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Recto: Expedite probe of contractors

PHILIPPINE STAR/EDD GUMBAN

FINANCE SECRETARY Ralph G. Recto has directed the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) and the Bureau of Customs (BoC) to expedite investigations into contractors allegedly involved in irregularities tied to flood control projects.

In a social media post on Friday, the Department of Finance said Mr. Recto met with BIR Commissioner Romeo D. Lumagui, Jr. and Customs Commissioner Ariel F. Nepomuceno to discuss their parallel investigations, including lifestyle checks, and tax and customs fraud audit.

This probe follows President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr.’s disclosure that 15 contractors cornered around P100 billion, or roughly 20% of the P545-billion flood control budget since 2022.

“We will ensure that the hard-earned money of our fellow citizens is truly put to good use. We will protect public funds and make sure that every peso collected goes to programs and real solutions for the needs of the Filipino people,” Mr. Recto said.

For the BIR’s part, Mr. Lumagui said the agency has begun issuing letters of authority to formally audit the 15 mentioned contractors, focusing on possible underreported revenues, inflated costs, fake invoices, and questionable asset declarations.

It also threatened that it will deny updated tax clearance for contractors found to evade taxes.

The BIR chief earlier said failure to present this clearance will result in the suspension of contract settlements and the imposition of a tax line over the contract amount in favor of the government.

Meanwhile, the BoC is investigating the Discaya family, and their 40 imported luxury vehicles featured in a so-called lifestyle program of journalists.

The renewed public scrutiny comes after heavy rains over the weekend once again submerged roads in several areas, intensifying calls for transparency in flood control spending.

The Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism also released corporate records of flood control contractors this week, including articles of incorporation and general information sheets.

According to the 2026 Budget of Expenditures and Sources of Financing, the BIR is tasked with collecting P3.22 trillion in revenues this year, while the BoC is expected to raise P958.7 billion. — Aubrey Rose A. Inosante

QC sees rainfall worse than Ondoy

A car was submerged in flood water near the corner of Mother Ignacia and Sgt. Esguerra street in Barangay South Triangle, Quezon City after a heavy downpour, Aug. 30. — PHILIPPINE STAR/MIGUEL DE GUZMAN

QUEZON CITY (QC) suffered widespread flooding over the weekend after intense rainfall, which exceeded rains brought by Typhoon Ondoy in 2009, overwhelmed its drainage system, its local government said on Saturday.

In a statement on social media, the local government said 36 out of the city’s 142 villages were battered after a downpour dumped as much as 121 millimeters of rain in just an hour, surpassing Ondoy’s peak intensity of about 90 millimeters per hour.

Citing the University of the Philippines (UP) Resilience Institute at UP NOAH Center, the state weather bureau and QC’s IRISEUP, the local government described the weather event as “phenomenal.”

The heaviest rainfall was recorded in Quezon City and neighboring Marikina, according to preliminary analysis from the University of the Philippines Resilience Institute and the state weather bureau.

The city noted that even areas not usually prone to floods were affected, with districts 1, 3, and 4 experiencing the worst cases.

Floodwater subsided quickly due to ongoing declogging efforts by the city’s Department of Engineering, while sanitation crews cleared debris that blocked waterways, the statement added.

The Philippines this August suffered five tropical depressions, coupled with the intensity of the southwest monsoon (habagat). — Chloe Mari A. Hufana

Repeal of party-list system sought

PHILIPPINE STAR/KJ ROSALES

A SENATOR on Sunday said that he has filed a bill seeking to revise the country’s party-list system, for allegedly failing to represent the marginalized sector.

Senate Bill No. 192 seeks to amend Republic Act No. 7491, the Party-List System Act, to realign the system with its original intent under the Constitution.

“Amid the many issues hounding government officials, it is high time to revisit the true purpose of the party-list system, whether these groups are genuinely representing the marginalized, or merely hiding behind the guise of doing so for personal or political gain,” Senator Vicente C. Sotto III said in a statement.

The Philippine party-list system was introduced in the 1987 constitution to give marginalized groups representation at the House of Representatives.

The proposed measure widens the grounds for the cancellation of registration of party-list groups.

This includes failure to represent the marginalized and underrepresented sectors, instances where members or nominees do not belong to these sectors, direct or indirect participation in acts detrimental to the best interest of the government, ceasing to be a marginalized sector, and material misrepresentation of nominees.

The bill also requires all registered party-list nominees to belong to marginalized and underrepresented sectors, with the majority of its members belonging to these groups.

“Through the years, the interpretation of the law on party-list has expanded its qualification and has deviated from the intent of the framers of the 1987 Constitution, which is to truly represent the marginalized and the underrepresented,” he said in the bill’s explanatory note.

“The party-list system has also been abused and used as a vehicle to pursue advocacies that are not for the best interest of the government,” Mr. Sotto added.

According to an international observer mission report by the International Coalition for Human Rights, at least 78 of the 156 party-list organizations certified by the Commission on Elections during the 2025 national elections were affiliated with political families. — Adrian H. Halili

P60.9-M drugs seized in Zamboanga City

COTABATO CITY — Policemen seized from three couriers 89 kilograms of crystal meth (shabu), costing P60.9 million, in an anti-narcotics operation in Barangay Rio Hondo in Zamboanga City early Sunday.

Local executives and members of the multi-sector Zamboanga City Peace and Order Council told reporters at noon Sunday that the suspects are now detained.

Brig. Eleazar P. Matta, director of the Police Regional Office-9 (PRO-9), had told reporters that personnel of different PRO-9 units and operatives of the Police Drug Enforcement Group-Special Operation Unit-9 had promptly blocked the route of the three men in one of the streets in Barangay Rio Hondo after learning from vigilant tipsters about their supposed delivery to contacts somewhere in Zamboanga City.

The suspects yielded peacefully when policemen flagged down their red Nissan Livina, ordered them to disembark and confiscated the shabu piled inside the vehicle.

Mr. Matta said the operation was assisted by local executives, officials the Zamboanga City Police Office and confidential informants aware of their involvement in large-scale trafficking of shabu and marijuana in the Zamboanga peninsula and in the provinces of Lanao del Sur and Maguindanao del Norte, both in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).

Officials of the Bangsamoro regional police command had told reporters that the three suspects also have accomplices in BARMM’s Lanao del Sur province and in its capital, Marawi City. — John Felix M. Unson

PBA sets SMB-Gin Kings game in Dubai as part of Season 50

SAN MIGUEL VS GINEBRA — PBA.PH

REIGNING Philippine Cup champion San Miguel Beermen and crowd favorite Barangay Ginebra will take centerstage as the PBA ventures in its first overseas gig in six years.

As it celebrates its golden anniversary, the pro league set an explosive duel between the Beermen and the Gin Kings on Oct. 26 at the Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai as part of the official calendar of the Season 50-opening All-Filipino conference.

The PBA announced the protagonists in the lone matchup slated 6 p.m. (Dubai time) on Sunday.

This will mark the league’s first outside-the-country foray since staging a doubleheader in the 2019 Governors’ Cup also in the United Arab Emirates capital.

SMB and Ginebra were actually part of that trip but didn’t get to face off and only took turns dueling with NLEX that time.

The coming Beermen-Gin Kings tiff will kick start a slew of overseas outings Asia’s first pro league is arranging for the new season, which will roll Oct. 5.

After Dubai, the PBA will have a swing in Bahrain on Dec. 15 and 17. The league is also in the process of sealing deals to stage action in Abu Dhabi, Doha, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and in New York.

Meanwhile, Magnolia signed trade acquisition Javi Gomez de Liaño to a three-year deal the other day.

The 6-foot-3 guard-forward, who played in Korea last season, joined the LA Tenorio-coached Hotshots from his old PBA team Terrafirma in exchange for Jerrick Ahanmisi and their second-round pick in next week’s draft. — Olmin Leyba

Shakey’s Super League to retain the renewed three-leg format for the National Invitationals

THE renewed three-leg format of the Shakey’s Super League (SSL) National Invitationals in line with the brand’s 50th anniversary is likely to stay from here on forward.

League organizer Athletic Events and Sports Management, Inc., (ACES) said the warm reception from fans in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao (LuzViMin) should be enough deciding factor in making it an annual regional staging under a regional format in three host cities.

“The impact is really different,” said ACES President Dr. Ian Laurel as the Luzon leg hit the finale stage featuring UAAP’s Far Eastern University (FEU) and NCAA’s College of St. Benilde.

“We would strongly recommend that this is how we do it each year, from now on.”

Since the revival of the entire league that also holds collegiate pre-season and high school championships, the SSL held the first two National Invitationals won by De La Salle University and National University (NU) in Manila with teams from Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao visiting.

Not this year though with the SSL bringing the games closer to provincial teams — and fans as well — from Batangas to Cebu and Davao City.

Reigning UAAP champion NU won the Davao Leg this year by sweeping University of the Philippines, Notre Dame of Dadiangas University, and the Davao Selection, made up of standouts from Ateneo de Davao University, Holy Cross of Davao College and the University of Mindanao.

Adamson University then followed suit, ruling the Cebu leg with a similar sweep of Ateneo de Manila University as well as home teams University of San Carlos and University of Southern Philippines Foundation.

NU’s Sam Cantada and Adamson’s Shaina Nitura were named the Best Players of each leg as FEU and St. Benilde were to slug it out at press time for the Batangas leg that also included Colegio de San Juan de Letran and host University of Batangas.

While Manila squads have been stamping their class over regional counterparts, the prime vision for SSL is for LuzViMin squads to gauge their caliber and improve slowly but surely with the help of homecourt advantage.

This early, at least three local government units (LGUs) have pitched to host next year which could be the case for the SSL National Invitationals moving forward as a teaser to its centerpiece Collegiate Pre-Season Championships.

“New ones started to request and already want to talk to us for next year. So, I think the impact, when you base it on the impact that we made this year compared to the past two years, is really more impactful and has more meaning,” added Mr. Laurel, joined by ACES Director Ariel Paredes, Competition Director Ginio Panganiban, Referee Manager Erwin Cordero, Shakey’s Batangas Group Franchise head Pauline Bondad, Batangas Country Club Even Manager Jong Rivera, BCC Executive Chef Andrew Koh and University of Batangas Sports Director Christopher Quizon during the Luzon leg’s launch. — John Bryan Ulanday

Pagdanganan positions for best finish of the season in Massachusetts tourney

BIANCA PAGDANGANAN — FACEBOOK.COM/LPGA

BIANCA PAGDANGANAN positioned herself for a potential best finish of the season, turning in a fiery five-under 67 on moving day to soar to joint 10th in the FM Championship Saturday in Massachusetts.

After a 69-70, Ms. Pagdanganan gunned down seven birdies against two bogeys for the clutch 33-34 effort in the rain-delayed round at TPC Boston to grease her climb from 10 spots going into the final round.

The 27-year-old Olympian is now at 10-under 206 for the tournament, well on target for her strongest showing in a campaign highlighted by a tie for 26th at the Mexico Riviera Maya Open last April and marred by nine missed cuts in 14 starts.

Ms. Pagdanganan, who hit all 14 fairways on a 263-yard average off the tee and all but two greens in regulation, runs eight shots behind Miranda Wang of China.

Ms. Wang sizzled with a bogey-free 65 to open a three-stroke lead against Rose Zhang of the US (67) and Sei Young Kim of Korea (71) at 201.

Jeeno Thithikul of Thailand (65) and Andrea Lee of the US (66) share fourth at 202 followed by Korea’s Kumkang Park (64), Japan’s Ayaka Furue (66) and Celine Borge of Norway (67) in joint sixth at 203. Madeline Sagstrom of Sweden (70) is alone at No. 9 at 205 — one ahead of Ms. Pagdanganan, Rio Takeda of Japan (69) and Hannah Green of Australia (70). — Olmin Leyba

Top ranks Sinner, Swiatek survive US Open scares in third round as Osaka-Gauff showdown looms

JANNIK SINNER and Iga Swiatek proved they are only human at the US Open on Saturday and showed that even the best players in the world have to figure things out on the fly sometimes when pure talent is not enough.

Wimbledon champion Swiatek embodied the day’s theme of triumph through adversity, clawing her way back from 5-1 down in the opening set against Anna Kalinskaya before grinding out a 7-6(2), 6-4 victory.

“I’m happy that I came back and kept… figuring out and problem-solving,” Swiatek said. “For sure, it wasn’t an easy match.”

The Pole was far from her sharpest in a scrappy, error-strewn contest — nine breaks and 67 unforced errors by both players combined painted the picture of a match won through sheer bloody-mindedness rather than sublime shot-making.

Yet Swiatek steadied herself at the key moments, saving four set points in the first set and breaking late in the second to notch her 20th major match win of the season and draw level with defending champion and world number one Aryna Sabalenka.

Her reward is a last-16 meeting with 13th seed Ekaterina Alexandrova.

World number one Sinner showed similar resolve, surrendering the opening set to 27th seed Denis Shapovalov before rallying to prevail 5-7, 6-4, 6-3, 6-3.

The victory extended the 24-year-old Italian’s unbeaten run at hardcourt Grand Slams to 24 matches, a streak built not just on talent but on his ability to problem-solve when his best tennis abandons him.

“I’m not a machine, you know. I also struggle sometimes,” said Sinner, who was beaten by the Canadian in the opening round of the 2021 Australian Open in their only previous meeting.

“Every match is so difficult. Every challenge is so difficult.”

“There are players who have more qualities or potential, and he’s one of them. I just tried to stay there mentally.”

‘DEJA VU SITUATION’
Not all the top seeds found the same winning formula.

World number three Alexander Zverev, still chasing his first Grand Slam title, saw his tournament end in frustration as Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime rallied from a set down to stun the German 4-6, 7-6(7), 6-4, 6-4.

While Sinner and Swiatek found ways to steady themselves, Zverev grew increasingly rattled as the match slipped away, slamming his racket in frustration as Auger-Aliassime’s fearless shotmaking turned the tide.

The extended weekend’s most intriguing battle of wills is yet to come, as Naomi Osaka and Coco Gauff set up a fourth-round showdown that will dominate the Labor day headlines.

Four-time major champion Osaka overcame a mid-match wobble to overpower 15th seed Daria Kasatkina 6-0, 4-6, 6-3, while last year’s champion Gauff dismissed Poland’s Magdalena Frech 6-3, 6-1 in her most convincing performance of the week.

Organizers could not have scripted it better for US fans: a showdown between two charismatic former champions six years after their memorable first meeting at Flushing Meadows.

In 2019, defending champion Osaka routed a tearful 15-year-old Gauff 6-3, 6-0, then comforted her opponent and urged her to address fans in the stadium, a display of sportsmanship that delighted the crowd.

Even the doubles courts reflected the theme of experience and determination, with 45-year-old Venus Williams and Canada’s Leylah Fernandez earning a 7-6(1), 6-1 win over Ulrikke Eikeri and Eri Hozumi in their first tournament together.

The tournament is fast becoming a battle of attrition.

There have been nine retirements in the singles before the end of the third round, including three on Saturday alone when Italy’s Flavio Cobolli, Daniel Altmaier and Poland’s Kamil Majchrzak all withdrew. — Reuters

Eduardo Rodriguez, Diamondbacks stifle Dodgers’ offense

LEFT-HANDER Eduardo Rodriguez went six scoreless innings and Corbin Carroll hit a home run to break a scoreless tie in the seventh inning as the visiting Arizona Diamondbacks earned a 6-1 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Saturday night.

Gabriel Moreno had a sacrifice fly in a three-run seventh as the Diamondbacks won their fourth consecutive game and improved to 8-3 since Aug. 19. Rodriguez (6-8) allowed four hits, while right-hander Jake Woodford pitched a perfect ninth with one strikeout.

Mookie Betts had an RBI single and right-hander Tyler Glasnow (1-3) took a no-hitter into the sixth inning before giving up three runs on four hits over seven innings with six strikeouts.

Los Angeles lost consecutive home games for the first time since they were swept by the Milwaukee Brewers in a three-game series to begin the second half.

In a scoreless game in the fifth inning, the Dodgers had runners on second and third with nobody out when Enrique Hernandez was thrown out at home plate by Diamondbacks left fielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr. while trying to score on a Shohei Ohtani fly ball. Betts lined out to third to end the threat.

Arizona did not collect its first hit off Glasnow until Ildemaro Vargas’ one-out infield single in the sixth. Carroll delivered the game’s first run on his leadoff home run in the seventh, his 28th of the season.

Gurriel and Blaze Alexander doubled after Carroll’s home run, with both scoring on a sacrifice fly from Moreno and a throwing error by Dodgers center fielder Andy Pages. — Reuters

Jeremy Lin retires from pro hoops

JEREMY LIN announced his retirement from professional basketball via Instagram on Saturday night.

Lin is a nine-year NBA veteran. After going undrafted in 2010, the point guard began his career with the Golden State Warriors, playing in 29 games as a rookie. However, he rose to prominence during his second NBA season as a member of the New York Knicks.

Across his NBA career, Lin averaged 11.6 points, 4.3 assists, and 1.1 steals. He had stints with the Warriors, Knicks, Houston Rockets, Lakers, Charlotte Hornets, Brooklyn Nets, Atlanta Hawks, and Toronto Raptors. He won an NBA title in 2019 with the Raptors. — Reuters

Fever nip Sparks

The Fever needed the win, and not simply because of the tightening playoff race. The Sparks had owned them all season: three meetings, three losses, each a veritable test they could not pass. The other day, however, they finally managed to flip the script — and at Crypto.com Arena to boot. By prevailing 76-75 on the road, they did more than keep their place in league standings; they proved they had the mettle to overcome physical and mental adversity against tough opposition.

As expected, All-Star Aliyah Boston led the charge; her 22 points and 11 rebounds underscored her steadiness, but most notable were her six steals — culminating in the decisive swipe in the dying seconds — that gave the Fever their breakthrough. The Sparks still had a chance to sweep the series, but her final act made sure the outcome was theirs to celebrate. Against competition that had underscored their struggles amid a cacophony of injuries, she imposed herself on both ends, and her teammates followed.

Significantly, Odyssey Sims was likewise instrumental in victory. Once with the Sparks, she relished the opportunity to show she deserved a full-fledged roster spot after two hardship contracts. And she made the most of her chances: 21 markers capped by the go-ahead floater with 13.6 seconds remaining. Given the closeness of the set-to, the Fever clearly needed the composure she supplied in the crunch. More than just putting the red, blue, and gold ahead, the basket highlighted what had been missing in earlier encounters: a guard willing to seize the moment and dictate the finish.

In contrast, the Sparks stumbled precisely when the moment called for precision. Top scorer Azura Stevens split her free throws with 34 seconds left, leaving the door open for a triumph. Unfortunately, they then botched an inbounds play, coughing up a fatal turnover, their 23rd; they never managed a final attempt after Boston’s swipe. It was a collapse that hurt them twice over, costing them the contest and dimming their playoff hopes. At 17-20, they sit ninth, two games behind the Valkyries for the final spot with only seven left to play. Meanwhile, the Fever, now 21-18, moved into sixth, half a game ahead of the highly touted Storm.

Needless to say, the result represents progress for the otherwise-snakebitten Fever. And, yes, breaking through against the Sparks in late August may yet be just as critical for them as where they ultimately finish in league standings. To win at all is necessary; to win in this way — over opponents that had hitherto defined their struggle and in an encounter that went down the wire — signals their desire to shape their future in their own terms.

 

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.

US trading partners ‘dazed and confused’ after tariff court loss

TRACTOR trailers wait in line at the Otay Mesa Port of Entry on the US-Mexico border in Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico, Aug. 30. — CARLOS MORENO/BLOOMBERG

THE legal fight over President Donald J. Trump’s global tariffs is deepening after a federal appeals court ruled the levies were issued illegally under an emergency law, extending the chaos in global trade.

A 7-4 decision by a panel of judges Friday night in Washington was a major setback for Mr. Trump even as it gives both sides something to boast about.

The majority upheld a May ruling by the Court of International Trade that the tariffs were illegal. But the judges left the levies intact while the case proceeds, as Mr. Trump had requested, and suggested that any injunction could potentially be narrowed to apply only to those who sued.

It’s unclear exactly where the case goes from here. The Trump administration could quickly appeal the ruling to the Supreme Court, or it could allow the trade court to revisit the matter and potentially narrow the injunction against his tariffs.

“Our trading partners must be dazed and confused,” Wendy Cutler, a senior vice-president at the Asia Society Policy Institute and veteran US trade negotiator, wrote in a post on LinkedIn. “Many of them entered into framework deals with us and some are still negotiating.”

Trillions of dollars of global trade are embroiled in the case, which was filed by Democratic-led states and a group of small businesses. A final ruling against Mr. Trump’s tariffs would upend his trade deals and force the government to contend with demands for hundreds of billions of dollars in refunds on levies already paid.

“It’s very gratifying,” said Elana Ruffman, whose family-owned toy businesses Learning Resources, Inc. won a separate lawsuit over Mr. Trump’s tariffs issued under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, or IEEPA. “It’s great that the court agrees with us that the way these tariffs are implemented is not legal.”

Mollie Sitkowski, a trade lawyer at Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP, pointed out in a note to clients on Friday that the ruling “does not directly apply” to tariffs on Brazil or India that were issued under the emergency law and may not address the separate removal of the “de minimis” exception for packages valued under $800.

Friday’s ruling by the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit held that Mr. Trump was wrong to issue tariffs under IEEPA, a federal law that the panel concluded was never intended to be used in such a manner. Indeed, the court noted that the law doesn’t mention tariffs “or any of its synonyms.”

“Once again, a court has ruled that the President cannot invent a fake economic emergency to justify billions of dollars in tariffs,” New York Attorney General Letitia James, who is a party to the tariff lawsuit, said in a statement. “These tariffs are a tax on Americans — they raise costs for working families and businesses throughout our country, causing more inflation and job losses.”

The ruling applies to Mr. Trump’s “Liberation Day” global tariffs that set a 10% baseline and have been in effect for months that the administration says are meant to address a national emergency around US trade deficits. It affects the extra levies on Mexico, China and Canada that Mr. Trump said were justified by the ongoing fentanyl crisis in the US, which he also said was a national emergency under IEEPA.

The decision also covers Mr. Trump’s so-called reciprocal tariffs that took effect Aug. 7 for dozens of nations that failed to reach trade deals with the administration by Aug. 1. Various carve-outs and extensions have been announced since then, leaving the final tariffs for some nations up in the air.

Mr. Trump’s tariffs were first ruled illegal in May by the US trade court in Manhattan. That decision was put on hold by the Federal Circuit for the appeal, allowing the administration to continue threatening tariffs during the negotiations.

Hours before Friday’s ruling dropped, Mr. Trump’s cabinet officials told the appeals court that a striking down the President’s tariffs would seriously harm US foreign policy, with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent saying it would lead to “dangerous diplomatic embarrassment” and undermine trade talks. On Friday night after the court move, Mr. Trump posted on X that if the tariffs went away, “it would be a total disaster for the Country.”

Ms. Cutler, who spent nearly three decades as a diplomat and negotiator at the Office of the US Trade Representative, suggested that the administration’s concerns about trade deals may now be a reality. She wrote in her post that India, hit by a 50% tariff, “must be rejoicing,” while China “must be weighing its stance in making concessions in ongoing talks.”

“EU (European Union) efforts to secure domestic approval of its deal may be called into question, while Japan and Korea whom apparently have made oral deals with little in writing may choose to slow walk current efforts until there is more US legal clarity, while still pressing for lower auto tariffs,” Ms. Cutler said. — Bloomberg

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