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CDO disposes uncertified pork

Cagayan de Oro City’s Anti-African Swine Fever (ASF) Task Force confiscated and disposed more than 600 kilos of pork intercepted at a quarantine checkpoint on Feb. 20, the city information office reported on Monday. The meat, which was transported on a van that came from Davao City, had no shipping permit and certificate from the National Meat Inspection Services. Local governments in Mindanao have stepped up measures against the entry of uncertified pork and pork products following confirmed ASF cases in parts of Davao City and the provinces of Davao Occidental and Davao del Sur.

ABS-CBN seeks dismissal of gov’t lawsuit

ABS-CBN Corp. and its unit have asked the Supreme Court to dismiss a government lawsuit seeking to revoke their franchises.

In a pleading, the media giant said the solicitor general’s suit sends a “chilling effect,” adding that a potential shutdown would compromise freedom of speech and of the press, which is guaranteed by the 1987 Constitution.

The network also argued the quo warranto petition could not be used to counter an alleged misuse of a legislative franchise and violates the doctrine of hierarchy of courts.

ABS-CBN said its pay-per-view channel does not violate its legislative franchise, adding that its unit had complied with the law.

The network also said the Philippine depository receipts it had issued did not violate foreign ownership restrictions of the Constitution. — Vann Marlo M. Villegas

Nation at a Glance — (02/25/20)

News stories from across the nation. Visit www.bworldonline.com (section: The Nation) to read more national and regional news from the Philippines.

Nation at a Glance — (02/25/20)

Fury says ‘Let’s go A.J.’ though Wilder first has rematch option

LAS VEGAS — Tyson Fury says he expects Deontay Wilder to take up the option of a rematch of their heavyweight championship bout but is ready for fellow Briton Anthony Joshua if the American declines.

Speaking after his seventh-round TKO victory over Wilder in Las Vegas on Saturday, Fury sounded happy to take on either man.

“I had a great and worthy dance partner in Deontay Wilder and I’m sure we’re going to do it again,” Fury told Behind The Gloves at the MGM Grand Arena.

“If Deontay don’t want the rematch then let’s go A.J.,” Fury added, referring to Joshua.

Mr. Fury (30-0-1) retained his lineal crown and took the WBC crown from Wilder (42-1-1), though Joshua holds the rest of the belts in the division.

A fight between the pair would unify the belts but the mouth-watering, all-British match-up might have to wait for a Fury-Wilder trilogy to be completed instead.

The first fight between Fury and Wilder in December 2018 was called a draw.

Wilder now has 30 days to decide whether to exercise his option of a third fight with the Gypsy King.

Impressive as Fury’s performance was on Saturday, he said it did not compare to his 2015 takedown of Wladimir Klitschko.

“Nothing will ever be bigger than my Wladimir Klitschko win because that was my first championship ring,” Fury said.

“I was 7/1 underdog when I beat Klitschko in Germany. Tonight people expected me to win. It was a 50-50 fight going in.” — Reuters

Raptors steamroll Pacers for 17th win in 18 games

TORONTO — Pascal Siakam scored 21 points and the Toronto Raptors led all the way to defeat the visiting Indiana Pacers 127-81 on Sunday night.

Kyle Lowry had 16 points, 11 assists, seven rebounds and five steals for the Raptors, who have defeated the Pacers three times this month. The Pacers won the first game of the season between the teams at home on Dec. 23.

Serge Ibaka added 15 points and 15 rebounds for the Raptors, who have won 17 of their past 18 games. The Raptors’ 46-point margin of victory marks the largest in franchise history.

Matt Thomas had 17 points off the bench for Toronto, Terrence Davis II added 13 points and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson had 12. Chris Boucher had nine points and 11 rebounds.

Toronto’s lead reached 49 points when Thomas made a 3-pointer with 43.7 seconds remaining.

The Pacers were without guard Victor Oladipo, who had a sore back.

The Pacers lost guard Jeremy Lamb, who left the game with a sore left knee in the second quarter after taking a hard fall at the baseline. He stayed in to take his free throws before going to the locker room. He did not return.

Domantas Sabonis scored 14 points and grabbed 11 rebounds for the Pacers, who have lost seven of their past nine games. Aaron Holiday added 14 points and brother Justin Holiday had 12 points.

Toronto shot 51.1 percent from the field and Indiana shot 32.6 percent.

The Raptors had a 15-1 start, opened up by as many as 26 points, and led 34-12 after the first quarter.

Siakam’s 18-footer gave Toronto a 30-point lead with 1:22 left in the second quarter. VanVleet closed the first-half scoring with a 3-pointer as Toronto led 63-32.

Siakam and Lowry each had 14 first-half points as the Raptors shot 50 percent from the field. Ibaka had 11 points and 10 rebounds in the first half.

Justin Holiday had nine first-half points off the bench for the Pacers, who shot 23.9 percent.

The Pacers scored the first six points of the second half. But Ibaka’s jump shot with 7:54 left in the third quarter stretched Toronto’s lead to 33 points. The Raptors led 85-55 after three quarters.

JAMES’ LATE JUMPER HELPS LAKERS EDGE CELTICS
Anthony Davis tallied 32 points and 13 rebounds and LeBron James recorded 29 points, nine assists and eight boards, and the Los Angeles Lakers weathered a career-high-tying 41-point effort by Jayson Tatum to beat the Boston Celtics, 114-112, on Sunday at Staples Center. — Reuters

Hovland sinks long putt for first PGA Tour victory

LOS ANGELES — Viktor Hovland became the first Norwegian to win on the PGA Tour when he rammed home a 25-foot birdie at the final hole for a one-shot triumph at the Puerto Rico Open on Sunday.

Hovland, who won the 2018 US Amateur Championship and was making just his 17th start on the Tour, reacted with glee when his putt crashed into the back of the cup at considerable speed and dropped in at Coco Beach in Rio Grande.

“To win the first tournament from Norway is really special. It’s a lot more than I could have asked for,” he said after overcoming a triple-bogey at the 11th hole to shoot two-under-par 70 in at-times driving rain.

“It’s hard to deal with expectations because they’re usually higher than what’s realistic. If you’d told me a year ago I would have won a PGA Tour event in my 17th start I would have said that’s nuts.”

Hovland, who turned pro last June, finished at 20-under-par 268, edging Josh Teater after the American missed a 15-foot birdie at the last.

Though an official PGA Tour event, the Puerto Rico Open was missing the game’s biggest names, who were at the WGC-Mexico Championship.

Hovland’s rewards include a two-year PGA Tour exemption and a spot in next month’s $15 million Players Championship.

“I was thinking about all the other putts during the round. I’d pretty much left every other putt short,” said Hovland, who like Jon Rahm, Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas and Hideki Matsuyama captured his first Tour win at the age of 22.

“I was (thinking) I’m not going to hit this putt short. I gave it a good rip and thankfully it hit the middle of the cup.

“I couldn’t quite believe it. There was some relief and a lot of excitement.” — Reuters

Cerebral palsy football team to compete in Para Games

THE Philippines is to field its first cerebral palsy football team in the ASEAN Para Games. Known as the CP Rascals, the team was formed last year by the Henry V. Moran Foundation, the non-profit organization that has long focused on developing football programs for public school youth in the country.

“Our search for players started in March last year after we were appointed by the PHILSPADA (Philippine Sports Association for the Differently Abled) to form a team to represent the country in the 10th ASEAN Para Games. Our special football arm, CP Football Philippines, toured 12 cities, coordinating clinics and tryouts with the heads and officers of local government units. By July, we had discovered some players and training for the team began,” said Danny Moran, head of the Henry V. Moran Foundation.

The CP Rascals currently has 12 members, with plans to add two more before the ASEAN Para Games begins.

Moran said that they are grateful for the support that private organizations have given for the new team players and coaching staff. He cited insurer Allianz PNB Life, in particular, for providing the CP Rascals’ life, medical, and travel insurance.

“Our main concern was life and accident insurance as bringing football to persons with disability has its risks, especially since training would be from three to six months,” Moran said.

Aside from the insurance coverage, Allianz gave cash support for the CP Rascals’ football camp and housing.

“It is our honor to support a team that embodies Allianz’ ideal of overcoming life’s challenges in fulfilling one’s dreams. We are giving our para athletes the support to help them achieve their goals in their chosen sport, and we are looking forward to cheering them on in the 2020 ASEAN Para Games,” Allianz PNB Life Chief Marketing Officer Gae Martinez said.

This is not the first time that Allianz and the Henry V. Moran Foundation have worked together in promoting football in the country. For the past three years, they have staged the Allianz National Youth Futsal Invitational (ANYFI), a grassroots football program held nationwide. Some of the kids who have participated in the program have gone on to train at the Allianz Explorer Camp in Germany under FC Bayern.

Moran added that it is their dream to continue strengthening the CP Rascals so that they can also participate in the 11th ASEAN Para Games in Vietnam in 2021.

HMO company launches one-of-a-kind obstacle challenge

HMO firm Medicard enjoins the public to live a healthier and active lifestyle through the Medicard Supremo Obstacle Challenge. This first and one-of-a kind activity will gather both beginners and fitness enthusiasts who want to start their way to a healthier and fitter lifestyle.

The Medicard Supremo Obstacle Challenge will kick-off with a conditioning program for the first two weeks beginning March 16 and end on May 31 at the Glorietta Activity Center. The activity is open to all individuals who want to start living a healthier and fitter lifestyle by conquering a series of obstacle course challenges.

Before participants can join the culminating event, they must first pass a two-week conditioning program from March 16 to 27 at Centris in Quezon City, from April 20 to May 1 at Filinvest in Alabang, and from May 5 to May 15 at Ayala Triangle in Makati. The conditioning program will run every Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Participants who complete the two-week conditioning program will qualify for the Supremo Obstacle Challenge culminating event on May 31.

The top three male and top three female participants from both the beginners and advanced categories will compete in the culminating event. Only 36 participants will be selected for this.

Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific Championship reset in Oct.

PATTAYA, THAILAND — The Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific Championship has been rescheduled to take place from 7–10 October 2020 at the Siam Country Club Waterside, Pattaya, Thailand.

The championship was postponed due to issues related to the coronavirus (COVID-19) and to ensure the safety and welfare of all players, officials and others attending the championship. The R&A and the Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation have worked to secure a new date for the championship.

Martin Slumbers, Chief Executive of The R&A, said, “The Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific has established itself as the leading women’s amateur golf championship in the region. It develops local talent and provides a pathway for elite amateurs to emerge onto the world stage and we believe it is important this opportunity is provided in 2020.

Cairns Cup

2nd Cairns Cup 2020
Saint Louis, Missouri, USA
Feb. 6–17, 2020

Final Standings

1. GM Humpy Koneru IND 2580, 6.0/9

2. GM Ju Wenjun CHN 2583, 5.5/9

3–4. GM Mariya Muzychuk UKR 2552, Alexandra Kosteniuk RUS 2504, 5.0/9

5–6. GM Dronavalli Harika IND 2518, GM Kateryna Lagno RUS 2552, 4.5/9

7–9. GM Irina Krush USA 2422, FM Carissa Yip USA 2412, GM Nana Dzagnidze GEO 2515, 4.0/9

10. GM Valentina Gunina RUS 2461, 2.5/9

Average Rating 2510 Category 11

Time Control: 90 minutes for first 40 moves followed by 30 minutes play-to-finish with a 30-second increment starting from move one. No draw offers are allowed before move 30

I don’t usually write about women’s chess events but decided to make an exception of the Cairns Cup (by the way, “Cairns” is the maiden name of Dr. Jeanne Sinquefield, wife of Rex Sinquefield. the founder/owner of the Saint Louis Chess Center). Many years from now this event will be remembered for two things:

The return of Humpy Koneru. Humpy (born March 31, 1987) won the World Junior Girls Championship in 2001 and since then has been a powerhouse in womens’ chess. She attained the full Grandmaster Title (not only Woman Grandmaster, which is much lower-ranked) in the next year and after that won or placed highly in all her women’s events (she also regularly took part in men’s evenets) which includes winning the 10th Asian Women’s Individual Championship (2003) and the 2005 North Urals Cup, a round-robin tournament held in Krasnoturyinsk, Russia, featuring ten of the strongest female players in the world at the time. In October 2007 GM Humpy Koneru became the second woman player to exceed 2600 ELO after Judit Polgar.

Humpy played a world women’s championship match in 2011 against China’s Hou Yifan and lost 2.5-5.5. In 2014 she got married, soon had a baby and retired from chess. She returned to action to represent India in the 2018 Batumi Olympiad but was noticeably rusty. A few more tournaments later she started regaining her form and the victory here in the Cairns Cup, worth $45,000 (about P2.3 million) could be treated as a big announcement that once again GM Humpy Koneru is on the world championship hunt.

Koneru, Humpy (2580) — Gunina, Valentina (2461) [D48]
2nd Cairns Cup 2020 Saint Louis USA (8.2), 15.02.2020

1.Nf3 d5 2.d4 Nf6 3.c4 e6 4.Nc3 c6 5.e3 Nbd7 6.Bd3 dxc4 7.Bxc4 b5 8.Bd3 Bb7 9.0–0 a6 10.e4 c5 11.d5 c4 12.Bc2 Qc7 13.dxe6 fxe6

As most of our readers know this is the very sharp Meran variation of the Semi-Slav. In the main line (the position on the board now) White is ahead in development but once Black catches up he will be more than ok. White’s main ideas now are either 14.Ng5 or 14.Nd4, in both cases Black can get a good game, but he has to be careful.

14.Ng5 Qc6?

Didn’t I say Black has to be careful? Really, Gunina deserved to lose this game for not only did she not know the correct continuation in the main line but the refutation was shown to us by none other than Humpy Koneru herself in a game against the 12th world champion, Anatoly Karpov!

By the way, the correct reply to either 14.Ng5 or 14.Nd4 is 14…Nc5.

15.Qf3!

Headed for h3.

15…h6

[15…Bc5 16.Qh3! Ke7 (16…Nf8 17.e5! Nd5 18.Nxd5 exd5 (of course not 18…Qxd5? 19.Be4) 19.e6 Bc8 20.Re1 Ra7 21.Qh5+ g6 22.Qf3 Black’s position is under great pressure) 17.Nf3 b4 18.Ne2 Nxe4 19.Ned4 Qb6 (19…Qd5? 20.Bxe4 Qxe4 21.Re1 the pressure on the e-file is fatal) 20.Bxe4 Bxe4 21.Qg4 Bxd4 22.Qxe4 Bf6 23.Qxc4 I do not believe anyone would want to try and hold Black’s position. Gligoric, S. (2530)-Ljubojevic, L. (2605) Linares 1981 1–0 39.

16.Qh3 hxg5

In the Koneru-Karpov game Black tried 16…Nc5 17.Be3 Bc8 18.e5! hxg5 19.Qxh8 Bb7 20.f3 Nfd7 21.Bxg5 Nxe5 22.Rad1 Nf7 23.Bg6 Nd3 24.Qh5 White was already winning. Koneru, H. (2545)-Karpov, A. (2668) Cap d’Agde 2006 1–0 36.

17.Qxh8 Ne5 18.Bxg5 Nf7 19.Qh4 Be7 20.Rad1 Qc5 21.e5 Nxe5 22.Bxf6 Bxf6 23.Qh5+ Ke7 24.Be4 Bc6 25.Bxc6 Qxc6 26.Rfe1 Nd3 27.Nd5+ Kf8 28.Nxf6 gxf6 29.Qh8+ Kf7 30.Qh7+ Ke8 31.Re3 Nf4 32.Qg8+ Ke7 33.Qg7+ Ke8 34.Rd4 c3 35.bxc3

1–0

[35.bxc3 Nd5 36.Rh3 White mates]

The baptism of fire of Carissa Yip. Carissa (born Sept. 10, 2003) is only 16 years old but already among the top rated female players in the USA. Her father Percy Yip is from Hongkong while her mother Irene Cheng is from mainland China. She was taught the moves of chess at age six by her father and within six months was already beating him and after that she exponentially climbed from strength to strength culminating in her 2019 victory in the USA Girls’ Junior Championship. She also earned her Woman’s Grandmaster title (WGM) in that year.

The Cairns Cup is Carissa’s international debut in a strong closed tournament and she promptly lost her first four games. However, from the 5th round onwards she turned herself around and scored three wins and two draws from her final five games. This included a win over the current women’s world champion.

Ju, Wenjun (2583) — Yip, Carissa (2412) [C70]
2nd Cairns Cup 2020 Saint Louis USA (8.1), 15.02.2020

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 g6

This is the first time that Carissa has ever played this. In all of her previous games in the Ruy Lopez she had gone for the Breyer with 4…Nf6 5.0–0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 0–0 9.h3 Nb8 etc. This line is a favorite of GM Victor Mikhalevsky, the Belarussian/Israeli player who is a well-known openings expert and who handles the 1.e4 e5 section of chesspublishing.com.

5.d4 exd4 6.c3 Bg7 7.cxd4 b5 8.Bb3 Nge7 9.d5 Na5 10.Bd2 Nxb3 11.Qxb3

White will follow-up with Bc3, killing the black bishop.

11…c5 12.Bc3 f6

Seems to be forced. Without his dark-squared bishop Black will have no prospects.

13.a3

Wenjun took more than 20 minutes over this move. She was probably trying to make 13.d6 work, but it doesn’t: 13…Nc6 14.Qd5 b4 15.Bd2 Bb7 16.0–0 (16.Qxc5?! f5! 17.e5 Rc8 White has overextended) 16…Qb6 17.Be3 Nd4 18.Qc4 Ne6 19.Nbd2 0–0 Black is doing well.

13…d6 14.h4 0–0 15.Nbd2

Proceeding with 15.h5 gxh5!? 16.Rxh5 Qe8 17.Rh1 Qg6 it is White who has problems with king safety.

15…Qe8 16.0–0 Bd7 17.Qc2 Rc8 18.b3 h6 19.a4 Ra8 20.axb5 axb5 21.Rxa8 Qxa8 22.Ra1 Qb7 23.Qa2?

Ju Wenjun is on auto-pilot. It was imperative to play 23.b4! with the idea of 23…Ra8 24.Rxa8+ Qxa8 25.bxc5! dxc5 26.d6 Nc8 27.e5! with an attack on f6 and g6.

23…Nc8 24.Ne1

A good plan for White is 24.h5 g5 (24…gxh5 25.Nh4 followed by Nd2–f1–g3) 25.Nh2 followed byNd2–f1–e3 and Nh2–f1–g3 in preparation for putting one of them on f5.

24…b4 25.Bb2 Bb5

Carissa is playing purposefully. She deploys her bishop to foil the opposing knights maneuvers.

26.Nc2

The immediate: 26.Nc4? then 26…Bxc4 27.bxc4 Re8 28.f3 If White plays 28…Nb6 It is now Black who is clearly better. The idea behind White’s 26.Nc2 is to bring it to e3 and then one of the knights goes to c4. Black is having none of that.

26…Bd3 27.Ne3 Qe7 28.Re1

[28.f3?! f5! 29.Bxg7 Qxg7 30.exf5 Nb6! 31.fxg6 Qd4! wins material]

28…Nb6

Don’t fall for 28…Bxe4? 29.Nef1 and the bishop is lost.

29.Qa1 Ra8 30.Qc1 h5!

Relocating her dark-squared bishop to the c1–h6 diagonal.

31.Nec4 Nxc4 32.Nxc4 Ra2 33.g3 Kh7 34.Nd2 Bh6 35.f4 <D>

POSITION AFTER 35.F4

White’s pieces are all in defensive positions. How can Black put more pressure on it?

35…Qa7!

This move is important. In case of an immediate 35…Qd7 intending to put the queen on either g4 or h3 White has 36.Re3 and it is still a game.

36.Nc4

Blocking the advance of the c5–pawn, but now …

36…Qd7! 37.Re3

Nothing works anymore.

37.Nd2 Qg4 38.Kf2 Bxf4! 39.gxf4 Qxf4+ 40.Kg2 Qxh4 41.Re3 Qg5+ 42.Rg3 (42.Kf3 Qg4+ 43.Kf2 Qf4+ 44.Nf3 Bxe4) 42…Bxe4+! everything comes crashing down;

37.Kg2 Qg4 38.Kf2 Bxc4 39.bxc4 Bxf4 40.gxf4 Qxh4+ 41.Kg2 Rxb2+ 42.Qxb2 Qxe1 Black wins.

37…Bxc4 38.bxc4 Qg4 39.Kh1 Bxf4! 40.gxf4 Qxh4+ 41.Kg1 Qg4+ 42.Kh1 Qxf4 43.Qb1

[43.Rb3 Qxc1+ 44.Bxc1 Ra1]

43…Rxb2 44.Qxb2 Qxe3 45.Qxf6 Qxe4+

White’s only hope now is perpetual check.

46.Kh2 b3 47.Qf7+ Kh6 48.Qf8+ Kg5 49.Qd8+ Kf5 50.Qd7+ Ke5 51.Qg7+ Kf4 52.Qf6+ Kg4 53.Qe6+ Qf5 54.Qxd6 Qf2+ 55.Kh1 Qf3+ 56.Kh2 Qh3+ 57.Kg1 Qg3+ 0–1

Former world champion Garry Kasparov has been following the 16-year-old Carissa’s career and remarked that before “She was a bit too primitive, just attacking — her vision of chess was more one-dimensional, but now she could look at the game from different perspectives, she could defend, she could play positionally.” Her comeback from four losses also impressed Garry: “Strong character — — that’s the sign of a big champion!”

 

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

Bum calls

Since purchasing a majority stake in the Mavericks at the turn of the millennium, Mark Cuban has been unafraid to voice his opinion when it comes to officiating in the National Basketball Association. He hasn’t cared about the fines or the consequences; he is as much a franchise owner as a fan in showing his reactions to what he perceives are bum calls. At one point, The Oregonian reported, he has even considered suing the league, going so far as to hire a former agent of the Federal Bureau of Investigation to look into the actions of the referees throughout the 2006 Finals.

To be sure, Cuban is much more reserved on, but no less critical of, the state of officiating in the league these days than when he first took it by storm. He understands that concerns are often better conveyed out of the public eye, which can be effectively scathing but also inadvertently damaging. His objective, after all, is improvement, not regression. And when he subjects the most controversial aspects of competitive action to scrutiny, he winds up taking the shine out of the principal product from which his franchise stands to benefit. Once in a while, though, he just can’t help himself.

The other day, for instance, Cuban saw fit to question an ostensibly ridiculous use of existing rules that wound up affecting the outcome of the Mavericks’ road outing. Although the officiating crew overturned upon review a goaltending call on Trey Young’s layup, it let an ensuing basket by John Collins stand. The reason, as explained by chief Rodney Mott: “The ball hit the rim, so it was deemed an inadvertent whistle … Because [Collins] was in his shooting motion when my whistle blew, it’s deemed a continuation, so, therefore, the basket counts.”

The followup, made with 8.4 ticks left in the match, increased the Hawks’ lead to four and all but put the set-to out of reach. The result wasn’t what got Cuban’s goat, though. As he explained in a tweet, “1 of the refs told us it was an inadvertent whistle, so it was not goaltending. Doesn’t matter that people stopped. They thought the whistle came after the outback. So the basket counted. So what were they reviewing if it wasn’t a goaltend?” Fair point, and one that should be the subject of speculation until commissioner Adam Silver rules on the Mavericks’ official objection filed yesterday.

Significantly, Silver will be looking at circumstances behind a given contest following a protest for the second time this season. Last December, he agreed with the Rockets’ contention that the game arbiters erred when James Harden’s dunk with 7:50 remaining in the fourth quarter, which went through the iron but ricocheted back out off the net, was not counted as a made shot. However, he refused to call for a replay of their double overtime loss to the Spurs, arguing that they still had enough time in the aftermath to shape the ending.

All things considered, Cuban has a point. And it’s easy to see why he’s bent on seeing his protest through on principle, as well as on practicality. The Mavericks are seventh in the West, comfortably ahead of the eighth-running Grizzlies, but just half a game back of the Thunder at sixth and still within striking distance of the second-place Nuggets. How things will go, though, is anybody’s guess. In any case, there can be no doubting his sentiments. “Refs have bad games. Crews have bad games. But this isn’t a single game issue. This is the same s — that has been going on for 20 years.” Enough said.

 

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.

Deloitte, ASSIST partner to skill up Filipino youth for Fourth Industrial Revolution

Multidisciplinary professional services organisation Deloitte today announced a partnership with the Asia Society for Social Improvement and Sustainable Transformation (ASSIST) to deliver a new Training of Trainers (TOT) programme to equip Filipino youth with skills to help them succeed in the new economy.

Under this inaugural program, Deloitte professionals will train 20 educators from the IT faculty at the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) on agile methodology in a pilot run that kicks off today. The educators will undergo a two-day training on agile methodology – a project management process commonly used in software development that is based on iterative and incremental development, where requirements and solutions evolve through collaboration between self-organizing, cross-functional teams.

The partnership, inked by a memorandum of understanding between Mr. Uday Sreeram, Managing Director of Deloitte Consulting Philippines Delivery Centre and Mr. Sreeni Narayanan, Managing Director of ASSIST, aims to make a meaningful impact on issues that are critical to societal success through Deloitte’s corporate social responsibility program, WorldClass. Globally, Deloitte’s WorldClass initiative seeks to prepare 50 million people with the skills required for jobs of the future by 2030, inline with the United Nation Sustainable Development Goals (UN-SDGs).

Fredieric B. Landicho, Managing Partner & CEO, Deloitte Philippines hopes this will spur more collaborative partnerships to tackle the biggest challenges for the youth.

“As the world enters the age of the fourth industrial revolution, marked by accelerating innovation and adoption of automation, the future of work becomes a fundamental question for the Philippines,” Mr. Landicho said. “While some jobs will be lost and others will be created, nearly all jobs will be transformed. It is our responsibility to plan ahead to ensure that we equip our youth with the skills employers will demand in the future. At Deloitte, we will do this through WorldClass where we commit to apply our core skills and experience to improving education outcomes, developing job skills, and providing access to opportunities for Filipinos. WorldClass will link people with the opportunities they need to find meaningful work in the accelerated, digital, technology-driven economy.”

“Preparing for the future of work requires strong collaboration between public and private sectors,” said Mr. Uday Sreeram, Managing Director of Deloitte Consulting PDC. “I am very pleased that through ASSIST, we were able to target the right stakeholders for our corporate social responsibility effort. With ASSIST’s project management support, I am confident that we will be able to implement the TOT program successfully by training PUP faculty members on an accelerated approach to anticipating and managing the future of work. It is our hope that they will then apply this learning in their efforts to close the skills gap for Filipino youth.”

Reaffirming ASSIST’s purpose and support to the program, Mr. Sreeni Narayanan, Managing Director of ASSIST shared, “We believe it is important for students to be equipped with relevant skill sets that will prepare them for the new economy.We are excited to partner with Deloitte to develop innovative and sustainable solutions to bridge the skills gap. Starting with the TOT program on agile methodology,our educators will be equipped with the skills to help students become familiar with the ins and outs of the real world and to equip them with the right skillsets to take on challenges when they enter the workforce.”

Plans to expand the TOT program to other universities in the Philippines are underway as Deloitte hopes the curriculum will benefit more students and enable them to make informed decisions about their career paths.

Since its launch two years ago, Deloitte WorldClass has reached 4.7 million people and continues to expand with new programs being launched in India, China, South Africa and Southeast Asia. Deloitte aims to empower 2 million futures across Southeast Asia, and work with like-minded stakeholders to co-deliver programs to help the underrepresented or underserved population.

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