SHOWBIZ

Julia Barretto tells Bea Alonzo: ‘I refuse to be your victim’

MANILA — (UPDATED) After weeks of keeping silent, Julia Barretto finally addressed on Tuesday
accusations that she was involved in the breakup of her fellow Star Magic artists Bea Alonzo and Gerald
Anderson, and further, that she had cheated on her former boyfriend Joshua Garcia with Anderson.

Barretto made her statement via Instagram, posting an old photo of her as a child with an adult Alonzo
which had been circulating online in the wake of the controversy.

“These past weeks, my faith, my patience, and my strength were put to the test,” she began. “I have
endured many harsh words hurled against me and my family everywhere on social media. It is
exhausting and painful. While some might have forgotten, I am also human.”

Barretto went on to address the two issues she has been “attacked” for: that she “cheated” on her
boyfriend, and that she was “the cause of another relationship’s breakup.”

“Let’s be clear: Josh and I had broken up four months ago. We have publicly admitted it together and we
have cleared that there was no third party involved,” she wrote.

Barretto was referring to Garcia, with whom she starred in four films and one teleserye in a span of just
three years.

In June, Barretto hinted at the end of her relationship with Garcia, saying she was “in love with the peace
I have gained,” and that she has let go of “toxic” people in her life.

In a joint interview weeks later, the “Block Z” co-stars confirmed changing their status to being “best
friends.” At the time, they also both denied that Anderson, Barretto’s leading man in the romance film
“Between Maybes,” was a factor in their decision.
SPORTS

FIBA: Gilas Pilipinas off and running in Spain

The Philippine men's national team is off to a strong start in its training camp in Spain, as they routed
Congo, 102-80, in their first exhibition game.

Andray Blatche led the way in the victory with 25 points, while Japeth Aguilar added 22 markers.

#GilasGritAndGrind: Our #GilasPilipinas starts the Spain games on a high note as they bring down Congo
102-80!

Blatche sparked the Philippines' strong start, as they led, 32-19, before Congo rallied in the second
period. A big third quarter allowed Gilas to regain control of the game, and they led, 84-60, heading into
the payoff period before cruising to victory.

Gilas Pilipinas is in Spain to ramp up its preparations for the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup that starts
later this month. Eleven players joined the national team, as Kiefer Ravena is still not allowed to play in
games on account of his suspension.

The team will play Ivory Coast in another exhibition game, then compete in a pocket tournament in
Malaga.

There, the Philippines will play Congo anew. Should they win, they will take on the winner of the match-
up between Spain and Ivory Coast.
INTERNATIONAL

148 arrested in Hong Kong during Monday's protests: police

HONG KONG - Hong Kong police on Tuesday said 148 people were arrested during running battles with
protesters the day before, the largest daily toll since huge pro-democracy protests kicked off two months
ago.

On Monday Hong Kong buckled under a general strike followed by the most widespread and sustained
clashes so far with tear gas fired at more than a dozen locations against increasingly violent hardcore
protesters.

"During the operation yesterday, the police arrested 148 people consisting of 95 males and 53 females,
aged between 13 and 63-years-old," superintendent John Tse told reporters.

Over the last two weeks, both police and protesters have resorted to increasingly confrontational tactics,
plunging the city into a crisis.

At Tuesday's press conference police revealed that they fired some 800 tear gas rounds that day --
almost as many as the 1,000 rounds they said they had fired throughout the whole of the last two
months.

Riot police also discharged 140 rubber bullets and 20 sponge rounds.

The press conference revealed details of how widespread Monday's battles were against the police --
who have become a lightning rod for public anger and are derided by protesters as Beijing's enforcers.

Throughout Monday, police stations came under attack from protesters hurling stones, eggs, bottles and
using slingshots that fired bricks. An apartment complex that houses police officers and their families
also came under attack.

Tse said a total of 21 police stations were "affected" by Monday's protests -- although it was unclear if all
of them were besieged.

Media documented tear gas being fired in at least a dozen districts on Monday.

"Within two short months, the rioters have recklessly destroyed the rule of law. Their acts have seriously
hampered public safety," Tse said.

Protesters have countered that police have long been using excessive violence against their movement,
accusations the force denies.

They also say they were forced to adopt more confrontational tactics after peaceful rallies failed to win
any concessions.
NATIONAL

DOH won't rush vaccine review despite dengue boom

MANILA -- The Department of Health will not speed up its review of the possible return of dengue
vaccine Dengvaxia, a official said Wednesday, after authorities declared a national epidemic of the
mosquito-borne disease.

The government in late 2017 stopped giving the world-first vaccine to schoolchildren after drug maker
Sanofi disclosed that it may cause more severe symptoms among those who have not had dengue. The
French firm last month appealed the revocation of Dengvaxia's certificate of product registration.

"Kailangan natin ng complete documentation saka final result ng mga study para masuri natin talaga
bago natin gamitin ulit. Hindi po siya minamadali," said DOH Undersecretary and Spokesperson Eric
Domingo.

"We should not connect this to the current dengue outbreak dahil hindi naman po s'ya magiging sagot sa
outbreak na ito," he added.

(We need the complete documentation and final result of the studies so we can thoroughly examine this
before using it again. It is not being fast-tracked. We should not connect this to the current dengue
outbreak because it won't be a solution to it.)

Majority of the current dengue patients are aged 5 to 9, while Dengvaxia is marketed in other countries
for children aged 10 to 16, noted Domingo.

The vaccine, he added, can only be given to those who have had dengue and only targets 1 of 4 strains of
the disease.

Sanofi is supposed to release its 60-month follow-up study on Dengvaxia's efficacy soon, he said.

Authorities disagree publicly over whether Dengvaxia, the first of its kind, could have contributed to the
deaths of several children.

Reports of alleged deaths due to Dengvaxia have spawned a vaccination scare that led to a drop in
immunization coverage in the country to 40 percent last year, from an average 70 percent in recent
years.

As of July 20 this year, the DOH recorded 146,062 cases of dengue, with 622 deaths. The figure is double
from the 73,818 cases recorded during the same period last year.

Former Health Secretary Janette Garin last week urged the government to lift the ban on Dengvaxia and
allow private doctors to distribute it.
WEATHER

Hanna now a typhoon, more monsoon rains ahead

MANILA (2nd UPDATE) - Hanna intensified into a typhoon on Wednesday morning as it crept closer to
the country's northern tip, where a series of earthquakes last week flattened decades-old houses to the
ground and left at least 9 dead, the state weather bureau said.

At 10 a.m., the typhoon was 630 kilometers east of Basco, Batanes, the country's northernmost
province, packing maximum sustained winds of 130 kilometers per hour and 160 kph gusts, said PAGASA.

In Itbayat, Batanes' second most populous town, some 90 families who lost their homes to Saturday's
quakes camped in the plaza. When the weather worsens, they would be transferred to 3 school buildings
that were declared safe despite minor cracks from the earthquakes, disaster officials said.

PAGASA at 6 a.m. hoisted tropical cyclone signal 1 over Batanes and the Babuyan islands, which may be
whipped by 30 to 60 kph winds in 36 hours.

Hanna is unlikely to hit land, but is enhancing the habagat or southwest moonsoon, said PAGASA
weather specialist Chris Perez.

Moderate to heavy monsoon rains are expected to lash the northern portions of Palawan, Occidental
Mindoro, Oriental Mindoro, Romblon, Zambales, Bataan, Aklan, Antique, Iloilo and Guimaras, he said.

Metro Manila, the rest of Luzon, and Visayas will experience light to moderate rains.

Residents in all these areas should be on the lookout for possible floods and landslides, warned the
weather bureau.