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Recovery needs a people-centered and sustainable green economy

In the Stratbase ADR Institute Special Study entitled “The Challenge of Managing 21st Century Pandemics Amidst the US-China Strategic Competition,” trustee and program convenor Dr. Renato C. De Castro emphasized that “while the global society grapples to control and eradicate the COVID-19 virus: it ignores the big picture that pandemics in the 21st century are on the rise, and that the global society needs to contain the process that drives them, not just the individual diseases.”

Climate change has emerged as one of the most critical environmental issues to confront humanity and is striking harder and more rapidly than expected. The World Health Organization considers climate change as “the greatest threat to global health in the 21st century.” Extreme climate swings have affected how the virus spreads and the manner the global economy responds. Likewise, the World Economic Forum Global Risk Report 2020 showed that “failure of climate change mitigation and adaptation” is the most significant risk that will impact us over the next 10 years.

Dr. De Castro stressed that the traditional concept of security must shift from its referent object of state’s security to that of people and must be people-centered. It must include new types and non-traditional security threats — international terrorism, environmental degradation, scarcity of natural resources, the growing population, and changing demographics — that deserve to be considered relevant and pressing to the national security agenda.

These non-traditional threats are very real for the Philippines, which is regarded as one of the most vulnerable countries to natural disasters and climate-related challenges due to its geographical location in the Pacific Ring of Fire and the Typhoon Belt. This makes the country as the ninth most at risk, worldwide, in terms of the occurrence of extreme weather events and fourth-most affected country in the past two decades, according to the World Risk Index 2020 and the United Nations (UN) Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, respectively.

However, with the systems and mechanisms in place, designed with assumptions of a future climate much the same as decades ago, the country is still unable to properly address not just the underlying driver of these problems, but also the prevailing impacts of climate change on our communities.

During the Stratbase ADR Institute Pilipinas Conference session themed “Towards Green Economic Recovery: Designing Climate Resilient and Sustainable Communities,” Undersecretary Analiza Teh of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources emphasized that “investments in nature-based solutions for resilience, policy reform, and capacity building became more evident and that creating a green recovery should incorporate and focus on the community’s resilience.”

Manila City Mayor Francisco “Isko” Moreno Domagoso also stressed that creating a green city is “no rocket science.” The government cannot do it alone and must partner with the private sector and technical persons.

Indeed, the private sector needs to actively take the lead as environment champions.

Fortunately, there are those who have led the way in this regard. The Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation has a strategic partnership among stakeholders towards building livable and disaster-resilient communities across the country. The Philippine Green Building Council, likewise, has been campaigning for the transformation of building designs and construction into practices that are environmentally and socially responsible.

Coca-Cola Beverage Philippines, Inc., as part of its World Without Waste program, has recently earned the Board of Investment approval of its P2.3-billion PETValue recycling facility project. It also has returned 112% of the water it used in its products to the environment and the community through its water replenishment programs.

Meralco, the country’s largest power distributor, has committed to make sustainability its main agenda as it charts its green journey to help save the environment. Through its Powering the Good Life program, Meralco aims to prioritize five areas: direct emissions reduction, resource efficiency, waste management, community electrification, and workplace excellence.

Global brands like Unilever, have also committed to reduce plastic waste by working to make all of its packaging recyclable, reusable, or compostable by 2025. This is part of a larger effort captured by the Unilever Sustainable Living Program, which was launched in 2010. In pursuing these commitments, the company has been relentlessly working with the government, academe, industry groups, and various community-based organizations to develop sustainable packaging solutions.

Even the Chamber of Mines of the Philippines, through Towards Sustainable Mining (TSM), commits to go beyond its corporate responsibility to uplift people’s quality of life and reduce poverty in their host communities while contributing to the country’s socio-economic development.

Given today’s public health challenges, it can be easy to overlook the importance of the environment and climate change. However, as more people and responsible businesses see the interconnection between sustainability, our economy, and environment, more green investments, models, and initiatives are being integrated. Not only can these generate more jobs, and spur the economy, but also protect the environment in the long-term.

For the year 2021, a sustainable and green economy will only be possible by thinking differently. Our traditional and myopic view of our country’s security must expand to consider environment-centered, science-based, and forward-looking issues. Furthermore, without understanding how collaborative action is critical for our economy and environment, dealing with complex issues, such as sustainability and a greener economy, will not be possible.

All of us must embrace this new way of life.

 

Victor Andres “Dindo” C. Manhit is President of the Stratbase ADR Institute.

Our damaged culture

In 1987, American journalist James Fallows won an award for writing a long piece in the Atlantic Monthly about the Philippines, where he had spent six weeks as an investigative reporter after the EDSA Revolution. He concluded that our main problem was the lack of nationalism, which would deter progress for our country. He correctly predicted that Korea and our neighbors Singapore, Thailand, and Malaysia would do better because of a sense of nationalism. Perhaps he is right in many ways.

Certainly, South Korea, which had been our peer in terms of economic development when Marcos came into power, has more than quadrupled its economy compared to ours today. And Singapore, Thailand, and Malaysia, which were behind us in economic development at the time, have out-performed our country in many ways. The corrupt Marcos regime, notwithstanding its authoritarianism was clearly a failure. The aftermath of political and media corruption and weakening of institutions of democracy have continued to this day and clearly is at its worst in our history.

Our young students rank at the bottom among 79 countries in an international reading, mathematics and science exam given to 15-year-olds among participating countries. We were 79th in reading and 78th in mathematics and sciences. Perhaps the test designs were culture bound and that may have affected our performance. But there were 78 other countries in the samples.

Why are we being such sad sacks?

If we go by what Socrates and Plato asserted in their day, that to gain wisdom, we need to know ourselves, it seems to me that is part of the problem. We do not know ourselves.

When we were “discovered” by the Spaniards in the 16th century, we were really a group of islands in an archipelago. The colonists, for better administration and control, in coordination with Catholic missionaries, mobilized populations into towns “bajo de la campana” (under the church bells) where municipal halls, markets, and schools were set up. That is how we began to become a country.

The Americans, who were new at colonialism, tried to turn us into brown Americans. We had to speak English in school, and set aside tribal arts and crafts such as weaving, basketry, and pottery in favor of “modern,” Western-oriented and branded products. We even copied their government structures, and political systems. It should be clear by now that these structures and systems no longer work for us. We are really kind and nice people. Why do we choose rascals and thieves, and even their progeny to run our country? Clearly, we do not think or analyze. We merely express our admiration for celebrities, famous or notorious. And politicians pander to this.

If we come right down to it, who are we, and what are we really good at?

I have recently discovered on YouTube videos featuring Filipino songs sung by non-Filipino choirs in Germany, Switzerland, Taiwan, Singapore, Korea, and Texas. Some of the choirs won first place in international contests because the songs they sang (“Rosas Pandan,” “Paro-parong Bukid,” “Leron-leron Sinta,” “Bayan,” and “Anak”) were so melodious, and lent themselves so well to imaginative renditions. Some of our nurses working in other countries have received awards for their outstanding dedication and commitment to their patients, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Tourists rave about the friendliness and hospitality of our people. We have recently been rediscovering our tribal arts and crafts and beginning to patronize our own attractive fabric designs.

If we go by psychological theories of left and right brain tendencies, it seems to me that we are generally more right-brained than left-brained. “Left brain” refers to tendencies toward logic, methodical analysis, and linear thinking. Better at reading, writing, computations, mathematics, thinking in words, and attention to facts. “Right brain” refers to tendencies toward intuition, holistic thinking, imagination, creativity, rhythm, feelings, non-verbal cues. It is therefore not surprising that we do so poorly in these international exams which measure “left brain” skills. These “right brain” tendencies are probably what make us effective in people-oriented services.

If we are to go by what we are good at, what can we do to turn our right brain tendencies to our advantage in improving life for our people? Certainly we should raise consciousness among our people and the rest of the world about our talents in music, arts, and crafts, and reinvigorate our now confused appreciation for beauty. International beauty contests where contestants wear bathing suits should not be our standard for measuring our own good looks. Tourism has been good for our economy and its employment generation potential has been proven at the community levels. Pride of place and own culture will help enhance our people’s sense of self and help direct their energies into positive accomplishments. Constructive tribalism, instead of being a divider, should become an enricher of our sense of nationhood. We can be awakened Cebuanos, Tagalogs, Bicolanos, Ilocanos, Kalingas, Pampangos, Pangasinenses, Warays, Boholanos, Maguindanaos, Maranaos, Tausugs, Higaonon, T’boli, etc. while being Filipinos.

Meanwhile, our educators can look at how they can contribute to how their communities can get to know and enhance their own cultures, by documenting and promoting their music, arts and crafts to their own people, and to the rest of the country. Their students and teachers can lead the effort at documentation and promotion of these indigenous arts and crafts. At the same time, educators can enhance left brain skills at reading and analysis in order for their students to become competent at relating to the rest of the country and the world. But they should not forget who and what they are. Sharper thinking and analyzing skills should enable our voters to see through the nonsense peddled by our exploitative politicians.

The nation will become stronger as its members are awakened to who they are; and become better able to build on their own talents and skills. Community leaders should support the effort. We need to build our nation at community levels. We have barangays that can help respond to this need.

Small is beautiful, and in our context, often more effective. Let our communities sing our songs, and patronize, produce, enjoy and take pride in our varied and multicultural arts and crafts. This, to me, is what our nationalism should be about.

 

Teresa S. Abesamis is a former professor at the Asian Institute of Management and Fellow of the Development Academy of the Philippines.

tsabesamis0114@yahoo.com

A better normal for women and girls after COVID-19

THE YEAR 2020 was synonymous with the COVID-19 pandemic and the unprecedented crisis it brought across economic, social, and health dimensions; 2021, on the other hand, is already being associated with the promise of the next normal.

For the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and UN Women, our new year’s resolution is that we see more COVID-19 recovery strategies that prioritize the needs of women and girls in order to create a better and more egalitarian normal.

The Asia and Pacific region is providing some inspiring and concrete lessons on how a new normal can be more effectively achieved when gender equality is fully integrated into strategies, policies, and investments.

Governments across the region have shown that taking decisive and proactive actions can mitigate short-term effects and pave the way toward a better normal for women. An ADB-UN Women high-level ministerial event held in fall 2020 for Ministers of Finance and Gender, and other senior representatives from Fiji, India, Indonesia, Japan, the Republic of Korea, the Philippines, Samoa, and Thailand, shared good practices and policies to ensure women remain at the center of COVID-19 response and recovery.

The Indonesian government’s approach to implementing direct cash transfers encourages families to use maternal health and nutrition services, and motivates them to send children to school and focus on financial management. Similarly, in the Philippines, psycho-social support and specialized training for health sector workers includes recognizing  and treating domestic violence, and providing referral advice.

In India, the government’s investments in digital infrastructure over the last six years have enabled 400 million citizens to open a bank account for the first time in their lives. Those bank accounts were leveraged during the pandemic to ensure direct cash transfers to the accounts of 220 million women. This principle reminds us to “leave no one behind” as we look to rebuilding our economies.

Still, there is a great deal of work to be done. A UN Women survey found that more women in the region were likely to have experienced job loss and reduced paid hours than men. This is in line with other data indicating that women are concentrated in the most hard-hit sectors of the pandemic, such as tourism, manufacturing, textiles, and garments. In some countries in the region, nearly half of women working in the particularly vulnerable informal sectors have lost their jobs since the outbreak began — more than double the rate of men.

Women’s difficulty maintaining their paid work is further exacerbated by the increased time they are spending on unpaid care work, such as caring for their families and households. Before the pandemic, the International Labor Organization estimated that men in Asia and the Pacific performed the least amount of unpaid care work globally (average of 64 minutes per day). As a consequence, women in the region worked the longest hours in the world when their paid (262 minutes per day) and unpaid work (201 minutes per day) are combined.

Women spent an average four times longer than men on unpaid care work like taking care of children and family members and domestic chores. With the COVID-19 lockdown, the volume of unpaid care work has exponentially increased for both women and men, however, women still shoulder most of the burden.

There are many other negative pandemic effects on gender equality, including increased rates of domestic violence, maternal and infant mortality, and more girls dropping out of school, to name just a few. Female morbidity rates are lower, but the pandemic’s socio-economic impacts seem to be affecting women and girls more, with both short- and long-term consequences. 

Development partners like the ADB and UN Women play a critical role in supporting governments to achieve a gender equality-focused recovery. For this reason, ADB and UN Women are recommitting to strengthen our existing partnership in key areas needed to build back better.

This includes sex-disaggregated data collection to better inform national and regional recovery policies; gender-responsive budgeting to ensure accountability and transparency toward gender goals; gender-responsive procurement to enable more women-owned businesses to access markets, working closely with both private and public sectors to develop tools and knowledge to prioritize gender equality in business and investment decisions; and combating increased gender-based violence, one of the pandemic’s most destructive consequences.

Many Asia and Pacific countries are showing that setting strong targets for women and girls in response and recovery programs, and developing specialized activities to mitigate COVID-19 effects are both realistic and necessary. In all of ADB’s emergency COVID-19 pandemic response packages, gender targets have been integrated across health, economic resilience, and social protection domains, reflecting the reality that recovery is not possible if half the population is left (further) behind.

We encourage all governments and development partners to make similar New Year’s resolutions to put gender equality front and center of their COVID-19 recovery. Let’s make sure that 2021 really does usher in a better normal for women and girls.

 

Bambang Susantono is the Vice-President for Knowledge Management and Sustainable Development of the Asian Development Bank.

@bsantono

Anita Bhatia is the Deputy Executive Director of the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women).

@abhatiaunwomen

Combat sports thrive amid virus

By Michael Angelo S. Murillo, Senior Reporter

WHILE the year 2020 was a rough one for Philippine sports and athletes, combat disciplines somehow proved resilient despite the effects of the coronavirus pandemic and even managed to squeeze in performances to cheer about and be hopeful for moving forward.

Boxing, mixed martial arts (MMA) and karate were just some of the combat sports that provided cheer to Filipinos amid what was a down year for sports.

“It’s already an overstatement to mention that the local scene has been greatly affected by the pandemic. By March, it all came into a screeching halt. Fortunately, other athletes were given the opportunity to compete overseas,” said local combat sports analyst Nissi Icasiano in an online interview with BusinessWorld.

He went on to say that there were actually a lot of standout moments in 2020 for combat sports despite the seeming limitations the year presented.

“There were a lot, to be honest. There’s Reymart Gaballo, who took a short-notice fight against Emmanuel Rodriguez and won the interim WBC bantamweight championship. John Riel Casimero turned a lot of heads lately with his antics both in and outside the ring. His marketability skyrocketed. It is fascinating because Mr. Casimero broke the mold of a typical Filipino boxer,” said Mr. Icasiano, also one of the hosts of Tiebreaker Vods’ The Hit List podcast.

Mr. Gaballo took over from compatriot Nonito Donaire Jr., who had to pull out from the Rodriguez fight after he contracted the coronavirus two weeks prior to the event itself. But despite that, Mr. Gaballo made a good account of himself, doing enough to edge Mr. Rodriguez and become the latest Filipino world boxing champion.

Reigning World Boxing Organization (WBO) bantamweight champion Mr. Casimero, meanwhile, made it a successful first title defense in September, defeating Duke Micah of Ghana by technical knockout in the third round. The Filipino champion was supposed to face undefeated International Boxing Federation and World Boxing Association champion Naoya Inoue in a unification bout before it was scrapped because of the pandemic and he had to wait for a long time after to find a new opponent. But the Leyte native made it worth the wait with a top-class performance.

“In MMA, you got Rolando Dy who moved up in weight, won two late-notice fights in a new division, was coming off two heartbreaking defeats, didn’t have an established team to prepare him for these fights, and clinched the Fighter of the Year honors [in Brave Combat (CF) Federation]. But the biggest winner in 2020 was [karateka] James Delos Santos. He just raised the profile of forms, which many look down on as an aspect of competitive martial arts,” he added.

Mr. Dy had two straight victories in September and November after months of going without a fight en route to willing himself as one of the noteworthy fighters in Bahrain-based Brave CF and a contender in the lightweight division. His efforts did not go to waste as he was named Brave Fighter of the Year.

Mr. Delos Santos, for his part, was a winner through and through on his way to becoming the world’s number one eKATA player, with 15,710 points. He won a total of 36 gold medals, while scoring hat tricks in e-tournaments he competed in along the way.

Also making waves in 2020 were Olympics-bound boxers Eumir Felix Marcial and Irish Magno, who booked spots in the rescheduled Tokyo Games in March. Mr. Marcial also made his professional debut in December and was a unanimous decision winner over American Andrew Whitfield.

Featherweight boxer Mark Magsayo also returned to the ring in October after more than a year of inaction, winning by split decision over Mexican Rigoberto Hermosillo. It was also a winning start for the Bohol fighter with Manny Pacquiao’s MP Promotions with whom he signed with last year.

Female MMA fighter Denice Zamboanga had two impressive victories in ONE Championship in 2020, making her the number one contender in the promotion’s atomweight division.

Her brother, Drex, meanwhile, made his ONE debut last year and won in impressive fashion, scoring a submission win (rear-naked choke) over Thai Detchadin Sornsirisuphathin.

Moving ahead, Mr. Icasiano said it will still be a slow move back to normalcy for combat sports, but ongoing developments on that front are welcome signs.

“The Games and Amusement Board is now coordinating with several boxing promotions. Pedro Taduran, the IBF minimumweight titlist, will be challenged by Rey Mark Cuarto on Feb. 27 in General Santos City. His stablemate Michael Dasmariñas is now on the radar of Naoya Inoue. That can happen in the first quarter of 2021,” Mr. Icasiano said.

“Jerwin Ancajas, who is now in the States, might share the ring with Kazuto Ioka. On the other hand, Mr. Casimero may be pitted against Guillermo Rigondeaux in a unification early this year. There a lot of things to look forward to when it comes to boxing. In MMA, there are rumors that Joshua Pacio will defend his title against Yosuke Saruta in a rubber match in ONE. Meanwhile, Brave CF is already looking for a dance partner for [Filipino bantamweight champion] Stephen Loman.”

Stephen Curry tallies another 30 as Golden State routs Sacramento

STEPHEN Curry followed up a career-best 62-point effort with 30 more in just 31 minutes on Monday night, propelling the Golden State Warriors to a second straight run-away win, 137-106 over the Sacramento Kings in San Francisco.

Seven Warriors, including three reserves, scored in double figures. Golden State tied the franchise record for points at home team in the 2-year-old Chase Center — set one night earlier — while snapping a three-game losing streak against the rival Kings.

Harrison Barnes, a member of Golden State’s 2015 championship team, had 18 points for Sacramento, sharing team honors with De’Aaron Fox.

Riding the momentum of a 137-122 home win over Portland on Sunday, the Warriors wasted no time blitzing the Kings 24 hours later, scoring the first eight points of the game on 3-pointers by Draymond Green and Kelly Oubre Jr. and a 2-pointer by James Wiseman. They never looked back.

Curry, who had 30-plus points in each half of his performance on Sunday, totaled 23 in the first 24 minutes this time, helping Golden State run up a 68-48 advantage.

The second half was never appreciably closer, with the Kings suffering a third consecutive loss in the process.

Curry shot nine-for-18 overall and five-for-12 on 3-pointers for the Warriors, who at 4-3 went above .500 for the first time since the end of the 2019 season.

Oubre, who had made just two of his first 30 3-point attempts as a first-year member of the Warriors, finally caught fire with four in six tries en route to 18 points, while Andrew Wiggins (16), Eric Paschall (14), Michael Mulder (12), Kevon Looney (11), and Wiseman (10) also scored in double figures for Golden State.

Mulder did all of his scoring on four-for-four shooting from beyond the arc, helping Golden State go 23-for-43 to outscore the Kings 69-30 from deep.

Buddy Hield was a third King to score in double figures with 10 points as Sacramento capped a winless trip that began with consecutive losses in Houston.

Barnes and Marvin Bagley III shared game-high rebound honors with Curry with nine apiece, while Fox collected a team-high seven assists, one fewer than Curry’s game-high total.

The Kings had swept last year’s three-game season series among the NBA’s two Northern California teams. — Reuters

Reelected Tolentino seeks to give POC a permanent home

AS HE begins his fresh term as Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) president, Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino shared that one of his goals in the next four years is to give the sports agency a permanent home.

In his session with members of media at the online Philippine Sportswriters Association Forum on Tuesday, Mr. Tolentino underscored that the local Olympic body for the longest time does not have an office that it can call its own, something he hopes to change after given another term to lead the POC.

“Since the POC was established, it has not had a permanent office building. While we’re not ‘informal settlers,’ for the longest time, we’ve been sharing space in the facility of the PSC (Philippine Sports Commission) under a memorandum of agreement,” said Mr. Tolentino, referring to the facility of the PSC inside the Department of Education compound in Pasig City.

“In the world, or in Asia, or in ASEAN, we may be one of the countries which do not have a permanent office building for their national Olympic committee. Hopefully, under my term, we’ll be able to address that,” the POC head said.

In line with it, Mr. Tolentino, also the president of the Integrated Cycling Federation of the Philippines and a sitting congressman representing the eighth district of Cavite, said he will bring up the matter, along with other concerns, when the POC convenes for its first assembly next week.

Mr. Tolentino said they hope the national government will back their push for a permanent home, seeing how such will go a long way in giving sports administration and the Olympic movement a boost in the country.

They are looking at the Cultural Center Complex in Pasay City or a part of the Aseana reclamation area in Paranaque City as possible site for POC office.

“Maybe, we can be given at least a thousand square meters from those lands to build our office. I don’t know how it will work because it’s between government and private sector, but we’re hoping it can be done,” Mr. Tolentino said, adding possible areas as well are Clark in Pampanga, Bonifacio Global City in Taguig and Tagaytay City in Cavite.

MOVING ON
Meanwhile, Mr. Tolentino also shared that coming off a tough 2020 and a highly contentious POC election in November, they in the agency can move on and accomplish more under his latest term.

“The push is the same for me. Despite the hardships that we had last year and the limitations, I think we still accomplished some things. Coming from that experience, maybe we can handle the challenges moving forward. We survived, even if we were a minority in the executive board. So, now we have a new majority and maybe we have more good vibes towards a new direction,” he said.

Mr. Tolentino got another nod to lead the POC after beating lone challenger Clint Aranas of the archery federation, 30-22.

Last year’s election was one of the more contentious proceedings in the POC’s history, with the parties not seeing eye-to-eye on certain issues and took one another to task.

The new batch of POC officials began their new four-year term on Jan. 1. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo

Cristiano Ronaldo shines again as Juventus thump Udinese, 4-1

CRISTIANO Ronaldo scored twice and created another goal as Juventus got back to winning ways in Serie A with a 4-1 victory over Udinese in Turin on Sunday, moving the champions up to fifth in the standings.

Ronaldo opened the scoring with a trademark drive, after latching on to Aaron Ramsey’s pass in the 31st minute, before threading a perfect through ball into the path of Federico Chiesa to score Juve’s second goal four minutes into the second half.

The VAR had a busy evening in Turin. First, the referee was asked to consult the pitchside monitor before ruling out what Udinese thought was the opener for a handball early on, before Aaron Ramsey suffered the same fate when he was penalized for handball, after a second look.

Ronaldo’s second goal put the result beyond any doubt as he took his goal tally to 14 league goals for the season — two more than anyone else in Serie A — in the 70th minute, with Marvin Zeegelaar scoring an injury-time consolation for Udinese.

There was still time for Paulo Dybala to score another goal for Juventus as Andrea Pirlo’s side moved 10 points behind leaders AC Milan, with a game in hand, while Udinese drop to 13th and are without a win in their last four games.

Pirlo admitted his team had initially struggled to make an impact as the players were still haunted by memories of their shock 3-0 defeat by Fiorentina in their final game before the winter break.

Juventus thought they had again fallen behind when Rodrigo de Paul fired home from close range.

Udinese celebrated, but the referee was asked to look again at whether De Paul had handled earlier in the move, before the goal was ruled out.

Ronaldo then took centre stage with his emphatic first-half finish, an even better pass for Juve’s second and a fine third. — Reuters

Dominant Curry

It’s never in good form to draw conclusions off a small sample size, and especially from the start of the season. Yet, not a few quarter chose to write the Warriors’ eulogy following blowout setbacks in the first two outings of their 2020-21 campaign. To be fair, the unexpected loss of Klay Thompson due to a freak injury hurt their chances. And, with cornerstone Stephen Curry emerging from a long layoff, even more uncertainty beyond that engendered by the pandemic threatened to hamper their competitiveness.

Still, there should be no counting out the Warriors, whose dynastic run from the middle of the last decade has at least earned it the benefit of the doubt. True, one-man offensive juggernaut Kevin Durant is gone. And, true, defensive anchor Draymond Green showed signs of regression last season. On the other hand, Curry is, well, Curry, and if there’s anything the two-time — and lone unanimous — National Basketball Association (NBA) Most Valuable Player brings, it’s the capacity to lift the games of those around him. Indeed, his mere presence makes the whole greater than the sum of its parts. It comes with the territory of the greatest shooter, and one of the best point guards, in league history.

No doubt, the less-than-imposing figure Curry cuts gives the wrong impression. At 6’3” and a shade under 190 pounds, he doesn’t fit the mold of the athletic marvel à la LeBron James. On the flipside, pro hoops annals have never seen anyone like him. There’s a reason he’s earning a whopping $40 million: He can launch shots from any angle anywhere on the court with both uncanny swiftness and deadly accuracy, and he compels multiple coverages that invariably lead to teammates getting open looks. Considering his already-stellar accomplishments, there isn’t any need for him to remind all and sundry of his capacity to take over matches at any given instant.

But remind the NBA he did the other day in leading the Warriors to an emphatic triumph over the highly rated Blazers. And as he put the finishing touches on a ridiculous 62-point effort, a career high that not coincidentally came with Green’s return to action, social media denizens exploded in recognition — as if he hadn’t already repeatedly been there and done that. The irony is that he figures to be taken for granted less were he more physically imposing and emotionally demanding as a player.

In any case, the Warriors are only too glad to see Curry back to his dominant self in a manner only he can display. They certainly need him to be if they’re going to stay relevant in the highly competitive Western Conference. The problem, of course, is his relative fragility; they don’t want to wear him out by riding him hard too early in the season. Then again, they have no choice; even with Green once again orchestrating on both ends of the floor, new acquisition Kelly Oubre Jr. likely to progress to the mean, and rookie James Wiseman improving by the day, they’ll be going only so far as he will take them.

 

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.

Iran resumes uranium enrichment

DUBAI — Iran has resumed 20% uranium enrichment at an underground nuclear facility, the government said on Monday, breaching a 2015 nuclear pact with major powers and possibly complicating efforts by US President-elect Joe Biden to rejoin the deal.

Benjamin Netanyahu, prime minister of Iran’s arch foe Israel, said the move was aimed at developing nuclear weapons and Israel would never allow Tehran to build them.

The enrichment decision, Iran’s latest contravention of the accord, coincides with increasing tensions between Iran and the United States in the last days of President Donald Trump’s administration.

Tehran started violating the accord in 2019 in a step-by-step response to Mr. Trump’s withdrawal from it in 2018 and the reimposition of US sanctions lifted under the deal.

The agreement’s main aim was to extend the time Iran would need to produce enough fissile material for a nuclear bomb, if it chose to, to at least a year from roughly two to three months. It also lifted international sanctions against Tehran.

“A few minutes ago, the process of producing 20% enriched uranium has started in Fordow enrichment complex,” government spokesman Ali Rabiei told Iranian state media.

The UN nuclear watchdog confirmed that Iran had started the process of enriching uranium to 20% purity at its Fordow site.

“Iran today began feeding uranium already enriched up to 4.1 percent U-235 into six centrifuge cascades at the Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant for further enrichment up to 20%,” the IAEA said in a statement on a report that was sent to member states.

The step was one of many mentioned in a law passed by Iran’s parliament last month in response to the killing of the country’s top nuclear scientist, which Tehran has blamed on Israel.

“Our measures are fully reversible upon FULL compliance by ALL (parties to the deal),” tweeted Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif.

Tehran insists it can quickly reverse its breaches if US sanctions are removed. Mr. Biden, who takes office on Jan. 20, has said the United States will rejoin the deal “if Iran resumes strict compliance” with the pact.

The Biden transition team declined to comment on Monday about Iran’s enrichment move.

NUCLEAR WATCHDOG
Tehran’s move could hinder efforts to salvage the nuclear pact as its breaches have increasingly worried some of the deal’s other parties, which have urged Iran to act responsibly.

However, it could also be accumulating bargaining chips that could be negotiated away in talks with the Biden administration.

A US State Department spokesperson accused Iran of “nuclear extortion.” In Brussels, a European Union Commission spokesperson said that the “move, if confirmed, would constitute a considerable departure from Iran’s commitments”.

On Jan. 1, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said Tehran had told the watchdog it planned to resume enrichment up to 20% at the Fordow site, which is buried inside a mountain.

“The process of gas injection to centrifuges has started a few hours ago and the first product of uranium hexafluoride (UF6) gas will be available in a few hours,” Mr. Rabiei said.

Iran had earlier breached the deal’s 3.67% limit on the purity to which it can enrich uranium, but it had only gone up to 4.5% so far, well short of the 20% level and of the 90% that is weapons-grade.

US intelligence agencies and the IAEA believe Iran had a secret, coordinated nuclear weapons programme that it halted in 2003. Iran denies ever having had one.

In Jerusalem, Mr. Netanyahu said Iran’s enrichment decision could be explained only as a bid to “continue to carry out its intention to develop a military nuclear programme”.

“Israel will not allow Iran to produce nuclear weapons,” he added. — Reuters

Tiny apartment sales skyrocket in world’s priciest home market

IN THE world’s least affordable housing market, one in eight homes sold is a nano apartment, a term widely used to describe tiny homes in Hong Kong.

A record 13% of apartments sold in 2019 were less than 260 square feet (24 square meters), or smaller than two car-parking spaces, according to a report by Liber Research Community released Monday. These tiny units accounted for just 0.2% of total sales in 2010.

Hong Kong’s sky-high property prices have made it difficult for the younger generation to get on the housing ladder. The city’s property affordability is the worst in the world, topping other housing hot spots like Vancouver, Sydney and Los Angeles.

Developers in recent years have turned to offering smaller homes to buyers so they can afford them. Even though these tiny apartments can still fetch more than HK$5 million ($645,000), they can barely fit the basic necessities.

Among the 8,550 nano apartments examined by Liber Research between 2010 and 2019, 85% didn’t have a separate bedroom, and 70% were lacking a window in the toilet. Almost all had an open kitchen.

Cramped living space has long been a problem in Hong Kong. Low-income earners have resorted to so-called coffin homes that are essentially just a bed space. Some who can’t afford residential rents but prefer a larger space live illegally live in industrial buildings or container homes.

Henderson Land Development Co. was the biggest seller of nano-apartments, accounting for one-third of sales in the period, the report said. 

Even though the city’s economy has been under pressure during the pandemic, with unemployment climbing to a 15-year high, the property market remains resilient. Home prices declined just 1% in 2020, data from Centaline show. — Bloomberg

Major airlines back global COVID-19 testing program

Passengers from international flights arrive at Heathrow Airport, following the coronavirus outbreak in London, Britain, July 29, 2020. — REUTERS/TOBY MELVILLE

WASHINGTON — A group representing major US airlines on Monday backed a proposal by public health officials to implement a global testing program requiring negative tests before most international air passengers return to the United States, according to a letter seen by Reuters.

Airlines for America, which represents American Airlines, United Airlines, Delta Air Lines and other major carriers, also urged the Trump administration in a letter to Vice President Mike Pence “to move ahead with recommendations to rescind current entry restrictions on travelers from Europe, the United Kingdom and Brazil as soon as possible … concurrently with the testing program.”

In November, Reuters reported that the White House was considering rescinding restrictions that ban most non US citizens from traveling to the United States from the 26 members of the Schengen area that allow travel across open borders in Europe, the United Kingdom, Ireland and Brazil.

“We believe a well-planned program focused on increasing testing of travelers to the United States will further these objectives in a much more effective way than the blanket travel restrictions currently in place,” the airlines’ letter said.

Airlines support a US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) proposal to implement “a global program to require testing for travelers to the United States,” the letter added.

A senior administration official said the CDC proposal to expand international testing requirements faces significant opposition at top levels of the administration, including in Mr. Pence’s office. The White House coronavirus task force is expected to meet Tuesday and the issue is scheduled to be discussed, officials said.

The CDC on Dec. 28 began requiring all airline passengers arriving from Britain — including US citizens — to test negative for COVID-19 within 72 hours of departure.

A CDC spokeswoman declined to comment Monday but the agency said last week that “efforts are currently ongoing in the US to assess the risk reduction associated with testing and other recommended preventative measures… and gain some level of agreement on standards for a harmonized approach to testing for international air travel.”

Airlines are seeking at least 14 days before new requirements take effect and “consideration of inadequate testing and results availability in specific countries rather than a blanket worldwide requirement is also needed,” the letter said.

Starting Thursday, Canada will require that air travelers five and older test negative for COVID-19 before arrival. — Reuters

How shoe tycoon Steve Madden got back on his feet

NEW YORK — Steve Madden, founder and design chief of a multibillion-dollar eponymous shoe brand, knows something about being sanguine in a tough situation.

In 2002, Mr. Madden was convicted of stock manipulation, money laundering, and securities fraud. He was sentenced to 41 months in prison. Mr. Madden had to resign as CEO of Steven Madden Ltd., the company he founded in 1990 with just $1,100 in the bank. He remains the company’s creative and design chief.

“First thing I learned in prison is to not whine about my situation. It was not helpful,” Mr. Madden said. “You can easily get into ‘woe is me’—everybody does. But you’re better off looking at the positive.”

Last fall, Mr. Madden published a memoir, The Cobbler: How I Disrupted an Industry, Fell From Grace & Came Back Stronger Than Ever, about his experiences building his company, his conviction, prison time, and recovery from drug addiction.

Mr. Madden, 62, talked to Reuters about all the lessons he learned along the way and how he is surviving this pandemic. Edited excerpts are below.

Q. What is the toughest job you have had?

A. Working in a shoe store. I started when I was 20, at Jildor in Cedarhurst, New York. It rivals prison as the longest two years of my life.

As a shoe salesman, you have to learn how to be subservient and work hard and pay attention. But the biggest thing I learned was how to sell and what women want. That was a big thing.

Q. What kept you going in prison?

A. I worked out a lot, and I read a lot of novels. I was always a reader but being able to take flight and go to another place when you read the book—it was really wonderful. I read a lot of ’70s and ’80s novels because that’s what was available to me—Herman Wouk’s War and Remembrance, The Winds of War. I read all the books by Mario Puzo and Dominick Dunne. I like novels that ring true.

Q. What is your biggest challenge now?

A. Spending a lot of time alone is not the greatest place for someone who’s a recovering addict. An alcoholic by himself is behind enemy lines. So I’ve been talking to other alcoholics and addicts online.

I’ve found that a little bit of fear can help you stay sober. I know once I open that trap door there’s no coming back—and that’s very scary.

Q. What big lesson did you learn in 2020?

A. I always thought it would be bad shoes or something that would do me in—I didn’t think it would be a bug. While you’re never prepared for something like this, I think you should be prepared to lose some things.

Anything can happen. Stay somewhat humble and know that some of the gifts in our lives can be taken away.

Q. What is the best piece of advice you have received?

A. The little things are hugely important. It’s something I learned from this fellow I worked for at the shoe store. If one of the shoe displays in the window was messed up, he would just lose his mind, because what is the message you are sending about your business to the public?

There’s a line from a W.H. Auden poem that I love, “The crack in the tea-cup opens / A lane to the land of the dead.” I don’t even know what Auden meant, but I know what it means to me—it’s my business philosophy.

Q. What advice do you have for those starting out right now?

A. There’s always time for a new idea, good ideas, and hard work. I can’t remember ever in my life feeling that I’d hate to be a newcomer starting out now. I don’t buy that. There’s always room for something new.

Q. What do you think work attire will look like after the pandemic?

A. Right now, I wear my pajamas a lot. I do Zoom calls and I try to wear a nice T-shirt, but I’m in pajamas. You can’t see them because you can only see me from the chest up.

After work-from-home, I think people are going to be more casual. Sneakers are going to be more important. I think dress shoes will be a casualty of war.

— Cheryl Lu-Lien Tan/Reuters

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