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Djokovic swats aside Ito to reach third round of Australian Open

MELBOURNE — Defending champion Novak Djokovic dispatched Japanese wildcard Tatsuma Ito 6-1, 6-4, 6-2 to reach the third round of the Australian Open on Wednesday.

The world number two Serb, who struggled through a four-set grind against unseeded German Jan-Lennard Struff in his opener, was back to his imperious best as he fired down 16 aces and racked up 31 winners at a gusty Rod Laver Arena.

Chasing a record-extending eighth title at Melbourne Park, Djokovic finished off with a slew of thumping serves, sealing the match when a scrambling Ito thudded a shot into the net.

Djokovic will meet another Japanese player in Yoshihito Nishioka, who knocked out British 30th seed Dan Evans in straight sets, for a place in the fourth round.

TSITSIPAS THROUGH TO THIRD ROUND
Sixth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas has advanced to the third round of the Australian Open after his German opponent Philipp Kohlschreiber withdrew due to injury, organizers said on Wednesday.

ATP Finals champion Tsitsipas, 21, will meet either Canadian 32nd seed Milos Raonic or Cristian Garin of Chile in the third round, having never faced either opponent before.

“Unfortunately Philipp Kohlschreiber has withdrawn from his #AusOpen match vs Stefanos Tsitsipas due to a muscle strain,” the Australian Open said on Twitter.

Tsitsipas, who last year defeated Roger Federer on his way to the Melbourne Park semifinals, had won both his previous meetings against world No. 79 Kohlschreiber.

The Greek is rated by many as the most likely to break the three-year grip Rafa Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Federer have held on the Grand Slam titles.

WOZNIACKI RALLIES TO TAME YASTREMSKA
Caroline Wozniacki refused to be rushed into retirement on Wednesday as the former world number one fought back from 5-1 down in the first set to beat Ukraine’s Dayana Yastremska 7-5 7-5 in the second round of the Australian Open.

The Dane had appeared set for an early exit at Melbourne Park, the scene of her only Grand Slam triumph in 2018, but rallied to win six games in a row against the 19-year-old in the opening set.

Wozniacki, who is hanging up her racket after the tournament, made up for her lack of firepower with her trademark defensive skills, forcing the aggressive Yastremska into a series of errors.

She found herself 3-0 down in the second set too but again rallied before converting her sixth match point to seal the win over 23rd seed Yastremska.

Wozniacki will face Ons Jabeur in the next round after the Tunisian beat Caroline Garcia of France 1-6, 6-2, 6-3. — Reuters

Boxing qualifiers set for Wuhan, China canceled over health fears

TOKYO — Qualifying boxing matches for Asia and Oceania for the 2020 Olympic Games that were set to take place in China’s Wuhan next month have been canceled due to fears over the new flu-like coronavirus, Japan’s Kyodo news agency said on Wednesday.

Boxing preparations for the Games have already been upended after the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in June took over the competition and suspended the international boxing federation due to issues with its finances and governance.

The IOC have instead set up a task force, led by its member and International Gymnastics Federation head Morinari Watanabe, to organize the boxing events.

The Kyodo report cited organizers as the source of the news. Reuters was unable to immediately contact Watanabe. The IOC did not immediately return requests for comment.

The Tokyo 2020 organizing committee did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the matter.

The death toll from the virus in China rose to nine on Wednesday with 440 confirmed cases, Chinese health officials said as authorities stepped up efforts to control the outbreak by discouraging public gatherings in Hubei province.

The Tokyo organizing committee has previously said in response to questions on health concerns for the 2020 Olympics that, “countermeasures against infectious diseases constitute an important part of our plans to host a safe and secure Games.”

It added that it would “continue to collaborate with all relevant organizations which carefully monitor any incidence of infectious diseases and we will review any countermeasures that may be necessary with all relevant organizations.”

The global boxing body has been in turmoil over its finances and governance for years with the federation $16 million in debt. It has also been split internally by an ongoing bitter battle over the presidency. — Reuters

Sorry, Yonex! — Osaka sheepish after racket throw

MELBOURNE — Naomi Osaka offered a light-hearted apology to her racket sponsor for throwing a tantrum against Zheng Saisai at the Australian Open on Wednesday as the defending champion overcame her frustrations to set up a third-round clash with Coco Gauff.

After dropping serve early in the second set, third seed Osaka threw her racket, slammed a ball into the court and gave her racket a kick for good measure before steadying the ship and earning a 6-2, 6-4 win on a gusty day at Margaret Court Arena.

“I mean, my racket just magically flew out of my hand,” Osaka told reporters with a smile.

“I couldn’t control it. Sorry, Yonex. I think that’s how I dealt with my frustration. It was a bit childish. I just want to play one match without throwing my racket or kicking it. That’s all I want.”

The match had echoes of her tempestuous third-round win over Hsieh Su-wei at the same venue last year when Osaka was driven to distraction by her opponent’s unorthodox game of drop-shots and slices.

Osaka ultimately came back from a set down to overhaul Hsieh and went on to claim her second Grand Slam title with another stormy victory over Petra Kvitova.

“Yeah, it’s really tough, because you start thinking she’s not hitting winners,” said Osaka, who was desperate to avoid a third set against the 42nd-ranked Zheng.

“You’re the one making all the errors. And you try to tell yourself not to make that many errors, but you have to go for those balls.

“So it’s like you’re walking a very fine line between being very aggressive or attempting to push but that’s her game. So it’s very hard.”

After her tantrum, Osaka was broken again and fell 4-2 behind but shrugged off the setback with a wry smile before blowing Zheng off court in a firestorm of winners.

Gauff, the 15-year-old American sensation, set up a blockbuster rematch with her US Open conqueror Osaka by beating Romania’s Sorana Cirstea 4-6 6-3 7-5 at a heaving Melbourne Arena. — Reuters

PSL: Mika Reyes leaves Petron to join Sta. Lucia

AFTER being a staple of the Petron team in the Philippine Superliga (PSL), middle blocker Mika Reyes had decided to leave the team and join the Sta. Lucia Lady Realtors.

The news was made known by the Lady Realtors on their social media platforms as they expressed their excitement in having the popular player and national team member in their fold.

“Mika Reyes said “Yes!” Yes to taking on new challenges. Yes to a new environment. And yes to being a part of #thenewSTALUCIA. And with that, we officially welcome you to the Sta. Lucia family,” Sta. Lucia’s post on Ms. Reyes’s transfer read.

Ms. Reyes said she decided to move to another team to take on new challenges and get know herself as an athlete better.

While with the Blaze Spikers, Ms. Reyes in three years with the team was a five-time PSL champion, the last one coming in the 2019 PSL Grand Prix.

Now with the Lady Realtors, Ms. Reyes is expected to help the team in its turnaround push after continuing with their struggles since joining the league in 2017.

Sta. Lucia has been reorganizing its roster of late, eyeing to build up a team that could better compete with the rest of the field.

The PSL gets its 2020 season going next month with the PSL Grand Prix. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo

Mighty Sports Philippines parades wares at Dubai international basketball tourney

By Michael Angelo S. Murillo
Senior Reporter

MIGHTY Sports Philippines competes at the 31st Dubai International Basketball Tournament which begins today with its eyes fixed on the title after finishing third in the last edition of the tournament.

For this year’s tournament, Mighty Sports is fielding in a solid mix of imports, veterans, collegiate and up-and-coming players which it hopes could finally get the job done of making a championship breakthrough.

Leading the squad is Gilas Pilipinas naturalized player and former National Basketball Association campaigner Andray Blatche.

He will be joined by former NBA player and Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) import Renaldo Balkman, McKenzie Moore and Jelan Kendrick.

Also part of the team are Jamie Malonzo, Thirdy Ravena, Beau Belga, Joseph Yeo, Mikey Williams, Juan and Javi Gomez de Liano, Dave Ildefonso, Isaac Go, Gab Banal, Joaqui Manuel and Jarrell Lim.

Gilas cadet Kai Sotto was supposed to be part of the team but due to scheduling and logistical problems on his part he had to miss the tournament.

Head coach of the team is Charles Tiu with assistants William Voigt, Dean Castaño, Tyrone Tang, and Paolo Layug.

Mighty Sports, which took home the Jones Cup title in Taiwan in 2019 when it represented the country, will begin their campaign in the Dubai tournament in Group B where it will be pitted against Al Itihad of Syria, the United Arab Emirates national team and Rades of Tunisia.

Al Riyadi of Lebanon, the 2019 champion, is in Group A, along with American University in Dubai, Hoops of Lebanon, Al Wathba of Syria, and African teams Alexandria of Egypt and Sala of Morocco.

Last year, Mighty Sports finished at third place, defeating Homentmen of Lebanon in the bronze medal game.

The tournament happens from Jan. 23 to Feb. 1. Venue is the Shabab al Ahli Sports Club.

Mighty Sports Philippines, which began competing in the Dubai tournament in 2017, is backed by Creative Pacific of Bong Cuevas, Go for Gold, Oriental Group, Discovery Primea, and Gatorade.

Tata Steel halfway

Tata Steel Chess Masters
Wijk aan Zee, Netherlands
Jan. 10-26, 2020

Current Standings (7 of 13 rounds)

1. Alireza Firouzja FIDE 2723, 5.0/7

2-4. Wesley So USA 2765, Fabiano Caruana USA 2822, Jorden Van Foreest NED 2644, 4.5/7

5-10. Magnus Carlsen NOR 2872, Jan-Krzysztof Duda POL 2758, Viswanathan Anand IND 2758, Anish Giri NED 2768, Daniil Dubov RUS 2683, Vladislav Artemiev RUS 2731, 3.5/7

11. Jeffery Xiong USA 2712, 3.0/7

12-13. Nikita Vitiugov RUS 2747, Yu Yangyi CHN 2726, 2.5/7

14. Vladislav Kovalev BLR 2660, 1.5/7

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

GM Alireza Firouzja (born June 18, 2003) is an Iranian chess prodigy. Aside from winning the Iranian Chess Championship at 12 years of age (the youngest ever to do so) he is the second-youngest player (after China’s Wei Yi and just a bit younger than Wesley So) ever to reach a rating of 2700, accomplishing this aged 16 years and 1 month.

The past few months have been pretty turbulent for him. In December 2019 Iran ordered its players to withdraw from the 2019 World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships in Moscow to uphold their ban against Iranians playing against Israelis. Firouzja would not allow politics to interfere with his chess and responded by announcing that he would no longer play under the Iranian flag and proceeded to Moscow to play.

In the 2019 Moscow Rapid Chess Championship Firouzja finished with the silver medal, a point behind Magnus Carlsen but ahead of such feared speed chess experts such as Hikaru Nakamura, Artemiev, Aronian, Dominguez Perez, defending champion Daniil Dubov, Le Quang Liem, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, etc.

In the Blitz section Firouzja was a contender as well and might have finished among the medalists were it not for the controversial finish against Magnus Carlsen where he lost on time in a game where he was winning almost all of the way.

Anyway it was clear to everybody that Firouzja could contend against the best in the world in speed chess, and when it was announced that he had been invited to the Tata Steel Masters tournament, one of the strongest in the world, we were all wondering how he would do against the top players of the world under classical time control.

Well, now we have the answer. He is deadly in classical chess as well.

In 7 rounds against high caliber opponents Alireza won all four of his white games (vs Giri, Artemiev, Xiong and Kovalev), drew two (Duda and Yu Yangyi) and lost one (Wesley So) with Black.

Firouzja, Alireza (2723) — Artemiev, Vladislav (2731) [B12]
Tata Steel Chess Masters
Wijk aan Zee NED (3.5), 13.01.2020

Artemiev had a breakout year in 2019. Just 20 years old he won the Gibraltar Masters in January 2019, taking clear first with 8½/10 (+7–0=3). He represented Russia at the 2019 World Team Chess Championship in March, scoring 6½/8 (+5–0=3) as Russia won gold. Later in the same month, Artemiev won the European Individual Championship in Skopje. He is all set to replace the recently retired Vladimir Kramnik in the Russian national team.

1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 Bf5

No surprise at all. Artemiev is an ardent practitioner of the Caro-Kann.

4.h4 h5 5.c4 e6 6.Nc3 Ne7 7.Nge2 Nd7 8.Ng3 Bg6 9.Bg5

For some reason this move came as a surprise for Artemiev, who started gobbling up lots of time — a total of an hour on his next 4 moves.

9…Qb6 10.Rc1 dxc4

Pawn-grabbing with 10…Qxb2 is actually playable in this case but definitely to be avoided if you are unfamiliar with the lines.

11.Bxc4 Nf5 12.0–0 Be7

[12…Nxd4? 13.Na4 Qa5 14.Qxd4 Qxa4 15.Rfd1 c5 16.Qf4 Black is in danger of being wiped out in the opening]

13.Nxf5 Bxf5 14.Bxe7 Kxe7 15.Qd2

White has emerged from the opening with obviously the better game as Black’s king is not secure.

15…Qd8 16.Nd1!

Excellent! The knight is better-placed on e3 to support his f-pawn advance.

16…Nb6 17.Ne3 Kf8 18.Nxf5 exf5

Not 18…Nxc4? 19.Qb4+! Kg8 20.Ne7+ Kh7 21.Rxc4 White is clearly better.

19.Bb3! Qxh4 20.Rfe1 Rh6

Trying to prevent e5–e6.

21.e6!

Nevertheless!

21…fxe6 22.Bxe6 Re8

Forced:

22…Qf6 23.Re5!;

And 22…Rf6 23.Qb4+!

23.Bxf5 Rxe1+ 24.Rxe1 Qd8 25.Qd3 Kf7 26.Qf3! Qf6

[26…Kg8 doesn’t work either because of 27.Be6+ Kh7 28.Qf5+ Kh8 29.Bf7]

27.Qb3+ Kf8 28.Qa3+ Qd6 29.Qe3 Qd8 30.Qe4 Rf6 31.Bg6 Kg8 32.Qh4! Qd5 33.Re8+ Rf8 34.Qe7 Nd7 35.Bc2! Qxd4 36.Rxf8+ Nxf8 37.Bb3+ Kh7 38.Qxf8 Qxb2 39.Bg8+ Kh6 40.Qf4+ g5 41.Qd6+ Kg7 42.Bb3 Qa1+ 43.Kh2 Qf6 44.Qxf6+ Kxf6 45.Kg3 b5 46.Bd1 h4+ 47.Kg4 c5 48.f4 gxf4 49.Kxf4 Ke6 50.Kg4 a5 51.Kxh4 a4 52.g4 c4 53.g5 a3 54.Be2 Kf5 55.Kh5 Ke4 56.g6 c3 57.Bd1 1–0

The only one who could stop Firouzja was Wesley So. You should study the following game carefully. It seemed on the surface that nothing was happening, and then suddenly Wesley was winning. An impressive display of chess depth.

So, Wesley (2765) — Firouzja, Alireza (2723) [D27]
Tata Steel Chess Masters
Wijk aan Zee NED (4.4), 14.01.2020

1.d4 d5 2.c4 dxc4 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.e3 e6 5.Bxc4 c5 6.0–0 a6 7.b3

Starting around 2016 this move has become popular, almost as popular as the old main line 7.dxc5. In particular the former Top Ten player Aleksey Dreev has been very successful with it. By the way, in last year’s FIDE Grand Swiss tournament where an automatic candidates spot is awarded to the winner there was this game Adhiban vs Nakamura in the 7th round which was agreed drawn in this position. It is games like this which lead to rumors that Nakamura is no longer the fighting player he used to be. He actually finished half a point behind Wang Hao, the winner. Wang Hao is now in the Candidates’ and Naka is not.

7…cxd4 8.Nxd4 Be7 9.Bb2 0–0 10.Be2 Bd7 11.Nd2 Nc6 12.Rc1 Rc8 13.N4f3

Firouzja has already shown the world that he can be quite efficient and deadly when there is a plan, but Wesley is testing him if he knows what to do when there is nothing to be done. I wonder if I am making sense?

13…b5 14.a3 Qb6 15.Rc2 e5

This cannot be considered a mistake, but White focuses on the weakened white squares in the center and acts accordingly.

16.Bd3

Wesley rejects the offer to exchange black’s e5 pawn for his a3 pawn after 16.Nxe5 Nxe5 17.Rxc8 Bxc8 18.Bxe5 Bxa3.

16…Rfd8 17.Qe2 Bg4 18.Rfc1 Na7 19.Rxc8 Rxc8 20.Rxc8+ Nxc8 21.h3

Small gains. Wesley gets the two bishops and control of White squares in the center as Black has to exchange on f3 or otherwise lose his e5–pawn.

21…Bxf3 22.Qxf3 Qd8 23.Qe2 Qd5 24.Bc2 Nd6 25.Qd3 Qxd3 26.Bxd3 Nd7 27.g4 g6 28.Ne4 Nxe4 29.Bxe4 Nc5 30.Bc2

This might seem like a dead dry position, but Black has a problem — Wesley will play b3–b4 fixing the Black pawns on a6 and b5 and then go after them with his light-squared bishop.

30…e4?

Firouzja decides to give up a pawn to destroy Wesley’s light-squared bishop. He may have overlooked something though …

31.b4 Nd3 32.Bc3!

The black knight is trapped.

32…Kf8 33.Kf1 f5 34.Ke2?!

There seems to be a much stronger move available here: 34.gxf5 gxf5 35.Bb3 followed by Be6, winning the crucial f5–pawn.

34…Bd8 35.Bxd3 exd3+ 36.Kxd3 Kf7 37.e4! fxg4 38.hxg4 g5?

This is the losing move as he blocks his own bishop. Better chances are offered by either 38…h5 or 38…Bg5. <D>

POSITION AFTER 38…G5

39.Kd4!

Looks like a mistake as now Black has Bb6+ which wins the White pawn on f2.

39…Bb6+ 40.Kd5 Bxf2 41.Kc6!

Suddenly it is clear that White is winning — the Black queenside pawns cannot be saved.

41…Ke6 42.Kb7 Kd7 43.Kxa6 Kc6 44.e5! Be3 45.e6 Bc1 46.a4 bxa4 47.Be5! 1–0

Brilliant game for Wesley.

On Tuesday next week I will have the final results of the Tata Steel Masters tournament for you. This should be very interesting.

 

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

396-397

Longtime fans still remember the outrage that greeted the announcement of the Lakers’ Shaquille O’Neal as the National Basketball Association’s Most Valuable Player at the turn of the century. No, it wasn’t because he didn’t deserve the honor. To the contrary, it was precisely because he did; he garnered 120 out of a possible 121 votes cast by a panel of writers and broadcasters for the award. The lone dissenter? Fred Hickman, then with CNN, who went with the Sixers’ Allen Iverson. “It was crazy,” the one-time Sports Emmy winner recalled of the backlash. “I got death threats.”

Interestingly, even more vitriol seems to be coming the way of the single member of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America who left Derek Jeter off the Hall of Fame ballot. With social media making public feedback instantaneous (and, needless to say, sharp and biting), virtually no time was wasted pillorying the — insert insulting adjective here, with or without a curse word or two — who thought the Yankee legend didn’t deserve to be enshrined in Cooperstown. And considering the extent of the acrimony, it’s probably fortunate for the “offender” to have been cloaked in anonymity.

Admittedly, the subjective nature of the entire process makes criticism unfair and, more importantly, immaterial; judgment calls are done based on personal criteria where biases are acknowledged. On the other hand, there can be no discounting Jeter’s contributions to the sport viewed from any which way. For all his negatives based on advanced metrics, he was a winner who played clean, and cleanly, in an era marked by the proliferation and use of performance-enhancing drugs. Above all else, he was a winner who continually gave baseball, rocked by steroid scandal after steroid scandal, much-needed shots of credibility.

No doubt, the denial of a place in history as just the second player to be welcomed to the Hall via a unanimous vote has to hurt Jeter. And, by all accounts, the competitive fire that enabled him to exceed himself during his playing days is the same one fueling his long memory. Not normally predisposed to letting slights slide, he will be remembering this one for a long, long time. Ask O’Neal, who still hasn’t forgiven Hickman for being denied perfection following an undeniably dominant season that culminated in the first of three straight championships.

Who’s to say what made the voter snub Jeter? In assessing options, some claim principle. Others turn to figures. Still others parse the meaning and intent of the award. In any case, nothing can change the outcome: Yankee Number 2 got in on Year 1 via 396 out of 397 ballots. And, moving forward, that he’s with the Big Boys now should be all that matters.

 

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.

Shares end flat ahead of economic growth data

By Denise A. Valdez, Reporter

LOCAL SHARES ended flat on Wednesday as investors decided to wait it out until the release of the gross domestic product (GDP) data for the fourth quarter of 2019 on Thursday.

The Philippine Stock Exchange index (PSEi) inched up 2.08 points or 0.02% to close at 7,468.73 yesterday. The broader all shares index also added 2.08 points or 0.04% to 4,436.79.

“Shares remained flat ahead of the 4Q GDP announcement [today]… With 3Q GDP revised and agricultural output released, analysts are more divided on the last print of growth for 2019,” Regina Capital Development Corp. Head of Sales Luis A. Limlingan said in a mobile message yesterday.

The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) revised its previously announced growth print for the third quarter to 6.0% from 6.2%, which means the fourth quarter expansion pace to be reported today must clock in higher for the government to achieve its 2019 GDP growth target of 6%-6.5%.

BusinessWorld’s poll of 20 economists last week showed an estimated GDP growth median of 6.4% for the fourth quarter, translating to a 5.9% GDP growth for 2019.

Aside from the GDP report, worries that the coronavirus has reached the Philippines also pushed some investors away for most of yesterday’s trading.

Philstocks Financial, Inc. Research Associate Claire T. Alviar said the turnaround of the PSEi in the last minute was due to China’s press briefing which addressed concerns on the virus.

“Concerns on the new coronavirus before China’s response, lingering regulatory risks and downward revision of the third quarter GDP weighed on the bourse before the last minute U-turn,” Ms. Alviar said in a text message.

Three sectoral indices closed in green territory yesterday: industrials increased 99.45 points or 1.06% to 9,413.17; property climbed 8.31 points or 0.21% to 3,861.92; and holding firms added 0.39 point or less than a percent to 7,215.15.

The losers were mining and oil, which gave up 171.57 points or 2.13% to end at 7,858.16; services lost 14.32 points or 0.93% to 1,525.24; and financials declined by 2.57 points or 0.14% to 1,794.62.

Value turnover stood at P7.10 billion on Wednesday with 755.73 million issues changing hands, from Tuesday’s P7.76 billion with 741.11 million issues.

Decliners edged up advancers by five stocks, 93 against 88, while 53 names were unchanged.

Foreign investors resumed selling their holdings, logging net outflows of P874.58 million yesterday from net purchases worth P422.45 million on Tuesday.

“The PSEi’s failure to close above 7,475 today confirms the breakdown of that major support level. The question on everyone’s mind is how long it can go,” AAA Southeast Equities, Inc. Research Head Christopher John Mangun said in an e-mail on Wednesday. “We see some support at 7,400, however, the next major support is at the 7,250 levels. Retail investors continue to look for opportunities in second and third liners with good growth potential.”

Peso rebounds on profit taking ahead of GDP data

THE PESO rebounded on Wednesday after five straight days of depreciation as the market went profit taking a day before the release of data on the country’s growth for the fourth quarter.

The local unit finished trading at P50.91, stronger by 10.50 centavos from the previous day’s close of P51.015 per dollar.

The peso opened the day at P51.06 versus the dollar. Its intraday low was at P51.085, while its best showing against the dollar was at P50.86.

Dollars traded went down to $1.093 billion yesterday coming from $1.346 billion on Tuesday.

A trader and an analyst attributed the peso’s rebound to profit taking by investors as well as the market awaiting data on gross domestic product (GDP) growth to be reported this Thursday.

Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Ernesto M. Pernia earlier said GDP growth for the last quarter of 2019 might have been around 6.6-6.7%.

“The peso appreciated today as market participants opted to take profits near the 51-peso level,” a trader said in an e-mail on Wednesday.

“Investor sentiment seems to be tilted toward the anticipation of robust Q4 2019 GDP growth. Note that market consensus is 6.4% and for the 2019 full-year growth average is 5.9%,” UnionBank of the Philippines, Inc. Chief Economist Ruben Carlo O. Asuncion said in a text message.

On Wednesday, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) revised the third-quarter GDP growth figure to 6% from the previously reported 6.2%. The agency said that major contributors to the revisions were the revision in growth in sectors such as other services (4.2% from 5.1%), construction (15.4% to 16.3%), and the transport, storage, and communication (8.2% from 9.1%).

Economic growth in the first two quarters of 2019 stood at 5.6% and 5.5%, respectively. The government targets at least 6-6.5% growth pace for 2019.

For today, the trader expects the local unit to move around the P50.80-P51.00 level, while Mr. Asuncion gave a forecast range of P50.80-P51.10.

Meanwhile, Most Asian units were trading subdued on Wednesday as concerns about a coronavirus outbreak in China kept risk appetite on the backfoot, although the South Korean won found support amid upbeat GDP data on the trade-reliant economy, Reuters reported.

The death toll from a new flu-like coronavirus in China rose to nine on Wednesday with 440 confirmed cases, health officials said.

Sentiment, however, got a lift as China’s response to the outbreak tempered fears of a global pandemic.

The Chinese yuan steadied after weakening 0.6% in the previous session, although it still traded above the 6.9 level against the greenback.

Most analysts say fears of a repeat of the SARS virus outbreak in 2003 that plunged the region into economic chaos are unfounded, as countries are now better equipped to fight an epidemic.

“We do not see a huge reversal of Asian gains and expect merely modest unwinding of stretched positions,” analysts at Maybank wrote in a note.

However, investors are unlikely to embrace risky Asian assets anytime soon and will likely wait for further updates from Beijing before placing big bets.

The World Health Organization was set to meet later in the day to consider whether the outbreak is an international emergency.

The Thai baht flitted within a tight range as investors shrugged off data that showed the country’s customs-cleared exports in December dropped 1.28% from last year, but came in better than as forecast in a Reuters poll.

The Korean won, while more sensitive to export numbers, traded 0.3% stronger after data showed that a surge in government spending helped the economy post its fastest quarterly growth in more than two years. — L.W.T. Noble with Reuters

Court junks De Lima case vs Duterte

THE Supreme Court has rejected an opposition senator’s plea to stop President Rodrigo R. Duterte’s verbal tirades against her, saying he is immune from lawsuits, according to an October decision made public on Wednesday.

Senator Leila M. de Lima sued Mr. Duterte in November 2016 after his series of personal attacks, including allegations that she was romantically involved with her driver and that the two were trafficking illegal drugs.

“Immunity does not hinge on the nature of the suit,” the high court said in a 22-page resolution written by former Chief Justice Lucas P. Bersamin. Immunity from lawsuits is not meant to shield the President from accountability but to avoid distractions in the exercise of his duties, it added.

The President need not invoke his immunity for it to apply because “any litigation, whether big or small, naturally serves as a distraction to a party-litigant,” the tribunal said.

Ms. De Lima, who has been in jail since February 2017 after her indictment for drug trafficking, should wait for Mr. Duterte to finish his tenure before suing him, it said.

The senator earlier said Mr. Duterte’s public tirades threatened her right to life, liberty and security. She asked the court to stop Mr. Duterte and his representatives from collecting information about her private life.

She argued that Mr. Duterte could not use presidential immunity as a defense because his acts were allegedly unlawful and were committed outside his official functions.

But the high court rejected her argument, saying presidential immunity recognizes no qualifications.

“The chief executive must first be allowed to end his tenure (not his term) either through resignation or removal by impeachment,” the tribunal said. — Vann Marlo M. Villegas

Senators seek state response to coronavirus

SENATORS on Wednesday asked the Health department and other agencies to draft an emergency plan after a Chinese boy tested positive for coronavirus, days after Japan and Thailand confirmed their first case of infection from a new strain that originated in Wuhan, China.

“I would like to call on the leadership of all government agencies to immediately put in place the preparedness plans for this weekend,” Senator Richard Gordon said in a statement.

He said information is critical and all mandatory quarantine and contact-tracing machinery must be put in place.

The virus, in the same family as the deadly severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), has killed at least six patients and sickened dozens in China.

The boy tested positive for coronavirus but was negative for SARS and MERS, the Health department said on Tuesday.

Samples from the patient were sent to Australia for further testing to determine the strain of coronavirus he was infected with.

World Health Organization (WHO) Philippines Country Representative Rabinda Abeyasinghe earlier said they were working with authorities in China, where majority of the more than 200 cases occurred, to monitor the new virus strain.

Mr. Gordon said airports and seaports must be on full alert, while hospitals should designate an isolation ward where suspected cases could be treated.

Senator Nancy S. Binay filed Senate Resolution 293, seeking to inquire into the measures and funding requirements needed in case if an outbreak.

“Preemptive measures will always the better option,” she said.

While coronavirus cases are normally transmitted from animals to humans, the new strain was said to have been transmitted between humans.

Health authorities have advised the public to observe proper hygiene and cough etiquette, including covering the mouth when one coughs or sneezes.

The Philippines is working with airport authorities to monitor cases involving arriving tourists, Health officials said. — Charmaine A. Tadalan

Experts need more trending data on Taal Volcano eruptions

STATE seismologists need more trending data before lowering the alert level for Taal Volcano, despite a seeming decrease in volcanic activity.

“It doesn’t mean we’re safe just because the sulfur dioxide level has gone down,” Ma. Antonia V. Bornas, chief science research specialist at the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs), said at a briefing on Wednesday streamed on Facebook.

“It could be that the exit points for sulfur dioxide were just being blocked,” she said in Filipino.

Phivolcs measured an average of 153 tonnes of sulfur dioxide, according to an 8 a.m. report. This was lower than the 344 tonnes it measured on Tuesday morning.

Thousands of residents were forced to flee after the volcano in Batangas province emitted a thick ash column on Jan. 12. The ashfall reached as far as cities near the capital, forcing financial markets to suspend trading and the Manila airport to close.

Phivolcs has recorded “weak steam emission” for the past 24 hours from the volcano, which produced ash plumes that went as high as 500 meters.

The agency has recorded 725 volcanic earthquakes since Jan. 12, 176 of which are felt with intensities 1 to 5.

More than 71,000 families in Batangas, Quezon, Laguna and Cavite were affected by the volcano’s eruption, according to the local disaster agency’s 6 a.m. report.

About 39,000 families were taking temporary shelter in 493 evacuation centers, while 23,133 families were being served outside them, it said.

Meanwhile, the Social Welfare department had given out more than P8.5-billion worth of assistance to communities affected by eruption, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said in a Jan. 21 report.

Taal Volcano remained under Alert Level 4, which means “hazardous explosive eruption is possible within hours to days.” — Genshen L. Espedido

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