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PAGASA warns against another ‘fake news’ on super typhoon

WEATHER BUREAU PAGASA on Sunday warned the public against social media posts indicating that the low pressure area (LPA) east of the Visayas is expected to develop into a super typhoon. “There is no truth to this. This is considered as fake news,” PAGASA Weather Specialist Benison Estareja said during the 11 a.m. update for the current typhoon, Ramon (international name: Kalamaegi). A similar post circulated on social media days before Ramon, now categorized as a tropical cyclone from a tropical storm, entered the Philippine area. Mr. Estareja appealed against sharing and “liking” such posts, which he said do not come from the government weather agency. The LPA, located 2,420 kilometers (km) east of the central islands as of Sunday morning, is being monitored by PAGASA and it is likely to strengthen into another typhoon when it enters the Philippine area by Tuesday. Based on PAGASA’s typhoon name list for the year, it will be called Sarah.

LANDFALL
Meanwhile, tropical cyclone Ramon was almost stationary over the weekend and remained over sea. It is forecasted to make landfall by Tuesday in the northeastern part of Cagayan province. As of Sunday, typhoon wind signal #1 was up in Cagayan, including Babuyan Islands, Isabela, and the northern portion of Aurora covering Dilasag, Casiguran, and Dinalungan. Mr. Estareja said the tropical cyclone is expected to be 250 km west of Dagupan City, Pangasinan by Wednesday and out of the Philippine area by Thursday. On Monday, light to moderate with occasional heavy rains are expected over Cagayan, Isabela, Apayao, Kalinga and Ilocos Norte. Light to moderate with intermittent heavy rains could be experienced over the Babuyan Islands, Abra, Ifugao, Mt. Province, Northern Aurora, and Quirino.

EVACUATION
As of noon Sunday, 98 people have moved to two evacuation centers in the Cagayan Valley Region, according to the Department of Social Welfare and Development. Regional and city/municipal response teams remain on full alert for possible flooding and landslides. Sea travel, especially for small vessels, remains “risky” in the areas under wind signal #1 as well as the seaboards of northern Luzon, and eastern part of central and southern Luzon.

Iloilo City aims for UNESCO Creative City tag under food category

ILOILO CITY is aiming to be part of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network — joining Baguio and Cebu, the only two Philippine cities in the group — through the food category. Mayor Jerry P. Treñas said the Creative City tag would be part of the campaign to boost tourism. “If we will be identified by UNESCO, for our food, I don’t know if we will also be identified by architectural, probably we get to have more people visit Iloilo,” he said in an interview last week. The mayor was scheduled to hold meetings in Manila over the weekend to gather advice and information for what he described as a new “journey” for the title. “It’s going to be long and tedious process, but this will be another feather on the cap of Iloilo City. And I think everyone is working together to make sure that we achieve our goals,” he said. Meanwhile, the city government is also looking at a branding campaign, which will be bid out. IPG Mediabrands Philippines are among those tapped to come up with a proposal. “We’re here to study and to have immersion on what Iloilo can offer on its tourism segments, we know that you have Dinagyang (Festival) and half of tourist arrivals come from Dinagyang, but… you have to make them come for the whole year to be a successful brand,” said IPG Mediabrands Philippines Chief Executive Officer Venus Peralta during a visit last Thursday. Mr. Treñas said the branding is part of efforts to complement the regional tourism sector’s campaign to make Iloilo a preferred destination for the meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibits (MICE) segment. — Emme Rose S. Santiagudo

10 tons collected from Iligan City bridge trash nets

MORE THAN 10 tons of household trash have so far been collected at the trash nets installed under two bridges in Iligan City in June, the Department of Public Works and Highways-Northern Mindanao (DPWH-10) office reported on Saturday. About 90% of the collected garbage consists of plastic bottles, food packaging, discarded clothing, and magazines. The rest are organic materials like leaves and small pieces of old furniture. The trash net system was installed to prevent domestic garbage from reaching Iligan Bay, one of the most important fishing grounds in southern Philippines. DPWH, in a statement, said “illegal fishing and the effects of burgeoning coastal communities” have contributed to the steady decline in marine catch. “We hope to stem the tide and restore back the abundance of our local fishing grounds. We feel that by protecting Iligan Bay from domestic garbage, we are moving towards the right direction,” said OIC-District Engineer Alykhan Ali of the DPWH-Lanao del Norte 2nd District Engineering Office. The trash nets are installed underneath bridges in Barangays Tibanga and Tubod.

ICT-Davao to ink deal with Amazon, SAS Technology for training

ICT-Davao, Inc., the information and communication technology umbrella group in Davao Region, is teaming up with technology firms SAS and Amazon.com, Inc. to help “re-tool” local professionals. ICT-Davao President Samuel R. Matunog said the memorandum of understanding will be signed during the LiveX 2019 (Innovation Summit 2019 and 5th Mindanao ICT Cluster Conference) on Nov. 18 to 19 at the Marco Polo Davao. “We will be signing an agreement to train our professionals on artificial intelligence, data and analytics with some of the most respected and well-known companies in the world. We are talking with SAS Technologies, the number one analytics and business intelligence platform in the world… Hopefully with the partnership with them and we can train some of you (media) to become data analysts. We are also looking forward with same arrangement with Amazon for cloud computing,” he said during last week’s Habi at Kape forum. Representatives of SAS Technologies and Amazon will be speaking during the LiveX 2019, which will also be participated in by the ICT councils around Mindanao. “We have over 20 ICT councils organized in urban centers in the whole island and will be complemented by the friends from Malaysia and Indonesia,” Mr. Matunog said. — Maya M. Padillo

MinDA TienDA to serve as livelihood development program for earthquake victims

THE MINDANAO Development Authority (MinDA) will expand the MinDA Tienda project into a livelihood development program for those affected by the series of earthquakes last October in parts of Mindanao. The Tienda project was initially rolled out in Makilala, Cotabato and Bansalan, Davao del Sur as temporary retail outlets for fresh and dry goods to give earthquake-affected residents easier access to supplies. MinDA, in a statement over the weekend, said they will be holding capacity-building and financial management trainings for the earthquake victims to help them set up livelihood projects. “After their capability trainings… they will be organized into associations and cooperatives, MinDA TienDA outlets will be established on the first quarter of 2020 in all earthquake affected areas which would be owned and managed by the victims themselves,” MinDA Chair Emmanuel F. Piñol said. MinDA is also looking for partners that will help provide funding for the outlets. — Carmelito Q. Francisco

Rain or Shine remains in the hunt for QF spot

By Michael Angelo S. Murillo
Senior Reporter

THE Rain or Shine Elasto Painters are not about done with their Philippine Basketball Association Governors’ Cup campaign, staying in the hunt for a quarterfinal spot after defeating the Meralco Bolts, 83-81, in their final game of the elimination round on Sunday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Needing to win to stay alive in the race entering the contest, the Elasto Painters did just that with a strong finishing effort in the game en route to outlasting the Bolts.

The win pushed Rain or Shine to a 4-7 record, still in the mix for the two remaining seats in the next round of the season-ending PBA conference.

Rain or Shine was now awaiting the outcome of the game later in the day between the Barangay Ginebra San Miguel Kings (7-3) and Northport Batang Pier (4-6) to have a clearer picture of its playoff fate.

It was a tight affair to begin the game with both teams looking to establish the tone for their respective thrusts.

Rain or Shine was slightly ahead at the end of the first quarter, 23-21, before the Bolts turned the tables around in the second canto, up, 42-41, at the halftime break.

In the third period, Meralco created some separation on the lead of Baser Amer and import Allen Durham.

The Bolts outscored the Elasto Painters, 24-13, to build a 12-point lead, 66-54, with 2:57 left in the frame.

Rain or Shine though would manage to narrow the gap to nine points, 69-60, heading into the final canto.

It picked up where it left off in the third, opening the final quarter with 11 straight points on the lead of import Richard Ross and Mark Borboran and overtaking the Bolts, 71-69, with six minutes to play.

The two teams went back-and-forth after, fighting to an 80-77 count, with Rain or Shine up, entering the last two minutes.

Rey Nambatac made it a five-point lead, 82-77, for the Elasto Painters with a floater in the paint with 1:28 left.

But the Bolts were not to allow Rain or Shine to just run away with the win, pushing themselves to within a point, 82-81, with 47 seconds left on buckets of Mr. Durham and Raymond Almazan.

They, however, could not complete the fight back as a split charity by Jewel Ponferrada to make it a two-point lead, 83-81, for Rain or Shine with 34 seconds to play proved to be enough to preserve the win for the Elasto Painters.

Mr. Ross led Rain or Shine with 26 points and 12 rebounds, with Mr. Nambatac coming up with 24 markers of his own.

For Meralco (8-3), it was Mr. Durham who showed the way with 23 points and 16 rebounds, followed by Messrs. Amer and Almazan with 18 points each.

Despite the loss, the Bolts are safe through the quarterfinals with a twice-to-beat advantage to boot.

Harden scores 49, carrying battered Rockets by Wolves

LOS ANGELES — James Harden recorded his fifth 40-plus point scoring effort during the Houston Rockets’ seven-game winning streak, posting 49 in a 125-105 victory over the host Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday.

Hamstrung by a roster depleted by injuries, Harden took a career-high 41 shot attempts. He finished 8 of 22 on 3-pointers and added five rebounds and six assists over 39 minutes.

A trio of guards provided Harden support offensively. Ben McLemore followed his 21-point performance Friday against Indiana with 20 points, including a pair of free throws with 1:29 left in the third quarter that gave the Rockets their first double-digit lead at 89-79.

Austin Rivers and Chris Clemons scored 19 points apiece for the Rockets, who also received a career-best 16 rebounds from center Isaiah Hartenstein. Houston shot 19 of 49 on 3-pointers.

The Timberwolves led by as many as 11 points in the first half but struggled to contain Harden. They also missed the production of their second-leading scorer, forward Andrew Wiggins, who missed his second consecutive game (personal reasons).

Karl-Anthony Towns paired 27 points with 15 rebounds to pace the Timberwolves, while Jake Layman scored 21 on 9-of-14 shooting. Robert Covington chipped in 17 points, while rookie Jarrett Culver added 13 points, all in the first half.

With the Rockets missing their second- (Russell Westbrook), third- (Clint Capela), fourth- (Danuel House Jr.) and fifth-leading scorers (Eric Gordon), Harden asserted himself offensively from the opening tip, hoisting 17 first-quarter shots to keep Houston afloat. Harden started the game 1 for 6 from the floor but went 6 of 11 down the stretch and tallied 18 points in the period, as the Rockets shot 6 of 12 from behind the arc and eked out a 31-30 advantage.

Clemons teamed with Harden to score all 13 points in a 13-3 Houston run that erased most of the Timberwolves’ 21-10 lead. Clemons, an undrafted rookie out of Campbell, matched his career high of 16 points by the intermission. With Harden producing 30 points by the break, that duo was able to offset Towns’ 18 points and the combined 24 points from Culver and Layman to lead 64-62.

HEAT STAY UNDEFEATED AT HOME
Rookie Kendrick Nunn scored 22 points as the Miami Heat stayed undefeated at home by beating the short-handed New Orleans Pelicans 109-94 on Saturday night.

Bam Adebayo added 18 points and 14 rebounds, Jimmy Butler had 16 points and 13 assists, Duncan Robinson scored 15 points, Kelly Olynyk had 13 points and Tyler Herro 12 as the Heat won for the fifth time in as many home games.

Rookie Nickeil Alexander-Walker led the Pelicans, who have just three wins this season but defeated the Clippers in their last game Thursday night, with 27 points. E’Twaun Moore added 18 points, Jrue Holiday had 14 points, rookie Jaxson Hayes 12 and Nicolo Melli 10.

The Pelicans stayed in the game until midway through the fourth quarter primarily by making 3-pointers, finishing with 16. But the Heat enjoyed a 46-31 rebounding advantage.

New Orleans, beginning a set of back-to back games that ends with a home game against Golden State on Sunday, played without five of their top seven scorers, including leading scorer Brandon Ingram and third-leading scorer JJ Redick, because of injury.

The Heat led by five points at halftime, but the Pelicans pulled even at 61 on two free throws by Moore midway through the third quarter.

But Butler scored five points during a 9-0 run that gave Miami some breathing room.

Alexander-Walker’s basket stopped the run, but Robinson’s 3-pointer helped the Heat take a 78-65 lead after three quarters.

New Orleans made five 3-pointers as it trimmed the deficit to 88-83 early in the fourth quarter.

Olynyk’s 3-pointer completed a 10-point run that pushed the Heat’s advantage to 15 with less than five minutes remaining.

Nunn scored nine points and Chris Silva had the final six as the Heat took a 29-22 lead at the end of the first quarter.

MCCOLLUM HELPS BLAZERS AVOID DISASTROUS COLLAPSE
CJ McCollum scored 32 points and Hassan Whiteside added 21 points and 12 rebounds as the visiting Portland Trail Blazers built a huge early lead, gave it all back and more, but then rallied for a 121-116 win over the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday in a wild, back-and-forth game in the Alamo City.

San Antonio trailed by as many as 20 in the first quarter and 23 in the second, but rallied to take the lead in the third and lead by as many as 15 three minutes into the fourth quarter. Portland came back to tie game at 111 after a putback layup by McCollum with 2:26 to play.

The Trail Blazers were the better team down the stretch, outscoring San Antonio 10-5 in the final two minutes to snap a two-game losing streak.

Damian Lillard added 22 points for the Trail Blazers (5-8) and Rodney Hood hit for 16 points in the win.

LaMarcus Aldridge led the Spurs (5-8) with 30 points and a season-high 13 rebounds.

Bryn Forbes scored 17 points, Rudy Gay and DeMar DeRozan added 16 each, Patty Mills pumped in 11 points and Derrick White scored 10 for San Antonio, which has lost five straight games.

The Trail Blazers took charge in the first quarter, shooting 76 percent from the floor (and 7 of 11 from beyond the arc) while building a 41-23 lead after the first 12 minutes. It was the most points allowed by the Spurs in any quarter this season.

San Antonio forged an 18-4 run in the second quarter to claw back to within single digits, at 50-41, with 6:53 left in the period. Portland settled for a 66-58 lead at halftime as McCollum racked up 23 points on 9-of-13 shooting and Whiteside added 10.

Aldridge paced the Spurs with 13 points in the first two quarters, while Forbes hit for 10.

San Antonio, which has lost eight of its past 10 games after a 3-0 start, now head out on a four-game road trip. — Reuters

Ceres-Negros FC caps stellar season with Copa Paulino Alcantara title

By Michael Angelo S. Murillo
Senior Reporter

CERES-Negros FC further underscored its standing as the gold standard in local club football by adding the Copa Paulino Alcantara title to its every growing trophy case.

Won its third straight Philippines Football League title in October, Ceres completed a season double by winning the Cup with a 2-1 victory over erstwhile defending champion Kaya FC-Iloilo in the finals on Saturday at the Biñan Football Stadium in Laguna.

Robert Lopez Mendy and Tristan Robles provided the goals early for the “Busmen” and Kaya just could not recover from them.

Mr. Mendy struck in the 30th minute of the contest, turning a cross from James Younghusband to a goal for a 1-0 lead for Ceres, which took the cushion at the break.

In the second half, Ceres beat Kaya anew for the first goal as Mr. Robles converted in the 68th minute for a 2-0 lead.

Kaya tried to make up for lost ground the rest of the way, coming to within a point, 2-1, after Kenshiro Daniels found the bottom of the net in the 85th minute.

That was the closest it would get though as Ceres held on and brought home the win for the remainder of the time.

“To win the double is just fantastic. We were some players down because of the international break but we’re just happy that we won. I’m just proud of the team,” said Mr. Younghusband, who was at the losing end of the Copa finals last year as a member of Davao Aguilas FC.

Ceres played sans some key personnel, namely, Carli De Murga, Sean Patrick Kane, Mike Ott, Stephan Schrock and OJ Porteria, who are with the Philippine Azkals competing in the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers.

Despite the loss, Kaya still kept its spot in the AFC Cup as the PFL’s second-placed team.

Filipino Jeremy Miado KO’s Chinese foe at ONE: Age of Dragons

FILIPINO strawweight fighter Jeremy “The Jaguar” Miado made it a successful foray in China as he notched an impressive first-round knockout victory by flying knee over hometown bet Miao Li Tao at ONE Championship’s “Age of Dragons” live event on Saturday in Beijing.

Had early traction in the contest, Mr. Miado just did not relent in his attack on his way to the devastating victory that swung him back to the winning track and improved his record to nine wins as against four defeats.

The win also averted for the Philippines a shutout after featherweight Edward “The Ferocious” Kelly and strawweight Ramon “The Bicolano” Gonzales fell by unanimous decision to their respective opponents earlier in the event held at the Cadillac Arena.

Mr. Miado had Mr. Miao in trouble early, catching him in a deep armbar.

But the Chinese was able to power his way out of the submission attempt and pressed Miado across the ring. As Mr. Miao was about to shoot for a double leg, the Filipino unleashed the flying knee, catching his opponent coming in for maximum impact.

Mr. Miao was out before he hit the canvas, prompting the referee to stop the fight at the 3:01 mark of the first round.

With the win, Mr. Miado bounced back from his technical knockout loss (punches) last February in Singapore against Dejdamrong Sor Amnuaysirichoke.

In the main event of Age of Dragons, Ilias Ennahachi of the Netherlands retained his ONE flyweight kickboxing world title by defeating “Metal Storm” Wang Wenfeng of China by split decision.

BRAVE CF 29
Meanwhile, Jeremy “The Juggernaut” Pacatiw saw his winning run at Brave Combat Federation stop at three matches as he fell to Jordan’s Ali “The Royal Fighter” Al Qaisi at Brave CF 29 by unanimous decision in Bahrain on Nov. 15.

The Team Lakay member gave his all and fought hard against his opponent but just did not get the nod of the judges, who all went Mr. Al Qaisi’s way.

The loss kept Mr. Pacatiw (5-4) winless in three fights to date in Bahrain, home of Brave CF.

But he nonetheless made history in Brave CF 29 as the fighter with the most appearance in the three-year-old promotion with nine fights, surpassing Brave welterweight world champion Jarrah Al-Selawe, who has eight. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo

National U Pep Squad tops UAAP cheerdance competition anew

A PINOY Pride-inspired performance towed the National University Pep Squad to the title of the cheerdance competition of University Athletic Association of the Philippines Season 82 held on Sunday at the Mall of Asia Arena.

The NU Pep Squad ascended to the top anew after taking the crown last year. It was the sixth CDC title for NU, which has been a dominant force in the UAAP event since Season 76.

The NU Pep Squad is at solo second place in the competition’s history, behind the University of Santo Tomas and University of the Philippines, which are tied for first place with eight apiece.

For winning the title, NU also won a P50,000 cash prize.

Placing first runner-up was the Far Eastern University Cheering Squad, followed by the Adamson Pep Squad at second runner-up.

FEU and Adamson got P30,000 and P15,000, respectively, for their podium finishes.

NU also bagged the championship in the group stunts competition, ahead of FEU which placed first runner-up and Adamson second runner-up. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo

Kaepernick ‘ready to play’ after working out for 8 teams

LOS ANGELES — Quarterback Colin Kaepernick worked out for 40 minutes in front of representatives from eight NFL teams on Saturday near Atlanta, then gave a short statement afterward saying he is ready to join a team and play at any time.

“I’ve been ready for three years,’’ Kaepernick said. “I’ve been denied for three years. We all know why I came out here: Showed it today in front of everybody. We have nothing to hide. So we’re waiting for the 32 owners, 32 teams, Roger Goodell, all of them to stop running. Stop running from the truth. Stop running from the people.

“We’re out here. We’re ready to play. We’re ready to go anywhere. My agent, Jeff Nalley, is ready to talk any team. I’ll interview with any team at any time. I’ve been ready.’’

The number of teams represented was about a third of the expectation, after Kaepernick changed the time and location of the workout earlier Saturday and opened it up to the media against the NFL’s wishes.

Backed by his representatives, Kaepernick changed the time of the 3 p.m. ET workout, which was moved to Charles Drew High School in Riverdale, Ga., about 60 miles from the Atlanta Falcons’ training complex in Flowery Branch, where the session for 25 teams was originally scheduled to take place.

Apparently, the change in venue didn’t affect Kaepernick’s performance. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that an NFL executive at the session told him Kaepernick’s arm is “elite” and that he threw the ball well. Kaepernick worked with several free agent wide receivers, including Bruce Ellington and Brice Butler, and friend and Carolina Panthers safety Eric Reid was there to support him for a portion of it.

Prior to the showcase, Kaepernicks’s representatives expressed that they had issues with a liability waiver the league provided the QB to sign, and wanted members of the media to be able to see the workout and also videotape it.

“Our biggest thing with everything today was making sure we had transparency in what went on,” Kaepernick said afterward. “We weren’t getting that elsewhere, so we came out here. It’s important that y’all (the media) are here.”

Former Cleveland Browns head coach Hue Jackson, with the help of former Miami Dolphins head coach Joe Philbin, were set to direct the original session, but they did not once Kaepernick’s plans changed.

After the change of plans, the NFL released a statement that read in part:

“We are disappointed that Colin did not appear for his workout. He informed us of that decision at 2:30 p.m. today along with the public. …

“Today’s session was designed to give Colin what he has consistently said he wants — an opportunity to show his football readiness and desire to return to the NFL. Twenty-five (25) clubs were present for the workout, and all 32 clubs, their head coaches, general managers, and other personnel executives would have received video footage of the interview and workout, shot by the Atlanta Falcons video crew.

The lengthy statement ended with, “Colin’s decision has no effect on his status in the League. He remains an unrestricted free agent eligible to sign with any club.”

Nalley also spoke to reporters afterward, but he wasn’t optimistic about the odds of a team signing his client.

The 32-year-old has played six seasons in the NFL and participated in six postseason games, including Super Bowl XLVII in 2013, when the 49ers lost 34-31 to the Baltimore Ravens. — Reuters

No celebrating for Ateneo until work is done

ONE win away from sweeping Season 82 of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines men’s basketball tournament and making history in the process, the Ateneo Blue Eagles are laser-focused as ever, tempering any celebrations until they achieve their championship goals.

Returned to action on Saturday following a two-week break after sweeping the elimination round and rendering the semifinals a step-ladder, the Eagles hardly showed any rust, crisp on their attack on both ends of the court in manhandling the University of Santo Tomas Growling Tigers, 91-77, in Game One of the UAAP Finals.

Ateneo coach Tab Baldwin said postgame that what is doing it for them all season long is treating every game as a “must-win,” requiring the best from them as much as possible even as he emphasized that there is still work to be done and there is no room for letting-up.

“I told our guys before the game (Game One), I think this is a must-win game for us. We need to have the attitude that it is a must-win game,” said the Ateneo coach, who is looking to lead the Eagles to their third straight UAAP title.

And Ateneo surely played with such a mentality in the series opener, proving itself a handful for UST as the game progressed on its way to the dominant win.

Graduating player Thirdy Ravena set the tone for the Eagles from the get-go en route to finishing with 32 points, five rebounds and three assists.

Ange Kouame had solid all-around numbers of 18 points, 12 rebounds and five assists, with SJ Belangel scoring 12 points, all coming from beyond the arc, to go along with five dimes, four boards and two steals.

Rookie of the year Mark Nonoy paced UST with 26 points with Brent Paraiso and Soulemane Chabi Yo adding 14 and 13 points, respectively.

Ateneo took a 32-17 lead at the end of the opening quarter and hit a rough patch early in the second frame.

But once it got its collective footing back they sprinted away and never looked back the rest of the way.

“Well, it’s good to get the win obviously. But we tend to not really see that as a win. We see that as the first half of basketball and we just get a long halftime break. We get to prepare for the second half, which will be in your eyes, Game Two,” said Mr. Baldwin as they gear up for Game Two on Wednesday at the Mall of Asia Arena.

“We just want to be 1-0 from here. We don’t really care what’s going on in the past. We have one game left [to win]… Believe me, we just want to play this game on Wednesday well, play it really well. Win the game and whatever comes with that, comes with that. We don’t want our focus on anything else. Especially any talk about records or anything like that. Let’s just play this game on Wednesday and do the best we can,” the Ateneo coach added.

In the event Ateneo completes a perfect season in men’s basketball, it becomes only the fourth team in the UAAP to achieve such a feat, following the University of the East (1969 and 1970), Far Eastern University (1976, 1980 and 1981) and UST (1993). — Michael Angelo S. Murillo