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Gilas getting there, but not quite yet after historic Olympic qualifiers stint
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jisaga0269
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10/07/2024 7:00
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ALL SMILES. Justin Brownlee (32) and Kai Sotto (11) in action for Gilas Pilipinas in the 2024 FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers.
FIBA
MANILA, Philippines – For three nights on the first week of July, Filipino basketball fans cheered on Gilas Pilipinas who went toe-to-toe with some of the top teams in the world in the FIBA Paris Olympic Qualifying Tournament held in Riga, Latvia.
Those three nights allowed Filipinos to hope for something that previously seemed unreachable – the right to be one of the 12 teams in the Paris Olympics.
For some, hope was the point of it all, a glimmer that people could hold on to that rekindled their love and passion for the national team, a flicker that showed that the Philippines could be competitive against the world’s best.
For coach Tim Cone, however, the campaign in Riga was a mission unaccomplished. The goal was not merely to show that Gilas Pilipinas could keep in step with competition.
The prize was never just the journey nor the learning experience. The prize was to win it all and make it to Paris. Cone regarded “almost winning” for what it truly is – a loss.
That kind of mentality, perhaps, is the game changer that allowed Gilas Pilipinas to go as far as it did in the qualifiers.
Whereas before, the objective when facing world class teams was not to get blown off the court or keep the score close, then try to steal a win in the end. This time around, Gilas Pilipinas came out throwing haymakers with an eye on knocking down their foes.
The desire to win had always been there even for previous iterations of Gilas Pilipinas. This was true for the Yeng Guiao-mentored squad in the 2019 World Cup even as they lost all five games by an average of 29.4 points.
This was also true when Chot Reyes handled the team that could win only once in five games despite the support of the home crowd in the 2023 FIBA World Cup.
The difference this time around is that aside from the desire to win, Cone has been able to instill in this current Gilas Pilipinas the belief that it could actually win.
After Cone steered Gilas Pilipinas to an unexpected gold in the Asian Games last year, the first time the country bagged the top plum since 1962, the logical next step would have been to attempt to regain Asian basketball supremacy by winning the 2025 FIBA Asia Cup in Saudi Arabia.
It was a prudent objective for Gilas, one that would still require a ton of effort considering how the team has fared against Asian rivals in the last 10 years.
Since 2015, the Philippines has lost its head-to-head battles against South Korea (2 wins, 6 losses), Lebanon (2 wins, 5 losses), and Jordan (4 wins, 6 losses).
The only teams that Gilas has consistently defeated are fading Asian giants Iran (5 wins, 4 losses) and China (4 wins, 3 losses). Gilas also has a 6-1 record against emerging Asian power Japan, but Japan won the last encounter in 2022 by 21 points.
There was always a sense of foreboding in the past every time Gilas Pilipinas faced Australia or New Zealand. There was a quiet resignation that they were bigger, more organized, more athletic, and did everything better than Gilas Pilipinas.
Australia had beaten the Philippines by an average of 24.6 points in three matches in the last 10 years. Since 2013, New Zealand has prevailed over the Philippines five times by an average winning margin of 19.6 points.
It is no longer unreasonable to actually aim to defeat the Boomers and the Tall Blacks. This proposition will be tested on November 21 when Gilas Pilipinas faces New Zealand in the FIBA Asia Cup qualification. It will not be easy, but it can be done.
It is also no longer foolish to dream even bigger.
Qualifying anew for the 2027 FIBA World Cup in Qatar. Earning a berth in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. Not just making up the numbers in these competitions but actually becoming a legitimate threat that could beat even the best of them.
The blueprint was already laid out in Riga, especially when Gilas Pilipinas stunned world No. 6 and host Latvia, 89-80, before their home fans.
It was a monumental upset against a team that placed fifth in the 2023 FIBA World Cup, only missing out on the semifinals after a heartbreaking 79-81 loss in the quarterfinals to eventual champion Germany.
It was the first win in 64 years by the Philippines over a European team in a FIBA event. From 2014 to 2023, the Philippines had lost 18 straight games to national teams from Europe.
The last time the Philippines chalked up a win over a Euro side was when the RP Selecta team tripped Ukraine, 100-98, in a three-day pocket tournament held in Sondrio, Italy, in June 2002, when Kai Sotto, born on May 11, 2002, was not even a month old yet. Carl Tamayo and Kevin Quiambao were just over a year old.
But it is imperative to remain grounded and continue to strengthen the program. After all, to put things in the proper perspective, counting the tuneup games that Gilas Pilipinas played as they prepared for the OQT, the team won just twice in six games.
Three of those losses came against European teams, including the two-point defeat to Georgia. The last was against eventual OQT winner and world No. 12 Brazil in a match where the Philippines led by six points at the half.
It was in that last loss that valuable lessons surfaced.
One is the need for the team to have more depth. Sotto’s absence in the knockout semis versus Brazil took a heavy toll on Cone’s frontline rotation.
AJ Edu will be a welcome addition. But other than Edu, one wonders who else is in the horizon, given that Japeth Aguilar is already 37 and Mason Amos has not gained Cone’s trust yet.
A healthy Scottie Thompson taking turns running the backcourt with Chris Newsome, Dwight Ramos, and CJ Perez will be a luxury that Cone would be only too happy to have.
Gilas Pilipinas did shoot an impressive 46.8% clip from the three-point region in the three games in the Olympic qualifiers.
Adding a shooter or two to the pool will never be a bad idea. Jordan Heading is a solid option. So is Matthew Wright who was the most prolific Filipino last season in the Japan B. League, converting 2.4 triples per game.
The right program is in place, and all indications suggest that this will be sustained. The right coach is at the helm, one who understands the amount of work that still needs to be done.
The world now has taken notice of Gilas Pilipinas. But it takes more than just the right mindset and team culture to become a significant force in the global stage.
Gilas is not there yet, but it is on the right track to get there eventually. – Rappler.com
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Senate ethics committee complaints: What happened to them after?
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jpcruz0306
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10/07/2024 9:00
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David Castuciano/Rappler
Senators, as public officials, are expected to uphold ethics and proper conduct. Their behavior, however, has not always been the most exemplar.
Case in point: the verbal clash that erupted between Senators Nancy Binay and Alan Peter Cayetano during a July 3 hearing on the escalating costs of a new Senate building.
Cayetano’s remarks, branding Binay as “crazy” and a “Marites” (gossipmonger) prompted Binay to file a complaint against him before the Senate ethics committee on Monday, July 8.
“Sinasabi mo na may kinalaman ito sa Makati-Taguig issue. Sasabihin mo may sumasaksak sa likod mo. Ano iisipin nila? Ma’am isa lang sasabihin ko sa ‘yo, Lourdes pangalan mo at hindi Marites. Ayusin natin ito. Nakakahiya na,” Cayetano said.
(You say this is related to the Makati-Taguig issue. You say that someone is stabbing you in the back. What will they think? Ma’am, I will say only one thing to you: your name is Lourdes, not Marites. Let’s settle this. This is embarrassing already.)
Binay, in her complaint, accused Cayetano of slander for allegedly implying that she manipulated media coverage by feeding the same questions to suit her agenda.
This incident is part of a deeper feud rooted in a jurisdictional dispute between their respective bailiwicks – Binay’s Makati and Cayetano’s Taguig.
This isn’t the first time such heated debates have resulted in ethics complaints. Let’s revisit some notable cases.
Then-senator Maria Ana Consuelo “Jamby” Madrigal filed an ethics complaint against then-Senate president Manny Villar.
Madrigal accused Villar of conflict of interest, claiming that he “caused the realignment of the C-5 road extension to benefit the properties registered in the names of various corporations owned and controlled by him and his family.”
The Senate committee of the whole took over the ethics case on April 27, 2009, after Villar said that he would rather respond to the issues raised before the plenary and not before what he deemed as the “Kangaroo Court” of the ethics committee.
At that time, the ethics panel was led by Panfilo Lacson, who was also interested in running for the 2010 elections, like Villar.
The Senate committee of the whole found that Villar violated the 1987 Constitution and Republic Act No. 6713, or the Code of Conduct of Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees, for failing to report a conflict of interest in the said project.
The panel also found that Villar “engaged himself in improper and unethical conduct that adversely reflects upon the Senate.”
It then recommended that the senator be censured for committing acts that “damaged the integrity” of the chamber.
In the decision, the panel recommended that Villar should return any money or benefits he or his companies gained “illegally” through unethical actions.
But the chamber failed to act on the motion due to the lack of quorum after Villar’s allies did not show up on the floor.
In another incident, former senators Antonio Trillanes IV and Richard Gordon exchanged ethics complaints in 2017 for committing “unparliamentary acts.”
Gordon on September 4, 2017, lodged an ethics complaint against Trillanes for the latter’s supposed “unabated, unparliamentary acts, language, and conduct.”
A week before that, the two senators had a word war after Trillanes accused Gordon of “protecting” Rodrigo Duterte, who was then president, and his family. This was denied by Gordon, an administration senator.
During the hearing, Trillanes deemed the Gordon-led Senate blue ribbon committee as a “committee de absuwelto (acquittal committee).”
The following month, on October 19, 2017, Trillanes also filed an ethics complaint against Gordon for committing “slander” and “unparliamentary acts.”
Gordon had earlier accused Trillanes of spreading gossip during a Senate hearing on the P6.4-billion worth of smuggled shabu.
“You know, you’re so fond of making names (sic) here. If you want to make general statements, you better prove it. This is the Senate of the Republic of the Philippines. This is not a cockpit of tsismis (gossip). We’re here investigating real things. ‘Wag ka nagdadadaldal dito (Don’t blabber here),” Gordon told Trillanes then.
The results of the ethics complaints against Trillanes and Gordon were not publicly available.
There were a couple of times, too, when the complaints did not emanate from the senators themselves, but from private individuals or other government officials.
Allegations of plagiarism also became a subject of discussion before the Senate ethics committee when a group of bloggers and professors filed an ethics complaint against then-senator Vicente “Tito” Sotto III.
In a speech about the reproductive health bill, Sotto allegedly lifted text from a blog post of US blogger Sarah Pope. Later, Sotto’s staff admitted to plagiarizing the blogger.
Sotto was also accused of using a quote from the late US senator Robert Kennedy and translating it to Filipino without proper attribution. Kennedy’s daughter Kerry even demanded an apology from Sotto.
The comedian-turned-senator apologized to Kerry. He, however, did not admit to plagiarizing Kennedy’s work.
In 2012, Senator Pia Cayetano was also put in the hot seat after someone named Alberto Loques Ong Jr. filed an ethics complaint alleging that she used plagiarized text in her privilege speeches on the reproductive health bill.
The lady senator allegedly lifted text from the United Nations Environment Programme and from a presentation by then-health undersecretary Mario Villaverde without attribution, the Inquirer reported.
The resolution of Cayetano’s and Sotto’s ethics case was not publicized.
A few years later, in 2017, Sotto also drew flak for his sexist remark about single mothers.
During the confirmation hearing of Judy Taguiwalo as secretary of the Department of Social Welfare and Development, Sotto asked “on a lighter note”: “You have two children…but you’re single?…In the street language, when you have children and you are single, ang tawag do’n ay na-‘ano’ lang (we call that, you just got knocked up).”
Members of various women’s rights groups did not hold back and filed an ethics complaint against Sotto.
Senator Lacson, the ethics committee’s vice chair, took over the case since Sotto, the panel’s chairman then, was the subject of the complaint.
This complaint, however, was dismissed by the ethics panel over lack of jurisdiction. Citing Commission on Appointment rules, Lacson said that the CA has jurisdiction over the case since it has its own ethics committee.
Back in 1988, then-senator Juan Ponce Enrile was criticized for erroneously naming Paul Aquino as chairman of the Security Bank in a speech accusing relatives of then-president Corazon Aquino of mismanagement. Paul is the brother of then-senator Agapito “Butz” Aquino and the father of former senator Bam Aquino.
Paul denied his connection with the bank and filed an ethics complaint against Enrile.
Enrile owned up to the error, saying there was “no intention whatsoever to inflict malice on the Aquino name.”
In its September 20, 1988 decision, the committee led by Rene Saguisag reminded Enrile “to be more careful in the future.”
Amid an ongoing investigation into pyramid scams within the Philippine National Police (PNP) in 1996, then-senator Heherson Alvarez wrote a letter to then-National Police director general Recaredo Sarmiento, saying the committee “has not made any finding linking Chief Superintendent Virgilio Odulio to the alleged PNP scam” and that it “found no basis for his alleged involvement, knowledge nor participation in the anomalous transaction.”
Because of this, Heherson found himself facing the ethics committee led by Juan Flavier. The ethics panel recommended that Alvarez be “admonished” for sending the letter while the investigation was still ongoing.
In 1960, then-congressman Sergio Osmeña Jr. of Cebu’s 2nd District delivered a privilege speech criticizing then-president Carlos Garcia for running a corrupt government.
The lawmaker accused the Philippine president then of taking bribes from then-Chinese president Chiang Kai-shek.
“It is said, Mr. President, that you vetoed the measure nationalizing rice and corn because of a previous commitment you had given to President Chiang Kai-shek at Taipeh,” Osemeña said as seen in the Philippine Studies journal published by the Ateneo de Manila University.
Osmeña’s hour-long speech also came after Garcia vetoed an anti-graft bill, an August 1, 1960 Time report showed. This proposed legislation sought to criminalize the involvement of a president’s wife or any close relative of high-ranking officials in government transactions.
Osmeña’s accusations infuriated President Garcia.
About two weeks later, the House of Representatives created a 15-man special committee “to investigate the truth of charges against Garcia made by Osmeña Jr.
The panel found Osmeña guilty of “serious disorderly behavior” resulting in his 15-month suspension.
Aside from Enrile, Alvarez, and Osmeña Jr., the other members of Congress who have been sanctioned, based at least on cases that were publicized, are senators Jose Alejandrino and Jose Avelino. – Rappler.com
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Senate ethics committee complaints: What happened to them after?
|
jpcruz0306
|
10/07/2024 9:00
|
David Castuciano/Rappler
Senators, as public officials, are expected to uphold ethics and proper conduct. Their behavior, however, has not always been the most exemplar.
Case in point: the verbal clash that erupted between Senators Nancy Binay and Alan Peter Cayetano during a July 3 hearing on the escalating costs of a new Senate building.
Cayetano’s remarks, branding Binay as “crazy” and a “Marites” (gossipmonger) prompted Binay to file a complaint against him before the Senate ethics committee on Monday, July 8.
“Sinasabi mo na may kinalaman ito sa Makati-Taguig issue. Sasabihin mo may sumasaksak sa likod mo. Ano iisipin nila? Ma’am isa lang sasabihin ko sa ‘yo, Lourdes pangalan mo at hindi Marites. Ayusin natin ito. Nakakahiya na,” Cayetano said.
(You say this is related to the Makati-Taguig issue. You say that someone is stabbing you in the back. What will they think? Ma’am, I will say only one thing to you: your name is Lourdes, not Marites. Let’s settle this. This is embarrassing already.)
Binay, in her complaint, accused Cayetano of slander for allegedly implying that she manipulated media coverage by feeding the same questions to suit her agenda.
This incident is part of a deeper feud rooted in a jurisdictional dispute between their respective bailiwicks – Binay’s Makati and Cayetano’s Taguig.
This isn’t the first time such heated debates have resulted in ethics complaints. Let’s revisit some notable cases.
Then-senator Maria Ana Consuelo “Jamby” Madrigal filed an ethics complaint against then-Senate president Manny Villar.
Madrigal accused Villar of conflict of interest, claiming that he “caused the realignment of the C-5 road extension to benefit the properties registered in the names of various corporations owned and controlled by him and his family.”
The Senate committee of the whole took over the ethics case on April 27, 2009, after Villar said that he would rather respond to the issues raised before the plenary and not before what he deemed as the “Kangaroo Court” of the ethics committee.
At that time, the ethics panel was led by Panfilo Lacson, who was also interested in running for the 2010 elections, like Villar.
The Senate committee of the whole found that Villar violated the 1987 Constitution and Republic Act No. 6713, or the Code of Conduct of Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees, for failing to report a conflict of interest in the said project.
The panel also found that Villar “engaged himself in improper and unethical conduct that adversely reflects upon the Senate.”
It then recommended that the senator be censured for committing acts that “damaged the integrity” of the chamber.
In the decision, the panel recommended that Villar should return any money or benefits he or his companies gained “illegally” through unethical actions.
But the chamber failed to act on the motion due to the lack of quorum after Villar’s allies did not show up on the floor.
In another incident, former senators Antonio Trillanes IV and Richard Gordon exchanged ethics complaints in 2017 for committing “unparliamentary acts.”
Gordon on September 4, 2017, lodged an ethics complaint against Trillanes for the latter’s supposed “unabated, unparliamentary acts, language, and conduct.”
A week before that, the two senators had a word war after Trillanes accused Gordon of “protecting” Rodrigo Duterte, who was then president, and his family. This was denied by Gordon, an administration senator.
During the hearing, Trillanes deemed the Gordon-led Senate blue ribbon committee as a “committee de absuwelto (acquittal committee).”
The following month, on October 19, 2017, Trillanes also filed an ethics complaint against Gordon for committing “slander” and “unparliamentary acts.”
Gordon had earlier accused Trillanes of spreading gossip during a Senate hearing on the P6.4-billion worth of smuggled shabu.
“You know, you’re so fond of making names (sic) here. If you want to make general statements, you better prove it. This is the Senate of the Republic of the Philippines. This is not a cockpit of tsismis (gossip). We’re here investigating real things. ‘Wag ka nagdadadaldal dito (Don’t blabber here),” Gordon told Trillanes then.
The results of the ethics complaints against Trillanes and Gordon were not publicly available.
There were a couple of times, too, when the complaints did not emanate from the senators themselves, but from private individuals or other government officials.
Allegations of plagiarism also became a subject of discussion before the Senate ethics committee when a group of bloggers and professors filed an ethics complaint against then-senator Vicente “Tito” Sotto III.
In a speech about the reproductive health bill, Sotto allegedly lifted text from a blog post of US blogger Sarah Pope. Later, Sotto’s staff admitted to plagiarizing the blogger.
Sotto was also accused of using a quote from the late US senator Robert Kennedy and translating it to Filipino without proper attribution. Kennedy’s daughter Kerry even demanded an apology from Sotto.
The comedian-turned-senator apologized to Kerry. He, however, did not admit to plagiarizing Kennedy’s work.
In 2012, Senator Pia Cayetano was also put in the hot seat after someone named Alberto Loques Ong Jr. filed an ethics complaint alleging that she used plagiarized text in her privilege speeches on the reproductive health bill.
The lady senator allegedly lifted text from the United Nations Environment Programme and from a presentation by then-health undersecretary Mario Villaverde without attribution, the Inquirer reported.
The resolution of Cayetano’s and Sotto’s ethics case was not publicized.
A few years later, in 2017, Sotto also drew flak for his sexist remark about single mothers.
During the confirmation hearing of Judy Taguiwalo as secretary of the Department of Social Welfare and Development, Sotto asked “on a lighter note”: “You have two children…but you’re single?…In the street language, when you have children and you are single, ang tawag do’n ay na-‘ano’ lang (we call that, you just got knocked up).”
Members of various women’s rights groups did not hold back and filed an ethics complaint against Sotto.
Senator Lacson, the ethics committee’s vice chair, took over the case since Sotto, the panel’s chairman then, was the subject of the complaint.
This complaint, however, was dismissed by the ethics panel over lack of jurisdiction. Citing Commission on Appointment rules, Lacson said that the CA has jurisdiction over the case since it has its own ethics committee.
Back in 1988, then-senator Juan Ponce Enrile was criticized for erroneously naming Paul Aquino as chairman of the Security Bank in a speech accusing relatives of then-president Corazon Aquino of mismanagement. Paul is the brother of then-senator Agapito “Butz” Aquino and the father of former senator Bam Aquino.
Paul denied his connection with the bank and filed an ethics complaint against Enrile.
Enrile owned up to the error, saying there was “no intention whatsoever to inflict malice on the Aquino name.”
In its September 20, 1988 decision, the committee led by Rene Saguisag reminded Enrile “to be more careful in the future.”
Amid an ongoing investigation into pyramid scams within the Philippine National Police (PNP) in 1996, then-senator Heherson Alvarez wrote a letter to then-National Police director general Recaredo Sarmiento, saying the committee “has not made any finding linking Chief Superintendent Virgilio Odulio to the alleged PNP scam” and that it “found no basis for his alleged involvement, knowledge nor participation in the anomalous transaction.”
Because of this, Heherson found himself facing the ethics committee led by Juan Flavier. The ethics panel recommended that Alvarez be “admonished” for sending the letter while the investigation was still ongoing.
In 1960, then-congressman Sergio Osmeña Jr. of Cebu’s 2nd District delivered a privilege speech criticizing then-president Carlos Garcia for running a corrupt government.
The lawmaker accused the Philippine president then of taking bribes from then-Chinese president Chiang Kai-shek.
“It is said, Mr. President, that you vetoed the measure nationalizing rice and corn because of a previous commitment you had given to President Chiang Kai-shek at Taipeh,” Osemeña said as seen in the Philippine Studies journal published by the Ateneo de Manila University.
Osmeña’s hour-long speech also came after Garcia vetoed an anti-graft bill, an August 1, 1960 Time report showed. This proposed legislation sought to criminalize the involvement of a president’s wife or any close relative of high-ranking officials in government transactions.
Osmeña’s accusations infuriated President Garcia.
About two weeks later, the House of Representatives created a 15-man special committee “to investigate the truth of charges against Garcia made by Osmeña Jr.
The panel found Osmeña guilty of “serious disorderly behavior” resulting in his 15-month suspension.
Aside from Enrile, Alvarez, and Osmeña Jr., the other members of Congress who have been sanctioned, based at least on cases that were publicized, are senators Jose Alejandrino and Jose Avelino. – Rappler.com
Error.
Please abide by Rappler's commenting guidelines.
There are no comments yet. Add your comment to start the conversation.
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Gilas getting there, but not quite yet after historic Olympic qualifiers stint
|
jisaga0269
|
10/07/2024 7:00
|
ALL SMILES. Justin Brownlee (32) and Kai Sotto (11) in action for Gilas Pilipinas in the 2024 FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers.
FIBA
MANILA, Philippines – For three nights on the first week of July, Filipino basketball fans cheered on Gilas Pilipinas who went toe-to-toe with some of the top teams in the world in the FIBA Paris Olympic Qualifying Tournament held in Riga, Latvia.
Those three nights allowed Filipinos to hope for something that previously seemed unreachable – the right to be one of the 12 teams in the Paris Olympics.
For some, hope was the point of it all, a glimmer that people could hold on to that rekindled their love and passion for the national team, a flicker that showed that the Philippines could be competitive against the world’s best.
For coach Tim Cone, however, the campaign in Riga was a mission unaccomplished. The goal was not merely to show that Gilas Pilipinas could keep in step with competition.
The prize was never just the journey nor the learning experience. The prize was to win it all and make it to Paris. Cone regarded “almost winning” for what it truly is – a loss.
That kind of mentality, perhaps, is the game changer that allowed Gilas Pilipinas to go as far as it did in the qualifiers.
Whereas before, the objective when facing world class teams was not to get blown off the court or keep the score close, then try to steal a win in the end. This time around, Gilas Pilipinas came out throwing haymakers with an eye on knocking down their foes.
The desire to win had always been there even for previous iterations of Gilas Pilipinas. This was true for the Yeng Guiao-mentored squad in the 2019 World Cup even as they lost all five games by an average of 29.4 points.
This was also true when Chot Reyes handled the team that could win only once in five games despite the support of the home crowd in the 2023 FIBA World Cup.
The difference this time around is that aside from the desire to win, Cone has been able to instill in this current Gilas Pilipinas the belief that it could actually win.
After Cone steered Gilas Pilipinas to an unexpected gold in the Asian Games last year, the first time the country bagged the top plum since 1962, the logical next step would have been to attempt to regain Asian basketball supremacy by winning the 2025 FIBA Asia Cup in Saudi Arabia.
It was a prudent objective for Gilas, one that would still require a ton of effort considering how the team has fared against Asian rivals in the last 10 years.
Since 2015, the Philippines has lost its head-to-head battles against South Korea (2 wins, 6 losses), Lebanon (2 wins, 5 losses), and Jordan (4 wins, 6 losses).
The only teams that Gilas has consistently defeated are fading Asian giants Iran (5 wins, 4 losses) and China (4 wins, 3 losses). Gilas also has a 6-1 record against emerging Asian power Japan, but Japan won the last encounter in 2022 by 21 points.
There was always a sense of foreboding in the past every time Gilas Pilipinas faced Australia or New Zealand. There was a quiet resignation that they were bigger, more organized, more athletic, and did everything better than Gilas Pilipinas.
Australia had beaten the Philippines by an average of 24.6 points in three matches in the last 10 years. Since 2013, New Zealand has prevailed over the Philippines five times by an average winning margin of 19.6 points.
It is no longer unreasonable to actually aim to defeat the Boomers and the Tall Blacks. This proposition will be tested on November 21 when Gilas Pilipinas faces New Zealand in the FIBA Asia Cup qualification. It will not be easy, but it can be done.
It is also no longer foolish to dream even bigger.
Qualifying anew for the 2027 FIBA World Cup in Qatar. Earning a berth in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. Not just making up the numbers in these competitions but actually becoming a legitimate threat that could beat even the best of them.
The blueprint was already laid out in Riga, especially when Gilas Pilipinas stunned world No. 6 and host Latvia, 89-80, before their home fans.
It was a monumental upset against a team that placed fifth in the 2023 FIBA World Cup, only missing out on the semifinals after a heartbreaking 79-81 loss in the quarterfinals to eventual champion Germany.
It was the first win in 64 years by the Philippines over a European team in a FIBA event. From 2014 to 2023, the Philippines had lost 18 straight games to national teams from Europe.
The last time the Philippines chalked up a win over a Euro side was when the RP Selecta team tripped Ukraine, 100-98, in a three-day pocket tournament held in Sondrio, Italy, in June 2002, when Kai Sotto, born on May 11, 2002, was not even a month old yet. Carl Tamayo and Kevin Quiambao were just over a year old.
But it is imperative to remain grounded and continue to strengthen the program. After all, to put things in the proper perspective, counting the tuneup games that Gilas Pilipinas played as they prepared for the OQT, the team won just twice in six games.
Three of those losses came against European teams, including the two-point defeat to Georgia. The last was against eventual OQT winner and world No. 12 Brazil in a match where the Philippines led by six points at the half.
It was in that last loss that valuable lessons surfaced.
One is the need for the team to have more depth. Sotto’s absence in the knockout semis versus Brazil took a heavy toll on Cone’s frontline rotation.
AJ Edu will be a welcome addition. But other than Edu, one wonders who else is in the horizon, given that Japeth Aguilar is already 37 and Mason Amos has not gained Cone’s trust yet.
A healthy Scottie Thompson taking turns running the backcourt with Chris Newsome, Dwight Ramos, and CJ Perez will be a luxury that Cone would be only too happy to have.
Gilas Pilipinas did shoot an impressive 46.8% clip from the three-point region in the three games in the Olympic qualifiers.
Adding a shooter or two to the pool will never be a bad idea. Jordan Heading is a solid option. So is Matthew Wright who was the most prolific Filipino last season in the Japan B. League, converting 2.4 triples per game.
The right program is in place, and all indications suggest that this will be sustained. The right coach is at the helm, one who understands the amount of work that still needs to be done.
The world now has taken notice of Gilas Pilipinas. But it takes more than just the right mindset and team culture to become a significant force in the global stage.
Gilas is not there yet, but it is on the right track to get there eventually. – Rappler.com
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Senate ready to order arrest of Alice Guo if she skips hearing anew
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Bonz Magsambol
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09/07/2024 16:32
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HEARING. Mayor Alice Leal Guo attends the Senate public hearing on the raided Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators in Bamban, Tarlac, on May 22, 2024
Angie de Silva/Rappler
MANILA, Philippines – The Senate is ready to order the arrest of embattled Mayor Alice Guo of Bamban, Tarlac in case she snubs the hearing again, Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero said on Tuesday, July 9.
“Kung hindi sila dadalo, nasa kamay ni Senator Risa [Hontiveros] kung siya ay magre-request na mag-issue ng warrant of arrest para sila ay puwersahang padaluhin sa pagdinig ng Senado at pipirmahan ko ang warrant of arrest na ‘yon,” Escudero told reporters in a chance interview.
(If she will skip the hearing, it’s up to Senator Risa if she will request a warrant of arrest so they would be forced to attend the Senate inquiry, and I will sign that warrant of arrest.)
The Senate committee on women, children, family relations and gender equality led by Senator Risa Hontiveros is set to resume its hearing on illegal activities of Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) on Wednesday, July 10. Guo and her alleged involvement in illegal POGO operations in Tarlac have been the subject of Senate hearings since May.
The Bamban mayor skipped the hearing on June 26, prompting Hontiveros to issue a subpoena for her to attend.
In an interview with News5, Guo’s lawyer, Stephen David, said that Guo is not keen on attending Wednesday’s hearing because she was “traumatized” by the embarrassment she got from past inquiries.
“Kausap ko siya kahapon ng umaga. Ako, as much as possible, hinihikayat ko siya. Ang problema kasi masyado siyang traumatized sa pagpapahiya sa kanya. Physically and emotionally draining sa kanya lalo na ‘yung mga bashers ‘nya,” David said.
(I spoke to her yesterday morning. As much as possible, I’m encouraging her to attend. The problem really is she is traumatized by the embarrassment. It’s physically and emotionally draining for her, especially by what bashers say about her.)
David said that Guo is still in the country. “Magkausap kami sa phone, she assured me na nasa Pilipinas siya. Ako naniniwala ako na nasa Pilipinas lang siya,” he said. (I spoke with her via phone call and she assured me that she’s still in the Philippines. I believe she’s still here.)
In a statement on Tuesday, Hontiveros said that Guo and her lawyers should respect the laws of the country.
“Our jurisprudence is clear and consistent. The Supreme Court has recognized that the invocation of the right against self-incrimination can only be done when a question is being asked,” she said.
“Kung tunay na gusto niyang malinis ang pangalan niya, magpakita siya sa hearing, sumagot siya nang maayos, at tigilan niya na ang pagsisinungalin,” she added.
(If it’s true that she wants to clean her name, she should show up in our hearing, answer questions properly, and she should stop lying.)
Hontiveros was reacting to the statement from Guo’s camp that they do not expect a “fair” hearing at the Senate, and that it’s only in court where they “expect a fair trial.”
According to an ABS-CBN News report, Guo will again skip the scheduled Senate hearing on Wednesday.
On June 27, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) confirmed that the fingerprints of the suspended mayor and Guo Hua Ping – the Chinese woman who is suspected to be the real identity of the local official – match.
Hontiveros said that the NBI finding was the “strongest evidence” to strip Guo of her elective post. She also urged the Office of the Solicitor General “to expedite its filing of a quo warranto case against” Guo.
The Bamban mayor is under preventive suspension ordered by the Ombudsman. The suspension was due to a graft case filed by the Department of the Interior and Local Government over serious illegal acts and her link to illegal activities of POGOs. – Rappler.com
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Golden boy: Who stands in the way of an EJ Obiena pole vault Olympic gold?
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jisaga0269
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30/06/2024 15:40
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Heading to the 2024 Olympics, Filipino pole vault sensation EJ Obiena has taken the sport by storm, poising himself for a historic performance in Paris this July, and quite literally, rising to be one of the best in the world.
Keyword: one of the best.
Also heading to Paris is a man who has the luxury of having no qualifiers attached to his descriptions. He is simply the best at what he does – backed up by smattering of records to his name, consistent performances, and to top it all off, an Olympic gold medal to defend against the likes of Obiena.
He is Armand “Mondo” Duplantis, the prodigious 24-year-old reigning Olympic pole vault champion, who is widely expected to defend his crown against all comers this July in Paris.
Boasting a yet-unbeatable world record of 6.24 meters (and still owning the next seven world record increments below it), the Swedish-American superstar blazed his way to Paris with no less than nine gold medal finishes, highlighted by the 2024 Xiamen Diamond League where he set his new high mark.
Still standing on a peak not even sniffed by the sport’s greatest like Sergey Bubka and Renaud Lavillenie, Duplantis is a young, hungry, and proven winner who – if all goes right in Paris – will more likely than not cruise to his second career Olympic championship.
He remains Obiena’s lone unreachable target, which in itself is already a massive accomplishment.
Three years removed from his Olympics debut in Tokyo, Obiena is a whole new beast this time around, heading back to the big stage for another crack at the ultimate athletic glory.
After settling for an 11th-place finish in his first Games, the 28-year-old standout has been relentless in his grind, powering through a controversial 2021 dispute with the Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association (PATAFA) and winning multiple gold medals in the three seasons that passed since Tokyo.
The ultimate validation came in June 10, 2023, when the University of Santo Tomas product joined the exclusive 6-meter club upon winning the Bergen Jump Challenge in Norway, setting a new Asian record in the process.
His place among the greats would then be solidified a little over a month later on July 20, when he rose as the world No. 2 pole vaulter just behind Duplantis after another string of consistent performances and top finishes.
Despite recent setbacks, like a ninth-place finish in the World Athletics Indoor Championships and unlucky battles with broken poles, Obiena has proven multiple times over that he is as ready as can be for Paris, and that he only needs to play his game to stay in the realm of Olympic history-makers.
The competition will be stiff, yes. There are many other names to look out for, like former world No. 2 Chris Nielsen of the US, Australian star Kurtis Marschall, and American juggernauts Sam Kendricks and KC Lightfoot, but these are all men who have already fallen to Obiena amid his stratospheric rise.
The men’s pole vault competition in Paris is practically a fight for silver, but to have Obiena’s name firmly in that conversation is a cause of celebration in itself.
And the cold, hard reality of all sports still remains, even for a godlike figure like Duplantis: anything is possible.
“For me, that’s why we go to the games – to win. Anything can happen when it’s time to play,” mused former pole vaulter Emerson Obiena, EJ’s father. “As long as the games haven’t happened and are not yet over, you have to have hope.”
Duplantis will remain a great barometer far beyond these next Olympics – an idol to look up to and a ghost to chase, until the day comes when he and Obiena can finally look each other eye-to-eye as equals. The greats are never satisfied, after all, but that’s a story for another day.
Right now, history still beckons in Paris, and medals – gold or otherwise – are ripe for the taking.
“Mondo is one of the greatest. He’s a league above the rest and the world record holder, but again, he’s just human,” Emerson continued. “Sometimes there are ups, sometimes downs. We cannot say what may happen in the games. I just hope we get a medal, whatever color, I’ll be happy with it.”
With the weight of the Philippines on his shoulders, can Obiena rise one more time for all his countrymen and clear the bar of their expectations? – Rappler.com
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Negros Occidental museum hires private sleuth to find stolen Amorsolo painting
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Herbie G
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09/07/2024 16:31
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CRIME SCENE. The Hofileña Museum in Silay City, Negros Occidental, where the 1936 Fernando Amorsolo painting 'Mango Harvesters' was stolen on July 3.
Hofileña Museum
BACOLOD, Philippines – The family running the Hofileña Museum in Silay City, Negros Occidental, has hired a private detective to help them find a stolen painting by the late national artist Fernando Amorsolo.
A member of the family, Reñe Hofileña, confirmed to Rappler on Tuesday, July 9, that they contracted the services of a Manila-based detective to locate the 1936 Amorsolo art piece, “Mango Harvesters.”
It was Hofileña’s late brother Ramon who acquired the painting, which was stolen from the private museum on Cinco de Noviembre Street in Silay on July 3.
Lieutenant Colonel Mark Anthony Darroca, Silay police chief, was taken aback when he learned about the move of the Hofileña family, but said the local police respected their decision.
Darroca said the Silay police would still do their work to find the stolen Amorsolo painting and bring it back to the Hofileñas.
He said they were waiting for some members of the family to meet with the police for a case conference.
Police have identified two suspects, a man and a woman, and are building a theft case against them.
The art theft brought together local officials of Silay and Negros Occidental, law enforcement groups in Western Visayas, and the Bacolod art community with one goal: to find the stolen 1936 Amorsolo painting.
Colonel Rainerio de Chavez, director of the Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office (NOCPPO), told Rappler on Monday, July 8, that Brigadier General Jack Wanky, police director in Western Visayas, gave specific instructions to expedite the painting’s recovery.
De Chavez said investigators from the Silay police identified one of the suspects based on CCTV footage from the museum.
“He is a Cebuano-speaking individual temporarily residing in Bacolod,” said De Chavez.
The investigation revealed that the suspects posed as tourists on July 3 and stole the 12×18-inch Amorsolo painting while blending in with other visitors.
Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson asked De Chavez to use all legal means necessary to arrest the suspects and recover the painting.
Silay Mayor Joedith Gallego also offered a P25,000 reward for the immediate arrest of the suspects.
Retired city tourism officer Ver Pacete said the Amorsolo stolen painting holds significant value for its late owner, Ramon Hofiĺeña, known as the “father of heritage conservation” in Silay City.
“Not all Silaynons or Negrenses have had the privilege of owning such an Amorsolo painting, making Silay fortunate to have had Ramon Hofiĺeña and his invaluable art collection,” Pacete said.
Pacete said the stolen painting is worth millions of pesos.
The Arts Association of Bacolod (AAB) has also issued a statement, appealing to the public for assistance in locating the precious Amorsolo painting. – Rappler.com
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IN CHARTS: Which region has dominated Palarong Pambansa through the years?
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jpcruz0306
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06/07/2024 17:17
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Raffy De Guzman/Rappler
MANILA, Philippines – The Palarong Pambansa, the premier youth sports event in the Philippines, gathers elementary and high school athletes from all over the country annually.
The Palaro also stands as a symbol of regional pride and competitive spirit.
As the 2024 edition of the national games kicks off in Cebu City, Rappler has created a chart to highlight which region has dominated the Palarong Pambansa based on the number of medals they’ve accumulated through the years.
Due to the unavailability of historical data, this chart only covers data from 2008 to 2019 and 2023. The games were halted from 2020 to 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The National Capital Region (NCR) has long dominated the Palarong Pambansa, as data from 2013 to 2023 has shown. In the 2023 edition of the national games held in Marikina, NCR secured 85 gold, 74 silver, and 55 bronze medals.
From 2008 to 2013, Western Visayas consistently placed second. However, in 2014, Calabarzon has taken over the second spot, maintaining this position until the 2019 games. Western Visayas reclaimed the second spot in 2023.
Reviewing historical data also reveals Central Luzon‘s upward trajectory in terms of performance. It placed 10th in 2017, climbed to 8th in 2018, achieved 6th in 2019, and secured 4th place in 2023.
In 2016, Negros Island Region Athletics Association (NIRAA) made its debut in Palarong Pambansa finishing 6th. This comes after former President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III signed an executive order creating the Negros Island Region.
NIRAA participated until 2017 when it placed 4th. Its participation in the Palarong Pambansa was halted after then-President Rodrigo Duterte, revoked Aquino’s executive order citing a lack of funds.
On June 13, the Negros Island Region was finally institutionalized after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. signed Republic Act No. 12000. For the 2024 edition of the games, however, the participants from Negros Island would still compete under Western Visayas.
For years, NCR has been a powerhouse in the Palarong Pambansa. Will a new contender rise to dethrone the capital region from the top spot?
Follow Rappler’s Palarong Pambansa coverage to see who will emerge victorious in this year’s competition. – Rappler.com
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Old Davao rivalry resurfaces as Duterte, Nograles kids face off over DSWD funds
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Herbie G
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09/07/2024 15:35
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WORD WAR. Davao 1st District Representative Polong Duterte and PBA party list Representative Migs Nograles engage in a war of words over DSWD funds.
CAGAYAN DE ORO, Philippines – Reminiscent of the more than two decades of bitter political rivalry between their fathers, Representatives Paolo “Polong” Duterte of Davao’s 1st District and Margarita “Migs” Nograles of the party list Puwersa ng Bayaning Atleta (PBA) have engaged in a word war sparked by a dispute over social welfare funds.
Duterte announced that his office’s medical assistance program in Davao City has been suspended because the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) allegedly stopped funding its services in favor of Nograles’ group.
Outside Duterte’s office in Davao, a notice was posted informing the public about the suspension of medical assistance for private hospitals, allegedly due to the lack of DSWD funds.
On her Facebook page, Nograles responded by cautioning against misinformation and black propaganda, saying that the DSWD continues to fund her office’s medical assistance program. She said that if the DSWD had no funds, the PBA wouldn’t be able to provide continuous support to those in need.
Nograles said PBA’s programs, including its barangay caravans in Davao, continue to offer services despite claims about DSWD funding issues.
She also alleged that there were barangays in Davao where her group was barred from entering by village officials.
Nograles took to social media to respond to her critics. She posted on Monday, July 8: “At bago pa man ako i-attack ng trolls dito with more fake news…. Itanong niyo sa barangay officials ninyo bakit bawal gamitin ng PBA ang area para sa caravan, bakit bawal kami magbaba at maghatid ng serbisyo, at bakit bawal kami magbigay ng services sa constituents niyo? Kung hindi niyo pa kami nakikita diyan, yan ay dahil pinagbawalan po kami pumasok ng barangay officials.”
(Before I get attacked by trolls here with more fake news…. Ask your barangay officials why PBA is not allowed to use the area for the caravan, why we can’t unload and provide services, and why we can’t offer assistance to your constituents. If you haven’t seen us there yet, it’s because we were prohibited by barangay officials from entering.)
Duterte denied that the information from him was black propaganda or fake news.
He alleged that the DSWD stopped providing funds to his programs, and that these were being used for political purposes, in favor of the PBA party list.
“There is no black propaganda in that, Madam Congresswoman. You all know the current situation; this is not fake news! You can verify it in the DSWD records themselves. It’s clear now that there has been an exaggeration. It’s clear now that money meant for the people is being used for politics. This is detrimental to our fellowmen,” read part of Duterte’s statement on Tuesday, July 9.
Duterte added, “I just ask that if we are to help, let’s just help. Don’t politicize this because it’s hard on the people, and the election is still far off. I also never forget, Madam Congresswoman, that you were victorious during my father’s time, despite everything that happened back then. Again, I ask that we simply do our job for the people.”
The verbal skirmish between the Duterte and Nograles children evoked echoes of a bitter feud which started in the 1990s between their respective political dynasties.
Speculation is rife that Nograles is considering a bid for the mayorship of Davao, currently held by Duterte’s younger brother Sebastian, who is eligible for reelection. Nograles has repeatedly denied any intention of challenging the Duterte family’s leadership in Davao.
The politicians’ fathers, former president Rodrigo Duterte and the late former speaker Prospero Nograles, had been bitter political rivals in Davao for at least 24 years until the latter supported Duterte’s successful presidential campaign in 2016.
The rivalry began when Prospero made an unsuccessful bid for Davao’s mayoral post against the future president in 1992, a challenge he repeated in 1998 against Duterte’s mayoral bet and vice mayor, Benjamin de Guzman.
After serving as the leader of the House of Representatives for two years during the Arroyo administration, Prospero ran again for mayor in 2010, this time against the now Vice President Sara Duterte, and suffered the same fate.
When they reconciled, the late speaker’s son, Karlo Alexei, became the Cabinet secretary during the Duterte administration and continued serving as chairperson of the Civil Service Commission (CSC) under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. After the 2022 elections, relations between the Marcos and Duterte families slowly turned sour.
The ongoing clash between the Duterte and Nograles children has rekindled a deep-seated rivalry between their political families, and as allegations and counterclaims continue, the political tension in Davao shows no signs of abating. – Rappler.com
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Alice Guo’s fugitive business partner had 5 passports, and COVID travel pass
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Joann Manabat - CMS
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09/07/2024 14:29
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PASSPORTS. Authorities find two passports inside the room of Huang Zhiyang during the breaking of the vaults on July 8, 2024.
Joann Manabat/Rappler
PAMPANGA, Philippines – Huang Zhiyang, a fugitive from China and the business partner of suspended Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo, had five passports while he was in the Philippines, and could move around during the pandemic lockdown because of a travel pass issued by the former Bamban mayor.
Editor’s Note: An earlier version of this story referred to Huang Zhiyang as a fugitive running from Singapore’s money laundering case. This has been corrected.
These documents were among some potential evidence found in the vaults seized by the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) when they raided villas in Fontana in Clark, Pampanga last June 27. The purpose of the Fontana raid was to find persons of interest who are yet to be tracked down. The vaults were opened on Monday, July 8, after operatives secured an order from Judge Hermenegildo Dumlao II of the Regional Trial Court (RTC) Third Judicial Region in Malolos, Bulacan Branch 81.
Huang was Guo’s co-incorporator when they put up Baofu in 2019. Baofu is a real estate firm that later leased its compound to the Hongsheng/Zun Yuan POGO, raided for its alleged criminal activities like human trafficking and torture. Huang remains treasurer of Baofu with 14% shares.
Among the documents found in the Fontana vaults were Huang’s two Taiwan passports, which will undergo verification with the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in the Philippines, according to PAOCC chief Undersecretary Gilbert Cruz who supervised the opening of the vaults. Overall, PAOCC is in possession of five different passports under Huang’s name. He has Taiwanese, Chinese and Cyprus passports, Rappler has learned.
Huang is also wanted in China, according to Senator Risa Hontiveros, who earlier told media that the Chinese embassy in Manila has also expressed its intent to take jurisdiction of Huang to face his charges there.
The POGO problem is compounded by the transnational character of the crimes and the persons involved. It’s a jurisdictional nightmare for law enforcement of all countries that have a stake. At least for Guo, who is being investigated now for qualified trafficking, the Philippine government has said it would insist to have the suspended mayor here to face the complaints, or potential trial, before she can be deported in the event it’s proven she’s not a Filipino.
Editor’s Note: We earlier reported that Huang is also wanted in Singapore. This has been corrected.
Why Huang was able to travel to the Philippines despite him being wanted in China is something for the Bureau of Immigration (BI) to answer. The BI is currently intercepting flights of POGO suspects. Despite the lack of a hold departure order, their violations of their visa status is sufficient basis for the BI to hold them temporarily.
Another document found in the Fontana vaults is a travel pass issued to Huang and his driver in August 2020, during a strict pandemic lockdown when all travels had to be sanctioned by local government. The travel pass to Huang was signed by former Bamban mayor Jose Antonio Feliciano. Feliciano later endorsed Guo in the latter’s 2022 mayoral elections.
“Number one is yung question na binanggit nung Senate hearing ni Senator (Sherwin) Gatchalian about paano itinayo yung Bamban POGO hub. Yung mga structures don despite nung pandemic. Ito palang dating mayor eh nag issue ng travel pass. I think kailangan imbestigahan bakit nag issue siya ng travel pass sa mga taong pinaghihinalaan natin na nagpapatakbo ng illegal POGO hub,” Cruz said.
(Firstly, the question raised by Senator Sherwin Gatchalian during the Senate hearing about how the Bamban POGO hub came about, the structures there despite the pandemic. This former mayor issued travel passes. I think we need to investigate why he issued a travel pass to these people who we suspect were running the illegal POGO hub.)
Cruz said they also found some structural and engineering plans in the vaults.
“Sa amin kasi importante yung mga, unang una kung paano itinayo. May mga nakita rin tayong engineering plans, structural plans na sasagot doon sa mga tanong na yun,” Cruz added.
(To us, what’s important is, firstly, how it was built. We saw engineering plans, structural plans that would answer those questions.)
Present during the opening of the vaults on Monday were representatives from the Anti-Money Laundering Council, PAOCC, the Philippine National Police (PNP) Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG), and officials from Clark Development Corporation (CDC).
The CDC had locked down Fontana in May 2020 following a raid on a villa illegally operating as a makeshift hospital for Chinese patients.
Cruz also revealed that casino VIP cards of Huang and Huang Suchuan were among the items found, which he said raise suspicions on potential money-laundering schemes via legitimate casinos.
“As to the casino cards na na-recover, we will check dun sa mga legal casinos kasi VIP cards yung mga nakita natin eh. So pwede natin tanungin kung bakit meron siyang ganun, madalas ba siyang naglalaro, ano yung intention niya sa mga casino, baka ginagamit niya for money laundering,” Cruz said.
(As to the casino cards that we recovered, we will check with these legal casinos since these are VIP cards. So we can ask why he [Huang] has those VIP cards, how often he plays, and his intention at the casinos because he might be using that for money laundering.)
Authorities also seized bank statements and passbooks that indicated national and international transactions. Cruz said links to the bank transactions and multiple business fronts could further implicate Huang and Guo.
All villas involved in the operation will undergo a comprehensive inventory of seized items before being locked. It remains to be business as usual, however, in Fontana.
– Rappler.com
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China ‘obstructs, delays’ PH medical evacuation from Ayungin Shoal
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Bea Cupin
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09/07/2024 20:15
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EVACUATION. PCG and AFP personnel evacuate a soldier from the BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin Shoal to mainland Palawan.
Philippine Coast Guard
MANILA, Philippines – Philippine forces – the military and its coast guard – were able to evacuate Philippine Navy personnel from the BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin Shoal on July 7, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said Tuesday, July 9, despite efforts by its Chinese counterpart to hamper the operation.
“The PCG faced numerous obstructing and delaying maneuvers by CCG (China Coast Guard) vessels, but they remained steadfast to their humanitarian mission and was able to complete the transfer of the sick personnel from the LS-57 RHIB to the PCG RHIB,” said Commodore Jay Tarriela in a statement to media.
RHIB refers to rigid hull inflatable boats or small dingeys that larger PCG or military ships deploy to transport people and small items, or to reach shallower waters.
Two PCG vessels – the BRP Cabra and BRP Cape Engaño – rendezvoused with the RHIB deployed from the BRP Sierra Madre, a rusting warship that’s been beached on Ayungin Shoal or Second Thomas Shoal since 1999. The atoll is located within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ) but like most of the South China Sea, China claims it as part of its territory.
“Despite the threatening presence of various CCG small vessels, the PCG RHIB was able to return to the main PCG vessel without further interruption. The sick personnel was then provided with urgent medical attention. The personnel is now stable,” said Tarriela.
China’s coast guard meanwhile said late on Tuesday it had “allowed” the Philippines to evacuate the person who had fallen ill on humanitarian grounds, adding that it monitored and verified the entire operation on Sunday, which its spokesperson said was at the request from relevant parties in the Philippines.
Video from the PCG shows three steel hull CCG vessels and one Chinese Navy RHIB surrounding the two RHIBs of the PCG and BRP Sierra Madre.
Philippine Navy spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea Rear Admiral Roy Trinidad earlier told a press conference that a soldier deployed to the BRP Sierra Madre needed immediate medical assistance.
Without disclosing the specifics of his case, Trinidad said the soldier was already recovering at a military hospital in mainland Palawan.
Ayungin Shoal is a flashpoint for tensions between Manila and Beijing in the West Philippine Sea.
The CCG routinely harasses Philippine missions in and out of the shoal, including medical evacuations.
On June 17, the worst and most violent confrontation between Philippine and Chinese personnel happened just at the foot of the BRP Sierra Madre, with CCG personnel harassing, towing, boarding, and destroying the RHIBs of the Philippine Navy. The Philippines has demanded that China pay for the damaged RHIBs and equipment, as well as pay for the rehabilitation of a soldier who lost his finger from China’s high-speed ramming.
The Philippine military also wants China to return the seven rifles it took during the incident. – with reports from Reuters/Rappler.com
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Red-tagging in the Philippines targets women more than men – study
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Lian Buan
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09/07/2024 17:50
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RED-TAGGED WOMEN. Activists Hailey Pecayo, Dyan Gumanao, Jonila Castro and Jhed Tamano are all red-tagged female young activists, who shared their experiences with state human rights violations, during the #ShePersists: Women Speak Out for Rights forum on November 27, 2023.
Jire Carreon/Rappler
MANILA, Philippines – More women had been red-tagged than men in the Philippines in the last six months, according to a new study of the Ateneo Human Rights Center (AHRC).
AHRC is the latest body to conduct its own inquiry into the country’s red-tagging problem, and their documentation shows that of the 456 incidents of red-tagging they monitored from January to June 24, 2024, there were more women victims.
Although most of the victims’ genders were unidentified in their monitoring, their data shows 16.1% of the targets were female, and only 5.7% were male.
“Many women activists reported being threatened with rape or other forms of sexual assault. This suggests that red-tagging might also be used as a tool for gender-based persecution, reflecting deeper societal biases and the vulnerability of women,” said the AHRC’s Anti-Red Tagging Monitoring Project.
Two United Nations Special Rapporteurs who visited the Philippines recently identified red-tagging – the act of labeling dissenters as communists or armed communist rebels – as a pressing problem for the country’s civic space.
Ian Fry, the former UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights in the context of climate change; and Irene Khan, UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression and Opinion, had both recommended to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. the dissolution of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) because of its red-tagging activities.
Members of the NTF-ELCAC, a creation of former president Rodrigo Duterte, had red-tagged people in their official capacities. Former officials of the task force continue to red-tag, including Lorraine Badoy who was already sanctioned with contempt by the Supreme Court for red-tagging a judge.
Marcos had recently said that he does not believe that the state is the perpetrator of red-tagging.
AHRC’s red-tagging study says “the primary aggressors are the PNP [Philippine National Police], AFP [Armed Forces of the Philippines], and NTF-ELCAC.”
“While PNP through the municipal/city police stations do the red-tagging most often, it is platforms that distribute the content to more social media users,” said the study.
A National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) study released in May also found that government officials were behind most of the red-tagging attacks against members of the press.
The Supreme Court had finally legally defined red-tagging as the labeling of people as communists, and called it a threat to life and liberty. – Rappler.com
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Philippines to host Loss and Damage Fund board
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Iya Gozum
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09/07/2024 17:33
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Residents living near the seawall of Baseco Compound in Tondo, Manila, are experiencing strong winds and waves, as Metro Manila is placed under Signal 1 due to Typhoon Egay.
Rappler
MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines was selected Tuesday, July 9, to host the board of the Loss and Damage Fund, the global fund that will help vulnerable nations deal with the adverse effects of climate change.
The selection of the Philippines comes after a two-and-a-half hour closed-door meeting of the Loss and Damage Fund board in Incheon, South Korea, on Tuesday.
Other countries which expressed interest to host were Antigua and Barbuda, Armenia, the Bahamas, Barbados, Eswatini, Kenya, and Togo.
In a statement, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said the country’s inclusion in the board “ensures that the Philippines will be a formidable voice in promoting and advancing global climate action – an issue of critical interest to the country.”
“Hosting the [LDF] board reinforces our dedication to inclusivity and our leadership role in ensuring that the voices of those most affected by climate change shape the future of international climate policies,” he added.
The board’s co-chairs Richard Sherman of South Africa and France’s Jean-Christophe Donnellier are set to negotiate with the Philippine government to finalize the host country agreement.
“We believe that the host country is a critical building block in the establishment and the operationalization of the loss and damage fund,” said former Philippine finance undersecretary Mark Joven during the meeting.
Joven is the Philippine representative to the board which has 26 members: 12 from developed country parties and 14 from developing country parties.
“We do not take this matter lightly and we commit to fully comply with the undertaking and promises made in the bid of the Philippines,” said Joven. “Rest assured that the government of the Philippines and the entire Filipino people are forever grateful for this trust bestowed upon us today.”
The World Bank will operationalize the fund for an interim period of four years under an independent secretariat.
In 2023, Marcos emphasized his intention for the country to host the fund. After the 28th session of the Conference of Parties concluded, the Philippines was able to secure a seat on the board.
So far, rich countries responsible for most of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions have pledged $700 million to the loss and damage fund.
– with a report from Dwight de Leon/Rappler.com
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DITO CME says no ‘definitive’ deals amid foreign takeover talks
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Ralf Rivas
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09/07/2024 15:12
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MANILA, Philippines – The controlling shareholder of third telco Dito Telecommunity said that there have been “no definitive agreements” executed amid talks of a foreign buyout.
In a stock exchange filing on Tuesday, July 9, DITO CME Holdings issued a clarification amid a Philippine Star report that the company is set to sell a majority stake to Summit Telco Holdings Corporation. The Singapore-based company subscribed to P3.3 billion worth of shares of DITO CME last October 2023.
The STAR report cited a source as saying that Davao-based tycoon Dennis Uy, DITO CME chairman, “intends to keep a minority stake” in the company. Uy is currently chairman of the company.
DITO CME said: “In this regard, DITO CME Holdings Corp. wishes to clarify that there have been no definitive agreements that have been executed with respect to the majority takeover of DITO CME. The company will make the necessary disclosures and seek the appropriate regulatory approvals if such a transaction is executed, as required by the rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission and The Philippine Stock Exchange.”
This is not the first time that talks of another foreign entity taking over the third telco have been floated amid funding concerns.
The company continues to incur losses, bleeding P10 billion in the first quarter of 2024 amid building telco infrastructure.
Dito intends to break even by end-2025 and be profitable by 2026.
Shares of DITO CME surged nearly 8% during the morning trading session. – Rappler.com
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View from Manila: What the Philippines gets out of an RAA with Japan
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Bea Cupin
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09/07/2024 11:34
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The Philippines and Japan sign the Reciprocal Access Agreement in Malacañang on Monday, July 8.
Photo from Presidential Communications Office
MANILA, Philippines – Five days before the anniversary of the 2016 Arbitral Ruling, Manila and Tokyo signed on Monday, July 8, an agreement that paves the way for joint exercises and activities and makes it easier for the two militaries to work together.
Foreign and defense ministers of the Philippines and Japan, in Manila for the second 2+2 bilateral ministerial meeting, used a range of superlatives to describe the landmark Reciprocal Access Agreement.
Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo said the agreement “brings our defense partnership to an unprecedented height.” Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. said it would “put flesh into our already strong and robust bilateral relations.”
Japan’s Foreign Affairs Minister Kamikawa Yoko said the RAA would be the basis to advance bilateral collaboration, and strengthen capability-building. Japan Defense Minister Kihara Minoru said it was a “groundbreaking” deal that would “enhance cooperation” between the Japan Self-Defense Forces and the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
They’re not exaggerating. The RAA, after all, was negotiated in record time.
It took five years for Japan to negotiate its RAA with the United Kingdom. The RAA with Australia (with whom the Philippines has a Status of Visiting Forces Agreement with) took seven years.
The RAA with Manila? It took all of eight months – from formal negotiations in November 2023 until line-by-line readings on June 11. A month later, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. was host and witness to the document’s signing in Malacañang Palace.
Manalo was quick to praise the “hard work and dedication of our competent negotiators” in the closing press conference to cap off the RAA signing, separate defense and foreign affairs bilateral meetings, and the 2+2 meeting at a posh hotel in Taguig City.
The Philippine foreign secretary offered the media a glimpse of the hard word that went into crafting the 31 pages of the agreement. “Not only did they meet to discuss this or to negotiate the agreement face to face, they also had late night meetings. They also negotiated by Zoom,” he added.
It helped that two other RAAs preceded it, of course. But Manalo honed in on a “basic agreement” – that for both Manila and Tokyo, the RAA was important.
“At the strategic level, both Japan and the Philippines recognize the importance of this agreement. So I think that was a basic understanding from the very beginning, so that also helped facilitate the negotiations,” he added.
Philippine government sources earlier told Rappler that Tokyo wanted the RAA more than Manila. But the urgency (and eagerness) from both sides was palpable.
Defense and security officials in the Philippines had been expecting to sign the agreement in the third quarter of 2024 (which would have meant less than six months of negotiations). The signing date was eventually pushed by a quarter, apparently over touchy provisions. Manalo called them “difficult issues” that were eventually ironed out “due to the skill of our negotiators.”
“[They] were able to come up with some very useful compromises both in language and also in the substance of the text. So they were able to handle the difficult questions,” Manalo added.
What’s the basic understanding that pushed both countries? Instability in different regions across the globe, and China’s growing aggression in our own Indo-Pacific.
“Amidst the background of the geopolitical situation in this and other regions, which has put the stability and predictability of the rules-based international order under stress, we discussed global and regional issues of common concern,” said Manalo of the 2+2 meeting.
During the joint bilateral meeting, the Philippines and Japan discussed, among other things, issues related to the South China Sea, the East China Sea, Taiwan, the Korean Peninsula, and nuclear disarmament.
Just two weeks prior, the world witnessed the worst escalation of tensions in the West Philippine Sea, when China Coast Guard personnel towed, boarded, and destroyed Philippine Navy equipment during a Philippine resupply mission to Ayungin Shoal. Japan’s ministers either alluded to or made explicit mention of China’s aggressive actions in the West Philippine Sea during the July 8 briefing.
“If the Philippines and Japan – and other partners – are going to collectively deter China, it needs enablers to sustain it, hence the RAA,” Joshua Espeña, vice president of the International Development and Security Cooperation and a lecturer at the Polytechnic University of the Philippines, told Rappler.
Espeña explained that Japan knows it needs like-minded countries to possibly “sustain littoral operations of the defense of its Southwestern islands like Okinawa down to Taiwan and Luzon Straits to the West Philippine Sea belt area.”
It’s a win for the Philippines, too, as it finalizes and tries to operationalize its Comprehensive Archipelagic Defense Concept and shifts focus to external defense.
Already – and as expected – China did not react too warmly to the signing of the RAA. Its foreign minister spokesperson Lin Jian said in a press conference on July 8 that the “Asia-Pacific region does not need any military bloc, still less groupings that incite bloc confrontation or a new Cold War.”
“Japan bears serious historical responsibilities for its aggression and colonial rule over the Philippines and other Southeast Asian countries during WWII. Japan needs to reflect on that part of history and act prudently in fields related to military and security,” Lin Jian added.
Lin is right about the painful history of the Japanese occupation in the Philippines. Both Manila and Tokyo have yet to offer the deserved reparations to World War II comfort women in the Philippines, for instance.
But he (deliberately, perhaps) skipped the sustained strong bilateral ties between the Philippines and Japan through the years amid swings in Philippine politics. Tokyo has proven to be a consistent and reliable part for Manila – be it in upgrading security and defense capabilities, working on peace in the Bangsamoro, or the economy.
The Philippine Coast Guard’s newest vessels were acquired from and through Japan, the Philippine military’s newest mobile air surveillance radar system are from Japan, and Manila is the first ever recipient of its Official Development Assistance.
“Manila finds Tokyo’s consistency as a political capital not just to accept they are no longer the demons of the days of the Second World War, but possibly as a guardian angel of today’s Indo-Pacific,” said Espeña.
The 2+2 meeting wasn’t just about defense and security, of course.
Manalo, without going into specifics, said the two countries “agreed to further deepen economic cooperation and enhance our ability to react to unexpected economic developments.” Japan is the Philippines’ second-largest trading partner next to China.
At the press briefing on July 8, shortly before a unique four-way handshake, the four ministers were bombarded with questions about the next step for bilateral relations: Would a Mutual Defense Treaty-like agreement be in the works? How about an agreement similar to the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement, a deal with the US that allows the prepositioning of assets and troops in Philippine military bases?
“I think that will all depend on how circumstances develop,” said Manalo.
Manalo then pivoted back to the main message of July 8: “What’s important is that I think what the RAA has done is that…it could serve as a force for stability in the region, for greater prosperity. I think that it would be a way of Japan and the Philippines cooperating to deal not only with challenges, but how to take advantage of growing opportunities – not only in the security field and other areas. I think in that way, the RAA is really a very advantageous document for both the Philippines and Japan, and I think the region as a whole.”
Of course, there are still urgent things to accomplish moving forward.
Now that defense and diplomatic officials are done facilitating, coordinating, and negotiating, the ball is now in the court of Philippine and Japanese legislators. The RAA must be approved or ratified by the Philippine Senate and the Japan Diet.
After that? In Teodoro’s own words, the “the work of building confidence among the members of the Japanese Self-Defense Force and the Armed Forces of the Philippines.” – Rappler.com
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Concerns rise as chlorine levels spike in Negros Occidental river
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Herbie G
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09/07/2024 10:53
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WORRIED. Fishermen Jovy and Jerry Monteroya express concern over the water quality of the Ilog-Hilabangan river, which poses threat to their livelihood in a town in Negros Occidental.
Reymund Titong/Rappler
NEGROS OCCIDENTAL, Philippines – The Community Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO) in Kabankalan City has confirmed high levels of chlorine in a section of the Ilog-Hilabangan River in Sitio Malabong, Barangay 2, Ilog town, Negros Occidental.
The confirmation made on July 5 has raised concerns about the potential impact on the livelihoods of families dependent on fishing in the town.
The Ilog-Hilabangan River serves as the catch basin for waters from the mountain ranges of Candoni town and parts of Negros Oriental, flowing through Kabankalan City and down to Ilog town.
According to Lucia Salazar, CENRO supervising ecosystem management specialist in Kabankalan City, said results of the water test conducted by the Bacolod-based Negros Prawn Producers Cooperative Analytical and Diagnostic Laboratory showed that most parameters were within normal values, except for chloride, which showed abnormal levels.
The CENRO said the results showed that the water’s potential of hydrogen (pH) level was 6.91, nitrate was 0.437 milligrams per liter (mg/L), ammonia was 0.660 mg/L, phosphate was 0.144 mg/L, total hardness was 380.38 mg/L, and chloride was 620 mg/L.
Salazar said, “The level of chloride present in the water was higher than the standard value of 250 mg/L set by the DENR for type C classification of bodies of water like the Ilog-Hilabangan River.”
Biologist and environmental advocate Pierre Gabriel San Jose said excessive chlorine levels in the water could lead to the death of fish due to respiratory problems and suffocation.
Nicanor Lopez, the village’s chairman, told Rappler on Friday that at least 40 fishing-dependent families were worried about them losing their source of income especially after two recent fish kills. The first incident was recorded on June 9, followed by another one on July 1.
Lopez said the fish kills impacted the villagers living near the riverbank, as their livelihoods depend on it.
Jovy Monteroyo, speaking on behalf of the fishermen, said they were still able to catch plenty of fish in the river before the recent fish kills.
Alarmed, Lopez said he collected water samples on June 10 and sent them to a laboratory for analysis of the river’s water quality.
Salazar said she suspected the fish kills may have been due to the heavy chlorine use in water treatment facilities and the potential use of banned chemicals in fishponds near the river.
Lopez, however, said fishponds near the river do not normally use harmful chemicals, knowing that doing so endangers aquatic life in the river.
Salazar said the CENRO would closely work with the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) to identify the root of the problem and address it.
Before the June 9 fish kill, many residents in Kabankalan, a city near Ilog, complained about the foul odor of the water and air from the Ilog-Hilabangan River. – Rappler.com
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‘Last One Laughing PH’: Filipino adaptation of hit Japanese series promises to be the best one yet
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jreyes0314
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09/07/2024 14:15
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COMEDIANS. The cast of Prime Video's 'LOL: Laat One Laughing Philippines.'
Prime Video PH
MANILA, Philippines – Filipinos are no stranger to reality shows. But this year, things are taking a comedic turn as Prime Video brings the reality show LOL: Last One Laughing to the Philippines.
The saying “laughter is the best medicine” proves to not always be true when P1 million and a trophy are on the line. The show stars Chad Kinis, Empoy Marquez, Jayson Gainza, Jerald Napoles, Kim Molina, Negi, Pepe Herrera, Tuesday Vargas, Rufa Mae Quinto, and Victor Anastacio. Divine Tetay and Petite will also be making occasional appearances in the show.
Inside the whimsical Bahay ni LOLa, the ten comedians, who are masters of their craft, do their best to evoke laughter among each other, all while suppressing their own, to emerge victorious in a six-hour long challenge.
The Pinoy humor showcased in Last One Laughing: Philippines is not meant to just trigger bursts of laughter, but to also reflect societal issues – making this adaptation one that the viewers should really watch out for.
Last One Laughing PH has already made history with Vice Ganda being the first queer individual to host the show since its Japanese debut in 2016. With this stint, Vice Ganda only had words of gratitude.
(Editor’s note: An earlier version of this story said that the show originated from South Korea. This has been corrected.)
“I was so, so, so, so, so surprised and kinilig ako (I got so excited). Sobra akong happy na ako ‘yong napiling host (I was so happy that I was chosen to host). Sobra akong na-proud (I was so proud) and I was so honored to be given the chance to host this program,” the host-comedian said.
The noontime host shared that it was an honor to be part of the first season of Last One Laughing PH and that he couldn’t have imagined not being involved in it in some way, whether as a host or a contestant.
“Sabi ko nga, kung hindi ako ‘yong kinuhang host ng programa o hindi ako napasama dito sa programa, host man o contestant tapos mapapanood ko o makikita ko ‘yon, mabibigla ako. Kinkwestyunin ko ‘yong sarili ko, ‘Bakit wala ako diyan?’ and I will feel sad,” he added.
(Like I said, if I wasn’t picked as the program host or if I wasn’t part of the program, may it be as a host or contestant and I’ll watch or see it, I would be surprised. I would question myself, ‘Why am I not there?’ and I will feel sad.)
Having been filmed for over a year, the release of Last One Laughing PH was a long time coming.
“Ang tagal naming inantay ‘to na ipakita namin ‘to sa inyo (We’ve been waiting for you to see this),” Vargas said. “Nakaka-excite (It’s exciting).”
“Syempre happyng-happy kami. Buong Pilipinas, buong mundo nakaabang (Of course we are happy. The entire Philippines, the world is waiting),” Quinto added.
According to Last One Laughing PH’s showrunner – Randolph Longjas – who was also present during the press conference, 26 cameras and 300 crew members were used for the making of the six-part series. Although the premise of the game is only six hours long, the editing process was rigorous – all just to produce a show worth waiting for.
While excitement runs high for the show’s release, the topic of cancel culture remains relevant especially now that all eyes are on the Last One Laughing PH cast.
“[The] number one role of an artist is not just to entertain but to awaken the consciousness of the viewers, so kung hindi namin pinu-push ‘yong boundaries all the time, kung lagi kaming conscious [of] what is right, what is wrong, of course we have that in mind when we created material but if we become too limited don sa mga sinasabi ng lipunan then hindi kami nakakaambag nang tunay bilang artist,” Vargas told the press.
(The number one role of an artist is not just to entertain but to awaken the consciousness of the viewers so if we are not pushing the boundaries all the time, if we’re always conscious of what’s right, what’s wrong – of course we have that in mind when we created material but if we become too limited to the things society says then we are not truly contributing as artists.)
While Vargas focused more on the limitations imposed by the threat and fear of being canceled online by netizens, Kinis reminded everyone that jokes shouldn’t be taken personally.
“Para sa akin kasi, ang cancel culture hindi nakakatulong sa (does not help) comedy kasi nagiging balat sibuyas tayo. Alam mo namang it’s a joke, it’s not personal and it’s meant to make you happy, to make you laugh. Kasi kung ita-take mo siya lagi nang personal, walang mangyayari sa comedy. Comedy will die,” Kinis shared during the pocket press conference.
(For me, cancel culture doesn’t help comedy because we become easily offended. You know it’s a joke, it’s not personal and it’s meant to make you happy, to make you laugh. Because if you always take it personally, nothing will happen with comedy. Comedy will die.)
Vice Ganda, who is no stranger to controversy, also weighed in – explaining that people have different tastes; what might be funny for one might not be at all for the other.
“Iba-iba talaga ang pamamaraan ng komedya, [mayroong] iba-iba ang brands at maaari kayong mamili kung ano ‘yong brand ng comedy ang pasok sa inyo at maaari niyo ma-appreciate, ang kaya niyong lunukin at hindi. Kasi ‘di ba sa Pilipinas dahil madaming conservatives, maraming, iba-iba ang dosage natin, ‘di ba? ‘Yong kaya nating tanggapin. Pero ito kasi, inclusive siya. Para sa lahat ng tao na may iba’t ibang taste ng comedy,” Vice said. “Sa dami ng paniniwala ng tao, ini-invalidate natin ‘yong hindi natin taste. ‘Yong porket hindi swak sayo, feeling mo, hindi siya tama.”
(How we do comedy is really different, there are different brands and the audience can choose which brand of comedy they like and can appreciate, what they can and cannot stand. Because the Philippines is full of conservatives, right? We all have different dosages, right? What we can accept. But this is inclusive, it’s for everyone who has different tastes in comedy. With the many beliefs that people have, we invalidate what we don’t believe in. For instance, if you don’t find it okay, you feel like it’s not right.)
When asked what they look forward to most upon Last One Laughing PH’s release, the cast members had one thing in mind.
“Season 2, 3, and 4!” Quinto told Rappler, followed by shouts of approval from the rest of the cast.
Filipino humor is second to none, necessitating the need for another season where more comedians are given the opportunity to play around and showcase their artistic capabilities.
“Ang dami pang mga komedyante na talagang magagaling na pwedeng pumasok doon sa loob (There’s a lot of good comedians who can play) for Season 2, 3,” Negi added.
While the next seasons are surely something to watch out for, fans are in for a treat with the first season. Last One Laughing PH premiered on July 4 on Prime Video. From then on, two new episodes will be released each week. – with reports from Fore Esperanza/Rappler.com
Fore Esperanza is a Rappler intern.
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VP Sara to skip Marcos’ SONA | The wRap
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Jaira Roxas
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11/07/2024 22:36
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Here are today’s headlines – the latest news in the Philippines and around the world:
Vice President Sara Duterte says she will not attend President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s third State of the Nation Address. She appoints herself as the ‘designated survivor’ although there is no such designation in the Philippine government.
Preparations for President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s 3rd State of the Nation Address or SONA are in full swing at the Batasang Pambansa, with the government spending 20 million pesos for the program.
An intense Israeli assault leaves Gaza City residents trapped in houses and bodies lay uncollected on the streets. This, despite the U.S. pushing for a peace deal in Egypt and Qatar.
Hollywood actor George Clooney and former US House speaker Nancy Pelosi are the latest allies of President Joe Biden to raise concerns about his reelection chances.
Athletics and swimming take the center stage at Palarong Pambansa’s medal events Thursday, July 11. There are new records in boys elementary long jump and in swimming. – Rappler.com
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Palarong Pambansa 2024: A field of firsts and lasts for young athletes
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jsitchon0312
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11/07/2024 11:49
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CHAMP. Western Visayas' Sam Kenjie Bantillo bags the long jump gold in the secondary division of the 2024 Palarong Pambansa.
Jacqueline Hernandez/Rappler
CEBU CITY, Philippines – For many young athletes in the Palarong Pambansa, the national sporting event is a stage for first-time performances and final farewells to careers thought to last a lifetime.
For 17-year-old Ruffamae Bibat, who is representing the Caraga region in the secondary girls’ high jump event, this is her debut opportunity to reach greater heights in the national stage.
Bibat’s athletic career gained momentum during her elementary school days, where she competed at the division level. However, the COVID-19 pandemic brought her progress to a sudden halt.
Undeterred by this mishap, she resumed her training and successfully regained her position at the regional level.
In the regional competition last year, she clinched a gold medal but fell short of the 1.45-meter qualifying standard for the national games, managing only 1.35m.
The setback was tough for Bibat, leaving her disheartened. However, encouragement from her peers and mentors inspired her to push on.
“Ni ingon ko sa akong self makuha gihapon nako ang medal nga gold, tapos makuha nako ang qualifying standard,” Bibat told Rappler on Wednesday, July 10.
(I told myself I would still get the gold medal and meet the qualifying standard.)
Determined to improve, Bibat underwent rigorous training and eventually met the qualifying standard for this year, allowing her to represent her region in the Palarong Pambansa 2024 in Cebu City.
Achieving a spot in this year’s game brought immense joy to Bibat, fulfilling a dream she had harbored since elementary.
As she prepares for the event, Bibat is determined to win a gold medal.
The Eastern Visayas softball team, led by team captain Jamela Jordan, is also set to debut in the national competition, marking a significant milestone for the team that has previously only competed in the annual Eastern Visayas Regional Athletics Association (EVRAA) meet.
“We’re very happy and excited to have made it to Cebu City, and we’re ready to compete against other teams and give our best,” Jordan told Rappler on Tuesday, July 9.
Jordan, who is graduating this year, is also making her first and last appearance in a national game, adding a layer of sentimental value to this competition.
Jordan shared she was grateful for the opportunity to compete in the Palarong Pambansa, cherishing the experience as a memorable conclusion to her softball career as a high school student.
“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for us. Competing at this level is a dream come true,” Jordan said.
The team arrived in Cebu on July 5. Though they have not yet had the chance to explore the city, they are looking forward to visiting its tourist sites.
Jordan shared their eagerness to witness the local culture and attractions, which they see as a rewarding part of their journey. – Rappler.com
Ian Peter Guanzon is a Rappler intern from the University of the Philippines in Cebu.
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UST rebounds, Benilde thwarts Letran for first SSL win
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Jasmine Payo
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11/07/2024 22:52
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POWERHOUSE. St. Benilde and Letran duel in a rematch of the NCAA volleyball finals in the SSL National Invitationals.
Shakey’s Super League
MANILA, Philippines – After a stunning opening-day loss, the UST Golden Tigresses earned redemption as the St. Benilde Lady Blazers also flexed their muscles in the 2024 Shakey’s Super League (SSL) National Invitationals.
UST – the UAAP Season 86 women’s volleyball runner-up fielding a rookie-laden crew this time – scored a hard-fought, four-set victory over Team Soccsksargen, 25-17, 25-18, 28-30, 25-14, for a 1-1 record in Pool B on Thursday, July 11, at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium in Manila.
Middle Blocker Margaret Altea poured in 17 points built on 11 attacks, 5 blocks, and a service ace to lead the Tigresses, who recovered from a stunning opening-day loss to University of Batangas.
St. Benilde, meanwhile, fended off Letran’s hot pursuit for a thrilling five-set escape, 18-25, 25-20, 25-27, 25-20, 15-13, in a rematch of the NCAA Season 99 finals.
Wielyn Estoque registered 26 points, 23 coming off attacks, as the Lady Blazers scored their opening win in Pool D.
Zamantha Nolasco also produced 17 points and 4 blocks for the reigning NCAA champions.
Clydel Catarig’s timely attack allowed the Lady Blazers to inch closer to victory against the Lady Knights in the deciding set, 14-11, before finally sealing it.
“We are so happy, despite our many errors and struggles on the court, we still won the game,” Estoque said in Filipino during a post-game interview.
“I always think of contributing to the team,” she added.
After slumping in the first frame, Estoque and Nolasco powered the Lady Blazers with their crosscourt kills in the second set to stave off Letran, 24-19, and level the match.
Martin Nizelle Aeriyen topscored for Letran with 16 points, while Angelique Ledesma notched 11 points and 3 blocks in their heartbreaking defeat.
Janelle Maignos, meanwhile, topped the scoring for Team Soccskargen with 16 markers in 14 attacks and 2 service aces in their losing cause against UST.
In Pool C, the University of Southern Philippines Foundation Lady Panthers overwhelmed NCAA bronze medalist LPU Lady Pirates in four sets, 25-19, 17-25, 25-23, 25-19, behind Ressel Pedroza’s 15 points.
Enderun Colleges also subdued Xavier University in straight sets, 25-12, 25-21, 25-18, tallying its first win in Pool A.
Another quadruple-header on Friday, July 12, is set to determine which teams will advance to the quarterfinals.
FEU and NU look to book their quarterfinal ticket as the Lady Tamaraws face LPU at 9 am while the Lady Bulldogs match up with Xavier University at 12 pm.
University of Batangas aims to eliminate Team Soccskargen at 2 pm while University of San Carlos fight for its tournament life against CSB at 4 pm. – Niño Dominic Ronquillo and Eugero Vincent Liberato/Rappler.com
Niño Dominic Ronquillo and Eugero Vincent Liberato are Rappler interns.
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Cone hopes Ginebra lands big man or point guard with 10th pick in PBA Draft
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delfin.dioquino editor
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11/07/2024 21:56
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TACTICIAN. Head coach Tim Cone in action for Barangay Ginebra in the 2023-24 PBA Commissioner's Cup.
PBA Images
MANILA, Philippines – Barangay Ginebra head coach Tim Cone quickly caught up with the reality of having the No. 10 pick in the PBA Draft.
Cone said it is a challenge to focus on the players the Gin Kings have a chance of getting instead of being fascinated by the top prospects as he attended the PBA Draft Combine at the Ynares Arena on Thursday, July 11.
Back in PBA duty after guiding Gilas Pilipinas to a semifinal finish in the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament, Cone caught a glimpse of the rookie hopefuls bannered by consensus top picks Justine Baltazar and Kai Ballungay.
“You’re watching these guys play and they draw your attention, they draw your eyes, and we know we’re not getting any of them,” said Cone about the likes of 6-foot-7 Baltazar and 6-foot-6 Ballungay.
“We have to have the discipline to not look at them and look at the other guys.”
Make no mistake, though, Cone believes players who will be selected in the first round all have something to offer, with the likes of Sedrick Barefield, RJ Abarrientos, Dave Ildefonso, and Jonnel Policarpio giving the draft depth.
“It is going to be a very strong first round,” said Cone. “I think there is going to be 12 players in that draft that can really impact the league.”
“A lot of teams are going to be happy about their picks.”
Seeking to guide Ginebra back to its winning ways after the team failed to make the finals last season, Cone has his sights on a big man or a point guard to reinforce their injury-riddled roster.
Choosing a point guard at No. 10 is seemingly a solution to the Gin Kings’ crippled backcourt, with former MVP Scottie Thompson out with a back injury that prevented him from seeing action in the OQT.
“We’re always coming to a draft looking for a big guy, but it does not look like there is anyone available in terms of just a pure big man outside of Justine,” said Cone.
“Now, we’ll turn our attention to the best available athlete,” he added. “If there is a good point guard available at No. 10, we’ll go after him. We just have to wait and see who drops to us.”
Cone and his staff also hope to find “jewels” in the second round as Ginebra owns the No. 17 and 22 picks.
“It is more than just seeing them in the Combine, you got to do more research than that, you got to see where they’re coming from,” Cone said. “You need to take a deeper look at those guys, a deeper dive.”
“We’ll take whoever drops to us in the first and then we’ll look more in the second round at this point.”
Draft day is on Sunday, July 14, at Glorietta in Makati City. – Rappler.com
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PBA Draft Combine MVP Jonnel Policarpio vows 100% commitment to team that gets him
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delfin.dioquino editor
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11/07/2024 20:42
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TOUGH SHOT. Jonnel Policarpio in action during the 2024 PBA Draft Combine.
PBA Images
MANILA, Philippines – Jonnel Policarpio turned heads and increased his stock ahead of the PBA Draft after earning MVP honors at the conclusion of the two-day Rookie Combine on Thursday, July 11, at the Ynares Arena.
The former La Salle forward showcased his wares as he powered Team B1 to a 61-44 win over Team A3 in the mini tournament finale.
Policarpio also bannered the Mythical Five featuring fellow La Salle products Justine Baltazar and Jordan Bartlett, Kurt Reyson of Letran, and Brandon Ramirez of York University.
“I’m blessed and grateful to win MVP. This is just a bonus,” said Policarpio in Filipino.
One of the late additions to the pool as he decided to forego his remaining UAAP years, Policarpio stamped his class as one of the best players among the rookie hopefuls.
The 6-foot-5 stalwart produced a team-high 21 points in their semifinal victory, then scored 14 points in the final, where Reyson and Agem Miranda of JRU also shone with 18 and 17 points, respectively.
While Baltazar and former NBA G League player Sedrick Barefield are expected to be selected first by Converge and second by Blackwater, respectively, Policarpio has gotten himself in the mix as a potential top-six pick.
No matter where he lands, though, Policarpio said teams can count on him.
“I’m ready wherever I go. I’ll give my 100% commitment,” said the 22-year-old Policarpio, who is the youngest among the rookie aspirants.
After Converge and Blackwater, Terrafirma will choose third followed by Phoenix at No. 4, NorthPort at No. 5, NLEX at No. 6, Rain or Shine at No. 7 and 8, Barangay Ginebra at No. 9, and Magnolia at No. 10.
Meralco and San Miguel will pick at No. 11 and 12, respectively, to wrap up the first round of the draft scheduled on Sunday, July 14, at Glorietta in Makati City. – Rappler.com
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Davao, Cebu, Pampanga earn PSL Global Challenge berths
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Jasmine Payo
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11/07/2024 21:37
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MVP. Young big man Yujin Pena gets a hug from teammate Kent Lagman after Pampanga’s U16 victory.
Pilipinas Super League
MANILA, Philippines – Davao, Cebu, and Pampanga ruled the national finals in three separate age groups, earning the right to represent the country in the Pilipinas Super League (PSL) Global Championship Challenge.
John Eimrod Rodulfa and Davao City topped the under-20 (Born 2004) PSL National Championship after a dominating win against Davao Occidental, 80-64.
In the U18 division (Born 2006), Fritz Gonzales and Jan Vince Oringo delivered in the fourth quarter for Cebu-University of San Jose Recoletos (USJR) for an 83-71 triumph over Pangasinan.
Pampanga-Luid and Caloocan, meanwhile, figured in a thrilling battle in the U16 division (Born 2008) before the Kapampangans hacked out an 85-79 win behind Chester Tulabut and Yujin Peña.
All three winners will go up against overseas teams in the PSL Global Championship Challenge starting July 15 at the Araneta Coliseum.
Seeing action are young squads – all featuring foreign players with Filipino roots – from the Unites States, Canada, United Kingdom, Italy, New Zealand, and Thailand.
Rodulfa powered Davao City with 30 points, 12 of them coming in the thirrd quarter alone, and flirted with a triple-double with 12 assists and 9 rebounds.
The duel between two Davao squads was tight in the first half, but Rodulfa continued to make plays for his team to give Davao City an eight-point edge, 62-54, heading into the fourth quarter.
Rodulfa bagged the U20 Most Valuable Player award and earned a spot in the Mythical Five with George Diamante, Arwin Alforque, Keith Francis Marquez, and Karl Benedict Wood.
Gonzales also dropped a double-double of 26 points and 10 rebounds for Cebu-USJR in the U18 division.
Oringo added 20 points and 9 rebounds to help Cebu pull away late against Jheremy Godoy and Pangasinan.
Clark Candia contributed 21 points and 6 assists for Cebu.
Oringo copped the U18 MVP, leading the Mythical Five of Gonzales, Godoy, Jann Melvin Domingo, and, Densle Pinzon.
In the U16 finale, Jansen Zapata and Iverson Pineda rallied Pampanga back in the game, scoring the team’s last five buckets to give the team the lead by four against Caloocan, 83-79.
Peña then delivered a tough basket to extend the lead and seal the game for Pampanga.
Tulabut topscored with 20 and Peña added a double-double of 14 points and 10 boards.
Peña won MVP honors and a Mythical Five spot with Tulabut, Leodyl Hilot, Jhon Carl Canapi, and Kent Lagman. – Jorge Marion Dionisio/Rappler.com
U16 Finals (Born 2008)
Pampanga-Luid 85 – Tulabut 20, Pen̈a 14, I. Pineda 13, Lagman 12, Castro 10, Zapata 8, Sison 5, T. Pineda 2, Cruz 1, Sundiang 0, Vegara 0.
Caloocan 79 – Canapi 17, Hilot 15, Baldomino 13, Catalan 13, Palic 8, Villano 6, Santos 3, Asi Alvarez 2, Garcia 2, Adi Alvarez 0, Rojas 0.
Quarters: 23-23, 47-40, 62-57, 85-79.
U18 Finals (Born 2006)
Cebu-USJR 83 – Gonzales 23, Candia 21, Oringo 20, Pepito 8, Petillos 4, Antig 3, Narvaez 3, Toring 1, Barrieta 0, Lozano 0.
Pangasinan 71 – Godoy 26, Padilla 15, Castillo 12, Domingo 6, Armendez 5, Pinzon 5, Melchor 2, Cabanilla 0, Ilumba 0, Velasquez 0.
Quarters: 13-14, 37-34, 53-54, 83-71.
U20 Finals (Born 2004)
Davao City 80 – Rodulfa 30, Marquez 16, Balansag 13, Wood 7, Adabo, 6, Ambuat 4, Albiendo 2, Lulab 2, Bayate 0, Taray 0, Uy 0.
Davao Occidental 64 – Alforque 22, Villanueva 11, Estomo 10, Lumanag 5, Acero 4, Cagampang 4, Diamante 4, Magnaye 2, Pairat 2, Budlao 0, Cabagtong 0.
Quarters: 23-20, 39-35, 62-54, 80-64.
Jorge Marion Dionisio is a Rappler intern.
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[OPINION] How can teachers develop a reading habit among learners?
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Miriam Grace Go
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11/07/2024 9:00
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Guia Abogado/Rappler
One time, I came across an obsolete book. Produced by the defunct Bureau of Public Schools, it had a quirky, large “Philippine Prose and Poetry’’ printed on its cover.
Now that the implementation of the Matatag curriculum is on the horizon, what if the Department of Education (DepEd) developed a book akin to the one I found at a local library? The new curriculum puts a premium on the development of Filipino students’ integral skills, such as reading comprehension.
One way to tackle the dwindling reading comprehension among our students is to democratize reading.
Our students don’t have access to reading materials – the printed ones. Most of them don’t have books at home. Books in schools are also scarce. It’s time for the department to issue a book that contains nothing but short stories and poems. Since the selections found in instructional textbooks are relatively limited, the book will work as a supplement.
In the book Philippine Prose and Poetry, all works featured were penned by local authors, hence the title. What I admired most, as evident in the choice of selections, is the book’s purpose of developing the learners’ “taste for good literature.”
And what is more effective than introducing stories close to the students’ hearts, selections that tap something into their lives, if not the lives of people dear to them? In choosing titles, DepEd must consider several criteria, one of which is relatability.
Relatability matters, for it might spark the learners’ interest.
There are a great number of magazines and journals from which the department can source selections. They might pick some, for example, from Philippines Graphic, named Kislap-Graphic at the time Philippine Prose and Poetry was distributed to public schools. Today, the magazine continues to publish the works of budding and veteran writers.
Just recently, Philippines Graphic partnered with local governments to bring the works of local authors to schools.
The department might promote Mindanaoan writers. For sure, they could mine good titles from Dagmay. I hope the founding editors will revive this online literary journal.
One reason why a student shuns the idea of reading is that he, along the way, finds it difficult to understand the meaning of a text. That’s why another criterion to consider is readability. The selections to be included in a book must vary from simple to difficult, given the varied abilities of learners.
Now, the teacher enters the scene. The teacher should have the freedom to decide which selections in the book are best for his reading class. In any case, a student will unarguably find it hard to “assimilate” all the details of any story. Misapprehension happens if he is not guided, which is why the teacher should help the student unlock the meanings of some terms, at the very least, and explain to him any references – for example, cultural references – used by the writer.
How can a teacher raise a reader if he himself is not a reader? A student feels the joy of reading if he understands what he reads, and the teacher should not assume that the student achieves it by himself. It’s the teacher’s job to make reading less taxing on the learner’s part.
Gone are the days when we spotted students busy reading or leafing through some pages of a novel during vacant hours or while waiting for dismissal time. So how then can we raise a reader? It’s difficult due to imprecise notions about reading. Some students find reading boring or punishing because, for them, it’s only an academic task, wherein they must read because the assessment might ask the characters of the story or perhaps let them think of an alternative ending. Should teachers share in the blame?
So how, for the umpteenth time, can we raise a reader? The recurring answer remains: It’s difficult! Nonetheless, let’s give it a try. But, first, let’s provide the students with books.
Lots of problems have torpedoed the education department recently, but these problems have not sprung out of nowhere. These are old problems that have worsened because what has been provided is only a band-aid solution.
Say, for instance, the Catch-Up Fridays program. Though the project’s rationale is to enhance the reading competence of the learners, unfortunately – and ironically – DepEd has not produced reading materials exclusive for it. Students were not provided with reading choices, and teachers were not provided with reference material for their reading activities.
Though the program’s future is not certain due to a change of leadership in the bureaucracy, the issue it tries to address will remain. Only time will judge if the Catch-Up Fridays program is a band-aid solution to a widespread crisis. A book like Philippine Prose and Poetry could have added strength to the program.
As a senior high school teacher, I noticed that many students couldn’t write. Oh, another educational problem! They can’t write simple sentences. If only they knew that they could learn basic syntactic rules through reading. If only they knew the benefits of reading. What a feast for the eyes it would be to see a student or two plowing through a story!
I told myself not to keep grousing over this dispiriting reality, for I am a language teacher. There’s always the usual guilt, but I console myself by trusting the power of a village. The Department of Education provides us “weapons,” and we, teachers, work on the frontlines.
Cultivating a reading habit is a long-haul flight, but we’d crash midflight if we didn’t provide the students with books. We can’t shrug off what’s essential. It’s time, as I’ve emphasized earlier, to make reading more accessible to learners by developing a book like Philippine Prose and Poetry. – Rappler.com
Jeric Tindoy Olay is a senior high school teacher and a poet. He hails from Macrohon, Southern Leyte.
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Philippine eagle rescued in Davao de Oro dead from suspected gunshot
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Iya Gozum
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11/07/2024 21:36
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LIFELESS. Mangayon, rescued in Compostela, Davao de Oro, was declared dead after suffering from severe blood loss.
Philippine Eagle Foundation
MANILA, Philippines – A Philippine eagle (Pithecophaga jefferyi) rescued in Compostela, Davao de Oro, died after suffering from severe blood loss due to a suspected gunshot wound on its left wing, the Philippine Eagle Foundation (PEF) reported on Thursday, July 11.
Personnel from the Philippine Army and the regional office of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) rescued the bird on Monday, July 8, in Barangay Mangayon, and brought it to the Compostela Municipal Hall where a team from PEF met them.
Among PEF’s rescue team were Dominic Tadena, senior animal keeper of the foundation, and biologist Rowell Taraya, who had been involved in many of the organization’s previous rescue missions.
Once transferred to the Philippine Eagle Center in Davao City, veterinarian Bayani Vandenbroeck “discovered an entry wound in the left tarsal area of the eagle’s wing, which exited through the opposite side and extended to the left keel area of Mangayon’s wing,” the report said.
The eagle sustained fractures in the left tarsal joints, according to the medical assessment.
Mangayon was declared dead at 9:49 pm on Monday.
Dennis Salvador, executive director of PEF, said interventions of the local and national government on the conservation of Philippine eagles should be increased.
“The civil society sector can only do so much,” Salvador said. “We need government political will and action. There should also be additional financing to a systematic and nationwide species survival campaign before it’s too late for our national bird.”
The male raptor is the fourth Philippine eagle rescued this year, among others like Nariha Kabugao of Apayao who were also victims of gunshots. (READ: Apayao is Philippines’ 4th biosphere reserve)
This comes after two Philippine eagles were released in Burauen, Leyte, in a bid to reintroduce the critically endangered species in Visayas where it once roamed. Their species are continuously threatened by shooting and deforestation. – Rappler.com
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CBCP on divorce: Church cannot ‘dictate,’ but Filipinos need discernment
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Paterno Esmaquel II
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11/07/2024 20:20
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CBCP HEAD. Bishop Pablo Virgilio David (center), president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines, speaks at the end of the bishops' 128th plenary assembly in Cagayan de Oro City, July 8, 2024.
CBCP News
MANILA, Philippines – The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) urged Filipinos to “discern together” if the Philippines needs a divorce law, even as the body maintained that the Catholic Church cannot impose its beliefs on the state.
“Despite what religionists might think, we do have religious freedom in this country, and we uphold the principle of separation of Church and state. The Church is in no position to dictate on the state what is best for Filipino families,” said the CBCP in a statement approved during its 128th plenary assembly and signed by its president, Bishop Pablo Virgilio David.
Other religions do not necessarily share the Catholic Church’s stance “that a genuine marriage cannot be dissolved,” added David, “and we respect that.”
“But before we join the bandwagon, shouldn’t we ask ourselves on the basis of research and statistics if the legalization of divorce all over the world has indeed helped in protecting the common good and the welfare of the family?” David asked.
The Philippines is the only country, aside from the Vatican, without a divorce law.
The CBCP’s statement on divorce is a departure from its more combative stance when the reproductive health (RH) bill, which widens access to contraception, was being debated more than a decade ago. One of the strongest statements of the CBCP, at that time, declared that “contraception is corruption!”
The change in tone comes as more Filipinos criticize the Catholic Church for meddling in government affairs. However, the religion’s political clout – a carryover from 300 years of Spanish colonialism – has decreased through the years, especially after the death of Cardinal Jaime Sin in 2005 and a number of defeats, including the signing of the RH law in 2012.
In the CBCP pastoral statement, David used the Filipino expression “maghunos-dili muna tayo at mag-isip-isip,” which means “Let us take it slow and think harder about it.”
“Think about the many times your parents had gotten into each other’s nerves and were almost tempted to call it quits. Think about the number of times your father slept ‘outside the kulambo’ (outside the mosquito net) or your mother packed up her things and brought you with her to her parents’ home, because of a misunderstanding between the two of them,” David said.
He continued: “Think about what could have long happened to your own family if civil divorce had already been available when you were much younger, and your parents were going through some serious problems in their relationship? Think of the sufferings that you would have had to endure if civil divorce had already been available as a remedy for what your own parents may have thought back then were ‘irreconcilable differences’ between them?”
David, a 65-year-old prelate who received his priestly training from the Jesuits, said that bishops “don’t intend to set the rules on civil marriage.” Bishops, he said, “respect the legislative bodies of our country and the duty of our honorable legislators to come up with just laws that truly serve the common good.”
“As spiritual and moral leaders of the Church, we can only propose but never impose. We can only motivate our faithful to actively participate in reasoned public discourse as citizens,” said David.
“And so before we jump into the divorce bandwagon, before we end up regretting it and hearing those who dared to swim against the current, ‘But we told you so!’ can we just take a little more time and ask – could there be a reason why we are practically the last remaining country in the world that still has not opted to legalize civil divorce?” he added.
David refuted the claim that no legal remedies current exist for marriages in crisis. “Should not both institutions of Church and state explore more effective ways of maximizing these remedies without ‘throwing away the baby along with the bath water?’”
David ended the pastoral statement by quoting Pope Francis, who said in his apostolic exhortation Amoris Laetitia: “Divorce is evil and the increasing number of divorces is very troubling. Hence, our most important pastoral task with regard to families is to strengthen their love, helping to heal wounds, and working to prevent the spread of this drama of our times.” – Rappler.com
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2 Australians, Filipino companion found dead in Tagaytay hotel
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Mia Gonzalez
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11/07/2024 18:29
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TAGAYTAY, Philippines – Two Australians and their Filipino companion were found dead inside their hotel room in Tagaytay City, Cavite police said on Thursday, July 11.
Cavite police identified them as David James Fisk, 57, Australian; Lucita Barquin Cortez, 55, a Philippine-born Australian citizen; and Mary Jane Cortez, 30, from Oriental Mindoro.
The three were billeted at The Lake Hotel in Barangay Maharlika West, Tagaytay City. Details provided in the police report indicated that Mary Jane is the daughter-in-law of Lucita.
The initial investigation showed that hotel staff Allan Manza went to the room of the victims on Wednesday, July 10, to remind them that it was check out time and when they did not open their door, he got in and found the victims face down and lifeless.
The victims’ hands and feet were bound by an electrical cord and shoelaces while their mouths were covered with packaging tape, the police said.
CCTV footage showed a male suspect in a black hoodie, maroon shorts, and sneakers, with a knapsack leaving the room of the victims and heading towards the exit of the hotel.
Police said the hotel security guard at the gate entrance to the hotel saw the suspect in the hotel earlier that day, at 6 am on Wednesday. When the guard asked why he was there, the suspect claimed that he was checked in at the room of the victims. He also said that he saw suspect with a hotel key card to the room.
Police said a tracker team is reviewing the CCTV footage of the hotel and conducting follow-up investigation to identify the suspect.
Cavite police said that the victims’ remains would be autopsied to determine their cause of death.
Australian media described the Australian victims as a couple and reported that Australian’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade confirmed that they were providing consular assistance to the families of the Australian victims. – With reports from Dennis Abrina/Rappler.com
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4 arrested in Negros Occidental for smuggling P3.8M in cigarettes from Zamboanga
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Herbie G
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11/07/2024 16:52
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SEIZED. Authorities intercept contraband cigarettes from.Zamboanga in Ilog, Negros Occidental, on Wednesday afternoon, July 10, 2024.
ILOG POLICE PHOTO
PNP-Ilog
BACOLOD, Philippines – Authorities arrested a young Malaysian and three others from Mindanao while they were trying to sneak in nearly P4 million in contraband cigarettes in Ilog town, Negros Occidental, on Wednesday afternoon, July 10.
Major Joseph Partidas, chief of the Ilog Police Office, said 77,750 packs of cigarettes in 150 large boxes, valued at P3.87 million, were intercepted and confirmed to have originated from Zamboanga.
Colonel Rainerio de Chavez, director of the Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office (NOCPPO), told Rappler on Thursday, July 11, that authorities have intensified operations to prevent Negros Occidental from being turned into a dumping ground for cigarettes believed to have been smuggled into the country via the southern backdoor.
Investigators, who withheld the suspects’ identities, said the suspects used a motorized banca and traveled for hours from Zamboanga to Ilog.
They were arrested upon docking at Barangay 2 in Ilog around 1:30 pm on Wednesday by a team composed on representatives from the Bureau of Customs (BoC), Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), police, and Bantay Dagat groups from Ilog and Himamaylan City.
All four suspects, including the Malaysian teenager, were found to be residents of Barangay Diki in Isabela City, Basilan, according to Partidas.
They were taken to an Ilog town police detention facility, while a complaint for violation of the Tax Reform Act of 1997 was being prepared against them.
It was the second time since June that authorities in Negros Occidental confiscated contraband cigarettes. The first was at the public market in Escalante City, in the northern part of the province, where many boxes of contraband cigarettes were seized.
“We are assisting the BIR, and our Provincial Law Enforcement Coordinating Committee is doing its best in our extensive drive against fake cigarettes in Negros Occidental,” De Chavez said.
In June, authorities also destroyed approximately P595 million worth of smuggled cigarettes in Zamboanga. – Rappler.com
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Court of Appeals freezes Bamban Mayor Alice Guo’s assets
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Jairo Bolledo
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11/07/2024 21:17
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HOT SEAT. Mayor Alice Leal Guo answers questions from senators during the continuation of the public hearing on the raided Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators facility in Bamban, Tarlac, on May 22, 2024.
Angie de Silva/Rappler
MANILA, Philippines – The Court of Appeals (CA) has frozen the assets of suspended Mayor Alice Guo of Bamban, Tarlac, Senator Win Gatchalian announced on Thursday, July 11.
Gatchalian said in a statement that the appellate court had granted the ex parte petition of the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC), seeking to freeze the assets of individuals and entities allegedly involved in illegal Philippine offshore gaming operator (POGO) activities.
Under Section 10 of Republic Act No. 9160 or the Anti-Money Laundering Act of 2001, a person or entity’s bank accounts, real properties, and personal assets may be frozen if authorities find sufficient reason to do so. Once done, they cannot use their assets and properties until the order expires.
The CA’s freeze order takes effect immediately and lasts for 20 days, unless extended by the court. As a remedy, Guo can file a motion to lift the order before the 20-day period expires, and seek a temporary restraining order or writ of injunction from the Supreme Court to stop the order.
JUST IN. Court of Appeals freezes Bamban Mayor Alice Guo's assets, says Senator Win Gatchalian. The Anti-Money Laundering Council has filed the petition on July 8 against alleged "syndicate involved in illegal POGO operations." @rapplerdotcom pic.twitter.com/7wcEBx7asm
Also named in AMLC’s petition are Zhiyang Huang and Baoying Lin. The said individuals were linked to the Zun Yuan Technology Inc., under the BAOFU Land Development Inc., which was raided by authorities due to complaints of alleged human trafficking and serious illegal detention.
Guo was thrust into the national spotlight for her alleged ties with the illegal POGO hub raided in her town. Her nationality and citizenship were also questioned amid the Senate inquiry into the illegal POGO hubs in the country.
She faces a non-bailable qualified trafficking complaint, which stemmed from her alleged involvement in the illegal POGO hub where human trafficking violations were allegedly committed. If the prosecutors find enough basis to pursue the case and charge her and fellow respondents for qualified trafficking, a judge will decide if warrants of arrest will be issued.
The Office of the Solicitor General previously filed a petition with a local Tarlac court seeking to cancel Guo’s birth certificate. If the OSG’s request is granted, she will lose her most important defense evidence about her identity.
The cancellation of the birth certificate can also be used in a quo warranto case. If the quo warranto succeeds, Guo would be stripped of Filipino citizenship, which is a prerequisite to holding public office.
For snubbing the latest inquiry, the Senate cited Guo in contempt, which could pave the way for the upper legislative chamber to order her arrest. – Rappler.com
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EDCOM II urges Marcos to create Cabinet cluster for education
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Bonz Magsambol
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11/07/2024 19:50
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EDUCATION. Students in class at General Roxas Elementary School in Quezon City in 2023.
Jire Carreon/Rappler
MANILA, Philippines – The Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM II) urged President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to create a Cabinet cluster for education for the enhanced coordination of the three education agencies under the executive department.
These education agencies are the Department of Education (DepEd), the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA).
EDCOM II said on Thursday, July 11, it had sent a letter to Marcos stating its request, which was made ahead of the President’s third State of the Nation Address on July 22.
“While the trifocalization of the education system allowed the DepEd, CHED, and TESDA to focus on the subsectors they represent, the absence of an effective coordinating mechanism became a challenge in pursuing a coherent education strategy,” said EDCOM II Chairperson Senator Win Gatchalian.
“Cabinet cluster for education”Ito ang rekomendasyon ng #EDCOM2 kay Pangulong Bongbong Marcos, Jr. upang masiguro na magkakaroon ng cohesive at coherent na implementasyon sa lahat ng batas, polisiya, at reporma sa education sector.Dating recommendation ng EDCOM 1 ang bumuo ng… pic.twitter.com/bo2dOSUWHG
EDCOM II executive director Karol Yee said there should be an enhanced coordination across the three education agencies as the government reviews the system and addresses the learning crisis.
“Addressing the longstanding lack of effective coordination among our education agencies since the trifocalization took place in the 1990s is long overdue. While the EDCOM continues to study longer-term structural reforms that it could propose, the creation of this Cabinet cluster will ensure that education priorities and directions build on one another,” Yee said.
Trifocalization was the product of EDCOM I, when CHED and TESDA were created in addition to what used to be the Department of Education, Culture, and Sports or DECS. There was an attempt before to implement a coordination council for the three agencies but the government failed to institutionalize it.
On June 19, Marcos named Senator Juan Edgardo “Sonny” Angara as the new DepEd secretary, effective July 19. Angara inherits a gargantuan problem in the education sector, including the poor performance of Filipino students in global education assessments. A World Bank report showed that 9 in 10 Filipino students aged 10 are struggling to read simple text. – Rappler.com
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US envoy flexes Wescom ‘coordination’ as WPS tensions rise
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Bea Cupin
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11/07/2024 19:00
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'COORDINATION MEETING.' US Ambassador MaryKay Carlson meets with Western Command chief Vice Admiral Alfonso Torres Jr. in Palawan.
US Ambassador MaryKay Carlson
Coordination over what? Both Philippine and American officials were tight-lipped on Thursday, July 11, about an apparent “coordination meeting” between United States Ambassador to Manila MaryKay Carlson and Vice Admiral Alfonso Torres Jr., commander of the Western Command (Wescom).
Carlson had apparently visited the Wescom in Puerto Princesa, Palawan.
Wescom is the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Unified Command that is tasked to guard the western front of the country, including the West Philippine Sea.
It’s Wescom that’s had to deal with China’s incursions in flashpoints like Ayungin Shoal or Second Thomas Shoal, Escoda or Sabin Shoal, and Pagasa or Thitu Island, among other features that are close to Palawan.
Other features in the West Philippine Sea, such as Scarborough or Panatag Shoal, are under the Northern Luzon Command.
“The United States and the Philippines are energized and aligned in our efforts to uphold international law and support a #FreeAndOpenIndoPacific,” said Carlson in a post on X (formerly Twitter).
In a message to the media, US embassy spokesperson Kanishka Gangopadhyay declined to disclose details of “diplomatic discussions” but said: “As Allies, the United States and the Philippines coordinate on a wide array of issues of shared concern.”
Most prominent of the Wescom’s tasks, perhaps, are regular rotation and resupply missions (RORE) to Ayungin Shoal, where a handful of Philippine Navy personnel are stationed at the BRP Sierra Madre for months at a time. Missions to Ayungin are often precarious, with the China Coast Guard (CCG) routinely harassing Philippine vessels that try to bring supplies and a fresh batch of soldiers to the beached warship.
The last resupply mission on June 17 was the worst and most violent confrontation between Chinese and Filipino personnel yet – the CCG harassed soldiers already moored close to the BRP Sierra Madre and eventually towed away the rigid hull inflatable boats (RHIBs) of the Naval Special Operations Command. The CCG proceeded to damage the RHIBs and equipment on board. A soldier lost his thumb because of China’s high-speed ramming.
The AFP is demanding at least P60 million as payment for the equipment they ruined. China also seized seven rifles from the Philippines, which they have yet to return.
Previous missions to Ayungin Shoal were marred by other forms of harassment – the use of water cannons against Philippine ships, for instance.
The United States and the Philippines are treaty allies, bound by agreements that include the Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT), a decades-old agreement that, if invoked, means one country should come to the defense of the other in the event of an attack. Washington has since affirmed that the MDT “extends to armed attacks on Philippine armed forces, public vessels, or aircraft – including those of its Coast Guard – anywhere in the South China Sea.”
A resupply mission to the BRP Sierra Madre is due sooner rather than later – the June 17 resupply mission was, after all, disrupted by China’s harassment. Resupply missions in the months before that were either disrupted or only brought less supplies than usual – the May 19 resupply, for instance, was done via airdrop and even that was subject to China’s harassment and interception.
Could this meeting be related to a forthcoming RORE? Officials won’t say – nor would we expect them to confirm nor deny these things, on or even off the record. Wescom has yet to respond to inquiries from Rappler.
Philippine officials, even after the June 17 incident, have said that it will not be invoking the MDT – specifically, Article IV, which states that if one party is under attack, the other “would act to meet the common dangers in accordance with its constitutional processes.”
There have been calls, however, including from South China Sea observer and maritime security expert Ray Powell, to invoke Article III, which covers “consultations” between the US and the Philippines “whenever in the opinion of either of them the territorial integrity political independence or security of either of the Parties is threatened by external armed attack in the Pacific.”
Officials have also tried to bring tensions down at sea and on land through diplomacy. Manila on July 2 hosted the Bilateral Consultation Mechanism on the South China Sea between the Philippines and China. – Rappler.com
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Former BDO banker Walter Wassmer joins Bangko Sentral’s Monetary Board
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lkyu0285
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11/07/2024 19:10
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First Philippine Holdings Corporation
MANILA, Philippines – After an “unprecedented” ghost employee scandal resulted in the resignation of two Monetary Board members from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has appointed seasoned banker Walter Wassmer to fill one of those vacant positions.
Wassmer previously spent decades in senior positions at BDO Unibank, the Philippines’ biggest bank. He served as a consultant and non-executive director for BDO from April 2022 onwards. Before that, he was a senior executive vice president and head of the bank’s institutional banking group from 1997 to 2022.
Wassmer was also appointed as a senior board advisor of First Philippine Holdings Corporation in November 2022.
He was described as a “top banker” in the Presidential Communications Office press release that announced his appointment on Thursday, July 11.
Wassmer also happens to be childhood friends with the President. The Swiss-Filipino banker has known Marcos since their grade school days at La Salle Green Hills.
“We were together in school. We were together in the Boy Scouts. We went out camping together,” Wassmer said in an interview with state-owned Radyo Pilipinas on June 30, 2022, when Marcos took office.
“Very warm, very accommodating. A true friend,” Wassmer said about Marcos.
Wassmer’s appointment comes at a crucial time when the BSP’s once-vaunted integrity has been called into question.
For months, the BSP has been investigating reports of “ghost employees” who supposedly got hefty paychecks despite not showing up at the central bank. Two Monetary Board members were allegedly involved in the scheme.
“The irregularities appear unprecedented in an organization that upholds integrity and professionalism at all levels. The BSP remains committed to upholding that,” the central bank said in a statement.
Although the BSP has not named names, other outlets such as The Philippine Star have identified Anita Aquino and Bruce Tolentino. Both have since submitted their resignation letters to Marcos.
Aquino and Tolentino were both appointed by former president Rodrigo Duterte.
With Wassmer’s appointment, there is still one more seat on the Monetary Board that needs to be filled. The central bank’s highest policy-making body also includes the following:
– Rappler.com
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RESULTS: June 2024 Psychometricians Special Professional Licensure Examination
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lfangeles0309
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11/07/2024 17:26
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The following is a press release from the Professional Regulation Commission.
The Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) announces that 7 out of 16 passed the Psychometricians Special Professional Licensure Examination given by the Board of Psychology in: Abu Dhabi and Dubai, United Arab Emirates; Al Ahmadi, Kuwait; Al-Khobar and Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; Doha, Qatar; and Singapore last June 2024.
The members of the Board of Psychology who gave the licensure examination are Hon. Miriam P. Cue, Chairman; Hon. Imelda Virginia G. Villar and Hon. Hector M. Perez Members.
Those who will register are required to bring the following: downloaded duly accomplished Oath Form or Panunumpa ng Propesyonal, notice of admission (for identification only), 2 pieces passport sized pictures (colored with white background and complete name tag), 2 sets of documentary stamps and 1 piece short brown envelope. Successful examinees should personally register and sign in the Roster of Registered Professionals.
Check the performance of schools here:
Here’s the full list of passers:
– Rappler.com
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11 killed, 5 hurt in vehicular collision in Cagayan
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gdecastro0289
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11/07/2024 11:40
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TRAGIC. Eleven passengers of a Toyota Hilux are killed in a collision with a Florida bus in Cagayan province on July 11, 2024.
Cagayan Public Information Office
MANILA, Philippines – Eleven people who had just come from a wake were killed and five were injured in a vehicular collision early Thursday morning, July 11, in Cagayan in northern Philippines, according to the Cagayan Provincial Information Office (PIO).
In a Facebook post, the Cagayan PIO said the collision happened in Barangay Ayaga, Abulug town, Cagayan. It also posted photos of the two vehicles involved, a red Florida bus and a black Toyota Hilux SUV pickup.
The photos show the black Toyota SUV an almost total wreck and the Florida bus’ front windshield and other windows badly damaged. The Hilux crashed into a public market after the collision, while the bus ran aground against a wall.
In an interview with radio DZBB, Abulug Police Station Commander Major Antonio Palattao said the collision happened past midnight at a highway intersection in the village of Ayaga.
He said all 11 killed were passengers of the Toyota Hilux, which had 14 people on board including the driver. They all had just come from a relative’s wake in Flora, Apayao province in the Cordillera Administrative Region and were returning home to Barangay Dana-Ili, Allacapan, Cagayan.
Philippine National Police (PNP) Abulug identified 10 of those killed: Rodolfo Time Sr. and his son Rodolfo Jr.; siblings Evelyn Time and Christina Jane Time; and their relatives Mary Jane Time, Lovely Time, Crishia Shane Time, Kimberly Mangupag-Time, Rodelyn Time, and Angel Time. A GMA 24 Oras report identified the other fatality as Esmeralda Israel.
Most of them were apparently seated at the bed of the Hilux pickup and fell off after the collision. They were dead on arrival at the hospital, said Palattao.
The driver of the Toyota Hilux, Nestor Mangupag, a resident of Gattaran, Cagayan, was also related to the passengers who were all residents of Allacapan, Cagayan.
Palattao said the pickup driver and two young girls seated in front of the pickup were injured and were brought to a hospital along with the Florida bus driver and the bus conductor.
The Florida bus driver, Jay-jet Andrada, a resident of barangay Logac, Lal-lo, Cagayan, broke his leg.
Palattao said the Florida bus, which came from Baguio City and was on its way to Sta. Ana, Cagayan, had “right of way” on the national highway but was not able to avoid the Toyota SUV after the latter suddenly appeared at the highway junction Ayaga.
A post on Cagayan PIO’s Facebook said that based on initial investigation, the pickup truck was on the provincial road of Barangay Ayaga and was turning toward the national highway but got hit by the Florida bus.
Palattao said the collision could been avoided had the vehicles slowed down at the intersection.
Twenty-three passengers of the Florida bus sustained minor injuries such as bruises and had all gone home.
Palattao said police will look at the CCTV footage so they can determine how the collision happened. He said the bus driver will face a complaint of reckless imprudence resulting to homicide and damage to property. – Rappler.com
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FACT CHECK: US, PH did not destroy Chinese ship in Escoda Shoal
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Lorenz Pasion
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11/07/2024 16:58
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Claim: US and Philippine forces surrounded and destroyed a Chinese ship in Escoda Shoal, also known as Sabina Shoal.
Why we fact-checked this: The YouTube video containing the claim has garnered 891 views and 34 likes as of writing. It was posted on July 7 by a YouTube channel with 34,100 subscribers.
The title of the video states: “Tension! US and Philippine forces surround and destroy Chinese CCG Ship intruding Escoda Shoal area.”
The bottom line: There are no reports of the US and Philippines destroying a Chinese ship in Escoda Shoal. The defense departments of the US, Philippines, and China have not made any announcements confirming the supposed incident.
The claim comes amid reports that China’s largest coastguard vessel, CCG 5901, entered Manila’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) on July 2 and dropped anchor at the shoal on July 3. The 165-meter ‘monster ship,’ the largest coast guard vessel in the world, traveled to Ayungin Shoal, then Mischief Reef, and then to Escoda Shoal.
The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said it has been constantly sending radio challenges warning the Chinese vessel that it was inside the Philippines’ EEZ. PCG spokesperson Commodore Jay Tarriela said, “It’s an intimidation on the part of the China Coast Guard.”
“We’re not going to pull out and we’re not going to be intimidated,” he added.
Escoda Shoal: Escoda Shoal is a coral reef formation located 75 nautical miles off Palawan, within the Philippines’ 200-nautical mile EEZ.
In April, the PCG’s largest and most modern vessel, the BRP Teresa Magbanua, was deployed to the shoal to monitor suspected Chinese reclamation activities. Despite the presence of the Philippine vessel, China conducted a military exercise and harassed Filipino scientists and PCG personnel during a marine scientific research mission.
China claims most of the South China Sea despite a 2016 ruling by The Hague-based Permanent Court of Arbitration which said Beijing’s claims had no legal basis.
Fact-checked: Rappler has debunked numerous posts related to maritime tensions between the Philippines and China:
– Katarina Ruflo/Rappler.com
Katarina Ruflo is a Rappler intern. She is currently pursuing a degree in Political Science with a major in International Relations and Foreign Service at the University of San Carlos, Cebu.
Keep us aware of suspicious Facebook pages, groups, accounts, websites, articles, or photos in your network by contacting us at factcheck@rappler.com. You may also report dubious claims to the #FactsFirstPH tipline by messaging Rappler on Facebook or Newsbreak via Twitter direct message. You may also report through our Viber fact check chatbot. Let us battle disinformation one Fact Check at a time.
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CBCP chooses prayer over rhetoric amid West Philippine Sea tensions
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Herbie G
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11/07/2024 13:46
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EUCHARISTIC CELEBRATION: Bishops enter the Saint Augustine Metropolitan Cathedral for the Eucharistic celebration following the second day of the 128th plenary assembly held in Cagayan de Oro on Sunday, July 7.
CBCP News
CAGAYAN DE ORO, Philippines – Amid the mounting geopolitical storm over the West Philippine Sea (WPS), the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) has opted for silence over rhetoric, choosing prayer as their weapon of choice.
“We do not want to add further fuel to the tension. Nobody wants a war. Our parents… they were part of a generation that was traumatized by the Second World War,” said Caloocan Bishop Pablo Virgilio David, CBCP president, as he called on everyone to pray for peace.
During a news conference in Cagayan de Oro on Monday, July 8, David said the bishops also agreed on an Oratio Imperata for peace amid the backdrop of increasing geopolitical tensions in various regions of the world.
Oratio Imperata, Latin for “obligatory prayer,” is prescribed by local bishops or religious authorities in the Catholic Church. It is used during times of calamity, conflict, or special community intentions to seek divine intervention or guidance for pressing concerns or crises.
Instead of taking a stand, the CBCP said it chose to offer prayers amid the tensions, emphasizing the bishops’ role as spiritual and moral leaders.
Cagayan de Oro Archbishop-Emeritus Antonio Ledesma said on Wednesday, July 10, he and other priests in the city welcomed the decision of the CBCP not issue an official position pertaining to the tensions at the WPS.
The CBCP announced this shortly after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. ordered the Armed Forces to calm tensions in the WPS after recent conflicts with China over missions to resupply Filipino troops on a disputed shoal.
The Philippine military has formally asked China to return seized firearms and compensate for damage caused to vessels involved in the resupply mission.
Meanwhile, priests in Cagayan de Oro are still riding high on the wave of excitement following the historic plenary assembly of the CBCP in the city. For the first time, the influential bishops’ group gathered in Mindanao, addressing and uniting on the pressing issues of the day.
Ledesma said it was a great honor for Cagayan de Oro to host the CBCP’s 128th plenary assembly from July 6 to 8, marking the organization’s inaugural gathering in Mindanao.
Even the city’s mayor, Rolando Uy, who hosted an event for about 80 bishops, expressed pride in Cagayan de Oro being chosen as the venue for the CBCP’s first high-level meeting in Mindanao.
The gathering gave bishops from Visayas and Luzon the opportunity to see the situation of the Catholic churches in this part of the country, according to Father Der John Faborada, social communications apostolate director of the Catholic Archdiocese of Cagayan de Oro.
Faborada said the bishops wanted to do more than just visit; they sought to listen to the voices of the people of Mindanao, gaining a deeper understanding of the challenges faced by the churches in the city and Northern Mindanao.
Before the assembly in Cagayan de Oro, the bishops attended a four-day retreat at the Transfiguration Abbey in Malaybalay City, Bukidnon, from July 1 to 4.
A Eucharistic celebration took place at the Saint Augustine Metropolitan Cathedral in Cagayan de Oro on July 7, officiated by The Most Reverend Charles John Brown, Apostolic Nuncio in the Philippines. The bishops then visited the Divine Mercy Shrine in El Salvador City, Misamis Oriental, a site renowned for its religious significance and growing popularity among tourists.
“They were also able to see the different parts of Cagayan de Oro. So, for me, it was a good learning experience for the bishops as different dioceses have their own strengths and weaknesses,” Ledesma said.
Father Wilbert Laroga, parish priest of the Santuario Eucaristico-Sacred Heart Parish Church in Cagayan de Oro, said the CBCP assembly in the city resonated with the ongoing “Synodality of the Catholic Church,” which refers to the journey of the people of God together.
“That’s one way of expressing their seriousness about the synodality,” Laroga said.
Bishop Pablo Virgilio David, CBCP president, said the bishops agreed on 22 resolutions during the three-day assembly in Cagayan de Oro, but he only elaborated on four, explaining that the rest pertained to internal matters.
David said it was agreed by the bishops to formulate and issue a joint pastoral statement on the controversial bill that seeks to legalize absolute divorce in the country. He said the pastoral statement on absolute divorce would be released by the end of this week.
During the assembly, the CBCP passed a resolution endorsing the National Shrine of Saint Padre Pio in Lipa, Batangas, for international shrine status. The bishops also approved the upgrading of the Our Lady of the Assumption in Maasin City, Southern Leyte, and Our Lady of Mercy in Novaliches, Quezon City, to national shrine status. – Rappler.com
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IN PHOTOS: PH Air Force in Australia for int’l aerial military drill
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Bea Cupin
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11/07/2024 12:21
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FIRST. The Philippine Air Force's FA-50PH fighter jets arrive at RAAF Base, Darwin, Australia for Pitch Black 24, in July 2024.
Philippine Air Force 5th Fighter Wing
MANILA, Philippines – A total of 162 Philippine Air Force (PAF) personnel, alongside the PAF’s C-130 Tactical Transport aircraft and four FA-50PH fighter jets, are in Darwin, Australia to participate in Pitch Black 2024, a joint military exercise that is bringing together the air forces of over 20 nations from across the globe.
The Philippines is participating in Pitch Black for the first time. According to a release from the PAF, it is also the “first time that the PAF has sent its aircraft overseas for an international exercise.”
The first batch of PAF personnel arrived on July 7, followed by the rest of the contingent on July 10. The contingent is led by Colonel Randy Pascua, Deputy Wing Commander of the 5th Fighter Wing.
The contingent will be in Australia until August 2 for the exercises.
– Rappler.com
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Designated survivor? Sara Duterte to skip Marcos’ 3rd SONA
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Bonz Magsambol
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11/07/2024 14:24
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VICE PRESIDENT. Vice President Sara Duterte.
Facebook Page of Inday Sara Duterte
MANILA, Philippines – Vice President Sara Duterte said on Thursday, July 11, that she will not attend President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s third State of the Nation Address (SONA).
It will be the first time for Duterte to skip the President’s SONA since she assumed the vice presidency in 2022. The difference this year is that she is no longer part of the Marcos Cabinet following her resignation as education secretary in June.
Asked by reporters in a chance interview in Davao City if she would attend the SONA on July 22, Duterte took a deep breath, smiled, and paused for a few seconds. Asked again, she responded: “No. I will not attend the SONA.”
“I am appointing myself as the designated survivor,” she deadpanned.
WATCH: Vice President Sara Duterte to skip Marcos' 3rd SONA🎥 OVP @rapplerdotcom pic.twitter.com/D5c1KsMco2
The Vice President made the quip amid persistent rumors of an ouster plot against the President. Former senator Antonio Trillanes IV had claimed that the Vice President’s father, former president Rodrigo Duterte, was behind the alleged plot.
There is no rule in relation to a designated survivor in the Philippine government but in the United States, the role is assigned to someone in the Cabinet who would be brought to a secure location while the US president delivers his State of the Union Address held before the US House of Representatives, in a joint session of Congress and members of the Cabinet, with the US vice president in attendance. This is to ensure the unbroken line of succession should there be a catastrophic event during the SOTU.
Speaker Martin Romualdez said that while public officials have “the prerogative to decide on their attendance at significant events,” the SONA “is a crucial moment for unity and collaboration among our nation’s leaders.”
“Our constituents deserve to see their leaders united and focused on the collective good. Despite the Vice President’s absence, the House of Representatives remains committed to working with all branches of government to ensure that President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ R. Marcos Jr.’s SONA reflects our collective efforts to improve the lives of Filipinos. Unity and collaboration will continue to guide us forward,” he added.
Manila 3rd District Representative Joel Chua slammed Duterte’s statement, saying that the security of the President is “not a joking or laughing matter.”“Given current political tensions, such a joke is not in good taste because the security of the President of the Philippines is not a joking or laughing matter. Great care is taken to ensure the security of the President, especially during the SONA,” he said in a statement.
Duterte resigned from the Marcos Cabinet on June 19. She said earlier that she resigned as DepEd chief “out of concern” for teachers and the youth. Her exit from the Marcos Cabinet confirmed the insurmountable rift inside the Uniteam coalition forged in the 2022 elections for the Marcos-Duterte tandem.
Marcos earlier said that on his part, he believed that the Uniteam tandem remained “the same.” This was on June 27, a week after Duterte resigned.
Preparations are underway for Marcos’ 3rd SONA at the Batasang Pambansa on July 22. House Secretary General Reginald Velasco said the government has earmarked P20 million to spend on the annual program. (READ: Is P20 million for the SONA to much?) – with reports from Kaycee Valmonte/Rappler.com
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Magnitude 7.1 earthquake strikes off Sultan Kudarat
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Mia Gonzalez
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11/07/2024 12:13
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Phivolcs
MANILA, Philippines – A magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck off the coast of Sultan Kudarat on Thursday, July 11, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said in a bulletin.
Phivolcs said the earthquake, which was tectonic in origin, struck at a depth of 722 kilometers.
No damage was expected but aftershocks were anticipated, Phivolcs said.
Intensity IV – Jose Abad Santos, Davao Occidental
Intensity III – City of Mati, Davao Oriental; Glan, Sarangani
Intensity II – Maragusan, Davao de Oro; City of Tagum, Davao del Norte; Libungan, and Tulunan, Cotabato; Kiamba, Maitum, and Malapatan, Sarangani; City of Koronadal, South Cotabato; City of General Santos
Intensity I – City of Davao; Tantangan, South Cotabato; Lebak, Sultan Kudarat
Intensity III – Don Marcelino, and Jose Abad Santos, Davao Occidental; Glan, and Malungon, Sarangani
Intensity II – City of Tagum, Davao del Norte; City of Digos, Davao DEL SUR; Matalam, Cotabato; City of Cotabato
Intensity I – Nabunturan, Davao de Oro; City of Davao; City of Kidapawan, Cotabato; Maitum, Sarangani; T’Boli, and Tampakan, South Cotabato; Bagumbayan, Esperanza, Isulan, Kalamansig, Lambayong, and Lebak, Sultan Kudarat; City of Bislig, Surigao del Sur
– Rappler.com
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Negros Occidental activist is latest to win ‘warrant factory’ case
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Jairo Bolledo
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11/07/2024 15:41
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Shutterstock.com
MANILA, Philippines – A Negros Occidental activist is the latest to win a case stemming from a judge’s so-called “warrant factory.”
Imelda Sultan, a local leader of the National Federation of Sugar Workers (NFSW) in Escalante City, Negros Occidental province, was acquitted on July 10 of illegal possession of firearms and explosives, human rights group Karapatan said on Thursday, July 11.
Sultan was arrested on November 1, 2019 for illegal possession of firearms, but rights groups claimed the weapons were planted.
Earlier, Lindy Perocho, Sultan’s colleague, was also cleared of the same charge. She was arrested along with Sultan in 2019 based on a warrant issued by Quezon City Executive Judge Jocelyn Burgos-Villavert.
“They endured five years of unjust detention. Their acquittal provides added proof of the flimsy and capricious bases for the issuance of Judge Villavert’s search warrants against activists,” Karapatan secretary-general Cristina Palabay said.
Sultan and Perocho are the latest activists to score a win against warrants issued by Villavert.
Rappler monitoring showed that at least 32 activists, including the two Negros Occidental activists, have walked free after securing dismissal of their cases. According to Karapatan, the warrants issued by Villavert led to the arrest and filing of cases against 76 activists from 2018 to 2020.
Majority of the cases were junked after several courts, including the Court of Appeals (CA) and the Supreme Court (SC), voided the warrants. Although several activists have already been freed, some still languish in detention.
“Karapatan will continue to campaign for and demand the release of other activists who are still languishing in jail because of Judge Villavert’s spurious search warrants…These are Vicente Ladlad, couple Alberto and Virginia Villamor, Joel Demate, Mark Ryan Cruz, and Jaymie Gregorio Jr. who are detained at Camp Bagong Diwa in Taguig City; and Romina Astudillo who is being held at Camp Karingal in Quezon City,” Palabay said.
Activist groups had described Villavert as being a “warrant factory” for issuing multiple warrants against activists. She even issued warrants executed in other parts of the country based on SC Circular AM No. 03-8-02-SC, which empowers executive judges of the Manila and Quezon City Regional Trial Courts to issue search warrants that can be served outside their jurisdictions, but following certain procedures.
Section 12, Chapter V of the circular says Manila and Quezon City executive judges have the authority to act on applications of the Philippine National Police and the National Bureau of Investigation, but that the applications “shall be personally endorsed by the heads of such agencies.”
Villavert was the judge who issued warrants against activists Reina Mae Nasino, who was pregnant at the time of her arrest, and Ram Carlo Bautista and Alma Moran. Like Sultan and Perocho, the three were slapped with illegal possession of firearms and explosives charges, but they said the police planted the evidence.
Nasino gave birth to her daughter, Baby River, while in jail and at the height of the pandemic. While Nasino was detained, Baby River died shortly after her mother filed a motion for furlough. Nasino later walked free after they were granted bail and courts voided the warrants issued by Villavert. Last April, the SC upheld the voiding of Nasino’s warrant, followed by a Manila court’s decision clearing them of all their charges.
Aside from Nasino, journalist Lady Ann Salem and trade unionist Rodrigo Esparrago were also arrested based on a Villavert-issued warrant. A Mandaluyong court later cleared the two of their charges, saying the search warrant used to arrest them was void. The CA later affirmed the lower court’s decision.
In 2021, the SC scrapped the power of Quezon City and Manila judges to issue warrants outside of their jurisdiction. For years, activists have been calling on the SC to probe judges like Villavert for alleged errors in the warrants they issued.
Villavert is now gunning for an associate justice seat at Sandiganbayan and CA, and activists have opposed her bid. – Rappler.com
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FACT CHECK: Video shows game simulation, not US, PH missile attack on China
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Lorenz Pasion
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11/07/2024 16:26
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Claim: The combined forces of the Philippines and US launched a 24-hour missile attack on China’s capital Beijing.
Why we fact-checked this: The claim was made in the title and thumbnail of a YouTube video streamed live on July 2 that has 544,000 views, 3,900 likes, and 617 comments as of writing.
The title of the video states: “Happening today! The capital Beijing was hit by a US-Philippine missile attack for 24 hours.”
Its thumbnail shows an image of the Great Hall of the People in Xicheng, Beijing in flames and a crowd of people running away.
The bottom line: An attack of this scale would have already been reported by major news organizations, but there are no reports from reputable news sites about the supposed attack on Beijing. The defense departments of the Philippines and China have not issued any statements confirming the claim.
The 11-hour-long video does not show real footage of Beijing under attack, but instead features clips from the open-world, multiplayer sandbox game Arma 3, produced by Czech game developer Bohemia Interactive.
The video’s description states: “This is Arma 3 gameplay video. SIMULATION ONLY, NOT REAL LIFE!” However, several comments on the video indicate that some users believe the video to be true, while others criticized the video uploader for fear-mongering.
Rising tensions: The video was posted amid ongoing tensions between the Philippines and China in the South China Sea. On June 29, Chinese ships briefly blocked a rescue mission led by the Philippine Coast Guard as it came to the aid of a Filipino fishing vessel near Bajo de Masinloc. The two countries’ forces also clashed in an incident on Ayungin Shoal in June, which left one Filipino soldier with his thumb cut off.
China has repeatedly rejected the 2016 arbitral ruling invalidating its expansive claims over the South China Sea. Amid increased incidents of Chinese aggression, the US has reiterated its “ironclad commitment” to support its ally, but the Philippines said it prefers to handle operations on its own.
Fact-checked: Rappler has released multiple fact-checks debunking claims on supposed attacks and confrontations with China:
– Katarina Ruflo/Rappler.com
Katarina Ruflo is a Rappler intern. She is currently pursuing a degree in Political Science with a major in International Relations and Foreign Service at the University of San Carlos, Cebu.
Keep us aware of suspicious Facebook pages, groups, accounts, websites, articles, or photos in your network by contacting us at factcheck@rappler.com. You may also report dubious claims to the #FactsFirstPH tipline by messaging Rappler on Facebook or Newsbreak via Twitter direct message. You may also report through our Viber fact check chatbot. Let us battle disinformation one Fact Check at a time.
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Miss Grand Philippines opens applications for 2024 pageant
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Ysa Abad
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11/07/2024 13:30
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Miss Grand Philippines' Facebook
MANILA, Philippines – The search for the next Miss Grand Philippines is on!
On Thursday, July 11, the pageant’s official page announced that applications for the Miss Grand Philippines 2024 pageant are now available.
“Show the Philippines what you’ve got to become the first Filipina to bring home the golden crown,” they captioned the post.
Interestingly, the pageant organizers didn’t specify any requirement for the aspiring candidates.
However, based on the application form found on their social media pages, beauty queen hopefuls should input their body measurements and information such as height, weight, hair color, eye color, bust, waist, hips, shoe size, and hat size.
Other information needed in the application form also include occupation, outstanding and past contracts with talent management (if any), media appearances (if any), and participation in previous beauty pageants (if any).
Those interested to join can email the accomplished application form together with one full body, swimsuit, and headshot photos at info@alvpageantcircle.org. As of writing, a deadline for submission has yet to be announced.
Moreover, the organization also has yet to disclose other details regarding the pageant, including a date for coronation night and the titles up for grabs.
The upcoming Miss Grand Philippines 2024 pageant would be the second time that the competition would be under ALV Pageant Circle. The franchise was previously under Binibining Pilipinas Charities (BBPCI) until BBPCI withdrew in November 2022.
For its 2023 edition, Cagayan de Oro’s Nikki de Moura was crowned. She failed to enter the Top 20 of the pageant’s international edition.
Since the Miss Grand International started in 2013, no Filipina beauty queen has taken home the golden crown. The Philippines’ highest placing in the pageant is 1st runner-up from Nicole Cordoves (2016) and Samantha Bernardo (2021). – Rappler.com
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IN CHARTS: Marcos struggles in perking up business sentiment, taming inflation
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Ralf Rivas
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11/07/2024 14:55
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MANILA, Philippines – President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s economic managers have repeatedly touted the bright economic prospects of the Philippine economy.
In an economic forum last May 27, Finance Secretary Ralph Recto said the Philippines is on course to “becoming an upper-middle income status by 2025, lifting 14 million Filipinos out of poverty by 2028, and positioning the country as the 13th largest consumer market globally by 2030.”
“The Philippines is expected to become a trillion-dollar economy by 2033 and surpass France to become the 14th largest economy in the world by 2075,” Recto said.
While the economic team has highlighted what the economy could be like five decades from now, sentiment from the business community, so far, has been tepid.
The latest business expectations survey by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) revealed that business sentiment turned less upbeat in the second quarter due to softer demand for goods and services, ongoing international conflicts that may push oil prices higher, and a slowdown in business activity due to El Niño.
Sentiment of respondents, drawn from the country's top 7,000 firms, also weakened for the next quarter and the next 12 months amid lower demand for products due to inflation.
Construction and the services sectors were less optimistic due to various factors, including expectations of lower demand for manpower services, higher vacancies of city hotels and resorts, and adverse impact of geopolitical tensions overseas.
The stock market was also relatively dull two years into the Marcos administration. With the lack of catalysts, companies have generally held back their plans to go public.
Inflation was Marcos' first economic headache. Inflation was above the 2-4% target range for 20 months since Marcos became President, and only went down within target last December 2023.
Prices of goods flared up due to a confluence of domestic and external factors, with the poorest households being hit the hardest. As of June, inflation for all income households tempered to 3.7%, but the poorest or bottom 30% income households saw an increase of 5.5%.
Prices of rice, the Filipino household's staple food, remained at double-digit levels, rising to 22.5% in June.
Costs of transportation, electricity, and other household expenses, however, have started to stabilize.
Affordability of housing is another sticky issue under Marcos. Prices of housing units rose to 6.1% in the first quarter of 2024. Various researchers have pointed out that most Filipinos can't find suitable homes near jobs, nor afford the monthly amortizations needed to own them.
Out of the different housing types, prices of duplex houses were the most erratic, jumping by 36.2%. Condominium units have gone up to double-digits once again, rising by 10.2%.
Unemployment under the Marcos administration has remained low, but the quality of jobs and wages remains in question.
As of May 2024, the unemployment rate stood at 4.1%, equivalent to 2.1 million jobless Filipinos. This is an improvement from the 4.3% posted last May 2023, equivalent to 2.17 million unemployed people.
The underemployment rate fell to 9.9% in May 2024 from 11.7% in May 2023. There are currently 4.8 million employed Filipinos looking for more hours of work.
The recent P35 minimum wage increase was met with strong criticisms, with labor groups calling the hike "laughable."
To improve the quality of life of Filipinos, the government needs to spend for infrastructure and social services.
Marcos, however, is operating under a tight fiscal space amid mounting debt. His predecessor, former president Rodrigo Duterte, borrowed a total of P6.8 trillion during his term, leaving Marcos with the problem of managing debt while maintaining economic growth.
As of end-May, national government debt ballooned to P15.35 trillion. Of the total debt stock, 31.96% was external debt while 68.04% was domestic debt.
Since the pandemic, the government accumulated debts that were falling due in the near term, instead of those with longer tenors.
The government's economic managers, however, are confident that the country's debt pile is manageable. The debt-to-GDP ratio, which looks at debt relative to the size of the economy, is currently at 60.2%. The lower the ratio, the better the government's ability to service debt.
To lower the financial pressure brought about by debt, the Marcos administration needs to find new revenue sources.
Data from the Department of Finance showed that government expenditures are rising much faster than government revenues, resulting in a wider deficit.
Marcos and his economic team will have to look for new revenue sources and improve tax collection to lower the deficit.
– Rappler.com
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Gilas getting there, but not quite yet after historic Olympic qualifiers stint
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jisaga0269
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10/07/2024 7:00
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ALL SMILES. Justin Brownlee (32) and Kai Sotto (11) in action for Gilas Pilipinas in the 2024 FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers.
FIBA
MANILA, Philippines – For three nights on the first week of July, Filipino basketball fans cheered on Gilas Pilipinas who went toe-to-toe with some of the top teams in the world in the FIBA Paris Olympic Qualifying Tournament held in Riga, Latvia.
Those three nights allowed Filipinos to hope for something that previously seemed unreachable – the right to be one of the 12 teams in the Paris Olympics.
For some, hope was the point of it all, a glimmer that people could hold on to that rekindled their love and passion for the national team, a flicker that showed that the Philippines could be competitive against the world’s best.
For coach Tim Cone, however, the campaign in Riga was a mission unaccomplished. The goal was not merely to show that Gilas Pilipinas could keep in step with competition.
The prize was never just the journey nor the learning experience. The prize was to win it all and make it to Paris. Cone regarded “almost winning” for what it truly is – a loss.
That kind of mentality, perhaps, is the game changer that allowed Gilas Pilipinas to go as far as it did in the qualifiers.
Whereas before, the objective when facing world class teams was not to get blown off the court or keep the score close, then try to steal a win in the end. This time around, Gilas Pilipinas came out throwing haymakers with an eye on knocking down their foes.
The desire to win had always been there even for previous iterations of Gilas Pilipinas. This was true for the Yeng Guiao-mentored squad in the 2019 World Cup even as they lost all five games by an average of 29.4 points.
This was also true when Chot Reyes handled the team that could win only once in five games despite the support of the home crowd in the 2023 FIBA World Cup.
The difference this time around is that aside from the desire to win, Cone has been able to instill in this current Gilas Pilipinas the belief that it could actually win.
After Cone steered Gilas Pilipinas to an unexpected gold in the Asian Games last year, the first time the country bagged the top plum since 1962, the logical next step would have been to attempt to regain Asian basketball supremacy by winning the 2025 FIBA Asia Cup in Saudi Arabia.
It was a prudent objective for Gilas, one that would still require a ton of effort considering how the team has fared against Asian rivals in the last 10 years.
Since 2015, the Philippines has lost its head-to-head battles against South Korea (2 wins, 6 losses), Lebanon (2 wins, 5 losses), and Jordan (4 wins, 6 losses).
The only teams that Gilas has consistently defeated are fading Asian giants Iran (5 wins, 4 losses) and China (4 wins, 3 losses). Gilas also has a 6-1 record against emerging Asian power Japan, but Japan won the last encounter in 2022 by 21 points.
There was always a sense of foreboding in the past every time Gilas Pilipinas faced Australia or New Zealand. There was a quiet resignation that they were bigger, more organized, more athletic, and did everything better than Gilas Pilipinas.
Australia had beaten the Philippines by an average of 24.6 points in three matches in the last 10 years. Since 2013, New Zealand has prevailed over the Philippines five times by an average winning margin of 19.6 points.
It is no longer unreasonable to actually aim to defeat the Boomers and the Tall Blacks. This proposition will be tested on November 21 when Gilas Pilipinas faces New Zealand in the FIBA Asia Cup qualification. It will not be easy, but it can be done.
It is also no longer foolish to dream even bigger.
Qualifying anew for the 2027 FIBA World Cup in Qatar. Earning a berth in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. Not just making up the numbers in these competitions but actually becoming a legitimate threat that could beat even the best of them.
The blueprint was already laid out in Riga, especially when Gilas Pilipinas stunned world No. 6 and host Latvia, 89-80, before their home fans.
It was a monumental upset against a team that placed fifth in the 2023 FIBA World Cup, only missing out on the semifinals after a heartbreaking 79-81 loss in the quarterfinals to eventual champion Germany.
It was the first win in 64 years by the Philippines over a European team in a FIBA event. From 2014 to 2023, the Philippines had lost 18 straight games to national teams from Europe.
The last time the Philippines chalked up a win over a Euro side was when the RP Selecta team tripped Ukraine, 100-98, in a three-day pocket tournament held in Sondrio, Italy, in June 2002, when Kai Sotto, born on May 11, 2002, was not even a month old yet. Carl Tamayo and Kevin Quiambao were just over a year old.
But it is imperative to remain grounded and continue to strengthen the program. After all, to put things in the proper perspective, counting the tuneup games that Gilas Pilipinas played as they prepared for the OQT, the team won just twice in six games.
Three of those losses came against European teams, including the two-point defeat to Georgia. The last was against eventual OQT winner and world No. 12 Brazil in a match where the Philippines led by six points at the half.
It was in that last loss that valuable lessons surfaced.
One is the need for the team to have more depth. Sotto’s absence in the knockout semis versus Brazil took a heavy toll on Cone’s frontline rotation.
AJ Edu will be a welcome addition. But other than Edu, one wonders who else is in the horizon, given that Japeth Aguilar is already 37 and Mason Amos has not gained Cone’s trust yet.
A healthy Scottie Thompson taking turns running the backcourt with Chris Newsome, Dwight Ramos, and CJ Perez will be a luxury that Cone would be only too happy to have.
Gilas Pilipinas did shoot an impressive 46.8% clip from the three-point region in the three games in the Olympic qualifiers.
Adding a shooter or two to the pool will never be a bad idea. Jordan Heading is a solid option. So is Matthew Wright who was the most prolific Filipino last season in the Japan B. League, converting 2.4 triples per game.
The right program is in place, and all indications suggest that this will be sustained. The right coach is at the helm, one who understands the amount of work that still needs to be done.
The world now has taken notice of Gilas Pilipinas. But it takes more than just the right mindset and team culture to become a significant force in the global stage.
Gilas is not there yet, but it is on the right track to get there eventually. – Rappler.com
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Gilas Women fall to Chinese Taipei-A, settle for 4th in Jones Cup
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Jasmine Payo
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11/07/2024 10:39
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YOUNG GUN. Naomi Panganiban in action for Gilas Women.
FIBA
MANILA, Philippines – Gilas Pilipinas Women closed out their 43rd William Jones Cup campaign on a losing note as they fell to Chinese Taipei-A, 82-66, on Wednesday, July 10, at the Xinzhuang Stadium in Taiwan.
Naomi Panganiban – who just recently suited up for Gilas Girls in the FIBA U18 Women’s Asia Cup Division B – dropped a game-high 19 points for the Filipinas, but her scoring output wasn’t enough as they missed out on a podium finish and wrapped up the tournament at fourth place with a 2-3 slate.
Afril Bernardino and Stefanie Berberabe backstopped the 18-year-old Panganiban with 12 points each, while Gilas Women star Jack Animam chalked up 8 markers and 9 rebounds in the losing effort.
Playing in its fifth game in as many days, the Philippines got off to a slow start as it trailed Chinese Taipei-A by double figures at the end of the opening frame, 10-26.
Gilas Women managed to outscore Chinese Taipei-A, 22-21, in the second quarter and 17-15 in the third frame, but the 16-point separation Chinese Taipei-A built at the start was simply too much for the Filipinas to overcome late.
Chinese Taipei-A shot the lights out from beyond the arc as it cashed in 8 of its 15 three-point attempts, while the Philippines was held to a dismal 2-of-17 clip from deep.
Yu-Ting Lin led the charge for Chinese Taipei-A with 15 points, to go along with 3 rebounds and 4 assists.
Prior to this setback, the Philippines scored a 68-58 win over Thailand on Tuesday, July 9, to keep its then slim gold medal hopes alive.
That victory, however, went for naught as Japan Universiade secured the gold medal shortly after with an 84-34 drubbing of Malaysia on Tuesday.
Japan Universiade completed a dominant 5-0 sweep of the tournament en route to the gold medal finish, while Chinese Taipei-A placed second with a 4-1 card.
Chinese Taipei-B, Gilas Women, and Thailand all finished with an identical 2-3 record, but due to quotient system, Chinese Taipei-B ended up at third place, while the Philippines and Thailand wound up fourth and fifth, respectively.
Gilas Women bowed to Chinese Taipei-B, 73-60, in their Jones Cup opener last Saturday, July 6, before bouncing back with a 74-63 win over the sixth-placed Malaysia on Sunday, July 7.
The Filipinas’ toughest defeat of the tournament came at the hands of eventual champion Japan Universiade on Monday, July 8, where they suffered a heartbreaking 85-83 loss after climbing back from a double-digit deficit at the start of the fourth quarter.
In that match, both Bernardino and Animam breached the 20-point scoring territory with 21 and 20 markers, respectively.
Bernardino led the Philippines in scoring in this year’s Jones Cup with 13 points per game.
Panganiban made a good account of herself in her Gilas Women debut as she averaged 12.6 points in five matches.
Animam, meanwhile, was a force to be reckoned with inside the paint as she averaged 11.6 points and 12.2 rebounds this tournament, including a monster 21-rebound performance versus Thailand. – Rappler.com
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Ex-Cagayan de Oro mayor, 4 others in fertilizer fund mess get prison terms
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Herbie G
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11/07/2024 11:12
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Former Cagayan de Oro congressman and mayor Constantino Jaraula talks to reporters in this file photo.
Mindanao Gold Star Daily
MANILA, Philippines – The anti-graft court sentenced former Cagayan de Oro mayor Constantino Jaraula and four others to six to 10 years of imprisonment after finding them guilty of graft in connection with the misuse of fertilizer funds during the Arroyo administration.
Jaraula, who was a Cagayan de Oro congressman at the time, was also barred from holding any government position for life in a 77-page ruling signed by Associate Justices Arthur Malabaguio, Geraldine Faith Econg and Edgardo Caldona of the Sandiganbayan 2nd Division on July 8.
This wasn’t Jaraula’s first conviction. Three years ago, he and alleged pork barrel scam mastermind Janet Lim Napoles were convicted of graft and malversation. Jaraula was also convicted of three counts of direct bribery.
The 2021 ruling found them guilty of earning at least P20.8 million from Jaraula’s pork barrel allocation through spurious nongovernmental organizations.
In 2018, Jaraula was charged with conspiring with DA officials to select an unqualified group to implement agricultural projects under the Ginintuang Masaganang Ani-Farm Input Farm Implements Program (GMA-FIFIP).
Along with Jaraula, Joel Rudinas, Ma. Reina Lumantas, and Claudia Artazo were also perpetually disqualified from holding government positions. Rudinas served as technical director, Lumantas as budget officer, and Artazo as accountant of the Department of Agriculture (DA) in Northern Mindanao at that time.
Rudinas, Lumantas, and Artazon were found criminally liable for processing and releasing funds to a nongovernmental organization that was unaccredited by the DA, and despite “patent defects and conspicuous irregularities” in a memorandum of agreement.
The Sandiganbayan also convicted Evelyn de Leon, president of the Philippine Social Development Foundation Incorporation (PSDFI), the private group which implemented the anomalous project in Cagayan de Oro.
They were ordered to pay the Cagayan de Oro city government P3 million, with 6% interest starting from the date of the final decision.
The anti-graft court, however, cleared one of the co-accused, former Cagayan de Oro city agriculturist Godofredo Bajas, due to insufficient evidence.
The Sandiganbayan also acquitted all of them on a separate charge of malversation of public funds due to lack of evidence.
Prosecutors noted that PSDFI’s office was in Taguig City, far from Cagayan de Oro, violating Commission on Audit Circular No. 96-003.
Documents also showed PSDFI had no capacity to implement the project, and that it relied solely on donations, grants, and membership fees.
The court found evidence of “bad faith, partiality, and gross negligence” in the defendants’ actions.
The court said Jaraula’s defense, that he relied on assurances from the late Rufo Chan, the DA regional director then, was unconvincing. Chan died in 2005.
“It runs counter to the ordinary experience of men that before one affixes his signature on the document, he must examine the contents of the same,” read a part of the decision.
Jaraula’s admission, the court said, showed negligence even as it noted that the ex-congressman “placed the blame on the late RD Chan who cannot testify for himself.” – Rappler.com
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Ayo says Converge still mulling No. 1 pick as PBA Draft offers multiple options
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delfin.dioquino editor
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10/07/2024 20:28
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TOWERING. Justine Baltazar in action during the 2024 PBA Draft Combine.
PBA Images
MANILA, Philippines – The late addition of top prospects in the PBA Draft has given Converge headaches as the FiberXers decide on who to select with the No. 1 overall pick.
Converge head coach Aldin Ayo on Wednesday, July 10, said the FiberXers have trimmed down their choice to a few players ahead of draft proceedings on Sunday, July 14, at Glorietta in Makati City.
“There are three to four players on our radar. We’ll think about it,” said Ayo in a mix of Filipino and English as he attended the Draft Combine at Ynares Arena in Pasig.
Justine Baltazar, a two-way big man out of La Salle, has long been expected to be chosen by Converge not just due to his impressive credentials but also because of his Pampanga connections with the young franchise.
FiberXers team owner Dennis Anthony Uy hails from the same province, while Pampanga Governor Dennis “Delta” Pineda, who coaches Baltazar in the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League, is closely tied with Converge.
The FiberXers once attempted to appoint Pineda as their team governor to no avail.
But the inclusion of the likes of Sedrick Barefield, Kai Ballungay, RJ Abarrientos, and Dave Ildefonso has provided Converge more options.
A 6-foot-2 guard, Barefield is the only player in the pool with NBA G League experience, Ballungay is an athletic 6-foot-6 forward, while former Gilas Pilipinas guards Abarrientos and Ildefonso are both coming off overseas stints.
“One month before the deadline, we all thought it would be a boring draft. Then all of a sudden, everything became interesting because the good players followed,” said Ayo. “We thought it would not be a deep pool.”
“It is a hard decision because you really have to think about it. There are kinds of players in this pool that you’re not going to see every year,” said Ayo.
“There are players who can be a foundation of your program. There are players who will be good for five to seven years who will make your program competitive as long as you get them.”
Although still undecided, Ayo said the FiberXers are putting premium on size and all-around skills.
“We’re going to look for a player who is versatile enough to make up for our deficiencies, especially on defense,” said Ayo. “We lack bigs. And at the same time, firepower. We lack offense.”
After Converge, Blackwater will pick second followed by Terrafirma at No. 3, Phoenix at No. 4, NorthPort at No. 5, NLEX at No. 6, Rain or Shine at No. 7 and 8, Magnolia at No. 9, and Barangay Ginebra at No. 10.
The two conference champions last season, Meralco and San Miguel round out the first round at No. 11 and 12, respectively. – Rappler.com
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Sandiganbayan affirms Napoles’ bribery conviction, triples penalty to P79M
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Mia Gonzalez
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11/07/2024 11:03
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ANTI-GRAFT COURT. The Sandiganbayan in Quezon City.
Jansen Romero/Rappler
MANILA, Philippines – The anti-graft court Sandiganbayan not only affirmed the bribery conviction of pork barrel scam mastermind Janet Napoles but also raised her penalty to P79 million from P27 million.
In a resolution issued on July 8, a special division of five justices voted 3-2 to affirm the conviction of Napoles and former Association of Philippine Electric Cooperatives (APEC) representative Edgar Valdez for nine counts of direct bribery in connection with the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) or pork barrel scam.
Presiding Justice Amparo Cabotaje-Tang and Associate Justices Maryann Corpus-Mañalac concurred with the majority ruling penned by Associate Justice Rafael Lagos that the lesser crimes of direct bribery and corruption of public officials were sufficiently alleged in the original information for plunder when it was filed in 2015.
Napoles had filed a Motion for Reconsideration in October 2023, asking the Sandiganbayan Fifth Division to reverse its October 2, 2023 guilty verdict. At the time, she was deemed guilty of nine counts of corruption of public officials with a sentenced to two years and four months imprisonment for each count or a total of 21 years, and fine of P27 million.
The court not only denied her appeal but also increased her penalty to P79.04 in civil liability – the amount released to bogus private foundations Masaganang Ani Para sa Magsasaka Foundation, Inc. (MAMFI), the Philippine Social Development Foundation Incorporated (PSDFI), and Social Development Program for Farmers Foundation, Inc. (SDPFFI).
“This total amount of P79,040,000 comprised the public funds that went to the coffers of the three NGOs under the control of accused Napoles, and thus constituted the actual damage suffered by the Government,” the anti-graft court said.
This is the breakdown of the funds transferred to Napoles’ bogus NGOs, according to the court:
“The penalty to pay a fine is not equivalent to finding an accused civilly liable for restitution. It is imperative that the courts prescribe the proper penalties when convicting the accused and determine the civil liability to the imposed,” the court said.
It said that civil liability “constitutes the actual damages suffered by the government resulting from the unlawful scheme” that tapped into Valdez’s PDAF allocations.
Napoles and Valdez had questioned the application of the “variance rule” on their case, They argued that since the Sandiganbayan found insufficient evidence to convict them of plunder, they should have been acquitted of all crimes stemming from the original charge.
Valdez said that being convicted of direct bribery despite his acquittal of the original indictment of plunder violated his constitutional right to be informed of the case against him. Napoles supported this position and argued that the bribery charges should have been filed and tried separate from the original plunder case.
Associate Justice Ma. Theresa Mendoza-Arcega submitted a dissenting opinion adopted by Associate Justice Lorifel Pahimna to grant Napoles’ and Valdez’s motions for reconsideration which would acquit them of all charges.
Arcena noted that Valdez and Napoles were charged and tried on the charge of plunder, and that their right to be informed about the nature and cause of the bribery allegation should take precedence over the application of the variance rule.
The majority supported the view that the variance rule is applicable, if it is necessarily included in the original crime charged.
The court pointed out “accused Valdez and Napoles were adequately apprised that the plunder information included the lesser offenses of bribery and corruption of public officers.”
“They were not caught by surprise. They should have been able to intelligently prepare and defend to the same,” the anti-graft court said. – Rappler.com
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Runner named after missed Asian Games races to 2024 Palarong Pambansa’s first gold
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jisaga0269
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11/07/2024 9:12
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ELITE. Cebuana runner Asia Paraase in action in the 2024 Palarong Pambansa
Jacqueline Hernandez/Rappler
CEBU, Philippines – Cebuana runner Asia Paraase donned the hometown hero cape to kick off the first competition day in the 2024 Palarong Pambansa after ruling the girls secondary 3,000-meter run and bagging the tournament’s first gold medal on Thursday, July 11.
Winning by a good margin against other standout runners from all over the Philippines, the 17-year-old certainly did her name proud – not only her last, that’s a given, but surprisingly her first as well.
After the race, Paraase shared that she was named after the Asian Games as her mother, former national team runner Sarah Mae Abucay, gave up trying to chase her dream event due to being pregnant with her.
“My mother was already trying out [to qualify] for the Asian Games, but she became pregnant with me. So when it was time to name me, she just passed that name to me,” she said in Filipino.
Paraase cruised to the first 2024 Palaro gold with a time of 10 minutes and 27.36 seconds, 12 seconds faster than silver medalist Chrishia Mae Tajarros (10:39.72) of Eastern Visayas, and bronze medalist Mary Jane Pagayon (10.52.72) of Davao Region.
Perhaps passing the name of Sarah’s once-aspired event worked wonders, as her daughter Asia not only grew into a standout runner like her, but now also holds the dream of reaching the same Asian Games she once gave up.
“I hope I make it to the Asian Games and SEA (Southeast Asian) Games,” Paraase said. “I just trust in myself, trust in God, and trust the training I have. That’s the only strength I can bring to the games.”
With one Palaro gold already in the bag, Paraase remains a strong bet for her remaining competitions, the 1,500m run and 4×400 relay, both on Sunday, July 14.
Little by little, Paraase can very well rise, practically destined, to be one of Asia’s best.
It’s in the name, after all. – Rappler.com
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Construction worker’s daughter bags gold medal in Palaro 2024 discus throw
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jsitchon0312
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11/07/2024 11:05
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DISCUS THROW. 12-year-old Arianna Rabi (center) strikes the No. 1 pose with her coaches after winning the discus throw elementary girls competition in the Palarong Pambansa 2024.
John Sitchon/Rappler
CEBU, Philippines – Ilocos Norte’s Arianna Dawn Rabi, a 12-year-old discus thrower, made herself a champion on her debut performance on Day 1 of the Palarong Pambansa 2024 discus throw elementary girls division.
Rabi threw her disc as far as 31.21 meters, still several meters shy from breaking the 2017 record of 35.56 meters by Kate Julienne Martinez of the Negros Island Region.
“I prayed [to God] for strength,” Rabi told Rappler on Thursday, July 11.
Rabi comes from a humble family. She is the youngest daughter of a housewife and a construction worker.
The young athlete shared that she had only gotten into discus throwing a year prior to the national sporting event with the help of her parents and elder sister, so she dedicated her victory to them.
Rabi said she looked up to her sibling, Alrielle, who recently graduated from college, hoping she could follow in her footsteps as a future teacher.
“Para din makatulong sa mga bata (So I can also help the youth),” the young athlete added.
Rabi’s mother, Diomely, told Rappler she was so nervous for her youngest daughter that she was unable to do any chores at home.
Upon learning of the athlete’s victory, the mother shared that she “burst with joy” and told her daughter, over the phone, how truly proud she was of Rabi.
Congratulatory remarks also rained on Rabi from her peers and her school, Gabu Elementary in Laoag City, Ilocos Norte.
“Your dedication and hard work have truly paid off. Your achievement not only brings pride to our school, Gabu Elementary School but also inspires all aspiring athletes,” the school’s socia media post read.
– Rappler.com
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Central Luzon athlete sets new Palarong Pambansa record in long jump
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clescudero0258
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11/07/2024 11:23
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RECORD-BREAKING GOLD. Central Luzon's Jyane Kirt Cantor bags the long jump gold in the elementary boys division of the Palarong Pambansa 2024 at the Cebu City Sports Center on July 11.
Jacqueline Hernandez/Rappler
CEBU CITY, Philippines – Jyane Kirt Cantor of Central Luzon wowed spectators at the 2024 Palarong Pambansa in Cebu City on Thursday, July 11, as he set a new Palarong Pambansa record at 6.14 meters for the elementary boys division of long jump.
The previous record was 6.04m, set by Jeremie Tamles from the Davao Region during the national meet in Naga City, Camarines Sur, in 2002.
Chrispherl Kyle Ngirngir of Western Visayas clinched the silver medal, while Ace Francis Bacongallo of Central Visayas won bronze.
Cantor, a Grade 6 student at the Caanawan Elementary School in San Jose City, Nueva Ecija, has been a student-athlete for three years. He previously played triple jump before one of his trainers saw his potential in long jump.
2024 marks the 12-year-old Cantor’s first time to compete in the Palaro. He did not expect to win gold – much less break a Palaro record – as he placed 12th during the regional meet.
The young athlete was trained by no less than Southeast Asia’s “strongest man” Aries Toledo, who brought pride to Nueva Ecija and the Philippines after clinching gold medals during the Southeast Asian Games in 2017 and 2019.
Cantor was also inspired by his parents – his father is an overseas Filipino worker in Saudi Arabia and his mother is a supervisor.
“Nagpapasalamat po ako sa kanila, dahil sa walang sawang pagsuporta nila sa ‘kin (I want to thank my parents for giving me their never-ending support),” the student-athlete said during an interview with reporters.
Cantor is also competing in the 100m on Saturday, July 13. – Rappler.com
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Tim Cone gives Japeth Aguilar his flowers for Gilas Pilipinas sacrifices
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delfin.dioquino editor
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10/07/2024 22:24
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REBOUND. Japeth Aguilar in action for Gilas Pilipinas in the 2024 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament.
FIBA
MANILA, Philippines – It is uncertain whether Japeth Aguilar suited up for Gilas Pilipinas for the final time in the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament.
After all, Aguilar – the oldest in the team at 37 years old – only came in as a replacement for injured big man AJ Edu.
So national team head coach Tim Cone made sure to celebrate the veteran forward by defending Aguilar after he received criticism for his play in the OQT in Riga, Latvia.
“I begged Japeth to join us in Latvia. He wanted to let the young guys do it and spend more time with his wife and new baby,” Cone wrote on X.
A national team mainstay, Aguilar hinted at retiring from Gilas Pilipinas after helping the squad capture the Asian Games crown for the first time since 1962 in Hangzhou, China, in October.
But he nonetheless answered the call when Cone brought him in for the first window of the FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers in February as injuries to Edu and June Mar Fajardo depleted the Philippines’ frontline.
With Edu unable to return to the pink of health from his knee injury, Cone asked Aguilar to reinforce the team one more time in the OQT, where the Philippines overachieved by upsetting Latvia and advancing to the semifinals.
“Kept begging. When AJ Edu went down, he finally relented after more begging,” said Cone.
Aguilar came off the bench in the two group stage games before he got slotted into the starting lineup for the semifinal clash against Brazil as Kai Sotto went down with a rib injury.
He finished with 4 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 blocks in the 71-60 loss to Brazil, which ended the Philippines’ bid of qualifying for the Paris Olympics.
For Cone, the presence of Aguilar goes beyond the numbers.
“He led us, he was our team captain. His sacrifice for country was total,” said Cone.
Aguilar, though, is expected to relinquish his spot as Edu hopes to come back just in time for the second window of the Asia Cup Qualifiers in November.
Whether he plays for Gilas Pilipinas again, Aguilar has etched a remarkable national team career, representing the country in three FIBA World Cup editions and helping the Philippines regain Asian supremacy. – Rappler.com
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Is shelling out P20 million for SONA too much?
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Kaycee
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11/07/2024 8:30
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SONA. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. delivers his second State of the Nation Address on July 24, 2023.
Screengrab from RTVM
Preparations for President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s 3rd State of the Nation Address (SONA) are in full swing at the Batasang Pambansa and while no final figures have emerged yet, the government has earmarked P20 million to spend on the annual program.
A red carpet event known for its extravagance in recent years, Filipinos online have been up in arms about the P20-million allocation, saying it is too much for a one-day event, especially as many Filipinos still struggle to make ends meet.
House Secretary Reginald Velasco defended the budget on Wednesday, July 10, saying that the budget already “covers a range of essential expenses.” It was previously thought to cover only food for the guests, prompting one netizen to ask: “Will each of them get lechon?”
“Every peso allocated for the SONA is carefully scrutinized and managed to reflect the significance of this Constitutionally mandated event while being conscious of public sentiments regarding the use of taxpayers’ money,” Velasco said in a press statement on July 10.
Over the weekend, Bayan president Renato Reyes said the event “showcases tone-deaf pageantry and overkill security.” Reyes was reacting to Philippine National Police chief General Rommel Francisco Marbil, who called on activists to refrain from inconveniencing the public with protests.
“If anything, the people have a right to protest the worsening crisis under this regime,” Reyes said. “Government gives workers a paltry P35 wage hike amid skyrocketing prices, of course the people will protest.”
The government rolls out the red carpet for officials during the President’s annual address, giving them the celebrity treatment and the opportunity to make statements about what they’re wearing.
The SONA has become among the most awaited fashion events in the country, especially now that showmen-turned-public officials are at the center of it. (READ: IN PHOTOS: What government officials wore to SONA 2023)
This has prompted criticism that the event has become devoid of real meaning, with the late senator Miriam Defensor Santiago calling it a “thoughtless extravagance.”
“The SONA event should be a serious time for the Congress to pick up policy directions indicated by the President. It should not be treated as Oscar night in Hollywood, with a red carpet, where peacocks spread their tails and turn around and around, as coached by media in a feeding frenzy,” Santiago said in 2013.
Prior to former president Rodrigo Duterte’s SONA, Davao del Norte 1st District Representative Pantaleon “Bebot” Alvarez reminded his colleagues at the lower chamber to just come in a simple business attire.
According to Velasco, expenses incurred while preparing for SONA are accounted for in the P20-million budget. This includes staff meals, inter-agency coordination meetings, as well as invitations and giveaways.
The budget will also cover the following on the day of the President’s address:
The House of Representatives also had renovations done at the Batasan to help enhance security measures.
“Our goal is to ensure that the 2024 SONA is conducted with the highest standards, reflecting our dedication to serving the people with integrity and accountability,” he added.
Over 2,000 high-profile guests have confirmed for Marcos’ 3rd SONA, including members of the diplomatic corps, heads of international organizations, and other government officials.
The lower chamber’s staff is looking to see how to accommodate all of the guests, considering the session hall can accommodate only a little over 1,300. Additional 500 seats will be provided inside the hall, while more viewing rooms will be made available for those attending.
Velasco noted on Wednesday that the government has so far yet to make full use of the P20 million. – Rappler.com
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House Secretary Reginald Velasco stated that they are “conscious of public sentiments regarding the use of taxpayers’ money.” But the government’s actions suggest a showcase of the reigning Political Dynasties’ money, fame, and power. He is conscious of the public sentiments, but he has subtly given greater priority to the reigning Political Dynasties’ uncontrolled greed for money, fame, and power. But what can he do other than follow their wishes?
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For OFWs, distance makes broken marriages harder to fight for
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Michelle Abad
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11/07/2024 9:30
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“I should be the one there with you. Your father should have been the one working abroad, not me.”
These are the thoughts that Australia-based Filipino caregiver Rhea* had while reflecting on her relationship with her children, the fruits of her failed marriage.
Like many Filipino domestic workers and caregivers, Rhea deals with the emotional toll of taking care of children who are not her own. But as if to rub salt into the wound, her estranged husband has led her children to believe that she abandoned them.
Rhea is one of around 100,000 members of pro-divorce lobbying group Divorce for the Philippines Now. According to group convenor Cici Leuenberger-Jueco, majority of their members are overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).
The Philippines remains the only country in the world, apart from the Vatican, without divorce. The bill seeking to reinstate absolute divorce remains pending in Congress, with conservative and religious groups among the most vocal opposition to the bill.
Much has been said about the stories of battered women in irreconcilable marriages, but the distance involved in OFW families drives the wedge between the couples even deeper, leaving some of them to arrive at divorce as the only answer.
Rhea never expected things to end up this way, as her relationship began with love. Her plans were simple: continue to be an active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, get a stable job, and work hard to pay back the sacrifices her mother made for her.
These plans changed when she was determined to marry Joshua* no matter the cost. He had different religious beliefs, which was a no-no in her religion. When they moved to Joshua’s hometown Davao, his family was hostile towards her, as Joshua was their breadwinner. Him being with her meant a shift in his responsibilities.
“I was ready to face the consequences because of the love I had for him. And I also saw that he loved me too,” she said.
The flaws in him began to surface, starting with Joshua’s revelation that he already had a child from a relationship in his teens. In living with Joshua’s family, Rhea also noticed her partner’s dependence on his mother when making decisions.
Rhea could still have backed out, since they were not married yet, but she chose to accept who he was – past, flaws, and all.
Rhea and Joshua married in January 2006 and relocated to Samar, where Rhea’s mother lived. But within the first years of marriage, Rhea noticed that he didn’t give much attention to her as he did before. They had their first baby in the first year, and he found a job working in the agriculture-veterinary industry in a town three hours away from their home.
In one surprise visit to his workplace, Rhea said she saw a woman leaving the boarding house where Joshua was alone. Doubts filled Rhea’s mind at that point, and persisted when they returned to Davao and lived with Joshua’s family, who still heavily depended on him.
“Supporting his family was fine with me. But it shouldn’t have been at a point where as soon as he receives his salary, it goes straight to his mother, and what’s left with me is money to buy diapers,” she said.
Years passed, but the conditions of their marriage stayed the same. More incidents fed into Rhea’s suspicions of infidelity even after the birth of their second child. She witnessed a woman backriding on his motorcycle on an evening he returned home very late, with an excuse that work ended late. Joshua never confirmed having an affair, but Rhea believes that he did.
“I had so many reasons to leave him, to decide to let go. But I continued to give him chances,” she said.
Rhea found an opportunity to work as a domestic worker in Saudi Arabia for two years, beginning 2016. Perhaps this would be a new beginning for their family, she thought.
“Before I left, I told his manager to let him keep his job. I had hoped that we could save our incomes together, so that I wouldn’t have to go back abroad. I only learned from my kid that he transferred jobs and went to Leyte. When I came home, he wasn’t there. And my children were basically still wearing the same clothes they had when I left,” she said.
Rhea discovered that Joshua gave the remittances she sent him to his mother, or he loaned them out to receive them back with interest. But when they went to the supposed borrowers, they were nowhere to be found. Rhea did not have any savings.
Frustrated, she tried going abroad once again, this time as a caregiver in Taiwan for another four years. She only found out when she came home that her children had a traumatic experience when she was away: Joshua had been in a “mistaken involvement” case with the New People’s Army (NPA), and the military had raided their home.
“To save my ex-husband, my daughter shouted, ‘Papa, there are people coming.’ A soldier pointed a gun to her head and made her kneel. They did the same with her younger brother. And I was abroad in Taiwan. I didn’t hear a thing,” she said.
Both of her children were minors at the time. They survived, but were diagnosed with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.
Rhea ended things for good with Joshua at this point. But she also dealt with what she called the “brainwashing” of her children, where her in-laws led them to believe that she went abroad to find another man and abandon her responsibilities to them. “Even if I wanted to explain to them why I left, I couldn’t defend myself because I was so far away.”
Antoniette Cabales has a similar story to Rhea’s. Once an idealist romantic, Antoniette chose to build a life with her first boyfriend, Gordon*, whom she met in 2009.
Gordon did not work. He told Antoniette that he couldn’t because he had no education, which led her to become the family’s breadwinner. She first went abroad to work as a domestic worker in Taiwan in 2013, the year their first child was born.
Antoniette also dealt with red flags even before getting married, saying Gordon was already unfaithful to her. But she chose to marry him upon returning home in 2016 for the sake of being with her child, who was cared for by his family. In the eyes of Gordon’s family, she was merely one of his women, and she just wanted the respect that came with being a legal wife.
While in the Philippines, Antoniette found work as a technician at a waxing salon to continue providing for her family.
“I saved enough to give him some capital for a small business. I wanted a fresh start. But all he did was spend it on alcohol and women…and then I sunk into debt,” she said.
Antoniette kept trying. They had their second child in 2017 while she continued to work. She heard from neighbors that Gordon had women backriding on the motorcycle that Antoniette’s loaned money bought.
In 2018, Antoniette resigned from her job. “I said I wanted to focus on the children. I gave him money to put up a business again. And I told him, ‘You should be the father now, and I will be the mother.’” They had their third child in 2019.
With the family having no other source of income, Gordon finally worked as a fruit vendor. But he kept his distance from Antoniette emotionally, and the cheating suspicions continued. One day in 2020, he complained about her cooking, which led to a shouting match that built up to her confronting him about the other women.
“My anger went through the roof. And that’s when he pointed a knife at me. I told him, ‘Let’s separate. I’m taking the children.’ And he told me, ‘I will kill you before you take them.’ Then I said, ‘Fine, kill me!’ And my children were watching. They were crying while watching us fight,” she said.
The fight ended with Antoniette walking out, and finding solace in her family. She posted online about Gordon’s supposed mistress, but she took it down, mindful that she could be sued for cyber libel. She couldn’t be sued, she said, because she had plans of going abroad again.
In 2023, Antoniette returned to Taiwan to work. She no longer coursed her remittances to him – this time to a friend who bought the things they needed, or to their teachers at school.
In May 2024, in a video call with her eldest child, she asked to speak with Gordon.
“I told him that the past was behind us, but I hoped that he would talk to me, person-to-person, for the sake of the children. I told him, ‘I will give you P20,000. Do whatever you want, if you want to date someone else, fine. But this money has to go to the children,’” she said, with her child witnessing the conversation.
Antoniette assured her children that she was always there for them, even though she and her husband agreed to separate. But like Rhea, it was Antoniette’s word against their father’s, who was there with them physically. Because she could not communicate with them often, she was no longer close to them. But their father was.
“Once, when I was home, I took the kids out to bond. But while we were out, they asked me, ‘Are we going home to Papa?’” she said.
“That hurts for me as a mother. But I remind myself that the children will grow up and look for a mother. I believe that one day, my children will realize that I never abandoned them,” she added.
For the two OFWs, it was clear that their relationships had gone to a point of no return. Both had exhausted every effort they could give to keep their families complete. They are still abroad, with Antoniette still in Taiwan, and Rhea now working in Australia.
Antoniette hopes to buy property of her own one day, but she knows that she cannot do that as long as she is tied down to Gordon. Custody of their children is also unclear, since they are separated in space and emotion but not on paper.
“If there were divorce, we would have a binding agreement regarding custody. I want to be able to legally have my own time with my children. I also want to have him legally obligated to support them. His excuses of not having an education will no longer fly,” she said.
She thought of filing for annulment, but did not push through with it because of fear her local barangay officials would side with Gordon, who were his fellows at church. She tried to file for a violence against women case at the barangay, but she said her record appeared to have disappeared when she followed up.
Rhea, meanwhile, did not want to pursue annulment because she couldn’t afford it.
“I don’t want to waste money. It’s already difficult to provide for my family – why would I spend money allotted for my children’s future, for an annulment? Annulment is so complicated and seems impossible,” she said.
According to Divorce for the Philippines Now convenor Jueco, many of the OFWs share stories like Antoniette’s and Rhea’s. Usually, even before leaving, the marriage already had problems to begin with, and being physically separated made it harder to fix things.
“The ones leaving to be OFWs usually have financial problems in the Philippines. This leads to them always fighting to begin with,” she said.
As of 2022, majority of OFWs are women, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority. The social cost of labor migration has often been linked to mothers missing out on raising their children.
“Many OFW women have guilt. They already have so many problems – from their employers, to their contracts, to their loneliness and homesickness. Then you have to deal with your marriage breaking down, and you cannot even guide your children through it,” said Jueco.
OFWs have also been targets of divorce and annulment scams. One common modus, Jueco noted, is one where scammers convince a spouse to pay a certain fee to process a divorce in a Muslim court, as Sharia law allows for divorce in the Philippines.
The Code of Muslim Personal Laws, which is the legal basis of Muslim divorce, says its provisions on marriage and divorce only apply to marriages where both are Muslim, or where only the man is a Muslim and the marriage is solemnized under Muslim law. Otherwise, the Civil Code applies, which does not provide for divorce.
Antoniette said she almost fell for the offers, with scammers offering to process a Muslim divorce for a price of P200,000.
“There are so many OFWs who fall for it. Sometimes, they don’t have access to news, so they get wrong information from YouTube, TikTok, or Facebook,” said Jueco.
Jueco believes that the social cost of the OFW phenomenon should not just be focused on the relationship of the mothers and their children. The public should pay attention to how marriages break apart as well.
Rhea said that every time she uses her married name, it feels like “torture.”
“It reminds me of what I went through…. I was not physically abused, but I was abused emotionally, psychologically. In effect, that hurt more. Because when you get hurt physically, you can see it heal. But for me, I don’t feel any healing.”
After spending some time to rebuild herself, Rhea also found a new, loving partner she believes God set for her to find. She is also going through the process of bringing her daughter to Australia with her, as her in-laws refuse to let go of her son.
Antoniette’s biggest mistake, she said, was marrying Gordon. “I just want to make it right.”
The House of Representatives passed the divorce bill on final reading in May. Its counterpart bill in the Senate remains up for decision in plenary. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. had said he was open to allowing divorce, but that it should not be “easy.”
Still, the bill remains absent from the list of his top priority bills for passage in Congress before the current batch of lawmakers adjourns in May 2025. – Rappler.com
*Names have been changed at sources’ request for privacy.All quotes have been translated to English for brevity.
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MEDAL TALLY: Palarong Pambansa 2024
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jisaga0269
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10/07/2024 14:33
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CEBU CITY, Philippines – The Palarong Pambansa, the Philippines’ biggest grassroots multisport event, graces the Queen City of the South, Cebu City, for its 64th edition running from July 11 to 15, again with more than a thousand medals in store for the country’s best young athletes.
Spicing up the usual regional wars, the National Academy of Sports (NAS) and Philippine Schools Overseas (PSO) are entering the medal tally as two new “regions,” bringing the total from the usual 17 to 19 for the first time ever.
Check our live updates: Palarong Pambansa 2024: Games, results, updates
Here are the overall medal tally and the elementary and secondary division rankings:
– Rappler.com
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NU Lady Bulldogs off to rousing SSL start
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Jasmine Payo
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10/07/2024 23:13
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STEPPING UP. NU veteran Vange Alinsug reacts during the 2024 Shakey’s Super League.
Shakey’s Super League.
MANILA, Philippines – The National University women’s volleyball team sent a clear message to the rest of the field right in the opener of the 2024 Shakey’s Super League (SSL) National Invitationals.
Even with top guns like Bella Belen playing sparingly, the NU Lady Bulldogs made quick work of Enderun Colleges, 25-19, 25-15, 25-16, for a rousing start in Pool A action on Wednesday, July 10, at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
Veteran Vange Alinsug and young winger Kaye Bombita led the Lady Bulldogs’ balanced scoring in the match that wrapped up in one hour and 18 minutes.
“Since the national team members are leaving for the Japan camp, we need to work on the other players’ connection aside from the technical skills,” said NU head coach Norman Miguel as UAAP MVP Belen and fellow Alas Pilipinas player Arah Panique hardly saw action.
Alyssa Solomon, the UAAP Finals MVP, has been sidelined due to an injury.
But it hardly mattered as Alinsug took charge with a game-high 14 points as NU saw 13 players chipping in on offense.
The Lady Bulldogs, the reigning back-to-back SSL Collegiate Preseason Championship winners, can secure a quarterfinal spot with another victory over Xavier University-Northern Mindanao Selection on Friday, July 12.
“We’re happy with our first win, especially since our goal in this tournament is to gain experience and exposure for our players, especially the rookies,” said Miguel.
Shane Carmona was the lone Enderun player in double figures with 10 points. while Erika Deloria and Zenneth Perolino scored 6 and 4 markers, respectively
Meanwhile, Letran swept University of San Carlos, 25-22, 25-14, 25-12, in Pool D behind the duo of Nizelle Martin and Lea Tapang.
The Lady Knights wingers scored 10 markers each and combined for 18 of the squad’s 39 kills.
Gia Maquilang collected 8 of her 9 points on spikes, while Angelique Ledesma added 7 for Letran.
Jearl Lapitan paced USC with 7 points while Eunice Navarro had 4 markers.
SSL games are available via livestream on Smart Livestream and Puso Pilipinas, and on cable in Solar Sports; organized by Athletic Events and Sports Management, Inc.; and backed by Shakey’s Pizza Parlor, Eurotel, Victory Liner, and Mikasa.
July 11 games feature a quadruple-header with UST and Southern Mindanao tangling at 9 am, and LPU battling USPF at 12 pm.
Letran and CSB collide at 2 pm, before the game day wraps with the 4 pm duel between Xavier University-NM and Enderun. – Rappler.com
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Hontiveros flags link of ex-Duterte adviser Michael Yang to illegal POGOs
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Bonz Magsambol
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10/07/2024 20:47
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DUTERTE LINK? Senator Risa Hontiveros presides over the public hearing on illegal Philippine Offshore Gaming Oprerators on July 10, 2024.
Angie de Silva/Rappler
MANILA, Philippines – Senator Risa Hontiveros expressed concern over the possibility that former president Rodrigo Duterte’s economic adviser Michael Yang had a hand in the illegal activities of the Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGOs) in the country.
During the Senate hearing led by her committee on Wednesday, July 10, Hontiveros said that a certain Gerald Cruz, who is linked to the illegal POGO hub in Bamban, Tarlac, is connected with Yang’s Philippine Full Win Group of Companies Inc.
Cruz is also linked to Pharmally Biological Inc., which used to be the parent company of controversial government pandemic supplier Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corporation that was allegedly financed by Yang. (READ: Michael Yang was Pharmally’s financier, guarantor to Chinese suppliers)
Cruz is listed as corporate secretary in Full Win and Pharmally Biological. (READ: Michael Yang, associates expand businesses under Duterte presidency)
“Mahalaga na ‘yung Gerald Cruz connection at definitely mas iimbestigahan pa yan ng kumite… Mukhang Pharmally group ito, same cast of characters. Kaya mahalagang we get to the root of it, dahil mukhang itong grupong ito, itong Pharmally group, ay posibleng andun nga sa roots ng problema natin sa POGO,” Hontiveros told reporters in a chance interview when asked about the connection of illegal POGOs with Yang.
(It’s important that we look into the Gerald Cruz connection. Definitely, the committee will investigate this more. It seems that it’s the Pharmally group, same cast of characters. So it’s better that we get to the root of it, because this group, this Pharmally group, is possibly included in the roots of our problems in POGO.)
Cruz is one of the incorporators of Brickhartz, which is a service provider linked to the POGO hub in Bamban. It was the same POGO service provider implicated in a separate kidnapping and human trafficking case flagged by Senator Grace Poe in a privilege speech in December 2022.
Hontiveros said that Xionwei Technologies, the POGO licensee of Brickhartz, was owned by Yang.
“Ang Brickhartz at Xionwei Technologies Incorporated, pareho ang email address. So malinaw pa sa sikat ng araw, through Gerald Cruz, between the POGO in Bamban ni Alice Guo and Michael Yang and through the email address, Brickhartz at Xion Wei – yes, Michael Yang may be involved in these criminal operations na ini-imbestigahan natin sa POGO,” Hontiveros said.(Brickhartz and Xionwei Techinologies Inc. have the same email address. So it’s clear as day that through Gerald Cruz, between the POGO in Bamban of Alice Guo and Michael Yang, and through the email address of Brickhartz and Xion Wei – yes Michael Yang may be involved in these criminal operations of POGO.)
Asked if the connections her office found directly implicate Duterte to illegal POGO operations, Hontiveros said they will dig deeper into the evidence.
“Sa panahon ni Duterte na nagkaroon ng de facto open door policy sa POGOs at nag-confront tayo hanggang ngayon ng napakaraming masamang epekto…. Lumitaw na nga ‘yung koneksyong Gerald Cruz at mapapuntang Michael Yang. Tingnan natin saan tayo dadalhin ng ebidensya kung this time around makokonekta yung dotted lines hanggang kay Duterte,” Hontiveros said.
(During the time of Duterte, we had a de facto open door policy for POGOs and we’re now confronting its bad effects. The connection between Gerald Cruz and Michael Yang emerged. Let’s see where the evidence will lead us, if this time around, we’d be able to connect the dotted lines to Duterte.)
The lawmaker even floated the possibility that Yang was the mastermind of illegal POGO activities.
“Ang laki ng papel na ginampanan niya dun sa Pharmally scam. At kung parehong Pharmally Group ay nandito rin pala sa POGO, so posible [na] malaki din ang papel niya dito. At aalamin namin sino pa ba ‘yung malalaking tao posibleng pati sa gobyerno ay bahagi rin dito sa POGO tulad noon sa Pharmally,” she said.
(He played a big role in the Pharmally scam. And if the same Pharmally Group is also implicated in POGOs, it’s possible he has a big role here. We’re going to identify the big fish, and investigate whether the government was involved in the POGO operations, just like in Pharmally.)
Yang was tagged in the Pharmally scandal at the height of the coronavirus pandemic in 2021. The former Duterte adviser allegedly financed Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corporation, the biggest winner of pandemic contracts, even though the firm had measly capital.
The Senate, led by then-blue ribbon committee chairman Richard Gordon, conducted marathon hearings, uncovering P10-billion worth of pandemic deals awarded between 2020 and 2021 to what appeared to be a favored though thinly-capitalized company: Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corporation (Pharmally).
– Rappler.com
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Manila’s Southbank Cafe + Lounge debuts on Asia’s Best Bars list for 2024
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Steph Arnaldo
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10/07/2024 20:31
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SOUTHBANK LOUNGE. The cafe and bar in Muntinlupa City is 82nd on Asia's Best Bars list for 2024.
Southbank's Instagram
MANILA, Philippines – Drinks up! Homegrown restaurant Southbank Cafe + Lounge debuted on Asia’s Best Bars list for 2024, making a splash at 82nd out of 100.
The cafe-by-day and lounge-bar-by-night concept is a self-proclaimed “drinking room” known for its technique-heavy cocktails and Melbourne-inspired ambiance. With branches in Alabang in Muntinlupa City and Estancia Mall in Pasig City, Southbank is a gastronomic hub inspired by the coffee, cuisine, and drinks of Melbourne, Australia.
The World’s 50 Best Academy calls Southbank’s approach to drinks “decidedly modern,” using the latest techniques and ingredients, which are “described in an accessible way via a beautifully illustrated menu.” The academy mentions the bar’s signature drink, the Strawyo Haze – strawberry distillate, citric and malic acids, tonic water, and flower and lemon peel garnish.
“Guests are also encouraged to request bespoke creations made with in-house ingredients or stick with classic cocktails. The food menu complements the drink selection, offering all-day breakfast and international mains,” the academy wrote.
Southbank Cafe + Lounge placed above other notable Asian bars such as Firefly in Bangkok (ranked 83rd), Sidecar in New Delhi (84th), and The Sailing Bar in Nara (85th). There were also several entries from Tokyo, Shanghai, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Ho Chi Minh, Taipei, Jakarta, and Mumbai. In 51st place was Soko in Seoul.
In January, Southbank was named part of the World’s 50 Best Discovery list.
This is the fourth year that Asia’s Best has released the 51st to 100th winners of the Best Bars list ahead of the first 50.
In 2023, Makati City’s The Curator returned to the list at 34th, reclaiming the title of Best Bar in the Philippines, while The Back Room at Shangri-La at The Fort in Bonifacio Global City ranked 75th.
The Asia’s 50 Best Bars list is curated from the votes of a 265-member academy, consisting of a gender-balanced group of bartenders, bar owners, drinks writers, and cocktail aficionados.
The live awards ceremony for Asia’s 50 Best Bars list will take place in Hong Kong on Tuesday, July 16. – Steph Arnaldo/Rappler.com
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Wave of records crash in swimming as Palarong Pambansa 2024 day 2 concludes
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jisaga0269
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12/07/2024 22:02
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READY. Swimmers at the starting block of the secondary girls 200-meter butterfly at the Cebu City Sports Center.
Jacqueline Hernandez/Rappler
CEBU, Philippines – The Palarong Pambansa 2024 swimming competition continued to make waves, literally and figuratively, as the Philippines’ best young athletes stayed relentless in breaking records in the second game day on Friday, July 12, at the Cebu City Sports Center.
None other than day 1 star Jasmine Mojdeh of Calabarzon kickstarted the record-breaking trend for the day, as she notched a 2:41.75 finish at the girls secondary 200-meter breaststroke and broke the previous mark of 2:43.08 set by swimming icon Xiandi Chua of NCR in 2019.
Less than 24 hours prior, Mojdeh, the US NCAA recruit, broke her own five-year-old record in the 200m butterfly (2:19.72) by nearly three seconds.
Another Calabarzon standout, Peter Cyrus Dean, then made history at the boys secondary 200m individual medley, edging the old 2:12.58 by mere milliseconds (2:12.14).
That wouldn’t be Dean’s final appearance on the day’s historic list as he again resurfaced in the 4×100 medley relay, where he, Joart Calderon, Reinelle Trinidad, and fellow record-holder TJ Amaro tallied a 3:58.39 finish to break the previous 4:00.75 mark set last year by the NCR team.
Interestingly, the 4×100 medley relay’s second placers also broke the record on the way to a silver-medal finish, as Ashton Jose, Hugh Parto, Jabrielle Delizo, and individual race record-holder Ivo Nikolai Enot notched a time of 3:59.69.
Bicol likewise had their time in the spotlight as UST commit Beatrize Marla Mabalay clocked in at 34.35 seconds in the girls secondary 50m breaststroke, ever so slightly beating the 34.46 mark set by NCR’s Clara delos Santos last year.
The sixth and final record fell at the hands of NCR’s Palaro record-breaker Sophia Garra, most bemedalled swimmer Alessandra Martin, Adrienne Tacuboy, and Gabrielle Ocampo at the girls elementary 4×100 medley relay.
In an emphatic display of potential, the NCR super-team set in stone a 4:49.74 finish, destroying the same region’s 18-year-old record (4:55.08) by nearly six seconds.
Expect many of the names in this rundown to again dominate the leaderboards, and very likely the history books anew, as day 3 begins on Saturday, July 13, 1 pm. – Rappler.com
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‘All playing hard, all intense’: Tiu expects competitive Jones Cup run
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Jasmine Payo
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12/07/2024 18:53
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PREPS. Strong Group-Pilipinas during a scrimmage ahead of the 2024 Jones Cup.
STRONG GROUP ATHLETICS
MANILA, Philippines – Head coach Charles Tiu expects Strong Group-Pilipinas to come out competitive as the country tries to reclaim its lofty standing in the 43rd William Jones Cup.
“I like the way they’re competing in practice, they’re all playing hard, they’re all intense,” said Tiu as the team gears up for the basketball club tournament in Taipei from July 13 to 21.
“I really like what I’m seeing.”
While impressed with the team’s experienced lineup, which boasts of former San Miguel import Chris McCullough and Gilas Pilipinas center Ange Kouame, the Strong Group players are also willing to adapt to new concepts.
Tiu, moreover, praised team captain Kiefer Ravena’s leadership, intelligence, and outspokenness on and off the court.
For Ravena, the knowledge he had gained playing for Gilas Pilipinas and overseas have been crucial in guiding his teammates.
“I just apply whatever I learned in my overseas and national team stints to help them,” said Ravena.
“I am just trying to give my best,” he added.
Strong Group-Pilipinas aims for a podium finish after the Philippines, represented by Rain or Shine, finished seventh last year.
The country last ruled in 2019 behind Mighty Sports, before the tournament got shelved for three years due to the pandemic.
Ravena feels confident with their campaign, pointing to the excellent performances of the team’s rising talents, and noting he will share the backcourt with young guns Jonathan Manalili and RJ Abarrientos.
“We are familiar with each other, and I think we have the time and the chemistry needed to prepare for the Jones Cup,” said Ravena.
Guard Jordan Heading shared how he stayed in shape before being called to represent the country with Strong Group.
“I guess my [preparation] was really just playing NBL 1 in Australia,” Heading stated, referring to his stint with NBL squad West Adelaide Bearcats.
“[I’m] just trying to stay in shape and stay ready for this, and obviously we [have limited time] with the team to just get ready,” the 28-year-old added.
The Filipino sharpshooter is also eager to add the experience into his arsenal, sharing that he is always proud to don the country’s colors in an international setting.
“It always feels good to represent the Philippines, you know, whether that’s with Gilas or with Strong Group,” said Heading.
“You know it’s always fun, just to have a Filipino flag on your jersey and get to play in front of all the kababayans (compatriots) wherever we are.”
After playing what he called as two “tough” years in the Korean Basketball League, Dave Ildefonso returns home, not just to represent the country, but also to follow his father Danny and brother Shaun’s footsteps in the PBA.
“Playing in Korea was pretty tough. In my situation, the language barrier was really different, really hard,” the former Suwon KT forward said.
“[Being back] warms my heart, since I was a bit dismayed [with my time] in Korea. I wasn’t used much, and I wasn’t basically able to talk with anybody there, so it’s really nice to be here in the Philippines.”
For the former Ateneo Blue Eagles star, the Strong Group coaching staff bridges the gap between the young and veteran players of the squad.
“I think what coach Charles, coach Rajko (Toroman) are doing, they’re trying to lessen the gap between the amateurs and like the pros, in like, especially with the age,” he stated.
Valuable lessons from his Korean foray stood out, according to Ildefonso, which he thinks are crucial for his SGA appearance.
“Always be ready,. Whatever happens, no matter how sure you are, no matter how long your playing time is, whatever the situation is, you must be ready,” the 24-year-old said.
“Don’t ever lose confidence.” – Eugero Vincent Liberato, Jorge Marion Dionisio, and Niño Dominic Ronquillo/Rappler
Eugero Vincent Liberato, Jorge Marion Dionisio, and Niño Dominic Ronquillo are Rappler interns.
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Why are teen pregnancies still up? DepEd is failing, say CWC, solon group
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Michelle Abad
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12/07/2024 13:33
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FILIPINO STUDENTS. Students and teachers go about regular classes at the General Roxas Elementary School in Quezon City, on February 21, 2024.
Jire Carreon/Rappler
With adolescent pregnancies still on the rise in the Philippines, the government agency on children’s welfare and the secretariat of an organization of lawmakers think the Department of Education (DepEd) hasn’t been doing well in educating kids about their sexuality.
In a media conference on World Population Day, Thursday, July 11, various groups and government agencies called on lawmakers anew to pass the bill seeking to institutionalize a multi-agency program that would prevent adolescent pregnancies in the country and support teen parents.
This call isn’t new – advocates have called for the bill’s passage for years. And even if former president Rodrigo Duterte declared adolescent pregnancy prevention a national priority in 2021, latest Philippine Statistics Authority numbers found that live births among girls aged 19 and below increased by 10.2% from 2021 to 2022.
Over 150,000 girls aged 10 to 19 gave birth in 2022 – around 3,000 of them under 15.
The culprit? The DepEd has yet to effectively roll out comprehensive sexuality education (CSE), a mandate it has had for over 10 years, the agency and organization believe.
When the reproductive health (RH) law was passed in December 2012, it tasked the DepEd to formulate a curriculum for age- and development-appropriate reproductive health education, which should be used by public schools. In July 2018, the DepEd released its policy guidelines on the implementation of CSE.
The DepEd’s CSE core topics include human body and human development, personhood, healthy relationships, sexuality and sexual behaviors, sexual and reproductive health, personal safety, and gender, culture and human rights. These are spread throughout the K to 12 curriculum across various subjects.
“DepEd has always been saying there is already CSE as part of their curriculum. But if you ask the students themselves, sinasabi nila wala (they say they don’t hear of it),” said Normina Mojica, policy, planning and research chief of the Council for the Welfare of Children (CWC) in the Thursday press conference.
Mojica said that teachers “have difficulty touching on” matters like sexuality, which is sometimes still equated to matters on sexual intercourse exclusively.
In other words, teachers might be apprehensive about teaching CSE because of a belief that they are teaching kids to have sex. (That’s wrong – some of the basic lessons in CSE among the younger levels include simply knowing what “good touch” and “bad touch” is.)
“May iba na teachers naman na kaya nilang bitbitin. Kaya nilang i-discuss sa klase nila. Pero kasi alam ‘nyo, majority pa rin ng teachers hindi naman ganun ka-progresibo (There are teachers who are able to discuss it in their classes. But you know, majority of our teachers are not that progressive),” said Mojica.
The CWC official said that when children do not get this information from school, they turn to other sources of information, like social media. But this carries the risk of kids getting information that isn’t appropriate for them, she said.
“We need to help more people become more open-minded to talk about comprehensive sexuality,” she said in Filipino.
Meanwhile, according to Philippine Legislators’ Committee on Population and Development (PLCPD) executive director Romeo Dongeto, DepEd did not see it as a priority.
“After the curriculum was developed, the DepEd should have rolled out a comprehensive training for teachers for the program to be uniform. Even our teachers need to understand what our children’s rights are when it comes to their sexuality,” Dongeto said in a mix of English and Filipino.
“Doon po nagkulang ang ating pamahalaan (That’s where our government fell short),” he said, adding that the Philippines has yet to have a “programmatic, sustained” CSE.
Apart from CSE, Dongeto also said that the distribution of sexual and reproductive health services is still not uniform in all areas of the country.
The CWC is an attached agency of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), while the PLCPD is an organization of lawmakers in the Senate and House pushing forward policies on population and human development.
In a message to Rappler on Friday, July 12, Education Assistant Secretary Dexter Galban said the department has noted how some teachers remain uncomfortable discussing CSE because of “cultural concerns and personal beliefs.”
“Non-teaching of critical parts of the curriculum will definitely have consequences as enabled by existing performance evaluation standards. However, teachers also have the flexibility to conduct their classes without compromising the core components of the subject matter,” Galban said, adding that he still needed to confirm if there are reports of teachers not implementing CSE at all.
Galban said that there was an opportunity to invest more in teacher training, and look into teachers’ comfort level in teaching CSE, especially during latter years like Grades 10 to 12 where more sensitive topics come in.
But apart from looking at issues among teachers, Galban highlighted the importance of looking at what parents and guardians teach their children as well.
“There needs to be harmony in what is being taught in school and what is being reinforced at home. Any clash or lack of congruence at home may lead to confusion among learners,” he said.
He also echoed Mojica’s concern on unregulated online spaces, with adults facing the challenge of protecting kids from “potentially dangerous content and portrayals of sex and reproductive health in the digital scene.”
Some programs the DepEd has in place to enhance its enhanced Matatag-curriculum CSE include reactivating school-based “teen centers” that house resources on CSE and reproductive health, and creating the iChoose platform, a one-stop shop for online resources, in partnership with the Department of Health and the United States Agency for International Development.
The DepEd also has “alternative delivery modes” for students who get pregnant but still want to continue their studies.
“As the challenges of teen pregnancy, which I believe should be called child pregnancy as everyone under 18 is still a child by definition in Philippine law, go beyond education, there is a need to invest in cross-cutting interventions,” said Galban.
According to the United Nations Population Fund, when young girls get pregnant, they face high risks of health complications, and are sometimes forced to stop schooling. This may also trigger an intergenerational cycle of poverty in the family.
The Commission on Population and Development has said that the Philippine economy loses billions to the adolescent pregnancy phenomenon in the country. – Rappler.com
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Baguio officially bids farewell to city’s longest-serving newspaper
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Herbie G
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12/07/2024 19:13
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BAGUIO, Philippines – The city government has formally bid farewell to the weekly Baguio Midland Courier, acknowledging the newspaper’s contribution to community journalism and press freedom in Baguio for more than 70 years.
Baguio Mayor Benjamin Magalong approved a city council resolution, passed on Monday, July 8, which marked the final chapter of the newspaper’s 77-year history of “fair, fearless, friendly, and free” journalism.
Resolution No. 430-2024 extended the local government’s profound appreciation to the Courier, recognizing its crucial role as the fourth estate of democracy in print media, which earned the respect and admiration of journalists and people in Baguio.
The city government’s official recognition of the newspaper’s contributions came ahead of its final issue scheduled for release on July 21.
Founded in July 1947 by Hamada Printers and Publishers Corporation, the Courier has been a staple of local and regional news, offering a platform for community engagement, celebrating milestones, delivering unbiased commentaries, and elucidating issues for its readers.
The newspaper was started by Sinai Hamada, known for his popular short story Tanabata’s Wife.
The resolution, authored by Councilors Betty Lourdes Tabanda and Mylen Victoria Yaranon, stated that the community newspaper served as a platform where opinions were respected, milestones were celebrated, and issues were presented clearly and unbiasedly.
The decision to close down was attributed to the global challenges faced by newspapers.
For 77 years, the newspaper has been an “exponent of the wonderland of the Cordilleras and the riches of Ilocandia, deeply ingrained in the cultural fabric of Baguio City. Its closure marks the end of an era for many,” read part of the resolution.
Since its first issue was sold on April 28, 1947, the Courier has been a steadfast source of news. By 1963, it circulated 7,500 copies in Baguio City and around the Cordilleras.
In 2007, to commemorate its 60th anniversary, the publication launched its website, further expanding its reach. Today, it still maintains the highest circulation among regional newspapers in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR). – Rappler.com
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Future UST varsity swimmer breaks Palarong Pambansa record
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clescudero0258
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12/07/2024 19:14
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RECORD HOLDER. Palarong Pambansa 2024 swimmer Beatrize Maria Mabalay of Bicol Region now holds the record for the 50-meter breaststroke event.
Christa Escudero/Rappler
CEBU CITY, Philippines – Beatrize Maria Mabalay of Bicol shattered the Palarong Pambansa record for the swimming secondary girls 50-meter breaststroke event during the 2024 national event in Cebu City on Friday, July 12, finishing at 34.35 seconds and bagging the gold medal.
The record was previously held by Clara Yzabela delos Santos of the National Capital Region, who placed second in Friday’s event at 34.74.
Mabalay was still feeling the jitters even after winning the race, recalling the experience of competing with the record holder in a tight, thrilling race that saw bleachers at the Cebu City Sports Center erupting in cheers.
“Tina-try ko po na i-strategize din po while swimming. Kasi very important din po na alam ko ‘yung ginagawa ko. And ‘yun nga po, dagdag din knowing na siya (Delos Santos) ‘yung previous na record holder…. Pero I’m trying din na huwag masyado mag-focus doon and mag-focus lang sa swim ko,” she shared in an interview with Rappler.
(I tried to focus on strategy while swimming, because it’s very important that I know what I’m doing. Then there’s the added knowledge that I’m competing against a record holder. But I tried not to focus on that and just focus on my swim.)
Mabalay is a recent senior high school graduate of the Bulan National High School in Bulan, Sorsogon. This is the 17-year-old’s final Palaro after competing for three years, winning her first gold in 2018 and one more gold and two silvers in 2019. She has been swimming since fourth grade, training with her father RJ.
“We’ve seen how she worked hard…. [and] this is very memorable kasi last year niya (because it’s her last year). It’s a good way to exit the Palarong Pambansa – with a gold and a Palaro record. Kaya masayang-masaya kami sa family (That’s why we’re very happy as a family),” the elder Mabalay shared.
Now, the student-athlete has her sights set on the UAAP as she looks forward to competing for the University of Santo Tomas. – Rappler.com
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Paulene Canada, her ‘royal’ clan, and cracks in Quiboloy’s ‘kingdom’
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Herbie G
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12/07/2024 19:50
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QUIBOLOY ALLY. Paulene Canada, co-accused of KOJC founder Pastor Apollo Quiboloy, has a P1-million bounty on her head and is the No. 6 most wanted in the Davao region. She is presented to the media by Interior Secretary Benhur Abalos in Camp Crame on July 12, 2024.
Jire Carreon/Rappler
CAGAYAN DE ORO, Philippines – Paulene Canada, a church associate of fugitive preacher Apollo Quiboloy, has found herself right smack in the middle of a legal storm.
Until her arrest on Thursday, July 11, Canada was wanted along with Quiboloy and four others for a human trafficking case in Pasig, one of the many that have cast a shadow over her religious group, the Davao-based Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC).
Police arrested Canada at a house in Emily Homes in Buhangin District, making her the first among the six fugitives, including Quiboloy, to be caught after a regional court in Pasig issued arrest warrants on April 11. A week before the Pasig court ordered their arrest, five of them had posted bail for a separate child abuse case in Davao.
KOJC lawyer Israelito Torreon questioned Canada’s arrest, claiming that the police initially kept the arrest under wraps, and that her rights were violated.
He told a news conference in Davao that no lawyer assisted Canada and claimed that the police lied to him when he inquired about the arrest.
Torreon said his text messages and calls to Davao Region police chief Brigadier General Nicolas Torre III on Thursday were unanswered, and the police official’s aide supposedly told him that Canada was not arrested.
Interior Secretary Benhur Abalos and Philippine National Police (PNP) chief General Francisco Marbil presented Canada to reporters on Friday morning, July 12.
Days before Canada’s arrest, Quiboloy’s followers went ballistic and took a dramatic step in Davao, casting a curse on President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, Speaker Martin Romualdez, and Abalos, in a startling turn reminiscent of biblical narratives.
The plot twist followed Abalos’ announcement of a P15-million reward for the capture of Quiboloy and his associates.
Nori Cardona, a Quiboloy associate, told a news conference in Davao on Tuesday, July 9, that the Marcoses, Romualdez, and Abalos would suffer from a deadly disease as foretold in a “prophecy” from the Middle East.
Cardona read: “The angel of judgment shall come upon you – Ferdinand Marcos Jr., Liza Araneta-Marcos, Martin Romualdez, Benhur Abalos – for you have oppressed and afflicted God’s appointed, Apollo C. Quiboloy. For the one that touches him touches the apple of God’s eye. As you have grieved the son of God, you shall be plagued with a deadly disease, a crippling condition, a formidable disorder that even your nearest and dearest ones shall suffer terribly. It will be a dreadful curse so devastating that existence itself becomes a burden.”
Quiboloy styles himself as the “appointed son of God,” and his followers genuinely believe in his claims of divinity and supernatural abilities.
But just two days after hurling the supernatural threats, Canada, the first of the six fugitives, was caught by authorities.
Canada has long been a loyal follower of Quiboloy and belongs to one of the oldest clans to convert to his religion in Davao.
According to former KOJC members, Canada holds a leadership position in the organization. She once served as KOJC’s chief finance officer and is a member of Quiboloy’s “pastoral” department, a special group of women who assist the religious leader and run errands for him, among other things – duties seen as “privileges” in the organization.
In a 2021 interview with Rappler, former KOJC “pastoral” Arlene Caminong-Stone, who had testified against Quiboloy during a Senate committee hearing earlier this year, said the Canadas are seen as one of the “royal families” in the religious group because they were among the first to follow the preacher.
Canada’s elder siblings – Ingrid and Cresente – are also among Quiboloy’s most trusted lieutenants. Ingrid, according to former KOJC members, is the church administrator, while Cresente, currently the barangay chairman of Tamayong in Davao, served as Quiboloy’s close-in security aide and driver.
The siblings are among the five Quiboloy associates charged with human trafficking in Pasig and child abuse in Davao.
On April 3, Paulene and KOJC coordinator Sylvia Cemañes turned themselves in to the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) in Davao after authorities arrested Cresente earlier that day in connection with their child abuse case.
Paulene’s elder sister Ingrid and Jackielyn Roy, a KOJC choir singer and “pastoral,” surrendered the following day.
All of them, including Cresente, were released by the NBI after posting an P80,000-bail bond each, but subsequently became fugitives after the Pasig court ordered their arrest.
Interestingly, on May 27, Cresente surrendered 21 firearms to authorities in Davao, but was released by authorities despite an April 11 arrest warrant due to the non-bailable human trafficking case in Pasig.
Authorities said the firearms, all licensed, belonged to Cresente, who is supposedly a sports gun collector.
Quiboloy divided the Canadas. Cracks in the clan showed when one of the families decided enough was enough, severed their ties with the doomsday preacher, and left for the US before the COVID-19 pandemic struck.
The faction was blamed by Quiboloy’s Hawaii-based lawyer, Michael Jay Green, for the KOJC’s legal troubles in the US. He called them “dissidents” out to bring the Davao-based preacher down.
Quiboloy is considered a fugitive, too, in the US, where he and another set of church associates were charged in 2021 with conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking by force, fraud, and coercion, sex trafficking of children, marriage fraud, fraud and misuse of visas, bulk cash smuggling, promotional money laundering, concealment money laundering, and international promotional money laundering.
In early 2022, the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) placed him under its wanted list alongside his church associates Teresita Dandan and Helen Panilag, and several other fugitives from Mexico and China.
On December 10, 2021, Green told Rappler that at least 14 “dissidents” were working against Quiboloy, including a Nepalese named Shishir Bhandari, former operations manager of Apollo Air, the preacher’s Davao City-based airline company.
Bhandari is the husband of one of the Canadas, a lawyer, who had a falling-out with Quiboloy.
“When he (Bhandari) found out that they were gonna do an audit, they ran like thieves in the night,” Green told Rappler in 2021.
Bhandari and his family have declined interviews on the advice of lawyers from the US Department of Justice (DOJ).
The unfolding legal battles and internal divisions within Quiboloy’s “kingdom” hint at a turbulent future for the once-unified religious group, leaving many to wonder what fate awaits its embattled leader and his loyal followers. – Rappler.com
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Amorsolo painting stolen from Negros Occidental museum recovered in Manila
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Jee Geronimo
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12/07/2024 18:20
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FOUND. The recovered Fernando Amorsolo painting presented at the National Bureau of Investigation's national headquarters.
National Bureau of Investigation
BACOLOD, Philippines – A painting of the late national artist Fernando Armorsolo that was stolen from a private museum in Silay City, Negros Occidental, had already been recovered in Manila by a team from the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI).
Colonel Rainerio de Chavez, director of the Negros Occidental Provincial Police Office (NOCPPO), confirmed the news to Rappler on Friday afternoon, July 12, saying members of the Hofileña family who were based in Manila had already reclaimed the stolen art piece.
The buyer-turned-suspect, said De Chavez, had also been charged for violation of the Anti-Fencing Law. Police, however, still withheld the name of the arrested suspect.
De Chavez said he had already ordered Colonel Mark Anthony Derroca, chief of the Silay Component City Police Station (SCCPS), to go to Manila and coordinate with the NBI regarding the case.
“We want to know how the stolen painting was traveled from Negros Occidental to Manila, and how the nabbed suspect bought it,” the NOCCPO chief said.
“We also need to know who sold the painting or who were those who stole it from the Hofileña Museum in Silay,” he added.
The NBI Special Task Force (NBI-STF) had already arrested two individuals in Quezon City for selling the stolen Amorsolo painting on Thursday, July 11, a press statement from the agency said.
NBI Director Jaime Santiago said the NBI-STF received information that a certain “Atty. Ching” was selling the Amorsolo painting in Quezon City.
The subject, he said, was willing to bring the stolen painting to an interested buyer but at the price of P3.5 million.
Upon learning, Santiago and his team hatched an entrapment operation.
On Thursday, operatives proceeded to the target area in Tomas Morato, Quezon City, where the selling of the Amorsolo painting would take place.
There, two subjects identified as Ritz Chona Ching and Donecio Somaylo delivered the Amorsolo painting, as instructed by “Atty. Ching.”
Upon confirmation that the painting brought by the subjects was the stolen Amorsolo painting, NBI-STF operatives arrested Ching and Somaylo for violation of Presidential Decree No. 1612 or the Anti-Fencing Law. The suspects were then presented for inquest proceedings before prosecutors.
Meanwhile, the National Museum of the Philippines, also in a statement on Facebook, said Director-General Jeremy Barns was able to personally inspect the painting and assured the NBI that it was indeed the stolen painting. He issued a certification to this effect at the request of the NBI.
The 1934 Amorsolo painting titled “Mango Harvesters” that measures 12×18 inches is owned by the Hofileña family in Silay.
It was acquired by the late Ramon Hofileña, dubbed as the “father of heritage conservation” in Silay City; thus, it costs millions of pesos nowadays.
The theft was reported by Reñe Hofileña, the younger brother of Ramon and the sitting manager of the museum, to the SCCPS and City Tourism Office on July 3.
On Monday, July 8, Reñe said their family had hired a private detective to locate the painting. They also asked the assistance of the NBI. – Rappler.com
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[In This Economy] Is the Marcos government unlawfully dipping into PhilHealth funds?
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Chay Hofilena
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12/07/2024 18:51
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The 2025 budget season is already upon us. But we haven’t even talked much about the shenanigans concerning this year’s (2024) budget.
One of the biggest irregularities is that lawmakers were able to insert colossal “unprogrammed funds” in the 2024 budget.
When we say unprogrammed funds, we mean standby funds that don’t yet have a definite purpose at the outset. But such amounts can be funded and spent under certain conditions.
At first, the executive branch requested in its proposed budget only P281.91 billion in unprogrammed funds. But surprise, surprise: in the final version of the budget that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. signed, those unprogrammed funds ballooned by 2.6 times to a whopping P731.45 billion.
That’s almost half a trillion pesos worth of extra funds. Nothing to sneeze at.
Opposition lawmakers have already contested that this brazen increase is unconstitutional. The President’s proposed budget cannot be expanded by Congress – that’s plainly stated in the 1987 Constitution. Lawmakers already filed a case before the Supreme Court to contest this dubious provision in the 2024 budget.
But while that case is ongoing, the 2024 budget is intact. How on earth can the government fund P731.45 billion worth of unprogrammed funds?
As stated in the 2024 budget law, unprogrammed funds can be financed from four sources. Let me enumerate the ways verbatim:
I’m highlighting the fourth item because this is a new “special provision” in the General Appropriations Act or GAA. Just last year, in the 2023 budget law, you will only see the first three.
The fourth special provision essentially means that the Marcos government can activate the gargantuan unprogrammed funds using surpluses (excess funds) from GOCCs like PhilHealth.
This is a very weird and dangerous provision that was flagged by budget analysts, including my friend Zy-za Suzara, as early as last year.
The dangers became real this year. (Hat tip to my UPSE colleague Cielo Magno for pointing out this issue in her TikTok, as well as to Men Sta. Ana of the Action for Economic Reforms for pointing out this issue in his recent BusinessWorld column.)
It turns out that on February 27, 2024, the Department of Finance (DOF) issued Department Circular 003-2024, giving instructions to GOCCs with surpluses on how to implement special provision 4.
They used flowery words to justify this move, like: “Consistent with the Medium-Term Fiscal Framework, the National Government aims to consolidate the resources of the government so that these are mobilized and utilized to gain the maximum benefit and high multiplier effects for the economy.”
Then on April 24, DOF instructed PhilHealth (one of the GOCCs with surpluses) to remit P89 billion to the Treasury within 15 calendar days – citing the 2024 budget law and Department Circular 003-2024.
This is problematic because PhilHealth’s money can’t be reallocated just like that.
In fact, it’s specifically stated in the Universal Health Care Act (UHCA) that the PhilHealth’s excess funds, above and beyond their “reserve funds,” “shall be used to increase the Program’s benefits and to increase the amount of members’ contributions.” Unused portions of the reserve fund, meanwhile, “shall be placed in investments.”
Very clearly, the law states: “No portion of the reserve fund or income thereof shall accrue to the general fund of the National Government or to any of its agencies or instrumentalities, including government-owned or -controlled corporations.”
But that’s exactly what the DOF wants to happen. In short, the DOF is possibly violating the UHCA by siphoning P89 billion from PhilHealth.
What’s more, these developments are already reflected in government statistics. The screenshot below shows that P50 billion worth of funds were remitted by PhilHealth and PDIC (the Philippine Deposit Insurance Corporation) in May, citing the DOF circular and the 2024 budget’s special provision. PhilHealth remitted P20 billion, while PDIC remitted P30 billion.
It’s like the Marcos government created extra revenues out of thin air. Except that they didn’t really “create” money, so much as they extorted money from GOCCs.
Source: Bureau of the Treasury
I only learned about PDIC’s remittance when I looked at the spreadsheet. Their involvement in this scheme is just as disturbing, for PDIC “exists to provide deposit insurance coverage for the depositing public to help promote public confidence and stability in the economy.” When a bank fails, depositors’ monies are insured by PDIC to a certain extent (P500,000 per account, to be exact).
If the government is also touching PDIC’s funds, then it is compromising PDIC’s mandate – and possibly endangering the banking sector.
Apart from violating the UHCA, the DOF’s circular may also be violating two more laws: Republic Act No. 11467 (Sin Tax Law of 2020) and Republic Act No. 10963 (TRAIN Law) – both of which provide that some portion of tax revenues they generate must be earmarked for the UHCA’s implementation, and that includes PhilHealth’s coverage.
Many questions are unresolved. To what end is the Marcos government sweeping GOCCs to get billions of funds from them? On what types of things will the unprogrammed funds be spent? How is this scheme akin to the modus operandi of the Maharlika Investment Fund, which also siphoned billions from state-owned banks and the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas itself?
And why aren’t Filipinos talking about this scandal? Because budget issues are inherently un-sexy and not worthy of people’s attention? Until when will Filipinos turn a blind eye to these budget shenanigans? – Rappler.com
JC Punongbayan, PhD is an assistant professor at the UP School of Economics and the author of False Nostalgia: The Marcos “Golden Age” Myths and How to Debunk Them. In 2024, he received The Outstanding Young Men (TOYM) Award for economics. JC’s views are independent of his affiliations. Follow him on Twitter/X (@jcpunongbayan) and Usapang Econ Podcast.
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I want to take a moment to thank Prof. JC Punongbayan for bringing up these important questions: “Why aren’t Filipinos discussing this scandal? Is it because budget issues are inherently uninteresting and not deserving of people’s attention? How long will Filipinos continue to ignore these budget shenanigans?” I can only speak for myself, but here are my thoughts: 1) I was not aware of this issue until Prof. JC Punongbayan mentioned it in the article; 2) Budget issues are important, but analyzing budget proposals is complex, so I rely on competent and, more importantly, “truthful” economists like Prof. JC Punongbayan to conduct the initial analysis; 3) If I become aware of these budget shenanigans, I will not ignore them. The next question is, what should be done after learning about their “budget manipulations”?
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Schedule, roster: Strong Group-Pilipinas out to reclaim Jones Cup glory
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Jasmine Payo
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12/07/2024 11:21
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READY. Strong Group-Pilipinas gears up for the 2024 Jones Cup.
STRONG GROUP ATHLETICS
MANILA, Philippines – After a woeful seventh-place finish last year, the Philippines looks primed to elevate its game with a new roster in the 43rd William Jones Cup in Taipei from July 13 to 21.
Strong Group-Pilipinas, the country’s new representative in the basketball club tournament, aims to reclaim the crown the Filipinos last won in 2019 under the banner of Mighty Sports.
“I really like what I’m seeing. We’ve got great balance, a lot of talent, [like our] wings,” said coach Charles Tiu as Strong Group takes a shot at the tournament after Rain or Shine’s campaign last year.
“It’s a good problem to have, we have a lot of guys. I have to figure out how to use everybody… but it’s really nice, they’re all coachable, they all pick up fast.”
Tiu, who mentored another Strong Group roster to a silver-medal finish in the 33rd Dubai International Basketball Championship last January, looks to lean on another star-studded roster led by Kiefer Ravena, Jordan Heading, Rhenz Abando, RJ Abarrientos, and former San Miguel import Chris McCullough.
The Philippines braces for a virtually daily, tough grind in the nine-team field. Here’s Strong Group’s schedule:
Just like previous editions, the Jones Cup pits teams in a single round-robin format, with the squad finishing with the best record claiming the championship.
Last year, the USA squad represented by the University of California Irvine Anteaters completed an 8-0 sweep to bag the Jones Cup crown.
In 2019, before the pandemic shelved three editions of the tournament, Mighty Sports also completed a perfect 8-0 run to rule the tournament.
Representing a big obstacle for the Philippines is an all-new United States squad, the Future Sports USA, which will be led by former Strong Group import McKenzie Moore.
The 6-foot-6 Moore suited up for Strong Group in the Dubai International Basketball Championship earlier this year, where he reinforced the Charles Tiu-mentored squad, together with former NBA players Dwight Howard, Andray Blatche, and Andre Roberson.
This time, Moore will join forces with fellow American overseas imports such as Billy Preston and Marcus Elliott, as the United States shoots for a second straight gold-medal finish.
Another team posing a significant challenge for Strong Group’s hopes of a podium finish in the tournament is the United Arab Emirates, which the Filipinos will face in their opening assignment.
Bannered by the likes of Qais Alshabebi, Mohamed Albreiki, Hamid Abdullateef, and DeMarco Dickerson, UAE aims to get back at Strong Group after falling to the Philippine side, 82-66, in their Dubai International Basketball Championship matchup in January.
Chinese Taipei-Blue also looks to give Strong Group a run for its money as it aims for a first-place finish in this year’s Jones Cup after settling for silver in the 2023 edition.
Seeking to bring the gold medal back to the Philippines, expect Strong Group to flex its depth in the tournament as the powerhouse squad features multiple overseas-based players and players with Gilas Pilipinas experience.
Look for Ravena and the PBA-bound Abarrientos to facilitate the Strong Group offense, dish out assists, and provide timely baskets for the star-studded cast.
Both Ravena and Abarrientos saw action in the Japan B. League last season, where the former powered his team to a B2 title.
Ravena is also one of two Strong Group players with FIBA World Cup experience, along with the high-flying Abando, as they were both part of the 12-man Gilas Pilipinas roster in the recent World Cup held in the Philippines.
Meanwhile, count on Heading and Filipino-American guard DJ Fenner to shoot the lights out from long distance for Strong Group.
Heading already made waves for Strong Group in the Dubai International Basketball Championship in January, where he averaged 11.1 points in eight outings.
The 6-foot-6 Fenner, on the other hand, averaged 15.7 points on 40.9% shooting from beyond the arc for the Heroes Den Bosch in the 2023-2024 FIBA Europe Cup.
Finally, look for McCullough to be the team’s go-to guy, who will carry Strong Group’s scoring cudgels in this year’s Jones Cup.
The three-year NBA veteran McCullough last played for the Formosa Dreamers in the 2023-2024 P. League+ season in Taiwan, where he averaged a monster double-double of 20 points and 12.8 rebounds in 26 regular season matches.
McCullough is also expected to anchor Strong Group’s defense, together with 6-foot-10 naturalized Filipino Ange Kouame and 6-foot-9 American import Tajuan Agee.
Here’s the complete roster:
– with a report from Eugero Vincent Liberato/Rappler.com
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Ticket prices, seat plan for Red Velvet’s ‘HAPPINESS: My Dear ReVe1uv’ fan concert in Manila
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Russell Ku
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12/07/2024 20:57
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HAPPINESS. Red Velvet will return to Manila on September 14, 2024.
Wilbros Live's X page
MANILA, Philippines — Prepare your wallets, Reveluvs! Concert promoter Wilbros Live released on Friday, July 12, the ticket prices and seat plan for Red Velvet’s HAPPINESS: My Dear ReVe1uv fancon.
The K-pop girl group will return to Manila on September 14 at the Mall of Asia Arena.
Tickets are priced as follows:
My Dear, ReVeluv. We can't wait to see you soon!❣ Here are the Ticket Prices, Seat Map, and Fan Benefits for the 2024 Red Velvet FANCON TOUR 🎫 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒 𝐑𝐞𝐝 𝐕𝐞𝐥𝐯𝐞𝐭 𝐅𝐀𝐍𝐂𝐎𝐍 𝐓𝐎𝐔𝐑 <𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐏𝐈𝐍𝐄𝐒𝐒 : 𝐌𝐲 𝐃𝐞𝐚𝐫, 𝐑𝐞𝐕𝐞𝟏𝐮𝐯> 𝐢𝐧 𝐌𝐀𝐍𝐈𝐋𝐀 Sep 14… pic.twitter.com/OJe0X22tdD
Those in VVIP Standing get to participate in a send-off session with the Red Velvet members. VVIP Standing to Upper Box B ticket holders also have a chance to win signed posters.
All ticket holders will also get an exclusive photocard (random 1 out of 5) for the Manila stop.
Tickets go on sale with a Reveluv Weverse membership presale on August 2, from 11 am to 8:59 pm, and a general sale on August 3 starting at 11 am.
The preselling and general sale dates were supposed to be on July 26 and 27, respectively. The dates were moved following the effects of Typhoon Carina and the enhanced southwest monsoon.
Red Velvet last performed in Manila for the R to V concert in May 2023. Joy missed the show due to health reasons.
Three of its members – Wendy, Seulgi, and Irene – also performed subunit and solo songs during a New Year’s countdown event in Taguig City.
The group is celebrating its 10th debut anniversary this year. Red Velvet is known for its hits “Cosmic,” “Bad Boy,” “Red Flavor,” “Feel My Rhythm,” and “Peek-A-Boo.” — Rappler.com
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‘Very polite separation’: Maris Racal admits breakup with Rico Blanco
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jreyes0314
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12/07/2024 17:20
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Maris Racal's Instagram
MANILA, Philippines – Maris Racal announced during a Star Magic press conference on Friday, July 12, that she and Rico Blanco have broken up.
During the press conference, a member of the press asked Racal if Blanco was okay with her love team pairing with her Can’t Buy Me Love co-star Anthony Jennings, and if the Rivermaya frontman was supportive of her project with Jennings.
The actress was also asked whether she was choosing her career or her personal life. When she answered that she was choosing to focus on her career, she was then asked if she saw herself ending up with Blanco in the future. The former Pinoy Big Brother star had then begun to tear up.
“I’m so scared. I’m really scared. Ang dami kasing tanong (There are so many questions) about him and I’m tired of smiling and nodding. I’m so scared because if I announce it then it’s real. Yeah, Rico and I are over,” the actress said through tears.
Racal said that their breakup was “fresh,” adding that it had only been a few weeks since they called it quits.
“[Those were] the loneliest and emptiest weeks I’ve ever experienced in my life,” she said.
The actress added that she did not have a short answer for why she and Blanco broke up as it was complicated. However, she clarified that it was a “very polite separation.”
“Rico and I, our universe was so beautiful. It was so full of love, laughter, and music, everything. Sa five years namin together, we were always on the same page. Always on the same page. I don’t know what happened. Maybe I turned the next page and saw a new perspective sa (on) life. I had visions of who I want to become, how I want to evolve. I’m so curious about the world,” Racal said.
“The truth is, I am going through changes, and alam naman natin (we know) [that] change is either good or bad. But what I hate about change is that it’s inevitable. Hindi mo siya matatakasan, and wala ka nang ibang gagawin kundi (You can’t escape it, and you have no choice but to) you face it and confront it,” she added.
Racal said that she had a “difficult talk” with Blanco about her problems, but he had taken it “like a man.”
“I really loved him so much. I love him and he loves me. But I have so many questions about my life. How will I go on sa buhay (in life) with him when I have so many questions about me and my sense of self?” the actress said.
Racal added that until the very end of her relationship with Blanco, it remained full of love and understanding.
Racal first confirmed her relationship with Blanco in 2021. – Rappler.com
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Ticket prices, seat plan for Red Velvet’s ‘HAPPINESS: My Dear ReVe1uv’ fan concert in Manila
|
Russell Ku
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12/07/2024 20:57
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HAPPINESS. Red Velvet will return to Manila on September 14, 2024.
Wilbros Live's X page
MANILA, Philippines — Prepare your wallets, Reveluvs! Concert promoter Wilbros Live released on Friday, July 12, the ticket prices and seat plan for Red Velvet’s HAPPINESS: My Dear ReVe1uv fancon.
The K-pop girl group will return to Manila on September 14 at the Mall of Asia Arena.
Tickets are priced as follows:
My Dear, ReVeluv. We can't wait to see you soon!❣ Here are the Ticket Prices, Seat Map, and Fan Benefits for the 2024 Red Velvet FANCON TOUR 🎫 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒 𝐑𝐞𝐝 𝐕𝐞𝐥𝐯𝐞𝐭 𝐅𝐀𝐍𝐂𝐎𝐍 𝐓𝐎𝐔𝐑 <𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐏𝐈𝐍𝐄𝐒𝐒 : 𝐌𝐲 𝐃𝐞𝐚𝐫, 𝐑𝐞𝐕𝐞𝟏𝐮𝐯> 𝐢𝐧 𝐌𝐀𝐍𝐈𝐋𝐀 Sep 14… pic.twitter.com/OJe0X22tdD
Those in VVIP Standing get to participate in a send-off session with the Red Velvet members. VVIP Standing to Upper Box B ticket holders also have a chance to win signed posters.
All ticket holders will also get an exclusive photocard (random 1 out of 5) for the Manila stop.
Tickets go on sale with a Reveluv Weverse membership presale on August 2, from 11 am to 8:59 pm, and a general sale on August 3 starting at 11 am.
The preselling and general sale dates were supposed to be on July 26 and 27, respectively. The dates were moved following the effects of Typhoon Carina and the enhanced southwest monsoon.
Red Velvet last performed in Manila for the R to V concert in May 2023. Joy missed the show due to health reasons.
Three of its members – Wendy, Seulgi, and Irene – also performed subunit and solo songs during a New Year’s countdown event in Taguig City.
The group is celebrating its 10th debut anniversary this year. Red Velvet is known for its hits “Cosmic,” “Bad Boy,” “Red Flavor,” “Feel My Rhythm,” and “Peek-A-Boo.” — Rappler.com
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Tokhang survivor who cheated death is going all out to charge Duterte’s cops
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Jairo Bolledo
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12/07/2024 21:00
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SURVIVOR. Tokhang survivor Efren Morillo files a criminal complaint against cops in the drug war operation where he was shot and almost killed.
Rappler
Efren Morillo, who survived a tokhang operation that killed four of his friends, is still fighting a war – a judicial battle to hold policemen, who almost shot him to death, accountable.
Failing to get the Office of the Ombudsman to approve charges of frustrated murder against the local Quezon City cops who conducted the bloody operation in 2017, Morillo filed on July 8 petitions before the Supreme Court (SC) and Court of Appeals (CA) to exhaust his remedies.
“This case illustrates a clear example of the State’s unwillingness or inability to genuinely conduct an investigation or prosecution for crimes committed in the campaign against illegal drugs. No inquest proceedings were conducted despite the admission of the police respondents to the killings. Now, the Office of the Ombudsman is effectively barring the prosecution of the respondents without valid reasons and upon biased consideration of the evidence,” said the Center for International Law (CenterLaw), Morillo’s lawyers, in a statement.
Morillo survived a tokhang operation in Payatas in 2017 by playing dead and, despite bullet wounds, rolling down a hill and staying alive long enough to find help. His friends Marcelo Daa Jr., Rhaffy Gabo, Anthony Comendo, and Jessie Cule were all killed by local cops under the then-command of Colonel Lito Patay, one of the Davao cops transferred to Metro Manila when Duterte launched an all-out war on drugs.
Morillo was charged by the policemen with direct assault, a common legal trend against drug suspects who are not killed in an operation, but he was acquitted in 2023 by the Quezon City Metropolitan Trial Court Branch 133.
Also last year, the Office of the Ombudsman junked the frustrated murder complaints against police officers Emil Garcia, Allan Formilleza, James Aggarao, and Melchor Navisaga. The Ombudsman also dismissed the complaints for robbery and planting of evidence, along with administrative complaints.
In that resolution, the Ombudsman said that performance of duty is a justifying circumstance to waive criminal liability. Like in many similar situations, cops claimed that Morillo’s group was armed and fought back. “It is unfortunate, however, that the police operation resulted in deaths,” the Ombudsman said in its resolution.
The Ombudsman said that the complainants failed to establish probable cause for the criminal complaints, adding that there’s a lack of substantial evidence for the administrative suits.
These new petitions want the SC to reverse the Ombudsman so they could pursue a criminal trial, and the CA to review possible administrative sanctions against the cops.
“The petitioners firmly believe that the Ombudsman erred in their judgment and thus seek redress from the grave abuse of discretion amounting to lack of jurisdiction,” CenterLaw said.
“The Ombudsman’s decisions were marred by multiple infirmities, including a failure to offer sound justifications for its findings, and blatant oversight of material facts and circumstances by misapplying the concepts of law. The Office of the Ombudsman also failed to accord due respect for the findings of facts and judgments in intimately related previous court cases,” it added. “Altogether, these exhibit grave abuse of discretion.”
The Ombudsman, under Duterte appointee Samuel Martires, said the two witnesses did not actually see what happened because they were outside the house when they heard the gunshots. This made Morillo the lone eyewitness. However, the Ombudsman said his statements were “suspect” because he was one of the subjects in the anti-drug operation.
As to the administrative complaints, the Ombudsman said: “As the administrative charge is anchored on the same facts as that of the criminal charge, the Office finds that the complainants failed to prove the respondents’ administrative liability by substantial evidence.”
Morillo’s petition to the Supreme Court calls this Ombudsman resolution “a brazen and blatant error [that] is tantamount to grave abuse of discretion amounting to lack or excess of jurisdiction.”
There is an ongoing International Criminal Court (ICC) investigation into the killings in Duterte’s campaign against drugs. Under ICC rules, the Court can step back if it finds that the Philippines is able and willing to investigate the killings using its own local system. But ICC rules also follow a “same person-same conduct” test, requiring that the Philippines must investigate the very same things the Court is investigating to merit stepping back.
Morillo’s filing of petition is important because it opens the possibility of putting another set of cops on trial, since there have been very few trials and convictions in the estimated 30,000 killings – 7,000 of which happened during police operations.
Trial of these cops could establish a link to Duterte because their station commander back then was Patay, one of the so-called “Davao boys” or policemen plucked from the former president’s home region to implement tokhang in Metro Manila, which became a center of drug-related killings.
Patay is among the subjects of an ongoing House inquiry, seen by many as a pressure point for Duterte in the breakup of the Uniteam alliance. Patay, whose stations recorded the most kills at the start of the drug war, was recently appointed chief of police in Davao City, Duterte’s hometown, but quickly replaced after only four hours.
That Morillo is pursuing this case up to the Supreme Court is significant in the whole battle for accountability in the drug war because the latest conviction of cops, only the fourth overall, was the last best bet of Rise Up, a group helping relatives of drug war victims.
The fourth and latest policemen to be convicted of homicide were Police Master Sergeant Virgilio Cervantes and police corporals Arnel de Guzman, Johnston Alacre, and Artemio Saguros, for killing father and son Luis and Gabriel Bonifacio in 2016. Mary Ann Domingo, either wife or mother of the victims, currently has an appeal pending with the SC seeking to upgrade the case to murder. – Rappler.com
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Wave of records crash in swimming as Palarong Pambansa 2024 day 2 concludes
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jisaga0269
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12/07/2024 22:02
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READY. Swimmers at the starting block of the secondary girls 200-meter butterfly at the Cebu City Sports Center.
Jacqueline Hernandez/Rappler
CEBU, Philippines – The Palarong Pambansa 2024 swimming competition continued to make waves, literally and figuratively, as the Philippines’ best young athletes stayed relentless in breaking records in the second game day on Friday, July 12, at the Cebu City Sports Center.
None other than day 1 star Jasmine Mojdeh of Calabarzon kickstarted the record-breaking trend for the day, as she notched a 2:41.75 finish at the girls secondary 200-meter breaststroke and broke the previous mark of 2:43.08 set by swimming icon Xiandi Chua of NCR in 2019.
Less than 24 hours prior, Mojdeh, the US NCAA recruit, broke her own five-year-old record in the 200m butterfly (2:19.72) by nearly three seconds.
Another Calabarzon standout, Peter Cyrus Dean, then made history at the boys secondary 200m individual medley, edging the old 2:12.58 by mere milliseconds (2:12.14).
That wouldn’t be Dean’s final appearance on the day’s historic list as he again resurfaced in the 4×100 medley relay, where he, Joart Calderon, Reinelle Trinidad, and fellow record-holder TJ Amaro tallied a 3:58.39 finish to break the previous 4:00.75 mark set last year by the NCR team.
Interestingly, the 4×100 medley relay’s second placers also broke the record on the way to a silver-medal finish, as Ashton Jose, Hugh Parto, Jabrielle Delizo, and individual race record-holder Ivo Nikolai Enot notched a time of 3:59.69.
Bicol likewise had their time in the spotlight as UST commit Beatrize Marla Mabalay clocked in at 34.35 seconds in the girls secondary 50m breaststroke, ever so slightly beating the 34.46 mark set by NCR’s Clara delos Santos last year.
The sixth and final record fell at the hands of NCR’s Palaro record-breaker Sophia Garra, most bemedalled swimmer Alessandra Martin, Adrienne Tacuboy, and Gabrielle Ocampo at the girls elementary 4×100 medley relay.
In an emphatic display of potential, the NCR super-team set in stone a 4:49.74 finish, destroying the same region’s 18-year-old record (4:55.08) by nearly six seconds.
Expect many of the names in this rundown to again dominate the leaderboards, and very likely the history books anew, as day 3 begins on Saturday, July 13, 1 pm. – Rappler.com
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Can the property market survive a ban on POGOs?
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lkyu0285
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12/07/2024 18:40
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Raffy de Guzman/Rappler
MANILA, Philippines – Amid the Alice Guo saga and continued raids on illegal Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGOs), calls to completely ban these enterprises have been gaining political traction. But from an economic perspective, could a ban on POGOs hurt the property market that it once caused to thrive?
In the short term, a ban on POGOs will certainly still bite, but the office and residential sectors no longer seem as “ultra-dependent” on the industry as it was before.
“The question there is how dependent are we, the market, on them? Today, the amount of square meters that they’re taking up is negligible compared to the take-up they had [before],” Leechiu Property Consultants commercial leasing director Mikko Barranda told Rappler.
Data from Leechiu Property Consultants (LPC) show that POGOs now make up less than 11% of total gross demand for office space in the country, which is already lower than the nearly 16% in the first half of 2023.
It’s also a far cry from pre-pandemic figures when POGO operations were at its peak. At one point, POGOs were a main driver of leasing demand in Metro Manila. Barranda said that in 2019, POGOs made up “easily a quarter” of demand for office space – around 300,000 square meters or 7 to 8 times what they have today.
All that changed after the pandemic hit. POGOs packed up their operations and workers fled the country, leaving offices empty in their wake. In the third quarter of 2020, office vacancy rates in Manila climbed to 7.1%. At the time, POGOs vacated 277,000 square meters of space, leading to P1.4 billion in office rent losses.
By October 2022, LPC estimated that the figure had ballooned to a total of 630,000 square meters of vacated POGO office space since the onset of the pandemic in the first quarter of 2020.
Even as the pandemic sizzled down, China was slow to ease travel restrictions. Meanwhile, the Philippine government under the Marcos administration began to crack down on POGOs and tighten regulations. This meant that many of the POGOs that initially fled when the pandemic hit never returned.
The effect of all this? A ban on POGOs would “still be a dent,” the property expert said, considering that they still account for about 75,000 square meters in gross demand for office space. However, much of the “shedding” of POGO office space has already happened, leading the market to recalibrate around their absence.
For instance, the DoubleDragon Plaza in the Bay Area used to predominantly cater to POGOs. The 11-story office complex had over 130,000 square meters of leasable space that could have been at risk of sitting empty. But LPC observed that the property has successfully pivoted to serving government and private sector offices.
“Because their [POGOs] take-up has been negligible, it’s good to also reassess that we’re not ultra-dependent, meaning the market’s still good because other demand drivers are helping the market,” Barranda told Rappler on Thursday, July 11.
But the POGOs that have remained within Metro Manila – largely concentrated around the Bay Area in Pasig and Parañaque – seem to be going strong. Unlike in previous quarters, no POGOs terminated their office space leases in the second quarter of 2024. Some even expanded into other buildings in the Bay Area.
Still, Barranda described POGOs as “similar to any other business now.”
“They need to grow, they take space. But unlike before where they were taking space speculatively – meaning they will lease an entire building and then find a way to fill up that building – now they take space according to what they need,” Barranda said during Thursday’s media briefing.
Moving forward, it seems unlikely for POGOs to make a major comeback in the office market anytime soon. LPC’s live demand data – which combines inquiries, site inspections, and ongoing negotiations – show that only a few POGOs are looking for new office spaces. Of the 298,000 square meters of live demand in Metro Manila, 51% of that is from traditional companies, 41% from IT-BPM companies, and just 8% from POGOs.
And unlike the previous administration, the government under Marcos is no longer extending a welcoming hand to POGOs. National Economic and Development Authority Secretary Arsenio Balisacan argued that the Philippines may be better off without POGOs, since its social costs outweigh the billions in revenues that the sector brings in.
“It may be a big number, but the cost, particularly the social cost of POGOs are quite high. We are trying to position our country as a legitimate place for business. We are trying to attract investors to come, tourists to come. The least that we want is to have a reputation that criminals are here, things like that,” Balisacan said in a press briefing on Tuesday, July 9.
“The social cost, the way we view at NEDA, may not be worth those revenues. Because if you succeed at generating those jobs anyway, we will get much more than what we lost,” he added. “There are a lot of other opportunities for the country, for the economy, and for our workers.”
When it comes to residential properties, it seems that those who were riding on the POGO phenomenon have already begun to cut their losses.
“While most of the investors who bought units to house the POGOs are local Filipino-Chinese investors, they have already started selling these residential units. It’s a large decline, and if the POGO sector starts to shrink further, then it will likely impact these locations,” LPC research and consultancy director Roy Golez Jr. said, specifically referring to the Bay Area, and parts of Alabang and Makati.
The exodus of POGOs has already disrupted rent and property prices in the Bay Area, where entire buildings were built and sold to investors looking to rent them out to POGO workers.
“The [rent] yields are all over the place. Near the casinos, better yield. Where there were POGOs before, bad yield,” Golez told reporters.
The business districts of Makati and Bonifacio Global City or BGC will be “largely impervious” to any changes to the POGO sector, Golez added.
Even without POGO money fueling property development and leasing like in days past, LPC views the market as “resilient.”
Demand for the Philippine office market continued to grow in the first half of 2024, with a 24% increase in transactions compared to the same period in 2023. Occupiers are either expanding or relocating from old buildings to newer ones.
Growth in the office market was particularly strong in the information technology and business process management (IT-BPM) sector and government sector. Transactions for IT-BPM rose by 13% from first half of 2023 to first half of 2024, while leasing activity for government agencies increased by over sevenfold in the same period.
The historically POGO-dominated Bay Area is also continuing to diversify, with 68% of office leasing demand in the Bay Area coming from the government sector in the second quarter of 2024, according to LPC.
Sales for residential condominiums in Metro Manila also went up by 6.5% in the second quarter of 2024 after shrinking for the past three quarters. However, LPC still advises a “cautious stance” for condominium project launches in the metro, with developers still needing to address inventory concerns. Around 3% of ready-for-occupancy units and 21% of pre-selling units remain unsold.
More opportunities may also lie a stone’s throw beyond the National Capital Region, particularly in townships south of the metro near expressways. Listed below are the compound annual growth rate or CAGR of property prices in different townships in Cavite and Laguna, as gathered by LPC:
“It’s indicative that the price growth for residential communities south of Metro Manila has been growing almost all in two digits,” Golez said. – Rappler.com
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Marcos’ POGO dilemma: Economic managers never backed Chinese online gambling
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Ralf Rivas
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12/07/2024 19:16
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The adverse economic impact of kicking out Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGOs) has been repeatedly used by proponents to defend the contentious industry.
From job losses to a real estate bubble burst, revenue losses have been repeatedly raised in congressional hearings.
But the country’s economic architects – the Cabinet officials in charge of improving the Philippines’ fiscal position – were never really on board. In fact, they recommended an outright ban amid criminal activities surrounding POGOs.
With all the controversies hounding POGOs, why is President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. still keeping them around?
The Duterte administration saw the biggest gains in the POGO industry. From contributing over P660 million to the Philippine Amusement Gaming Corporation’s (Pagcor) total gaming income in 2016, the amount peaked to P6 billion in 2018, representing an 809% increase in just three years.
After 2018, income derived from POGOs declined, hitting a low of P2.2 billion in 2022.
The Department of Finance has also cited lower economic returns from POGOs. Tax collections hit an all-time low of P1.7 billion in 2022 from a high of P8 billion in 2019, representing a 78.8% decline from the peak.
But in 2023, Pagcor’s income from POGOs jumped by 43.2% to P3.15 billion year-on-year.
Pagcor's gaming income has helped shore up government revenues. In 2023, Pagcor dividend remittances reached P4.6 billion. Excluding financial institutions like Land Bank of the Philippines, the Philippine Deposit Insurance Corporation, and the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, Pagcor ranks second in dividend remittances, just behind the Philippine Ports Authority.
Latest data from Pagcor showed that there are 45 registered POGOs, seven of which operate with provisional licenses.
Here’s what the Philippines’ economic managers previously said about POGOs:
Ralph Recto, Finance Secretary: “Frankly, I’m not a fan of gambling and two, I’m not a fan of POGOs, really. But if they were not doing any hanky panky and they’re paying taxes, fine with me. But I think there are many issues already surrounding the POGO industry.”
In a chance interview, Recto said the economic team has transmitted a letter to Marcos, urging him to go for a total ban.
Arsenio Balisacan, National Economic and Development Authority Secretary: “We don’t think that the benefits in terms of the revenues generated and the additional…and the impact [on] the economy are worth the cost.” He added, “What we want to encourage are very…legitimate investments, good investments, quality investments.”
Benjamin Diokno, former finance secretary: “China has discontinued POGO. Even Cambodia. It also has reputational risk. People will ask, ‘Why are they going to the Philippines, it is discontinued in China. Why are they going to the Philippines?’ Maybe because we are loose, we are not strict on our rules.”
Pagcor is firm that it will come out with better regulations, nearly a decade since they were tasked to regulate POGOs.
In a DZBB interview, Pagcor chief Alejandro Tengco said they are set to release new guidelines, where they will ban POGOs in establishing hubs.
“Doon po nagaganap ang mga criminal activities. Napakahirap po kasing i-monitor sila sapagkat una, they are confined in a specific area, malalaking mga hektaryang lupa and they are walled. Ang perimeter fence sila, security fence ang dating. They are gated and it is confined na sila lang halos ang nakakalabas at makakapato,” Tengco said.
(Criminal activities are happening there. It's very difficult to monitor them because, first, they are confined to a specific area – large hectares of land that are walled. Their perimeter fence is like a security fence. They are gated and it is confined, almost only they can go in and out.)
Recall, however, that it was former Pagcor chief Andrea Domingo who wanted these hubs.
Domingo said self-contained hubs for Chinese online gambling workers would serve only to provide their basic needs and not segregate them from the population.
“When we refer to POGO hubs as self-contained communities, what we mean is that these hubs will have all the basic needs of the foreign employees of POGO,” Domingo said in a text message to reporters last August 8, 2019.
She said these hubs would have office and residential spaces, food establishments, wellness and recreational facilities, and service shops.
“They are free to go anywhere they want to, without any limitation on their personal rights or liberties,” Domingo added.
The Chinese embassy has repeatedly expressed concern over POGO hubs, as they could infringe on the basic legal rights of its citizens.
Pagcor has only accredited only one POGO hub, namely the one owned by First Orient International Ventures Corp. in Cavite.
Prior to recent developments in the Senate, Pagcor was already grilled by lawmakers for their lack of detailed roadmap for the online gaming industry.
In a November 2022 Senate hearing, Pagcor said it intends to grow POGO revenues to P10 billion by 2027, higher than the P8 billion earned in 2019, or during the peak of POGO activities. It added that they aim to have a 100% market share of the online gambling industry in Southeast Asia.
Pagcor’s roadmap for POGO growth was only four pages long. They have yet to make public any updated plans, two years since that hearing.
Pagcor, so far, has canceled some 69 POGO licenses and 272 service provider licenses. Most have left the Philippines during the pandemic, while some licenses were canceled due to alleged illegal activities.
The gaming regulator, as well as the police and local government units, are struggling with law enforcement.
"Isang hamon sa law authorities natin na tugisin at hanapin ang mga iligal na 'yan sapagka't wala na pong mga lisensya 'yan, 2023 pa. Kaya naniniwala po ako, 'yung kinansela namin na himigit-kumulang 250, 'eh nandito lang po kung saan-saan na lugar sa ating bansa. Dahil...mahirapan na pong bumalik 'yan sa country of origin nila," Tengco said.
(It is a challenge for our law authorities to pursue and find those illegal entities because they have not had licenses since 2023. Therefore, I believe that the approximately 250 licenses we canceled are still scattered in various places in our country. It will be difficult for them to return to their country of origin.)
Since 2018, or since the Duterte administration, nearly 3,000 Chinese citizens implicated in cases have been repatriated through the efforts of both the Philippines and China.In the past year alone, China has assisted the Philippines in shutting down five POGO hubs and repatriated nearly 1,000 Chinese citizens.
“POGO is detrimental to both Philippine and Chinese interests and images as well as China-Philippines relations,” the Chinese embassy said in a statement last June. – Rappler.com
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Tokhang survivor who cheated death is going all out to charge Duterte’s cops
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Jairo Bolledo
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12/07/2024 21:00
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SURVIVOR. Tokhang survivor Efren Morillo files a criminal complaint against cops in the drug war operation where he was shot and almost killed.
Rappler
Efren Morillo, who survived a tokhang operation that killed four of his friends, is still fighting a war – a judicial battle to hold policemen, who almost shot him to death, accountable.
Failing to get the Office of the Ombudsman to approve charges of frustrated murder against the local Quezon City cops who conducted the bloody operation in 2017, Morillo filed on July 8 petitions before the Supreme Court (SC) and Court of Appeals (CA) to exhaust his remedies.
“This case illustrates a clear example of the State’s unwillingness or inability to genuinely conduct an investigation or prosecution for crimes committed in the campaign against illegal drugs. No inquest proceedings were conducted despite the admission of the police respondents to the killings. Now, the Office of the Ombudsman is effectively barring the prosecution of the respondents without valid reasons and upon biased consideration of the evidence,” said the Center for International Law (CenterLaw), Morillo’s lawyers, in a statement.
Morillo survived a tokhang operation in Payatas in 2017 by playing dead and, despite bullet wounds, rolling down a hill and staying alive long enough to find help. His friends Marcelo Daa Jr., Rhaffy Gabo, Anthony Comendo, and Jessie Cule were all killed by local cops under the then-command of Colonel Lito Patay, one of the Davao cops transferred to Metro Manila when Duterte launched an all-out war on drugs.
Morillo was charged by the policemen with direct assault, a common legal trend against drug suspects who are not killed in an operation, but he was acquitted in 2023 by the Quezon City Metropolitan Trial Court Branch 133.
Also last year, the Office of the Ombudsman junked the frustrated murder complaints against police officers Emil Garcia, Allan Formilleza, James Aggarao, and Melchor Navisaga. The Ombudsman also dismissed the complaints for robbery and planting of evidence, along with administrative complaints.
In that resolution, the Ombudsman said that performance of duty is a justifying circumstance to waive criminal liability. Like in many similar situations, cops claimed that Morillo’s group was armed and fought back. “It is unfortunate, however, that the police operation resulted in deaths,” the Ombudsman said in its resolution.
The Ombudsman said that the complainants failed to establish probable cause for the criminal complaints, adding that there’s a lack of substantial evidence for the administrative suits.
These new petitions want the SC to reverse the Ombudsman so they could pursue a criminal trial, and the CA to review possible administrative sanctions against the cops.
“The petitioners firmly believe that the Ombudsman erred in their judgment and thus seek redress from the grave abuse of discretion amounting to lack of jurisdiction,” CenterLaw said.
“The Ombudsman’s decisions were marred by multiple infirmities, including a failure to offer sound justifications for its findings, and blatant oversight of material facts and circumstances by misapplying the concepts of law. The Office of the Ombudsman also failed to accord due respect for the findings of facts and judgments in intimately related previous court cases,” it added. “Altogether, these exhibit grave abuse of discretion.”
The Ombudsman, under Duterte appointee Samuel Martires, said the two witnesses did not actually see what happened because they were outside the house when they heard the gunshots. This made Morillo the lone eyewitness. However, the Ombudsman said his statements were “suspect” because he was one of the subjects in the anti-drug operation.
As to the administrative complaints, the Ombudsman said: “As the administrative charge is anchored on the same facts as that of the criminal charge, the Office finds that the complainants failed to prove the respondents’ administrative liability by substantial evidence.”
Morillo’s petition to the Supreme Court calls this Ombudsman resolution “a brazen and blatant error [that] is tantamount to grave abuse of discretion amounting to lack or excess of jurisdiction.”
There is an ongoing International Criminal Court (ICC) investigation into the killings in Duterte’s campaign against drugs. Under ICC rules, the Court can step back if it finds that the Philippines is able and willing to investigate the killings using its own local system. But ICC rules also follow a “same person-same conduct” test, requiring that the Philippines must investigate the very same things the Court is investigating to merit stepping back.
Morillo’s filing of petition is important because it opens the possibility of putting another set of cops on trial, since there have been very few trials and convictions in the estimated 30,000 killings – 7,000 of which happened during police operations.
Trial of these cops could establish a link to Duterte because their station commander back then was Patay, one of the so-called “Davao boys” or policemen plucked from the former president’s home region to implement tokhang in Metro Manila, which became a center of drug-related killings.
Patay is among the subjects of an ongoing House inquiry, seen by many as a pressure point for Duterte in the breakup of the Uniteam alliance. Patay, whose stations recorded the most kills at the start of the drug war, was recently appointed chief of police in Davao City, Duterte’s hometown, but quickly replaced after only four hours.
That Morillo is pursuing this case up to the Supreme Court is significant in the whole battle for accountability in the drug war because the latest conviction of cops, only the fourth overall, was the last best bet of Rise Up, a group helping relatives of drug war victims.
The fourth and latest policemen to be convicted of homicide were Police Master Sergeant Virgilio Cervantes and police corporals Arnel de Guzman, Johnston Alacre, and Artemio Saguros, for killing father and son Luis and Gabriel Bonifacio in 2016. Mary Ann Domingo, either wife or mother of the victims, currently has an appeal pending with the SC seeking to upgrade the case to murder. – Rappler.com
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Carrier Shandong’s recent training is a routine exercise, says Chinese defense ministry
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Chito de la Vega
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12/07/2024 18:12
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File photo: Type 002 aircraft carrier of People's Liberation Army Navy.
Tyg728/wikimedia commons
BEIJING, China – Chinese aircraft carrier Shandong’s recent far sea combat training is a routine annual arrangement and the navy will hold similar exercises routinely to improve the combatability of the carrier group, China’s defense ministry said on Friday, July 12.
Spokesperson Zhang Xiaogang made the comments in a statement from the ministry, adding such drills do not have any specific targets.
Philippine Navy Spokesperson Roy Vincent Trinidad said at a forum Friday that it was a “simple passage” and they were aware of its movement.
“If they were sending a message, it was not only to the Philippines, it was also a message to our neighbours in the region, Vietnam, Taiwan,” Trinidad said.
Shandong passed close to the northern Philippines on its way to drills in the Pacific, Taiwan’s defence minister said on Wednesday, as Taipei reported dozens of warplanes joining the ship for exercises.
– Reuters
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Gilas Pilipinas joins dengue prevention campaign
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pfkahanap0307
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12/07/2024 13:55
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Shutterstock
The following is a press release from Baygon.
Baygon, the leading insecticide brand in the Philippines, and Gilas Pilipinas, the Philippine men’s basketball team, today announced a partnership signed to educate the public on the prevention of dengue during the peak mosquito season.
Coming together for the benefit of all, the Gilas Pilipinas and Baygon partnership will launch the “Pull Up Your Socks” education and awareness campaign, which features Gilas players encouraging the public to take measures to help fight dengue, such as pulling up one’s socks to protect lower legs, emptying standing water, dousing high-risk areas with mosquito sprays, and using repellents.
Both Baygon and Gilas Pilipinas share a long-standing commitment to the Filipino community. This partnership, made possible through the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas, the basketball federation in the Philippines, reinforces their shared commitment and history of dedication to the local community. It will allow the sharing of vital dengue prevention information that will help Filipinos protect themselves and their loved ones against the disease.
Al Panlilio, president of Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas, said: “We are pleased to announce a partnership with a brand that shares our long-standing history and commitment to doing what’s best for the Filipino community. Partnerships like this are important for the team as it gives us an opportunity to give back to the community in a meaningful way beyond the courts.”
Through this partnership, Baygon and Gilas Pilipinas aim to empower Filipinos with the knowledge and skills necessary to help protect themselves and their communities from dengue.
The “Pull Up Your Socks” campaign will also include social media content led by influencers and Baygon ambassadors. The content encourages Filipinos to share the importance of dengue prevention using the hashtag #PullUpYourSocks. – Rappler.com
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Paulene Canada, her ‘royal’ clan, and cracks in Quiboloy’s ‘kingdom’
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Herbie G
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12/07/2024 19:50
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QUIBOLOY ALLY. Paulene Canada, co-accused of KOJC founder Pastor Apollo Quiboloy, has a P1-million bounty on her head and is the No. 6 most wanted in the Davao region. She is presented to the media by Interior Secretary Benhur Abalos in Camp Crame on July 12, 2024.
Jire Carreon/Rappler
CAGAYAN DE ORO, Philippines – Paulene Canada, a church associate of fugitive preacher Apollo Quiboloy, has found herself right smack in the middle of a legal storm.
Until her arrest on Thursday, July 11, Canada was wanted along with Quiboloy and four others for a human trafficking case in Pasig, one of the many that have cast a shadow over her religious group, the Davao-based Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC).
Police arrested Canada at a house in Emily Homes in Buhangin District, making her the first among the six fugitives, including Quiboloy, to be caught after a regional court in Pasig issued arrest warrants on April 11. A week before the Pasig court ordered their arrest, five of them had posted bail for a separate child abuse case in Davao.
KOJC lawyer Israelito Torreon questioned Canada’s arrest, claiming that the police initially kept the arrest under wraps, and that her rights were violated.
He told a news conference in Davao that no lawyer assisted Canada and claimed that the police lied to him when he inquired about the arrest.
Torreon said his text messages and calls to Davao Region police chief Brigadier General Nicolas Torre III on Thursday were unanswered, and the police official’s aide supposedly told him that Canada was not arrested.
Interior Secretary Benhur Abalos and Philippine National Police (PNP) chief General Francisco Marbil presented Canada to reporters on Friday morning, July 12.
Days before Canada’s arrest, Quiboloy’s followers went ballistic and took a dramatic step in Davao, casting a curse on President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, Speaker Martin Romualdez, and Abalos, in a startling turn reminiscent of biblical narratives.
The plot twist followed Abalos’ announcement of a P15-million reward for the capture of Quiboloy and his associates.
Nori Cardona, a Quiboloy associate, told a news conference in Davao on Tuesday, July 9, that the Marcoses, Romualdez, and Abalos would suffer from a deadly disease as foretold in a “prophecy” from the Middle East.
Cardona read: “The angel of judgment shall come upon you – Ferdinand Marcos Jr., Liza Araneta-Marcos, Martin Romualdez, Benhur Abalos – for you have oppressed and afflicted God’s appointed, Apollo C. Quiboloy. For the one that touches him touches the apple of God’s eye. As you have grieved the son of God, you shall be plagued with a deadly disease, a crippling condition, a formidable disorder that even your nearest and dearest ones shall suffer terribly. It will be a dreadful curse so devastating that existence itself becomes a burden.”
Quiboloy styles himself as the “appointed son of God,” and his followers genuinely believe in his claims of divinity and supernatural abilities.
But just two days after hurling the supernatural threats, Canada, the first of the six fugitives, was caught by authorities.
Canada has long been a loyal follower of Quiboloy and belongs to one of the oldest clans to convert to his religion in Davao.
According to former KOJC members, Canada holds a leadership position in the organization. She once served as KOJC’s chief finance officer and is a member of Quiboloy’s “pastoral” department, a special group of women who assist the religious leader and run errands for him, among other things – duties seen as “privileges” in the organization.
In a 2021 interview with Rappler, former KOJC “pastoral” Arlene Caminong-Stone, who had testified against Quiboloy during a Senate committee hearing earlier this year, said the Canadas are seen as one of the “royal families” in the religious group because they were among the first to follow the preacher.
Canada’s elder siblings – Ingrid and Cresente – are also among Quiboloy’s most trusted lieutenants. Ingrid, according to former KOJC members, is the church administrator, while Cresente, currently the barangay chairman of Tamayong in Davao, served as Quiboloy’s close-in security aide and driver.
The siblings are among the five Quiboloy associates charged with human trafficking in Pasig and child abuse in Davao.
On April 3, Paulene and KOJC coordinator Sylvia Cemañes turned themselves in to the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) in Davao after authorities arrested Cresente earlier that day in connection with their child abuse case.
Paulene’s elder sister Ingrid and Jackielyn Roy, a KOJC choir singer and “pastoral,” surrendered the following day.
All of them, including Cresente, were released by the NBI after posting an P80,000-bail bond each, but subsequently became fugitives after the Pasig court ordered their arrest.
Interestingly, on May 27, Cresente surrendered 21 firearms to authorities in Davao, but was released by authorities despite an April 11 arrest warrant due to the non-bailable human trafficking case in Pasig.
Authorities said the firearms, all licensed, belonged to Cresente, who is supposedly a sports gun collector.
Quiboloy divided the Canadas. Cracks in the clan showed when one of the families decided enough was enough, severed their ties with the doomsday preacher, and left for the US before the COVID-19 pandemic struck.
The faction was blamed by Quiboloy’s Hawaii-based lawyer, Michael Jay Green, for the KOJC’s legal troubles in the US. He called them “dissidents” out to bring the Davao-based preacher down.
Quiboloy is considered a fugitive, too, in the US, where he and another set of church associates were charged in 2021 with conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking by force, fraud, and coercion, sex trafficking of children, marriage fraud, fraud and misuse of visas, bulk cash smuggling, promotional money laundering, concealment money laundering, and international promotional money laundering.
In early 2022, the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) placed him under its wanted list alongside his church associates Teresita Dandan and Helen Panilag, and several other fugitives from Mexico and China.
On December 10, 2021, Green told Rappler that at least 14 “dissidents” were working against Quiboloy, including a Nepalese named Shishir Bhandari, former operations manager of Apollo Air, the preacher’s Davao City-based airline company.
Bhandari is the husband of one of the Canadas, a lawyer, who had a falling-out with Quiboloy.
“When he (Bhandari) found out that they were gonna do an audit, they ran like thieves in the night,” Green told Rappler in 2021.
Bhandari and his family have declined interviews on the advice of lawyers from the US Department of Justice (DOJ).
The unfolding legal battles and internal divisions within Quiboloy’s “kingdom” hint at a turbulent future for the once-unified religious group, leaving many to wonder what fate awaits its embattled leader and his loyal followers. – Rappler.com
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‘All playing hard, all intense’: Tiu expects competitive Jones Cup run
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Jasmine Payo
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12/07/2024 18:53
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PREPS. Strong Group-Pilipinas during a scrimmage ahead of the 2024 Jones Cup.
STRONG GROUP ATHLETICS
MANILA, Philippines – Head coach Charles Tiu expects Strong Group-Pilipinas to come out competitive as the country tries to reclaim its lofty standing in the 43rd William Jones Cup.
“I like the way they’re competing in practice, they’re all playing hard, they’re all intense,” said Tiu as the team gears up for the basketball club tournament in Taipei from July 13 to 21.
“I really like what I’m seeing.”
While impressed with the team’s experienced lineup, which boasts of former San Miguel import Chris McCullough and Gilas Pilipinas center Ange Kouame, the Strong Group players are also willing to adapt to new concepts.
Tiu, moreover, praised team captain Kiefer Ravena’s leadership, intelligence, and outspokenness on and off the court.
For Ravena, the knowledge he had gained playing for Gilas Pilipinas and overseas have been crucial in guiding his teammates.
“I just apply whatever I learned in my overseas and national team stints to help them,” said Ravena.
“I am just trying to give my best,” he added.
Strong Group-Pilipinas aims for a podium finish after the Philippines, represented by Rain or Shine, finished seventh last year.
The country last ruled in 2019 behind Mighty Sports, before the tournament got shelved for three years due to the pandemic.
Ravena feels confident with their campaign, pointing to the excellent performances of the team’s rising talents, and noting he will share the backcourt with young guns Jonathan Manalili and RJ Abarrientos.
“We are familiar with each other, and I think we have the time and the chemistry needed to prepare for the Jones Cup,” said Ravena.
Guard Jordan Heading shared how he stayed in shape before being called to represent the country with Strong Group.
“I guess my [preparation] was really just playing NBL 1 in Australia,” Heading stated, referring to his stint with NBL squad West Adelaide Bearcats.
“[I’m] just trying to stay in shape and stay ready for this, and obviously we [have limited time] with the team to just get ready,” the 28-year-old added.
The Filipino sharpshooter is also eager to add the experience into his arsenal, sharing that he is always proud to don the country’s colors in an international setting.
“It always feels good to represent the Philippines, you know, whether that’s with Gilas or with Strong Group,” said Heading.
“You know it’s always fun, just to have a Filipino flag on your jersey and get to play in front of all the kababayans (compatriots) wherever we are.”
After playing what he called as two “tough” years in the Korean Basketball League, Dave Ildefonso returns home, not just to represent the country, but also to follow his father Danny and brother Shaun’s footsteps in the PBA.
“Playing in Korea was pretty tough. In my situation, the language barrier was really different, really hard,” the former Suwon KT forward said.
“[Being back] warms my heart, since I was a bit dismayed [with my time] in Korea. I wasn’t used much, and I wasn’t basically able to talk with anybody there, so it’s really nice to be here in the Philippines.”
For the former Ateneo Blue Eagles star, the Strong Group coaching staff bridges the gap between the young and veteran players of the squad.
“I think what coach Charles, coach Rajko (Toroman) are doing, they’re trying to lessen the gap between the amateurs and like the pros, in like, especially with the age,” he stated.
Valuable lessons from his Korean foray stood out, according to Ildefonso, which he thinks are crucial for his SGA appearance.
“Always be ready,. Whatever happens, no matter how sure you are, no matter how long your playing time is, whatever the situation is, you must be ready,” the 24-year-old said.
“Don’t ever lose confidence.” – Eugero Vincent Liberato, Jorge Marion Dionisio, and Niño Dominic Ronquillo/Rappler
Eugero Vincent Liberato, Jorge Marion Dionisio, and Niño Dominic Ronquillo are Rappler interns.
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Marcos’ POGO dilemma: Economic managers never backed Chinese online gambling
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Ralf Rivas
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12/07/2024 19:16
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The adverse economic impact of kicking out Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGOs) has been repeatedly used by proponents to defend the contentious industry.
From job losses to a real estate bubble burst, revenue losses have been repeatedly raised in congressional hearings.
But the country’s economic architects – the Cabinet officials in charge of improving the Philippines’ fiscal position – were never really on board. In fact, they recommended an outright ban amid criminal activities surrounding POGOs.
With all the controversies hounding POGOs, why is President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. still keeping them around?
The Duterte administration saw the biggest gains in the POGO industry. From contributing over P660 million to the Philippine Amusement Gaming Corporation’s (Pagcor) total gaming income in 2016, the amount peaked to P6 billion in 2018, representing an 809% increase in just three years.
After 2018, income derived from POGOs declined, hitting a low of P2.2 billion in 2022.
The Department of Finance has also cited lower economic returns from POGOs. Tax collections hit an all-time low of P1.7 billion in 2022 from a high of P8 billion in 2019, representing a 78.8% decline from the peak.
But in 2023, Pagcor’s income from POGOs jumped by 43.2% to P3.15 billion year-on-year.
Pagcor's gaming income has helped shore up government revenues. In 2023, Pagcor dividend remittances reached P4.6 billion. Excluding financial institutions like Land Bank of the Philippines, the Philippine Deposit Insurance Corporation, and the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, Pagcor ranks second in dividend remittances, just behind the Philippine Ports Authority.
Latest data from Pagcor showed that there are 45 registered POGOs, seven of which operate with provisional licenses.
Here’s what the Philippines’ economic managers previously said about POGOs:
Ralph Recto, Finance Secretary: “Frankly, I’m not a fan of gambling and two, I’m not a fan of POGOs, really. But if they were not doing any hanky panky and they’re paying taxes, fine with me. But I think there are many issues already surrounding the POGO industry.”
In a chance interview, Recto said the economic team has transmitted a letter to Marcos, urging him to go for a total ban.
Arsenio Balisacan, National Economic and Development Authority Secretary: “We don’t think that the benefits in terms of the revenues generated and the additional…and the impact [on] the economy are worth the cost.” He added, “What we want to encourage are very…legitimate investments, good investments, quality investments.”
Benjamin Diokno, former finance secretary: “China has discontinued POGO. Even Cambodia. It also has reputational risk. People will ask, ‘Why are they going to the Philippines, it is discontinued in China. Why are they going to the Philippines?’ Maybe because we are loose, we are not strict on our rules.”
Pagcor is firm that it will come out with better regulations, nearly a decade since they were tasked to regulate POGOs.
In a DZBB interview, Pagcor chief Alejandro Tengco said they are set to release new guidelines, where they will ban POGOs in establishing hubs.
“Doon po nagaganap ang mga criminal activities. Napakahirap po kasing i-monitor sila sapagkat una, they are confined in a specific area, malalaking mga hektaryang lupa and they are walled. Ang perimeter fence sila, security fence ang dating. They are gated and it is confined na sila lang halos ang nakakalabas at makakapato,” Tengco said.
(Criminal activities are happening there. It's very difficult to monitor them because, first, they are confined to a specific area – large hectares of land that are walled. Their perimeter fence is like a security fence. They are gated and it is confined, almost only they can go in and out.)
Recall, however, that it was former Pagcor chief Andrea Domingo who wanted these hubs.
Domingo said self-contained hubs for Chinese online gambling workers would serve only to provide their basic needs and not segregate them from the population.
“When we refer to POGO hubs as self-contained communities, what we mean is that these hubs will have all the basic needs of the foreign employees of POGO,” Domingo said in a text message to reporters last August 8, 2019.
She said these hubs would have office and residential spaces, food establishments, wellness and recreational facilities, and service shops.
“They are free to go anywhere they want to, without any limitation on their personal rights or liberties,” Domingo added.
The Chinese embassy has repeatedly expressed concern over POGO hubs, as they could infringe on the basic legal rights of its citizens.
Pagcor has only accredited only one POGO hub, namely the one owned by First Orient International Ventures Corp. in Cavite.
Prior to recent developments in the Senate, Pagcor was already grilled by lawmakers for their lack of detailed roadmap for the online gaming industry.
In a November 2022 Senate hearing, Pagcor said it intends to grow POGO revenues to P10 billion by 2027, higher than the P8 billion earned in 2019, or during the peak of POGO activities. It added that they aim to have a 100% market share of the online gambling industry in Southeast Asia.
Pagcor’s roadmap for POGO growth was only four pages long. They have yet to make public any updated plans, two years since that hearing.
Pagcor, so far, has canceled some 69 POGO licenses and 272 service provider licenses. Most have left the Philippines during the pandemic, while some licenses were canceled due to alleged illegal activities.
The gaming regulator, as well as the police and local government units, are struggling with law enforcement.
"Isang hamon sa law authorities natin na tugisin at hanapin ang mga iligal na 'yan sapagka't wala na pong mga lisensya 'yan, 2023 pa. Kaya naniniwala po ako, 'yung kinansela namin na himigit-kumulang 250, 'eh nandito lang po kung saan-saan na lugar sa ating bansa. Dahil...mahirapan na pong bumalik 'yan sa country of origin nila," Tengco said.
(It is a challenge for our law authorities to pursue and find those illegal entities because they have not had licenses since 2023. Therefore, I believe that the approximately 250 licenses we canceled are still scattered in various places in our country. It will be difficult for them to return to their country of origin.)
Since 2018, or since the Duterte administration, nearly 3,000 Chinese citizens implicated in cases have been repatriated through the efforts of both the Philippines and China.In the past year alone, China has assisted the Philippines in shutting down five POGO hubs and repatriated nearly 1,000 Chinese citizens.
“POGO is detrimental to both Philippine and Chinese interests and images as well as China-Philippines relations,” the Chinese embassy said in a statement last June. – Rappler.com
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Future UST varsity swimmer breaks Palarong Pambansa record
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clescudero0258
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12/07/2024 19:14
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RECORD HOLDER. Palarong Pambansa 2024 swimmer Beatrize Maria Mabalay of Bicol Region now holds the record for the 50-meter breaststroke event.
Christa Escudero/Rappler
CEBU CITY, Philippines – Beatrize Maria Mabalay of Bicol shattered the Palarong Pambansa record for the swimming secondary girls 50-meter breaststroke event during the 2024 national event in Cebu City on Friday, July 12, finishing at 34.35 seconds and bagging the gold medal.
The record was previously held by Clara Yzabela delos Santos of the National Capital Region, who placed second in Friday’s event at 34.74.
Mabalay was still feeling the jitters even after winning the race, recalling the experience of competing with the record holder in a tight, thrilling race that saw bleachers at the Cebu City Sports Center erupting in cheers.
“Tina-try ko po na i-strategize din po while swimming. Kasi very important din po na alam ko ‘yung ginagawa ko. And ‘yun nga po, dagdag din knowing na siya (Delos Santos) ‘yung previous na record holder…. Pero I’m trying din na huwag masyado mag-focus doon and mag-focus lang sa swim ko,” she shared in an interview with Rappler.
(I tried to focus on strategy while swimming, because it’s very important that I know what I’m doing. Then there’s the added knowledge that I’m competing against a record holder. But I tried not to focus on that and just focus on my swim.)
Mabalay is a recent senior high school graduate of the Bulan National High School in Bulan, Sorsogon. This is the 17-year-old’s final Palaro after competing for three years, winning her first gold in 2018 and one more gold and two silvers in 2019. She has been swimming since fourth grade, training with her father RJ.
“We’ve seen how she worked hard…. [and] this is very memorable kasi last year niya (because it’s her last year). It’s a good way to exit the Palarong Pambansa – with a gold and a Palaro record. Kaya masayang-masaya kami sa family (That’s why we’re very happy as a family),” the elder Mabalay shared.
Now, the student-athlete has her sights set on the UAAP as she looks forward to competing for the University of Santo Tomas. – Rappler.com
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[In This Economy] Is the Marcos government unlawfully dipping into PhilHealth funds?
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Chay Hofilena
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12/07/2024 18:51
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The 2025 budget season is already upon us. But we haven’t even talked much about the shenanigans concerning this year’s (2024) budget.
One of the biggest irregularities is that lawmakers were able to insert colossal “unprogrammed funds” in the 2024 budget.
When we say unprogrammed funds, we mean standby funds that don’t yet have a definite purpose at the outset. But such amounts can be funded and spent under certain conditions.
At first, the executive branch requested in its proposed budget only P281.91 billion in unprogrammed funds. But surprise, surprise: in the final version of the budget that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. signed, those unprogrammed funds ballooned by 2.6 times to a whopping P731.45 billion.
That’s almost half a trillion pesos worth of extra funds. Nothing to sneeze at.
Opposition lawmakers have already contested that this brazen increase is unconstitutional. The President’s proposed budget cannot be expanded by Congress – that’s plainly stated in the 1987 Constitution. Lawmakers already filed a case before the Supreme Court to contest this dubious provision in the 2024 budget.
But while that case is ongoing, the 2024 budget is intact. How on earth can the government fund P731.45 billion worth of unprogrammed funds?
As stated in the 2024 budget law, unprogrammed funds can be financed from four sources. Let me enumerate the ways verbatim:
I’m highlighting the fourth item because this is a new “special provision” in the General Appropriations Act or GAA. Just last year, in the 2023 budget law, you will only see the first three.
The fourth special provision essentially means that the Marcos government can activate the gargantuan unprogrammed funds using surpluses (excess funds) from GOCCs like PhilHealth.
This is a very weird and dangerous provision that was flagged by budget analysts, including my friend Zy-za Suzara, as early as last year.
The dangers became real this year. (Hat tip to my UPSE colleague Cielo Magno for pointing out this issue in her TikTok, as well as to Men Sta. Ana of the Action for Economic Reforms for pointing out this issue in his recent BusinessWorld column.)
It turns out that on February 27, 2024, the Department of Finance (DOF) issued Department Circular 003-2024, giving instructions to GOCCs with surpluses on how to implement special provision 4.
They used flowery words to justify this move, like: “Consistent with the Medium-Term Fiscal Framework, the National Government aims to consolidate the resources of the government so that these are mobilized and utilized to gain the maximum benefit and high multiplier effects for the economy.”
Then on April 24, DOF instructed PhilHealth (one of the GOCCs with surpluses) to remit P89 billion to the Treasury within 15 calendar days – citing the 2024 budget law and Department Circular 003-2024.
This is problematic because PhilHealth’s money can’t be reallocated just like that.
In fact, it’s specifically stated in the Universal Health Care Act (UHCA) that the PhilHealth’s excess funds, above and beyond their “reserve funds,” “shall be used to increase the Program’s benefits and to increase the amount of members’ contributions.” Unused portions of the reserve fund, meanwhile, “shall be placed in investments.”
Very clearly, the law states: “No portion of the reserve fund or income thereof shall accrue to the general fund of the National Government or to any of its agencies or instrumentalities, including government-owned or -controlled corporations.”
But that’s exactly what the DOF wants to happen. In short, the DOF is possibly violating the UHCA by siphoning P89 billion from PhilHealth.
What’s more, these developments are already reflected in government statistics. The screenshot below shows that P50 billion worth of funds were remitted by PhilHealth and PDIC (the Philippine Deposit Insurance Corporation) in May, citing the DOF circular and the 2024 budget’s special provision. PhilHealth remitted P20 billion, while PDIC remitted P30 billion.
It’s like the Marcos government created extra revenues out of thin air. Except that they didn’t really “create” money, so much as they extorted money from GOCCs.
Source: Bureau of the Treasury
I only learned about PDIC’s remittance when I looked at the spreadsheet. Their involvement in this scheme is just as disturbing, for PDIC “exists to provide deposit insurance coverage for the depositing public to help promote public confidence and stability in the economy.” When a bank fails, depositors’ monies are insured by PDIC to a certain extent (P500,000 per account, to be exact).
If the government is also touching PDIC’s funds, then it is compromising PDIC’s mandate – and possibly endangering the banking sector.
Apart from violating the UHCA, the DOF’s circular may also be violating two more laws: Republic Act No. 11467 (Sin Tax Law of 2020) and Republic Act No. 10963 (TRAIN Law) – both of which provide that some portion of tax revenues they generate must be earmarked for the UHCA’s implementation, and that includes PhilHealth’s coverage.
Many questions are unresolved. To what end is the Marcos government sweeping GOCCs to get billions of funds from them? On what types of things will the unprogrammed funds be spent? How is this scheme akin to the modus operandi of the Maharlika Investment Fund, which also siphoned billions from state-owned banks and the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas itself?
And why aren’t Filipinos talking about this scandal? Because budget issues are inherently un-sexy and not worthy of people’s attention? Until when will Filipinos turn a blind eye to these budget shenanigans? – Rappler.com
JC Punongbayan, PhD is an assistant professor at the UP School of Economics and the author of False Nostalgia: The Marcos “Golden Age” Myths and How to Debunk Them. In 2024, he received The Outstanding Young Men (TOYM) Award for economics. JC’s views are independent of his affiliations. Follow him on Twitter/X (@jcpunongbayan) and Usapang Econ Podcast.
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I want to take a moment to thank Prof. JC Punongbayan for bringing up these important questions: “Why aren’t Filipinos discussing this scandal? Is it because budget issues are inherently uninteresting and not deserving of people’s attention? How long will Filipinos continue to ignore these budget shenanigans?” I can only speak for myself, but here are my thoughts: 1) I was not aware of this issue until Prof. JC Punongbayan mentioned it in the article; 2) Budget issues are important, but analyzing budget proposals is complex, so I rely on competent and, more importantly, “truthful” economists like Prof. JC Punongbayan to conduct the initial analysis; 3) If I become aware of these budget shenanigans, I will not ignore them. The next question is, what should be done after learning about their “budget manipulations”?
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Unbeaten NU, FEU clinch SSL quarterfinal berths
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Jasmine Payo
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12/07/2024 17:41
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ON A ROLL. The FEU Lady Tamaraws celebrate a play in the SSL National Invitationals.
Shakey’s Super League
MANILA, Philippines – National University and Far Eastern University stayed on track of their title hunt in the 2024 Shakey’s Super League (SSL) National Invitationals.
The NU Lady Bulldogs booked a quarterfinal seat after crushing Xavier University-Northern Mindanao, 25-15, 25-13, 25-13, to complete a Pool A sweep of the collegiate volleyball pocket tournament on Friday, July 12, at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
Showing they’re the reigning UAAP champions, the Lady Bulldogs barely broke a sweat in claiming their second straight victory despite sitting out most of their stars, including Alas Pilipinas members Bella Belen and Arah Panique.
Aishat Bello and Vange Alinsug took care of business in leading the NU’s balanced offense to move on to the knockout quarterfinals.
The FEU Lady Tamaraws also punched their quarterfinal ticket after booting out Lyceum of the Philippines University, 25-15, 25-13, 25-12, to sweep Pool C.
Lovely Lopez fired 9 of her 10 points off attacks while Melody Pons and Jean Asis scored 7 each for the unbeaten Lady Tamaraws, who will square off against the No.2 seed in Pool B in the next round.
NU head coach Norman Miguel said, though, that the Lady Bulldogs have more to improve despite their dominant showing.
“We’re happy that we won even without the senior players, but we saw complacency in their performance,” said Miguel. “This is still a problem within the team – the tendency to relax when their opponents are under skilled. That’s what I told them. That’s not good for me.”
“But nevertheless, it’s good that the players stepped up, especially Vange, Abe Pono with the help of Erin Pangilinan,” he added. “Our rookies played good today.”
Bello fired 9 points, including 4 aces for NU, while Alinsug added 8 points from 6 kills and 2 kill blocks.
Young playmaker Abegail Pono held the fort as she took over orchestrating the Lady Bulldogs’ offensive flow as NU rested main setter Lams Lamina, as well as Sheena Toring.
Erin Pangilinan and Minerva Maaya scored 5 each for the Lady Bulldogs.
NU’s victory also gave Enderun Colleges, which it defeated in straight sets last Wednesday, a free ride into the next round.
The Lady Titans, who swept Xavier University, 25-12, 25-21, 25-18, last Thursday, will play Pool D’s top seed in the quarters.
Chrys Biongcog and Charity Rockwell posted 5 and 4 points, respectively, to pace Xavier University, which ended its campaign winless.
FEU, meanwhile, rained down 41 attack points and took advantage of the Lady Pirates’ poor reception to land 8 aces in the 73-minute volleyball clinic.
Ashley Muchillas had 5 points while Angelica Cruz, Joan de Guzman, and Marinel Sagayno added 4 each in a lost cause for the NCAA Season 99 third-placer Lyceum, which finished its stint winless.
The Lady Pirates suffered a four-set loss to USPF last Thursday. – Rappler.com
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HIGHLIGHTS: Philippines vs UAE – Jones Cup 2024
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Jasmine Payo
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13/07/2024 12:25
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MANILA, Philippines – Strong Group-Pilipinas wasted no time flashing its dominance in the 43rd William Jones Cup as it stormed past United Arab Emirates in its opening assignment, 104-79, on Saturday, July 13, at the Xinzhuang Gymnasium in Taiwan.
Former San Miguel Beermen import Chris McCullough shone the brightest for the powerhouse Strong Group with an all-around stat line of 15 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 assists.
Strong Group-Pilipinas looks to open its 43rd William Jones Cup campaign on a high note when it battles the United Arab Emirates on Saturday, July 13.
Bannered by the likes of overseas-based Filipino basketball stars Kiefer Ravena, Jordan Heading, and Rhenz Abando, as well as former San Miguel Beermen import Chris McCullough, the star-studded Strong Group squad aims to live up to its billing and reclaim the gold the country last won in 2019.
Last year, the Philippines – which was then represented by the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters – finished seventh in the nine-team field with a disappointing 2-6 slate.
Mentored by coach Charles Tiu, Strong Group takes on a familiar UAE national team, which it previously dominated in the Dubai International Basketball Championship earlier this year, 82-66.
However, it’s going to be a completely different ball game this time for the Filipinos as they no longer have former NBA players Dwight Howard and Andre Roberson on their roster.
In that 16-point demolition of UAE in the Dubai International Basketball Championship last January, Roberson and Howard paced the Philippines with 15 and 14 points, respectively.
Now with an all-new lineup, count on McCullough to show the way for Strong Group in this opening-day showdown, as well as solid contributions from Ravena, Heading, RJ Abarrientos, and Filipino-American guard DJ Fenner, among others.
On the other side, look for Qais Alshabebi, Hamid Abdullateef, and DeMarco Dickerson to lead UAE as they hope to redeem themselves against Strong Group.
Game time is 1 pm. – Rappler.com
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PAGASA raises La Niña Alert, cites 70% chance as early as August
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Acor Arceo
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12/07/2024 18:30
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RAINY WEATHER. Commuters brave the rain and flooding in Manila on August 31, 2023.
Rappler
MANILA, Philippines – There is now a 70% chance of La Niña occurring in the August-October period, prompting the weather bureau to raise its warning status from La Niña Watch to La Niña Alert.
The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) had raised La Niña Watch in early March, informing the public months in advance that the phenomenon might occur. At the time, there was a 55% chance.
PAGASA Administrator Nathaniel Servando said in a statement on Friday, July 12, that recent monitoring and analyses “show further cooling of the sea surface temperatures (SSTs) across the central and eastern equatorial Pacific (CEEP).”
“La Niña is characterized by unusually cooler than average SSTs at the CEEP,” the chief of the weather bureau explained.
If La Niña begins in August, September, or October, it could persist until the first quarter of 2025.
For the Philippines, La Niña is expected to trigger more rain and possibly more tropical cyclones.
“The country may experience a higher chance of increased convective activity and tropical cyclone occurrence which may bring above-normal rainfall over some parts of the country in the coming months,” Servando warned.
PAGASA advised the public to prepare for floods and landslides, especially those in vulnerable or hazard-prone areas.
For now, conditions in the tropical Pacific remain at ENSO-neutral levels. ENSO refers to El Niño Southern Oscillation, which has three phases: El Niño, La Niña, and neutral.
In early June, PAGASA had announced that El Niño was over. The 2023-2024 El Niño episode caused droughts in parts of the Philippines and agricultural losses worth billions of pesos. – Rappler.com
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IN PHOTOS: Fisherfolk urge China to accept 2016 arbitral ruling
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Iya Gozum
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12/07/2024 13:07
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Fisherfolk in Zambales parade the first page of the 2016 arbitral ruling and the Philippine flag during a fluvial protest on Friday, July 12.
Rappler
MANILA, Philippines – Fisherfolk on Friday, July 12, held a fluvial protest on the waters of Subic, Zambales, urging China to comply with the 2016 arbitral ruling on the West Philippine Sea.
The protest, led by fisherfolk group Pamalakaya, coincides with the 8th anniversary since an arbitral tribunal in The Hague, Netherlands, ruled that most of China’s claims within the South China Sea were invalid.
“Eight years since the [Permanent Court of Arbitration] ruled in favor of the Philippines’ EEZ, we are still unable to fully control and utilize the marine resources in our territorial waters,” Joey Marabe, provincial coordinator of Pamalakaya, said in a statement. (READ: 8 years on, countries urge China to follow 2016 arbitral award)
Marabe said that continuously popularizing the arbitral ruling locally and internationally could help in the pursuit of a peaceful resolution.
“It is the Filipino people’s patriotic duty to assert our sovereign rights peacefully and diplomatically.”
China has become more aggressive towards Philippine vessels in the South China Sea. Filipino scientists conducting studies in the area have found damaged coral reefs in the area. The Philippine Coast Guard had tied environmental damage in the West Philippine Sea to China’s reclamation activities.
– Rappler.com
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Most Filipinos think joint patrols, exercises way to strengthen PH external defense – survey
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Bea Cupin
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12/07/2024 17:08
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The Japan Maritime Self Defense Force, Philippine Navy, US Navy, and Royal Canadian Navy sail the West Philippine Sea together during a Multilateral Maritime Cooperative Activity (MCA) from June 16 to 17, 2024.
Embassy of Japan
MANILA, Philippines – Most Filipinos – up to 51% – believe that the Philippines should strengthen existing alliances and “elevate partnerships” by holding joint patrols and military exercises with its allies and partners, according to a late-June 2024 survey.
The Pulse Asia Research Incorporated survey, held in time for the 8th anniversary of the 2016 arbitral award, is a snapshot of public sentiments as the Philippines tries to step up efforts to defend its sovereign rights and sovereignty claims in the West Philippine Sea, or part of the South China Sea that includes the country’s exclusive economic zone.
Aside from joint patrols and military exercises, half of Filipinos surveyed said the Philippines should “support the modernization of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) to protect our territory and marine resources in our exclusive economic zone.”
Forty percent, meanwhile, said the government should protect the rights of people and fishing communities in the West Philippine Sea, while 38% think increasing military outposts in those waters is key.
Joint patrols and joint sails – called Maritime Cooperation Activities – have increased in the West Philippine Sea, especially in the past year. The Philippines has sailed with the United States, Japan, Australia, and Canada at different times in 2023 and 2024. The Philippines is a treaty-ally of the United States and is the strategic parter of Japan and Australia. Manila also has military access agreements with Canberra and Tokyo.
The Philippines recently signed a defense memorandum of agreement with Canada.
Most Filipinos (76%), according to the Pulse Asia survey, believed in the statement: “The West Philippine Sea is at the core of the foreign and security policies of the Marcos administration. As we mark the 8th anniversary of the arbitral award, the current administration must continue asserting our maritime rights and protecting our territory in the West Philippine Sea.”
Only 3% disagreed, while 20% were undecided.
The US remained the top country Filipinos believe the Marcos administration should work with as tensions rise in the West Philippine Sea.
These are the results of the survey (respondents were allowed to choose up to three countries).
Field work for the survey began on June 17, the same day the China Coast Guard (CCG) harassed a Philippine military mission to the BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin Shoal by towing, boarding, then damaging vessels of the Philippine Navy.
China claims almost all of the South China Sea, despite a 2016 arbitral ruling that said this claim was invalid.
Tensions between the Philippines and China continue to rise in South China Sea flashpoints, as Beijing continues to harass Manila’s missions to features it claims and occupies. – Rappler.com
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Pulse Asia: 3 in 4 Filipinos dissatisfied with how Marcos gov’t addresses inflation
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Dwight de Leon
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12/07/2024 16:37
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Shoppers pack the Balintawak Public Market in Quezon City to buy items for the Noche Buena celebration, a day before Christmas eve, on December 23, 2023,
Rappler
MANILA, Philippines – The rising prices of goods is the number one issue that Filipinos want President Marcos Jr. to discuss in his third State of the Nation Address (SONA), as three in every four respondents asked by pollster Pulse Asia Research, Incorporated thumbed down his administration’s performance in arresting inflation.
Based on the June survey of the research firm, 76% of Filipinos disapproved of how the government handled inflation, a 5-percentage point increase from March. Only 5% of respondents gave their approval, while 19% were undecided.
It is the only concern that majority of Filipinos – 57% to be exact – want to hear from the President when he delivers his SONA on July 22.
It is also the issue that 72% of Filipinos find the most urgent, outshining other concerns that hogged the headlines in the first half of the year such as defending the country’s territories (5%), and charter change (1%).
As of June, average inflation year-to-date is 3.5%, which is within the government’s 2% to 4% target, but the uptick in food prices remains a concern.
Pulse Asia also noted three other issues in which public disapproval has become more pronounced since March: increasing workers’ pay (up by 5 percentage points), creating more jobs (up by 8 percentage points), and reducing poverty (up by 9 percentage points).
These three concerns, other than inflation, make up the top four slots in the list of most urgent national concerns.
Respondents said they also want to see the President mention in his SONA government’s efforts to improve the economy (36%) and generate jobs (35%).
Other issues that they expect to be highlighted in the SONA include actions to stop the incursion of other countries in the West Philippine Sea (31%), anti-graft and corruption initiatives (26%), efforts to increase the pay of workers (24%), campaign against illegal drugs (21%), actions to improve the educational system (18%), and peace efforts (18%).
On the positive side, the government gets the most brownie points for its efforts to protect the welfare of migrant Filipinos (70% approval), initiatives to address the needs of calamity-stricken areas (64%), and efforts to defend Philippine territories against foreign powers (48%).
The survey, with a margin of error of ± 2%, was conducted from June 17 to 24 among 2,400 adult respondents, and was released on Friday, July 12.
Check the full findings below.
– Rappler.com
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WATCH: PH officials, foreign ambassadors mark 8th anniversary of 2016 arbitral award
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Bea Cupin
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12/07/2024 14:04
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AGROUND. An aerial view shows the BRP Sierra Madre on Ayungin Shoal in the West Philippine Sea, March 9, 2023.
Reuters
MANILA, Philippines – Top Philippine security and diplomatic officials, as well as envoys of various missions to Manila, gathered on Friday, July 12, to commemorate the 2016 arbitral ruling.
From National Security Adviser Eduardo Año to West Philippine Sea advocate and expert retired Supreme Court Justice Antonio Carpio, here are the speeches that were delivered during the forum, organized by the think tank Stratbase ADR Institute and co-sponsored by the Australian and American embassies in Manila.
Watch their speeches here:
Philippine Ambassador to the United States Jose Manuel “Babe” Romualdez
Australian Ambassador to the Philippines HK Yu
Canadian Ambassador to the Philippines David Hartman
Japanese Ambassador to the Philippines Kazuya Endo
United States Ambassador to the Philippines MaryKay Carlson
Former Supreme Court justice Antonio Carpio
Philippine Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Ma. Theresa Lazaro
Philippine National Security Adviser Eduardo Año
– Rappler.com
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Unbeaten NU, FEU clinch SSL quarterfinal berths
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Jasmine Payo
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12/07/2024 17:41
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ON A ROLL. The FEU Lady Tamaraws celebrate a play in the SSL National Invitationals.
Shakey’s Super League
MANILA, Philippines – National University and Far Eastern University stayed on track of their title hunt in the 2024 Shakey’s Super League (SSL) National Invitationals.
The NU Lady Bulldogs booked a quarterfinal seat after crushing Xavier University-Northern Mindanao, 25-15, 25-13, 25-13, to complete a Pool A sweep of the collegiate volleyball pocket tournament on Friday, July 12, at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
Showing they’re the reigning UAAP champions, the Lady Bulldogs barely broke a sweat in claiming their second straight victory despite sitting out most of their stars, including Alas Pilipinas members Bella Belen and Arah Panique.
Aishat Bello and Vange Alinsug took care of business in leading the NU’s balanced offense to move on to the knockout quarterfinals.
The FEU Lady Tamaraws also punched their quarterfinal ticket after booting out Lyceum of the Philippines University, 25-15, 25-13, 25-12, to sweep Pool C.
Lovely Lopez fired 9 of her 10 points off attacks while Melody Pons and Jean Asis scored 7 each for the unbeaten Lady Tamaraws, who will square off against the No.2 seed in Pool B in the next round.
NU head coach Norman Miguel said, though, that the Lady Bulldogs have more to improve despite their dominant showing.
“We’re happy that we won even without the senior players, but we saw complacency in their performance,” said Miguel. “This is still a problem within the team – the tendency to relax when their opponents are under skilled. That’s what I told them. That’s not good for me.”
“But nevertheless, it’s good that the players stepped up, especially Vange, Abe Pono with the help of Erin Pangilinan,” he added. “Our rookies played good today.”
Bello fired 9 points, including 4 aces for NU, while Alinsug added 8 points from 6 kills and 2 kill blocks.
Young playmaker Abegail Pono held the fort as she took over orchestrating the Lady Bulldogs’ offensive flow as NU rested main setter Lams Lamina, as well as Sheena Toring.
Erin Pangilinan and Minerva Maaya scored 5 each for the Lady Bulldogs.
NU’s victory also gave Enderun Colleges, which it defeated in straight sets last Wednesday, a free ride into the next round.
The Lady Titans, who swept Xavier University, 25-12, 25-21, 25-18, last Thursday, will play Pool D’s top seed in the quarters.
Chrys Biongcog and Charity Rockwell posted 5 and 4 points, respectively, to pace Xavier University, which ended its campaign winless.
FEU, meanwhile, rained down 41 attack points and took advantage of the Lady Pirates’ poor reception to land 8 aces in the 73-minute volleyball clinic.
Ashley Muchillas had 5 points while Angelica Cruz, Joan de Guzman, and Marinel Sagayno added 4 each in a lost cause for the NCAA Season 99 third-placer Lyceum, which finished its stint winless.
The Lady Pirates suffered a four-set loss to USPF last Thursday. – Rappler.com
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‘Very polite separation’: Maris Racal admits breakup with Rico Blanco
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jreyes0314
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12/07/2024 17:20
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Maris Racal's Instagram
MANILA, Philippines – Maris Racal announced during a Star Magic press conference on Friday, July 12, that she and Rico Blanco have broken up.
During the press conference, a member of the press asked Racal if Blanco was okay with her love team pairing with her Can’t Buy Me Love co-star Anthony Jennings, and if the Rivermaya frontman was supportive of her project with Jennings.
The actress was also asked whether she was choosing her career or her personal life. When she answered that she was choosing to focus on her career, she was then asked if she saw herself ending up with Blanco in the future. The former Pinoy Big Brother star had then begun to tear up.
“I’m so scared. I’m really scared. Ang dami kasing tanong (There are so many questions) about him and I’m tired of smiling and nodding. I’m so scared because if I announce it then it’s real. Yeah, Rico and I are over,” the actress said through tears.
Racal said that their breakup was “fresh,” adding that it had only been a few weeks since they called it quits.
“[Those were] the loneliest and emptiest weeks I’ve ever experienced in my life,” she said.
The actress added that she did not have a short answer for why she and Blanco broke up as it was complicated. However, she clarified that it was a “very polite separation.”
“Rico and I, our universe was so beautiful. It was so full of love, laughter, and music, everything. Sa five years namin together, we were always on the same page. Always on the same page. I don’t know what happened. Maybe I turned the next page and saw a new perspective sa (on) life. I had visions of who I want to become, how I want to evolve. I’m so curious about the world,” Racal said.
“The truth is, I am going through changes, and alam naman natin (we know) [that] change is either good or bad. But what I hate about change is that it’s inevitable. Hindi mo siya matatakasan, and wala ka nang ibang gagawin kundi (You can’t escape it, and you have no choice but to) you face it and confront it,” she added.
Racal said that she had a “difficult talk” with Blanco about her problems, but he had taken it “like a man.”
“I really loved him so much. I love him and he loves me. But I have so many questions about my life. How will I go on sa buhay (in life) with him when I have so many questions about me and my sense of self?” the actress said.
Racal added that until the very end of her relationship with Blanco, it remained full of love and understanding.
Racal first confirmed her relationship with Blanco in 2021. – Rappler.com
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Why are teen pregnancies still up? DepEd is failing, say CWC, solon group
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Michelle Abad
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12/07/2024 13:33
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FILIPINO STUDENTS. Students and teachers go about regular classes at the General Roxas Elementary School in Quezon City, on February 21, 2024.
Jire Carreon/Rappler
With adolescent pregnancies still on the rise in the Philippines, the government agency on children’s welfare and the secretariat of an organization of lawmakers think the Department of Education (DepEd) hasn’t been doing well in educating kids about their sexuality.
In a media conference on World Population Day, Thursday, July 11, various groups and government agencies called on lawmakers anew to pass the bill seeking to institutionalize a multi-agency program that would prevent adolescent pregnancies in the country and support teen parents.
This call isn’t new – advocates have called for the bill’s passage for years. And even if former president Rodrigo Duterte declared adolescent pregnancy prevention a national priority in 2021, latest Philippine Statistics Authority numbers found that live births among girls aged 19 and below increased by 10.2% from 2021 to 2022.
Over 150,000 girls aged 10 to 19 gave birth in 2022 – around 3,000 of them under 15.
The culprit? The DepEd has yet to effectively roll out comprehensive sexuality education (CSE), a mandate it has had for over 10 years, the agency and organization believe.
When the reproductive health (RH) law was passed in December 2012, it tasked the DepEd to formulate a curriculum for age- and development-appropriate reproductive health education, which should be used by public schools. In July 2018, the DepEd released its policy guidelines on the implementation of CSE.
The DepEd’s CSE core topics include human body and human development, personhood, healthy relationships, sexuality and sexual behaviors, sexual and reproductive health, personal safety, and gender, culture and human rights. These are spread throughout the K to 12 curriculum across various subjects.
“DepEd has always been saying there is already CSE as part of their curriculum. But if you ask the students themselves, sinasabi nila wala (they say they don’t hear of it),” said Normina Mojica, policy, planning and research chief of the Council for the Welfare of Children (CWC) in the Thursday press conference.
Mojica said that teachers “have difficulty touching on” matters like sexuality, which is sometimes still equated to matters on sexual intercourse exclusively.
In other words, teachers might be apprehensive about teaching CSE because of a belief that they are teaching kids to have sex. (That’s wrong – some of the basic lessons in CSE among the younger levels include simply knowing what “good touch” and “bad touch” is.)
“May iba na teachers naman na kaya nilang bitbitin. Kaya nilang i-discuss sa klase nila. Pero kasi alam ‘nyo, majority pa rin ng teachers hindi naman ganun ka-progresibo (There are teachers who are able to discuss it in their classes. But you know, majority of our teachers are not that progressive),” said Mojica.
The CWC official said that when children do not get this information from school, they turn to other sources of information, like social media. But this carries the risk of kids getting information that isn’t appropriate for them, she said.
“We need to help more people become more open-minded to talk about comprehensive sexuality,” she said in Filipino.
Meanwhile, according to Philippine Legislators’ Committee on Population and Development (PLCPD) executive director Romeo Dongeto, DepEd did not see it as a priority.
“After the curriculum was developed, the DepEd should have rolled out a comprehensive training for teachers for the program to be uniform. Even our teachers need to understand what our children’s rights are when it comes to their sexuality,” Dongeto said in a mix of English and Filipino.
“Doon po nagkulang ang ating pamahalaan (That’s where our government fell short),” he said, adding that the Philippines has yet to have a “programmatic, sustained” CSE.
Apart from CSE, Dongeto also said that the distribution of sexual and reproductive health services is still not uniform in all areas of the country.
The CWC is an attached agency of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), while the PLCPD is an organization of lawmakers in the Senate and House pushing forward policies on population and human development.
In a message to Rappler on Friday, July 12, Education Assistant Secretary Dexter Galban said the department has noted how some teachers remain uncomfortable discussing CSE because of “cultural concerns and personal beliefs.”
“Non-teaching of critical parts of the curriculum will definitely have consequences as enabled by existing performance evaluation standards. However, teachers also have the flexibility to conduct their classes without compromising the core components of the subject matter,” Galban said, adding that he still needed to confirm if there are reports of teachers not implementing CSE at all.
Galban said that there was an opportunity to invest more in teacher training, and look into teachers’ comfort level in teaching CSE, especially during latter years like Grades 10 to 12 where more sensitive topics come in.
But apart from looking at issues among teachers, Galban highlighted the importance of looking at what parents and guardians teach their children as well.
“There needs to be harmony in what is being taught in school and what is being reinforced at home. Any clash or lack of congruence at home may lead to confusion among learners,” he said.
He also echoed Mojica’s concern on unregulated online spaces, with adults facing the challenge of protecting kids from “potentially dangerous content and portrayals of sex and reproductive health in the digital scene.”
Some programs the DepEd has in place to enhance its enhanced Matatag-curriculum CSE include reactivating school-based “teen centers” that house resources on CSE and reproductive health, and creating the iChoose platform, a one-stop shop for online resources, in partnership with the Department of Health and the United States Agency for International Development.
The DepEd also has “alternative delivery modes” for students who get pregnant but still want to continue their studies.
“As the challenges of teen pregnancy, which I believe should be called child pregnancy as everyone under 18 is still a child by definition in Philippine law, go beyond education, there is a need to invest in cross-cutting interventions,” said Galban.
According to the United Nations Population Fund, when young girls get pregnant, they face high risks of health complications, and are sometimes forced to stop schooling. This may also trigger an intergenerational cycle of poverty in the family.
The Commission on Population and Development has said that the Philippine economy loses billions to the adolescent pregnancy phenomenon in the country. – Rappler.com
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How PCIJ investigated Grab’s surge pricing model
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Miriam Grace Go
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12/07/2024 16:00
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GRAB. Photo of the Grab app on a phone.
Karol Ilagan/PCIJ
Manila-based journalist Karol Ilagan is a regular customer of GrabCar, the ride-hailing app. In one of her trips to work in 2023, she paid a surge fee that was more than a third of the entire fare. It wasn’t the first time, but because she took the ride late morning on a slow Tuesday, she thought she was overcharged. She sent feedback to Grab Support and was told there was high demand, hence the higher fare.
Ilagan couldn’t challenge the “high demand” explanation because only Grab has access to the underlying data. Her experience, along with numerous stories on social media about Grab’s seemingly steep prices, and drivers’ complaints about their diminishing take-home pay, inspired this reporting project.
With support from the Pulitzer Center’s AI Accountability Network, she teamed up with data specialist Federico Acosta Rainis to test whether claims about Grab’s expensive rides could be proven systematically. Working with 20 researchers, we spent more than six months examining Grab’s algorithm and how it impacts consumers and drivers.
By collecting data from Grab and its online fare check tool, we discovered that rides for at least 10 routes always included surge charges, the fee added by Grab to get more cars on the road. Based on the app, there was always a higher demand than the cars available almost the entire day.
Knowing whether GrabCar rides always included surge fees was only the first thing we wanted to find out. We also wanted to check whether the ride-hailing company’s surge pricing model worked as advertised – that it would get more cars on the road. However, the data we gathered suggested that customers still had to endure lengthy wait times even when fares were high. We used wait times as a proxy for service quality.
Beyond the data, we also wanted to understand how Grab was able to dominate the market; how algorithms are regulated; the underlying factors that make navigating Metro Manila so difficult; and, perhaps most importantly, what needs to be done.
In the coming months, the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism, PumaPodcast, and Commoner will be publishing stories about what we’ve found, including our data, and what the spatial unfixing of work means for Filipinos and how these intersect with systems of disadvantage. We’ll introduce you to drivers, riders, and commuters who often suffer the indignity of plying through the city streets every day. We’ll continue updating this page to share more about our process.
To understand how Grab’s surge pricing model works, we collected one week’s worth of the company’s pricing information for 10 routes by gathering data from the app manually and through its online fare check tool.
Ilagan formed a team of 20 researchers who attempted to book rides for 10 routes across Metro Manila every hour from 6 am to midnight between February 14 and February 20, 2024. The last data collected was at 00:00 of Febryuary 21, 2024. Taking shifts, two researchers were assigned for each route. We chose pick-up and drop-off locations across different cities in Metro Manila, including train stations, churches, hospitals, malls, universities, city halls, and the like.
The researchers attempted to book their assigned route at the top of the hour, i.e., 6 am, 7 a.m. and so on, to match the automated data collection led by Acosta Rainis (see below). At each booking attempt, they took screenshots of the booking page in the app with details on the fare for a GrabCar four-seater, estimated times of arrival to destination, and the suggested route.
After each booking attempt on the app, the researchers also took a screenshot on Google Maps with the route suggested by Google automatically. This was to register the time and distance recommended by Google because the app doesn’t show the distance.
If Google Maps’ default route wasn’t the same as the app’s, the researchers mimicked Grab’s route in Google Maps and took a second screenshot. It was necessary to mimic the route again to obtain the estimated trip distance, which was key to breaking down the fare.
A dry-run of this process was conducted by the researchers in January 2024 before the actual data collection took place in February 2024. Several rounds of data cleaning was conducted after the data collection.
Acosta Rainis, who is based in Spain, meanwhile obtained data from Grab’s fare check application programming interface (API) every 15 minutes every day for the same routes during the same period.
On June 20, 2024, we found out that the online fare check tool was no longer available on Grab’s website. We asked the company about it but we have yet to get a response.
An API is a way for different software systems to talk to each other. It’s an intermediary that sets rules for different systems to exchange information. If we follow the rules, we can ask or “query” the API for the information we need from another system and it will go and fetch the information for us.
For our project, we used Grab’s Farefeed API, which allowed us to check fares for trips in real time by providing the start and end locations. There’s a private version for Grab’s partners, but we used the public version available on their website. As their API only provided one fare estimate at a time, we wrote a Python script to automate the process. We requested data from the API non-stop for a whole week, collecting 672 data points for each of the 10 trips.
Overall, we were able to collect 1,328 data points from the manual process and 6,720 through API. We decided to pursue both manual and API data collection to complement the built-in limitation from each method.
The API data, for example, showed only a range of fare estimates, while the app data showed the fixed rate that researchers would actually pay if they made the booking. On the other hand, querying the API every 15 minutes instead of every hour allowed us to get more data granularity.
Comparing these price points from two separate sources gave us confirmation that the data we were collecting were within similar ranges and not off the mark. Moreover, having different variables allowed us to analyze the data more comprehensively.
In any case, we do know that what we collected represented a small portion of Grab’s data, but it offered a glimpse into the inner workings of its algorithm.
Our analysis began with a breakdown of the fares provided by the app using the fare matrix approved by the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB), the government body that regulates public transportation utilities. Here is the formula, as shown in a document from the Philippine Competition Commission. Note that the base fare now is P45, P15 per kilometer, and P2 per minute.
Below is a sample receipt:
Using the LTFRB fare matrix, we can break down the fare above as follows:
Without surge charges, the trip would have cost: P45 plus P198.30 plus P88 = P331.30.
Following LTFRB’s fare matrix and Grab’s formula, the maximum surge charge can only reach up to twice the sum of P198.30 and P88 (P286.30*2) or P572.60. In this example, we calculated the surge multiplier as follows:
We get the sum of the distance and duration costs plus the surge fee applied.
P198.30 + P88 + P223.70 = P510
Then we divide the value above (P510) with the sum of the distance and duration costs to get the surge multiplier.
P510/P286.30 = 1.781
The surge multiplier is 1.78. The maximum allowed surge rate is x2.
We used the same formula to derive the fare components of each ride we attempted to book. Once the fares were broken down, we were able to conclude that there was always a surge rate applied, meaning there was always an amount left after subtracting the P45 base fare, P15 per kilometer, and P2 per minute rates set by the LTFRB.
Deriving the surge rate allowed us to explore and compare other variables such as its relationship with wait times, day, time of day, route, etc.
In addition to descriptive statistics, we also ran statistical analyses to further understand our data. We sought the help of several statisticians, including those from the School of Statistics at the University of the Philippines Diliman and De La Salle University Manila. While we were aware that we were not running scientific research that required more robust statistical analyses, we took this approach as a way to cover our bases. A common critique of reporting projects like ours is that data findings aren’t statistically significant.
According to the statistical results, the data did not show a significant correlation between surge rate and wait times. However, certain routes exhibited significant negative and positive correlation between these two variables.
In the table above, surge pricing seemed to work best in Route 6 (moderate negative) and then somewhat work in Routes 1, 2, 9, 10, 12, and 15 (low negative). Route 6 is in Valenzuela, one of the less busy cities in Metro Manila.
Higher fares meanwhile did not correlate with shorter waiting times in Routes 5 and 11. Route 5 pick-up is Makati City, and Route 11, Taguig. These are business districts in Metro Manila.
To really understand the impact of algorithm-based services to people, we learned from the experiences of at least a dozen commuters and 50 drivers and riders. Ilagan reached out to individuals who used GrabCar frequently. She also interviewed drivers and riders from several reporting trips to where they usually rest, such as Diokno Boulevard and Macapagal Avenue in Pasay City. Some of the interviewees requested anonymity for fear of retribution.
We read multiple transport studies on surge pricing to help inform the data collection process.
Ilagan also interviewed representatives from organizations monitoring ride-hailing companies and digital labor.
Ilagan tried to request data and interviews from the LTFRB, the Department of Trade and Industry’s Consumer Protection Group, the Department of Information and Communication Technology (DICT), and the PCC. Only DICT and PCC have responded as of posting time.
These interview requests focused on the role of the government as regulator, what the law, policy or rules and regulations say or do not say about algorithms, and Grab’s market dominance when it acquired Uber’s operations in the Philippines. – Rappler.com
This story was produced by the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism in partnership with the Pulitzer Center’s AI Accountability Network.
The story was reported by Pulitzer Center’s AI Accountability Network fellow Karol Ilagan and data specialist Federico Acosta Rainis.
Jabes Florian Lazaro contributed reporting and research for the article.
Data collection was done by Angelica Alcantara, Jay-ar Alombro, Donna Clarisse Blacer, Lyjah Tiffany Bonzo, James Kenneth Calzado, Gina de Castro, Maverick de Castro, Dominique Flores, Lois Garcia, Guinevere Latoza, Aya Mance, Faith Maniquis, Karmela Melgarejo, Gabriel Muñoz, Arone Jervin Ocampo, Matthew Raralio, Arriana Santos, and Angelica Ty.
Felipe Salvosa II was the lead editor.
Photographs were taken by Bernard Testa. Illustrations were created by Joseph Luigi Almuena.
Data visualizations were designed by Karol Ilagan, Federico Acosta Rainis, and Kuang Keng Kuek Ser.
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Grab fares surge under opaque algorithm
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Miriam Grace Go
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12/07/2024 12:20
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Illustration by Joseph Luigi Almuena/PCIJ
MANILA, Philippines – Rica Torres, 37, used to take a Grab car almost every day to take her six-year-old son to and from school. The app-based service was more convenient than riding a jeepney, a tricycle, and crossing an overpass.
“I don’t want my son to go through all those because it saps his energy or sours his mood. He should be in high spirits and excited for school, but because of the commute, he might not look forward to studying anymore,” the mother of two said in a mix of English and Filipino.
Torres took taxis from time to time, but she often avoided them because of drivers known for gouging passengers with high fares. “Hangga’t maaari, Grab ‘yung kinukuha namin (Whenever possible, we always take Grab),” she said.
The Torreses’ experience is a common example of what it’s like to navigate Metro Manila. Notorious for its poor public transportation, the metropolitan region composed of 16 cities and a lone municipality had the world’s worst metro traffic in 2023.
A traffic index found that a motorist spent 240 hours driving on average last year, with almost half of that time stuck on the road. So, when ride-hailing firms like Uber and Grab entered the Philippines, they thrived. The service they offered simply made sense for commuters like the Torreses.
But the family’s travel routine wasn’t sustainable. While their home is only seven kilometers away from school, booking a GrabCar ride meant leaving very early to avoid rush hour. They also spent at least P600 a day on the app alone. That’s roughly the minimum daily wage in Metro Manila.
Torres said she used to pay Grab about P270 going to school and roughly P290 going home at the start of the school year. A few months later, she noticed the fares rising to P310 and to as high as P350. She couldn’t understand the increase when she and her son took the same route every day.
At one point, Torres got curious. She checked the receipt sent by the Grab app to her email, but she had no way to verify the amount.
“I didn’t have any basis or a reference to compare the fare, whether it could still go down or if there’s anything I could contest, so I just let it be. Besides, I didn’t really have another choice. I would take it (Grab) anyway,” she said.
For years, Grab’s seemingly steep fares driven by surge pricing have become a common commuter woe. Because no other firm has been able to threaten Grab’s dominance in the four-wheel transport network vehicle service (TNVS) market, customers are often left without other options. As of April 2024, there are 23,000 TNVS units, and majority of those are Grab’s.
Behind Grab’s multi-billion dollar business is its data and algorithm-based approach to matching drivers and customers. This is how it is supposed to work, according to Grab: “When demand outpaces supply, the higher fares help to signal for more driver-partners to turn on their apps and join the flow.”
The idea makes sense. After all, Grab offers a service that isn’t the same as those offered by taxis, for instance. But the lack of transparency on how its algorithm defines surge rates has left many customers like Torres baffled.
An algorithm is a sequence of rules performed to carry out a certain task. It generates an output from a given input, similar to solving a mathematical problem or cooking a meal through a recipe. However, there is little people know about how these algorithms really work. This is why they are often called “black boxes.”
While the inputs and outputs of an algorithm are often known, the process that turns the input into output is unknown. In the case of Grab, the firm uses driver and customer data to derive the surge rate. But how it computes those rates is unclear.
To test and learn more about how this algorithm works, PCIJ collected Grab’s pricing information (link to Methodology) by attempting to book rides for 10 routes across Metro Manila nearly every hour from 6 a.m. to midnight for one week. PCIJ also obtained data from Grab’s Farefeed application programming interface (API) every 15 minutes every day for the same routes during the same period.
Our investigation revealed that GrabCar rides always included surge fees, and when fares were high, waiting times did not always become shorter. The data suggested that the algorithm behind surge pricing did not always work the way Grab had advertised it to work. Customers still often had long wait times even when surge rates applied.
Since its founding in 2012 by Harvard Business School graduates Anthony Tan and Tan Hooi Ling, Singapore-based Grab has become a multinational company. Originally designed as a ride-hailing app, Grab has since expanded into a “super app” offering food delivery and mobile wallet services. In the Philippines, Grab’s local subsidiary is MyTaxi PH, a homage to the app’s original name, “MyTeksi.”
Lawyer Ariel Inton was not surprised by PCIJ’s findings. It reflected the same complaints that his organization, the Lawyers for Commuter Safety and Protection, has been receiving.
In 2022, the lawyers’ group raised questions about Grab’s surge fees along with other pricing concerns to the Land Transportation and Franchising Regulatory Board (LTFRB), the government agency that regulates public transport utilities. They wanted to know how Grab’s surge rates were determined.
There is still no information about how the LTFRB will resolve the questions about surge pricing. PCIJ’s interview and records requests with the agency have not been granted as of posting time. LTFRB only acknowledged our letter.
Inton said his group filed a motion to resolve the matter in January. There has been no news since.
“Two Christmases passed by already and there’s still no decision… We want to know when the surge [charges] should be implemented. Our focus then was that Grab supposedly applied surge charges because of supply and demand. But is it true every minute of the day? What we’re telling the LTFRB was for them to define surge. There has to be a limitation,” Inton said.
Ronald Gustilo, spokesperson of advocacy group Digital Pinoys, said he didn’t think the LTFRB was able to check how the Grab algorithm worked because of the fact that a complaint about it had been filed.
“The fact that they are not addressing the complaint only shows that they don’t really know how or when surge pricing should be activated. Grab always says it depends on supply and demand, but in the first place, how do we know if there are indeed fewer drivers,” he said.
In a written reply to PCIJ, Grab’s Philippine operations said it had “fully cooperated with the LTFRB’s inquiry” by participating in the hearings. “We remain committed to working with the LTFRB and other regulatory bodies to ensure our pricing mechanisms are fair, transparent, and compliant with all regulations,” the response stated.
Grab said it “strictly follows the fare matrix” set by the LTFRB, which includes provisions for surge pricing. The company also claimed that fares were shown upfront on the app “to provide transparency and allow for informed choices.”
The infographic below shows the information provided by Grab upon booking and when the ride is completed. The cost given by the app can indeed be broken down using the government-approved fare matrix, but only up to a point.
Like other modes of public transportation, Grab’s fare is a combination of the base fare (P45) and increments based on distance (P15 per kilometer) and duration (P2 per minute). But unlike jeepneys, buses, and taxis, the company applies “surge pricing” that is supposed to be based on supply and demand. This part is opaque.
Grab had applied surge rates even before the guidelines for TNVS were drawn up, said Inton, who used to serve as board member of the LTFRB. When the LTFRB stepped in, surge pricing was retained in addition to the standard base fare and distance and duration rates. The LTFRB approved a surge that could only be up to twice the cost per kilometer and per minute.
PCIJ’s data gathering yielded 1,328 data points from the Grab app and 6,720 through Grab’s fare check API. While our collection represented a small portion of the ride-hailing firm’s data, it offered useful insights into the inner workings of its algorithm.
Across all the rides we tried to book that week in February, data showed that surge charges were always included in the fares. Following Grab’s explanation, this suggested that booking requests always exceeded available cars nearly throughout the entire day – even early in the morning and late in the evening, even on weekdays and weekends. But it’s difficult to find out if demand did outpace supply because only Grab has access to this data.
According to data obtained from the app, the surge multiplier averaged at 1.51 times taking into account the rates for distance and duration of all the rides we had attempted to book. The rate tended to be in the lower range for a few hours in the morning.
The lowest surge multiplier we found was 1.19 times and the highest, 1.98 times, or almost twice the per-kilometer and per-minute cost. This is the maximum surge rate allowed by the LTFRB.
The surge charges customers paid for trips significantly differed depending on where they got picked up, the data showed. Passengers from Makati, Taguig, Las Piñas City, and Pasig paid higher surge rates on average. Meanwhile, lower multipliers were recorded in pick-up locations in Manila, Parañaque, Pasay, and Valenzuela.
For example, a six-kilometer ride from Makati to Taguig on February 17, 2024 at 5 pm cost P381. Without a surge, the ride should cost about P215. The estimated surge rate was P166 or 1.98 times the distance and duration fees. The surge fees on this day ranged from 29% to 44% of the whole fare.
Roughly the same trip distance within Valenzuela on the same date and time incurred a P64 surge fee. This was 1.5 times of the per-kilometer and per-minute cost. Grab charged P239 on the app. The surge fees on this day ranged between 23% and 31% of the entire fare.
As a way to verify, we compared the data collected manually from the Grab app with the data collected via Grab’s fare check API. The online tool as shown below provided estimates of the minimum and maximum fare and the duration of the trip.
When compared, the app fares were consistently above the minimum fare approximated by Grab in its own fare check page. This supports the finding that the rides PCIJ tried to book on the app always incurred surge fees. Moreover, it tended to be on the high side.
The chart below shows that each booking (see black line) was also close to or more than the maximum fare estimated by Grab across the 10 routes.
Based on data collected from Grab’s fare check API, the company tagged each ride as “high surge,” “low surge,” or “none.” The same notices are not shown on the app, although it sometimes prompts customers to “beat high fares by booking later.”
Nearly two in three rides had a “None” surge notice in the API data, while the remaining rides were mostly “high surge” with a few “low surge”. This was inconsistent with what we found on the app where the surge fees were always added. Based on our data, there was always an extra amount charged on top of the P45 base fare, P15 per kilometer, and P2 per minute costs set by the LTFRB.
Curiously, the Makati-Taguig route in the API data registered a “high surge” throughout the week 24/7, every hour, even past midnight of the research period.
Grab did not directly address PCIJ’s question on why there was always a surge, but it did say that surge pricing was not predetermined by time but by real-time conditions.
“The discrepancy in surge notice(s) may result from variations in demand and supply at specific times and locations. The ‘High,’ ‘Low,’ or ‘None’ indicators are dynamic and can change rapidly as the system continuously processes new data to maintain balance and efficiency,” Grab said.
Grab added that its algorithm took into account a variety of factors, including traffic congestion, geographic location, the supply of drivers, and demand for rides.
“It operates dynamically to ensure that fare adjustments reflect the real-time market conditions. Surge is not manually set, but run by a real-time algorithm,” Grab wrote.
Gustilo, for his part, said that because algorithms are programmed by people, they need to be checked. Decisions driving their design will affect those who use the technology, he said.
Like Inton, Gustilo has been on the receiving end of complaints from both customers and drivers using the app. He himself found surge pricing puzzling as he had done his own fare monitoring. One time he checked the rate from his location to a destination hourly, from 5 am until midnight. The data he collected showed that prices did not change much throughout the day, which led him to think that either no surge pricing was in effect or there was always a surge the whole day.
“My point is, is Grab always on surge all day? Which is the same question asked by many passengers. Kasi nga, sobrang mahal na mag-Grab ngayon e (Taking a Grab now is so expensive.) Grab’s justification with surge pricing is demand. But drivers tell me, ‘Matumal ‘yung biyahe (Booking are a bit sluggish).’ So how do you reconcile that?” he said.
According to Grab Philippines, surge pricing is “an industry-accepted, sophisticated and scientifically developed algorithm-based feature driven by real-time supply and demand dynamics.”
“It ensures optimal allocation of resources by incentivizing more driver-partners to meet high demand, thereby enhancing service reliability. This mechanism is similar to economic principles applied in various sectors to balance supply and demand effectively,” the firm added.
If the algorithm was working as Grab had advertised, wait times should stay the same or become shorter when surge pricing took effect. However, relatively high surge multipliers lasted several hours without reducing wait times, the API data showed. This was not helpful for commuters because to realize a significant drop in the fare, they would have to wait much longer.
For example, on February 20, 2024 (a Tuesday) from midnight to 11:45 pm, the Makati to Taguig City route recorded a notice of “High Surge” the whole day. The estimated average wait time was 3.4 minutes that day. It peaked at 11 minutes at 7:45 am, but didn’t go back to the average until 10 am. From 3:15 pm to 9:45 pm on the same day, the wait time averaged at four minutes. It wasn’t until past 10 pm when wait times generally dropped to a minute or two.
Statistical analyses conducted by PCIJ did not yield conclusive results. The routes exhibited both positive and negative correlation between surge rates and wait times, which suggested that surge pricing did not always work to improve service quality, measured roughly as a reduction in wait time.
The routes that resulted in a positive correlation were pick-up points in the central business districts like Makati and Taguig. The surge rate and wait times in these areas tended to go in the same direction. It could be inferred that customers in these cities ended up waiting for a long time even with surge pricing.
Meanwhile, some routes did result in a negative correlation, meaning higher fares could be associated with shorter wait times. However, they were not substantial, which could mean that surge pricing had a minimal effect.
Sought for an explanation, Grab confirmed that surge rates could become “prolonged.”
“In some cases, high demand periods may persist, leading to prolonged surge pricing. The aim is to attract more drivers to areas with high demand, thereby reducing wait times over time. Continuous adjustments are made to ensure optimal service delivery,” Grab wrote in its response.
The firm said surge pricing was designed to address supply-demand imbalances but was not a static solution. The duration and impact of surge pricing depended on factors such as driver availability, demand surges in specific locations, and traffic congestion, it said.
On May 28, 2024, about a week after PCIJ wrote to Grab, the ride-hailing company was reported as asking the government to increase the number of TNVS vehicles in Metro Manila back to the pre-pandemic level of 65,000 to keep up with growing demand.
“Grab is struggling to serve the ride-hailing demand in Metro Manila, lamenting that TNVS supply is short of the pre-pandemic high of 65,000. The TNVS supply is around 40,000 slots as of end-2023,” PhilStar.com reported.
Persistently long wait times could also mean that drivers were not encouraged by surge pricing. At least a dozen drivers interviewed by PCIJ said that they didn’t necessarily go to “surge” areas or the areas marked red on the app map because that would mean getting stuck in traffic.
They simply relied on the “bato” or the booking provided by the app, the drivers said. They spoke to PCIJ on condition of anonymity for fear of retribution.
PCIJ reached out to four relevant government agencies to learn more about how algorithms are regulated. Of the four departments, only the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) and the Philippine Competition Commission (PCC) responded.
PCIJ has sent several requests and made follow-ups to the LTFRB since November 2023. The letters were acknowledged but not addressed. We wanted to ask the transport regulator about the status of its surge pricing inquiry and other related regulatory concerns.
The Department of Trade and Industry’s Consumer Protection Group asked for and was given a list of interview questions but did not respond to our request.
Only the DICT agreed to an interview. Assistant Secretary Philip Varilla said the department did not have a regulatory framework for ride-hailing applications. Its focus is on information shared by customers, he said.
“Our attached agency, the National Privacy Commission, does some Privacy Impact Assessment. Basically, it is in relation to personally identifiable information. And with cybersecurity, we have our Cybersecurity Bureau, and they follow our Cybercrime Prevention Act, the National Cybersecurity Plan, as well as the Consumer Act of the Philippines to protect consumers. So, as for a regulatory framework specifically for ride-hailing applications, we don’t have one,” he said.
In the absence of regulations about algorithms, risks abound, according to experts.
Dominic Ligot, co-founder of social impact technology company CirroLytix, said that while the Data Privacy Act and the Cybercrime Law cover abuses using technology or abuses on data, they do not cover algorithmic bias or algorithmic abuse. New laws are needed to cover algorithmic liabilities, he said.
Apart from legislation, designing an Algorithmic Impact Assessment or AIA might be helpful, Ligot said. It’s similar to the Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA) under the Data Privacy Act. PIAs are a checklist of data being gathered, how they are processed, and who’s going to be accountable when there’s a data breach, for example.
An AIA can be a checklist that includes risks posed by an algorithm, among others, Ligot said.
“Let’s spell it out. And then if we’re comfortable with the risk, sign, so that later if it blows up, ‘Okay, wait, who assessed this? And then we learn.’ At the bare minimum, we should have something like that for accountability and transparency,” he said.
This problem is not unique to Grab. Ride-hailing companies in other countries, like Uber, have been criticized for using surge or dynamic pricing to make a profit instead of managing supply and demand.
Researchers have warned against algorithmic abuse in cases where companies raise surge rates more frequently than required due to weak regulation or the lack thereof.
The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) for instance has highlighted concerns about the widespread use of algorithms in digital markets exhibiting characteristics that may lead to anti-competitive behavior.
Grab not having a competition adds another layer to the problem.
In 2018, the Philippine Competition Commission cautioned against Grab acquiring the Philippine operations of its lone and credible rival, Uber, stating that it would undermine competition. But the antitrust body later cleared the merger when Grab committed to address service quality and transparency concerns. Six years later, Grab’s market dominance remains unchallenged.
Indonesian ride-hailing startup Go-Jek, the only potential competition to Grab, tried several times to enter the Philippine market, but faced numerous roadblocks.
The LTFRB in August 2018 imposed a moratorium on new applications from ride-hailing platforms, saying it needed to review the effect of the cap on the pool of the 65,000 approved TNVS units.
Go-jek re-applied several times but was rejected because of the 40% foreign ownership limit for public transport services, according to Bloomberg.
The Philippine Constitution requires companies to be least 60% Filipino-owned to operate public-utility services. Go-jek has a local subsidiary, Velox South-East Asia Holdings, but only about 20% of it was reported to have been owned by a Filipino shareholder.
Go-jek’s car-hailing unit, Go-Car, helped push Uber out of Southeast Asia and outgrew Grab as the most popular ride-hailing service in Indonesia, the Financial Times had reported.
Former LTFRB board member Inton said the exit of Uber ultimately favored Grab.
“Why? Because it’s only Grab. There’s nothing else. But that situation should be regulated. Otherwise, Grab will be over and above regulation already. And Grab is so big now. The perception is that it is untouchable already, which should not be the case,” he said.
Inton urged the LTFRB to start scrutinizing surge pricing.
Since the 2018 merger, the PCC has been looking into Grab’s operations and issuing penalties on the company because of its failure to comply with its commitments, particularly with pricing issues.
The PCC explained in a written response to PCIJ’s queries that in principle, Grab must keep fares within a range as if a competitor like Uber were present in the market.
Asked how it monitors Grab’s compliance with its merger deal commitments, the PCC said it tracked Grab’s compliance through third-party monitors using reports generated by Grab. Grab submitted quarterly reports to the PCC.
The PCC, in turn, furnished the monitor with copies of these reports. The monitor then informed the PCC of its assessment, including any findings of non-compliance. (The PCC declined PCIJ’s request for a copy of the quarterly monitoring reports because these are supposed to be “confidential.”)
The PCC said it had penalized and fined Grab for violations of its commitments in multiple instances. Fines have totaled P86.7 million over the years since the merger. The amount includes a P16 million fine in October 2018 for violating key provisions of the Interim Measures Order (IMO) during the merger review period and a P9 million fine in February 2023 for providing incorrect and misleading information in compliance reports and failure to comply with PCC orders.
The PCC has also ordered Grab to refund a total of P25 million to its riders for violating price monitoring commitments. Of this amount, P4.7 million will be remitted to the National Treasury because it was not claimed by eligible Grab riders.
According to Grab, all fines have been paid in full and on time, but the PCC clarified that Grab had yet to settle a P16 million fine, which is the subject of a petition for review before the Court of Appeals.
However, the PCC pointed out that Grab’s commitments to service quality and fare transparency have expired and were no longer being monitored by the PCC. The only remaining commitments under monitoring, it said, were about non-exclusivity and incentives. These pertain to drivers who are not supposed to be tied to just one ride-hailing company.
Digital and transport advocates also claim that Grab has monopolized the four-wheel transport service and that the company will soon monopolize the transportation sector. This is in context of Grab’s acquisition of motorcycle taxi firm Move It.
Grab Philippines has a different perspective, pointing to a “competitive” market of 18 Transport Network Companies (TNCs) accredited by the LTFRB. As regards its acquisition of Move It, Grab stressed that the PCC, the competition watchdog, had cleared the transaction.
“Digital ride-hailing services, both four-wheeled and two-wheeled, are just one segment of the entire transportation landscape. The sector remains competitive, with numerous players and options available to the public. Grab’s acquisition of Move It does not alter the conditions that have contributed to the competitiveness and dynamism of the transportation sector,” Grab claimed.
While it’s true that there are several other players in the Philippines, none have the financial and technical resources to threaten Grab’s market dominance.
Apart from legislation and setting up AIAs, the government needs to foster innovation, especially now when there isn’t much incentive to build competing apps, Ligot said. If there are no incentives, the Philippines will be beholden to foreign companies, he said.
“Grab had this first-mover advantage. Or rather second. Uber came first. And you can see how it really shredded the taxi industry. Partly because of the taxi industry also. It’s an ugly experience, right? They rig the meter. It’s inefficient. Suddenly, an algorithm comes and makes it efficient. But now we’re hostage to the algorithm,” he added.
That’s a hard pill to swallow for many commuters, drivers, and riders to whom ride-hailing apps have become a lifeline.
Torres’ family eventually decided to move to a place near the son’s school. She no longer takes GrabCar every day.
But she still takes it whenever she’s with her kids or family. “I would rather that I take Grab. (One main reason) is the traceability, in the event something happens,” said.
She’s hoping for alternatives.
“Hopefully, once my kids are a bit older, maybe they can take a cab instead. But for now, that’s not the case yet,” the mother said. – Rappler.com
This story was produced by the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism in partnership with the Pulitzer Center’s AI Accountability Network.
The story was reported by Pulitzer Center’s AI Accountability Network fellow Karol Ilagan and data specialist Federico Acosta Rainis.
Jabes Florian Lazaro contributed reporting and research for the article.
Data collection was done by Angelica Alcantara, Jay-ar Alombro, Donna Clarisse Blacer, Lyjah Tiffany Bonzo, James Kenneth Calzado, Gina de Castro, Maverick de Castro, Dominique Flores, Lois Garcia, Guinevere Latoza, Aya Mance, Faith Maniquis, Karmela Melgarejo, Gabriel Muñoz, Arone Jervin Ocampo, Matthew Raralio, Arriana Santos, and Angelica Ty.
Felipe Salvosa II was the lead editor.
Photographs were taken by Bernard Testa. Illustrations were created by Joseph Luigi Almuena.
Data visualizations were designed by Karol Ilagan, Federico Acosta Rainis, and Kuang Keng Kuek Ser.
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Pulse Asia: 3 in 4 Filipinos dissatisfied with how Marcos gov’t addresses inflation
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Dwight de Leon
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12/07/2024 16:37
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Shoppers pack the Balintawak Public Market in Quezon City to buy items for the Noche Buena celebration, a day before Christmas eve, on December 23, 2023,
Rappler
MANILA, Philippines – The rising prices of goods is the number one issue that Filipinos want President Marcos Jr. to discuss in his third State of the Nation Address (SONA), as three in every four respondents asked by pollster Pulse Asia Research, Incorporated thumbed down his administration’s performance in arresting inflation.
Based on the June survey of the research firm, 76% of Filipinos disapproved of how the government handled inflation, a 5-percentage point increase from March. Only 5% of respondents gave their approval, while 19% were undecided.
It is the only concern that majority of Filipinos – 57% to be exact – want to hear from the President when he delivers his SONA on July 22.
It is also the issue that 72% of Filipinos find the most urgent, outshining other concerns that hogged the headlines in the first half of the year such as defending the country’s territories (5%), and charter change (1%).
As of June, average inflation year-to-date is 3.5%, which is within the government’s 2% to 4% target, but the uptick in food prices remains a concern.
Pulse Asia also noted three other issues in which public disapproval has become more pronounced since March: increasing workers’ pay (up by 5 percentage points), creating more jobs (up by 8 percentage points), and reducing poverty (up by 9 percentage points).
These three concerns, other than inflation, make up the top four slots in the list of most urgent national concerns.
Respondents said they also want to see the President mention in his SONA government’s efforts to improve the economy (36%) and generate jobs (35%).
Other issues that they expect to be highlighted in the SONA include actions to stop the incursion of other countries in the West Philippine Sea (31%), anti-graft and corruption initiatives (26%), efforts to increase the pay of workers (24%), campaign against illegal drugs (21%), actions to improve the educational system (18%), and peace efforts (18%).
On the positive side, the government gets the most brownie points for its efforts to protect the welfare of migrant Filipinos (70% approval), initiatives to address the needs of calamity-stricken areas (64%), and efforts to defend Philippine territories against foreign powers (48%).
The survey, with a margin of error of ± 2%, was conducted from June 17 to 24 among 2,400 adult respondents, and was released on Friday, July 12.
Check the full findings below.
– Rappler.com
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HIGHLIGHTS: Philippines vs UAE – Jones Cup 2024
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Jasmine Payo
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13/07/2024 12:25
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MANILA, Philippines – Strong Group-Pilipinas wasted no time flashing its dominance in the 43rd William Jones Cup as it stormed past United Arab Emirates in its opening assignment, 104-79, on Saturday, July 13, at the Xinzhuang Gymnasium in Taiwan.
Former San Miguel Beermen import Chris McCullough shone the brightest for the powerhouse Strong Group with an all-around stat line of 15 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 assists.
Strong Group-Pilipinas looks to open its 43rd William Jones Cup campaign on a high note when it battles the United Arab Emirates on Saturday, July 13.
Bannered by the likes of overseas-based Filipino basketball stars Kiefer Ravena, Jordan Heading, and Rhenz Abando, as well as former San Miguel Beermen import Chris McCullough, the star-studded Strong Group squad aims to live up to its billing and reclaim the gold the country last won in 2019.
Last year, the Philippines – which was then represented by the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters – finished seventh in the nine-team field with a disappointing 2-6 slate.
Mentored by coach Charles Tiu, Strong Group takes on a familiar UAE national team, which it previously dominated in the Dubai International Basketball Championship earlier this year, 82-66.
However, it’s going to be a completely different ball game this time for the Filipinos as they no longer have former NBA players Dwight Howard and Andre Roberson on their roster.
In that 16-point demolition of UAE in the Dubai International Basketball Championship last January, Roberson and Howard paced the Philippines with 15 and 14 points, respectively.
Now with an all-new lineup, count on McCullough to show the way for Strong Group in this opening-day showdown, as well as solid contributions from Ravena, Heading, RJ Abarrientos, and Filipino-American guard DJ Fenner, among others.
On the other side, look for Qais Alshabebi, Hamid Abdullateef, and DeMarco Dickerson to lead UAE as they hope to redeem themselves against Strong Group.
Game time is 1 pm. – Rappler.com
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‘Opposition of the people’: Makabayan fielding full Senate slate in 2025
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Kaycee
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12/07/2024 14:07
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PROTEST ATTIRE. Members of the Makabayan bloc pose for a photo during the SONA protest action in Quezon City. Photo from Dwight de Leon/Rappler
PHOTO BY DWIGHT DE LEON/RAPPLER
MANILA, Philippines – The Makabayan coalition has announced that it will field a full senatorial slate for the 2025 polls which, they said, will offer fresh alternatives to voters tired of seeing the same old names in the upper chamber.
In a press conference on Thursday, July 11, the Makabayan coalition expressed confidence that they have a chance of getting seats, even if there was only one opposition candidate who won in the past two Senate elections.
“Sawa na sila sa ano ang nakahain sa darating na eleksyon – puro na lang mga angkan. Hindi na lang mag-ama, mag-ina at buong angkan ng ilang mga dinastiya,” said Antonio Tinio, executive vice president of Makabayan.
(They [voters] are tired of what they’re seeing as choices in the upcoming elections – all [political] clans. It’s not just father and child, mother and child tandems, and the the whole clan of a few dynasties.)
The coalition has not revealed their full slate yet, but they gave assurances that that they will field familiar names or those who have been working for their respective advocacies for a long time. However, the process of nominating candidates from Makabayan partylists and allied groups has already begun and they are weighing their options.
So far, only ACT Teachers Representative France Castro, whose term ends in 2025, obtained the approval of their council to gun for a Senate seat in 2025.
The rest of Makabayan’s Senate candidates will be announced in the coming days, but their platform would be reflective of their advocacies.
“[Kami ay] maghahain ng komprehensibong plataporma na tutugon sa mga interes ng mamamayan mismo (We are going to offer a comprehensive platform that aims to respond to the interest of the people),” Tinio said.
Makabayan said their lineup will be the “oposisyon ng bayan (opposition of the people)” composed of workers, farmers, and representatives of other marginalized sectors – sectors that are remembered only during elections and forgotten after, said former congressman Neri Colmenares
“Bukas naman kami sa pag-uusap sa ilang mga indibidwal na kandidato na magkaisa kami sa plataporma, magkaisa kami sa mga pananaw sa isyu (We are open to talks with individual candidates who can adopt our platforms and reflect our views on issues),” added Colmenares, who ran for the Senate in 2019 and 2022.
In February, the Liberal Party bared some of their bets for the 2025 polls: former senators Kiko Pangilinan and Bam Aquino, and human rights lawyer Chel Diokno.
When asked if the Makabayan coalition is open to working with the LP in the upcoming polls, Tinio said they have yet to have formal talks with the party but reiterated that they are open to welcoming individuals with a proven track record in their slate.
There have been calls for opposition figures to step up. In the last midterm elections, the opposition Ocho Derecho slate failed to secure a spot in the Senate, a first in 80 years of Philippine politics. Opposition figures in previous years have suffered a barrage of attacks from the administration of the popular Rodrigo Duterte, from red-tagging to online disinformation.
In the 2022 polls, only Senator Risa Hontiveros made it to the “Magic 12” or the winners’ circle in the Senate race.
They recognize that it will be an “uphill battle,” as former Gabriela representative Liza Maza put it.
Among their problems are funding a campaign. Colmenares said the electoral system is corrupt and favors those who can afford it.
“The other way, of course, is for us to run [with] the administration, but we cannot do that,” Colmenares said, even if it means that running with the Marcos administration would secure a winning post.
When Vice President Sara Duterte resigned and was immediately floated as the so-called new opposition figure, there were calls for the traditional opposition figures to run alongside the administration’s bets to keep the Dutertes in check. The Vice President had earlier said that her father and two brothers were eyeing the 2025 Senate race.
The Makabayan coalition is confident in their advocacies and their track record, saying that even the voters in the upcoming polls are cognizant of what they need to look for in a public official – their stance on the drug war, contractualization, and the West Philippine Sea – and the coalition has been vocal in those issues.
“That will expose the other candidates, whether senatorial or partylist,” Colmenares said. – Rappler.com
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How to watch the Paris Olympics for free
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delfin.dioquino editor
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12/07/2024 13:41
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FOCUS. The Philippines' EJ Obiena in action during the men's pole vault final in the 2023 World Athletics Championships.
Aleksandra Szmigiel/REUTERS
MANILA, Philippines – Celebrating 100 years of participation in the Olympics, Team Philippines seeks more sporting glory in the Paris Games set from July 26 to August 11.
Led by pole vaulter EJ Obiena, gymnast Carlos Yulo, and boxers Nesthy Petecio, Carlo Paalam, and Eumir Marcial, 22 athletes will represent the Philippines in its bid to follow up on its historic run in the previous Tokyo Games, where the country bagged one gold, two silvers, and one bronze.
Those 22 athletes need moral support now more than ever as they fly the Philippine flag on the grandest stage in sports.
Filipinos at home can give them exactly that by watching the games live, with Smart offering free streaming of the Olympics to subscribers of all networks through the Smart LiveStream App.
The Smart LiveStream App is scheduled to broadcast the games 24/7, with select events also to be streamed live on the Smart Sports and Puso Pilipinas social media pages.
Aside from keeping up with the Philippines’ Olympic campaign, Filipinos can also catch basketball action as Team USA – bannered by NBA superstars LeBron James, Stephen Curry, and Kevin Durant – shoots for a fifth straight gold.
The volleyball competitions will also be streamed, with fan favorites USA and Japan duking it out with the rest of the field. – Rappler.com
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Schedule, roster: Strong Group-Pilipinas out to reclaim Jones Cup glory
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Jasmine Payo
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12/07/2024 11:21
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READY. Strong Group-Pilipinas gears up for the 2024 Jones Cup.
STRONG GROUP ATHLETICS
MANILA, Philippines – After a woeful seventh-place finish last year, the Philippines looks primed to elevate its game with a new roster in the 43rd William Jones Cup in Taipei from July 13 to 21.
Strong Group-Pilipinas, the country’s new representative in the basketball club tournament, aims to reclaim the crown the Filipinos last won in 2019 under the banner of Mighty Sports.
“I really like what I’m seeing. We’ve got great balance, a lot of talent, [like our] wings,” said coach Charles Tiu as Strong Group takes a shot at the tournament after Rain or Shine’s campaign last year.
“It’s a good problem to have, we have a lot of guys. I have to figure out how to use everybody… but it’s really nice, they’re all coachable, they all pick up fast.”
Tiu, who mentored another Strong Group roster to a silver-medal finish in the 33rd Dubai International Basketball Championship last January, looks to lean on another star-studded roster led by Kiefer Ravena, Jordan Heading, Rhenz Abando, RJ Abarrientos, and former San Miguel import Chris McCullough.
The Philippines braces for a virtually daily, tough grind in the nine-team field. Here’s Strong Group’s schedule:
Just like previous editions, the Jones Cup pits teams in a single round-robin format, with the squad finishing with the best record claiming the championship.
Last year, the USA squad represented by the University of California Irvine Anteaters completed an 8-0 sweep to bag the Jones Cup crown.
In 2019, before the pandemic shelved three editions of the tournament, Mighty Sports also completed a perfect 8-0 run to rule the tournament.
Representing a big obstacle for the Philippines is an all-new United States squad, the Future Sports USA, which will be led by former Strong Group import McKenzie Moore.
The 6-foot-6 Moore suited up for Strong Group in the Dubai International Basketball Championship earlier this year, where he reinforced the Charles Tiu-mentored squad, together with former NBA players Dwight Howard, Andray Blatche, and Andre Roberson.
This time, Moore will join forces with fellow American overseas imports such as Billy Preston and Marcus Elliott, as the United States shoots for a second straight gold-medal finish.
Another team posing a significant challenge for Strong Group’s hopes of a podium finish in the tournament is the United Arab Emirates, which the Filipinos will face in their opening assignment.
Bannered by the likes of Qais Alshabebi, Mohamed Albreiki, Hamid Abdullateef, and DeMarco Dickerson, UAE aims to get back at Strong Group after falling to the Philippine side, 82-66, in their Dubai International Basketball Championship matchup in January.
Chinese Taipei-Blue also looks to give Strong Group a run for its money as it aims for a first-place finish in this year’s Jones Cup after settling for silver in the 2023 edition.
Seeking to bring the gold medal back to the Philippines, expect Strong Group to flex its depth in the tournament as the powerhouse squad features multiple overseas-based players and players with Gilas Pilipinas experience.
Look for Ravena and the PBA-bound Abarrientos to facilitate the Strong Group offense, dish out assists, and provide timely baskets for the star-studded cast.
Both Ravena and Abarrientos saw action in the Japan B. League last season, where the former powered his team to a B2 title.
Ravena is also one of two Strong Group players with FIBA World Cup experience, along with the high-flying Abando, as they were both part of the 12-man Gilas Pilipinas roster in the recent World Cup held in the Philippines.
Meanwhile, count on Heading and Filipino-American guard DJ Fenner to shoot the lights out from long distance for Strong Group.
Heading already made waves for Strong Group in the Dubai International Basketball Championship in January, where he averaged 11.1 points in eight outings.
The 6-foot-6 Fenner, on the other hand, averaged 15.7 points on 40.9% shooting from beyond the arc for the Heroes Den Bosch in the 2023-2024 FIBA Europe Cup.
Finally, look for McCullough to be the team’s go-to guy, who will carry Strong Group’s scoring cudgels in this year’s Jones Cup.
The three-year NBA veteran McCullough last played for the Formosa Dreamers in the 2023-2024 P. League+ season in Taiwan, where he averaged a monster double-double of 20 points and 12.8 rebounds in 26 regular season matches.
McCullough is also expected to anchor Strong Group’s defense, together with 6-foot-10 naturalized Filipino Ange Kouame and 6-foot-9 American import Tajuan Agee.
Here’s the complete roster:
– with a report from Eugero Vincent Liberato/Rappler.com
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1
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How to watch the Paris Olympics for free
|
delfin.dioquino editor
|
12/07/2024 13:41
|
FOCUS. The Philippines' EJ Obiena in action during the men's pole vault final in the 2023 World Athletics Championships.
Aleksandra Szmigiel/REUTERS
MANILA, Philippines – Celebrating 100 years of participation in the Olympics, Team Philippines seeks more sporting glory in the Paris Games set from July 26 to August 11.
Led by pole vaulter EJ Obiena, gymnast Carlos Yulo, and boxers Nesthy Petecio, Carlo Paalam, and Eumir Marcial, 22 athletes will represent the Philippines in its bid to follow up on its historic run in the previous Tokyo Games, where the country bagged one gold, two silvers, and one bronze.
Those 22 athletes need moral support now more than ever as they fly the Philippine flag on the grandest stage in sports.
Filipinos at home can give them exactly that by watching the games live, with Smart offering free streaming of the Olympics to subscribers of all networks through the Smart LiveStream App.
The Smart LiveStream App is scheduled to broadcast the games 24/7, with select events also to be streamed live on the Smart Sports and Puso Pilipinas social media pages.
Aside from keeping up with the Philippines’ Olympic campaign, Filipinos can also catch basketball action as Team USA – bannered by NBA superstars LeBron James, Stephen Curry, and Kevin Durant – shoots for a fifth straight gold.
The volleyball competitions will also be streamed, with fan favorites USA and Japan duking it out with the rest of the field. – Rappler.com
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