SIXTY-THREE barangays in Cotabato province have been officially proclaimed by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to be part of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM). The National Plebiscite Board of Canvassers’(NPBOC) made the proclamation on Thursday. The Feb. 6 plebiscite covered 67 barangays from seven municipalities in Cotabato, also referred to by its old official name North Cotabato, and six municipalities in Lanao Del Norte. All six Lanao Del Norte municipalities — Baloi, Munai, Nunununga, Panta, Tagoloan, and Tangkal — will not be part of the BARMM after failing to get the required double majority vote from both the municipality and the province. “While the votes of the above mentioned municipalities is in favor for their inclusion in the BARMM, the majority votes cast in Lanao Del Norte, however, is not in favor of their inclusion in the BARMM,” said NPBOC Chair and Comelec Commissioner Al A. Parreño. The four Cotabato villages that also failed to get approval were: Lower Mingadin and Pangangan in Aleosan; Galidan, Tulunan; and Balatican, Pikit. — Gillian M. Cortez
THREE COMMUNAL irrigation systems in the two Agusan provinces, which would cover about 500 hectares (ha) and benefit about 2,700 households, has received funding under the Philippine Rural Development Project (PRDP).
One of projects, the rehabilitation of the Culit irrigation system in Nasipit, Agusan del Norte, has been completed and was turned over to the Culit-Kinabjangan Irrigators Association last month.
The P33.957 million rehabilitation work is expected to boost rice production in the town, benefitting 140 farmer households.
In a press statement from the PRDP, Pausto Empanado Jr., president of the irrigators association, said prior to the improved system, they were relying only on canals to funnel water to parts of their rice farms.
He said they will now have 100 ha covered from just about 20 ha of irrigated areas.
“Now that the irrigation is completed, we want to utilize the potential service area of the project. We will prohibit the animals to stay and lay down in the irrigation canals. This is also our way of preserving the project,” Mr. Empanado said.
Nasipit Mayor Enrico R. Corvera said the municipal government pursued the implementation of the project because it will benefit not just the farmers but the economy of the whole town.
“This project required us a big amount as a counterpart, but the local government is confident that this will result in an increase in local revenue,” said Mr. Corvera.
Under the PRDP, a World Bank loan program implemented by the Department of Agriculture, a tenth of the project cost is shouldered by the local government unit that submits the proposal.
The World Bank covers 80% of the cost and the rest by the national government as counterpart fund.
Work on another irrigation project, located in the town of Rosario, Agusan del Sur is ongoing.
The project cost is about P50.46 million and will benefit about 1,600 farmers. Once completed, it will cover about 4.76 kilometers of canals and would irrigate about 300 ha.
The third irrigation project is in San Luis, Agusan del Sur and the plan has just been finalized.
It will cost P21 million, covering about 110 ha and benefit about 700 households. — Carmelito Q. Francisco
BIDDING HAS been opened for 27 units of of mini rice mill with destoner, which will be distributed in various towns within the island province of Basilan. In a published bid invite on Thursday, the Basilan provincial government said the project, with a P32 million approved budget, is under the PAMANA Program of the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process. The bid documents and letter of intent, with a total cost of P26,000, may be acquired at the Provincial Capitol Building in Isabela City from Feb. 15 to March 11. A pre-bid conference is set on Feb. 27, while opening of bids is scheduled on March 11.
By Santiago J. Arnaiz In this year’s Five-in-Five, IBM’s researchers tackled one of the most pressing issues facing our global community today: A complex food supply chain straining to keep up with an exploding population. Here are the five scientific breakthroughs that will shape the next five years of food safety and security: Prediction: Farming’s digital doubles will help feed a growing population using less resources. Researcher: Juliet Mutahi, Software Engineer at IBM Research Taking the concept of a farm cooperative into the 21st century, IBM’s research team predicts that farms in five years will be completely digitized and connected to a network spanning the globe. Mounting a suite of sensors on a tractor moving through their fields, farmers can generate a digital “twin” for their farms, pooling together all the critical data necessary to properly manage their livelihoods, with benefits such as predictive fleet utilization and maintenance, proper access to financing, and crop yield forecasting. This data combined with artificial intelligence connects farms to the larger food supply chain, allowing every node in the network to communicate instantaneously — much like a futuristic farm cooperative might.
Prediction: Blockchain will prevent more food from going to waste. Researcher: Sriram Raghavan, Vice President of IBM Research-India and Singapore Food waste is one of the greatest global tragedies of our modern era. Massive tracts of food spoiled due to mismanaged systems and poor communication between producers, middlemen, and retailers. In the next five years, the agricultural value chain will be further transformed by the inclusion IoT devices and AI algorithms operating on a public blockchain platform. From farmers to grocery suppliers, each participant in the food ecosystem will know exactly how much to plant, order, and ship — matching supply and demand, with none of the costly unknowns. That means fresher food, and less waste.
Prediction: Mapping the microbiome will protect us from bad bacteria. Researcher: Geraud Dubois, DGM Science to Solutions of IBM Research In each and every person, there are about as many microbes as there are human cells. They exist in our bodies, and in foods — at farms, factories, and supermarkets. And these microbes are remarkably responsive to their environments, just like people are. That means microbes respond to environments filled with bad bacteria in a way similar to how a person might respond to smoke filling up a room. In the next five years, scientists and food safety inspectors will be able to map out these microbes, understanding their behavior to make food safer.
Prediction: AI sensors will detect foodborne pathogens at home. Researcher: Donna N. Dillenberger, IBM Fellow What began as a way to test provenance in diamonds gave birth to a device capable of turning a smartphone into an AI-powered microscope. This device, a dongle that attaches to smartphones, is able to peer into foods on a molecular level, testing for contaminants and counterfeits as easily as reading an RFID sticker. And it’s already being sold to companies and poised to enter into the consumer market. In the next five years, farmers, chefs, and everyday grocers will have AI sensors built into not only their phones, but countertops, cutting boards, knives, and containers — all able to sense whether the food they touch is safe to eat.
Prediction: A radical new recycling process will breathe new life into old plastic. Researcher: Jeannette M. Garcia, IBM Global Lead for Quantum Applications From produce to packaging — the problem of food waste goes far beyond spoils and leftovers. Plastic waste is a massive problem facing the global community, one that’s proved impossible to solve with today’s tools. But in the next five years, a new recycling process will be able to break down common plastics found in food packaging, bags, and even clothes to their base components, making them completely reusable. And all with a device no bigger than a rice cooker. With a recycling plant in every home, landfills will be goldmines and ocean trash, a thing of the past. Plastic will never be seen as waste again.
By Michael Angelo S. Murillo Senior Reporter
THE marquee volleyball tournament of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines begins this weekend with all eight competing teams set to see action in the opening two days.
The University of the Philippines Lady Fighting Maroons open the brand-new season in women’s play, taking on the University of the East Lady Warriors in the opener at 2 p.m. on Saturday at the FilOil Flying V Centre in San Juan City. Playing after are the Far Eastern University Lady Tamaraws and National University Lady Bulldogs at 4 p.m.
On the second day on Sunday, Feb. 17, at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City, the Adamson Lady Falcons and University of Santo Tomas Golden Tigresses open festivities at 2 p.m. while in the main game at 4 p.m. archrivals De La Salle Lady Spikers and Ateneo Lady Eagles collide.
UP, which had a solid campaign in the lead-up to UAAP Season 81 by winning titles in the collegiate tournaments of the Premier Volleyball League and Philippine Superliga, tries to get back in the Final Four after missing out on the semifinals in each of the two previous UAAP seasons.
Bannering the Lady Maroons are veterans Isa Molde, Tots Carlos, Ayel Estranero, Justin Dorog and Marian Buitre along with the likes of Marist Layug, Aiesha Gannaban, Jessma Ramos and Roselyn Rosier. Coaching the team for the second year is Kenyan Godfrey Okumu.
“We played well in the offseason but the real test for us is in the UAAP,” said Mr. Okumu in the lead-up to the about-to-start season.
UE, meanwhile, looks to finally charge its way up after bottom-scraping in the last decade.
The Lady Warriors are now coached by Rey Karl Dimaculangan and feature holdovers Judith Abil, Me-Anne Mendrez, Kath Arado, Roselle Baliton, Laizah Bendong and Seth Rodriguez.
“Will take it one game at a time and win as many games as we can,” said Mr. Dimaculangan of the mindset they have for the new UAAP season. LA SALLE VS ATENEO
Meanwhile, La Salle goes for a fourth straight UAAP women’s volleyball title this year, beginning its campaign against Ateneo.
The Lady Spikers saw a number of key departures after last season but are looking to continue flourishing under the steady guidance of long-time coach Ramil De Jesus.
Expected to lead La Salle are Aduke Ogunsanya, Des Cheng, Tin Tiamzon and Michelle Cobb along newcomers Jolina dela Cruz and Des Clemente.
On the other hand, Ateneo begins the post-Tai Bundit era with coach Oliver Almadro, formerly of the men’s team.
Members of the Season 81 Lady Eagles include graduating players Bea De Leon, Maddie Madayag and Kim Gequillana, and other veterans like Kat Tolentino, Ponggay Gaston and Deanna Wong.
The UAAP Season 81 women’s volleyball tournament will be aired live over S+A, S+A HD, LIGA, LIGA HD with streaming available at sports.abs-cbn.com and iWant.
LOS ANGELES — Giannis Antetokounmpo produced 33 points, 19 rebounds and 11 assists for his fifth triple-double of the season as the Milwaukee Bucks rallied for a 106-97 victory over the Indiana Pacers in Indianapolis on Wednesday night.
Malcolm Brogdon scored 17 points and Khris Middleton added 15 as Milwaukee won for the 14th time in its past 16 games. George Hill had 12 points and Ersan Ilyasova tallied 11 for the Bucks, who own the best record (43-14) in the NBA heading into the All-Star break.
Bojan Bogdanovic scored 20 points for the Pacers, who had a six-game winning streak halted. Domantas Sabonis recorded 14 points and nine rebounds, Darren Collison had 14 points and seven assists, Myles Turner scored 11 points, and Tyreke Evans had 10.
Milwaukee connected on 44.2 percent of its shots, including 9 of 31 from 3-point range. The Bucks held a 52-43 rebounding edge.
The Pacers made 41.6% of their shots and were 10 of 27 from long range.
Milwaukee recovered from a 10-point, fourth-quarter deficit en route to posting its seventh straight road win.
Thaddeus Young hit a 3-pointer to give the Pacers a 95-93 lead with 4:42 left. Antetokounmpo hit a tying jumper with 3:51 remaining, and the Bucks moved ahead at 97-95 when Antetokounmpo recorded his 10th assist by feeding a wide-open Ilyasova for a layup with 2:36 left.
Middleton followed with a 3-pointer and Antetokounmpo hit four straight free throws to make it 104-95 with 54.6 seconds left as Milwaukee closed it out.
The Pacers led 79-76 entering the fourth quarter before scoring the initial seven points of the final stanza. Evans knocked down a 3-pointer to make it 86-76 with 9:37 remaining.
Milwaukee responded with a 9-2 push with Middleton scoring the final five to trim Indiana’s lead to 88-85 with 7:23 left.
The Bucks took a 91-90 lead on Brogdon’s basket with 5:56 remaining.
Indiana trailed 55-47 at halftime before opening the third quarter with a 12-3 burst to take a one-point lead.
Later in the quarter, Wesley Matthews and Bogdanovic buried back-to-back 3-pointers to give the Pacers a 69-63 lead with 4:32 remaining.
Antetokounmpo had 15 points, nine rebounds, and six assists in the first half as the Bucks led by eight at the break.
Antetokounmpo scored 13 first-quarter points — half his club’s total — as Milwaukee held a 26-18 advantage. HARDEN SCORES 42 BUT ROCKETS LOSE TO TIMBERWOLVES
Jeff Teague produced a double-double while Karl-Anthony Towns led a dominant performance in the paint by the Minnesota Timberwolves, who used a balanced scoring attack to thwart James Harden and the Houston Rockets 121-111 on Wednesday in Minneapolis.
Rookie guard Josh Okogie provided a spark with 16 points and played energetic defense on Harden, but Harden still extended his streak of 30-point games to 31 with 42 points, matching Wilt Chamberlain for the second-longest streak in NBA history. Harden has recorded 22 40-point games this season.
Teague paced seven Timberwolves in double figures with 27 points and added a game-high 12 assists while Towns paired 25 points with a team-best nine rebounds. Dario Saric, Luol Deng, and Taj Gibson recorded eight rebounds each as Minnesota posted a plus-10 rebounding advantage while also outscoring Houston 70-36 in the paint. The Timberwolves shot 54.4 percent.
Chris Paul added 16 points and eight assists for Houston while Kenneth Faried chipped in a double-double of 12 points and 11 rebounds.
The Rockets led 65-56 on two Faried free throws at the 10:18 mark of the third quarter before the Timberwolves mounted the first of their two significant runs in the period. Minnesota pulled even with a 9-0 surge and later added a 12-0 burst to seize the lead.
Okogie was crucial during the latter run, producing a steal and block, both against Harden, while also converting a transition dunk and a 3-pointer that pushed Minnesota to a 77-74 lead.
The series of alternating runs began in the first quarter when, after Saric scored 10 points on 4-of-4 shooting for Minnesota, the Rockets closed the frame on an 11-2 rally to carry a one-point lead into the second. Houston surged without Harden, who shot 1 of 4 in the period, and instead relied on 15 bench points, with eight coming from reserve swingman Gerald Green.
Harden found his rhythm in the second quarter, scoring 10 points during a 16-6 Rockets run that turned a three-point deficit into a 51-44 lead.
Harden totaled 20 points by the break and Houston led 58-52 at the intermission despite surrendering 34 points in the paint and playing to a minus-10 deficit on the boards.
The Timberwolves shot 51.2% in the first half despite missing 5 of 6 3-pointers. That dominance on the interior and the glass paid dividends after the break. — Reuters
HAD it roller-coaster in her last three fights in ONE Championship, Filipino women’s atomweight fighter Gina “Conviction” Iniong aims to reestablish consistency in winning when she takes the cage anew with the end view of throwing herself back in the mix for a title shot.
Lost in her last fight in July last year against Brazilian Nuñes by unanimous decision, Ms. Iniong (7-4) of Team Lakay saw her attempt to rise back in the division derailed.
After opening her ONE career with back-to-back wins, Ms. Iniong has gone 1-2 after, something she hopes to improve on when she takes on Jihin Radzuan of Malaysia at “ONE: Clash of Legends” happening on Feb. 16 at the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand.
Ms. Iniong, fighting out of Baguio City, Benguet, said her last three fights had taught her a lot in how she should approach every outing and is aiming for a convincing victory.
“They can expect an aggressive and determined Gina Iniong come fight night,” said Ms. Iniong of her upcoming fight.
“Anything can happen in a fight. All I can say is I don’t want the fight to go to the judges’ scorecards,” she added.
While she had to endure some setbacks in her MMA career of late, the six-time Philippine wushu champion said her drive to be finally crowned world champion in her division is still alive and she remains determined to achieve it.
“I am still hoping to get a shot at the ONE women’s atomweight world title and fight [reigning champion] Angela Lee [of Singapore],” Ms. Iniong shared.
Adding, “One of my dreams is to challenge her because I want to become a world champion.”
Zeroing in on her fight with Ms. Radzuan (4-0), the Filipino fighter said she is trying to cover all bases to churn out a great performance.
She has been training hard with her stable mate at Team Lakay, pushing herself to the limits.
“I am working doubly hard in training by pushing myself to the limits. I follow my coaches’ advice in every turn. We focused on my weaknesses in training and gave a lot of time on my ground game,” she said.
“My last fight made me realize that I have so many techniques to improve and develop. I am coming with everything to have my hand raised in Bangkok,” Ms. Iniong furthered.
Ms. Iniong also said that she hopes to get a favorable result in Thailand for her team after seeing Team Lakay stalwarts Joshua Pacio and Geje Eustaquio lose their ONE Championship world titles in succession in January.
ONE: Clash of Legends is headlined by the Super Series Bantamweight Muay Thai World Championship battle between hometown bet Nong-O Gaiyanghadao and Chinese Han Zi Hao. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo
LOS ANGELES — The NBA has determined there were no tampering violations committed by Los Angeles Lakers president of basketball operations Magic Johnson regarding potentially speaking with Philadelphia 76ers point guard Ben Simmons.
“We have concluded that Magic Johnson’s statements regarding Ben Simmons do not constitute a tampering violation,” the league’s statement began. “The Philadelphia 76ers initiated the contact with the Los Angeles Lakers by requesting a meeting between Johnson and Simmons.
“Both organizations ultimately concluded that such a meeting did not make sense at this time but in that context, Johnson’s response to a media inquiry regarding Simmons does not run afoul of league rules.”
According to published reports, 76ers general manager Elton Brand called Johnson on Monday to apologize for making it sound during a radio interview as if the Lakers had called unprompted to seek permission for Johnson to speak to Simmons.
It turned out that a member of the Philadelphia organization began the communication by contacting Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka.The situation began because Simmons wanted to sit down with Johnson to discuss being a big point guard in the NBA.
The Lakers have been fined twice by the NBA for tampering since Johnson has been in charge. And although there has been no talk of the Lakers pursuing Simmons — he doesn’t become a restricted free agent until 2020 — eyes could be raised if he and Johnson got together.
The 22-year-old Simmons is represented by Rich Paul of Klutch Sports. He represents both LeBron James and Anthony Davis, whom the Lakers tried to acquire before the trade deadline last week.
Brand reiterated to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski that he is not worried the Lakers are trying to snatch his young star.
“No issue. I have a great relationship with Ben and Rich (Paul) and we expect him to be a Sixer for a long time,” Brand said. “He has taken interest in chatting with some of the game’s all-time greats and we’re supportive. I had brief dialogue with Rob Pelinka who I’ve known for a long time, but nothing is planned. Our collective focus is on making a postseason push. Again, we’re not sweating this, end of story.” — Reuters
ATHLETES around the world must be at the forefront of shaping the future of global sport, British Olympic cycling champion Callum Skinner said on Wednesday as he fronts a new athlete-led organization launched following recent scandals.
Global Athlete, the creation of which comes after a Russian doping crisis and USA Gymnastics sexual abuse scandal, says it will empower Olympic athletes to speak up and work towards addressing a disconnect between competitors and sports leaders.
The independent body will focus on issues such as calling for a more robust doping system, better athlete welfare and ensuring athletes receive some Olympic revenues or prize money.
“It’s 2019, and, frankly speaking, sports governance lags far behind other sectors of society in terms of engaging their constituents,” Skinner, who won a gold medal in the team sprint at the 2016 Rio Olympics, said in a statement.
“As we’ve seen of late, athletes care deeply about how their sport is run, and they want an opportunity to provide input and to help shape sport’s future.
“A sporting landscape that it is democratic, representative and in-touch with wider society and opinion is critical to progress and staying relevant.”
The body also said it has appointed former World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Deputy Director General Rob Koehler as Director General.
Koehler, who abruptly left WADA last year, will lead a so-called “listening exercise” with athletes in all countries in the coming months to understand the changes they want to see in sport. — Reuters
THE 12-field tournament Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas 3×3 President’s Cup fires off this weekend and all combatants have expressed readiness for it, including teams from San Juan and Bataan.
Known as the “Knights,” the San Juan-Go For Gold team is composed of former Philippine Basketball Association campaigners Mac Cardona, John Wilson and Larry Rodriguez, joined by young guns Larry Muyang, Mike Ayonayon and Cedric Pelayo.
The Bataan Risers, meanwhile, are bannered by collegiate standouts Alvin Pasaol of the University of the East, Sean Manganti of Adamson, Santi Santilla of La Salle, and Ateneo’s Anton Asistio. They will be joined in the team by veteran Chito Jaime.
The Knights and Risers said that the about-to-start tournament will be a tough one in more ways than one but they are nonetheless determined to make things happen and succeed in it.
“It’s a learning experience for the players with the different rules, different ball, and faster pace. With our pre-season outcome though, I think we can have a good chance,” said team governor Chris Conwi in the lead-up to the tournament.
“The team is very excited but we will just enjoy the games and not put too much pressure on us. Hopefully we will be at our best,” he added.
The Knights are bracketed in Group A alongside the Valenzuela Classic and the Zamboanga Valientes.
Bataan, meanwhile, said it carefully selected the members of their team and believes it got the players it wanted.
“Actually all of them are capable leaders. It’s just a matter of chemistry between the players and shifting leadership on the fly. We would like them to assume leadership positions when they are able to,” said Bataan team owner Anthony Zubiri.
Adding, “There is no strong or weak player and we designed it to be that way.”
Like San Juan, the Risers are also not putting too much pressure on them but underscored that they are in it to win it.
“We want to enjoy the game. If you enjoy the game, hopefully, we can perform well. As you’ve seen with the Risers, we have been going all out in building it from the ground up. This is the same mindset we are using with the Risers 3×3 team,” said Mr. Zubiri, referring to their team in the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League, which is one of the top ball clubs.
The Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas 3×3 President’s Cup is a tournament that has the winner having a chance to compete at the world stage.
In the Pilipinas Cup, which begins on Feb. 16, there will be six legs. The league will follow FIBA’s 3×3’s format with one champion team per leg.
Teams will be ranked according to the point system under FIBA. The rankings for the grand finals will be determined by the points gathered by the teams during the first five legs.
The top four teams will automatically gain a quarterfinals berth in the Grand Finals.
Besides winning the President’s Cup, the winner will get P1 million and a chance to represent the country in the FIBA 3X3 World Tour.
All the games will be held at either at SM Megamall or SM Fairview. Moreover, all legs will be shown live on ESPN5. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo
THE PHILIPPINE women’s national football team will play in Group C in the second round of the 2020 Olympic Football Asian Qualifiers later this year.
In the official draw held early this week, the Malditas fell alongside Chinese Taipei, Iran and Palestine in the group competition happening from April 1 to 9. Palestine will host games in Group C.
In the second round, the Philippines needs to emerge on top to advance to the next round of the competition and come closer for an Olympic spot.
Last November during the opening round of the qualifiers, the Malditas, who were composed of players culled mostly from teams which played in the Philippine Football Federation Women’s League 2018 and the University Athletic Association of the Philippines, made a good account of themselves, finishing second in their grouping with a 3-1 record behind Chinese Taipei (4-0).
They were in a position for a sweep but fell to Chinese Taipei, 5-0, in their final game.
In said match, the Philippines tried hard to keep in step with its opponent and was successful for much of the opening half.
But when Chinese-Taipei broke through in the 41st minute care of Lai Li Chin, it was simply unstoppable for the Philippines.
After that goal, a second came three minutes later from Lee Hsiu-chin.
Three more goals came in the second half — Yu Hsiu-chin (57’), Ms. Lee (65’) and Lin Hsin-hui (81’) – to complete the rout for Chinese-Taipei.
The loss halted what was an impressive run for the Malditas in round one of the qualifiers that had them beating Singapore, 9-0, host Tajikistan, 3-1, and Mongolia, 5-1.
Despite the loss though, the runner-up finish was enough for the Philippines to qualify for the second round.
In other groupings in the second round, Myanmar, India, Indonesia, and Nepal are in Group A, and Vietnam, Jordan, Hong Kong, and Uzbekistan are in Group B. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo
