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Agri budget cut explanation sought

PHILIPPINE STAR/ MICHAEL VARCAS

THE GOVERNMENT should explain budget cuts to the agriculture sector’s proposed budget for 2025, a congressman said last week, adding that the House of Representatives should address potential spending issues by the Agriculture department.

The government is allotting P211.3 billion for agriculture next year, 4.7% less than this year’s budget. The bulk of the budget will be used to fund agriculture modernization efforts and cash aid to farmers and fisherfolk, according to a summary from the Budget department.

“In the coming budget deliberations, we will clarify in Congress the deductions and additional funding under the Department of Agriculture’s (DA) budget, and how we could use it to fund essential projects,” Party-list Rep. Wilbert T. Lee told BusinessWorld in a Viber Message in Filipino.

“Among the topics that should be discussed during the budget deliberations is DA’s underspending because an increase in funding is [pointless] if it’s not being used properly,” he added.

The government last week proposed a P6.352-trillion national budget for 2025, 10.1% higher than this year and equivalent to 22.1% of gross domestic product. — Kenneth Christiane L. Basilio

House sports bill pushed

THE PHILIPPINE Senate should act on a bill that seeks to support the grassroots sports scene by providing vouchers to homegrown athletes, a congressman said on Sunday.

This was after gymnast Carlos Edriel P. Yulo bagged a gold medal in the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris on Saturday.

“I hope Yulo’s triumph in Paris will also move our grassroots sports bill, which the House sent to the Senate months ago,” Party-list Rep. Alfred C. de los Santos said in a statement.

Mr. Yulo’s gymnastic performance earned the country the second-ever top prize in the Olympics after Hidilyn F. Diaz-Naranjo’s gold medal performance in weightlifting in the Tokyo Games three years ago.

The House of Representatives will give Mr. Yulo P3 million for winning the gold medal in the Paris Games, Speaker and Leyte Rep. Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez said.

He has also started a fundraising campaign among congressmen to give the gymnast an additional cash prize. — Kenneth Christiane L. Basilio

Davao eyes investment changes

BW FILE PHOTO

DAVAO CITY — The Davao City Investment and Promotion Center is proposing changes to the city’s Investment Incentive Code to attract more investments.

Christian Cambaya, the center’s unit head for Investor Assistance and Servicing, on Friday said the code would list the preferred investment area and provide tax incentives to potential investors.
He said there are 10 sectors under the preferred investment area including property development, tourism, agribusiness, tourism, technology, business process outsourcing, transportation and infrastructure.

He also said its partner, accounting firm Punongbayan and Araullo, would lead the review and study of the Incentive Code.

He said there are two components under the memorandum of agreement signed by the center and the accounting firm — the conduct of the study and a review of the Incentive Code. — Maya Padillo

Police, Army probe fatal ambush

FILIP ANDREJEVIC-UNSPLASH

COTABATO CITY — Policemen and Army intelligence agents are working together in trying to identify the suspects in a fatal ambush of the vice mayor of South Upi in Maguindanao del Sur and his security aide on Friday.

Brigadier General Prexy D. Tanggawohn, director of the Police Regional Office-Bangsamoro Autonomous Region, and Major General Antonio G. Nafarrete, commander of the Army’s Six Infantry Division, separately told reporters on Sunday that they have enlisted the help of local officials in identifying the gunmen behind the killing of Vice Mayor Roldan D. Benito and his private bodyguard, Weng S. Marcos.

Mr. Benito’s wife and a minor were hurt in the shooting.

The victims were in a pick-up truck on their way to the village center when their attackers, armed with assault rifles opened fire.

Village officials had told reporters that the victims, both wounded, had managed to get out of their vehicle and tried to crawl away. — John Felix M. Unson

PhilHealth fund transfer questioned

PHILIPPINE STAR/MICHAEL VARCAS

A PROPOSAL to transfer P90 billion in excess funds from the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) to the National Government may be subject to abuse and corruption, a labor leader said.

“Any ordinary worker would struggle to understand why PhilHealth holds P500 billion in massive reserves while providing minimal benefits,” Jose Sonny G. Matula, chairman of Nagkaisa Labor Coalition, told BusinessWorld on Saturday

“It’s especially infuriating that this happened despite PhilHealth having a huge reserve. Worse, it happened right after PhilHealth increased the premium from 4% to 5% this year, even as many workers were barely surviving on poverty wages,” he added.

Plaintiffs led by Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Martin “Koko” D. Pimentel III on Friday asked the Supreme Court to stop the transfer of the PhilHealth funds to the National Government and void a Finance department circular allowing it.

“Legal due diligence was exercised through coordination with the Governance Commission of GOCCs, the Office of the Government Corporate Counsel and the Commission on Audit (CoA), all of which have issued a favorable opinion on its legality,” Finance Secretary Ralph G. Recto said in a statement last week.

“The main argument of the government is that these are ‘sleeping’ funds that incur substantial opportunity costs if left unused,” Leonardo A. Lanzona, an economics professor at the Ateneo de Manila University, said in a Facebook Messenger chat. “This argument works depending on where it is used.” — Chloe Mari A. Hufana

Villegas assured of boxing bronze

AIRA VILLEGAS — REUTERS

Advances to semifinals against Turkey’s Cakiroglu

PARIS, France — Deep into the night in a glorious Saturday, drew motivation from fallen teammates and made the day even brighter for Team Philippines with a great escape versus a home bet.

Her fate in the air after two rounds of a slam bang clash, Aira Villegas decided she won’t let her chances go away, braving on, fighting on and eventually winning one of the fiercest and closest fights in the 2024 Olympics boxing competition at the North Paris Arena.

Ms. Villegas took a 3-2 split decision versus France’s Wassila Lkhadiri in their 50kg quarterfinals bout, assuring herself of at least a bronze and putting a lock on a multi-medal show for Team Philippines in the Paris Games following the historic golden performance of gymnast Carlos Yulo in floor exercise earlier in the day.

The Tacloban native Ms. Villegas delivered a clutch third-round and advanced to the semifinals versus Turkey’s Buse Naz Cakiroglu with a shot at the gold-medal bout versus the winner of the other semi pitting Chinese Wu Yu and Kazakhstan Nazym Kyzaibay.

And Ms. Villegas did redeem herself from her loss to Ms. Lkhadiri in their previous fight, beating the Frenchwoman in her home turf and making it 2-0 for the Philippines versus France in head-on clashes in the boxing competition.

The day earlier, 57kg fighter Nesthy Petecio clipped another French in Amina Zidani, 4-1.

Ms. Villegas was a highly charged fighter while setting out for battle versus Ms. Lkhadiri.

She was inspired by Mr. Yulo’s great triumph in the gymnastics hall just hours earlier and was burning with a desire to make up for the losses of friends and teammates Eumir Marcial and Carlo Paalam.

Messrs. Marcial and Paalam were Tokyo Olympics medalists three years ago who failed to progress to the medal rounds here.

Mr. Marcial was stunned by Uzbekistan’s Turabek Khabibullaev in the Round of 16 while Mr. Paalam bid his medal hopes goodbye with a heartbreaking loss to Australia’s Charlie Senior in the men’s 57 kg quarterfinals.

A dark pall descended on the Filipinos in the boxing hall just as tears of joy flowed in the gymnastics arena on Mr. Yulo’s victory.

The day ended a big, big one for Team Philippines on Ms. Villegas’ victory. — Nelson Beltran

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