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PPCRV links delay in election reports to ‘technical issues’

PHILIPPINE STAR/ RUSSELL PALMA

THE Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV) said the delay in its usual election data reports on Monday was caused by “unexpected technical issues,” attributing it to differences in file formats and discrepancies in figures.

In a statement on Tuesday, the PPCRV said that the initial data they received after 8:15 pm on Monday came in different file formats, “causing delays in the release of the figures.”

It added that a discrepancy was later observed between PPCRV’s internal count, and the figures publicly reported by other transparency server recipients, which led them to hold off on publishing the results while under verification.

PPCRV explained that the move was “out of an abundance of caution and a commitment to accuracy.”

In an earlier statement on Monday, the PPCRV described the delay in accessing election data as “highly unusual,” noting that it was the first time such an incident had occurred since 2010.

“We have not experienced a delay of this nature, i.e., not even receiving a first data dump, especially despite over one-third of results already being transmitted,” it said.

The parish-based watchdog added its data was accurate and properly filtered for duplicate entries.

The PPCRV also flagged the discrepancy between the data accessible to them and the figures already reflected on the Commission on Elections (Comelec) public access website in terms of election return receipts.

In a press briefing on the same day, Comelec Chairman George Garcia explained that the discrepancy between the figures from the Comelec transparency servers and those from other watchdogs may occur because election data takes time to be translated into a human-readable format.

In contrast, data transmitted to the Comelec transparency server goes directly from the precincts, allowing for faster processing.

Mr. Garcia assured that the Comelec servers and other servers are all accurate, as they both receive data from the precincts that have already transmitted the votes.

“These entities… receive more or less 98% election returns, and if there is any discrepancy, it’s only by a point. The main server of Comelec is always the first to receive the data,” Mr. Garcia said in Filipino. — Edg Adrian A. Eva 

JBC to screen SC justice applicants

PHILSTAR FILE PHOTO

THE Philippines’ Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) will conduct public interviews from May 14 to 21 to screen 18 candidates vying for a Supreme Court (SC) associate justice position ahead of the compulsory retirement of Associate Justice Mario V. Lopez on June 4.

Interviews will take place at either the SC En Banc Session Hall or the Court of Appeals Session Hall, the JBC said in a statement on Tuesday.

The process is part of the council’s constitutional mandate to recommend nominees to the country’s highest court.

A total of 18 candidates will face the JBC panel over four days of hearings. Among those scheduled to appear are legal luminaries from both the bench and the bar, including Court of Appeals justices, government legal officers, and prominent private practitioners.

The JBC is composed of representatives from the judiciary, Congress, the legal profession, the academe, and the private sector.

Its shortlist will be submitted to President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr., who will make the final appointment. Mr. Lopez’s replacement will be Mr. Marcos’s first appointee in the high court since becoming president in 2022.

Official recordings will be made available on the SC’s YouTube channel by the end of each day.

Mr. Lopez, who will retire upon reaching the mandatory retirement age of 70, was appointed to the high court in 2019. — Chloe Mari A. Hufana

PHL utilization rate for EU GSP+ hits record 80%

REUTERS

By Justine Irish D. Tabile, Reporter

THE Philippine utilization rate in the European Union’s (EU) Generalized Scheme of Preferences Plus (GSP+), a scheme to admit Philippine goods tariff-free, hit a record 80% last year, according to the EU Ambassador to the Philippines.

“In the previous year we already had high levels, but we were only around 77%, 75%, and 73%, so 80% was the highest; it is the record so far, and that is for 2024,” Ambassador Massimo Santoro said on the sidelines of a forum organized by the Makati Business Club on Tuesday.

“This is very good because basically almost 7,000 products from the Philippines entered the EU market tariff-free,” he added.

For 2025, he said that the goal is to at least match the 80% record.

“We are very happy, from the European side, when the Philippines makes the best use of this system of preferences,” he added.

He added that it is important to speedily conclude the negotiations for the EU-Philippines free trade agreement (FTA), without compromising quality, in the face of the new US tariff measures.

“I am pretty sure that also in light of this geopolitical dimension, related to the tariffs, etc., the FTA negotiations cannot but become more important and cannot but continue at an even higher pace,” he said.

“Of course this depends on the goodwill of both sides, but it’s clear that… we cannot but multiply the occasions to reduce to zero these tariffs,” he added.

However, he said that despite the willingness to accelerate the negotiations, it is difficult to estimate a firm date for talks to wrap up.

“I can say that the key objective remains to achieve a final result that gives real added value to business on both sides,” he added.

He said that the FTAs being negotiated by the EU with its other partners are similar in structure but noted that the EU is interested in inserting a digital trade chapter in its FTA with the Philippines.

“Previous FTAs do not have this digital chapter … The digital chapter is something that gained in importance and speed most recently,” he said.

“So it is natural that this is a chapter not present in other FTAs because these FTAs were concluded before, in a moment where the digital was not such a fundamental element,” he added.

He said the digital chapter is important for the Philippines, being an archipelago where infrastructure is an important consideration.

“I am not saying that digital fills the gap in the infrastructure, but it definitely becomes an important enabler when it is about situations where the infrastructure is not there or when we want to improve services and access,” he said.

“So this is why we thought about having this digital chapter in this FTA,” he added.

The EU and the Philippines have staged two rounds of negotiations starting in October. The third round is set to take place in June.

Domestic shipping to pick up slack as tariffs dampen international trade

ICTSI

DOMESTIC TRADE is expected to drive the growth of the shipping industry in the face of the US tariffs that are disrupting international trade, according to Royal Cargo.

“I think domestic shipping will increase and improve. The Philippines is one of the growth areas here in Southeast Asia, so I think it will improve,” Michael Kurt Raeuber, chairman and group chief executive officer of Royal Cargo, told reporters on Tuesday.

However, he said that the Philippines still imports more than it exports.

“We can only hope that exports will improve. And that is why it is very important to have the EU-Philippines Free Trade Agreement and the EU Generalized Scheme of Preferences Plus (GSP+),” he added.

The EU and the Philippines are currently negotiating an FTA. The Philippines currently benefits from the EU GSP+, which removes duties on 6,274 Philippine products.

Mr. Raeuber said that e-commerce could also be a driver of growth for the shipping industry.

“Anything that is increasing the volume of transactions is welcome and, of course, will drive growth,” he added.

In 2024, the Philippine digital economy’s gross merchandise value grew 20% to $31 billion, according to a report by Google, Temasek, and Bain & Co.

Of the total, e-commerce accounted for $21 billion, up 23%.

However, he said that the tariffs announced by US President Donald J. Trump has caused shipping volumes to slump “about 50-60%.”

“On the other hand, I personally believe that trade with China, for one reason or another, will be going up,” he added.

The US imposed reciprocal tariffs on its trading partners to address trade imbalances. The Philippines was assigned a 17% tariff, the second-lowest rate in Southeast Asia.

These have been suspended for 90 days, during which the US will charge most countries a 10% baseline rate, with China’s tariff being bumped up to 145% before a recent breakthrough in negotiations, with both sides agreeing to a 90-day freeze on the  tariffs, with Chinese goods to be charged 30% in the interim, while US goods paid 10%. — Justine Irish D. Tabile

Maharlika remits P1.4-B dividend to Treasury 

THE Maharlika Investment Corp. (MIC) said it remitted a dividend of P1.447 billion to the Treasury, representing 75% of its earnings.

“About P1.447 billion was the dividend we paid to the National Government, and it represented 75% of our distributable earnings. We could have paid more but we paid taxes,” MIC President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Rafael D. Consing, Jr. told BusinessWorld by phone.

The issuance of shares to the Land Bank of the Philippines and the Development Bank of the Philippines resulted in a documentary stamp tax of P750 million. It also paid withholding tax on its fixed-income investments. 

The two state-run banks invested a combined P75 billion in capital in Maharlika last year.

The sovereign wealth fund earned P2.3 billion in interest income in 2024.

“2025 was when we really started making our investments. So based on the P75 billion capitalization that we have and then if you remove the commitments that we made we would probably have about between P30 billion to P33 billion less,” he said. 

The government committed to invest a further P50 billion to be raised from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas and the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp.

“But I’m also conscious of the needs of the country and the DoF. So therefore, if we have need for additional funding we will most likely manage our capital structure and raise our own funds,” he said.

In April, the MIC submitted its 2026 budget, which accounted for the estimated P35 billion to P37 billion targeted capital investments.

The budget outlined items like current projects and three more investments to be announced by the end of the year involving the transport and logistics industries.

In January, Maharlika signed a deal to acquire a 20% stake in Synergy Grid & Development Phils., Inc. for P19.7 billion, giving it a “foothold” in National Grid Corp. of the Philippines, the country’s sole grid operator. 

It also agreed to a binding term sheet to provide a $76.4-million bridge loan to Makilala Mining Co., Inc.

This was followed by an agreement with Thailand’s Charoen Pokphand Group Co., Ltd. to set up a private equity fund to raise up to $1 billion.

Among the upcoming investments is a collaboration with the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) on key projects in Clark.

“We are speaking with Clark SEAC (Special Economic Area of Clark), and we are looking for opportunities to invest in them,” Mr. Consing said.

“Very preliminary conversations. What we signed with them was a memorandum of understanding. But unfortunately, the CEO who signed with us has already moved on. We’re now therefore starting a discussion soon,” he added.

The fund had been considering investing in five BCDA projects including the Clark International Airport expansion; a New Clark City affordable housing project; the Clark Integrated Public Transport System; the Poro Point Seaport Modernization Program; and the Clark Central Business District.

In April, BCDA President and CEO Joshua M. Bingcang said the five projects will require a total investment of about $4 billion. — Aubrey Rose A. Inosante

NFA begins shipping subsidized rice to Cebu

PHILIPPINE STAR/EDD GUMBAN

THE National Food Authority (NFA) said that it shipped 35,000 bags of well-milled rice to Cebu on Monday to support the government’s plan to sell subsidized P20-per-kilo rice to vulnerable segments of the population.

The shipment will constitute the stocks to be sold in a pilot test in the Visayas, which will run until December, the Department of Agriculture (DA) said in a statement on Tuesday.

“Cebu, Bohol, Siquijor, and Southern Leyte have agreed to join the subsidized rice initiative and have an initial combined order of 673,000 50-kilo bags,” it added, referring to local governments which have agreed to pay for a share of the subsidy.

NFA Administrator Larry R. Lacson said that Cebu ordered 600,000 bags of rice, Siquijor 40,000, Southern Leyte 30,000, and Bohol 3,000.

“The transfer to Cebu is expected to be completed by June, with 240,000 sacks coming from NFA warehouses in Mindoro and Iloilo,” Mr. Lacson said.

“The decongestion of NFA warehouses is necessary to allow for the continued procurement of palay from farmers,” he added.

Under the program, the DA, through Food Terminal, Inc., and the LGUs (local government units) will equally share the P13-per-kilo subsidy to bring the retail price of rice sourced from NFA stocks to P20.

“President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. has allocated P4.5 billion from his contingency fund to support the pilot implementation of the program,” the DA said.

“He has also directed the DA to continue the initiative through the end of his term in 2028 and pledged full support for the program that aims to ease the financial burdens of consumers, particularly those from vulnerable sectors such as senior citizens and the indigent,” it added.

NFA warehouses contained the rice equivalent of 7.93 million bags as of April 30, equivalent to 10 days of national consumption.

Currently, NFA buys palay (unmilled rice) from farmers at between P18 and P24 a kilo.

“The agency is seeking to at least double its current P9-billion allocation to enhance its market influence and support farmer profitability,” the DA said.

To date, the P20-per-kilo rice program is being rolled out in 12 KADIWA ng Pangulo centers, targeted for increase to 32 by Thursday. — Justine Irish D. Tabile

Tobacco taxes need ‘calibration’ to reverse decline in excise revenue

PHILIPPINE STAR/ MIGUEL DE GUZMAN

THE Philippine Tobacco Institute (PTI), an industry lobby, said taxes for tobacco need to be overhauled to contain the growing share of illicit tobacco in the market and ensure the government collects adequate sin taxes.

“There is an urgent need to calibrate the tax rate to an optimal level and enhance enforcement and prosecution efforts so we can fully realize the benefits of the Sin Tax Law for both public health and government revenue,” PTI said in a statement on Tuesday.

The PTI said illicit tobacco accounted for about 18.2% of the market, a record, at the end of 2024, up from 5.4% in 2020.

Taxes make illicit tobacco, whether smuggled or untaxed, attractive to consumers, it said, with tax-paid cigarettes selling for around P140 per pack, up to P100 more expensive than the untaxed varieties.

The PTI said untaxed cigarettes sometimes sell for less than the excise tax rate of P66.15 per pack.

“There is overwhelming evidence that illegal tobacco and vape products are exploding across the country,” PTI President Jericho B. Nograles said.

“With annual tax hikes making legal products less affordable, consumers are not quitting — they’re switching. Worse, these illicit products are now being openly sold to minors and widely distributed online with little to no regulation,” he added.

Under current law, tobacco taxes are set to increase 5% annually.

In February, Congress passed House Bill 11360 on third reading, amending the National Internal Revenue Code to impose structured tax hikes on tobacco products.

“The policy to reduce smoking through annual tax increases has failed. Smoking incidence has deteriorated to pre-2015 … Instead of purchasing legal cigarettes, consumers have switched en masse to cheaper illicit cigarettes. This has caused government revenue to fall by over P40 billion (2024 vs. 2021),” Mr. Nograles said.

He noted that the illicit tobacco trade is “destabilizing government revenue, undermining public health goals, and displacing legitimate tax-paying industry volumes.”

The Bureau of Internal Revenue reported that the tobacco tax component of excise taxes declined by 0.35% to P134.43 billion last year, against the P176 billion collected in 2021.

The Department of Finance estimates that the government foregoes revenue of P52 billion a year due to the illicit trade. — Aubrey Rose A. Inosante

Capital gains tax hike expected to make land more costly, deterring investment

PROPOSALS to increase capital gains tax (CGT), donor’s tax and estate tax could make land more expensive and weaken investor activity, the real estate industry said.

“Attempts to impose further tax burdens on property transactions will lead to spiraling land prices, economic destabilization, and loss of employment opportunities,” Chamber of Real Estate and Builders’ Associations, Inc. (CREBA) said in a statement.

Last month, the Department of Finance (DoF) retracted its proposed amendments to the Capital Markets Efficiency Promotion Act (CMEPA), citing a favorable revenue performance in the first quarter.

The DoF earlier sought to replace the CMEPA with the Government Revenues Optimization through Wealth Tax Harmonization bill.

The draft bill proposes a temporary hike in the rates for capital gains on real property, donor’s tax, and estate tax to 10% between 2025 and 2030. Beginning 2031, the rates will be reduced to 6%.

Any significant tax or imposition that impacts land transactions would have a “tidal effect across the economic spectrum,” according to CREBA National President Noel Toti M. Cariño.

He called the property industry heavily taxed and highly regulated, with any further impositions “seriously dampening income and employment generating investments, whether foreign or domestic.”

CREBA has a membership of about 3,000, consisting of companies involved in land and housing development, building construction, and allied industries.

In a separate statement, the National Real Estate Association (NREA), the Subdivision and Housing Developers Association (SHDA), and CREBA said increasing the capital gains tax rate would also drive up housing costs.

“As the CGT is a pass-on tax, the consequent rise in land costs will inevitably drive up production costs, thus further impairing housing affordability, particularly for the lower-income segments which account for the bulk of the housing backlog,” CREBA said, citing its joint findings with the NREA and SHDA.

“The resulting inability of low- and middle-income earners to absorb the tax will prevent housing developers from embarking on housing projects catering to these market segments,” according to the groups.

A capital gains tax hike could also potentially slow real property development activity, destabilizing the construction and property development industries, to the detriment of laborers and temporary workers, they added.

Higher land costs would also translate to higher infrastructure development costs, further burdening taxpayers, they said.

Mr. Recto said the government currently has no intention to impose new taxes or revenue measures, and will rely instead on nontax revenue to meet its fiscal goals this year.

In the first quarter of 2025, tax collections rose 13.55% to P931.5 billion following stronger tax administration and enforcement, the DoF said. — Beatriz Marie D. Cruz

Lady Bulldogs one win away from UAAP S87 volleyball crown

NATIONAL UNIVERSITY LADY BULLDOGS — UAAP/NEO GARCIA

Games on Wednesday
(Mall of Asia Arena)
12:30 p.m. – Awarding Ceremony (men’s)
1 p.m. – NU vs FEU (men’s finals)
4:30 p.m. – Awarding Ceremony (women’s)
5 p.m. – DLSU vs NU (women’s finals)

NATIONAL University (NU) goes for the kill against De La Salle University (DLSU) in Game 2 to usher in a new dynasty in the UAAP Season 87 women’s volleyball on Wednesday at the Mall of Asia Arena.

Game time is at 5 p.m. with the NU Lady Bulldogs wanting no let-up after a Game 1 brilliance that propelled them one step closer to a back-to-back title feat and a third title in four seasons in which they made the finals every time.

A dynasty in the making -— at the expense of La Salle’s winning legacy — it is for NU but not without taking care of business first in the potential clincher even before its establishment.

NU, tagged the heavy favorite even in the pre-season, lived to that lofty billing by whipping La Salle in the opener, 25-17, 25-21, 13-25, 25-17, behind the troika of Bella Belen, Alyssa Solomon and rising star Vange Alinsug.

A win by the NU Lady Bulldogs, in the process, could also gift the senior duo of Mmess. Belen and Solomon a fitting swan song with three titles apiece as they transition to the pros.

And that would not be handed to them on a silver platter by the vengeful DLSU Lady Spikers, warned Ms. Belen.

Ms. Belen, who’s also poised to win her second straight MVP and third overall for most in UAAP history in the awarding ceremonies at 4:30 p.m.

La Salle, for its part, will not go down without a swing especially under the watch of Ramil de Jesus in his 21st finals appearance, promising  to unleash a last ace up on their sleeves to force a winner-take-all duel.

Angel Canino and Shevana Laput have been tasked to lead the retaliation to keep the 12-time champion Lady Spikers’ title redemption alive since beating the Lady Bulldogs in Season 85 to deny them a three-peat.

Far Eastern University (FEU) eyes the same mission as NU in the men’s play, seeking to end the Bulldogs’ four-peat reign at 1 p.m. for their first title since Season 74 (2012). Awarding is set at 12:30 p.m. — John Bryan Ulanday

Magnolia eyes to extend winning run against Meralco

MAGNOLIA HOTSHOTS — FACEBOOK.COM/PBAOFFICIAL

Games on Wednesday
(Ninoy Aquino Stadium)
5 p.m. – Terrafirma vs NLEX
7:30 p.m. – Meralco vs Magnolia

SPOTLESS Magnolia intends to keep the status quo in the PBA Philippine Cup while Meralco seeks to establish order in its blow-hot, blow-cold title-retention campaign.

With this, the Hotshots (5-0) and the Bolts (3-4) duke it out in a marquee PBA Philippine Cup showdown on Wednesday at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.

For the Hotshots, the 7:30 p.m. matchup versus an opponent who had lost four of its last five games after a 2-0 start presents a great opportunity to extend their run as they hit the halfway point of the eliminations.

“We’re unbeaten right now. We want to keep it that way,” said Magnolia ace Zav Lucero. “So we have to prepare the right way and we have to go into it with the right mindset. Any team can beat us on any given day and we know that. So we just have to play the right way and come prepared and we should be fine.”

Athletic wingman Mr. Lucero has been playing solid as he leads Magnolia’s bench mob in helping the Hotshots get it done so far.

Coach Chito Victolero, who is deploying 12 to 13 players each night to preserve the legs of the core players for the long haul.

“In the stretch or in the latter part of the conference it might help us have a fresh legs. We require pace in our defense and offense so rotation is very important with the system,” he added.

The Hotshots may have to shake off rust coming off a 10-day break since their 127-94 demolition of Terrafirma.

The Bolts, on the other hand, just got through a tough contest last Sunday against resurgent TNT that they lost, 101-84.

Meanwhile, NLEX (4-1) looks to stay the second-hottest team of the All-Filipino with five straight wins as it battles the freefalling Dyip (1-5) in the 5 p.m. curtain raiser.

Their situations are poles apart but the Road Warriors aren’t taking chances.

NLEX mentor Jong Uichico said of the Dyip, who are on a five-game slide. “That’s going to be our mindset. It’s never been their (Dyip’s) mindset; they always play hard.” — Olmin Leyba

Frayna’s World Cup bid slows down with a draw with Essa

JANELLE MAE FRAYNA — FLICKR/CHESS OLYMPIAD

JANELLE MAE FRAYNA’S World Cup bid was slowed down a bit after a 29-move draw with fellow Woman Grandmaster (WGM) Alserkal Rouda Essa of the United Arab Emirates in the sixth round of the Asian Individual Chess Championships in Al Ain on Monday night.

The standoff kept the enlisted Army personnel from Albay marooned in a 13-player tie at No. 12 with four points apiece, or 1.5 points off current pacesetter WGM Seshadri Srija of India.

But at least it wasn’t a loss as the Olympiad veteran teetered through it after getting herself into trouble and an inferior position before a pawn sacrifice allowed her to escape with a 29-move split in their sharp Sicilian duel.

Despite it, Ms. Frayna remained in the hunt for one of the berths to the World Cup scheduled July 5 to 29 in Batumi, Georgia if she could string together great results in the final three rounds including this one on the seventh versus Uzbek Madinabonu Khalilova.

Three of her teammates — Marie Antoinette San Diego, Jan Jodilyn Fronda and Bernadette Galas — were lurking just behind Ms. Frayna and doing their best to come out with a respective finish.

Ms. San Diego has three points while Mmess. Fronda and Galas have 2.5 points each.

Pau Bersamina, Jem Garcia and Daniel Quizon are likewise trying to salvage some measure of pride in the open section where they have 3.5, three and 2.5 points, respectively.

Their trip is being bankrolled by the Philippine Sports Commission. — Joey Villar

Dallas Mavericks win NBA draft lottery in stunner

THE WINNER of the Cooper Flagg sweepstakes is the Dallas Mavericks.

The Mavericks surprisingly won the No. 1 overall pick in Monday’s NBA Draft Lottery in Chicago and will surely use the pick on Flagg. The Duke star excelled as a freshman in his one college season.

With just a 1.8% chance of landing the top pick, Dallas jumped 10 spots to become the team with the fourth-longest odds to win the lottery. The Orlando Magic (1.52%) in 1993 had the lowest chance, followed by the 2008 Chicago Bulls and the 2014 Cleveland Cavaliers, who won with odds of just 1.7%.

Also claiming top-four picks were the San Antonio Spurs (No. 2), Philadelphia 76ers (No. 3) and Charlotte Hornets (No. 4).

The Mavericks will get the chance to draft Flagg just months after the controversial trade of Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers. General manager Nico Harrison was frequently criticized for the trade of a generational talent who had carried the team to the 2024 NBA Finals.

Mavericks legend Rolando Blackman represented the team at the lottery, and the former four-time All-Star looked at it as the blessing the organization needed.

The Utah Jazz, Washington Wizards and Hornets shared the best odds of winning the lottery at 14%. The New Orleans Pelicans (12.5%) and Philadelphia 76ers (10.5%) had the next best odds to land the top spot.

Flagg watched the festivities live and saw the Jazz drop to No. 5 and Wizards fall to No. 6 while the Mavericks rose and were eventually revealed as the winner of the first pick.

Flagg will likely be joining a team coached by Jason Kidd that includes veterans Anthony Davis (obtained in the Doncic deal) and Kyrie Irving (currently recovering from an ACL tear).

“I didn’t try to think about it too much,” Flagg said of which team would land the top pick. “I feel like it’s kind of out of my control. I’m just going through the process like everyone else and enjoying every single moment because you only get to do this once.”

The 6-foot-9 Flagg doesn’t turn 19 until December and is projected to develop into a star early in his career.

Flagg won the Wooden and Naismith awards as the top college player last season. The star forward averaged 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds and 4.2 assists in 37 games. He made 52 3-pointers and also had 52 steals and 50 blocked shots.

Flagg would be the first college player selected No. 1 overall since Duke’s Paolo Banchero was chosen first by the Orlando Magic in 2022.

Two years ago, France’s Victor Wembanyama went No. 1 overall to the San Antonio Spurs. Last year, the Atlanta Hawks selected another Frenchman, Zaccharie Risacher.

San Antonio’s rise to No. 2 was a big development as the Spurs have the last two NBA Rookies of the Year — Wembanyama and Stephon Castle — on the roster. The Spurs were in the eighth-best position entering the lottery.

The New Orleans Pelicans (No. 7), Brooklyn Nets (No. 8), Toronto Raptors (No. 9) and Houston Rockets (No. 10) round out the top 10.

Players expected to be selected in the early portion of the NBA draft include the Rutgers duo of forward Ace Bailey and guard Dylan Harper, Texas guard Tre Johnson and Baylor guard VJ Edgecombe.

The NBA Draft is scheduled for June 25-26 at the Barclays Center in New York. — Reuters

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