Praying for Argentina

It looks like the elder Pope had a stronger pull in heaven judging from the 2014 FIFA World Cup results with Germany winning 1-0 over Argentina. Sketchy reports say that 77-year-old Pope Francis (born in Argentina as Jorge Bergoglio) had congratulated the 87-year-old Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI (born in Germany as Joseph Ratzinger) after Germany captured its fourth World Cup title, with the last one being in 1990.

Football fans playfully dubbed it the “holy war” as photos of the two popes on their knees praying were altered and photoshopped with thought bubbles of the flags of the two countries added (as shown in photo). In some instances, the holy fathers were depicted wearing skullcaps in the colors and design of their respective national teams. 

An estimated one billion people all over the world watched the championship match on television, while 75,000 trooped to Rio de Janeiro’s Macaraña stadium, with fans from both countries traveling to Brazil to support their respective teams. No doubt Brazilians heaved a big sigh of relief over the outcome since they consider the Argentineans their biggest rival for the sport – never mind if it was the German team that kicked them out in a heartbreaking 7-1 loss in the semifinals.

In the Philippines, it’s amazing to see how interest in football has become so high especially among the young people. Hundreds of fans trooped to sports bars and stayed up the whole night waiting for the match at 3 a.m. Philippine time. The fervor for the World Cup is just as intense as a Manny Pacquiao match – with some saying even more – with the popularity of the sport attributed in large part to the Azkals national team whose games have been showing encouraging improvement in international matches.

Varied reactions on DAP

As expected, opinion is divided and reaction is varied regarding the Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP), with Filipinos as of press time waiting to hear what President Aquino has to say about the issue. People have been anticipating the president’s Monday message since Malacañang issued the advisory last Saturday. Social media sites are almost going overdrive with memes, tweets, posts and status updates getting shared, reposted or retweeted regarding the DAP and the President’s nationwide address.

Social media is definitely a good tool to gauge public sentiment and reaction especially with the prevalence of smart phones and mobile gadgets. Even taxi drivers, household help and many other ordinary Filipinos now have mobile phones which they use to access their Facebook or Twitter accounts to post their comments especially on issues that are deemed of national interest. This was corroborated by a media landscape report showing the mobile phone having become the most common household item (85.6 percent) while televisions come in a close second. 

Considering the big decline in the President’s performance and trust ratings in the latest Pulse Asia survey (conducted from June 24 to July 2), Malacañang should be attuned to what’s happening in social media which has become the virtual voice of the people – at times echoing even louder and faster than mainstream media.

Gambling on pachinko

Japan’s preparation for the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics includes a push to legalize and regulate casino gaming – something that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is supporting to capitalize on the anticipated influx of tourists for the Olympics. Share prices of big casino operators are experiencing a surge, and if lawmakers successfully pass the proposed legislation – and bets are on that this will likely happen by the end of the year – this could turn Japan into the third biggest casino market after Las Vegas and Macau.

In Japan, gambling is illegal (except for horse racing and a couple of other games) with an estimated untapped potential of $40 billion a year by 2025. Games are barred from offering cash payments to winners, and one of the most popular is pachinko where players win items or tokens that can be exchanged for money in shops outside pachinko parlors. Pachinko though has been declining so operators are looking at casinos to save the game that attracts some 10 million players with bets amounting to $187 billion per year – supposedly bigger than the entire economy of New Zealand. Caesars Entertainment is reportedly set to invest at least $5 billion on a world-class casino resort in Japan.

MVP at 68

PLDT chairman Manny Pangilinan had a very long day yesterday which began with a 7 a.m. mass in his hometown in Apalit, Pampanga and a series of corporate social responsibility activities in cooperation with the PLDT Foundation. Manny traditionally gives back some of his blessings on his birthday involving himself with a number of charitable activities especially those that have to do with education and the environment – more so with the devastation wreaked by Typhoon Yolanda last year.

MVP is the chairman of the Philippine Disaster Recovery Foundation composed of the country’s biggest companies and conglomerates advocating disaster management. In fact, Philex Mining under the MVP Group of companies in cooperation with the Philippines Business for Environment Stewardship (PBEST) is spearheading the second eco forum dubbed “Pusong Luntian” at the Polytechnic University of the Philippines with Dr. Mahar Lagmay as lecturer.

Manny Pangilinan ended his day with a private dinner at the Manila Polo Club inviting MVP Group executives and close personal friends who all came to wish him – happy 68th birthday.

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