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Duterte defends drug war against critics

PRESIDENT Rodrigo R. Duterte yesterday defended his deadly war on drugs against critics, saying the country needs an iron fist to destroy drug lords.

In a speech, the president said he is serious about his campaign, having dealt with drug lords even before he became president by throwing them in various areas to instill fear.

“You don’t know how many I have thrown in Manila Bay,” Mr. Duterte said. “I threw this one drug lord in Laguna de Bay while the other one I threw in the Mountain Province, in a ravine,” he said, without naming them.

Mr. Duterte won the presidency in 2016 based on a platform to rid the country of illegal drugs. He had promised to eradicate the menace in six months.

Philippine police have said they have killed about 6,000 people in illegal drug raids, many of them resisting arrest. Some local nongovernmental organizations and the national Commission on Human Rights have placed the death toll at more than 27,000.

He put Vice President Maria Leonor G. Robredo, an opposition leader, in charge of his anti-illegal drug campaign this month, only to fire her less than three weeks later. He said he didn’t trust her. — Gillian M. Cortez

Duterte orders drive vs illegal recruiters

PRESIDENT Rodrigo R. Duterte yesterday ordered Labor and Social Welfare officials to combat illegal recruitment of Filipinos to other countries.

“I order you to come up with a structure, a bigger one, to go after [illegal recruiters],” he said in a speech.

Last year, Labor Secretary Silvestre H. Bello III signed an order that set up a task force against llegal recruitment especially of minors, and human trafficking.

Mr. Duterte is also pushing the creation of a Department of Overseas Filipinos that will better address issues affecting overseas workers. — Gillian M. Cortez

China rejects alleged control of Philippine grid

THE Chinese government said it has no control over the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines, belying claims made by an opposition Senator.

“To my knowledge, the State Grid Corp. of China took part in the Transco (National Transmission Corporation) project as a cooperation partner, providing safe, efficient and high-quality electricity services,” Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Geng Shuan said at a Nov. 27 briefing of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, according to a transcript emailed to media.

“The project is now operated, managed and maintained by the Philippine side, with the Chinese partner offering necessary technical support upon request.”

Senator Risa N. Hontiveros-Baraquel earlier filed a resolution seeking a national security audit over concerns that China might be accessing the country’s power grid system.

The State Grid Corp. of China was part of the group that was awarded the 25-year concession agreement to operate Transco’s power transmission facilities.

Ms. Baraquel earlier recalled that during a Nov. 21 hearing on the Energy department’s budget, TransCo President Melvin Matibag said a third party, in this case, China, could disable the power grid.

Mr. Geng dismissed the concern, citing the closeness and friendship of the two countries.

“The allegation of China’s control over the Philippines’ power grid or threat to the country’s national security is completely groundless,” he said.

“The Philippines is China’s close and friendly neighbor as well as an important partner.”

He also noted that China fulfills its social responsibilities through the “Brighten Up” project, which seeks to provide electricity to far-flung areas. — Charmaine A. Tadalan

Let the Games begin

By Michael Angelo S. Murillo
Senior Reporter

THE 30th edition of the biennial Southeast Asian Games officially kicks off this weekend with opening ceremonies happening at the Philippine Arena in Bocaue, Bulacan.

This marks the fourth time that the Philippines will be hosting the regional sporting meet, but first since 2005.

In this year’s SEA Games, happening from Nov. 30 to Dec. 11, participants of as much as 9,000 from the 11 member nations will pit their skills in 56 sports involving 530 events.

Ten new sports are set to make their Games debut, namely E-sports, skateboarding, kurash, sambo, modern pentathlon, kickboxing, surfing, underwater hockey, jiu-jitsu and obstacle course.

The events will take place in four designated clusters — Clark, Subic, Metro Manila and “Other Areas,” which include Batangas, Cavite, La Union and Laguna.

Among the venues to be used is the P9.5-billion world-class New Clark City Sports Complex located in Capas, Tarlac, which will host the athletics and aquatic events.

The Philippines will parade 1,094 athletes who will try to give the country the overall championship it last tasted in 2005.

In the 2017 SEA Games in Kuala Lumpur, the Philippines finished sixth overall with a haul of 24 gold, 33 silver and 64 bronze medals, its worst placing in the history of the Games.

Host Malaysia topped the last staging of the Games with a medal haul of 145-92-86, followed by Thailand 72-86-88, and Vietnam 58-50-60.

With the event happening on home soil, local sports officials are hopeful that it will inspire the Filipino athletes to deliver the overall championship.

“I think we have a realistic shot at finishing at number one. The athletes are coming in prepared and determined and we like our chances,” said Philippine chef de mission William Ramirez in the lead-up to the Games.

Mr. Ramirez is also the chairman of the Philippine Sports Commission.

He was echoed by Philippine Olympic Committee president Abraham Tolentino, who said, “Playing here at home should work to our advantage. We can be number one again.”

OPENING CEREMONIES
Taking cue from the Filipino spirit of bayanihan (community), organizers said the opening ceremonies set for 7 p.m. at the Philippine Arena will be a collaboration of local and international talent and an exposition of Filipino culture and contemporary music and dance.

Among those involved in the production of the opening are Palanca-award winning writer Floy Quintos, National Artist for Music and Ramon Magsaysay Awardee Maestro Ryan Cayabyab, United States-based Emmy-award winning live content creator FiveCurrents, and Filipino companies Video Sonic and Stage Craft International, Inc.

Performers are Lani Misalucha, Christian Bautista, Aicelle Santos, Jed Madela, Elmo Magalona, KZ Tandingan, Iñigo Pascual, The TNT Boys, Ana Fegi, and Robert Seña, and international rap artist Apl d Ap.

“This year’s opening ceremonies are envisioned as a showcase of the enduring aspects of Philippine traditional and contemporary culture,” said Mr. Quintos.

Adding, “The production’s aim is to show how aspects of culture reflect the energy, physical dexterity and competitive spirit of the Filipino.”

PROBLEMS ADDRESSED
Meanwhile, after being hit by criticisms over a number of issues and problems that hounded the early activities of the Games this week, the Philippine Southeast Asian Games Organizing Committee (PHISGOC), the main coordinating body for the event, said these have already been addressed.

Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday at the PHISGOC Sub Press Center at the World Trade Center, PHISGOC chief operating officer Ramon Suzara said issues that hounded preliminary activities this week have been resolved.

“We have tackled the issues raised by the different chefs de mission and we want to put a rest on this. What happened here was normal and we have solved them,” said Mr. Suzara.

PHISGOC was on the receiving end of strong criticism after issues on transportation, accommodation, food, accreditation and unfinished venues, among other things, were brought to the fore by athletes and officials from the competing teams.

Philippine gymnastics team sees solid outing in SEA Games

World champion gymnast Carlos Yulo leads the 23-man Philippine gymnastics team seeing action at the 30th SEA Games. — PSC-POC MEDIA GROUP

By Michael Angelo S. Murillo
Senior Reporter

RIDING the momentum of the recent success of gymnast Carlos Yulo in international competitions, the Philippine gymnastics team is expecting to do well when competition in the 30th Southeast Asian Games unfurls this weekend.

Fielding in 23 athletes, the Gymnastics Association of the Philippines (GAP) said it is targeting at least 10 gold medals in the competition, believing that the entire team is coming in prepared.

Leading the Philippine contingent is 19-year-old Carlos Edriel Yulo, who recently made Philippine gymnastics history by being the first Filipino to win a gold medal in the World Championship recently held in Stuttgart, Germany.

His strong showing in the Worlds also allowed him to book a spot for next year’s Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan.

Mr. Yulo said he is eyeing a sweep of all seven events he is competing in.

For GAP secretary-general Bettina Pou, it is not only Mr. Yulo who is upbeat of his chances but the entire team as well.

“The team is very positive heading into the Games. There is some nervousness, of course, since we are also playing here at home but the athletes are not allowing it to affect their focus. We are targeting at least 10 gold medals,” said Ms. Pou in an interview.

In the last edition of the SEA Games in 2017 in Malaysia, gymnastics gave two gold medals in the 23-gold medal haul of the country.

Kaitlin De Guzman and Reyland Capellan bagged gold medals in the women’s artistic uneven bar and men’s artistic floor exercise, respectively.

The GAP official said the federation sees the about-to-start SEA Games as a good opportunity to showcase the potential of gymnastics as a sport that Filipinos can really excel in.

“The athletes know that if they do well it will not only benefit them but the entire gymnastics community in the country,” said Ms. Pou.

“They really worked hard in training both here and abroad and determined to put up a good showing. And we’re really behind them all the way and we see them doing well. Hopefully the people would go out and support them as well as the other Filipino athletes,” she added.

Gymnastics events in the SEA Games will all take place at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum, beginning with artistic gymnastics on Dec. 1 until Dec. 4.

Rhythmic gymnastics takes place from Dec. 6 to 7 while aerobics gymnastics is on Dec. 9.

Northport completes PBA Governors’ Cup semifinal cast

By Michael Angelo S. Murillo
Senior Reporter

THE semifinal cast for the Philippine Basketball Association Governors’ Cup is now complete with the Northport Batang Pier the last one to catch the semis bus after completing an upset of the top seeds NLEX Road Warriors with a 126-123 triple-overtime victory in their do-or-die match on Wednesday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Northport, the lowest seed entering the playoffs, showed tremendous determination and big-game mentality in outlasting the Road Warriors in a classic game that resulted in NLEX exiting the tournament earlier than expected after having a solid showing in the elimination round.

The triumvirate of Sean Anthony, import Michael Qualls and Christian Standhardinger led the charge of the Batang Pier, who battled back from double-digit margins at many points in the game.

In winning over NLEX on Wednesday, Mr. Anthony exploded in the fourth quarter and in the extra periods to help will his team to the gutsy win.

Mr. Anthony finished with 30 points and 11 rebounds to win player of the game honors.

His exemplary performance complemented the all-game brilliance of Messrs. Qualls and Standhardinger.

Mr. Qualls had 31 points, 21 rebounds and five blocks while Mr. Standhardinger had 33 points, 23 rebounds and seven assists.

For NLEX it was Manny Harris who led the way with 43 points and 16 rebounds. Kiefer Ravena, meanwhile, had 22 points.

“Credit really goes to the players. This was our fourth knockout game and they showed tremendous desire, composure and commitment. They never gave up,” said a proud and relieved Northport coach Pido Jarencio after the game.

Northport with the win earned a date in the semifinals with the Barangay Ginebra San Miguel Kings whom it battles in a best-of-five affair following the conclusion of the 30th Southeast Asian Games which the country is hosting.

The PBA, which lent its players to the Philippine team, takes a short break to give way to the biennial sporting meet.

Playing in the other semifinal bracket are the Meralco Bolts and TNT KaTropa.

UV, NU nab overall supremacy in SBP-Passerelle Twin Tournament

ROXAS CITY, CAPIZ — University of Visayas (UV) and Nazareth School of National University (NU) were crowned champions in their respective divisions at the SBP-Passerelle Twin Tournament National Finals in Roxas City, Capiz. Around 120 student-athletes saw action at Dinggoy Roxas Civic Center, where they went head-to-head and competed for the biggest title in youth basketball.

UV toppled defending champion La Salle Greenhills (LSGH) in an epic showdown in the SBP division, while NU made a colossal feat for bagging the championships for the second straight time.

Backed by Milo, the National Finals of the SBP-Passerelle Twin Tournament marked the culmination of the regional competition that took place in key cities in Metro Manila, Luzon (Baguio, Pangasinan, Pampanga), Visayas (Iloilo, Roxas, Cebu), and Mindanao (Davao, Cagayan de Oro, Zamboanga).

Young cagers of the University of Visayas passed the La Salle Greenhills test with flying colors, scoring a 62-58 victory. UV Green Lancers went off to a strong start in the first half of the SBP division championship game, and kept its dominance until the finish.

Completing the Top 3 of the SBP division was Corpus Christi School, who edged off Berkley School, 59-36.

Nazareth School of National University (NU) showed master class in the Passerelle division against International School for Better Beginnings (ISBB), taking a 25-point victory, 91-66. The NU Bullpups stood its ground as champion two times in a row, while ISBB took home the silver finish for the first time in its SBP-Passerelle history.

Wrath of Celtics fans

Yesterday’s other highly anticipated return to the homecourt of a former team was scuttled due to an injury to Kyrie Irving. Not that he dreaded the prospect of facing the Celtics on the road in light of all the ill feelings that accompanied his foray into free agency; it was his seventh straight missed match since he suffered from a sore shoulder, an absence announced earlier in the week. To be sure, the development was prompted in part by the Nets’ success without him; considering that they had lost a mere set-to, he didn’t need to rush his convalescence.

In any case, the fact that Irving was nowhere near the TD Garden did not prevent fans from piling on him. They came prepared, elaborately designed props included, and not just because they didn’t want to waste the pretty penny they spent for tickets that substantially increased in demand as soon as he formalized his departure. They carried with them animosity built up through a 2018–19 season that began with promise and slowly deteriorated largely in the face of his constant brooding and passive-aggressive style of leadership. And they were creative in expressing themselves.

For Celtics followers, that Irving subsequently acknowledged his failures — or even that management absolved him — mattered not a whit. The damage had been done, and they wanted all and sundry to know how much they blamed him for it. Inside the arena, they peppered their cheers with “Kyrie sucks!” chants. Forget the way the proceedings unfolded; offense or defense, live ball or free throws, they made their sentiments clear, and in extremely animated fashion. They were, in a nutshell, having fun at his expense.

For good measure, the Celtics ended yesterday with an emphatic victory. They had fans going home with smiles and the not insignificant bonus of having seen the outcome influenced by the outstanding showing of Kemba Walker, Irving’s All-Star replacement; the 39 points (on 24 shots), six rebounds, and four assists on the board underscored that his presence on the court wasn’t missed. At all. And, judging from his elongated Instagram story in the aftermath, he got the message, and wasn’t pleased. “Don’t fall for the Game that’s played in front of you for Entertainment, it’ll never be as serious dealing with LIFE.”

Despite the lamentation, Irving understands that he will not — and, perhaps, never — escape the wrath of Celtics habitues. The schedule for the current campaign has them taking another crack at him in March. They’ll be ready. He should be, too.

 

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.

How Filipinos can play the biggest American lotteries from the Philippines

The American Mega Millions lottery is currently offering a jackpot worth $243 million USD, a prize that is attracting attention from lottery fans everywhere. Amazingly, there is no need to travel to the United States to take a chance on winning this jackpot. It is possible to play Mega Millions from the Philippines by purchasing official tickets at theLotter, the world’s leading online ticket purchasing service.

Playing the lottery online is the easiest and most convenient way to play. It is possible to create an account and begin playing any of the 50+ lotteries available on theLotter within minutes. TheLotter’s representatives buy official lottery tickets on behalf of customers fromacross the globe, including customers from the Philippines. The website charges a transaction fee for purchasing and safeguarding physical tickets. Tickets are scanned uploaded to players account. No commissions are taken from winning tickets.

Now, it is possible for residents of the Philippinesto play the biggest lotteries in the world from the comfort of home. TheLotter could make your dreams of lottery riches come true.

Anyone Can Play, Anyone Can Win

Over the years, theLotter has paid out over $95 million USD in prizes to more than 5 million winners from across the globe. In September 2017, Nataliia from Ukraine won a $1 million US Mega Millions second prize.Earlier that year, theLotter had its biggest win to date: Aura from Panama won a $30 million Florida Lotto jackpot. Aura had only been playing the lottery online for two months when she won her life-changing prize.

TheLotter’s most famous winner by far is M.M., an Iraqi who won a $6.4 million jackpot in August 2015 playing Oregon Megabucks from Baghdad. The Iraqi’s lottery winwas such a unique story that it was reported in the New York Times, the Daily Mail, NBC, and in the Associated Press. All of them noted that it is perfectly legal for foreigners to win American lottery prizes buying official tickets online at theLotter.

Playing the Lottery Online Is Easy and Secure

Purchasing official lottery tickets online at theLotter.com is simple, safe, and secure. TheLotter.comis user-friendly and features 24/7 customer support by telephone, email,Live Chat, or via social media. Playing with theLotter is the most secure way to play the lottery. All transactions on theLotter.com, as well as personal and payment information, are secured with Geotrust 128 SSL bit security.

So, what are you waiting for? A lottery jackpot could be just a click away!

For more information how to play Mega Millions online, please visit theLotter.com.

 

EDITOR’S NOTE:

Spotlight is BusinessWorld’s new sponsored section that allows advertisers to amplify their brand and connect with BusinessWorld’s audience by enabling them to publish their stories directly on the BusinessWorld Web site. For more information, send an email to online@bworldonline.com.

What makes Google, Google? The tech giant shares their four core principles.

Corporate culture is arguably one of the most important aspects of any organization. A strong, healthy culture provides several benefits, including an appealing brand identity and high retention numbers. And in any conversation about modern corporate culture, one company consistently crops up: Google.

Now synonymous with endless buffets, rec rooms, and zen pods, Google has refashioned expectations on employee experience. Rightly or wrongly, when attracting top talent, companies have stopped asking themselves, “How much can I pay my people?” and started asking “How can we be more like Google?”

Last week, as part of Philippine Startup Week, Google Philippines shared the four core principles that have made their company the benchmark for employee experience.

Workplace

Gone are the days of the sad, dreary cubicle. More and more companies are switching to fun and colorful offices, a trend that’s steadily growing as millennials and Gen Z-ers populate the workplace. The folks at Google have taken this concept and multiplied it to the nth degree. Their Zurich office alone is a smorgasbord of gondola-shaped booths, saloon-themed lounges, and slides in lieu of boring old stairs. 

On the other hand, a well-designed office makes work hours more efficient. By having their own micro-kitchens (or MKs) on every floor, Google is able to cut off the time spent by employees going to and fro coffee shops for their breaks. 

It can also inspire creativity and synergy among employees. Google Singapore stationed their canteens and cafes in the middle of the office so that all of their employees, whether from HR or engineering, could get to know each other and maybe even come up with crazy ideas together.

Moonshots

Speaking of crazy ideas, it’s vital to Google culture to have these “moonshots” on the daily. As change happens at an increasingly exponential rate, companies must aim for 10x improvements instead of 10% if they want to keep up with consumer demand.

For instance, Google’s experimental program Area 120 incubates crazy ideas that could possibly be developed into a new product for the company. By giving these teams funding and freedom for a whole year, they’re able to push the boundaries without worrying about a restricting supervisor.

Of course, giving full creative freedom doesn’t always equate to success. Google Glass, the “smart glasses” that caused quite a stir a few years ago, didn’t quite catch on with the public as expected. But as it says on Area 120’s website, “Our teams succeed when we test the limits and learn something new.”

Management

The idea of management is often divisive for employees. Who hasn’t experienced feeling pressured or ticked off by an overbearing supervisor? However, good management can actually bring out the best in a team. Google is governed by three principles when it comes to this aspect.

First, managers must share everything. With workplace transparency, employees become more aligned with the company’s vision and are able to communicate better with their teams.

Second, decisions must be based on data and not opinions. Every year, the company conducts Googlegeist, an anonymous, internal survey that asks hard questions on compensation and confidence in top management, among others. This way, supervisors are able to get an honest glimpse at the company’s overall sentiment and base their decisions on them.

Third and last, managers are expected not to manage, but to lead. Micromanaging isn’t allowed in the workplace. One effort to help ensure this is to keep teams at a minimum of eight members, which Google found to be a difficult number to micromanage by a single supervisor.

Googliness

Googliness is a little difficult to define, even for Google’s own employees. But the word that’s probably closest to it is passion—and it’s something that, at Google, goes beyond just work.

The insight here is that if a person actively pursues a passion, they must be dedicated when it comes to work as well. Extracurricular activities can also reduce stress and increase creativity, which are obviously likewise beneficial to work.

Google’s internal GTG portal displays fun courses offered by other Googlers, which not only helps employees bond but also allows for skills and interests to be spread across the company. And for those who’d like to give back to the community, internal initiative Google Give allows employees to participate in philanthropic activities for a week in a year, with the equivalent salary donated to the employee’s organization of choice.

Police seize P600,000 worth of drugs from suspects

POLICE arrested 25 people and seized P642,400 worth of illegal drugs in separate operations in the metro in the past two days.

About 20 grams of crystal meth or shabu worth about P136,000 were confiscated from eight suspects in the village of Pasong Putik yesterday, Brigadier General Ronnie Montejo, Quezon City Police District director, said in a statement.

The suspects were caught during a sting where they sold shabu to a policeman posing as a buyer.

In the village of Novaliches Proper, seven suspects including three minors were caught in a drug session inside an apartelle along Quirino Highway at around 2 a.m. yesterday.

Police seized about 26 grams of shabu worth P176,800 and assorted drug paraphernalia.

Meanwhile, 28 grams of cocaine worth P148,400 were seized during a sting in the village of South Triangle at around 1:15 a.m. yesterday.

Police apprehended two suspects while they were transacting with a cop who posed as a buyer in front of a convenience store along Timog Avenue.

In Bagumbuhay village, two drug suspects were arrested in a drug bust on Monday at around 10:40 p.m. Police seized a kilo of marijuana worth P120,000.

Meanwhile, three suspected pushers were arrested and P30,600 worth of shabu were confiscated from them in separate raids in Pasig City yesterday.

The Eastern Police District said two people were caught with three grams of shabu worth P20,400 in the village of Manggahan at around 3 a.m.

In Rosario village, police arrested a suspect and seized 1.5 grams of shabu worth P10,200 from him at around 2:45 in the morning. — Emmanuel Tupas, Philippine Star

Chinese busted with P2.5B worth of shabu

AT LEAST P2.5 billion worth of the illegal drug locally known as shabu (methamphetamine) were seized from a Chinese national in Makati City on Tuesday night, the biggest haul of prohibited narcotics so far this year, the police reported. Lt. Gen. Archie Francisco Gamboa, Philippine National Police (PNP) officer-in-charge, said around 371 kilos of shabu were recovered from suspect Liu Chao in the buy-bust operation in an apartment in Banuyo Street. A kilo of shabu has an estimated street value of P6.8 million, according to the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA). Mr. Liu is facing charges for violating Republic Act 9165, or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act. The drugs were concealed in food packaging and suspected to have been brought in using several luggages. Mr. Gamboa said the suspect has been staying at the apartment for about two weeks and been distributing about six to seven kilos of shabu to every buyer. The police are investigating how the drugs were smuggled into the country. They are also tracking other people who might be involved in the smuggling. What is certain, according to Mr. Gamboa, is that the drugs came from another country. Makati Mayor Abigail Binay-Campos lauded the PNP’s operation as she warned drug traders on the city’s “zero tolerance policy against all forms of illegal drugs and substances.” She also called on the local police and residents to remain watchful of illegal drug trading activities. — Philstar/Emmanuel Tupas

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