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DENR fines Holcim Philippines after oil spill at La Union plant

THE Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has ordered Holcim Philippines, Inc. to pay a P400,000 fine for violating the Philippine Clean Water Act of 2004, following an oil spill at the company’s La Union cement plant last year, the company said Wednesday.

“In connection with the oil spill incident at the Holcim La Union Plant which occurred on July 4, 2020, the Pollution Adjudication Board of the Environmental Management Bureau ordered Holcim Philippines, Inc. to pay a fine of P400,000 for violation of Republic Act No. 9275 and its Implementing Rules and Regulations,” the company said in a filing to the bourse.

In a statement, Holcim Philippines said the clean-up was completed on July 6. The company added that it will seek a reconsideration of the fine, citing its “immediate and effective response” in addressing the oil spill, which it said was caused by heavy rains.

“The company will move for a reconsideration of the penalty based on the plant’s immediate and effective response to prevent adverse impact on the environment. These included fast containment of the spill through reinforced sand barriers, siphoning of the water in the creek, and retrieval of debris to prevent seepage into the sea,” Holcim Philippines said.

It added that its La Union plant “has strengthened its pollution control facilities to ensure that the incident does not happen again.”

The company has four other cement manufacturing facilities in Bulacan, Batangas, Misamis Oriental and Davao, as well as facilities focusing on aggregates, the dry mix business and technical support. — Angelica Y. Yang

Cyber-securing the 2022 Philippine elections

The Philippine General Elections to be held in May 2022 offer the country another opportunity to choose leaders who will help chart the course of the future. Due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, Senators have been discussing a “mail-in” voting system, with various degrees of enthusiasm. The Senate President has publicly rejected the idea while two other legislators have supported it for reasons of inclusivity and safety. As a registered voter who wants to exercise her right to vote and as a cybersecurity professional, I think that regardless of whether we shift to a mail-in voting system or stick to an electronic voting system in the upcoming elections, it will involve the use of electronic data processing systems which in turn come with their set of cybersecurity risks. Such risks, if not properly managed, will leave our voting process quite vulnerable to attack, thereby impacting the integrity of our voter registration data and systems, as well as our election as a whole.

There are two areas in the election value chain where cybersecurity risks are mainly present.

The first is the voter registration process. In particular, the security of voter registration databases is one example of an inherently vulnerable risk area. Voter registration data determine who is a legitimate voter as well as whether or not they have voted. This is critical information that, if stolen, can be used to socially engineer voter behavior, encrypt the data in such a way that the data or the database becomes unusable, or manipulate the data to produce more “voters” who are in fact, not legitimate. On top of the data integrity issue associated with the data breach, data privacy is also a paramount concern for legitimate voters who have given their personally identifiable information (PII) during the voter registration process.

I don’t know about you, but the possibility of someone having my name, social security number or any information that can be used to trace my identity just does not sit well with me. Of course, there’s also the more dangerous possibility of data manipulation by a malicious third party to change the results in the election in favor of particular political leaders and/or parties.

The second risk area is the actual electoral process. During the vote counting process, ballots filled in by registered voters are first scanned by vote counting machines (VCMs). At the end of election day, the VCMs then aggregate all votes in election returns, which are then transmitted to the central and transparency servers. From there, results are further collated and transmitted to the Board of Canvassers at the municipal, provincial and state levels. The associated data networks, if left unsecured, are quite vulnerable to cyber threats.

One example of such a threat is ransomware. Unsecured election returns data could be intercepted during the transmission process by a hacker who then steals and/or withholds the data by encrypting it and in turn, demands a ransom to provide the decryption key. Another application of this is when the hacker steals the data and then uses encryption to cover up the theft. These examples really serve to highlight the importance of securing these network connections in the first place, as even just the process of connecting to the network will make these data vulnerable.

Given the risks, what best measures can our government adopt to safeguard our electoral process from cyber threats?

First, there’s a critical need to place effective controls on who will be able to access the data as well as clearly define what data they should be able to access. These may take the form of privileged access management or role-based access controls, which are just some of the controls that can be put in place in order to have an additional layer of control over the election data.

Second, there must be a reliable backup that is not accessible through the system and/or network. Said backup would not only help to preserve the integrity of the election returns data but also provide a certain guarantee that the data will not be affected in the event of a ransomware attack.

Third, network monitoring must be deployed so that election officials are able to more proactively recognize when something malicious may be happening. This should quickly galvanize our officials into taking more immediate action to protect the sanctity of our elections.

Lastly, to prevent data leaks from occurring, election officials should choose to encrypt the data whether at rest or in transit. With strong encryption in place, the encrypted data will be rendered useless should they fall into the wrong hands, as they would need a decryption key to use it.

Collectively or on their own, the measures discussed above, when taken together with supplementary controls, may address some of the inherent risks associated with the election process.

Philippine general elections determine the fate of the nation for the next six years and voting is one of the most impactful ways in which our citizens help to set that direction. As an ordinary Filipino citizen, elections are one of the platforms I use to express my opinion on matters I care about, such as public transportation, raising the minimum wage, funding local schools, and other causes. As we exercise our right to vote as a democratic nation, elections should be run in a manner that safeguards fairness and integrity as well as protects the privacy of each citizen.

After all, doing so ultimately helps to ensure that people’s rights are properly exercised and that the outcome of the elections will be in line with the will of the Filipino people.

The views or opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of PricewaterhouseCoopers Consulting Services Philippines Co. Ltd. The content is for general information purposes only, and should not be used as a substitute for specific advice.

 

Camila C. Sta. Ana, is an associate with the Cybersecurity & Forensics Consulting practice of PricewaterhouseCoopers Consulting Services Philippines Co. Ltd., a Philippine member firm of the PwC network.

camila.c.sta.ana@pwc.com

Responsible investing in different cultural contexts

(First of four parts)

We all choose our own ways of being ethical and responsible. Some people will attempt to have a zero carbon footprint by eating meat or traveling on planes but actively recycle or tap into renewable energy or donate to forest rehabilitation funds. Others will be shopaholics but give their clothes to charity. Still others do not mind working in a conglomerate with less-than-stellar labor practices, to earn enough to pay their own staff at home above-average wages — at least redistributing the wealth from an urban tycoon to the provinces. Some people, of course, will do none of the above.

Similarly, there are a myriad of ways in which people choose to invest their money responsibly or ethically. And while we cannot generalize how an entire nation or population behaves, we do see some cultural trends stand out, particularly when we observe that the pace of growth of responsible investing has been largely heterogeneous across geographies. I wrote a chapter on this topic in a book* way back in 2013 and not much has really changed since then. The growth of consciousness in how we use our money for good is dependent not just on the legislative and regulatory environments but on cultural factors as well.

To wit, society plays a role in shaping Responsible Investment (RI) practices. This column is the first of four parts detailing the situation in different regions. Today we look at Europe and North America, next week Latin America, the week after Africa, ending the series with Asia Pacific.

In previous columns, I explained about how responsible investing has roots in religious practices from the United States and made its way to Europe where it is now considered mainstream. All if not most government pension funds in the EU do not invest in nuclear weapons or cluster munitions, so every European, to a certain extent, is already practicing RI. Many banks now offer savings accounts which can only be invested in companies which meet specific sustainability criteria. And the EU has rolled out standardized sustainability reporting, advocating for firms to be more transparent with their practices.

The European RI market caught up with the US market in 2007 and has since surpassed it as the leading geography. And yet even then, Europe is by no means a homogeneous region. While communication through disclosure is increasing, actual implementation remains highly voluntary and is practiced to a significantly lesser extent. Countries in Europe take on different strategic approaches to RI based on their cultural rootedness. For instance, Germany has a strong environmental focus, promoting nature conservation, nuclear safety, and energy efficiency through thematic funds. The Netherlands also has a similar approach, providing tax exemption mechanisms introduced in its Green Funds Scheme. Italy on the other hand, has a strong focus on governance, particularly on protecting its smaller investors following the 2003 Parmalat scandal.

This pension fund leadership has formed the key trend in Europe wherein the RI market is almost exclusively driven by institutional investors, which currently represent 92% of all assets under management. The main approach of these investors is what is referred to as ESG (environmental, social, and governance) integration wherein ESG criteria is used during traditional financial analysis. France adopts the best-in-class approach, wherein investee firms within an industry are ranked in function of their ESG performance. Those which either pass a minimum threshold or are the best in their industries are eligible to be included in the investment universe. This method allows bringing in a degree of flexibility in the construction of the portfolio, especially in enabling the inclusion of high-performing companies in extractive industries such as mining or controversial industries such as firms involved in nuclear power production.

Other types of retail investments such as ethical type investments, those driven by High Net Worth Individuals (HNWI), or impact investments such as Microfinance — albeit growing, represent a marginal portion in Europe. Shareholder activism strategies are mainly used in the UK, the Netherlands, and Nordic countries but not in the rest of the continent. It appears that Europe has shifted away from an ethical approach and takes a highly pragmatic and non-prescriptive approach, attempting to use sustainability criteria to meet its financial goals from a largely risk-reduction perspective rather than imposing a moral stance on its citizens. While this makes sustainability issues somewhat easier to translate into a financial language and more readily integrated by traditional asset managers, a fundamental question remains as to whether these “loosely coupled” practices will truly have a positive and material impact on society.

The United States is one of the oldest and most traditional RI markets. Given the shift from religious to civil society motivations and an increasing ethical consumerism movement wherein the consumer is willing to pay a premium for products (or services) produced in a way consistent with his or her personal values, investment strategies of retail sustainability funds have evolved from negative to positive screening. Similar to Europe, RI in the US is currently driven by institutional investors, specifically pension funds. However, in contrast to Europe, the US and Canada maintain rootedness in an ethical and societal approach with moral concerns continuing to be made explicit in this market. n

*The original book chapter from where this series is based is published in Italian: Laurel, D. & Piani, V., 2013, L’SRI nei diversi contesti culturali (Socially Responsible Investing in Different Cultural Contexts) in Creare Valore a Lungo Termine (Creating Long-term Value), eds. Del Maso, D. and Fiorentini, G. EGEA (Milan, Italy).

 

Daniela “Danie” Laurel is a business journalist and anchor-producer of BusinessWorld Live on One News, formerly Bloomberg TV Philippines. Prior to this, she was a permanent professor of Finance at IESEG School of Management in Paris and maintains teaching affiliations at IESEG and the Ateneo School of Government. She has also worked as an investment banker in The Netherlands. Ms. Laurel holds a Ph.D. in Management Engineering with concentrations in Finance and Accounting from the Politecnico di Milano in Italy and an MBA from the Universidad Carlos III de Madrid.

To vaccine or not to vaccine

With the government starting to vaccinate people against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) this week, Trade Secretary Ramon M. Lopez said the economy could return to pre-pandemic levels earlier than 2023. That is, if the government can also help businesses find ways to go about their affairs despite existing quarantine restrictions in the meantime.

But how can we allow businesses to operate at higher capacity if in the business and financial district — Makati City — the number of active COVID-19 cases has gone up considerably in the last 10 days? From 261 on Feb. 21, active cases have gone up to 435 as of March 1. That’s a total of 174 cases in nine days, or an average of 19 new cases daily.

There is always the concern that further easing of quarantine restrictions or allowing greater capacity for businesses and transportation can lead to more cases. And while President Duterte proposes to shift the country to the most lenient quarantine level only after more vaccine doses are in-country, at this point, a lot of people seem reluctant to actually take them.

Changing mindsets about vaccines is the great challenge now for both the government and the private sector. While Makati City, for instance, may have the resources to purchase vaccines, there is a big chance that city residents and workers might refuse inoculation. The same goes for businesses that intend to purchase vaccines for their employees.

Legal and medical experts should chime in on whether COVID-19 vaccination should be mandatory or compulsory. While pandemics are not actually unprecedented, COVID-19 is. The same goes for its repercussions on people’s lives and the global economy. The devastation that has resulted from it, not to mention the millions of deaths worldwide, is extraordinary.

What we have now presents an interesting case for bioethics, in my opinion. If the state’s regulation of healthcare is intended to ensure the protection of lives and the promotion of the greatest public good, but at the same time acknowledging that COVID-19 vaccines are generally “experimental,” should we even consider administering them? Can we make inoculation compulsory for all, or even for just a sector like healthcare workers?

Any action related to this will have short-, mid-, and long-term implications not only on public health but also in terms of abridging freedoms. There are ethical, legal, and practical considerations. Is there similarity, for instance, between “to vaccine or not to vaccine” and “to mask or not to mask”? If we can compel the wearing of masks, why can we not compel vaccination? People drafting guidelines for the distribution of vaccines should strive for consensus among different stakeholders.

I am sure there are many valid and substantiated arguments for or against compulsory vaccination. Personally, I am not in favor of compulsory or mandatory vaccination for COVID-19. And I am just as worried as the common folk about having to get an experimental vaccine. However, if an overwhelming majority refuse vaccination, then herd immunity may not happen, what then will the implications be on public health and economic recovery?

Ignorant me didn’t use to think much of vaccines. In fact, as a child in the 1970s, I don’t even recall getting vaccines except for the occasional anti-polio sugar lumps distributed in school. And, there was this one time when my siblings and I, prior to travel abroad, were all required to get smallpox vaccination from the Bureau of Quarantine. We were issued yellow cards, which were attached to our passports, as proof of inoculation.

As an adult, I was a bit annoyed when my son’s pediatrician insisted on going beyond the minimum vaccination regime. Being an infectious disease expert, she was a big believer of vaccines, and insisted that my son receive all the most important ones. At one point, she even made me get a chickenpox vaccination along with my son since I have never had chickenpox, and have no record of vaccination either.

But, to her credit, my son is rarely sick. And when he does get sick, it has never been serious in any way. So, while I may have had my doubts about the importance of vaccines, her insistence on them actually paid off for us. So, my personal answer is yes on the question of whether or not to get the COVID-19 vaccine.

But, if only 1 out of 100 will feel the same way about vaccination, then the overall inoculation process may be for naught. COVID-19 will continue to cause severe symptoms or even death. A large portion of the population will continue to be at risk, and only a low level of immunity will be achieved. People will continue to be anxious about going about their lives.

In a Feb. 16 report in The Straits Times by Indonesian Correspondent Wahyudi Soeriaatmadja, he wrote that “Indonesia has made coronavirus vaccination for citizens compulsory,” and that “people who are eligible for vaccination but refuse a jab can be penalized” with fines, delays or suspension of social aids, or delays or suspension of access to public services.

States have the authority to manage public health, and proof of this is the fact that we have been undergoing some level of quarantine for almost a year now. Restrictions have been imposed on movement, and even our ability to work as we please has been curtailed. Restrictions are set both at the national and local levels. But as far as mandatory vaccination is concerned, the extent of this authority may require a legal test.

 

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

matort@yahoo.com

Tailored ads are killing the informed consumer

IN MANY WAYS, the tailored advertising that supports much of the internet works pretty well. It helps people with money figure out where to spend it with minimal effort and waste. But I’m afraid it could lead to the extinction of a certain kind of human: the informed consumer.

The early internet was pretty useless for finding stuff. I’m an avid knitter, which is another way of saying that I collect yarn. I remember prospecting on the Alta Vista search engine in the mid-1990s, before Google: Most yarn stores didn’t have websites, and even finding discussions was hard. The best resource for yarn stores back then was an actual book called the MilePost Guide* — which, on my Alaskan honeymoon in 1997, took me and my shockingly patient new husband to every purveyor reachable by car.**

Fast forward to now. Whenever I browse online, I’m accosted by luxury sellers displaying sexy jewel-toned reams of yarn like NSFW porn. As much as I might struggle to ignore it, I am susceptible — as evidenced by all the impulse-buy inventory in my basement, in tones of burgundy, leaf green, and turquoise. Yet I see and buy only certain types of yarn, produced by big companies with ample marketing budgets. It’s like strolling through an endless mall filled with national chain stores, every third of which is Yankee Candles.

Sure, with some effort I can seek out something different. I can go to conventions and specialized websites in search of rare, local brands. But I’m no longer as hungry for the yarn experience, in large part because it comes to me daily, sapping my volition. The overall experience is simultaneously convenient and lame, even as I feel utterly sated. I’ve gone from a passionate investigator to a passive consumer.

I recognize that my yarn experience is not among the world’s great issues. Yet the phenomenon applies elsewhere, too. Consider financial services. I’m in no hurry to revisit the sexist and racist lending practices of the 1950s. But as recently as the 1990s, I could and did visit several different banks to compare their offerings, which were pretty much standard for anyone who walked in the door. Now, if I go online, each bank will eyeball my credit and — while I’m busy streaming Derry Girls — push out some tailored products designed to extract the maximum profit from me. I can’t be an informed consumer, because I see only what they choose to show me. Instead of doing due diligence, I’m getting profiled and managed.

Another consequential example is the job market. As the economy recovers from the pandemic, people will be searching for work largely online. The main job sites — such as LinkedIn, Indeed, and Monster — make money by finding the best matches between employer and candidate. This means the platforms will optimize by showing people the jobs that people like them have proven most likely to get, as opposed to the jobs they might actually want. Aside from the obvious risk of illegal discrimination, this will have the effect of limiting people’s ambitions, since they might never see the more highly paid positions that, although harder to get, might be within reach.

Again, I’m not saying it’s impossible to bypass the targeting. Savvy job seekers who push past the first few pages of listings might find that diamond in the rough. But I fear that by making things too easy, the age of automation might be allowing some of our most valuable skills to atrophy.

*Started in 1949 and updated yearly, it offered the history and description of almost every mile of road in Alaska outside of Anchorage.

**What better proof of love could you want?

BLOOMBERG OPINION

Are there any questions?

IT’S ALMOST a standard closing after slide presentations, including webinars, to check if there are any questions from the audience. (Are they still around with no audio/video?) The absence of questions can indicate: a.) lack of interest; b.) the presenter already running over his time limit; or, c.) everyone has already left.

Questions are a form of social greeting.

When asked how one is coping with the crisis, does the standard response still apply? Is the query intended to gauge how the pandemic has affected us? In terms of health, wealth, and mental well-being? Should one even attempt a full answer (do you have time?) or just treat the casual question with a grim reply — I just tested positive.

Quick exit.

In its neutral form, a query is a simple request for information on a topic, sometimes a sensitive one. (Can we move on from first base?) A stunned silence may be the right answer — wait, my Grab ride is here.

Can questions also equate to orders, as when the interrogator sits higher in the food chain? A corporate query, “have you finished the report I asked for?” is not asking for simple information. (Getting there, Sir.) It can be a rebuke for being too delayed in one’s commitments.

The question “Where is the elevator?” is an example of a simple request for directions. There is no implied reproach of somehow having misplaced a structural feature of the building. Only the truly paranoid will inject some hidden insult in the simple request for directions — is he implying that I am short?

Answers required under oath are a special category. Lawyers are tasked to coach the respondent on the proper way to address such questions. Those who have been witnesses, resource persons, or avid followers of media-covered hearings observe that questions can be longer than the answers being sought. (Just give an answer of “yes” or “no.”)

Questions from supplicants are seldom a case of gathering information. This includes questions on jobs, keeping one that one has (Sir, am I included in the downsizing exercise?) or getting an acquaintance into the company as a supplier of egg tarts. These include follow-up questions that only seek reassurance — Are you sure you won’t change your mind again?

Media practitioners asking questions are viewed as legitimate interrogators seeking clarifications in the arena of public interest. Journalists though can be like congressional investigators in eliciting answers that make news. This bias for controversy is seen in TV talk shows (even when the interviewee is answering from home) where the host forces a guest to a conclusion he is trying to avoid. (Why are you so consumed in looking for an evil motive here?) The host is quick to stop this unscripted cheekiness — Let me do the asking, Sir.

Ambush interviews are a variant of hostile questioning. A well-thought-out response is called for — no comment. The setting of this gotcha moment is not conducive to sharing information. Too many people are blocking the way to the exit.

Questions among friends are driven by social convention. Unless the one asking is a rival for a position, the straight reply works best. If one is asked if he is aware of an outside luminary coming in for his position, he can give a simple negative reply and then vomit afterwards in the washroom — where is the elevator?

Some questions do not even require answers. The “rhetorical question” is in the debater’s toolkit. It is self-contained and usually hurled as an insult. Do you think you have all the answers, Mr. Smarty Pants? (Can you repeat the question?)

The complexity of questions and answers is a subject worthy of a sociological study. Answers to even the most difficult questions tend to be anticipated. It is best not to raise a question if the answer is likely to be unacceptable — do you still have feelings for me? (Are you sure you want to know?)

Philosophical questions are a special category. They are inquiries one makes on oneself. What is the meaning of life? There is no need for an immediate response. It’s good to sleep over this one. In the morning a new question will pop up — what’s for breakfast?

 

Tony Samson is Chairman and CEO, TOUCH xda

ar.samson@yahoo.com

Gilas Pilipinas retains no. 31 in latest FIBA world rankings

By Michael Angelo S. Murillo, Senior Reporter

THE Philippine national men’s basketball team remained at number 31 in the latest International Basketball Federation (FIBA) world rankings.

Released late Monday night, the rankings showed Gilas Pilipinas holding the same position it had in the last update in December. It also maintained its hold on the number six spot in the Asia and Oceania region.

The Philippine team did not get the chance to improve on its ranking after its scheduled matches in the third window of the FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers last month was deferred to a later date over coronavirus-related concerns.

Gilas Pilipinas was already in the thick of its preparation for the window, going in a training “bubble” at the INSPIRE Sports Academy in Laguna, when the event originally set for Feb. 18 to 22 here was canceled because of the new strains of the coronavirus and the heightened restrictions that came after.

Qatar then stepped in as host of the competition, but later on decided to cancel as well over rising cases of the coronavirus there.

The team, however, will still get to see action in the window with hosting duties given back to the Philippines. Matches are expected to take place in the coming months.

Gilas, too, is set to action in the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in the middle of this year. The surprise OQT inclusion came after New Zealand withdrew from the competition.

To prepare for its upcoming matches, Gilas is preparing to start training as soon as possible in another bubble setup.

Meanwhile, in Asia and Oceania, the country is ranked sixth, behind Australia (3), Iran (23), New Zealand (25), China (29), and Korea (30).

The United States is still the number one-ranked team in the world, followed by Spain and Australia. Argentina and Serbia complete the top five.

Greece jumped over France for number six with Lithuania at eighth and Russia and Italy rounding out the top 10.

Brazil, which was in the top 10 in the previous update, slid to number 11 after its two games in the third window of the FIBA Continental Cup Qualifiers were postponed.

Mozambique and Bahrain were top climbers in the rankings, advancing six places to number 90 and 101, respectively.

The biggest drop in the world rankings, meanwhile, was suffered by Sri Lanka, which dropped 11 places to 134.

Also experiencing drops were Jamaica, eight spots down to 96, and Madagascar (128) and Equatorial Guinea (138), which slid four spots each.

PLDT Home Fibr Power Hitters officially join PVL

By Michael Angelo S. Murillo, Senior Reporter

The PLDT Home Fibr Power Hitters are making their way back to the Premier Volleyball League (PVL).

In an announcement made on Wednesday, the team said that after six years it will once again call the PVL home.

“It definitely feels like a revival for our team since it feels good to be back home” said PLDT and SMART Head of Sports Jude Turcuato in a statement.

“With our campaign in PLDT which is ‘the strongest connections are at home,’ it was about time that we go back to our roots which is the PVL. It’s just refreshing to have a new beginning,” he added.

PLDT Home last played in the V-League (the forerunner of the PVL) back in 2015.

It made a huge wave that season, as the team, known then as the Ultra Fast Hitters, won both the Season 12 Open and Reinforced Conference championships.

The same success is what the Power Hitters want to have in the now-professional PVL.

“This is special because this is where it all started for the PLDT team. PLDT won multiple championships here and we’re hoping to add more. We’re excited to be part of the growing PVL family,” said PLDT team manager Bajjie Del Rosario.

The excitement is also shared by PLDT coach Roger Gorayeb, who had much success in the V League.

“I spent 14 years in the V League. I was there from the beginning and we’re very happy to return to it. Hopefully we get to continue the winning legacy PLDT had in the PVL,” said Mr. Gorayeb in Filipino.

Bannering the Power Hitters in their PVL return are Rhea Dimaculangan, Isa Molde, Eli Soyud, Marist Layug, Chin Basas, Iza Viray, Yeye Gabarda, Shola Alvarez, Aiko Urdas, Joyce Sta. Rita, Alyssa Eroa, Vira Guillema, Jorelle Singh and Kat Villegas.

PLDT also shared that apart from returning to its former home, doing its share in forming a formidable national team as well as using sports as part of nation-building propelled it to go back to the PVL.

The PVL, through league commissioner and chairman of the Philippine National Volleyball Federation (PNVF) national team committee Tony Boy Liao, has been tasked with helping develop the national team for international competitions.

It is a vision that PLDT shares, Mr. Turcuato said.

“The main thrust of the new volleyball federation is to look for the talent, get proper coaching, and compete on the world stage. Because of our PLDT Power Hitters being able to join the PVL, which is tied to the PNVF, we will be able to contribute to building the national team program.”

Prior to going back to the PVL, PLDT played in the Philippine Superliga the last few years.

Celtics hold off LA Clippers for third straight win, 117-112

KEMBA Walker scored 25 points and the Boston Celtics held on to defeat the visiting Los Angeles (LA) Clippers (117-112) on Tuesday night.

Jaylen Brown returned after missing a 111-110 win against the Washington Wizards on Sunday and finished with 18 points. Jayson Tatum and Payton Pritchard contributed 14 points each for Boston, which has won three in a row.

Shortly before tip-off, it was announced that Reggie Jackson would start in place of Clippers leading scorer Kawhi Leonard (26.8), who ended up sitting out because of back spasms.

Jackson scored a season-high 25 points and Paul George finished with 32 points to lead the Clippers, who have lost two in a row.

Tatum had missed six straight shots before making two in a row to give Boston its biggest lead at 111-100 with 4:23 left.

The Clippers whittled the lead to four with 1:53 remaining, but George missed 3s on two straight possessions before making one with 10.9 seconds on the clock to cut the deficit to 114-112.

Daniel Thies then made free throws with 10.2 seconds left to seal the win.

Both teams shot the ball well throughout the game.

The Clippers made nine of their first 12 field-goal attempts, and the Celtics converted 10 of their first 15. Brown made his first five shots and scored 12 points in the opening seven minutes.

The Celtics eventually took a 35-32 lead into the second quarter and both teams continued to shoot better than 60% from the field.

Tatum scored from in close to give Boston its biggest lead at 49-41, but Los Angeles answered back with a 12-3 run and the lead continued to trade hands until the Clippers took a 63-62 lead into the half.

Marcus Morris, Sr., who came in tied with Lou Williams for third on the Clippers in scoring (12.4), suffered a concussion in the final minute of the first half and did not return.

The game stayed close in the third quarter.

Williams hit a long step-back 3-pointer with 1.1 seconds left to move the Clippers back ahead 89-88 entering the fourth. — Reuters

PSC national sports summit tackles anti-doping policies

THE National Sports Summit 2021 of the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) resumes on Thursday with the topic of anti-doping policies spotlighted.

Dr. Alejandro Pineda, Jr., head of the Philippine National Anti-Doping Organization (PHINADO), will lead the discussion, which kicks off the second phase of the online summit which began late in January.

He will provide an in-depth discussion on the implementation of the 2021 World Anti-Doping Code in the country.

Dr. Pineda has been very active in guiding national athletes and coaches in complying with world anti-doping policies and has been representing the country in the Southeast Asia Regional Anti-doping Organization since 2006.

“The area of honest and fair play is very vital to impart, most especially to our athletes, coaches, and sports educators who are directly involved in the practice of training minds and bodies to be at its prime,” said PSC National Training Director Marc Velasco, also the summit’s Project Director, of the to-be-discussed topic.

The subject on anti-doping will be the first of three topics to be touched on in the second phase of the conference.

It will be followed by “Sports Science and Sports Success” and “High-Performance Sports and Athletic Success” in the coming weeks.

Originally set to take place last year until the coronavirus pandemic forced it to be deferred and reconfigured, the summit has taken the form of a series of weekly conference-type online sessions hosted by the PSC via Zoom, running until May this year.

The summit is aimed at taking insights of different sports stakeholders and using those as foundations in crafting a sustainable and workable short to long-term plan for Philippine sports.

The PSC said all data gathered from the web series will be processed and studied to create a new set of resolutions to be presented to sports leaders for action. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo

MJAS Zenith Talisay Aquastars keenly eyeing inaugural Pilipinas VisMin Super Cup crown

THEIR return to action delayed by the ongoing pandemic, the MJAS Zenith Talisay Aquastars are raring to compete in the inaugural Pilipinas VisMin Super Cup and keenly eyeing the title.

Speaking at the online Philippine Sportswriters Association Forum on Tuesday, Aquastars members said they are now gearing up to go into battle in the tournament targeted to begin next month.

“The goal is to win the championship. It will be history because it will be the first,” said team manager Jhon Santos.

The Aquastars, whose core is composed of players from the Valenzuela City team in the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL), are set to leave for Cebu on March 16 to officially start its team practices.

After that, they will proceed to the municipality of Alcantara where the Visayas leg of the Super Cup kicks off on April 9.

“We joined the tournament not only to compete, but to win the championship. The team has been complete since last year and have bonded. We’re like family and the chemistry is already there,” said former Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) player Paolo Hubalde, who will banner the team, which is backed by Puma.

The Aquastars will also feature a number of homegrown players from Talisay, a requirement in joining the league.

Messrs. Santos and Hubalde said that while they want to win the championship, they, too, recognize that it will not come easy and the team has to put in the needed work end to end if they are to succeed.

Other members of the team are Patrick Cabahug, Val Acuna, Tristan Albina, Darell Shane Menina, Lugie Cuyos, Kevin Villafranca, Joshua Dela Cerna, Jaymar Gimpayan, Lord Casajeros, Egie Boy Mojica, Steven Cudal, Allan Dominic Santos, Mel Francis Mabigat, and Jhaymo Eguilos.

The team reiterated that while it is competing in the Pilipinas VisMin Super Cup, it is not totally closing its doors on the MPBL, which is still working on resuming its stalled season because of the pandemic.

The Pilipinas VisMin Super Cup aims to discover and develop grassroots talent from Southern Philippines as well as provide them with a platform which could pave the way for a career in the sport of basketball.

Since the new league will be operating under extraordinary circumstances with the coronavirus pandemic still a concern, organizers are coordinating with pertinent government agencies for the successful holding of the competition, including the needed swab testing and quarantine procedures.

The winner of the Visayas leg will meet the champion of the Mindanao leg — to be held in Zamboanga City — for the Super Cup national championship. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo

Ronaldo marks 600th league game with landmark 20th goal as Juventus beat Spezia, 3-0

TURIN — Cristiano Ronaldo marked his 600th league appearance with his 20th Serie A goal of the season as Juventus beat Spezia (3-0) on Tuesday to move within three points of second-placed AC Milan.

The Portuguese guided in his side’s third goal late on after Álvaro Morata and Federico Chiesa had struck earlier in the second half to put Andrea Pirlo’s side in a commanding position.

Ronaldo, who also hit the post with an effort in the first half, becomes the first player to score at least 20 goals in each of the last 12 seasons in Europe’s top five leagues.

The win leaves Juve third with 49 points from 24 games behind Milan on 52 and leaders Inter with 56, both of whom are in action this week against Udinese and Parma respectively.

The gap still leaves Juventus with work to do in their quest for a 10th consecutive league title.

“If we don’t win it at the end of the season, we will congratulate the winners, but we must die on the pitch first, until we’re told that there are no more points left to play for” Morata told Sky Italia.

Pirlo’s Juve side slipped up with a draw at mid-table Hellas Verona on Saturday and knew they could not afford any more mistakes having fallen 10 points behind league leaders Inter.

But they lost defender Matthijs de Ligt to injury in the warm-up and struggled in the opening period, coming closest when Ronaldo dribbled into the box and curled a shot off the foot of the post.

The double introduction of Morata and Federico Bernardeschi with half an hour remaining proved decisive, as the winger teed up the Spanish striker to score his first league goal since December within 60 seconds of coming on.

Bernardeschi was involved again as he found Chiesa in the box for Juve’s second goal, with the latter scoring on the rebound after his initial effort was parried by Ivan Provedel.

Ronaldo then broke upfield and scored with a composed finish in the 89th minute to seal the win, although Spezia squandered the chance for a consolation goal when Wojciech Szczęsny saved Andrey Galabinov’s penalty with the final kick of the game. — Reuters

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