Bill regulating secret funds filed

December 11, 2024 | 8:38 pm

House of Representatives-congress — BW FILE PHOTO

A bill regulating the use of government secret funds was filed at the House of Representatives on Wednesday.

Filed by Manila Rep. Joel R. Chua and members of the House good government committee, House Bill (HB) No. 11192 seeks to prevent the unauthorized use of confidential and intelligence funds (CIF) by limiting it to agencies concerned with national security concerns.

“What we submitted limits the agencies that have nothing to do with national security, peace and order, and intelligence gathering [operations],” Mr. Chua said in a media briefing in Filipino.

The good government panel forwarded the proposed law after a series of hearings into the alleged misuse of P612.5 million in CIF funds by Vice-President Sara Z. Duterte-Carpio under the Office of the Vice-President (OVP) in 2022 and the Education department in 2023, when she sat as its secretary.

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

HB No. 11192 seeks to prohibit the use of secret funds for operations “not directly related to peace and order or intelligence gathering” programs.

The measure also revokes the confidential status of secret funds if state auditors flag doubtful spending by issuing a notice of disallowance. “The CF (Confidential Fund), including all the information and documents related thereto shall then be subject to inquiries and investigations, with documents and related information to be made public, without need of compulsory processes.”

Officials who violate the bill would be permanently barred from holding public office, with their benefits being forfeited. — Kenneth Christiane L. Basilio

IBEX eyes safety, talent among factors to boost its growth in Davao City

December 11, 2024 | 8:38 pm

DAVAO CITY — An official of IBEX Philippines considered the safety and availability of quality talents that help boost its presence and growth in Davao City.

IBEX is a global leader in business process outsourcing (BPO) and AI (artificial intelligence) -powered customer engagement solutions. It recently launched its second Davao City site at Felcris Centrale occupying the 5^th and 8^th floors.

According to Angel “Potski” Alvarez, president of IBEX Philippines, when full, the new site could house about 2,000 to 2,500 employees.

Bob Dechant, chief executive officer of IBEX, told Davao media that what makes the company continue to grow in Davao City is the safety that is being experienced by its employees and the availability of talent.

“Our clients choose to go because they believe in the management, they believe in the community, and the talents that exist here. That’s important. One of the most important is safety,” he said.

Mr. Alvarez agreed that it is the safety and the quality of talents that make BPO companies continue to thrive in Davao City.

“We put our investment here. This is us trusting (the) Davao location and the city government of Davao and most importantly, the Davao talents that keep on joining IBEX and keep on growing with IBEX,” he said in an interview.

Felcris is IBEX’s second site in Davao City after it opened its first site at SM Lanang Premier in 2015. The new site is also IBEX’s 9^th site in the Philippines.

According to Mr. Dechant, IBEX spent almost $10 million in capital expenditure, including the equipment for Phase 1 and Phase 2 components for the Felcris site.

“Our newest and nicest site and it is not just a site for us as we grew in, Felcris as you all know to all our employees this is their second home. The more you expand, the more opportunities there are. The new site also represents many families that we are supporting in Davao,” Mr. Alvarez said.

Mr. Dechant said currently IBEX is carrying six prestigious clients that belong in the top 100 Fortune’s list.

IBEX operates in six countries with over 30 operations facilities worldwide.

IBEX states that it is committed to delivering exceptional customer experiences to leading global brands across industries such as technology, healthcare, and finance. — Maya M. Padillo

Over 1,000 Moro villagers benefit from Army humanitarian activity

December 11, 2024 | 8:37 pm

COTABATO CITY — More than a thousand Moro villagers benefitted from an Army humanitarian mission in Datu Saudi Ampatuan, Maguindanao del Sur on Tuesday.

Major Gen. Antonio G. Nafarrete, commander of the Army’s 6^th Infantry Division (ID), told reporters on Wednesday that the beneficiaries of the medical, dental and feeding activities are residents of Datu Saudi Ampatuan’s now peaceful Barangays Salbu, Elian, Dapiawan, Gawang, Kitango and Madia, former bastions of the outlawed Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters and the Dawlah Islamiya.

More than a thousand members of both terror groups, known for fomenting animosity towards non-Muslims, had surrendered in batches to units of the 6th ID since 2002.

The outreach activity in Datu Saudi Ampatuan on Tuesday was jointly facilitated by the 92^nd Infantry Battalion, led by Lt. Col. Christian V. Cabading, the 1st Brigade Combat Team and the 6^th ID.

The outreach teams had also fed 537 Moro children with nutritious food during the event, according to municipal officials.

Mr. Nafarrete said 53 Moro boys were circumcised for free by Army medics then. — John Felix M. Unson

Another ethnic group chieftain in BARMM shot dead

December 11, 2024 | 8:37 pm

COTABATO CITY — Another chieftain of an indigenous non-Moro group died in a gun attack in Datu Hoffer, Maguindanao del Sur last weekend,

The slain chieftain is the 83^rd influential tribesman killed in similar atrocities in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) since 2019.

The slain 40-year-old Baywan L. Angan of Central Mindanao’s Dulangan Manobo community was popular for his extensive involvement in the settlement of conflicts between tribe members and intruders grabbing agricultural lands in their ancestral domains in the borders of Sultan Kudarat and Maguindanao del Sur provinces.

Brig. Gen. Romeo J. Macapaz, director of the Police Regional Office in BARMM, told reporters on Wednesday that Mr. Angan was shot dead by armed men right in their family yard in Barangay Mantao in Datu Hoffer in Maguindanao del Sur.

Mr. Angan was a former member of the barangay council in Mantao, according to local officials and leaders of the Teduray tribe in the municipality.

Residents of Barangay Mantao had told reporters that Mr. Angan, known to them as a non-violent tribal leader, was unarmed when he was killed by men with assault rifles while his arms were raised, pleading for his life.

A Teduray member of the 80-seat Bangsamoro regional parliament, Froilyn Tenorio Mendoza, had condemned the brutal killing of Mr. Angan and called on the police to put a closure to the incident.

Records obtained from Army and police units in Maguindanao del Norte and Maguindanao del Sur provinces, both in the Bangsamoro region, and in Sultan Kudarat in Region 12, indicate that Mr. Angan is the 83^rd leader of an indigenous tribe killed in wanton gun attacks in the autonomous region since since 2019. — John Felix M. Unson

Over P5-M cannabis torched in Benguet, Kalinga

December 11, 2024 | 8:36 pm

cannabis-marijuana — ELSA OLOFSSON-UNSPLASH

LA TRINIDAD, BENGUET — Dedicated anti-narcotics operatives of the Cordillera police command torched down P5.2 million worth of cannabis (marijuana) in a series of operations in Benguet and Kalinga provinces on Tuesday.

According to Cordillera police director Brig. Gen. David K. Peredo, 9,890 pieces of fully grown marijuana plants (FGMJP), 800 marijuana seedlings, and 20,000 grams of dried marijuana stalks, leaves, and fruiting tops, reaching P4.4 million were discovered in remote hinterland barangays Kayapa in Bakun and Tacadang in Kibungan, both in Benguet.

While policemen joined by Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency-Cordillera operatives also swooped down on 4,000 pieces of harvestable marijuana shrubs valued at P800,000 in remote barangay Ngibat, in Tinglayan, Kalinga on that same day.

Mr. Peredo assured that all the discovered marijuana shrubs were uprooted and burned onsite.

He added that operatives are into deep probing other marijuana plantation sites elsewhere in the highland Cordillera region with the promise to apprehend those responsible behind the illicit cannabis farming. — Artemio A. Dumlao

Tigresses force rubber match at UAAP women’s basketball finals

December 11, 2024 | 7:33 pm

UNIVERSITY OF SANTO TOMAS TIGRESSES — PHILIPPINE STAR/RUSSELL PALMA

Games on Sunday
(Smart Araneta Coliseum)
10 a.m. – UST vs UE (JHS Boys’ Game 2)
1 p.m. – NU vs UST (Women’s Game 3)

REIGNING champion University of Santo Tomas denied National University (NU) a dream 16-0 perfect campaign with a herculean 78-68 win in Game 2 to force a winner-take-all setto in the UAAP Season 87 women’s basketball yesterday at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.

The Tigresses did not just lick the wounds of their heartbreaking 72-71 defeat in Game 1 but dealt the first — and biggest — scratch on the Lady Bulldogs this season behind a scintillating 24-9 start en route to the massive triumph.

Brigette Santos erupted for a career-best 27 points on 11-of-21 clip laced by two rebounds, four assists and two steals to lead the pack as the Tigresses kept their title retention bid flickering.

It was Ms. Santos who drained the go-ahead basket in Game 1 to give Santo Tomas a momentary lead only for NU to snatch the game on rookie Cielo Pagdulagan’s game-winner to extend an unbeaten run to 15 games.

Santo Tomas took its turn this time around in banking on a first-year player in the biggest stage with Karylle Sierba tying her career-high of 18 points on four triples to complement ace Kent Pastrana’s 11 points.

Agatha Bron added eight while Angelika Soriano and Nicole Danganan chipped in six each for the wards of coach Haydee Ong, who unseated the Lady Bulldogs from their seven-year reign last season in Game 3.

“It’s one hell of a game from Brigette and Karylle,” said Ms. Ong.

Santo Tomas also seized command of Game 1 right out of the gates but lost steam down the stretch and relinquished a 14-point lead as outright finalist NU stayed unbeaten via escape act to shore up its revenge tour.

The Tigresses were pushed to the brink of a history repeat after the Bulldogs, as expected, stormed back to snatch a 43-39 lead early in the second half.

But Santo Tomas learned its lessons hard, running away from a deadlock at 57 midway through the payoff period behind a 19-8 rally capped by Ms. Danganan’s triple.

Overall, the Tigresses outscored the Lady Bulldogs, 30-19, when it mattered the most in the final quarter to drag them to a last dance on Sunday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Ms. Pagdulagan (16), Camille Clarin (12), Karl Ann Pingol (11) and Angel Surada (10) had their numbers but the Lady Bulldogs fell short from reclaiming their lost queendom right there and then with a foiled perfect run.

In junior high school basketball, Jhon Canapi rifled in 30 points on five triples to go along with an assist, six rebounds and three steals as Santo Tomas drubbed University of the East, 98-84, to take Game 1 of the similar best-of-three series.

Meanwhile, Ateneo’s Kacey dela Rosa captured her second straight Most Valuable Player award to join an elite group of back-to-back winners in history.

Ms. Dela Rosa dominated the entire competition with league-best averages of 22.1 points, 16 rebounds, 3.7 blocks and 2.3 assists for 96.286 statistical points.

Joining Ms. Dela Rosa in the Mythical Five were Santo Tomas’ Kent Pastrana, Louna Ozar of University of the Philippines, Sarah Makanjuola of Ateneo, and NU’s Angel Surada. — John Bryan Ulanday

The Scores:

UST 78 – Santos 27, Sierba 18, Pastrana 11, Bron 8, Soriano 6, Danganan 6, Maglupay 2, Tacatac 0, Ambos 0, Serrano 0.

NU 68 – Pagdulagan 16, Clarin 12, Pingol 11, Surada 10, Fabruada 5, Villanueva 5, Betanio 4, Konateh 3, Canuto 2, Cayabyab 0, Talas 0.

Quarterscores: 20-9, 32-25, 48-49, 78-68.

Arca wins Asian Youth chessfest in Bangkok

December 11, 2024 | 7:33 pm

THE Philippines’ Christian Gian Karlo Arca continued to make the country proud in the international stage as he emerged the blitz champion of the 18^th Asian Youth Chess Championships in Bangkok, Thailand on Tuesday night.

The 15-year-old Filipino FIDE Master split the point with countryman Oscar Joseph Cantela in the ninth and final round to end up tied for No. 1 with Turkmenistan’s Serdar Bayramov with 7.5 points apiece.

But Mr. Arca took the gold via the winner-over-the-other-rule since he bested Mr. Bayramov in the third round.

It was the third medal for Panabo, Davao del Norte native after plucking a pair of silvers in the individual and team events where he teamed up with Mr. Cantela and Lemmuel Jay Adena.

Mr. Cantela missed out on a bronze after being edged out by Mongolian FM Khishigbat Ulziikhishig but lost via tiebreak while Mr. Adena finished sixth also in individual blitz.

Also delivering a medal were Arleah Cassandra Sapuan, Kate Nicole Ordizo and Beatrice Ann Bombales, who took the team bronze in the rapid side. — Joey Villar

San Beda junior tankers dominate Day 1 of NCAA 100 swimming event

December 11, 2024 | 7:31 pm

FROM the Palarong Pambansa pools, Albert Jose Amaro II has brought his act to the NCAA where he immediately harvested three gold medals for San Beda University in the juniors’ class of Season 100 swimming at the Rizal Memorial Aquatics Center.

Mr. Amaro, who made heads turn when he sniped seven gold medals in the Palaro in Cebu City last July, delivered another tidal wave of a performance right on opening day when he copped three mints.

It came in the 200-meter (m) individual medley, 100m freestyle and the 200m medley relay alongside Joart Calderon, Shiblon Montera and Nimrod Montera as the Junior Red Tankers made their presence felt early by copping four of the five golds staked in Day One.

The other one was courtesy of Nimrod Montera in the 50m backstroke.

The only boys’ gold that slipped away from San Beda was snatched by Jose Rizal University’s Luke Amber Matthew Arano, who topped the 50m backstroke.

Mr. Amaro’s arrival could be the boost in the arm San Beda has long waited for as it tries to reclaim the crown it last won in 2017.

San Beda was also dominant in the women’s side where it scooped up four of the five golds in the division while its men’s team was tied for first with College of St. Benilde with two mints apiece.

San Beda’s men’s team is eyeing its 21^st straight swimming title while its women’s seeks 12^th crown in a row. — Joey Villar

Philippine national football team kicks off ASEAN Championship-Mitsubishi Cup bid against Myanmar

December 11, 2024 | 7:31 pm

Match on Thursday
(Rizal Memorial Stadium)
6:30 p.m. – Philippines vs Myanmar

IT’S TIME for the Philippine men’s football team’s redemption tour in the Asean Championship-Mitsubishi Electric Cup.

The Pinoy booters, who have failed to get past the group stage of the last editions of the biennial meet, take the first step tonight in a Group B opening assignment on the familiar grounds of Rizal Memorial Stadium against Myanmar.

“It’s our first game of the tournament so it’s most important, we want to set the tone in a positive way,” said goalkeeper Patrick Deyto ahead of the 6:30 p.m. fixture.

“We haven’t had home games recently so it’s a good opportunity for us to showcase how we’ve developed the last few camps. We want to really put on a good performance tomorrow (tonight).”

The squad formerly known as the Azkals last played at good old Rizal last March in the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers in a 0-5 loss to Iraq and spent the succeeding months on the road for competition, friendlies and camps.

The Filipinos also aim to give Spaniard Albert Capellas a winning debut in the Asean showpiece. Mr. Capellas assumed head coaching chores only last September and led the side to a 3-0 upset of Tajikistan in the King’s Cup versus setbacks to Thailand (1-3 in King’s Cup) and Hong Kong (1-3 in an away friendly).

“It will be my first game at home and we hope to surround it with a lot of people. It’s very exciting for me to play in the Mitsubishi Electric Cup and play at home and try to win the match,” he said.

Mr. Capellas assembled a 26-man crew led by veterans Mr. Deyto, Patrick Reichelt, Amani Aguinaldo and overseas-based Zico Bailey, Michael Baldisimo, Michael Kempter, Christian Rontini and Sandro Reyes.

Myanmar is out to spoil the Philippines’ plans and score a big bounceback from its painful 0-1 defeat to Indonesia last Monday in its own backyard.

“I expect a team that is aggressive, one that will try to be quick on the touch and bring the ball in front as quickly as possible,” said Mr. Capellas of the visitors. — Olmin Leyba

Salah penalty maintains Liverpool’s winning run in Champions League with 1-0 victory over Girona

December 11, 2024 | 7:30 pm

GIRONA, Spain — Liverpool maintained their 100% record in this season’s Champions League and have a healthy lead at the top of the standings after a 1-0 win at Girona on Tuesday, with the only goal of the game coming from Mohamed Salah’s second-half penalty.

A sixth win from six puts Liverpool, already guaranteed at least a playoff place before kickoff, on 18 points, five ahead of Bayer Leverkusen, Aston Villa, Inter Milan and Brest, while Girona are in 30^th place on three points.

Girona suffered their fifth defeat of the competition but made Liverpool work for the victory and in the opening half had chances to take the lead but were foiled by the visitors’ keeper Alisson.

Liverpool struggled against a side happy to sit back and bide their time, but found the breakthrough from the penalty spot with Salah converting in the 63^rd minute after Luis Diaz was fouled.

“Six wins out of six, you can’t ask for much better than that. It’s not easy to do or there would be more teams doing it,” Liverpool defender Andy Robertson said.

“We’ve played a lot better than tonight, we weren’t at our highest level, but at this point it’s about winning the games and securing qualification.”

Girona were pinned back in the opening minutes by Liverpool’s pressure, with the visitors creating two early chances.

Defender Joe Gomez was denied his first goal for Liverpool by a reaction save from Paulo Gazzaniga from a close-range header, with the keeper also saving a shot from Darwin Nuñez minutes later.

Girona, with every player behind the ball, were happy to break on the counter-attack and Liverpool keeper Alisson, making his first appearance since early October after a hamstring injury, was soon called into action.

Daley Blind completely missed a cross on the edge of the six-yard box but the ball fell to Alejandro Frances and Alisson held his effort at the second attempt, and later punched away a shot from Miguel Gutierrez.

“We competed toe to toe, we had our chances and, well, we have to accept that we lost,” Girona’s Frances said.

“It’s time to move on. The main thing was to have chances against a great team and we had them.”

Nuñez had another effort saved when put through by Salah and Girona responded with a shot from outside the area by Yaser Asprilla which Alisson parried away for a corner, with Girona growing in confidence.

Alisson was again involved in the opening seconds of the second half, saving from Arnaut Danjuma and Liverpool struggled to break down a stubborn Girona defense before a Donny van de Beek foul on Diaz gave Salah his chance from the spot.

Salah missed a penalty in Liverpool’s last Champions League game against Real Madrid, but made no mistake this time sending the keeper the wrong way and the ball into the bottom corner.

Girona never really looked like finding an equalizer with Liverpool maintaining possession much better than in the opening half and leaving the Estadi Montilivi with all three points. — Reuters

Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bucks edge Magic, advance at NBA Cup

December 11, 2024 | 7:30 pm

GIANNIS ANTETOKOUNMPO dropped 37 points to lead Milwaukee to a 114-109 win over the visiting Orlando Magic on Tuesday, advancing the Bucks to the NBA Cup semifinals in Las Vegas.

Damian Lillard tied the game at 106 with a step-back 3-pointer with 52.2 seconds to go, then gave Milwaukee the lead with a layup and four free throws in the final seconds. He finished with 28 points while teammate Bobby Portis added 22 points and 10 rebounds off the bench.

Jalen Suggs led Orlando with 32 points while Anthony Black added 17. Goga Bitadze scored 12 and pulled down a game-high 14 boards.

The visitors started strong as they held a 33-25 lead at the end of the first quarter. However, Milwaukee rallied in the second quarter and moved on top 49-47 when Lillard’s layup capped a 6-0 run.

The end of the quarter went back and forth, and Milwaukee took a 60-59 lead into halftime thanks to a last-second Lillard-to-Antetokounmpo alley-oop dunk to cap off a 7-0 surge.

Antetokounmpo scored 20 in the half while Portis had 16. Moritz Wagner led Orlando with 13 on 6-of-6 shooting, while Black had 10. Wagner wound up scoreless in the second half.

In the third, the Magic powered to a six-point lead, but the Bucks went on an 18-4 run to close the quarter and take an 80-72 lead.

Orlando started the fourth strong after scoring just 13 in the third, as a 9-2 stretch pulled the Magic within one. The visitors pulled level twice before Suggs hit a shot that gave Orlando a 104-103 edge with 1:45 to go.

Lillard’s clutch shooting then gave Milwaukee the lead before the Bucks sealed it on defense, forcing Suggs to miss what would have been a game-tying 3-pointer with five seconds to play. — Reuters

Scheffler voted PGA Tour Player of the Year for third straight time

December 11, 2024 | 7:30 pm

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER has been voted the PGA Tour Player of the Year for a third consecutive season, making him the first player to win the award three years in a row since Tiger Woods won three straight from 2005-2007, the US-based circuit said on Tuesday.

The world number one won seven PGA Tour events in 2024 including the Masters, defended his Players Championship, took home the gold medal at the Paris Olympics and won the season-long FedExCup title.

He maintained his number one ranking for the entire season, recorded a PGA Tour-best 16 top-10 finishes in 19 starts and did not miss a cut.

“On behalf of the PGA Tour, congratulations to Scottie Scheffler on a truly historic season, capped off with his first FedExCup title and today a third consecutive Jack Nicklaus Award as PGA Tour Player of the Year,” said PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan.

The award recipient is determined by members and Scheffler received 91% of the votes, beating out two other nominees, Xander Schauffele and Rory McIlroy, the PGA Tour said.

Woods (11 times, most recent 2013) and McIlroy (2012, 2014, 2019) are the only players beside Scheffler to win the award three or more times. — Reuters