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US takes fourth World Cup title

LYON, FRANCE — The United States won a record-extending fourth women’s World Cup with a 2-0 victory over the Netherlands on Sunday as second-half goals from Megan Rapinoe and Rose Lavelle confirmed their status as the leading power in the women’s game.

The defending champions struggled to gain dominance for an hour before a Rapinoe penalty, her sixth goal of the tournament, broke the deadlock and a fine individual effort from Lavelle in the 69th minute put the outcome beyond doubt.

The Dutch, who are the European champions, ran out of steam after Rapinoe opened the scoring in the 61st minute, having done more than any team to frustrate the Americans.

A perfect occasion for Rapinoe, whose outspoken views have been most prominent on the pay disparity between men and women players, was capped when FIFA chief Gianni Infantino was booed amid chants of “equal pay, equal pay” by US fans.

At 34, Rapinoe is unlikely to be back on this stage in four years’ time, but it is hard to imagine her walking away from the battles she has led with the US Soccer Federation and world governing body FIFA over fairer terms for the women’s game.

However, amidst the firework celebrations after the final whistle, Rapinoe’s thoughts were on her team’s triumph — their second in a row after the 2015 victory in Canada.

“It’s like history. I don’t know how to feel right now. It is ridiculous,” said Rapinoe.

“We’re crazy that’s what makes us special. We just have no quit in us. We are so tight. We will do anything to win.”

Rapinoe’s earlier comments, regarding a rejection of any eventual invite to the White House, brought her into the centre of political debate but the side’s win was greeted positively by President Donald Trump.

“Congratulations to the US Women’s Soccer Team on winning the World Cup! Great and exciting play. America is proud of you all!” tweeted Trump.

New York city mayor Bill de Blasio said the team would receive a “ticker tape parade” down the ‘Canyon of Heroes” in Manhattan on Wednesday.

RAPINOE RETURNS
The purple-haired Rapinoe was back in the starting lineup after sitting out the 2-1 semifinal win over England with a slight muscle strain.

Her place in the side came at the expense of Christen Press while Netherlands left-winger Lieke Martens was fit to play after overcoming a toe injury.

The Dutch made an aggressive start, with some strong challenges, and midfielder Sherida Spitse picked up a booking in the 10th minute for a lunging challenge on Lavelle.

The US, who had scored in the opening 12 minutes of every previous game at this tournament, were struggling to settle as their opponents harried and closed them down quickly.

The Netherlands looked to hit the Americans on the counter-attack and that approach almost bore fruit in the 26th minute when Vivianne Miedema released Lineth Beerensteyn through the middle but US keeper Alyssa Naeher was alert.

However, as the half wore on, the US gradually gained the upper hand and Dutch keeper Sari van Veenendaal did well to parry a fierce first-time drive by Julie Ertz in the 28th.

Then Alex Morgan turned a low cross from Rapinoe goalwards and Van Veenendaal tipped the ball against the post before safely gathering it.

The pressure was mounting as Morgan brought the Dutch keeper into action again with a fine shot on the turn in the 40th.

US defender Kelley O’Hara had to be substituted at halftime, following a clash of heads with Martens, and Ali Krieger came on at right-back.

VAR PENALTY
Encouraged by their first half resilience, the Dutch stuck with the same tenacious approach after the break but their aggression proved to be their downfall.

Stefanie van der Gragt’s foot caught Morgan’s upper arm after a high challenge in the box and the American fell to the ground. After initially awarding a corner, the French referee turned to the video review VAR (video assistant referee) and then gave a penalty.

Rapinoe took the responsibility and coolly slotted the ball past the almost stationary Van Veenendaal to bring to life the large American contingent in the capacity crowd of 57,900.

Suddenly the US were more relaxed and the Dutch appeared to lose not only their cohesion but also their energy.

Perhaps sensing that dip, Lavelle took the game directly to the Dutch — bursting out of midfield towards the heart of the defence and dropping her shoulder to the left before unleashing a sweet shot into the bottom corner to make it 2-0.

The Americans were suddenly swarming all over the Dutch, Tobin Heath, Morgan and Crystal Dunn all threatened to add a third goal.

If the Dutch were going to get back into the game a set-piece looked the most likely route and Spitse went close with a free-kick in the 80th minute that flashed just wide.

But that was their last attempt at making a comeback that, in truth, never looked likely.

The Americans had outlasted the Dutch and a fourth World Cup crown was theirs to celebrate with their adoring fans. — Reuters

Mendiola finally barges into PFL win column

AFTER six tries, Mendiola FC 1991 finally barged into the win column of the ongoing Philippines Football League season, beating Philippine Air Force FC, 3-1, in their battle of winless teams on Sunday at the Biñan Football Stadium in Laguna.

Came out with a sense of urgency to begin the game, Mendiola sustained such mindset throughout to outsteady and outlast Air Force and bag the victory that improved it to 1-1-4 record and four points for the season.

Hamed Hajihmahdi put Mendiola on the scoreboard early in the match, scoring a goal inside the first three minutes.

They tried to build on it but no more goals would come for the rest of the opening half, leaving Mendiola settling for a 1-nil lead at the halfway point.

Mendiola kept the pressure on the Airmen to begin the second half, eventually rewarded in the 58th minute when Allen Angeles connected to push his team ahead, 2-0.

The team scored another goal 10 minutes later care of Jim Flores to make it 3-0 in the final 20 minutes of the match.

Air Force still tried to claw its way back and was able to narrow the gap at 3-1 after Romeo Martinez broke through in the 86th minute.

The count stood that way for the rest of the time though, handing Mendiola the win.

With the victory, Mendiola climbed to fifth in the standings while keeping Air Force (0-1-6) as the lone winless team right now in the PFL.

Kaya FC-Iloilo (5-1-0) remains on top of the heap with 16 points, followed by defending champion Ceres-Negros FC (4-1-0) with 13.

Stallion Laguna FC (3-2-1) is third with 11 points while Green Archers United FC (3-2-2) is fourth with 11 points.

Global Cebu FC (1-0-4) is sixth with three points. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo

KAPA founder, other officials face 8 counts of estafa complaint

THE NATIONAL Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and three investors of Kapa-Community Ministry International, Inc. (KAPA) filed eight counts of syndicated estafa complaint against the group’s 14 officials, including its founder, Joel A. Apolinario, in connection with its alleged investment scam.

In the complaint, the NBI and the three investors also charged Mr. Apolinario, KAPA Corporate Secretary Reyna L. Apolinario, Treasurer Modie S. Dagala, and officers Benigno D. Tipan, Jr., Marilyn M. Maturan, Ricky A. Taer, and Margie A. Danao, for violating provisions of the Securities Regulation Code (SRC).

KAPA incorporators included in the complaint are Nonita S. Urbano, Junnie G. Apolinario, Nelio V. Nino, Maria Pella B. Sevilla, Jouelyn A. Del Castillo, Cristobal R. Barabad, and Joji A. Jusay.

The three investors claimed they put in a total amount of P575,000 to KAPA with the promise of 30% return of the principal.

When they heard news that KAPA operations were illegal, they tried to reclaim their investment, but to no avail as the company’s offices were already closed.

The complainants said KAPA committed syndicated estafa under Presidential Decree No. 1689 for posing that the collection from the public is a religious donation and the investment interest is a religious blessing.

They also said that the group is involved in a “pyramiding investment scam which has a characteristic of a Ponzi Scheme” as the “donations” made with a promise of monthly interest of 30% is a solicitation of money or investment from the public.

“(K)APA has employed deceit through false pretense and fraudulent acts,” the complaint read.

The complaint also accuses KAPA of violating Section 8 (Requirement of Registration of Securities) and Section 26 (Fraudulent Transactions) of the SRC as the investment scheme is in the nature of securities, for which the company has no license from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

This is the second complaint against KAPA, following the SEC’s complaint filed last month against the organization, Mr. Apolinario and seven other officials, also for violation of Sections 8, 26 and 28 of the SRC.

The Commission in February issued a cease-and-desist order against KAPA and revoked its certificate of registration last April. It also secured a freeze order of KAPA’s assets and bank accounts from the Court of Appeals.

A Davao City court has issued a precautionary hold departure order against the eight KAPA officials in the SEC complaint while preliminary investigation is on-going. — Vann Marlo M. Villegas

Brazil wins ninth Copa America

RIO DE JANEIRO — Brazil’s Gabriel Jesus made one goal, scored another and was sent off in the second half as they beat Peru 3-1 on Sunday to win the Copa America for the ninth time in a pulsating contest at the Maracana stadium.

The hosts took the lead after 15 minutes thanks to some brilliant skill from Jesus on the wing. The Manchester City forward bamboozled two defenders and crossed for the unmarked Everton to fire home from close range.

Peru, who last won the tournament in 1975, got an equalizer a minute before halftime when Paolo Guerrero scored from the penalty spot after Thiago Silva handled the ball.

The goal was the first Brazil had conceded in six games at the Copa America but it did not shake their confidence and they retook the lead moments later after a well-worked move from midfield. — Reuters

Six more teams make NCAA Season 95 debut

SEASON 95 of the National Collegiate Athletic Association takes further flight today with six more seniors basketball teams set to make their debut in the scheduled triple-header at the FilOil Flying V Arena in San Juan City.

Playing in the opener at 12 noon are the College of Saint Benilde Blazers and Emilio Aguinaldo College Generals, to be followed by the Perpetual Help Altas against the Mapua Cardinals at 2 p.m., and San Sebastian Stags versus the Jose Rizal University Heavy Bombers at 4 p.m.

The best team to not make it to the Final Four last season, the Blazers are out to improve on their fifth-place finish and 10-8 record in Season 94 and go deeper in the tournament this time around.

Returning with an intact lineup, TY Tang-coached Saint Benilde hopes to continue its improvement in the country’s oldest collegiate league.

Bannering the Blazers’ bid this season are the likes of sophomore Justin Gutang, Yankie Haruna, Edward Dixon, Kendrix Belgica, Clement Leutcheu, Mark Sangco and Ladi Lepalam.

Now oh his third year handling the team, Mr. Tang said the goal is to make it to the Final Four and good deeper beyond that.

“This is my third year with the team and we hope to continue our improvement. We are excited to show what we are capable of and our goal is to make to the playoffs,” Mr. Tang said at last week’s press conference for NCAA 95.

Saint Benilde begins its campaign against the Generals, who struggled to a 4-14 record last year, good for ninth place in the 10-team field.

Now handled by Oliver Bunyi, EAC tries to regroup in the absence of their stalwarts, notably center Hamadou Laminou, who reports said did not qualify because of academic reasons.

The Generals are banking on a mix of steady and capable players to propel their cause, which include JP Maguliano, Jethro Mendoza, Kyle Carlos, Marwin Taywan and JC Luciano.

Meanwhile, Perpetual Help begins life without league most valuable player Prince Eze, who had exhausted his eligibility last season.

Altas coach Frankie Lim said it would be a tall order to replace what Eze brought to the table for them but he is bullish he has players who could get the job done.

“We will compete this season. Eze is a big loss for us but my players will try their best to make up for it,” said Mr. Lim, whose team made it to the Final Four last season before bowing to eventual champion San Beda University in the semifinals.

Ben Adamos, who previously played for the Red Lions, is now with the Altas and is joining force with the likes of veteran guard Edgar Charcos, Kim Aurin, Tonton Peralta and Jielo Razon.

For Mapua, Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League champion coach Randy Alcantara looks to do wonders and take the Cardinals to a better position than the seventh place they were at in Season 94.

The Cardinals got added help with juniors standouts Paolo Hernandez and Cyril Gonzales joining the team, which already has the likes of Christian Bunag, Warren Bonifacio and Laurenz Victoria.

Egay Macaraya-led San Sebastian, meanwhile, will try to return to the Final Four even sans an import with the help of veterans Allyn Bulanadi, RK Ilagan and Alvin Capobres. Standing in their way first is JRU, the tailender last season and now has a new coach in Louie Gonzalez. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo

Net satisfaction rate of Duterte highest at +68 — Q2 survey

PRESIDENT RODRIGO R. Duterte’s popularity hit a new record high with the second quarter Social Weather Stations (SWS) report showing a two-point increase in his net satisfaction rating to +68, classified as “very good,” from +66 last quarter.

The non-commissioned survey, conducted from June 22-26, found 80% of adult Filipinos were satisfied by the performance of the President, 12% are dissatisfied, while the remaining 9% are undecided.

“This is a new personal record-high that surpassed the previous record of very good +66 in March 2019 and June 2017,” the SWS reported.

The poll body classifies a +70 rating and above, as “excellent”; +50 to +69, “very good”; +30 to +49, “good”; +10 to +29, “moderate”, +9 to -9, “neutral”; -10 to -29, “poor”; -30 to -49, “bad”; -50 to -69, “very bad”; -70 and below, “execrable”.

The two-point gain was attributed to an increase in areas of Luzon outside the capital, where Mr. Duterte got a +65 rating, up by nine points from last quarter’s +56.

This was, however, offset by declines in Metro Manila (two points to +59 from +61), Visayas (three points to +66 from +69), and Mindanao (eight points to +81 from +88).

Moreover, SWS also found an increase in the net satisfaction on the President’s performance in urban areas, among women and those belonging in Class E.

The President’s net satisfaction in urban areas rose to +67 from +62 last quarter, while it declined to +68 in rural areas in June this year from +69.

Mr. Duterte’s rating also stayed very good among women, at a record-high of +69 in June also, up by four points from +65; whereas his satisfaction rating among men dropped by one point to +67 in this quarter from +68.

His rating stayed very good in class E at +68 in June, up by 10 points from +58, which SWS noted surpassed the previous +67 record in June 2017.

The President, meanwhile, maintained his +68 rating in class D and slipped 11 points to +58 from +69 in March among those in class ABC.

The quarterly survey also found that more respondents in age groups 25-34, 35-44, and those aged 55 and above are satisfied with the President.

The survey was conducted through face-to-face interviews with 1,200 respondents, aged 18 years old and above, nationwide. — Charmaine A. Tadalan

Tukmakov on Wesley (Part 2)

Last June 13 I reported that Wesley’s former coach GM Vladimir Tukmakov has written a book where he extensively discusses the work he did with Wesley So. I received a lot of questions and request for information from BW readers and this is a good time to respond to them.

The book is “Coaching the Chess Stars” published by Thinkers Publishing. If you want a copy of this book you can order it directly from their website at www.thinkerspublishing.com. Personally I find the quickest way to get the physical book in front of you is just to use amazon (www.amazon.com). If you, like me, are an Amazon Prime member it should be with you in a matter of a few days.

If you prefer reading from a computer or tablet screen then you should download the Forward Chess app on to your Windows/Android/MacOS and/or IOS device, and then order it from there. This is instantaneous: after paying for the book it is automatically downloaded to your device and you can immediately start reading it, complete with the chess set which materializes on your screen if you want to go through some chess games, including its annotations, and even have a chess engine analyze in the background as you are scrutinizing its variations. This new mode of reading chess books is really cool!

Talking about online publications, a lot of progress has been made recently. For example, New in Chess (www.newinchess.com is well worth a visit!) has app to let you read their magazines and yearbooks from your devices. As has become the standard they also have a chess set which pops up if you want to go over the games in the magazines/yearbooks. This feature is also available in the Chess Studio app, which features Gambit Publications, the outfit of GM John Nunn. Naturally all of Nunn’s books are there as well as nice reference works like Fundamental Chess Endings and Openings.

With almost everything, even Chess Informants (from Forward Chess) available on your device I have lately found myself hardly ever ordering physical books. Anyway, let’s get back to Vladimir Tukmakov and his collaboration with Wesley So.

He started working with Wesley in mid-2016 through Skype. Going back a bit when Wesley was very young he had the benefit of coaching from several Filipino National Masters. I remember GM Joseph Sanchez back in 1998 telling me about this amazing student of his whose quick grasp of tactical as well as strategical nuances is quite astounding. However, after this Bacoor native became a GM at 14 he was basically on his own. Tukmakov writes that “When we started our negotiations, So was ranked 10th in the world with a rating of 2770. I know of no other cases in modern chess history, with the possible exception of Bobby Fischer, where a player working alone has climbed so high.”

The first tournament where Tukmakov was involved in Wesley’s preparation, albeit remotely via Skype, was the 2016 Paris Rapid/Blitz event followed almost immediately by the Leuven Rapid/Blitz tournament. Tukmakov: “My participation in the direct preparation for the games was limited to general advice. Throughout his chess career, Wesley had been forced to study openings on his own and it would have been unwise to change his long-established habits.”

They had training sessions twice a week, this allowed the coach enough time to plan an upcoming Skype session in detail and to prepare appropriate material, while the student also had time to analyze his coach’s proposals and recommendations. This set-up proved very successful.

Soon after the collaboration started Wesley achieved his first ever super GM tournament win in St. Louise. “A humble boy from the Philippines realized that he could fight the best players in the world on equal terms — and even beat them.”

Coach and student met up in the Baku Olympiad, where Tukmakov was captain of Team Netherlands while Wesley played for the United States. After that it was back to Skype again. At the end of the year came the London Classic, the last and most important tournament of the year, and Wesley was its solo winner. This catapulted him to the 2016 Grand Chess Tour overall winner by a wide margin, 11.5 points ahead of second-placed Nakamura.

In 2017 came further successes in Wijk aan Zee, the USA-championship where Wesley got the title for the first and so far only time. He was also by then the second highest-rated player in the world behind world champion Magnus Carlsen.

Tukmakov then tried to “intensify” Wesley’s game. “In practical terms, it would mean not playing for a draw, even with Black. I believed that Wesley would gain an advantage in complicated positions due to his intense concentration during games and to an almost complete absence of gross errors.”

They tried this new approach in the 2017 Gashimov Memorial but it was not successful and Wesley shifted back to his usual style for the rest of the tournament. The next tournament was 2017 Norway Stavanger and Wesley drew all of his games.

Tukmakov joined “Team Wesley” physically for the first time in the 2017 Paris Rapid/Blitz event, but the chemistry they had established through skype training did not work in personal contact. After several less than successful tournaments in 2017 they then realized that their cooperation had exhausted itself and Tukmakov was no longer with the team in March 2018 when the Berlin Candidates’ tournament started.

It is time to discuss this game from the first round of the Zagredb leg of the 2019 Grand Chess Tour.

So, Wesley (2754) — Ding, Liren (2805) [A23]
Croatia Grand Chess Tour (1.3), 26.06.2019

1.c4 e5 2.g3

Interesting. We just wrote about Philippine Women’s Junior Champion Vic Glyzen Derotas playing 1.c4 followed by 2.g3 every time she has white. It is plain to see who her role model is. GM Simon Williams suggests here that a good counter for Black is to play …Nc6 (to prevent White’s d2–d4) followed by …f7–f5 and get a favorable version of the Classical Dutch.

Another possibility is the Keres Variation which consists of …c7–c6 and …d7–d5. Ultimately this is what Ding goes for.

2…Nf6 3.Bg2 Bc5 4.Nc3 c6

You will notice that Black waited until Wesley played Nc3 before his …c7–c6. This way there is the possibility of harassing the white knight with a quick …d7–d5–d4.

5.e3 0–0 6.Nge2 d5 7.cxd5 Nxd5 8.d4 exd4 9.Nxd5 cxd5 10.exd4 Bb6 11.Nc3 Nc6 12.Be3

[12.Nxd5 Bh3! is to be avoided]

12…Be6 13.0–0 Qd7 14.Na4 Rfd8

[14…Bc7 15.Nc5]

15.Nxb6 axb6 16.Qb3

Let us recall what Tukmakov said about Wesley’s style: “It was not accidental that Wesley’s play was cautious and pragmatic. These traits were the product of his development as a player. The young Filipino didn’t have a lot of chances to face elite players, so he was way too reverent and timid. An articulated respect for one’s elders is also a function of an Oriental upbringing.”

I made it clear a few columns ago that this was not an accurate assessment. Wesley has an opening system prepared for an event, sticks to it, and if his opponent does not err then it is a draw. If he does err Wesley will go for the win. This game is a good example. White has a small advantage in this game of the two bishops and a better pawn structure. Probably not good enough for a win but Wesley has something to work with and because of that he eschews the draw and grinds away at the position.

16…Ra6 17.Rfc1

With the idea of Bf1.

17…Bh3 18.Bf3 Bg4 19.Bg2 Bh3 20.Bf3 Bg4

Ding wants a draw but Wesley wants to play on.

21.Bh1 h5

It is not easy to spoil White’s coordination: 21…Na5 22.Qb4 Nc6 23.Qb5; However: 21…Qf5!? deserved attention with the obvious idea to get rid of the enemy light-squared bishop. Most likely Ding disliked: 22.f3 Bh3 23.Bf2 and was afraid that his bishop will be left out of game, but he can always bring it back with something like: 23…Qf6.

22.h4 Be2 23.Kh2 Qf5 24.Bg2 Na5

In the post-game conference Wesley remarked that the text was a bad move which allowed him to activate his two bishops. Instead he suggested to grab a pawn with 24…Bc4 25.Qd1 Rxa2 26.Rxa2 Bxa2 but something like this seems very risky. After 27.Bh3 Qg6 28.b3 Ra8 29.Bg2 Qf5 30.Bf4 it is not clear how to extricate the bishop. For example 30…Na5 31.b4 Nc6 32.b5 Na5 33.Rc7 Bc4 34.Re7 White’s threat of Re5 is looking dangerous.

25.Qc3 Nc6 26.b3 b5 27.Qd2 Bf3

[27…Bd3 28.Rc3 Be4 29.f3 does not solve his problem]

28.Bf1 Rb6?! <D>

POSITION AFTER 28…RB6

Methinks he should have just given up the pawn. Ding perhaps didn’t see Wesley’s next move.

29.Bf4!

With the idea of Bc7.

29…Rc8?!

This move shows you why Ding is so hard to beat. He could have resigned himself to losing a pawn after 29…Qd7 30.Qc3 Be4 31.f3 Bf5 32.Qc5, but moving the rook to c8 has a tactical point which you will soon see.

30.Rc3 Bg4

Not 30…Be4? 31.Bh3.

31.f3

Trapping the bishop, but now you see Ding’s resource.

31…b4 32.Rd3 Bxf3 33.Rxf3 Ne5!

Black has the idea of …Rc2 pinning the queen against the king.

34.dxe5 Rc2 35.Rf2 Rxd2 36.Rxd2

Ding’s resource is not enough though. Wesley consolidates his pieces strongly and overpowers Black’s forces.

36…Rc6 37.Bh3 Qg6 38.Rad1 Ra6 39.Bg2 d4 40.Bxb7 Ra5 41.Rxd4 Rxa2+ 42.R1d2 Qb6 43.Rxa2 Qxd4 44.Rd2 Qc3 45.Bd5 Kf8 46.Bc4 Ke7 47.Bg5+ f6 48.exf6+ gxf6 49.Re2+ Kd7 50.Bd2 1–0

Winning the b4 pawn, and Ding gives up.

 

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

Spurned

The Lakers were decidedly angry in the aftermath of the stunning news that broke the Internet over the weekend. It wasn’t just that Kawhi Leonard, fresh off a sterling playoff stint that culminated in a championship and a Finals Most Valuable Player award, spurned their advances. It was that he deigned to align himself with the little-brother Clippers and, along the way, toyed with them like puppets on a string. He made them think — only too wrongly, as things turned out — that, in fulfillment of his wish to go home to native California, they were frontrunners in the battle for his services, with the prospect of headlining an unparalleled Big Three too enticing to pass up.

Indeed, Leonard allowed the Lakers to wallow in their confidence. It’s fair to argue that he even fueled it. In the previous weekend, his camp called living legend Magic Johnson to get answers on specific queries that sought to validate how much they wanted him. At the same time, he received assurances from resident top dog LeBron James that the new pecking order would feature him at the top. And as late as a couple of hours before he notified them of his decision to align with the Clippers at the end of the fifth day of free agency, he asked them if they could delay the multi-team trade that would formally net them Anthony Davis. Timing-wise, they knew the salary cap space they had would shrink if they didn’t sign him to a contract first.

To be sure, Leonard did want, and get, something from the Lakers: leverage. In using the prospect of spearheading a super squad that would perpetuate the relative irrelevance of the Clippers in Los Angeles and at the Staples Center, he spurred his preferred employers to action. He had them initiate negotiations with the Thunder for the acquisition of Paul George; if you get him, he told them, you get me. And so they moved, and to the point where they were glad to offer a record assembly of assets in exchange. Meanwhile, he had his would-be partner apply pressure on the other end by demanding a trade. And so sly was he that one of his meetings with the six-time All-Star occurred on the same day and in the same area as the scheduled pitch of purple-and-gold stalwarts Jeanie Buss and Rob Pelinka.

Simply put, Leonard needed the Lakers, but not for the reasons he led them to believe. He needed the Raptors, too, if only to keep the Thunder engaged in trade talks for George. And, needless to say, he needed the Clippers most. In the end, everything went according to plan. He got a maximum contract, the opportunity to play in his home state, the security of a second superstar of his choosing, and the breathing room provided by sterling support on and off the court. He even got a nice bonus by weakening the position of his in-arena rivals. In their willingness to give him leeway when they thought he hadn’t yet made up his mind, they held recruitment efforts in abeyance and let otherwise-complementary talents land elsewhere.

True, the Lakers were eager participants in the Leonard sweepstakes. Notwithstanding all the risks, they figured that the rewards were too good to pass up. And they were right; he’s a generational force who can, with Davis, keep them trophy-hunting for years to come. Then again, they could arguably have pulled the plug on their courtship much earlier in the process were he up front on where his sentiments truly lay. Instead, he swore everyone involved to secrecy, no doubt to prevent any part of his maneuverings from leaking.

Creditably, the Lakers were prepared for rejection; as soon as Leonard informed them of his decision, they implemented Plan B and filled their roster with talents-in-waiting. Could they have come out better had they not been strung along for a fool’s errand? Perhaps. That said, there can be no discounting the strides they’ve made in the offseason. For all their “failure,” they have James, they have Davis, and they have, if nothing else, a professional set of players that will keep them competitive.

Under the circumstances, the hope is that James will use the developments as motivation to succeed. Because of his advancing age and the sheer number of miles on his odometer, not a few quarters have seen fit to discount his contributions moving forward. To the contrary, the Lakers know he can still prove them wrong; when he looks Leonard’s way, all he need note is that he has been there and done that. And, certainly, the stage is set for him to do so. As far as they’re concerned, he’s the King, and he’s not dead. Not yet, and not for a while.

(Tomorrow: The Raptors, champions and yet pawns)

 

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.

Nationwide round-up

SC asked to order Comelec to strictly implement term limit of elected officials

A GROUP of lawyers and registered voters asked the Supreme Court (SC) to compel the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to strictly implement the term limit for members of Congress and local officials. In a petition for mandamus, the petitioners cited that Sections 4 and 7, Article VI of the 1987 Constitution only allows senators and members of the House of Representatives to serve for not more than two and three consecutive terms, respectively. However, they claimed that there have been instances where candidates should have been barred from running for the same position after serving the prescribed term limit and resorting to “hiatus” or “hibernation,” which is not specified in the Constitution. “The plain text of those provisions never mention at all that a senator or a member of the House of Representatives, as the case may be, may be elected for a third term after ‘two consecutive terms’ or for a fourth term after ‘three consecutive terms,’ on the contingency of ‘hibernation’ in between,” the petition read. “The constitutional text of sections 4 and 7 is determinate that reflects the absoluteness of the ban and its being non-contingent on chronological happenstance, such as by ‘hibernating, or taking a respite in between,” it added. The petitioners are lawyers Vladimir Alarique T. Cabigao, Mary Wendy A. Duran, Manolito Coronado, Socorro Maricel Namia Nepomuceno, and Cesar Evangelista and Yen Makabenta Antonio Santos and Jef Nalus Aquino. They also asked that their plea be made effective by the May 2022 elections. — Vann Marlo M. Villegas

Estrada plunder trial moved to Aug 5

BW FILE PHOTO

THE SANDIGANBAYAN Fifth Division has reset the trial date of former senator Jose “Jinggoy” E. Estrada to August 5 in connection with his plunder case on the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) scam. The anti-graft court deferred the trial scheduled on July 8 after Mr. Estrada’s camp filed a supplemental motion on his motion for reconsideration, which was dismissed. The Sandiganbayan has also granted the prosecution’s request to file a supplemental comment on Mr. Estrada’s motion. “…Five days to file a supplemental comment on the motion filed by the accused Estrada,” said Presiding Judge Associate Justice Maria Theresa V. Mendoza-Arcega. The court’s Fifth Division, in a resolution dated June 13, denied Mr. Estrada’s demurrer to evidence, citing that the prosecution has presented enough to prove his alleged role in transferring the PDAF funds to non-existent non-government organizations managed by Janet Lim-Napoles. — Vince Angelo C. Ferreras

Only gasoline up this week

OIL PRICE adjustments will be mixed this week as companies announced a price rollback for diesel and kerosene and an increase for gasoline. Prices of gasoline products will increase by P0.25 per liter (/L), while those of diesel and kerosene will decrease by P0.40/L and P0.35/L, respectively. The price adjustment follows the movement of prices in the international market.

Most companies that sent their advisories as of Monday afternoon advised that the price changes would take effect at 6:00 a.m. Today, July 9.

Last week, the per liter prices of gasoline, diesel and kerosene rose by P1.20, P0.95 and P1.00, respectively. — Victor V. Saulon

Amnesty International report: Bulacan is drug war’s ‘bloodiest killing field’

BULACAN, a province adjacent to Metro Manila, has been dubbed as the country’s “bloodiest killing field” due to the number of “extrajudicial executions” linked to the government’s war against illegal drugs, according to rights group Amnesty International. “Located just north of the capital, Bulacan is a province to which a number of police commanders who previously supervised abusive operations in Manila have been transferred over the past eighteen months,” said the group in its latest report released July 8. The report, titled “They Just Kill: Ongoing Extrajudicial Executions and Other Violations In The Philippines’ ‘War on Drugs’,” documented 20 incidents of drug-related killings in Bulacan that took place between May and April this year, wherein 27 were killed. Of these incidents, 18 involved killings in police operations and two by unknown armed persons. “While drug-related killings continue to occur across the country, the epicentre of killings has shifted from Metro Manila to Central Luzon, following the transfer and promotion of senior police officers under whose command the police previously killed large numbers of people in the National Capital Region. Victims of killings are overwhelmingly from poor and marginalized communities,” said the report. In reaction to the report, Presidential Spokesperson Salvador S. Panelo said the group is “politicizing” the alleged cases of extrajudicial killings. “The problem is this Amnesty International is politicizing the so-called extra judicial killings in this country. So there is bias, there is prejudice. So we’d rather have our own groups here protective of human rights to help those who feel that there has been police abuse in the matter of police operations,” said Mr. Panelo in a press briefing. — Vince Angelo C. Ferreras

CoA classifies Quezon City’s ‘Green Fund’ as public money

THE COMMISSION on Audit (CoA) asked retailers in Quezon City to remit the P316.598 million collected from the plastic bag tax or the “Green Fund” as of December last year, ruling that it is considered as public fund. “The CoA Commission Proper (CP) during its regular meeting held on January 31, 2019 has ruled that the Green Fund maintained by relevant retailers is a public fund therefore subject to CoA audit jurisdiction,” said CoA in its annual report on Quezon City. The report showed that Green Fund collections totalled P341,428,658 as of Dec. 31, 2018. “Of this amount, P24,830,307.52 was spent by the retailers for various environmental projects, thus leaving a balance of P316,598,350.48 as of year-end,” said CoA. The state auditors asked the Quezon City government to immediately collect and remit the balance from the Green Fund including interest, if any. CoA also asked the city government to amend the city ordinance for the immediate remittance of the plastic bag tax by retailers. — Vince Angelo C. Ferreras

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