US POLL RESULTS STILL AWAITED: TRUMP REPEATS HIS ‘POLL FRAUD’ CLAIMSThough weary Americans will have to wait for some more time to know theclear winner of the closely-fought election between Republican PresidentDonald Trump and his Democratic rival Joe Biden, the former has renewed hisclaims that Democrats are trying to “steal” the election from him, and saidthat he would win if “legal votes” are counted. Meanwhile, Biden hasexpressed confidence in becoming the next president of the United Statesafter the counting of all votes is concluded.Unleashing harsh criticism of pre-election polling that showed him trailingDemocrat Joe Biden, Trump claimed without evidence that the ballot-countingprocess is unfair and corrupt. He also renewed his criticism of widespreaduse of mail-in balloting in the pandemic, and ramped up allegations of fraudagainst the Democrats, saying he will win if “legal votes” are counted.“If you count the legal vote, I easily win. If you count the illegal votes,they can try to steal the election from us,” he said, adding that theelection might end “at the highest court of land”.With 253 projected electoral college votes, Biden needs just 17 more to winthe race to the White House. He can reach this magic figure by winningArizona (11), and Nevada (6), the two states where he’s currently leading.Trump has 214 projected electoral college votes, and is currently leading inPennsylvania (20), Georgia (16), North Carolina (15) Alaska (3). But hedoesn't have a strong lead in Georgia.There could be some more clarity by Friday evening.Meanwhile, US courts have dismissed the Donald Trump campaign's lawsuitsrelated to alleged electoral malpractice in Michigan and Georgia. InMichigan, the Trump campaign had sought to stop counting of absenteeballots, while in Georgia it had alleged that even improper ballots werebeing counted.'MUKHANG PERA': DUTERTE BLASTS PH RED CROSS FOR SUSPENDING COVID-19 TESTSAMID PHILHEALTH DEBTMANILA - President Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday criticized the Philippine RedCross (PRC) after being told that it stopped conducting COVID-19 tests dueto the government's P1.1 billion debt.In a meeting with Cabinet members, Duterte quipped "mukhang pera" or roughlytranslated as "greedy for money", while Health Secretary Francisco Duque IIIwas discussing the country's COVID-19 figures.Duterte did not expound in his statement.GORDON TO DUTERTE: 'HINDI KAMI MUKHANG PERA'The Philippine Red Cross is not greedy for money, the organization'schairman Sen. Richard Gordon said Friday, a day after President RodrigoDuterte criticized the PRC for stopping COVID-19 tests due to thegovernment's P1.1 billion debt."I'll give him (Duterte) the benefit of the doubt. Baka naman ang tinutukoyn'ya 'yung talagang nagsamantala nung hindi kami nag-test kasi ang baba ngtest namin, 'yung halaga," the PRC chairman said in an interview onABS-CBN's TeleRadyo.He added: "Hindi kami mukhang pera. Pero sabi ko lang, dahan-dahan naman sapananalita because nakakatulong naman kami. Hindi naman kami umutang, silaang umutang, sila nagpa-test, ginawa namin. 'Di ba dapat bayaran ninyo?...I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt out of respect to the president."The Philippine Red Cross, in mid-October, suspended its COVID-19 testing ofrepatriated Filipinos due to the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation's(PhilHealth) unpaid debt that, at the time, ran close to P1 billion.The PRC resumed its COVID-19 testing services after the initial partialpayment was made.On Thursday, President Duterte criticized the PRC for stopping its COVID-19tests.In a meeting with Cabinet members, Duterte quipped "mukhang pera" or roughlytranslated as "greedy for money", while Health Secretary Francisco Duque IIIwas discussing the country's COVID-19 figures.Gordon said PhilHealth still owes Red Cross about P377 million.He noted that some COVID-19 swab tests were priced as high as P20,000 atPhilippine airports.Under an agreement it signed with the government earlier this year, the PRCwill charge P3,500 for the swabbing of frontliners and other agenciesendorsed by the PhilHealth, which will cover the cost of their COVID-19tests.The Philippines' cumulative total of COVID-19 cases is nearing the390,000-mark, as of Thursday, of which, 32,773 are considered active.As of Wednesday, more than 4.6 million individuals in the country have beentested for COVID-19.DUTERTE 'SURPRISED' AT POLL RESULTS THAT PHILIPPINES IS AMONG WORLD'S SAFESTCOUNTRIESMANILA — President Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday evening said he was elated tolearn that the Philippines had placed among the top 50 safest countries inthe world.Findings by the US-based analytics group Gallup Inc. recently showed thePhilippines scoring 84 in the 2020 Global Law and Order Index. The countryhad tied with other nations such as Australia, New Zealand, Poland andSerbia."I was very surprised [and] we're lumped with countries that are ideallypeaceful," he said. "It only shows that we have to credit the police andmilitary and other uniformed services of government who toil to make thiscountry this very peaceful."Social media users had since disputed the results, as they said human rightsviolations -- particularly under Duterte's controversial war on drugs --continues and administration critics continue to receive threats andintimidation.Also this week, the Philippine National Police revealed harrowing figures onthe number of persons killed in Duterte's 'Oplan Tokhang' which is almost at8,000.Human rights groups have since disputed government figures, putting theestimate to actually at over 30,000 if counting deaths carried out by paidkillers or vigilante groups.DUTERTE SAYS 'GHOST' PROJECTS RAMPANT IN DPWHMANILA — President Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday said "ghost" projects arecommon inside the public works department which are being used for corruptpractices, warning that many from the agency will soon be out of their jobs.Duterte renewed his warning after ordering an all-out probe in governmentfor irregularities which had mainly originated from the allegations thatbillion had been amassed by officials of the country's state insurerPhilHealth.He had since vowed to rid agencies of the long-existing problem ofcorruption for the remaining years of his term or until June 2022."Ang pinaka raket diyan is yung ghost project," Duterte said in an addresssupposedly for the coronavirus crisis. "Karamihan 'yan it's the regionaldirector, ipalalabas nila na may project pero wala."For this, he said conducting an audit is the best way to prove that thereare indeed ghost projects within the agency, adding that those involvedusually bank on right of way issues."I think they are plenty. And I daresay, most of those who will be firedwill come from the DPWH," Duterte added in mixed English and Filipino.The president also read a list of officials from the Bureau of Customs thathad been dismissed by the ombudsman for gross misconduct and other cases.DOLE MONITORING ESTABLISHMENTS ONLINEMANILA — To ensure compliance with health protocols and labor laws, theDepartment of Labor and Employment (DOLE) continues to monitor online thevarious private establishments nationwide.Labor Undersecretary Ana Dione yesterday said DOLE has developed an onlineprogram to monitor compliance of private firms with labor laws and otherrelevant issuances during the coronavirus pandemic.Dione said the system consists of Labor Inspection – Management InformationSystem (LI-MIS), Establishment Report System (ERS), and the Joint MonitoringSystem (JMS).According to Dione, the LI-MIS and JMS systems used by labor inspectors inmonitoring compliance of private establishments allow users to accessdigital checklists and note compliances and deficiencies, among others, ofinspected establishments.The online monitoring system also enables the inspectors to input andgenerate real-time data with the use of any portable electronic device withinternet connectivity.Based on a recent report, the LI-MIS has noted a registry data of 196,670establishments.DOLE developed the JMS in support of the guidelines on prevention andcontrol of COVID-19 at workplaces as it submits contactless reports withjust a few clicks.'SANA PAGBIGYAN TAYO': PNP CHIEF CASCOLAN OPEN TO EXTENDING TERMMANILA – Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Gen. Camilo Cascolan saidFriday he was open to extending his term so he could achieve more after only2 months at the helm."Puwede tayo ma-extend. Of course, tuloy ang retirement pero sana pagbigyanpa rin tayo," he told Teleradyo's "Sakto". “We hope we will be extended."Cascolan is set to retire on Nov. 10 as he reaches the mandatory retirementage of 56.During his short stint as the country’s top cop, he said he had establisheda 9-point action agenda including transferring police personnel closer toareas where their services are needed.“Well, even though it was a short term, I think I have given more than ayear of service to the people of the Philippines… It's not how long you willserve. It’s how much you can serve or how much you can give for yourorganization,” he said.Earlier this year, Cascolan, who was then the deputy chief foradministration of the PNP, temporarily became caretaker of the police forceafter former PNP chief Archie Gamboa was injured in a helicopter crash.He also served as the chief of the PNP directorate for operations and MetroManila police director.A member of the Philippine Military Academy “Sinagtala” Class of 1986,Cascolan’s “mistahs” or classmates include his predecessors, former policechiefs Gamboa, Oscar Albayalde and Sen. Ronald Dela Rosa.Cascolan was among those who crafted "Oplan Double Barrel," which became thePNP’s flagship program in the war against illegal drugs.86 BI PERSONNEL CHARGED OVER ‘PASTILLAS’ SCAMMANILA — At least 86 officers and personnel of the Bureau of Immigration(BI) were charged with graft before the Office of the Ombudsman yesterday inconnection with the money-making scheme called “pastillas” involving thesmuggling of Chinese into the country.The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Special Action Unit recommendedfresh graft cases against the BI officers accused of receiving bribe money.The first graft complaint was filed last September.Apart from the testimony of immigration officer Allison Chiong, who accusedthe respondents of receiving money, gifts and even sexual favors fromtrafficked women, the NBI submitted the testimony of another whistle-blowerBI officer Jeffrey Dale Ignacio.The NBI asked the ombudsman to remove Ignacio from the list of respondentsin the first complaint since blowing the lid on the scheme.THE REST========DOJ STARTS RECEIVING COMPLAINTS VS CORRUPT GOVERNMENT AGENCIESMANILA — The Department of Justice (DOJ) yesterday started acceptingcomplaints against government agencies allegedly involved in corruptpractices as it renamed the “mega task force” to “Task Force AgainstCorruption.”The public can start sending their complaints through dojc@doj.gov.ph, theofficial e-mail address of the action center headed by Justice SecretaryMenardo Guevarra, according to DOJ spokesperson Emmeline Aglipay-Villar.Complaints can also be sent through the DOJ’s temporary hotline number8521-2930.The DOJ action center is tasked to receive information, complaints andrequests to investigate certain persons, acts or agencies allegedly involvedin anomalies and irregularities.Members of the task force met on Wednesday and identified the functions ofthe task force.SAN JUAN LAUNCHES DIGITAL LITERACY PROGRAMMANILA — The San Juan government has launched a digital literacy programthat will give public school students access to computer science educationamid the distance learning system during the pandemic.Mayor Francis Zamora signed a memorandum of agreement with Ayala Foundationand Ortigas Land for the program, which will be piloted at the PinaglabananElementary School.The program was supposed to be launched early this year under face-to-faceclasses, which have been canceled due to the pandemic.“Students here in San Juan will benefit from the program. It is a sure edgein terms of being gainfully employed if the students were digitally trainedand competitive early on,” Zamora said in a statement.San Juan had also been the pilot city for the Department of Information andCommunications Technology projects such as free Wi-Fi hotspots in publicplaces.TYPHOON HAMPERS RICE SHIPMENTS TO BATANES, SAYS GOVERNORMANILA - The provincial government of Batanes on Friday said they may soonhave a problem with their rice supply if the province continues toexperience bad weather after Severe Tropical Storm Siony."Ang problema ko, kung saka-sakaling tuloy-tuloy itong bagyo, kasi mayroonna namang kasunod, at matagal pang walang barko magkakaroon ako ng problemasa bigas,” said Batanes Gov. Marilou Cayco.In an interview on TeleRadyo, Cayco said there are two ships loaded withfood supplies for Batanes that have yet to sail from Metro Manila due to theseries of storms.“Meron kaming dalawang barko sa Manila na puno na ng pangkargada na dapatlalayag na 'yun papunta sa Batanes pero dahil sunod-sunod ang bagyo hindi panakakaalis sa Manila papunta dito,” she said.Cayco said they only have 478 sacks of NFA rice in their warehouse.“'Yung commercial rice ay halos wala na hong mabibili pero meron kaming1,000 sacks ng NFA doon sa barkong padating pero ang problema nga po kungtuloy-tuloy na masama ang panahon ay hindi sila makakatawid papunta dito,”she said.The provincial government, she said, would ask help from the Office of CivilDefense to send food supplies via a C-130 if the problem persists.“Nakapag-distribute na kami ng relief goods mula noong Thursday at ngayongaraw na ito ng 10 kilos ng bigas at isang kilo pork, merong silang pagkain,”the governor said.Siony was last spotted 70 kilometers east of Itbayat, Batanes at 4 a.m. withmaximum sustained winds of 95 kilometers per hour (kph) near the center andgustiness of up to 115 kph, said PAGASA in its 5 a.m. bulletin.Siony is expected to make landfall or closely approach the vicinity ofItbayat, Batanes within the next 2 to 3 hours. It is forecast to exit thePhilippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) by Friday evening.QCPD CHIEF ORDERS CRACKDOWN ON JUETENGMANILA — Quezon City Police District (QCPD) director Brig. Gen. RonnieMontejo has ordered a crackdown on illegal gambling as he warned juetengoperators to stop using his name.Montejo directed key officials of the QCPD to launch an all-out war againstall forms of illegal gambling.The Criminal Investigation and Detection Group headed by Lt. Col. RobertoDomingo will supervise the unit led by Cpt. Edwin Fuggan, QCPD Station 10commander Lt. Col. Bernouli Abalos and District Special Operations Unit ledby Maj. Fortunato Ty EclOn Wednesday, police conducted an operation against jueteng along K-6 streetin Barangay Kamuning, which resulted in the arrest of two bet collectors andthree bettors.Police said they recovered P3,290 in bet money and illegal gamblingparaphernalia from Porferio Laluces Jr., Crisanto Bueno, Mario Santos,Crispin Catacutan and Edwin Nagañio.Police said their investigation showed that jueteng operations in QuezonCity were allegedly being financed by “James” and “Rex,” who belong to thegroup of Baby Brutus, Pinong, Pining and Dante Doleng.Montejo ordered the police to file charges of violation of Republic Act 9287or the anti-illegal gambling law against the suspects.'SIONY' CROSSES ITBAYAT; SIGNAL NO. 2 STILL UP OVER BATANES, BABUYAN ISLANDSMANILA — Severe Tropical Storm Siony (international name: Atsani) crossedItbayat town in Batanes Friday morning and is expected to leave thecountry’s territory within the day, state weather bureau PAGASA said.Siony passed over Misanga Island in Itbayat at around 7:50 a.m, weatherforecasters said. At 7:00 a.m., it was seen 30 km east northeast ofItbayat, Batanes.Siony has maximum sustained winds of 95 kph and gusts of up to 115 kph. Itis heading west at 20 kph.Storm signals remain hoisted over parts of Northern Luzon due to Siony.Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal No. 2 (damaging gale- to storm-force winds)BatanesBabuyan IslandsTropical Cyclone Wind Signal No. 1 (strong breeze to near gale conditions)Northern portion of mainland Cagayan (Santa Ana, Gonzaga, Lal-lo, Allacapan,Santa Teresita, Buguey, Camalaniugan, Aparri, Ballesteros, Abulug, Pamplona,Sanchez-Mira, Claveria, Santa Praxedes)Northern portion of Apayao (Santa Marcela, Luna, Calanasan)Northern portion of Ilocos Norte (Adams, Pagudpud, Bangui, Dumalneg, Burgos,Vintar, Pasuquin, Bacarra)PAGASA said the passage of Siony will bring moderate to heavy rains overBatanes and Babuyan Islands, and light to moderate with at times heavy rainsover areas under TCWS No. 1.Siony is expected to exit the Philippine Area of Responsibility Fridayevening.ENTERTAINMENT & LIFESTYLEDID YOU KNOW? NADINE LUSTRE PULLED OFF MORE THAN 50 LOOKS IN 'WILDESTDREAMS' ALBUMMANILA -- Fashion plays a key role in "Wildest Dreams," the newly releasedalbum of Nadine Lustre.The singer and actress pulled off over 50 looks in the 33-minute visualspectacle, showcasing both local couture creations and streetwear pieces."It's wild, literally. I still can't wrap my head around it. I took on thisproject not knowing how big it would be," stylist Lyn Alumno said of herexperience working with Lustre for the album in an article on Mega magazine,where she also serves as fashion editor."I've also learned a lot from our culture when I was immersing myself inFilipino mythology and local folklore. I was given the opportunity toconnect with my roots. I'm forever thankful to Nadine for the trust, alongwith Careless and Zoopraxi Studio," she added.According to Alumno, they started shooting for "Wildest Dreams" at the endof August, noting that Lustre has been "very hands on" with her outfits inthe visual film.When asked about her favorite look on Lustre out of the dozens of featuredoutfits, she replied: "It's either the phoenix look where I styled her in awearable wings sculpture by local artist Herminio Tan over a red'shipwrecked' dress by Ebiro, which I deconstructed even further on set...Or the custom nude bodysuit with bar codes and balikbayan prints from ProudRace when she was unboxed from the crate."In another article, Mega shared each of Lustre's outfits in "WildestDreams," which ended at 59.SPORTSPBA SCORES NOV 5THU, NOV 5, 2020        Q1    Q2    Q3    Q4    TSan Miguel Beermen        22    31    18    32    103Phoenix Fuel Masters        29    23    23    35    110Meralco Bolts        27    19    28    11    85Rain or Shine        28    16    7    27    78Terrafirma Dyip        18    28    14    29    89Magnolia Hotshots        17    31    28    27    103INDICATORSFOREX $1 = P 48.31THOUGHT FOR THE DAYWhenever two good people argue over principles, they are both right. - MarieEbner von Eschenbach