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Comelec vows to learn from midterm polls’ glitches, do better in 2022

THE COMMISSION on Elections (Comelec) said it will assess the glitches encountered in the May 13 midterm polls and use the lessons learned in preparing for the 2022 Presidential elections.

Comelec Chairman Sheriff A. Abas told reporters on Wednesday that the poll body will do the evaluation as soon as the 2019 national and local election period officially ends on June 12.

“Mag-assess kami kung saan kami nagkaproblema at ayun ang proposal para sa 2022 (We will assess where we encountered problems and that will be [the basis] of our proposal for 2022),” he said.

The Presidential elections, which will also include other national as well as local positions, is set on May 9, 2022.

In the just concluded 2019 midterm elections, nearly 2,000 SD cards were reported to be defective while nearly 1,000 vote counting machines (VCMs) were also ruled defective.

The Comelec system also experienced a seven-hour data blackout during the initial transmission of votes right after the polls closed last May 13.

YOUTH PARTY-LIST
In another development, Comelec Commissioner Rowena Amelia V. Guanzon dismissed reports that the poll body has already allowed former National Youth Commission chairman Ronald Gian Carlo L. Cardema to be the first nominee of youth sector party-list Duterte Youth.

In a social media post on Thursday, Ms. Guanzon stressed that she has not signed any resolution regarding Mr. Cardema’s application for substitution to be the first nominee of the group.

“I have not signed a Reso about giving due course to Cardema’s application for substitution but I will dissent,” she said.

At 33 years old, Mr. Cardema is deemed unqualified to be a nominee of a youth sector party-list, with the age range set at 25 to 30 years old.

The Comelec has yet to issue an official statement or resolution regarding Mr. Cardema’s substitution application, in which he seeks to replace the first nominee of Duterte Youth, his wife Ducielle Marie. — Gillian M. Cortez

New appointments include replacement for late BTA member Jaafar

PRESIDENT RODRIGO R. Duterte has appointed Mudjib C. Abu as member of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA), replacing former Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) vice-chairman Ghazali Jaafar who died on March 13. Mr. Jaafar was chairman of the Bangsamoro Transition Commission, which drafted what would become the Bangasamoro Organic Law following the peace deal between the MILF and the government. Mr. Duterte has also appointed Grepor B. Belgica, father of Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission Commissioner Greco Antonious Beda B. Belgica, as his adviser for religious affairs. Other appointments include: Jose Sylton V. Solidum, assistant secretary at the Office of the Cabinet Secretary; Fernando S. Borja, presidential special envoy to Japan for business and investment promotion; Almarim C. Tillah, presidential special envoy to the Organization of Islamic Cooperation; Teresita M. Marañon, member of the board of directors of the Coconut Industry Investment Fund (CIIF) Oil Mills Group; Leonor I. Cabral-Lim, member of the Philippine Council for Mental Health of the Department of Health; and Celerino L. Umandap, member of the board of trustees of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration of the Department of Labor and Employment. — Arjay L. Balinbin

Marawi’s homeless and scarred

TWO years since the Marawi conflict, which broke out on May 23, 2017, the supply of potable water remains a concern in some displacement sites, according to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). The humanitarian organization said over 100,000 people from the war-torn city “still do not have a home to return to.” Martin Thalmann, head of the ICRC delegation in the Philippines, said, “Despite the numerous aid efforts that have truly helped those in need over the two years, the people of Marawi have grown tired and frustrated. They want to stand on their own feet again and stop depending on assistance.” On top of continued help for physical survival, Mr. Thalmann stressed the need to address the “invisible scars” by strengthening the public health system in the area of psychosocial support.

12 in Caloocan, 2 in Legazpi face tax evasion charges

THE BUREAU of Internal Revenue (BIR) offices in the cities of Caloocan and Legazpi filed 12 complaints before the Department of Justice against taxpayers for willful failure to pay taxes amounting to a total of more than P776 million.

In a press release, BIR-Caloocan City said it filed 10 complaints against seven corporations and three individuals for failure to pay taxes amounting to P755 million for the years 2011 to 2015, while BIR-Legazpi City filed cases against two individual taxpayers for deficiencies of more than P21 million for 2010.

The BIR said records from its offices showed that the taxpayers were served with necessary documents for tax assessments such as Letter of Authority, Preliminary Assessment Notice and Final Decision on Disputed Assessments, among others, “but failed to pay and submit relevant supporting documents to either substantiate their claims or to refute said assessments, hence making the said assessments final, executory, and demandable.”

“The…respondents’ failure and continued refusal to pay their long overdue deficiency taxes, despite repeated demands, constitute wilful failure to pay the taxes due to the government,” BIR said.

The seven corporations in Caloocan City are Taoyuan Textile Manufacturing Corp., Primekit MFG. Corp., Spinmaster Textile Manufacturing Corp., Bicol Apparel Corp., Nature’s Best Agri Foods Corp., Amhran Trading Corp., and Innovative Technology & Environmental Solution.

The three individuals are Manuel T. Espiritu, Armando David Lagamson, and Ma. Reztiliza N. Sosa.

The two charged by the BIR in Legazpi were Amador V. Abichuela, proprietor of Amador V. Abichuela Enterprise, and Reuben L. Salopaso, owner of DNK Construction & Supply.

The cases filed are the 438th to 449th complaints filed under the BIR’s Run After Tax Evaders program. — Vann Marlo M. Villegas

Gov. Uy says ComVal name change to Davao de Oro would attract more investments

PRESIDENT RODRIGO R. Duterte has signed Republic Act No. 11297, the law renaming the province of Compostela Valley (ComVal) into Davao de Oro. The law will be subject to ratification by a majority of the qualified voters in a plebiscite. Reelected Gov. Jayvee Tyron L. Uy, in a statement, cheered the signing. “As what we’ve said numerous times, the change of name is inspired by the affinity of our people with Davao Region. This cements our place in the ever-growing Davao Region. We expect that this change will help our province in gaining more investments,” he said. The other provinces in Davao Region are Davao del Sur, Davao del Norte, Davao Occidental, and Davao Oriental, while Davao City is an independent city. Mr. Uy also expressed confidence that the law will be ratified by residents as the local government prepares for the campaign. He said, “(W)e can now put our fullest efforts in campaigning for the plebiscite. Armed with pride and certainty, we can now say ‘Yes to Davao de Oro!’” — Arjay L. Balinbin

Cebu developer Priland venturing to Cagayan de Oro, Davao

CEBU-BASED property developer Priland Development Corp. is preparing to launch next year residential and office space projects in the Mindanao cities of Cagayan de Oro and Davao. Priland President Ramon Carlo Yap, in an interview, said aside from the company’s aggressive stance in expanding in Cebu province, they also want to venture into the promising real estate sector in the southern island. He noted that Mindanao still has huge untapped areas compared with Cebu’s diminishing supply of good properties. The company earlier announced that it will spend an estimated P3 billion for three more projects in Cebu that will be launched within the year. Since 2013, Priland has launched eight projects within Metro Cebu. These projects are in various stages of developments and are mostly sold out. — The Freeman

Less election-related shootings, but political clan wars still a major threat in BARMM areas

THREE DAYS after the May 13 midterm elections, troops under the Western Mindanao Command (WestMinCom) seized firearms and other weapons in Talitay, Maguindanao in an operation intended to contain the escalation of conflict between the private armed groups (PAGs) of vice-mayoralty candidates Montasir Sabal and Suraida Ameril.

Among the items seized were M16 rifles, hand grenades, and drums containing suspected anti-personnel mine and bomb-making components.

WestMinCom said curbing the fight between the PAGs was particularly crucial in terms of preventing it from extending among the supporters of rival political families.

“The violence that attended the recent elections has created new strings of conflict, as fights between rival politicians morph into fights between clans exacting revenge,” said International Alert Philippines in its post-election bulletin, released May 23, covering the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) and neighboring areas.

The UK-based peace-building organization logged in 144 reports of election-related incidents from May 11-13 using its critical events monitoring system.

These incidents, aside from Maguindanao, took place in Cotabato City, Lanao del Sur, and parts of Sulu and Tawi-Tawi, as well as North Cotabato.

“Most of these incidents involved rival clans with the ability to engage in prolonged revenge killings,” International Alert said as it called for the need to pursue “negotiated post-election settlement on the carrying and use of firearms” involving all stakeholders.

On a more positive note, International Alert said there were “fewer shooting incidents between rival candidates and supporters that were a staple of previous electoral battles… Bombing and brawling seems to have replaced the violent gun battles of the past.”

The organization attributes this mainly to the “tight military and police presence” since early this year for the plebiscite on the Bangsamoro Organic Law. — MSJ

Nation at a Glance — (05/24/19)

News stories from across the nation. Visit www.bworldonline.com (section: The Nation) to read more national and regional news from the Philippines.

Elite test mettle against defending champs Kings

By Michael Angelo S. Murillo
Senior Reporter

OPENING-DAY winners Blackwater Elite go for a second win in row when they test their mettle against defending Philippine Basketball Association Commissioner’s Cup champions Barangay Ginebra San Miguel Kings in league action at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Fresh from their 94-91 overtime victory over the Meralco Bolts on May 19, the Elite try to sustain their good start in their scheduled 7 p.m. encounter with the Kings, who are making their debut in this year’s edition of the midseason tournament.

The Elite gallantly fought off the spirited fight of the Bolts, finding ways down the stretch to outlast their opponents.

Import Alex Stepheson showed the way for Blackwater in their dig-deep victory, finishing with 21 points and 31 rebounds.

Mike DiGregorio also had 21 markers for the Elite while rookie Ray Parks, Jr. had 20 points and eight rebounds in his first official game in the PBA.

Allein Maliksi was the other Blackwater player who scored in double digits with 12 points.

Delivering the way they did in a tightly fought contest, new Elite coach Aris Dimaunahan heaped praises on his players , underscoring how they stuck together and to their game plan.

“I’m happy that the players stuck together against a Meralco team which is strong in import-laden tournaments. They stuck to our game plan and worked hard till the end,” said Mr. Dimaunahan postgame.

The win marked the first win of the new Elite coach after being named to replace Bong Ramos during the in-between conference break.

“I couldn’t be any happier than this. Hopefully, we get another one the next time out although it will be a big test for me as after Coach Norman [Black of Meralco], it’s coach Tim [Cone of Barangay Ginebra]. I’d be more motivated. We’ll see what happens. We’ll prepare and come up with the best game plan possible against Ginebra,” he added.

Meanwhile, out to have a good start to their title defense are the Kings, who have brought back multi-titled PBA import Justin Brownlee to banner their campaign.

Barangay Ginebra failed to advance in the quarterfinals of the previous tournament and are angling to have a better showing this time around.

Mr. Brownlee said he is ready to help the Kings anew and believes that with support from the rest of the team they can defend their crown.

“I feel great entering the new conference. I’m fresh and the tournament I played in previously helped me to stay in shape,” said the 31-year-old Brownlee, who last played in the Lebanese league where he helped Sporting Al Riyadi Beirut to the title.

“We are ready to defend the title and bounce back after the loss last conference and the Governor’s Cup before that,” he added.

Playing in the curtain-raiser today at 4:30 p.m., meanwhile, are the Bolts and Columbian Dyip, who both lost in the tournament opener.

Meralco got a good output from import Gani Lawal Jr. in his debut with 34 points and 21 rebounds.

It was not enough though to tow his team against Blackwater.

The Dyip, for their part, were 111-98 losers to the Alaska Aces last time around.

Import Kyle Barone had 30 points and 22 rebounds for Columbian while rookie CJ Perez finished with 19 points in their defeat.

Bucks to reclaim momentum from Raptors in Game 5 today

LOS ANGELES — The Toronto Raptors have the momentum, but the Milwaukee Bucks will be playing on their home court Thursday night in the pivotal Game 5 of the Eastern Conference semifinals.

The Raptors will try to maintain the energy they showed in winning the past two games at home to even the best-of-seven series at 2-2.

“Each game is its own entity,” Raptors coach Nick Nurse said. “Let’s see. … if we can go do it in Milwaukee, we need to take this challenge of playing in a hostile environment, right? We’re going into a tough, loud place to play, and let’s see if those guys can bring that same pop and focus, determination on the road.”

The Bucks, meanwhile, will be trying to find the defense that was lacking in the Raptors’ 120-102 Game 4 victory on Tuesday.

“I think (Tuesday) is probably the first night defensively where I don’t feel like we were close to where you need to be to give ourselves a chance,” Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said. “So, credit to Toronto. They obviously played well, had a lot of guys step up and play well. Their bench was very good.”

The Bucks started the game aggressively — led by Giannis Antetokounmpo, who scored the first five points of the game — and led 12-5. But Toronto eventually took over and led 32-31 after one quarter and dominated the rest of the way.

“We had a great start the first few couple of minutes, we started aggressive — especially Giannis,” said Nikola Mirotic, who scored 11 points. “But then I think we allowed a lot of points, especially that first quarter after those few minutes … our defense was not the way we should be. We’re going to learn from it and try to bounce back next game.”

Mirotic said the defensive problem “was a little bit of everything.”

“Rotation, defensive transition as well, we didn’t show the crowd as we usually do,” the Bucks forward said. “They beat us on the boards (44-40), a lot of offensive rebounds (10) so it was just not the best game. But listen, nobody said it was going to easy. We’re 2-2. We need to go back to Milwaukee and do the same what they did with us. They punched us here and we’re going to do the same there.”

“We just came out in the third quarter flat,” Antetokounmpo said. “It’s something we can get better at, it’s something we can fix, it’s something we’ve been doing all season. Usually in the third quarter we come out and we’re aggressive, we’re making shots, we’re moving the ball. … Hopefully when we get back home we can shoot better in the third quarter and throughout the whole game.”

With Kawhi Leonard favoring his left leg after playing 52 minutes in Sunday’s double-overtime win by Toronto, others stepped up. Kyle Lowry scored 25 points in Game 4 and the bench — led by Fred VanVleet (13 points), Norman Powell (18 points) and Serge Ibaka (17 points, 13 rebounds) — was vital.

“It was big time,” said Leonard, who had 19 points, seven rebounds and four steals. “Everybody contributed, knocking down shots, playing great defense. (Ibaka was) making plays, getting rebounds, blocking shots and making shots on the other end. You know, when he does things like that everybody just gets energy and just the whole team flows at that point.”

Leonard played 34 minutes Tuesday.

“I feel good,” he said. “Keep going and keep fighting and we have a chance to make history.”

LEONARD ‘FEELING GOOD,’ LOWRY ‘NOT GREAT’
Toronto Raptors forward Kawhi Leonard’s health is just fine, while point guard Kyle Lowry is fighting through significant pain, head coach Nick Nurse told reporters Wednesday.

“He’s feeling good,” Nurse said of Leonard, who has shown an occasional limp during the Eastern Conference finals against the Milwaukee Bucks. “No concerns at this point. He’s good.”

Leonard had his workload managed during the regular season and did not play on back-to-back nights, but he has logged 38.2 minutes per game through 16 postseason games, averaging 31.2 points, 8.4 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.5 steals. He had a modest 19 points in Tuesday’s Game 4 as the Raptors equaled the series at 2-2.

Lowry has been playing with an injured left (non-shooting) thumb since hurting it in Game 7 of the second round of the playoffs, wearing an oversize, padded glove to aid the healing process. He struggled in Games 3 and 4 but managed 25 points, six assists and five rebounds in Game 4.

“Kyle’s hand is not great,” Nurse told reporters. “You know, he’s — it’s hurt and it’s sore and it causes him a lot of pain. But he seems to be able to manage it through the game and do what he can do.

“He’s obviously scoring and playing great on top of the other things he always does.”

Nurse also said forward OG Anunoby remains without a timetable for a return after having an emergency appendectomy last month.

“He’s moving pretty good, he’s shooting, but still a ways away from being able to take hits and contact in the areas that he needs to test out,” Nurse said.

Anunoby averaged seven points and 2.9 rebounds in 67 regular-season games this year.

Game 5 of the series is (Friday in PHL) in Milwaukee. — Reuters

Beermen not getting ahead of themselves with Grand Slam thoughts

PUT themselves in position once again to win a Philippine Basketball Association Grand Slam after claiming the season-opening tournament, the San Miguel Beermen recognize the spot they are in but are choosing not to get ahead of themselves and are instead focusing on the next step first, which is the Commissioner’s Cup.

Won their fifth straight Philippine Cup title, San Miguel is the lone team anew which could complete a rare Grand Slam, or winning all three conferences in one season of Asia’s first play-for-pay league.

The Beermen were in a position to win another Grand Slam during the 2016-17 season after winning the first two conferences. But they failed to claim the Governors’ Cup championship that year to fall short.

San Miguel, however, is one of only four teams to have won a Grand Slam, the others being Crispa, Alaska and San Mig.

Crispa won it in 1983, then the Beermen in 1989 and Alaska in 1996. San Mig Coffee was the last team to achieve the feat, doing it in the 2013-14 season.

Recognizing how tough the road is to a Grand Slam, San Miguel is instead taking it a game and a conference at a time.

Speaking at the weekly forum of the Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) at the Amelie Hotel-Manila in Malate on Tuesday, Beermen coach Leo Austria said they are not putting too much pressure on themselves and that just going about things step by step.

“We’re not thinking about the Grand Slam. It’s one step at a time for us. We will try to win the next conference first,” said Mr. Austria, who was joined in the forum by players Chris Ross, Marcio Lassiter and Von Pessumal as well as their Commissioner’s Cup import Charles Rhodes.

“We don’t want to put added pressure on ourselves,” he added.

Mr. Austria went on to say that they believe in Mr. Rhodes’s ability to lead them back to the Commissioner’s Cup title but that they will be up against tough opponents with solid reinforcements in the ongoing conference.

“We believe in Charles. He is a best import awardee and he can play against the best imports in this tournament,” the San Miguel coach said.

The Beermen will open their Commissioner’s Cup campaign against the Northport Batang Pier on June 5. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo

Chairman’s Cup Regatta sails in Subic Bay

THE SUBIC Sailing Club (SSC) celebrated another successful sailing season in a grand event organized by both chairman of SSC, Jun Avecilla and Congressman Ricky Sandoval, which was held at The Lighthouse Marina Resort, Subic Bay Freeport Zone on April 30 this year.

The inaugural Chairman’s Cup Regatta (CCR) provides a platform that enhances the standards of regattas to foster camaraderie among sailors and showcase the natural prowess of Filipinos as sailors and seafarers.

The Chairman’s Cup Regatta was composed of eight classes. There were three classes on the keelboat division: IRC, Cruising and the FarEast 28R Classes. The FE28 had a total of seven boats composed of six crew or less per boat with a maximum weight limit of 425kgs. This was the most competitive class in this division.

The Philippine Sailing Association team, composed of the Philippines’ SEA Games athletes, had two teams headed by Asia’s match racing champion, Ridgely Balladares and Asian Sailing Federation Keel Boat Cup champion, Emerson Villena. Another team representing the Philippines was from Subic Sailing, with Olympian sailor Maria Vidoeira. There were also international teams participating from Hong Kong (Alain Choi), Japan (Yukie Ikawa), China (Ren Feli) and Taipei (Richard Lin).

For the Dinghy division, there were three classes: Optimist, Streaker and Oz Goose. The Oz Goose was the largest fleet in the Dinghy Class with a total of eight boats. This boat was also the latest addition to the Dinghy Class through the support of the Philippine Gaming Corporation, Philippine Sports Commission, and the Philippine Home Boatbuilders Yacht Club, headed by Roy Espiritu together with the Oz Goose designer, Michael Storer, who also participated in the race.

For this year and for the first time, SSC had included windsurfing in the regatta with two classes: RS: X and RS: One. The athletes who have participated in this regatta were also mostly contenders representing the Philippine team for the upcoming SEA Games. These athletes will continue training in Subic Bay throughout the year. “We look forward to working with the Philippine Windsurfing Association in bringing more interest for the sport in Subic Bay,” said Zed Avecilla, Executive Director of Subic Sailing Club.

There were a total of 30 boats and 12 windsurfers who have competed in the regatta from April 25-30. “We had hoped to increase the number of boats joining this regatta by getting more international participants. This year, we had a participant from the inaugural Hong Kong to Puerto Galera Race, which was Rampage II. We aim to get more foreign participants next year, especially those joining the famous Rolex China Sea Race that will finish at Subic Bay on Easter, a week before the second Chairman’s Cup Regatta,” Zed Avecilla added.

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