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Local grassroots football development gets further leg with Luzon Cup

By Michael Angelo S. Murillo
Senior Reporter

CROSS-SECTOR efforts to develop the sport of football from the grassroots bore further fruit with the staging of the Luzon Cup next week.

A football tournament for boys Under-12 happening at the Jose V. Yap Sports and Recreational Park in San Jose, Tarlac, from Nov. 21 to 24, the Luzon Cup is organized by the Negros Occidental Football Association (NOFA) and the Central Luzon Football Association (CLFA) with firm backing from the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC).

Also throwing their support to the event are the Tarlac provincial and city governments and the office of the Department of Education in the province.

Organizers hail the upcoming event as a significant development in relation to their thrust of making football available to more people, especially the younger ones, in the country by way of different tournaments.

The Luzon Cup completes NOFA’s nationwide “triangle” of U13/U12 tournaments, joining the Bacolod-based NOFA Cup for the Visayas and the recently concluded Mindanao Cup.

The tournaments are part of NOFA’s vision of “Football Para sa Lahat” (Football for All), where it moves to partner with fellow football associations in the country and organize tournaments for young footballers.

“Our dream, through ‘Football Para sa Lahat’ is to support more tournaments and activities for all groups. We want more Filipinos to enjoy football. And we believe more football development programs will eventually mean more lasting success in the international arena,” said NOFA President Ricardo Yanson, Jr., at the press conference for the Luzon Cup on Monday at the Century Park Hotel in Manila, as he talked about the motor that is propelling them with their vision and mission.

In the Luzon Cup, 15 teams from different football associations and football clubs in Luzon are set to participate. A 16th team will be the Mindanao Cup champion Bukidnon Football Association.

Seeing the clear vision of NOFA and its partner associations, PSC Chairman William Ramirez expressed his and the PSC’s full support to the Football Para sa Lahat program and the Luzon Cup.

“I see the passion of Mr. Yanson and his group to really develop football in the country and I’m supporting him morally and as the presiding chairman of the Philippine Sports Commission. I will support him and his programs wherever these take him,” said Mr. Ramirez, also at the press conference, even going as far as offering the Rizal Memorial Football Stadium to host the national finals of the tournament.

Reenergized Aces seek to propel PBA quarterfinal push

By Michael Angelo S. Murillo
Senior Reporter

THE rejuvenated Alaska Aces return to Philippine Basketball Association Governors’ Cup action today, seeking to further solidify their push for a spot in the quarterfinal phase of the season-ending PBA tournament.

Currently at joint eighth place in the race, the Aces (3-6) play the struggling Phoenix Pulse Fuel Masters (2-7) in the scheduled 7 p.m. game at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Alaska has fashioned out a sort of turnaround in the tournament of late after opening their campaign with five straight losses.

It has won three of its last four games, including its last two, to will itself to the middle of the pack and be still in the hunt for a quarterfinal spot.

The latest of the victories of the Aces came at the expense of the Northport Batang Pier, 106-99, on Nov. 3 in a game that saw them put up a steady fight all throughout the contest to hold off a spirited challenged from the Batang Pier.

Import Frank House and Vic Manuel led the Aces in the victory with 23 points apiece while combining for 21 rebounds.

Rookie Abu Tratter had 17 points and Jeron Teng added 13 for Alaska, who played sans Chris Banchero who was traded to the Magnolia Hotshots Pambansang Manok in the lead-up to the game for Robbie Herndon and Rodney Brondial.

“This is a game we always talked about, grinding it out to get the win. It’s a significant win because we were challenged all the way and we needed to make adjustments. The players really played well in responding and I think this will help us in our future games,” said Alaska coach Jeff Cariaso after their latest win.

Today’s game will see Messrs. Herndon and Brondial make their Alaska debut, something Mr. Cariaso is high about.

“Herndon is a very smart player, an IQ player. He knows his spots and does not force things. He knows his role. And he’s a good shooter. Rodney [meanwhile] is that role player that we need, that banger, that extra banger that we need; an extra big guy who does not care who his opponent is. He will do his best to try to defend. And he has good hands and can finish plays,” the Alaska coach said of their new acquisitions.

Phoenix, for its part, is looking to infuse life back into its slowly flickering playoff hopes.

The Fuel Masters have lost three straight matches, the last one at the hands of Magnolia, 97-81, on Nov. 6.

Import Alonzo Gee is leading the way for Phoenix with averages of 34.5 points, 11 rebounds and four steals.

Providing steady support to him are Matthew Wright (17.6 ppg and 3.4 apg), Jason Perkins (10 ppg and 6.22 rpg), Alex Mallari (9.6 ppg) and RJ Jazul (9.1 ppg).

Also playing today in the opener at 4:30 p.m. are league-leaders NLEX Road Warriors (8-1) against Northport (3-6).

Could have helped

The Philippine women’s national volleyball team set to see action at the 2019 Southeast Asian Games beginning later this month here receive a not-so-good news recently with Filipino-American player Kalei Mau rendered ineligible to play in the biennial regional sporting meet.

Reports have that the outside spiker, who plays for the F2 Logistics Cargo Movers in the Philippine Superliga, failed to meet the minimum two-year residency for players with the same case as Fil-foreign Mau leading to her being ineligible.

Mau only started playing in the country last year with the United Volleyball Club in the PSL.

Other reports, meanwhile, disclose Mau’s failure to get a release from the United States volleyball federation, wittingly or unwittingly, for the reason she will be unable to play in the SEA Games.

Back in the States, Mau played for the University of Minnesota and University of Arizona in college before taking her game in leagues in Puerto Rico and France.

In place of Mau is veteran volleyball campaigner Aiza Maizo-Pontillas, who like the former plays in the PSL for the Petron Tri-Activ Spikers.

Regardless of the reason for Mau not being able to play in the SEA Games, the fact remains that she is a big loss for a squad angling for a podium finish in the Games after more than a decade.

Mau, with her skills set and physical attributes, could have helped the nationals in their campaign.

The F2 Logistics player has the power and ceiling which would have a boon to the Philippine team, especially with towering Jaja Santiago and sister, Dindin, not available for the Games due to their commitments in the Japanese league.

Mau was envisioned to provide the firepower for the Philippines, alongside Alyssa Valdez and Ces Molina, this is apart from the “fire” she brings to the court every time she takes the court.

Unfortunately such would not happen and the Shaq Delos Santos-coached nationals have to make the necessary adjustments quick as the volleyball competition in the SEA Games is less than a month away.

But all is not lost for the Philippines despite the huge void left by Mau.

The aforementioned Valdez and Molina are still there. They have proven themselves capable of delivering not only in the local leagues but also in the international competitions they have been part of.

We still have enough ceiling with the likes of Majoy Baron, Mika Reyes and Maddie Madayag manning the middle.

Veteran leadership and smarts should not also be a problem as the team could rely for it on Maizo-Pontillas, skipper Aby Marano, setter Rhea Dimaculangan and Jovelyn Gonzaga.

The team also boasts of two of the best liberos in the land in Dawn Macandili and Kath Arado while providing explosiveness and support, be they start or come off the bench, are setter Jia Morado, Eya Laure and Myleen Paat.

While Mau definitely is a big loss to the Philippines for the SEA Games, there is still work to be done and we have to move on. It is what it is and there is no sense in thinking too much of the what-could-have-beens and should-have-beens.

All the best to the Philippine national women’s volleyball team for the SEA Games. And to Mau, looking forward to seeing you don the national colors in future international competitions.

POSTSCRIPT. The Philippines will compete against three other teams/nations, namely Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam in the 2019 SEA Games. The teams will play in a single elimination round with the top two teams advancing to the championship match. The Philippines won a bronze medal in women’s volleyball when the country last hosted the Games in 2005.

 

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

msmurillo@bworldonline.com

Inconstancy

By all account, the Lakers weren’t supposed to lose the other day. For one thing, they were in familiar confines and out to protect a spotless record in front of yet another sellout crowd of 18,997. For another, they faced weakened opposition, and not because of the departure of Finals Most Valuable Player Kawhi Leonard. Oddsmakers pegged the Raptors as decided underdogs largely due to the absence of vital cogs Kyle Lowry and Serge Ibaka. Meanwhile, they were riding on a league-best seven-game win streak that, supposedly, underscored their ascendancy in the face of inspired play from their Dynamic Duo.

Well, the Lakers didn’t just wind up absorbing their second setback in nine outings. They did so after having been exposed as extremely weak in preventing transition baskets. After letting the Raptors hang around in the first half, they became ripe for a shellacking after the break. Throughout their victory run against middling competition, they boasted of improved defensive efficiency. Even then, however, there was a clear chasm between their coverage in the half court and their capacity to contain fastbreaks. They were very, very good in the former, and very, very bad in the latter.

Against the Raptors, the Lakers did just about everything wrong. They were inconsistent on offense, buoyed by the otherworldly efforts of All-Stars Anthony Davis and LeBron James but otherwise mediocre at best in producing points. Meanwhile, they failed to dictate tempo, and became woefully inadequate in preventing the visitors from generating easy baskets; in the third and final quarters, they were blanked in fastbreaks while giving up a whopping 24 points. They were outhustled, turning a sizable lead into what would ultimately be an insurmountable deficit against a starter and four reserves.

James wasn’t worried in the aftermath, but noted that the Raptors “played better.” They certainly showed their championship pedigree, never giving up on any play and at any time in the match. The Lakers, by contrast, remain in flux, outstanding in some moments and poor in others. And unless and until a modicum of consistency is established, the weaknesses will continue to be critical and glaring, not to mention ripe for abuse by supposedly inferior challengers.

 

Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994. He is a consultant on strategic planning, operations and Human Resources management, corporate communications, and business development.

Gov’t to block foreign activist critical of drug war

THE presidential palace wants to ban a foreign human rights activist for allegedly interfering in President Rodrigo R. Duterte’s deadly war on drugs.

Phelim Kine, former deputy director for Asia of the New York-based Human Rights Watch, should be banned for tweeting that Mr. Duterte and his henchmen should be arrested for “instigating mass murder,” presidential spokesman Salvador S. Panelo said at a briefing yesterday.

“He has already reached a conclusion — this is a murderous country,” he said.

Mr. Kine also wrote he was ready to come to the Philippines to help advise Vice President Maria Leonor G. Robredo on “how to end this murderous drug war.”

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.

Mr. Duterte earlier put the vice president in charge of his anti-illegal drug campaign.

Mr. Panelo said the human rights activist’s entry into the Philippines was an intrusion into the nation’s sovereignty.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro L. Locsin, Jr. on Monday warned Mr. Kine he would be denied entry.

Mr. Duterte in August ordered all agencies to reject loans and grants from 41 countries that had backed a probe of his deadly war on drugs that has killed thousands.

The United Nations Human Rights Council on July 11 ordered its human rights office to present a comprehensive report as it expressed concerns about human rights violations in the Philippines.

The body adopted a resolution that Iceland proposed and 17 other nations voted for. Twenty-four other nations who co-sponsored the resolution did not vote.

The resolution drew the ire of Mr. Duterte, who writhes at Western condemnation of his drive that is widely supported by Filipinos.

The UN council urged the government to cooperate with UN offices by allowing visits by its officials and by “refraining from all acts of intimidation or retaliation.”

The resolution also called on the Philippines “take all necessary measures to prevent extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances, to carry out impartial investigations and to hold perpetrators accountable.”

The government has dismissed the council order, saying states who supported it had been misinformed about the Philippine situation.

In his fourth State of the Nation Address in July, Mr. Duterte said drug traffickers must be put to death, noting that the illegal drug menace persists despite his deadly war on drugs.

Majority of Filipinos remained satisfied with Mr. Duterte’s war on drugs despite worldwide criticism, according to the Social Weather Stations’ June poll.

The polling firm found that 82% of Filipinos were satisfied with the government’s illegal drug campaign, while only 12% were dissatisfied, resulting in an “excellent” +70 net satisfaction rating. — GMC

Duterte to meet with Nur Misuari on peace

PRESIDENT Rodrigo R. Duterte will meet with the head of a Muslim rebel group next month to discuss how it can help resolve decades-old conflict in the Mindanao region, his spokesman said yesterday.

The president will talk to Moro National Liberation Front Chairman Nur Misuari to finalize a plan to create a joint committee on Mindanao peace, presidential spokesman Salvador S. Panelo said.

“There will be a meeting again in Davao by December,” he said. “The purpose is to have peace with MNLF and ensure the success of the government.”

Mr. Panelo said he and National Security Adviser Hermogenes C. Esperon, presidential peace adviser Carlito G. Galvez, Jr. will be among the members of the peace committee.

The coordinating committee seeks to craft a plan to fight the Abu Sayaf, the most violent extremist group in the Mindanao region that has used terror for profit and to promote its jihadist agenda.

The group also engages in kidnapping for ransom, bombings, assassinations and extortions, according to the US National Counterterrorism Center. — GMC

Typhoon Ramon expected to intensify, affect Luzon until Sunday

TYPHOON RAMON, classified as a tropical depression as of Tuesday, is expected to intensify into a tropical storm within 48 hours, weather bureau PAGASA said. On Wednesday, Nov. 13, Ramon will bring light to moderate with occasional heavy rains over the Bicol Region, and the provinces of Northern Samar, Samar, and Eastern Samar. Light to moderate with intermittent heavy rains will be experienced in Romblon, Marinduque and the southern parts of Quezon. As of 4 p.m. Tuesday, the center of the typhoon was located 670 kilometers east of Borongan City, Eastern Samar. It is moving west “slowly,” according to PAGASA, with maximum sustained winds of 55 kilometer per hour (kph) near the center and gustiness of up to 70 kph. The typhoon’s trough will affect Luzon in the coming days, with the center’s location forecasted over Kabugao, Apayao by Sunday afternoon.

PDIC calls on borrowers of closed Lemery bank to pay dues

THE PHILIPPINE Deposit Insurance Corp. (PDIC) called on borrowers of the closed Rural Bank of Lemery, Inc. to settle their loans. “(T)hey are under obligation to pay their loans notwithstanding the closure of the bank,” PDIC said in a statement on Tuesday. Payments can be made directly to the PDIC office in Makati City, through postal money order or check, or via any Philippine National Bank branch. The Rural Bank of Lemery, which has only one office located in Lemery, Batangas, was ordered closed by the Monetary Board last Oct. 31. PDIC serves as receiver and liquidator of the closed bank.

3 Cebu water board members ask court to nullify termination order

THREE OF the five members of the Metropolitan Cebu Water District (MCWD) board who were terminated in October by Cebu City Mayor Edgardo C. Labella have asked a local court to nullify the dismissal order. The petition — filed on Oct. 8 by Ralph Sevilla, Augustus Pe, and Cecilia Adlawan — also seeks a temporary restraining order on the termination and the designation of interim members of the MCWD board as well as P1 million in moral damages. Named respondents in the case are Mr. Labella, Local Water Utilities Authority (LWUA) acting administrator Jeci A. Lapus and LWUA board members Roberto San Andres, Eileen dela Vega, and Christina Marcelina. “The facts of the case clearly demonstrates respondents’ malicious, brazen, and wanton disregard and violation of the constitutional rights of due process of the plaintiffs most especially the plaintiff members of the MCWD board of directors,” the 33-page petition reads. It cites Section 8-12 of Presidential Decree 198 or the Provincial Water Utilities Act of 1973. The three petitioners said LWUA and Mr. Labella violated the MCWD Charter, contending that there is nothing in LWUA’s Charter that authorizes it to take over, either partially or fully, the operations of a local water district like MCWD.

READY
The mayor, meanwhile, said he already expected the filing of the case and is ready to answer the charges in court. “Filing a case is one thing and proving it is another,” Mr. Labella said. “I will just prepare the necessary controverting evidence as part of the due process required… We are ready to answer them in the proper time,” he added. City Legal Officer Rey M. Gealon said the mayor can terminate the members of the board of directors of a local water district for causes as provided by law, like failing to meet the fit and proper standard as prescribed in Republic Act 10149, the Government-owned and Controlled Corporation Governance Act of 2011, or for loss of trust and confidence as provided in jurisprudence. “The law is on our side and we have nothing to fear,” Mr. Gealon said. — The Freeman

DoJ orders travel ban for Generoso murder suspects

JUSTICE SECRETARY Menardo I. Guevarra on Tuesday said he has ordered the prosecutor’s office to apply for a precautionary travel ban against the suspects in the killing of a broadcaster in Dumaguete City. The suspects who are not yet in the custody of authorities will be included in the precautionary hold departure order (PHDO). “All of the suspects who are still at-large (will be placed in the PHDO). I gave instructions to the (Office of the City Prosecutor) regarding PHDO yesterday, but the BI (Bureau of Immigration) was alerted last week pa,” Mr. Guevarra told reporters in a text message. Radio broadcaster Dindo Generoso was gunned down on his way to work on Nov. 7. Two suspects, identified as Glenn Corsame and Teddy Salaw, were arrested last week. Mr. Guevarra also said an immigration lookout bulletin order was issued for businessman Tomasino Aledro. The other suspect identified as the gunman is Roger Rubio, an active police officer. — Vann Marlo M. Villegas

1 soldier killed, 2 wounded in clash with BIFF

A SOLDIER died while two others were wounded in a clash with Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) in Mamasapano, Maguindanao on Nov. 9, the military reported late Monday. Two BIFF members were also killed and three wounded, according to the Western Mindanao Command (WestMinCom). The encounter took place in Barangay Tukanalipao while a combined team of military troops and Police Special Action Force were conducting a security operation on Saturday morning. Government forces are still in pursuit of the BIFF group in retreat. “We are saddened by the death of one of our gallant soldiers who paid the ultimate sacrifice to prevent the lawless elements from executing their terroristic activity in the area,” said Maj. Gen. Diosdado C. Carreon, commander of the Joint Task Force Central under WestMinCom. The BIFF, which has pledged allegiance to the Islamic State, is a breakaway group from the Moro Islamic Liberation Front that signed a peace deal with the government in 2014. The peace agreement is the cornerstone of the establishment of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) earlier this year. The new BARMM government is currently in a three-year transition period.

Malaysian investors eye Mindanao business opportunities in Nov. 19 visit



A 57-MEMBER delegation from Malaysian is visiting Davao City on Nov. 19–21 to explore business linkages and potential investments, Malaysian Trade Commissioner Siti Azlina said. In a statement, the Manila-based Ms. Azlina said the Malaysian External Trade Development Corp. (Matrade), the Malaysian trade promotion agency, is organizing the visit that will include business matching between the delegation, representing 38 companies, and local firms. “Given Mindanao’s strength in the agricultural sector and its abundance of natural resources, Malaysia would be interested to explore collaboration in this area and see where we can complement our manufacturing base,” said Ms. Azlina. Other sectors that will be looked into are food and beverage, personal and health care products, construction and building materials, information and communication technology, and logistics services. Ms. Azlina said the visit is part of Malaysia’s campaign to strengthen its position as a trade partner of the Philippines, especially with the links within the Brunei-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines-East ASEAN Growth Area. Malaysia was the country’s fourth biggest trading partner within the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in 2018, with a trade value of $6.18 billion. — Carmelito Q. Francisco

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