MANILA, Philippine s — The University of the Philippines drubbed La Salle, 89-77, in a rematch between UAAP finalists to open the Filoil EcoOil 17th ECJ Preseason Cup in style over the weekend at the Filoil EcoOil Centre.
JD Cagulangan and Francis Lopez connived as the Fighting Maroons exacted some payback on the Green Archers after a runner-up finish to the same team in the UAAP Season 86 finals late last year.
UP also handed La Salle, even with the presence of Kevin Quiambao, its first loss in any preseason leagues this summer after a 9-0 perfect championship run in the PBA D-League and an unbeaten 4-0 start in the Pinoy Liga thus far.
Cagulangan tallied 19 points, three assists and three steals while Lopez had 16 points, four assists and three steals with new reinforcement Dikachi Ududo in place of former ace Malick Diouf piling up six points, 10 rebounds and two blocks.
“Alam nating first game pa lang ito pero seeing the players respond, ok na ok sa akin yun. Ang importante sakin is getting the exposure we need for all our players, especially against La Salle pa,” said head coach Goldwin Monteverde.
Reigning UAAP Most Valuable Player Quiambao had 15 points, while PBA D-League MVP Mike Phillips and also new foreign student-athlete Henry Agunanne added 13 points apiece for the wards of coach Topex Robinson.
Meanwhile, Josh Tagala fired 20 points as NCAA champion San Beda trounced rival Letran, 76-69, even without NCAA Finals MVP James Payosing and star forward Yukien Andrada.
In other games, Mapua beat Lyceum, 75-67; University of Perpetual Help under new head coach Olsen Racela escaped Jose Rizal University in double overtime; 91-89, while University of the East took down Adamson, 65-57.
COTABATO CITY — Anti-narcotics agents seized P748,000 worth of shabu from two dealers, one of them reportedly connected to two local terrorist groups, entrapped in separate operations in two Bangsamoro provinces on Friday.
The first to fall in the two operations was Sibal Sampang, arrested by agents of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency-Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao after selling to them P340,000 worth of shabu in a tradeoff in Barangay Poblacion in Bongao, the capital town of Tawi-Tawi.
Gil Cesario Castro, director of PDEA-BARMM, told reporters here on Sunday that Sampang yielded peacefully when he was cuffed by agents to whom he had sold 50 grams of shabu worth P340,00 during the entrapment operation, planned with the help of tipsters, among them his close relatives.
Policemen had also entrapped and detained on the same day a male dealer, who is said to have links with the allied terrorist groups Dawlah Islamiya and Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters in Wao town, Lanao del Sur.
The sting resulted in the seizure of P408,000 worth of shabu from the suspect whose name was withheld while efforts to validate his links with the Dawlah Islamiya and the BIFF are still underway.
Police Brig. Gen. Prexy Tanggawohn, director of the Police Regional Office-Bangsamoro Autonomous Region, said on Sunday that the entrapment operation that led to his arrest was jointly initiated by units under the Lanao del Sur Provincial Police Office and the Drug Enforcement Group Special Operations Unit-15 of the Philippine National Police.
The suspect was immediately detained after selling P408,000 worth of shabu to non-uniformed policemen during the entrapment operation in a secluded area in Wao, one of the 39 towns in Lanao del Sur.