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De Lima asks DoJ to dismiss sedition case

JAILED Senator Leila M. de Lima denied allegations that she was part of a group that plotted the ouster of President Rodrigo R. Duterte by linking him and his family to the illegal drug trade.

In an affidavit submitted to the Justice department, the senator, a critic of the president’s deadly war on drugs, said the police’s complaint of sedition against her and Mr. Duterte’s political opponents lacked sufficient evidence.

“Since the complaint does not impute any particular act against me, it appears that I am not even a respondent, but merely one of those vaguely identified as ‘enumerated personalities’ against whom they have no sufficient proof to make a categorical allegation,” she said in her filing.

Aside from inciting to sedition, police in July also filed cyberlibel, libel, estafa, harboring a criminal and obstruction of justice against Ms. De Lima, Vice President Maria Leonor G. Robredo and more than 30 others whom it accused of circulating a video about the president’s alleged drug links.

Included in the complaint was Peter Joemel Advincula, the self-confessed drug dealer who was featured in the videos.

Mr. Advincula first surfaced in May to seek legal assistance in filing charges against members of the drug syndicate he was formerly in. Later that month he surrendered to police for estafa and tagged the Liberal Party to be behind the propaganda.

Ms. De Lima said she had not committed libel in connection with a press briefing of Mr. Advincula early this year because she has been detained since February, 2017.

“I am expected to refute allegations of fact, not conclusions of law,” the lawmaker said. “Without such allegation of fact, there is nothing for me to even refute.”

She also denied the allegation of Mr. Advincula that he had talked to Ms. de Lima’s staff.

Human Rights Watch has called on authorities to drop the “preposterous complaint,” saying it was an attempt to harass and silence critics of the government’s bloody war on drugs.

A conviction for incitement to sedition carries a maximum penalty of six years in jail.

Ms. De Lima is in jail for allegedly conspiring to commit illegal drug trade inside the national jail in Muntinlupa City when she was still the Justice secretary. — Vann Marlo M. Villegas

Customs seizes P53M worth of vegetables smuggled from China

THE BUREAU of Customs (BoC) seized P53 million worth of smuggled food products from China at the port of Manila yesterday.

In a statement, the bureau said it confiscated 16 containers declared to contain fishballs consigned to Shinerise Trading Service. Upon inspection, they were loaded with carrots, onions, broccoli and potatoes. The consignee paid only P2.54 million in duties and taxes, it said.

“Upon inspection of the subject shipment, Customs examiners found out an estimated P20.08 million worth of carrots, P20.08 million worth of onions, P10.04 million worth of broccoli and P2.51 worth of potatoes,” according to the statement.

Manila Port district collector Arsenia C. Ilagan said they had canceled the consignee’s accreditation and placed the customs broker under investigation.

The shipment arrived in Manila on Aug. 8, while the warrant of seizure and detention was issued on Sept. 4, the bureau said. — Beatrice M. Laforga

Fewer voters in 2019 complained about cheating — SWS

FEWER Filipino voters complained about cheating in the May 2019 elections, according to a poll by the Social Weather Stations (SWS).

Only a tenth of voters witnessed vote-buying, harassment, double voting, bribery, cheating and other forms of violence, SWS said in an emailed statement. This compares with 19% in the May 2016 elections.

People who witnessed harassment of voters fell slightly to 2% this year from 4% in 2016.

Voters who witnessed double voting also fell to 2% from 4%, while those who witnessed ballot cheating fell to 1% from 3%, according to the SWS poll.

Those who complained about bribery to dissuade voting fell to 1% this year from 5% in 2016. People who witnessed violence on election day also fell to 1% from 3%.

SWS interviewed 1,200 adults in June for the poll, which an error margin of ±3 points. — Gillian M. Cortez

Davao-Manado flight may be relaunched Sept. 27

THE REVIVAL of an air link between Davao City and Manado in Indonesia is tentatively set for relaunch on Sept. 27, with the maiden flight to be served by Garuda Airlines. An inter-agency coordination meeting was held last Tuesday to prepare for the initial flight that will carry national and local government officials, travel operators, and businessmen from Manado. The meeting was spearheaded by the Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) with Indonesian Vice Consul Ely Handayani. The route is part of the transport and tourism priority programs under the Brunei-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East ASEAN Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA). Eamarie M. Gilayo, in charge of MinDA’s International Relations Divisions-Transport Connectivity and Trade Facilitation, said Garuda Airlines is looking at including Bali in the route to make it more sustainable. “They are looking at a triangular tourism perspective (of the route),” said Ms. Gilayo. She added that businessmen who are and will be using the Davao-Bitung-General Santos sea link is another target market for the air service. “Entrepreneurs would need a faster service (compared with the shipping system which will bring their cargoes between the destinations),” Ms. Gilayo said. The Manado-Davao route was last served by Wings Air in 2012.

DIAA
Meanwhile, the local business sector welcomed the creation of the Davao International Airport Authority (DIAA) through the signing of Republic Act No. 11457. “The long wait is over,” Arturo M. Milan, president of the business organization, told BusinessWorld in a text message. Mr. Milan said the creation of the body will allow “a much faster development in the airport in terms of the upgrading of the terminal and facilities and opening (of) more direct flights.” Simeon P. Marfori II, former president of the business group, said the creation of the DIAA will also “enable Mindanaoans greater freedom to move forward in the area of airport policy and management.” He added that, “It will mean we can manage and develop our air transport facilities and assets at the pace and scope we deem best suited for the local economy. It will enable us to be better connected to the rest of the world. Directly.” The DIAA will manage the Francisco Bangoy International Airport in Davao City as well as other airports that will be developed or built within the Davao Region. — Carmelito Q. Francisco

MMDA to escort emergency vehicles

THE METROPOLITAN Manila Development Authority (MMDA) on Wednesday announced that its motorcycle-riding traffic enforcers will start to escort emergency vehicles like ambulances that will be going through congested areas. “On-ground traffic enforcers can also assist ambulances through traffic on roads congested with vehicles or when motorists refuse to give way,” the MMDA said. The announcement comes after Agence France-Presse reported that the traffic congestion in the capital is costing lives, particularly of patients in critical condition. The report also cited that the “resulting gridlock costs the city $67 million daily in lost productivity, according to a 2017 Japanese government-funded study.” — Marc Wyxzel C. Dela Paz

PECO asks: Why hasn’t MORE Power started setting up its own assets?

PANAY ELECTRIC Company, Inc. (PECO), which has re-filed an application before Congress for the renewal of its franchise to distribute power in Iloilo City, has questioned the capability of its competitor, MORE Electric and Power Co. (MORE Power), to set up its own network. “It is already six months and we still don’t see any assets that can be verified… If they cannot acquire the properties and facilities of PECO, they (said they) will set up their own assets and facilities… we don’t see any assets,” PECO Administrative Manager Marcelo U. Cacho said in an interview on Monday. The two companies are currently battling it out in more than one court over the expropriation of PECO’s assets as well the provisions of MORE Power’s franchise contained in Republic Act No. 11212, signed into law last February. Mr. Cacho said they have already received notice for Congressional hearings on their franchise application and are hopeful that it will be considered for renewal. He noted that MORE Power has not made good on its promise to immediately deliver better services to Iloilo consumers. “I think it boils down that they deceived the (Congressional) committee because their only plan since the start was the take-over of PECO’s business without the plan of setting up their own facilities. They are not ready, not capable, had no intention of setting up their own technical assets,” Mr. Cacho said. MORE Power officials declined to comment on Mr. Cacho’s statements. — Emme Rose S. Santiagudo

Nationwide round-up

DBM releases P82.5M for swine fever measures

Department of Budget and Management (DBM) facade

THE DEPARTMENT of Budget and Management (DBM) released P82.5 million to the Department of Agriculture (DA) on Tuesday to fund measures relating to the African Swine Fever (ASF) outbreak.

In a statement, DBM said out of the total fund released to the DA-Bureau of Animal Industry (DA-BAI), P31.8 million is for the detection of meat products at international airports, P27.7 million for testing of meat samples, P17.6 million for surveillance and monitoring, and P5.4 million for an awareness campaign.

DA confirmed on Monday the first outbreak of ASF in the country after the Polymerase chain reaction test showed 14 out of the 20 samples submitted came out positive. A total of 7,416 hogs have been culled since Aug. 18 from Bulacan and Rizal provinces to prevent the disease from spreading further.

DA Secretary William D. Dar said they suspect that the outbreak was mainly from the use of swill or leftovers, especially from hotels. The government, according to DBM, has been implementing preventive measures since the ASF threat started in China, including banning of pork imports, avoiding swill feeding, blocking the entry of hand-carried meat, educating the people and monitoring through the submission of laboratory samples.

To minimize the country’s exposure to the disease, Bienvenido Datuin of Bureau of Customs (BoC) Public Information and Assistance Division said the agency has been releasing memorandums in controlling the entry of food scraps and pork products from ASF affected countries. These countries include Hungary, Latvia, Poland, Romania, Russia, Ukraine, China, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Moldova, South Africa, Zambia, Belgium, Vietnam, Cambodia, Hong Kong, Laos, Mongolia and North Korea. — Beatrice M. Laforga

SC denies Ampatuan bail petition

THE SUPREME Court (SC) has denied the petition of 2009 Maguindanao massacre suspect Zaldy U. Ampatuan to be granted bail. In a July 22 resolution released only on Wednesday, the court’s first division denied for lack of merit the appeal of Mr. Ampatuan seeking the reversal of the decisions of a trial court and the Court of Appeals (CA), which denied him bail as he is “probably guilty” of the charges against him.

Mr. Ampatuan said the lower court failed to comply with the parameters on the exercise of deciding his bail and maintained that the evidence against him is “at best weak,” that he is innocent and not a flight risk. “After a perusal of the records of the case, this Court resolves to deny the petition for failure of the petitioner to sufficiently show any reversible error in the assailed Decision and Resolution of the CA,” the high court’s decision read.

The court also said that it will be prematurely deciding the case “beyond the parameters of judicial review” if it decided on the bail application on the basis of the factual issues raised by Mr. Ampatuan. A former governor of the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao, Mr. Ampatuan is among the principal suspects in the Nov. 23, 2009 massacre of 58 persons, including 32 media practitiones, in the town of Ampatuan in Maguindanao province. Justice Secretary Menardo I. Guevarra last month said the trial for the case was completed on July 17, 2019 and was submitted for resolution on August 15. The department expects the decision to be released before the 10th anniversary of the massacre. — Vann Marlo M. Villegas

Duterte not certifying SOGIE bill as urgent, wants a general anti-discrimination law

MALACAÑANG ON Wednesday said President Rodrigo R. Duterte is not going to certify as urgent the Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Expression (SOGIE) bill, noting that the President wants a general anti-discrimination measure.

Presidential Spokesperson Salvador S. Panelo issued this statement to clarify news reports that the President had said during a news conference at the Palace late Tuesday that he would certify the SOGIE Bill as urgent.

“He was referring to an anti-discrimination bill, not SOGIE Bill, much like the anti-discrimination ordinance existing in Davao City, which was passed when he was still the mayor there,” Mr. Panelo said in a phone message to BusinessWorld. Mr. Duterte said during the conference, “Mayroon ako, anti- discrimination. Bakla, iyang mga disabled. Nauna ako sa totoo lang (I have an anti-discrimination (in Davao). Gay, the disabled. I was first on that, in fact).”

He recalled that there were developers in his hometown who did not want to sell housing units to Muslims. “Sabi ko (I said), if you do not allow everybody na magtira diyan… Pilipino rin ito (to live there… They are also Filipinos). Humans — you might not like them but they are Filipinos,” he said.

SOTTO
Senate President Vicente C. Sotto III, meanwhile, said Executive Secretary Salvador C. Medialdea and Senator Christopher Lawrence T. Go have also clarified that Mr. Duterte was “misquoted” regarding his support for the SOGIE bill.

“I am told by ES Medialdea and Senator Bong Go that the President was misquoted. He is supporting an Anti-Discrimination bill pretty much like the ordinance in Davao, which is encompassing,” Mr. Sotto told reporters on Wednesday.

Mr. Sotto also explained a certification of urgency by the President does not guarantee passage of a measure as it only allows the chamber to do away with the three-day rule in between second and third reading approval of a bill. He also reiterated his support for an all-encompassing Anti-Discrimination bill instead of legislating a measure centered on the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender group, which he deems unconstitutional.

Senator Risa N. Hontiveros-Baraquel, a proponent of the SOGIE bill, said this “shows the policy confusion regarding how to address discrimination against the LGBT community.” — Arjay L. Balinbin and Charmaine A. Tadalan

Honasan breezes through confirmation

THE COMMITTEE on Appointments (CA) on Wednesday swiftly confirmed former senator Gregorio B. Honasan II as head of the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT).

President Rodrigo R. Duterte nominated Mr. Honasan to the post in Nov. 22 last year, succeeding acting secretary Eliseo M. Rio, Jr.,. Mr. Honasan assumed as DICT secretary only last July 1, after his nomination lapsed in Dec. 2018 for failure to submit documentary requirements.

The House contingent of the CA panel, led by San Juan City Rep. Ronaldo B. Zamora, moved to confirm Mr. Honasan’s appointment, to which the Senate concurred. “There is no question that we are dealing with a singular individual, who is extremely qualified to take this position and the House contingent after deliberating the qualification and fitness of the respective appointee, we have concluded that we have no need for further questions,” Mr. Zamora said. This was concurred with by Senator Emmanuel Joel J. Villanueva, who led the Senate contingent.

The panel deliberation concluded in under ten minutes. Mr. Honasan, for his part, said he plans to usher the Philippines towards the digital age through electronic classrooms and workplaces among others. “To allow the Philippines, since we have the potential, to leap frog into the digital age. We’re thinking about e-classrooms, e-workplaces, an e-work force, bukod sa tipid at transparency mare-reduce ang corruption, which is the battle-cry of this administration, mapapabilis talaga,” Mr. Honasan told reporters in a chance interview on Wednesday. He also said he targets improving internet speed to 15-20 mbps by the first quarter of 2020 from the current 3.5 mbps. “Well tayo ang pinakamabagal (We are the slowest). We need improvement. Tayo (We have) 3.5 (mbps), Singapore is 65. Pumalo lang tayo ng (We are targeting) 15, 20, by the first quarter of next year,” he said. — Charmaine A. Tadalan

Bill banning single-use plastics re-filed

A LAWMAKER has re-filed a bill seeking to ban the production, importation, sale, provision, and use of single-use plastics.

Marinduque Rep. Lord Allan Q. Velasco has filed House Bill 2396 or the “Ban on Single-Use Plastics Act,” which aims to gradually phase out single-use plastics with an interim period of three years. During the interim period, establishments shall charge P20 for every single-use plastic bag; P10 for food and non-food packaging containers, soda, and water bottles; and P5 for utensils such as straws, coffee stirrers, spoon, and fork.

The measure mandates local government units to take primary responsibility in implementation while the Department of Environment and Natural Resources will be the lead agency for enforcement. Establishments that will fail to comply with the ban will be fined P100,000 to P750,000, and face revocation of business permits for the third offense. The fines collected should be allocated as follows: 80% to the barangay where the establishment is located, for its waste management capability; and 20% to the national government. — Vince Angelo C. Ferreras

DILG, BJMP express support for heinous crime jail

THE DEPARTMENT of Interior and Local Government (DILG) and the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) said they would support the creation of a high-risk prison facility for heinous crime convicts.

The Heinous Crimes Penitentiary is planned to be set up in Palawan, near the West Philippine Sea. High-risk criminals currently detained at the New Bilibid prison in Muntinlupa will be among those who will be moved there. Face-to-face visitation, even for family members of the convicts, will be prohibited.

“Mabuti po iyon para mas mabantayan natin iyong mga (That is good so we can keep watch on) illegal drug lords, CPP-NPA (communist insurgents and) terrorist groups,” DILG Secretary Eduardo M. Año said during the presentation of the proposed DILG budget for 2020 before the Senate committee on Finance. The DILG will also propose the integration of provincial jails to the BJMP to “professionalize and standardize the management of jails at the local level.”

Republic Act No. 6975, or the Department of the Interior and Local Government Act of 1990, mandates the BJMP to take operational and administrative control over all city, district and municipal jails. Under the Local Government Code, however, provincial and sub-provincial jails are under the management and control of the provincial governments. — Marc Wyxzel C. Dela Paz

Comelec to set up registration sites for IP communities

THE COMMISSION on Elections (Comelec) will put up satellite voter registration centers next week for indigenous people (IP) communities in far flung areas. In a statement on Wednesday, Comelec said they will have at least one registration site in every province identified to have an IP population from Sept. 16-20. “The project aims to intensify voter registration efforts within the different IP communities all over the country; to highlight the importance of IP voters as members of the electorate; and to increase awareness on the electoral issues and concerns of IP communities,” the Comelec said. The Comelec is still finalizing the list of areas where the registration sites will be set up. — Gillian M. Cortez

Nation at a Glance — (09/12/19)

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

Nation at a Glance — (09/12/19)

Eagles edge Tigers, 71-70

By Michael Angelo S. Murillo
Senior Reporter

THE DEFENDING champions Ateneo Blue Eagles stayed undefeated in University Athletic Association of the Philippines Season 82 after taming the University of Santo Tomas Growling Tigers, 71-70, in their battle of unbeaten teams on Wednesday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Made to work by UST for much of the contest, Ateneo (3-0) came through when it needed it most to survive and keep its clean slate intact while sending the Tigers to their first defeat of the season.

The Eagles had early control on the strength of steady outside sniping, taking a 23-16 lead at the end of the opening quarter.

But the Tigers turned the tables on their foes in the second frame as Soulamane Chabi Yo made his presence felt.

UST was on top, 37-33, at the halfway point.

At the start of the third quarter Ateneo came out swinging on the lead of Thirdy Ravena.

It would outscore the Tigers, 10-4, in the first three minutes to go on top, 43-41.

The two teams slugged it out after, fighting to a 48-47 count with four minutes remaining in the period and UST on top.

The Tigers continued to hold off the Eagles for the rest of the frame, holding a 56-53 advantage entering the final 10 minutes.

Rookie Rhenz Abando jump-started things for UST in the fourth canto, helping his team to a 60-55 lead in the early goings.

Angelo Kouame and Ateneo found their footing and managed to tie the score at 62-all with 5:20 left.

The Eagles held a one-point lead, 68-67, entering the last two minutes.

The teams had their chances to advance their scores but could not consummate them, including two free throws from Ateneo’s Gian Mamuyac with 14 seconds remaining off an unsportsmanlike foul from UST captain CJ Cansino.

Ball stayed with the Eagles after.

The Tigers fouled Ravena with 11 ticks remaining and the Ateneo veteran delivered to increase their lead, 70-67.

UST sued for time to set up a play.

Cansino had the ball in his hands and made a three-point attempt which failed to hit the mark, forcing UST to foul once again, this time Matt Nieto, with three seconds left.

Nieto split his charities to make it 71-67.

Renzo Subido drained a triple as time expired for the final score.

Ravena led Ateneo with 17 points and 10 rebounds with Kouame adding 11 and Mamuyac 10 points.

For UST it was Chabi Yo who showed the way with 25 points with Abando and Mark Nonoy adding nine points each.

“It was really a tough game and we are fortunate to come away with a win. It could have gone either way,” said Ateneo coach Tab Baldwin after when asked for his thoughts on the game.

“But there is no resting for us. We play again this weekend,” he added.

Ateneo next plays on Sept. 14 against Far Eastern University while UST returns on Sept. 15 versus National University.

NCAA: San Sebastian, CSB try to fortify top four push

By Michael Angelo S. Murillo
Senior Reporter

JOINT fourth place as they begin their National Collegiate Athletic Association Season 95 second-round bid, the San Sebastian Stags and College of Saint Benilde Blazers go for the tie-breaker and fortify their place in the top four when they collide today at the FilOil Flying V Centre in San Juan City.

Both sporting identical 6-3 cards, the Stags and Blazers look to keep in step with the league leaders — San Beda Red Lions (10-0), Lyceum Pirates (7-3) and Letran Knights (7-3) — in their scheduled 2 p.m. game.

After hitting a rough patch midway into the first round of NCAA Season 95, the Stags finished in a flurry, winning four straight to make their way to the top half of the pack in the race.

Forward Allyn Bulanadi has been stepping up for San Sebastian, especially in their ongoing ascent. He has been solid for 17.3 points and 5.3 rebounds.

Veteran playmaker RK Ilagan has been good for 14.9 points and 4.7 assists while Alvin Capobres is adding 12.3 points and 5.7 rebounds.

The Stags lost to the Blazers in their first encounter this season, 77-72, on July 30, something they hope to make up for in their reengagement.

“Everybody has been doing their part and hopefully we get to sustain that moving forward,” said San Sebastian coach Egay Macaraya after wrapping up their first-round assignment last week.

CSB, for its part, had it rough at the tailend of the opening round after going on a solid start to the season with five straight victories.

In their win over the Stags the first time around, Yankee Haruna gave the Blazers a much-needed boost off an injury (broken jaw), finishing with 10 points and seven rebounds.

Guard Unique Naboa also came up big with 15 points, four of which coming in the dying seconds of the match which were a huge boost to his team.

Chris Flores had 14 points and five rebounds while Clement Leutche had a double-double of 12 points and 12 rebounds for the Blazers.

Playing in the second game at 4 p.m., meanwhile, are Lyceum and the Perpetual Help Altas (3-6).

OFTANA LEADS MVP RACE
Meanwhile, early results of the most valuable player race in NCAA 95 were released early this week with San Beda forward Calvin Oftana in front with a player’s average value of 51.22.

Oftana has been averaged 15.5 points in nine games in the first round to go along with 5.1 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.2 blocks.

Evan Nelle also of the Lions is second with 44.11 PAV, followed by Bulanadi (43.78), Donald Tankoua and James Canlas of San Beda with 43.44 and 41.56 PAV, respectively.

Rounding out the top 10 are CSB’s Justin Gutang (40.75), Lyceum’s Jaycee Marcelino (39.75) and Mike Nzeusseu (38.67), Letran’s Larry Muyang (37.89) and Perpetual Help’s Ben Adamos (37.44).

From sensors to digital services

Make Water 4.0 a reality with Netilion, the new IIoT ecosystem from Endress+Hauser

Digitization is one of the biggest buzzwords in the process industries. Some call it IIoT, some even Industry 4.0, meaning a fourth industrial revolution. And the wastewater industry is no exception. But what does it actually mean? Endress+Hauser has developed a new and easy to handle IIoT ecosystem named Netillion. It allows intelligent and networked applications to be realized around the Industrial Internet of Things. It currently has three Netilion Services available with Analytics, Health and Library.

Netilion Analytics provides you with an inventory of your production facility within a few minutes and thus gives you complete transparency. Based on the inventory, current optimization suggestions for your production plant are calculated for you at any time.
Netilion Health lets the assets in your production plant speak for themselves, so that you know immediately, at any time and from anywhere how your production facility is doing. If the assets aren’t doing so well, you’ll know the reason and what remedies there are.
Netilion Library makes the collective knowledge of your production facility available to all your employees immediately, at any time and from anywhere. You save valuable search time and archiving work.

With Endress+Hauser’s current Netilion offering, it has not stopped developing. It continuously strives to ease your business life. However, you may have specific requirements and needs which are not completely covered by its existing offering. Contact Endress+Hauser and its projects team will be delighted to support you in your success.

Data security is an important requirement in a world where networking is rapidly spreading into all areas of life. On one hand data exchange between companies is on the increase, but on the other protecting intellectual property remains an important goal. In order to ensure maximum data security, Endress+Hauser uses the most modern safety mechanisms.

• Use of state-of-the art encryption methods (HTTPS / TLS with SHA-256)
• Co-operation with certified data centers (e.g. ISO 27001) according to European law
• European server locations and a privacy policy according best practice guarantee a high level of data privacy
• Certification of the Endress+Hauser platform by the independent certification authority, licensed by “EuroCloud”

The main benefits of Water 4.0 are water safety and overall efficiency. As wastewater plants need to make sure, that their effluent is not polluting the environment, the use of live and digitally transmitted data gives them enough time to intervene if a problem occurs. Plus, in a wastewater plant not all critical measuring points are close by. By using digital communication of the measuring values, companies can save valuable time compared to having their employees controlling them manually.

Want to know more? Then visit www.netilion.endress.com.

Yeng Guiao steps down as Gilas Pilipinas coach

FOLLOWING their rough campaign in the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup where they failed to win a single game en route to finishing dead last in the 32-team field, Gilas Pilipinas coach Yeng Guiao stepped down from his post.

In a statement released on Wednesday, a day after arriving from China for the World Cup, Mr. Guiao said that like the entire nation, he, too, was disappointed with their performance in the global basketball spectacle just as he thanked all that had been part of their journey in the past year.

“As regards the past performance of the Gilas Pilipinas Men’s Basketball Team in the recent World Cup, I am as disappointed as the rest of the country,” Mr. Guiao’s statement opened.

The NLEX Road Warriors coach, who replaced Chot Reyes as Gilas coach midway into the World Cup qualifiers last year, said he is grateful for the opportunity that was given to him to coach as such a high level.

He said that he had no regrets in taking on the job despite the fact that he knew right from the start that it would not be an easy task albeit he wished that they could have performed better in China.

“I have no regrets in having taken the path I have taken in the past year; the only regret is that I would have wanted the team to have performed better on the world stage,” Mr. Guiao said.

Adding, “I take full responsibility.”

He went on to show his appreciation for all the people who helped the team as they battled their way to making the final cut for the World Cup.

“I truly and fully appreciate the efforts and sacrifices of all the players; not just those of the recent FIBA World Cup Team, but of all those who have contributed to the program since my appointment as head coach for the 2018 Asian Games. I would also like to extend my personal thanks to the coaching staff, trainers, utilities and the management of the Gilas Team for their hard work, support, and cooperation,” said Mr. Guiao.

He also thanked the officials of the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas, led by chairman emeritus Manuel V. Pangilinan and president Al Panlilio, the Philippine Basketball Association team owners and officials, and the fans “who wished us well, supported us, and offered their prayers.”

Mr. Guiao’s decision to step down was arrived at after he talked to SBP officials upon their arrival to the country on Tuesday.

At the World Cup, the Philippines wound up with the worst point differential in the 32-team tournament at minus-147 and lost all their five games by an average margin of 29.8 points. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo

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