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Barredo flexes muscle, reaches QF of SMART National Open

NATIONAL stalwart and 2019 Southeast Asian Games campaigner Sarah Joy Barredo dominated her opponent to move into the quarterfinals of the 2019 SMART National Badminton Open, Tuesday evening at the Muntinlupa Sports Complex.

The UAAP Season 81 women’s Rookie of the Year finish off Daisy Preglo in just 25 minutes, while only giving up five points in total. She took an overpowering 21-2, 21-3 victory to move into the next round, where she will face Samantha Ramos.

Second-seed Jochelle Alvarez joins Barredo after her two-set victory over Patricia De Leon at 21-11, 21-17.

Fellow national team members Geva De Vera and Chanelle Lunod also took care of business in the women’s doubles event. The current UAAP MVPs stopped Camille Buagas and Jiselle Capillo, 21-13, 21-12, to book their place in the last eight.

Lunod then took another win later in the afternoon alongside Carlo Remo, in a three-set conquest of Petronilo Nim II and Capillo in the mixed doubles opening round, 19-21, 21-13, 21-9.

In the men’s singles open, top seeds Ros Pedrosa and Lyrden Laborte remain on track with wins over Benny Divinagracia and Kyle Basilio, respectively, both in two sets only.

The top-ranked, national team duo of Ariel Magnaye and Alvin Morada also clinched their spot into the next round of men’s doubles, sweeping Keeyan Gabuelo and Paul Gonzales, 21-6, 21-12.

Letran: Turning frustration to motivation to succeed

By Michael Angelo S. Murillo
Senior Reporter

WITH the manner with which it lost Game Two of the just-concluded National Collegiate Athletic Association Season 95 finals, the Letran Knights could have easily caved in and lost hope; but no. Instead, the Muralla-based team chose to stick to the positives, turning their frustration to motivation on their way to being champions anew.

On Tuesday at the jam-packed Mall of Asia Arena, the Knights reclaimed the title in men’s basketball of the country’s oldest collegiate league, outlasting erstwhile defending champions San Beda Red Lions, 81-79, in their do-or-die Game Three.

The contest took a familiar route, tightly fought right from the get-go and decided only in the closing moments of the contest.

In winning their first NCAA title in four years, and 18th all time, the Knights showed the needed composure and grit to overcome the tough stand of San Beda.

Letran coach Bonnie Tan said how his players handled the situation they were in was a product of the challenges they had to deal with all season long, including their bungled plays late in Game Two that led to their defeat to San Beda.

“There is a reason for everything. That’s what I always tell the players. There was a reason there was a Game Three. When we lost in Game Two many said we were not going to bounce back from it,” said Mr. Tan of their Game Two loss that had them in control late but failed to complete the chances given to them to win the title right then and there, including a potential game-winner from Bonbon Batiller under the goal in the dying seconds.

“After the loss, the players picked up each other. There was no finger-pointing and moping. They stayed positive. Sometimes when a team loses the way we did in Game Two it explodes. But for us it kept the team stronger and the camaraderie became even tighter,” he added.

Mr. Tan went on to say that it was the case for them for Season 95, having to earn everything they had, making their latest title sweeter.

“We had a lot of trials all season long. In the step-ladder we worked everything for. In the finals we were up against defending champion San Beda, which won 18th straight (game). We just stayed positive and told ourselves we’re going to be okay. And it paid off,” said the Letran coach, who was in his first year handling the Knights.

Moving forward, Mr. Tan said the thrust for them is to build on the Knights’ latest achievement.

They, however, are going to miss the services of key cogs Jerrick Balanza and Bonbon Batiller, who already exhausted their eligibility. Also not returning is big man Christian Balagasay.

Balanza had a fantastic send-off, finishing his NCAA career with 27 points and seven rebounds in their Game Three victory to win the title. He is also a double NCAA champion, winning his first during his rookie year in Season 91.

Batiller also had it solid in redeeming himself from the blown opportunity in Game Two, finishing his NCAA career with 19 points.

Mr. Tan will now be banking on the holdovers in the team, led by finals most valuable player Fran Yu.

Alaska books a spot in Governors’ Cup quarterfinals

By Michael Angelo S. Murillo
Senior Reporter

THE Alaska Aces are heading into the next round of the Philippine Basketball Association Governors’ Cup after chalking up a key victory in their final game of the elimination round, beating the NLEX Road Warriors, 106-90, on Wednesday at the Ynares Center in Antipolo City.

Needing to win to gain outright entry into the quarterfinals of the season-ending PBA tournament, the Aces did exactly what they had to do on the lead of import Franko House.

Alaska had firm control of the opening half with its offense having it crisp.

The Aces were on top 33-23 after the opening quarter and had a 63-47 lead at the half.

NLEX tried to gain some traction in the second half but Alaska was not to buckle down from the pressure and held on strong to book the all-important win.

The victory pushed the Aces to a 5-6 record, eliminating in the process the Columbian Dyip (4-7).

Had Alaska lost, it had to play Columbian in a one-game playoff for the last quarterfinal spot.

It also moved past the Northport Batang Pier, on the strength of a better tiebreaker quotient, for number seven in the next round.

Mr. House led all scorers for Alaska with 24 points.

Kevin Racal, Abu Tratter, and Jvee Casio supported him with 12 points each.

For NLEX import Manny Harris top-scored witth 22 points.

Despite the loss, the Road Warriors (8-3) still hold the top spot and will battle number 8 team Northport in the quarters with a twice-to-beat advantage.

Azkals stay at third in Group A heading into long break in World, Asian Cup qualifiers

THE Philippine men’s national football team stayed at third place in Group A of the joint FIFA World Cup and AFC Asian Cup qualifiers after bowing to group leader Syria, 1-0, in an away match on Tuesday night in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

Played more spirited in the second half of the match, the Philippine Azkals, however, could not overcome the early deficit they had and bowed to the Syrians anew in the tournament.

The loss, albeit better than the 5-2 defeat it was handed by Syria in an earlier match, kept the Philippines (2-1-2) at third place in the race in the grouping with seven points.

On top is Syria (5-0-0) with 15 points, followed by China (2-1-1) with seven points. Fourth running is Maldives (2-0-3) with six points while Guam (0-0-5) is already eliminated.

In the ongoing qualifiers the Azkals are hoping to finish on top of the grouping, or at a least have one of the best four runner-up records among the eight groups, to advance to the next round of the World Cup qualifiers.

They next play in March 2020 against Guam in the resumption of qualifying play. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo

Superbet Rapid & Blitz

Superbet Rapid
Bucharest, Romania
November 6–8, 2019

Final Standings (Rapid portion)

1. Anton Korobov UKR 2798, 6.0/9

2–4. Anish Giri NED 2705, Shakhriyar Mamedyarov AZE 2734, Levon Aronian ARM 2768, 5.0/6

5–6. Sergey Karjakin RUS 2756, Viswanathan Anand IND 2757, 4.5/6

7–9. Fabiano Caruana USA 2791, Le Quang Liem VIE 2746, Vladislav Artemiev RUS 2768, 4.0/6

10. Wesley So USA 2802, 3.0/9

Time Control: 25 minutes play-to-finish with 10 seconds time delay before your clock starts.

Superbet Blitz
Bucharest, Romania
November 9–10, 2019

Final Standings (Blitz portion)

1–2. Le Quang Liem VIE 2680, Sergey Karjakin RUS 2829, 11.0/18

3–4. Wesley So USA 2763, Viswanathan Anand IND 2791, 10.5/18

5–6. Levon Aronian ARM 2818, Vladislav Artemiev RUS 2779, 10.0/18

7. Anish Giri NED 2740, 8.0/18

8–9. Shakhriyar Mamedyarov AZE 2740, Anton Korobov UKR 2771, 6.5/18

10. Fabiano Caruana USA 2774, 6.0/18

Time Control: Five minutes play-to-finish with three seconds time delay before your clock starts

Superbet Rapid & Blitz
Bucharest, Romania
November 6–10, 2019

Final Standings (Rapid is considered double)

1–2. Levon Aronian ARM, Sergey Karjakin RUS, 20.0/27

3. Viswanathan Anand IND, 19.5/27

4. Le Quang Liem VIE, 19.0/27

5. Anton Korobov UKR, 18.5/27

6–7. Vladislav Artemiev RUS, Anish Giri NED, 18.0/27

8–9. Wesley So USA, Shakhriyar Mamedyarov AZE, 16.5/27

10. Fabiano Caruana USA, 14.0/27

Tiebreak Match
Levon Aronian versus Sergey Karjakin, 1.5/0.5

Time control: 10 minutes play-to-finish with five seconds time delay before your clock starts.

The Superbet Rapid & Blitz took place in Bucharest Wednesday 6th November to Sunday 10th this year. It is part of the Grand Chess Tour which encompasses eight tournaments:

Classical Tournaments
($90,000 for first prize)
Zagreb (Croatia),
June 24–July 9, 2019
Sinquefield Cup (St. Louis, Missouri, USA, August 15–30, 2019

Five Rapid/Blitz Tournaments
Abidjan, Ivory Coast, May 6–13, 2019
Paris, France,
July 26–Aug. 2, 2019
St. Louis, Missouri, USA, August 8–15, 2019
Bucharest, Romania, November 4–11, 2019
Kolkata, India, Nov. 20–27, 2019

The top four players by cumulative score will qualify for the 2019 GCT Finals which will be held during the London Chess Classic in London, UK between Nov. 30 and Dec. 10.

In Bucharest Wesley started very poorly. As you know earlier this month Wesley was crowned the 1st World Champion in Fischer Random chess, a variation of chess where you shuffle the pieces on the first rank before start of play. The point of this exercise of course is to remove the whole body of chess opening theory from the competition. On the one hand it can now be claimed that Wesley is the best pure chess player in the world, on the other hand Wesley would need an adjustment period before going back to classical chess, and it showed in this tournament.

The Ukraine’s GM Anton Korobov won the Rapid portion with three wins and six draws, with Aronian, Mamedyarov and Anish Giri trailing one point behind.

Giri, Anish (2776) — So, Wesley (2760) [E04]
Superbet Rapid 2019 Bucharest ROU (1.2), 06.11.2019

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.g3 dxc4 5.Bg2 c5 6.0–0 Nc6 7.dxc5 Qxd1 8.Rxd1 Bxc5 9.Nbd2 c3 10.bxc3 0–0 11.Nb3 Be7 12.c4 Bd7 13.Bb2 Rfd8 14.Nfd4 Rac8 15.Nb5 b6 16.Nd6 Bxd6 17.Rxd6 Be8 18.Rxd8 Nxd8 19.Rc1 Bc6 20.c5 Bxg2 21.Kxg2 Nd7 22.cxb6 Rxc1 23.Bxc1 axb6 24.Kf3 Nc6 25.Ke3 Kf8 26.Nd4 Nxd4 27.Kxd4 Ke7 28.Kc4 Kd6 29.Kb5 Kc7 30.g4 Nf6 31.Be3 Nd7 32.h4 f5 33.g5 g6 34.f4 Kb7 35.a4 Kc7 36.Bf2 Kb7 37.Bd4 Kc7 38.Bf6 h6 <D>

POSITION AFTER 38…H6

39.Bd8+!! 1–0

Giri’s 39th move is the kind you don’t consider, but once you get the idea it all looks so simple: 39.Bd8+ Kxd8 40.gxh6 Nf6 41.Kxb6 Kc8 42.Kc6 Kb8 43.Kd6 the Black king is tied down to the defense against White’s a-pawn while the White king mows down the Black kingside pawns.

The next day though Giri got unraveled and Korobov finished the day atop the standings in the Rapid portion of the event.

Artemiev, Vladislav (2731) — Giri, Anish (2776) [D40]
Superbet Rapid 2019
Bucharest ROU
(5.4), 07.11.2019

1.c4 c6 2.e4 d5 3.exd5 cxd5 4.d4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Nc6 6.Bf4 dxc4 7.Bxc4 e6 8.Nf3 Bd6 9.Ne5 0–0 10.0–0 Bb8 11.Nxc6 bxc6 12.Be5 Nd7 13.Qe2 a5 14.Rad1 Qb6 15.Bd3 Ba6 16.h4 Rd8 17.Bxa6 Qxa6 18.Qh5 h6 19.Ne4 Qb5 20.f4 Qxb2?

Giri forgets how important it is to keep the e5–bishop pinned against his h5 queen.

21.Bxg7! Kxg7 22.f5 exf5 23.Rxf5 Ne5

The only other way to defend his f7–pawn is with 23…Rf8 but i falls to 24.Qg4+ Kh7 (24…Kh8 25.Rh5 Kh7 26.Qg5) 25.Ng5+ Kh8 26.Qh5 etc.

24.Rxe5 Bxe5 25.Qxe5+ Kf8 26.Qh8+ Ke7 27.Qf6+ Kf8 28.Qxh6+ Ke7 29.Qf6+ Kf8 30.Ng5 1–0

[30.Ng5 Qb7 31.Rf1 Ke8 (31…Rd7 32.Qh8+ Ke7 33.Rxf7+ Kd6 34.Qe5#) 32.Nxf7 Kd7 33.Qd6+ Ke8 34.Qe6+ Qe7 35.Qxc6+ Kf8 36.Nh6+ Kg7 37.Nf5+ and wins]

Korobov faded badly in the Blitz portion and Sergey Karjakin and Vietnam’s Le Quang Liem tied for 1st in the Blitz portion. Overall, combining the scores of the Rapid and the Blitz (remember, double weight is given for points scored in the rapid portion) Levon Aronian and Sergey Karjakin finished in a dead heat. They then played a 2-game play-off match which Aronian won. I’d like to say at this point that it might be a good idea for tournament organizers to consult the players on some of the rules concerning game play. For example, the rapid portion (not counting the time delay) is 25 minutes per player, then blitz is five minutes, so why is the tie-break at 10 minutes per player? The players have to get a rhythm going and get used to a certain time control, so changing it for the tie-breaks is bound to mess up the players’ internal clocks.

Aronian, Levon (2772) — Karjakin, Sergey (2754) [C54]
Superbet Tiebreak 2019
Bucharest ROU (2), 10.11.2019

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.c3 Nf6 5.d4 exd4 6.e5

Jobava and Aronian still play this line on occasion. Just earlier this year Aronian tried it against Wesley So in the Croatian leg of the Grand Chess Tour but the Filipino-American GM had no trouble equalizing.

6…d5 7.Bb5 Ne4 8.cxd4 Bb6 9.Nc3 0–0 10.Be3 Bg4 11.h3 Bh5 12.Qc2 Nxc3

The main line is 12…Bg6 but the text is also what Wesley played.

13.bxc3 f6 14.exf6 Qxf6 15.Be2 Rae8

Aronian-So continued 15…Na5 16.0–0 Rae8!? a new idea 17.Ne5 Bxe2 18.Qxe2 Qe6! 19.Rae1 Nc4 20.Nxc4 (GM Mikhalevsky in “chesspublishing.com” indicates that 20.f4!? should also be considered) 20…dxc4 21.Qd1 Qd5 Black has fully equalized. Aronian, L. (2752)-So, W. (2754) Zagreb CRO 2019 1/2 44.

16.0–0 h6 17.Rae1 Qd6 18.Bc1 Ba5 19.Qd2 Re4 20.Bd1 Bxf3 21.Bxf3 Rxd4

So Black has stolen a crucial pawn, but he has not yet gotten away with it, The rook has problems disentangling and the pawn on d5 can become a target.

22.Qc2 Rc4

[22…Rh4 23.Bg4 Ne5 24.Ba3! Nf3+ 25.Bxf3 Qxa3 26.Bxd5+ Black does not get away with his ill-gotten gains.]

23.Ba3

Obviously, if …Qxa3 then Bxd5+ followed by Bxc4.

23…Bb4?

Correct is 23…Nb4! 24.Bxb4 (Going for more than equality with 24.Qd2? runs into 24…Rxf3! 25.gxf3! Qg6+ 26.Kh2 Nd3 27.Re3 Rxc3 28.Bb2 Rc1! Black wins) 24…Bxb4 25.Qd1 and everything equalizes at the end.

24.Qd3! Rxf3 25.Qxf3 Bxa3 26.Re8+ Kh7 27.Qf5+ 1–0

Black resigns because he will lose his queen after 27…Qg6 28.Rh8+

For the Wesley So fans, and I am one of them, you would be interested to know that he finally adjusted to non-shuffle chess and woke up — he scored four wins four draws and one loss on the last day. At one point he won three in a row, and some of his games were pretty brutal.

So, Wesley (2760) — Caruana, Fabiano (2822) [A13]
Superbet Blitz 2019 Bucharest ROU (12.1), 10.11.2019

1.Nf3 d5 2.e3 Nf6 3.c4 e6 4.Nc3 Be7 5.b3 0–0 6.Bb2

Wesley So put out a CD on his “secret weapon” 1.b3. One player asked me about it, since he does not see Wesley play 1.b3 a lot. Well, this game is an example where he starts out with Nf3 but transposes to the 1.b3 line pretty soon.

6…c5 7.cxd5 Nxd5 8.Qb1 Nc6 9.h4 b6 10.Bb5 Qc7 11.h5 h6 12.Rh3 Bd7 13.Rg3 f6?

[13…Nf6]

14.Rxg7+! Kxg7 15.Qg6+ Kh8 16.Qxh6+ Kg8 17.Qg6+ Kh8 18.Bd3 f5 1–0

Black resigned before White could end him with Nxd5+

By the time you are reading this column the Kolkata Rapid/Blitz event would have started. Watch out for Wesley So there — he is due for another big performance.

 

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

bobby@cpamd.net

Rusty Melo

Nobody expected Carmelo Anthony to put up huge numbers in his first National Basketball Association contest in a year. There can be no overestimating the fitness required to keep up with, let alone produce, in the fast pace of modern hoops. For all his efforts to stay in shape while unemployed, even he understands that he will need time to work himself back to adequacy in active competition. And, true enough, his debut with the Blazers yesterday left much to be desired; in 24 minutes of play en route to a blowout loss, he put up a game-worst plus-minus rating of negative 20.

To be sure, Anthony did show flashes of the scoring prowess — and, needless to say, the predilection to shoot — that laced the better part of his career. He moved to hit the ground running as part of the starting lineup; his were the Blazers’ first two attempts of the match, and he connected on the second, an open opportunity from beyond the arc. And they certainly needed his offense, especially with leading scorer Damian Lillard sidelined due to back spasms. Unfortunately, he proved rusty at best, going four of 14 from the field all told for 10 markers, with his four rebounds dwarfed by five fouls and five turnovers.

To contend that Anthony was a step — or two, or three — slow on defense would be to understate the obvious. The Pelicans certainly targeted him for mismatches, and he wound up either showing token coverage on the perimeter or being left behind on drives. It’s why he was minus four in his first stint in the court, minus six in his second, minus five in his third, and minus five in his last. He played for six-minute stretches, a clear concession made by Blazers head coach Terry Stotts. He will get better with time. How fast, and by how much, are subject of speculation.

In any case, Anthony will have more chances to strut his stuff. The Blazers don’t need to make a decision on his status until early next year, when his contract becomes fully guaranteed. They need to make it work, and he needs them to exit on his terms. Which means he has to improve, and fast. Else, he may be going through yet another unfortunate divorce, and most definitely his last.

 

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 rebounds vs dollar ahead of US Fed minutes

THE PESO recovered on Wednesday as markets went profit taking before the policy minutes from the US Federal Reserve.

The local unit finished trading at P50.87 versus the greenback on Wednesday, appreciating by three centavos from the P50.90-a-dollar close on Tuesday, according to data from the Bankers Association of the Philippines.

The peso opened the session at P50.97 per dollar. Its weakest point for the day was at P51.025, while its strongest was at P50.88 versus the greenback.

Dollars traded dipped to $947.5 million from $959.75 million seen on Tuesday.

One trader said the peso’s sideways movement for the day was due to a “silent” trading in the absence of major events.

“It’s still about the murky situation of the US and China [trade deal]. Tahimik ang market (The market was quiet) as they are still awaiting the minutes from both the [US] FOMC (Federal Open Market Committee) and the ECB (European Central Bank),” the trader said in a phone call.

Another trader attributed the trading movements to profit-taking from market participants.

“The peso closed slightly stronger as market participants opted to take profits ahead of the release of the October Federal Reserve policy minutes tomorrow…which might solidify views that the Fed will likely pause easing US policy rates in the near-term,” the second trader said in an email on Wednesday.

US President Donald J. Trump said in a cabinet meeting on Tuesday that China would have to make a deal “I like” or the US would have to raise tariffs on Chinese imports anew should there be no clarity with Beijing to put an end to their trade war, Reuters reported.

“If we don’t make a deal with China, I’ll just raise the tariffs even higher,” Mr. Trump said in a room filled with senior US officials.

For today, both traders sees that the peso will clock in at a range of P50.80-51.

Meanwhile, most Asian currencies slipped on Wednesday as investors digested a measure by the US Senate to protect human rights in Hong Kong and China’s condemnation against the move, while Washington warned of fresh tariffs if a deal is not reached with Beijing, according to a Reuters report

However, most currencies did not mark large moves as usually seen during trade ructions, indicating that many in the market still believed an interim deal was likely.

Caution ahead of the release of minutes from the US Federal Reserve’s last policy meeting also kept trading ranges tight.

“While it has potentially complicated the US-China phase-1 deal negotiations, at this stage, it doesn’t look like it’s in danger of derailing it,” said Khoon Goh, head of Asia research at ANZ Banking Group (Singapore), referring to the US Senate’s measure.

“Markets have taken the HK bill passage in their stride… (they’ve) pretty much thoroughly priced in a successful deal, so now they really need to see evidence that this is going to go ahead.” — LWTN with Reuters

PSEi inches down on concerns over US-China talks

By Denise A. Valdez, Reporter

THE MAIN INDEX slid on Wednesday as negative sentiments hound investors due to the uncertainty of the trade talks between United States and China.

The bellwether Philippine Stock Exchange index (PSEi) trimmed 14.08 points or 0.17% to close at 7,898.06 on Wednesday, while the broader all-shares index shed 12.32 points or 0.26% to 4,717.40.

“Philippine shares slipped back as upbeat macro data was overshadowed by disappointing retail earnings and doubts about a US-China trade deal,” Regina Capital Development Corp. Head of Sales Luis A. Limlingan said in a mobile message.

CNBC reported Tuesday that US President Donald Trump is threatening to impose higher tariffs on Chinese goods if the country fails to make a trade deal with China.

As a response, markets in the Asia Pacific declined on Wednesday. Japan’s Nikkei 225 and Topix indices lost 0.62% and 0.33%, respectively. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 index dropped 1.35%; China’s Shanghai SE Composite index gave up 0.78%; and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index fell 0.75%.

“The local market joined its regional peers on the decline following (Mr. Trump’s) tariff threats against Beijing. The outlook on the US-China negotiations is becoming dimmer and this is what’s been pulling the local bourse lately,” Senior Research Analyst Japhet Louis O. Tantiangco of Philstocks Financial, Inc. said in a text message.

He added that the weakening of the Philippine peso, which closed at P50.87 against the dollar on Wednesday, is another factor dragging the local market.

Papa Securities Corp. Sales Associate Gabriel Jose F. Perez cited the same reason, saying in an e-mail that “net foreign selling continued to plague the index.”

Foreign investors remained bearish on Wednesday, recording a net selling of P655.08 million at the close of trading. However, this is an improvement from Tuesday’s net outflows worth P1.03 billion.

Sectoral counters mostly declined. Mining and oil went down 119.98 points or 1.39% to 8,481.03; industrials dropped 47.48 points or 0.47% to 9,989.76; financials inched down by 6.01 points or 0.31% to 1,913; and holding firms lost 18.37 points or 0.23% to 7,788.62.

Meanwhile, property increased by 16.15 points or 0.39% to 4,091.78, while services went up 0.05 point to 1,549.62.

Value turnover fell to P4.13 billion from Tuesday’s P6.22 billion, with 1.73 billion issues changing hands.

Declining stocks outpaced advancing stocks, 106 against 72, while 52 closed unchanged.

“The index should continue to trade sideways in the near-term as we wait on the MSCI overhang to dissipate next week. Support would be at the 7,800 level, while resistance is at the 8,000 area,” Mr. Perez said.

Rappler cyber-libel trial to proceed after court denies dismissal plea

THE trial of Rappler — a news website critical of President Rodrigo R. Duterte — and its executive director for cyber-libel will proceed on Dec. 6 after a Manila court denied a plea to dismiss the case.

Judge Rainelda H. Estacio-Montesa has set the presentation of evidence by defense lawyers for Dec. 6, according to a copy of a 12-page order issued by the court.

The judge ruled there was sufficient evidence to indict Rappler, Executive Director Maria A. Ressa and former researcher Reynaldo Santos, Jr. over an article published in 2012 and supposedly republished two years later.

“A close examination of the records of the case bares that the prosecution sufficiently proved that Rappler, Inc. was utilized as a platform for the republication of the subject article,” the court said.

“The assertion made by all the accused is a matter of defense which is best passed upon after a full-blown trial on the merits,” it added.

Ms. Ressa declined to comment. Her lawyer also did not reply to a mobile-phone message seeking a comment.

The Justice department in February indicted Ms. Ressa for cyber-libel based on a complaint by a businessman over an article published in 2012, months before the cyber-crime law was passed. The journalist has said the allegations were unfounded.

A month later, she got arrested again for allegedly violating the ban on foreign ownership in media.

Local and international media watchdogs and human rights groups have condemned her arrest. New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists has called on Mr. Duterte’s government “to cease and desist this campaign of intimidation aimed at silencing Rappler.”

Ms. Ressa, a former CNN investigative reporter, earlier said Philippine authorities have managed to “twerk” the cases against her and Rappler.

Rappler, which Mr. Duterte has called a “fake news outlet,” is also appealing last year’s order by the Securities and Exchange Commission to close its operations for violating foreign-equity restrictions in mass media. Ms. Ressa, is also facing tax evasion cases.

In its ruling, the Manila court rejected Ms. Ressa and Mr. Santos’ claim that they had no hand in the republication of the article. It said the name of Mr. Santos appeared as the author of the article, while Ms. Ressa is the chief executive officer and executive editor of Rappler.

“Being the author of the subject article and the editor of the corporation which published the same, the participation of both accused Santos, Jr. and Ressa on the republication of the subject article cannot be denied,” it said.

The court also said the accused should prove during the trial their claim that the article had not been republished.

A United States law firm earlier offered free lobby services to Ms. Ressa, to build awareness and concern about her criminal cases in the Philippines.

Lobbying disclosure reports showed that Ms. Ressa, who is out on bail for a cyber-libel case, was using Covington & Burling partners Peter Lichtenbaum and Kurt Wimmer to act as her lobbyists in the US.

The Filipino journalist earlier said her criminal cases should matter to the US because there is a “global erosion of freedom that is guaranteed in any democracy around the world.” — Vann Marlo M. Villegas

Filipinos’ trust in China fall to bad in Q3

FILIPINOS’ trust in China fell to “bad” in the third quarter, while it remained “excellent” for the United States, according to a poll by the Social Weather Stations (SWS).

China’s net trust rating fell 9 points to -33 in September from a quarter earlier, the lowest since it received a “bad” net trust rating of -35 in June last year, SWS said.

The US maintained its “excellent” net trust rating of +72, a point lower than in June, the polling firm said.

SWS said Japan and Australia maintained their “very good” trust ratings at +35 and +37, respectively.

Singapore got a “moderate” trust rating of +26, while Filipinos’ trust fell to “neutral” from “moderate” for Vietnam at 0, SWS said.

President Rodrigo R. Duterte has sought closer investment and trade ties with Beijing, including over resources in the disputed sea, since he became president in June 2016.

SWS interviewed 1,800 adults for the poll, which had an error margin of ±2.3 points. — NPA

Duterte to heed military, police on martial law

PRESIDENT Rodrigo R. Duterte will heed the recommendation of the police and military whether to extend martial law in the Mindanao region.

“Martial law is a military thing,” he said at a press briefing at the presidential palace late Tuesday. “It’s their assessment or evaluation of the Mindanao situation.”

Mr. Duterte said he had not received any endorsements from the two.

The President placed Mindanao under martial rule in 2017 after extremists linked to Islamic State raided Marawi City, leaving about 100 people dead and displacing thousands after clashes with the military.

Congress extended the 60-day martial rule until the end of 2017 to help authorities end the Marawi siege that lasted about five months.

Lawmakers again extended martial law, upon the request of Mr. Duterte, in Mindanao until the end of this year to help fight terrorism.

Defense Secretary Delfin N. Lorenzana earlier said he was not inclined to recommend another extension, calling instead for a tougher anti-terrorism law.

The Philippine National Police also saw no need to extend martial rule in Mindanao, its spokesman Brigadier General Bernard M. Banac said last week, noting that the region was under control and continued to show marked stability.

Commission on Human Rights spokesperson Jacqueline Ann C. de Guia has said martial law should be reserved as an extraordinary measure for lawless violence, invasion or rebellion.

She said law enforcers can address terrorism and other lawless elements in Mindanao without it. — NPA

Duterte defends SEA Games cauldron

PRESIDENT RODRIGO R. Duterte has defended the controversial P55-million cauldron tower at the main venue of the coming 30th South East Asian (SEA) Games, citing that it is the work of a national artist.

“There can never be corruption in that situation because you commissioned a national artist,” Mr. Duterte said late Tuesday. “You cannot estimate how much nalugi ka (you lost) because it is the rendition of the mind of the creator,” he added.

The steel cauldron was designed by the late National Artist for Architecture Francisco “Bobby” T. Mañosa, also known as the Father of Philippine Neo-Vernacular Architecture.

The symbolical structure first came under fire after Senate Minority Leader Franklin M. Drilon questioned officials organizing the SEA Games last Monday on why they spent on an “extravagance that is so unnecessary.”

House Speaker Alan Peter S. Cayetano, chairman of the Philippine SEA Games Organizing Committee (PHISGOC), defended that the project serves as a showpiece and noted that it only cost P45 million to build. He told reporters the rest of the fund will be used for gasoline and other equipment needed to keep the cauldron burning during the 11 days of the SEA Games. — Gillian M. Cortez

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