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Defense chief says PHL getting foreign help in anti-terror campaign

DEFENSE SECRETARY Delfin N. Lorenzana said the United States and neighboring countries have been helping the Philippine government in combatting terrorism, particularly the threat posed by the Islamic State’s (IS) followers and allies in east Asia. In the aftermath of the church bombing in Jolo last Jan. 27 that was claimed by IS, Mr. Lorenzana said, “Yes, we got assistance from the Americans,” noting that their troops helped in the rescue operations as well as in tracking down the perpetrators. “In fact, they have been helping us track these terrorists even before the bombing and they were the first to rescue our assets and bring some wounded to Zamboanga,” said Mr. Lorenzana at a forum last Monday. Within the region, Mr. Lorenzana said Singapore was among those that helped, aside from Indonesia and Malaysia. “We also got assistance from Singapore, the intelligence there,” he said. “I think because the three countries here — Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines — we consider ourselves as just one area infested by terrorists. The so-called East Asia ISIS actually straddles the three countries, the triangle. We are all in this together and we have agreed to fight this together,” he added. — Vince Angelo C. Ferreras

Securing the BOL ballot


NORTHERN MINDANAO: CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY
Police officers from the regions of Central Visayas and Caraga, and the Special Action Force (SAF) arrive in Lanao del Norte earlier this week to augment security forces in ensuring a peaceful and orderly Bangsamoro Organic Law plebiscite in parts of the province as well as in Cotabato.
SOCCSKSARGEN: TULUNAN, COTABATO
Election paraphernalia are delivered and distributed on Feb. 5 in nine barangays in Tulunan, Cotabato, earlier than in other areas, for the Bangsamoro Organic Law plebiscite. The Commission on Elections (Comelec) said these villages are “are too far, (with) difficult means of transportation and peace & order condition is unstable.”

Nation at a Glance — (02/06/19)

News stories from across the nation. Visit www.bworldonline.com (section: The Nation) to read more national and regional news from the Philippines.
Nation at a Glance — (02/06/19)

Regaining the public trust in immunization

On January 24, another criminal complaint related to the anti-dengue vaccine was filed with the Department of Justice (DoJ). The mother of a 39-year-old physician, Dr. Kendrick Gotoc, who was inoculated by the vaccine three times prior to his death on April 22, 2018, filed cases of obstruction of justice, reckless imprudence resulting in homicide, torture, and violation of the Consumer Act against Health Secretary Francisco Duque, former DoH chief Janette Garin, and 37 others.
This was amidst the clarification from the Department of Health (DoH) that no deaths had been linked to Dengvaxia and calls from doctors’ group Doctors for Truth and Welfare to “halt the continuous spread of unproven claims of deaths caused by the dengue vaccine by the same unqualified but noisy people who are largely responsible for the fall in vaccine confidence in the country.”
The DoH admitted that the controversy has in part caused last year’s decline in measles vaccination and outbreaks in the country. According to the Vaccine Preventable Diseases (VPD) Surveillance Report of the Department’s Epidemiology Bureau, majority of the cases of measles nationwide are of children ages 1-4 years who were not vaccinated.
In the same report, the top five reasons for non-vaccination were 1) mother was busy, 2) not eligible for vaccination, 3) child was sick, 4) fear of side effects and 5) forgot the schedule. These reasons are also common excuses of parents and/or caregivers who intentionally disregarded the immunization schedules for their child. Disregarding a child’s immunization schedule is a lame excuse of those who are not fully aware of the benefits and protection that their child can get after being vaccinated.
The reluctance or refusal to vaccinate despite the availability of vaccines is popularly called by health experts as “vaccine hesitancy” – and this threatens to reverse the progress made in tackling vaccine-preventable diseases. In its new year message for 2019, the World Health Organization (WHO) cited vaccine hesitancy as one of the world’s top 10 global health threats, alongside air pollution and climate change, noncommunicable diseases, global influenza pandemic, and dengue, among others. Given the low confidence in the system or anxieties in conflict settings, the threats of fragile and vulnerable settings and weak primary health care both affect hesitancy. A WHO Advisory Group on Vaccines identified complacency, inconvenience in accessing vaccines, and lack of confidence as key reasons underlying it.
For infants, the first vaccine comes from their mother via the breastmilk. It is the first and best protection an infant can have early in life against illnesses and diseases. Moreover, all the recommended vaccines are equally essential for infants so they will be protected at the right time. It is extremely important to have the child fully immunized as soon as possible. By definition, a “Fully Immunized Child” (FIC) is an infant who has “received one dose of BCG, three doses each of OPV, DPT, and Hepatitis B vaccines, and one dose of measles vaccine before reaching one year of age.” These are most effective when given at the specified ages, or as close to those, as possible. That is the reason why following the schedule of vaccination is of utmost importance. If a child does not complete the full series of immunizations in the first two years, he/she may be vulnerable to a disease that should have been prevented. Hence, immunization remains one of the most important and cost-effective public health interventions to reduce child mortality and morbidity.
Looking into the FIC rate in the Philippines based on the annual results of the Field Health Service Information System (FHSIS) in the last 10 years prior to the Dengvaxia issue, the country has been performing satisfactorily, with the rates ranging from 67.47% (2017) as the lowest to 86.00% (2010) as the highest. Many health-care professionals (HCPs), such as doctors, in the public health sector fear that the previous year might be the lowest FIC rate in a decade. According to Health Undersecretary Enrique Domingo, “only 50% to 60% of children are getting their scheduled vaccines a year after the scare which resulted into outbreaks of preventable diseases.” Nevertheless, let us wait for the official 2018 FHSIS report from the DOH and hope for better results.
What had happened to the health care and government systems are chapters that cannot be undone. The misinformation and false claims that are continuously propagating are obviously diminishing the public’s trust and confidence in immunization. However, there are still means to regain the momentum to continue and strongly support the routine immunization of children to protect them from acquiring vaccine-preventable diseases.
Vaccine acceptance, according to the study conducted by Larson, H.J., et.al. (2018), involves multilevel of trust: 1) trust in the product (the vaccine), 2) the provider (the specific healthcare professionals that are involved in providing and administering vaccination), and 3) in the policy maker (the health system, government, and public-health researches involved in approving and recommending the vaccine). The same study also said the important factors that influence vaccine decision-making process include “trust in the safety and efficacy of vaccines, trust in the individuals that administer or give advice about vaccination, and trust in the wider health system.”
Insinuations that vaccines are unsafe spread via misinformation and anecdotal reports of alleged vaccine reactions, either by unqualified professionals, the media, the internet and/or anti-vaccination groups, and this leads parents to question the need for immunization.
Let us leave this discussion to those who have the regulatory mandate to safeguard the safety of the public, such as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the DOH. They have the technical expertise and capacities to determine the safety and efficacy of vaccines.
Doctors play a central role in educating parents and/or caregivers on the safety and effectiveness of the vaccines which are recommended by regulatory authorities. They can positively influence the immunization coverage by providing the right answers to queries and addressing common misconceptions on the part of the parents and caregivers.
There had been studies that show that parents consider HCPs as the most important source of information when deciding whether their child should be given a vaccine. Thus, investing to capacitate, not only medical doctors, but also nurses, midwives, and other allied health professionals tasked to perform the Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI) is critical.
Due to the inclusion of a political agenda, trusting the policy makers would be the hardest among the rest. However, if they will strongly support the EPI in order to protect children, this will benefit not only the families of these children but the whole country as well.
 
Alvin M. Manalansan is Health Fellow of Stratbase ADR Institute.

Protecting indigenous knowledge in intellectual property rights

Indigenous peoples (IPs) and indigenous cultural communities (ICCs), though explicitly protected under the Constitution itself, sadly remain one of the most marginalized and forgotten sectors in Philippine society. Most often than not, IPs and ICCs are known for their mineral-rich ancestral lands and domains which are the usual targets for mining development projects. Not known to many, however, IPs and ICCs possess other valuable resources, specifically their indigenous knowledge systems and practices (IKSPs) consisting of accumulation of age-old traditional cultural methods and beliefs in medicine, genetic resources, ecology, art, and language, among others.
Under Republic Act No. 8371 or the Indigenous Peoples Rights Act (IPRA), the law acknowledges that IPs and ICCs have the right to special measures to control, develop and protect their sciences, technologies and cultural manifestations, including their IKSPs.
Pursuant to this legal mandate, the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP), the primary government agency tasked to formulate and implement programs, plans, and policies to promote and protect the rights and well-being of the ICCs and IPs, and the Intellectual Property Office (IPO), the main government agency that administers and implements rules governing the registrations of intellectual property rights applications, issued on 28 October, 2016, Joint Administrative Order No. 01, 2016 (JAO) which provided the rules and regulations on intellectual property rights application and registration protecting the IKSPs of the IPs and ICCs.
The primary thrust of the JAO is to prevent the misappropriation of the IKSPs of the IPs and ICCs and encourage tradition-based creations and innovations. Recognizing the nature of the ICCs, the JAO reflects two important principles unique to the laws on IPs: the concept of communal property and the free prior and informed consent (FPIC). Rule 4 (b) of the JAO defines “Community Intellectual Rights” as the rights of the IPs and ICCs to own, control, develop and protect the following:

(a) the past, present and future manifestations of their cultures, such as, but not limited to, archeological and historical sites, artifacts, designs, ceremonies, technologies, visual and performing arts and literature as well as religious and spiritual properties;

(b) science and technology including, but not limited to, human and other genetic resources, seeds, medicine, health practices, vital medicinal plants, animals and minerals, indigenous knowledge systems and practices, resource management systems, agricultural technologies, knowledge of the properties of fauna and flora, oral traditions, designs, scientific discoveries; and

(c) language, script, histories, oral traditions and teaching and learning systems;

Notice that, unlike conventional intellectual property rights such as patents, copyrights and trademarks, which are registered to a specific entity or individual, the intellectual properties of IPs and ICCs are communally owned. Individuals can only act as custodians of the IKSPs, but the intellectual property rights are collectively owned by the ICCs. In addition, the JAO makes references to collective management of the intellectual properties of the ICCs. Rule 7 of the JAO provides that: “If the author of an artistic and literary creation or the inventor of an invention cannot be identified, but an indigenous cultural community is recognized to have created and owned the artistic or literary work, or invention, this community is entitled to the collective management of their intellectual property rights over these works. These artistic and literary works and inventions of the indigenous peoples refer to tangible and intangible forms in which their IKSPs are expressed, communicated or manifested and include traditional music, performances, narratives, names and symbols, designs, and technological innovations.”
As regards FPIC, a major protective measure mentioned in the JAO is that intellectual property registrants must disclose any IKSP that is used in the subject matter of the application and that FPIC was secured from the ICCs concerned. Rule 6 of the JAO states that if this condition is not observed, the registration of the intellectual property which uses IKSPs in its subject matter will not be effected. In case a registration has been issued in violation of the JAO, the IPO may, in accordance with its rules and regulations, cancel the registration. Further, notwithstanding the lack of declaration of the use of an IKSP in an intellectual property right application, the IPO may, motu proprio or upon request by any person and after initial evaluation by the IPO, refer the application to the NCIP for purposes of verifying the use or ownership of the IKSP and compliance with the FPIC requirement.
To assist the IPO in determining the use of the IKSP, the NCIP, together with other cultural government agencies, is tasked to establish an IKSP registry. In the absence of such registry, the NCIP or IPs recognized or accredited by the NCIP is authorized to certify the ownership of the IKSP by the ICCs. The certification shall also include information on the FPIC compliance.
This article is for general informational and educational purposes only and not offered as and does not constitute legal advice or legal opinion.
 
Raymond C. Suarez, Jr. is an Associate of the Intellectual Property Department (IPD) of Angara Abello Concepcion Regala & Cruz Law Offices (ACCRALAW).
rcsuarezjr@accralaw.com
(02) 830-8000.

Gang rape

Senate President Tito Sotto deserves the Best Actor Award for his melodramatic declaration that he was for “withdrawing” the Senate version of the 2019 national budget and for using the 2018 reenacted budget because he was “sick and tired” of allegations of massive pork barrel insertions made by members of Congress.
“I hope that will erase all doubts and allegations of pork and other so-called insertions in the budget,” Sotto was quoted by the media as saying.
We, the taxpaying, revenue-contributing citizens, are supposed to applaud Sotto for his seemingly self-sacrificing proposal — except for one small detail. The 2018 budget for the Philippine Senate of almost P6 billion is nearly P1.3 billion more than the proposed 2019 budget of P4.7 billion.
We always knew Sotto to be clever but he probably didn’t think this one through. Buko!
Of course, other interested parties in the government have objected to Sotto’s proposal, warning that it would adversely affect the forward economic thrust of the country. In truth, the objectors have a point. If the Philippines is supposed to catch up with its Asian neighbors, the government has to invest more substantially in infrastructure and in projects and programs essential to national development, particularly employment generation.
The nightmarish traffic situation in Metro Manila is one glaring proof of the infra-inadequacy of the country. In tourism development alone, more substantial investments are needed to address the issues affecting the country as listed in a World Bank study. Among these are inadequate infrastructure and largely invisible tourism promotions, both of which require increased appropriations.
At any rate, there should be no question about the need for a substantial national budget to address our country’s development needs, as well as funds to operate the national government. And if one looks at the numbers, this government has been relatively frugal in its budgeting, appropriating P3.757 trillion for 2019 or 19.3% of the year’s projected gross domestic product (GDP) compared to P3.767 trillion in 2018 or 21.6% of projected GDP.
The world has witnessed the spectacle of a national government finding itself without a duly approved budget. The United States federal government found itself facing a blank wall when President Donald Trump declared that he would not sign a budget for several key departments unless an allocation was made by the House of Representatives for his border wall (the one he promised his voter base that Mexico would pay for). Trump’s problem was (and continues to be) the fact that the newly-dominant Democrats in the House of Representatives, led by Speaker Nancy Pelosi, have stonewalled and flatly rejected Trump’s demand. The Republican-controlled Senate can do nothing. Thus a stalemate and no operating budget for the affected departments and no pay for their employees.
Trump eventually caved in and approved a short-term budget to reopen the government and facilitate negotiations. But the deadline is fast approaching and neither side has budged. So another shutdown looms.
At least, in the Philippine government system, last year’s budget is reenacted — or applied — if no budget for the new fiscal year is approved. So what’s the problem?
The problem is the political system, that’s what.
It is a system of patronage by which the citizens look to their elected officials, particularly the congressmen and senators, for public works and services, jobs, and handouts for KBL (kasal, binyag, libing) and for school tuition, as well as bribe money for their votes. The officials, in turn, get back their “investments” by raiding the national treasury, using some of the funds for the requisite public works and services, and the rest for buying votes, and most of the funds for lining their pockets.
Of course, they don’t use the garapal word “raid” but prefer the euphemism, Priority Development Assistance Fund. But the Supreme Court didn’t buy the euphemism, declaring the system of allocating “discretionary funds” unconstitutional. At any rate, everybody knows the system as pork or pork barrel – which brings up visions of pigs gorging themselves in the pig sty.
A less benign but more appropriate term is gang rape.
Who are the rapists? The members of Congress. Who are being raped? The citizenry. But in a demented system such as ours, many of the rape victims have been following the advice of a former senator and secretary of foreign affairs, namely, “If rape is inevitable, just lie back and enjoy it!”
Of course, the honorable senators and congressmen will vehemently deny this and will claim righteous indignation,
“We provide scholarships for indigent students,” some will protest. “Is that bad? Otherwise, where will we get the funds?”
“We have built roads and schoolhouses, playgrounds and plazas, irrigation systems and artesian wells for our constituents in the rural areas,” others will declare. “Is that wrong? Otherwise, our poor constituents will forever be neglected by the national government.”
And then, of course, there are those who adamantly declare that the “happy pork barrel days are over” as alleged by Senator Ping Lacson. In fact, House Majority Leader Rolando Andaya has guaranteed that the members of the Lower House will be “observant” of the Supreme Court’s decision declaring the pork barrel unconstitutional.
Maybe Congressman Andaya has a point. After all, aren’t these legislators supposed to present their development budgets for approval, thus avoiding any stink of “discretionary” spending? That’s not unconstitutional, is it ?
Yeah, yeah, respond the cynical tricycle drivers in my neighborhood in Parañaque. Sure there are projects. But what about the overpricing? And what about the kickbacks? And what about the Napolesation? Apparently, they haven’t forgotten the legendary Janet Napoles, the Queen of Pork. (Napoles was convicted of plunder by the Sandiganbayan last December. — Ed.)
“Ang kickback ngayon sa public works contract, 60%!” says one driver whose relative has landed provincial public works contracts.
The cynical tricycle drivers add, “Di nga nila tatawaging pork pero litson din – litsong manok.” Or sate babi. Or barbecue. Or kebab. But by any other name, it still is a way of roasting the citizens of the country over hot coals.
To quote Senator Lacson, “If it looks like pork, sounds like pork, and smells like pork, it must be pork!”
With due respect to Ping, I think gang rape is a more appropriate term.
 
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

Alternative lending in the Philippines

By Felipe Jose Zamora III
WHERE DOES THE TIGER HIDE?
The Philippines develops fast, growing by about 6% yearly since 2010. In the same period, the country has shown the best dynamic, going by the net inflow of foreign investments among Southeast Asian countries. According to the World Bank, the figure increased ninefold from 2010 to 2017. Yet despite the economy growing more than twice since 2001, the high level of poverty has remained and real wages have not changed much.
There are certain reasons for the imbalance in economic development. First, the rapid growth of the population adversely affects GDP per capita by purchasing power parity. The World Bank put the Philippines in 116th place in the world in 2017.
Secondly, there is an imbalanced development among the economic sectors. Agriculture, with its great number of low-paid employees, has a slower progress than industry and services. Then, the distribution of the national income measured by the Gini coefficient is extremely uneven. According to one institution, the coefficient indicates significant inequality that is more remarkable in the Philippines than in neighboring Vietnam and Indonesia and nearly the same as in Thailand.
Combined with low expansion of financial services, these factors result in deficient savings among Filipinos that are estimated by the World Bank at 15.4% of GDP. This indicator is much smaller than in Indonesia (33.6%), Thailand (33%), and Vietnam (25.5%). The Philippine Statistics Authority stated that 19.9% of Filipino families had equal income and expenses. Consequently, several tens of millions in the islands do not have savings and turn extremely vulnerable to sudden expenses.
PARTICULARITY
Along with that, we see that bank lending has been stagnating. According to the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, the number of bank borrowers decreased from 2.1% to 0.6% in the period of 2015-2017. This situation is unusual from a macroeconomic point of view. The key interest rate stated by the Central Bank was equal to 4% in 2015 and 3% in 2017 and this started to grow only in May 2018. Lower interests and low inflation rates together usually lead to an increase in lending. However, it has not happened. The bank lending is at an extremely low level. At the same time, there is quite an opposite situation in alternative lending, where customer base increased from 4.7% to 7.6%.
As a rule, other countries have another tendency: more people get a bank credit than a microloan. This is connected with a deeper penetration of traditional bank services that have been existing for a longer time. The newer option of alternative lending is only starting to spread in the world and that is why it is less frequently used.
The particularity of the Philippines is in the two directions developing simultaneously in the financial system, which is in a nascent stage. These directions are the classic bank lending and the microfinance industry. In western countries, that process went another way. Banks had dominated the market until 2008 when the global financial crisis forced traditional bank lending to shrink and focus on middle and upper classes in the retail market.
moneybag
Access to lending became limited for people with low income and small enterprises. That tendency coincided with the development of financial technologies which allowed a qualitative assessment of borrowers’ ability to pay and detection of probability of defaults with high accuracy. The aggregate of both factors helped to provide microfinance to people with diverse income levels and informal earnings.
Perhaps, these reasons make microloans more popular than bank credits among Filipinos. The change of the financial environment in the Philippines in 2018 will be able to significantly expand alternative lending. First, we saw inflation accelerate sharply in the third quarter by 6.2% compared to the same period last year and this has become the highest since 2009. Along with that, food prices have grown most of all (8.2%). That is why alternative lending can be expected to become even more popular by the end of the year, especially if we consider its idea to cover the gaps brought by unforeseen daily expenses.
Secondly, there is a probability that the Central Bank has finished the cycle of decreasing the key interest rate and will continue to increase it next year to hold back inflation within its target (3% +/-1%). The emerging markets have come across a large outflow of capital caused by raised interest rates in the overheated US economy.
They have to tighten monetary factors in a similar way to maintain their competitiveness with foreign investors. Consequently, the cost of bank lending will grow and this will reduce its accessibility to the population.
Last year, the Bangko Sentral raised the interest rate four times from 3% till 4.5% to cope with the inflation, stop the capital outflow and the weakening of the national currency. Despite relatively small rate hikes (0.25-0.50 p.p.), commercial banks have tightened their lending terms and are in no hurry to expand branches on islands. This aggravates the problem with financial accessibility in the Philippines and thus facilitates the growth of alternative lending.
HIDDEN FINTECH
Microfinance is dominating the industry of alternative lending in the Philippines that is represented by high-tech services operating both online and offline. Online services are accessible on the whole territory of the islands while offline branches are usually located in the capital district. That is why the development of financial accessibility in the Philippines is closely connected with the growth of the Internet penetration and FinTech. The Bangko Sentral acknowledges this and emphasizes the necessity of developing financial technologies for a better financial inclusion.
The implementation of this direction is extremely important for the efficient development of the country comprising seven thousand islands. The Government needs to introduce digital financial technologies and services that claim large investments in the communications infrastructure.
The Philippines can expect the rapid growth of the whole fintech industry and alternative lending in particular. Moreover, several tens of millions of people with low access to financial services hold tremendous potential for the Philippine economy.
Another advantage facilitated by the development of fintech and alternative lending is the creation of highly paid jobs. The problem which delays a decrease in the poverty level is stipulated by a slowly growing number of jobs in the highly efficient industry and service sector that provide great added value. Fintech development will create a big demand for qualified employees and contribute to the increase of real wages and changes in the employment structure.
 
Felipe Jose Zamora III is co-founder of fintech company Robocash Finance Corp.

Aces shoot for better outing in second game

By Michael Angelo S. Murillo
Senior Reporter
CAME OUT “flat” in their PBA Philippine Cup debut, the Alaska Aces try to do better when they trek back to the court today in league action at the Mall of Asia Arena.
To take on the Columbian Dyip in the opener at 4:30 p.m., the Aces look to bounce back after their maiden game in the season-opening Philippine Basketball Association tournament on Feb. 3 that saw them struggle for much of the contest en route to bowing to the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters, 85-72.
Playing sans key stalwarts Vic Manuel, Simon Enciso, JVee Casio and Kevin Racal due to various injuries, Alaska tried its best to make the most of the situation and competed but just could not sustain it for the full stretch.
Alaska coach Alex Compton said it was something that they were somehow expecting being undermanned but nonetheless is not using it as an excuse not to compete each time.
“We’re not just there yet. We had a very short preseason by choice because we wanted to give the guys more time to rest. We felt physically we needed it. Obviously we have a lot of injuries and we did not want to add to that by rushing everybody back. And we have a long ways to go,” said Mr. Compton, whose team was one of two squads — the other being the Magnolia Hotshots Pambansang Manok — which had a shorter break from last season, having played in the PBA Governors’ Cup finals all the way to the middle of December.
The Aces lost to the Hotshots in the finals.
Without four of their key players, the Alaska coach said they have to make a lot of adjustments on the fly.
“We miss their (injured players) firepower, of course, but we still a have dugout full of PBA players. We are just not there yet and we have to claw our way back and get better as the tournament moves along,” said Mr. Compton, who also set the record straight that he is still the team’s coach after talk spread that he was relieved of his coaching duties in the lead-up to their Philippine Cup debut.
Meanwhile, out to derail Alaska while at the same time padding its cause is Columbian (2-3).
The Dyip have lost back-to-back, the last one coming on Feb. 2 against the Barangay Ginebra San Miguel Kings, 97-85, and are looking to get back on the winning track.
Leading the way for Columbian is top rookie pick CJ Perez, who has been good for 17.8 points, 7.6 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game.
Jackson Corpuz and Reden Celda are chipping in 13 points apiece with RaShawn McCarthy and Jay-R Reyes the other Dyip players scoring in double digits.
Playing in the main game today at 7 p.m., meanwhile, are the defending champions San Miguel Beermen (2-3) against the Blackwater Elite (1-3).
In other news, big man JP Erram of the NLEX Road Warriors was named PBA player of the week for the period Jan. 28 to Feb. 3, which was punctuated by a solid outing against the Meralco Bolts where they won, 87-83, on Feb. 2.
In said game, Mr. Erram, an offseason acquisition by the Road Warriors, finished with all-around numbers of 12 points, eight rebounds, seven assists and a game-high five blocks.
In winning the award, given by the league press corps, Mr. Erram beat Phoenix’s Calvin Abueva, Barangay Ginebra’s Greg Slaughter, and Rain or Shine’s James Yap and Javee Mocon.

Harden puts up 44 in Rockets win

JAMES HARDEN extended his streak of consecutive 30-point games to 27 as the Houston Rockets defeated the host Phoenix Suns, 118-110, on Monday.
Harden finished with 44 points, eight rebounds, six assists and three steals. His 30-plus-point scoring streak is the third-longest in NBA history, behind two by Wilt Chamberlain.
The Houston star shot 15-of-26 from the floor and 9-of-11 from the free-throw line to help send the reeling Suns to their season-worst 11th consecutive setback.
Harden scored 22 points before halftime and was the only member of the Rockets to reach double figures prior to the intermission. The Rockets fashioned a more balanced scoring attack in the second half, as Kenneth Faried wound up with a double-double (17 points, 14 rebounds) while James Ennis III added 13 points and Chris Paul chipped in with 18 points, five rebounds, five steals and four assists.
It was Harden’s 20th 40-point game on the season.
The Rockets never trailed, with Phoenix last forging a tie at 38-all on a Jamal Crawford three-pointer at the 8:56 mark of the second quarter. Houston extended to a double-digit lead at 57-46 on an Austin Rivers three-pointer just over five minutes later, and the visitors withstood a number of spirited Suns challenges.
Phoenix second-year forward Josh Jackson was the linchpin behind several of those runs. His three-pointer during a burst early in the third quarter helped the Suns slice the deficit to 65-60, only for the Rockets to respond with a 21-8 rally, with Harden scoring eight during that stretch.
Jackson scored 25 points while Kelly Oubre Jr. added 23 off the bench for the Suns. Rookie center Deandre Ayton paired 15 points with 11 boards, and Devin Booker had 19 points, seven rebounds and five assists for the Suns, who shot 53.6% from the floor overall but missed 18-of-25 three-point attempts.
Harden picked up two fouls early in the first quarter but remained in the game. He started 3-of-3 from the floor and posted 12 points in the period to pass former Rockets forward Otis Thorpe (17,600) for 82nd place on the career scoring list. Harden later passed Rolando Blackman (17,623) for 81st place.
In other results, the Detroit Pistons beat the Denver Nuggets, 129-103; the Milwaukee Bucks over the Brooklyn Nets, 113-94; the Indiana Pacers over the New Orleans Pelicans, 109-107; and the Atlanta Hawks over the Washington Wizards. — Reuters

Kingad looks to make most in ONE Grand Prix

HAVING QUALIFIED for ONE Championship’s Flyweight World Grand Prix with a convincing victory in his last outing, Filipino mixed martial arts fighter Danny “The King” Kingad looks to make the most out of it as he sets his sight on another title shot.
A unanimous decision victor over Japanese Tatsumitsu “The Sweeper” Wada a fortnight ago here in Manila at “ONE: Hero’s Ascent,” Team Lakay’s Kingad further solidified his standing as one of the top players in his division to earn a spot in the highly anticipated fight series.
The 23-year-old Kingad (9-1) said he is very excited to be thrust in such a position he is currently in and has began work as he tries to fulfill his dream of becoming a world champion.
“I’m very excited to showcase my talent against the best in my division. My hard work paid off, but this is just the beginning,” said Mr. Kingad in the aftermath of his latest victory, his fourth straight in ONE.
“Expect me to double my efforts and to train harder now that I’m already part of the ONE Flyweight World Grand Prix,” he added.
To be pitted against top talents, which now include MMA superstar Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson, the challenge is not lost to Mr. Kingad, saying the setup merits nothing but his best.
“I’m looking forward to fighting the top talent and earning that world title. I think everybody has a right to earn their spot, and I’m here to earn my spot,” said Mr. Kingad.
Adding, “I’ll do my best and give my everything in the ONE Flyweight World Grand Prix.”
Aside from Mr. Johnson, other potential opponents for Mr. Kingad in the Grand Prix are Reece “Lighting” McLaren, Yuya “Little Piranha” Wakamatsu, former division kingpin Kairat Akhmetov and even Team Lakay stablemate and former champion Geje “Gravity” Eustaquio.
Currently holding the ONE World Flyweight title is Adriano “Mikinho” Moraes of Brazil.
NEW OFFICIAL
Meanwhile, ONE Championship recently named Meghan Jenkins as the company’s new vice-president international.
In her new position, Ms. Jenkins, formerly in the employ of the National Basketball Association, is tasked to develop and expand ONE’s businesses internationally and drive key strategic initiatives in new markets. She officially begins holding office next month.
“I am thrilled to be joining ONE Championship. My experience over the last decade working to build the NBA into a global sports leader will be invaluable as I embark on this new challenge and help take ONE Championship to the next level,” said Ms. Jenkins.
“Having spent the last few years focused on identifying opportunities across the Asia-Pacific region, it is clear to me that there is significant untapped potential in Asia’s massive and growing sports media market and ONE Championship is uniquely positioned to capture a large portion of it. I look forward to joining [ONE CEO] Chatri [Sityodtong] and the rest of ONE’s leadership team as we work to build ONE Championship into a global sports powerhouse,” she added.
Before joining the NBA, Ms. Jenkins was an investment banker in J.P. Morgan’s Industrials and Transportation group in New York. Ms. Jenkins graduated with an MBA from Columbia Business School and a Bachelor of Science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo

Anthony Davis prefers Bucks and Clippers, too

ANTHONY DAVIS’s representatives have informed the New Orleans Pelicans that the star big man would sign a long-term contract with the Los Angeles Lakers, New York Knicks, Milwaukee Bucks or Los Angeles Clippers if traded, according to The Athletic.
The list was reportedly provided just days before Thursday afternoon’s trading deadline as Davis would like to be moved this week. Davis requested a trade last week and is not eligible for free agency until July 2020.
The Lakers and Knicks were already known as appealing destinations to Davis. The addition of the Bucks is a sign Davis would welcome playing with Milwaukee star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, and the Clippers’ inclusion appears to indicate an interest in Los Angeles, even if he doesn’t end up being dealt to the Lakers.
Davis is averaging 29.3 points and 13.3 rebounds in 41 games this season. He has missed the past seven games with a fractured left index finger but was cleared to practice on Monday.
Meanwhile, Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban envisions a long, bountiful future for the franchise with Kristaps Porzingis and rookie Luka Doncic sharing the court, saying the “goal is to keep them together for the next 20 years,” he said Monday at an introductory press conference for the just-acquired Porzingis in Dallas.
The New York Knicks traded Porzingis, Tim Hardaway Jr., Courtney Lee and Trey Burke to the Mavericks for Dennis Smith Jr., Wesley Matthews, DeAndre Jordan and multiple draft picks out of Dallas. Porzingis said he’s well ahead of schedule rehabbing the torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee, but he will not play this season. — Reuters

Super Bowl audience down 5% from last year, data show

NEW YORK — Sunday’s Super Bowl victory by the New England Patriots drew 98.2 million viewers on CBS Corp’s US television network, a 5% drop from last year’s game, according to preliminary Nielsen ratings data released on Monday.
The humdrum 13-3 win over the Los Angeles Rams, the lowest-scoring Super Bowl ever, marked the second year in a row of ratings declines and the lowest viewership since 2009, following last year’s 7% drop to 103.4 million viewers who watched the Philadelphia Eagles win their first Super Bowl.
“It suffered from not being a very good game,” Patrice Cucinello, a director at Fitch Ratings credit agency, said of the game that featured just one touchdown. “A 13 to 3 defeat with the Rams barely putting up a show didn’t really help the numbers.”
An additional 2.6 million people, on average, were also watching the game on computers or mobile devices at any given time this year, CBS said.
A number of factors likely hurt television ratings this year.
“The decline can probably be explained by the fact that this was a fairly unappealing matchup, then also a boring game,” said Victor Matheson, a sports economics professor at College of the Holy Cross in Massachusetts.
There is also Patriots fatigue.
“Everyone outside of New England is tired of seeing Brady and Belichick in the Super Bowl,” Matheson said of Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and coach Bill Belichick, who together have reached nine Super Bowls since 2002.
The Rams, too, are “just not a very popular team yet,” said Bob Dorfman, a sports marketing analyst at Baker Street Advertising in San Francisco. And “nobody was terribly excited about the halftime show.”
Despite the second year of declining Super Bowl numbers, average viewership rose 5% during this year’s regular NFL season. It also remains by far the single most watched American event of the year, making it a gold mine for advertisers.
The game was watched in an average 49.3 million homes, and 67% of US homes with televisions in use were tuned to the telecast.
Ad spots averaged $5.2 million for a 30-second slot this year.
“They are still able to command higher and higher amounts of money for their advertising, because sports are one of the last things we watch live, which makes it much harder for people to avoid the commercials,” Matheson said.
CBS is estimated to have generated $382 million in advertising revenue, the third-largest amount in the game’s 53-year history, according to research firm Kantar Media.
HERO’S WELCOME
Meanwhile, Patriots returned home to a hero’s welcome on Monday, a day after beating the Rams in a defensive slugfest to win another Super Bowl title.
The Patriots’ plane, with a now-out-of-date tail that has five Vince Lombardi Trophy images on it, landed in Warwick, Rhode Island, before the team drove 40 minutes to their stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts.
Patriots quarterback Brady and Super Bowl Most Valuable Player Julian Edelman were not present as both were at Disney World in Florida.
Yet that did not dampen the mood among the more than 1,000 fans on hand to celebrate the latest chapter of a Patriots dynasty that began 17 years ago.
Chants of “We’re still here!” — a rallying cry the team adopted during its postseason run — filled the air outside the stadium as members of the team exited buses that sported “Go Patriots” in bold red letters on the sides.
The sight of the players, head coach Belichick, the architect behind each of the Patriots’ Super Bowl wins, and the sterling silver Vince Lombardi Trophy delighted those who had waited hours for their arrival.
The celebration extended one that began late on Sunday in Atlanta where the Patriots collected a record-tying sixth Super Bowl championship in their 11th appearance in the National Football League’s championship game.
Despite early season struggles that once again raised doubts about whether their dynasty was coming to an end, the Patriots silenced their critics with the win over the Rams.
The celebration is far from over as the Patriots Super Bowl victory parade is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. ET (1600 GMT) on Tuesday. More than one million people attended the team’s last Super Bowl victory parade in 2017. — Reuters

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