TRUMP INVITES DUTERTE TO USMANILA — Despite the passage of a United States budget provision banningPhilippine officials behind the detention of Sen. Leila de Lima fromentering the US, President Duterte was among the Southeast Asian leadersinvited by US President Donald Trump to a Las Vegas summit to be held onMarch 14.“President Rodrigo Roa Duterte has been invited to visit the United Statesto attend a summit between the US and leaders of the Association ofSoutheast Asian Nations (ASEAN). The invitation was extended by US PresidentDonald Trump to the Chief Executive and nine other leaders of the regionalintergovernmental organization,” the Malacañang statement read.Malacañang said the invitation was first conveyed during the ASEAN-USmeeting in Bangkok in November.The Palace statement said a meeting between Duterte and Trump is “expectedto reaffirm the longstanding alliance between the Philippines and US.”Duterte has repeatedly said he won’t visit the US because of the criticalstance of some American lawmakers toward his controversial war on illegaldrugs.QUAKES ROCK BATANGAS, STRONGEST AT MAGNITUDE 4.6MANILA - A series of quakes rocked Batangas province Sunday night, the stateseismology bureau reported. The strongest quake was measured at magnitude4.6 and struck at 8:59 p.m. in the town of Mabini. It was upgraded from anearlier measurement of magnitude 4.2. The quake was tectonic in origin,Phivolcs said.A magnitude 4.0 quake also hit the same area at 10:02 p.m.Prior to the magnitude 4.6 quake, six other earthquakes with magnitudesranging from 3.3 to 1.6 were detected from the same area.MAGMA 'RE-CHARGE' FEEDS TAAL FURY AS PHILIPPINES REMAINS ON ALERTBatangas checks 3 evacuees' reported death: officialMANILA — A "re-charge" of magma or molten rocks beneath the Taal Volcanospawned fresh earthquakes, indicating that a hazardous eruption was stillpossible, authorities said Monday.Should the magma reach Taal's crater, there could be a "strong eruption,"said Phivolcs Director Renato Solidum. There were 244 earthquakes aroundTaal on Sunday from 5 a.m. to 4 p.m., stoking worries among tens ofthousands of evacuees.Also on Sunday, Taal blew 4,300 tons of sulfur, nearly triple the amountfrom 1,400 tons the day before, Solidum told DZMM."Mayroon tayong nakikitang re-charge o re-supply ng magma na galing sailalim papunta doon sa volcano island at nagdudulot din ng mga paglindol,"Phivolcs Director Renato Solidum told radio DZMM."Posibleng kung umabot ito sa ibabaw ay magdulot ng pagsabog na puwedengmalakas," he added.The strongest earthquake on Sunday struck at Magnitude 4.6 in Batangasprovince, which was placed under a state of calamity.Aside from Taal, Sunday's earthquakes were also spawned by a fault that is"separate structure" from the volcano, said Solidum. This fault in 2017 alsounleashed an earthquake swarm in the same area, he said.Batangas authorities are checking reports that 3 evacuees, mostly elderly,succumbed to heart attack, said the province's disaster office head LitoCastro."Kumbaga ito ay epekto rin naman ng pag-e-evacuate, pero kung ia-attributenatin sa hazard ng bulkan, e hindi naman," he said of the reportedfatalities, in a separate DZMM interview.Classes in all Batangas schools, many of which are sheltering evacuees, willremain suspended until the Phivolcs downgrades Taal's alert level, theprovincial government earlier announced.Local authorities will relocate some evacuees away from schools, whileothers will be asked to stay in tents when classes resume, said Castro.NO WINDOW HOURS: BATANGAS GOVERNOR BANS TAAL EVACUEES FROM CHECKING HOMESBatangas Governor Hermilando Mandanas has directed town mayors to cancel"window hours" that previously allowed residents to check their homes fromwhich they evacuated due to the eruption of Taal Volcano, an official saidMonday."Ang stand po ng governor e sumunod po tayo sa forced evacuation at walapong ipinahihintuloy na window hours," said the province's disaster officechief Lito Castro.The window hours had allowed residents of some towns to retrieve theirbelongings and livestock, while another "hazardous explosive eruption" ofTaal remained "possible within hours to days," authorities said."Pero napakadelikado po n'yan," Castro said of the window hours. "Wala namanpo tayong parametro o oras kung kailan [ang pagsabog], para pong lindol iyanna hindi natin alam."PALACE: QUO WARRANTO PLEA TO REVOKE ABS-CBN FRANCHISE WON'T END INCONSTITUTIONAL CRISISMANILA — Malacañang Sunday disputed the claim that there would be aconstitutional crisis if the Supreme Court decides to cancel the franchiseof television network ABS-CBN because of a petition filed by state lawyers.Previous reports claimed that the Office of the Solicitor General would filea quo warranto petition asking the Supreme Court to revoke the franchise ofbroadcast giant. The reports surfaced weeks after President Rodrigo Duterte,who had accused ABS-CBN of biased reporting and swindling, vowed to blockthe renewal of the network's franchise, which will expire in March.Media groups have condemned the supposed plan to seek the revocation of thefranchise, calling it a threat to press freedom. Last Saturday, Sen. PanfiloLacson warned that a quo warranto petition against the Lopez-owned network'sfranchise could lead to a "constitutional crisis" because the power to renewlegislative franchises lies with Congress.But presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo disagreed, saying the renewal offranchise and running after the violations of its terms and conditions aretwo different things."There is none. Why would there be a constitutional crisis?" Panelo said ina radio interview."The franchise coming from Congress is different from the violations of the(terms and conditions of the) franchise... Both can independently be takentogether," he added.Panelo insisted that the OSG has the responsibility to run after those whobroke the law."With due respect to my good friend Senator Lacson, he's not a lawyer. Heshould have consulted the matter with his lawyers first. The (SolicitorGeneral) has the duty to file cases against those who violated the law," headded.CHINA REPORTS SARS-LIKE VIRUS SPREADS ACROSS COUNTRY, NEARLY 140 NEW CASESBEIJING — China on Monday reported a mysterious SARS-like virus had spreadacross the country, including to Beijing, raising concerns as millions begintrips for the Lunar New Year.A third person was confirmed to have died, authorities said, as nearly 140cases were announced.The new coronavirus strain has caused alarm because of its connection toSevere Acute Respiratory Syndrome, which killed nearly 650 people acrossmainland China and Hong Kong in 2002-2003.In Wuhan, the central city where the coronavirus was first discovered, 136new cases were found over the weekend, the local health commission said,without giving details about the person who died.Health authorities in Beijing's Daxing district said 2 people who hadtraveled to Wuhan were treated for pneumonia linked to the virus and are instable condition.In Guangdong, a 66-year-old Shenzhen man was quarantined on Jan. 11 aftercontracting a fever and showing other symptoms following a trip to visitrelatives in Wuhan, the provincial health commission said in a statement.A total of 201 people have now been diagnosed with the virus in China. InWuhan, 170 people are still being treated at hospital, including 9 incritical condition, the city health commission said.Wuhan is a city of 11 million inhabitants that serves as a major transporthub, including during the annual Lunar New Year holiday when hundreds ofmillions of Chinese people travel across the country to visit family.5 INDONESIANS KIDNAPPED BY ABU SAYYAF OFF MALAYSIA: PH MILITARYMANILA - The Philippine military on Sunday said it launched search andrescue operations for 5 Indonesian fishermen kidnapped by militantsbelonging to the Islamic State-linked Abu Sayyaf group in Malaysian waterslast week.Eight Indonesians were abducted in Sabah on Thursday. Three were released,while the remaining 5 were probably brought by their captors to the southernPhilippine province of Sulu, said Lieutenant General Cirilito Sobejana,chief of the military's Western Mindanao Command.Sulu is Abu Sayyaf's stronghold.Sobejana disclosed the abduction a day after soldiers clashed with AbuSayyaf members in Sulare island in Parang town, in Sulu, killing onemilitant and destroying a speed boat believed to have been used in thekidnapping.Sobejana said Malaysian authorities had immediately coordinated with thePhilippine military after the abduction.Indonesia's foreign ministry said it also has coordinated with thePhilippine government and was still waiting for official information aboutthe incident.The speed boat was positively identified by the three Indonesian fishermenwho have been freed as the one used in the abduction staged by 6 militants,Sobejana said."The likelihood they are in Sulare island or Parang, Sulu is very high," hesaid.Abu Sayyaf, which has its roots in separatism, is notorious for banditry andpiracy, including beheading some captives if no ransom is paid.PHILIPPINE EMBASSY ‘EXTRACTS’ OFW FROM KUWAIT HOUSEHOLDMANILA — The Philippine embassy in Kuwait has “extracted” a distressedoverseas Filipino worker (OFW) from a Kuwaiti home.“While a distressed OFW’s plea was going viral in social media yesterday,our Kuwait PE worked quietly on extracting her,” Foreign AffairsUndersecretary for civilian security and consular concerns Brigido Dulaysaid in a Twitter post on Friday.Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. retweeted Dulay’s tweet.Dulay said the Filipina household worker is “now sheltered in our Embassy.”“We’re working on reuniting her with her loved ones next week,” he said.The Arab Times cited a report of Al-Qabas, a daily Kuwaiti newspaper, thatthe Philippine embassy in Kuwait is again in controversy for breakingregulations in labor disputes, as it opened the door for a maid to escapefrom her sponsor for a trivial and petty reason such as her being preventedfrom eating eggs.“Although the Philippine embassy focuses on (protecting) its workers and tosolve the crisis of the recent ban of their workers from the Philippines toKuwait, the Philippine embassy also plays the role of resolving issuesbetween the workers and the sponsors where, in some cases, it takesappropriate action to return the worker to her country by harboring adomestic worker who complains about her sponsor,” the report said.Abu Jasir Al-Shammari, the sponsor of the OFW, claimed that the Filipina wasprovided food after she complained to the recruitment agency that she wasnot getting food from her employer.Al-Shammari was called to the police station after the embassy filed acomplaint.“The recent crisis will be an opportunity for many domestic workers toexploit sympathy and seek help from the embassy to escape the naturalresponsibilities of working inside the home,” the report said.2,400 TONS OF TRASH IN MISAMIS ORIENTAL SENT BACK TO SOUTH KOREASixty container vans loaded with 2,400 metric tons of illegally shippedwaste were shipped back to South Korea Sunday.This shipment is part of the 5,000 metric tons of household waste andplastic shreds that arrived in the town of Tagoloan last July 2018.The remaining trash will be re-exported on February 9, on board aninternational shipping vessel that was arranged by the South Koreangovernment.Three Korean officials of the consignee Verde Soko Philippines IndustrialCorporation were charged for violating importation laws."Ang bansa natin ay hindi basurahan kung hindi isang bansang makapangyarihanna kayang magpalayas ng basura ng makapangyarihang bansa," said Bureau ofCustoms-10 district collector John Simon.Aside from the 5,000 metric tons, another 1,500 metric tons of similar wastematerials were seized at the Mindanao Container Terminal. These werereturned to South Korea last January 2019."We are asserting that we have dignity as Filipinos. Even if the Philippinesis a developing country, but it does not give other countries the right todump their garbage [in our country]," said Chinkie Golle, EcoWaste CoalitionDavao City executive director.The shipments were seized by BOC because it was misdeclared as "plasticsynthetic flakes." However, upon inspection of port authorities, thematerials were found to be waste materials of mixed sizes, some even deemedas hazardous.P68 MILLION SHABU IN CHINESE TEA BAGS SEIZED IN PASAYMANILA — Around P68 million worth of shabu believed to have been smuggledinto the country by the Chinese-run Golden Triangle drug ring wasconfiscated during a sting in Pasay City on Saturday night.Alleged drug dealers Mia Biance Churez, 22, and Dave Realin, 21, wereapprehended in the operation, which took place in front of a bus terminalalong EDSA in Malibay at around 8:30 p.m.Col. Romeo Caramat Jr., who heads the Philippine National Police DrugEnforcement Group (DEG), said approximately 10 kilos of shabu placed inChinese tea bags were recovered from the suspects.“Based on the packaging, the drugs came from the Golden Triangle,” Caramatsaid in a text message to The STAR.The drug ring is based in China and Hong Kong with operations in Myanmar,Laos and Thailand, according to authorities.The suspects were arrested after they allegedly sold shabu for P800,000 to apoliceman who posed as a buyer.“They have been under police surveillance for one month,” Caramat said.Aside from the DEG, operatives of the Pasay police took part in the drugbust.GABBY CONCEPCION, MAY PAHAYAG SA TAMPUHAN NINA SHARON AT KC?MAYNILA -- Palaisipan ngayon ang mga social media post ng aktor na si GabbyConcepcion sa Instagram.Matatandaan na sa naging pagdiriwang ni Sharon Cuneta ng kaniyang kaarawaansa "ASAP Natin 'To," inihayag ng aktres ang tila tampo niya sa kanilang naanak si KC Concepcion.Sa magkakasunod na post ni Gabby, tila nagbigay simpatya ito para sa anakmatapos ang mga pahayag ng dating asawa."Don't be sad na. Everything will fall back into place. Your home is whereyour heart is," caption ni Gabby sa post.Sa huling panayam kay Gabby, sinabi niyang tiwala siya at suportado ang mgapersonal desisyon sa buhay ng anak na si KC."Katulad nga ng sinasabi ko dati pa, ang importante lang happy siya."TWO SARAHS WED IN MARCHWedding bells will be ringing for two Sarahs in March.Sarah Lahbati and Richard Gutierrez (right) will start sending invitationsto their wedding on March 14 right at home and not, as previously rumored,out of the country. It is expected to be an engrande event and their twochildren might be included in the entourage (Zion as Bible Bearer and Kai asRing Bearer?).Sarah Geronimo and boyfriend Matteo Guidicelli (far right) are somewhatsecretive about their wedding which is also set in March, according to theSTAR source who is close to the sweethearts. If we are to believe Matteo, itwill be a ‘simple and small wedding with the family’ as he told The STAR inan interview in May last year at about the time he and Sarah got engagedabroad. The source didn’t mention the venue and the exact date. ‘There mightbe last-minute changes, though,’ she added.PBA: 12 TEAMS TO SEE ACTION IN D-LEAGUE ASPIRANTS' CUPMANILA – Twelve teams will wage war in the 2020 PBA D-League Aspirants' Cup,which starts on February 13.NCAA champion Colegio de San Juan de Letran and UAAP runner-up University ofSanto Tomas (UST) spearhead the 12-team contingent for the first conference.The Knights will carry the banner of Wangs Basketball, while the GrowlingTigers will be called the UST Builders Warehouse. Both are seen as earlycontenders for the title.Marinerong Pilipino, the runner-up in last season's Foundation Cup, will bethe lone club team in the tournament as the other 11 squads are allschool-based.EcoOil-De La Salle University and Mapua University will make their maidenappearances in the D-League, while mainstays Centro Escolar University andAMA Online Education make their returns.Rounding out the participants are San Sebastian, Far Eastern University,Diliman College, Technological Institute of the Philippines, and EnderunColleges.All 12 teams will have the chance to load up their rosters with the 2020 PBAD-League Draft set on Monday at the PBA Office in Libis.Fil-Am forward Jamie Malonzo of La Salle is eyed as the top selection forAMA, as the Titans will be picking at No. 1 for the fourth straight year.Its past selections include Jeron Teng (2017), Owen Graham (2018), andJoshua Munzon (2019).NBA SCORES JAN 18FINAL    1    2    3    4    Tteam logo Clippers 30-13    33    39    30    31    133team logo Pelicans 16-27    35    45    30    20    130SCORING LEADERSK. Leonard LAC39 PTS, 6 REB, 6 ASTD. Favors NO22 PTS, 11 REB, 3 ASTFINAL    1    2    3    4    Tteam logo Bucks 38-6    30    27    36    24    117team logo Nets 18-23    22    20    29    26    97SCORING LEADERSG. Antetokounmpo MIL29 PTS, 12 REB, 4 ASTK. Irving BKN17 PTS, 6 REB, 6 ASTFINAL    1    2    3    4    Tteam logo Suns 18-24    26    34    27    36    123team logo Celtics 27-14    20    31    25    43    119SCORING LEADERSD. Booker PHO39 PTS, 10 REB, 9 ASTM. Smart BOS37 PTS, 5 REB, 8 ASTFINAL    1    2    3    4    Tteam logo Pistons 16-27    36    35    32    33    136team logo Hawks 10-33    29    26    21    27    103SCORING LEADERS    D. Rose DET27 PTS, 2 REB, 9 AST    J. Collins ATL20 PTS, 5 REB, 0 ASTFINAL    1    2    3    4    Tteam logo 76ers 28-16    28    24    18    20    90team logo Knicks 11-32    25    21    23    18    87SCORING LEADERSB. Simmons PHI21 PTS, 7 REB, 8 ASTM. Morris NY20 PTS, 6 REB, 3 ASTFINAL    1    2    3    4    Tteam logo Raptors 28-14    32    26    31    33    122team logo Timberwolves 15-27    39    23    22    28    112SCORING LEADERS    F. VanVleet TOR29 PTS, 4 REB, 2 AST    J. Culver MIN26 PTS, 4 REB, 1 ASTFINAL    1    2    3    4    Tteam logo Cavaliers 12-31    33    40    29    14    116team logo Bulls 16-28    31    25    31    31    118SCORING LEADERS    K. Love CLE29 PTS, 5 REB, 6 AST    Z. LaVine CHI42 PTS, 6 REB, 3 ASTFINAL    1    2    3    4    Tteam logo Magic 20-23    25    27    19    24    95team logo Warriors 10-34    28    25    29    27    109SCORING LEADERS    M. Fultz ORL23 PTS, 6 REB, 4 AST    D. Russell GS26 PTS, 2 REB, 12 ASTFINAL    1    2    3    4    Tteam logo Lakers 34-8    27    32    32    33    124team logo Rockets 26-15    34    31    17    33    115SCORING LEADERSL. James LAL31 PTS, 5 REB, 12 ASTR. Westbrook HOU35 PTS, 9 REB, 7 ASTFINAL    1    2    3    4    Tteam logo Kings 15-27    22    27    28    24    101team logo Jazz 29-13    38    25    32    28    123SCORING LEADERS    D. Fox SAC21 PTS, 4 REB, 8 AST    B. Bogdanovic UTA30 PTS, 2 REB, 1 ASTFINAL    1    2    3    4    Tteam logo Trail Blazers 18-26    24    33    20    29    106team logo Thunder 24-19    32    32    23    32    119SCORING LEADERS    D. Lillard POR34 PTS, 0 REB, 6 AST    C. Paul OKC30 PTS, 4 REB, 7 AST