ALAMO CITY — Luka Doncic scored 26 points, distributed 14 assists and took 10 rebounds as the visiting Dallas Mavericks made the plays needed in the final three minutes to hold off the San Antonio Spurs 109-103 on Wednesday in the Alamo City.
The Mavericks led by 10 points at the half and by 11 after three before San Antonio rallied in the final period. The game was tied at 96 on a Lonnie Walker IV 3-pointer with 4:01 to play before Dallas got a three-point play and a 3-pointer by Porzingis and a 3-pointer from Seth Curry to move back in front for good at 105-96.
Kristaps Porzingis led Dallas with 28 points and 12 rebounds. Tim Hardaway Jr. added 17 points and Dorian Finney-Smith hit for 14 for the Mavericks.
DeMar DeRozan led San Antonio with 27 points, with Marco Belinelli scoring 14 points and Walker IV and Bryn Forbes and 12 and 10 points, respectively. The Spurs have lost two straight and seven of their past nine games.
The game was the first at home for the Spurs since Feb. 1 and came after San Antonio went 2-6 on its annual Rodeo Road Trip. San Antonio forward LaMarcus Aldridge missed the contest due to right shoulder soreness on his own bobblehead night.
The Mavericks set the pace early on, driving to as much as a 19-point lead early in the second quarter before settling for a 59-49 advantage at halftime.
Porzingis paced Dallas with 16 points and Hardaway added 10, the final of which came on a buzzer-beating 3-pointer at the end of the second quarter.
DeRozan led San Antonio with 15 points in the first half but also was assessed a technical foul for arguing a non-foul call late in the second.
The Mavericks could not shake San Antonio in the third quarter despite 12 points and four assists in the period from Doncic. Dallas led 88-77 heading into the final quarter.
San Antonio fashioned a 13-1 run to start the fourth quarter to jump in front at 90-89. Dorian Finney-Smith’s 3-pointer at the 5:32 mark of the final period was Dallas’ first field goal of the quarter and pushed the Mavericks back to the lead. — Reuters
ANTIPOLO CITY — Standard Insurance-Navy struck like a lightning and dominated Stage Five where six of its riders headed by George Oconer checked in at the finish together to seize the lead in almost all the categories possible in the LBC Ronda Pilipinas 10th anniversary race yesterday.
John Mark Camingao topped the 122.6km stage that started in Lucena City and ended in front of the capitol followed by 2018 Ronda king Ronald Oranza and many-time King of the Mountain Junrey Navarra.
El Joshua Carino, Ronald Lomotos and George Oconer were also in that group that clocked three hours, 12 minutes and 50 seconds in this 10-stage race presented by LBC and supported by the Manny V. Pangilinan Sports Foundation.
Jan Paul Morales, the 2016 and 2017 winner, was originally part of that lead pack but decided to move back to the peloton of this race backed by Versa, 8A Performance, Print2Go, Petron, Green Planet, Bike Xtreme, Standard Insurance, Spyder, CCN, Lightwater, Prolite, Guerciotti, Black Mamba, Boy Kanin, Vitamin Boost, NLEX-SCTEX, Maynilad, 3Q Sports Event Management Inc., LBC Foundation and PhilCycling.
The spectacular effort catapulted Oconer from second in the general individual classification race to first with an aggregate time of 17:54:13.
And Oconer is expected to go all out to protect the red LBC jersey he will wear when the race resumes tomorrow with the 111.9km Stage Six that will start at the capitol and end at the Tarlac Recreational Park in San Jose.
It also sent Oranza, Lomotos, Camingao, Navarra and Carino to second to sixth spots in 17:55:28, 17:55:31, 17:56:06, 17:56:30 and 17:58:04, respectively, while shoving 17:59:27.
7Eleven Cliqq-Air21 by Roadbike Philippines’ Rustom Lim was at No. 8 in 17:59:33 while Go for Gold’s Jonel Carcueva and Ismael Grospe, Jr. rounded out the top 10 in 17:59:41 and 18:00:01.
Standard also put a big separation from the rest of the field in the team race with a total clocking of 71:36:57, or 23.40 minutes ahead of Go for Gold, which jumped from fourth to second in 72:00:37.
Bicycology-Army stayed at third in 72:02:16 while 7Eleven sputtered from second to fourth in 71:05:52.
Morales also led in the CCN sprint race while Carino the Versa KOM.
To argue that Jayson Tatum is finally learning how to play to potential would be to understate his production as an offshoot of circumstance. He was certainly a valued commodity heading into the 2017 National Basketball Association draft, with the Celtics bent on claiming him with their pick. They could have chosen anybody, but, their eyes already set on him, instead dealt their first overall slot to the Sixers for the third and a future asset. The deal spoke to both their astuteness and their belief in his capacity to help the cause.
True enough, Tatum would emerge as a vital cog through his rookie season. His opportunities rose following the opening-day injury to All-Star acquisition Gordon Hayward, and his star shone brightest in the grandest stage: He nearly led the Celtics past the Cavaliers in the East Finals. Indeed, the seven-game series highlighted his potential as a foundational presence while staying within the confines of head coach Brad Stevens’ egalitarian predilections. Unfortunately, he regressed as a sophomore, forced to make the most out of limited usage in a system often short-circuited by top dog Kyrie Irving’s ball-dominant ways.
Heading into the Celtics’ 2019–20 campaign, however, not a few pundits expressed confidence Tatum would again show progress. And with Irving gone and more-grounded Kemba Walker only too glad to provide the right type of guidance, they have been proven right; he has been putting up numbers justifying his status as an All-Star, and cementing his place as a franchise cornerstone. Once the subject of speculation as the centerpiece of a move to acquire Anthony Davis, he is now a certified untouchable on whose shoulders the future of the green and white lies.
These days, Tatum is a lock to show sterling stat lines. He has normed 31.3 points since the calendar turned to February, and his immediate past performances suggest the figure will keep rising. Not coincidentally, the Celtics have gone eight and two for the period. Needless to say, he’s doing many things better — in particular chucking long twos, which he hitherto seemed to favor, for more efficient threes or drives to the hoop. The result: better percentages, more free throws, even more chances for teammates.
In short, Tatum deserves all the praise he’s getting in recent memory. As LeBron James noted in an Instagram post after he torched the Lakers for 41 points, he has become an “ABSOLUTE PROBLEM!! Keep going #YoungKing.” For him to truly make the leap, though, he needs to be more than just an element of causation. And once he becomes the very trigger, the Celtics should see their fortunes rise accordingly.
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.
THE Bureau of Immigration has revamped workers at Terminals 1 to 3 of the international airport in Manila after the Senate uncovered a bribery scheme involving Chinese workers in local offshore gaming companies.
The bureau revamped its Port Operations Division deputies, terminal heads down to counter personnel upon the order of President Rodrigo R. Duterte, Immigration Commissioner Jaime H. Morente said in a statement on Thursday.
The reshuffle does not cover the division chief, whose fate will be decided by the Justice department, he said.
The changes in management responsibilities and section assignments at the Manila airport came after the “recent resurgence of unauthorized activities and irregularities” there, Mr. Morente said.
“These irregularities and their consequences impact on morale and detract from the professionalism and service that the men and women of the Bureau of Immigration are pledged to provide,” he added.
The agency relieved 19 officials and employees allegedly involved in a bribery scheme that allowed the illegal entry of Chinese nationals who end up working in offshore gaming companies here.
Mr. Morente said the Immigration workers’ privileges had been canceled. Sanctions will be imposed based on court findings, he added.
Senator Risa N. Hontiveros-Baraquel earlier showed a video of incoming Chinese nationals being escorted to an office at the international airport in Manila.
She also showed screenshots of Viber messages among Immigration officers discussing the bribery scheme, as well as a worksheet containing the P10,000 paid by each of the tourists.
An immigration officer earlier told a Senate committee some blacklisted foreigners had been granted entry for as much as P200,000.
The bureau earlier asked the Justice department and National Bureau of Investigation to probe corrupt practices at the airport, including human trafficking and escort services.
Immigration officials who attended Monday’s hearing denied knowledge of the scheme, prompting Ms. Baraquel to say that they were either complicit or negligent.
The Senate body was tackling the illegal entry of Chinese nationals who end up working in offshore gaming companies in the Philippines.
Some female workers had also been allegedly trafficked and forced to work as sex slaves.
Ms. Baraquel had told reporters it was unlikely that Immigration officials were ignorant of the illegal scheme. She said the government must order a crackdown against unscrupulous Immigration officials involved in the anomaly. — Vann Marlo M. Villegas
SOME Cabinet members have expressed reservations about President Rodrigo R. Duterte’s decision to end a military agreement with the US on the deployment of troops for war games, a senator said yesterday.
The Cabinet members were not really against but were rather apprehensive about the presidential fiat, Senator Panfilo M. Lacson told reporters at a briefing.
“Many of them are afraid of the President,” he said, adding that his appointees did not know how to disagree without offending him.
Mr. Lacson said he had informally spoken with the Cabinet secretaries whom he did not identify.
The Philippines on Feb. 11 formally notified the US about its decision to end the two-decade-old visiting forces agreement (VFA). It will take effect after three months.
Mr. Duterte had threatened to end the pact after the US visa of Senator Ronald M. de la Rosa, his former police chief, was canceled.
Mr. Duterte’s decision could complicate US military interests in the broader Asia-Pacific region as China’s ambitions rise.
Some Filipino senators have sought to block the move, arguing Mr. Duterte had no right to unilaterally scrap international pacts the country’s Senate had ratified.
The VFA is important to the overall US-Philippine alliance and sets out rules for US soldiers operating in the Philippines, a former US colony.
Washington has called the relationship “ironclad,” despite Mr. Duterte’s complaints that include allegations of US hypocrisy and ill treatment.
Ending the VFA complicates Washington’s efforts to maintain an Asia-Pacific troop presence amid friction over the presence of US personnel in Japan and South Korea and security concerns about China and North Korea.
Some lawmakers in the Philippines are concerned that without the VFA, two other pacts that make up the long-standing US alliance with Manila would be irrelevant, namely the 2014 Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement made under the Obama administration, and a 1951 Mutual Defence Treaty.
Salvador S. Panelo, Mr. Duterte’s spokesman, has called the VFA a one-sided deal that only benefits the US.
Mr. Lacson said the government had put a lot of things at risk, noting that the US had been providing aid and assistance to the Philippines.
The Philippines has received about $1.3 billion in aid from the US since 1998, he said.
Mr. Lacson said 52% of the United States’ military assistance in the Asia-Pacific region goes to the Philippines. — Vann Marlo M. Villegas
SPEAKER Alan Peter S. Cayetano on Thursday said he had received verified information about an attempt to oust him.
About 20 congressmen claimed to have been offered committee chairmanships in exchange for their vote in a coup, he said.
“There were budget and chairmanship promises,” Mr. Cayetano said when asked if he believed rumors that Marinduque Rep. Lord Allan Jay Q. Velasco was behind the ouster plot. He added that Mr. Velasco had directly talked to some congressmen.
Mr. Velasco denied the allegations. “These reports are far from the truth,” he said in a statement, adding that the allegations were meant to divide the House of Representatives.
“Up to this day, I continue to honor the term-sharing agreement brokered by no less than President Rodrigo R. Duterte when the 18th Congress convened in July 2019,” he said.
“From the beginning, I never had any intention of reneging on this agreement,” he said. “I am a man with a word of honor,” he said in Filipino.
Salvador S. Panelo, Mr. Duterte’s spokesman, told a briefing the president had not complained about Mr. Cayetano’s performance as speaker. — Genshen L. Espedido
THE MAYOR of Bacolod has issued an order banning all ships from China and its special administrative regions, Hong Kong and Macau, from docking at any of the city’s ports amid the COVID-19 threat. Executive Order 11-2020, released on Thursday, was signed by Mayor Evelio R. Leonardia on February 26 after meeting with local, health, quarantine, and Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) officials to discuss the arrival of M/V Unicorn Bravo, a cargo vessel from Xiamen, China, off the waters of the city. The ship’s captain asked the PCG to allow the 19 crew members to disembark at the Bredco Port. The mayor cited in his order the World Health Organization’s declaration of the new coronavirus disease as a “public health emergency” as well the Philippine government’s current travel ban to and from China and its special regions. “(I)t is the intention of the City Government of Bacolod to assume the position of taking major preventive measures to protect its citizens from possible exposure to carriers or sources of COVID-19,” reads the order. Earlier this month, the Bureau of Quarantine has exempted all cargo ships from the required 14-day quarantine imposed on all vessels from China, Hong Kong, and Macau. The exemption covers the shipments for offloading and not crew members.
A fisherman catches fish as the Taal Volcano continuously erupts in Talisay. — REUTERS
THE ENTIRE region of Calabarzon — composed of the provinces of Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, and Quezon — has been placed under a state of calamity following destruction from tremors and ashfall from the still restive Taal Volcano. President Rodrigo R. Duterte made the declaration through Proclamation No. 906 signed on February 21 and released on the 27th. The declaration paves the way for the release of emergency funds to the region. “The declaration of State of Calamity will haste the rescue, relief, and rehabilitation efforts of the government and the private sector, including any international humanitarian assistance, and will effectively control the prices of basic goods and commodities for the affected areas,” the proclamation said. Data from the national disaster management council as of Feb. 25. show a total of 151,827 families composed of over 580,000 individuals have been affected, mostly in Calabarzon, particularly in Batangas where the volcano is located. Residents of Taal Island and nearby communities have been displaced as the area has been declared a permanent danger zone. More than 1,000 families remain in evacuation centers (ECs) while over 51,000 displaced families are being given assistance outside the ECs. — Gillian M. Cortez
AT LEAST 16 business establishments and barangay chairpersons in Tacloban’s downtown area received citation tickets on February 26 as the city’s Solid Waste Management Team made the rounds to monitor the ‘No Segregation, No collection’ policy, the local government reported. The city administration has started stricter implementation of local laws on garbage management following an information campaign last week. Section 26 of City Ordinance No. 2017-13-37 authorizes the City Environmental and Natural Resources Office to issue citation tickets, including to village leaders who may be held responsible for failure to enforce waste policies. Violators will pay a fine ranging from P300 to P1,000 or render community service. The city also has an Anti-Littering Ordinance passed in 2007, which prohibits indiscriminate throwing of garbage as well as dumping trash in public spaces before the scheduled time of collection. Anti-littering fines are P500 for the first offense, up to P1,000 for succeeding violations, or community service for five to 10 days.
A MONITORING station will be constructed at the Bubunawan Irrigation Intake Facility in Bukidnon to improve data gathering and flood forecasting for the Cagayan de Oro River Basin. The Telemetered Rainfall and Water Level Gauging Station will be undertaken by the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) and the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), NIA announced on Wednesday as the two agencies signed an agreement for the project. “There is a need to install automatic rainfall and water level gauging equipment and construct repeater/relay towers to enable the speedy transmission of hydrological data… Thus, effectively carrying out flood forecasting and warning activities,” NIA said. PAGASA will be responsible for fund sourcing and implementation. The project is part of the government’s program to mitigate the impact of flooding through the establishment of early warning systems in all major river basins in the country, NIA said.
ENVIRONMENT SUMMIT
Cagayan de Oro City, the regional center and most urbanized part of Northern Mindanao, suffers from recurrent flooding and was the hardest hit area during typhoon Sendong (international name: Washi) in December 2011. It is hosting the 3rd Philippine Environment Summit, ongoing from Feb. 26–28, which focuses on concerns and solutions relating to food security, healthy environment, and sustainable economy. Cagayan de Oro Mayor Oscar S. Moreno, in his welcome speech for the gathering, presented local initiatives for improving disaster resilience not just in the city but for the entire Northern Mindanao Region. “Kami rin (We too) in our small ways, inspired by the Cagayan de Oro River Basin Management Council… We learned many lessons from Sendong… Ang ating (Our) battle cry is no more Sendong.”
The multi-sector Cagayan de Oro River Basin Management Council, created in 2010, has been undertaking rehabilitation and preservation programs for the interlinked watersheds, rivers, forests and seas. — MSJ
COTABATO, which is still in the midst of rehabilitation efforts for the series of earthquakes in October last year, was rocked by a magnitude 4.3 earthquake Thursday morning, with a reported intensity of 5 in the capital Kidapawan City and Tulunan town. The tremor was recorded at 9:03 a.m. with epicenter in Makilala town, based on the monitoring of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs). Members of the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office and other emergency responders immediately conducted an assessment and ocular inspection within the capitol compound in Kidapawan. Phivolcs said no aftershocks were expected.
BANANA EXPORTS to China, the Philippines biggest market in the last two years, is normalizing after a month-long disruption due to the COVID-19 spread, the Pilipino Banana Growers and Exporters Association (PBGEA) said.
“A month after the dwindling volume of shipments that created a slump in banana price from an average of USD8.00 per box to USD1.80 per box causing panic to small growers, this has slowly improved owing to the normalization of the situation in more ports, reopening of supermarkets and retail shops, as well as resumption of banking services,” the group, composed of the industry’s big players, said in a statement Thursday.
PBGEA also cites a Chinese importer’s assurance that the Philippines will remain the preferred source of bananas given its competitive cost.
“The demand from China is always there, even though there was disruption shortly due to the corona virus outbreak. Similar to the widespread episode of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in 2002, we do not see a long-term downward trend for bananas from the Philippines. The concern of Filipino exporters of a closure of China market is remote as the option to replace Philippine bananas is costly and unstable,” the importer said.
Fresh banana is the country’s top agricultural export commodity, with 2019 shipments valued at $1.93 billion. — MSJ
ABS-CBN sues 2 illegal IPTV operators for pirating content
ABS-CBN Corp. announced on Thursday that it is suing two individuals in the United States for pirating the broadcast firm’s content through illegal internet-based protocol television (IPTV) boxes.
In a statement, the media giant said it is seeking “millions” in damages from the suspects for “allegedly pirating ABS-CBN’s copyrighted content via illegal IPTV boxes.”
Lawsuits were filed in federal courts against Alberto Ace Mayol Alfaro in the Southern District of Texas and Romula Araneta ‘Jon’ Castillo in the Central District of California.
The network said the Los Angeles Police Department arrested Mr. Castillo on Feb. 7 for “alleged violations of California Penal Code 593(d).”
The network also said the complaints include access to live programming “without paying the appropriate fees for such products, causing irreparable harm and damages to ABS-CBN.”
“We are thankful for the cooperation of the LA Police Dept. in investigating and arresting Castillo, a kingpin in this pirate box scheme. Defrauding the public by selling these fake boxes is a scam operation and preying on innocent people. We are very happy to have the cooperation of the police to enforce against these pirates,” ABS-CBN Head of Global Anti-Piracy Elisha Lawrence said.
ABS-CBN has been going after companies and individuals selling set-top boxes that provide access to its copyrighted movies and TV shows.
In December last year, the Lopez-led company announced that it filed a complaint at a US federal court in the Southern District of Texas against a certain Anthony Brown and 1700 Cuts Technology, seeking $4 million in damages for alleged content piracy and trademark infringement.
TFC.tv makes ABS-CBN shows and movies available for overseas markets such as the US and Canada.
An ABS-CBN official earlier estimated it lost around P300-400 million in potential movie revenues in 2018 due to piracy.
ABS-CBN Head of Infosec and Data Protection Officer Jay C. Gomez said in November that the company’s film revenues have continued to grow, racking up more than a billion pesos annually.
For the first nine months of 2019, ABS-CBN’s attributable net income rose 45% to P2.36 billion, on the back of an 8.6% rise in revenues to P32 billion.
The bulk of revenues came from advertising revenues, which went up 15% to P17.11 billion. — Arjay L. Balinbin
SC grants protection order to slain communist member’s family
THE SUPREME Court (SC) issued a permanent protection order for the estranged wife of a slain alleged member of the communist New People’s Army (NPA), and their two children against the Philippine National Police.
In a statement, the SC Public Information Chief said the court granted the petition for writ of amparo filed by Vivian A. Sanchez, who alleged that she and her daughters were subject to surveillance by the police after her estranged husband, Eldie Labanghisa, died.
“The totality of obtaining circumstances likewise shows that Vivian and her children were the subject of surveillance because of their relationship with a suspected member of the New People’s Army, creating a real threat to their life, liberty or security,” the high court ruled.
Ms. Sanchez first filed a petition for writ of amparo before the Regional Trial Court of San Jose Antique in August 24, 2018 against Police Superintendent Anthony D. Darroca, Police Superintendent Leo Irwin D. Agpangan, Police Chief Superintendent John C. Bulalacao, and the police officers under their authority due to the surveillance of the family.
The trial court issued the writ and temporary protection order on August 25 on the same year but dismissed the petition after a summary the following month, saying she failed to substantiate her claim that she became a person of interest after she identified her husband’s body.
The lower court said she failed to allege the acts of the police officers which threatened her security and liberty.
She then brought the case before the SC.
“While pursuing rebels is a legitimate law enforcement objective, the zeal of our police must be bound by the fundamental rights of persons, especially the loved ones of persons in interest. After all, the values we have in our Constitution are what differentiate us from lawless elements,” says the ruling penned by Associate Justice Marvic M.V.F. Leonen. — Vann Marlo M. Villegas
