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DICT confirms ‘registered SIM for sale’ modus
After the National Privacy Commission recently revealed the “registered SIM for sale” modus operandi of shadowy syndicates, the Department of Information and Communications Technology confirmed such crime, stating that six individuals have already been collared by authorities for selling 25,000 pieces of registered SIM cards in Pasay City. In a radio interview on Saturday, DICT secretary Ivan Uy confirmed that there are syndicates selling SIM cards in bulk, coming from citizens who already registered them under their names. Uy said each SIM is worth at least P500. "Each of these sellers register 10 SIM cards under their names. What they don’t know is that kapag naghabla tayo dahil ginamit ang mga SIM cards sa panloloko, kasama sila sa habla ng criminal case" according to Uy. (What they don’t know is that when a case is filed against those using the SIM cards intending to con people, they will also be involved in the criminal case). Syndicates apprehended He said currently, the Philippine National Police is already able to apprehend "many" syndicates involved in this type of fraud, the latest of which involved six individuals operating on 25,000 pre-registered SIMs in Pasay City. “About P1 billion worth of registered SIM cards were already seized by authorities,” Uy said, warning the public from participating in selling their registered SIMs. The National Telecommunications Commission earlier said they have already logged over 118 million subscribers. Pursuant to the provisions of the SIM Registration Act, severe penalties shall be imposed upon those involved in the sale or transfer of a registered SIM without complying with required registration or without properly informing the telco concerned, particularly Section 11 (g) of the SIM Registration Act, wherein individuals found guilty of selling or transferring a registered SIM card without complying with the required registration under Section 6 of the same law may be subject to imprisonment ranging from six months to six years, or a fine of P100,000 to P300,000, or both. Alert raised On Thursday, the National Privacy Commission raised an alert on the modus operandi of registered SIMs being sold, prompting the agency to caution the public on the serious ramifications it can affect Filipino mobile users. The NPC maintained that “the practice is not only prohibited under the SIM Registration Act (RA 11934) but also places data subjects in a vulnerable position, exposing them to potential legal repercussions, risks, and harm if a SIM card, registered in their name, is misused for illicit activities.” The post DICT confirms ‘registered SIM for sale’ modus appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Israel Confirms First Case of New Covid Variant
Israel Reports First Case of New Covid-19 Variant “Pirola” Israel has recently identified the first case of a new variant of Covid-19, which has been.....»»
TVJ’s trademark cancellation case remains—IPOPHL
The trademark cancellation case that original Eat Bulaga hosts, former Senator Vicente Tito Sotto, his brother Vic and Joey De Leon, filed against Television and Production Exponents, or TAPE Inc., has no bearing with the recently awarded renewal of TAPE Inc.’s trademark for 10 years, the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines clarified on Monday. In an earlier interview by the DAILY TRIBUNE, IPOPHL director general Atty. Rowel Barba disclosed that the 10-year trademark registration renewal of TAPE Inc.’s “Eat Bulaga” “is purely ministerial and has no opposition period.” “On queries from various quarters about the renewal of the Eat Bulaga trademark of Television and Production Exponents, Inc., IPOPHL confirms the approval on 14 June 2023 of the request to extend the term of registration over EAT BULAGA AND EB covered by TM Reg. No. 42011005951, for Nice Classes 16, 18, 21 and 25 for another 10 years,” the IPHOPHL statement on Monday said. Further, the IPOPHL said the renewal process strictly observes an ex-parte nature prescribed by Republic Act 8293 or the Intellectual Property Code. “Under the law, requests for renewal should be granted primarily if the registrant can prove the actual and continuous use of the mark,” the statement added. On the other hand, the IPOPHL maintained that “as the renewal requests and other pending applications at the Bureau of Trademark are separate from the trademark cancellation case at the Bureau of Legal Affairs, they do not affect the BLA’s disposition of the merits of the trademark cancellation case.” The IPOPHL earlier said that a separate agency office is hearing TVJ’s original hosts’ complaint for cancellation of Tape’s trademark registration. TAPE Inc. was then mandated to answer TVJ's complaint within 30 days. On 31 May, TVJ ended its 44 years of partnership with TAPE Inc. Amid the fracas, TVJ moved on and transferred to TV 5 operated by Manny Pangilinan, and started its new program, E.A.T. last 1 July, while TAPE Inc. retained its program title “Eat Bulaga” in GMA 7 with a new set of hosts. The post TVJ’s trademark cancellation case remains—IPOPHL appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Phl cinema in the first year of BBM
Here, we look back at the state of the Philippine film industry since he took the seat of power 13 months ago. When President Marcos Jr. became the 17th leader of the nation, the country was on the brink of the “new normal.” The campaign elections even saw multitudes of crowds in the streets, the Filipinos’ political passion overpowering the fear of a Covid-19 infection. Covid-pandemic viewing By May 2022, the month of the presidential campaigns, the Department of Health said the country was at “minimal-risk case classification” with an average of only 159 cases per day. By June 2022, when the President took his oath, 69.4 million Filipinos had been fully vaccinated. Along with the country, the Philippine film industry started healing. On the same month, the country went under Covid-19 Alert Level 2, with 50-percent allowed capacity in indoor cinemas. Live film festivals The Marcos administration saw the return of Filipino film festivals in theaters. On Marcos’ fifth month as president, the QCinema International Film Festival, with the theme “in10City,” held hybdrid screenings — in-person and online. The Metro Manila Film Festival in December 2022, six months into the new presidency, went full force in cinemas for the second time during the pandemic. Earlier, in 2020, during the Duterte administration, the festival was held online for the first time, and the following year, in December 2021, after level alert measures in the Philippines were relaxed, the MMFF finally went back to the cinemas. However, only around 300 cinemas (down from the usual 900) were allowed to screen the MMFF entries. Meanwhile, the 18th edition of the Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival was held from 5 August to 31 October 2022 at the Cultural Center of the Philippines, in select mall cinemas and online. But what made a mark during the Marcos administration’s first year was the inaugural edition of the 2023 Summer Metro Manila Film Festival. The SMMFF was held in Metro Manila and throughout the Philippines. Organized by the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority in partnership with the Cinema Exhibitors Association of the Philippines, the first MMFF was supposed to be held in 2020, but was canceled due to the Covid-19 pandemic. In 2023, held from 8 to 18 April 2023 with the theme “Tuloy-tuloy ang Saya,” the summer festival featured eight entries and, like its December counterpart, even held a Parade of Stars. About Us But Not About Us by Jun Lana, produced by The IdeaFirst Company, Octobertrain Films and Quantum Films, emerged as the first Best Picture of the summer festival. [caption id="attachment_161372" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] About Us But Not About Us by Jun Lana[/caption] The Film Development Council of the Philippines’ sixth edition of its own mini-film festival, held during the Marcos administration’s third month, headed back to cinemas, offering free access to award-winning classic films of the new National Artists for Film and Broadcast Arts at TriNoma Cinema in Quezon City and in all Cinematheque centers nationwide (Manila, Iloilo, Negros, Davao and Nabunturan). CCP closes for renovations On 1 September 2022, CCP president Margarita Moran-Floirendo announced during a hearing of the Senate committee on cultural communities, that The Cultural Center of the Philippines — home to the Cinemalaya festival — will close its doors starting January 2023 for renovation and structural retrofitting works, and will reopen in March 2025. This marks the first time that Cinemalaya, on its 19th year, which has the theme “ilumiNasyon,” will be held at various venues inside the adjacent Philippine International Convention Center, from 4 to 13 August 2023. The rise of political films With the country deeply driven by polarized political views, the Marcos administration saw a war between political commercial films. [caption id="attachment_161370" align="aligncenter" width="1800"] ‘MAID in Malacanang’ stars Cristine Reyes, Diego Loyzaga and Ella Cruz. | Photograph courtesy of viva[/caption] On 29 July 2022, Darryl Yap’s period drama Maid in Malacañang, touted as “the most controversial film of the year,” was released to packed cinemas. The movie, about the Marcos family’s last three days in Malacañang Palace before they were forced into exile, premiered at SM North EDSA and was released nationwide on 3 August 2022. Yap, who passionately campaigned for Marcos, became a controversial filmmaker with the release of his Marcos film. Leni Robredo supporters tried to boycott the film, with some Filipino movie critics exposing themselves as heavily political and non-neutral with their reviews, accusing the film of propaganda and historical revisionism. The attempt to quash the movie’s release failed and it became a box-office hit, with producer Viva Films releasing a statement that it earned a whopping P21 million on its opening day and P63 million three days after its release. It was the first time in Philippine cinema history that local theaters nationwide saw a deluge of moviegoers lining up to watch a movie on the big screen, mostly driven by political affiliation. Another unsuccessful political attempt to diminish the film’s release was Vince Tañada’s re-release of his Martial Law film Katips to counter Maid in Malacañang. Tañada’s film eventually won Best Picture at the Famas Awards. MIM actress Ella Cruz’s remark during a press conference, that “history is like tsismis,” further fanned the flames of political debate online. Eight months later, in March 2022, Viva released Yap’s second installment in his Marcos trilogy, Martyr or Murderer, which now focused on Ferdinand Marcos and the assassination of Ninoy Aquino. Two anti-Marcos movies rose to combat the film — Joel Lamangan’s Oras de Peligro, released on the same day, and Tañada’s movie adaptation of his musical play Ako Si Ninoy, released one week earlier. Movie buffs, political analysts, film critics, the press and social media influencers dove into feverish commentaries on the three films, and Philippine cinemas were ignited and, for a while, became alive with social discourse. New FDCP head On 21 July 2022, Tirso S. Cruz III officially assumed his position as the head of the country’s national film agency, the Film Development Council of the Philippines. He replaced Liza Diño, who was appointed by President Rodrigo Duterte as FDCP chairperson on 12 August 2016. [caption id="attachment_161368" align="aligncenter" width="736"] FDCP chair Tirso Cruz III. | PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF FDCP[/caption] Cruz, a veteran actor, said that the target of the FDCP under the Marcos administration was to support local films, not just in Metro Manila, but also from regional filmmakers. He also professed support for film students and highlighted archiving as part of the FDCP’s agenda, with 42,000 materials in its archives to be salvaged. MTRCB In September 2022, the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board released a statement addressing the controversy about its proposal to expand its jurisdiction to online streaming services like Netflix, Vivamax, Amazon Prime and other streaming platforms. The MTRCB said it was responding to multitudes of complaints from parents and other concerned groups demanding that the agency regulate movie and TV online platforms to protect children from harmful viewing. The Marcos administration has seen a continuous boom in streamers, which began during the pandemic, with Vivamax becoming one of the leading local streamers due to the popularity of Filipino sexploitation films. On 23 February 2023, MTRCB chairperson Lala Sotto-Antonio expressed her gratitude to Senators Francis “Tol” Tolentino, Grace Poe and Sherwin Gatchalian for the separate bills they filed that would amend and expand the board’s mandate. “We welcome the move to amend the charter of the MTRCB as it will allow the agency to adequately adapt to changes in technology and the ever-evolving needs of the viewing public and our other stakeholders,” Sotto-Antonio said before the Senate Committee on Public Information and Mass Media chaired by Senator Robinhood C. Padilla. Eddie Garcia Act In January 2023, the chamber passed through voice voting House Bill 1270, or the proposed Eddie Garcia Act, at the House plenary session. [caption id="attachment_161367" align="aligncenter" width="1000"] HOUSE Bill 1270 has been proposed in honor of the late actor Eddie Garcia. | Photograph courtesy of gma-7[/caption] Camarines Sur Rep. Luis Raymund Villafuerte authored the bill, which aims to provide workers in the movie, television and radio entertainment industry opportunities for well-paid employment and protect them from economic exploitation, abuse and harassment, as well as hazardous working conditions. The bill was named after the late veteran actor Eddie Garcia, who died in 2019 after suffering a neck injury while shooting the television series Rosang Agimat, produced by GMA Network. According to Villafuerte, productions would go from 16 to 24 continuous work hours per set and would rush productions to save costs. The proposed law mandates that normal work hours of the worker or talent shall be eight hours a day; overtime work should not exceed more than 12 hours in a 24-hour period; and the total number of work hours shall not exceed 60 hours in a week. Paul Soriano Relatively unknown to most Pinoy moviegoers, filmmaker Paul Soriano was put on the limelight as the man behind the President’s advertisements — way back from campaigns since Marcos started out as vice governor, and then, governor of Ilocos Norte, up until his senatorial campaign, and eventually his campaign for the vice presidency and presidency. [caption id="attachment_161371" align="aligncenter" width="781"] PRESIDENTIAL Adviser on Creative Communications Paul Soriano. | PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF ig/PAUL SORIANO[/caption] Of course, the opposition in the film industry predictably canceled Soriano, the blood nephew of First Lady Liza Cacho Araneta-Marcos. Dolly de Leon It was also during the BBM era that Filipina actress Dolly de Leon gained international fame for her performance in the 2022 Cannes Palme d’Or winner Triangle of Sadness. [caption id="attachment_161366" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Dolly de Leon gained international fame for her performance in the 2022 Cannes Palme d’Or winner ‘Triangle of Sadness.’ | Photograph courtesy ofig/dolly de leon[/caption] The 54-year old film, television and theater actress made history by becoming the first Filipino actor to be nominated at the British Academy Film Awards and Golden Globe Awards. Filipino movie fans and critics, having been exposed to global content since the rise of the streamers, plus the proliferation of self-published movie reviews, are generally still disappointed with the output and system of the Philippine film industry, but filled with hope that, with full support from the government, Philippine cinema will finally become truly internationally competitive, sustainable and recognized. The post Phl cinema in the first year of BBM appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
ICC confirms $30m reparations in DR Congo warlord case
The International Criminal Court on Friday confirmed a more than $30 million reparations package for thousands of victims of DR Congo warlord Bosco Ntaganda, including former child soldiers. Named the "Terminator" for his reign of terror in the vast African country in the early 2000s, Ntaganda was jailed for 30 years in 2019 for war crimes and crimes against humanity. Judges afterward awarded $30.3 million (27 million euros) in reparations, but last year ordered a review saying the number of victims was unclear. But on Friday "the Chamber unanimously assesses Mr Ntaganda's liability for reparations at USD $31,300,000," the Hague-based court said in a statement. Although Ntaganda is liable for the payment, the ICC found that he did not have the funds, which would now be paid from the Trust Fund for Victims at the ICC. Judges asked court officials to "continue exploring whether Mr. Ntaganda possessed any undiscovered assets" and monitor his finances "on an ongoing basis." Judges added that based on available information, there were an estimated 7,500 direct and indirect victims of violent attacks, as well as 3,000 direct or indirect victims of crimes against child soldiers. No financial amounts were given for specific victims, but payment would include around $11 million in socio-economic support and around five million dollars ($5 million) for mental care resulting from "psychological harm" suffered during the attacks. Rehabilitation of former child soldiers was estimated at around $4,000 per person. The ICC 2021 upheld a 30-year sentence on appeal for war crimes against Ntaganda. "The Chamber reiterates that Mr. Ntaganda's conviction is final and his liability to repair the harm caused to the victims of his crimes is under no discussion," the judges stressed in Friday's order. "The Chamber will continue striving to advance these reparation proceedings in the most efficient and effective manner possible... ensuring that the victims of his crimes receive the reparations they are entitled to, and for which they have waited for more than two decades, without further delay," they said. The Rwandan-born Ntaganda, 49, was convicted of 18 counts of crimes against humanity and war crimes, including murder, sexual slavery, rape, and using child soldiers. Ntaganda was the first person to be convicted of sexual slavery by the court. Many of the other charges related to massacres of villagers in the mineral-rich Ituri region of the Democratic Republic of Congo. The post ICC confirms $30m reparations in DR Congo warlord case appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
China still intractable
On the seventh anniversary of the Philippines’ historic 12 July 2016 arbitration victory in which the Permanent Court of Arbitration or PCA in The Hague that voided China’s sweeping claims, including over the West Philippine Sea which covers the exclusive economic zone stretching 200 nautical miles from Philippine shores, the words of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. strike an uplifting chord in the hearts of all patriotic Filipinos. “I will not preside over any process that will abandon even one square inch of territory of the Republic of the Philippines to any foreign power,” he said with conviction to thunderous applause as he stood before members of Congress in joint session for his first SONA on 25 July 2022. The words of the President serve as the title to the microsite recently launched by the Department of Foreign Affairs, which marks the seventh year of Manila’s victory against China at the PCA. That victory, the DFA said on the site, “authoritatively ruled that the claim of historic rights to resources within the sea areas falling within the ‘nine-dash’ line had no basis in law and is without any legal effect.” Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo describes the site as a central resource of information regarding the award and its contribution to the rule of law and peaceful settlement of disputes through the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea or UNCLOS and international law. China, ironically, was among the first to ratify UNCLOS in 1992. Said Manalo, “Anniversaries remind us of the trajectory we have taken as a nation and as a people. In the decision (by the Philippine government, under then President Benigno C. Aquino III) to file an arbitration case, the Philippines opted to take the path of principle, the rule of law, and the peaceful settlement of disputes. The Tribunal’s decision affirmed the correctness of that course of action.” It took three years from the Philippines’ filing of its case against China until 12 July 2016 for the PCA to issue its ruling that crushed China’s claims over the SCS, including its nine-dash line, denouncing the encroachment in and harassment by armed Chinese maritime elements of Filipino fishermen in the WPS. China has long argued that its claim over the South China Sea is historical in nature, with Chinese scholars and analysts contending that islands in the South China Sea were first discovered by China’s Han dynasty over two millennia ago. In his book Asia’s Cauldron, US scholar and strategist Robert D. Kaplan says that between the 10th and 14th centuries, during the Song and Yuan dynasties, many official and unofficial Chinese accounts show the South China Sea to be within China’s national boundaries. He, however, argued that this “historical rights” argument has been challenged on several fronts. First, there is scant proof that China had controlled the South China Sea after the mid-17th century. “Indeed, after a burst of seafaring exploration during the Ming dynasty (1368-1644), China’s emperors largely shut their empire off from the seas,” said Chinese marine geographer Wang Ying who contends that, consequently, there is scarce cartographic proof of China’s rights over the SCS. While the nine-dash line concept has been around since 1947, Chinese maps — for the longest time — hardly gave it any prominence. This changed in 2009 when a map marking the nine-dash line was included in the documents submitted by China to the UN during a dispute with Vietnam. Today, Chinese passports are emblazoned with a map with nine dashes through the South China Sea as well as a 10th dash that counts Taiwan as part of Chinese territory. Still, there exists vagueness over what China’s nine-dash line implies. Wang says the dash lines mean that “the ocean, islands, and reefs all belong to China and that China has sovereign right over them. But it’s discontinuous, meaning other countries can pass through the lines freely.” Notwithstanding the ambiguities over its nine-dash line concept and the quashing by the PCA of its claim over the SCS, China, to this day, refuses to recognize the 2016 arbitral ruling even as nations, including the US, Germany, Canada, Japan, Australia, and the European Union have expressed strong support for the landmark decision that recognized Philippine sovereign rights over its EEZ in the WPS. For the US, the 2016 ruling of the tribunal constituted under UNCLOS is “final and legally binding.” The EU called the ruling a “significant milestone” and a “useful basis for the peaceful resolution of disputes…” even as Canadian Ambassador David Hartman said, “We have always been strong in our position; we have been an active vocal proponent on the enforcement of it, encouraging all parties involved to respect the ruling.” Speaking for President Marcos, DFA Secretary Manalo welcomed “the growing number of partners that have expressed support for the Award. We are honored that the Award stands as a beacon whose guiding light serves all nations. It is a settled landmark and a definitive contribution to the progressive development of international law. It is ours, as much as it is the world’s.” A world, that is, that an obdurate China doesn’t seem to want to be part of nor care for unless it can be bent to its will. The post China still intractable appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
DFA confirms Kuwait’s suspension of visas for Filipinos
The Department of Foreign Affairs on Thursday confirmed that the Kuwaiti government has issued a suspension of all types of visas for Filipinos. In an interview with Daily Tribune, DFA Assistant Secretary Paul Cortez said the Philippine Embassy in Kuwait received the official notice from the government of Kuwait regarding the suspension of visas. “The Embassy of Kuwait in Manila also confirmed that the Kuwaiti government indeed suspended the issuance of new visas for Filipino nationals into Kuwait,” Cortez said. “Suspension of all types of visas – that is how it was written. It was not really clear,” he added. He, however, noted that the suspension of all types of visas for Filipinos which became effective on 10 May exempts those who have iqamas or residence identification cards. Asked whether the Philippine government was notified about the basis of the suspension of visas, Cortez said: “The Kuwaiti government did not give a specific reason, they just announced the suspension.” However, according to the local broadsheet Kuwait Times, the decision to suspend all types of work and entry visas for Filipinos was taken due to the Philippines’ alleged failure to comply with the labor agreement between the two countries. Cortez refused to comment regarding the said reason, stressing that the DFA will wait for the official response from its counterpart. “Those are unofficial and it is something that we don’t confirm nor react to since it is not official,” he said. Cortez added that the Philippine Embassy in Kuwait is already coordinating with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to determine the basis of suspension and resolve the matter. “As far as we’re concerned, if we have any issues with other countries, we discuss them with the hope of resolving them amicably,” he said. “We're diplomats, our job is to discuss the talk to find solutions, especially [since] our priority is not only to maintain friendly relations with Kuwait, but in this case, also to protect the interests of almost 300,000 Filipinos there.” In February, the Philippine government temporarily banned all first-time domestic helpers from working in Kuwait, following the murder of Filipina domestic helper Jullebee Ranara by the son of her Kuwaiti employer. According to the DFA, Kuwait is currently home to 290,000 Filipinos. The post DFA confirms Kuwait’s suspension of visas for Filipinos appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Cuba confirms first monkeypox case in visitor from Italy
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Indonesia confirms first monkeypox case – health ministry
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Russia confirms 1st case of monkeypox: sanitary watchdog
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The Bank of England confirms that Santander UK is the entity best prepared in case of bankruptcy
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Baguio City confirms first Delta variant case
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Tuguegarao City confirms one Delta case
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Quezon City gov t confirms Delta variant case, says local transmission possible
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QCPD confirms robbery-holdup of Katipunan convenience store
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Philippines confirms first case of new COVID-19 variant
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Batanes confirms first COVID-19 case
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DOJ orders probe into high-profile inmates deaths as BuCor confirms Jaybee Sebastian died of COVID-19
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Berger a winner at Colonial, and PGA Tour feels like it, too
By DOUG FERGUSON AP Golf Writer FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — The PGA Tour spent two months learning about the COVID-19 pandemic and trying to develop a safe plan to return, followed by another month hoping for the best. Commissioner Jay Monahan said his confidence in the plan came with a dose of uncertainty. “If we ... got into a situation where we were dealing with a number of positive tests, that's something — candidly — that I lost a lot of sleep over in the weeks that preceded coming,” Monahan said. Monahan felt every bit a winner as Daniel Berger at the Charles Schwab Challenge. The tour administered 487 tests for the new coronavirus at Colonial, and the results on all of them came back negative. On the golf course, a dozen of some of golf's best players — from Rory McIlroy to Justin Thomas, Xander Schauffele to Jordan Spieth — all had a chance going into the final round. “Listen, there is more work to be done,” Monahan said. “But this is a phenomenal start to our return.” It was a healthy return, except for a somewhat sickly finish. Berger made a 10-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole and heard the deafening silence of a big moment with no spectators allowed at Colonial. He got into a playoff when Collin Morikawa missed a 6-foot birdie putt for the win and Xander Schauffele missed his try from 25 feet. The playoff was held on the 17th hole, another reminder of how this week was different. Playoffs always start on the 18th hole because that's where the gallery is packed into the grandstands. With no fans allowed, and with the 17th tee right next to the clubhouse, off they went. Morikawa hit a deft chip to 3 feet. Berger chipped even closer from behind the green and rapped in his par. They presumably were headed to the 18th tee until Morikawa's 3-footer spun out, and Berger was the winner. Schauffele should have been in the playoff, but his 3-footer for par on the 17th in regulation dipped in the right side of the cup and spun out of the left side. Talk about a horrible horseshoe. “If there are fans and everything with the ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs,’ I’d probably be a little more (ticked) off,” Schauffele said. “Maybe that’s a good thing for me right now. But it was definitely weird." Justin Rose had an 18-foot birdie putt on the 18th that looked good all the way until it wasn't. He finished one behind along with Bryson DeChambeau and Jason Kokrak, who also missed birdie chances on the last hole. This isn't the first time Rose or anyone else has missed a big putt. It wasn't the first time Rose let out a gutteral moan from missing. It was just the first time he actually heard it. “If the crowd are there, their groans or cries, whatever it may be, would have drowned me out,” Rose said. “You suddenly realize you actually do make some noise sometimes yourself. And it surprised me a little bit there on 18.” There were reminders all week of no fans, but rarely why golf had been shut down since March 12 because of the rapid spread of COVID-19, a pandemic that canceled one major (British Open) and postponed the others until later in the year. “The only time I thought about it was when I was having to take the tests, and that was really it,” Keith Mitchell said. “Hopefully, nobody comes down with it and we can keep on playing.” Players on the charter to the next stop — Hilton Head on the South Carolina shore — had to swing by the pool area at Colonial after the third round for a saliva test. If negative, they board the plane and don't have to be tested at Hilton Head. Everyone else driving, flying commercial or flying private face another test when they arrive. Tony Finau learned a new skill beyond chipping and putting. He learned to spit for his test. “You just kind of roll your tongue around inside your mouth, and it seems to bring a little bit more, and also if you just lean your face down, it seems to come out a little easier,” he said. So few talking about the virus was an indication of how safe it felt. In this case, the week doesn't end until the next tournament begins. “I was asked, ‘What’s a successful week look like?' It means us getting to the RBC Heritage and having another successful week,” he said. “I feel very good about the setup there, and we're ready to go again." Monahan had said as the tour prepared to return that it was critical not to fall into a trap that all is well. He said he wouldn't feel comfortable until told he could be comfortable, and likely would mean a vaccine. Morikawa said being back to golf and being back to normal were different matters. “Just because we played one week doesn’t mean we can go party and go do everything else like we used to,” Morikawa said. “We still have to follow these guidelines and maintain safety and strict rules with how far we stay from each other because it’s still out there. “We just have to be cognizant of what’s around us and where we put ourselves, because we want the tour to keep playing......»»
DOH confirms COVID-19 positive anew in Cagayan Valley
TUGUEGARAO CITY, Cagayan, June 10 (PIA) - - The Department of Health (DOH) region 2 has confirmed new Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) positive case today.Dr. Leticia T. Cabrera, chief-L.....»»