Manila to continue resupply missions to disputed shoal

June 9, 2024 | 7:36 pm

Yearender_Photo1-BRP Sierra Madre — BRP SIERRA MADRE, a marooned transport ship which Philippine Marines live in as a military outpost, sits on the disputed Second Thomas Shoal, part of the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea. — REUTERS

THE PHILIPPINES at the weekend said it would continue to conduct resupply missions to its outpost at Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea and would not seek permission from other countries including China.

“Our operations are conducted within our own territorial waters and exclusive economic zone, and we will not be deterred by foreign interference or intimidation,” National Security Adviser Secretary Eduardo Año said in a statement.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning on Friday said Beijing would allow the Philippines to send vital supplies to BRP Sierra Madre if it gives advance notice, a remark that Mr. Año described as “absurd, nonsense and unacceptable.”

“We do not and will never need China’s approval for any of our activities there,” he added.

Last week, Manila said the Chinese Coast Guard had seized food and supplies meant for a handful of Filipino troops stationed at BRP Sierra Madre on May 19.

This was after Beijing accused the Filipino soldiers of pointing a gun at its coast guard vessel, which Manila has denied.

The Philippines grounded BRP Sierra Madre, a World War II-era ship, at the shoal in 1999 to assert its sovereignty.

Manila also accused China’s coast guard of conducting dangerous maneuvers against a Filipino vessel that evacuated an injured Filipino soldier from the outpost also in May. Mr. Año said this was not only a violation of international law “but also of basic human rights.”

“The recent reports of Chinese forces allegedly seizing food and medical supplies meant for our advance post in Ayungin Shoal (Second Thomas Shoal) are equally reprehensible and warrant a thorough investigation and accountability,” he added.

The shoal, which is about 100 nautical miles west of the Philippine province of Palawan, is among the features within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone that are frequented by Chinese coast guard and militia — and in some cases Navy — ships.

On Sunday, Stanford University’s Project Myoushu reported that China’s maritime militia vessel swarming at Iroquois Reef at the southern end of the gas- and oil-rich Reed Bank had risen to at least 26 as of June 2. — Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza

Anti-crime body says POGO raid leaked

June 9, 2024 | 7:36 pm

THE PRESIDENTIAL Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) said on Sunday it was convinced that its raid of the biggest Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO) compound in Porac, Pampanga last week had been leaked out prior to the operation.

“We were going to rescue over a thousand foreign nationals,” PAOCC Spokesperson Winston John R. Casio told a news briefing, noting that only 160 were rescued from the 10-hectare compound where 46 buildings were located.

Mr. Casio said an investigation is ongoing to identify who among their ranks could have sounded the alarm that the POGO hub was going to be raided on June 5, three days after Judge Maria Belinda C. Rama of the Malolos Regional Trial Court Branch 14 issued the search warrant.

“It’s impossible no one had leaked it (the raid),” said Mr. Casio, speaking partly in Filipino. “We’re investigating and once we find out (who it was), the government will not be forgiving.”

He also said that four of those they rescued sustained severe injuries with one of them suffering from bruises and chain-whipping marks, while another claimed to have been starved for 10 days.

At least two of those rescued in the compound said they were kidnapped, added Mr. Casio.

One of them, a Chinese national, claimed being kidnapped at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 1, while the second, also a Chinese, was abducted in Pasay City.

The Porac POGO compound, operated by Lucky South 99 Outsourcing Incorporated, is bigger than the Zun Yuan Technology Incorporated in Bamban, Tarlac, which was raided last March 13.

So far, authorities have only investigated four to five buildings out of 46 buildings in the Porac POGO compound.

From January to November 2023, authorities found 66 bodies in POGO compounds in Central Luzon.

Mr. Casio said that in the past year, the PAOCC has identified 402 unlicensed POGOs and that based on their monitoring, 100 of these are still operating.

He admitted it would take years before all illegal POGOs could be closed down.

Meanwhile, Secretary of Justice Jesus Crispin C. Remulla affirmed the Department of Justice’s (DoJ) hard stance against illegal POGO operations in the country.

“Foreigners are welcome to stay here in our country and may treat it as their own home as long as they whole-heartedly follow our laws accordingly and unconditionally. This is the only and last warning to every alien staying in the Philippines, lest they face severe legal consequences,” he said in a statement. — Chloe Mari A. Hufana

Bill on Maritime Zones pushed

June 9, 2024 | 7:35 pm

Spratly Islands-South China Sea — REUTERS

A CONGRESSMAN said on Sunday that two things must be established to secure the Philippines’ interests in the South China Sea: the Maritime Zones bill must be passed into law immediately; and China should recognize it.

“The measure’s enactment will boost our assertion of our maritime and sovereign rights in the West Philippine Sea and our exclusive economic zone (EEZ),” Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus B. Rodriguez said on Sunday in a statement urging President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. to immediately sign the Maritime Zones bill.

“I am appealing to China to recognize it and to immediately stop encroaching and intruding in our EEZ (exclusive economic zone) and the West Philippine Sea,” Mr. Rodriguez said.

Beijing claims more than 80% of the South China Sea based on a 1940s nine-dash line map despite an international tribunal court voiding its expansive claim.

The Philippines is looking to enact a law seeking to outline its territorial and sovereign boundaries in an attempt to enforce a 2016 Permanent Court of Arbitration ruling favoring Manila’s claim over contested waters in South China Sea.

The measure is now pending before the bicameral conference committee to be attended by congressmen and senators.

The bicameral conference committee is set to convene in the first week of July to discuss the provisions of the bill, Pangasinan Rep. Maria Rachel J. Arenas, who chairs the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, told BusinessWorld in a Viber message.

Mr. Marcos would likely sign the Maritime Zones bill into law before his state address in July, Presidential Assistant on Maritime Affairs Andres C. Centino told reporters on the sidelines of a forum in April.

Mr. Rodriguez said Mr. Marcos should ignore Beijing’s reactions to the proposed measure. “Let us not worry about what the Chinese will say. Let us think of our own national interest.” — Kenneth Christiane L. Basilio

Padilla defends 2020 fund transfer

June 9, 2024 | 7:34 pm

Padilla-Robin-PHOTO-HANDOUT — PHOTO HANDOUT

SENATOR Robinhood “Robin” C. Padilla said on Sunday that former president Rodrigo R. Duterte’s order to transfer P47.6 billion to the Department of Budget and Management’s procurement service to buy coronavirus supplies in 2020 was above board.

Last week, former Department of Health (DoH) secretary Francisco T. Duque, III told a congressional hearing that the former president gave the order. Mr. Duque and a former Budget official are now facing graft charges before the Office of the Ombudsman over the unusual fund transfer.

In a statement, Mr. Padilla, a close ally of Mr. Duterte, said that the decision by the former chief executive was warranted by emergency powers vested in him at the time because the country was in a state of calamity.

Under Section 4 of the law, the Philippine President is authorized to order the procurement of medical supplies to address the COVID-19 health emergency, he pointed out.

“Other countries whose governments spent much to beat the pandemic. Many, like us, had to borrow funds for this purpose.” — John Victor D. Ordoñez

Meralco ownership a ‘non-issue’

June 9, 2024 | 7:34 pm

THERE are no issues about the ownership of the Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) that could hamper its franchise extension in the country, a congressman assured on Sunday

As far as Albay Rep. Jose Maria Clemente S. Salceda is concerned, Meralco complied with foreign ownership regulations and the government also resolved its previous ownership issues with the firm.

“The ownership of Meralco is a non-issue,” Mr. Salceda told BusinessWorld in a Viber message. “Government ownership of Meralco has also long been resolved.”

Meralco has 63 million shares owned by foreigners or 5.59% of the total 1.1 billion shares of the electricity distribution company, it stated in its May foreign ownership disclosure.

“Of 450 million shares that foreigners are allowed to own, Meralco has only 63 million shares actually owned by foreigners,” Mr. Salceda said. “It has been the long-held policy of past administrations not to undermine the 1986-1991 reviews of Meralco’s ownership, which gave the plurality of shares or 2% to the government.”

The House of Representatives Committee on Legislative Franchise began its deliberations of renewing Meralco’s franchise in May, four years before it is set to expire. — Kenneth Christiane L. Basilio

Beneco ready for NEA linkup

June 9, 2024 | 7:34 pm

Beneco-office-BENECO-FB-PAGE — BENECO FB PAGE

BAGUIO CITY — The Benguet Electric Cooperative’s (Beneco) link-up with the National Electrification Administration’s (NEA) Digital Dashboard Command Center (DDCC) is all set, marking a first the country’s electrification system.

After a series of technical meetings, NEA representatives confirmed Beneco’s readiness for integration, validating NEA’s decision to select Beneco as a pilot cooperative. This evaluation was disclosed during an exit interview on Friday with Beneco’s team, led by General Manager Melchor Licoben.

“Now that we got all the architecture and processes in place, we will now focus on the data and make sure that the right data is fed into the system. We are closely coordinating with the Office of the Performance Assessment to ensure that all data are official,” Mel Locsin of NEA said.

Mr. Locsin demonstrated the live, real-time connection of Beneco’s Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA), a critical feature dubbed “SCADA Live,” noting its role as the core of Beneco’s operations. The DDCC has capabilities for data analytics and predictive analysis. — Artemio A. Dumlao

Wanted MILF commander falls

June 9, 2024 | 7:34 pm

COTABATO CITY — One of the most wanted commanders of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) was arrested by police in Marawi City last weekend.

Brig. Gen. Prexy D. Tanggawohn, director of the Police Regional Office-Bangsamoro Autonomous Region, said MILF Commander Wahab Gara, whose real name is Jovy L. Sanguila, was captured by police Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) operatives last Saturday in Barangay Tuca.

With a P1.3-million price on his head, Mr. Sanguila has been wanted for leading the Aug. 18, 2008 attacks in Kolambugan and Kauswagan towns, Lanao del Norte, which resulted in the death of 23 residents, said Mr. Tanggawohn. — John Felix M. Unson

Kaci snaps Chua’s winning run in World Pool Championship semis

June 9, 2024 | 7:05 pm

FALLING short of the title he dreamed most when he was a child, Filipino pool star Johann Chua vowed to remain relentless in his pursuit of glory.

“From a nine-year-old watching this tournament on TV, to the one being watched by many. Yes, it’s not yet time, but this proves that I’m getting closer,” said Mr. Chua moments after his heartbreaking 11-6 semifinal defeat to Eklent Kaci of Turkey in the World Pool Championship in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia early on Sunday.

It was truly a painful defeat for Mr. Chua as he appeared in control and on his way to marching straight to the finals after leapfrogging to a strong 6-3 start following an impressive display of shot craftsmanship.

But Mr. Chua, who won the World Cup of Pool last year in Lugo, Spain with James Aranas, ran into trouble while Mr. Kaci started to cash in on his chances that nailed the former, who couldn’t score from there.

Mr. Kaci went on to make the finals where he fell to American Fedor Gorst in a heart-pounding hill-hill 15-14 result.

And it could have been Mr. Chua, who was hoping to claim the biggest victory of his life and join an elite group of former champions that included Filipino legends Efren “Bata” Reyes, Francisco “Django” Bustamante, Alex Pagulayan, Ronnie Alcano and Carlo Biado.

Painfully, it was Mr. Chua’s lone defeat after hurdling every barrier he crossed — Chinese Taipei’s Ko Ping Han, 11-5, Austria’s Max Lechner, 11-10, Syria’s Mohammad Soufi, 11-8, and China’s Dang Jin Hu of China, 11-3 — in the 64-player knockout stage.

That was apart from his unbeaten run in the double elimination stage where he was near flawless.

Although it wasn’t the result he expected, Mr. Chua, who went home with $50,000 or P2.9 million, said his Jeddah experience will remain forever in his memory and heart.

“Time will pass, no one will remember who came in third place, but I will,” he said. — Joey Villar

Kouame, Abarrientos beef up Strong Group in Jones Cup

June 9, 2024 | 7:04 pm

GILAS Pilipinas naturalized player Ange Kouame and guard Rhon Jhay “RJ” Abarrientos have been added to the growing Strong Group-Philippines roster set to fly the flag high in the 43^rd William Jones Cup.

The Philippine representative announced the signing of the two cagers on Sunday, hiking its squad to six players with still over a month to go before the annual invitational tourney in Taiwan on July 13 to 21.

They will join Kiefer Ravena, former PBA champion import Chris McCullough, Jordan Heading at Caelan Tiongson.

Mr. Kouame, the ex-anchor of the Ateneo de Manila University Blue Eagles in the UAAP and Asian Games gold medalist for Gilas, is plying his trade with averages of 10.2 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks in France as import for the UB Chartres Métropole in Nationale Masculine 1 club.

The former Far Eastern University stalwart Mr. Abarrientos, for his part, averaged 7.8 points and 2.4 assists per game in this first season with the Shinshu Brave Warriors in the Japan B. League after transferring from the Korean Basketball League.

“I’m really, really happy to represent the country again. It’s another opportunity for me to win this competition,” said Mr. Kouame, who will play in his third Jones Cup after stints with Ateneo and Rain or Shine.

“I’m very excited because it’s my first time on the team, and I’m eager to play with my kuyas (big brothers) and to represent our country again,” beamed Mr. Abarrientos.

“I’m also thankful for the opportunity given to me by SGA. I can’t wait to join them and compete on the big stage.”

Strong Group-Philippines will be mentored by Charles Tiu with hopes of getting the job done this time around for the country’s seventh Jones Cup title after a tough runner-up finish in Dubai. — John Bryan Ulanday

Quizon 52 points away from Grandmaster title

June 9, 2024 | 7:03 pm

FILIPINO Daniel Quizon continued his march to a Grandmaster (GM) title as he kept holding his ground after six rounds of the FIDE World Juniors Open Chess Championships in Gandhinagar in Gujarat, India.

The 20-year-old World Cup veteran held second seed Russian-born GM Aleksey Grebnev of FIDE, a former world Under-18 titlist, in 35 moves of a King’s Indian duel to remain half a point off the pace.

Mr. Quizon, who claimed the last of three required norms to close in on a GM title following his conquest of a tilt in Hanoi, Vietnam last March, was in a heavy 14-player logjam at No. 4 with 4.5 points each.

They trail by half a point a four-player lead group of Kazakh International Master (IM) Kazybek Nogerbek, Colombian GM Jose Gabriel Cardoso Cardoso, Russian IM Rudik Makarian and Sri Lankan IM LMST De Silva with five points each.

Mr. Quizon was tackling Hungarian GM Gleb Dudin in the seventh round at press time of this 11-round meet that drew 125 participants.

Mr. Quizon was hoping to gain some FIDE rating points to reach the required minimum rating of 2500 to become a full-pledged GM.

He is currently rated 2448.

Seeded 20^th here, Mr. Quizon was slowed down by draws against lower-rated foes — Indian bets IM Ramesh Avinash in the second round and Arena FIDE Master Harshit Pawar in the fourth — while hurdling Zambian Rafael Sharon, Malaysian Ang Ern Jie Anderson and Indian IM S. Aswath alternately in the first, fifth and fifth rounds, respectively. — Joey Villar

Ramirez, JRU rule NCAA Season 99 athletics

June 9, 2024 | 7:03 pm

JOSE RIZAL University (JRU) rode on runner Frederick Ramirez’s magnificence as it capped its three-peat feat in centerpiece athletics in NCAA Season 99 at the PhilSports Complex’s track oval over the weekend.

The Cambodia Southeast Asian Games 4x400m gold winner had his swan song as he bid his alma mater adieu with a triple-gold, one-bronze performance that included a pair of record-smashing performances in the 200m and 400m.

Mr. Ramirez timed in 46.95 seconds in the 400m in erasing the 48.03 standard he owned a year back and clocked 21.43 in the 200m in eclipsing the 21.93 mark by JRU’s Russel Galleon six years ago.

Mr. Ramirez’s excellence helped power JRU to the title with an impressive 826.5 points, an ocean ahead from the rest of the field including Mapua University and Arellano University (AU), which ended up second and third with a 584 and a 540, respectively.

Mr. Ramirez thus ended up with a third straight crown and eighth in the last 11 seasons in the event.

Sharing the spotlight was another national team mainstay and SEA Games medal winner Leonard Grospe of Mapua, which swept all jumping events — high jump, triple jump and long jump.

It was in high jump though where he drew most of the attention as he destroyed the old mark of 2.04 meters shared by John Paul Sale of Mapua, Adonis Cordero of Jose Rizal University and Christian Dave Geraldino of Mapua by leaping to 2.05m.

Those three records by Messrs. Ramirez and Grospe were just half of the six league marks that were rearranged with the other half set by AU’s Eugene Bongalos in seniors pole vault, and JRU’s Randy Degolacion in 800m and University Perpetual Help’s John Kervy Dianito in javelin in the juniors’ side.

UPHSD, meanwhile, reigned supreme in the juniors’ side and ran away with the crown with an 804.5.

JRU finished second with a 657.25 while AU third with a 503.5. — Joey Villar

Blu Boys gun for World Cup slot in Men’s Softball

June 9, 2024 | 7:03 pm

THE PHILIPPINES will try to thread the proverbial eye of the needle as it shoots for a place in next year’s World Cup as it sees action in the WBSC Men’s Softball Group A Qualifiers slated June 12 to 16 in Hermosillo, Mexico.

The Cebuana Lhuillier-backed Blu Boys will hope to finish in the top two in their bracket where they face tough rivals in Australia, the reigning champion and world No. 1 Australia, Venezuela, host Mexico, Dominican Republic and European titlist Czech Republic.

Amateur Softball Association of the Philippines President Jean Henri Lhuillier wished the team success before the Blu Boys left a few days back.

“We are incredibly proud of the Blu Boys and their journey so far,” said Mr. Lhuillier. “This team has shown immense dedication and talent, and we are confident they will represent the Philippines with great honor and determination. We look forward to seeing them in action and cheering them on as they aim for the top,” he added.

The country will first battle the Dominican Republic Wednesday and then will tackle Australia the next day and followed by Mexico June 14 and Venezuela and Czechia in a double-header June 15.

If the Filipinos make it through and end up in the top two, they will book a ticket to next year’s World Cup in Prince Albert, Canada where they would face the cream of the crop of the sport.

A total of 18 countries divided into three brackets are battling for those precious World Cup seats. — Joey Villar