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Restore data, services, telcos told

PHILSTAR FILE PHOTO

THE National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) has ordered telecommunication companies to ensure reliable service connections amid Typhoon Kristine.

In a statement on Thursday, NTC mandated public telecommunication entities (PTEs) to also immediately restore all data or service disruptions in areas affected by the typhoon.

NTC said PTEs must also ensure that enough personnel are deployed, and generators are on standby especially if some areas experiencing data or service disruptions are caused by power outages.

PTEs were also ordered to provide free call and charging station services for all affected areas, NTC said.

NTC also said that as of Wednesday, PTEs reported significant service outages within the Bicol Region and Eastern Visayas, and some areas in Luzon.

“The primary reason for these telecommunication services disruptions were commercial power interruptions, which were either pre-emptively initiated by power companies/electric cooperatives or naturally caused by the Typhoon,” NTC said.

Further, NTC also said that it is closely monitoring the situation and has assured that it will collaborate with telco companies to restore any service or data disruptions. — Ashley Erika O. Jose

Military rations eyed for relief ops

THE Philippine government should no longer include canned goods in its disaster relief packs, urging the switch to military rations instead for easier storage and distribution times of crisis, a congressman said on Thursday.

Meal, Ready-to-Eat (MRE) packs should be distributed in place of canned goods as it is also more nutritious than canned goods, Party-list Rep. Rodolfo M. Ordanes said, who recommended the move to Social Welfare Secretary Rexlon T. Gatchalian and the Trade, Health, and Science and Technology departments.

“It is time that we modernize the contents and packaging of our food relief packs. Canned goods should be phased out of the disaster response system,” he said in a statement.

“MRE food packages can be made nutritious, [and is] lighter and can contain more food than tin cans,” he added.

Mr. Ordanes said there should be “distribution controls” for MRE packs to prevent “pilferers, smugglers, and insurgents” from having access to it. — Kenneth Christiane L. Basilio

DepEd mulls AI use in schools

FREEPIK

THE Department of Education (DepEd) on Thursday said that it is studying to expand the use of artificial intelligence (AI) within Philippine schools.

“We are studying the possibilities of (AI) because we are seeing that teachers are benefiting from it, and there are benefits to students as well,” Education Secretary Juan Edgardo “Sonny” M. Angara told reporters on the sidelines of a forum organized by the University of the Philippines.

He said that DepEd is also planning to upgrade the connectivity of about 40,000 schools to the electric grid.

“AI needs good power, good bandwidth. So, we have to ensure that these systems can handle the technology of the future,” he added.

For next year, the education department is seeking to electrify about 2,000 schools, which forms part the agency’s modernization goals.

He added that the department is also planning to procure about 47,000 e-learning carts with about 40 computers.

“This is to save precious classroom space. DepEd has evolved the concept of a computer lab into a cart filled with laptops and other gadgets that can be moved from room to room,” he said.

Additionally, Mr. Angara said that the department is also seeking to address cheating and plagiarism cases from the use of AI tools.

“We really have a policy there… If the teacher says that it is forbidden to use AI, it should be respected,” he added.

He said that there are also programs available that police students from using AI tools in classrooms, which teachers can utilize.

“If students are up to date, teachers should also be up to date,” Mr. Angara said. — Adrian H. Halili

TRO on PhilHealth transfer urged anew

Health Alliance for Democracy (HEAD) hold a protest rally in front of the Philippine General Hospital in Manila, Oct. 15. The group is against the transfer of Philippine Health Insurance Corp. Funds to the National Treasury. — PHILIPPINE STAR/EDD GUMBAN

A LAWMAKER on Thursday urged the Supreme Court (SC) to immediately issue a temporary restraining order (TRO) to halt the next tranche of excess funds transfer by the state health insurer to the national treasury.

The high court earlier indicated it might act on the petitions challenging the P89.9-billion transfer of funds from the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) to the National Government’s (NG) coffers before the scheduled oral arguments in January next year, according to spokesperson Camille Sue Mae L. Ting.

“We laud the high court for this willingness, but this gesture will be more impactful if the tribunal issues a TRO now to prevent further transfers and the use of the money by executive agencies,” Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus B. Rodriguez said in a statement.

“Next week will already be November. So, the window for the Supreme Court to prevent the handover of the balance is closing,” he added.

PhilHealth previously remitted P20 billion to the national treasury on May 10, with another P10 billion on Aug. 21 and P30 billion on Oct. 16.

The state health insurer will proceed with its scheduled transfer of the remaining P29.9 billion in excess funds to the Treasury, Finance Secretary Ralph G. Recto earlier told BusinessWorld. — Kenneth Christiane L. Basilio

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