Upgraded Catarman Airport can now serve 50,000 passengers annually

September 2, 2021 | 8:16 pm

THE TRANSPORTATION department inaugurated on Thursday the upgraded Catarman Airport in Northern Samar province, which can now accommodate 50,000 passengers annually.

The improvements allow the airport located in the capital town to serve 150 passengers at any given time, up from 50 previously, and 50,000 passengers annually, up from 25,200 previously, the department said in a statement.

“This significant capacity increase aims to help the whole projected 250,000 tourists and travelers coming within the region, as well as travelers from outside and nearby regions using different ports of entries once quarantine restrictions are relaxed,” it noted.

Upgrades made include a new perimeter fence, a re-blocked apron pavement, and asphalt overlay and shoulder grade correction at the runway.

The enhancements also include the construction of a fire station building, a powerhouse, and a flight service station.

The department said upgrade works were completed in August.

Key officials from the Transportation department and the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines led the ceremony. — Arjay L. Balinbin

Genome sequencing lab in UP Mindanao still awaiting fund

September 2, 2021 | 8:16 pm

Mindanao-testing-baboratory-PGC.UPMIN.EDU.PH — PGC.UPMIN.EDU.PH

THE PLANNED whole genome sequencing laboratory in Mindanao is still awaiting funding from the Health department, according to a regional official.

To be set up at the University of the Philippines-Mindanao in Davao City, the satellite laboratory will be handled by the UP-Philippine Genome Center based in the campus.

The head of the Department of Health-Davao ’s Regional Epidemiology Surveillance Unit, Rachel Joy Pasion, said in a virtual presser that the establishment of such a laboratory will require “a lot of funds” for equipment, kits, and manpower.

“Whole genome sequencing is very tedious and it would entail human resource, machine, which cost millions,” she said in mixed English and Filipino. “There are machines that can process hundreds of specimens but it would entail seven digits as to the funding.”

The government earlier announced plans to set up genome sequencing labs in the Visayas in central Philippines and Mindanao in the south to expand capacity for the immediate need to detect variants of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). All genome sequencing is currently done by the Philippine Genome Center in Manila.

“They (national government) are not promising anything but the target within this year, hopefully November we could establish our whole genome sequencing here in the region,” Ms. Pasion said. — Maya M. Padillo

NLEX outlasts Alaska, 84-74

September 2, 2021 | 7:54 pm

PBA-Images — THE NLEX Road Warriors improved to 3-2 in the PBA Philippine Cup after defeating the Alaska Aces, 84-74, on Thursday. — PBA IMAGES

By Michael Angelo S. Murillo, Senior Reporter

THE NLEX Road Warriors outlasted the Alaska Aces, 84-74, in their battle of middling teams in Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Philippine Cup action on Thursday at the Don Honorio Ventura State University (DHVSU) Gym in Bacolor, Pampanga.

NLEX played firmer late in the second half to turn things around on its way to booking its third win in five matches in the season-opening Philippine Basketball Association tournament.

The contest got off to a competitive start with the teams not giving much headway to one another.

The Road Warriors were on top by a slim margin, 20-19, at the end of the first quarter and continued to hold sway at the break, 38-37.

Alaska came out on a better footing at the start of the third quarter, outscoring NLEX, 15-4, in the first five minutes of the frame to take a 52-42 lead.

But the Road Warriors regained their footing after on the lead of guards Kevin Alas and Jericho Cruz and veteran big man JR Quinahan.

They went on an 11-0 run to reclaim the lead, 53-52 by the 2:49 mark and stayed ahead, 59-55, heading into the final quarter.

At the start of the fourth, action continued to be nip-and-tuck, with the count standing at 69-68, and NLEX ahead, with 6:40 left to play.

NLEX, however, created distance after, going on an 11-3 blast in the next three minutes to build an 80-71 advantage.

The Aces narrowed the gap to 80-64 but would not get any closer than that as the Road Warriors went on to close things out.

Mr. Quinahan led the balanced scoring by NLEX with 18 points while Mr. Alas had 17 to go along with seven rebounds and three assists.

Mr. Cruz and Kevin Ighalo, meanwhile, each had 15 points in the win.

For Alaska, which dropped to 2-4 in the ongoing tournament, it was Maverick Ahanmisi who led with 17 points, followed by Michael DiGregorio with 16.

“It’s tough to play in a new environment, new court and under strict protocols. There were a lot of adjustments for us,” said NLEX coach Yeng Guiao after their win and first game back after the month-long stoppage of PBA play because of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) concerns.

NLEX played without key cogs Kiefer Ravena (in Japan to temporarily play there), Anthony Semerad (wife gave birth) and Raul Soyud (injured).

PBA games on Friday will have the Magnolia Hotshots Pambansang Manok (4-1) taking on the Blackwater Bossing (0-5) at 12:30 p.m., Barangay Ginebra San Miguel Kings (2-2) against the Terrafirma Dyip (1-4) at 3 p.m., and TnT Tropang Giga (4-0) versus the Meralco Bolts (5-1) at 6 p.m.

EJ Obiena rises to fifth in pole vault world rankings

September 2, 2021 | 7:53 pm

POLE-vaulter Ernest John U. Obiena rose to fifth in the world rankings in the latest World Athletics update.

Twenty-five-year-old Mr. Obiena climbed a rung from the previous week’s list boosted by his silver medal finish in the Paris leg of the Wanda Diamond League last weekend where he set a new personal best and Philippine record.

As of Aug. 31, World Athletics listed Mr. Obiena at fifth with a score of 1,361 points.

Sweden’s world record holder and Olympic gold medalist Armand Duplantis continues to lead the rankings with 1,538 points, followed by Americans Christopher Nilsen (1,423) and Sam Kendricks (1,393) and France’s Renaud Lavillenie (1,380).

The Philippine bet, who represented the country in the recent Tokyo Olympic Games, shared the development on his official Facebook page, describing it as part of his journey to improvement and a proud moment he is sharing with the Filipinos.

“World no. 5. An ordinary man guided by God’s extraordinary grace. I may not meet the expectations, but I keep trying. Thank you for all the prayers and support. The journey continues and I am proud to carry the nation with me. Getting there,” he wrote.

In the recent Paris event, Mr. Obiena finished second to Mr. Duplantis but cleared 5.91 meters, topping the previous national record of 5.87m which he himself established in July this year in Poland.

In clearing 5.91m, he only needed one attempt. Mr. Obiena tried to clear 5.96m and 6.01m after but was not successful.

For setting a new Philippine record, the Philippine Sports Commission said Mr. Obiena will receive P250,000 as incentive under Republic Act 10699, or the expanded National Athletes, Coaches, and Trainers Benefits and Incentives Act. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo

ONE Championship’s historic ‘Empower’ event takes center stage

September 2, 2021 | 7:53 pm

ONE Championship makes history on Friday as it presents the first all-women’s fight card hosted by a major global martial arts organization.

Titled “ONE: Empower,” the marquee event will happen at the Singapore Indoor Stadium and feature eight fights involving some of the top women fighters in the world.

Headlining the card is the strawweight world championship clash between reigning champion Xiong Jing Nan (15-2) of China and Brazilian challenger Michelle Nicolini (6-2).

Ms. Xiong, 33, has been on a tear since winning the title of the 52.3kg division in January 2018.

She has successfully defended the strawweight title four times, the last one against Tiffany Teo of Singapore by way of unanimous decision.

Ms. Nicolini, 39, meanwhile, is the no. 2-ranked strawweight contender and world champion jiu-jitsu fighter.

She has competed in ONE six times, winning five, including her last fight in July 2019 against reigning atomweight champion Angela Lee (unanimous decision) in a strawweight battle.

Empower will also kick off the much-anticipated ONE world atomweight grand prix.

Competing in four quarterfinal matches are Denice Zamboanga of the Philippines versus Seo Hee Ham of South Korea, Alyona Rassohyna of Ukraine against Stamp of Thailand, Meng Bo of China vs. Ritu Phogat of India, and Itsuki Hirata of Japan against Alyse Anderson of the United States.

Winners in the opening round advance to the semifinals and then to the finals where the remaining two dispute the grand prix belt and earn a shot at the world atomweight title against champion Ms. Lee.

“She’s the strongest, I think the strongest in the card. The strongest opponent that I’ll be facing throughout my career, so I think this would be a hard fight for the both of us,” said Ms. Zamboanga of her opponent Ms. Seo during the virtual face-off and media day for the event on Tuesday.

“Let’s see what happens on Sept. 3,” she added.

Also part of the main card is the atomweight kickboxing collision between France’s Anissa Meksen and Spain’s Cristina Morales.

Featured in the lead card, meanwhile, is Filipino-American Jackie Buntan, who will take on Argentina’s Daniela Lopez in a strawweight muay thai bout.

It will also have veteran martial artist Mei Yamaguchi of Japan against Brazil’s Julie Mezabarba in an alternate bout for the atomweight world grand prix.

Having been a professional fighter for more than a decade now, Ms. Yamaguchi said the all-female card by ONE is a welcome development.

“I have seen a lot of things happen in martial arts throughout the years and this (Empower) is a historic event. I’m excited to be part of it.”

ONE: Empower will be broadcast live over One Sports beginning at 7:30 p.m. and over ONE’s mobile app. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo

Warriors, Knicks, Nets players must get vaccinated to play at home

September 2, 2021 | 7:52 pm

PLAYERS for the Golden State Warriors, New York Knicks and Brooklyn Nets must be vaccinated to be eligible to play in home games, the National Basketball Association (NBA) ruled on Wednesday, according to multiple media reports.

New laws passed in San Francisco and New York require all people over age 12 to be vaccinated in order to be allowed into certain events or venues. Included among the listed places are San Francisco’s Chase Center and New York’s Madison Square Garden and Barclays Center.

Exemptions are available if medical or religious causes can be shown.

Both cities’ laws provide exemptions for visiting teams, meaning only the Warriors, Knicks and Nets will be affected among NBA clubs.

According to The Athletic, any player who becomes unavailable due to being unvaccinated could have his salary reduced while also facing a fine and/or a suspension.

Per multiple reports, the NBA previously told its clubs that all team and arena personnel who come in close contact with players must be fully vaccinated before the new season starts on Oct. 19. — Reuters

Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo claims world record with late, late show

September 2, 2021 | 7:52 pm

FARO, Portugal — When Manchester City loanee Gavin Bazunu saved Cristiano Ronaldo’s first-half penalty to deny the Manchester United forward a record 110^th international goal for Portugal, the headlines wrote themselves.

Ireland looked to be holding on for a famous World Cup qualifying victory in Portugal, but, as he so often does, the 36-year-old Ronaldo had the last word with two late goals to break Irish hearts — and the world record.

“I’m so happy, not only for the record but for the special moments with two goals at the end,” Ronaldo said.

“It was so tough, but we have to appreciate what the team did, they and the fans believed until the end of the game.”

It had been a frustrating night for Ronaldo and his compatriots as Ireland defended resolutely after taking the lead and largely restricted the hosts to pot-shots from distance.

In the 89^th minute, Ronaldo lined up a free kick on the edge of the box but the 19-year-old Bazunu again repelled his effort.

Ronaldo, however, simply refused to be denied.

His movement was impeccable, darting this way and that to free himself from the attentions of the defense and get on the end of substitute Gonçalo Guedes’ cross to power in a headed equalizer.

That took him past Iranian Ali Daei’s total of 109 international goals and he repeated the feat in the 96^th minute with another header to move on to 111.

While Ronaldo’s night was almost perfect, there was one blot on his copybook.

He was booked for taking his shirt off while celebrating the winning goal, meaning he will miss Portugal’s trip to Azerbaijan on Tuesday.

That may be good news for Manchester United, however, as Ronaldo is expected to play the first match of his second spell at the Premier League club against Newcastle United next Saturday. — Reuters

Bejino fails to advance to 400m freestyle finals

September 2, 2021 | 7:51 pm

FILIPINO para-swimmer faltered in his penultimate event at the ongoing Paralympic Games, failing to advance to the finals of the 400m freestyle S6 event at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre on Thursday.

Mr. Bejino, 25, finished with a time of five minutes and 52.28 seconds in the preliminary heats, last among the swimmers who saw action. Only the top eight swimmers in the preliminaries got to advance to the finals set for later in the day.

The struggle continued for the first-time Paralympian, who also fell short to swim past the preliminaries of the men’s 200m individual medley SM6 event on Aug. 26 and 50m butterfly on Aug. 30.

Mr. Bejino has one more chance to advance to the medal race when he competes in the 100m backstroke, Friday morning.

“He (Bejino) was not happy with his performance and will go hard and try to improve in the 100-meter backstroke tomorrow,” said para-swimming coach Tony Ong.

Also competing on Friday is wheelchair racer Jerrold Mangliwan in the finals of the men’s 100m T52 event at the Olympic Stadium.

Meanwhile, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has denied another Filipino para-athlete the chance to compete in the ongoing Games as taekwondo jin Allain Ganapin tested positive for the virus. The Philippine Paralympic Committee made the announcement in a statement on Thursday.

Mr. Ganapin, 23, tested positive here in Manila and was not able to leave for Japan. He was supposed to compete in the men’s -75kg K44 event on Friday. He was the third Filipino para-athlete who tested positive after para-powerlifter Achelle Guion and blind discus-thrower Jeanette Aceveda. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo

Mickelson, Couples named US Ryder Cup vice-captains

September 2, 2021 | 7:49 pm

US CAPTAIN Steve Stricker on Wednesday named six-times major winner Phil Mickelson and former Masters champion Fred Couples as vice-captains for this year’s Ryder Cup.

It will mark the first time the 51-year-old Mickelson, who has played on every US Ryder Cup team since 1995, serves as vice-captain and the second for 61-year-old Couples.

Mickelson, who won the PGA Championship in May at the age of 50 to become golf’s oldest major winner, owns a number of Ryder Cup records on the US side including most appearances, four-ball points won and overall matches played.

Couples, who counts the 1992 Masters among his 15 wins on the PGA Tour, represented the United States in five Ryder Cups and served as vice-captain in 2012.

The Ryder Cup, a biennial team competition between the United States and Europe, will be held from Sept. 24-26 at Whistling Straits in Wisconsin. — Reuters

Gerrit Cole strikes out 15 Angels as Yankees end skid

September 2, 2021 | 7:49 pm

GERRIT Cole struck out a season-high 15 batters in a dominating performance, lifting the New York Yankees to a (4-1) victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Wednesday in Anaheim, CA.

The victory for New York (77-56) ended a four-game losing streak, while Los Angeles (66-68) saw its win streak halted at three.

Cole’s 15 strikeouts matched the New York Mets’ Jacob deGrom and the Milwaukee Brewers’ Corbin Burnes for most in the majors this season. It was one shy of Cole’s career high of 16 set in 2018 against the Arizona Diamondbacks while pitching for the Houston Astros.

In a matchup of potential postseason award winners, Cole (14-6) struck out Shohei Ohtani all three times they faced each other. In the ninth, Ohtani popped out against Yankees closer Aroldis Chapman, who earned his 25^th save of the season and No. 301 for his career.

Cole, however, did see his scoreless streak end at 21 2/3 innings when David Fletcher doubled home Jack Mayfield in the sixth inning. The previous run allowed by Cole came on a home run by the Angels’ Justin Upton in the first inning on Aug. 16 at Yankee Stadium.

Cole allowed four hits and one run in seven innings. He did not walk a batter and threw 116 pitches.

Upton went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts to extend his slump to 0-for-23.

Luke Voit’s two-run single in the third inning off Angels starter Packy Naughton (0-1) turned out to be all the offense the Yankees would need. New York also got an RBI single from Brett Gardner in the fourth and a solo homer from Aaron Judge (No. 30) in the eighth.

Naughton, making his first major league start, threw two scoreless innings to begin the game and retired the first two batters of the third inning.

Trouble began in the third when he walked DJ LeMahieu. Anthony Rizzo followed with a line drive off the glove of first baseman Jared Walsh for a single, moving LeMahieu to third.

Judge walked to load the bases for Voit, whose single to center drove in two for a 2-0 Yankees lead.

Naughton was finished after 3 2/3 innings, having allowed three runs on six hits and two walks while striking out two. — Reuters

Severe weather disrupts US Open schedule

September 2, 2021 | 7:48 pm

NEW YORK — Severe weather saw dozens of matches postponed at the US Open on Wednesday while the tie between Diego Schwartzman and Kevin Anderson was halted after a set and moved to a different venue as remnants of Tropical Storm Ida ripped through New York City.

Schwartzman and Anderson traded early breaks in the first set before play was halted for over 30 minutes at Louis Armstrong Stadium as the venue’s retractable roof was unable to prevent rain being blown in sideways by strong winds.

Schwartzman then slipped during a tiebreak in the first set and called for chair umpire Nacho Forcadell, who inspected the court as fans donned plastic ponchos and held up umbrellas.

The court was wiped down with towels and play resumed after nearly 10 minutes, but officials then suspended the match and later announced it would resume at Arthur Ashe Stadium following the tie between Stefanos Tsitsipas and Adrian Mannarino.

The second round match between former champion Angelique Kerber and Anhelina Kalinina, originally scheduled to begin after Schwartzman and Anderson, was pushed to Thursday.

The match between Tsitsipas and Mannarino was unaffected by the weather, with fans sitting comfortably inside the far more enclosed facility though rain drummed heavily on the roof.

Earlier in the day, more than two dozen doubles matches were postponed as the rain rolled in.

The National Weather Service issued a flash flood emergency advisory for the region, and parts of the plaza at Billie Jean King National Tennis Center were flooded.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio declared a state of emergency due to the “historic weather event” with record-breaking rain leading to flooding and dangerous road conditions.

Nearly all of the New York City subway lines were suspended and the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) service between Flushing, Queens and Manhattan was suspended.

The Schwartzman and Anderson match resumed on Ashe around midnight, keeping fans in seats as the National Weather Service issued warnings to avoid travel.

A US Tennis Association spokesperson said tournament officials were “in very close communication” with city police and transportation officials regarding the surrounding roadways, trains and subway line connecting the venue to Midtown Manhattan. — Reuters

No. 1 seed Patrick Cantlay no fan of Tour Championship format

September 2, 2021 | 7:47 pm

PATRICK Cantlay will hit his first tee shot at the Tour Championship on Thursday with a two-shot lead.

He earned that cushion courtesy of a six-hole playoff win over Bryson DeChambeau at last week’s BWM Championship. But Cantlay is not a fan of the staggered start to the Tour Championship that provides him with a two-stroke lead over second-seeded Tony Finau and a bigger weighted advantage over the other 28 players in the season-ending field.

“Frankly, it’s not a good format,” Cantlay said on Wednesday. “I think it’s obvious why (the PGA Tour) went to the format because the previous format was confusing. I think this format is less confusing. But I don’t think it’s a good format.”

Dustin Johnson is the reigning FedEx Cup champion. After winning the first leg of the 2019-20 FedEx Cup playoffs in record fashion, he finished second in the BMW Championship to enter East Lake with a two-shot advantage last year.

Johnson finished with the third-best score at the Tour Championship. That was enough to claim the title, but he finished four shots behind Xander Schauffele’s 72-hole score of 265.

Schauffele wasn’t credited with a victory despite posting the lowest score of the week by three shots over Scottie Scheffler.

“The fact that Xander didn’t get a tournament win for beating the field by two or three shots is absolutely criminal, not just because he’s my friend, but I think that if that happened to anybody that would be criminal,” Cantlay said. “There has to be a better solution.

“I am not a mastermind on golf formats and there are lots of moving parts, so I’m not saying that I have the answer. There are lots of smart people and I guarantee you there must be an option for a better format out there than the current one we are playing in.”

That said, Cantlay is focused on taking advantage of the position he is in this week as he seeks his first FedEx Cup title. His best finish in three previous Tour Championships is a tie for 20^th but Cantlay enters this week riding a significant high.

His dramatic victory over DeChambeau was Cantlay’s second win in his past seven starts. The first came at the Memorial, when he took advantage of Jon Rahm’s coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)-forced withdrawal after 54 holes and outlasted Collin Morikawa.

Both victories were punctuated by clutch putts, and Cantlay has taken to a new nickname of “Patty Ice.”

“I think the energy is maybe the biggest thing after a win,” he said, “To come back, tee it up on Thursday with the same type of intensity.”

Cantlay has three other top-15s in his past seven starts and enters this week ranked a career-best fourth in the Official World Golf Ranking.

“I’m in a comfortable spot with my game where I don’t need to tinker,” he said. “I don’t need to work on anything extra hard this week. I just need to get fresh and ready and do my standard routine to prep for a golf tournament and the results should take care of themselves.” — Reuters