Removing the sports section is tantamount to self mutilation

 

“The Lord taught me to love everybody, but the last ones I learned to love were the sportswriters.”

—Alvin Dark

 

By Alex P. Vidal

 

THE news came as a shock to a sportswriter like me, but I don’t believe The New York Times will totally discard the most friendly and exciting department in any modern newspaper: the sports section.

I personally have not seen or read a newspaper of general circulation that doesn’t have a sports section. All the past newspapers—regional and national—that I have been privileged to be part of either as correspondent or regular staff, had voluminous stories about sports, thus the need for a sports section wasn’t only mandatory, but inexorably indispensable. 

Even the first printed news sheets widely circulated in Venice, Italy in 1566, modern newspapers like the Acta diurna (“daily acts”) of The Glory That Was Rome, already chronicled the Olympic Games in The Ancient That Was Greece.

Sports is the only section that brings daily excitement and real thrill to the readers since all the competitions and rivalries are governed by rules and oath of sportsmanship; and they provide the perfect repose and succor from news about violence, celluloid intrigues, political and business disputes.

Even in campus journalism during our years in the College Editors Guild of the Philippines (CEGP), the relevance and materiality of sports section was paramount. 

Delisting this major artery in any publication is tantamount to self mutilation. It’s like having a kitchen without a stove.

 

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It was reported that The New York Times was planning to disband its sports department and rely on coverage of teams and games from its website The Athletic, both online and in print.

“We plan to focus even more directly on distinctive, high-impact news and enterprise journalism about how sports intersect with money, power, culture, politics and society at large,” 

Joe Kahn, The Times’s executive editor, and Monica Drake, a deputy managing editor, wrote in an email to The Times’s newsroom on July 10 morning. “At the same time, we will scale back the newsroom’s coverage of games, players, teams and leagues.”

They described the change to the newsroom as “an evolution in how we cover sports.”

As confirmed by writers Katie Robertson and John Koblin, the shuttering of the sports desk, which has more than 35 reporters and editors, “is a major shift for The Times.” 

“The department’s coverage of games, athletes and team owners, and its Sports of The Times column in particular, were once a pillar of American sports journalism,” Robertson and Koblin wrote. 

 

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They said the section covered the major moments and personalities of the last century of American sports, including Muhammad Ali, the birth of free agency, George Steinbrenner, the Williams sisters, Tiger Woods, steroids in baseball and the deadly effects of concussions in the National Football League.

The move reportedly represents a further integration into the newsroom of The Athletic, which The Times bought in January 2022 for $550 million, adding a publication that had some 400 journalists covering more than 200 professional sports teams. It publishes about 150 articles each day.

The staff of The Athletic will now provide the bulk of the coverage of sporting events, athletes and leagues for Times readers and, for the first time, articles from The Athletic will appear in The Times’s print newspaper. Online access to The Athletic, which is operated separately from the Times newsroom, is included for those who subscribe to The Times’s bundle of products, added Robertson and Koblin.

 

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“Journalists on the sports desk will move to other roles in the newsroom and no layoffs were planned, Mr. Kahn and Ms. Drake said. A group on the business desk will cover money and power in sports, while new beats covering sports will be added to other sections. The moves are expected to be completed by the fall,” they added.

According to Robertson and Koblin, when The Times bought The Athletic, executives said the deal would help the company appeal to a broader audience. They added it to a subscription bundle that includes the main Times news site as well as Cooking, the Wirecutter product review service and Games.

They wrote that “as a business, The Athletic has yet to turn a profit. It reported a loss of $7.8 million in the first quarter of this year. But the number of paying subscribers has grown to more than three million as of March 2023, from just over one million when it was acquired.”

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two daily newspapers in Iloilo.—Ed)

 

 

Iloilo’s white elephant

 

“Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you.” 

― Friedrich Nietzsche

 

By Alex P. Vidal

 

EVEN before the House of Representatives Committee on Public Works and Highways will conduct an investigation on the shoddy P680-million Iloilo flyover project, otherwise known as the Ungka flyover (UFO) reportedly in the third week of July 2023, the Sangguniang Panlalawigan of Iloilo Province has already made its own inquiry.

In fact, Board Member Rolando Biaca Distura, an engineer by profession who presided over the two SP hearings on October 12, 2022 and June 2, 2023 in his capacity as chair of the Committee on Infrastructure, described the hearings as “exhausting.”

“The bottom line and logic will dictate the Geological Study and Design flaw are among the culprits,” Distura, a former mayor of Dumangas, Iloilo, informed this writer.

Distura also confirmed they have passed a resolution endorsing to both the Lower House (House of Representatives) and Upper Chamber (Senate) of Congress the holding of a formal inquiry not only of the UFO but also of the Aganan flyover both in the Municipality of Pavia.

The two SP hearings may have served as the dry run for the forthcoming congressional hearings which have no definite date and venue yet as of this writing.

Until concrete steps are made by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to solve the mess in the defective UFO after securing the P250 million needed for the repair, that pesky structure will remain as Iloilo’s white elephant that is visible in the sky.

 

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Instead of suppressing Apollo Carreon Quiboloy’s rights to freedom of expression if they think he really has become a “menace” to society with his propensity to commit “disinformation” in the social media and in any platform where he has the chance to open his mouth, why don’t they just arrest him to finally neutralize all his “dangerous” activities and actuations?

By arrest we mean literally by virtue of his being listed as one of the most wanted in the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) for human trafficking and sexual child abuse. 

As a free man, he is entitled to exercise his freedom of speech and expression as long as it isn’t inimical to public interest. 

Youtube and TikTok looked ridiculous when they suspended the flamboyant pastor’s accounts only because somebody, a netizen, had supposedly alerted the Youtube and TikTok administrators that he has a pending warrant of arrest with the FBI.

Anywhere in all the major social media platforms—including Twitter and Facebook—there are active accounts owned by the most notorious criminals and sex fiends and they weren’t suspended or banned.  

 

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Some people in dire straits will use even the names of Jesus Christ and Lucifer to earn money, thus it is not a surprise that the name of Iloilo City Mayor Geronimo “Jerry” Trenas was reportedly used by unscrupulous individuals to solicit money.

Every now and then the names of a mayor, governor, congressman, senator, vice president, and even president are used to fool businessmen and unsuspecting donors.

When it comes to monkey business, nobody is spared. 

 

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NATO leaders begin July 11 a hugely symbolic two-day summit in Vilnius, Lithuania — one of the Baltic states once forcibly folded into the Soviet Union. 

CNN report said topics on the agenda include Sweden’s bid to join NATO, which is being held up by Turkey and Hungary. Ukraine is also seeking membership in the alliance, and late last week, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said he expects allied leaders will agree during the summit on a "package with three elements to bring Ukraine closer to NATO."

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two daily newspapers in Iloilo.—Ed)

 

Iloilo City might get what it wants from DOT

 

“Tourism, human circulation considered as consumption is fundamentally nothing more than the leisure of going to see what has become banal.”

— Guy Debord

 

Alex P. Vidal

 

MASTER the art of timing.

This is “Law 35” in Robert Greene’s very popular book, The 48 Laws of Power. 
Iloilo City Mayor Geronimo “Jerry” Treñas may not be aware of this, but his recent idea to ask the Department of Tourism (DoT) to include the Dinagyang Festival and the Molo Church in the rebranding of the “Love the Philippines” promotional video may be the perfect elucidation of what mastering the art of timing is all about.

Now that the DOT is being bedeviled by the copycat fiasco for using stock video that digressed from Philippine originality in the scandal-ridden promotional video, now is the perfect time for them to listen and accommodate the suggestions from insightful local chief executives like Treñas even if they weren’t part of the administration’s original political bandwagon.      

Before the stock video bombshell exploded, DOT, under the Marcos Jr. administration, unilaterally and arrogantly composed and wrapped up the tourism promotional video on their own and without proper consultation and coordination with the local festivals, tourism councils, and cultural heritage associations, which are actually part and parcel of national tourism promotion in the truest since of the word.

Thus it resulted in a sloppy job and embarrassment for the country. 

 

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Assuming that the DOT will retain the now tainted “Love the Philippines” slogan even after yanking out the author/contractor of the doomed video, it isn’t far-fetched that they will take and consider the suggestions of Treñas and other mayors and governors who might also want to include their local festivals, cultural heritage, and tourist spots in the relaunching of the new promotional video.    

“Anticipate the ebb and flow of power. Recognize when the time is right, and align yourself with the right side. Be patient and wait for your moment when you know you’ll benefit in the long run. Master the art of timing. When it’s time to make your end move against an opponent, strike without hesitation,” says the Law 35 (Master The Art Of Timing).

Timing isn’t only a good thing; in fact, it’s everything especially if we want to take advantage of changing fortunes. 

We need to recognize the moment to act and we must constantly read the signs and move to ally ourselves with the right side. 

But we’ve have been also warned to be ready to switch again right before the pendulum swings. 

 

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The principles in Law 35 of the 48 Laws of Power may also be applied to other circumstances, especially in the quest for power, to survive and thrive while others are swept away.

We are encouraged to recognize change in the air: Be alert to the undercurrent as well as what’s happening around the edges of society. Rather than aligning with a crumbling past, look for the new leaders and movements to join.

Anticipate the reaction: When a new movement gathers momentum or a new power takes the throne, anticipate a reactionary wave and be ready to ride it.

Be patient and keep your cool: When things get chaotic, keep a low profile and play for time so you can see the right moment when it comes again.

 

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Like many curious social media account users, I am also excited to open an account at Threads after Facebook parent company Meta officially launched the new app as a direct rival of Twitter on July 5. 

CNN reported that the app appears to have many similarities to its competitor, from the layout to the product description. 

Threads is reportedly intended to offer a space for real-time conversations online, a function that has long been Twitter's core selling point. 

The app joins a growing list of Twitter's rivals, but could pose the biggest threat given Meta's vast resources and its massive audience, CNN reported.

Threads received 10 million sign-ups within seven hours of its launch, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said on his verified Threads account. The launch also comes amid heightened turmoil at Twitter, which experienced an outage over the weekend, followed by an announcement that the site had imposed temporary limits on how many tweets users can read per day.

 

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HEALTH ALERT. 1. Let's practice abstinence or monogamy. The most absolute way to protect ourselves is to abstain from sex. Abstinence is difficult but as possible option for many people, especially the young. Let's think about it seriously. 

2. If we are unable to practice abstinence and monogamy, let's practice safe sex. Let's avoid contact with blood, semen and vaginal secretions of an infected person. Kissing, rubbing, stroking and hugging are all safer sex practices that won't expose us to HIV infection.

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two daily newspapers in Iloilo.—Ed)

 

Our mental age

 

"I keep six honest serving men. They taught me all I knew. Their names are What and Why and When and How and Where and Who." 

—Rudyard Kipling 

 

By Alex P. Vidal

 

JULY 8 happens to be the birthdate of Alfred Binet (July 8, 1857-October 18, 1911), the man who organized a system of tests which were not based on school information but rather on general mental abilities. 

Binet’s work eventually laid the basis for the many tests of intelligence we have today.

I learned after reading the High Points in Biology that to measure a person's intelligence, he or she is given one or more of the intelligence tests which have already been "standardized" in the way just described. His result on the test gives his "mental age" (M.A.).

For example, if a child does as well on a certain test as the average 12-year-old, he has a mental age of 12. If the child actually is 10 years old, his "chronological age" (C.A.) is 10. 

The child's I.Q. is then found by dividing his mental age by his chronological age.

A person whose mental age is the same as his chronological age, has normal or average intelligence. His I.Q. is 100. 

The following table shows how people are classified by their I.Q.'s in each I.Q. "bracket," according to High Points in Biology:

I.Q. 140 or over-- classification is genius; 120-140: very superior; 110-120: superior; 90-110: normal; 80-90: dull normal; 70-80: borderline normal; 50-70:moron; 25-50: imbecile; below 25: idiot.

 

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Knowledge, according to Sir Francis Bacon, is power. Intelligence, on the other hand, has other definition.

Most psychologists consider intelligence to be "the ability to adjust properly to the environment" particularly when faced with new problems or situations. 

In other words, intelligence is the ability to use the knowledge we have in order to "figure out" what to do in a new situation.

But here's why intelligence is reportedly much different from knowledge. 

A two-year-old child knows very little, because he hasn't had enough time to acquire the knowledge of a grown-up; but he may be very intelligent in the way he uses the little knowledge he has. 

In the same way, a person who has had little chance for education may be highly intelligent, yet unable to read and write.

Special tests are used to measure intelligence. These are not information quizzes, but tests of the individual's powers of memory, judgment, reasoning ability, etc.

Before an intelligence test can be used, it must be tried out on thousands of individuals. 

From the results the test psychologist finds out how well the average person of a given age makes out on the test. The test is then ready for use.

 

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The measurement of a person's intelligence was done after the Bureau of Education in Paris wanted to find out whether the poor results of many children were due to inattentiveness, lack of desire to learn, or lack of intelligence or ability to learn.

Many mental traits and talents seem to be controlled at least partly by genes, research showed.

The histories of several families reveal a high percentage of individuals with such exceptional mechanical ability that it is universally recognized and respected. 

Peculiarly enough, unusual mechanical ability has been found in feeble-minded individuals, indicating that intelligence is not necessarily related to other talents.

Musical talent seems to be controlled by heredity. However, it seems that many genes must appear together to produce a truly great musical genius. 

This probably explains why there are so few great composers and performers, and why they sometimes appear among families where no unusual musical ability appeared before. The Bach family is an example of a family with many musical members.

Unfortunately, no accurate studies of this characteristic have been made, but most investigators are agreed that this characteristic may have a genetic basis.

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two daily newspapers in Iloilo.—Ed)

 

‘Laugh the Philippines’

“We strongly believe that the Philippines has huge potential in the tourism industry, given our beautiful islands, moderate weather conditions, good cuisine, and the flair of Filipinos for hospitality and entertainment.”

—Henry Sy

 

By Alex P. Vidal

 

RIDEMUS ne clamare or we laugh in order not cry.

We must laugh, err love the Philippines even if, for a while, we became the laughing stock of tourism industry in the world with the stupefying revelation that a stock video was deliberately used to promote “Love the Philippines,” the new Department of Tourism (DoT) slogan coined under the Marcos Jr. administration.

Of all the scandals that rocked the DoT in the past, this is the most unique: two birds in one stone.

First, the use of fake or plagiarized footages and second, the copying of the slogan itself from the original “Love Cyprus” lunched by the Cyprus Deputy Ministry of Tourism in 2021.

Two major crimes in one fell swoop.

How could lightning strike twice in such horrific proportion for an agency considered as the show window of the Philippines?  

We just hope they were telling the truth that the hilarious video wasn’t yet paid with the taxpayers money; we’re sure millions of pesos have been set aside for this DoT project handled by advertising agency DDB Philippines, which had already apologized for the fiasco.

Even if they claimed that no public funds have changed hands for the conceptualization and release of the controversial video, the people are skeptical. 

When you deal with government nothing is free!

 

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Heads must roll? Must the DoT bigwigs be held accountable for the shame that has caused the Philippines? 

We haven’t heard Malacanang tell DoT Secretary  

Maria Esperanza Christina Frasco (what are you waiting for Secretary Frasco?) to initiate a housecleaning, or for the embattled lady secretary herself to voluntarily resign for delicadeza as a command responsibility.

This type of scandal has stirred the hornet’s nest beyond the periphery of the entire archipelago and could not be kept under wraps. 

You see it was not an ordinary scandal. Major media networks in Europe, Asia, and the United States tackled the embarrassing advertising snafu in prime time news.

The humiliation was sweeping as it involved a major state agency tasked to promote what is best and good in the Philippines, the heart and soul of the country.

We don’t want people around the world to think that we are a nation of copycats and counterfeits. 

We have been listed in the Book of Records as having a former president with the most number of accumulated unexplained wealth, and our politicians are among the most loathed in Asia.

The list mustn’t grow. 

 

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Happy 4th of July, America! For embracing me, I will never get tired of saying “Thank you, United States of America” as long as I live. Together, Let’s Make A Memory!

May peace and blessings be with us on this occasion. May we feel joyous as we commemorate the national heroes as we celebrate with our family. Happy Independence Day! May America continue to be grateful for the freedom well fought for.

Let’s  shout out the victories we have achieved in life!

Louis D. Brandis once said, “Those who won our independence believed liberty to be the secret of happiness.” 

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of daily newspapers in Iloilo.—Ed)

We have reason to be proud again

“A game is great, in my view, only if it can be played happily by a sane person of at least average intelligence for several hours a day for fifty years. Both pool and billiards qualify.”

— Robert Byrne

 

By Alex P. Vidal 

 

NOT all news about the Philippines are depressing after all.

Amid the “Love the Philippines” video advertisement fiasco and the almost non-stop harassment of Philippine ships by the Chinese Coast Guard in the West Philippine Sea, among other recent negative stories, two unknown billiards players brought back the Philippines to the world map when they captured the 2023 World Cup of Pool at Pazo de Feiras e Congresos de Lugo, Spain.

Johann Chua and James Aranas, simply spectacular, made history for the Philippines by becoming the first nation to ever win the title on four separate occasions.

Chua and Aranas trounced Germany’s Joshua Filler and Moritz Neuhausen, 11-7, in the final held Sunday (US time).

The talented Filipino duo, unheralded before this shocking triumph, leaned on a string of eight consecutive rack victories before preventing another near-collapse to secure the country’s first title in the annual 9-ball team event since Dennis Orcollo and Lee Van Corteza’s triumph in 2013.

News of this king-sized Philippine victory in the world pool table almost immediately restored our pride after stinging negative stories about our country dominated the media over the weekend.

We thought with the decline of Bata Reyes and Django Bustamante, we would no longer shine in the sports that made us great outside the Olympic Games many years back.

 

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Earlier in the semis there were fears the Filipinos would be spoiled to pocket the record-breaking fourth crown by Austria’s Mario He and Albin Ouschan who were also looking for their own piece of history as the first scotch doubles pairing to ever win the World Cup of Pool three times in the tournament held in partnership with The Asociación Gallega de Billar Pool (AGP), Xunta de Galicia, and EIDF Solar live on Sky Sports in the UK and Ireland, DAZN in Spain, the USA, Italy, and Brazil, Viaplay in Scandinavia, the Baltics and Poland, TAP Go in the Philippines and Matchroom.Live and DAZN in Germany and broadcasters worldwide.

But the Pinoy pride defied the odds once more and the rest now is history.

Despite coming into the 32-team tournament unseeded, Chua and Aranas took home the top purse of $60,000 (P3.32 million) 

They made a noise earlier by defeating last year’s winners Francisco Sanchez Ruiz and David Alcaide, 7-5, of host Spain before defeating another duo from the host country in Jonas Souto and Jose Alberto Delgado, 7-2.

That set up an anxious windup to the crown as the Filipino underdogs defeated Chinese-Taipei’s Ko Pin-Yi and Ko Pin-Chung and Austria’s Albin Ouschan and Mario He by similar 9-8 scores in the quarterfinals and semifinals despite squandering huge leads in both matches.

Chua and Aranas completed their run towards history as they buck some early jitters and a 2-1 deficit to take control of the race-to-11 final with a commanding 9-2 advantage.

The big news in the pool table is expected to give the Philippines another renaissance in the world of billiards after we rested from our laurels for a while with the exit from billiards of Reyes, Bustamante, et al.

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two daily newspapers in Iloilo.—Ed)

Ilonggos anticipate Ungka flyover House probe

“Corruption is the enemy of development, and of good governance. It must be got rid of. Both the government and the people at large must come together to achieve this national objective.”

— Pratibha Patil

 

By Alex P. Vidal

 

ILONGGOS will once again focus their attention on the scheduled investigation of the P680-million Ungka flyover project in Ungka, Pavia, Iloilo to be initiated by the Committee on Public Works and Highways of the House of Representatives reportedly in the third week this month.

Residents of Pavia and Iloilo City have been anticipating the formal House inquiry after the Pavia municipal council had passed a resolution urging congress to conduct the probe.

The project contractor, International Builders Corporation (IBC), is expected to be finally given the opportunity to air its side and explain why the 453.7 lineal meters long on a bored pile foundation, including the approaches infrastructure project, suffered vertical displacement.

The defects were reportedly found in piers 4, 5 and 6.

It was already partially opened to motorists on June 30, 2022 and fully opened on Sept. 5, 2022 before it was ordered closed on Sept. 16, 2022.

It’s been 10 months since the project was “mothballed.”

According to experts, at least P250 million is needed to repair the project’s defects. 

The amount is based on estimates by Abinales Associates Engineers + Consultant, the third-party consultancy firm hired by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to conduct a geotechnical investigation on the "sinking" flyover.

The DPWH hasn’t yet disclosed where to get the money for the repair and the repair will reportedly commence in 2024.

DPWH paid more than P13 million to the third-party consultancy firm for the geotechnical investigation from March to May 2023.

 

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WE join America in preparing for the celebration of the Fourth of July or Independence Day.

The celebration has been a federal holiday in the United States since 1941, but the tradition of Independence Day celebrations goes back to the 18th century and the American Revolution (1775-83).

THE Republic of the Philippines, on the other hand, attained its independence on July 4, 1946.

According to the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), The World Factbook, Philippines: “The Philippine Islands became a Spanish colony during the 16th century; they were ceded to the US in 1898 following the Spanish-American War. 

“In 1935 the Philippines became a self-governing commonwealth. Manuel QUEZON was elected president and was tasked with preparing the country for independence after a 10-year transition. 

“In 1942 the islands fell under Japanese occupation during World War II, and US forces and Filipinos fought together during 1944-45 to regain control.”

And according to history.com, THIS DAY IN HISTORY: 1898 June 12, Philippine independence declared: 

“In April 1898, the Spanish-American War broke out over Spain’s brutal suppression of a rebellion in Cuba. 

“The first in a series of decisive U.S. victories occurred on May 1, 1898, when the U.S. Asiatic Squadron under Commodore George Dewey annihilated the Spanish Pacific fleet at the Battle of Manila Bay in the Philippines. 

“From his exile, Aguinaldo made arrangements with U.S. authorities to return to the Philippines and assist the United States in the war against Spain. 

“He landed on May 19, rallied his revolutionaries, and began liberating towns south of Manila. On June 12, he proclaimed Philippine independence and established a provincial government, of which he subsequently became head.”

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two daily newspapers in Iloilo.—Ed)