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30 Dumaguete City government workers fired after positive result in drug use test

AT LEAST 30 workers of Dumaguete City’s local government unit (LGU), mostly under casual and job order contracts, were terminated after testing positive for illegal drug use. Deputy City Administrator and Human Resource Manager Dinno T. Depositario told The Freeman that the regular employees who also tested positive were subjected to further investigation as part of due process before being fired. Mr. Depositario said the city government will be setting up a “wellness program,” which the fired employees can voluntarily join. “We are not forcing them to enroll in the program. However, if they want their jobs back, they need to go through it… we are giving them another chance,” he said. — The Freeman

Families evacuated following landslide in Nabunturan village

A LANDSLIDE dawn of May 20 has displaced 12 families in Barangay Linda in Nabunturan, Compostela Valley following persistent rains. The municipal government reported that no one was hurt in the incident but the 31 affected individuals have been evacuated to the public school in the village, led by the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office. The city engineering office has also started clearing operations in the hilly area. — Carmelito Q. Francisco

68% of ARMM infra budget allocated for roads

ROAD PROJECTS will comprise P6.899 billion of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao’s (ARMM) total P10.103 billion infrastructure budget for this year, the regional government announced over the weekend. ARMM Governor Mujiv S. Hataman, speaking at the groundbreaking ceremony for a P140-million road in Upi, Maguindanao last Friday, called on the public to monitor the projects in their communities and report suspected irregularities. “Our office is open any time if you see any anomaly in the implementation of this project,” Mr. Hataman said in Filipino. The 8.26-kilometer road will provide improved access to some 15,000 residents in two villages, who are mainly farmers. Upi town’s main products are rice, corn, coconut, and rubber. The project has an implementation period of 451 working days. — Mindanao Bureau

Nation at a Glance — (05/21/18)

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

Cavs rout Celtics, trim deficit in Eastern Conference finals

LOS ANGELES — LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers thrashed the Boston Celtics 116-86 on Saturday, powering their way back into the NBA Eastern Conference Finals.
The Cavaliers trimmed the deficit in the best-of-seven series to 2-1 — avoiding the 0-3 hole from which no NBA team has returned to win a series. They’ll try to even things up when they host Game Four on Monday.
The Cavaliers, trying to return to the NBA Finals for a fourth straight year, insisted after two double-digit defeats in Boston that things would be different on their home floor.
They wasted no time in making it so, racing to a 12-4 lead midway through the first quarter, which they ended leading 32-17.
By then, James and George Hill had already scored more than 10 points apiece, and half a dozen Cavaliers players finished by scoring in double digits.
James led the way with 27 points, 12 rebounds and five assists along with two steals and two blocked shots.
James made eight of his 12 shots from the floor, including all three of his three-pointers, and went eight-of-10 at the free-throw line.
But James, whose 42-point triple double was in vain in Game Two, got plenty of support in a game in which Cleveland never trailed.
Kyle Korver scored 14 points off the bench. Hill and Kevin Love scored 13 apiece, JR Smith chipped in 11 and Tristan Thompson scored 10.
Cleveland outrebounded Boston 45-34, holding the Celtics to 39.2% shooting.
“We were really good,” James said. “We had our focus and offensively and defensively we made plays.”
Hill and Smith, who were a combined one-for-11 from three-point range in the first two games, had three apiece and the Cavs drained a total of 17 from beyond the arc.
Jayson Tatum led the Celtics with 18 points.
Jaylen Brown, who scored 23 points in each of the first two games, finished with 10 points and five fouls. He didn’t score at all until the second quarter. Terry Rozier scored 13, but connected on just five of 12 shots from the floor as the Cavaliers stepped up their defensive effort.
“I think tonight as a group, even when things broke down, we just covered for one another,” James said. “We made them make extra passes, we made them make extra dribbles. So we were flying around. I just happened to be one of the guys on the floor.”
‘ALL-AROUND GAME’
Cleveland led 61-41 at halftime and 87-63 through three quarters.
“It was really a great defensive game for us,” said Cleveland coach Tyronn Lue. “I thought offensively we moved it around a little bit more, had a lot of assists. I thought JR and G-Hill did a good job of setting the tone early, being aggressive, playing with more pace, more force.
“Having six guys in double figures, that’s big,” Lue added. “I thought we played an all-around game tonight, defensively and offensively.”
Third quarters have been problematic for the Cavs in these playoffs, but Love opened the period with a three-pointer, a three-point play and an alley-oop pass to James as Cleveland stretched their lead to 69-43.
Cleveland didn’t let up, pushing the lead to 104-74 with 7:02 remaining.
Boston coach Brad Stevens, whose Celtics have excelled at home this post-season but fell to 1-5 on the road, said the venue was irrelevant.
“We can’t play like we played tonight no matter where we played,” he said. “If we would have played in Boston like that, we would have gotten beat. The valuable lesson is that Cleveland outplayed us. We’ve got a game on Monday, and we’ve got to be ready to play better.” — AFP

Japan shuts down Chinese Taipei, takes back Asian Junior championship crown

POWERHOUSE Japan regained the Asian Junior 19-Under Women’s Softball Championship with a masterful 4-0 crushing of defending champion, Chinese Taipei, in a winner-take-all game at the Clark International Sports Complex.
Yuki Masuda yielded two hits and fanned five batters in no relief job and her teammate bombed pitchers Yu Ling Pan and Ya Ting with 10 hits to typify Japan’s supremacy of Chinese Taipei.
“My players played good and Yuki Masuda excellently manned the mound,” said coach Yosuke Sato through an interpreter.
Chinese Taipei staged a last ditch stand in the seventh inning in its bid to save the crown. Showing indomitable character, Masuda retired Chi Hsuan Yen, Chia Hui Ko and southpaw Jia Ling Yu to preserve the win and the title.
“The Japanese played well and their batters found their mark. They deserve the win,” said Chinese Taipei coach Tseng Hsin Chang through an interpreter as he candidly admitted defeat and praised Japan for its remarkable game.
Japan finished the tournament with an untainted record of nine wins and reaffirmed its supremacy of Asian softball in the eight-team competition organized by Softball Confederation Asia in partnership with the Amateur Softball Association of the Philippines (ASAPHIL), supported by the Philippine Sports Commission and Philippine Olympic Committee.
“I would like to congratulate Japan for winning the championship — they have displayed an unremarkable sense of sportsmanship, skills and discipline on the field. I also extend my congratulations to Chinese Taipei and China for putting up a good fight,” said ASAPHIL President Jean Henri Lhuillier who is also president and CEO of tournament sponsor Cebuana Lhuillier.
Hinting on the next steps of the RP Blu Girls, Lhuillier added, “The 7th Asian Jr. U19 has been a good learning opportunity for them. We will take stock of their experience playing in this tournament so that they will be better prepared and equipped next time.”
Reliving their chance to defend the title after ousting China, 4-2, and forging a title showdown against Japan, the Taiwanese did everything and utilized all their resources from their arsenal but to no avail and bitterly handed the plum to the superior Japanese.
Showing superior skills toughened by a series of exposures and big tournaments back home, the Japanese scored four runs in the first three innings and simply went into the motion with Masuda single-handedly starving the Taiwanese with hard-to-hit pitches.
Aside from winning the plum in convincing fashion, Japan swept all the individual awards with Kudo Kanna collaring four honors — most valuable player, most home runs (3), most RBIs (14 RBIs) and best slugger. Okuda Mei was recognized as best hitter and Iha Hanna with most stolen base (six).
Yuki recorded 10 strikeouts in three trips to the mound against Korea (two innings), India (three innings) and Chinese Taipei (four innings) in a splendid performance that drew praises not only from her teammates but also from foreign players.

AFC Asian Cup appearance validates Philippine Azkals still on right track

By Michael Angelo S. Murillo
Senior Reporter
HAD it roller-coaster in previous years in international competitions, the Philippine national men’s football team, or the Azkals, has added a new feather in its cap by barging into the AFC Asian Cup for the very first time.
It is an achievement that carries with it a lot of significance not only on the pitch but also on the whole Azkals program for the present and the future.
Speaking to sports media following his talk in the recently held “Business of Football — Philippines” conference at the New World Makati Hotel, Azkals Team Manager Dan Palami said they are very proud of booking a spot in the prestigious continental tournament and that it has given them renewed confidence in what they are doing with the program, which has resulted in the resurgence in interest in Philippine football and the further development of the sport.
“The Asian Cup has a lot of significance because it is the first time we are competing there. As an organization it gives us confidence that what we are doing is right. That what we are doing the last couple of years have not come for naught,” said Mr. Palami, who was asked to come on board the team nearly a decade ago and has been a huge part of the Azkals’ success since.
“With the Asian Cup appearance we believe we have opened the doors for future Azkals in this particular tournament. We have proven that we compete there. That we can do it,” he added.
The AFC Asian Cup happens from Jan. 5 to Feb. 1, 2019 at the United Arab Emirates and the Azkals booked a spot in it after topping their group in the qualification round, punctuated by their 2-1 victory over Tajikistan on March 27 at the Rizal Memorial Football Stadium.
The Azkals are in Group C in the Asian Cup along with China, South Korea and Kyrgyzstan, a group that Mr. Palami said is a tough one but nonetheless is something not stopping them from angling to have the best results possible.
“As debutants in the tournament we’re not expecting too much but we’ll compete. We are doing what we can to have the best results,” Mr. Palami said.
The Azkals official further said currently they are in the final stages of evaluating the short list of possible coaches after American coach Thomas Dooley’s contract ended days after he led the team to the Asian Cup spot.
Mr. Dooley is included in the list, Mr. Palami was quick to say, adding they could well announce the name of the Azkals coach by June 14.
“We’ll prepare the best way we can. Get the best possible players. We are looking to play some tune-up matches against top teams in the lead-up to the Asian Cup. Bahrain has contacted us about playing them and maybe Australia, too,” Mr. Palami said.
Apart from the AFC Asian Cup, the Azkals are also set to see action in the 2018 AFF Suzuki Cup happening from Nov. 8 to Dec. 15 where it is lumped in Group B along with Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore and the winner between Brunei and Timor-Liste in their qualifier set for September.

Duterte: ISIS in Mindanao to target 'infidels'

By Arjay L. Balinbin, Reporter
Terrorist network Islamic State (ISIS) is currently targeting Mindanao because of the “many infidels” there , President Rodrigo R. Duterte said on Sunday.
“If you are a leader of the ISIS, how would you choose or what place would be the best for you to thrive? It could not be Malaysia, it’s a Muslim country. It could not be Indonesia, Muslim [also], nor Brunei,” the President said in his speech during the groundbreaking ceremony of a housing project for the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) in Talisay City, Negros Occidental, on Sunday afternoon, May 20.
He added: “If they come here in Southeast Asia, which place would you go to? Where would be the place to hibernate and to start a base? It’s Mindanao. Because in Mindanao, there are many infidels: the non-Muslims or fundamentally the Christians.”
He said the terror group has “corrupted” the Islam religion. “They only know two things: how to kill and destroy,” Mr. Duterte said.
The President also urged his Cebuano audience to cooperate with his administration’s fight against “terrorism, criminality, illegal drugs, and corruption.”
“Together, let us work relentlessly in overcoming these obstacles on our way to become a more progressive and comfortable society,” he said.
Mr. Duterte on Saturday, the Presidential News Desk (PND) said, had met with the two police officers who were abducted in Sulu by the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG), an Islamist terrorist organization.
“The two policemen were identified as Police Officer (PO) 2 Benierose Alvarez and PO1 Dinah Gumahad. They were abducted in Patikul town on April 29 by 11 armed men believed to be members of ASG,” the PND added.

Eduard ‘Landslide’ Folayang grateful for winning return, targets ONE lightweight title shot anew

FORMER ONE Lightweight World Champion Eduard “Landslide” Folayang returned on the winning track on Friday in Singapore with a convincing unanimous decision victory over Russian Kharun “The Predator” Atlangeriev at ONE Championship’s “Unstoppable Dreams” event.
The win was a bounce back for Baguio native Folayang after losing his lightweight strap last November here in Manila.
Mr. Folayang, who improved to 19-6 following the win, was grateful for the winning return he had and vowed to build on it as he guns for another shot at the division title now held by two-division champion Martin Nguyen of Australia, also the featherweight titleholder.
The former champ was dominant against Mr. Atlangeriev, keeping the latter at the long end of his straight right hand and quick sidekicks to the body.
Mr. Folayang also landed various flush shots and stuffed numerous takedowns to earn the unanimous decision victory.
“Although I had an idea of how he (Atlangeriev) fights, I used the early part of the fight to analyze his moves and tendencies and game plan. When I realized that he was passive, I adjusted and adapted and took the fight to him,” said Mr. Folayang after his victory as he shared the mind-set he had and his assessment of his performance.
“I think I did good in my return fight although I know I could have done better. But I hope to build on this win and take another shot at the title for the fire in me is still there,” he added.
The Team Lakay stalwart went on to say that he hopes to be part of ONE Championship’s card in one of its stops in Manila later this year so as to redeem himself in front of the hometown fans.
AND STILL
Meanwhile, Angela “The Unstoppable” Lee stayed undefeated and remained the ONE women’s atomweight champion by defeating Japanese challenger Mei “V.V” Yamaguchi by unanimous decision in their title rematch in the headlining match at “ONE: Unstoppable Dreams.”
Misses Lee and Yamaguchi traded heavy blows and showcased high-level, tactical grappling skills all throughout the bout to the delight of a packed Singapore Indoor Stadium crowd.
Ms. Yamaguchi started out very strong in the early going, but Ms. Lee came close with several near-submissions. Throughout five grueling rounds, Ms. Lee dug deep to show the heart of a champion, doing just enough to earn the unanimous decision win.
“It’s a huge night for me and my family. It’s not easy to do what we’re doing inside the cage. Martial arts fans and their love for the sport are the reason why we’re fighting. This is for you guys. Props to Mei Yamaguchi. She’s an amazing and very talented competitor. Thank you for the opportunity,” said Ms. Lee (9-0), who fought for the first time after getting hurt in car crash last year.
Also victorious were Thai Sam-A Gaiyanghadao over Dutch Sergio Wielzen in their ONE Super Series Muay Thai Flyweight World Championship bout by knockout in round 4; ONE Featherweight World Champion Nguyen over Christian Lee of Singapore by split decision after 5 rounds; and Japanese lightweight Shinya Aoki over Russian Rasul Yakhyaev by submission (Triangle Choke) in round 1.
Next for ONE Championship is “ONE: Pinnacle of Power” on June 16 in Beijing, headlined by the women’s strawweight title clash between champion Xiong Jing Nan of China against Argentine Laura Balin.
Serving as the co-main event is the unification bout between reigning ONE flyweight champion Adriano Moraes of Brazil and interim champ Geje Eustaquio of the Philippines. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo

Russell decisions Diaz to keep featherweight boxing crown

WASHINGTON — Gary Russell, Jr. retained his World Boxing Council featherweight title on Saturday, taking a unanimous 12-round decision over previously unbeaten Joseph Diaz, Jr. in a showdown of American southpaws.
Judges awarded Russell the victory before his hometown supporters in suburban Washington by scores of 115-113, 117-111 and 117-111.
Russell improved to 29-1 while Diaz suffered his first loss after 26 victories in his first world title bout.
It was only the third time defending the title for Russell, who took the crown in 2015 by stopping Jhonny Gonzalez and waited just over a year to risk it each time.
Russell has won four fights since suffering his lone loss, falling by majority decision to Ukraine’s Vasyl Lomachenko in 2014.
Russell’s jab kept Diaz at bay early, but both fighters landed intense combinations in the second round to set the tone, Diaz working the body and Russell spreading the punishment round after round.
Diaz pushed Russell down to one knee in the 11th and 12th rounds, neither time costing the champion points, as the fighters’ intensified their pace with furious exchanges to the final bell. — AFP

Benjamin Mendoza makes cut in 4th Asian Trampoline seniors tilt

BENJAMIN Jesus Mendoza pulled off a pleasant surprise last Saturday, placing fifth overall in the qualifying round to reach the finals of the men’s seniors division of the 4th Asian Trampoline Gymnastics Championships at the University of Makati basketball gym.
Although having a lesser difficult routine than his rivals, Mendoza kept his mistakes to a minimum to garner 81.390 points in securing the no. 5 spot among the eight finalists in the tournament organized by the Gymnastics Association of the Philippines and supported by the Philippine Sports Commission.
Kazakhstan’s Pirnammad Aliyev topscored with 101.695 points, North Korea’s Kim Yun Song was second (95.395) while Iran’s Amirreza Mesgari Hagh was third (93.010) in the finals scheduled yesterday.
The other Pinoy men’s senior campaigner, Francisco Deorelar, failed to make the cut, placing 10th with 62.430 points.
In a minor breakthrough of sorts in the women’s senior division, Erin Abaniel took the bronze medal in the field of three entries with 11.70 points, with India’s Shivani Dound (35.635) and Siddhi Breed (28.515) completing a 1-2 finish in the tourney also supported by the Department of Tourism and the Tourism Promotions Board.
“Majority of the strong senior teams like Japan, South Korea and China did not field teams here because they are training for the FIG Trampoline World Cup in Maedashi, Japan in July since it is an Olympic qualifying event to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics,” explained Tournament Director Evan Gandia.
“This was completely unexpected and came as a surprise for me considering the fact that the other competitors had better routines and very strong,” said Mendoza, a former men’s artistic gymnast, whose performance was a miracle in itself after suffering a severe knee injury just a few years ago.
“Judging how he performed it was hard to believe that he blew out his left knee some years back,” Gandia, who also is the PH team manager, bared. “This shows the character and discipline of the athlete.”
Asked about what he was looking forward to in the finals, Mendoza, a graduating student in Sports Science at the UP Diliman, replied: “I don’t have any pressure because I was able to accomplish my goals which was to qualify for the finals.”
China dominated the qualifying round of the juniors competition of the two-day meet serving as the qualifying event for Asia for the 3rd Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires, Argentina in October.
The Chinese secured the top three places in the boys division, with Wu Wei leading the way with 101.685 points, edging out teammates Kang Ning (100.605) and Fu Fantao (100.585), who were second and third, respectively.

Ateneo Law ’94 hosts golf tourney

ATENEO Law Class of 1994 invites golf enthusiasts to a tournament on Monday, June 18. “LeagleLESE: Let’s Talk Golf” will happen at the Sta. Elena Golf and Country Club in Sta. Rosa, Laguna. Tee-off is at 8 a.m., while registration starts at 6 a.m. The P5,000 ticket includes the green fee, cart, caddy, a scrumptious lunch and generous round of drinks. Non-golfers are welcome to spend a leisurely day at the clubhouse. Proceeds will go to the charities of the Ateneo Law Alumni Association, Inc.

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