By Kristel Satumbaga

 The Philippine women’s beach volleyball teams yielded to their more experienced Indonesian foes on Friday night at the start of the 30^th Southeast Asian Games at the Subic sandcourt.

The pair of Sisi Rondina and Bernadeth Pons was first to succumb to 2018 Asian Games bronze medalists Dhita Juliana and Putu Dini Jasita Utami 21-18, 16-21, 15-13, before Dzi Gervacio and Dij Rodriguez bowed to Allysah Mutakharah and Desi Ratsanari 21-14, 21-16.

It was a gallant stand for Rondina and Pons particularly in the deciding frame, but the duo fell short in the crunch after Juliana and Utami scored three straight points to seal the victory.

“Alam namin na kaya namin kaso nagkaroon kami ng lapses,” said Pons.

The country has been counting on the duo after successful local and international stints, including the 2019 Rebisco Beach Volleyball International Open recently.

Rondina added they will back. “Hindi kami bibitaw. Yun ang pinakaimportante sa lahat eh.”

Gervacio and Rodriguez, meanwhile, admitted they are still adjusting to their partnership.

“This is the first real tournament that we partnered. Wala pa masyado yung chemistry and intensity pero ngayong na-experience na namin, next game alam na namin,” Gervacio said.

Up next for Gervacio and Rodriguez will be Vietnam’s Nguyen Ngoc Lan Vu and Nguyen Tuong Vy Le Thi, while Rondina and Pons next battle Nguyen Tram Thi Thanh and Truong My Huyen Duong Thi also of Vietnam on Sunday.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Jonas Terrado

Ateneo star Thirdy Ravena has opted to skip this year’s PBA Rookie Draft to concentrate on possible opportunities overseas.

His manager Marvin Espiritu confirmed those plans Friday, shortly after the PBA released notable players that submitted their names before the deadline elapsed at 5 p.m.

The PBA’s press release didn’t mention the three-time UAAP Finals Most Valuable Player as one of the 71 applicants.

“His goal is to get better as a basketball player and would also consider international opportunities,” Espiritu told the Bulletin.

Espiritu added he and Ravena will discuss his initial plans upon the latter’s return from an Ateneo-related trip in Cagayan de Oro City.

“Sa ngayon may mga options siya. But no final plans yet with regards sa programa niya,” he said. “We’ll meet him when he gets back.”

Ravena’s absence leaves this year’s draft without its consensus No. 1 pick in the Dec. 8 proceedings at the Robinsons Place Manila.

Columbian is set to pick first in the draft with Blackwater holding the second overall selection.

Among the applicants announced by the league are Ravena’s teammates Isaac Go, twins Matt and Mike Nieto and former Ateneo standouts Vince Tolentino and Aaron Black.

Also included are San Sebastian’s Allyn Bulanadi, Adamson’s Sean Manganti, Lyceum twins Jayvee and Jaycee Marcelino, Marinerong Pilipino’s William McAloney and Mike Ayonayon and University of the East’s Rey Suerte.

Applicants have until 5 p.m. Saturday to withdraw their names.

The league will hold a draft combine on Dec. 4 and 5 at the Gatorade Hoops Center in Mandaluyong City.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Anthony Giron

TAGAYTAY CITY, Cavite—It’s all systems go for the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games’ skateboarding and cycling-BMX sites at the sprawling oval park.

The cycling-BMX and skateboarding competition are slated from December 4 to 9.

Observers consider the sports park near the Tagaytay government center as one of the best to hold such events citing the city’s cool climate, alluring spots and good environment.

Tagaytay is the top tourist destination in Region IV-A (CALABARZON).

Contractor Wharton R. Chan confirmed that the sites, including the newly constructed grandstand, are ready for the SEAG skateboarding and cycling-bmx events.

“Yes, it is complete,” Chan told Manila Bulletin.  The construction crew, he said are just working on some “minor improvements for looks.”

A member of the Indonesian SEAG skateboarding team reportedly started practicing in the area during the week.

Cavite 8^th District Representative and Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) President Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino called on everyone to “stand as one” as the country’s hosting of the 30th SEA Games goes full blast.

Tolentino said this is the fourth time the Philippines is hosting the SEA Games after 1981, 1991 and 2005.  “Remember, the next time we will host this could be in 2030. This is for the country,” Tolentino said.

“Let us support the athletes. With this, my statement will be not only for us to ‘we win as one’ but ‘we stand as one’ in hosting this SEA Games,’” he added.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Jonas Terrado

Nonong Araneta was re-elected as president of the Philippine Football Federation after topping Negros Occidental Football Association chief Ricky Yanson in Friday’s congress at the Century Park Hotel.

Araneta received 23 votes while Yanson got 12 during the polls participated by regional Football Association heads and member clubs to earn a third four-year term as head of the country’s national football federation.

Joselito Pinol was likewise re-elected as vice president after defeating Percy Guarin with 21 votes against the latter’s 14.

The elections were conducted by a committee led by Philippine Sports Commission executive director Guillermo Iroy with National Golf Association of the Philippines secretary-general Bones Floro serving as Philippine Olympic Committee observer.

Araneta heaved a sigh of relief after his post was threatened for the first time since ousting Mari Martinez during a PFF congress in Nov. 2010.

The former football and basketball star at University of the Philippines declared his candidacy in mid-October in a move Araneta saw as a way to preserve the unity within the local football scene.

Thirty-two regional clubs and PFL clubs Ceres, Kaya-Iloilo and Stallion-Laguna took part in the voting process.
The congress earlier approved the entry of Ceres, Kaya and Stallion as voting members.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Kristel Satumbaga

The Philippine men’s beach volleyball teams opened their medal campaigns on a bright note with easy victories against Timor Leste on Friday in the 30th Southeast Asian Asian Games at the Subic sand courts.

PH 1 pair James Buytrago and Jaron Requinton flexed their muscles en route to a 21-13, 21-16 triumph over Robson Xavier and Christian Jean before the PH 2 tandem of Jude Garcia and Edgar Bonono clobbered Silvano Auduauo and Denyanos Belo 21-7, 21-16.

Up next for the Filipino spikers will be Malaysia on Sunday in this eight-team field vying for a spot in the semifinals.

Meanwhile, the women’s pairs of Sisi Rondina and Bernadeth Pons, and Dzi Gervacio and Dij Rodriguez will play against Indonesian counterparts at 5:30 p.m.

Rondina and Pons battle Putu Utami and Dhita Juliana while Gervacio and Rodriguez clash with Allysah Mutakharah and Desi Ratnasari.

Each victory in the women’s division is crucial in this knockout game among six teams.

The Philippines shoot for nothing less than a medal and a spot in the Asian Volleyball Confederation Continental Cup set next year.

The last time the country won a medal was in the 2005 edition where Fil-Ams Diane Ilustre and Heidi Pascua settled for bronze.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Jonas Terrado

Games Friday
(Binan Football Stadium, Laguna)
4 p.m. — Indonesia vs Vietnam (Women’s)
8 p.m. — Malaysia vs Philippines (Women’s)
(Rizal Memorial Stadium)
4 p.m. — Timor-Leste vs Myanmar (Men’s)
8 p.m. — Philippines vs Malaysia (Women’s)

The national women’s team shoots for a semifinals berth while the men’s U-22 squad fight for dear life when they face their Malaysian counterparts Friday in football competitions of the 30th Southeast Asian Games.

A victory will secure the Malditas a top two finish in Group A and a berth in the semis against Malaysia in the 8 p.m. women’s match at the Binan Football Stadium in Laguna.

Over at the Rizal Memorial Stadium, the Young Azkals try to replicate the feat of the 1991 Games and defeat the fancied Malaysia side that settled for silver two years ago in a similar 8 p.m. kickoff.

Momentum is on the side of the Pinay booters after holding Myanmar to a scoreless draw, a feat that seemed unlikely after being pounded 6-0 in the 2017 Kuala Lumpur Games and 3-0 in the bronze medal match of this year’s AFF Women’s Championship.

Coach Let Dimzon, however, believes that there’s still more room for improvement after a lack of finishing denied the team an elusive goal against their Burmese counterparts.

“Kailangan talaga ma-capitalize namin yung atake namin ,” said Dimzon. “I think if we can do that against Malaysia, we’ll be able to get a good result.”

Sarina Bolden, Cam Rodriguez, Sara Castaneda are among the players expected to deliver for the Malditas.

Meanwhile, the Young Azkals hope to draw inspiration from the upset of Malaysia at the same venue in 1991 and secure the maximum three points in order to stay in the hunt for the semifinals.

It would be recalled that the Philippines gained a spot in the 1991 men’s football semis after Norman Fegidero’s goal sealed a 1-0 win over Malaysia.

The U-22 squad fell 2-1 to Myanmar Wednesday after conceding a goal in the 79th minute. That left the Philippines at one point with Cambodia, which rolled to a 5-0 win over Timor-Leste, and Myanmar level at four points each.

Malaysia also has one point after a 1-1 tie against Myanmar last Monday.

Stephan Schrock will be relied anew while coach Goran Milojevic is hoping to see Chiba Uzoka, Dennis Chung and Justin Baas step up.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Waylon Galvez 

Games Friday (New Clark City, Tarlac)

10 a.m. – Thailand vs Singapore (Women’s)

5 p.m. – Indonesia vs Malaysia (Men’s)

7 p.m. – Singapore vs Philippines (Men’s)

For the past two years, the Philippine men’s water polo team has made the necessary adjustments and acquired the needed training exposure and preparation for the 30th Southeast Asian Games.

And the Filipinos opened with a draw against Indonesia.

Now comes the big game with Singapore, a match that has repercussions on the country’s bid of winning a first-ever gold medal in the biennial meet.

“Eto na iyung pinaghahandaan ng buong team the past two years,” said veteran goalie Tani Gomez. “Lahat naman ng team pinaghandaan natin, pero Singapore ang sukatan – manalo ka dito malamang gold medal na.”

Expect a packed arena of flag-waving supporters when the national team battles the defending 27-time gold medalist Singapore today at the New Clark City Aquatic Center in Tarlac.

The game is set at 7 p.m. after the 5 p.m. encounter pitting Indonesia and Malaysia – silver and bronze medalist, respectively, in the 2017 SEA Games in Kuala Lumpur.

The national team started its campaign with a 6-6 draw against Indonesia last Tuesday, which halved the two points.

Indonesia improved to three points following a 17-12 victory over Thailand last Wednesday. That same day, Singapore also opened its bid for title No. 28 with a 17-5 thrashing of Malaysia.

It was the second straight defeat for Malaysia after absorbing a stunning 19-5 setback to Thailand last Tuesday.

The national team was playing Thailand at press time.

“Maski na alam natin na ang attention is on Singapore, we still have to get the job done against Thailand, which is a very dangerous team,” said national team coach Rey Galang.

“So kumbaga, yes we all know makakaharap natin ang Singapore, pero we take it one game at a time, we have to win first against Thailand before we set out sights on Singapore.” added Galang, who has former national team stalwart Dale Evangelista helping him in calling the shots.

The last time the country hosted the SEA Games in 2005, the national team nearly won against Singapore but it settled with e silver medal – the same finish the team had in 2007 and 2009.

Since then, the Nationals failed to win a medal. In the KL meet two years ago, the Philippines missed a podium finish after it placed fourth overall.

Meantime, the women’s national team absorbed its second straight defeat after the Filipinas suffered a 32-5 defeat to Thailand. The team opened its campaign with an 18-9 loss to Singapore.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Kristel Satumbaga

The Philippines will shoot for a spot in the Asian Volleyball Confederation Continental Cup when it plunges into action Friday in the beach volleyball competition of the 30th Southeast Asian Games at the Subic Tennis Court grounds

Representing the country will be the pair Sisi Rondina and Bernadeth Pons and the tandem of Dzi Gervacio and Dij Rodriguez in the women’s division.

Edmar Bonono and Jude Garcia, and the pair of Jaron Requinton and James Buytrago compete in the men’s side.

National team manager Charo Soriano said the team have been staying and training in Subic for a week now and is optimistic it can achieve its goal of a podium finish and possibly a berth to the AVC tilt in June next year.

“Our teams have been training twice a day so they can get used to the sand and lighting conditions,” she said.

The country eyes its first medal since the pair of Fil-Americans Heidi Ilustre and Diane Pascua snared a bronze in the 2005 edition held in Bacolod City.

The stakes have also become higher as the event also serves as Southeast Asian Zonal qualifier to the AVC Continental Cup.

The gold winner clinches a seat to the third round, while the silver medalist moves on to the second round.

The Continental Cup champion earns an outright spot to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

“We are ready to compete and make the country proud,” Soriano said.

Schedules and pairings will be released after the technical meeting being held at press time.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By WAYLON GALVEZ

Games Friday (New Clark City, Tarlac)

10 a.m. – Thailand vs Singapore (Women’s)

5 p.m. – Indonesia vs Malaysia (Men’s)

7 p.m. – Singapore vs Philippines (Men’s)

water water

The national team solidified its bid for a first-ever gold medal in water polo following a 7-4 win over Thailand in the 30th Southeast Asian Games Thursday at the New Clark City Aquatic Center in Tarlac.

Veteran player Roy Cañete scored three goals for the Philippines, which improved its record to three points after earning a 6-6 draw against Indonesia on its first game last Tuesday.

Paolo Serrano, who converted the tying goal against Indonesia, finished with two goals, while Filipino-American Vince Sicat and Aljon Salonga Jr. each delivered a goal each for the national team.

“This is a big win for the national team,” said coach Rey Galang. “This moves us closer to our goal of winning a medal – hopefully a gold medal this time. That is what we are aiming for.”

The national team also did well defensively with veteran goalie Tani Gomez providing key shot blocks.

With three points in the single round group play, the Filipinos (1-0-1) are currently at second spot behind 2017 SEA Games silver medalist Indonesia (2-0-1), which has five points after a stunning 7-5 win over defending champion Singapore also last night.

It was the first setback for Singapore, which has won the gold 27 times since the sport of water polo was included to the biennial meet during the 1965 SEA Games in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Singapore is at third spot with two points (1-1-0), and Thailand (1-2-0) at fourth also with two points. Malaysia (0-2-0), bronze medalist two years ago, is at bottom fifth of the team standings.

After a stunning blowout win of Thailand against Malaysia last Tuesday, the Philippines knew it’s not going to be an easy match. True enough, the first period ended with the game tied at 1-1.

But the national team started to turn things around in the second period when Serrano converted his first goal of the match. Sicat and Cañete then joined the party with a goal each that gave the Philippines as opposed to Thailand’s single goal for a 4-2 advantage at halftime break.

Cañete started the third frame with his second goal before Serrano scored his second goal too on a penalty shot that gave the national team its biggest lead of the game at 6-2 with three minutes left.

Thailand scored two more goals, first was late in the third period and second was early in the final quarter to trim the deficit to 6-4, but Cañete powered his way on a two-against-one play and scored his third goal.

The 38-year-old Cañete flexed his muscles after scoring the goal to the delight of a wild cheering Filipino crowd.

Next for the national team is Singapore set Friday night, and the task for the Filipinos is not just to beat the defending SEA Games champion, but also to win by more than three goals.

“We need to win by three goals or more against Singapore,” said Galang, who is being assisted by former national team stalwart Dale Evangelista in this Games the country is hosting for the fourth time and first in 14 years or in 2005.

“That’s what we need to do to move closer to our goal of winning our first gold medal… It’s a tough task, but it’s doable. They’re coming off a loss, momentum is on our side after a win, we have to take advantage of that.”

“Again, we just have to execute our plays against Singapore. Our overall team defense is ok. But on offense, we have to continue executing plays, which again in this game, we didn’t do in the first period,” added Galang.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Hanah Tabios

A few days before the opening of the 30^th Southeast Asian Games, Filipino skateboard champion Arianne Mae “Kiddo” Trinidad, 25, is still on floating status after she was allegedly removed from the competition’s roster.

On Monday, Trinidad bared on her Facebook account that her name had been excluded from the list of Filipino skateboarders who will represent the country to the international sporting event.

The Pampanga-native athlete was understandably dismayed as this was supposed to be her debut as a national player who will bear the colors of the flag in the competition.

“Despite being the champion in the regionals and overall champion for the nationals, I was removed because they wanted me to make a public apology for exposing the truth on social media,” she said.

All these happened after she took a critical stance against the Skateboarding and Roller Sports Association of the Philippines Inc. (SRSA), a group accredited by the Philippine Olympic Committee of which she isn’t a member of.

In an interview with the Manila Bulletin recently, Trinidad said it was standard practice among national competitions that whoever earns the top spot automatically gets included in the national team.

Back in July, she earned first place in the Game of Skate (GOS) girls’ division, with her male teammate, CL Paje,  emerging first in the same category.

A month later, she was welcomed by the members of SRSA led by its president, Monty Mendigoria, after she was featured in a television program.

Paje, however, wasn’t accorded the same welcome, for whatever reason.

Things turned sour for her, Trinidad said, when she expressed her support for fellow national player Karla Robelo, a longboard champion from Bacolod City who posted on social media that she has not been getting any support or updates from SRSA regarding the SEA Games.

Trinidad told the Manila Bulletin that Robelo was not given her prize during the regional and national competitions in July where Robelo ruled the downhill long boarding category.

A short time later, Trinidad found out her name had been stricken off the national team’s Facebook group.

Furious, Trinidad went to a radio program late last month and there bared her indignation. The SRSA demanded that she issue a public apology. When she refused, she was taken off the team, Trinidad said.

“They removed me from the list without informing me and without any official or formal letter,” she said.

Trinidad also shared a screenshot message from an SRSA member telling her that she will no longer be allowed to use her SEA Games uniform as this will be turned over to another athlete handpicked, Trinidad said, by the association.

Some of the skateboard athletes who will compete in the SEAG, Trinidad claimed, were the ones she had beaten in tournaments.

Her plight reportedly has already reached the Philippine Olympic Committee which, Trinidad hopes, would step into the impasse and resolve the issue before the skateboarding event starts.

The Manila Bulletin tried to reach out to the SRSA for comment, but calls and text messages made to its officials went unanswered as of press time.

Source: Manila Bulletin