MANILA – Filipino teen Grandmaster (GM) Wesley So (with an ELO rating of 2640) advanced to the third round of the World Chess Cup by knocking out Ukrainian Super GM Vassily Ivanchuk (ELO 2739) Wednesday in Russia.

The 16-year-old chess whiz kayoed Ivanchuk, 1.5-0.5, by holding him to a draw in their second match at the Khanty-Mansiysk Festival of Arts.   So earlier beat his Ukrainian foe in the first game of their match after 39 pushes of a French duel using the black pieces.

The draw (46 moves of a Queens Pawn Game using the white pieces) spurred So’s progress to the third round where he will face defending World Chess Cup champion Super GM Gata Kamsky (ELO 2695) of the United States.

Kamsky eliminated Filipino GM Rogelio “Joey” Antonio, Jr. (ELO 2574) in the first round and Chinese GM Zhou Weiqi (2603) in the second round.

Historic day for RP chess

National Chess Federation of the Philippines (NCFP) president Prospero “Butch” Pichay, Jr. lauded So’s performance in the World Chess Cup.

“Anuman ang mangyari kay Wesley sa third round kontra kay Kamsky ay malaking karangalan na ang hatid niya sa bayan… Pero [I] hope makalusot din sana si Wesley sa third round,” said Pichay.

Former Olympian national master (NM) Glenn Bordonada remarked: “As a friend commented, this is a historic day for Philippine chess. It recalls to mind Torre’s win over Mikhail Tal in Leningrad.”

International arbiter and national master Erwin Carag also praised So: “Wesley So beating Vassily Ivanchuk is just like Manny Pacquiao beating Oscar de la Hoya, a legend.”

“Now, Wesley against Gata, will be like Pacquiao vs Hatton or Pacquiao vs Cotto? My feeling is Wesley can topple Kamsky. Pag white si Kamsky, paghandaan ni Wesley ang London System. Tinalo dati ni late IM chess artist Ruben Rodrgiuez si Kamsky,” commented Carag.

American GM Susan Polgar, meantime, commended the Filipino chess prodigy. “The more games the talented Wesley plays against world class opponents, the better and more confident he gets.”

The former prodigy added: “Well done, Wesley! With proper training, experience, and opportunity, I have no doubt that he will be an elite player for years to come.” – By Marlon Bernardino

Senator Manny Villar, president of the Nacionalista Party (NP), immediately lauded the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) and the Philippine Rice Research Institute (Philrice) on their discovery as he vowed to focus attention on farmers to improve rice production, so that the country will be self-sufficient and does not have to import rice.

“We used to export rice to other countries, now we are the biggest importer of rice. The government has been postponing the country’s rice self-sufficiency targets. We should stick to these targets and be rice self-sufficient soon,” said Villar.

IRRI recently announced that the Philippines would be the first to try submergence-tolerant materials that will produce new rice hybrids such as “sub1 or submarine rice” that can withstand being submerged in flood for weeks. There is also the so-called “aerobic rice” that can be planted in mountainous areas and does not need much water or irrigation.

Villar finds it ironic that the Philippines is leading the discovery of these new rice varieties and yet so many Filipinos are still experiencing hunger because they cannot afford to buy rice.

The Third Quarter 2009 Social Weather Survey also showed that 41% of Filipino families or an estimated 7.5 million consider themselves as Food-Poor while 35% put themselves on the Food-Borderline and 24% consider themselves as Not Food-Poor.

SWS said that Self-Rated Food Poverty rate has steadily risen from 36% in February, 39% in June, and 41% in September of 2009 after declining from 42% in December 2008. The number of families who put themselves on the food-borderline slightly declined from 33% as well as those who considered themselves as not food-poor, which was 28% in the June 2009 survey.

Villar emphasized that the next administration should support local farmers in using the new varieties of rice to increase their rice production and for the country to avoid spending too much on rice importation.

The discovery of the new varieties of rice, according to Villar, is also very timely since the country is still reeling from the effects of the recent typhoons. “We are all aware of the damage that storms “Pepeng” and “Ondoy” brought in Luzon, which is the country’s so-called ‘rice bowl.’ The rice crops of farmers, who were supposed to harvest already, were destroyed,” said Villar.

Villar is pushing for government to extend financial assistance and credit line facility to farmers to help in their expenses particularly in fertilizers, which are really expensive.

Villar has also previously filed Senate Bill 1897 that aims to end the monopoly in rice importation and to allow farmer cooperatives and organizations to handle these to increase their income. – mb.com.ph

Tumangging magbigay ng iba pang detalye si Robin.

Kinausap ng PEP (Philippine Entertainment Portal) sa pamamagitan ng telepono nitong umaga ng Biyernes (November 6), ang isang taong malapit kay Robin upang humingi ng iba pang mga detalye tungkol dito.

Tinanong namin ang aming source kung bakit ngayon lamang lumabas ang balitang divorced na pala sina Robin at Liezl.

“Siguro, dahil wala namang lumabas na issue tungkol doon at wala rin namang nagtanong sa kanya,” sagot ng aming kausap. “Pero I’m glad na maayos naman pala silang nagkahiwalay ni Liezl at mas naging magkaibigan pa sila ngayon. Nasa higher level na ang friendship kaysa noong mag-asawa pa sila.”

Idinagdapa ng kausap na, “Mas masaya ang relationship nila, na kay Liezl pa rin ang mga bata at kung may okasyon na dapat ay narito silang mag-iina, dumarating sila rito. Last year, magkakasama silang pumunta sa Europe, bale birthday gift niya [Robin] ‘yon kay Liezl. Sa November 19, uuwi rito ang mag-iina dahil sa November 23, 40th birthday nga ni Robin.”

Gayunman, wala umanong malaking selebrasyon na gagawin sa kaarawan ng aktor dahil may ibang pinagkakaabalahan ito.

“Walang big celebration, mas concentrated ngayon si Robin sa kanyang mga advocacies. At sa araw ng birthday niya, sama-sama silang pupunta sa Cuyapo, Nueva Ecija para mamigay ng relief goods. Tuluy-tuloy din ang pagpunta niya sa depressed areas ng mga kapatid niyang Muslim,” anang kausap sa telepono.

Natuloy ba ang pagpunta ni Robin sa Libya?

“Hindi siya natuloy,” sagot ng aming source. “Dapat ay aalis siya ngayon pero nagka-sore eyes siya. Nasa bahay lamang muna siya dahil ayaw niyang makahawa.”

Tentative pa rin ang pag-alis ni Robin sa U.S. sa December 10. May tatapusin pa kasi siyang commitments sa ilang endorsements niya na willing ding mamigay ng relief goods sa iba’t ibang apektadong lugar na gusto niyang puntahan.

Kabilang umano rito ang bayan ng ama niya sa Panganiban, Camarines Norte, na pupuntahan niya bago umalis papuntang U.S. Nagpunta umano si Robin, with BB Gandanghari sa Panganiban at nakita niya kung gaano ito napinsala ng bagyo.

Ang bunsong anak nina Robin at Liezl na si Ali ang nag-request sa action star na gusto nitong pumunta ng Disneyland. Ipinakuha na rin ni Robin ng visa ang ibang mga anak niya na sina Queenie, Kylie, at ZhenZhen dahil first time lang nilang pupunta sa States.

Ang mga babaeng anak daw ni Robin ay dadalaw rin sa anak ng action star sa dating aktres na si Leah Orosa, si Camille, 19 years old na naka-base na roon. Magba-bonding daw sila.

After ng Christmas vacation nila sa States, back to work na ulit si Robin para tapusin ang shooting ng movie niya with Toni Gonzaga for Star Cinema.

Ngayong puwede nang mag-girlfriend ulit ni Robin, ready na rin kaya siya for another relationship? – Nora Calderon, PEP

Read more: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1935091,00.html#ixzz0W5O2tMRK

Pacquiao, who is aiming for an unprecedented seventh title in seven weight divisions, is featured by the prestigious magazine in a five-page story.

The story will also be included in the magazine’s global editions, the boxing news site said.

The magazine will be out on newsstands starting this weekend.

“I absolutely had no idea that when I started my career in boxing, to provide a better life for myself and my family, that I would now be where I am today and on the cover of TIME Magazine,” the news site quoted Pacquiao as saying.

The Filipino said being featured in the magazine is the “most humbling experience” in his boxing career.

 He said “it is a great honor for me to be the face of my people and let everyone know we are a small but mighty country.”

Pacquiao is set to face Puerto Rican boxer Miguel Cotto in Las Vegas, Nevada on November 14 (November 15, Sunday, in Manila).

The Filipino boxer would clinch his seventh title in seven different weight divisions if he wins against the Puerto Rican.

Pacquiao has defeated several boxing greats, including “Golden Boy” Oscar de la Hoya. He may also get to face American Floyd Mayweather if he wins against Cotto.

After taking on de la Hoya on December 2008, Pacquiao knocked down Britain’s Ricky Hatton last May.

Pacquiao has won titles in the junior welterweight, lightweight, super featherweight, featherweight, super bantamweight and flyweight divisions. abs-cnbnews.com

Tumulak nitong Miyerkules ng gabi patungong US si Katrina upang maging bahagi sa pagpili ng mga lalahok mula sa LA at New Jersey para sa reality-based artista search na StarStruck na nagpasikat sa kanya.

Sa ginawang panayam ni entertainment reporter Nelson Canlas, sinabi ni Katrina na excited siyang tumulong sa susunod na henerasyon ng mga artista ng GMA 7.

“Siyempre po nakaka-proud kasi dito naman po ako nanggaling tapos marami din namang ibang tao diyan na kagaya din naman namin na napansin din kami ng StarStruck. So sa (mga nasa) US sa L.A., sa New Jersey sana po mag-audition na po kaya doon,” pahayag niya sa Chika Minute ng GMA news 24 Oras nitong Huwebes.

Handa na raw iwan ni Katrina ang role niya sa Rosalinda na malapit ng magwakas. At pagkatapos nito, magiging bahagi na muli siya ng nangungunang telefantasya sa primetime na Darna na pinagbibidahan ngayon ni Marian Rivera.

Tanggapin kaya muli ni Katrina ang role bilang kontrabida tulad ng ginawa niya sa unang Darna kung saan gumanap siyang “Black Darna?”

“Pagdating ko (from US) magta-taping na ako ng Darna sana abangan nyo po ako…hindi ko alam, actually hindi ko pa alam ang role ko, surprise na lang,” ayon sa seksing aktres.

May intriga noon na nagkaroon sila ng alitan ni Marian nang gawin nila ang MariMar. Puwede handa na ba siyang makasama muli ang aktres sa proyekto?

“After Marimar, siyempre nagkaroon din ako ng Magdusa Ka, tapos Gagambino nagkahiwalay kami (ni Marian) so ayun magkakaroon na naman kami ng chance na magkatrabaho, this time oo mas okey,” pahayag ni Katrina.  – GMA News.tv

“The automated machine cannot detect flying voters or multiple registrations of voters. The teachers manning the voting may check flying voters through the pictures of list of voters and the voters who will cast their ballots on election day,” he said.

In Davao City, groups concerned with the questionable processing of the automated election system (AES) also urged the Comelec to release the source code that is allegedly fraught with unreliable vote counting structure.

Rona Castillo, a fellow of the Center for People Empowerment in Governance (CenPEG), bared in a press briefing Thursday that the 82,000 sets of poll machines have not yet undergone testing nor have arrived on time for such purpose.

Tolentino of the Comelec explained that the automated machine is not equipped with a gadget or software to detect flying voters, although a bill is pending in Congress to enable a verification of voters through the Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS).

In the Marawi City incident, a resident of Lanao del Norte died while several others, including minors, were injured when an explosion hit a line of people who were queuing to register as voters in the city’s Comelec office.

Police and Army troops led by Brig. Gen. Rey Ardo, 401st brigade commander, later found out that most victims of the blast caused by a hand grenade were not local residents but were from Lanao del Norte who tried to register as flying voters in Marawi City.

The discovery of the dubious scheme to register flying voters after the deadly grenade bombing has led to the relief of the Comelec registrar of Marawi City to ensure the dignity of registration of voters, a move welcomed by Lanao del Sur Gov. Bombit Adiong.

In Taguig City, a dubious discovery of almost 700 centenarians in the city’s voters’ list has also raised concerns about the integrity of the computerized registration of voters.

Tolentino emphasized that the automated machines are basically designed to do computerized counting of ballots in the fastest way to void attempts to cheat in the counting as experienced in previous elections.

Smartmatic personnel, the Information Communications Technology Solutions Association of Region 12 and Central Mindanao Comelec officials led by regional director Mike Abbas held a day-long information drive in Robinson’s Place Gensan on the automated elections to demonstrate the capacity of the electronic machines to count ballots.

Smartmatic personnel demonstrated the machine’s high speed capability of electronic counting of ballots, the machine’s battery which can last for several hours and its capability to operate using car or truck batteries should a power outage occur.

Tolentino and Smartmatic officials also assured the public that the software of the automated machine cannot be hacked as it will reject any alien entry to penetrate the software.

Abbas stressed that Smartmatic holds the technology for automated elections but it is the Comelec which runs the technology, operate, supervise and control the computerized machine.

However, CenPEG in Davao reiterated that Comelec left the AES untested and is fraught with at least 30 vulnerabilities and weak spots ranging from ballot printing, the lack of a source code review, to unreliable infrastructural systems and imminent power and telecommunication transmission failures.

Among the 30 vulnerabilities, Castillo said the source code is the most critical since the counting of the votes would rely on the software to be used by AES.

“How will we know if the program used is correct and whether it is secured or not?” she said.

To put teeth to their advocacy, Castillo said their group has filed a petition of mandamus before the Supreme Court last October 5 to compel the Comelec to release the source codes.

But in a statement published on its website (comelec.gov.ph), Comelec said it recently selected SysTest Labs of Colorado, USA to review and certify the source code of the AES pursuant to provisions of RA 9369 Sec. 9.

“SyTest laid out a multi-faceted approach to detail system integration and the functional artifacts for testing the AES in various load and stress situation. SysTest specified areas of review and validation which include security of public fading devices, error notification, associated recovery aspects, apart from auditing capabilities,” the Comelec said.

Miguel Avila of the Smartmatic-TIM Corporation had earlier assured that their machines are “stand alone” and could not easily be hacked even by technology-savvy people. He added that the 128-bit system is virtually hack-proof and could not be successfully hacked.

Both EBF and CenPEG conducted an AES voters’ education orientation last November 3, which gathered around 20 religious leaders comprised of nuns, bishops and pastors.

“This is a very challenging task for us, poll watchers, because the counting of votes would become invisible to the naked eye,” said Sr. Elsa Compuesta of the Sister’s Association in Mindanao. – mb.com.ph

The first film tentatively titled “Of All The Things” will reunite Aga with songbird Regine Velasquez after eight long years. The two previously paired up in “Dahil May Isang Ikaw”and “Pangako Ikaw Lang.”

The Songbird believes that the interim has allowed both of them to grow up as actors.

“Lahat kami nag-mature. May kanya-kanya na kaming working habits na tinatanggap na ng isa’t isa. So, we’re very relaxed actually,” she said in a taped interview aired on “Showbiz News Ngayon,” Oct. 3.

Aga shared that Regine has become even more of a better person.

“Ang nagustuhan ko sa kanya, ngayon wala na siyang….”Sabi nga ni honey…” Parang, iba ka na!,” Aga said.

Her having a boyfriend nowadays doesn’t mean Regine has set limitations when it comes to work.

“Hindi naman [na] ako 16 [years old]. Parang baligtad naman kung kelan naman ako tumanda, ngayon pa ako nagpaka-demure,” she said.
 
After completing his movie with Regine, Aga is all poised to film his first movie with Angel Locsin under the directorial supervision of Olive Lamasan.

“Our movie should have been shot first, but something happened, pero tuloy na tuloy na ‘yon. Naiiba ang proyekto,” said Aga about pairing with Angel.

Angel, needless to say, is excited with the new project.

“Nag-usap na kami. Nakakatawa si Kuya Aga kasi palagi siyang naka-tsokolate palagi. Ang taas ng energy. Nakakatuwa, nakakaaliw kasi Aga Muhlach, pero di mo akalain na ganoon pala  kadaling kausap,” said she.

Aga’s third project is another reunion movie; this time, with  Lea  Salonga.

The  movie will mark Aga and Lea’s third onscreen tandem, after “Sana Maulit Muli” and “Bakit Labis Kitang Mahal.”

Lea reiterated her interest to work with Aga again in a movie when she was hailed World Vision Ambassadress in May 2009.

Her Aga-or-nothing stance is borne of her feeling comfortable around the actor. “It has to be Aga [I work with because] I know I will be taken cared of because acting is out of my comfort zone,” she said in the interview.

An Aga film festival coming soon? Yes! – mb.com.ph