DoJ optimistic about Teves return

May 30, 2024 | 8:37 pm

THE DEPARTMENT of Justice (DoJ) expressed optimism on Thursday that Timor Leste’s appellate court may grant its extradition request for ex-congressman Arnolfo A. Teves after all the documents submitted by Manila passed the screening of their Ministry of Justice.

The Ministry of Justice forwarded the request to the Court of Appeals [of Timor Leste],” DoJ Spokesman Jose Dominic F. Clavano, IV said at a virtual media briefing, noting that the court is likely to hand out its decision no later than June 20.

“If they see that our request is legitimate and all the supporting documents are attached, they will grant it. We are confident (of securing the extradition of Mr. Teves) because all the requirements are attached,” he said.

Mr. Teves is tagged by the DoJ as the alleged mastermind in the assassination of his family’s political rival, Negros Oriental Governor Roel R. Degamo, last year, as well as the murder of nine others.

He denied the accusations and went into hiding in Dili, Timor Leste before being arrested based on the International Police’s (INTERPOL) Red Notice issued last February. — Chloe Mari A. Hufana

Review gun ownership — Barbers

May 30, 2024 | 8:36 pm

man posing with a gun in hand — STOCK PHOTO | Shooting gun photo created by senivpetro - www.freepik.com

THE GOVERNMENT should more strictly monitor gun ownership and review how the law is implemented in the country to curb gun-related killings, a congressman said Thursday.

The call was made by Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace S. Barbers as police presented to media the suspect who, in a fit of road rage, shot and killed a family driver in the EDSA tunnel in Makati City earlier this week.

“Gun ownership should be very well reviewed and must be strictly monitored,” the congressman said. “The state has the duty of protecting the people and strictly limiting gun ownership is a critical part of that responsibility.”

More than arresting the road rage killer, the Philippine National Police should investigate how he managed to acquire the firearm he used when rules in owning one are supposed to be stringent, said Mr. Barbers.

At the same time, the congressman called for the revival of the death penalty as the “country has become a breeding ground of criminals, terrorists, spies, [and] sleeper cells.”

The Philippines abolished the death penalty in 2006, replacing it with life imprisonment for capital and heinous crimes.

Calling the shooting incident a “senseless death,” he urged the government to reinstate the death penalty “as our system has gone berserk.”

“It is time we revive the death penalty and include more crimes to be punishable by death,” he said. — Kenneth Christiane L. Basilio

Manila Water eyes sewer projects

May 30, 2024 | 8:36 pm

EAST ZONE concessionaire Manila Water Co., Inc. is targeting to complete its two sewer network packages in Mandaluyong worth P800 million by the fourth quarter of 2025.

In a media release on Thursday, Manila Water said that the P306-million Package A and P494-million Package B sewer pipelaying projects are vital sections of the 52.5-kilometer Mandaluyong West-San Juan and South Quezon City Sewerage System (MandaWest Project).

“Wastewater projects like MandaWest Packages 3A and 3B are important to Manila Water’s sustainability goals as we continue to expand our sewage and sanitation services to the entire east zone,” Manila Water’s Corporate Communications Affairs Group Director Jeric Sevilla said in a statement.

The P4.2-billion MandaWest Project is targeted to benefit over 700,000 customers in Mandaluyong, Quezon City, and San Juan by 2037.

It includes a 60-million-liter-per-day sewage treatment plant equipped with a biological nutrient removal system, one major pump, 13 lift stations, 276 interceptor boxes, and a 16-channel interceptor.

The company said it aims to support government sustainability initiatives such as the Clean Water Act and the Supreme Court Mandamus for the Rehabilitation and Protection of Manila Bay “by ensuring wastewater from customers is properly collected and processed before being released to waterways.”

“Manila Water’s significant investment in sewage and sanitation projects is geared towards service improvement while safeguarding water resources through the rollout of sustainable practices in water utilities,” the company said.

Manila Water serves the east zone network of Metro Manila, covering parts of Marikina, Pasig, Makati, Taguig, Pateros, Mandaluyong, San Juan, portions of Quezon City and Manila, and several towns in Rizal province. — Sheldeen Joy Talavera

2013 land swap case to proceed

May 30, 2024 | 8:35 pm

THE PHILIPPINES’ anti-graft court junked the motions of a former Pangasinan municipal mayor and his co-accused businessman to dismiss graft and corruption charges against them over an alleged unlawful land swap deal in 2013.

Charged in the case are former Bayambang, Pangasinan mayor Ricardo M. Camacho and a businessman, who had swapped a 31,650 square-meter government lot for a 20,581-sqm parcel of private land.

“After examining the prosecution’s evidence and the parties’ arguments, the Court rules that granting accused Camacho and [co-accused] leave to file their respective demurrers to evidence will merely cause delay in the proceedings,” read part of the nine-page resolution penned by Associate Justice Sarah Jane T. Fernandez on May 22 and released on Thursday.

Mr. Camacho did not immediately respond to a Facebook Messenger chat requesting comment on the matter.

Mr. Camacho argued in his motion that the municipal government of Bayambang did not “suffer injury,” even benefitting from the alleged unlawful land swap as the parcel of land owned by the co-accused businessman was valued at more than P50 million than the government property.

The prosecution countered that the municipal property was worth more than the valuation forwarded by Mr. Camacho “based on the revised zonal values of real properties.”

The prosecution said the municipality’s property is worth P4,600 per sqm while the land owned by Mr. Camacho’s co-accused is valued at P3,500 per sqm.

The Bayambang government’s lot has a total area of 31,650 sqm and a market value of P25.32 million in contrast to the 20,581 sqm parcel of land with a total market value of P16.5 million owned by the businessman, according to the prosecution.

Associate Justices Karl B. Miranda and Kevin Narce B. Vivero concurred with the resolution denying the demurrer motions. The resolution is posted on the official website of the Sandiganbayan. — Kenneth Christiane L. Basilio

TB spread in prison worries CHR

May 30, 2024 | 8:35 pm

THE COMMISSION on Human Rights (CHR) called for an improved healthcare system inside prisons after over 400 cases of tuberculosis-like symptoms quickly spread through the Pasay City Jail.

“The high number of suspected TB cases among [convicts] at Pasay City Jail highlights a critical public health issue that necessitates immediate and comprehensive action,” it said in a statement.

Tuberculosis is a highly contagious disease exacerbated by overcrowding and poorly ventilated environments, such as prisons.

It urged jail authorities (Bureau of Jail Management and Penology) to implement comprehensive medical screenings for convicts upon entering and during their stay.

It added the importance of access to accurate and rapid diagnostic tools to confirm infectious diseases.

BusinessWorld reached out the Pasay City Public Information Office but has not received a reply as of writing.

CHR said prisoners must be treated with respect due to their inherent dignity and value as human beings, citing Rule 1 of the Nelson Mandela Rules.

“Further, this rule requires that PDLs should have access to the same level of medical care and treatment as the general population, including preventive measures and health screenings.”

The Philippines has the world’s eleventh-largest prison population, reaching over 165,000 in 2021, according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. – Chloe Mari A. Hufana

Suspect in 2022 murder of town police chief in Maguindanao del Sur arrested

May 30, 2024 | 8:33 pm

STOCK PHOTO | Image by Klaus Hausmann from Pixabay

COTABATO CITY — Police arrested on Wednesday a suspect in 13 criminal cases, including the murder of the chief of police of Ampatuan town, Maguindanao del Sur and his escort in August 2022.

Brig. Gen. Prexy D. Tanggawohn, director of the Police Regional Office-Bangsamoro Autonomous Region, confirmed to reporters on Thursday the arrest of Kamid Kambal Asam while he was confined at the Aniceto T. Pesante Memorial hospital in Midsayap, Cotabato province.

Mr. Tanggawohn said Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) operatives acted on a tip that the suspect had undergone foot amputation due to complications from diabetes.

He said Mr. Asam was allegedly one of 10 heavily armed men who ambushed the convoy of Lt. Reynaldo L. Samson and seven other police officers traveling to Barangay Kapinpilan in Ampatuan on Aug. 29, 2022. Mr. Samson and his escort, Corporal Salipudin M. Endab, were killed in the ensuing gunbattle. — John Felix M. Unson

UST wins seniors, juniors of UAAP general championship

May 30, 2024 | 8:05 pm

THE University Athletic Association of the Philippines’ (UAAP) general championship is not leaving the Tigers’ lair anytime soon. University of Santo Tomas (UST)ruled UAAP Season 86 for another twin championship in the seniors and juniors division at the close of the second-semester events.

The Tigers harvested 332 points in the collegiate ranks behind nine championships and won eight titles in high school for 257 points.

It’s the eighth straight general title for España-based squad in the collegiate division and seventh in a row in the high school category to further cement its status as the best sports program across all disciplines in the country.

Overall, UST claimed its 47^th collegiate title and 23^rd high school crown. Far Eastern University (FEU) is the next best school with 16 general titles. “I’m happy. I know the whole Thomasian community is also happy that we bagged this award for Season 86 and that we were crowned as general champions (once again),” UST Institute of Physical Education and Athletics (IPEA) director Fr. Rodel Cancancio, OP said.

UST claimed the collegiate titles in women’s basketball, men’s table tennis, women’s taekwondo, poomsae, men’s and women’s beach volleyball, men’s tennis, men’s chess and women’s 3×3 basketball. The high school won the boys’ and girls’ table tennis, girls’ beach volleyball, boys’ and girls’ swimming, boys’ judo and girls’ athletics. UST’s biggest win came in women’s basketball, ending the seven-year reign of National U (NU) and snapping a 17-year title drought after a thrilling Game 3 win highlighted by Nikki Villasin’s game-winner. De La Salle finished second in both the collegiate (269) and high school (154) divisions, University of the Philippines (258) placed third in the collegiate division while Adamson (135) completed the podium in high school.

Meanwhile, swimmer Quendy Fernandez of UP and trackster Hussein Lorana of Adamson were named Athletes of the Year for individual sports while Adamson’s Shaina Nitura (volleyball) and UST’s Kent Pastrana (basketball) claimed the Athletes of the Year honors for team events.

Ms. Fernandez was named MVP in the women’s swimming with three golds, Mr. Lorana also captured three medals in boys’ athletics, Ms. Nitura led Adamson to its first-ever girls’ volleyball title via 14-0 sweep while Ms. Pastrana anchored UST’s first women’s basketball title since 2006.

Season 86 host University of the East, led by president Zosimo Battad, also passed the hosting duties to UP president Angelo “Jijil” Jimenez in the closing ceremony Wednesday at the Mall of Asia Arena. “Work hard and prepare for next season. Take a break, recover, and come back stronger,” said outgoing UAAP Season 86 chairman Mr. Battad.

In the closing side event, Santo Tomas put the icing on the cake of its UAAP supremacy with a twin title in streetdance after UST Prime and UST Galvanize bagged the titles in the collegiate and high school divisions, respectively.

The UST Salinggawi Dance Troupe also finished third in the Cheerdance Competition, an exhibition event last year, with FEU Cheering Squad claiming the crown. NU finished runner-up. — John Bryan Ulanday

Meralco, Ginebra face off in Game 7 of semis

May 30, 2024 | 8:04 pm

Game today
(FPJ Arena, San Jose, Batangas)
7:30 p.m. — Meralco vs Ginebra
*Series tied, 3-3

BOTH sides need no extra special pep talk to get fired up for the game that matters most in this tight PBA Philippine Cup semifinal series.

It’s Game 7, no-tomorrow, kill or be killed.

That should be more than enough motivation for combatants Meralco and Barangay Ginebra as they face off one last time today in San Jose, Batangas to determine San Miguel Beer’s challenger in the finals.

“The best two words in sports — Game 7. We’ll see,” said Ginebra coach Tim Cone ahead of the semis do-or-die on the road set for 7:30 p.m. in San Jose’s Fernando Poe Jr. Arena.

Mr. Cone and Co. would have preferred to be in the race-to-four championship already by this time but the Bolts had other plans and booked the Batangas decider instead with a gutsy 86-81 victory in Wednesday’s Game 6.

“After our Game 5 loss, I said it’s not over and this is what we want: Game 7,” Meralco counterpart Luigi Trillo said.

The Bolts have yet to reach the finals of the centerpiece All-Filipino since joining the league in 2010. They also have an axe to grind against the Gin Kings, who have beaten them in six of their seven duels in the playoffs. This includes a record-setting Game 7 in the 2017 Governors’ Cup finals at the Philippine Arena where the crowd darlings won, 101-96, in front of 54,086 fans.

That’s extra motivation there for Mr. Trillo and Co.

“Gustong-gusto ko talaga manalo kasi Ginebra. Ako sa experience ko sa Ginebra parang dalawang beses na ako pinaiyak ng Ginebra, dalawang finals,” said Bong Quinto, one of the key factors in Meralco’s the KO-forcing win two nights ago.

“Meralco is a proud franchise…we’ve been here for a while now. We’re used to it but normally we’re on the receiving end, hindi ba? We faced Ginebra seven times. We beat them once in the quarters but now it’s a privilege for us. We have to go out there and get it,” said Mr. Trillo.

The Bolts mentor believes the odds are 50-50. “Pagalingan na ito, both sides. Lots of respect for that side over there but kami rin, I think we’re capable as well. We believe in these guys. They have poise, they have grit. We’ll be ready on Friday,” said Mr. Trillo, whose team is also looking to break through after losing in the Philippine Cup semis in the last three seasons.

The two squads arranged their arrival yesterday in San Jose, a nearly two-hour drive from Metro Manila, to settle in and squeeze in some practice time ahead of the deciding match. — Olmin Leyba

Bronze-winning Alas team to stay largely intact

May 30, 2024 | 8:04 pm

THE PHILIPPINE National Volleyball Federation (PNVF) said it will keep the Alas Pilipinas team largely intact after it claimed a historic AVC Challenge Cup bronze medal, while adding a few more players to the mix to sustain the squad’s growth.

“The intention is to keep this team intact with additional athletes from the college ranks,” said PNVF president Ramon “Tats” Suzara the day after the Filipinas routed Australia at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum to claim the country’s first podium finish in any Asian-level tournament. “It’s a breakthrough, it’s historic, and the obvious next step is to keep this team intact and make it stronger and much more competitive,” he added.

Mr. Suzara said the federation is planning to insert collegiate stars Bella Belen, Alyssa Solomon and Casiey Dongallo to the pool to further reinforce an already promising roster headed by AVC Challenge Cup best setter Jia de Guzman and best outside spiker Angel Canino. There is also a plan to extend Brazilian coach Jorge Souza de Brito, whose contract expires next month.

Mr. De Brito has yet to decide if he will sign on for a new term.

If all these fall into place, Mr. Suzara said there’s a strong chance the country can compete for a medal in next year’s Southeast Asian Games in Thailand.

“Next year, in the SEA Games, I believe we’ll have a fighting chance,” he said. — Joey Villar

Boxing federation to start awarding cash to Paris Olympic medalists

May 30, 2024 | 8:04 pm

LIKE athletics, boxing will hand out monetary rewards to Paris Olympics medalists for the first time in history.

The International Boxing Association (IBA) made the announcement recently, saying gold medal winners will receive $100,000 while silver and bronze winners get $50,000 and $25,000, respectively.

This came after World Athletics, track and field’s global governing body, announced in April that it would offer $50,000 to gold winners to its Olympic champions, the first in the history of the quadrennial meet.

According to IBA president Umar Kremlev, half of the prize will go to the winning boxer; the rest will be equally divided by the coach and the national sports association.

Mr. Kremlev said the total money they have committed is worth more than $3.1 million, to be distributed to more than 100 boxers.

The International Olympic Committee stripped IBA of recognition over the latter’s failure to complete reforms on governance, finance and ethical issues.

Because of this, IBA isn’t organizing boxing tournaments in Paris, which are being handled by the IOC.

There are also fears the IOC might exclude boxing in future Olympics as it is not on the initial program for the 2028 Los Angeles Games. — Joey Villar

Towns breaks out of slump just in time

May 30, 2024 | 8:03 pm

To argue that Karl-Anthony Towns wasn’t pleased with his performance through the first three matches of the West Finals would be to understate the obvious. He hit only six of 20 field goal attempts in Game One, four of 16 in Game Two, and five of 18 in Game Three, prompting not a few to pin the Timberwolves’ losses to the Mavericks on him. Which was why he found himself scrambling to explain away his slump — dating back, really, to the end of the previous series against the Nuggets — as mere bad luck. He contended that he wasn’t lacking in preparation, even exaggerating that he made sure to put up 1,500 shots every day. They just weren’t falling.

Not that Towns was completely off the mark. Mere inches prevented an inordinate number of his tries from hitting the bottom of the net. At the same time, there can be no glossing over the fact that stars make their own fortunes. And he didn’t. There was no consistency to his misses; some were short, some long, some to the left, some to the right, some forced, some ill-timed. And with the Mavericks hellbent on stopping All-NBA second team selection Anthony Edwards, the narrative was that he could not meet the challenge head on and pick up the slack.

Towns’ travails notwithstanding, there was one silver lining: The series was not over. The Mavericks needed one more triumph to secure a spot alongside the Celtics in the Finals, and, until then, there remained an opportunity for redemption. And, yes, it bears noting that Towns didn’t look defeated. He believed, maybe even irrationally under the circumstances, that the tide would turn in Game Four. And, lo and behold, it did. He was nothing short of spectacular the other day, going an efficient nine of 13 and delivering under pressure to help Edwards lead the charge for the Timberwolves.

Today, Towns gets another crack at glory. And when he tries to build on his success, he will, no doubt, be leaning on the support of 19,500 fans at Target Center. Youth fuels the Timberwolves’ confidence, but the nine-year veteran would do well to bank even more on experience as he dares to flirt with the improbable. There have been 154 three-nil leads in playoff history, and not once has the deficit been overcome. Game Four was a start. And as Sisyphean as the task at hand may be, he can, if nothing else, dream big.

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.

Alibaba Cloud to equip Filipino students with digital technology knowledge and AI expertise

May 30, 2024 | 7:12 pm

software-developer-6521720_1280 (1) — STOCK PHOTO | Image by Innova Labs from Pixabay

Starting May 2024, the Alibaba Cloud Academy Certificate Associate (ACA) Generative AI Engineer Course was made available in the Philippines to boost the digital skills of students and teachers.

“We are strongly committed to supporting talent in mastering essential digital skills, and we’re excited to continue expanding our training offerings around the world,” Alibaba Cloud Intelligence President of International Business Selina Yuan said in a press release.

Last year, the Alibaba Cloud Academy Certificate Associate (ACA) Generative AI Engineer Course partnered with the National University (NU) Philippines to expand the knowledge of students and faculty on digital technology and artificial intelligence (AI).

“Our ACA Generative AI Engineer course aims to help customers, partners, developers, and users of various backgrounds globally to unlock that potential and drive tomorrow’s digital agenda,” Ms. Yuan said.

Asia Pacific College, part of NU’s consortium, also experienced online training sessions with Alibaba Cloud covering topics like GenAI, cloud computing, security, and databases for students to enhance their technological knowledge.

According to the technology company, its ACA courses cover “machine learning to natural language processing, encoder-decoders to generative adversarial networks, to leveraging models via retrieval-augmented generation, agents, and more.”

Through the course’s three-step approach – learn, imagine, and apply, enrolled clients can gain skills to deploy Generative AI applications on Alibaba Cloud platforms. ACA certificates are handed out as well to users who passed and finished the course to signify their knowledge and skills in the field.

As of April 2023, over 60,000 people around the globe have received certification from Alibaba Cloud, proving the company’s commitment to supporting digital talent and making AI accessible. The company aims to teach 10,000 to 20,000 learners worldwide with basic AI knowledge by the end of 2024. – Almira Louise S. Martinez