BIR files 5 tax evasion cases in Laguna, 1 in Davao

June 6, 2019 | 8:55 pm

THE BUREAU of Internal Revenue (BIR) filed separate criminal complaints before the Department of Justice (DoJ) against six taxpayers for alleged failure to pay dues with a total worth of P161.8 million. In a press release, BIR Laguna-Quezon-Marinduque filed the complaints against four corporations and an individual while BIR Davao City recommended the filing of charges against one corporation. The four companies in Laguna are Transtech Shuttle Services, Inc., Shuttle Club Philippines, Corp., Matten Technologies, and Penta Technological Product, Inc., while the individual retailer is Swee Kim Tan Go of Liana’s Trading. The bureau said they were all served with required letters and notices for tax assessment and collection, but failed to pay or protest the said assessments, making them final and executory. In Davao City, the BIR also filed a complaint against DTI Overland Transport Corp. and its officers for unpaid tax liabilities of P62 million. The BIR said the corporation protested the assessment, but the BIR regional office denied this for late filing. The tax agency said DTI Overland failed to file the written protest to the BIR Commissioner within 30 days, which makes the assessments final. The BIR in Davao also stated that it conducted collection and enforcement strategies, but the taxes remained unpaid. “DTI Overland’s obstinate failure and refusal to pay its long overdue deficiency taxes for taxable year 2009, despite repeated notices and demands, constitutes willful failure to pay the taxes due to the government.” — Vann Marlo M. Villegas

Holiday in Zamboanga del Norte on June 6 as province celebrates 67th anniversary with Saulog

June 6, 2019 | 8:54 pm

JUNE 6 has been declared a holiday in Zamboanga del Norte, through Presidential Proclamation 730 signed last June 4, as the province caps the week-long celebration of its 67^th founding anniversary with the Saulog festivities. Zamboanga del Norte is known for its twin cities Dapitan, where national hero Jose Rizal was exiled, and the capital Dipolog. With an agriculture-based economy, the province’s top five produce are rice, corn, coconut, mango, and banana, based on Philippine Statistics Authority data as of June 2018. Among the highlights of the Saulog, the Visayan word for celebration, are an agri-tourism and trade fair competition for local government units, along with an exhibit for private entrepreneurs. Various activities have also been lined up for fisherfolk, and sporting events for the public.

Muslim entrepreneurs in Iloilo, some from Marawi, relish peace and order

June 6, 2019 | 8:53 pm

FOLLOWING THE celebration of Eid’l Fitr on Wednesday, the Iloilo United Muslim Community thanked the people of Iloilo for treating them with respect. “There is no fear because our Ilonggo brothers and sisters treat us with respect. There is no discrimination. We can 100% practice our religion here,” Sultan Sammy Hadjimanan, spokesperson of the Iloilo United Muslim Community, said in an interview as they gathered at the La Paz Public Plaza to pray and celebrate the end of Ramadan, the Islamic month of fasting. Mr. Hadjimanan said there are about 3,000 Muslims in the province, including Iloilo City, some of whom came following the 2017 siege in the Islamic City of Marawi. “They feel the peace and order here in Iloilo and the good treatment of Ilonggos, especially in our mosques,” he said. Most of them are engaged in businesses on clothing and mobile telephone accessories in malls and other shopping centers. “Almost 95% have cellphone accessories and ready-to-wear garment businesses,” he said. — Emme Rose S. Santiagudo

5 abattoirs in Cebu City to be closed

June 6, 2019 | 8:52 pm

AT LEAST five slaughterhouses in Cebu City will be closed by the city government next week for failing to meet international standards on structure and operations. Department of Veterinary Medicine & Fisheries (DVMF) chief Alice Utlang said they have already informed the owners of the five abattoirs located in Barangays Mabolo, Mambaling, Banilad, Labangon, and Capitol Site that a closure order will be served next week. Ms. Utlang said the owners may reapply for accreditation and be permitted to reopen once they comply with all the requirements. At present, there are 27 slaughterhouses operating in the city. Ms. Utlang said they do not expect the local supply of pork to be affected by the closures. The city government, together with the National Meat Inspection Service, has been conducting inspection and evaluation of all abattoirs in the city since April. “Especially Cebu City is known for best lechon (roasted pig), so we might as well comply with the requirements… we want to help the lechon industry,” she said. — The Freeman

TWG formed to check on Zamboanga City’s canning factories after May 28 boiler explosion

June 6, 2019 | 8:52 pm

A TECHNICAL working group (TWG), composed of representatives from various local government offices and the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), has been formed to check on all canning factories in Zamboanga City following the May 28 explosion of one facility’s boiler that was being repaired. In a statement from the city government, Elmeir E. Apolinario, head of the City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office (CDRRMO), said the TWG will also review safety standards as well as further investigate the explosion at the Southwest Asia Canning Corp. that killed one and injured two others. The police identified the fatality as 49-year old Zacarias Alberyo, assistant boiler operator, while the two hurt were Francisco C. Dumagal, 39, the boiler’s head operator, and Mark Anthony R. Villaflores, 28, the factory’s safety officer. The TWG members, aside from the BFP, include officers from the CDRRMO, City Engineer’s Office, and the City Health Office. There are at least 12 major canning factories in Zamboanga City, with the entire Zamboanga Peninsula having the country’s second highest fisheries production at 515 million metric tons (MT), based on 2017 data from the Philippine Statistics Authority. The Bangsamoro region was top with 856 million MT.

CAAP, NHA ink deal for socialized housing site in Zamboanga City

June 6, 2019 | 8:52 pm

THE CIVIL Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) signed a memorandum of agreement with the National Housing Authority (NHA) on Monday, June 3, for the use of a land site in San Jose Gusu, Zamboanga City for retired military personnel. In a statement released on Thursday, CAAP said the MOA covers the turnover of 5.6 hectares of land that is part of the Zamboanga International Airport to the NHA. Under Presidential Proclamation 531, passed in 2004, certain parcels of public-owned land were declared for use as socialized housing sites.

Nation at a Glance — (06/07/19)

June 6, 2019 | 8:50 pm

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

Rolling Ginebra Kings eye third win in a row

June 6, 2019 | 7:00 pm

By Michael Angelo S. Murillo
Senior Reporter

DEFENDING Philippine Basketball Association Commissioner’s Cup champions Barangay Ginebra San Miguel Kings go for their third win in a row in the ongoing tournament when they play the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters today at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Bounced back from a tournament opener loss with back-to-back wins, the Kings (2-1) seek to stretch their win streak in their 7 p.m. game to keep in step with the leaders in the standings while adding to the struggles of the still-winless Elasto Painters (0-2).

The latest of the victories of Barangay Ginebra came over the Northport Batang Pier, 73-70, on June 1 where it had to dig deep to hack out the win.

Import Justin Brownlee had 32 points, eight rebounds, six assists and five steals to lead the Kings with Greg Slaughter adding 16 points.

Scottie Thompson was the other Barangay Ginebra player in double digits with 11 points to go along with 12 rebounds and five assists.

Knowing they could have easily lost the ball game, Kings coach Tim Cone could not help but heave a sigh of relief following their win.

“I thought it was a loss for us. We did not play well tonight and had a lot of turnovers,” said Mr. Cone, whose team incidentally welcomed free-agent Jared Dillinger in its fold early this week after snagging him from the unrestricted free-agent list of the Meralco Bolts.

Out to stop the Kings is Rain or Shine, which is having it rough early in the midseason PBA tournament with two losses to open its campaign.

Import Denzel Bowles has been leading the charge for the Elasto Painters with 29 points and 9.5 rebounds in the team’s first two games.

Ed Daquioag is backstopping him with 11.5 points a game followed by James Yap (nine points) and Beau Belga (8.5 points).

Meanwhile, playing in the opener at 4:30 p.m. are Meralco (2-2) and undermanned Phoenix Pulse Fuel Masters (1-1).

The Bolts go for consecutive wins in follow-up to their 91-84 victory over Rain or Shine last time around.

In said game it was a total effort for Meralco with import Gani Lawal Jr. finishing with 19 points and 12 rebounds followed by Anjo Carma with 17 points and six assists.

Chris Newsone had 16 points, seven rebounds and five assists while Ranidel De Ocampo had 12 points.

“The locals stepped up today. Credit to them,” said winning coach Norman Black after their win.

Meralco looks to parade big man Raymond Almazan in today’s game after being acquired in the in-between conference break from Rain or Shine.

Phoenix, for its part, plays its first game sans the indefinitely suspended Calvin Abueva, who was meted with fines and suspension for misconduct in each of their first two games, including a nasty clothesline to TNT KaTropa import Terrence Jones in their last game.

Before being suspended, Mr. Abueva was averaging 14.5 points and 8.5 rebounds.

The Fuel Masters are also set to play with a new import in Richard Howell, replacing original choice Rob Dozier who is suffering from plantar fasciitis which was hampering his mobility.

Mr. Howell is a former best import awardee who helped TNT reach the finals of the Commissioner’s Cup in 2014.

In two games with Phoenix, Mr. Dozier averaged 17 points, 14 rebounds, 3.5 blocks and 1.5 steals.

Raptors dump short-handed Warriors, 123-109, lead 2-1

June 6, 2019 | 6:59 pm

OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA — Danny Green buried three of his six 3-pointers in the third quarter Wednesday night as the Toronto Raptors pulled away from the Golden State Warriors for a 123-109 victory in Game 3 of the NBA Finals.

With Warriors All-Stars Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson relegated to watching because of injuries, the Raptors overcame a 47-point explosion by Stephen Curry to steal back the home-court advantage by taking a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series.

Game 4 is scheduled for Friday night, also on Golden State’s home floor.

After blowing a double-digit lead in Game 2 only to regain another in the first half of Game 3, the Raptors were clinging to an 83-75 advantage in the final three minutes of the third period before Green bombed in back-to-back 3-pointers to expand the margin to 14.

Toronto went on to lead by as many as 16 in the period, the last time when Green nailed his third 3-pointer of the period for a 96-80 advantage with 29.2 seconds remaining.

The Warriors, who hadn’t played a home game in 20 days and hadn’t lost at home since the first round of the postseason, never got closer than seven after that.

Green finished with 18 points, with all his points coming on six-of-10 shooting from 3-point range. The six threes were his most this postseason, but one fewer than the seven he made twice in the postseason for the San Antonio Spurs in 2013 and 2014.

Kawhi Leonard paced the Raptors with 30 points. Kyle Lowry complemented Green’s long-distance shooting with five 3-pointers en route to 23 points.

Lowry also had a game-high nine assists.

The Raptors shot 17-for-38 on 3-point attempts, outscoring the Warriors 51-36 from beyond the arc.

Pascal Siakam (18 points, game-high nine rebounds) and Marc Gasol (17 points) also scored in double figures for Toronto, which was playing its first road game in 13 days.

Curry’s 47 points, a career postseason high, came on 14-of-31 shooting overall and six-of-14 accuracy on 3-point attempts. The 47 points topped his previous postseason best of 44 at San Antonio in 2013.

Curry also found time for team highs in rebounds with eight and assists with seven.

Without Thompson (hamstring) and Durant (heel), both of whom might return for Game 4, the Warriors’ supporting cast could do no better than 17 points from Draymond Green and 11 from Andre Iguodala.

The Warriors were outshot 52.4% to 39.6% overall.

The Raptors wasted little time taking advantage of their short-handed foe, running off to a 17-7 lead behind 10 combined points from Siakam and Gasol.

Despite 25 points by Curry, the most he’s ever scored in a half in an NBA Finals game, Toronto led by as many as 14 in the first two periods before settling into a 60-52 advantage at the break. — Reuters

Philippine U-18 women’s 3×3 team in KO World Cup quarterfinal match

June 6, 2019 | 6:59 pm

THE PHILIPPINE Under-18 women’s team looks to continue its head-turning showing to date in the 2019 FIBA 3×3 World Cup in Mongolia when it takes on world number one China in a knockout quarterfinal match today.

Barged into the next round of the tournament after finishing second in Pool C with a 3-1 record, behind undefeated France, the Philippine team, composed of Camille Izabel Clarin (18), Ella Patrice Fajardo (16), Karl Ann Pingol (17) and Angelica Marie Surada (18), tries to sustain its conquering ways against an undefeated Chinese team which has been dominant so far in this edition of the World Cup.

The Philippines did its cause a favor by sweeping its assignments on the third day of the competition on Wednesday.

Split their first two games on opening day on Monday, the Filipina players came back stronger in their return to action in the Mongolian capital of Ulaanbaatar, beating number six Netherlands, 10-9, and Czech Republic (19), 15-14, in succession.

Against the Netherlands, Clarin came to the rescue of her team by draining the game-winning basket at the buzzer.

With the scored tied at 9-all and the clock ticking down, the Filipino-Canadian followed up on her own missed basket just as the buzzer sounded to hand the Philippines a big 10-9 victory that kept its playoff hopes alive.

The team then completed things later in the day when it outlasted Czech Republic, 15-14, in overtime.

Surada took over in extra time to help her team to the win.

The twin wins pushed the Philippines in the quarterfinals, along with China, France and Mexico. Four more teams to complete the quarterfinal cast were set to join them in matches scheduled later yesterday.

Leading the Philippines in scoring in the competition in four games to date is Clarin with 17 total points, good for 11^th place, followed by Fajardo (15 points), Surada (10) and Pingol (5).

The Philippine-China match is set for 1:50 p.m. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo

Torre, Gomez, Laylo lead PHL bid in Asian Continental Chess Championships

June 6, 2019 | 6:58 pm

FILIPINO Grandmasters (GMs) Eugene Torre, John Paul Gomez and Darwin Laylo along with International Masters (IMs) Paulo Bersamina, Jan Emmanuel Garcia and Daniel Quizon will spearhead the country’s campaign in the Asian Continental Chess Championships (Open and Women’s Championships), slated June 7 to 15 this year at the Hongshigou Quesheng Bieyuan Hostel in Xingtai, (People’s Republic of) China.

“It’s going to be exciting, that’s for sure,” said Torre, adding that players from India, Kazakhstan, Vietnam, Iran, Malaysia, Singapore and host China have already confirmed their attendance.

The top five (5) finishers in the Open side will earn slots to the World Chess Cup 2019 set Sept. 9 to Oct. 2, in Khanty-Mansyisk, Russia where the top two will automatically booked a berth to the Candidates Tournament serving as the last qualifying tournament before the next World Championship in 2020.

The top woman will advance straight to the Women’s World Cup, which is similar to the men’s World Cup.

A total of $75,000 pot will be given away including $11,000 to the men’s titlist and $7,000 to the women’s winner.

“It will be very tough playing against the top Asian players,” said Torre, adding that they will also be challenged by the Chinese, Indian and Vietnamese woodpushers.

Other Filipino entries are Woman Grandmaster (WGM) Janelle Mae Frayna, Woman International Masters (WIMs) Kylene Joy Mordido, Bernadette Galas, Shania Mae Mendoza and Marie Antoinette San Diego.

The Filipino woodpushers campaign is support of National Chess Federation of the Philippines chairman/president Prospero “Butch” Arreza Pichay Jr. and secretary-general Abraham “Bambol” Ng Tolentino Jr., Philippine Sports Commission and Dasmariñas City mayor Elpidio “Pidi” Barzaga Jr.. — Marlon Bernardino

Mavs’ Cuban enjoys when Lakers are ‘screwed up’

June 6, 2019 | 6:58 pm

LOS ANGELES — Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban told ESPN on Wednesday he takes delight in the plights of the Los Angeles Lakers, who have followed a tumultuous season with more than a few negative headlines this offseason.

“The more screwed up they are, the happier I am,” Cuban told ESPN while he was in downtown LA for the Social Innovation Summit. “But I feel that way about every other franchise not in Dallas. We all go through it. Every franchise goes through cycles, and when your down cycle hits you, it’s never fun.”

Despite that sentiment, Cuban said he supports Lakers controlling owner Jeanie Buss.

“I feel bad for Jeanie, personally, because she’s a great person,” he told ESPN. “I have no sympathy for the Lakers any more than they had sympathy for us.”

Cuban also expressed disapproval of former team president Magic Johnson’s claim last month that he would be interested in buying the Lakers.

“That’s a little bit self-serving,” Cuban said. “I don’t think Magic could afford them. And that’s no disrespect to Magic. That’s a reflection of just how well Jeanie has done.”

Johnson resigned from his position — without warning anyone, including Buss, a close friend of his — on April 9, minutes before the team’s regular-season finale. In mid-May, he accused general manager Rob Pelinka, who remains in his position, of back-stabbing him.

Last week, a lengthy ESPN story described a toxic culture in the Lakers organization during Johnson’s tenure. Johnson denied mistreating any employees.

In their first season with LeBron James, the Lakers went 37-45 and missed the playoffs as many players — including James — missed time due to injury.

After Johnson’s resignation, the team also parted ways with head coach Luke Walton. During the ensuing coaching search, multiple candidates reportedly turned down the job before Frank Vogel was hired, and a small group of fans protested team management outside Staples Center.

Cuban, 60, bought the Mavericks in 2000, just as the team began a run of 12 straight playoff appearances and 15 in 16 years, including the team’s first NBA title in 2010-11. Dallas has missed the playoffs for three consecutive years.

CARTER SAYS RECORD 22^ND SEASON WILL BE HIS LAST
Vince Carter said Wednesday that the 2019-20 season will his last in the NBA, which would give the high-flying small forward the record for most seasons played in league history.

On ESPN’s “The Jump,” Carter said that his 22^nd season will be his final one, putting the end to a memorable career that saw him play in eight All-Star Games after earning the 1998-99 NBA Rookie of the Year award.

Other players with 21 seasons in the league include Robert Parish, Kevin Willis, Kevin Garnett and Dirk Nowitzki.

“I got one more in me,” the 42-year-old Carter said. “I got one more run in me.”

Carter played for the Atlanta Hawks this past season, his eighth team after starting his career with the Toronto Raptors. He has scored 17.2 points per game with 3.2 assists and 4.4 rebounds, while also playing for the New Jersey Nets, Orlando Magic, Phoenix Suns, Dallas Mavericks, Memphis Grizzlies and Sacramento Kings.

Set to be a free agent, Carter still must find a team interested in his services. He scored 7.4 points per game in 76 contests with the Hawks this past season while playing on a one-year, $2.4 million contract. He started nine games. — Reuters