old and 55 years old and above both made up 19% of the respondents respectively, while 12% were aged 18 to 24 years old.

As for educational attainment, 56% of the respondents were junior high school graduates, 21% were elementary graduates, 17% graduated from college, and 5% were not able to graduate from elementary school. — Mariel Alison L. Aguinaldo

1...7,9297,9307,931...12,950Page 7,930 of 12,950
© 2024 BusinessWorld Publishing.
All rights reserved.
Read our privacy guidelines
Facebook Instagram Linkedin Twitter Youtube