Author: ltadmin

MANILA: Letran downed Jose Rizal University, 25-16, 25-19, 25-19, to gain a share of the lead in the NCAA Season 99 women’s volleyball tournament at the Filoil EcoOil Arena in San Juan on Friday.

Marie Judiel Nitura had 16 attacks as the Lady Knights rolled to their fourth win to join defending champion College of Saint Benilde on top of the standings.

The Lady Blazers defeated the San Sebastian College Lady Stags, 25-13, 23-25, 25-13, 25-14, last Wednesday to keep their clean record.

Gia Marcel Maquilang chipped in 15 points while Nizelle Aeriyen Martin added nine points for Letran, which needed one hour and 29 minutes to wrap up the match.

‘I’m really happy that we’re here, but the job is not yet done and the NCAA is still far from over. I guess we just had a good start. We have to continue working hard and we need to seek to improve,” Letran coach Oliver Almadro said.

The win boosted Letran’s confidence as it gears up against three-peat-seeking CSB on Sunday. The Lady Blazers have won 33 straight matc
hes dating back four years ago.

‘We have to taper our expectations because our opponents are getting tougher, this will be our test,” Almadro said.

Karyla Rafaela Jasareno finished with seven spikes and one ace, while Patricia Anne Del Pilar contributed six points for the JRU Lady Bombers (1-3).

Meanwhile, action will continue on Saturday with University of Perpetual Help taking on Lyceum of the Philippines University at 7 a.m. in the men’s division followed by the women’s match at 9 a.m.

Emilio Aguinaldo College will meet Mapua at 2 p.m. in the women’s division, followed by the men’s tussle at 5:30 p.m.

Source: Philippines News Agency

MANILA: The Sandiganbayan has turned down pleas filed by the former vice president of the defunct Philippine Forest Corporation (PhilForest), Erwin Krishna Santos, and two others who sought the dismissal of graft charges against them in connection with the alleged misuse of PHP5.46 million in Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) in 2012.

In an April 18 resolution, the anti-graft court ruled that the motions for dismissal filed by Santos and private individuals Gracita Sales and Quennie Rodriguez were “unwarranted.”

The charges alleged that the three caused undue injury to the government and gave undue advantage to the Maharlikang Lipi Foundation, Inc., a non-governmental organization tapped to implement former Mindoro Oriental Second District congressman Reynaldo Umali’s PDAF for livelihood projects, which turned out to be non-existent.

‘After a careful study of the record, the court finds unwarranted the pleas of the movants for leave to file demurrer to evidence,’ the court said.

‘The evidence ad
duced by the prosecution, testimonial and documentary, appear to be prima facie, sufficient for the conviction of the accused of the crimes charged in the information filed, unless successfully rebutted by defense evidence,’ it said.

PhilForest, the agro-forestry arm of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, was abolished in 2014.

Source: Philippines News Agency

MANILA: Korean Air (KE) and Delta Air Lines are looking at mounting direct flights to Clark International Airport (CRK).

“Everyone’s eyes are now on Clark (Airport). We’re looking at having direct flights there. Working as one, KE and Delta could bring the passengers to Korea and then to many areas in the United States,” Delta’s Sales Director for Korea and Southeast Asia Andrew Seongsu Kim told the Philippine News Agency.

He added that they have been coordinating with the Clark airport management regarding this plan.

The two carriers have entered a transpacific joint venture since 2018, connecting people to destinations in America and Asia.

Data from CRK showed the airport had 167,366 arrivals from South Korea in the first quarter of 2024, or 2 percent higher than the 164,528 during the same period last year.

To date, only Jin Air, Asiana Airlines, Jeju Air, and Aero K fly from Clark to Korea.

Korean Air also acknowledges the huge clamor of Filipinos to go to South Korea, but its Regional General Manag
er Byungkwon Lee said the Ninoy Aquino International Airport is already congested.

KE had increased its flights via Manila from twice to thrice daily since Oct. 29.

Asked about CRK’s edge from other international gateways in the country, Luzon International Premier Airport Development Corp. (LIPAD) president Noel Manankil said they have the latest technology for airport systems, and the flights are well-timed to avoid air traffic and runway congestion.

Aside from fast Immigration and Customs processing, Manankil said CRK also boasts of comfortable waiting areas and clean toilets.

He added that there is no traffic going to the CRK because of the various expressways.

Manankil said CRK’s operator, LIPAD, targets to recover pre-pandemic passenger volume of 4 million a year.

“We will enhance customer experience to international standards by gaining certification from Airport Council International’s Airport Service Quality standards,” he said.

He said they would maintain the processing and queuing time of 30
minutes or less.

The surrounding land will also be developed, he said.

CRK was recently awarded by Routes Asia as winner in the Under 5 Million Passengers category.

Source: Philippines News Agency

MANILA: The negative sentiment of investors amid the heightened geopolitical tension in the Middle East pulled down both the local stock market and the currency on Friday.

“The local bourse dropped by 80.19 points (1.23 percent) to 6,443.00 as tensions in the Middle East heightened following Israel’s attack against Iran,” Philstock Financials, Inc. assistant research manager Claire Alviar said.

“This resulted [in a] negative sentiment, forcing investors to sell some shares ahead of the weekend to avoid any uncertainties,” Alviar added.

All Shares also declined by 34.77 points, or 1.01 percent, to 3,421.55.

Only the Mining and Oil counter closed in the green territory, gaining 1.15 percent to 8,222.62.

The rest of the sectoral indices closed in the red, with the biggest drop coming from shares of Property declining by 2.55 percent to 2,418.23.

“Among the index members, only five stocks were able to post gain this session, with Emperador, Inc. increased the most, up by 1.61 percent. Meanwhile, DMCI Holdin
gs, Inc. plunged the most by 8.2 percent following its ex-dividend date,” Alviar said.

Losers outnumbered gainers at 134 to 58, with 43 firms left unchanged.

Net market value turnover on Friday stood at PHP4.83 billion.

Meanwhile, the Philippine peso further weakened on Friday, losing 0.46 to 57.65 to a US dollar from Friday’s close of 57.19.

It opened the day weak at 57.35 from Thursday’s start of 57.15.

The currency pair traded between 57.32 and 56.67, bringing the average level for the day to 57.54 to the greenback.

Trade volume on Friday bounced back to USD1.85 billion from the previous day’s volume of USD1.8 billion.

Source: Philippines News Agency

ILOILO CITY: Three provinces in Western Visayas have achieved 100 percent drug-cleared barangay status in line with the Barangay Drug Clearing Program (BDCP) led by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA).

PDEA information officer Graziella Tanaleon on Friday said all barangays of Aklan, Antique, and Guimaras were ‘successfully deliberated’ by the Regional Oversight Committee.

‘Their barangays that were previously cleared also undergo validation and verification to ensure they maintain their status or else will be revoked,’ she said.

Aklan has 372 barangays, Antique has 590, and 98 in Guimaras.

Tanaleon said barangay anti-drug councils of the provinces are very active in submitting their requirements, in addition to having supportive local government units.

‘When we say drug-cleared, the barangay was previously affected either slightly, moderately, or seriously. They undergo deliberation by the Regional Oversight Committee for drug-cleared declaration,’ she said.

Drug-free, on the other hand, are
those that have no reported drug activities. However, they still have to undergo deliberation for verification.

Tanaleon said 3,757 of the 4,051 villages, as of their last deliberation on March 7, 2024, have been cleared of drugs, leaving 294 that have yet to hurdle the deliberation by the oversight committee.

The remaining areas to be declared as drug-cleared include 31 barangays in Capiz, 14 in Iloilo province, 122 in Negros Occidental, 86 in Iloilo City, and 41 in Bacolod City.

Tanaleon said they are also intensifying their interdiction efforts at airports, ports, terminals, and borders.

‘We cannot deny the fact that Region 6 is considered a drug route coming from NCR (National Capital Region), Calabarzon Region going to Region 7, and even Mindanao. We have a vast coast where drugs can be smuggled, that is why operatives ensure that they are intercepted,’ she said.

Source: Philippines News Agency

PUERTO PRINCESA: An elderly man in Barangay Inagawan in this city saved an adult male pangolin (Manis culionensis) from being mauled by a pack of dogs on Thursday evening.

In an online post on Friday, the Palawan Council for Sustainable Development (PCSD) reported that local resident Bonifacio Mariscal, 64, saved the pangolin, also called Philippine or Palawan Pangolin, who was then being chased by dogs near his home.

He then sought the assistance of Rustico Aparecho, 71, to bring the animal, which can weigh as much as 35 kilograms, to a police station in Barangay Luzviminda.

The two men were then accompanied by policemen in taking the endangered mammal to the offices of the PCSD, where it was given a check-up and now being cared for.

‘In my entire life, this is the first time I’ve seen a balintong (local name for pangolin). I’ve heard stories about this animal but it’s a different feeling seeing it in person. It was a pitiful sight to witness it being chased by dogs. That’s why we took it to the police,
because they would know where to take it so it would be safe,’ Mariscal said in Filipino.

The Palawan Pangolin holds critical ecological significance as an endemic species to Palawan and is currently designated as a “Critically Endangered” species, according to the PCSD.

Meanwhile, about 120 kilometers away from this city, in Roxas town, combined personnel of the Bantay Dagat Roxas and the Philippine National Police (PNP) intercepted a boat that yielded 13 ‘talking maynahs’ (common hill myna) that were apparently poached and intended to be sold.

Bong Libiran, head of Bantay Dagat Roxas, said lawmen tried to flag the boat down to check the crews’ licenses but instead of slowing down they tried to make a getaway.

The boat was eventually caught, leading to the discovery of the birds, most of which had already died.

Only four of the birds were still alive, the rest had died while being transported, Libiran recounted.

Two more birds expired despite the best efforts of authorities to save them, he added.

The
boat’s four crew members are now facing criminal charges for violation of Republic Act 9147 or Wildlife Resources Conservation and Protection Act.

Source: Philippines News Agency