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Media and politics

One media giant is now under fire from the government for alleged violations of its legislative franchise to broadcast. And while the concerns of ABS-CBN are now headlines, it is not really unusual for media companies — or personalities — to be in the sights of politicians at one time or the other. After all, news media have significant influence on Philippine political dynamics.

News media plays a role, primarily, as that of a truth-seeker. That it aims to inform, perhaps even educate, media consumers also comes with its mission to report the truth — regardless of consequences. But even truth has many versions, at times equal to the number of viewpoints expressed. It is in this line that media always endeavor to seek all sides of a story, a scandal, or controversy.

Bias in reporting is not unusual, and cannot be denied nor ignored. People who gather and report the news cannot help but be influenced by their own personal biases and prejudices, while a media company can always be distracted by business concerns or market dictates. To survive, a media entity needs to be prosperous enough to pursue its mission of reporting.

But while one can be forgiven for biases, one must always be measured by a high standard of intellectual honesty. One must struggle to report the facts, and just facts, as they happened, as correctly and as honestly as possible. Commentary and opinion can be left to commentators and columnists, to the opinion section, and to editorials. News pages and news programs, however, must be considered sacred and reserved only for facts and news.

Over the years, I believe ABS-CBN has proved itself equal to this task. It had stood its ground on many occasions, reaping political whirlwinds as consequences of its reporting. But it had managed to live on. Martial rule silenced it for over a decade. However, as political winds changed in 1986, so did its fortunes.

Admittedly, the media giant is not without its politics, if not its political linkages. In a number of occasions, its news media personalities — after years of service with the network — had managed to launch successful political careers, notably Senator Loren Legarda and Vice-President Noli de Castro. Even the company’s beginnings and evolution were always tied to politics. It is thus perhaps unsurprising that even its continued survival now is again influenced by politics.

American James Lindernberg started the Bolinao Electronics Corporation in 1946 to do radio equipment assembly. By 1949, the company shifted to radio broadcasting, and by 1953, it was also into television broadcasting. But the latter wouldn’t have happened if Lindenberg, in 1951, did not partner with Antonio Quirino, brother of then-Philippine President Elpidio Quirino. It was for this reason that in 1952, Bolinao was renamed as Alto Broadcasting System or ABS, as “Alto” was a contraction of “Tony and Aleli,” the first names of Quirino and his wife. The TV station was also known as DZAQ-TV, from Quirino’s initials.

In 1956, Chronicle Broadcasting Network (CBN) was put up by Eugenio Lopez, Sr. to do radio broadcasts. At the time, Lopez’s brother, Fernando, was a senator. This was after Fernando served as Vice-President to Elpidio Quirino in 1949-1953. Fernando was reelected senator in 1959, and was later reelected vice-president to Ferdinand Marcos in 1965-1969.

By 1972, the ABS-CBN network owned and operated two television stations and seven radio stations in Manila, and 14 radio stations and three television stations in the provinces. However, having found itself on the side of the opposition to then president Ferdinand Marcos, and despite the political involvement of Fernando Lopez with Marcos in 1965-1969, the network was shut down with the declaration of Martial Law.

The basis for closure, in line with Presidential Proclamation 1081 on the declaration of Martial Law, were Letters of Instruction No. 1 and No. 1-A, series of 1972. LOI No. 1, addressed to both the Press Secretary and the Secretary of National Defense, was an order “to take over and control or cause the taking over and control of all such newspapers, magazines, radio and television facilities and all other media of communications, wherever they are, for the duration of the present national emergency, or until otherwise ordered by me or my duly designated representative.”

This was “in order to prevent the use of privately owned newspapers, magazines, radio and television facilities and all other media of communications, for propaganda purposes against the government and its duly constituted authorities or for any purpose that tends to undermine the faith and confidence of the people in our Government and aggravate the present national emergency.”

LOI No. 1 noted that this was “in view of the present national emergency which has been brought about by the activities of those who are actively engaged in a criminal conspiracy to seize political and state power in the Philippines and to take over the Government by force and violence the extent of which has now assumed the proportion of an actual war against our people and their legitimate Government.”

More interesting, however, is LOI No. 1-A, which was addressed only to the Secretary of National Defense, to the exclusion of the Press Secretary. While LOI No. 1 ordered the Press and National Defense offices “to take over and control or cause the taking over and control of all such newspapers, magazines, radio and television facilities and all other media of communications,” LOI No. 1-A singled out only two out of several media entities for seizure of assets.

LOA No. 1-A ordered the Secretary of National defense to “sequester the ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corporation and the TV and Radio network and facilities owned and operated by the Associated Broadcasting Corporation [ABC] which include radio stations DZMT, DZTM and DZWS and sister radio stations in Davao City, Cebu City, Laoag City and Dagupan City, as well as Channel 5 and its sister TV stations in the cities of Davao and Cebu.”

This was considering that “the ABS-CBN network and the Associated Broadcasting Corporation [ABC], whose owners, principal officers and key personnel are engaged in subversive activities against the Government and its duly constituted authorities and are participants in a conspiracy to overthrow the Government, have, more than once and often, actively engaged in or otherwise wittingly allowed the use of its facilities and manpower in the broadcast and dissemination of subversive materials and of deliberately slanted and overly exaggerated news stories and commentaries as well as false, vile, foul and scurrilous statements and utterances, clearly well-conceived, intended and calculated to malign and discredit the duly constituted authorities, and thereby promote the agitational propaganda campaign, conspiratorial activities and illegal ends of the Communist Party of the Philippines, and had been used as indispensable instruments in the assassination attempt against the President of the Republic of the Philippines by maligning him, all of which activities are patently inimical to the security and interest of the State.”

Simply put, ABS-CBN and ABC and their owners were deemed by the Marcos government “subversives” that must be put down. It was, in my understanding, the first time that the government actually made an official or legal declaration of media entities as “enemies” of the state that must be neutralized, for acting in ways allegedly contrary to the interest of the republic.

Likewise interesting is that LOI No. 1-A, perhaps for the first time in Philippine political history, used the terms “sequester” and “sequestration,” which was defined by the Marcos order to mean “the seizure of private property or assets in the hands of any person or entity in order to prevent the utilization, transfer or conveyance of the same for purposes inimical to national security, or when necessary to protect the interest of the Government or any of its instrumentalities. It shall include the taking over and assumption of the management, control and operation of the private property or assets seized.”

After the 1986 EDSA Revolt, which ousted Marcos and which celebrated its 34th anniversary just a few days ago, the Lopez family regained control of the ABS-CBN network with the help of then president Corazon Aquino. I am uncertain as to how this was actually done, and whether a legal document exists to provide legal basis to counter LOI No. 1 and No. 1-A, for the return of ABS-CBN to the Lopezes. I recall our late publisher, Raul Locsin, actually having written about this in the late 1980s.

That politics had an influence on ABS-CBN may all have been coincidental, really, particularly during the years when the Quirinos and the Lopezes were active in politics. But it was obviously political when Marcos shut down and sequestered the network in 1972, and when it was returned to the Lopezes in 1986. In its long history since 1952, politics had always had some part in ABS-CBN’s life, outside the world of news reporting. And this will still be the case, I guess, in 2020 and beyond.

 

Marvin Tort is a former managing editor of BusinessWorld, and a former chairman of the Philippines Press Council.

matort@yahoo.com

World trade and the virus

The Philippines’ average merchandise trade deficit in 2018 was $3.6 billion a month, went down to $3.1 billion a month in 2019. The US and Japan remain the Philippines’ main exports market while China remains our main source of imported goods.

While we have generally balanced trade with the US, Japan, and Germany, that cannot be said of the rest of our Asian neighbors including our ASEAN partners. Our biggest trade deficits are with China, South Korea, Indonesia, and Thailand (see Table 1).

The main reason for this is that while tariff rates with our Asian neighbors are declining — with zero tariffs within the ASEAN — the non-tariff measures (NTMs) are increasing. The challenge for freer trade should focus on these NTMs.

In global trade, data from the World Trade Organization (WTO) show that the top three players are also the biggest economies in their respective continents — China, the US, and Germany. But the US suffers the biggest trade deficit overall, with an average deficit of $2.6 billion/day in 2018, while China and Germany have an average trade surplus of $1 billion/day and $0.8 billion/day, respectively.

In the ASEAN, our five neighbors belong to the top 30 world exporters and importers in 2018. Meanwhile, the Philippines ranked No. 47 in exports and No. 34 in imports (see Table 2).

We now go to the spreading coronavirus. China, the exports powerhouse, is also ground zero of SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2) which causes Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), and the economic dislocations there in the first two months of 2020 are huge, with many big cities looking like ghost towns and having minimal economic activities including near-zero manufacturing.

China’s exports are other countries’ consumer goods or raw materials and intermediate goods, even capital goods, for their manufacturing, agriculture, and services sectors. The same way that China’s imports are other countries’ exports of mining, manufacturing, agriculture products.

Trade diversification, and investment and tourism diversification are already happening — but at a slow rate. For instance, Philippine companies that relied heavily on imports from China have to adjust and substitute imports from Vietnam and other ASEAN neighbors whenever possible.

While COVID-19 will take care of the Philippines’ huge trade deficit with China, our ASEAN neighbors must relax or reduce their NTMs vs Philippines exports to them.

In the new report, the International Trade Barriers Index 2019 produced by the Property Rights Alliance in Washington, DC, out of 86 countries covered, the Philippines ranked 78th or near the bottom. We scored high in NTMs (meaning we do not have many NTMs) but we scored low in tariffs, services restrictions, and trade facilitation.

The Philippines should not reciprocate with high NTMs against its Asian neighbors, rather everyone should reduce their respective NTMs. And the Philippines should address its problems and bureaucracies in services restrictions and trade facilitation. That is the way to freer trade and a more prosperous world. More prosperity will give us more resources to address COVID-19 and emerging or future communicable diseases.

 

Bienvenido S. Oplas, Jr. is the president of Minimal Government Thinkers.

minimalgovernment@gmail.com

Tastes of Saigon

I am currently in a quaint café along Bui Vien Walking Street in Saigon, enjoying a cup of egg coffee coupled with a glass of hot tea. Yes, you read it right — coffee, tea, and me! While I had been in Vietnam twice before, this is the first time I’ve tried its famous egg coffee. When the server asked me if I wanted hot tea to accompany my coffee, I was a bit surprised and told her that I was fine with my coffee. Until I took a sip. A little bit embarrassed, I asked the lady if her offer of hot tea still holds, as the egg coffee was incredibly sweet and a bit too rich for my taste. With a suppressed giggle, she served the hot tea. I wonder how they say, “Sabi ko na sa iyo, eh!” (I told you so) in Vietnamese.

And so my coffee shop-hopping tour in Saigon officially begins, something that I decided to do after the roughly 20-minute taxi ride from the airport to my hotel in the city center. Along the way, I saw several local cafés with names that caught my attention. For example, Là Viet Coffee raises expectations — Will drinking its coffee make me say, “Love it!”? For those who can’t survive without their dose of coffee in a day, MyLife Coffee should keep them, as the elementary school song goes, “alive, alert, enthusiastic.”

Actually, I had my first Vietnamese coffee yesterday at ThFi Café [yes, it had strong Wi-Fi]. The café was located on the third floor of an old apartment building along Tôn That Đam Street, a 15-minute walk from my hotel. From the street, the building looked abandoned and a bit creepy, but those who are curious enough are in for a surprise as the building houses several artsy cafés, tea houses, and fashion shops. I am aware that there are similar attempts to convert old buildings in Escolta into such types of places, an excellent way of preserving our colonial heritage and of keeping the old-city charm of Manila.

Saigon, of course, offers more than just coffee. Vietnam, after all, is known for its delicious and healthy cuisine. And so far, it has lived up to my expectations. From the really cheap king mackerel (cá thu kho) with rice and soup that I had for lunch in a street eatery to the more pricey classic chicken pho (pho gà) I had for dinner at Terraces Café of the Bitexco Financial Center; to my hotel’s complimentary breakfast buffet of banh mi and fried egg plus the chicken curry and baguette that I had early this morning, I’ve had my fill in less than 24 hours. Having recently read about (and now practicing) mindful eating (i.e., concentrating on every mouthful one eats), I find Saigon to be a delightful laboratory for this gustatory experiment.

Tonight, I will take a private motorbike tour that will allow me to experience Saigon’s night life from the back of a motorbike. I look forward to discovering wonderful street food in the city’s hidden alleys, and to learning more about Vietnamese food culture, courtesy of my tour guide, Vince.

I wonder how I will be able to consume “nine different dishes and unlimited drinks,” as promised by the tour provider, and do it in a mindful manner. Just visualizing the Vietnamese rice pancakes, coconut ice cream, and grilled banana cakes that I am supposed to learn how to prepare as part of the tour, makes my mouth water this very instant. While riding a motorbike on the busy streets of this beautiful city makes me a little bit nervous, the anticipation of enjoying the tastes of Saigon more than makes up for my initial hesitation.

By the way, I have just moved to another café in Bui Vien Walking Street. I type in the café’s Wi-Fi password “blackeagle,” and do a quick Google search. “I told you so” is “Tôi đã nói rồi mà” in Vietnamese.

 

Raymund B. Habaradas is a Full Professor at the Management and Organization Department of the Ramon V. Del Rosario College of Business of De La Salle University, where he teaches Methods of Research, Management Action Research, and Qualitative Research. He is also a Governor of the Philippine Academy of Management, and the holder of the Ambassador Ramon V. del Rosario Chair of Entrepreneurship.

rbhabaradas@yahoo.com

Pharma’s response to COVID-19 bringing out best in science and partnerships

Globally, more than 80,000 people have been confirmed to have been infected by the coronavirus acute respiratory disease 2019 (COVID-19), affecting 34 countries to date. Since the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the new coronavirus as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) on Jan. 30, the world continues to closely monitor and respond to the COVID-19 outbreak. With close to 1,000 confirmed cases, South Korea has raised its infectious disease alert to its highest level.

In a WHO-led conference with scientists and experts held recently, Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus recognized that the “outbreak is a test of solidarity — political, financial, and scientific.” He called on the global community to come together to fight a common enemy that defies borders, and emphasized the need to ensure that resources will be made available to end the outbreak. He added that research is an integral part of the response and was hopeful that science could find shared answers to shared concerns.

Until today, there is still no vaccine and no specific antiviral medicine to prevent or treat COVID-2019. Those affected are receiving supportive care to relieve symptoms, and, thankfully, many recover.

The WHO said that possible vaccines and some specific drug treatments are under investigation and being tested through clinical trials. At the moment, the WHO is coordinating efforts to develop vaccines and medicines to prevent and treat COVID-19.

Members of the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers & Associations (IFPMA) are developing new medicines and vaccines to help respond to the COVID-19 epidemic. R&D biopharmaceutical companies with potentially relevant know-how have teams of scientists checking their libraries for potential assets that could fight coronaviruses. The Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Association of the Philippines (PHAP) is a member of the IFPMA, which represents the research-based pharmaceutical companies and associations across the globe.

The IFPMA said that the speedy sharing of the pathogen sequence, followed by the declaration of the novel coronavirus as an international emergency, and the convening of a research and development forum, should further galvanize global collaboration with the private and public sectors for the timely development of vaccines and treatments.

As a science-driven sector, global pharmaceutical companies have reviewed their drug and vaccine portfolios to see if there is any research that could be helpful in tackling COVID-19. This includes efforts to identify suitable assets in their libraries that could be utilized in the fight against coronaviruses. Relevant assets include diagnostics and biomarkers, approved therapies, or compounds in development that could be repurposed for use in treating patients with the coronavirus. Artificial Intelligence is also finding its place in the process, and is being used to mine through medical information to find drugs that might be helpful for tackling the novel coronavirus.

Several biopharmaceutical companies are working with the Chinese government and research institutes in the United States and Australia to fast-track the development of vaccines against COVID-19. Biopharmaceutical company Johnson & Johnson announced that it has begun to develop a vaccine for the novel coronavirus, “leveraging on Janssen’s technologies that provide the ability to rapidly upscale production of the optimal vaccine candidate.” GlaxoSmithKline, on the other hand, said that it is making its adjuvant technology available to support rapid development of candidate vaccines, as use of an adjuvant can allow “more vaccine doses to be produced and made available to more people.” Sanofi Pasteur, meanwhile, announced that it will leverage previous development work for a vaccine on Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), and “will use its recombinant DNA platform.”

In addition to R&D efforts, many research-based biopharmaceutical companies with a presence in China are donating funds, medicines, diagnostics, and medical protective products.

The IFPMA said that Johnson & Johnson has provided boxes containing laboratory-based investigations to the Chinese Center for Disease Prevention, which includes drug screening for anti-viral properties against the novel coronavirus. Pfizer, meanwhile, has made cash contributions to its global NGO partners that have shipped supplies to hospitals in China. Roche also donated diagnostic tests, medical supplies, and financial support.

In the Philippines, PHAP fully supports efforts that will enable the pharmaceutical sector to continue the work it has started in the research and development of potential vaccines and treatments for COVID-19. PHAP president Dr. Beaver Tamesis said that now more than ever, there is need for public-private partnerships to stop the spread of the disease and its several consequences. Pharmaceutical companies enable the research and development of innovations and technologies for the detection of the COVID-19, and in the ongoing search for its potential prevention and treatment. Once available, Dr. Tamesis said, PHAP’s goal is to immediately bring these life-saving innovations into the country.

PHAP also expresses readiness to support efforts to contain this current health threat.

PHAP member companies are also looking very closely at their supply chains to ensure that essential medicines and vaccines are available for Filipino patients. Business continuity plans are also in place to ensure that the supply of needed diagnostics and medicines is uninterrupted during health emergencies.

 

Teodoro B. Padilla is the executive director of the Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Association of the Philippines.

medicinecabinet@phap.org.ph

Coronavirus complacency is worse than panic

By David Fickling

DON’T THINK about a white bear.

What did you just see in your mind’s eye? If the answer was “a white bear,” you’ll have grasped one of the problems facing public health officials in talking about the risks from the COVID-19 coronavirus.

The message most experts will want to convey is, naturally, “Don’t panic.” But it’s almost impossible for humans to hear that instruction without its alarming echo: “Panic.”

If COVID-19 turns into a global pandemic, as looks increasingly likely, this problem is going to crop up again and again. Doctors want to convey information that will help people limit their own risks and minimize the burden on health systems. At the same time, they worry that the very act of sharing information will encourage people to act as if they’re in the grip of an emergency.

Take canned goods. Many public health experts would recommend that people keep well-stocked food and medicine cupboards at the moment. In the event of a serious pandemic, that will mean you’re not forced out of the house too often, or left at the mercy of supply chains that may be damaged by illness in the workforce.

The best way to do this is probably to marginally upgrade your normal daily purchases — an extra pack of tissues here, one more bag of rice there — and build up a stockpile over a course of weeks. That’s clearly not what’s happened in places where coronavirus is spreading, though: We’ve already seen a toilet paper heist in Hong Kong and panic-buying in orderly Singapore.

One obvious reason for this is that it’s not all that hard to clear out a supermarket. Grocery stores typically have no more than two to four weeks of inventory on hand at any one time, and much of that will be held off-site. If everyone buys sufficient supplies to see themselves through an extra few weeks, it’s not unlikely that you or someone you follow on Facebook is going to find some empty shelves, and take this as evidence that society’s foundations are quaking.

The behavior that leads to such shortages isn’t necessarily irrational. If you think a horde of panic-buyers are about to descend on your local shops next week and leave them out of stock, the rational approach might be to do your own panic-buying first. Once everyone starts thinking that way, a stampede is all but inevitable.

How should we deal with this situation?

One lesson can be learned from the failure of China’s initial response to COVID-19: Treat the population like adults.

“Tell us everything, being very clear that this is a dynamic situation that could change,” said Jacqueline Street, a research fellow in public health at the University of Wollongong in Australia. “Don’t just say our hospitals are prepared, say how our hospitals are prepared.”

The more that information is shared — not just on confirmed cases and deaths, but on how many tests came back negative, and on which subgroups of the population are most and least at risk, for example — the more individuals will be able to make their own judgments about safety and act responsibly.

Another lesson: The only thing we have to fear, is the fear of fear itself.

No public official wants to be accused of spreading alarm, but a measure of concern in the face of a novel pandemic infection is both justified and salutary. The small behavioral changes that will be needed to reduce risks from COVID-19 — more care over hand-washing and touching, staying away from major public events in countries where the disease is spreading — won’t come unless people are alert to the risks of infection.

“Actual panic is quite rare in these situations,” said Julie Leask, a professor of risk communication at the University of Sydney’s nursing school. “People are clearly very concerned, but a level of concern is, in a way, important for gaining good cooperation.”

Despite the way things may look if you spend a lot of time on social media, humanity isn’t really one bad press conference away from descending into bloody anarchy. The situation isn’t helped when our political leaders fail to prioritize pandemic preparedness — President Donald Trump has repeatedly pushed to cut funding for the area — or to speak up in defense of ethnic-Chinese people at risk of prejudice. But sharing timely information with the public; encouraging readiness; and putting a bit more pressure on supply chains now when they’re best able to bear it — all of that is a better strategy than waiting and then sounding a red alert at the last minute.

At this point, the fear of coronavirus is probably spreading through the world’s population even faster than the virus itself. That may not be a bad thing if it encourages behaviors that will slow down the outbreak. A measure of fear may be not so much infecting our societies, as inoculating them.

 

BLOOMBERG OPINION

Ceres looks to regroup after draw with Than Quang Ninh

By Michael Angelo S. Murillo
Senior Reporter

MISSED out on the opportunity to create further distance at the top of Group G in the AFC Cup on Tuesday night, top local football team Ceres-Negros FC looks to regroup when it treks back to tournament action next month.

The “Busmen” took on Vietnam’s Than Quang Ninh at the Rizal Memorial Stadium and found the going tough, settling for a 2-2 draw that prevented it from getting the full three points that go with a win that could have boosted further its push to the top of the grouping .

It was something that the team was left ruing about after just as it underscored the need to play better next time around as the competition could only get tougher.

“As it is, it’s still a good result. But, of course, you don’t want to end up with a draw at home. We didn’t play well today, especially in the first half. We did not create the opportunities that we needed,” said Ceres coach Risto Vidakovic after the match.

The Busmen were down early in the contest after Than Quang Ninh forward Jeremie Lynch found the bottom of the net in the 26th minute for the 1-0 lead for the visitors.

But Ceres would manage to level the count before the break with Bienvenido Maranon scoring the tying goal.

The tight battle continued in the second fold before midfielder OJ Porteria handed the Busmen the 2-1 lead in the 62nd minute.

The lead was short-lived, however, as the visitors pulled even after eight minutes care of Nguyen Hai Huy.

In the homestretch both squads tried hard to get the go-ahead amid a physical jousting but no more goals were to be scored as time expired with the teams settling for a point each in the standings for their efforts.

With how things unfolded for them in the match, Mr. Vidakovic said they have to improve in their next games because as was seen in the game, all the competing teams will not make it easier for them.

“We have to improve for our next game. We have to be more focused. We have to play our best. All the team knows what they are up against when they play us so we have to play at a high level,” said Mr. Vidakovic.

After Tuesday’s Group G fixtures, Ceres (1-1-0) is still on top of the grouping with four points followed Cambodia’s Preah Khan Reach Svay Rieng FC (1-0-1) and Indonesia’s Bali United FC (1-0-1) with three points each. Than Quang Ninh (0-1-1) is last with a point.

Leader on the board after group play in the AFC Cup books a spot in the zonal semifinals.

Next for Ceres is another home match versus Bali United on March 11.

Bordeos reclaims individual Ronda lead; Lomotos tops Stage Four

LUCENA — Mark Julius Bordeos of Bicycology-Army reclaimed the individual lead even as Standard Insurance-Navy dominated Stage Four with a 1-2-3 finish to regain the team lead in the LBC Ronda Pilipinas 10th anniversary race that started in Daet, Camarines Norte, and ended here.

Ronald Lomotos, 25, topped the gruelling 206-km stage ahead of fellow Navymen Junrey Navarra and El Joshua Carino to complete a 1-2-3 finish for Standard, all clocking four hours, 56 minutes and 28 seconds.

Mr. Bordeos came in with an 18-man second group that clocked 4:57:31 to bump off Jerry Aquino, Jr. of Scratch it from the lead and repossess the LBC red jersey he wore in the first two stages.

After four stages, the 24-year-old Bordeos has total time of 14:41:17, or just six seconds ahead of George Oconer of Standard and Rustom Lim of 7Eleven Cliqq-Air21 by Roadbike Philippines, who have identical clocking of 14:41:23.

Mr. Aquino, who snatched the lead following a dramatic Stage Three triumph in Naga the day before, slipped to fifth with 14:42:07 behind No. 4 Marcelo Felipe of 7Eleven with 14:41:39.

“Nice to have the jersey back,” said Mr. Bordeos, who zoomed to the top by ruling Stage One in Sorsogon on Sunday.

For Mr. Lomotos, it was a redemption of sorts for him after he was disqualified two years ago for drafting.

He received an extra P20,000 prize for his effort from host Lucena Mayor Roderick Alcala.

“After it, it was all downhill for me. I hope this win helps me to get back the confidence I lost,” said Mr. Lomotos, a native of Zambales whose best finish here was sixth overall three editions ago.

Standard also knocked erstwhile leader 7Eleven out of the helm thanks to its strong showing in the stage in this race presented by LBC and supported by the Manny V. Pangilinan Sports Foundation.

The Navymen have an aggregate clocking of 51:00:54, almost three minutes ahead of the Ric Rodriguez-mentored 7Eleven riders with 51:03:43.

Mr. Bordeos’ Bicycology squad was at No. 3 with 51:04:12.

“It’s our time to shine,” said Mr. Carino, the Le Tour champion who seized the King of the Mountain lead from Celeste Cycles’ Roel Quitoy.

It was a big letdown for 7Eleven as it did not only lose the team lead, it was left with only two riders in the top 10 instead of five in the last two stages as Aidan James Mendoza, Mark Galedo and Mervin Corpuz slipped to 20th and below.

Taking their places were Go for Gold’s Daniel Ven Carino, Jonel Carcueva and Ismael Grospe, Jr., who leapfrogged to sixth to eight in 14:42:21, 14:42:21 and 14:42:41, respectively.

The race, which is backed by Versa, 8A Performance, Print2Go, Petron, Green Planet, Bike Xtreme, Standard Insurance, Spyder, CCN, Lightwater, Prolite, Guerciotti, Black Mamba, Boy Kanin, Vitamin Boost, NLEX-SCTEX, Maynilad, 3Q Sports Event Management Inc., LBC Foundation and PhilCycling, resumes today with a 128.5-km Lucena-Antipolo Stage Five.

Zamboanga and Abelardo out to seize opportunities at ONE: King of the Jungle

By Michael Angelo S. Murillo
Senior Reporter

SINGAPORE — The now-closed door event “ONE: King of the Jungle” happens tomorrow at the Singapore Indoor Stadium with two Filipino fighters out to seize opportunities available to them.

Women’s atomweight fighter Denice “The Menace Fairtex” Zamboanga and Kiwi-Filipino bantamweight warrior Mike “Tyson” Fairtex Abelardo are part of the reconfigured ONE Championship event, which is closed off to fans and media upon the advisory of the city-state’s Ministry of Health to prevent the further spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) that is now affecting different parts of the world.

Ms. Zamboanga (3-0) is to face off with Japanese veteran Mei “V.V.” Yamaguchi while Mr. Belardo takes on “Pretty Boy” Troy Worthen of the United States as they angle to make their way up the in the promotion.

Twenty-three-year-old Ms. Zamboanga said she is using the Yamaguchi fight as a springboard to get a shot at the ONE world women’s atomweight title currently held by long-time Singaporean champion Angela “The Unstoppable” Lee.

Ms. Zamboanga has gotten her mixed martial arts career to a strong start, including making a winning debut in ONE in her last fight in December, beating Malaysian Hayatun Jihin Radzuan by unanimous decision in Kuala Lumpur.

“I believe that this match (Yamaguchi) fight could be a stepping stone to get me closer to a world title shot. If I lose, it would be against a huge contender, and if I win, the rewards could be enormous. I have everything to gain and nothing to lose, and I’m not planning to lose in any way,” Ms. Zamboanga was quoted as saying by the official ONE Championship website in the lead-up to King of the Jungle.

“If I can beat Mei, I will call out Angela Lee,” added the Filipino fighter, who took the Yamaguchi fight with less than a month’s notice.

Despite the short notice, she expressed her readiness and vowed to give her best against Ms. Yamaguchi who she respects as a fighter, more so since the Japanese has fought the likes of champion Ms. Lee and other top fighters in their division.

TYSON
Meanwhile, Mr. Aberlado (19-6), known for his punching power, hence the “Tyson” moniker, tries to keep his winning momentum in ONE Championship after swinging back to victory in his last fight.

New Zealand-born Ms. Abelardo, whose parents are both Filipinos, beat Chinese Jumayi Ayideng in October after absorbing his first defeat in ONE previously.

Mr. Abelardo said the Ayideng fight, where he put pressure on his opponent throughout the contest, is something he is taking cue from against American Troy Worthen.

“That will definitely be the plan — to keep the pressure on Troy and see if he will break. Maybe he’s been in that kind of position before, maybe not, and whether or not he can last will be the determining factor in the fight,” Mr. Abelardo was quoted as saying by ONE Championship.

Twenty-eighty-year-old Mr. Abelardo stakes his 4-1 record in the promotion against Mr. Worthen (6-0), who is undefeated in two fights in ONE.

“I’ve faced all kinds of fighters throughout my career, whether they’re high-level strikers, wrestlers, grapplers, BJJ black belts, southpaws, everything. I’ve seen it and I will be ready for it all with my game plan. I’m a higher level than he has faced before,” said Mr. Abelardo, who is banking on his experience as he takes on Mr. Worthen.

King of the Jungle, which will still be shown live on ONE’s TV and digital platforms, is bannered by the atomweight kickboxing world championship fight between two-sport ONE world champion Stamp Fairtex of Thailand and Janet “J.T.” Todd of the United States.

Co-main event is the strawweight muay thai world championship clash of Thai champion Sam-A Gaiyanghadao against Australian Rocky Ogden.

Honorio “The Rock” Banario of Team Lakay will also be part of the event as he goes up against Shannon Wiratchai of Thailand in a featherweight battle.

The League of Legends Pacific Championship Series starts on Feb. 29

THE inaugural season of the Pacific Championship Series (PCS), featuring 10 teams across Southeast Asia, Taiwan and Hong Kong, heralds a new era of competitive League of Legends in the region, and the action starts this weekend.

Available in English, Mandarin and Thai languages, the PCS livestream kicks off from 5 pm GMT +8 on Saturday, Feb. 29, with matches running every Saturday and Sunday till April 4.

The league season format is as follows:

The PCS features an increased number of games across a series of best-of-ones, and a new double-elimination playoff format, with top teams from the former League of Legends Master Series and Southeast Asia. The PCS league is co-organized by Riot Games and FunPlus Esports, while Garena is the publisher of League of Legends in Southeast Asia, Taiwan and Hong Kong.

Riot Games was founded in 2006 to develop, publish, and support the most player-focused games in the world. In 2009, Riot released its debut title, League of Legends, to worldwide acclaim. League has gone on to be the most-played PC game in the world and a key driver of the explosive growth of esports.

As League enters its second decade, Riot continues to evolve the game while delivering new experiences to players with Legends of Runeterra, League of Legends: Wild Rift, Teamfight Tactics, and multiple work-in-progress titles, while exploring the world of Runeterra through multimedia projects across music, comic books, and more.

In just a short span of time, Liyab has become synonymous with Filipino esports. Fans may be familiar with their aggressively punishing playstyle and top talent like DoeDoii — whom many tout as the best jungler in the Philippines. Despite having undergone several changes recently (including a change from their former name of Mineski), Liyab has kept their Filipino heart and spirit intact, valuing mentality and attitude above raw skills, and keeping their eye on the prize.

NOFA tops Davao South RFA, 1-0, at PFF U15 semis

NEGROS OCCIDENTAL FA (NOFA) topped Davao South RFA, 1-0, in their semifinal action at the Philippine Football Federation (PFF) U15 Boys National Championship on Wednesday at the National Training Center in Carmona, Cavite.

A highly anticipated match, the contest got everything in 90 minutes, but it was the lone Visayan squad which advanced to Friday’s final, courtesy of a lone strike by midfielder Mark Gabriel Cantos 20 minutes before full time.

Cantos made sure to connect with the opportunity given to him to send Ronald Treyes’ side into the title game, where they face either National Capital Region or Mount Apo RFA in the second semifinal later in the afternoon.

Tempers flared late in the match after a scuffle between NOFA’s Leoven Gatungan and Davao’s Gian Sartirani with the former earning a red card for his involvement, thus missing Friday’s final match.

“The boys did their best in the match,” said Treyes. “Our preparation may have been short, but because of their diligence, perseverance, and sacrifices, their performance paid off that led to the victory.”

The Group 2 winner had several chances but the equalizer came elusive as Davao was relegated to the third-place playoff.

Japan’s Abe urges 2-week curbs on sports events as coronavirus looms over Tokyo Olympics

TOKYO — Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Wednesday called for sports and cultural events to be scrapped or curtailed for two weeks as the country battles to stem coronavirus contagion amid mounting concerns the 2020 Tokyo Olympics could be canceled.

Mr. Abe’s call came after a Tokyo baseball team said it would play games in an empty stadium this weekend, while two businesses in central Tokyo reported confirmed cases of infection a day after the government urged companies to recommend staff consider working from home.

“Taking into account that the next one to two weeks are extremely important in stopping the spread of infection, the government considers there to be a large risk of transmission at sports, cultural events and large gatherings of people,” Mr. Abe said in parliament.

Japan has at least 164 cases of infections from the flu-like coronavirus, apart from 691 reported from a cruise ship docked south of Tokyo. The government has shifted strategy in fighting the contagion, seeking to slow its expansion and minimize the number of deaths — now five — rather than stopping it completely, now seen as impossible.

Earlier on Wednesday the minister in charge of the Olympics sought to quell fears the Olympics could be canceled.

International Olympic Committee (IOC) member Dick Pound said earlier the Games would more likely be canceled than postponed or moved should the virus threat enforce any change in schedule, the Associated Press reported, with a decision necessary by May. — Reuters

Teener Bernie Regalario leads youth invasion at 2020 Predator-Volturi 9-Ball Cup tournament in Makati

YOUNG cue artist Bernie Regalario will lead the youth invasion in the Predator-Volturi 9-Ball Cup 2020 tournament on Saturday at the AMF-Puyat Makati Cinema Square, Makati City.

Regalario will be joining fellow Wilde Blu Junior teammates Rey Calanao, Elija B. De Mesa, Bastien Cyril Olanda, Francis Lompero, Kayla Herrera, Sophia Rosales and Dexter M. Barnido.

It is supported by sportsman/businessman Niño Lopez, of Wilde Blu Chalk in the Philippines and Indonesia as well Volturi Custom Cases in close cooperation with cue maker Angel Bautista.

“I hope to do well in this event,” said the 15-years-old Regalario, the reigning J&P 9-Ball Cup champion.

Organized by Makati Pool Players Association (MAPPA), the 9-ball tournament presented by Predator and Volturi, sponsored by The AnitoKid, Puyat Sports, Wilde Blu, Dubshop, Sunville Trading, Peri, Aria Pool Things, Stanson, MLA Trading, Fury and bilyarista.com offers P250,000 in cash and prizes at stakes.

The emerging champion in the tourney will get P40,000 plus Predator Roadline pool cue with 314-3 shaft plus Volturi Classic Brogue Cue Case plus Championship trophy while the runner-up will receive P20,000, the third and fourth placers will settle for P15,000 and P10,000, respectively. Fifth to eighth placers will bring claim P6,000 each while the ninth to 16th placers will receive P3,000 each.

Tournament registration fee at P1,300 (inclusive of uniform, food stub for first day, and raffle ticket), plus P500 MAPPA membership fee for calendar year 2020. — Marlon Bernardino

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