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27 villages, public offices get free Wi-Fi in Mt. Province

FREEPIK

BAGUIO CITY — At least twenty-seven barangays and local government offices have become beneficiaries of the government’s “Free Wi-Fi for All Program” in Mt. Province.

The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) handed over the Starlink Wi-Fi equipment to the villages, the Provincial Planning and Development Office, the Sadanga Municipal Hall, and the Bontoc Market Vendors Association during hand-over rites on Feb. 6 at the Governor Leonard Mayaen Sports Complex in Bontoc, the provincial capital.

The beneficiary barangays are Fiangtin and Macalana in Barlig; Balintaugan, Bagnen Oriente, Bagnen Proper, and Mabaay in Bauko; Tamboan and Soquib in Besao; Alab Proper, Balili, and Bayyo in Bontoc; Banawel, Pudo, and Sta. Isabel in Natonin; Capinitan, Data, and Tambingan in Sabangan; Madongo, Pide, Tetepan, and Patay in Sagada; and Cagubatan, Pandayan, and Tue in Tadian.

DICT-Cordillera Regional Director Engr. Reynaldo T. Sy explained DICT’s Free Wi-Fi for All Program is a digital empowerment program that aims to connect people through fast, free, and secure internet access Wi-Fi in public places and in difficult-to-reach areas.

Following the handover, the DICT spearheaded a one-day training for the installation and maintenance of the Low Earth Orbit Satellite for the beneficiaries.

The DICT Provincial Office will provide further assistance to the beneficiaries regarding concerns and issues with the free Wi-Fi program.

According to the DICT, at least 68 barangays in Mt. Province earlier benefitted from the Free Wi-Fi for All Program. — Artemio A. Dumlao

2 killed, 3 hurt in Cotabato gun attacks

MAX KLEINEN-UNSPLASH

COTABATO CITY — Two Moro villagers were killed, while three others were wounded in separate gun attacks in two adjoining towns in Cotabato province within just two days.

The first to perish in the three atrocities is Bayan M. Pangulagoy, killed in an ambush on Saturday afternoon in Barangay Punol in Pikit, Cotabato.

Ranking officials of the Cotabato Provincial Police Office told reporters on Monday that Mr. Pangulagoy and his cousin, Mohaimen, were riding a motorcycle together when a man armed with an M16 assault rifle opened fire as they got close. Mr. Pangulagoy’s cousin was wounded in the attack.

Another Moro villager, Johari P. Santi, was killed when gunmen fired assault rifles at their house in Barangay Dalingaoen in Pikit at about midnight on Saturday.

Col. Gilbert B. Tuzon, Cotabato provincial police director, said the wife of the slain Mr. Santi, a farmer, was seriously wounded in the incident.

A Muslim preacher, Ustadz Hasim M. Suboh, was critically wounded in another ambush on Sunday morning in Barangay Salunayan in Midsayap, Cotabato.

Officials of the Midsayap Municipal Police Station said Mr. Suboh, a resident of Barangay Tumbras, was riding his motorcycle, when men waiting at one side of the road shot him with .45 caliber pistols and hurriedly fled.

The wounded Mr. Suboh was immediately brought to a hospital by policemen and barangay officials who responded to the incident. — John Felix M. Unson

Mt. Province cannabis plantation torched

SHELBY IRELAND-UNSPLASH

BAGUIO CITY — Authorities, led by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) in the Cordillera, torched down a total of P3.06 million worth of marijuana shrubs, and dried leaves at an illicit plantation at Mount Chalimuno, in Saclit, Sadanga, Mt. Province on Sunday.

At least 10,500 fully grown marijuana plants growing on a lot of around 1,500 square meters and valued at P2.1 million, including dried marijuana leaves and fruiting tops weighing approximately 3000 grams, 5 bricks of dried marijuana leaves, worth roughly P960,000, went up in smoke, said PDEA-Cordillera Director Derrick Carreon.

No cultivator was caught during the raid. — Artemio A. Dumlao

Eagles win Super Bowl LIX

PHILADELPHIA EAGLES owner Jeffrey Lurie lifts the Vince Lombardi Trophy as he celebrates after winning Super Bowl LIX alongside Jalen Hurts and head coach Nick Sirianni. — BRIAN SNYDER/REUTERS

NEW ORLEANS — The Philadelphia Eagles earned their second Super Bowl championship in franchise history on Sunday, using two first-half interceptions to build a 24-0 halftime lead and defeat the Kansas City Chiefs 40-22 at Super Bowl LIX in the Caesars Superdome.

The Eagles, who had previously won Super Bowl LII 41-33 against the New England Patriots, got after Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes to the tune of six sacks and a fumble as well as two interceptions, limiting Kansas City to six points through 57 minutes.

Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts completed 17 of 22 passes for 221 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. He also led the team in rushing with 72 yards and a score on 11 carries. He helped Philadelphia exact revenge on Kansas City after the Eagles lost to the Chiefs 38-35 in Super Bowl LVII two years ago.

Rookie wide receiver Xavier Worthy hauled in eight catches for 157 yards and two touchdowns for the Chiefs, who were emphatically prevented from becoming the first team in NFL history to win three straight Super Bowls.

Philadelphia’s Saquon Barkley, the NFL Offensive Player of the Year, celebrated his 28th birthday by setting two NFL records in the first half, becoming the single-season scrimmage yards leader (regular season plus playoffs) on his first carry before breaking the single-season rushing yards record on the final play of the first half.

Barkley finished with 57 yards rushing on 25 carries and added six catches for 40 yards. Across the regular season and postseason, Barkley finished with 2,857 yards from scrimmage and 2,504 rushing yards to break both records, previously held by the Denver Broncos’ Terrell Davis (1998).

After back-to-back sacks of Mahomes during a second-quarter drive, Eagles rookie defensive back Cooper DeJean, who was also celebrating a birthday (his 22nd), broke in front of a pass and returned his interception 38 yards for a touchdown with 7:03 left in the second quarter to stake Philadelphia to a 17-0 lead.

Two drives later, edge rusher Josh Sweat, who finished with 2 1/2 sacks, pressured Mahomes into his second interception, which linebacker Zack Baun collected at the Chiefs’ 14-yard line. Two plays after that, Hurts found A.J. Brown for a 12-yard touchdown, putting the Chiefs in a 24-0 hole with 1:35 left in the half.

The Eagles went up 27-0 on Jake Elliott’s 29-yard field goal, and after the Chiefs failed on a fourth-down attempt, Hurts found DeVonta Smith alone behind the defense for a 46-yard scoring play and a 34-0 lead.

Mahomes, who completed 21 of 32 passes for 257 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions, finally got the Chiefs on the board with a 24-yard scoring pass to Worthy with 34 seconds left in the third.

On the Eagles’ first score, a pass by Hurts down the right sideline was reeled in by Jahan Dotson for 27 yards to set up a first-and-goal from 1 yard out. Hurts punched it in a play later out of the “tush push” formation to help Philadelphia go up 7-0.

Kansas City safety Bryan Cook snuffed out the Eagles’ second straight scoring opportunity with an interception of Hurts at the Chiefs’ 2-yard line, but a drive later, Philadelphia made it 10-0 on Elliott’s 48-yarder, capping a seven-play drive.

The Eagles held a 179-23 edge in first-half yardage and outgained the Chiefs 345-275 for the game.

Elliott connected on field goals of 48 and 50 yards to conclude the Eagles’ scoring. Mahomes threw two late touchdowns to DeAndre Hopkins and Worthy. — Reuters

Travis Kelce sets Super Bowl catches record, but will he return to Kansas City Chiefs?

TRAVIS KELCE set the Super Bowl record for most career receptions, but now the focus is on whether he will catch any more passes.

The longtime star tight end of the Kansas City Chiefs is no sure thing to return to the club in 2025 as retirement talk has hung in the air most of this season.

Kelce’s four receptions in the Chiefs’ 40-22 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday lifted his Super Bowl total to 35, two ahead of legendary Jerry Rice. Kelce caught four passes for 39 yards against the Eagles in Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans.

Kansas City star quarterback Patrick Mahomes hopes Kelce returns for a 12th full NFL season.

“I know he still has love for the game,” Mahomes said. “He’ll get time to spend with his family and make that decision on his own. He’ll be welcomed back here with open arms.”

The Chiefs brass reportedly isn’t confident that Kelce will return.

Kelce didn’t address his future after the stunning setback, and he was far from upbeat.

“You don’t lose bad without everything going bad,” Kelce said.

Kelce ranks second in Super Bowl history with 389 receiving yards and passed Lynn Swann and Rob Gronkowski (364 apiece) on Sunday. Rice holds the record of 589 yards.

A 10-time Pro Bowl selection, Kelce had career lows of 823 receiving yards, three touchdowns and 8.5 yards per reception this season. He did catch 97 passes, narrowly missing his fourth 100-reception season.

Kelce’s brother, Jason, retired after last season. He was a star center for the Eagles for 13 seasons.

Travis Kelce’s level of celebrity has risen during his relationship with singer Taylor Swift. But not only did the Chiefs lose badly on Sunday, Swift received many more boos than cheers when she was displayed on the Jumbotron inside the Superdome. — Reuters

Brownlee ready for Gin Kings, Gilas Pilipinas duties

JUSTIN BROWNLEE — RM CHUA/ONE SPORTS

HE HAS a lot on his plate but Justin Brownlee (JB) is ready.

After helping Barangay Ginebra reach the PBA Commissioner’s Cup semifinals last Sunday, Mr. Brownlee spearheads Gilas Pilipinas as it plays a pocket tournament in Qatar this weekend then faces Chinese Taipei and New Zealand (NZ) on the road in the FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers on Feb. 20 and 23, respectively.

With hardly any recovery time after the overseas trip, JB shifts focus back on the Gin Kings’ best-of-seven Final Four duel with top-seeded NorthPort which begins Feb. 26 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

“I’m looking forward to it. I’m definitely not going to take a break or try to take it lightly,” Mr. Brownlee said.

“We got two tough opponents (Taipei and NZ) coming up with the national team so I want to be sharp and ready for them. And then also thinking about the (PBA) playoffs, I want to try to get better, get my shooting tuned up and stay sharp.”

Gilas coach Tim Cone expects nothing less from the naturalized player.

“I think the PBA fans need to understand when it’s for the national team, he plays with his heart because it’s a pride thing for him. But in the PBA, he plays for his livelihood. In the national team, he doesn’t make anywhere near the money that he does in the PBA so you can be sure he’s going to be playing hard also when he comes back and goes after Northport,” he said.

Mr. Cone, though, assured he would make sure Mr. Brownlee won’t suffer from burnout during this trip.

“It’s going to be tough, especially when he’s going to Doha and playing all those games in between. That’ll be a way to keep him sharp but we have to make sure that we don’t overuse him and so we’re really planning some load management with Justin (Brownlee),” he said.

The Nationals, he shared, will use the Feb. 14 to 16 matches in Doha against Qatar, Lebanon and Egypt as work out for the away outings against the Taiwanese and the Tall Blacks.

He added it will also be a good chance to integrate with AJ Edu and Jamie Malonzo, who are coming back after bouts with injuries, and adjust to life without ACL-hit slotman Kai Sotto. — Olmin Leyba

Zoos Tokyo captures second straight Philippine 3×3 crown

ZOOS TOKYO defended its crown as Gilas Pilipinas women settled for a bronze medal in the Manila Hustle 3×3 Season 3 over the weekend at the SM Mall of Asia Music Hall.

The Japanese squad fended off a strong resistance from Spain’s Panthers 3×3, 17-13, in the explosive finale to capture its second straight title in the Philippine 3×3 invitationals backed by Uratex, Smart Communications and the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas.

Ama Degbeon, world No. 55, led the way for Zoos Tokyo to clinch the MVP honors with solid contributions from Miran Kikuchi, Maya Tahira and Fatoumanana Nishi.

Zoos Tokyo, which bested compatriot Tokyo BB in the semifinals with a close 18-14 win, did it despite the absence of Season 2 MVP Aoi Katsura, for a grand prize of $4,000 cash prize and an invite to the WKBL Triple Jam later this year.

“This year was a lot different but I think we’re still the same Zoos team. Same team, same philosophy,” said Ms. Degbeon.

Gilas women, for its part, salvaged a podium finish with a 20-12 win over Tokyo BB in the bronze-medal match behind Camille Clarin’s 11 points for a $1,500 prize. Runner-up Panthers 3×3 took home $2,500.

“Considering that this is our first tournament of the year and we made it to the podium means that it’s a great start for us,” said Ms. Clarin, joined by Jhaz Joson, Hazelle Yam and Mikka Cacho.

Ms. Clarin also made it to the Mythical Three with Ms. Degbeon and Panthers’ Saicha Grant-Allen. — John Bryan Ulanday

Unbeaten Creamline shoots for No. 9 against Farm Fresh

PHILSTAR FILE PHOTO

Games on Tuesday
(PhilSports Arena)
4 p.m. – Petro Gazz vs Capital1
6:30 p.m. – Creamline vs Farm Fresh

CREAMLINE stakes its unblemished record with Farm Fresh taking its turn to put a stain to it as they face off on Tuesday in the Premier Volleyball League All-Filipino Conference at the PhilSports Arena.

The mighty Cool Smashers will literally soar to cloud nine if they could snare win No. 9 against the Foxies, who have gone hot and cold the whole conference with a 4-5 record, in their 6:30 p.m. showdown.

The proud dynastic franchise kept getting better and better each game as evidenced by its cold-blooded 25-17, 25-17, 25-21 destruction of Chery Tiggo last Thursday that kept the juggernaut rolling to an eighth straight triumph.

“Our win against Chery Tiggo was a big deal,” said Creamline coach Sherwin Meneses.

The multi-titled coach, however, cautioned his team not to be too complacent.

“The team’s confidence is high, but of course, knowing Farm Fresh, they also have veteran recruits mixed with young players.”

“They’re also showing a good performance this conference, so we will prepare because I think it will be a great match,” he added.

Trying to stay close to Creamline behind its shadow is Petro Gazz, who is eyeing to improve on its 7-1 mark when it tackles at 4 p.m. a Capital1 side that is still groping for form after limping to a 1-8 start. — Joey Villar

Abarrientos stays focused amid death threat

RJ ABARRIENTOS — PBA

AMID an alleged death threat, Barangay Ginebra guard RJ Abarrientos stayed laser-focused on the job on hand and just let authorities handle the situation.

On social media, a netizen allegedly threatened to shoot Mr. Abarrientos and his partner on Friday night after Ginebra failed to close out the Bolts in a 104-108 loss. The netizen blamed the rookie for missing the potential tying four-pointer in the dying seconds.

Ginebra management and the PBA immediately came to the rescue to coordinate with the National Bureau of Investigation and arrange for tighter security.

Abarrientos dropped seven of his 16 points in the fourth quarter and helped the Gin Kings seize a 13-point cushion going to the stretch against the Bolts en route to their sixth straight semis appearance and a date with top-seeded NorthPort in a race-to-four.

Ginebra and NorthPort, as well as TNT and Rain or Shine, the rivals on the other side of the Final Four, will have over two weeks to both prepare and recharge with Game 1 firing off on Feb. 26 yet. — Olmin Leyba

Lillard, Bucks use 3-point barrage to beat 76ers

DAMIAN LILLARD scored a season-high 43 points to lead the Milwaukee Bucks to a 135-127 victory over the visiting Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday afternoon.

Lillard added seven rebounds and eight assists for Milwaukee, which played without All-Star Giannis Antetokounmpo (strained left calf). Six other Bucks scored in double figures, led by 23 from reserve Gary Trent Jr., who shot 7-of-15 from 3-point range.

Lillard went 8-of-15 from distance as Milwaukee made a season-high 24 3-pointers on 55 attempts (43.6%).

Tyrese Maxey led Philadelphia with 39 points and Joel Embiid bundled 27 points with 12 rebounds and six assists. Guerschon Yabusele added 18 points, while Paul George contributed 12 points, six assists and three steals.

Maxey tied Oklahoma City guard and MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander for the most 30-point games (13) since the start of 2025.

The Bucks took a 40-39 lead into the second quarter after Kyle Kuzma’s layup at the buzzer, which marked the 16th lead change of the opening period.

Milwaukee also beat the buzzer before the half, with Trent knocking down a 3-pointer to give the Bucks a 65-63 edge.

Maxey and Embiid combined for 50 points in the first half, while Lillard had 19 to lead Milwaukee.

The Bucks slowly crawled ahead in the third, going up 101-88 on a 32-foot 3-pointer from Bobby Portis at the end of the shot clock. Milwaukee entered the fourth leading 103-91.

From there, the hosts pulled away beyond the arc. Trent hit three straight 3-pointers to give the Bucks a 115-93 lead with just less than nine minutes to play.

Maxey’s three-point play closed the Sixers within 10 with 1:22 to go, but Taurean Prince’s 3-pointer stretched the margin to 131-119 with 51 seconds remaining.

Milwaukee beat Philadelphia for the seventh time in a row and clinched the season series with Sunday’s win. The teams will meet for the fourth and final time this season on April 3 in Philadelphia. — Reuters

Trump says US may have less debt than thought because of fraud

REUTERS

US PRESIDENT Donald Trump on Sunday said his administration was examining US Treasury debt payments for possible fraud and suggested that the country’s $36-trillion debt load might not be that high.

Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Mr. Trump said administration officials who have been combing through payment records in an effort to identify wasteful spending have turned their attention to the debt payments that play a central role in the global financial system.

“We’re even looking at Treasuries,” Mr. Trump said. “There could be a problem — you’ve been reading about that, with Treasuries and that could be an interesting problem.”

He added: “It could be that a lot of those things don’t count. In other words, that some of that stuff that we’re finding is very fraudulent, therefore maybe we have less debt than we thought.”

It was not clear whether Mr. Trump was referring to debt service or other government payments made by the Treasury Department.

The United States currently has $36.2-trillion public debt outstanding, according to the US Treasury, equal to more than 120% of Gross Domestic Product. Because the US government spends more money than it collects, Mr. Trump and his fellow Republicans who control Congress will have to authorize more borrowing sometime this year to avert a debt default that could have catastrophic consequences.

Mr. Trump’s proposed tax cuts would add trillions of dollars more in debt, independent budget watchdogs say.

Mr. Trump has tasked Elon Musk with an ambitious overhaul of the federal government, sparking street protests in Washington and accusations that the Trump administration is breaking the law.

Mr. Musk’s “Department of Government Efficiency” has disrupted operations at several federal agencies and has raised privacy and security concerns while accessing sensitive payroll and spending records.

A federal judge temporarily blocked Mr. Musk’s team on Saturday from accessing government systems used to process trillions of dollars in payments, citing a risk that sensitive information could be improperly disclosed.

After the ruling, Mr. Musk said a do-not-pay list of entities that should not receive government payments should be updated at least weekly, if not daily.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, a Trump appointee, said last week that Mr. Musk’s team had “read only” access to the payment system, which would not give them power to make changes.

Mr. Trump’s attempt to freeze wide swaths of domestic aid has been blocked in court, but project managers across the country say billions of dollars nevertheless have been withheld for clean energy and transportation projects.

Some health clinics say they have been forced to lay off staff and shutter facilities because they have not been able to access federal funding. — Reuters

Australia seeks exemption from US steel and aluminum tariffs

REUTERS

SYDNEY — Australia’s Trade minister said its steel and aluminum exports to the US create “good paying American jobs” and are key to shared defense interests, as Canberra presses Washington for an exemption to President Donald Trump’s planned tariffs.

Mr. Trump said on Sunday he will introduce new 25% tariffs on all steel and aluminum imports into the US, on top of existing metals duties, in another major escalation of his trade policy overhaul.

Trade Minister Don Farrell said on Monday that Australia, a key US security ally in the Indo-Pacific, was making the case for “free and fair trade, including access into the US market for Australian steel and aluminum” in meetings with the Trump administration.

“Australian steel and aluminum is creating thousands of good paying American jobs, and are key for our shared defense interests,” he said in a statement.

Mr. Farrell is yet to meet with his US counterpart who has not been confirmed in the role, but Australian officials have been making representations on aluminum and steel exports for several months, seeking to secure a similar exemption from tariffs it won during the previous Trump presidency in 2018.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told national parliament on Monday he was scheduled to talk with Mr. Trump and would raise the matter.

“We will continue to make the case to the United States for Australia to be given an exemption to any steel and aluminum tariffs,” he said in parliament.

Defense Minister Richard Marles met his US counterpart Pete Hegseth in Washington on Friday, with Australia making its first $500-million payment to boost production in the US submarine industry under the AUKUS defense project that will see Australia buy several US nuclear-powered submarines and also build submarines.

Australian processed steel was purchased by the largest US military shipbuilder as AUKUS partners Australia, Britain and the US seek to integrate defense supply chains, the Australian government said last year.

Shares in Australian-listed BlueScope Steel rose nearly 2% on expectations its US business would gain from the tariffs. It operates the North Star Mill in Ohio and employs around 4,000 people in the United States. — Reuters

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