Why do we scream to high heaven for Leila De Lima? Simple: because her case stinks to high heaven. And what has all this screaming done for her? Not entirely nothing; for one thing, surely, it somehow helped force the recusal of the judge trying the third and last live case against her, the same judge who had just denied her bail.

Still, all this needs to be put in context and properly predicated, lest further false hopes be raised. So here goes:

All charges against De Lima have no concrete evidence whatsoever to stand on; they rely only on the word of drug convicts sentenced to life in prison and other coercible or cooptable testifiers – in fact four of them have recanted. The cases were, of course, packaged in the authoritarian presidency of Rodrigo Duterte, who had openly and repeatedly threatened vengeance on De Lima – as chairperson of the Commission on Human Rights, she had investigated him for death-squad murders when he was mayor of Davao City.

Those circumstances should have raised more reasonable doubt than required for all three cases against her to be thrown out – thrown out at the very first instance! Anyway, acquittal was won in time, in at least two cases. In both, it came, not surprisingly, after Duterte’s term, inspiring the reasonable hope that it foretold the third acquittal that would complete De Lima’s vindication; all the cases, after all, have involved drug trafficking, differentiated only by occasions, thus containable in one case for judicial efficiency.

But, apparently, neither justice nor efficiency was the point, but, rather, hedging bets – three separate cases, three separate trials, three separate judges. As has become all too evident, the trick was aimed at chancing upon the judge willing to take the greatest shame doing Duterte’s bidding.

Sure enough, in one fell swoop, all hopes that had been pinned on the precedent acquittals were dashed. Not even a month after the second acquittal, De Lima was denied bail. Coming in the last stages of the trials and defying all reason, the ruling betrays a compulsively corrupt sense, recalling the draconian days of Duterte. De Lima herself noted an elementary flaw in the appreciation of her petition for bail: the judge had applied the wrong standards.

The judge’s name – lest posterity miss it – is Romeo S. Buenaventura.

If, indeed, as generally supposed, judge and case become paired by raffle, matched by luck in other words, and judges, as routinely portrayed, are immunized from undue influence, that would make De Lima simply incredibly unlucky. But, particularly in the remaining case, it doesn’t look as if luck played any role at all; neither as if a modicum of judicial detachment was shown in the handling of the proceedings.
In the absence of any specific explanation, the temptation was to put it all down to the coopting of the judiciary and Congress to do complementary work for Duterte. As it happened, new revelations put our judge in that exact situation: he had concealed connections compromising enough to disqualify him from presiding over De Lima’s trial. In fact, three of her co-accused petitioned for his recusal.

The key links in these unholy ties were Buenaventura’s own brother Emmanuel and the province of Oriental Mindoro. The brother was legal counsel to Reynaldo Umali, chairman of the House committee that inaugurated De Lima’s persecution with an investigation that amounted to a public flogging of her. As for Oriental Mindoro, it’s the constituency of their politically allied families.

The Buenaventura brothers might have well argued that their role in De Lima’s persecution was passive and peripheral, but, given alone their place in the scheme of things – one brother as accuser’s champion, the other as judge – it’s rather difficult to imagine them stacking up well against the De Lima co-accused Ronnie Dayan, who, recanting, fingered Emmanuel as the brother who had coerced him to lie in an affidavit in order to advance the plot on De Lima.

I don’t know that our judge recused himself because he had reached his limits of self-shame. Indeed, it’s not easy to see where he draws those limits for himself. It’s not as though he came clean on his own; he was unmasked, yet continued in that state to dissemble. Until the last moment, he did what he could to drag out De Lima’s case further and keep her in jail longer.

And even as he recused himself, he denied any impropriety. If anything, he portrayed himself as a martyr of the judiciary, offering to take undeserved blame for its “tarnished integrity” if only “to preserve the ideal of… impartial dispensation of justice.”

I’d say he was only trying to cut his losses. – Rappler.com

BORACAY, Philippines – Boracay registered over a million tourists already for 2023, reaching the mark faster than last year.

In a document sent to Rappler by the Malay Tourism Office, from January to June 15 this year, Boracay has registered 1,040,847 foreign and local tourists.

“It is apparent that domestic tourists top the lists followed by South Koreans. We are, however, still calculating their exact numebrs,” Felix Delos Santos, Malay’s tourism chief told Rappler on Saturday, June 17.

Based on the comparative statistics report, Boracay in January registered the highest number of tourists this year compared to last year. Boracay registered 177,860 foreign, local tourists and the Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW’s).

In January 2022, Boracay only registered merely 35,799 domestic tourists.

Last year, Boracay reached the millionth visitor mark in August. Overall, Boracay registered 1,759,592 tourists in 2022.

Earlier, Malay Mayor Floribar Bautista said they are targeting at least two million tourists this year.

As this developed, Barangay Caticlan – a gateway to Boracay – is preparing for a surge of tourists in the months to come.

Raffy Cooper, Barangay Secretary of Caticlan, said Google identified Caticlan as a top destination searched for on Google Flights, the company’s travel search feature. The report indicated Filipinos searched for Tokyo in Japan, Singapore, Bangkok in Thailand, and then Caticlan in Malay. – Rappler.com

Jun Aguirre is an Aries Rufo Journalism fellow.

NEGROS OCCIDENTAL, Philippines – The sound of approaching trucks these days always sends at least one child crying and shaking in the hamlet of Dangalon, in Barangay Hilamonan,  Kabankalan City.

Ramon Tingal says his daughter is one of the anxious minors, still unable to shake off the trauma of the May 3 clash in their village that injured two soldiers and killed his brother, Crispin, a farmer tagged by the military as a communist rebel.

The clash that killed the 36-year-old Crispin and another battle on May 11 roused anguish and anxiety among members of the close-knit clan and their neighbors, Ramon told Rappler on the sidelines of a June 9 training workshop on psychological first-aid  for residents, teachers, and personnel of the City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO). 

Ramon’s daughter displays distress at loud noises. She is easily frightened by lorry sounds, even if these are not army-owned vehicles.

“Nahadlok gid ko, pati ang akon mga bata sa natabo sa kay utod ko,” Ramon said.

(I am terrified, even my children, about what happened to my brother.)

“Subong, ga pangayo kami sang oras sa mga military nga maka estorya, para ma plastar namon sa ila ang amon gusto, ilabi na ang amon seguridad” he added.

(At the moment, we are asking the military for a dialogue to discuss what we need, especially with regard to our security.)

Tightrope

Crispin’s family had immediately pushed back at the military’s claim that he was a rebel.

His wife, Dolly, said the farmer and father of seven children was scheduled to attend a seminar on the sustainable livelihood program of the Kabankalan City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO) and the city agriculture office on the day the military claimed he was involved in a clash. 

The CSWDO told Rappler 122 families in the barangay fled their homes temporarily during the the recent clashes.

Whether or not their kin are killed or red-tagged, whether or not their villages are labelled communist influenced, families struggle with fear and the anxiety born of not knowing when you next have to flee home and farm.

In these polarized communities, social workers do their best, walking a tightrope between security units and conflict-affected communities.

The June 9 workshop happened when the CSWDO reached out to Leyte-based  Independent Mental Health practitioner Lyra Verzosa and Dr. Ma. Pilipinas D. Jareño from the Central Philippines State University’s Mental Health Services Unit.

Their brief: help in dealing with what parents and teachers have reported as negative psychological effects among school children caught in the crossfire of clashes in Kabankalan and neighboring Himamaylan.

Teaching empathy

Kabankalan CSWDO head Cyril D. Ramos acknowledged that hundreds of residents in the southern cities are afraid for the safety of their children.

Farmers also spoke about feeling uncertain of their inability to meet their families’ survival needs. 

“We are working with mental health professionals to provide psychosocial support to people who were distressed by the series of encounters in the upland communities of Kabankalan and Himamaylan cities,” Ramos told Rappler.

Verzosa conducted the workshop held at an events place in the city.

Using creative visual arts, she helped participants process individual stress experiences and learn how to manage circumstances in a crisis.

“I hope educators were motivated to be more empathic with the pupils they teach, and to incorporate their workshop learnings in classroom curricula to promote resilience as a proactive approach to crisis intervention,” she said.

Verzosa also conducted a stress management session via acupressure, a method of pressing on acupuncture points to facilitate energy circulation.

Deep breathing exercises were also done during the session.

Rights and security

Psychosocial needs assessment evoking justice, health, education, safety, and residents’ security needs were also given focus during the session.

“Lipay gid kami sa sini nga training kay tungod sini, kabalo kami mag dala sang amon emosyon kag kaugalingon sa tunga sang isa ka krisis sa subong pa nga medyo mainit gid sang sitwasyon namon sa Dangalon,” Ramon told Rappler.

(We are so happy about this training. Because of this, we will be able to manage our emotions amid a crisis, which is essential given the current state of events in Dangalon.)

“During the running gun battle, some residents of Barangay Buenavista in Himamaylan City, including young children, were affected. Based on the preliminary statistics from the Kabankalan City CSWDO, fifteen young children who had firsthand experiences with armed conflict have had psychological distress,” the CSWDO chief said.

The Tingal family and their neighbors represent the taillend of evacuations in southern Negros Occidental going back to the last quarter of 2022.

With clashes marking the government’s efforts to deal decisive blows against Asia’s oldest communist insurgency, people have taken shelter in gymnasiums, churches, schools, barangay multi-purpose halls, and the newer disaster emergency centers in town and city centers.

Children have had it bad in these battles.

On October 6, 2022, fighting in Barangay Carabalan, Himamaylan forced students on their way to school to scramble for shelter. By late night of that day, the minors taken to the city’s main evacuation area were still trying to reunite with their parents.

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Families separated as hundreds flee military, NPA clashes in Negros Occidental

The Carabalan clash lasted four days. The number of affected individuals breached the 1,000 mark on the second day and rose to 18,000 individuals across three villages by the time the Armed Forces gave the green light for residents to return home.

The October 2022 encounters displaced more than 5,000 persons, prompting officials of the third-class component city to declare a state of emergency.

Days of fighting killed two soldiers and rebel leader Romeo Nanta, also known as Juanito Magbanua, the commanding officer of the NPA Apolinario Gatmaitan Command and spokesperson for the Communist Party of the Philippines’ Negros-Cebu-Bohol-Siquijor regional party committee.

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War-weary Himamaylan residents pine for home, worry over livelihood

-Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos briefed Singaporean business leaders about economic developments in the country, including the contentious Maharlika Investment Fund, as well as flagship infrastructure projects, in a bid to entice them to consider investing.

The economic team, led by Finance Secretary Benjamin Diokno, held the seventh Philippine Economic Briefing in Singapore on Thursday, June 15, where some 110 foreign investors attended.

Diokno told investors the Maharlika fund will be an important addition to the country’s existing funding mechanisms, with the aim of promoting socioeconomic development through investments in strategic, high-return, high-impact sectors.

“The Maharlika Investment Fund is designed to advance the Philippines’ long-term development goals through the effective intergenerational management of our government financial assets,” he said.

Responding to a question on Maharlika’s priorities, Diokno said, “We have identified another source of funding for these very important infrastructure projects that will make a difference in the landscape of the Philippine economy. It [also] has commercial purposes because the fund has to earn money. So you have short-term, long-term investment, and we propose to create several sub-funds – infrastructure fund, maybe a green fund, and so on.”

Some of the Philippines’ renowned economists have publicly criticized the Maharlika fund, including faculty of the University of the Philippines School of Economics going as far as saying the fund “violates the principles of economics and finance” due to its vague provisions and lack of focus.

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Marcos’ Maharlika fund violates ‘principles of economics and finance’

Marcos’ economic team pushed back, saying that the Maharlika is aligned with the country’s medium-term fiscal framework and eight-point socioeconomic agenda.

Meanwhile, National Economic and Development Authority Secretary Arsenio Balisacan briefed investors about Marcos’ infrastructure program, consisting of 194 projects worth P8.3 trillion.

Economic managers also highlighted the country’s declining inflation rate, lower corporate income taxes, and its more liberal business environment.

The economic team’s pitch to Singaporean investors comes as the Philippines is set to be elevated to upper middle-income status, which means that the country will no longer be entitled to the same official development assistance funding.

According to the World Bank, an upper middle-income country has a per capita income range of $4,256 to $13,205. The Philippines is currently a lower middle-income country, with a gross national income per capita of $3,640.

Singapore is the Philippines’ top source of foreign direct investment inflows, with investments in key sectors including renewable energy, infrastructure, healthcare, manufacturing, and information and communications technology. It is also the Philippines’ seventh largest trading partner globally, fifth largest export market, and sixth largest import supplier. – Rappler.com

President Vladimir Putin said on Friday, June 16, that his deployment of tactical nuclear weapons to Belarus, something he confirmed for the first time had already happened, was a reminder to the West that it could not inflict a strategic defeat on Russia.

Speaking at Russia’s flagship economic forum in St Petersburg, Putin said Russian tactical nuclear warheads had already been delivered to close ally Belarus, but stressed he saw no need for Russia to resort to nuclear weapons for now.

“As you know we were negotiating with our ally, Belarusian President (Alexander) Lukashenko, that we would move a part of these tactical nuclear weapons to the territory of Belarus – this has happened,” said Putin.

“The first nuclear warheads were delivered to the territory of Belarus. But only the first ones, the first part. But we will do this job completely by the end of the summer or by the end of the year.”

The move, Moscow’s first deployment of such warheads – shorter-range nuclear weapons that could potentially be used on the battlefield – outside Russia since the fall of the Soviet Union was intended as a warning to the West about arming and supporting Ukraine, the Russian leader said.

“…It is precisely as an element of deterrence so that all those who are thinking about inflicting a strategic defeat on us are not oblivious to this circumstance,” said Putin, using a diplomatic term for a defeat so severe that Russian power would be diminished on the world stage for decades.

Lukashenko, a staunch ally of Putin, said late on Tuesday, June 13, his country had started taking delivery of Russian tactical nuclear weapons that included some three times more powerful than the atomic bombs the US dropped on Japan in 1945.

The Russian leader announced in March he had agreed to deploy tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, pointing to the US deployment of such weapons in a host of European countries over many decades.

Putin says West wants strategic defeat

The United States has criticized Putin’s decision but has said it has no intention of altering its own stance on strategic nuclear weapons and has not seen any signs that Russia is preparing to use a nuclear weapon.

The Russian step is nonetheless being watched closely by Washington and its allies as well as by China, which has repeatedly cautioned against the use of nuclear weapons in the war in Ukraine.

Putin said the West was doing everything it could to inflict a strategic defeat on Russia in Ukraine where Moscow is locked in the biggest land war in Europe since World War Two after invading its neighbor last year in what it called “a special military operation.”

But Russia had no need to resort to nuclear weapons for now, said Putin, signaling no change in Moscow’s nuclear posture which only envisages such a move if the existence of the Russian state is threatened.

“Nuclear weapons have been made to ensure our security in the broadest sense of the word and the existence of the Russian state, but we…have no such need (to use them),” Putin said.

But he said talks with the West to reduce Russia’s vast nuclear arsenal, the world’s largest, were a non-starter.

“Just talking about this (the potential use of nuclear weapons) lowers the nuclear threshold. We have more than NATO countries and they want to reduce our numbers. Screw them,” said Putin.

Sounding defiant as he addressed his country’s political and business elite, he said a Ukrainian counteroffensive against Russian forces in Ukraine had so far not had any meaningful success. Kyiv’s forces were suffering heavy losses and had “no chance” against Russia’s military, he said.

Ukraine would soon run out of its own military equipment, making it totally reliant on hardware supplied by the West, undermining its ability to fight for long, he suggested.

Recalling his stated objectives at the start of the war to “demilitarize” and “denazify” Ukraine, Putin said:
“As for demilitarization, soon Ukraine will stop using its own equipment altogether. There’s nothing left. Everything on which they fight and everything that they use is brought in from the outside. Well, you can’t fight like that for long.”

(READ: Russia tries to signal normalcy as Ukraine forces advance)

Putin gives warning on F-16sP

Independent military analysts say Ukraine has outperformed Russia’s much larger army in nearly 16 months of war, forcing it into major retreats around the cities of Kyiv, Kharkiv and Kherson.

Ukraine’s military chiefs said on Friday that advancing Ukrainian troops were facing “desperate resistance” from Russian forces around the city of Bakhmut, which Russia captured last month after the longest battle of the war.

Ukraine says it has recaptured seven villages and 100 square km (38 square miles) in the early stages of its counteroffensive.

But Russia’s Defence Ministry said on Friday its forces had repelled numerous attempted counterattacks by the Ukrainian army at different frontline locations in the last 24 hours, inflicting severe losses on Kyiv’s forces.

Putin said Western-supplied hardware such as German-made Leopard tanks was regularly destroyed and if Kyiv got US-made F-16 fighter jets from its allies, they would go up in flames too.

“F-16s will also be burning, there is no doubt. But if they will be stationed outside Ukraine and used in combat operations we will have to look at how to engage and where to engage those assets being used in combat operations against us.”

That, he said, represented “a serious danger” of dragging NATO further into the conflict. – Rappler.com

CAGAYAN DE ORO, Philippines – Fierce fighting erupted in a remote village of Butuan City as soldiers launched a surprise assault on New People’s Army (NPA) rebels while they were engrossed in mundane chores, resulting in the death of three guerrillas on Friday, June 16.

The rebels put up a strong resistance and their numbers caught government troops off guard, prompting them to call for reinforcement.

Major General Jose Maria Cuerpo, commander of the Army’s 4th Infantry Division, described the rebel group as significantly “large,” prompting the soldiers to request air support as they engaged in a firefight with the guerrilla forces in Sitio Dugyanan, Barangay Anticala in Butuan.

Cuerpo said the Philippine Air Force (PAF) dispatched a pair of Turkish-made T129B attack helicopters, which launched air strikes on rebel positions at the slopes of Mount Apo-apo.

After the smoke cleared and the dust settled, soldiers discovered the bodies of three rebels at the NPA camp, two of whom were female.

The fleeing rebels abandoned 15 high-powered firearms, including five AK 47 rifles, three M4 rifles, two M16 rifles with M203 grenade launchers, and four AR-18 rifles.

“The rebels fiercely resisted, compelling us to request air support to weaken their defenses,” said Brigadier General George Banzon, the commander of the Army’s 901st Brigade, who oversaw the military offensive.

Banzon said the soldiers initially opened fire on the communist rebels while they were preparing lunch in their camp, with some washing their clothes at a nearby creek.

He said the rebels regained their composure and fought back.

In Claveria town, Misamis Oriental, a female NPA rebel was also killed during a clash in Sitio Kalhaan, Barangay Minalwang on Wednesday afternoon, June 14, according to Colonel Christian Uy, the commander of the Army’s 58th Infantry Battalion.

Uy said the search for 15 other NPA rebels, who retreated from the scene of the encounter, is still ongoing.

Major Francisco Garello Jr., spokesperson for the 4th ID, said the military will work to identify the dead rebels once the bodies are brought to the town centers.
“At the moment, the bodies are still in the mountains. Once they are retrieved, we will ask former rebels to identify them,” Garello said. – Rappler.com

The NBA suspended Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant for 25 games without pay on Friday, June 16, for brandishing a handgun in a viral video for the second time.

The suspension for conduct detrimental to the league covers the first 25 games of the 2023-2024 regular season and includes conditions for reinstatement. 

He is ineligible to participate in any public league or team activities, including preseason games, during the course of his suspension.

“Ja Morant’s decision to once again wield a firearm on social media is alarming and disconcerting given his similar conduct in March for which he was already suspended eight games,” NBA commissioner Adam Silver said. 

“The potential for other young people to emulate Ja’s conduct is particularly concerning. Under these circumstances, we believe a suspension of 25 games is appropriate and makes clear that engaging in reckless and irresponsible behavior with guns will not be tolerated.

“For Ja, basketball needs to take a back seat at this time. Prior to his return to play, he will be required to formulate and fulfill a program with the league that directly addresses the circumstances that led him to repeat this destructive behavior.”

‘Sorry for failing you’

Morant took accountability for his actions last month and released another statement after the suspension was announced, apologizing to the NBA, the Grizzlies, and the city of Memphis.

“I’m sorry for the harm I’ve done. To the kids who look up to me, I’m sorry for failing you as a role model. I promise I’m going to be better,” Morant said in a statement. 

“To all of my sponsors, I’m going to be a better representation of our brands. And to all of my fans, I’m going to make it up to you, I promise.”

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“I’m spending the off-season and my suspension continuing to work on my own mental health and decision making,” he said. “I’m also going to be training so that I’m ready to go when I can be back… I’m so sorry I won’t be out there with you (teammates) at the beginning of the season.”

“I hope you’ll give me the chance to prove to you over time I’m a better man that what I’ve been showing you,” Morant added.

$10-million suspension

The Grizzlies offered the following statement shortly after the suspension was announced:

“We respect the League’s decision to suspend Ja Morant following this latest episode. Our standards as a league and team are clear, and we expect that all team personnel will adhere to them.”

Based on his $33.5 million salary for 2023-2024, the suspension will cost Morant approximately $10.2 million.

The video, which was on Instagram Live, featured Morant waving a gun while sitting in the passenger’s seat of a car while listening to rap music. The clip was released on May 13, and the Grizzlies suspended the guard from all team activities the following day.

It was the second time in three months that Morant was caught with a firearm on social media. He previously was suspended eight games and sought counseling after a March 4 incident in which he filmed himself holding a gun at a Denver strip club following a 113-97 loss to the Nuggets.

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Ahead of Game 1 of the NBA Finals, Silver said the “history of prior acts” and “the individual player’s history” would be taken into account when the league made its decision on Morant’s punishment.

Morant, 23, is coming off his fourth season with Memphis after the Grizzlies selected him with the second overall pick in the 2019 draft. 

A two-time All-Star, Morant averaged 26.2 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 8.1 assists in 61 games (59 starts) in 2022-2023. – Rappler.com

The US Department of Justice released findings from its two-year investigation of the Minneapolis Police Department on Friday, June 16, concluding the department had a pattern or practice of using excessive force and discriminating against Black people.

The investigation was launched in April 2021 after a white former police officer, Derek Chauvin, was convicted of murdering George Floyd, a Black man, by kneeling on Floyd’s neck for more than nine minutes after he had been handcuffed.

The city has agreed to negotiate an agreement with the Justice Department on reforming the police department known as a consent decree, which will be overseen by a federal judge, the DOJ said.

US Attorney General Merrick Garland announced the findings at a press conference outside the federal courthouse in Minneapolis alongside Mayor Jacob Frey and Police Chief Brian O’Hara.

The killing of Floyd in May 2020, captured in a bystander’s cellphone video, sparked protests across the US decrying police brutality and racism in the criminal justice system. In Minneapolis, protesters damaged property, including a police precinct house that was set ablaze.

Many people in Minneapolis complained that Chauvin’s excessive use of force against Floyd was not exceptional, and that the city’s police officers had long abused the rights of Black residents.

The Justice Department’s investigation was launched to see if the city government or the police department had a “pattern or practice” of using excessive force or discriminatory policing. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – Magnolia stayed perfect in the PBA On Tour and ripped winless TNT to shreds behind a balanced attack, 96-63, at the Ynares Sports Arena on Friday, June 16.

Six players – led by Rome dela Rosa – scored in double figures as the Hotshots seized solo top spot in the preseason tournament with a pristine 5-0 record, breaking their tie with fellow unbeaten squad Rain or Shine (4-0).

Dela Rosa finished with 19 points and 6 rebounds, Joseph Eriobu chalked up 14 points, while Mark Barroca, Jerrick Ahanmisi, David Murrell, and James Laput chipped in 11 points apiece.

Laput also delivered 13 rebounds and 3 blocks as he continues to make a case for an increase in playing time when the PBA season opens in October.

Bucking a relatively lethargic start, Magnolia erased a 15-18 deficit at the end of the opening quarter and banked on Dela Rosa in the second frame to build a 43-31 halftime lead.

With star teammates Paul Lee and Calvin Abueva sidelined, Dela Rosa erupted for 11 points in the second period, where the Hotshots held the Tropang Giga to just 13 points.

Magnolia then pulled away for good in the final salvo and outscored a TNT side missing stars Jayson Castro, Mikey Williams, Roger Pogoy, Poy Erram, and Calvin Oftana, 31-11, in the quarter.

The blowout, though, still had its thrilling moments thanks to Murrell, the reigning PBA Slam Dunk Contest champion.

Murrell treated the sizable crowd at the Ynares Sports Arena to an aerial show as he slammed home a pair of breakaway dunks in the final four minutes.

Glenn Khobuntin put up 23 points and 5 rebounds for the Tropang Giga, who have yet to win after three games.

Without its core, TNT filled its roster with San Beda players Peter Alfaro, Clifford Jopia, Damie Cuntapay, and JV Gallego.

The Scores

Magnolia 96 – Dela Rosa 19, Eriobu 14, Barroca 11, Laput 11, Ahanmisi 11, Murrell 11, Mendoza 8, Corpuz 8, Corpuz 5, Jalalon 4, Reavis 2, Sangalang 0.

TNT 63 – Khobuntin 23, Cruz 11, Varilla 10, Marcelo 8, Ganuelas-Rosser 6, Cuntapay 3, Gallego 2, Tungcab 0, Jopia 0, Alfaro 0.

Quarters: 15-18, 43-31, 65-52, 96-63.

– Rappler.com

AHMEDABAD, India – Early warnings, accurate identification of vulnerable areas and timely evacuations helped India to avert major casualties from cyclone Biparjoy, which battered the west coast near Pakistan late on Thursday, June 15, authorities said.

Biparjoy, which means “calamity” in Bengali, hit the state of Gujarat with speeds of up to 125 km per hour (78 mph), blowing roofs off houses and uprooting trees and electricity poles.

Yet the only deaths recorded were those of two shepherds who died while trying to prevent their cattle from being swept away hours before the cyclone made landfall.

In 1998, a major storm in Gujarat killed about 4,000 people, according to local media, while in 2021, close to 100 people died in an ‘extremely severe cyclone’ named Tauktae.

“Early identification of areas that were likely to be impacted by the cyclone and timely evacuation of people living within 10 km of the coasts are the biggest reasons” for low casualties, said Kamal Dayani, a senior Gujarat official.

“Our focus from the beginning was on preventing loss of lives, not just human lives but even animals.”

More than 100,000 people were evacuated from eight coastal districts and moved to shelters in school auditoriums and other government buildings a day before the cyclone struck.

Authorities also suspended fishing, shut schools and closed beaches. Many offshore oil installations and major ports suspended operations days earlier.

In addition, 30 teams of national and state disaster responders were deployed.

“We overprepared,” said Atul Karwal, chief of the National Disaster Response Force.

The storm hitting the sparsely populated parts of the desert district of Kutch also helped, Dayani said.

While the death toll was low, more than 5,100 electricity poles were toppled disrupting power supply to over 4,600 villages.

“We will study what we have done right and also identify the areas we can do better in the future,” Dayani said. – Rappler.com