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TechnoFarm planning P1-billion cold storage for farm imports

AGRI-LOGISTICS company TechnoFarm plans to open an estimated P1-billion cold storage facility for its agricultural imports.

TechnoFarm chief executive officer David U. Ong told reporters at a media event on Tuesday that the initial two to three hectare facility would reduce spoilage.

“One or two years ’yan naka-target (The target is one to two years),” he said.

The company currently rents cold storage facilities for its imports.

He said he is looking north of Metro Manila for sites to host the new facility, possibly in Bulacan.

Storage facilities, TechnoFarm said, improve the life of agriculture products by extending the period of freshness.

TechnoFarm in a statement said that expanded agriculture infrastructure would give farmers better facilities to store produce, which will help link them to distant distribution channels.

The company, however, remains focused on building storage for imports, and plans to expand to domestic produce later on.

The company imports legumes and frozen chicken, bringing in 200 to 300 container vans of frozen products per month and between 300 and 500 container vans of other agricultural products.

The company is also looking to offer stock to the public within two to three years. — Jenina P. Ibañez

Bureau of Corrections cleans house after unwanted year in spotlight

By Vann Marlo M. Villegas
Reporter

IT’S BEEN an uncomfortable year in the headlines for the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) after a prisoner early-release scandal, revelations of widespread drug-dealing and unauthorized creature comforts inside the prison system dented confidence in the government’s handling of some of its worst convicts. So it’s no surprise that the first order of business for its leadership is a thorough purge.

High on Director-General Gerald Q. Bantag’s agenda is filling about 1,500 openings for Corrections Officer 1 (CO1), the lowest rank of personnel authorized to deal with convicts. The new manpower intake follows the National Capital Region Office’s detailing of 551 police officers to BuCor in October as temporary replacements for relieved prisons personnel, who were to undergo retraining and evaluation.

Major Alberto R. Tapiru, Jr., the BuCor spokesman, said: “Next year (2020) po ay may 1,500 na slots para sa CO1. Ito po ang aming pag-asa na sa pamamagitan po ng mga bagong sibol ay mapalitan po yung dating kalakaran sa New Bilibid Prison (NBP) at sa mga kolonya na rin po dahil makikinabang po ang mga kolonya sa aming kukunin next year (Next year we’re taking on 1,500 CO1s. The new people are our best hope for changing the business-as-usual mindset at New Bilibid Prison and at the various prison colonies),” he told BusinessWorld in a mobile-phone interview on Nov. 23.

While there is no guarantee prisons officers will not turn corrupt, he said BuCor plans to rotate personnel regularly to keep staff from getting too close to influential prisoners like drug lords.

“Kagaya po ’yung pagbabantay sa mga nakatalaga doon sa loob dahil hindi po natin masisiguro na sila ay hindi masilaw… sa panghihikayat ng mga drug lords na nasa loob so gagawin po namin, from time to time ay reshuffle po sila sa mga iba pang pasilidad (We have to monitor people constantly and cannot be certain they won’t be tempted by the drug lords, so from time to time we will reshuffle them to other facilities),” he added.

He said it will take time for inmates to re-establish connections with their jailers in order to continue their drug-dealing operations.

CUTTING TIES
In October, BuCor together with other government agencies including the police demolished illegal structures and confiscated contraband in the maximum security compound of the NBP.

Mr. Bantag said in a statement at the time that random raids were intended to clear out contraband in jail cells. He also said allowing inmates to live in illegal structures would enable them to keep mobile phones and prohibited items.

Mr. Tapiru said the confiscation of mobile phones effectively cut inmates off from their drug connections on the outside.

“Dahil po doon sa mga nakuhang cellphone naniniwala po kami na naputol na po yung ugnayan lalong-lalo na po ’yung Chinese drug lords sa kanilang mga contact sa labas. At tinututukan na rin po ’yung mga major players (We believe removing the mobile phones cut off their dealings with the outside, especially the Chinese drug lords. We are now focused on monitoring the major players),” he said.

Enforcing security at the prison gates will be key in the event new contraband slips through, he added.

President Rodrigo R. Duterte appointed Mr. Bantag in September after dismissing Nicanor E. Faeldon over the supposed premature release of close to 2,000 inmates convicted of heinous crimes, following the application of the so-called good-conduct time allowance (GCTA) rule.

The GCTA was introduced in a 2013 law, Republic Act 10592, as a prison-decongestion measure. It allows sentences to be shortened for prisoners who abide by prison disciplinary rules. As drafted, GCTA is not available to recidivists or those who failed to surrender voluntarily, though the Implementing Rules and Regulations were later modified to specifically exclude those convicted of heinous crimes and escapees.

The President subsequently cleaned house at BuCor due to corruption allegations that turned up during Senate investigations into the early release of notorious inmates.

During Senate hearings in October, it emerged that the early-release process was prone to corruption, including allegations that early release were for sale, as were hospital passes and transfers to less-crowded facilities.

The Office of the Ombudsman subsequently ordered the preventive suspension of 30 prisons officials pending investigation into their involvement.

Justice Secretary Menardo I. Guevarra ordered Mr. Bantag, a former Region 4 director of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology, to resolve the irregularities at the bureau, with marching orders to clean up the GCTA process, halt the drug trade in the prison system, and digitize inmate records.

FACILITIES INVESTMENT
Mr. Tapiru also said the bureau also plans to upgrade its facilities and medical personnel at the NBP to improve the quality of services.

NBP hospital chief Henry Fabro in November said BuCor has only 13 doctors nationwide, with four or five assigned to the NBP hospital. The NBP hospital has only 36-40 nurses as well.

Mr. Fabro said the prison hospital system has asked the Department of Health to supply doctors on similar terms as its “doctors to the barrios” program.

More facilities are also expected to be built starting next year in the prison colonies under BuCor in Iwahig, Palawan; Davao; and Zamboanga. These have been approved and were originally due to start in 2019.

The Bureau also plans to prioritize the good-conduct release of qualified prisoners who had been released initially but had to surrender amid the GCTA review, Mr. Tapiru said.

“Mahigpit po ang bilin ni Director-General na palayain na po lahat ng qualified para ma-address po itong congestion dito sa Bilibid. I-cocomputerize din po ang records, upang mapadali ang pagpapalaya sa kanila para tuluyan nang matanggal ang hocus-pocus sa releasing (The director-general’s orders are to release all those qualified for it to address congestion in Bilibid. We will also computerize all the records to ease prisoner releases and remove all instances of manipulation in releasing),” he said.

As of Nov. 23, the date he gave his interview, Mr. Tapiru said of the more than 2,000 who returned to detention, 661 have been released while 1,584 are being processed.

The BuCor will need to refer decisions to the Department of Justice (DoJ) when the prisoner is connected to a high-profile case, Undersecretary Markk L. Perete said.

While the BuCor is an agency of the DoJ, Mr. Perete said the BuCor is “more or less independent” as the department only has administrative supervision over the bureau.

Mr. Perete said that under this set-up, the department cannot block programs of the director-general and cannot direct him to “act in a certain way.”

“From what we are seeing, it seems like what DG Bantag is bent on some sort of internal cleansing with in the Bureau of Corrections and because the law has given him that wide latitude, (for our part) we somehow think that he is in the best position to assess what needs to be done in the Bureau of Corrections and then do what he must in order to achieve his objective based,” he said in an interview.

The DoJ continues to seek progress reports on the programs implemented so far. At this point, he said, the director general has only submitted plans prior to their execution, he said.

The DoJ considers early release an indicator of the correctional system’s effectivity because it points to the success of a prisoner’s rehabilitation.

“Right now, DG Bantag is most focused on the internal cleansing but after this cleansing period, we understand that we’d go back to the efficiency parameters we have set up to assess the performance of the Bureau of Corrections,” he said.

“I think that’s why he’s prioritizing (the) cleansing and reorganization because he understands that having the right people with the right moral compass is very crucial to instituting reforms, long-term reforms in the bureau,” he said.

Mr. Perete said a few affected employees are ”resisting some of the programs” of the director general, but “any form of cleansing or reorganization will be with some sort of resistance.”

“We’re just hoping that it will be managed properly by the director general and we’re confident that he will do so.”

DECADES-LONG PROBLEMS
Marlon M. Villarin, a political science professor at the University of Santo Tomas, said the change in the leadership was a sign of Mr. Duterte frustration over the perennial problems of the institution.

“President Duterte’s choice of BuCor chief may not be a typical career executive, the appointment of BuCor Chief Bantag represents the President’s dismay/frustration over the issues of corruption in the BuCor (while) as much as possible wanting to (introduce) positive and practical solutions,” he told BusinessWorld in a mobile-phone message.

Mr. Villarin said the problems in the BuCor are “decades-long” and a challenge to every administration.

These problems cannot be fully addressed in less than three years, he added.

“The present reform may not be able to totally address the problem but somehow the present approach (could be) capable of providing fundamental change,” he said.

“It’s just the issue whether the next president can sustain what was laid out by his predecessor,” he said, adding that BuCor reforms must be accompanied by sustainable reforms to the broader economy and society.

Transport safety agency seen improving confidence in travel, boosting tourism

AN ADVOCACY GROUP is lobbying for the passage of a pending measure creating a National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) to improve confidence in the transportation industry and encourage more tourism.

“We are promoting seamless travel in the tourism industry, and the backbones of seamless travel are safety and security,” Safe Travel Alliance lead convenor Maria Cherry Lyn S. Rodolfo told reporters Monday.

“That gives confidence on the part of the traveler that when he or she travels to the Philippines… when he or she goes to a certain destination, (there is) this level of confidence (that the trip will be) safe because the culture of safety in that destination or community is very high.”

Ms. Rodolfo said that a transport body that separates the investigative function from other transport agencies is crucial.

Under the current set-up, transport agencies responsible for issuing permits also investigate transport accidents.

“This NTSB will be able to identify the causes (of the accident) so that, as pointed out, we will prevent accidents from happening. In the event (of) major accidents, then we have an independent body that will conduct the investigation. It’s no longer… (the) agency that is a regulator, an operator and an investigator, performing all those functions at the same time,” Ms. Rodolfo said.

The NTSB, as proposed, will be an autonomous agency under the Office of the President with the primary role of investigating transport accidents.

The Senate on third and final reading on Dec. 9 approved Senate Bill 1077 to establish the NTSB. The committees on government reorganization and transportation at the House approved House Bill 3565, and it is pending with the committee on appropriations.

The alliance is pushing for the signing of the NTSB law in the 18th Congress.

“Safety and security are key pillars of seamless mobility of people and goods especially in an archipelagic country like the Philippines generally dependent on inter-modal transportation systems,” Ms. Rodolfo said. — Jenina P. Ibañez

PBA looks to spread wings for Season 45

By Michael Angelo S. Murillo
Senior Reporter

WHEN the Philippine Basketball Association’s Season 45 unfurls beginning March 1 it will see the league spreading its wings, adding new offerings to complement its steady fare.

A 3-on-3 tournament and more on-the-road matches are just some of the new things fans could expect from Asia’s first play-for-pay when it returns back to action.

Proceedings for the PBA Season 95 kick off on March 1 with the season-opening tournament Philippine Cup.

Five-time defending champions San Miguel Beermen begin their title defense on opening day against the Magnolia Hotshots Pambansang Manok in the lone scheduled match at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Preceding it is the annual Leo Awards where the top individual awards for last season will be handed out.

For PBA Season 45, the league has decided to retain the same format it had last year, taking into consideration its commitment to the Gilas Pilipinas national team, which is set to see action in various competitions spread throughout the year.

The Philippine Cup will see the 12-team field play in a single round-robin elimination with the top eight teams advancing to the quarterfinals with the top two teams earning a twice-to-beat advantage.

Teams 3 and 4 will play the no. 6 and 5 teams, respectively, in a best-of-three quarters.

The surviving four teams after play in a best-of-seven semifinals series, with the finals also a race-to-four wins affair.

The All-Filipino tournament is set to last till June to be followed by the Commissioner’s Cup which will feature foreign reinforcements with a height limit of 6’10”.

Then follows the Governors’ Cup, also import-laden with a height limit of 6’5”.

League officials said the season-ending tournament will spill over to January next year to accommodate Gilas’ calendar.

“We’re trying to move from a calendar year to a flexible year. We’re going to extend to January 2021 because this (calendar) will accommodate the window of qualifiers for the FIBA Asia Cup. So we organized it on that basis,” PBA Chairman Ricky Vargas of TNT was quoted as saying by the league Website.

3-ON-3 TOURNAMENT
This season will also see the PBA have its own 3-on-3 tournament designed, league officials said, to help the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) in its bid to make it to the Olympics.

It is planned to start sometime in March and is being organized to be a standalone event.

The event will feature teams from all 12 PBA franchises plus the possible participation of non-PBA entities.

“We decided to make it a standalone program, something like the D-League. It will be run by an executive director under the supervision of the PBA commissioner,” Mr. Vargas said.

Adding, “Our involvement in 3×3 reassured the SBP president that the PBA is all out to support the SBP. We’ve been doing that at least in the last four years.”

The PBA has also lined up out-of-town matches, including the annual All-Star Game from July 10–12 in Passi, Iloilo.

Five games in the provinces have already been set for the Philippine Cup, namely in Bataan, Cagayan De Oro, Panabo, Dipolog, and Iloilo, with more eyed as the season progresses.

The league played a doubleheader in Dubai last year and it is something it is looking at doing anew, with Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Dubai, and the United States, among the likely host.

Butler scores 38 as Heat beat 76ers

MIAMI — Five-time All-Star Jimmy Butler — playing against the team that traded him last year — scored a season-high 38 points in just 29 minutes to lead the host Miami Heat past the Philadelphia 76ers 137-106 on Monday night.

It was the second-highest-scoring regulation game in Heat history. Miami shot 56.5% from the floor, including 16-of-32 on three-pointers.

Butler made 14 of 22 shots from the floor, including two of two on three-pointers. Prior to this game, he had missed 13 consecutive three-pointers. Butler also made all eight of his free throws on Monday as the Heat improved to 22-3 at home this season.

Goran Dragic added 24 points and six assists, and Bam Adebayo had 18 points, a game-high 11 assists and eight rebounds as Miami clinched the season series over Philadelphia, 3-1.

The 76ers were led by Joel Embiid, who had 29 points and 12 rebounds. Fellow All-Star Ben Simmons added 16 points, eight rebounds and seven assists. Mike Scott added 17 points off the bench, but Philadelphia, which is 9-18 on the road, has lost 10 of its past 12 games away from home.

Despite Miami’s win, the Heat got some bad news due to a pair of key injuries.

Starting power forward Meyers Leonard, who was coming off his best game of the season with 18 points and 14 rebounds, sprained his left ankle and did not return. Leonard finished with three points and five rebounds.

Backup shooting guard Tyler Herro, coming off a 23-point game, injured his right foot and did not return. He finished with two points.

Both teams led by as many as four points in a highly competitive first quarter. Miami ended the quarter on a 10-2 run and led 30-26. Embiid led all scorers with 11 points in that first quarter.

The teams played to a stalemate in the second quarter as the Heat went into the break with a 56-52 advantage. The Heat had a 28-16 edge in first-half paint points, and Butler was dominant, scoring 23 points in the first 24 minutes.

Miami then produced its highest-scoring third quarter of the season with 41 points, taking a 97-77 lead.

Butler, who had 15 points in the third, did not score again, but he was not needed in the fourth quarter as the Heat cruised. — Reuters

Carlo Singson steps down as NBA Philippines head

By Michael Angelo S. Murillo
Senior Reporter

AFTER two decades at the helm of the National Basketball Association’s push in the country, Carlo Singson is stepping down as managing director of NBA Philippines, the league announced on Tuesday.

In a statement, the NBA said Mr. Singson will relinquish his post as associate vice-president and managing director of the NBA office here and will be replaced on an interim basis by Scott Levy, NBA executive vice-president and managing director of NBA Asia. Mr. Singson’s last day in office is on Feb. 14, 2020.

Mr. Singson’s departure from his position marks the end of a fruitful 20-year stay with the league that saw him lead an aggressive push to bring the NBA to more people in the country, including the setting-up of the league office in the Philippines — the NBA’s 13th international office overall — and the first-ever NBA preseason game played here in 2013.

He also oversaw the launch of the league’s youth development program, Jr. NBA Philippines in 2007.

The Jr. NBA Philippines program since its inception has reached more than two million players, parents and coaches in over 190 cities and municipalities, eventually expanding to five other countries across Southeast Asia.

Under his watch as well as managing director of NBA Philippines, Mr. Singson helped define the NBA’s media distribution strategy in the country and introduced new ways for Filipino fans to consume the NBA.

Mr. Singson, too, was influential in securing landmark partnerships in the insurance, mobile, and telecommunications sectors through deals with AXA, Vivo, Globe Telecom and Smart, respectively.

“Carlo has been an integral part of the NBA family and his wide-ranging efforts have led the business to achieve significant growth in the Philippines over the past decade,” said Mr. Levy in the statement shared to members of media.

“We thank Carlo for his contributions to the NBA and wish him the best in the next chapter of his career,” he added.

For Mr. Singson, to see how the NBA presence has grown in the country as he departs is something he is proud of.

“It’s overwhelming to see how much the NBA has grown in the Philippines over my tenure,” he said.

Adding, “As a lifelong NBA fan, I am grateful to have contributed to the vision of making the NBA a global league and will continue to cheer on the NBA from the sidelines.”

This season has proven to be a challenging one for Mr. Singson and the NBA in the country after the league saw itself sans a regular television partner after its contract with Solar Entertainment Corp. ended and was not renewed.

To date select NBA games here are offered live and on-demand through the league’s local Facebook (NBA Philippines) and Twitter (@NBA_Philippines) accounts. Select games are also on offer on free-to-air channel CNN Philippines.

These are apart from the league’s premium live game subscription service, NBA League Pass.

The league said it is still working to find a new TV partner in the country.

Despite such a setup, Mr. Singson reiterated that the Philippines remained a “priority market” for the NBA in a media roundtable back in October.

“The Philippines remains to be a priority market for the NBA. It is home to a large and passionate fan base and we don’t take that lightly. Our goal is to service our fans. We’ve been in this market for over 30 years, even before I joined the NBA,” said Mr. Singson.

Ajinomoto’s aminoVital brand unveils sports series thrust

By Michael Angelo S. Murillo
Senior Reporter

PICKING UP from its move to support the 30th Southeast Asian Games here in December, Ajinomoto recently unveiled its thrust to continue its commitment to champion various sports in the country.

Through its sports nutrition brand, aminoVital, Ajinomoto aims to promote different sports activities and active lifestyle among Filipinos through the “Sports Series” program.

In ceremonies held last week at the Pretty Huge Obstacles in Bonifacio Global City in Taguig, aminoVital unveiled its program beginning with the Philippine national obstacle course racing team.

Ajinomoto Philippines Corp. executives and officers led the ceremonies and paid tribute to the Philippine OCR team, which performed impressively during the SEA Games, winning 10 medals, including six gold.

Also present in the event were SEA Games karate gold medalist Junna Tsukii, fitness enthusiast Will Devaughn and female basketball player Christiana Dimaunahan who also shared how aminoVital helped them recover from muscle breakdown and fatigue that they commonly encounter in their line of sports.

Acknowledging that a lot goes into doing OCR, aminoVital reiterated it is one with the community in inspiring and encouraging people to get out of their comfort zones and give them the push needed to really make it to the next level.

“OCR is just one of the sports we want to promote. There are other activities that we want to push, that will be interesting for Filipinos to try. Right now the awareness to be healthy and keeping fit is already high but people are looking for activities that they can do where they will have fun and will work for them. That is what aminoVital wants to support,” said Roann Co, Ajinomoto Philippines marketing department head said in an interview.

aminoVital is Ajinomoto’s newest sports nutrition brand in the country. It is a jelly-based drink that contains 3,000mg of amino acids, including BCAA (Branched Chain Amino Acid). It helps reduce fatigue and muscle loss during high-intensity training and strenuous physical activity. It costs P100 for every 100-gram pouch. It is available at LastMart and Chris Sports.

Lenovo reaches out to Cebuano gamers with exclusive Legion Store

IT’S shaping up to be an exciting year for gamers in the Queen City of the South as Lenovo opens its Legion concept store in SM City Cebu.

Legion is Lenovo’s dedicated gaming brand which offers a wide range of products designed to provide a complete and immersive experience. Launched in 2017, the Legion line has established a significant foothold in the Philippines and was even recognized by global market research company GFK as one of the fastest-growing PC gaming brands.

Mall-goers can come and visit to try out Legion devices and see how they handle the latest PC games. According to Lenovo, they will be organizing monthly gaming tournaments in the store so that’s something to look forward to.

Legion Store SM Cebu is the first exclusive Legion concept store in Visayas and second in the Philippines after Legion Store SM City North EDSA. This expansion is part of Lenovo’s thrust to make its products even more accessible to the gaming community outside Metro Manila.

“Putting up a Legion store in one of the Philippines’ major cities is a significant stride for Lenovo. We work very hard in developing best-performing devices and part of the goal is to make these products accessible. You can expect to see more Lenovo and Legion stores across the market and more of our presence in local events. In fact, we have something special for our gamers based in the North shortly so stay tuned,” said Michael Ngan, General Manager, Lenovo Philippines.

OJ Reyes wins the Fide/NCFP Standard rating grand finals age group chess championships

OSHRIE Jhames “OJ” Constantino Reyes, grade 3 pupil of GNC Montessori, Pampanga, defeated Yuan Carl Ditao in the ninth and final round to top the FIDE/NCFP Standard rating grand finals age group chess championships held at in Olongapo City on Jan. 31 to Feb. 2.

The 8-year-old OJ, who was slowed down by a draw with Pat Ferdolf Macabulos in the opening round then beat everybody in the next eight rounds. OJ tallied 8.5 points in nine outings on account of eight wins and one draw to win the title in the Boys Under 10 class.

“OJ reigns as the champion in the strong field chess tournament by converting his difficult game positions into victories that overpowered his co-finalist from different cities & provinces with a superb performance with almost perfect score of 8.5 points out of 9 rounds, standard time control.” said Jubail, Kingdom of Saudia Arabia based Jaime “Jimmy” Reyes, OJ’s father.

OJ won three silver medals in the boys under 8 division of the 9-day 20th ASEAN Age Group Chess Championships 2019 held from June 10 to 18, 2019 at the Golden Mandalay Hotel and Hotel Hazel in Mandalay City, Myanmar.

OJ is also the 2019 Pampanga Schools Athletic Meet (PASDAM) chess champion held last November 19 to 22, 2019 at San Fernando, Pampanga.

OJ was supported by his coaches and trainers headed by former World Chess Olympiad member International Master Barlo Nadera, Anthony Tungul, Garry Reyes, Juan Rojano Jr., Abel Dimalanta, Levis Miranda and Robinardo Chico. — Marlon Bernardino

DLSAA-P to hold TCS Clark Animo International Marathon

FOLLOWING the exhilarating 2019 race that saw 10,000 runners participating, the De La Salle Alumni Association Pampanga (DLSAA-P) Chapter will hold the TCS Clark Animo International Marathon 2020 on March 8. This year’s event will have exciting new features that will complement the internationally certified courses and special activities.

This race is presented by Clark Global City, a UDENNA company, and a state-of-the-art central business district development in Mabalacat Pampanga.

The TCS Clark Animo International Marathon 2020 features Boston Marathon qualifying IAAF-AIMS measured race routes, a 42.2-kilometer marathon, a half-marathon, as well as 10-kilometer, 5-kilometer, and 2.5-kilometer courses. Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) is launching a new mobile application for the race.

With the marathon on its eleventh year, the courses in the Animo run will be given international certification by the International Association of Athletic Federations and the Association of International Marathons and Distance Races.

First held in 2009 as a fun run in Clark Field, the TCS Clark Animo International Marathon initially had 600 participants, with numbers increasing every year. Organized by DLSAA-P and partnered with TCS, a leading technology company, the event aims to raise funds to support its various community projects on the environment and education.

A special award will also be given to the runner with the best costume.

Gun start for the 42-kilometer distance will be at 2 a.m.; 4:30 a.m. for the 21-kilometer; 5:30 a.m. for the 10-kilometer; 5:45 a.m. for the 2.5-kilometer; and 6 a.m. for the 2.5 km. Runners are expected to be at the venue 30 minutes before their gun start.

The marathon is made possible by Tata Consultancy Services, Clark Global City, Clark Development Corp., CONVERGE, New Balance, SMART, Nepo Center, Pocari Sweat, Cherifer Premium, CMCS, Inc., Kenny Rogers, and Genesis Transport. TCS Clark Animo International Marathon 2020’s other sponsors include Garmin, Alpha Aviation, Bale Capampangan, Inbox, Cenmidis, Ederm Centers, Public Figure Photography, Royce Hotel and Clark Water, with CLTV36 and UFM 105.5 as media partners.

Registration in Metro Manila is set on February 14 to 16.

All-time list

If you happened to be active on Facebook like this writer, you might have come across a thread on your feeds asking to name your favorite players of all-time from each of the 30 National Basketball Association teams and after which copy and repost them for others to give theirs.

I do not know how it started and the inspiration for it, but the big NBA fan that I am, I just could not resist giving my take on it and just went for it as instructed.

Some of those on my list were just no-brainers.

They are Dominique Wilkins (Atlanta), Larry Bird (Boston), Jason Kidd (Brooklyn/New Jersey), Michael Jordan (Chicago), LeBron James (Cleveland), Dirk Nowitzki (Dallas), Magic Johnson (Los Angeles Lakers), Kevin Garnett (Minnesota), Charles Barkley (Phoenix), Clyde Drexler (Portland), Tim Duncan (San Antonio), Vince Carter (Toronto) and John Stockton (Utah).

All of these players are legends in more ways than one and synonymous for the teams they played for even after some moved on to play for other squads, leaving me with little need to explain why I chose them really.

Others though might have come as a surprise to others, rendering me having to write this piece, which I do not really mind at all.

Always had a liking for the defensive end in the basketball scheme of things, it is little wonder I have those types of players in my list of all-time faves.

Alonzo Mourning for Charlotte, Joe Dumars for Detroit and Bobby Jones for Philadelphia made watching the NBA in the 1980s and 1990s all the more interesting.

“Zo” played only three seasons with Charlotte (1992–95) but it was enough to leave an impression on me and make him a favorite for the Hornets. He was a two-way player who helped his team to contend with throughout his run. And who can forget his buzzer-beating jumper that eliminated the Celtics in the 1992 playoffs.

Dumars (1985–99) was my favorite Pistons Bad Boy. Another two-way player, he does his thing with little fanfare but with much effectiveness. Detroit won back-to-back titles with him around and surely he had a hand on those.

Jones (1978–86), meanwhile, was a picture of grit and hard work on the floor. In 1983, he was a key piece in the championship run of the Sixers because of his tremendous play on defense on his way as well to winning the first-ever NBA Sixth Man of the Year award.

In the late ‘90s and early 2000s, the era of versatile big men was taking root, and it surely caught my fancy and liked a number of them, who eventually became favorites.

Vin Baker (Milwaukee), Shareef Abdur-Rahim (Vancouver, now, Memphis Grizzlies) and Lamar Odom (Clippers) were pretty solid all-around fours.

Baker was steady in his four years with the Bucks (1993-97) and was an All-Star in his last two years there.

Abdur-Rahim I liked since college (California) and he did not disappoint upon entry to The Association, a bona-fide 20-plus scorer in five years (1996-2000) with the Grizzlies and one of the bright lights in the early years of the franchise in Vancouver.

Odom, for his part, just could do it all with the Clippers in his first four years (1999-2002) in the league, a steady 15-6-5 player and did it with much showmanship and flair.

Anthony Davis continued such tradition in the 2010s and more, which is why he is my favorite for New Orleans.

Apart from the versatile big men who crept up in the late ‘90s and early 2000s, explosive guards also abounded during that stretch. Among my all-time favorites that came from that time are Jason Williams (Sacramento) and Steve Francis (Houston).

What can I say with “White Chocolate” Williams (1998–2000)? Just a pure joy to watch with his ball wizardry while helping the long-struggling Sacramento team be noticed anew in the NBA.

“Stevie Franchise” (1999–2004), meanwhile, had the hops to jump on anybody and a steady playmaker that complemented well the start of the Yao Ming era in Houston.

Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf, Jalen Rose, Juwan Howard and Penny Hardaway were the ones for me for Denver, Indiana, Washington and Orlando, respectively.

Abdul-Rauf (1990–95), formerly Chris Jackson, was a damn good scorer despite just standing 6’1” and playing with a moderate form of Tourette syndrome, which results in uncontrollable body movements.

Rose and Howard were part of the “Fab Five” of University of Michigan, along with Chris Webber, and had solid NBA careers. Rose (1996-2001) was all-around for the Pacers in their impressive run in the late ‘90s and complemented the play of Reggie Miller. And so was Howard with Washington in his seven years (1994–2000) there where he became a one-time All-Star.

Hardaway, meanwhile, captured many fans’ fancy with his Magic Johnson-like qualities, including his writer. His six years with the Magic (1993–99) was just impressive, helping Orlando become a powerhouse squad especially when Shaquille O’Neal was still there.

Golden State’s Chris Mullin and New York’s Bernard King left my young basketball mind in the ‘80s impressed with the way they found so many ways to score the basket.

For Miami, it is Eddie Jones (2000–05) for me, who helped usher in the solid stretch for the Heat in the late 2000s and early 2010s while for Oklahoma City (formerly Seattle) it is Shawn Kemp (1989–96), who amazed with his incredible melding of power and finesse.

So many legends, so many favorites and so much history. Such list could well go on. This is why I love the NBA.

 

Michael Angelo S. Murillo has been a columnist since 2003. He is a BusinessWorld Senior Reporter covering the Sports beat.

msmurillo@bworldonline.com

Superior still

Considering Novak Djokovic‘s experience in defense of his Australian Open crown, “rally” doesn’t quite describe the work he did in order to win. While he claimed the opening set with aplomb, getting 80 percent of his first serves in and winning 80% of his second, it was clear that fellow finalist Dominic Thiem would not be an easy out despite early jitters. In fact, he played nowhere near as well as his opponent in the second and third sets. For the first time in a long, long while, and for the first time ever at Melbourne Park, he looked rattled, shaken, and all too ready to fold.

In retrospect, it didn’t help that Djokovic was meted a couple of crucial violations by chair umpire Damien Dumusois for failing to serve within the allotted 25 seconds. He had been using the time between points to compose himself and gather his thoughts in the face of Thiem’s productive push, only to be docked by the strict application of the rules. The resulting loss of poise put him on the defensive even more. And, at one point, he appeared deflated beyond the point of return; he lost an unprecedented six straight games, seemingly en route to a sound defeat.

If there is any player capable of coming back from an enveloping malaise, however, it’s Djokovic. Time and again, he has shown an uncanny knack for summoning hitherto-absent energy, and, over the weekend, he proved his capacity to flip the switch anew. He took a medical timeout prior to the start of the fourth set, and whatever positive thoughts he summoned during the break proved beneficial to his cause. Finally, the player that went seven of seven in Australian Open finals showed up, and none too soon. He certainly needed every bit of his best to keep Thiem at bay, and, in trademark fashion, strike when the opportunity presented itself.

Djokovic would go on to win the fourth set, and then fifth, to take his 17th major trophy. And in extending his streak of unbeaten matches at Rod Laver Arena to 16, he managed to convert a 1-2 deficit to triumph for the first time in eight tries. He also became the first player in the Open era to win across three difference decades. He may well find the feat duplicated soon, what with Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer staying intensely competitive. At 32 and the youngest of the sport’s Big Three, however, he figures to be in the best position to wind up his career with the most number of Grand Slam titles.

To be sure, Djokovic is already being considered by quite a few quarters as first among equals. He’s definitely without peer Down Under, and because his serve — long underrated — has improved further with Goran Ivanisevic coaching him, he looks to be even more equipped to keep pace in the other majors. The next generation may be close, but, for now, he’s proving the old guard to be superior still.

 

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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