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By Avery Clyde Dimasuhid PHOTO: PBA Photos While the other final spot for the Ginebra-NLEX matchup has been secured, the Magnolia Hotshots and Meralco Bolts delayed the finals game as the former extended their thrilling PBA Governors’ Cup semis journey against the latter with a 94-73 blow in Game 4, Wednesday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.  The Hotshots eagerly turned the tables in their favor after going all out to tie their wins at 2-2, hoping to meet the Barangay Ginebra San Miguel should fortune be with them in their do-or-die game on Friday.  Recovering from their consecutive defeats in the best-of-five series, Magnolia exerted all means to catch up on Meralco, potentially rekindling their Governors’ Cup finals rivalry with Ginebra who ended NLEX in four games in their own semifinal duel. “We only tied the series, we still haven’t achieved anything,” said coach Chito Victolero after the said victory. Magnolia bombarded Meralco with 32 fourth quarter points, the game’s hig...

By Cherry Babia PHOTO: ABS-CBN News Idineklara bilang pinuno ng Task Force Kontra Bigay ang Commision on Elections (Comelec) Commissioner na si Aimee Ferolino, kung saan naglalayon ang nasabing grupo sa pagharap sa mga isyu hinggil sa pagbili ng boto. Ayon kay Commissioner George Garcia sa naging panayam noong Miyerkules, pinili si Ferolino dahil sa kanyang background at karanasan, dagdag pa ang pagiging parte nito sa komite ng Comelec. Kasabay ng kanyang pagkatalaga bilang pinuno ng nasabing grupo, si Ferolino na ang magiging responsable para sa pagtawag ng mga pagpupulong, paggawa ng mga alituntunin, at iba pa. "Si Commissioner Ferolino ang magpapatawag kaagad ng mga meeting ng task force, mag-da-draft ng necessary additional guidelines at the same time, magpapatupad nitong mandato ng Commission on Elections to either motu proprio or to accept complaints tungkol sa vote buying," saad ni Garcia. Gayunpaman, nauna nang sinabi ni Garcia noong nakaraang linggo ang paglulunsad n...

By Norielle Pastor PHOTO: PBA Images The Game 4 between Ginebra and NLEX set up another magical night for Justin Brownlee as he anchored the Gin Kings back to the finals once again.  The favorite resident import for the Barangay displayed another monstrous game, stuffing the statline with an efficient 47-10-6 outing enough to send NLEX home, 112-93 in their action-packed Game 4 semifinals at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. With their 15-point edge trimmed down to 8 in the fourth, Brownlee came to Ginebra's rescue by hitting back-to-back threes to book another ticket for Tim Cone and the crew in the Finals. "Life is a lot easier when you have Justin Brownlee,” said Cone. "What a phenomenal, phenomenal performance by Justin. I’m just amazed by it." The first two quarters were hard-fought with both teams tied at 22 in the opening frame, courtesy of Jeff Chan waxing hot from deep and Cameron Clark from the other side, exploding inside the paint. Brownlee started to heat up i...

By Lance Arevada PHOTO: PCOO As a defense of his decision to continue online cockfighting (e-sabong) operations in the country, President Rodrigo Duterte called out the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) for its failure to collect a certain unpaid estate tax up until now. The President revealed that allowing e-sabong operations would mean that the government would have a monthly revenue of P640 million, which he noted that it cannot easily find in other means. “I’ll make it public now, it’s P640 million a month. And in a year’s time, it’s billion plus. Saan tayo maghanap ng pera ng ganoon na kadali na siguro?” he said in his Talk to the People on Monday. Duterte said that the revenue for the government can only be easily found in tax collection if only the BIR has collected a certain estate tax. “Saan tayo maghanap ng pera ng ganoon na kadali na siguro? Sa taxation natin, so ang gobyerno can only prod... Nandiyan ‘yung BIR so tanungin natin ‘yang BIR bakit hanggang ngayon hindi nakolekta...

By Dion Mikhail Fetalvero PHOTO: Manila Bulletin Down by as much as 13 points in the first half, the UP Fighting Maroons stirred a third-quarter storm to cruise past the UST Growling Tigers, 98-82, on Tuesday at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City. This is the Fighting Maroons’ first-ever victory in the UAAP Season 84 men’s basketball scene after losing to the Ateneo Blue Eagles, 81-90, just three days ago. The recent UP win is partly thanks to the collaboration between Xavier Lucero and Ricci Rivero, whose games proved to be vital in UP's 17-1 table turner. UST dictated the pace early on, however, Filipino-American recruit Lucero scored six straight baskets during the third quarter, while 6-foot-1 Rivero bagged two free throws to lead UP’s winning effort 62-56. UP even upped the ante in the fourth quarter, peaking at a 21-point lead with an easy layup from 23-year-old Rivero, 88-67. In the end, Rivero tallied 19 points, three rebounds, and two assists, while Lucero scored 18 mark...

By Arjane Faith Paala PHOTO: Rappler “The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) should file a criminal case against the Marcos family if they still refuse to settle their P203 billion estate tax,” urged the former Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG) commissioner. According to ex-PCGG commissioner Ruben Carranza, Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. may get away with the said liability if he wins the presidential elections on May. “May urgency ang pag-file ng criminal case dahil kapag naging presidente si Marcos Jr., mas mayroon siyang kapangyarihan na mas patagalin pa yung kaso, at gamitin yung poder ng pagiging presidente para huwag nang bayaran yung utang niya sa Pilipinas,” emphasized Carranza. He said that Supreme Court rulings in 1997 and 2003, stating that assets owned by the Marcoses are considered “ill-gotten wealth” and that the family had an excise tax of P23 billion, are both final and executory. “Supreme Court decisions are part of the law of the land, which the executi...

By Anne Caileen Usero PHOTO: Blogspot In a recent presidential interview conducted by Sonshine Media Network International (SMNI) on Saturday, March 26, one of the questions posed asked presidential aspirant Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. if he was a Machiavellian. Marcos, on the other hand,  inexplicitly responded: “Am I a Machiavellian? Well, I’ve studied him quite thoroughly, and I know very many Machiavellians in my life.” Professor Clarita Carlos, one of the panelists in the said interview, interrupted midway to further clarify that the word used is intended to have a positive context saying: “Machiavellian in terms of taking every means to produce an end, not the other Machiavellian.” Marcos then continued: “Certainly, we have to be aware of everything that is going to help whatever it is that you are hoping to achieve. And on the national scale, that means you have to understand very well what the situation is on the ground.” “I suppose in the same sense… it’s a way of bein...

By Chanyel Tome (WARNING: Parts of the article contain sensitive content such as rape and torture for the sake of historical discussion. Read at your own discretion.)  PHOTO: Karl Grobl In the past, the babaylan held their communities together in the absence of the datu through their brilliance, not just through their rituals, but also through their will and perceived magic that is believed to protect them from evil. While the babaylan is now a distant but still unforgettable memory of the past, empowered Filipinas – just like the babaylan – continue to exercise their brilliance not just to hold together their families and communities, but to make the country a better place and become a force to be reckoned with.  Indeed, Filipinos are not new to women leading the charge – from revolutionaries like Gabriela Silang and Melchora Aquino to modern-day heroes like Hidilyn Diaz. However, there are also lesser-known Filipinas who also channeled the 'babaylan' brilliance. With th...

By Jennylou Canon PHOTO: Wild About Beauty The field of Science and Technology today has been more inclusive than ever, with various scientists working together regardless of their genders. In celebration of Women’s Month, let’s take a glimpse into the few lesser-known women who once dominated Science and Technology, and have left a legacy worth remembering. Alice Ball (1892 - 1916) PHOTO: Worldwide Tweets Alice Ball is an American chemist famously known for her work in developing a treatment for leprosy, a disease which mainly affects the skin, peripheral nerves, and the eyes. Ball’s work focused on refining the administration for Chaulmoogra Oil, an existing treatment for leprosy at the time, which was too viscous in its raw form to take orally or inject through the bloodstream. Ball did not just pioneer the best treatment for the nerve-wrecking disease during her time, but was also the first female chemistry professor of the University of Hawaii, where she was also the first African...

By Norielle Pastor PHOTO: FilBasket After bucking a 77-73 heartbreaker from the Bacolod Bingo Plus in their last outing, Orlan Wamar redeemed himself and led the San Juan Knights to their second win in the Filbasket Summer Championship, 80-63 against AFP-FSD Makati Cavaliers on Friday. The Knights started and punctuated on a strong note after exploding for a 23-9 opening salvo and closing out with a 25-18 fourth quarter thanks to their gritty defense. The 5'6 guard Wamar displayed his efficiency in all scoring departments with 16 points, 7 dimes, 3 rebounds and 2 steals, justifying his 28-point output in the loss against Bacolod.  James Fuentes provided the needed support for the Knights with 20 big points to anchor Wamar on the offensive side during the fourth period, a point when their lead was put into peril. On the other side, James Formento's 12 points went for naught after no other Cavalier managed to break the double-digit mark. With the win, San Juan improved to a 3-1 r...

By Rex Neil Falogme PHOTO: Associated Press New Orleans Pelicans rallied from 23 points down in the second half to snatch a 116-108 victory against the Los Angeles Lakers at Smoothie King Center, Monday (PhST). Buried from a 23-point deficit at the half, Pelicans held the Lakers to 29 points in the next two quarters to send the latter to their second straight loss. "We made a few adjustments at halftime just challenging our group to be more disciplined," Pelicans coach Willie Green stated. The Pelicans moved to the ninth spot in the Western Conference holding a 32-43 win-loss record while the Lakers fell to the tenth seed with 31-43 record. Brandon Ingram dropped 26 points on his return from a 10-game absence to lead the Pelicans while rookie Trey Murphy lll finished with 21 points. The Lakers had a strong start in the first half and were able to take a 23-point advantage after Russell Well nailed a transition lay-up with 2:37 minutes remaining at the half. Tables have turned...

By Marjoe Toquillo PHOTO: SPIN PH Defending champions, Ateneo De Manila University Blue Eagles stumped the University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons to initiate their 4-peat UAAP campaign, 90-81 during the Season 84 men's basketball tournament at the Mall of Asia Arena, Saturday. The Blue Eagles were eager to preserve the life of their championship bid as they dumped the tiniest bit of hope for the Fighting Maroons by earning the lead score at the end of all quarters. "Obviously we're delighted to get a win in that game. We went into it not knowing how well [we will] perform and how well UP will perform, so we're delighted with the win," said coach Tab Baldwin on their win. The Eagles started the battle with Ange Kouame and Raffy Verano pouring pressure even at the earliest part of the game. The Eagles soared and ended the first quarter with an 8-point edge, 26-18. Second quarter stood as the proof that the groove of the champions still has not left Ateneo as...