Philippine polo is moving forward in the right direction and the leadership of the Philippine National Federation of Polo Players (PNFPP) is extremely happy about the continued rise of the national team in the Asian standings.

Proof of its new-found confidence was the impressive runner-up finish of the GlobalPort-PH team in the recent 5th All Asia Cup 2020 that saw them score a vengeful win over Indonesia at the VS Sports Club & Siam Polo Park in Preng, Thailand.

Though the PH team was beaten by host team in the final of the 6-nation tournament, PNFPP founding director and House Deputy Speaker Mikee Romero said the team’s performance was something to look forward to especially after beating some of their Southeast Asian rivals.

“Up against some of the best teams in the Asian region, we proved we can be at par with them,” said Romero, a member of the PH team that won bronze medal in last year’s SEA Games held at the world-class Miguel Romero Field in Calatagan, Batangas.

“Given more time to train and play in various tournaments abroad, I strongly believe we can play much better the next time,” added Romero. “The chemistry is there so we just have to sustain it.”

The Thailand event is considered as one of the toughest in the region and many polo players are one in saying it has a similar standard as the Asian Games.

After dropping its initial game – also against Thailand – the PH team, composed of Anthony Garcia, Adrian Garcia, Robert Esguerra and Romerim beat Brunei 10-9, in a tense quarterfinal clash.

The Nationals then played their best game in the week-long tournament by downing Indonesia 8-5.5 to secure their first finals appearance in the event that gathered some of the rich and famous of the region, including Brunei’s Princess Azemah Bolkiah and Prince Bahar, Shilai Liu and the billionaire Srivaddhanaprabha siblings – Apichet and Aiyawatt – of Thailand.

In last year’s SEA Games, the Indons beat the Nationals, 9-4.5.

The event – initiated by the late King Power Duty Free owner Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha – was intended to raise awareness of the sport and elevate the level of sportsmanship.

Also taking part in the event are China and Korea.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Kristel Satumbaga

 

The Philippine Superliga is pushing through with its Grand Prix Conference on Feb. 29 at The Arena in San Juan City with eight teams battling for the crown.

Defending champion Petron Blaze Spikers banner the participating squads composed of last season’s finalists F2 Logistics Cargo Movers along with Generika-Ayala Lifesavers, Chery Tiggo Crossovers, PLDT Home Fibr Hitters, Sta. Lucia Realtors, Marinerang Pilipina Lady Skippers and the Cignal HD Spikers.

With some sporting events on hold due to the coronavirus health scare, organizers decided to continue with the tournament due to its commitment to the teams and the fans.

The league had prepared a public health guideline that must be followed during playdates for cautionary measures like a body temperature check in all entry points of the venue.

“We are raring to go,” said PSL President Ian Laurel.

Petron will parade with a new coach in Emil Lontoc and will be composed of veterans Ging Balse, Ces Molina, Aiza Pontillas and foreign reinforcement Katherine Bell.

“Nakaka-adapt naman sila ng sistema,” said Lontoc.

F2 Logistics mainstay Aby Maraño, meanwhile, said they have a mission to finish after losing in the deciding Game 3 of last season’s championship series.

“We have this mindset na may mission kami na di natapos. Our team is intact, so we’re taking it as an advantage,” said Maraño.

Joining Maraño in their title bid are import Lindsay Stalzer, Kalei Mau, Dawn Macandili, Majoy Baron and Desiree Cheng.

Matches will be played on Tuesdays and Saturdays and will be televised live on 5Plus.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By WAYLON GALVEZ

A total of six Filipino fencers have made it to the national team that will aim for a spot in the Tokyo Games via the Olympic Qualifying Tournament set April 15 to 22 in Seoul, South Korea.

Amat Canlas, the national fencing coach, said that 30th Southeast Asian Games champion in women’s saber event Jylyn Nicanor heads the contingent that will fight for Olympic berths.

Also part of the national team are Chris Jester Concepcion in men’s saber, Hanniel Abella and Noelito Jose in women’s and men’s epee, Nathaniel Perez and Samanthe Catantan in men’s and women’s foil events.

Concepcion and Abella earned silver medals in in the SEA Games, while Jose settled for a bronze medal. The 18-year-old Catantan is the reigning Asian under-23 champion.

“This is the first time na magpapadala tayo ng six Filipino athletes in this tournament, which is a qualifying event for the Tokyo Olympics,” said Canlas after training Tuesday at the Philsports Arena (formerly ULTRA) in Pasig City.

“Sa anim na athletes that will be competing, we’re hoping na sana kahit isa sa kanila lumusot for the Tokyo Olympics. After the SEA Games here sinabi ko na sa kanila na maghanda sila sa qualifier for the Olympics, kasi very tough ang competition doon.”

Canlas said that only the champion fencer from the six individual events will advance to the Tokyo Olympics this August.

The last Filipino fencer to qualify in the Olympics was Water Torres during the 1992 Barcelona Games in Spain.

Canlas said that they have lined up several international competitions for the six fencers, but due to the health issues brought by the coronavirus or Covid-19, almost all were called off.

The only tournament left is the Fencing Cadet and Junior World Championship scheduled April 3 to 11 in Salt Lake City. However, only Catantan is eligible to join the tournament.

“Supposed to be may mga preparation kami kaso na-cancel because of the coronavirus. Ang matutuloy lang ay si Samantha kasi siya lang ang junior sa team. The rest, tuloy lang ang training dito,” said Canlas.

“Very positive naman ang mga bata, kanya-kanyang trabaho na lang kasi walang foreign exposure. Hindi lang naman ang Philippines ang affected, pati ibang bansa.”

The good thing for the Philippine Fencing Team is the presence of Korean mentors in Seungjun Kim and Sangsun Park – a gold medal winner in the 2006 Asian Games – who are here to continue training the athletes.

“Prior to the SEA Games nandito na sila, and until now. So kahit na walang international competition, malaking bagay na natutulungan nila tayo, yung mga athletes natin,” Canlas said.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Jonas Terrado

PBA players CJ Perez and Mo Tautuaa will join forces with Joshua Munzon and Alvin Pasaol to form the national team roster for next month’s FIBA 3×3 Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Bengaluru, India.

The Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas named the four players Tuesday following a recommendation of its selection committee chaired by Executive Director Sonny Barrios with coaches Jong Uichico, Pat Aquino, Ronnie Magsanoc and Eric Altamirano serving as members.

Overseeing the training are Serbian mentor Stefan Stojajic and conditioning coach Darko Krsman, the SBP added.

Santi Santillan and Karl Dehesa, who compete in the Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas 3×3, were chosen as reserves for the tournament slated March 18 to 22.

The Philippines is eyeing a top three finish in the OQT in order to secure a spot in the Tokyo Olympics.

In order to put themselves in that position, the national cagers need to place at least second in Pool C also composed of Slovenia, France, Qatar and Dominican Republic.

Perez of Columbian Dyip and Tautuaa of San Miguel Beer are set to return to the 3×3 scene after teaming up with Meralco’s Chris Newsome and Phoenix Pulse’s Jason Perkins to win the men’s gold in the 30th Southeast Asian Games.

Munzon and Pasaol are automatic inclusions to the team for being the Philippines’ top two 3×3 players. FIBA rules require the two highest-ranked cagers of each country to be part of the roster.

The two garnered points through their participation in last year’s Chooks league and the FIBA-organized World Tour and Masters competitions.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Jonas Terrado

TNT KaTropa is set to acquire the services of center Poy Erram from sister team NLEX in a three-way trade which also involved Blackwater.

The proposed trade, first reported by Spin.ph, has been sent to the PBA Commissioner’s Office with NLEX receiving Anthony Semerad and two future draft picks and Blackwater getting Marion Magat and Ed Daquioag from TNT and a first round selection.

NLEX later confirmed the deal in a statement which also expressed gratitude for Erram’s one-season stint.

“We thank Poy for his hardwork, sacrifice and dedication to our organization, and wish him the best as he continues his career in the PBA,” the team said as part of its statement.

“As an organization, we continue to look towards the future and place the NLEX Road Warriors in a position for success in the PBA.”

THANK YOU, POY.

Read our team statement here: https://t.co/e6rQksEKtq #ArangkadaNLEX pic.twitter.com/VmT1dGBnsZ

— NLEX Road Warriors (@ArangkadaNLEX) February 17, 2020

Rumors have been swirling since last week that Erram is bound to move to the flagship franchise of the MVP Group, the same team that selected him in the second round of the 2015 draft.

KaTropa active consultant Mark Dickel earlier declined comment, though acknowledging that it would be great having the reigning Defensive Player of the Year on the lineup.

NLEX coach Yeng Guiao, on the other hand, said that he would rather keep Erram if he had a choice but conceded that the situation was already beyond his control.

Erram played in Road Warriors in a tune-up game against the San Miguel Beermen at the Upper Deck Sports Center in Ortigas.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Jonas Terrado

TNT KaTropa finally came to terms with Ray Parks Jr. after the two sides agreed on a one-year contract extension worth P5.04 million on Monday.

Team manager Gabby Cui confirmed the deal which will Parks the maximum monthly salary of P420,000. Other conditions were not disclosed.

The two parties have been working on an extension for months after Parks’ two-conference contract worth a monthly rookie salary of P200,000/month expired at the end of last season.

Parks signed that deal last April with Blackwater, which selected him second overall in the 2018 Draft.

Blackwater eventually traded Parks in early-November for Don Trollano, Tony Semerad and a first round pick in the 2021 draft.

He averaged 18.8 points, 6.3 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.4 steals in 32 games last season highlighted by a quarterfinal appearance while playing for Blackwater in the Commissioner’s Cup and a semifinal berth with TNT in the Governors’ Cup.

The KaTropa made their intentions known of giving Parks a long-term extension but the two sides eventually settled on a shorter contract.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Nick Giongco

Wrestling chief Alvin Aguilar is upbeat about the chances of sending qualifiers to the Tokyo Olympics since he is dispatching the crème dela crème of his sport to Morocco and Bulgaria in the next few months.

Greco-Roman practitioners Jason Baucas (72 kg.) and Noel Norada (63 kg.), gold medalists in the 2019 Southeast Asian Games, and freestyler Alvin Lobrequito (57 kg.), are actually bound for the Russian city of Yakutsk, 450 kilometers south of the Arctic Circle, to train for the Olympic qualifying events.

In the Olympic qualifiers, Lobreguito will remain at 57 kg while Baucas will campaign in the 77 kg. division and Norada in the 67 kg. class, said the Bralizian jiu-jutsu-trained Aguilar, who is the proponent of mix-martial arts in the country.

“The wrestlers are flying out for Russia next week for training camp and they’ll go straight to Morocco (for the Africa-Oceania Qualifying) and return to Russia to train again to get ready for Bulgaria (for the World Qualifying),” said Aguilar.

The Morocco grapplefest is scheduled March 13-15 in El Jadida while the Bulgarian event in the capital of Sofia takes the spotlight from April 30-May 3.

To prepare the team for the Olympic quest, Aguilar attended the two meetings called by Tokyo Olympics chief of mission Nonong Araneta and the Philippine Sports Commission the past three weeks.

“So far, there is no problem with funding,” said Aguilar, who will tag along coaches Melchor Tumasis and Jimmy Angana to Russia, Morocco and Bulgaria.

In the last SEAG, two golds were won by wrestling apart from ten silver medals while powerhouse Vietnam muscled its way to a 12-gold romp.

Last time the Philippines competed in Olympic wrestling was during the 1988 edition in Seoul.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Jonas Terrado

NLEX coach Yeng Guiao admitted that he will be in a dilemma if rumors of a trade that will send center Poy Erram to TNT KaTropa will push through.

Details have been sketchy about the possible deal which puts the 6-foot-8 veteran back to the team that selected him 15th overall in the 2013 PBA Draft, but Guiao said the situation is beyond his control.

“Wala ako masabi diyan kasi ako, ayoko i-trade si Poy,” Guiao said after NLEX’s 103-97 victory over San Miguel Beer in Monday’s tune-up game at the Upper Deck Sports Center in Ortigas.

“I think it’s not at my level so I cannot comment on it at this point,” added the Road Warriors mentor.

Erram is a key piece in the Road Warriors with his ability to block shots and provide the offensive spark when needed.

He averaged 11.7 points, 8.2 rebounds and 2.1 blocks in 33 games last season that saw NLEX making the Governors’ Cup playoffs as the No. 1 seed.

NLEX acquired Erram from Blackwater in Dec. 2018 courtesy of a three-team trade which also involved TNT.

“There are a very few quality big men in the league, and Poy is one of them,” said Guiao. “I’m still in a quandary. I’m still not sure what his situation is.

“But unless it happens, we treat him like we treated him before. He’s part of the team, he’s part of the family of NLEX, and we’ll see what happens.”

Source: Manila Bulletin

Vic Manuel is having second thoughts on whether to join Gilas Pilipinas’ preparation for the 2021 FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers or use the extra time to make up for sleepless hours while taking care of his newborn child.

Manuel has yet to attend Gilas’ training sessions after her wife gave birth to a daughter named Ivanna last week and the muscular Alaska forward admitted that he’s having a dilemma if he’ll heed the call of possibly suiting up in Sunday’s match against Indonesia in Jakarta.

“Parang tinatantiya ko pa yung katawan ko kung ano talaga mangyayari,” Manuel said after the Aces’ 98-87 win over the Phoenix Pulse Fuel Masters in Monday’s tune-up match at the Upper Deck Sports Center in Ortigas.

“Nakakahiya na rin sa kanila na di na sila makapag-antay. Parang yung katawan ko medyo pagod lagi so yun kailangan ko din magpahinga.”

The 32-year-old was among the late additions to the 24-man pool after the likes of Japeth Aguilar, Christian Standhardinger, Matthew Wright and Mac Belo pulled out due to injuries and personal reasons.

Having Manuel could give Gilas the inside presence it needed in order to beat the Indonesians in the game that will proceed barring a last-minute decision because of the novel coronavirus.

Gilas was supposed to host Thailand on Thursday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum but was rescheduled on a later date as a preventive measure against the virus.

Manuel does participate in Alaska’s training and tune-up matches, posting 25 points and nine rebounds against Phoenix in the first day of a four-team mini-tournament also participated by San Miguel Beer and NLEX.

NLEX defeated SMB 103-97 in Monday’s other game.

The Alaska duties are also making it hard for Manuel to commit given the little rest and the huge responsibility of fatherhood.

“Siguro pag nakabawi na katawan ko,” he said.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By WAYLON GALVEZ

With the possible postponement of the Asian Beach Games in China, the handball coaching staff is looking at holding local tournaments to continue the progress of the sport in the hopes of building a stronger national team for the 2021 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in Vietnam.

Handball national coach Jana Franquelli said they are in the process of conducting events for the men’s and women’s PH teams this month after health issues of the novel coronavirus or Covid-19 either cancelled or postponed various sports events.

“There is no announcement yet regarding the Asian Beach Games this year, but in the event that organizers postpone or cancel it, we’re ready with programs to make sure that there is progress,” said Franquelli.

“The momentum is already there after our podium finish in the last SEA Games, that’s why we need to continue these programs for the sport of handball and for the national team.”

The men’s team finished with a bronze medal in the beach handball competition in the SEA Games held here last December.

According to Franquelli, the Philippine Handball Federation (PHF) has to take advantage of that since Vietnam – host of the biennial meet in 2021 – is seriously considering having both beach and indoor handball events for men’s and women’s categories.

The men’s program will include a local tournament for both beach and indoor events in the hopes of identifying players for the national team.

As for the women’s division, Franquelli said that they have already invited a combined of 25 players of handball and former basketball players from the UAAP to form the national team training pool.

“We’ll have some kind of a tryout, so we’ve invited a total of 25 players to come at The Sands at the Mall of Asia (Pasay City). We actually have a pool, but we want to expand it,” she said.

Franquelli said that another key to sustain the momentum is to keep an active handball club in various schools, like the one she’s heading in UP and in Antipolo with College of St. Benilde.

Another plan, Franquelli said, is to hold invitational tournaments.

“But that depends on the situation with the health issue. We’re thinking of conducting an international invitational event, but if the situation remains the same with the Covid-19, we don’t know if there would be participants,” she said.

“The only sure thing for now is the local tournaments to make sure that we continue. Our target is to have a solid team come the 2021 SEA Games, and maybe for the 2020 Asian Games,” added Franquelli.

Source: Manila Bulletin