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Folayang, Alvarez eye bounce back after tough losses

By Michael Angelo S. Murillo
Senior Reporter

WOUND up at the raw end of their respective ONE Championship matches last time around, Filipino Eduard “Landslide” Folayang and American Eddie “The Underground King” Alvarez seek to bounce back when they collide on Aug. 2 at “ONE: Dawn of Heroes” here in Manila.

Set at the Mall of Asia Arena, Messrs. Folayang (21-7) and Alvarez (29-7) go at it in an elevated encounter that will see them battle it out in a ONE Lightweight Grand Prix semifinal match.

They lost in their respective matches in March in ONE Championship’s first-ever show in Japan but found themselves thrust to the high-stakes contest following the pullout of grand prix semifinalists Lowen Tynanes and Timofey Nastyukhin because of injuries.

Two-time ONE lightweight champion Folayang lost to Japanese legend Shinya Aoki in his last fight, submitted in the opening round by way of arm-triangle choke.

The lost meant Mr. Folayang, 35, surrendering the title he recaptured in November last year.

But the Filipino champion is not deterred by the latest bump in his illustrious career, and instead is determined than ever to get back into the mix of things.

“My journey as a world champion is like a roller coaster. There are times when I am a world champion and people look up to me. There are also times when I am defeated, so I will try again to climb the ladder to get the belt back,” said Mr. Folayang in the lead-up to his match with Mr. Alvarez.

“I got it, but lost it again this time. I think the most challenging part is how to get yourself back on the winning track. We are going to start again. That is not something new to us,” he added.

Mr. Folayang said that he is expecting nothing easy against Mr. Alvarez, a former Ultimate Fighting Championship champion, which is why they are really preparing hard against the American.

“I think Eddie is a good martial artist – you will not become a world champion if you don’t have a good approach to being a martial artist,” Mr. Folayang said.

Mr. Alvarez, for his part, acknowledges that he, too, has his hands full against Mr. Folayang but is not allowing it to consume him too much.

“Look, I got the first one out of the way. I lost, no problem. I did the same thing in the UFC [against Donald Cerrone] and I honestly almost did the same thing in my debut in Bellator. I got dropped terribly. My debut in Bellator against an Irish kid (Greg Loughran) that no one knew. I got caught pretty clean,” said Mr. Alvarez.

“I bounced back and got the win, but I’m not a big fan of my debuts, put it that way. So I got it out of the way, got it past me, and now I can go full-on, go undefeated straight to the belt,” he added.

Mr. Alvarez made his ONE debut in March but had the lights turned out on him by Mr. Nastyukhin in their grand prix quarterfinal encounter in the opening round.

“I go out there and I’ve given my all every time, but I think at every once in a while it’s good to take a loss and put the fire back in your belly, and I think it’s a good time to have that. Sometimes you need that fire to burn long enough to get to that world title,” Mr. Alvarez said of the mindset he has heading into Friday’s event.

ONE: Dawn of Heroes is to be headlined by the world featherweight championship fight between Vietnamese-Australian champion Martin Nguyen and Japanese challenger Koyomi Matsushima.

ONE ESPORTS
Meanwhile, ONE Championship unveiled early this week what it touts to be the largest esports world championship series in Asia.

ONE Esports will be organizing a series of Dota 2 World Pro Invitationals featuring the top teams in the world. The ONE Dota 2Singapore World Pro Invitational will be held at the Singapore Indoor Stadium on Dec. 20-22, 2019 and the ONE Dota 2Jakarta World Pro Invitational will be held at ICE BSD on April 17-19, 2020.

Each Invitational will see the world’s best professional Dota 2 teams compete for a prize pool of $500,000.

In addition, as part of ONE Championship’s commemorative activities for its 100th event to be held later this year in Tokyo, Japan on Oct. 13, ONE Esports will be hosting the ONE TEKKENTokyo Invitational and ONE Street Fighter Tokyo Challenge on Oct. 5 and 6 respectively. Each tournament will give members of the fighting games community to take on 9 top-ranking fighting games esports professionals in a 3 v 3 team format.

For ONE Esports, the organization named Carlos Alimurung as chief executive officer.

Ginebra narrows series deficit to 2-1 with Game Three win

By Michael Angelo S. Murillo
Senior Reporter

THE Barangay Ginebra San Miguel Kings staved off elimination in the Philippine Basketball Association Commissioner’s Cup after winning over the TNT KaTropa, 80-72, in Game Three of their best-of-five semifinal series on Tuesday at the Mall of Asia Arena.

Had their backs against the wall when they fell 0-2 in the series in the previous game, the defending champions Kings dug deep to finally break through in the series and keep their title reign alive.

Using a small ball lineup to start the game, Barangay Ginebra got off to a blistering start.

LA Tenorio and Scottie Thompson led the Kings to a 10-2 advantage in the first three minutes.

It was a sprint they would use to build a 21-14 lead at the end of the opening quarter.

The Texters came out the second frame charging, looking to make an assault at the Kings’ lead.

But the Kings would hold strong, maintaining a safe distance of 10 points, 32-22, midway into the quarter.

TNT though kept chopping away on Barangay Ginebra’s lead, coming to within four points, 34-30, with 2:50 left in the quarter on the lead of import Terrence Jones and Roger Pogoy.

The Kings survived the KaTropa fight back and stayed ahead, 42-32, at the half.

Troy Rosario would push TNT to a spirited start in the third, helping his team to narrow the gap to just four points, 44-40, after just three and a half minutes.

The KaTropa eventually tied the count at 47-all with 6:06 to go after a breakaway lay-up by Don Trollano.

Momentum swung back-and-forth the rest of the period, settling at a tied count of 57-all heading into the payoff quarter.

Barangay Ginebra opened the fourth quarter with an 8-2 run behind import Justin Brownlee and guard Stanley Pringle, pushing the Kings to a 65-60 lead at the 7:28 mark.

The score was at 67-64 and the Kings ahead with 4:30 to go.

A triple by Joe Devance after made it 70-64 for Barangay Ginebra.

TNT stayed within striking distance, 74-70, with less than three minutes remaining.

A lay-up by Jayson Castro with 1:44 on the clock further pushed the Texters closer, 74-72.

The Kings sued for time after to set up a play.

Mr. Thompson gave Barangay Ginebra more breathing space, 76-72, with 1:20 to go.

The Kings made it a five-point lead, 77-72, with 55 ticks left after Mr. Pringle split his charities.

TNT had its chances to narrow the gap but their shot attempts failed to connect.

Mr. Brownlee gave the Kings a point off the free throw line to make it, 78-72, with 32 seconds remaining on the clock.

Two more made free throws by Tenorio after put away the game for the Kings.

Mr. Tenorio led Barangay Ginebra with 16 points with Mr. Brownlee tallying numbers of 14 points, 11 rebounds, eight assists, four steals and two blocks.

Mr. Devance was the other King in double-digits with 13 markers.

Mr. Jones, meanwhile, paced TNT with 24 points and 18 rebounds.

Mr. Rosario had 12 while Messrs. Castro and Pogoy had 10 points apiece.

“Well, we got one but obviously one is not enough. But the good news is we are still alive. We’ll take it one game at a time. That’s what everybody’s saying but that is really the case. Hopefully we get another one next game,” said Kings coach Tim Cone after their win that made it a 2-1 series.

Game Four of the series is on Thursday, Aug. 1, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Shares decline as market seeks fresh catalysts

By Arra B. Francia, Senior Reporter

LOCAL SHARES slumped on Tuesday as investors waited for new catalysts, especially the results of the US Federal Reserve’s policy meeting.

The bellwether Philippine Stock Exchange index (PSEi) retreated 0.46% or 38.06 points to close at 8,150.46. The broader all-shares index also dropped 0.54% or 26.96 points to 4,936.08.

“The story remains for the index with dull trading dominating the entire day as the PSEi waits on the sidelines for the results of the upcoming Fed meeting,” Papa Securities Corp. Sales Associate Gabriel Jose F. Perez said in an e-mail.

The Federal Open Market Committee will announce the results of its two-day policy meeting on July 31. A 25-basis-point cut has mostly been factored in and investors now await the conclusion of the meeting on Wednesday to gauge the direction the Fed will take in the near term.

“With the index’s close below its 20-day MA (moving average) support for the first time since May 28, PSEi technicals are now starting to look shaky. No major conclusions should be made in the meantime however, at least until we get more clarity from the near-term catalyst which is the Fed,” Mr. Perez said.

Meanwhile, AAA Southeast Equities, Inc. Research Head Christopher John Mangun attributed the decline to profit taking.

“Most Asian equities markets were up slightly today but here at the PSE, the main index ends lower on profit taking. It would have closed lower if not for the foreign buying that we saw today,” Mr. Mangun said in a separate e-mail on Tuesday.

Foreign investors switched to net buying mode on Tuesday with P631.12 million, against the previous session’s P180.74-million net outflow.

Four sectoral indices slipped to negative territory. Holding firms plunged 0.87% or 69.68 points to 7,939; property lost 0.71% or 31.06 points to 4,334.79; mining and oil dropped 0.46% or 37.11 points to 7,883.30; while industrials went down 0.43% or 49.59 points to 11,399.62. Meanwhile, services climbed 0.57% or 9.43 points to 1,644.82. Financials also added 0.28% or 5.26 points to 1,854.11.

Some 754.80 million issues valued at P6.87 billion switched hands, higher than the P4.84-billion turnover on Monday.

Decliners outpaced advancers, 115 to 85, while 49 names were unchanged.

Other Southeast Asian markets traded in a tight range ahead of the Fed policy meeting starting later in the day.

Market participants also kept a tab on the fresh round of dialogue between top officials from the United States and China in Shanghai to deescalate the tariff dispute.

Overnight, Wall Street indices were mixed. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 0.11% or 28.90 points to 27,221.35, while the S&P 500 index tumbled 0.16% or 4.89 points to 3,020.97. The Nasdaq Composite index also dropped 0.44% or 36.88 points to 8,293.33. — with Reuters

Peso rebounds ahead of Fed review

THE PESO recovered on Tuesday as market players sold dollars to take position ahead of a possible interest rate cut by the US central bank.

The local unit closed the session at P50.89 versus the greenback, up 20 centavos from its P51.09 finish on Monday.

The peso opened the session at P51.02 against the dollar. It slipped to as low as P51.065 intraday, while it closed the session at its best showing.

Trading volume climbed to $1.124 billion from the $767.25 million that changed hands the previous day.

A trader said the peso strengthened versus the dollar as it broke the support level of P50.92 on aggressive selling in the afternoon session.

“As for the reason, it’s not very clear since so far dollar is mostly flat versus most currencies. I think it’s still reduction of position ahead of the FOMC (Federal Open Market Committee) meeting on Thursday,” the trader said in a phone interview on Tuesday.

The US Federal Reserve is widely expected to trim rates by at least 25 basis points when its policy-making FOMC meets on July 30-31.

“Another thing the market is awaiting is the BSP (Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas) meeting, which will affect the peso. Market expectation is for a cut, but lately we’ve heard from one (Monetary Board) member that they might not cut for now,” the trader said.

MB member V. Bruce J. Tolentino said last week in a Bloomberg interview that “there’s no rush” to cut interest rates, and that the BSP can wait for more economic data before easing monetary policy again.

The second trader added that yesterday’s trading was still driven by flows, as market participants sell dollars and buy peso-denominated bonds.

For today, the first trader expects the peso to trade between P50.72 and P51.10 versus the dollar, while the other gave a P50.90-P51.30 range. — K.A.N. Vidal

Defense chief: China is a bully in disputed sea

DEFENSE SECRETARY Delfin N. Lorenzana on Tuesday criticized China for failing to match its commitment of peace to the Philippines with actions, calling its neighbor a bully.

People doubt China’s sincerity, Mr. Lorenzana told a briefing, adding that the Chinese “are grabbing islands there and bullying people around.”

He was reacting to a Pulse Asia Research, Inc. poll that more Filipinos have expressed distrust in China as of end-June after the alleged sinking of a Filipino fishing boat by a Chinese vessel in the South China Sea.

The Defense chief downplayed Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Zhao Jianhua’s claim on Monday that his country is ready to talk with other claimant countries in the South China Sea.

The Chinese envoy said China is building its military for self-defense and “will not take the first shot” as it seeks to resolve disputes with fellow claimants.

“I have heard versions of that speech three times already. I have heard that from the mouth of Xi Jinping,” he said, referring to the Chinese president. He said other Chinese ministers have said the same thing “so there’s nothing new.”

“The bottom line is what they say is different from what they do in the West Philippine Sea,” Mr. Lorenzana said in mixed English and Filipino, referring to parts of the South China Sea that are within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone.

Distrust in China rose to 74% last month, 14 points higher than in December, Pulse Asia said in an emailed statement on Friday.

The pollster said 89% of Filipinos were aware of the June 9 incident at Reed Bank that left 22 Filipino fishermen abandoned at sea, and 36% think the Philippines should ask China to sanction crew members involved.

Meanwhile, 26% of Filipinos think China itself, not just the Chinese fishing vessel involved, should be made to pay for incident, Pulse Asia said, adding that 19% think the Chinese crew members should be tried in a Philippine court.

The United States, Japan and Australia enjoyed higher trust ratings last month at 89%, 79% and 76% respectively.

Mr. Lorenzana said China’s stance near the Scarborough Shoal was a form of bullying.

The Defense chief, a former Armed Forces attaché to the US from 2002 to 2004, said the US enjoys higher trust ratings because it doesn’t bully its neighbors.

President Rodrigo R. Duterte on Sunday said he wants regular patrols near the islands of Batanes province amid China’s land reclamation activities in the South China Sea.

The Coast Guard last week took delivery of assets meant to upgrade its sea patrol capabilities and response to natural disasters. The assets included 73 rubber boats with outboard motors, 12 rigid-hulled inflatable boats, 90 pickup trucks, seven buses and five ambulances.

China’s neighbors are racing to empower their Coast Guard fleets amid increasing tensions in the South China Sea.

China claims sovereignty over more than 80 percent of the South China Sea based on its so-called nine-dash line drawn on a 1940s map.

It has been building artificial islands in the disputed Spratly Islands and setting up installations including several runways.

Mr. Duterte has sought closer investment and trade ties with Beijing, including over resources in the disputed sea, since he assumed office in 2016.

His predecessor, Benigno S. Aquino III, sued China before an international arbitration tribunal over its territorial claims, and won. He also strengthened Philippine alliance with the US to try to check China’s expansion in the main waterway.

Aside from China and the Philippines, other claimants to the main waterway are Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Taiwan and Vietnam. — Vince Angelo C. Ferreras

Duterte won’t seek abolition of PCSO

PHILIPPINE President Rodrigo R. Duterte will not seek to abolish the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) after alleged corruption at the agency, his spokesman said on Tuesday.

The president may recommend the move but only Congress is empowered to abolish the office since it was created by law, presidential spokesman Salvador S. Panelo told reporters.

PCSO was created in 1954 to help raise funds for the government’s health programs and help the poor through charities.

Mr. Panelo said Mr. Duterte’s order stopping PCSO gambling operations carries the effect of a law and does not require a signed document.

“The directive of the President, even if verbal, is legal,” he said. “So, if it’s legal, you don’t have to put it down in writing.”

Mr. Panelo also said the president issued the order in keeping with the 1987 Constitution, which mandates him to serve and protect the people.

He added that if an agency under the Office of the President is committing unlawful acts, it is his duty to enforce the law and stop its operation.

Mr. Duterte ordered on Friday the closure of all PCSO gaming operations including those with franchises due to massive corruption.

His spokesman said the president would soon issue a an order providing for mechanisms to eliminate corruption at the agency.

The Philippine National Police on Sunday said it had closed 5,187 outlets for lotto, 13,320 for small town lottery, 2,194 for Peryahan ng Bayan and 472 for Keno Lotto Express.

On Monday, PCSO said its medical assistance program at the Lung Center of the Philippines in Quezon City and all PCSO branch offices nationwide would still be available unless stopped.

Those holding winning lotto and other tickets may still claim their prizes at the PCSO head office, it said. — Arjay L. Balinbin

Duque has Duterte’s trust, confidence

PRESIDENT Rodrigo R. Duterte continues to trust Health Secretary Francisco T. Duque III amid a palace investigation of alleged conflict of interest involving a company owned by his family, according to the president’s spokesman.

“The president still trusts Health Secretary Duque,” Mr. Panelo told reporters at the presidential palace on Tuesday, adding that he had responded to questions on issues of propriety.

Until evidence is presented proving that he has violated he law, Mr. Duque will have the president’s trust and confidence, he said.

Senator Panfilo M. Lacson has said that Doctors Pharmaceuticals Inc., a company allegedly owned by Mr. Duque’s family, had won contracts from the government.

Senator Christopher Lawrence T. Go, who heads the health committee, has said he would consider probing Mr. Duque.

Mr. Panelo said the Health chief had responded to the allegations and “as far as he is concerned, there is no conflict of interest.” One of the contracts was won before he became a Cabinet member and he had divested his interests, he added. — Arjay L. Balinbin

Philippines deadliest for nature activists

THE PHILIPPINES has replaced Brazil as the most murderous country in the world for people defending their environment, according to a report by London-based environmental watchdog Global Witness.

“The Philippines has consistently ranked as one of the deadliest countries in the world for people protecting their land or the environment,” the international group said.

Last year, the Philippines was the worst affected country in sheer numbers, with 30 deaths, including the massacre on Negros island.,” the watchdog said in a report titled ‘Enemies of the State? How Governments and Business Silence Land and Environmental Defenders.’

Last year’s death count was lower than 48 in the previous year, when the country ranked second after Brazil.

“The ecological agriculture that landless farm workers have painstakingly carved out of the vast monoculture plantations of Negros sugar barons have been irrigated with blood and bullets,” Leon A. Dulce, national coordinator of Kalikasan People’s Network for the Environment , said in a separate statement.

“Since 2017 to date, at least 87 land and environment defenders have been murdered by military, paramilitary troops, and other state forces for carrying out land occupation and cultivation campaigns across the island,” he said.

The report said companies and governments were now leaning toward criminalizing environmental activism and land rights defense.

“The country’s legal system is used to criminalise and intimidate land and environmental defenders, while officials who are complicit in these crimes go unpunished,” it said.

Mindanao has become the hot spot for murders of defenders, accounting for a third of the killings in 2018. It is also the region where a chunk of 1.6 million hectares of land were to be allocated for industrial operations planned by President Rodrigo R. Duterte, it added.

The group noted that globally, 164 people or three defenders a week were killed in 2018, lower than 201 in 2017. Mining was considered the deadliest sector, with 43 people killed. — Vincent Mariel P. Galang

Officials assure emergency response could be faster than in remote Itbayat

A SOCIAL WORKER from the Department of Social Welfare and Development-Field Office 2 (DSWD-FO 2) conducts psychosocial intervention for children affected by the earthquake in Itbayat, Batanes on July 30. Two schools on the island were among the damaged structures. — @DSWDFO2

DEFENSE SECRETARY Delfin N. Lorenzana said the government’s disaster response to the July 27 twin earthquakes in Itbayat, Batanes could have been faster if not for the island’s location and the limited transportation access. Although local officials and disaster management teams immediately assisted affected residents, Mr. Lorenzana said resources from the regional and national levels could not be immediately delivered. “Mabagal ‘yung reaction namin (Our reaction was slow) because it’s too far away. The nearest base that we can get choppers is in Tuguegarao, Cagayan… so ‘yun ang (that was the) challenge: how to get there immediately,” said Mr. Lorenzana in a press conference in Quezon City on Tuesday. Center for Disaster Preparedness Executive Director Lorein dela Cruz, for her part, said while government has not been “letting up in raising awareness for the ‘Big One,’” which could affect the capital Metro Manila, minimizing casualties in the event of a major earthquake depends in large part on people. “I think we cannot 100% guarantee that we are prepared… The best thing really is the people, wherever they are, they should know what to do when something happens,” she said. National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council Executive Director Ricardo B. Jalad, meanwhile, assured that there is a contingency plan for high-magnitude earthquakes. “At the national level meron tayong (we have a) contingency plan to respond and bawat ahensya may kanya kanyang (and each agency has a designated) task,” said Mr. Jalad. — Vince Angelo C. Ferreras

Cabanatuan-Sta. Rosa bypass road widening 1/3 done

THE WIDENING of a third of the 12.35-kilometer (km) bypass road connecting Sta. Rosa town and Cabanatuan City in Nueva Ecija into six lanes will soon be completed, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) announced Tuesday. “We are close to completing the second phase covering a total of 2.02-km of the bypass road. This is in addition to the 2.14-km segment that was widened under Phase 1 in 2018,” District Engineer Ricardo M. Puno said in a DPWH-released statement. Mr. Puno said the expansion of the road, named Cesar Angeles–Emilio Vergara Bypass Road, is necessary in preparation for the Cabanatuan Interchange Exit of the Central Luzon Link Expressway (CLLEX). “The expansion… is among our priority projects in the province as it serves as an alternative road to Cabanatuan, eastern side of Nueva Ecija and Aurora Province. It has also opened a whole new area of residential and commercial development in the province,” he added. DPWH said it has already submitted the budget request for the widening of the remaining road sections. The first two phases had an allocation of P100 million. The entire project is planned for completion by 2021.

Sytin brother, 1 other ordered arrested for murder

AN OLONGAPO City court has ordered the arrest of Alan Dennis L. Sytin and another individual for the murder of businessman Dominic L. Sytin in November last year. In the warrant of arrest dated July 29, Judge Richard A Paradeza ordered the arrest of Mr. Sytin, brother of the slain businessman, and Ryan D. Rementilla. No bail was recommended. The Department of Justice indicted the two for the murder that took place outside the Lighthouse Hotel at the Subic Bay Freeport Zone on Nov. 28, 2018. They are also charged of frustrated murder for wounding Mr. Sytin’s body guard. Fellow accused Edgardo P. Luib, the alleged hit man, was arrested by the Philippine National Police last March. Mr. Luib tagged Mr. Sytin as the alleged mastermind in the killing of his brother, who was the chief executive officer of United Auctioneers, Inc., chairman of Foton Philippines, and director and chairman of the board of listed LMG Chemicals Corp. In a statement, Mr. Sytin said he will file a petition for review before the Justice secretary to seek the reversal of the prosecutor’s resolution. “I am determined to immediately set aside the false and baseless charges against me as it is my right and the right of the ‘clearly innocent’ to be free from the trouble, expense and anxiety of a protracted trial.” — Vann Marlo M. Villegas

Cebu City plans to tap P2B from SRP lot sale

AFTER WITHDRAWING the case questioning the sale of lots at the South Road Properties (SRP), the Cebu City government now plans to tap the P2-billion consigned payment from developers that was blocked under the former administration. “The mayor (Edgardo C. Labella) acknowledges the validity of the sale. The city council already authorized the legal office to withdraw the petition for declaratory relief, so the city can also withdraw the amount,” Lawyer Jose C. Daluz III, special assistant to the mayor, told The Freeman. He explained that with the withdrawal of the petition, there is no legal impediment for the city to tap the money from the firms that bought a 26.3-hectare lot at the SRP. In 2017, Ayala Land, Inc., Cebu Holdings Inc. and SM Prime Holdings consigned to the court about P2 billion in payments after the previous administration refused to accept the second installment on the purchased lot. Former mayor Tomas R. Osmeña considered the sales “invalid” and “illegal” because of alleged defects in the transactions. Mr. Daluz said the administration of Mr. Labella is considering using the fund for the city’s second supplemental budget this year, which includes financial assistance for senior citizens and persons with disabilities, among others. — The Freeman

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