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Filipinos were up to their seats to witness history

CARLOS YULO — REUTERS

INSTEAD of going to bed at the late hours of rainy Saturday night, millions of Filipinos back home were up to their seats on all available platforms, live and on-demand, to witness history — or not.

The gamble — and the wait — paid off as Carlos “Caloy” Yulo, albeit thousands of miles away, did not disappoint in tumbling his way to a coveted gold medal in the floor exercise event of the Paris Olympics men’s gymnastics.

Already the greatest Filipino gymnast of all time with a bevy of titles in the Asian and world championship levels, Mr. Yulo became only the second Filipino Olympic gold medalist and first Southeast Asian gymnast to ever scale the Mt. Olympus.

And who else stood at the forefront of the congratulatory list but his predecessor, Hidilyn Diaz-Naranjo, gold winner of weightlifting in Tokyo in 2021 to snap a 97-year wait for the Philippines.

“For you, Caloy. I’m proud of you. Enjoy it,” beamed Ms. Diaz-Naranjo in the wee hours of Sunday when the Philippines was wide awake after Mr. Yulo secured his place in the books after a couple of misses and heartbreaks.

It was only two years ago when Ms. Diaz-Naranjo finally shattered the floodgates for the sports-crazed Filipino nation, fueling the drive of local athletes.

It did not take long for a follow-up on that trail with Mr. Yulo, after a heartbreaking fourth-place finish in Tokyo to miss the podium by 0.017 point, taking care of business in the Philippines’ 100-year anniversary of Olympic participation.

In Paris, even the members of the 22-strong Philippine delegation tuned in, either from the Athletes Village or at the venue proper, to Mr. Yulo’s golden leap.

“Our first Paris Olympics Gold Medal. Congratulations,” said Mr. Marcial, a bronze medalist in Tokyo but had an early exit in Paris.

Following his glory in France that became a trending topic on all social media platforms worldwide, Mr. Yulo became a rockstar with lines of foreigners trying to get a photo opportunity and secure a photograph.

Back home where a truckload of rewards await him, he’s a hero for an army of Filipinos, who will rally behind him once more in his quest for a second gold medal in the vault finals.

Bed time can wait. For Filipinos here, all will be praying at the same hour for the same results. — John Bryan Ulanday

Yulo stands to receive a lot of cash and in kind

CARLOS YULO — PHILIPPINE STAR/JUN MENDOZA

CHRISTMAS came rushing like a bullet train early for Olympic king Carlos “Caloy” Yulo.

As of press time yesterday, Mr. Yulo, who just Saturday night delivered the country’s second Olympic gold in men’s floor exercise, stands to receive at least P23 million in cash and at least a plush, P24-million-worth two-room condominium unit from Megaworld in McKinley Hill and a house and lot in Tagaytay City courtesy of Philippine Olympic Committee President Abraham Tolentino.

The Manny V. Pangilinan Sports Foundation (MVPSF) will double, if not add more, to the P10 million incentives a Filipino Olympic gold medalist will receive from the government by law through the Expanded Athletes’ Incentives Act, which means that’s instantly an easy P20 million for Mr. Yulo.

“In the past, MVPSF has matched the government incentive,” a source yesterday told The STAR.

The same source said it will be no less than Filipino businessman and avid sports patron Manny V. Pangilinan himself will make the official announcement anytime soon.

“There are more,” the same insider added.

Mr. Pangilinan added P10 million to the incentive reaped by weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz-Naranjo when she delivered the country’s breakthrough Olympic mint in the Tokyo Games three years ago.

Earlier in the day, Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez said the House of Representatives have pledged P3 million to Mr. Yulo. And that is not counting the goods, which included a lifetime free eat-all-you-can meal at Vikings.

In all, more than P50 million in cash plus house and lots, condo units, cars and goods and leisure packages from local airlines was given to Ms. Diaz-Naranjo.

Imagine if Mr. Yulo strikes gold again in the men’s vault finals at press time.

That would be double the fun. — Joey Villar

EJ Obiena ready to do battle in pole vault final

EJ OBIENA — REUTERS

PARIS, France — For the second straight Olympics, EJ Obiena vies in pole vault final, promising one thing.

“I’m just going to do my thing, make the right things,” said Mr. Obiena ahead of the colossal aerial showdown in athletics events at the Stade de France at 7 p.m. Monday here.

The nation is with Mr. Obiena in his hopes to etch his name in history.

He’s bidding to be the second Filipino to win an Olympic medal in athletics after Simeon Toribio snatched bronze in high jump back in the 1932 Los Angeles Games.

Mr. Obiena, the world No. 2, is up against familiar opponents, with supernova titleholder Armand “Mondo” Duplantis of Sweden leading the 12-man cast.

Based on the starting vault distance called by the players in the qualifying round, Messrs. Duplantis, Obiena and Greek Emmanouil Karalis are the strongest bets.

It could well be a tough battle, with Team Philippines hopeful Mr. Obiena will be up to it. “No injuries issue. Things are beginning to fall in the right places. He was able to make quick adjustments on the field. He is ready to do battle,” said Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association President Terry Capistrano.

In surviving a scare right in his opening frame Saturday, Mr. Obiena has since relaxed, a bit loose but with his mind focused on the task at hand.

And he’s confident he’s to do okay with his legendary coach Vitaly Petrov as his guiding light.

“I trust my coach with my life. We’ll see what he plans,” said Mr. Obiena, helped by Mr. Petrov in a gambit move to survive trouble in the qualifying.

And it’s a brand-new game where he vies in a field also including Sondre Guttormsen of Norway, Turkey’s Ersu Sasma, Germany’s Oleg Zernikel, the Netherlands’ Memmo Vloon, American Sam Kendricks, China’s Huang Bokai, another German Bo Kanda Baehre, Latvia’s Valters Kreiss and Australian Kurtis Marschall.

No doubt, Mr. Duplantis, who has been in a streak of record-breaking feats with a best of 6.24m, is the outstanding favorite.

Mr. Obiena, meanwhile, has a season best of 5.97m, Karalis has 5.93, Sasma 5.82, Zernikel 5.82, Vloon 5.84, Kendricks 5.95, Marschall 5.87.

These guys are those in the list of Top 20 pole vaulters with Top 10 performances in 2024. And they are the ones likely to slug it out in the fight for podium finishes.

It could go down to a moment of one miss and an Olympic dream dies. A leap of faith could spell ultimate glory in the Games. — Nelson Beltran

Bad actors

If there’s anything that the controversy over Imane Khelif’s win over Angela Carini in the Paris Olympics showed, it’s that hindsight always offers 20/20 vision. Immediately after the 66-kilogram division bout, charges of unfair competition were leveled against the victor for her supposedly questionable sex. Never mind that she was born female, and had been competing on the distaff side since she started representing Algeria internationally in 2018. It was all that should have been relevant to underscore her eligibility, especially as the flag bearer of a Muslim nation where gender switching is illegal.

Certainly, Carini’s actions didn’t help. The Italian lasted all of 46 seconds in the ring, refusing to fight after getting clocked twice because, as she noted in her post-mortem, “I felt a severe pain in the nose, and with the maturity of a boxer, I said ‘enough,” because I didn’t want to, I didn’t want to, I couldn’t finish the match.” Well, considering how she comported herself after officially abandoning the set-to, those from the outside looking in can also contend that she said too much. It was bad enough that she refused to shake hands with Khelif at the end of the bout. She then claimed that “I’ve never been hit so hard in my life. Its up to the [International Olympic Committee] to judge is this fight was fair.”

News flash: The Round of 16 bout pushed through precisely because the IOC deemed it fair, just as the body allowed Khelif to represent Algeria in the Tokyo Games. Carini was being disingenuous at best with her cryptic remarks, leaving enough room for plausible deniability. That she then used said room to extricate herself from the fire she fueled after public sentiment went against her speaks volumes. “I’m sorry for my opponent. If the IOC said she can fight, I respect that decision. It wasn’t something I intended to do. Actually, I want to apologize to her and everyone else. I was angry because my Olympics had gone up in smoke,” she said.

Khelif has moved on, notably winning her quarterfinal round contest against Anna Luca Hamori of Hungary to ensure a medal finish in the Games. Given the degree of abuse and vitriol she withstood between her ring appearances, her triumph is nothing short of remarkable. That said, it’s also nothing short of a shame that she will remember her time under the spotlight with mixed feelings. All because an opponent dared question her, and all because keyboard warriors saw fit to cast aspersions on her being in utter disregard of facts. Winning shouldn’t be everything. Unfortunately, for bad actors, winning is the only thing.

 

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.

Biden hopes Iran will stand down but is uncertain

UNSPLASH

WILMINGTON, Del./RAMALLAH — US President Joseph R. Biden expressed hope Iran would stand down despite its threat to avenge the assassination of Hamas’ leader in Tehran, as fears mounted that Israel’s war against Palestinian militants in Gaza could escalate into a wider Middle East conflict.

Regional tensions have soared following the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, Hamas’ top leader, on Wednesday, a day after an Israeli strike in Beirut killed Fuad Shukr, a senior military commander from the Lebanese group Hezbollah, which like Hamas is backed by Iran.

Iran and Hamas have blamed Israel for Mr. Haniyeh’s killing, and they, together with Hezbollah, have vowed revenge. Israel has not claimed or denied responsibility.

Asked by reporters whether Iran would stand down, Mr. Biden said on Saturday in response to a shouted question, “I hope so. I don’t know.”

Seeking to bolster defenses in the Middle East in response to threats from Israel’s foes, the Pentagon said on Friday it would deploy additional fighter jets and Navy warships to the region.

Mr. Haniyeh’s death was one in a series of killings of senior Hamas figures as the Gaza war nears its 11th month, and it fueled concern that the conflict in Gaza was turning into a wider Middle East war.

Hamas said it had begun a “broad consultation process” to choose a new leader three days after the assassination of Mr. Haniyeh, who was the face of the group’s international diplomacy.

The US and international partners including France, Britain, Italy and Egypt continued diplomatic contacts on Saturday seeking to prevent further regional escalation.

The US urged its citizens who wish to leave Lebanon to start making plans immediately, and the British government advised its nationals to “leave now.” Canada warned citizens to avoid all travel to Israel, saying the regional armed conflict endangered security.

VIOLENCE IN GAZA AND WEST BANK
Violence continued on Saturday in the Palestinian territories.

An Israeli airstrike on a school sheltering displaced persons in Gaza City killed at least 15 Palestinians on Saturday, hours after two strikes in the occupied West Bank killed nine militants including a local Hamas commander, Hamas said.

The Israeli military said the first of two West Bank airstrikes hit a vehicle in a town near the city of Tulkarm, targeting a militant cell it said was on its way to carry out an attack.

A Hamas statement said one of those killed was a commander of its Tulkarm brigades, while its ally Islamic Jihad claimed the other four men who died in the strike as its fighters.

Hours later, a second airstrike in the area targeted another group of militants who had fired on troops, Israel’s military said, during what it described as a counterterrorism operation in Tulkarm.

Palestinian news agency WAFA said four people had died in that strike, and Hamas said all nine of those killed in the two Israeli attacks in the West Bank were fighters.

At least 39,550 Palestinians have been killed in the Israeli military campaign in Gaza, according to Gaza health officials. The offensive was triggered by a Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7 in which 1,200 people were killed and 250 abducted, according to Israeli tallies.

A high-level Israeli delegation made a brief visit to Cairo on Saturday in an attempt to resume Gaza ceasefire negotiations, Egyptian airport authority sources said. The Israeli officials returned to Israel hours later, Israeli media said.

Chances of a breakthrough appear low following the latest incidents in Lebanon and Iran.

Israel has not said whether or not it was behind Mr. Haniyeh’s assassination. But Mr. Netanyahu said earlier this week that Israel had delivered crushing blows to Iran’s proxies of late, including Hamas and Hezbollah. — Reuters

Renewed rioting sweeps British cities in wake of child murders

FAR RIGHT PROTESTORS shout behind police a cordon in Liverpool, Britain, Aug. 3, 2024. — REUTERS

LIVERPOOL, England/BELFAST — Violent disorder swept across several British cities on Saturday, injuring police and damaging property in the most widespread rioting in the country for 13 years, following the murder of three young girls in northwest England.

Riots involving hundreds of anti-immigration protesters have erupted in towns and cities after false information spread rapidly on social media that the suspect in Monday’s knife attack at a children’s dance class in Southport was a radical Muslim migrant.

Police have said the suspect, Axel Rudakubana, 17, was born in Britain but protests by anti-immigration and anti-Muslim demonstrators have continued, descending into violence, arson and looting.

Violent disorder erupted in Liverpool, Bristol, Hull and Belfast — four cities located in different corners of the United Kingdom — with scuffles breaking out and bricks and bottles thrown as anti-immigration protesters faced groups opposed to racism. Many police officers suffered injuries as they tried to keep several hundred rival protesters — largely young men who were chanting slogans — from clashing.

In Liverpool, two officers were in hospital with suspected facial fractures while another was pushed from his motorbike and assaulted in the disorder involving some 750 protesters and a similar number of rival protesters, Merseyside Police, the force overseeing the northwestern city, said.

At least two shops in Liverpool were vandalized and looted, police added.

Similar scenes were witnessed in the southwestern city of Bristol although anti-racist protesters outnumbered anti-immigration groups, with TV footage showing them facing off with police in riot gear.

In Belfast, some businesses reported damage to property while at least one was set on fire, according to police.

“I have no reason why they attacked us,” said Rahmi Akyol, standing outside the shattered glass doors of his cafe in Belfast, which he said was attacked by dozens of people with bottles and chairs.

“I’ve lived here 35 years. My kids, my wife is from here. I don’t know what to say, it’s terrible,” he said.

Across Britain, police have arrested dozens of individuals for offences ranging from violent disorder to burglary and criminal damage.

Extra police have been deployed across cities while mosques across the country have been advised to strengthen security following an attack on a mosque in Southport on Tuesday.

‘UNFORGIVABLE VIOLENCE’
Prime Minister Keir Starmer, facing his first big test since his election a month ago, has condemned the “far-right” for the wave of violence and backed police to take strong action. He discussed the disorder with senior ministers on Saturday, his office said.

The last time riots erupted in Britain was in 2011 when a much larger outbreak of violence took hold, with thousands of people taking to the streets for five nights after police shot dead a Black man in London.

On Friday night, hundreds of anti-immigration demonstrators in Sunderland threw stones at police in riot gear near a mosque, before overturning vehicles, setting a car alight and starting a fire near a police station.

“This was not a protest. This was unforgivable violence and disorder,” Mark Hall, chief police superintendent of the Sunderland area, told reporters on Saturday. — Reuters

Trump proposes alternative election debate on Fox News but Harris says no

UNITED STATES VICE PRESIDENT Kamala Harris speaks at her Presidential Campaign headquarters in Wilmington, Delaware, US, July 22, 2024. — ERIN SCHAFF/POOL VIA REUTERS

ATLANTA — Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump proposed to debate Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris on Fox News on Sept. 4, but the Harris campaign countered that Mr. Trump was trying to back out of a debate that had already been set to run on ABC.

The rules would be similar to the first debate with President Joseph R. Biden, who has since dropped his reelection bid, Mr. Trump said in a post on Truth Social late on Friday. But this time it would have a “full arena audience” and take place in the battleground state of Pennsylvania, Mr. Trump said.

Mr. Trump and Mr. Biden had agreed to a second debate on Sept. 10 on ABC News, which the former president had suggested should be moved to Fox, the most popular network with his followers.

Ms. Harris, who on Friday secured the delegate votes needed to clinch the Democratic nomination for the Nov. 5 election, said on Saturday she plans to participate in the originally planned debate.

“It’s interesting how ‘any time, any place’ becomes ‘one specific time, one specific safe space,’” she wrote on social media platform X. “I’ll be there on Sept. 10, like he agreed to. I hope to see him there.”

Ms. Harris’ spokesperson Michael Tyler said Mr. Trump was “running scared” and that her campaign was happy to discuss further debates after the Sept. 10 one that “both campaigns have already agreed to.”

On Saturday, Mr. Trump said on Truth Social that Ms. Harris is “afraid to do it” and that he will see her on Sept. 4, “or, I won’t see her at all.”

Both candidates have been crisscrossing the country aggressively, with Mr. Trump trying out fresh lines of attack against Ms. Harris, who some polls show is in a virtual dead heat with the former president.

At a rally in Atlanta on Saturday night, Mr. Trump attacked Ms. Harris’ character and the policies she has promoted as vice president, and he continued to raise questions about her racial identity.

On Thursday, Mr. Trump had falsely suggested to the country’s largest annual gathering of Black journalists that Ms. Harris had downplayed her Black heritage. Harris, who is of Indian and Jamaican heritage, has long self-identified as both Black and Asian. She attended a traditionally Black university, where she joined a prominent Black sorority.

Mr. Trump, speaking at the same stadium where Ms. Harris held a rally on Tuesday, said on Saturday that there were “19 different ways” of pronouncing Harris’ first name, while also calling her a “lunatic” with a “low IQ.” Before  Mr. Trump took the stage, his campaign displayed an article on a large screen referring to Ms. Harris as the “first Indian-American senator.”

The former president also dedicated much of his speech to attacking Georgia’s Republican governor, Brian Kemp, and the state’s Republican secretary of state, Brad Raffensperger. Both men drew Mr. Trump’s wrath for failing to overturn Mr. Trump’s election loss to Mr. Biden in Georgia in 2020.

Mr. Trump’s combative performance contrasts with the advice of some senior Republicans who have called on him to avoid attacks on Ms. Harris’ identity and friendly fire directed at conservatives.

Following Mr. Trump’s speech, the Harris campaign released a statement by Geoff Duncan, the Republican lieutenant governor of Georgia from 2019 to 2023 and a vocal Trump critic.

“If you were able to see through Donald Trump’s incoherence and vindictiveness tonight, you saw a Donald Trump who does not care about uniting this country or speaking to the voters who will decide this election,” Mr. Duncan said.

DEBATE ‘TERMINATED’?
In his Friday post on Truth Social, Mr. Trump said the ABC debate had been “terminated in that Mr. Biden will no longer be a participant” and because he himself was in litigation with ABC.

ABC on July 26 outlined qualification requirements for the debate but did not mention any candidates by name. Those requirements include proving polling support and state ballot access by Sept. 3.

Recent polls show a tight contest between Ms. Harris and Mr. Trump, who had opened a clear lead over Mr. Biden after the president’s fumbling, halting performance first debate.

ABC News had no comment about Mr. Trump’s statement, a spokesperson said. Fox News did not respond to a request for comment.

Mr. Trump’s proposal for the debate on Fox came right after the Democratic National Committee launched an advertising campaign taunting him by saying “the convicted felon is afraid to debate” and questioning whether that is due to his stance on abortion.

David Plouffe, an adviser to former President Barack Obama who recently joined the Harris campaign, posted on social media: “Now, he seems only comfortable in a cocoon, asking his happy place Fox to host a Trump rally and call it a debate. Maybe he can only handle debating someone his own age.”

Mr. Trump is 78, and Ms. Harris is 59. — Reuters

California wildfire now fourth largest in state history

THE McDougall Creek wildfire burns next to houses in the Okanagan community of West Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada, Aug. 19, 2023. — REUTERS

MORE than 6,000 firefighters in California’s Central Valley continued to battle the largest blaze in the US on Saturday, which burned its way into the history books as the state’s fourth-largest conflagration on record.

There was barely a taste of rain on Saturday from thunderstorms that brought wind and rainfall of zero to one-tenth of an inch, forecasters said.

The heat of 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 Celsius) along with winds up to 25 mph or more in some spots, offered little relief to the firefighters trying to contain the Park Fire, scorching the wilderness terrain some 100 miles (161 km) north of Sacramento, the state capital.

“We had some thunderstorms that just brought us down-drafts, that’s a problem,” said Christopher Young, a spokesman for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire. “Lightning is a factor we worry about.”

Blazes from the Park Fire, started by an alleged arsonist who pushed a flaming car down a 60-foot gully near Chico, California, on July 24, has since burned more than 400,000 acres (162,200 hectares) or more than 600 square miles, an area larger than the city of Los Angeles.

The 42-year-old man arrested had not entered a plea as of Saturday, but was charged with arson and held without bail, officials said.

More than 560 homes and other structures were destroyed since the blaze started 11 days ago, feeding off of downed timber and tinder-dry grass and brush. The fire was 27% contained on Saturday, officials said.

More than 4,000 people were evacuated in the Park Fire including retiree Jim Young, 65, of Red Bluff, California, where he lived in a trailer home with his dog, a black Labrador Retriever named Sparky.

He and the dog spent the last eight days camped out with some other families in a gravel lot at a wilderness trailhead about 6 miles from his home, worrying every day if it was safe.

“We just found out we can go home,” Mr. Young told Reuters on Saturday evening. “Our property is safe. So many lost everything. But me and Sparky can go home now.”

The rough, wilderness terrain means it takes two to three hours to reach the fire lines, officials said. Some firefighters are being flown to the front lines by helicopters, with some expected to stay there for days with supplies also flown in.

The national wildfire season has had an intense start, raising the risk of stretching firefighting resources too thin. The National Interagency Fire Center has already requested help from firefighters in Australia and New Zealand, who will arrive starting Aug. 7 and deploy to Oregon and Washington. — Reuters

Carlos Yulo wins historic gold for Philippines with floor exercise title

CARLOS YULO — REUTERS

PARIS — Carlos Edriel Yulo produced a spectacular performance to win the men’s floor exercise final at the Paris Games on Saturday, earning Philippines their first-ever Olympic medal in gymnastics.

Mr. Yulo’s gold medal is also only the second-ever top prize won by the Philippines across both the Summer and Winter Games, and the first in the men’s category. Weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz struck gold in Tokyo three years ago.

“I don’t know what to say,” the 24-year-old, who just missed the podium at the Tokyo 2020 Games, said.

“We are a really small country… So to be able to get a gold medal for us is big for us, huge. I dedicate this to the Filipino people also who supported me.”

Mr. Yulo opened with a tumbling pass that featured a high-flying 2-1/2 double piked front somersault and rounded off the dynamic display with an astonishing 3-1/2 twisting forward somersault.

When he stuck his final landing, he punched the air with both fists, let out a huge roar and then saluted the hollering crowd that had leapt to their feet to applaud the virtuoso performance.

He scored 15.000 points, edging out Tokyo champion Artem Dolgopyat of Israel by just 0.034 of a point.

Top qualifier Jake Jarman of Britain settled for third, just 0.067 of a point adrift of the gold medal spot after committing small landing errors on his tumbles.

When the final score flashed on the big screen at Bercy Arena, Mr. Yulo, overcome with emotion, covered his face with his hands as he broke down in tears and collapsed to the ground.

Filipino athletes at the Paris Games have been promised a fully furnished, two-bedroom condominium in Taguig City if they win a gold medal.

Mr. Yulo said he was grateful for the reward, but that it was secondary to the world title he had just won.

“It’s just a bonus for me. And this is what really matters,” he said, clutching the medal around his neck.

“My hard work and the people who really helped me. I know my success is also their success… I’m happy that I won gold. And I also won a house,” he said, laughing.

Mr. Yulo, who trained for seven years in Japan due to a lack of opportunity back home, said he hoped his historic win would open the door for children in the Philippines to take up the sport.

“Hopefully gymnastics in the country will grow,” he said. — Reuters

Philippines, Japan militaries hold first joint exercises in South China Sea

PHILIPPINE STAR/EDD GUMBAN

 – The Philippines and Japan held their first joint military exercises in the South China Sea on Friday, the Philippine armed forces said, in the latest collaboration between countries that have pushed back against China‘s regional assertiveness.

The drills, which took place within the Philippines‘ exclusive economic zone, followed similar exercises between Manila and Washington on Wednesday.

“This activity was part of the ongoing efforts to strengthen regional and international cooperation towards realizing a free and open Indo-Pacific,” the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said in a statement.

The Philippines and Japan, both US allies, last month signed a landmark military pact allowing deployment of forces on each other’s soil.

China claims as its territory much of the South China Sea, a conduit for the bulk of northeast Asia’s trade with the rest of the world in which Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam also have claims.

Japan, which announced last year its biggest military build-up since World War Two in a step away from post-war pacifism, does not have any claims to the busy waterway.

But it has a separate maritime dispute with China in the East China Sea, where the neighbors have repeatedly faced off.

The latest exercise, which included two vessels from each side, included a communications exercise, tactical maneuvering, and a photographic exercise, the AFP said. – Reuters

BoI greenlights P202.97 billion investments in July

The Board of Investments (BoI) approved P202.97 billion worth of investment in July, up 24038% from the P840.9 million investments approved in the same month last year.
In a statement on Friday, the BoI said that 30 projects were greenlighted last month which are expected to generate 8,931 direct jobs.
Last month’s approval brought the first seven months’ approval to P1.15 trillion, representing an increase of 65% from P699 billion in the same period a year ago.
“Our target is clear: to hit and even surpass P1.6 trillion in approved investments this year,” said Trade Undersecretary and BoI Managing Head Ceferino S. Rodolfo.
“With the momentum we have built, we are confident in achieving and exceeding this goal, driving economic development,” he added. – Justine Irish DP Tabile

Marcos appoints Trade Usec Cristina Roque as Acting Secretary

DTI Undersecretary Cristina Roque
Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Undersecretary for MSME (micro, small, and medium enterprises) Development Group Ma. Cristina A. Roque was appointed as the acting secretary of DTI, according to the Palace.
In a statement, the Presidential Communications Office (PCO) said that President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. appointed Ms. Roque following outgoing Secretary Alfredo E. Pascual’s resignation effective Aug. 2.
“Undersecretary Roque has been instrumental in leading the MSME Development Group within DTI, executing various programs and initiatives focused on MSMEs,” the PCO said.
It added that the President sees Ms. Roque’s dedication and leadership in the MSME sector make her an excellent choice for the position. – Justine Irish DP. Tabile