VIGAN — George Oconer crowned himself LBC Ronda Pilipinas king while his squad Standard-Insurance the team champion as the 10th anniversary race drew to a close in front of the provincial capitol here yesterday.
Oconer, 28, contented himself in staying at the back end of the peloton that checked in first in the Stage 10 criterium that was ruled by teammate Jan Paul Morales in 51 minutes and 20 seconds to claim his very first title.
He raised his two arms in victory, rode his ceremonial victory lap and was met by a wild applause from the appreciative crowd at the finish where he was met by hug and congratulatory message from Ronda chairman Moe Chulani and Standard Insurance Group chairman Ernesto “Judes” Echauz.
Oconer also thanked God, Echauz, his teammates and coaches who cradled him almost all race long, the organizers and his family including father Norberto, a two-time Olympian.
After 10 stages and 11 days covering a total of 14 provinces starting in Sorsogon, Oconer emerged the champion with an aggregate time of 32:42:12 over 68 survivors out of the 88 originally entered.
It was a performance to remember for Oconer as he did not only pocketed the top purse worth P1 million and took home the beautifully crafted trophy, he was also hailed as the best Filipino cyclist today.
“My first race was in Ronda in 2011, that is why finally winning it here is a special moment for me,” said Oconer.
Oconer’s triumph underscored Standard’s Ronda domination as it also sent five more of its riders — Ronald Oranza, Ronald Lomotos, John Mark Camingao, Junrey Navarra and El Joshua Carino — in the top 10 behind Oconer while running away with the team crown.
Rounding up the top 10 in the individual race were Go for Gold’s Jonel Carcueva, Daniel Ven Carino and Ismael Grospe, Jr., and Marvin Tapic of Bicycology-Army.
Apart from that, Standard also registered five stage wins, three of which was provided for by Morales, a two-time winner here who also secured the CCN Sprint plum in this race presented by LBC and backed by the Manny V. Pangilinan Sports Foundation.
Navarra also emerged the Versa King of the Mountain in this event supported by Palayan, Nueva Ecija, Versa, 8A Performance, Print2Go, Petron, Green Planet, Bike Xtreme, Standard Insurance, Spyder, CCN, Lightwater, Prolite, Guerciotti, Black Mamba, Boy Kanin, Vitamin Boost, NLEX-SCTEX, Maynilad, 3Q Sports Event Management Inc., LBC Foundation and PhilCycling.
It will also be the last race for Santy Barnachea, who won the inaugural edition in 2011 and 2015.
“Yes, I’m retiring. I’m now focusing my time to family and maybe coaching,” said the 43-year-old Barnachea, who joined the final two years of the fabled Marlboro Tour in 1997 and 1998 before winning the Fedex Tour of Calabarzon in 2002 and the Padyak Pinoy in 2006.
THE GOLD medal winners of the 30th Southeast Asian Games banner the long list of citations to be handed out during the Philippine Sportswriters Association Annual Awards Night on March 6 at the Centennial Hall of the Manila Hotel.
The Filipino contingent, led by world champions Carlos Yulo and Nesthy Petecio along with Olympic silver medalist Hidilyn Diaz, bagged a total record of 149 gold medals when the country hosted and regained the overall title of the biennial meet after 14 years.
On account of the remarkable finish that Team Philippines had, it will be accorded with the prestigious Athlete of the Year award in the event presented by the Philippine Sports Commission, Milo, Cignal TV, the Philippine Basketball Association, Rain or Shine, and AirAsia.
Arnis produced the most number of gold won during the SEA Games with a total of 14, followed by athletics with 11, and dancesport with 10.
Apart from the SEA Games gold winners — 139 in all including the others who won one or two gold — 18 personalities and entities are also going to be cited by the country’s oldest media organizations for their achievements and support to Philippine sports in the year that was.
The list includes boxers Eumir Marcial, Josie Gabuco, and Pedro Taduran, undefeated University Athletic Association of the Philippines men’s basketball champion Ateneo and National Collegiate Athletic Association counterpart Letran, Jones Cup winner Mighty Sports, bowler Merwin Tan, mixed martial arts star Joshua Pacio, fencer Samantha Catantan, grandmaster John Paul Gomez, darts player Lourence Ilagan, and Estafano Rivera of motorsports.
Congressman Michael ‘Mikee’ Romero, Philippine Obstacle Sports Federation, Go for Gold, Standard Insurance, Amelie Hotel, MVP Sports Foundation complete the list of the year’s PSA citations.
There will also be a posthumous recognition to be given to sports personalities who passed away in 2019.
WHAT is hailed as the “new home of the Blazers” is now open with the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde formally unveiling its Benilde Sports and Dorm Building early this week.
A five-storey structure, the Benilde Sports-Dorm Building will be the home of varsity players of the school’s different sports programs such as basketball, volleyball, badminton and swimming. It will likewise feature studios and training rooms for taekwondo and other martial arts, a gym for weight and endurance drills, plus other physical therapy amenities.
In addition for athletes to have access to several athletic facilities, the property is geared towards providing the necessary services for scholars to be more responsive to their academic needs.
Broke ground in 2017, the complex stands on a 4,196.8 square-meter lot in San Isidro Drive corner Dominga Street with the Taft and SDA Campuses as neighbors.
It was designed by internationally recognized Architect Leandro A. Poco of L.A. Poco Architects and Associates.
School officials said in designing the complex they made sure that they incorporated structure and elements consistent for tropical countries, taking into consideration proper natural ventilation and solar orientation for specific areas, fortified by advanced engineering technology.
They also took note that it be “inclusive” for persons with disabilities.
The ground floor of the Dorm Area features an inviting fully furnished lounge. Benildeans who wish to focus on their individual school assignments or conduct group studies can use the open student hall, desktop stations, huddle and audio-visual rooms. The facilities likewise include a fully equipped kitchen and pantry area.
The second to fifth floors house 64 rooms dedicated as living quarters for 147 athletes, 48 artists and 19 academic scholars. Each room, which accommodates four, is complete with huge bunk beds, spacious study tables, shelves and closets and has en banc respective PWD-ready bathrooms. Centralized air conditioning and WiFi connection are likewise available.
The Sports Area, meanwhile, features a 25 m x 16.44 m swimming pool and two sets of basketball courts, dugout rooms, and shower rooms for the teams.
Safety was also considered as the complex is equipped with heat and smoke detectors and a fire sprinkler system. Each floor has its fire hose and extinguishers plus emergency access doors to stairs.
Greeting students and athletes as well as guests at the entrance is the “Path to Glory,” a series of photographs of Benildean athletes taken by Photography Program alumnus Miguel Sy. The exhibition highlights the hardships and honors the efforts of the 21 Blazers teams.
The Sports and Dorm Building will likewise house the offices of the Center for Sports and Development and Dormitory Management.
In addition to athletes and scholars, there will be temporary accommodations for visiting guests such as professors, lecturers, and exchange students from prior and future partnerships with other colleges, universities, non-government organizations, and private corporations.
“In putting up the Sports and Dorm Building, we are sending the message that we commit to nurture our athletes, artists, and scholars to reach their best potential,” said DLS-CSB President Br. Dodo Fernandez, FSC at the launch of the complex on Monday.
“The Sports-Dorm Building will serve as a sports center that can be called the Home of the Blazers. It will be convenient for the athletes. They will not need to travel early in the morning from their respective homes for training. Once done, they return back to the dorm to prepare for school,” he said.
5–10. GM Aleksej Aleksandrov BLR 2592, GM Vugar Asadli AZE 2538, GM Adhiban Baskaran IND 2654, GM Manuel Petrosyan ARM 2590, GM Mustafa Yilmaz TUR 2607, GM David Paravyan RUS 2629, 6.0/9
11–27. IM Bharath Subramaniyam IND 2402 (11 years old!), Sanan Sjugirov RUS 2674, GM Pouya Idani IRI 2577, GM Mikhail Antipov RUS 2562, GM Praggnanandhaa R. IND 2602, GM Mikhail Kobalia RUS 2609, GM Sethuraman S. P. IND 2641, IM Sadhwani Raunak IND 2522, GM Aleksandr Rakhmanov RUS 2645, GM Gabriel Sargissian ARM 2689, GM Alexander Riazantsev RUS 2639, GM Vladislav Kovalev BLR 2650, GM Ilia Smirin ISR 2615, GM Aleksandr Shimanov RUS 2587, GM Arjun Erigasi IND 2653, GM Rasmus Svane GER 2608, GM Bogdan-Daniel Deac ROU 2626, 5.5/9
Total Participants: 97 players
Time Control: 100 minutes for the first 40 moves, then 50 minutes for the next 20 moves, followed by 15 minutes play-to-finish with 30 seconds added to your clock after every move starting move 1
IM Aydin Suleymanli
The Aeroflot Open is an annual open chess tournament played in Moscow and sponsored by the airline Aeroflot. It was established in 2002 and quickly grew to be the among the strongest open tournaments in the world. First prize for the “A” tournament is €18,000 (about P1 million). The winner is usually invited to the Dortmund superGM chess tournament to be held in Germany later in the year, but for the current edition the organizers announced that this tradition (begun in 2003) has been discontinued.
Three strong open tournaments are held simultaneously but our focus will be on the strongest one, the “A” tournament which imposes a minimum rating of 2550 on its would-be participants. However, for young and upcoming players the organizers often give special dispensation to play. Good for Suleymanli and the 11-year old Bharath Subramaniyam from India, at one time among the leaders of the tournament!
GM Rauf Mamedov of Azerbaijan, a former child prodigy but now at 31 years old considered a veteran, is the sentimental favorite of the tournament organizers as he is the only one among the participants who has a 100% attendance in all 18 editions of Aeroflot. Indeed, after three rounds GM Mamedov was in the solo lead, having won all his games up to that point. He held the top spot almost up to the very end, but the 14-year old Aydin Suleymanli caught up with Mamedov in round 8 with his own 3-game winning streak from rounds 6-8. After the cessation of hostilities in the final round 9 there was a 4-way tie for 1st and, with a higher average opponents’ rating, Suleymanli was awarded the gold trophy.
Aydin Suleymanli, born March 22, 2005 is still only an International Master but his 2791 performance rating in this event was more than enough to earn his second GM norm. As the BW reader will no doubt recall you need three norms and minimum ELO rating of 2500 to get the full title.
Suleymanli’s favorite game is his win over Ilia Smirin in the 7th round.
Playing Black in the following game is Ilia Smirin, one of the greatest living experts in the King’s Indian Defense (he wrote an acclaimed book about it in 2016 called “King’s Indian Warfare”). Born January 21, 1968 in Vitebsk, Belarus, he was strong enough to play in the Finals of the Soviet Chess Championships before he migrated to Israel in 1992. He has won the Israeli Championship 3 times, competed in 4 FIDE World Championships and three FIDE World Cups.
This was part of Smirin’s idea when he played 13…f4. The White queen is diverted from its defense of f4.
16.Qxc3 Rxf4 <D>
POSITION AFTER 16…RXF4
Naturally Smirin expected the continuation 17.Bxf4 Qxf4 when he would have two knights against White’s rook and pawn. He was counting on his queen’s proximity to the enemy king to drum up some attacking ideas, but …
17.Rad1!!
An almost incomprehensible piece sacrifice, that is, for someone like me. Suleymanli thinks his dark-squared bishop is more valuable than the enemy rook and refuses to take back the exchange. He reasons that Black has serious weaknesses on the dark squares and the bishop can exploit this either by means of Bh6 or Be3–c1–b2.
17…Be6
Smirin was understandably surprised by White’s move and took 30 minutes over his reply.
What happens if Black withdraws the rook?
Going 17…Rf8? is definitely bad because 18.Bh6 Rf7 19.Qe5! and the black queen has nowhere to go unless he wants to allow the mate after 19…Qxe5 20.Rd8+ Rf8 21.Rxf8#
Relatively better is 17…Rf7, but it still loses to 18.c5 Nd7 19.Rd6 b6 20.Rfd1 Nf8 21.Bh6 Ba6 22.Rf6!
It appears like 17…Nd7! is the best defense when White still has the upperhand but Black is far from losing.
18.c5! Rh4
It is now too late for 18…Nd7 19.Rd6! (the queen’s defense of the f4–rook is blocked while the Black bishop on e6 is also threatened) 19…Rf6 20.Bg5 Nc8 21.Rxd7 Qxd7 22.Qxf6 it is now White who is a pawn up and Black’s weaknesses persist.
19.Rd6! Nd7?
The only defense is 19…Nec8 the rook on d6 of course cannot move because of the mate on h2, but 20.Qf6 Nxd6 21.cxd6 Qxd6 22.Qxh4 material parity has been restored and White’s attack is still there.
20.f4!
White is clearly winning now. By the way, don’t fall for 20.Rxe6?? Qxh2#.
Terrific tactics. In round 8 we get to see a positional masterpiece. The Iranian GM Parham Maghsoodloo went for a risky pawn grab in the opening but Suleymanli knew what to do.
Maghsoodloo, Parham (2674) — Suleymanli, Aydin (2474) [D35]
Aeroflot Open A 2020
Moscow RUS (8.5), 26.02.2020
Even Garry Kasparov has played this way, daring White to take his b7–pawn by means of Qd1–b3xb7.
7.Qb3 Nc6 8.Qxb7
Topalov discovered the move 8.g4!? here. The idea is that 8…Nxg4 weakens Black’s d5–pawn while 8…Bxg4 puts the bishop on a less than optimal square. I should caution the reader here though that everything is not so clear, and in fact 8.g4 cost Irina Krush her USA women’s championship in 2011. In her tiebreaks with Anna Zatonskih she played this twice and lost both times. Those two wins were the margin of victory for Zatonskih. Maghsoodloo avoids all of that and goes for the main line.
8…Nb4 9.Rc1
An alternative for White to play 9.Bb5+ Kf8 first to prevent Black from castling, but then again it sort of restricts the movements of the White queen. We won’t go into all of that theory.
9…0–0 10.Qxc7
[10.Bxc7 Qc8 11.Qxc8 Rfxc8 Just transposes to the game.]
White gives up as 27…Rb2 28.Kd1 Ba2! followed by Bb3+
This is the second consecutive year where the Aeroflot Open had a surprise winner. In 2018 62nd seed Kaido Kulaots (43 years old at that time) won the title and this year it was the 71st seed Aydin Suleymanli (from the opposite side of the age spectrum at 14 years of age) who grabbed the title. They are now calling him the “New Beast from Baku” after the original “Beast,” the 13th world chess champion Garry Kasparov.
In March of this year IM Aydin will be participating for the first time in the Championship of Azerbaijan. Let’s see if he can keep up his momentum.
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.
The Knicks can’t seem to catch a break. Every time they appear to get ahead, they wind up being waylaid. The problem isn’t that they face more hurdles after clearing some. That’s life. The problem is that the hurdles are being set up by their greatest enemies: themselves. And that’s death. For some reason, they flub opportunities to consolidate the strides they’ve made by then taking turns they should know well enough to avoid. After every step forward, they somehow feel compelled to take two steps back — putting them in an even worse situation.
Take, for instance, the last handful of days. Under the circumstances, the Knicks did well to appoint erstwhile agent Leon Rose as president of the franchise at the start of the week. The former head of the powerhouse Creative Artists Agency is highly respected and boasts of a vast network in hoops that figures to aid him as he steers them to success. It didn’t take them long to surrender their advantage, though. Even as the ink on the formal announcement of his arrival had yet to dry, they found themselves needing to do damage control on a disagreement with filmmaker Spike Lee, who, as a longtime season ticket holder, just so happens to be their most visible and vocal fan.
By all accounts, the Knicks could have avoided the mess with Lee. It was most certainly over a minor matter. In attending the Knicks’ home games for the better part of 28 years, he had been going through the Madison Square Garden’s 33rd Street entrance, whose access was otherwise restricted to employees, members of the media, and the disabled. After he did the same last Monday, however, he was asked to exit anew and instead avail of the VIP entrance on 31st Street. The suddenness of the decision, not to mention the hassle of walking two blocks South to use his $3,400 ticket — which, by the way, had already been accepted, and, more importantly, could no longer be re-scanned — smacked to him of harassment. In any case, the validity of enforcing the rule could have been conveyed to him with courtesy befitting a valued patron.
To add injury to insult, the Knicks then saw fit to fight fire with fire. In response to Lee’s pronouncements on ESPN First Take, their public relations department’s official Twitter account argued that his portrayal as a victim “is laughable. It’s disappointing that Spike would create this false controversy to perpetuate drama.” The posting included a picture of him shaking hands with franchise owner James Dolan, “proof,” they contended, that he agreed to abide by the rules, but “proof” that he disputes.
Why the Knicks wouldn’t seek to settle the controversy quietly is, to be sure, consistent with how they have approached issues playing out under the klieg lights. They were at least as combative when they faced backlash following the forcible ejection of fan favorite Charles Oakley two years ago. The dispute between him and Dolan remains, and he plans to appeal the adverse decision on a suit he filed over it. More recently, they had to do a double take when brand consultant Steve Stoute overreached and hinted at personnel moves that shouldn’t have been up for discussion.
And the list goes on. Dolan himself couldn’t stay quiet late last season, practically bragging about the impending arrival of highly sought-after would-be free agents. All-Stars Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving instead signed with the crosstown Nets, prompting Knicks brass to apologize — and, to no one’s surprise — effectively take back the apology not long after by declaring that they got the players they wanted all along. They didn’t need to be defensive. In fact, they shouldn’t have been, not least because they had little to stand on; the roster they assembled, filled with redundancy, was uneven at best, and smacked of a decided absence of planning at worst.
If there’s anything the Knicks can be thankful for, it’s their location. They’re in the media capital of world, and, for all their missteps, they remain the most valued name in the National Basketball Association. How much longer, however, is anybody’s guess. When the Rockets, featuring two marquee stars in James Harden and Russell Westbrook, paid a visit last Monday, for instance, the Garden, supposed Mecca of hoops, wasn’t filled to capacity. Hopefully, Rose can restore some semblance of order to their operations. Otherwise, there will be more incidents like that of Lee, and more chances for them to sabotage their own grand designs.
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.
LOCAL SHARES sustained their climb yesterday as investors turned bargain hunters amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) watch.
The benchmark Philippine Stock Exchange index (PSEi) advanced 76.72 points or 1.13% to 6,867.26 on Wednesday, while the broader all shares index gained 26.81 points or 0.66% to 4,089.06.
The PSEi’s rise is its highest in almost a month, following its 2.09% rise on Feb. 6 to 7,506.51.
“The market rose by 76.72 on last-minute bargain hunting,” Timson Securities, Inc. Trader Darren T. Pangan said in a text message. “This is despite value turnover decreasing to P6.08 billion and foreigners remaining net sellers.”
Value turnover yesterday improved from Tuesday’s P5.83 billion with 674.7 million issues switching hands. Net foreign selling also declined to P724.48 million from P915.46 million the day prior.
For Regina Capital Development Corp. Head of Sales Luis A. Limlingan, the improvement in the local market may also be attributed to the performance of US markets on Tuesday: the Dow Jones Industrial Average, S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite indices fell 2.94%, 2.81% and 2.99%, respectively.
He said investors reacted to the drop in 10-year US Treasury yields to a historic low of below 1% and the emergency rate cut by the US Federal Reserve by 0.5%.
Markets in Asia-Pacific ended mixed on Wednesday. Japan’s Nikkei 225 index climbed 0.08%, China’s Shanghai Shenzhen CSI 300 index gained 0.58% and South Korea’s Kospi index jumped 2.24%. But Japan’s Topix index declined 0.17%, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index dropped 0.24% and Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 index lost 1.71%.
Most Southeast Asian stock markets slipped on Wednesday, tracking Wall Street as a surprise rate cut by the US Federal Reserve failed to allay fears over the coronavirus’s impact, while dismal China economic data dented sentiment as well.
The move was upended by “worries about the depth and duration of negative economic ripples from COVID-19 impact; doubts about efficacy of rate cuts, and lack of details on transmission/credit relief measures,” Vishnu Varathan, a senior economist at Mizuho Bank, said in a note, Reuters reported.
Back home, property rose 70.79 points or 1.91% to 3,777.97; holding firms added 66.99 points or 1.01% to 6,692.53; financials grew 11.71 points or 0.73% to 1,615.83; and industrials gained 32.46 points or 0.40% to 8,154.62.
On the other hand, mining and oil decreased 31.86 points or 0.50% to 6,327.67; and services lost 2.57 points or 0.19% to 1,342.92.
Names that fell at the market’s close stood at 123, while names that gained clocked in at 74. Those that ended unchanged were 37.
“The market was able to breach the 6,800 levels today. We may have to see if the 6,800 level holds while next support is around 6,740,” Timson Securities’ Mr. Pangan said. — Denise A. Valdez withReuters
THE PESO surged against the dollar on Wednesday after the surprise rate cut from the US Federal Reserve and dovish signals from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP).
The local unit ended trading at P50.551 versus the dollar yesterday, strengthening by 13.9 centavos from its Tuesday close of P50.69.
The currency opened the session at P50.68 per dollar. It sank to as low as P50.73, while its intraday best was at P50.54 versus the greenback.
Dollars traded slipped to $1.187 billion on Wednesday from $1.239 billion.
A trader attributed the peso’s rebound to the Fed’s move to cut borrowing costs.
“The peso strengthened after the US Federal Reserve unexpectedly cut policy interest rates by 50 basis points in an emergency decision overnight,” the trader said in an e-mail.
Meanwhile, UnionBank of the Philippines, Inc. Chief Economist Ruben Carlo O. Asuncion attributed the peso’s strength to recent dovish remarks from the BSP chief.
“The peso strengthened as the BSP stressed its readiness to boost market confidence and economic growth amidst the COVID-19 (coronavirus outbreak) epidemic…,” Mr. Asuncion said in a text message.
The US central bank slashed its key rates by 50 basis points (bps) in a surprise move to temper economic risks that could arise from the coronavirus outbreak.
Meanwhile, BSP Governor Benjamin E. Diokno said earlier this week another 25-bp cut is on the table this year, adding that they will assess anew the impact of the virus on the economy during the Monetary Board’s policy-setting meeting on March 19. Last week, he also said the central bank is not ruling out cuts worth 50 to 75 bps this year.
The Monetary Board slashed benchmark rates by 25 bps on Feb. 6 as a preemptive move to cushion the country from the impact of COVID-19.
The rates on the BSP’s overnight deposit, overnight reverse repurchase, and overnight lending facilities currently stand at 3.25%, 3.75% and 4.25%, respectively.
In 2019, the central bank cut key policy rates by a total of 75 bps. This means the BSP has already unwound 100 bps from the 175 bps worth of rate hikes done in 2018 to quell multi-year high inflation.
For today, the trader expects the peso to end at around P50.50 to P50.70 against the greenback, while Mr. Asuncion sees the peso playing around the P50.40-P50.70 levels. — Luz Wendy T. Noble
THE Philippine Labor department will cut the deployment of workers to Kuwait after the Middle Eastern state started requiring medical clearance from recruits amid a novel coronavirus outbreak that has killed more than 3,000 people, mostly in China.
Labor Secretary Silvestre H. Bello III said at a briefing on Wednesday the Kuwaiti policy was “a practical order” but was an added burden and Filipino workers might as well go elsewhere.
“They should not require our overseas Filipino workers to get medical certificates that are paid,” Mr. Bello said.
“That’s why they should settle for medical certificates issued by our Department of Health (DoH) or medical centers certified by DoH,” he added.
Mr. Bello said “scaling down” the deployment means the processing of overseas employment certificates would take longer.
This will cover skilled, semi-skilled, professional workers and housemaids.
The deployment of Filipino workers to Kuwait will increase again once the medical clearance requirement is lifted, Mr. Bello said.
Philippine Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Brigido J. Dulay, Jr. called the Kuwaiti restriction “very unfortunate and perplexing” for Filipino workers.
He noted that the Philippines had reported only three confirmed cases of the deadly coronavirus strain — one died and two have been discharged after recovering — compared with Kuwait’s 56 cases.
Kuwait will require travelers from the Philippines and nine other countries to undergo medical examinations before entering to prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
The certificates must be approved by the Kuwaiti Embassy in these countries, according to a March 3 circular issued by the state’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation.
Also covered by the circular are India, Bangladesh, Egypt, Syria, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Sri Lanka, Georgia, and Lebanon.
Passengers without a certificate will be barred from entering Kuwait and “deported on the same carrier airline, without any financial costs incurred by the State of Kuwait.” Airlines found violating the circular will also be fined.
Kuwaiti citizens are exempted from the examination.
Mr. Bello last month lifted the deployment ban on Kuwait after the two governments reached an agreement on better working conditions for Filipino workers.
The Labor chief said the ban would only be lifted once Filipino housemaid Jeanelyn Villavande gets justice.
Among the conditions met by the Kuwaiti government was the filing of charges against Jeanelyn Villavende’s employers.
Mr. Bello first imposed a total deployment ban after the Philippine government received a “dishonest” postmortem report of Ms. Villavende’s autopsy from Kuwait authorities.
The National Bureau of Investigation earlier said an autopsy showed the Filipina had been battered and sexually abused, something that was left out in Kuwait’s initial report.
Mr. Bello later lifted the deployment ban partially, only prohibiting housemaids from working in Kuwait.
In 2018, the Philippine government barred Filipinos from working in Kuwait after news of the murder of domestic helper Joanna Demafelis broke. The ban lasted four months. — Charmaine A. Tadalan
PRESIDENT Rodrigo R. Duterte has revoked an order he issued last year rejecting loans and grants from 41 countries that backed a probe of his deadly war on drugs, his spokesman said on Wednesday.
“Please be informed that such directive is hereby lifted, effective immediately,” according to a copy of a Feb. 27 memo issued by Executive Secretary Salvador S. Medialdea to state agencies but released only yesterday.
Presidential spokesman Salvador S. Panelo did not immediately reply to a mobile-phone message asking why the ban was lifted.
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 in connection with Mr. Duterte’s anti-illegal drug campaign.
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 Iceland-sponsored resolution drew the ire of Mr. Duterte, who writhes at Western condemnation of his drive that is widely supported by Filipinos.
Philippine police have said they have killed more than 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. — Gillian M. Cortez
AN OPPOSITION senator urged the government of President Rodrigo R. Duterte to deport Chinese criminals with links to offshore gaming companies here and who bribed their way into the country.
“Deport these criminals,” Senator Risa N. Hontiveros-Baraquel said in a statement on Wednesday. “Filipinos’ safety comes first.”
She cited reports that $447 million (P22.68 billion) entered the country from September last year to February, half of which was traced to Chinese nationals.
“Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGO) are a big mess,” Ms. Baraquel said. “POGO brings in crimes. Let’s catch the blacklisted and those involved in money laundering and other crimes. They need to be deported immediately,” she added.
Senator Richard J. Gordon earlier claimed Chinese nationals had brought in more than $160 million in cash into the country since December, and raised the possibility of money laundering activities.
He said Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGO) were probably being used as fronts for Chinese spies.
The Immigration bureau earlier said it had revamped workers at Terminals 1 to 3 of the international airport in Manila after the “recent resurgence of unauthorized activities and irregularities” there.
The agency relieved 19 officials and employees allegedly involved in a bribery scheme that allowed the illegal entry of Chinese nationals who end up working in offshore gaming companies here.
Ms. Baraquel earlier showed a video of incoming Chinese nationals being escorted to an office at the international airport in Manila.
She also showed screenshots of Viber messages among Immigration officers discussing the bribery scheme, as well as a worksheet containing the P10,000 paid by each of the tourists.
An immigration officer earlier told a Senate committee some blacklisted foreigners had been granted entry for as much as P200,000.
Also yesterday, Justice Undersecretary Adrian F. Sugay told reporters the agency would probably wait for the results of the Senate investigation of money-laundering activities involving offshore gambling companies before pursuing cases.
“We’re just taking our cue from the results of the Senate investigation on this matter,” he said.
Mr. Sugay said that the department was working closely with the Anti-Money Laundering Council.
“If there are appropriate complaints that need to be pursued we have told them that we are ready to help them to pursue these cases,” he said.
The Immigration bureau earlier asked the Justice department and National Bureau of Investigation to probe corrupt practices at the airport, including human trafficking and escort services.
Immigration officials have denied knowledge of the illegal scheme. — NPAwithVann Marlo M. Villegas
THE Anti-Red Tape Authority on Wednesday flagged the Land Registration Authority (LRA) for failing to approve pending transactions with the public on time.
Jeremiah B. Belgica, the agency’s director general, told reporters that out of five “problematic agencies” tagged by President Rodrigo R. Duterte in his yearly address to Congress last year, LRA stands out.
The anti-red tape body had received reports that LRA had not streamlined transactions.
He said LRA’s charter falls under the “3-7-20” rule — simple transactions should be done in three days, complex transactions in seven days and highly technical ones in 20 days.
LRA officials should fix this or face cases for violating the anti-red tape law, Mr. Belgica said.
The agency has ordered all government bodies to approve pending applications before March 7 or face sanctions for inefficiency.
The regulator also asked all public offices to strictly enforce the processing periods prescribed by their charters.
Agencies mentioned by Mr. Duterte — the Social Security System, Bureau of Internal Revenue, Land Transportation Office, Pag-IBIG Fund and LRA — will be prioritized for audit, according to ARTA’s chief.
Mr. Belgica said they would also prioritize the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board and Food and Drug Administration. — Gillian M. Cortez
THE PASIG City government has formally turned over its two ferry boats to the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), which will be added to the existing fleet for the Pasig River Ferry Service (PRFS). “Improved facilities, more boats, information dissemination, and consistency will make the PRFS ridership increase and even double in number,” Mayor Victor “Vico” N. Sotto said during Wednesday’s signing of the memorandum of agreement. The donated boats, M/B Mutya ng Pasig 1 and 2, are 57-seater vessels. “The two boats donated to the PRFS by the City of Pasig is surely a big help to continually give the best service to our passengers,” MMDA Chairman Danilo D. Lim said. Since the PRFS relaunch in December last year, there has been an average of 700 to 1,000 passengers daily, according to MMDA, with limited boats in operation and not all 14 ferry stops in operation. Undersecretary Frisco San Juan, Jr., MMDA deputy chairman and PRFS head, said other local government in Metro Manila have pledged support to the service. The Manila City government has promised to donate two boats while San Juan City plans to offer free shuttle service to the station during rush hour to encourage commuters to take the ferry service. Mr. San Juan said the Office of the President will also be giving two boats. In January, Senator Juan Edgardo M. Angara said a P176 million budget has been allocated for the purchase of four boats for PRFS. The MMDA earlier announced that the ferry ride will remain free until the end of March.
