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2 Abu Sayyaf killed, 4 others nabbed in Sulu

TWO MEMBERS of the notorious Abu Sayyaf bandit group were killed early morning of Oct. 10 when they resisted arrest by a combined team of the police and Joint Task Force-Sulu, according to a report released yesterday by the military’s Western Mindanao Command (WesMinCom). Four other Abu Sayyafs were arrested in the operation in Barangay Kajatian, Indanan, Sulu. The government forces also recovered various weapons and a pack suspected to contain the illegal drug shabu (methamphetamine hydrochloride). WesMinCom said the four arrested suspects have been turned over to the municipal police for further investigation.

Another 6 BIFF members lay down arms after clan war settlement

SIX MEMBERS of the rebel group Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) laid down their arms following the settlement of a longstanding clan war in their community in Midconding village in Maguindanao. The BIFF group, led by a man they call Commander Lapu-lapu, presented their firearms on Oct. 10 to Lt. Col Harold M. Cabunoc, commander of the 33rd (Makabayan) Infantry Battalion (IB). In a statement, the 33rd IB said the handover event was also attended by six other former BIFF members, led by Dido Malawan, who surrendered last Aug. 9. The 12 rebel returnees received cash assistance from the local government. After the ceremony witnessed by local government officials, Mr. Cabunoc accompanied the men and their relatives to the 80-hectare farm land that has been left idle due to the on-and-off clashes among rival clans. Maguindanao Governor Esmael ‘Toto’ G. Mangudadatu, in a message to the returnees, said they should demonstrate real change by helping their community. “Don’t be blinded by your egoistic interests. Be the agents of change in this village by displaying good deeds,” he said.

Nation at a Glance — (10/12/18)

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

Beermen out to break 3-game losing streak

By Michael Angelo S. Murillo
Senior Reporter
THE slumping San Miguel Beermen are out to break from a three-game losing streak in the Philippine Basketball Association Governors’ Cup when they face off with in-form Phoenix Fuel Masters in league action today at the Mall of Asia Arena.
Set for 7 p.m., the Beermen (2-4) try to regain their winning touch in the season-ending PBA tournament to better position themselves in the playoffs.
Currently at eighth place and tinkering with outright elimination midway into the Governors’ Cup, San Miguel has had it rough to date that has seen it change reinforcement while grappling with the absence of superstar big man June Mar Fajardo.
Kevin Murphy, who replaced original import Arizona Reid (injured), has been solid in two games to date for the Beermen, averaging 41 points, 10.5 rebounds and 5.5 assists, but it has not translated to a turnaround yet for the team.
Super rookie Christian Standhardinger, too, has been delivering with numbers of 26.2 points and 10.8 rebounds while Marcio Lassiter, Arwind Santos, Alex Cabagnot and Chris Ross have been steady as well.
Unfortunately for the team though, they have yet to pick their collective groove to put up a sustained fight.
Despite their current predicament, San Miguel coach Leo Austria remains confident that they can still turn their campaign around and perform well moving forward.
“We just have to stay confident and not doubt ourselves. We still have a chance,” said Mr. Austria of their situation at the moment.
Meanwhile, looking to add to the misery of the Beermen is Phoenix (6-2), which is off a steam-rolling of the NLEX Road Warriors, 123-97, on Oct. 10.
The Fuel Masters used a massive first half that had them scoring 71 points to dominate the Road Warriors and move to joint fourth place in the tournament.
Import Eugene Phelps had a huge double-double of 51 points and 20 rebounds to go along with three blocks to lead Phoenix.
Calvin Abueva had 17 points while Matthew Wright had 10 points and seven assists.
The win was a bounce-back for the Fuel Masters who lost to the Barangay Ginebra San Miguel Kings, 101-99, in their previous game.
“We’re back and I like where we are at right now,” said Phoenix coach Louie Alas after their latest win.
Set to play in the 4:30 p.m. opener, meanwhile, are the struggling Meralco Bolts (1-5) and Northport Batang Pier (1-6).

UAAP first round ends; NCAA: Knights vs Altas

By Michael Angelo S. Murillo
Senior Reporter
AN EVENTFUL first round of the eliminations of Season 81 of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines comes to an end on Saturday, Oct. 13, with a double-header set at the Mall of Asia Arena.
Struggling teams National University and University of the East collide in the 2 p.m. opener to be followed by the tussle between league-leading Adamson University and De La Salle University at 4 p.m.
Currently bottom-scraping with an identical 1-5 record, the Bulldogs and Red Warriors try to avert being the sole tailender as the first half of the season ends in their collision today.
NU has lost five straight since opening its Season 81 campaign with a victory.
The Bulldogs had a chance to wiggle out of their slump in their last game against the University of the Philippines but could not complete their comeback after failing to execute their play in the end to bow, 89-88.
The Warriors, for their part, are coming off a shellacking at the hands of the University of Santo Tomas, 80-66.
The loss sent UE back to the ground after breaking through with its first victory of the season over Far Eastern University, 90-65, previously.
In the second game, Adamson (5-1) tries to bounce back after absorbing its first loss of the tournament at the hands of FEU, 88-85, in overtime in its last assignment.
The defeat effectively ended the Falcons’ chances of finishing at least the first round with an unblemished record.
On the other end, La Salle (3-4) looks to finish the first half with a winning record.
The Green Archers lost to rivals Ateneo Blue Eagles in their previous game, 71-55.
AT THE NCAA
Meanwhile at the National Collegiate Athletic Association, top-half teams Letran Knights and Perpetual Help Altas battle today at 12 noon at the FilOil Flying V Centre, with the end of view of fortifying their place in the Final Four and build as much momentum as possible heading into the playoffs.
The Knights (12-4), winners of their last five games, have assured themselves of a spot in the Final Four with a 79-61 victory over the San Sebastian Stags on Oct. 9.
As of this writing they still have a shot at the top two — currently occupied by the San Beda Red Lions and Lyceum Pirates — but expressed readiness for wherever they wind up in the playoffs.
The Altas (11-5), for their part, seal a playoff spot with a victory today over the Knights, shutting the door on the College of St. Benilde Blazers (8-7). The latter though has a game set for later on Thursday against Lyceum which could determine their playoff fate.
Season 94 host Perpetual Help is streaking with six straight victories heading into the game.
Other NCAA matches are the Mapua Cardinals (5-11) versus San Sebastian (4-12) at 2 p.m. and Emilio Aguinaldo College Generals (4-13) against the Jose Rizal University Heavy Bombers (2-14) at 4 p.m.

Azkals, Oman in international friendly this weekend

PART of its preparations for the AFF Suzuki Cup 2018 and AFC Asian Cup 2019, the Philippine national men’s football team will play Oman in a FIFA international friendly match on Oct. 13 in Doha, Qatar.
The friendly will mark the first time in 17 years that the nations will face one another.
Oman topped the Philippines the last time they met at the World Cup qualifiers in 2001, winning, 2-0, and 7-0, respectively.
The two teams are seeing action at the AFC Asian Cup in the United Arab Emirates next year, with the Azkals lumped in Group C and Oman in Group F.
In relation to the scheduled friendly in Qatar, the Philippine Football Federation released early this the names of the players called up to make up the pool for international duty.
Heading the list are goalkeepers Neil Etheridge (Cardiff City FC) and Michael Falkesgaard (Bangkok United).
Joining them are defenders Amani Aguinaldo, Stephan Palla, Simone Rota, Daisuke Sato and Martin Steuble; midfielders Kevin Ingreso, Paul Mulders, Manny Ott, Mike Ott, Iain Ramsay, Adam Tull, Dennis Villanueva, Luke Woodland, and James Younghusband; and forwards Jovin Bedic, Curt Dizon, Javier Patino, Patrick Reichelt and Phil Younghusband.
Also invited were defender Alvaro Silva (Kedah FA) and midfielders Amin Nazari (IFK Mariehamm, and John-Patrick Strauss (FC Erzgebrige Aue).
The Azkals, now coached by Scott Cooper, are coming off a stint in the 2018 Bangabandhu Cup in Bangladesh where they reached the semifinals before bowing out. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo

Astros’ Verlander, Red Sox’s Sale to pitch Game 1 of ALCS

NEW YORK — Houston Astros ace Justin Verlander will face off against his Boston Red Sox counterpart, Chris Sale, when the two teams meet in Game 1 of the American League Championship Series (ALCS) on Saturday.
Game 2 on Sunday will see Astros right-hander Gerrit Cole duel Red Sox southpaw David Price.
Price’s nod is perhaps the biggest surprise of the group. The left-hander has a history of struggles in the postseason as a starter, a narrative that was strengthened by his performance in Game 2 of the American League Division Series against the New York Yankees.
Price allowed three runs on three hits — two of which were home runs — and two walks in 1 2/3 innings against the Yankees.
“We trust him,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said after Price’s rough start. “He bounced back before. We’ll talk to him and make a few adjustments, and we’ll go from there.”
Price is 0-9 with a 6.03 ERA in 10 career postseason starts.
Cole, meanwhile, dominated in his first playoff start with the Astros, striking out 12 and allowing just one run on three hits in seven innings in a Game 2 win over the Cleveland Indians during the ALDS.
Sale and Verlander facing off is a rematch of Game 1 of last year’s ALDS between the Red Sox and Astros. Houston won the contest 8-2, with Verlander allowing two runs in six innings to earn the win. Sale allowed seven runs on nine hits — three home runs — in five innings.
The right-handed Verlander allowed two runs on two hits and struck out seven across 5 1/3 innings in his Game 1 win over the Indians.
The left-handed Sale beat the Yankees in Game 1, then came out of the bullpen to pitch the eighth inning of Boston’s decisive Game 4 victory on Tuesday. Sale threw 13 pitches in a perfect frame. — Reuters

Filipino chess players living up to billing at Asian Para Games

PINPOINTED as one of the sports that could provide the medals for the Philippines in the ongoing Asian Para Games in Indonesia, chess has delivered with Filipino wood pushers adding six hardware, including three gold medals, to date to the country’s total medal haul.
On Wednesday, the Philippine chess bets helped jack up the country’s standing in the medal race as FIDE Master Sander Severino topped the individual standard P1 (physically handicapped) competition and joined forces with Henry Lopez and Jasper Rom to rule the team event.
Also winning gold was the trio of Menandro Redor, Arman Subaste, and Israel Peligro, who won the team standard B2-B3 (visually impaired) category.
Mr. Redor, too, copped silver in the individual standard B2-B3 while Messrs. Rom and Subaste bagged a bronze each in the individual standard P1 and individual standard B2-B3, respectively.
The chess team was still expected to add more medals as rapid play started yesterday.
MEDAL HAUL
Meanwhile, as of 12 noon on Thursday, the Philippines sat at 11th place with six gold, six silver and, six bronze medals.
Apart from the three gold, one silver and two bronze medals from chess, accounting for the Philippine medal haul were two gold, two silver and two bronze medals from swimming, one gold and one silver from tenpin bowling, one silver from table tennis, one silver from powerlifting, and two bronze medals from cycling.
China continued to sit on top of the leader board with 106 gold, 53 silver and 42 bronze medals, followed by South Korea (38-31-26), Iran (33-23-29), Uzbekistan (26-12-10), and Japan (25-44-45).
Rounding out the top 10 were Indonesia (23-30-34), Thailand (17-24-32), Malaysia (9-16-16), India (7-14-19) and Hong Kong (6-9-19).
The 2018 Asian Para Games in Jakarta is happening until Oct. 13.
In the last Asian Para Games in Incheon, South Korea, in 2014, the Philippines finished at 24th place with five silver and five bronze medals. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo

US, Philippines enhancing diplomatic connection through basketball

LONG have a good diplomatic relationship, the United States and the Philippines are continuously finding ways to enhance such link, including through sports, particularly basketball.
Recently, the US Embassy partnered with the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) and Alaska Milk in conducting basketball clinics in Manila and Davao for children 10 to 15 years old.
The clinics, organizers said, were designed to promote youth and sports development as well as foster international relations between the two countries.
US sports envoys and National Basketball Association and WNBA stars Cherokee Parks and Alana Beard headed the clinics were they got to share their basketball knowledge to the kids and other valuable life lessons that participants could take cue from even beyond the sport.
The US Embassy said basketball is something that is very close to the hearts of both Americans and Filipinos and a good platform to bring the two together.
“Americans are crazy about basketball and it is something it shares with the Filipinos. Everywhere we go here there is a basketball court set up and there is really a connection through it between the two countries,” said Jeanie M. Duwan, Assistant Cultural Affairs Officer of the American Embassy Manila, in an interview with BusinessWorld on the sidelines of the clinics held at the Rizal Memorial Basketball Stadium on Oct. 2.
“And the beauty of it all is that there are no boundaries here. Regardless of economic background, language you speak, it is something where we can get together, enjoy and learn,” she added while also saying that the PSC and Alaska had been good partners in seeing the program through.
Ms. Duwan went on to say that they, along with their local partners, see a lot of value in using sports as an avenue to learn from one another.

basketball clinic 2
In this photo are the Davao boys who participate in the said basketball drills. — US EMBASSY IN THE PHILIPPINES FACEBOOK ACCOUNT

“This really goes two ways. I think it’s really effective. It lives on. This is something really valuable and important to do,” she said.
For former NBA player Parks, his experience as a sports envoy for the United States meant a lot to him and that he hopes to continue doing such in the future.
“This is something I welcome doing again. It’s different when you come here with a team and when you come as an individual. I love my country and it’s an honor to represent it the best way I can,” Mr. Parks, who played eight years in the NBA, said in a separate interview.
The 12th pick in the 1995 NBA Rookie Draft also said that he shares the end game that such programs have and very much pushing for them.
“This really brings countries together which have long relations. It is something that is representative of what the US and Philippines are as countries and I’m very happy to be part of it,” he said.
Adding, “The Philippines is a wonderful country, with very kind, warm and polite people. It means a lot to be here finally. Back in the States, I have met and played with a lot of Filipinos and that was my first introduction to the Philippines and the basketball culture here. To experience these firsthand and share from I end as well is truly an experience.”
Seeing the Philippines as a valuable partner, Ms. Duwan said they are committed to continuing to cultivate the long-standing partnership with other programs besides sports-based ones down the line. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo

MPBL: Manila outguns erstwhile unbeaten Muntinlupa

MUNTINLUPA is unscathed no more. Manila brought it’s A-game Wednesday night and dealt the Angelis Resort-backed Cagers their first loss after going perfect for eight games, making the race to the top a lot more interesting.
Not fazed by the wildly cheering crowd supporting Muntinlupa, the Robust Energy Capsule-supported Manila went to its fast breaking game, beating the Cagers to the ground. The disparity in fast break points told it all — 32-2, a new record in the MPBL — and the Stars took pride becoming the first team to deal Muntinlupa its first loss of the season.
“We were really challenged by the fact that we were playing them in front of their hometown crowd,” said PBA Hall of Famer Philip Cezar, head coach of the Stars. “This team has a tendency of playing relaxed when playing lowly-ranked teams, but plays good when matched up against top teams.”
Manila did just that as five players ended up in double figures for the Stars led by Marvin Hayes, who finished with 18 points. Fellow ex-PBA player Reil Cervantes added 17, Chris Bitoon contributed 16, Aris Dionisio had another monsters game of 15 points and 20 rebounds. Jhygruz Laude chipped in 13.
Earlier, Pasay made it two in a row as it outlasted Imus, 79-75, in the other game.
It was only the fourth win in 11 games for the Voyagers, but it was their second straight that could somehow spark the team from moving up into the team standings in time for the playoffs.
Jan Jamon, who had a breakout game last time around, played even better this time. He tallied a career-high 27 points, including 16 in the second half. His go-ahead lay up in the last 26 seconds put the Voyagers on top, 76-75.
Pasay then made some key stops in the next two offensive trips of Imus and Yvan Ludovice, who backed up Jamon with 23, sealed the win by sinking three of four shots from the charity stripes.
After winning four in a row, the GLC Truck and Equipment-backed Bandera lost two straight and fell to a 5-5 mark. — Rey Joble

Team Lakay’s Banario grabs grappling gold in two events

FORMER ONE Featherweight World Champion Honorio “The Rock” Banario (13-7) has been busying himself in grappling tilts, taking home three gold medals in two grappling events on Sunday, Oct. 7.
Banario won gold at the Philippine staging of Abu Dhabi Combat Club (ADCC), a premier grappling competition with distinct rules geared toward submission wrestling.
He also took home two gold medals at Asia Pacific Sub Only Gi and No Gi tilt, which was held on the same day. The medals were for winning both gi and no-gi matches at the blue belt level, where he competed at the “under 85kg” weight class.
Banario competed under the banner of John Baylon’s Clube de Jiu Jitsu Filipinas in both events.
“I’m hoping to compete more in BJJ (Brazilian Jiu Jitsu) in the future,” Banario said, adding that he will do so as long as it does not interfere with his schedule in mixed martial arts.
Banario said that he was “back to the drawing board” following his loss to Singaporean standout Amir Khan (11-3) in September.
“I hope I continue to improve,” he said.
Banario had his five bout win streak broken in September by Khan, who took his back in the first round and ended matters abruptly with a rear naked choke.
Team Lakay will have another crack at Khan this November through Eduard Folayang (20-6), who is slated to face the Singaporean for the vacant ONE Lightweight World Championship. Both athletes are scheduled to meet at ONE: CONQUEST OF CHAMPIONS, set for the Mall of Asia Arena in Manila on Friday, Nov. 23.
As for Banario, he said he is just waiting for the announcement of his next bout.

Not everyone involve in sport in favor of ESports in Olympic program

TOKYO — The possibility of esports joining the Olympics program has gained traction in recent years but not everybody involved in the sport favors it.
Rahul Sood, the CEO of esports betting company Unikrn, believes the benefits for the International Olympic Committee (IOC) far outweigh those for stakeholders already invested in electronic sports gaming.
Last November, the IOC recognized esports as a sporting activity and it is set to be a full medal event at the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou.
Organizations like the Asian Electronic Sports Federation (AESF) are looking to get esports in the Olympic fold and hope that the IOC, grappling with an ageing audience and waning appeal for some traditional sports, will see it as the future.
Not everybody within the esports community, however, sees Olympic inclusion as the holy grail for the sport, Sood said.
“Some of the esports community are pumped to see video games at the Olympics, but many don’t see the point,” Sood told Reuters via email.
“I believe esports doesn’t need the Olympics as much as the Olympics needs esports. They would have to make a really good case for this to happen, if I’m being honest.”
Sood said many of the top esports competitions, such as Counter Strike’s $1 million ELeague Premier and Dota 2’s The International, take place during the summer months and would clash with the Olympics. — Reuters

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