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A TV network for the common good

I’m a regular ABS-CBN patron. I watch ANC, listen to DZMM, and watch Channel 2 for entertainment and excellent documentaries. I even have TV Plus in the condo. The network is part of my daily life, and I appreciate the services it provides. I’m kapamilya.

However, the network does things that make me cringe. I welcome the coming congressional hearings on the renewal of the network’s franchise. I hope that the back-and-forth between President Rodrigo Duterte and the network will not distract Congress from the main issue it needs to resolve: Does ABS-CBN deserve to be entrusted with a public broadcasting franchise for another 25 years? If its franchise is to be extended — and I am hoping for this — what does it need to improve to be more deserving of public trust in the next 25 years?

Let me start with the basics. The airwaves belong to the Filipino people. The privilege to use the airwaves for broadcasting gives private companies the power to enter households and influence minds. Republic Act No. 7925, known as the Public Telecommunications Policy Act, declares that “telecommunications… shall be developed and administered as to safeguard, enrich and strengthen the economic, cultural, social and political fabric of the Philippines.” Has ABS-CBN contributed to this?

The ABS-CBN franchise (RA 7966) gives it the responsibility to “provide adequate public service time to enable the government, through the said broadcasting stations, to reach the population on important public issues; provide at all times sound and balanced programming; promote public participation such as in community programming; assist in the functions of public information and education; conform to the ethics of honest enterprise; and not use its stations for the broadcasting of obscene and indecent language, speech, act or scene, or for the dissemination of deliberately false information or willful misrepresentation to the detriment of the public interest, or to incite, encourage, or assist in subversive or treasonable acts.” Has ABS-CBN done this?

Given these mandates, I wish that the network could improve on two things so that it can truly be “in the service of the Filipino”: 1.) improve family-oriented programming to promote positive Filipino values; and 2.) provide balanced and independent reporting and analysis to help Filipinos become critically engaged citizens.

Since I started teaching at the college level in 1983, I have seen the gradual decline of many aspects of our social and cultural fabric. Traditional values like family closeness, respect for women and elders, and concern for others (pakikipag-kapwa) and the community (bayanihan) seem to be all but a distant memory. Part of the reason is that many parents, wanting to provide more material comfort to their families, slowly defaulted on their role in transmitting positive social values. This role went to TV.

Unfortunately, TV programming became more decadent through the years. Years back, an ABS-CBN noontime show made gyrating, scantily clad young women and off-color humor so common that even young children picked up the behaviors in no time at all. The popular host, after misbehaving again during one show, apologized publicly for his behavior. The host asked for understanding by explaining that he grew up without guidance from elders. I remember thinking: “So why does the network let you enter Filipino homes to be seen by millions of young people.”

What about evening programming? Traditional programming used to be quite wholesome but, it seemed, was not attractive enough for the male demographic. Advertisers needed to reach the males, and so the network pandered in a big way — with violence and skin. Killings are now staple in teleseryes (soap operas) and, not surprisingly, attractive young Filipinas in revealing clothes has become a formula for ratings success.

I suppose the advertisers are happy, and the network has made more money. Companies that sell products — especially for women’s bodies — are now more successful than ever. But is this worth the loss of physical modesty among Filipinas? Is it worth causing insecurity among young girls who worry more about the color of their skin or the shine of their hair than whether they understand science, history, or mathematics? Is it worth producing generations of consumption-obsessed mallers when we can instead produce productive and enterprising citizens?

No.

The network should temper its appetite for advertising revenue and use its powerful creative platform to fulfill its mandate to “safeguard, enrich and strengthen the economic, cultural, social and political fabric of the Philippines.” Instead of selling our beloved families and young people to the marketplace, the network should inspire more viewers to develop the character, civic-mindedness, and sense of enterprise that our country badly needs.

(To be continued next week.)

 

Dr. Benito Teehankee is the Jose E. Cuisia Professor of Business Ethics and Head of the Business for Human Development Network at De La Salle University.

benito.teehankee@dlsu.edu.ph

TNVS and transport competition

Technology- and app-based transport network vehicle service (TNVS) is cool. It is transparent between the passengers and service providers. Passengers know the fare even before they book and confirm a ride. And after they confirmed the ride, they will know the plate number, driver’s name, etc. of the vehicle that will pick them up. On the part of the drivers, they know the names of their passengers, their cell phone numbers, where they are waiting and their destination, cool.

Today I made an experiment to compare prices and estimated pick-up time or travel time. Which means I have installed all the apps of the various TNVS players in my cell phone, but I did not really book a ride with any of them.

Pick-up area was a shop in Bagtikan St., Makati City, destination was SM Makati, Hotel Drive. I conducted this experiment on Feb. 4, 2020, from 8:43 to 8:46 a.m. and here is what I found. (See Table.)

So who’s the “winner” that passengers like me would choose?

I would say all. It depends on passengers’ needs. If they want comfort in an air-con ride because they are wearing formal or corporate dress, or do not want to be exposed to heat and dust, or are carrying heavy bags, they will get a regular taxi, or a GrabTaxi or GrabCar and pay more. If passengers are not picky and just want the cheapest and fastest way to reach their destination, then any of the three motorcycle taxis will do. Note that innovator Angkas has a higher fare because it has brand awareness already whereas the two new players, JoyRide and Move It, have yet to make a brand name familiar to passengers so they must attract them with lower fares.

There should be more TNVS deregulation, give more options and choices to passengers, and there are three possible ways to achieve this.

One, expand the number of players, both cars and motorcycles TNVS, so long as existing rules and Constitutional provisions are followed. It was reported that Uber wants to come back to the Philippines — good. And there should be a fourth or fifth player among motorcycle taxis. Let there be fierce competition among them to attract passengers’ loyalty.

Two, remove the cap or maximum number of cars and motorcycles for all players, expand the supply of vehicles. If this happens, many people will leave their cars and motorcycles at home and stop worrying about traffic congestion and where to park and not risk being clamped or towed by the MMDA (Metropolitan Manila Development Authority) or LGUs. Finding safe pay-parking fast is among the big headaches for many motorists now. Sometimes travel time is shorter than finding a parking slot, especially in BGC Taguig area.

Three, if government cannot remove the cap, then it should optimize the utilization of that cap. In TNVS cars for instance, the LTFRB (Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board) has put a cap of 65,000 vehicles but it is not optimized this as only 55,000 slots have been opened while 10,000 slots have yet to be awarded. And of these 55,000 cars, some have become inactive and their slots are not quickly filled by new aspiring drivers with their own cars.

Price and fare competition will be assured by the three measures above. Passengers then have to be assured of good safe service — that they will not be involved in accidents, sexual harassment, or driver bullying. In the same way, drivers should also be protected from bullying or criminal passengers.

Companies and TNVS players should announce to the public the kind of training they give to their partner drivers. Like requiring them to undergo and complete exercises in training center/s — learning how to drive in potholed, muddy and pebbled roads, wet and slippery roads, navigating roads when there are accidental oil spill, etc. Passengers will be more at ease with drivers who are better trained.

Government regulators like the LTFRB should recognize established brands who want to join and expand competition. Normally these established brands are the ones more careful not to be involved in accidents and shenanigans because they have been there for many years. A few accidents or sexual scandals involving their vehicles and drivers can erase the goodwill they have earned over many years.

Government should allow and expand competition among players, be competition-friendly. But when frequent accidents or trouble occur among certain player/s, government should come down hard to penalize violators or less-responsible players. Government then should be accidents unfriendly.

 

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

minimalgovernment@gmail.com

Ready, aim… post

By Tony Samson

DEMOLITION JOBS used to employ investigations by the legislature or some regulatory agency aided by biased witnesses. TV coverage of the proceedings (live with no commercial breaks) were aired and then summarized in the next news cycle. Battling narratives were played out until the public got tired and switched back to their teleseryes (soap operas) with more interesting twists and turns, villains and victims, and commercials for pee breaks.

The art of demolition has changed. It is much easier now to destroy reputations and damage them for good.

The weaponization of social media and the employment of troll armies with message discipline make demolition jobs easier and quicker, and maybe less costly? Public opinion is now segmented and targeted for specific groups.

The combination of unverified accusations, conspiracy scenarios, and celebrity sniping (with their fan bases getting into the act) does not wait for the news cycle. Trolls post attacks on social media as easily as photos of what one had for lunch — look at that scrumptious canard a l‘orange. And unlike food critics and chat groups, the assailants of reputations are anonymous and work from home, before attending to their book reports.

In trials by publicity, the verdict is determined ahead of any evidence or chance for defense. A court case has stricter rules of evidence and tends to be stretched out over time. The results may be the same with a biased judge, but courts just get too technical. They don’t offer sound bites and engage only lawyers who talk to each other. What does “quo warranto” mean?

Much handier as a battering ram to break down the doors of a good reputation is a coordinated social media blast. Still, those who start a fire can find the wind blowing in their direction. They then beg the courts for a “gag rule” to stop a target from exposing not-so-hidden agendas like a change of ownership of a company. (Stick to the facts? Yeah, right.)

The rise of social media in the demolition business can still employ traditional media to pick up the sparks and spread the fire. The business of reputation mangling becomes a two-headed monster with both digital and traditional media at work.

Public figures can be pressured by attacks to change positions on franchises, government contracts in force, and country embargoes of flights. They will cite new information. (The task force recommended that the country embargo be lifted). Maybe, the sudden realization of the public good is even invoked.

This is the era of social media being used to demonize persons and corporations. Stop me if you’ve heard of troll farms being used as mercenaries for hire in taking down previously unblemished reputations. It’s a matter of having a set of talking points and then it’s ready, aim, post.

The biggest damage, especially for large corporations dealing with the public sector as contractors, franchise holders, or utilities is reputational risk. This risk affects access to credit, customer stickiness, and stock price for a listed corporation. The mention of a corporation or business person in an unprovoked diatribe launched in some unrelated event like a ribbon-cutting of a new facility is the signal for the launch of a concerted troll attack.

News reporting as the recorder of events and trends has been devalued. The phrase “fake news” has been uttered too often. Legitimate news has been thrown into the soup of unreliable reports. Conspiracy theories are unverified and even in chat groups there is a debate on whether incredible items spelling the end of mankind (is the virus a biological weapon gone wrong?) should be posted and reposted to spread panic.

Divisiveness is fostered by troll wars. The them-and-us approach in the national conversation has eroded the meaning of the common good. Can the idea of promoting the country’s welfare flourish in this social climate change? Has cynicism replaced patriotism and love of country? Maybe, weaponized social media armies will eventually cancel each other out. The nuclear doctrine of mutually assured destruction (MAD) ensures that there will be no winners in the exchange of fire. And ironically, this belief preserves the status quo of nuclear deterrence.

When a marketing candidate for Netflix was supposedly asked who the biggest competitor of the company was, her short answer was “sleep.” (Hired.) Maybe the trolling and demolition jobs will stop when we stop paying attention.

Can we just go back to watching movies? Hey, you can forget about the one where Bad Boy plays Andres Bonifacio… unless you love farce.

 

Tony Samson is Chairman and CEO, TOUCH xda.

ar.samson@yahoo.com

Is Developing Asia ready for the Industry 4.0 Revolution?

By Shixin Chen

SMART TECHNOLOGIES such as artificial intelligence promise to disrupt the long-standing “Asian growth model” that has fueled industrial development in developing Asia. The region must prepare its labor market now for automation and other technologies that may take away jobs — particularly routine tasks in the global production chain — as well as pump prime upgraded ones in the new era.

Policies need to quickly adapt if countries are to leverage opportunities from this new industrial revolution, widely dubbed “Industry 4.0.” Governments should prioritize skills development programs and focus on soft skills, digital literacy, and practical training in all levels of education to prepare their workforce for Industry 4.0.

Until now, developing Asia has largely benefited from the “flying-geese” pattern of industrial succession. Initially, Japan was the “lead goose” to upgrade from labor-intensive to high-tech industries. As Japan shifted to advanced industries, labor-intensive manufacturing was relocated to developing countries (e.g., India, Bangladesh, and Vietnam). Such offshoring generated jobs in these countries. But this “passing flock” approach may not work anymore. Automation will reduce production costs making traditional offshoring unnecessary in the global value chain.

For example, a recent Asian Development Bank study shows that the unit labor cost of producing a cotton shirt in the United States — previously about $7 compared to about $0.50 in India or $0.22 in Bangladesh — would fall to $0.40 in the United States and Europe if robots were used. This would encourage reshoring as advanced economies replace human inputs in routine tasks. Vietnam, for example, might lose 26% of its jobs to this reshoring.

Even within developing Asia, automatic machines have started to replace human labor. For example, a recent government report shows that the total number of garment workers in Bangladesh declined from 4.4 million in 2013 to 3.6 million in 2017, with automation believed to be the main cause. At the Esquire Knit Composite in the northern outskirts of Dhaka, Bangladesh, fully automatic machines from Italy are used for cutting and semi-automatic machines from Japan are used for sewing and finishing. Only ironing and folding remain manual, which accounts for 30% of labor in the factory. Even this will likely change soon, as automatic ironing and folding machines recently appeared in some factories.

To future-proof the labor force, modernizing the region’s skill development system is necessary. In this regard, four areas need to be addressed urgently.

First, authorities need to develop a workforce that can adapt to the dynamic demands of Industry 4.0 technologies. Foundational and occupational skills as well as the ability to learn continuously are core requirements for the new generation of workers. At least half of existing workers in Asia need significant new or upgraded skills, says the World Economic Forum. And around half of these retraining activities have to rely on external private and public training providers.

Second, we need to strengthen digital skills. The Philippines has introduced a national digital literacy education framework for students at the primary and secondary levels. It aims to produce 21st-century digital citizens who can use information and communication technologies (ICT) and digital tools confidently, responsibly, and ethically.

Third, the region needs to move away from rote learning practices, putting the emphasis instead on creativity, critical thinking, and problem solving, as well as on soft skills such as communication.

Last, the region needs to respond to emerging opportunities by developing industry-relevant skills. The top trends in the job market include new skills such as machine learning engineers, application development analysts, back-end developers, and data scientists. While very few institutions in developing Asia are ready to prepare workers in these new fields, some have begun exploring programs to do so.

For example, Sri Lanka is establishing new technology faculties in 11 public universities. Industry collaboration and innovation centers are established in these universities to produce a new breed of professionals who are equipped with the ability to use Industry 4.0 technologies.

Meanwhile, in Bangladesh, 640 ICT learning centers in secondary schools across the country started operation in 2019 as a pilot for digital literacy education. Kyrgyz Republic and Armenia are explicitly planning to strengthen science, technology, engineering and mathematics, or STEM education. Such initiatives should be prioritized and expanded. Countries can learn from such experiences to develop effective systems for skills development based on their own institutional structures and context.

As this new industrial revolution unfolds, skills development systems in developing Asia need major transformation. Failure to act now will have serious consequences. For the continued rapid growth of developing Asia depends on it.

 

Shixin Chen is Vice-President (Operations 1) of the Asian Development Bank.

Unlocking the potential for FDI to the Philippines

By Zhiwen Jiao

THE PHILIPPINES has witnessed a rapidly rising trend of foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows since the 2008/09 Global Financial Crisis. FDI increased ten-fold in less than a decade, from around $1 billion in 2010 to around $10 billion in 2018, making the Philippines the most rapidly growing FDI recipient in Asia. This has raised more attention on the country’s potential for FDI inflows as the US-China trade tensions are expected to lead to a wave of industry relocations. However, to benefit from this unique window of opportunity, the country needs to put in place the right policies and reforms to win the battle of attracting FDI against regional peers.

As a share of GDP, FDI to the Philippines rose from less than 1% in 2010 to around 3% in 2018, surpassing Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia. (See Table).

However, FDI inflows in the Philippines have been mainly supported by intercompany lending — or debt flows between parent and affiliate companies and existing FDI companies, which is unique to the country. The debt instruments accounted for around 58% of FDI between 2010 and 2018.

KEY DRIVERS OF FDI INFLOWS
The impressive performance of FDI inflows to the Philippines can be attributed to the improvements in the institutional, policy, and economic environments. Since 2010, the government has been making efforts to reform governance and fight corruption, ensure sound public finances, modernize infrastructure, and improve macroeconomic management. These efforts have led to notable improvements in administrative efficiency, government accountability, and doing business environment. These positive developments have substantially changed foreign investors’ confidence in the prospects of the Philippine economy.

While the improved policy framework and economic fundamentals provide the basis for foreign investments, the composition and dynamics of different components are shaped more by idiosyncratic factors.

Although the Philippine government has been gradually lifting restrictions on foreign investment, the scope remains limited. Ownership limitations and burdensome reporting and registration procedures may have discouraged equity investment and encourage intercompany borrowing. With relatively high restrictions on ownership, existing companies have resorted to intercompany borrowings for capital investment and expansion of operations when faced with business opportunities. This tendency can become stronger when changing ownership structure becomes burdensome, or local partners are not keen or have no capacity to increase their share of the capital.

Besides, financing for capex spending, particularly infrastructure-related imports, can also drive up intercompany lending. It is common for the seller to provide financing arrangements, in the form of loans and trade credits, to the buyer in order to facilitate the sales of big-ticket equipment and machinery. In the case of the Philippines, the start of the rising trend of intercompany lending coincides with the start of the infrastructure investment push from 2013 onwards. And, the strong correlation between change of investment in durable equipment and the change of debt instruments in FDI also reveals the important role of (infrastructure) investment in pushing up intercompany lending.

SUSTAINING THE TREND AND UNLOCKING THE POTENTIAL
While intercompany lending can continue to support the rising FDI trend in the short-to-medium term, equity capital investment is critical to sustain this trend in the longer term. Several developments on both the external and domestic fronts seem to point to favorable prospect for FDI flows to the Philippines.

Externally, in light of China’s rising cost structures, ongoing global trade tensions, and secular low interest rates in advanced economies, foreign investors are looking to shift production to new locations with lower costs. The Philippines is one of those locations with high potential, as it is endowed with abundant labor and a relatively large domestic market. Domestically, the Philippine government has made attracting FDI a key policy objective. A series of reforms have been passed, with a number of others still in the process of legislation, aiming at addressing investment constraints and enhancing the ease of doing business.

However, policy design should also take into account the characteristics of this new wave of FDI flows. Unlike the 1980s and the late 1990s to early 2000s, when industry relocation was mainly driven by cost consideration, the recent relocation is also driven by the need for production to be closer to the market, to produce better synergy across different markets, and to diversify the risk of supply chain disruptions, which has become an important consideration, especially for companies producing complex products. As a result, the Philippine government will need to constantly benchmark its investment regime against regional peers and accelerate reforms to ensure the economy remains appealing to foreign investors.

 

Dr. Zhiwen Jiao, an economist at ASEAN+3 Macroeconomic Research Office (AMRO), is responsible for country macroeconomic surveillance at AMRO. He is the desk economist for the Philippines and backup economist for China. He graduated from Beijing Normal University with a Ph.D. in Economics.

UAAP: NU Bulldogs twice a winner in Season 82 debut

By Michael Angelo S. Murillo
Senior Reporter

NATIONAL University made an auspicious start to its University Athletic Association of the Philippines Season 82 volleyball campaign with its women’s and men’s teams hacking out victories in their season debuts on Wednesday at the Mall of Asia Arena.

The Lady Bulldogs fashioned out a gutsy five-set win over last year’s losing finalists University of Santo Tomas Golden Tigresses, 22-25, 25-23, 20-25, 25-20 and 15-13., while the NU men were 27-25, 23-25, 25-19 and 27-25 winners over the Tiger Spikers.

The Lady Bulldogs showed no let-up in the last two sets on their way to tallying their first win of the season.

The trio of rookie Margot Mutshima, sophomore Ivy Lacsina and come-backing Risa Sato led the NU women in the win, finishing with 23, 19 and 17 points, respectively.

The two teams fought hard throughout, alternately splitting the first four sets of the match to set up the deciding the frame.

In the fifth set, UST had its early struggles, seeing NU build a 7-2 lead.

But rookie Imee Hernandez and sisters Eya and EJ Laure would tow the Tigresses to a 6-2 run after to come within a point, 9-8.

NU, however, regained its footing with Mutshima and Sato propelling their team to match point, 14-11.

UST still tried to salvage the win, narrowing its deficit to one, 14-13, following a block by Hernandez of Lacsina.

Lacsina though would come back, providing the winning point by hammering down a quick kill to douse any chance of a comeback from the Tigresses.

Eya Laure, last season’s rookie of the year, led UST with 20 points with Hernandez adding 19 in her UAAP debut.

The game marked the return of EJ Laure after sitting out the last two seasons. She had 17 points.

“The players had early jitters and it showed. In the fourth and fifth sets we were able to settle down and play our game and it helped us in winning this game,” said Lady Bulldogs coach Norman Miguel as he talked about their debut outing.

THREE PEAT-SEEKING BULLDOGS
Meanwhile, in the first game of the day, the NU Bulldogs began their quest for a men’s UAAP three-peat with a four-set victory over the UST Growling Tigers.

Nico Almendras came through for the reigning champions with a double-double performance of 20 points and 14 excellent receptions. Former University of the East stalwart Ed Camposano opened up his one-and-done year with NU on a high, scoring 19 markers with four coming from blocks.

NU captain James Natividad supplied 11 points while Joshua Retamar ably distributed the wealth with 21 excellent sets.

Jau Umandal led all scorers with 25 points for UST with Lorenz Señoron and Wewe Medina adding 15 and 14 markers, respectively.

Despite the win, NU coach Dante Alinsunurin reiterated that they are far from the form they want to be in as they continue to fine-tune their attack.

“We’re continuing to integrate our system and we’re still adjusting. We started slow in this game but in the end we picked it up and our defense stepped up,” said Mr. Alinsunurin in the vernacular postgame.

NU returns to action on March 8 against Adamson University at the MOA Arena.

LeVert’s career-high 51 carries Nets past Celtics

BOSTON — Caris LeVert scored a career-high 51 points, 37 from the fourth quarter on, as the Brooklyn Nets rallied from 21 points down to stun the host Boston Celtics 129-120 in overtime Tuesday.

LeVert shot 17 of 26 from the field and scored all 11 of the Nets’ points in the extra period as they overcame 21 turnovers to snap a four-game losing streak. Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot added 16 points off the bench for Brooklyn.

Jaylen Brown had 22 points, and Kemba Walker scored 21 in his return from five games missed with a knee injury for the Celtics, who have lost back-to-back games for the first time since Jan. 16–18.

The Nets scored a franchise-record 51 points in the fourth quarter to overcome a 71-50 deficit with 6:28 left in the third quarter. They entered the fourth down 84-67.

LeVert got Brooklyn within four on back-to-back threes with 2:47 remaining. Another LeVert three trimmed Boston’s lead to 110-108 with 1:32 left.

The Celtics led by three with the ball and 6.7 seconds left, but a Rodions Kurucs steal gave the Nets a chance to tie. LeVert was fouled by Smart on a 3-point attempt with 0.2 seconds on the clock and sunk all his free throws to force overtime.

LeVert outscored Boston 11-2 the rest of the way.

The Celtics played without All-Star forward Jayson Tatum, sidelined by an illness. Gordon Hayward didn’t play in the second half due to a right knee contusion he appeared to sustain on an inadvertent collision with Daniel Theis late in the second quarter.

DAVIS SCORES 37 AS LAKERS SMASH 76ERS
Anthony Davis had 37 points, 13 rebounds and four steals, leading the Los Angeles Lakers to a 120-107 victory over the visiting Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday night.

Davis, who also had two blocks, converted 13 of 19 shots from the floor, including 4 of 5 from 3-point range. He scored 26 points in the first half.

LeBron James contributed 22 points, 14 assists and seven rebounds for the Lakers, winners of nine of their past 10. Dwight Howard added 11 points, and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Avery Bradley chipped in 10 apiece.

Glenn Robinson III led the Sixers with 25 points on 10-of-15 shooting. Tobias Harris finished with 18 points and seven rebounds for Philadelphia, which played without All-Stars Joel Embiid (shoulder), Ben Simmons (back) and Josh Richardson (concussion). — Reuters

Oconer, Standard-Insurance top LBC Ronda Pilipinas

VIGAN — George Oconer crowned himself LBC Ronda Pilipinas king while his squad Standard-Insurance the team champion as the 10th anniversary race drew to a close in front of the provincial capitol here yesterday.

Oconer, 28, contented himself in staying at the back end of the peloton that checked in first in the Stage 10 criterium that was ruled by teammate Jan Paul Morales in 51 minutes and 20 seconds to claim his very first title.

He raised his two arms in victory, rode his ceremonial victory lap and was met by a wild applause from the appreciative crowd at the finish where he was met by hug and congratulatory message from Ronda chairman Moe Chulani and Standard Insurance Group chairman Ernesto “Judes” Echauz.

Oconer also thanked God, Echauz, his teammates and coaches who cradled him almost all race long, the organizers and his family including father Norberto, a two-time Olympian.

After 10 stages and 11 days covering a total of 14 provinces starting in Sorsogon, Oconer emerged the champion with an aggregate time of 32:42:12 over 68 survivors out of the 88 originally entered.

It was a performance to remember for Oconer as he did not only pocketed the top purse worth P1 million and took home the beautifully crafted trophy, he was also hailed as the best Filipino cyclist today.

“My first race was in Ronda in 2011, that is why finally winning it here is a special moment for me,” said Oconer.

Oconer’s triumph underscored Standard’s Ronda domination as it also sent five more of its riders — Ronald Oranza, Ronald Lomotos, John Mark Camingao, Junrey Navarra and El Joshua Carino — in the top 10 behind Oconer while running away with the team crown.

Rounding up the top 10 in the individual race were Go for Gold’s Jonel Carcueva, Daniel Ven Carino and Ismael Grospe, Jr., and Marvin Tapic of Bicycology-Army.

Apart from that, Standard also registered five stage wins, three of which was provided for by Morales, a two-time winner here who also secured the CCN Sprint plum in this race presented by LBC and backed by the Manny V. Pangilinan Sports Foundation.

Navarra also emerged the Versa King of the Mountain in this event supported by Palayan, Nueva Ecija, 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.

It will also be the last race for Santy Barnachea, who won the inaugural edition in 2011 and 2015.

“Yes, I’m retiring. I’m now focusing my time to family and maybe coaching,” said the 43-year-old Barnachea, who joined the final two years of the fabled Marlboro Tour in 1997 and 1998 before winning the Fedex Tour of Calabarzon in 2002 and the Padyak Pinoy in 2006.

Team PHL earns Athlete of the Year honors at PSA Awards

THE GOLD medal winners of the 30th Southeast Asian Games banner the long list of citations to be handed out during the Philippine Sportswriters Association Annual Awards Night on March 6 at the Centennial Hall of the Manila Hotel.

The Filipino contingent, led by world champions Carlos Yulo and Nesthy Petecio along with Olympic silver medalist Hidilyn Diaz, bagged a total record of 149 gold medals when the country hosted and regained the overall title of the biennial meet after 14 years.

On account of the remarkable finish that Team Philippines had, it will be accorded with the prestigious Athlete of the Year award in the event presented by the Philippine Sports Commission, Milo, Cignal TV, the Philippine Basketball Association, Rain or Shine, and AirAsia.

Arnis produced the most number of gold won during the SEA Games with a total of 14, followed by athletics with 11, and dancesport with 10.

Apart from the SEA Games gold winners — 139 in all including the others who won one or two gold — 18 personalities and entities are also going to be cited by the country’s oldest media organizations for their achievements and support to Philippine sports in the year that was.

The list includes boxers Eumir Marcial, Josie Gabuco, and Pedro Taduran, undefeated University Athletic Association of the Philippines men’s basketball champion Ateneo and National Collegiate Athletic Association counterpart Letran, Jones Cup winner Mighty Sports, bowler Merwin Tan, mixed martial arts star Joshua Pacio, fencer Samantha Catantan, grandmaster John Paul Gomez, darts player Lourence Ilagan, and Estafano Rivera of motorsports.

Congressman Michael ‘Mikee’ Romero, Philippine Obstacle Sports Federation, Go for Gold, Standard Insurance, Amelie Hotel, MVP Sports Foundation complete the list of the year’s PSA citations.

There will also be a posthumous recognition to be given to sports personalities who passed away in 2019.

Saint Benilde Sports and Dorm Building now open

By Michael Angelo S. Murillo
Senior Reporter

WHAT is hailed as the “new home of the Blazers” is now open with the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde formally unveiling its Benilde Sports and Dorm Building early this week.

A five-storey structure, the Benilde Sports-Dorm Building will be the home of varsity players of the school’s different sports programs such as basketball, volleyball, badminton and swimming. It will likewise feature studios and training rooms for taekwondo and other martial arts, a gym for weight and endurance drills, plus other physical therapy amenities.

In addition for athletes to have access to several athletic facilities, the property is geared towards providing the necessary services for scholars to be more responsive to their academic needs.

Broke ground in 2017, the complex stands on a 4,196.8 square-meter lot in San Isidro Drive corner Dominga Street with the Taft and SDA Campuses as neighbors.

It was designed by internationally recognized Architect Leandro A. Poco of L.A. Poco Architects and Associates.

School officials said in designing the complex they made sure that they incorporated structure and elements consistent for tropical countries, taking into consideration proper natural ventilation and solar orientation for specific areas, fortified by advanced engineering technology.

They also took note that it be “inclusive” for persons with disabilities.

The ground floor of the Dorm Area features an inviting fully furnished lounge. Benildeans who wish to focus on their individual school assignments or conduct group studies can use the open student hall, desktop stations, huddle and audio-visual rooms. The facilities likewise include a fully equipped kitchen and pantry area.

The second to fifth floors house 64 rooms dedicated as living quarters for 147 athletes, 48 artists and 19 academic scholars. Each room, which accommodates four, is complete with huge bunk beds, spacious study tables, shelves and closets and has en banc respective PWD-ready bathrooms. Centralized air conditioning and WiFi connection are likewise available.

The Sports Area, meanwhile, features a 25 m x 16.44 m swimming pool and two sets of basketball courts, dugout rooms, and shower rooms for the teams.

Safety was also considered as the complex is equipped with heat and smoke detectors and a fire sprinkler system. Each floor has its fire hose and extinguishers plus emergency access doors to stairs.

Greeting students and athletes as well as guests at the entrance is the “Path to Glory,” a series of photographs of Benildean athletes taken by Photography Program alumnus Miguel Sy. The exhibition highlights the hardships and honors the efforts of the 21 Blazers teams.

The Sports and Dorm Building will likewise house the offices of the Center for Sports and Development and Dormitory Management.

In addition to athletes and scholars, there will be temporary accommodations for visiting guests such as professors, lecturers, and exchange students from prior and future partnerships with other colleges, universities, non-government organizations, and private corporations.

“In putting up the Sports and Dorm Building, we are sending the message that we commit to nurture our athletes, artists, and scholars to reach their best potential,” said DLS-CSB President Br. Dodo Fernandez, FSC at the launch of the complex on Monday.

“The Sports-Dorm Building will serve as a sports center that can be called the Home of the Blazers. It will be convenient for the athletes. They will not need to travel early in the morning from their respective homes for training. Once done, they return back to the dorm to prepare for school,” he said.

New beast from Baku

Aeroflot Open “A”
Moscow, Russia
Feb. 19–27, 2020

Final Top Standings:

1–4. IM Aydin Suleymanli AZE 2474, GM Rinat Jumabayev KAZ 2646, GM Rauf Mamedov AZE 2643, GM Aravindh Chithambaran (IND 2630, 6.5/9

5–10. GM Aleksej Aleksandrov BLR 2592, GM Vugar Asadli AZE 2538, GM Adhiban Baskaran IND 2654, GM Manuel Petrosyan ARM 2590, GM Mustafa Yilmaz TUR 2607, GM David Paravyan RUS 2629, 6.0/9

11–27. IM Bharath Subramaniyam IND 2402 (11 years old!), Sanan Sjugirov RUS 2674, GM Pouya Idani IRI 2577, GM Mikhail Antipov RUS 2562, GM Praggnanandhaa R. IND 2602, GM Mikhail Kobalia RUS 2609, GM Sethuraman S. P. IND 2641, IM Sadhwani Raunak IND 2522, GM Aleksandr Rakhmanov RUS 2645, GM Gabriel Sargissian ARM 2689, GM Alexander Riazantsev RUS 2639, GM Vladislav Kovalev BLR 2650, GM Ilia Smirin ISR 2615, GM Aleksandr Shimanov RUS 2587, GM Arjun Erigasi IND 2653, GM Rasmus Svane GER 2608, GM Bogdan-Daniel Deac ROU 2626, 5.5/9

Total Participants: 97 players

Time Control: 100 minutes for the first 40 moves, then 50 minutes for the next 20 moves, followed by 15 minutes play-to-finish with 30 seconds added to your clock after every move starting move 1

IM Aydin Suleymanli

The Aeroflot Open is an annual open chess tournament played in Moscow and sponsored by the airline Aeroflot. It was established in 2002 and quickly grew to be the among the strongest open tournaments in the world. First prize for the “A” tournament is €18,000 (about P1 million). The winner is usually invited to the Dortmund superGM chess tournament to be held in Germany later in the year, but for the current edition the organizers announced that this tradition (begun in 2003) has been discontinued.

Three strong open tournaments are held simultaneously but our focus will be on the strongest one, the “A” tournament which imposes a minimum rating of 2550 on its would-be participants. However, for young and upcoming players the organizers often give special dispensation to play. Good for Suleymanli and the 11-year old Bharath Subramaniyam from India, at one time among the leaders of the tournament!

GM Rauf Mamedov of Azerbaijan, a former child prodigy but now at 31 years old considered a veteran, is the sentimental favorite of the tournament organizers as he is the only one among the participants who has a 100% attendance in all 18 editions of Aeroflot. Indeed, after three rounds GM Mamedov was in the solo lead, having won all his games up to that point. He held the top spot almost up to the very end, but the 14-year old Aydin Suleymanli caught up with Mamedov in round 8 with his own 3-game winning streak from rounds 6-8. After the cessation of hostilities in the final round 9 there was a 4-way tie for 1st and, with a higher average opponents’ rating, Suleymanli was awarded the gold trophy.

Aydin Suleymanli, born March 22, 2005 is still only an International Master but his 2791 performance rating in this event was more than enough to earn his second GM norm. As the BW reader will no doubt recall you need three norms and minimum ELO rating of 2500 to get the full title.

Suleymanli’s favorite game is his win over Ilia Smirin in the 7th round.

Suleymanli, Aydin (2474) — Smirin,I lia (2615) [A21]
18th Aeroflot Open-A 2020 Moscow (7.10), 25.02.2020

Playing Black in the following game is Ilia Smirin, one of the greatest living experts in the King’s Indian Defense (he wrote an acclaimed book about it in 2016 called “King’s Indian Warfare”). Born January 21, 1968 in Vitebsk, Belarus, he was strong enough to play in the Finals of the Soviet Chess Championships before he migrated to Israel in 1992. He has won the Israeli Championship 3 times, competed in 4 FIDE World Championships and three FIDE World Cups.

1.d4 d6 2.c4 e5 3.e3 Nd7 4.Nc3 g6 5.g3 Bg7 6.Bg2 Ne7 7.Nge2 0–0 8.0–0 f5 9.dxe5 dxe5 10.e4 c6 11.Be3 Qc7

With the idea of …f5–f4.

12.Qd2 Nb6 13.b3 f4!? 14.gxf4 exf4 15.Nxf4 Bxc3

This was part of Smirin’s idea when he played 13…f4. The White queen is diverted from its defense of f4.

16.Qxc3 Rxf4 <D>

POSITION AFTER 16…RXF4

Naturally Smirin expected the continuation 17.Bxf4 Qxf4 when he would have two knights against White’s rook and pawn. He was counting on his queen’s proximity to the enemy king to drum up some attacking ideas, but …

17.Rad1!!

An almost incomprehensible piece sacrifice, that is, for someone like me. Suleymanli thinks his dark-squared bishop is more valuable than the enemy rook and refuses to take back the exchange. He reasons that Black has serious weaknesses on the dark squares and the bishop can exploit this either by means of Bh6 or Be3–c1–b2.

17…Be6

Smirin was understandably surprised by White’s move and took 30 minutes over his reply.

What happens if Black withdraws the rook?

Going 17…Rf8? is definitely bad because 18.Bh6 Rf7 19.Qe5! and the black queen has nowhere to go unless he wants to allow the mate after 19…Qxe5 20.Rd8+ Rf8 21.Rxf8#

Relatively better is 17…Rf7, but it still loses to 18.c5 Nd7 19.Rd6 b6 20.Rfd1 Nf8 21.Bh6 Ba6 22.Rf6!

It appears like 17…Nd7! is the best defense when White still has the upperhand but Black is far from losing.

18.c5! Rh4

It is now too late for 18…Nd7 19.Rd6! (the queen’s defense of the f4–rook is blocked while the Black bishop on e6 is also threatened) 19…Rf6 20.Bg5 Nc8 21.Rxd7 Qxd7 22.Qxf6 it is now White who is a pawn up and Black’s weaknesses persist.

19.Rd6! Nd7?

The only defense is 19…Nec8 the rook on d6 of course cannot move because of the mate on h2, but 20.Qf6 Nxd6 21.cxd6 Qxd6 22.Qxh4 material parity has been restored and White’s attack is still there.

20.f4!

White is clearly winning now. By the way, don’t fall for 20.Rxe6?? Qxh2#.

20…Bh3 21.Qc4+ Kf8 22.Bxh3 Rxh3 23.Qe6 Rxe3 24.Rxd7 Qxd7

There is nothing else.

25.Qxd7 Rxe4 26.Qd3 Re6 27.Qd7 Re4 28.f5 gxf5 29.Rxf5+ Kg7 30.Rg5+ Kf6 31.Rg3 b5 32.Qd6+ Kf7 33.Qh6 1–0

Terrific tactics. In round 8 we get to see a positional masterpiece. The Iranian GM Parham Maghsoodloo went for a risky pawn grab in the opening but Suleymanli knew what to do.

Maghsoodloo, Parham (2674) — Suleymanli, Aydin (2474) [D35]
Aeroflot Open A 2020
Moscow RUS (8.5), 26.02.2020

1.c4 e6 2.Nc3 d5 3.d4 Be7 4.cxd5 exd5 5.Bf4 Nf6 6.e3 Bf5

Even Garry Kasparov has played this way, daring White to take his b7–pawn by means of Qd1–b3xb7.

7.Qb3 Nc6 8.Qxb7

Topalov discovered the move 8.g4!? here. The idea is that 8…Nxg4 weakens Black’s d5–pawn while 8…Bxg4 puts the bishop on a less than optimal square. I should caution the reader here though that everything is not so clear, and in fact 8.g4 cost Irina Krush her USA women’s championship in 2011. In her tiebreaks with Anna Zatonskih she played this twice and lost both times. Those two wins were the margin of victory for Zatonskih. Maghsoodloo avoids all of that and goes for the main line.

8…Nb4 9.Rc1

An alternative for White to play 9.Bb5+ Kf8 first to prevent Black from castling, but then again it sort of restricts the movements of the White queen. We won’t go into all of that theory.

9…0–0 10.Qxc7

[10.Bxc7 Qc8 11.Qxc8 Rfxc8 Just transposes to the game.]

10…Qxc7 11.Bxc7 Rfc8 12.Bf4 Ne4 13.f3 Nxc3 14.bxc3 g5 15.Bg3

White will untie the knots his position is in after 15…Nxa2 16.Ra1 Nxc3 17.Ba6 Bb4 18.Kf2 Re8 19.Ne2. Remember he was 2 pawns up to begin with.

15…a5!

To prevent White’s Ba6.

16.a4 Na2 17.Ra1 Nxc3 18.Ne2 Bb4!? 19.Kf2 Bc2! 20.Nxc3 Bxc3 21.Ra2?

[21.Ra3! is the only move that holds. After 21…Bb4 22.Ra1! Black can either go for the draw by repetition with …Bc3 or continue fighting with …Bg6]

21…Bb1! 22.Re2

[22.Ra3 Bb4 23.Ra1 (23.Rb3 Rc2+ 24.Be2 Ba2 25.Rd3 Bc4) 23…Rc1 White is still all tied up]

22…Rc4! 23.Rc2!?

A desperate trap.

23…Be1+!

[23…Bxc2? 24.Bxc4 dxc4 25.Rc1 will pick up one of the bishops]

24.Kxe1 Rxc2 25.h4 Rac8 26.Bd6 R8c3 27.hxg5 Rb2 0–1

White gives up as 27…Rb2 28.Kd1 Ba2! followed by Bb3+

This is the second consecutive year where the Aeroflot Open had a surprise winner. In 2018 62nd seed Kaido Kulaots (43 years old at that time) won the title and this year it was the 71st seed Aydin Suleymanli (from the opposite side of the age spectrum at 14 years of age) who grabbed the title. They are now calling him the “New Beast from Baku” after the original “Beast,” the 13th world chess champion Garry Kasparov.

In March of this year IM Aydin will be participating for the first time in the Championship of Azerbaijan. Let’s see if he can keep up his momentum.

 

Bobby Ang is a founding member of the National Chess Federation of the Philippines (NCFP) and its first Executive Director. A Certified Public Accountant (CPA), he taught accounting in the University of Santo Tomas (UST) for 25 years and is currently Chief Audit Executive of the Equicom Group of Companies.

bobby@cpamd.net

Knicks’ missteps

The Knicks can’t seem to catch a break. Every time they appear to get ahead, they wind up being waylaid. The problem isn’t that they face more hurdles after clearing some. That’s life. The problem is that the hurdles are being set up by their greatest enemies: themselves. And that’s death. For some reason, they flub opportunities to consolidate the strides they’ve made by then taking turns they should know well enough to avoid. After every step forward, they somehow feel compelled to take two steps back — putting them in an even worse situation.

Take, for instance, the last handful of days. Under the circumstances, the Knicks did well to appoint erstwhile agent Leon Rose as president of the franchise at the start of the week. The former head of the powerhouse Creative Artists Agency is highly respected and boasts of a vast network in hoops that figures to aid him as he steers them to success. It didn’t take them long to surrender their advantage, though. Even as the ink on the formal announcement of his arrival had yet to dry, they found themselves needing to do damage control on a disagreement with filmmaker Spike Lee, who, as a longtime season ticket holder, just so happens to be their most visible and vocal fan.

By all accounts, the Knicks could have avoided the mess with Lee. It was most certainly over a minor matter. In attending the Knicks’ home games for the better part of 28 years, he had been going through the Madison Square Garden’s 33rd Street entrance, whose access was otherwise restricted to employees, members of the media, and the disabled. After he did the same last Monday, however, he was asked to exit anew and instead avail of the VIP entrance on 31st Street. The suddenness of the decision, not to mention the hassle of walking two blocks South to use his $3,400 ticket — which, by the way, had already been accepted, and, more importantly, could no longer be re-scanned — smacked to him of harassment. In any case, the validity of enforcing the rule could have been conveyed to him with courtesy befitting a valued patron.

To add injury to insult, the Knicks then saw fit to fight fire with fire. In response to Lee’s pronouncements on ESPN First Take, their public relations department’s official Twitter account argued that his portrayal as a victim “is laughable. It’s disappointing that Spike would create this false controversy to perpetuate drama.” The posting included a picture of him shaking hands with franchise owner James Dolan, “proof,” they contended, that he agreed to abide by the rules, but “proof” that he disputes.

Why the Knicks wouldn’t seek to settle the controversy quietly is, to be sure, consistent with how they have approached issues playing out under the klieg lights. They were at least as combative when they faced backlash following the forcible ejection of fan favorite Charles Oakley two years ago. The dispute between him and Dolan remains, and he plans to appeal the adverse decision on a suit he filed over it. More recently, they had to do a double take when brand consultant Steve Stoute overreached and hinted at personnel moves that shouldn’t have been up for discussion.

And the list goes on. Dolan himself couldn’t stay quiet late last season, practically bragging about the impending arrival of highly sought-after would-be free agents. All-Stars Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving instead signed with the crosstown Nets, prompting Knicks brass to apologize — and, to no one’s surprise — effectively take back the apology not long after by declaring that they got the players they wanted all along. They didn’t need to be defensive. In fact, they shouldn’t have been, not least because they had little to stand on; the roster they assembled, filled with redundancy, was uneven at best, and smacked of a decided absence of planning at worst.

If there’s anything the Knicks can be thankful for, it’s their location. They’re in the media capital of world, and, for all their missteps, they remain the most valued name in the National Basketball Association. How much longer, however, is anybody’s guess. When the Rockets, featuring two marquee stars in James Harden and Russell Westbrook, paid a visit last Monday, for instance, the Garden, supposed Mecca of hoops, wasn’t filled to capacity. Hopefully, Rose can restore some semblance of order to their operations. Otherwise, there will be more incidents like that of Lee, and more chances for them to sabotage their own grand designs.

 

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.

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