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Agatha Wong determined to keep her SEA Games title

By Michael Angelo S. Murillo
Senior Reporter

A MONTH before the start of the 30th Southeast Asian (SEA)Games here, wushu athlete Agatha Wong shared that she has been busy preparing and looking forward to winning another gold medal for the country in the regional sporting meet.

Part of the 12-athlete Philippine wushu team seeing action in the tournament happening from Dec. 1 to 3 at the Philippine International Convention Center, Ms. Wong, 21, said the target is to have her in tiptop form come the Games so she can give her best and position herself to a better angle to win.

Back in the 2017 edition of the SEA Games in Malaysia, the College of Saint Benilde product Ms. Wong got gold in the taijiquan event, coupling it with a silver medal in taijijan.

Ms. Wong’s impressive showing continued in the Asian Games in Indonesia last year where she won bronze in the women’s taijiquan and taijijan all-around final.

“When we compete, we always give our best. We always assure ourselves of that. In this SEA Games, we will give our best,” said Ms. Wong, who graced the Philippine Sportswriters Association Forum, along with teammate Daniel Parantac, on Tuesday at the Amelie Hotel Manila as she talked about the kind of mindset the Philippine wushu team has heading into this year’s SEA Games.

She went on to say that they have been hard in training, even going to China to further enhance their skills.

“China has the resources that no one else does. We improved a lot during our training there,” she said.

Apart from Ms. Wong and Mr. Parantac, also part of the Philippine team are Jessie Aligaga, Arnel Mandal, Carlos Baylon Jr., Francisco Solis, Clemente Tabugara Jr., Divine Wally and Jenifer Kilapio in sanda; and Thornton Sayan, Jones Inso and Johnzenth Gajo in taolu.

The 2019 SEA Games is touted to be the biggest to be staged in the Philippines, involving 11,000 athletes and officials from the 11 member nations, 9,000 volunteers, 530 events and 56 sports.

Forty-four venues have been short-listed for the event scattered in different parts of the country, including the world-class facilities at New Clark City in Tarlac.

The last time the country hosted the SEA Games was in 2005.

CSB AniGators represent Team PHL to HADO World Championships

THE De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde (CSB) AniGators claimed the crown in the inaugural National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) HADO Pilipinas Tournament Finals held on Oct. 25.

The AniGators beat the Emilio Aguinaldo College (EAC) Crim Pythons to also nab the coveted prize of being the Philippines’ first team representative to the HADO World Championships that will happen in Tokyo, Japan, this December.

The five-member team, who finished the tournament with no recorded loss, is composed of members Niccolo Perez, John Basoc, Jael Dango, Mika Lariosa, and Fiel Julo.

The Philippine contingent will face HADO teams from around the world for the international title and cash prize worth ¥2 million.

HADO Pilipinas, a dynamic techno sport that elevates the pulsating challenge of dodgeball by incorporating augmented reality (AR) into the mix, was introduced last July as a breakthrough tournament in the NCAA’s 95th Season. Its entry marked an innovation in local sports from ABS-CBN’s subsidiary, ABS-CBN Themed Experiences, Inc., as it seeks to bring unique Kapamilya experiences in engaging and interactive themed attractions and activities.

Meanwhile, fans will get to experience what it’s like to play HADO in the COSLANDIA 2019 at the SMX Aura on Nov. 3, as well as the opening of the HADO Camp inside the ABS-CBN Compound.

Davis’ 40 pts, 20 rebounds carry Lakers past Grizzlies

LOS ANGELES — Anthony Davis scored 40 points and grabbed 20 rebounds in 31 minutes, and the Lakers used a third-quarter burst to roll past the Memphis Grizzlies, 120-91, in Los Angeles on Tuesday night.

Davis set a franchise record for free throws made by hitting 26 of 27 attempts, converting 18 in the third quarter to spark a 22-0 run that allowed the Lakers to blow away the Grizzlies. Memphis failed to score in the final 5:47 of the third.

LeBron James had 23 points and eight assists for the Lakers, who won their third consecutive contest. Avery Bradley added 12 points. Rookie point guard Ja Morant scored 16 points and Jonas Valanciunas had 14 points and 11 rebounds for the Grizzlies. — Reuters

Honda Pilipinas Dream Cup 2019 successfully concludes at the Clark International Speedway

THIS year’s edition of the Honda Pilipinas Dream Cup (HPDC) successfully concluded with its sixth round happening at the Clark International Speedway in Pampanga on Oct. 5 and 6.

Fourteen-year-old Alfred Jakob Sablaya emerged as the overall winner of the Cup, which is part of Honda’s program to develop young riders in motorcycle racing using a specific race machine, such as the CBR150R — a 150cc, MotoGP DNA motorcycle.

Sablaya was dominant right from the qualifying race, fending off tough challenges from Chino Hung and Marco Gil Ventinilla.

In the first race it continued to be tight among the racers but Sablaya was not to be denied of the top spot as he continued to be unbeaten with a total time 14:42.046, ahead by 8.070 seconds of second-running Ventinilla.

The second race sealed for Sablaya the Cup win a he tallied a total time of 14:30.843, ahead with a difference of 16.392 seconds than the next racer.

Hung took the second spot overall with Ventinilla coming in third. Kokoy Mangibin finished fourth and Kurt Villanueva fifth.

As one of the benefits in joining the Honda Pilipinas Dream Cup, Honda Philippines, Inc. (HPI) will support Sablaya as he joins the Idemitsu Asia Talent Cup Try-Outs, happening on Oct. 29-30 at Sepang Circuit in Malaysia.

The Idemitsu Asia Talent Cup try-outs will determine who will join the prestigious race event for its 2020 season, and Sablaya may be the next Filipino rider to join the ranks of the previous Filipino riders including HPI current international rider Troy Alberto.

Apart from searching for the best talents around, the Honda Pilipinas Dream Cup is also part of Honda’s ONE DREAM campaign, dedicated to uniting all motorcycle riders through fun and exciting activities. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo

FIDE Grand Swiss 2019

FIDE Chess.com Grand Swiss 2019
Douglas, Isle of Man
Oct. 10-21, 2019

Final Top Standings (GM all)

1-2. Wang Hao CHN 2726, Fabiano Caruana USA 2812, 8.0/11

3-8. Kirill Alekseenko RUS 2674, Levon Aronian ARM 2758, David Anton Guijarro ESP 2674, Magnus Carlsen NOR 2876, Hikaru Nakamura USA 2745, Nikita Vitiugov RUS 2732, 7.5/11

9-13. Alexander Grischuk RUS 2759, David Paravyan RUS 2602, David Howell ENG 2694, Vidit Santosh Gujrathi IND 2718, Le Quang Liem VIE 2708, 7.0/11

Total of 154 participants: 133 GM, 2 WGM, 16 IM

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

The former Deputy Prime Minister of Russia in Dmitry Medvedev’s cabinet from 2012-2018, Arkady Dvorkovich, is a chess enthusiast. He must have inherited this from his father, Vladimir, who was an international chess arbiter. When Dvorkovich was elected president of FIDE in October 2018 he instituted several changes, and one of these was the tie-up with the Isle of Man organizers to establish the FIDE Grand Swiss. Starting this year the winner of the Isle of Man Open was to be seeded into the Candidates tournament, the event which will determine the challenger to the world championship.

The Candidates’ has eight players who will play a double round-robin. The eligible players so far are:

Runner-up from World Championship 2018 – Fabiano Caruana

2019 World Cup Champion — Teimour Radjabov

2019 World Cup Runner-up — Ding Liren

Winner of FIDE Grand Swiss — Wang Hao

2019 FIDE Grand Prix champion — (not yet determined, so far Shakhriyar Mamedyarov is leading)

2019 FIDE Grand Prix runner-up — (not yet determined, so far Alexander Grischuk is in 2nd position)

Highest rated player not otherwise qualified — (not yet determined, so far Anish Giri is the highest)

Wild Card — player to be nominated by the organizer.

Speaking about no. 8 above, the wild card nomination, the organizers cannot just put forth anybody’s name, there is a list of also-rans to choose from. Currently, there are around seven players who are eligible for the nomination but naturally the organizers of the Candidates, the Yekaterinburg Chess Federation, would prefer to nominate a Russian and, by virtue of finishing third in this event, the St. Petersburg player Kirill Alekseenko has put himself into strong contention.

You know, the top players usually decide who they are going to try to beat and against whom they will be content with a draw before the game, and when you are an up-and-comer most of them will try to beat you and take some risks to do so. If you are lucky you might catch them when they go beyond the bounds of acceptable risk. That is why you have the occasional flash-in-the-pans who you never hear from again. Alekseenko on the other hand after his World Cup performance is no longer considered an outsider and, to coin a Star Trek expression, his opponents will have their “shields up” when facing him. It thus becomes harder to get a win — you won’t be getting much opportunity to spring some tactical surprise in the opening. Here is his crucial penultimate round win against the “Minister of Defense” Sergey Karjakin.

Karjakin, Sergey (2760) — Alekseenko, Kirill (2674) [D02]
FIDE Chess.com Grand Swiss Isle of Man (10.5), 20.10.2019

1.Nf3 d5 2.g3 Nd7 3.d4 Nb6 4.Bg2 Bf5 5.0–0 e6 6.Ne5 c6 7.c4

Karjakin took 40 minutes over this move. It was only after Black’s next move that I realized what he was thinking about — a piece sacrifice for 3 pawns.

7…f6!?

Alekseenko accepts the challenge. Not to be outdone he had by this 7th move already consumed more than an hour.

8.cxd5

More or less forced, otherwise he loses a pawn for no compensation.

8…fxe5 9.dxc6 e4 10.cxb7 Rb8 11.Nc3 Nf6 12.Bg5

[12.f3 should be considered]

12…Be7 13.Bxf6 Bxf6 14.Nxe4 Bxe4 15.Bxe4 Qxd4 16.Qc2 Qc4 17.Qxc4 Nxc4

Despite the exchange of queens the game is quite interesting. White wants to put his rook on the 7th rank and decides on the Rfd1, Bc6+, and Rd7 maneuver.

18.Rfd1 Nxb2 19.Bc6+ Kf8 20.Rd7 Nd3!

[20…Nc4 21.Rc1 Ne5 22.Rc7 does not force the white rook out of the 7th rank]

21.Rd1 Nc5 22.R7d2

[22.Rc7?! Be5 23.Rc8+ Ke7 Black is already on his way to untangling his pieces and making his extra piece count]

22…Kf7 23.Rc2 Be7 24.Rb1 Rhd8 25.Rb5 Na6 26.Bf3 Nb4 27.Rc4 Nd5

Black has already consolidated.

28.Rc6 Rd7 29.Bg4 Nc7 30.Rb3 Bd6 31.Bf3?! Nd5 32.Kg2 Ke7 33.Bxd5 exd5 34.Re3+ Kf7 35.Rf3+ Ke7 36.Re3+ Kf6 37.Rf3+ Ke6 38.Re3+ Kf6 39.Rf3+ Ke5 40.Re3+ Kf5 41.Rf3+ Ke6 42.Re3+ Kf7 43.Rf3+ Kg8 44.Rc8+ Rd8 45.Rfc3 Kf7 46.R3c6 Ke7 47.Ra6 Rdxc8 48.bxc8Q Rxc8 49.Rxa7+ Rc7

With the passed pawn on the 7th rank destroyed it is now Black who is playing for the win. White’s plan of course is to exchange off all the pawns as KR vs KRB with no pawns is a draw.

50.Ra5 Bc5 51.e3 Kd6 52.Ra6+ Kd7 53.Ra4 Ra7 54.Rh4 Rxa2 55.Kf3

[55.Rxh7? Bxe3 is lost for White. 56.Rxg7+ Ke6 the pawn on f2 cannot be saved]

55…h6 56.Rg4 Bf8 57.Rf4 Be7 58.Rf7 g6 59.h4 Ra6

For the next few moves Black tries to force the exchange of rooks.

60.Rh7

Of course White should keep the rooks on the board to maximize his drawing chances. No good therefore is 60.Rf4? Rf6.

60…Rf6+ 61.Kg2 h5 62.Rh8 Rf8 63.Rh6 Rg8 64.Rh7 Ke6 65.Kg1 Rf8 66.Rg7 Kf6 67.Rh7 Rf7 68.Rh8 Bf8 69.Rg8 Kf5 70.Kg2 Rf6 71.Rh8 Ke6 72.Rh7 Rf7 73.Rh8 Ke7 74.f4 Kf6 75.Rg8 <D>

POSITION AFTER 75.RG8

75…Bc5!

Finally Alekseenko hits upon the winning plan — he gives up trying to force the exchange of rooks and goes for the e3–pawn. This would in turn pave the way for pushing his d-pawn down the board.

76.Rd8 Ke6 77.Rg8 Kf5 78.Kf3 Rf8 79.Rg7 Re8 80.Rf7+ Ke6 81.Rb7 Ra8! 82.Rg7

Other moves lose faster:

82.Rb3? Ra3;

82.Rb1? Ra3 83.Re1 Rxe3+ 84.Rxe3+ Bxe3 85.Kxe3 Kf5 86.Kf3 d4 and wins.

82…Ra3 83.Rxg6+ Ke7 84.Rg5 Rxe3+ 85.Kg2 Kd6 86.Rxh5 d4 87.Rh8 d3 88.h5 Kd7 89.Rh7+ Kc6 0–1

Surveying the field in the forthcoming Candidates tournament, I still think that Fabiano Caruana has the best chance of advancing into a rematch vs Magnus Carlsen for the world title. He is a universal player, equally strong in the opening, middlegame and endgame, able to attack with the forces of good and evil behind him, very willing and able to grind out for 100+ moves in search of the full point, resourceful in defense, and always with a drop of poison, never failing to spot tactical resources. In the following game he outplays “Fire on Board” himself Alexei Shirov.

Shirov, Alexei (2664) — Caruana, Fabiano (2812) [B90]
FIDE Chess.com Grand Swiss Isle of Man (3.1), 12.10.2019

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Be3 Ng4 7.Bc1 Nf6 8.Be3 e5 9.Nb3 Be7 10.f3

The English Attack in the Sicilian Najdorf. Both players have a lot of experience with the line.

10…Be6 11.Qd2 Nbd7 12.g4 0–0 13.g5 Nh5 14.Rg1 b5 15.Nd5 Bxd5 16.exd5 f5 17.h4

Black was of course threatening to take the g5–pawn by …f4 followed by …Bxg5, but I believe a younger Shirov would have tried 17.0–0–0! f4 18.Bf2 Bxg5 19.Qb4 followed by Nb3–a5–c6 and Bh6 with a lot of play on the White squares.

17…Qe8!

Caruana regroups his pieces and winds up controlling more real estate than Shirov.

18.0–0–0 Bd8 19.Na5 Bb6 20.Nc6 Nf4 21.Bxb6 Nxb6 22.Qb4 Qd7 23.c4 Kh8 24.Kb1

[24.cxb5 Nbxd5 25.Qb3 axb5 26.Bxb5 Rac8! 27.Rxd5 Rxc6+ 28.Kb1 Nxd5 29.Qxd5 Qa7! this move, attacking the undefended g1 rook, ensures that Black stays on top]

24…Rae8 25.cxb5 Nbxd5 26.Qb3 e4 27.Rxd5 Nxd5 28.Qxd5 exf3 29.Qd2 Re4

Here time trouble causes both sides to make mistakes. In the next move, for example, Shirov should not have abandoned the back rank. 30.Bd3 would have been better.

30.Rg3? Qe6 31.Bd3 Re3?

And here 31…Re1+ 32.Kc2 axb5 followed by …Rc8 wins.

32.Rg1 f2 33.Rc1 axb5 34.Nb4 Rf3 35.Bxb5 Qe4+ 36.Nc2 Rc8 37.Ba6 d5 38.a3?

[38.Rf1 only move]

38…d4 39.Bxc8 f1Q 40.Rxf1 Rxf1+ 41.Ka2 d3 42.Ne3 Rf3 43.Bxf5 Qxe3 44.Qa5 Qe8 45.Qd5 Qg8 46.Be6 Qf8 47.h5 Re3 48.g6 d2 49.Bf7

[49.Qxd2? Rxe6]

49…Re2 50.Qd3 Rh2 51.Qf3?? Rg2!

The winning move.

52.Qd3

[52.Qxg2 d1Q]

52…Qb8 Targeting mate on b2. 0–1

 

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

Controversial umpire’s call

Nationals manager Dave Martinez may or may not have deserved to be thrown out of the game yesterday. He did have some choice words against umpire Sam Holbrook, who made an eminently disputable runner interference call at the top of the seventh. And he did continue his tirade after the inning was over. Still, there was no disputing the subjective nature of the arbiter’s decision, not to mention its potential to alter the World Series. In fact, it was so controversial that Major League Baseball needed over four and a half minutes — tantamount to an eternity under the circumstances — to uphold, and a post-match on-record explanation from chief baseball officer Joe Torre to defend.

Given the stakes and the emotions that they stoked, Martinez could have been given a pass for his actions. Never mind that he was so worked up two players had to physical restrain him from going after Holbrook. There was a reason no manager had hitherto been thrown out of a World Series set-to in 23 years. And, more importantly, there was a reason he worked up a lather. On the road and facing elimination, the Nationals were hard-pressed to pad their margin — at the point of dispute the slimmest — in hopes of keeping the championship bid alive, and they didn’t need human error to further highlight the Sisyphean nature of their endeavor.

Thankfully, the Nationals won, and Martinez will no longer have to wonder if his outburst, however justified, cost them the hardware. Today, however, he will want to be more restrained. They will again be at hostile Minute Maid Park, again play the roles of vast underdogs, and again have to exceed themselves in order to prevail against the Astros. If there’s anything going their way, it’s that they have nothing to lose in their aim to keep the string of uninterrupted road wins in the World Series going. They also have supposedly decommissioned Max Scherzer on the mound to give them a fighting chance.

In any case, Martinez won’t be fazed. He wasn’t shaken when the Nationals opened the best-of-seven affair with the worst odds since the Rockies in 2007. He stayed even keeled after they won the first two contests. And he kept his eye on the prize despite seeing his charges succumb in each of the three middle outings at home. That said, he’s crossing his fingers he won’t be placed in the same situation as yesterday’s, when his will was tested and he could have cost them the title. Losing is one thing. Losing by one’s own hand is quite another.

 

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.

Stocks rise above 8,000 on improved outlook

By Denise A. Valdez, Reporter

THE Philippine Stock Exchange index (PSEi) finished above the 8,000 level on Wednesday as investors returned to the local market on an improved outlook.

The bourse closed at 8,020.06 after rising by 28.87 points or 0.36% at yesterday’s session. The broader all-shares index also added 13.94 points or 0.29% to end at 4,801.11.

“The bulls were finally able to pierce 8,000 and re-establish a beach-head at 8,020,” PNB Securities, Inc. President Manuel Antonio G. Lisbona said in a mobile-phone message. “Value turnover is still a bit on the thin side, but should improve if the bulls are able to keep the market above 8,000.”

Mr. Lisbona said the local bourse attracted back investors who anticipated “a year-end rally that should follow through until around January.”

“The economic picture moving forward is rosy, given tame inflation and an accommodative monetary policy stance on top of the positive economic effects of the government’s infrastructure program,” he said.

Luis A. Limlingan, sales head at Regina Capital Development Corp., traced the PSEi’s growth to “window dressing” as the US-China trade talks and the reporting of corporate earnings drew positive sentiments from investors.

The main index moved opposite the decline in most foreign markets. Wall Street was flat on Tuesday — the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the S&P 500 both inched lower by 0.07% and 0.08% while the Nasdaq Composite fell 0.59%.

In Asia, Japan’s Nikkei 225 index slipped 0.57%; Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index declined 0.44%; China’s Shanghai SE Composite index slipped 0.5%; and South Korea’s KOSPI index lost 0.59%.

At the PSE, sectoral indices ended mixed. Property increased 18.43 points or 0.44% to 4,207.22; financials advanced 28.64 points or 1.49% to 1,940.95; and holding firms added 5.09 points or 0.06% to 7,828.98.

On the other hand, mining and oil lost 42.57 points or 0.45% to close at 9,243.34, while the industrial index slid by 14 points or 0.13% to 10,473.73. Services fell by 10.72 points or 0.7% to 1,515.97.

Value turnover stood at P5.99 billion, lower than Tuesday’s P6.63 billion, with 1.13 billion shares changing hands.

Gainers beat decliners 90-80, while 54 stocks were unchanged.

Foreign investors remained bullish with a net buying of P619.53 million from Tuesday’s P432.68 million.

If the PSEi, which has risen by 3% this month, can keep its growth momentum on Thursday, it will be the index’s best performance since January, said Christopher John Mangun, research head at AAA Southeast Equities, Inc.

“November will be a very interesting month as we will see the direction that the market is going to take until the end of the year,” he said in an e-mail.

Peso strengthens on Fed rate-cut prospect

By Luz Wendy T. Noble

THE PESO rallied against the dollar on Wednesday amid market expectations of another rate cut by the US Federal Reserve, whose members were set to decide on policy hours later.

The peso closed at P50.885 against the greenback, 20.5 centavos stronger than a day earlier, according to data from the Bankers Association of the Philippines. It was also its strongest level for the trading day.

The peso opened at P51.07 and weakened to as much as P51.09 a dollar.

Trade volume rose to $1.05 billion from $1.036 billion on Tuesday

“The peso closed stronger today, among the best in three months, ahead of the widely expected decision by the Federal Reserve to cut its short-term interest rates,”

Michael L. Ricafort, chief economist at Rizal Commercial Banking Corp., said in an email.

He also cited improved global risk appetite that resulted in gains in some emerging market currencies.

The Fed’s policy-setting committee was largely expected to announce a quarter-percentage-point cut to the overnight benchmark lending rate when it releases its latest policy statement, Reuters reported.

US Fed Chairman Jerome Powell will hold a news conference to elaborate on the decision half an hour later.

A rate cut would be the third this year, bringing the policy rate to a target range of 1.5% to 1.75%. Investors will also be tuning in for clues as to whether policy makers feel like they have acted appropriately to address the potential headwinds to the US economy or if more easing was needed.

Meanwhile, the US GDP report will be published hours before Fed officials wrap up a two-day policy meeting. The Fed cut rates in September after lowering borrowing costs in July for the first time since 2008.

The world’s biggest economy posted a 2% growth in the second quarter. The economy is expected to grow by less than 2.5% this year from 2.9% last year.

Mr. Ricafort expects the peso to trade from P50.70 to P51 a dollar today.

Marcos wants more time to comment on recount

LOSING VICE-PRESIDENTIAL candidate Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos, Jr. has asked the Supreme Court to defer the submission of comments on the recount of votes in three pilot provinces, where the lead of Vice President Maria Leonor G. Robredo has further increased by 15,000.

Mr. Marcos, in an omnibus motion filed Oct. 23, asked the high court, sitting as the Presidential Electoral Tribunal (PET), to allow him to photocopy the “voluminous documents” on the recount report for him to comply with their order to comment.

“(C)onsidering that the photocopying of the reports has yet to commence, protestant Marcos is likewise constrained to move for the deferment of his deadline to submit his comments on the said report/s on the revision and appreciation of votes until the requested photocopying of documents reports is granted and completed,” he said in the motion.

Mr. Marcos, a former senator, also designated representatives for the photocopying and noted they are willing to comply with rules and guidelines to be set by the tribunal regarding their request.

The PET on Oct. 15 ordered the release of the recount results in Iloilo, Camarines Sur, and Negros Oriental, the three pilot provinces chosen by Marcos where he claimed election fraud was observed.

The court also ordered Mr. Marcos and Ms. Robredo to submit within 20 days their comments on the report as well as submit their memoranda on various issues and matters relating to Mr. Marcos’ motion for an annulment of election results in three provinces in Mindanao.

The Oct. 15 resolution states that the lead of Ms. Robredo against Mr. Marcos widened by more than 15,000 votes after the revision and appreciation of ballots in the three pilot provinces.

Ms. Robredo’s lead increased to 278,566 from 263,473.

Despite this, the PET still required the parties to comment on the report before it rules on the effects of the recount results to the second cause of action of Mr. Marcos, which is to recount votes in 27 other provinces.

PET also said the order to comment on the annulment of election results in parts of Mindanao, the third cause of action filed by Mr. Marcos, is to meet “due process requirement.”

Associate Justice Alfredo Benjamin S. Caguioa, who wrote the recount report, and retired senior associate justice Antonio T. Carpio dissented on the Oct. 15 resolution, both saying the election protest should be dismissed under Rule 65 of the PET Rules.

Rule 65 allows the tribunal to require the person who filed the election protest to indicate three pilot provinces “best exemplifying frauds or irregularities” for recount. If after the examination of ballots and the tribunal sees that the protestee “will most probably fail to make out his case,” the protest may be dismissed, without consideration to the other provinces. — Vann Marlo M. Villegas

Duterte’s APEC attendance still depends on doctor’s advice

PRESIDENT RODRIGO R. Duterte’s attendance to the Nov. 16-17 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Chile still depends on his doctors’ advice as well as developments in the ongoing unrest in the host country.

“According to Chief of Protocol (Robert A.) Borje, they’re still preparing for Chile but the participation of the President will depend on the doctor’s advice,” Presidential Spokesperson Salvador S. Panelo told reporters on Thursday.

He also said, “We will have to wait for the Chile government to advise us… The health of the President comes foremost in mind and his safety.”

Chile’s Foreign Minister Teodoro Ribera has said that there was “no chance” of calling off the APEC meet or the United Nations climate change conference COP25 in December despite recent violent protests in the capital Santiago, Reuters reported on Oct. 25.

Mr. Panelo said Trade and Industry Secretary Ramon M. Lopez will substitute for the President should he fail to attend the summit.

Mr. Duterte cut short his working visit to Japan last week due to “unbearable pain” following a fall from a motorbike the week before.

The Palace reported that Mr. Duterte was told by his doctors to take pain killers and limit physical activity to decrease his muscle spasms. Nonetheless, a photo of the President sitting on a motorbike was later posted by Senator Christopher Lawrence T. Go, former presidential special assistant. — Gillian M. Cortez

Delegation of power to VP needs document

PRESIDENT RODRIGO R. Duterte can delegate the power to lead the crackdown on illegal drugs to Vice President Maria Leonor G. Robredo, but this will require a written authority, a retired Supreme Court magistrate said.

Retired senior associate justice Antonio T. Carpio said the President’s authority to delegate certain powers needs to be clearly specified in writing.

“(T)here are responsibilities once you assume certain powers but what I am saying is that it’s all speculation because the vice president, we don’t know whether she will accept or not, and we don’t know the extent of the delegation of authority,” Mr. Carpio told reporters Tuesday evening.

He said the offer of Mr. Duterte is a “very broad proposal and it’s very difficult to define what kind of work the person to whom it is delegated will do.”

Mr. Duterte on Monday said he would offer Ms. Robredo the role of drug czar for six months following her criticisms on the government’s anti-drug campaign.

The vice president has declined to comment on the offer, saying she was unsure if the President is serious.

Presidential Spokesman Salvador S. Panelo has said “the ball is in (Ms. Roberdo’s) court.”

Ms. Robredo said last week that the President should “assess and tweak” the war against illegal drugs, which he promised to end in six months during his campaign in 2016.

Senate President Vicente C. Sotto III on Tuesday recommended the appointment of Ms. Robredo as Dangerous Drugs Board chair and concurrently director-general of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency. — Vann Marlo M. Villegas

Agreement signed for better higher education in Bangsamoro areas

THE BANGSAMORO Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) and the national government signed an agreement on Wednesday to improve access to higher education, especially in conflict-affected areas.

The memorandum of understanding, outlining a 10-point agenda, was signed by BARMM Minister of Basic, Higher and Technical Education Mohagher Iqbal, Commission on Higher Education (CHEd) Chairman J. Prospero E. De Vera III, and Secretary Carlito G. Galvez Jr. of the Office of Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP).

Under the partnership, CHED will provide financial assistance to students and technical support to BARMM’s higher education institutions, Mr. Galvez said during the signing ceremony held in Quezon City.

Mr. Iqbal stressed the role of education in countering violence and promoting reconciliation and unity.

“We aim to produce at least one professional in a family in the Bangsamoro…The 10-point agreements in the MOU emphasizes the significance of education in peace-building,” Mr. Iqbal said.

Mr. De Vera, for his part, said funding has already been allocated for the BARMM programs under the CHED’s 2020 budget.

“I saw how important and vital this potential partnership will be in making sure that education will be the anchor of development to push forward peace and development in the region,” he said.

During an initial meeting with BARMM last April, CHED also committed to tap various universities to help in the Bangsamoro, including the following: Mindanao State University’s Iligan and Naawan campuses; University of the Philippines (UP) Los Baños, Manila, and Diliman; and Ateneo de Davao.

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