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Malditas settle for fourth at AFF Women’s Championship

THE 2019 AFF Women’s Championship campaign of the Philippine national football team ended on Tuesday with the Filipinas settling for a fourth-place finish.

Faced off with Myanmar in the battle for third at the IPE Chonburi Stadium in Thailand, the Malditas fell on the raw end of the contest, losing, 3-0.

The Philippines did a good job in holding off Myanmar in the opening half but just could not contain the latter when the floodgates opened in the second fold.

Forward Yee Yee Oo broke through for Myanmar in the 63rd minute to break the nil-nil tie.

Two more goals from midfielder Nu Nu in the next nine minutes created further distance for their team from which the Malditas could not recover from.

Overall the Malditas finished with a 3-3 record in six games and the fourth-place finish was their best in the tournament to date.

Midfielders Camille Rodriguez and Quinley Quezada were the top scorers of the Malditas in the highly competitive tournament with four goals each.

“It hurts but we grow and we learn, so that we know how to face even tougher adversities next time. Gotta keep that fire burning so we continue to write more new chapters!” the Malditas wrote on their official Facebook page.

Vietnam emerged as the champion, beating Thailand in the finals. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo

Russian SuperFinals

72nd Russian Championship SuperFinals
Votkinsk/Izhevsk, Udmurt Republic, Russia
August 10-22, 2019

Final Standings (All top 12 are GM)

1 . Evgeny Tomashevsky 2706, 7.0/11

2-4. Nikita Vitiugov 2728, Maxim Matlakov 2710, Ernesto Inarkiev 2682, 6.5/11

5-8. Alexander Motylev 2668, Vladislav Artemiev 2757, Alexandr Predke 2650, Kirill Alekseenko 2668, 5.5/11

9. Aleksey Dreev 2662, 5.0/11

10-11. Alexey Sarana 2635, Vladimir Fedoseev 2671, 4.5/11

12. Dmitry Jakovenko 2704, 3.5/11

Average ELO 2688 Category 18

Time Control: 90 minutes for the first 40 moves, then 30 minutes play-to-finish with 30 seconds added to your clock after every move (the so-called increment) starting move 1

Together with the start of the Russian SuperFinals their Federation also announced that the Russian Ministry of Education has now decided to make chess a compulsory subject throughout Russia. In April this year, chess lessons were introduced in 18,000 Russian schools, almost half of all general education schools in Russia. Starting Sept. 1, all Russian first graders will study chess for at least 33 hours per year. Chess replaces the third period of physical education class.

This new rule was hailed as a giant step towards ensuring the continued discovery of young chess talents all over the country.

Do you know that here in the Philippines we already had such a program 10 years ago? Through the efforts of Bro. Rolando Dizon of Dela Salle University, DepEd Memo No. 1 series of 2009 was passed “Strengthening the Development of Higher Order Thinking Skills and Values Among Children Through Chess.” This was signed by then Secretary of Education Jesli Lapus.

It mandated to adopt chess as another strategy to promote the development of higher order thinking skills and values among Grades 3-6 children in the subject “Edukasyon sa Pagpapalakas ng Katawan.” In addition to that chess will be continuously used at the secondary level also as part of the Physical Education curriculum. Likewise, it shall remain as a game category in the Provincial, Regional and National Athletic Meets.

Guidelines were also set out in the same Department Memorandum on what the various Divisions, Regions and Central Office should do to implement the new Order.

Well, the stage was set but there was no follow-up, and the whole enterprise just died a natural death. I hope the same thing does not happen to the Russian initiative.

Back to the Russian Chess SuperFinals. As I told you last Tuesday GM (Grandmaster) Evgeny Tomashevsky won his second Russian Championship with a 3-win 8 draw score to finish half a point ahead of his pursuers.

Vladislav Artemiev was one the ELO favorite and the current European Champion, as well as placing a strong second in last December’s World Rapid Championships. Here in Izhevsk though he could only notch up an even score (3 wins, 3 losses, 5 draws). Even more of a negative surprise was Dmitry Jakovenko who tied for first in last year’s SuperFinals. He was unrecognizable here, finishing last with no wins, 4 losses and 7 draws.

There are three names here which might not be familiar to the BW reader. There is the 19-year-old Alexey Sarana, the 22-year-old GM from St. Petersburg Kirill Alekseenko and 25-year-old GM Alexandr Predke (from Dimitovgrad). All three of them qualified for the SuperFinals by topping the qualification event in Yaroslavl, the 2019 Higher League (actually, five players qualified, the other two being the veteran Alexey Dreev and former European Champion Alexander Motylev).

Today, however, I would like to highlight the attractive attacking play of GM Kirill Alekseenko. Born in 1997 in Saint Petersburg, Alekseenko earned his grandmaster title in 2015. He had achieved the necessary norms in 2012 but did not reach the required FIDE rating of over 2500 until 2015. He has won the Chigorin Memorial, one of the strongest Russian Opens, in three consecutive years 2015, 2016 and 2017.

First, a short sidetrip. Magnus Carlsen has popularized a way of playing against the Sicilian Defense, and I am going to show it to you right now. Since I had already previously annotated this game in “Chess Piece,” I will just point out the major highlights.

Svidler, Peter (2735) — Carlsen, Magnus (2845) [B30]
GRENKE Chess Classic 6th Karlsruhe/Baden Baden (8), 28.04.2019

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 e5 4.Bc4 Be7 5.d3 d6 6.Nd2

This is Kasparov’s idea, fortifying White’s hold on the d5–square by means of Nf3–d2–f1–e3.

6…Nf6 7.Nf1

Step 1. Bring his knight from f6–d7–b6 with the idea of destroying the c4–bishop.

7…Nd7!? 8.Nd5 Nb6 9.Nxb6!?

White wants to keep his light-squared bishop.

9…axb6 10.c3

This pawn move is important. if immediately 10.Ne3 then 10…b5! 11.Bxb5 Qa5+ forking the white king and bishop.

10…0–0 11.Ne3

Step 2. Black’s dark-squared bishop is hemmed in by his own pawns. He should exchange it off, preferably with its counterpart bishop.

11…Bg5 12.0–0 Kh8

Annotating this game for “New in Chess” magazine GM Peter Nielsen remarked that here Kramnik took on e3 followed by …Qe7 and Be6 equalizing. To wit: 12…Bxe3 13.Bxe3 Qe7 14.f4 exf4 15.Bxf4 Be6 16.Bxe6 Qxe6 17.Qb3 Qxb3 18.axb3 Rad8 19.Bg3 Rd7 20.Rf5 Rfd8 21.b4 Ne7 ½–½ Leko, P. (2739)-Kramnik, V. (2785) Dortmund 2003. So, no problem getting the draw, but then Nielsen asks “but how do you actually play for a win?” Magnus’ answer is to go for ..f7–f5, and he shows here how.

13.a3?! f5! 14.Nxf5 Bxc1 15.Rxc1 Bxf5 16.exf5 d5! 17.Ba2 Rxf5 18.Qg4 Rf6 19.f4?! exf4 20.Qg5

[20.Rxf4? is refuted by 20…Ne5! 21.Qg3 Rxf4 22.Qxf4 Nxd3]

20…Qf8!

Now Magnus’ attack develops of its own accord.

21.Qxd5

Trying to get his bishop back into play with 21.Bxd5 does not work because of 21…Rf5!

21…Rd8! 22.Qf3 Ne5 23.Qe4 Ng4!

Going for …Ne3.

24.Rce1 Ne3 25.Rf2 Re8! 26.Qxb7 g5! 27.Rfe2 g4 28.Rf2 Qh6! 29.Qc7 Ref8! 30.h3 gxh3 31.g3 fxg3 32.Rxf6!? h2+! 33.Kh1 g2# 0–1

Now let us look at how Alekseenko adopted Magnus’ idea.

Jakovenko, Dmitry (2711) — Alekseenko, Kirill (2650) [B30]
72nd RUS-ch SuperFinals 2019 Izhevsk (6.6), 16.08.2019

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 e5 4.Bc4 Be7 5.d3 d6 6.Nd2

Are we seeing the end of Kasparov’s maneuver with this knight? Wesley So has opined that the line with 6. O-O Nf6 7. Ng5 $1 O-O 8. f4 exf4 9. Bxf4 h6 10. Nf3 Be6 11. Nd5 is better for White.

6…Nf6 7.Nf1 Nd7 8.Nd5 Nb6 9.Nxb6 axb6 10.Ne3?!

As I pointed out in the previous game White should play 10.c3 first.

10…Bg5

For some reason Alekseenko does not go for 10…b5! where the bishop is forced to b3 or d5 because 11.Bxb5 loses to 11…Qa5+!. Anyway he perhaps did not want to get sidetracked and proceeds to step 2 of the Carlsen plan, exchange off the dark-squared bishop, preferably for its white counterpart.

11.0–0 0–0 12.a4 Kh8 13.Nd5 Bxc1 14.Qxc1 f5

Step 3, Open the f-file and attack like crazy.

15.exf5 Bxf5 16.f4 Be6 17.Qd2 Bg8 18.f5!?

Jakovenko is a positional player and one of Russia’s finest endgame specialists. I wonder about this move, did he intend to follow this up with g2–g4?

18…Nd4! 19.c3

It turns out that 19.g4? is not possible because of 19…b5! 20.Ba2 (20.axb5? Rxa1 21.Rxa1 Nf3+) 20…Rxa4 21.Qg2 b4 Black is already winning.

19…Nxf5 20.Qe2 Bxd5 21.Bxd5 Qd7 22.Qf3

Winning back his pawn as he is threatening Bxb7 as well as g2–g4.

22…Rf6 23.Bxb7 Raf8 24.Bc6 Qd8 25.Be4 Ne7 26.Qh3 g6 27.Rxf6 Rxf6 28.Qe3 Qc7 29.b4 cxb4 30.cxb4 Qc3 31.Qe1 Qd4+ 32.Kh1 d5 33.Bf3 Nc6 <D>

POSITION AFTER 33…NC6

The crucial position.

34.a5?

A serious misjudgement. Jakovenko goes for an a-pawn fastbreak but Alekseenko’s attacking prospects kick in with more speed.

34…Nxb4 35.a6? Nxd3 36.Qb1 Nf2+ 37.Kg1 g5!

Probably what Mr. Jakovenko overlooked. The idea behind this move is to clear the way to h6 for the Black rook so that if for example 38.a7 Ne4+ 39.Kh1 Ng3+! 40.hxg3 Rh6+ followed by mate.

38.Qa2

So that if 38…Ne4+ 39.Kf1 there is no mate on f2.

38…Ng4+ 39.Kh1

[39.Kf1 Nxh2+ 40.Ke1 (40.Ke2 e4) 40…Nxf3+ 41.gxf3 Rxf3 Black wins]

39…Qf4! 0–1

The point is that after 39…Qf4 40.Kg1 Qe3+ 41.Kh1 (41.Kf1 Nxh2#) 41…Nf2+ 42.Kg1 Ne4+ 43.Kf1 (43.Kh1 Ng3+) 43…Ng3+ 44.hxg3 Rh6–+ the devastating …Rh1 cannot be stopped]

 

Bobby Ang is a founding member of the National Chess Federation of the Philippines (NCFP) and its first Executive Director. A Certified Public Accountant, he taught accounting in the University of Santo Tomas for 25 years and is currently Chief Audit Executive of the Equicom Group of Companies.

bobby@cpamd.net

Vulnerable

Longtime hoops observers have made a big deal out of the United States last week losing for the first time in international competition since 2006, and rightly so. It experienced its maiden setback against Australia, in the process breaking a 78-match win streak covering six tournaments and all exhibitions in between. Moreover, the development underscored the fragile state of USA Basketball heading into the World Cup this weekend; over the last year, all but four of the 35 players USA Basketball included in the national team pool saw fit to drop out of consideration for one reason or another, leaving the final roster devoid of star power.

Needless to say, Australia’s stalwarts rejoiced in the outcome along with 52,079 fans who packed Marvel Stadium in Melbourne. Meanwhile, those who toiled for the US wasted no time moving on and chalking it up as inconsequential in the grad scheme of things. “At the end of the day, this game doesn’t count,” said Donovan Mitchell, by far and so far the best in red, white, and blue. “Obviously, it hurts to lose, but I look at this as more of a learning experience.” And, true enough, head coach Gregg Popovich’s charges bounced back on their very next outing, making short work of Canada to win pulling away at the Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney.

Granted, the US remains far and away the favorite in China over the next fortnight. For all the big-name withdrawals, its lineup is still the most skilled and athletic. The problem, as its five tuneup set-tos have highlighted, is cohesion — or, to be more precise, lack thereof. On paper, it appears capable of taking the measure of any of the other 31 teams in the World Cup. In practice, though, it has been anything but sharp. Against Canada, for instance, it couldn’t buy a bucket from long range and coughed up the ball too many times for comfort.

And so the US will be at its most vulnerable in a long while. The gap between it and its competition boasting of 50 heralds with National Basketball Association experience is closing anew, and nothing short of a concerted effort will keep it at the top. If there’s anything Popovich is proficient at, though, it’s squeezing the most out of the talent he has at his disposal. It’s why confidence continues to ooze in the locker room, and why, for as long as said confidence doesn’t turn into cockiness, Gold should still be the most likely finish.

 

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.

Peso down on BSP easing bets

THE PESO edged lower on Wednesday as the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) chief hinted on another rate cut this year.

The local unit ended at P52.321 against the greenback on Wednesday, shedding 6.1 centavos from its P52.26-to-a-dollar close on Tuesday.

The peso opened at P52.28 versus the dollar. It traded in a tight range, with its weakest point recorded at P52.33, while its intraday best was at P52.22 against the greenback.

Dollars traded on Wednesday thinned to $1.107 billion against the $1.221 billion seen on Tuesday.

“The peso weakened following dovish comment from BSP Governor [Benjamin E.] Diokno of a possible policy rate cut and lingering market caution amid tensions between the US and China,” a currency trader said in an e-mail.

Another trader said the local currency is “consolidating” as the market awaits fresh leads this week.

“But the trend this week is a weaker peso amid risk-off sentiment as market watchers awaits resolution of escalating US-China trade war,” the second trader said in a phone interview.

Last Tuesday, BSP chief Mr. Diokno said the market can expect another 25-basis-point cut before the year ends. He also signalled another reduction in banks’ required deposit reserves before the Sept. 26 policy meeting.

For today, traders said the peso may decline on strong US data.

“The local currency might weaken further on bets that the second revision of the US GDP (gross domestic product) growth report [today] is expected to remain firm from the initial estimate,” the first trader said.

The first trader expects the peso to move at a range of P52.20 to P52.40 against the dollar today, while the second trader sees it playing within the P52.10-to-P52.50 band. — Mark T. Amoguis

PSEi rebounds as investors pick up blue chips

By Arra B. Francia, Senior Reporter

THE MAIN INDEX recovered on Wednesday as investors picked up heavyweight stocks oversold in the previous session.

The benchmark Philippine Stock Exchange index (PSEi) firmed up 1.29% or 100.12 points to close at 7,847.50, bouncing back from Tuesday’s losses. The broader all-shares index likewise jumped 0.89% or 42.01 points to 4,748.81.

“We saw some minor gains in blue chips that were sold off heavily yesterday. This allowed the main index to end higher today… The PSEi continues to trade within the range of 7,750 and 7,920 which may continue till the end of the month,” AAA Southeast Equities, Inc. Research Head Christopher John Mangun said in e-mail on Wednesday.

Among the day’s top gainers were JG Summit Holdings, Inc. (up 3.69%), Universal Robina Corp. (up 1.96%), SM Investments Corp. (up 1.92%), Megaworld Corp. (up 4.16%), and Ayala Land, Inc. (up 1.06%).

“Philippine shares were bought up this time after being aggressively oversold [on Tuesday] as investors viewed the local market in a less volatile state than the rest of the region,” Regina Capital Development Corp. Head of Sales Luis A. Limlingan said in a mobile phone message.

The local bourse defied the weakness in international markets which were once again spooked by the yield curve inversion. The Dow Jones Industrial Average slumped 0.47% or 120.93 points to 25,777.90. The S&P 500 index dropped 0.32% or 9.22 points to 2,869.16, while the Nasdaq Composite index slipped 0.34% or 26.79 points to 7,826.95.

Asian indices were mixed, also weighed down by fears of the US recession and the trade war. The US confirmed that it will impose 10-15% additional tariffs on $300 billion worth of Chinese goods this Sunday, Sept. 1, in response to China’s decision to slap 5-10% more duties on $75 billion worth of American imports.

Japan’s Nikkei 225 went up 0.11% or 23.34 points to 20,479.42. The Shanghai Composite dipped 0.29% or 8.44 points to 2,893.76, while the Hang Seng index also slid 0.14% or 36.59 points to 25,627.48.

Back home, mining and oil was the lone counter that ended lower, dropping 0.15% or 12.38 points to close at 8,179.16.

The rest went up, led by holding firms which rose 2.06% or 157.01 points to 7,777.51. Property gained 1.38% or 54.45 points to 3,996.75; financials advanced 0.45% or 8.23 points to 1,800.32; industrials went up 0.34% or 37.22 points to 10,943.80, while services added 0.32% or 5.02 points to 1,573.16.

Advancers outpaced decliners, 118 to 83, while 47 names were unchanged.

Some 1.38 billion issues switched hands valued at P8.36 billion, lower than the previous session’s P13.47 billion.

Foreign investors were net sellers for the sixth straight session at P557.83 million, albeit lower than Tuesday’s P1.58 billion.

Chinese ship owner says sorry for mishap

THE OWNER of the Chinese ship that sank a Filipino fishing boat at Reed Bank in the South China Sea has apologized, two months after the mishap, according to a letter addressed to the Philippine Foreign Affairs department.

“I feel deep regret that this accident had to happen and I would like to express my deep sympathy to the Filipino fishermen,” according to the letter coursed through a certain Chinese group. “The shipowner of the Chinese fishing boat involved, through our association, would like to express his sincere apology to the Filipino fishermen.”

Yesterday’s apology comes more than two months after a Filipino fishing boat was sunk and abandoned by the Chinese trawler in Recto Bank, part of the islets claimed by both the Philippines and China.

It also comes on the day President Rodrigo R. Duterte is set to leave for an official visit to China. Mr. Duterte will meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping during his visit.

The Chinese fishing boat, registered in Guangdong, takes responsibility for the accident even if it was unintentional, according to the group’s letter.

The group said the Philippines should file a claim for damages related to the incident. “The Philippine side is requested to file a specific appeal for civil compensation based on actual loss,” according to the letter.

The group also assured the Philippines that the Chinese ship owner would try to hasten the claims.

The Chinese Embassy on June 14 denied that a Chinese ship had sunk a Filipino boat in a “hit-and-run” incident. It said the Chinese ship was “besieged by seven or eight Filipino fishing boats,” preventing it from rescuing the Filipino fishermen.

It later sent its sympathies to the 22 distressed fishermen who were abandoned at sea for hours and were later saved by a Vietnamese fishing vessel.

In the signed letter, Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro L. Locsin Jr. said he had “noted” the Chinese ship owner’s apology.

The Chinese vessel had failed to take measures to avoid the collision and eventually abandoned the Filipino boat’s crew, in violation of maritime laws, the Philippine Coast Guard and Maritime Industry Authority said in a report in June.

Mr. Duterte had described the incident as a “little maritime accident,” and said the Philippines was not ready to go to war with China.

Defense Secretary Delfin N. Lorenzana, on the other hand, denounced the actions of the Chinese fishing vessel for leaving the scene of the incident. The military chief had said the Filipino fishing boat was anchored when it was hit by the Chinese fishing vessel.

“The apology coming from the Chinese side, while two months late, shows the validity of the Philippine version of the incident,” Senator Francis N. Tolentino, vice-chairman of the foreign relations committee, said yesterday.

“We should pursue a civil claim for damages to give justice to our fishermen as well as seek other routes to protect them in the future hand-in-hand with our sovereign rights,” he said.

Mr. Duterte earlier said he planned to invoke a 2016 ruling by an international arbitration panel in the Hague that rebuffed Chinese claims over parts of the South China Sea when he visits Beijing later this month.

The United Nations tribunal in July 2016 ruled China’s efforts to assert control over the South China Sea exceeded the law, rejecting its shared claims with Taiwan to more than 80% of the main waterway.

China rejected the decision of the international court, which has failed to halt its island-building activities in areas also claimed by the Philippines, Vietnam, Brunei, Malaysia and Taiwan. — Charmaine A. Tadalan

Duterte to discuss conflict, cooperation with China’s leader Xi

By Arjay L. Balinbin, Reporter

PRESIDENT Rodrigo R. Duterte was set to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing today to discuss conflict issues and economic cooperation, the presidential palace said yesterday.

The two leaders will also witness the signing of several agreements on education, science and technology, and economic and social development.

China might raise the issue of the Chinese-dominated Philippine Offshore Gaming Operations (POGO), which China deems illegal, presidential spokesman Salvador S. Panelo said at a televised briefing in Beijing yesterday.

Mr. Duterte earlier said he would invoke the 2016 arbitral ruling that voided China’s claims to more than 80% of the South China Sea.

He said he would also bring up delays in the South China Sea Code of Conduct, and raise a planned joint oil exploration in the disputed waterway. Mr. Duterte had said he favored a 60-40 sharing in the Philippines’ favor.

The two countries signed a memorandum of understanding on oil and gas development in the South China Sea during Mr. Xi’s visit to Manila in November last year.

“The authority granted to the president is limited to entering into agreements with foreign-owned corporations,” Michael Henry Ll. Yusingco, a senior research fellow at the Ateneo de Manila University Policy Center, said in an email.

He said the Philippine Constitution bars any joint exploration deal with foreign countries including China. “A joint exploration agreement with a Chinese-owned corporation can possibly be sanctioned by the charter, but this will definitely be questioned in the Supreme Court given that most Chinese corporations are mere proxies of the Chinese government,” he added.

The Department of Energy banned all exploration and drilling activities in disputed areas of the South China Sea starting in 2014 pending the sea dispute with China.

Mr. Duterte was also scheduled to meet with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Friday afternoon before he leaves for the port city of Guanzhou to support the Philippines’ men’s basketball team in its game against Italy at the 2019 FIBA World Cup.

PhilHealth officials face graft at DoJ

GOVERNMENT agents filed graft charges against 21 officials and employees of the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) for allowing a company to do business with the government despite findings of fraud.

PhilHealth officials accredited WellMed Dialysis and laboratory Center Corp. this year even after discovering fraudulent claims, Catherine Camposano-Remigio, chief of the National Bureau of Investigation’s Anti-Graft Division, told reporters yesterday.

PhilHealth’s regional office failed to conduct periodic monitoring of WellMed as required by law, according to a copy of the complaint filed with the Justice department.

The agency’s accreditation subcommittee also continued processing WellMed claims even after the company’s accreditation was endorsed for withdrawal.

The accreditation department also failed to withdraw WellMed’s permit after it was informed of the company’s violations, referring it instead to a subcommittee that was unauthorized to deal with it, the NBI said.

The Justice department in June indicted WellMed owner and Vice-President Bryan Christopher W. Sy and whistleblowers Edwin C. Roberto and Liezel Aileen Santos-De Leon for conspiring to collect payments from PhilHealth for medical services to patients who had died.

In a sworn statement attached to the complaint, Mr. Roberto said it was Mr. Sy who had ordered him to file the dialysis claims of two dead patients. Before he resigned in 2018, 27 claims made up of 280 sessions worth P808,600 were claimed.

Early this month, a Quezon City regional trial court dismissed for lack of jurisdiction an estafa case filed by the NBI against the respondents. NBI said the complaint had been re-filed before a metropolitan trial court. — Vann Marlo M. Villegas

Board created to regulate fishery profession

PRESIDENT Rodrigo R. Duterte has signed into law a bill creating a professional regulatory board for the fishery profession.

The Philippine Fisheries Act, signed on Aug. 22, will “sustain the food security and economic development of the country” and upgrade standards of fishery education.

The board will set up quality standards for fishery professionals that will guide schools and colleges, through the Commission on Higher Education (CHEd).

The Professional Regulation Commission will supervise the newly created board composed of a chairman and four members.

The new board will administer and supervise licensure exams for admission to the practice of the fishery profession. — Arjay L. Balinbin

Duterte told to delegate power over BuCor

PRESIDENT Rodrigo R. Duterte should issue an order allowing the Justice department to overrule decisions of the Bureau of Corrections, an opposition senator said yesterday.

The president should delegate his control over the prison agency to the Justice secretary after an unpopular decision to free former Calauan Mayor Antonio Sanchez, a convicted rapist and murderer, Senator Franklin M. Drilon told reporters.

The Senate will investigate the bureau’s enforcement of the law on parole and its earlier plan to release the former politician for good conduct.

Mr. Sanchez was sentenced to seven life terms in 1995 for the rape and murder of two University of the Philippine students in 1993.

“The focus of the investigation, if I may suggest, should be on how the Good Conduct Time Allowance Law is being implemented,” Mr. Drilon said. “Is it implemented properly, or do we have a basis to say that there is corruption?”

Senator Richard J. Gordon, whose justice committee will conduct the probe, said he had filed a bill to computerize prison records for a more accurate computation of remaining service time.

He said Mr. Sanchez was unqualified for parole give his bad record while in jail. Mr. Sanchez violated several prison rules including smuggling illegal drugs and receiving luxuries such as a flat screen TV and air conditioning in his cell, Mr. Gordon said in the bill’s explanatory note. — Charmaine A. Tadalan

Storm Jenny leaves behind landslides, closed bridges

TROPICAL STORM Jenny, the 10th to enter the country this year, exited the Philippine area Wednesday, leaving behind landslides and damaged bridges. Among those affected were portions of the Baguio-Bontoc Road, and clearing operations were ongoing yesterday except along K0362+680 in Busa, Sabangan, with the road washed out and will need funds for repair, according to the Department of Public Works and Highway’s (DPWH) Cordillera Administrative Region office. In Isabela, the Turod-Banquero bridge was damaged and not passable. In Biliran, the spillway/detour in Caraycaray River was cut-off by floodwaters. The Caraycaray Bridge is passable only for four-wheel and light vehicles. Vehicles with more than four wheels and heavy equipment have been advised to take the Biliran-Cabucgayan-Caibiran Cross Country Road in going to Naval, Tacloban City, and other parts of Eastern Visayas. As of 4 p.m. yesterday, weather bureau PAGASA reported that Jenny was already 510 kilometers west of Dagupan City, Pangasinan, which is outside the Philippine area.

Hitman in Sytin case pleads guilty

EDGARDO P. Luib, the self-confessed hitman in the killing of businessman Dominic L. Sytin, has pleaded guilty to his murder charge. Senior Assistant State Prosecutor confirmed that Mr. Luib also pleaded guilty to his frustrated murder charge for wounding Mr. Sytin’s bodyguard Efren Espartero. The Department of Justice (DoJ) last month indicted Mr. Luib along with Mr. Sytin’s younger brother, Alan Dennis L. Sytin, and Oliver D. Fuentes in connection with the incident on Nov. 28 last year outside the Lighthouse Hotel at the Subic Bay Freeport Zone. The slain Mr. Sytin was the CEO of United Auctioneers, Inc., chairman of Foton Philippines, and director and chairman of the board of the listed LMG Chemicals Corp. Mr. Luib, who was arrested by the Philippine National Police last March tagged the younger Sytin as the murder’s mastermind. — Vann Marlo M. Villegas

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