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Gilas 12

The final composition of Gilas Pilipinas seeing action at the FIBA Basketball World Cup beginning later this week has been announced; an interesting mix of veteran and young players which this space cannot wait to see perform at the much-anticipated hoops spectacle.

Following the team’s final tune-up game on Sunday against the visiting Adelaide 36ers, the country’s basketball federation — the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas — unveiled the 12 players that will represent the Philippines in the World Cup.

Selected for this latest tour of duty for the Worlds were Japeth Aguilar, Raymond Almazan, Mark Barroca, naturalized player Andray Blatche, Robert Bolick, June Mar Fajardo, Paul Lee, Gabe Norwood, CJ Perez, Roger Pogoy, Kiefer Ravena and Troy Rosario.

The 12 were chosen from a pool of 19 players that included naturalized players Christian Standhardinger and Stanley Pringle, Marcio Lassiter, Beau Belga, Matthew Wright and Poy Erram as well as Filipino-American National Basketball Association guard Jordan Clarkson.

Looking at the final roster of Gilas, there is no denying that the team is going for experience in competitions like the World Cup while also infusing some young blood in preparation for the future.

Five players from the 2014 team that saw action in the World Cup in Spain are back, namely, Blatche, Fajardo, Norwood, Lee and Aguilar, while stalwarts from Gilas’ Qualifier bid Rosario, Pogoy, Barroca, Almazan and Ravena are also part of the squad.

The only new players in the team are Perez and Bolick, who for all indications would be among the faces of the Gilas program moving forward.

The team has no bona-fide shooters from the outside in the mold of a Lassiter and Wright, who got the injury bug in the lead-up which prevented them from being part of the team, but I think the squad could manage with proven scorers like Lee, Ravena, Blatche, Pogoy, Bolick and Perez who have it in them to get it done in its fold.

Height has always been a problem for the Philippines in international basketball wars and the same could be experienced in this one.

However, what I like with the “bigs” that we have in this team is that mobility is going their way, which should allow them to keep in step with their counterparts from the other teams and even pose problems of their own, especially with their ability to hit from the outside.

We had some success with such makeup back in 2014 with Ranidel de Ocampo and Mark Pingris playing and I do not see why it cannot be achieved as well this time around.

Defensively this team is sound at different fronts.

I like the inclusion of Perez, which I actually batted for to be included in the team in an earlier column piece, as his tremendous motor should be of help for the team, particularly on the defensive end.

Barroca, Bolick, Ravena, Pogoy and Norwood are no pushovers as well when it comes to defense, which bodes well for the team.

The team’s preparation, or lack thereof, is a concern as I am sure if the team had its way it would have wanted to have a far longer time to prepare.

But under Coach Yeng Guiao the team seemingly made the most of what it had on its hands, and still continuing to fine-tune its game before they fly to China to compete.

Just few more days and Gilas will stake its claim on the big stage. It is not going to be easy for sure, but then again it is the World Cup and nothing is walk in the park on that level.

So to Gilas, all the best and make the country proud. Laban lang Pilipinas!

 

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

msmurillo@bworldonline.com

Feeling good

Serena Williams had become a question mark heading into the United States Open. In part, it was because a cacophony of injuries — including back issues that compelled her to pull out of two tuneup events — further reduced her already-sparse schedule. In larger measure, it was due to her disappointing performances in tournaments where she did manage to show up. To be sure, “disappointing” is applied relative to expectations, which have remained outsized despite her advancing age, physical challenges, and, in the face of motherhood, redefined priorities. Needless to say, any other player would have been feted for making the final in three of five Grand Slam appearances.

And so it was that Williams found herself the subject of speculation as she prepped for her campaign at Flushing Meadows. For those from the outside looking in, it certainly didn’t help that longtime foil Maria Sharapova wound up not just being on her bracket, but her opponent right off the bat. Social media went on overdrive, with the first-round set-to dubbed the one can’t-miss affair of Day One of the tournament. As things turned out, though, the challenge was precisely what she needed to hit the ground running. By her own admission, she became motivated by the prospect of winning against a player not a few quarters deemed worthy of her attention.

Well, Williams made sure to remind critics that she, in fact, continues to have no equal. She didn’t need to, really, not with yesterday’s 6-1, 6-1 shellacking representing her 19th straight win over Sharapova, and 20th against just two setbacks — the last dating back to 2004 — on aggregate. Even when the latter was primed and in prime, she stamped her class; more so now with her supposed rival no longer in peak form. As she noted in her post-mortem, “whenever I come up against her, I play my best tennis.” Indeed, so dominant was she that the match lasted a mere 59 minutes, during which she won twice as many points as she lost and broke serve five times, as many as she saved hers.

Whether Williams can build momentum to navigate the next fortnight in style remains to be seen. For now, however, she appears to be in perfect position. “My body’s good. I feel good,” she disclosed. “This is going to be fun.” No doubt, her cause is helped by the decision of the US Tennis Association to steer chair umpire Carlos Ramos — who oversaw last year’s controversial final that had her on the wrong end of three code violations en route to a loss — clear of her schedule. Never mind her deadpan “I don’t know who that is” response to queries on her reaction to the development. In any case, she looks ready — and, not without irony, made so by Sharapova. Enough said.

 

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.

Gov’t to include Misuari group in peace effort

PRESIDENT RODRIGO R. DUTERTE welcomed Moro National Liberation Front Chairman Nur Misuari in Malacañang on Nov. 3, 2016 after a court suspended a warrant for his arrest.

THE PHILIPPINE government will create a body that seeks to include a breakaway Muslim rebel group in efforts to end decades of strife in the Mindanao region, the presidential palace said yesterday.

President Rodrigo R. Duterte met with Moro National Liberation Front Chairman Nur Misuari in Davao City last Friday to discuss how his group can help bring peace to southern Philippines, presidential spokesman Salvador S. Panelo said in a statement.

The president told Mr. Misuari about his desire to form a coordinating committee between the government and MNLF.

Mr. Duterte also ordered his peace adviser to convene the coordinating committee by the second week of September in Davao City to set the agenda and start discussions with Mr. Misuari’s group.

Presidential Peace Adviser Carlito G. Galvez, Jr. said last week Mr. Duterte was considering creating another autonomous government for the MNLF.

Mr. Misuari wants to involve the Organization of Islamic Cooperation in the negotiations, Mr. Panelo said.

The setup is similar to past tripartite talks between the government and the MNLF that also involved the OIC to ensure that the Philippines, which is predominantly Catholic, fully complies with the 1996 peace agreement with Mr. Misuari’s group, Mr. Panelo said.

The government wants the MNLF to help it fight the Abu Sayyaf Group and convince families to return to the fold of the law, he added.

The Abu Sayyaf, the most violent terrorist group in the Mindanao region, uses terror for profit and to promote jihadist agenda, and engages in kidnapping for ransom, bombings, assassinations and extortion, according to the US National Counterterrorism Center.

The Muslim region in a Jan. 21 referendum overwhelmingly favored the creation of a new autonomous body known as Bangsamoro, which will have its own parliament, more political power and greater funding.

Bangsamoro will govern a greater territory than the old autonomous region after Cotabato, one of the more prosperous cities on the island, voted to be included.

Bangsamoro was created after years of talks with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, which signed a separate peace deal with the government under then President Benigno S.C. Aquino III.

Lawmakers shelved the creation of the autonomous unit after a police operation in Mamasapano town, Maguindanao province turned deadly when 44 commandos were killed by Muslim rebels in January 2015.

Mindanao, the country’s food basket, has suffered from decades of Muslim insurgency, with many companies avoiding to invest in the region because of the war. — Arjay L. Balinbin

Court asked to stop pension scheme for OFWs

A GROUP representing Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) has asked the Supreme Court to stop the Social Security System (SSS) from collecting pension contributions from land-based workers overseas.

In a 37-page petition, Migrante International said the law mandating pension coverage of land-based Filipinos working abroad violates the equal protection clause of the Constitution.

Land-based OFWs are considered self-employed and must pay SSS contributions both as an employer and employee, resulting in monthly deductions of as much as P2,400, according to a copy of the lawsuit. Sea-based OFWs pay only P800, it said.

“It is unreasonable and oppressive to land-based OFWs,” according to the filing.

Under the rules, an overseas Filipino worker must pay his contribution before leaving the country. Overseas workers returning to their jobs must also pay three months worth of contributions or P7,200.

Also named respondents aside from SSS Chairman Carlos G. Dominguez III were SSS President and Vice-Chairman Aurora C. Ignacio, Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin, Jr., Labor Secretary Silvestre H. Bello III and Philippine Overseas Employment Administration Administrator Bernard Olalia.

The requirement deprives overseas workers of their property without due process, the plaintiff said. “Preventing a land-based OFW from leaving the country to work abroad, unless the three month/one-month self-employed contribution is paid, is a deprivation of the right to work and achieve a life of dignity and a decent standard of living.”

Treating land-based OFWs differently from sea-based OFWs is baseless, Migrante also said.

Remittances from Filipinos working overseas reached an all-time high of $32.3 billion last year, making up almost a tenth of the country’s gross domestic product, the plaintiff said, citing data from the central bank. — Vann Marlo M. Villegas

House seeks probe of convicts’ early release

A CONGRESSMAN has filed a resolution seeking to investigate a government program on the early release of convicted criminals for good conduct, after an uproar against a plan to free former Calauan Mayor Antonio Sanchez, a convicted rapist and murderer.

The congressional probe will determine whether someone should answer for the recommendation to free the ex-politician, Party-list Rep. Alfredo Garbin said in a statement on Tuesday.

President Rodrigo R. Duterte has ordered the Justice department not to release Mr. Sanchez, according to his former aide. The president has studied the case of the ex-mayor and determined that he’s ineligible for an early release because he committed a heinous crime, Senator Christopher Lawrence T. Go, Mr. Duterte’s former right-hand man, has said.

Mr. Duterte made this clear to Justice Secretary Menardo I. Guevarra and Bureau of Corrections chief Nicanor E. Faeldon, the lawmaker said.

Mr. Guevarra on Sunday said he would suspend the program on the early release of convicts for good conduct amid an uproar against the planned release of the ex-mayor.

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

Senator Juan Miguel F. Zubiri on Monday said he would file a bill amending the law that expands the application of early release for good conduct. The measure would specifically bar its application to heinous crimes such as murder, drug trafficking and kidnap for ransom, he said.

Mr. Guevarra said he got an order from the presidential palace to hold Mr. Sanchez’s release until legal issues are settled. It was the Justice chief who first announced the plan to release Mr. Sanchez along with thousands of convicts for good conduct, which he said could not be appealed.

Also yesterday, Mr. Guevarra said he had suspended the early release of prisoners for good conduct “as a precautionary measure and in the interest of prudence.” — Vince Angelo C. Ferreras and Vann Marlo M. Villegas

BARMM to start ‘phasing out’ 6,000 employees by Oct

MORE THAN 6,000 positions under the defunct Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) will be phased out starting October this year as part of the transition into the new Bangsamoro ARMM (BARMM). “We have roughly 6,000 plus employees who will undergo phasing out. These are employees from the different agencies of the now-defunct ARMM that are not absorbed. Exemption being are those who are from the sectors of education, health, and social services,” BARMM Spokesperson Naguib G. Sinarimbo said during a news conference Tuesday. BARMM Chief Minister Murad Ebrahim said the affected employees already underwent a general orientation on the gradual phasing out process and the new ministries have been “tasked to submit final computation of separation incentives of all affected employees to the (BARMM) Office of the Executive Secretary.” Mr. Sinarimbo said the process will be concluded by December. “The current budget under the GAA (General Appropriations Act) is good until December only,” he said. “Others are opting to separate during this process instead of waiting for their retirement since they will get a bigger separation pay compared to a regular retirement,” he added. A bigger workforce will be organized for the BARMM, which will be put in place starting 2020. “By next year, our bureaucracy will get bigger,” he said. Mr. Ebrahim assured that the new regional administration “will continue to work on what is best for our employees given the provisions of the (Bangsamoro) Organic Law. The rights and privileges of the employees envisioned in the transition plan shall serve as our priorities as we implement this difficult aspect of the transition.” — Tajallih S. Basman

Storm Jenny intensifies as it crosses Luzon; landfall expected in Aurora

TROPICAL STORM Jenny was expected to make landfall between 9 p.m. Tuesday and 1 a.m. Wednesday in Aurora, which has been placed under Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal (TCWS) #2 along with Isabela, Quirino, Nueva Vizcaya, Ifugao, and Mountain Province. As of weather bureau PAGASA’s 5 p.m. Tuesday update, most other parts of Luzon, were under TCWS #1. Light to moderate with intermittent to occasional heavy rains was also forecasted over Western and Central Visayas, Mindoro provinces, northern portion of Palawan (including Calamian and Cuyo Islands), Zambales and Bataan, Northern Mindanao, and Zamboanga Peninsula. As of 4 p.m. yesterday, Jenny was estimated at 290 kilometers (km) east of Infanta, Quezon. It is forecasted to be 320 km west-northwest of Dagupan City, Pangasinan by the afternoon and exit the Philippine area by Thursday afternoon.

Real property tax cut to cost Manila P1B

THE MANILA City government could lose an estimated P1 billion income from real property taxes with the new ordinance reversing a previous incremental increase on rates. However, the administration under Mayor Francisco Moreno Domagoso plans to offset this by improving collection efficiency. “So iko-cope up namin ‘yan (we will cope with that) through efficient and proper (collection of taxes),” City Council Majority Floor Leader Joel R. Chua, one of the principal authors of the ordinance, told BusinessWorld. “Naniniwala kasi si mayor na hindi natin kailangan mag-increase, ang kailangan natin maging efficient ‘yung pangongolekta (The mayor believes that we do not need to have an increase, what we need is to be efficient in collection),” he added. City Ordinance 8567, approved by the mayor last Aug. 23, cuts by 20% starting January 1, 2020 the 60% incremental increase in all real property taxes. “Kung ano ‘yung inin-crease sa’yo, babawasan ‘yun ng 20%, (What was increased before will be cut by 20%),” Mr. Chua explained. During the signing of the ordinance, Mr. Moreno said he is aiming to increase the city’s tax collection efficiency to 90% from the current 72%. The 60% increase took effect in 2014 based on City Ordinance No. 8330 passed in 2013 under then mayor Joseph E. Estrada. Mr. Moreno previously said the ceiling will be cut further by 10%. — Vann Marlo M. Villegas

Water impounding facility eyed in each Cebu City barangay

AN ORDINANCE mandating the construction of a communal water impounding facility in every barangay has been proposed to help address the water supply problem in Cebu City. The proposal, authored by Councilor Eugenio F. Gabuya, Jr., puts the city’s Department of Engineering and Public Works (DEPW) in charge of design and identifying the most suitable locations for the storage facilities. The Cebu City Health Department, meanwhile, will be tasked to monitor the facilities for water quality. Mr. Gabuya also recommends that the funds for the construction and maintenance of the structures be placed under the annual appropriations of the DEPW. The proposed ordinance has been submitted to the council’s committee on laws, ordinances, and styling for review. A public hearing will be scheduled after the committee’s evaluation. — The Freeman

More frequent Sarangani Bay monitoring planned with over 200 marine mammals — and trash — spotted

FIVE TYPES of marine mammals, numbering over 200, were spotted in Sarangani Bay during the recent quarterly monitoring activity led by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources Region 12 (DENR-12), but “patches of garbage” were also seen in the protected area. In a news release, DENR-12 said the team counted the following during their 3rd Quarter Monitoring last August 13-16: two Dwarf/Pygmy Sperm Whales in Malapatan, 40-60 Spinner Dolphins in Glan and Malapatan, 150-200 Fraser’s Dolphins in General Santos City and Glan, 4 Pygmy Killer Whales in Malapatan, and six Risso’s Dolphins in Glan. Joy C. Ologuin, Protected Area Superintendent of the Sarangani Bay Protected Seascape (SBPS), recommended during a meeting of the Protected Area Management Board (PAMB) last Aug. 22 that local government units in the coastal areas strengthen the implementation of proper waste disposal to keep trash from entering into the bay. Ms. Ologuin also called for more regular patrolling to monitor the SBPS. The monitoring team said the trash they saw at the bay included PET bottles, cellophane bags, plastic wrappers, and other non-biodegradable materials.

MONTHLY MONITORING
“All stakeholders must work together to conserve and protect the Sarangani Bay. DENR alone cannot protect the water body. We have to synergize our work and activities to help and preserve the bay,” DENR-12 Regional Executive Director Sabdullah C. Abubacar, who also sits as chair of the PAMB-SBPS, said during the meeting. Sarangani Governor Steve C. Solon, the PAMB vice-chair, committed to provide additional provincial funds for the conduct of monthly monitoring at the bay. “The implementation of the rules should be strict so that everyone will follow. We can have the economic development and preservation of the protected seascape at the same time,” Mr. Solon said.

Nationwide round-up

P187M to be released for hog deaths

THE GOVERNMENT is set to release P187 million for response measures, including contingency and biosecurity, on the still unidentified disease that killed hogs in parts of the country. Agriculture Secretary William D. Dar, speaking during the budget hearing at the House of Representatives Tuesday, said he already spoke with Budget Secretary Wendel E. Avisado on the need for a “quick release” of the fund. “DBM [Department of Budget and Management] Secretary said they will release it now,” he told reporters after the hearing. Hog industry leaders earlier released P9 million to help address the situation. “We have to manage the whole situation. We are extra careful. The industry which is contributing P260 billion,” Mr. Dar said. Last Aug. 19, the Department of Agriculture announced that it has received reports of increased hog mortality, which was “2% beyond normal,” in areas that have yet to be disclosed. Reports from international media noted, however, that Taiwan is imposing special baggage check on passengers from the Philippines after a suspected outbreak of African Swine Fever in Bulacan and Rizal. ASF is a non-treatable and contagious, and can kill swine in as fast as two days. Tests results are still being validated. — Vincent Mariel P. Galang

DoLE, CFO support creation of department for OFWs

PHILSTAR/RUDY SANTOS

THE DEPARTMENT of Labor and Employment (DoLE) and the Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO) have expressed support to the proposal to create a new department for overseas Filipino workers. “The is in support of the President’s call for the creation of the new department and supports the improvements of the delivery of the government services for overseas Filipinos, particularly those who are distressed and are in crisis,” said Labor Undersecretary Claro A. Arellano during a Senate committee hearing on Tuesday for the proposed Department of Overseas Filipinos (DoOF). CFO Undersecretary Astrovel P. Naik, for his part, said the creation of the DoOF would help attend to OFWs who comprise about 10% of the Philippine population. “In the first place, we handle a majority of the Filipinos overseas… we are supporting the call of the President to create a Department of Overseas Filipinos,” she said. Labor Secretary Silvestre H. Bello III said last month that DoLE has been tasked to submit a draft version of the DoOF to the Palace. In the initial DoLE version, all government agencies concerned with OFWs — the POEA (Philippine Overseas Employment Administration, OWWA (Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, NRCO (National Reintegration Center for OFWs), ILAB (International Labor Affairs Bureau), CFO of the Office of the President, and OMWA (Office of Migrant Workers Affairs) of the Department of Foreign Affairs — will just be moved under one department. Senator Christopher “Bong” T. Go’s version of the bill calls for the abolishment of all these government agencies. — Gillian M. Cortez

Nation at a Glance — (08/28/19)

News stories from across the nation. Visit www.bworldonline.com (section: The Nation) to read more national and regional news from the Philippines.

Nation at a Glance — (08/28/19)

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