DFA told to scrap Guo passport

August 20, 2024 | 8:15 pm

DFA-FB- — DEPARTMENT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS FACEBOOK PAGE

EXECUTIVE secretary Lucas P. Bersamin has asked the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to cancel the passport of dismissed Bamban Mayor Alice Guo, weeks after she supposedly left the country.

She has been accused of cuddling illegal offshore gaming operators in her town in northern Philippines, which she denies.

The memo signed by Mr. Bersamin on Aug. 20 was addressed to Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin C. Remulla and Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique A. Manalo.

Stephen L. David, Ms. Guo’s lawyer, in a statement said they relied on her assurances that she was still in the country.

In the memo, Mr. Bersamin cited reports that Ms. Guo, who he said is also identified as Chinese national Guo Hua Ping, had left the country.

He cited a criminal complaint against Ms. Guo for human trafficking, adding that “other cases are likewise being prepared for her alleged involvement” in illegal Philippine Offshore Gaming Operations.

The Justice department said it would investigate how the mayor escaped and who helped her. “Every single individual who backed or participated in the illegal exit of… Guo from the country will be held accountable to the full extent of the law,” Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin C. Remulla said in a statement.

Manila Rep. Joel R. Chua said heads should roll for Ms. Guo’s escape. — Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza, Chloe Mari A. Hufana and Kenneth Christiane L. Basilio

Shari’ah bar exams eyed

August 20, 2024 | 8:14 pm

THE PHILIPPINE Supreme Court on Tuesday said it is eyeing the next Shari’ah special bar exams in May or June next year.

“In line with the strategic plan for judicial innovations 2022-2027 on technological adaptivity, the court will continue to conduct the [exams] digitally at designated local testing centers throughout the country,” Justice Antonio T. Kho, Jr., who heads the exams, said in a statement.

He said the tribunal might hold the inaugural exams covering Islamic law through an international testing center in the Middle East for Filipino Muslims overseas. Three recent takers from Saudi Arabia passed the exam.

The Philippine Judicial Academy and the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos will conduct the 2024 Shari’ah training Seminar on Sept. 16 to Dec. 13 at select training sites nationwide. — Chloe Mari A. Hufana

Failure of RCEP job promise cited

August 20, 2024 | 8:13 pm

THE PHILIPPINES does not need the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) trade agreement to boost jobs, a labor group told a Senate committee on Tuesday, citing the lack of progress in RCEP’s promise to generate 1.4 million jobs by 2030.

“With or without RCEP, we can generate 1.4 million jobs with the proper policies,” Sentro ng mga Nagkakaisa at Progresibong Manggagawa Secretary-General Josua T. Mata told senators at a hearing.

“The promise is so small and yet it’s so concerning that we don’t even have a report on the jobs generated with RCEP that we agreed on.”

Labor Undersecretary Felipe N. Egargo, Jr. said the trade deal has yet to yield new jobs for the country. — John Victor D. Ordoñez

Congress OKs Maritime Domain bill

August 20, 2024 | 8:13 pm

House of Representatives-congress — PHILIPPINE STAR/ MICHAEL VARCAS

THE HOUSE of Representatives on Tuesday ratified a bicameral conference committee report of a bill that seeks to boost the Philippines’ claim in the South China Sea by marking the boundaries of its maritime domain.

The Senate also ratified the proposed Maritime Zones Act on Monday.

The measure seeks to outline the Southeast Asian nation’s territorial and sovereign boundaries as it tries to enforce a 2016 Permanent Court of Arbitration ruling favoring Manila’s claim over contested waters in the South China Sea. — Kenneth Christiane L. Basilio

Senate body OKs VP’s P2-B budget

August 20, 2024 | 8:12 pm

VICE-PRESIDENT Sara Duterte-Carpio — OFFICE OF THE VICE PRESIDENT

THE OFFICE of the Vice President’s (OVP) proposed P2-billion budget for next year has been submitted to the Senate plenary after the finance committee approved it even after a senator questioned the office’s programs already being carried out by other agencies.

“The budget of the Office of the Vice President is now deemed submitted to plenary,” Senator Mary Grace Poe-Llamanzares, who heads the finance committee, said at a hearing.

Senator Ana Theresia N. Hontiveros-Baraquel questioned why the OVP’s budget includes P1.909 billion for social welfare programs such as disaster operations, food aid and livelihood assistance, which the Health and Social Welfare departments already have.

“It is true that other local government units and other National Government agencies have these programs, but I took an oath as Vice President that I will do justice to every man,” Vice President Sara Duterte-Carpio told senators. — John Victor D. Ordoñez

Boost in Tourism budget sought

August 20, 2024 | 8:12 pm

Moalboal Basdaku Beach — PHILSTAR FILE PHOTO

A CONGRESSMAN on Tuesday said the proposed 2025 budget of the Department of Tourism (DoT) should be increased to support the tourism sector.

The budget could be used to support more regional tourism programs, Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus B. Rodriguez said, citing President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr.’s order to attract more travelers.

“How can we expect to return to pre-pandemic levels if our budget is not what is needed by the Tourism department?” the congressman told a House of Representatives budget hearing.

Philippine tourism contributed P3.36 trillion to the economy in 2023, or 8.6% of economic output, according to the agency. — Kenneth Christiane L. Basilio

Solar Spikers blast Galeries Tower to advance in PVL quarterfinals

August 20, 2024 | 7:30 pm

Games Thursday
(Filoil EcoOil Arena)
1 p.m. — Creamline vs ZUS Coffee
3 p.m. — PLDT vs Choco Mucho
5 p.m. — Chery Tiggo vs Petro Gazz

CAPITAL1 Solar import Marina Tushova knew they would need to draw more local production for the Solar Spikers to go that far in the Premier Volleyball League (PVL) Reinforced Conference.

Wish granted.

Des Clemente and team captain Jorelle Singh led the locals who responded to Ms. Tushova’s call as Capital1 turned back Galeries Tower, 25-13, 26-28, 25-22, 25-21, Tuesday at the Filoil EcoOil Arena to go into the quarterfinals with a 5-3 record and feeling good about itself.

“We want to help Marina to uplift Capital1,” said Ms. Clemente, a former NCAA Most Valuable Player who scattered 14 points, 11 of which came off attacks while three off blocks.

Prized rookie Leila Cruz likewise played solidly as she contributed nine points.

Of course, Ms. Tushova remained a lethal weapon that she is and unloaded a match-high 35 points that she laced with 31 booming spikes.

Capital1’s emergence fulfilled coach Roger Gorayeb’s vow of competing soon after a forgettable but understandable 1-11 performance when the Mandy and Milka Romero-owned franchise debuted.

The Solar Spikers now await their foes in the knockout quarterfinals where they seek to continue their giant-slaying ways and hopefully deliver the glory that Mr. Gorayeb promised.

The Highrisers ended their campaign winless in eight outings. — Joey Villar

Quizon closes in on GM rating as he beats GM Amin

August 20, 2024 | 7:29 pm

FILIPINO International Master (IM) Daniel Quizon is eyeing to kill two birds with one stone when he joins the ultra-competitive 30^th Abu Dhabi International Chess Festival in the United Arab Emirates — earn rating points to claim the Grandmaster (GM) title and warm up for next month’s Olympiad in Budapest, Hungary.

The reigning national champion has appeared like he’s close to accomplishing both as he brought down a big gun in GM Bassem Amin of Egypt to stay just half a point off the pace after four rounds of the nine-round tournament Monday night.

Mr. Quizon, seeded just 66^th out of 217 participants, was clinical in pulling the rug from under the sixth-seeded Mr. Amin as he locked the doors in the queenside first where the latter was trying to force some action before unleashing a vicious kingside attack that won the former a piece.

When it was over, Mr. Quizon was already two pieces up and on the verge carving up Mr. Amin’s last line of defense before the latter resigned after the 36^th move of their Sicilian encounter.

The win sent Mr. Quizon in a 25-player tie at No. 15 with three points, or just a shade behind the lead pack that was being spearheaded by the top seeded Iranian GM Amin Tabatabaeei with 3.5 points apiece.

Mr. Quizon was hoping to sustain his strong play against 13^th seed GM Shamsiddin Vokhidov of Uzbekistan in the fifth round at the press time and earn enough rating points to breach the 2500-rating plateau that would seal him the GM title outright.

So far, Mr. Quizon has a live rating of 2469.1 from 2457 before the event started.

Mr. Quizon is also preparing for the Olympiad slated Sept. 10 to 22 in the Hungarian capital where he will join the national team consisting also of GMs Inno Sadorra and John Paul Gomez and IMs Paolo Bersamina and Jem Garcia with GM Eugene Torre as their non-playing coach. — Joey Villar

Caitlin Clark sets rookie record as Fever top Storm

August 20, 2024 | 7:29 pm

KELSEY MITCHELL poured in 27 points and Caitlin Clark broke a nearly 30-year-old rookie assist record as the host Indiana Fever topped the Seattle Storm 92-75 on Sunday afternoon.

Ms. Clark finished with 23 points, and her nine assists gave her 231 for the season, the most by a rookie since Ticha Penicheiro racked up 225 for the Sacramento Monarchs, one of the league’s original eight franchises.

Ms. Clark set the record early in the third quarter when she made a long pass up the floor to Mitchell for a layup and a 40-34 lead.

Lexie Hull was on fire from long range, making six 3-pointers and scoring 22 points, both career highs, as Indiana (13-15) salvaged its final game against Seattle after three losses this season. The Fever also matched their win total from a year ago. Ms. Hull was 6 of 7 from long range.

Seattle (17-10) got 26 points from Jewell Loyd and 15 from Skylar Diggins-Smith. Nneka Ogwumike finished with 14 points on 5 of 15 shooting and contributed nine rebounds. The Storm have lost two straight.

Seattle trailed 35-34 at the half and 59-58 at the end of three after a 3-point attempt by Sami Whitcomb bounced off the rim as time expired.

Aliyah Boston’s jumper with 5:51 to go in the game gave the Fever their largest lead up to that point at 75-65, and Indiana created even more separation when Ms. Hull hit her final 3-pointer with 4:09 to go, stretching the lead to 81-69.

Indiana missed its first six 3-pointers of the day but finished 15 of 25 the rest of the way.

Seattle made five 3-pointers in the first half and shot just 7-of-21 overall from long range.

The Fever took command of the game in the fourth, outscoring the Storm 33-17. They led by as many as 19. — Reuters

UAAP will have a home of its own soon

August 20, 2024 | 7:28 pm

NO place like home.

The University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) soon will have a home of its own following a trailblazing partnership with Akari Lighting and Technology Corp., in building a 6,000-seater arena set to rise in 2027 in Pasig.

To be called “Home of the UAAP,” the first-of-its-kind permanent arena for any league in the country will begin construction next year after both parties signed the memorandum of agreement on Monday at the University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman in Quezon City.

It’s a perfect kickoff for the UAAP approaching the highly-anticipated opener of Season 87 next month to be hosted by UP. “The Home of the UAAP is not just for the league itself; it is for the student-athletes who represent the heart and soul of the UAAP. This is their home — a place where they can compete, grow, and thrive,” said UAAP Executive Director Atty. Rebo Saguisag.

“It will go down in the annals of Philippine sports history. A home we can call our own. There is no place like home,” added Mr. Saguisag, joined by Akari Chief Executive Officer Christopher Tiu, UAAP Season 87 Chairman and UP President Atty. Angelo Jimenez, UP Diliman Chancellor Atty. Edgardo Carlo Vistan and negotiating panel head Fr. Aldrin Suan, CM, of Adamson University, in the grand signing to usher a new era for the collegiate league.

Located at the 1.8-hectare real estate in Pasig, the UAAP Arena is a project by Asya Design, one of the country’s top architectural firms, led by chief architect Albert Yu, that will have a three-year construction timeline.

The arena is already on the final stage of ‘schematic planning’ followed by the bidding and construction proper in the next two seasons before being fully operational for games in Season 90.

It sports an 8-shape building design to represent all the member schools, which will have their own lighting colors as an outside landscape during games. “At Akari, we believe in building legacies that go beyond lighting solutions. This Home of the UAAP project is our way of supporting grassroots sports development, where young student-athletes can grow, excel, and shine on the national stage. I am honored that Akari is playing a pivotal role in shaping the future of varsity sports in the Philippines,” said Mr. Tiu as Akari leveled up its Philippine sports venture after entry to the PVL and support to the PNVF.

Aside from an arena, which will be open for accommodation of other leagues like the PBA, PVL, NCAA and national sporting events, it will also have office and commercial spaces including the league’s permanent headquarters.

All indoor and some elimination games of the UAAP will be held at the new arena but the marquee matches, playoffs and championships, especially of the staple basketball and volleyball events, will still be at the Araneta Coliseum and MOA Arena.

That includes the mid-season spectacle Cheerdance Competition as one of the most jam-packed UAAP events. — John Bryan Ulanday

The Bangkok Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games canceled

August 20, 2024 | 7:27 pm

THE 6^th Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games (AIMAG) supposedly set November 21 to 30 in Bangkok and Chonburi, Thailand has been canceled.

It was announced Monday night by the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) citing the breakdown of sponsorship commitments by Thai organizers caused by the country’s recent shift of government.

“As per the decision of the OCA executive board, the games are canceled and the next edition will be held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the dates of which will be finalized shortly and sent to all concerned,” in an OCA letter signed by its acting president Raja Randhir Singh.

It was the third time the AIMAG was shelved and in this last one was with finality.

The Filipinos were actually looking forward to the event after snaring two gold medals courtesy of Meggie Ochoa and Annie Ramirez in jiu-jitsu and 14 silver and the same number of bronze medals in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan in 2017.

The country was supposed to field in 421 athletes seeing action in 37 of the 41 sports disciplines.

It was supposed to be the next big tournament for the Filipinos following their momentous two-gold, two-bronze haul in the Paris Olympics a few weeks ago.

Cannot be counted out

August 20, 2024 | 7:27 pm

The Aces finally got back on track with a victory over the Sparks the other day, and it couldn’t have come at a more opportune time. They had hitherto bookended a month-long break due to the Summer Games with losses to the underdog Sky and the pacesetting Liberty, leading head coach Becky Hammon to lament their seeming lack of purpose. Dribbling in place was what she effectively said her charges had done in taking the L, underscoring an alarming tendency to play hero ball at the expense of collective pursuits.

Significantly, the Aces’ latest triumph was far from guaranteed, what with the Sparks having already taken their measure twice so far through their 2024 campaign. Notwithstanding the cellar-dwelling status of the opposition, the defending champions were previously trumped by motivation borne of Dearica Hamby’s personal cause against them. This time around, through, their superior talent shone through; A’ja Wilson, Kelsey Plum, Jackie Young, and Chelsea Gray, Olympians all, made sure to take care of business early and often, culminating in a 16-point win.

It bears noting that Hammon’s positive comments in her post-mortem were interspersed with her emphatic denial of wrongdoing in connection with the federal lawsuit Hamby just filed against the Aces (and the Women’s National Basketball Association). Even setting aside an active probe against them for the improper provision of benefits to players in contravention of the collective bargaining agreement, the case cannot but be an additional hurdle in their quest for a third straight title.

The good news is that Wilson has never performed better. And so transcendent has she been that she is assured of taking home her third Most Valuable Player award three-fifths into the season. No one else comes close, and with Plum, Young, and Gray backstopping her, the Aces cannot be counted out. The cream rises to the top, especially in a drawn-out series. And unless and until they are formally ousted in the playoffs, they deserve the benefit of the doubt.

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.