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VP Sara resignation sought

VICE-PRESIDENT Sara Duterte at the deliberations on the proposed 2025 budget for the Office of the Vice President at the House of Representatives in Quezon City. — PHILIPPINE STAR/MIGUEL DE GUZMAN

VICE-PRESIDENT Sara Z. Duterte-Carpio should resign from public office if she has no interest in defending the Office of the Vice President’s (OVP) proposed budget for next year before the House of Representatives, a lawmaker said on Tuesday.

“Our Vice President is consistent… in the sense that she didn’t attend the [House] committee on appropriations budget hearing, and she didn’t attend the plenary session either,” Party-list Rep. Raul Angelo D. Bongalon said in a press briefing.

“If that’s the case, it shows that she’s not interested in her duties as the Vice President of the Philippines. If she’s not interested…, we can ask the Vice President to step down,” he added.

The OVP did not immediately reply to an e-mail seeking comment.

Ms. Carpio has snubbed the House’s deliberations on the OVP’s proposed P2.03- billion budget for next year, drawing the ire of congressmen. This led to a 64% cut to her budget, as lawmakers argued social development projects of the OVP were redundant with the Health and Social Welfare departments.

She also refused to meet Lanao del Sur Rep. Ziaur-Rahman Alonto Adiong, who is the designated sponsor of the OVP budget during plenary debates.

In a letter dated Sept. 11 addressed to Mr. Adiong’s office, published online on Sept. 23, the OVP reiterated that it “leaves the deliberation of our budget proposal in the plenary entirely to the pleasure of the House of Representatives.” — Kenneth Christiane L. Basilio

Budget in line with gov’t agenda

A VIEW of residential condominium buildings in Mandaluyong, Metro Manila, Aug. 22, 2016 — REUTERS

THE PROPOSED P6.352-trillion national budget for next year is still consistent with the Marcos administration’s socioeconomic development plan despite budget cuts to several socioeconomic agencies, a congressman said, citing convergence programs among them.

The 2025 national budget was crafted with the goal of achieving “economic and social transformation” by meeting the objectives set under the Philippine Development Plan 2023-2028, according to a summary from the Department of Budget and Management (DBM).

Under the 2025 National Expenditure Program, the DBM slashed the proposed budgets for agriculture, health, and social welfare by 4.7%, 7.6%, and 3.4%, respectively. Allocations for labor were also decreased by 26.1%, with trade and industry receiving a 3.9% cut.

“We have a lot of interrelated projects. While you may see a slash in a certain department, sometimes they’re boosted by programs which fall under other departments,” Party-list Rep. Ramon Rodrigo L. Gutierrez said in a media briefing on Tuesday.

“For example, we’re talking about the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Public Works and Highways, the component of the flood control projects now also includes rainwater catchment so that actually comes into irrigation,” he added. — Kenneth Christiane L. Basilio

More MSU teaching positions OKd

THE Budget department has greenlit the creation of 175 teaching positions at the Mindanao State University (MSU).

The new teaching positions will help strengthen the quality of education and human capital development in the Mindanao island, Budget Secretary Amenah F. Pangandaman said in a statement.

“We are not only simply filling the staffing gaps in MSU but elevating the quality of education across the region so that our students have access to top tier learning opportunities,” she was quoted as saying.

Of the total, 100 teaching positions for Assistant Professor IV were created for MSU-Iligan Institute of Technology. Its Personal Services (PS) requirements, which cover the payment of salaries, wages, honoraria and other types of compensation, are estimated at P81.11 million, according to the department.

Likewise, 75 plantilla positions for Instructor I will be assigned to 12 secondary MSU schools, DBM said. It has an estimated PS requirement of P39.22 million.

The additional teaching staff will address the demand for qualified faculty and increase the university’s enrollment count, the Budget department said.

The department has issued the Notice of Organization, Staffing, and Compensation Action for authorizing the new positions on Sept. 17.

Alongside its main campus in Marawi City, the MSU System operates seven other schools in Mindanao. These are located at Iligan City, Tawi-Tawi, Misamis Oriental, Maguindanao, General Santos, Jolo, and Zamboanga Sibugay. — Beatriz Marie D. Cruz

PEZA-IEK HQ to power Baguio ecozone

THE Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) tapped IEK HQ Special Energy Philippines, Inc. to partner in powering the Baguio City Economic Zone (BCEZ) with renewable energy (RE).

In a statement on Tuesday, PEZA said that it signed a memorandum of understanding with the power company to formalize their partnership for a rooftop solar installation project within the BCEZ.

Slated to be one of the largest solar energy installations in the region, the project aims to transform unused rooftop spaces into energy-generating assets to supply clean and RE power to the locators.

“The project will likely be implemented in phases, with the first phase targeting key industrial buildings within BCEZ. As more rooftops are outfitted with solar panels, the total capacity will grow incrementally,” the company said in a press release.

Meanwhile, PEZA said that the company presented plans for multiple solar power plants in the country, which have a total installed capacity of seven megawatts-peak.

“These solar facilities are set to power the Baguio City Economic Zone, based on initial assessments and site information provided by PEZA Pampanga,” the investment promotion agency said.

According to the company, the project aims to position the BCEZ as a model for other economic zones looking to adopt green technology.

The Department of Energy plans to increase the share of RE in the country’s power generation mix to 35% by 2030 and 50% by 2040. — Justine Irish D. Tabile

Baguio taps students for smart city project

DOT.GOV.PH

BAGUIO CITY — Baguio City government’s Management Information and Technology Division and the Department of Information and Communications Technology Cordillera are tapping college students to pitch in their ideas for the city’s sustainable and smart city project.

The “Smart City Challenge 2024” is calling on all students from all disciplines in Baguio, La Trinidad, Itogon, Sablan, Tuba, and Tublay (BLISTT) to join.

Students coming from multidisciplinary fields of study, such as engineering, computer science, business, environmental science, urban planning among others are encouraged.   

The participating students should form teams each consisting of three to four members. Each team is also required to have a faculty adviser or mentor, the public information office of the Baguio City government said.

The participants are expected to develop ideas or concepts of enhancing quality of life, improve environmental sustainability, and shape smarter cities using emerging technologies.

Each team will pitch their proposals to a panel of experts, with top solutions having the potential to be adopted and implemented by the city.

Registration of teams starts on September 24 until Oct. 4. They can download the form from the website of the “Smart City Challenge.” — Artemio A. Dumlao

Thousands join MILF’s grand consultative assembly

COTABATO CITY — Thousands of members and supporters participated in the general assembly and consultative dialogue of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) in Sultan Kudarat town in Maguindanao del Norte on Monday.

The MILF’s figurehead, Ahod B. Ebrahim, chief minister of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), and BARMM’s education minister, Muhaquer M. Iqbal, also a senior official of the front, together led the activities in the day-long event, held at Darapanan area in Sultan Kudarat.

BARMM’s health minister, Kadil M. Sinolinding, Jr., told reporters on Tuesday that he and members of the emergency response contingent that he deployed in Darapanan last Monday were surprised seeing no fewer than 300,000 participants to the event.

“All went well in that event. Participants were briefed by top MILF officials on the goings-on in the Bangsamoro government, particularly on its activities aimed at fostering lasting peace and sustainable development in the autonomous region,” Mr. Sinolinding said.

Mr. Ebrahim, who is at the helm of the 80-seat interim parliament of BARMM, said among their objectives now in regional governance is to maximize programs related to the peace and socioeconomic agenda of the MILF’s peace overture with Malacañang.

He said they would no longer ask for an extension, via a presidential initiative, of the tenure of the 80-member regional parliament, whose members, including him, are appointees of President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. — John Felix M. Unson

PBA Governors’ Cup quarterfinals kick off with TNT vs NLEX clash

TNT TROPANG GIGA — PBA.PH

Games on Wednesday
(Ninoy Aquino Stadium)
5 p.m. – TNT vs NLEX (Quarterfinals Game 1)
7:30 p.m. – Magnolia vs Rain or Shine (Quarterfinals Game 1)

GIVEN the different format in play in PBA Season 49 Governors’ Cup, top-seeded squad TNT of Group A and Rain or Shine (ROS) of Group B aren’t enjoying the usual win-once incentive in the quarterfinal round.

Instead, the defending champion Tropang Giga and the Elasto Painters stand on equal footing with their respective rivals — Group B No. 4 NLEX and Group A No. 3 Magnolia — in a best-of-five quarterfinal series played practically every other day.

Thus, without the built-in advantage of old, gaining the running start in Wednesday’s Last-8 curtain-raiser at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium is doubly important for the two most dominant teams of the previous double round-robin pool play.

TNT shoots for 1-0 against the Road Warriors at 5 p.m. while ROS seeks the same versus the Hotshots at 7:30 p.m.

“We knew from the start that this was going to be the format (three-games-a-week, race-to-three series) and my job is to deliver a team that is as ready and as sharp as possible for this stage of the playoffs,” said Tropang Giga coach Chot Reyes.

More than the tight scheduling, the headache to be posed by NLEX, led by Robert Bolick and import DeQuan Jones, is a major concern for Mr. Reyes’ crew of Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, RR Pogoy, Jayson Castro, Rey Nambatac and Calvin Oftana.

“They’re going to give us a lot of problems. They have Berto and they have a very good import as well,” noted Mr. Reyes, who himself will be matched up against fellow veteran mentor Jong Uichico.

The Road Warriors have shown their resilience amid adversity in climbing out of a four-game skid and hurdling their closing games of the elims, 104-79 over Phoenix and 103-99 (overtime) over Barangay Ginebra, to catch the last bus to the playoffs.

“What’s good about this team is even if we’re losing games, we don’t start bickering or blaming each other. We’re just sticking together as a team. That’s a positive culture of the team that we are trying to imbibe,” said Mr. Uichico.

The Tropang Giga have depended heavily on their stifling defense in the group stage, allowing opponents only 87 points — a gold standard in the tournament. But Mr. Reyes maintained they have to do better than their conference-low 40% shooting with the stakes higher now.

“Our offensive efficiency has to pick up for the playoffs while at the same time keeping our defensive intensity. Our defense is what has carried us through when our offense has been struggling. So we have to maintain that and improve on the offense.

“But one thing’s for sure: what got us here won’t get us to the next level. So we have to now focus on getting to the next level if we want to go deep in the playoffs,” said Mr. Reyes. — Olmin Leyba

DLSU eyes quick turnaround against winless FEU

DLSU GREEN ARCHERS

Games on Wednesday
(Smart Araneta Coliseum)
11:30 a.m. – DLSU vs FEU (women)
1:30 p.m. – AdU vs NU (women)
4:30 p.m. – DLSU vs FEU (men)
6:30 p.m. – AdU vs NU (men)

THE REIGNING CHAMPIONS are down but not definitely out.

After absorbing its first scar in an anticipated tough title defense bid, De La Salle University (DLSU) is determined to move forward and vent its ire instead on the winless Far Eastern University (FEU) to get back on track in the UAAP Season 87 men’s basketball tournament on Wednesday at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.

Game time is at 4:30 p.m. with the Green Archers (3-1) wanting a quick turnaround versus the FEU Tamaraws (0-4) on the heels of a stunning 75-71 defeat at the hands of the streaking University of the East (2-2) last weekend. At 6:30 p.m., National University (1-3) and Adamson University (2-2) shoot for the same missions after losses against University of Santo Tomas and Ateneo de Manila University, respectively.

“That (loss versus UE) makes us human. We’re not supernatural human beings. There are times that we’re gonna be on our lows and that just happened,” said coach Topex Robinson as La Salle stumbled after an impressive start by wiping out three assignments last week.

“We cannot cry over spilled milk anymore. So, it’s done and over with. What’s important for us is the opportunity in front of us and that’s FEU.”

In a super rare occasion, the usually potent La Salle had a sluggish start as it stared to a massive 11-28 deficit against the fiery UE squad before falling short to complete a comeback.

The shocking defeat relegated La Salle to second spot behind unbeaten and last year’s finalist UP (4-0) but if anything, Mr. Robinson expects his charges to only get better from here on.

La Salle last year also had a shaky first-round campaign before sweeping the second round on its way to the title highlighted by a 2-1 comeback series win against UP.

“We will keep learning. And there’s a lot of learnings in our game against UE. It’s just gonna make us better. The earlier we’ll get over this, the better it is for us. Life goes on for us so we have to focus on FEU,” he vowed.

FEU, on the other hand, is as hungry as ever to finally give head coach Sean Chambers his first win after four tries and there’s no better chance to do it against the defending UAAP king. — John Bryan Ulanday

Young players Ruelle Canino, Daniel Quizon expected to be mainstays on national chess team

RUELLE CANINO — FIDE

BUDAPEST, Hungary — Former national chess team mainstay Girme Fontanilla has never really taken her eyes away from chess despite being retired from the sport for decades now.

But when she saw this young girl turning heads in the 45th FIDE Chess Olympiad that concluded Sunday at the BOK Sports Hall in the Hungarian capital, she was just blown away.

“She’s a great talent,” said the 74-year-old Ms. Fontanilla during a recent conversation with veteran sports scribe Ignacio Dee referring to the 16-year-old wonder Ruelle Canino.

Of course, Ms. Fontanilla, a member of that iconic team that owns the best finish by the national women’s squad in Olympiad history, 22nd in 1988 in Thessaloniki, Greece, would know greatness when she sees one.

Truly, Ms. Canino was nothing short of electric on her debut as she scored six points out of a possible eight with five wins, including two against formidable Woman Grandmasters Claudia Amura of Argentina and Carmen Voicu-Jagodzinsky of Romania, and five draws against a single loss.

Thanks to her mind-blowing performance, Ms. Canino has gained 102 whopping points to jump from a pedestrian 2004 to a WIM level 2260, which included ratings she earned from playing well in Europe the month before.

If she had played one more time, she would have earned a Woman International Master norm.

Also accounting himself well on his debut was Daniel Quizon, who scored 5.5 points out of nine while claiming the Grandmaster title along the way.

“Given more experience and international exposure, those two should go places. We’re also seeing two promising young players who could be fixtures of our national teams for a very long time,” said national women’s coach and NCFP chief executive officer GM Jayson Gonzales.

The team was sponsored by the Philippine Sports Commission and backed by NCFP chief Butch Pichay, delegation head Atty. Ruel Canobas, women’s team manager Atty. Nikki de Vega and Far Eastern U chair Gigi Montinola. — Joey Villar

UPHSD turns back SSC-R, 60-52, in NCAA Season 100

Games on Wednesday
(Filoil EcoOil Arena)
12 p.m.- AU vs JRU
2:30 p.m.- Letran vs EAC

UNIVERSITY of Perpetual Help System Dalta (UPHSD) showed incredible resilience as it turned back San Sebastian College-Recoletos (SSC-R), 60-52, on Tuesday to solidify its place in the magic four in NCAA Season 100 at the Filoil EcoOil Arena.

The Altas have continued to draw strength from their combination of youth and veterans in claiming their second straight victory and fourth overall against two defeats.

Battle-scarred Christian Pagaran and Cedrick Abis fired 12 points apiece while rookie sensation chipped in 10 points that sent the Stags sprawling to their fourth straight setback against two wins.

“Its a good combination of Gojo (Gojo Cruz) and Pags (Pagaran),” said UPHSD coach Olsen Racela.

It was an impressive show of grit by the Altas as they weathered every fight back launched by the run-and-gun Stags.

So dominating was the Las Piñas-based school that it only trained once, early in the game before stamping its class the rest of the way and never giving SSC-R a chance to turn it around in its favor.

“Your approach to the game should always be the same, ” said Mr. Racela. — Joey Villar

The scores:

First Game

UPHSD 60 – Pagaran 12, Abis 12, Gojo Cruz 10, Gelsano 8, Boral 8, Orgo 6, Pizarro 4, Nuñez 0, Manuel 0, Montemayor 0

SSC-R 52 – Are 11, L. Gabat 8, Escobido 7, R. Gabat 5, Pascual 5, Felebrico 5, Velasco 4, Maliwat 3, Ricio 2, Lintol 2, Aguilar 0, Suico 0, Barroga 0, Cruz 0

Quarter scores: 14-11; 34-28; 48-38; 60-52

Josh Allen tosses 4 TDs in Bills’ rout of Jaguars

JOSH ALLEN threw four first-half touchdown (TDs) passes to help the Buffalo Bills steamroll the Jacksonville Jaguars 47-10 on Monday night at Orchard Park, NY.

Allen completed 23 of 30 passes for 263 yards and added 44 rushing yards as Buffalo (3-0) continued its strong start. Allen accumulated 247 passing yards in the first half when the Bills scored touchdowns on all five possessions.

Dalton Kincaid, Keon Coleman, Khalil Shakir and Ty Johnson had scoring receptions for Buffalo. James Cook and Ray Davis had rushing touchdowns and Damar Hamlin recorded his first career interception for the Bills, who racked up five sacks.

Trevor Lawrence connected on 21 of 38 passes for 178 yards, one touchdown and one interception for struggling Jacksonville (0-3). The Jaguars lost their eighth consecutive game when Lawrence has been the starting quarterback.

The Bills outgained Jacksonville 388 yards to 239. In the first half, Buffalo had a 288-70 edge. Allen completed 22 of 28 passes over the first 30 minutes.

Buffalo took the opening kickoff and scored on Cook’s 6-yard run. Tyler Bass’ extra-point attempt was blocked.

Allen then hit Kincaid for a 6-yard touchdown to make it 13-0 with 3:25 left in the opening quarter. Jacksonville got on the board on Cam Little’s 41-yard field goal with 10:39 left in the first half.

Four-plus minutes later, Coleman caught a 24-yard touchdown pass from Allen to make it 20-3. Hamlin intercepted Lawrence on Jacksonville’s next possession to set up Allen’s 27-yard scoring pass to Shakir with 2:04 left in the half.

Buffalo finished the half strong when Allen threw a 16-yard touchdown pass to Johnson with 19 seconds left to make it 34-3.

The Jaguars scored on the first possession of the third quarter when Lawrence tossed a 6-yard touchdown pass to Brenton Strange.

Bass booted a 27-yard field goal to give the Bills a 37-10 advantage with 5:03 left in the third quarter.

Allen took his final snap with just over 12 minutes remaining and Mitchell Trubisky took over the next time Buffalo had the ball.

Bass tacked on a 43-yard field goal with 7:45 left, and Davis scored on a 3-yard run with 4:04 remaining to finish off the beatdown. — Reuters

Playoff experience

The Fever looked ready for their first playoff game since 2016. As they looked back to their remarkable surge after the Olympic break, they found themselves armed with the confidence of players with nothing to lose. And so they vowed to stay loose and have fun in their postseason inaugural against the favored Sun. It likewise helped that their chemistry was at a high, with the Big Three of Caitlin Clark, Kelsey Mitchell, and Aaliyah Boston as certain of their roles as others in the regular rotation.

If there was anything the Fever lacked heading into Game One of their first-round set-to, however, it was experience. and the fact that the Sun had a surfeit of it ultimately told on their capacity — or, to be precise, evident inability thereof — to be at their best. The vaunted pace that catapulted them to the top of the WNBA in offensive rating was nowhere to be found; instead, they elephant-walked their way to mediocre halfcourt sets, as if the esprit de corps that hitherto enabled them to punch above their weight was nothing but a mirage.

Considering how badly the Fever played, the end of the contest could not come sooner. The final score, a 93-69 shellacking in favor of the Sun, was utterly reflective of their lack of competitiveness. They didn’t just lose every quarter, and the fourth by leaps and bounds. They failed at producing points with precision, failed at preventing stabs at the basket with a modicum of consistency, failed at just about every item necessary for success — especially against highly touted competition.

That said, the Fever are, if nothing else, resilient and proud. It’s how they were able to claw back to .500 ball after an atrocious 1-8 start to their 2024 campaign. And, given their responses in the post-match presser, it’s how they believe they can still win the series. Whether they can truly translate belief into action remains to be seen. In any case, they deserve props for staying undaunted by the task at hand, and for recognizing that the journey of vindication needs to be embarked a step at a time.

 

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.

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