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Swift probe on journalist killing pushed

BAGUIO CITY — Press freedom watchdog Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is urging Philippine authorities to conduct a swift and thorough investigation into the killing of lady broadcaster Maria Vilma Rodriguez Tuesday evening in Zamboanga City.

Ms. Rodriguez, who presented 105.9 Emedia FM’s news program Barangay Action Center, was shot three times in a store near her home.

The killing shows that the “murderers of journalists remain undeterred in the Philippines,” Shawn Crispin, CPJ’s senior Southeast Asia representative based in Bangkok said in a statement.

He pointed out, “until President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr.’s government firmly moves to end impunity, these heinous crimes against the press will continue.”

In a separate statement, human rights group Karapatan also denounced the killing of a Zamboanga radio broadcaster.

“No concrete steps have been taken by the Marcos Jr. administration despite the findings of the Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Opinion and Expression, Irene Khan, during her official country visit last January 2024,” Karapatan Secretary General Cristina C. Palabay said.

“The case of Rodriguez should not be another statistic in the long list of crimes and human rights violations under the Marcos Jr. administration.”

The Office of the President earlier condemned Rodriguez’s killing and called for a “swift and impartial probe,” while Philippine National Police spokesperson Colonel Jean S. Fajardo during a press briefing claimed that the lady broadcaster was shot by a relative over a land dispute following an argument the previous day.

Ms. Fajardo added that the suspect in Ms. Rodriguez’s killing had already been arrested. — Artemio A. Dumlao and John Victor D. Ordoñez

Almost 500 families flee homes in Isabela coastal town

BAGUIO CITY — At least 491 families (1,766 individuals) in Isabela coastal town, Palanan, fled to safety as severe tropical storm “Trami,” locally known as Kristine, brought strong rains and strong winds.

According to the Palanan Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, 491 families are from nine barangays of the town. Some evacuees took refuge at government-designated evacuation centers and temporary shelters in churches and some in barangay halls.

In Tuguegarao City, Cagayan, some 51 families or 182 individuals from nine barangays also fled their homes.

Tuguegarao City Disaster Risk and Management Office personnel have been readying relief packs for evacuees and other flood-affected villagers.

While government troopers from the Philippine Army’s 24th Infantry Battalion have been alerted to be on standby to assist residents of two flood-prone barangays in Tayum and Bangued towns in Abra.

In Tabuk City, Kalinga, 172 families (504 individuals) sought refuge in various evacuation centers. In Asipulo town in Ifugao, nine families (26 individuals) are now in the evacuation centers. — Artemio A. Dumlao

Over half of Bangsamoro LGUs set up climate action plan

REUTERS

OVER HALF of local government units in the Bangsamoro region have already created climate change action plans, the Climate Change Commission said on Thursday.

In a statement, the Commission said 62.4% of Bangsamoro’s local government units have created their local climate change action plans.

It said it’s focused on enhancing the capacities of the remaining 37.6% Bangsamoro LGUs as it aims for 100% compliance by 2025.

Meanwhile, only 42 out of 125 BARMM LGUs have submitted their annual investment plans, the CCC said, urging the remaining LGUs to engage in its Climate Change Expenditure Tagging (CCET) process “to better align their financial plans with national climate priorities.”

“By prioritizing the submission of LCCAPs and engaging in the CCET process, BARMM can significantly contribute to the nation’s collective capacity to confront and overcome climate challenges, ultimately building a more resilient future for all Filipinos,” the Commission said.

Under People’s Survival Fund, LGUs and local organizations can get financing for their climate adaptation projects in areas such as water management, agriculture, health, infrastructure, disease monitoring, early warning systems, institutional development, information networks, risk insurance, and community programs. — Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza

5 Dawlah terrorists killed in Lanao del Norte clash

COTABATO CITY — Five members of the Dawlah Islamiya were killed in a gunfight with policemen and soldiers in Barangay Bangco in Sultan Naga Dimaporo, Lanao del Norte on Wednesday.

Senior officers in the Lanao del Norte Provincial Police Office and the commander of the military’s Western Mindanao Command, Army Lt. Gen. William N. Gonzales, on Wednesday confirmed the bloody incident, which left five Dawlah Islamiya terrorists dead, among them the long wanted Uya S. Duma.

Combined agents of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group-10 and soldiers from units under the 1st Infantry Division went to serve Mr. Duma warrants of arrest in a secluded area in Barangay Bangco, but he and his companions resisted, provoking a deadly gunfight.

Mr. Duma and his four followers died instantly from multiple bullet wounds sustained in the encounter.

Mr. Duma is wanted for multiple murder, multiple frustrated murder, arson, kidnapping and large-scale drug trafficking cases that are pending in courts in different provinces in region 10.

Army Major Gen. Gabriel C. Viray III, commander of the 1st ID, and police officers in the province had separately announced that a Dawlah Islamiya member was wounded in the clash while another was arrested after he ran out of ammunition and tried to run away but was eventually cornered and detained by pursuing policemen and soldiers.

Officers in the Sultan Naga Dimaporo Municipal Police Station said it was Maranao barangay officials and religious leaders who led policemen and soldiers to the exact location of Duma in Barangay Bangco.

The joint Army-police team also seized three M16 assault rifles, three M1 Garand rifles, two .45 caliber pistols and fragmentation grenades scattered in the scene of the encounter. — John Felix M. Unson

BARMM parliament eyes 3-year term extension for lawmakers

PHILSTAR FILE PHOTO

COTABATO CITY — The 80-member parliament in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao has passed a resolution requesting the House of Representatives and the Senate to allow the extension of the tenure for its members from 2025 to 2028 through legislation

The resolution was approved by regional lawmakers during a session on Tuesday.

The Public Information Division of the BARMM parliament, also known as the Bangsamoro Transition Authority, said in a statement on Thursday that the proponents of the resolution said the present regional lawmakers need ample time to prepare for the first ever parliamentary elections in the region and in educating voters on the intricacies of such an electoral exercise.

The present members of the Bangsamoro parliament are functioning in appointive capacity, valid only until next year. The first bloc of BARMM lawmakers were appointed in 2019 by then President Rodrigo R. Duterte. Their terms lasted until 2022.

President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. retained most of them and appointed newcomers in the lawmaking body in August 2022.

Lawyers in the Bangsamoro parliament said their terms may only be extended through a legislative measure. — John Felix M. Unson

Unbeaten UST, FEU bid for twice-to-beat slot in Shakey’s Super League

UNIVERSITY OF SANTO TOMAS TIGRESSES

Games on Friday
(Rizal Memorial Coliseum)
2 p.m. – UST vs FEU
5 p.m. – CSB vs NU

UNDEFEATED University of Santo Tomas (UST) shores up its twice-to-beat bid while back-to-back reigning champion National University eyes a quick rebound in the second round of the 2024 Shakey’s Super League (SSL) Collegiate Pre-Season Championship Friday at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum.   

Game time is at 2 p.m. with the Tigresses (5-0) looking to extend their perfect campaign in Pool F against the well-rested Far Eastern University (FEU) (3-0) before the Lady Bulldogs (4-1)  shoot for revenge against the NCAA champion College of St. Benilde (2-2) at 5 p.m. in Pool E.

Santo Tomas, which swept Pool B in the first round, will ride on the crest of a 25-11, 25-20, 25-17 win against Ateneo de Manila University to subdue the fresher FEU from a two-week break.

Like Santo Tomas though, FEU is unbeaten in the pre-season tourney after wiping out Pool D and should not be a walk in the park for a Top-Two bid and twice-to-beat bonus in the crossover quarterfinals.

But all eyes are on the Lady Bulldogs, whose 28-game winning streak in the SSL since 2022 was snapped by rival De La Salle University Lady Spikers, 30-32, 25-14, 22-25, 25-21. 

NU slid to 4-1 in Pool E, needing to steady the ship to keep its bid for a Top-Two finish and win-once quarterfinal incentive with La Salle (4-0) and University of the East (4-1) by its wings.

St. Benilde, for its part, fell deeper in Pool E at 2-2 with a 19-25, 18-25, 23-25, defeat against UE, making it a perfect chance to deal NU another upset. — John Bryan Ulanday

LA Dodgers pick Jack Flaherty to start World Series opener

LOS ANGELES DODGERS right-hander Jack Flaherty, who owns a 7.04 ERA through three postseason outings this month, will start Game 1 of the World Series against the visiting New York Yankees on Friday.

He will match up against Yankees ace Gerrit Cole — both of them former Los Angeles-area high school stars.

The Dodgers will go with right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto in Game 2 on Saturday. According to manager Dave Roberts, right-hander Walker Buehler also will draw a start for Los Angeles, in either Game 3 or Game 4 at New York, with the other of those two contests becoming a bullpen game for the Dodgers.

Flaherty, 29, gave up eight runs on eight hits and four walks in three innings during a loss to the New York Mets in Game 5 of the National League Championship Series (NLCS) on Friday. In his prior two playoff starts this year, he yielded four runs in 5 1/3 innings during a loss to the San Diego Padres in Game 2 of the NL Division Series, then tossed seven shutout innings for a victory in Game 1 of the NLCS.

The manager added about Flaherty and Yamamoto, “I think if you’re looking at kind of both those pitchers and what the potential World Series could look like, just giving both those guys the best opportunity to participate, to pitch, and put them in the best spots possible, as far as days of rest and things like that.”

Flaherty was acquired by the Dodgers in a July trade with the Detroit Tigers. He went 6-2 with a 3.58 ERA in 10 regular-season starts for Los Angeles, capping a year in which he finished 13-7 with a 3.17 ERA in 28 starts.

Yamamoto is 1-0 with a 5.11 ERA in three playoff starts. He didn’t pitch beyond five innings in any of those outings, and five innings was also his maximum in four September starts after he returned from a right shoulder injury that sidelined him for three months.

Buehler is 0-1 with a 6.00 ERA through two postseason starts.

Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman, who has been slowed in the postseason by a right ankle sprain that kept him out of two games, plans to be in the lineup for the World Series opener. He is batting .219 with no homers and one RBI through eight playoff games. — Reuters

Spectacular Haaland leads Man City past Sparta Prague, 5-0, in Champions League

MANCHESTER, England — Erling Haaland back-heeled home a stunning strike, the first of two goals on the night for Manchester City’s goal-scoring machine, as City cruised past Sparta Prague, 5-0, on Wednesday to remain unbeaten in their Champions League campaign.

Phil Foden, John Stones and Matheus Nunes also scored for Pep Guardiola’s side who climbed to third in Europe’s elite club competition with seven points after three games, while Sparta have four points.

City are now unbeaten in 26 successive Champions League matches, the longest unbeaten streak by any club in the competition’s history, breaking the record of 25 by Manchester United from 2007-2009.

Haaland was the star of the show, bringing the blue-clad City fans out of their seats at Etihad Stadium when he scored in spectacular fashion in the 58th minute, leaping high to backheel home Savinho’s cross from out of the air.

“I saw it when the ball came in. It’s unbelievable. He’s a statue. So tall and so flexible,” Guardiola said. “I like it, he has this sense of humour. Unbelievable.”

Nunes added: “What an amazing goal. I was speechless after that. When he scored a similar goal against Dortmund I was watching on TV so to see this live it was amazing.”

The 24-year-old Norwegian completed his brace with a more traditional finish in the 68th minute, easily slotting home a pass from Savinho to put his scoring tally at 44 Champions League goals in 42 games.

Haaland climbed level with Didier Drogba in 16th spot on the all-time scoring list in the European competition, although Drogba took 92 games to reach the mark.

Foden got the 2023 Champions League winners on the scoreboard in the third minute when he latched on to a pass from Manuel Akanji and slotted the ball into the bottom corner.

Stones padded City’s lead in the 64th minute when he leapt to head home from a superb cross from Nunes.

Both Foden and Stones were instrumental in City’s 2-1 Premier League victory at Wolverhampton Wanderers on Sunday, with Foden delivering the corner which led to Stones’ stoppage-time winner.

City were awarded a penalty in the 88th minute, for a foul by Angelo Preciado, and Nunes fired his shot past keeper Peter Vindahl Jensen.

While Czech champions Sparta had a few chances on the counter-attack in the first half, City pummelled the visitors with 22 shots to their five on the night, with 10 of them on target.

City, who drew 0-0 with Inter Milan and then thrashed Slovan Bratislava 4-0 in their first two games, next visit Sporting in the new 36-team league phase, with the top eight automatically making the last 16. — Reuters

Liberty open as ’25 WNBA favorites as books expect record interest

THE NEW YORK Liberty battled into overtime of the final game of the season to claim the franchise’s first WNBA title on Sunday, and they’ve been installed as the favorites to repeat in 2025.

The Liberty finished first during the 2024 regular season and went on to win the title in five games over the Minnesota Lynx. New York has been installed as the +190 favorite for the 2025 title by DraftKings, followed by Minnesota at +350 along with the Las Vegas Aces, who were thwarted in their attempt to win a third consecutive title this season

The Fever were eliminated in the first round of star rookie Caitlin Clark’s first season, and opened at +1300 for the 2025 title. Fellow rookie Angel Reese had her season end early due to a wrist injury, and her Chicago Sky opened as +7500 longshots.

The Liberty also opened as the +200 favorites at BetMGM, where the line quickly moved to +175. The biggest early movement was by the Fever, whose odds shifted from +2500 to +1500 with 33.3 percent of all 2025 title tickets backing Indiana since the market opened after this year’s finals.

It continued what the book said has been a consistent increase in betting interest in the WNBA along with women’s sports in general.

“Women’s basketball is blowing up, and people seem to be excited about women’s sports in general,” BetMGM sports trader Hannah Luther said in a statement. “There was incredible momentum for the WNBA coming off a record-breaking women’s college basketball tournament in terms of bets and viewership led by interest in Indiana Fever superstar Caitlin Clark.”

“BetMGM experienced exponential growth this WNBA season with a 113 percent increase in betting year-over-year, and we plan to keep the momentum going.”

BetMGM also reported that the Liberty winning the Finals over the Lynx was a good result for the book, which plans to offer a “wider array of WNBA markets — more player props, specials, futures, and award bets — and a greater focus on women’s college basketball.” — Reuters

Nuñez seizes chance to earn Liverpool narrow win at Leipzig

LEIPZIG, Germany — Liverpool’s Darwin Nuñez took full advantage of a rare start with the winner in his side’s 1-0 victory at RB Leipzig as their 100% start in the Champions League continued on Wednesday.

With Diogo Jota ruled out because of injury, Uruguayan Nuñez got his chance and delivered in the 27th minute by poking home Mohamed Salah’s header.

Nunez, who has been used predominantly as a substitute this season, also had a clear penalty turned down as he gave manager Arne Slot plenty to think about.

Liverpool’s club record sixth away win out of six in all competitions to start a season, maintains an excellent start to the Slot reign with the Dutchman winning 11 of his first 12 games since replacing Anfield favorite Juergen Klopp, something no Liverpool manager has achieved.

Liverpool are second in the 36-team Champions League group phase with nine points, sandwiched between Premier League rivals Aston Villa who also have nine and Manchester City (seven). — Reuters

Père et fils

There were four minutes left in the second quarter of the Lakers’ homestand the other day when newly installed head coach JJ Redick finally pulled the trigger on twin substitutions that the sellout crowd at Crypto.com Arena had been anticipating from opening tip. A loud roar erupted as LeBron James and Bronny James made their way to the scorers’ table, and once the clock started running anew, history was made. For the first time since the National Basketball Association set up shop in 1946, a father-son tandem shared the court.

Considering the circumstances that led to the two players burning rubber alongside each other, it’s fair to argue that the moment will never be replicated. To begin with, the elder James continues to be in the league — and, in fact, the face of the league — only because of his longevity borne of extraordinary brains, skill, and athleticism. He’s pushing 40, with 22 years’ worth of mileage on his odometer, and yet he’s still starting and playing extended minutes for the Lakers. Which, for all intents, is why his junior was chosen 55th overall in the 2024 draft, and subsequently given a roster spot.

For the record, père et fils were on the floor together for a grand total of three minutes. Not a lot of time, really, but enough to serve its purpose. And, not coincidentally, all the members of James’ immediate family were among the 18,997 on hand to witness the occasion. Forget that LeBron didn’t have a particularly spectacular night, or that Bronny’s stat line was filled with zeros. The bottom line was clear to all and sundry, the two Ken Griffeys — who had themselves similarly broken ground in Major League Baseball — included.

Needless to say, what made the turn of events even more memorable was the win that the Lakers wound up forging against the highly touted Timberwolves. Their emphatic triumph over the Western Conference Finalists served as the cake that made the icing relevant. For all the pomp, their bottom line remains. And while one contest does not a season make, it does set the tone for what is to come. The purple and gold mean business. Enough said.

 

Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994. He is a consultant on strategic planning, operations and human resources management, corporate communications, and business development.

Canada to cut immigration numbers — source

A PERSON stands in front of a Canadian flag in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, Sept. 20, 2022. — REUTERS

TORONTO — Canada will sharply lower the number of immigrants it allows into the country for the first time in years, marking a notable shift in policy for the government as it tries to remain in power.

Canada will bring in 395,000 new permanent residents in 2025, 380,000 in 2026 and 365,000 in 2027, down from 485,000 in 2024, according to a government source.

The number of temporary residents, meanwhile, will decrease by about 30,000 to around 300,000 in 2025, the source said.

The new targets were first reported by The National Post.

Canada has long prided itself on welcoming newcomers, but in recent years, the national debate around immigrants has shifted in part due to rising housing prices.

Many Canadians have been priced out of the housing market since interest rates started rising two years ago. At the same time, a huge influx of immigrants has pushed Canada’s population to record levels, further boosting housing demand and prices.

The issue has become one of the most contentious in Canadian politics, with a federal election due no later than October 2025. Polls show a growing share of the population thinks Canada has too many immigrants.

There has been a backlash against newcomers and more reported hate crimes against visible minorities, advocates and community members say.

Migrant advocates slammed the change.

“We are witnessing one of the most egregious rollbacks of migrant rights in Canadian history,” Syed Hussan, spokesperson for the Migrant Rights Network Secretariat, said in a statement.

“Cutting permanent resident numbers is a direct assault on migrants who will be forced to remain temporary or become undocumented, pushed further into exploitative jobs.”

The office of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was not immediately available to comment.

The new immigration targets also mark a shift from the pandemic era when the government loosened rules on temporary residents to help fill labor shortages. Last year, Canada had planned to bring in 500,000 new permanent residents in 2025 and the same amount in 2026. As of the second quarter of 2024, there were 2.8 million temporary residents, including workers and students, in Canada, according to Statistics Canada.

In an August interview, Immigration Minister Marc Miller told Reuters “Canadians want a(n immigration) system that is not out of control.”

Canada’s Liberal government, trailing in the polls as some legislators seek to oust their leader, has been trying to regulate immigration.

Under Mr. Trudeau, Canadian immigration officials have approved fewer visas this year and border officials turned growing numbers of visa-holders away, data obtained by Reuters showed.

The government promises to reduce temporary residents’ share of the population to 5% over three years; it was 6.8% in April.

It also capped the number of international students Canada will bring in and tightened the rules on temporary foreign workers under a program that brings non-Canadians to the country to work on a temporary basis. The program has come under fire for suppressing wages and leaving workers vulnerable to abuse. — Reuters

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