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Nadal destroys Ruud for 14th French Open title, 22nd Slam

SPAIN’S Rafael Nadal celebrating with The Mousquetaires Cup (The Musketeers) after his men’s final tennis match against Norway’s Casper Ruud at the French Open tennis tournament. — REUTERS

PARIS — Rafael Nadal regained his aura of invincibility on clay on Sunday by brutally crushing Casper Ruud to lift the French Open trophy for an incredible 14th time and widen the gap at the top of the men’s all-time list of Grand Slam winners.

Norwegian Ruud became the latest victim in a long line of challengers who have unsuccessfully tried to defeat the Spaniard in the Roland Garros final since Nadal won his maiden title on the red clay in 2005.

There was a sense of déjà vu as the Spaniard, who turned 36 on Friday, completed a 6-3, 6-3, 6-0 thrashing on a balmy afternoon in Paris to maintain his 100% success rate in the championship round at the claycourt major.

In the past 12 months, Nadal contemplated retirement due to his battle with a chronic foot problem, was forced to spend six weeks on the sidelines after suffering a stress fracture on a rib in March and was unsure if he would be able to compete in Paris after struggling with his foot in Rome.

Rumors that the “king of clay” was making his final appearance at Roland Garros kept circulating during the past fortnight.

“I don’t know what can happen in the future but I am going to keep fighting to try and keep going,” Nadal said in his victory speech on Court Philippe Chatrier, getting the afternoon’s biggest round of applause from the stands.

Despite all the trials and tribulations he suffered in the buildup, no one could prevent Nadal from lifting the Musketeers’ Cup for a record-extending 14th time. The win means Nadal is now halfway through the calendar Grand Slam for the first time in his career after also winning the year’s opening major at the Australian Open.

OLDEST CHAMPION
Nadal passed fellow Spaniard Andres Gimeno as the oldest Roland Garros men’s singles champion. The result once again demonstrated that even when he is less than 100% fit, he is still a mountain too steep to conquer on the red clay of Roland Garros.

The win also gave Nadal a record-extending 22nd Grand Slam title and put him two clear of world number one Novak Djokovic of Serbia and Swiss Roger Federer in the men’s race for the most major titles.

He got a standing ovation as he walked onto the center court under overcast skies as a raucous crowd livened up the atmosphere with drums and trumpets.

The Spaniard, who has a statue erected in his honor at the claycourt arena in western Paris, kickstarted the party early for his fans.

The duo had never played a competitive match before Sunday, but they have hit together plenty of times at the Spaniard’s academy in Mallorca and Ruud earlier said he has never won a practice set against his idol.

That record remained unchanged on Sunday.

BLISTERING START
Nadal, who is 13 years older than the Norwegian, made a blistering start as he raced to a 2-0 lead with a superb forehand passing shot securing him the first break of the match. But despite all his experience, there were still nerves for the Spaniard as he frittered away his early advantage with two unforced errors off his forehand and two double faults.

Nadal’s vicious top-spin forehand, however, soon found its range and he started applying pressure to Ruud’s backhand to secure a break and canter to a 4-1 lead before securing the opening set.

Ruud raised his level at the start of the second, saving three break points to hold serve in the opening game and earned praise from his opponent when he charged down the length of the court to reach a drop shot and turned it into a winner.

The Norwegian soon broke Nadal to love to take a lead for the first time in the match.

The break seemed to galvanize Nadal. The Spanish fifth seed wiped out his advantage in the next game and from a 3-1 lead in the second set, Ruud did not win another game.

Nadal was now fully in the mood to put on a show and he put Ruud out of his misery on his second championship point with a backhand winner down the line, ending the contest in two hours and 18 minutes. — Reuters

GS Warriors even NBA Finals with smooth win vs Celtics

STEPHEN Curry scored 29 points and made five 3-pointers in three quarters of action and the Golden State (GS) Warriors evened the National Basketball Association (NBA) Finals at one game apiece with a convincing 107-88 victory over the Boston Celtics on Sunday night in San Francisco.

Jordan Poole added 17 points and Kevon Looney tallied 12 for the Warriors. Klay Thompson and Andrew Wiggins had 11 apiece for Golden State, which travels to Boston for Game 3 on Wednesday.

Jayson Tatum made six 3-pointers while scoring 28 points for the Celtics, who won the first game of the series but were outscored 55-38 in the second half on Sunday.

Jaylen Brown added 17 points for Boston but was just 5-of-17 shooting. Derrick White scored 12 points off the Celtics’ bench.

Golden State shot 45.3% from the field, while Boston made 37.5% of its shots. Both teams were 15 of 37 from behind the arc.

Celtics Game 1 hero Al Horford (26 points) had just two points on 1-of-4 shooting in this one.

Boston committed 19 turnovers while Golden State racked up 15 steals. Curry, Looney and Otto Porter, Jr. had three apiece.

Curry scored 14 points in the third quarter to help the Warriors turn a 52-50 half time lead into a 23-point cushion. Golden State outscored Boston 35-14 in the period.

Curry scored eight points during a 16-4 burst that saw Golden State open up a 68-56 lead with 6:47 left in the third quarter.

Grant Williams and Tatum hit consecutive 3-pointers to cut Boston’s deficit in half, but the Warriors responded with 11 straight points. Porter started the surge with a trey and Curry drained two straight from behind the arc to make it 79-62 with 2:13 remaining in the quarter.

Poole ended the quarter with two 3-pointers in the final 30 seconds. He launched the second from just inside the half-court line and it swished through just as time expired to give Golden State an 87-64 lead entering the final stanza.

The Warriors scored the first six points in the fourth quarter to increase the margin to 29 and cruised to the finish.

Curry scored 15 first-half points as the Warriors led by two at the break. Tatum made five 3-pointers while scoring 21 in the half for Boston, while Brown added 15. — Reuters

Wales end Ukraine’s World Cup dream, 64-year wait

CARDIFF, Wales — Wales ended their 64-year wait for a place in the World Cup finals as they beat Ukraine 1-0 on Sunday to end the war-torn nation’s hopes of reaching Qatar.

An own goal from Ukraine winger Andriy Yarmolenko, who headed a Gareth Bale free-kick into his own net, decided the contest.

It was a cruel way for Ukraine’s qualification effort to end with Oleksandr Petrakov’s side, who beat Scotland in the playoff semifinal, again showing a level of football which would have certainly merited a place in November’s 32-team tournament.

With half the team not having played competitive club football since the Russian invasion in February and with their nation’s tragedy never far from their minds, Ukraine deserve huge credit for coming so close to making the finals for the second time in their country’s history as an independent nation.

“We did everything we could. I want to say sorry that we didn’t score but this is sport,” said Petrakov.

“I do not have any criticism of any player in the team.”

There were emotional scenes at the end of the game as Ukraine’s disappointed players showed their appreciation to their more than 2,000 supporters at the Cardiff City Stadium.

They were then joined by the Wales players who before undertaking their own lap of honor also saluted the Ukrainian fans.

The home crowd created a rousing atmosphere before the match with an outstanding rendition of their national anthem, but despite the loud and passionate atmosphere, Ukraine was on top from the outset.

Wales keeper Wayne Hennessey was busy in the opening half making three vital saves to keep the score level.

Oleksandr Zinchenko had the ball in the net, from a quickly taken free-kick but Spanish referee Antonio Mateu Lahoz had not blown his whistle and the effort was ruled out.

Hennessey did well to deny Roman Yaremchuk after he found himself clear on goal and then the Wales keeper was alert to get down to a dangerous Zinchenko drive and then to smother the ball at the feet of Viktor Tsygankov.

It was against the run of play then when Wales grabbed the lead in the 34th minute, Bale fired a low free-kick from 25 meters out and Yarmolenko’s stooping, attempted header clear, flew into the net past the helpless Georgiy Bushchan.

Aaron Ramsey missed a great chance to double Wales’ lead after the break, side-footing wide from a great position and then Neco Williams drilled a well-struck shot against the post.

But Wales, who last appeared in the World Cup finals in 1958, had Hennessey to thank again as he pulled off a fine one-handed save from substitute Artem Dovbyk’s powerful header, six minutes from the end.

The crowd rightly sang Hennessey’s name in the final minutes, the first of many songs that are sure to be sung long into the Welsh night.

“It’s the greatest result in the history of Welsh football. We’re all ecstatic,” said Wales captain Bale.

“It’s what dreams are made of and what we’ve been working for since we started. It’s for all of our amazing fans — I can’t describe the feeling.” — Reuters

Jazz coach Quin Snyder steps down after eight seasons

QUIN Snyder stepped down as head coach of the Utah Jazz after eight seasons on Sunday.

The coach’s decision comes on the heels of a previous report that revealed negotiations to extend his current contract with Utah had not been fruitful.

Snyder said in a statement that it was simply time for him to depart.

“I strongly feel they need a new voice to continue to evolve,” Snyder said. “That’s it. No philosophical differences, no other reason. After eight years, I just feel it is time to move onward.

“I needed to take time to detach after the season and make sure this was the right decision.”

Snyder, 55, went 372-264 as coach of the Jazz, a .585 winning percentage. He has the second-most wins in franchise history behind Hall of Famer Jerry Sloan (1,127).

“Quin Snyder has embodied what Jazz basketball is for the last eight years,” Utah Jazz owner Ryan Smith said in a statement. “The tireless work ethic and attention to detail Quin displayed each day is a testament to the professional he is. I have nothing but admiration for Quin and respect his decision. On behalf of Ashley and I, along with our ownership group and our entire organization, we thank Quin and Amy from the bottom of our hearts for all of their contributions to the state of Utah and the Jazz and wish them nothing but the best.”

Snyder led Utah to a playoff berth in each of the past six seasons, including the top seed in the Western Conference in 2020-2021 after the team clinched the best record in the NBA at 52-20.

But in those six postseason trips, the Jazz lost in the first round three times and in the conference semifinals three times. Snyder was 21-30 overall in the playoffs.

“I am incredibly grateful to have spent the last eight years with such a respected and historic organization and in the beautiful, kind, supportive community of Salt Lake City,” Snyder said. “I could not have asked for better owners in the Miller family and with Ryan and Ashley.

“They represent the Utah Jazz in every good way, and I know the team couldn’t be in better hands with Ryan’s ownership. He is fiercely proud of and committed to doing what is right for the Utah Jazz and bringing a championship to Utah.”

Snyder previously worked as an assistant for the Los Angeles Clippers (1992-93), the Philadelphia 76ers (2010-11), the Los Angeles Lakers (2011-12) and the Atlanta Hawks (2013-14). Utah was his first head-coaching gig at the National Basketball Association (NBA) level, but he previously held the top job at Missouri (1999-2006) and with the Austin Toros of the NBA G League (2007-2010).

The only other head-coach opening in the NBA belonged to the Charlotte Hornets, who are in the process of interviewing candidates. The Lakers named Darvin Ham their next coach, and the Sacramento Kings tabbed Mike Brown for their job, filling two jobs in California. — Reuters

US envoy to meet with Marcos during Asian visit

REUTERS

A HIGH-RANKING diplomat from the US will meet with senior members of the incoming and outgoing administrations to discuss the alliance between the two countries.

Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman will meet with Philippine President-elect Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos, Jr., his key officials and members of outgoing President Rodrigo R. Duterte’s government from June 5 to 14 to discuss ways to deepen the US-Philippines alliance, the US Department of State said in a statement posted on its website on Friday. 

“She will also participate in a business roundtable and an event in celebration of World Oceans Day,” the agency said.

The Philippines is among the stops of Ms. Sherman’s Asia visit this month. She’s also expected to visit South Korea, Laos and Vietnam.

The Asia visit, which Washington said reflects its continued commitment to the Indo-Pacific, follows last month’s US-ASEAN Special Summit, President Joseph S. Biden’s visit to South Korea and Japan, the Quad Leaders’ Summit in Tokyo and the launch of the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework, according to the statement. 

Mr. Biden earlier called Mr. Marcos to congratulate him for his landslide victory at this year’s election. President Biden said he looked forward to working with the president-elect to continue strengthening the US-Philippine alliance.

Philippine relations with the US under Mr. Marcos would be better but “will not be exclusive to anyone,” his spokesman Victor D. Rodriguez earlier said.

Last year, the US vowed to defend the Philippines in case of a Chinese attack in the South China Sea. A United Nations-backed tribunal in 2016 voided China’s claim to more than 80% of the disputed waterway.

Mr. Marcos earlier said the Philippines under his leadership would join a US-backed economic framework for the Indo-Pacific that Washington crafted to counter China’s growing influence in the region.

The South China Sea, a key global shipping route, is subject to overlapping territorial claims involving China, Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam. Each year, trillions of dollars of trade flow through the sea, which is also rich in fish and gas.

Brunei Ambassador to the Philippines Johairah Wahab, who also represented the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), paid Mr. Marcos a courtesy visit on Monday

The incoming Philippine president also met with the envoys of Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Indonesia.

Mr. Marcos has vowed to protect Philippine-claimed areas in the waterway by engaging China on the dispute, saying the Philippines under his term would consistently talk to its neighbor “with a firm voice.”

British Ambassador to the Philippines Laure Beaufils was among the European diplomats who visited the country last month.

Ms. Beufils reaffirmed the United Kingdom’s commitment to work with the Philippines and other partners to keep a rule-based order in the South China Sea.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson in January last year said he was looking at the possibility of the UK joining the Quad, a security dialogue between Australia, India, Japan and the US.

Also last year, the UK signed a trilateral security pact with Australia and the US, which international observers said had caused China to panic.

During the presidential campaign, Mr. Marcos said a sphere of influence concept is no longer applicable to the modern world’s geopolitics.

Foreign and local analysts have said the international community would closely watch Mr. Marcos’ moves after he stayed mum on key issues during the campaign. — Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza

Marcos party says he spent P272M for 2022 campaign

REUTERS

PRESIDENT-ELECT Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr.’s party spent P272 million for his presidential campaign, well below the ceiling, the party’s lawyer said in a statement on Monday.

The Partido Federal ng Pilipinas submitted its statement of contributions and expenditures to the Commission on Elections (Comelec).

Under the law, the spending ceiling is P5 for each of the 67.4 million Filipino voters, or a total of P337 million. Mr. Marcos must still file a separate spending statement by June 8.

The Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ) in May said Mr. Marcos and his main rival, Vice-President Maria Leonor G. Robredo topped ad spending on mainstream media from January 2021 to March 2022, at P1.4 billion each.

Mr. Marcos did not record any ad spending on Facebook, the PCIJ said in a January report. “But this is not surprising because Marcos prefers meme wars over ads,” it said, citing Jonathan Ong, an associate professor at the University of Massachusetts Amherst who has studied disinformation networks in the region.

Facebook’s Ad Library is a public database of ads that ran on the social media platform. It provides details such as the content of the ads, how much was spent to boost the ads, and who were targeted. 

But it does not detail how much candidates spent to produce the ads and payments to social media experts who managed their accounts, PCIJ said. “It also does not cover payments to influencers tapped to endorse candidates on Facebook.

Political ads were banned in Philippine elections until 2000, when the ban was lifted based on the view that ads would level the playing field by allowing newcomers to compete with more famous politicians.

But critics have since complained how political ads have been accessible only to rich candidates, PCIJ said.

The Supreme Court has rejected a Comelec attempt to limit political ads on radio and TV to 180 minutes and 120 minutes per station. — Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza

Anti-graft court rejects pleas to junk ‘pork’ case 

PHILSTAR FILE PHOTO

THE PHILIPPINES’ anti-graft court has rejected several pleas seeking to dismiss corruption charges against the so-called pork barrel queen scam and her accomplices.  

In an eight-page resolution dated June 2 and released on Monday, the Sandiganbayan Second Division said the petitioners had failed to prove that the Justice department lacked evidence to prosecute businesswoman Janet Lim-Napoles and her alleged co-conspirators.  

She is being tried for facilitating the release of P15 million worth of congressional funds for a livelihood project in the district of former Nueva Ecija Rep. Aurelio M. Umali that allegedly did not exist. 

“The grounds raised in the instant motions were mere general allegations that the prosecution’s pieces of evidence are insufficient to prove beyond reasonable doubt the elements of a violation of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act as well as their conspiracy in the commission,” according to a copy of the decision penned by Associate Justice Arthur O. Malabaguio. 

“They have not provided any reason or explanation on how they arrived at such a conclusion.”   

The court also junked Ms. Napoles’s pleading to have the case dismissed, as well as that of Mr. Umali.  

“It must be emphasized that at this point, the court is not yet passing upon the merits of the case,” the Sandiganbayan said. “The incident before us is merely a determination of whether the evidence on record is sufficient to sustain the indictment or support a verdict of guilt and does not lead to a conclusion of the guilt or innocence of the accused.”  

The pork barrel allowed legislators to fund small-scale projects in their districts that fell outside the national infrastructure program and was voided by the Supreme Court in 2013 for being illegal. — John Victor D. Ordoñez 

Duterte’s health chief stands by controversial pandemic fund transfer

PHILIPPINE STAR/ MICHAEL VARCAS

OUTGOING Health Secretary Francisco T. Duque III on Monday stood by a decision to pass on coronavirus response funds to the Budget department’s procurement service at the start of the pandemic, a transfer that became controversial due to questionable supply contracts awarded to a company owned by personalities with links to the President.  

“No regrets,” Mr. Duque told ABS-CBN News Channel. “There’s no evidence of wrongdoing.”  

The deals with Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corp. were the subject of a Senate committee investigation, but the final report that implicated President Rodrigo R. Duterte did not get majority support from the chamber.   

“I would not have done that differently,” Mr. Duque said. “I trusted the institution. I did not trust personalities,” said Mr. Duque, who had faced resignation calls over his handling of the pandemic response.   

The Senate last week released the top executives of Pharmally Pharmaceutical  who were detained for months after being cited in contempt for failing to provide documents relating to their supply contracts with the government.   

A Senate committee responsible for probing graft and corruption began its investigation into the government’s pandemic transactions after state auditors found deficiencies in the Health department’s handling of COVID-19 funds.  

In hearings, senators had repeatedly questioned the Health department for transferring about P42 billion to the procurement service agency under the Budget department for the purchase of pandemic supplies. Pharmally secured more than P8.6 billion worth of contracts in 2020.  

Senator Franklin M. Drilon, one of the senators who backed the inquiry, said the outgoing health official “should hire a good lawyer” because he is a “principal by indispensable cooperation.” 

“The Procurement Service- Department of Budget and Management (PS-DBM) could not have committed the plunder without the P42 billion Health funds being illegally transferred, without any documentation, to PS-DBM,” he said in a statement.    

Another legislator, Senator Aquilino Martin “Koko” L. Pimentel III, said the committee’s 113-page report speaks for itself when asked to comment on Mr. Duque’s remarks. — Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza

De Lima asks DoJ to ‘dig deeper’ in their review of her drug cases 

PHILIPPINE STAR/ GEREMY PINTOLO

DETAINED Senator Leila M. de Lima on Monday asked the Department of Justice (DoJ) to “dig deeper” in their review of her drug cases, after four witnesses retracted their allegations relating to her supposed crime. 

“In assessing or re-assessing the rest of the evidence against me, the SoJ (Secretary of Justice) or DoJ must go beyond a superficial review of the cold statements or affidavits of the witnesses and inquire into the very circumstances by which these were extracted,” the senator, one of the staunchest critics of outgoing President Rodrigo R. Duterte, said in a statement.  

Justice Secretary Menardo I. Guevarra, a Duterte appointee, at the weekend said the review would only take a few days.  

“The prosecution needs to reassess the strength of its overall evidence in the light of the retractions of certain witnesses,” he said. “If the prosecution believes that such recantations do not affect its case, then the prosecution will maintain its course.”  

Ms. De Lima said DoJ should ensure “no injustice is done to anyone.” 

The drug charges against Ms. De Lima started after she led a Senate investigation of Mr. Duterte’s war on drugs that has killed thousands.  

In her previous post as head of the Commission on Human Rights, she also probed the assassination of suspected drug pushers by the so-called Davao Death Squad, allegedly upon the orders of Mr. Duterte when he was still the city mayor.  

In her five years in detention, Ms. De Lima has repeatedly asserted her innocence, saying she was being prosecuted for criticizing Mr. Duterte’s drug war. — Alyssa Nicole O. Tan 

Residents continue to evacuate as Mt. Bulusan remains restive 

RESIDENTS of Barangay Puting Sapa in Juban, Sorsogon are assisted by members of the Philippine Coast Guard as they move to the town’s evacuation center amid continued threat from Mt. Bulusan, which erupted on Sunday morning and spewed ash that covered several surrounding towns. — PHILIPPINE COAST GUARD

EVACUATION continued on Monday for over 8,000 residents in a town affected by ashfall from Mt. Bulusan’s eruption on Sunday, according to emergency response agencies.   

At least 75 families composed of 278 individuals have been moved to the evacuation center in Juban town as of Monday noon, according to the Department of Social Welfare and Development Bicol Region office.  

A total of 1,850 families or over 9,250 individuals have been affected, it said.   

No house was reported to have been damaged but local authorities warned against the health threat from ash.   

The Sorsogon provincial government said police and firefighters have completed clearing operations along the main highway and were assisting residents wash out ash from their properties.   

The mountain volcano in Sorsogon province, located about 565 kilometers southeast of the capital Manila, erupted Sunday morning and spewed ash. Sunday’s eruption was recorded at 10:37 a.m. and lasted for about 17 minutes.      

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) recorded 29 volcanic eruptions in the 24-hour period from 5 a.m. Sunday, according to the agency’s bulletin as of Monday morning.   

An alert level 1, which means a low-level unrest, remains in place.  

Phivolcs Director Renato U. Solidum, Jr. said another “phreatic or steam-driven explosion” at Mt. Bulusan is still possible in the coming days or weeks.   

“In past eruptions, sometimes the interval between eruptions was days, weeks, sometimes months,” he said in Filipino during Monday’s Laging Handa briefing.   

The volcano’s edifice was still inflated and sudden steam-driven or phreatic eruptions may occur, according to Phivolcs.  

Meanwhile, the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) said no damage was reported in the seven airports it operates in Bicol Region, including the new Bicol International Airport in Daraga, Albay.   

The six other airports are in Bulan, Sorsogon, Daet, Masbate, Naga, and Virac.  

“We remain vigilant and alert for the volcano’s next activities,” CAAP Area V Manager Cynthia Tumanut said in a statement. “As of now, our airports have been safe from the wrath of Mt. Bulusan’s eruption. Operations in our airports with commercial flights have remained unhampered as well,” she said. — MSJ 

Italy, Philippines to explore infra cooperation 

ITALY will explore potential cooperation in infrastructure with the Philippines, the camp of President-elect Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. said following a courtesy call on Monday by the former’s top envoy.     

Italian Ambassador Marco Clemente and Mr. Marcos “talked about possible cooperation in infra projects” during their meeting, incoming press secretary Trixie Cruz-Angeles told a news briefing.   

“[They] also talked about COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) and cooperation on learning about COVID-19 responses and opening up the economy,” she added. 

Mr. Clemente, the fourth European diplomat to pay a courtesy call on Mr. Marcos, also committed to bring the Inter Milan Football Club in the Philippines “through intercampus projects to benefit children in need and to promote football locally,” Ms. Angeles said.   

“On the political aspect, the ambassador noted that this is the 75th year of Italian-Philippine relations,” Ms. Angeles said, noting that the two officials tackled the diplomatic relations between the two countries. — Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza 

Poe urges LTFRB to hasten action vs ride-hailing priority booking fees  

A SENATOR on Monday called on the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) to act fast against ride-hailing companies that implement a priority booking fee scheme, an illegal practice. 

“Our people deserve equal access to public transportation services without discrimination,” Senator Mary Grace S. Poe-Llamanzares, who chairs the Senate Public Services Committee, said in a statement.  

She said the LTFRB “must stand its ground against any illegal priority booking fee that can unduly select a passenger who can pay extra over another.”  

LTFRB Executive Director Maria Kristina E. Cassion last week said they are already evaluating the sanctions that could be imposed against JoyRide Ecommerce Technologies Corp. (JoyRide), which was reported to be imposing extra fees for priority booking through their app.    

“We expect the agency to expeditiously address all challenges to ensure that no such mechanism can victimize our hapless commuters,” the senator said.  

JoyRide has explained that the priority charge is an “optional fee” that customers can pay.  

“It is an industry practice in case a customer would like to tip or incentivize a driver-partner in advance,” JoyRide Senior Vice-President for Corporate Affairs Jose Emmanuel M. Eala had said, assuring that they are “compliant with the fare structure set by the LTFRB guidelines.” — Alyssa Nicole O. Tan 

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