WHILE Gilas Pilipinas has punched in a spot in the crossover semifinals, the national side will be keenly watching the final day of group stage play of the 32nd Southeast Asian Games men's basketball when defending champion Indonesia plays title contender Thailand in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Gilas Pilipinas’ Mike Phillips (RIGHT) battles for the rebound against a Singaporean player during the 32nd Southeast Asian Games men’s basketball in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. PHOTO BY RIO DELUVIOGet the latest newsdelivered to your inbox Sign up for The Manila Times’ daily newsletters By signing up with an email address, I acknowledge that I have read and agree to the Terms of Service and Privacy PolicyTimnas, bannered by three naturalized players led by former Terrafirma import Lester Prosper and Anthony Beane are playing the Thais led by Moses Morgan, Tyler Lamb, Freddie Lish and veteran big man Chanatip Jakrawan as of press time Sunday evening.Both Southeast Asian rivals entered the Sunday night showdown with identical 2-0 slates after registering victories over their Group B opponents in the preliminary stage.Gilas Pilipinas faces the Group B winner in the knockout crossover semifinals, which will begin today, May 15.The loser then, collides with surprise Group A pacesetter and host Cambodia in the other semifinal pairing.The victors in the knockout semis then advance to the gold medal round on Tuesday, May 16.The national squad finished its Group A assignment with a 2-1 record after smashing Malaysia by 45 points and clobbering Singapore by 60. Host Cambodia, bannered by six naturalized players, inflicted the Philippines' only loss in the tournament, a 79-68 decision in a hotly contested, tension-filled match last Thursday.While national coach Chot Reyes said they have moved forward since that stinging defeat, Gilas players will also have to find ways to win in the win-or-go-home semis match despite poor playing conditions.The outspoken national mentor has said his complaint on the playing court is really due to his concern for the players' welfare.In fact, TNT forward Calvin Oftana played just one game, before sustaining a grade 2 calf strain. The sweet-shooting forward has been ruled out for the rest of the tournament.

COVID-19 positivity rate hits 23.6 percent nationwideIndividuals wear face masks along the streets of Manila on May 9, 2023. MANILA, Philippines — The nationwide COVID-19 positivity rate is at 23.6 percent, OCTA Research said. OCTA said on May 5 that the COVID-19 positivity rate in Metro Manila could reach up to 25 percent, but the health care utilization in the capital region was not likely to reach critical levels. Of the total number of confirmed COVID cases nationwide, 15,891 are active while 4,032,858 have recovered from the disease. The hospital bed occupancy rate rose to 20 percent while the cumulative positivity rate is at 13.5 percent.

FOR the second season in a row, the UAAP women's volleyball tournament has a rookie Most Valuable Player. Angel Canino of De La Salle University was hailed as the Season 85 MVP and Rookie of the Year after accumulating 89.375 statistical points (SP). Canino became the second rookie MVP in the league's women's volleyball history after National University's Mhicaela Belen achieved the feat last season. Alba ranked second in setting with 4.48 excellent sets per period and first in service with 0.50 aces per frame, boosting her RP to 235. Jovelyn Fernandez of Far Eastern University was awarded the Best Opposite Spiker while Bernadett Pepito of UST was the runaway Best Libero.

More people globally being affected by disastersAerial photos on October 30, 2022 show houses in Tuguegarao City submerged in muddy floodwaters after #PaengPH dumped heavy rains in the area. MANILA, Philippines — Globally, the number of people affected by disasters since 2015 increased by 80 percent despite the adoption of a United Nations-backed international disaster reduction agreement, the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) said. “More people globally are being affected by disasters than ever before,” UNDRR said on Saturday. It targets substantially fewer deaths from disasters, a reduction in the disaster damage to infrastructure, and improved early warning systems – all by 2030. The agency said there has been an 80 percent increase in the number of people affected by disasters since 2015 and “UNDRR finds that many of the lessons from past disasters seem to have been ignored.”While the number of people affected by disasters is going up, the proportion being killed has more than halved.

7 Vietnamese caught selling ‘laughing gas’MANILA, Philippines — The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) arrested seven Vietnamese for selling nitrous oxide, better known as “laughing gas,” in balloons at a bar in Pasay before dawn on Saturday. According to the Filipino waiters employed at the bar, they were unaware that the balloons contained laughing gas. The waiters served food and drinks to customers while the Vietnamese employees took care of preparing and serving the balloons. NBI Anti-Organized and Transnational Crime Division chief Jerome Bomediano said they are monitoring other establishments that sell nitrous oxide to customers. He warned of the serious health implications of inhaling nitrous oxide and plans to ask the Dangerous Drugs Board to consider classifying it as a controlled substance.

Gilas Women PHOTO BY RIO DELUVIOThe Gilas Pilipinas women's basketball team boosted its chances for a silver medal finish in the 32nd Southeast Asian Games after an 82-70 win over Thailand at the Elephant Hall on Sunday, May 14. With the win, the Filipinos improved to 4-1, tied with Malaysia in second place. Gilas will look to further improve its silver medal bid when it plays its last game on Monday, May 15 against Vietnam. The Filipino dribblers have already lost their chance for a third straight gold as Indonesia is locked for the championship after sweeping the round robin phase, 6-0.

Rosalinda Faustino PHOTO BY RIO DELUVIOPHNOM PENH, Cambodia: Filipino weightlifter Rosalinda Faustino claimed a silver medal in the women's 55kg class in the 32nd Southeast Asian Games at the National Olympic Stadium's Taekwondo Hall on Sunday, May 14. Faustino raised a total of 184 kg -- her best in snatch was 80 and 104 in clean and jerk. She would have won the gold had she raised 107 in her third attempt in clean and jerk but was unsuccessful. As a result, Indonesia's Juliana Klarisa took the gold medal with a total of 186.

The suit, filed by Yintao Yu in a San Francisco court, comes as political pressure has been growing in the US to ban TikTok. Critics say the popular platform allows Beijing to covertly collect users' data and influence their opinions — something the company denies. The issue of access to personal data on American users has aroused growing concern among US authorities. The White House recently threatened to ban TikTok in the US unless ByteDance sold it to an American company. ByteDance and TikTok did not immediately respond on Saturday to an AFP request for comment.

Cathay Pacific is considering disciplinary action against pilots taxiing planes at "considerably slower speeds" for arrivals and departures that caused runway congestion. Sources suggested that could be attributed to pilots wanting to increase their flight hours in a bid to get more pay. "Our own HK Airport team has confirmed that they have tracked similar instances in their own systems," the airline said in the email. Cathay said it does not intend to review historical data at this stage but will investigate any data Airport Authority or the airline team provides from this point forward. Some suggested that pilots would like to get more overtime pay as their salaries have been cut by 30 percent compared to the pre-pandemic period, while also showcasing their discontent about the new contracts with Cathay, according to sources.

The Philippines has placed navigational buoys within its exclusive economic zone (EEZ) to assert sovereignty over the disputed Spratly islands in the South China Sea, a coast guard spokesperson said on Sunday. The step comes amid China's increasingly aggressive actions in the South China Sea as Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr pursues warmer ties with treaty ally the United States. In May 2022, the coast guard installed five navigational buoys on four islands in the Spratlys. China's claim of sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea was invalidated by an international arbitration ruling in 2016. Beijing has for years deployed hundreds of coast guard and fishing vessels in disputed areas.

Russian news outlet Kommersant said two Russian fighter jets and two military helicopters had been shot down on Saturday close to the Ukrainian border, in what would be a spectacular coup for Kyiv if confirmed. Comments accompanying the video, which Reuters could not immediately verify, said it showed a Mi-8 being shot down by a missile. Later on Saturday, Bryansk regional governor Alexander Bogomaz said a Ukrainian drone had hit a food production plant in Starodub, close to the Ukraine border, damaging the roof. There was no official response from Ukraine, which usually declines to comment on reports of attacks inside Russia. Earlier this month, explosions derailed freight trains on two consecutive days in the Bryansk region.

(UPDATE) FORMER president Rodrigo Duterte agreed with the recent remarks of his successor, Ferdinand Marcos Jr., that abuses were committed during his administration's war on illegal drugs but insisted that "those were never intended." But those were never intended, I am sure, by the law enforcement agency," he added. The bloody drug war of Duterte caught the attention not just of the foreign media and criticism from different organizations, but also the International Criminal Court (ICC). In January, the ICC authorized the resumption of its investigation into the drug war and the Davao Death Squad killings in the Philippines. Duterte, who initiated the drug war, pulled the Philippines out of the ICC in 2019, a year after The Hague-based tribunal began a preliminary investigation into the crackdown.

Meanwhile, the critical Senate agriculture committee that she heads has probably forgotten that it has an important job to carry out as the agriculture sector stares down at the abyss. This is the oversight function, the power to review overall agricultural performance — 99 percent failure — and check program goals and expenditures against accomplishments. Meanwhile, the Department of Agriculture (DA) has resorted to peddling hoaxes to cover up for its dismal failures. The oversight powers of the Senate Committee on Agriculture — it can easily put up a bicameral oversight — allows it to look into such matters as executive arrogance. It is about time to puncture that and that act of puncturing is the mandate of the Senate oversight committee on agriculture.

De Lima camp hopeful of release from detentionSenator Leila De Lima beams with joy following her acquittal in the second drug charge against her at the Muntinlupa Regional Trial Court on May 12, 2023. In February 2021, De Lima was acquitted by the Muntinlupa RTC Branch 205 of charges of influence peddling and extortion of convicted drug lord and high-profile NBP inmate, Peter Co. The two legal victories had De Lima celebrating and Tacardon hopeful and optimistic that in their third case, the Muntinlupa RTC Branch 256 would rule favorably on their petition for bail which would be heard three weeks from now on June 5. Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla has rejected calls for state prosecutors to drop the last remaining drug case against De Lima, despite rulings in her favor in two other similar cases. “This acquittal of former Philippines senator Leila de Lima on what were always bogus charges is long overdue.

Emperor confers Japan’s highest honor on RomuloFormer Department of Foreign Affairs secretary Alberto Romulo receives the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun from Japan Emperor Naruhito during a ceremony at the state room of the Imperial Palace. MANILA, Philippines — The Emperor of Japan has conferred the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun on former foreign affairs secretary Alberto Romulo and six others during a ceremony at the Seiden-Matsu-no-Ma State Room of the Imperial Palace on May 9. Romulo received Japan’s highest decoration along with six Japanese honorees, including Takuya Okada, former president of major retailer Aeon Co., and Shigeru Iwasaki, a former chief of the Joint Staff. Romulo was cited for his role in and major contribution to the bilateral relation of the two countries, in particular the successful Japan-Philippine Economic Partnership Agreement (JPEPA). For the first time, Emperor Naruhito gave his address in English during the ceremony.