Category: Philippines Daily Inquirer

With a first defeat staring ZUS Coffee dead in the eyes, the Thunderbelles on Tuesday night showed what stuff they are made of.

And the Thunderbelles, with a come-from-behind 23-25, 22-25, 25-23, 25-12, 15-7 victory over Akari behind Anna DeBeer, just showed that they are for real as they completed a five-game sweep of Pool B play in the PVL Reinforced Conference at Mall of Asia Arena.

‘We’re just adjusting to whatever the opponent gives us, and we’ll take what we can get,’ said coach Jerry Yee in Filipino after the marathon win for a 5-0 card. ‘We were lucky in this game, because we managed to adjust and pull off the win.’

After what looked like deflating defeats in the first two sets, DeBeer didn’t stop from leading another thunderous offense for ZUS Coffee and went on to hammer 32 kills for 33 points.

The American import may be thriving in her first overseas stint as ZUS Coffee’s leader. But she was the first to point out that it was all about working together as one unit.

‘It’s a total team effort,’ said DeBeer. ‘We didn’t have a good start, but we turned it around for our first five-set win of the season. That’s pretty exciting.’

True enough, every local has been ready to contribute every game for the Thunderbelles, like Riza Nogales, who stepped up and spelled the difference coming off the bench with 11 points that included four blocks.

Nogales, who was selected by ZUS Coffee in the third round, believes it’s the trust of all the coaches and every teammate that made her perform that way and help the franchise to this moment-from being a cellar dweller to the lone unbeaten team here.

‘The trust that the coaches and my senior teammates give me really means a lot, especially during times when I make mistakes,’ Nogales said. ‘They lift me up on the court. That’s where I draw my strength to perform.’

Clo Mondoñedo paced the Thunderbelles with 27 excellent sets. Jovelyn Gonzaga had 11 points, 13 digs and 13 receptions, while Chinnie Arroyo added 10.

It was actually a repeat win for the Thunderbelles, who beat the Chargers, also in five sets, in the supposed opener on Oct.7, only for the match to be ordered replayed following the absence of imports due to International Transfer Certificate issues.

‘Definitely, it was hard sitting out the first one,’ said DeBeer. ‘So just being able to play and have such a cool environment here was really fun.’

ZUS Coffee leads its new group in the second round with the Pool A bottom placers, Nxled (0-5), Cignal (2-3) and the loser of the Choco Mucho-Capital1 game at press time. Akari and Creamline will also be in that group.

The next round opens on Thursday, with the top eight advancing to the knockout quarterfinals. I

The last time the NCAA held games at Rizal Memorial Coliseum, Tony Ynot didn’t even know how to play basketball.

Back in 2006, Ynot was a 6-year-old in Misamis Occidental. He had yet to pick up a basketball, while the Manila sporting complex was then the epicenter of NCAA action.

‘I hadn’t even played basketball yet. I started in 2012-my first sports were volleyball and track and field,’ said Ynot, after helping College of St. Benilde improve to 6-3 in Group B of the NCAA Season 101 men’s basketball tournament.

‘I was still in the province then. I was poor and scruffy,’ he added with a laugh upon learning how long it had been since the league last played at Rizal.

Nearly two decades later, the dynamic guard found himself at the center of Benilde’s 75-65 win over defending champion Mapua on Tuesday, in the NCAA’s return to the historic arena.

Ynot didn’t just help the Blazers tighten their grip on the second seed in Group B-he also led them in getting payback against the Cardinals, who swept Benilde in last year’s Finals to claim the Season 100 crown.

Benilde opened the game with a scorching 18-0 run, 11 of which came from Ynot, who finished with 25 points, eight rebounds, three assists and a steal.

Rizal Memorial has long been a launching pad for stars who would go on to flourish in the PBA. Ynot knows he’s still carving out his path, but hopes to return to the same hardwood someday-this time as a pro.

Strong turnout

‘I’m still in college, but maybe if I make it to the pros and get to play here again, I’ll give it my best,’ he said. ‘I’m so happy because this was my first time playing here, and I was the best player. I’m glad I helped the team get the win.’

Blazers coach Charles Tiu also welcomed the league’s return to Rizal-especially with the strong turnout of Benilde supporters from nearby Taft.

‘We can have every game here-we have a lot of fans for once because it’s near our school,’ said Tiu. ‘I don’t mind it being a bit loud. We’re 1-0 here now. I think we can play every game here.’

Allen Liwag added a double-double for Benilde with 12 points and 10 rebounds, while Mapua’s Cyrus Cuenco and Earl Sapasap scored 14 and 13, respectively, as the Cardinals dropped to 4-5 in Group A.

Earlier, Lyceum had its own shining moment at Rizal, pulling off a 78-66 upset over San Beda.

Joshua Moralejo led the Pirates with 24 points.

The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) on Wednesday said it does not see any cybersecurity threats ahead of anti-corruption protests on November 30.

The agency made the assurance after DICT Secretary Henry Aguda previously linked hacktivist Anonymous Philippines to the masked demonstrators who caused chaos during the September 21 rally in Manila.

‘Now, if you want to know what we are seeing in the chatter now so far, it’s quiet. I think our effort to reach out to Anonymous.PH worked. Anonymous.PH said, ‘They are disavowing any violence, aren’t they?’ and then their companions also say they don’t want violence. So far, he’s quiet,’ he said at a Palace briefing.

‘It might change but so far, it’s going well, we’re quiet in cyberspace,’ he said when asked if they are monitoring any threat online.

He added that government agencies are on alert for any possible defacement of websites during the upcoming rally.

‘These government agencies are constantly cyber drilling now – they are drilling and drilling. And they’ve started plugging all the cybersecurity hauls that they have; if they need to patch something, they’ve already patched it; if they need equipment, they’re already deploying it,’ he said.

Aguda also said, ‘The second part, the community, because I talk to them regularly and they promised me, so they signed the commitment wall, if you backtrack a month ago, there is a commitment wall there, disavowing violence, and secon,d they will help the country in case of cyber-attacks.’

Families in northern Cebu province who lost their homes during the Sept. 30 earthquake were displaced yet again after Typhoon Tino (international name: Kalmaegi) battered the Visayas.

Bogo City, the epicenter of the deadly magnitude 6.9 quake, was largely spared by Tino’s wrath, reporting no landslide or flooding unlike what happened in Cebu City and its neighboring areas in Metro Cebu, about 100 kilometers from Bogo.

But communication and power were still unavailable, and hundreds displaced by the earthquake previously housed in tents remained housed in sturdier shelters, according to the Bogo city government in a Facebook post at 5 p.m. The city government said 1,070 families composed of 3,801 people were in evacuation centers since Monday, most of whom were victims of the earthquake and previously housed in tents.

The Philippine Red Cross (PRC) led the evacuation of residents housed at the Tent City in Barangay Cogon, while those in other tent communities were assisted by barangay disaster risk reduction and management offices, Mayor Maria Cielo Martinez said on Monday.

Martinez has also suspended classes and work in government offices in the city from Monday to Tuesday.

On Tuesday, massive cleanup to clear roads of fallen trees was started in the aftermath of the typhoon. At a briefing in Malacañang on Tuesday, Office of Civil Defense spokesperson Junie Castillo said that because of the typhoon, the displaced families staying in tent cities needed to be relocated to modular houses or other evacuation centers.

Temporary setup

The tents were ‘temporarily dismantled,’ as these could not withstand the strong winds brought by the typhoon.

The national government, assisted by (PRC), built a tent city at Barangay Cogon in Bogo City. Modular shelter units were set up in Bogo,and the towns of Daanbantayan and San Remigio ‘to provide safer and more dignified temporary housing for displaced families.’

The relocated families were provided with food and other essentials, Castillo said.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has urged all government agencies to celebrate Christmas and the New Year simply, in solidarity with Filipinos devastated by recent calamities that hit the country.

The reminder came from Palace press officer Claire Castro as Typhoon Tino (international name: Kalmaegi) continues to batter Cebu and nearby provinces.

‘This is part of the solidarity of the administration of President Marcos Jr. with the people who are experiencing many trials caused by a series of disasters in the country, from the earthquake that shook the Visayas and Mindanao to the typhoons that hit several parts of the country,’ she said at a briefing.

‘Reminder to government employees: it is important to celebrate Christmas with remembrance of our neighbors who continue to recover and start anew from the numerous calamities that have hit the country,’ Castro also said.

The death toll from Typhoon Tino has reached 52 as of 6 a.m. Wednesday, based on data from the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council.

Of this number, 50 are from Central Visayas and two are from Eastern Visayas.

Meanwhile, 10 persons were reported injured, while 13 others in Central Visayas were reported missing.

Due to the effects of Tino, Central Visayas has declared a region-wide state of calamity.

As of 10 a.m. Typhoon Tino slightly intensified as it moved away from northern Palawan. It may re-intensify in the next 12 hours over the West Philippine Sea before it exits the Philippine area of responsibility Wednesday evening or Thursday morning.

Independent Commission for Infrastructure chair Andres Reyes Jr. yesterday asked the Ombudsman to investigate Department of Public Works and Highways officials, starting with former Secretary Manuel Bonoan, to former Undersecretaries Roberto Bernardo and Maria Catalina Cabral, in connection with flood control project anomalies. In doing so, he addressed criticism of the ad hoc committee, which is that it lacked prosecutorial powers; but it also reminded me of a long-standing proposal to reform the Ombudsman’s office.

As long as we’ve had government, there’s been the perception that too often, officials are more interested in themselves than in public service. And so you have two pressing public needs: first, for a people’s advocate; second, for those advocates to be armed with legal powers to actually accomplish something.

Randy David once pointed out in his column in this paper that Sweden gave the world the institution of the Ombudsman in 1809, and that an Ombudsman’s function is to receive complaints from citizens, especially when it comes to their dealing with government. David also pointed out that one fundamental requirement for an effective Ombudsman is integrity-not just personal integrity, but the kind widely recognized so as to make the Ombudsman a person respected by the community as a whole.

In fact, all the requirements for a genuine Ombudsman were demonstrated by the man who first held the office in our country, even though he didn’t have that formal title.

Manuel P. Manahan, war veteran, imprisoned by the Japanese at Fort Santiago, ex-newspaper publisher, and who organized the Magsaysay for President movement, was a stocky man reported to have many of the mannerisms of, and a physical resemblance, to the late President Ramon Magsaysay.

Manahan had been put in charge, by Magsaysay, of one of the president’s pet projects, the complaints and action committee. For a nominal charge, anyone could send a telegram with a complaint directly to the president. The idea of a designated pinch-hitter for the public was so strong that subsequent administrations bore the Magsaysay-Manahan institution in mind.

Then President Diosdado Macapagal wanted to be his own Ombudsman, instituting Common Man’s Day in the Palace, where anyone could line up and report a problem to him for presidential action.

But there’s more to it than that. When Manahan was appointed by Magsaysay, he was told to ‘start sweeping out grafters from the government and prosecuting criminal elements in the country.’ In other words, besides being someone to run to for help, people like Manahan were supposed to convict grafters and crooks and throw them in jail.

After Manahan’s time, legislation was attempted to give legal teeth to the fight against graft and corruption. Among the most prominent in this effort was the late Sen. Arturo Tolentino. His pioneering efforts can be said to have borne fruit in later laws like the anti-plunder law.

Whether deservedly or not, the Ombudsmen, instead of being ‘protectors of the people,’ as the Constitution puts it, have been perceived to be protectors of the presidents that appointed them. Some have suggested that part of the problem may be that the office itself may have bitten off more than it can logically chew.

The late Jesuit priest and lawyer Joaquin Bernas in his column gave us an insight into what he and his fellow Constitutional commissioners were thinking when they decided to set up the position of Ombudsman.

At the time, there already existed the position of Tanodbayan, who was investigator and prosecutor of official wrongdoing, with broad powers.

Bernas said that at first the Constitutional Commission wanted to separate investigation from prosecution. In its place, they’d set up an Ombudsman, ideally a person of great personal prestige, who would be a people’s advocate, someone to run to and be a busybody on your behalf.

In the Commission, former Sen. Francisco ‘Soc’ Rodrigo argued against an Ombudsman in the traditional sense of the word, saying that without the position having prosecutorial powers, no one would pay any attention to the Ombudsman.

But the Constitutional Commission persisted and established an office more along the lines of someone to run to, and who would make a fuss on behalf of citizens.

Back in April 2008, I met Robert Hårdh, a Swedish lawyer from The Swedish Helsinki Committee for Human Rights. In my conversation with Hårdh, I asked him whether other countries were having problems with their Ombudsmen the way Filipinos have had problems with ours.

His answer intrigued me. ‘Sweden,’ he said, ‘gave the world the institution of the Ombudsman-but it only works in Sweden. That is because it was an institution that developed according to a situation peculiar to Sweden, where you can expect an investigation by officials appointed by the authorities to be investigated.’

So maybe it isn’t a uniquely Filipino dilemma, to be frustrated by Ombudsmen who end up owing more to the appointing power than the public they’re supposed to serve.

That being the case, perhaps then we should seriously explore two possibilities. One, made back then by then Sen. Manuel Roxas II, was to appoint an ad hoc prosecutor every time a scandal arises. Or, another proposal you often hear: an Ombudsman directly elected by the people.

Lopez family-led First Gen Corp. is keen on participating in the rehabilitation of the Agus-Pulangi hydropower complex.

First Gen vice president Jay Joel Soriano, who also heads strategy and planning, said hydro energy was ‘a nice complement’ to other renewable sources, like geothermal, solar and wind energy.

‘We need the right mix of technologies. I think, to support all the solar that’s coming up, we need balancing technologies. And hydro is a great balancing technology,’ he said.

‘So any opportunity that comes up, for sure we will study it seriously,’ Soriano added.

Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corp. (Psalm) president and CEO Edward Dela Serna previously said that they had received ‘a number of unsolicited proposals’ for the planned rehabilitation of the power plant complex in Mindanao.

However, he told Inquirer that Psalm was initially focused on the rehabilitation of the plant.

The complex, which consists of seven run-of-river hydroelectric power plants, has a combined capacity of about 1,000 MW. -INQ

Although he reportedly wants to face the allegations against him, former Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Elizaldy Co is hesitant to return to the Philippines because of alleged ‘credible and serious’ threats to his life, according to his lawyer Ruy Rondain.

Rondain said Co wanted to personally respond to the issues but could not do so at this time because of security concerns.

‘Representative Co would have wanted to be here himself to answer your questions. Unfortunately, there are credible and serious threats to his life,’ Rondain revealed in a press conference Wednesday.

‘He has a general fear of being shot-whether by a vigilante or a political enemy he doesn’t even know,’ he said.

The lawyer also addressed questions about Co’s whereabouts, initially saying he does not know where the former lawmaker is.

‘Let me get ahead of the inevitable question: I don’t know where he is. I never asked, because it’s not relevant to his defense,’ Rondain said.

‘And frankly, I didn’t want to be in a position where I’d have to lie to anyone if I were asked that question. So no, I don’t know where he is,’ he told reporters.

Later, during the same press conference, however, Rondain disclosed that the last information he received about Co’s whereabouts was that he was in Boston, sometime between September and October, for medical reasons.

Co has been under scrutiny after his name was linked to alleged irregularities in the P289.5-million flood control project in Naujan, Oriental Mindoro.

In its first interim report, the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) asked the Office of the Ombudsman to determine the appropriate charges to be filed against 18 public officials, including the former lawmaker.

A month later, the commission recommended the filing of criminal and administrative cases against Senators Jinggoy Estrada and Joel Villanueva, Co and three others in connection with suspected ‘ghost’ flood control projects.

The recommendations stemmed from an alleged kickback scheme, based on sworn affidavits and corroborating evidence from former Department of Public Works and Highways officials Henry Alcantara, Brice Ericson Hernandez, and Jaypee Mendoza.

The impact of Typhoon Tino over the course of two days has affected 1,107,819 individuals or 318,020 families, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) reported on Wednesday noon.

The heaviest hit are people in the Visayas, Mimaropa, Bicol Region, Negros Island Region and Caraga, the NDRRMC said.

According to the agency, of the 1.1 million affected persons, 489,109 are from Western Visayas, 340,573 are from Caraga, 171,420 are from Eastern Visayas, and 104,619 are from Central Visayas.

Regions whose affected population is under 100,000 include Bicol Region with 19,563 persons, Mimaropa with 2,144 persons, and 391 in Negros Island Region.

The NDRRMC also reported that 428,127 displaced individuals were taking shelter in 4,805 evacuation centers across the seven regions; while 149,801 are also displaced but outside evacuation centers.

Based on the NDRRMC’s report, there have been 66 fatalities, including the six involved in the helicopter crash during search-and-rescue operations.

Ten individuals have been reported injured, while 26 others are missing.

The areas with reported flooding have also increased to 86, while only one landslide has been reported in Western Visayas. The region also recorded three uprooted trees.

Among the 86 areas, 41 are still facing floods, most of which are in Western Visayas, with 36 reported flooding, the NDRRMC said.

The rest of the flooded areas are in Bicol Region.

In terms of infrastructure, the NDRRMC recorded a total of 27 road sections and five bridges affected. Fifteen of these roads and three of the bridges are still not passable as of press time.

Meanwhile, 52 municipalities are still experiencing power interruptions. Western Visayas has 25 affected cities and municipalities, Caraga has 18, Eastern Visayas has five, and Bicol region has four.

The NDRRMC also reported eight communication lines that are non-operational in Caraga. Seven of these are on the Dinagat Islands and one in Surigao del Norte.

Additionally, water supply in San Isidro, Surigao del Norte has yet to be restored.

Moreover, 111 damaged houses were reported in Western Visayas. Of these, 101 are partially damaged while the remaining 10 are totally damaged, the NDRRMC said.

Typhoon Tino is expected to exit the Philippine area of responsibility on Wednesday evening or Thursday morning, but another tropical cyclone may become a super typhoon and affect the country over the weekend, the state weather bureau reported.

Alas Pilipinas girls were shown the door by a formidable Chinese Taipei side, 14-25, 21-25, 15-25, in the 2nd AVC Asian Women’s U16 Volleyball Championship Final Eight on Wednesday at the Prince Hamzah Sports Hall here.

Team captain Xyz Rayco was at the forefront of Alas’ offense anew with 12 points all from attacks, catching fire in the second set to lead their gallant stand, only to blow a 17-12 lead and get dominated in the third’It’s a bit disappointing because we really prepared for this game, but it didn’t turn out the way we hoped. Still, we’re grateful because we were able to give our best despite what happened,’ said Rayco in Filipino.

Nadeth Herbon added 11 points, setter Resty Jane Olaguir and Madele Gale chipped in four apiece, while libero Frances Ramos tallied 15 digs.

‘The team’s energy kind of died down. I told them that volleyball is a game of emotion and momentum. Whenever we’re happy and communicating on the court, that’s when we come alive and play our best,’ said Alas U16 coach Edwin Leyva.

‘The problem was that our energy dropped during the crucial points. We also couldn’t push the younger players too much because some of them were dealing with muscle aches and minor pains. Still, their performance was really good, it’s just that we fell short in the end.’

Chinese Taipei advanced to the Final Four after it rose to a 2-0 record with fellow unbeaten team Japan, which swept Thailand, 25-19, 25-16, 25-19, earlier.

Taipei and defending champion Japan, who will clash for the top seed of Pool F on Thursday, also qualified for next year’s FIVB Volleyball Girls’ U17 World Championship in Chile as the first two semifinalists.

After losing big in the opening set where Chinese Taipei fired seven of its 10 aces, Alas girls stayed composed and unleashed a 4-0 start in the second. Rayco found her groove and gave the Philippines a 17-12 cushion.

However, Chinese Taipei scored six unanswered points, capped by Chan Tzu-Yun’s kill to take the lead, 18-17. Alas recovered and still held precarious leads – the last at 20-19 off the opponent’s service error. But the Taiwanese responded with four straight points off Chan’s hit for a 23-20 advantage before Herbon stopped the bleeding.

Chang Yun-Chen sent Chinese Taipei to set point with a strong cross-court kill, followed by Herbon’s attack that went out to take a two-set advantage.

Alas was able to neutralize Chinese Taipei’s go-to scorer Chen Ting-Yi, who was limited to four points in the first two sets before catching fire in the third to finish with 12 points. But Chan and Chang stepped up with 18 and 17 points, respectively.

‘For the team Philippines, it’s a little difficult to win. I’m glad we were able to win this game,’ said Chan through a translator.

The Philippines takes on Thailand in its last final eight game at 4 p.m. (Philippine time) on Thursday before playing in the classification round for 5th to 8th places.

The youngest national team, composed of first-timers from different provinces, entered the final eight after sweeping Iran two days ago. The Philippines started the next round with one loss, carrying over its four-set defeat to defending champion and fellow quarterfinalist Japan.