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(CNNPhilippines) Metro Manila – Kai Sotto, the 7-foot-4 basketball wunderkind, will don the national colors in the third window of the 2021 FIBA Asia Cup qualifiers slated for June 16-20 at Clark, Pampanga.

The Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas released on Tuesday the 12-man Gilas Pilipinas lineup for the tournament, where the Filipinos will face rival South Korea twice on June 16 and 20, and Indonesia on June 18.

Fielded along with Sotto for the FIBA Asia Cup qualifiers are newly naturalized player Angelo Kouame, Gilas Cadet veteran Justine Baltazar, and team captain Isaac Go.

Go said the upcoming qualifying tournament is a good time to test the young Gilas frontcourt, the perennial problem of the Philippines in international competitions.

“The younger generations will only gonna get taller,” Go told CNN Philippines’ Sports Desk on Monday. “So it’s a bright future for Philippine basketball.”

Gilas head coach Tab Baldwin expressed his confidence that the 19-year-old Sotto will perform well despite attending few practices with the team to complete his 14-day quarantine when he arrived from the United States.

“He did his best to stay in shape during that period but it’s a very quick turnaround. We don’t want to rush him back because, as we’ve said in the past, we cannot risk our long-term goals for short-term gains,” Baldwin said.

Manning the Gilas backcourt are youngsters RJ Abarrientos and SJ Belangel, Mike Nieto, Jaydee Tungcab, and Dwight Ramos, who had an impressive showing in the Gilas cadets’ campaign in the competition’s second window last November.

Young hooper Carl Tamayo was also added in the lineup along with veteran Gilas Cadet forwards Javi Gomez de Liano and William Navarro.

Meanwhile, SBP also released the 12-man Gilas roster for their June 18 game against Indonesia. Teenage prospects Geo Chiu and Lebron Lopez, and Filipino Australian guard Jordan Heading were inserted into the lineup in lieu of Tungcab, Nieto, and de Liano.

Gilas only needs a win to advance in the 2021 FIBA Asia Cup in Indonesia this August. They currently lead Group A with an immaculate 3-0 record… Read More

(BusinessWorld) Meralco recently commissioned its new 50 MVA transformer bank no. 2 in its Pulilan 69 kV – 13.8 kV Substation located along the Plaridel-Pulilan Diversion Road, Pulilan, Bulacan, providing additional capacity to its existing 33 MVA transformer bank. Likewise, this project provides switching flexibility during contingencies, ensuring continuous power supply of the customers served by the said substation in the areas of Pulilan, Bustos, Baliwag, and Plaridel in Bulacan. The newly installed transformer bank will also improve voltage regulation and reduce technical system loss in the area. Despite the continued implementation of community quarantine measures throughout the country due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Meralco and its subsidiaries are continuously working hard to improve its distribution system in order to provide safe, adequate, and reliable electric service to its customers… Read More

(BusinessWorld) THREE Filipino golfers are expected to compete in rescheduled Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan, on the strength of their standings in the world rankings.

Newly crowned US Women’s Open champion Yuka Saso, Asian Games and Southeast Asian Games gold winner Bianca Pagdanganan, and Juvic Pagunsan are all technical qualified for the biennial Games since they are all in top 60 players in their respective divisions, shared Bones Floro, secretary-general of the National Golf Association of the Philippines (NGAP), at the online Philippine Sportswriters Association Forum on Tuesday.

Ms. Saso, 19, is currently number eight in the world, boosted by her historic win recently in the US Open in San Francisco, while Ms. Pagdanganan, 23, sits at the number 42. Forty-three-year-old Pagunsan, for his part, has made a late charge deep in the rankings, now sitting at 51st.

In the Olympics, the top 60 players for men and women earn spots.

The NGAP and the players are only waiting for the official confirmation.

Mr. Floro said at the moment they have begun working on what the players will need for their participation in the Olympics.

“It is going to be challenging since Yuka, Bianca and Juvic will be coming from different parts of the world, but we are up for it. That’s our job,” said Mr. Floro.

He went on to say that the players still have some tournaments to take part in the lead-up to the Games and that the NGAP will be coordinating with the players’ respective groups as far as preparations are concerned.

The NGAP official said that they are expecting a tough road in the country’s Olympic golf quest, but one should like the chances of the Filipino players with the way they are competing with the best in the world.

“Yuka, for one, gained a lot of confidence with her win in the US Open. The victory made her realize she can stand against the top players and have defeated them, which will be big entering the Olympics,” Mr. Floro said.

Ms. Pagdanganan has been a steady competitor in the Ladies Professional Golf Association Tour, the most recent in the LPGA Mediheal Championship in Daly City, California, from June 10 to 13.

Mr. Pagunsan, meanwhile, won the Mizuno Open in Japan on May 30.

The NGAP said for this year’s Olympics, happening from July 23 to Aug. 8, there will be no team competitions.

Golf will be played for the second straight Olympics in Japan. The Tokyo Olympics golf competitions are scheduled from July 29 to Aug. 7 at the Kasumigaseki Country Club… Read More

(PhilStar) MANILA, Philippines — Bianca Pagdanganan closed out with a one-under par 71 to finish at joint 64th in the LPGA Mediheal Championship yesterday at Lake Merced Golf Club in Daly City, California.

Pagdanganan wound up tied with Japanese Haru Nomura (73) and Australian Sarah Jane Smith (74) at four-over 292, 18 strokes behind the winning 274 of Finnish Matilda Castren (65).

LPGA rookie Castren scored a two-shot triumph over Taiwanese Min Lee, who tallied 276 after a final-day 69.

Pagdanganan, 23, netted $3,373 (P161,000) in the $1.5 million event a week after Yuka Saso’s historic triumph in the US Open.

Pagdanganan got off to a good start as she fired a 71 for a share of 14th… Read More

(CNNPhilippines) Metro Manila — President Rodrigo Duterte is holding off for six more months the abrogation of the country’s Visiting Forces Agreement with the United States, Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin, Jr. said on Monday.

In a video announcement, Locsin said the President decided to extend the suspension to further study the move “while both sides address his concerns regarding particular aspects of the agreement.”

The decision came after Philippine and US officials submitted to Duterte an “improved” version of the VFA, which Philippine Ambassador to the US Jose Manuel Romualdez said officials had worked on over the past few months.

The President terminated the agreement in February 2020. The termination process, however, was suspended in June last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic and emerging threats in the disputed South China Sea.

The Philippine government again held off the suspension in November 2020.

The VFA provides the legal framework for the presence of American troops in the Philippines as they conduct joint military exercises… Read More

(Manila Times) PEKIN: China on Monday accused the G7 of “political manipulation” after it criticized Beijing over its human rights record in Xinjiang and Hong Kong.

In a communique after a three-day summit in England, G7 leaders slammed China over abuses against minorities in the Xinjiang region and pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong, while US President Joe Biden called for Beijing to “start acting more responsibly in terms of international norms on human rights.”

The Chinese embassy in the United Kingdom responded angrily on Monday, and accused the G7 of “interfering.”

“The Group of Seven (G-7) takes advantage of Xinjiang-related issues to engage in political manipulation and interfere in China’s internal affairs, which we firmly oppose,” an embassy spokesman said in a statement.

The statement accused the G7 of “lies, rumors and baseless accusations.”

Human rights groups say China has rounded up an estimated one million Uyghurs and other minorities in Xinjiang into internment camps, which Beijing says is to eradicate Islamic extremism.

“We will promote our values, including by calling on China to respect human rights and fundamental freedoms” the G7 communique read.

(from left) Italy’s Prime Minister Mario Draghi, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson, US President Joe Biden, France’s President Emmanuel Macron, Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Japan’s Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga attend a plenary session during G7 summit in Carbis Bay, Cornwall on June 13, 2021. AFP PHOTO
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At their first physical summit in nearly two years, leaders of the seven nations announced a number of pledges on Covid-19 vaccinations, climate change, rights and trade.

They also called for a new investigation in China into the origins of Covid-19 – prompting a response from the Chinese embassy that the work needs to be done in a “scientific, objective and fair manner,” without agreeing to a new probe… Read More

(BusinessWorld) THE GOVERNMENT will soon start vaccinating poor Filipinos against the coronavirus depending on available supplies, health authorities said on Monday.

Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario S. Vergeire said the World Health Organization had also allowed the use of vaccines obtained under a global initiative for equal access for the country’s poor population.

“This will be allowed depending on the supply,” she told an online news briefing in mixed English and Filipino.

Local governments with excess vaccine supply may vaccinate this group as early as now, Ms. Vergeire said.

Vaccines under the global initiative were originally allotted for health workers, senior citizens and seriously ill people.

Under the guidelines, local government units will coordinate with the Department of Social Welfare and Development for the list of poor Filipinos.

Additional poor populations identified and validated by local governments will be eligible for vaccination.

The government is vaccinating health frontliners, senior citizens, seriously ill people and economic frontliners.

About 6.8 million coronavirus vaccines had been given out as of June 13, according to the presidential palace.

Of the total, more than five million were first doses, while the rest were second doses, presidential spokesman Herminio “Harry” L. Roque, Jr. told a televised news briefing on Monday.

Mr. Roque said about 964,781 health workers and 471,425 senior citizens had been fully vaccinated.

About 412,246 seriously ill people and 7,020 essential workers had also completed their coronavirus shots.

Mr. Roque said the country has received about 12.7 million coronavirus vaccines.

The government last week took delivery of about 100,000 doses of Sputnik V shots from Russia and about 2.2 million doses of the vaccine made by Pfizer, Inc.

The country seeks to inoculate as many as 70 million Filipinos before the end of the year to attain herd immunity. It seeks to inoculate nine million people in the National Capital Region by late November.

Meanwhile, Senator Panfilo M. Lacson pushed for a vaccine passport system that would allow easier entry of vaccinated people, especially returning migrant Filipino workers and foreign investors.

The senator said many returning migrants and foreign investors were reluctant to come here because of tight protocols. Returning overseas Filipino workers (OFW) might be required to be tested and then stay at home for 10 days, he said.

“Most of the time, OFWs return to the country because of an emergency. But if you are an OFW and you are required to be quarantined for 10 days, how many days of your leave will go to waste? I don’t think that makes sense,” he told the ABS-CBN News Channel.

“Our tourism sector and investment will suffer,” Mr. Lacson said. “If a potential investor who would like to come here learns of the requirements that include a swab test and staying at a quarantine facility not of his or her choice, would he or she still come?”

He asked an inter-agency task force to fine-tune protocols and ensure that these are in sync with other countries.

The government earlier cut the quarantine requirements for fully vaccinated foreign travelers to seven days.

This applies to foreigners who got vaccinated in the Philippines. Returning Filipinos who got vaccinated overseas must still undergo a 10-day quarantine at a facility and four days at home, Mr. Roque said earlier.

A person is considered fully vaccinated two or more weeks after completing his dose… Read More

(BusinessWorld) THE GOVERNMENT would probably ease the lockdown in Manila, the capital and nearby cities and provinces this week on decreasing coronavirus infections, according to the presidential palace.

Metro Manila and the provinces of Bulacan, Rizal, Laguna and Cavite would likely revert to a general community quarantine, presidential spokesman Herminio “Harry” L. Roque, Jr. told a televised news briefing on Monday.

These areas have experienced a drop in coronavirus cases in the past weeks, he said, adding that the healthcare system use rates have eased to below critical levels at less than 50%.

“It’s possible to have a lower classification,” Mr. Roque said of the lockdown level. The lockdown in Metro Manila is unlikely to be eased to the most relaxed level, he added.

President Rodrigo R. Duterte is set to announce this week the new quarantine classifications for the next half of the month.

“An ordinary general community quarantine will result in higher percentage capacity, particularly for indoor dining and facilities,” Mr. Roque said. “It may not be the same general community quarantine as before but certainly, there is a bit of opening.”

The Department of Health (DoH) reported 6,426 coronavirus infections on Monday, bringing the total to 1.32 million.

The death toll rose by 57 to 22,845, while recoveries increased by 7,145 to 1.24 million, it said in a bulletin.

There were 59,096 active cases, 1.3% of which were critical, 91.8% were mild, 3.9% did not show symptoms, 1.8% were severe and 1.28% were moderate.

The agency said 12 duplicates had been removed from the tally, nine of which were tagged as recoveries and 10 recoveries were reclassified as deaths. Ten laboratories failed to submit data on June 12.

The coronavirus has sickened about 176.7 million and killed 3.8 million people worldwide, according to the Worldometers website, citing various sources including data from the World Health Organization.

About 160.8 million people have recovered, it said… Read More