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Stocks to dip on thin trade as ‘ghost month’ starts

LOCAL EQUITIES will likely dip this week as investors maintain a cautious stance at the official start of the so-called “ghost month.”

The bellwether Philippine Stock Exchange index (PSEi) dropped by 0.69% or 56.02 points to 8,016.73 at the close of Friday’s trading session.

The all-shares index likewise lost 0.54% or 26.05 points to 4,743.84.

“The market will most likely continue moving downward for the week. Support is pegged at 7,850 and as long as this level holds, the market will continue moving in consolidation,” PNB Securities, Inc. President Manuel Antonio G. Lisbona said in a text message over the weekend.

“This also makes 8,100 a formidable barrier for the market,” Mr. Lisbona added.

“Volumes could thin…with the start of the Chinese ghost month, with majority on cautious mode over political headlines,” online brokerage 2TradeAsia.com said in a weekly market note.

Value turnover went down to as low as P4.79 billion last week, which analysts attributed to the seasonally weaker trading because of the ghost month.

The ghost month is a period in the Lunar calendar when some Asian investors refrain from doing big investments or decisions that coincides with the vacation of fund managers in the West, thereby resulting in lower trading volumes. For this year, the period is scheduled to start today and end by Sept. 19.

The release of second-quarter gross domestic product (GDP) figures last week however allowed the PSEi to move closer to its two-year high of 8,127.48 notched last April 10, 2015 as it closed at 8,072.75 last Thursday.

The Philippine Statistics Authority reported last Thursday that the economy grew by 6.5% in the April to June period, faster than the 6.4% growth seen in the first quarter, albeit slower than the 7% recorded in the same period last year.

“Following the release of 2Q17 (second quarter 2017) GDP of 6.5%, attention is set on (the second half)’s momentum, especially for consumption and government spending,” 2TradeAsia.com said in its note.

The brokerage noted that the 5.9% growth in consumption as well as 7% rise in government spending for the second quarter was encouraging, with services seen to accelerate in the fourth quarter driven by remittances and imports.

“We see the Duterte administration within our growth outlook of 6.8%-7% this year, as the market responds positively to the expected approval of Tax Reform Acceleration & Inclusion program, providing higher base for disposable income & saving,” 2TradeAsia.com said.

The brokerage added that investors will watch out for the declaration of cash dividends by PLDT, Inc. and Manila Electric Co. during the course of the week given the lack of leads.

2TradeAsia.com placed the PSEi’s immediate support within a range of 7,0230 to 7,050, with resistance between 8,080 to 8,100.  — Arra B. Francia

Cebu-based Innoland expands to Makati City

By Arra B. Francia, Reporter

CEBU-BASED property developer Innoland Development Corp. is bringing its expansion to Metro Manila, with the launch of its first office and retail building in Makati City.

Innoland
Altaire — www.innoland.com.ph

The real estate firm will be developing Altaire, a 45-storey building set to rise along Malugay Street inside the Makati Central Business District. With a total construction floor area of 111,656 square meters (sq.m.), the tower will offer 58,273 sq.m. of leasable office space alongside 984 sq.m. of leasable retail area.

“The project is designed more to look like an upscale hotel rather than a typical office building, while still maintaining 84% building efficiency,” the company said.

Innoland targets to complete the building’s construction by 2021.

Incorporated in 2005, Innoland has been partnering with designers and engineering firms to provide living and workings spaces to its customers. Among its projects are the Calyx Centre and Calyx Residences in Cebu, which offer both office and residential spaces.

Asked on why the company is expanding to Makati at a time when most property developers are pushing their projects to the provinces, Innoland explained that “it is the country’s business capital, best place to locate for the market we serve.”

At the same time, Innoland also launched another project in Cebu City called Montage, a mixed-use development consisting of three towers, two of which will serve as office spaces for outsourcing firms.

The first tower will have a total of 28 floors, 17 of which will house the office spaces. Four floors will be allotted as the retail area, seven floors for parking translating to 589 parking slots, and a penthouse will be constructed in the two 26th and 27th floor, with the topmost level reserved as a utility deck or machine room.

The Montage’s total leasable space for retail areas stands at 2,995.67 sq.m., expected to house both local and international brands which could include car showrooms and a supermarket. The leasable office space, meanwhile, will offer 39,160.91 sq.m..

“With the latest projects, the company seeks to offer people a welcome escape from the hustle and bustle of the city,” Innoland said.

CIDG tasked to probe Kian delos Santos killing

By Ian Nicolas P. Cigaral and
Kristine Joy V. Patag Reporters

THE Philippine National Police (PNP) has ordered its Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) to investigate the Aug. 17 killing of a 17-year-old high-school student in the hands of cops, which has sparked an outcry over President Rodrigo R. Duterte’s bloody drug war.

This is apart from a probe by the National Bureau of Investigation, as ordered by the Department of Justice, and a Senate inquiry scheduled on Thursday.

According to Caloocan City cops who seized the teenager in a fresh wave of anti-drug operations last week, Mr. Delos Santos resisted arrest, prompting them to fire back at him. Reportedly recovered from Mr. Delos Santos were a .45 pistol and two sachets of suspected shabu (methamphetamine).

But this version has come under fire after a CCTV footage aired by local television networks showed Mr. Delos Santos being dragged by two policemen to a place where his dead body was later found. Eyewitness accounts also claimed that police officers forced Mr. Delos Santos to fight back.

In a televised press conference on Monday, PNP spokesperson Chief Superintendent Dionardo B. Carlos said the CIDG has been directed by PNP Director-General Ronald M. dela Rosa to lead the investigation on Mr. Delos Santos’s death.

To ensure “utmost impartiality” in CIDG’s inquiry, Mr. Carlos said Mr. Dela Rosa has placed Caloocan City police chief Senior Superintendent Chito Bersaluna under administrative relief effective yesterday, Aug. 21.

The National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) has also been ordered to put all Caloocan cops being probed under restrictive custody, the PNP spokesman added.

“Although Senior Superintendent Bersaluna is not directly the subject of investigation, the administrative relief precludes possibility of his influence over the investigation on the incident that allegedly involved four personnel under his command,” Mr. Carlos explained.

“Subsequently, these personnel shall be placed under restrictive custody of CIDG upon the filing of charges against them,” he added.

Mr. Dela Rosa himself has drawn flak for an interview with ABS-CBN in which he cited information that the slain teenager acted as drug courier for his father and other relatives.

Saldy delos Santos, Kian’s father, said in response: “P’wede kaming magpa-drug test. Sana…unahin nila ang pulis nila, baka ‘yon ang adik kasi kahit bata ang isip kaya nilang patayin eh.” (We can all have a drug test. I wish they start with their cops. Maybe they’re the addicts because even children they can kill.)

Thousands of people have been killed in the course of the Duterte administration’s drug war, with human rights watchdogs claiming most of the fatalities are extrajudicial killings committed by cops and unknown assailants.

But the government has vehemently denied this and insisted that police are only killing in self-defense while gangsters are silencing potential witnesses.

Also on Monday, Justice Secretary Vitaliano N. Aguirre II said government protection may be extended to Mr. Delos Santos’s family.

“If they apply, we will consider putting them under the Witness Protection Program (WPP),” Mr. Aguirre said in a text message to reporters.

Mr. Delos Santos, a 17-year old Grade 11 student, was killed by police operatives in what has turned out to be the bloodiest week in President Rodrigo R. Duterte’s campaign against illegal drugs.

His killing sparked widespread condemnation from all sectors including religious leaders, and has even prompted known supporters of Mr. Duterte in Congress to express their outrage. Authorities claimed the Grade 11 student fired back at them, prompting them to retaliate.

But a recorded closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage showed the student being dragged by cops, and witnesses recounted him pleading for his life and even mentioning at the point of death a scheduled class exam he had to take the next day.

Besides his father, Saldy, Mr. Delos Santos is survived by his mother Lorenza and three siblings.

Mr. Aguirre said witnesses have come forward and given statements that Mr. Delos Santos did not fire at the authorities, contradicting the version of police respondents.

But these witnesses were also earlier offered custody by Akbayan Senator Ana Theresia Hontiveros-Baraquel who visited Mr. Delos Santos’s wake last Saturday.

In a radio interview the next day, she said her office is already in custody of some of the witnesses in the case. Ms. Hontiveros added: “The protection provided to the family will be extended to the key witnesses who will help in bringing to justice the perpetrators of the extrajudicial killing of Kian Loyd delos Santos.”

The senator’s staff was sought for comment but it cannot be confirmed, as of this reporting, who are the witnesses on her watch. — with a report by interaksyon.com

Liberal Party finds common themes in 1983 Aquino murder, drug war

THE HOMECOMING assassination 34 years ago of Benigno S. Aquino, Jr. was commemorated on Monday, Aug. 21, by followers of the martyred senator, including the Liberal Party (LP) to which he belonged.

EJK protest
Protesters hold banners condemning extra-judicial killings and demanding justice for slain student Kian Delos Santos in this photo taken in front of the EDSA People Power Monument on August 21 — the death anniversary of former Senator Benigno ‘Ninoy’ Aquino.

Mr. Aquino, the leading opponent of the Marcos dictatorship, returned home from exile in the US that tragic Sunday afternoon. Before his exile abroad, his rival, dictator Ferdinand E. Marcos, had him detained for about seven years, during which time Mr. Aquino was also subjected to a military trial on controversial charges.

He was gunned down on Aug. 21, 1983, by his own security escorts, as later established in a subsequent trial. But the masterminds, one of them widely presumed to be from the Aquino-Cojuangco family, have remained unidentified.

Mr. Aquino’s wife, Corazon, and son, Benigno III, were catapulted to the Philippine presidency in 1986 and 2010, respectively.

“Though tragic, both events were defining moments that saw Filipinos resisting the coming of darkness,” the LP in a statement said of the Aquino assassination and the Plaza Miranda bombing a decade earlier, also deemed a dark chapter in the Marcos regime.

“With the administration’s brutal war on illegal drugs today, a creeping impunity is in our midst. We must let our voices be heard. We must resist. We should not be afraid,” the party said, adding:

“The Duterte administration’s war on drugs has turned out to be a worse evil than the one it set out to fight.”

For his part, LP stalwart and Senate Minority Leader Franklin M. Drilon said in a statement: “Let us not dishonor Ninoy’s sacrifice by trivializing human life. If Ninoy were alive today, he would have been the first to speak against the bloodbath in the name of war on drugs.”

Mr. Drilon also said: “If Ninoy were alive today, he would have condemned the death of a teenager, a son, a child, a mother, and a father. Ninoy valued life as much as he valued freedom.”

“If he were alive today, Ninoy would have been in the forefront of the fight against police impunity and the government’s acquiescence.”

Mr. Drilon’s allies in the LP also issued their statements according to those themes.

Supporters of the LP and of former president Aquino have expressed similar views in their online outrage at the murder of Grade 11 student Kian delos Santos in the hands of the police. Mr. Delos Santos’s death has become a rallying point in the clamor against the rising death toll in President Rodrigo R. Duterte’s drug war.

But Manila Archbishop Luis Cardinal Antonio Tagle on Sunday urged a “multi-sectoral dialogue” on the drug problem, saying in part: “The illegal drug problem should not be reduced to a political or criminal issue. It is a humanitarian concern that affects all of us.”

“Words of solidarity without tears and acts of compassion are cheap,” the Manila archbishop also said.

A day earlier, Mr. Duterte himself sent out a presidential message in tribute to the slain Mr. Aquino, saying in part: “up until the very end of his life, he inspired a peaceful revolution that resulted (in) the liberties we enjoy today.”

Mr. Duterte, however, had also honored the late Mr. Marcos by allowing his burial at the Heroes’ Cemetery last November, after decades that this move by the Marcos family was blocked by survivors of the dictatorship.

Rollout of OFW bank pushed back to next year

THE ESTABLISHMENT of President Rodrigo R. Duterte’s promised bank for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) will be pushed back to January next year due to processing delays, according to state-run Land Bank of the Philippines (Landbank).

OFW
A line of returning Filipino workers queue on a special immigration lane for Overseas Filipino Workers. — AFP

“September was the original [target]. Pero medyo nade-delay kami sa schedule (But we’re experiencing some delays). I was the one who made the timetable, but in the government, it takes longer than private, so I thought we can do it in six months, hindi pala (it turns out we can’t),” Landbank President and Chief Executive Officer Alex V. Buenaventura told reporters on the sidelines of its Gawad Punla awarding ceremony last Friday.

“We will, in effect, start operations of the OFW bank in January. Hindi na ma-achieve yung September (We can’t start by September),” he said.

The bank, which will be called the Overseas Filipino Bank, will have two pilot headquarters — the first one in Dubai, which will start operating by January next year, and the second one in Bahrain, targeted to be established by April. It will also be using existing Landbank branches overseas to service OFWs’ banking requirements.

“[It] will have marketing officers located at consular offices abroad to service the banking requirements of overseas Filipinos. But the officers are going to be selling to the overseas Filipinos remittance products of Landbank,” said Mr. Buenaventura.

After the pilot testing phase, which may take about a year, the OFW bank will also be rolled out in countries that are home to many overseas Filipinos such as the United States, Japan, Middle East, and Hong Kong, the official said.

“Those are only the priority (countries), but we will really go to all areas where there are many OFWs. The rollout probably may be in 2019. But the rollout is easy. The product development, pilot testing, yun ang matagal (that’s what takes a long time to do),” Mr. Buenaventura said.

Landbank will be operating the said OFW lender through its acquisition of the Philippine Postal Savings Bank (Postal Bank) to be its remittance marketing arm.

Mr. Buenaventura had said the takeover will be a “zero-value” transaction, given Postal Bank’s negative valuation of about P480 million, as decided by LandBank’s board of directors chaired by Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez III.

The state lender will present today the purchase agreement to Governance Commission for Government-Owned or -Controlled Corporations, before securing approval from the President and the Monetary Board.

The Overseas Filipino Bank will have about a P1 billion capital infusion to cover for the negative valuation.

Asked how the bank will compete against other remittance services abroad, Mr. Buenaventura responded: “Well it’s kind of a big challenge. It’s a very big challenge, but I have designed a very good marketing strategy.”

He said they are looking to offer a lower rate compared to competitors. “The President wanted very minimal or low remittance fees so we may have to go that track. Then maybe just make money out of other products like deposit loans and all that,” the official added.

“It will be cheaper than all our competitors… So that’s what we’re looking at. But of course, in competition there may be a price war… So we are very careful about lowering…,” added Mr. Buenaventura.

Landbank, the country’s fourth largest bank in terms of assets, currently has a base of OFW account holders in the US, Asia Pacific, Europe, and Oceania, taking about 5% market share of the remittance business. This compares to BDO Unibank, Inc.’s current 40% market share.

With the establishment of the OFW bank, Landbank aims to increase its share of the pie to about 25% by 2022.

“By the end of my term and also coterminous with the President, we are [hoping] that we will have around 25% of the remittance market. It’s high. I don’t know if we will reach it but the targeting should be ambitious,” said Mr. Buenaventura. — Elijah Joseph C. Tubayan

Missing son of injured Filipino mother in Barcelona attack confirmed dead

THE MISSING son of the injured Filipino mother in the Aug. 17 Barcelona attack has been declared among the 14 fatalities reported from that incident, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) confirmed on Monday after the father of the seven-year-old boy positively identified his remains.

Las Ramblas
A makeshift memorial to the victims of the Barcelona terror attack on Las Ramblas boulevard. — AFP

DFA Secretary Alan Peter S. Cayetano has directed Foreign Affairs Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs Sarah Lou Arriola to be in charge of all assistance extended to the family of the deceased and to other Filipino victims of the attack.

“It pains us to break the sad news to our kababayans that we lost one of our own in the recent violence unleashed by extremists against the innocent in Barcelona… We join the loved ones of our little brother in mourning his passing and in praying for the eternal repose of his soul,” Mr. Cayetano said in a statement.

The boy’s demise was reported by the Charge d’Affaires Emmanuel Fernandez of the Philippine Embassy in Madrid after his body was identified.

The boy’s 43-year-old mother, meanwhile, is still in the intensive care unit after undergoing surgery for fractures in both legs and one arm that she sustained in the incident.

The mother has been based in Australia for the past three years along with her son and husband, who is a British subject. The mother and her son were in Barcelona to attend the wedding of a Filipino cousin.

According to Consul General Marichu Mauro, the two other Filipinos injured during the attack will be assisted by the Philippine Consulate General in Milan as they get medical attention.

In addition, the four Irish citizens of Filipino descent, who were also injured in the attack, were identified as Norman Potot, 45, his wife Pederlita, 39, daughter Nailah Pearl, 9, and son Nathaniel Paul, 5.

Norman and Nathaniel remain confined at the Hospital Del Mar in Barcelona. The father suffered a minor head injury but remains under observation for hematoma of the kidney. His son is recovering from surgery for the fractured leg he sustained in the incident. Norman’s wife sustained minor bruises while his daughter fractured her arm, the DFA said.

The four Dublin residents are currently attended by the Embassy and the Honorary Consulate in Barcelona. According to the DFA, the northeastern Spanish city is home to 20,000 Filipinos.

A van plowed through Barcelona’s Las Ramblas tourist district on Thursday and left 13 people dead and injured more than 100.

Rosario excited to team up with Standhardinger, Cruz in SEAG

By Michael Angelo S. Murillo
Reporter

SAW how Christian Standhardinger and Carl Bryan Cruz made a good account of themselves in the recent FIBA Asia Cup, Gilas Pilipinas big man Troy Rosario said he is very excited to team up with the two as they begin their quest for the gold in the ongoing 29th Southeast Asian (SEA) Games.

Rosario excited to team up with Standhardinger, Cruz in SEAG
Troy Rosario of the Philippines muscles his way through a Thai defender during their match against Thailand in the men’s basketball competition of the 29th Southeast Games late Sunday at the MABA Stadium in Kuala Lumpur. The Filipinos won, 81-74. — PSC-POC Media Group

Part of the 12-man team seeing action in the regional biennial meet, Messrs. Standhardinger and Cruz are doing double duty for the national team as they were also part of the Gilas squad that saw action in the just-concluded FIBA Asia Cup in Beirut, Lebanon, where the Philippines finished seventh overall.

Mr. Standhardinger actually already played for the Philippines in its SEA Games debut win over Thailand late Sunday in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, while Mr. Cruz is set to join the team for its next assignments albeit his status is still unknown since there are already moves to replace him with fellow cadet Mac Belo, who is with the team for the Games.

For Mr. Rosario, the addition of Mr. Standhardinger, and Mr. Cruz if ever, is a boon to the team and to him personally.

“They will be a big help especially in giving firepower in the front court. At the FIBA Asia Cup they had a good showing offensively. Their length and energy are also aspects that should help us in the SEA Games,” said Mr. Rosario in an interview with BusinessWorld during their send-off last week that was hosted by staunch team backer Chooks-to-Go.

“If they were not part of the team it would only be me and Raymar Jose who are the bigs. Personally, I welcome their addition, especially Christian, since with his length I get to move to the three or four spot since the lineup added height. Add to this the fact that this is nothing new to them since they already played with the ‘big boys’ in the FIBA Asia Cup. They are already used to the pressure,” the Talk ’N Text KaTropa player added.

And the partnership between Messrs. Rosario and Standhardinger paid immediate dividends as they played a pivotal role in hacking out a hard-earned victory for the Philippines over Thailand in their first game, 81-74.

The two had a double-double with Mr. Rosario finishing with a team-high 16 points to go along with 10 rebounds and Filipino-German Standhardinger recording 15 points and 10 boards to help their team to the victory.

Mr. Rosario went on to say that they have to continue improving as the tournament progresses since nothing will be given to them easy, even if the Philippines is the recognized “king of basketball” in the region.

“We are playing with pride since we are the defending champion and we are known for basketball well in the region. But we must guard against any complacency because anything can happen in basketball and there is no room for relaxing,” said Mr. Rosario.

Gilas Pilipinas returns to action today against Myanmar at 6 p.m.

Vietnamese rescued from Abu Sayyaf

A VIETNAMESE sailor kidnapped by Islamist militants off the southern Philippines has been rescued after nine months in captivity, the military said on Monday, following the beheading of two fellow crewmen in July.

Philippine troops rescued the hostage on Sunday on Basilan island in the southern Mindanao region, a stronghold of the Abu Sayyaf kidnap-for-ransom group, following intensified operations against the militants, authorities said.

“The hostage was able to run from the militants in the course of military operations and our troops rescued him with the help of local connections,” military spokeswoman Captain Jo-Ann Petinglay told AFP.

“We have been conducting continuous operations against (the militants) involving air strikes. The group was under pressure.”

Ms. Petinglay denied a ransom had been paid for the Vietnamese hostage’s freedom.

He and five and other crewmen were abducted in November from a Vietnamese cargo vessel sailing less than 20 kilometers from Basilan.

One Vietnamese crewman is still in the hands of the Abu Sayyaf following the rescue of a sailor in June and the death of another during a gun battle in July, Ms. Petinglay said.

Abu Sayyaf, originally a loose network of militants formed in the 1990s with seed money from Osama bin Laden’s Al-Qaeda network, has splintered into factions, with some continuing to engage in banditry and kidnappings.

One faction has pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group, and joined militants battling security forces since May in Marawi, the largely Catholic nation’s most important Islamic city.

The militants continue to occupy parts of the southern city despite a US-backed military offensive there that has claimed more than 700 lives and displaced nearly 400,000 people.

The Abu Sayyaf is known to behead its hostages unless ransom payments are made.

Abu Sayyaf militants are holding a total of 18 hostages, including 14 foreigners, Ms. Petinglay said. — AFP

Philippines hauls gold medals in triathlon

THE THIRD DAY of competition in the 29th Southeast Asian Games started well for the Philippines as it added to its gold medal haul care of triathlon.

Nikko Bryan Huelgas and Kim Mangrobang ruled the men’s and women’s triathlon events, respectively, to take the country’s gold medal tally to three, as of this writing, in addition to the one won by marathoner Mary Joy Tabal last Saturday.

Making it all the more special for the Philippines in triathlon was silver in the men’s and women’s events also went Team Philippines’ way with John Chicano and Claire Adorna finishing second to their compatriots.

Mr. Huelgas, who also won the event in the 2015 edition in Singapore, clocked in with a time of 1:59:30 to emerge on top anew.

Mr. Chicano came in at 2:01:27 to complete the 1-2 finish in the event that saw them go through a 1.5-kilometer swim, 40-km. bike ride and 10-km. run course.

Misses Mangrobang and Adorna then followed suit when they completed their own 1-2 finish in the women’s event. — MASM

9 killed, 10 hurt in Abu Sayyaf attack

MEMBERS OF the notorious Abu Sayyaf kidnap-for-ransom group killed nine people and injured ten others as they attacked a town in the Philippines at dawn Monday, burning houses in which women and children were sleeping, police said.

About 60 Abu Sayyaf members entered a town in their stronghold on Basilan island in the southern Mindanao region and began shooting, local police chief John F. Cundo told AFP.

“This is an act of terrorism and cowardice. When our forces engaged them in a 45-minute firefight and they felt our numbers and volume of fire they backed away and fled,” Mr. Cundo said.

“What is unfortunate is that women and children were affected as they were still sleeping when this happened.”

The militants burned four houses and a day care center in the town of Maluso, Mr. Cundo said, adding police and the military were conducting “hot pursuit” operations against the gunmen.

The Abu Sayyaf is a loose network of militants formed in the 1990s with seed money from Osama bin Laden’s Al-Qaeda network.

Its members have engaged in banditry and kidnapping, targeting foreigners in exchange for millions of dollars in ransom.

One faction based on Basilan has pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group.

It is not clear whether that faction was involved in Monday’s attack on Maluso, although its members are among militants who have been occupying since May parts of Marawi, the largely Catholic nation’s most important Islamic city.

The militants have withstood a US-backed military offensive in Marawi that has claimed more than 700 lives and displaced nearly 400,000 people.

President Rodrigo R. Duterte has imposed martial law across the southern third of the Philippines, including Basilan, to quell the militant threat.

Following Monday’s attack, residents evacuated their homes in fear and authorities sent more troops to secure the area, according to Mr. Cundo.

The Abu Sayyaf had launched similar attacks on the town in previous years, Mr. Cundo added.

The incident came a day after the military rescued a Vietnamese hostage of the Abu Sayyaf also on Basilan island after nine months in captivity. — AFP

Ten US sailors missing after sea crash

SINGAPORE — Ten US sailors were missing and five injured after their destroyer collided with a tanker east of Singapore early Monday, the second accident involving an American warship in two months.

The guided-missile destroyer USS John S. McCain arrived in Singapore Monday afternoon with a large hole torn in its hull after the pre-dawn accident sent water flooding into the vessel, the US Navy said.

A major search involving ships and aircraft from three countries was launched for the missing sailors after the warship collided with the Alnic MC near the Strait of Malacca.

“Significant damage to the hull resulted in flooding to nearby compartments, including crew berthing, machinery, and communications rooms,” the navy said in a statement, after the vessel arrived at Changi Naval Base in the city-state.

“Damage control efforts by the crew halted further flooding.”

A helicopter took four of the injured to a Singapore hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening while the fifth did not need further medical attention, the navy said.

The 505-foot (154-meter) vessel could still sail under its own power after the collision with the Liberian-flagged tanker at 5:24 a.m. (2124 GMT Sunday), which was slightly bigger at 600 feet (182 meters). Two other vessels escorted it into port, AFP journalists saw.

The warship had been heading for a routine stop in Singapore after carrying out a sensitive “freedom of navigation operation” in the disputed South China Sea earlier in August, sparking a furious response from Beijing.

The vessel is named after US Senator John McCain’s father and grandfather, who were both admirals in the US navy.

Mr. McCain said in a tweet that he and his wife “are keeping America’s sailors aboard the USS John S. McCain in our prayers tonight — appreciate the work of search & rescue crews.”

President Donald J. Trump initially said “that’s too bad” in response to reporters’ shouted questions about the collision, as he arrived back at the White House after a holiday.

He followed up with a Tweet: “Thoughts & prayers are w/ our @USNavy sailors aboard the #USSJohnSMcCain where search & rescue efforts are underway.”

In June, seven American sailors died when the destroyer USS Fitzgerald collided with a Philippine-flagged cargo ship in a busy channel in Japan.

AIR-SEA SEARCH
After Monday’s incident Singapore sent three tugboats and four navy and police coastguard vessels, neighboring Malaysia deployed eight ships and was set to send out aircraft, while US aircraft were also involved.

The ship involved in the accident was a tanker used for transporting oil and chemicals and weighed over 30,000 gross tons, according to industry website Marine Traffic.

It sustained some damage but no crew were injured, Singapore’s Maritime and Port Authority said. There were no reports of oil pollution and sea traffic in Singapore waters was unaffected.

The June collision happened in a busy channel not far from Yokosuka, a gateway to container ports in Tokyo and nearby Yokohama.

The dead sailors, aged 19 to 37, were found by divers in flooded sleeping berths a day after the collision tore a huge gash in the side of the Fitzgerald.

A senior admiral announced last week that the commander of the destroyer and several other officers had been relieved of their duties aboard their ship over the incident.

On August 10 the John S. McCain sailed within six nautical miles of Mischief Reef — an artificial island built by Beijing in the South China Sea, which forms part of the disputed Spratly Islands.

The foreign ministry in Beijing said it was “strongly dissatisfied” with the move, the latest by the US aimed at easing the Asian giant’s grip on the strategic waterway.

Both the USS John S. McCain and USS Fitzgerald are part of the US Seventh Fleet based in Yokosuka. — AFP

Lyceum goes for first-round NCAA sweep

By Michael Angelo S. Murillo
Reporter

HAVING it solid in Season 93 of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the Lyceum Pirates try to take it a notch higher by completing a sweep of their first-round assignments when they trek back to the hard court today at the FilOil Flying V Centre in San Juan City.

Lyceum goes for first-round NCAA sweep
The Lyceum Pirates shoot for a sweep of the first round of NCAA Season 93 when they take on the Mapua Cardinals today at the FilOil Flying V Centre in San Juan City. — ALVIN S. GO

Currently sporting a league-leading 8-0 card, the Intramuros-based Pirates look to make it 9-of-9 when they collide with the tail-ending Mapua Cardinals (1-6) in the scheduled 2 p.m. game while at the same time underscore some more their status as a legit title contender in the current season of the country’s longest-standing collegiate league.

Preceding the contest is the match between the College of St. Benilde Blazers (2-6) and Arellano Chiefs (2-5) at 12 noon while the Emilio Aguinaldo College Generals (3-5) take on the Perpetual Help Altas in the final seniors play of the day at 4 p.m.

Lyceum’s latest victory came last Friday over erstwhile streaking Letran Knights, 75-68, and it did so with coach Topex Robinson not on the sidelines as he served his one-game league suspension for getting ejected in their previous game.

Cameroonian Mike Nzeusseu stepped up big for the Pirates in the payoff period against Letran as they overhauled what was a commanding 17-point lead by the Knights en route to the victory.

The Lyceum big man poured most of his 13 points, 15 rebounds and three blocks in the final canto to frustrate their opponents.

CJ Perez top-scored for Lyceum with 14 points while JC Marcelino and Reymar Caduyac scored 13 and 12 points, respectively, in the win.

“I kept challenging him (Nzeusseu) to play more aggressive because Letran was getting tired,” said Lyceum assistant coach Jeff Perlas, who temporarily took over for Mr. Robinson, of Nzesseu’s showing in the payoff period.

The coach went on to give credit to his wards for showing composure even when things were not going their way early in the contest.

“I kept reminding them about composure and I’m happy the team showed it in the end,” said Mr. Perlas.

Out to thwart Lyceum in its push for a spotless first round are the Cardinals, who have lost in their last five games.

Atoy Co-coached Mapua has been having a hard time soaring in NCAA Season 93 with a lone victory to show for so far — a buzzer-beating victory over Letran in its second game.

The recent loss by the Cardinals was dealt by the defending champions San Beda Red Lions, 66-55, on Aug. 11 in a game that saw Mapua struggle sans recognized leader Andoy Estrella, who is out with an MCL (medial collateral ligament) injury.

Just the same, the Cardinals vowed to continue playing and give their all as the tournament moves along.

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