Eduard Tio, the cool and big-hearted owner of Freego, has been appointed chairman of the Philippine Secondary Schools Basketball Championship (PSSBC) which opens shop on Dec. 14 at SGS gym in Quezon City.

A long-time godfather of Chiang Kai Shek College and recently National University, Tio, 64, replaced Rain or Shine co-team owner Terry Que as chair of the league that has helped nurture several high school players became collegiate stars – the latest of them was Letran star Fran Yu.

Apart from PSSBC, Tio has been supporting various leagues like NBTC, PCABL, HDBL  and MMBL, believing that sports play important roles in one’s life, especially for young ballers.

“I share Freego’s way of helping grassroots sports programs, especially basketball,” said Tio. “I hope I can sustain the growth of the league which our past chairmen initiated.”

“Mr. Tio is a proven leader, so I am confident the league will continue to grow under his leadership,” said Que.

Other Board of Governors are Hapee Toothpaste’s Dr. Cecilio Pedro, Blackwater Sports’ Dioceldo Sy, IronCon Builder’s Jimi Lim, Jumbo Plastic Linoleum’s Jimmy dela Cruz, MEC Networks’ Leoncio Chua and Macbeth Underwear’s Rudy Yu.

Also backing the event are Masumax Food Supplement, Cherrylume Roofing, SUMO GI Sheets, Choi Garden and Molten.

Members of the Management Committee are Commissioner Ato Badolato, Arellano University’s Peter Cayco (representing NCAA) National University’s Nilo Ocampo (UAAP ), Sunny Co,  Bernard Yang and Edster Sy.

Source: Manila Bulletin

LOS ANGELES (AFP) — Giannis Antetokounmpo drained four clutch baskets down the stretch as the Milwaukee Bucks won their 10th consecutive game with a 119-110 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday.

Milwaukee led by as many as 22 points in the first half but Cleveland chipped away until they closed the gap to just three late in the fourth but that was as close as they would get.

Every time the Cavs got within striking distance of levelling the score, Antetokounmpo answered with a basket of his own to help seal the win.

Antetokounmpo finished with 33 points and also delivered a double-double with a team-high 12 rebounds for the Bucks, who beat the Cavaliers for the second time this season.

George Hill chipped in with 18 points, while Khris Middleton had 12, Donte DiVincenzo 11, and Eric Bledsoe and Ersan Ilyasova 10 apiece.

Rookie Darius Garland scored 21 points to pace the Cavaliers, who lost their third straight.

Cedi Osman had 20 points, Larry Nance 18, Kevin Love and Collin Sexton 16 apiece, and Tristan Thompson 11 in a balanced Cleveland attack.

Thompson collected a game-high 13 rebounds to complete a double-double.

Elsewhere, Norman Powell scored 19 of his career-best 33 points in the third quarter and the defending champion Toronto Raptors recovered from an early 11-point deficit to defeat the Orlando Magic 90-83.

Fred VanVleet added 22 points for the Raptors, who extended their winning streak to six games.

Pascal Siakam had 10 points and 13 rebounds for the Raptors, who shot 37 percent from the field.

Evan Fournier scored 19 points for the Magic, who had 22 turnovers compared with just 13 by the Raptors.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Kristel Satumbaga

Gold medal gymnast Carlos Yulo is about to shower the 30^th Southeast Asian Games with World Championship glitter.

Preparation heats up for athletes competing in the artistic gymnastics with world champion  Yulo in the spotlight.

Yulo arrived in Manila from Japan without fanfare Thursday in time for his event starting tomorrow where the 19-year-old wonder guns for his first SEA Games medal.

He has been training over the last four years with Japanese coach Munehiro Kugimiya.

The atmosphere inside the Rizal Memorial gymnastics gym on Friday was serious and silent with all competitors and coaches focused on honing their routines in different apparatus.

Media interview was not allowed to avoid distracting the gymnasts.

Eyes, however, were all on Yulo after taking the global limelight last October by winning the floor exercise in the 49th FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Championships in Stuttgart, Germany.

Wearing white shirt and blue shorts, the Manila native was in a zone as he took turns at the parallel bars, vault and pommel horse.

At times, he got pointers from Kugimiya.

Qualification and all-around event will be on Sunday at the Rizal Memorial Sports Coliseum with the apparatus competitions set on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Focus was also on Reyland Capellan as he bids to defend his gold medal victory in the floor exercise of the 2017 Kuala Lumpur edition. But it would be a tough order with Yulo, who was still a junior gymnast back then, as one of his rivals now.

Vietnamese gymnasts were also in full force during training as they seek to dominate the sport after reaping five gold medals in the men’s artistic event in the previous meet.

Also training were athletes from Singapore, Indonesia and Thailand.

Source: Manila Bulletin

 

By WAYLON GALVEZ

Games Sunday (New Clark City Aquatic Center, Tarlac)

5 p.m. – Singapore vs Thailand

7 p.m. – Philippines vs Malaysia

Ten years after its silver medal finish, the water polo national team is back at the podium.

In a game that had championship atmosphere, the Filipinos earned a 6-6 draw against powerhouse Singapore in the 30th Southeast Asia Games Friday night at the New Clark City Aquatic Center in Tarlac.

The national team improved to four points, a record of one win and two draws, following a similar 6-6 deadlock with Indonesia last Tuesday, through three matches in the five-nation tournament.

That assures the Filipinos of at least a bronze.

“Very happy with the result… we’re back at the podium,” said veteran mentor Reynaldo Galang, who jumped at the pool together with former national team star and now coach Dale Evangelista as they joined the players to celebrate the accomplishment.

“It’s mission accomplished for us in this SEA Games, the players gave everything they’ve got in this game. Of course, we’d love to capture the gold medal, but that’s what God has given us. We’re grateful.”

“We have to win against Malaysia to get the silver medal, and again, in front of Filipinos cheering the national team, we’ll go all out again. We’ll try to end it with a win,” added Galang.

The national team can bag the silver medal with a victory against Malaysia on Sunday. It was during the 2009 SEA Games in Laos when the Philippines had a podium finish after it won a third straight silver medal.

Since then, the Filipinos failed to make it to the top three – even missing the 2013 Myanmar SEA Games.

“We’ve waited a long time for this moment… I’m just proud with what the players did in this game against Singapore and in this SEA Games. To do this in front of our countrymen, I salute our players,” said Evangelista, who was part of all the silver medal finish of the Philippines in the SEA Games.

However, because of the draw between the Filipinos and Singaporeans, the Indonesians have captured the gold medal – a first for them as they ended the 27-SEA Games streak of Singapore in the regional meet.

Since the introduction of water polo in 1965 in Kuala Lumpur, Singapore has won the gold medal in every SEA Games.

Indonesia defeated Singapore 7-5 last Wednesday, and downed Malaysia 14-7 earlier that gave them seven points with two wins and a draw – a 6-6 decision with the Philippines.

Singapore, likely to settle with the bronze medal, has three points after beating Malaysia last Wednesday. They play Thailand also on Sunday in the final day of action in water polo.

The national team was fully aware of not just a must-win against Singapore, but win by more then three goals to solidify its bid for a gold medal.

The Philippines took a commanding 4-0 lead early in the second quarter on a goal by Filipino-American Vince Sicat.

At that point, the crowd was rocking wild as Queen’s “We Will Rock You” hit song blasted at the aquatic center to give support to the home team, which has missed the podium the past four SEA Games.

Veteran goalie was in his ‘beast mode’ again as he anchored the defense with his shot blocking abilities.

Singapore finally scored its first goal with three two minutes left in the period to make it 4-1. Then just before the buzzer, Singapore added another goal to trim the lead of the Philippines at 4-2 at halftime break.

Veteran player Roy Canete gave the Philippines a 5-2 advantage early in the third quarter. Singapore, however, leveled the score at 5-5, before a goal by Canete had another goal that gave the national team its last taste of the lead.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Nick Giongco and Joseph Pedrajas

A ceasefire takes effect the whole of Sat­urday when host Philippines pulls the curtains off to open the 30th South­east Asian Games with a spellbinding showcase of Filipino culture at the Philippine Arena in Bocaue, Bulacan.

While hostilities have commenced the last six days, a 24-hour truce was enforced by the Philippine Southeast Asian Games Organiz­ing Committee (Phisgoc) to allow the athletes and officials from 11 nations to take a break from the usual grind and soak up the electric atmosphere.

Working around the battlecry, “We Win As One,” the Phisgoc swears it is unveil­ing a show like no other, something that even the most discriminating will find hard to resist.

“This is the type of opening ceremony that has never been done before,” Phisgoc chief operating of­ficer Tats Suzara told reporters after a press conference at the International Broadcasting Center on Friday.

“Let us look into this as a very memorable and historic opening ceremony that we have two venues at the same time…with our world class artists, Filipino talents and beauty queens,” he added.

Some of the best entertainers have been tapped to make the night unforgettable.

Lani Misalucha, KZ Tandigan and Apl.de.ap, the Grammy-award win­ning rapper, are going to provide a modern angle during the presenta­tion that will highlight the country’s storied past via a parade featuring 11 beauty queens.

Renowned composer Ryan Cay­abyab and playwright Floy Quintos are going to work behind the scenes with the help of US-based company FiveCurrents.

Various traditional folk dances involving participants wearing or­nate costumes and rococo accessories also highlight the lavish opening cer­emonies that have drawn flak owing to its supposed extravagance.

IOC, OCA execs coming

Officials not only from the Olym­pic Council of Asia (OCA), but from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) are arriving to attend the coun­try’s hosting of the 30th Southeast Asian Games.

Suzara revealed that the OCA of­ficial will serve as observer while the pair of IOC officials will be here to drumbeat the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

“That only shows that what we are hosting is a prestigious event,” said Suzara, who is joining hands with the Philippine Olympic Com­mittee (POC) and the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) in holding the ambitious staging of the biennial sportsfest.

The government earmarked a whopping P6 billion to stage the biennial sportsfest with the P55-million cauldron at the New Clark City (NCC) in Capas, Tarlac, about 85 kilometers from the Philippine Arena, likewise getting its share of the spotlight.

Going digital

Suzara stressed that, “it is the first in the history of the SEA Games that the opening ceremony will be held indoor.”

“A lot of questions about fire­works, it is indoor. How do we light the cauldron, it is indoor,” he said. “That’s the highlight.”

“We’re doing the digital type of technology for the fireworks. This is quite different from the previous Southeast Asian Games,” he added.

Boxing legend Manny Pacquiao will be the torch bearer and will be joined by another Filipino boxing icon, Suzara bared.

But the Phisgoc has remained tight-lipped about how the cauldron will be lit up by Pacquiao, who had actually fulfilled his role by having its set ablaze last Sunday during a dry run.

A video of Pacquiao’s handiwork at the NCC will be spliced and inserted onto the program.

Let’s unite

As everyone gets a breather, the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC), whose chairman Butch Ramirez, also serves as the Philippines’ chief of mission, called on all Filipinos to rally behind the country’s hosting and cheer for the Filipino athletes.

“Mga kababayan, magkasia tayo para sa ating bansa, wala na tayong ibang bayan kundi Pilipinas lang (Let’s all unite for our nation, we have no other country other than the Philippines),” said Ramirez on thieve of the formal opening.

“Can we focus and get united for these 11 days to support our Team Philippines in the biggest fight of their lives, for honor and glory of our dear motherland.”

“Let us all enjoy this experience, for when will we ever have the Games visit us again? It is our chance to see high-level competition played on our backyard. So I enjoin all of you, get your flaglets waving and let us troop to the venues to show our support to our teams,” added Ramirez.

The 2019 edition of the SEAG will have a total of 56 sports and 530 gold medal up for grabs from Nov. 30 until Dec. 11.

The Philippines, as host, is heav­ily favored to win the overall crown but remains wary of undisputed re­gional powerhouse Thailand.

Aside from Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam, are the big­gest threats to the Philippines bid to dominate the leaderboard.

The Philippines is sending 1,100 athletes and appears poised to go on a rampage while Thailand and the other traditional powers are sending a bit less.

In the 2017 SEAG in Kuala Lum­pur, the Philippines placed sixth overall with a dismal medal tally of 23-34-63 after competing in close to 500 events out of 38 sports.

The last time the Philippines won the overall championship was in 2005 when it was the host.

We are 100% ready

Despite various snafus that ini­tially greeted the participating ath­letes, Suzara believed that the coun­try is now “one hundred percent ready” to formally open the 30th SEA Games.

“Now, everything is okay,” he said.

With a tropical cyclone threat­ening to dampen the sports events, Suzara remains confident that the Philippines is prepared.

“All sports have contingency plan, even without typhoon that is coming into place, especially for the outdoor sports,” Suzara said.

“Everything is in place. What is important now is all competition managers should be prepared in case competitions will be cancelled,” he added.

Suzara said that each venue, par­ticularly the ones holding outdoor sports, already has its contingency plan.

For sports event that may need to be cancelled in case of a heavy downpour, Suzara said, “it should be the decision of the formal delegate [to cancel].”

Free tickets

Upon the instruction of President Duterte, tickets for the SEA Games in some sporting events would be given for free.

Suzara said that these tickets may be claimed at the city halls or at certain malls.

“[They] need to undergo security check,” he said.

Several point-to-point buses (P2P) from and to sporting venues will also be available to public, the Phisgoc COO added.

In a separate briefing, Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano, Phisgoc chair­man, also announced on Friday that tickets for a majority of the sporting events for the 30th SEA Games will be given out to the public for free.

READ MORE: Cayetano says tickets to majority of SEAG events to be given out to public for free

But for those who want to avail themselves of complementary gen­eral admission tickets, they may do so on a first-come, first-served basis for some sports and for the closing ceremony.

He said there were also allotted general admission tickets which will be distributed to some local govern­ment units (LGUs) having jurisdic­tion over particular SEA Games venues like Manila, Pasay City, Pasig City, Muntinlupa City for Metro Ma­nila cluster; Sta. Rosa and Biñan for Laguna cluster; Tagaytay for Cavite cluster; and Calatagan in Batangas Province.

Free tickets will also be distrib­uted to public for specific venues like in Angeles City, Pampanga; San Fernando, Pampanga; San Juan, La Union; Subic, Zambales; and Capas in Tarlac where the New Clark City is located. (With a report from Hanah Tabios)

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Jonas Terrado

Stephan Schrock scored off a corner kick in the second half and the Philippines kept its semifinal hopes alive with a 1-0 win over Malaysia in men’s football of the 30th Southeast Asian Games Friday at the Rizal Memorial Stadium.

Schrock’s eventual winner came in the 72nd minute when his corner hit Malaysian goalkeeper Muhammad Haziq Nadzli before the ball landed past the line, prompting referee Salman Ahmnad Falahi to award eventual winner.

Many had thought it was defender Amani Aguinaldo who scored but the officials declared that the goal was from Schrock.

The Young Azkals played defensive the rest of the way, with Malaysia blowing a chance to level the score six minutes after Schrock’s goal when Muhammad Hadi Fayyadh Abdul Razak missed a close-range attempt.

In the end, the Philippines got the maximum three points to revive memories of 1991 when Norman Fegidero’s late score gave the Philippines a 1-0 win over the same team and a trip to its first and still only semifinal appearance in the biennial meet.

The result, fashioned out before a crowd of 6,500, kept the Young Azkals in the hunt for a top two finish in Group A with four points after three matches.

Myanmar is on top with seven points with Cambodia level on points with the Philippines.

Malaysia dropped to fourth with still a point while Timor-Leste has lost all of its two matches.

The Young Azkals will need to beat Timor-Leste on Dec. 4 at the Binan Football Stadium in Laguna for a chance to reach the last four.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Jonas Terrado

Sarina Bolden scored a hat trick as the Philippines progressed to the semifinals after a 5-0 win over Malaysia in women’s football competitions of the 30th Southeast Asian Games at the Binan Football Stadium in Laguna.

Bolden delivered in the 25th, 41nd and shortly before the halftime whistle to propel the Malditas to an automatic semis berth after ending its Group A campaign with four points in two matches.

Shai del Campo’s scored in the 39th and Eva Madarang’s struck late in the match to also key coach Let Dimzon’s side strong showing after holding Myanmar to a scoreless draw in Tuesday’s opener.

The only thing that matters now is the Philippines’ placing before the semis, with Myanmar facing Malaysia in the final Group A match on Dec. 2 at the same venue.

The semifinals is set on Dec. 5 at the same venue with the Malditas seeking a first-ever appearance in the gold medal match of the biennial meet.

The Philippines has yet to produce a podium finish in the SEA Games and placed fourth two years ago in Kuala Lumpur.

Source: Manila Bulletin

The SEA GAMES Federation Council Friday announced a new rule for the Philippine hosting of the 30th South East Asian Games which unfolds today at the Philippine Arena in Bulacan.

SEA Games Executive Committee Chairman Celso Dayrit said that upon the initiative of SEA Games Federation and Philippine Olympic Committee President Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino, a bronze medal will be awarded even if there are only three countries entered in an event.

“The current rule is, if for instance in boxing, only 3 countries are entered in a certain weight category, only a gold and a silver medal are to be awarded. The third placer gets nothing”, said Dayrit.

Tolentino had emphasized that the Games are supposed to be “about the athletes. So why penalize an athlete who sacrifices, trains and participates, places third and is deprived of a medal because other countries withdrew at the last minute? That’s not his fault”.

With support from all the member countries, the exemption from the current rule was sponsored by Prof. Charoen Watanasim of Thailand and approved unanimously.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Joseph Pedrajas

CLARK, Pampanga – The Philippines will lead a “very memorable and historic” opening of the 2019 Southeast Asian Games at the Philippine Arena in Bulacan today as it holds a first-ever opening ceremony that will be done in two venues, with Philippine boxing champion Manny Pacquiao lighting the symbolic torch at the New Clark City in Pampanga.

“This has never been done before,” Philippine Southeast Asian Games Organizing Committee (Phisgoc) chief operating officer Tats Suzara said during a press conference at the International Broadcasting Center yesterday.

“Let us look into this as a very memorable and historic opening ceremony that we have two venues at the same time…with our world class artists, Filipino talents and beauty queens,” he said.

Suzara stressed that, “it is the first in the history of the SEA Games that the opening ceremony will be held indoors.”

“A lot of questions about fireworks, it is indoor. How do we light the cauldron, it is indoor,” he said. “That’s the highlight. We’re doing the digital type of technology for the fireworks. This is quite different from the previous Southeast Asian Games.”

Pacquiao will be the torch bearer and will be joined by another Filipino boxing icon, Suzara bared.

Despite various snafus that greeted the participating athletes, Suzara believed the country is now “one hundred percent ready” to formally open the Games.

With a tropical cyclone threatening to dampen the sports events next week, Suzara still expressed confidence the country is prepared.

“All sports have contingency plans, even without typhoon that is coming into place, especially for the outdoor sports,” Suzara said.

“Everything is in place. What is important now is all competition managers should be prepared in case competitions will be cancelled,” he added.

Suzara said that each venue, particularly the ones holding outdoor sports, already has its contingency plan.

For sports event that may need to be cancelled in case of a heavy downpour, Suzara said, “it should be the decision of the formal delegate [to cancel].”

Upon the instruction of President Duterte, tickets for the SEA Games in some sporting events would be given for free.

Suzara said that these tickets may be claimed at the city halls or at certain malls.

“[They] need to undergo security check,” he said.

Several point-to-point buses (P2P) from and to sporting venues will also be available to public, the Phisgoc COO added.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Betheena Unite

Filipino figure skater Allison Krystle Perticheto kicked off the Philippines’ bid on a high note after emerging at the top of the senior ladies-short program of the Southeast Asian Games Friday.

 

The 22-year-old Perticheto, the 2017 SEA Games bronze medalist, seemed on a mission as she delivered a flawless performance to best contenders in the figure skating short program event with 53.65 points.

“I didn’t think about the ranks but I had a little pressure, you know, to make the Philippines proud but again it’s all about the emotion and keeping myself calm going into my routine today and it works,” the Swiss-Filipina skater said.

“I honestly came here to do my job and to land my jumps and what I learned.”

Topping the short program boosted Perticheto’s bid in the biennial meet as her total points in the event will add to the results in the long program slated on December 1.

“I’m very happy that I land all my jumps and I skate very well and it was a thrill to skate here in the Philippines with the crowd cheering for me and for us,” she said.

Meanwhile, although it was a slow start for Cirinia Gillet, the country’s representative in the senior ladies figure skating who just had 20.90 points in the initial standings, she expressed elation over her first outing for the country.

“I’m pretty happy as to my first international competition in singles and I’m battling an injury right now so I can only ask so much of myself, but I’m happy,” Gillet said.

It was also a good start for the men’s figure skating as Filipino skaters Christopher Caluza and Edrian Paul Celestino finished at the second and third spots in the short program behind Malaysia’s Julian Zhie Jie Yee, who scored 63.35 points.

Caluza was a point shy of  Yee’s score with 62.37 points while Celestino finished with 61.52 points.

Going into the next events  Sunday, Caluza said he just wants to do his job. “For me, I just do my job, that’s my edge. It’s just knowing that I can do what I do and I am consistent skater and I’m just there to have a fun time.”

“I’m just here to have a fun, clean program. That’s my goal,” he added.

Celestino, for his part, said, “I expect a good performance in terms of emotions and how I express myself. In terms of my edge against other competitors, it will be my consistency as well and just keeping my composure.”

Caluza said their second and third finish in the short program is a boost for the next program.

Source: Manila Bulletin