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Lizada moved to Civil Service

By Arjay L. Balinbin, Reporter
PRESIDENT RODRIGO R. Duterte has transferred Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) Member Aileen Lourdes A. Lizada to the Civil Service Commission (CSC).
He also promoted to undersecretary Department of Agriculture (DA) Assistant Secretary Waldo R. Carpio, brother of his son-in-law Manases “Mans” R. Carpio.
The Palace released to reporters on Thursday the Nov. 27 appointment paper of Mr. Carpio, who was first appointed DA assistant secretary on Sep. 4 last year.
For her part, Ms. Lizada’s appointment paper dated Nov. 9 states: “Pursuant to the provisions of the Section 16, Article VII of the 1987 Constitution and existing laws, you are hereby appointed ad interim commissioner, Civil Service Commission, for a term expiring on 02 February 2025, vice Robert S. Martinez.”
To recall, the LTFRB called out Ms. Lizada on Nov. 23 for airing her dissenting opinions to the media in relation to an unofficial memorandum circular regarding the Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange (PITX).
“We were informed that she called media reporters to air the unofficial document with her dissenting opinion and notes,” the LTFRB said.
“Note that BM Lizada was already reminded several times in the past not to release to media documents that are not officially issued to avoid any confusion nor unnecessary speculations. One may have noticed that the unofficial document she prematurely released was unnumbered, and was not even attested by LTFRB Executive Director Sam Jardin,” the agency added.
The President also signed the appointment papers of Nayong Pilipino Board of Trustees members Ruth Marie I. Equipaje and Cesar D.G. Aljama; Philippine National Railway Board of Directors member Roy M. Villa; Department of the Interior and Local Government Undersecretary Carim L. Panumpang; and Department of Trade and Industry Assistant Secretary Allan B. Gepty.

Businessman assassinated in Subic

BUSINESSMAN Dominic L. Sytin was shot dead on Wednesday night by a still unidentified assailant, police said as of Thursday.
Mr. Sytin is CEO of United Auctioneers, Inc., chairman of Chinese truck brand Foton Philippines, and director and chairman of the board of listed company LMG Chemicals Corp.
He and his bodyguard Efren Espartero were shot at by a still unidentified male suspect in front of the Lighthouse Hotel along Waterfront Road at Subic Bay Freeport Zone on Wednesday night, Nov. 29. Mr. Sytin died on the spot and Mr. Espartero was rushed to the nearest hospital and remains critical as of this reporting.
The suspect drove away in a black Mio motorcycle heading towards the Kalaklan Gate of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA).
SBMA chairperson Wilma T. Eisma in a statement said, “The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority condemns in the strongest possible term what is apparently a targeted assassination of a business locator in the Subic Bay Freeport Zone.”
She added, “This is sad news for us, not only because a prominent businessman who has been a very active member of the Subic Freeport community has fallen prey to violence, but also because one life has been snuffed out just like that.”
“In this light, we ask for the cooperation of the public as we impose strict security measures in the Subic Bay Freeport, and urge any person with information to help authorities solve this crime,” she also said. — Vince Angelo C. Ferreras

Sea dispute stance not a factor in CJ selection, Palace insists

MALACAÑANG on Thursday said the South China Sea issue was not a factor in the selection of the new Supreme court chief justice even as President Rodrigo R. Duterte had criticized Senior Associate Justice Antonio T. Carpio’s position in his remarks in Lanao del Norte last Wednesday. In his speech at the groundbreaking ceremony of the Panguil Bay Bridge in Tubod, Lanao del Norte last Wednesday evening, Mr. Duterte announced that he appointed Court of Appeals Associate Justice Rosmari D. Carandang as Supreme Court justice and Associate Justice Lucas P. Bersamin as the country’s 25th chief justice. “Carandang, she’s actually the most senior in the Court of Appeals. She’s a woman. She and Carpio were classmates. But Carpio was only salutatorian. He was not the valedictorian. It was Carandang. But Carandang was stuck in the Court of Appeals,” the President said. Mr. Duterte then questioned Mr. Carpio’s stand on the South China Sea issue. “Just because you’re a salutatorian, it does not mean a shi* to me. You keep on hankering that you’ll attack the — you do something. What do you want me to do? Arbitration, so I’ll order my military and the police to go there in Palawan and shoot it out? It will be a massacre. We will not win there. We won’t get anything from it,” he said. Mr. Carpio, who has written a book and lectures on the country’s rights to a portion of the South China Sea, was part of the legal team in the arbitration case that was won by the Philippines in an international tribunal. For his part, Presidential Salvador S. Panelo said in an interview with reporters on Thursday that Mr. Carpio’s position on the South China Sea issue had nothing to do with the selection, and reiterated that such decisions were “discretionary” for the President. — Arjay L. Balinbin

A day for Bonifacio

Teens take a selfie in this Nov. 29 photo in front of the shrine of Andres Bonifacio, whose Nov. 30 birthday is celebrated as a national holiday. One of the country’s national heroes, Bonifacio was among the founders of the Kataas-taasan, Kagalang-galangan, Katipunan ng mga Anak ng Bayan (KKK) — also known simply as the Katipunan — the revolutionary movement against Spanish colonization.

Cebu provincial gov’t completes 49 trash facilities for localities; P40M set for processing equipment

THE PROVINCIAL government of Cebu has so far completed and turned over 49 material recovery and composting facilities (MRCF) to various localities, including towns and barangays under its jurisdiction. The latest of which was to the municipality of Alcoy, which was inaugurated on Nov. 21. The new MRCF can be used by the town as recovery, temporary storage, composting and final sorting facility, as well as a transfer station. Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office (PENRO) administrative officer Thebazile Anthony Monserate, in a statement from the provincial information office, said a P40 million fund will be allocated for the purchase of processing equipment that will be placed in each of the host towns for clustered local government units. Alcoy, for example, is clustered with the towns of Boljoon and Dalaguete. “In this set up, Dalaguete will serve as the host for the equipment that will process biodegradable waste, residuals like plastics and bottles that can no longer be used,” the province said. Cebu has six component cities and 44 municipalities.

BoC assures it is fast-tracking return of Korean waste

THE BUREAU of Customs (BoC) yesterday assured that is it doing “everything within its means” to have the waste shipments from South Korea immediately sent back. In a statement, BoC Spokesperson Erastus Sandino B. Austria said the BoC, through the Collection District of Cagayan de Oro, has already initiated talks with the South Korean government to fast-track the “reexportation of the waste shipments which came from Pyeongtaek City.” The Korean Embassy in the Philippines, in a statement on Nov. 22, vowed to address the issue. “Korean authorities will have the wastes in question be repatriated and properly disposed of and work to prevent recurrence of the problem,” it said. Environmental groups, however, have warned that they will continue to protest until the wastes, which entered the Mindanao Container Terminal in Misamis Oriental on July 21 and just recently reported, are shipped out. The Environmental Management Bureau of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources-Region X has examined the shipments consigned to Verde Soko Philippines Industrial Corporation and found these to contain household hazardous waste.

Smart Padala to increase partners in Mindanao next year to help micro enterprises

SMART Padala, PLDT, Inc.’s mobile remittance brand under PayMaya Philippines, is aiming to increase its partners in Mindanao next year to help more micro-entrepreneurs. “Next year we will establish more partners in Mindanao,” Smart Padala Channel Development head Butch Conejos said in an interview, noting that they currently have 1,700 active partners in the southern islands. Mr. Conejos said they want to help address the more than 70% of provinces around the country that have low access to financial services. He said with majority of their partners being sari-sari stores (small neighborhood convenience shops), Smart Padala services are able to reach far-flung communities. Its services include bills payment, money transfer to PayMaya accounts, loans disbursement, and QR payment. Hastings Holdings, Inc., a unit of PLDT Beneficial Trust Fund subsidiary MediaQuest Holdings, Inc., has a majority stake in BusinessWorld through the Philippine Star Group, which it controls. — Maya M. Padillo

Nation at a Glance — (11/30/18)

News stories from across the nation. Visit www.bworldonline.com (section: The Nation) to read more national and regional news from the Philippines.

‘Battle of Katipunan’

By Michael Angelo S. Murillo
Senior Reporter
FOR the first time in the basketball tournament of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines the Ateneo Blue Eagles and University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons are battling it out in the championship.
A “Battle of Katipunan” between the neighboring school, the titular was set after UP completed the upset of the higher-seeded Adamson Falcons in their Final Four with a gutsy 89-87 victory in overtime on Wednesday in their do-or-die match that saw the Maroons overhaul the twice-to-beat advantage that the Falcons had in the semifinals.
The win thrust the Diliman-based Maroons to a meeting with the defending champions Eagles, who was first to barge into the finals of Season 81 and are out to notch back-to-back titles.
Ateneo comes into Game One of the best-of-three affair on Saturday on a major roll, winning eight straight, including an 80-61 shellacking of the Far Eastern University Tamaraws in their own Final Four pairing on Nov. 25.
They have been in the top two in the league in nearly all categories, punctuated by a UAAP defensive-best 61.8 points allowed per game, with no signs of slowing down.
Big man Ange Kouame is leading a very balanced Ateneo attack with numbers of 14.7 points, 13.5 rebounds and 3.3 blocks per ball game.
Veteran Thirdy Ravena has been steady for 12.8 points and 6.3 rebounds with Matt Nieto, Anton Asistio, Raffy Verano and Isaac Go among the players providing ample support for the Eagles.
Ateneo has had the number of UP this season, taking their first two encounters previously by an average margin of 12.5 points, taking their first-round encounter, 87-79, and the second, 83-66.
While they are the defending champions and currently in top form, the Eagles are not taking any chances and vowed to continue work to see their cause through.
“Hopefully the experience we have as champions would help us but it’s going to be a new game in the finals. It’s not a guarantee that we know what would happen,” said Ravena following their victory over FEU in their last game.
STAYING THE COURSE
After 32 years of finals absence, the Maroons are back in championship mix after surviving a tough challenge from the Falcons.
Faced a twice-to-win handicap in the Final Four, UP rose over it with two spirited victories that had them just refusing to lose despite the all-out efforts shown as well by its opponent.
The Maroons broke their finals drought with the courageous overtime victory over Adamson on Wednesday that had captain Paul Desiderio once again providing clutch baskets down the stretch in front of a mammoth 20,909 crowd.
UP is the top offensive team in the UAAP with an average of 80.4 points per game, led by soon-to-be-named league most valuable player Bright Akhuetie with 17.7 points per game to go along with 14.8 rebounds.
Juan Gomez De Liano backstops him with 17.3 points, 6.6 rebounds and five assists a game with Desiderio steady for 14.2 points.
Happy that they are now in the finals, UP coach Bo Perasol said they are not yet done and that they will try to go deep as they can against a team he admits to be the best this season.
“It was not an easy journey for us this season but it was all worth it. We are in the finals. No basketball aficionado in his right mind would give us a chance against Ateneo but there is something in us that will keep us going in the finals. We are going to show courage and resilience no matter the odds are, that has been our team principle this season,” said Perasol, who incidentally coached Ateneo from 2013 to 2016 before taking the UP job.
Game One of the finals between Ateneo and UP is on Dec. 1 at the Mall of Asia Arena at 3:30 p.m. It will shown live over ABS-CBN S+A.

Gilas Pilipinas returns to FIBA Asian qualifier

By Michael Angelo S. Murillo
Senior Reporter
THE PHILIPPINE men’s national basketball team plunges back into action today for the fifth window of the FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers.
A two-game leg, Gilas Pilipinas will play both its matches here at home, taking on Kazakhstan today and Iran on Dec. 3. Venue is the Mall of Asia Arena.
The Philippines is currently at third place in the merged Group F of the qualifiers with a 5-3 record, behind group leader Australia (7-1) and Iran (6-2).
Tournament format calls for the top three teams from the two merged groupings advancing to the World Cup proper in China next year.
The Philippine Basketball Association-supported Gilas Pilipinas, now handled by Yeng Guiao of the NLEX Road Warriors, faces off with Kazakhstan today at 7:30 p.m.
Gilas is coming off a split of its games in the fourth window held in September, losing to Iran, 81-73, on September 13, and winning over Qatar, 92-81, on Sept. 17.
Both matches were played behind closed doors as part of the sanctions meted on the Philippines for its role in the infamous brawl with Australia in the third window in July in Bulacan.
On Wednesday, the 12-man team making up the nationals against Kazakhstan was announced.
The players are LA Tenorio, Scottie Thompson, and Japeth Aguilar of Barangay Ginebra, June Mar Fajardo, Marcio Lassiter and Alex Cabagnot of San Miguel, Beau Belga and Gabe Norwood of Rain or Shine, JP Erram of Blackwater, Matthew Wright of Phoenix, and Stanley Pringle of Northport as the naturalized player.
Mr. Guiao said they will be ready against Kazakhstan, whom he has seen play firsthand when the national team he coached played the Kazakhs in the Asian Games in Indonesia early this year.
In the lead-up to the fifth window, Gilas Pilipinas had a series of tune-up matches against teams from Jordan and Lebanon, and Mr. Guiao said they are hoping to make use of what they learned from there in their campaign.
“We have a lot of work to do in the next coming days in the lead-up to our first game. We have to put together all the learnings in this series of tune-up games and try to incorporate them in the games that matter against Kazakhstan and Iran,” Mr. Guiao said.
Gilas Pilipinas versus Kazakhstan will be shown live over TV5 and live stream over espn5.com.

Norway’s Magnus Carlsen wins World Chess crown after three tiebreakers

LONDON — Norwegian Magnus Carlsen won the world chess championship for a fourth time on Wednesday after winning three tiebreakers against US rival and world number two Fabiano Caruana.
The 27-year-old defending champion, who collected a winner’s prize of €550,000 ($626,065), and his bespectacled opponent had drawn 12 out of 12 classical games through November.
That stalemate forced the pair into the faster-paced, best-of-four rapid tiebreakers.
“Frankly speaking, in the last couple of years my game hasn’t been great,” Carlsen told a news conference. “In that sense, this match and the classical portion was a step in the right direction.
“I think I played relatively well and Fabiano is just a very strong player…I feel like I have things to work on, clearly.”
The failure of Caruana, 26, to defeat Carlsen means the United States has not won the chess title since the enigmatic and volatile Bobby Fischer beat Russia’s Boris Spassky at the height of the Cold War in 1972.
“I have some regrets about the classical portion but I don’t think I can really be upset about it,” said the American. “I was hoping to play my best chess today but I didn’t even come close to that.
“I felt a lot of pressure but I don’t think I had added pressure because I was the first American challenger in a long time,” he added.
“Right now I’m mainly disappointed, but I hope that I can look back at the match and learn a lot from it because it is also a great privilege to play Magnus and a great learning experience.”
Caruana will still collect 450,000 euros for his efforts at The College, a Victorian era building in London’s Holborn.
Carlsen has been the world’s top ranked player for the past eight years and has now defended his title three times since he first won it in 2013 by beating Indian grandmaster Viswanathan Anand.
This year was the first time the Norwegian had won the championship without losing a single game. — Reuters

NBA Roundup: Westbrook a triple threat vs Cavaliers, Mavs down Rockets

LOS ANGELES — Russell Westbrook had his 107th career triple-double, leading the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 100-83 victory over the visiting Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday night.
Westbrook had 23 points, 19 rebounds and 15 assists. Jerami Grant added 21 points — one off a career high — for the Thunder while Paul George added 18.
Westbrook had the triple-double wrapped up in the third quarter. The career feat tied Jason Kidd for third in NBA history in the category behind Oscar Robertson (181) and Magic Johnson (138).
Oklahoma City locked in on defense in the third quarter, holding Cleveland to just 15 points while taking command. The Thunder have won 13 of their last 16 games. Cleveland used just eight players in the game after reportedly guard Kyle Korver to Utah earlier Wednesday.
MAVERICKS 128, ROCKETS 108
Reserves J.J. Barea and Devin Harris supported a balanced attack as visiting Dallas won for just the second time on the road by throttling short-handed Houston.
Harris scored 15 of his 20 points in the fourth quarter while Barea posted a double-double of 13 points and 12 assists in just 17 minutes. The Rockets trailed by as many as 26 points before cutting the deficit to five points late in the third quarter, only for Barea and Harris to apply the knockout blow.
Houston dropped its fourth consecutive game following a five-game win streak. Dallas won for the seventh time in eight games.
TIMBERWOLVES 128, SPURS 89
Robert Covington scored 21 points in three quarters of action to lead a balanced offense that saw seven players score in double figures as Minnesota routed San Antonio in Minneapolis.
Minnesota took charge of the game in the second period when it outscored the Spurs 29-9 and turned a three-point lead after the first quarter into a 23-point advantage at halftime. The Timberwolves kept rolling in the third quarter, after which they led 92-58.
The Timberwolves are 7-2 in their past nine games since Jimmy Butler was traded to the 76ers for Covington and Dario Saric. Meanwhile, the Spurs continue to struggle. They are 4-9 in their past 13 games and are below .500 for the third time this season.
BUCKS 116, BULLS 113
Khris Middleton’s 3-point shot from the top of the key with 5.2 seconds left lifted Milwaukee past visiting Chicago.
Giannis Antetokounmpo had put the Bucks up 113-111 with a pair of free throws with 36 seconds left, but Zach LaVine’s layup set the stage for Middleton’s heroics. Antetokounmpo finished with a season-high 36 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists.
Zach LaVine and Jabari Parker led the Bulls with 24 points each. LaVine also contributed nine rebounds and seven assists while Parker, a former first-round pick of the Bucks, added eight rebounds and five assists.
JAZZ 101, NETS 91
Donovan Mitchell scored 14 of his 29 points in the fourth quarter, including the go-ahead layup with 3:43 remaining, and road-weary Utah overcame early sluggishness to beat Brooklyn in New York.
Playing in a different time zone for the third time in four games, the Jazz won for the third time in their past nine games thanks to Mitchell. He returned from missing two games with a rib contusion and made 12 of 24 shots.
Rudy Gobert posted his 19th double-double by adding 23 and 16 rebounds for Utah, which outscored the Nets 31-13 in the final 12 minutes. The Nets blew a fourth-quarter lead for the second straight game, absorbing their fifth consecutive home loss and fourth straight defeat overall.
76ERS 117, KNICKS 91
Joel Embiid had 26 points, 14 rebounds and seven assists to lift Philadelphia past visiting New York.
Embiid secured his league-best 21st double-double. In addition, he put together his 18th game with at least 20 points and 10 rebounds. The Sixers also improved to 11-1 at home while posting their sixth victory in seven games.
JJ Redick added 24 points on 10-of-14 shooting while Ben Simmons contributed 14 points, eight rebounds and seven assists for Philadelphia. Enes Kanter produced 17 points and six rebounds for the Knicks, and Mario Hezonja also had 17 points.
PELICANS 125, WIZARDS 104
Jrue Holiday had 29 points to lead six scorers in double figures as host New Orleans ended a four-game losing streak by beating Washington.
Anthony Davis added 28 points and 15 rebounds, and point guard Tim Frazier, whose insertion into the starting lineup allowed Holiday to return to his natural shooting guard position, also had a double-double, finishing with 12 points and 12 assists.
Kelly Oubre Jr. and Markieff Morris scored 22 each, and John Wall added 17 for Washington, which had won three of its previous four games. Bradley Beal contributed 16 points and 11 assists.
HORNETS 108, HAWKS 94
Jeremy Lamb scored 22 points, and Charlotte turned up the defense to roll to an easy victory over visiting Atlanta.
The Hornets gained a bit of revenge after losing to the Hawks 124-123 in Atlanta on Sunday night. Charlotte held the Hawks, who were playing on the second night of a back-to-back after winning in Miami on Tuesday, to just 34.4 percent from the field.
The Hornets got 19 points each from Kemba Walker and Cody Zeller, despite losing Malik Monk to a quad injury in the second quarter. Trae Young paced the Hawks with 18 points. — Reuters

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