Asianet Pakistan Private Limited

Regular fixtures in the playoffs last season, are Rain or Shine and Converge ripe for a deeper run and stronger finish this time?

That’s certainly what the two ‘dark horses’ are aiming for as the PBA Season 50 kicks off tomorrow with the Philippine Cup.

The Elasto Painters made it to the semifinals of the last four conferences, including all three tournaments of Season 49, but missed out on a ticket to the Last Dance each time. The FiberXers, for their part, reached the quarterfinals thrice last season but found themselves stranded in that stage.

‘In the last four conferences nakarating kami ng semifinals. Hindi lang kami maka break-break, hanggang semifinals lang. Parati naming nakakatapat na team ‘yung TNT, we can’t get over that hump. But we feel na itong conference na ito mas nakahanda kami,’ said ROS coach Yeng Guiao.

Aside from the added experience his young guns like Adrian Nocum, Jhonard Clarito and Gian Mamuyac got from their Final Four appearances, what’s giving Guiao brighter hopes is the arrival of veteran Stanley Pringle.

‘I think what Stanley brings is he’s able to make players around him better and he can also mentor our younger guards. ‘Yung mga bata naming mga gwardya, maraming matututunan sa kanya,’ he said.

‘And then we have a closer. We have a lot of games I feel we could have won doon sa endgame or clutch situations. You need somebody like a Stanley Pringle to get you over and the other guys can learn from that. Maipasa niya ‘yan doon sa mga ibang kasama niya. So the future looks bright no for our team.’

Seasoned big man Beau Belga, who missed a good portion of the season-ending All-Filipino due to vertigo, is back to 100 percent fitness, providing experience and toughness to ROS.

Converge, now coached by Pampanga Vice Gov. Dennis Pineda, has been the busiest in the pre-season.

The squad arranged a trade with Phoenix to get the No. 2 pick in the rookie draft and use it for Juan Gomez de Liaño then re-signed vastly improved Schonny Winston and got veteran frontliner Rafi Reavis and rookie Kobe Monje on board to join forces with Justin Arana, Justine Baltazar and Alec Stockton.

‘Siyempre, sana umangat naman po ‘yung performance namin,’ said Pineda of their goal.

The debuting mentor downplayed talks tagging his souped-up crew as a strong contender.

‘Hindi po siguro. Hindi kami dapat bantayan nila, marami pong mas magagaling na teams. Nandoon po kami sa bottom and one good thing about that is nacha-challenge ‘yung mga bata ngayon dahil may ini-aim kami,’ he said.

Kapuso actress Barbie Forteza and host-comedienne Melai Cantiveros-Francisco have chipped in P100,000 each to help victims of the recent earthquake that struck Cebu.

A 6.9 earthquake hit Cebu last September 30, with aftershocks the last couple of days, resulting in hundreds of injuries and several fatalities.

Save the Children Philippines shared online that Barbie, who has been an ambassador of the non-governmental organization since last year, donated the amount to aid in the group’s cause supporting urgent relief and children’s education.

The organization also posted a social card featuring a statement by Barbie, who said that “children have the right to protection and education, even in the most difficult circumstances.”

“I hope more people will come together to support the children of Northern Cebu, because they deserve to feel safe, cared for, and hopeful again,” Barbie added.

Both Barbie and Save the Children Philippines are still calling on the public to help children in need.

Bisaya content creator Randolph Valmoria, also known as Run Dolph Vibes, shared on Facebook that Melai had donated P100,000 to the fundraising they were a part of.

Randolph shared the message Melai sent them for transparency, and called on others doing fundraising to do the same and not be fooled by corrupt politicians.

The creator also thanked Melai for her humility and generosity, dating back to when Randolph was organizing relief operations during the pandemic.

Metro Pacific Water (MPW) is scaling up its footprint in Iloilo with more than P11 billion in new projects, on top of the P4.2 billion it has already poured into rehabilitating the province’s aging water system.

‘MPW has been a partner of the Metro Iloilo Water District (MIWD) for several years, and we recognize that the road to addressing Iloilo’s water challenges has not been easy,’ MPW President and CEO Andrew Pangilinan said.

‘We are not here to offer a quick fix. Quick fixes are what left Iloilo struggling in the first place. We are here to build a system that can stand for decades – one that future generations will not need to question.’

The planned capital program will fund both short- and long-term upgrades, according to Metro Pacific Iloilo Water (MPIW), the joint venture company serving Iloilo City and seven neighboring municipalities.

‘Short-term projects include pipe replacements and upgrades in HS Jaro, Diversion, Q. Abeto, Iloilo City Proper, Mansaya, Bo. Obrero, and Sinikway,’ said MPIW Commercial Support Services Department head Annie Mae Salonga.

‘For the long-term, we have started developing the 66.5 million liters per day (MLD) Desalination Plant and a 5 MLD modular facility to help secure Iloilo’s water supply.’

Salonga said the utility has also standardized more than 28,000 meters to ensure fair and accurate billing.

‘Old meters degrade over time and no longer provide accurate readings. Standardization ensures that the consumption recorded is exactly what the customer is charged – no more, no less,’ she said.

MPIW Chief Operating Officer David Berba emphasized that customer trust underpins the expansion.

‘Water is not just a commodity – it is life itself. It is the mother cooking rice for her family, the student washing before school, the worker refreshing after a long day. That is why trust is so important in this service. And trust is not built by words – it is built when Ilonggos turn on their taps and water flows, day after day,’ he said.

Despite the heavy investment pipeline, Salonga clarified that any adjustments in water rates would be determined by MIWD and regulated by the Local Water Utilities Administration. She noted that rates have not changed since 2018 despite rising operating costs.

‘With the improvement of water services through service level projects, customers will enjoy 24/7 safe and reliable water supply and will feel that their payments are truly worth it,’ she said.

MPW, through MPIW, entered Iloilo in 2019 to take over what it described as a heavily strained and outdated network.

The company now serves more than 860,000 people across Iloilo City and seven municipalities, stretching over 572 square kilometers and the Tigum-Aganan Watersheds.

Rolling out these projects, the company added, requires coordination with multiple regulators – including MIWD, LWUA, and the National Water Resources Board – as well as the priorities of eight local governments.

A government worker died while more than 500 people were left homeless in separate fire incidents in Samar, Davao and Cagayan de Oro recently.

Reynold Muñez, 30, an employee of the provincial government of Samar, was trapped in the fire that gutted his house in Barangay Canlapwas, Catbalogan City on Wednesday.

Muñez was reportedly trying to rescue his son, not knowing that his family had already evacuated.

The fire was reportedly caused by a faulty power connection.

In Davao City, more that 150 houses were destroyed in a fire that broke out in Barangay 21-C on Thursday.

The fire quickly spread to houses made of light materials.

No one was reported injured or killed in the incident that left more than 200 families homeless.

In Cagayan de Oro City, up to 121 people lost their homes in a fire that broke out in Barangay 17 on Thursday.

Affected families took shelter under a nearby bridge.

Pacific’s top seed and Masters Toronto champion Paper Rex has been eliminated in the Valorant Champions Tour’s culminating event – the Valorant Champions Paris – after suffering a 0-2 sweep from fellow Pacific be South Korea’ DRX in the lower bracket semifinals.

After an undefeated run in the group stages, Paper Rex absorbed its first loss of the tournament, against Europe’s FNATIC, which had enacted its revenge for falling to the Southeast Asian organization back in the grand finals of Masters Toronto.

Relegated to the lower brackets, Paper Rex managed to regroup and dispatch Europe’s Team Heretics to stay alive in the tournament, only to set up a Pacific El Clasico as it went up against fellow Pacific team DRX in the lower bracket semis.

In DRX’s map pick of Ascent, Paper Rex had a strong defensive side, finishing the half with a 9-3 lead, only for DRX to answer with a five-consecutive-round win to even out the series and eventually force an overtime. Though Paper Rex managed to take the opening round, it was DRX that would close out the map at 13-15.

The South Koreans continued to ride their winning momentum in Lotus, dismantling Paper Rex’s offensive side to sweep the Express, 13-8, and eliminate them from the tournament.

Though seeing the end of their 2025 season, the Express remained upbeat with what they were able to achieve after a rocky start in the beginning of the year.

‘If you win a trophy in any year, it’s a good year. We’ve attended the two big events, Toronto and Paris, and we did well in Champs, in my opinion. I think we would have lost to the two teams that are in the top three. So that means that if anything, I think we lost to better teams, and I’m very, very proud of their performance in general, especially their resilience at the start of the year. I think the fact that we still managed to stick together and go through our tough times, I think it’s a huge milestone for the team. As a group, I think I just want them to know I’m very proud of them. I thought that they improved all the way here. And particularly for PatMen, I think as a rookie to come into our team, it’s a hard thing to do, and I know there’s a lot of self-doubt, but I think you should look back and be proud of yourself because I think you played well throughout the year,’ said Paper Rex’ coach Alexandre “alecks” Sallé during the team’s post-match press conference.

Filipino player Patrick “PatMen” Mendoza, who joined Paper Rex last March took to social media to share his message to his Filipino fans after the tough defeat.

“Maraming salamat sa mga messages niyo kababayan kahit sobrang malas ko this game against DRX, sumusuporta pa rin kayo! Sana this offseason mabalik ko yung confidence ko tulad ng dati at mas makapag adjust ako nang mabilis sa meta and roles and mas mahandle ko nang maayos yung pressure. I realized na 3 years in tier 2 is not enough experience for me and playing in tier 1 is so much different but I learned a lot of things this year,’ Mendoza said on his Facebook page.

Echoing his coach, Mendoza said he is proud of the achievements he and his team has done for the year, vowing to do better in the next season.

“It’s been a good run this year still and hoping next year will be better for us and sana mas maraming Pinoy ang makapasok at masuportahan natin! It’s not the end of the world despite losing this and 4th place is not a failure. Thank you ulit sa mga suporta niyo! Next year, I will do my best to be a better player,’ he added.

Sen. Francis Escudero yesterday slammed as ‘political retribution’ the ethics complaint filed against him at the Senate over his P30-million campaign donation from flood control contractor Lawrence Lubiano of Centerways Construction and Development.

Escudero was referring to a complaint filed against him by lawyer Eldridge Marvin Aceron for accepting campaign funds from Lubiano for his Senate comeback bid in the 2022 elections.

The former Senate president pointed out the timing of the complaint days after he delivered a plenary speech naming his counterpart, former speaker Martin Romualdez’s role in the alleged kickbacks scheme from flood control projects.?Escudero himself is accused by former Department of Public Works and Highways undersecretary Roberto Bernardo of receiving P160 million in kickbacks, an allegation Escudero denied.

‘I am not surprised anymore. This is what I pay for naming Martin Romualdez, and for uncovering the truth. This is just part of the harassment from his minions,’ the senator posted on social media in Filipino.

‘This isn’t about ethics. This is political retribution. This complaint is still part of their script and a desperate smokescreen. I will expose it for the politically motivated sham that it is,’ he added, using the hashtags ‘#SelectiveJustice’ and ‘#LabananAngScriptNiMartin.’

According to Aceron’s ethics complaint, Lubiano’s Centerways – one of the top 15 flood control contractors flagged by President Marcos – bagged 112 contracts worth P16.67 billion in Escudero’s turf, Sorsogon, from 2021 to 2025.

Escudero served as Sorsogon governor from 2019 to 2022.

Aceron alleged Centerways secured only 12 contracts worth P720 million in 2021, but this ‘escalated dramatically’ to P15.9 billion worth of contracts from 2022 to 2025, or after the P30-million donation to Escudero.

‘The sheer number, aggregate value and geographic concentration of these projects, coinciding with the P30-million donation, underscore the appearance of impropriety and raise serious doubts about the independence of public procurement from political influence,’ the 21-page complaint read.

‘This stark before-and-after contrast strengthens the inference that the donation and the subsequent flow of contracts in the Senator’s bailiwick are linked in both timing and magnitude,’ it added.

Sen. JV Ejercito, who chairs the ethics committee, confirmed the verified complaint against Escudero, but said he has yet to convene the committee since his designation last week.

Ejercito said he will still ‘see if there is still a need’ to tackle the complaint, with the Independent Commission for Infrastructure already tackling Escudero’s alleged role in the controversy.

Bicol Congressman Elizaldy Co is toast. He will be convicted and jailed, perhaps for a long time. His name will be generic for ‘corrupt government official of the worst kind.’ ‘I-Zaldy Co mo na ‘yan’ means steal the taxpayers’ money and run.

Co knows his crime. He is a recidivist. He is now on the run, moving from one country to another, hiding from prying eyes and alert Filipinos, while wearing disguises and surrounded by hordes of bodyguards. It will take a long time before Co returns to the Philippines, if ever – unless the Interpol gets into the game.

‘Zaldy Co will be jailed,’ Department of Public Works and Highways Secretary Vince Dizon told his audience during the MOPC Infra Night, Sept. 30 in Makati. ‘The chances of conviction are higher than 80 percent,’ he assured me.

The evidence against the Ako Bicol party-list congressman is compelling, an ‘open and shut case,’ Vince quotes the lawyer of DPWH which is seeking Co’s prosecution. Co’s companies had bagged P86.1 billion worth of DPWH contracts from 2016 to 2025, the second biggest in the country after the Discayas’ P207 billion, the No. 1 in number and amount of DPWH contracts. Most of the projects done by Co and the Discayas for DPWH are either ghost or substandard. That makes them the two biggest thieves of taxpayers’ money – P86 billion and P207 billion, respectively.

The Independent Commission for Infrastructure’s case No. 1 before the ombudsman is a case against Co, Vince Dizon’s first serious attempt to demand accountability from greedy contractors.

Dizon submitted to the ICI the damning evidence involving Co’s Contract No.24E00047 – the construction of a 425-meter-long road dike along Mag-Asawang Tubig River in Barangay Tagumpay, Naujan, Oriental Mindoro for P289.498 million (up from the original cost of P279 million) under the 2024 General Appropriations Act. Co’s Sunwest Inc. won the rigged bidding.

Two bidders made a bid in 2023 – Sunwest and a Discaya company. There is no record that the Discaya company indeed made a bid. The award to Co was courtesy of the notorious DPWH Mimaropa Region IV-B director Gerald A. Pacanan.

Before any DPWH contract could be awarded, the winning bidder must submit a number of documents. Co did not submit any but got the award and Notice to Proceed (NTP) just the same. Co was supposed to finish the river protection in 360 days. He claimed to have done it in much less time and collected full payment despite shoddy construction and use of substandard but overpriced materials. It won’t protect the people of Brgy. Tagumpay from floods. They clearly lost. A no win. For them and for the national government.

Says the ICI: ‘We have yet to be furnished with copies of the various documents which were supposed to have served as preconditions for the signing of the contract (i.e., performance security; construction Methods, construction schedule, Manpower schedule, equipment utilization schedule, construction safety and health program, contractor’s al-risk insurance, latest income and business tax returns, tax clearances, certification that the contractor is free and clean of all tax liabilities, integrity pledge). For now, we cannot discount the possibility that these documents may not exist at all, or were not submitted in accordance with prevailing laws and regulations.’

What Co did with the Brgy. Tagumpay project and similar projects in Naujan will make you puke in anger and disbelief. The steel sheet piles for the project should have been 12 meters. Co’s company installed only three meters or just 25 percent, giving Sunwest an implied profit of 75 percent. In addition, the installed sheet pile was found to be substandard or below spec.

Only 22 days after the Notice to Proceed on March 14, 2024, Co claimed 25 percent completion. DPWH promptly paid P58.672 million with the gall to claim ‘Phase IV under contract with Sunwest, Inc. have been accomplished consistent with the plans and specifications, and inspected with due consideration on the quality of workmanship.’ The certification was signed by seven DPWH Mimaropa officials led by Pacanan.

Protests the ICI: ‘Certifications aside, the discovery of the apparent substandard steel sheet piles likewise casts grave doubt as to whether all supporting documents for the first progress billing were duly submitted. Moreover, the geotagged progress photos can hardly justify or accurately depict the actual progress of the works.’

Co’s Sunwest submitted only two photographs – a dimly lit photograph of steel sheet piles and a photograph of workers supposedly engaged in ‘clearing and grubbing’ to prove 25 percent ‘progress.’

Says ICI: ‘There are no other photographs submitted to demonstrate a purported 25.03 percent work accomplishment, a mere 22 days after the Notice to Proceed was issued. Making the said progress photos all the more anomalous or suspect is that they were the very same photographs used in support of Progress Billing No. 2.’

Adds ICI: ‘On 25 June 2024, and in support of Progress Billing No. 2, Monthly Certificate of Payment No. 24062068 was issued for the period 16 March 2024 to 15 May 2024 (or a period of 60 days), in the amount of P35,134,206.86. This Certificate of Payment was supported by a Contractor’s Statement of Work Accomplished for the same period, which indicated a supposed completion rate of 40.0225 percent. The very same progress photographs in support of Progress Billing No. 1 were used to support this second Progress Billing.’

‘And unlike Progress Billing No. 1, there appears to have been no Certificate of Inspection issued in support of Progress Billing No. 2 (at the very least, the Commission has yet to be furnished a copy). Disbursement Voucher No. 2406206822 and the corresponding LDDAP-ADA was issued in support of the second partial payment of P35,134,206.86 to Sunwest. Sunwest, in turn, issued an Official Receipt No. 0024266 dated 28 June 2024, confirming receipt of the disbursed amount.’

Co committed similar shenanigans and stole our money.

Sam Bruce cooled off with an even-par 70 after an impressive opening 68 but safely secured her place in the weekend rounds of the Epson Tour Championship at Indian Wells in California, where American Anne Chen surged into the solo lead on Friday (Saturday Manila time).

Bruce, who dazzled in the first round with a four-under-par start, carded four birdies but dropped two bogeys for a 35-35 split in the second round. Her two-day total of 138 put her at six-under, tied for 23rd and six shots behind the pacesetting Chen.

Despite losing momentum in the second round, Bruce, winner of the opening leg of this year’s Ladies Philippine Golf Tour, remains very much in the mix heading into moving day. A strong weekend could vault the rising talent into serious contention, especially with her proven ability to go low. A breakout win is not out of the question if she can rediscover her first-round form and handle the pressure of a packed leaderboard.

Meanwhile, Clariss Guce rebounded superbly from a rocky opening 73, firing a sizzling six-under 66, highlighted by a pitch-in eagle on the par-4 17th. The US-based Filipina and two-time Epson Tour winner climbed to joint 31st at five-under 139, putting herself back in striking distance for a solid finish.

Dottie Ardina, backed by ICTSI, stumbled to an even-par 72 following her first-round 69, slipping to a share of 50th at three-under 141 – just making the cutline.

She started brightly with two early birdies, moving to five-under overall. However, a pair of bogeys from No. 12 halted her charge, and she had to grind out pars to secure her weekend berth in the $250,000 event.

At the top of the leaderboard, Chen produced a scorching 64 – powered by a six-under 30 on her opening nine – to post a 12-under 132 total. She grabbed a one-shot lead over in-form Yana Wilson.

Chen’s round featured three straight birdies from No. 3, and though a lone bogey on the sixth marred her otherwise clean card, her consistent play under near-ideal conditions set the tone for the field.

Wilson, a two-time Epson Tour winner in her rookie season, stayed hot with a 65 and shares second place at 134 with Alice Hodge (68) and Sophia Schubert (69).

The government is expected to impose a temporary halt on onion imports by February next year to prioritize the local harvest and safeguard farmers’ incomes without disrupting market supply or burdening consumers.

Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said the suspension would take effect about a month before the peak harvest period to prevent oversupply in the market.

‘For onions, definitely we will stop importation one month before harvest, which is around February,’ Tiu Laurel told reporters on the sidelines of the 47th meeting of the ASEAN Ministers on Agriculture and Forestry (AMAF).

Tiu Laurel explained that imports of white onions began as early as last month, which helped bring down retail prices to about P100 to P120 per kilo from a high of P160 before importation.

He added that shipments of red onions are also expected to enter the country starting Oct. 15 in time to stabilize supply ahead of the holiday season.

The secretary said that prices of red onions spiked to as high as P140 to P160 per kilo in the past week.

This, he said, prompted him to quietly authorize the early entry of shipments to temper the increase.

Tiu Laurel also gave an initial estimate of the red onion imports, saying the volume could range between 3,000 and 5,000 metric tons (MT).

According to the government’s onion industry roadmap 2021 to 2025, efforts are aimed at raising national onion production to 279,270 MT from 229,539 MT by expanding cultivated areas and improving crop yields.

The roadmap said that most of the country’s roughly 35,000 onion farmers grow their crops on small plots averaging 0.5 hectare (ha) per household across select regions.

With such limited land, these farmers primarily rely on family labor, earning around P5,100 per man-day for bulb onions and P2,100 for shallots.

Data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) for 2020 shows the major onion-growing regions in the country are Ilocos, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon and the Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon, Palawan region.

Bulb onions occupy 79 percent of the total area at 14,453 ha while shallots cover 21 percent at 3,938 ha.

From 2011 to 2020, PSA data shows that production increased at an average annual rate of 10.72 percent, to 229,539 MT from 128,837 MT, while area planted grew by an average of 4.91 percent annually, to 18,391 ha from 14,641 ha.

It would seem that even nature is constantly reminding us of how corruption can ruin our country.

Aside from the persistent flooding that constantly brings to the attention of the public the corruption alleged on flood-control project dealings, Typhoon Opong and the southwest monsoon have also caused more than their fair share of damage throughout 13 regions in the country.

According to a report from the Department of Education, a total of 1,370 classrooms were damaged by the typhoon and the monsoon. Of that number 891 classrooms sustained minor damage, 225 major damage, and 254 totally destroyed. An estimated 13.3 million learners are now affected as well as 569,000 personnel in 23,796 public schools across those regions.

There was no mention as to how many of these damaged or destroyed classrooms had just been built for this new school year, but for those that have just been built only to be ruined, we can consider that money down the drain.

Of course, those classrooms will have to be repaired or rebuilt, there’s no arguing that. Our learners need somewhere to learn. Of course, these repairs will have to be shouldered by the government, and that means the taxpayers have to pay for it.

Now we can’t help but think this is where our taxes ought to be going, instead of ending up in the pockets of a few greedy politicians and their favored contractors.

Now we can’t help but think that if public money hadn’t ended up somewhere else we would have some ready cash for this development.

This makes the search for the truth behind corruption in the flood-control projects as well as the punishment of those found responsible all the more important.

It cannot be helped that we happen to be one of the countries most frequently hit by natural disasters, including ones that destroy classrooms. And with six more storms expected to enter the Philippine Area of Responsibility before the year ends, there’s no telling if more classrooms will need to be repaired or rebuilt again.