Day: March 3, 2024

MANILA: University of the East (UE) head coach Jerry Yee has been suspended for the remainder of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 86 women’s volleyball tournament.

According to a UAAP statement released to the media on Sunday, Yee can still train the Lady Warriors and coach them in non-UAAP events.

Yee’s suspension will not impact on the team’s record, 1-2 as of posting time.

“The decision follows a complaint raised by a member school against coach Yee on account of conduct violative of the purposes of the UAAP — a platform for Member Universities to foster camaraderie and fair play,” the UAAP statement said.

In a statement, Yee said the complaint that led to his suspension was “borne out of vindictiveness ironically from an institution that prides itself in instilling Catholic virtues and teachings,’ referring to his former team, Adamson University.

“I maintain that there was no ethical breach in my decision to accept UE’s head coaching job, because it was a mutual p
arting of ways for both Adamson and I. It is unfortunate that this career decision of mine has been met with vitriol at the late-onset,’ Yee said.

“I express my utmost disappointment with the UAAP board’s decision to suspend me for the rest of the season,’ he added.

Yee’s stint with Adamson ended on June 7, 2023 as his decision to handle Farm Fresh, composed of players from College of Saint Benilde, in the Philippine Volleyball League did not sit well with his former school and its major sponsor, Akari.

He then accepted the UE offer after two weeks.

After a thorough deliberation by the UAAP Board of Managing Directors (BMD), a recommendation was elevated to the Board of Trustees (BOT).

On Feb. 29, the BOT agreed with the BMD findings that Yee had engaged in acts inconsistent with the league’s objectives.

“The UAAP, as an organization of educational institutions, prioritizes maintaining a close-knit relationship among its eight member schools through healthy competition and demands the highest ethical an
d professional standards from those expected to mold the student-athletes,” the league statement read.

An appeal will be filed on Monday. Assistant coach Obet Vital will take over the squad.

Yee would have coached UE against his former team on Sunday. The Lady Warriors wore black armbands and wrist tapes inscribed with “Coach JERRY.”

‘My commitment to restoring a winning culture to the UE Lady Warriors remains steadfast despite the tremendous disadvantage we now face as a team without its leader,’ he said. ‘Nonetheless, I will continue to perform my duties as coach to the Lady Warriors despite this unmerited decision by the board.”

Source: Philippines News Agency

MANILA: President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. arrived Sunday night in Melbourne where he was warmly welcomed by Australian government officials.

The President is accompanied by First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos and the Philippine delegates for the ASEAN-Australia Special Summit.

The plane carrying the President and his entourage landed at Melbourne Airport at 7:15 p.m. local time (4:15 p.m. in PH).

President Marcos will participate in the ASEAN-Australia Special Summit where he will reiterate the position of the Philippines on the regional and international issues and thank the Australian government for its unwavering support for the rule of law.

He is also expected to hold bilateral meetings with Prime Ministers Samdech Hun Manet of Cambodia and Christopher Mark Luxon of New Zealand; meet with the Filipino community in Melbourne and promote business through the Philippine Business Forum of the Department of Trade and Industry; and deliver a keynote speech at the Lowy Institute where he will highlight the Philip
pines’ role as an active participant in world affairs and a contributor to the rules-based regional security architecture.

The bilateral ties between the Philippines and Australia was established on July 4, 1946.

President Marcos and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese signed an agreement in September last year, elevating the bilateral relationship of the Philippines and Australia from comprehensive to strategic partnership.

Australia continues to support the Philippines as the country’s 11th largest source of total Official Development Assistance with grant commitments amounting to USD180.4 million.

It is home to some 408,000 Filipinos and Australians of Filipino descent.

The Australian government’s official guests, aside from Marcos, are Prime Ministers Anwar Ibrahim of Malaysia, Sonexay Siphandone of Laos, and Pham Minh Chính of Vietnam.

“Australia is proud to be ASEAN’s first Dialogue Partner, sharing 50 years of mutual respect and cooperation with our friends in Southeast Asia,” Albanese sai
d a statement.

‘Building Australia’s links with the countries of Southeast Asia is a priority for the Government. The Special Summit commemorates our shared history and focuses firmly on the future — on how we can deepen our ties and Australia’s engagement with our region.”

Source: Philippines News Agency

MANILA: Perpetual Help demolished San Sebastian College-Recoletos, 111-80, to get the No. 1 spot and the twice-to-beat Final Four incentive in the NCAA Season 99 junior basketball at Filoil EcoOil Centre in San Juan City on Sunday.

Jan Pagulayan sank four three-pointers to finish with 25 points and lead the Junior Altas to their eighth win in nine outings.

He also grabbed four rebounds and made three assists.

Amiel Acido chipped in 23 points, 20 rebounds and five assists, while Jhames Saep had 16 points and two blocks for Perpetual, which trailed 20-30 in the first half and 43-48 at halftime.

Acido’s double-double performance boosted his bid for the Most Valuable Player award and possibly, another Defensive Player of the Year plum.

Mark Gojo Cruz contributed 11 points, six rebounds, five assists, two blocks and one steal, while Aries Borja also scored 11 points to go with three rebounds and one block.

Jhun Peñaverde led San Sebastian with 20 points, six rebounds, six assists and six steals, followed by
Ruvic Danag, who had 19 points, four assists, three rebounds and two steals.

San Sebastian may face Perpetual anew in Final Four after it slid to No. 4 with a 6-3 record.

Defending champion Letran and Mapua, sporting identical 6-2 cards, were playing their final elimination round games at press time.

Meanwhile, Emilio Aguinaldo College defeated Jose Rizal University, 63-47, to end its campaign at 4-5.

JRU closed out its season at 3-6.

Source: Philippines News Agency

South Korea’s first military spy satellite has successfully transmitted “good-resolution” images of central Pyongyang back home following the satellite’s launch in December, military sources said Sunday.

The first indigenous South Korean military spy satellite was placed into orbit from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on Dec. 2, allowing South Korea to independently gain satellite imagery on the North Korean military and leadership.

According to the sources, the electro-optical and infrared (EO/IR) satellite has been sending home satellite images of North Korean regions, including Pyongyang, in a test transmission.

“Seen from the results of the editing on recently transmitted satellite photos, the resolution is as good as expected,” a military source said.

“Pyongyang’s central area and vessels at a port are clearly seen (in the photos),” the source noted.

The photos currently being transmitted need some heavy editing, but the satellite is expected to send home higher-resolution images beginnin
g next month, other sources also said.

Sources did not specify the exact subjects photographed in the images, citing intelligence reasons. Central Pyongyang houses the headquarters building of the Workers’ Party of Korea, where leader Kim Jong-un’s office is located.

“Given the current conditions, (the satellite) is anticipated to enter its full reconnaissance mission by June or July as planned,” another source noted.

Once the indigenous satellite goes into its full mission phase, it is expected to help reduce South Korea’s heavy reliance on U.S. satellite imagery on North Korea, which could boost Seoul’s independent monitoring capabilities of North Korea.

By 2025, South Korea plans to send four more satellites into space to better monitor North Korea, including the second, synthetic aperture radar satellite, scheduled to be launched in April from an air force base in Florida.

Source: Yonhap News Agency

MANILA: President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. will reiterate the country’s position on regional and international issues during the ASEAN-Australia Special Summit.

President Marcos was invited by Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to the Special Summit in Melbourne, commemorating the 50 years of ASEAN-Australia Relations.

He thanked the Australian government for its support for the rule of law.

‘As the first ASEAN Leaders’ level engagement for the year, the Summit presents an opportunity to reiterate the Philippines’ national positions on regional and international issues and set the tone for ASEAN’s Dialogue Partner Summits later in the year,’ Marcos said in his departure speech at Villamor Air Base in Pasay City on Sunday.

‘The Summit will be an opportunity for the Philippines to thank Australia, ASEAN’s oldest Dialogue Partner, for its unwavering support for the rule of law, for the 1982 UNCLOS and the 2016 Arbitral Award, through timely statements of support as well as through capacity-building an
d academic initiatives to mainstream appreciation of international law,’ he added.

Marcos said there will be two main engagements in the ASEAN-Australia Special Summit, including the Leaders’ Plenary and the ‘Leaders’ Retreat.

He said the Philippines will take stock of ASEAN-Australia cooperation and cooperation and propose ways to further bolster relations during the Leaders’ Plenary.

The country will exchange candid views on key issues affecting the region, and the world during the Leaders’ Retreat.

The President said he will also hold bilateral meetings with the Prime Ministers Samdech Hun Manet of Cambodia and Christopher Mark Luxon of New Zealand.

He will likewise meet with the Filipino community in Melbourne and promote investments through the Philippine Business Forum led by the Department of Trade and Industry.

The President is similarly looking forward to the launching of the expansion of the Victoria International Container Terminal, Australia’s first fully automated container terminal.

He wi
ll deliver a keynote speech at the Lowy Institute where he will highlight the Philippines’ role as an active participant in world affairs and a contributor to the rules-based regional security architecture.

The President assured that the government will continue to ensure that the Philippines’ constructive engagements with ASEAN and stakeholders will best serve the country’s national interest, promote region’s peace, stability, security and prosperity for the well-being of the Filipino people and the region.

The Philippines and Australia established formal diplomatic relations on July 4, 1946.

Australia is home to around 408,000 Filipinos and Australians of Filipino descent.

Last year, overseas Filipino workers’ remittances from Australia reached USD301.2 million.

The ASEAN members are Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.

Source: Philippines News Agency