Facebook Instagram Linkedin Twitter Youtube
Home Blog Page 9586

Bianca Andreescu emerges as Canada’s next great hope for Grand Slam glory

TORONTO — Canadian teenager Bianca Andreescu’s Indian Wells triumph was not shown on television in her home country but that did not dampen the excitement across a nation where the future of women’s tennis is suddenly looking as bright as ever.
Andreescu enjoyed an unprecedented run in the California desert where the 18-year-old became the first wildcard to win the prestigious event that is widely regarded as the biggest tennis tournament outside of the four Grand Slams.
“A STAR IS BORN” screamed the front-page headline of The Toronto Star on Monday above a picture of a grinning Andreescu with her eyes closed and arms around the winner’s trophy.
The Canadian first made waves in January when she beat former world number ones Caroline Wozniacki and Venus Williams on consecutive nights in a tune-up event for the Australian Open.
But Andreescu took her game to another level in California where her Cinderella run included wins over five seeded players, including former world number one and three-times Grand Slam winner Angelique Kerber in Sunday’s final.
The match, however, was not shown on TV in her homeland and many Canadians took to social media to blast the country’s all-sports networks for not securing broadcast rights to the event.
After becoming the first Canadian to win a WTA Premier Mandatory tournament, Andreescu reflected on the journey she took to reach the biggest moment of her career.
“A year ago, during this period, I had been struggling a lot with my tennis and with my body, too. So it’s crazy what a year can do,” Andreescu told reporters after her 6-4 3-6 6-4 win.
“I was playing 25Ks in Japan,” she said, referring to the WTA’s second-tier tournaments, “and now I’m the… champion of Indian Wells. It’s crazy. Crazy is the word of the tournament for me. Just crazy.”
The victory vaulted Andreescu to a dizzyingly high ranking of 24th in the world, up 128 places since last December. It is even more remarkable considering she entered 2019 with a now-laughable goal of cracking the top 100 by year’s end.
Andreescu’s triumph even caught the attention of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who posted a congratulatory note on his Twitter account which she responded to by saying it is an honor to play for Canada. — Reuters

No easy road

At the weekend Gilas Pilipinas and the entire nation finally got to know where the country will begin its FIBA Basketball World Cup campaign later this year after the official draw was made in Shenzhen, China.
Following the star-studded draw, attended by the likes of Kobe Bryant, Yao Ming and officials of the participating teams, it was known that the Philippines will play in Group D of the competition, along with Serbia, Italy and Angola.
Initially Gilas will try to end up in the top two of its grouping to advance to the next round of the tournament and hopefully continue humming after to go deeper.
The draw drew a mixed reactions from Filipino hoops fans, with some welcoming it as the Philippines having a better chance early while others leaving Gilas for doom, seeing the team as having no chance outright and was better off being grouped in a more “favorable” bunch.
For this space, I totally disagree with the latter sentiment, believing that at the World Cup there is no easy road regardless of where you end up.
At this stage you have 31 other teams which deserve to be in the tournament and would go all out to see their respective causes through.
It does not matter what one’s ranking in FIBA is, it is all about getting the wins right then there and delivering. Win or go home. Plain and simple.
I do believe, however, it could have been worse for Gilas, this notwithstanding that in Serbia (4th), Italy (13th) and Angola (39th) we already have our hands full.
The Serbians will be a tall order for us, both literally and figuratively.
Against them we may be up against National Basketball Association stalwarts Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets, Boban Marjanovic of the Philadelphia Sixers, Bogdan Bogdanovic and Nemnaja Bjelica of the Sacramento Kings, among others.
Serbia has been a force in global hoops of late, finishing runner-up in the last edition of the World Cup in 2014 in Spain and in the 2016 Rio Olympics apart from creating major waves in European basketball.
Italy is not doing bad either, banking on a good mix of young and veteran players.
The Azzurri could also feature veteran NBA campaigners in Danilo Gallinari (Los Angeles Clippers) and Marco Bellinelli (San Antonio Spurs) at the World Cup, providing a sure-fire tough challenge for the Philippines.
Angola, for its part, is not shabby as well despite Gilas up several rungs over it in the world rankings.
The Angolans were steady in the qualifiers with solid personnel with the likes of Yanick Moreira and Carlos Morais, leaving their spot in the World Cup spot sans any doubt.
Facing another tough road at the World Cup, it is primary for Gilas to really come in prepared for the competition.
Coach Yeng Guiao said that they intend to start preparations early, which is the way to go about it really.
They should also test their mettle against international competitions in the lead-up, maybe in the form of tune-up matches and not confine themselves training among themselves.
Composition is key as well. It does not have to be an “All-Star” roster but made up of players who can play in synch together on both ends.
If we can squeeze in enough height in the team without compromising balance the better considering the competition we will have.
Andray Blatche as naturalized player was splendid in our salvage job in the qualifiers and if he can keep such form or even improve on it the better for us if ever he is called up anew.
The possibility of maybe having the likes of Filipino-American NBA player Jordan Clarkson and US collegiate player Remy Martin should also be looked at as well if they could help in the final makeup of the squad.
While the road for us in the World Cup is anything but easy, that should not deter us from going for it. All to gain and nothing to lose if you are to look at it. 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

Lakers with James

Just before the Lakers faced the Rockets in their first game after the All-Star break, LeBron James announced to all and sundry that he would be on afterburners for the remainder of the season. “It’s been activated,” he said, turning to a word he had hitherto used in reference to how his intensity level seemed to ramp up in the playoffs. The difference, of course, was that he wasn’t anywhere near the postseason yet. In fact, he was in danger of missing it altogether for the first time since 2005, what with the purple and gold at 28-29 and presumably requiring him to put his nose to the proverbial grindstone in order to avert the possibility.
As things turned out, the Lakers did forge victory against the Rockets, and in dramatic fashion to boot. They had to overcome a 19-point deficit en route to protecting home court against last year’s conference finalists, in the process wiping the stigma off their immediate past defeat against the lowly Hawks. Unfortunately, any confidence they may have picked up from the outcome have proven short-lived; since then, they’ve prevailed only twice in 12 outings, putting them closer to the bottom of the West than to a playoff berth.
Considering how the Lakers have fared, James’ “activated” pronouncement has rightly been viewed with skepticism. Critics have been all over him, wondering why there is a dichotomy in the first place. Shouldn’t the switch always be on? And granting that it isn’t, what does that make of his vaunted LeBron 2.0 Mode given the swoon that followed, anyway? To be sure, it would be unfair to pin the blame wholly on him when they were on track to begin the first round of the playoffs at Staples Center before his freak Christmas Day injury derailed their seemingly steady climb.
Nonetheless, James is James, and in the manner that he garnered accolades with his previous exploits carrying overmatched teams to remarkable runs, he deserves blame for failing to do the same with the Lakers. And, certainly, the optics generated by new lows don’t help. Yesterday, for instance, he snatched defeat from the throes of triumph in coming up with his worst fourth-quarter showing of all time. It wasn’t simply that he went four of 15 from the field in the payoff period against the Knicks, holders of the league’s worst record off the league’s worst defense; he canned zero of six to close the match, and his potential game winner was blocked by a journeyman scrub with tons of experience riding the pine.
James was frustrated in the aftermath, and with reason. Including yesterday’s stinker, the Lakers are embarrassed owners of a 31-39 slate, the exact same one they had this time last year. It’s as if his presence hasn’t mattered — not quite the narrative he’s looking for to bolster his greatest-of-all-time cause. For all his current failures, though, he still has something to turn to: opportunity. He can close the season strong, and then go through the next with purpose from the get-go. Nope, he doesn’t need to get anything “activated.” He just needs to be himself. And the sooner he realizes it, the faster he can move on.
 
Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994.

Peso plunges ahead of BSP move

THE PESO plunged against the dollar anew on Tuesday as market players continue to wait for a possible rate or reserve ratio cut by the local central bank during its policy meeting tomorrow.
The local unit ended yesterday’s session at P52.83 versus the greenback, 18 centavos weaker from the P52.65-per-dollar finish on Monday.
This was the peso’s weakest showing in nearly two months or since it closed at P52.86 per dollar on Jan. 24.
The peso traded weaker the whole day, opening the session at its best showing of the day of P52.66 versus the greenback. Meanwhile, it slipped to as low as P52.84 intraday.
Dollars traded surged to $1.141 billion from the $846.4 million that switched hands the previous day.
Foreign exchange traders said the peso weakened versus the greenback as the market priced in possible monetary easing from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP).
“The peso traded higher despite the lackluster move of the dollar overnight as the market expects some kind of monetary easing from the BSP, whether a cut in policy rates or reserve requirements,” the trader said in a phone interview.
A BusinessWorld poll showed that 10 out of 13 economists believe the central bank may still have some room to keep its borrowing costs steady even as inflation is in a downward trend.
Inflation eased for the fourth straight month in February to 3.8%, the slowest in 12 months, driven by slower increase of food and non-alcoholic beverage costs. However, this is still near the ceiling of the BSP’s 2-4% target this year.
Meanwhile, some economists said the BSP may trim the reserve requirement ratio of banks by a percentage point to 17% from the current 18%, which is deemed as the highest among regional peers.
“The peso broke resistance levels, that’s why we saw aggressive selling of the dollar peso,” the trader added.
For today, the trader expects the peso to move between P52.85 and P53 versus the dollar, while another trader gave a P52.70-P53 range.
“The peso might depreciate further due to dollar safe-haven demand driven by market uncertainty concerning the impact of both the BSP and the [US] Fed[eral Reserve]’s policy cues to the local currency,” the second trader noted. — K.A.N. Vidal

PSE index drops ahead of central banks’ reviews

THE MAIN INDEX ended in negative territory on Tuesday as investors took caution ahead of the policy review of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) as well as the United States’ and United Kingdom’s central banks, all slated later this week.
The benchmark Philippine Stock Exchange index fell 0.37% or 29.61 points to 7,843.41. The broader all-shares index dropped 0.25% or 12.13 points to 4,833.29.
“It was mostly sideways action for the Philippine market before finally settling in the red territory as part of the Fed Watch, US-China trade relations and Brexit roadblock steering the market,” Regina Capital Development Corp. Managing Director Luis A. Limlingan said in a mobile message on Tuesday.
Market participants are bracing for Thursday as the US Federal Reserve decision comes out at 2 a.m. Manila time, while the BSP’s will be out at 4 p.m., and the Bank of England’s at 8 p.m. on the same day.
“Investors are going to take cues if the officials of these banks will be bullish or bearish for this year,” Timson Securities, Inc. trader Jervin S. de Celis said in a mobile message on Tuesday.
All sector counters were in the red. Mining and oil slumped 1.2% or 99.09 points to 8,148.28; financials slid 0.66% or 11.90 points to 1,772.19; industrials dropped 0.5% or 58.49 points to 11,575.17; property went down 0.43% or 17.64 points to 3,996.31; holding firms shed 0.19% or 15.13 points to 7,760.51; and services inched down 0.11% or 1.74 points to 1,573.26.
Decliners trumped advancers, 104 to 89, while 44 issues were unchanged.
Value turnover totaled P5.97 billion as 1.39 billion shares switched hands, slightly higher than the P5.32 billion on Monday when volume was at 1.70 billion shares.
Foreigners turned sellers, dumping shares amounting to a net P70.34 million, reversing the net purchases of P406.76 million posted in the previous session.
Most Southeast Asian stock markets were also subdued in thin trading on Tuesday, with Indonesia falling the most, as investors remained on sidelines ahead of the US Federal Reserve policy meeting, and policy decisions by some regional central banks.
The Federal Reserve is likely to hold interest rates at its policy meeting, waiting until the third quarter before raising rates once more, according to a Reuters poll.
The Indonesian index was the worst hit in the region, dipping 0.4%. Consumer stocks led declines as Bank Indonesia is expected to keep rates on hold at their meeting on Thursday despite the country recording the lowest inflation in nearly a decade.
Singapore’s benchmark fell marginally with industrial majors Jardine Matheson Holdings Ltd. and Jardine Strategic Holdings Ltd. slipping 0.9% and 0.6%, respectively.
Meanwhile, the Thai index moved up 0.3% recovering from three straight sessions of losses, ahead of the Bank of Thailand policy meeting on Wednesday. — JCL with Reuters

ICC to pursue examination of PHL drug war

By Arjay L. Balinbin, Reporter
THE INTERNATIONAL Criminal Court (ICC) on Tuesday vowed to pursue its “preliminary examination” of President Rodrigo R. Duterte’s controversial drug war despite the Philippines’ withdrawal from the Rome Statute.
“My Office’s independent and impartial preliminary examination into the situation in the Philippines continues,” ICC Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda said in a statement on Tuesday.
She noted that the Philippines’ withdrawal from the Rome Statute, the treaty that created the ICC, became effective last Sunday, March 17.
“Pursuant to Article 127.2 of the Statute, and based on prior ICC judicial ruling in the situation in Burundi, the Court retains its jurisdiction over crimes committed during the time in which the State was party to the Statute and may exercise this jurisdiction even after the withdrawal becomes effective,” she added.
The Statute states that a country’s withdrawal “shall not prejudice in any way the continued consideration of any matter which was already under consideration by the Court prior to the date on which the withdrawal became effective.”
For his part, President of the Assembly of States Parties O-Gon Kwon said: “I sincerely hope that the departure of the Philippines from the Rome Statute is only temporary and that it will re-join the Rome Statute family in the future. Encouraging universal adherence to the Rome Statute is key in strengthening our collective efforts to promote accountability for atrocity crimes and the rule of law.”
He also said in his statement that the ICC “relies on the continued support of the international community to ensure its effectiveness in the fight against impunity.”
“The Assembly of States Parties, comprising more than 120 States from all regions of the world, is fully committed to the Court’s mandate: to help put an end to impunity for the most serious crimes of concern to the international community,” he noted.
The Assembly of States Parties is the management oversight and legislative body of the ICC. The body is comprised of representatives of all States that have ratified and acceded to the Statute.
Sought for comment at a Palace briefing, Presidential Spokesperson Salvador S. Panelo said the Philippines, under Mr. Duterte, will not be returning to the ICC.
“Not during the watch of this President,” he said.
“Even other countries, powerful countries share the same sentiment that the ICC has weaponized human rights in the fight against drugs. It has been politically persecuting heads of states,” Mr. Panelo added.

Palace defends Bong Go’s donation to fire victims

PRESIDENTIAL SPOKESPERSON Salvador S. Panelo on Tuesday defended senatorial candidate and former special assistant to the President Christopher Lawrence “Bong” T. Go’s alleged cash distribution to fire victims.
At a news conference at the Palace on Tuesday, Mr. Panelo expressed doubts on whether Mr. Go can be held liable for vote-buying. “Why don’t they file if that is what they believe in? You know, I looked at the provision. Baka mahirapan (The [complainant/s] may have a hard time), kasi (because) what it says there is that ‘will induce the voter to be influenced.’ Mukhang iba ang situation dito kay (In the case of) Bong Go (the situation seems different) sapagkat (because) these are donations and they are fire victims.”
A report by Rappler.com on March 15 said Mr. Go “made cash donations to fire victims during or immediately after his visit to communities stricken by fire,” and these were made “during the campaign period.”
Vote-buying, according to the Omnibus Election Code, is when a person “gives, offers or promises money or anything of value…in order to induce anyone or the public in general to vote for or against any candidate or withhold his vote in the election, or to vote for or against any aspirant for the nomination or choice of a candidate in a convention or similar selection process of a political party.”
Mr. Panelo further said, “The operative word is ‘inducement.’ If the intention is to induce, then you will be violating the provision. But the problem is how you will prove inducement, especially in this particular case of Bong Go where there are fire victims.”
“Knowing that man, I don’t think he will allow that to happen. But anyway, if they feel that he has violated, oh di mag-file (they can file a complaint),” he said.
The President’s spokesman also noted that Mr. Go surged to No. 3 in the latest 2019 Pulse Asia survey.
“Well, given the fact that he is very visible, I am not surprised why he is within the top 3. He’s very visible and as we know in this election…, awareness is number one consideration. He may be very good, but if the people are not aware of your name, my goodness, wala rin (nothing will happen),” he said.
Following his latest ranking at No. 3 in Pulse Asia’s survey, Mr. Go said in a statement, “Muli po, maraming salamat sa aking mga supporters na naniniwala sa aking kakayahan at katapatan maglingkod karugtong ng aking hangarin na mag-serbisyo sa Pilipino. Nakakataba po ng puso ang inyong pagtitiwala.” (Again, thank you very much to my supporters for placing your trust in my abilities and my loyalty to serve. It is flattering).
He added: “Mas importante sa akin ang makatulong at makapagserbisyo sa tao, higit pa sa pangangampanya. Uunahin ko po palagi ang mga mahihirap at mga nangangailangan ng tulong.” (Helping and serving the people is more important to me than campaigning. I will always prioritize the poor and those who need help.) — Arjay L. Balinbin

Entire Mindanao declared hotspot

THE COMMISSION on Elections (Comelec) on Tuesday declared the entire Mindanao as an election hotspot, citing armed threats and election-related violence in the area.
On Tuesday, the poll body said in a statement, “The Commission on Elections has declared the entire Mindanao Island Group as a Category Red Election Hotspot, for purposes of the 2019 National and Local Elections.”
Comelec, along with the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) classify election hotspot as red if local government agencies report grave and risky conditions that might warrant the Comelec En Banc to motu proprio declare Comelec control in the area.
Comelec added that past politically-fueled violence in the region along with threats from armed groups has contributed to the declaration of Mindanao being a Category Red election hotspot. On top of that, the entire region has been under martial law since 2017.
“This developed in the wake of suspected election-related incidents in the last two elections, together with serious armed threats posed by the New People’s Army (NPA), Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF), Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) and rogue elements of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) and/or Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and other analogous groups,” Comelec reported.
Other areas labeled as Category Red along with Mindanao are Jones, Isabela; Lope de Vega, Northern Samar; and Abra province. — Gillian M. Cortez

Philippines, Vietnam reach agreement on fishermen

DEFENSE SECRETARY Delfin N. Lorenzana said he and his Vietnamese counterpart have agreed that fishermen of both countries will not be apprehended for fishing in claimed areas in the South China Sea.
“So kung meron tayong makikita diyan (So if we spot [Vietnamese fishermen] there), just warn them, ‘You are in Philippine waters, please go back to your area.’ In like manner, kung andun naman sa kanila ‘yung fishermen natin (if our fishermen are in their waters), just tell them to go back. Kasi hindi naman alam ng fishermen kung ano eh, wala naman silang GPS [Global Positioning System](Because these fishermen are not aware where they are, they don’t have GPS),” Mr. Lorenzana told reporters on Tuesday, March 19, at Clark Air Base, Pampanga.
Mr. Lorenzana made his official visit to Vietnam last week to discuss with Vietnamese Defense Minister General Ngo Xuan Lich issues in connection with China’s increased activity in the disputed waters.
He said, “Kasi ang sabi namin (What we said), these fishermen are not actually very rich people. They’re actually just poor fishermen trying to earn a living, so ‘wag na natin silang pahirapan (so let’s not make things difficult for them).”
Mr. Lorenzana also said he will meet with US Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for South and Southeast Asia Joseph H. Felter to discuss the possible review of the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty between the US and the Philippines.
“Exploratory lang. Wala pang talking points diyan. (No talking points yet.) Gusto lang natin malaman (We just want to know), what do they think about our proposal, to open up for discussion what is in the MDT?” said Mr. Lorenzana.
He also said, “I support in a way that the South China Sea or the West Philippine Sea (be) always open for navigation for all, kasi ‘yun ang daanan ng ating mga trades, mga commerce natin (because it’s the path of our trade and commerce),” he said. “Ang takot ko lang diyaan baka sa girian nila diyan, magputukan, eh baka masali tayo sa gulo (My only concern is we might be involved in a flashpoint).”
“That’s why we are very much eager to finish the Code of Conduct (on the) South China Sea, which we have been crafting since 2012….Hanggang ngayon hindi pa tapos (It’s not yet finished). But hopefully with the cooperation of China, we will finish it in the next three years.” — Vince Angelo C. Ferreras

Lorenzana debunks reports of growing IS presence in PHL

DEFENSE SECRETARY Delfin N. Lorenzana debunked recent reports that a hundred Islamic State members are now in the country with the number growing as the extremist group loses territories in Iraq and Syria following intensified operations by US-backed forces. “We don’t see those people there, not that much. Siguro merong kaunti du’n (Maybe there are a few)… Siguro up to 10,” Mr. Lorenzana told reporters at the Clark Air Base in Pampanga on Tuesday, March 19. He added that he does not believe that the number is increasing, although he acknowledged that these foreigners, particularly the Malaysians and Indonesians, could possibly move from one country to another. Mr. Lorenzana said cooperation with the governments of Malaysia and Indonesia are continuously being strengthened to ensure security in the region. — Vince Angelo C. Ferreras

DoH to include Japanese Encephalitis vaccine in immunization program

THE DEPARTMENT of Health (DoH) announced on Tuesday that it will now include vaccines for Japanese Encephalitis (JE) in its immunization program, beginning in regions with the most number of reported cases last year. DoH, in a statement, said the vaccine will be given for free starting this month to children nine months to five years old in Regions 1 (Ilocos), 2 (Cagayan Valley), 3 (Central Luzon), and the Cordillera Administrative Region. JE is a viral disease transmitted from Culex mosquitoes, which thrive in wet and shallow areas. Children are more at risk. In 2018, DoH reported 345 cases of the mosquito-borne disease. “Among the 12 countries with established JE transmission, only two countries have not introduced the vaccine in their immunization program, and one of these is the Philippines. Now, the Japanese Encephalitis vaccine is available in the Philippines,” Health Secretary Francisco T. Duque III said. — Gillian M. Cortez

Air Force gets P2.5B worth of helicopter spare parts, equipment from Japan

THE JAPANESE government has donated spare parts and maintenance equipment worth P2.5 billion for the helicopters of the Philippine Air Force (PAF). “This is donated by the Japanese government because they are manufacturing these spare parts under license from the US. Ito mga excess nila (These are their excess production)…. So they thought it is wise to give it to us,” Defense Secretary Delfin N. Lorenzana said on March 19. He noted that the PAF has several grounded aircraft due to lack of spare parts needed for repairs. The parts will be used to restore the UH-1H helicopters that are deployed primarily for humanitarian assistance and disaster response, and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions. — Vince Angelo C. Ferreras

1...9,5859,5869,587...12,605Page 9,586 of 12,605
© 2024 BusinessWorld Publishing.
All rights reserved.
Read our privacy guidelines
Facebook Instagram Linkedin Twitter Youtube