Nation at a Glance — (01/15/20)
News stories from across the nation. Visit www.bworldonline.com (section: The Nation) to read more national and regional news from the Philippines.
Big Brother is watching
George Orwell’s novel, 1984, told of a society whose citizens were under constant surveillance by the government, their daily activities monitored and their actuations and attitudes controlled, with sanctions imposed on those found guilty of independent thought. Thought Police made sure that the entire citizenry abided by government mandates and behaved accordingly.
In other words, Big Brother was watching.
Published in 1949, Orwell probably calculated that his dystopian vision was set far enough into the future (35 years) to qualify as futuristic. Perhaps the end of the millennium was too remote for him to contemplate.
Two decades into this new millennium, Orwell’s concept of Big Brother has become a virtual reality.
Of course, there have been much earlier attempts by certain governments to control their citizens in various aspects of their personal lives.
Singapore, for instance, launched an information campaign to encourage the state’s highly educated women to marry and have children early in order to improve the gene pool. Then Prime Minister Lee Kwan had noted with concern that less educated women were giving birth to more children while the highly educated ones tended to marry late — or not at all — and tended to have fewer children once married.
Adolf Hitler’s Nazi Germany envisioned a superior race, pairing Aryan men and women to achieve this. Hitler also tried to rid the world of the “inferior” Jews. Mercifully, he failed in both of his objectives.
In this millennium, that kind of control is being implemented through advanced technology in some countries. These days, Big Brother is not just watching, but seeks to have control over people’s lives.
That control starts with the ubiquitous smart phone which every Pedro, Juan, and Maria now possesses. These phones may be too smart for comfort.
According to techies, “when you grant an app access to your camera and microphone, you are practically giving access to your private life. The app can record you at any time the app is in the foreground, take pictures and videos and upload them without your permission, run face recognition to detect facial features or expressions, livestream the camera on to the internet, detect if you are on the phone alone or with a companion, upload random frames of the video stream to your web service and run a proper face recognition software which can find existing photos of you on the internet and create a 3D model based on your face.”
Edward Snowden, the CIA employee who blew the whistle on the National Security Agency (NSA), leaked highly classified information on the agency’s operations, including a program that captures webcam images every five minutes of the video chats of Yahoo users, storing them for future use. A certain percentage of the footages archived include “undesirable nudity.”
Snowden also revealed that the NSA can listen in on your phone calls, read your messages and e-mails, capture pictures and stream videos of you, and steal your files at will.
According to Wikipedia, “Hackers can also gain access to your device with extraordinary ease via apps, PDF files, multimedia messages, and even emojis. An application called Metasploit on the ethical hacking platform Kali uses an Adobe Reader 9 (which over 60% of users still use). The hacker can use it to open a listener (rootkit) on the user’s computer, then alter the PDF with the program, send the user the malicious file, and when the user opens it, the hacker gains total control over the device remotely. Once a user opens this PDF file, the hacker can then:
• Install whatever software/app he likes on the user’s device.
• Use a keylogger to grab all of the passwords.
• Steal all documents from the device.
• Take pictures and stream videos from the camera.
• Capture past or live audio from the microphone.
• Upload incriminating images/documents to another PC.”
Naturally, Google and Facebook know all about us, including intimate secrets which we seem to have a penchant for sharing with the world.
A documentary that I stumbled upon on YouTube and which I shared on social media focused on China, which has become one of the most technologically advanced countries in the world.
China is said to have implemented a highly advanced facial recognition system that can scan the faces of its billions of citizens and keep the information in a database.
One may recall that it did not take the London police long to identify the terrorists who bombed the tube (the city’s subway system) and a double-decker bus in 2005. This was because of the hundreds of CCTV cameras deployed all over the city.
While the omnipresent CCTVs have provided obvious benefits in identifying criminals, the system has also been used by China to pinpoint protestors in the upheavals in Hong Kong.
China monitors its citizens through the Internet, through its CCTV systems and through other digital technologies. It is said that there are currently 200 million CCTV systems in place with the number forecast to reach over 800 million this year.
And speaking of China, from her jail cell, beleaguered Senator Leila de Lima has rang alarum bells concerning a deal that the Philippine government has closed with that country.
Called the Safe Philippines Project, it reportedly will allow China to install closed-circuit TV systems in selected cities in Metro Manila — Quezon City, Marikina, Parañaque, Pasig, San Juan, and Valenzuela — and in Davao City.
De Lima believes that this will give China “an opportunity to conduct espionage operations in the Philippines” and will also jeopardize the people’s right to privacy.
Warned De Lima: “The matter of improving the country’s technological capability in the enforcement of laws must be put on a scale to strike a balance between gaining technological competence and yielding access to information from our country and our citizens.”
Department of the Interior and Local Government Secretary Eduardo Año, on the other hand, believes that the CCTV systems “improve public safety” and will be invaluable in identifying and responding to criminal activities, as well as in disaster prevention and mitigation.
I frankly think Año has a point. The CCTV systems could have a beneficial effect on peace and order and public safety.
About increased Chinese espionage activities, I don’t think there’s anything left to know about the inner workings of our government that the Chinese and the CIA do not already have easy access to.
Well, maybe the Chinese can spy on the CIA. But there shouldn’t be any doubt that the spies of both super powers have long been doing that to each other.
However, philandering husbands have reason to worry. The CCTVs could expose their extramarital activities to their wives, as well as to blackmailers.
In this regard, Philippine public officials have nothing to worry about. They parade their girlfriends and mistresses around town and even bring them on official trips.
In the Philippines, even if Big Brother is watching, he is also doing the same thing.
Greg B. Macabenta is an advertising and communications man shuttling between San Francisco and Manila and providing unique insights on issues from both perspectives.
The Internet should hide your data, not share it
By Elaine Ou
BACK IN my days as a web developer, we did our development and testing in porn mode. Those outside the industry might refer to this as an “incognito window,” but the phrase “porn mode” is universally understood because usually no one opens an incognito window unless they’re about to load something unseemly.
I remembered that when I read Alistair Barr’s account of his attempt to delete his user data, under the auspices of California’s new Consumer Privacy Act. The process is so cumbersome — it takes more than two hours and requires uploading selfies and a photo ID — that it ends up having the opposite of the intended effect. Instead of granting consumer privacy, the act of submitting a data deletion request draws undue attention to those seeking anonymity.
This is where default options matter. If every browser window automatically opened in incognito mode, then it wouldn’t be considered incognito browsing, but regular web browsing. But if only outlaws take the time to safeguard their privacy, then privacy becomes a de facto outlaw product.
Many privacy products are already regarded this way. For example, Tor is a web browser that obscures a user’s internet activity by routing network data through a maze of relays. It’s useful if you’re a whistleblower trying to communicate with journalists, but it can also be used for illicit activity. In 2014, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network found that a majority of suspicious activity reports filed by banks involved IP addresses associated with the Tor network. Today, many financial institutions preemptively block traffic that arrives through Tor. In some cases, banks automatically freeze a Tor user’s bank account. Virtual Private Networks, which hide a user’s activity from the internet service provider, are also frequently blocked. People who go to the effort of protecting their privacy inherently seems suspicious.
But what if we saw privacy protection as akin to a form of vaccination? When we get shots to immunize against mumps or measles, we not only protect ourselves; we protect society as a whole, particularly those individuals who can’t develop immunity. Vaccination is so important that it’s opt-out, not opt-in. Similarly, defaulting to stricter privacy settings would create a safer internet not only for those who adopt them, but for those who, for whatever reason, don’t.
On the internet, data brokers collect information on as many users as possible to generate detailed profiles based on demographics and affinity groups. The more people who cut off the data brokers, the less these companies can infer about any given user. When it comes to consumer privacy protection, setting privacy as the default option protects the most vulnerable members of society.
California’s new privacy law went into effect Jan. 1, but will not be enforced until July 1. Compliance requirements are still unclear. The Wall Street Journal suggests that websites with third-party tracking must add a “Do Not Sell My Personal Information” button to their home page, a move that will likely be about as effective as placing your number on the National Do Not Call Registry, or pushing the “close door” button in an elevator.
The only way anyone can really have privacy protections is if everyone has privacy protections. Privacy laws are not helpful if users can only delete their data after wading through two hours of bureaucracy. Companies that profit from massive data collection are rightly optimistic that most users won’t bother with these steps.
BLOOMBERG OPINION
Don’t underestimate VP Leni Robredo
Although I have met Vice-President Leni Robredo a few times, I have never had a lengthy conversation with her. Nevertheless, she has always struck me as having a strong backbone. Her uncanny ability to make bold but well-considered decisions and to stick to them was demonstrated when, after giving it a few days of thought and reflection, she accepted the Liberal Party’s left-field offer to run for vice-president. She then worked herself to the bone all over the country, and amazingly won the post and got confirmed by the Comelec. I guess her daughter had solid basis for saying that we should not underestimate their mother’s influence on their late father, Jesse Robredo, who had been my choice for next president after PNoy.
Now, having read through her ICAD Co-chair’s report on the war on drugs, I have come to the conclusion that she certainly has what it takes to be a statesman and leader of our beleaguered country. Don’t hesitate to read through the 40 pages. It has an executive summary, is thorough and well organized, and cites sources/bases for the numbers that it refers to.
The difference between Leni Robredo and Rodrigo Roa Duterte is that she is a strategic thinker, and he is a shoot-from-the-hip and gut talker. And he is not acting like a president. He seems to be just repeating himself as the tough-talking, crime-fighting mayor of Davao.
It is hard to disagree with VP Leni’s assessment of the “war on drugs.” Although she was Inter-Agency Committee on Anti-Illegal Drugs (ICAD) co-chair for only 18 days, she gathered enough information and listened to drug war partners and representatives of various government agencies, as well as civil society and international agency representatives during that time. Her consultations enabled her to arrive at a clearheaded assessment and make recommendations on what should be done to makes things better for illegal drug victims and their families and communities.
First of all, she cites many common sense insights that the current administration obviously missed. Because the “war on drugs,” led by no less than the President, was focused on “law enforcement,” it began with aggressive street-level action led by the police. Naturally, the targets were drug users and drug pushers (no distinctions seem to have been made between the two) that caused thousands of deaths by policemen and unidentified armed vigilante on motorcycles. The estimate on the number of deaths range from over 6,000 to over 20,000 depending on the source. The Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB) ran a survey in 2016 that came up with an estimate of 1.8 million drug users nationwide. The Philippine National Police (PNP) gave a figure of 4 million. The President, no less, in a speech in Laguna said it had reached 6 million. If the PNP and the President’s numbers are to be believed, the drug war has indeed failed. The next DDB survey findings are due early this year.
Some of the VP’s recommendations make a lot of sense. Operation Tokhang should be abolished. Leadership of the ICAD should be transferred to the DDB, which, under EO 15, is supposed to be the “policy-making and strategy formulating body in the planning and formulation of policies of drug prevention and control.” The current Chair of ICAD is the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) which has a narrow mandate that focuses on enforcement. A more holistic view would include prevention and rehabilitation. The administration’s emphasis on enforcement is manifest in the budget allocations under the General Appropriations Act. For 2019, the allocation for enforcement (PDEA, PNP, the National Bureau of Investigation, the Philippine Coast Guard) was P11.4 billion. For rehabilitation (the Departments of Health, and the Interior and Local Government), it was P1.24 billion.
She also cites the need for representatives of the local government unit leagues (mayors, governors, barangays) to be part of ICAD since an effective “war on drugs” should be community based. The ICAD report cites the excellent community-based example in Quezon City that promotes Community-based Rehabilitation programs. This makes sense because the Department of Health estimates that over 90% of drug users are mild users and can be rehabilitated. Moderate users are estimated at only 4-6%, and heavy users at less than 2%. Only heavy users should be detained for at least six months. Behavioral scientists I have spoken to say that rehabilitation in closed quarters do not work as well as those in open fields. I have sat in on a successful barangay level rehab program run by an NGO in cooperation with the barangay leadership and the Archdiocese of Cebu. The venue was a large garden.
The notorious Operation Tokhang which was supposed to be short for the Visayan “Tuktok Hangyo”(“knock on doors of homes with suspected drug users or pushers and try to persuade them to drop the habit”) ended up as a license to kill or arrest by the police, many of whom abused their powers. This happened because there were no clear-cut protocols on how this was to be done. And what the next steps would be.
The drug war aspect of constricting supply was set aside as a priority in favor of street level “enforcement.” This was clearly a strategic misjudgment. Based on various estimates by different sources, supply has increased, and law enforcement agencies have barely scratched the surface, having confiscated less than 1% of shabu volume estimates.
Certainly constricting supply is difficult but necessary. The President himself had publicly identified “drug lords” whom he would “kill,” include Peter Lim (missing?) and Benjamin Loot (still mayor of Daanbantayan, Cebu?). VP Leni’s sources reveal that the international sources of illegal drugs are China, Laos-Myanmar-Thailand, and the Mexico-Sinaloa cartel. It seems the top source is China. Perhaps President Duterte can whisper in the ear of his good friend Xi Jinping to help reduce their exports to our country. A little bird reminds me of the 19th Century Opium Trade during which Great Britain pressured China to allow them to sell opium sourced by them from their colony India. This opium trade is believed by some historians to have weakened the will of China’s leaders to the point of weakening their government. I am getting some really naughty ideas from this.
The VP’s ICAD report also recommends strengthening the Anti-Money Laundering Council to enable it to contribute to tracking and preventing illegal drug money from being used to continue and expand operations.
I think the President really made a “colossal blunder” in appointing VP Leni Robredo to co-chair the ICAD. He underestimated her ability to come up with a thorough assessment of the situation, and to come up with strategic and holistic recommendations on how to improve the campaign for the benefit of our people. He also blundered into enabling her to demonstrate her preparedness for the leadership of this country.
For this reason, the Presidential Electoral Tribunal should stop dilly dallying on their decision. They should just dismiss BongBong Marcos’ protest. He has already been defeated by an even larger margin in the pilot provinces chosen by him for a recount. He should just accept his defeat.
Teresa S. Abesamis is a former professor at the Asian Institute of Management and Fellow of the Development Academy of the Philippines.
Judges-at-Large Act: An aid to justice
To quote Former Chief Justice Artemio Panganiban: “Trial courts are the dispensers of justice closest to the poor.” But when the demand for justice is clearly disproportionate to that of the number of our judges in the lower courts, how can justice even be dispensed?
As of December 2018, the Judiciary Annual Report shows that there are 546,182 pending cases with the Regional Trial Courts (RTC) and 160,153 with the Municipal Trial Courts (MTC). These statistics are highly suggestive of possible violations to litigants’ constitutional right to the speedy disposition of cases. Yet, the opposite side of that coin is that these numbers may illustrate the problem of having a limited number of judges who are overworked and overloaded with cases pending before their salas.
In the hope of resolving the perennial problem of court congestion, and consequently, assist our judges, Senators Juan Edgardo M. Angara, Sherwin T. Gatchalian, Richard J. Gordon, and Loren B. Legarda authored Senate Bill No. 2065, under Committee Report No. 496, or the “Judges at-Large Act of 2018.”
On Aug. 30, 2019, President Rodrigo Duterte approved the said measure as Republic Act No. 11459, otherwise known as the Judges-at-Large Act of 2019, which effectively amends the Judiciary Reorganization Act of 1980. This was published in a newspaper of general circulation on Oct. 1, 2019.
The law creates 100 positions for RTC judges-at-large, and 50 positions for MTC judges-at-large, who shall have no permanent salas and may be “assigned by the Supreme Court as acting or assisting judges to any RTC (or MTC), respectively, in the Philippines as interest may require.” The Supreme Court shall have discretion as to the length of their temporary assignments, and after the period of their temporary assignments, the Judicial Bar Council shall recommend to the President the permanent sala to which the judge-at-large shall be appointed.
For the RTC judges-at-large, the law requires that the applicants be natural-born Filipinos, at least 35 years old, and with at least 10 years of legal practice or having held a public office requiring admission to the practice of law as an indispensable requisite. For the MTC judges-at-large, the qualifications are that applicants must be natural-born Filipinos, at least 30 years old, and with at least five years of legal practice or have held a public office requiring admission to the practice of law as an indispensable requisite.
Judges-at-large shall be entitled to salaries, privileges, allowances, emoluments, benefits, rank and title of an RTC or MTC judge. Further, they shall also be entitled to a monthly longevity pay equivalent to 5% of their monthly basic pay which shall be paid for each five years of continuous, efficient, and meritorious service rendered in the Judiciary.
While we can be certain that this legislative measure would not solve the issue of court congestion once and for all, the measure undoubtedly aids incumbent judges who carry the burden of upholding our constitutional right to the speedy disposition of cases. In effect, the law gives justice not only to those who seek it, but to those conferred with the responsibility to dispense it.
Shiela Vae A. Hoylar, is an Associate of the Angara Abello Concepcion Regala & Cruz Law Offices, Cebu Branch.
New Thinking: 2020 agricultural outlook and beyond
The third quarter performance of the agricultural sector provides a glimmer of hope for the irregular growth pattern of the industry.
In the four quarters of 2018, the sector performed as follows: up by 1.47% in the first quarter; up by 0.07% in the second; it contracted by 0.83% in the third; and went up by 1.80% in the fourth quarter (Philippine Statistics Authority).
In the first quarter of 2019, it grew by 0.67% then contracted by 1.27% in the second quarter. For the most recent quarter with data, July to September 2019, the total value of agricultural production at current prices amounted to P395.3 billion. In comparison with the third quarter of 2018, the agricultural sector in terms of production grew by 2.87%.
Agricultural growth is attributed to the increases that were recorded for crops, livestock, poultry and fisheries. Crop production, which accounted for 45.19% of the total agricultural output, went up by 2.01%. While rice production decreased by 4.53%, production of corn increased by 23.47%.
Livestock production also increased by 1.63% in the third quarter of 2019, contributing 18.67% to the total agricultural output. Hog production was up by 1.96% while dairy production was also up by 6.48%.
While all poultry commodities recorded increases in production, the growth in the poultry sub-sector registered at 8.41% in the third quarter, representing a 19.44% share in the total agricultural output. Lastly, fisheries production incrementally increased by 0.56%, representing a 16.7% share in the total output.
Under a new leadership, the Department of Agriculture (DA) seeks to overcome its sickly condition. As Secretary William D. Dar expresses, such condition could be attributed to “low farm productivity; lack of labor; unaffordable and inaccessible credit; limited use of technology; limited farmland diversification; undeveloped agri-manufacturing and export; severe deforestation/land degradation; aging farmers and fisherfolk; and climate change.”
With the aforesaid challenges, Mr. Dar promotes a so-called “New Thinking” for the department. This outlook aims to double the income or earning of farmers and fisherfolks in the next five years, making them prosperous under a food secure Philippines. It also tasks the department to collectively empower the farmers and fisherfolk and the private sector in order to increase agricultural productivity and profitability, taking into account sustainability and resilience. Under “Agriculture 4.0,” farming and agribusiness would be digitized.
Specifically, Mr. Dar’s “new thinking” subsumes the following eight paradigms (Sure 8/8-Point Program) to put into place the required policies, programs, projects, and funding:
• Modernization must continue;
• Industrialization of agriculture is key;
• Promotion of exports is a necessity;
• Consolidation of small-and medium-sized farms;
• Infrastructure development would be critical;
• Higher budget and investment for Philippine agriculture;
• Legislative support is needed; and
• Roadmap development is paramount in terms of increased productivity, profitability, competitiveness, sustainability and resilience.
The said “new thinking,” however, needs to be contextualized in a risk matrix. Threats and negative conditions that continue to challenge the sector should be considered so as to make such thinking more appropriate for 2020 and beyond, and thus, sustaining the current momentum.
The first rule of thumb is devoting more resources and political support to agriculture. In particular, support services such as access to credit and irrigation services should be beefed up alongside providing direct support to research and development and information technology. These services would surely pump-prime the agricultural sector in general.
Secondly, the impact of the Rice Tariffication Law or R.A. No. 11203 should be ascertained. In as much as various claims about the adverse effects on farmers have been made since its enactment on Feb. 19, 2019, Mr. Dar pronounced the need to review its implementation while President Rodrigo R. Duterte “ordered” a temporary suspension of its implementation.
Moreover, the liberalization of rice importation sends a direct signal to other agricultural crops and livestock and poultry products sectors. Obviously, liberalizing the sugar, corn, and other agricultural products would pose serious challenges to the farmers, stakeholders, and the sector. What we need is a balanced policy that would provide clear direction for both the industry and investors. Lest we forget, pronouncements are only as good as failed promises.
Another serious challenge to the sector would obviously be the hoarders, rice cartel, and market manipulators. Their interference in the chain of supply and demand naturally necessitates government intervention, which, if not judiciously, undertaken could be more disastrous in the process.
Dovetailing Mr. Dar’s “new thinking” entails a renewed mentality to make agriculture a significant contributor, rather than dismal, to the country’s gross domestic product. Sustained agricultural growth is automatically inclusive as millions of Filipinos either directly or indirectly engage in and rely on the industry.
And, last but not the least, a good starting point is to provide sufficient funds to the Department of Agriculture. “Putting your money where your mouth is” is still the golden rule.
Jaime Jimenez, Ph.D, is the Deputy Executive Director for Research at the Stratbase ADR Institute.
No one gets rich by shunning new cars and lattes
By Barry Ritholtz
MANAGING your financial life requires following three rules:
No. 1. Spend less than you earn;
No. 2. Prioritize investing for your future;
No. 3. Figure out what matters and spend accordingly.
If you follow these simple rules, you can ignore the rest of this column. Heck, follow just the first one and you can pretty much ignore everything else.
The reason for bringing this up is yet another appearance by the spending scolds. These finger-wagging austerians love to warn of the dire consequences for anyone foolish enough to actually spend their money.
At almost every level, these complaints are absurd and the arguments marshaled in support are ridiculous.
One of the more recent entry contains this warning: “Buying new cars is like taking $40,000 and setting it on fire.” The 17.1 million people who purchased new cars in 2019 might disagree with that sentiment. After all, those who light their cash on fire have only a pile of ashes to show for their efforts; the new car buyers have, well, a new car and wonderfully reliable transportation.
After working for three decades in finance I’ve reached this perhaps overly broad conclusion: People are weird about money. Never mind the countless anecdotes I could cite, the entire field of behavioral economics backs this up. Our weirdness is demonstrated by the foolish financial decisions we make each day, the unsupported beliefs we hold dear and the odd pronouncements made whenever the subject of spending comes up.
Some examples of this include:
• You’re flushing money down the toilet if you drink a latte
• It’s financial suicide to own a house
• Never buy a boat or a sports car
• Don’t send your kids to college
Underpinning all these warnings is a fundamental misunderstanding about the difference between a.) spending and b.) spending beyond your means. The former is how we acquire the goods and services we need to go about our daily lives, or the things we want because we get enjoyment from them; the latter is an error in judgment, a behavior fraught with risk that really does have the potential to lead one down the path of financial ruin.
Simply saying no to consumption is lazy and thoughtless. What should determine personal spending is the totality of the buyer’s financial circumstances.
Aside from the fact that the spending scolds so often are wrong, they also tend to be tedious bores. Invariably, they cite some very wealthy person who lives frugally, implying that you too can acquire great sums of money just by being cheap. This is, of course, a deeply flawed argument that totally misunderstands the most basic issues of how household budgets work.
This is the message of some recent stories citing the thrift of National Basketball Association star Kawhi Leonard. Yes, he has a three-year $103 million contract with the Los Angeles Clippers, but at least until recently he drove a 20-year-old SUV. Yet here’s the thing: You could skip buying a new car for the rest of your life and you will still likely never be as rich as Leonard by virtue of the fact that you don’t have a $103 million contract.
By the way, he hasn’t really skimped on his housing. But so what? He can easily afford it based on his huge annual income. And he probably should buy a newer car with better safety features, reducing the odds of a catastrophic injury that prematurely ends his playing career.
This is the key that the spending nags all seem to fail to understand. It is all about living within your means, not living like a pauper whether you have to or not. The formula is simple: Spend less than you make. Make intelligent decisions. Don’t pretend to be something you are not by spending more than your income justifies. You do not need a business degree from Wharton or anywhere else to figure that out.
BLOOMBERG OPINION
Pacio looks to continue ascent in brand-new year
By Michael Angelo S. Murillo
Senior Reporter
FINISHED the Year 2019 strong, ONE Championship world strawweight champion Joshua “The Passion” Pacio of the Philippines looks to sustain his ascent in the brand-new year.
Mr. Pacio is set to begin 2020 by defending his title against former champion Alex “Little Rock” Silva of Brazil at “ONE: Fire & Fury” on Jan. 31 at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
Lost his title at the start of 2019 to Japanese Yosuke Saruta, Team Lakay’s Pacio (16-3) regained it three months later before finishing the year with a successful defense against compatriot Rene Catalan in November.
Twenty-four-year-old Pacio said he hopes to stay the course as he continues to solidify his standing in the division, armed with the lessons of his journey of late.
“I learned a lot this year (2019), and I’m really happy with my progress,” said Mr. Pacio, who enters his fourth year with Asia’s largest sports media property.
“Obviously, I lost the bout early in January and that was pretty painful. But I’m also grateful for that experience because it showed me areas of weakness that I needed to improve on. I worked hard to get where I’m at and we saw those improvements in April and November,” he added.
As ONE champion in strawweight, Mr. Pacio acknowledges that nothing would come easy for him and that he has to be on top of his game each time lest he find himself sans the title he so worked hard for to achieve.
“As the reigning champion, there’s a lot of responsibility on my shoulders. That’s why I’m always in the gym working on my craft. I enjoy the process of training, the process of getting better…” said Mr. Pacio, who first became ONE champion in September 2018 when he took the title from Yoshitaka Naito of Japan.
As to his upcoming title defense against Mr. Silva (9-4), the Filipino champion said that he is expecting a tough challenge no less as the Brazilian has gone through big fights before.
“At this level, there’s not a lot of separation between fighters. Everyone is talented and has their own strengths and weaknesses. The only thing is that, as a champion, every opponent I face is a hungry lion wanting to take my throne. They want the belt and every challenge is tough. That’s why I have to remain focused and make sure these guys don’t beat me,” Mr. Pacio said.
Fire & Fury is the first to be held in the country in ONE Championship’s packed 2020 calendar.
Other Filipinos set to see action in the event are former lightweight champion Eduard Folayang, flyweight Danny Kingad, strawweight Lito Adiwang, and women atomweight fighters Gina Iniong and Jomary Torres.
Federer ready and in good shape for Aussie Open
MELBOURNE — Roger Federer declared himself ready on Monday to kick off the new season at next week’s Australian Open despite having played no competitive matches since November.
The 20-times Grand Slam winner was scheduled to warmup for the year’s first major at the inaugural ATP Cup in Australia but withdrew to spend more time with his family.
In contrast, his rivals Novak Djokovic and Rafa Nadal were part of some closely-fought matches at the team event, which was played in Brisbane, Perth and Sydney.
“I’ve trained long and hard in the off-season and I didn’t have any setbacks, which is crucial,” Federer said at a promotional event in Melbourne.
“Last week I was asking myself ‘am I happy to go to Australia, or I should rather just stay here and stopping pack immediately? Because I can. “I could easily just stay home and I was like, ‘no, no, I’m really happy to go to Melbourne and kick off the season there.’ — Reuters
Tatum, Brown lead Boston Celtics past slumping Chicago Bulls
BOSTON — Jayson Tatum scored 21 points and Jaylen Brown chipped in 19 to lead the host Boston Celtics past the Chicago Bulls 113-101 on Monday night.
Boston earned its second straight victory following a three-game losing streak. Chicago sputtered to its seventh loss in eight games despite a game-high 30 points from Zach LaVine.
Enes Kanter (15 points), Kemba Walker (14), Marcus Smart (12) and Grant Williams (11) followed in double figures for the Celtics, who shot 47 percent compared to 45.7 percent for the Bulls. Kanter grabbed a game-high nine rebounds.
Boston led by as many as 18 and held its ground after the Bulls slashed the deficit to 75-69 on a LaVine trey with 1:42 to go in the third quarter. The Celtics scored eight of the next 10 points to close the quarter and begin to pull away.
Thaddeus Young scored 17 points for Chicago, while Tomas Satoransky (12) and Daniel Gafford (10) also produced double-figure totals.
A sluggish start ultimately caught up to Chicago, which scored just 14 points in the first quarter, its lowest-scoring opening quarter of the season. The Bulls had five field goals and four turnovers in the first 12 minutes while allowing Boston to convert a three-point play off a tip-in from a missed free throw.
Boston shot 52.5 percent (21-for-40) in the first half to take a 55-37 lead into the break. Kanter led the way with 15 points on 7-for-8 shooting while pulling down seven rebounds. LaVine had eight first-half points to pace Chicago, which shot 34.2 percent and was 1-for-13 from long range before intermission.
Strong ball movement boosted the Celtics throughout the first 24 minutes. The Celtics had 14 assists on 21 made field goals while committing just five turnovers.
Kanter started in place of Daniel Theis, who was sidelined due to right knee soreness. Williams sustained a sore left shoulder late in the second quarter but was available to return.
Chicago fell to 1-16 this season against foes with records of .500 or better, including 0-2 against the Celtics, who edged the Bulls by seven points at United Center on Jan. 4. — Reuters
What a decade it was (conclusion)
As the Year 2019 dropped the curtain a fortnight ago, so did the decade of the 2010s, a stretch that proved to be a solid one for Philippine sports with a number of feats and achievements notched as well as landmark events that enhanced the local sporting scene for the now and the future.
And the good thing about it all was that it was not only confined to certain sports as positive developments were spread out to more disciplines.
This space would like to look back a little as we start the 2020s and below is a continuation started last week of what it thinks were the standout moments in the decade that was.
In the 2010s Filipino Olympians created noise, particularly figure skater Michael Christian Martinez and weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz.
Martinez made history in 2014 when he became the first Filipino and Southeast Asian to compete in men’s figure skating in the Winter Games held that year in Sochi, Russia.
The Filipino figure skater did well enough in the competition to advance to the free program which serves as the medal round of the competition.
He was able to repeat such feat four years later in Pyeongchang, South Korea, as a last-minute replacement but exited earlier than his previous participation.
Still his feat was nothing short of impressive considering the Philippines is a tropical country just as it was a testament to the Filipinos’ determination to overcome obstacles, whatever they may be.
In 2016, Diaz, for her part, made it third time a charm after finishing in the podium at the Rio Summer Games.
The Zamboanga native won silver in the women’s 53-kg weightlifting division.
It was a breakthrough performance after falling short in the two previous Olympics (2008 and 2012) while also becoming the first female athlete from the Philippines to win an Olympic medal and ending a two-decade medal drought for the country in the Games.
Just as the previous decade came to a close, the Philippines assured itself of at least two athletes competing in the Olympic Games later this year in Tokyo, Japan, with pole-vaulter EJ Obiena and gymnast Caloy Yulo having already qualified, with more expected to join them as qualifiers in different sports play out early this year.
The 2010s had the Ateneo Blue Eagles and San Beda Red Lions dominating the collegiate hoops scene.
The Eagles took from their strong finish in the 2000s to dominate in the 2010s, winning six of 10 UAAP titles.
They won three straight from 2010 to 2012, in addition to those they won in 2008 and 2009 for a five-peat under coach Norman Black. Ateneo finished the last decade on a high, winning three straight champions (2017 to 2019) under the steering of coach Tab Baldwin.
Also winning UAAP titles during the stretch were De La Salle University (2013 and 2016), National University (2014) and Far Eastern University (2015).
Over at the NCAA, San Beda was still king of the hoops, racking up eight titles in 10 years, including a five-peat from 2010 to 2014.
The Lions lost to the Letran Knights in 2015 only to resume their dominance the next three years. They failed to finish the decade with a fourth straight title, losing again to Letran, but still San Beda’s imprint on the league in the 2010s was undeniable.
In the Philippine Basketball Association, the 2010s was marked by the era of the “Kraken” — San Miguel Beermen big man June Mar Fajardo.
Drafted in 2012 by San Miguel, all Fajardo has done since then is win, and win some more.
He has been an eight-time PBA champion, five-time league most valuable player, three-time finals MVP and seven-time PBA All-Star, among others.
In the 2020s, he is still expected to dominate further as he remains on top of his game.
James Yap (then of Derby Ace), Jimmy Alapag (TNT), Mark Caguioa (Barangay Ginebra) and Arwind Santos (San Miguel) also had their moments early in the decade.
San Mig Coffee (now Magnolia Hotshots Pambansang Manok) fashioned out the league’s fifth grand slam in the 2013–14 season under coach Tim Cone while Alaska, Rain or Shine, TNT, Magnolia and Barangay Ginebra won titles during the 10-year stretch as well.
Volleyball and esports are two sports that were made prominent in the last decade.
The sport of volleyball experienced a resurgence of sorts with women’s volleyball leading the way.
From the back rows in the past, volleyball was sent to the front as broadcasters, sponsors and fans started showing more appreciation to it.
The UAAP wars were must-sees with all teams having their following going beyond their respective communities.
The De La Salle Lady Spikers and Ateneo Lady Eagles amplified their rivalry on the volleyball court, with the teams claiming all the nine titles in the decade — six for La Salle and three for Ateneo — with the 10th to be disputed beginning next month.
Local leagues Premier Volleyball League and Philippine Super Liga (women’s) and Spikers Turf (men’s) also did their part in promoting the sport and giving opportunities to players long after college.
Internationally the Philippines is still finding its place under the sun but gains are being made, enough to continuously be bullish.
The esports scene in the country, meanwhile, also gained big traction with the Philippines chosen to host some of the top tournaments in the world just as the community for the sport here continuous to grow.
The country also now has an esports league of its own — The Nationals — where top talents in the land pit their skills and hone their craft all year long.
And then there was the landmark finish of Team Philippines in the 30th Southeast Asian Games where it won the overall title after 14 years.
The country finished with 149 gold, 117 silver and 121 bronze medals, miles away from second-running Vietnam (98-85-105), and undeniably the best finish for the country in the biennial regional sporting meet.
It was a fitting ending to what was an eventful decade for Philippine sports. All the best in the 2020s.
Michael Angelo S. Murillo has been a columnist since 2003. He is a BusinessWorld reporter covering the Sports beat.
MLB scandal
Any way fans look at it, the punishment handed the Astros for cheating was both unprecedented and shocking. Sign-stealing has been going on for as long as they can remember, as much a reflection of the state of competitiveness in Major League Baseball as of the compelling calling for protagonists to get ahead by any and all means necessary. And yet, the fact that commissioner Rob Manfred threw just about everything, including the proverbial kitchen sink, at quarters he deemed complicit in the conspiracy underscores his belief that it: 1) egregiously overstepped limits through the use of technology; and 2) went on even after he issued a memorandum threatening harsh penalties for its particular type of transgression.
Manfred’s hands were tied, of course. He had to act, and fast, and not simply because the Astros employed the extra-legal measures throughout their World Series-clinching 2017 season. With a new campaign about to start, the last thing the MLB needed in the face of already-waning interest was a controversy that lingered. He likewise needed to focus his attention on another probe, this time of the Red Sox, for using live video coverage to help batters prep for oncoming pitches during a successful run to the championship the next year.
Tellingly, Manfred saw fit not to sanction any players even though they clearly instigated and perpetuated the scheme. Perhaps he figured doing so would inflict further damage given the sheer number of guilty parties, not to mention heighten the possibility of the development producing a domino effect. Instead, he lay the blame squarely on the Astros and their heads. Never mind that owner Jim Crane knew nothing about it, that general manager Jeff Luhnow said he would have stopped it right away if he did, and that manager A.J. Hinch, while failing to alert higher-ups, undertook measures to sabotage it.
No doubt, Manfred hopes slapping the Astros with a $5-million fine and depriving them of two draft picks while banning Luhnow and Hinch for a whole year will send the right signals to all and sundry. And once he’s done looking into the Red Sox’s transgressions, he’s likely to go along the same lines; a huge levy, significant confiscation of assets, and lengthy suspension. He wants stakeholders to know he’s bent on protecting the integrity of the sport, and won’t ever be afraid to use the power of his office to do so.
In assessing the turn of events, not a few quarters have argued that the Astros and Red Sox shouldn’t look to the hardware on their respective mantels with shame. How about the others, though? How about the Dodgers, who wound up losing to both? Even as the titles were earned, continued second-guessing on how much of the work was legitimate figures to wipe some luster off the Commissioner’s Trophies. Which is why Crane had to cut cleanly and sever all ties with Luhnow and Hinch. And why Manfred was harsh, and will be even harsher the next time around.
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.