Measure seeks expansion of telecommuting law to public sector

May 23, 2021 | 7:31 pm

A SENATOR filed a measure seeking to expand the coverage of the telecommuting law to the public sector.

Senator Ramon B. Revilla, Jr. filed Senate Bill 2189 on May 12, which seeks to amend Republic Act No. 11165 or the Act Institutionalizing Telecommuting as an Alternative Work Arrangement for Employees in the Private Sector.

“As seen during this pandemic, telecommuting offers a viable work arrangement in line with the government directive of staying at home, social distancing and quarantine/isolation measures,” he said in his explanatory note.

“This bill expands the coverage of this Act to include employees in the public sector, who are also affected by and need to navigate the massive reforms of working conditions,” he added.

The proposal also includes a P1,000 monthly telecommuting allowance for all employees working under a telecommuting program.

“This incentive allows the workers to shoulder the additional expenses of computer or electronic hardware, internet connection, telephone bills, electric consumption, supplies, among others, attendant to working in their private residence,” he said.

The provision shall not eliminate or diminish supplements or other benefits set prior to the implementation of the law and shall not prohibit employers or the collective bargaining agreement from providing higher rates.

The allowances given by private employers shall be deductible for income tax purposes, according to the bill.

President Rodrigo R. Duterte signed the telecommuting act into law in Jan. 2019. — Vann Marlo M. Villegas

EdTech firm says teachers, as well as students, need help in the digital shift

May 23, 2021 | 7:30 pm

EDUCATION technology firm Blackboard, Inc. said institutions need to focus on teachers, more than on students, as learning systems shift towards a more digital platform.

Blackboard Asia Regional Vice President Philip Murray, in a virtual event last week, said the main focus has been accommodating students’ learning needs in what is now the new normal, but younger people tend to adapt faster to digitalized learning than educators.

“They (teachers) have been asked to make very rapid change from being traditional or conventional decorum of teaching… but (now) they have to learn a lot of new skills,” he said.

“Many teachers have taught the same way for some years and they are a bit concerned with how this new world might look like, will their teaching methods have value and of course they will. But then again, it’s looking at other resources available that will help them,” he added.

He said their company provides the Blackboard Learning Management System, wherein the programs are designed to be easy for educators.

“That is where a lot of our programs especially the digital teaching and learning series have helped remove a lot of fear that faculty have had in making that change,” he said.

Over 150 million users from 80 countries have utilized tools operated by Blackboard that are offered by institutions as part of their remote learning platforms. — Gillian M. Cortez

Manny Pacquiao faces tough battle against Errol Spence — analyst

May 23, 2021 | 7:00 pm

By Michael Angelo S. Murillo, Senior Reporter

EIGHT-DIVISION world champion Manny Pacquiao of the Philippines will have his hands full when he collides with American welterweight champ Errol Spence, Jr. later this year.

This, is according to one local boxing analyst of the scheduled Aug. 21 title fight between the two top fighters, made official and announced at the weekend by the Filipino boxing superstar.

The Pacquiao-Spence fight will take place in Las Vegas, Nevada.

In an online interview with BusinessWorld, boxing analyst Nissi Icasiano said that while Mr. Pacquiao (62-7-2) and his camp did a good job in choosing Mr. Spence (27-0) as the former’s opponent in his return fight after two years, “Pacman” must brace for a tough battle against the World Boxing Council (WBC) and International Boxing Federation (IBF) champion.

“Pacquiao will have his hands full against Errol Spence, Jr. The American has a very effective and economical style which primarily uses his aggressive pressure with the jab to set up a straight left hand to the head or body. He also has very good fundamental boxing skills fighting on the back foot using his jab to maneuver his opponent,” said Mr. Icasiano.

Adding, “The other side of his game is his inside fighting skills where a lot of fighters struggle to withstand his aggression, body work and power. I have to throw out this question [as well], when was the last time Manny Pacquiao fought a fellow southpaw? It’s true that southpaws create problems with right-handed fighters. But in this fight, he won’t be having that advantage.”

The announcement of the Spence fight settled once and for all who the opponent of Mr. Pacquiao, also a sitting senator of the republic, will be for his much-awaited return, that had him at some points being angled to fight former multi-division champion Mikey Garcia and Ultimate Fighting Championship star and champion Conor McGregor.

Mr. Icasiano said that the Spence fight is just too hard to pass up on and he would not blame Mr. Pacquiao’s camp for going such a direction.

“It’s not surprising from my end [that this fight is happening] because Spence was one of the three or four options as the next in-ring foe for Pacquiao. I believe Senator Manny got him a better fight than having Mikey Garcia or even UFC star Conor McGregor as an opponent in his first fight in two years,” he said.

“As early as December 2020, Spence’s name had already been floating as a potential opponent. People often forget that this is the easiest fight to make, especially that both men fight under one promotion.” Mr. Icasiano added, referring to Premier Boxing Champions.

The boxing analyst further said that the August fight carries much significance for both Messrs. Pacquiao and Spence.

“This fight for Pacquiao goes to show he is not afraid to take on the young lions of his division. The Filipino icon is making a big leap in perhaps the final stretch of his illustrious career. If he wins, it will definitely bolster further his legacy as one of the best ever in the sport,” Mr. Icasiano said.

“For Errol Spence, he has a lot to gain in this fight. It’s the biggest fight of his career to date.”

Forty-two-year-old Pacquiao last fought in July 2019 where he beat American Keith Thurman by split decision to win the World Boxing Association welterweight belt. He later vacated the title.

Mr. Spence, 31, meanwhile, is coming off a successful title defense of his WBC and IBF titles against compatriot Danny Garcia last December.

Taekwondo jin Kurt Barbosa joins 8 others to Tokyo Olympics

May 23, 2021 | 7:00 pm

Barbosa-(2) — TAEKWONDO jin Kurt Barbosa became the ninth Filipino athlete to book a spot in the rescheduled Olympic Games in Tokyo this year after hitting the mark in the Asian qualifiers in Amman, Jordan, on Saturday. — JORDAN TAEKWONDO FEDERATION

AND then there were nine.

Taekwondo jin Kurt Barbosa became the ninth Filipino athlete to book a spot in the rescheduled Olympic Games in Tokyo this year after hitting the mark in the Asian qualifiers in Amman, Jordan, on Saturday.

Mr. Barbosa, 21, scored a thrilling 50-49 victory over hometown bet Zaid Al-Hawani in the qualifying match in the men’s -59 kg division with a buzzer-beating kick.

Down by five points, 48-43, with 24 seconds to go, Mr. Barbosa stayed aggressive and scored on a barrage of kicks to overhaul his deficit, including a kick to the body as time expired to hand him the win and the Olympic spot, one of two up for grabs in his division.

National University student-athlete Barbosa will be the first Filipino taekwondo jin to compete in the Olympic since Tshomlee Go did it in 2008 in Beijing.

Mr. Barbosa joins Filipino athletes EJ Obiena (pole vault), Caloy Yulo (gymnastics), Eumir Felix Marcial, Irish Magno, Nesthy Petecio and Carlo Paalam (boxing), Hidilyn Diaz (weightlifting), and Cris Nievarez (rowing) who have qualified for spots to date for the Tokyo Games happening from July 23 to Aug. 8.

Apart from Mr. Barbosa, other jins who competed in the Asian qualifiers were 2016 Rio Olympics campaigner Kirstie Alora, Pauline Lopez and Arven Alcantara. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo

Dallas Mavericks stun LA Clippers in Game 1

May 23, 2021 | 6:59 pm

DORIAN Finney-Smith hit two late 3-pointers, one triggering a 7-0 burst that broke a tie and propelled the visiting Dallas Mavericks to a 113-103 victory over the fourth-seeded Los Angeles Clippers in Game 1 of their Western Conference first-round playoff series on Saturday afternoon.

Game 2 in the best-of-seven is scheduled for Tuesday, also in Los Angeles.

Hitting four of his five 3-point attempts, Finney-Smith finished with 18 points, while Luka Dončić had a game-high 31 as part of a triple-double and Tim Hardaway, Jr. 21 for the Mavericks, who won the season series 2-1 over the Clippers.

Kawhi Leonard had a team-high 26 points and Paul George scored 23 for the Clippers, who beat Dallas (4-2) in a first-round series last year in the bubble.

After the Mavericks, up by as many as 12 in the first half, held a lead for almost the entire first 39 minutes of the game, Nicolas Batum and George buried consecutive 3-pointers to put the Clippers on top 89-87 with 9:00 remaining, setting up a tight finish.

Finney-Smith’s first crucial 3-pointer came during a stretch in which the Mavericks and Clippers exchanged leads seven times over the course of 4:12. His shot gave Dallas a 95-94 advantage with 6:55 left.

The Clippers rallied to go up by as many as three, and a George jumper with 3:12 remaining forged the game’s final tie at 100 all before Dallas made its last surge.

Finney-Smith’s second 3-pointer broke the tie with 2:50 remaining, after which Kristaps Porziņģis added two free throws and Hardaway a layup to complete the seven-point run and put the Mavericks in charge at 107-100 with just 1:24 to play.

The Clippers got no closer than five after that.

Dončić and Hardaway bombed in five 3-pointers apiece as the Mavericks outscored the Clippers (51-33) from beyond the arc.

Dončić completed his triple-double with a game-high-tying 10 rebounds and a game-high 11 assists, while Jalen Brunson chipped in with 15 points and Porziņģis 14 for Dallas. Leonard’s 26 points came on 9-for-22 shooting and George’s 23 on 8-for-18 shooting, as the Clippers were outshot by the visitors 50.0 percent to 44.0 percent.

Leonard completed a double-double with a team-high 10 rebounds. Batum and Rajon Rondo both came off the bench to contribute 11 points to the Los Angeles offense, while Patrick Beverley added 10. — Reuters

Phil Mickelson holds PGA Championship lead

May 23, 2021 | 6:58 pm

KIAWAH ISLAND, SC — Phil Mickelson looked set to run away with the Professional Golfers’ Association (PGA) Championship until a major stumble saw his five-shot cushion evaporate, but he steadied the ship in time to sit one shot clear of Brooks Koepka after the third round on Saturday.

The 50-year-old Mickelson, who is bidding to become the oldest major winner in history, carded a two-under-par 70 that left him at seven under on the week and one shot clear of Koepka (70), who had a share of the lead until a closing bogey.

Mickelson began the day at the Ocean Course with a one-shot share of the lead with South African Louis Oosthuizen (72) but made a sizzling start with four birdies over the first seven holes and led by five shots after a birdie at the 10^th.

However, things started to unravel at the par-four 12^thhole where Mickelson, whose most recent major triumph came at the 2013 British Open, made his first bogey in 21 holes.

Mickelson’s tee shot at the par-four 13^th then found water en route to a double-bogey that left him just one shot in front of Koepka and Oosthuizen.

Four-times major champion Koepka, playing in the penultimate pairing, moved into a share of the lead with a tap-in birdie at the par-five 16^th but fell one back after two-putting from about six feet at the last.

Former British Open champion Oosthuizen was alone in third place, two shots back of Mickelson.

Masters champion Matsuyama (76), in his second tournament since becoming the first Japanese man to win a major, had been in contention until a disastrous stretch that saw him cover the final eight holes in six over par.

Jordan Spieth (68), who arrived at Kiawah Island seeking a win to become only the sixth player to complete the career Grand Slam of winning golf’s four major championships, struggled on the Ocean Course greens and will start the final round seven shots back in a share of 13^th place. — Reuters

Eala, Russian doubles partner finish runners-up in Spain tournament

May 23, 2021 | 6:58 pm

Ealadouble — ALEX EALA of the Philippines (rightmost) and partner Oksana Selekhmeteva of Russia were the runners-up in the doubles event of the just-concluded W25 Platja D’Aro tournament in Spain. — ALEX EALA FB PAGE

THE spirited run at the W25 Platja D’Aro tournament in Spain of doubles partners Alex Eala of the Philippines and Oksana Selekhmeteva concluded with a runner-up finish on Saturday (Manila time).

The Eala-Selekhmeteva tandem lost to Justina Mikulskyte and Oana Georgeta Simion, 3-6, 5-7, in the women’s doubles final, which marked the Filipino tennis sensation’s first trip to a professional doubles championship match.

Mses. Eala and Selekhmeteva dug themselves in a deep hole in the opening set, going 1-5 down and never recovered from it.

In the second set, they performed far better, standing toe-to-toe with their Lithuanian-Romanian team opponent.

The Filipino-Russian duo tried hard to extend the contest to a deciding third set but Mses. Mikulskyte and Simion were not to be denied as they took advantage of every opportunity they could get, including racking up three straight points to overhaul a 40-15 deficit in the final game, en route to closing out the contest for the win.

Despite falling short, Ms. Eala, who just turned 16 years old, was still grateful for the solid run they had in the doubles tournament and the opprotunity to further develop her game as a professional.

“Happy to earn my first pro doubles finalist trophy,” Rafa Nadal Academy scholar and long-time Globe ambassador Eala wrote in a post on her Facebook page. “Thanks to my partner, Oksana!”

In the W25 Platja D’Aro doubles tournament, Mses. Eala and Selekhmeteva defeated Valeria Koussenkova of Spain and Warona Mdlulwa of South Africa, 6-2, 6-0, in the opening round then beat the Russian duo of Vlada Koval and Sofya Lansere, 6-3, 2-6, 12-10, in the quarterfinals. They dominated the Dutch tandem of Isabelle Haverlag and Suzan Lamens, 6-3, 6-1, in the semifinals.

Next for Ms. Eala, the number three-ranked juniors player in the world, is the French Open juniors tournament in June. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo

Lim, Teodoro among winners in inaugural NBL-WNBL-IBC 1v1 basketball

May 23, 2021 | 6:58 pm

NBC-IBC-1v1-Games_Men-Heavyweight_Teodoro — THE innovative one-on-one tournament of the National Basketball League, its women’s division WNBL, and Isolation Basketball Championship was successfully held at the weekend with Allana Lim and Teytey Teodoro (in photo with the ball) among the inaugural winners. — NBL/WNBL

THE innovative one-on-one tournament of the National Basketball League (NBL), its women’s division WNBL, and Isolation Basketball Championship (IBC) was successfully held at the weekend with Allana Lim and Teytey Teodoro among the inaugural winners.

Designed to deviate from the traditional way of staging one-on-one competitions, the NBL-WNBL-IBC 1v1 tournament had organizers classifying players according to their weight.

Ms. Lim, who will play for the Parañaque Lady Aces in the coming season of the Women’s National Basketball League (WNBL), ruled the light heavyweight division while former Barangay Ginebra player Teodoro won the men’s heavyweight division in the proceedings held last Saturday at the Bren Z. Guiao Convention Center in San Fernando, Pampanga.

In winning the women’s lightweight heavyweight title, Ms. Lim beat Snow Peñaranda (20-17).

Ms. Lim pulled away after scoring four straight points in the third and final round of the contest.

Mr. Teodoro, meanwhile, defeated Arnaud Noah (20-15) in the main event for the men’s side.

Other results saw Raymart Amil blank Marvin Baracael (10-0) in the men’s welterweight for a technical knockout, which means a win with a margin of 10 points or more; Jhenn Angeles defeat Angelica De Austria in the women’s lightweight (17-6); Jolina Go win over Nicole Delos Reyes (14-4) in the women’s featherweight; and Topeng Lagrama beat Mark Tamayo (18-8) in the featherweight class.

Two matches, meanwhile, ended in a free-throw shootout at the end of regulation with Girly Villaflores edging Jo Razalo (19-17) in the women’s heavyweight and Sthefanie Venture winning over Nicole Cancio (14-12) in the women’s welterweight.

Officials of the NBL and WNBL said the 1v1 tournament served as an initial offering for their new season which they hope to kick up with the 5-on-5 tournament in the middle of the year.

It is also something they were looking to incorporate in the succeeding seasons.

The inaugural NBL-WNBL-IBC 1v1 basketball was held under strict health and safety protocols and guided by the Games and Amusements Board and the local government unit concerned. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo

NBA eases mask rules for coaches

May 23, 2021 | 6:55 pm

THE National Basketball Association (NBA) has relaxed the mask requirements for head coaches as the playoffs tip off on Saturday, according to the Associated Press. The league reportedly sent a memo on Saturday morning that clears the way for fully vaccinated head coaches to ditch their masks during games.

Gauff captures second WTA singles title

May 23, 2021 | 6:55 pm

COCO Gauff cruised to her second career singles title with a 6-1, 6-3 victory over Qiang Wang of China on Saturday in the finals of the Emilia-Romagna Open in Parma, Italy. The third-seeded American dispatched her sixth-seeded opponent in 74 minutes after fending off four break points. The title was her first since winning in Linz, Austria in 2019.

Ruud beats Shapovalov to win Geneva Open

May 23, 2021 | 6:54 pm

THIRD seed Casper Ruud claimed his second career title on the ATP Tour after beating Denis Shapovalov (7-6(6), 6-4) in the final of the claycourt Geneva Open on Saturday. Norwegian Ruud did not concede a single break point to the Canadian second seed to prevail in the battle of the 22-year-olds and add to the Argentina Open title he won last year.

Lewandowski breaks scoring record

May 23, 2021 | 6:54 pm

BAYERN Munich striker Robert Lewandowski broke Gerd Mueller’s 49-year-old Bundesliga goal-scoring record for a single season on Saturday when he netted for the 41^st time in the last minute of their last match, a 5-2 win over Augsburg. The Poland striker is already second on the all-time scorers list in the Bundesliga with 277 goals, behind only Mueller’s 365. Mueller set the previous record of 40 goals in the 1971/72 season, which Lewandowski equaled last week.