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Apple jars investors into coronavirus realities

By Pete Sweeney and Robert Cyran

HONG KONG/NEW YORK — Apple could finally make investors as concerned as the wider population about the latest novel coronavirus. The iPhone maker warned on Monday that quarterly revenue would fall short of the $63 billion to $67 billion guidance it provided a few weeks ago because of supply and demand problems in China. The ripple effects from the outbreak may now become more apparent.

Apple’s brick-and-mortar stores in China remain closed. Third-party vendors and online sales haven’t provided a sufficient cushion. The tech titan said while its manufacturing partners have no factories in Hubei province, the epicenter of the virus, operations elsewhere in the country were “ramping up more slowly than we had anticipated.”

This sort of double whammy may affect Apple more than many companies. Chinese customers account for nearly a fifth of revenue and essentially all iPhones are assembled there by partner Foxconn, which has slowly started reopening plants. With many workers trapped at home, however, staffing them is proving difficult. Interdependencies between component makers mean one small missing piece or stalled factory can grind the whole production system to a halt.

Everything from vitamins to cars depends on materials and parts from China, which remains a dominant producer of intermediate components. This widget economy may not be sexy, but it is essential. Nintendo, which already moved its Switch console manufacturing out of China, recently said it couldn’t produce as many of them as it wants because of Chinese factory shutdowns.

More worrisome than video games are pharmaceuticals. China is the biggest producer of many drugs, and the sole provider of chemicals needed to make them. Four out of five US antibiotics come from the People’s Republic, US Food and Drug Administration Chief Scott Gottlieb recently told Congress. And many of the biggest Chinese chemical companies that supply drugmakers are headquartered in Wuhan, where COVID-19 first struck.

Despite a litany of corporate cautionary notes, the S&P 500 has traded nearly 5% higher this year. Chinese benchmark indices also have bounced back since the initial shock of the virus news. Following Apple’s announcement, which came amidst a US holiday market closure, Australia’s technology index dipped 3%. That’s the first sign that maybe a $1.4 trillion company will sound the necessary alarm.

 

REUTERS BREAKINGVIEWS

Rewriting EDSA

I’m almost done with my third book, The Republic of Santa Banana and other Ad Libs. It’s a compilation of my most irreverent satires in almost 32 years of writing “Ad Lib” for BusinessWorld.

While going over the manuscripts, I came upon this piece which I wrote in 1988. “Rewriting EDSA” is a satire on A Dangerous Life, a movie version of the revolution, produced by Australian Broadcasting Corporation and starring Gary Busey.

Expectedly, the film treatment was Hollywood-ish, which, I noted, was “as close to the truth as anything Joe Isuzu himself could have written.” Joe Isuzu was a character in a series of TV commercials for Isuzu who was known for his exaggerations.

Considering the ongoing efforts of historical revisionists to confuse folks over what really happened at EDSA, I thought this piece was timely for the 34th anniversary of the 1986 People Power Revolt this February.

The original column follows:

I have just gone through the uncanny experience of seeing history rewritten before my eyes. I have just suffered through three hours of the film account of the People Power Revolution, A Dangerous Life.

It’s particularly appalling for someone like me who knows how movies are made and, most of all, who knows what happened at EDSA. Although, after watching it, I’m no longer sure whether I should believe myself or the film. So, like a good film man, I’ve tried to reconstruct what really happened during the making of this magnum awful. Naturally, I employed a research consultant, just like Prof. Alfred McCoy, whom the Australian Broadcasting Corporation used. Except that my consultant, understandably, is not the real McCoy.

This account is as accurate and factual as ABC’s version of EDSA and as close to the truth as anything Joe Isuzu himself could have written:

FADE IN on producer Hal McElroy, director Robert Markowitz and writer David Williamson seated at a table, going over the sequence treatment of the movie. All three are wearing bullet-proof vests. Outside the room, bodyguards watch out for Indonesian assassins who haven’t forgiven ABC for The Year of Living Dangerously. But the three are used to danger, having survived both the Australian Outback and the Los Angeles freeway.

“Look, this is one of those dictator movies, see. I mean, like The Last Plane Out, but not as bloody as Killing Fields,” says McElroy.

Williamson is apologetic. “Sorry, boss. I didn’t think you wanted a Central American treatment. Not with Richard Dreyfuss doing Moon Over Parador. It’s also about a Central American dictator. And the heroine ends up being the benevolent president of the country.”

“The Dreyfuss movie is a comedy. Ours is serious stuff,” Markowitz cuts in.

“You mean, like people being beaten up in the streets and soldiers shooting them in cold blood?” asks Williamson, quickly scanning his brain for a likely formula. Scriptwriters usually have standby formulas in the back of their heads. Just twist the plot a bit here and a bit there and you can sell it as an original.

“Just enough to motivate the citizenry to stage a revolution,” says Markowitz. “You’ve got to have a logical motivation. Otherwise the thing won’t peak to a good climax. On the other hand, a Killing Fields treatment won’t lead to a believable revolution, what with all the people dead.”

“What about Marcos and Imelda,” Williamson asks, realizing by now that Markowitz has a better grasp of the human psyche than he has. “How do we handle their characterization?”

“Professor McCoy says they’re pretty complex personalities,” says the producer. “McCoy’s our historical consultant, you know.”

“Look Hal, we can’t have any complex characters in this film,” says the director, getting impatient. “I’ll have enough trouble handling the love angles of Busey and the Filipina girl and Busey’s wife who goes to bed with the Filipino colonel and then they all live happily ever after, except the Filipina who dies. Why, that’s as complicated as Kramer vs. Kramer. We’ve got to keep the rest of the story simple.”

“I’d go for a Fu Man Chu treatment for Marcos,” Williamson says tentatively. “We could then do a Dragon Lady with Imelda.”

“The Fu Man Chu treatment? You mean, like the Evil Empire stuff?” asks McElroy excitedly. “I’ll buy that. People might even think George Lucas made the movie and they’ll rush to see it.”

Markowitz doesn’t miss the insult, but he’s too engrossed with the movie to worry about trifles. “The Ponce Enrile and Ramos characters are the big problem, he muses.

“The guy wants to be the hero of the story,” says McElroy, dripping with sarcasm. “Can you beat that? And he’s threatening to sue us if we have it some other way.”

“Ponce Enrile doesn’t make a logical hero,” says Markowitz sagely. “The audience won’t buy it. Here he is being accused of masterminding a coup plot against Cory and then we portray him as a hero?”

“I see what you mean,” says the scriptwriter. “It’s like portraying Donald Duck as a hero after he rapes Daisy Duck. It’s just not logical.”

“Well, what about Ramos?” asks the producer, getting desperate that the historical consultant’s retainer is fast being wasted. “He’s one of the heroes of EDSA, isn’t he? And he’s got no beef with Daisy, I mean, Cory.”

“Well, okay,” says Markowitz tiredly. “Maybe we can give him a few heroic lines. Like, when Enrile calls him if he’s joining the breakaway, he readily agrees without having to talk it over with his wife.”

“That’s heroic,” Williamson remarks. “I’d never try that on my wife. Especially on a Saturday night.”

“But this Enrile fellow,” Markowitz instructs the scriptwriter. “You’ve got to treat it like he’s really desperate for help. I mean, like real scared, man. Like he would have backed out of it he hadn’t sent the driver to the supermarket.”

“Well, we’ve got that down pat,” says producer McElroy. “Now comes the hard part. Cory.”

“That’s the easy part,” Markowitz shoots back. “She’s the heroine. I’ve never had any problem portraying heroes and heroines. Like, you know, tall, handsome, well-modulated voice, trustworthy, loyal, brave, clean, reverent.”

“Sounds like the Boy Scouts,” says McElroy, uncomfortably.

“You can never go wrong with the Boy Scouts,” beams Markowitz.

This time, McElroy decides to assert himself. “It’s easy for you to say that,” he snaps. “You don’t have to face the moneybags. How do I tell them they’re getting an Alice In Wonderland movie?”

“Aren’t they all?” Markowitz snaps back. “Good wins over evil. Crime does not pay. Heroines vanquish villains. What’s wrong with that?”

“Yeah, but the trend now is towards more complex characterizations,” McElroy presses. “And don’t give me that crap about the plot being complicated enough as it is, unless you want to go back to doing animated cartoons.”

There’s a pained look on Markowitz’s face. Deep within he wants to do something heroic, like walking out on McElroy. But he needs the job.

“I think I’ve got the Enrile character down pat,” says writer Williamson, his eyes glued on Markowitz.

“Well, about the Cory characterization,” says McElroy.

“Yes, sir, anything you say, sir,” says Williamson.

“I don’t want Cory to be all virginal and saintly, know what I mean?” he says. “You’ve got to give the audience a feeling that she’s also capable of pulling a double-cross. Like, she’s motivated by ambition. But, like she knows how to carry herself while the other guys are too obvious. Know what I mean?”

“What about if she insists on coming home from Cebu to lead the people at EDSA, before they get any ideas that it’s Enrile and Ramos who are the heroes of the story?” the writer suggests, feeling inspired.

“Sounds good,” beams McElroy while an emasculated Markowitz nods blankly. “And speaking of the EDSA scenes. I’ve made arrangements to shoot them in Sri Lanka.”

“You don’t think people will know the difference?” Williamson asks, careful not to offend.

“Naaah,” replies McElroy, cocksure as producers ought to be. “It’s just us movie people who can spot these details. The audience? All they want is a good laugh.”

FADE TO BLACK.

 

Greg B. Macabenta is an advertising and communications man shuttling between San Francisco and Manila and providing unique insights on issues from both perspectives.

gregmacabenta@hotmail.com

We must all fight corruption in government

Corruption is a universal evil. It spans countless countries, regardless of the level of economic development and political orientation. As the pervasiveness of corruption simply undermines all efforts attempted by a government in trying to make things better for a country, the responsibility is primarily local.

In dissecting corruption, a good starting point is to ascertain the conditions of its existence and the consequences of its perpetration. Kimberly Ann Elliot of the Peterson Institute for International Economics, in her section of the book, Corruption and the Global Economy (1997), “Corruption as an International Policy Problem,” appropriately delineated the conditions for and the consequences of corruption.

Elliot stated that, “vying for government benefits,” corrupt practices transpire in “government procurement contracts, ranging from routine purchases of supplies to large infrastructure projects; purchase from or sales to state-owned enterprises; sales of state-owned enterprises (privatization); access to government-controlled or regulated supplies of goods (raw materials, luxury goods, etc.), credit, foreign exchange, import and export licenses, other licenses or permits; and access to government services for subsidies, such as scholarships, health care, or subsidized housing.”

The practice is also widespread of “paying to avoid costs” to circumvent regulations, taxes, prosecution (for illegal activities such as prostitution or gambling), delays, red tape and in “paying for official positions.”

As to the consequences, corruption breeds “inefficiencies” and ineffectiveness owing to “misallocation of government resources due to award of contracts to less efficient bidders; distortions in allocation of government expenditure; distortions in allocation of privatized enterprises; inappropriate or poor quality of infrastructure; undersupply of public goods such as clean air or water; incentives to create additional regulations or delays in order to collect bribes; lost national savings and lowered investment due to flight abroad of bribe capital.”

Further, “inequities” and inequalities are also created and become more pronounced as a result of “redistribution of assets from public sector to corrupt individuals” and the “redistribution from relatively poorer to relatively wealthier individuals who are more likely to have access to government officials.” More so, corruption “undermines political legitimacy” as it destroys the credibility and integrity of the leaders we have elected.

After two decades, the aforesaid conditions engendering corruption are still very relevant and, so to speak, very prevalent not only in the Philippine context but in so many other countries as well. As for the consequences, the sectors involved may indeed speak of its veracity.

Among other actors, the cudgels to whack corruption are in the clutches of the country’s leaders and its citizens.

The prime responsibility of the country’s leaders is to provide strategic leadership and promote a transparent and accountable governance. In relation to the establishment of a strong rule of law and a stable policy environment, studies also show that instability and the emergence of conflicts is attributable to corruption. According to the Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index 2012, “despite the lack of significant empirical evidence, there is a general consensus in literature to say that corruption and conflict are linked, but the direction of the causality is debated.”

Even in post-conflict and post-disaster areas, rehabilitation and reconstruction are deprived of sufficient resources which are diverted to the pockets of corrupt parties.

At the national context, security is also put at risk once stability and peace are put on the line. In this regard, institutional legitimacy plays a vital role because “corruption [h]as doubly pernicious impacts on the risk of violence, by fueling grievances and by undermining the effectiveness of national institutions and social norms” (World Bank, 2011).

The abuse of power characterized by arrogance and strongman moves are typical characteristics of authoritarian regimes wrought with patronage politics, incompetence and system-wide corruption that systematically victimizes the poorest sectors of society and even has strategic impacts to national security.

The government’s blocking maneuvers to stop the renewal of the ABS-CBN’s franchise, the allegations threatening the concession agreements of Manila Water and Maynilad, and the President’s abrogation of the Visiting Forces Agreement citing irrelevant and illogical reasons, and snubbing the intelligent advice of legislators and foreign policy experts alternated with the relentless verbal invectives and threats demonstrate a caricature model of abusive power. It also begs the question, “Who will benefit from all of this?”

And aside from rechanneling responsive public services, every time any anti-poverty program, e.g. rice subsidy, or any post-disaster response and rehabilitation or any post-conflict reconstruction becomes tainted with corruption, the spirit of government helping the people dissipates and suspicion and mistrust set in.

As for us citizens, we must hold government leaders accountable! As the country’s thought leaders from the academe, civil society, and the media, we should be at forefront of exposing corruption and demand transparency and accountability from all of government.

 

Jaime Jimenez, Ph.D is the Deputy Executive Director for Research, Stratbase ADR Institute.

The EU can’t widen and deepen at the same time

By Andreas Kluth

MANY THINGS divide the 27 member states of the European Union these days, but one controversy in particular sums up the bloc’s fundamental dilemma. It’s over “enlargement,” and specifically whether to formally start accession talks with North Macedonia and Albania. Seething below the surface is the question of whether the EU can, in Eurocrat jargon, keep “widening” and “deepening” at the same time.

Put differently, if the EU keeps admitting new members, whether they’re ready or not, won’t it just become ungovernable and drift apart?

As usual, it fell to French President Emmanuel Macron, who’s earned himself quite a reputation for being undiplomatically honest, to point out this tension. He shocked other EU leaders by blocking formal talks with North Macedonia and also, supported only by Denmark and the Netherlands, Albania. German Chancellor Angela Merkel, among others, was irate; the Balkans were livid. The EU is now scrambling to get him to drop his veto before the European Summit in March.

Two main arguments were hurled at Macron. First, that he was being unfair in failing to recognize how much the two countries have already done to become good candidates. Albania has cleaned up its judiciary and cracked down on organized crime. The other country even changed its name (adding “North”), just to appease EU member Greece, which has a region that argued it had dibs on “Macedonia.” The EU had promised that this would be enough to start negotiating.

Second, Macron was accused of being strategically myopic, just when the EU needs to start thinking “geopolitically.” Russia and China are already extending their tentacles into south-eastern Europe, the latter by financing ports, bridges, and rail lines as part of opaque political deals. If the Balkans feel spurned by the EU, they’ll run, rather than walk, into the arms of non-Western autocrats.

All true. But there’s also a good reason for objecting to enlargement: It inevitably gums up integration between the EU’s existing members. Working together was hard enough among the six founding countries back in the 1950s. With each new entrant, it kept getting harder yet, as new languages, political cultures, historical grievances, and national interests had to be accommodated. This was true after the UK joined in 1973 (and look where that led) and after the Mediterranean and Nordic expansions later.

THE BALKANIZATION OF THE EU
The dilemma became especially clear after the two eastward expansions in 2004 and 2007. The same arguments were being used then as now: Not admitting the post-communist nations would have been geopolitical folly, stranding them in the sphere of influence of their former Russian oppressors. And it would have been unfair to people who had long and valiantly struggled for their freedom and yearned to join “the West.”

More than a decade on, however, and some of those eastern members have turned into spoilers of the European project, or worse. Hungary is a quasi-autocracy that proudly calls itself “illiberal.” Poland is actively undermining the independence of its judges and the rule of law, in open confrontation with the European Court in Luxembourg. Both are obstructing any progress in formulating a common European policy for dealing with migrants. In effect, they have rejected the EU’s founding idea of European solidarity in favor of an atavistic nationalism.

Each previous round of enlargement thus introduced new fractures into the EU, some between north and south, others between east and west. Macron is hardly alone in observing that European integration stalled long ago, and that “widening” had something to do with that. In foreign and defense policy, any member state can veto any decision, thus assuring European irrelevance and impotence on the world stage. Bigger ideas like a European army are nothing more than pipe dreams. In the euro area, neither banking nor fiscal union has been completed, thus leaving the currency union prone to another crisis.

All of this is part of thinking geopolitically. Without a euro to rival the dollar, without diplomats or soldiers that Turkey, Russia, China and others take seriously, what good will the EU be in the long run?

On balance, it’s still better to open talks with Tirana and Skopje than to reject them. But the EU must simultaneously confront the bigger dilemma of stalled integration. For that, it has to broach a taboo and talk about a multi-speed Europe.

The idea has been around for decades: Letting some groups of countries integrate faster than others in policy areas they choose. To a large extent that’s already a reality. Only 19 out of 27 EU countries share the euro; 26 members of the so-called Schengen area have completely open borders with one another, of which four (Norway, Iceland, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein) aren’t even in the EU. And so on.

Why shouldn’t some members (Germany, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands, say) now advance to fiscal union, allowing others to join later? Ditto in foreign, defense and migration policy. If the EU as a whole can’t deepen, let parts of it do so.

Some member states, like Poland, have always opposed such a tiered EU, afraid of becoming peripheral and second-class. And yet they claim to be equally worried about ceding more sovereignty to Brussels. But that is the choice inherent in belonging to the EU.

So let’s make the club flexible, with different kinds of membership. Let’s not call them gold, sliver, and bronze, but something like deep, medium and shallow. With different tiers come different degrees of integration, obligations and rights. You don’t want to take your share of refugees? Then you get less from the EU budget. You don’t believe in rule of law? Then you lose your votes in Brussels.

In such a flexible EU, parts of Europe could coalesce into powers with geopolitical heft, while other parts retain more independence. This is the only way Europe can deepen and widen at the same time. Who knows? Maybe that’s the kind of EU even the Brits might want to join one day.

 

BLOOMBERG OPINION

Egypt’s population boom is no boon

By Timothy Kaldas

EGYPT’S 100 millionth citizen was born last week, undoubtedly a happy occasion for one family, but a moment filled with foreboding for a country struggling to contain a population explosion. President Abdel Fattah El Sisi has compared the elevated birth rate to terrorism as one of Egypt’s top national-security threats.

In the past year the government has scrambled to stem the birth rate with a new program called “Two is Enough.” It is establishing family planning clinics throughout the country, where Egyptians can purchase heavily subsidized contraceptives. It is also sending volunteers on home visits to discourage couples from having large families. But many doctors and activists fear that this is too little, and comes too late to reverse the uptick in population growth that is exacerbating challenges in a country where one in three people live below the poverty line.

Central to the uptick in the birth rate is a failure of governance. When the US Agency for International Development ceased funding Egyptian family planning programs in 2008, the birth rate per woman had dropped to three babies from 5.6 in 1976. Contraception use had risen 18.8% to 60.3% during that time. The US had spent $376 million on family planning initiatives over that period.

But since then governments in Cairo have largely ignored the issue, and birth rates have surged back to approximately 3.5 per woman, well above the Middle East and North Africa average of 2.8.

Doctors complain that the new “Two is Enough” program is disorganized, lacking in a clear strategy to bring down birthrates. The financial resources deployed thus far have been a fraction of previous efforts; some family-planning clinics have reportedly run out of contraceptives. While clinics funded by the campaign provide some reproductive health education, sexual education remains taboo in Egyptian schools. This means many people have little practical knowledge of their contraception options.

Another failure is the lack of adequate services for Egypt’s most vulnerable — the poor and pensioners. Many Egyptians opt to have more children in the hope they will look after them as they age, a phenomenon common in countries with high levels of poverty and inadequate safety nets. While over 30 million Egyptians live in poverty, only 9.4 million receive means-tested cash transfers from the government’s welfare programs. Economic reforms undertaken as part of a recently completed International Monetary Fund program have cut subsidies in a number of areas, contributing a spike in inflation that at one point exceeded 30%.

For newborns like the 100-millionth Egyptian, the outlook is grim. Inadequate assistance to the poor contributes to significant malnourishment among children. Half of those aged under five years suffer from anemia, 29% have stunted growth. This in turn contributes to reduced productivity as adults, adding to Egypt’s long-term economic challenges.

The poor quality of public education in Egypt also undercuts the potential benefits that could come with a large new workforce. In the 2019 World Economic Forum Global Competitiveness report, Egyptian graduates ranked 133rd out of 141 countries in skills. The quality of vocational training was 129th out of 141. Although the constitution requires Egypt to spend at least 4% of GDP on education, governments have consistently misses this target by a substantial margin.

A burgeoning population exacerbates other problems. Take water scarcity. Despite Egypt’s limited supply — it depends almost exclusively on the Nile — there has been a systemic failure to adequately address water waste. From wasteful megaprojects draining the Nile to literally dumping waste in the river, Egyptian officials have consistently failed to prudently protect what is perhaps the country’s most vital natural resource.

In 2018, Egypt temporarily reduced the farming of rice, a water intensive crop — only to expand cultivation the following year. The New Administrative Capital that Sisi has set out to erect is projected to need 650,000 cubic meters of water per day when finished. Failure to quickly and dramatically improve water management practices in Egypt could be disastrous, and the risk is the greater for the country’s rapid population growth.

In order to prevent a deterioration in living standards, some economists estimate Egypt’s GDP must grow at three times its rate of population growth. President Sisi himself acknowledged this, saying the economy needs to grow at least 7.5% a year. But growth is currently under 6%, and the non-oil and gas private sector is contracting. From convoluted regulations to unreliable contract enforcement, to anti-competitive practices by military-owned businesses, Egypt’s investors face an array of challenges that have stifled private sector activity.

In his latest book, The Political Economy of Reform in Egypt, Khalid Ikram, a former World Bank country director for Egypt, writes: “Many of the fundamental economic problems of Egypt have resulted not so much from a shortage of financial resources as from failures of governance.” As the country’s population continues to grow fast, the room for error is shrinking.

 

BLOOMBERG OPINION

SBP names roster competing at FIBA 3×3 Olympic qualifier

By Michael Angelo S. Murillo
Senior Reporter

THE Philippine squad that will be carrying the country’s flag in the FIBA 3×3 Olympic Qualifying Tournament next month in India is all set after the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas on Tuesday named the final roster.

In a statement shared with members of the media, SBP President Al Panlilio announced the final four players who will be making up the Philippine team competing in the qualifiers set for March 18 to 22, with the end goal of earning a ticket for the Tokyo Olympic Games later this year.

The players are Joshua Munzon, Alvin Pasaol, Moala Tautuaa and CJ Perez.

Messrs. Munzon and Pasaol are the country’s top two 3×3 players and a staple in the local 3×3 scene while Messrs. Tautuaa and Perez are stars in the Philippine Basketball Association who helped the Philippines win the gold medal in 3×3 in the 30th Southeast Asian Games.

Serving as reserves are Santi Santillan and Karl Dehesa.

The final roster was arrived at upon the recommendation of the SBP Selection Committee, chaired by Executive Director Sonny Barrios, with coaches Jong Uichico, Pat Aquino, Ronnie Magsanoc and Eric Altamirano serving as members.

The FIBA 3×3 Olympic Qualifying Tournament is to take place in Bengaluru, which is referred to as the “Silicon Valley of India.”

The event will feature 40 teams (20 in each gender) — four pools of five teams each — and will be organized by FIBA and the Basketball Federation of India (BFI).

The top two teams from each pool will advance to the playoffs and the top three teams will qualify to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, where 3×3 basketball will make its debut.

“It is an honor for the Philippines to be with the top 20 countries vying for seats at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. We ask our countrymen to rally behind our Team in its quest to be part of the Olympiad,” said Mr. Panlilio.

The Philippines will open its OQT bid in Group C along with Slovenia, France, Qatar and the Dominican Republic.

In the Olympics, a total of 16 teams (eight in each gender) will be competing.

Eight of them (four in each gender) have already qualified on Nov. 1, 2019 based on the FIBA 3×3 Federation Ranking. Six additional tickets (three in each gender) will be delivered at the FIBA 3×3 OQT in Bengaluru, with the last two tickets (one in each gender) earned at the FIBA 3×3 Universality Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Budapest, Hungary, on April 24–26 this year.

Barca’s Messi, F1’s Hamilton joint winners of Sportsman of the Year at Laureus Awards

BERLIN — Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton and Barcelona forward Lionel Messi were declared joint winners of the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year Award in Berlin on Monday, with the voting tied for the first time in the awards’ 20-year history.

Mercedes driver Hamilton won his sixth world championship in 2019, with 11 race wins and 17 podium finishes, while Messi was crowned the world’s best player for a record sixth time when he won the Ballon d’Or.

American gymnast Simone Biles, who became the most decorated gymnast in world championship history when she won her 25th medal last year, won her third Sportswoman of the Year gong after winning the award in 2017 and 2019.

The South African rugby team, which won the World Cup in Japan last year for the third time in history, were crowned the Team of the Year, beating European soccer champions Liverpool and women’s soccer World Cup winners United States.

German NBA star Dirk Nowitzki, who retired last year after a 21-year career in the NBA with the Dallas Mavericks, was honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award for his contribution to basketball.

Meanwhile, the Spanish Basketball Federation was recognized with the Laureus Academy Exceptional Achievement Award after the men’s World Cup triumph last year while the women have won three of the last four EuroBasket titles.

German Formula Three driver Sophia Floersch, who fractured her spine in an aerial crash at the Macau Grand Prix in Nov. 2018 that required an 11-hour surgery to fix, made the Comeback of the Year after getting back into the cockpit last year.

Former Indian batsman Sachin Tendulkar, the highest run scorer of all time in international cricket, had the support of a cricket-crazy nation to win a fan vote for the award for the best Sporting Moment from the last two decades.

In his sixth and final one-day international World Cup in 2011, Tendulkar finally got his hands on the title as India won on home soil and he was carried on his team mates’ shoulders for a lap of honour.

List of winners:

Sportsman of the Year: Lewis Hamilton and Lionel Messi

Sportswoman of the Year: Simone Biles

Team of the Year: South Africa Men’s Rugby Team

Breakthrough of the Year: Egan Bernal

Comeback of the Year: Sophia Floersch

Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability: Oksana Masters

Action Sportsperson of the Year: Chloe Kim

Best Sporting Moment: ‘Carried on the shoulders of a nation’ — Sachin Tendulkar

Lifetime Achievement Award: Dirk Nowitzki

Laureus Academy Exceptional Achievement Award: Spanish Basketball Federation

Laureus Sport for Good Award: South Bronx United — Reuters

FIBA 3×3 head excited for Manila return in May of World Tour Masters

By Michael Angelo S. Murillo
Senior Reporter

THE FIBA 3×3 World Tour Masters is set to make its Manila return in May after five years and it has the world governing body excited, recognizing how the country has done its fair share in helping advance appreciation for the sport.

To take place from May 2-3 at the SM Megamall Fashion Hall, the World Tour Masters in Manila, which is supported anew by Chooks-to-Go, will be the second leg in the calendar of the tour.

To make sure that preparations for the Manila tournament are rolling, FIBA head of 3×3 basketball Ignacio Soriano arrived in the country early this week and met with Chooks-to-Go officials, particularly group head Ronald Mascariñas.

And Mr. Soriano said he was satisfied with what he heard and excited to get the tournament going.

“For us, Chooks-to-Go has been having excellent 3×3 activities. Last year, they sent teams in the World Tour. So, we believe that it’s a great move to be back here with Chooks-to-Go on our side. 3×3 really belongs here,” said Mr. Ignacio after emerging from his meeting with Mr. Mascariñas on Monday at the office of Bounty Agro Ventures Inc. in Ortigas.

“2019 [was] a special year for the Philippines in 3×3. Chooks-to-Go has been a great partner in pushing the sport to grow. 2020 is going to be much more special for the Philippines,” the FIBA official added.

On the part of Chooks-to-Go, to have the World Tour back here is a welcome development as it gets to complement the significant strides that 3×3 has made in the last few years.

Through Chooks-to-Go’s 3×3 league, the country been able to send teams to compete in international competitions, including FIBA-sanctioned tournaments, allowing it to earn valuable global ranking points.

A huge result of such efforts is the Philippines’ qualification for the Olympic Qualifying Tournament this March in India (See related story on this page).

The FIBA 3×3 World Tour Masters this year begins in Doha, Qatar, on April 2–3, followed by the Manila leg. It culminates in November in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Now a 14-leg tour, up from 12 last year, the World Tour has also an expanded prize money, now reaching a total of $2.8 million from $2.1 million in 2019.

Expected to compete in the event are some of the world’s best 3×3 clubs, including Liman, Novi Sad, Riga Ghetto, and NY Harlem.

Rondina seeks to continue to inspire, build on eventful 2019

By Michael Angelo S. Murillo
Senior Reporter

HAD it eventful and memorable in 2019, local volleyball star Sisi Rondina seeks to continue to be an inspiration to those who look up to her and at the same time fortify her standing in the sports career path she has chosen.

The 21-year-old, Compostela, Cebu native had it busy last year where she had a lot of success.

She helped the University of Santo Tomas Golden Tigresses to a runner-up finish in University Athletic Association of the Philippines indoor volleyball and the championship in beach volleyball.

Ms. Rondina also won UAAP most valuable player awards both on the taraflex floor and in the sand court.

She capped 2019 by winning a bronze medal in the 30th Southeast Asian Games held here.

For all her efforts and achievements last year, Ms. Rondina is being honored as Ms. Volleyball in the Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) Annual Awards Night on March 6 and an awardee at the 37th All-Cebu Sports Awards later this month.

These are recognition that Ms. Rondina is viewing with much significance, seeing them as a testament to the hard work she has put in her craft and an opportunity to have a positive influence on other people.

“For me, all these recognitions are a blessing that I never thought I would get. I love all my volleyball commitments and I always put all the needed effort in everything I do,” said Ms. Rondina in the vernacular.

“Hopefully these will be a tool to inspire young ones, for them to continue dreaming like me and believing nothing is impossible,” added Ms. Rondina, who joins the ranks of Alyssa Valdez, Mika Reyes and Dawn Macandili as PSA Ms. Volleyball awardee.

For 2020, one of the things Ms. Rondina will be busy with is beach volleyball after being included in the Creamline beach volleyball club along with Bernadeth Pons.

Through the club, which was formed by Rebisco Philippines, she hopes she gets to do her share in further growing the sport of beach volleyball in the country.

She and Pons are set to compete in local tournaments like the Beach Volleyball Republic and FIVB tournaments to earn ranking points for the Philippines.

Race for Europe heats up as United wins at Chelsea

LONDON — Manchester United’s 2-0 win at Chelsea on Monday blew open the race for the Premier League’s fourth Champions League qualifying spot, in contrast to the one-horse race for the title which Liverpool seem sure to win.

Both coaches, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Frank Lampard, said getting into the Champions League was their focus with almost a third of the season left to play.

“We want to be in the Champions League next year and we’ve given ourselves a chance with this result,” Solskjaer told reporters after headed goals by Anthony Martial and Harry Maguire gave United their first league win in over a month.

Chelsea are still clinging to fourth position with 41 points but the Blues are only one point ahead of London rivals Tottenham Hotspur, who visit Stamford Bridge on Saturday after three straight wins under former Blues coach Jose Mourinho.

Sheffield United and Manchester United are close behind with 39 and 38 points respectively but they too must look over their shoulders at Wolverhampton Wanderers and Everton on 36 points.

Lampard, whose side have now won twice in their last eight league games, lamented the familiar problem of failing to convert chances and said Chelsea had to turn around their shaky form.

“We’re fourth and it’s in our hands. The gap has closed but not many people expected us to be fourth at this stage of the season so the fight starts now,” he said.

Lampard and Solskjaer refused to be drawn on whether second-placed Manchester City’s two-year ban from European competition starting next season might help their clubs by rewarding whoever finishes fifth with Champions League qualification.

City were handed the ban and a 30 million euro ($32.51 million) fine by European soccer’s governing body UEFA last week after an investigation into alleged breaches of Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules. The English champions plan to appeal.

Lampard was more willing to talk about an incident involving United defender Harry Maguire who he thought should have been sent off before scoring the second goal for lifting a boot into the groin of Chelsea’s Michy Batshuayi in the first half.

Solskjaer defended his captain, saying he was protecting himself when Batshuayi appeared about to fall on him.

“For me I didn’t think two seconds about it at all,” the Norwegian said. “It hurts definitely when you get hit there but I think he (Batshuayi) is going to be alright.” — Reuters

Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Professional League returns for its fifth season in the Philippines

THE Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Professional League-Philippines is back for its fifth season.

The largest mobile e-sports league in Southeast Asia mounts its return in the Philippines following the success of its preceding season that saw Sunsparks’ momentous hoisting of the MPL-PH trophy. Their best-of-five grand final bout against Onic PH will be forever etched in the annals of the tournament’s history as it gave birth to the iconic Arrival play that spoiled the then rookie’s otherwise perfect league debut.

The grand finalists last season were also bestowed with the right to represent the Philippines in the inaugural M1 World Championship 2019, the international Mobile Legends: Bang Bang tournament graced by 14 countries from around the world. The Malaysia-based competition featured a staggering $250,000 prize pool, the lion’s share of which was bagged by the eventual champions, Indonesia’s EVOS Legends.

Meanwhile, with the elimination of two championship titleholders — Cignal Ultra and ArkAngel — last MPL-PH season, partnered with the rather chaotic roster shuffle that saw familiar faces donning jerseys of teams they used to compete against, the journey towards being legendary this season is expected to be fiercer. Gone, may be, are the go-to favorites but the top-notch Mobile Legends: Bang Bang action surely remains.

The MPL-PH Season 5 kicked off earlier this month catering to all hopefuls nationwide in a two-day online qualifier. The teams who survived the single-elimination meet advanced to the main qualifiers, wherein two slots for the regular season were at stake.

PARTICIPATING TEAMS
For the fifth season, participating teams include Sunsparks, Onic PH, SGD Omega, Execration, Bren Sports, Geek Fam, Blacklist International (formerly EVOS PH) and STI (Former Ownage).

The regular season of the MPL-PH Season 5 will run on all weekends of Feb. 29 to April 5 this year. The first week of the tournament phase will run on two days, Feb. 29 to March 1, while the succeeding weeks will be from Friday to Sunday. Spectators are more than welcome to watch the regular season matches live at the Illumination Studio located at 2723 Sabio St., Corner Chino Roces Ave., Makati City.

Meanwhile, the topnotch MPL-PH Season 5 regular season action will also be streamed live on Facebook and YouTube starting on Feb. 29 at 6:00 p.m.

After the six-weekend regular season, the top eight participants will advance to the playoffs to determine which one of them will go home with the lion’s share of the $100,000 prize pool along with the coveted MPL-PH grand championship title. The culmination of the MPL-PH Season 5 will be held at the Le Pavillon Metropolitan Park in Pasay City.

For more information and announcements about Southeast Asia’s biggest mobile esports tournament, like and follow the official Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Facebook page.

COVID-19-hit

There is no denying that the ongoing outbreak of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has impacted the sporting world, particularly how the disease, which originated from Wuhan, China and has now affected different parts of the world, has forced stakeholders to adjust their calendars of events worldwide.

In the Philippines, a number of sporting events have been moved, or cancelled entirely altogether, on the advisory of health officials to prevent the further spread of the highly contagious disease.

While the move is completely understandable, still from my end it has affected me both as a fan and a sports journalist.

As a fan because there is hardly a sporting event to bask in and enjoy as a spectator, and as a sport journalist as there is not much to cover and write about.

One of the events hit by the COVID-19 is the 10th ASEAN Para Games which the country is hosting.

I certainly feel for the organizers of this event, particularly the Philippine Paralympic Committee (PPC) which has been hard at work to have a successful staging of the Games.

It was supposed to happen in January this year, following the country’s hosting of the 30th Southeast Asian Games in December, but was deferred to March after the Philippine Sports Commission, the body tasked to fund the event, said there was no money to stage the Games at that time.

Then came the COVID-19 which prompted the PSC to recommend to the PPC another postponement of the Para Games, which is now being eyed for a May or September staging.

Had the chance to see the PPC at work early on in the preparations for the Games, and it is really unfortunate to see the event get hit that way it has had.

The PPC is really trying to make sure that the staging will be as seamless as possible with all the para athletes competing taken care of, from accommodation to facilities to the equipment.

The Filipino athletes, too, are invested in it, looking forward to the March staging after its original schedule was deferred.

Para athlete Adeline Dumapong-Ancheta (powerlifting) shared that she and Team Philippines were saddened by the initial postponement and were really looking forward to the Games finally pushing through next month just as they have adjusted their training after “peaking” for the scheduled event in January.

Now another postponement.

Also hit by the COVID-19 is the volleyball tournament of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines for Season 82.

It is a tournament, which was supposed to start on Feb. 15, that has been generating a lot of buzz in the lead-up not only for the marquee women’s competition but also for the men’s side which the league is bent on giving more prominence this season, coming on the heels of the successful outing of the national men’s team in the SEA Games where it won a silver medal.

The league was also touting the competition to be an exciting one, with the field shored up and with enhancements designed to make the tournament engaging and efficient, including the use for the first time of the video challenge system.

Some fans were up and arms, particularly on social media, for the league’s postponement of the tournament to a still-to-be-determined date, and I would not blame them for feeling such initially considering that it all seems a go early last week until the UAAP reconsidered.

The league also postponed the men’s football tournament, which was set to begin on Feb. 16, softball tournament (Feb. 17), seniors baseball tournament (Feb. 19), athletics (Feb. 19–23), and judo (last week of February).

Following suit was the National Collegiate Athletic Association, which suspended indefinitely all seniors division games beginning Feb. 14, including the ongoing volleyball tournament.

Other collegiate leagues have also put activities on hold.

The Philippine Basketball Association has moved to makes changes to its calendar as well with the opening of Season 45 now happening on March 8 from March 1 while the PBA D-League will unravel on March 2 from Feb. 13.

The first home game of Gilas Pilipinas in the first window of the FIBA Asia Cup was postponed too.

Gilas was to meet Thailand in a Group A match on Feb. 20 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

The Philippines’s next game — an away assignment against Indonesia on Feb. 23 — would push through, however, on FIBA’s recommendation.

Shelved as of the moment, too, is the cycling event PRURide PH 2020, which was scheduled to take place from March 11–15 at Mimosa Drive, Clark, Pampanga.

At the rate things are going, save for some events, regular sports action locally would happen in March at the very least, meaning more time for us of waiting.

I am sure the cancellations and postponements were a tough one to call for stakeholders but something that needed to be done for the safety and welfare of more people.

We just have to ride this out for the meantime and hope and pray that things get settled at the soonest possible time.

Keep safe everyone.

 

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

msmurillo@bworldonline.com

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