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Candidate for Sarangani governor wounded in gun attack

STOCK PHOTO | Shooting gun photo created by senivpetro - www.freepik.com

COTABATO CITY — A candidate for governor of Sarangani province sustained bullet wounds in the abdomen in an attack late Saturday by motorcycle-riding assailants in Barangay City Heights in General Santos City.

In separate initial reports released on Sunday, the General Santos City Police Office and the Police Regional Office-12 stated that the gun attack victim, Gladden Selidio Lim, was immediately brought by emergency responders to a hospital, where he is now undergoing treatment.

Police investigators and intelligence agents are still trying to identify the man who repeatedly shot Mr. Lim with a pistol and hurriedly escaped using a getaway motorcycle.

He had just emerged from a Christian worship site along Dacera Avenue in Barangay City Heights when a man shot him repeatedly with a .45 caliber pistol and immediately escaped using a getaway motorcycle.

Radio reports in Central Mindanao Cities on Sunday morning stated that Mr. Lim is a candidate for governor of Sarangani, one of the four provinces in region 12.

Police probers are still clueless if the atrocity that left Mr. Lim wounded could be related to his candidacy for governor of Sarangani. — John Felix M. Unson

Della, 16, breaks the 16-17 boys 200m IM Batang Pinoy record

MASBATE DISCUS THROWER Courtney Jewel Trangia shows winning form in capturing the first gold.

Courtney Jewel Trangia earns first Masbate gold

TANKER Anton Paulo Della of San Fernando La Union splashed his way to a record-breaking effort even as thrower Courtney Jewel Trangia of Masbate claimed the first gold medal in yesterday’s Batang Pinoy at the RVM Sports Complex in Puerto Princesa, Palawan.

Mr. Della, 16, timed in two minutes and 15.58 seconds in eclipsing the 16-17 boys 200-meter individual medley (IM) record of 2:16.66 set by Lucena’s Peter Cyrus Dean last year in Manila.

It came a couple of hours after Ms. Trangia, a 12th grader from Masbate Sports Academy, drew first blood by striking the first mint in the weeklong meet bankrolled by the Philippine Sports Commission with her under-18 girls discus throw triumph where she threw 38.3m.

She bested Davao del Norte’s Hannah Ashlei Regaya (31.54m) and Maasin’s Trisha Gayle Nalla (31.06m), who settled for the silver and bronze, respectively.

It wasn’t the distance that Ms. Trangia, who will compete in an age-group meet in Malaysia next week, was hoping for though.

Ms. Trangia, who tried but failed to match, if not eclipse, her personal best of 40.19m she set in the ICTSI National Open in Pasig early this year.

Meanwhile, host Puerto Princesa copped its first gold courtesy of swimmer Zachary Joseph Tovera, who topped the 14-15 boys 50m backstroke in 29.95 ahead.

In chess, it was Oscar Cantela and Christan Gian Karlo Arca who led the early gold winners by topping the rapid event for boys 16 to 17 years old and 15 years old, respectively.

Other winners in the event were Sta. Rosa’s Jarhed Diocares (boys 14), Lipa’s Rafiel Irvin Lacorte (boys 13), Agusan del Norte’s Jake Andre Aballer (boys 12), Bohol’s Kristine Belano (girls 16-17), Canlaon’s Ryien Bahita (girls 15), Toledo’s Apple Rubin (girls 14), Cagayan de Oro’s Zhaoyu Capilitan (girls 13) and Zamboanga City’s Cyreine Jean Borce (girls 12). — Joey Villar

San Beda regains NCAA 100 table tennis crown

UNSPLASH

SAN BEDA University reclaimed its place at the pedestal after reclaiming the titles it lost a season ago with a spectacular performance in NCAA Season 100 table tennis at the San Beda Gym over the weekend.

The Red Paddlers swept all three divisions, including two in the women’s and juniors’ sections where they finished unbeaten with the other one topping the men’s where they ended up with just a loss.

Danaia Erica Reblora spearheaded San Beda’s 3-0 decimation of University of Perpetual Help in the finals to give the Benedictine school a league-best eighth women’s crown.

Matt Andrew Ramos, meanwhile, led San Beda’s 3-1 triumph over College of St. Benilde to claim their eighth crown, which tied Colegio de San Juan de Letran with most titles in the men’s side.

Gerald Tuazon, for his part, powered San Beda to a 3-0 smashing of University of Perpectual Help in seizing their seventh crown, which is the second highest in the juniors’ class behind only Letran’s league-high 17.

Ms. Reblora and Messrs. Ramos and Tuazon all seized MVP Honors.

Thanks to the feats, San Beda has now snared four championships this season in the seniors’ side after reigning supreme in women’s badminton and men’s chess just a few days back.

It was the school’s first juniors title this year. — Joey Villar

Lions speed into Indianapolis with win streak at 8

IT’S up to Shane Steichen and his Indianapolis Colts staff this week to figure out ways to neutralize the steamrolling Detroit Lions.

The Lions head into Indiana on Sunday with an eight-game winning streak, their longest since their first season in Detroit in 1934. They carved up Jacksonville 52-6, while scoring touchdowns on their first seven possessions last week.

“They’re tough on all three phases, and it shows,” Steichen said. “It definitely shows. All those guys are flying around, making plays. They’re having fun doing it.”

Led by Jared Goff, Detroit (9-1) leads the NFL in points scored (33.6 per game) and point differential (plus-159) this season. Goff bounced back from a five-interception outing in Houston by throwing for 412 yards and four touchdowns against the hapless Jaguars.

Top target Amon-Ra St. Brown caught 11 passes for a season-high 161 yards and two touchdowns. St. Brown has a receiving touchdown in eight straight games.

And the running back duo of David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs has combined to rush for almost 1,400 yards and 18 touchdowns. The powerful Montgomery has found the end zone 10 times, including twice against Jacksonville.

“He’s a throwback. There are throwback principles about him, and I mean that with all due respect,” Lions head coach Dan Campbell said. “His running style is — it’s rare. David is just different, and he’s downhill, doesn’t give up, first guy, he’s not going to let him tackle him, continues to churn his legs, and just violent, violent, never give up, never going down.”

The lightning-quick Gibbs is averaging 6.0 yards per carry and has eight rushing touchdowns. His one reception last week went for 54 yards.

“To me, they’re the perfect combination,” Campbell said.

Indianapolis is scoring just 21.5 points per game and has reached the 30-point mark only one time, in a 37-34 loss at Jacksonville. The Colts rallied to beat the New York Jets last week in the return of super-sized quarterback Anthony Richardson.

But Detroit isn’t just any opponent. The Lions established a franchise record for points in a six-game stretch last week with 232.

“Their offense is super-powered, so we’re going to have to do our part, and we’re excited for it,” Colts receiver Michael Pittman said.

The Colts (5-6) reinstated Richardson in the lineup and snapped a three-game losing streak. In the 28-27 victory, Richardson passed for one touchdown and ran for two more, including the go-ahead score with 46 seconds left.

“Very encouraged,” Steichen said of Richardson’s outing. “I think when you go through a three-game stretch like we had and you go on the road and get a win, and winning in the two-minute drive, you get some momentum — the confidence. Obviously, coming back at home, we’ve got to continue that momentum and carry that confidence into this week. We’re looking forward to it.”

Richardson didn’t throw an interception in 30 attempts, though he fumbled twice and the Jets recovered one of them. He has fumbled eight times this season and lost three of them.

They’ll be facing a much tougher opponent this week, though one of the Lions’ top defenders, linebacker Alex Anzalone, sustained a broken forearm on Sunday and was placed on injured reserve.

“Just seeing the toughness from our team. We’re definitely trying to carry that over because we know we’re getting ready to play a physical team,” Richardson said. “So, they’re going to bring it to us. We got to bring it to them. But just trusting my guys each and every play, like I did in that fourth quarter, and just trust in my ability. I feel like I’m a decent football player, and I like to make plays out there.”

Detroit tight end Sam LaPorta missed the game last week with a shoulder injury but is cleared to play against the Colts. Cornerback Ennis Rakestraw Jr. will not play Sunday due to a hamstring injury and was placed on injured reserve on Saturday. Fellow cornerback Terrion Arnold (groin) also has been ruled out, while cornerback Emmanuel Moseley (pectoral) was activated off of IR and is questionable.

The Colts listed only offensive tackle Bernhard Raimann (knee) as being unavailable to oppose the Lions. Defensive end Tyquan Lewis (elbow) was considered questionable. — Reuters

Basketball’s Caitlin Clark joins Cincinnati ownership group in bid for NWSL team

CAITLIN CLARK is joining a group bidding to own a National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) franchise in Cincinnati.

The NWSL bid team said Clark’s influence on women’s sports will serve as a boost toward its goal for an expansion franchise.

“The NWSL Cincinnati bid team is thrilled that Caitlin Clark has joined our ownership group in pursuit of bringing a women’s professional soccer team to our city,” the NWSL Cincinnati bid team said. “Her passion for the sport, commitment to elevating women’s sports in and around the Greater Cincinnati region, and influence as an athlete and role model for women and girls around the world, make her a vital part of our compelling bid to become the 16th team in the NWSL.”

The Boston franchise is set to join the NWSL in 2026 as the 15th franchise.

Cincinnati, along with Cleveland and Denver, were named the three finalists to be the league’s 16th member Friday by commissioner Jessica Berman. The winning team will begin play in 2026.

The No. 1 pick in the WNBA Draft after setting the all-time women’s college basketball scoring record Clark, 22, was named the WNBA Rookie of the Year, receiving 66 of 67 votes from a national panel of sportswriters and broadcasters. She also became the first rookie to earn first-team All-WNBA honors since Candace Parker in 2008. — Reuters

Sinner, Italy into Davis Cup final

MALAGA, Spain — Defending champions Italy moved into the Davis Cup final after a 2-0 win over Australia on Saturday as Jannik Sinner defeated Alex de Minaur in straight sets to follow up Matteo Berrettini’s victory over Thanasi Kokkinakis.

A repeat of last year’s final ended with the same result and with world number one Sinner again seeing off De Minaur, sending Italy into Sunday’s final where they will meet the Netherlands who have reached the decider for the first time.

The ATP Finals champion believes he has improved a lot since last year when he ousted De Minaur.

“I believe I am a very solid player from the baseline and capable of doing very different things, not just hitting hard. I have achieved many things this year, so I take nothing for granted,” he added. — Reuters

More misery for City following rout by Spurs; Arsenal returns to form

LONDON — Manchester City’s calamitous spell continued with a shocking 4-0 rout by Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday, while Arsenal returned to winning ways in the Premier League with a confident 3-0 victory over Nottingham Forest.

Aston Villa’s winless streak continued when they were held to a 2-2 draw at home to lowly Crystal Palace.

James Maddison scored twice while Pedro Porro also netted and Brennan Johnson added a fourth for Spurs deep in added time as the Londoners subjected City to their most lopsided loss at the Etihad Stadium.

The limp display left hundreds of shell-shocked City fans beating a hasty exit, ending the champion’s record run of 52 consecutive home matches unbeaten in all competitions.

City manager Pep Guardiola, who signed a two-year contract extension two days earlier, has now lost five consecutive games across all competitions for the first time in his career, and three in a row in the league in his tenure with City.

The loss left City five points adrift of league leaders Liverpool, with the Reds having a game in hand. Spurs climbed to sixth.

Goals by Bukayo Saka, Thomas Partey and teenager Ethan Nwaneri got Arsenal back on track after four league games without a win in manager Mikel Arteta’s 250th game in charge.

Arsenal stayed in fourth spot, level on 22 points with third-placed Chelsea who began the day’s action with a 2-1 victory away at Leicester City, and one point behind City.

Leaders Liverpool have 28 points ahead of their Sunday clash with bottom club Southampton.

Arsenal began the day level on points with surprise package Forest but outclassed the Midlands club in the London rain.

The returning Saka and captain Martin Odegaard were hugely influential for Arsenal, combining after 15 minutes for Saka to clip a superb left-footed drive high past Forest keeper Matz Sels.

Partey curled in Arsenal’s second after 52 minutes and 17-year-old Nwaneri, on as a substitute, put the icing on the cake with his first Premier League goal late on. — Reuters

Dominating Jokic

Nikola Jokic has been the National Basketball Association’s best player for a while now. In fact, it can be reasonably argued that he has had no peer in the league since the turn of the decade. Not for nothing has he claimed the Most Valuable Player award in three of the last four years. And not for nothing is he slated to bring home a fourth at the end of the 2023-24 season. His numbers so far have been nothing short of ridiculous; he’s norming a triple-double while setting the pace in scoring and rebounding. For good measure, he’s likewise without peer in three-point shooting.

To argue that the Nuggets will only go so far as Jokic takes them would be understating the obvious. The on-off figures are undeniable, and serve to underscore how critical he is to the cause of the blue, yellow, and red; they’re close to unstoppable when he’s burning rubber, and all but scraping the bottom of the barrel when he takes a rest. And for the uninitiated, all it takes is a game — any game — seeing him in action to be convinced of his ascendancy. He’s simply better than anyone he shares the court with, bar none.

The irony, of course, is that Jokic possesses neither the athleticism nor the quickness supposedly required to excel in the modern iteration of the sport. And yet he’s utterly dominant, using a unique combine of intelligence, instinct, and mastery of the craft to orchestrate proceedings as he pleases. Yesterday, for instance, he found no trouble directing the Nuggets to yet another shellacking of the Lakers. He and, by extension, those around him have so smothered the purple and gold in recent memory that they might as well view victory as a foregone conclusion even before the start of any set-to.

Indeed, Jokic is so good that he can lift up the Nuggets regardless of the state of their roster. Yesterday, they missed vital cog Aaron Gordon and got mediocre production from the inconsistent Jamal Murray, and, still, there was no stopping them from running away with the triumph. Perhaps they’re collectively just the Lakers’ foil, armed with the precise set of talents that — under the tutelage of head coach Michael Malone — have every counter. For the most part, however, they’re buoyed by the capacity of their principal playmaker to get them to be better than the sum of their parts.

Considering the depth of the competition in the West, the Nuggets continue to have their work cut out for them. That said, Jokic’s mere presence makes them dangerous. It doesn’t matter that they have suffered from a cap-induced roster turnover since they brought home the Larry O’Brien Trophy last year. Bottom line, he’s around to set the table, and invariably manages to serve up an outstanding meal regardless of the ingredients.

 

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.

NAIA passenger volumes top 2019 levels in 9 months

NINOY AQUINO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT (NAIA) Terminal 3 — PHILIPPINE STAR/MIGUEL DE GUZMAN

AIR passenger volumes at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) exceeded those of the equivalent period in the last pre-pandemic year, driven by growth in domestic travel, according to Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA).

The MIAA reported that air passenger volume totaled 37.38 million for the nine months, up 10.7% and 4.2% higher than the total recorded in the first nine months of 2019. 

For the first nine months, MIAA reported 17.29 million international passengers, of which 8.90 million were departing passengers and 8.39 million arriving. Domestic travelers for the period amounted to 20.09 million, MIAA said.

For the first nine months, MIAA recorded 219,418 flights, with domestic flights accounting for 133,418.

The new operator of NAIA, New NAIA Infra Corp. (NNIC), has said that it is preparing for the expected surge in passengers through the main gateway during the holidays. The company expects to end the year at 50 million air passengers.

More than two months since the private operator took over the operations of NAIA on Sept. 14, NNIC has outlined its plans for the airport such as landside improvements including the expansion of roads and curbside enhancements; terminal upgrades, and reassignments. — Ashley Erika O. Jose

BoI targets 60% local-content level for vehicle manufacturing

REUTERS

THE Board of Investments (BoI) said it hopes to increase the local-content level for vehicle manufacturers to 60%, citing the need for parts makers to achieve economies of scale.

On the sidelines of the Auto Reverse Trade Fair, BoI Industry Development Services Executive Director Ma. Corazon Halili-Dichosa said the 60% target is aligned with the requirements of the Comprehensive Automotive Resurgence Strategy (CARS) program.

“If we can actually have 60%, at least, of the parts being made in the Philippines, it will be better because that will establish economies of scale for the parts makers, especially if they are common parts suppliers or assemblers,” Ms. Halili-Dichosa told reporters.

She said that between 2015 and 2023, imported vehicles accounted for 71% of the industry’s sales.

“Imagine the foreign exchange savings that we could have had if only we were able to produce more of what the people buy locally,” she added.

She said demand for motorcycles and commercial vehicles has been growing.

“There is a strong (post-pandemic) market for motorcycles… which is also the same for commercial vehicles,” she said.

“It’s better if there are more assemblers and we can increase their localization. What’s good is that our assemblers are very open to local parts manufacturing. Either they do joint ventures or they have domestic suppliers,” she added.

However, she said the 60% local-content goal for vehicle manufacturing will be hard to achieve as localization levels vary from one vehicle to another.

“If we are talking about commercial vehicles, it is harder compared to [passenger] cars because they already have a foundation due to the CARS program,” she added, referring to the Comprehensive Automotive Resurgence Strategy, an incentive program encouraging domestic assembly. — Justine Irish D. Tabile

More transparency urged for budget bicameral negotiations

BW FILE PHOTO

By Kenneth Christiane L. Basilio, Reporter

CONGRESS needs to open to the public the deliberations on the 2025 budget to discourage insertions by legislators pursuing their own agenda, political analysts said.

Civil society groups should press legislators to publicize the deliberations of the bicameral conference committee reconciling the budget bills of both chambers, they added.

Discussions on the budget bill are expected to wrap up by mid-December.

“If the budget proceedings of both the House of Representatives and the Senate are open to the public, the bicameral conference committee should also be,” Maria Ela L. Atienza, a political science professor at the University of the Philippines, said via Viber. The bicam “should not be empowered to act as a third chamber of Congress.”

“The bicameral panel should not be given opportunities to exercise power and abuse authority,” she added.

The joint congressional panel has traditionally sought to harmonize their budget bills behind closed doors, leaving the public in the dark about late changes to the spending plan.

“The purpose of a bicameral committee is to simply make sure that the process of reconciling different versions of a bill is done speedily. If there are serious aspects of the bill that involve sensitive matters, they use that mechanism to discuss and resolve their differences on those matters,” Arjan P. Aguirre, who teaches political science at the Ateneo de Manila, said via Facebook Messenger.

The joint panel is susceptible to abuse because of the shroud of secrecy, he added. “Just like any institutional mechanisms and practices, this can be abused and misused for political gain.

“Bicameral conferences are often used for secret deals and negotiations involving public funds,” according to Mr. Aguirre.

Budget line items likely to be subject to insertions at bicam level include funding for flood control projects and financial aid programs under the Social Welfare, Health, and Labor departments, Zy-za Nadine M. Suzara, a budget analyst, said via Viber.

The bicameral conference for the 2024 budget bill resulted in an insertion allowing the National Government to raid the reserve funds of state-owned corporations. As a result, unprogrammed appropriations for 2024 — items included in the budget with no firm sources of funding — also more than doubled to P731.45 billion.

“The public should always take an active role on matters that are germane to public funds,” Gian Paolo S. Ines, the founding chairman of San Beda University’s Department of Political Science, said via Viber. “Necessarily, this includes participation in budget deliberations, implementation, monitoring, and the like.”

“Making the bicameral conference committee’s proceedings on the proposed national budget open to the public will definitely encourage transparency and accountability,” he added.

Typhoons force rethink of planting strategies in storm-damaged areas

PHILIPPINE STAR/MIGUEL DE GUZMAN

By Adrian H. Halili, Reporter

THE recent spate of typhoons traversing the Philippines has forced farmers to re-evaluate their planting strategies, with quick-to-mature crops now in favor to increase the likelihood that harvests can be brought in once storm warnings are raised.

Nilor S. Go, a rice and yellow-corn farmer from Isabela province, said white corn, the variety used for human consumption, as opposed to the yellow type used in animal feed, is now looking more attractive because of the shorter time to harvest.

“Right now, we are trying to look at crops that can grow in the next 70 to 75 days. The alternative is sweet (white) corn,” he said in a phone interview.

“Isabela is not known for producing white corn. Here we normally plant yellow corn for feed. So, we’re trying to consider food-grade corn. It is also more of a high value crop,” he added.

The Department of Agriculture (DA) said it is setting aside P5.32 billion for the National Corn Program next year, to fund new irrigation facilities, post-harvest facilities, planting material, and fertilizer.

Mr. Go said the weather disturbances in recent weeks wiped out much of his standing crop, mostly corn.

“One typhoon is more than enough to destroy our harvest, but six consecutive typhoons really battered us,” he added.

He said that his farm entered the yellow corn growing season last month, and this was the crop that the typhoon hit.

“Yellow corn takes four months to grow. If we were to plant again in December, it will start flowering by February, which puts it in the dry season,” he said.

The government weather service, known as PAGASA, logged six successive typhoons approaching or traversing the eastern and northern Philippines in November.

The DA estimated that damage to farms at about P10 billion, according to initial reports following Tropical Cyclone Ofel (International name: Usagi), the last of the storms for which estimates have been released. It has yet to report the damage caused by Pepito (Man-Yi).

The DA has said that producers are having difficulty in recovering from the recent weather disturbances.

According to Mr. Go it would take him four to five crops to fully recover from damage inflicted by the storms.

The Philippines is set to face an increased likelihood of tropical cyclone activity in the coming month due to La Niña.

PAGASA has cited a 71% likelihood of La Niña setting in between November and January, lasting until early next year.

Mr. Go said that he was also looking to expand into value-added processing, rather than selling his crops to processors.

“We need to process our own produce. As farmers, we are always at the mercy of the middlemen or the processing industry,” he added.

He said his Isabela farm typically supplies yellow corn to feed manufacturers.

“Our plan for this coming season… is to really diversify our crops. We’re looking to expand to fruit bearing trees,” he added.

Before becoming a farmer, Mr. Go had worked for an information technology firm in Metro Manila. But the 2019 coronavirus pandemic had caused him to return to his home province and try his hand at farming.

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